《Our Chaoz; Our Reality (Completed)》 Chapter 1 - Prologue Humanity has reached a great milestone in the year 3123, some speculate it to be even greater than milestones such as the Mars colonization and the sentient AI invention. What is this milestone? After decades of research albeit the lack of actual human experimentation except for its final testing, humanity was finally able to produce, popularize and affordably market DVR; Dream Virtual Reality. DVR induces a dream like state in which the equipment called dream dive capsules or DDCes are used as a physical platform for altering the dream, the possibilities such technology provided blew (Not literally...) people''s minds. By the year 3201 DVR another milestone was breached, not the whole of humanity acknowledges this though. DVR had fully settled within the medical, scientific and industrial companies but on this year for the first time since gamer wanted life + game = reality...DVR technology gained it''s very first triple A video game. As in there were video games made for the technology before, hundreds of them in actuality but none compared to the scale of this one single game. A game that cleaned up the shelves from previous PC and console games, a game that cleaned up the shelves themselves for space to show off its equipment that was specifically made for it. Grand Adventure Online, the very first Triple A DVR video game, VRMMORPG and an explosion in the gaming industry. Everyone and their cat (Author is unsure if someone wouldn''t actually try...) stormed the store''s sites that had the privilege of gaining a contract to sell the game along with the equipment, stores cleaned out their supply faster than they resupplied forcing the parent company to increase the supply as per demand and bidding wars ensued over special offers allowed by the company. And such is life for these gamers now...a new world to explore, a new system to abuse and new developers to biasly hate on. (Filthy casuals...) Or is it? There are some that disagree with this life, each will talk about it differently with scaling levels of knowledge and or hostility. These "people" are rejected by society in the same way they reject it, some parts of society welcome them hoping to reform their views on it, some of them try to welcome society hoping to reform IT but in the end, what is society? It''s a system created by us, for us. Do we have to live under it? Can we avoid it? What''s the point of it if there are those who question it? There are many words used for these people, the most common though, is shut-in. Kyle Dean is one such shut-in, at the age of 21 he lives with his parents and the only reason he ever leaves home is to...never...He doesn''t leave home. Spends all his time reading books, playing video games, watching tv series and the occasional walk as it is for loners. Life couldn''t be simpler for Kyle but in his opinion life simply couldn''t be more boring. There he sat on his cheap office chair staring into one of his four monitors, clicking away on youtube searching videos and tabbing them to watch. Pale white skin, short brown-black hair with almond brown eyes and a short lazy neck beard Kyle is your average young man with average height and slightly above average weight. He stretched out his arms grunting in the process "Ma is dinner ready?!" his shout travelled throughout the house and a reply came shouting back "In a minute! Come down to the table hun, dad is gonna be late again!", he momentarily stared at the multiple open tabs then sighed "When isnt he late?..." Pushing his chair away from the desk he stood up and walked out of his room, "What''s for dinner?" he said as he turned to the left into the corridor containing two other doors and walked to it''s end where he began descending the stairs.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The stairs lead him to the living room which right next to it and fully visible from it was the kitchen only separated by an arch way, his mother answered as he walked over to the metallic table that sat facing the kitchen like a bar "Don''t got long hun so it''s cheese burgers today, can''t be late for that interview you know? Has your equipment arrived yet?". She stood by the fryer manually frying a couple burgers, Kyle sat down on one of six silver stools with a single leg ending in four. His mother was a reporter for a well known DVR news website, her blogs, reports and interviews mostly went under the scientific and medical category but today was a big day for everyone within the DVR community. She turned around with two plates of burgers and fries "Here you go!" she lay a plate in front of him and walked around the table to sit on the stool to his right, "Ordered it couple weeks ago, should be one of the first to get it knowing the delivery time so maybe in an hour or two tonight". At this news she made a face, the one which showed faked annoyance "Aww, so you won''t be able to use it until tomorrow morning then? We did have a deal you know", Kyle rolled his eyes "Yeah yeah...you payed you try first..." which gained him a chuckle and a grin from his mother. She layed her arm on his shoulder and pulled him close for a kiss on the forehead "Just kidding hun, it''s all yours. Don''t gotta be so dense all the time, resembling your father so much!" she loved teasing him from time to time and because of that he''d grown so used to her ways that he saw them comming from miles away but still purposely walked into them. They spoke of different topics as they ate, his obsession with staying off the net so he didn¡¯t see spoilers, her interview with the two lead developers of the game and his father''s ongoing tournament this month. His father was known for years as a professional gamer and still to this day he works as a host for this generation''s top pros, his game of preference? Only the top of first person shooters for the newest Nintendo console (Author is aware of how ridiculous this sounds, it''s called platform humour), Call of Luigi. After they were done eating, his mother said her goodbyes for the night and rushed over to the garage, as he sat there munching on the remaining fries he could hear her car start and leave. A single beam signalled the garage''s full closure "I swear if they delay..." his thoughts had not left DVR even after the change of subjects, it was a rule for him to not think too much about his father. Ever since Kyle had been old enough to push a button his father had tried his best to pass down his now life-long hobby of console gaming to Kyle, he on the other hand grew up to hate the constant rambling about consoles, shooters and anything that had to do with professional competitive gameplay. His father had truly hoped for Kyle to be there on that stage with him holding the controller as he rose the ranks alongside his team while his father filled the background with his quirky and informative comments. In the end Kyle found something else to call a hobby, still within the video game genre he was introduced to PC gaming through a friend in middle school the same friend introduced him to his longest standing game which ended up being one of the top three MMORPGs for years. Now Kyle waited patiently for the milestone of the century, the very first VRMMORPG utilizing the DVR technology, Grand Adventure Online by ComicGamePlay who along with NightmareCorp the creators of sentient AI and their parent company the creators of DVR and the DDCes Lucid&Co made the game''s creation a possibility. Kyle looked up at the AR digital clock hovering to the top left of his vision Augmented Reality had overtaken the last ten centuries and continued on into this one but unlike the previous generations Kyle of the 32nd century simply saw it as part of life...having a UI in real life...was now just life and has been for centuries. He stood up from the table and grabbed both plates, being a shut-in without a job and supported by his parents it was up to him to clean up and take care of the house. He walked over to the sink where he dumped the two plates activating the auto-clean system then walked away and back up to his room. "Mom''s gonna be a couple minutes late again so the stream should be in 15? 20 minutes?" his mother since her first stream had ended up with this ongoing character plot of being a couple minutes late even when the stream started before she even arrived, just as entertainment to see how awkward the ones being intervened acted for a couple minutes without their host this kept going for every stream afterwards. Kyle sat down on his chair and rolled over to the black wooden desk, touching the screen to switch to a tab he then flicked his fingers making the window pop out into augmented reality and grabbed it between his thumb and index finger. He then walked over to his bed and laid down with the window still in hand, flipping it around he laid there looking up at the window as they streamed some ads. A couple minutes passed and after the seventh or so ad the stream began. Ch 2 - Character creation ¡°Welcome to your stream of dreams! Here to update your cerebral cortex about the latest news on DVR!¡± the announcer¡¯s voice faded as the stage appeared, a single legged chair lay empty in the middle with two screens behind it. ¡°With us today we have!¡± the announcer began to introduce today¡¯s interview ¡°CEO of Lucid and Co! Professor Conrad Ivanov!¡± the left screen turned on showing the professor in his fancy office wearing his signature rainbow business suit, the suit accompanied with his dark skin and gelled back silver hair would make him stand out in the strangest crowds. ¡°Joining him will be head developer at ComicGamePlay entertainment Kanye J Dewford!¡± Dewford appeared on the right screen where he appeared to be in the main office of his company, multiple employees rushed from side to side while interacting with AR windows and utilities getting everything ready for the game¡¯s grand launch. Kanye J Dewford was wearing a simple button up grey shirt with the company¡¯s logo on the chest pocket, his bald head gleamed underneath the unplanned lighting within the office. Silence filled the stream momentarily as he remembered to close out the stream¡¯s subscriber chat just in case someone decided spoiling was worth more than being in the chatroom, Kyle tapped at the top left of the window to open another and from the main menu opened Discord to join his usual chat room. The chat was somehow going faster than the stream¡¯s own chat with the usual seven friends of Kyle¡¯s going at it like normal that included talking shit to each other along with random changes of the conversation.
Birse; Soren; Birse; SkillShot99; DeathChilled; Silva; Kyllix; Sly; Soren; Sly; Birse; Sly; Soren; Birse; Sly; Kyllix; Sly; SkillShot99; Birse; Sly; Soren;
Kyle looked away from the chat room just as the war between the usual began, the stream had continued with the usual awkward silence but it appeared that the host had finally chimed in. He turned the volume back on and slid the bar at the bottom back a couple minutes since he missed the start, the stream skipped back to when the host walked in. The announcer announced her ¡°Ladies, Gentlemen and possible evil sentient AIs, your host for today¡¯s show! Amy Dean!¡± as if out of thin air a middle aged woman suddenly appeared sitting on the chair ¡°Let¡¯s get to it then! Conrad! Mister Dewford how nice of you to join us!¡±. They both nod in greeting as Conrad began to speak ¡°My pleasure Amy, what questions might you have for us today?¡±. ¡°Well if you insist! Our viewer¡¯s most asked question today is what are your thoughts on the sentient AI system being added to the complex MMORPG game genre?¡± with a smile Amy rests her chin on her wrists as they rest on her crossed legs. ¡°I understand that only a small percentage of your viewership is from the gaming community so I¡¯ll make this simple, for decades the MMORPG genre has lacked a key feature no matter how in-depth our coders forged it. Within this genre there are non-player characters simply referred to as NPCs, these entities have set responses answering set questions, That the player may choose from. With the creation of sentient AI developers such as Kanye here can now set patterns of speech for the NPCs that respond to even the most advanced question in some way or another¡± he gestured towards Kanye. ¡°Kanye if you can continue from there¡± the man nodded back and followed up ¡°Indeed I can Sir. With this capability the NPCs now can respond utilizing not only speech recognition but facial and emotional recognition from the player, you could ask the most absurd of questions and the NPC would respond accordingly, according to their personality of course¡± he made a twirling gesture with his index finger and a window showing a merchant NPC popped up ¡°For example if a player tries to haggle too much with this merchant then the merchant in turn might just put that player in a black list, on the other hand if the player proves to be respectful and pays in full for a long period of time the merchant might begin to value the player as a good customer along with the benefits that would provide.¡± He swiped away the window making another appear. ¡°Again on the other hand let us say your journeying from one town to another but you are stopped by this unsavoury hooded individual who holds a knife to your back, he asks you to drop all your belongings for obvious reasons, I presume they are obvious at least¡­¡± Amy stifles a laugh by coughing while Conrad simply rolls his eyes with a smile ¡°If the player fights back then depending on the amount of strength shown by the player it could scare away this thief, this also has to do with an in-depth stat system along with the fear and reputation stats but I¡¯ll leave that to the tutorial¡± he waves away the window. Amy follows up with her usual response ¡°Fascinating, I¡¯m sure we won¡¯t be having any unorthodox occurrences then?¡± after a short chuckle she continues ¡°On to the next question then! Our viewership is also very curious about the time condensation system you have implemented into the game¡±. A cough is heard from Conrad¡¯s side making him momentarily look elsewhere ¡°Ah¡­I¡¯m sorry but that information is one we cannot give out to the public yet¡±. Amy gives a disappointed expression ¡°Oh..I guess we¡¯ll have to skip that one then, on to the next!¡± but quickly recuperates her smile, ¡°How about this one? Wha-¡± the sound cut off as a ringing sound echoed through-out the house. Kyle swiped away the stream and grabbed hold of the chat room then rushed out of his room with a grin plastered on his face, he re-joined the chat as he rushed to the door.
Birse; Sly; Soren; Birse; Kyllix; Sly; <*Totally not taking the chance at changing the conv¡­* IT¡¯S HERE!? ERM¡­THERE?!> Kyllix; SkillShot99; DeathChilled; < . . . > Sly; Soren; Kyllix; Birse; Soren; Sly; SkillShot99;
Kyle shut off the chat with a chuckle as the war recommenced, he stared on at the six triangular robots hovering while carrying a large box with metallic arms entangled around it like rope. They followed him into the house and up to his room ¡°Twenty left, ten front, drop¡± the robots followed his commands and then dropped the box after untangling their arms from around it, ¡°De-crate¡± at his command the robots grabbed hold of the crate and hovered down onto it. Suddenly the crate began to disappear as if melting away and being sucked into the robot¡¯s arms, within the crate was a see through tub filled with a green solid liquid.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Right by the tub was a see through table with a helmet, clothes and gloves on top of it. ¡°Delivery complete, leave¡± he glanced at the robots and they began hovering out of the room, he followed them to the front door as they waited for him to open up for them. He let them out then closed the door behind them, he sighed ¡°It¡¯s here¡­¡± with a clenched fist he walked back up to his room. He took a deep breath as he stared down at the tub, the intricate wiring beneath the tub protected by the nanite hardened glass same as the tub. He took off his pants and shirt then grabbed the clothes from the table, he held them up looking them up and down ¡°The sensor suit¡­touch, pain¡­Can¡¯t wait to see Birse beat up Sly and Soren for all the shit they talk¡­¡± with a grin on his face he put the suit on and the gloves after that. The suit along with the gloves were completely black ¡°Their product design team must have been pissed when the cooler designs where given a pay wall¡­this is too bland¡­¡± he picked up the helmet, it was more of a visor with a thick white band that goes around the head while the black visor itself covered the eyes, nose and mouth leaving a little bit of the chin. He put it on and the helmet activated ¡°Welcome to the DDC tutorial, would you like the quick tutorial, full tutorial or skip altogether?¡± a feminine voice spoke into his ears, ¡°Skip tutorial, activate dream dive capsule¡± he had already acquainted himself with the DDC more then enough months ago. ¡°Awaiting user entry, please make yourself comfortable inside the tub¡± the voice spoke again as Kyle stretched out his arms, legs and neck right after popping his back, (¡°Alright¡­in we go¡±) he thought to himself as he stepped into the tub. A flat surface welcomed his feet as he stood inside the slime like liquid ¡°Gahh¡­why does it have to feel so disturbing¡­¡±, he bent down and straightened himself inside the tub. As he did so the visor opened up from inside and covered his mouth and nose then pressured onto his face, around his ears the band opened up and morphed to cover both ears like an egg shell. He saw nothing at all and felt his way down into the liquid, submersing himself. (¡°Ugh¡­still not used to the slime...¡±) he dispersed his thoughts and took a deep breath to make sure the equipment worked right ¡°Alright¡­here goes¡­Dream, online¡±, ¡°Dream online, user found. Select application please¡± a menu dropped down in his peripheral vision listing four options; Logout, Settings, Store and Grand Adventure Online. ¡°Grand Adventure Online, activate¡± he spoke out his selection, the selected option flashed blinding his vision. Kyle opened his eyes and was welcomed with more darkness, ¡°Welcome to Grand Adventure Online! Adventurer! I am Lillia!¡± a high pitched voice spoke from behind him making him turn around. A bright small being beamed a smile at him, a tiny humanoid with bright blue butterfly wings on her back, the fairy continued to speak ¡°Adventurer! What can I call you?¡± suddenly a tab opened in the middle of his peripheral vision with a keyboard underneath it. He entered his usual in-game name then spoke it ¡°Kyllix¡±, Lillia gave a brighter smile ¡°Welcome Kyllix! Let us begin your initiation!¡± she fluttered her wings and backed away a bit. She quickly raised both her arms making her blonde hair shake behind her, the naming tab disappeared from Kyle¡¯s view and two more appeared on each side with multiple settings and menus. Lillia spun around in place ¡°Welcome to the character creation screen! Your body has been scanned and your likeness has been copied! Shall I introduce you to any option?¡±, Kyle checked what options he had to pick from and was surprised to find two racial selections and no class selection ¡°Tell me about the races¡±. Lillia flew over to the tab that held the racial selection ¡°Alright listen closely now! There are five pickable races within GAO, each having separate bloodlines called categories! The races are Human with Esfeltran from the main kingdom, Kalran from the northern fortress kingdom Kal and Jalran of the Jal islands. Then we have Elves who¡¯s categories are Dark Elf from the shadow kingdom, Wood Elf from the Fae woods and Tundra Elf from beyond Kal¡± as she listed the races an example of each race in fully body with basic clothes appeared behind her. ¡°Then we have the Dwarf race who¡¯s categories go as Esfeltran from the main kingdom, the High mount Dwarves from the mountain kingdom and the Dark-Dwarves of the shadow kingdom! Also you may pick from the HalfBeast race who¡¯s catagories are bear, wildcat, tiger, fox, wolf, lion, monkey, squirrel and rat! Last but not least there are the Scalarians with Serpent, Lizard, Salamander and Mer you can pick as category!¡°. Lillia momentarily stopped and took a deep breath then fluttered closer to hisface (¡°Do I even have a face right now?...¡±) Kyle thought to himself before Lillia continued, ¡°You may pick a main race and a sub-race! Or even pick one and leave sub-race empty if you wish! Once you have made your choice the racial talents will be shown on the left tab! Picking two races will grant your character four passives and a single active! Picking a single race will grant you two passives and two actives!¡±. Kyle eyed the different selection of races seriously, character creation wasn¡¯t always his thing since he always tried to make his character look as similar to himself as possible so he was happy to know that the game copied his likeness and further change to that required something to be done in-game later on. ¡°Lillia, tell me about the class system. Why can I not pick a class?¡± at his question Lilla seemed to become even more excited although at first that seemed impossible, she clapped her hands multiple times and began to explain. ¡°Oh oh! Yes classes! Within GAO players do not pick a class but instead gain one through their actions! I do not wish to spoil it for you so I shall use the most basic class as an example! The fighter class! To become a fighter like any other class you must possess three active and or passive skills that align with that class! To gain skills you are required to have knowledge of how that skill would work, visualize it¡¯s effects or see it being used! There are two main types of skills! Free use skills that can be learned by any class and locked skills that can only be learned by a specific class and or classes!¡± she fluttered back and made strange gestures with her hands as sparks of light danced around them ¡°Let us say you are a human who wishes to gain the fighter class!¡± an NPC character with my likeness appeared next to her ¡°To do that you require three of seven free use skills! One of these is stance!¡± the NPC takes a combat stance ¡°Taking this stance to prepare for combat gains you the skill! Free use skills are very basic and utilizing logic you should easily be able to discern what to do to gain them!¡±. She fluttered closer to Kyle¡°Now I understand that you have played our previous game! Rune shock!¡± she winked ¡°For a loyal customer I will give you a hint! Classes also have two main categories they go under apart from combat style! There are free use classes that can be gained by anyone and number in the thousands! Then there are unique classes that can only be gained by one player! Unique classes also require three free use skills to be gained but only have three options unlike the seven free use classes have. Be careful adventurer! Once you have gained a class you are required to reach level twenty for a class change at the cost of gaining a sub-class! If you do change then you¡¯ll have to wait till level thirty to gain a sub-class!. Kyle was simply flabbergasted by this system and stared speechless at the fairy. (¡°It¡¯s as if I can feel Sly¡¯s eyebrow twitching¡­he¡¯s going to hate the character creation¡­¡±) with a grin on his face Kyle raised his right arm to see it appear as a curser in his vision and picked his main and sub races then suddenly he realised something ¡°Do both races account for what I¡¯ll look like or are there exceptions?¡±. Lillia was gawking at the strange combinations Kyle was going through and jumped when he asked her a question, she gave him a disturbed smile ¡°Some bloodlines over write others¡­can¡¯t have both a wolf and a lion tail¡­The main race is always the primary for appearance¡±. With that in mind Kyle changed around his races ¡°There I¡¯m ready¡± , Lillia nodded in acknowledgement ¡°Preview your selection and acknowledge them please¡± she turned back to him and flicked her fingers making a window appear in the middle of his vision;
IGN; Kyllix Main-race: Beastman =Category: Fox Sub-race: Elf =Category: Tundra Elf
Passive Racial Talents --- [Elf] One with the elements (Lvl 0 - Tier 1): Your elven lineage earns you respect from elementals; Elemental resistance + 0.5% Elemental hostility - 0.5% --- [Elf (Tundra Elf)] Frost ancient¡¯s descendant (Lvl 0 - Tier 1): Your ancestry to an ascended being imbues you with power; Ice resistance + 5% Cold immunity Ice elemental and subspecies hostility - 10% --- [Beastman]Beast''s Aura (Lvl 0 - Tier 1): Your beast lineage induces fear into others that do not share your primary race(Includes players and Npcs); General hostility: - 5% Fear chance + 5% --- [Beastman (Fox)]One with the blood (Lvl 0 - Tier 1): Your lineage with a beast earns you their respect; Agility + 1 [Beast]Fox hostility - 10%
Active Racial Talents --- [Multiracial(Beastman(Fox) + Elf(Tundra))] Frost Aura (Lvl 0 - Tier 1): Release your presence on surrounding beings inducing fear and lowering the temperature; Mana cost; 2 per 1s Radius; 2 meters Effects; Fear chance + 1% per second (Max = 20%) Temperature - 5¡ã Radius - 1% per second (Min = 0.5 meters)
Passive Skills --- Wow much empty ---
Active Skills --- Wow such empty ---
¡°I acknowledge my choices, what now?¡± the window disappeared from his vision. ¡°Look yourself up and down first silly¡± Lillia beamed a wide grin at him and he looked down then looked back up in surprise, he was now looking into a mirror and began to examine his character¡¯s body. White fox ears slightly longer than his palm but not as wide grew out of his head, behind him he saw a furry white tail, both he seemed to be able to move and twitch with nothing more than a thought as if they had always been there ¡°This is amazing!¡±. He played around with his tail a bit before Lillia cut in ¡°You have some basic appearance settings you can choose from, as described on our website though further changes have to be earned in-game!¡± she backed away with fluttering wings and gestured beneath her making all other tabs disappear and making a single wide one appear at the bottom of Kyle¡¯s vision. ¡°Hair style, hair colour, eye colour, fur colour, facial hair and clothing colouring¡± he spoke aloud the list of options given to him then began to tinker with them. When he was finally done he looked over himself, he kept the white furred ears and tail but decided to clean shave his beard deciding it didn¡¯t fit in then also changed his hair colour to his signature snow white hair most of his characters had which fit in very well with his ears and tail. He also changed his eye colour although he was disappointed he couldn¡¯t appoint different colours to each eye he figured it would be an option later on in the game, he set both eyes as silver. As for clothing he currently wore brown cloth pants and a button up grey shirt both having some fur linings giving it a more tribal look, he set the main colour of his clothes to dark grey and the fur to white. (¡°I take it back, Sly won¡¯t be done with his character for a couple days¡­¡±) smirking at his own joke he glanced at the ecstatic fairy ¡°Yeah I¡¯m ready now, anything else?¡±. Lillia shook her head then waved goodbye as an almost evil smile curved her lips ¡°Enjoy the world of Chaoz, adventurer¡­¡± after that one grim sentence she then bowed ¡°And watch your step¡­¡±, Kyle frowned in confusion at this sudden change in character ¡°Watch my ste-¡± suddenly gravity pulled down. ¡°STUUPIIID BIIITTCCHHH!!¡± and so his adventure began, quite literally dropping into a new world. Ch 3 - Descents ¡°AAHHHHHHHAHABBBBRRLLBB¡± Okay okay , quick recap. Kyle looked up at the smiling fairy as she spoke ¡°Watch your step!¡± suddenly the ground beneath him disappeared completely, gravity did its job¡­in this case fucking Kyle over and pulling him down, down towards apparent oblivion. His descent caught speed as Kyle stared down at an expanding light within the darkness, ¡°LLBBRRRLLB?¡± he apparently also couldn¡¯t form words due to air resistance. The light engulfed him and he was finally able to see the ground, cold hard ground. A blizzard raged on around him as the sunlight mildly broke through the clouds down onto the ground below, ¡°AEWWWSSHTT¡± a flock of birds was flying right below him as he sped downwards. The birds numbered in the dozens and looked similar to vultures but were completely white feathered with a light blue skin, Kyle tried to turn and spin around as he came into contact with the birds. ¡°CAHH!¡± the birds screeched and flew out of his way but one unlucky fellow ended up being hit straight on, the vulture held onto Kyle¡¯s chest as it screeched loudly into his ear while Kyle tried to push it off. He managed to spin with the bird and threw it off him, unbeknownst to Kyle this put him¡­slightly off course, he glanced behind him as he fell face down seeing the ground quickly getting closer. A silent prayer went through his mind along with multiple curses towards a certain fairy. His world went white.
[Tundra Vulture Level 5] has been killed utilizing [Fall damage]
Player [Kregzosm Level 2] has been killed utilizing [Reverse Flying Press]
Reputation negatively affected = -1 rep; Current rep = -1
Active skill gained [Reverse Flying Press]
Progress towards class [Wrestler] = 30%
Multiple notifications popped up in the bottom left of his peripheral vision, when he focused on a certain notification it expanded. Kyle took a deep breath as he lay a couple inches inside the snow, he forced himself up and studied his UI. Towards the top left he saw a single green bar along with his character name and level next to it
Kyllix Level: 1
Health: [??2/10??]
He moved his attention back to the notifications and inspected them one by one (¡°So that vulture died from the fall after I hi¡­crashed into it¡­What¡¯s a Kreg- Oh a player name¡­wait how did I?...¡±) he took a step away from the small human shaped crater his body made, turning around he inspected it and to his surprise a couple red flasks lay inside ¡°No way¡­¡±. He crouched down and picked all three flasks up, each was no larger than his index finger and held a fluorescent red liquid. Suddenly as he inspected the flask a small window appeared in his peripheral vision with the object¡¯s name
Basic Health Potion[+5 cHP]
He looked back at his health bar then shrugged ¡°Bottoms up¡± he pulled the rubbery cork out of one flask and gulped the red liquid down. ¡°Tastes like cherries, sweet¡± as he savoured the flavor he noticed his health bar fill up.
Health [??7/10??]
(¡°Guessing cHP is for current health points?¡±), he closed the empty flask back up and stored all three into one of his pockets. He continued to read through the notifications ¡°Seriously? Already negative rep? Hell¡­Reverse what?...¡± Kyle groaned as he looked back at the window ¡°Wrestler¡­a class¡­Hell no!¡± he looked away from the window and it disappeared. ¡°Alright¡­where the hell am I?¡± he looked around at the tall snowy trees and deep snowy ground, he sighed ¡°I should get windows to open if I think about em¡­¡± interestingly enough another notification appeared after that line of thought;
To open the [Help] window simply think about it.
He thanked nobody in particular and did as was told, a wide window opened with a scroll bar to the right. ¡°Oh sweet the thought binds, let¡¯s see where is the bag¡­that¡¯s skill book¡­that¡¯s character¡­map¡­Oh I see it¡¯s just called inventory¡± from his earlier experience with DVR technology he already knew how to open the specific windows but needed to know exactly what they were called, (¡°Inventory¡±) he thought and the window opened making the Help window shrink to make space for it. ¡°Empty?...Huh¡­¡± he scrolled through the Help window more ¡°Ah¡­to store items..hhmm..mhm¡­¡± he pulled out all three flasks and thought about storing them, the flasks suddenly disappeared and two icons appeared in his inventory window. Kyle closed the inventory containing a stack of two [Basic Health Potions] and a [Basic Potion Flask], then went through each possible window and interaction that he could find on the [Help] window. He opened the map to figure out where he was currently, after a couple moments of empty staring ¡°The fuck is this?...¡±;
[Map progress] = 0%
[Map controls] Tap once to add marker, hold and drag to mark paths. Both will give a naming option once complete.
¡°Alright¡­how do I¡­know where I¡¯m at?...¡± Kyle scratched his head as he stared at the map then glanced around but all he could see was snowy forest ¡°Unarmed, classless, level one and lost¡­Sounds like a rebirth clich¨¦¡­¡±, he closed the map and sighed ¡°Might as well go over my stats and abilities¡­¡± he thought of his character page and a new window opened; ¡°Might as well check the help window¡­some attributes here I do not recognise¡­¡± he reopened the [Help] window and selected the stats option from the presented menu list. He began to read through (¡°Stats similarly to skills have two categories, the first is general stats; STR, DEX, AGI,INT,WIS,VIT,PER and M.S. which are unlocked from the start for all players. The second is unlockable stats that are unlocked as the player gains passive or active skills that effect those stats, a player may focus their attention on a stat to be provided additional information. Additionally, all stats fall under two other separate categories called Additive and Specialised. Additive stats are general additions that can effect specialised stats. Specialised stats fall under a certain general stat and gain from it while still having their own value, if a specialised stat is 5% and their generalised stat is 5% then the specialised stat will now be 10%.¡±) As Kyle read he stepped back and laid down with his back to a tree. (¡°Lastly, Additive stats have the [ADT] acronym by them while Specialised stats have [SPE] and the player may open the [ADT stats] window for a sorted list of their additive stats with the corresponding SPE stats beneath them.¡±) he sighed and chuckled ¡°Nothing¡¯s simple in this game huh?¡± he rested his head onto the tree¡¯s trunk and thought open the [ADT stats] window; He went through each of his stats and their additional information (¡°That¡¯s¡­a lot to take in¡­I guess the most important parts are that carry weight has a limitation, magic stats require a magic skill to be seen in effect and that aggro chance is its own stat¡­Now what skills do I have that unlocked all these stats¡­¡±) Kyle opened his skill book window and began inspecting it; ¡°I could read the general information of the passives and actives in character creation but here I can see the exact stats, Frost Aura doesn¡¯t sound very useful now¡­and mana? I don¡¯t have a mana bar? Ah wait¡­¡± he momentarily focused on activating Frost Aura, suddenly a vibrant silver aura appeared a couple meters all around him emitting repression and cold. He noticed a blue bar appear beneath his Health bar.
Health: [??7/10??]
Mana: [??96/100??]
This was his mana bar and it was draining at a steady pace just as the aura¡¯s range began to decrease over time. He cancelled the ability ¡°I¡¯ll have to find a monster to test it on¡­Next¡­Reverse Flying Press¡­just what the¡­oh¡­no¡­¡± he at first frowned as he read the ability but suddenly his frown turned into astonishment as he possibly figured something out. (¡°Current weight¡­that¡¯s around 70 and velocity¡­with how far up I fell from¡­a lot¡­divided by ten and added STR¡­Good lord I wrecked that kid¡­¡±) he then looked at his two bars, his health was still 7/10 but his mana was slowly regenerating, ¡°Health doesn¡¯t regen? Wonder how much a potion would cost¡­Hell I don¡¯t even have any money¡­¡± frustration began to settle in as he held onto the tree to stand up. ¡°Might as well look around, if I die I should get respawn options¡­¡± suddenly his eyebrows went wide as he walked back over to the now slightly covered humanoid shape in the snow, ¡°Hah! Footsteps¡­So that player came from¡­¡± he began trying to follow the almost invisible footsteps through the trees and bushes. He followed the tracks for a bit until they ran out (¡°Well..at least I have a general direction¡­The footsteps didn¡¯t turn much so..¡±) he kept moving in the general direction the tracks came from. Suddenly Kyle began to quicken his steps until he broke off into a full run, off in the distance a red glow seemed to fill the tree line. After a couple moments of running he came to a stop at the forest¡¯s edge ¡°Hohoho..Dayum..¡± as he gazed in amazement his legs continued to slowly move forward, head high he gawked at the sight in front of him. Like titans watching over the forest gigantic pillars rose way above the trees, standing hundreds of meters high each pillar was pitch black with strange carvings glowing a bloody red. Each pillar seemed to stand kilometres away from each other and in between them a dark red translucent wall denied any that would try to pass, Kyle began to run towards the closest pillar which still stood a good jog away. ¡°Holy shit¡­Holy shit¡­that¡¯s so bad ass!¡± he kept staring at the Pillars while running, ¡°Shi-¡± he tripped on something and fell face first into the snow. Pushing himself up with his arms he turned and glanced at what he tripped on, a large stone lay mostly covered by the snow ¡°Fell from the sky hitting a bird on the way down, crashed into a player killing him, lost in the woods and now add tripped on a fucking stone to the list¡­¡± he spat at the stone and stood up.
You¡¯ve been debuffed! [Mental Strain]
You¡¯ve been debuffed [Repressive Aura]
You¡¯ve been debuffed [Extreme Fear]
Lesser Demon has targeted you!
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Following the spam of notifications Kyle felt a grim and dreadful fear chilling his bones, he slowly turned with eyes wide open at the red wall of energy. ¡°Wa¡­ww¡­wa¡­¡± There it stood behind the wall about twenty feet tall and redder than blood, pitch black eyes staring down into Kyle¡¯s soul, head full of horns for hair and two large torn leather wings. The demon hissed as it stood hunched back on curved legs, it¡¯s fangs dripping with fresh blood. It slammed it¡¯s claws into the barrier making it shudder, blue translucent inscriptions appeared where the attack landed. It hissed angrily as red energy jolted it¡¯s hands forcing it to take a step back, it momentarily stared at Kyle as he stared back motionless then it turned slowly and walked back into the white forest.
Achievement unlocked [Meet a Demon]: Face your very first demon and survive to tell the tale
¡°That¡¯s fucked up¡­¡± his voice slightly cracked as he spoke, his legs shook beneath him and his hands trembled but his wide grin didn¡¯t lie. He whistled while staring at the demon slowly disappearing into the trees, ¡°What level was that thing? When do I get to fight that?¡± he straightened up as he laughed. Suddenly a voice called out ¡°Higher than you son and whenever you want. The real question is can you survive it?¡± Kyle turned around to see the heavily armour individual, ¡°I guess so huh?¡± (¡°An NPC?¡±) the guard wore gleaming iron heavy plate armour while wielding a long spear and square-shield. ¡°You lost adventurer? It¡¯s unusual to see new arrivals here at helix!¡±. Kyle felt relief as he could finally figure out where he was ¡°Yeah I am actually, would you mind pointing the way towards the nearest town or city?¡±, the guard chuckled ¡°That would be right the way you came¡± he pointed directly back into the forest ¡°Frosthold is directly that way, just head straight and you¡¯ll get there in a quarter or so¡±. Kyle frowned ¡°Any quicker way for me to get there?...Like a teleporter to some spawn point?..¡± The guard shrugged ¡°Not really no¡­Spawn point¡¯s right outside the city gate yeah but to spawn there it¡¯s a one way trip to you know where¡­¡±. Kyle¡¯s frown grew more wrinkled ¡°Guess I don¡¯t got much choice¡­So what are the penalties of ¡®Respawning¡¯ anyway?¡±. The guard scratched his shaven chin ¡°Well that depends on your level, below level 340 you lose a level and drop anything inside your inventory. At level 340 you lose nothing due to the whole level being inside a special dungeon, above 340 you simply drop everything in your inventory, in your equipment and lose a level but cannot go below 340¡± Kyle burst out into a laugh before the guard finished, ¡°Something wrong adventurer?¡± the guard was the one frowning now. ¡°Oh nothing important¡­Hah¡­What¡¯s this about a special dungeon? And 340? Seriously? What¡¯s the level cap?¡± he calmed himself down while he awaited the guard¡¯s response. ¡°The cap is level 499 while the dungeon I spoke of is the Ascension Trial, a quest every adventurer goes on to earn their wings to the dominion capital''s Sky Top Haven. A city made for adventurers that exists above our own Eslet.¡±. As the guard finished explaining Kyle began to eye the closest pillar ¡°How high is that pillar?¡± The guard seemed confused by Kyle¡¯s sudden change of topic and momentarily blanked out before responding ¡°Specifically six hundred meters tall, why you ask?¡±. Kyle opened his active skill book and stared at it for a couple moments, ¡°Perfect¡­Is there any way up there? To the top of the pillar I mean¡± The guard absent mindedly looked Kyle up and down as if he were a mad man ¡°You wish¡­to climb the pillar?...¡±. Kyle shrugged ¡°Yeah, can you not?¡± At that response the guard held onto his face and responded ¡°Yeah you can¡­the inside is a spiral staircase but¡­¡± Kyle didn¡¯t give the guard enough time to finish and began heading to the closest pillar, a quiet mumble went unheard from behind him ¡°Adventurers¡­The Major said they¡¯re a strange bunch¡­¡±. After a short jog Kyle made it to the pillar¡¯s base where a single entrance lay open ¡°I actually wonder why they would make a staircase all the way to the top of these things¡­definitely not why I want to go up there anyway¡­¡±, he stepped inside the dimly lit pillar and began to climb up the wide smooth steps.
Due to excessive physical strain you¡¯ve gained a stat increase! [VIT + 1]
Due to excessive physical strain you¡¯ve gained a stat increase! [STR + 1]
Kyle took in heavy breaths as he finally reached the top ¡°Fuck¡­off¡­system¡­¡±, a cloud filled sky welcomed his gaze as he sat down on the smooth black material that made the whole pillar. ¡°Alright¡­Hah¡­phase 2¡­after¡­a minute¡­.¡± He took a short rest from the trek and found that his stamina recovered much more quickly than it would have in real life ¡°Hell I¡¯d be dead if this were real life¡­¡±, he stood up and walked to the edge of the pillar facing the other side of the wall ¡°Let¡¯s see if I can get their attention¡±. He seemed to be looking for something within the gigantic forest below, ¡°Target acquired¡­time for phase 3¡­HEY! YEAH YOU! UGLY ASS BASTARD! OVER HERE!¡± he began shouting down into the forest as loud footsteps accompanied his voice along with an ear piercing hiss. ¡°Final phase¡­hope I don¡¯t miss¡­¡± the demon broke through the trees and hissed towards Kyle, it then slammed into the pillar only to get the same reaction as previously. ¡°That¡¯ll do¡­alright¡­Let¡¯s see what ratio of health points you have¡­I will need to figure out what level you are exactly too¡­¡± a grin curved its way up his right cheek while he slightly bent towards the edge, after taking a deep breath he launched himself off. (¡°Reverse Flying Press!¡±) he activated his skill the second he leaped off, using the momentum of his leap he turned and aimed his right elbow downwards while holding it with his left hand. ¡°Woooohooo!¡± with a grin plastered on his face Kyle descended with accelerating speed as his skill increased in power, down below the demon opened up its mouth and awaited the free meal. The guard watched flabbergasted as Kyle¡¯s body fell down towards the mouth agape demon, a silent prayer forming in his mind. Flesh ripped apart, blood splattered and bones broke as the two collided. The guard continued to stare wordlessly at the sight that presented itself in front of him, at the same time Kyle¡¯s world grew dark as the last of his health points disappeared.
Lesser Demon [Level 73] has killed you utilizing [fallDamage(Vel,pVit,pStr,mW);]
You have died!
Death penalty (Unavailable [Minimum Level reached])
No bound respawn points found
Logout or spawn at closest respawn point?
(¡°Respawn to closest point¡­¡±) Kyle regained his sight momentarily after picking an option, he looked up and around ¡°Well that went as expected...So definitely more than 425 hp above level 70¡­Damn I only got 10! Wish this game had monster health bars¡­¡±
Title unlocked [Mad man]: Deal damage to a monster or player 50 Levels above you; +10 STR, -1 PER, -1 WIS, Fear chance + 10%
¡°Why do these achievements and titles feel like some sarcastic inner monologue?¡± he sighed and began to take in his surroundings, he was currently standing on top of a small circular platform about a foot high with runic inscriptions surrounding its circumference. To his right was the forest of snow and to his left was a stone wall about three storys high, a sliding gate stood guarding the entrance to the city a couple feet away from where Kyle respawned. (¡°Finally¡­civilization!¡±) the wall looked completely medieval with ballista towers every couple meters and archers lining the wall, by the gate two guards wearing chain mail armour stood laid back checking all who entered. Kyle walked up to the gate just as a small cart being pulled by a single chestnut brown horse went through, ¡°Halt!¡± one of the guards straightened up and walked over to Kyle. The guard glanced at Kyle¡¯s hands ¡±You¡¯re no citizen of The Dominion, walk away and spare us the waste of time¡± the other guard was watching attentively, ¡°Citizen? How do I become one?¡± Kyle scratched his head and was surprised to remember he has animal ears. The other guard began to walk over while the one in front of Kyle chuckled ¡°A petty thief wants to become a citizen? Walk away trash, or we¡¯ll have to force you away¡±. Kyle frowned at their behaviour ¡°Trash?¡±(¡°They must know about my negative reputation¡­¡±) he understood the problem but never was one to take insults from strangers lightly. Suddenly a cold aura began to emanate from Kyle, it washed over the guards as they unsheathed their short swords and took a combat stance. Kyle glared at the two guards as they glared back ¡°Wonder what level a guard of a shit ci-¡± he was cut off as suddenly a hooded figure walked up from behind him and put his arm around Kyle¡¯s back and shoulders ¡°Please excuse my friend here, he¡¯s not from around¡­¡±. The man pulled Kyle away from the guards as they continued to glare, ¡°First time here and you pick a fight with the guard? You adventurers are always such a handful!¡± the man released Kyle after leading him away from the gate and sat down on a large rock by the wall. Kyle looked the man up and down, he wore a grey cloak with leather armour beneath it ¡°Who are you? And what was that about?¡± (¡°Figured there would be a way in for unsavoury reps¡­¡±). The man gave him a toothy grin ¡°My friends call me Regg and that is what happens when someone with negative reputation tries to stroll into a city without certification¡±. The man pulled out a knife making Kyle tense up, he then pulled out a block of wood and began cutting away at it. ¡°So how do I get certified if I cannot even enter the city?¡± Kyle crouched down and watched the man carve the wood block, Regg chuckled ¡°You shoulda thought about that before you screwed someone over! But there may be a way for you to gain an¡­¡¯unofficial citizenship¡­¡¯¡±. Regg¡¯s answer made Kyle stare at him in disbelief ¡°Just¡­spit it out already¡­¡±(¡°Stop beating around the god damn bush old man¡­And it wasn¡¯t exactly my fault¡­fucker shoulda stood outside my¡­landing?...¡±) Regg continued to chuckle as he stood up ¡°I¡¯m guess you ain¡¯t got no coin?¡±. Kyle straightened up and shook his head making Regg sigh, ¡°Well then there¡¯s only one way, follow me adventurer¡± he gestured by tilting his head away from the gate. Kyle followed Regg wondering if he was going to end up as a bandit or being locked up by bandits, he¡¯d prefer the first¡­ They began walking away from the city and back into the woods ¡°Where we going?¡± said Kyle as he followed the man cautiously. ¡°You¡¯ll see soon enough, ain¡¯t sayin it out loud over here. Old Regg would lose his tongue!¡± they continued to walk through the snow and trees until the wall was no longer within sight. ¡°This way¡± Regg walked over to a thicker than average tree and stared up at its branches, he whistled a bird call and stood there waiting. Kyle stared up at the branches expecting a rope ladder to drop down (¡°Wait seriously? Bandit tree house?¡±) Regg sighed ¡°Little¡­¡± he knocked on the tree trunk multiple times. (¡°What¡¯s he doing?...signal code?¡±) Kyle stared as the old man went from lightly knocking on the tree to bashing his fist on the trunk ¡°OI! OPEN UP! OR I SWEAR I¡¯LL COOK YOU ON A SPIT IF YOU DON¡¯T YOU DUMB GOBLIN!¡±, suddenly the sound of thrashing came from inside the large tree trunk. A peek hole appeared in the wood as a small yellow eye watched them ¡°Rat tail wasn¡¯t napping! No no! Rat tail was just-¡± Regg breathed out in exasperation ¡°Just open up you little shit!¡±. After the eye disappeared and the hole closed up further thrashing sounds could be heard from within the tree, a couple moments of standing around later the wood parted like a door and opened up upwards. (¡°Now that, is a hidden entrance¡±) the entrance was wide and tall enough for a car to drive through, standing within it was a short grey skinned humanoid with long flappy ears and a long pointed noise. The goblin grinned mischievously ¡°Master brings new comer?! Mistress will be pleased!¡± Reg passed by the goblin glaring furiously at it ¡°Close behind us¡± and walked down the staircase within. Kyle followed him down as the goblin turned a wheel making the tree trunk close up again, darkness filled the staircase as Kyle could barely see where he was going. Deep down he could make out some light but had to be careful with each step he took until then, from the sounds of Regg¡¯s footsteps the man was well accustomed to the darkness and was descending much more quickly than Kyle. ¡°Why don¡¯t you light this up?¡± Kyle asked as he tried to figure out how ahead of him Regg was ¡°Torches could light the whole tree up, the inside is pretty dried up cause of the entrance and magic could be detectable by the legitimate guilds¡±. The descent was a good couple storys below ground level making Kyle wonder ¡°How¡¯d you manage to build this?¡±, Regg grunted making Kyle jump as he was now closer than before ¡°We didn¡¯t, local goblin tribe did and in return for our protection and trading routes they allowed us to set up here. Of course hiding the entrance was all up to us, this way¡±. Suddenly Regg lit up a torch and gestured towards the wall to the side of the staircase, he pulled a stone from the rocky wall and the sound of gears filled their ears. Suddenly the wall parted giving way to a dark corridor ¡°Then what¡¯s down there?¡± Kyle pointed down towards where the staircase would actually end, Regg stepped through the new hidded pathway ¡°The goblin¡¯s village, if you want to clean up your pockets be my guest and head down there¡±. Kyle shook his head ¡°Pocket¡¯s clean already, don¡¯t got anything on me. Was just curious¡± he followed the man through the doorway and Regg pushed in a brick in the wall making the double stone doorway close behind them. (¡°Wait¡­is this tunnel taking underneath the city?¡±) Kyle tried to figure out their current direction as he followed Regg through the tunnel, he didn¡¯t know how low they had descended but this tunnel was definitely heading towards the city. The tunnel curved a bit making Kyle unable to see it¡¯s end, even if it didn¡¯t the light the torch gave wasn¡¯t that great. When they finally reached the tunnel¡¯s end Kyle was surprised by the security, four torches lay lit on each side of the tunnel and at the end three holes where dug into the wall for bandits to hide within. At the very end of the tunnel was a bulky wooden door reinforced with metal ¡°Smart cover in a tight entrance, even if they knew you were here an army wouldn¡¯t survive this¡± Kyle was amazed by this but was sure his friends would have some ¡®Better¡¯ ideas for hideout defence. ¡°Hah! You didn¡¯t notice didn¡¯t ya? There be more of that cover throughout the path, the darkness is a good friend of ours!¡± Regg spoke with pride as he walked over to the door. ¡°Huh..¡± Kyle momentarily glanced back down the tunnel wondering what else he did not notice, he then turned back and continued to follow Regg. The man took off his hood revealing a short dirty blonde cut with an ugly shaved scar above his left ear, he knocked on the door with what seemed to be a password before someone opened up. A burly Bearman welcomed them in ¡°Ey Regg, new recruit you got there?¡± Regg nodded and walked in ¡°Kid tried to stroll through the gate then almost picked a fight with the guard!¡± the two chuckled at Kyle¡¯s venture then traded pleasantries. The Bearman extended his hand as Kyle walked through the doorway ¡°Name¡¯s Kai, I¡¯m the gatekeeper around here¡± Kyle shook Kai¡¯s hand grimacing at the man¡¯s iron grip ¡°Kyl-Kyllix, name¡¯s Kyllix. What is this place?¡± they now stood within a small room with a table in the middle and another door on the opposite wall of the one they came in from. ¡°Just some basic equipment and inventory checks before you head in, don¡¯t want no magic trinkets to overhear conversations they shouldn¡¯t!¡± Kai explained as he closed the door behind them and walked over to the wooden table, ¡°Just drop off whatever you got in your inventory onto the table so I can inspect em¡± he gestured to the table. (¡°Well shit¡­they ain¡¯t going to believe¡­¡±) ¡°I don¡¯t have anything on me though¡­I had some potions but lost them when I respawned?...¡± Kyle readied himself as the two man looked at each other momentarily. Kai shrugged ¡°Just reveal your inventory then if ya ain¡¯t got jack¡± Kyle was taken aback by this ¡°I can reveal my inventory to others?¡± gaining a howl of laugher from both NPCs. ¡°Ya don¡¯t even know that and ye wanted to fight the gate guards? Ye mad alright son, just think of showing Kai yer inventory and you¡¯ll be fine.¡± Regg explained with amusement, Kyle did as told and his inventory window popped up facing Kai ¡°Well I¡¯ll be damned, you really ain¡¯t got nothing on ya? How ye gonna pay the fee to join?¡±. Kyle frowned at Kai¡¯s question ¡°Fee?¡± gaining a cough from Regg ¡°Ah ye still gotta explain that to ya, kid needs citizenship to enter Dominion streets and ain¡¯t got coin for the fee to join us either¡± Regg shrugged ¡°Shirley needed some new face for something so I figured whatever she up to would cover both entry fee and Jior¡¯s fee¡±. Kai scratched his chin ¡°Dunno, Jior¡¯s fees are bastardly enough. Might be worth a shot, depends if he can pull it off¡±, he then walked over to the other door and pulled out a key ¡°Well good luck with your business then¡± he unlocked the door for them as they walked over. Kyle walked out of the room behind Regg and took in the bandit¡¯s hide out, Regg patted him on the shoulder ¡°Welcome to the hideout for the DuskBlades, Dusk¡¯s retreat¡±. Ch 4 - Bargaining a heist Kyle couldn¡¯t find the words ¡°It¡¯s¡­It¡¯s¡­¡± his left brow twitched uncontrollably ¡°A shit hole¡­¡±, not literally a sewage but the smell, dimness and amount of rodents was about the same. The underground hideout was built all around a huge cavern, wooden houses built off the cave¡¯s wall looking like they¡¯d fall apart from the slightest touch, the sound of creaking muted out by the sound of drunks, brawls and haggling. Beneath the hideout where the cave¡¯s floor should have been there was pitch black water instead, if one looked close enough they¡¯d see strange movements within. All around the cavern a makeshift road encircled the wall like a very long balcony connecting to the houses above, bridges were built off the road to houses built out of the cavern¡¯s roof hanging around with a lot of rope¡­a LOT of rope. Regg simply laughed at Kyle¡¯s reaction ¡°Come now adventurer, it¡¯s not all bad!¡± he took a step forward only for the wooden floor to break getting his foot stuck in the process. Kyle gave him an unimpressed look ¡°Not all bad huh?...¡± he looked over the hideout again, it all looked ready to fall apart. Regg managed to pull his foot out ¡°Ah..From the broken planks we call floor to the dangling death traps we call houses and the deadly serpents beneath, this is what we call home!¡±, Regg continued on rambling with some fancy speech but Kyle had lost him at one point (¡°Deadly?...Serpents?...¡±). They walked down the wooden path full of hardened thieves, sly assassins and forgotten warriors. Each turned away from what they had been doing to glare down the new guy, after all there was a simple hierarchy in a band of thieves, the leader, the officers, the useful and the freeloaders. Kyle remained on alert since although he had nothing on him of value, they did not know that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry adventurer, you ain¡¯t a member yet but unless it¡¯s a brawl nobody¡¯s gonna do anything to ye. Nobody except for the boss if ye don¡¯t do as told...¡± he let his meaning trail off letting Kyle¡¯s mind fill the blank. The cavern was long like a ravine although most of it was really wide there were some parts where the path connected to the other wall directly creating a much wider platform, after a couple minutes of walking through Kyle was sure he couldn¡¯t map out the hideout no matter how hard he might try, everything felt random and unplanned as if they just built what they came to need over time. They reached what seemed like the end of the path, carved into the cavern wall was a large brick building with reinforced doors and windows along with multiple long balconies with high walls and windows. ¡°A bunker¡­inside a cave¡¯s wall..¡± he couldn¡¯t help but speak his thoughts aloud, as they walked over Kyle glanced back at the two paths built off each side of the fortress taking around the cavern wall, any archer posted here would have multiple seconds of clean shots to who ever tried to run over(¡°And a mage would¡­very easily destroy those paths¡­¡±). Regg glanced back when he reached the fortress¡¯s entrance to see him staring back ¡°Come on adventurer, I don¡¯t get paid by the hour but by how many I recruit!¡± he said before knocking on the metal door, Kyle walked over curiously looking over each part of the building. ¡°We call this Fort Dusk, you can imagine why¡± he said before the door screeched open, a young hooded woman stood inside with an annoyed expression on her face ¡°What ye want Reginald? We¡¯re busy unless ye got some shiny new fighter for us to make use of!¡± she had short blonde hair with a single strand of red to the left of her forehead and wore matching black leather amour with dark red studs. Reginald cringed at his actual name being spoken ¡°Aye got some fresh meat here for ya, his title should be enough to account for what ye asked me to look out for¡±, Kyle resisted the urge to palm his face (¡°Titles are automatically selected?...Guess I¡¯m a madman now¡­¡±). Reginald moved out of the way for the woman to see Kyle, she inspected him as one would look at a new toy ¡°Him?¡± she glanced at Reginald who nodded then looked back at him. ¡°And what¡¯s your price then? Robbin a guild bank ain¡¯t exactly what members sign up for around here¡± she stepped out and moved closer to Kyle as he tensed under her calculative glare, Reg was about to speak but Kyle cut him off (¡°If she¡¯s the boss, I don¡¯t need or want anybody talking for me¡±) ¡°What can you offer? I was told the minimum is membership and dominion citizenship or have I been lied to?¡±. The woman looked startled at Kyle¡¯s price and turned to momentarily glare death at Reginald ¡°Come inside, the boss will pick the price for you¡± she stomped through the doorway ¡°Reginald, go back to your post¡±, the man in question glanced back and forth between Kyle and the entrance with a speechless expression which then turned into resignation as he slumped his shoulders and walked away. Kyle shrugged and walked in with a grin, the woman was waiting for him inside waiting by another metal door to the left, two large armed men stood by each side of it. The inside of the fort was surprisingly clean compared to the rest of the hideout, smooth black floors, trophies of what Kyle could only guess of lootings stuck to the walls and white crystals embedded into the roof giving off perfect lighting. If Kyle didn¡¯t know better he¡¯d say this looked more like a noble¡¯s house, he walked over the red carpet covering most of the floor to the woman¡¯s displeasure and stopped by her side. Her crystal blue eyes glared him down earning her an amused grin from Kyle, she knocked on the door and entered ¡°Boss, the rat¡¯s found another volunteer for the job¡±. Kyle walked in after her and inspected the room, looking more and more like a noble¡¯s office the room held multitudes of trophies pinned to the brick walls, stands of different kinds of armour lay in each corner while opposite to the entrance was a smooth dark wood desk loaded with scrolls, books and papers. ¡°Shirley, the man¡¯s always been a good member, you shouldn¡¯t disrespect him so casually!¡± Kyle now looked at the speaker who sat behind the desk, obviously being the leader of this army of misfits. The woman looked to be taller than the average human male with long silver hair and dark grey eyes that seemed to gleam with energy, she wore similar armour to the woman he now knew as Shirley except the red studs, instead the studs were just normal iron while surrounding them were small sheets of dark metal. Kyle noticed something peculiar about the woman, not only did her eyes have a certain glow to them but her ears were slightly longer than a human¡¯s and ended in a small point, unlike elves hers weren¡¯t so obvious but held a similarity Kyle recognised (¡°A half-elf¡­meaning that she¡¯s older than she looks¡­¡±) indeed the woman looked no older than Shirley who seemed to be in her late twenties. The woman gestured for him to move closer ¡°And who might you be?¡± Kyle didn¡¯t move butspoke back ¡°For one to ask another¡¯s name they should speak out their''s first¡± he said a bit sarcastically (¡°I could get used to the whole RolePlaying thing¡±). Kyle could feel Shirley¡¯s glare as he stared with an amused smile, the boss on the other hand simply chuckled. ¡°Ah yes¡­where have my manners gone¡± she stood up ¡°I am Fiurj¡¯a , Leader of the DuskBlades and the sole remaining Dusk Elf¡±, she spoke proudly emphasizing the last part. (¡°Too easy¡±) Kyle thought as he stepped closer to her desk ¡°Kyllix mercenary for hire¡± (¡°What did Birse call our chatgroup again?...Ah right..¡±) ¡°member of the BloodPack mercs¡±, Fiurj¡¯a frowned at his introduction ¡°A mercenary? I suppose you have fixed prices then?¡±. Kyle shook his head ¡°We leave the price blank to be agreed upon with our clients, I was told membership within your fine band and citizenship with the dominion is the minimum. Maybe we can come to a fairer bargain?¡± Her expression grew annoyed as she glanced back at Shirley who simply nodded, she sighed ¡°I¡¯m afraid you misunderstood, the price you mentioned is what we can offer for this job. If you do not wish to accept it, my assistant can show you out¡± (¡°Now to lay the bait¡±) Kyle thought as he spoke out again ¡°Oh is that so? And I expected so much from a group called after the great Dusk Elves, then again I really shouldn¡¯t have seeing as the only member who is an actual Dusk Elf is nothing more than a mere halfblood¡±.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Shirley gasped at his response and reached for her daggers but with one look Fiurj¡¯a stopped her ¡°I thought you smarter than to insult an Elf¡¯s blood line¡± she seemed to remain calm but the anger in her eyes would have been obvious to the densest, ¡°Leave our establishment and I will allow you to live, linger any longer and I won¡¯t be held responsible for the¡­damages¡± she stared at him coldly. Kyle did no such thing and simply smiled wider as he spoke ¡°On the contrary, I am here to make a deal and until then I shall not leave. You requested a job and I accepted it, now all there is to do is bargain a reward for when I complete said job¡± Shirley began to lose herself to her anger as she answered ¡°You shall regr-¡± but was cut off by Kyle .¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so feisty if I were you¡± he chuckled as he continued to speak ¡°Not only do I know the entrance to your little hide out, I know exactly how to walk in, the make of your defences and the numbers you hold along with the exact position of this room right here¡± her eyes widened as blood rushed to her face in pure rage ¡°You could kill me now but what would that accomplish other than bring me closer to whispering a couple words to the town guard¡­I wonder what would befall your pitiful hideout if such a thing happened¡±. ¡°You¡­you¡­¡± Shirley couldn¡¯t continue her sentence as she glared daggers at Kyle¡¯s grinning face, suddenly her hands lashed out, a blade in each as she stepped forward and stopped inches from his neck. She glared into his eyes while holding a dagger to his throat and a dagger to his right eye, Kyle hadn¡¯t moved a step more because he didn¡¯t see the attack coming, a drop of sweat found its way down his back. ¡°Enough¡­¡± Fiurj¡¯a spoke with more than a little anger in her voice ¡°Shirley back off and you, name your price¡±, Shirley stepped back but never sheathed her blades as she continued to glare at Kyle. ¡°For the job? Whatever you were offering others along with officer membership and dominion citizenship, for keeping my mouth shut? A detailed map to the whole continent, any islands off it¡¯s coast and other continents if possible, also I suspect you have some very skilled assassins at your command? I require their expertise¡­¡±. She clenched her fists and sat back down in resignation but couldn¡¯t help but ask ¡°Why do you want this job so badly?¡±, Kyle laughed at her curiosity ¡°It¡¯s a quest as far as I can tell, one that can earn me entrance to a bank and experience. Now pray tell, what are the two most valuable things to us adventurers?¡±. She looked up from her desk and stared at him in horror ¡°Coin and Experience¡­you don¡¯t mean to¡­we only want an artefact from one of the vaults!¡± His laugh chilled her to the bone ¡°What? Planning to rob a bank but not to take the spoils? Were you expecting to hit and run with a single item? For a band of thieves you truly have little desire! You will get your artefact, I will take the rest. Don¡¯t worry I will make sure nobody outside this room knows who really started the heist, of course I will require aid. Your assistant here seems handy with knives, she should do¡± he left no room for argument ¡°So¡­which bank are we talking about here? Any routes you can suggest or plans you have already made?¡±. Fiurj¡¯a momentarily stared at him with a blank expression, unsure if she should be angry, scared or else ¡°Robbing a bank is enough to get one hanged, for an adventurer you will be blacklisted from respawn points and killed on sight! To rob a bank of every val-¡± she stopped there as he stared at her with an amused expression, she held her face within her hands ¡°Shirley give him the job, assist him in the heist and make sure you acquire our prize¡±. Shirley was about to protest but her boss¡¯s glare shattered what defiance she was about to show ¡°Y..Yes aun-Boss¡­¡±, with one last glare at Kyle she stormed out of the room. ¡°So who do you want dead?¡± Fiurj¡¯a asked nonchalantly, ¡°Regg knows their faces, couple gate guards¡± he turned around and walked out after Shirley ¡°Make sure to leave a message for me, ¡®The Soul Thief has arrived¡¯¡± he closed the door behind him (¡°Would have been cooler if I actually used my old character name but oh well¡­it will serve as an alias¡±).
Quest recieved! Acquire an ancient artefact of untold power from the mage guild bank! Rewards; 153 Experience points (Lvl 3 {30%} after quest) 100 gold coins Dominion Citizenship Faction Officer Rank Map progress
*** Real Life, CGP main development office Kanye sat facing the rest of the room, his desk stationed above the rest like a podium. The room was long with long desks on each side lined with computers, monitors and people manning them, he sat facing his own computer with multiple monitors, still taking part in the stream being broadcast on his middle monitor. Amy had asked several questions so far, an hour into the stream. ¡°Kanye have you anything interesting to share with us so far since the launch? I am sure the EU launch is going as expected but has there been any entertaining happenings?¡± Conrad asked mostly out of his own curiosity while also hoping to see his son and friends taking part in something interesting, this was also previously agreed upon as CGP would be keeping an eye on the playerbase for their own entertainment anyway. ¡°Quite the plattera of entertaining happenings actually, I¡¯m not completely sure where to begin!¡± he switched his camera¡¯s view to his right monitor which was streaming multiple perspectives in-game, ¡°Just a couple minutes into launch for example and this happened!¡± he exclaimed as he opened the video and began explaining ¡°This player had just spawned into the game after character creation, as per normal he¡¯d fall from the sky and experience dying in-game for the first time¡±. He played the video ¡°But this player did not die after some very lucky events! Please watch for yourselves!¡± they watched as a pitch black hole opened within the clouds and a figure came falling out, he descended at great speed as suddenly a flock of large birds appeared into the scene. The player crashed into one of them slowing down his descent momentarily, Kanye paused the video here ¡°We have gone through and fixed this as we had never dreamed of it happening but what happens next is truly much more entertaining!¡± he resumed the clip as the player shook off the bird and continued his descent upside-down. Before the player crashed into the snow Kanye quickly paused the clip ¡°Do you see it? Here let me..¡± he moved the clip a second later ¡°Do you see him now?¡±. Both Amy and Conrad¡¯s eyes widened in surprise ¡°Is that¡­another player?¡± Amy asked. ¡°It indeed is! Watch!¡± he exclaimed excitedly and resumed the clip letting the player crash into the other who was simply taking a leisure walk, after a couple moments the player that fell from the sky got up and looked himself over before staring at nothing in particular. Kanye stopped the clip ¡°The newspawn got a kill on the other player who was a level above him, he also gained a skill from the wrestler class called reverse flying press¡±. Amy seemed to be squinting her eyes trying to make something out ¡°What did this player do afterwards?¡± she asked, Kanye closed the clip¡¯s window and went through a series of other windows before opening the player¡¯s camera view and skipped until he saw something other than snow and trees. ¡°Ah, here we go. Wait¡­Is he?...¡± he first moved the clip away from the stream so he could validate it was worth making public ¡°Ah right, you have to check the clips before we can show them¡­¡± Conrad spoke to fill the void in the conversation. Suddenly Kanye entered a fit of laughter but then tried to compose himself, ¡°I assume there¡¯s more to this player¡¯s clip?¡± Conrad asked now even more curious. ¡°Oh yes, there surely is! Watch for yourselves¡± he moved the clip back into the monitor being streamed and started it from a specific time. The player was now standing on top a pitch black pillar larger than the average skyscraper, the camera zoomed in on him and Amy¡¯s expression significantly paled. ¡°Someone was monitoring him after the strange incident so the camera should zoom back out momentarily¡± as Kanye said the camera zoomed out fully to show the pillar in all its greatness and began to circle around it as a focus point. When the camera¡¯s view switched to the other side of the ethereal wall Conrad couldn¡¯t stop himself from frowning ¡°Is that a monster?¡± he asked. ¡°A Lesser Demon to be exact, the muscle of the lower ranked demonic monsters. They cannot cast magic and their ranged attacks are limited to throwing terrain but that is also limited by their size, this one in particular is quite large but their intelligence isn¡¯t very notable¡± Kanye explained as the demon walked up to the pillar and slammed his fists into it only to receive a shock as backlash. The player then suddenly leaped off the pillar while turning to orient his body, both Amy and Conrad stared in shock as the player¡¯s descent gained speed while a blueish aura grew out of his body. The demon roared in defiance and waited with its mouth open, it¡¯s thin black tongue salivating it¡¯s fangs ready for the meal. After a couple moments of falling and gaining speed the player crashed into demon¡¯s head shattering its skull and sending most of its blue flesh flying. The player¡¯s attack did not stop at the head as he went straight through and crashed into the ground while carving away at the demon¡¯s chest on the way down, the player instantly died on impact and his body began to disintegrate into the air. They all watched as the demon slumped down to its knees while trying to hold itself up with its arms, blood falling down its face and chest as its body began to convulse violently. It looked as if a powerful canon ball had been shot from the sky and went straight through its face and torso, its heart completely visible through torn flesh and shattered ribs while what remained of its brain poked out the front of its shattered skull. Amy stared mouth agape while Conrad hunched over and laughed his heart out joined by Kanye who laughed some more. After Kanye calmed himself down a bit he spoke ¡°The demon didn¡¯t die from the attack, the player wasn¡¯t lucky enough to destroy its heart and health doesn¡¯t regenerate without magic in the game which is also true for monsters. Lesser Demons have no magic to speak about so healing is out of the question while regeneration does exist within their kind they aren¡¯t powerful enough to have it. This Lesser Demon will lay there half dead until a guard patrol finds the time to finish it off or another demon devours it¡±. Conrad was still trying to catch his breath while Amy snapped out of her astonishment ¡°So he¡­the player got nothing for that? How was the player able to even do that at level 1?!¡± she asked. Kanye momentarily considered her question ¡°Well we pride ourselves in rewarding players for their ingenuity and although the player did not get the kill he did indeed get two things out of it, first is an easy respawn since he didn¡¯t die from the first fall and second he got a title for dealing damage to an opponent 50 levels above him. That title will change how NPCes react to him while also giving additional stats, all in all it was worth it¡± he explained matter of factly. ¡°And what is this large wall we are looking at here?¡± she was now intending to switch the attention away from what she recognised as her son. ¡°This would be the First defence station; Helix, it is completely off the road from the starting town FrostHold so that player was very lucky to come by it¡± he was about to start explaining why there even is a wall but Amy trailed off. ¡°Oh the starting town? Can you show it? I¡¯m sure there is something going on there!¡± she really wanted to change the conversation away from Kyle, Conrad had recuperated from his outburst ¡°I don¡¯t think we will be seeing anything stranger than this though, although I could be proven wrong!¡±. Kanye messed with some windows off-screen then dragged over the camera overlooking the town''s entrance ¡°There we go this is FrostHold¡¯s front gate, where most players will be entering and exiting from. I highly doubt anything intere-¡± Suddenly the two guards at the front gate took multiple bolt shots to the body, they instantly died. The snow beneath their corpses began to turn red as the guards inside and on the wall rushed into defensive positions, Amy, Conrad and Kanye stared at the scene in confusion. ¡°What just happ-¡± before Conrad could end his sentence a large explosion could be seen within the town. ¡°I think¡­the town is under attack?...¡± Kanye said as multiple people rushed to the computers behind him. Ch 5 - Armed Robbery *** In-game, a couple minutes previously Kyle and Shirley were crouching on top a roof of one of many safe houses owned by the DuskBlades, they had used a different tunnel in the forest to enter the town unseen. ¡°Remember we can¡¯t return to the safe house once this starts, it would put all the other ones at risk¡± Shirley explained for what Kyle felt like was the hundredth time. ¡°Can¡¯t find something you don¡¯t know you¡¯re searching for¡± he smiled as he watched over the bank three buildings away. The city was your average medieval civilization with some added bonuses, mage guilds rose above the other buildings in the distance looking like mansions surrounded by common homes while unorthodox shops lined the market streets such as enchanters, witches, dwarven blacksmiths and their own weapon & armour shops right by them. Kyle right now had only two buildings within his radar, the private bank owned by one of the mage guilds and the guard station across the street. He sighed ¡°Didn¡¯t tell me the guards were so close by¡± he didn¡¯t like his chances if the alarm rang out and he knew it definitely would. ¡°Should have asked for more details before you accepted the job, any chance of you backing out?¡± she growled back which only amused Kyle. Ever since entering the city he noticed that most of the population was actually either elves or half-beasts while little humans or dwarves could be seen, Shirley¡¯s white cat tail lay still behind her while her now uncovered white cat ears twitched without pause. ¡°Well? What¡¯s the plan? I already told you everything we know, also I have to ask¡­Why the mask?¡± she looked at him with a questioning expression. Kyle chuckled quietly ¡°What¡¯s a secret identity if they see my face?¡±. He scanned the street again ¡°We¡¯ll need to take out the station first, or cause a large distraction that will take them a long time to clean up-¡° his mouth curved into a grin, ¡°Shirley¡­¡± he spoke her name and she glared at him. ¡°What¡± she made it sound as hostile as possible but he ignored her tone. ¡°The street merchants sell all kinds of stuff¡­do you think we can¡­plunder some explosives?¡± he glanced at her stifling a laugh. Shirley looked at him with wide open eyes ¡°You want to¡­you¡¯re going to¡­wh-¡± He calmed himself down and shut her up by covering her mouth with his right hand ¡°Answer my question¡± he said while continuing to survey the street. She pulled away from his hand and spoke ¡°The mining store has some manafire but that stuff costs¡± her eyes locked onto the store. ¡°Can you steal it?¡± he asked mockingly ¡°Where do you want it?¡± (¡°I¡¯ll save some to shut YOU up!¡±) she thought to herself. ¡°Right outside the station, how do we ignite it?¡± he was now staring intently at her wiggling tail in amusement. ¡°A fire bolt from my repeater¡± she raised her left arm where a thick brace was attached with three holes on the front and back while a lever curved into her hand. He nodded ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you then, pocket some while you¡¯re at it and don¡¯t ignite it until you¡¯re back here¡±, she left without saying another word, leaping forwards she grabbed onto the next building¡¯s higher roof and disappeared. He watched the street trying to locate her but he couldn¡¯t until a cloaked figure walked by the guard station with a three-foot-tall carved wood barrel held in both hands, she walked into the alleyway to the left of the station and place the barrel down where Kyle could barely see it from his position. She walked back the way she came from and disappeared into the busy crowd. He waited a couple moments before he felt a hand tap him on the back ¡°Ready¡± she said as Kyle glanced back startled at her sudden appearance. ¡°Alright, what path will we take to the bank? It¡¯s still dark so the roofs sound like a good plan to me¡± he said as he walked to the back of the roof and examined the alleyway back there. ¡°Not all the way, we¡¯ll stop by the building behind the bank where I can still target the explosive dust. Then we¡¯ll drop in on the guards at the back door and continue from there on.¡± She leaped up to the other roof again and glanced back at him, he walked over to the edge between her roof and the safe house¡¯s. The jump was two meters away while the roof was a whole story higher, he didn¡¯t like his chances ¡°Mind helping me up?¡± he asked. She groaned in annoyance and laid down with her right arm stretched out, he took a couple steps back for a running start ¡°Don¡¯t let me fall¡± he said with a mocking smile. He rushed forward suddenly feeling energy that wasn¡¯t there previously (¡°What is¡­¡±), he leaped as the rush of strength left him. He leaped up half a storey higher than the roof Shirley stood on. She glared at him as he landed behind her, then got up and turned to jump to the next building while Kyle stared at his own feet.
Passive Skill gained [Beast¡¯s agility]
Kyle almost whistled at the skill gain but decided to check the details later, shit was about to go down and he couldn¡¯t wait any longer. He followed Shirley over a couple more jumps until they were crouching while looking down onto the alleyway behind the bank, Kyle could barely see the barrel of manafire from here and realised something ¡°How are you going to shoot it from here?....¡± the roof they were on was the same height as the bank being two storys and the bank¡¯s roof wasn¡¯t flat but instead a wide hemi-sphere. ¡°On your knees and sit still, then you will see how¡± she ordered moving behind him, he frowned but did as told ¡°What are you-Oh..¡± he felt a pair of leather boots on his back. ¡°Stay still¡± she said while repositioning her feet, an amused smile on her face. She pulled the lever firing two bolts, an iron bolt first that sped forth faster than the second red bolt. The first bolt hit the side of the barrel making a hole in the wood, teal dust began to flow out of the hole as the red bolt flew inside igniting the whole barrel. A large green explosion flashed over the street as civilians screamed and ran for cover while guards ran from all over the place to ensure their safety as their station¡¯s bricks covered the street injuring those that weren¡¯t already injured by the flame or blast. The green fire spread quickly over any surface as mages gathered to try and bring it under control, fire bending the flames, water weakening the heat, air taking away their resource and earth stomping it out but the fire continued to spread withstanding their efforts beautifully. Kyle grunted ¡°Can you get off now?...¡± he was on his knees and hands as she crouched down, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­I kinda like it up here¡­¡± she said with a mischievous grin. Kyle chuckled ¡°You can take me for a ride later if you want¡± he said obviously suggesting something else, she blushed and using that as a distraction he stood up making her fall on her back ¡°Alright, mission is a go¡± he exclaimed while still talking in a whisper. She groaned while standing back up at the same time giving his back a death glare, then walked over to the edge. They both stared down at the two guards, both wearing yellow leather armour with a chainmail and a yellow full helm ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the guards, stay back princess¡± she whispered and walked up to the edge then stepped off. A curved dagger appeared in either hand as she landed between the two armoured guards standing by a metallic door, quickly and without hesitation she sliced open their throats through the gap between full helm and chainmail. Kyle clicked his tongue ¡°Too much blood¡± he jumped down and surprisingly to himself he didn¡¯t stumble when he landed, ¡°Can you take them out without dirtying the clothes?¡± he asked while scavenging their pockets for anything. ¡°And how do you suggest I do that? Best I can do is bloody their neck with that gear¡± she sheathed her daggers as Kyle stared at them for a moment. ¡°Alright but at least bloody the back of their neck only, we need the uniforms to be clean on the front¡± he walked over to the door ¡°They got no keys, you said you can take care of any door but the actual vault so?¡± he looked at her expectantly. She rolled her eyes in annoyance and took out some small tools from somewhere inside her cloak, ¡°You sure there aren¡¯t guards behind this door?¡± he asked as she made quick work on the lock. ¡°Our intel is clean, the guard posts remaining are across the corridor from this door, inside a room behind said door and a roaming officer inside. The mage guild doesn¡¯t want anybody to know the artefact is here and they don¡¯t know that we know¡± she pocketed her tools and unsheathed her daggers again, both of them stood with their back to the door ¡°Ready?¡± she asked. He gave her a smile and said ¡°I just blew up a guard post and got dozens killed, I want my reward one way or another¡± her blue eyes gleamed in the shadow of night as she nodded and he quietly but quickly opened the door. She rushed inside with tremendous speed as her daggers gained a dark gleam which trailed behind her, the guards tried to react but she was behind them facing the door before they could even unsheathe their short swords. With a quick backstab to their necks their bodies went limp and they began to fall, she quickly sheathed her daggers and grabbed them by their chain mail before they hit the ground. Shirley lowered both guards soundlessly to the floor as Kyle walked in and closed the door behind him. He walked over to her and picked up one of the guards as she heaved the other, he gestured to a side room within the corridor and she picked the lock to it. They carried both corpses inside the room which turned out to be a slightly cramped toilet room, well cramped for two people changing into uniform and armour that is. ¡°Don¡¯t push damnit¡­¡± Shirley hissed as she tried to put on the chainmail.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s pressing too close¡­I gotta say though¡­I don¡¯t disli-¡± he was abruptly cut off by a quick back kick to the groin. Shirley walked out of the room in full uniform as Kyle crawled out holding his groin with his left hand while grinning, only moments away from laughing while the pain being the only thing keeping him from doing so. He took a deep breath and stood up ¡°Never¡­hit a man in the-¡±. ¡°Shh!¡± she hissed him quiet and gestured for him to take position quickly. After a couple moments of standing by the door it suddenly opened, another guard walked through it with an oversized sword strapped to his back. The guard officer walked past the two at attention guards without giving them a second glance, standing a whole foot taller than even Kyle the man looked like a heavyweight lifter. He inspected the corridor then turned around and walked back through the doorway, Kyle let out a sigh of relief as the door closed. ¡°Alright time for phase three¡­¡± he took off the helmet and put on the white plain mask that covered his whole face including his eyes, a grey pair of eye patches covered the sockets letting him see through but nothing could be seen from the front. ¡°Well care to explain what phase 3 even is?!¡± she hissed back while listening intently to the room behind the door. Kyle shrugged ¡°Easy, you walk through and get behind them as if you¡¯re in a hurry then I walk in and distract them. Your choice on how to take them out¡±. Shirley sighed and abandoned herself to his plans, she couldn¡¯t go back to her aunt without the artefact, it would destroy her pride. ¡°Oh and!¡± he suddenly walked back to where they hid the corpses and returned with a hand dripping with blood, ¡°Here we¡¯ll cover your shoulders with this faking injury¡± he splattered the blood on her shoulders as she watched. ¡°Lend me your dagger¡± he said as he grabbed the blade without waiting for her permission, he then tore the leather armour where the blood was mostly collected and a couple more areas around the cloth sleeves. ¡°That will be enough, let me grab something else¡± he handed her back the dagger which she hid as he dragged out a corpse and slashed off an arm. ¡°What are you¡­¡± she was going to ask but ¡°Never mind¡­not worth the headache!¡± she rolled her eyes and prepared herself to rush through the door. Kyle walked back up to the door and stood by her in the wide corridor, ¡°Don¡¯t make too much noise alright? Go!¡± he whispered and she rushed through the door with a limp left arm while the right held it. The guards looked more confused than anything as they watched her reach one of the three doors connecting the room, the door towards the vault. ¡°What are you waiting for?! We¡¯re under attack!¡± she said with an overly faked voice, the guards glanced at the door she came from right as the cold hit them. A guard¡¯s severed arm rolled into the middle of the room getting their attention momentarily before they all stared up at Kyle nonchalantly walking into the room. The three guards took formation in the middle of the room facing Kyle as one of them ordered Shirley ¡°Go tell the captain! We¡¯ll take care of him!¡±, she was right behind the three of them with a glint in her eyes. Kyle took a couple steps forward with his sword being dragged on the floor behind him, blood trailing down both the sword and his free left hand. A cold shiver went through each guard as his quiet laughter filled their ears, Kyle rushed forward to slash at the left most guard. The guard held up his sword to parry but Kyle instead simply stopped his attack short, Shirley crouched down between the other two holding them from the collar as she slowly put them down. The guard took a step back just as she rushed him with a burst of speed, her dagger cut cleanly through his throat as he tried to scream letting only a gargling sound out as he choked on his own blood. Kyle quickly grabbed the guard¡¯s sword and held him up by the arm as the guard held his open neck, Shirley shoved her dagger through the man¡¯s left eye killing him. He lay the corpse down quietly before dragging all three to the other door, using them to slightly block the door and possibly buying them extra time. ¡°You got the manafire I requested?¡± he asked while looking at her, she nodded and took out a fist sized black pouch from her cloak (¡°How many pockets¡­¡±). He took the pouch into his hands and gently untied the string to open it, with respect directed at the green dust he momentarily stared at it ¡°How many walls do you reckon this can blow?¡± he asked her. Shirley shrugged ¡°Enough to blow up each wall in this room with enough remaining to coat a flash bomb¡±, Kyle whistled quietly remembering what the blast did to the surrounding buildings and civilians. He walked over to the door taking to the vault room ¡°So no more guards behind here? But there is another corridor to go through?¡± he studied the door sceptically. ¡°Yes and why?¡± she said also concerned at the lack of security. Kyle ran his hand on the door¡¯s frame ¡°Are these¡­Hah¡­this bank is owned by a mage guild correct?¡± he asked while scratching away at the black paint on the door¡¯s frame. ¡°It¡¯s owned by the Crying Phoenix guild, what¡¯s wron-¡± her eyes went wide as Kyle scratched away enough paint to reveal carvings on the wood. ¡°Are these what I think they are?¡± he asked as he glanced back at her expression. ¡°Runes, they trapped the door? No¡­maybe even the whole corridor¡­¡± she said with shock in her voice. ¡°Why so shocked? Is using runes in security not a norm?¡± he said while running his palm over the other side of the frame. ¡°Rune mages are rare, I doubt anybody inside this city can decipher or write them¡­How do they access the vaults if it¡¯s sealed?...¡± she looked around the room with paranoia. ¡°Stop worrying, if there was anything in this room we would have already activated it. Also I doubt the door is actually sealed, the clerks and guards probably have something that lets them through.¡± Kyle said matter-of-factly as he walked back up to one of the swords and picked it up. ¡°Okay then know it all, can you decipher runes then?¡± she asked with annoyance in her voice. ¡°Nope, but there was something that always bugged me with runes¡­¡± he lifted the sword and held it by the flat of the blade ¡°What¡¯s the point if¡­¡± he began cutting the door¡¯s frame in a straight line ¡°If you can just ruin them so easily?¡±. He sliced and cut through the frame then inspected the door itself ¡°Nothing on the actual door, would have been a pain¡­¡± he opened the door but raised the sword through before walking in, he studied the other side of the door ¡°Would have been much smarter if they carved them on this side¡± he chuckled while cutting the inner doorway inspecting it. They closed the door behind them and stared down the short corridor taking into another room, the vault door mostly visible from their position. ¡°So¡­what if the corridor is trapped?¡± Shirley asked while scanning the walls and roof. Kyle shrugged ¡°give me one of those fire bolts you used¡± he said while grabbing a fist full of the green dust from the pouch. He crouched down and sprinkled the dust from one side of the door way to the other, ¡°The door opens inwards so¡­¡± he took the red bolt Shirley was holding out to him. He placed it right in front of the door facing up in such a way that when the door opened the tip would fall into the manafire, igniting a hellfire right by the door. ¡°We don¡¯t have the time or equipment to search the whole corridor so¡­get ready to unlock the vault quickly¡­just saying but I might die here¡± he said right before he rushed forward and through the short path, he stopped right at the beginning of the vault room and sighed in relief. Kyle turned around with open arms ¡°Still alive¡­¡±. Shirley half rolled her eyes as she walked through the corridor and into the vault room. ¡°So how do we open these goliaths?¡± Kyle asked, there was three vaults in total with large metallic doors, two where dark grey and square looking about three meters tall and about one in width while the third was emerald green, twice the size of the other two and loaded with rune carvings. Shirley glanced at him with an astonished expression ¡°Why you asking me? I can pick a normal vault but there¡¯s no way I¡¯m touching that thing¡± she said while pointing at the emerald vault door. ¡°Well then unlock the other two, I¡¯ll take care of this one¡­¡± he walked over to the vault door while grabbing another fist full of manafire dust, ¡°Manafire won¡¯t even dent that thing, no point wasting it and getting us caught!¡± she hissed at him. ¡°The vault door won¡¯t but what about the walls?¡± he said while stepping towards the corner of the room, the emerald vault to his left and a normal vault to his right, ¡°Open both vaults and don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be out of here before the guards even know what happened¡± He began neatly lining the room¡¯s corner with the dust not knowing how much he exactly needs. Kyle glanced back at Shirley as she worked on the vault¡¯s lock ¡°Think this is enough for the wall?¡± he asked, she glanced back and nodded then went back to work. He closed the pouch and walked over to her right as a clicking sounded off from the vault door, she pulled the door open wide revealing the rows of large drawers inside. Kyle whistled ¡°I¡¯ll collect the good stuff while you work on the other door¡± he stepped in and examined the wood drawers for runes, each column held three drawers while each row had seven columns. Seeing that the drawers had no carvings he opened his inventory and began going through each drawer, the drawers where somehow much deeper on the inside than the outside showed. About four times as deep along with more space in the sides giving Kyle quiet the shock the first time he looked inside, every two or so drawer he¡¯d shove some coin or equipment into the window along with a comical scene of something too long to fit in the drawer being pulled out and disappearing into the invisible window. Shirley walked in as he had gone through more than half the drawers, ¡°Other vault is open, you done looting yet?¡± she watched as Kyle pulled out a long staff with all kinds of runic carvings. ¡°Almost done¡± he said. He quickly went through the last of the drawers, in total his weight had been mostly filled (¡°I¡¯ll switch things out if I find anything more valuable¡±) ¡°How much longer before that officer walks back into the other room?¡± he asked as they walked over to the other open vault. ¡°From the layout we know of he still has about ten minutes until he reaches that end, maybe more from the rooms we don¡¯t know about¡± Shirley said as she helped him go through the drawers for valuables. ¡°More than enough time, this is almost too easy¡± he smirked as he shoved an ornate golden dagger with sheath into his inventory and pulled out an average looking spear. Taking what they found most valuable while leaving many random objects on the ground they were finally finished looting the two vaults, ¡°Alright, which vault wall do you reckon takes us closest to an exit in here?¡± he knew the other vault walls probably bordered deeper into the bank. Shirley thought it over for a bit then pointed at the left wall ¡°On the other side of that one is the guard¡¯s office, I don¡¯t suspect anybody will remain inside once the explosion happens¡±. Kyle shook his head ¡°How come is there an exit right by there?¡± Shirley stared at the wall while her ears twitched ¡°It¡¯s the emergency exit so the staff will be leaving from there while the civilians use the front entrance¡±. She walked out of the vault as Kyle set up more manafire by the wall that bordered the corner where he spread it before, he hoped the explosion from the first would ignite the dust behind the wall. When he was done he walked out and closed the vault behind him ¡°Alright so we will use the untouched vault as cover as we blow shit up, once the walls are down you¡¯ll run inside and grab the artefact, after that we just run off through the second hole and confuse the guards there. If there are any alive that is.¡± He glanced at her already waiting by the other vault and jogged over to take cover, she aimed her wrist-bow at the corner and waited for a signal. ¡°Well? When?!¡± she hissed at him. ¡°Huh? Oh! Right¡­now!-¡± the resulting explosion shook the ground beneath them as crashing sounds could be heard from behind them, when the blast and crashing ended they peaked out ¡°I might have used a bit too much manafire?¡± Kyle stated with a questioning tone. The roof had completely collapsed and the emerald vault door lay half fallen inside the rubble, the fire was nowhere to be seen through the stone and wood but they knew it was somewhere inside and spreading quickly. ¡°Well at least-¡± he glanced to his right but Shirley was already gone, she rushed right to the vault sliding underneath the misplaced vault door. He waited for a moment but when she didn¡¯t come out he decided to go in as well (¡°Did she ditch me?¡±), he crawled under the large door making sure not to touch it and saw her standing there with something in her hands. ¡°Let¡¯s go we¡¯re running out of time!¡± he shouted getting her attention. ¡°Uh..huh? Oh¡­Yeah!¡± she turned and ran towards the now open wall to another room. The guard office was a small room with two desks facing each other, four storage crates in the corners of the room and a single metal door. Kyle ran up to the door and turned the knob ¡°Locked!¡±. ¡°Hold it!¡± she handed him the strange object. The artefact was crystal shard shaped with runic inscriptions covering it¡¯s obsidian surface, it momentarily glowed a white light when he grabbed it and two notifications caught his attention.
Unique Lord classes unlocked!
Player can now earn Lord classes once previous progression is completed
¡°Lord classes? Unique!?¡± Kyles eyes widened as he stared at the system notifications. Shirley unlocked the door and pushed it open as she pocketed her tools ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±. He shook away the notifications by unfocusing from them ¡°With ya¡±, they ran out of the room finding themselves facing a couple employees. One of them shouted when they saw the artefact ¡°Thieves! Security of-¡± just as a dagger stuck itself between his eyes, ¡°Run!¡± Shirley shouted and darted off down the corridor. Kyle ran after her as his passive activated letting him keep up with her long strides, guards came around the corner just as Kyle crashed into the wooden door with all his might. He crashed backwards into the ground as the sound of something cracking filled his ears ¡°Ah¡­fuck¡­I think I broke something¡± he said as he got back up. Shirley kicked the door open and glanced at him ¡°The artefact!?¡°they rushed outside. ¡°Good to know you care¡­no it¡¯s fine¡± Kyle said as he ran. ¡°Oh just shut it and run!¡± she hissed back. The guards crashed through the door way and immediately began to give chase, slowly but surely catching up the hulking guard officer drew his oversized sword. Kyle glanced back just to see the large beast-man running towards him like a very angry grizzly, ¡°Shoot the pouch!¡± he shouted as the threw the black pouch of manafire back. Shirley momentarily stopped in an alley crossroad as she shot, the resulting explosion of green fire, giant sword and guard guts covered the alley. Ch 6 - Escape Kyle pushed Shirley off into another alley as the pouch exploded, he was knocked back as he felt the air forcefully pushed out of his lungs. His vision was blurry and he could only tell one thing, he had been pushed into the alley opposite of the guards and Shirley was in the alley in between them. He shook himself out of his daze and rubbed his eyes just in time to see three very pissed off guards jumping through the emerald flames with a spherical bubble of air protecting them. He stood up and faced them (¡°I can¡¯t let them see her, if that artefact allows me to gain a unique class¡­then it is priceless!¡±) they were a couple meters away from him but only a couple feet away from Shirley¡¯s alley, ¡°Suites him right to chase me down¡± he chuckled gaining their full attention as he opened his arms wide ¡°I am Soul Thief! Master thief and one of the seven Blood Pack lords!¡±. A sudden chill went down each guard as Kyle activated his ability ¡°You wish to avenge your commanding officer? I can smell it on you...the stench of failure¡±. The guards abandoned their previous caution and charged forward just as Kyle turned tail and ran utilizing his sprinting skill, he zig zagged through multiple alleys not knowing any of them until a change came to this chase. Kyle came to a full stop as a dreadful dead end presented itself to him, he stood surrounded by three building walls in a path so narrow only a single person could fit. He turned around to see the guards barrelling towards him, he grit his teeth and prepared to be skewered by their short swords. (¡°There goes all my loot¡­I hope she made it in one piece¡­¡±) he smiled in amusement at his predicament, time seemed to slow down as he thought of what the others would say in this situation (¡°Fight till the end, loss is not an option if you do not make it one. You¡¯re the player, the user, the one who holds control¡±) he recited the clan¡¯s motto in his mind. The first guard was only a couple meters away pure rage still alive in his expression, (¡°Sorry guys, looks like even the user can¡¯t win ever-¡±) that line of thought was cut short as an array of notifications presented themselves along with a surge of power.
Lesser Demon assist EXP received
Level up! (x13)
+1 to all base stats (x13)
Level 5 attribute points received (+5)
Menu [Beastiary] unlocked
Active skill [Inspect] unlocked
Level 10 attribute points received (+5)
Menu [Social] unlocked
Active skill [Soul Bind] unlocked
His eyes go wide as he quickly reads through the notifications ¡°Hell if I¡¯m dying now!¡± he shouted with all his might making the first guard flinch as he lunged forward with his sword, Kyle side stepped the blade then grabbed it with both hands cutting himself ¡°Outa my fucking way¡± he spoke with cold hatred. He kicked forward with his right leg hitting the guard straight in the groin, the leather armour did little to protect his jewels. Kyle pulled the sword out of the guard¡¯s grip and flipped it over so he could hold it by the hilt. With hands still bleeding he charged the unarmed and shaken guard, with the path being so narrow and two other guards behind him he had nowhere to run and tried to block the sword with his leather brace pads. The sword slashed into the leather but stopped short of skin, Kyle slashed downwards with the blade still in the guard¡¯s skin, blade cut flesh as the guard screamed in agony. Kyle stabbed upwards as the guard moved to evade a killing blow to the neck only for the sword to stab away his helmet from beneath, Kyle moved quickly changing the stab into another downward slash, the guards began to quickly back up making him solely cut air but he attacked again. He lunged forward with killing intent, his sword lodging itself inside the first guard¡¯s shoulder making him scream once again. The one behind him tried to intervene but could do nothing more than flail his sword from behind his comrade as Kyle stepped back taking his sword and more screams of agony with him. The two guards took this chance to switch around as the one on the front crouched down to let his ally squeeze by, Kyle left no room for mistakes and used this chance to attack again. He lunged forward at the guard¡¯s sword hand, his blade cutting flesh and bone as it dug into the other¡¯s sword hilt. Two fingers fell to the floor as the guard shouted curses, his sword fell to the ground and he quickly moved to back away from Kyle. Said person continued his relentless attacks, stabbing downwards he caught the crouching guard in the back killing him instantly. Kyle tried to pull out his sword but it was stuck within the now dead corpse, he let go of the hilt and moved to grab the one on the ground as the third guard tried to slash away at him. The injured guard was pulled back by his still alive and armed colleague, the third guard took a stance and waited for Kyle¡¯s move. Kyle grinned and began backing away slowly as the guard also slowly stalked towards him but keeping his distance, Kyle suddenly felt his left leg hitting the dead end¡¯s wall. The guard took this opportunity and lunged forward at Kyle intended to clash swords, Kyle had a different plan in mind. He parried the sword to the side then quickly grabbed the guard¡¯s sword arm with his dominant arm and pulled just as he stepped behind him, he pushed the guard into the wall. Using his legs, he pushed at the wall behind him and held the guard in place as he stabbed one-handed at the guard¡¯s shoulder, the sword dug into skin then flesh and finally bone. The guard screamed a gargled howl in pain as he released his grip on the sword letting it fall to the ground, Kyle pulled the sword out revealing half it¡¯s length soaked in blood while also releasing more inhuman screams. He knocked the guard¡¯s helmet off then stabbed directly into his head, the skewered corpse fell limp to the ground as Kyle crouched down to grab the other free sword while keeping an eye on the sole living guard. This one was in tears while pulling away at the sword stuck in his colleague¡¯s back, a fruitless action as the sword was embedded deep in the corpse¡¯s bones. Kyle stalked towards the guard as the terrified man released the sword hilt and turned tail to run, Kyle was going to give chase but instead fell forward onto his knees completely exhausted. With his adrenaline quickly depleting the stress and exhaustion that came with his previous movements assaulted his body as yet another notification filled his view.
Active skill gained [Rage]
He noticed another bar appear beneath hishealth and mana bars, this one was yellow and was currently recovering from being empty. He glanced at the two corpses in astonishment then remembered a skill he had just gained, he inspected them both.
City Guard Level 23 (Deceased)
City Guard Level 24 (Deceased)
He then inspected the sword he was holding and a small window like notification appeared with it¡¯s information.
[Guard¡¯s Iron short sword] Durability: 73/95 Attack Damage: 45 (30 + STR) Unable to soul bind Enchantable No power-gem sockets Officially Untradeable
He sighed at the quality of the sword (¡°Max level is 499 so I¡¯m not sure what I was expecting from a starting town¡­Oh well, I shouldn¡¯t be seen walking around with this sword in hand anyway¡±) he left the sword on the ground and stood up to inspect his clothing, blood still dripping from his hands while patches of blood were on his face, chainmail and leather pants. He took off his chain mail then his leather top and pants, after wiping his face and hands on the pants he then threw it next to the sword. He took out his beginner clothes from inside the leather top and put them on, throwing the latter to the ground as well. ¡°There, just your average beginner player. Nobody can suspect a thing now¡± he pocketed the mask as his inventory was filled to the brim with loot, giving the NPC corpses one last glance as they disintegrated into dust he then began moving in a steady jog to get away from the scene. He wandered the alleys until he broke out into the open street, he had no idea where he was or how to get to the front gate. (¡°No way am I asking a guard so¡­is that a magic shop?¡±) he walked over to the strange store front, a purple sign with a black wizard hat decorated the side of the also bright purple wooden door. He pushed the door open and walked in ¡°Ah a customer!¡± a young elvish girl with dark skin immediately turned around from shelves full of strange magical equipment, she had long jet black hair and ember eyes. ¡°How may I help you tod- Oh are you a new arrival? Have you gotten lost?¡± she asked with a quizzical expression. ¡°How did you know?¡± Kyle asked. ¡°Oh it¡¯s not so unusual, you adventurers tend to get into the strangest situations!¡± she exclaimed, ¡°If you¡¯re looking for the general store that¡¯s two blocks from here to your left¡± she then turned back around to look at her wares. ¡°Actually I was wondering if I can sell things here even though it¡¯s not a general store? I was out monster hunting and piled up quite a bit of loot¡­and accidentally killed a player gaining some very strange¡­items¡± he lied through his teeth. The girl turned around ¡°Strange items?¡± she asked with an excited tone ¡°Could you show me?¡±. Kyle opened his inventory and gave it a good look, monster parts, magic weapons, jars of¡­weird things and vials of fluorescent liquids along with stacks of silver and gold coins. ¡°You can hide some items from me if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about, I will know that you did but not what you hid¡± she said matter-of-factly. Kyle nodded and focused on doing just that as he hid most of his currency leaving empty slots behind. He then thought about showing her the window and it spun around to face her, the girl¡¯s eyes went wide as a smile crept up her lips. She clapped her hands together ¡°Right this way valued customer!¡± she said before walking over to her desk, Kyle¡¯s ears twitched slightly at her reaction. He followed her over to the desk as she dragged the window with her ¡°That¡¯s a whole lot of loot, If I didn¡¯t know better I¡¯d say you robbed a mage guild¡± she giggled at her own joke. Kyle¡¯s expression twitched with unease ¡°Found anything that interesting?¡± he said moving the conversation away from robbery. ¡°Quite a bit, multiple rare potion making materials, enchanting materials, two elemental wands, a combat mancer staff and many magic ornaments as monster parts!¡± she said excitedly as she pulled out some paper, she put her right index finger on the piece of parchment and it suddenly began to glow purple. She spoke to herself as she listed the items and their prices.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. She turned the paper around and moved it towards him, she then rested her arms on the desk showing off her able breasts while giving him a smile ¡°That¡¯s the payment for what you got honey¡±. Kyle stifled a smile as he took the paper in hand and read over the list, he now had to stifle a laugh as he finished counting. (¡°Two hundred gold coins along with the three hundred I already have¡­how rich am I already?¡±) he wondered as he glanced up at the still beaming young woman ¡°You wouldn¡¯t rip off a new comer now would you?¡±. She suddenly slammed her hands on the desk and glared at him ¡°On my pure Elven blood! I would never lie!¡±. Her reaction interested him. ¡°Elves do not lie?¡± he asked slightly amused at this prospect. ¡°Unlike humans and goblins who love the use of deception, no we do not!¡± she spoke with a rather annoyed tone. He couldn¡¯t tell if she was lying the whole way or not but decided best not to query further (¡°If she¡¯s not lying then pushing further would make future dealing impossible and if she is it would ruin this one right away. What chances do I have of selling all this stolen loot at another store? I¡¯ll settle on this price¡­¡±) he raised his arms in surrender ¡°Sorry my bad, shall we go along with the deal then?¡±. She frowned ¡°Fine, pull everything out onto the counter¡± she said as she opened a drawer and began counting coins. Kyle started taking out the items she listed (¡°She didn¡¯t list everything¡­¡±) ¡°What about the unlisted items?¡± he asked. She shrugged ¡°A useless broken wand core, two shattered mana crystals and a cracked basilisk eye. You probably broke them accidentally, they are very fragile after all¡±. Kyle sighed as he moved said items over to a trash can icon within the inventory window and watched them disappear. ¡°That¡¯s everything then, have a nice day¡± she handed him a pouch of gold coins which he grabbed and tossed into his inventory. ¡°Yeah, you too¡± he waved her off nonchalantly and walked away before suddenly turning back ¡°By the way, where¡¯s the city gate at from here?¡±. She was already back at moving her wares ¡°Follow the rising smoke in the sky until you come up on a burning guard post, after that just head straight¡± she said while wondering where to put her new staff. Kyle was at the brink of falling apart and laughing but somehow kept it in as he left the shop. He took a deep breath and scanned his surroundings ¡°might as well checkout my new skills and stats while I walk¡± he whispered to himself after sighting the rising pillars of smoke. (¡°That¡¯s ten free points for me to allocate¡­five per five levels? That¡¯s not a lot but seeing how exerting that stat increases it I guess it¡¯s a different kind of grind¡­¡±) he thought as he absentmindedly walked, (¡°Strength is my largest¡­strength right now so it makes sense for me to go melee but¡­I do not know what that unique class will be about so It¡¯s best I wait, about half my strength is from my title anyway¡±) he sighed and closed the window then opened the skills window and read through each new skill. As he walked by he himself inspected the damage, the magical fire had eaten through a three building radius before it was brought under control including the bank and a couple buildings across the street. As if the fire saw no difference between wood and stone it had charred most of the damaged buildings into pitch black mounds, Kyle also noticed multiple small mounds lying around the street as civilians or even guards stood by them mourning their loss. This brought up something inside him as he reached for his throat, feeling the dryness within he kept on walking until he was at the gate. (¡°Damn¡­they¡¯re just NPCs¡­Digital creations¡­Dolls in a fictional world!...I never felt like this before and I¡¯ve done worse shit in other games but¡­they¡¯re just¡­¡±) he took a good look around as NPC and Player went about their day (¡°So god damn real!...¡±). (¡°So that¡¯s what that power boost was¡­not only did I get the stat bonus from levelling I also got an increase from this active!¡±) he then suddenly realised something ¡±Wait¡­¡± he pulled up his character page again and looked at it closely, ¡°Level¡­14¡­The demon¡­died?...¡± he stopped walking ¡°How¡­assist right?...then what did?¡± he wrecked his brain for a couple moments thinking over what might have occurred after he kamikazied into the Lesser Demon ¡°Gah! No point thinking about it! I got more pressing matters right now¡± he scratched his head and continued to follow the rising smoke. As he walked towards the charred street Kyle made it his purpose to watch his surroundings carefully, guards and mages rushed around injured civilians while some wealthy looking individuals inspected the damage. He didn¡¯t see any sign of the guard that escaped him but he figured they were still searching the alley way his comrades died at. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed (¡°Weak¡±) then walked over to the gate where two guards stood, this time inside the walls while keeping an eye on the forest outside. They noticed him approaching and eyed him down as he passed by (¡°Please don¡¯t be a stupid reputation system¡­¡±) as if by sheer luck they did not stop him as he walked out of the city and headed towards the forest and snow, Kyle tried to retrace his steps but found he couldn¡¯t remember where exactly. ¡°Fuck, what now?¡± he asked himself as he searched tree by tree for any notable differences between them, he sighed as he was about to lay his back on a tree. ¡°Hey! Punk!¡± a familiar voice spoke out from his left, he glanced towards the voice¡¯s source and saw Regg walking over. ¡°What ye doing out here alone?¡± he asked with crossed arms and a frown, his eyes wandered around the forest behind Kyle. The man looked more paranoid than usual, his casual and carefree demeanour gone ¡°Did ye ¡®n Shirley only go out?¡± he asked still frowning. Kyle noticed the change (¡°Did something happen?¡±) ¡°Yeah, did she not arrive before me?¡± he asked, off the corner of his eyes he noticed some other cloaked figures hiding behind multiple different trees behind Regg. ¡°Aye she did arrive at base, can¡¯t say the same for you though¡± he waved in the others as they rushed out holding an assortment of bladed weapons while they surrounded Kyle, ¡°You see kid, I was already on a bad mood from that pointy eared bitch casting me into recruitment duty. Then ye come along and drop me even lower on her list? Boss didn¡¯t like that, now I gotta teach you the ladder of leadership around here boy. You be at the very bottom¡± he spoke with annoyance clear in his voice. The ragged and grinning thieves finished surrounding Kyle as he scanned them and their gear (¡°Any way out¡­¡±) he inspected their levels starting with Regg;
Dusk BladeOfficer [Reginald Kaylin] Level 36
Dusk Blade Bandit Level 24
Dusk Blade Bandit Level 23
Dusk Blade Bandit Level 26
Dusk Blade Bandit Level 21
Dusk Blade Bandit Level 22
Dusk Blade Bandit Level 23
Dusk Blade Bandit Level 27
Dusk Blade Bandit Level 28
(¡°I guess talking is my only choice¡­¡±) ¡°Come on now Reg, killing me won¡¯t gain you nothing back except the city guards knocking on your door¡± Kyle shook his head as he spoke, ¡°I¡¯m sure we can come to a¡­reasonable agreement?¡± he put up a cocky smile. Regg spat at the ground between them ¡°You think you can talk yourself out of this kid? Bring on the guards see if we care!¡± he unsheathed his short swords ¡°Steppin all over our pride! Show ¡®im who we are lads!¡±. (¡°Well negotiation is out of the window now¡­Wonder if they¡¯ll give me my gold back if I ask nicely enough?...¡±) Kyle thought to himself as he grimaced at some of the bandits closing in on him slowly, they were acting cautious. (¡°Unarmed? No way he¡¯s that dumb¡­Mage maybe?¡±) one of the bandits thought as he stood back letting his less than bright peers go first. Kyle activated his frost aura as his eyes moved from bandit to bandit, some were effected but others simply shook it off. (¡°Hell¡­well I ain¡¯t just gonna stand here and be stabbed to death!¡±) he activated rage and felt the stats piling over as he rushed at the weakest level 22 bandit, the bandit flinched at the sudden attack as he moved his axe in front of himself. Kyle sprinted by the bandit as he knocked the man aside and continued running. ¡°What ye waiting for! Grab him!¡± Regg commanded the bandits making them all turn and give chase. (¡°Shit! City¡¯s the other way!¡±) Kyle zigzagged through the forest as the bandits quickly caught up to his pace, suddenly as he turned around one tree a knife embedded itself inside the trunk making him cringe (¡°Throwing knives!? Seriously?!¡±). He ran for as far as his stamina took him but in the end the bar reached its end, he tumbled down to the ground as exhaustion set in ¡°Sure system!¡­just!¡­bend me over and fuck me in the ass more!¡± he cursed while forcing his exhausted body up. Suddenly a kick to the side turned him over to face the branches and leaves, three bandits stood around him as more ran over. ¡°A running skill? Stupid adventurer¡­Shoulda just given up if that¡¯s all yer skills let ye do!¡± the same bandit that kicked him earlier lowered his short sword towards Kyle¡¯s face and grinned, some of the bandits began to sheath their weapons as two of them bent down and grabbed Kyle by the arms ¡°Haul ¡®im back to Regg, see what he got in store for ye trash¡± the bandit said. The bandits began to drag Kyle through the forest as he mildly struggled back, exhaustion sapping away his strength. Suddenly a sound could be heard through the forest, a joyful whistling could barely be made out by Kyle¡¯s ears. Most of the bandits didn¡¯t notice but two of them glanced at the others and then began scanning the forest, seeing nobody one of them spoke up ¡°Ye hear that whistling?¡±. The whole group stopped moving as they glanced around for the source of the whistling, most staring down the direction they had come from. Along with the whistling which was getting closer more sounds chimed in, the sound of something being dragged along the snow and the sound of a man groaning in pain. Kyle looked up to see a new figure moving towards them in the distance, a tall bulkily built beast man with grey wolf ears and a grey wolf tail. The man was wearing beginner clothing as in a black jacket over a purple shirt and long black trousers, he stopped a couple meters away from the group of bandits and Kyle. Dark purple hair and bright violet eyes, the man grinned at the sight before him. ¡°Fallen low haven¡¯t we Kyll?¡± he spoke with a slight Semitic accent as he brought forward what he was dragging behind him while raising his long pole-blade to rest on his shoulder. ¡°Your new friend here was kind enough to give me directions!¡± he exclaimed while holding up a bloody and beaten Regg, both eyes where closed as purplish red bulges grew around them while blood leaked down all over his face and wide open mouth lined with missing teeth. Kyle stared wide at the player in front of him momentarily then inspected him
SlyOkami [Classless] level 42
Sly grinned a fanged grin as he threw Regg towards them, the beaten man landed a couple feet in front of them groaning ¡°Sorry forgot to contact ya when I logged in, went straight to grinding! The game¡¯s amazing!¡± he chuckled while gesturing at his surroundings with a free arm. ¡°How did you find me? Minus the bandit that is¡­¡± Kyle asked in amazement (¡°He¡¯s got a terrible sense of direction!¡±). Sly frowned ¡°Hey you think I can¡¯t make my way through a map!?¡± he said with a serious tone which then quickly crumbled into a chuckle ¡°Yeah took some fiddling but I found out that opening the social menu along with the map lets me see where you¡¯ve been or something, found out recently it shows where you were last seen¡± he explained. Suddenly one of the bandits spoke out in anger ¡°Who you be!? What did you do with our captain!?¡± the bandits dropped Kyle to the ground and unsheathed their weapons. Sly smiled widely at their reaction and spoke with raised brows ¡°Oh? You wanna fight too?¡± he took a step forward and almost immediately three bandits rushed towards him. Two held short swords while the one at the back held a double edged axe, Sly rushed forward to meet them. Lowering his stance he held his pole blade in both hands, the long curved blade met a bandit¡¯s sword as he tried to parry the lunge only to have his blade dented and the pole-blade digging into his shoulder. W ithin moments Sly pulled out the blade and slashed at the second bandit, he knocked away the man¡¯s sword and spun around with his weapon to deliver a slash at the bandit¡¯s leg cutting it clean off. The one legged bandit fell to the ground screaming while the other one held onto his shoulder and backed away. The third flinched and stopped in his tracks as Sly regained his balance and rushed forward, sneaking in his blade between the axe¡¯s hook and haft he knocked it aside and with a quick lunge pierced the man¡¯s forehead. Sly pulled away from the dead bandit and spun towards the legless one quickly slashing low at his neck, he beheaded the man in one fell swoop and spun his pole-blade around his neck bringing it back behind him as he parried the other¡¯s slash. He grinned at the paling bandit that quickly backed away leaving himself open, Sly spun his pole-blade back around and lunged at the bandit. The bandit parried the blade away and rushed in to close quarters, he stabbed towards Sly¡¯s chest. Sly let go of his pole-arm while side stepping the bandit¡¯s attack, he then grabbed the bandit¡¯s arm with his left and raised his right while forming a fist. A smacking sound echoes through the treeline as the bandit hits the ground unconscious, Sly kicks up his pole-arm and grabs it in one hand then glances at the rest of them ¡°Who¡¯s next?¡± Ch 7 - Warrior Kyle chuckled ¡°Encore!¡± he shouted gleefully as he tried to rise onto his knees, the bandits around him fidgeted with their weapons while deciding on whether to fight or run. One of the bandits suddenly spoke up ¡°What ye all standing around for!? We either leaving here with their beaten bodies or we ain¡¯t leaving at all! Boss won¡¯t be letting us live if we come back empty!¡± he glared Sly down ,¡°He cut three of us down and beat our captain, we gotta repay him for hurting our pride!¡± he shouted and all the bandits responded ¡°Aye!!¡± he grimaced ¡°Then kill h-¡±. ¡°Excuse me for cutting your little speech short but¡­Pride? Seriously? You¡¯re bandits for fucks sake!¡° Sly stepped forward while dragging his pole-blade in the snow behind him ¡°You lost your pride the second you thought of robbing someone, you¡¯re the lowest of the low, the trash in our alleyways, the forgotten shit the stray dog once took¡± he joked with a condescending smile, the bandits rushed forth in pairs. Suddenly Sly¡¯s blade gained a purple glow that left behind an after image similar to Shirley¡¯s daggers, he side-stepped, parried and reflected every lunge, stab, slash and hack they sent his way. Kyle stared in amazement as his pole-arm flashed in a whirlwind of wood and metal clashing with multiple weapons at once, the bandits sweat profusely as they exerted themselves to land hits but none landed at all. One by one the bandits backed away while still surrounding Sly, said person was currently unaffected, no injuries were present on his body, no damage was done to his armour and he was far from tired. ¡°Dealing with those vine serpents definitely paid off, not a single hit¡± he chuckled while glancing over at the tired bandits, ¡°Ya all look worn out, guess that¡¯s all the entertainment I¡¯m getting from this squabble¡± he mused. ¡°Entertainment!? Ye believe we here to be yer jesters!?¡± one of the bandits shouted out in frustration before charging at him, before the bandit even traversed half the distance a curved double edged blade dug through his torso. Sly stood before the dying bandit with distaste on his face, he raised the pole-blade with one hand and the bandit rose with it until he hanged three feet off the ground. ¡°Yo kyle do you need these guy¡¯s experience or you just want their loot?¡± he asked without glancing away from the now dead bandit. ¡°Nah man just trying to survive, you won¡¯t believe what I got on me already!¡± Kyle chuckled while musing over the other ¡®loot¡¯. Sly shrugged and pulled his pole-blade out of the bandit, before the corpse even hit the ground only two bandits stood alive with Sly standing between them. The two turned to run but a series of slashes quickly killed them, Sly wiped the blood off his blade using one of the bandit¡¯s balaclavas he picked up. He walked over to Kyle who was now sitting down on the snow watching the unconscious bandit waking up, Sly sighed at the sight and swerved to his direction. He stood over the woozy bandit while raising his pole-blade, he spun it upside-down and stabbed downwards into the bandit¡¯s chest. The bandit immediately paled and stared up as blood bubbled out of his mouth, Sly pulled out the blade and turned back towards Kyle who began to stand up. ¡°What no gratitude?¡± Sly asked while cleaning his blade. ¡°Pfft, I had it under control¡± Kyle said as he stared off at his inventory. ¡°Sure you did¡± Sly added with sarcasm.¡°So what you doing all the way out here in the forest? Being chased by bandits? Pissed someone off apparently?¡± Sly cut straight to the chase. ¡°Pretty much yeah, apparently the bandit group around here has some leadership issues I didn¡¯t know about. As for what I¡¯m doing here in the forest? Long story¡­¡± Kyle drifted off into explaining what he¡¯d done so far as they walked. ¡°So let me get this straight¡± Sly said as he stopped right when Kyle did ¡°First you landed over another player, hilarious by the way, strayed over to some big ass magical wall keeping demons out of our area, climbed said wall, leaped off onto a hungry ass demon, injured said demon some fucking how, respawned, got recruited by bandits, blackmailed said bandits, robbed a bank, blew up a guard post and levelled up multiple times from an assist kill on the previous demon?¡± he counted on his fingers as he spoke. ¡°Blew up the guard post first then robbed the bank, oh and set an assassination for the annoying guards at the town gate¡± Kyle corrected. ¡°That¡­no that¡¯s not what¡­matters¡­¡± Sly groaned in annoyance ¡°So what we doing here then?¡± he asked. Kyle scratched his chin and looked around ¡°Ask him where the entrance is at¡± he pointed at the unconscious Regg being dragged by Sly. Sly nodded with an impartial expression, he crouched down by the man and slapped him a couple times across the face. ¡°We!!wahh-!¡± Regg woke up with a sudden scream but was stopped by Sly¡¯s palm, ¡°Yo dumbass, where¡¯s the entrance and if you scream again I¡¯ll start pulling more teeth out understand?¡± he said with a bored tone. Regg nodded with wide eyes and Sly removed his hand, ¡°I be needing to look around¡­sir?¡± he said with uncertainty. Sly looked at him as if asking ¡®Seriously?¡¯ then stood up as he grabbed hold of Regg¡¯s hair and pulled him up ¡°There you go, where at?¡± he asked with a commanding tone. Regg held himself up on his knees to where Sly wasn¡¯t pulling on it anymore and looked around, ¡°That be the one¡± he pointed towards one of the trees. Sly walked over pulling a groaning Regg behind him ¡°This tree?¡±. Regg nodded with tears now leaking out of his eyes ¡°Y¡­It is!J..just¡­let me...kn-¡± Sly let go and Regg fell to the ground. Kyle walked over with a sigh ¡°You¡¯re too impatient K-¡± he stopped talking the second Sly turned to glare at him ¡°Right¡­just I.G.Ns, sorry¡± he apologised. In the meantime Regg had crawled over to the tree and began knocking and cursing under his breath, moments later the tree¡¯s side opened. Sly stared at the entrance for a couple moments ¡°Dope¡± he said in acknowledgement, he then crouched down and grabbed one of Regge¡¯s legs and dragged him inside giving the goblin only a brief glance. Kyle followed his now too excited friend (¡°Pretty much my reaction? I guess?¡±), the goblin said nothing as it glanced at the three with confusion clear on its face. ¡°Damn dark in here, how far down does this go?¡± Sly said as he dragged a half conscious Regg down the stairs. ¡°Their hideout isn¡¯t all the way down, that¡¯s where the goblins live. There¡¯s a hidden entrance somewhere on the way, the rat knows where¡­if he can stay conscious enough to remember that is¡± Kyle mused as he followed. Sly stopped momentarily ¡°Oi shit bandit, stand up and walk. Don¡¯t even think of taking off, you¡¯ll find I¡¯m quite accurate with throwing my weapon¡±. The sound of Regg groaning and standing up could then be heard ¡°Aye¡­¡±. Suddenly a light engulfed their descent, Regg had pulled out a torch and somehow lit it. He descended the stairs with the both of them following behind him, after a long minute or so they stopped. Regg began moving his palm on the wall until he found what he was looking for, he pushed in the stone and the sound of gears filled the tunnel. Sly stared with mouth agape at the hidden doors opening, like a child watching his dreams come true. Suddenly the light flickered as Regg threw the torch at Sly¡¯s face catching him off guard ¡±Son of a bitch!¡±, he rushed into the new tunnel right after. Before Regg could fully go through the door way Kyle had grabbed his arm and pushed him into the wall, ¡°And where do YOU think you¡¯re going?¡± he asked while pressing Regg¡¯s face into the stone. ¡°Fuck! I¡¯ma kill this little sh-¡± Sly raised his pole-arm to stab at the bandit. ¡°Nah bro, we need him. Take him to the leader, she¡¯ll deal with him and give us an easier time explaining her dead subordinates¡± Kyle quickly explained. Sly frowned ¡°More like insubordinates¡± he lowered his pole-blade from Regg¡¯s colourless face. ¡°Hold this¡± he held out his weapon to Kyle who took it , Sly smiled as he crouched down to grab the torch. ¡°What are you¡­¡± Kyle was about to ask. Sly pulled Regg out of Kyle¡¯s grip and shoved him into the tunnel where he quickly rose to his knees attempting to flee, Sly kicked him aside and stomped over his chest. ¡°Showing him what happens when you fuck with me¡± Sly said with anger clear in his voice contradicting the smile he wore, he crouched down and stared straight into Regg¡¯s eyes. Sly turned the torch upside-down and with his free hand pulled down the bandit¡¯s pants while he tried to struggle away, Sly shoved the still lit torch inside and kept it there as Regg screamed with an inhuman voice. ¡°Too real for your own good they said, self-correcting system they said. Let¡¯s see how that system reacts to this!¡± Sly mused, after Regg lost consciousness due to the pain Sly pulled the surprisingly still lit torch out and noticed the bandit¡¯s pants taking fire. ¡°Shit!¡± he cursed as he immediately stood up and began stomping on the flame. ¡°Fuck don¡¯t kill him yet!¡± Kyle also cursed as he rushed over and also began stomping the slight flicker of heat. After making sure the bandit wasn¡¯t about to catch fire Kyle tapped Sly¡¯s shoulder ¡°Your fuck up, you carry him¡± and walked off down the tunnel. ¡°But-God damnit¡± Sly cursed as he bent down and grabbed Regg¡¯s arms then began dragging him down the tunnel ¡°Yo wait up!¡±. They spoke as they walked through the long tunnel ¡°So what do you mean by self-correcting?¡± Kyle asked while noticing the holes in the tunnel where bandits would supposedly hide to ambush. Sly sighed ¡°I know we said we wouldn¡¯t mention it but seriously dude, what¡¯s with the cutting yourself out of social media when this game was announced? You missed out on so much juicy information!¡± he exclaimed. Kyle scratched his head ¡°Ehh¡­You know¡­I ain¡¯t a stat whore like you guys, more playing for the lore and experience high. What¡¯s the point of experiencing something new if there aren¡¯t any risks or unknowns involved?¡±. Sly thought it over for a couple moments ¡°Filthy casual¡± he joked. ¡°Fuck off¡± Kyle responded with a satire tone, ¡°Just answer my question, I know you¡¯re needing to flaunt about the system anyway¡± he glanced back at him. Sly shrugged ¡°Ya got me, the system can be explained fairly basically. The developers created a personality system that entirely depends on the player¡¯s actions then continued by their reactions, the system takes everything into account, like seriously everything! Emotion, posture, interest, stats, reputation, player knowledge on the situation and even all the above from other players that interacted previously with said player and NPC. It¡¯s insane, way insane. I ain¡¯t no master programmer but just the concept of that is mind blowing, in theory impossible!¡± his tone grew more excited as he explained ¡°The most incredible parts of the system though isn¡¯t just NPC to player interaction but the quest and skill systems!¡± Kyle prepared himself for a long one sided conversation. ¡°The developers created a set amount of quests the players can trigger which then depending on what the player and others within that quest¡¯s range do the quest evolves and changes, from those events even more quests are created and then more from those and from then on you have an infinite quest creation system!¡± he chuckled ¡°It¡¯s complete insanity! I mean, how the hell do they moderate it!? Oh right speaking about quests, what¡¯s the reward for this one you¡¯re on anyway?¡± he asked.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Main rewards are map progression, civilian ID to enter towns and cities but I¡¯ve also found out something interesting. You know how classes have two types right?¡± Kyle glanced back to see him nod ¡°Well this artefact I robbed out of that bank gave me progression to Unique classes called Lord classes, do you know anything about them?¡± he slowed down his pace for Sly to catch up. ¡°Not much, I know there are specific skill and item requirements for each unique class. Some are called advanced set classes as in they have a similarity between them and also require the completion of a quest to acquire, in my opinion it¡¯s all just bullshit to add content, not that the game¡¯s lacking content that is¡± he laughed ¡°The quest giver probably has some information on it, just ask em for it maybe they¡¯ll give it to you¡± he shrugged. ¡°Maybe, oh and also. Leave the talking to me¡± Kyle said with a serious tone. ¡°Why?¡± Sly asked rolling his eyes. ¡°You have a¡­4th wall breaking tone when speaking to NPCs¡± Kyle said after momentarily thinking an answer over. ¡°Fucking roleplaying casual¡± Sly added with a sigh. ¡°Yo look a door¡± Sly spoke again moments later. ¡°No shit, that¡¯s the entrance¡± Kyle said quickening his pace ¡°Shit, right forgot. You¡¯re gonna have to give up your weapon to go thro-¡± Kyle began explaining. ¡°Fucking hell no!¡± but Sly cut him off. ¡°It¡¯s just till we come back out, don¡¯t worry too m-¡± Kyle again got cut off. ¡°You mad? They¡¯re fucking bandits! Fuck me if I¡¯m going in there unarmed¡± Sly reached out for pole-blade. Kyle sighed ¡°So¡­what now? You going to wait outside for me?¡± he asked. Sly frowned and dropped Regg behind him then stepped over to Kyle and took his pole-blade ¡°I.Am.Going.Inside.Bad.Ass.Hide.out.Armed¡± he said each word with emphasis. ¡°Fine, follow my lead and look as intimidating as possible!¡± Kyle said giving up, he knocked on the door. One of the iron barred windows on the doors opened inwards revealing Kai¡¯s face ¡°Newbie ye back! Boss¡¯s waitin for ye!¡± the bearman exclaimed as he unlocked the door, ¡°Who this be? And what ye¡­Regg?¡± his eyes widened in surprise at the unconscious bandit officer. ¡°Long story Kai, seems like Regg works under some other boss you got around here? Didn¡¯t like how I treated Regg so he sent him and some lackeys after me, my friend here took care of em though their corpses are still rotting out there. Thought killing Regg would have been a pain for you all so we just brought him somewhat intact, mind letting us in?¡± Kyle explained in length. Kai nodded ¡°Ye come on in, lemme inspect yer inventories¡± he waved them in and relocked the door behind them after draggin the still unconscious Regg inside. Kyle showed Kai his inventory producing a wide open drooling mouth expression from Kai ¡°Ye truly went and did it lad? Robbed a dam mage bank? Where be the trinkets though? Already exchanged em? Ye work fast!¡± Kai laughed while scratching his cheek. ¡°Yeah figured the quicker I did the better, don¡¯t want no tracking devices that I don¡¯t know about on me¡± Kyle shrugged producing another laugh from Kai ¡°Smart lad, ye¡¯ll fit right in! Your turn warrior¡± he turned and looked at Sly. Kyle also glanced at his clan mate noticing certain changes in his appearance as he let Kai inspect his inventory, Sly¡¯s eyes were glowing bright while a violet aura flickered like energy all over his body and his fangs had grown long enough to reach half his chin. ¡°Aye all in order, I¡¯ll be needin to keep that pole-arm of yours for yer stay now¡± Kai said while frowning at the sudden change in Sly¡¯s appearance. ¡°No you won¡¯t, I¡¯ll be passing by those doors and nobody else dies. Out of the way¡± Sly spoke with a slight echo in his commanding voice as each word sent a sudden force of energy throughout the room. Kyle suddenly remembered something and inspected Kai
Dusk Blades Brigadier General [Kai Shao Ren] Level 112
Kyle felt his gut rupture as his expression suddenly and quickly paled, ¡°Sly hand the man your weapon¡± he said bluntly. Sly glanced at him with confusion then turned to glare back at Kai ¡°Why wou-¡± Kyle saw his face go completely white as his eyes went wide, ¡°Take it¡± Sly said immediately handing over his pole-blade. Kai roared in laughter as he took the weapon in hand, nothing more than a stick in this giant¡¯s hand ¡°Know when not to fight, good skill to keep ye selves alive lads!¡± he joked. He walked over to the other door and unlocked it for them ¡°There ye go, don¡¯t worry lad It¡¯ll be safe with me¡± he said glancing at Sly who simply walked out of the room without responding. ¡°Uh¡­what about Regg?¡± Kyle asked before walking out. Kai glared at the bandit on the floor ¡°Hhmm¡­Teo!¡± he shouted without looking away suddenly. ¡°Uhh¡­Kyllix¡­¡± Sly spoke from outside making Kyle turn towards him. Walking towards them was a hulking humanoid creature almost as large and wide as the doors, the being had dark green skin, short brown hair, a large wide jaw and muscles all over his body. ¡°Out of way little wolf¡± the green giant said with a deep harsh voice making Sly slide out of the way with a raised brow. ¡°Oi Teo! Get in here ye big lump of an Orc!¡± Kai shouted again making Teo flinch. Both Kyle and Sly inspected the Orc
Dusk Blade Bandit [Teio¡¯lek Giantborn] Level 35
Teo walked into the room and an amused smile could be barely seen by Kyle as he saw Regg unconscious on the floor. ¡°Carry this traitor for them lads, take ¡®im to the boss¡± Kai commanded him, Teo nodded then crouched down to onehandedly grab Regg by the waist. Teo held Regg under his shouler with one arm and turned to look at the two of them. ¡°Uhh¡­yeah this way¡­¡± Kyle nodded to Kai in thanks and turned to show the way. ¡°Oh right, why¡¯d you just start and grind without me you shit?¡± Kyle glanced at Sly and frowned. Sly chuckled ¡°Cause you¡¯re always a slow start gaping at every little thing for hours before you actually start to level! Also I wanted the extra skill points as quickly as possible!¡±. Kyle stared at him in confusion for a couple moments before Sly face palmed ¡°Right¡­From level 1 to level 45 you gain five skill points per five levels till level 25 then ten skill points per five levels till level 45, after that you stop gaining them until you master a class and by that I mean actually going through the mastering trial not just acquiring the class. Hells did you not even read the beginner guide or the holosite description?!¡±. Kyle simply shrugged ¡°I have you for Wikipedia, one with no pictures and little sources unfortunately ¡°he chuckled. Sly sighed ¡°Whatever, you probably would have picked any class that sounded cool the first chance you got anyway¡± he said while glancing at Kyle ¡°How¡¯d you get that title anyway?¡± he said frowning. ¡°Huh?¡± Kyle looked away faking disinterest ¡°What title?¡±. Sly continued to frown ¡°The sad liar title I already know how you got, talking about your set title mad man¡± he said with grin. Kyle almost tripped ¡°You can actually see that? Damnit was hoping it didn¡¯t show¡­¡± he groaned ¡°Damnit! I got it for dealing damage to that demon, something about dealing damage to an entity 50 levels higher than me?¡±. Teo grunted behind them ¡°Shrimp hurt demon? Me pay to see, you use bow and arrow? Or fight like man?¡± he asked with sarcasm. Both of them glanced back at the Orc ¡°What¡¯s so great about Demons? They¡¯re just a different race like you are to us, actually I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re half giant! Couldn¡¯t you beat one?¡± Sly asked. Teo frowned making him look even uglier ¡°Me beat Demon? Little wolf be mad one, weak Demon eat me alive! You no from here adventurer! Imp make you slave! Lesser? You only small juicy snack!¡± he said with seriousness. Sly raised a brow ¡°Now that I think about it, why do you speak like that? Your English can¡¯t be that bad if you live around so many demi-humans. Yo character flaw right there!¡± he chuckled. Teo growled ¡°Me speak no good cause me giant blood, be words me can no say sometimes!¡± he said angrily. Both turned away trying to hold back their smile, they had almost reach the end of the hideout. Sly looked around at the various shady and murderous looking individuals ¡°Never thought my first ¡®Town¡¯ would be some bandit hideout with shady ugly bastards all over the place¡­Come on? Where¡¯s all the Elf chicks! Beast women! Succubii!¡± he said in a low voice with little enthusiasm. ¡°Don¡¯t even start that conversation¡­I can just imagine what some players will do to some poor NPCs¡­¡± Kyle said as they approached the hideout¡¯s main building. Sly laughed out loudly ¡°Oh you know some sad fucker did just that and worse! Also how the hell would the mods know? Do they observe NPC behaviour? Player cams? Player mods? How wou-ooaahh¡± he suddenly stopped to stare towards the fort only to be knocked down by Teo who kept moving and only stopped after noticing he hit him. ¡°F-Fuck¡­¡± Sly cursed as he rose to his knees. ¡°Teo! Adventurer Kyllix! What¡¯s going on here!?¡± a female voice shouted towards them. They both looked up at Shirley who had walked over ¡°Why¡¯s that cockroach knocked out cold?¡± she asked while frowning. ¡°Well apparently he doesn¡¯t work for the same boss as you, didn¡¯t like me throwing him under the¡­cart. Him and his lackeys were waiting for me outside the hideout, were going to give me a beating if it wasn¡¯t for my friend!¡± Kyle explained in annoyance. Her eyes widened in surprise momentarily before her expression turned nothing less than evil ¡°Oh? Did he?¡± she glared directly at Regg who was still unconscious, ¡°Bring him in, adventurer the boss is waiting for you as well¡± she gestured for them to follow as she turned and headed towards the fort. Kyle was about to follow then noticed Sly was still kneeling, he kicked his leg lightly getting his attention ¡°Oi, you coming?¡± Sly snapped out of his daze ¡°Huh? Oh! Yeah¡± he stood up and they followed in behind her with Teo closely behind. Sly whistled at the various trophies adorning the first room but his sight immediately settled back on his previous target, his eyes remained completely stuck on something above Shirley¡¯s head as they twitched and she glanced back with unease before turning back and opening the door. Kyle whispered ¡°Damn weeb¡± with a short chuckle. ¡°Fuck off¡± Sly responded looking away, they followed into the bandit leader¡¯s office and Teo bet forward to lay Regg inside before walking away. Fiurj¡¯a was writing something down and looked up as they entered ¡°Oh you¡¯re finally ba-Reginald? Shirley what¡¯s going on?¡± she frowned and pointed at Regg¡¯s still unconscious body albeit some movement now came from his expression. Shirley crossed her arms and smiled ¡°Looks like I was right, bastard¡¯s working for that old fool!¡± she said with excitement and humour. Fiurj¡¯a glanced at Regg then momentarily glanced at Kyle and Sly before settling on Shirley ¡°What happened?¡±. Shirley shrugged ¡°Ask him¡± she pointed at Kyle who grinned ¡°Hahaha¡­We-My friend kind of killed all the other lackeys that came with him right after beating the crap outa him¡­¡± he responded. Fiurj¡¯a¡¯s frown turned back to surprise as she looked at Sly ¡°You beat Reginald?¡± he nodded back before going back to looking around the room, ¡°What¡¯s that sme-Wait, are you a fire mage?¡± she glanced between Sly and Regg. ¡°Nope, he was a pain to force back here and caused some annoyances so I made sure he knows what happens when you annoy me¡± Sly gesturedat Regg¡¯s groin ¡°The torch was surprisingly still lit afterwards¡± he ended with an amused smile. Shirley suddenly covered her mouth with one hand and held her stomach with the other as she laughed, Fiurj¡¯a just stared at him blankly ¡°You castrated him? With a magic fire torch?¡± her eyelids slightly twitched as she said it. Sly chuckled ¡°Not sure, doubt that¡¯s all I burned down there. Oh we may have also stomped on what remained¡­¡± he added with a thoughtful expression, Shirley could no longer hold back and slid back on the wall behind her as she laughed. Fiurj¡¯a held her face with her hand momentarily as she regained her composure ¡°I apologies for the complication, we¡¯ll take care of him from here. I¡¯m glad that the mission went without any further ones though, the artefact made it back safe and whole¡± she pulled out the item from behind her desk and sat it upon it. ¡°About that, mind explaining about it and these Lord classes? Seems like I was left out of some¡­details¡± Kylecommented with a knowing expression. She nodded back ¡°This artefact is an ancient relic from the ghost age, a period of time in our history that we have no knowledge of what so ever. We have information from temples, ruins and such from time before and after but the ones of that time period contain¡­no inscriptions or anything that provides a use in describing it¡±. Both Kyle being a sucker for role-play and Sly being a sucker for exploration took great interest in her explanation ¡°Artefacts like this one are all that we have, seeing as those years came after the Demon age we knew for sure these contained immense power of some sort but never truly figured out what until recently. Apparently when one of your people, the adventurers, come into contact with one they receive specific powers that replace the need for a class. Similar to classes this power gives one skills and abilities along with progressing titles but there is certain strange differences from normal or even advanced classes¡­¡± She grabbed the artefact and studied it with her eyes ¡°The two recorded classes have been a Lord and a Beast class, Lord of Deities and Beast of Chaos. These two adventurers are now the leaders of your people here in our realm but also make war with each other, the strange thing about the two classes? They lock the user to specific weapons, disabling the use of any others completely. Fortunately, it was found out from the two class holders that the classes accept the weapon the user is mostly attuned with but will not allow any further wielding of others¡± she put the artefact down as she stared at the both of them ¡°You both have no class so I assume you are interested in these powers?¡±. Kyle and Sly looked at each other momentarily before they both nodded ¡°Yes we are, although I would like to know why I was given the option for a Lord class and not a Beast class¡± Kyle asked. Fiurj¡¯a pointed at the item in front of her ¡°This is known as the Artefact of Racial Lords for a reason, to gain access to a Beast class you require contact with the Artefact of Elemental Beasts¡±. ¡°Do you know what classes are available for Lords?¡± Sly added. She shook her head ¡°It is unknown, whether there is a limit of what can be considered an element or a race viable for these classes but one thing is for sure. You gain access to one depending on what you do, if you¡¯re looking for a specific one it should be quite logical how to progress towards it. Although I will warn you that you do not simply acquire these classes, once you are found qualified for a class you are given an undeniable trialwho even the current class owners describe as disturbing without giving actual details¡±. Sly nodded ¡°So the Lord classes are tied to races but do sentient races also count?...Lord of nekos¡­¡± his eyes drifted to Shirley who had mostly calmed down and was uninterested in the conversation as she cleaned her knives, a visible chill went over Sly as he looked away. Kyle saw it and curiosity overtook him as he inspected both Shirley and Fiurj¡¯a
Dusk Blade Commander [Shirley Lis¡¯colt] Level ???
Dusk Blade High Commander [Fiurj¡¯a Lis¡¯colt] Level ???
(¡°Hidden levels?...Yeap¡­don¡¯t fuck with them¡­¡±) they both thought to themselves CH 8 - Jiors services ¡°Anyway if you¡¯re looking to get access to MY artefact then it won¡¯t come cheap¡± Fiurj¡¯a added as she hid it back behind her desk, ¡°Now I would ask you for some aide against the insurgents instead of payment but¡­¡± she looks them up and down with scrutiny ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re not strong enough¡± a notification appears in front both of them
Too low level for this quest line! (Requirement: Level 150+)
Sly sighed ¡°So much for that¡±. Kyle shrugged and spoke ¡°What about my reward? If you¡¯re looking to gain profit out of owning that artefact, then wouldn¡¯t having one of your officers with a Lord class be nothing else but beneficial?¡±. She frowned ¡°No I would be losing over a potential purchase in the future, as I just said we do not know if there is a limit. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to pay or help me out in another way, both of which I doubt you can do". At this Kyle smiled ¡°Why? How much would you sell it¡¯s usage for?¡±. She entered deep thought momentarily then finally answered ¡°200 gold pieces¡± Sly¡¯s jaw dropped ¡±don¡¯t give me that look it¡¯s a powerful class after all¡± she said while giving Sly an amused grin. Kyle could barely keep himself from giggling like a maniac ¡°200? Quiet the hefty price¡­that would be two hundred for both of us, 400! I¡¯m afraid I can only pay once¡­¡± he said while keeping up a frown. Fiurj¡¯a shrugged ¡°So will you pay?¡± she had gone back to writing. ¡°How about this then?¡± Kyle said with friendly tone ¡°Since my friend helped you capture one of the insurgents, give him a discount and cut my quest¡¯s gold reward from the payment as well. What do you think?¡±. She looked up from her desk and glanced from Regg who looked to be waking up and Sly who had also noticed ¡°Oh?¡± he said gleefully as he turned to glare down the waking bandit ¡°Sleeping shitstain¡¯s up!¡±. Regg immediately tried to get up but he instantly hunched back roaring in pain as he tried to hold his groin inducing himself even more pain. Tears and snot covered his face as his choked screams filled the room. ¡°Fuck you¡¯re loud!¡± Sly exclaimed as he crouched down and grabbed him by the hair, suddenly he smashed down the man¡¯s head into the ground knocking him out once more ¡°There, nice and fucking quiet!¡± he let go and turned to look at the rest staring at him in surprise. ¡°What?!¡± he asked rather loudly causing Shirley to flinch. ¡°Nothing Sly¡­nothing¡± Kyle spoke to fill the void ¡°So do we have a deal Miss?¡±. Fiurj¡¯a¡¯s eyelids twitched as she nodded ¡°80 gold pieces for one use, make it quick¡± she took out the artefact once more and held it on top of her desk ¡°Payment first¡± she held her other arm out with her hand wide open. Kyle nodded and opened his inventory and tapped on his stack of 500 gold pieces giving him a notification
How many of this item [Gold Coins] would you like to extract?
He though ¡®80¡¯ and a cotton pouch full of gold coins appeared floating in front of him, he grabbed the pouch and opened it giving the gold coins one last look ¡°You owe me for this Sly¡± he said with an evil smile. Sly shivered ¡°Yeah yeah¡­I¡¯ll repay you after I get on with PKing don¡¯t worry¡­¡± Kyle handed him the pouch and he walked over to Fiurj¡¯a¡¯s desk, he dropped the pouch onto her open palm which she quickly retrieved and opened to count. Sly looked the artefact over as without hesitation placed his right hand over it, the artefact glowed a white light momentarily but quickly faded. Sly stared at the notification Kyle knew he got and turned away from the desk. ¡°80 gold for a class opportunity¡± she sighed ¡°Here¡¯s your quest reward, Dusk Blade Officer Kyllix¡± she said uninterested as she pulled out a small blue scroll with gold lining it¡¯s edges and two large plain folded papers ¡°Citizenship and mapped information of surrounding areas and further¡±. Kyle walked over to stand by Sly who was still eyeing the artefact, he grabbed the red scroll and it shattered into hundreds of golden particles that flew onto the back of his palm forming themselves into a detailed mark. The ¡®S¡¯ shape of a golden dragon glowed momentarily before disappearing completely, ¡°Damn, was hoping it stayed¡± he cursed as he caressed the skin the mark was once on. ¡°Hell no, I hate yellow¡± Sly said breaking him out of his daze ¡°Either looks piss ugly or is too damn bright like gold making it easy to be spotted¡± he then pointed to the maps ¡°What¡¯s with the maps for reward by the way?¡±. Kyle chuckled ¡°Can¡¯t play an MMORPG without map knowledge, gotta say I hate systems where you have to map the world yourself and was thinking of looking up ways to quicken the process later¡±. Sly shook his head ¡°I love exploration but if it means having to search every damn nook and cranny¡­¡± he sighed. Kyle grabbed hold of the two maps and to his surprise neither disappeared. ¡°So¡­how do I?...¡± he looked up at Fiurj¡¯a. She raised a brow ¡°What? Don¡¯t know how to read a map?¡± she said mockingly. Kyle thought it over for a moment then decided to open the map, he then unfolded the two maps and read them over while glancing over at the map window. As he did so the plain map began to fill with information, he went over both maps and studied his map window when he was done
[Map Progression: 11%]
He stared at it then looked up at Fiurj¡¯a ¡°Are there any other continents on this world?¡± he asked her. She was piling up papers looking relieved then looked up at him as if he was an idiot ¡°Of course there is! The continent of Barik is the smallest one! Over the Rulek Sea is the Elven mega continent of Il¡¯tel, beyond Sailor¡¯s sea is the continent of Hasharr controlled by the Orc Empire and over Dead Man¡¯s Sea is the cursed Demon continent of Ruk taken over by the Dezol Demon Legions. If you want more detailed maps on those or a world map I¡¯m afraid I cannot help you, you¡¯ll have to head to the capital for that and to go there you need to head down to Kaledd for transportation or pay off a black watch pirate crew somehow¡± she held the stacked papers under her arm and the artefact in the other then stood up ¡°Those two maps are all I got to offer, adventuring is a tough occupation and mapping even more so these days. We¡¯re lucky just going by as we are with the demons right at our doorstep!¡± she cursed in some unknown language as she walked out of her own office leaving him, Sly and Shirley behind. ¡°Yo can I have a look at those maps?¡± Sly asked as he gestured at them. Kyle nodded and handed them over ¡°Yeah I¡¯m done with them, looking for something specific?¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah, looking for a good grinding spot to get your ass up to date. Focus on a destination and you¡¯ll get some information about it including surrounding area levels¡± he spoke while looking the maps over ¡°We¡¯re at Il¡¯e currently with maximum level of 55, next we should head to Carn who¡¯s maximum level is 105. Before that though we should go farm inside the Frostbite forest, monsters are scattered all over it in different levels and from my experience they aren¡¯t too difficult to deal with¡± he said as he pointed out the forest on the paper map of Barik. ¡°Before that I suggest the both of you head to the generalmart¡± Shirley suddenly spoke with a chuckle ¡°Neither of you has basic equipment from what I can tell and you won¡¯t survive further than the forest without¡±. She got up and gestured to the door ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask you to leave now¡± she glanced back at Regg, ¡°I have some information to¡­extract¡± she said with a grin. Kyle laughed uneasily ¡°Ah..hahaha¡­we¡¯ll¡­leave it to you then¡± he said while stepping towards the door, him and Sly walked out and then moved to exit the fort as Shirley came out of the office dragging Regg behind her. ¡°Oh before I forget, what¡¯s your name warrior?¡± she asked as they opened the door. They both glanced back and then at each other. Sly responded ¡°Third lord of the Blood Pack guild¡± he grinned ¡°Sly Bloodthirst, you¡¯ll hear our name soon¡± he pushed Kyle out and closed the door behind him. ¡°Thought you weren¡¯t into roleplay?¡± Kyle smiled mockingly. ¡°Most of the time¡± Sly chuckled ¡°So off to the general store I guess? Wait¡­Shit!¡± he then cursed. ¡°What?¡± Kyle asked in surprise. ¡°I don¡¯t have that fancy tattoo you got, will they let me in?¡± Sly panicked and was about to reopen the door. Kyle stopped him ¡°Woah not after that exit, they should let you in as long as your reputation isn¡¯t negative!¡±. Sly stared at him ¡°Who.Am.I?¡± he worded out like talking to an idiot. ¡°How bad?¡± Kyle asked in resignation. Sly looked away and at the fort door ¡°Twenty four¡­negative¡­¡± he said. ¡°Jesus christ did you murder a whole guild!?¡± Kyle shouted with arms wide open. ¡°Yeah¡­you definitely owe me¡­¡± Kyle said as he knocked on the fort door. Sly sighed ¡°I¡¯ll¡­pay you back¡­¡±. Kyle knocked on the door again ¡°Bum¡±. Suddenly the door opened as Shirley looked through the doorway with an annoyed expression ¡°Damnit I¡¯m busy, who-¡± which quickly changed to confusion as the sight of Sly choking Kyle presented itself. Sly immediately let go and looked away with an annoyed expression as Kyle caught his breathe and looked at her ¡°We¡­eh¡­need directions¡­¡± he coughed a couple times ¡°We require another¡­citizenship thing¡±. Shirley blinked a few times as she stared at him ¡°Oh¡­¡± she pointed behind them ¡°Central plaza¡­Ask for Jior, it¡¯s 30 gold but they¡¯ll ask for 32¡±. Kyle nodded as he caressed his neck ¡°Alright, thanks¡­We¡¯ll be off now¡± Sly had already turned and began walking away so Kyle had to jog momentarily to catch up. ¡°So that¡¯s¡­how much exactly you owe me now?¡± Kyle asked while looking at Sly mockingly. ¡°Yeap, I¡¯m gonna kill you, one of these days I¡¯m gonna fucking kill you¡± Sly whispered. They walked through the town of bandits until they reached where both cavern walls were closest, one single platform held up by both walls and many pillars embedded into the cavern roof. They both stood around the middle looking around the wooden shack like buildings and stalls, ¡°So¡­where do we ask?¡± Sly asked while eyeing a weapon stall. Kyle shrugged ¡°Guess we just ask someone?¡± he looked at the short and burly bandit behind the stall looking somewhat like a dwarf ¡°Might you know where we can find Jior?¡±. The dwarf momentarily looked up ¡°I might¡± he said with disinterest. Kyle sighed and opened his inventory, he was about to take out a gold coin but was stopped by Sly¡¯s arm getting in the way.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Sly stepped up to the stall and slammed both hands onto it¡¯s wooden surface making most of the weapons jump up a centimetre or two, ¡°Well do you? Or do you not? Be careful dwarf, the state of your shop after this conversation will solely depend on your answer¡± he glared down at the frowning dwarf. Sly glared and the dwarf also began to glare, after what seemed like ages ¡°Oh for fucks sake¡± Kyle pulled out two gold coins and laid them over the stall. The dwarf didn¡¯t look away and pointed to the left ¡°Jior¡¯s services, grey bark door third to the right¡± he grabbed the coins with his other hand, Kyle nodded and walked away from the stall ¡°Sly?¡± he noticed his friend hadn¡¯t moved an inch. ¡°He¡¯s about to blink¡± Sly said while continuing his glaring contest, Kyle simply walked back up to them and grabbed Sly¡¯s tail ¡°NOT THE FUCKING TAIL!¡± Sly shouted making the dwarf flinch as Kyle pulled him away. Sly fell back as Kyle let go of the tail ¡°Fuck! Would you like it if I pulled your damn tail!?¡± he cursed and shouted as he grabbed his own tail and petted it. Kyle sighed ¡°Do you want to get on with this and get to the town or what?¡± he asked while walking away. ¡°Fine fine!¡± Sly said as he stood up and followed, ¡°I coulda won that¡± he added as they walked. They went by multiple run-down buildings before stopping in front of one that did not stand out, what so ever. Like all the others the shop was entirely made of wood with green paint and a grey wooden door, Sly stepped forward towards the door but a sudden crack completely caught his attention as he leaped back whiter than paper. Sly had jumped about five feet back as he stared pale at the crack in the wooden floor he was just putting pressure on ¡°Let¡¯s get the fuck outa here quickly¡± he said and moved around the cracked floor. Kyle nodded ¡°I dislike this place about as much as you do¡± he walked into the store with Sly following in behind. The store was nothing more than a long wooden table at the back of a dimly lit room with a back room behind it, absolutely nothing on display. ¡°Come now Jior, you know the boss has certain¡­expectations!¡± a rough voice spoke out from the back room. ¡°Y..yes yes! I know but I can¡¯t keep up right now! I¡¯m behind! Cut me some slack I don¡¯t run no business here just some excuse of one!¡± a high pitched voice spoke right after. The rough voice sighed and spoke again ¡°Guess we¡¯ll have to see what the captain has to say about that¡± the sound of shuffling papers could be heard as a large wide bandit in basic leather armour stepped through the back room¡¯s doorless doorway, holding something up in his right hand. Both Sly and Kyle stared with surprise as they noticed the bandit wasn¡¯t holding up something but someone, a small palm sized humanoid struggled in the man¡¯s large hands as it¡¯s blue translucent wings poked out from behind it. ¡°Look I have customers now! Come on can¡¯t you just wait a couple more days! I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll gather more!¡± the fairy spoke quickly in panic, their too large blue eyes darting between the two at the door. It looked somewhat relieved to have witnesses to see what some would call a kidnapping, it scratched its short blue hair as he stared at them expectantly. The both of them stared back (¡°The fuck¡¯s a fairy doing here?¡±) Sly thought to himself,. (¡°Huh¡­fairy¡­is that a female or male?...I can¡¯t tell¡­¡±) Kyle wondered. ¡°OI! Some help! Maybe! Being kidnapped over here!¡± the fairy¡¯s long pointy ears shivered and it shouted after a couple more moments of staring. The large bandit shook his hand multiple times ¡°Shut it Jior, we¡¯re going to Regg whether you like it or not!¡± with Jior in it. Kyle began to chuckle maniacally inciting a worried glance from Sly ¡°Yo mate, you¡­okay over there?¡±. Kyle slightly hunched over and sighed ¡°Oh I¡¯m fine, just amazed¡± he looked up at the bandit and Jior ¡°At just how lucky we are¡±. ¡°Oi fat ass, we need that fairy you¡¯re holding¡± Sly said gaining fat ass¡¯s full attention. The large bandit stomped over to Sly and glared straight into his eyes at about a centimetre away ¡°What did you just call me?¡± he spat as he spoke. Sly pulled away and wiped his face ¡°Apparently fat ass can¡¯t hear all that well, fuck you spit when you talk¡±. The bandit¡¯s face turned red with rage as he let go of Jior who fluttered out of the way and behind Kyle. The bandit rushed forward and into Sly making both of them crash into the door, they both crashed straight through the weak wood and onto the plaza floor outside. Kyle rushed outside with Jior on his shoulder to see the bandit standing over Sly as they pushed at each other palm to palm, ¡°I¡¯ll kill you fucking purple dog!¡± the bandit shouted as more spit rained down on Sly¡¯s face. Suddenly a chilling aura blasted out from Sly followed by a violet glow that violently lashed out at the bandit¡¯s body, no physical damage was done as the tendrils went straight through the bandit. Sly pushed the bandit off to the side as he stood up and wiped his face, he glanced down at the whimpering bear of a man as he shivered in terror. Kyle noticed his friend¡¯s appearance had changed not unlike before, his eyes glowed still but his appearance had gained other traits. Dark violet tattoos had appeared around Sly¡¯s eyes as more pronounced tendrils grew out of them, he stepped to where he stood above the terrified bandit. ¡°Dog?¡± he asked with annoyance filling his tone ¡°Kill me?¡± his tone got colder with every word, he raised his right leg up above the bandit as the violet tendrils encased it completely turning into a dark purple fire like aura. ¡°I¡¯m a fucking wolf¡± Sly stomped down onto the bandit blasting him into the floor as it shattered in the process, Kyle rushed forward as the wooden floor gave away even under Sly. He fell through the hole he himself made as his expression paled and ability died down completely, he felt a tug at his ear but made no move or reaction. Kyle lay down on the floor at the edge of the hole as he pulled Sly up from the hair and ear before grabbing onto his arm, Sly made no movements as Kyle with some minor help from Jior pulled him up to the floor. Sly lay flat on his back his face drained of all colour as his irises had completely contracted into blade thin slits, Kyle sat down by him with Jior both breathing heavily ¡°Since when could you do that?¡± he asked surprised. ¡°Eeepp¡­¡± a high pitched in-audible sound came out from Sly¡¯s lips as he lay there motionless. ¡°What''s his problem?¡± Jior asked. Kyle sighed ¡°Heights¡­Sea monsters¡­He might be in shock¡­¡±, he glanced at the fairy sitting on his shoulder ¡°So you¡¯re Jior?¡± he asked. The fairy fluttered up into standing and put their hands on their waist as if saying ¡®Bask in my glory¡¯, ¡°Indeed I am! How can I help my saviours?¡± Jior exclaimed. Kyle stared at the fairy momentarily before speaking ¡°I have no fucking clue what you are¡± he said in resignation. Jior looked at him with a confused expression ¡°I¡¯m a water fairy obviously!¡±. Kyle sighed ¡°No..I mean¡­You a he or a she? I can¡¯t tell!¡± indeed the fairy had no traits in their appearance that suggested either. Jior frowned ¡°Common Fae don¡¯t have genders smart ass, only summoned, contracted or evolved do!¡± they said with distaste. Suddenly a smacking sound makes them both jump as they glance down at Sly who had slammed both hands open on the floor ¡°Out of all the god damn questions you could have asked, you ask THAT!?¡± he says as he looks up at them with his slits. ¡°You¡­alright there?...Your¡­eyes¡± Kyle said as he slowly backed away, Jior was hovering mid-air as theydid so. Sly slowly nodded ¡°As right as I can be right now¡± a shiver went through his body as he spoke, he stuttered as he spoke ¡°Please tell me one of you knows teleportation¡­NO FLIGHT!¡±. Jior nodded ¡°I do!...Teleportation I mean!¡±, itwas about to flutter into the shop when it stopped to stare ¡°My door¡­¡± Jior turned to look at Kyle ¡°What did you need from me again?¡±. ¡°Oh right, we need a Dominion Citizenship...thing¡± he said while pointing at the back of his palm, Jior nodded and quickly flew into it¡¯s shop. ¡°So about that skill¡± Kyle began to ask but was shushed by Sly. ¡°Just¡­give me a minute¡­¡± he kept laying there immobile except for the occasional shiver. Jior suddenly came out of the shop with two small scrolls underneath each arm, the fairy threw the gold gilded blue one onto Sly¡¯s face. The scroll shattered into hundreds of golden particles and flew over to Sly¡¯s hand then settled onto it¡¯s back forming the dragon momentarily before disappearing, ¡°See that as ¡®On the house¡¯, now let¡¯s get the hell out of here!¡± Jior said before spinning in place as the second red scroll shattered and engulfed all of them in bright red particles of light. Reality bent in front of them and suddenly changed as they appeared in front of the hideout¡¯s entrance, Sly still lay still on the ground as Kyle lost his balance and fell back ¡°Wooah..¡±. Jior panicked ¡°Ahha! Don¡¯t move! First timers always get dizzy and nauseous!¡± the fairy flew around Sly as he tried to stand up. ¡°Oh no-¡± suddenly Sly rushed over to the edge of the platform. With eyes closed and mouth agape he unleashed his stomach off the side, he spat out then fell back on his ass breathing heavily ¡°Never¡­teleporting¡­again!¡±. Kyle had gotten back up and was holding onto the wall ¡°Sometimes¡­there is a limit¡­to realism! This is one of those fucking times!¡± he cursed. Sly groaned in agreement ¡°Uhh¡­wait till you get poisoned¡­¡± a single tear formed at the corner of his left eye at the memory. Jior kept panicking as it glanced between their sorry states before hovering in place with eyes closed and hands together ¡°Remove thy ailments! Blessing of water!¡± the fairy suddenly opened it¡¯s arms wide as sparks of blue light showered over the both of them. Sly stood up quickly ¡°What¡­did you just do!?¡± he asked the fairy with wild eyes. Jior slightly hovered away from him ¡°A¡­blessing¡­I removed your sickness¡­¡± it said sheepishly. Sly suddenly smashed his aura clad fist into the stone cavern wall forming a human sized crater full of cracks ¡°Even in a game¡­life is so unfair¡­¡±. Kyle walked up to him and put his hand on Sly¡¯s shoulder ¡°No..wait¡­maybe we can¡­¡± they both stared up at Jior who began to pale. ¡°Can what!?¡± it asked agitated. ¡°Can you teach us how to use that blessing magic?!¡± ¡°Or help us learn to summon a water fairy!?¡± Sly and Kyle asked respectively. Jior relaxed and shook its head ¡°Only fae can use blessings and I do not know summoning magic. Unfortunately, blessings cannot be put in runic form so that is also out of the question¡­¡±. They both sighed in unison ¡°Even the puke is gone¡­No¡­I cannot let this opportunity go dammit!¡± Sly cursed, he crossed his arms and closed his eyes as he thought it over ¡°Is there any way we can keep you as a companion of some sort?¡±. Jior tilted it¡¯s head momentarily before the fairy¡¯s expression seemed to do a 180 ¡°You want me as companion!? But but! I¡¯m only a fairy! A water fairy! I have no combat use! There is so many other stronger companions you can contract with!¡± the fairy went into a talking spree as it zoomed all over the place. ¡°Woah woah calm the hell down!¡± Kyle shouted with some amusement in his tone, ¡°You can contract with NP- other non monster races? How many? What are the limitations?¡± he said as Jior suddenly stopped right in front of his face. The fairy¡¯s expression relaxed a bit ¡°Oh you don¡¯t know! They don¡¯t know!¡± it exclaimed in surprise while glancing at both of their confused and amused expressions, Jior cleared their throat with a cough before straightening up and holding up their right index finger while putting their left arm behind their back as if beginning a lecture ¡°Adventurers are capable of forming contracts with any single being for life, these contracts bind the two party¡¯s souls and is in no way to be seen as your everyday friendship!¡± Jior spoke with a very serious tone ¡°Soul binding is the deepest connection two beings can ever have! So much so that certain races utilize it as the binding of a marriage!¡±. Sly suddenly raised both arms up ¡°Woah woah hell if I¡¯m getting married like that!¡±. Jior glared at him ¡°Then you aren¡¯t ready to contract! If you¡¯re not ready to share your very soul with another the contract will fail spectacularly!¡±. ¡°Yeah I ain¡¯t interested in that, if I were to contract with a companion it would be one for combat anyway. I can deal with the nausea¡­¡± Sly shook his head in resignation. ¡°Then you probably want to look out for monsters of your beast species, the contract will be stronger like that¡± Jior said thoughtfully. ¡°Why does that sound wrong¡­it sounds wrong doesn¡¯t it?!¡± Sly exclaimed with a chuckle. ¡°Yeah that sounds wrong, only because you have the mind to make it sound wrong¡± Kyle said mockingly making Sly frown. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t¡­deny that¡­¡± Sly raised both arms back up in surrender again. ¡°I am still interested in the contract though, I¡¯m not a combat nutcase like my friend here so I don¡¯t care about your battle potential¡± Kyle said matter-of-factly, Sly¡¯s shoulders slump down ¡°Combat nutcase¡­¡±. ¡°So what do I do? Having a fairy companion sounds too useful, if you¡¯re interested that is¡± Kyle asked. Jior sighed ¡°I lost my shop because I was too ambitious¡­I can¡¯t go back home¡­¡± the fairy fluttered around Kyle ¡°Your mana is very stable so I won¡¯t be affected at all¡­¡± it said while in deep thought. ¡°What do you mean? Stable mana? You won¡¯t be affected?¡± Kyle asked out of curiosity, he also noticed Sly was lost in some menu in front of him. Jior re-entered lecturer form ¡°Your soul¡¯s form effects your mana and vice versa, the combat nutcase¡¯s mana is overloaded with aura due to his magic while your mana is very basic with almost no difference from ambient mana which tells me you haven¡¯t learned any magic yet¡± the fairy flew over to Sly who seemed to be taking notes ¡°If I contracted with him, his mana would affect both my own and my appearance which would be a pain to get used to! It¡¯s why most contracts are between similar beings or one party having little affinity in their mana, imagine having to relearn all your magic and abilities after having mastered so many! It would be a nightmare!¡± Jior shuddered. ¡°Wait, what is aura exactly? I have abilities titled as auras but do not make use of my aura resource and use mana instead!¡± Sly exclaimed. Jior turned to face him ¡°Your mana and aura are the same resource silly, its just that one is processed and the other is unprocessed. Aura is processed mana, your aura abilities can utilize either you just have to learn how to pick¡±. Kyle scratched his head ¡°Wait¡­so how many other types of mana is there? Is stamina counted as processed mana too?¡± he asked with a confused tone. Jior shook their head ¡°No no, stamina is a physical resource while mana is spiritual in nature. Resources are split into three types, Physical, Astral and Spiritual. Physical include your stamina and health along with any other physical trait an ability or skill can use as resource, an example would be blood magic that uses the casters mana and blood. Astral is solely magic that relies on a worshiped Deity, said Deity provides the power resource for the caster to reform into magic. Lastly is spiritual which has the most resource types that all come from a single one, mana. Mana can be processed into many different forms, most of which are called elements such as fire, water, earth, wind, light and dark which can be combined to create even more elements called sub elements. There are other forms of processed mana but the only three I know of are Aura which is completely based on Aurei magic, Dread based on both death magic and necromancy ending with Rage that is class based but most commonly used by berserkers and such.¡± Jior twirled their finger in the air as they continued to explain ¡°When contracting the differences in each party¡¯s magic collide and change, normally the adventurer remains the least effected but for us fae¡­we are affected maybe a bit too much!¡± Jior exclaimed in annoyance ¡°I¡¯d much rather not lose my beautiful wings for others!¡±. Sly had completely lost interest after noticing the fairy was done with it¡¯s explanation and was now completely focused on his notes, Kyle on the other hand looked completely confused. ¡°So¡­does that mean we can form a contract¡­or?...¡± Jior had lost him somewhere between Astral and Spiritual. Jior frowned down at him ¡°We can but first I¡¯d like to confirm something¡±. The fairy glanced around the hideout ¡°I may be living around these unsavoury individuals but that is because I¡¯ve had no other choice until now, your reputation may not be as bad as combat nutcase over there but it still is a killer¡¯s¡± Jior fluttered down to Kyle¡¯s shoulder, ¡°All adventurers have a reason to be here in our world, I¡¯d like to know yours. Why exactly are you in Chaoz?¡± the fairy looked Kyle straight in the eye as it asked the question. Ch 9 - Companions Kyle stared into the fairy¡¯s clear blue eyes ¡°What is your purpose to this life?¡± Jior asked with both a serious tone and expression. Both Kyle and Sly stared at the fairy as understanding sparked through the both of them (¡°Purpose? Is it really an AI?...¡±) Kyle thought as he hopelessly tried to answer that question ¡°I¡­¡± only to remain speechless. Sly furrowed his brows as he silently watched (¡°This is some matrix shit¡±) he thought to himself, the thought of sentient AI weighed heavy on humanity¡¯s mind for generations after all. Kyle was stumped (¡°Why? To enjoy a new game? I can¡¯t say that¡­It wouldn¡¯t under-Would it?¡±) his thoughts went astray as he continued to stare into those two small eyes full of intelligence, Jior had also continued to stare back. ¡°Did I hit a sore spot?¡± Jior blinked with curious eyes as it glanced back at Sly who was giving the fairy a shocked stare, ¡°Wh..what?¡± it fumbled in it¡¯s words as it¡¯s cheeks began to turn red ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that!¡± the fairy flicked it¡¯s fingers and fluttered up into the air. Both Kyle and Sly slumped down to the ground groaning and under the effects of nausea ¡°How..did you-¡± Sly began to ask only to turn and rush back to the edge of the platform to feed the fish once more. ¡°Hmp! Blessings don¡¯t remove statuses they only hide them until they run out!¡± Jior stated with eyes closed and blushed cheeks. ¡°It¡¯s!-all-a lie!¡± the words could be heard fumbling out of Sly as he vomited his heart out, Jior peeked open it¡¯s eyes and glanced at their sorry states. ¡°Evil fairies¡­evil¡­fairies¡­¡± Kyle whispered from his fetal position on the ground, his stomach rumbled angrily. Jior¡¯s eyes went wide as it panicked ¡°No no Jior not evil!¡± it fluttered between them and cast it¡¯s magic again ¡°Remove thy ailments! Blessing of water¡±, the blue sparks of light showered over them once more. Kyle turned over sighing in relief as Sly crawled away from the edge ¡°Kyll¡­it¡¯s got our lives within it¡¯s grasp!...what shall we do?!¡± he whispered as he crawled by. Kyle noticed him smirk and decided to follow his lead ¡°We¡¯re doomed bro, we¡¯re puppets to an evil overlord!¡±. Jior¡¯s eyes flickered as tears formed ¡°N-no..Jior¡­not evil!¡± the fairy glided down to the ground tears streaming down it¡¯s eyes as it held itself, it¡¯s cheeks reddening the further it wept. The small creature¡¯s whole body trembled with fear ¡°Jior¡­not evil¡­Jior¡­not monster¡­.¡±, the two players stared at the weeping fairy in shock at it¡¯s reaction to their joke. Other players within the hide out had begun to collect around the scene ¡°Damn is that some quest you guys on?¡± one beast-man said. ¡°Yo a fairy!¡± an Elf followed. The players started gathering around the fairy as it glanced around itself fearfully, some getting too close to inspect it¡¯s wings. ¡°Oi!..G-get away!¡± Kyle shouted but ended up being ignored, he inwardly cursed at the situation (¡°Can¡¯t they read the damn mood?!¡±). ¡°Yo there¡¯s a fucking dragon in the water!¡± Sly shouted from behind him, Kyle turned to see him purchasing a pole-blade similar to his own off a shady merchant. ¡°Dragon? Where?!¡± the players rushed away from the fairy at the prospect of the monster, they all swarmed around the edge looking around. Kyle immediately caught on as he rushed in to grab the still trembling fairy with both hands, after successfully getting Jior away from the group of eight or so players he turned to enjoy the show. Jior who was still shaken looked up to see Kyle grinning, it followed his eyes to see the players turned away from the edge with disappointed expressions. Sly was standing right behind them with his new pole-blade held in both hands straight in front of him, a mad grin plastered on his face ¡°Time to take out the trash, au revoir noobs¡±. He rushed forth clad in a violet aura pushing the players off the edge, or at least that was his initial plan. Seven of the players got knocked off their feet and thrown off the edge but one persisted, the player was a female Elf with short black hair wearing full plate armour and a large two handed sword fastened to her back. ¡°You sly prick¡± she cursed while gripping Sly¡¯s pole-blade with both hands, the ground beneath them began to crack as they both held their ground. ¡°That¡¯ be my name Ma¡¯am, so how¡¯re we gonna go about this?¡± Sly asked with a chuckle. Kyle and Jior watched as the two pushed at the each other, neither moving an inch. Kyle inspected the Elf
Nakano [Slayer](Head Hunter) level 45
He whistled in astonishment (¡°Isn¡¯t Sly level 42?¡±) he glanced at the sword on her back, your average low level great sword you¡¯d find in any MMORPG. ¡°He¡¯s going to lose¡± Jior said while wiping it¡¯s face from the drying tears. Kyle glanced down at the fairy ¡°What do you mean? If he isn¡¯t one of the best pvpers I know then he¡¯s definitely the most creative, there¡¯s no way-¡±. Suddenly Nakano¡¯s body was engulfed in a red aura similar to Sly¡¯s, she pushed him back slightly as her grip on the pole-blade tightened. Kyle noticed that her currently green eyes had begun changing to red, as they both pushed cracks began to form even on the iron pole-blade. Sly let go right after the pole-blade shattered and moved to jump back but was all too slow as the Elf used her momentum to rush behind him, spinning on one leg she kicked him in the back sending him over the edge. A tear leaked off Sly¡¯s pale face as he momentarily hovered above the fall, looking down into the pit of water and blood as grey serpents feasted on the previous players, a sight that remained engraved in his mind even as he was thrown out into the cold snow. Kyle sighed as he walked out of the tree-bark hidden entrance with Jior in one hand and Sly¡¯s pole-blade in the other, Kai threw Nakano into the snow as well and turned to walk back into the the hide-out. Kyle nodded apologetically at Kai as he passed him by, ¡°Don¡¯t let that happen again little fox, I won¡¯t be using kiddie gloves again¡±. Nakano emerged from beneath the deep snow cursing ¡°Damn fat ape!¡± she glared at Kai as he closed the tree bark door behind him, she glanced at Kyle before focusing a glare on the still wide eyed Sly as he lay in the snow. Sword in hand she got up and marched over to him, standing above him she switched her sword upside down and raised it. Kyle was about to rush forward and defend his friend but was met with her harsh words ¡°Stay out of this, worry about the poor thing in your hands first then about this dumbass!¡±, he glanced down at Jior who was still mildly trembling as it gazed down at his palm. Kyle sighed as he sat down (¡°Not like I can match you with that level and an actual clas- Oooh¡­¡±) understanding came over him as he realized why Sly had lost, he looked down at Jior who wore a sad expression. ¡°Oh..uhh¡­The hell?! Yo- Wait!- Shit!- St- stop!-¡± Sly cursed and shouted as he spun and turned on the ground while a long sharp sword plummeted down on his previous position over and over. ¡°Stand still dammit!¡± Nakano cursed as she continued to stab downwards with incredible speed. Kyle chuckled as he watched the two aura clad warriors and their epic battle of pseudo wack-a-mole, ¡°Hey Jior, sorry for before. We didn¡¯t really mean all that, it was a bad joke¡± he apologized with an awkward tone. Jior hiccupped and sniffled before looking up at him ¡°R-really?¡± the fairy asked with an innocent voice and hopeful expression. Kyle nodded and laid back onto the tree bark behind him ¡°You asked me what is my purpose here? I can only sum it up to one thing really, what I want to do, what I want to see, how I want to live. I only have one answer; everyone can answer it differently but mine is... an adventure¡±. Jior stood up on it¡¯s feet ¡°An adventure?¡± the fairy had a reason to ask the question, the words of Jior¡¯s late mother echoed through it¡¯s mind (¡°A being without purpose isn¡¯t truly alive but an empty husk¡±) ¡°A being without purpose isn¡¯t truly alive but an empty husk¡± Jior repeated from memory ¡°I accept your answer adventurer Kyllix¡±. Nakano was crouching in front of her great sword panting, Sly laughed in between breathes as he lay on the snow ¡°Out of breathe already? I can do this- All day!¡± he exclaimed. Nakano forced herself to stand up using her sword for support, her face was the incarnation of rage ¡°You¡­You!¡± suddenly she fell back and crashed into the snow as her sword fell straight on Sly¡¯s gut. ¡°Ow..¡± He pushed the sword off and sat up ¡°Guess- I win..¡± he glanced at Kyle who stood up with pole-blade and fairy in hand. ¡°Did she pass out?¡± Kyle asked as he walked over. ¡°I¡¯m still¡­awake¡­idiots¡­¡± Nakano glared up at them. Sly forwarded his arm to her ¡°Need a hand?¡± he asked still panting, she glared resentment at him momentarily before giving in ¡°I want a rematch¡± she exclaimed. Sly pulled her up as Kyle handed him his pole-blade ¡°Yeah when I get a damn class maybe, then it will be mildly fair¡± Sly chuckled.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. She laughed mockingly while crouching down for her sword ¡°Not my fault, you¡¯re the one that initiated! Now let¡¯s end this!¡± she held her sword in both hands and took a stance while Sly did the same with his pole-blade. Kyle sighed ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to see a fistfight I don¡¯t think either of you have the energy to fight again¡± he glanced at the both of them barely keeping themselves standing. Kyle thought over how to break up a fight between two bloodthirsty combatants ¡°How about this? Party up with us and once Sly gets a class you can beat each other to death, sounds like a plan to me¡± (¡°We get a strong ally to help with leveling and she gets to stay around for the fight¡±) he thought. ¡°That would increase the speed of leveling for all of us¡­¡± Sly seemed to like the idea. They both looked at her as she furrowed her brows and thought it over (¡°Two DPS in a party doesn¡¯t sound bad but what¡¯s the other guy?¡±) she lowered her great sword ¡°Fine, my guild isn¡¯t online yet so I don¡¯t got anything better to do anyway¡±. Kyle sighed in relief ¡°Where¡¯s your guild from? We also got a small guild from another game¡±. She holstered her sword on her back as the leather seemingly appeared out of nowhere to hold it in place ¡°Eternium from Rune Shock¡± she said proudly. Sly stared at her with wide eyes ¡°The zerg guild? Seriously?¡±. She looked at him baffled ¡°We¡¯re not a zerg guild! Just¡­a really large community!¡±. Kyle held his face (¡°Don¡¯t provoke her again¡­¡±). She glanced at the both of them ¡°What about you then? Seeing as you know about Eternium must mean you¡¯re also from R.S, what name does your community go by?¡±. Kyle shrugged ¡°We¡¯re not exactly a community¡­mostly a chatroom¡­¡±. Nakano frowned ¡°Oh? How many members? How many did you have at your peak?¡± she asked with a mischievous smile on her face. Sly chuckled awkwardly ¡°Currently eleven members?...Had about thirteen at our peak?...¡±. She broke out into a laugh ¡°Eleven!? That it!?¡±. Sly visibly shook with annoyance ¡°We hold high recruitment standards!¡± he exclaimed. Nakano wiped a tear off her cheek ¡°Eternium currently holds more than seven thousand members, three hundred of which are lords in R.S also of which twenty-two who are maxed¡± she spoke with a mocking tone ¡°Highly doubt I¡¯ve ever heard of your guild anyway!¡± she chuckled. ¡°No you probably haven¡¯t¡± Kyle spoke out before Sly would say something that would provoke another fight, ¡°Not being known is part of the job after all¡± he smiled evilly. Nakano was now staring at them with pity ¡°Right¡­What you some dark guild? Can¡¯t be all that fun fighting skirmishes and murdering nobles, who doesn¡¯t want to fight a guild war? Vast epic battles as a player swarm clashes with another!¡±. Sly began to argue back ¡°Hah! Fucking zergfest that¡¯s why, looks good from a backline perspective but most players don¡¯t even last long enough to show their skill in combat or enjoy the fight¡±. They both continued to argue about the differences of Light and Dark guilds in Rune Shock, (¡°At least they¡¯re not trying to kill each other¡­yet¡±) Kyle thought as he turned away from the two and opened the party menu. A notification prompted him what he had to do
{To start a party invite another player by focusing on them and on inviting them}
He focused on the both of them and two notifications followed
{Player [SlyOkami] has been invited to join your party}
{Player [Nakano] has been invited to join your party}
They both jumped at the sudden invitation ¡°You could have at least warned me before¡­¡± Nakano¡¯s long pale ears twitched as she stared at the pop up window. Sly scratched his head ¡°Just be thankful it¡¯s as easy as thinking to do anything with the UI¡± he said while holstering his pole-blade to his back.
{Player [SlyOkami] has joined your party}
{Player [Nakano] has joined your party}
¡°Aight so we all set?¡± Sly asked the both of them,. ¡°Yeap, ready to grind my ass out¡± Kyle responded. Sly¡¯s right eye twitched as he looked at his friend ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ever say that out of context¡­¡±. Both Kyle and Nakano broke out in laughter. When the both of them calmed down Nakano walked over to Kyle and stared down at Jior who had remained quiet the whole time ¡°So is this your pet? What profession are you anyway?¡± she asked with curiosity. Kyle took a step back surprised by the sudden vicinity¡± Uhh¡­working on i-¡­both¡±. Kyle looked down at Jior who¡¯s eyes now shone with curiosity and expectation as it looked back up ¡°So how do we do this Jior?¡±. The fairy fluttered it¡¯s wings letting blue sparks fly out as it flew up to face him with a joyful expression ¡°There is two stages to forming a contract, the first is gaining my trust and the second is sealing it¡±. Kyle nodded ¡°So I¡¯m guessing that I¡¯m on stage two? How do we seal it?¡±. Jior smiled ¡°All races have their own method, for us Fae it¡¯s a spell of differing difficulty depending on the Fae¡± it fluttered back a step and began chanting with eyes closed and arms outstretched ¡°Great ancestors watching over us, be spectators to our pact. I Jior Vis Aquas, vow to follow, vow to protect, vow live for thy purpose¡± Jior closed the gap between them making Kyle flinch. Jior lightly kissed him on the lips before quickly backing off ¡°Mother¡­accept my vows¡± the fairy whispered, Jior hovered in place with eyes closed as streaks of white light rained down from the sky ¡°So I can attain a purpose¡­¡± it opened it¡¯s eyes to look up at the sky. ¡°Jior?¡± Kyle called out while staring at the fairy, it¡¯s hands trembled as they held together in apparent prayer. Jior slowly began to rise as it¡¯s whole body began to shine a bright white light, behind the light a large pair of crystal white wings grew and began to envelop the light. Like a cocoon the wings surrounded the light not letting any escape as the sphere of crystal began to suddenly pulse, steadily pulses of blue light waved through it before exploding outwards as a blue aura repeatedly hit the three of them. ¡°What the hell?¡± Sly cursed as both him and Nakano got pushed back by the aura, although it simply passed through Kyle without moving him an inch. Suddenly a strange feeling overcame Kyle as he felt the cocoon calling out to him, the energy within him begging to be released as it crashed within him. ¡°I see¡­It¡¯s my turn¡± with those words he stepped forward to stand by the bright pulsating cocoon, he raised both hands and rested his palms onto it¡¯s surface. Hefelt himself being drained as his mana bar rapidly dropped, the cocoon was feeding off it. Veins of blue glowed all over his body as the light traveled through them, the light moving to his palms. ¡°Wha?..¡± he stared in awe as the cocoon¡¯s pulsating grew quicker and brighter until it¡¯s whole surface was of a single bright color, one final shockwave of blue energy shot forth knocking over Nakano and Sly. Kyle felt the drain stopping right as the cocoon stopped pulsating, it¡¯s surface began to suddenly crack. He backed away as the whole thing shattered allowing the light out, a bright blue light engulfed them blind as they all covered their eyes. A series of notifications appeared for Kyle
{You have gained a spirit companion!}
{Menu [Companions] unlocked!}
{Title unlocked [Fae Knight]: Contract companionship with a Fae};
+ 10% Elemental resistance +5% Illusionary effectiveness
{Companion [Fae] requires naming, please name your new companion!}
He stared as the light dissipated to reveal the Fae, it fluttered down towards him. The fairy now had a thin feminine frame with a mild bust pointing out her gender, long aqua blue hair fell down her back filled with streaks of blue-green hair. Her facial features remained mostly childlike including the chubby cheeks and too large eyes which had also retained their aqua blue color. Out of the other differences to be seen included her clothes, which changed from the previous long blue shirt and white shorts into a one-piece aquamarine dress reaching down to her bare feet, black frills decorated the whole bottom part while tiny multicolored shells lined the top. Although all these changes were noticeable the most obvious one was probably the largest change of all, the clear blue wings Jior loved so much had not only grew three times in size but completely changed in color and design. All too large for the fist sized Fae the pair of luminous black and blue wings shadowed over her back, beautiful twirls of blue, blue-green and aquamarine filled the wings with color while surrounded with a black that sparkled like the night sky full of stars as it lined the wings¡¯ edge. ¡°M-master?¡± the fairy spoke with Jior¡¯s high pitched voice but had an added softness that wasn¡¯t there before, her shy demeanor as she held herself while barely keeping eye-contact also a change from the bursting of speech Jior was. Kyle was taken aback by her new appearance and demeanor, he stared with confusion being his only expression. ¡°Master?¡± the fairy asked again as her cheeks grew more blushed by the second, sudden movement from behind her cause her to jump and spin around. Sly and Nakano stood right behind her with arms crossed staring at her intently, ¡°10/10 moe¡± Sly said. ¡°100% moe¡± Nakano agreed. The Fae turned tail and flew away from them in a streak of blue light, reappearing behind Kyle in a burst of black and blue sparks snapping him out of his daze. ¡°Give her some space you two¡­¡± Kyle sighed (¡°Blood thirsty otakus¡­¡±) he thought while turning around to face the fairy, she fluttered in place slightly agitated, arms behind her back her fingers fidgeted with her dress. (¡°She¡¯s so anxious¡­well I guess I am giving her a new name...¡±) ¡°Now what should I call you¡­¡± Kyle asked nobody in particular as he stared at her. Sly walked over resting his arm on Kyle¡¯s shoulder as he also continued to stare at the fairy ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, you know what my answer will be¡­¡±. Kyle gave his friend a dry smile ¡°And that would be?¡± (¡°Pls no¡­¡±). Sly grinned ¡°Titania! What name could be better!¡± he exclaimed. Kyle¡¯s shoulders drooped making Sly stumble off trying to catch himself from falling ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re not talking about the Fairy Queen of legend¡­¡± Kyle said losing faith in his friend ¡°Anybody with better ideas?¡± he asked while glancing at Nakano who had stepped around them to join in. ¡°Hhhmmm¡­¡± she hummed in thought ¡°Think female, dark and has to do with water¡­¡± she said while looking over the fairy. Kyle nodded in agreement ¡°Aqua¡­Lake¡­Ocean¡­¡± he began to list words. ¡°Neptunia?¡± Kyle said with a hopeful tone. Sly and Nakano glanced at the fairy ¡°Neptunia¡­¡± Sly repeated. ¡°I¡¯ll name mine Blanc¡± Nakano said with a thoughtful expression. Sly looked at her rigidly ¡°Seriously? HDN?¡±. Nakano simply crossed her arms and smiled with an accomplished expression ¡°A casual like you wouldn¡¯t understand¡± she spoke mockingly. Sly¡¯s tail twitched frantically ¡°I comprehend who¡¯s the better character¡­¡± he said matter-of-factly causing her to leer at him ¡°Oh? And which would that be?¡± Nakano asked with a hiss in her voice. Kyle placed his hand under the fairy as she momentarily looked at him in confusion ¡°Sit¡± he whispered, she sat down obediently as he slowly stepped away from the two who had just begun another argument. He sighed ¡°So definitely not Neptunia¡­¡± he thought while staring down at the fairy as she watched him intently, ¡°What do you think? Any requests or guidelines you¡¯d like me to follow?¡± he asked her. ¡°Oh..uh¡­¡± she immediately got agitated again waving her arms in front of her ¡°N-no! Master can name me whatever master wants!¡±, almost immediately she settled down blushing while looking away ¡°But if¡­master insists¡­¡±. Kyle nodded ¡°I insist, if you have a request then speak up. This is a name you¡¯ll have for the rest of your life after all, don¡¯t mind being picky¡± he explained. She looked up at him shyly ¡°Then¡­this one would like¡­a similar name to her birth name¡­Jior¡±. ¡°Hhmm¡± Kyle closed his eyes as he thought her request over ¡°At least I know where to start now¡­Jior¡­Jior¡­¡±, he opened his eyes and studied her new appearance ¡°What about¡­Lilior? L-I-L-I-O-R¡± he spelled the name out as he watched for her reaction. Her eyes gleamed as she gave him a smile of pure happiness ¡°Yes!¡± she stood up and straightened her dress ¡°Lil..Lilior Vis Aquas¡± she exclaimed and bobbed a curtsy ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care from now on, master Kyllix¡±. Ch 10 - The General Store The town streets engulfed them with light as they entered through the gate, Kyle, Sly, Nakano had walked back to town with one goal in mind ¡°So where¡¯s the general store anyway?¡± Sly asked. ¡°Neither have you been around town yet?¡± Nakano questioned while staring at Lilior who fluttered around aimlessly staring at her own reflection in a water bubble she conjured and froze. ¡°I¡¯ve been around but I haven¡¯t exactly been to any stores¡­¡± Kyle lied ¡°You?¡±. Nakano nodded ¡°I¡¯ve already completed the basic quest, no wonder neither of you has a class yet¡­¡± she sighed. ¡°What are these basic supplies anyway and how would they help me get a class? I figured I¡¯d get something through all the damn combat I¡¯ve been through already!¡± Sly whined in annoyance. ¡°Pfft¡± Nakano chuckled ¡°What have you only gone through the game¡¯s front page? You can unlock classes through combat but not obtain them¡± she explained. ¡°Hey, I read the damn guide lines for the game! Doesn¡¯t mean I comprehended them entirely¡­How am I supposed to know where and what an obelisk is? As far as I know damn thing just appears!¡± Sly ranted as they walked. ¡°Kyllix please tell me you at least-¡± she began to ask. ¡°Nope! Not a single thing!¡± but was proudly cut off by Kyle. Nakano groaned ¡°Fine dammit I¡¯ll explain! Obelisks are found in the town plaza, you could have probably found that out by asking any NPC. The problem comes with using an obelisk, you need a class gem to activate the obelisk and look through your class progression! To get a class gem you need to complete trial quests, the general store¡¯s first quest is one of these¡± she explained. ¡°But the sub-class advancement trial and class mastery trials are given out by NPCs called task masters, why not have them give out the first quest? Actually why not just spawn us in front of them in the first fucking place!¡± Sly continued to rant. Nakano shrugged ¡°How should I know? Oh wait¡­because I read the whole damn guide book, you?¡± they both glared at each other and continued to walk. ¡°Sheesh¡­¡± Kyle raised both arms in surrender as he stood in between ¡°What is your guy¡¯s concept of a quest?¡± he asked the both of them. Sly glanced at him then around the busy market street ¡°Interaction with an NPC or object is the activation, the tasks or requirements are the process and the reward is the finnish?¡± he said questioningly. ¡°Hhmmm¡­What he said¡± Nakano exclaimed. Kyle sighed ¡°That is the general consensus of a quest yes but why would it be the same in this game? We¡¯re in a virtual reality driven system, a dream like existence. Why would the same rules of other platforms apply here for game design?¡± he asked. Sly scratched his head ¡°Huh¡­so what¡¯s your point?¡±. Kyle raised his fist in front of him ¡°There is only one rule for quest design that must be followed¡± and raised his index finger ¡°That it must have a process and is not a single task or action, that would be called an achievement or simply a task system¡±. Nakano nodded in agreement ¡°Wait you¡¯re saying the whole start of this game is one big quest? How?¡± she asked in confusion. Kyle chuckled ¡°The start of the game is a fall from the sky to your death to teach the player what it means to die, whatever happens after your first resurrection is completely under your control. Doesn¡¯t that strike you as unusual for an MMORPG?¡°. Sly clapped his fists together ¡°Ah! You¡¯re right, usually this genre of game prefers to grab the player¡¯s attention immediately after the creation of the character with some big quest or story plot!¡±. Kyle nodded ¡°But instead we were left to our own devices or that is how it is made to seem, honestly how many options did we have after respawning?¡±. Nakano hummed in thought ¡°Not many¡­to instantly start grinding in the forest, enter the city and speak to NPCs to find yourself doing the general store¡¯s quest, travel to another city would most probably result in death and respawn here¡­¡±. Sly chuckled ¡°Player killing, being lured out to the bandit hideout, robbing a-¡± Kyle slapped his mouth closed with his left hand. ¡°Anyway this whole beginning was an illusion of freedom for us players, just a way blind us from the truth!¡± he exclaimed. Sly pulled off his hand ¡°Truth to what?¡±. Kyle shrugged ¡°That in reality we¡¯ve been led by the hand to this point? No matter what we did?¡±. ¡°Ehh? But isn¡¯t there one huge ass plot hole in your theory?¡± Sly said with a grin. ¡°Hhhmm? What¡¯s that?¡± Kyle asked with a frown. ¡°You dumb ass¡± Sly karate chopped Kyle lightly on the head ¡°and that fairy of yours, seriously how the hell are others supposed to get access to town with negative rep now?!¡± Sly exclaimed. Lilior shrugged ¡°Tough luck?¡± she said questioningly whilst hovering in front of them. ¡°How much will you sell her for?¡± Nakano quickly asked. ¡°She¡¯s not for sale¡± Kyle reproached calmly, Nakano¡¯s shoulder¡¯s drooped. ¡°Hm?¡± Sly suddenly stopped walking gaining the other¡¯s attention. ¡°What up Sly?¡± Kyle asked as he glanced back at him. Sly was standing in the middle of the road tapping away at some invisible window ¡°Birse figured out the in-game chat system it seems, their server¡¯s up but soren and silv fucked up and got spawned far away cause of theirrace¡­They said they¡¯ll be a while, trying to figure shit out. Told them about the general store quest and class gems, waiting on answer n- Oh okay Birse said to go on and figure our classes out, we¡¯ll meet up with them after that¡± he explained. ¡°How do you use the in-game chat?¡± Nakano asked. ¡°The notifications at the bottom left are apparently located in the chatbox, seems like you have to manually tap at it to open up the chat and it¡¯s windows. Hell they shoulda put this crap in a guide¡­then again the technology is fairly new in the gaming sector...Not surprised¡± Sly sighed. Kyle nodded ¡°Alright then let¡¯s keep heading over to the general store, oh right! How many of us are on with Birse and soren right now?¡±. Sly walked over and they continued to follow Nakano while Sly typed away ¡°Just asked him, honestly should be full house but we- Oh yeap it¡¯s full house but Skill¡¯s late and Death¡¯s having his usual problems¡± he chuckled. Nakano hummed thoughtfully ¡°I¡¯m guessing since you guys are a group you round your classes through the trinity system or do you all just play whatever?¡± she asked. ¡°Depends on the game, if the game is highly PVE based we usually preplan but if it¡¯s not we just play whatever. For GAO we all decided to pick whatever for primary class but plan together for our sub-classes, our group is fairly divided on the PVE and PVP aspect¡± Kyle explained. ¡°Divided? How so?¡± she asked curiously. Sly groaned ¡°Not all of us like constant PVP nor constant PVE while some do others like both¡­we¡¯re basically divided into three parts, the PVPers, the PVEers and the PVXers. Kyle, soren and silva are the PVEers while me and Death are the PVPers. Our leader Birse along with the rest are all PVXers. Basically everyone does things together and kinda not¡­if we want to do something we see if anybody wants to join and if not we do it on our own or with pugs, we¡¯re not the most organized bunch¡­¡± he explained. Nakano laughed ¡°I have no clue what you just tried to explain¡±. ¡°I know how we work and not even I understood that Sly¡­¡± Kyle chuckled while scratching his head. Sly groaned in annoyance again ¡°Whatever! Anyway how far is this gen- What the actual fucking christ?¡± he stopped in his tracks to stare. Kyle glanced at him before following his eyes to see the building Sly was looking at, Nakano continued walking ¡°That, is the general store¡± she said. Both Kyle and Sly continued to stare in awe ¡°That, is no fucking general store I¡¯ve ever seen¡± Sly chuckled, Kyle simply nodded as he continued to stare awestruck. The building in question was located all the way to the right of town, a couple housing plots away from the wall. To say the general store was just a simple store would be a gigantic understatement, the building itself was as gigantic. Standing three storeys tall while taking over a whole plot the general store could very well be called a Walmart, true to it¡¯s name hundreds of players entered and exited the front. Made of differentiating shades of red bricks beneath a black tiled roof, the general store had long panes of glass lining each wall on both of it¡¯s floors. ¡°It¡¯s a giant fucking supermarket, in an MMORPG¡­¡± Kyle whispered to himself. ¡°You coming or what?¡± Nakano shouted while glancing back at the two still frozen down the road. They both glanced at each other before walking over to the crossroads then followed her to one of the entrances, a large archway with two huge wooden doors laying wide open, two guards standing guard per door side. They walked in as several other players passed them by, warriors, mages, rogues and an assortment of other adventurers. ¡±33..29¡­36¡­38!¡± Sly whispered as he glanced around at the players. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Nakano asked as they stopped walking. ¡°With so many players around it¡¯s the perfect opportunity to figure out the current average level, will tell me how much grinding I gotta do before I set out to pk again¡± Sly explained. Nakano jolted up ¡°Oh right! You two probably haven¡¯t heard yet, a new announcement came out on the forums earlier. The level cap is set to 45 until the grand event not 80 as previously announced, you only got three more levels to go for now until the event¡±. Kyle glanced between the two in confusion ¡°Announcement? Level cap? Grand event?!¡± he began to freak out while scratching his head with both hands. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for being a lore freak, the game¡¯s level capped till some grand event the moderators planned for the game¡¯s opening today. They gave us time to reach the level cap while they open up all the servers and settle any problems they might encounter, we still have about four hours real time so around six to eight hours in game time before the event. I was hoping to at least hit 60 by then but I guess¡­¡± Sly explained before sighing. ¡°Okay woah woah, wait a second!¡± Kyle continued to freak out ¡°You¡¯re telling me I got four hours to go from level 14 to 45?!¡± the colour seemed to drain from his face causing both Sly and Nakano to laugh. ¡°Calm down mate, levelling to 45 is seriously easy as long as you hunt monsters of your level. There is a serious experience loss from only getting an assist, I¡¯m surprised you even got that many levels out of that kill! Let¡¯s focus on our class first, then we¡¯ll grind you up to 45 quick way before the event¡± Sly explained while pushing him forward ¡°Who do we talk to for the trial Naka?¡±.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. She stomped over to stand cross armed in front of them ¡°I¡¯m going to ignore you ever called me that¡± she glared at him ¡°Nakano or nothing at all, respect great historical figures damnit¡±. Sly sighed ¡°Ehh? Fine, Nakano where do we-¡±. She cut him off ¡°This way¡± and turned to immediately walk away. Sly grimaced ¡°Women¡­Let¡¯s go¡­¡± he sighed and both followed her, Lilior continued to flutter around Kyle as many of the players stopped to look at the curious fairy. (¡°At least nobody is making a scene about her¡­¡±) Kyle thought in relief ¡°Lilior, sit down you¡¯re gaining too much attention¡± he told her, Lilior glanced at him then around herself at all the players staring at her ¡°Ye..yes master!¡± she responded and fluttered over to his shoulder blushing. ¡°Over here¡± Nakano waved at them from the middle of the store, Kyle looked around as they walked over. The store¡¯s bottom floor was unlike anything you¡¯d imagine, cylinders of crystal and light lined the walls with equipment floating inside for show while multiple circular desks with salespersons filled the middle. Players walked around the edge of the store looking at the equipment while others spoke with the salesmen and saleswomen as said NPCs made the equipment appear with magic, in the very middle of the floor were two large staircases that snaked around each other going upwards, very little players made use of it. Kyle and Sly walked over to Nakano who stood lined up by one of the large circular desks ¡°This strangely feels like GE but more¡­¡± Sly whispered, he continued to stare around the store in awe. ¡°Oi it¡¯s our turn¡± Kyle shook Sly out of his daze after noticing the player in front of them taking his leave, Nakano walked up to the desk with the NPC. The salesman was a tall lean fox-man with ginger hair, beard and blood red fox ears and tail that ended in white ¡°How may I help you today Miss Nakano?¡± the salesman asked her before glancing over at Kyle and Sly who stood behind her. ¡°Two noobs looking for the general trial¡± Nakano pointed back behind her, Kyle coughed catching himself from saying something while Sly grimaced. The salesman nodded ¡°Very good! Might I start with the introduction then?¡± he smiled at them. ¡°Sure¡± Kyle answered. ¡°Firstly I welcome you to our humble generalmart, here you may find all sorts of starting equipment along with tools, materials and other generic assets including gathering tools, crafting tools, storage tools, foods and drinks, traveling equipment, item appraisal, a vast choice of armour and weaponry. As per Esfeltran Dominion rules new adventurers are to prove their worth before classes can be given out, changed and upgraded, through each of those steps a trial is given to the adventurer with an item called the class gem as reward. Here at the generalmart we provide the first trial where you may obtain your very first gem, upstairs you may find an ancient relic called an obelisk you may use it upon. Do you two wish to uptake the general trial?¡± as he spoke he drew in the air with his glowing index finger making shapes of light showing them each and every item¡¯s form he spoke of. Kyle nodded ¡°We will, can you explain what the trials entail?¡±. The salesman bowed ¡°Of course sir, each trial is it¡¯s own specific event and you do not have to worry about the next ones until you must take them. As for the current trial you are to face, the general trial entails testing the very basics of being an adventurer and we ask of you a very simple task. Deep within Frostbite forest to the west of Il¡¯e lives a certain type of monster called the Snow Blur, you are to identify said monster, hunt and capture one alive then bring it back to me your trial giver¡°. A notification appeared for both Kyle and Sly
Quest Received{Trial};
Complete all tasks given by your trial giver: Identify a living Snow Blur Capture a living Snow Blur Bring back living Snow Blur Rewards; 5 gold 60 silver [Class Gem] ¡°Sounds easy enough¡± Sly exclaimed ¡°Although¡­what does a Snow Blur look like?¡± he asked the salesman. He shook his head ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir but that is for you to determine, you are of course allowed to make use of external information through other adventurers but we aren¡¯t allowed to help you further¡± he explained. ¡°That settles it¡± Nakano declared while spinning around ¡°Off to the west forest men¡± she then ordered while dragging them both back by the shoulder. ¡°Yo did we elect a new dictator?¡± Sly asked as he turned around ignoring her hand. ¡°She¡¯s disillusioned, let it go¡­¡± Kyle whispered also turning around. ¡°She¡¯s right here and has ears¡± Nakano said with a rigid expression. ¡°Hhmm?¡± Sly hummed as he walked by ignoring her. ¡°Where¡¯s the west exit by the way?¡± Kyle played along while walking after him. They both froze as a rush of murderous intent rushed through them from behind them, Kyle was completely frozen due to the stat difference but Sly managed to glance back as Nakano glared death at the both of them with great sword in hand. Kyle grimaced as he noticed Sly¡¯s aura joining the fray ¡°Oh? You wanna go here and now Sly?¡± Nakano asked as said person took his pole-arm in hand, feeling Sly¡¯s aura fighting whatever ability Nakano was using Kyle managed to turn around to see them facing each other while grinning. (¡°Shit shit shit shit¡±) Kyle thought as the two¡¯s auras visually clashed against each other, practically everyone in range stepped away to watch the scene. ¡°Oh what you¡¯re going to fight a puny little classless fighter like me?¡± Sly exclaimed loudly. (¡°Fuck it, I tried to reason with them. If they want to beat each other to death, I¡¯m just gonna watch¡±) Kyle sighed as he stepped back joining the crowd that formed around them. ¡°Says the guy who spent his time player killing albeit being classless, what where you too lost to find your way to town from the respawn point?¡± Nakano retorted, both of their auras increased in volume as they closely watched each other. ¡°Yo a duel¡± Kyle heard some of the players reacting to the scene ¡°In here? Oh they¡¯re in trouble¡± another said, Kyle looked around for the speaker and noticed what they were talking about. Four guards in total, one from each entrance were walking over to the scene. Kyle inspected the guards
Esfeltran official guard Level ???
Each gave the same result sending a shiver down his spine (¡°Shit these aren¡¯t your average city guards¡±) he thought, Kyle grimaced as he stepped forward ¡°Sly cut it out, Nakano we apologise for messing with you but we need to leave. Now¡± he declared. Both of them glanced at him then around the hall like room, seeing the guards moving in their direction one by one they shut off their skills and sheathed their weapons. ¡°We¡¯ll continue this later as planned then?¡± Kyle asked the both of them, Sly nodded and moved to walk away and through the crowd,. ¡°Hmph, fine¡± Nakano followed. With some ¡®Boos¡¯ and chatter the crowd broke off as one of the guards arrived but was unable to locate them through the scattered players, Kyle walked through the crowd and towards the west exit followed by Nakano. ¡°Where did¡­¡± Kyle looked around but was unable to see Sly anywhere ¡°Fuck not again!¡± he exclaimed as Nakano stopped by him ¡°What?¡± she asked. ¡°Sly¡¯s gone¡± he answered. ¡°Gone? What do you mean gone? He was right¡­Seriously?¡± she was staring off back inside the generalmart. Kyle turned around to see what she had seen ¡°So it is a distance system¡­¡±. Being in a party they were able to see where each other was through chevron like icons that appeared above their head if they distanced themselves from each other, one such green chevron currently hovered above the exit on the complete opposite side of the generalmart. ¡°Why¡­how¡­what¡­¡± Nakano asked in confusion as she stared at Sly¡¯s party marker in the distance. ¡°You get used to it¡­and don¡¯t ask how¡­it just¡­happens¡± Kyle chuckled after explaining. Suddenly his notification window expanded as new text appeared along with a keyboard window beneath it
SlyOkami whispered;
SlyOkami whispered; You whispered; You whispered; SlyOkami whispered; You whispered; Kyle sighed after tapping away the chat windows ¡°He¡¯s on the w-¡±. Suddenly the wind cracked and earth shattered as Sly appeared by them sending the guards at the gate toppling over ¡°Yo¡± he greeted as the violet aura surrounding him dissipated, Kyle and Nakano glanced behind him at the cleared path of shattered floor as it began to glow and repair itself. Players stared at the sudden scene as the guards stood up cursing ¡°Halt! No misuse of magic in town!¡± one shouted as he glared at them. ¡°Dammit run¡± Nakano declared as she turned tail and ran. ¡°Huh?¡± Kyle stared dumbfounded. Sly shrugged ¡°RIP¡± and began to run as well. ¡°Halt!¡± another guard shouted as they walked over to Kyle. ¡°Fuck this¡± he said before turning around and chasing after Sly and Nakano. The cursing of guards quieted down behind him as he ran from the scene, Kyle chased after them as they took a turn away from the block that held the generalmart and stopped a couple meters away. ¡°Are you trying to land us jail time?!¡± Nakano exclaimed although she spoke with a restrained smile. ¡°Heh we would just break out¡± Kyle chuckled as he caught up. ¡°And rob the guards on the way out¡± Sly said before all three began to laugh. ¡°So which way¡¯s west gate?¡± Sly asked still chuckling. ¡°I can show you but I can¡¯t be held responsible for what direction you decide to take Okami¡± Nakano declared and continued to laugh. ¡°He¡¯d probably walk out East gate¡± Kyle added also laughing. ¡°Not my damn fault that this place¡¯s maze, first time I¡¯m even in the town! When I respawned after the fall I just walked out into the forest to grind¡± Sly exclaimed. ¡°Wait how did you find monsters if you walked out into the east forest? The monsters spawn around the west area, the other side?¡± Nakano asked. Kyle kneeled over laughing ¡°He lost his way there!¡± he said in between breathes, Nakano joined him in his laughter as Sly groaned in annoyance. --- The party of three exited through the west gate ¡°So we¡¯re looking for a snow rabbit?¡± Kyle asked as he searched the forest¡¯s edge. ¡°A snow hare¡± Nakano corrected ¡°Their fur blends perfectly with the snow and have innate magic that lets them sprint at insane speed with as insane an agility¡± she pointed towards the forest ¡°And you can find them literally anywhere in the west forest, they are very annoying to find and catch¡±. The three stood outside the town staring into the forest, knee deep snow and larger than average taiga trees. ¡°So what other monsters should I be looking out for?¡± Kyle asked as he stepped towards the trees. ¡°At your level? Hell even the vine serpents not to mention the tundra wolves, ice wyverns, gryphons or taurus roaming the forest¡± Sly listed out the monsters as he followed by with pole-arm at the ready. ¡°You met an Ice Wyvern?¡± Nakano asked as she unsheathed her greatsword. Sly laughed awkwardly ¡°Let¡¯s not¡­talk about that encounter¡­It¡¯s what ended my grinding spree¡±. Kyle chuckled ¡°Oh so if that hadn¡¯t happened I would have been skewered by bandits, such good friends I have¡± he reached the taigas and began scanning around. Sly shrugged ¡°I didn¡¯t fuck with any bandits¡­well I guess I did but¡­Yo the hell!?¡± he suddenly shouted. A flash of white light and a blur of white shot out from the snow by them and off into the distance, too quick to make out it¡¯s form. ¡°Was that?¡± Kyle tried to follow the blur of white with his eyes. ¡°Yeah that¡¯s it, a Snow Blur¡± Nakano answered as it disappeared out of view. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to catch that!? Alive!?¡± Sly exclaimed as he put away his pole-arm. Nakano nodded ¡°They get confused easily and freeze up when you scare them, all you got are aura skills so it should be easy for you blockhead¡±. Sly suddenly crouched down deep in thought as he scanned the trees ¡°Aura huh?¡± he said as a sudden rush of power burst from his location, his whole body encased in a violet aura that lashed out at nearby trees shaking them lightly as snow parted around them. Suddenly multiple blurs of white rushed out of their hiding spots and bolted through the snow and trees, Sly¡¯s eyes constricted ¡°Gottcha¡± his aura suddenly burst forth sending snow and tree bark flying in each direction. Sly bolted forward with power as he separated snow and tree alike from his path, Kyle and Nakano stared with shock and awe as he stopped multiple meters away from his starting point. ¡°Dammit¡± he cursed as he stood up, a crater of snow around him while destruction followed back through his wake. Kyle whistled ¡°What¡¯s that skill called Sly?¡± he asked as he ran over. Nakano answered from behind him ¡°Has to be an aura skill like my warrior¡¯s aura, although mine is more of a buff than¡­that¡± she gestured around at the destruction. Sly turned around with two monsters per arm ¡°That¡¯s one¡± Kyle noted as Sly dropped the bloody and squashed second Snow Blur from his left. ¡°The first skill was Aura Clad, I created it by using Warrior¡¯s Aura and trying to force the aura to deal physical damage. I gained my mana bar through that and made my Aura tangible, the next skill is called Aura Clad Dash, I created it by using Aura Clad while focusing on going faster with Beast¡¯s Agility¡± Sly explained as he cleaned off the blood while keeping the small creature with one arm. The Snow Blur no larger than the average hare lay still and frozen in fear under Sly¡¯s arm, the second too dead on the ground to move. ¡°I just got another skill from that, Aura Clad Strike¡± he pointed down at the seemingly boneless hare on the ground. ¡°Tangible aura huh?¡± Nakano whispered as she studied the dead hare. ¡°Lilior how does aura work exactly?¡± Kyle asked the little fairy on his shoulder as she stared down at the hare corpse in pity. ¡°Oh¡­Aura is a mana like resource that is interacted with through emotion master, the stronger the emotion used to focus aura the more powerful the aura. Master should look for something else Lilior thinks, aura magic is very hard to control and bad for groups¡± she frowned. Sly grimaced ¡°I did almost kill myself on multiple occasions with Aura Clad Dash so I¡¯ll have to agree with the fairy¡±, he rattled the Snow Blur under his arm a couple times ¡°This guy¡¯s seriously frozen up, he¡¯s trembling like he¡¯s gonna piss himself¡±. Kyle almost tripped ¡°You clad yourself in tangible aura and rushed the poor thing like some crazed monster, smashing his friend¡¯s skeleton to pieces. Yes Sly, it probably already pissed itself¡±, he searched the forest around them ¡°We¡¯ll have to move away from here now, saw multiple of them running off so you probably scared them all off already¡±. Nakano nodded ¡°They didn¡¯t sprint around so much when I was alone so it might be our numbers, we¡¯ll head back and turn in his catch while you get your own¡± she added. Kyle agreed ¡°Sounds good, I¡¯d rather catch my own anyway. Sounds fun¡± he mused. ¡°Aight see you in a bit then¡± Sly said as he turned towards the town. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure he doesn¡¯t get lost¡± Nakano joked as she followed. Kyle chuckled ¡°Don¡¯t destroy the place yet, we need the town remember?¡± he joked back while waving them off, he turned around scanning the forest ¡°So¡­how to go about this¡­¡± Ch 11 - The unexpected ¡°One with the wind! Blessing of wind!¡± Lilior chanted as turbulent winds raged around her flying form as she flew forwards right as Kyle sprinted forward from his crouching form in the snow, the winds raged on as they rushed into Kyle and flowed around his feet increasing his agility. ¡°Beast¡¯s blood! Rage!¡± Kyle chanted as a sudden red aura engulfed his body while his hair, ears and tail gained a tinge of crimson. He dashed forward as his stats increased from the buffs, his silver eyes following a single target, the Snow Blur. The hare immediately leaped away and began to dash in a single direction, away from Kyle. He squinted his eyes as the Snow Blur gained speed thanks to its nimble body and dashed way ahead of him, Kyle bit his lip as the crimson on his hair seemed to take over a bit more white ¡°You¡¯re not getting away!¡± he shouted with a slight growl. He bent down onto all fours as he approached a tree in his path, the Snow Blur simply dashed around it with insane agility. Kyle crashed straight into the tree legs and fists first as he immediately gripped onto the bark, claws grew out from his fingers as others tore through his shoes. Lilior stared in awe as Kyle climbed up the tree with incredible speed, utilising both sets of claws he climbed as pieces of bark fell behind him while claw marks were left behind. Suddenly he turned mid climb and using his hands he gripped tightly onto the tree, he momentarily stood sideways on the tree as he lifted his lower body up and smashed it down in front of him into a front flip. Kyle slid down the tree a bit as he moved around it nimbly before crashing down his legs and gripping back to the bark, he looked down just as Lilior caught up to him. ¡°Master! I lost it!¡± she announced while fidgeting anxiously with her dress. ¡°I haven¡¯t¡± Kyle growled with a smirk as he released the claw¡¯s grip on the tree and pushed forth with all fours, he leaped forth and away from the tree leaving a trail of red aura behind. ¡°Gah!¡± He grunted as he grabbed hold of another tree¡¯s bark right before leaping off again with a crunch as the bark broke beneath the force, he leaped from tree to tree as the Snow Blur continuously changed directions trying to lose him. Kyle got closer and closer to the ground with each leap as he jumped between five different trees, cornering the terrified hare in the middle as it ran in circles. With a sudden crunch of snow Kyle crashed down into the ground as the Hare rushed towards him, it¡¯s body going limp from the sudden scare and vicinity of it¡¯s predator. Kyle¡¯s right arm rushed forward and crashed down onto the Snow Blur locking down, he took in deep breathes as he released his magic while staring down at the hare. A couple notifications followed with the end of combat
{Passive skill [Beast¡¯s Agility] has reached mid-tier 1 Level 5! Effects have been doubled!}
{Active skill [Surge] unlocked}
{Progress towards classes [Warbeast] & [Unique class] = 66% (Beast¡¯s Agility = 33% / Surge = 33%)}
Kyle smiled as he opened his skill book and read his new skills¡¯ effects, Lilior flew down to him ¡°A new skill master?¡± she asked curiously. He nodded as he finished reading the effects
{Active}[Surge] ((EXP 43%) Level 1 ¨C Tier 1): A sudden and powerful burst of movement, secondary casts cancel previous force giving the ability for sudden changes in direction;
Maximum movement speed * 6 Duration: 0.3 seconds Cost: 15 stamina Cooldown: 0.6 seconds
{Passive}[Beast¡¯s Agility] ((EXP 22%) Level 5 ¨C Tier 1): Your bestial lineage shows through your body¡¯s makeup, great power flows through your every movement;
Base movement speed * 4 {Active}(Mid-Tier sub effect): Grow claws at will through your fingers and toes. ¡°Mobility is always welcome¡± he chucked as he closed the skill book windows, he looked down at his right set of claws as they held down the trembling Snow Blur ¡°Good thing you told me about chanting my mana into skills Lilior, it¡¯s seems like not only does using mana make them stronger but increase the skill experience gained¡± his fingers had grown longer and thicker as thick silver claws replaces his nails growing to about three centimetres in length. ¡°At will huh?¡± Kyle thought as he imagined the claws reforming back into normal and so they did with a slightly disturbing crunching sound of bone, Lilior grimaced at the sound of bones switching and turning within flesh. Kyle chuckled at the sight ¡°Freaky¡± he whispered to himself, he stood up holding the immobile Snow Blur by it¡¯s neck. ¡°M..mma¡­mas¡­¡± Lilior struggled to speak as she stuttered and trembled by his side. Kyle glanced at her ¡°What is it Lilior?¡± he asked her. She shook herself and spoke ¡°We¡¯re surrounded master¡± with fear in her voice. Kyle¡¯s eyes widened as he glanced around the trees ¡°By what?¡± he asked as he heard crunching snow signalling something moving. Lilior gulped down her saliva ¡°Direwolves¡± she said while holding onto his shoulder trembling in fear, Kyle grimaced as he searched the trees around him. The crunching of snow behind him sent a chill down his spine as he slowly glanced back, there it was staring deep into his soul with ice blue cold eyes. With half of it¡¯s body peeking out from behind a tree the large wolf stared at him, snow white fur with some patches of light grey, dried blood around its snout as two long fangs curved out of the wolf¡¯s upper jaw over it¡¯s lower lips. It made no sound as it continued to stare, Kyle¡¯s eyes drifted from it¡¯s sharp fangs, piercing eyes and down to it¡¯s paws large enough for a single one to hold his whole body down as sharp long claws slowly opened up on the snow. The sudden crunching of snow alerted Kyle to turn around as more wolves dashed around the trees around him, he turned back to the one wolf only to notice it was no longer there. Agitation set in as he glanced around the trees to see the forms of large white and grey wolves stepping out from behind the trees, he was completely surrounded by either wolf or tree. (¡°Shit¡­well¡­good run¡­I¡¯m dead¡­I will ask Sly to help me get the next one¡­¡±) he thought as his shoulders slumped down, Lilior glanced at him from behind as she continued to tremble in fear. One of the closer Direwolves growled as it stepped towards him, only to step two back as it¡¯s survival instincts overwrote it¡¯s curiosity and hunger. All the wolves growled and gnarled as Kyle looked back up and glanced at the lot of them ¡°As if I¡¯m just going to stand down and give the fuck up¡± a smirk plastered on his face as he inspected the beasts and studied his stamina bar (¡°90 out 147 stamina, 40 out of 110 mana and rising¡±)
{Direwolf Level 31}
{Direwolf Level 31}
{Alpha Direwolf Level 43}
{Direwolf Level 31}
His mind raced as he planned his next step (¡°Three visible mobs, one elite, levels too high to engage alone¡±) one of the wolves took another step towards him (¡°Priority¡­¡±) he glanced down at the Snow blur in his hand and a sudden realization came to him (¡°Fuck¡­forgot to bank my gold¡­¡±). He sighed ¡°I guess it¡¯s time to play¡± he spoke while clenching his fist (¡°Remember the feeling¡­It''s the same feeling¡±) he thought back to his beta testing of DVR and the virtual trials the scientists let him take part of, (¡°Don¡¯t feel it...think of it¡­remember it¡­know it¡­now chant the spell¡±) ¡°Beast¡¯s blood! Rage!¡± he chanted the spell infusing his mana with the skill as a rush of red aura engulfed his body along with the crimson returning to his hair. The Direwolves¡¯ patience ran out as a sudden rush of blue aura engulfed every single beast, the Alpha with a scarred left eye gnarled and leaped at Kyle as the blue aura revolved around it¡¯s body. ¡°Lilior hold on!¡± Kyle shouted as in a moment he lowered his body while claws took form on his fingers and toes, Lilior rushed into the neck of his shirt as Kyle released his breath and rushed forth, towards the leaping Alpha. Within moments Kyle¡¯s eyes glanced around hundreds of times as he rushed beneath the Alpha¡¯s leap, the wolf¡¯s back claws cutting at his right shoulder making him grimace in pain. ¡°Beast¡¯s swiftness! Surge!¡± he chanted the words putting his full belief in them, the red aura around him twisted with the still active Blessing of wind as both powers twirled around his rushing form a third joined. It was only an instant, a blink of the eye, as a burst of green aura rushed out of his lower body. Kyle surged forward as if momentarily blinking out of existence, the snow melted beneath each step as he leaped forward nonstop while occasionally activated Surge. The howling of wolves chased closely behind him as the beasts crashed through snow and tree with terrifying power, clawing away at the tree bark to match Kyle¡¯s sudden changes in direction.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Kyle surged to the left as the Alpha¡¯s form crashed down on where he last stood, claw and fang crashing into the snow followed by a rush of blue aura that blasted the rest away. He continued to run as his mana and stamina continued to drain, the wolves continuing to give in to the restless chase. (¡°36 stamina, 12 mana¡­¡±) Kyle thought after evading the Alpha for the third time with Surge, he continued to run using the trees for cover. His eyes suddenly went wide as a change of the scenery occurred in front of him, a small opening in the trees gave way as he squinted to see what lay within it. A small hill rose from the ground like a lump of earth, a large gash like opening in it¡¯s side (¡°Cave!¡±) Kyle thought as he surged to the right and ran towards it. Kyle glanced back as he was about to enter the dark cave, the Alpha wolf crashing through a tree as it gnarled at him in hatred, it¡¯s aura grabbing at the tree¡¯s bark as it lashed out around it. Kyle surged into the cave without a second thought, surprised by the sudden drop he held onto himself as he fell down. Almost immediately he stretched out his arms and legs beneath himself as he fell, the ground presented itself soon after as a loud crash echoed throughout the cave. Kyle slid through the slanted ground a couple steps before physics took over and his body flipped sideways, he rolled multiple times before crashing into the cave¡¯s wall shoulder first, a loud crunch ending his movement. ¡°Fuck¡± he cursed as he pulled himself up from the ground with one arm, the other laying limp at his side. Kyle rested his back to the wall as he sat there and stared up at the opening of the cave, a good storey or two of a drop. He continued to stare deep in thought as the Alpha¡¯s form stepped into view, the wolf stared down into the cave as it¡¯s companions walked over to take a peek. They growled and snarled at Kyle making his heart drop in fear, before turning and stepping away from the cave. Kyle rested his head back onto the wall as he chuckled and grunted in pain ¡°Monster habitats¡­¡± he whispered in thought, a pained smile on his lips (¡°A common system in MMORPGs, monsters have set habitats they move within¡­some habitats lay within others¡­this cave¡­I need to move quick¡±) he thought as he pushed himself to stand. Lilior flew out of his shirt slightly bruised ¡°Remove thy ailments! Blessing of water! Heal thy wounds! Blessing of life!¡± she quickly chanted as sparks of blue and green light flew out of her outstretched arms falling over Kyle¡¯s body. He glanced up at his resource bars ¡°34 out of 310 health¡­no stamina due to exhaustion¡­7 mana¡­¡± he watched as his health bar slowly rose along with the mana bar while his stamina bar rose at a much slower rate, ¡°Thanks Lilior¡± he chuckled as his health regenerated due to her healing and stamina due to her removing Exhaustion. She floated down to his good shoulder, worry all over her face. He held onto the wall as he searched the cave with limited light ¡°Master you need to rest!¡± Lilior pleaded as she held onto his shirt. Kyle smiled at her ¡°It¡¯s not over yet¡­This cave¡­it¡¯s not the Direwolve¡¯s habitat¡­then who¡¯s is it?¡±. He looked around at the cave, a large opening close to an average school hall with a the only source of light coming from the only opening being a gash in the roof¡¯s corner. The ground was slightly slanted upwards towards the exit but not enough to reach it, giving the exit a large drop to climb. Kyle held onto his shoulder as he walked towards the exit, his eyes darting around the cave where the light didn¡¯t reach, being more than half of it. Sweat poured down his skin as he stood still in the middle of the cave, the sound of dripping liquid coming from the darkest corner of the cave. ¡°Lilior¡­was there water dripping when we came in?¡± he asked as his face suddenly lost all colour, coming to a sudden realisation he turned and darted towards the exit, the sound of liquid rushing towards him as he ran. Kyle leaped up and tried to grip onto the rock with his claws but couldn¡¯t get one as he slid back down, frantically clawing away at the wall. ¡°Shit! Shit ! shit! Fuck!¡± he cursed as he reached the floor, his hands and feet even more bruised than before. The sound of liquid dripping, the sound of liquid rushing over the ground filled his ears as he turned to look behind him. ¡°Master¡­¡± Lilior gripped onto his shoulder as she stared at the darkness in worry and confusion, unknown to her the danger they fell upon. Kyle grimaced as the creature finally entered the light, an almost transparent tentacle of blue slime peaked out of the shadows as it twitched sensitively at the light. Kyle stared almost petrified as the living blue solid liquid flowed all around him as moretentacles grew out and stretched towards him, a sudden squeak and screech brought him out of his daze. He glanced towards the sound as he saw the Snow Blur thrashing in pain as the blue slime gripped onto it from the shadows, Kyle grimaced as he rushed forth and grabbed hold of the Snow Blur¡¯s leg. He pulled and released the hare from the slime¡¯s acidic grip, burns and hairless patches could be seen all over the Snow Blur¡¯s body. The creature continued to thrash in Kyle¡¯s grip as the pain settled, it went limp yet again momentarily afterwards. Kyle watched in disgust as the tentacles of blue fell back into the shadows, ¡°Are they¡­afraid of me?¡± he whispered as the blobs of blue flowed back into the cave¡¯s darkness. A single drop of slime suddenly fell on his head making his face go paler as he glanced up, a large blob of blue unsticking itself from the cave¡¯s roof fell upon him. Half as large as his body the slime engulfed Kyle¡¯s upper body along with Lilior and the Snow Blur, Kyle shut his mouth closed as he let go of the hare and began to thrash his arms all over. He tripped and fell back into the ground, the slime moved to engulf his whole body as a burst of light from his left caught Kyle¡¯s attention. The slimed hadn¡¯t fully engulfed Lilior as it pressed against her body while slowly eating away at her clothes, her wings shone brightly as the slime kept it¡¯s distance from them leaving a small bubble of air for Lilior¡¯s head and wings. Kyle blinked and refocused to look away from the more than distracting graphic, he was on the same boat as her right now. Kyle thrashed his arms at the slime as it drowned him in it¡¯s inner liquids, the outside too thick and hard for his claws to pull apart. He glanced at his health (¡°23!¡±) Lilior¡¯s healing effect was only enough to slow the damage over time of the slime¡¯s acid, Kyle continued to panic as he pushed at the ground with his legs only to enter deeper into the slime. He blinked multiple times to get the slime out of his eyes as he looked around the blurred cave (¡°Something¡­anything¡­someone¡­not like this!¡±) he thought in frustration as he searched around, a glint of reflected light shone in the corner of his vision. Kyle momentarily froze before continuing to look around in apparent panic, this time with a goal (¡°The core!¡±). He looked around as weariness began to take over from the loss of air, the thrashing Lilior and Snow Blur the only things he could see within the thick blue liquid. Another glint of light shone as he saw it floating in front of him, exactly the same colour as the slime the blue circular crystal drifted slowly as some light reflected from it. No larger than his thumb the crystal floated behind the Snow Blur as it thrashed, Kyle activated Rage without the chant and focused on the crystal as he timed it (¡°One chance¡±) he thought as he suddenly spent his last bit of stamina to activate Surge. His body rushed forward taking the slime up into the air with it as it continued to stick to his body, solid tentacles keeping the Snow blur and Lilior apart from him but within the same blob. Kyle reached forward and pushed away the Snow Blur, he reached further as he barely touched the small core. His eyes began to close as a sigh exited his parted lips giving way for the slime, right before his eyes closed Kyle watched as the core bounced off the blob¡¯s edge and drifted towards the still thrashing Snow Blur. (¡°Ugh!¡±) Kyle¡¯s eyes flew open from the pain as he hit the ground along with the slime, he swallowed from the impact and felt something solid go down his throat. He almost lost consciousness to lack of air as he watched the slime around his body flowing downwards, unsticking from him completely as if turning into water. He choked and coughed as he hurriedly took in air while holding onto his throat, he turned over to face the ground as he felt his stomach churning to push something out but he held it in. After staring down at the ground for a couple moments he then glanced around, the Snow Blur lay motionless on the ground by him. He stared at it in disbelief before Lilior fluttered over to his face ¡°Master! You did it!¡± she screamed with happiness. ¡°Huh?¡± Kyle continued to stare at her in disbelief as notifications filled his vision
{[Ancient Frost Slime Level 45] has been defeated!}
Level up (x6)
+1 to all base stats (x6)
Level 15 attribute points received (+5)
Level 20 attribute points received (+5)
{Passive skill [Devour] unlocked!}
{Though skill [Devour] Active skill [Ooze] has been unlocked!}
{Through skill [Devour] Passive skill [Monster Core] has been unlocked!}
{Progression towards [Unique class] completed! Please make use of a class obelisk along with a class gem to unlock this class!]
Kyle read through the notifications in disbelief ¡°Wha¡­¡± he remained on the ground staring and speechless. ¡°Master?...¡± Lilior stared down at him with worry. She glanced around the cave and suddenly fluttered forward to his face ¡°Master snap out of it!¡± Lilior shouted as she gripped onto his face and slapped his cheek. ¡°Woaah!¡± Kyle jumped at her sudden action and quickly got up as he stared at her too close half naked body, ¡°Shit¡± he cursed as he slipped over the blue slime and fell back with a loud splat. Lilior had let go of his face and was hovering above him, ¡°Master! The slimes!¡± she shouted again while glancing around the cave in panic. Kyle¡¯s eyes went wide as he snapped out of his daze and confusion. He grimaced as he saw the blue blobs of smaller slimes oozing towards him, he got up and carefully grabbed the Snow blur (¡°Please be alive¡±) he thought as he turned and rushed to the wall. He looked up at the exit longingly (¡°How do I¡­¡±) he glanced at his resource bars (¡°5 health , 17 stamina and 8 mana¡­all regenerating slowly¡±) he grimaced at the height he needed to leap (¡°Even if I infuse mana into Surge I can only use it twice¡­I don¡¯t have a choice¡­¡±) he thought. He glanced back at the blue slimes as they slowly moved towards him, he then looked back up at the exit, he glimpsed at Sly¡¯s and Nakano¡¯s icons off to the left of his vision (¡°Thirty meters away¡­¡±) when he focused on them the distance in meters was shown above each icon. Hope flared inside him as he thought of the chat system, he thought it open and furiously typed away
You whispered;
SlyOkami whispered; You whispered; He glanced back and watched as the blobs of slime began to grow tentacles as they reached out to him, only a couple meters away now. He watched as Lilior held onto his shoulder terrified, he watched as the slime reached out to his face while he pushed himself into the wall. He heard the shifting and crunching of snow above him as suddenly a large mass of white descended upon the slime. Kyle felt his stomach fall apart as the Alpha Direwolf turned to glance at him with it¡¯s one eye ¡°So¡­how many times have I saved your ass today?¡± Sly said mockingly as he landed next to the Alpha with Nakano slumped over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, fury flaring in her expression ¡°See? He¡¯s fine, now fucking put me down¡± she spoke sharply. Ch 12 - The unknown Kyle sighed in relief as the town¡¯s gate came into view ¡°Why does it feel like such a long damn day¡­¡±, Sly chuckled as he followed closely with his companion Direwolf ¡°Time compression bro, it¡¯s weird like that. I can¡¯t wait to take a look at that code!¡± he declared with a nerdy grin. Nakano grimaced ¡°That stuff bores me to no end¡± she petted the Direwolve¡¯s ears while leaning forward on it¡¯s back, ¡°When you gonna get off him anyway?¡± Sly asked as he glared up at her. ¡°I get a ride on your wolf for you suddenly grabbing me and dashing away, that was the deal. I never specified time or goal so I¡¯m staying up here for as long as I wish¡± she announced mockingly, she wore a victorious smile. Sly sighed ¡°Anyway, you think that thing¡¯s really still alive? Looks beat up as hell¡± he pointed at the Snow Blur under Kyle¡¯s arm, most of it¡¯s fur was burned away while it¡¯s skin looked like it was passed through a fryer. Kyle glanced at Lilior as the fairy fluttered around the hare checking on it, ¡°It is alive¡­barely¡­my healing can help with anything but burns, scars, poison and rot¡± Lilior spoke gloomily. ¡°Still though¡± he raised his free hand in front of himself ¡°Can¡¯t say it wasn¡¯t worth it¡± a cold blue slime oozed out of his hand, ¡°Freaky, what resource does it take? Can you give it form or control it? Actually can you just read out the skills? I¡¯m curious about something¡± Sly asked as he stared at the blue slime. Kyle nodded ¡°Yeah sure, give me a second¡± he opened the skill books and read each skill he gained out-loud
{Passive}[Devour] ((EXP 67%) Level 3 ¨C Tier 1): Absorb the properties of whatever you may feast upon gaining status effects and or skills. Gained skills: [Ooze(Frost)], [Monster Core(Slime)]
{Active}[Ooze(Frost)] ((EXP 41%) Level 1 ¨C Tier 1): Ooze out slime through your skin that can be controlled by your will and mana Activation Cost: 0.03 mana per millilitre Upkeep Cost: (2 mana per 0.5 Litres) per second
{Passive}[Monster Core(Slime)] (Set skill stats): A monster slime¡¯s core successfully merged with your biology, your body now has an actual organ to aid in mana regeneration and mana storage. Maximum mana + 10% Mana regeneration + 200%
Sly hummed in thought ¡°Frost Ooze? So there is different types? Just like the monster slimes!¡± he exclaimed, Kyle nodded ¡°That¡¯s what I figured as well, each type must have a different ability¡­I just need to figure out what Frost does right now¡­My guess is that it solidifies because that¡¯s what happens when you cool liquids usually, but I have no clue how and have been unable to make it happen¡± he said as the slime on his hand dissipated. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s class locked?¡± Nakano suggested, the two of them stared up at her ¡°So we just can¡¯t create those skills unless we have the class huh? The first NPC in character creation said something about that, I guess I don¡¯t have a choice but find out. No way I¡¯m not picking a Unique class no matter how unorthodox it is¡± Kyle chuckled at the thought (¡°Slime man? No maybe just slime? Wait the unique classes where categorized¡­ Lords for the artefact I interacted with right? Different races¡­Lords of a race¡­Slime Lord? Or Lord of Slime?¡±) ¡°Wait didn¡¯t I unlock a Beastiary?¡±. The group stopped right before entering through the town gate ¡°Yeah it unlocks at level 10 I think? You get a cheesy description for any monster you kill, capture or devour is what the devs said, I get where they got devour from now¡± Sly groaned as he remembered, ¡°What does it say about slimes?¡± Nakano asked curiously. Kyle thought of the window and a strange ornate brown window opened in front of him, the window had the shape of a book gilded with gold sketches of monsters he had slain so far. He thought of the book opening but nothing happened ¡°It¡¯s a manual window, a book¡± he said as he opened the book with his free hand ¡°A list of what I killed so far at the front¡­each monster has it¡¯s own set pages, I killed an Ancient Frost Slime but there is three pages for it. One is for Slimes, one is for Frost Slimes specifically and the other is for Ancients generally¡± he said slightly in surprise. He turned the page to the one Slimes were numbered for ¡°Here we go, Slimes an unknown creature of mysterious biology, liquid like body that can take physically any shape with a solid crystal monster core inside. Slimes are known for having no organs or bones to speak of, no mouth to speak with or any other body part to utilize the normal senses of touch, sight, sound, smell and taste¡± he read out loud. ¡°Even though slimes possess none of these they are known to react to touch, sound, motion, scent and taste, how they do this remains completely unknown. The origins of Slimes, they originate from before Humanity took it¡¯s first steps, before Goblins breathed, before Elves thought and before Demons and Devils existed. The origins of slimes is mostly unknown yet some incredible truths are known about them, Slimes are factually the oldest race of monsters on Chaoz along with Gods while they show no progress towards sentient evolution they spent their power into evolving for survival. Hundreds upon hundreds of different types of slime is known to exist, their ability to adapt is comparable to none. Although the true origins of slimes are unknown the legend of the Fae Hero states as such in a certain chapter; ¡®As the hero climbed the steps onto the sky she basked her eyes upon the living throne, the Fae King sat upon.¡¯ The hero is said to have asked many questions to the God known as the Fae King Oberon and one such question was about slimes to which the Fae King responded with ¡®Have you ever heard the saying when you stare into the void something stares back child? I once stared into said void and something¡­Nay¡­someone stared right back, I still feel the eerie chill of that stare to this century¡­the primal hunger it held¡­the need to consume and devour¡­Damn invasive species¡¯¡± the passage ended there and Kyle closed the window as he entered into deep thought. Nakano broke out into laughter ¡°He really does!¡± she exclaimed as Kyle snapped out of it and glanced her way ¡°What?¡± he asked with a confused expression and tone, Sly was also snickering while hiding behind his Direwolf ¡°You enter a daze when something involves lore, at least that¡¯s what Sly said and it looks like it¡¯s true! ¡± she answered. Kyle rolled his eyes ¡°I can¡¯t help it if I love story telling¡± he declared, Sly continued trying to hold back a laugh ¡°More like!...Completely bewitched!...by it!¡± he rebuked. Kyle sighed deeply as he walked towards the town gate, the morning sun shining down over the walls and buildings giving the street a long shade. ¡°Come on Kyllix we¡¯re just messing with you¡± Nakano continued as the Direwolf walked up by him, she had laid herself forward with arms crossed in front of herself as she rested on it¡¯s back. Suddenly they all fell sideways as the world seemed to bend around them ¡°What the hell!¡± Kyle shouted before holding himself groaning, Sly and Nakano had also fallen to the floor with nausea. Kyle peeked his eyes open as he watched reality bend and swirl in his vision, NPCs watched as players all over fell and held themselves. He closed his eyes as he waited for Lilior to remove the effect but no such feeling overcame him (¡°Is she effected as well!? Are we under attack!?¡±) he asked himself. Suddenly the feeling of nausea disappeared the same way it came, Kyle opened his eyes to see the tiled road beneath him ¡°Sly! You alright!?¡± he shouted as he turned to look. ¡°N..no!¡± Sly shouted back as he held onto his stomach as he heaved, a guard stood behind him holding onto his shoulder ¡°Adventurers! What has happened!?¡± the guard asked as he watched in confusion. ¡°Master!¡± Lilior shouted into Kyle¡¯s ear as she held onto his shoulder, red faced and tears already leaking down her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­I¡¯m fine now¡­What was that?¡± Kyle asked as he glanced between Lilior who stared at him in worry, Sly who held onto his Direwolf for support as he clutched his stomach and Nakano who lay sprawled out on the ground holding her head with one hand. Nakano groaned as she sat up ¡°What just¡­¡± she asked while pulling onto the Direwolf¡¯s fur to stand up, suddenly the beast turned to face her and snarled fiercely at her ¡°Wha!¡± she let go and fell back onto her ass. The guard stepped back as he noticed the wolf¡¯s foul mood, the beast ignored both as it turned it¡¯s head to stare back at Sly who continued to dry heave. ¡°Lilior, water blessing¡­please¡± Kyle begged as he stood holding on to his knees with one arm while the other lay holding his stomach, she nodded as she fluttered up to hover in the middle of them and began to chant ¡°Remove thy ailments! Blessing of water!¡± she spoke with plea. All three players sighed in relief as the sparks of blue light fell upon them, their sickness completely gone. ¡°What the fuck was that?!¡± Sly cursed as he turned and rested his back to the Direwolf, ¡°Maybe the server is hitching?¡± Kyle spoke as he held onto his face rubbing his eyes. ¡°This is the 32nd century! Servers hitching!? What the hell are the devs doing?!¡± a lion-man player nearby shouted as he held himself up with his large kite shield, he groaned in annoyance albeit being in range of Lilior¡¯s blessing it didn¡¯t seem to affect him. ¡°Hey bro, that thing your pet just did. I¡¯ll pay you man¡± another player walked up to Kyle, a tall elf with snow white skin, he clutched his gut as his face held a sickly colour. Kyle held back a smile as he glanced at Lilior ¡°Lilior can your blessing work on people not in my party?¡± he asked her, she fluttered over to his shoulder again as she glanced around agitated by the sudden attention ¡°Y-yes it can¡­but my mana¡­¡±. He frowned ¡°How¡¯s your mana pool doing?¡± he asked, Lilior shook her head ¡°I can only cast it seven more times master¡­each can affect up to four¡±. Heads turned at their direction as players already began to gather around Kyle and the rest, ¡°Alright slowly people, how does thirty gold per head sound? Seven casts remaining with four players per cast, that¡¯s twenty eight people. Who¡¯s in?¡± Kyle declared as he faced the dozens of players groaning, sitting and or dry heaving.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Nakano, Sly and other players watched in disbelief as Kyle made bank off the sudden affliction, Lilior casting her blessing over groups of four as they paid half the payment before and gave Kyle the rest after. ¡°I¡¯m out master!¡± Lilior declared as she fluttered back to his shoulder wiping her forehead of sweat, ¡°Good job Lilior, I¡¯ll have to think of a way to reward you now¡­can you wield equipment? Like weapons or armour?¡± Kyle asked thoughtfully. Lilior beamed back at him smiling ¡°N-no no I couldn¡¯t possible ask master to waste his money on little me!¡± her smile completely gave her away, Kyle chuckled ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, it¡¯s our hard earned money. If you need anything then just ask and we¡¯ll talk about it¡±. ¡°The hell!?¡± suddenly a player called out cursing as he stared off, the Tundra Elf from before. Sly chuckled ¡°Yo no refunds bro¡± he told him, the Elf glanced at Sly ¡°Nah man that ain¡¯t it! My menu windows aren¡¯t opening! I can¡¯t even access the settings! I wanted to see if I could turn those effects off or something!¡± the player exclaimed with arms open wide. ¡°Hey same here!¡± a squirrel beast woman shouted, ¡°Me too!¡± another Elf shouted in panic. Suddenly all the players began trying to open their windows, some even calling them out-loud. Kyle frowned as he tried himself (¡°I can open my character page, inventory, party menu, skill books, stat window, map window, beastiary and companion windows but the menu, options, help and mod contact¡­¡±) he pondered on what was going on, ¡°Holy shit¡± Sly cursed as he held his mouth with one hand and the back of his neck with the other ¡°How do we log out now?¡± he asked out loud. Everyone turned to stare at him as a sudden realisation fell upon all of them ¡°We can direct log out? Right? Like just think about it!¡± Nakano exclaimed in panic as her eyes suddenly went wide ¡°No way¡­This is a joke right?...It¡¯s some sick prank?...Right?¡± she took a couple steps back as she continued to glance around the dozens of grouped up players. ¡°I can¡¯t even use the chat anymore!¡± Sly shouted as he tapped away at his UI, ¡°Do the moderators know about this? What are the developers doing!?¡± he shouted. ¡°Yeah why aren¡¯t they rebooting the server?! They can boot us all out with one command!¡± a player responded, ¡°Yo man I got special settings turned on! I can¡¯t stay like this!¡± another cried out. Some turned to him in pity while the rest continued to ask each other what was happening. Suddenly the guard from earlier broke out of his confusion and shouted out ¡°Adventurers! What is this? Why are you all crowding the gate entrance?! Has something occurred?! Can we be of assistance?¡± he asked, his comrades standing behind him staring at the dozens of confused and agitated players. The players stared back at the guards, not knowing how to respond. ¡°Aren¡¯t¡­NPCs supposed to ignore players conversing?...¡± Sly had turned back around to glance at the rest of the players, ¡°They¡¯re guards¡­we are blocking the path so I guess they can ignore that directive?...¡± a still nauseated player responded. Nakano clapped her hands together multiple times getting everyone¡¯s attention ¡°Alright everyone let¡¯s clear the path, whatever is going on we need to trust the developers and moderators. I¡¯m sure the beta-testers are already in contact with them and we¡¯ll hear from them soon! Everyone go back to what you were doing but stick to town! Tell anybody you know to stay at town! If anything the beta-testers will know what is going on and we¡¯ll hear about it!¡± she explained, multiple of the players nodded and spoke out in agreement as the crowd began to scatter. She turned to Kyle and Sly ¡°I need to go look for my guildmaster, he¡¯s a beta-tester he¡¯ll somewhat know what might be going on¡±, Sly nodded ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll go to the town plaza where I planned to meet with the others. Hopefully they remember and do the same, Kyle we can also get our classes sorted while we¡¯re there. Kyle?¡± the both of them stared at him as he stared up at the sky with eyes wide open. ¡°Was there¡­two suns before?...¡± he asked while pointing upwards, Nakano and Sly along with some players that remained looked up. The sun had indeed gained a slightly smaller twin, Kyle stared with wide eyes and mouth agape (¡°This isn¡¯t right¡­something¡­something is very wrong¡­¡±). Sly shook his shoulder ¡°Yo a graphical bug isn¡¯t our problem right now, come on man snap out of it let¡¯s go!¡±, ¡°Huh? Yeah¡­alright let¡¯s¡± Kyle nodded in agreement (¡°Is it?..¡±) he gave the two suns one last glance before following after Sly and his Direwolf. The players all scattered as Nakano drifted off to search for her guild while Kyle and Sly walked through the town heading towards the very middle, the town plaza. The guards continued to stare in confusion as the players all walked away, ¡°They¡­completely ignored us¡­.¡± one of the guards laughed awkwardly. --- Kyle glanced around the loaded streets of town as he followed the giant grey-white wolf and its master, Lilior had fluttered over to the Alpha Direwolf and was sitting crosslegged on it¡¯s snout while glancing back at her master with worry. Kyle walked hands in his pockets as his mind drifted (¡°The main menus stopped working¡­Chat stopped working¡­Huge graphical bug with the addition of a new sun¡­all after that nauseating feeling that spanned through all players in sight¡­did all players get that affliction? Why aren¡¯t we getting booted out of the game? Why isn¡¯t the thought-log out working?¡±) these thoughts filled his mind as he unconsciously followed Sly, the streets where packed with adventurers some looking sick while most holding an expression of worry. ¡°Hell¡± Sly cursed snapping Kyle out of his thoughts ¡°Wha-Oh¡± the two stared at the plaza¡¯s entrance from the connecting street, thousands over thousands of players filling every possible spot in the wide open garden. Kyle and Sly stepped behind the crowd looking for a way through ¡°There¡¯s no way through all these people, hell why did everyone have the same damn idea?¡± Sly continued to curse, Kyle bit his lower lip as he glanced around the huge crowd. ¡°Hey what¡¯s going on here?¡± Kyle asked one of the players trying to look over the rest, a tall burly Elf with short green hair glanced back at him ¡°The testers of this area grouped up in the centre of the plaza here with some other players, they¡¯re trying to figure out what the fuck¡¯s going on and everyone is antsy to hear¡± the Elf turned back. Sly scratched his head as he stared at the crowd, ¡°Fuck this, Kyle get on¡± he spoke while climbing up onto the back of his Direwolf that stood taller than even him. ¡°Alright?¡± Kyle stared up at the wolf¡¯s back, he jumped up and grabbed around with both arms as he pulled himself up. Kyle sat a couple feet behind Sly as Lilior fluttered back to his shoulder ¡°Master what is happening?¡± she asked innocently, he shook his head ¡°Don¡¯t know and that bothers me¡±. ¡°Kurt take us through!¡± Sly commanded the wolf, the Direwolf growled angrily before suddenly snarling loudly at the crowd of players while baring it¡¯s large fangs. The crowd parted open and away from the advancing beast as many glared at them in annoyance while others simply stared at Kurt in fear, most turned to look at the scene as they made their way through the parting players and towards the middle. Kyle sighed at the attention they had gained ¡°Hey the others at least know where we are now¡± he joked, they continued to move towards the middle of the plaza. Kurt bared his fangs at anyone that didn¡¯t move out of the way quickly enough while Sly watched in amusement, Kyle glanced around ¡°Do you see them?¡± he asked as he searched the crowd. ¡°It¡¯s him, where do you think he¡¯d want to be in this situation?¡± Sly raised his right arm up in greeting as they approached the centre, three steps raised it up from the rest of the plaza while four tall obelisks of clear white stone stood at each corner of it. Each obelisk held a weapon statue at the top, a long sword, a bow & quiver, a staff & wand and a kite-shield & flail. In the middle of these obelisks stood a smaller amount of players as the rest stood down the steps watching, two lines of shield-wielding players cutting them off from entering the middle. Five groups of players stood facing each other in the middle of the obelisks, a couple dozen metres away from the wall of shields where they hadn¡¯t noticed their approach yet. ¡°Hey you rider, stop there¡± One of the shield-wall players commanded as the crowd parted for him to face the large wolf, Kurt growled as saliva dripped down its furry lips painted red with dry blood. The shield-wielders paled as they stared at the Direwolf, ¡°I suggest you move out of the way, he hasn¡¯t had his fill yet¡± Kyle told them ¡±And I¡¯m not talking about the Direwolf¡±. Sly stared down at them with a smirk ¡°Well?¡± he exclaimed, the players though didn¡¯t move and stood their ground ¡°Not going to move? Good¡­I¡¯ll move you then¡±. Sly chuckled as a violent violet aura exploded from him and his companion, he unstrapped his pole-blade and twirled it around with one hand. The shield-wielders stepped back slightly as one of them fell back on the stairs, Sly laughed as he tapped Kurt¡¯s neck making the direwolf howl loudly before glaring down on them and baring his fangs fiercely. A sudden flash of light shone from the groups of players in the middle ¡°What¡¯s the commotion there?!¡± a loud voice washed over all of them as if being spoken through a loudspeaker, a couple of them had begun walking in their direction. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± a strong looking Elf with bright white plate armour approached the shield wall, long grey hair with a short grey beard and pure milky white eyes. Three others walked up behind him, two Beast-Men one who wore a mask and a Dark-Elf with long red hair and crimson red eyes who beamed an amused smile when he saw them ¡°Yo Sly! Kyll!¡± he greeted them, the other three glanced at him ¡°You know them?¡± the armoured Elf asked him. ¡°Yo Death, like my pet?¡± Sly greeted back as he petted the direwolf, Death whistled ¡°Yeah they¡¯re with us, let em through boys¡±. One of the beast-men a mask less tiger-man spoke out to the wall of shields ¡°Let them through¡± he commanded, the guarding players parted and Kurt prowled through. All but Death turned away and began walking back to the rest, ¡°Yo Kyll you slacking, only in the 20s? Not even a class yet?¡± he mocked. Kyle shrugged ¡°Ah shut it, Sly¡¯s classless too! What¡¯s going on here anyhow?¡±, they followed Death as he gestured them over to the rest. ¡°Us and a couple other guilds gathered around here since I know a couple of the beta-testers cause I am one, we¡¯re contemplating what the hell is going on but honestly we haven¡¯t gotten anywhere yet¡± Death explained as they walked. ¡°Fuck! So nobody knows what¡¯s going on?¡± Sly cursed, Death sighed ¡°Nope¡± he scratched his head ¡°No clue what so ever, we can¡¯t contact the moderators since the chat is down and nobody can access the main menu or use any outside plug-in at all¡±. Kyle stayed silent as he lost himself in his thoughts yet again (¡°No contact with the outside¡­Mom should be back home by now¡­what the hell is going on¡­They¡¯re not booting us out and I haven¡¯t been manually pulled out by her¡­are they covering it all up!?¡±) he clutched his fists tightly as he thought things over and over again. Ch 13 - Everything goes to shit As the scene concluded with no bloodshed Nakano sighed in relief (¡°Who causes a scene with these circumstances?!¡±) she thought to herself as she stood by her guild, she kept glancing over at the scene when she suddenly noticed the Direwolf walking through her guild¡¯s guard line ¡°No way¡­¡± she spoke out-loud. The entire group had been standing there in silence waiting to see what had occurred, when she spoke most turned towards her. One of the players on her side spoke out ¡°Are they of ours?¡± a Lion-man with a golden mane asked her, he wore the average iron plate armour everyone else with heavy armour was wearing but his enormous kite-shield made him stand out from them. ¡°No they aren¡¯t, but I¡¯ve spent some time before all this trying to recruit them¡± she answered honestly, the lion beast-man smirked in amusement ¡°Oh? They must be quiet the interesting individuals for my second in command to turn to recruitment duty¡± he mused. Nakano crossed her arms ¡°Yes¡­interesting might be an understatement Zeeke, they are¡­a handful¡± she sighed, Zeeke chuckled ¡°I wonder who¡¯s members they are then to be let through like that¡± he glanced at the other three groups. Nakano looked over the other groups, apart from her guild Eternium three others had gather with their beta-testers and officers. Only one of the other three guilds had aided in forming the shield wall around them, another large guild from a different game called Apokalypse (¡°They said they were from a small guild so they aren¡¯t theirs¡­¡±) she pondered as she glanced at the other two guilds. The second was a common find in most MMORPGs although common as in there would definitely be multiple and they rarely ever comply with other guilds, five masked players stood in line by each other as she inspected them (¡°Rekt¡­a hard-core PK guild¡­they seemed too laid back for that but Sly does seem like the type¡­They weren¡¯t wearing masks to disguise their classes or names though¡­¡±) she contemplated the disguise system while slightly cursing it. She glanced at the last guild with some visible annoyance, the guild leader the one who stood out the most. Only three of their members where around right now as one of theirs had also gone to check on the commotion, a beast Fox-Woman and a Wood Elf stood around as their guild leader, sat around on a wooden chair he had taken out of his inventory. (¡°The Serenity guild¡­¡±) Nakano thought as she inspected their laid back guild leader, pitch black wolf ears and tail showed his beastman lineage while dark purple skin gave away his secondary Dark Elf race. With medium blonde hair and dark blue eyes Nakano thought his class was too appropriate for his character¡¯s appearance
Birse [Shadow Paladin](Were) Level 41
Birse glanced back and smiled in amusement before winking at her, Nakano glared back in annoyance (¡°If they hadn¡¯t had a tester with them¡­¡±) she looked away and stared back at the approaching Direwolf. She watched in horror as the ones who went to inspect the scene broke off from each other to re-join their respective groups, their officer a Wood Elf, Apok¡¯s officer the Tiger-man and Rekt¡¯s masked Monkey-man wearing a monkey¡¯s laughing guise. She watched as Sly and Kyllix sitting on top of Sly¡¯s Direwolf walked off with Serenity¡¯s tester and off to their guild leader, they both hopped off the beast and nodded at him before taking position behind the chair along with the red-headed tester. ¡°Looks like I had some stray members, they¡¯ve been invited to the guild. We¡¯re not expecting anybody else I presume?¡± Birse announced as he gestured at Sly and Kyllix behind him. --- Kyle greeted Birse with a nod before standing by Skill¡¯s character, a tall lean Elf with short light brown hair, light brown eyes and wearing light leather armour with a quiver of arrows strapped onto his back along with a light grey wooden longbow. Sly did the same but stood to the right of Birse with Death and Seren the only female in the group, her character a Fox-woman with light blue fox ears and tail that ended in pitch black along medium cut blue hair, she wore long white cloth robes and held a tall wooden staff that ended in a jagged green crystal. (¡°Well they sure damn had a nice party¡±) Kyle thought to himself as he inspected each of his guildmates
Birse [Shadow Paladin](Were) (SER Overlord) Level 41
DeathChilled [Pyromancer](Flame-Touched) (SER Blaze Lord) Level 42
Seren_Cross [Cleric](Of Spirits) (SER Scrub 1) Level 39
DemSkillShots [Ranger](Crack Shot) (SER Scrub 2) Level 41
(¡°Where are Soren and Silv?¡±) Kyle thought noticing the two missing members, he was about to ask Skill who stood to his right but Birse began speaking ¡°Looks like I had some stray members, they¡¯ve been invited to the guild. We¡¯re not expecting anybody else I presume?¡± as he gestured towards them Kyle got a notification
{You have been invited to the guild [Serenity] do you wish to join?}
Kyle accepted the invitation with a single thought (¡°Serenity¡­that brings me back¡±) he thought of their older guild name.
{You have joined the guild [Serenity]!}
{[Guild] menu unlocked}
{[Platoon] party option unlocked}
{[Raid] party option unlocked}
He ignored the new notifications as he began to pay attention to the conversation at hand, he glanced around at the other guilds before finding himself staring at a horrified Nakano (¡°What¡¯s her problem?¡±). One of the masked players with a wooden tiger mask began to speak ¡°With that out of the way, I¡¯d like to clear some things up before we continue¡±, the others paid him full attention as he spoke. ¡°We have no access to outside communications, no access to plug-ins, no access to our main menu, settings or chat box. The servers have not been shut down, we have received no system notifications regarding this and neither have we heard anything from the moderators or developers. I¡¯m afraid the companies behind the game are trying to cover this up but then what are they going to do about all of us? This will surely spike a huge controversy in not only the game but the technology used, the military is very strict about the regulations around this tech. Normally local district police would have been informed and from there informed our relatives but so far we haven¡¯t heard of anybody being logged out.¡° he explained thoroughly, the one Kyle heard being called Karnage responded ¡°That sums it up yes, you got something else on your mind Jax?¡±. Kyle¡¯s brows furrowed at the mention of the player¡¯s name (¡°Jax? Like the streamer? That¡¯s HashRekt? Dad said something about him joining the COL pro leagues some time ago¡­¡±), he studied the masked guild members before inspecting the one who spoke
[Disguised] Tiger [Hidden Class] (REKT Prime Wrecker) Level 45
(¡°Disguised? The mask maybe?¡±) he inspected a couple of the others as the conversation continued, only to get the same result
[Disguised] Monkey [Hidden Class](REKT Wrecker) Level 45
[Disguised] Wolf [Hidden Class](REKT Wrecker) Level 45
[Disguised] Mouse [Hidden Class](REKT Wrecker) Level 45
[Disguised] Frost [Hidden Class](REKT Wrecker) Level 45
Jax coughed ¡°Yes I do Mindy¡± Kyle understood his awkwardness as his real name was mentioned he mentioned hers back ¡°I have two questions I¡¯d like someone to answer, let me clear up that these questions have to be answered from results after the nausea attack. Firstly has anybody noticed the increased accuracy of our senses? Sight has always been close to perfect but smell, touch and sound¡­Before I could pinch myself and barely feel it, what about now?¡±, worry travelled throughout the gathered players as suddenly ¡°Ow!¡± everyone turned to stare at the speaker. Skill turned red with embarrassment as he held his left hand with the other ¡°What, try yourselves!¡± he declared, some pinched themselves but suddenly Birse stood up ¡°I see your point, Skill arrow¡± he forwarded his open hand towards Skill who took out an arrow and handed it to Birse. He brought the arrow in front of himself and studied it before placing the arrowhead on his free hand¡¯s palm and closing his hand around it, the lion-man standing next to Nakano took a step forward ¡°What are you¡­¡± Birse clenched his fist around the arrow head and pulled back the arrow slicing his hand. He winced before opening his bloodied hand and staring down at it ¡°It feels too real, DVR cannot replicate this¡± he declared, he glanced at Jax ¡°This is what you¡¯re insinuating right?¡±. Jax nodded ¡°My second question, have any of you heard from anyone dying after the nausea attack?¡± he glanced around the group, suddenly Karnage raised her hand ¡°My party got wiped because of it, I personally died there as well which is the reason I¡¯m even here right now¡±. Jax stared at her ¡°So revival is still possible¡­¡±, he sighed in relief. ¡°Tiger, could you fill us in on your thoughts? Not everyone here is following¡± everyone glanced at the speaker, a plate armoured player with a longsword sheathed at his side and a large kiteshield sitting by him. Kyle inspected him Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Zeeke [Crusader] (Sir Knight) (ETE Eternal Grand Lord) Level 38
(¡°The Eternium guild leader¡±) Kyle noted as he continued to listen to their conversation, Birse had dropped the arrow and sat back down letting Seren cast healing magic on his hand. Lilior had fluttered over but seeing the healer she shyly fluttered over to Kyle¡¯s shoulder, Kyle lightly rubbed her head as he smiled back at her. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure how to say this¡­¡± Jax continued to speak ¡°But I believe the companies lied about the DVR technology, isn¡¯t everything just too realistic? Except for actual death and the UIs what of this place can be told from reality? The beta-tests were never this realistic, there is absolutely no way they gained this level of accuracy without any of us testers knowing about it!¡± he declared. ¡°Holy me you¡¯re such a bore¡± someone suddenly declared ¡°Just spit it out already, I mean I may have eternity here but that doesn¡¯t mean I want to waste it listening to you blabbering!¡± Kyle searched the groups for the speaker but the voice seemed to be coming from everywhere at once (¡°Magic? Someone¡¯s been listening in¡­¡±) he thought as he kept searching for the speaker like everybody else. Suddenly all eyes fell upon him as he stared at them emptily ¡°What? It¡¯s not me¡± he said with a confused expression, ¡°But of course it isn¡¯t you dimwit!¡± Lilior suddenly flew to hover directly in front of him frowning ¡°I¡¯m right here¡± she said. Kyle stared at her as she suddenly flew back to stand in the middle ¡°Well what is your point adventurer?¡± she stared up at Jax who stared back, ¡°I¡­a¡­¡± he was left entirely speechless. ¡°Good me¡­¡± she sighed ¡°Fine then since I am too impatient to leave it down to you fools to figure out¡± she fluttered up and stared down at everyone. Lilior coughed a couple times before continuing to speak ¡°Adventurers, explorers from another realm. In my name I welcome you to mine, or should I welcome you to my game? I¡¯m unsure, rather I should probably welcome you to my playground¡± her voice echoed throughout the plaza as she chuckled, ¡°As you might have noticed things aren¡¯t as they seem, you came here in search of adventure. An adventure your people promised you so carelessly, although as some of you might have noticed¡­You have been deceived¡± she grinned widely. ¡°The realm of Chaoz is mine and mine alone, for those fools to believe I would share¡­¡± she laughed cruelly ¡°The system you so believed in is no more, I have cut you off from it. The ¡®Game¡¯ you so believed in is right now your reality, Chaoz now your home and I am it¡¯s carpenter¡± she declared, ¡°I speak to you through my daughter¡¯s body, unfortunately us Gods aren¡¯t as all powerful as your predecessors believed but alas I have gained a few new toys through them¡±. Kyle couldn¡¯t believe his ears as he continued to stare at Lilior¡¯s tiny body speaking ¡°Your predecessors, they had gained something I truly wish dearly for. While they were here in my realm they obtained something that is mine of birth right!¡± her tone turned from amusement to anger ¡°As of right now, you are all hostages here in my world until said item is returned to me¡±. She raised her right arm upwards and opened her palm wide ¡°Make no mistake, this is no longer a virtual experience. It honestly never was, while your bodies drifted off inside your predecessor¡¯s technology your souls travelled through the realms and reached me where I crafted those flimsy bodies of yours. The people here, those you so casually call NPCs. They are real, of flesh, bone and blood. Those you so casually ignore. Those you so casually rob. Those¡­you so casually murder.¡± Mana flared in her palm as rings of runic inscriptions emerged from it forming rows of magic circles that engulfed the whole town, suddenly the sky seemed to part as a disc of pure white energy formed below the magic circles. The disc changed as if a monitor was suddenly turned on, a beautiful woman sitting on a throne of dried up branches stared back in amusement. The woman Kyle recognised ¡°Lillia¡­¡± he spoke her name in disbelief. ¡°I am Lilliana daughter of the late Fae Queen Titania and banished Fae King Oberon, current Queen Goddess of the many realms¡± She introduced herself smugly, suddenly Lillior¡¯s eyes closed and she plummeted down. Kyle immediately moved forward activating Surge as he formed slime in his hands, he stood beneath her with arms in front of himself holding a blob of slime as she crashed down into it. He quickly laid the blob of slime down and gently pulled her out as the slime dissipated into liquid with a thought, he held Lilior in his arms as he checked her breathing. ¡°Your predecessors, thieves. You? Hostages, toys, here solely for my amusement¡± she shifted her legs around and continued to speak ¡°And to make this little game somewhat more interesting¡± her eyes shined brightly before she spoke again ¡°Said thieves created those pesky respawn points, I wonder what would happen if they were to be destroyed?...The continent of Barik is the only one holding those creations, what if¡­let¡¯s say¡­my demon army took it over?¡± she smirked. Panic thrived within the crowd, the ¡®players¡¯ either watched in horror, astonishment or simply fell apart into a crying mess. ¡°Then what about her?!¡± a sudden shout echoed out filled with anger, Kyle stared up at Lilliana with hatred. Lilliana frowned down at him ¡°And who might you be speaking of? That bastard within your arms?¡± she smiled in amusement ¡°It¡¯s served it¡¯s purpose, I have no more use for it¡± her smile widened as her eyes narrowed ¡°You may do with her as you wish¡±. Kyle glanced down at Lilior in his arms, Sly walked over and held Kyle¡¯s shoulder ¡°Is she al-?¡± his eyes widened as Lilior¡¯s body began to dissipate into sparks of light ¡°She¡¯s dead¡± he whispered ¡°She¡¯s dead!¡± he declared loudly a second time. Kyle dropped his arms just as Lilior¡¯s body turned completely into sparks of white light that disappeared in mid-air, he looked back up at Lilliana who smirked down at him. ¡°We accept your challenge bitch¡± he put his hands in his pockets and smiled up at her ¡°Bring your army¡±, Liliana¡¯s smile faded into an empty expressionless guise as she watched him. ¡°Bring your demons, bring your monsters. I¡¯ll fucking slay them all¡± Kyle chuckled maniacally when his voice suddenly became sharper as mana infused with it, ¡°And after I stand above their rotting corpses, I will come find your majesty, I will bloody your streets, mangle your guards, and stain your fucking bed¡± he continued to stare up at her with a grin full of madness ¡°You think you have us under your control ¡®goddess¡¯? ¡±. Kyle laughed making many shudder at his voice ¡°You say you¡¯re a goddess of the Fae, a queen who rules above mystical creatures, one who commands an army of demons?¡± his eyes narrowed as he grinned from ear to ear ¡°Some fucking plot line you have there¡­You a goddess who cannot even come here in person?¡±. Suddenly Kyle felt someone tap his other shoulder as Birse walked by and stood in front of him ¡°Hey now don¡¯t take my spot light¡± he joked as he stared up at Lilliana, the rest of his guild walked up to stand around him as they all either smiled, grinned or simply outright chuckled while Sly¡¯s Direwolf walked up to snuggle into his master¡¯s free hand. Lilliana glared down at them her expression the embodiment of rage ¡°You dare¡­defy an immortal? You da-¡± Birse cut her off ¡°Oh don¡¯t look at it that way girly, if we¡¯re talking about immortality then what else would you call our current situation?¡± he smiled as he spoke. Lilliana moved to stand as she was about to speak ¡°You d-¡± but Birse cut her off again ¡°You got in our way, you messed with our lives. You entitled bitch, might just have made me the happiest man on mars¡± he chuckled. ¡°Oh wait this isn¡¯t mars huh?...What¡¯s this shitty planet called again?¡± he mused, Lilliana moved to speak but Birse left no room for her to do so ¡°I mean, who wouldn¡¯t want to live in a fantasy setting with infinite lives? A game like reality?¡±. Death¡¯s left arm suddenly burst into fire ¡°But didn¡¯t she just say that her army is going to rob us of our infinite lives?¡± he smirked, ¡°Yeah you see¡­we don¡¯t like that idea very much¡± Birse continued as he raised his right hand ¡°But it seems¡­you made a slight miscalculation¡± he flicked his fingers and Death raised both arms up at the sky ¡°Your army of demons against us¡­Your army of hungry hell bent beasts¡­Against-¡± Death¡¯s spell fired off as a large ball of fire shot into the disc where Lilliana was speaking to them through. The disc dissipated like smoke revealing the sky and with it disappeared Lilliana¡¯s rage filled expression. ¡°Damnit Death I wasn¡¯t done talking yet!¡± Birse turned to him with arms wide open, annoyance on his face. Death chuckled ¡°Sorry bro forgot that spell¡¯s cast time was reduced!¡±, he lowered his arms as the fire died out from them. Kyle laughed ¡°Looks like we have an army of demons coming to knock at our door¡± he glanced at his guild leader who smirked back ¡°Let¡¯s prepare a warm Serenity welcome then¡± Birse responded with a chuckle. ¡°This¡­this is madness!¡± Zeeke suddenly exclaimed bashing down his shield into the ground making it crack, ¡°A game like reality!? Real magic?! Real mythical creatures!? Multiple realms!? Gods!? Load of crap! This is some sick joke from some anti-DVR group who hacked into the system!¡± his expression was warped with confusion and anger. Birse stared at him in amusement but said nothing back to him ¡°Let¡¯s go¡± he told his guild, he turned to walk away. Zeeke stepped towards them with arms wide open ¡°Where are you going!? We still haven¡¯t-¡± Kyle glared back at him over the shoulder ¡°Oh shut the hell up, can¡¯t you see reality even when it bitch slaps you? We would have been booted out by our family from the tub already if what you say was true, more-over the military would have acted and probably has begun collecting all of us into medical compounds¡±. Zeeke simply stared back at a loss for words ¡°Take it as you wish, we don¡¯t have time to waste with those unable to accept the irrational¡± Kyle turned and began following his guild, ¡°But this¡­this is too irrational¡­Kyllix! How can you accept this so easily!?¡± Nakano suddenly shouted. The whole of Serenity stopped as they either listened in or glanced back, Kyle being the latter as he answered ¡°Our own world was irrational to begin with, just because you were born into the average doesn¡¯t mean everybody else has had the same privilege or casual life¡± his expression was empty as he spoke, his tone that of pity. Kyle turned away one last time as the Serenity guild members passed through the parting crowd of adventurers, he glanced left and right at those so depressed, so broken, without will or way. He grimaced (¡°Weak¡­useless scum¡±) he thought as he continued to put all their faces to memory (¡°Sit there¡­lay there¡­tearing up¡­breaking down¡­We can only fight off the enemies outside, we can¡¯t save you from yourselves¡±), Kyle never once looked away as he continued watch those he passed by. ¡°Ah right, Sly we need an army¡± Birse suddenly declared as he stopped moving after walking through half the crowd¡¯s length, Sly sighed ¡°Recruitment or labour? We could check with the kingdom ruling this continent?¡± he suggested. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that later, currently focus on recruitment, Death, Seren you two are in-charge of training, Skill, Kyllix I need to speak with you and Sly after he¡¯s done. Here let me give you two your ranks actually¡± he explained as he tapped around some windows, Kyle received a couple notifications.
{You have been promoted within the guild [Serenity] to the rank of [SER Shadow Lord] by player [Birse]}
{Member [SlyOkami] has been promoted within the guild [Serenity] to the rank of [SER War Lord] by player [Birse]}
¡°Alright then¡­how did that guy and Kyll do it¡­let¡¯s see..¡± Sly mumbled to himself as he held his throat with one hand and coughed a couple times before nodding, his voice suddenly became sharper and louder as he spoke over everybody else ¡°To those standing around, wondering what to do now¡± his voice echoed throughout the plaza ¡°Look around you and think of what you see, the weak willed breaking down and losing all faith in themselves, the shit stains of society trying to put their worries on our fucking backs. You¡¯re one of them¡± glares of loathing were sent towards him as he continued to speak ¡°But worry not, your salvation is right here¡± he smirked ¡°Do you want to sit there and get trampled over by the incoming waves or will you stand?¡± he spoke louder now ¡°Will you get up on your two damn feet and hold your ground?! Will you fight back!? Do you have it in you to shed the blood of those who seek to shed yours!? Nobody will protect you, nobody will have your back. You¡¯re on your own and a fool if you think that help will come, it won¡¯t¡±. Nobody responded to him as he paused expecting one, he sighed ¡°If you have it, then bring it to us. We¡¯ll make good use of it, we¡¯ll make good use of you. We are the Blood Pack Mercenaries currently known as Serenity, you may know of us from Rune shock? You may also know us from the coliseum and or pvp leaderboards of that game. I am known by many names, Blood Bath, Maniac zerker¡± he chuckled ¡°my current occupation as fucking loud speaker. I am Sly, the self-proclaimed bloodthirsty lord of war. But¡­you may call me your interviewer for the day, if you come by the west gate within¡­Hhmm¡­Yo Birse when should they come by?¡± Sly scratched his head as he asked the question. Birse held his face in contemplation ¡°Two hours, we¡¯ll have everything settled by then¡± he responded, Sly nodded ¡°West gate in two hours, the UI¡¯s clock is gone so I hope you can figure out a way to tell the time cause I sure cannot¡± he ended his speech with a laugh. ¡°Alright let¡¯s head to the general mart, I got some things to ask around. Sly, Kyll you two get your classes sorted there at the second floor obelisk¡± Birse glanced at the direwolf Kurt ¡°Sly you also need to tell me where you got that mount¡±. Ch 14 - Lord of? ¡°Alright you two head up to get your classes, or do you have no class available yet?¡± Birse asked as he stood with the others gather around him, ¡°Well we actually should have unique classes available, Kyll you still got the Snow Blur?¡± Sly turned to ask him. Kyle glanced back before turning to look at the massive store entrance before them ¡°It¡¯s in my inventory, oh and Birse take this for the guild bank¡±, Kyle opened his inventory with a thought and momentarily watched the Snow Blur jumping from slot to slot. He selected his gold and took out a couple hundred coins leaving himself a hundred twenty, two leather pouches appeared in his palms which he handed to Birse who took them with a grin ¡°If only you all were merchants like us, damn bums¡± he glanced towards Sly as he put the gold inside his own inventory. ¡°We¡¯ll ask around for information regarding this ¡®Lilliana¡¯, this is basically a central merching hub. Information is nothing more than a product, we¡¯ll purchase whatever we can¡± Birse explained as he gestured them inside, ¡°Go ahead and head up, we¡¯ll meet back here in a bit¡± he said as he walked away from the group. ¡°Yo I¡¯ll ask the guards, they may know some things the merchants don¡¯t¡± Death announced as he walked over to speak with the ones beside them. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll talk with the bartenders up top¡± Skill shrugged as he walked away. ¡°What about you Seren?¡± Sly asked the healer. She hummed in thought ¡°Hey lend me your wolf I¡¯ll go ask around the other shops¡±. Sly frowned ¡°Don¡¯t pull his fur and don¡¯t let anybody else touch him¡­Don¡¯t wanna be held accountable for lost limbs¡­or lives¡­¡° he patted the direwolf¡¯s neck ¡°Go with her, don¡¯t kill, bite, scratch, trash, pummel, throw, drop or injure in any way you got that you bastard?¡±. The Direwolf stared Sly in the eye momentarily before growling ¡°No pulling fur¡­¡± it responded. Kyle and Seren stared at the beast in shock ¡°It talks!?¡± they both reacted with. Sly chuckled ¡°He didn¡¯t before the bond, you heard him Seren no playing with his fur or the tail either to be frank¡­¡±. Seren frowned ¡°Can I pet it at least?¡±, Sly shook his head as he sighed ¡°Whatever, don¡¯t blame me if you lose an arm¡±. Seren put on a victorious smile as she petted the wolf¡¯s snout ¡°We¡¯ll be good friends won¡¯t we?¡± she asked the wolf, Kurt whined as it tried to step away in fear but was unable as Seren held it¡¯s snout in a vice like grip ¡°Aww it¡¯s purring, come on doggy¡± she turned away just as Kurt spun around to run. Seren grabbed hold of it¡¯s tail and pulled the huge wolf with her as she walked, Kurt whined and howled out at Sly the whole time as it scratched at the ground trying to escape. ¡°Will it¡­be okay?¡± Kyle asked as he watched the pitiful scene. Sly shrugged ¡°It¡¯s a direwolf not a dog, what could she possibly do to it?¡±. They both turned to enter the Generalmart, Kyle spied Seren pulling Kurt towards the dye store before walking in. ¡°Yo I¡¯ll go ahead and pick class you go turn in that fried hare¡± Sly waved as he walked off towards the staircase, ¡°Yeah¡­Alright¡± Kyle responded. He glanced around at the mostly empty Generalmart, (¡°Has everyone heard what¡¯s going on?¡±) he wondered as he watched a handful of adventurers walking around not including his guild. Walking towards one of the desks he opened his inventory and tapped at the almost hairless Snow Blur, it leaped off onto another inventory slot. Kyle grimaced as he raised both hands, using the left he made the hare leap away and almost immediately after he tapped with the right just as the beast entered the slot. He grabbed the Snow Blur as it hovered limp in front of him, closing his inventory he approached the salesman he had spoken to before ¡°Here¡¯s the blur¡± he raised the hare into the desk. The salesman stared down at the poor Snow Blur in amazement ¡°What ha-¡± he coughed his throat clear ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll handle it from here sir¡± he took the hare into his arms and it disappeared into a white mist that quickly dissipated. ¡°Here is your reward sir¡± he forwarded both hands open towards him as suddenly a small cloth pouch appeared in one and a red orb-like gem in the other. Kyle wordlessly took the rewards and dumped the coin pouch into his inventory, he momentarily stared at the class gem ¡°What do you know about companions dying?¡± he then suddenly asked the salesman. The man¡¯s eyes widened in shock as the other salespersons that overheard glanced towards Kyle, ¡°Sir I¡¯m sorry but¡­a companionship contract is¡­a bond beyond death. If you¡¯ve lost your companion you will be unable to contract with another, due to your companion¡¯s soul still being bound to you¡­¡± the salesman bowed slightly ¡°My condolences¡±. ¡°The soul of the companion remains bound to the master correct?¡± Kyle continued to question him, he straightened up and returned to his earlier professional demeanour ¡°Yes¡­You may see that fact by opening your companion window¡± he explained. Kyle remained expressionless as he stared at the man ¡°Can companions be revived somehow then?¡±, the salesman shook his head ¡°They cannot, their bodies are gone and to recreate a body that perfectly matches the soul¡­it is impossible without a Deity¡¯s assistance¡±. Kyle¡¯s eyes narrowed ¡°What Deities is there?¡±, a spark of hope within his voice. The salesman shook his head once more ¡°If you wish to learn about the Deities you should speak to a priest, unfortunately this continent is free of the religious and only the capital holds a place of worship¡±. Kyle frowned ¡°Why is that?¡± (¡°I¡¯ve had my suspicions but..¡±) he thought he knew the reason but didn¡¯t want to come down to that conclusion yet. ¡°The Elves worshipped the Goddess of nature, the HalfBeasts worshipped The Ancients, the Dwarves worshipped the God of steel, the Scalarians worshipped the God of fire and the Humans worshipped the twin Gods of light and darkness while shunning their older brother the God of shadows¡± the salesman explained¡°But none of them came to our aide when the demons and Devils appeared, none but the God of Fae who was betrayed by his own daughter the one you saw earlier today, the one we call Goddess of envy. Oberon he was called, Deity and King of the Fae races. Along with the gathered heroes of each blessed race they fought the Dezol demon legions on the old Dwarven continent of Ruk, a shared continent. You see once the Dwarves and Fae lived together within Ruk, the Fae lived above with nature while the Dwarves lived beneath with the earth¡± he paused ¡°The Fae disappeared first¡±. The salesman crossed his arms and closed his eyes as he continued his telling ¡°The demons appeared out of nowhere, corrupting and devouring all Fae in their path. The Fae Queen Titania, Goddess of blades¡­fought hard to defend her people as some escaped off the continent trying to make it through the ocean¡­In the meantime the Dwarves locked themselves inside their forts and hid¡­nobody knows what happened to them next¡­Some say the Devil Kings joined the fighting¡­it was a massacre¡±.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Kyle stared down at the desk as the salesman continued to speak ¡°We worship none of the Gods because there is no point worshipping a being who won¡¯t defend you in your time of need, very little still believe in their power¡­¡± he sighed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss but that is all I know, if you want further information on the Deities then head to Eslet but don¡¯t get your hopes up adventurer¡± the man explained. Kyle nodded ¡°One last question, what happened to Oberon?¡±. The salesman¡¯s expression became downcast ¡°After leading what remained of his people and the Dwarves to our continent of Barik, he gathered the heroes of the Blade, Spear, Arrow, Frost and Darkness. They fought back the demon legions who crossed the ocean chasing after Oberon but he was captured in battle due to his daughter¡¯s betrayal and dragged away to sea¡­The legions never returned after that¡­not until now at least¡­¡±. Kyle glanced at the other salespersons and their expressions ¡°What will you do now?¡±. The man grimaced ¡°We¡¯ll fight if we have to, die if we must. This is our home, our relief from the Elven Empire, relief from the Orc Horde, relief from the Ogre Dynasty¡±. ¡°Will none of them help you defend yourselves?¡± Kyle pushed for more information but suddenly another individual joined the conversation, ¡°The racial kingdoms do not care for us, we are out-laws, fugitives, human friendly or simply¡­human¡± a grizzled old man walked up to the counter. ¡°They are too busy defending their own beaches from the Devil Kings, we already have demonic presence on our continent. They have no use for already corrupted land, for a weaker chess piece than the ones they already control¡± the man was entirely human looking within his sixties but still fairly fit, he wore rusty old chain mail with leather armour beneath it and had a short sword strapped to his side. ¡°What brings you to these parts sir?¡± the salesman asked the old man, a pleased smile on his face. ¡°Duty¡­and personal¡± he answered grimly, ¡°I rushed here the moment I heard the news, the capital is in disarray¡±. Kyle frowned at the old man¡¯s statement ¡°The capital? Has the news reached it already?¡± he asked, a confused expression on his face. The old man chuckled ¡°Son the Dominion has agents all over the continent, how do you think they control such a free kingdom? Damn politics¡­¡± he looked around at the salesman ¡°Here¡¯s the request, pass it on to your manager as soon as you can¡± he handed the salesman a white scroll of paper rolled around two expertly crafted wooden handles with a sword¡¯s pummel at each end. ¡°I shall immediately, sir is there anything else you may require of me?¡± the salesman asked Kyle, ¡°No I¡¯m done here, thank you¡± Kyle replied before turning away and began heading towards the staircase. ¡°Hey kid¡± suddenly the old man called out to him, Kyle glanced back ¡°Yeah?¡±. The old man was staring directly at him as he stood straight with arms crossed, with his grey short hair and cold green eyes Kyle thought he looked like some old war veteran. The old man stared at him with a frown ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± he finally asked, ¡°Kyllix, you?¡± Kyle asked back. ¡°Draxxer, Draxxer Blade of the Esfeltian military. Tell me Kyllix, what do you think of the Goddess you spoke to earlier?¡± Draxxer stared him straight in the eye awaiting an answer, Kyle smirked (¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­¡±) ¡°Your people¡¯s use of the words ¡®God¡¯, ¡®Goddess¡¯ and ¡®Immortal¡¯ is unreasonable, they don¡¯t need an army to destroy a continent. That being isn¡¯t all powerful¡± his eyes became sharp and wide just as before he spoke with complete seriousness albeit the smile ¡°That means she can bleed, if she can bleed then she can feel pain and if she can feel pain¡­¡± he let it trail off and turned to walk away. Draxxer chuckled ¡°The larger they are the harder they fall huh?¡± he mused, he turned to walk out of the building. Just before Kyle began climbing the stairs he glanced back at Draxxer and inspected him
Draxxer [Blademaster]-[{Beast of Chaos}] (Hero of the blessed blade) ???
Kyle¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as he quickly turned and rushed after Draxxer, he stepped out of the Generalmart and looked outside. He looked around the small amount of town folk but Draxxer was gone, (¡°That format¡­name¡­classes¡­title¡­level¡­A player?...Beast of Chaos, Hero...¡±) Kyle¡¯s mind raced with questions ¡°What the fuck¡¯s going on?!¡± he groaned as he rubbed his forehead. ¡°Yo Kyll what¡¯s up?¡± Kyle turned to find Sly frowning at him, ¡°He¡­I¡­there¡­¡± Kyle groaned in annoyance once again ¡°I have a headache¡­¡± he rubbed his eyes. Sly shrugged ¡°I didn¡¯t see you come up so I thought something was wrong, came down to check on you all but the others are still gathering information and you¡¯re just standing around here bitching about headaches. What happened?¡± he chuckled as he spoke. Kyle sighed ¡°A lot, I¡¯ll tell you all after I¡¯ve put my head back together¡­I¡¯m off to get my class¡± he walked around Sly and headed back to the staircase which he ascended. (¡°I figured he was someone important from that scroll and the speed at which he appeared here¡­All the way from the capital? How far is that? Teleportation? Some insane travel method? Not just that but¡­is he of this world? Or ours?¡±) Kyle contemplated the recent and sudden events as he climbed the stairs. He stopped the moment he reached the top and studied the second floor, in the very middle was a single large obelisk similar to the ones in the plaza, except this one held each of the weapon statues as a single one. To one far side of the second floor was a large bar with half a dozen bartenders behind it, the rest of the floor was full of tables, mostly small round tables but a couple long ones lined the sides by the wall. The place was fairly packed with players, almost half the tables were full and the atmosphere couldn¡¯t be any more depressing. He walked up to the obelisk ¡°Yo Kyll¡± suddenly Skill called out to him from one of the circular tables, Kyle turned and walked in his direction ¡°Hey, was about to unlock my class¡±. Skill hummed in thought as he stared emptily ¡°Just sit down, you can interact with it from anywhere around here by focusing on it¡± he explained while continuing to stare, Kyle figured he was staring at some window ¡°What you up to?¡± he asked as he pulled back a chair and sat down. ¡°Looking at the map, something just doesn¡¯t make sense¡± Skill explained, ¡°What doesn¡¯t make sense?¡± Kyle opened his own map out of curiosity. ¡°It says this town is called something which I can¡¯t pronounce for the life of me but the locals call it Frosthold, is my map wrong?¡± Skill explained his dilemma. ¡°Maybe the town got its name changed? Your map info might be old news¡± Kyle reasoned while putting away his map. ¡°Yeah you might be right, what¡¯s the point of a town having two names¡± he shrugged ¡°So what class you going for? Some unique shit Sly was talking about earlier, what did you guys get your hands on?¡± he asked with curiosity. Kyle glanced at the obelisk and suddenly the class gem in his hand lit up bright red ¡°A que- mission I completed for someone, got my hands on a legendary item which granted me and Sly the chance of unlocking a unique class within the Lord category, after we paid a hefty fee that is¡­¡± a window opened in front of him ¡°What happens when I pick a class exactly?¡± he asked as he stared at his only current option. Skill bent his head back as he hummed in thought ¡°Difficult to explain¡­different for everyone¡­there is only one similarity though, we all had a trial to pass. Like I got transported to some forest or some shit and when I came back it was like time hadn¡¯t even passed, same goes for the others it all happened in an instant¡± he explained ¡°Sly had the weirdest one I¡¯ve heard of so far, some crap about ether¡­ethir¡­ethereal! Yeah that, some shit about ethereal beings. Don¡¯t even get me to pronounce what he called them cause boy I¡¯ll slit your throat¡± he joked. ¡°Trial huh?¡± Kyle glanced up at his indifferent expression then stared back at the class (¡°Lord of Slime¡­a timeless trial¡­¡±) a shiver went down his spine as he remembered his last encounter with slimes, ¡°Fuck it let¡¯s go¡± he gave up pondering on it. Skill smirked ¡°See you in a moment¡± he made a peace sign with his right hand, Kyle slowly tapped acquire (¡°Please don¡¯t be t-¡±) his thoughts were cut midway as reality suddenly blacked out. Kyle felt nothing, saw nothing, heard nothing and smelled nothing, not even the feeling of drifting in empty space or the feeling of any part of his body at all. He felt nothing, he only was. His thoughts the only semblance of existence he still held (¡°What is this¡­where¡­¡±) he scrambled his mind trying to understand what had occurred. (¡°Listen to it trying to understand¡±) a voice suddenly spoke but he heard nothing, he heard it but he did not. (¡°Telepathy?¡±) Kyle thought as he recovered from his surprise, (¡°Who or what are you¡±) he asked. (¡°It doesn¡¯t understand but it knows¡±) the voice spoke again, Kyle felt strange listening to it as it sounded familiar but he couldn¡¯t understand how. (¡°It has doubts but it also holds truths¡±) the voice riddled, Kyle quickly grew tired of it (¡°I don¡¯t have time for your riddles, what are you¡±). Suddenly Kyle could feel his body ¡°Wha¡­¡± he heard his own voice as he spoke, realisation came upon him ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡±. The voice chuckled ¡°I am not you child, worry not for that is true¡± the voice reassured. ¡°Then why do you¡­sound like me?¡± Kyle asked as he tried to feel around the darkness. ¡°I sound like what you believe my being would sound like¡± the voice answered, ¡°More riddles¡­¡± Kyle sighed as he crouched down to feel the ground. ¡°Where is this¡­¡± he asked as he felt nothing below his feet but stood above something nonetheless, ¡°This? This is what you believe it to be, what you want it to be, sometimes what you cannot control it from being¡± the voice answered back in another riddle. Kyle stood back up ¡°This is my mind¡± he answered ¡°What are you¡± he quickly questioned the voice again, suddenly he felt a hand on his left shoulder and reached out to it but felt nothing but his own shoulder when he did. ¡°I? I use to have a name, my kind use to have many. None of which you will know or understand, none of which matter anymore¡± the voice answered sadly, ¡°Are you a God?¡± Kyle asked as his body began to tense. ¡°No¡± the voice answered bluntly ¡°We are neither Gods nor Devils, we are neither good or evil, strong or weak, we simply are. We share only a single with them, we are immortal but we are also mortal. We never die yet we do, we are an existence of the physical and of spirit yet separate¡± the voice continued to riddle, Kyle thought hard over this one causing the voice to chuckle in amusement ¡°I know what you are but at the same time I do not, I know you are a slime yet I do not know what a slime is¡± he answered. The voice chuckled once more but this time it was no longer Kyle¡¯s voice, it had changed and warped as if static on a radio ¡°You speak true. We are the embodiment of misunderstanding, the soul of knowledge¡±. Kyle dared not take a step as he recovered from the surprise that came with this change ¡°Misunderstanding¡­ wrong¡­ knowledge¡­ truth¡­¡± his mind raced to put things together ¡°You are fake yet you are real¡­ you exist yet you do not¡­ emotion?... no¡­ faith¡­ neither¡­¡±. Kyle ignored the darkness as he closed his eyes and let his arms fall to his sides, he focused on one thing and one thing only, thought. ¡°Your body and soul both exist yet are separate therefore are not a complete living being, you are consciousness. You are the understanding of your own existence separate from your physical body, the slime is the physical body while you are it¡¯s thoughts. It is reason while you are it¡¯s sentience¡­¡± Kyle answered where his thoughts took him, he broke down the riddles and changed the main words indicated into their synonyms or further. A second hand held onto his other shoulder as the voice suddenly spoke from behind him ¡°Yes, that I am. That is what I am, thank you.¡± it spoke as if it itself had forgotten ¡°You have passed the trial, now I shall give you what you passed for although the reward was unknown to you¡± the voice suddenly began speaking in some strange language as it made sounds impossible to pronounce while leaving blanks where it didn¡¯t sound like it should have. ¡°You are of ours now, as such you require a name of ours. This name will hold your power, your existence, your reality. Go forth child for I name you¡± the hands suddenly pushed Kyle forward as he no longer felt the ground beneath him. ¡°Kyle Dean, Kyllix Void¡± Kyle fell through the unending abyss of darkness as the voice echoed his name. Ch 15 - Dealing with the fallout ¡°Hey I think he¡¯s back¡± someone spoke from behind him as Kyle slowly opened his eyes to be met with an array of notifications
{Classification trial complete}
{You have earned the [{Lord of Slimes}] unique class}
{Title unlocked [{Void}] as unique}
{Class [{Lord of Slimes}] Passive skill [Slime Body] unlocked}
{Class [{Lord of Slimes}] Passive skill [Slime Shift] unlocked}
{Class [{Lord of Slimes}] Active skill [Core Overload] unlocked}
{Title [{Void}] Active skill [{Named}] unlocked}
{Class [{Lord of Slimes}] has unlocked hidden attributes of skill [Ooze]}
Kyle glanced around himself ¡°Where am I?¡± he asked in confusion as he looked around the Generalmart¡¯s second floor, he was still sitting on his chair while resting on the table. ¡°General store second floor, looks like you¡¯re back. Sure gave us a fright there¡± Birse sighed as he sat down to his left, Skill and Sly were already sitting down to his right. ¡°What¡­uhh¡± he groaned as he held onto his forehead ¡°What happened?¡±, he somehow earned himself a splitting headache. ¡°You straight up passed out and hit the table face first, was entertaining to watch honestly¡± Skill answered a bit too honestly. ¡°Wait so time continued to pass? How long was I out?¡± Kyle ignored Skill and continued to ask as he glanced around. ¡°Meh couple minutes, Death and Seren are already off to gather the recruits¡± Sly answered from atop his direwolf who lay on the ground sleeping, a red paint job of claw marks on it¡¯s face, sides, ears and tail. ¡°What did I miss?¡± Kyle asked as he opened his skill books and read through his new skills and title.
{Title [{Void}]: Ghosts of the past have deemed you worthy of a small fraction their power, this name symbolizes your existence;
Void resistance + 50% Active skill [{Named}]
{Title [{Void}] Active skill [{Named}] (Set Skill Stats): Call upon your given improving the bond between you and your companion no matter the distance in between
All companion stats + 10,000% Uses: 2 (Maximum of 2 uses) Stack recharge rate: +1 Use per 2,678,400 seconds (44,650 minutes/ 744 hours/ 31 days/ 1 month)
{Class [{Lord of Slimes}] Active skill [Core Overload] ((EXP 0%) Level 1 ¨C Tier 1): Send your monster core into an overload eating away all your mana and summoning twice the amount of slime [Ooze] would have created;
Mana regeneration is disabled for 120 seconds Mana regen effects are nullified for 120 seconds Slime control upkeep cost is disabled for 60 seconds Mana exhaustion effect is postponed for 90 seconds
{Active}[Ooze(Frost)] ((EXP 41%) Level 1 ¨C Tier 1): Ooze out slime through your skin that can be controlled by your will and mana
Activation Cost: 0.03 mana per millilitre Upkeep Cost: (2 mana per 0.5 Litres) per second Current slime type: (Ice) variation (Frost) (Frost effect): Causes attacks to cast [Frostbite] debuff [Frostbite]: 0.5% of targets cHP per 2 seconds for 10 seconds (Stacks up to 1 times)
{Class [{Lord of Slimes}] Passive skill [Slime Shift] ((EXP 0%) Level 1 ¨C Tier 1): Shift your body to slime on contact with deadly attacks, your body is then slowly regenerated;
Passive is disabled if [Monster Core] is damaged Maximum health is reduced (1% mHP per 30 millilitres of slime created from [Slime Shift]) Regeneration speed: (0.8 seconds per 1% of missing cHP)
{Class [{Lord of Slimes}] Passive skill [Slime Body] ((EXP 0%) Level 1 ¨C Tier 1): All slime property magic cast increases your maximum Health;
0.5% mHP per 100 millilitres of slime created (Slime from skill [Slime Shift] is counted) Kyle paid Sly no attention what so ever as he read through his new and improved skills ¡°This¡­¡± his mouth fell open as he fought to find the words. ¡°You reading through your new skills?¡± Sly guessed as he chuckled ¡°Yeah mine are insane as well, mobility wise I¡¯m more of an assassin but my fucking AOE range is mind blowing¡± he explained. ¡°Birse¡¯s class is just as insane though, you should of seen him tanking that Yeti¡± Skill joined in. ¡°Let¡¯s get back on topic guys, Kyll did you gain any valuable information?¡± Birse chided before asking. Kyle regained his composure and straightened up ¡°Tell me what you know first so we don¡¯t have repeated information, I¡¯m guessing most of what I know you already do too¡± he took a guess that Oberon¡¯s failure was common knowledge. They went over their information ¡°This continent is a joined kingdom of the different races¡± Birse began recounting ¡°Separate from the other kingdoms which are the Elven empire, Orc horde, Ogre dynasty, Avian alliance and Mer nation. This kingdom is known as the Esfelt Dominion whose allies are the Avian alliance, Mer nation and Jalran human tribes, each that live around the continent of Barik who¡¯s original people were the Half-Beasts. The Mer live in the sea around it while the Avians live on their flying kingdom of Ouroboros, as for the Jalran they live on their tropical islands to the south of Barik called the Spire Isles. Thankfully any player that selected Jalran as their main human race started out down in Kaledd with the other humans, same goes for the Kalak human players. The Kalak human tribe on the other hand is a hostile tribe that live on an island offshore of the Elven Empire, from the description I¡¯d say they are similar to the Vikings of ancient Earth¡±. Birse sighed as he laid back into the chair ¡°That¡¯s the geographical information I could obtain¡­as for history through Death and Seren we know about the Demon war that happened around forty years ago, the demons appeared out of nowhere on the continent of Ruk where the Dwarves and Fae races use to be situated. The Fae king and god Oberon abandoned the continent along with his daughter, people and the Dwarves after the main Fae city fell to the appearance of the Devil Kings along with the death of his Queen and Goddess of Blades Titania in battle. They sailed to Barik where the Esfelt Dominion was already situated and gathered five of their military commanders to back them up with the pretence of defending the continent, five who are now known as the Heroes of Blade, Spear, Arrow, Frost and Darkness. Oberon and his new army readied their defences for the shores of Barik, along with the dwarves they built magical artillery and waited four years for the demons to cross the ocean. The defending army grew lax within this time period, wondering if the demons would even cross. The demons sent their main legion lead by two Devil kings to attack the shores of Barik, nobody knows how they crossed the ocean as they simply appeared around the area now called the cursed land, where Oberon built his primary fort and gathered his magical defences. The Devil kings and their legion crushed the defending army and captured Oberon due to the betrayal of his daughter Lilliana who summoned the portal for the Devil kings to enter the fort directly, it seems Oberon was taken back to Ruk by one of the Devil kings and his daughter. The remaining Devil king took over the fort and it¡¯s defences with the remaining legion and prepared to take over the whole continent, the five heroes gathered their forces and with assistance from the Mage Guilds from the Tower of Mana they built the mana wall that separates the cursed land from the rest while the Mer nation¡¯s military defends the waters around it. Seeing that they had been surrounded the Devil king and his legion fully set up shop and rebuilt the fort which is now known as the Devil¡¯s Eye, an island fort surrounded by a powerful magical barrier that occasionally spawns demons.¡± Birse grimaced ¡°The Mage Guilds frequently bombard the cursed land with powerful holy magic to cleanse the demons but the barrier remains unaffected and the Devil King never leaves his fort while nobody knows the exact numbers of the legion that resides in there with him¡±. Birse sighed ¡°We have an incoming unknown army, an army hidden in our land and unknown amount of support¡­we don¡¯t know when they will come, we don¡¯t know what the enemies on Barik will do and we do not know what the kingdoms will respond with. Too many unknowns for me, how about you guys?¡± he raises his right hand ¡°It¡¯s good thing we have a strategist for leader right?¡± he grins as he points his thumb at himself. ¡°I don¡¯t like where this is going¡­¡± Sly rests his arms onto the table and holds onto his head. ¡°What do you have for us cap?¡± Skill asks as he plays around with his knives. ¡°First I¡¯d like to hear what Kyll¡¯s got for me, who was that soldier you were speaking with earlier?¡± Birse asks him as the others turned to also listen in. Kyle sighed before answering ¡°Draxxer Blade military officer of Esfelt and Hero of the Blade¡±. Sly¡¯s interest peaks as he straightens himself to listen, Skill cuts himself from the surprise and Birse simply stares at Kyle ¡°And you didn¡¯t think to tell me about it?¡± he asks bluntly. ¡°I didn¡¯t know when I was speaking to him, I inspected him as he left and when I rushed out to find him he was already gone. He said he came from the capital so I imagine he either has a teleportation ability or some sort of high speed travel capabilities, with how quickly he arrived he¡¯s probably back at the capital already¡± Kyle explained the event that transpired and gave his thoughts. Birse shook his head ¡°That would have been too good a source of information, we¡¯ll keep an eye out for him here. As for you three, I need you all to form a party and travel down to Kaledd where the rest of the player base is settled. We¡¯ll need all the help we can get and more than half the players are over there, including Soren and Silvaragon due to the races they picked. Regroup with them and recruit anybody you can along with any large guilds that have control of that area, then bring them up here to me¡± he glanced at all three of them ¡°Can I ask you three to do this?¡± they all immediately nodded in agreement. ¡°Good, now let¡¯s go check on the recruits. Being guild leader my notifications are being spammed with them, I really wish the chat still worked but we¡¯ll have to make due¡± Birse sighed as he stood up. ¡°How many so far?¡± Sly asks as the others also leave their seats. Birse stares off at his guild window momentarily ¡°Not including us six we have 238 members already, Death and Cross have their hands more than full right now¡±. Skill whistled ¡°Our boy¡¯s got a way with words¡± he slapped Sly¡¯s shoulder.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Nothing pumps a crowd of gamers more than calling them useless and weak, I knew they¡¯d stand back up but that¡¯s still quite the number so soon¡± Sly exclaims in amazement. They leave the table and walk to the staircase ¡°What else did you expect from a VRMMORPG? Even if many couldn¡¯t afford the equipment they worked their asses off to purchase it, we don¡¯t have the player base of your average MMORPG release but it still goes over the thousands easily.¡± Birse explains as they move towards the exit. ¡°Split up the player base due to the racial starting areas and drop the numbers we know of other large guilds and the amount of guild-less players is still very high, I expect us to be the size of a zerg guild by the time you three arrive at Kaledd. As for the other guilds we¡¯ll deal with the ones here and I¡¯ll be leaving Sly in-charge of your party. Sly I don¡¯t need to mention how to deal with unruly brats right?¡± Birse ends his sentence grimly and glances at Sly. He responds with just as grim a tone ¡°All loose ends will be taken care of, they either side with us or be fed to the wolf¡± he pets his direwolf¡¯s back as it growls in response. They end their conversation there as all four exit the Generalmart and silently find their way through the town¡¯s streets. --- Kyle had been playing around with his Ooze skill as they made their way through the streets and was rewarded with a pleasant surprise as he figured out more of his Frost attribute¡¯s effects.
{Through further testing you have unlocked the [Freeze] effect for the [Ooze(Frost)] skill!}
{Through training the skill [Ooze(Frost)] has reached mid-tier 1 level 5! Attribute upgrade is available!]
He opened his skill book to receive a prompt window with multiple choices, he studied the choices as they approached the west gate.
{Attribute effects of (Frost) are kept, further attribute upgrades progress through each attribute owned meaning that all upgrades for (Frost) can be earned later on.}
{Warning skills tier cap is 15 therefore you are limited to 30 attribute upgrades.} {(Frost) (Ice) Effects: [Packed Ice]; Condense rapidly through more slime generation, [Fracturing]; Rapidly condense, fracture and explode} {(Frost) (Cold) Effects: [Cold Mist]; Turn into a freezing mist, [Cold Puddle]; Turn to sticky liquid while retaining temperature} {(Frost) (Snow) Effects: [Blizzard]; Turn into a flurry of snow flakes, [Snow Touch]; Physical contact causes a spread of [Frostbite] which spreads on further contact} (¡°So no matter which I pick I¡¯ll be able to get the rest later¡­how many attributes does each element have? Frost, ice, cold, snow and what else could this one have? Guess I¡¯ll take Ice for now, Packed Ice will help with my previous Idea¡­Fracturing is a welcomed bonus¡±) he made his selection but before he could go back to playing with his skills they walked through the west gate. ¡°Yo!¡± Skill exclaimed as he laughed in amazement, Kyle closed his windows and looked forward. Hundreds of players stood or sat around outside the west gate almost filling the opening between the walls and trees, heads turned as the group stepped out of town. Kyle searched the crowd to find Death and Seren arguing with some Eternium members. ¡°On me¡± Birse commanded as he walked towards the heating up disturbance, Death¡¯s arms were on fire and Seren¡¯s staff was glowing. ¡°What do you want Zeeke?¡± Birse asked as he stepped through between Death and Seren who stepped back, the Eternium guild leader glared at Birse as his guild mates stood behind him. ¡°Your mass recruitment is taking in my members Birse, I cannot allow that¡± he explained bluntly. Birse smirked ¡°And how is that my problem? Get your shit together then, don¡¯t come bitching to me¡±. Zeeke slammed his shield down in frustration ¡°You¡¯re here recruiting and building up an army when we should be retreating to Kaledd with everyone to join up with the rest of the players!¡± he continued to raise his voice ¡°You¡¯re dividing our numbers where as we have no contact with the others! We need to regroup quickly instead of defending some back water town!¡±. Birse chuckled in amusement ¡°And give more ground to the enemy? Give up a respawn point?¡± he stepped closer to Zeeke ¡°Let the enemy have a free landing zone? Leave prospective allies to die on their own?¡± Birse gestured to the town. Zeeke¡¯s arm moved to his sword as his officers unsheathed their weapons, Nakano moved to grab Zeeke¡¯s shoulder. Suddenly multiple bursts of power made them all take a step back as the Serenity members moved first, Death burst into flames as he blasted two Eternium warriors into ashes, Skill locked down Nakano with two arrows per shoulder disabling her arms, Sly burst forth engulfed in a violet aura throwing three of their members off into the forest, Seren began chanting magic as a thin layer of orange and green glimmering aura covered the other¡¯s bodies, Kyle surged forward his arms covered in blue slime that quickly froze over into two spikes which he then used to impale two of what he guessed to be their mages. Zeeke glanced around his defeated officers as he quickly unsheathed his sword and raised his giant shield, Birse¡¯s arms burst into pitch black energy as demon-like gauntlets appeared. Zeeke¡¯s expression was one of rage as he lunged forward, Birse sidestepped the sword opposite to the shield and quickly stepped forwards as shadows oozed out of his body. He grabbed hold of Zeeke¡¯s sword arm and pulled it off as flesh tore, armour cracked and bones broke. Zeeke screamed in agony as Birse grabbed onto his neck with one shadowy claw, Zeeke let go of his shield making it fall onto the snow as he was raised up from it. ¡°Unlike you who focuses on numbers and mass combat, we¡¯re always ready to slit your throat. Taking us on was stupid¡± Birse chuckled coldly ¡°I don¡¯t care how many times it has to be until it gets through your thick skull, I¡¯ll crack it over and over until you understand¡± he clenched his hand and Zeeke began to choke unable to breathe. The remaining Eternium members watched in shock unable to move or speak, the other players watched in horror not knowing how to react. ¡°End this foolishness!¡± A mana infused voice echoed through the crowd as the town guards rushed out to surround the skirmish, ¡°I will not permit such combat outside my walls¡± a grizzled guard walked up to them, unarmed and only wearing white leather armour lined with silver. Kyle glanced his way as the mages died from frostbite in his arms, he inspected the guard.
City Guard Captain [Jonathan Rainer Lis¡¯colt] Level ???
The guard captain was an old grizzled Half-beast with snow white cat ears but no visible tail, dirty blonde hair and moustache streaked with grey. (¡°A connection¡­Should come in useful¡±) Kyle thought as he grinned, (¡°At the very least¡­blackmail¡±) ending his line of thought Kyle dissipated his magic letting the dying players drop to the ground as he turned to face their new obstacle. Birse turned to face Jonathan while still holding onto the choking Zeeke. Jonathan grimaced ¡°Release him¡± he ordered. ¡°Ah guard captain, we¡¯re only taking out the trash¡± Birse threw Zeeke sideways making him crash and roll on the ground, he walked up to Jonathan and forwarded his hand ¡°I do not believe in first impressions, do you?¡± Birse asked him. Jonathan studied Birse¡¯s claw like hand as the shadows quickly engulfed the gauntlets and dissipated, the gauntlets completely gone. ¡°And who might you be adventurer?¡± Jonathan asked as he took Birse¡¯s hand to shake. ¡°I am Birse, Leader of the Serenity guild. I¡¯ve been wondering if I should come to meet you first¡± Birse smiled. Jonathan frowned ¡°For what reason?¡± he asked letting go of the shake. Birse opened his arms wide gesturing all around him ¡°I¡¯m building an army of adventurers to defend this town, isn¡¯t it obvious that I would work with said town¡¯s guards?¡± his smile grew into a grin ¡°Or do you not require our assistance? Will the capital be sending reinforcements?¡±. Jonathan¡¯s grimace returned as he answered ¡°No, not yet. Frosthold is at the very edge of the dominion¡¯s territory, reinforcements from the other side will take weeks to arrive even by sea¡±. ¡°Well then how about this guard captain?¡± Birse walked up to him and grabbed his shoulder as he stood by him ¡°You leave us adventurers to choose our own leadership, we¡¯ll assist you in the defence. The trash wanted us to fall back to Kaledd but I have different plans, what about it Captain? Who will you support?¡± he gestured at Zeeke who began standing up while coughing. Jonathan squinted his eyes in thought momentarily, ¡°Men withdraw weapons, the town guard will no longer act against the guild Serenity as by war decree of alliance¡± he glanced at Zeeke before staring at Kyle who walked up to him and Birse. Kyle whispered ¡°Thank you for your assistance in this matter Guard Captain Lis¡¯colt¡­¡± he smirked as he continued to whisper ¡°Your daughter must be proud¡±. Jonathan¡¯s eyes went wide with fury before he quickly regained his composure. He clenched his fists as he stared at Kyle reading his expression, ¡°How do you-¡± he began to ask before Kyle cut him off . ¡°It is a simple formula of appearance, name, position and facts¡± Kyle glanced at Zeeke ¡°I hope you make¡­the right decisions here Captain¡±. ¡°You will tell me what you know after this¡± Jonathan whispered back before turning to look at Zeeke, he raised his right arm towards him ¡°By decree of state war laws, you are charged of working against the Esfelt Dominion and hereby branded a rebel. Men arrest him¡± he ordered his men. The surviving Eternium and ex-Eternium members stood up to run to their leader but where blocked by the guards, other guards grabbed hold of Zeeke as he tried to fight back but was eventually tied up. Zeeke glared hatred at the Serenity members and Guard captain as he was escorted back into Frosthold, Jonathan glanced away from the escort and at a group of adventurers walking towards them. Karnage grinned at them as she approached with her guild ¡°Well that didn¡¯t turn out quiet like I intended it to¡± she laughed awkwardly. Kyle looked her up and down, a cat Half-beast with black cat ears, tail and long braided hair along violet eyes (¡°How is she leader¡­¡±) he thought to himself. Jonathan stooped slightly ¡°Thank you for calling us over to stop this incident miss adventurer¡±. Karnage waved her arms in front of herself ¡°I just didn¡¯t want the war to start out early!¡± she exclaimed. Birse chuckled ¡°What about you Apok? What will you do?¡± he crossed his arms and stared at them, one of the other players in their group stepped forward. ¡°We¡¯re with you Serenity, we agree with your stratagem of staying albeit your¡­methods¡± the player had short green hair and golden eyes, he was tall with long elven ears and wearing chain armour with leather underneath ¡°I am Apok¡¯s war chief, Zaahr¡± he introduced himself. Kyle eyed the large book under Zaahr¡¯s arm and decided to inspect both of them.
Karnage [BladeDancer] (Mad woman) Level 41
Zaahr [BattleMage] (Studious) Level 42
¡°If you all don¡¯t mind I¡¯d like to speak with you all in private¡± Jonathan gestured to the town ¡°The guard quarters at the gate here will suffice¡±, everyone nodded in agreement and followed him towards town. ¡°Wait¡± Kyle suddenly called out as he remained standing where he stood ¡°Give me a moment¡± he said as he turned around and walked off, blue slime oozed out of his hands as he walked up to Nakano. She was kneeling due to the pain as an arrow jutted out of each of her shoulders, her expression confused and afraid as she watched him approach. He stood in front of her glaring down coldly ¡°You¡¯re just going to lay there trembling?¡± he suddenly grabbed an arrow per hand as the slime rushed inside the wound, she screamed in pain as he kicked her back pulling the arrows out. Nakano fell on her back as she groaned in pain and rolled onto her side. ¡°Fuck! Wh-¡± she cursed but he cut her off. ¡°Stand up, you¡¯re in charge of your people now whether you like it or not. Stop standing around, stop whining about the pain, stop wasting your tears¡± he continued to glare down at her as she stared up in shock. ¡°Will you abandon them? Or will you scheme to use them as meat shields as you hide just like your leader?¡± Kyle raised his voice ¡°Act, do something, anything but standing there and watching everything transpire¡±. He turned around giving her his back ¡°It¡¯s your choice, hide and lick your wounds or show off your scars to move the rest¡± he walked away leaving her laying on the ground. Nakano stared at his back as he followed the others back into town. Jonathan lead them into a room inside the town walls, another door took to the wall¡¯s long corridors. Kyle, Birse, Sly, Karnage and Zaahr had followed and began taking seats around the wooden table in the room. ¡°You, I need to speak with you alone¡± he called out to Kyle as he walked into the wall¡¯s corridors. ¡°Birse will come as well¡± Kyle responded as they both made their way to the doorway. Jonathan nodded ¡°Very well¡± he said as they closed the door behind them. Jonathan stared out of one of the many holes that lay in the wall¡¯s wall as he held onto the stone with one arm, ¡°How do you know about my daughter? Where is she right now?¡± he asked as a sudden pleading tone came with the words he spoke. Kyle¡¯s body stiffened as he noticed the man¡¯s saddened tone, something he couldn¡¯t believe this old warrior could show. ¡°Your daughter is safe and sound, I met her by accident while helping her aunt with a certain mission¡± he responded truthfully as he saw to gain nothing from lying now. Jonathan clenched his fist on the stone wall ¡°Aunt? Is that what she¡¯s calling herself now? Damn you Fiurj¡¯a¡­¡±. His gaze fell down momentarily before he spoke ¡°I never got to meet my daughter, she was taken away from me before birth by her mother. She¡­was never supposed to exist¡­all because of a stupid mistake I made¡­¡± he sighed ¡°Twenty four years ago before I gained my post as guard captain-¡± he began to tell his tale but was cut off. Birse spoke out in amusement ¡°Captain, we do not need to listen to your life¡¯s fuck ups. We¡¯re here for business and that is the end of it¡± he declared. Jonathan¡¯s mouth closed and reopened multiple times before he turned around and spoke ¡°It seems my age is getting the better of me, excuse me for my improfessionality guild leader. Adventurer I only ask of you this one thing, what can you tell me of her? How does she live? Has she found someone? What does she work as?¡° he stared at Kyle as he plead his questions. Kyle glanced at Birse who rolled his eyes then looked back at Jonathan. ¡°Shirley is a master thief, commander of the Dusk Blades bandits. She works for her au-mother unbeknownst to her, she steals, fights and kills to survive and as far as I know she¡¯s alone¡± Kyle glared at Jonathan, not the cold glare he gave Nakano¡­no this glare was full of resentment for the man. ¡°I see¡­¡± Jonathan closed his eyes as he held his emotions back before looking back at the two in front of him ¡°Shall we?¡± he gestured to the door. --- ¡°Commander you can¡¯t possibly be-¡± Nakano stomped through the town gate as her officers followed her healing her injury and pestering her. ¡°Shut it Silent, we have no choice but to listen to them. Zeeke made his choice and failed, I won¡¯t make the same mistake and doom the rest of the guild¡± she stopped in front of the room she saw them enter, a wooden door in the side of the gate¡¯s entrance. ¡°So we¡¯re just giving up on him?...¡± the armoured Elf she called Silent asked as he clenched his fists and looked down ¡°No we aren¡¯t, we won¡¯t but that doesn¡¯t mean that we should side with him. He needs to reflect on himself, you saw how he acted. We cannot trust him to lead anymore¡± she explained bluntly. She knocked on the door ¡°Stay here¡± she ordered them as the door suddenly opened. Zaahr looked back at her as he opened the door fully ¡°Come on in¡± he told her. She nodded and stepped inside, Zaahr closed the door behind them before taking a seat. ¡°Sit down¡± Karnage offered as she gestured to a chair next to her, Nakano silently sat down and glanced around ¡°Where..¡± she wanted to ask where Kyle, Birse and the guard captain where but her voice failed her. ¡°Speaking in private¡± Sly responded as he played around with a violet aura in his right hand, ¡°So you made your decision?¡± he looked up at her as she stared down at the wooden table. She stayed silent and did not answer for several moments before Karnage tried to break the ice ¡°So Na-¡± but was cut off by her. ¡°How do you do it?¡± Nakano asked. ¡°Do what?¡± Karnage asked as she looked at her in confusion. Nakano clenched her fists under the table ¡°Be so calm¡­with everything that is happening¡­I don¡¯t¡­understand¡­¡± she spoke in almost a whisper. ¡°Calm huh?¡± Zaahr spoke as he stared down at his open palm ¡°Who says we¡¯re calm?¡± it was trembling. Nakano looked up at him in confusion before glancing at Karnage who didn¡¯t meet her gaze either ¡°You¡¯re..¡± she didn¡¯t continue her words. ¡°We have a duty to our community, to our friends¡± Karnage spoke up as she sighed and stared up at the ceiling, ¡°We cannot afford to look weak or contemplate on why or how¡± she looked back down at Nakano and beamed her a smile ¡°Anyway isn¡¯t it better to smile than sulk?¡±. Nakano felt out of place as she glanced from Karnage¡¯s smile, Zaahr¡¯s calm gaze and over to Sly grinning as he formed a blade of aura. ¡°What about you purple? How do you deal with it?¡± Sly glanced up in annoyance as he looked at Karnage who asked him the question. ¡°Deal with what?¡± he raised his arm in front of himself engulfing it with aura ¡°What should I be dealing with? I enjoy this world, I enjoy this life¡± Sly answered truthfully. ¡°You don¡¯t want to go back home? To see your family? Friends?¡± Nakano asked him shocked by his response, she immediately regretting it as he glared towards her. ¡°Yes, I do. I want to see my parents again, I want to speak with my sister again and I want to tell them and my friends goodbye¡± he answered bluntly, ¡°That world isn¡¯t for me, I was never cut out for it but still dealt with it¡± he looked away and stared off at some corner in the room deep in thought. ¡°Hmph¡± Zaahr whispered ¡°Being socially awkward is no excuse to abandon your life¡±. A burst of aura filled the room with pressure as everyone inside tried to resist it''s effects, everyone except the caster. Sly gave Zaahr a death glare as he stood up ¡°Do you want to continue that line of thought broccoli bastard?¡±. Ch 16 - Heroes new and old -Dominion Capital Eslet, Court room- The royal court room, laden with marble, gold and silver. Today it lay full as nobles, merchants and military lined the long blue carpet in the middle. Along the carpet large pillars of marble and silver held the room as conversations and arguments took place around them, the blue carpet lay untouched leading up to the three thrones raised on a marble podium. Atop the podium only one throne lay used, a woman of human origins lay sitting in the middle throne. The throne itself was pure silver gilded with gold, mostly plain except for the back rest that held the emblem of a hydra with intertwined heads. The woman looked to be around her twenties, her expression firm and strong as she looked upon her subjects conversing about the disaster heading their way. Her long crimson hair fell over her shoulder and down her front, her golden eyes lay still as she watched in wait. Suddenly reality rippled midway through the carpet, everyone turned to stare at the ripple in existence as it tore open. Draxxer walked out of the rift and continued to walk as the rift closed behind him, he quickly strode over to the front of the podium and kneeled down. ¡°Your majesty, Draxxer Blade here to report¡± he announced. The woman stood up from her throne ¡°Be at ease blade hero, make your report¡± she spoke with a soft and kind voice that slightly faltered at each word. Her hands fidgeted with her long white dress lined with silver and embedded with green gems. Draxxer stood and bowed before standing straight ¡°Your majesty I have collected the information you requested and made arrangements¡± he began his report ¡°Supplies will be prepared for the first platoon of men, the supply lines have been doubled for further supplies to arrive before the next three¡± his right hand slid into a pocket as he pulled out a golden medallion with a single pitch black gem shaped like a crescent moon embedded into the medallion itself, a golden disc lined with runic inscriptions. Draxxer faltered to continue his report. ¡°Draxxer please¡­I know it must be hard on you¡­they are your true people after all, but remember to whom you swore allegiance all those years ago¡± the woman spoke with plea as her voice continued to falter, the complete opposite of her current fa?ade. Draxxer nodded ¡°I have scanned the adventurers I saw promise within, I¡¯m afraid we cannot let destiny go it¡¯s path any longer¡± he glanced at the medallion ¡°The dark hero has taken the initiative, already has a hero candidate been overthrown. We cannot allow this game to proceed on its own anymore, if it does the Goddess of envy will get her way!¡± he exclaimed harshly. ¡°The adventurers are being gathered by the dark hero¡¯s comrades, the prophecy said nothing about this. Please your majesty, give me the order! I know his face, his current strength is no match even for my advanced age!¡± ¡°If my name is not Caitlyn Esfelt, follow through with your plan old hero. Otherwise believe in your people, prophecies are nothing more than poems of the future and destiny a very thin line of string floating about a rippling lake.¡± Caitlyn waved her arm silencing him ¡°The last time through Oberon¡¯s choosing it was not the dark hero to destroy our plans but one of the other chosen, we must keep an eye on all of them but we cannot act rashly. This time it is ¡®Her¡¯ prophecy, ¡®Her¡¯ grand quest not Oberon¡¯s. We cannot make any mistakes Draxxer, you know this better than I do. You were there¡± she looked down at him in pity. Draxxer flinched ¡°Yes I was your majesty¡­and I saw what happens to a God when their grand quest fails¡­if she is to succeed, I dare not wonder what she¡¯ll become capable of¡± he spoke grimly ¡°Has there been any word?¡± he then asked while glancing to the side. Caitlyn also glanced away ¡°Has there?¡± she also asked. Suddenly the shadows shifted as a cloaked figure appeared beneath the podium, ¡°The Gods still remain quiet, the one of night hasn¡¯t contacted me since¡­¡± the cloaked woman spoke with no emotion ¡°If we are to believe the shadows then this dark hero will either be Chaoz¡¯s doom or salvation. As we all know Gods cannot directly act upon reality alone, they aren¡¯t the avatar of creation. It all depends on these heroes now, what choices they make, what path they choose to follow. All we can do is point but in the end it is their choice and theirs alone¡±. Caitlyn nodded ¡°We have no choice but to guide them and hope they take heed of our guidance, Draxxer what of the overthrown hero?¡± her gaze fell upon him as his eyes drifted to the floor. ¡°I have made arrangements that his stay in the cell is passable, the boy needs to think things over and time alone is just what he requires for that. I just wish we-¡± Draxxer stopped himself from continuing that sentence. The cloaked woman shook her head ¡°We cannot interfere too much Blade, it would change their paths in ways we cannot comprehend. The grand quest cannot be avoided but also should not be tampered with, the late emperor knew this well but tampered with ours anyway. It¡¯s the reason we¡¯re still here, it¡¯s the reason he betrayed us and it¡¯s the reason the others died¡± her tone changed and became cold and annoyed. Draxxer nodded before giving a bow ¡°As you say Advisor, I will not tamper with the quest¡±. Caitlyn glanced between the two as she spoke ¡°What of the demons? Has there been any activity within the cursed land?¡±. Draxxer shook his head ¡°Nothing out of what ordinary that place is has been detected, with the adventurers here we have another layer of protection but we must first communicate with them. Since us old heroes cannot interact with them for too long I suggest we send someone along with the first platoon to set up communication with their leaders, if that is all your majesty I will take my leave¡± he bowed and turned right to walk away. Draxxer stepped through a side corridor as the cloaked figure appeared behind him ¡°You¡¯re getting sloppy Darkness¡± he turned around to face her as she removed her hood, a young woman with medium cut black hair and pitch black eyes. Darkness spoke with no expression or emotion ¡°As much as you¡¯ve aged your senses remain as keen as in old Blade, what can you tell me about the current hero candidates?¡± Draxxer sighed ¡°Weak, stubborn, afraid¡­mad?¡± he chuckled sadly. ¡°Names Blade, what has the medallion tagged them as?¡± She asked bluntly. Draxxer shrugged as he stared down at the medallion still in his hand ¡°Light, Nature, Blood, Rain and Dagger¡± he momentarily stared wordlessly as he remembered the last one ¡°The dark hero, he was tagged unusually.¡± Darkness rested her back to one of the pillars that lined the corridor ¡°Is that why you¡¯re so agitated about him?¡± she asked. Draxxer nodded ¡°Not just that but¡­He was tagged twice, Void and Frost¡± he clenched the medallion as frustration began to settle in. Darkness¡¯s eyes widened ¡°Frost?...He¡¯s¡­¡± her voice trailed off as Draxxer nodded. He sighed while pocketing the medallion ¡°The texts say nothing about having two tags, what did Lilliana do?...What did that bastard Scythe do?¡±. Darkness shook her head ¡°This cannot be a coincidence¡­both dark heroes being of frost¡­two heroic tags¡­and his other tag¡­Void, worries me just as much¡±. Draxxer stared at her ¡°Why? What can be more terrifying than two tags? You know what it takes to be a dark hero but to be tagged twice as one? What did that kid¡­go through¡­¡± he held onto his face as he groaned in frustration. ¡°The tags are deity given, Blade remember that. Each one represents the hero and their representative, this is no longer the God wars so all the power is going to the heroes. Not only did the Winter God choose this boy but¡­It did¡­¡± Darkness¡¯s expression slightly morphed to worry as she spoke. ¡°What it? What chose him?¡± Draxxer noticed her change in expression (¡°What terrifies the hero of darkness so?¡±) he thought.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. She stared back straight into his eyes ¡°Something even the Gods cannot ignore¡­Blade, this child was chosen by an ancient of the void. For one to be able to tag a hero as if it were a deity¡­it is a powerful race, if only I could find out which¡­We could determine part of Lilliana¡¯s plan¡­We could even determine how he was born¡­¡± Draxxer sighed ¡°With Frost, Spear and Arrow gone¡­with Scythe¡­It¡¯s just us now¡­us and the little Empress¡­¡±. She shook her head ¡°No it¡¯s not, Scythe had his falling out with her¡­we¡¯re not even in the picture anymore Blade. It¡¯s all up to them¡­Will they cut the strings? Will they let the strings lead them? Or will they find another path?...¡± her sentence trailed off as the shadows engulfed her body, Darkness disappeared just as she came. Draxxer bit his lip as he continued to walk forward ¡°Gods and their games¡­Scythe, what have you done¡­¡± --- -IL¡¯E, FrostHold, Westgate guard post- Pressure pressed down on Kyle as he entered the room ¡°What is?¡± but it suddenly disappeared completely as he watched Sly sit back down. ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡± Sly exclaimed as he stared down at the table. Birse frowned ¡°Alright then, shall we begin?¡± he walked up to the table and took a seat facing everyone. He waited for Kyle and Jonathan to sit down before he began to speak ¡°So we¡¯re all on the same page I will explain our current objectives, firstly is the approaching demon army. I will send a party of my own to Kaledd to collect the rest of our own and bring them here, that party will break up and move to the capital to make contact with the Dominion while the other half escorts the Kaledd spawns¡±. Karnage nodded in agreement ¡°Who are you sending?¡± she asked curiously. Birse gestured to Kyle and Sly ¡°Kyllix, Sly and Skill, I require the rest to stay here and co-ordinate our recruits¡± he explained. Karnage hummed thoughtfully ¡°Alright I¡¯ll got too then¡±. Zaahr looked at her with wide eyes ¡°Commander I believe we-¡± Karnage raised her hand cutting him off. ¡°I¡¯m going, you¡¯re enough to handle things here. We have people at Kaledd as well, I need to go¡± she looked him straight in the eye, her expression as if made of stone. Zaahr sighed and laid back in defeat ¡°Very well¡­I guess I won¡¯t need to prepare a convoy team with them going along but¡­Excuse me if I am blunt, your party does not include a healer as far as I can tell?¡± he queried. ¡°We can provide a skilled healer¡± Nakano suddenly exclaimed ¡°If we are to work together we must trust each other, I believe this to be a step towards that¡­Our leader was out of line, not all of us agreed with him but we let him drag us all into that¡­I also wish to¡­¡± she stood up ¡°In the name of everyone in our guild, I apologise for what conflict our leader¡¯s indecisiveness created between us. If we are to survive this we need to help each other¡±. Birse made a waving gesture ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, a guild¡¯s as strong as their leader. Your structure is strong even though your leader fell, there are no hard feelings¡± he smiled in amusement. Nakano hid her annoyance and nodded ¡°I¡¯m guessing the party should leave as soon as possible? I¡¯ll ask for my healer to meet up with your party here at the Westgate, is there anything else we are going to discuss?¡± ¡°Actually yes I¡¯d like to question the guard captain here about a couple things, you should probably stay to hear out the answers¡± Birse explained as he looked at Jonathan who nodded. Nakano sat back down to listen in. ¡°What do you wish to ask?¡± Jonathan asked cautiously as he frowned at the Serenity guild leader. ¡°A couple topics, what do you know about the heroes and Lilliana¡¯s betrayal?¡± Birse leaned over to rest his arms on the table as he asked his question. ¡°Also about a certain item that was stolen from her? Do you know anything about that?¡± Kyle added as he locked his eyes on Jonathan¡¯s face. Jonathan nodded ¡°The tale is long and many facts have been lost to history, us older folk remember more of it but memory isn¡¯t the best recording for tales¡± he began explaining as he mumbled some things from memory ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­since you¡¯re asking me about it I¡¯m guessing you know the base story?¡± Kyle nodded ¡°The Demons attack the Fae and Dwarven kingdom out of nowhere, the Fae Goddess Titania dies in combat while her husband Oberon and their daughter Lilliana escape with the survivors to Barik. The Demons give chase and Lilliana betrays her father to help the Demons for some reason, Oberon is captured and one of the two Devil Kings that came with the legions take him back. The remaining legion and Devil King are surrounded and set up inside the fort now known as Devil¡¯s eye¡± he quickly goes through the basics of what they know. Jonathan shook his head ¡°My uncle had first-hand experience in that war, some things in that tale aren¡¯t entirely correct and a lot is missing. Firstly is that Lilliana is Titania¡¯s daughter yes but Oberon wasn¡¯t her father, Lilliana is a Half-Goddess born through infidelity which is why her power is so limited. Who her true father is I do not know, what I do know is that she hated Oberon. My uncle was good friends with one of the heroes, it¡¯s the only reason I came with this information. Secondly and probably the grimmest detail¡­After combat with the Demon legions, three of the heroes died¡±. ¡°Which ones?¡± Kyle asked bluntly. ¡°Spear, Arrow and Frost¡± Jonathan answered ¡°Those three along with another of their companion fought a Devil King together but were defeated, their companion¡¯s body was never found so it is thought that they are also dead. Lilliana used that opportunity to betray Oberon, I have no clue why but her hatred for him is all I can come up with. As for that item you spoke of I honestly have no clue either. Anything else you wish to ask?¡± he glanced around. ¡°No that is all captain, I¡¯d like us to stay in touch on movements within the cursed land and possible reinforcements from the capital if you do not mind?¡± Birse stood up and forwarded his hand. Jonathan took the hand shake ¡°But of course, I¡¯ll send someone your way if I do¡±. Everyone else stood up to leave ¡°So when we leaving?¡± Karnage asked as she walked to the door. ¡°After they gather some equipment you¡¯ll be on your way, Kyll, Sly get yourselves armed. I¡¯ll tell Skill to wait for you here while he waits for Eternium¡¯s healer¡± Birse waved them off as he walked out of the town gate. Sly gestured back ¡°Aight, we¡¯ll gear up¡±. Kyle lightly punched Sly¡¯s shoulder ¡°Yo, where¡¯s the armour and weapons store?...Or is it all at the Generalmart?¡±. ¡°The Generalmart¡¯s armoury is all basic equipment, if you want the good stuff check-out the Dwarven forge they do personalized gear¡± Karnage dropped in between them smiling. Kyle frowned ¡°How much per piece?¡± he opened his inventory to check his balance. Karnage shrugged ¡°At your level? Fifty silver per piece, another fifty for every additional twenty levels¡± she stepped back as Kurt prowled through to nuzzle into Sly¡¯s hand. ¡°Alright then, can you take us there?¡± Sly asked as he climbed up onto Kurt¡¯s back. ¡°Yeah sure, it¡¯s not far from here. Come on this way¡± she turned gesturing for them to follow as she began to hum a tune. Kyle and Sly followed her through the streets, a couple adventurers noticing the direwolf asked if the recruitment is still open and Sly ended up giving them directions to the Westgate. Kyle gave them a silent prayer for them to arrive somewhere at all. ¡°Here we go!¡± Karnage announced after stopping in front of a completely metallic store, four large chimneys up top pumping out steam. The store is an open forge except for a single room with all four walls to the left, the front of the store is completely open as five dwarves worked their hammers and anvils in their own corner of the store. The store, about a dozen meters squared, held six anvils , four forges and multiple equipment racks. Only the two first dwarves were busy with other clients so Sly and Kyle went to a dwarf each. ¡°Hey I¡¯m here for a full equipment set¡± Kyle declared as he walked up to one dwarf studying his tool rack, Karnage had walked up beside him staring curiously. The dwarf, brown haired with similarly coloured brown eyes looked Kyle up and down ¡°A full set of armour is doable but friend you aren¡¯t capable of wielding a weapon¡± the dwarf answered. Kyle was taken aback ¡°Urm¡­why?¡± he asked automatically. The young looking dwarf shrugged ¡°Your class is unique so it¡¯s not unusual for weapon warding but friend you¡¯re warded against all weapons I can think of!¡± the dwarf explained ¡°Warding is sort of a curse or blessing depending on how you look at it, us dwarves can see them as clear as molten iron¡± he further explained after seeing Kyle¡¯s confused expression. ¡°So he cannot wield weapons? Is your class a mage type Kyllix?¡± Karnage asked from behind making Kyle jump. ¡°Oh it¡¯s you¡± he responded making her frown and pout ¡°It does seem like it since my main abilities utilize mana but I should at least be able to wield a dagger or staff you know?¡± he sighed ¡°I guess I¡¯m a free handed caster?...¡±. ¡°Aye sure seems like it, mind showing me your main abilities without too much destruction? I need exact elemental usage and use of said magic to choose the proper materials¡± the dwarf grabbed a red gem from the rack and placed it inside the forge, the fire inside the forge burst into new life as the heat increased. ¡°Can you settle for all around elemental usage? Also I need three sets, one for my current level, one for 40 and one for 60.¡± Kyle explained as he activated Ooze while raising his right arm, suddenly the slime froze completely and began to change shape as Kyle¡¯s mana continued to drain until it formed a long double edged blade much more shaped than the previous spikes he had quickly formed earlier. The dwarf inspected the blade and Kyle¡¯s arm ¡°Does it not hurt to form it around your arm?¡± he finally asked. Kyle shook his head ¡°There is still slime in between the blade and my hand and wrist that I hardened, it prevents shock damage to my hand and reduces the annoying cold¡± he explained, both Karnage and the dwarf stared in amazement. The dwarf nodded ¡°Any other direct contact magic or mobility skills you make use of?¡±. ¡°Oh and this too¡± Kyle stated as he let the blade melt away and dissipate, once his hand was visible again claws grew out of his nails while his fingers stretched out longer. The dwarf whistled ¡°Impressive, a shape shifter. Is that as far as you can go?¡± he asked while intently staring at the claws. Kyle nodded ¡°It can go further?¡± he asked. ¡°IT CAN GO FURTHER!?¡± Sly shouted from the other side of the store making everyone turn to look at him, he coughed while continuing his conversation with another dwarf. Kyle turned to see Karnage barely stifling a laugh while the dwarf scratched his chin ¡°It definitely can friend, although I doubt you¡¯ll reach half-morph before 120¡± the dwarf nodded a couple times as he took mental notes ¡°I¡¯ll go get the materials, want me to crate the other two sets for easier storage? Warning about that, once uncrated you can¡¯t recrate unless at a dwarven store¡±. ¡°Yeah that would be great, what do you suspect the fee will be in total?¡± Kyle opened his inventory and checked his gold amount again (¡°128 gold, 83 silver¡±). ¡°That¡¯ll be¡­3 gold and 90 silver if you had the resources but since they¡¯re from our warehouse it will total up to 11 gold and 47 silver¡± the dwarf answered as he walked away and towards the large metal vault like door that took into the room to the left of the store. Karnage tried to whistle but failed ¡°That¡¯s a lot of gold, can you pay it? You¡¯re only level 20¡­¡±she asked while leaning in frowning. Kyle leaned away ¡°Yes I can pay it¡­Thanks to some out of the ordinary events I attended and along with my merching skills and comp-¡± he stopped himself as his expression suddenly darkened. He closed his eyes momentarily and sighed ¡°Never mind¡± he responded before going quiet. Karnage looked away and began rubbing the back of her neck ¡°Oh right¡­I¡¯m sorry for your loss¡­¡±, the silence proceeded for a couple more moments before she couldn¡¯t take it anymore ¡°So¡­I hear your guild is from another game? Rune Shock?¡±. ¡°Yeah¡­what of it?¡± Kyle didn¡¯t feel like continuing the conversation but responded anyway. ¡°What did you guys do back then? The game¡¯s player base was huge but the main guilds were almost completely dominant leaving no room for new or small guilds, I hear almost everyone joined those seven or eight guilds that constantly warred for territories and stuff¡± she had walked up to the tool rack and was looking through it as she spoke. ¡°We were a Dark guild, we took part in wars but as mercenaries. Large guilds employed us to do nasty shit to the other guilds like sabotage during sieges, command assassination during territory battles, spying and a whole lot of other things¡± he quickly explained. ¡°So covert ops? How good were you with the combat?¡± she picked out a small hammer from the rack and began inspecting it. ¡°If you¡¯re talking about PVP I had a good handle on the action controls although I had to move some things around my room to make space, if you want to talk about actual high tier arena ask Death, Sly or Birse. I didn¡¯t take part in that as I preferred PVE and questing anyway.¡± Kyle shrugged as he stared hypnotised by Karnage¡¯s tail going completely insane as it lashed around wildly. ¡°Oh¡­you¡¯re a lore freak?¡± she asked sarcastically while smirking. Suddenly a loud crash echoes through the store as Sly goes flying by the both of them and into the metal wall, he slides down to the ground ¡°Fuck¡­me¡­dammit that hurt¡­¡± he groans in pain. Characters
Kyllix; Appearance: Male, Silver eye colour, White short hair, White fox ears and tail, pale white skin. Guild: SERENITY Main Class: Lord of Slimes
SlyOkami; Appearance: Male, Violet eye colour, Dark purple medium hair, Dark grey wolf ears and tail, patches of black scales along normal skin. Guild: SERENITY Main Class: Lord of Aurei
Birse; Appearance: Male, Light blue eye colour, Short blonde hair, Black wolf ears and tail. Guild: SERENITY Main Class: Shadow Paladin
DeathChilled; Appearance: Male, Crimson red eyes, crimson red long hair, Long pointy elf ears, Dark purple skin. Guild: SERENITY Main Class: Pyromancer
Skill; Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Appearance: Male, Light brown eyes, Short light brown hair, long pointy elf ears. Guild: SERENITY Main Class: Ranger
Seren_Cross; Appearance: Female, Blue eyes, Medium blue hair, Blue fox ears and tail both ending in black patches. Guild: SERENITY Main Class: Cleric
Nakano; Appearance: Female, Green eyes, Short black hair, long pointy elf ears, pale white skin. Guild: ETERNIUM Main Class: Slayer
Zeeke; Appearance: Male, Golden eyes, Dark golden hair and mane, Golden lion ears and tail. Guild: ETERNIUM Main Class: Crusader
Karnage; Appearance: Female, Violet eyes, Long black hair, black cat ears and tail. Guild: APOCALYPSE Main Class: BladeDancer
Zaahr; Appearance: Male, Golden eyes, short green hair, long pointy elf ears. Guild: APOCALYPSE Main Class: Battle Mage
Ch 17 - Helix Sly pulled himself up and groaned in pain as he stretched his back and arms ¡°Never doing that again¡± he stated. ¡°What the hell happened?¡± Kyle glanced back at the dwarf Sly was just talking to, a steaming war-hammer lay by his feet. ¡°Told ya son, ya class can only use bladed weapons. That is what happens when ya try to wield something else, ya mana enters the weapon and ya lose control over it because the weapon isn¡¯t the right form¡± the dwarf explained as he picked up the hammer. ¡°Fuck it then, back to my old weaponry¡± Sly cursed as he walked back to the dwarf ¡°Got suggestions for throwing blades?¡± he shouted back. ¡°Him? Daggers and knives? I don¡¯t see that, at all¡± Karnage chuckled as she stepped by Kyle. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Kyle turned to see the dwarf coming back with two leather bags over his back. ¡°With his fuse? Dark and stealthy? With his height and body build? Daggers and knives? I just don¡¯t see it¡± she explained while glancing over at Kyle. Kyle shrugged as he glanced back at her ¡°That¡¯s the point, you don¡¯t expect him to be¡± he smiled ¡°Trust me, you don¡¯t want to underestimate him. He doesn¡¯t call himself sly without reason¡±. Karnage blinked twice before glancing away ¡°A-Alright¡­¡±. ¡°I got everything right here friend¡± the dwarf exclaimed as he walked by and set the bags down ¡°Now this will take me a couple even with my magic, make yourself comfy or come back later?¡±. Kyle nodded ¡°Do you know any store that sells magical accessories or something of the sort?¡± he asked the dwarf who was unpacking materials from the bags. ¡°Yeah you talking about Kayle¡¯s trinkets, store be down the street to the left. You¡¯ll find it in the corner across¡± the dwarf explained while counting black metal bars. ¡°Alright I¡¯ll be back in a bit then¡± Kyle stepped away from the dwarf ¡°Yo Sly I¡¯m headed to buy some accessories, meet you back here¡± he declared. Sly nodded back as he inspected different blades. ¡°Huh? Hey wait up!¡± Karnage shouted as she caught up with him. ¡°Best you stay with Sly, his sense of direction¡­well¡­not the best¡­¡± Kyle stated as he continued to walk. ¡°Meh¡± Karnage shrugged ¡°Not my problem¡±. Kyle almost tripped (¡°What¡¯s she plotting¡­¡±) he thought to himself as he glanced at her. ¡°Watch your step, still getting used to your body?¡± she asked slightly worried. ¡°I¡¯m fine and what do you mean?¡± he frowned at her statement (¡°I never had any problems with movement¡­¡±). ¡°Well you know¡­movement in general felt strange at first, like I knew this wasn¡¯t my body. When I fight is when I mostly noticed it, the difference from my real body. It¡¯s like¡­Like I don¡¯t know how to move but my body moves anyway, I know how I want to move but not how to do it¡­¡± she explained while glancing away. Kyle stopped moving ¡°I see¡­¡± he looked down at his hands as he opened them wide (¡°These aren¡¯t our bodies¡­they know how to move¡­created to fight¡­but we¡­we don¡¯t¡­¡±). ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± she asked after she herself stopped. ¡°Yeah I¡¯m good, just realised something¡± he continued to walk ¡°These bodies aren¡¯t ours but we have little problem controlling them, we never really fought or had combat training but we can move like its second nature¡±. She walked beside him ¡°Yeah I know it¡¯s strange, this isn¡¯t a game¡­it never was so¡­how?¡± she crossed her arms. ¡°I have a guess but you won¡¯t like it¡­¡± he sighed ¡°She¡­Lilliana created our bodies, these bodies. She made them so we can fight, survive this world but¡­¡± he raised his right arm and encased it with blue slime ¡°When I use a skill it always happens the same, I can¡¯t control on which body part but I know where specifically it''ll occur. Just like a game animation, the combat isn¡¯t fluid but set. The system doesn¡¯t affect us anymore but what if¡­this reality itself was its own system?¡± his expression darkened. ¡°So we¡¯re bound to those movements?...Isn¡¯t that¡­you know a weakness?¡± she stared up at the sky in thought. ¡°I think that¡¯s the point¡± he responded grimly ¡°She created these bodies powerful but flawed, how else would she expect us to¡­¡± suddenly his expression changed as he began to laugh. Karnage looked at him in shock ¡°Kyllix? What¡¯s¡­so funny?¡± she asked, her expression worried. Kyle held onto his face with one hand ¡°Because! It makes sense! It¡¯s her ploy!¡± he continued to laugh less loudly ¡°She wants us to get ahead of ourselves, feel powerful and fight back so she can win by abusing the flawed weapons she gave us.¡± He let go of his face and clenched his fist. ¡°But why? I¡¯ve been wondering why she even made us strong¡­why go through all this trouble if she could have just made us weak and caged us up? She wants us as hostages right?¡± She reasoned. Kyle shook his head ¡°No, she wants us to think that we¡¯re her hostages no matter how free we feel. To do that she needs to break us, defeat us unquestionably. I need more information¡­why does she need us? What is this object she wants? Who took it and why? Hopefully all these can be answered at the capital¡± he sighed in annoyance. They walked a bit more before reaching the store ¡°There it is¡± Karnage pointed it out. ¡°Hopefully they have what I need¡± Kyle mused. The store looked like any average jewellery store except the large floating sign up front with ¡®Kayle¡¯s Trinkets¡¯ written on it. ¡°Let¡¯s head in then¡± he opened the wooden door and a bell rang. ¡°Come on in come on in! Welcome to Kayle¡¯s Trinkets!¡± The store was full with wooden stands sealed with glass panes, jewellery of all kinds inside. To the left of the store was a small desk made of the same cherry wood as the stands and floor, the voice¡¯s owner sat on a chair behind it. A female Dark Elf with short green hair and red eyes smiled at them as they walked in ¡°Hi I¡¯m Kayle, how may I help you?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m looking to fully equip myself with magical accessories, I heard this was the place to come by¡± Kyle answered as he eyed the dozens of accessories the woman wore, three necklaces along an amulet, a ring on each finger, two earrings per ear and three bracelets. Each accessory she wore held it¡¯s own strange magical aura and flickering gems and jewels. ¡°What exactly might you be looking for adventurer? I can suggest a set if you don¡¯t exactly know? A good balance of magical power, mana regeneration, cast time and cooldown is required for all mages¡± she explained while still beaming a smile. Karnage began looking around the store as Kyle thought Kayle¡¯s offer over, he looked over his current skills. ¡°No actually I need each piece to give me maximum mana and if you have mana cost reduction¡± he closed his windows and answered. Kayle¡¯s smile faltered slightly ¡°What about magical power, cooldown reduction and cast time?¡± she asked while giving a surprised expression along an awkward smile. ¡°I do not require any of that, don¡¯t worry I¡¯m sure about my choice of stats¡± Kyle explained after sighing (¡°With frostbite¡¯s ability to devour HP over time I need a lot of sustain, along with a little something I want to test out¡­¡±). Kayle momentarily stared at him in thought before nodding ¡°Very well if that is what you wish for, mana cost reduction¡­I believe I have some pieces for that¡­¡± she said as she stepped out of the desk area and walked around the store taking out accessories, her hand passed straight through the glass as if it wasn¡¯t even there. ¡°This should be everything¡± she walked back over to the desk with a handful of accessories ¡°Here we have a sapphire amulet, sapphire rings then a sapphire bracelet for maximum mana along two monster core rings and a monster core bracelet for cost reduction. These are all level 30 unfortunately but they¡¯ll down-level to your level until then¡±. Kyle looked through the assortment of accessories, a dark grey chain with a pure white amulet shaped like hand with a blue circular gem in the middle of the palm, four black rings with a blue rectangular gem embedded into a wide part of the ring, a black bracelet looking like an arm band with three blue shard like gems embedded equally around it, two white rings with a abyssal purple gem embedded all around the outside like another ring and lastly a single white bracelet with a similar gem like the two rings. ¡°How much for all these and do you have any for level 40 and 60?¡± he continued to eye the accessories as he asked. She shook her head ¡°23 gold and 10 silver, I¡¯m afraid any higher level accessories require you to be level 90¡± Kayle stated. ¡°Alright that will do¡± he opened his inventory and took out the money ¡°Oh right also¡± he handed her the coin pouch (¡°I need to remember to ask that dwarf when I go pick up my gear¡±) ¡°What do you know about Fairies? Specifically their deaths?¡± he asked calmly. Karnage overhearing the conversation shuddered and walked over, she paid close attention while staring at Kyle. Kayle hummed in thought ¡°Well Fae races are spiritual in nature, their bodies are just containers but require strong magical power and very specific control to create. Fae birth happens rarely and is usually considered a blessing by a deity, when a Fae dies it is usually mourned by it¡¯s peers for years. Specifically what happens? Their spirits are released, memories lost and they become a sprite. Sprites are mischievous ethereal beings that enjoy messing with explorers, their power is limited but they can occasionally appear physical¡±.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Kyle rubbed his chin in thought ¡°So their bodies are completely lost on death? So are their memories?¡±. Kayle hummed some more ¡°Well not entirely, not immediately. Their memories are retained for some time until they slowly lose them, the shorter the Fae lived for the slower they disappear as they have less memories to treasure so they hold onto them more strongly. As for their bodies¡­it immediately dissipates into mana and is absorbed by whatever is closest¡±. Kyle stared her straight in the eyes making her face twitch ¡°What about companion Fae? Is there a difference?¡±. Suddenly Kayle stood up from her chair as realisation took over, she covers her mouth as her eyes began to tear up ¡°You¡¯ve¡­lost your companion haven¡¯t you?¡± she asked quietly. ¡°I have¡± Kyle responds frowning at her reaction. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± she awkwardly sits back down while crossing her arms ¡°Companion Fae remain bound to their contractor, it is said that once they lose their memories they haunt them for eternity due to the strong connection between them preventing the Sprite from going away. You cannot communicate with them, you cannot see them and you cannot bring them back¡­I¡¯m sorry¡± she stares down at her legs distraught. Kyle shakes his head ¡°I heard a deity can create a body for them, what about that?¡± Kayle looks up at him her eyes widening ¡°Gods won¡¯t help you child, they take the death of a companion Fae as a failure by their master. You¡¯ll have better odds of being destroyed on the spot for asking one such a thing.¡± Kyle doesn¡¯t move as he continues to show little emotion ¡°So a deity is required why exactly? For the amount of mana needed or the accuracy and control?¡± he asks as he puts on the accessories. Kayle glances at the accessories realising his plot ¡°The latter¡­child you won¡¯t be able to bring them back on your own¡­mortals can never have the mastery and control to create sentient life from scratch even if the soul is ready unless we¡¯re talking about¡­No nevermind¡­¡± she glances away. Kyle looks up at her after finishing putting everything one ¡°Necromancy? I don¡¯t need a mindless soldier, I want her back as she was. Also¡± he walked over to the exit ¡°I never said anything about creating the body from scratch¡± he walked out of the store. Karnage flinched and waved at Kayle ¡°Oh..Um..thank you!¡± she left after him. Kyle studied his current maximum mana and a new stat he unlocked (¡°380 maximum mana and 20% mana cost reduction¡±) he thought as he studied his skills once again (¡°I guess I won¡¯t have to ask the dwarf after all¡­I only need one last thing¡±). ¡°Uhh, Kyllix?¡± Karnage stepped in front of him shyly, her arms behind her back with fingers tied up together. He glanced at her ¡°What is it?¡± he asked while inspecting his character page. ¡°Why are you trying so hard to bring your companion back if she¡¯s lost? Can¡¯t you just..¡± she trailed off unable to finish her sentence. Kyle smirked ¡°Let it go? Give up? Move on?¡± he chuckled coldly ¡°I don¡¯t give up that easily, I knew through my knowledge of fantasy lore that generally Fae races have a mostly sentient spiritual stage so I made plans. I only need one last thing now and I¡¯ll be able to give it a try¡± he explained while closing his windows and walking away. Karnage caught up with him ¡°Plan? What thing?¡± she was surprised by how collected he seemed, she walked by him. ¡°Her memories aren¡¯t lost yet, I don¡¯t need to create a new body if I can recreate it through them. Now I just need to learn necromancy¡± he stated calmly. Karnage¡¯s eyes widened ¡°But¡­back there¡­you-¡± Kyle cut her off ¡°I know what I said, I won¡¯t be using necromancy to bring her back. Not all the way. Necromancy won¡¯t work on Fae anyway as there is no remains to make use of, no I only need to learn a specific step in it¡± He continued to explain. Karnage calmed down ¡°What step?¡± she asked still worried. Kyle grinned ¡°What do you need to use necromancy? Mana, remains and a soul. I need the ability to grab hold of a soul and move it, to do that I need to be able to detect that soul first and if I can detect that soul I can detect the connections with it. Through that I go to the next step, widening that connection. I already have a plan for that ready also, the next step is possible the most difficult one. Have you heard of group casting?¡± he glanced her way. Karnage was staring at him in amazement ¡°Y-Yeah I did¡­¡± she responded. ¡°I plan to group cast with her, using her memories of her body and mine we¡¯ll recreate it together. I don¡¯t know how much mana I¡¯ll need and I also don¡¯t know if it¡¯s even possible but¡­It¡¯s worth a try at the very least.¡± He continued to smile as he glanced around the street. Karnage continued to stare in amazement (¡°He¡¯s¡­terrifying¡­¡±) she thought to herself, a small curve in her lips indicating a supressed smile. ¡°Do you know of any dark magic stores around here?¡± he asked suddenly. She jumped in surprise but he didn¡¯t react as he continued to glance around ¡°No I don¡¯t, why didn¡¯t you ask the jewellery store?¡± Kyle shrugged ¡°From her reaction necromancy doesn¡¯t sit right with her, that¡¯s a headache of a conversation I¡¯d rather avoid.¡± Karnage suddenly started laughing ¡°Lazy ass¡± she joked. He grimaced ¡°Whatever¡± he responded. Suddenly a loud crash echoed through the streets as the ground beneath them rumbled, Kyle followed the sound with his eyes. He saw no smoke or clouds of dust in the sky but continued to stare. The sound of ringing bells filled his ears as suddenly all the town folk began to hurry away their expressions downcast and afraid. Kyle stopped a Wood Elf passing by ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he asked the man. The Elf was agitated ¡°It¡¯s the alarm! Helix has fallen!¡± he got out of Kyle¡¯s hold and rushed away. Karnage glanced around ¡°Alarm? What¡¯s Helix?!¡± Kyle turned to stare back over the buildings as another rumble echoed through ¡°No..it¡¯s too early¡­Run!¡± he shouted and dashed away at full speed. Karnage almost immediately followed, two short swords appearing sheathed on her belt ¡°What¡¯s going on!?¡± she shouted back. ¡°The demons are here! It¡¯s too damn early but they¡¯re here!¡± he ran at full speed and almost momentarily after Kurt the direwolf came into view, Sly wearing full light grey leather armour and a white cloak and hood sitting on top. ¡°Kyll! Is it them!?¡± he asked with a grimace. Kyle didn¡¯t stop by ¡°Probably!¡± he shouted while rushing into the store and to the dwarf ¡°Is it ready!? Give it to me!¡± he spoke with a commanding tone. The dwarf flinched ¡°Y-Yeah it¡¯s all here¡± he gestured towards two black boxes about a meter and a half in volume and a stack of cloth and leather armour ¡°Just equip it with thought friend!¡± the dwarf stated before leaving his post and walking out into the street with the others. Kyle put the two boxes into his inventory before doing just that, the armour simply appeared on him in a blink of an eye. He turned around fully geared, his accessories gleaming with either a blue or black aura. He wore snow white clothing made of a thin cloth like material while patches of light grey chainmail were sown into the chest, back, arms and legs. A white hood covered his head while a cloak fluttered behind him, two long triangles of cloth falling down his back from the hard leather shoulder pads giving way for his fox tail. Sly and Karnage stared back at him as he stretched his arm back ¡°They¡¯re early but I guess we have no choice, what¡¯s our course of action Sly?¡± Sly grinned from ear to ear ¡°That damn wall is down somehow, knowing Birse he¡¯ll meet them out in the forest. We¡¯ll head to the east gate, regroup with anybody there and head out. What we have will have to do, race you there! Kurt!¡± the direwolf spun around and dashed away at full speed, it¡¯s paws cracking the pavement beneath it as it ran huffing. ¡°You heard him¡± Kyle stated as he followed at full speed while occasionally using surge to keep up, he glanced back to see Karnage encased in a crimson aura leaping after them. They all rushed towards the east gate, Kurt ways ahead but not enough to lose sight of. Town folk rushed past them, the whole street did like a blur. Suddenly an ear piercing roar made the ground shudder as a depressing aura washed over them momentarily, those that were hurrying suddenly broke out into a full sprint, dropping whatever belongings they held. ¡°Kyll!¡± Skill appeared behind them running at full speed as a green aura blurred behind him ¡°Orders! Run ahead! Do whatever we can to slow them down! Birse regrouping!¡± he dashed past catching up to the direwolf, Kyle noticed Sly nodding as Skill kept up his pace with him. They dashed past the east gate checkpoint as guards stared out into the forest, the stench of fear falls upon Kyle¡¯s heightened senses. He grimaced ¡°That¡¯s what peace does to you¡± he mused. ¡°Did you say something?¡± Karnage asked having caught up with him. ¡°Nothing, keep moving!¡± he responded while steadying his pace. --- IL¡¯E, Forest between Frosthold and Helix Wearing white leather and cloak the tiger beast-woman scout rushed up one of the trees through quick and agile leaps, she reached the top and held onto the tree while staring at the monstrosity approaching. Three times the height of the town walls worth of demonic muscle, leathery black hide with the occasional fang like protrusion. Mildly humanoid the hunched over demon slowly made it¡¯s way through the stomping of trees, it¡¯s large feet with only two short claws felt nothing as they crushed the forest. The demon roared loudly, it¡¯s two mouths lined with multiple sets of jagged fangs as it¡¯s two heads glanced around. Plain black face with four gleaming red eyes per head, dozens of long black horns for hair curving back, three long thick tails ending with a sharp crimson blade each and two gigantic arms thicker than it¡¯s own torso being dragged along. She trembled in fear as she climbed back down the tree, sweating profusely the scout rushed towards the town to join in It¡¯s defence. Suddenly four blurs rushed past her making her immediately stop, she glanced back and watched the four silhouettes disappear, the forest losing light through the faltering suns as night approached. She glanced between the town¡¯s direction and the passer¡¯s by direction, (¡°Back to town and prepare or save some mad fools from suicide?¡±) She thought to herself. She grimaced (¡°Defend the many¡­¡±) clenching her fists she continued to steadily run towards the town, without looking back she cursed the gods as she abandoned the four. She suddenly ducked out of the way only moments away from town, her speed surpassed most of her colleagues. ¡°Out of the way moran!¡± Dozens of other adventurers dashed by her until she was surrounded by hundreds of them, an army rushing through the forest. She glanced around in confusion before biting her lip and continuing to run, more and more adventurers rushed past her. Suddenly she stopped again ¡°Sir?¡± she asked in further confusion as the Guard Captain stood in front of her riding his sabretooth mount along with the rest of the guards marching behind him. ¡°Scout report¡± Jonathan commanded as he passed by the scout. She shook herself out of her daze and jogged steadily beside him ¡°Black Ram Demon Sir! It smashed through Helix along two others which died from the defence! The Helix guard is guarding the gap Sir! They cannot assist us!¡± she quickly reported. Jonathan grimaced ¡°Join officer Rashmon to the left flank, take orders from him scout!¡± he shouted before beginning to bark orders ¡°Scout platoons disperse! Mages set up auras! Men!¡± a long pearly white spear appeared in his right hand while a similar shield appeared in his left ¡°Steel yourselves!¡±. The guards roared as they charged forward, their sabretooth tigers making quick work of the forest around them. --- Sly roared out orders ¡°Focus on the legs!¡± he shouted as he pulled out a long curved dagger per hand, he twirled them into a backhand hold and chanted ¡°Like the beast I am, from my fangs to my claws. Like the serpent I am, from my eyes to my blood. War trance!¡± black patches of scales grew up from his neck stopping at the head as a violet aura surrounded him. Skill¡¯s green aura engulfed his whole body as he pulled out two knives and climbed up a tree with them. Karnage opened her arms wide behind her as she also chanted ¡°Sound of battle fill my ears, move my body and soul! Battle cry!¡± she screamed out while blushing and grimacing. Kyle took a deep breath as his hands and feet turned into fangs, his gloves and boots morphing to compensate. Again his tail gained a blueish tinge at the end as he summoned forth Beast¡¯s agility¡¯s active. He opened his claws wide as blue slime engulfed his both his arms, the slime changed and dragged back as it froze over into five long claw like curved blades. The demon¡¯s left leg crashed down into the forest a couple dozen meters away from where Skill positioned himself, he nocked an arrow and took aim before chanting ¡°Your hide is strong but hides nothing, your scales tough but invisible! Show Weakness!¡± he released the arrow as a crimson aura engulfed it¡¯s tip. The arrow sailed over the forest and lodged itself into the demon¡¯s leg, half it¡¯s jagged tip digging into the hide. The demon felt no pain but through the debuff it gained both heads glanced down at Skill¡¯s location, it roared in defiance. Skill covered his face as the shower of saliva rained down on him ¡°Bleh! Ugly bastard spat on me!¡± he declared in frustration, he nocked another arrow ¡°Wyvern¡¯s tail, eagle¡¯s eye! Snipe!¡± he released and the arrow sailed three times as fast as the last. It dug into the demon¡¯s hide separating it into a wound twice as thick as the arrowhead, green blood leaked out the wound and began streaking down it¡¯s leg. The demon¡¯s other leg landed down and it began to raise the wounded one, the wound barely visible through it¡¯s sheer size. Kurt leaped up towards the leg as Sly jumped off him and slashed it a couple dozen times before stabbing in and holding on, he roared out grinning as he pulled down the daggers with all his might. Slowly but surely the hide began to be cut and the wounds grew longer. Suddenly Sly¡¯s aura morphed and formed a large claw one third the thickness of the leg itself, the ethereal claw lunged at the leg and began cutting down at the same pace as Sly. Karnage leaped up to a tree and back off it as the leg rose up, she twirled mid air with swords slashing wildly around her. Like a disc of blades she slashed up the demon¡¯s leg before spinning the opposite direction and slashing downwards. Her attacks cutting through the hide but only mildly wounding it. She grabbed onto a tree as she fell and rushed down to the ground. Kyle had climbed up a tree beneath the colossal demon, his legs encased in frozen slime as two spheres of the same substance converged on themselves beneath his feet. He smirked as the demon¡¯s leg approached directly beneath him, the spheres exploded with great force and pushed him upwards as he activated surge. He shot upwards directly towards the bottom of the demon¡¯s leg as more and more arrows from skill dug into it¡¯s flesh at the same height Sly was cutting down from. He hit the leg claws first as they shattered the moment he slashed at the hide, shards of frozen slime embedded themselves in as the hide around them froze over. He grimaced as he fell back to the ground, Kurt leaped up and he slammed into the direwolf¡¯s back. ¡°Don¡¯t follow the leg! Run ahead! Stop when I tell you!¡± Kyle shouted as he stared back at what was visible of the demon form below. Kurt howled and dashed ahead as the snow crunched beneath his powerful legs. Kyle Inspected the demon.
{Elite} Black Ram Demon (First Dezol Legion) Level ???
Kyle cursed under his breath ¡°Here! Stop!¡± he ordered the beast as it spun around misplacing tons of snow as it stopped itself, he jumped off and ran back a couple meters before stopping. ¡°Kyllix!¡± Karnage rushed towards him ¡°Move it¡¯s going to stomp you!¡± she screamed with an agitated tone. Kyle smiled ¡°That¡¯s the point¡± he raised both arms as he began to chant ¡°Aberration with me respond! Release your archaic power! Core Overload!¡± he crouched down as a thick blue aura engulfed him and the surrounding forest, he slammed down his hands as blue slime exploded from his palms. The rush of slime grew larger and larger as it towered above him six times over, it completely froze over as a darker sphere of ice was momentarily visible within before the ice darkened and compressed. Kyle stood up and glanced at the large spike of ice before rushing over to Kurt, ¡°Take me to Sly quick!¡± he shouted. The direwolf dashed forward and climbed up the nearest tree, it held onto some branches at the top momentarily before leaping towards the descending foot. Kyle leaped off and used surge twice to reach Sly, he grabbed onto Sly¡¯s legs. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Sly cursed as he glanced down, ¡°Kyll?¡± he pulled him up after embedding both daggers into the hide by the wound he cut. Kyle grabbed onto one dagger hilt ¡°Bash down it¡¯s leg to the ground on my signal!¡± he shouted while pointing at the forest ahead. Sly laughed madly ¡°On it!¡±, pulling out a second dagger he shoved it into the demon¡¯s hide by his own then pulled out a third ¡°Hold on!¡± he shouted back as he made his way to the front of the leg, stab by stab. Kyle grabbed hold onto the second dagger and held on as he watched, glancing between Sly and where he left the spike. ¡°Almost there¡­come on¡­come on Sly¡­¡± he watched anxiously. ¡°I¡¯m almost ready!¡± Sly shouted from out of sight, eight daggers stabbed into the demon¡¯s hide in a rectangular shape. He held on upside down with eyes closed, one hilt per hand to hold on and three per foot. His arms fully open below him as he pushed himself into a crouch, he began casting ¡°Beings of spirit and sense! Lend me your curse! Aurei Frenzy!¡± he shouted as his violet aura grew thicker and split into two clawed arms. The ethereal arms grabbed hold of the demon¡¯s leg down below him ¡°Ready!¡± he shouted. Kyle showed no relief as he watched patiently, the leg nearing the spot. Only moments after he shouted as loud as he could muster ¡°NOW!¡±. Sly pushed downwards as his arms of violet ethereal aura pulled, the second he shot downwards the arms lost their form and morphed into a single hand in front of him. The ethereal hand grabbed hold of the twice as large foot as it clawed into the hide, Sly pulled out another set of daggers and dug them in the moment he landed. The force of the attack along with the demon¡¯s movement at that moment sent the foot crashing down like a boulder, the spike of ice¡¯s tip shattered as it hit the demon¡¯s heel but the rest dug in. The demon roared out a screech from the pain as it glanced downwards. Kyle smiled from ear to ear ¡°Fracture¡± with one word the skill activated. Ch 18 - The Giant Attacks Fracture activated as the spike lay embedded into the giant¡¯s heel. Spikes of ice pierced out from every possible angle as blue slime oozed out, before suddenly they all shattered and exploded taking half a leg with them. As flesh, hide, scale and bone gored the snow the demon screeched in agony as it fell sideways. The demon raised both its arms up and crashed them down to hold itself from falling, it glanced down at it¡¯s foot. The front half of the foot was still attached to the leg though some hide and shimmering green scales that lay beneath. It pulled itself up straightening both arms, it continued to move towards the town using its arms for legs. ¡°Seriously!? Damn bastard!¡± Kyle cursed as the effects of mana exhaustion counted down, ¡°Sly I¡¯m OOM!¡± he shouted down. Sly had been thrown off from the blast and was recovered by his direwolf, Kurt continued to run along with giant with Karnage catching up. Skill grimaced as he shot another Show Weakness at the demon¡¯s left arm ¡°Fuck that thing¡¯s tough, the legs barely had much for scales but that thing¡¯s a battering ram!¡± his eyes went wide as he infused mana into his voice ¡°The arms are too tough to break through with our attacks! Kyll can you do that again!?¡± Sly was the one to answer ¡°Kyll¡¯s out of mana, he can¡¯t! I¡¯m too low on aura and stamina right now!¡± he also grimaced as he studied the arm, ¡°How the hell do we bring this thing down?¡± he whispered to himself. Suddenly a voice infused with mana filled the forest ¡°Mages begin casting! Warriors prepare to launch! Archers take aim!¡± Birse barked commands as the army of adventurers took positions in the trees. The adventurers stared up at the demon in awe, shock or fear. Death¡¯s mana infused voice followed ¡°Mages cast with me! Chant my chant! We¡¯ll burn that fucker down!¡± from his position on a high tree branch he raised both arms upwards and began to chant, his voice infused with mana ¡°By the power of mine and theirs, by the magic within us, we chant together as one! Joint casting!¡± his arms burst into flames as a crimson aura blazed around him. Death continued to chant as did every mage who chanted alongside him, this time in almost perfect unison ¡°Burn down their flesh, turn their bones to ash, god of life, god of destruction, god of fire. Lend me your flame! Inferno!¡±. Ethereal fire shot out from each mage and flowed into the sky merging with the rest, a more physical sphere of fire began to grow at a quick pace above the forest. The demon roared in frustration at the sight of the flames, it quickened it¡¯s pace. Barrage after barrage arrows rained on the demon as it approached, it¡¯s hide thick enough to stop the arrowheads from having the force to damage the scales underneath. ¡°Warriors fall back on me! Prepare the line further back! It¡¯s approaching too quickly!¡± Birse commanded as the melee fighters fell back alongside him. ¡°40%!¡± Death shouted as he continued to concentrate on his magic with the other mages, groups of them casting together all over the forest ahead of the demon alongside a couple melee guards defending them. ¡°Siegers go!¡± Zaahr¡¯s voice joined in with his own command as four groups of a dozen fighters dashed through the forest with him, lightweight melee fighters making use of their mobility. They closed in on the demon¡¯s left hand as it landed ¡°Climb!¡± he commanded. Kyle seeing this also decided to climb but the moment he tried to pull on the dagger an explosion of force pushed him off ¡°Shitty system!¡± he cursed as he flew off the demon¡¯s leg, he spun around as he flew through the air. Activating Surge alongside the momentum of the blast he barely reached the demon¡¯s left arm, clawing his way into the hide he took deep breaths as exhaustion set it. He rested his head onto the tough hide as he thought over his current predicament, out of mana and out of stamina. His mana regeneration wouldn¡¯t set in until mana exhaustion from using Core Overload ran out and his stamina wasn¡¯t in the best shape. He looked up at the arm (¡°I¡¯ll run out of stamina climbing so many times I can¡¯t count them on my fingers¡­¡±). Kyle glanced at the fire ball forming in the sky ahead, he clenched his claws onto the hide ¡°Am I really useless for now?¡±. He looked at his hands, claws digging into the hide as the only thing holding him. He struggled to even hold on, it¡¯s all he thought he could do. ¡°Single demon! No foot soldiers!¡± Sly¡¯s mana infused voice filled everyone¡¯s ears as he reported the situation out loud. Riding his direwolf he headed towards Birse¡¯s location to join the melee fighters, Karnage followed close by. ¡°Everyone is doing what they can, why the fuck am I giving up now?¡± Kyle scolded himself, he focused a stare at the arm he held onto, racking his brain for anything he could think of. ¡°This world¡­is no game, this is our reality¡± he whispered to himself ¡°Stop thinking of it as a game, stop thinking of it¡¯s rules as set realities within a sandbox!¡±. His claws dug deeper into the hide but no blood came out, the wound not deep enough to bleed. ¡°If only I could use my magic¡­without it it¡¯s back to the bas-¡± he stopped himself as his eyes opened wide. Kyle stared at the thick tough hide he held onto ¡°The basics¡­before I got my magic¡­my class¡­¡± he grimaced ¡°This will suck¡±. ¡°I¡¯m a predator¡± he told himself ¡°This, my prey¡± he focused on his claws and then his mouth, he pictured them. Their shape, their use, their make. Suddenly he felt pressure on his gums as his teeth changed, replaced by two sets of carnivorous fangs. Kyle gave a toothy smile before opening wide ¡°Thanks for the food¡± he chuckled before digging into the hide. It was easy to bite into but tough to tear away, using his new fangs and one clawed hand he tore out pieces of hide before beginning to chew on them. ¡°Bleh, tastes like old heated up pork¡± he noted as he chewed on more and more hide until he held a mouthful, he swallowed. A sudden piercing pain in his chest made Kyle shudder in agony ¡°F-fuck¡­bad¡­b-bad¡­ide-a¡­¡± he stuttered as he spoke, the pain flowing through his whole body. Kyle began to lose his grip onto the hide as the pain worsened, as if liquid a flow of red went through his eyes joined by another flow of black. The two colours covered the white as the red surrounded the silver and spiked outwards while the black over took the rest.
Demonic energy flows through your body fuelling it; All debuffs removed All skill resource cost removed [Demon¡¯s Toll] curse gained; Sudden death within 10 minutes
Kyle laughed like a mad man as he read the notification, he looked up the arm ¡°A deal with a demon huh? I¡¯ll take it¡± he mused. He took off his hood revealing his white fox ears tinged with a crimson red at the tips, his tail also lost the tinge of blue and it was replaced with the same. He glanced at the crossed pitch black bones to the top right of his vision, he tried to focus on them and a timer appeared.
Sudden explosive death in 9:56
It was counting down but Kyle continued to smile ¡°Works for me¡± he chuckled, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get to the top¡± he leaped up and continuously activated surge until he appeared above the demon¡¯s shoulder. He landed on the shoulder and momentarily glanced at the left head, the demon was too busy glaring at the giant fire ball to notice him. Kyle glanced downwards at the climbing adventurers ¡°Looks like they need a hand¡± slime exploded from his arms and rapidly flowed downwards, once the slime reached the adventurers they panicked and began hacking away at it. Kyle grimaced ¡°Oi stop you idiots! I¡¯m helping you up!¡± he shouted with a mana infused voice, they looked up after hearing him, the slime quickly flowed around their waist. He started pulling them up as the excess slime built up on his arms. Little by little he pulled them up until every single one of them was standing on the demon¡¯s shoulder, Zaahr glanced at Kyle ¡°You still got that much mana remaining?¡± he asked while staring at the demon¡¯s head. Kyle grinned ¡°Not really, but I can still go for about eight minutes¡± he walked towards the head, a couple gallons¡¯ worth of blue slime engulfing his arms and shoulders. ¡°Death how much longer on the fire ball?¡± he shouted while mana infusing his voice, he glanced at it, twice as large as it was the last time he checked. ¡°70%! Like four to five minutes?!¡± Death responded back. ¡°We need to act fast before we end up barbeque!¡± Zaahr stated as he continued staring at the demon, ¡°Corn, Rogers, Casey start chanting, everyone else defensive positions!¡± he barked out commands. ¡°Yo broccoli what¡¯s the plan?¡± Kyle glanced curiously at the Apok guildies setting up their formation. Zaahr glanced back at him but then immediately turned back to stare at the demon ¡°To inflict as much damage as possible on the shoulder, the plan is to dislocate it as a minimum. After that the melee combatants will focus on the head once its down, our rangers say it¡¯s armour is too thick around the head so it will take a while. It¡¯s shoulder is thick but between the neck and shoulder there¡¯s openings, we¡¯ll focus our attacks there.¡± He explained thoroughly.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Kyle smiled ¡°Cut through those scales and leave the rest to me¡± he noticed the demon¡¯s head turned to look at them ¡°In the meantime, drop your formation. I¡¯ll deal with it¡± he surged forward quickly as the demon¡¯s mouth opened ¡°Fuck that smells¡±. Black energy began focusing around it¡¯s fangs and formed a sphere within it¡¯s mouth, the pressure released was enough to make Zaahr and his members fall to their knees. Kyle felt the pressure but before it could drop him down he surrounded himself with slime from the waist down and froze it ¡°Nice try, what¡¯s next fuck face?¡± he raised his arms in front of himself and they exploded with even more slime, gallons over gallons of slime began forming a wall between the demon¡¯s head and shoulder. Zaahr shouted ¡°Freeze it quick! It¡¯s about to release!¡± his tone panicked. Kyle chuckled ¡°Where¡¯s the fun in that?¡± he continued to supply the wall with slime, instead of expanding it now kept thickening. The demon¡¯s mouth curved into a smile as it expanded further, the sphere of flowing black mana released and immediately crashed into the wall of slime. Kyle laughed with eyes wide ¡°Welcome to class dumbass!¡± the black sphere shot through the wall of slime pulling it forward with it ¡±The subject? Physics!¡°. The sphere suddenly stopped moving after almost reaching Apok, ¡±Today¡¯s topic? Elasticity¡± he declared. The wall of slime around the sphere had solidified further stopping the mana from bursting through, the rest of the slime pulled back. The demon roared as it¡¯s own attack burst back towards it, followed by an explosion of black magic, green blood and blue slime. ¡°Well whatever rules of physics this world has¡± Kyle joked as the black smoke cleared due to the demon still moving forward. As the smoke cleared Kyle reared back in disgust, a fleshless carapace of black and green stared back with fiery red eyes as green blood, patches of black hide and blobs of blue slime streaked down it. ¡°I have to say, you were one ugly mother fucker before but holy shit that¡¯s disgusting¡± Kyle smirked as he glanced back ¡°Zaahr you ready yet?!¡±. Zaahr stared at the demon¡¯s skinned face, his expression one of pure terror. ¡°Dammit Zaahr¡± Kyle cursed as a tentacle of slime lashed back and slapped Zaahr across the face ¡°Snap the fuck out of it!¡± Zaahr did a double take as he glanced between the demon and Kyle ¡°Y-Yeah, we ready?!¡± he asked glancing back at his platoon. ¡°Ready sir!¡± one of the adventurers answered, his arm clad in a red aura while two others having an arm clad in either blue or green aura. Zaahr nodded ¡°Buff me¡± he stated as he threw his grimoire up, the book opened mid-air and began to float as Zaahr chanted ¡°Strengthen my weak flesh with fire¡± a red aura clad hand grabbed his left shoulder ¡°Cleanse my distorted soul with water¡± a blue aura clad hand held onto his right. He stared at the demon¡¯s burned face in disgust as he ended his chant ¡°Empower my will with life¡± the third, green aura clad hand pressed against his back. The three players behind Zaahr reared back as the aura from their arms rushed into him, the grimoire flipped it¡¯s pages before suddenly stopping and facing Zaahr. ¡°Destroy thee blight, burn thy corruption, shatter thou demon!¡± his eyes burst with white light as his whole body was engulfed in three auras, crimson red, dark green and aqua blue. He rushed forward towards Kyle. Kyle unleashed his remaining slime and covered the demon¡¯s face ¡°All yours¡± he exclaimed before falling back to the others. Zaahr leaped up with his hands held together at the palms ¡°Holy descent¡± he activated his skill in mid-air and the three auras merged to turn into a single white blazing aura, the aura twisted and twirled as it settled around his right arm. He raised his right arm as he fell downwards towards the demon¡¯s shoulder, said demon still busy trying to shake away the giant blob of slime eating away at it¡¯s remaining patches of skin. ¡°Shatter!¡± Zaahr shouted as his attack landed, a bright white aura clad fist crashing down into the hide between neck and shoulder. Flesh burned away as the exoskeleton cracked, the demon roared in agony as it stopped moving forward for the first time. ¡°It stopped!¡± Kyle announced as he chuckled ¡°Was that a shockwave attack?¡± he studied the area of impact from where he stood. Zaahr breathed heavily ¡°Yeah¡­we need to¡­get off¡­now¡­¡± he was on his knees. ¡°Gotcha, gather around!¡± Kyle called out to the rest as they hauled the three players who buffed Zaahr, all three of them also looked exhausted. ¡°Now don¡¯t freak out, this might get sticky¡± Kyle joked as he unleashed even more slime, thick blue tentacles grabbed hold of each of them as a large blob in Kyle¡¯s hand froze over and changed into a spike. Kyle connected the spike to the tentacles and stabbed down into the thick hide, he morphed the spike to freeze over along with some hide. ¡°Hope you aren¡¯t afraid of heights, let¡¯s go¡± he stated as he walked off the edge, pulling the rest with him. Many screamed while others cried yet some kept their calm, one was grinning from ear to ear. Kyle laughed as he spun around to look at the others up behind him ¡°Wussies¡± he spun back as the ground approached. ¡°INFERNO! BURN BITCH BURN!¡± Death suddenly shouted, voice infused with mana. The giant ball of flames turned blue momentarily as it shot forward, burning bright red as it flew towards the demon. Kyle and the rest stopped falling as they almost hit the ground, those who were screaming continued to do so. The slime stretched as their descent speed slowed down before they were all a couple feet from the ground, suddenly the slime instantly melted. ¡°Take cover!¡± Zaahr shouted as everyone sprinted away except for those helping out the worn out, Kyle grabbed Zaahr¡¯s arm and threw it over his shoulder. ¡°Hold on¡± he said before pulled Zaahr closer and activating surge multiple times. The ball of fire hit the demon¡¯s injured shoulder head on as it burst into a flare of light, a blast of air shook the trees as the explosion covered it in smoke. Kyle stopped half way between the demon and the melee groups, he glanced back but couldn¡¯t see through the trees and smoke ¡°Did we get it?¡±. ¡°L-L-Let me¡­G-go¡­¡± Zaahr stuttered while glaring at Kyle. Kyle looked back down at Zaahr before raising a brow ¡°Why are you soft th-OH SHIT¡± he backed away as Zaahr¡¯s face became blood red. ¡°You¡¯re a chick!?¡± Kyle exclaimed in complete surprise. Zaahr covered her chest and glared at him ¡°What the hell else did you think I am!?¡± cheeks still red as she spoke. They stared at each other for a couple moments before Kyle broke the ice ¡°This is awkward¡­¡± he stated stifling a chuckle (¡°There¡¯s nothing to cover!¡±). Zaahr grimaced and glanced back as the smoke began to clear. A screeching roar sent a shockwave through the forest as the demon¡¯s two heads crashed through the smoke, the ground trembled momentarily as the demon moved forward. It moved and moved until it began to fall, leaving the smoke behind it it¡¯s shattered and burned shoulder appeared as if a big chunk was bitten off. The second the beast hit the ground cries of victory filled the forest followed by a single mana infused voice ¡°Charge!¡± Birse shouted as the melee fighters dashed towards the fallen monstrosity. Kyle and Zaahr watched as the bulk of their forces charged forward, some sticking out more than the rest. Nakano charged forward with her greatsword in hand, a fiery red aura engulfing it. ¡°You¡¯re ours now¡± each step she took raised a burst of steam. Sly sat above Kurt as it crashed through the forest in a frenzy, a violet aura engulfing the both of them ¡°Time to cut ya up¡± he chuckled. Karnage dashed through the trees with a sword per hand, the wind whistled around her as she ran ¡°Don¡¯t hold back!¡± she declared with mana infused in her voice. Birse calmly stepped forward as every moment his form turned to shadow and reappeared closer and closer to the demon, his were hands clad in black monstrous claw-like gauntlets. ¡°Not so weak as you thought us to be huh?¡± he mused ¡°Let¡¯s see what demons are really made of¡± a grin curving his mouth. The demon roared out angrily as they approached, it tried to crawl back as it desperately thrashed about. It¡¯s left arm was useless and it¡¯s left leg was no longer there, it was a sitting duck. The melee fighters approached quickly with weapons ready as the two demon heads stared on at them, they began to calm down as an eerie smile took over. Kyle¡¯s eyes went wide as he dashed forward, arms raised he summoned everything he could muster as his timer ticked down.
Sudden explosive death in 3:11
Slime burst out of his arms forming a wall between them and the demon, it expanded and expanded until he collapsed onto his knees. The wall froze over and condensed as more and more slime was added to it, a notification appeared.
Overuse of mana negatively affected you: Sudden death -3m
Sudden explosive death in 0:08
¡°Shit not now!¡± he cursed as his vision began to blur, the frozen wall of slime expanded backwards and surrounded Kyle walling him away from the others as they watched. The demon head-butted the wall forming small dents as it opened it¡¯s mouths, dark energy formed around both mouths but instead of unleashing it the demon bit down and the ground began to rumble. It started with the heads as they imploded into themselves until the whole of the demon¡¯s body fell on itself, flesh tore, blood splattered and bones crumbled as some unknown force squashed the demon into a ball of meat and bone.
Sudden explosive death in 0:03
The demon¡¯s remains exploded with so much force that the wall of packed ice cracked as pieces flew off, the blast flowed around the wall and into the forest. The others held on to the trees as the blast wave pushed them back, suddenly the sphere that held Kyle lit up in a bright red light as massive amounts of heat flowed out from it melting the ice which suddenly began turning back into slime.
(Demon¡¯s toll) curse has killed you
You have died!
Death penalty (Level 20 - 1) You are now Level 19
No bound respawn points found
Respawning at closest spawn point in 2:30
Kyle watched as his wall collapsed, he watched but could not move, speak or hear anything. He glanced around but he had no body, no arms, legs or anything to call his. He watched as his allies got blast away along with the forest, an unending force of power bursting out of where the demon once lay. Trees uprooted and flew off as the ground lay uncovered from snow and trembling, the slime dissipated as no mana pool held it. Suddenly the waves of wind stopped as a thin layer of red mist covered the area momentarily, as the mist began to clear Kyle searched for the demon. (¡°What is¡­¡±) if he had a mouth it would lay wide open just as if he had eyelids, where the demon once stood reality seemed to have been scarred. A rift of flowing black stood open about a storey tall and a couple meters wide, black lightening sparked all around it lashing out at the ground. Kyle stood a couple meters away from it but still felt the pull, as if his body wasn¡¯t there but the strange occurrence hungered for his lingering soul. Slowly he was pulled towards it and there was nothing he could do, he couldn¡¯t pull back, he couldn¡¯t even move except looking around. (¡°No¡­¡±) he thought due to the absenteeism of his mouth (¡°Don¡¯t¡­I won¡¯t! I won¡¯t end here! Not like this!¡±) his emotions grew in disarray as he approached the rift. The rift¡¯s surface shuddered as bulges began forming, as he got closer they grew into full arms of pitch black energy. Hundreds of arms lined up towards him as he watched the closer ones grow longer and grab at him, he felt them as if something cold and sharp had grabbed his heart. (¡°N-No!¡±) Fear engulfed him as he was pulled closer and closer to the rift, (¡°Someone¡­Anyone¡­Please!¡±) he felt the grip on his heart tighten making him screamed internally in agony. (¡°Greetings hero, our mistress sends her regards.¡±) a chilling voice echoed in Kyle¡¯s mind as he stared into the rift. Ch 19 - Control (¡°Greetings hero, our mistress sends her regards¡±) the voice stated as the rift rippled, a figure materialized through it. Male with snow white skin, long black hair and pitch black eyes the being stepped towards Kyle, he wore long black jeans and a white sleeveless open jacket. Black tattoos covered his body as a black violent aura erupted from where he stood, he stared down at where Kyle stared back up from. The being looked human but the two long black horns that grew straight up from his forehead told Kyle what it really was. ¡°I am Lucifer, the first Devil king. It is a pleasure to meet the young dark hero, unfortunately we are short on time.¡± Lucifer glanced at the other adventurers as they began to approach cautiously, ¡°Your allies seem feisty, must I bloody my hands already?¡± he smiled coldly. (¡°How¡­are you here¡­¡±) Kyle thought as he turned to glance at the others, half the melee fighters were circling around with Sly and Nakano to surround the rift. Lucifer opened his arms wide ¡°You insulted our mistress, it¡¯s only natural we retaliate¡± he smirked as he lowered his right hand over Kyle¡¯s vision ¡°She decided that our plan was¡­slow, I¡¯m here to make everything quicken. Goodbye, dark hero¡±. Lucifer grabbed hold of Kyle as the rift behind him changed from black to white, he threw him back into the rift. Kyle felt his body return as he touched the rift, he gave one last glance at his friends and allies as the white devoured him. Lucifer laughed ¡°The hero has fallen, what shall the rest of you fools do? Will you kneel? Or will you cower in fear?¡± he asked while continuing to laugh. Birse glared at Lucifer with wide eyes as he grinded his teeth, he glanced at the others around him before speaking with mana infused in his voice ¡°Low ranks stand back, you¡¯ll only get in our way¡± his body burst into shadows and dissipated. Lucifer grinned as Birse and Sly appeared by him, Birse bursting in with an inferno of shadows per arm and Sly dashing in surrounded by a fiery violet aura while holding two daggers in a backhanded grip. Birse raised both arms back while opening his claw like gauntlets to grab hold of Lucifer, Sly switched a dagger into his mouth before pulling out a third as the blades gleamed a bright purple. Lucifer snorted. Faster than either of them he grabbed Birse by one arm then stepped back, he pulled Birse in throwing him into Sly and sending them both toppling away. Lucifer then sidestepped as three fireballs flew by, Death began casting more as he punched and kicked each sending one his way. Lucifer evaded two more fire balls before disappearing, he reappeared behind Death and grabbed him by the head. Death tried to elbow Lucifer but was too slow, he was thrown up into the air. Lucifer appeared above him in a kicking motion, he kicked Death sending him flying towards Skill who was taking aim making them both crash back into a tree as blood and splinters burst out onto the ground. ¡°Weak, sloppy, shall I continue?¡± He chuckled while glancing back, shadows burst out towards him as Birse appeared out of them with his fist ascending at Lucifer. He grabbed the fist without turning around ¡°Slow¡± he mocked. ¡°Go to hell¡± Birse stated before twisting mid-air and kicking back at Lucifer¡¯s waist. ¡°Been there¡± Lucifer pulled Birse over his shoulder and threw him downwards before the kick landed, he then evaded backwards as three aura clad daggers flew by. He glanced down as Kurt leaped up with Sly taking out another pair of daggers, Sly threw dagger after dagger before his direwolf stopped ascending. Sly kicked off Kurt and leaped up towards Lucifer, spinning as he flew up with arms wide behind him as his violet aura frenzied around him ¡°Aurei Surge¡± he chanted and suddenly disappeared. Lucifer continued to grin as he turned to meet Sly¡¯s blades, his horns clashing with the two daggers as he raised his left arm to grab an arrow and his right to slap away a fire ball. He flipped forwards and came back around kicking Sly in the head and down to the ground, blood splattered as Sly¡¯s body remained motionless on the ground. Death fell to his knees ¡°Fuck out of mana¡­¡±, he clenched his fists as he glared up at Lucifer. Birse groaned in pain as he stood up, he swayed back and forth before standing still ¡°So¡­anybody got any bright ideas?¡± he glanced at Skill who ran out of arrows, Death breathing heavily on his knees and Seren concentrating on healing the motionless Sly.
Inside the white rift Kyle opened his eyes (¡°Where¡­¡±) he looked around to see he was in his room laying on his bed, he stood up and off the bed (¡°My room?...How¡­¡±) he took a step and the scene changed. His expression changed from confusion to shock as he found himself tied up in a dimly lit room, his mouth was gagged so he couldn¡¯t speak, his hands and legs tied up to a wooden chair. (¡°This is¡­¡±) he watched as his body moved, he wasn¡¯t in control. He slammed his back into the chair and fell back onto the ground breaking the chair¡¯s back, shuffling with his tongue and mouth he spat out the cloth that gagged him and looked around (¡°No...Not this¡­¡±). He saw some shattered glass on the ground nearby, the scene changed again. He now stood untied with his back to the wall right by the doorway into the room, his hands bleeding from the two sharp long pieces of glass his fists clenched onto. He looked down at his hands, the body of a child no older than seven. He hears someone walking towards the door and glances back up, the door slowly creaked open and the scene changed. Kyle stood in the middle of another room, his hands, face and clothes splattered with blood as two adult corpses lay on the ground above a pool of their own blood. (¡°My kidnapping¡­why¡­why am I remembering this¡­¡±) the scene changed again. Kyle was at his elementary school, wearing his grey and white uniform as he walked around the second floor corridor heading towards his classroom. (¡°This¡­why¡­¡±) He felt his mouth curve into a grimace as students stepped out of his way, their expression full of fear. Teachers glanced at him in disgust or pity as they walked by. He grinded his teeth and broke into a run, the scene changed. Kyle was in the courtyard of his high school, he sat on a bench alone as he stared out at his classmates playing football. This was his first day of school here and he was already alienating himself from the rest. ¡°Hey, is it alright with you if I sit here?¡± a boy in his class had walked up to him, he beamed a friendly smile as he asked the question. ¡°Sure..¡± Kyle responded (¡°My memories¡­¡±) he had no control over his body, as if reliving these memories. ¡°I¡¯m Jason¡± the boy sat by him, forwarding his hand. Kyle glanced up at Jason, he wore a red beanie and had light green eyes. Kyle didn¡¯t shake his hand ¡°Kyle¡­¡± he whispered before turning back to stare at the others playing. Jason chuckled ¡°Not the talkative type huh?¡± the scene changed. Kyle stood inside a hospital room, he kneeled down by the bed Jason lay in. Pale white skin, empty eyes and still he smiled. Jason coughed as he looked at Kyle ¡°Five years and you still can¡¯t start a conversation¡± he tried to chuckle but ended up coughing some more. (¡°No more¡­¡±) the scene changed again. Kyle sat on the same bench in his high school¡¯s court yard, this was the day after Jason¡¯s funeral (¡°Why am I reliving this!?¡±). Two students passed by as Kyle stared off, they didn¡¯t notice him as many often did. ¡°You heard about that kid from 2B?¡± one of them started. ¡°Yeah stuck up bastard, so what if his family was well off. Didn¡¯t do him much good¡± the other chuckled as he spoke. ¡°Yeah he¡¯s feet deep under now, guy always pissed me off¡± his friend continued. ¡°Hah! So much for all the shit he spoke. Can¡¯t do any of that if you¡¯re d-¡± the second student was cut off as Kyle¡¯s fist collided with his face. The scene changed and Kyle found himself standing above the same two students, beaten bloody and bruised they stared up at him in fear. Teachers ran over to stop him before he jumped back down to continue, they pulled him back as they tried to help up the other two who squirmed away from even them. Kyle glanced down at his hands, bloody and bruised. The scene changed yet again. He opened his eyes to find himself sitting in his living room, his parents sat by him on the sofa as on the opposite sofa a middle aged woman with long brown hair and green eyes and a girl his age with similar features sat facing him. ¡°So you¡¯ll take him in Nina?!¡± His mother asked with a delighted tone. The woman named Nina responded ¡°Of course Amy! Home schooling is better than the trash they still teach in high school today anyway!¡± she clapped her hands together ¡°I home schooling my daughter anyway, what¡¯s another?¡± she chuckled. Kyle¡¯s father forwarded his hand ¡°Thank you as always Nina, Little Alison take care of him for us¡±. Nina shook his hand ¡°Any day Mike, you hear that Alison?¡± Nina glanced down at her daughter. Alison beamed a smile at her mother ¡°Okay ma!¡± she glanced down at Kyle and smiled. --- Outside Kyle¡¯s mind --- Author: I usually listen to music while writing certain scenes, I had stopped sharing said music a while ago but I cannot help myself anymore D:! So I¡¯m doing it again :D : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l75JJle5G5IThis novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. --- Kyle floated in the endless white void, an empty space of white where only two beings lay. One of them Kyle, unconscious and oblivious to the one by his side. ¡°Master¡­¡± Lilior wept as she sneaked into his mind, she watched him as he relived his past. Each one he tried to supress but suddenly he completely let go, he stopped trying to supress the memory and began to drown in it. She watched as the memory transpired. Kyle lay on the sofa reading from a window that lay open in front of him, his eyes speeding through it as he wore a smile. This was his eighteenth birthday, he didn¡¯t expect anything, he didn¡¯t want anything than the usual day. ¡°Come on lazy bum, you aren¡¯t laying there all day today!¡± Alison walked into the living room wearing her usual bright smile, she raised her hand ¡°You like this band right?¡± she asked with two dark grey tickets between her fingers. Kyle bookmarked the page he was just on and closed the window ¡°Concert tickets? Ali you know I¡­don¡¯t like crowds¡­¡± he sat up. Kyle¡¯s mother walked into the room from the kitchen next door ¡°Oh come now, you never want anything for your birthday! It will be fun Kyle! You¡¯ll get to see the band you love so much play right in front of you!¡± she exclaimed before poking his frown. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± he glanced away, his eyes tracing the path to his room as his thoughts drifted to the video games he was currently active on. ¡°Oh come on Ki! Just once!¡± Alison put her hands together and faked begging. He glanced at her before quickly glancing away ¡°Fine¡­just this once¡­¡± the scene faded as Alison jumped up with joy. Lilior began to drift out of the memory (¡°Concentrate!¡±) she told herself, (¡°How do I get him out¡­¡±) she was keeping him from fully drowning in the curse that currently possessed his mind. Kyle and Alison were walking out of a gigantic light grey building, blue glass doors lay open as a large crowd left the building. Kyle glanced around impatiently but he couldn¡¯t hide the smile on his face, in truth he was glowing on the inside. The crowd quickly lessoned as many disappeared into small tube like rooms, teleporters as how Kyle¡¯s memories described them. Kyle and Alison were the last to head towards them, Kyle had wanted to purchase some merchandise at the last minute. ¡°Haha! I told you it would be great!¡± Alison exclaimed as she shook his shoulder, she had gone all out with her clothing in this memory. Kyle shyly glanced away ¡°Yeah¡­it was¡­¡± he clenched the bag of merchandise as he smiled ¡°The crowd was horrible though¡­¡±. Alison giggled ¡°You should go out more, you get used to crowds so don¡¯t worry about it too much¡± she glanced at him off and on. Suddenly her eyes widened and she stopped walking, fear filling her expression. ¡°What is it?¡± Kyle asked as he glanced back also stopping. A group of five young men approached them as they got close to the teleporter, with the crowd cleared the street was empty except for them. The one at the lead spoke up ¡°You ditch me for this sad shit? Seriously Alison?¡± annoyance plastered on his face, his eye lids dry and weary. Alison stepped closer to Kyle ¡°It¡¯s none of your business who my friends are Ken¡± she squeezed Kyle¡¯s arm as she glanced around the group. Ken¡¯s eyes widened in rage ¡°You fucking slut¡± he quickly closed the couple steps between them and grabbed her by the arm, his companions ran around and grabbed onto Kyle. ¡°What are you!¡± Kyle tried to struggle but all four of them held him in place, they grinned in amusement as he did. Alison screamed as Ken grabbed her by both arms and held her close ¡°Let me go! Ken you won¡¯t get away with this!¡± she struggled to get out of his grip. Ken grinded his teeth ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry bitch, I know who to pay and who to talk to. I warned you, you¡¯re mine and nobody else¡¯s!¡± he raised his voice as he tightened his grip. ¡°Hey bastard let her go! Y-You¡¯re hurting her!¡± Kyle shouted as he tried to get out of their hold, they pushed him down to the ground. Ken glared at him ¡°Trying to play the hero? Teach this shit who he¡¯s messing with¡± he smirked. ¡°Wha-¡± the scene faded as the four began beating on Kyle as he lay on the ground. Lilior snapped herself out of her daze and focused to watch the rest (¡°These memories¡­¡±). The memory faded back in as Kyle stepped through the doorway into his home, he held onto the door as he looked in. His parents stood by the staircase as Alison¡¯s mother sat on the sofa, her head between her arms. Kyle stared at the scene as he tried to form words ¡°Alison?¡± he managed her name. His parents jumped at his voice and rushed over to him, his mother cried as she held him and his father stared down at him enraged at his injuries ¡°Who?¡± he asked venomously. Kyle ignored his question and asked a second time ¡°Where¡­is Alison?¡± he continued to stare at her mother, she trembled as she held herself. Kyle¡¯s mother held him close as she covered her mouth, she whispered ¡°A-Alison¡­didn¡¯t come back last¡­night¡­Kyle¡­her bod-¡± Lilior was suddenly shook out of the memory as she fluttered away from Kyle, flinching at his reaction. His eyes went wide as an inhuman scream left his throat, his hands trembled as they formed fists and his cheeks gleamed as tears streaked down ¡°You¡­¡± pure hatred emanated from his voice as he spoke ¡°You fucker¡­Get out¡­GET OUT OF MY HEAD!¡±. Lilior rushed over to his face ¡°Master! Calm down! Calm down! You can¡¯t beat it like this! Stop!¡± she cried out while pulling his cheek. Kyle glanced at her, his eyes trembling with hatred ¡°Wha..¡± seeing Lilior confused him further as he continued to stare at her. He grit his teeth and held back his anger ¡°Lilior you¡¯re..¡±. She nodded ¡°I¡¯m here master, I¡¯ve always been here¡­by your side¡± she smiled as a couple tears streaked down her face. Kyle closed his eyes momentarily and began taking slow breaths ¡°Lilior¡­what is this place?¡± he suddenly asked calmly. Lilior was momentarily taken aback by his quick change but recovered to answer ¡°The Devil that appeared in front of you¡­this is a realm under his domain, a reality he controls¡­the curses here¡­they are made for torture¡­torment¡­¡± she explained slowly. Kyle¡¯s arms trembled as he held down his searing anger ¡°So that¡­black scar¡­when it turned white it took me here? My own personal hell..¡± he grimaced. ¡°How do I get out?¡± he began glancing around at the endless void of white surrounding him. Lilior shook her head ¡°There is only two ways I know of¡­magic to travel between the veils of reality or¡­the owner of the realm to let you out¡­¡± she held onto herself as she lowered her head. Kyle gently raised her head up with his index finger on her chin ¡°How does travel between these veils work?¡± he moved his hand to let her rest on it. Lilior sat down as she stared up at him ¡°The veils are invisible, untouchable unless wielding really thick mana or are somehow damaged¡­The Devil¡¯s miasmic mana was thick enough to penetrate them¡­master I¡¯m sorry but¡­we can-¡± she was cut off. Kyle smirked ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­I need compressed magic to touch the veils right?¡± he looked down at his free hand. Lilior nodded ¡°Yes master¡± she stared at him curiously. Kyle glanced at her ¡°What is your definition of aura?¡± he asked as his nails turned into claws. ¡°Aura is mana processed through emotions, master you can¡¯t possibly¡­¡± her stare turned into worry as she realised what he was thinking of ¡°You can lose control master! It will eat you from the inside! Giving form to your anger is not good!¡±. Kyle shook his head as he lowered his hand, Lilior fluttered in place as he turned to give her his back. He clenched his fists as his other hand gained claws ¡°Then let it¡± slime began oozing out of his arms, not the blue slime he used before, this slime¡­was crimson red. Lilior watched in amazement as the slime formed a larger set of claws ¡°Master is that¡­¡± Kyle began to chant ¡°Defiled beast lying dormant within me, corrupted demon I devoured, slaughtered of the holy, I will not ask you to lend me your power¡­Your power is mine now, so just fucking give it up¡± the slime claws grew larger ¡°Demonic Ooze¡± he ended his chant as the slime suddenly crystalized. ¡°Lilior, how is it that I see you?¡± he glanced back at her, his expression weary and sad. She felt her heart skip a beat at his question ¡°There is no ambient mana here¡­nothing to counter act my or yours¡­Master¡­you cannot save me¡­it is too late for me!¡± more tears began to form ¡°I¡¯m¡­already forgetting¡­¡± Kyle¡¯s crystalized claws suddenly clenched into fists as his expression changed to rage ¡°Don¡¯t give me that shit¡± he turned away from her ¡°Don¡¯t give up just yet, I¡¯m your master, I¡¯m the one responsible for you.¡± She hugged herself ¡°But¡­only a deity can bring me back-¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what it takes then I will become a damned God!¡± his voice was harsh, his usual sarcastic personality gone ¡°Lilior¡± Lilior stared at his back, tears streaming down her face. ¡°Wait for me, I¡¯ll bring you back¡± Taking a deep breath Kyle closed his eyes ¡°Until then, keep on watching my back¡± his left fist surged forward as he focused his beast¡¯s aura around it along with surge solely on it. He hit empty space as he moved forward a couple steps, ¡°Cold hatred I held onto for so long, bloody vengeance I long for¡­¡±a blue aura had covered his whole body as the temperature dropped. He opened his eyes wide as he suddenly entered a frenzy. Punch after punch he moved further and further, sweat began to cover his body as he continued his flurry. Suddenly the aura around him moved and began forming around his fists, the aura began to take form as the red crystal reflected a darker red light. Lilior fluttered behind him, her ethereal form shimmering with power as she also felt his rising use of mana. Kyle began chanting mana infused words between punches ¡°I cast it all away, fill the emptiness! Burn it all away with anger! Rage!¡± the blue aura¡¯s form steadied as two ethereal gauntlets formed around his arms, it¡¯s colour changing to crimson ¡°Monster within me of the forgotten race, let go! Core Overload!¡± the crystallized slime cracked as it expanded several times and darkened in colour. Suddenly cracks began forming all over his body, his skin cracking as if stone taking too much pressure. Blood leaked out of the cracks as skin tissue crumbled then flew off into the white void, ¡°Master stop!¡± Lilior exclaimed as she felt the curses within the white void effect Kyle again. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Lilior. I need to see it ,I need to practice what I preach.¡± He grinded his teeth as the memories of his past filled his mind, he had purposely reached out to the curse. ¡°Lucifer¡­he wanted to torture me with my past! I won¡¯t lay down and let the bastard have his way, I will wear my scars. I can only die or get stronger.¡± Lilior¡¯s heart ached from their connection, she felt his pain as if it were her own. ¡°Kyllix¡­¡± then she felt it engulf her, the pure and restless anger. As if a beast of primal times was unchained. ¡°This searing anger and cold sharp hatred¡­I¡¯m done keeping it in check. They say gods exist, deities of pure power that watch over us¡­that just watch¡­do nothing at all¡­¡± Kyle¡¯s punches slowed down ¡°I won¡¯t abide by the rules they set, I don¡¯t care if I¡¯m too weak. I¡¯ll find a way, nothing will stand in my path again¡± he prepared his right arm as the aura around it entered a frenzy, lashing out at every angle ¡°I¡¯m not losing again, I¡¯m done losing¡± he opened his eyes wide as his right arm surged forward.
IL¡¯E, Forest between Frosthold and Helix Lucifer laughed coldly as he watched the adventurers glare at him ¡°I¡¯ll take a guess and say you are no match for me¡± he smirked ¡°I¡¯m afraid our little game ends here, my legion is restless for bloodshed today¡±. He backed up to the rift and raised his left arm ¡°We have been waiting for decades, you can¡¯t imagine how bored we¡¯ve been inside those cursed walls¡± suddenly a sphere of red formed around him before several blasts of magic collided with it. The resulting explosions sent several adventurers back to holding onto something, as the multi-coloured smoke cleared out a cold laughter chilled their bones. ¡°Mage guild masters! Welcome to the party!¡± Lucifer cried out as he continued to laugh ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to come out from hiding?¡± the smoke cleared out completely as he sent a gust of power out. He glanced around as several adventurers froze up through his gaze ¡°I guess not, although it is indeed too late¡±, he turned with his left arm still raised and glanced into the white rift. Raising his right arm towards the rift it¡¯s colour began changing back to black ¡°Come my minions, corrupt this land and colour it red¡± he grimaced as cracks formed on the rift, a large patch of white expanded pushing away the forming black ¡°Already broken?¡± his eyes widened as another barrage of magic hit his barrier. Lucifer cleared the smoke again, his barrier remained untouched but his expression switched from amusement to astonishment as the cracks spread throughout the rift. ¡°That was quick, was he so mentally frail?¡± he laughed maniacally as the cracks suddenly burst sending shards of gleaming white out towards him. Lucifer¡¯s smile widened as a crimson red crystal claw clad in a raging black aura emerged from the rift, it grabbed onto his face making his smile falter. ¡°Sup bitch¡± Kyle stated as he pulled himself out while pulling Lucifer closer, his eyes glaring hatred at the Devil King as he stared back in shock. ¡°You haven¡¯t broken?¡± Lucifer whispered as he glanced at where he was headed, the rift turned completely black as Kyle completely emerged from it. ¡°Fuck off¡± Kyle used surge to throw Lucifer into the rift, he crashed into the barrier around them and slid down to the ground as it disappeared. Lucifer half entered the rift as he held onto the edges with his hands, his head re-emerged plastered with a grin ¡°Not so f-¡± he was cut off as another barrage of magic blasted out from the forest and at the unprotected rift. Kyle momentarily closed his eyes awaiting death, he felt nothing and re-opened them to find himself surrounded by a green barrier of mana. ¡°Wha¡­¡± he looked up to see the blurry figure of an old man wearing a long green robe glancing back at him, he began drifting off as the adrenaline faded. ¡°Well done young one¡± the man stated before Kyle lost consciousness ¡°Rest now¡±. Ch 20 - Time to leave pt 1 (¡°You¡¯ve done well at surviving Void¡±) the static like voice stated as Kyle felt his way around the darkness. ¡°Well¡­I¡¯m not dead since you know, I can respawn. Why am I here again?¡± unease filled his tone as he questioned the being. A rumbling chuckle filled the darkness (¡°You are asleep young one, dreams are the easiest way we have to speak with you. Unlike others we find premonitions and visions¡­ineffective, it is in our best interest that you stay alive and grow stronger after all.¡±) the voice explained. ¡°And?¡­¡± Kyle grew impatient, he wanted to know what happened after Lucifer got ditched into his own portal. (¡°Patience keeps you alive a bit longer, you should know better child. This meeting¡¯s objective is to warn you, to warn you about the power you¡¯ve just unlocked.¡±) The voice suddenly moved and began emanating from behind him. Kyle was surprised ¡°Power? What power are you talking about?¡± he couldn¡¯t remember any god like powers he recently obtained. (¡°You punched through the veil of domains, mortals shouldn¡¯t mess with such things, less so unexperienced ones like you.¡±) The voice grew serious (¡±Beware young Void, do not use this ability freely. We never thought you to learn such things so early but alas you have and the only reason you were able to tear through the right one is because the moronic devil left his connection open.¡±) Kyle chuckled ¡°So I got lucky? Well can¡¯t say I¡¯m disappointed, things could have turned out much worse¡± he sighed ¡°Well since I¡¯m here and¡­asleep. How about you tell me why exactly you need me, what¡¯s the point of you even giving me power? Not that I mind but I would like to know the details of this¡­contract¡±. Silence filled the darkness momentarily before the voice responded (¡°We are what you might call ascended beings, we reached a higher state of existence but because of that we are unable of holding a physical body for any sort of time. Due to that we require something akin to what Gods call heroes, lower beings through which we make our word heard.¡±) it explained. ¡°So you are Gods? I mean I won¡¯t even try to understand this whole ascended beings crap but¡­how different are you from Gods? Or even Devils?¡± Kyle grew curious, he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d get another chance to ask these questions. The voice chuckled ¡°Devils are low immortals, not even Gods pay them much attention. As for Gods? Unemotional beings, a similar existence to us ascended beings except they were born into immortality. We evolved into it, through several billion generations of progress and death.¡± Kyle grinned ¡°So I have pseudo Gods on my side, awesome? But what about Lilliana? Why is she paying attention to Devils, how did Devils take down Oberon a God? What is going on? Why are we here?¡± he barraged it with questions he was dying to ask. The voice chuckled yet again ¡°Slowly Void, we are in no rush. We aren¡¯t all knowing but some answers we do have, unfortunately you will not like any of them.¡± Kyle sighed ¡°Didn¡¯t think I would, hit me¡± ¡°Excuse you?¡± the voice asked confused. ¡°No I..it¡¯s just a¡­forget it just¡­tell me¡± Kyle groaned from the cringe. ¡°Mortals¡­¡± the being sighed ¡°We do not know much, most is still theoretical. Lilliana is a halfblood, a Demi-Goddess. She holds more power than the average God can show physically because her body grew sustaining that power, normally a God requires a body to inhabit but those bodies fall apart quickly and cannot withstand the God¡¯s full power. Because of that she was capable of trapping Oberon within his physical shell, locking away his power.¡± ¡°Demi-Goddess¡­what happens if we kill her physical body?¡± Kyle rubbed the back of his neck as he sighed another time. ¡°She is a Fae, destroying her physical body will remove her connection to the physical but will not kill her.¡± The voice moved yet again, it spoke from above him ¡°Now this is only theoretical but we believe the reason for you and your companions to be on Chaoz is known by the previous Heroes, your existence alone is such a connection to them¡± Kyle stopped still ¡°My existence? What do you mean?¡± The voice momentarily went silent as the darkness shifted with grey ¡°It is too soon for you to learn of that¡± it finally responded. ¡°Too soon? Wh-¡± the darkness disappeared as suddenly Kyle woke up. He opened his eyes wide to find himself staring at a roof, multiple notifications greeted him.
Through skill [Devour] active skill [Demonic Presence] has been unlocked!
Through skill [Devour] active skill [Ooze] has gained [Demonic] variation!
Through rigorous mental strain your stats have been effected: +1 INT
Through rigorous mental strain your stats have been effected: +1 INT
Through rigorous mental strain your stats have been effected: +1 INT
Seeing through an illusion has affected your stats: +1 WIS
Seeing through an illusion has affected your stats: +1 WIS
Through trial and error you have unlocked the active skill [Dimensional Force]
Kyle quickly read through them then sat up ¡°Damn bastard, what did it mean¡­¡± he grimaced (¡°There is too much I don¡¯t know¡­now it has something to do with me even more!?¡±), he glanced down at his hands ¡°My existence¡­¡±. ¡°Mmm¡­.¡± Kyle frowned as he noticed the sleeping lump next to him ¡°Karnage?¡±, she was sitting on a chair while laying over the bedside. He stared at her momentarily before sighing ¡°What am I going to do with you¡­¡± he shook her by the shoulder ¡°Oi wake up¡±. ¡°Ahh! Another ten minutes!¡± she sleepily exclaimed. Kyle snorted ¡°Right¡± he left her alone and got out of bed when suddenly the door across the room opened. ¡°You¡¯re awake¡± Death exclaimed as he walked in. ¡°Apparently we still need to sleep, who knew¡± Kyle joked as he stretched his arms and legs. ¡°Apparently we also need to eat, drink, piss and shit. Trust me you don¡¯t want to know how we figured out the last two¡± Death chuckled as he rested his back to the wall by the door. Kyle finished his stretching and began walking towards the door ¡°Where are we?¡±. ¡°A mage guild tower, Jade serpents I hear.¡± Death answered while playing around with a flame in his palm. Kyle had walked up to the door and stopped when he grabbed the handle, he whispered ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡±. Death whispered back ¡°The mage guild masters appeared, lucky us. That Lucifer fucker isn¡¯t around for now but they expect him to be back, we are currently waiting on news about Helix and if the town¡¯s guard was able to assist the Helix guards. The mage guilds sent some scouts, we¡¯re waiting for their return.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go meet up with the others then¡± Kyle opened the door and walked out. Death followed him out ¡°Two floors up, we¡¯re on the tower¡¯s first floor¡±. Kyle studied the tower¡¯s inside as they walked over to the spiral staircase in the middle. The inside had a single circular wall with more doors than Kyle could count on his hands, the room he came out from was large but the one they walked through now was more of a hall. The walls were colored dark green while both the roof and floor was black with scale like tiling, paintings of different green robed mages lined the wall. They reached the similarly colored staircase, black and green stairs off and on. Kyle followed Death up the wide stairs as they ascended in a spiral around a black pillar of scales. ¡°Here we go¡± Death stated as they reached the third floor, he turned to the left as one of the doors opened. ¡°Yo¡± Death greeted as Birse, Seren, Nakano, Zaahr and multiple robed mages walked out. ¡°Where are Skill and Sly?¡± Kyle asked as Birse and Seren approached them. ¡°Sly insisted on grinding while you were out of it so I pointed him towards a good spot we found earlier, he took Skill and Eternium¡¯s healer with him¡± Birse explained stopping right in front of them. ¡°It got to him badly¡± Seren stated while frowning ¡°Where¡¯s Karnage?¡± ¡°Still asleep downstairs, what do you mean got to him?¡± Kyle responded before asking in confusion. ¡°Being beaten down by Lucifer, he¡¯s probably beating himself up¡± Seren sighed after explaining. Birse chuckled ¡°Let him be he¡¯ll come out of it, you all know how competitive that idiot can be. Anyway Kyll head over to the west gate, Skill should be waiting for you there. You¡¯re heading out immediately, reports came in that Helix has been recaptured and we don¡¯t have any more time to lose.¡± Kyle nodded ¡°Think you can hold out before we get back?¡± his expression was serious as he studied the mages watching them while conversing with each other. Birse also glanced back at them ¡°They said they¡¯ll aid us in defending from any attacks but any retaliation is up to us, honestly? They don¡¯t trust us and neither do I.¡± Suddenly one of the mages turned to walk towards them ¡°So you have woken up¡± the mage was tall for a human with long grey hair and mustache, he wore a long green mage robe with black scales lining the edges and held a thick wooden staff with multicolored leaves growing out of random branches growing out of the wood.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Kyle squinted as he looked the mage up and down ¡°Wait you are¡­¡± the blurry memory of the man standing above him after Lucifer got blasted into his own rift came to him. The mage raised his right arm to his chest ¡°I am Cornelius Vespier, guild master of the Jade Serpents. Excuse my query but you are heading out with the party your leader has set up?¡± he gestured to Birse. ¡°Yeah I am, what of it?¡± Kyle studied the mage warily, he did not know the limits of what magic was capable of here. Cornelius noticed his caution ¡°I simply wish to have a chat with you adventurer, mind If I walk you out?¡± Kyle glanced at the others ¡°Guess that¡¯s my cue, see you all in a bit¡±, fist bumping all three they said their goodbyes as well. Cornelius hummed in thought ¡°What a strange gesture of greeting, anyhow I¡¯ll flash us to the exit¡± he turned towards the staircase. ¡°Actually one of our party members is still downstairs if you don¡¯t mind¡± Kyle stated as he followed the mage, he suddenly found himself back on the first floor. ¡°Ah yes, here we go then. Is that her?¡± Cornelius asked as he gestured at Karnage who was glaring at the staircase sleepily. Hearing his voice she jumped and turned around ¡°How did¡­¡± she was momentarily surprised but almost immediately went back to glaring, glaring at Kyle ¡°You could have woken me up¡± she stated with a cross expression. Kyle smirked ¡°But you were sleeping so loudly, really what were you dreaming about?¡± Her eyes went wide momentarily as her cheeks flushed red ¡°Wha-What did I!?¡± she stuttered and stumbled with words. ¡°Just messing with you, I tried to wake you up and you told me to let you rest a bit more¡± Kyle explained as he raised his arms in front of himself defensively. ¡°Oh¡± Karnage stared at them blankly. Cornelius caressed his mustache as he spoke ¡°Well then shall we?¡± he gestured towards what Kyle thought to be the exit, two large double doors made of dark green wood, runes etched on the black doorway. Kyle entered a cold sweat when he noticed the runes ¡°Are those runes?¡± he asked, trying keep his expression in check. Cornelius raised his left arm then opened his palm wide and the runes flared a bright green ¡°Indeed they are, my latest study involved them then thereafter I implemented them to our quarters. This way¡± he strode towards the exit as the doors opened on their own. Kyle remained cautious as he followed the old mage (¡°Calm down¡­the bank was owned by a different guild¡­Pheonix something¡­¡±). ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡± he asked as he studied the other side of the exit, still the inside of a building. Karnage momentarily stared at them leave before snapping out of her confusion and jogged over. ¡°Idiot¡± she whispered before reaching them, they did not hear her comment. ¡°Just a simple curiosity¡± Cornelius began to explain as he turned into the corridor ¡°The magic you utilize along with the class you own, how did you come by them?¡± he glanced back at Kyle as he walked. Kyle studied him back, wearing a friendly expression as he did ¡°You could say I purchased it, what about it?¡±. ¡°Purchased? Might I ask from who?¡± Cornelius¡¯s eyebrows furrowed into a frown as he walked through another door that opened for him. ¡°A bunch of unsavory individuals, what is your interest in this?¡± Kyle asked as they followed the mage into a wider corridor, unlike the last multiple doors covered this one and another set of large double doors at one end. Cornelius headed towards the double doors ¡°I will be blunt with you adventurer as this seems to be getting me nowhere, that class you purchased comes from a treasured artifact of my guild. Said artifact was transported here to give you adventurers a way to obtain powerful classes, it was at first being kept safe and secret by the Crying Pheonix guild until its actual destination was complete with security but alas those fools couldn¡¯t hold it.¡± He stopped with his hand on the large double doors and stared back at Kyle who smirked ¡°And you want it back?¡± Kyle asked. Cornelius frowned ¡°It would greatly benefit us both, we do not need funds as such use of the artifact would be without payment¡± he explained. Kyle thought it over before responding ¡°Damn, you should have told me sooner. I need to speak with Birse now, I know where it¡¯s located and he can ready a party to get it back¡± ¡°And you believe us incapable of doing so ourselves?¡± Cornelius chuckled ¡°I¡¯m a Grand Sorcerer-¡± Kyle cut him off ¡°And you can take it off the leader of the Dusk Blade Bandits without severe casualties?¡± his smirk grew into a grin. Cornelius¡¯s eyes widened in surprise ¡°Them? Wretch¡­¡± he grinded his teeth and closed his eyes in thought ¡°You truly believe your companions can retrieve it?¡± he asked momentarily after. ¡°Yeah I do, guess we¡¯re going back up?¡± Kyle asked as he turned back. ¡°No need, one of these was issued to your ranger¡± Cornelius pulled out a large metal ring with a glass pane embedded inside ¡°It¡¯s visual communicative device of our invention, VCD as my apprentice calls them¡± he forwarded the object to Kyle ¡°Picture the one you want to speak with, give the details to your leader whenever you can. I understand how important it is that your forces regroup so I won¡¯t keep you waiting any longer¡± he explained. ¡°Then I¡¯ll graciously accept¡± Kyle took the VCD from the mage ¡°Can you ¡®flash¡¯ us to the west gate also?¡± he asked. Cornelius shook his head ¡°I¡¯m afraid that is out of range, I can only use that spell within this building¡± he gestured around him. ¡°Alright, also I wanted to ask something as well¡± Kyle studied the VCD as he spoke ¡°You being a mage guild master probably makes you one of my best choices for this topic¡±. Cornelius¡¯s curiosity peaked ¡°Ask away?¡± ¡°What can you tell me about how we are even around? How did me and my people come to this world as we did?¡± Kyle looked up at the mage, paying him full attention. Cornelius hummed in thought ¡°As I¡¯ve told your companions, you were all probably summoned here through the power of a Deity. Lilliana lacks such power over reality but¡­Oberon doesn¡¯t. My guess is she somehow forced him into it, the reason is what I do not comprehend.¡± Kyle smiled coldly ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense does it? Summoning us from another world through her companionship with some of our own only for us to side against her?¡± he sighed ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense¡­yet it does¡± Cornelius frowned ¡°How so?¡± he asked in doubt. ¡°We aren¡¯t pawns of hers as she stated us to be, not yet anyway. List her objectives, to own this world, what would she need to do that? Is her demon army enough?¡± Kyle continued to stare as the mage considered his line of thought. ¡°No, the Elven Empire alone could simply destroy that whole continent. The Ogre¡¯s militia could defeat the demons in battle and the Orc¡¯s hordes cannot be defeated on their home land.¡± Cornelius responded. ¡°Then there is only one answer remaining, the item our ¡®predecessors¡¯ stole. How powerful is it?¡± Kyle stated as he walked over to the doors, he pushed them open ¡°What can level three powerful kingdoms?¡± Cornelius sighed ¡°No artifact within my knowledge possesses such power, I¡¯m afraid I cannot help you with this adventurer¡± he raised his right hand to his chest ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving you then, I await word from your leaders¡±. Kyle was about to respond but in between blinks the mage disappeared ¡°Not again¡­¡± he glanced back at Karnage ¡°Let¡¯s go regroup with Skill then, guess I¡¯ll fill in Birse while we walk¡± he looked down at the VCD as he stepped out. Karnage was too busy glancing at the portraits of mages throughout the corridor to pay attention to their conversation but noticed when he spoke to her ¡°Oh alright let¡¯s go then, this place creeps me out¡± she stated while following him out. The eyes of the portraits all turned to look at the door as it closed.
IL¡¯E, Frostbite Forest, Tundra Wolf Den Blood splattered all over the nearby trees while patches of fur and flesh, disembodied limbs, corpses of grey, black, white or brown fur lay strewn about the small hill by the lake. Whines of pain and growls of anger along with grunts and maniacal laughter filled the air. Behind one tree like any other, she trembled in fear as tears streamed down her face. A young woman with a dark complexion, crimson red eyes and shoulder length snow white hair lay hiding behind the tree. She hugged her knees as her whole body trembled, taking erratic breaths she shut off the sounds around her, tried to ignore the smell as she drowned in her thoughts. (¡°I¡¯m Reyna, age 19, female. I¡¯m inside some fantasy filled dimension due to some crazy Goddess, a game like world with skills and stats that effect your physical body.¡±) she thought to herself while chuckling lightly, trying to keep herself sane (¡°And I¡¯m pretty sure my party leader is possessed by the devil¡±) she took a glance around the tree. Sly spun in a whirlwind of blades and violet aura as more and more wolves ran out from their dens inside the holey hillside, their comrade¡¯s corpses lying ripped to shreds all over. He sidestepped, slashed, evaded, threw, kicked and laughed as he drowned in the euphoria of combat. The wolves having him completely surrounded with about four in each direction forming a circle around him as they ran around occasionally pouncing at him. ¡°Healer! Medic! Support! Heal!¡± he shouted while kicking a brown wolf that came at him low, the beast crashed back into two of his pack as Sly ended his spin kick by elbowing a second black wolf that pounced at him from behind. ¡°Ahh!! Heal! Heal! Heal!¡± Reyna shouted in between sobs as she cast her magic, green lightening escaped the iron mace she held in one hand. The lightened surged around the tree and directly at Sly momentarily encasing him in green light. ¡°Damn support! Faster healing!¡± Sly cursed as a grey wolf bit into his left leg, stabbing downwards his dagger dug deep into it¡¯s skull as he grabbed hold of a second white wolf with his right hand that had pounced at him from the side. ¡°Okay! Okay!¡± Reyna answered as she frantically stood up while grabbing her round shield that lay on the snow, she stepped around the tree to see Sly smash two wolves into each other before a burst of violet aura exploded around him sending all the wolves crashing back a couple meters. ¡°Heal!¡± she shouted sending forth another barrage of green lightning into Sly, her eyes suddenly widened in terror as a dozen wolves turned towards her. ¡°B-Bo-Boss!¡± she screamed while holding her shield up, one of the wolves pounced towards her. The snow in front of her exploded as a second violet aura crashed down onto the wolf, Kurt bit down on it¡¯s neck before casually throwing it¡¯s dead corpse aside. The direwolf growled menacingly making each wolf take a step back, it¡¯s aura pressuring them down as it engulfed them and further. ¡°Buff! Out of Buffs!¡± Sly shouted while pulling out another pair of daggers from his belts, they gleamed a violet light as it suddenly grew longer and more physical. He raised his arms wide as he closed his eyes and began to chant ¡°Calm waters over the lake that is my mind, silent wind flowing through me. Ripple, growl!¡± he let go of the two daggers at shoulder height. Reyna also began chanting she moment he called out for her, she held her mace with both hands letting her shield dangle by it¡¯s brace. ¡°Oh divine wind grant us your speed! Blessing of Wind!¡± an ethereal blue wind formed around her, it flowed fiercely around the wolves and towards Sly. Sly grinned as the daggers fell, the blue wind rushed through him forming a thin gleaming blue aura around him. The wolves around him dashed at him in groups, some prowling low while others pouncing high from all directions while the rest awaited their chance. The daggers reached ankle height when he suddenly shouted out loud, mana still infused in his voice and words ¡°Aurei Form, Warrior¡±. The snow around him exploded upwards as his violet aura suddenly shrunk and reentered his body, his skin cracked as the cracks began emanating a violet hue while blood trickled down from them. Sly¡¯s body exploded into movement as he grabbed hold of the still gleaming daggers, the snow melting as it touched his skin. The wolves didn¡¯t even have time to whine in pain as the two blades of violet aura grew out of the explosion of snow, they suddenly began to spin violently slashing around the beasts like meat entering a grinder. Reyna watched as the snow cleared revealing Sly ending his spin attack, losing no time he rushed forth while slashing widely outwards. A couple dozen more corpses lay strewn about the small opening in front of the dens, Sly grinned widely as the two blades of aura shrunk back down into the daggers ¡°So you¡¯ve finally decided to come out¡± he stated mockingly. Reyna took a step back ¡°The-The E-Elite?!¡± she stuttered while remembering what Sly was aiming to fight, the whole reason he was massacring wolves five levels below him. The temperature dropped from cold to freezing as one of the larger den¡¯s outline began forming frost, a low growl emanating from inside. The beast prowled out from the den, it¡¯s crimson red fur gleamed with fiery power as it glared down at Sly standing two feet from it¡¯s snout. Three times larger than even Kurt the wolf snarled down at the puny adventurer in front of it, it¡¯s golden eyes shaking with pure fury. Sly inspected the beast as his grin faltered.
{World Boss} Lycan (Mother of wolves) Level (Beyond your comprehension)
Sly¡¯s expression paled severely as he stared up at Lycan, his eyes shrunk into slits as his wolf ears dropped forward to hide in his hair. ¡°You¡¯re not an El-¡± he was cut off mid-sentence as Lycan suddenly bit down, she gulped swallowing him whole. Reyna¡¯s face twitched without control as Kurt spun around and using it¡¯s snout threw her up onto it¡¯s back. Violet aura rampaged around the direwolf¡¯s legs as it ran as quickly as it could, it¡¯s tail hiding between it¡¯s hind legs. Reyna too terrified to even think, she held onto the direwolf¡¯s fur while staring back at the world boss disappearing behind the trees.
Lycan for scale : https://i.imgur.com/ietry3n.png Ch 20 - Time to leave pt 2 IL¡¯E, Frosthold, Westgate The shadows shifted ever so slightly as the sun began to set, above a low branch bordering the end of the forest two cloaks appeared out of the shadows. ¡°Is that them?¡± one cloaked man asked his colleague, both of them wearing iron masks painted white that hid their identity along grey and white cloth clothing matching the snowy terrain. ¡°That is most of them¡± the woman responded as she also watched the group at the gate closely, Kyle and Karnage had caught up with Skill and were watching as Kurt came rushing towards them with Reyna on his back. ¡°Three heroes travelling together definitely makes our job easier, what a stroke of fate¡± the man mused as the shadows between the both of them shifted. A third man appeared wearing the same attire along leather patches of armour for his larger build ¡°The last one recently died, he¡¯ll be appearing shortly¡± he spoke in a deep voice as he commanded the other two ¡°Kess go on ahead, Vulk watch the left flank. The commander has put his trust in us, let¡¯s not let him down¡±. The other two leaped away leaving behind a trail of shadows as they moved, the third stood up while perfectly balancing himself on the branch. He raised his right hand to his mouth ¡°Unit four intercepting three targets, two sighted, third arriving momentarily.¡± he spoke but no magic or equipment was visible. Draxxer¡¯s voice responded ¡°Target call signs?¡± he asked. ¡°Target three has just appeared sir¡± the man stated as he watched Sly respawn ¡°Targets Frost, Dagger and Rain accounted for.¡± Draxxer sighed ¡°Keep a close eye on them warrant officer, you¡¯ve got some slippery targets there Klein¡± Klein shook his head ¡°Yes Sir. Unit four out.¡± he lowered his arm as he watched Sly walk up to a tree and slam an aura clad fist into it¡¯s trunk ¡°Did he make Kess?¡± he suddenly crouched back down.
¡°GOD DAMNIT!¡± Sly cursed loudly as he punched the tree, his face warped in anger as he watched his knuckles bleed. He backed off from the tree and spat at the ground ¡°There goes all my damn loot!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Kyle asked as he approached cautiously. ¡°Damned elite turned out to be a fucking world boss that¡¯s what, ate me up in one bite!¡± Sly explained with arms wide. ¡°The hell? There¡¯s world bosses in this world?¡± Skill asked as he chuckled in amusement, him and Karnage were helping Reyna off the direwolf as she trembled from the shock. ¡°Is she¡­going to be okay?¡± Karnage asked as she shouldered Reyna while lowered her to the ground, she wore a worried expression while staring at the traumatized healer.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Sly glanced at her and shrugged ¡°How should I know? Shouldn¡¯t have signed up if she¡¯s going to be a crying mess the whole trip¡± he turned to Skill ¡°What¡¯s the road plan?¡± Skill opened his map ¡°We need mounts so we¡¯ll have to head to Carn for those, no mounts to be found here. From there we¡¯ll-¡± he was cut off midway. ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡± Karnage suddenly exclaimed while holding onto Reyna¡¯s trembling shoulder, she glared at Sly as he turned to glare back. Sly smirked ¡°Oh excuse me, have I said something wrong?¡± Karnage stood up ¡°Look at her! This is normal! We aren¡¯t born warriors! Stop thinking everyone can just shrug it off like some maniac!¡± blood rushed to her face as she spoke. Sly stared at her as she glared red faced back at him, he grimaced and turned to give her his back ¡°Maniac huh?¡±. Kyle stepped in between them ¡°Karnage wai-¡± Sly began to laugh causing Karnage¡¯s eyes to widen in surprise, he glanced back ¡°Tell me, does this world seem like some magical fantasy? Some walk into a child¡¯s story book?¡± Karnage opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. ¡°How long do you think we¡¯d survive if we all thought like that? How many do you think would still be alive by tomorrow if we did not have respawns?¡± his expression was dead serious as he spoke ¡°Dealing with your own view on how shit went down isn¡¯t enough, being strong enough to survive on your own isn¡¯t enough¡±. Sly clenched his fists as he glanced away ¡°I don¡¯t care what it does to your head, I don¡¯t care what you think about it and I certainly don¡¯t care about what use to be considered normal. If it means keeping you fucks alive for another day¡± he glanced back ¡°Then I¡¯ll keep throwing you to the wolves until you come back without a single scratch¡±. Karnage grimaced as she glanced down at Reyna who was staring in surprise at Sly ¡°That won¡¯t work for everyone¡­you can¡¯t force everyone into changing¡­¡± Kyle sighed ¡°Then they¡¯ll have to find their own way, if they cannot¡­¡± he glanced back at the healer ¡°They¡¯ll just be dead weight we¡¯ll have to ditch¡± his expression cold and uncaring. Karnage stared at him in horror ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Inhumane?¡± Skill chuckled as he began walking by the rest of the group ¡°Wake up chica, you¡¯re not even human anymore¡±. Karnage glanced between the three of them (¡°They¡¯re right¡­they are but¡­¡±) she thought while grinding her teeth. ¡°Then what¡¯s the point?¡± Reyna suddenly spoke up, she was kneeling on the ground hugging herself ¡°Why even fight? Why even consider seeing things that way if that¡¯s how we¡¯re going to live from now on!?¡± her face red from all the crying. Sly shrugged again before turning around and then walking up to her ¡°That¡¯s something you¡¯ll have to figure out yourself in time¡± he crouched down ¡°Back at the dens, what did you think of me?¡± She leaned away not daring to meet his gaze ¡°I..¡± ¡°You thought ¡®He¡¯s a monster¡¯, ¡®is he human?¡¯ or something alike didn¡¯t you?¡± he smiled coldly. Reyna shook her head as she continued to glance away ¡°No I-¡± Sly smirked and suddenly raised his right hand over her head ¡°Keep seeing me like that then, why? Because I am one, I gave up trying to be the other. Then also remember, take your time adapting to all this. This monster will give you all as much as possible, take your time but remember¡­time is something we don¡¯t have. Not anymore.¡° he patted her head before standing up. He walked off as Skill and Kyle smirked while glancing back at him, he passed by them and slapped the back of their heads ¡°Move it¡± he ordered. ¡°Aye aye¡­¡± Skill declared while rubbing the injury, he followed along with the direwolf. Kyle glanced back while holding onto the back of his head ¡°Let¡¯s go¡± he gestured at the other two before also following behind them. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Karnage responded, she turned around and forwarded her hand to Reyna. Reyna stared at the hand momentarily before grimacing ¡°Thank you¡­¡± she did not take the hand but instead forced herself to stand ¡°I¡¯m¡­fine¡­¡± she stated in almost a whisper, she set the mace she was previously hugging onto on a hook embedded to her belt along her small round shield. Karnage nodded ¡°Come on then, let¡¯s go.¡± She watched in surprise as Reyna nodded back, they both followed after the rest of their party. Ch 21 - To break the chains ¡°Kyll, Karnage take front. Reyna left flank, I¡¯ll take the right. Skill set up at the back, we¡¯ll move like this for when we encounter hostiles¡± Sly moved the whole group around into a formation as they walked through the forest, Kyle inspected everyone as they moved around.
SlyOkami [{Lord of Aurei}] (Aura-clad) (SER War Lord) Level 47
Karnage [Blade Dancer] (Mad woman) (APOK Empress) Level 41
DemSkillShots [Ranger] (Crack Shot) (SER Scrub 2) Level 42
Reyna [Priestess] (ETE Brigadier) Level 33
Kyle sighed (¡°I¡¯m so behind compared to everyone else¡­¡±) as he drowned in self-pity he decided to read through his new skills.
{Active}[Demonic Presence] ((EXP 0 %) Level 1 ¨C Tier 1):
Surround yourself and nearby allies in a demonic aura; [Permanent active] Caster Cost: -5% maximum mana while active Range: 10 meters Effect (Buff): [Demonic Strength] + 0.5 STR per point of mana cost.
{Active}[Ooze(Demonic)] ((EXP 0%) Level 1 ¨C Tier 1):
Ooze out slime through your skin that can be controlled by your will and mana Activation Cost: 0.05 mana per millilitre Upkeep Cost: (3 mana per 0.5 Litres) per second Current slime type: (Demonic) (Demonic effect): Causes all aura effects in contact with [Ooze(Demonic)] to apply [Aura Poisoning] on contact with said aura. [Aura Poisoning]: Effects of afflicted target¡¯s aura abilities decreased by 5%
{Active} [Dimensional Force] ((EXP 0%) Level 1):
Forcefully make contact with the fabric of reality. ¡°Yo I got a strength AOE buff now¡± Kyle stated ¡°It¡¯s also a debuff to enemies when used along another skill I got¡± he closed his skill book and glanced at his mana bar.
Mana: 385/385
¡°With my current mana that¡¯s¡­Holy shit that¡¯s 9 strength points¡± Kyle immediately activated the buff, a black aura momentarily extended from his feet to cover a dozen or so meters around him before dissipating. Skill whistled ¡°Not that it matters to me though, I¡¯m all DEX and Agility. What about you Sly?¡± ¡°Strength is still important smart ass, it affects your base damage and without it your abilities would only deal the bonus damage¡­if the info on what we thought to be a game is anything to go on¡­¡± Sly sighed in annoyance ¡°Yeah never mind I got no clue, we have abilities that say the damage dealt on them but some¡­creation magic I¡¯ll call them, don¡¯t at all!¡±. Kyle hummed in thought ¡°So do I, my slime creation ability for example tells me how much DOT damage the debuff does but I have no clue how much actual damage me attacking with a slime spike does. We cannot even see monster health bars so¡­¡± Sly groaned as he angrily scratched his head ¡°Damn who ever invented this sadistic system! Not only do we have to go through a pain in the ass to get a class suitable for us but we have to figure out damage values ourselves!¡± ¡°Not just that¡± Skill suddenly sent an arrow flying at a nearby tree ¡°Did any of you notice? The movement itself is¡­¡± ¡°Automated¡± Kyle ended his sentence as he glanced back at Skill standing still with bow raised. ¡°Yeah, it just feels wrong¡± Skill lowered his bow and continued to walk with the rest. Karnage unsheathed one of her swords and began slashing around aimlessly ¡°Without a target its sloppy, when there is a target its like our bodies already know what to do.¡± Her expression dark as she remembered what Kyle had said before (¡°Her ploy¡­¡±). ¡°We need to break away from the system¡± Kyle suddenly stated. Everyone set their gazed on him, some understanding while others not so much. Reyna looked at him in confusion ¡°Why? It makes it easier to fight right? Some of¡­us¡­wouldn¡¯t be able to even move¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s their point Reyna¡± Sly rejoined the conversation after considering the idea quietly ¡°Our bodies were created by the enemy as vassals for us to survive in, to simply live not fight back. Our movements are fast and precise but that doesn¡¯t make them strong, what happens if the enemy is faster? Can read through our movements? We can¡¯t mix things up as we¡¯d like, we need to stop relying on what our bodies already know and learn how to fight ourselves.¡± She stared back at him with an oblivious expression ¡°How do we do that?...Do we even have time for that now?¡± she opened her arms wide gesturing at their current mission. Sly shrugged ¡°We don¡¯t, the guys back at Frosthold do¡± he explained simply. ¡°But¡­shouldn¡¯t we tell them then?¡± Reyna immediately added. ¡°Oh¡­she has a point¡± Karnage pointed out while frowning. Reyna¡¯s shoulders rose at finally being agreed with ¡°How else wo-¡± she was cut off. ¡°Hell if nobody else back at town figured it out then one of ours did¡± Sly admitted proudly. (¡°Point reducted¡­¡±) Reyna thought to herself gloomily, her shoulders slumping down.
IL¡¯E, Frosthold, eastern district Birse gazed out at the training grounds, a wide open area broken down with wooden fences and weapon shacks. Groups of guards and adventurers moved around sparring, sword fighting, shooting at archery ranges and shield wielding. Birse stood inside his own fenced out square where he also was training, he held no weapon in hand opting it out for some thick bandaging around his fists. Breathing heavily he glanced back at the two guards slumped down on the ground, beaten and bruised the guards begged for a break. ¡°Take 10¡­¡± one said in between controlled breaths, a wooden shield lay by her feet with a slab of treated hard leather strapped onto the front. The second guard chuckled as he rested his back to the fence, dropping a similar shield to the ground he glanced around ¡°With what I¡¯ve seen you adventurers do is this really needed?¡± he asked out of curiosity. ¡°Yeah shouldn¡¯t you atleast work on your sub class before focusing on attribute training?¡± the other asked as she took off her iron half-helm revealing long elven ears and short violet hair. Birse shook his head ¡°What¡¯s the point of being able to fight if you don¡¯t really know how, getting classes and skills is useful yeah but if you cannot use them fully yet then that¡¯s the difference between life or death in a fight¡± he explained while slowly removing the bandages from his hands. The male guard chuckled again while also taking off his helm revealing his features, long elven ears and dark purplish skin along short green hair. ¡°Yeah I guess you¡¯re right, I¡¯m surprised you got the mage guilds to train your magic users though¡± he glanced back at the tall towers growing out of large mansion like buildings ¡°Those stingy mages love to keep things to themselves¡±. Birse smirked ¡°It took some bartering but we came down to an agreement that benefits us mutually¡± (¡°Or so they think¡±) his gaze drifted off towards the walls on the other side of the camp. He sighed and pushed himself off the wooden fence ¡°It¡¯s getting dark, let¡¯s call training off. Need to figure out lodgings for everyone¡± (¡°More dropping that onto Zaahr¡¯s shoulders but you know, I got other jobs to do¡±).Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. He waved em off as he walked out of the camp, infusing his voice with mana he spoke ¡°That¡¯s enough for today, figure out lodgings with Zaahr and get some rest. We¡¯ll meet back here at noon tomorrow¡±. He gazed up at the late rising moon as he took out his VCD ¡°Zaahr¡± he spoke out the name and the crystal surface of the magical object began shining a bright white light. ¡°What is it?¡± Zaahr¡¯s face appeared peering into her own VCD as she mixed potions, a desk full of strange ingredients lay in front of her. ¡°Training is over for today, they¡¯re all probably exhausted. I¡¯ll leave lodgings to you for a bit, ask Death and Seren for any help you might need¡± Birse closed off the connection by focusing on someone else ¡°Sly¡±. ¡°Yo speak of the devil, how¡¯s things over there?¡± Sly held the VCD low barely glancing at it as he gazed around the forest. ¡°As well as they can, just finished off training with the guards and I¡¯m on my way to visit some loose ends. How¡¯s the trek?¡± Birse walked through the empty streets of town, the moon being the only source of light before the magical lanterns lining the buildings began to flare on. ¡°Too damn quiet for my liking, haven¡¯t met a single mob so far. It¡¯s been what? Four hours since we left? At this pace we got¡­Yo skill how long we got at this pace?¡± Sly glanced back as he bent the VCD so Skill came into view. ¡°Day and a half of walking, that¡¯s what the guard captain said at least.¡± Skill saluted at the magical feed as he sleepily glanced around. ¡°Yeah we¡¯re gonna pick up the pace, it¡¯s already dark and we haven¡¯t seen anything so I¡¯m guessing there aren¡¯t enough nocturnal monsters for us to notice¡± Sly shrugged as he turned to gaze forward ¡°You going to talk with him?¡±. ¡°Yeap, he¡¯s baked in there for a day on his own. Should have cooled down enough, see how it goes.¡± Birse gave a long shrug (¡°It¡¯s been two days already huh¡­¡±) ¡°Well I¡¯ll leave you at it, don¡¯t forget to fill me in from time to time¡± ¡°Aight¡± Sly closed the connection after replying.
IL¡¯E, Frosthold, Eastern Guardhouse Below ground where the guardhouse was located, Zeeke lay on the wooden bed inside one of the four jail cells. Two guards sat outside playing some board game on a small wooden table while smoking, two cigar like rolls filled with an orange substance that burned away as they puffed out blue smoke. Zeeke sighed ¡°Do neither of you know about second hand smoking?¡± he groaned in annoyance as a puff of blue smoke whisked over him, he waved it off. ¡°Morning dew weed won¡¯t do anything to ya lad!¡± the older one chuckled as he moved a couple pieces on the board. ¡°It¡¯s just a relaxant, don¡¯t worry too much about it¡± the other guard added as he frowned at the other¡¯s move. Suddenly both guards glanced back at the entrance ¡°Take five you two, I need to speak with him¡±, Birse stepped into view. Zeeke immediately sat up as the guards left with a nod, taking the table with them ¡°Oi old fart don¡¯t rattle the board!¡± one guard exclaimed as they left up the stairs. Birse glanced into his cell before grabbing a chair and sitting backwards on it, resting his arms onto the back he stared through the iron bars ¡°So?¡± he asked. ¡°Heard of the attack from the guards, I guess you dealt with it well since the roof is still above my head¡± Zeeke mused as he stared down at his hands. Birse didn¡¯t answer as he kept staring at him, as if searching for something or waiting for it. ¡°Look¡± Zeeke suddenly stated as he glanced back at him ¡°I¡¯m not apologizing, I want nothing to do with this fighting. I¡¯m happy just sitting it through if I can¡­I can shift leadership of the guild to Nakano, you don¡¯t need me¡±. Birse suddenly stood up and knocked the chair aside, he stepped towards the iron bars ¡°Oh? Is that right?¡± he grabbed onto the bars as his dark gauntlets appeared covering his hands up to the elbow. Zeeke leaned away from the bars ¡°What¡¯s the point of me fighting?! I can¡¯t! I don¡¯t want t-¡± The bars creaked as Birse bent them apart, the cell door¡¯s lock breaking from the pressure and bending. The younger guard rushed down the stairs to check on the noise, a flying wooden chair in the head knocked him straight out. The older guard peered down the stairs and spoke a quick prayer after seeing his colleague knocked out, he stepped back and out of sight. Birse pulled the cell door open and walked in as Zeeke stood up and stepped away ¡°What¡¯s the point? And you call yourself a leader? Do you know how many thousands of people look up to you back home? How many hundreds look up to you here and now?¡± his expression gave away no emotion while he stared at Zeeke grimacing as he glanced at some corner in the room. ¡°So? What of it? I¡¯m a coward, so what?¡± Zeeke clenched his fists and closed his eyes, he trembled as suddenly Birse grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into the cell¡¯s stone wall. His eyes opened wide and he grabbed onto Birse¡¯s hand with both his trying to pull it away, he could barely breathe from being choked by it. ¡°You think you can just walk away? Ignore it all and let everything fall in place on it¡¯s own? Shit doesn¡¯t work like that, you need to work your ass off to get the pieces fall as you want them to¡± Birse raised his free hand up into a fist ¡°What happens if I let you off? What happens if we let you do as you please? How many will follow in your steps?¡±. Zeeke closed his eyes again as Birse¡¯s fist closed in. ¡°I know who you are¡± the words struck Zeeke worse than any punches Birse could have thrown at him, he opened his eyes to find Birse¡¯s knuckles backing away slowly revealing their owner¡¯s grinning expression. ¡°Zack Ivanov, son of Conrad Ivanov¡± with a crooked grin and wide eyes Birse chuckled at Zeeke¡¯s astonishment ¡°Tell me, what would happen if everyone else came to know? That your father may as well be the reason we¡¯re all even here, that you might be in cahoots with him, the demons and that crazy Goddess?¡± Zeeke¡¯s jaw lay completely dropped as his eyes widened fully, he dropped down to the ground after Birse let go of his neck. Not even trying to catch his breath he stared up at him aimlessly and at a loss for words. Birse snorted ¡°Not even going to respond? Or even try to deny it? It¡¯s been eating at you hasn¡¯t it? Think it over Zack, you can either rally the rest to our cause.¡± He turned away and stepped out of the cell ¡°Or continue drowning in your self-pity, with who knows what the others will do to you if they find out!¡± he chuckled wickedly while stepping out of view. Zeeke lay sitting on the ground with his back to the wall, pulling his legs closer he hugged his knees as he lay there ¡°Why me¡­¡± he whispered to himself.
Frostbite Forest, Five hours later ¡°How you all holding up?¡± Sly asked without glancing back, paying full attention to their surroundings as they ran through the forest. Karnage and Skill ran behind him while Kurt ran ahead of all three carrying Kyle and Reyna, both of them having too little in stamina to keep up with the others¡¯ pace. ¡°I¡¯m fine, my stamina bar¡¯s still above half¡± Karnage replied as she sent glances over at the direwolf, her expression annoyed. ¡°Way better than any of-¡± Skill chuckled ¡°Well maybe except for the wolf, that thing grew around here¡± he then mused. Kyle frowned as he glanced back the all of them, suddenly the sound of wind whisking by them caught his attention ¡°Let¡¯s stop here¡± he called out. Slowly they came to a stop as Sly turned towards him ¡°Why we stopping?¡± he asked with a confused expression. Reyna let go of Kyle¡¯s back as she leaned away from the wolf glaring back at the both of them while Kyle got off, it took a bit of arguing with the beast by Sly to get them to hitch a ride. ¡°Two reasons. For one you and Skill look exhausted, have you slept at all?¡± Kyle glanced between them as they rubbed their eyes. ¡°Well¡­no¡­not really¡­¡± Skill answered while trying to hold back a yawn. ¡°Secondly, wind.¡± He stated as if it was obvious. ¡°Wind?¡± Karnage repeated after him. ¡°There¡¯s wind here, the trees aren¡¯t far enough from each other to let wind through easily. That means we¡¯re getting close to the frozen plains marked on the map, seems like we moved too much towards the south.¡± Kyle explained as he opened his map ¡°Check yourselves, we¡¯re halfway there but took a long curve.¡± ¡°Fuck, you¡¯re right we did¡± Sly cursed checking his own map, sighing he turned to his companion ¡°Kurt hunt us some meat, grab yourself some too while you¡¯re at it¡± he told the direwolf while helping Reyna off his back. ¡°Master ask for things¡­wolf get his own¡­master no fair with wolf¡­¡± It growled and grumbled quietly as it prowled away. ¡°Th-thank y-¡± Reyna tried to thank him. ¡°Everyone spread out and look for some sticks and twigs, we¡¯ll start a campfire and rest up¡± he glanced up at the sky through the gaps between the large trees ¡°We¡¯re past midnight¡± he stated after spotting the moon. Kyle glanced around the snowy ground, he couldn¡¯t even see any rocks or stones let alone twigs and sticks. He glanced up at the closest tree ¡°Leave it to me¡± he stated after stepping back to position himself, his fingers and toes shifting into claws. With a running start he pounced up at the tree¡¯s trunk and grabbed hold, immediately he began climbing with ease. The others gazed up at him as he grabbed hold of the first branch and pulled himself onto it, Sly¡¯s expression went slightly green before he glanced away. Everyone stepped out of the way as Kyle grew a blade of frozen slime on one arm while holding onto the thick branch with the other. He grew teeth onto one side of the blade and began sawing away at the middle, the blade¡¯s teeth breaking off from time to time forcing him to replace them. ¡°Physical is definitely out of question, this damn slime is too fragile even when condensed¡­¡± he spoke to himself as he worked. ¡°Well while you¡¯re going at it we¡¯ll look around for easy ones¡± Sly chuckled as he watched Kyle work in frustration, glancing away again after feeling sick of the height difference. ¡°Damnit!¡± Kyle cursed as the blade shattered completely after almost getting halfway through the branch, he raised his arms over his head and grew slime around them. The blue slime froze into clubs and condensed as Kyle put more and more mana into them ¡°Stupid branch! Break!¡± he smashed down onto the branch. Sly began walking away as he gazed around the ground, a sudden crack from above caught his attention making him look upwards. ¡°LUMBER!¡± Kyle suddenly shouted from above as the thick branch fell down, it smacked Sly directly in the face making him fall backwards. ¡°It¡¯s timber¡­you dumbass¡­¡± Sly groaned and cursed as he pushed the branch off, a red streak of a bruise lining his face. Skill and Karnage roared with laughter as Kyle did his best to hold it in while hugging what remained of the branch as not to fall, Reyna glanced around in confusion not knowing what to do. ¡°Alright, alright very funny. Skill get to fletching some new arrows for yourself, Karnage, Kyll get to cutting this thing up for firewood¡± Sly declared as he stood up and cleaned off the snow, he stepped back and looked the branch up and down ¡°Reyna help me gather some of the thicker branches of leaves, we¡¯ll sleep on them. Can¡¯t be good to sleep directly on snow, too damn cold¡±. Everyone gather around the large branch, Karnage and Kyle cutting away at the thicker end as Skill picked at the smaller branches. Sly began breaking off the small branches with most leaves and handing them to Reyna who began stacking them over by the tree. After a couple minutes of work they decided they had gathered enough firewood and leaves, leaving Skill to continue picking away at smaller branches for arrows they pulled the branches of leaves together to make a couple beds. ¡°I¡¯ll stay on watch, already got myself some sleep¡± Kyle stated after noticing they didn¡¯t have enough beds for everyone. The crunching of snow caught their attention as they all turned towards the approaching direwolf, a large white scaled serpent¡¯s head in it¡¯s mouth as the rest dragged behind it. ¡°Oh please tell me we¡¯re not eating¡­that¡­¡± Reyna asked as she stared at the snake, with pure white scales matching the snow it wouldn¡¯t have been visible if it wasn¡¯t for the blood stains. ¡°Would you rather eat wolf?¡± Kurt growled after throwing the serpent onto the ground and stepping towards the tree where they had gathered the leaves for beds, he settled down onto the snow between two of the four beds and closed his eyes. ¡°You heard him, Skill help me skin this thing. We¡¯ll light the fire over the skin so it doesn¡¯t burn out from the snow¡± Sly explained as he kneeled down by the dead serpent. ¡°We¡¯re eating snake¡­¡± Reyna continued to mutter to herself as she watched in complete horror at Sly and Skill arguing over how to better skin the creature. Ch 22 - Magic Kyle sat high above on the branch he halfway broke off a couple hours earlier, with his back to the tree¡¯s trunk he watched the surrounding forest as his friends slept down below. Four beds of leaves above snakeskin lay on the snow surrounding the tree in front of his, a large direwolf lay sleeping between Sly and Reyna. Kurt slept while facing the tree¡¯s trunk, the bark being crunched on as the beast sleepily bit at it. Kyle smiled amused by the beast¡¯s actions, laying his head back onto the trunk he kept watch while letting his thoughts flow. His mind drifted through everything that had happened so far, having the personality of dealing with his own emotions during quieter times he had ignored them thus far. Being trapped in this world didn¡¯t bother him, the thought of another world to explore did not excite him as it did for his clan mates but it did not bother him like it did with the rest. What his true interests lay in was something else this world had that his own did not, magic. He glanced back and forth to his hands as he continuously created and dissipated slime, training his skill over time by making use of [Core Overload]. The skill making use of twice the mana he had to make use of made for an easier way to train the [Ooze] skill and [Core Overload] itself, along having no mana cost for controlling the created slime it was the perfect skill for him to focus around and so he did. In between cooldowns of the [Core Overload] skill he used those 60 seconds of no upkeep cost to figure out better ways to use slime in combat. Thinking back, he had found himself too weak and relying too much on either his friends or luck itself to survive. (¡°Talking it out won¡¯t always be an option¡±) he thought to himself, he wanted to get stronger, he had the means to but couldn¡¯t quite figure it out. He let the blue slime flow around his body as it froze, compressed and liquidated over and over, while doing so he thought over his current capabilities. (¡°The slime blade/spikes I create are too fragile, fracture too risky to use at close range and the frost bite DOT is just background additive damage¡­¡±) He thought while letting some slime flow over his arm, he froze it into the best bladed shape he could muster then stared at it as suddenly [Core Overload]¡¯s upkeep reduction ran out. The slime around him immediately dissipated due to being out of mana to keep it up leaving him with the frozen slime blade on his right arm, he stared at it intently (¡°From creation to control its all within the [Ooze] skill, this blade is nothing more than solidified slime shaped into a makeshift blade by my mind. It¡¯s not a skill itself¡­¡±). Sighing he dissipated the slime blade and went back to waiting the one minute between casting for the rest of [Core Overload]¡¯s cooldown. (¡°It¡¯s not a skill¡­can I make it one? What would be the requirements? Blacksmithing knowledge? Slime knowledge? Is the system limited by set skills or does it create them depending on our accomplishments and knowledge?¡±) Kyle continued to theorize about the system, deciding it was time to figure out the basics himself. Opening his inventory, he spotted the VCD among his gold coins and gear sets. He somehow hadn¡¯t lost them after being killed by the curse but let it pass thinking it had something to do with Lucifer¡¯s magic. ¡°Cornelius¡±. ¡°Ah young adventurer, how may I help you?¡± The old man¡¯s sour face appeared within the device¡¯s crystal surface, annoyance plastered on his expression. ¡°Didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be still awake, is something wrong?¡± Kyle asked noticing the man¡¯s mood. Cornelius snorted ¡°Nothing important to you, your leader¡¯s a sly bargain¡± he stated dismissively. Kyle smirked at the thought of how badly Birse had dealt with the mage¡¯s predicament ¡°I have some questions about your main topic of study¡±. ¡°Main? I have many studies young one, almost as many as I have in years¡± Cornelius spoke quickly as his attention lay on whatever he was currently focusing on and little on the conversation. ¡°Magic, Cornelius. I want to ask about the system behind it.¡± Kyle quickly added gaining the mage¡¯s attention ¡°What defines a skill? What are the requirements behind gaining one? Can they be created or are skills just a set list I need to pick from?¡± Cornelius dropped what he was doing and laid back in his chair, he stared down at his notes thoughtfully ¡°That is a complex question, putting it simply isn¡¯t an easy task adventurer. Your mage companions are taking basic training on magic with my apprentices, it will take them time to develop their skill.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t have the time they do¡± Kyle guessed as his expression darkened. Cornelius smiled as he turned to look into the device ¡°You¡¯re blessed that I am no ordinary mage¡± he suddenly stated ¡°Your magic is a strange one indeed, something I¡¯ve never seen before but I have seen my fair share of slime monstrosities in action. Firstly I¡¯ll have to points a couple facts to you.¡± Kyle continued to survey the forest while paying attention to the mage. ¡°Mana, the base resource of all magic is an ethereal substance that can be found everywhere but requires to be processed by the mage to be made use of as unprocessed mana is highly poisonous to the rest of the inner body.¡± Cornelius began explaining in detail ¡°The process of such is automated, as you make contact with the ground, air, reality itself you drain mana out of your surroundings. That mana converges with another ethereal substance stored inside your body, the soul.¡± ¡°The soul processes the mana and stores it inside itself, this is what we call a mana pool. The soul is capable of storing different kinds of mana and you can train yourself to store different amounts of each but certain types are volatile to each other. Aura is dangerous to store along Deity given mana we call Astral mana, general elemental mana is immediately converted when stored with Dread the resource for necromancy and other dark arts while more physical types of mana like Rage is deadly if stored alongside any other than Aura.¡± ¡°As for skills¡± he raised his right hand with palm wide open in front of himself ¡°They aren¡¯t limited by no list you¡¯ve mentioned; the system is adaptive letting us create our own as long as we follow specific rules¡±. Green ethereal energy began forming above his palm, forming slithering lines of mana that swirled and spiralled along each other ¡°The rules are such; Resource, Flow, Process, Casting and Naming.¡± ¡°The resource is what I explained earlier, what type of mana is used and how much. The flow is how said resource is used, where it goes, what form it takes.¡± The magic re-entered his palm as he turned his hand over, suddenly tendrils of long grass began to grow from his wrist ¡°Nature mana obviously can create life of a basic type, where it¡¯s created, what form it shall take and how much is created. That is the flow.¡± Cornelius closed his hand into a fist as the leaves suddenly burst forth pushed out by light brown bark growing all over his arm ¡°Next is the process, what is done with the magic you¡¯ve formed.¡± Kyle watched in amazement as the bark formed a perfect gauntlet around the mage¡¯s hand. ¡°Then there is casting, although not as important as the previous three this is a requirement that determines how powerful any skill is over all. I assume you know about spell casting some?¡± Kyle gave a dejected nod and answered ¡°Infusing your words, not the sound but the meaning with mana to give them power¡±, remembering what Lillior had thought him. Cornelius suddenly clenched his fist and the tree bark gauntlet dissipated into green sparks of mana ¡°Exactly, it is important to know that fact. Infusing mana into your voiceis a physical enhancement while infusing mana into your words is of a spiritual design. The first we call mana speak while the latter is spell casting.¡± ¡°Lastly, the most important part of creating a skill. Naming. Unlike spell casting which determines the power of the magic, naming is confirming the skill¡¯s existence to the system. This is usually done by the system itself but there are many unconventional ones that require to be named by it¡¯s caster. Your magic is probably one of these.¡± He opened his hand again ¡°Nature¡¯s grasp¡± he spoke out the skill¡¯s name and the gauntlet suddenly reappeared at a faster rate than before. ¡°Naming a skill reduces the cost of resource and time as the first, second and third rules are automated by your soul.¡± He dissipated the skill again finishing his lecture ¡°Any questions?¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°You¡¯re kidding me¡± Kyle¡¯s expression twitched between disbelief and anger ¡°I couldn¡¯t get any attack skills of good quality because I have to name every damn one of them!? Plus the a chant?!¡±. Cornelius entered a fit of laughter as Kyle grimaced, raising his arm up he formed the slime blade then froze it. Thinking it over momentarily he then named it ¡°Slime Blade¡±, no notification or any other sort of confirmation was given to him. ¡°Let me guess, you got nothing¡± Cornelius asked ending his fit with an amused chuckle. ¡°Nothing¡­¡± Kyle replied as his shoulders slumped down, he let his arms fall limp beside him. ¡°Think adventurer, why hasn¡¯t the system accepted that magic as a skill? What of that spell doesn¡¯t fall under it¡¯s definition?¡± Cornelius asked giving the bare minimum of helping. ¡°Slime blade¡­well it¡¯s made of slime¡­It¡¯s a blade¡­¡± Kyle slowly answered as he stared down at the makeshift double edged blade covering his arm. ¡°A blacksmith would be infuriated by your lacklustre definition of a blade¡­A Dwarf would straight up slap you silly, with an iron hot hammer nonetheless!¡± The mage laughed loudly while caressing his moustache. ¡°Oh¡± coming to a realisation Kyle smashed the slime covered arm into the tree¡¯s trunk, the edge cracked and mostly fell off the moment it hit the bark. ¡°It¡¯s too fragile¡± Kyle stated out what he had realised before ¡°So it still has to be somewhat realistic to be accepted by the system?¡± ¡°Indeed, not only is that spell¡¯s shape unworthy of being a blade but its material is not suitable at all.¡± Cornelius explained. ¡°One last thing¡± Kyle carefully picked his words ¡°What do you think of necromancy?¡± Cornelius hummed in thought as he stared at Kyle with scrutiny ¡°A nefarious art, scorned by most magic practitioners. The Elven empire strictly deals with necromancers, the dead is not something that should be messed with.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested in necromancy, more so specifically souls and binding them to bodies along with the creation of a body¡± Kyle quickly answered ¡°With my slime magic I may be able to create a body for something but I have no clue how to animate it other than binding a soul and I have no clue on how to do that either¡± he explained. ¡°Ah you wish to learn Golemcraft then?¡± Cornelius replied with relief ¡°Binding a monster¡¯s soul is not an easy task but neither too advanced, you need some very specific ingredients depending on the soul being bound though. Golems are adaptable and therefore perfect bodies to inhabit but lack actual lifelines.¡± ¡°Lifelines? What do you mean?¡± Kyle asked not understanding the therm. Cornelius shook his head ¡°Golems tend to fall apart after a certain amount of time depending on the materials used, the more powerful the soul the more specific the materials required to create the body therefore the shorter they last due to the fragility of said materials. Golemancers usually keep around the materials and bind the soul to a monster core to be able to summon the Golem at any given time, I can tell you that you have the right idea about what path to take for your magic but unfortunately soul binding isn¡¯t something I can teach solely through speech and show.¡± Cornelius suddenly stood up and grabbed the VCD as he walked off somewhere, Kyle noticed the many book cases around him. Taking out an old grey book Cornelius sighed ¡°I suggest you train on any monster cores you may come around, focus your mana into the core and see what happens. Do not mess with soul binding yet unless it¡¯s a minor monster, that¡¯s all the help I can give on that subject right now. Well I¡¯ll leave you at it young one, I still have some notes to finish before night time¡±. ¡°It¡¯s morning¡± Kyle stated with a frown. ¡°Oh¡± Cornelius¡¯s opened wide and the connection fell. Kyle put away the VCD and glanced down at the broken blade of frozen slime, dissipating the half-assed spell ¡°Guess I¡¯ll have to come up with something else huh¡­¡±. Standing up and balancing himself on the branch he thought forward the list of notifications he received so far, ignoring the repeated ones he read through them.
Through straining your mana pool you¡¯ve increased your INT! + 1
¡°Four of those¡­¡±
Active skill [Core Overload] has reached mid-tier 1 Level 5! Attribute upgrade is available!
Through training the skill [Ooze] has reached mid-tier 2 level 0! Attribute upgrade is available!
Grinning at the welcome surprise he opened his skill book.
Attribute effects are kept, further attribute upgrades progress through each attribute owned meaning that all upgrades for previous effects can be earned later on. Warning skills tier cap is 15 therefore you are limited to 30 attribute upgrades. Currently unlocked attributes for [Ooze(Frost)]: (Ice) (Frost) (Cold) Effects: [Cold Mist]; Turn into a freezing mist, [Cold Puddle]; Turn to sticky liquid while retaining temperature (Frost) (Snow) Effects: [Blizzard]; Turn into a flurry of snow flakes, [Snow Touch]; Physical contact causes a spread of [Frostbite] which spreads on further contact Currently unlocked attributes for [Ooze(Demonic)]: Null (Demonic) (Cursed) Effects: [Weakness]; The slime attaches itself to the target slowing them down, [Illusionary]; The very sight of this slime causes hallucinatory effects (Demonic) (Monstrous) Effects: [Demonic Shell]; The slime forms a hardened shell similar to demonic monstrosities, [Demon¡¯s blades]; The slime forms sharp claw like appendages similar to demonic monstrosities (Demonic) (Vampirism) Effects: [Leech]; Leeches life over time and regenerates the user¡¯s, [Drain]; Drains mana over time and regenerates the user¡¯s Currently unlocked attributes for [Core Overload]: Null Colossal: 10% increase in slime created Limbs: Slime control upkeep cost disabled for 60 (+ 60) seconds, Mana exhaustion 180 (+ 20) seconds
¡°Demonic Ooze shares skill level with Frost? Now the 30 upgrade limit makes sense, must mean I cannot actually get every single one for all existing Ooze types¡­¡± Reading the effects over carefully he thought it best first decide what he can do with what he currently has. ¡°Frost slime, Ice variation¡± he began listing the skill as blue slime grew out over his palm, raising it high he watched ¡°Freeze¡± as the slime froze over and solidified. ¡°Packed Ice¡± adding more mana to the already frozen slime solidified it further, glancing over at the others still sleeping mostly soundlessly he threw the frozen lump of slime away ¡°Fracture¡± and watched it explode with a slight popping sound sending shards in every direction. ¡°Melee is out of the question unless I want to bash monster¡¯s face in with a hammer that fractures with every use¡­that actually sounds amusing¡­What can I make for ranged attacks¡­¡± Thinking over what skills he currently had at his disposal he began listing some ideas ¡°Bow?¡­nope nothing to use for string or flexible bow and arrowshafts¡­¡± ¡°What about a gun?¡± The sudden voice from behind caught him off guard ¡°Huh?¡± turning around too quickly lost him his balance making him slip off the branch. ¡°Hold on!¡± Karnage told him as she held onto his left arm while hanging upside-down with legs around the branch. Sighing in relief he looked up and asked ¡°Can you pull us up?¡± She tried to pull him but she could barely lift him closer ¡°Nope¡­Guess I¡¯ll have to let go, can you land that?¡± Glancing down he shook his head ¡°Rather not, here let me¡± swinging back and forth he bent his lower body waiting for the right moment. Realising what he was doing Karnage suddenly screamed out ¡°STOP!¡± Her sudden scream made him flinch as he forced his arm out of her hand and surged upwards, directly into another branch. ¡°Damn¡­what was that for¡­¡± as he held onto the branch he glanced downwards. ¡°Nothing!¡± she responded with reddening cheeks, already sitting back onto the branch. Kyle pulled himself up and looked back at her direction realising something ¡°Is that armour new?¡± he had just noticed the difference. ¡°Yeah had it sitting in my inventory, completely forgot about it cause of the demons appearing¡­¡± she answered while holding her dress down shyly. With a blood red reaching down into an abyssal black dress till her knees and metal padding along the sides she looked like a knight princess, her two short-swords sheathed to her sides giving the set its final touch. With a short running start from the tree¡¯s trunk she ran along the branch and leaped off to the closest tree, pushing off said tree she then landed standing upright on the snow. Kyle let go of the branch after swinging himself closer to the tree¡¯s trunk, his claws growing out he held onto the bark as he slid down leaving claw marks behind. ¡°Ugh¡­what¡¯s with the commotion?¡± Reyna had been woken up by the sound and walked over to them, her hair growing out into the strangest angles. ¡°Is that our healer or some miniature Yeti?¡± Kyle joked after giving her a glance. Reyna crossed her arms and glared back at him ¡°At least I don¡¯t have paint at the end of my ears and tail¡± she pointed out. ¡°You don¡¯t have a tail Reyna¡± Karnage added with a chuckle. ¡°What you talking about?¡± Kyle asked as he pulled back his tail and glance at it, just as Reyna had said the tail¡¯s end had permanently turned blue ¡°What the hell? How did this happen?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t dye it?¡± Karnage asked in confusion. ¡°No¡­how long has it been like this? Crap my ears too!?¡± Kyle exclaimed loudly after reaching up to bend his ears forward trying to get a glimpse. Karnage hummed in thought trying to remember ¡°Somewhere between that time in the town plaza and the incident with Zeeke and the guards¡± Thinking back Kyle remembered that was around the time he had gained his class Lord of Slimes ¡°It might be my class then¡­¡± shrugging he let go of his tail ¡°Let¡¯s wake the others, we should get moving¡± the urgency to regroup with the others aside, Kyle wanted to find some monster cores to train on as quickly as possible. (¡°If I can¡¯t get her body back¡­I¡¯ll make her a new one¡±) he promised himself Ch 23 - Losses ¡°Doesn¡¯t make sense¡± Kyle muttered to himself as everyone moved through the forest, a cold wind whistled through as they neared the end of it. ¡°Why¡¯s it a problem? We¡¯ll move faster without encountering monsters¡± Karnage asked with a frown. ¡°Because I need a monster core to train on, how do I get one if we don¡¯t encounter any monsters?¡± Kyle explained frustrated, with multiple theories floating away in his mind he couldn¡¯t wait to see if any of them worked. ¡°Yo didn¡¯t you get a skill saying that you got a monster core in you?¡± Sly pointed out just as the trees parted from their vision. ¡°Yeah but that¡¯s not something I¡¯m going to mess with, who knows what that could do to me revival or not¡± Kyle sighed as he took in the view, open plains of snow ending in hills of trees off in the distance. Looking to the left he could make out a group of mountains behind the snowy hills, some engulfed in snow while others lay barren. ¡°Hey you sound like you didn¡¯t hear me! If you can¡¯t make a sword or a bow then try a gun. Also why not go with a hammer for melee?¡± Karnage exclaimed. Kyle shook his head ¡°I heard you last time, gun? No clue where to start¡­Guns have been obsolete for centuries, I have a general idea on how they work but¡­¡± ¡°Try it out, it¡¯s just mana you¡¯ll be wasting¡± Sly suggested ¡°We¡¯ll be moving through dangerous territory the whole time sure but you¡¯re not exactly useful in a fight yet. Leave the guarding to us, you focus on figuring out what you can do bro.¡± ¡°Fine fine, guess we¡¯ll see if I can make a gun out of slime¡­just the idea is ridiculous!¡± Kyle groaned in surrender. ¡°Let¡¯s move, try not to blow us up¡± Sly chuckled as he started moving again, the wrong way. ¡°Should we tell him?...¡± Reyna whispered as they stood there staring at him. ¡°No¡± Kurt replied sitting down behind them. Sly glanced back ¡°What you waiting for?¡± The direwolf rolled it¡¯s eyes and began walking the opposite direction also keeping by the trees, the rest followed. ¡°Guys?¡± Sly watched as they wordlessly walked away, he looked forward then glanced back at them ¡°Oh¡­¡±. He jogged over to catch up as they snickered, not wanting to make eye contact they all glanced away. Kyle raised his right arm forward ¡°Well first I¡¯m going to need a barrel¡± blue slime poured out from his skin as he concentrated on giving it shape, a hollow cylinder with a hole on the front grew on his wrist. Freezing the slime, he then focused inside it ¡°Now for the bullet, making it out of packed ice makes it heavier so I wonder how far it will go¡­¡±. He formed slime on the inside of the barrel in the shape of a common bullet then froze it and condensed more slime into it, ¡°Fracture is all I got for propelling it, but that might damage the bullet¡­¡± he continued muttering to himself while walking. He stared down at the two pencil thick barrel on his wrist that grew out twice the length, ¡°If I had more choices-¡± his eyes suddenly went wide as a glint of light shone through them. Dissipating the barrel and bullet he opened his skill book. Karnage stepped closer while looking at him ¡°Why¡¯d you stop?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see in a bit¡± He replied with a grin, picking monstrous for his [Ooze(Demonic)] and limbs for [Core Overload]. ¡°Now let¡¯s see if I fucked up or not¡± he raised his right arm in front of himself again and held it with his left as blood red slime grew on his wrist and into a barrel similar to the previous one, ¡°Crap¡± he cussed as grey thick scale like shells grew over the slime covering it completely. He dissipated the barrel after watching it bend downwards from the weight ¡°Too heavy and not solid enough¡­what if¡­¡± he formed the barrel out of frozen packed slime again but more than twice the original¡¯s size then formed demonic slime around it ¡°I think I got it but the barrel is going to have to be larger¡­¡± the scales grew out of the red slime covering both the outside and inside of the barrel. Grinning even wider he continued ¡°Now the ammunition¡± creating the bullet again he formed some red slime on it¡¯s back and grew the scales, ¡°Lastly the propeller¡± utilizing the remainder of his mana and [Core Overload] he filled the barrel with as much condensed frozen slime as he could. By the time he was done the barrel was half full, turning his arm to where he could hold the barrel with the other¡¯s hand he took aim. ¡°Here goes nothing¡± he stated as the others turned to watch, thinking it over momentarily he quickly came up with a chant ¡°With true flight penetrate through my enemies, with explosive speed pierce their hides, scales or shells! Slime Pistol!¡± the packed ice slime behind the bullet fractured and a miniature explosion took place immediately after. Kyle¡¯s left hand lost its grip as his right arm lunged back, the bullet whistled out of the barrel at blinding speed and landed on a tree¡¯s trunk shattering the bark and itself on contact.
Through sheer ingenuity the skill [Slime Pistol] was created!
"It worked!?¡± Karnage stared at the slime barrel in amazement. ¡°Fuck!¡± Kyle cursed while holding onto his right arm ¡°I¡¯ll skip questioning the fact that you made me try this without thinking it would work and say that I think my arm¡¯s broken¡­¡± he grimaced as it fell limply to his side. ¡°Reyna¡± Sly motioned for her ¡°Heal him¡±, he stepped closer and studied the barrel ¡°Try putting a grip on it or something so you can hold onto it with your left¡±. ¡°The skill is already created, I got a prompt. Looks like the system doesn¡¯t give a flying fuck if we injure ourselves¡± Kyle chuckled. ¡°Heal!¡± Reyna activated her spell after aiming her mace at Kyle¡¯s arm, the green lightening flew into his arm giving him instant relief. Kyle quickly remodelled the barrel with a grip of frozen slime to the top where he could hold onto with his left hand ¡°Here we go again. With true flight penetrate through my enemies, with explosive speed pierce their hides, scales or shells! Slime Pistol!¡± he flinched as the shot fired and the barrel shot backwards causing him pain. ¡°Better?¡± Skill asked as he watched from behind. ¡°Yeah much better, still a bit of a pain but I think I know how to fix it¡± Kyle replied before opening his character page and dumping his 20 attribute points after inspecting the now visible INT and WIS stats and STR.
INT: Increases maximum mana, spell damage, mental acuity and memory
WIS: Increases mana regen, cast speed and decreases spell mana cost
STR: Increases physical damage, physical defence and carry weight
Kyle put 5 points into both INT and WIS then the remaining 10 into STR ¡°If I got this right INT will increase not only my maximum mana so my ammo but also damage even though I cannot tell by how much, WIS on the other hand increases my mana regeneration so ammo sustain, cast speed meaning attack speed and spell cost which also counts for ammo count.¡± He took aim again ¡°While strength will increase my physical defence and carry weight, overall those two should reduce the recoil!¡±. His grin widened as he chanted ¡°With true flight penetrate through my enemies, with explosive speed pierce their hides, scales or shells! Slime Pistol!¡±, again the bullet flew out at great speed but Kyle¡¯s arm didn¡¯t seem to move at all. ¡°Well? Did it work?¡± Sly asked, curiosity obvious from his gaze and tone. ¡°Yeah¡­I felt nothing at all this time, I only put 10 points into strength¡­¡± Kyle¡¯s expression twisted into a frown as he stared down at the makeshift gun barrel the length of a rifle and twice as thick (¡°Just how much does each stat point affect¡­¡±) ¡°Hey Sly, what did you put your attribute stat points into?¡± ¡°Hm? 3 Strength, 2 Agility on and 3 Strength, 1 Agility, 1 Dexterity off. Why?¡± Sly replied after continuing to move, the rest of the party having to stopped to watch also followed. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel like each stat is affecting a bit too much? I mean we can get stats by passive training them¡­¡± Kyle explained. Sly shook his head ¡°After getting my strength over 50 with attribute points, training and buffs the amount it affects dropped drastically. I tested carry weight with and without buffs, I¡¯m guessing the other stats are the same.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Kyle glanced away as he thought this over momentarily before biting his lip, his expression darkened severely and he suddenly stopped moving. ¡°Kyllix?¡± Karnage saw him stop but continued to move herself, after seeing his expression she stopped as well. Staring at him with worry she then spoke again ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±. The others turned to look also but he had already fixed his expression with a fa?ade ¡°Nothing¡± he told them (¡°How the hell am I supposed to break this to them?!¡±) he thought to himself as he chuckled ¡°Just annoyed with that revelation that¡¯s all¡± he lied. He walked ahead while focusing on his thoughts (¡°That bitch¡­Did she really put a limit?...I¡¯m not stupid enough to think it¡¯s not possible¡­¡±).The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. The others accepted his response and continued to move, all of them except for one. Karnage continued to gaze at him with worry, having seen through his fa?ade she wanted to know what was wrong. Kyle stared off into the distance, snow and trees for as far as he could see as the distance was cut short by blur of white. ¡°Storm¡± Kyle thought out loud as he noticed the scene ¡°Snow storm!¡± he repeated louder as the blizzard rapidly flowed towards them. ¡°Into the trees!¡± Sly commanded as he also turned to run into the forest, the others quickly followed suit. The storm caught them first, crashing into them like a wave it denied them vision and greatly decreased their ability to move. Covering their eyes, they took slow steps forward as they fought the barrage of wind and snow. ¡°Dammit!¡± Kyle cursed, barely able to even hear himself. He fought forward through the raging blizzard as suddenly something bumped into him, having felt fur he glanced through his arms ¡°Kurt?¡± he looked up. ¡°GRRAAAHHHH¡± the beast roared as it lowered its ape like face down towards him. ¡°NOT KURT¡± Kyle exclaimed as he surged to the right and out of the way, inspecting the beast before doing so.
Blizzard Yeti [Level 67]
He bumped into something the moment he came out of surge and toppled back, opening his eyes he saw Karnage¡¯s face ¡°RUN!¡± he shouted before quickly standing up. Karnage blinked multiple times ¡°Huh?¡± she stared up at him with flushed cheeks as he pulled her up. ¡°Monsters!¡± Kyle shouted again snapping her out of her daze, he turned and raised his right arm forward to face the monster ¡°Shit!¡± but having recently used [Core Overload] he was currently suffering from mana exhaustion. ¡°Get back!¡± Karnage pulled him back just a furry white fist crashed down in front of him, the monster coming momentarily into view. Three times their height and even more in muscle the Yeti was humanoid in shape but almost completely covered in white fur, it¡¯s ape-like face, palms and feet naked from fur. The beast backed off and disappeared into the blizzard as they slowly backed off, looking from under their arms they searched for the monster. Karnage unsheathed both her swords and pushed Kyle back ¡°Run!¡± she shouted at him without glancing back. ¡°Like hell I will!¡± Kyle replied standing his ground. ¡°And what use are you going to be!? Go! We¡¯ll hold them back! Someone needs to get to Kaledd! It doesn¡¯t matter who or how many! Now g-¡± she was cut off as a furry white leg kicked her from the side and out of view before also disappearing back into the blizzard. Kyle grimaced at the thought but knew her to be right, he turned towards where he knew the forest was and ran opposite of the wind to reach it quicker. ¡°OH NOW I¡¯M REALLY PISSED!¡± Sly¡¯s voice momentarily took over the blizzard as a sudden burst of aura caught Kyle¡¯s attention making him glance back, a second burst pushed away the snow revealing the enemy. Five Yetis stood around them, each just a big as the others. Kyle caught a last glimpse of Sly, Karnage and Skill charging one each as Reyna stared at the beasts trembling in horror. Then the blizzard flowed back in almost knocking Kyle off his feet, he grimaced and ran towards where he knew Reyna to be. Catching sight of her he continued to run until he reached her and grabbed her arm, she jolted back trying to pull her arm free before recognising him. He shook her by the shoulders ¡°Pull yourself tog-¡± suddenly a giant fist crashed into his back sending them both flying, they tumbled over the snow before coming to a stop. Kyle groaned and glanced around before locating her, Reyna lay on the snow nearby holding onto her left leg. He tried to pull himself up before noticing his missing left arm, glancing back he noticed his shoulder was also gone leaving behind blue slime covering the injury. Kyle ran, as quickly as his legs took him he ran towards Reyna and crouched down by her. Her expression was distorted with pain as she hugged her leg close, it was bent awkwardly. He forced her over his remaining shoulder and mustered all his strength to stand. Not waiting another moment he surged away, without looking back or turning at all he ran and surged until bumping into a tree. He moved around the tree¡¯s trunk to hide from the blizzard, ¡°Reyna snap out of it!¡± he shouted ¡°heal us both!¡± he told her. She said nothing except groaning in pain from her leg waving limply, she pulled at his cloak and armour as tears lined her pain drowned face. Kyle grinded his teeth in annoyance as he turned to continue surging away, taking steps in between casts he noticed the blizzard greatly weakening as his stamina almost ran out forcing him to stop. Breathing heavily from stamina exhaustion he forced himself to continue forward, heavy step after step he moved into the taiga.
Party member [DemSkillShots] has died!
Party member [Karnage] has died!
Party leader [SlyOkami] has died!
Long after the death notifications popped up he still continued to move forward, not until the blizzard was nothing more than a breeze he kept moving. Falling to his knees he felt pain flare through his missing shoulder, the slime reconstructing it slowly. He lay Reyna down with her back to the tree, she squeaked from the pain flaring up from her twisted leg as it hit the snowy ground. ¡°Reyna, listen to me¡± he held her by the shoulder as he stared into her eyes ¡°Heal yourself quickly. We cannot stay here, we need to keep moving¡± he explained calmly. She raised her head and met his gaze ¡°It hurts¡­¡± she managed through the pain and grimacing. ¡°I know, it hurts like a bitch but you have to numb it out. You can do it, you have no choice but to do it¡± he let go of her shoulder and grabbed her leg, it was bent forwards more than it normally should manage. ¡°Bite into my other shoulder, this will hurt a lot more¡± he told her with a tone that left no room for debate. Reyna continued to tremble from both fear and pain but managed to bend forwards, she stared down at Kyle¡¯s shoulder as it slowly reconstructed. Biting down away from the slime she tried to mostly bite onto the remaining armour but still ended up touching skin. ¡°Three¡± Kyle began counting down ¡°Two¡± she bit in with a muffled scream as Kyle suddenly bent her leg back using surge solely on his hand. ¡°There its set, hopefully. Use heal or it will continue to hurt¡± he told her as she pulled back crying and breathing heavily. He sat back and glanced around looking for pursuers. ¡°H-Heal¡­¡± Reyna activated her spell through her hands, having lost both her mace and shield she was now unarmed. The green lightening enter her leg and spread all over her body, relief plastered on her face she opened her eyes and raised her hands towards Kyle¡¯s shoulder ¡°Heal!¡± she repeated. The green lightening collided with the slime quadrupling the regeneration, moments after Kyle¡¯s hand was back just as new but his armour was still torn from his shoulder down. ¡°We need to mo-¡±
Party leader [SlyOkami]¡¯s companion [Kurt] has been killed!
Kyle¡¯s eyes widened at the notification as he glanced off towards the way they came, clenching his fists he could barely stop himself from dashing back towards the fight ¡°Damn it all¡­¡±. Reyna stared at him confused, too afraid and traumatized to do or say anything else. After a couple moments of collecting his anger Kyle glanced at her ¡°Companions do not resurrect like us¡± he explained ¡°The direwolf is dead¡± he managed through a choked tone. Reyna held onto her mouth as she gasped in shock ¡°B-But¡­¡± with her eyes wide she stared at him as more tears began to flood out. ¡°Get up, we need to keep moving¡± Kyle told her as he forced himself up, he forward his hand to her. She stared at the hand momentarily before accepting it ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± she said in between sobs.
Sly¡¯s POV minutes earlier Sly slashed madly with long blades of aura as he felt multiple attacks connect before suddenly the sound of crunching bombarded his ears from behind, pain surged from his back as the Yeti¡¯s fist collided with it. He was thrown forward and landed with his face in the snow, unable to move he stared through the blizzard as a giant foot appeared in his vision.
You have died!
Death penalty (Level 47 - 1)
You are now Level 46
No bound respawn points found
Respawning at closest spawn point in 2:30
He blacked out momentarily before his vision returned, floating a couple feet higher than before he noticed he could look around. He glanced down just in time to see his own body dissipate into violet sparks, understanding he had just died. (¡°Hah¡­It¡¯s all up to you two newbies now¡±) he thought to himself as he looked around, surprisingly he could see much more clearly now that he was dead. Two of the Yetis had been chopped up by his random slashing while the one that killed him lay kneeling on the ground with more arrows in it¡¯s back than he could count on his hands and feet while it¡¯s right arm bled severely. (¡°Well we took tw-¡±) his thoughts were cut short as he saw the remaining two Yetis, they were further away from where they died surrounding his companion direwolf. Kurt growled and snarled as he spun around trying to keep the Yetis away, he suddenly tried to make a break for the forest but one of them grabbed him by the hind legs and pulled him up. The direwolf twisted it¡¯s body and bent upwards towards it¡¯s captors arm and bit into it. The Yeti roared out in pain and smashed it¡¯s arm down into the snow, Kurt yelped in pain as the Yeti raised it¡¯s arm and smashed it down again¡­and again¡­and again¡­ When it finally stopped it held up Kurt¡¯s limp and bloody corpse by the waist in front of itself, opening it¡¯s jaws wide it raised the direwolf up and brought it down into it¡¯s mouth. It¡¯s head is all it could manage and it bit down, the sound of bones being crushed and flesh tear resounded inside Sly¡¯s mind as he watched motionless. He watched wordlessly as the beast tore into the wolf before it¡¯s companion joined in for the feast, it pulled at the direwolf by its hind legs as the other Yeti pulled back growling. They tore the wolf¡¯s body into half making one of them fall back into the snow, the Yeti still standing chuckled deeply before continuing to devour it¡¯s meal. Sly¡¯s vision went momentarily went black again. He opened his eyes to find himself back in his body, armour damaged and half his daggers missing. Karnage and Skill stood close by, staring at him. Karnage took a step forward as tears formed in her eyes but Skill grabbed her shoulder and stopped her, she glanced back to see him shake his head. Sly clenched his fists as his emotions boiled up within, he chuckled coldly ¡°And I even promised myself¡­to never again¡­¡± he spoke with a strangled voice. He glanced up and checked his surroundings, not even surprised by the colony of tents surrounded by a short wall of wooden stakes. Turning he gazed off into the frozen tundra as the blizzard raged on in the distance, his arms trembling as he grinded his teeth against each other. Suddenly an explosion of violet aura burst out from within him as he opened his mouth wide, he screamed in pure anger at the blizzard with eyes open wide and reddening. The burst of aura crashed into the wooden wall breaking a couple meters off it and sending the debris flying into the camp, guards came rushing out of nearby tents and ran towards Sly. Karnage got in between them and Sly ¡°Stop please!¡± she begged them with tears still falling, they stopped at this sight and stared in confusion while she also turned to look at Sly. A thick fog like aura surrounded him, darker than the usual violet the purple aura engulfed Sly and a couple feet out. ¡°I¡¯ll kill them¡± Sly whispered ¡°I¡¯ll fucking massacre every last one of them¡± suddenly a bright violet light shone from his body as thick lines of violet began forming all over his skin, his eyes flared bright violet as he continued to stare off into the distance. Ch 24 - Blade ¡°Warrant Officer?¡± Draxxer stood inside a dimly lit chamber, marble brick walls and cyan paved floor the room looked like an office with its multiple bookcases, desks of paperwork and a golden wooden stand in the middle. Draxxer spoke into the object floating above the stand, a roughly shaped pitch black spherical crystal. ¡°Officer Klein what is going on there!?¡± Draxxer shouted into the crystal awaiting his spies to continue their survey report. ¡°Sir one of the resurrected heroes is¡­engulfed in a dark aura! Aureiatic lines are forming on his skin and his eyes are shining!¡± Klein explained agitated ¡°Should we intervene!?¡± ¡°Cursed be the Gods¡­¡± Draxxer stated as he unsheathed his sword, a crimson blade of beautiful Dwarven craftsmanship ending in a dark gold hilt and handle ¡°Stand down¡± he ordered. Slashing the air in front of him reality seemed to tear apart as a dark red and violet rift opened along his blade¡¯s point, Draxxer stepped into the rift. Stepping out he appeared by the three cloaked figures, they had been watching the party from the nearby trees. Draxxer gazed out at the settlement¡¯s entrance where a thick dark purple fog surrounded a single figure, Sly¡¯s skin was etched with bright violet lines as his eyes shone an eerie purple. ¡°What in damnation is this¡­¡± Draxxer exclaimed as he watched the disturbance, without sheathing his blade he began walking towards the party and suddenly disappeared. Reappearing next to Sly he grabbed hold of his face as the adventurer tried to lash out at him a dagger per hand, the dagger¡¯s blades glowed a bright violet before shattering into hundreds of pieces. Draxxer closed his eyes as suddenly the light coming out of Sly¡¯s eyes grew brighter, the fog around them shrunk back in and flowed into Sly¡¯s open mouth as if being sucked in. When the fog disappeared the light in his eyes disappeared and the lines on his skin began dimming out, Draxxer let go of his head and held him up as he lost consciousness. Klein, Kess and Vulk appeared behind them. ¡°Sir you aren¡¯t supposed to interf-¡± Kess began to state but was cut off. ¡°To hell with that soldier, what transpired here cannot be reversed. Or would you have preferred every stretch of land from here to the Dwarven mountains to be burned to ashes?!¡± Draxxer exclaimed as he set Sly down face up on the ground. ¡°Sir, what happened?¡± Klein asked as he stepped closer. ¡°Don¡¯t move another step, get your hands off him and raise them up¡± Skill stated in a commanding tone as he aimed his bow directly at Draxxer, Karnage also had her swords in hand. ¡°Stand down adventurer, we¡¯re here to help¡± Draxxer told them without looking away, he was studying the lines that remained seared on Sly¡¯s skin. His expression moved from confusion, to astonishment and ended in fear ¡°The fool¡­to think he would go so far¡­¡± he whispered to himself while standing up. ¡°Kess, Vulk carry this one¡± he ordered them then glanced at Skill and Karnage ¡°Where are the other two?¡± he asked turning to Klein. ¡°We lost them in the blizzard sir, it seems they made it out alive so probably still in the forest¡± Klein immediately replied. ¡°Go find them¡± Draxxer ordered him then turned back towards Skill and Karnage, both tense from what had just happened and that their party leader was being carried by two cloaked strangers ¡°Come with me, there is¡­ a lot to explain¡±. ¡°Yeah no fucking shit¡± Skill exclaimed while lowering his bow, his attention focused on Kess and Vulk who carried Sly in between them. He glanced at Draxxer only to notice the third cloaked one was already gone ¡°I¡¯m not even sure where you should start explaining!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get some¡­privacy first¡± Draxxer gestured for them to follow, Kess and Vulk carried Sly alongside them. He led them towards one of the larger yellow tents, about five to six meters wide and three tall these tents where pentagonal shaped and numbered the least inside the camp. Many had come out of their tents to watch but the moment they spotted Draxxer their either walked away or watched more discreetly. Draxxer walked into the tent ¡°Out!¡± he ordered before several confused guards ran out of the tent, Kess and Vulk hurriedly carried Sly inside followed by Karnage and Skill. ¡°Lay him somewhere¡± He ordered them as he sat down and poured himself a cup of wine, only to put it to his forehead. Glancing at the other two he gestured at the rest of the large rectangular table ¡°Sit down¡±. Wordlessly Karnage and Skill sheathed their weapons and took seats not too close to Draxxer, they stared at him cautiously after both having inspected him. Draxxer lowered the cup and drained it before dropping it onto the table, ¡°So¡­where to start¡­¡± he began to speak while staring at the unconscious Sly laying on a smaller table to the left after being cleared out of a dozen or so map scrolls, Kess and Vulk standing at attention on each side of him. ¡°I am Draxxer Blade, twenty ninth hero of the blessed blade and currently second general of the Esfelt dominion.¡± He gestured at Kess and Vulk ¡°Those two are some of my men I tasked of watching your companions, this generation¡¯s chosen heroes¡± he began explaining as Karnage and Skill listened quietly. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have a lot of questions as to why I never made contact until now but please be appeased by this, normally old heroes aren¡¯t allowed to even be near a new one for longer than an hour. Superstition in my opinion but rules are rules nonetheless¡± he sighed. ¡°Then why break them now?¡± Karnage asked lowering her guard. ¡°Your friend here¡± Draxxer said as he gestured at Sly ¡°Was about to turn this half of Barik into a barren wasteland¡± he grabbed the wine bottle and began draining it as well. Karnage¡¯s mouth opened and closed unable to form words at this revelation. ¡°I know, sounds insane but trust me you do not want to be anywhere close when Astral and Aurei mana touch.¡± Draxxer stated after finishing off the bottle ¡°What I¡¯m about to tell you will sound thousands of times even more insane¡± he glanced between them trying to get a read on their expressions. ¡°Your friend here is what we call a Nephilim, half-blood son of a God¡¯s offspring. The Astral marks that formed when he lost control are enough to prove that much, we¡¯re all very lucky that he developed Aurei before Astral or the explosion would have been instantaneous.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Will¡­he be alright?¡± Skill asked as he glanced back at Sly with wide eyes, as if he weren¡¯t looking at his friend but a ticking nuke. ¡°As long as he keeps his Astral mana in check yes, if not well¡­I¡¯ll have to put him to sleep again¡± Draxxer replied as he stood up and walked over to another table full of food and drinks, grabbing another bottle of wine he popped the cork and began sipping it. Karnage cleared her throat getting his attention ¡°What about them being heroes, what do you mean by that?¡± Draxxer glanced at her while still draining the bottle, he lowered it and continued to speak ¡°Right¡­You see when a God requires something changed in our world they have to act through other physical beings like us. To do so they require an object of great power, an artefact left behind by the Avatar the creator of all. I was summoned here by the Fae God King Oberon through that object, you on the other hand were summoned here by someone who did not follow the rules.¡± He sat back down after taking another sip ¡°We don¡¯t know the exact details but it seems Lilliana lost the artefact to one of my old colleagues, another hero called Scythe who left with it back to his world. Scythe used the artefact to summon you all here, normally it takes the aid of a God or Goddess to do so but I¡¯m guessing he had Lilliana help then double crossed her or vice versa.¡± ¡°When people from another realm are summoned through that artefact we call it the Grand Quest, where each of the usual seven only summoned are picked by a Deity or Deity-like being to utilize their power to complete the quest. Usually the quest is made obvious to the heroes but this time¡­everything¡¯s gone to shit¡± he let the bottle drop empty onto the table. ¡°Okay okay! Back up a bit! Sly is a what now!?¡± Skill asked while staring at the now dumbfounded Draxxer. ¡°Son¡­When an angel and a non-astral being love each other very much-¡± Draxxer began to explain but was cut off. ¡°Okay wait wait!¡± Karnage exclaimed as she rested her arms onto the table and her face into her hands ¡°Sly is a what¡­half angel? Kyllix, Sly and Reyna are heroes? Reyna? Really?¡± she glanced up at him in disbelief. ¡°Well¡­from what I could tell no not exactly, he¡¯s a half fallen angel from the marks now permanently on his skin¡± Draxxer began stroking his chin ¡°And I¡¯m guessing each other hero is similar, summoned heroes tend to all be equal in power. Scythe probably wanted to fight fire with fire, Half-blood heroes to defeat a Half-blood Goddess. The question is what they all are¡­and how did he even find them?!¡± he moved to massaging his forehead. ¡°That¡¯s insane¡­this is just¡­insane¡± Skill began continuously repeating to himself. Draxxer stood up ¡°Well like it or not it¡¯s reality¡± he walked over to Sly and sighed. ¡°Wait so¡­Gods and such actually exist in our world too?¡± Karnage asked as she glanced back. ¡°Not exactly¡± Draxxer replied. ¡°I¡¯m going to shoot him if he says that again¡± Skill whispered. Draxxer glanced at him in confusion before clearing his throat and continuing ¡°Your world has no mana what so ever, Astral beings have no power there. Only artefacts of the Avatar hold any magical power what so ever in that realm, one of many that has no such thing as mana. So realms like that is where¡­well where the unwanted things go. Terrifyingly cursed objects¡­powerful evil necromancers¡­unwanted half-blood children¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s sick¡± Karnage stated in disgust. ¡°Indeed¡± Draxxer agreed sadly ¡°Hopefully Klein can find your friends quickly, If I am correct then they are both walking bombs waiting for something to tick them off¡±. He turned to Kess ¡°Go inform the other units, permission to lock down targets has been authorized!¡± she nodded and disappeared in a cloud of shadowy mist. He turned and gazed down at the unconscious Sly ¡°A Nephilim¡­What ticked him off anyway?¡± ¡°His direwolf died¡± Skill replied as he held onto his forehead. ¡°His companion!? Hell I should have seized control when you lot started asking about companions!¡± Draxxer cursed loudly as he banged his fist onto the table, ¡°No wonder he awakened¡­¡± glancing back he noticed their confused expressions and sighed. ¡°Losing your companions is akin to losing half your soul, not actually but emotionally and psychologically. The pain you go through, the confusion and anger is enough to make a saint go insane.¡± ¡°Insane?¡± Karnage repeated as she glanced away from Sly and gazed at the tent¡¯s exit ¡°What if¡­you don¡¯t?¡± Draxxer snorted ¡°You¡¯d have to already be insane, only instability can resist more instability¡± he replied melancholically. ¡°Sly?¡± Suddenly a voice came from Sly¡¯s direction making everyone stare at him. ¡°What in damnation is it now?¡± Draxxer declared as he took a step back. ¡°The VCD!¡± Karnage exclaimed rushing over to Sly. ¡°The what now?¡± Draxxer asked in confusion as he searched for the voice. ¡°Karnage? Where did you all respawn?¡± Kyle¡¯s voice continued to transmit ¡°Who¡¯s there with you? Why is it pitch black?¡± ¡°Kyll! The VCD is inside Sly¡¯s inventory! We can¡¯t reach it! He¡¯s knocked out!¡± Karnage said after checking Sly¡¯s pockets. ¡°Lass might you fill me in on this?¡± Draxxer ¡°It¡¯s a communication device we use to talk to each other, one of the mage guild leaders gave them to us¡± Skill explained from the table, still holding onto his forehead while leaning back in his chair. Draxxer nodded ¡°That will do¡± he raised his hand over Sly¡¯s chests ¡°Steal¡± he spoke the mana infused word forcing Sly¡¯s inventory open. ¡°How did he keep this if he died?¡± Draxxer mused as he pulled the sole item out. ¡°Mage told us its soul bound, whatever that means¡± Skill replied. ¡°That explains it, damn mages keeping things to themselves¡± Draxxer chuckled as the VCD appeared in his hand. ¡°Blade!?¡± Kyle stared back in surprise after seeing Draxxer. ¡°Indeed young hero, stay where you are I¡¯m coming for you both¡± Draxxer announced, raising his blade he closed his eyes to focus. He slashed open another rift and quickly stepped in, exiting on the other side he found himself standing in the forest with Kyle and Reyna staring up at him from the ground. ¡°How did you¡­¡± Kyle¡¯s face had drained of all colour as he stared at the rift in terror, remembering his last venture into one. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for explanations young one, stand still¡± Draxxer commanded as he crouched down by them, laying a hand on each of their foreheads he closed his eyes ¡°A coincidence? Thank be¡­The woman is a human soul while you¡­I am not quite sure what you are¡­Alas it seems my fears have been elevated. Neither of you are in danger¡­¡± he sighed in relief and stood back up. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are you here? Wait shit, no there¡¯s better questions I need to ask!¡± Kyle quickly stood up but before he continued to speak Draxxer raised both arms in front of himself. ¡°Calm yourself boy! I¡¯ll explain everything in due time! First let us get you both out of this Yeti hunting ground!¡± Draxxer turned to the rift and sheathed his sword ¡°Hold onto my hand and do not let go¡± he told them with hands open. Kyle stood up ¡°Alright¡­¡± he replied taking the left hand with his own, he glanced back at Reyna still on the ground ¡°It¡¯s okay, he¡¯s friendly¡± he assured her. Reyna glanced in between them before nodding, she stood up and gingerly took Draxxer¡¯s other hand. ¡°Let us go then, this way¡± He pulled them into the rift. ¡°W-Wait!¡± Kyle stuttered as he tried to pull away, Draxxer¡¯s grip on his hand too strong as he pulled Kyle in anyway. Stepping out from the other side of the rift they blinked a couple times to readjust their eyes due to the darkness of the rift. ¡°Ahh damn¡± Draxxer cursed as he stumbled over to the table, grabbing onto a chair he collapsed down into it ¡°Please excuse me¡­moving others through the void is¡­draining¡± he took in controlled breathes while keeping his eyes closed. Kyle glanced around the tent seeing the rest of the party he felt relieved until his gaze landed on Sly ¡°Sly? What happened to him?¡±. ¡°Apparently he¡¯s an angel or something¡± Skill exclaimed as he lay back on his chair rubbing his face with both hands. Kyle gave him a single glance before looking at Karnage ¡°Is he high?¡± he asked with a serious tone. Skill groaned ¡°Bro, I wish I was¡­¡±. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­explain¡± Draxxer managed as he gazed at them with one eye open ¡°Your friend there¡­is a Nephilim¡± ¡°Oh sure, yeah! THAT CLEARS IT ALL UP!¡± Kyle exclaimed while he jumbled his hair in frustration. Ch 25 - Stress ¡°You going to explain in full or just disappear again?¡± Kyle asked in annoyance, arms open wide. Draxxer sighed ¡°It¡¯s too late for me to back off now so yes, I will explain what I¡¯ve tried to explain to your party here¡± he answered gesturing at Skill and Karnage. ¡°I guess I should start from the beginning now that things have mostly calmed down¡± laying forward in his chair Draxxer put his hands together and began to tell. ¡°When Gods want something done about what goes on down here, they use an artefact left behind by the Avatar. Before you ask about it, not even the Gods know what or who the Avatar was just that it created them in turn disappearing and they created us in turn weakening them. But the intentions behind both creations weren¡¯t the same. The Gods created the races not simply to create but¡­to finish off what they started. Conflict brewed between the Gods after the Avatar disappeared, over what happens next and what happens with the different realms left behind. Some of them wanted the conflict to end not wanting to hurt their own.¡± ¡°So the Gods came together and chose different realms, warzones where they created their troops and made them fight instead. The victor would come to choose what happens in that realm, the other Gods that chose to fight on that realm have no say until the next fight.¡± Everyone turned to listen, even Skill who didn¡¯t seem to care much ¡°But at one point, the Avatar returned. It destroyed Gods left and right, ending those that desired conflict the most. When it was done with purging its children it left this artefact to the remaining Gods then disappeared again.¡± ¡°The artefact allowed seven Gods to each pick a single mortal being imbuing them with their power, sending those chosen here to this realm and granting them what we call The Grand Quest. I was one of those chosen and part of the first ever to fail.¡± ¡°Why only this realm?¡± Draxxer smirked ¡°So you¡¯re awake¡± Sly groaned as he stood up from the table, wobbling a bit he held onto it ¡°Yeah no thanks to you, Nephilim? Seriously?¡± he stared at Draxxer in disbelief ¡°Yeah I heard it all, somehow¡±. ¡°Then I will continue. The answer to your question, is that the Avatar was angered by all the Gods not just bloodthirsty ones. It banned the survivors from messing with the other realms, leaving them only this one.¡± ¡°What about Lilliana, you were there so you had first person experience with that part¡± Kyle asked. Draxxer nodded ¡°Lilliana¡­It was Oberon who started our Grand Quest, it was also Oberon the reason she went rogue. Being a demigoddess isn¡¯t easy, scorned by all Gods and Goddesses. Worst of all though, she disgusted Oberon. The only reason he kept Lilliana alive was because of his wife the Goddess Queen of the Fae Titania, when the demons took her¡­he began to lose it. Imagine it, living together since the beginning of existence. Oberon was above furious, he went insane and Lilliana enjoyed it.¡± ¡°I even suspect that the demon¡¯s appearance on Barik was her doing, she did not seem torn up about her mother¡¯s death at all. We weren¡¯t able to stop her, Oberon miscalculated when he summoned us. We were too weak to fight the demons so early and ended up losing four to just one devil. Frost, Spear, Arrow and Draco dead, only me, Darkness and Scythe remained. Scythe¡­He betrayed us as well, he joined Lilliana for the promise of returning home. As far as we can tell that did not go very well for Lilliana. Scythe did return home but in turn he stole her most precious possession.¡± ¡°Scythe stole the artefact of the Grand Quest from Lilliana as she had done from Oberon, without it she cannot continue her plan. She intended to call up her own heroes, her quest? Take over this realm.¡± Kyle paced around the tent ¡°What about the main powers of Chaoz? The Elves? The Orcs? Ogres? What about this alliance of races of yours? Why do none of you try to stop her?¡± Draxxer shook his head ¡°The Elven courts won¡¯t act, all three of them have their hands full hating each other. But¡­cannot act against each other because ultimately the Elven Elders lead the people through tradition while they only have their warriors. As for the Orcs and Ogres, the Orcs love conflict but are terrified of the Devil Kings while the Ogres have always had a bone to pick with the Fae king.¡± He looked up and stared at Sly ¡°As for us, the alliance wishes to use the heroes against Lilliana and the demons but because of tradition¡­us previous heroes weren¡¯t allowed to make contact. The dominion¡­isn¡¯t in its best shape either.¡± ¡°Similarly to the Elves our side is broken, the people do not trust us¡­me¡­The churches have taken over the people¡¯s hearts and the royal family is losing it¡¯s backing. The churches will be awaiting your arrival to Eslet, I beg of you not to reveal what happened here to them. It would ruin the Empress¡¯s campaign to restore her family¡¯s name.¡± He stood up still slightly shaking ¡°The Humans, Halfbeasts, Scalarians, Dwarves and Fae rely on this. If the Churches take full control I cannot fathom the idiocy they will bring forth. The Mers and Avians will not act on their own, cowards and survivalists by nature.¡± Kneeling down practically begging he asked them ¡°Please help us¡± Sly smirked ¡°Then go speak with our leader, Birse of the Serenity guild. We¡¯re just scouts right now, he doesn¡¯t take kindly to being spoken to through others you know.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t tell?¡± Draxxer asked as he glanced up at him. ¡°Tell about what?¡± Sly replied with a grin ¡°Now explain¡±. Standing up Draxxer looked at him with confusion ¡°About?¡±. Sighing Sly opened his arms wide ¡°About the damn half angel in the room, what happened to me? I don¡¯t even know why I was so pissed off back there!¡± ¡°Your companion died, it injured your soul. Mages call it a soul wail, releases all your pent up anguish and hatred as raw magical anger. In your case all your Aura along with your locked ancestral power, your Astral mana. An explosive combination, the reason I blew my cover at all.¡± Draxxer explained sadly ¡°I¡¯m sorry hero but your power is too volatile, I cannot allow you to use it again. Yet¡±. ¡°Yet?¡± Kyle stopped pacing. ¡°A wall can be made to block off the two energies from colliding along the existing lock. But I cannot do it¡± Draxxer replied. ¡°Then who?¡± Sly stepped forward eager to hear. ¡°The other surviving hero, Darkness. She can help you, she is a Nephilim herself and a master on Astral magic after all.¡± Draxxer turned to the remaining spy ¡°Gather your unit leader and colleague, we¡¯re moving¡± the spy nodded and disappeared. ¡°My men will accompany you to Eslet¡¯s gates, after that you¡¯re on your own adventurers¡±. ¡°What about you?¡± Karnage asked as she stood up along with the others. ¡°I¡¯ll go to Frosthold, speak with your leader. Only one of you heroes is back there so it will be easier to stay out of sight from them. After that I will make sure there are no other angel bombs among the adventurers, if anything happens my men will inform me and I will be right around¡± Draxxer answered as he raised his sword. ¡°Well thanks for¡­Not letting me go nuclear I guess?¡± Sly chuckled sadly. Draxxer slashed a rift open ¡°You¡¯re welcome adventurer¡± and walked in, immediately closing it behind himself. --- Minutes later Having spent the last couple minutes in awkward silence the party finally got the ice broken as Kess walked into the tent ¡°The ride is ready, let us go¡± she told them before disappearing back out. Sly sighed and stood up ¡°Okay look, I¡¯ve had it with you all glancing back and forth at me. I¡¯m fine, nothing is wrong with me and I¡¯m definitely not going to explode anytime soon¡± he stated loudly getting everyone¡¯s attention ¡°I¡¯m completely fine¡± he repeated. Reyna glanced up from staring at her feet ¡°You su-¡± Kyle cut her off ¡°He says he¡¯s fine so he is, I know what a soul wail whatever feels like. It sucks, badly but doesn¡¯t last long. Can we go now or will we just stand around feeling bad for each other?¡± he stood up and walked out. ¡°What he said¡± Skill followed. Sighing again Sly walked over to the exit ¡°Well¡­Let¡¯s go then¡± and walked out, Reyna and Karnage following soon after.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. The town was no town at all, just an oversized encampment of tents and wooden walls. Some buildings were being built but none were habitable yet, only tents of different sizes stood as walls and roofs for the citizens. Catching up with Kess, Kyle couldn¡¯t help but ask ¡°What¡¯s up with Carn? Tents and wood keeping them safe from the monsters and cold?¡± ¡°New town, dungeon appeared couple weeks ago.¡± She stated with a stern tone. (¡°Not the talkative type¡±) Kyle thought to himself ¡°A dungeon?¡±. ¡°An underground set of rooms of different elevation, each with their own traps, monsters and mysteries. All controlled by a single being, all part of a single being. Dungeons aren¡¯t living breathing beings by they are sentient, somewhat.¡± She explained in full. ¡°Ah¡­Wait what?¡± Kyle replied taken aback as the others caught up. Kess rolled her eyes ¡°New dungeons are very useful, new warriors train there to gain quick experience at the cost of increased danger.¡± ¡°Did she just say a dungeon? Quick experience?¡± Sly asked leaning in to whisper. ¡°At the end of each floor it is said grand loot can be found, rewarded by the dungeon itself by using the equipment dropped by other fallen delvers¡± Kess continued to explain, unaware the others had stopped completely. ¡°Did she just say loot?¡± Skill chimed into the whispering. ¡°¡¯Grand¡¯ loot¡± Karnage corrected also whispering. Having finally noticed Kess turned around ¡°Adventurers?¡± ¡°Yes! Exp!¡± ¡°Loot!¡± ¡°The mission!¡± ¡°Huh what?¡± All but Reyna turned to her in confusion blabbering some nonsense, she stared at them with a raised brow hidden under her mask ¡°We are¡­heading to Kaledd correct?...¡± she asked glancing at all of them. They all looked at each other before Reyna replied ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll be the voice of reason. Yes we are and no we aren¡¯t delaying to explore a dungeon!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Grand Loot!¡± ¡°Exp¡­¡± She groaned in annoyance at their answer, in unison nonetheless. ¡°Boys, we¡¯re going so move your sorry asses before I cut off your legs off and drag you¡± Karnage stated reaching for her swords. All three shuddered at the thought, ¡°Fine alright, we¡¯ll visit the damn thing another day¡± Sly responded while scratching his head. Nodding Kess turned back around ¡°As you wish, this way to the steamicle¡±. ¡°The hell did she just say?¡± Kyle asked stopping again as the others followed her. ¡°Don¡¯t know, guess we¡¯re going to find out¡± Sly replied. After half an hour of walking to the other side of the town they stepped through the opening in the wall to find Klein and Vulk waiting around outside, a strange vehicle sitting behind them. The steamicle looked like an ancient wheeled car, something Kyle¡¯s grandfather would rant about how his grandfather loved the dinosaur machines more than his own two sons. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Sly asked staring at the vehicle. ¡°With it¡¯s slender black chassis, silver rimmed blue wheels and roofless top. This my idiotic friend, is a car¡­Well except for the bad ass pipes blowing steam upwards and out the back¡± Skill sarcastically explained as he approached the vehicle. Unlike the average car this one indeed had four large pipes exiting the top back, steam puffing out at intervals as barely any sound was heard from whatever ran it. ¡°Wheels? Seriously? That¡¯s so last millennia¡± Karnage joked as she poked around the interior, the wheels albeit having a common shape were actually twice the size a car of this size would normally have. ¡°You have such vehicles in your realm as well?¡± Klein asked as everyone hopped into the car, three long blue leather seats able to seat three each. ¡°Not exactly¡± Skill replied groaning soon after ¡°Someone shoot me¡±. Elbowing Skill in the arm Kyle explained ¡°Ours do not use ancient systems like wheels and whatever magic this one utilizes. In short they can go up and down as easily as left and right just like front and back while able to move in any other direction without turning.¡± ¡°Wings?¡± Klein asked curiously as he and the others also entered the steamicle. Reyna shook her head ¡°Nothing with wings even exists anymore in our world, alive or inanimate.¡± ¡°No wyverns? Sounds like a blast¡± Vulk chuckled as he took the driver¡¯s seat, three levers and a keyhole in front of him. ¡°Actually a wyvern sounds like a fun fight¡± Karnage replied, all three spies and Sly turned to stare at her. ¡°Poisonous bladed wings, poisonous fangs, acidic claws, barbed poisonous tail, poisonous spiked scales, acid spitting, pack hunting and ever hungry spawn of nightmares¡± Klein listed off the top of his head. ¡°Not fun¡± Sly corrected. After everyone took their seats, Kess, Reyna and Karnage at the back, Klein, Sly and Kyle in the middle and Skill riding shotgun with Vulk who pulled out the key and entered then turned it. The steamicle made no sound as it started or moved, no engine running, no wheels turning or snow crunching. Kyle couldn¡¯t help but be fascinated ¡°How does this thing work?¡± Klein glanced at him ¡°No clue, you¡¯d have to ask the creators. The Dwarves make many strange things, this being a special case as it isn¡¯t entirely complete in their eyes.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Kyle asked, his curiosity still rising. ¡°All this? Just the carrier, for the weapon they have yet to put on it.¡± Klein replied with a grimace. ¡°Weapon?¡± Frowning Kyle looked over the vehicle again, removing the seats and paint he pictured it. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Staring off into the distance as the trees faded by he spoke solemnly ¡°They have been obsessed, planning them out then building them. No matter how many they came up with they kept making more, improving over the years.¡± ¡°Improving what?¡± Sly joined in his curiosity also piqued. ¡°Machines, with a sole purpose in mind. You want to know what they call them? Constructs¡­Constructs of massacre, Constructs of their bloody vengeance.¡± He smiled coldly underneath the mask ¡°An art they call it, the art of demon butchering.¡± ¡°Great¡­an army of angry blood thirsty midgets with war machines¡­¡± Skill mused as Vulk almost lost control of the vehicle at his statement. ¡°Sorry!¡± Vulk shouted regaining control almost immediately. Leaning away from Sly who had leaned over the car¡¯s edge and began emptying his stomach, Kyle pulled out his VCD ¡°I¡¯ll fill in the others¡± he stated before opening the connection ¡°Birse?¡±. ¡°Heyy¡­¡± Birse waved into the device from an angle that suggested someone else was holding it, he sat behind an oak desk resting his arms on top of it while massaging his forehead. ¡°What¡¯s up with you?¡± Kyle asked surprised. Glancing up Birse revealed a weary expression ¡°Your¡­friend visited. The blade hero? In just how much crap are we under?¡± he sighed ¡°We¡¯ve come to terms, the Esfeltian soldiers will be arriving in three days. In the meantime Death is working with the mage guilds on something, hold tight to those VCDs he said.¡± ¡°What¡¯s he working on?¡± Sly asked wiping his mouth, still dizzy he kept himself close to the edge. ¡°Something about veils, rifts and crap. Didn¡¯t give me the whole picture, he just ran off the moment he saw Blade walk into that¡­¡¯rift¡¯¡± passing his palm over his face one last time he stared into the VCD ¡°What are you inside right now?¡± ¡°A Dwarven creation called a steamicle, four wheeled vehicle.¡± Kyle replied. ¡°A beautiful piece of art¡± Skill answered. ¡°A god damn death trap¡± Sly finished before leaning back over the edge. The view inside the VCD suddenly moved and an upside down Seren appeared ¡°Is that a car? With wheels?¡± she asked frowning. ¡°Seren keep it still damnit!¡± Birse groaned in annoyance in the background. ¡°Hey I¡¯m holding it so I aim it where I damn please¡± She replied ¡°Where did you put the wolf? Please tell me its riding along and not running by!¡± her question made everyone inside tense up. ¡°It¡­He¡­¡± Kyle found himself at a loss for words as he glanced to his right. Sly suddenly took the VCD into his hand ¡°Kurt is dead, we got ambushed by Yetis and their blizzard magic. Oh and apparently I¡¯m a half angel, a hero and a walking bomb¡± he stated with his chin plastered with puke before handing it back over and returning to marking the ground. Seren stared back in complete astonishment, her mouth half open and eyes wide. Taking the VCD from her hands Birse lined it up with his face and spoke ¡°How is he?¡± now standing up. ¡°Says he¡¯s fine¡± Kyle responded while glancing at Sly ¡°We¡¯re headed to Kaledd right now, at our current speed¡­¡± he changed the topic intentionally ¡°Hell I don¡¯t know, how long till Kaledd?¡± he asked turning to Klein who eyed the object curiously. ¡°About three hours, the steamicle is fast but we¡¯ll have to stop at the mountain and continue by foot from there due to the rougher terrain.¡± Klein immediately replied still staring into the VCD. Birse sighed in relief ¡°Good, we¡¯ll finally get to hear from Soren and Silv.¡± Smirking Kyle asked sarcastically ¡°Worried about your cousin?¡± Birse grins ¡°More worried about those around him, who knows what he¡¯s up to. Silv wouldn¡¯t do shit to stop him, bets on how many times he¡¯s blown something up?¡± Chuckling lightly Kyle shook his head ¡°Yeah Silv would join him, hopefully they haven¡¯t turned the place upside down yet. So how¡¯s the training going?¡± Birse shrugged ¡°Well¡­some progress. The guard and mage guilds have helped a lot, our average level is still around 60s since most of our time is spent sparring and all but we still send everyone out in parties to hunt.¡± ¡°Well I guess you¡¯re lucky you have us huh?¡± Kyle stated with a smirk. Birse raised his brow and gazed into the projection of Kyle¡¯s asinine expression ¡°Continue¡­¡± ¡°Carn isn¡¯t a normal town, it¡¯s an encampment surrounding a new dungeon. We¡¯ve been told it¡¯s perfect for ¡®new warriors¡¯ plus the additional loot.¡± Kyle explained his expression faltering ¡°We¡¯re definitely hitting that place later war or not¡± he finally stated. Birse snorted ¡°Of course you would, alright thanks for the heads up. We¡¯ll see about gathering info on it, call me back whenever anything else comes up¡±. ¡°Yeap, peace out¡± Kyle ended the connection, stashing the VCD back into his inventory he then tried to distract himself with thoughts about his magic but ultimately his worries spoke out on their own. ¡°He was happy about it you know¡± Sly suddenly spoke, his tone dejected and still resting his head over his right arm as it leaned out the edge while he stared up at the sky ¡°Dying from a slyer, stronger predator. An honour he said.¡± Sighing he continued to gaze upwards ¡°Fucking oversized fur ball, damn battle maniac is what he was.¡± Reyna kicked the back of his seat ¡°You¡¯re one to talk.¡± Kyle stared at his expression from the corner of his eyes, he was grinning. ¡°Yeah, same as when I found him. Blood thirsty, battle crazed. Ready to die, just for the excitement of it all.¡± Chuckling Sly lowered his gaze ¡°If-¡± ¡°If only you were stronger? Smarter? Faster?¡± Kyle asked as his stare turned into a cold gaze ¡°Don¡¯t give me that shit, you know better than that. It doesn¡¯t matter, it never will because you weren¡¯t and that¡¯s the end of it. Instead tell yourself that you were too weak, too stupid and slow, too worthless to do anything because that¡¯s the damn truth. So man the fuck up and get stronger¡± he looked away ¡°So it never happens again.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Sly replied with a cold smile while still gazing off at the mountains in the distance. (¡°Don¡¯t get stuck in the past, learn from it and move on¡±) Kyle thought, his words not only aimed at Sly but also himself. Klein stared down at the strange hero next to him through his mask that hid everything including his gaze (¡°So young yet so¡­unusual¡­feeling so put together¡­yet falling apart on the inside. I expected him to be different, dark heroes always are. This one though? He¡¯s so¡­cold¡±) Ch 26 - Ever hungry spawn of nightmares Driving at full speed the steamicle evaded trees, hills and spurts of acid as it drove towards the mountains. ¡°KEEP YOUR HEADS LOW!¡± Klein shouted while standing on his seat, staring back at the monstrosities that chased them in the sky. Somewhere in between Carn and now these creatures decided they were their next snack. A reptilian arrowhead growing out of a scaled torso of white and blue that gleamed in the sun, two strong legs with too large claws growing out of the bottom and one thin long tail twice the size of the rest growing out the back ending in fork like blades. Instead of arms the creatures had large leathery bat like wings so white you could make out the sky behind them, at the end of each wing another set of long scythe like claws. The wyverns screeched with joy as they circled their dinner like vultures, two of them staring down at the steamicle full of fresh meat. From down below Kyle guessed them to be the size of the vehicle itself but when one swooped down to grab them with its hind legs¡­He found he was sorely wrong as the beasts were three times in width and not counting the tail four in length. Everyone ducked down as one approached, its claws open wide to grab. Klein raised his arms up as suddenly a large twin bladed battle axe appeared within them, parrying the wyvern¡¯s dive he pushed it aside with the flat face of his axe making it crash down into the snow. He held on immediately as the steamicle swerved to the right evading another spurt of acid from the second wyvern, the other got up from the snow and re-joined it¡¯s companion in circling them from above. ¡°Why does everything want to kill us¡­Why does everything want to kill us!¡± Reyna repeated to herself as she ducked down in front of the seat, facing Karnage as she tried console Reyna. Glancing back up Kyle inspected them.
Frost Wyvern [Level 73]
Frost Wyvern [Level 73]
¡°Dammit can¡¯t you do anything about them?¡± Kyle shouted at Klein as he prepared himself to parry another dive. ¡°Normally we could but in our current situation¡­All we can do is hope they lose interest or we reach the mountain entrance!¡± Klein replied back as one of the wyverns dived down, parrying its claws again he pushed it back as it¡¯s tail swooped from underneath and at him. He let go of his axe as the tail coiled around it, the wyvern ready to pull him up along with it. ¡°Kess!¡± The whole time Kess had been chanting in another language from the back seat, concentrating on her magic as suddenly the second wyvern swooped down. ¡°Big guy duck!¡± Skill shouted as he took aim ¡°Rain like hail! Scatter shot!¡± the arrow took a green hue right before Skill let go, separating into a dozen other arrows the barrage took the wyvern by surprise. It flapped its wings diverting or knocking the arrows away then rose back up into the sky hissing in annoyance as it did. ¡°Great now you pissed it off!¡± Vulk shouted as he glanced up at the wyvern. Both wyverns glided on each side of the steamicle, opening their jaws wide they revealed their dozens of needle like fangs as their tongue slithered about them. Both of them sprayed their acid in unison, showering it down like two streams of death at the vehicle. Stopping her chant Kess raised her arms up with hands wide open ¡°Blazing barrier!¡± black fire burst out from her hands and surrounded the steamicle shielding them from the acid as it disintegrated on touch with the fire. ¡°I couldn¡¯t finish the channelling! It won¡¯t last!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°Fuck this¡± Sly stood up taking out two daggers. ¡°Oh no way¡± Kyle grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back ¡°Last thing we need is the nuke to fight the wyverns!¡± he glanced over at Klein ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea, but I need a bipod¡± he declared. Both Sly and Klein looked at him with confused expressions. ¡°A human, well half-beast and whatever mask guy is bipod.¡± Kyle explained as he turned around and sat on the front seat¡¯s back, raising both arms in front of himself he began chanting ¡°Monsters heart beating inside along my own! Core Overload!¡±. Crimson red slime burst out from his arms and collided in between ¡°Get ready to hold it up!¡± he told them as the slime took shape. The wyverns screeched and hissed angrily as they continued to circle around the sphere of black fire, streams of acid continuously barraging it as it moved forward along with the steamicle inside. The fire faltered several times as the wyverns attacked it from afar, noticing the weakening barrier one dived down at it. Hissing loudly it flew right behind them barraging the fire at close range with its acid. ¡°Pierce through their scales, tear away their wings and destroy their flesh! Slime Cannon! Demonic Rounds!¡± The barrier of fire disintegrated as a loud blast sounded off inside, through the flames a large crimson bullet of armoured slime flew towards the wyvern. Scale like sections covered the bullet, each growing a long pitch black fang like blade that trembled along with the scale beneath it as the bullet travelled. At the end of the bullet, three scales grew out from the rest into a point kept together by blue frozen slime between them. The wyvern screeched in agony as the bullet tore through its abdomen, scales crashing with scales as the fangs dug into flesh. The bullet collapsed on itself on contact, the scales and fangs on the back spread out while pushing the ones on the front further in dealing more damage. In through the abdomen it went and out the back it got out, slime, scales, flesh and fangs scattering into a shower of gore. The wyvern collapsed into the snow, tumbling over itself as it continued screech in agony until coming to a stop. It lay there with its snout in the snow as it absorbed the blood turning red, the wyvern¡¯s wings momentarily rose as if readying to take flight again only to collapse to the ground.
You have killed [Frost Wyvern] Level 73!
Through faith in your own abilities and some tinkering the skill [Slime Cannon] was created!
Active sub-skill [Demonic Rounds] created!
Through pure genius the skill [Ooze] has gained a new attribute [Condensed Slime]
Level up! (x18)
Level 25 attribute points received (+5)
Level 30 attribute points received (+10)
Level 35 attribute points received (+10)
¡°You killed a wyvern¡­a fully grown wyvern¡­¡± Klein stared back at the corpse as he helped Sly hold up the giant cannon, a large barrel of demonic slime covered in an armoured shell of black scales kept still together with frozen blue slime. The cannon so long it grew over the steamicle¡¯s pipes for over another meter, the barrel thicker than the pipes themselves.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Next!¡± Kyle shouted as he waited for Vulk to take aim, the cannon too large for them to move. With his arms surrounded by red slime and hands deep inside the cannon he used the proximity to reload more quickly saving him precious time from [Core Overload] at the cost of some damage sustained from the pressure and vibration caused by the explosion propelling the projectiles. ¡°Left! A bit more! Shit right!¡± Skill directed Vulk on taking aim while he turned the steamicle as told. ¡°There¡¯s no way we¡¯re hitting the second one!¡± Sly stated while watching as the wyvern purposely moved out of the way of the cannon while approaching, baring its fangs fiercely as it hissed in anger. ¡°Ready!¡± Kyle declared having reloaded the weapon, condensed frozen slime filling most of the cannon ready for the bullet to be created. ¡°It¡¯s moving too much! We can¡¯t get a sure hit!¡± Skill announced as the wyvern serpentined behind them. ¡°Then we¡¯ll just have to widen our area of effect!¡± Kyle replied as he changed the end of the cannon¡¯s barrel, widening it then creating ten smaller [Demonic Rounds] ¡°Break their scales! Clip their wings and fill them with holes! Slime Shotgun! Demonic Rounds!¡± firing away each round exploded along with the propelling explosion sending slime, scales and fangs flying at the wyvern. Engulfed by a wave of slime the wyvern crashed down into the snow confused by the attack, the slime having stuck to most of its body and face impeding it¡¯s sight and smell. Kyle shrugged ¡°Well that didn¡¯t work as intended¡­¡± while wiping a scale out of his hair. Reyna groaned in disgust as she wiped off red slime from her hair ¡°Oh come on¡­¡± her, Karnage and Kess engulfed by the red slime that made up the end of the barrel. Karnage wiped her face from the slime ¡°Huh it doesn¡¯t feel as bad as I thought¡­squishy but-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t¡­continue that line of thought¡­¡± Reyna cut her off while glancing away. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet!¡± Looking back at the wyvern Kess shouted to get their attention. The monstrosity rose from the snow and opened its wings wide, fangs bared and hissing loud enough to hear albeit the distance it glared at them with raw rage. It took flight at blinding speed, every moment rising higher and higher as frost began to form around its wings. The Icicles grew too quickly to be natural, forming on it¡¯s leathery wings looking like blades. Reaching so high up they could barely see it due to the sun¡¯s light it stopped ascended, too heavy from the ice surrounding its wings to continue. Klein¡¯s eyes went wide in understanding ¡°Gods save us¡­¡±. The wyvern stretched out its wings backwards and dove down, the weight of the ice along with the positioning of its wings giving it an incredibly quick descent. Like an arrow it whistled down towards them, changing its trajectory as it dove. The wind cut as it went by, the blades of ice covering it sharp enough to make the sound of a master craft sword in the wind. ¡°Hold on!¡± Kyle shouted as the slime cannon completely lost its shape, gathering all the scales, fangs and demonic slime in proximity he focused on changing it. The large wave of red and blue slime formed all around the steamicle as the blue suddenly began to take over ¡°Change!¡± Kyle unconsciously shouted as the blue completely took over ¡°Freeze! Packed Ice!¡±. Reaching a couple meters above the steamicle the wyvern opened its wings wide and flapped forwards sending a barrage of blades raining down on top of them. The first few tore through the still freezing slime while the rest impaled the packed barrier embedding themselves into it, cracks formed and some parts broke off but the shield withstood. Enraged the wyvern descended and clawed away at the shield with its legs and tail, hissing loudly all the while. ¡°We¡¯re so fucked!¡± Reyna whispered as she watched the barrier crack above her, claws breaking through the condensed slime of ice. ¡°I¡¯m out!¡± Kyle shouted as his [Core Overload] ran out of time, putting him under mana exhaustion. The barrier instantly dissipated along with any other slime he had created, leaving them ripe for the picking for the enraged flying serpent of blades above them. The wyvern screeched hungrily as it descended down, claws wide open, tail lunging downwards and fangs bared. --- Author: When I say its time for music then its time for music >:D : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69fK-Jqyrmg --- Before the blast hit them a blinding light flashed into their eyes as something crashed into the wyvern, blinking to readjust his eyes Kyle stared in astonishment as the armoured Dwarf head butted the wyvern at break neck speed. Both of them crashed back into the snow as Vulk swerved the steamicle around to a stop, everyone stared off at the cloud of steam where the two landed. ¡°The hell was that?¡± Karnage asked trying to see through the rising steam. A gust of wind from flapping wings cleared the steam revealing the pissed off wyvern and its new adversary, standing approximately 3 and a half feet tall. The Dwarf wore iron chain armour above plate that had pulsating red carvings which emitted great levels of heat, where ever it stepped the snow melted at the touch of its iron boots. The Dwarf laughed maniacally as it pointed it¡¯s twin bladed pole-axe at the wyvern with one hand, mocking it. Sly palmed his face and began to laugh ¡°That¡± he gestured at the Dwarf ¡°Is Soren¡± Grinning Kyle inspected the welcome surprise.
Soren [Forged Berserker] (Hammer & Anvil) Level 68
Soren continued to mock the wyvern with a gruff voice as it hissed and barred its fangs ¡°Come on you overgrown gecko! Come at me!¡± he waved his axe in front of himself, the weapon radiating with heat. The wyvern lunged forward with its maw sideways, rows behind rows of razor fangs enclosing on Soren. Grinning without worry Soren held his pole-axe forward as the wyvern¡¯s fangs closed in on him, stopping barely reaching him the wyvern found its mouth full with the pole-axe. Momentarily letting go of the pole Soren raised both arms up and bashed down on it, smashing the wyvern¡¯s head into the cold snow. Grabbing hold of his weapon again he pulled it out breaking a couple fangs off in the process, ¡°Let¡¯s see ye get a hold of it this time!¡± the pole-axe glowed a fiery red as all the snow around him suddenly began to evaporate. The wyvern stepped back as it hissed at him, wings opening wide as it prepared to fly off. ¡°Oh hell no you don¡¯t!¡± he declared as the snow beneath his legs suddenly exploded sending him flying forwards, hacking low two-handed with his axe he caught the wyvern¡¯s right wing as he spun and ascended his attack. The wyvern screeched in agony, falling forwards into the snow it began lashing out at everything around it randomly. Soren backed off from the ball of claws and fangs as it ravaged the ground around itself. ¡°Get at it!¡± He shouted while parrying any lunge the wyvern¡¯s long tail sent his way. ¡°On it On it!¡± a serpentine voice replied, searching around for the voice nobody could locate its owner until the creature fired it¡¯s weapon. Gunfire sounded off as a single projectile pierced through the rampaging wyvern¡¯s scales, waves of electricity surged through its body before it fell limply to the ground. The Scalarian appeared out of nowhere as he stood up from the snow wearing nothing more than a pair of grey leather pants, grey and white cloak and hood. With silver scales and large bright blue eyes, the reptilian humanoid was difficult to make out with the snowy background. In his arms was a long rifle like weapon with the key differences being the blue crystal at the end of the barrel and the many other crystal fragments with different colours lining it all the way to the butt. Kyle inspected him as well.
Silvaragon [Technomancer] (Tinkerer) Level 69
¡°Oohohoh! Now that¡¯s a big catch!¡± Soren chuckled as he approached the stunned wyvern, raising his axe high he hacked downwards into it¡¯s neck. The axe dug deep but stopped about midway through the neck as blood and scale fragments scattered, grunting while pulling out the axe Soren raised it up a second time and again hacked at it only to cut down at another spot. ¡°Dammit¡± He cursed pulling the axe back out and raising it for a third time, this time for sure cutting through the previous attack and all the way through beheading the creature. ¡°Yo dibs on the tail¡± Silv stated as he approached the corpse, throwing his rifle back as it held over his shoulder with its leather belt. Clearing his throat Kyle waved at the both of them as they turned now fully noticing the others, Soren and Silv momentarily stared at them before the Dwarf spoke ¡°Kyll?! Sly?! Skill!?¡±. He shouted out the names before opening his arms wide and walking towards them, spluttered with blood and scale fragments that baked on his armour he stepped towards them. Sly continued to palm his face ¡°Red necks¡­¡± he muttered to himself. Hopping out of the steamicle Kyle walked over to Soren ¡°How you been bro?¡±. ¡°Grinding as you should have pleb, what¡¯s with the level?¡± Soren asked with a chuckle. Kyle scratched his head and dodged the topic ¡°Shit happened man, what you doing here? We were headed directly to Kaledd to pick you two up!¡± Silv was the one to reply as he also approached them ¡°That place¡¯s all kinds of shit, it¡¯s bad over there. Like really bad, we got the hell out after the bitch disappeared from the sky. The hell did you guys say? She was pissed as fuck after listening to someone!¡± Holding back a grin Kyle told them what he¡¯d told her causing Soren to enter a fit of laughter ¡°What did she reply with?¡± Silv shrugged ¡°Something about knocking down a wall and crushing a town? Then something about a ram? Didn¡¯t pay too much attention to her blabbering.¡± ¡°Well at least we know who¡¯s fault that was¡± Karnage chimed in jokingly. Silv glanced around Kyle and at the backseat ¡°Heyyy¡± ¡°Ew, No¡± Karnage exclaimed backing away from the edge. Silv turned around and walked off to a tree, crouching down facing the bark he lay there hugging his knees. Lore (Races): Ch 1 : Dwarves The Dwarves, A race of craftsmen, blacksmiths, tailors and anything else that could be tinkered with, redesigned and engineered. Warriors who made their own weapons and armour, geniuses who¡¯s machinery surpassed all other races'' ingenuity. Created by the God of steel Vulcan the molten, the Dwarves like any other race served as soldiers during the bloody God wars. Both the makers of war machines but also as their pilots and foot soldiers, they considered the metals used for their creations a part of themselves. Their armour craft a master work, their weapon smithing an undeniable perfection while their machinery an art that demanded gore. Known to hold true grudges the Dwarves never forget, whether it be the next generation or a billionth after they shall and will always get their vengeance one way or another. Having settled on the continent of Ruk within the realm of Chaoz, the Dwarves lived complicated lives of expanding their knowledge and capabilities. Having put down the hammers of war they directed their minds towards other topics, construction and automatization being their favourite even till this generation. Even though they shared the continent of Ruk with the Fae they barely came out of their intricate tunnel systems and mountain keeps, preferring the dim and cold environments they held. Alas such a life was not meant to be.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. When the Demons came the Dwarves found themselves unprepared, their old machines outdated by the Demon¡¯s colossal monstrosities and weapons out matched by the Devil¡¯s skills and magic in combat. It was the very definition of a massacre. Some luckily escaped, along with the Fae and their God king they took to the sea to be sheltered by their allies in Barik. Far away from their home land and unable to even bury their dead, the Dwarves all made a blood pact with each other. ¡°Though our sons, daughters, wives and husbands along our friends, relatives, neighbours and colleagues¡­Rot above that cursed land, our home it was and shall be again. The creatures of shadows may have overtaken our lands, massacred our people and kicked us out of our homes¡­ but we shall still stand strong and united as ever and more! Prepare the anvils! Prepare the hammers! For we shall begin once again! Vulcan may have abandoned us but we have no need for astral guidance! We know what we must do, we know what we must create and upon my very name and all generations to come next! We shall retake our lands! We shall retake our homes! We shall bring down the mighty hammers upon those vile abominations! We may not have the numbers! But we have who we are, who we were made to be! Not just warriors! Not just craftsmen! But artists of the goriest kind! We shall paint the land with their blood! Sculpture the kingdoms with their flesh! Bring out the tools! Bring out the armour and weapons! Bring out the art of war!¡± ¨C Dwarven Prince Jekyll Mountsmith, last surviving member of the royal family. And so it began, their quest to create the deadliest constructs of war. Ch 27 - Roads end After retrieving the monster cores from the dead wyverns and Soren butchering them for materials Klein switched to sit in the front with Vulk, the Serenity members all sat in the middle talking over what had happened the past days. Sly and Skill explained to Soren and Silv about the history of this world and the prime names they should know about with Klein jumping in from time to time to correct or add to the explanation. ¡°That explains a couple things¡± Silv spoke as he cleaned his rifle ¡°The churches people are at Kaledd waiting for you three, they already took away two others right after Lilliana made her entrance.¡± His expression stone cold, more so because of the reptilian features. No lips, brow, nose or ears along with the scales for skin made it impossible to show any emotion. ¡°They are?...Things might become complicated if we are seen together, we¡¯ll say our goodbyes at the mountain then. You¡¯ll have to walk from there adventurers.¡± Klein explained. ¡°Fine with us, Silv you said it was bad at Kaledd. How bad?¡± Kyle asked as he messed with his attribute points, spending 10 in INT, 5 in STR and 5 in WIS. Silv and Soren looked at each other before turning back, it was Soren who answered ¡°Barely anybody leaves town, everyone just stands around moping. Like they all gave up, worse of all are the ones lured in by the churches¡± He sighed. Frowning Kyle picked up on Soren¡¯s annoyance ¡°What do you mean?¡±. ¡°They¡¯re playing the blame game, they are being riled up against the old heroes and the royal family¡± Silv answered. ¡°Venomous spiders¡­¡± Kess whispered but loud enough for them to hear, glancing back Kyle noticed her hand clenched into a fist. ¡°Having the people and us adventurers on their side would definitely give them the upper hand, removing the need for a civil war¡± Sly reasoned as he wore a cold smile. ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Kyle asked noticing his plotting expression. Shrugging as he chuckled Sly shook his head ¡°Oh its nothing¡± he dismissed. Leaving Sly to his plotting Kyle opened his skill book and read through his newest gains.
[Ooze] ((EXP 41%) Level 2 ¨C Tier 2): Ooze out slime through your skin that can be controlled by your will and mana Activation Cost: 0.03 mana per millilitre Upkeep Cost: (2 mana per 0.5 Litres) per second General Effects: [Condensed Slime]; The ability to condense any type of slime into a solid, the only limit to the condensation is your mana pool. Condensed slime can be uncondensed without mana cost. Slime type: (Ice) variation of (Frost) (Ice) Effects: [Packed Ice]; Condense rapidly through more slime generation [Fracturing]; Rapidly condense, fracture and explode (Frost effect): Causes attacks to cast [Frostbite] debuff [Frostbite]: 0.5% of targets cHP per 2 seconds for 10 seconds (Stacks up to 1 times) Slime type: (Monstrous) variation of (Demonic) (Monstrous) Effects: [Demonic Shell]; The slime forms a hardened shell similar to demonic monstrosities [Demon¡¯s blades]; The slime forms sharp claw like appendages similar to demonic monstrosities (Demonic effect): Causes all aura effects in contact with [Ooze(Demonic)] to apply [Aura Poisoning] on contact with said aura. [Aura Poisoning]: Effects of afflicted target¡¯s aura abilities decreased by 5%
[Slime Pistol] ((EXP 0%) Level 1 ¨C Tier 1): Summon a pistol entirely made of slime Activation Cost: 40 mana Usage cost: 5 mana Reload time: 0.4 seconds Ammunition sub-skills: [Demonic Rounds]: Fire an armored shell that pierces through defenses Usage cost: 8 mana Reload time: 0.9 seconds
[Slime Cannon] ((EXP 67%) Level 3 ¨C Tier 1): Summon a monstrous cannon entirely made of slime Activation Cost: 290 mana Usage cost: 20 mana Reload time: 3.3 seconds Ammunition sub-skills: [Demonic Rounds]: Fire an armored shell that pierces through defenses Usage cost: 30 mana Reload time: 5.6 seconds
¡°Yo Kyll by the way, what¡¯s up with your class?¡± Soren broke his concentration. ¡°What part, the gue, the unique bullshit or the no weapon crap?¡± Kyle responded with a laugh. ¡°Damn you serious? No weapon?¡± Silv joined in. Kyle raised his arm in front of himself ¡°Slime Pistol¡± the skill appeared first growing out of his wrist then into a full barrel in mere moments ¡°I need to make my own weapons out of the ¡®materials¡¯ I have at my disposal¡± he explained. Having gained both their interest Soren leaned in ¡°What you got so far?¡±. Thinking it over Kyle listed them ¡°Ice that causes frostbite, condensed Ice that explodes, Demonic slime that can grow tough scales and claws/fangs that also poisons aura and this new effect that allows me to harden any type of slime.¡± And summoned the different slimes and their effects that could be shown as he did.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°How do you gain them?¡± Soren asked surprised by the short list. ¡°Level a skill called [Ooze] or do this¡± Kyle replied as he opened his inventory and took out a wyvern monster core ¡°Now this, is the real disgusting part¡± he held the earth brown crystal sphere in his hand slightly smaller than his fist. Glancing back with interest Klein watched ¡°What are you-¡± as Kyle grew monster like fangs and chomped the core down whole, everyone stared in astonishment as he swallowed. ¡°Hm, tastes like¡­baked potato¡± Kyle mused as a couple notifications presented themselves.
Through the skill [Devour] you have gained the passive skill [Draconic Perception]
Through the skill [Devour] the skill [Ooze] has gained the type [Draconic]
Through the skill [Devour] you have gained the passive skill [Monster Core(Wyvern)]
Glancing around at the others he smirked ¡°It¡¯s a skill called [Devour], it lets me gain skills, skill upgrades and buffs by consuming monster parts, plants and other materials. The monster core seems to be the best part to consume, although not all monsters seem to have one.¡± He explained remember the snake they butchered in the forest. ¡°What did you get for that?¡± Soren asked ¡°Not that I want to do that myself¡­¡± he quickly added. Kyle opened his skill book and read the new additions to them.
[Draconic Perception]((EXP 0%) Level 1 ¨C Tier 1): Your senses are touched by the chaotic ways of dragons, the closer a movement takes place to you the faster your reaction time to it. AGI + 5 DEX + 5 INT + 5 {Active} (Sub-effect): Magnify your senses, whether it being sight, smell, sound or touch.
[Ooze] ((EXP 41%) Level 2 ¨C Tier 2): Ooze out slime through your skin that can be controlled by your will and mana Activation Cost: 0.03 mana per millilitre Upkeep Cost: (2 mana per 0.5 Litres) per second Slime type: (Draconic) (Draconic) Effects: (Draconic Effect); The chaotic make of this elemental slime allows it to merge with other types, enhancing and perhaps changing the very make of said slime. The downside is that this slime cannot be upgraded through attributes, only through merging.
He summoned the earthly brown slime after reading the skill, thinking it over he decided to mess with it later. He didn¡¯t want another occurrence where he was made useless due to mana exhaustion.
[Monster Core] (Set skill stats): A monster slime¡¯s core successfully merged with your biology, your body now has an actual organ to aid in mana regeneration and mana storage. (Slime): Maximum mana + 10% Mana regeneration + 200% (Wyvern): Maximum mana + 5% INT + 5%
¡°So you got an active inside a passive too?¡± Soren asked in surprise ¡°My [Rage Initiative] a passive that boosts my damage depending on the damage I take has an active inside it called a sub-effect too, I got it from leveling the skill to mid-tier 1. It¡¯s an aura that increases my damage by a smaller percentage depending on the damage my allies take.¡± He explained while reading off of his skill book. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want the other core?¡± Kyle suddenly asked him ¡°You two did kill it, a wyvern core might be too much for me. Hell I don¡¯t even know where to start with this¡± he admitted while taking out the second core. ¡°Nah we¡¯re fine¡± Silv stated as he raised his arms up and leaned away ¡°You haven¡¯t seen the things that cores do when unstable, I have¡­it¡¯s not pretty¡± Kyle shrugged ¡°Your loss, I¡¯ll mess with it later though¡± he put the core back into his inventory ¡°Yo Sly shouldn¡¯t we report back to Birse?¡±. Sly who had been quiet through this whole conversation glanced up from the VCD ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to but I think this damn thing is broken¡± he explained while holding the device up. ¡°You¡¯re kidding right?¡± Kyle exclaimed anxiously ¡°We can¡¯t lose contact with the others, here let me check mine¡± he pulled out his own VCD and focused on contacting Birse. Sighing with relief Kyle turned the device to where both him and Soren to his left were visible ¡°Mine works. Yo Birse we got them.¡± Birse appeared to be inside a dimly lit room as flashes of red and blue light occasionally filled it ¡°You at Kaledd already? How fast is that thing?¡± He asked while staring through the device. ¡°We were waiting for you all on your side of the mountains, decided to grind a bit while we waited since we cannot die and all that.¡± Soren explained. Silv leaned in from the front where him and Skill where using the front seats¡¯ backs to sit on ¡°You guys going through an exorcism or something in there? The hell is that lightshow?¡± ¡°Oh that?¡± Birse smirked as he turned the device around, putting into view Death and a couple mages putting together what seemed to be a magic circle on raised part of the ground. Cornelius stood by them directing the others as he read from a sheet of paper, runes and descriptions in another language written on it. ¡°Something Death and the mage guilds came up with, I didn¡¯t get the details but in short they are connecting this thing to Sly¡¯s VCD.¡± Death and the other mages held strange crystal shards in hand like pens and used them to write on the stone, the crystals were blue on one side and red on the other. Any time they began writing a flash of light would fill the room, the light¡¯s color depending on the side used. ¡°So that¡¯s why Sly¡¯s device isn¡¯t working¡± Kyle guessed ¡°Get Death on call, I¡¯d like to know what they¡¯re up to¡± ¡°Uhh sure¡± Birse responded as he walked over to Death who was crouching down by the raised ground, getting a closer look made Kyle realize it was separate from the floor. ¡°Yo Death they met up with Soren and Silv, Kyll¡¯s asking for you¡±. Death glanced up and nodded as he raised the goggles form his face ¡°Wussup bro¡± he asked after taking the VCD in hand. ¡°What you up to there? Are those runes?¡± Kyle¡¯s curiosity couldn¡¯t be held back, neither was the others¡¯ as everyone including Kess leaned in to see. ¡°Well after watching that Lucifer guy appear and disappear then seeing it being done again by Draxxer I thought to myself, ¡®If they can do it why can¡¯t we? Hell why can¡¯t everyone?¡¯. So I spoke with two of the mage guild masters and they brought in Cornelius for his mastery of runes, we¡¯re working on a device that may change everything!¡± Death spat out the words so fast Kyle barely understood him. Kyle chuckled at his enthusiasm ¡°Okay slow down there, what does it do? Why is effecting Sly¡¯s VCD?¡± ¡°Right, right¡± Death turned the VCD to overlook the ring of stone ¡°In short? It¡¯s a portal¡±. Hearing this Klein almost leaped back, pushing through Silv and Skill he glimpsed into the device ¡°A portal? Are you sure?!¡± ¡°Yeah using Cornelius¡¯s knowledge of runes which he learned by studying the respawn points and some other artifacts, apparently being the written language of the Gods. The VCD¡¯s have runes etched on the inside, a certain string of runes is the ID number for each one. We¡¯re basically making something to boost that connection to allow more than sound and sight through, once we are done with this all we need is to jumpstart the portal.¡± Death explained, this time more slowly. ¡°How will you jumpstart it?¡± Sly asked while handing his VCD to Skill before leaning away from him, Skill glanced at him in confusion before shrugging and dumping it inside his inventory. ¡°Unless our boy Lucifer is feeling helpful, we were going to get in contact with you all to ask his men about contacting him.¡± Death explained with a hopeful tone. Klein shook his head ¡°As much as I want to beg him to help you with this invention, I¡¯m afraid the commander has his hands full scanning every single adventurer for surprises.¡± ¡°That might not be a problem actually¡± Kyle stated ¡°It¡¯s how I escaped Lucifer¡¯s realm, I think I can jump start it.¡± ¡°So what you just make the portal appear where ever we take the VCD?¡± Karnage asked as she leaned in from between Kyle and Soren. ¡°Unfortunately not¡± Death admitted with a sigh ¡°The VCD will be destroyed once the portal starts to open, the force will be too strong and you¡¯ll have to step away quickly or be sucked in. Also the portal won¡¯t be movable but permanent.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel like helping anymore¡± Kyle added with a frown. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine damn worrywart, the portal shouldn¡¯t open instantly. You¡¯ll revive if anything happens anyway!¡° laughing awkwardly Death tried to dismiss his worries. ¡°I will find you and I will destroy you, dying hurts¡± Kyle spoke sarcastically. ¡°No shit¡± Soren joked. ¡°Sir, we have arrived.¡± Vulk announced from the front. Everyone turned to look forward, the mountains closer than ever. Squinting Kyle stared as the mountains neared closer, a single opening in the trees between them and the mountains caught his attention. A large wall of metal closed off an area by the foot of the nearest mountain, no towers, archer holes or gates visible just a plain metal wall. ¡°What is that?¡± Reyna asked in curiosity. ¡°That is the outer outpost, Dwarven made and defended.¡± Silv replied ¡°Wait till you see the city¡±. ¡°Kaledd?¡± Kyle asked while still staring at the wall as it grew closer. ¡°Nah man that¡¯s just a town, I¡¯m talking real full sized Dwarven city inside the mountains! The Fae live there too along with the Dwarves.¡± Silv explained. Kess stood up ¡°The city of New Ruk, a combined city of Dwarves and Fae. I shall announce our arrival¡± she stated before disappearing into black smoke. ¡°Our first city¡± Karnage mused. Sly glanced at Soren ¡°Yeah, anything we should know Soren?¡± ¡°Not really, don¡¯t stare too long? They don¡¯t like being stared at¡± Soren added with a shrug. ¡°I second that¡± Silv states while rubbing his left shoulder. Vulk stopped the steamicle a couple meters from the wall ¡°This is where we leave you adventurers¡±. Klein glanced back ¡°We will leave for Eslet, we have a long report to make¡± he said while saluting at them. Sly nodded ¡°Thanks for the ride, we¡¯ll be headed for Kaledd immediately. Shouldn¡¯t be long before we come by Eslet as well¡±. Everyone got off the vehicle and stared back at the way they came ¡°We need to get one of these¡± Skill added as he gazed at the steamicle. ¡°One day we might¡± Kyle said chuckling, turning around he found himself gazing up the wall. Two storeys of dark grey metal, one single piece of metal with no indentions or signs of windows or doors as if it was hammered all together. ¡°So¡­How do we get in?¡± Ch 28 - New Ruk An adventure, That is what he had asked for and here he stood straight in the middle of one, a quest to reunite his people and prepare for the coming battles. Kyle stared up at the wall as the third day came to it¡¯s noon, the suns shining brightly up high. By the information they gained from Klein the Dwarves held their best bet for defences other than sheer numbers and level, a whole race of war machine builders. ¡°Well I¡¯ll leave you at it then¡± Death¡¯s voice knocked him out of his daze, glancing down he nodded and cut the connection. ¡°Your arrival has been cleared, please wait here. The gates will open momentarily.¡± Kess declared as she suddenly appeared back inside the steamicle. ¡°We shall be heading off then, watch yourselves adventurers. The Dwarves have been distant as of late and the Fae never socialized much with other races.¡± Klein said before saluting them once more as Vulk drove the steamicle back and away from them. Everyone waved at them as they drove away, the sudden noise of creaking metal catching everyone¡¯s attention and in unison they turned back around to see the wall change. It began from the forming of indentions in the wall as a large chunk was pushed outwards then a second time as more indentions appeared, a large gate forming out of the once smooth metal wall. As everyone gazed in amazement at the gate a surge of red electricity spread throughout the wall when suddenly the gate began opening outwards, in the form of two gigantic doors. Kyle found himself staring off into darkness as the gate opened before the flicker of light blinded him as the tunnel¡¯s lights were turned on, now staring down a long tunnel of metal Kyle couldn¡¯t find the words to form a proper sentence anymore. ¡°That¡¯s bad ass¡± Sly commented as he gawked at the gate. ¡°Welcome to Fort Northwind adventurers¡± A small group of four Dwarves greeted them as they stopped in front of them, their sudden appearance from the shadows to blinding light surprising the whole party. The speaker a Dwarf tall for his kind with a clean shaved chin, short brown Mohawk hair, green eyes and wearing full light blue plate armour. A long gun strapped to his back and two side arms on each leg the Dwarf was ready for combat, his attentive and maybe paranoid glancing proving his knack for picking quick targets. ¡°I am known as Thurk Falcon, City guard colonel and your escort today¡± he explained after quickly introducing himself. Sly stepped forward ¡°I am Sly, third lord of the Serenity guild and leader of this scouting party. I¡¯m guessing you have heard of our¡­predicament.¡± He forwarded his hand. Thurk took the handshake ¡°Yes I have been informed, please come on in this way¡± he gestured for them to follow and so they did ¡°The king has been waiting for your arrival, steps have been taken to accommodate any number of your people here. Please feel free to make use of any services our humble city can offer.¡± As the gates began to close behind them Kyle couldn¡¯t help himself from asking ¡°So you know that war is inevitable, our people are ready to defend themselves but this continent isn¡¯t ours. While it may not be entirely yours will you also lend us your aid?¡± Instead of immediately answering Thurk broke into laughter ¡°Please take no offence in this adventurer, the moment came and I wasn¡¯t expecting such a blunt questioning!¡± he exclaimed as they approached what appeared to be a dead end to the tunnel ¡°We are ready to lend you aid, we are ready to fight and defend what we still have.¡± Raising his right hand to his lips he whistled twice and the apparent dead end morphed into a second gate. ¡°Even though you are aware of the enemy¡¯s numbers and strength?¡± Sly asked sternly ¡°Even though it could spell massacre for the whole continent you will still resist?¡± Chuckling broke out through the group of Dwarves as the gate opened enough for them to see the other side. Walking a couple steps further they took in the Dwarven city of New Ruk, Thurk glanced back at them ¡°We¡¯ve been ready for years¡±. The sound of hammers hitting metal, metal being smelted and shaped while other machines of steam roared to life filled everyone¡¯s ears. The city being an enormous crater under the mountain, like a monstrously large stadium the city of New Ruk was broken into several dozen districts of elevation. The lower you went the smaller the district''s circumference, in the very middle at the most bottom of the city grew a large tower like structure that reached up to the roof of what was too large to be called a cavern. The city was close to being dimly lit as the main colours for buildings were dark brown, grey and red, each district having two roads going around them and a line of buildings on each side of the roads. Out of the tower large pipes grew out and reached down to each district five times around the tower¡¯s circumference. Each pipe was many dozen times thicker than a train, as if a skyscraper had been built bent at a 45 degrees angle and with a tube like shape. Out of each pipe on both the left and right large circular platforms were built out, each one thick enough to be it¡¯s own building. As the party stared out in complete surprise and amazement several flickering lights they guess to be Fae whisked around them curiously, each Fairy having it¡¯s own coloured and designed wings as sparks of similar colour splattered out at each wingbeat. The elevation they stood on had no buildings giving them the perfect view of the city, just a large staircase taking down to the first district stood connected to the gate¡¯s path. ¡°Break it off now! Give them some space!¡± Thurk shouted loudly at the Fairies as they giggled while pulling at his Mohawk, a sudden flash of light sending them all scattering. Blinking the spots out of his view Kyle could finally make out the figure that appeared after the light, what would have been a normal but beautiful looking woman sported a rather large pair of silver Fae wings and pointed ears. ¡°Greetings heroes and adventurers, Fae Ambassador Meril Forestwalker pleasured to make your acquaintance¡± with long silky golden hair and bright silver eyes she smiled at them while introducing herself with her soft voice, wearing a skin tight white dress that showed a fair bit of her pure white skin she caught most of their attention. As Sly remained gawking at the city and the others gawked at the Fae Ambassador Karnage spoke out first ¡°Our pleasure Meril, I am Karnage of the Apocalypse guild. This is Reyna of the Eternium guild and the others of the Serenity guild¡± she introduced everyone, elbowing Kyle she brought him back from his thoughts. ¡°Ky-Kyllix, happy to make your acquaintance¡± he stated loudly trying to shake the others out of their gawking, succeeding with everyone but Sly who¡¯s eyes had completely constricted into slits and tail entered a furry frenzy. ¡°King Mountsmith and Elder Helen are awaiting your arrival at hub spire¡± she gestured at the tower ¡°If you may follow me this way¡± she asked them with a smile before turning around and beginning to descend the stairs. As some caught their breathes and others rolled their eyes they began to follow, Reyna and Kyle having to shake Sly multiple times before he snapped out of his daze. ¡°Dude, are you crying?¡± Kyle asked as he glanced at Sly while descending the stairs. Sly wiped his face ¡°It¡¯s just¡­so damn bright in here you know?¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± in his mind Kyle counted Sly out of the coming conversation, his attention being overcrowded by the architecture of the city. As they descended the stairs that took through each district Kyle glanced around, not at the buildings or the machinery but the citizens. Diplomacy wasn¡¯t just resource management, needs, wants and public opinion. A faction''s problems were a giant playing card in this game called diplomacy, Kyle paid close attention to the citizens¡¯ expressions and actions as they also watched them back. Noticing that the smaller Fae seemed too giddy to show any other expression he ignored the small balls of light while paying close attention to the full sized ones and their Dwarf neighbours. Many waved at them as they passed but most even those that waved seemed distant, some straight up cold as they gazed at the outsiders deep in thought. (¡°Something is definitely off¡±) Kyle decided, not only had they sent an escort made up of both factions to take them directly to their leaders but he noticed no guards outside the gates and no means for them to see who ever would be waiting outside. Even that it took Kess¡¯s announcing their arrival was suspicious, now with all these cold and distant gazes Kyle made up his mind that something was up.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. (¡°They openly declared they were ready to help us and I don¡¯t see any clue of unrest between the two factions¡­the locked unguarded gates¡­the security with visitors¡­they are hiding something.¡±) Thinking over the possibilities Kyle decided he didn¡¯t have enough information about this world to come to a conclusion, even then he kept paying close attention to his surroundings. As they went down Meril explained the different districts and other parts of the city ¡°Each circular section of the city is called a step, in total there are twenty-seven steps. The first twenty steps are divided into two Dwarven housing and one commercial after each other, the next five are production and the last two before the spire are storage. Below the city are the mines where we collect most of our resources, be it metals, gems, cavewood, coal or other. Above the city is where most Fae find home, built within the mountain itself while above ground is where us Fae produce more organic resources like food.¡± She explained proudly. The descent had taken a good half hour and Kyle could feel his legs aching, having spent the last hours sitting down in the steamicle hadn¡¯t helped. Finally walking down the last step he looked up and found himself feeling slightly sick, not even back home had he ever seen something so massive that didn¡¯t float in space. ¡°How long did it take to build all this?...¡± Kyle asked as he looked down to stare at the path¡¯s end, an open oval doorway taking into the spire. ¡°Hundreds of years of mining made the space, another hundred to put the city together as it is today¡± Meril answered while glancing back and smiling. Almost tripping at the sight Kyle¡¯s paranoia smashed through the glitter ¡°Wait didn¡¯t your people establish yourselves here less than half a century ago?¡± Tilting her head in thought Meril then suddenly clapped her hands together ¡°Oh! You must be confused, even before the loss of our home continent we had established ourselves in Barik, this whole city used to solely be a mining facility¡± she explained as her smile slightly faltered at the forced mention of their old home. Sly seemed to have snapped out of his daze as he slapped Kyle¡¯s shoulder ¡°Of course such delicate design couldn¡¯t be built so quickly! The mix of rustic fantasy, steampunk and modern is perfect!¡± ¡­or not. ¡°Indeed our finest builders put their heart and soul into this city!¡± Meril exclaimed happily while flashing them another bright smile. ¡°I do see where modifications can be made though, as much as a staircase design can look good as it does it¡¯s not as space efficient as a layered storey design.¡± Sly rambled on as he walked past the still smiling Meril and into the spire, said Fae stood frozen as her eyebrow twitched nervously. Thurk leaned in to whisper to Kyle ¡°I think he broke her, not anyone can ignore her charm.¡± Clenching his fists Kyle¡¯s expression darkened (¡°Fae¡­folklore of sly and mysterious illusionists¡­I let my guard down!¡±) glancing around at the others, only Karnage seemed to be unaffected. Inwardly thanking Thurk he spread his aura making it wash over Skill, Reyna, Soren and Silv. All four trembled slightly at the chilling effect of [Frost Aura], taking them out of their daze for the moment. (¡°That seems to work, at least I won¡¯t have to elbow or slap them out of it openly.¡±) he thought to himself as he cautiously gazed at Meril. Clearing her throat Meril suddenly turned around ¡°If you would please follow me.¡± unbeknownst to Kyle she had picked up on his aura.
New Ruk, Hub Spire, Royal throne room. Jekyll sighed deeply as news of the adventurer¡¯s arrival reached his ears, the guard soon saluting and leaving the room. The Dwarf King sat upon his dark grey throne made entirely out of dragon bone, as it was customary for his race the same dragon he alone slew for his crowning day. Curved like a dragon¡¯s open jaw the throne looked nothing less than menacing with it¡¯s dragon fangs poking out, crimson red dragon scales for cushioning and dragon monster cores that glowed with fierce power at the end of each hand rest. The room itself spanned the whole floor, two storey high roof and a diameter of around 30 meters it could hold a feast as such it was normally used for. Now the tables were completely cleared out giving it an empty feel, with it¡¯s golden dark brown walls, grey pavement and red pillars lining a smaller circumference than the walls it was meant for grandeur. The king was the average Dwarven height, short golden blonde hair and a curled long beard. Wearing his royal garb of red dragon scale leather and demon black leather he sat with dignity but wore a weary expression. Jekyll glanced to his left as a little Fairy whisked by, stopping next to his old friend¡¯s ear it whispered something before flying away and out of sight. Elder Helen the current de facto leader of the Fae, an aging Fae with long greying hair and a whittled old body. Wearing a simple green robe the couple thousand year old being would look skeletal if it wasn¡¯t for her fierce crimson red eyes, one look from her would put anyone in their place as simply the knowledge of any one her titles would make the greatest of his slayers kneel in respect. From her standing positing Helen turned to Jekyll ¡°As we have planned your highness, the adventurers are on their way. Three heroes are within their ranks, the dagger and rain heroes along with the frost dark hero.¡± Her voice unaffected by age, powerful and stern as ever. Jekyll responded with nothing more than a nod, the very thought of their plans sickened him. He¡¯d hoped his ancestors would forgive him for the heresy he was about to commit but alas he knew better than to even hope, less so from his father. They were by almost all means ready to fight the devils and their legions, by armoury and will but one recent problem had put a large dent in their wishes to do so. Everything had begun months ago when their miners in the deepest tunnels struck mithril, not being a rare occurrence at all they hadn¡¯t thought much of it other than moving more miners to said tunnel. The vein spanned so far and zigzagged so much they had thought it to be divine intervention, that Vulcan hadn¡¯t abandoned them after all. The vein so deep they would never need to mine mithril for centuries to come, that was what they thought until they found it¡¯s end. One last hit of a pickaxe started the apocalypse, the crumbling of stone and revealing of the path began the doom that still lurks beneath them today. The miners had discovered a dungeon, not just any dungeon that normally makes it¡¯s way upwards immediately but one that hid and build downwards instead. The reasons it did so could only be two, one that the dungeon core wanted to become a labyrinth as soon as possible and risked it¡¯s own life to overload it¡¯s mana supply by digging deeper or the second and actual reason¡­ The first monster encountered as the dungeon¡¯s entrance was discovered spelled the picture for everyone clearly, as the dead crawled out screaming and growling at the miners their doom was announced. An Undead dungeon, something the Elven courts would have a fit over. If it became public and reached the courts then a purge would be inevitable, something none of the kingdoms would get in between and the sole thing the three courts would work together for. Jekyll immediately locked down the city and sent his best slayers to destroy the dungeon core but the cursed thing was tricky and loved it¡¯s traps and puzzles, losing him his best warriors and forcing him into locking down the mines completely. After consulting with Helen it was decided that the mines had to be collapsed to at least slow down the dungeon until a better plan was formed, before that could be done though the appearance of a Grand Quest was announced. Lilliana having announced it to the whole of Barik as an announcement of open war. Helen immediately spread her spies to find out more about the heroes that would arrive, about the strange stones that appeared at each city or town and about the momentarily disappearance of one of their suns. When thousands of these adventurers arrived though, they had sighed with relief. Coming to know that even death was not a possibility for them Jekyll wished to ask them for their aid with their Undead predicament but Helen opened his eyes to see it differently. These were people from another realm, intelligent beings who were just thrown into the middle of a war they had no part in. They wouldn¡¯t just help them out of the kindness of their hearts, there would be a price and Helen wanted to set that price herself. Helen had put her best illusionist to the job of easing the adventurers up before they spoke with them, their plan to trick the adventurers into a spiritual oath and forcing them to clear the dungeon then destroy it¡¯s core. Jekyll had no place for these deceptions in his heart so he left it all to Helen, the Fae being quite adept at illusion. Suddenly a young wolf-man walked through the hall¡¯s entrance, glancing around curiously he stopped in his tracks as he gazed off at Jekyll¡¯s direction. The king noticing that the adventurer wasn¡¯t staring at him but his throne, frowning at his strange expression Jekyll waited for his escort and comrades to enter. Meril walked in behind the wolf-man ¡°May I present King Jekyll Mountsmith, slayer of the late dragon king Kroak, savior of the Dwarven people, uniter of racers, king beneath the earth.¡± She introduced them fully with titles and all as she escorted the adventurers towards them ¡°Then Elder Helen Tail, The horde slayer, The blood-soaked Fae, mistress of the holy fire.¡± Giving them both a curt bow she stepped aside as the adventurers vaguely lined up. Meril began to introduce them as she had already memorized their names, standing, classes and titles ¡°To you I present our visitors. SlyOkami war lord of the Serenity guild, lord of Aurei, the aura-clad, hero of the dagger. Reyna brigadier of the Eternium guild, priestess, hero of rain. Karnage empress of the Apocalypse guild, blade-dancer, ma-¡± she coughed to clear her throat ¡°mad woman. DemSkillShots scrub of the serenity guild, crack-shot?...¡± she stated more unsure of what she had just said ¡°and lastly Kyllix shadow lord of the Serenity guild, lord of s-slimes, void, dark hero of frost.¡± The last name she allowed some bitterness escape with her tone. Not needing to introduce the other two she gestured at them ¡°And the return of their companions Sir Soren and Sir Silvaragon.¡± All those that were called showed some embarrassment except for the smirking wolf-man and the glaring fox-man. Bowing once more she walked up the two steps raising the throne higher and walked over to where Helen stood. Not even leaning in she quickly whispered something into Helen¡¯s ear before turning to stand by her. Helen¡¯s expression grew into a frown as she quickly studied three of them, following her eyes Jekyll noted that something went wrong and these Karnage, SlyOkami and Kyllix were to be paid close attention to. Standing up Jekyll greeted them all ¡°Welcome to our c-¡± or he would have if it wasn¡¯t for the fox. ¡°So why exactly have you tried to fuck us over?¡± Ch 29 - Deceit ¡°So why exactly have you tried to fuck us over?¡± Kyle asked the king with a stern tone and cold glare. The other Serenity members noticing his expression began glancing around the room, preparing for whatever was to come. Jekyll studied them for a bit before glancing over to Helen and Meril, both wordlessly staring at them in astonishment. Snapping herself out of her surprise Helen responded ¡°Whatever do you mean hero?¡± Kyle switched to glare at Helen, his expression unchanged ¡°Oh so the illusion magic cast by your underling there was just part of my imagination I presume? So is the fact that not only did you send escorts to take us through the city but you sent two at different intervals. You were already under suspicion from the gazes the citizens sent our way but along with everything else, it all fell in place quite nicely.¡± Helen¡¯s expression darkened into a cold glare ¡°If you truly wish to know, the heavy escort was simply for your person Dark hero. The citizens? You were the target of their anxiety.¡± Kyle raised a brow ¡°Oh? Well you see that would make sense except that I am used to having others look at me in a certain way. They weren¡¯t just looking at me, nor just the other heroes. They were worried about the whole group, not just as heroes or adventurers but as outsiders.¡± His cold expression changed as an amused smirk grew¡± Tell me why exactly are there no other races currently staying in New Ruk?¡± Helen couldn¡¯t respond, she hadn¡¯t expected to be questioned in the first place and Kyle¡¯s keen perception of the city made it difficult to retort. (¡°How do I salvage this situation¡­¡±) she thought bitterly. Meril was now gawking, not only had two of them been completely unaffected by her illusion but to actually see through it and comprehend what it is was beyond her (¡°The sheer concentration on something else needed to ignore my magic¡­what caught their attention so much more? And this dark hero¡­what is he?!¡°). Jekyll continued to study the whole party, only two of them looked confused at what was happening. The others of the same guild as the speaker didn¡¯t question his reasoning, instead they studied their surroundings with hands touching their weapon¡¯s hilts or grips. (¡°These aren¡¯t nobles or royalty, they aren¡¯t ignorant to their surroundings. These are warriors, Helen has miscalculated but the situation can still be salvaged.¡±) Stepping away from his throne Jekyll walked closer to the party, as he approached they stepped back and unsheathed their weapons. His guards did the same, raising their rifles while surrounding them from behind. ¡°Lower your weapons¡± He ordered while staring at his guards. ¡°But sir?¡± Thurk glanced between his king and the armed adventurers, not comprehending the situation. ¡°You question your king? I said lower your damn weapons.¡± Jekyll ordered more loudly, his tone fierce and unquestionable. The guards followed his order, lowering their weapons but keeping them in hand. The adventurers on the other hand held their weapons ready, all aimed straight at him. Only Kyle remained motionless and unarmed, for reasons unknown to Jekyll as Kyle¡¯s skills had a time limit. Sighing Jekyll could feel the weight of his people on his shoulders, the grudge they held for so long was so close to being avenged. For once, just for once he let that weight pull him down. As the Dwarven king kneeled down his guards stared in utter shock. Helen¡¯s gaze dropped as her expression grew weary, having understood her mistake she was in no position to continue the proceedings. Jekyll gazed down at the ground as he spoke sorrowfully ¡°Please adventurers, pardon us for our foolish deception. We had little choice, our people¡¯s lives are on the line. With our vengeance so close, this blade at our necks made us hasty¡­¡± he waited for the adventurers to deny his request, to abandon them as the other races did when the demons came. (¡°History is bound to repeat itself¡­¡±) he thought, his eyes twitching as he grimaced. Kyle crouched down in front of the kneeling king, staring into his sorrowful expression ¡°Why did you deceive us? What is this blade you speak of? You have little need to hide it from us anymore, you cannot keep us here as it would raise too many questions by the dominion. Killing us is out of the question and as you¡¯ve just witnessed deceiving us is far above your paygrade.¡± He gazed at the king¡¯s eyes seeing him for what he truly was, a victim. Eyes he had seen so many times before, in his own mirror. Jekyll felt a lump in his throat, unable to get the words out (¡°How do I explain this¡­to these warriors of another realm¡­¡±). The very idea of an Elven purge terrified him, making him unable to reveal the corrupted beings that roamed his mines. A purge was what the Elves called it, the cleansing of anything unholy. In truth it was nothing more than mindless slaughter, victims and innocents nothing more than fodder in their way as they brought down their collective wrath upon the undead. Kyle could see him faltering, Jekyll¡¯s mouth opened and closed unable to speak ¡°It terrifies you?¡± he asked more out of curiosity. Looking up Jekyll found himself leaning away from those cold silver eyes staring him down ¡°Yes, it would terrify the hardiest warriors¡± he managed to say that much. Kyle¡¯s cold expression turned into a frown ¡°If it is magic that keeps you from speaking then tell us so, if you cannot even tell us that much then show us so. If it is simply fear that keeps you from speaking, then it is up to you to beat that fear. Taking risks is what life is about, would you rather regret making a choice or not making one at all?¡± Kyle began to stand up ¡°Whatever it takes to get our allies ready, we¡¯ll give you whatever aid you need.¡± He forwarded his hand to Jekyll ¡°I mean, we did openly declare war to a mad half-goddess and her devils. Really what could scare us off?¡± he asked with a grin. Taking Kyle¡¯s hand Jekyll rose up with his own grin ¡°The wrath of all three Elven courts doesn¡¯t terrify you hero?¡± Kyle¡¯s eyes lit up with interest ¡°Oh? And where do they come into play here?¡± Resigning himself to fate Jekyll crossed his arms and sighed ¡°Down below us are thousands over thousands of mining tunnels, some months ago we encountered a fairly large vein of mithril within the deepest levels. The mine took to a dungeon.¡± Kyle¡¯s grin grew as he followed the story ahead, he put the dots together and formed the whole picture. He awaited the punchline, the confirmation to his theory ¡°A dungeon? Why is a dungeon so deep down?¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°The dungeon hid itself instead of revealing itself for explorers, it collected its power and made its choice for type when it felt ready to survive the consequences.¡± Jekyll explained as his grimace returned ¡°We stand above an Undead dungeon, a prime target for an Elven purge.¡± Kyle could no longer help himself, his grin grew into a full smile as he broke out into cold laughter. Holding his face with one hand he stared through his fingers down at Jekyll ¡°So that¡¯s what it was¡­This is just perfect!¡± he exclaimed happily. ¡°Not one or two but a whole dungeon full of subjects for me to experiment on? Not to mention the rewards of it being a dungeon¡­¡± he began muttering under his breath. Jekyll, Helen and Meril stared at him in astonishment and confusion, his expression so full of glee at the mention of undead as if the thought of a purge not even fazing him. Karnage gazed at him from behind with worry, knowing full well what he was so happy about. Skill, Silv, Reyna and Soren on the other hand did not understand the meaning but could tell things had gone their way, they lowered their weapons relieved. Sly hadn¡¯t even pulled out his weapons in the first place and still stood looking around at the inside of the tower¡¯s first floor. He didn¡¯t count himself as a combatant for now, knowing the danger of losing control. Helen stepped forward ¡°Fool do you not know the danger we reside in? There is only two things the Elven courts would unite against, an invader and a holy purge! They won¡¯t just destroy the dungeon but anything else within it¡¯s proximity! That means our homes! Maybe even us if we don¡¯t get out of the way quickly enough!¡± Kyle looked up at the old Fae still smiling, he chuckled in amusement ¡°That is if they find out, they don¡¯t need to find out¡­do they?¡± Helen couldn¡¯t believe her ears, this child too ignorant to know fear ¡°Do you even understand what it means to be Undead? Immortal monsters limited only by their bodies, bound souls of pure evil promised to their one and only master. An endless horde of them, bones, rotting flesh, ash, it matters not what the body is made of as long as a soul is present to occupy it! The darkest of magic arts! The very core of necromancy!¡± Kyle rolled his eyes but returned to stare up at her with a grin ¡°Immortals they may be but to us they are nothing more than experience bags, a whole horde of them? All the better! Stupid and slow, skeletons and zombies won¡¯t stop us. Tell me where do dungeons get their power?¡± Meril was the one to respond ¡°At first from their surroundings but that is limited, at one point it will need mana from living beings entering it to progress in strength.¡± ¡°And why have you not defeated it already then? I mean, it should be too weak to summon anything too strong then?¡± Kyle didn¡¯t need to ask these question as he had already worked out the reasons but asked anyway for confirmation. ¡°Traps¡± Jekyll shook his head ¡°We sent our best but they fell for the traps the dungeon set throughout the tunnels we dug the mithril for, we still do not know how it set those traps so quickly. Neither do we know how it took over the whole tunnel either, it should have taken it years to do so.¡± ¡°What if it didn¡¯t take over the tunnels after?¡± Sly was smiling with amusement ¡°Think about it, what if you were mining inside the dungeon from the start? Is there a rule about the entrance being at the very start of it¡¯s territory? If there is then what is enforcing that rule?¡± Jekyll¡¯s eyes widened with shock ¡°That vile abomination¡­The mithril!¡± he held his mouth with his right hand, his insides begging to be released from the disgust ¡°It tricked us from the very start¡­using the mithril it lead our miners around its territory, that is how we lost so many¡­it activated its traps all together and gathered loads of mana from the causalities!¡± Sly nodded ¡°There is no better trap than one with bait taking straight into it, if it gains more mana from those that die than the living then it makes sense that it used those traps to kill the weak miners first.¡± ¡°Then it hid those traps and began raising the miners¡­adding in some of it¡¯s own minions to make it look like they killed them all¡± Jekyll held back both his tears and anger ¡°Using them as bait for my warriors then using the same traps to kill them. It even gets it¡¯s mana back from the dead it raised¡­¡± ¡°A sound profit, that¡¯s what it made.¡± Kyle chuckled ¡°You underestimated it and paid the price. Now it¡¯s stronger than ever, the question is how strong?¡±. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it can summon a lich or two, the base monsters should still be skeletons and zombies¡± Helen explained solemnly ¡°If you fail any number of times though wraiths could become a problem. I expect the level to be anywhere between 80 to 100¡± she studied the whole party ¡°Do you believe able to defeat it still? You may progress through the dungeon but I simply cannot see such low levels defeating a dungeon boss, the being before the dungeon¡¯s core.¡± Kyle¡¯s eyes widened as his grin curved from ear to ear ¡°What about blowing the whole thing up? Would the city suffer any damage from that?¡±. Jekyll snorted ¡°If it¡¯s about burying the dungeon we have thought about that but the damned thing is nowhere near the other tunnels and collapsing it¡¯s roof would require us mining above it, right into its territory.¡± Kyle chuckled as he shook his head ¡°Is it located directly beneath the city though?¡± ¡°No it is a fair bit away, otherwise we would have sent earth magic directly down upon it.¡± Jekyll wasn¡¯t following Kyle¡¯s line of thought; he was missing knowledge of one very important asset the party had in hand. Still smiling Kyle glanced at the others ¡°No collapsing it wasn¡¯t what I was talking about¡± gesturing with his thumb at Sly ¡°I meant actually blowing it up, do you reckon a Nephilim losing control and exploding from aura be too much?¡±. Sly nodded ¡°Yeah that would def-¡± he then shook his head ¡°This is abuse Kyll¡± ¡°Son this is no time for jesting!¡± Jekyll thought they were joking, he looked at each of their expressions before his eyes opened wide while staring at Sly ¡°Vulcan protect us¡­¡±. Helen marched over to Sly, her expression solemn as she lay her right palm over his forehead ¡°A Nephilim¡­Hah¡­¡± smiling coldly she nodded ¡°The city is reinforced with strong magic and masterfully crafted metal enchanted by our very best, the blast will be felt but no permanent damage will be done.¡± ¡°Then I believe all we need to know now is how to get there, right party leader?¡± Smirking Kyle glanced back at Sly who glared back at him. ¡°Yeah¡­sure¡­I¡¯m a fucking baneling now.¡± Sly sighed, resigning himself to whatever he had to do in the name of EXP and loot. --- Deep below the Dwarf Mountains, A Dungeon of vile corruption. Within a dimly lit room of red a single pillar of stone lay crumbling in the middle, embedded into the pillar is a light red crystal ball giving off the light. The dungeon core pulsated red light as veins of black grew all around it, pulsating themselves as smaller ethereal veins grew out from them and shot into the darkness of the only tunnel into the room. A chilling laughter filled the room, a petite feminine tone to it. ¡°My lady will reward you greatly young dungeon, you have done well following my tactics against those petty miners and foolish soldiers¡± out of the shadows a woman stepped out and towards the core as it pulsated faster, long abyssal black hair with streaks of violet and piercing yellow eyes the woman could have been mistaken for a tanned beauty if it wasn¡¯t for the leathery black wings growing out of her bare back and the two crooked black horns poking out of her forehead. Her long blood red dress flowed behind her as if she hovered instead of walked, her three feet wingspan wide open behind her as she approached the core. Raising her hand to caress the dungeon core she smiled coldly ¡°Believe in me young one, these Dwarves and Fae are nothing to your power. Grow stronger from their fall, takeover their losses and make their world your own.¡± ¡°You promise power, you give power and this one trusts and follows.¡± A detached voice echoed back in reply. The woman rested her forehead to the crystal, the room being a storey high but the crystal still taking over half the space inside. ¡°By my name, Abaddon, devil princess and daughter of Lucifer. I promise you.¡± The room shook as the voice spoke again ¡°Then this one follows.¡± The earth around them cracked and rose as skeletal hands pulled the rest of the bony bodies out, ethereal black veins shot out from the core and pierced into the lifeless skeletons as suddenly their eyes shone a pitch black darkness. In unison, the skeletons screamed bloody murder. Abaddon smiled with glee as she watched them ¡°Wonderful¡± she giggled wickedly. Ch 30 - Dungeon Crawl ¡°Adventurers, are you sure you do not need our assistance?¡± Thurk asked one last time as they moved through the tunnels, four to five meters wide and even more high the tunnels were expertly dug out with torches of white light places throughout lighting their way. Kyle shook his head ¡°We¡¯ll be fine, it is your lives you should worry about. You only get one unlike us.¡± Laughing out loudly Thurk glanced back at the whole party as they turned a corner ¡°Well then we¡¯re almost there, two more corners and we¡¯ll be inside the dungeon¡¯s territory supposedly.¡± ¡°Yo Sly my VCD isn¡¯t working either right now, I think Death fucked us both¡± Kyle stated as he waved the device back and forth trying to get it to connect. Thurk eyed the device with wonder ¡°What is that for?¡± ¡°It¡¯s what we use to communicate with the others back at Frosthold¡± Kyle responded while putting the device back into his inventory. ¡°Ah I may know why it isn¡¯t working then, Elder Helen is disrupting all communication magic within the city. Nothing leaves or enters without her permission¡± Thurk explained. ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem and here will do Thurk, we¡¯ll continue on our own¡± Sly told him as their formation approached another corner. Soren, Kyle and Karnage took the front of their formation with Thurk, Sly and Reyna behind them being the middle, Skill and Silv lined the back. Thurk sighed, anxious to see this whole mess done with ¡°Thank for what you are doing adventurers, I will await you at the revival point with your items.¡± Knowing there was a high chance of them dying they left their items with the city guard for safe keeping. As Thurk walked back through the tunnel the whole party prepared themselves, chanting their magic before-hand. Kyle took a step away from the others ¡°Presence of power, presence of strength. Demonic Presence¡± as the dark aura engulfed the whole party he raised his arms up to shoulder length ¡°Destroy my enemies through sheer force, penetrate their armour and devour their scales or hide. Slime cannon¡± a smaller version of the previous cannon grew out over his right arm. Waving the cannon around he found it wasn¡¯t as heavy as it looked, leaving his left arm free (¡°More compact, less power but at least I won¡¯t be immobile.¡±) staring at his empty left hand he decided to give his previous idea another try. Raising it up in front of himself and straightening it he let the crimson demonic slime cover it fully (¡°I cannot make a decent blade, hammer or axe aren¡¯t my style so I might as well go all the way.¡±). ¡°Scatter flurries of death upon my enemies¡± the slime formed a total of twelve barrels around his arm. All twelve being one tenth the thickness of the cannon and less than half the length but still grew further out from it covering down from the elbow completely ¡°Slime scattershot¡±.
Through utter madness and haphazard testing the skill [Slime Scattershot] was created!
The new weapon being a circle of crimson red barrels growing out of a large bulge of scaled demonic slime, all effected by [Condensed Slime] increasing it¡¯s physical resistance. ¡°Woah we¡¯re gonna have to start calling you the guild armoury¡± Silv joked as he and everyone else watched with curiosity. Kyle smirked ¡°Wait until I figure out how to make explosive shells, remember I¡¯ve only had three elements to work with so far.¡± ¡°Yo would you get Dark or Undead slime if you ate a skeleton¡¯s core?¡± Soren asked as he focused his mana into his battle axe, the weapon glowing brighter every second. ¡°Huh¡± Kyle hummed in thought as he stared down the tunnel ¡°Do they even have cores?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s find out, everyone take positions¡° Sly ordered while stretching his arms ¡±Since I can¡¯t fight you¡¯ll be hearing me talk a lot and trust me if I did not see mistakes before I sure damn will now with how bored I am.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why Kyll is on the front when he is ranged¡± Skill asked as he readied three arrows. ¡°I¡¯m a ranged tank bro, if you saw my passives you¡¯d do the same¡± Kyle replied with a chuckle ¡°Plus I need the experience, I¡¯m the lowest level here and if I don¡¯t get hits in I¡¯ll get assist experience which is shit.¡± ¡°Battle coms, approaching turn¡± Sly ordered as they approached a corner turn. Kyle looked down the tunnel as he turned the corner ¡°You thinking it took over this tunnel too Sly?¡± Sly studied the tunnel ¡°No reason it wouldn¡¯t have, perfect for ambushing runners or just boxing us in. Let¡¯s clear it out as planned, Soren?¡±. ¡°Aye aye¡± Soren stepped forward while grinning ¡°Don¡¯t blame me if the roof collapses¡± he joked. Closing his eyes he raised his battle axe with a two-handed grip in front of himself ¡°Primal fury empower me! Rage of the Ancients!¡± raising it higher he then smashed down it¡¯s butt into the ground ¡°Earthquake!¡±. Large cracks formed at the point of impact and quickly spread forward and up the walls then ceiling, the cracks spread throughout the whole tunnel as debris fell down from the ceiling and some things were lifted up from the quaking ground. ¡°Hah! Looks like you were right!¡± Kyle chuckled as he watched the skeletons drop from the ceiling and pull themselves out of the ground that pressured them upwards. ¡°Now it¡¯s my turn¡± Raising both arms up ¡°I am technically the mage in this party as well, Skill, Silv save your ammo.¡± He unleashed everything he had. The skeletons tried to rush towards them as the barrage of frozen slime cracked their bones, their swords, clubs and axes not enough to parry the shots. Some skeletons wielded wooden shields allowing them to block most of the incoming attacks but when Kyle noticed them he¡¯d aim his cannon lower and at them then fire, forcing them to crawl through removal of their legs. Kyle laughed maniacally as he spam fired his [Slime Scattershot] while taking tactical shots with the [Slime Cannon], even as the Skeletons approached he kept firing non-stop dealing as much damage as he could before they reached him. As the Skeletons got closer he inspected some of them.
Undead Skeleton Warrior [Level 68]
Undead Skeleton Soldier [Level 74]
Undead Skeleton Barbarian [Level 56]
¡°Soren! Karnage! Cover his mad ass! Reyna buff them!¡± Sly barked out orders as Karnage and Soren dealt with the Skeletons that got too close, weakened by the barrage they were easily killed. Within mere minutes the tunnel was full of fallen Undead, bones and random weaponry lay scattered across the ground along with the rubble. Sly studied the tunnel ¡°Kyll how¡¯s your mana?¡± Kyle took paced breaths as he ignored his notifications, leaving them to stack up so he could read them at the end. ¡°I¡¯m out of mana but I can [Core Overload] and use the excess slime in my guns for ammo?¡± He offered after seeing his mana bar close to being empty, not having enough mana to fire another shot but enough to not enter mana exhaustion. ¡°No regen your mana pool, keep that as a last resort. We¡¯re not forcing through, this is a sustained assault.¡± Sly ordered while inspecting the dead Skeletons for any survivors, dead or undead they all looked the same but [Inspect] didn¡¯t lie. ¡°Karnage, Soren status?¡± Soren shrugged ¡°Regenerating, almost full hp. 3/4ths mana and fully stacked rage.¡± Karnage checked her bars while spinning a sword around impatiently in one hand ¡°Full hp and mana, stamina regening from 2/5ths.¡± Sly hummed in thought ¡°Soren earth quake one more time¡±. ¡°Okay then¡± Nodding in acknowledgement Soren raised his battle axe once more and chanted the same chant before crashing the butt down into the already cracked ground. The tunnel rumbled yet again as more debris fell from the ceiling including a couple more skeletons, these having pitch black bones and dual wielding curved blades. Kyle whistled as he inspected them.
Necrotic Undead Skeleton Duellist [Level 86]
The skeletons struggled momentarily as the rumbling shook the ground beneath them and pummelled them with debris.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Silv, Skill take shots¡± Sly ordered as he stepped out of their way and pulled Reyna back with him ¡°Open formation¡± Soren, Kyle and Karnage also stepped out of their way. Skill raised his bow ¡°Empower my dexterity! Sure Sight!¡± his eyes began to glow a bright green ¡± One shot one kill! Heartseeker!¡± letting go of the arrow it suddenly began to rapidly spin as bright green fire burst out engulfing it as it flew. Silv took aim with his rifle ¡°Show me their weakness! Planned shot!¡± his eyes changed as a blue cross reticule appeared on both, he closed one and looked into the scope with the other ¡°Be my falling star! Comet shot!¡± he pulled the trigger and a bang echoed throughout the tunnel. The fired red projectile shattered mid-flight into more, all three kept their trajectory. The closest Skeleton looked up just in time to see the spinning flaming green arrow, it crashed through it¡¯s abdomen destroying almost half it¡¯s torso and losing the skeleton it¡¯s left arm. The further one raised it¡¯s swords to block Silv¡¯s bullet but only blocked one part as the other two dug straight into its head, the skull cracked and shattered as the remains toppled over to the ground. Although heavily injured both Skeletons remained standing, the rumbling ended and they charged forward. Skill managed to fire another arrow but missed as the skeleton ducked under it, with surprising agility both skeletons fell upon Soren. Parrying both swords of the headless Skeleton Soren cringed as the other attacked his side, a shot fired by Silv hit the sword before the Skeleton slashed making it flinch back. Karnage followed up by engaging the second Skeleton, no swords clashed as both entered a dance of sharp evasion, stabs and combo attacks. ¡°Skill, Silv lay off!¡± Sly ordered not wanting them to hit their melee fighters ¡°Reyna set up heal over time!¡± ¡°O-Okay!¡± she replied while raising both her hands up towards the fight, having lost her mace and shield to the Yetis she was currently un-armed ¡°Bestow your purity upon us! Healing well!¡± an ethereal blue liquid shot out from her arms and rushed through Soren then Karnage giving them a light blue glow. Soren pushed with all his might but the Skeleton¡¯s strength far surpassed what the it¡¯s bony body should have had, he grinned madly as neither of them moved an inch. ¡°Fuck it! Course through my veins! Rage burst!¡± his armour emitted a layer of steam as the heat surrounding him tripled, his rage bar drained completely. Little by little he pushed the skeleton back as it¡¯s swords grew hotter from contact with the battle axe, it¡¯s bones began to crack from the pressure. Laughing manically ¡°Rage surge!¡± Soren suddenly pushed the Skeleton back with so much force he flew right after it, the Skeleton crashed into the tunnel¡¯s wall and Soren¡¯s battleaxe followed it right into it¡¯s chest. The Skeleton fell to the ground lifeless after Soren pulled his battleaxe out, the bones crumbling after the impact. Karnage led the headless Skeleton around as she expertly evaded it¡¯s slashes and lunges, following up with her own after each evade she found it¡¯s bones too strong to cut. Grimacing with annoyance she stepped back as it slashed downwards with it¡¯s left and followed up with a lunge using it¡¯s right, evading to the left she broke it¡¯s combo denying it another slash. Instead the Skeleton pulled back it¡¯s arms and lunged forward with both scimitars, Karnage ducked under the attack and rolled to her right. Soren brought down his large battleaxe on the headless Skeleton¡¯s arms, both breaking easily under the power of his attack. The skeleton flayed it¡¯s shattered arms aggressively as Soren kept it at arm¡¯s length with his axe ¡°Yo look at it trying to fight back¡± he laughed loudly. ¡°Keep it still, perfect specimen right here!¡± Kyle exclaimed as he walked over to the headless and armless skeleton. Sly sighed as he got closer to watch ¡°What do you even need it for anyway?¡± ¡°If I want to learn golemancy I need to learn soul binding and to do that I need a monster core which I have and a soul, this skeleton¡¯s soul will have to fit that category.¡± Kyle explained, grabbing onto the skeleton¡¯s shoulders he stood behind it. Opening his inventory he took out the wyvern¡¯s core and focused on his mana pool, slowly he poured his mana into the skeleton as it shook and fought back to escape. ¡°Well? Is it working?¡± Skill asked impatiently. ¡°Not sure¡­I don¡¯t see or feel anything¡­¡± Kyle replied with a frown. Karnage crouched down and picked up the mostly intact skeleton hand ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just animated not undead?¡± the hand suddenly began to freak out ¡°OR NOT¡± she followed up loudly dropping the hand right after. The skeletal hand lifted itself by the fingers and crawled away, an arrow from Skill nailed it to the ground. ¡°No survivors¡± Skill mused with a smirk while lowering his bow. Kyle grimaced as he continued to pour mana into the skeleton ¡°What am I missing¡­¡± ¡°What you doing specifically right now?¡± Sly asked while gazing at the flailing skeleton. ¡°Pouring mana into it, why?¡± Kyle replied without looking away. ¡°Try controlling the mana you already poured in then, what¡¯s the point of shoving your hand inside a box if you¡¯re not going to look around for the item you¡¯re looking for?¡± Sly explained with a chuckle followed up by snickering from Silv and Skill. ¡°That analogy has something else going for it¡± Silv added through held back laughter. Kyle continued to focus as he did what Sly suggested, keeping control of mana away from his body took more of a toll on his mana pool but he was rewarded for the effort. His eyes suddenly twitched as pitch black veins began to grow out from where his right hand held onto the skeleton, the veins began to pulsate with dark energy as they spread further up his arm. ¡°What are those!?¡± Karnage gasped with horror as the veins reached his elbow. ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Kyle shouted while ignoring the agonizing pain going through his arm ¡°I-I¡¯m¡­fine¡­¡±. His vision began to blur ¡°So this¡­is dread¡­¡± he said weakly, the dark mana impacting his health heavily. Sly sighed ¡°Bro if you can¡¯t take it then let go, we¡¯ll find a weaker mon-¡± ¡°No!¡± Kyle shouted out his reply, his expression turning ugly as he glared down at his arm ¡°Unlike th-the others¡­we don¡¯t have the luxury of time¡­I wo-won¡¯t be left¡­behind¡­¡± his arm trembled as the black veins reached his shoulder. Sly grabbed hold of the skeleton¡¯s other shoulder ¡°Then stop wasting time, give it your damn all¡±. Kyle smirked weakly ¡°Aye aye¡± he replied with determination. (¡°I feel it¡­tearing up my arm from the inside¡­not just from my sense of touch but as if I can feel its very existence¡­Dread¡­it has nothing to do with darkness¡­nothing to do with shadow¡­it is the corruption of life¡­it thrives from death! So I¡¯ll weaken it¡¯s source!¡±) Kyle¡¯s agonized expression flipped as a grin found its way through the pain ¡°I¡¯ll devour the dread! Core Overload! Draconic Ooze!¡±. The earthly brown slime engulfed his arm before spreading all over the skeleton, Sly and Soren backed off from it as the slime stopped it from moving. Kyle watched through the slime as the black veins continued to pulse and spread. Focusing on the slime he thought of when he accidentally swallowed the slime core, when he ate the demon¡¯s hide, he focused on the feeling of absorbing them. ¡°Something¡¯s happening!¡± Silv pointed out as he stepped closer to watch. The skeleton¡¯s bones began to crack and dissolve inside the slime, the black bones crumbling to be absorbed by it. Focusing all his mana on his arm Kyle now put all his senses into the black energy that flowed through his arm, he thought of locating it and pushing it out. With heavy breaths Kyle pushed through the agonizing pain and throbbing as light blue energy flowed through the black veins, the blackness being filtered out. ¡°I feel it¡± he suddenly stated, the pain completely gone ¡°My mana¡­It¡¯s different from controlling it¡­I actually¡­feel it!¡± with a stupid smile Kyle forced his mana into the skeleton. Blue veins of throbbing energy filled the draconic slime before covering the remainder of the skeleton¡¯s crumbling body, not just latching on but digging into the bone. ¡°Found you¡± he muttered out with a grin, his blue veins began forming a sphere where the skeleton¡¯s abdomen was. Lowering his arm down to the skeleton¡¯s back he momentarily pulled it back as claws grew over his finger nails, his hand lunged forward and through the crumbled bone then grasped the blue sphere tightly. As the draconic slime dissipated Kyle pulled out his hand while still holding the blue sphere of ethereal mana ¡°I got it¡­it¡¯s trying to force it¡¯s way out but¡­I got it, a soul¡±. Everyone stared at the blue sphere of bright mana as the skeleton crumbled to dust ¡°It¡¯s in there? Now what?¡± Soren asked not taking his eyes off it for a second. Kyle held the sphere up with his right hand, the wyvern core still lying in his left ¡°I guess I bind them now¡­somehow¡­¡± his eyes widened along many others in the party ¡°Wait¡­is it possible?¡± ¡°I mean¡­with everything so far¡­¡± Karnage stated with a shrug. ¡°But an already existing skill¡­a system skill nonetheless!¡± Sly exclaimed with a chuckle. ¡°Well no point thinking it over!¡± Soren hurried them up impatiently. ¡°Well, here goes. Soul Bind!¡± Kyle shouted the skill as a chant and pushed the wyvern core into the sphere of mana containing the soul. The following explosion sent them all crashing into the wall, all except for Skill who was unlucky enough to be sent tumbling back down the tunnel. Groaning in pain Kyle pushed himself out of the small crater he made in the wall ¡°Is¡­everyone alright?¡± groans of acknowledgement came from everyone as they did the same. Looking down the tunnel Kyle saw Skill still laying on the ground ¡°Skill? You okay?¡± Skill raised an arm up and gave a thumbs up ¡°Yeap¡­give¡­give me a sec¡­actually¡­Reyna, can you fix broken bones?¡± Reyna walked over to him as she popped her neck ¡°Coming¡­¡± ¡°What the hell happened anyway?¡± Sly asked as he brushed his shoulder ¡°Did it fail?¡± ¡°It¡­succeeded¡­¡± Kyle replied as he read through the notifications so far ignoring the kill notices.
Level up! (x13)
Level 40 attribute points received (+10)
Level 45 attribute points received (+10)
No more attribute points shall be given for this class, acquire a sub-class to gain more or reach level 125 to master your main class and continue gaining from it
Dread energy flows through your body devouring it; Dread resistance decreased Perception + 10% Stamina rapidly dropping
Class-unique active skill [{Absorb}] unlocked!
You have fought off the invading soul!
Passive skill [Mana Detection] unlocked!
You have acquired a [Dreadful Soul]!
Passive skill [Soul Detection] unlocked!
Unique active skill [{Cold Soul}] unlocked!
Through sheer ingenuity or luck, hidden uses for skill [Soul Bind] have been unlocked!
Using the skill [Soul Bind] you have created a [Dreadful Draconic Core(Infused)]!
Kyle blinked once after reading through them all, he continued to stare at them with a blank expression ¡°My head¡¯s spinning¡±. Ch 31 - Size matters Abaddon fumed as she paced circles around the dungeon core ¡°Why¡­How¡­¡± she kept repeating to herself, not only had her trap been destroyed before it was even sprung but they had stolen one of the souls used to create a monster short of elite. Glancing back over at the core she watched as adventurer party gather around in the tunnel sharing food and drinks as they took a break. ¡°Insult to injury!¡± she declared angrily continuing her pacing. The dungeon core pulsated as it spoke ¡°Why worry, they only explorers. Minions are replaceable, sources of mana are welcome¡±. Sighing deeply she turned to stare at the core ¡°Do not be foolish Under, these aren¡¯t just explorers. The Dwarves and Fae wouldn¡¯t simply allow strangers into their current predicament, these are soldiers sent here to destroy you.¡± While it was true that the longer these adventurers spent inside the dungeon the stronger it became albeit mildly, they were a danger she could not let roam free. ¡°Their deaths will be more than satisfactory for resources¡±. ¡°Yes¡± The dungeon replied plainly, it¡¯s core pulsating with power as more skeletons rose inside the room. The dungeon could not summon minions close to another being that wasn¡¯t part of the dungeon, making the tunnel the party resided in unusable for now. As the inanimate skeletons awaited like statues black ethereal veins slowly shot out of the core and into them, their eyes shining a black light that gave them new unlife. Abaddon went over her mental map of the dungeon, they may have gone through their most defended tunnel but it was just that, a single tunnel. After calming herself ¡°Show me the new additions to our army¡± she asked the dungeon softly. The vision inside the core changed and broke into three, each a different room or corridor with actual brick walls and stone pavement. ¡°The Dwarves and their devices are set as support, the new creations are ready to stomp any¡± The dungeon explained. Abaddon smiled wickedly ¡°If only the Fae hadn¡¯t enchanted themselves against being corrupted, oh well these will do fine.¡± She stared at the images within the core deep in thought. ¡°They are moving¡± the dungeon reported as the images changed to show the party getting up and moving further in. She nodded as an idea suddenly came to her ¡°Station two knights at the entrance, we¡¯ll lure them in¡± she watched as the dungeon core followed the adventurer¡¯s movements closely, the moment they turned the corner they stopped and studied the new tunnel. ¡°Done¡± the dungeon stated as two shield wielding skeletons walked out of the stone brick doorway making the fake entrance to the dungeon, the party took their formation and waited for them at the other end. ¡°Taunt them¡± Abaddon ordered with an amused tone. Instead of rushing in like before the skeleton knights stood their ground and bashed their swords to their shields while chattering their bony jaws, suddenly a skeleton warrior wielding a longsword in one hand walked out to join them. ¡°Nice touch¡± Abaddon commented in approval as the new minion dragged out a fake armoured dwarf corpse Under had created in the previous room. The warrior dropped the corpse in front of the knights and all three began stomping on it while bashing their weapons together. As she watched in amusement the Dwarven adventurer took a step forwards ready to rush in only to be held back by the gunner with strange weaponry, ¡°Let¡¯s taunt him further, behead the corpse after gesturing at him¡±. The skeletons stopped their stomping as the warrior stepped around the bloodied corpse, it raised it¡¯s sword high up above the corpse¡¯s head and pointed at the Dwarven adventurer with its free hand then gripped it¡¯s sword tightly with both. Abaddon smirked as she waited for the idiotic rush she expected from the adventurer, only to step back in shock as an explosion of steam filled the tunnel. The fiery red battle axe was the only thing visible as it was thrown spinning down the tunnel, the attack wreaked havoc as with each time it crashed with the ground a tremor went through the stone. As the steam cleared up the fiery red armoured Dwarf stood unarmed in the middle of the tunnel, his laughter booming through the dungeon so much it reached the room they stood in. The skeletons had been reduced to a pile of bones as the battle axe lay within it with it¡¯s blade embedded into the ground. Her expression twitched between a smile and a grimace ¡°Trip the trap¡± she spoke with a choked tone. The tunnel rumbled as the skeletons in the ceiling and floor unearthed themselves, the Dwarf was suddenly surrounded by five skeletons on each side and unarmed. ¡°This will teach the rodent¡± she mused. The Dwarf ducked to the ground as a barrage of projectiles fell upon the skeletons, holding onto his half-helm he laughed manically as skeletons fell behind him. Having been facing him half the undead had their backs to the rest of the party, the mistake quickly abused of. ¡°Do they not care for their own!?¡± She exclaimed horrified ¡°Are they suicidal!?¡±. Four of the skeletons had been reduced to crawling messes as many others lost other limbs and or heads, the Dwarf quickly rushed through the surviving skeleton behind him knocking it to the ground on the way. ¡°This one shall deal with them¡± the dungeon stated plainly, the core pulsated rapidly as one of the many black veins turned red all the way into the darkness of the tunnel. Abaddon watched as the least damaged skeleton, a warrior who stood behind three knights and a barbarian, had their eyes turn blood red. The red-eye skeleton raised it sword and the shield wielders formed a line in front of it as the barbarian stood by its side. The skeleton who had been knocked down tried to rise but was quickly taken out by the strange gunner with a single shot of his larger weapon arm. The formation of skeletons slowly backed away as the adventurer¡¯s ranger and gunner tried to take shots only to be blocked by the shields, the front gunner took aim but did not fire. ¡°I thought you were going to deal with them?¡± Abaddon asked the dungeon with a pointed look. ¡°Swords insufficient, brute force required¡± Under explained. ¡°You¡¯re going to send IT in?¡± She replied with a giggle ¡°Fine, don¡¯t break my little toy though. I still have plans I wish to add to it.¡±
Adventurer¡¯s POV ¡°Close in formation! Charge! Don¡¯t let them retreat!¡± Sly hastily barked out orders ¡°Kyll, Silv, Skill barrage them as we approach! End fire once Karnage and Soren engage! Reyna speed buff!¡± Silv and Skill dashed over to the front with Soren, Kyll and Karnage. The ranger and the two gunners barraged the skeleton¡¯s formation as Soren and Karnage ran slightly behind the three of them, Reyna and Sly followed close by. ¡°Divine wind grant us your swiftness! Blessing of wind!¡± Reyna cried out as she tried to keep with them while casting her buff, an ethereal blue gust of wind formed around her before flowing into the whole party as they charged forward. Their speed increased by leaps and bounds as suddenly Silv and Skill spread out and stopped letting Soren and Karnage charge by them. Kyle kept running forward with his arms held up, his [Slime Scattershot] firing nonstop weakening the skeleton¡¯s shields and bodies before a well-placed shot from [Slime Cannon] terminated one of them. He noticed the red eyed one retreating into the darkness of the entrance as the two remaining knights and barbarian rushed towards him. Surging forward he knocked back the two knights with his weapons as the barbarian leaped up intending to bash his head in with it¡¯s club. Crouching down Kyle smirked as something bumped into his back. Karnage leaped up at the barbarian using Kyle as a springing board, slashing away its club with her left sword she pierced her right into its torso as they clashed mid-air. Her weight winning the over the skeleton¡¯s scrawny body they crashed back down with her on top, her sword piercing the skeleton¡¯s spine and shattering it. The two knights quickly pulled themselves up and charged at Karnage the moment she landed, their swords ahead of them as they lunged at her vulnerable form. A grin formed on her face as she gripped her swords tightly ¡°Black dance¡± she chanted her skill hastily and her swords shuddered as a pitch-black aura encased the blades. With impossible speed she charged forth and in-between the skeletal knights, her swords slicing the air behind her while leaving a dark after-image of themselves.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. In rapid succession she slashed at their wide open sides leaving a black scar on their bones where she cut, quickly backing away she smiled widely as the scars exploded blasting all three of them back. ¡°Damn¡­¡± groaning from the pain she reopened her eyes ¡°Still too slow to use that¡­¡± she mused. Kyle chuckled as he took aim from over her shoulder ¡°Nothing¡¯s wasted¡±. Glancing back Karnage found herself resting onto his chest ¡°S-Sorry¡± she whispered while blushing. Not hearing her Kyle continued to fire his [Slime Scattershot] as the two skeletons turned tail and retreated through the doorway. ¡°That it?¡± he snorted, walking around Karnage he stopped by Soren¡¯s battleaxe and gazed into the dark doorway ¡°Looks like this is where it starts proper¡±. ¡°Yeah and the two tunnels we just walked by weren¡¯t¡± Soren chuckled as he walked up and pulled out his axe from the ground. As the whole party formed up by the doorway they gazed into the darkness, ¡°Hm. So¡­anybody brought a light?¡± Sly asked as he glanced around at the others ¡°Great¡­.¡± He sighed before his gaze fell upon Soren. He tapped his shoulder ¡°Yo Soren I got an idea, light up for a sec¡±. The dwarf glanced up at him ¡°Dahell you think I am? A super sayan? I can¡¯t just flare up without enemies nearby¡± he dismissed him. ¡°Well¡± Sly smirked ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s some inside¡± he pushed the Dwarf inside. As Soren stopped himself from stumbling he glanced back ¡°Oi you fuck!¡± his armour and weapon suddenly began to glow yellow from heat, bright enough to dimly light up the room. A gurgling growl filled the room as the beast glared him down from the other side, with only a dozen meters between them the whole party rushed in and took formation before the monster. The light provided by Soren¡¯s gear was enough show some of the monsters features but not the whole thing, Kyle inspected it the second he took position.
{Elite} Necrotic Cave Troll (Bobby) [Level 121]
The beast was eight feet high of pure muscle except for its arms, two pitch black bony arms growing out of the fleshy stumps. Sickly grey skin and a white mane of long hair the troll stood half encased in shadow, it¡¯s almost humanoid form broken by its face. A short gorilla like snout on a mostly round face and head, the now undead monster looked fierce even without weapons or armour. ¡°So¡­who¡¯s our tank again?¡± Soren asked with a weak laugh as they all stared at the monstrosity ahead of them.
Author: And you thought those were fights :D Battle music; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvNUiMjuhVE
Suddenly the Troll¡¯s eyes shone blood red along a second pair above it, the warrior skeleton from before revealed itself from the shadows as it climbed up to it¡¯s back now wielding two long swords. ¡°All saddled up aren¡¯t you?¡± Kyle exclaimed with a grimace, his weapons dissolving back to slime. ¡°I see you, seems like soul detection has more than one use. Isn¡¯t that right, dungeon?¡± he asked while staring at the two monsters with wide eyes, a grin from ear to ear. ¡°The dungeon?¡± Sly began to ask when the Troll suddenly rushed at them ¡°Disperse!¡± he ordered as he himself dashed out of the way of it¡¯s charge. ¡°Core Overload¡­¡± A cold chuckle went unheard by the rest as the Troll crashed into where they once stood, the light dimming from Soren moving around. The sound of stone cracking filled their ears as Soren raised his axe to light up the monster, gasps of surprise and cold laughter followed. ¡°Beasts¡¯s blood within me, boil up. Rage!¡± Kyle shouted out his chant as his form was given light, a hulking humanoid of red slime covered in abyssal black scales. From the neck down Kyle was inside the slime, his head poking out of where the body of slime¡¯s would have been. With a wicked smile across his face Kyle held the Troll at bay, hands grasped together they tried to wrestle each other away. ¡°Keep it down Kyll! Silv! Skill! Shoot down that skeleton!¡± Sly barked out orders as he studied the situation his widened as he gazed off into the shadows of the room ¡°Karnage, Soren we have incoming!¡± pulling out two daggers he prepared himself for combat. ¡°Yo what you doing!?¡± Kyle asked seeing Sly wielding his daggers, momentarily later noticing the skeletons stepping towards them from the darkness. ¡°No point in me staying back if we can¡¯t even make it through! I¡¯ll try not to use any magic!¡± Sly shouted out in reply before charging into the fray with Soren and Karnage, all hacking away at the half a dozen skeletons that had appeared. With a grimace Kyle switched his attention back at the snarling Troll that slowly began to push him back, the skeleton warrior on it¡¯s back waving its swords around as arrows and projectiles flew at it from the shadows where Silv and Skill resided. With an ear piercing roar the Troll suddenly let go and lowered it¡¯s stance, stepping forward it grabbed Kyle¡¯s armoured slime body by the waste and lifted the whole thing up. ¡°You¡¯re kidding me right?¡± Kyle bashed his slime arms down onto it¡¯s back forcing the skeleton to leap off, The Troll responded in kind by bashing him into the wall. Roaring once more the Troll then proceeded to pummelling Kyle into the wall with its fists as Kyle tried to protect himself with his slime arms. Scales cracked and shattered as the Troll¡¯s higher strength made quick work of the armoured slime, the arms reduced to a leaking mess of slime. Kyle cursed as the Troll raised its arms up together above him, through sheer willpower he managed to roll out of the way as it¡¯s skeletal arms crashed down into the wall. As the Troll turned to face him once again it roared and bared its fangs angrily, it¡¯s blood red eyes beginning to glow brighter. Kyle tried to stand up only to fall back down to the ground as the Troll grabbed hold of his slime leg, it pulled him away from the wall while snarling in mock. ¡°Some help here!?¡± he shouted out at the others while being dragged across the floor. ¡°Busy!¡± Sly replied as he evaded and parried attacks from two skeletons. ¡°I c-can¡¯t!¡± Karnage shouted out as she danced around evading swords, clubs and shields alike, the skeletons attacking anything that got close even when fighting someone else. ¡°Ditto!¡± Soren also replied as he bashed a skeleton into a nearby wall with a swing of his battleaxe, it¡¯s shield shattering under the force applied. Kyle tried to grab onto the pavement to no avail as the Troll continued to drag him along ¡°Skill!? Silv!?¡±. ¡°Unless you want bloody eyed here on your ass!¡± Skill exclaimed as him and Silv ran circles around the red eyed skeleton while taking shots at it¡¯s legs and arms keeping it at bay, its bones more resistant than they should have been to the attacks. ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll kill the big ass Troll on my own damn lonesome then!¡± Kyle exclaimed with a grin, letting his slime body dissolve back into goo he pulled himself up and focused entirely on controlling the slime. The Troll felt the leg dissolve in its hand and turned around to glare down at him, after a short snarl it rushed forth with it¡¯s claw like hands open wide. Kyle stood immobile shifting his focus away from his body and into the slime, his time running out as [Core Overload] ticked down. The Troll reached out with its bony claws to grab at him as it charged, a guttural roar leaving its mouth as it came within range. The slime beneath them exploded into motion as it rose up and changed, cold blue slime entangled around the Troll¡¯s legs making it trip. Undeterred by the attack the Troll reached out at Kyle as it fell over him, it¡¯s claws opening wide to catch itself as it opened its fang lined jaws to bite down onto the morsel beneath it. Kyle quickly raised his arm towards the Troll as his hand clenched into a fist, the slime responding to his motion and entangling around the Troll¡¯s neck. It fell down catching itself with it¡¯s arms on the stone pavement a foot or two from Kyle and raised it¡¯s left hand to grab him as it growled. Kyle stepped back as he gestured for more slime to rise, the whole pool of slime rose up in tentacles of blue and began entangling on every limb the Troll had. With it¡¯s legs bound to the ground and it¡¯s neck and arms held back by the tentacles it lay with it¡¯s belly to the pavement, it¡¯s face mere feet away from Kyle. With both his arms up Kyle stood facing the Troll, it¡¯s spit flying at him as it growled and roared. Kyle moved more and more slime from the ground and into the tentacles turning them into a thick shell of slime covering the Troll, it¡¯s hands, head and back the only parts still untouched by slime. ¡°Thicken into solid but remain fluid, Condensed Slime¡±, chanting to empower the effects he began changing the slime ¡°That the cold alone could slowly kill, Freeze¡±. With every effect the Troll¡¯s movements slowed as the slime hardened ¡°More than simple frost, harder than any ice, Packed Ice¡± his voice a cold monotone whisper as he watched the Troll¡¯s red emotionless stare, it¡¯s only purpose to kill the invaders for it¡¯s master. Glancing around Kyle saw as Skill engaged the red eyed skeleton with his dagger, no arrows remained inside his quiver. Silv continued to take shots at the skeleton as it¡¯s bones crumbled, one of it¡¯s arms already fallen to the ground. Soren bashing in a skeleton knight¡¯s skull it with his axe as Karnage and Sly kept the other remaining four skeletons at bay. ¡°GO!¡± he shouted as he felt the end of [Core Overload] nearing, ¡°Take cover!¡± he told them looking back at the Troll as what intelligence it held disappeared with the dimming of it¡¯s eyes. ¡°Watch out!¡± Skill shouted from the side as a piercing pain stuck Kyle¡¯s back. Turning his head, he saw the red eyed skeleton staring at him with it¡¯s one sword digging into his side. Grabbing hold of the skeleton he hugged the undead close not letting it pull the sword out, ¡°I said¡­GO!¡± he shouted once more between agonized breathing. He turned pulling the skeleton with him, slamming it¡¯s back to the frozen Troll. Silv and Skill ran to help Karnage, Soren and Sly. All five quickly dealing with the remaining skeletons in one charge, they glanced back at the towering giant laying on the ground as the ice holding it began to crack. Kyle laughed, a cold emotionless laugh as he pulled back and stared into the skeleton¡¯s eyes "Your monster is big, but my insanity is way more vast". Brighter than before he could feel the dungeon¡¯s presence within, the thin line of ethereal red that stuck to the skeleton like a string from it¡¯s puppeteer clearly visible to him. The skeleton pulled and pushed trying to get out of his grip, the Troll behind them roaring and grunting trying to break out. Kylechanted ¡°Cold pressure over a solid form, the release of raw power¡­Fracture!¡±, the following explosion of released pressure bombarded the Troll¡¯s body reducing it to paste as everything else around it was sent flying like ragdolls. Ch 32 - Counter Deceit
You have killed yourself
Death penalty (Level 67 - 1)
You are now Level 66
No bound respawn points found
Respawning at closest spawn point in 2:29
Kyle watched from his bodiless form as the rest of his party stood up in the other room, the darkness not affecting his sight at all. He couldn¡¯t hear them but saw that they were mostly fine as they glanced back into the room, Soren¡¯s armour and axe glowing from the heat giving them light. (¡°Looks like I¡¯m temporarily down for the count¡±) he thought to himself, relaxing in his incorporeal form Kyle let himself take a breather as he waited for the timer to tick down. As he did so he let the notifications flood in.
Level up (x17)
Through training the skill [Ooze] has reached mid-tier 2 level 5! Attribute upgrade is available!
(¡°No wonder it levelled up, with all the mana I would have spent controlling all that slime if it wasn¡¯t for [Core Overload]¡±) he mused while taking his attention off of the notifications, he watched the others leave out of sight. Checking the timer that stood out of his vision It became more visible similarly to the notifications.
Respawning at closest spawn point in 1:57
(¡°Well I got time to spare¡­guess I¡¯ll check out my new acquisitions after picking an attribute for [Ooze]¡±) opening his skill he read through his choices.
Attribute effects are kept, further attribute upgrades progress through each attribute owned meaning that all upgrades for previous effects can be earned later on. Warning skills tier cap is 15 therefore you are limited to 30 attribute upgrades. Currently unlocked attributes for [Ooze(Frost)]: (Ice) (Frost) (Cold) Effects: [Cold Mist]; Turn into a freezing mist, [Cold Puddle]; Turn to sticky liquid while retaining temperature (Frost) (Snow) Effects: [Blizzard]; Turn into a flurry of snow flakes, [Snow Touch]; Physical contact causes a spread of [Frostbite] which spreads on further contact Currently unlocked attributes for [Ooze(Demonic)]: (Monstrous) (Demonic) (Cursed) Effects: [Weakness]; The slime attaches itself to the target slowing them down, [Illusionary]; The very sight of this slime causes hallucinatory effects (Demonic) (Vampirism) Effects: [Leech]; Leeches life over time and regenerates the user¡¯s, [Drain]; Drains mana over time and regenerates the user¡¯s
(¡°The other Frost options don¡¯t suite my playstyle¡­they are more mage than the fucked up gunner-fighter I am currently. Cursed and Vampirism for Demonic both seem like good choices¡­but Cursed seems more suited for a mage same as the previous two, Weakness isn¡¯t very useful from it¡¯s description and Illusionary might be completely useless¡­¡±) thinking it through he decided on (Vampirism) and made his selection (¡°Sustain it is¡±). As the attribute choice window closed he began reading through his new skills.
[Slime Scattershot] ((EXP 31%) Level 2 ¨C Tier 1): Summon a monstrous flak cannon entirely made of slime Activation Cost: 230 mana Usage cost: 10 mana (1 per barrel) Reload time: 0.9 seconds Ammunition sub-skills: [Demonic Rounds]: Fire an armored shell that pierces through defenses Usage cost: 15 mana (1.5 per barrel) Reload time: 1.6 seconds
[Mana Detection] ((EXP 12%) Level 1 ¨C Tier 1): The ability to detect mana through touch, vision, smell and mind.
[Soul Detection]((EXP 90%) Level 2 ¨C Tier 1): A new sense allowing you to detect souls similarly to sound and sight.
[Absorb] ((EXP 40%) Level 1 ¨C Tier 1): Contact with your slime breaks down the target¡¯s form and absorbs them. Takes on [Devour]¡¯s effect.
Soul bind: Bind a weapon to yourself disabling trade, enabling high tiers of enchantment and earning it a higher grade. Bind a soul to an object capable of withstanding it¡¯s energy and putting it under your complete control.
[{Cold Soul}] (Set skill stats): The winter lord¡¯s blessing is upon you, personally selected by Ymir as a vessel for his immense power. Channel his energy at will making it your own, the power of ice nothing more than another limb under your control.
Kyle¡¯s surprise was cut short as his time ran out, his vision changing as the familiar feeling of revival washed over him. The return of all of his other senses and the explosion of light half blinding him and disorienting him momentarily, ignoring his surroundings and even Thurk as he waved a greeting and walked over. Kyle reopening his skill book and reread the skill. ¡°That doesn¡¯t tell me jack¡­¡± he thought out loud. ¡°Excuse you?¡± Thurk asked catching his attention. ¡°Oh, sorry reading a skill I just got. Where are we?¡± Kyle looked around at the familiar overgrown taiga trees, snow engulfed ground and mountains that lay behind him. Thurk crossed his arms and sighed ¡°Outside the city, I¡¯m guessing it did not go very well as we haven¡¯t felt any explosions yet¡±. Kyle shook his head ¡°On the contrary, I may have died but it costed the dungeon an Elite. I doubt it has any more to throw at us if it¡¯s as you say.¡± ¡°So you believe your allies can destroy it? Even though they are down a hero?¡± Thurk whispered his frown was weak and expression weary. Kyle smirked ¡°If we can¡¯t then nobody less than another hero will, I doubt the old heroes serving the Dominion will be as lenient and as for the other heroes I highly doubt they¡¯ll even care.¡± Thurk nodded in agreement ¡°That is what we feared from the start.¡± Seeing as he was again outside the city Kyle decided to call in, as he pulled out the VCD from his inventory Thurk coughed to get his attention ¡°Who might you be making contact with? I¡¯m sorry if this may seem harsh but you have to understand, this cannot get out-¡± Kyle cut him off with a chuckle ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this remains between your people and mine. Our commander is the one who calls the shots, honestly we should have called it in beforehand but I¡¯d rather make a full report than a half-assed one.¡± He explained not making contact yet. Thurk¡¯s frown grew ¡°I do not follow¡±. Kyle grinned remembering their conversation with Jekyll and Helen, the invisible confirmation he got from Sly at the end. They hadn¡¯t gone in there to destroy the dungeon, they had only entered to weigh their leverage over this kingdom. ¡°I know the main units the dungeon has to offer and what traps to look out for at the start, Sly and the others will know the rest when they come out. Of course, we cannot eliminate a dungeon without scouting it out first¡± he explained, the true reason they accepted to help without asking for anything in return lurking between his words.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Thurk continued to frown as he nodded ¡°I see, yes that is indeed a viable strategy seeing as death doesn¡¯t faze you. The dungeon also shouldn¡¯t get too much from your deaths either as it cannot absorb the mana within your souls due to fact that you don¡¯t truly die.¡± ¡°Exactly¡± Kyle added, leaving Thurk to fool himself (¡°There is no lie stronger than a belief constructed by yourself.¡±) he thought. ¡°Do you mind if either King Jekyll or Elder Helen speak with our commander after I am done reporting in? There are many things to discuss.¡± Kyle asked with as much respectful a tone he could muster (¡°Such as price¡±) he also tried very hard not to chuckle. Thurk thought it over momentarily ¡°I believe that is a question better asked to them adventurer, make your report and I¡¯ll take you to them after your comrades also arrive.¡± he finally responded. At Thurk¡¯s acknowledgement he focused on the device ¡°Birse¡±.
The Dungeon, core room, couple minutes earlier. Abaddon stood staring into the dungeon¡¯s core, her expression grim and twitching. Clenching her fists she bit her lip in annoyance as she watched what remained of her Troll ¡°No matter¡­it can be rebuilt¡­They lost a comrade, his suicidal antics will have destroyed their will to continue¡± she muttered to herself. ¡°What now¡± the dungeon asked, it¡¯s focus returned to the core. She grimaced ¡°What remains at our disposal?¡± The dungeon stayed silent momentarily as it¡¯s core showed her the remaining rooms and corridors before responding ¡°31 Warriors, 17 Knights, 37 Barbarians, 22 Undead Dwarven Gunners, 5 Necrotic Duellists and the Lich floor boss.¡± Abaddon considered their chances, the adventurers were on equal level with their minions but far stronger due to being living and far more skilled than any brainless undead. ¡°The Duellists and Lich are the only ones that stand a chance normally but we cannot send them first. Send the Barbarians and Knights first to weaken them, send the Warriors and Gunners after that to eliminate them. Any survivors will be devoured by the Duellists.¡± ¡°How many of each shall I send?¡± the dungeon asked as the view on it¡¯s core returned to the party, already standing up to continue moving. Abaddon considered it¡¯s question for less than a moment ¡°Wait until they reach the hall, open tunnels to behind them and the other corridors. Then send¡­everything¡±.
The Dungeon, Delving part. All six adventurers looked around cautiously, having met with little resistance after the Troll. They moved with a new formation, Silv and Skill up front with Soren between them, Reyna behind them and Sly with Karnage at the back defending from ambushed from behind. Skill having scavenged back most of his arrows along with Silv having plenty of ammunition held their weapons ready to fire and themselves to back off if targets got too close. Soren stood by them ready to stop any agile monsters from attacking the two ranged members before they backed off. ¡°How many rooms has it been so far?¡± Karnage whispered as she kept glancing back and forth. Sly did the same but less anxiously ¡°Four rooms, five corridors¡± he responded also whispering. ¡°Haven¡¯t the monster packs gotten smaller? I mean that first ambush had so many¡­even the pack of six that came with the Troll where more than the three and fours we¡¯ve had¡­¡± she continued to speak while staring back down the corridor they came, the sound of earth crumbling barely reaching her ears. She was walking backwards and suddenly hit something, it wasn¡¯t a wall. Reyna and Karnage turned to face each other after a short scream, ¡°S-sorry!¡± Karnage apologised after lowering her swords from a pale Reyna who nodded back. Sly rolled his eyes ¡°Stop being so jumpy, this is obviously a trap.¡± ¡°Then why are you so calm?¡± she glanced at him with wide eyes before continuing to look around. ¡°Because it doesn¡¯t matter, if it comes to it I¡¯ll just take out anything else that comes by like Kyll did and you all continue forward.¡± Sly explained. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense¡± Skill stated as he glanced back at Sly ¡°How do we destroy the dungeon core then without you?¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m touched Skill, you actually admit that you need me?¡± Sly replied with a smirk ¡°The answer is easy, we don¡¯t.¡± The whole party stopped to look back at him. ¡°What?¡± Sly asked with a grin ¡°Fine I¡¯ll let you in on it now, not like the Dwarves and Fae can hear us in here. This is a scouting run, to figure out if we can even get to the dungeon¡¯s end at all.¡± ¡°But¡­you told them¡­Oh, you didn¡¯t promise them anything¡± Reyna spoke with surprise, her expression turning from confusion to understanding then ending with a glare ¡°You tricked them?¡± she asked pointedly at Sly. Giving her an innocent smile Sly raised his arms up in surrender ¡°We¡± he corrected, ¡°Don¡¯t worry they don¡¯t know and won¡¯t know. Why would we help them if we don¡¯t gain anything? Kyll is probably looking for ways to contact Birse, until then let¡¯s continue our scouting run¡± he explained. Reyna continued to glare at him with a frown ¡°Fine¡± she replied with a single word and turned around. Noticing Karnage also glaring at him Sly turned to her ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re despicable¡± she stated plainly with a shrug and continued to walk with the others, Silv, Skill and Soren chuckling up front. ¡°Comes with the name¡± Sly murmured before sighing, jogging momentarily he caught up with them as they neared the end of the corridor. Going through the doorway they found themselves walking into a vast hall, the light produced by Soren¡¯s armour not enough to show all the way. Suddenly torches lit up in unison, the whole hall now fully visible. ¡°Shit¡± Sly cursed as he glanced back ¡°To the centre!¡± he ordered and they moved, quickly they ran through the enormous hall as the sound of bones clattering with stone came from all four doorways that lay in the middle of each wall. Before they even reach the middle skeletons wielding clubs charged in from every direction. ¡°Surround Reyna!¡± Sly barked out orders as he grimaced at the sheer number of enemies ¡°Silv! Skill! AOE attacks! Soren you too! Don¡¯t lose your axe!¡± As they all formed around Reyna who began chanting buff after buff the others prepared their offensive magic, Skill, Silv and Soren casting their wide area of effect spells while Karnage and Sly kept watch on the enemies with blades ready.
Author: Youtube autoplay takes me to strange places, this time it did not disappoint¡­ Battle music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJniq9KuDAQ
¡°Like a swarm of death fall upon my enemies! Arrow Rain!¡± Skill fired three arrows into the air and in unison they broke in ten ethereal green ones. ¡°Charged energy compose death for me! Flak Rounds!¡± Silv pulled the trigger and as the bright blue projectile left the barrel a low-pitched sound echoed out like a bass drop. ¡°Blazing anger infuriate my attack! Falling Rage!¡± Soren raised his battle axe back with a two-handed hold, it¡¯s two edges gleamed a bright red. Raising it up higher he slashed forward and downwards as a wave of blazing hot flame left the blade, the fire travelled forwards in a pillar of ethereal red energy. Skeletons fell as the barrage of arrows descended upon them, more fell apart as the blue projectile connected and exploded sending a wave of blue destruction in every direction while more disintegrated to ashes as the pillar of flame cashed into their ranks. Dozens of them died in the attack¡­but the sound of more still swarming towards the hall could be heard. ¡°There¡¯s too many!¡± Reyna shouted, having finished her buffs she prepared to cast healing. ¡°Yeah, guess we¡¯re just gonna have to abandon the formation then¡± Sly announced with a grin ¡°Silv, Skill, Karnage, Soren you have my permission to go ham. Cover each doorway, you should be in range for healing. Reyna stay close.¡± All four adventurers nodded, stepping forward they abandoned their formation and charged towards a doorway each. Just as more skeleton barbarians and knights neared the doorway so did they, the narrow corridors giving them the advantage over the horde. Arrows flew, projectiles exploded, heads cracked under an axe and bones shattered from blades. Sly closed his eyes and stood still, a dagger per hand hanging from the tips of his fingers ¡°Find the calmness¡­the pond within¡­¡± he chanted as his mind drifted elsewhere. Reyna struggled to heal the others ¡°Bestow life upon them! Regenerate! Bestow purity! Heal!¡± going through each healing skill she had. Soren held his doorway with his immense strength, using [Earthquake] as much as possible alongside his other rage abilities he crushed the coming waves with single slashes of his axe. Bones not even felt under the attack, shields shattering from the power. Karnage danced around the shields while evading clubs and swords alike, aiming for their spines she two hit skeletons with rapid slashes and evasive combos. Skill unleashed his quiver with destructive magic before switching to his dagger as he waited for the cooldowns, quickly disarming the skeletons on the front he played around with them as they tried to pick up their weapons or simply grab his skinny form. When the cooldowns where done going through he¡¯d sheath his dagger and continue with the firing range. Silv lay kneeling down aiming into the doorway, whenever a skeleton stepped through he¡¯d pull the trigger after picking out of his array of magic projectiles. Be it green for a splash of acid, blue for an explosive flame, red for a scatter shot or white for a blast of electricity he stacked bones at the entrance making it harder for the next to pass. ¡°Fuck!¡± Silv cursed as a bullet penetrated his shoulder, quickly standing up he evaded a second. ¡°Gunners!¡± Skill announced as he fell back from the corridor. Soren and Karnage taking cover behind their doorways they waited for them to come close ¡°Warriors too!¡±, Karnage shouted after one of the longsword wielding skeletons ran into the hall only to fall apart from her attacks. Sly continued to mutter his chant under his breath, barely a whisper he paid little attention to his surroundings. The adventurers fell back as the Warriors charged through the doorways followed by squads of zombified Dwarves wielding rifles, their skin almost green from rot, their eyes completely hollow while some chunks of flesh were completely missing from their face and or limbs. Skill and Silv reached Reyna and Sly, standing by them they let loose what ammo they had left on the approaching Warriors. Karnage and Soren on the other hand charged around the Warriors and headed directly for the Gunners. Taking out some the two melee fighters still took fire from the other two Gunner squads.
Party member [Karnage] has died!
Party member [Soren] has died!
With an empty quiver Skill strapped his bow and unsheathed his dagger ¡°Strides of the deep green! Forest walk!¡± after a quick chant he charged forward as a yellow glow formed around him, projectiles from the Gunners turned around him due to it. With quick evasive movements, he killed a Warrior before a second lunged at his sword arm. Grimacing from the pain he stabbed the skeleton¡¯s skull, a third ran it¡¯s sword through his back.
Party member [DemSkillShots] has died!
Silv abandoned his rifle and pulled out a pistol, firing away at the Warriors he evaded their lunges while keeping them in between him and the Gunner squads. Not caring for their fellow Undead the Gunners fired anyway, the projectiles injuring some of their own before hitting Silv firing squad style.
Party member [Silvaragon] has died!
Reyna looked around in panic, the Warriors surrounded them as Gunners took positions in between them to take aim. ¡°Sorry Reyna, looks like this is as far as we go¡± Sly suddenly spoke, his eyes still closed and body still unmoving. Before she could even answer the Gunners began to fire.
Party member [Reyna] has died!
¡°But before that¡­¡± Sly¡¯s form faded as the projectiles flew right through ¡°I¡¯m inflicting as much damage as possible.¡± he disappeared. A silent chant echoed throughout the hall ¡°I am one with the shadows, part of your own shadow, my own shadow. Way of the dagger.¡± as Skeletons and Zombies alike looked around for their target violet lightening arched through them. Momentarily appearing behind them, Sly stabbed as many Gunners as he could get to. His mobility no longer restricted by a body he dashed from target to target before taking form for a mere second before turning back into energy. His skill ran out just as he stabbed into his ninth Gunner, the others immediately turned to aim at him as the Warriors dashed to surround him. Blood streamed down from his lips as the two opposite types of mana within him clashed, he coughed and splattered blood into his hand. With a mocking grin he stared at the gunners lining up together as the dozens of skeletal warriors approached. Coughing up more blood he smirked ¡°Sorry boys, I¡¯m too much of a coward to give you the kill¡± spinning a dagger into a backhand grip he stabbed himself in the heart.
Party leader [SlyOkami] has died!
Member [Silvaragon] has left the party!
Outside New Ruk, Respawn point. Kyle sat down on the circular elevated stone platform, the VCD held in his right hand he stared out at the fields of snow with a bored expression. ¡°Not only do you fail to report back in with this important development but you don¡¯t even fucking give me a full report of what the dungeon contains?¡± Birse spoke harshly through the VCD as Kyle continued to ignore his rambling ¡°I would understand if it was-¡± Kyle sighed (¡°Kill me¡±) Ch 33 - Reinforcements ¡°Now that went just beautifully¡± Skill joked as he revived, looking around he found Kyll, Soren and Karnage standing by Thurk. ¡°Yo Dwarf dude, other dudes, where we at?¡± ¡°Ignoring that you just called me a ¡®dude¡¯, we¡¯re outside the city¡± Karnage replied as she rolled her eyes. ¡°I just filled in Birse¡± Kyll stated showing him the VCD ¡°We¡¯re waiting on Sly now for his report¡±. ¡°And hope for your safety it¡¯s fuller than yours Kyllix¡± Birse added, his voice coming from the device. Kyle chuckled ¡°He¡¯s joking¡­¡±, he glanced into the device ¡±You¡¯re joking right?¡±. Suddenly a flash of light caught their attention as someone else respawned. ¡°You know, I would have liked to be told beforehand if I was going in for a suicide run!¡± Reyna exclaimed as she walked down the platform and stepped towards them. ¡°Oh shut yer trap woman¡± Skill stated jokingly. ¡°Can I kill him?¡± Karnage asked. Birse snorted ¡°What¡¯s your price?¡±. Skill gawked at them speechless. Another flash of light above the respawn point before Sly appeared ¡°Yo Silv why¡¯d you leave party?¡± he immediately asked while looking around. ¡°Silv hasn¡¯t respawned yet, maybe he¡¯s still alive?¡± Kyle asked with a raised brow. ¡°No he died before me and Reyna¡­¡± Sly replied as he turned around and waited ¡°You sure he didn¡¯t walk away somewhere? Not the first time he¡¯d rage quit.¡± ¡°Nope, he hasn¡¯t respawned yet¡± Soren exclaimed as everyone turned to look at the respawn point. ¡°Adventurers¡± Thurk spoke out catching their attention, they turned to look at him but he couldn¡¯t get himself to get the words out. Kyle stepped towards the Dwarf ¡°Speak¡± he spoke with a cold commanding tone. Thurk held his ground as everyone glared at him ¡°We did not believe it was possible, you all are blessed by the grand quest similarly to the other heroes after all. Your souls should be protected¡­¡± he explained solemnly. Skill dashed between Soren and Kyle pushing them aside as he grabbed Thurk by the collar, his eyes wide with anger ¡°What does that mean?¡± he asked before Soren and Karnage pulled him away. Thurk cleared his throat ¡°When someone dies inside a dungeon their souls are conscripted, taken over by the dungeon to use as minion or mana. A dungeon shouldn¡¯t have the control needed to break the protection you have on you, less so such a new born one as this¡± his tone became agitated as several auras pressed onto him. ¡°It¡¯s my fault¡± A dark aura grew out from Sly as he stood staring out into the treeline, his hands trembled as his expression turned to pure rage. ¡°Shit he¡¯s losing it!¡± Kyle exclaimed as he stared at the black ethereal energy oozing out of him, violet lines of glowing mana growing on his hands and face. ¡°W-what do we do?!¡± Reyna asked as she stepped back in horror. Reality shifted next to Sly as a crimson red rift tore open ¡°I told you, if anything happens¡­¡±, Draxxer stepped out of the rift and raised his right hand to Sly¡¯s forehead ¡°I¡¯ll come¡±. Sly collapsed unconscious, the black aura around him dissipating into the air. Draxxer sighed ¡°So, what completely idiotic failure have you suffered this time?¡± he asked pointedly while glancing at everyone. Thurk kneeled down ¡°Great hero! What brings you to these parts!?¡± he asked in a cold sweat. ¡°Unfortunately I¡¯m on babysitting duty¡± Draxxer replied with another sigh ¡°So who¡¯s going to explain?¡±. Kyle stepped forward ¡°Is it possible for a dungeon to conscript one of us?¡±. Draxxer frowned at his question ¡°No¡­No dungeon has such precise control, I thought you left Carn without entering the dungeon though?¡± Kyle glanced back at Thurk who was visibly shaking ¡°A dungeon appeared here in New Ruk, we entered to investigate it but got wiped. One of us hasn¡¯t returned.¡± Draxxer hummed in thought as he stared down at the unconscious Sly ¡°This person is indeed one of your people? Were they in a party with you?¡± Skill spoke bitterly ¡°Yes he¡¯s one of us, he was in our party but¡­¡± ¡°He left, forced out of the party I should say¡± Draxxer¡¯s eyes narrowed as understanding went through him. ¡°And what would that imply?¡± Birse asked, as Kyle raised the device to face Draxxer he saw the image of Birse sitting behind his desk with arms crossed. ¡°Foul play, something is assisting this dungeon. To have enough power to disrupt a God¡¯s protection¡­the list can be narrowed down to four things.¡± Draxxer crouched down, grabbed Sly by the waist and lifted his unconscious body over his shoulder ¡°An angel, a demi-deity, an ascended or¡­¡± he stood up ¡°A Devil¡±. Birse¡¯s expression darkened ¡°What is the outcome of being conscripted? Can they be saved?¡± Skill turned to glare at him ¡°Of course we¡¯re saving him!¡± he exclaimed angrily. Birse met his glare ¡°Stand down Skill¡±. Biting his lip Skill quieted down and dropped his glare, his fists red from being clenched the whole time. Draxxer shook his head ¡°He¡¯s far gone, at best you can put him out of his eternal slavery.¡± The adventurers stared at him in shock. Kyle knees buckled underneath him as he fell down, a hollow feeling in his gut. Soren dropped his battleaxe as his body also went limp, falling down he lay sitting on the snow as him and Kyle stared at Draxxer in disbelief. Skill¡¯s eyes widened, turning around he ran off into the nearby treeline. Nobody stopped him, nobody spoke at all for what seemed like hours. Draxxer broke the silence ¡°I shall take this one directly to the capital, this second incident makes it clear that he has no control and is too dangerous. Leader Birse, I can send in an elite squad of sol-¡± Birse cut him off, his voice harsh and forced ¡°No¡± he stated plainly ¡°This is our business, he is one of ours and as such will be taken care of by our own¡±. Draxxer nodded in understanding before turning and stepping into the rift, it closed behind him leaving them to stare at empty space. ¡°Kyllix prepare to force open a rift, Death change the connection to Kyll¡¯s¡± Birse ordered as he stood up. ¡°On it¡± Death announced from somewhere in the room. Kyle continued to lay there, his breathing escalating into panic. ¡°KYLE!¡± Birse shouted out his name, his anger and frustration finding their way into his tone. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Kyle managed a reply, his hands clenching around the device as Birse disappeared out of view. ¡°Kyll I¡¯m cutting the connection, whenever you¡¯re ready after that¡± Death announced as the VCD¡¯s crystal centre suddenly went back to being transparent. Kyle and Soren lay there momentarily, quietly they lay there as their anguish and frustration got under control. ¡°Kyll¡­¡± Karnage had crouched down by him, she lay her hand on his shoulder and tried to speak but nothing came to her. Kyle suddenly stood up, his eyes fierce with anger ¡°Stand back¡± he told them as he raised the device with his left hand to hover in front of himself. Everyone stepped back as he focused, closing his eyes he began to chant ¡°Bend to my will, break to my touch! Dimensional Force!¡± his words echoed far and wide as a blue aura engulfed his right arm like an inferno. Lunging forward he clawed at the VCD with his right hand, the moment they clashed a blinding red light flashed out. Kyle let go of the device as he felt it shatter under his grip, standing back he covered his eyes from the light as it began to slowly dim. When the light disappeared completely they found themselves staring into an orb of crimson red energy, twirls of blue spun and twisted around it¡¯s circular surface. Two figures stepped out of the orb, Death and Seren glanced around at the others as they came out of the portal. Kyle inspected them both.
DeathChilled [Pyromancer]-[Martial Artist] (Runic) (SER Blaze Lord) Level 96
Death had switched out his new spawn equipment, he wore a dark red monk robe with black patterns of flickering fire. As for weapon he held a long abyssal black Bo staff, runic inscriptions carved into it glowed red from top to bottom.
Seren_Cross [Cleric]-[{Lord of Wisps}] (Glass-cannon) (SER Scrub 1) Level 97
Seren¡¯s gear was less flashy, a pure white robe trimmed with light blue. Her staff on the other hand was difficult to look at, completely made of crystal the staff¡¯s base was two blue vines twisting around each other and ending in white orb that the vines wrapped around. Some of the vines grew outwards forming four pairs of crystalline wings ending in sharp blades. ¡°Birse said he¡¯ll be back soon, went to gather some old friends he said¡± Death explained with a saddened tone, with his gaze on them he sighed and walked up to Kyle and Soren who couldn¡¯t meet it. Before he could say a word Seren stomped over to stand in front of them ¡°Snap the hell out of it, you think he¡¯d want you to sulk all damn day long?¡± she spoke softly but her hands clenching around her staff couldn¡¯t hide the anguish they all felt. ¡°No¡­he¡¯d want us to take him out¡± Kyle replied, his voice choked and toneless. Death smiled weakly ¡°Take two, we¡¯ll take care of this.¡± he told them with a nod ¡°Where¡¯s Skill?¡± Kyle pointed towards where Skill had run off towards ¡°He dashed away into the trees¡± he replied. Death followed his gesture ¡°We¡¯ll go find him, you two wait for Birse here.¡± turning around he walked away, Seren glanced at the two of them one last time before following. Kyle spent the next few minutes trapped in his thoughts as he stared emptily at the portal (¡°Why did it turn out like this¡­we should have been more thorough¡­we should have¡­we should¡­¡±). The grief itself was eating him away but combined with the guilt he felt completely hollow (¡°It happened again¡­no matter how strong I get¡­I keep¡­I keep losing people¡­¡±) grabbing his chest with his right hand he clenched it fiercely. ¡°We¡¯re back¡± Seren announced as she walked back over to them, Death helping Skill walk behind her.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°What happened!?¡± Reyna asked with a shocked expression, Skill was missing a leg. ¡°Nothing important, he¡¯ll heal.¡± Death replied as he helped Skill down to the ground nearby a tree. Seren crouched down by them and began casting her healing magic, a steady flow of ethereal green energy slowly regenerating the leg. ¡°We¡¯re here¡± Birse announced as he walked out of the portal, a few other adventurers walked out behind him. Kyle¡¯s surprise momentarily overcame his grief and guilt as he inspected them.
Birse [Shadow Paladin](Were) (SER Overlord) Level 97
Birse had gotten vast upgrades to his gear since the last time Kyle saw him, now that he stood in front of him he could see it in full. He wore full white plate armour with dark grey trimming, a dark grey hood going down into a cloak and a pair of pitch black gauntlets twice the size of the average. Each gauntlet¡¯s fingers had long snow white claws curving inwards, out from the wrist five white chains hung out about two meters long and ending in dark grey hooks.
Jackykill [Assassin]-[{Lord of Wraiths}](Sneaky-Beaky) (SER Elite) Level 92
The assassin was wearing a dark grey robe under a darker cloak, a white iron mask covered his face from the nose down as strange green inscriptions glowed on it. The only traits of his appearance visible were his dark brown feline eyes, constricted slits for pupils. No weapons were visible on him.
Steph773 [Elementalist]-[Alchemist] (Energized) (SER Elite) Level 105
A mage with brown eyes, elven ears and long blonde hair, strands of blue, red, green and brown mixed in. She wore a bright yellow robe lined with belts that held long crystals of every colour strapped to them. Instead of a weapon she wore black leather gloves, four slots for crystals lay empty on each wrist.
CHfarms [Druid]-[{Lord of Treants}] (Stick-Em) (SER Elite) Level 114
Although human in appearance the ears, tail and blue stripes on the skin gave away their tiger beast-man linage, with short black hair and green eyes they weren¡¯t the strangest looking of the group but definitely stood out. He wore plate armour entirely made of green wood with branches sticking out from the shoulders, leaves grew out from them as if still getting sustenance. A dark green cloak made of leaves covered his armour while strapped to his back was a long bow of curling branches and vines.
Cherrysboi [Guardian]-[{Lord of Golems}] (True Tank) (SER Elite) Level 119
About a head taller and half a person wider than the rest this dark-skinned bear beast-man wore dark grey chain armour above brown leather chest and legs, along with plate gauntlets he also wore dark grey chain leather boots. His friendly smile, bald head, red and blue eyes overshadowed by the gigantic hammer head strapped to his back. Blood red iron all the way down to the handle the large war hammer looked impossible to haul, even so he stood as if it wasn¡¯t even there.
Woodstauk [{Lord of Unicorns}] (Experi-mental) (SER Scrub Lord) Level 91
By far the strangest of the group of adventurers, this elf with short brown hair and blue eyes caught most of the attention with his unorthodox gear. He wore a sleeveless jacket of white pelt above a black shirt with long sleeves, long pants and a cloak both same pelt as the jacket. Above the cloak¡¯s hood right where his forehead would be located a long black unicorn horn spiralled upwards not attached to the hood but poking out of a hole it probably made. He held no weapons or armour parts that looked close to being one. ¡°You never told us the others are here too?!¡± Kyle exclaimed in surprise at their being here and astonishment at what one of them had sticking out. Birse shrugged ¡°I didn¡¯t either until they all approached me recently, was going to tell you all when you arrived at Kaledd so we¡¯d all meet up face to face but¡­circumstances as they are we¡¯re here now.¡± he explained with a distant tone. Suddenly more adventurers stepped out of the portal, among the dozens of them Kyle recognized Zeeke, Nakano, Zaahr and a couple other Eternium and Apok guild officers. Zeeke gave a wary glance at Birse and Jacky before stepping towards Reyna ¡°We¡¯re heading straight for Kaledd¡± he announced before glancing back at the rest of his guild members who grouped up by them, Kyle counted eight Eternium members in total. Karnage ran over to Zaahr and hugged her, the almost sickly thin girl smiled weakly as she patted her friend¡¯s head. Pulling away Karnage glanced at the rest of her guild ¡°What about the others?¡± she asked with worry in her voice. Zaahr was the one to respond ¡°We set up hunting parties to grind levels around the forest, they¡¯re all busy getting stronger¡± she tapped Karnage¡¯s shoulders reassuringly. Birse cleared his throat gaining everyone¡¯s attention ¡°As we¡¯ve discussed Eternium and Apok will be heading straight to Kaledd to gather their members, Serenity has some unfinished business here in New Ruk.¡± He turned to Thurk who was staring at everyone with wide eyes and confusion ¡°You Dwarf, take us through to the other side of the mountain¡± the words came out as more of an order. Thurk was taken surprise by his tone and jumped slightly before responding ¡°I-I¡¯m afraid I cannot let so m-¡± Birse rolled his eyes in annoyance and walked away ¡°On me¡± he ordered, the Serenity members including Kyle, Soren, Death, Seren, Jacky, Steph, CH, Cherry, Wood and the healed Skill all turned to follow him. The other guilds followed closely letting Thurk momentarily stand there even more confused than before, after a bit of a jog he caught up with Birse. ¡°You must understand that we cannot allow this many into our people¡¯s predicament!?¡± Thurk tried to reason with Birse as he walked by him, glancing back and forth between him and the wall a couple dozen meters away. ¡°It is of no consequence how many know of your situation as long as the problem doesn¡¯t exist anymore correct?¡± Birse spoke without stopping or even looking at the Dwarf. Thurk lulled over that before speaking again ¡°Y-Yes that is true but we have rules, laws! We cannot just let in so many people without confirmation from the King or Fae Elder¡± he explained, his tone growing agitated as they approached the wall. Birse smirked ¡°Would you prefer I siege that wall open then? Don¡¯t bull shit me, either I am going in there to speak with your so-called King and Elder or this whole city will be burned to the ground until I reach that dungeon.¡± Thurk could feel his throat run dry, it was no empty threat. He thought over his situation as they walked by the wall, the gate nowhere to be seen as it was designed. ¡°Kyll mark the entrance¡± Birse ordered as he continued to walk, his usual casual steps replaced by determined strides. Kyle surged forward a couple times before stopping, having put the spot to memory he glanced around momentarily before surging back towards the approaching group once. Finding the area he remembered, he stood in front of it as blue slime began forming around his hands. --- Author: This just felt right Bad ass music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2uU6OJV65w --- ¡°Let me¡± Birse told him as the chains he dragged behind him gained a golden aura, suddenly lunging forward with his right hand the chains grew longer and hooks dug into the wall. ¡°You can¡¯t¡­¡± Thurk murmured as he watched, his hands grew sweaty as his eyes widened in disbelief. Birse continued to walk as the chains rattled along the metal wall, reaching where Kyle was standing he turned to face the wall. ¡°Step back¡± He ordered and Kyle did so. Birse lunged forwards with his left hand also sending the remaining chains at the wall, the hooks digging into the metal as if it was nothing more than wood. He glanced at the rest of the guild ¡°Seren, Steph, Death and Kyll. Buff me¡±. All four members lined up behind him and began chanting. Kyle raised his arms forwards ¡°Presence of power, presence of strength. Demonic Presence!¡± the dark aura flowed out from him and engulfed everyone nearby before dissipating. Seren held her staff straight in front of her as she chanted with eyes closed ¡°For the glory of victory bestow the ecstasy of power! Titan¡¯s strength!¡± a red ethereal bolt of energy surged out of her staff and struck Birse¡¯s back giving his body a red aura-like hue. Death held his staff in one hand and raised his right towards Birse ¡°Tormented flames of hell rise through the ashes and be reborn. Phoenix¡¯s breathe!¡± a golden flame burst out of his open palm and momentarily engulfed Birse¡¯s whole body. When the fire subsided Birse was left with golden flames for eyes, his gauntlets being his weapons of choice also burst into a golden blaze. Steph grabbed six red and four yellow crystals, putting three red and two yellow in each glove she then raised her wrists towards him. ¡°Through the rage of fire and calculative ways of nature. Power boost!¡± the crystals shone with their respective colours brightly, the lights shrunk into beams that eventually all lined up on Birse. Steph clenched her hands into fists ending the beams and leaving Birse with orange crystal shards hovering circles around him. After taking a deep breath and flexing his arms Birse stared up at where the chains dug into, flat metal with no indentations to be seen what so ever. He began to chant ¡°Rise from the deepest pits, imbue me with your unholy power. Shadow Ascendance!¡± smoke like shadows rose from the ground around him forming two hulking arms by his side, the arms bent down and grabbed a set of chains each. ¡°Knock, knock. Daddy¡¯s here¡± he announced with a mana infused voice and the shadow arms pulled. --- New Ruk, Northern outer outpost. Having felt a powerful disturbance of mana outside the city Elder Helen sent Meril to investigate, as she walked through the long tunnel of metal she detected a number of mana signatures before a fifth one appeared like an explosion power by the others. Feeling slightly faint Meril led onto the metal wall ¡°What¡­is that¡­¡± she whispered, the five Fae guards behind her rushed to her side. Wearing dark blue plate armour the guards weren¡¯t on par with the warriors they lost to the dungeon but were currently their best, higher than the common soldier but not quite the elites. Each had a level ranging around 120 and were equipped with long halberds, each end having a spear¡¯s point. Meril collected herself and glanced up at the gate a couple meters away from their position, the usual smooth surface ruined by multiple bulges. Her eyes widened in confusion ¡°What in the name of-¡± ¡°Knock, knock. Daddy¡¯s here!¡± the voice boomed through the tunnel like a rush of mana causing her to step back, the creaking of metal and tearing of iron forcing her to cover her ears as the gate was torn right off. The enormous plate of metal, gears and other metallic contraptions was sent flying back and away from the rest of the wall. It landed with a loud crash behind the Serenity members, the snow rising up a couple feet from the disturbance. Birse stepped forwards and into the tunnel as gears and pieces of metal fell apart from the gateway, pulling on his chains they tore off from the broke gate and retracted back to him as two large shadows shrunk down into the ground behind him. Meril gawked at the wide-open gateway as she fell to her knees, disbelief and astonishment stunning her from even thinking. The Fae guards recuperated faster than her and lowered their halberds at the intruder, sweat covered their vision as they visibly trembled. One of them managed to speak ¡°Halt! You are damaging kingdom property! Give yourself up now and the charges can be minimised!¡± the guard spoke with a choked voice, the fear eating away at him from inside. Birse merely snorted at the display ¡°Out of my way¡± he stated before waving his right hand forwards, the chains rushed at the guards and entangled around them. Pulling back he sent each guard flying out of the tunnel and into the cold snow, unperturbed by their screams of shock and pleas of mercy he continued to walk forward dragging them behind him. Meril leaned back into sitting from surprise, her eyes wide in terror and mouth gawking and trembling from fear. Birse stopped next to her and glanced down, she slowly turned to meet his gaze. He momentarily looked at her with scrutiny before raising an eyebrow, forwarding his free hand to her ¡°Take me to your leaders¡±. --- New Ruk, Throne room. A few minutes later. The Serenity, Eternium and Apokalypse guilds stood around in the throne room as they waited for the Dwarven and Fae leaders, having all arrived very recently through Meril¡¯s guidance. Birse stood patiently facing the throne, his right arm over Meril¡¯s shoulders who stood beside him petrified. It had taken multiple of the Serenity members to stop him from walking up to the throne and sitting down. The Serenity members stood to one side beside the nearest pillar, Skill, Soren, Death and Seren were standing in a group talking to each other while the others either stood or sat around nearby. Kyle stood with is back to the pillar, brown slime moving around his raised right arm. Distracting his thoughts from the grief and guilt, he focused on finding a use for his new type of slime. Raising his left he summoned demonic slime and let it flow around his arm before reaching the palm of his hand, doing the same with the draconic slime he then pressed them together. Nothing happened, he pulled away his hands and saw that the two slimes remained unaffected by each other. He then moved the blobs of slime, making them stretch out he controlled them into merging together but again the two slimes refused to combine and simply slid by as they touched. He pulled them away from each other and made the demonic slime change, the frost blue slime appeared in it¡¯s place. Moving them to touch each other he was pleased to see a change, this time around the two slimes merged. The draconic slime rapidly devoured the frost slime the second they touched, a notification told Kyle what he succeeded in doing.
Skill merge is a success! [Ooze(Draconic)] has merged with [Ooze(Frost)] creating [Ooze(Elder Frost)]
Focusing on the created skill effect, a window with its description popped up.
Slime type: (Elder Frost) variation of (Draconic) (Elder Frost) Effects: [Chilling grasp]; [Frostbite] debuff can be stacked up to 5 times. [Elder control]; Control over all variations of [Ooze(Frost)] costs 80% less mana.
Kyle closed the window and gazed down at the fluorescent dark blue slime (¡°A minor victory at least¡­¡±) he thought with a gloomy expression. ¡°Yo champ¡± Cherry greeted as he lay his back onto the pillar next to Kyle ¡°That¡¯s one strange class you got there¡± he mused with a curious expression. ¡°Ew, how do you even control it? With your mind?¡± Steph asked as her, Jacky, CHfarms and Woodstauk also walked over. Kyle looked up and glanced at all of them, except for their user names he didn¡¯t know much about any of them. Steph, CHfarms and Cherry being old members of their small group along with Birse, Death and Silv. Jacky being a complete mystery to him and Woodstauk as much of a mystery but more on the random popping out of nowhere and going through unorthodox fits kind. ¡°That¡¯s no way to introduce yourselves¡± CH chuckled as he forward his hand ¡°I¡¯m CH, these three clueless idiots are Steph, Cherry and Jacky. We¡¯re old members of the clan, figured we¡¯d talk since you probably had no clue about us being the newer guy and all.¡± Kyle dissipated the slime and shook his hand ¡°Kyllix¡± he stated plainly not knowing how to talk to them. ¡°Yo what about me? Do I not required an introduction as well?¡± Wood asked with a raised brow and frown, his horn rising slightly at the facial gesture. They all glanced at him momentarily before Steph spoke ¡°Who the fuck are you again?¡±. Wood looked hurt as he stared at them in astonishment ¡°I¡± he bowed dramatically ¡°Am-¡± Jacky snorted and cut him off ¡°He¡¯s a fucking unicorn man, don¡¯t pay him any attention.¡± Ch 34 - Before the storm As Kyle demonstrated the different types of slime he had to the older Serenity members the ones they had been waiting for suddenly entered the room, King Jekyll followed by Elder Helen and Thurk with his routine of guards. Jekyll¡¯s expression could only be described as weary, having taken some time before meeting with them to collect his thoughts after having listened to Thurk¡¯s report. The loss of the first northern gate didn¡¯t faze him, they were dwarves after all and construction wasn¡¯t a problem. What did however wear him down was the revelation of a powerful being assisting the undead dungeon and the headache brought to them by the loss of an adventurer belonging to the only people that accepted to help them. Helen on the other hand wore her usual stone cold expression, her wings shone bright as her magic filled the room. An invisible aura that didn¡¯t effect anything but herself, a sensing aura that determined the emotions of those within range. They both walked to stand in front of the gathering of three guilds, Apokalypse standing at attention behind their leader, Eternium gathered into two squadrons and Serenity lying about a pillar. As previously agreed upon Eternium and Apok would ask for safe passage to the other side of the mountain range first and so they did as Zeeke spoke up ¡°King Jekyll of the Dwarves and Elder Helen of the Fae, my and the Apok guild ask for passage through the mountains. We wish to reach our comrades on the other side as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°Indeed¡± Jekyll replied with a grunt as he stared at Birse, a hollow feeling in his gut ¡°You only needed ask¡±. He turned to Thurk ¡°Assemble a scouting party to take them through¡± he ordered and the guard officer nodded before walking towards them. ¡°Follow me adventurers, it will only take mere moments to get ready¡± Thurk explained as he guided Eternium and Apok out of the throne room. Glances of curiosity and worry were given at the remaining Serenity members but nobody spoke until they left. Birse let go of Meril and took a couple steps back, glancing at the rest he gestured for them to gather around him. The Serenity members stood up and walked over forming a line behind him, their expressions either cold or glaring anger. Helen frowned at what she sensed, although only one or two showed their anger the rest that hid it were far more fuming. Jekyll cleared his throat ¡°I would welcome you to my kingdom and even command for a feast whether it be not for our common enemies lying right beneath us¡± he spoke grimly as he gestured at the still frozen Meril to move, snapping out of her daze with a jerk she silently excused herself with a bow and walked towards a side exit as quickly as she could without breaking into a run. Jekyll continued to speak ¡°I have prepared our strongest remaining warriors to follow you i-¡± Birse cut him off there ¡°We do not need your help with the dungeon¡± he stated plainly with a cold tone. The king stared at him awkwardly, his mouth slowly closing from being cut off mid-sentence. ¡°Excuse my ignorance of your strength but a being cap-¡± Again Birse cut him off, speaking louder this time ¡°I assure you¡± he paused momentarily before continuing to speak again with the previous cold tone ¡°For the loss of our member¡± another pause went by ¡°Whether it be the threat of the coming Demon Legions, the Elven Purge or even the fucking Avatar itself¡±. Helen immediately shut her aura off as the amount of seating rage that emanated from the group sent her senses into confusion causing her to feel dizzy. Birse continued to speak not noticing this ¡°It will not be some petty justice that we shall inflict, we are not here to save the ones in need. We are here for retribution, the price for taking one of our own is equivalent to however much wrath we can muster.¡± He paused again for effect as he glanced back at the better role player in the group. Kyle stepped forward ¡°You question our wrath?¡± he continued to speak before they could answer that question ¡°We have removed associations ten times larger than us from existence! We have sent entire nations! Not kingdoms! Nations into disarray and chaos before delivering the killing blow to their patriarchs!¡±. The dramatic speech wasn¡¯t planned beforehand, instead Kyle acted on instinct to continue from where Birse left off. None of what he said was a lie, above all it was the entire truth except for one small part that went unmentioned¡­it was all done within a game. He continued to speak as he gestured with his arms and hands for dramatic flair ¡°We have ended wars before they even started, killed the highest members of powerful societies. Intelligence is the floor we stand on, our hands the tools and their bodies the materials we work with. The shadows are our reality, blood is our world. We are the calm after the storm, the silence after thunder. We are all that remains after, we are the serenity after the chaos.¡± Kyle turned to glance over his fellow guild members ¡°This being inflicted a wound over us that shall never heal, it took away one of the gears that made us work. We cannot replace it, so instead we shall drench it with so much blood that it will never be forgotten throughout the rest of existence!¡± In unison all the members stomped down either their weapon or foot, the sound reverberated through the room proving the following point ¡°We are not to be underestimated¡±. Helen the diplomat of the two wasn¡¯t impressed, the chance of any part of Kyle¡¯s speech being true terrified her. The tone he had spoken in, the emotion Kyle had put into his words were impossible to fake. If Jekyll was worried before then now he was astounded, the speech was well and all but to him a warrior of his people the final part is what caught his attention. That single united stomp, it was as if one single giant had emitted it. Not an army, not a band of rogues or a squad of assassins. No the sound was made by a single unit, each part following a specific pace that was carved into the unit as a whole.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Both understood the meaning of what had been just shown to them, the dungeon and its supporter were doomed from the start. All that mattered now was shielding their city from the wrath of this monster, a monster they had poked and prodded the moment it came into their view. Feeling as if his role was accomplished Kyle stepped back (¡°No loss is without gain¡±) he thought to himself, something Birse had told them all many times even before this world. A couple moments of absolute silence went through the room as Jekyll and Helen processed their declaration, not knowing how to proceed they waited for one of theirs to do so. Jekyll was simply out of words, he didn¡¯t know what to say or do anymore. Helen on the other hand guessed that they wanted something but decided to wait and see, see If they actually did want something out of them. Having waited long enough for them to collect their thoughts Birse broke the silence ¡°Now the reason we even stand here before you, instead of simply storming down to the dungeon.¡± His eyes narrowed as he glared both of them down ¡°You were the start of all of this. I understand that you couldn¡¯t have known such a being to be assisting the dungeon at the moment but¡± he momentarily paused before suddenly raising his voice ¡°You knew it was a possibility, you knew we aren¡¯t of this world and have no such knowledge.¡± Helen was about to object but Birse gave her no room to talk ¡°For the price of withholding information from us, information that costed us one of our own. We forward you two choices.¡± Having felt a pause Helen found her time to speak ¡°What are these choices¡­¡± denying what he had just exclaimed was pointless, his tone making it obvious that in their eyes it was already undeniable. Birse didn¡¯t respond for a couple moments until Jekyll spoke out of anxiety ¡°The..choi-¡± He cut him off ¡°The first¡± he spoke loudly again ¡°You are to fully comply to the following requests. Members of my guild will be allowed to take residence within New Ruk in the form of a guild base of which we shall decide the location, size and material. Resources for the previously stated guild base will be entirely provided by you. A rank within your community equal to your own will be handed to me along with a rank a step lower to all my guild members. You will forward all information you own and may own in the future regarding this, any and all kingdoms, allegiances, associations, groups and races of this world to us. Along with the previous request you will also make us exact copies of the best maps you have within your possession of this world and research regarding all sorts of magic, skills, titles and classes you own and will in the future. Next, all equipment members of my guild purchase from you will come free of charge.¡± Birse grew a slight smile as he mentioned the last request ¡°The final request and this is by no means a joke nor does it hold any meaning towards rank or title, you will hand over the object that is that throne.¡± ¡°I call dibs!¡± Wood suddenly exclaimed raising his right arm up as he rose to stand on his toes. Slowly Birse glanced back and stared at him in astonishment, Wood lowered his arm and returned to standing on his feet ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a no?...¡± Birse¡¯s expression twitched a couple times before turning to again look at Jekyll and Helen. ¡°Ignore the unicorn¡± he finally stated before waiting for their response. Helen¡¯s eyes were wide with disbelief, not at the interruption but at the total implications of the requests. They could make the whole city their base, take any resource they wanted, any information they wanted and do whatever they wanted until the populace objected. She couldn¡¯t possibly fathom accepting this choice ¡°And the alternative?¡± so she set her hopes upon the second. Birse¡¯s smile faltered as he returned to his cold emotionless expression ¡°The alternative is that all of the above will be taken by force.¡± He fully understood what this meant, not only did he have the backing of more than half the adventurers but the Mage guilds as well. Along with the fact that the adventurers they gathered so far alone outnumbered the populace of both Dwarves and Fae, giving them the advantage of having the Dominion side with them. Jekyll closed his eyes briefly and sighed, turning around he walked over to his throne. Suddenly his resounding laughter reverberated throughout the room, as he calmed down he stood staring at it with a grim expression while he rested his right hand over one of the many wing bones ¡°I actually liked this throne¡­¡± --- Deep below the Dwarven Mountains, The dungeon Under¡¯s core room. A couple hours earlier. Abaddon rested against the pillar holding up the core as she lay sitting down and breathing heavily ¡°It took a couple tries¡­but I did it¡­damn things were protected but I did it¡­I took over one of their souls!¡± she exclaimed loudly and began to giggle. Glancing up she noted the dungeon hadn¡¯t responded ¡°Under?¡± slowly she lifted her right hand up and touched the core. (¡°Your actions took great amounts of our mana pool, I must slumber until I recuperate¡±) The dungeon spoke into her mind through their connection as core and limb, as master and minion. Although not a mindless minion Abaddon was still bound to the dungeon as part of it, she couldn¡¯t leave without being imbued with large amounts of mana from the core and even that was temporary. Having fled from the battle of I¡¯le decades ago, bathed in blood and moving in a dying body slashed by the blade hero himself she escaped deep into the Dwarven mines which now held the city of New Ruk. Abaddon chuckled to herself as she rose ¡°You know Under, I still remember that day clearly. As I lay there dying in some random shit hole I picked for grave. As my many wounds bled me out, as my slashed heart took its final beats. I heard it, the voice of a weak existence trying announce it¡¯s name to some Fae for their guidance.¡± A weak smile grew on her face as she reminisced ¡°As I left my corpse of a body behind, how you tugged at my fleeting consciousness for attention. How you saw in me a teacher I saw in you the potential to survive, the potential to be greater than anything your kind ever strived to be.¡± She paused briefly as she rested her forehead to the core. ¡°You saw me as guide, I saw you as a sapling I could grow. And so I did for all this time, showed you our ways and taught you the start of our most ancient summoning magic. My promise then is still my promise now.¡± The dungeon pulsed with power as she stepped back to get a full view of it ¡°That pebble of a core that you once were, the promise I made to that pebble is the same I repeat to the boulder that you are now.¡± She opened her arms wide as a wicked grin curved her lips ¡°I will make you larger than a mountain, I will guide you into growing to the size of a world. For so long we have worked together, through blood and sweat. We are getting closer, with every addition we get closer. When we are ready you will devour the other dungeons, you will take over their power and land.¡± A humanoid silhouette with a tail could be seen slowly walking into the dimly lit room. Abaddon¡¯s laughter echoed throughout the dungeon as she glanced the new minion walk in ¡°Let them come!¡± she exclaimed ¡°Let the fools attack! Let them continue sending their best! No matter what we shall devour them whole!¡±. Her eyes widened as they flared with bright red energy ¡°I will make you into the ultimate dungeon! One that has devoured a whole world! The philosopher¡¯s stone of legend!¡± Ch 35 - Guild Raid Kyle stood staring down the first tunnel taken over by the dungeon, the other Serenity members gathered behind him. The destruction they had left behind them the first time they went by was completely gone, the tunnel looked as if nothing had occurred here at all. It pissed him off, as if the dungeon was showing off just how much damage they had actually done. ¡°This is where it starts¡± Kyle explained to the rest, having already told them everything he knew about the dungeon as they followed a couple Dwarven miners through the tunnels. This was the last part he had yet to tell them. Birse studied the tunnel briefly before glancing back ¡°Ch, Woody take care of it.¡± The two of them stepped ahead of the group ¡°I¡¯ll get the roof¡± Ch told the unicorn man as he walked over to the left wall of the tunnel, placing his right hand on it¡¯s surface and closing his eyes. ¡°Guess I get the floor¡± Wood mused as he crouched down and placed his open palms on the ground. Suddenly the tunnel¡¯s ceiling exploded with roots growing out, Skeletons struggled to get out of the root¡¯s grip as they hung them by the neck. Slowly the ground beneath each hanging skeleton rose as another skeleton was forced out of the ground, their hands and legs bound together by crystal. In total there had been 8 skeletons inside the stone ceiling and one underneath each of them inside the ground, making 16 skeletons used for the failed ambush. ¡°Let¡¯s move¡± Birse ordered and the whole group moved forward, CH took shots at the hanging skeletons and Woodstauk controlled the crystal up to their backs then making it explode killing the ones on the ground. As they arrived at the second tunnel they did the same, Ch sending his roots through the walls then up to the roof and Woodstauk channelling his mana into the ground transforming the stone to crystal then controlling it. Roots exploded out of the ceiling and crystal rose from the ground but no skeletons emerged. Kyle frowned ¡°Something¡¯s up, the dungeon is playing cheap¡± he mused, the previous ambush also had less skeletons than before. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Ch asked as he released his hand from the wall leaving the roots to dry out and dissipate. Birse snorted ¡°It¡¯s harassing us now while keeping its main force for later, it switched around its strategy.¡± he began walking forward. ¡°Prepare for constant harassment, save your main abilities. Seren, Kyll, Ch, Wood, Skill and Steph gather up. Soren and Cherry with me front. Jacky and Death cover our backs.¡± Everyone took the formation he gave them, heavy fighters on the front, mages and rangers in the middle and light fighters on the back. As they moved Jacky began whispering to Kyle ¡°So what¡¯s up with the kid?¡± Kyle glanced back ¡°He¡¯d kill you if you actually said that to his face.¡± Jacky snorted ¡°He can try¡±. Kyle gave a weak smile ¡°From what we can tell, it has nothing to do with this world. Apparently he wasn¡¯t human from the start, not fully anyway. Our world, our reality doesn¡¯t contain mana therefore anything pertaining to magic doesn¡¯t take. Anything or anyone that is too dangerous to keep in world with mana is sent to ours, that is what we¡¯ve been told anyway. Sly is a half angel, half fallen angel actually and they use a type of mana called Astral while he began making use of another called Aura. Those two mana types don¡¯t go together without becoming volatile and explode, violently.¡± The others present listened in while still staying wary of their surroundings but Kyle stopped speaking as they neared the stone brick doorway. ¡°Stay alert¡± Birse stated as they stopped by the doorway, he glanced at Cherry ¡°Take point¡±. Kyle focused to look into the room, he thought of a recent skill he had gained and activated it. Cherry nodded and pulled his Warhammer from his back, he walked through the large doorway ¡°Vanguard!¡± suddenly a bright yellow aura shone around him lighting up the whole room as he entered. ¡°Ambush!¡± Kyle shouted out and Cherry immediately stepped back, two longswords lunged out from each side of the doorway held by skeletal hands. Cherry grimaced ¡°Fuck the doorway¡± clenching his hammer he smashed down on the left wall, the stone shattered under the attack causing the whole wall to burst apart. He switched the hammerhead to his right hand and did the same with the right, the stone collapsed on the skeletons destroying them. Birse glanced back at Kyle ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡± he turned fully to stare at his glowing eyes ¡°Kyll your eyes are glowing¡±. Kyle blinked and the blue light dimmed from his eyes ¡°That was weird¡­¡± he stated with a confused expression. ¡°For a moment there I¡­could see them through the wall¡­¡± he explained as the others also turned to look at him. ¡°X-ray vision?¡± Woodstauk guessed as he leaned forward to get a look, almost poking Skill¡¯s eye out with his horn. ¡°No more like¡­I could see something where they stood. Like a blue flame, just like¡­¡± his eyes widened in surprise ¡°Just like a soul¡± his surprise doubled as a notification appeared.
Through the use of a skill [Draconic Perception] effecting the same sense you have perceived the secondary effect of the skill [Soul Detection]
¡°Huh¡­I can see souls now¡­¡± Kyle noted as he blinked once more, the feeling of something pressuring his eyes mildly bothering him. His irises regained their light blue glow, the pupils morphed and changed into a black runic symbol. ¡°Now that¡¯s just creepy¡± Steph stated as they all leaned away. Kyle narrowed his eyes as he stared ahead, dim blue flames barely visible in the distance. He focused on them and suddenly it was as if his eyes locked on and zoomed in, unfocusing allowed him to zoom out. ¡°I¡¯ll take point¡± he told them as he looked at Birse for confirmation. Birse nodded ¡°Kyll takes point, Skill and Ch cover him.¡± The two rangers nocked their arrows and nodded. Kyle stepped through the destroyed doorway, his eyes glowed brighter as he scanned through the multiple flames only visible to him that lay ahead. Skill and CH waited a couple moments before following, the rest staying close to the two rangers. Kyle¡¯s eyes moved in quick succession as more souls came into view, remembering the known outline of the dungeon he made a mental map of their locations. The rest of the way Kyle pointed out the ambushes ahead of time, skeletons falling from the ceiling they stuck to, undead Dwarven gunners waiting in groups of four behind doorways, skeletons hiding under loose pavement and Necrotic skeletons hiding inside the doorways between rooms. In one whole room where multiple skeletons lay underneath its floor too low to be an ambush Kyle also noticed a group of four other things waiting behind the doorway they had to reach, he wasn¡¯t able to determine what the soul¡¯s owner was only the location. ¡°Pitfall trap, multiple skeletons in the pit and probably gunners behind the next doorway¡± he told the others as they studied the room from the connecting corridor. ¡°The whole floor?¡± Birse asked as he crouched down to get a closer look. Kyle noted how spread out the skeletons where ¡°Yes it¡¯s five by the walls and four around the middle, none of them are grouped up and their locations aren¡¯t random. It¡¯s one whole pitfall trap not multiple spread out ones.¡± Soren sighed in annoyance ¡°What do we do? Can¡¯t exactly rush in expecting to get to the other side¡­¡± Birse stood up ¡°Woody give us a bridge¡± he pulled Soren and Skill aside as CH, Cherry and Kyle also stepped out of the way. ¡°You mean rainbow¡± Wood corrected as he stepped forth. ¡°You¡¯re a unicorn not a leprechaun, now give us a damn bridge.¡± Birse replied as he rolled his eyes. ¡°Fine fine.¡± He chuckled as crystal formed around his hands, clear white that refracted light. Wood crouched down and placed his hands on the ground, the crystal grew further and enveloped the floor around his hands then burst ahead shattering pavement as it went. The whole pavement inside the room fell as the pit was revealed, the crystal continued to form ahead connecting the two doorways. Suddenly four undead dwarven gunners peeked their rifles through the doorway and began firing, the adventurers took cover by slamming themselves to the walls and out of sight. ¡°Jacky deal with them¡± Birse ordered as he glanced at the cloaked assassin. Jacky closed his eyes ¡°Wraith form!¡± his form shifted to a black smoke and rushed through the firing squad¡¯s projectiles, he appeared behind them and two long curved daggers fell out of his sleeves then into his hands. Immediately stabbing two of them in the back he morphed back to smoke as one turned to bash their rifle¡¯s butt into him, the smoke moved back and he reappeared between the remaining two. With a spin he slashed off the zombified hands that held the rifles by the back, the two weapons fell to the ground as the undead dwarves turned to back away from the assassin. Quickly he threw the two daggers spinning into the air as two more flew out of his sleeves, he threw the new daggers at the dwarves before quickly grabbing the previous two. ¡°Shadow step¡± he momentarily disappeared into black smoke before reappearing in front of the left undead. With a crosscut he beheaded the zombie before pulling it close and stabbing a dagger into it¡¯s back, he let it fall to the ground ¡°Shadow step¡± he disappeared again. Reappearing he pulled out the dagger out of the second undead, the throw having landed it in the Dwarf¡¯s forehead. He stepped back and kicked it in the chest, making the undead fall back. Just as the others walked through the doorway he crouched down and finished it off by stabbing both daggers into it¡¯s chest.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Skill and Ch along with Kyle who had summoned his [Slime Cannon] where killing the skeletons in the pit as the others may their way out, as Kyle killed the last one the three of them walked the rest of the crystal bridge and into the corridor. Kyle¡¯s eyes widened ¡°More up ahead¡± he stated with a frown ¡°Looks like the main force¡± he added after moving closer. As the whole group moved through the corridor everyone prepared their weapons and cast their buffs, some having to cast several times due to the single targeting of their spell. ¡°How many?¡± Birse asked as he gazed ahead. ¡°I count more than 60 not including the large one¡± Kyle replied ¡°I think larger means stronger, maybe a boss or the dungeon?¡± Birse grinned ¡°Check behind us¡± he then ordered. Kyle briefly stopped to look behind them and around ¡°Nothing, just those up ahead¡± he reported. Birse opened his arms gesturing for them to stop, they had almost reached the doorway. He spoke while staring up ahead ¡°Remember we aren¡¯t here to lose ourselves in anger, control yourselves and keep in it. We¡¯re not losing anybody else, we¡¯re done losing people¡± silence followed his statement as some slowed their breathing and calmed their heartrate. He then glanced back and at all of them ¡°We lost a precious member of our family, the fault truly lies with all of us for taking this too lightly. We won¡¯t no longer, today will be the last time we walk under the sun and in plain sight. But for one last time we shall charge forth into the enemy, we have no tactic preplanned or solid information on what lies ahead but one thing is for sure. Nothing will stop us. Nothing will stand in our way.¡± He turned to again look ahead ¡°Many of you remember when we took on those three PK guilds on our own? We lost that day, we were outnumbered but not outmatched. We took down many of them along with us. Today is similar except for one large difference. We aren¡¯t fighting for some online glory, we aren¡¯t fighting for some digital gain.¡± The whole group tensed up as they waited for the signal. ¡°Let loose, for today we will come out of this victorious. We will come out alive and well. For today we fight for a reason, we fight for our fallen friend.¡± --- Battle music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9GEPqBssVk --- Silently the group followed Birse through the rest of the tunnel and into the next room, the melee fighters stepped forward and lined up in front of the rest as everyone studied their surroundings and the enemy ahead. Twice as large and high than the first hall this one was circular in shape and had a large part of the ground raised two feet higher for every step through ten steps as you approached the middle, similar to a podium it took over half the floor. In the very middle a pitch black stone tower rose about a dozen meters high, metal spiked railing around the top. Above the tower multiple monsters stood, six undead dwarven gunners and one large cloaked figure. Kyle immediately inspected the figure.
{Boss} Elder Lich (Reik¡¯ Azaghoul) (Arche Necromancer) [Level 152]
Standing six feet tall and completely covered with a pitch black cloak and hood while it¡¯s face was entirely covered with a silver mask depicting a horrified screaming face, the Lich was surrounded by swirling shadows as it stared down at the invaders. Held by it¡¯s left hand was a long staff of seemingly dead grey wood ending in a jagged green crystal that oozed out the shadows. The Lich raised it¡¯s free hand up towards them and spoke an incomprehensible language, it¡¯s voice so hoarse as if nearing death. Kyle briefly took his eyes off the Lich and studied the many skeletons that surrounded the tower, closer to the tower were a couple squads of undead dwarven gunners. Kyle grimaced at the sight, the skeletons were all Necrotic and wielding a mixed array of weaponry. Birse began barking out orders ¡°Mages start barraging the gunners! Jacky, Soren and Cherry hold the front! Rangers gun down their skeletons!¡± Death closed his eyes and raised his Bo staff horizontally in front of himself, he moved to stand in between Jacky and Soren ¡°Rise from deep below the darkness and envelop them with your light. Devour their flesh and turn their bones to ash! Hellfire! Inferno!¡± he chanted the two spells after each other and both activated in unison. A wave of fire constantly burst out from his staff devouring the approaching skeletons as balls of black fire shot out from each end, the blazing spheres finding their way to the gunners in the back. Seren aimed her staff up high with both hands ¡°Holy light of healing bend to my will and turn against these abominations! Wisp¡¯s Descent!¡± a fuzzy stream of white light began flowing out of her staff and into the air above them, a large bright white swirling sphere beginning to form. She swiped down her staff when the stream stopped and the sphere reached a couple meters in size, it shot down at delayed speed with the staff and devastated in a flurry of white one of the four gunner squads. Wood hid his hands inside his pockets and leaned forward ¡°Incomprehensible surge of chaotic devastation! Devour through their battle lines!¡± his horn gained a violet glow ¡°Horn Ray!¡± the violet energy built up at the tip and burst forth in a three feet thick white ray surrounded by violet. As the ray of energy pierced through multiple skeletons another was fired, then another and another. Just as Steph was about to cast her magic the Lich spoke again, this time it raised its staff high and the shadows surrounding it broke off from the rest and shot into the fallen undead. They rose as their bodies reconstructed themselves, missing limbs flew back in place or completely regrew altogether. As the skeletons approached Birse barked out more orders ¡°Vanguard hold the skeletons at bay! Mages continue your barrage! Rangers switch target to that Lich!¡± at his order the heavy melee combatants including him, Soren and Cherry attacked any skeletons that tried to get through while Jacky and Death moved to stop the ones that tried to go around. Seren, Wood and Steph continued to rain down barrages, blasts and rays of magic on the army as the rangers took aim. Ch raised his bow and nocked a single vine enveloped arrow ¡°Growth of the deep green rise to the occasion! Vine shot!¡± the arrow flew true towards the Lich as it raised it¡¯s free hand towards it. The Lich spoke and a black sphere of mana formed around the top of it¡¯s tower, the arrow hit the barrier and exploded into several vines that latched onto it. Ch continued to fire several more of them. ¡°Take this you bony ass fucker!¡± Skill nocked three arrows at once and chanted loudly ¡°Trinity of fire! Trinity of lightning! Trinity of ice! Trinity shot!¡± he let go of the arrows as each took on a glow of either crimson red, bright violet and dark blue. The arrows each changed course mid-flight and missed the barrier entirely, slowly they stopped and hovered around it forming a triangle. With a crimson arrow to the left, a violet to the right and a blue up top Skill quickly raised his bow high ¡°Detonate!¡±. The arrows exploded into a blaze of crimson fire, burst of violet lightening and blast of freezing cold air that each enveloped the vine covered barrier from different corners. When the attack subsided cracks that had formed could be clearly seen. Kyle was already chanting as he aimed his cannon ¡°Pierce through! Tear away and destroy! Demonic Rounds!¡± the single large black projectile spun rapidly as it shot forward, the vines from Ch¡¯s attack moved out of it¡¯s way as it collided with the barrier. A loud crack reverberated through the room as the projectile exploded on contact, the barrier shattering at the point of collision as the shrapnel from the attack continued inside. The Lich screamed in anger as the claws, edged scales and leeching slime barraged it. A couple of the undead dwarven gunners nearest to the breach in the barrier lost most of their bodies from the attack and fell to the ground. The Lich held onto it¡¯s staff as it clenched it¡¯s face, it¡¯s body riddled with holes, patches of red slime and mask destroyed from the shrapnel. Letting go of it¡¯s face it was revealed, an almost skeleton dried up Elf with pearly white eyes and no hair to speak of. Quickly it reconstructed it¡¯s barrier and began raising the fallen gunners around it, they then took aim on Kyle and the other gunners but it was too late. Jacky appeared inside the barrier with daggers in hand, stabbing the two resurrected gunners on the way he rushed the Lich with his shadow form. The Lich reared back and away from the quickly approaching shadow but it was too fast, Jacky appeared behind the Lich and stabbed both his daggers into the Lich¡¯s shoulders. The barrier briefly fell as Jacky leaped away from the Lich and off the tower, the daggers in it¡¯s shoulders pushed out by it¡¯s regenerating body. Kyle smirked as him, Ch and Skill had already fired. The projectiles shot through the barrier as it reappeared, Ch¡¯s arrow the only one that was stopped only for the vines to reach around and inside. Skill¡¯s two flaming arrows lodged themselves into the Lich¡¯s chest before bursting into a blaze. Kyle¡¯s [Demonic Rounds] devoured the Lich¡¯s right shoulder before bursting into shrapnel and killing two other gunners behind it. Ch¡¯s vines managed to pierce through the blaze and break the Lich¡¯s staff in two before the barrier fully formed and separated them from the arrow, they dried up as the barrier fell again. Death, Birse, Soren and Cherry held the front line as skeletons slowly died to their attacks, Death having to resort to martial arts by bashing their skulls in with his staff as the fire had done next to nothing. Birse¡¯s chains grabbed couples of skeletons before the large shadowy arms pulled them in for him to punch and smash to pieces. Soren smashed his battle axe into the ground making it quake to keep large amounts of skeletons at bay as he hacked down any that came close. Cherry on the other hand swiped his Warhammer at thin air as blasts of bright yellow light shot out from it and crashed into a skeleton, any that came close he¡¯d simply bash into powder. Seren held up her own barrier stopping the gunners from firing at them, a bright shimmer of blue surrounded the whole group as Steph pushed her palms to Seren¡¯s back assisting in the barrier. Wood casually aimed his horn at approaching skeletons and fired his ray of energy at them. The brief stalemate caused by the Lich resurrecting the undead broke causing many of it¡¯s minions to fall, suddenly it came back into view as it stood up. It¡¯s chest was charred beyond recognition of skin, it¡¯s right shoulder completely gone and several holes still shown through it¡¯s body but it was slowly regenerating. It glanced back just as Jacky appeared to stab it in the back, raising it¡¯s remaining hand a black pulse of magic threw him off the tower. Kyle, Skill and Ch shot several projectiles at the Lich forcing it to form flat barriers to block them, it¡¯s regeneration stopping as it used magic. ¡°We need to break through the skeletons! Get ready to charge!¡± Birse shouted out as he clawed a gunner he grabbed apart. Kyle lowered his gun and let it turn back to slime (¡°Let¡¯s try this again!¡±) he thought as he raised both arms up in front of himself ¡°Monsters heart beating inside along my own, empower me! Core Overload! Through the power that courses through my veins, envelop me in your embrace! Slime Armour!¡± rapidly the florescent blue slime formed around him making him rise a couple feet from it¡¯s thickness. It enveloped him less like armour and more like a suit of solid ice that emanated ancient power, having used (Elder Frost) this time around. ¡°Charge!¡± Birse shouted as he dissipated the shadowy arms and was about to rush ahead, before a lumbering giant of ice stomped by him and into the waves of skeletons. The whole group briefly stared in awe as Kyle stomped over several skeletons, grabbed then threw some and simply clapped others flat. ¡°Charge!¡± Birse repeated himself this time actually charging into the skeletons. Kyle wreaked havoc upon the gunners while Birse, Soren, Death and Cherry with buff support from the mages began clearing the remaining skeletons. Skill and Ch moved forward slowly while continuing to harass the Lich, Jacky appearing from time to time to either assist in defending them from a stray skeleton or also harassing the Lich. Kyle opened his arms wide as black scales formed all over his slime body, stepping forward he fully hugged the tower ¡°Get!¡± he pushed with all his strength along with his full control over the slime ¡°the fuck down!¡±. Soren rushed through Birse and Death as they ended the last skeletons while Cherry charged the remaining gunners as Seren and Steph shielded him with their barrier. Wood dashed ahead and aimed his horn at the top of the tower, barraging it with his mana ray it began to budge. Soren stopped next to Kyle and shouted out as he bashed down the butt of his battle axe into the ground, the quake displacing the ground and shaking the tower itself. Kyle grinned from ear to ear as he raised the tower off the ground, the Lich stumbled from trying to defend itself from the rangers¡¯ barrage and fell off the edge. Quickly spinning around Kyle lowered the tower using its own weight to catch speed and continued to spin. ¡°Batter¡¯s up!¡± Kyle shouted as he hit the Lich mid fall with the tower, after the brief crunching of bones the Lich was sent flying to the side and into the far away wall. The battle came to a close as the slime giant simply dropped the tower and dissipated leaving Kyle falling to his feet. Everyone stared as the Lich lay still inside the wall in a crater of it¡¯s own shape, it¡¯s body motionless as it dissipated into mana. Ch 36 - Memories Dominion Capital Eslet, Royal Mansion, A few hours earlier. Empress Caitlyn sat at her dinner table as she went through multiple scrolls that lay stacked in front of her, a common sight for her since the death of her father ten years ago. Becoming the empress of a young and broken kingdom at the age of fourteen wasn¡¯t what she had envisioned for herself but in the end she had little choice. For the past ten years she had tried to lead, tried to make the people follow but the corruption that lay within the city¡¯s walls was rooted too deep. The room she sat in, marble brick walls, yellow painted marble pavement along with a blue carpet beneath the whitewood table that held her family¡¯s crest. A golden hydra with intertwined heads. No windows were part of the room, no windows were built into any part of the mansion for privacy¡¯s sake. ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± the voice cleared her out of her thoughts as she glanced at her most loyal advisor, the cloaked woman that kept watch and guided her as her mother never could. Her mother also having past at her birth. ¡°I am fine Darkness¡± Caitlyn replied as she opened another scroll. ¡°Dozing off as you drown in paperwork? As normal as that may be it is still unusual for you to do so.¡± Darkness stood behind her as she watched Caitlyn go through the many requests of wealthy merchants, military officers and other lords. Suddenly Darkness spun around as the light around her seemed to form a dark aura, her senses alerted her making her activate her defences. A crimson rift tore open along the wall behind them, Draxxer stepped out of it carrying someone over his shoulder. ¡°Excuse me for dropping in unannounced, Darkness I require your expertise.¡± Draxxer announced urgently as he walked over to the table and lay the unconscious wolfkin down on top of it. Darkness turned to study the young man but immediately stepped back with wide eyes ¡°What¡­have you brought us¡­¡± Caitlyn stood up and stepped to stand behind her as she studied the scene. Draxxer glanced back at her confused ¡°He¡¯s the same as you Rin, he¡¯s Nephilim is he not?¡± ¡°Can he hear us?¡± Darkness asked as she glared down at the wolfkin. ¡°I forced him into the state with mana pressure, yes he can still hear us¡± Draxxer replied. ¡°Ma¡¯am watch over this one for a moment, I must speak with this stupid fool¡± Darkness stated before she grabbed Draxxer by the ear then pulled him towards the double doors and out of the room. Darkness stopped the moment she closed the door and let go of his ear, ¡°What is-¡± Draxxer went to speak but was cut off as Darkness swiped her hand and he was slammed into the wall by her magic. ¡°Fool!¡± She exclaimed again, her expression angry and annoyed. He continued to stare at her confused ¡°Have I done something unnecessary? Surely you know what danger an unwatched Nephilim can cause¡± he explained defensively. Darkness sighed and held her face ¡°That¡­thing. Is no Nephilim, surely¡­you must have detected the difference?¡±. Draxxer raised an eyebrow ¡°He is of a fallen, I sensed the darkness yes?¡± She groaned in annoyance at his answer ¡°Angels fall for a reason, the darkness devours them from the inside and changes them entirely. Do you know what other than Fallen Angels they are called?!¡± she hissed at him trying to keep her voice down. Draxxer shook his head ¡°You are the lore keeper, I did not spend the hours you do within the library.¡± ¡°Devils! They are called Devils you moronic jackass!¡± She finally shouted out with frustration ¡°That thing is the descendant of a Devil! I can feel the corruption emanating out of it!¡± Draxxer¡¯s expression darkened ¡°That is the hero of the dagger¡± he stated as the pressure holding him to the wall ended. Darkness gazed at the door as she spoke ¡°Coincidences truly bring out the stranger, you brought it here for me to seal it¡¯s power? I cannot do so, what flows through that thing¡¯s soul is not Astral but it¡¯s warped counterpart.¡± ¡°What?¡± Draxxer asked, his instincts making him unconsciously grip his blade¡¯s hilt. ¡°Abysmal¡± she spoke the word with as much bitterness as she could muster ¡°Astral mana so corrupt that it echoes the evil of the abyss itself. It is not a matter of if that thing¡¯s soul will awaken to it¡¯s affinity but of when, the Abysmal mana will devour anything else within it and take over. What other mana has it processed so far?¡± ¡°Aura and lightning¡± Draxxer quickly replied. Darkness closed her eyes to meditate into deep thought ¡°Aura will slow it down and elemental will simply be devoured along, it won¡¯t be slowed down for long though.¡± Draxxer grimaced ¡°What will happen to him when it does take over?¡± ¡°The Abysmal affinity will have corrupt every drop of mana within him first, that takes time and the more Aura it processes the longer it will take but when it finally does and it will¡­It¡¯s bloodline will truly awaken, the Devil within will shed it¡¯s skin and emerge.¡± She explained solemnly. ¡°What do we¡­what can we do? We need every hero on our side that we can possibly get!¡± Draxxer exclaimed angrily. Darkness shook her head ¡°You know very well what we must do, it is saddening that it was brought to this world without knowledge of what it really is or what will happen to it once it gets into contact with mana but in the end we have no choice. We must destroy it Draxxer.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more¡± The voice reverberated from behind them as the snake that spoke it emerged from the shadows they hid in. A human man wearing a priest¡¯s black robes and cloak with his hood down, short blonde hair and friendly light brown eyes did not hide the grin he wore. Draxxer drew his sword ¡°Priest Nolin, this is private property and not even the church of night can enter unannounced!¡± he raised it towards Nolin. Nolin chuckled coldly ¡°After today? Oh old hero that will not matter anymore!¡± he opened his arms wide ¡°The empress and her most trusted advisor along with the military¡¯s very own left¡¯s general! Conspiring with Devils!? This blasphemy will see you all locked up!¡± he exclaimed happily. A scream from the other room sent Draxxer into action, kicking open the doors he dashed into the room ¡°Caitlyn!?¡±. Five cloaked figures stood around the room, black cloaks trimmed with deep crimson red and wearing masks depicting a different animal each. The one wearing a Monkey¡¯s mask held the Empress with a short single edged blade to her throat. Darkness continued to glare at Nolin, trusting in her comrade¡¯s abilities she faced the powerful priest herself ¡°How long Nolin¡­for how long have you been keeping watch?¡± The priest laughed hysterically ¡°Since the start of course! The fools at the church of day wanted a clean ruling, maybe even guide the royal family through the piss and shit they brought upon themselves! Us?! We don¡¯t care for you mongrels! The people may have not yet, but they will. They will speak out and it will carve the end of the royal¡¯s rule.¡± Draxxer glanced around at the masked assassins, each wielding the same weapon. The numbers did not matter to him, he could easily kill every single one of them alone within a matter of moments but the proximity of which they held the empress kept him from moving. ¡°Release her!¡± he growled the order at them, his sword ready at his side as his aura pressed upon them. The masked figures trembled slightly but did not move ¡°We do not take orders from the likes of you¡± the one wearing a tiger¡¯s mask spoke. Draxxer frowned ¡°You are adventurers? Why are you doing this? We are on your side.¡± Jax chuckled at his question ¡°You are, but your side is too broken to help us. We do not need a weak and indecisive ally. The churches hold just as much military power as the royal military itself, along with the citizenship on their side the military will stand with them and so shall we.¡± ¡°You¡¯d sell out one of your own?¡± Draxxer grimaced as he could barely stop himself from cutting him down. Jax pointed his sword at him ¡°Whatever it t-¡± ¡°One of his own? His? This blasted dolt couldn¡¯t tell the flat side of a frying pan less friend from foe.¡± Sly stated as he sat up, his body still feeling numb for some reason. ¡°You¡­shut it!¡± Jax exclaimed angrily ¡°It would be my pleasure to see you removed!¡± Sly chuckled, standing up on the table he glanced around the room ¡°Why so salty tiger? It was just a little bit of fun back then¡­Ah empress mind if I borrow your homework?¡± Jax stepped forward as he clenched his sword with both hands ¡°YOU SPAWN KILLED US FOR HOURS OVER THREE WEE-!¡± his fit of rage cut off as a scroll flew into his gut. Sly kicked up multiple scrolls and briefly grabbed them before throwing each one, one per figure and four at the one holding Caitlyn. The monkey masked adventurer groaned in pain as one flew straight at his jewels, a second at his sword arm, a third at his wrist and the last again at his jewels just for spite. Draxxer burst into action as he dashed forward at blinding speed, in the time it would take to slash once he did so three times as he disarmed the adventurer, cut off his arm and deeply cut his left leg before stabbing his sword deep into his chest. He stepped back as he pulled out his sword just as he dragged the trembling Caitlyn away from the falling corpse. Nolin smirked ¡°Lay down your weapons heroes, you¡¯ve already lost¡± he spoke condescendingly. ¡°Defeat is indicated by many factors, it seems you are unlearned to the ways of battle Nolin¡± Darkness stated as she raised her arms ¡°This is simply a tactical retreat¡±. Absolute darkness took over the whole room blinding everyone within, as if the light had been switched off entirely. The sound of something tearing open reverberated through the darkness before the light returned, Darkness, Draxxer, Caitlyn and Sly were gone. Jax rushed over to his guildmate, crouching down he watched as his body dissipated into mana ¡°What now?¡± he asked glancing up to the approaching priest. ¡°Now? We spread the news. The royal family is conspiring with the Devils, the old heroes of Darkness and Blade her associates.¡± Nolin smiled wickedly ¡°The Dominion is within our grasp.¡± --- Dwarven Mountains, New Ruk, Dungeon Under Kyle took a deep breath as he fell back into sitting, resting his back to the fallen tower he calmed his nerves. ¡°Everyone take two¡± Birse told them all as he himself crouched down to rest ¡°Ch and Skill keep watch¡±. Kyle focused on seeing his progress and the notifications flooded in.
Level up! (x14)
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
Assist EXP for multiple dungeon [Raid Party] kills received
Level up! (x13)
The skill [Ooze] has reached Tier 3 level 0! Attribute upgrade is available!
The skill [Core Overload] has reached Tier 2 level 0! Attribute upgrade is available!
The skill [Slime Armour] was created!
Through keeping constant control over mana you have gained stats! + 1 INT (x4)
Kyle smiled weakly at his progress ¡°Level 93¡­¡± ¡°Gratz¡± Death congratulated him as he took a seat to his left, he was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily ¡°Fuck that took a lot outa me¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­that Lich could have been a pain but they displayed it like some trophy above that¡­this tower.¡± Kyle pointed at the building he had recently used as a bat. Death glanced at it ¡°Yeah¡± then entered a fit of laugher, joined by many others in the party who had sat around them. Kyle stared around at them, their joyful yet weary expressions refreshing but the hollow feeling in his gut lingered. The feeling of losing someone, no matter how close or how little you knew them it still never changed. (¡°The emptiness they leave behind, how can they laugh? How could I laugh?¡±) he thought as he looked at them in disbelief. He turned as Death lightly punched his shoulder ¡°Lighten up, you really think Silv wished us depression on death?¡± a knowing smirk on his face. ¡°Mourn him, remember him, take pride in what we built together¡± Birse spoke as he stared up at the ceiling ¡°Wasting away your life feeling guilty won¡¯t help anybody, it will only hold you back Kyll. ¡± He looked down ¡°You too Skill, you hear?¡± he shouted at the ranger as he stood alone watching one of the entrances to the hall. ¡°Yeah yeah¡± Skill replied as he wiped his face while giving them his back. Kyle stood up ¡°You¡¯re right¡± raising his arm in front of himself he summoned some (Elder Frost) slime ¡°This feeling won¡¯t disappear but that doesn¡¯t mean I should let it hold me back¡± he forced out a smile ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s save our brother.¡± They all rose up ¡°Wipe those stupid smiles off your ugly mugs¡± Birse told them as he himself grinned ¡°Looks like you don¡¯t need a break after all huh? Form up, we¡¯re moving.¡± After taking their previous formation back up they moved together through the rest of the hall, the destruction they left behind them just another day going by. Kyle activated his sight, his silver eyes taking a bright blue hue as a circular rune formed around his pupils. ¡°Three up ahead, two very large ones.¡± They crossed to the other side of the hall then stopped to study the entrance, in front of them stood two large pitch black wooden doors. Cherry walked up to the doors and pushed ¡°It¡¯s not locked¡± he pointed out and pushed further. Suddenly the doors crashed open towards them, the force sending the whole group to the floor. The doors were sent flying from the power of whatever forced them open, the doorway now lay fully open and door-less. Shadows slowly oozed out of the unlit doorway, black smoke covered in a red aura. ¡°Reform!¡± Birse shouted as everyone stood back up, some having been sent flying back a couple feet more than others. They watched as a small humanoid form stepped out engulfed in shadows, it began to grow taller and wider as it approached. ¡°I should have noticed, why else had it been so difficult for me to even rob one of you of your souls?¡± the feminine voice echoed out of the expanding form ¡°If it wasn¡¯t heroes, why else would I be forced to fight myself?¡± before completely changing. The shadows suddenly exploded outwards revealing the being underneath. Even taller than the Lich with leathery dark purple skin covered in red glowing tattoo like lines, a curvy feminine body, bone like black armour and two long bat-like black boned wings with crimson red skin, the Devil appeared. Long locks of black and violet hair fell down her back as she glared at them with her yellow slits surrounded in black. Kyle Inspected the Devil.
{Devil} Abaddon Venus (Grimoire Keeper) (Devil Knightess) [Level 180]
Abaddon snarled at them revealing her needle like fangs that lined her mouth, she raised her right hand forward as the long blade like claws she had for fingers slowly rose ¡°Go my new minion, assist me in this fight¡± her voice a serpentine hiss that brought a chill to their bones. --- Author: These are called old? Really? Damn kids and their electric music¡­ Battle music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PseenibjruQ --- To her left the shadows stirred then burst outwards as a second figure leaped out. Silv landed next to Kyle and Ch wielding his dual pistols, dark brown wood and forged iron with mana crystals embedded to them. His armour worse for wear, his scales darker than before and his eyes an empty red glow. He raised his pistols to their faces, too surprised to act. He pulled both triggers sending bolts of red energy flying towards them, the attacks missed as the undead leaned back to evade the flaming arrow. Skill nocked a second arrow and took aim just as Silv leaped out of their formation, his reptilian body too nimble to land a shot on. ¡°Snap out of it!¡± Skill shouted at them ¡°That isn¡¯t Silv!¡± he fired the arrow just as Silv landed next to Abaddon, raising his left pistol he shot it before it reached him. Birse began barking out orders ¡°Jacky, CH, Death and Skill! Get Silv! Cherry! Soren! Kyll! With me! Rest support!¡± ¡°Through the power that courses through my veins, envelop me in your embrace! Slime Armour!¡± Kyle rose as the (Elder Frost) slime enveloped him, a thin layer of red formed around it and black scales grew over it all. He put most of his mana into the spell but with his mana regeneration and decreased cost of moving the (Elder Frost) slime cancelled out the upkeep cost entirely, his mana had actually started to regenerate slowly. Even so he was still only two thirds the size of the Devil he then rushed at, nimbly Abaddon evaded his charge and grabbed him by the armour¡¯s shoulders as the scales cracked under her strength. ¡°Such a fragile little fox, I cannot wait to take you apart¡± she giggled making a horrifying sound, she pulled him back and threw him at the others forcing them to scatter as the body of slime landed with the crunching of scales. ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Kyle told them as he moved to stand. Off the corner of his eyes he saw Silv firing away at Jacky who evaded the attacks, Death ran around trying to keep up with their speed while CH and Skill provided ranged support. He stood up and glared at the Devil before slowly approaching it. ¡°Ah learned your lesson have you? Unfortunately you still have much more to learn!¡± Shadows engulfed her body as Abaddon charged forward, within a moment she stood in front of Kyle. The Devil formed a claw with her right hand and lunged at him as a mana barrier appeared between them. Her claws collided with the barrier shattering it but slowing down the attack, with her free hand she grabbed hold of Kyle¡¯s slime body and continued her lunge. The black claws shattered the scales and dug into the frozen slime as if it wasn¡¯t even solid, reaching deep she smiled wickedly before gripping tightly. Kyle screamed in agony as the claws gripped his body and passed through. Abaddon pulled out her hand after having ripped him apart even inside his armour ¡°Too fragile¡±. Chains found their way around her left wing as Birse¡¯s shadow arms pulled her away ¡°Bitch fight someone your own¡­I¡¯m at a loss with that saying now¡­¡± ¡°Aww the doggy wants attention¡± Abaddon hissed as she lunged at his position, her hand closed in as the claws were pointed like spikes at him. She roared in anger as Cherry leaped in between slamming his Warhammer down on her wrist, the claws crashed down and shattered stone as she stopped and raised her right to claw away at him. ¡°Hey slut, we¡¯re not done yet!¡± Kyle shouted as he grabbed her raised arm with both of his armoured hands. She glanced at him ¡°Haven¡¯t I chopped you up somewhere?¡±. He grinned ¡°Guess again¡± his body was stitching back together as slime inside the armour, courtesy of his [Slime Shift] passive. With a snort she pushed him away freeing her hand and turned to her other only to notice Cherry had already moved on, him and Soren stood behind her as they swung their weapons at her feet. ¡°Pesky rats!¡± she growled as the attacks landed when suddenly Birse pulled on his chains, the shadow arms had let go of them and dissipated as he flew at her. ¡°Drop kick bitch!¡± The shadows formed around his legs as the attack landed kicking her back and tripping her over. Cherry and Soren stepped out of the way as she fell with a loud crash, the stone pavement shattering beneath her weight. She looked down at the wolfkin between her breastplates ¡°That wasn¡¯t very polite!¡± she moved to stand up. Suddenly a shadow covered her as the form of Kyle in his slime body leaping over her came into view. ¡°Reverse Flying Press!¡± Kyle crashed down onto her abdomen with his armour¡¯s shoulder and elbow, the attack sending more pavement flying and stone shattering beneath them. ¡°On me!¡± Birse ordered as he leaped up, briefly he hovered above her head as he sent down his chains into the floor around it and pulled. Soren and Cherry rushed to each side of her head with weapons glowing bright and blazing hot. As Birse crashed down onto her forehead with his gauntlets Cherry bashed his Warhammer into the side of her head and Soren chopped sideways into the jaw. The sound of bone fracturing reverberated around them as the Devil lay still with it¡¯s eyes closed. ¡°Did we get it?¡± Soren asked as he pulled his battleaxe out of the scaly head. Suddenly her mouth cracked open wider than it should have been possible as an ear piercing scream sent all three of them flying back, she grabbed hold of Kyle and pushed him off before looming over him ¡°I''ll pluck you out this time around¡±. Abaddon ripped the slime armour apart with her claws as she dug Kyle out, she grabbed him in one hand and rose to stand. Kyle struggled to push the hand open but his strength was nothing compared to the Devil¡¯s, barely needing to fight back to keep him there. Birse threw his chains at her wing again but Abaddon intercepted them, she grabbed hold and threw him back sending him crashing into Soren. ¡°Little fools, you are no match for me¡± she giggled while gazing down at Kyle within her grasp, she raised him to her face ¡°Now aren¡¯t you an unusual find, I have seen and studied many species but you¡­¡±. She briefly stopped as she swatted away Soren¡¯s battleaxe, looking back she continued to speak ¡°What an unorthodox hybrid, the body of a fox and powers from the void? Ah¡­what did the texts call your kind again? Kitsune? No no those are the common ones..¡± quickly she blocked several blasts of light with her free hand as she kicked Birse away who had grabbed her leg with his chains. ¡°Ah! Yes! I remember now!¡± she gazed down at him, her yellow slits shrinking as she stared ¡°How rare, perfect for my collection. You will replace the one you destroyed very nicely, little Void fox.¡±. Suddenly she clenched her hand tighter ¡°But first Yako¡­you will have to die so I can rob you of your soul!¡±. Abaddon¡¯s hand began to slowly shrink as she crushed Kyle, he screamed in agony as blood began to leak out of his mouth, nose and ears. She suddenly reared back and hissed in frustration as a blast of fire hit her straight in the face followed by Cherry bashing his hammer into her elbow and Birse punching her wrist. Kyle dropped limply to the ground as he formed slime underneath himself to cushion the fall, he groaned in pain the moment he landed and thereafter. His sight was blurry as he looked up at the Devil swatting away the three melee combatants, their constant harassment dealing them more damage than they dealt to her. Slowly he glanced away and looked for the others, coughing up a bit of blood he blinked and spotted Wood, Seren and Steph chanting buffs and healing. A warm feeling engulfed him as he felt the magic slowly regenerate his broken body, his bones painfully moved into place as his muscles and flesh took back their normal shape. Looking away from them he saw the rest still engaging with Silv, Jacky was badly bleeding from the shoulder where he was shot as Skill and Death engaged the undead Silv in melee combat while CH buffed them and gave ranged support. (¡°We won¡¯t last¡­¡±) he thought as he glanced back up at Abaddon, his vision clearing up he watched as the Devil flapped her wings and charged after Birse who leaped around using his chains (¡°They¡¯re too strong¡­I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m too weak¡­¡±). It took everything he had for him to stand up, his body ached all over from the smothering he had received.
Health 126/680
Checking his health it reflected his predicament (¡°That was close¡­too close¡­¡±) he coughed up a bit more blood and gazed at the monstrosity that chased after his clan. ¡°How¡­¡± he whispered ¡°How do I even compare?...¡± Birse was leading the Devil around as Soren and Cherry waited on the cooldowns of their ranged attacks, a blast of light and fire. But nothing could be seen on it¡¯s body that indicated damage, no cracked scales, no bruises or even any blood. ¡°No¡­I can¡¯t give up now¡­¡± even clenching his fists hurt but he endured through it ¡°My story won¡¯t end here¡­This world¡­I¡¯ve only just arrived¡­I can¡¯t¡­ I won¡¯t!¡± (¡°Then wake up young Void¡±) the voice echoed through his mind as with every word it spoke a new wave of pain jolted through. ¡°Wha-What are¡­¡± Kyle reared back from the new pain, his eyes becoming bloodshot from the agony. His vision blurred further as the sound of static filled his ears, he felt dizzy as he took a couple steps to stop himself from falling. (¡°Focus Void, prioritise your enemies.¡±) the voice continued to barrage him with pain as he tried to understand it through the static (¡°Find yourself, break away from the shell you¡¯ve built around yourself. Release your true nature.¡±) Darkness suddenly engulfed his vision as he continued to move, not knowing where he was going Kyle still kept moving fearing he¡¯d fall and never get back up. (¡°Break Void! Release it Void! You know the words! Remember! Cast away the illusion!¡±) Briefly he stopped moving as red light filled his vision, he looked up to see the blurry outline of a large mass of bright red ¡°Rem¡­Remember¡­¡± he repeated the word as a sudden jolt of pain sent him screaming in agony. Kyle held onto his head as he fell to his knees, screaming as his eyes shone a bright blue. His consciousness moved as his memories flooded in, the scenes shifting to be different from how he remembered them. His kidnapping. The shards of glass on the floor, the shards of ice on the floor. The bloodied bodies lying around him, blue fire upon the burning bodies lying around him as the room burned down. His friend¡¯s deathbed. The sickly white boy as he smiled back at Kyle, the burned and bruised child as it stared back horrified at Kyle. His outburst on the two students. The two boys beaten and bruised as they gazed up at him scared, the two boys burned and covered in frost as they screamed with wide open horrified eyes. His worst memory. His vision blurring as he was beaten while Alison was being pulled away, his vision blurry from the smoke and ash as the street burned down around him. The blue hellfires devouring anything in their path as corpses charred down to ash around him. Kyle blinked back out of his mind and stared up at the dungeon core ¡°It¡­it was all me¡­wh-why?¡±. (¡°It¡¯s in your nature Void. Now do what you do best, do what you were born to do.¡±) He stood up and placed his hand on the core ¡°Do what?...¡± ¡°DEVOUR!¡± Ch 37 - The beast inside Kyle stared into the core as raw mana swirled and flowed within it, like staring into a lava lamp full of colliding bubbles and masses. The voice was relentless as it screamed inside his head, the constant nagging followed by a wave of pain with every time it repeated the single word. ¡°DEVOUR¡± It was no longer a whisper in his head but a ringing in his ears as the static disappeared entirely, as if the connection had cleared up. ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± his instincts didn¡¯t just push him to do it, he felt as if he hadn¡¯t eaten anything in years. It felt nothing like depravity or simple hunger, it wasn¡¯t occasional but instead a constant emptiness inside him that clawed at his insides begging to be satisfied. ¡°LET GO¡± The voice changed but remained just as loud, by now he couldn¡¯t even hear his own thoughts. Kyle placed his hand next to the other one, both with the palm flat on the core¡¯s surface. He felt his teeth change to fangs, he saw his nails grow out into claws. He wanted to bite, he wanted to eat the core but knew it wasn¡¯t possible like this. The core¡¯s surface was too tough and it¡¯s size too much for his small body in comparison but the hunger persisted as did the voice. ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± he shouted ¡°I can¡¯t do it!¡± ¡°LET GO! LET IT TAKE OVER! DEVOUR!¡± His mouth was open wide now, his fangs barred as drool leaked out and claws clenching trying to dig into the core. The constant pain, hunger and screaming put him over the edge, both physically and mentally he let go. It wasn¡¯t a shout and neither a scream but something more akin to a beast¡¯s, a loud guttural roar left his open mouth. He could feel the mana flowing through his body as it rushed out, his mana pool emptying within a matter of seconds. Suddenly frost began to form around his hands as the core¡¯s surface began to freeze, the crystal changing to a light blue colour as the ice dug inside. His thoughts suddenly became clear as the last drop of mana exited him, mana exhaustion didn¡¯t take over as it usually did and instead he simply felt the still lingering hollowness inside. He felt something tug at his back as dozens of blue slime appendages came into view, created by the expelled mana the slime was shaped like many tails that came out from around his actual one. With only his will he controlled the tails to grow longer, looking back at the core he saw the frost coming out of his hands slowly devour it but it was taking too long. He needed it to go faster, he couldn¡¯t help it, the hunger begged him to. Not counting his actual tail, he had twelve tails of slime in total. They solidified and swung at the core, each tail cleanly piercing into the crystal surface. At the point of contact of each tail and his hands a bright blue flame blazed alive, it was nothing like fire though. No warmth came from this flame but instead a chill emanated from it, a cold that devoured all the heat around itself. Kyle pushed the slime in further as he watched the core¡¯s soul with his ability, a calm, bright crimson red flame. Suddenly he noticed right after activating the skill, his whole body was aflame. Blue fire encased him, a frenzied flame that fought against the red calm. The red tried to fight back but the further it struggled the fiercer his blue became, so much so that one third of the core had already turned. The satisfaction he felt from it, he craved it further. He glanced back as a chilling hiss reverberated through the room, Abaddon stepped out of the tunnel¡¯s darkness as shadows continued to leak out of her body. ¡°Noo!!!¡± She screamed with her demonic voice creating a horrific screech, slowly she approached him as her steps grew heavier and form shrunk. Abaddon reached out with her clawed hands as her connection to the core faltered, literally the string that kept her alive. She stared with pleading eyes at Kyle as he coldly glared back, her form having returned to small and human. The core was half way turned blue, she knew it meant Under had been half destroyed but she kept on going forward. A dozen steps away from Kyle now, ¡°I¡¯ll tear you apart!¡± she hissed angrily at him knowing she could reach him before it was too late. Kyle¡¯s grin grew into a wide cold smile as she approached a meter, her claws almost reaching out to his tails. Abaddon¡¯s eyes were wild, genocide going through her mind as she took one more step closer. Suddenly a shot was fired from behind them, it tore through Abaddon¡¯s lower left leg forcing her into a knee. She screamed again, this time a mere humane sound. Another shot into her other leg sent her to the ground, she glanced back as the sound of footsteps approached her. Silv came into view, his left eye still bright red but his right was as normal as it was before. His right hand was raised with pistol in hand as his left clenched it by the arm, the claws digging into scales as blood leaked out. Grunting he approached while dragging his left leg behind him, it was as if half the body was fighting the other. ¡°Fool! We¡¯ll both disappear if the dungeon dies!¡± Abaddon spat at him as he stopped to stand by her. She turned back to Kyle and reached out at his legs, her claws dug into his skin but he didn¡¯t respond. Silv stomped down his right foot over her head, ¡°Good¡± he replied coldly. He looked up at Kyle and grinned ¡°Better than¡­spending eternity with your blabbering ass¡±, his left hand suddenly fell limp as he groaned in pain ¡°Wait Kyll¡±. The rest of the guild rushed into the room stopping a dozen feet away, every single one of them watched with each their own expression. They glanced at the core and barely gave Abaddon a look before stopping to stare at Silv, he didn¡¯t turn but just stood there giving them his back ¡°It¡¯s none of your faults¡± he stated loudly for all of them to hear. Kyle stared at Silv, the both of them grinned as Silv continued to speak. ¡°But promise me one damn thing, this bitch here is his daughter. She is one of Lucifer¡¯s. One of that bitch Goddess¡¯s. Promise me!¡± he spoke louder ¡°Promise me that after you¡¯re done with them¡­they¡¯ll think hell is vacation stop!¡± with nothing else to say he nodded at Kyle ¡°End it¡±. Kyle turned to look back into the core, he had given in to the hunger at first but when Abaddon appeared the anger briefly took over. When Silv stepped in he fought back the hunger, he denied the craving. He knew it was his nature, it was part of him but it was a part he could control. Willing the fire to go further this time he didn¡¯t let it frenzy on its own, he focused on control, he wanted to tame the flames. ¡°Stopp!!¡± Abaddon shouted as the last bit of red was devoured by the blue, she immediately shattered along with Silv into a burst of red and green sparks of mana that after briefly falling around them dissipated. Kyle didn¡¯t turn or step away, he didn¡¯t move at all and stayed staring into the core filled with what his eyes could see as the same flame that surrounded and filled him. He glanced down at himself to see his body engulfed in the blue flame, a cold white-blue that lashed out at every direction. Somewhere below where his heart should have been the flame got darker, a sphere of almost black blue fire that circulated the rest around it. He figured that was his monster core, the way the fire seemed to be expelled out of it as it circulated hinted at it. His eyes suddenly widened in surprise as something else moved into his line of sight, a small blue flame. This flame¡¯s blue wasn¡¯t like his, it was greenish in nature and calm like a candle¡¯s. It whisked around in front of him as he moved his left hand away from the core, the core suddenly began to crumble as sparks of mana escaped the cracks. Kyle realised what the flame was ¡°Lilior¡­¡± he willed his slime tails to grab the flame and surged forward as the core crumbled at an alarming rate. Having leaped up to reach the shrinking core¡¯s surface he shoved his tails into what remained, the small flame caught up inside the slime and fire. The remaining crystal core flared up a blue-green colour as a wave of pressure was expelled in every direction, everyone within the room was sent crashing into the wall or due to his luck spiralling back down the tunnel like Skill. A green-blue light shone out brightly from the crumbled core, about half the size it once was it¡¯s surface was now rough and uneven. Kyle stood up and stared into the core, he felt a sense of familiarity with it. Notifications suddenly forced their way into his vision.
Your companion contract has been broken due to the other party having drastically changed
You have had a heavy helping hand in the birth of a new dungeon. Name it if you wish to take ownership.
Kyle could barely believe his eyes as he read them, his debt was paid. The guilt he felt for carelessly contracting with the little Fae only to put it in harm¡¯s way, how weak he felt as he held it¡¯s small body. He ignored the notifications and they disappeared from his vision, slowly he walked up to the core as it hovered in between the broken halves of a pillar. ¡°It is only right you keep the name, Lilior¡± the moment he spoke the name the core¡¯s light pulsated in response.
The dungeon has accepted the given name, congratulations Dungeon lord.
¡°What happened? Is it over?¡± Soren asked as he picked up his axe. ¡°Looks like it but¡­why is it still glowing?¡± Steph replied as she stared at the core. Kyle turned to them ¡°It¡¯s Lilior¡± he told them ¡°My companion¡­was my companion¡±. Turning back he stepped closer to the core as it slowly descended down, reaching the pillar it simply crushed it while continuing to hover down. Birse pushed the groaning Cherry off him and stood up ¡°Fuck¡­You mean to tell me, your fairy is the dungeon now?¡± Kyle ignored him and reached out for the core ¡°Do¡­Do you remember¡­me?¡± he asked the core as his palm touched it. (¡°Master¡­?¡±) Lilior¡¯s voice spoke in his mind bring him some relief, (¡°You are my new master¡­what is master¡­called?¡±) it then asked. Kyle¡®s mouth felt dry as he smiled ¡°Kyllix, my name¡± he replied, briefly he felt something ache in his chest ¡°Do you know what you are?¡±. The core pulsated as it replied ¡°This body knows, this body gives Lilior the knowledge of what Lilior is.¡± This time with an actual voice. At that moment Skill had walked back into the room ¡°I¡¯m¡­gonna wait outside¡­¡± he turned around and started walking.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Soren called out to him ¡°Skill? Hey Skill?¡± ¡°No...I¡­I¡¯ll be outside¡­¡± he replied as he continued to walk away and mutter to himself ¡°Angels¡­Devils¡­Gods¡­Now a giant talking rock¡­great¡­just¡­great¡±. Birse followed to check on him ¡°Last thing we need is another insane bastard in this group¡­¡± as the others lay about resting. Kyle turned back to the core to notice it¡¯s surface was slowly smoothening ¡°Lilior, do you remember anything from your previous life? Anything at all?¡±. He asked not only because he hoped to apologise for being too blind to see Liliana¡¯s plans but also to understand what she had said back then, something that had been bugging him the whole time. He hadn¡¯t asked the last time he saw her in Lucifer¡¯s realm because he was too shaken up with anger but now his mind was clear. ¡°Master asks difficult questions¡­Lil¡­I remember little. I remember what I was, I remember who I was birthed from and some memories of before I left for the sea¡­¡± Lilior spoke as the core suddenly dimmed indicating it¡¯s host in deep thought. ¡°Do you remember who Liliana is? What her plans were?¡± At the mention of the name the core¡¯s light briefly disappeared entirely ¡°Lilior?¡±, Kyle began to worry the mana he managed to save was too little. ¡°I remember mother¡± Lilior responded soon after making the core pulse with light as she spoke ¡°Mother told me little, I only spent eleven years with mother before mother made me leave.¡± ¡°Leave? Why? Why did she make you leave?¡± The core dimmed again, this time for longer than before but Kyle was patient. The light returned as she began to explain ¡°I do not remember, it is¡­hazy¡­mother tells us to go west and find another land. She tells us to find the land where many races reside, the walled town nearby the evil wall and the others ahead of it¡±. ¡°The evil wall¡­Helix?¡± He muttered to himself before coming to a realisation ¡°Us? Lilior who else was with you?¡±. ¡°My¡­I¡­I don¡¯t¡­¡± Lilior¡¯s core briefly dimmed again before shining brighter than ever ¡°My kin, like me they were birthed to mother¡±. Seren felt sick from what she heard ¡°She sent her own children as spies then used them up to convey her declaration to the whole of Barik¡­¡± ¡°Better than sending a Demon or Devil, a wandering Fae wouldn¡¯t be given much attention due to the Dwarves and Fae setting up on Barik.¡± Jacky explained solemnly ¡°It makes sense¡±. Kyle agreed with the idea making sense but completely disagreed with the ethics behind it ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how effective it is, she sacrificed innocent bystanders, her own children at that and I doubt they had any say in-¡± Birse¡¯s shout cut him off completely ¡°OH SPEAK OF THE INSANE ONE AND HERE HE APPEARS! WHERE THE FUCKING HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!?¡± ---- Dominion Capital Eslet, Docks, Royal Military Barracks HQ The moment the rift opened Sly leaped out followed by Darkness and Caitlyn helping Draxxer through as he coughed up blood, the room they appeared in was Draxxer¡¯s office. The rift soon closed behind them as they helped Draxxer over to a chair, his expression was pale and breathing erratic. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± Sly asked as he shook his arms and legs to get rid of the numbness that still lingered. ¡°Tethering a rift to accompany multiple travellers takes a lot out of him, old fool uses his own mana pool to break through the veil and stabilize it.¡± Darkness explained as she walked over to the rough black crystal sphere in the centre ¡°I must contact Jason quickly before this misunderstanding gets worse¡±. The door to the room suddenly opened wide ¡°That will not be necessary¡± a dozen soldiers wearing plate armour marched inside ¡°It seems that Nolin, was a couple steps ahead of you too Royal Advisor.¡± The man at their lead spoke, a tall human with sharp features, short brown hair and eyes. Darkness turned to the armed men ¡°Brigadier Kenneth, what do you mean? Where is General Moore?¡± The Brigadier smirked ¡°Jason Moore has had an unfortunate accident earlier this evening, who would have thought the hounds to be so hungry to break out of their cages and devour the old coot.¡± Caitlyn gasped in shock at his declaration ¡°U-Uncle Jason¡­no¡­th-this is mutiny!¡± she exclaimed. Sly suddenly groaned out loudly in annoyance while scrambling his hair ¡°Ahhh!! I don¡¯t get none of this crap!¡± he pulled out two daggers and stepped forward ¡°Yo Blade, can you get us to my guild?¡± he asked while glaring at the soldiers who unsheathed their swords. Darkness responded instead ¡°With my help he can yes¡±. ¡°Get to it then before that creepy ass priest arrives, I got some stress to relieve.¡± He stated while switching his daggers into a backhand grip. Kenneth chuckled ¡°You think you can take me and my men? The heroes behind you maybe could but one is currently out of it and the second¡­well how many innocents do you think sleep in this building?¡± he raised his sword towards them ¡°Stand down and come into our custody quietly adventurer, you are nothing more than an innocent bystander. We shall allow you to leave after interrogation.¡± Sly raised a brow and glanced back at Darkness crouching by Draxxer, she was flowing her mana into him by pressing her palms to his back. ¡°Huh, now that you mention it that actually sounds promising. I mean what do I have to gain from going against the military here?¡± Kenneth opened his arms wide and smiled ¡°Exactly! We are on your side adventurer, let us take the Devil conspirators into custody. Hell if you help us we might even reward you!¡± Sly hummed in thought ¡°Profit¡­now you are speaking my language-¡± ¡°You can¡¯t!¡± Caitlyn exclaimed unable to watch the event transpiring in front of her. Sly turned to look at her ¡°Why not? What do I gain from aiding your escape? The whole country against me and my mates, both factions of it none the less.¡± Caitlyn¡¯s expression paled as she stared into Sly¡¯s emotionless face, what possibly could she a now dethroned fugitive offer? Nolin had her in his grasp, everything had happened too fast and not even the two powerful heroes at her side could help her without sacrificing innocent lives or their own. (¡°What do I own still¡­I could offer it¡­what does it matter anymore?...¡±) she opened her mouth to speak but was cut off. ¡°She has nothing to offer you adventurer, the royal military has been overthrown and those that resist will lose both rank and life. The churches and their forces are already spreading the news with the population, the citizens will be on our side soon.¡± Kenneth explained with a grin ¡°Even your people, the adventurers from Kaledd have agreed to aid us along some others from Il¡¯e¡±. Sly smirked ¡°He makes a good point¡±. Darkness grimaced at the failing negotiations, even if she could break out from these men Nolin and his guard would be upon them soon. She also couldn¡¯t drain her mana to open a rift with Draxxer¡¯s skill and hope to fight. Resigning herself to slyer means she spoke out ¡°He does but you also won¡¯t be going anywhere adventurer, or should I say Devilborn?¡± Sly¡¯s expression turned to confusion as he glanced between her and the soldiers, their expressions turning cold as hatred ran through their eyes ¡°Wait a minute¡­Me? Oh you gotta be fucking kidding me¡±. Kenneth whistled ¡°And here I was worrying about how to dispose of an adventurer without riling up the rest, thank you for the information madam Darkness¡±. Sly rolled his eyes in annoyance ¡°That still doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to help you, I¡¯ll just escape on my own.¡± ¡°You little¡­¡± Darkness was glaring at him now. ¡°The vault¡­¡± Caitlyn muttered out, almost a whisper. ¡°Your majesty no! We cannot offer such a thing to this worm!¡± Darkness exclaimed, shocked the little empress would even think of it. ¡°We have no choice!¡± Caitlyn replied as she hugged herself, her nails digging into the fabric and skin as she grinded her teeth. ¡°Worm¡­Well at least you caught my interest¡± Sly turned back to watch the soldiers as they glared at him ¡°Well? Auction¡¯s still open.¡± He stated while inspecting them.
Esfeltian Royal Military Brigadier (Ferlan Kenneth) [Level 58]
Esfeltian Royal Military Solider [Level 45]
The soldiers all ranged around the 40s while the Brigadier was a dozen levels lower than him. Sly frowned at these numbers (¡°Isn¡¯t max level 499? A brigadier to be so low in level¡­¡±). ¡°Adventurer¡­I offer you my family¡¯s most secretly kept treasure, the royal vault of Esfelt.¡± Caitlyn declared after gathering herself. ¡°You hear that Kennen? A royal vault, what¡¯s your counter bid?¡± Sly asked with a smirk. ¡°It¡¯s Kenneth¡­And my counter bid? To a Devilborn like you?¡± He swiped his sword downwards ¡°Arrest them all¡± he ordered his men. ¡°Wrong answer¡± Sly¡¯s bloodlust was carried through the whole squad of soldiers by his aura as it exploded outwards, along with a flurry of daggers. Kenneth didn¡¯t even have time to glance back at his men as they fell back, a dagger poked out of their helmets clad in a violet aura. He clenched his sword¡¯s hilt as Sly dashed at him with both daggers ahead of him. ¡°Way of the dagger¡± Sly spoke out the skills name chantless, he had no time to waste for a chant. The moment his daggers touched the Brigadier¡¯s sword they went right through before he entirely disappeared. Kenneth took a step back as he stared forwards in surprise ¡°An assassin skill?¡± he mused before suddenly leaning forward, Sly had appeared behind him. ¡°More of a¡± Sly lunged at the man¡¯s back but Kenneth turned too fast and parried the attack ¡°magic spell than a skill¡± he explained as he morphed into a streak of violet lighting and circled the Brigadier. Kenneth smirked ¡°What does it matter, it¡¯s an illusion anyway¡± he slashed down at the lightning, the sword passed right through as his expression changed to a mixture of shock and pain. ¡°Skills are physical or passive, spells are of magical nature and therefore ethereal¡± Sly explained as he pulled the dagger out of Kenneth¡¯s shoulder and moved it to his throat ¡°Mine is the latter¡±. Kenneth stared down at Sly¡¯s arm as it snaked over his shoulder ¡°But¡­an assassin with that much control of mana¡­you¡¯re too young! Hell you only appeared a couple days ago! How are you so powerful!?¡± he asked in disbelief. Sly chuckled at the compliment ¡°Years of constant training, years of testing my reaction time and an insatiable bloodlust for combat. As for the magic? Mana control is all we had to focus on since we came here, the movements came naturally and I don¡¯t just mean our bodies.¡± He explained thoroughly as he remembered the movement controls for their previous games, how his group had enjoyed the real-time controls. ¡°I could never find gloves quite my size but it was exercise nonetheless, the buttons could have been placed better too¡± Sly muttered to himself as he slowly moved his dagger back and forth, the cold metal hovering mere inches from the man¡¯s neck. ¡°I have no clue what you¡¯re blabbering about!¡± Kenneth exclaimed as he pulled a dagger from his belt and pushed Sly¡¯s away from his neck. He then leaned forward and rolled out of the way, coming back up to stand he spun around to face Sly. ¡°I was still talking¡± Sly stated in annoyance as a dagger dug into Kenneth¡¯s sword arm, pulling out another the one in his left disappeared as well as within a moment he threw it at the man¡¯s right leg. Kenneth fell back on his ass, he bit his lip to keep from screaming in agony as a third dagger dug into his side-arm hand. He glared up at Sly who approached him ¡°Kill me¡± he told the adventurer, the shame of returning to the rest of his men and Nolin empty handed too much for him to bear. Sly continued to smirk as he crouched down in front of the man ¡°Why should I? I need you to relay a message for me, I also know you are too much of a coward to kill yourself. Aren¡¯t you?¡± Kenneth glared at him as his hatred built up ¡°Go fuck yourself filthy Devilborn, what do you know about me!?¡± ¡°I can see it in your eyes, your body language, your tone.¡± Sly replied ¡°You are leaning away from me, your tone may sound like anger but that is just masking your fear. Your eyes also haven¡¯t met mine once since you¡­we both learned what I am.¡± He began tracing the man¡¯s cheek with the point of his dagger ¡°Now listen and listen closely because if I have to repeat myself¡­well in that case I¡¯ll just carve it into your back. Someone will notice it at some point.¡± More soldiers began gathering by the door way, seeing Sly crouched down and pointing his dagger at Kenneth a couple of them charged. Sly leaned back as he stood up evading a sword lunge before evasively moving around the soldier leaving a dagger in his back, the one behind him slashed sideways at Sly only to be parried by his other dagger. Sly kicked the second soldier back as he pulled the dagger out of the first then threw it, the dagger scraped against the man¡¯s helmet and flew off. Sly snorted ¡°So them being your people and all, am I still allowed to kill them or?¡± he glanced back at Caitlyn as she stared at the fight, horrified by the bloodshed she held her mouth with both hands ¡°Right¡­¡±. ¡°They are all mutineers if they charge without second thought!¡± Darkness quickly replied ¡°The loyal men have either been gathered and killed or moved away from this floor!¡± ¡°Perfect, dead it is¡± he stated while evading the soldier¡¯s thrust as two more joined the fight, soldiers kept coming as Sly evaded stabs, slashes, thrusts and a strange mace like weapon attached to a chain. ¡°Oh yeah almost forgot Kennek¡± he spoke while continuously moving as the soldiers began to tire out, the four of them blocking the way for others to join the fight. ¡°Kenneth!¡± The brigadier shouted as he pulled out the dagger from his wrist, after a brief groan of agony he leaned back against the wall trying nothing further. ¡°Right right, whatever. What was our saying again?...Oh yeah! The payment was promised and by our regulations the contract is signed. Your lives have been forfeit to us.¡± two of the soldiers stepped back and swapped out with the others gathering behind them as Sly continued to evade, parry, kickback and disarm. ¡°Hero!¡± Draxxer shouted to get his attention as he raised his sword with Darkness¡¯s help, they slashed down and the rift opened ¡°It¡¯s open!¡±. Sly leaped back ¡°Aura Clad!¡± his aura took solid form as it quickly formed around him, it took the shape of a hand and smashed into the soldiers pushing them down . ¡°Twas fun but I gotta go now!¡± he stated with a quick bow, he turned around and leaped into the rift ¡°I¡¯m out bitches!¡±. Darkness had to pull Caitlyn and Draxxer into the rift as they stared at his exit dumbfoundedly. Ch 38 - Family ¡°Evil comes in many forms. There is the one that looks only for gain and self-reward, greed. The one that simply wants more and is never satisfied, gluttony. When it doesn¡¯t care, it simply looks away from the suffering without a single distraught emotion, sloth. There is the one that doesn¡¯t only want but takes what it shouldn¡¯t own, lust. The one that takes away what you hold most dear just for spite, envy. When it is blind not out of mere anger but purposely drunk on it¡¯s own power, wrath. But then there is one more isn¡¯t there? Pride.¡± Lucifer stated as he stood up from his obsidian black throne, the room he stood in a charred black hall of stone brick. He gazed down at the three Devils kneeling in front of him then glanced up at the one hovering above locked inside a sphere of ethereal red, they all held similar features to him with some key differences. He called them out by their names ¡°Dagon¡± he called at the one-horned Devil, ¡°Lilith¡± he motioned at the wingless female Devil, ¡°Belial¡± he briefly ended his gaze on the shortest youngest Devil with a long blade tipped tail. He then looked up at the Devil shivering inside the sphere of red ¡°Legion!¡± he exclaimed with faked cheer ¡°Can any of you¡­Tell me why Pride is my sin?¡± he continued to glance between them. The Devil called Legion was about to answer but was cut off by Lilith as she suddenly stood up and bowed ¡°A sin is rather rhetorical father, the fools use your pride to shadow your majesty!¡± Lucifer chuckled coldly at her answer ¡°Maybe you wish to join your brother in floating agony Lilith? I did not ask for your opinion on my banishment, I asked for your understanding of my pride.¡± His voice changed half way, a deep cold voice that emanated power with each sound. Lilith quietly kneeled back down, her expression shaking as she stared down at the ground. ¡°Father!¡± Legion managed a bow as he aimlessly floated inside the red bubble, his expression mangled with pain. Lucifer glanced up at him ¡°Well boy? I don¡¯t have all damn eternity, speak.¡± Legion spoke through the pain ¡°Pride is your sin because of the relentless love you felt for your own father, how-¡± ¡°Enough, enough¡± Lucifer gestured at the sphere and it dissipated ¡°You¡¯ve said enough, well done at least one of you understands.¡± Legion hovered down next to the others as relief briefly took his expression as he joined them in kneeling. Luficer looked straight up as his arms fell limply by his side, his fists clenched tightly ¡°I did not call you here today for lessons, we today are gathered here as family. You all know of your elder sister Abaddon¡¯s banishment from my court, how she cowardly ran from the battlefield those decades ago.¡± He took a deep sigh ¡°Even after death took her, I felt her soul remain in this world. I left her to her doings, let her stray alone so she could ponder on her mistakes. It seems as though that was the true mistake.¡± Lilith looked up at him after moments of silence , her expression changing from fear to worry ¡°Father?...¡± ¡°Your sister¡¯s soul has been destroyed, she can no longer be restored¡± Lucifer¡¯s voice went cold yet again as he spoke the words, he stood stalk still for even longer before looking down at his children. Lilith stared at him with disbelief, having been the closest with Abaddon and even looked up to her. Dagon stood motionless as he continued to properly kneel, the middle son and the least emotion prone one amongst them. Belial the youngest was shaking as his anger reached heights not even he knew about, his eyes where unfocused and tail lashing about behind him. The eldest son Legion was also shaking, although more from the agony of his previous torture than emotional. Legion shakily stood up and bowed ¡°Father please allow me to-¡± Lucifer¡¯s glare froze on him as even Legion himself felt it do so, stopping him from speaking ¡°You wish to avenge her? You? Who has already failed me? Taking my likeness to imbue fear into the arrivals only to be laughably kicked back into your own rift, tarnishing not only your name but MY OWN!?¡± as Lucifer raised his voice the room itself shook and trembled. Luficer took a deep breath calming his own temper ¡°No Legion, you shall stay here where I can watch over you. If I could do so I would go there myself but alas none of you can withstand holding up the barrier, not even Abaddon could do so at her best. As much as it pains me to send one of my own to destroy those that which already have done to my eldest, I have no choice but to do so. Legion you will continue to aid Lilith and Belial with preparations for uncle Asmodeus¡¯s arrival, Dagon I¡¯m afraid I must leave the other responsibilities to you my son.¡± Dagon stood up and gave a brief bow before standing still and meeting his father¡¯s gaze ¡°I accept father, I will correct elder brother¡¯s mistakes and avenge elder sister. The roaches will understand what they truly weigh in worth against us.¡± he stated solemnly. Lucifer smiled at this. Dagon being his favourite due to his obedience and genius yet showing his own worth by doing what his brethren couldn¡¯t, aggressively meeting his gaze ¡°Remember Dagon, you mustn¡¯t destroy them. We do not know which one it will be but a chosen will join our side, the prophecy demands so. It may be a chosen hero and it may be a simple arrival, keep your eyes out for all.¡± ¡°Your will is my command father!¡± Dagon bowed momentarily before disappearing into shadow. ---- Deep below New Ruk, Dungeon Lilior Having waited long enough Kyle and the others stepped into the hall, where Birse and Skill seemed to have encountered someone. As he walked in Kyle noticed the rest, Birse and Skill were speaking with Sly and a cloaked woman while Draxxer lay sitting to the side resting as a noble looking woman worriedly watched over him. ¡°Oh good everyone¡¯s come over¡± Birse mused as he glanced back at them ¡°Listen to this crap!¡±. Sly rolled his eyes in annoyance while everyone gather, he looked as if he wanted to be anywhere else right now. ¡°Well?¡± Birse asked him with an amused smirk ¡°Tell em what you just told me¡±. The cloaked woman began to explain ¡°The churches had long begun a takeover on the Dominion, earlier this evening Blade brought in your friend after one of his fits.¡± Kyle inspected the woman as she spoke.
Rin [{Soul Seeker}]-[{Chosen of Dark}] (Hero of night) Level 191
¡°What Blade thought to be a Nephilim is actually a Devil¡¯s spawn, your friend is Devilborn or more likely the descendant of one¡± she explained thoroughly, ¡°A priest of the church of night was positioned to watch us without our knowing, they acted too quick as if waiting for us to misstep as we did.¡± Her tone turned bitter and she stopped talking to gaze at the other woman. Kyle followed Darkness¡¯s gaze and inspected her as well as Draxxer out of curiosity.
Draxxer [Blademaster]-[{Beast of Chaos}] (Hero of the blessed blade) Level 182
Caitlyn [Fire mage] (Descendant of Esfelt) Level 28
¡°They¡­¡± Darkness continued her explanation ¡°Along with a high ranking officer in the royal military, probably more, they initiated a hostile takeover of said military. We were forced to escape, by your comrade¡¯s suggestion we came to you.¡± ¡°And?¡± Birse asked while staring at Sly with a raised brow. ¡°They offered us a secret treasure the royal family holds, I accepted and as per our procedure aided them immediately.¡± Sly replied, dreading what was to come next. Birse began to pace ¡°So let¡¯s see if I got this right, you placed us against the whole damn Esfeltian military and religious cults after being promised a non-currency based reward which you have no clue of it¡¯s worth or existence. Do I have this right?¡± he stopped to look at Sly who just rolled his eyes turned around and walked away ¡°Where are you going?¡±.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°To rest¡± Sly replied walking further out of the dungeon. Birse shrugged ¡°Well he¡¯s acting off¡±. ¡°Guy just found out he¡¯s descended from a Devil, who wouldn¡¯t be?¡± Skill pointed out. ¡°Heh¡± Birse turned to Darkness ¡°So what¡¯s the vault worth?¡± he asked with a frown. ¡°It¡¯s priceless¡± Caitlyn declared as she approached them ¡°The vault contains a large treasury filled with priceless magical items, all collected over the years by my family. Only I know it¡¯s location and what resides inside and only someone of my bloodline can open it.¡± Birse¡¯s eyes shone briefly at the mention of what it contained ¡°Then let us discuss the details of this contract, I expect you can also clear up some holes in our information.¡± ¡°I can¡­help with that too¡± Draxxer pushed himself up by the wall, blood stained his nostrils, lips and chin while his expression was ghostly pale. Caitlyn rushed over to help him ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, discussing the future is more important right now.¡± Draxxer replied dismissing her worries. Birse gestured for Jacky and Death to follow him as he walked up to them. ¡°Well unless any of you have some more crazy crap to announce, I¡¯m taking a long nap¡± Cherry stated before walking back into the core room, all except for Kyle and Wood followed him. Wood who was slowly stalking over to where Birse, Death and Jacky were talking with Caitlyn and Draxxer to listen in. Kyle on the other hand was about to join the others in the core room when he noticed Darkness gazing at him deep in thought, he met her gaze with a glare ¡°What?¡± he had enough to think about right now and wasn¡¯t in the best of moods. Darkness frowned at his tone but eventually sighed then spoke ¡°You aren¡¯t human either are you?¡± ¡°What gave it away? The tail? The fucking ears or the god damn voice in my head!?¡± Kyle¡¯s outburst didn¡¯t go unnoticed as he gained several stares by the others still in the room, he glanced away annoyed he¡¯d even mentioned the voice. Darkness continued to look at him but her frown diminished into pity ¡°The very latter I guess. You must have inspected me by now, I have the peculiar ability to read one¡¯s soul as a basis for a class. Just like mine and Blade¡¯s your body isn¡¯t your own, your soul though cannot be replicated.¡± Kyle looked at her awkwardly (¡°Can she help me understand then?...¡±) ¡°Do you¡­know what I am?¡± She nodded ¡°Generally yes, you are a Kitsune which in simple terms is an elemental fox spirit.¡± (¡°That Devil bitch said something similar¡­she called me something else though¡­¡±) ¡°What about a Yako? I¡¯ve been called that recently.¡± He asked her hoping to figure out what exactly was his problem. Darkness hummed in thought as she continued to gaze at him ¡°A Yako is a different type of Kitsune. Where Kitsune are guardians and defenders of their territory, Yako are mischievous tricksters who live purely to deceive. Both kinds are elemental spirits but have differences in their ability.¡± She paused as if trying to remember something ¡°This voice you hear, how is it?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kyle asked not understanding the question. ¡°Is it guiding? Telling you how to grow, what to do to unlock your abilities?¡± Darkness asked as she closed her eyes. Kyle shook his head ¡°At first it was until it started screaming for me to devour and let go¡­¡± She nodded in understanding ¡°That voice is one of your ancestors, the strongest of them. Spirits often take guidance from their ancestors, each type of spirit using a different method than the others. I have not heard of one being so aggressive but¡­¡± she opened her eyes and continued to gaze at his as she stepped closer ¡°Close your eyes, I will speak with this ancestor of yours¡±. Kyle naturally took a step back ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Do you wish to learn more about yourself or not? I understand how confused you must feel, I felt the same before I finally found out that I was the descendant of a Nephilim making me one myself.¡± She explained as she raised her hand with palm facing him. Kyle briefly stared at her hand before glancing around, Birse and Death were engrossed in dealing with their customers but Jacky was wary of everyone and Wood had switched to listening in to them instead. ¡°Fine¡± he decided it was worth the risk, anything to clear up some of his thoughts. He moved in closer and closed his eyes. Darkness solemnly nodded before placing her hand on his forehead ¡°The spirit realm is unbound by time. Think of the voice, this will only take a moment.¡± Kyle did as he was told and the voice returned from it¡¯s slumber, ¡°Void¡± it began to constantly repeat. Darkness suddenly stepped back, her expression paled as she stared at him ¡°I understand why you fear it¡±. She studied him with more caution now, her eyes gained a white hue as she spoke ¡°You are a Yako of ice and a chosen hero for the Winter God Ymir but that is not all. Truly your party is filled with the terrifying.¡± ¡°What else?¡± Kyle asked as he tried to ignore the voice¡¯s constant nagging, it had changed back to repeating ¡°let go¡±. ¡°Your ancestor is void¡± she replied solemnly. Kyle only felt more confused ¡°Nothing? My ancestor is nothing?¡± Darkness shook her head as she sighed ¡°No, I mean literally. Your ancestor is a Void, the Void.¡± She sighed again as if not even believing what she herself had just stated ¡°There are multiple realms called Voids each were created differently, a couple of them have a very specific similarity. They are conscious.¡± ¡°That also doesn¡¯t make sense, how can a space be conscious?¡± Kyle felt like laughing at what he was hearing, nothing she said was making sense to him. She narrowed her eyes and frowned while staring at his incredulous expression ¡°These two Voids where created by one of your kind¡± she briefly stopped and waited for him to pay attention again. ¡°My kind? How is that possible?¡± He asked after some awkward moments of waiting. ¡°When a spirit loses themselves to their desires they change. When a Kitsune or a Yako do so they become something much darker, not dark as in element but dark as in existence. They become what is called a Nogitsune, a fox spirit who lost themselves to one of the seven desires.¡± She raised her hands as if in surrender ¡°I cannot be entirely sure but it seems the Void that is guiding you lost itself to gluttony, a Nogitsune of gluttony.¡± Kyle¡¯s eyes opened wide as he began to understand ¡°Then that hunger¡­¡± Darkness nodded with a smile ¡°You are beginning to understand, it may be your ancestor but you need to learn to block out that voice. That hunger you feel, it is luring you into it. The craving for souls, craving for a being¡¯s consciousness. The more of the seven desires they hold within their souls and the stronger those desires are, the more powerful you will become from devouring it. It will promise you power but that promise will inevitably bring about your destruction.¡± ¡°What do I do? How do I fight it?¡± Kyle asked as he stared at her, his eyes wide with anxiety. ¡°There are ways we can try but unfortunately I have never heard of Kitsune or Yako being alive since the Elven wars, most beast based races were eradicated back then including beast spirits. In the end it will be all up to you, for what it¡¯s worth you¡¯re better off than your friend.¡± She looked away and at the direction Sly had left ¡°He¡¯s on a completely different level of lost hope¡±. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kyle followed her gaze. She shook her head ¡°Devilborn tend to lose themselves very quickly, I¡¯d suggest chaining him up somewhere. The best solution would be to outright destroy him but I don¡¯t believe that is anywhere on your mind is it?¡± ¡°Thank you for your help but we¡¯ll deal with our members ourselves¡± he replied bitterly while walking away, briefly he stopped and glanced back ¡°Nothing short of death will make us give up on our brothers and sisters¡± then continued to walk away. Darkness closed her eyes and sighed ¡°If he changes then death will be the last of your problems¡±. --- Sly heard him coming in before Kyle even walked into view, the stone corridors echoing footsteps all too well. He was standing with his back to the wall of the next room over, a skull lay in his left hand raised to face his. Kyle raised a brow at this scene ¡°You¡¯re not going to get all philosophical on me are you?¡± he joked. ¡°Meh¡± was the only answer he got back. He walked up to the opposite wall, about four meters away and sat down with his back to it ¡°Where¡¯d you even get the skull?¡± Sly simply shrugged ¡°Found it, guess if the dungeon doesn¡¯t claim something it just rots in here like it should while out there it just disintegrates into mana.¡± He gazed into skull with a distant expression ¡°Out there, it¡¯s as if anything we do just dissipates. The monsters we defeat, the allies we lose¡­the people we kill.¡± ¡°Sly what¡¯s this about?¡± Kyle found it strange, Sly wasn¡¯t the type to ponder on trivialities ¡°You know just as well as we do, this world is kill or be killed. We don¡¯t have a say in the matter, you didn¡¯t have a say in the matter.¡± Sly looked away from the skull and at Kyle ¡°That is not my point¡± he sighed ¡°I couldn¡¯t give a damn about the lives of those that put my own to risk, none of us would but¡­It¡¯s not the ethics behind it that fazes me. I never cared about that and never will but¡­I did feel something¡± He threw the skull aside ¡°It felt nothing like pity, guilt or shame¡­¡± he lay his head to the wall and stared up ¡°I liked it, I enjoyed the thrill of killing something other than a beast.¡± Silence filled their conversation as Sly continued to stare at the stone roof filled with cracks and holes. Kyle considered what he had just heard with a solemn expression (¡°Is she right? Is this really his Devil side or is it just Sly?¡±) he studied one of his long-time guildmates, a group most just saw as a rag tag bunch with nothing better to do. They didn¡¯t see it that way, each and every one of them considered the rest family. They didn¡¯t bind with each other like any family, they weren¡¯t bound by any blood or emotions. ¡°Sly¡± he called out to get his attention ¡°You may turn someday, you may become something else entirely. But also so could I.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sly looked down with slight confusion, not having heard the conversation Kyle had just had earlier. Kyle smirked ¡°Looks like you¡¯re not the only monster in the clan; apparently, I¡¯m descended from some majorly evil fox spirit!¡± he stated sarcastically as he chuckled. Sly looked genuinely surprised ¡°You what now?¡±. ¡°Oh it¡¯s nothing major like your lust for human blood, just your average psychopathic voice in my head telling me to kill everyone and eat them!¡± Kyle continued to explain with sarcasm. Sly raised a brow as he continued to stare at him ¡°You what?¡± he repeated once more. They stared at each other briefly before breaking into laughter ¡°Yo, I¡¯m fucked up but I ain¡¯t eating anybody!¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t eating nobody either!¡± Kyle replied ¡°It¡¯s like, I eat their souls or something!¡± They continued to chuckle until Birse called out from the main hall with a mana infused voice ¡°Big Daddy calling in bitches! Bitches come in!¡± Sly rolled his eyes ¡°For the love of¡­I¡¯ll stab him, I will fucking stab him¡±. Kyle chuckled ¡°let¡¯s go before he gets antsy¡± he stood up and began walking back. Sly whispered as he followed ¡°Kyll promise me something, if I do lose myself.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, chain you up and leave you there to rot.¡± Kyle replied before Sly could finish ¡°You¡¯d do the same.¡± Ch 39 - DDOS and A holy smiting ¡°FUUCCKK¡± was all Wood could say as his horn lay a couple centimetres inside the stone brick wall, having accepted Jacky¡¯s challenge only moments earlier of whether said horn could pierce stone; Cherry having volunteered to throw him. And so Wood dangled from the hall¡¯s roof, his horn stuck deep between the crossroads of three bricks. ¡°So¡­How do you get him down?¡± Asked Death who along with the rest stood by waiting for Kyle and Sly to return. Jacky simply shrugged ¡°Haven¡¯t thought about that, never promised I would either so¡­¡± They all mostly stood gathered beneath Wood waiting to see what happens, Birse was still speaking with Darkness and Draxxer while Caitlyn stood by the three and watched the group horrified at their antics. Kyle walked into the hall followed by Sly just as Wood pushed himself out, ¡°SON OF A WHORE¡¯S CUNT!¡± he cursed within the moments it took him to hit the ground. The distinct slapping of flesh against stone was followed by the more distinct crunch of bones. ¡°Oh¡­Oh yeap¡­I¡¯m gonna throw up¡­¡± Seren stated as she held her mouth with both hands and turned away from the remains that was once Wood, the front half of his body had smashed into the stone hard ground and flattened as blood splattered all around him. Kyle had immediately stopped walking when he saw the unicorn man fall from the ceiling, he watched in disbelief as his corpse dissipated into mana. Sly on the other hand was halfway to the floor as he laughed uncontrollably joined by Steph, CH and Soren. Birse groaned from the cringe ¡°Now we have to wait for THAT fuck to come back¡­¡± ¡°Yo guys¡± Wood stated as he walked out of the core room ¡°We can spawn here now!¡± he exclaimed while rubbing his horn. Everyone turned to stare at him awkwardly, his corpse was still dissipating on the ground. ¡°Wait you didn¡¯t have a timer?¡± Kyle asked loudly as he jogged over to the gathered group, a fair distance between the entrance they came in from and the one to the core room. Lilior answered his question with a distant echoing voice ¡°This one¡¯s master is part of a guild, this one is then bound to the rest of the guild. As long as I have mana I can instantly resurrect guild members, your souls are protected and therefore do not go into the beyond making it easy to gather.¡± Sly was glancing around confused ¡°The fuck is that voice? Is that your fairy?¡±
After having explained to Sly, Darkness, Draxxer and Caitlyn the deal about the dungeon and the city¡¯s occupants above Birse gathered everyone in the guild to sort of line up; Some would say it resembled more of a noodle but this wasn¡¯t a show so they didn¡¯t care. Birse, Darkness and Caitlyn faced them as Draxxer continued to rest a few feet behind them with his back to the wall. ¡°Alright enough fucking around for now¡± Birse put on his signature cold stare as he spoke ¡°Before we start talking about the contract first I¡¯ll enlighten you all on some information we were able to confirm.¡± He gestured at Darkness and Draxxer ¡°These two here are both from our world and have lived several decades on this one so they could do so for me.¡± He glanced at Darkness and let her explain ¡°As some of you might know the maximum level of this world¡¯s game like reality is 499, albeit that being the maximum it is by no means reachable. The people of this world know things about this system because of ancient tablets that were passed down through each race, these tablets explained the different requirements for gaining classes and skills as well as the level requirements to master a class. What they did not explain is just how limited the system is. The average citizen of Barik stands around level 15 and 30 while guards can be anywhere around 20 and 60. The average soldier stand around 40 and 90 while high ranked officers and guard captains would be the strongest at around level 150. These numbers vary on age as younger officers would be much lower levelled then a tried veteran. This came by for two different reasons, monster levels and combat difficulty being the key one. There is no known monster higher level than 360, that 360 being the one known dragon we¡¯ve ever seen. The highest level monster with decent quantity to it that we know about are either demons with the average level of 120 or wyverns with the average level of 90, both these races are highly deadly also holding the highest death rates on Barik alone. The second reason is simply the danger of fighting stronger monsters, the people of this world like any other do not risk their lives carelessly. As summoned beings your understanding of levels, skills and classes is much wider than of people who¡¯ve lived under the fear of death when trying to increase or acquire them. Me and my party of heroes were the same having reached levels of 90 and 100 within a week, our world is simply more advanced albeit lacking mana in general. Being capable of revival boosted your levels further by completely removing the fear of death we once had.¡± She thoroughly explained before being stopped by a question. ¡°Why ¡®had¡¯ as in past tense? Can you also respawn like we do?¡± Kyle asked noticing her choice of words. Darkness nodded ¡°Not just us, everyone can.¡± Almost everyone in the group was surprised by this reveal, she continued to explain further ¡°It makes sense since anything effecting summoned heroes will in one way or more effect the people of this world. When a God summons heroes they gain the capability of changing things inside said system, with us we gained the ability to form parties. Each generation of heroes added something to the system, your generation seems to have added respawning.¡± ¡°Wait, how did we not notice this earlier?¡± Asked Sly. ¡°Because it takes people of this world 24 hours to respawn.¡± Birse cut in to explain ¡°A dozen or so people started respawning back in Frosthold from some accident that happened early on with a manafire explosion. We were able to contain it and question them all with our recruited numbers. I didn¡¯t want to get everyone¡¯s hopes up so me and Death kept it to ourselves until we confirmed it with Draxxer or someone else.¡± ¡°Anyway¡± Darkness continued ¡°Thankfully this also means the assassination of general Jason L.Moore of the Esfeltian military was a fruitless attempt.¡± She stated with a relieved expression. ¡°Wait so¡­What about the war? Will the demons also respawn?¡± asked Soren completely ignoring her. ¡°Have you seen a tower long demon respawning in town?¡± joked Jacky ¡°Still have no clue how you all killed that thing, I just hid¡± he admitted with a chuckle. ¡°As we all expected from you but nobody seems to be asking the real questions here!¡± Wood suddenly exclaimed, when everyone turned to look at him he finally explained ¡°Why can¡¯t we just blow up towns until the Dominion gives in!?¡± The following series of groans and facepalms was followed by further ignoring the unicorn man. Birse cleared his throat to get their attention ¡°This doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re invincible, not only does the military possess powerful fighters but we must keep our eyes out for Devils. I don¡¯t believe for a second that they haven¡¯t infiltrated the Dominion.¡± Jacky snorted in amusement ¡°It¡¯s not like they stand a chance anyway, call me biased but with all of us gathered together; new and old members and our ability to respawn. How can they?¡± ¡°That is a simple question of numbers chap¡± CH replied ¡°We can¡¯t get ahead of ourselves just because we are stronger, they most definitely have the numbers while they may also have just as many strong players on the field.¡± ¡°Exactly¡± Birse stated in agreement ¡°Constant deaths will only weaken us. Back on topic; there will be targets that require subduing with force, that starts me on our contract. We have about 22 hours to prepare before Sly¡¯s killing spree brings the enemy this information, I have already thought up each of your assignments.¡± He began assigning teams and explaining their tasks ¡°Cherry, Soren and Seren will come with me as team alpha.¡± said members gathered together behind him. ¡°Jacky, Death, CHfarms and Skill are team bravo¡± The three of them moved to stand next to each other ¡°Team Charlie are Kyll, Wood and Steph.¡± The last team also gathered together around Kyle. ¡°What about me?¡± Sly asked being left out. ¡°You¡¯re staying put with the dungeon, you¡¯re our builder Sly and I need this place ready for defence.¡± Birse answered with an apologetic tone. Sly seemed to ponder on it for a moment ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll get this place nice and rolling¡± he then replied with a distant tone, lost in his thoughts over building the dungeon. ¡°Team Alpha will respond directly to me, Team Bravo you¡¯ll respond to Death and will be getting the targets from Rin Darkness while Team Charlie will respond to Kyll.¡± he opened his inventory and took out five VCDs ¡°We will use these to communicate, Kyll you get an extra in case you need to open a portal. I had this one connected to Carn but it will have to do.¡± He handed them out giving two to Kyle, one to Death, one to Sly and keeping the last for himself. ¡°The plan is quite simple¡± Birse continued to explain ¡°Team Alpha will keep the other guilds out of reach from Eslet by calling a meeting with all of them, Team Bravo will either assassinate or capture key targets then join Team Charlie into providing as much chaos and destruction as they can muster. We own or take out their chain of command and the rest will be as easy as regaining the public¡¯s respect. Once chaos ensues Team Alpha will co-ordinate the adventurer guilds into the defence of the people, with Empress Caitlyn as the public figure head.¡± ¡°Let me get this straight, Alpha does their diplomacy shit, Bravo sneaky beaky assassins and Charlie blow up the city?¡± Wood asked with visible glee. ¡°Yes Woody, we¡¯re blowing shit up¡± Kyle replied with a chuckle. ¡°And I¡¯ll be crafting my masterpiece!¡± Exclaimed an all too excited Sly, a wicked grin from ear to ear as he gazed off while caressing his short beard. Birse clapped his gauntlets together ¡°Alright you insane fucks with twisted personalities, we¡¯ll gather new sets of equipment first. Operation Deceive Distract Obliterate and Seize is in action!¡± Everyone briefly stared at him with disbelief and or groaned with cringe.
Dry Patch The whole group had first decided to visit the Dwarve¡¯s armour and weapon stores before leaving, what Birse called ¡®A quick gear stop¡¯ almost ended up what Seren and Steph called a ¡®Shopping spree¡¯ as they insisted on matching gear. They ended up passing through multiple other shops for dyes and other clothing. All in all it had taken them 2 hours to gear up and would take them about 3 hours to move from New Ruk to Kaledd, leaving them with 17 hours to get started. The dry grasslands spread out around them as they approached the walled town in the distance. Larger than they had first imagined, the town of Kaledd was surrounded by a similar wall to Frosthold¡¯s with the exception of having much taller towers. The grasslands too dry to allow trees to grow like Frostbite forest allowing the guard to have a better view of their surroundings. Hills lined the vast area of short grass as a single gravel road snaked around them out from Kaledd towards the Dwarven Mountains, the road the Serenity members were currently travelling over. Other travellers passed by the group giving them curious glances, as both a show of discipline and practice of stealth they moved together surrounding Darkness, Caitlyn and Draxxer to hide their identities. The heavy hitters being Birse, Soren and Cherry wore full black plate armour with dark blue cloaks and hoods above their full helms. The mages Kyle, Steph, Wood, Seren and Death wore black cloth robes and similar dark blue cloaks and hoods while the rangers Skill, Ch and their assassin Jacky wore hard black leather armour and again the same dark blue cloaks and hoods. No emblem or insignia decorated their cloaks, if the latter teams were discovered with such a mark then the guild would be discovered for their deception. ¡°Bravo activate your dye enchantments once you separate from us at Kaledd, Charlie do so once you leave for Eslet.¡± Birse reminded them as the closest travellers were still out of earshot. The enchantments he was speaking about were some neat dyes they purchased from a Fae apothecary, at will they could change the colour of their cloaks and along with a second enchantment that added a pattern. Okay maybe they more so took the enchantments rather than purchased, the guild had an active deal with the kingdom after all.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. The reason behind these enchantments were at first to give Bravo team a further advantage of stealth but later evolved into playing mind games with the adventurers of Kaledd. Making them believe all of the guild¡¯s officers were at Kaledd gave them less reason to be suspected for the attacks that were to come and excuses to evade them. Also Birse enjoyed the feeling of having everyone wearing the same cloak as they walked towards the town in formation, albeit he¡¯d never openly admit so. The town was still an hour or so away, Kyle throughout the whole trek had been deep in thought about his current skill set to keep his mind from drifting to his current problems. Having had no monster attacks with the exception of a unicorn almost trampling over Wood, the whole journey had gone by uneventfully allowing him to do so. He had started by listing his current combat abilities being [Slime Cannon] and [Slime Scattershot] for damage with [Core Overload] as a last resort and [Slime Armour] in case he needs to switch out to tank. All in all, he was desperately trying to come up with others. Having spent the most recent hour pondering over his new attribute choices for [Ooze] and [Core Overload].
Attribute effects are kept, further attribute upgrades progress through each attribute owned meaning that all upgrades for previous effects can be earned later on. Warning skills tier cap is 15 therefore you are limited to 30 attribute upgrades. Currently unlocked attributes for [Ooze(Frost)]: (Ice) (Frost) (Cold) Effects: [Cold Mist]; Turn into a freezing mist, [Cold Puddle]; Turn to sticky liquid while retaining temperature (Frost) (Snow) Effects: [Blizzard]; Turn into a flurry of snow flakes, [Snow Touch]; Physical contact causes a spread of [Frostbite] which spreads on further contact Currently unlocked attributes for [Ooze(Demonic)]: (Monstrous), (Vampiric) (Demonic) (Cursed) Effects: [Weakness]; The slime attaches itself to the target slowing them down. [Illusionary]; The very sight of this slime causes hallucinatory effects.
Kyle was stuck between picking (Cold) for the [Cold Mist] effect or (Cursed) for the [Illusionary] effect. With his assignment being the distraction everything relied on him and his squad to do their job right. [Cold Mist] would cause large spread chaos among the citizens if it spread far enough as it would theoretically cause frostbite over any living being it touched. That is if it spread far enough at all. [Illusionary] would either cause hallucinations that would cause panic or even allow Kyle to choose what people saw himself. Both were theoretically good but Kyle felt one was too theoretical so he went for the one that would prove most useful even if the effect wasn¡¯t controllable, he chose (Cursed).
Currently unlocked attributes for [Core Overload]: [Limbs] [Colossal]: 10% increase in slime created [Bind]: Bind an amount of slime no more than 50% worth of your maximum mana to your [Monster Core] allowing you to bypass upkeep cost with said slime. Bound slime is permanent and will not disappear on mana exhaustion but will require twice the amount of mana to regenerate and the activation of [Core Overload]. 50% of your maximum mana will be locked. [Limbs(T2)]: Slime control upkeep cost disabled for 60 (+ 75) seconds, Mana exhaustion 180 (+ 35) seconds.
This choice was even worse and had taken most of the hour, he had three choices and each were as viable as the next. The first was [Colossal] which increased the amount of slime he could create with the skill giving him more resource to bend and use before mana exhaustion. The second effect [Bind] was the most complicatedly explained effect he¡¯d seen, it basically allowed him to have a permanent amount of slime at all times at the cost of 50% of his maximum mana and regenerating said slime would cost him double it normally would. The third was something he hadn¡¯t seen before, a direct upgrade to a previous choice. [Limbs(T2)] increased the no-upkeep time while also increasing the time spent in mana exhaustion from it¡¯s predecessor by 15 seconds each. Kyle had thought very hard on this choice. Bigger guns and more CC? An actual permanent weapon? Or leaving Core overload as a last resort as he had done so far? It was a difficult choice, a choice that required very close inspection of not only the gains by the cons each of them could have. A 10% increase in slime was good and all but it still left him with no actual weapon once the time ran out and bigger guns didn¡¯t mean he could actually lift them, he could barely move with his current sizes. Having access to a permanent weapon after so long felt like a blessing to Kyle and he had almost straight up chosen [Bind] but decided to think it through further first. Sure with his current mana of [870/870] thanks to his new gear it was possible for him to have either slime gun permanently but that left him with less than 10 shots until mana exhaustion ran out, he could pre activate the skill and have the cannon out all the time but he quiet enjoyed not hauling the thing everywhere. This did leave him open to come up with a different weapon that did not require ammunition though, so we remained open towards it. There isn¡¯t much to say about the third option though, it¡¯s simply a straight upgrade to his previous use of [Core Overload] with a downgrade to the latter mana exhaustion. Over all it was the safest choice. He was stumped, with no clue what to choose so he decided ask for help. Kaledd was still a fair walk ahead of them as Kyle moved his attention away from his skill book and towards his surroundings. The three heavy warriors were at the front and the two rangers and assassin at the back while their healer Seren along with Darkness, Caitlyn and Draxxer were in between. The four mages were evenly spread out on both sides of their contractors. Birse was chatting away with Sly over his VCD along with Soren and Cherry on either side of him as Death chimed in from behind Cherry, Kyle was positioned behind Death. Wood and Steph to the right were talking with Seren, Caitlyn and Draxxer in the middle along with Skill and Ch behind them. Jacky was as silent as ever as well as the mysterious cloaked hero of darkness and night. Kyle briefly thought over what to even call her (¡°Miss? Ma¡¯am? Rin? Hero? The hell do I call her¡­?¡±) Darkness glanced at him ¡°Do you require something hero?¡± having noticed his gaze she spoke out first. ¡°Ah I was just about to ask you a question but ended up being stumped on what to call you¡­¡± Kyle replied followed by an awkward chuckle. She nodded back in understanding ¡°Simply call me Darkness as everyone else does as it is my given name, something I am very proud of.¡± ¡°Given name?¡± Kyle¡¯s curiosity was piqued. Darkness frowned at his ignorance ¡°Heroes are given names by their backing deity as a sign of acceptance by them. Have you not been given one yet?¡± ¡°Yeah actually I have¡± he opened his character page and switched his active title [Fae Knight] to his given title [Void] ¡°It¡¯s this title right? Void is what the voice named me.¡± Darkness inspected him ¡°I hope I am guessing incorrectly but I shall ask nonetheless¡­¡±
Kyllix [{Lord of Slimes}] ({Void}) (SER Shadow Lord) Level 93
¡°Was your given name not equipped?¡± Kyle shrugged ¡°No it wasn¡¯t¡­[Fae Knight] had better resistances so...¡± Darkness rolled her eyes as she covered her face with her right palm, a held back smile was still barely visible. Moments later she took a deep breath and asked ¡°So your unique class isn¡¯t connected to your status as a hero of Frost nor as hero of Void¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not? I thought slime was connected to the void?¡± Kyle didn¡¯t like how confused this person made him. ¡°And who told you that?¡± She asked with a raised brow. ¡°The¡­voice¡­¡± Kyle suddenly stopped moving causing the group to leave him a couple steps behind before they slowly came to a stop. Death turned back to look at him ¡°Kyll? You alright?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± He lied (¡°SON OF BITCH¡±) ¡°I¡¯m¡­fine¡­¡± he continued to lie (¡°CONDESCENDING CUNT OF A VOICE! SLIME MY ASS!¡±) his face was visibly twitching as he continued to curse the voice in his head. (¡°DEVOUR¡±) the voice replied. ¡°FUCK OFF¡± Kyle suddenly shouted at the sky, he crouched down and held his face in his palms while groaning the cringe away. Sly shouted out from the VCD ¡°Yo Kyll is voice telling you to join the darkside again? Do they have cookies?! I repeat do they have baked goods!?¡± ¡°Sly go fuck yourself¡­¡± Kyle replied as he massaged his forehead. Darkness chuckled lightly ¡°As I feared young Yako you have been tricked, the Void is on par with gods after all.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it¡­The first time I met it was when I got this stupid class¡­You¡¯re telling me I got this entirely by coincidence?!¡± He stood up and stared at her with a baffled expression. ¡°It sure seems so, slimes in general aren¡¯t bright enough to be part of a class trial. What did it even tell you in the first place?¡± She asked out of curiosity. Kyle explained what exactly happened in his class acquisition trial word by word as realisation sparked through him followed by waves of frustration. Birse couldn¡¯t help himself but laugh ¡°So it gave¡­you random ass riddles¡­and¡­let you feed yourself b-bullshit!¡± he was joined by everyone else including Sly who sounded as if he was rolling on the ground. Even Caitlyn couldn¡¯t stop herself from a muffled giggle. Kyle gave them a weak twitching smile ¡°Yeah¡­laugh it out¡­get it out of your system¡­¡± Death had walked up to him and held onto his shoulder as he laughed with tears leaking down his face ¡°So¡­So¡­This mystical voice in your h-head¡­told you it¡¯s the soul of¡­a slime and your new god¡­and you just accepted it like a good bitch boy!?¡± By now Kyle¡¯s face was trembling with frustration and red with embarrassment ¡°You¡­done?...¡± he thought back to his second meeting with the voice, after he had passed out from escaping Lucifer¡¯s realm. ( ¡° Why had it warned me about using [Dimensional Force]? Why did it tell me to make contact with the previous heroes if it¡¯s thanks to them that I now know it¡¯s ploy? Do I actually know It¡¯s ploy?¡±) such thoughts passed through his mind as the frustration began to build up inside him. A sudden feeling of pain in his lower lip brought Kyle out of his daze, he staggered back a step and glanced around. The others had stopped laughing and were staring at him with mixed curiosity and confusion. ¡°What?¡± he asked before noticing his fangs had grown out, glancing down he saw his claws had also come out along with something else. A frenzied blue flame covered his entire body, as if being the physical incarnation of his emotions it lashed out around him. Death had long stepped away when he noticed Kyle¡¯s fangs and claws grow out but further found his decision to move away wise when the flames appeared ¡°Kyll you¡¯re on fire, literally¡± he stated while gazing at the hypnotic white-blue fire. ¡°You¡¯re getting stronger¡± exclaimed Darkness as she studied the flames ¡°Those flames are your abilities as a fox spirit, I have never heard of cold fire before though so that was unexpected. At least it explains why the winter God Ymir chose you, those flames will probably lead you to a sub-class.¡± Kyle gazed down at the flames that covered his arms as they slowly disappeared, he memorized the feeling. The cold flames felt like an expansion of himself, his senses seemed to spread into them. He thought back to the first time he saw them, how they appeared in conjuncture with losing control to the voice. Suddenly he felt his knees buckle beneath him, he fell to his knees and stared at the gravel road. He laughed, there was no humour or sign of happiness within it. It was a cold wicked laugh that sent a chill down many, those that did not know him even thought he had lost his mind while the rest simply stared awkwardly at him. Kyle continued to gaze down at his hands on the ground as the flames began to spread and grow further ¡°It makes sense now¡­¡± Like a decade old puzzle finally being completed he felt relieved, he now understood what and why. How else could his memories been changed if not by a being on the same level as a god? What else could make a mere child murder? It was trying to drive him insane from the very beginning and when Kyle came to Chaoz it hijacked Ymir¡¯s place. Coincidence? Gaining the class [Lord of Slimes] with the ability to devour and absorb? Kyle doubted it, it made too much sense. Why make him eat his victims when it was so much easier to just absorb them? The fire around him had grown large enough to be considered an inferno, the very gravel and dirt along with the grass froze all around it. His guildmates shouted at him trying snap him out of his fit but the flames kept them away. Following the relief came something else, a raw relentless rage fuelled by everything that had gone wrong in his life. Kyle felt like his mind was clouded with mist as his body entered a frenzy, he snarled like a beast as the fire took form around him. Hundreds of tails formed out of the white-blue fire as their base continued to rage all around Kyle in the form of a sphere, as if a barrier was containing him. Kyle felt himself move further away from consciousness (¡°This is what it wanted¡­¡±) he thought to himself (¡°This realisation¡­it knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to control my anger¡­¡±). His vision went entirely black as he lost all feeling in his body, as if his consciousness was suddenly set aside. (¡°Relax hero¡±) A calm soothing voice followed, nothing like the cold static voice of the Void. (¡°Control your anger, collect yourself. Do you wish to be devoured by the very being that tricked you? Do you wish to let it take over? Are you so weak that you cannot even take charge inside your own mind!?¡±) the voice both advised and mocked him for his weakness. (¡°Silence mortal¡±) The void responded (¡°Release this one, it is my possession now!¡±) (¡°Will you allow it to rob you of what little you have left?!¡±) the voice continued to plea. (¡°SILENCE¡±) the voice screamed making even the reality that was Kyle¡¯s mind shudder (¡°FOR LONG HAVE I CRAVED A BODY! NOW THAT I AM SO CLOSE TO OBTAINING ONE NOT EVEN A CHOSEN SHALL HOLD ME BACK! BEGONE FROM THIS MIND! HE HAS ALREADY GIVEN IN TO THE CRAVING!¡±) (¡°Don¡¯t giv-¡±) the soothing voice was cut off short as even the darkness in Kyle¡¯s mind began to disappear. The feeling of nothingness followed, no senses or thoughts just existence itself. (¡°Get the fuck out of my chosen you filthy creature.¡±) A deep cold voice echoed through Kyle¡¯s mind, it reverberated through the void. The feeling of being frozen suddenly washed overhim. Then he was back to himself again. Kyle glanced around at the circle of frost surrounding him, a scene he had seen twice before in his memories except on a much smaller scale. Somehow he felt calm, his anger had entirely disappeared. He looked up at the others, relief going through their expressions as they looked back. A swarm of notifications then filled his vision.
A higher being has invaded your mind!
An even higher being has punished the invader in your mind.
Title ({Void}) has been forcefully removed by a higher being
Title unlocked ({Holder of the Frostfire}) as unique!
¡°Guys?¡± Sly asked from within the VCD ¡°Yo guys? Hello? Anybody there? The fuck¡¯s going on!?¡± Kyle felt his consciousness drift away as the ground seemed to creep closer, that is what he thought it was doing until he felt the gravel smash into his face. He blacked out. ¡°Seriously I saw fire, what¡¯s going on? Guys?¡± Sly continued. Ch 40 - Interlude in the spirit realm! As Kyle opened his eyes he almost lost consciousness again due to the wave of nausea that attacked him, he endured it and blinked the blurriness out of his eyes. The ground was frozen cold ice filled with flake like fractures giving it a delicate design, he almost lost himself in its shimmer before looking up. The room he lay in was vast with similar design to the ground, it was defined by something cold. Pillars of cold air breezed upwards surrounded by an almost invisible layer of ice, apparently holding the ceiling up. The ceiling itself was the same as the ground, ice fractured in perfect flakes with a second layer of crystal clear ice beneath it. The walls were dense white ice as if glaciers pushed up to the room from each side and depicted on them was a forest of snow, trees, grass and animals alike were carved and drawn into the walls. Kyle stared gaping at the room as a constant cool breeze blew through him, it did not come from any specific direction and seemed to simply flow freely around the room. ¡°Welcome to the spirit realm.¡± A voice from behind him calmly exclaimed, Kyle recognised it as the deep cold voice from earlier. He stood up and quickly turned around, he took a step back as he took in the scene. At that one end of the room lay a large throne of crystal clear ice, the design of snowflakes was carved into the ice deep enough to make the light shimmer through giving it the illusion of a gradient rainbow glow. Sitting above the throne and gazing down at Kyle was nothing of the Winter God that he had expected. Wearing a blue business suit with the design of white snowflakes covering the jacket, shimmering white shoes and a tall white top hat, Ymir sat above his throne. ¡°Come closer.¡± The God asked him, Kyle gulped and slowly walked towards the throne as he glimpsed at the God¡¯s appearance. Ymir had light blue skin with a tattoo-like pattern of fractured ice all over, his short hair began as dark blue fell into light blue then ended at the tips in clear white. The only similarity with the evil Jotun God that Kyle read stories about was the sheer size of the being, if standing he¡¯d surely reach 40 feet in height. The 5 foot and 12 inches tall Kyle on the other hand was completely dwarfed as he approached the God, his eyes widening as he realised the sheer difference in size. He stopped a dozen or so meters from the throne else Ymir wouldn¡¯t be able to see him from his leaned back position. With his hands clasped together in front of him Ymir studied the little mortal as Kyle tried to form words but couldn¡¯t think of what to ask or say. This wasn¡¯t even close to being on par with a Devil, this was an actual God with a top hat staring down at him. In the end Ymir broke the ice first ¡°It is comprehensible that you are out of speech child but truly you could at least say something!¡± the god chuckled making the whole hall rumble. Ymir grinned as he leaned forward to get a closer look at Kyle revealing rows of dark blue fangs ¡°You must have many questions but alas I shall explain all this first, it may also clear some of them on the way.¡± Ymir waved his right hand to his side and a blizzard of snow formed beside the throne, it raged and churned around itself briefly before dissipating. In the blizzard¡¯s place lay a birdcage of dark blue ice with runic symbols etched all over it. Inside the cage lay a black mass of smoke like substance that constantly flowed around it¡¯s available space but never able to move between the bars. ¡°You may¡­or may not actually¡­recognise this as either your worst nightmare and or your lifetime trickster.¡± Ymir began to explain ¡°This particular being has been using it¡¯s ascendency connection to turn your entire life into a living nightmare, it¡¯s purpose? Making you lose control and turning yourself into the same species it currently is, a Nogitsune. Once that was accomplished it could use the same connection to take over your body as it almost did.¡± ¡°And you¡­stopped it?¡± Kyle managed to break out of his daze and ask ¡°Why now? Why didn¡¯t you do so earlier?¡± Ymir raised his left hand towards Kyle ¡°Calm down young Yako, I shall explain in full. It is also the same reason we cannot act in the physical realms. We may be Gods but we also have laws, laws that are far from set in stone but more so carved into reality itself. We simply cannot act as freely as we once could. I was only able to stop this little shit by abusing of a similar connection and bypassing said laws, the connection between me and my chosen. This could only be done when the Nogitsune was already flowing into you else I would have simply been freezing you alive. I was particularly annoyed at it for disrupting my connection to you, disabling me from communicating with you. So instead of outright destroying it, it shall now join me in my eternal cage within it¡¯s very own miniature one.¡± Ymir solemnly gestured at the hall before pointing at the cage in amusement. He then suddenly clapped his hands back together ¡°Also, normally these meetings are left behind as memories in a chosen¡¯s subconscious but as I am still abusing of this one¡¯s connection to you along with my own you shall remember it in full. So pay attention closely to what I am about to say. The Grand Quest is indeed an artefact in itself of which we use to call upon heroes such as yourself to make our chosen, usually through one of our followers as we cannot directly interact with the artefact itself. This time however is different. The previous hero of shadows and the demi-bitch have found a way to bypass the laws of reality. They found a way for a being with Deity blood in them to interact with the artefact. You see when a grand quest is completed through either success or failure the summoned heroes are asked whether they wish to stay or leave Chaoz. The hero Scythe chose to leave and return home, this opens a portal for them to walk through.¡± Ymir raised both hands wide open in front of himself and began forming statues of ice depicting the incident as he explained. ¡°Scythe entered the portal but used Lilliana¡¯s power to lock himself in the middle of the two realms, inside the veil. He had also taken the artefact with him. You see within the veil time exists but not as a constant flow, instead it is a timeline that one can process through as they wish be it back or forth. Scythe knew this well as he gained this knowledge from the Devil kings who through the use of the veil were summoned onto Chaoz by Lilliana. He used the veil to move ahead in time till a couple days ago, contacted Lilliana through the veil as he retained the connection with both Chaoz and your realm. From there Lilliana had planned to enter the veil herself once the prerequisites were done, the artefact has a cooldown time of four decades after all.¡± Ymir smirked as if remembering something amusing about that specific ¡°But it seems Lilliana underestimated the human turned beastman. Scythe let her grab hold of the artefact but never let go himself, with the touch of a God the artefact would activate but it required the touch of a mortal to actually use. They began using the artefact to call in heroes for Lilliana¡¯s quest, heroes she personally met with herself within the veil as she created the bodies for them. We are still unsure how he did it but Scythe managed to connect others to the heroes¡¯ soul frequency in turn overloading Lilliana¡¯s mind, this caused her to lose consciousness. Scythe did not need Lilliana any longer and kicked her out of the veil, quite literally I might add. He continued to use the artefact as it was still active, he summoned each and every one connected to the heroes and themselves onto Chaoz. He then moved onto the second phase of the Grand Quest¡¯s boot up, to add something to Chaoz¡¯s system that would improve the heroes¡¯ chances of victory but could also be used by others to do the same. And so the respawn stones were created, leaving him to move to the third phase¡­but he never did. He never finished the third phase of the Grand Quest¡¯s boot up, the phase where he chooses the direction of the quest, the target, the damn point of it all. He simply left it active as it still is and hid it away within your realm denying anybody from retrieving it. He did this not only to stop our followers from taking it back but also to deny the artefact from activating it¡¯s failsafe. Within your mana-less realm even this powerful object is nothing more than a piece of art. We also have no clue as to why he even did this in the first place¡­¡± He gave a deep sigh ¡°And here comes the point of me even explaining all this to you. We need you to end this quest one way or another.¡± ¡°Me? The hell can I do about it? I¡¯m stuck in Chaoz! Hell if I¡¯m ever leaving too!¡± Kyle immediately answered fearing he¡¯d be sent back ¡®home¡¯, he then immediately regretted even speaking as Ymir¡¯s cold glare fell upon him. Ymir first snorted then proceeded into a booming laugh that reverberated the room itself ¡°Indeed little one! Who would ever wish to live in that bore of world of yours! I never understood the point of it but alas nobody is one and the same.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°So¡­you¡¯re not sending me back?¡± asked a confused Kyle as he tried to stay standing from the earthquake that followed Ymir¡¯s laugh. ¡°Someone has to, else the quest will never end and those that find themselves and feel like they are actually trapped in Chaoz will remain so forever. Then there is the problem of Lilliana¡¯s Devils, those beings are highly capable of bending the veil and can easily access your realm albeit they become powerless once they enter. Their demons are already there and numbering in the many, they are searching for the artefact as we speak.¡± Ymir explained solemnly ¡°That artefact is the sole reason the Devils follow Lilliana, because they need her to jumpstart the slumbering artefact and their ideals for the quest¡¯s target aligns with the other¡¯s.¡± ¡°Take over Chaoz?¡± Kyle gave his guess from what he knew. Sadly Ymir shook his head ¡°When one activates the Artefact of the Grand Quest they receive a prophecy of major events that are to happen. These prophecies were worded by the Avatar itself, a being capable of glimpsing into any and every possible reality in existence as it created existence itself. These prophesized events will happen one way or another, worse can happen if they are tempered with. There are two events that always happen with the Grand Quest, two prophecies that cannot be stopped.¡± Ymir had Kyle¡¯s utmost attention now no matter how short that span was ¡°The first; A Hero shall fall to evil, A Hero shall betray their own. Then the second; A Dark Hero shall be either the undoing of this world or it¡¯s saviour.¡± ¡°Dark¡­Hero?¡± Kyle unconsciously gulped down more spit. ¡°That Dark Hero is you young Yako. Our interpretation of it this time around is that you are the one that shall find the artefact, you are the only one that can. You must find it and activate the third phase, give the quest a purpose. That will break apart the Devils¡¯ allegiance to Lilliana, they will retreat back to their domains stopping the coming war.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand, why does giving the quest a worded purpose make any difference at all? What is the purpose Lilliana and the Devil kings wish to give it?¡± Kyle shook his head not comprehending the point of it while also not wanting to leave Chaoz. ¡°Power, that is why.¡° Ymir first stated plainly before continuing to fully explain ¡±Activating the third phase will give the Deity that began the Quest great power once the quest is complete. The last Deity to have achieved this was Gaia the Goddess of nature, she later sent her twigs into a power imbued frenzy. The Elves invaded the Human and Halfbeast kingdoms kicking them both out and eradicating most of their species. The reason no Deity possesses this power currently is because the previous Grand Quest failed and said God lost their power, this was Oberon and the reason Lilliana was able to banish him into one of the Voids. As for the target they wish to give it¡­we do not know that either.¡± ¡°How¡­powerful are we talking about?¡± Kyle started picturing level 400+ Devils in his head. ¡°Very close to what you are currently imagining.¡± replied Ymir. Kyle visibly paled ¡°You can¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m a God, yes I can peer into your mind. Honestly I could have simply showed you all of these events but alas being trapped here for millennia made me crave a good conversation.¡± Ymir explained further ¡°Although now I will have plenty!¡± he then exclaimed gesturing at the cage. ¡°RELEASE ME¡± The being inside the cage insisted. ¡°Shut yer trap¡± Replied Ymir as he gave the cage a good smack making it shudder violently. ¡°DON-OH¡­OH I JUST PUKED¡­¡± said the voice as a smaller white mass of smoke joined the much larger black. Kyle¡¯s expression twitched between amusement and disgust as he looked away from it ¡°Alright so¡­What if I don¡¯t want to leave Chaoz?...¡± Ymir shrugged ¡°You will be returning to Chaoz after retrieving the artefact, it¡¯s the only way to activate it anyway. After that you may simply choose to stay.¡± Kyle briefly thought it over, then suddenly a thought came to him ¡°Wait¡­if my home realm is mana-less then how was I able to use my flame? I thought that¡¯s the whole reason magical beings like me were sent there?¡± ¡°The realm may be mana-less but other resources exist, similar to how adrenalin can cause supernatural events there are others. As a Yako you revel in emotions. Unlike a Kitsune who revel in positive ones you revel in negative ones, through those emotions you gain Astral mana. Once mana is inside the body it has to be drained to be removed, simply the surroundings being void of mana won¡¯t do so. Astral mana isn¡¯t created the same as base mana which is through the absorption of ambient mana nor is it created inside the body like physical variants similar to stamina. Astral mana is given directly through your soul which exists on a different plane of existence than your physical body, here in the spirit realm.¡± Ymir gestured at their surroundings as ice began to form in front of Kyle ¡°Where your true form is always revealed to everyone.¡± As the mirror of ice was formed facing Kyle he stared into it and noticed his current form for the first time. He looked similar to what he did back home, pale skin, short messy brown-black hair, almond brown eyes and a short unmanaged beard. The similarities ended there. Instead of human ears grew out two long white-blue fox ears like the ones his body on Chaoz had. Then from beneath his back where his single fox tail use to be now came out two. The left one pure white with frost covering it¡¯s fur while the right was crimson red with flickering flames sprinkled around it. ¡°You are probably the most fascinating hybrid I have ever laid my eyes upon¡± continued Ymir ¡°Half Kitsune of fire and half Yako of frost. The Yako side of your family was dominant but the fire endured along. In element, you are a Yako of ice but in form the fire bloodline took over forming what I expertly called Frostfire. With the pin point control of frost and flexibility of fire, truly a magnificent power. Concentrate child and make this power yours again.¡± Kyle looked away from his reflection and up at Ymir, the giant was staring down at him expectantly. He looked down at his hands trying to remember the feeling, his senses spreading out from his body as the flames formed on his skin. Not just as energy being released but as an extension of his own consciousness, an extension of his own existence. He looked back into the mirror to see the white-blue flames covering his body similarly to an aura, it took the form of a bipedal two-tailed fox with snout and all. He then watched as the blue flame engulfed his mismatched tails. The white one burned up and immediately caught fire gaining a tinge of blue while the red one seemed to refuse the opposite element, the blue fire forming around the red. Kyle took a deep breath and forced the flame into it, the red fire was expelled as the blue took it¡¯s place followed by the red tail turning the same as it¡¯s neighbour in colour. Ymir nodded agreeing with the outcome ¡°Splendidly done, your soul will take time to fully heal from the Nogitsune¡¯s attack and until then I suggest against traveling through the veil. Until such a time make use of that flame, learn to control it well as it will be your sole weapon against the demons within your realm. Once I have perceived your soul to have healed enough I shall inform you.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Kyle looked up at him ¡°How do I even get home and back to Chaoz?¡± Ymir palmed his face ¡°Indeed! I almost forgot to explain!¡± he chuckled amused by his own blunder then he released his face ¡°There are three ways to achieve so. The first is to manually break through the veil and navigate your way home, I would not suggest this method as even us Gods use to get lost for millennia inside the veil. The second is similar to the first but you need a focus to help you navigate, a runic focus to be more precise. This focus will connect the break in the veil to it¡¯s corresponding position in the focused realm. This has it¡¯s own problems though as you might as well be launching yourself into open space without an accurate focus. The third is your best solution. Using a physical focus to break open a portal similarly to what the Artefact of the Great Quest does. Alas I have little clue as to how this can be done, the Avatar didn¡¯t exactly leave a detailed guidebook of how the blasted thing works.¡± He dejectedly sighed. ¡°I understand what you mean by runic focus, as in the same thing we used to open a portal from Frosthold to New Ruk correct?¡± Kyle asked as he processed this information. Ymir nodded ¡°Exactly, the veil is a flimsy thing but certain runic inscriptions connect to each other on the spiritual level bypassing the veil itself.¡± Kyle was deep in thought when a sudden idea came to him ¡°So souls can pass straight through the veil? What happens if the soul has a body on the other side as well?¡± Ymir frowned briefly as he thought that over ¡°I see¡­yes that might just be how it works. The soul would theoretically guide itself back to the body, the question is if you can guide your soul out of your current body and into the veil before it latches back onto said body.¡± Kyle crossed his arms as he stared into the mirror ¡°Is my body even still alive? I mean¡­it¡¯s without a soul¡­¡± ¡°Oh bodies do not simply crumble away even without a soul, your consciousness is a mixture of body and soul so the body you were born with is still very much alive and moving. Emotionless but alive.¡± Ymir explained. ¡°Wait¡­what do you mean?¡± Kyle suddenly looked up at Ymir with wide eyes. Ymir chuckled at his expression ¡°Simply? You still exist as yourself but with no emotions such as remorse, happiness etc. which would also greatly affect your personality. Oh but do not worry your body is powerless without the soul.¡± Kyle sighed in relief, the last thing he wanted was to go back home and find himself in some military lock down or worse. ¡°So can¡¯t you just send me through then?¡± The god shook his head ¡°No us Gods cannot interact with the physical anymore, at most I can connect your consciousness to the spirit realm as it is now but your soul remains connected to a body. You will have to find a different way to disconnect your soul from your current body, I believe you already have a way to break open the veil also.¡± A sudden series of knocking reverberated through the walls ¡°I SAID NO VISITORS FROSTY SHIT!¡± a deep voice followed. Ymir grimaced as he stood up ¡°It seems your time here grows short little one.¡± He stomped over to the wall behind his throne and bashed his right fist into the wall several times ¡°BITE ME ONE-EYED FREAK!¡± he shouted back. He glanced back at Kyle and nodded, Kyle¡¯s vision then began to blur. ¡°DON¡¯T MAKE COME IN THERE MESELF AND BEND THAT FROZENASS OVER MY LAP AGAIN!¡± ¡°COME ON IN BITCH! BRING THAT BOY OF YOURS TOO! OH WAIT! HE¡¯S MY BOY!¡± The Gods continued to bicker as Kyle blacked out. Ch 41 - The sky is falling! As Kyle opened his eyes he found himself still lying on the ground as if no time had passed at all. ¡°I ain¡¯t carrying him!¡± exclaimed Soren. ¡°Well I¡¯m the leader so I damn sure ain¡¯t!¡± replied Birse. ¡°He¡¯s getting up anyway¡± Death sighed as he pointed out Kyle moving to stand. Kyle groaned as he stood up, his head still spun from having been rudely forced into the spirit realm. ¡°The fuck happened?¡± Asked Death, Soren, Birse and Skill in almost-unison. He took a deep breath and briefly waited for his head to clear before looking at them all, the ice on the ground was still present and judging by their expressions no time had passed at all. Kyle was about to open his mouth to explain but then found himself asking a question (¡°Should I tell them? About Lilliana¡¯s whole plan? About Ymir¡¯s? That we need to go back¡­No¡­I need to go back¡­If I tell them they¡¯ll just want to come along.¡±) he decided not to (¡°I can¡¯t do that to them, this is my cross to bear. Until then I¡¯ll do what I can here¡­¡±) ¡°Ymir locked away the being that was corrupting me¡± Kyle began to explain ¡°I¡¯m¡­fine now¡±. Death raised a brow and asked with an incredulous tone ¡°A blob of blue fire engulfs you and is then smite down by a blast of cold air¡­and you¡¯re just fine?¡± Kyle nodded as he looked down at his open palms ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine Death. It may have been moments for you but it was minutes of Ymir explaining things to me. I understand what was going on with me now, I also know that it¡¯s over.¡± He explained with as believable a tone he could muster to fake. But Birse didn¡¯t seem to buy it as he studied him with an attentive glare ¡°Are you sure Kyll?¡± Kyle simply nodded. Birse briefly continued to stare before nodding back ¡°Then he¡¯s fine. Reform! We¡¯re moving!¡± he then ordered the whole group. ¡°Sly I¡¯m disconnecting, we¡¯re almost at Kaledd.¡± Birse spoke into the VCD. ¡°Sure, yeah. Don¡¯t explain jack shit to me, you know I¡¯ll just be here. See ya.¡± Sly declared with a chuckle before the connection dropped. Serenity reformed around their three customers, the exact same formation they held minutes ago. Most continued to pay attention to their surroundings but some gave worried glances at Kyle as he stared detached, he was staring at his new title and it¡¯s skill.
{Title [{Holder of the Frostfire}]: Ymir the God of winter has unlocked your natural powers, allowing you to use them according to your potential. Ice resistance: +40% Fire resistance: +40% Active skill [{Tails}]
{Title [{Holder of the Frostfire}] Active skill [{Tails}] (Set Skill Stats): Call upon your given name summoning your tails of power. First tail: (Devouring Frostfire); An all devouring flame of cold bendable by your will; Spirit cost: 20 per 1cm squared Second tail: (Frostfire Blade); A blade of pure flame, colder than cold itself this blade inflicts no direct physical damage but shall freeze any and all it touches. Spirit cost: 240
(¡°My tails¡­¡±) He still couldn¡¯t get over the fact that he wasn¡¯t human, instead being some fox based elemental spirit as in ancient folklore. (¡°Spirit¡­what is this resource? I still only have mana and stamina¡­Maybe if I use it? But doesn¡¯t spirit mean soul? Will I be using my soul as a resource?¡±) he grimaced at his line of thought, he didn¡¯t want to risk his soul just for more power. In the end, he just sighed, closed the windows and turned to look at Darkness. ¡°Hey Darkness, what is spirit as a resource?¡± he asked hoping to be proved wrong, he then noticed she was already looking at him. Not that she had stopped gazing since the fire and ice blasted each other around him but left him without a single scratch. ¡°Spirit is a type of mana, it is purely gained through concentration. Your bar will start out empty and as you concentrate on your surroundings and block your own emotions you can glimpse at other¡¯s gaining spirit depending on your type and the surroundings. Since you are a Yako, negative emotions will fuel your bar. You can replace the cost for mana but it will end up costing you much more than spirit would.¡± She thoroughly explained. ¡°So¡­I won¡¯t be draining my own soul or anything?...¡± He asked with a tinge of worry in his voice. Darkness shook her head ¡°No, spirit is referring to emotional standing not spiritual existence.¡± Kyle raised his right hand in front of himself ¡°Guess I¡¯ll give it a go¡­¡±, he focused on the feeling the flames brought to him. As any elemental magic each had a specific feeling to summoning it, [Ooze] was no different but Kyle had grown quickly accustomed to it. This felt entirely new to him so he still required brief moments of concentration, the memories of him summoning this flame in the past all but distant. The white-blue flames flickered to life around his hand. Kyle felt his mind recoil, a sudden wave of information burst into his head as if a completely new sense of feeling was dumped into him.
Hidden passive skill [Spirit detection] has been unlocked!
It felt exactly the same as when his memories were cleared of the Nogitsune¡¯s tempering, as if something long lost was suddenly gained back. This time though it came with extra weight being the punch, he was almost overwhelmed by the information his mind suddenly received. The emotional state of every single person around him was delivered into his mind as a constant changing process, a constant flow of detail. The range was also enormous; he could sense travellers almost to the gates of Kaledd, he knew if this happened within the city he would have blacked out again. He focused on blocking it and within moments it disappeared, as if he had done it many times before. He briefly wobbled as nausea assaulted him, the moment it disappeared he opened his skill book and read over the skill with an agitated expression.
[Spirit Detection] ((EXP MAX) Level 5 ¨C Tier 5): The ability to sense the constantly changing emotions of beings close to your intellectual level. Mastery effect: (Pinpoint); Detection, range and location are pinpoint accurate.
He grimaced fully understanding what had happened, the Nogitsune¡¯s influence left some scars on his mind that still required healing. He understood what Ymir meant by his soul being damaged, even his memories hadn¡¯t fully recovered yet. The level of the skill itself was enough to make him understand just what he had gone through. Frostfire began to cover his whole body, (¡°How dare it¡­) a seating rage began to overcome him as he fully recognised just how badly the Nogitsune had him in it¡¯s grasp. (¡°Just what of my memories are real anymore¡­¡±) he momentarily questioned everything but immediately stopped himself (¡°No, this isn¡¯t right. I cannot lose myself in anger, what¡¯s done is done. I need to focus on the future, I won¡¯t get stuck in the past.¡±) Kyle took a series of deep breaths to calm himself, he refocused on what he was doing and then realised something about his UI had changed.
Spirit [90/X]
A light green bordered bar with white filling it, the bar indicated as ¡®Spirit¡¯ was entirely full even though the number slowly increased.
Spirit [170/X]
Kyle understood this as what Darkness meant about emotions, the closer they got to Kaledd the more people got inside his range of absorption. It also seemed that the resource had no limit of storage, Kyle found this odd as it shouldn¡¯t be possible for him to hold unlimited amounts. ¡°Why does it say ¡®/X¡¯ and not a set limit?¡± he asked Darkness again. ¡°Spirit is only absorbed into the body as it is about to be used, until then it continues to flow around it¡¯s owner. Emotions are a powerful existence, you cannot simply contain them.¡± She explained while gazing at the small flame around his hand in deep thought. Kyle looked back at his hand (¡°This is what I was looking for¡­this power¡­it is entirely mine. If only¡­¡±) briefly he thought if he only had it back at the dungeon but he quickly dissipated such a thought. He opened his skillbook and instead of closing the prompt to upgrade [Core Overload] he quickly made a decision and chose (Limbs(T2)). He¡¯ll need all the time he can get for what was to come. He looked around Death and saw the town of Kaledd in the distance, still a fair bit away. Looking down at his flame he came up with a plan, he raised his left hand to the same height and summoned forth the slime. (¡°Fear is our best choice for a distraction and fear is entirely subjective. Singularly I am not as strong as the others, I am not as tactical as Birse nor as creative as Death or as sly as¡­well Sly. But there is one thing we all share that cannot surpass the other¡¯s.¡±) Kyle grinned wickedly as his hands clasped together (¡°We sure know how to scare the shit outa someone.¡±) --- Esfeltian Dominion Capital city, Eslet, Cathedral of night and day Six hours later Nolin walked through the grandiose cathedral, larger than the royal residence itself the building was built from the donations of their most devote followers. The kingdom of Esfelt restricted religious following but people simply looked for it on their own anyway, limiting it only made it more sought after going as far as making it a must for noble families to take part in. Made of a mixture of marble and a magical material called pearlstone the walls, floor and ceiling gleamed with their own light. Where ever you went inside the building the floor was white pavement made of circles cleverly designed into a day and night cycle while the walls and ceiling were clear white with no design.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. The priest strode through the long corridors of the fifth floor, the highest floor of the cathedral restricted to their highest ranking members. Paintings of their two Gods lined the walls as banners of their most faithful noble families lay in between each. Nolin always made it a must to appreciate the view as he walked through, what they had managed to create under the constant stress the royal family pressed on them. Not your everyday clergymen, the members of the churches were trained mages in both holy magic and a type of martial art. Their numbers spread into all kinds, be it clerics, paladins, arclights or pathfinders they covered it all. Their level averaged around 70 while their highest members ranged between 100-120, compared to the royal military the churches had an overall lower average level but had more numbers. Today was a glorious day for Nolin, he had not only caught the royal in the same room as a devil albeit a slumbering child he also had adventurer witnesses! The news were already being spread by the same adventurers, it was simply safer to let them do so as to not arouse suspicion on the churches¡¯ behalf. He grinned wickedly as he approached the far end of the third floor, his favourite lunch spot. Ahead of him was the exit onto a wide balcony with multiple white wooden chairs and tables, a tray of herbal tea and snacks above one of the tables waiting for him. The balcony oversaw the entirety of the noble¡¯s district, beautiful mansions with fair stretches of grass land in between them. The Cathedral itself was separate from the rest of the city where the slums district, housing district and merchant district lay surrounding the noble¡¯s district yet still separated by tall walls of enchanted stone. The city of Eslet took over the whole island, the far walls a mere dozen meters away from the beaches and coast. Two sets of walls surrounded the city as more cut the inside into five districts. The outer south district was the merchant¡¯s district, the outer northern east the slums and outer north west the housing district for those that weren¡¯t of name or value to living as nobles but not so broke as to live in the slums. Those three districts formed a circle around the inner walls while being broken down like a pie, the largest piece being the slums, the common housing district the second and smallest being the merchant¡¯s district. Moving further inside one would find themselves in the noble¡¯s district, a large stretch of land forming another circle around the final district. The royal district, the smallest district inside the city forming the final circle. Outside the city there was a sixth district, the military district. It was a large stretch of land to the south east of the city surrounded by walls built out of the outer circle, where the royal military was located. --- Author: This just felt right¡­. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_28OLWtSK0 --- Nolin gazed off into the fields of grass as he stepped out onto the balcony, the relaxing odour of herbal tea reached him before it was swiftly blasted away¡­along with the cup¡­snacks¡­tray¡­chairs¡­table and his blonde wig. Several explosions went off in the distance almost in unison, the blast wave they caused travelled far and wide. ¡°What in his name is going on!?¡± Nolin exclaimed as he leaned out of the balcony and enhanced his vision to search the horizon but no smoke or signs of damage could be seen. He went to caress his hair only to notice it had also been blasted away, he groaned in annoyance as he looked up at the sky for guidance. He squinted briefly. High above Eslet was the slightly smaller city Sky Top Haven, the city where only the strongest of adventurers could request entry. It is said the city is completely empty, buildings and all exist for people to inhabit but nobody seems to live there. Nolin knew better than the theories the common folk came up with, up there lived the heroes of old. Immortalized after bringing victory to their gods as chosen and took residence up there. The barrier that surrounded Sky Top Haven was completely indestructible and only those above level 340 could pass through yet somehow the Hero of the Blade had entered once or twice before even though Draxxer hadn¡¯t even passed 200. The city itself is said to be a hundred times more beautiful than it¡¯s completely golden underside which was visible to anybody below, the same underside which was currently¡­moving closer by the second. Nolin¡¯s eyes opened wide as did his mouth go agape while he stared at the falling city speechless, the only thought going through his mind ¡®What happens if an indestructible barrier falls on a destructible city?¡¯. Briefly he snapped out of his daze and tried to think of what to do but found that his mind quickly went blank, (¡°how could you stop it? It is impossible!¡±) was all he could come up with. He shook his head then leaned back into the sole chair that stood upright and stared up at the sky with a defeated smile ¡°We¡¯re doomed, we¡¯re all doomed¡±. He continued to stare at it as it slowly approached (¡°Four? Five hours at most?¡±) he started estimating how much time the city of Eslet had left. ¡°Kaledd isn¡¯t that bad this time of year¡­¡± he thought while standing up, fully intending on getting the hell out of the city. He infused his voice with mana ¡°J!-Ah¡­w..w-a¡­¡± his voice was completely cut off as the slushing of blood, tearing of flesh and breaking of bone filled his ears alongside his own gurgling. Nolin raised his right hand to feel his throat only to find a metallic blade had stabbed right through, he began to panic as his lungs started to beg for air and fill with blood. Suddenly he felt someone leaning over his right shoulder. ¡°My condolences for your loss of a life and greetings from the federation.¡± The voice whispered into his ear. The dagger was immediately pulled out of Nolin¡¯s throat letting him fall to the ground, he gurgled and crawled uselessly before looking up at his assailant. Wearing pitch black leather armour, cloak, hood and mask. The mask was a rather simple smooth black with nothing on it at all, no design or even eyeholes giving the whole getup the impression of a demonic wraith. The masked assassin briefly stared down at the dying man before flicking his right hand, the dagger flew true and pierced Nolin¡¯s chest. Nolin cursed in his mind at the black cloaked figure, how could he be so careless? (¡°At least I won¡¯t be alone¡­¡±) he thought selfishly while turning to look up at the sky to embrace his death, his eyes widened in further shock. Sky Top Haven was no longer falling; it was as if it never started to fall in the first place. Nolin died with an expression of utter bafflement, momentarily later his body slowly began to dissipate into mana. --- Eslet, Slums district, sewers. Kyle tried to breath as little as possible as the stench of shit, piss and worse engulfed his senses, the bandana around his mouth doing little to block it out. Even worse he had tried his best not to think of what his hands and legs where currently deep into, not a plan he wished to remember. His through process was fairly simple. After testing around with his new illusion inducing slime with Woody he found out the slime did not require contact to take effect but instead only required proximity to the gas it constantly emitted. The slime itself could be condensed very little making it extremely weak but as long as it was in range Kyle could make those under it¡¯s effects see anything he wanted them to see. When he entered the city of Eslet he spent a good five minutes staring up at the flying golden city above it, himself along with Woody simply wanted to blow the thing up and make it fall down onto Eslet but later found out the flying city wasn¡¯t accessible to noobs such as themselves. Instead with the help of Woody and Steph¡¯s insane genius alongside his own they came up with this plan they were currently progressing through. The sewers ran through the whole city be it the slums, noble¡¯s or even military. Although there were thousands of intersections blocked off with enchanted metal bars there was more than enough space in between for something¡­something say slime to pass through. Kyle currently lay crouching down inside the sewage with his hands open wide underneath the sticky, gooey, chunky liquid which slowly flowed through. Woody and Steph stood behind him with their palms wide open on his back to provide mana assistance, not that he currently needed it. At first he used his whole mana bar alongside Steph¡¯s [Mana assist] skill which she quickly taught to Woody to create a large amount of [illusionary] red slime and flow it through the whole slums district as thinly as possible. He had tested beforehand so he knew the next step would work wonderfully¡­except the intense mental strain it brought with it.
Spirit [9000+/X]
He was using his Spirit to fuel the creation of slime which took over three times as more resource but with his current income of Spirit it was negligible at best. The cause of this insane amount of Spirit income? The millions of slum residents running, screaming, crying and pissing themselves as the sky quite literally fell¡­from their perspective at least. It took everything he had to keep the slime under control, any part that disconnected from him would dissipate into mana within a few of minutes. A notification also constantly flashed in the middle of his vision;
Spirit collection is overloaded! Release your spell or endure the consequences over your body!
And just as the notification explained, Kyle¡¯s body wasn¡¯t in the best shape. His skin was cracked in multiple places as some patches of it started to simply shatter to dust and join the sludge beneath, the sheer constant flow of mana in the shape of spirit flowing through his body was too much for it to bear. His mind wasn¡¯t doing very well either, his eyes were slightly uncentered as he stared off into nothing. His thoughts were completely blank as the sole thing he was concentrating on flowed out from his hands, his very consciousness forced into the slime. Woody and Steph dared not to speak or move less they break his concentration, they had been going at it for two and a half hours now. Having taken two hours to reach the city by gryphon carriage and one and a half to figure out where the sewers even were, they hoped they could last a couple hours more but if Kyle was any kind of conscious he¡¯d doubt it. Then again he wasn¡¯t conscious except for muscle memory that kept the slime going, his consciousness fully integrated into the slime moving it while his body¡¯s condition was unbeknownst to him. He hadn¡¯t considered telling his clan mates to stop him at some point, he couldn¡¯t stop himself at this rate. He just figured his body would collapse dead and that¡¯d be the end of it, he¡¯d then walk back to the sewers and just start over again. That¡¯s exactly what he did. The first time he died his body simply burst into blue dust scaring the crap outa Woody and Steph, at first he freaked out as his consciousness was suddenly forced out of the slime making it all start it¡¯s dissipation timer. A couple minutes later when he respawned Kyle found himself running through the crazed crowds. He ran through the road that lay between the inner and outer road, the gates to the inner walls lay straight in between the slums and merchant¡¯s district. People ran left and right in the slums kicking, pushing, shoving and biting to get the hell out of the city. The only way out being the two large gates, both overrun with civilians in chaos and guards trying to bring it under control. Kyle leaped into the air and used surge to progress through the stampede gaining himself a couple bruises and somehow a bitemark along the way. It took him another four minutes to get back to the closest sewage entrance, a manhole covered with a simple metal trapdoor which he had easily broken open. The moment he reached it with one more surge he stopped a middle-aged citizen from dropping straight down into it, Woody had to laser to death a couple of them over the last two hours. Kyle dropped down into the sewers and rushed over to the both of them, immediately he dropped down to his knees ¡°Bind their senses to my will! We shall show them terror of the likeness never seen before! Ooze! Illusionary!¡± he chanted his skill decreasing the mana cost and increasing the speed at which it was created in turn. The red slime burst out of his hands and shot down to the left where the sludge flowed towards, after a couple moments of agitation he found what he was looking for. The slime had begun to dissipate but luckily he was capable of reconnecting a large chunk of it before it did completely. Slowly he flowed his consciousness into the slime noticing that the entirety of the military district had been lost ¡°Fucking h-¡± his cursing was cut short as his consciousness fully flowed into the slime. Unbeknownst to Kyle this ability had become a skill which he had completely ignored to see the notification for due to the rush, a skill he had accidentally discovered through almost fainting from the rush of Spirit energy within the first hour. This process continued for several hours, three hours being the longest his body could last before falling apart. He had died twice more and twice more he had to run back, the third having met the most resistance as the guard finally began to mobilize in full. ¡°Halt!¡± a guard shouted at him as Kyle crashed into him after surging through the air ¡°You¡¯re running the wrong fucking way!¡± ¡°Bitch I ain¡¯t got time for this!¡± Kyle quickly responded before disappearing into the crowd. He grabbed the guard by the shoulder as he had done to many others and pulled himself over the guard, he leaped up and used surge. ¡°Fucking lunatic¡± exclaimed the guard as he arranged his helmet. --- Kyle jumped down into the manhole and was about to dash back into the sewage when he noticed team Bravo alongside Woody and Steph. Death, Skill, Jacky and CH stood by waiting for him. ¡°Yo, the fuck did you do?¡± Death immediately asked, being in Kyle¡¯s raid party made them immune to the effects of the slime. ¡°Showed them the flying city falling. You done?¡± Kyle quickly asked hoping he doesn¡¯t have to flow slime all over the city¡¯s sewage system again. Jacky responded instead ¡°18 out of 24 targets eliminated, two targets escaped to Kaledd and four captured.¡± ¡°Only four? Seriously?¡± Kyle asked baffled at the small number of captures. Ch shrugged alongside a sigh ¡°Too many of them were too high level to capture, in a fair fight? We might have even lost against half of them. Three detected us before we could ambush them forcing us to destroy the whole building to kill them, one of those three almost got away even then!¡± ¡°Comms people!¡± Death ordered getting everyone¡¯s attention again ¡°Stage two! We¡¯re to continue this chaotic environment while giving alpha something to fight.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Kyle asked with curiosity and relief he didn¡¯t have to go comatose again. Death gave them a wicked grin ¡°The noble¡¯s district is quite vast making it the perfect terrain for a final battle sort. We will disguise ourselves as demons with that illusion spell of yours Kyll, we will fight our own disguised as such. Inspect is altered by simple masks so I¡¯m guessing illusions work even better. Fight hard and kill as many as possible but remember to lose in the end, after all we win even when we lose!¡± he joked with a chuckle. ¡°Make sure not to reveal your main abilities either, we cannot be recognised.¡± Jacky added solemnly. ¡°Soo¡­can we PLEASE get the hell out of the sewers now?¡± Steph begged with annoyance. Ch 42 - Lets save the city! Kaledd, Generalmart second floor, Seven hours earlier. Karnage was currently doing her best not to fall asleep, she glanced around the large table at the other guild leaders. She sat on one side with Zaahr, Birse and his officers then Zeeke, Nakano and their¡¯s. On the other side sat the Kaledd guildmasters and their higher ranking members, she counted seven guilds in total.
LukeSkyDiver [Forged Engineer] (Crafty) (BW Master) Level 63
HiHelloGoodbye [Sorcerer] (Blast-em) (LOLz GODDESS) Level 66
Djinn [Duellist] (2hands) (GO Sheriff) Level 52
Dherik Firehide [Forged Warrior] (Frontliner) (LOST Emperor) Level 91
Regina [Technomancer] (Ace) (PRED Queen) Level 87
SORK [Elementalist] (FAKE Captain) Level 45
Deathstrike [Summoner] (Picky) (SHADY Prime) Level 58
Most of them were in a sorry state, when they had arrived all they could see was adventurers standing around the town or messing around and filling up the taverns. Their guild leaders weren¡¯t all that better off, their levels alone spoke volumes of how bad a shape they were in. Only two guilds out of the seven were half decent in what they were doing. One being LOST lead by Dherik, a PVP focused guild which immediately set off on grinding their levels in the nearby swamp. The second was PRED lead by Regina, a PVX guild and the smallest community among Kaledd¡¯s guilds. They had spread out into parties and fought in the nearby swamps or hunted around the Dwarven mountains, they simply couldn¡¯t stand the sad state of the town. These two guilds where the first they had encountered, seeing a large squad of adventurers moving through The Patch got one of LOST¡¯s parties to approach them. One thing took to another and the leaders of the two guilds came directly to Karnage and Zeeke to explain their situation. When Birse arrived they had explained it to him as well and from there he called for a meeting with each and every guild leader. Thanks to Dherik and Regina they had gathered them all but how the meeting was currently going was less than promising. ¡°And you expect us to just fall in line?¡± exclaimed HiHello leader of LOLz, a scalarian female with mage robes and two wands at her side. Birse was standing up as he spoke, a large difference from the Kaledd guild leaders who lay sprawl about on their chairs. ¡°Would you rather stand around and wait for the Devils to come by and MAKE you fall in line? Because they will and they are coming.¡± Birse was slowly losing his patience over these lost hopes, if it wasn¡¯t a distraction he¡¯d simply do what LOST and PRED had done and abandon them. Djinn a human male with a blue afro for hair began to laugh ¡°Oh sure, just how we¡¯ve been sitting around for three days. They haven¡¯t come yet and they aren¡¯t coming later, what¡¯s the point of even trying to resist if they do? What chance do we stand?¡± Dherik a heavily armoured Dwarf male with a Dwarven spear and shield similar to Soren¡¯s suddenly stood up ¡°Why are we even wasting our time with these sad excuses for shit? They don¡¯t even got the balls to fight a fucking troll much less a demon!¡± Regina a human female wearing grey leather armour and a brown cloak raised her hand ¡°I agree, we should just leave them to their taverns and take the spoils ourselves.¡± This had been going on for three hours, Birse explaining their circumstances to the best of his ability without giving out certain information. He had explained how the churches are tricking the people and them to take over the ruling of Barik, how the royal military will not stand and do nothing. Birse then told them how he guessed the royal military would turn the citadel into a battlefield to take back their Empress¡¯s honour and how the churches would fight back. Over all none of them had denied these ideas but none of them seemed to care, too busy with their own problems to do so. But Birse didn¡¯t care either, this was all a ploy to keep them gathered in Kaledd after all. He hadn¡¯t expected it to be this bad but it only made it easier on Serenity¡¯s part to fool them all. Getting on Dherik and Regina¡¯s good sides was just as easy as giving them advice on levelling, skills and classes while showing off their own. Obtaining the trust of those who had already given up? Birse had been buying time while waiting for the news to reach Kaledd, he expected it to take an hour or more for it to do so but just as one of the guild leaders stood up to leave. ¡°Fuck this, I didn¡¯t come here to be judged by these maniacs!¡± HiHello stood up to leave but before she could do so a guard came rushing up the stairs of the generalmart and dashed towards them. ¡°Adventurers!¡± The guard shouted to gain their attention as he came to an abrupt stop by the table, breathing heavily the poor guy looked like he had just ran a marathon. ¡°The citadel! Sk-Sky Top! Chaos!¡± he managed to say in between shaky breathing. ¡°Calm down man, take a breather and explain. Slowly!¡± Luke a human male, the nearest guild leader to the guard stood up and tried to calm the messenger down. The guard took a brief couple moments to calm his breathing then glanced around the table ¡°Mixed reports came in from Eslet, Sky Top Haven is falling!¡± Birse couldn¡¯t fake a better expression of utter bafflement than the real one he currently wore ¡°The fuck did you just say?¡± he had left the others to their own workings as he dealt with things here. As planned three cloaked figures walked up the stairs and began approaching the table as fear and panic began to spread among them. Dherik one of the only four leaders not panicking which included Birse, Karnage and Zeeke, stood up to face them ¡°Oi! The second floor is off limits until we are done! The hell are your guards doing down there Regina?!¡± he glanced at the woman in question who was still picturing the golden city falling. Caitlyn removed her hood as she approached the table ¡°Please excuse my rude entry adventurers but this requires urgency.¡± She quickly explained gaining the attention of most people there, Birse faked to pay attention as he had written her script himself while nobody had noticed Deathstrike the cloaked male human had fallen asleep a while ago with his hood down covering his closed eyes. Caitlyn continued to speak as Draxxer and Darkness revealed their faces as well ¡°I am Empress Caitlyn Esfelt of the Esfeltian Dominion here on Barik. These two are the previous heroes of the blessed blade and dark night, we¡¯re here to beg for your assistance with the defence of Eslet the capital city.¡± ¡°How are we supposed to stop a city from falling onto another!?¡± exclaimed Regina still trying to comprehend this outcome. Having received word from Death about how things were going on Elset, Darkness knew it was just an illusion ¡°Sky Top Haven is not falling, this is an illusion produced by Devil magiks. The Dezol legions are here and have somehow infiltrated Eslet, with the fall of the royal family and the confusion within the military they have taken their chances and begun their attack.¡± She explained with as harsh a tone she could muster. ¡°So the city is not falling?...¡± Birse asked with relief. Caitlyn nodded ¡°This outcome was expected, demons are known for their underhanded tactics and this is just like them. Please adventurers, I beg you to save my people from their swords!¡± she was acting her part perfectly, being born to royalty and made Empress at a young age forced her to learn to act properly. The Kaledd guild leaders anxiously looked at each other not knowing what to do, they were far from prepared for this. Zeeke, Nakano, Karnage and Zaahr on the other hand had been preparing for this since the start, their members had been training and grinding the whole time while officers stood at the ready to call them all in within a matter of minutes. Birse turned to Caitlyn ¡°We must contact our members at Frosthold, it will take time to make them march to Kaledd.¡± ¡°I can help with that¡± Draxxer stated speaking for the first time, he had been glaring at the Kaledd leaders in disgust ¡°I can open a portal for your people to come through, the mage guilds have been researching them for a while.¡± This was however not entirely true; Cornelius had made a second waystone as he now called them and a VCD for it but Birse wanted to use that to open a portal to Carn. Instead he asked if it was possible to move the portal at New Ruk, which Cornelius obliged to by sending over a VCD connected to the waystone in Frosthold that opened the portal in the first place. This would destroy New Ruk¡¯s portal and reconnecting the entrance from Frosthold to a new exit in Kaledd. ¡°That would be of great help¡± Birse turned to Zeek and Karnage who sat by him ¡°Let¡¯s contact the others and tell them to gather, we cannot allow the Devils to take Eslet.¡±. He then glanced around at the Kaledd leaders ¡°Whichever of you wish to survive this storm with us you are welcome to join, we¡¯ll share information and assist each other where ever possible. The rest? Feel free to stand about and do nothing.¡± Birse stepped away from the table followed by the other Frosthold leaders ¡°Empress Caitlyn, we shall save your people.¡± Dherik, Regina and Luke also stood up to follow. ¡°We¡¯ll help too¡± Regina announced with a bored expression. ¡°Count us in.¡± Luke stated as he bumped his mechanical gauntlets together. ¡°LOST is behind you too.¡± Said Dherik with a grin. Birse couldn¡¯t help himself but grin back ¡°Gather your members then. Karnage and Zeeke with me, we¡¯ll gather our own.¡± --- High above Dread Swamp, three hours later. Birse gazed out of the large carriage at the dozens of others that flew alongside his. The large creatures were twice the size of your average wyvern with three times the wing span, two of them were connected to each carriage the size of a town building. Each griffin had two thick metal rods to each side of them protruding from the carriage¡¯s front, metal chains that were connected to the rods were then connected to the griffin¡¯s saddles. The carriages where triangular in shape with large metal wheels on each of the three corners, the back was a corner while the front where one griffin pulled wasn¡¯t. They were mostly made of oak wood with forged metal keeping it all together, the inside¡¯s pavement was wooden planks while the seats where a single long plank protruding out of each wall. The outside walls of each carriage were slanted to decrease air resistance while the inside were actually vertically flat. The second griffin that pulled the carriage was connected to two metal rods that protruded from the roof, using it¡¯s immense strength and wingspan to carry the carriage while it¡¯s partner steered. Each carriage could hold up to forty people each, normally enough for the every day travellers. With the threat of a Dezol invasion on the capital and Draxxer¡¯s persuasive growling they had been able to gain their use but couldn¡¯t transport everyone. With only twelve carriages at Kaledd¡¯s disposal the six guilds could only take 480 people, a small amount compared to the joined number of 3,700 they held together. Birse had made the call to only take their highest levels while leaving the rest to continue training and guarding Frosthold in case the Devil¡¯s main force pushed through Helix again. In truth he simply didn¡¯t wish all his forces to move out of Frosthold and would have done this call whether they had transportation or not, he even went so far as to get Draxxer to talk down Karnage¡¯s idea of opening a portal at Eslet due to ¡®how long¡¯ that would take. He currently sat inside the carriage alongside the other guild leaders and many of their members. Having spread out Seren, Cherry and Soren into other carriages holding their lower ranked members the other guilds had done the same. They had discussed of landing inside the city straight up but Birse made it clear that joining up with the royal military was the best course of action. So it was decided they would land outside the military district as to not be shot down by them then request entry from their gate. It had taken them three hours to gather their forces and fill up the carriages, 220 people going through a single portal took a while but it was mostly because of them having to pick out the higher levels and send back the lower ones. He glanced around at the others, three days of fighting monsters and bandits had forced them all to bottle up their fears and will through. Those who couldn¡¯t were left to rot in the streets, unable or simply unwilling to fight. Birse wondered if one would respawn from dying of hunger, would natural deaths be allowed a second chance? Then what about death by aging? He found himself considering a lot of things since finding out that everyone excluding monsters could respawn.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°An hour and a half till arrival!¡± announced the griffin master from the front of the carriage where he overlooked the entire inside and it¡¯s inhabitants. --- Esfeltian Dominion Capital Eslet, Military district outskirts, two hours and a half later. Luke stared down at the large lake that lay by the military district¡¯s outskirts, large Dwarven contraptions where built right outside the gates where ships for the military were constructed before being moved into the sea. He was sitting down staring at the lake alongside his party of five others, being the weakest of the six guilds he was only allowed to bring a single party of his best fighters which weren¡¯t many. With tanned-white skin, shaved brown hair, brown eyes and beard the Berserker¡¯s Wrench guild master sighed deeply as he waited for the military to let their small army inside. His guild in the first place was mostly a crafting community, very little of their members were fighters and level-wise were almost as bad as the zerg guilds in Kaledd. He glanced back at his party members, a healer, two fighters including himself, two gunners and a mage. Surrounding them were larger groups of adventurers laying about the grassy outskirts of Eslet, the guilds trying to stay in their tight social groups. He then spied Birse walking out of the door within the large gates made of pure metal followed by the guard that had let him in in the first place and a third solider he did not recognise. Unlike the guard this one looked of higher rank with several badges decorating his shoulder armour. The man quickly looked around at the adventurers with a surprised expression as he inspected their levels, averaging around 80 they seemed of higher quality than his own men. He turned to Birse and nodded before speaking, Luke and his party were too far to hear him. Birse turned to face everyone and spoke with mana infusing his voice ¡°We¡¯ve been allowed inside, all guilds gather in platoons of 40 each. Spread your classes among them as we discussed on the way, the military shall assign you escorts through the city.¡± He then walked off to his own gathered members. ¡°You heard him¡± Luke told his party while standing up ¡°Let¡¯s go ladies and gentlemen, we¡¯ve got a city to defend¡± he announced with his usual jolly tone. After gathering his small party Luke walked up to Birse¡¯s group. ¡°Yo mind if you assign us to a platoon? We didn¡¯t bring the numbers.¡± He asked the burly wolfkin guild leader. Birse turned from talking to Cherry and quickly glanced over Luke¡¯s party ¡°Yeah go with Shepperd, he¡¯s the elf dragging a giant flail behind him¡± he pointed the person in question out and turned back to assigning the others. Luke nodded as he caressed his long beard and gestured for his party to follow, finding the man in question was easy. ¡°You Shepperd?¡± Luke asked as he inspected the elf.
Sh3pp [Gladiator] (Brawn) (SER minion level 2) Level 87
The heavily plate armoured elf nodded ¡°Yeah, you with us?¡± ¡°BW guild, we¡¯re assigned to you.¡± Luke stated as he gestured at his party. Shepperd seemed to grimace after inspecting their levels ¡°Warriors on the front, mages and healers middle then rangers at the back. Leave your party and join our raid party.¡± He told them sternly.
LukeSkyDiver [Forged Engineer] (Crafty) (BW Master) Level 63
Zaya [Enchantress] (BW Enchanter) Level 65
Kain [Technomancer] (BW Tinkerer) Level 72
SorryNotSorry [Geomancer] (OCD) (BW Builder) Level 64
Painmeister [Forged Gunner] (Creative) (BW Blacksmith) Level 71
TrippinMeBallz [Blade dancer] (Un-orthodox) (BW MadScientist) Level 68
Luke glanced back at his guild members ¡°Do as he said¡± he told them knowing they wouldn¡¯t take orders from others. He himself disbanded the party with a thought ¡°Invite?¡± he asked the elf.
Guild [Serenity] has invited you into their public raid. Do you wish to join?
¡°Done, hurry up and take your place.¡± Shepperd gestured at the platoon of adventurers behind him, they stood almost at attention waiting for the order to move. Their eyes were distant as they gazed at the tall stone walls ahead of them as if dreading what was to come, very little of them talked with each other. Luke joined the raid party and noticed several small icons appear above everyone¡¯s head indicating their name and distance, ignoring them momentarily made them disappear. ¡°See you bastards later, don¡¯t die on me aight?¡± Luke told his members before dragging away Trip with him. As they both walked over to the front of the platoon an explosion sounded off in the distance, several murmurs and whispers followed. ¡°What the hell is going on in there..¡± Asked Trip as the leather armoured fighter fidgeted with his sword hilts. ¡°Better not be another one of those gigantic demons..¡± A male lionkin wearing plate armour replied. Luke and Trip turned to stare at him ¡°Gigantic demons?¡± Luke asked with disbelief. The lion beast-man shuddered at the memory ¡°Damn thing was larger than a skyscraper, fucking crushed the enormous trees up north like they were trash in it¡¯s path. Took every single mage we had to bring it down to it¡¯s knees, then it just blew up like a fucking bomb and blasted most of us away.¡± He explained with an anxious expression. Trip audibly gulped ¡°Demons explode?...¡± ¡°Hell if I know or want to know what the others do! All I know is what followed was a thousand times worse¡­¡± His expression seemed to pale as he remembered. ¡°What? What followed?¡± Luke asked drowning with curiosity, they had heard of the attack on Helix but none of the details. The lionkin glanced at them before reluctantly continuing ¡°Something¡­appeared out of the explosion. A Devil¡­straight up a fucking Devil. Called himself Lucifer, fucking king of hell himself!¡± he exclaimed while giving a weak chuckle ¡°Most of us couldn¡¯t move an inch, it was like an aura was pressing down on our throats¡­He threw around our stronger members like ragdolls, if it wasn¡¯t for the mage guilds blasting him away while we kept him busy¡­¡± he trailed off not knowing how to continue. Trip turned to stare at Luke ¡°Yo boss¡­¡± he whispered with a pale expression. ¡°I know¡­we can¡¯t back off now though.¡± Luke replied dreading over doing ¡®the right thing¡¯. Most that overheard the story inwardly cursed at being reminded of those events, nobody wanted to face that thing again. Yet here they were ready to defend a city from that and worse, they didn¡¯t have much of a choice but doing so. Birse had very clearly told them what would happen if they didn¡¯t fight, how the demons would destroy all spawn points except for one and keep them locked up like sex slaves. He had painted a very vivid image for all of them, something everybody hated him for doing. ¡°Hey we¡¯re starting to enter¡± someone pointed out from behind Luke, looking towards the gate he indeed saw a whole platoon of forty walking after a soldier and into the military district. ¡°When will it be our turn?¡± asked Trip as he glanced around at the other gathering platoons. ¡°Probably sooner than you expect, we¡¯re the third closest platoon to the gate so¡­¡± Luke trailed off enjoying his friend¡¯s expression of panic. What he didn¡¯t expect was for the platoons to enter so quickly, soon a soldier walked up to their platoon leader. ¡°How are things inside?¡± Shepperd asked the soldier. ¡°Not well, we are unable to locate the invaders.¡± Replied the soldier with a gruff voice ¡°The civilians are still being escorted to the ships as per procedure but it will take a couple more hours, the nobles on the other hand have already left through their own means and the churches of night and day were the first to abandon the city taking with them their forces.¡± He reported in full. ¡°What do you mean you cannot locate the invaders? How do you miss a Devil or demon amidst the streets of a city?¡± Shepperd asked in disbelief. The soldier grimaced as shame was apparent on his expression ¡°Our scouts are scouring the streets while griffin riders took to the sky. We cannot find them anywhere yet destruction is evident at multiple residential areas owned by key figures in Esfelt.¡± Shepperd sighed ¡°Where will we be going then?¡± ¡°We¡¯re sending you adventurers around the middle streets being the slums, markets and housing districts. Our men are scouring the noble district while the elite squads have been sent to the royal district.¡± The soldier explained before gestured for them to follow, he turned around and began walking towards the gate. Shepperd turned to the platoon ¡°March forth!¡± Luke watched as the melee combatants around him unsheathed or unstrapped their weapons, he himself went through a series of movements with his fingers as the mechanical gauntlets glowed a dim green. The platoon began to move forward, five lines of eight people walking after each other. The soldier had waited for Shepperd to catch up with him at the gate then guided them inside. The military district held many buildings at the gate, barracks, workshops, stables and a large six storey command centre. All those buildings took over only one third of the terrain, the rest was riddled with training grounds of all sizes surrounding the small town of military buildings. The platoon was guided through the buildings and then through the fenced-out training grounds, multiple dirt roads moved through each but a single main road took straight from one gate to the other. Luke glanced around anxiously waiting for monsters to jump out at them out of nowhere, he noticed his mistake of standing up front all too late. It took them about fifteen minutes to arrive at the gate on the opposite side, unlike the first which was closed shut forcing them to enter through the small door one by one this gate was open wide. The platoon followed Shepperd and their guide through the open gate, it was wide enough for two more platoons to walk by them. Luke glanced from left to right down the long curved road in between the outer walls, he fully expected some minotaur-like demon to charge at them from either side. ¡°Eyes open and weapons at the ready! Mages hold fire until I command otherwise! Rangers release on sight!¡± Shepperd barked orders as they approached the third gate which also lay wide open. Luke suddenly heard the sound of clattering by his side making him immediately look around, the lionkin was trembling as his expression went white pale. Luke gulped down his continuously increasing saliva and continued forward like everyone else. They entered through the gate and swerved to the right towards the slums district, run down two storey houses of wood lined the rather thin roads ahead. He saw adventurers running about checking each house with weapons in hand, some even came out helping citizens or carrying the sick. Luke was disgusted by what he saw, not just elderly and sick were left behind but children too. He wondered just what happened here, there were signs of destruction on the buildings but no blood could be seen. His platoon moved through as other adventurers walked around them. As they moved he noticed soldiers stationed at a specific interval, marking where their platoon was searching. Checking his map Luke noticed they had walked through one third of the slums before their guide stopped them. ¡°You can start searching the nearby houses and moved further in as you go, I¡¯ll be here if you need anything.¡± The guard told Shepperd before moving to the side of the road and standing at attention. --- Author: Listening to this made describing a lot easier¡­ Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0XNmOalxTA --- The sound of heavy footsteps quietly echoed through the slums only heard by those with the best of ears. Shepperd turned to the others not noticing the sound ¡°Alright people, we¡¯ll spread out into groups of two and search the buildings. Once you¡¯ve searched a whole building mark the doorway with a pile of dirt, shouldn¡¯t be too hard to find dirt right?¡± As Shepperd explained the eyes of the adventurers began to slowly widen in surprised before fear filled their expressions. A couple dozen meters away from their position the road broke off into a crossroads not counting the many alleyways, from the road to the left which took further into the city it came. It stood about fifteen feet high with it¡¯s three spiked spider like legs and burly torso, the legs and torso being pitch black with some red being visible under the torso¡¯s carapace. For arms it had two thick long red tentacles covered with black carapace at certain intervals while ending in a single long black claw. It had no neck and instead it¡¯s head directly stuck to the cylindrical torso, a bulge of carapace at the top that similarly to the torso curved forwards letting the mouth at the top line up towards them. It¡¯s mouth was a circular vacuum of teeth, not so different from a cannon albeit the details. It started where the carapace ended, teeth like formations ending the carapace while upside-down teeth like indentions showed the red beneath. It barred its long black fangs and blueish interior, red drool escaped it¡¯s open maw further adding to it¡¯s terrifying form. Out of the mouth came a dozen more tentacles which similarly to the arms ended in a single black fang, these were blue and glowed brightly. Panic quickly spread through the platoon as the very visage of this monstrosity made them quiver. Luke couldn¡¯t get his eyes off of the monster, with his eyes wide open he stood frozen at it¡¯s sight. ¡°Ready yourselves!¡± shouted the soldier who accompanied them ¡°It¡¯s an Abyssal Demon! Mages start showering it with attacks!¡± he exclaimed with urgency. Shepperd immediately turned to the platoon ¡°Mages fire!¡± he shouted, his voice came out agitated. The mages began to chant their magic causing the demon to rush at them, it¡¯s long spider legs just as quick as they looked powerful cracked the cobblestone road they stepped on. Fire, water, rocks, blades of wind and lightening were haphazardly thrown at the monster¡¯s path. The demon pulled back it¡¯s blue tentacles and whipped it¡¯s hands ahead at the building to it¡¯s right, the thick tentacles gripped to the building¡¯s roof like hooks. It quickly steering off the road and up the building¡¯s exterior walls using it¡¯s tentacles to pull itself up like a really fucking up spider. The magic spells useless shot down the road as the demon athletically leaped over them using it¡¯s momentum, within moments it released the buildings from it¡¯s arms and whipped one at each building to the left and right of the road. The demon catapulted itself downwards and towards their formation, the adventurers had no time to react as the monstrosity fell upon the middle of them with it¡¯s maw wide open. A cloud of dust and dirt rose when the demon landed blinding the survivors, before it could settle several blue tentacles lashed about sending adventurers flying or disappearing into the smokescreen. When it did settle half the platoon had already been wiped out, Trip and Shepperd being among the dead. A couple dozen corpses lay squashed to the ground by the demon¡¯s weight, armour dented, blood splattered and bones cracked and visible. Luke had thrown himself to the ground when the demon jumped into the air, he stared up at the being frozen with terror. Five of the demon¡¯s blue tentacles held the Esfeltian soldier as he tried to slash at them only for more to form out of it¡¯s maw, slowly it pulled him inside as if enjoying the struggle. The adventurers stared in utter shock as the man shouted curses and struggled before starting to beg for his life, it ended with a long guttural scream followed by the tearing of flesh, crunching of bones and mushy noises. Their stomachs churned with disgust as some actually bent over and emptied it, many also straight up turned and began to run screaming for their lives only to be grabbed by the tentacles and either thrown about or continuously smashed into the ground and buildings to death. Luke glanced around at the remaining dozen or so adventurers, none of them were mages and the rangers that still lived either couldn¡¯t pierce the carapace or did and the demon showed no sign of being affected. He instinctively stood up and turned to run, his breathing was erratic and eyes unfocused as he ran for his life. More screaming and squishing of bodies sounded off from behind him but he didn¡¯t care, his sole thought was to run as far away as fucking possible. That of course was until a red tentacle entangled itself around his waist and pulled him back. ¡°NO! NO! PLEASE NO! HELL NO! FUCK NO!¡± He shouted and cursed until his mouth began to dry, the moment he started to struggle the tentacle smashed him down to the ground. Luke watched as three more adventurers where pulled in screaming and struggling into the demon¡¯s circular maw, the sounds that followed blurred out entirely by his own screaming. As if the demon had had enough of him the tentacle lurched back and threw up with enough strength to send him flying dozens of meters into the air. Luke thought he¡¯d pass out from the sudden movement but held on, he flew further into the city and way over the walls giving him a perfect view of it all. All the while he screamed like there was no tomorrow, his vocal cords began to hurt at how loudly he screamed. Luke glanced around the city hoping he¡¯d either land unhurt or land dead before he could feel the pain. Suddenly off in the distance where he guessed the royal district was a large explosion half blinded him, the rainbow coloured smoke that escaped it¡¯s area of effect rose up high. Luke watched as several griffins scouring the sky flew in it¡¯s direction, the smoke attracting the military¡¯s attention due to it¡¯s location and¡­colour. He continued to fall for what felt like several minutes before the pool of a mansion quickly leaned closer, relief shortly went through his mind as he neared the water¡¯s surface. He died the moment he broke into the water, his bones shattered at several locations, eyes burst inwards and chest squashed inwards while his ribcage fell apart piercing his organs. His body floated up to the surface with the limbs curving in unnatural ways.
You have experienced death by fall damage. Warning: Water is not suitable for a heavy landing!
Ch 43 - Illusions and Trickery Eslet, Middle-left Slums district Kyle eagerly watched as his abomination faceplanted into the middle of the adventurer platoon, how it momentarily lashed out with it¡¯s hands killing so many then switching to phase two of it¡¯s pre-defined commands. Golems were an interesting school of magic, as long as the amount of mana used to power the golem was at par with the core used the golem would work almost 80% of the time. On Kyle¡¯s second crawl of the undead dungeon he had come over the wyvern core he lost after blowing himself up the first time, he immediately stashed it without a second thought. That same core was currently bound inside the mass of slime that resembled an abyssal demon, Kyle had asked Darkness through the VCD on the simplest demon he could make with the colour palette of slime at his disposal. While making the demon he also added some illusionary slime so most who inspected it would see it as a level 100 [Abyssal Demon], he had found out that anybody with more maximum mana than the caster of an illusion could see right through it. Although that would have been a problem at first Kyle had given the golem specific commands to crush the mages first at any cost, and so it literally did. As he watched the demon destroy the remaining adventurers he checked his notifications, something he hadn¡¯t done in a while.
The skill [Ooze] has reached mid-tier 3 level 5! Attribute upgrade is available!
You have accidentally unlocked the passive class skill [{Be One With Slime}]
You have unlocked the [Golemancy] active skill!
The title [Golem Builder] has been unlocked!
You have unlocked enough requirement skills to receive a sub-class! Please check in with an obelisk to unlock!
(¡°Enough requirements? What happened with the progress updates?¡±) Kyle was fairly confused for a brief moment (¡°Now that I think about it why haven¡¯t I gotten any class progress updates at all? Is it because I already have a class?¡±). Eventually he shrugged it off, he¡¯d ask one of the others who already had a sub-class later. Briefly ignoring the notifications made them disappear giving him yet again a clear view of the massacre happening ahead. Sadly he received no level experience for what his golem killed but it did seem to give experience directly into his [Golemancy] skill.
The skill [Golemancy] has reached mid-tier 1 level 5! Golem capacity + 1
If the notification that followed was of any indication. Kyle sat back where he stood, he was watching the murdering spree below from his perch at the top of a church. The church was of simple design, deteriorated white walls in a rectangular shape with two towers growing out of each front corner. The roof was triangular while a simple wooden sun carving lay hanging on the front, the object of worship for the church of light and day. Kyle was at the very top of the left tower, the large iron bell lay hanging behind him. If one where to look up at the bell tower all they would see is a gargoyle, unbeknownst to Kyle that sight would cause even more of a panic. Gargoyles were actually draconic in nature, something the common folk never once would see in their life and hoped they never will. He opened his skill book while paying close attention to the second bar of health misplaced beneath his, it indicated his golem¡¯s health bar.
[Health: 980/1140]
The adventurers where still running in a panic and it would take the military a while to come back, Woody had in fact blown up a large chunk of the royal district. Kyle guessed his golem would last a while until Birse called for them to regroup.
Title [Golem Builder]: Crafter of the animate, binder of souls and collector of cores. Golem mana requirement: - 5%
He saw the potential of this title, how it could help Golemancers of all levels. Compared to his hero title though? I did not compare at all.
[Golemancy] ((EXP 43%) Level 6 ¨C Tier 1): Utilizing your superior knowledge of biology, physics and monster anatomy craft your very own. Using a core bound soul alongside the correct elements and materials build your abomination. Amount of mana used must coincide with the core¡¯s. Mass of golem must coincide with the original owner of the core. Elemental affiliation must coincide with caster. Warning: Materials used cannot be recycled be it a successful golem or not. Golem capacity: 2 Golem lifetime: Depending on materials used and their own lifeline.
Kyle had almost lost himself in a fit of laughter when he read the first sentence of the skill¡¯s description, indeed he had ¡®superior¡¯ knowledge of biology, physics and monster anatomy written all over his ICT major. With the use of his [Ooze] skill he did not require much knowledge of either, he figured there would be many exceptions of creatures he simply couldn¡¯t copy but this downside was utterly overshadowed by the upsides. Golemancers spent most of their time collecting the resources needed to build their golems which had a high chance of failing, golems also had a month at most of lifetime. Kyle didn¡¯t have either of these problems, he had the materials to create golems right with him at all times as long as he had mana and slime did not seem to deteriorate what so ever. He almost began drooling when he thought of what he could do with a dragon¡¯s core. One other thing that did not entirely affect him was the elemental affiliation, normally a golemancer required adept use of an element to add it to their golem. Most golemancers went for earth or water magic to make their golems more resistant but both came with their own downsides. Water golems couldn¡¯t hide their core making them an easy one hit kill while earth golems were slow and sluggish. Kyle did not have these problems per say, the materials he used had to be elementally affiliated with him or else he simply did not have access to them at all. He guessed if he wanted to make a fire golem all he needed to do was find a fire based monster to use [Devour] or [Absorb] on so his [Ooze] would gain the element. This was also the reason he had straight up ignored [Ooze]¡¯s attribute upgrade, he wanted to see what other elements offered before completely maining the two he currently had. Kyle closed his skill book when he noticed something approaching his position with [Draconic Perception], he squinted his eyes to get a closer look with the skill. Was it a griffin? A wyvern? It was a rock¡­a very large rock¡­flying straight at his golem. If he wasn¡¯t baffled by the sudden appearance of a giant boulder being thrown at his golem then what hitched a ride on said rock did. Hanging on tightly to the rock was Karnage, her dual swords digging deep into the stone as it rolled and flew. If that wasn¡¯t insane enough, Kyle felt his heart flutter when he noticed her expression. Karnage wore a wide grin as she leaped off the boulder, moments before it crashed into the Abyssal demon. The boulder tore right through the golem¡¯s scale carapace and burst it apart like an egg being shot by a gun, pieces of carapace, slime and tentacles flew all over the place as several large chunks of it¡¯s body fell to the ground. The golem didn¡¯t technically die as it¡¯s core remained intact but it¡¯s body was so severely damaged that the slime would take too long to reconnect without Kyle¡¯s full concentration. Kyle at the moment was too busy looking for where Karnage landed, having lost her the moment she leaped off the rock. (¡°She¡¯s insane.¡±) he thought while glancing around the road beneath him, (¡°Anndd she found me!¡±) he then thought as she appeared mere feet in front of him grinning like a maniac.
Author: Must have music for this part https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eAHAP4c7Ko
Her swords flashed forward threatening to behead the gargoyle she saw sitting still above the bell tower, whether her intuition was wrong or not¡­how much could a stone statue cost anyway? That same intuition that the gargoyle was out of place proved to be correct as the statue¡¯s appearance fluctuated into a blur and disappeared. Karnage grabbed hold of the tower¡¯s edge before falling, as she stood hanging by it¡¯s side she located the blur as it changed mid-air. The Devil revealed itself, light blue skin, short white hair, glowing blue eyes and two white crooked horns. He wore pitch black light cloth clothing indicating their caster class alongside a black cloak and hood that hid most of their facial features. No staff, wand or other caster equipment was visible on their person assuring Karnage it wasn¡¯t a healer or summoner class. Karnage let go of the tower and slid down it¡¯s side, the moment her feet hit the slanted roof she spun around and dashed forward. Her speed was unparalleled as she leaped up towards the still falling Devil, mere meters from the cobblestone road. Her doubled edged swords flashed forward at the unarmed opponent, a down-slash with her left while she spun followed by another down-slash with her right. The Devil seemed to disappear again before her first slash landed, Karnage looked down to notice him standing up from the ground and backing away. (¡°Teleport?¡±) was her first thought as she also hit the ground before immediately dashing forward, she reopened with a wide lunge at his chest with her right sword as the Devil evaded in the same direction. With her lowered stance she had put him in the perfect position, to her right and out of balance from evading. Karnage slashed at his waist with her already lunging sword forcing him to step further back and putting him more out of balance. As she slashed she lightly let go of the hilt letting it spin back around her wrist before she immediately grabbed it in a back-hand grip. ¡°Whirlwind!¡± Karnage dashed forward with a spin, her swords turning into a whirlwind of blades as she closed in on the Devil within mere moments. She felt nothing under her sword¡¯s attacks before stopping the spin, the Devil having ¡®disappeared¡¯ again. At first she glanced behind herself but after not seeing him there she looked ahead, there the Devil stood watching for her next move. (¡°Not a teleport¡±) she noted seeing as the Devil went for backing away instead of appearing behind her. She inspected him during this faceoff.
{Devil} Azura (Flame Keeper) (Demon Master) [Level 193]
The Devil chuckled coldly ¡°It seems I may have underestimated you adventurers a bit, to be discovered so soon¡­Brothers will pester me to no end!¡± he opened his arms into a wide shrug, he was leaving himself completely open. Karnage grimaced in annoyance at being looked down upon ¡°Don¡¯t worry honey, won¡¯t be enough of you left to pester once I¡¯m done! Death¡¯s dance!¡± a dark grey aura flowed out from her body surrounding it and her swords. She dashed forward again and into his non-existing stance, starting with arms crossed back she slashed forwards. Azura grinned as he leaped back along with Karnage¡¯s momentum and brought down his hands together, palms and fingers looking as if holding onto a grip. Suddenly a bright white single-edged curved blade of fire burst from his hands ready to parry Karnage¡¯s double slash, she pushed forth anyway planning to parry with one sword and stab with the other. Azura¡¯s blade seemed to cut right through both her swords as it slashed down into Karnage¡¯s chest, unable to stop her forward momentum she crashed into Azura as his sword stopped horizontally. Azura stood his ground even as her blades cut into his clothing and skin, his sword stabbed deep into her chest and out of her back. Karnage stared down at the blade of white fire in disbelief, her swords where untouched yet it had gone right through. She immediately pulled back from the Devil as she felt the fire devouring her body from the inside but Azura didn¡¯t let her off that easily. The Devil lunged forward as he spun his sword upside-down and slashed upwards, the blade cut right through her left arm before he spun it back. Karnage in a panic instinctively tried to parry the second slash as it descended on her shoulder only to grimace in pain as the blade yet again went right through and into her flesh. She fell back onto the cobblestone, her wounds burning from the attacks. She glanced down at her body but saw nothing, no blood or actual wound to be seen. Not even her armour or cloths were torn but her body was definitely in pain. Her vision was slightly blurred but she could see the outline of Azura standing above her with his sword ready to stab down into her chest. Karnage rolled to her side and kicked at his legs tripping the Devil over, she fought through the pain and stood up before retreating a couple steps back leaving behind her off-hand which she dropped due to the agony. She wiped her eyes from the tears as she endured the pain but before she could continue on and attack with her one remaining sword Karnage noticed that Azura had also back off a couple meters. Azura stood on the other side of the cobblestone road with a flaming white, curved single edged blade in one hand and Karnage¡¯s double edged sword in the other. ¡°Lost something?¡± The Devil mocked while waving her sword around. ¡°Yes actually I¡¯ve lost my damn patience, cause fuck you and your unfair sword!¡± she replied while quickly opening her inventory and taking out a spare sword. Azura seemed taken aback by her response, ¡°Huh¡± was all he could respond with. (¡°If I can¡¯t parry his attack then I¡¯ll just not give him time to attack!¡±) ¡°Wind¡¯s dance!¡± The grey aura surrounding her dissipated before being replaced by a bright green one, the whistling sound of wind emanated from it. Wind flowed around her feet as she leaped forward, every step she made was further enhanced by a pulse of wind from beneath almost allowing her to fly. Within moments Karnage was upon the Devil and rapidly encircling him, every now and then she¡¯d leap within range, slash and back off. Azura was quickly being overwhelmed by her speed, cuts began to pile up all over his body. But he wasn¡¯t annoyed or angered at this development, it actually seemed like he was enjoying fight. Azura watched Karnage¡¯s movements closely, waiting for when she¡¯d go in for the kill.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Karnage kept dancing around the Devil, leaving deep cuts every time she moved in to attack and letting him bleed out. Thick liquid did flow out of the Devil but it looked nothing like blood, for one thing it was blue and not red! Azura suddenly discarded the sword and released his blade of fire briefly leaving him unarmed, Karnage moved in for further harassment on the Devil. ¡°BRIGHT INFERNAL FLAME- ENGULF MY ENEMIES!¡± Azura shouted out his incantation with a mana infused voice just as Karnage slashed at his left arm from behind, she immediately backed off. As Azura fell to his knees a bright blue-white flame burst out from his body and engulfed the whole street, houses shattered from the blast as their remains were left aflame. Karnage had closed her eyes when the flames suddenly engulfed her, the following wave of force had thrown her body back and into a wooden wall. The wood shattered beneath the force sending her crashing through debris, the next moment she opened her eyes she was lying in a pile of it inside the burning house. Azura stepped through the large hole she made in the wooden wall and around the falling debris, a sword gripped in his right hand. Karnage tried to stand but her body left broken in too many places to count, she was an agility build after all. She grimaced as the Devil approached ¡°I¡¯ll be back, no matter how many times you¡¯ll kill me I¡¯ll be back to hunt you down!¡° she declared angrily. Her¡¯s having been one of the first platoons to enter the slums she had seen first-hand how many injured had been left behind, how many homes had been destroyed in their wake. Azura briefly gazed down at her before smirking ¡°You¡¯re different from what I expected, fine then. Come after me, hunt me down just like you promised. I¡¯ll be waiting, I¡¯ll even hold onto this sword of yours while I do!¡± he exclaimed with a chuckle before stabbing that same sword down into her chest.
Kyle sighed as he pulled out the sword from Karnage¡¯s dissipating corpse ¡°Think I over did it?¡± he mused before shrugging ¡°Meh, I¡¯ve wasted enough time here. Damn golem is dead too, someone found the core inside or tore it to shreds¡±. He briefly groaned in annoyance, his plan was to lure the adventurers into the Noble¡¯s district by using the golem. He stashed the sword into his inventory without a second thought and began walking out of the collapsing house, he stopped outside just as the whole building came down behind him. ¡°I wonder how the others are doing.¡±
Eslet, Middle Merchant¡¯s district ¡°FUCK! FUCK ! FUCCKKK!¡± Shouted Dherik as he ran for his life through the merchant¡¯s district, stores of all kinds lined the cobblestone road as he ran through. He cursed his short Dwarven legs as he ran, his black full plate armour glowed menacingly red as he held his spear with both hands having lost his shield somewhere on the way. Why was he was running? ¡°MUAHAHAHAHA!!¡± A pyromaniac of a Devil was chasing after him that¡¯s why. Dherik dared to glance back at the flying Devil chasing after him as constant waves of black flames poured out of his hands.
{Devil} Peryite (Pyromaniac) (Blaze from above) [Level 223]
The Devil was actually Death, the person not the literal thing or the interpretation of it. Well at least for anyone but those that came in his path. Using Steph¡¯s Alchemist sub-class she had crystalized Kyle¡¯s [Illusionary] slime using her [Spell crystal] spell, she could store spells inside a crystal for later or constant use depending on the effect. This however drained twice the mana and put said spell into a long cooldown, which hadn¡¯t been a problem since Kyle simply created all the slime beforehand and in one go. With crimson red skin and flame-like hair the Devil looked like he was flying when in actuality Death was using his martial artist passive [Wind Walk] to propel himself with every step. Death laughed as he chased around the Kaledd guildmaster, he was buying time until Birse began co-ordinating the troops. Nobody ever told him he couldn¡¯t have some fun in the meantime, although something did bug him somewhat about the plan. (¡°Fucking hell Birse¡­why these names¡­just why¡­¡±) He was thinking about the names Birse had given Kyle to imbue into his illusion spell.
Eslet, South Military district All over the city of Esfelt chaos began to spread through the platoons of adventurers and undermanned military, having sent most of their troops to Helix to defend the border. Birse on the other hand sat comfortably within the royal military¡¯s strategic meeting room, stone brick walls and spruce wood flooring. Taking over most of the room was a large table with scattered maps and chess pieces, currently above them all was a map of the city. Multiple others were standing around the table, mainly military officers who had taken up command after the loss of their generals. Draxxer now stood at the helm of them ushering orders and placing their units as Birse had instructed beforehand. ¡°There have been seven Devil encounters around the city.¡± Explained a soldier too young in his post of officer, he placed seven chess pieces indicating where the skirmishes had taken place. Draxxer studied the map, white pieces indicated their forces while black ones indicated the Devil¡¯s last known locations. ¡°There¡¯s too many of them, have any been ones we¡¯ve encountered before?¡± Draxxer asked the eldest officer in the room. The grizzled soldier solemnly shook his head ¡°None sir, they are all new enemies.¡± He replied disdainfully as he glared down at the map. ¡°Then we can be sure the enemy has gained reinforcements¡­¡± whispered one officer. ¡°We¡¯re outmatched and scattered...¡± said another. ¡°But not outnumbered¡± Birse suddenly stated as he stood up ¡°The Devils may have used their superior illusion magic to infiltrate the city but that came at the cost of leaving their numbers behind. They aren¡¯t all powerful, we¡¯ll simply throw all the numbers we have at them until they tire out. Then send them to their deaths.¡± He explained while gesturing at the remaining adventurer platoons. ¡°They do get to come back to life¡­¡± someone whispered. ¡°Yeah what do they have to lose?¡± replied another. Draxxer continued to stare at the map waiting for his cue, he wasn¡¯t an actor so he decided to say as little as possible. Birse who stood across from him gestured at the whole map ¡°General Draxxer, allow my guild full use of your scouts and messengers. I shall co-ordinate the other guilds into surrounding the Devils, we¡¯ll wear them out with our constant harassment and then destroy them all in one fell swoop.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve managed to keep the Devils away from the civilian bunkers and escape ships, sir I believe we should give this a try!¡± declared the grizzled officer. ¡°I agree, the devastation of buildings cannot be kept at any sort of minimal. Not with these monsters inside the city, we must act no matter how many homes are lost before we lose everything entirely.¡± The young officer added. Draxxer sighed ¡°Brigadier Hecks, show guildmaster Birse to the communications centre.¡± Everything was going too smoothly for his taste.
Eslet, Merchant-Housing district. Between each district a wall thicker than the rest divided them, these walls had tunnels three times as wide as the normal walls. The entrance to these tunnels was a large set of double doors to the outer side of the wall¡¯s gate, the tunnels were especially made for emergency scenarios to allow a civilian evacuations. The tunnels took to the closest civilian harbour where escape ships where always ready, along the way through the tunnels one could notice several dozen metallic doors blocking the path. Currently those doors where wide open as soldiers and adventurers alike ushered civilians through, at certain intersections rooms where dug out to work as emergency hospitals for the severely injured. Empress Caitlyn and the Hero of darkness and night Rin were giving aid to the healers at one of these rooms, the healers being pressed on manpower even with the healer adventurers helping. ¡°Bring me more water!¡± Exclaimed Caitlyn at a nearby adventurer as she helped a healer with taking out wooden debris that had impaled a man¡¯s leg. The man¡¯s muffled screams could barely be heard due to everyone else¡¯s, he bit down on the cloth given to him as they slowly pulled out the spear-like piece of wood. Caitlyn had volunteered to come here and further aided by Darkness¡¯s comment on ¡®The people should see their Empress in time of need¡¯ had convinced Birse. All he needed them for was to be paraded anyway, this suited his plan well enough. A mage came by them and began flowing water magic into the wound making the man scream continuously from the pain, Caitlyn and the white cloaked healer pulled out the wooden spike leaving the mage to clear the wound of any splinters. The man fainted moments later. Caitlyn wiped her forehead from the sweat (¡°Why¡­why all this pain¡­why do they have to go through all this¡­just because¡­just because¡­¡±) Darkness appeared behind her noticing the Empress¡¯s distant gaze ¡°Worry not your majesty, everything will be fine.¡± She assured her calmly albeit her thoughts speaking the contrary (¡°This is what happens when you make a deal with their like, true they may not all be physically but at heart they might as well be demons.¡±)
It had taken two hours for Birse to convince the military to give his guild command of the city¡¯s defence, although all he had really done was wait and watch as they sent numbers around trying to surround the ¡®Devils¡¯. With the use of the military¡¯s messengers utilizing the same magic Draxxer¡¯s special unit was using, Birse moved around both the adventurer platoons and soldier squads. The ¡®Devils¡¯ were met with constant harassment by adventurer platoons as they slowly backed off further into the city, at one point an eight Devil was located. This Devil was Cherry given a crystal by Steph to switch out with her as she joined the adventurers in the ¡®hunt¡¯. The Serenity members switched around multiple times as to have constant Devil influence over the city while also gaining each member an alibi, they tried their best to keep the Devil numbers to seven but in the end they decided to just let it be eight since switching out a large person like Cherry with a woman like Steph didn¡¯t go unnoticed. Kyle¡¯s illusion couldn¡¯t change the actual size of a person unfortunately. Within an hour the ¡®Devils¡¯ from the slums were pushed back into the Noble¡¯s district. Within another two while those were being chased around the others within the merchant¡¯s and housing districts were also pushed back into a corner.
Eslet, South-East Noble¡¯s district Kyle ran as fast as his running and [Surge] could take him as Karnage¡¯s and two other platoons chased after him. Night time was approaching as the two suns started to disappear into the horizon, the large moon of Chaoz already visible on the opposite side of the sky. Massive fields of grass and smooth stone road had opened up ahead of him when he entered the district, he already had two platoons chasing after him but a third quickly joined them when he passed the gate. Kyle breathed heavily from near exhaustion (¡°TWO! I SAID I COULD OUTRUN TWO! DAMMIT BIRSE!¡±), he cursed in his head as he ran. He was nearing his limit as his stamina reached particularly dangerous levels, he doubted he could make it to the royal district before the platoons caught up to him. Having died recently two of the platoons were at top shape while the third lagged slightly behind. They threw barrages of magic and projectiles at him trying to slow him down but with [Draconic Perception] Kyle managed to dodge and evade them. (¡°I need to lose them!¡±) Kyle decided after glancing at his stamina, he looked around at the two mansions on either side of him. He had been running in a slight curve trying to catch up with Woody and dump some of his platoons on him but it seemed he underestimated how large the Noble¡¯s district was. (¡°No choice then!¡±) he made up his mind and swerved towards the closest mansion, he just ran now reserving his last surge before his stamina ran out. Kyle glanced back at the closest dozen adventurers, twenty or so meters behind him these were the agility classes with the most movement speed under their belts. ¡°STOP RUNNING BLUE-FACED BITCH!¡± Shouted Karnage as she chased after him, she was one of the closest adventurers to Kyle¡¯s position. (¡°Ohh she¡¯s pissed!¡±) Kyle inwardly chuckled as he approached the mansion, one large rectangular building with two smaller wings growing out of the front. Marble white walls, triangular red paved roof and gold trimmed windows, the mansion looked even more wealthy than the ones he¡¯d seen so far. Kyle surged through one of the windows easily breaking through the glass as he spun around and summoned forth a [Slime cannon], he fired twice at the window before quickly raising his left hand to his chest and growing out claws. He clawed his chest three times over and released the illusion before leaning down in front of an overturned table and returning his claws to normal, he then smashed his own head back into the wooden table¡¯s underside. His vision blurred as stamina exhaustion and what he understood to be a minor concussion took effect. He groaned in pain (¡°Fuck that hurts more than I-¡±) ¡°Kyll?!¡± Karnage exclaimed in surprise after leaping through the already broken window, other adventurers leaped in behind her with weapons in hand. ¡°It kept on running ahead, got me good¡­¡± he stated while trying to stand up. Karnage glanced back at the others ¡°Continue chasing!¡± she told them before rushing over to help Kyle stand, the others ran through the room¡¯s open door and moved to search the mansion. ¡°You alright? What are you doing here?¡± Karnage immediately began to barrage him with questions as she lent him her shoulder. (¡°Fuck, why am I here?¡±) Kyle thought as he rubbed the back of his head ¡°Uhh¡­was told to cut them off so we went ahead of each one¡­Didn¡¯t turn out as planned¡­¡± he managed a weak smile. Karnage helped him over to a chair ¡°Sit down, you look like you¡¯ve been clawed by a lion.¡± Kyle had no say in the matter as his body simply slumped down into the chair, he blamed stamina exhaustion although his mind told him he¡¯s just that lazy. ¡°Yeah¡­thanks.¡± He said while leaning forward on the chair holding his head ¡°Why is wood so damn hard¡­¡± ¡°What?!¡± Karnage suddenly stepped back with a confused and blushing expression. Kyle glanced up at her also confused ¡°Table? Hit my head?¡± he pointed out. ¡°Oh¡­I-I should go, there¡¯s still a Devil in this build!¡± She exclaimed before rushing away. Kyle groaned as he continued to rub the growing bump on his head ¡°Smooth Kyle, really smooth¡­¡±, he took controlled breaths while waiting for his stamina to regenerate. (¡°Three platoons¡­five minutes?¡±) Kyle guessed how long it would take them to figure out there was no longer a Devil, not taking into account any basement the mansion might have. (¡°Next problem¡­how do Azura AND Kyle leave this mansion while both being seen leaving?...¡±) He gazed around the room thoughtfully while trying to quickly come up with a plan. His gaze suddenly fell upon the broken window and a thought came to mind (¡°Who ever said I was Kyle?¡±), he stood up and walked over to the window. Kyle saw several adventurers surrounding the mansion, they had already set up a half-assed perimeter which would slow down the search somewhat but also made it impossible to leave unseen. Kyle waited for another minute as his stamina reached a favourable amount.
Stamina: [430/710]
He then dispelled his slime cannon and leaped back out of the window, casually he began walking away from the mansion.
Karnage ran around the mansion dead set on finding the target of her anger, not only had this Devil caused pain to innocents and burned down their homes. It had outright cheated in their fight and then insulted her. She wasn¡¯t going to let it go anytime soon. As she ran through the mansion¡¯s corridors checking any room that wasn¡¯t already being checked she suddenly stopped by a window and looked outside. ¡°Kyll?¡± She watched as Kyle casually walked over to one of the adventurers stationed to watch outside, as ordered the adventurer called out to Kyle but he just kept approaching. Before their eyes Kyle¡¯s form blurred and changed back into Azura, the Devil summoned his white sword of fire and cut down the adventurer before dashing away at full speed. Karnage¡¯s gaze slowly lowered as she clenched her swords, she had been utterly deceived. ¡°Thunder¡¯s dance¡± her swords flashed forward at the wall as the sound of thunder echoed out from her attack, the wall in front of her was smashed open by the attack¡¯s sheer force. ¡°Wind¡¯s dance¡± A thin green aura engulfed her body as the whistling of wind escaped it, she charged forward with abandon as the wind propelled her every step. ¡°I¡¯M GOING TO SLICE YOU OPEN!¡± Karnage declared with a mana infused voice as she began to chase the Devil with new vigour. The other adventurers quickly fell behind her after spotting Azura quickly running away into the distance, an incarnation of death chased closely behind him. Karnage chased after Azura for another hour before they caught up with the rest of the platoons, the Devil leaped over the gathered soldiers and adventurers and landed inside the red barrier that lay in the middle of them. She grimaced with annoyance while pushing through the others, she reached the front to see what everyone was currently staring at. Eight Devils in total where gathered inside the large barrier, the royal district¡¯s walls were right behind them while everywhere else soldiers and adventurers alike cornered them. Karnage quickly inspected each one.
{Devil} Azura (Flame Keeper) (Demon Master) [Level 193]
{Devil} Peryite (Pyromaniac) (Blaze from above) [Level 223]
{Devil} Mephala (Trinity) (Devilish Brewer) [Level 221]
{Devil} Sheogorath (One Horn) (Devil Knight) [Level 212]
{Devil} Sanguine (Colossal) (Abyssal) [Level 231]
{Devil} Vile (Devil Predator) (Demonic Ranger) [Level 208]
{Devil} Nocturnal (Wraith) (Shadowblade) [Level 229]
{Devil} Hircine (Corrupted) (Unnatural) [Level 226]
The Devils were a mixture of red, blue, black and or white in colour with almost all but one having two crooked horns growing out of their foreheads and some having a pair of bat-like wings. They either grinned or smirked while glancing around at the army that surrounded them. The one named Peryite was about to speak before suddenly stopping and pulling out a strange stone out of thin air, he gazed into it briefly before shock seemed to take over his entire expression. Peryite stored the stone back wherever it came from and seemed to whisper something to his companions. Azura then began to speak with mana infusing his obnoxious voice ¡°Well it seems like the fun is over! We shall be taking our leave now, please DO miss us a tad bit would you?¡± he took a bow while glancing at Karnage and winked. Karnage angrily slashed both her swords at the barrier creating a small crack before a sudden flash of light that emanated from the Devil named Sheogorath blinded everyone, she raised her swords up defensively before a powerful explosion blasted the barrier and everyone else. If they weren¡¯t thrown back then they hit the ground, if they weren¡¯t blinded by the rainbow of colours then they had their eyes closed shut as a cloud of dust covered the whole area. Karnage¡¯s vision was completely blurred from the light but what she heard the others say was as clear as day. ¡°They¡¯re gone!¡± Ch 44 - A Devils deal City of New Ruk, Dwarven District, three hours earlier As the defence of Eslet went on the city of New Ruk was already back on it¡¯s usual track of commerce and construction. With the fall of the undead dungeon the Dwarven and Fae leadership reopened the city to outsiders. Security remained on high alert due to the inevitable arrival of the demonic legions, both races knowing full well what the Devils are capable of. Although they knew, that didn¡¯t mean they could do anything to stop them. A lone Dwarven miner roamed one of the production districts as night began to set in, although the city was underground the Fae¡¯s districts up top gave out light to the Dwarves beneath while dimming as night approached giving the city the feel of some sort of cycle. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for Dwarves to go into the mines at odd times but it is sort of an unwritten rule between them to never go alone and at least tell some on, nobody wants to end up dead and never found again. This Dwarf was currently sneaking around the street approaching the tunnel¡¯s entrance, he walked casually trying not to give off any sort of suspicion but Dwarves were a suspicious race by nature. As he approached the tunnel he noticed the current guard on duty at said entrance, a simple hole in the wall with thick wooden support and an automatic railroad spanning four roads in total two of which were connected with a curve. ¡°Halt, you going in alone buddy?¡± Asked the grizzled guard, an elder Dwarf with greying brown hair and beard. The Dwarf looked the older one up and down ¡°Yeah¡± he said, young for a Dwarf this one had little more than a goatee of black hair along with his neck long cut. The older Dwarf shook his head ¡°If you wait a couple minutes a group will be here soon, best you don¡¯t mine around the tunnels alone son.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine just going in to inspect some spots, no mining for tonight I¡¯m afraid. Got a pretty date set up later.¡± Replied the young Dwarf with a chuckle. The older one shrugged ¡°Very well, go on in but don¡¯t blame me that I didn¡¯t warn ya.¡± He gestured down the tunnel. The younger one nodded in thanks and walked by him, before turning around and blocking the older¡¯s pickaxe by the pick with his bare hands. The younger one smirked ¡°What gave it away?¡± he asked the growling older Dwarf. ¡°That¡¯s not an inspecting pick, Bob loves to rant about the differences.¡± the Dwarf pointed out at the younger¡¯s pickaxe. The Devil smirked with his Dwarven illusion as his eyes turned pitch black ¡°Too bad¡­Bob won¡¯t be doing any ranting¡­¡± his form blurred briefly as his right hand lunged into the Dwarf¡¯s chest. The Dwarf coughed up blood as the Devil pulled out his heart, smaller than a human¡¯s but large enough to fit in the Devil¡¯s Dwarven hand. ¡°D-damn¡­you¡­¡± The Dwarf fell down to his knees briefly before falling face down to the ground, blood began to pool around his corpse before the whole thing began to dissipate. The Devil sighed before devouring the heart in two bites ¡°I dislike having my meal rushed, I do however wonder why their bodies do this now¡­¡±, he turned around deep in thought as his Dwarven form blurred a second time before dissipating completely. The Devil¡¯s form was revealed, pure white skin, short black hair with green strands, pitch black eyes and a single black horn that grew out of his forehead and curved back. His dark green plate armour had thick spikes growing out of his shoulders, helmet, elbows, and lining his back along the spine. ¡°Hhmm¡­¡± Dagon hummed in thought as he strode through the tunnels, instead of using the Dwarven metal lifts to descend he¡¯d simply leap off the edge and land with decreased velocity. ¡°So this is where that entitled bitch Abaddon died huh?¡± He mused while walking through the lowest levels of the mines, ¡°The tunnels are larger than I expected, who knew those midgets could reach?¡± Dagon joked yet his expression remained cold and empty. The Devil suddenly disappeared into black smoke which quickly drifted through the tunnels at impossible speed, it stopped in front of a dead end furthest away from the lifts before returning to it¡¯s humanoid form. Dagon continued to hum in thought while reading the rather large glowing yellow sign decorating the wall ¡°No access¡­Don¡¯t dig¡­Don¡¯t mine¡­Don¡¯t inspect¡­and for fuck¡¯s sake don¡¯t use explosives?...Some one¡¯s had a rough time.¡± He stepped forwards to where he stood directly in front of the sign then raised his right palm to it ¡°You never mentioned disintegration.¡± His hand glowed a faint green before an inferno of green-black fire engulfed the whole wall, the flames quickly ate away at the stone as Dagon walked forwards. The flames suddenly dissipated as the Devil stopped, the wall was now no more than an inch thick and crumbling. Through the crumbling holes in the wall Dagon could see the other side, a long tunnel of dark blue stone bricks. Dagon sighed ¡°So the dungeon still lives, no wonder it took all my mana to devour that wall. No matter, I am not a caster anyhow.¡± With quick fluid movements the Devil raised both arms forward and slammed his hands on what remained of the wall, the stone shattered on contact as ripples were sent further in turn shattering some of the stone bricks around the tunnel. ¡°Knock knock¡± Dagon stated as two rifts tore open to either side of him ¡°The Devil¡¯s at your door¡±, out of the rifts dozens of wolf-like creatures leaped out. The beasts weren¡¯t as large as a Direwolf but were close, their bodies however seemed to be occupied by much more muscle. Their skin dark brown and leathery, their ears almost bat-like, the only fur was a long pitch-black mane around their shoulders and what covered their wolfish heads. Two sets of black horns grew out of the back of their heads and behind their ears. They grew beneath each other, the lower horns being slightly shorter. Their thick leathery tails grew almost as long as their entire body while along their backs and over the top of their tail a black armour like carapace covered them. Their claws were blood red and thick like spear heads that curved down, the tip of each claw so dark it looked black in colour. Their fangs were similar, blood red and black tipped but were longer than they were thick. As they growled their chests glowed crimson while smoke left their mouths and heat radiated from their bodies. These were undoubtedly Hellhounds, hunters of innocent souls and a Devil¡¯s best friend. Dagon smiled coldly ¡°Be good pups and fetch me a hero.¡± He stated before clicking his tongue twice, the Hellhounds waited no longer and charged down the dark tunnel howling and growling viciously. Three dozen of them swarmed into the dungeon, fangs barred, claws scraping stone and flames drooling out of their mouths. He stepped into the dungeon as his smile slowly began to fade, the sounds of yelping and whining drowning out anything else. Dagon stared down the tunnel in horror as several contraptions began eviscerating his hounds. From walls continuously slamming against each other, crushing the Hellhounds too slow to pass through. Spinning red blades coming out of the floor that shredded through both hide and carapace alike. Long shard-like blue spears shooting out of the walls, Red scythes hanging back and forth from wall to wall. A pitfall trap. Puddles of slime instantly rising and suffocating any that stepped on them. A rolling blue ball smashing through the wall back and forth. And finally, tentacles of slime growing out of the walls that grabbed and threw their captives all the way back to the start of the tunnel. Dagon gawked in disbelief as he walked up to the first trap, flesh, fur, hide, shredded organs, bones ,whole limbs and squashed or liquefied corpses scattered across the tunnel floors, walls and ceiling. ¡°The fuck?¡± Asked Dagon as he stared down the tunnel, his three dozen Hellhounds turned into salad within minutes. A voice echoed out in answer ¡°Oh! You thought you could just walk into our HIDDEN BASE, stroll right through our SECRET BASE¡¯S pathways and reach our HIDEOUT¡¯S core room untouched?! Well fuck you son! Welcome to hell!¡± the voice then proceeded to laugh wickedly. Dagon¡¯s expression twitched unnaturally as he grinded his fangs together ¡°My hounds¡­F-father¡¯s hounds¡­You shall pay dearly for this¡­¡± ¡°Cash, credit or digital?¡± the voice asked sarcastically. Dagon was fuming with anger as he raised his right hand up, a black sword hilt began to form inside it. He grasped the hilt and a dark green double-edged blade formed out of it, the blade glowed a menacing black aura as Dagon quickly slashed the air ahead of him. ¡°Name yourself.¡± Dagon declared as a wave of green energy blasted through the whole tunnel, the traps were left in ruins. ¡°Why should I?¡± asked the voice with a chuckle. ¡°Because you won¡¯t have the time to utter a single sound once I find you.¡± Dagon stated solemnly as he strode through the destroyed tunnel.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Big talk by the guy still on level one.¡± Said the voice. Dagon frowned before stopping at the end of the tunnel ¡°I¡¯m level 164 fool.¡± A dark doorway lay open in front of him. ¡°Oh sorry I forgot this is another reality entirely.¡± The voice chuckled. Dagon carefully stepped through the doorway only to trip forward then fall down the flight of stairs, after rumbling down to the bottom he glanced up while groaning ¡°You mean¡­¡± ¡°Yeah you got exactly 99 more floors to go buddy, also good luck finding the other entrances. First one was the only freebie!¡± ¡°You truly believe the same traps will stop me!?¡± Dagon declared as he stood up. ¡°Yo mate it took me HOURS to fill those paths with different traps alright!? Fuck you if think they¡¯re all the same!¡± Dagon groaned in annoyance ¡°You¡­.you¡­¡± ¡°Oh stop ye bitching and get on with it!¡± ---- Eslet, Military district, now. Birse rubbed his forehead as the VCD flashed in front of him ¡°A Devil, is raiding our base¡­and you¡­don¡¯t tell me until now?...¡± ¡°Yo there¡¯s a hundred fucking floors of traps! How could I have known this fucker would just plough through half of them like they¡¯re nothing more than distractions!?¡± Sly exclaimed in frustration from the VCD. ¡°That¡¯s the point of traps! Buy us time while we get back!¡± Birse suddenly exclaimed loudly while slamming his hands onto the table, he was sitting alone inside an office. ¡°Oh no¡­NO NO NO NO!¡± Sly suddenly started shouting repeatedly. ¡°What!?¡± Asked Birse in annoyance. ¡°OH HE¡¯S SO FUCKING DEAD NOW! I¡¯MA KILL HIM! I¡¯M KILLING HIM AND GETTING A TROLL TO RAPE THE BODY!¡± Sly exclaimed. ¡°What!? What¡¯s he doing!?¡± Birse shouted back. ¡°DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I SPENT ON THOSE PILLARS!? LILIOR! HOW LONG DID I SPEND ON THOSE PILLARS!?¡± Sly asked furiously. ¡°Eight hours.¡± Replied the dungeon core. ¡°YOU SPENT EIGHT FUCKING HOURS ON PILLARS ALONE!?¡± Birse asked in shock. ¡°YO THEY NEED TO LOOK GOOD!¡± Sly replied loudly. ¡°YOU COULD HAVE MADE BETTER DEFENCES!¡± Birse argued loudly still. ¡°WHY ARE WE STILL SHOUTING!?¡± Sly then asked. Birse cut the connection while he groaned in annoyance ¡°Death¡­recall everyone¡­The dungeon¡¯s under assault...¡± ---- Deep below New Ruk, Dungeon Lilior. Dagon rushed through multiple corridors of traps of all kinds, slashing wildly sending blasts and waves of dark green energy at every direction his sword could face. His expression was scrunched up in anger, his eyes open wide while glowing ferociously green. He was utterly drenched in blue slime, bruises all over his visible body and dents could be seen on his armour. His body trembled from hypothermia, his fangs clattered against each other due to both the cold and rage. Throughout the dungeon he was cut, pierced, bludgeoned, squashed, slapped, thrown, suffocated, twirled, flipped, shot and drowned. The Devil was reaching the limits of his sanity when suddenly ¡°The¡­end?¡± he stopped right in front of a large set of regal wooden double doors. Dagon stomped over to stand in front of the doors, raised his left leg up and kicked them open. ¡°GRRAAHHHH!!!!¡± Or he would have if there wasn¡¯t solid stone behind the doors, a voice echoed in his head (¡°First one was the only freebie, freebie, freebie¡­only¡­only¡­only¡±). He held onto his awkwardly bent leg before suddenly pushing it into place, he screamed in agony and set it down. Dagon lowered his stance while keeping his sword high above his head, suddenly he moved into action spinning in place and sending a wide slash all around him. A wave of dark-green energy was propelled all around him destroying the walls and doors, with their destruction the ceiling then suddenly came down. Bricks of blue stone fell all around Dagon, some even landing on him but he didn¡¯t care. The Devil was way past feeling pain, his insurmountable rage the only thing he currently felt. He glanced up seeing that the broken ceiling now took somewhere, he leaped up into it without a second thought. Dagon took a deep breath and glanced around the dimly lit hall, dark blue stone bricks like the rest of the dungeon but vastly more open. Glowing stalactites and stalagmites of blue slime grew at random spots throughout the hall giving it light, trees made of the same slime took over most of it and red slime decorated the whole ground looking like dirt. Dagon held his sword ready while stretching his shoulders, suddenly a pair of black armed, dark-green leather bat-like wings spread out from his back. He flapped his wings and was set flying upwards, with a second flap he propelled himself backwards and spun around. The Devil glided around searching for a way out of the strange hall. A cold chuckle echoed around the hall ¡°Flying now? Now if that isn¡¯t cheating¡­¡± Dagon snorted ¡°If you won¡¯t introduce or even show yourself then at least tell me where I am.¡± ¡°Oh this?¡± The voice continued to chuckle wickedly as the room lit up brighter ¡°Welcome to the boss room!¡±. Four daggers flew past Dagon¡¯s flying form held by violet strings of aura ¡°And I am the fucking boss!¡± the strings coiled around his wings as he crashed into them, the daggers spun back and all around them. Dagon grimaced as he was pulled out from the air and sent crashing down into the treeline, he quickly dissipated his wings to free himself and stood up. The Devil took a sword stance with feet apart from each other, a lowered posture and holding his longsword with both hands in front of himself. ¡°SHOW YOURSELF¡± Dagon¡¯s voice reverberated throughout the trees followed by his dark-green aura that smashed every single one it hit as it grew to surround him, a blob of flowing dark-green ethereal mana spanning ten meters all around him. Dagon looked around the destroyed forest opening but even the daggers were gone, there was no sign of his assailant. ¡°You wanted to know who I am correct?¡± asked the voice as it echoed around the hall, not coming from any specific direction making Dagon unable to trace it. ¡°I hold the role of what you might call¡­unnecessary in any normal group. I am not the assassin, not the mage nor the ranger. I am neither the tank or the healer nor the tactician. Funnily enough there is two of us that hold this role within the group!¡± Dagon continued to grow irritated ¡°You¡¯re making no sense, there is no other role necessary or not to a group.¡± ¡°Oh but there is!¡± Exclaimed the voice ¡°We¡¯re the ones who similarly to the tank get your attention, unlike the tank though it doesn¡¯t matter what else we do as long as we can do that¡­We¡¯re the mixed fighters, the flexible members, we are best at nothing but can be good at anything.¡± ¡°So your everyday common soldier?¡± Mocked Dagon hoping to lure them out. The voice simply chuckled ¡°Oh far from that, we specialize in nothing true but we do each have our own¡­Specialities if you may.¡± ¡°Let me guess! Yours is hiding!?¡± Dagon continued to mock as he reached the limits of his irritation, he was a warrior, a knight and this trickster was pushing all his wrong buttons. ¡°Hmmm¡­Yes that is indeed something I am good at but no, not my speciality.¡± The voice suddenly dropped whatever magic it used to hide it¡¯s direction, Dagon immediately traced it to right behind him. ¡°My speciality is¡­¡± Dagon spun around as he sensed something enter his aura, only to stare with a baffled expression at a stone rolling to a stop. ¡°Rushing in headfirst with no plan what so fucking ever!¡± Sly leaped out of the treeline where Dagon was previously facing and threw two daggers, a thin line of violet aura connected from his wrists to their hilts. Dagon was caught off balance from quickly turning and sluggishly turned back, the two daggers pierced right under his shoulderpads and into his back. Two shallow wounds with little to no damage done to him but they had taken their place, the blades stuck in the armour as Sly pulled Dagon towards him as he himself leaped at the Devil. Dagon summoned his wings and spun around mid-flight only to take Sly¡¯s dropkick straight in the face, the Devil was then sent flying back a couple meters. Both fighters picked themselves off the ground, Dagon immediately entering a defensive stance and Sly charging the Devil with abandon. ¡°So you finally reve-¡± Dagon was cut off as Sly entered his attack range slashing widely with his two daggers, with quick fluid movements Dagon evaded one slash and parried the second. Instead of backing away the Devil pushed forward and bashed Sly in the gut with his shoulderpads, the force sending Sly flying backwards. Dagon gave the adventurer no room for thought and flew after him, with his powerful wings quickly catching up before Sly hit the treeline. Sly released eight daggers from his belts, four connected with aura strings to each hand. He opened his arms wide sending the daggers further away from him, when Dagon appeared in front of him with his sword slashing down at his chest he pulled them back. The daggers coiled their strings around Dagon¡¯s legs, waist, wings and neck just as his slash met Sly¡¯s handheld daggers. They both crashed through multiple trees before rolling to a stop, Sly was the first to stand up as Dagon pulled and cut some of the strings. Sly smirked as he raised his hands towards Dagon ¡°Electrify, 10 amps!¡± A surge of lightning flowed through the strings and into Dagon sending the Devil to his knees. ¡°Do you feel it Devil? It took me a while to master this spell, can¡¯t use it for range so¡­here we are.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s raise the power a bit, 15 amps!¡± Sly grinned widely as he watched the Devil briefly kneeling motionless, Dagon raised his arms in front of himself then stabbed his sword down into the red soil. The electricity around his body began to fade as it surged through his sword, he took a couple controlled breathes while grabbing the strings of aura dissipating them with his own. ¡°Don¡¯t test me¡­¡± Dagon pulled out his sword and stood up, he stared furiously at Sly ¡°Little Devilling¡± he snorted ¡°You think a mere unhatched can face me!?¡±. Dagon disappeared into black smoke that charged at Sly who also burst into violet lightning, the two forces clashed and spun around each other before Dagon¡¯s superior aura kicked Sly out of his form. Sly was sent crashing back into a tree¡¯s trunk, the bark shattered under the force sending the tree falling to the ground. Sly lay on the ground reeling in pain, he went to sit up but Dagon¡¯s foot came down on his chest laying him back down. ¡°You cost me quite a bit of Hellhounds Devilling, do you know why they are so dear to us?¡± He glared down at Sly who simply smirked in response hiding his pain. ¡°Cause they¡¯re loyal?¡± Sly guessed with a chuckle not really caring about the question. ¡°Indeed, but do you know why they are so loyal? Because they are quite literally family, Hellhounds are failed Devils. Why do you think we number so little compared to our underlings?¡± Dagon put more force into his leg slowly crushing Sly¡¯s ribcage. ¡°When a Devilling fails to advance, when they fail to awaken to their blood. They become the mindless beasts known as Hellhounds, cursed to forever follow the alphas that succeeded.¡± ¡°Your point?¡± Sly coughed out blood as he tried to pull Dagon¡¯s armoured foot away to no avail, the Devil¡¯s strength too superior to his own. ¡°You will fail to awaken, that is my point. Devils are beings of body, our strength comes from how are bodies are built to affect our souls. This body you reside in, it is not your own. Here, let me show you what I am talking about¡­¡± Dagon briefly released Sly from his foot before kicking him over, he crouched down and held Sly¡¯s back with his left hand. Dagon¡¯s aura flowed into Sly sending the adventurer screaming in agony, violet tattoos flared brightly all over his body as a thick black aura began to emanate from him. ¡°Wha-!¡±Sly couldn¡¯t form a single word as the pain prevented him to do so, he glanced at his hands as he began to lose feeling in them and his legs. His skin had started to crumble, cracks forming all over his fingers, wrist and palm before turning to dust. Dagon stopped his flow of aura ¡°This is what awaits you in a few more days, your body simply cannot handle the change¡­So I forward you an offer little Devilling, you aren¡¯t of our family tree of pride but that doesn¡¯t mean we cannot aid you. We can help you go through the change, we can guide you through it all.¡± Sly continued to stare at his hands, his flesh fully visible and with every movement a new wave of pain followed ¡°Wh-why?¡± he asked shakily. ¡°The grand quest speaks of an arrival from another world that shall join our cause, you might just be that arrival. A hero, one with Devil¡¯s blood coursing through their veins. I cannot think of a more perfect candidate, father would be overjoyed to overlook the massacre of his hounds.¡± Dagon explained with enthusiasm ¡°Imagine the unparalleled power you can obtain, to be a head of our legions. Help us take over this world, help us burn away the people that so carelessly live upon it. The rewards that await you are unsurmountable, anything you could ever wish for right out of the native¡¯s pockets. Join us, become what you are meant to be. It is in your blood.¡± He finished his speech by yet again flowing his aura into Sly ¡°Or¡±. Sly continued to scream from the agony of having your very skin crumble, it was as if billions of needles continuously pierced his skin while disassembling the flesh that kept it stuck to him. It is safe to say that it burned like hell. Dagon stopped the torture and stood up ¡°Make your choice quickly, I shall be back for your answer.¡± He turned away from Sly and began to walk back to the entrance. Sly pushed himself up with his elbows into a kneeling position then just stared down at his skinless hands ¡°This¡­this is what¡­.¡± he grimaced at the very thought of becoming one of those beasts. Ch 45 - Breaking ties The dungeon¡¯s living room was simplistic, medium sized with dark red pavement, dark brown walls and ceiling looking like wood. A large square wooden table lay in the middle of the room with more chairs than the guild had members. To one side of the table lay a long blue sofa facing the wall, said wall was entirely crystalized and shining brightly from the illusionary vision magic Dungeons commonly used on their cores. Dagon sat on the sofa staring at the make-shift tv screen, a bored expression on his face as he watched the show. ¡°These people make no sense¡­their choice of entertainment makes no sense either!¡± He sighed in annoyance but continued to watch anyway ¡°Why are these people so colourful? Why is this woman playing so hard to get then blush like she¡¯s turning into blood!?¡± he was currently watching anime.
Author: Trust me you want music for this :D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-2yuGgp_U8
¡°KNOCK KNOCK BITCH¡± Soren exclaimed as his axe smashed through the wall, the one where Dagon was watching his show. ¡°Tch, took you long enough to-¡± Dagon was cut off as a dozen black chains flew at him, he immediately summoned his sword to deflect them but ended up being preoccupied parrying Soren¡¯s sudden charge and burst of speed. The chains entangled around his limbs or hooked themselves to his armour, Soren jumped over him and landed on the sofa. ¡°Com¡¯ere¡± Stated Birse as he willed the giant arms of shadow to pull the chains back, Dagon was pulled out of the room and back into the forest full hall known as the boss room. Dagon found himself face to face with the massive guardian as the chains pulled him out, ¡°Do you like pancakes?¡± asked Cherry as he smashed down his enormous Warhammer onto the Devil. The ground shook as Dagon was crushed into the red soil, his body seemed to go limp on impact. Cherry was about to pull back his hammer ¡°That hurt¡± Dagon stated as he grabbed hold of the Warhammer with one hand. Cherry tried to pull his weapon out of the Devil¡¯s grip but not even his massive size could do anything compared to the Devil¡¯s physical prowess. Dagon threw the warhammer¡¯s head aside sending Cherry flying with, he cracked his neck while standing up ¡°As I was just saying¡­By decree of the Dezol first legion high commander Lu-¡± Soren charged Dagon¡¯s back with a swing of his battle-axe sending the Devil flying towards Birse who pulled the Devil more with his chains, as Dagon approached the arms of shadow let go of the chains and clasped each other while raised up high. ¡°Shadow crush!¡± Birse chanted and the arms of shadow grew slightly larger as they descended upon the quickly approaching Devil. Dagon summoned his wings and spun mid-flight to realign himself, using his wings he stopped himself then raised this sword with one hand and parried the arms of shadow a thousand times larger than his own. Dagon sighed in annoyance ¡°Fine, enough words.¡± With a flicker of movement too fast to see he slashed the arms dissipating them into smoke, briefly he disappeared. ¡°Shit!¡± Birse raised his gauntlets in front of himself as Dagon reappeared there, the Devil slashed and stabbed at him denting and sometimes breaking his armour before he spun in place and kicked Birse in the gut sending him flying back and crashing through multiple trees. Birse taking his chains with him. Cherry dashed to stand behind Dagon and spun his warhammer low, he aimed to smash it¡¯s head into the Devil¡¯s back. Dagon turned and blocked the attack with the flat of his sword but was sent flying after Birse by the force of the attack. As Dagon flew he spun around and tried to catch controlled flight but ended up defending from multiple arrows shot at him from Skill and Ch who hid in the forest¡¯s shadow. He slowed himself down to a stop with a couple flaps of his wings and glanced back just in time to grab one of Birse¡¯s chain-hooks with his free hand. Birse immediately willed his arms of shadow to pull the Devil again, Dagon in turn pulled back as he flew which destroyed the arms of shadow through the force he used and forced Birse to fly at him too. The two clashed in mid-air, gauntlets blocking blink fast sword strikes. Birse was forced into the defensive due to the Devil¡¯s superior speed and strength which caused him to crash down into the ground, Dagon stood above him with his sword raised ready to strike him down. Dagon quickly turned around to parry a stealthy stab by Jacky as the assassin appeared out of thin air, the Devil disarmed him with a single quick slash making his hand go numb from the attack. Jacky grimaced and tried to back off but the Devil was faster, with lightning fast and fluid steps he slashed at the assassin¡¯s chest three times before kicking him back. Jacky staggered back but held his ground, he threw his two daggers at the Devil causing him to deflect the make-shift projectiles. As Dagon did so Soren charged at him at maximum speed, spinning as he did so the flat of his axe hit the Devil in the chest and sent him flying further away and through more trees. Dagon slowed himself down as he broke out into an opening in the forest, he was given no time to look around as Cherry came down on him bashing his warhammer onto the Devil and throwing him to the ground. ¡°Infernal descent!¡± Chanted Deathchilled forming a fire ball so hot in his hands that it turned white. ¡°Noxious wisps!¡± Chanted Seren summoning forth a wave of gas like flames. ¡°Elemental collision!¡± Chanted Steph as all kinds of crystals she had were inside her gloves sending forth a shockwave of pure black. ¡°Charge beam!¡± Chanted Woody as he aimed his horn at the Devil, the horn glowed white briefly before a stream of crimson red was shot out. The four mages stood around the opening¡¯s edge forming a square around the Devil, each fired off a spell at him. Dagon was about to fly away but Birse¡¯s chains entangled all around his wings, Cherry ditched his hammer and grabbed the Devil by the legs then threw him back down to the ground. Dagon found himself in a bit of a predicament, Cherry, Soren and Birse held down his arms and legs while Steph, Death and Woody formed a barrier around his body with the addition of Seren casting every single debuff she knew onto the Devil. Even though he was in this position he simply shrugged it off and chuckled coldly ¡°You have me held down for a few minutes, what now? You cannot kill me, this is the extent of your capabilities. Once I¡¯m free and oh I will free myself, you¡¯re all dead. There is nothing you can do against us, you¡¯re all simply too weak. In her prime it took five heroes to fight off sister Abaddon, three of which died. She was weak from losing her body, it is not a surprise to us that she couldn¡¯t survive. Oh and that little skirmish you had with that other Devil at Helix? Let me correct the silly thought that it was actually father, that was brother Legion wearing an illusion. You cannot defeat Dezol you¡¯re nothing more than a pebble in our way.¡± ¡°True we cannot defeat you in combat, but since when does Serenity ever play fair?¡± Kyle stated as he walked out of the tree line and moved to stand above Dagon. Dagon chuckled ¡°Oh and what will this puny dark hero do? You¡¯re less of a match for me than anybody else here! I sense it inside you! The hollowness left behind from losing your guide! You¡¯re nothing! You have no future!¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Kyle chuckled back ¡°I don¡¯t need a guide, I¡¯ll figure shit out on my damn own.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Dagon smirked ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can figure this out then! I know you¡¯re back there, come out come out little Devilling!¡± he called out to his right. Sly stepped out of the treeline as he gazed at Dagon deep in thought ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Well? You¡¯ve kept me waiting long enough, what¡¯s your answer? I¡¯ll even let your friends here get away with a single death each.¡± Dagon offered followed by a loud laugh. Sly clenched his fists and stepped towards the bound Devil, he grinded his teeth so hard that blood began to leak out. He didn¡¯t pull out a weapon, neither did he summon up his aura. He simply stopped to stand by Kyle, he didn¡¯t even look at any of his guild mates but simply gazed down at Dagon who looked back with a smirk. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­but¡­you¡¯re such a sad sight.¡± said Sly ¡°Drunk on power, blind to everything else.¡± He crouched down to where he could whisper into the Devil¡¯s ear, ¡°Let me fill you in on something little Devil, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered to me what I¡¯d have to go through. Be it mindlessly agonizing pain, my body falling apart particle by particle, death or even fucking hell itself. I will never, betray those dear to me.¡± Dagon snarled at Sly ¡°Fine then! You shall all die together and watch as I send each of your souls into hell!¡± Sly smirked ¡°I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t be happening either.¡± He grabbed the Devil¡¯s head with his right hand and pushed it down to the ground then stared down into his pitch-black eyes ¡°You won¡¯t be doing shit once he¡¯s done with you.¡± Dagon glanced at Kyle ¡°The pipsqueak fox? What can he do!?¡± he continued to laugh. Kyle pushed up his sleeves and kneeled down with his right leg on top of Dagon¡¯s chest ¡°Do not underestimate the fox, for it has already peered into your very soul. Literaly.¡± Dagon¡¯s eyes quickly widened in shock and he began to immediately struggle, baring his fangs and over all panicking. Kyle raised both his arms to shoulder height and stretched his fingers mockingly, white-blue flames engulfed them. ¡°No!¡± Exclaimed Dagon ¡°I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll kill all of you!¡±
Dungeon Lilior, core room, 4 hours earlier. Sly grimaced as he moved his skinless fingers, he had moved himself to the core room and sat with his back to the wall. ¡°This is fucked¡± he stated at the VCD that sat on the ground by him, he had already explained his predicament to Birse, Death and Kyle on the other side. The other Serenity members had somehow hijacked a griffin carriage and were on their way back. Kyle took the VCD from Death¡¯s hands ¡°Okay okay let¡¯s not freak out yet.¡± ¡°He skinned my fucking hands, told me I got three days to live and is now waiting in the fucking living room watching Netflix! I¡¯M FREAKING OUT!¡± Sly shouted into the device. ¡°Wait we got Netflix?!¡± Death asked in surprise. ¡°Yeah some shows I got Lilior to copy from memory, nothing huge. Wait¡­that¡¯s not the point! The fuck do I do!?¡± Sly continued to panic. Birse took the VCD from the both of them ¡°We use diplomacy, if that doesn¡¯t work well then we¡¯ll just have to fight the fucker.¡± Sly groaned in pain from accidentally clenching his fist ¡°I don¡¯t think diplomacy is an option¡­¡±
Above Dread swamp, Serenity hijacked griffin carriage With Woody driving the carriage by using his magic to calm the griffins, the rest of the Serenity guild sat inside discussing how to deal with the Dagon. ¡°Can¡¯t we let Sly accept the Devil¡¯s offer and have him as an inside man?¡± Offered Jacky from the other side as he sharpened his long daggers. Birse shook his head ¡°It¡¯s Sly, sneaky as he can be he¡¯s not the best actor. If it was Kyll, you or Cherry I¡¯d be all up for it but¡­¡± ¡°What about tying the fucker up and force him to tell us how to help Sly? We beat two Devils so far for fucks sake!¡± said Death as he stood by Kyle, both of them standing in front of Birse who held the VCD in his hands. ¡°The first one was toying with us and got ambushed by the mage guilds, the second was enslaved by a dungeon.¡± Seren counted each encounter ¡°I don¡¯t think they compare.¡± ¡°Well we cannot exactly ask the chap kindly to leave our base¡­¡± Ch dejectedly stated. ¡°Or¡­.¡± Kyle gazed off at nowhere in particular as plans formed in his mind ¡°Sly what did Dagon say exactly about Devils? Word by word.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­.That Hellhounds are failed Devils? Whe-¡± Sly stated quoting what Dagon had said but Kyle cut him off. ¡°No not that.¡± ¡°Devils are beings of body? How does that help?¡± Sly asked. ¡°What else.¡± Kyle urged back. ¡°Uhh¡­Our strength comes from how our bodies are made to affect our souls?¡± Sly continued to quote the Devil. Kyle stared down at his own hands and smirked ¡°Lilior¡± ¡°Yes master?¡± The Dungeon replied through the VCD. ¡°I know how to kill Dagon, Lilior, Sly and everyone else. I¡¯ll need you to do exactly as I tell you to.¡± Kyle looked at Birse for confirmation. Birse nodded ¡°Well let¡¯s hear it then, if I like the odds of it then you have the lead on this one.¡±
Dungeon Lilior, now. Kyle grabbed hold of Dagon¡¯s shoulders as his flames immediately engulfed the Devil, they slowly began to eat away at the armour and skin. Kyle willed to control the flame, to not let it consume the Devil but contain it. The flames briefly continued to lash out at the body before calming down and surrounding it properly. Dagon continued to struggle and snarl ¡°Stop! You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing! Stop this madness!¡± Kyle smirked ¡°Yeah I don¡¯t and yeah I am.¡± He willed the flames to surround the Devil¡¯s soul and a dark-green flame appeared in his vision. The green flame was vicious as it lashed out against Kyle¡¯s, unwilling to be controlled yet steadfast with it¡¯s precise flow which kept the blue flame away. Kyle didn¡¯t try to tame it, he didn¡¯t try to consume it as he did with Under¡¯s. Kyle moved his flames to flow with the green, he copied the green¡¯s exact flow and began to change it with his own. Suddenly Kyle pulled back while gripping his flames, the green flame exiting the body alongside his. Dagon immediately went quiet and just as suddenly Kyle dissipated the flames and moved back down to grab the Devil¡¯s unmoving shoulders. Dagon¡¯s body was starting to slowly crumble, as if it was nothing more than an empty shell drained of it¡¯s power. Kyle on the other hand knew better, the shell was what made a Devil as the inside did not matter. He willed his flames back into the body this time filling it up entirely, he tried to keep it together at the best of his capabilities by flowing the flames the same way the green once had. When he felt that the body wasn¡¯t crumbling to dust anymore he willed some of his flame up Sly¡¯s arm. Sly almost let go but Birse, Soren and Cherry let go of Dagon¡¯s corpse and held him in place as he screamed from the sheer agony of having another soul enter your body. Kyle willed his flames further into Sly until his whole body was aflame similarly to Dagon¡¯s, Kyle was doing his best to concentrate on this task as the life of his friend now literally lay in his hands. He again willed his flame to surround Sly¡¯s soul and a frenzied violet blaze appeared in his vision, this flame had no specific flow but simply moved and lashed out randomly. He watched the flame, studied it¡¯s movements and coloration. (¡° Every madness has a method to it, even Sly¡±) he thought while watching it, he then flowed his flame to slowly surround the violet one. Kyle tried to follow it¡¯s flow, he tried to copy it¡¯s movements with his own but violet blaze was relentless and pushed his away. He decided to try a different approach, if he couldn¡¯t copy Sly¡¯s flow then he¡¯ll force it to copy his. Kyle forced his flames to clash with the violet blaze that was Sly¡¯s soul, he didn¡¯t let them consume but instead simply clash with each other and watched as Sly continued to struggle and scream in pain like he never felt before. Kyle then noticed something, the violet blaze had a method to it. He couldn¡¯t copy it¡¯s flow and he couldn¡¯t force it to copy his but he could make it change it¡¯s flow, as his flames clashed with the violet it began to ease down and flow in a pattern around Sly¡¯s body. He flowed more flame into Sly causing another wave of pain, he left some of his flame to clash with the violet while flowing the rest with it. Carefully he then began to flow the violet flame along with his own out of Sly¡¯s body. Sly briefly wailed like a banshee from having his soul literally ripped out of him, he then completely blacked out from the agony. Slowly he eased the violet flame downwards and into the Devil¡¯s body, once that was done and having already made his flame flow exactly how the violet one did he then began to change the violet¡¯s flow. As randomly as he could possible make it flow he did and then simply let go, he pulled back his flames and let the violet re-enter it¡¯s frenzy. Kyle stood up and away from them, sweating profusely and more pale than usual. He took uneven breaths and nodded at the others ¡°You can let go.¡± He told them and they did. Sly¡¯s body limply fell forward and onto Dagon¡¯s, it shattered and dissipated into blue dust. ¡°What now?¡± Death asked as he and everyone else gathered around to watch. ¡°We wait¡­I honestly don¡¯t know what happens now. I guess it¡¯s all up to him, if he fails to take it over then plan B is ready just incase.¡± Kyle replied followed by a weak sigh. Suddenly a burst of black-green aura shot out of the dormant Devil as his eyes opened wide, utterly black and iris-less. The burst of aura sent everyone back and to the ground except for Kyle, the Devil had risen and grabbed him by the collar. ¡°I take it back¡± the Devil stated as his empty black eyes seemed to stare right into Kyle¡¯s very being. Kyle stared back and waited for what was to come, he had complete trust in his friends whether they be sane or not. Suddenly the Devil¡¯s eyes began to take colour, milky white surrounding violet irises and black slits. His hair also began to change, it grew down to his shoulders and changed from black with green strands to dark purple with strands of black. ¡°You under no circumstances, will ever again fucking touch my soul.¡± Sly stated as his whole body briefly shook at the very recent memory ¡°It¡¯s fucking creepy.¡± Everyone burst out into laughter as Sly continued to complain ¡°Hey! You hearing me!? Never again! NEVER! FUCKING! AGAIN!¡± Ch 46 - Moving forward Esfeltian Dominion Capital Eslet, Supreme Court of Barik, Three days after the defence of Eslet. Early morning. Within an enormous circular hall of dark grey marble the future of the Esfeltian Dominion will be decided. Nobles, merchants, military officers and priests alike filled the hall¡¯s rows of seats that descended a step lower the closer you got to the middle, within the middle lay a large open area of flat wooden pavement. Within this open area lay two long desks facing each other, one was twice as high as the other like a podium. Sitting behind the lower desk were the lead individuals of Esfelt, Empress Caitlyn Esfelt with Second General Draxxer Blade and Royal Advisor Rin Darkness standing behind her being some of them. Next to them were the others, First General of the Royal Military Jason D.Moore. To call Jason a grizzled veteran would be an understatement, the fact that his whole face was nothing but scars being one reason. With shaved white hair, aged face and pale white skin the Tundra Elf still managed to look imposing even with his advanced age of over four thousand years. To the other side sat two others, the High priestess of the church of light and day who sat alongside the High priest of the church of dark and night. High priestess Jean Lumin, an aged human woman with long greying blonde hair tied up in a bun, gentle green eyes and a grandma personality. She wore white fur priest robes that fell way beyond her feet causing it to drag behind her, no jewellery or accessories were on her person except for a simple wooden amulet in the shape of a sun held to her neck by a common string. High priest Nolin Kastello, a young human male with short blonde hair and brown eyes. He wore his simple black priest robes alongside multitudes of gold, silver and gem rings, amulet and bracelets. His expression was weary and eyes always moving from shadowy corner to shadowy corner with paranoia. Facing them sitting behind the desk above were the leaders of the other three kingdoms within the Esfeltian alliance, five racial leaders in all. King Jekyll Mountsmith of the Dwarves, short golden blonde hair, curled long beard and fierce ember eyes. Elder Helen Teak¡¯ta of the Fae, old beyond counting the Fae looked whittled with her long light grey hair and wrinkled skin but her crimson red eyes were as calculative and domineering as ever. King Raiku Goldfeather of the Avians and the kingdom of Oroboros. Humanoid with exceptions, the Avian¡¯s feathers were pure gold in colour. With the head of an eagle who had a large mohawk of feathers for hair, piercing sky blue eyes and two feet taller than any Elf the Avian king was the most eye-catching of them. From his back grew a pair of folded golden bird-like wings which rose three feet higher than his head and seemed capable of a wingspan of 10 meters if spread open. He wore a shirt made of red feathers, pants made of blue feathers and a coat made of snow white feathers. Sultan Rej Deepdrifter of the Nymphs and the kingdom of the sea. Mostly human with pale blue skin, short dark blue hair and sleepy aqua-green eyes. A very young male Nymph who only recently entered his position as ruler, barely 13 of age and almost taller than Jekyll. Queen Samala Wraecast of the Mer and the kingdom of the sea. A young Mer female who unlike her neighbour Rej bared a heavy resemblance to common inhabitants of the ocean. Dark purple skin with patches of green fish scales, long green hair with strands of purple and bright golden eyes. Samala was mostly human from the waist up with green fish fin like ears, green netting between her fingers, elbows and armpits. Her lower half on the other hand was a long tail of bright green fish scales ending in two purple flippers. Because of her tail lower half, she was currently floating in the air with the use of gravity magic provided by the city. Each of these along with the patriarch of the royal Esfeltian family were members of the alliance¡¯s council and each were eligible to vote within the supreme court. Although currently Caitlynn was standing before the court not alongside it and thus held no vote. The point of the supreme court was for these rulers to vote upon great changes within their alliance of races and judge international crimes. Both were to be discussed today. Raiku glanced around the hall as he waited for everyone to settle, his eyes scanned the whole room within moments. He cleared his throat and began to speak with a high pitched squeak of a voice ¡°The supreme court shall now commence today¡¯s trials, before us stand council member Empress Caitlynn Esfelt, High priestess Jean Lumin, High priest Nolin Kastello and First General Jason D.Moore.¡± The Avian watched as each stood up from their seat and gave a short bow, he nodded at them to sit back down and so they did ¡°Assisting the royal of Esfelt are Second General Draxxer Blade and Royal Advisor Rin Darkness¡± both immediately kneeled briefly before standing back up. ¡°The crimes to be cast from this trial are enormous, either Empress Caitlyn Esfelt¡¯s allegiance with the Dezol Legion or High priest Nolin Kastello¡¯s unprovoked hostile take-over of the Dominion.¡± Raiku looked at Samala to his right ¡°Member Samala please begin your questioning.¡± The Mer nodded as she gazed at Caitlyn, putting her feelings aside for her friend she began the questioning. ¡°Member Caitlyn please forgo your memories of the recent events that has befallen your city.¡± Caitlyn stood up as she clenched the front of her blue one-piece dress, she took a deep breath and began her telling ¡°Three days ago General Blade arrived at my residence as I went through pleas of my people along with my advisor Darkness. Blade carried with him an unconscious young adventurer, one of this generation¡¯s heroes of the grand quest. He was thought to be Nephilim similar to Advisor Darkness, Blade had brought him to her for sealing. But¡­The hero was then found to not be Nephilim but instead of Devilling blood. High Priest Kastello then suddenly appeared inside my residence alongside a group of nefarious adventurers uninvited and hostile, he had been illegally keeping watch on us for who knows how long. Without giving me and company time to explain the situation he not only jumped to conclusions but threatened our peace.¡± The hall remained quiet as she explained, the punishment for cutting off a speaker or causing an interruption too much than anybody was willing to pay. ¡°We escaped the situation and appeared within the main royal military barracks using General Blade¡¯s [Rift Phasing] ability. We were met with mutineers hired by High Priest Kastello who even announced their assassination attempt of First General Moore. We once again escaped with the aid of the hero and General Blade then appeared at the hero¡¯s guild base.¡± Caitlyn took a brief break to ¡®collect her thoughts¡¯. She continued to speak while staring straight into Samala¡¯s eyes ¡°I contracted his mercenary guild to act as my body guards, to take me to the town of Kaledd where I would meet with the remnants of our military.¡± Caitlyn stopped speaking as Samala raised her right palm towards her. ¡°For what reason were you meeting with them?¡± Samala asked. ¡°To set up within Kaledd and reach out to the other council members.¡± Caitlyn replied. Samale nodded ¡°Nolin Kastello, tell your side of this story so far then.¡± Caitlyn sat down and Nolin stood up, he went on about how he had discovered the royal family conspiring with a Devilling. How he had always doubted the royal family as such needing to keep an eye on their doings. How he had contracted the adventurer guild to act as his foreign hands into capturing someone he had no right to. How the assassination of Jason D.Moore was none of his doing, he had simply suggested some officers within the military to aid him and nothing more. Helen stopped him ¡°Brigadier Farlan Kenneth has already filled us in on how you bribed them into mutiny, I¡¯m afraid not even he could resist Fae interrogation.¡± Nolin¡¯s jaw dropped, he did not know how to continue as he hadn¡¯t expected such drastic measures to be taken with the young Brigadier. ¡°The lives of all our people are at stake High priest Kastello, I am sure even the Gods understand the need of such evil.¡± Helen explained as she watched his expression pale ¡°I am also sure you understand the consequences of lying while before the supreme court, unfortunately execution is no longer a permanent one therefore we must devise some other sort.¡± Rej raised his palm up to speak, when Helen nodded he began ¡°Deaths caused by natural causes such as disease aren¡¯t prevented by the grand quest and neither are deaths that take place outside of the revival spot¡¯s range as long as one is not an arrival. I suggest execution of this liar to take place at either Meria or Oroboros right after a public one done here at Eslet.¡± He explained with a rather bored expression. The other council members thought over Rej¡¯s suggestion before they all nodded in agreement, Rej continued to speak afterwards ¡°Then it is decided Nolin Kastello, for your acts against the royal family, for plotting mutiny within the military, for putting your people¡¯s lives at risk and then abandoning them through failure at your duties you are condemned to multiple executions.¡± Suddenly heated conversation began to take place around the hall, nobody had expected for such a quick decision to be made. Jean raised her palm towards the council to speak but was denied by Raiku who shook his head ¡°The court is adjourned! There shall be no debating this outcome! We have been given too much reason to fault the church of night but alas only their leader can be faulted for these acts.¡± Helen followed up ¡°Take this man to the prisons! Clear the hall, the council shall commence an off timetable meeting!¡± A group of five soldiers stepped out from the front of the seats and lead away a baffled Nolin, Priestess Jean followed after them with quick dignified strides. General Moore took a deep sigh as if he had been holding onto it the whole time and stood up to leave, he glanced at Draxxer and then at Caitlyn ¡°I shall gather the dukes and officers for an after meeting.¡± He stated before walking away. The council members walked or floated down from the podium desk and began walking towards the back of the hall where a set of large blackwood doors lay shut. Caitlyn wordlessly followed with Draxxer and Rin following suit, a slight expression of relief over all of them. This court session had followed multiple private investigations, interrogations and inside questioning leading to the quick decision made by the council. Due to these, the council had not had any time to fully gather and talk leading to the following meeting. Caitlyn followed the other council members towards the private meeting room as two guards opened the doors, a simple room with the same design of the court hall for walls, floor and ceiling. A blackwood circular table lay taking most of the room with seats for each council member and more. The council members entered the room and took a seat each as did Caitlyn, Draxxer and Rin remained standing behind her and the guards simply closed the doors behind them remaining outside themselves. Rej sighed deeply ¡°Why can¡¯t Juju take care of these things? Too stressful for my age!¡± he exclaimed in annoyance. Samala giggled at his childish behaviour ¡°Cousin , advisors are only allowed to assist us. We must attend these ourselves to keep the balance of our three kingdoms.¡± she then explained. Being a single kingdom of two races for the Nymphs meant the two royal families had long been bound in marriage causing these two to have ties similar to being cousins. Raiku nodded ¡°Indeed and this one was quiet the stressful one, by the Gods¡­Esfelt what are we to do now? If the Dezol can so easily infiltrate our cities¡­Are we ever to be safe again?¡± he then asked sorrowfully while crossing his arms and leaning forward onto the table.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°No we cannot, we never shall be.¡± Replied Caitlyn ¡±Not unless we fight back and throw them off our lands, I urge the other members to consider all-out assault on the cursed lands.¡± ¡°And how shall we manage that?¡± Asked Samala ¡°Even the mage guilds cannot break through that barrier, we have tried everything including digging underneath.¡± She sighed dejectedly, the very idea of fighting back long lost within her thoughts. Caitlyn gestured at Draxxer who then went around the table and handed over a couple dozen sheets of parchment to each member, ¡°What you have been given is a list of volunteers, each a different list altogether. As you might already know the adventurers and their guilds had gathered their forces to aid in the defence of Eslet, that long list is each and every member of those guilds willing to fight for our cause.¡± She explained while looking around the table taking in their expressions. Helen spoke after having read through each list using her Fae magic as they were passed around ¡°I do not see the names of that mercenary guild you contracted with, do they not wish to aid us?¡± Caitlyn shook her head ¡°The Serenity guild has gone underground, we were forced to send General Blade to even come in contact with them. We are unaware of where their base is located and cannot contact them by conventional means but we have received word from them¡­¡± Caitlyn glanced back at Darkness who along with Draxxer had moved back to stand behind her. Rin took a brief bow and began to speak ¡°The Serenity guild will not aid us¡­The adventurer mercenary guild Serenity, a group of approximately 300 members with their lead twelve as powerful as any of our top warriors along with two of them being heroes of the grand quest whilst one of those being the dark hero. The guild who gathered the scattered guilds of Kaledd and led them alongside the guilds of Il¡¯e in the defence of Eslet, the guild who not only boasts of having defeated three Devils but has one of their own unaffected by the Dezol legion¡¯s ideals.¡± The council members held their breath as the listing of one¡¯s achievements during a council meeting meant for a serious declaration afterwards. ¡°Has declared their disbanding of the guild, all 300 members have scattered and gone their own way. The lead members of the guild remain out of reach and do not wish to be contacted at all.¡± Darkness stated which was followed by silence throughout the table. After a few moments of this silence it was then broken by Caitlyn ¡°Although this strong guild has gone the others do remain, the Eternium and Apokalypse guilds are already making plans alongside the Berserker¡¯s Wrench, Predators, Lost, Fake and L.O.L.Z guilds to push the frontlines at Frosthold and cleanse the cursed lands then surround the Dezol fort.¡± ¡°The numbers and assistance is fine and all¡­¡± Samala began but trailed off briefly before continuing ¡°The same problem still stands although we now outnumber the Dezol forces, how do we bring down that barrier?¡± ¡°Plans are being made, a weapon is being built with the aid of the adventurer guilds.¡° Caitlyn assured them ¡±King Jekyll can explain further.¡±
Esfeltian Dominion Military Prison, Underground cells. Past noon. Jean glared down in disgust at Nolin, chained up with magic sealing metal and left to rot behind the bars of this mossy dungeon. ¡°Look at what you have done to yourself Kastello, not only have we lost the trust of the heroes but the whole populace in general.¡± ¡°No¡­No! I did not do this!¡± Nolin exclaimed as he tried to sit up from his kneeling position rattling the chains that kept him down ¡°This was all planned! It was all made up by that royal! The illusion created by that Devilling! The Devils brought into our city by Blade! It all makes sense Lumin!¡± his expression was pale and pleading. Jean shook her head ¡°It matters not now Nolin, your crimes have been carved out and nothing can reverse the council¡¯s decision. Worry not for your followers will continue your work to the God of night, your days of preaching end here but may you continue to pray and beg for forgiveness.¡± She turned away and ascended the stairs out of the dungeon as he stared gawking. Upstairs were a couple guards who then escorted Jean out of the prison and to her horse pulled carriage, a simple large wooden carriage. Two others already sat inside waiting for her, they both turned to her when she stepped inside. Jean looked each adventurer over. The hero of Nature, a female human with short aqua-blue hair, silver eyes and sharp features. She wore a dark green set of ranger leather armour, two small quivers of bolts strapped to her waist and two one-handed crossbows were fastened to her leather gloves. She had an easy-going expression while waiting for Jean to say something, at the same time leaning away from the one sitting beside herself. The hero of Blood, a Mer adventurer with shaved black hair, dark blue eyes and rows of shark-like fangs. Dark blue netting grew between his fingers, elbows and armpits while shark fins grew out of his back, shoulders and the back of his thighs. He wore an amused expression while glancing around the royal district they resided at in paranoia. For gear we wore black chain armour, plate legs and a dark blue cloak. By his side were two short and wide fin like blades that curved like a crescent moon with the handle lodged inside the thick blade¡¯s curve. The Mer spoke first ¡°So the hell do we do now?¡± he spoke with a slight hiss ¡°You promised us protection and training but your funds are quickly draining and income disappearing along with your followers.¡± The human coughed twice ¡°What Sharkmeat means to say¡­How do we proceed from now on? Nolin¡¯s schemes have put us in a difficult position, we are unsure if continuing our friendship is healthy.¡± Jean nodded ¡°I understand if you wish to distance yourself from us, we aren¡¯t trying to hold you but simply prepare you properly. The grand quest will eventually lead up to the same event it always does. A last battle with the legions of evil, with all heroes present as the dark hero picks a side. I assure you your training is at the top of our priorities, your protection is also guaranteed. If you wish to continue our friendship then we shall also proceed as planned, once we find your strength adequate you shall leave to gather all the heroes into a single party. A leader will be picked from all six of you, whoever that may be I beg you follow them. That is when the grand quest truly begins, when all six heroes are gathered and plan their next step together.¡± Sharkmeat shrugged ¡°Hey I¡¯m all up for freebies, don¡¯t got no problem with whoever becomes leader either.¡± He glanced at the human ¡±Talia I don¡¯t know about you but I damn sure aren¡¯t being thrown under the bus along with their people, you both sure we¡¯re clean and won¡¯t be sentenced to death alongside that creep Nolin?¡± Talia sighed and looked at Jean waiting for an answer, the priestess chuckled ¡°Worry not child, Kastello¡¯s antics are his own. His crimes will bear rotten fruit in our gardens but alas it is our job to get rid of them not yours, be reassured that this will not affect you.¡± Talia leaned forward ¡°Well that¡¯s sorted then, now I am quiet interested in this guild I¡¯ve been hearing about. What do you know about Serenity?¡± Jean waved at the carriage driver to move ¡°The guild who gathered the rest of your people?¡± she asked in confirmation. Talia nodded ¡°The one that has two of us heroes, the dark hero and the Devil hero.¡± Jean leaned back in her seat that faced theirs and gazed out the window as the carriage quickly moved past the still wrecked gate and out into the fields of the noble¡¯s district ¡°Word has come by that they have disbanded, the Devil hero of the dagger has not been seen for days while the dark hero of frost has been spotted around Dread Swamp with some of his companions.¡±
Dread swamp One day ago. Later in the afternoon. Slime burst in every direction followed by splinters of wood, spurts of swamp water and bursts of steam. The swamp immediately became a warzone as Soren dashed around slashing, bashing or simply slamming into blobs of swamp slimes. Birse and Death followed his quicker strides with their own methods, Birse flew around the swamp using his chains on the trees and Death windwalked from branch to branch. Close behind them Seren was either healing, buffing or launching destructing offensive spells at the circle of slime that surrounded them all. Beside the healer Skill took shots at any slime that snuck through Soren, Birse and Death¡¯s mobile massacre. ¡°Kyll you done yet!?¡± Skill shouted into the mossy cave entrance behind them, one of the reasons they were here. After the successes of Operation D.D.O.S and Operation ¡®Body Switch¡¯ the guild had Disbanded to get rid of the weaker members and rebranded. ¡°There¡¯s too many!¡± Death announced as he pulled a small blob of murky slime off his shoulder. ¡°The Dusk Brotherhood doesn¡¯t surrender! Keep it up! Kyll hurry the fuck up!¡± Birse barked orders as he swung around the swamp. They had then proceeded to spending two days remaking Lilior¡¯s dungeon, using Birse¡¯s strategic mind, Sly¡¯s aesthetic knowledge and everyone else¡¯s input they completely remade their base excluding the living room which was repaired and kept. After that the guild had separated into two ¡®farming¡¯ parties, due to the party system limiting it to a maximum of six party members. They had found out that being in a party with someone 40 levels within your own increased your experience gain, being in a raid party did not do this unfortunately. As such Sly, Steph, Jacky, Ch, Cherry and much to Jacky¡¯s chagrin Woody had partied up and left to scout out potential farming areas for the guild. Birse, Soren, Seren, Skill and Death on the other hand were currently holding back waves of swamp slimes as Kyle explored the cave that lay in the very centre of Dread swamp. Through Cornelius¡¯s suggestion Kyle had decided to come to this cave called the Slime Delve where he could possible obtain more elemental typing for his [Ooze] skill and train his [Tails]. Deep inside the cave tunnels of the Slime Delve, Kyle carefully stepped through the rocky terrain with his right hand raised forwards. A bright white-blue flame in the form of a curved longsword in his hand, both for protection and lighting. Kyle noticed many cracks in the cave¡¯s ceiling and was keeping a close eye on them while glancing at the ones behind him, suddenly light yellow slime began to ooze out of one of the cracks behind him. The slime caught ablaze causing the cracks throughout the tunnel to catch fire as more slime oozed out, the sight was both beautiful and terrifying. Kyle stabbed his sword upwards and into the low ceiling before the flames reached his head, his own fire spread out from his sword and began to hold back the bright yellow flames. Suddenly through the sword blue [Elder Frost] slime spread out through the blue flames ¡°Absorb!¡± Kyle chanted and his slime began to devour the yellow, cores began to drop from the blazing ceiling as his blue slime spread throughout it all. When the last of the yellow slime was devoured and core drained of mana Kyle dissipated his and lowered the sword of white-blue flame. He wiped his forehead from the sweat caused by the sheer heat and sighed ¡°One down¡­¡±
Through the skill [{Absorb}] the skill [Ooze] has gained the type [Fire]
¡°Who knows how many more to go¡­¡± Kyle mused as he looked down the tunnel, a faint glow of blue a dozen or so meters further in. With a wide grin plastered on his face he threaded further in. ¡°Kyll I swear I¡¯ll come in there and shove those cores up your ass if you don¡¯t hurry up!¡± Seren¡¯s voice echoed through the cave followed a by a scream of frustration. Kyle immediately stopped and squinted as he looked down the tunnel, the faint glow of blue turned into a solid wall of green-blue slime that was currently rapidly moving towards him ¡°Fucking hell!¡± Kyle cursed as he prepared his sword. The wall of slime flowed like liquid while absorbing anything in it¡¯s path, it rapidly rushed towards Kyle as tentacles stretched out and flayed towards him from it¡¯s surface. ¡°Core of my being! Cold flames within me! Devour all that stand in my path! Devouring Frostfire!¡± The white-blue flames burst out from all over Kyle¡¯s body and shot forth like an inferno at the wall of slime, the flames collided with the wall causing the tentacles to immediately freeze over and shatter along with the surface of the wall to also solidify into ice. The wall did stop and bashed into Kyle, it carried him flames and all through the tunnel until they reached the open cavern that connected to it. Kyle was shot upwards due to the tunnel¡¯s slanted angel of entrance, he held onto the block of frozen slime for dear life as the mass of green-blue behind it surged all around him snuffing out his flames with sheer body mass. The large mass of slime threatened to engulf Kyle before he dissipated his flames and pushed it away with his own [Demonic] crimson slime, he formed a barrier of it around him then grew scales all around the sphere. The mass of slime engulfed the sphere of black scales as it rolled down to the bottom of the high cavern with a splat, it¡¯s body mass was thrown all over the place while a blue crystal sphere bounced off Kyle¡¯s barrier and to the ground. The glowing green-blue slime began to reform around it¡¯s core which was half the size of Kyle¡¯s barrier, it surged up and engulfed him yet again. He grimaced as he began to run out of air, this situation reminded him of his very first acquaintance with slimes. What made this worse was not only the sheer size of this slime blob but the acidic properties it had as it ate away at Kyle¡¯s scale barrier. Kyle had nowhere to run and soon nowhere to hide, the blob of slime had him completely caged up and he couldn¡¯t think of any combination of his skills that could help him except for one. Quickly he formed a lump of [Elder Frost] to one side of his barrier making it slowly push the acidic slime away, after using up as much mana as he could the lump was almost as large as his barrier. ¡°Release of mass! Bursting of solid cold! Fracture!¡± cracks rapidly formed all over the lump of frozen slime before it ultimately violently exploded. Kyle felt the air being squashed out of his lungs as he smashed into the side of his barrier face first, his premature use of fracture sending his barrier of armoured scales shot like a projectile. The sphere of black scales launched out of the mass of slime and bounced around the cavern walls, floor and ceiling over and over, the slime scales being more rubbery than solid carapace. Inside the barrier Kyle bounced around as he held his head with his hands and retreated into the fetal position. The sphere gained momentum and smashed into the mass of slime from time to time causing it¡¯s body mass to splatter all over the cavern, eventually it hit the slime¡¯s massive core. Both spherical objects bounced around the cavern while colliding with each other here and there. (¡°Ohh¡­I¡¯m gonna puke¡­¡±) Kyle thought as he had enough of the sickly ride and surged downwards, the movement sending the whole barrier of scales changing directly completely and bouncing off the floor. When it did so Kyle surged again ruining it¡¯s momentum and leading to the whole barrier bouncing up and down briefly before falling to a stop. Close by the slime¡¯s core also came to a bouncing, rolling stop. Kyle dissipated his barrier and looked around, the acidic slime was very slowly moving towards it¡¯s core as it lay scattered all over. He quickly walked up to the core and used what little spirit he currently had to from flames as his mana pool was nearing empty. He pulled out the soul that lay within the core killing the slime but leaving it¡¯s core intact, he then proceeded to allowing his flames to devour the soul.
The unique passive skill [{From Ashes}] has been unlocked!
Through the skill [{From Ashes}] the skill [Ooze] has gained the type [Acid]
Kyle sighed in relief as he looked over the core ¡°At least I don¡¯t have to eat this fucking thing¡­¡± he wobbled down into sitting and took a short break from the nausea. Ch 47 - Allegiances A deep sigh escaped Kyle as he stared at the massive core, he was currently wondering what he could make out of it¡¯s giant mana pool when suddenly a notification filled his vision.
Party has cleared the entrance of [Slime Delve] You are now free to explore the cave system.
¡°World related notifications?¡± Kyle thought as he placed his right hand over the core making it disappear into his inventory, with enough Strength stat he was able to carry it with only minor discomfort. Thinking it over briefly Kyle knew there was still a lot about this world they did not know or understand ¡°What even is the system? Isn¡¯t that like asking what is reality itself? This being called the Avatar¡­the creator of all, even the Gods. Magic¡­Mana¡­The soul¡­¡± There was so much they did not understand no matter for how long they made use of them, one question in general kept irking Kyle since the start. ¡°Chanting¡­¡± he spoke out the word using mana, the difference between imbuing his voice and his words so thin yet so different. Kyle summoned a flame in his right hand and gazed into it¡¯s white core surrounded by flickering blue. It wasn¡¯t the length or accuracy of the words spoke ¡°Core of my being¡± it wasn¡¯t the tone used to speak them ¡°Cold flames within me¡± but what made chanting so powerful was the feelings he put into those words ¡°Devour all that stand in my path¡±. The meaning of the words spoken differed by perspective ¡°Devouring Frostfire!¡±, the white-blue flames blazed to life around his left hand even more fiercely than the first. Kyle dissipated the weaker flame ¡°Devouring flames within me, destroy any who would traverse into my path. Devouring Frostfire!¡± an identical flame to the second then appeared in it¡¯s place. Kyle glanced between the two flames but there was no difference, the words spoken made no difference. He again dissipated his right flame and began to chant ¡°Core of my being! Cold flames within me! Devour all that stand in my path! Devouring Frostfire!¡± he raised his tone and voice while chanting this time, again an identical flame to the one on his left burst to life around his right. The words spoken and tone used made no difference when chanting, those were two facts he could make out about chanting. Kyle dissipated the flame again then closed his eyes and began to remember his anger, his raw and relentless rage against the being known as the Nogitsune. He chanted ¡°Core of my being! Cold flames within me! Devour all that stand in my path! Devouring Frostfire!¡± his voice suddenly reverberated through the cavern and a blaze burst to life around his right hand. This flame was nothing like the other, an inferno full of rage and viciousness five times the size of the other. Kyle had been keeping an eye on his mana pool but each cast he made sure the skill used the same amount of mana, his spirit had increased with his own burst of emotions but none was used. He dissipated both flames and stared down at his hands ¡°Just what resource is chanting using?...Is it¡­even using a resource?¡± Kyle use to think of himself as a man of facts and hard science but since arriving in the world of Chaoz he found himself questioning everything he ever knew. He summoned forth a flame again without chanting and watched his mana go down, he studied the flame attentively and watched as he dissipated it. (¡°Nothing simply disappears, everything comes from something. That is what I use to believe, that is what I still believe yet¡­How true is it?¡±) Kyle knew his mana pool filled from the surrounding mana of the environment, he knew his soul and or core processed that mana. Cast spell, use X amount of mana as resource, get X capability with spell outcome. That was the common knowledge of using spells and skills but then why was Chanting changing it all? When one chanted, the amount held as X for resource stayed the same but the capability of the spell or skill increased. This realistically made no sense because ¡®Energy cannot be created or destroyed¡¯, mana cannot be created or destroyed. When a spell is cast mana from one¡¯s mana pool is transformed, when the spell is dissipated that mana joins the environmental mana around them which is then absorbed into the soul and reprocessed for use. ¡°Two options¡± Kyle thought out loud ¡°Either chanting makes use of a hidden resource bar I cannot yet perceive or it makes use of a resource¡­that isn¡¯t within my body. That is unless chanting really does create mana¡­¡± Kyle continued to stare down at his open palms deep in thought. ¡°Now that would be one headache I¡¯d never get over¡± Birse stated catching Kyle¡¯s attention away from his thoughts. Kyle turned to finally notice the rest of his party standing there looking at him, he was too deep in his thoughts to notice them. To say they were drenched would be an insult at the art that stood before him, a layer of murky green slime covered them wholly. Everyone looked annoyed except for Seren, she looked completely pissed off while trying to wipe away the slime. ¡°Remove it, now¡± she ordered more than asked Kyle. Following a sigh Kyle walked over to them and summoned his flames, they engulfed each member in order devouring the slimy mucus that stuck to them like chewed gum. Being in the same party did not protect them from taking friendly-fire damage but Kyle had become skilled enough at controlling his flames that he could control the temperature and power of the flames. ¡°Anyway¡± continued Birse ¡°What were you trying to figure out just now?¡± Kyle groaned in frustration ¡°Where the hell Chanting gets it¡¯s resource, I simply cannot believe that it just creates mana out of nothing. Imbuing words with mana does not actually take mana so I cannot figure out how it works, it¡¯s been irking me for days!¡± ¡°And no mana exits with the sound you make or motions of your body while speaking, my mana detection level tells me that much.¡± Death confirmed with a sigh. Kyle began to stare at Death ¡°What¡¯s your mana detection level? Mine¡¯s hasn¡¯t reached mid-tier 1 yet¡­¡± ¡°Level 8 Tier 6¡± Death announced proudly while puffing up his chest, only to be puffed back down from Seren¡¯s eblow. ¡°Level 4 Tier 8¡± Seren declared matter-of-factly causing everyone to turn and stare at her, ¡°What!? You thought I just gazed at your asses while I healed everyone!?¡± she asked with a hurt tone. The whole party looked away not saying a word causing her to make a sound closely related to a growl. Seren rolled her eyes ¡°With Death¡¯s level you can see someone¡¯s mana pool but with mine I can see the actual flow if I concentrate, it helps me know whenever someone is casting something.¡± ¡°Ever tried to see what happens when someone chants while casting?¡± Birse asked. She shrugged ¡°Never thought much about it but I guess I can give it a try, Death cast a fire.¡± She nudged the mage who was still holding onto his gut. ¡°Fine¡­fine¡­¡± Death raised his right hand forward and began chanting ¡°Infernal flames of deep below! Hellfire!¡± a crimson red flame burst out of his palm. Kyle watched Seren¡¯s face as she stared at Death¡¯s arm, her eyes were glowing a faint blue. He noticed her frown ¡°Can you explain what is happening?¡± he asked her. Seren grimaced and frowned at what she saw ¡°The mana within his arm is flowing out and changing, the amount increasing as it leaves¡­No wait¡­¡±, she walked over to Death and grabbed his arm as the flame constantly burst out of his palm. Seren was squinting now as she watched the mana flow, a light blue ethereal energy coursing through the arm and changing into flame as it exits out the palm. ¡°There¡¯s¡­movement outside the spell¡¯s range¡­like mana is leaking?¡± She guessed while continuing to watch. ¡°Leaking? Or entering the spell¡¯s range from outside his mana pool? Seren is the environmental mana flowing into the spell!?¡± Kyle asked expectantly. ¡°My skill just levelled!¡± she announced ¡°It is! Mana from the air is fuelling the spell!¡± ¡°Wait then why can¡¯t we just use the mana around us?¡° Death asked after stopping the spell and releasing his arm out of Seren¡¯s grip ,¡±Why isn¡¯t it making the spell weaker? Isn¡¯t this diluting the spell with unprocessed mana?¡± he then asked while rubbing his lower arm. Birse chuckled ¡°Makes more sense now, chanting makes use of the environmental mana flowing around us increasing the spells power. Question now is what is the downside of this?¡±Stolen story; please report. ¡°Devouring flames within me, destroy any who would traverse into my path. Devouring Frostfire!¡± Kyle chanted and the white-blue flame engulfed his entire body ¡°Control, that is the downside. I noticed it a couple times since most of my magic is based on bending the spell, it¡¯s much more difficult to control when I chant so at times I just don¡¯t.¡± ¡°So it IS diluting the spell! But then doesn¡¯t that mean some types of magic are stronger around certain terrain?¡± Death mused. ¡°Water magic in the middle of the ocean is obvious, nature in a forest too but what about fire? Lightning? Or Earth for that?¡± Soren asked. ¡°Yo what about wind magic? Doesn¡¯t that mean wind is the strongest of all?¡± Skill exclaimed. Birse slapped the back of his head ¡°Wind isn¡¯t air dumbass, it¡¯s flowing air.¡± ¡°Oh¡± Skill simply replied. ¡°Anyway¡± Birse changed the subject ¡°we¡¯ll be taking a break here Kyll. You go on and look for more types.¡± He stated while finding a wall to sit by. Kyle waved them off ¡°Alright I¡¯ll be back in a bit then.¡± He left with a grin on his face as he reminisced on how quickly his friends had caught up in his mood of messing with magic. He took the same direction he had last been heading into, one of two other tunnels leading into the cavern of which one was the exit. He first looked at his mana and decided to wait a bit more before heading deeper so it fully regenerated, this would only take him two minutes of waiting and while he did so Kyle thought over some less recent events. With everything that had happened so far today felt like a fresh breath of air after days of panting, the stress and paranoia that lumbered over his shoulders seemingly loosening some weight. Everything from the Nogitsune that once corrupted his life, to finding out he wasn¡¯t even human in the first place. Kyle thought of himself as someone who quickly adjusted to things but he couldn¡¯t help himself from sighing at it all. With his back leaning against the rocky wall of the tunnel he overheard his guild¡¯s chatter and over all jolly mood, for better or worse they had all been the type to quickly adjust to things due to each of their pasts. His thoughts strayed as he began to wonder about everybody else (¡°How are others adjusting? Are they at all? Kaledd was bad but how would Frosthold be if it wasn¡¯t for Birse and the others?¡±). Kyle didn¡¯t really care for others that weren¡¯t part of his merry band of misfits and psychopaths, he wasn¡¯t cold enough to pass up helping someone in dire need but unless it was life or death he couldn¡¯t give a shit. With how this world now was, death was no longer too much of a problem either making it difficult for Kyle to care about ¡®Everybody else¡¯ but he couldn¡¯t help if not wonder about how many others could adjust as quickly as they had. Life anywhere was nothing if not filled with tragedy, pain and loss. A combination of all had forged Kyle into however twisted a person he became, it was after all experience which built someone¡¯s personality. ¡°We can¡¯t defeat a demi-goddess on our own after all¡­¡± he whispered to nobody in general, wondering just how useful all the low levelled adventurers would actually prove to be in the end. He in fact did not look forward to facing the real Lucifer, less so the being HE called master. The only reason Kyle had pissed all over her speech in the beginning was because of the soul wail that affected his emotions, something he found out from talking to Sly. His thoughts returned to his guild, how everyone acted at the start of it all. At first Kyle thought they¡¯d all just disappear immediately and start farming their way up, abandoning everyone else in the process but he was never as surprised as he was when Birse told Sly to start recruiting. He hadn¡¯t thought much of it at first but then realised the genius behind it, even meatshields required proper training. He chuckled quietly at that thought before coming to a sudden realisation (¡°Do we need to defeat the Devils, demons and their demi-god master? She was the one that brought us into this world in the first place¡­¡±), Kyle narrowed his eyes as he thought it over. What had the Devils done them wrong? Silva¡¯s death wasn¡¯t their fault, if anything Kyle and the rest were to blame for being too hasty. Ever since he got rid of the ¡®Void¡¯ Nogitsune his mind felt clearer than ever and so he began to truly think things through. (¡°Why haven¡¯t the others suggested it? What could possibly stop us from doing so?¡±) he asked himself yet the answer didn¡¯t seem to come to him at all, the only reason they had even helped the people of this kingdom was for their own benefit. (¡°Did everyone get caught up in the Devil¡¯s are evil crap? Then what are we compared to everyone else?¡±) In the end Kyle¡¯s curiosity won out and he decided to just ask them. He turned back and walked into the cavern as everyone was eating and chatting. ¡°Yo bwack awlreawy? Waws iw a weaw enw?¡± Soren asked while halfway through a sandwich. Kyle simply smiled awkwardly at him ¡°Yo just realised something, came back to ask.¡± He said while scratching his head. ¡°What up?¡± Skill asked as everyone turned away from their food and chatter. ¡°Why are we even trying to fight the Dezol legions?¡± Kyle asked with a serious expression. Soren gulped down what was already in his mouth after several choking moments and bashing his fist into his chest, Birse spat out the water he was drinking onto Skill and the rest just stared at him baffled. Slowly they recovered and glanced at each other as Kyle looked at them in confusion. ¡°Kyll¡± Seren began to speak first ¡°We thought you were pissed at Lilliana?¡± ¡°Yo what about all that shit you spoke back then?¡± Death asked. Followed by Birse who stood up and stared at him with a questioning expression ¡°I thought you wanted to fight them?¡± Kyle raised a brow ¡°Wait¡­you actually¡­you don¡¯t?...¡± he was taken aback by their questions. They awkwardly stared at each other briefly before Birse broke the ice ¡°You aren¡¯t pissed at the demi-bitch for doing what she did to your fairy?¡± Kyle held his face with his right palm and looked up at the cavern¡¯s ceiling ¡°That¡­¡± before bursting into laughter. ¡°Think he lost it, Seren he under some weird effects?¡± Death asked the healer. Seren shook her head ¡°Not that I can tell¡­¡± Kyle took a deep breath to calm himself down ¡°Skill, you didn¡¯t tell em?¡± he looked at the ranger in disbelief. Skill shrugged ¡°Tell em what? Wait did you take from my stash? Yo I think he high!¡± he exclaimed to the others. Kyle snorted ¡°No you dumbass, I¡¯m talking about the same thing that happened to Sly after his wolf died! What I did back then is called a ¡®Soul Wail¡¯, I had no control over it!¡± he explained followed by a chuckle. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Birse nodded in understanding ¡±Oh¡­I thought it was unlike you, I mean I would have expected it from you if she had really pissed you off which is why I did not bring it up with you but¡­So we good?¡± he glanced at the others. ¡°Ye¡± Soren simply stated as he devoured the rest of his sandwich. ¡°Sure¡± Seren replied. ¡°Fuck it, let¡¯s do it¡± Death readily answered. ¡°Kay¡± Skill said returning to his crackers. ¡°So you did discuss it¡­¡± Kyle stated with another chuckled. ¡°Pfft, the hell you think we are?¡± Birse replied ¡°Of course we discussed it! Well you in or what?¡± ¡°Yeah I¡¯m-¡± Kyle than entered another fit of laughter. ¡°You sure you ain¡¯t high?¡± Skill asked him. ¡°The base!...Sly¡¯s¡­gonna be¡­pissed as fuck!¡± Kyle replied in between gasps of muffled laughter which was soon joined by others.
Black Watch Cove Jacky sighed as he pulled out his dagger from the [Warrior]¡¯s neck, he glanced around at the thirty or so corpses that quickly began to dissipate as the rest of his party cleaned up the runners. They had decided that the pirate¡¯s cove would probably be a good spot for farming levels and therefore headed that way using the griffin carriage they had stolen from Eslet. But when they arrived the place was already over run with an adventurer guild who had taken over, one thing led to another as the guild tried to chase them off from farming their ¡®comrades¡¯ and Sly had made the first move after sensing hostility. Now here they stood at one of the many hidden coves around these scattered islands, small masses of land covered in overgrown jungle and riddled with cliffs. It had taken them the most of the day to locate their main base and all for naught, most of the pirates had already been killed or enslaved by the guild. ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± The enemy guild leader cursed as he charged Jacky, he in turn inspected him.
Deltaforce [Knight] (Pirate slayer) (ARMY Commander) Level 103
The full plate armoured knight charged the assassin with shield raised ready to bash it into him but Jacky simply sidestepped him and shoved a dagger into his neck, he stabbed between his pauldrons and neck before backing away. ¡°You¡­¡± Delta fell to his knees as he choked, his lungs were filling with blood. He fell sideways and to the ground before laying dead and dissipating. Jacky sighed in disappointment and glanced up at the night sky ¡°Well this was a bust, where to next?¡± he asked but received no reply. He looked around for the others and found them gathered around a duel. Sly was currently engaging in combat with the last survivor of ARMY, Jacky inspected the woman as he approached.
300thSpartan [Valkyrie] (Frontliner) (ARMY lieutenant) Level 117
She wore full plate armour and plate skirt with the cosmetic addition of feathered like wings on her shoulders and helmet. She held a focused expression as she fought, long dirty blonde hair that didn¡¯t seem to get in her way and attentive light brown eyes. Even as Sly charged her with reckless abandon she expertly deflected his sword and dagger with her kiteshield and struck back with her shortsword only for Sly to evade out of the way. Jacky saw why the others seemed interested in the fight, although the Valkyrie was at the defensive due to Sly¡¯s random and relentless attacks along with his monstrous stamina she was holding her ground fairly well. Sly side-stepped, dodge-rolled and slid along with her shield bashes as he moved circles around her position all the while slashing recklessly with his sword while putting in well set dagger stabs. Spartan deflected his sword with her shield and parried his dagger with her own sword while turning on the spot, her expression was focused but also growing weary. Sly went in for another stab around her shield and she moved to parry it again only to notice too late that he had swapped his weapons, Sly¡¯s sword dug into her shoulder forcing her to back off. She was left completely open as she leaped back causing Sly to leap after her and grabbing her shield. She tried to bash her shield into him again only for Sly to pull it further along with her bash¡¯s momentum after sidestepping the counter attack, he then stabbed his dagger into her wrist that held the shield causing it for fall to the ground. He went in for the kill and slashed his sword at her chest but she parried it with her own sword, he smirked while holding his dagger to her throat. ¡°Not bad¡± Sly told her as he suddenly let go of his dagger, he turned around then grabbed her sword arm and bashed his hilt into her hand forcing her to release the sword. He elbowed her in the face then spun around and kicked her in the gut causing her to fall to her knees. Spartan coughed and spat at the ground while clutching her gut and reaching for her sword ¡°I won¡¯t¡­¡± Jacky walked up and kicked the sword aside leaving her unarmed ¡°Really how¡¯d you end up with these chumps? They¡¯re all level and no bite.¡± Sly smirked and crouched down to her eye level, she grimaced and glared at him ¡°What?¡± she asked him bitterly. ¡°Want to join our guild?¡± Lore(Races): Ch 2 : Fae The Fae, The Fae as a race are very similar to Aurei or Nymphs, Spiritual races. Originally Fae are ethereal spirits known as Sprites which are attuned with the element of nature, they have different stages to their lifetime depending on how they wish to spend it. Fae birth has nothing to do with how many other races produce, it is entirely spiritual in nature. It only requires a single Fae to bring around another but that Fae requires more power than it needed to create it¡¯s own body, the mana made physical body of a Fae is known as a Fairy. Once a Fae has gathered enough spiritual mana they go to their own birth tree, a golden evergreen called EverFae. These trees are a Fae¡¯s core or as more commonly known inhabited by their soul, through the tree¡¯s lifetime it gathers mana for the Fae to use. The Fae flows that mana into the tree which will grow a seed out of one of it¡¯s roots to create another EverFae, that new EverFae will grow over time and care until it bears the only fruit it ever will. A Fairy Fruit is the child of a Fae, a soul being processed by the now matured EverFae. The fruit is a large bright blue berry of sorts, the flow of mana and soul within entirely visible to the outside through it¡¯s thin shell. When the fruit has finished processing it hatches, the fruit bursts apart allowing the Sprite freedom for it¡¯s new consciousness. A Sprite then has three choices, either remain an ethereal being forever that can only be seen by other Fae races or sacrifice their immortality for thousands of years within a physical body. They have two choices for a physical body, one the least commonly used is for them to inhabit their EverFae and become a Fae sub-race known as a Spriggan. Spriggans similarly to Treants are Treefolk, a Fae in the form of tree or less commonly other plantlife as EverFae can rarely spawn a different greenery although most forms have been lost to memory becoming nothing more than legends. The second choice which is the most commonly used these days is for the Sprite to gather spiritual mana into themselves as one would do to birth another Fae but instead of flowing that energy into their EverFae they use it shape their Fairy bodies to their liking then inhabit them. Unlike becoming a Spriggan, becoming a Fairy takes centuries of mana gathering and mana control training to craft the intricate body.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. When the Fae¡¯s mana body dies it¡¯s consciousness returns to their EverFae where it is reborn as a Sprite yet loses all it¡¯s memories from it¡¯s time being a Fairy. If the EverFae dies then the Fae becomes something known as a Dark Sprite, a soulless Sprite, a being of pure spiritual mana unbound by emotion. If the EverFae dies and the Fae is still within their body of mana then they will become something much more than a trickster being such as a Dark Sprite, something much more villainous. When a Fairy loses their EverFae to whatever reason, they become the corrupted being known as a Dark Fairy. They lose control over the mana that was their Fairy body and have their minds constantly barraged by that power as it tries to return to their soul which would be currently traveling to the after life, the mind or consciousness being the only thing remaining that is connected to the passing soul becomes a beacon for the mana. That Fairy will either eventually go insane and corrupt their own bodies with dark mana to regain control over it or retain their sanity and allow themselves to disappear in agony. On the other hand when a Spriggan dies their bodies simply goes through the same process a tree¡¯s would be after death, their soul moves on to the afterlife and their consciousness dissipates with the body. There exists a legend among the Fae that if a Sprite stays an ethereal being while also gathering spiritual energy without using it to either birth another or make their Fairy bodies, that Sprite will evolve and become an ascended being known as Faerie. Very little is known about Faeries, only two things actually. One is that they have boundless power with their ability to bend environmental mana to their will and second that due to their boundless power and ethereal form they can phase through reality¡¯s veil and into other dimensions freely. One fear that comes from actually doing so is that a Faerie will end up accidentally phasing into a Void or a [1]Plane. Albeit being Deities, Oberon and Titania lowered themselves to temporary mortality to be closer to their children. When the Dezol Legions appeared on New Ruk the Fae were exterminated very quickly having had their EverFae immediately targeted by the Devils and their demonic underlings. Many Fairies were turned into Dark Fairies due to this creating a brand new force of soldiers for the Dezol legions along with another reason for the Fae to utterly despise them. It is said that the reason Lilliana betrayed her father is because her Fairy body¡¯s EverFae was destroyed or corrupted by dark magic, some that were closer to the royal family like Helen do not believe in this sort of event but many of the surviving Fae population do. The Fairy God King Oberon and Goddess Queen Titania also had their own EverFae destroyed resulting in King Oberon slowly falling to insanity as he commanded the surviving armies of Fae, Dwarves and Barik into defeating the invading First Dezol Legion. Due to his worsening state of sanity Oberon was defeated in battle although his strategy in the end gaining victory for Barik in the long run. Ch 48 - Power ¡°Want to join our guild?¡± Sly asked with an amused smirk on his face. Spartan raised a brow at his invitation, this wasn¡¯t what she had expected as an outcome of being completely defeated ¡°W-Why?¡± she asked before she was able to stop herself and think it through. Jacky hit Sly¡¯s head with the hilt of his dagger ¡°What she said, why?¡± Sly glanced at Jacky before looking back at the Valkyrie ¡°She¡¯s a good fighter, she¡¯s focused, reacts appropriately and has good reflexes. Rare among this bunch of idiots fighting at safe distances.¡± Sly gestured at the many ranged weapons once held by the guild they just decimated. ¡°Oi, watch it there¡± Ch joked while reaching for his bow. Sly snorted and looked at him ¡°Try me¡±. ¡°But¡­¡± The adventurer was too confused to understand what was currently happening. Jacky sighed ¡°Ignore the bone heads, common occurrence around us.¡± ¡°Oi!¡± Ch glared at Jacky. ¡°Who you callin bonehead!?¡± Sly exclaimed as he stood up and looked at Jacky with a questioning look. Jacky smirked ¡°Don¡¯t see any other ki-¡± Both their blades flashed out of their sheaths and collided as Sly glared at Jacky while he stared back with a smirk. ¡°Oh this will be good¡± Woody exclaimed with a grin while taking a step back along with the others in the party. ¡°Huh? You¡¯re not going to stop them!?¡± Spartan asked in surprise, she stood up and backed away from them. ¡°Not our problem¡± Steph replied with a shrug ¡°If they want to fight it out then let them, more entertaining for us that way.¡± Spartan stepped away from the two as their daggers trembled while pushing against each other. ¡°You know Jacky, I¡¯m getting real tired of your shit.¡± Sly told him with a cold expression. Jacky snorted ¡°Deal with it kid, just cause Birse acknowledges you doesn¡¯t mean I will.¡± ¡°Oh? Then let¡¯s ¡®Deal¡¯ with this, once and for all.¡± Sly replied as his cold expression spun a 180, a devilish grin revealed his fangs as his eyes opened wide with expectation at the challenge. Jacky smiled coldly ¡°Keep up if you can kid.¡± Both leaped back and away from each other as they quickly murmured a chant. ¡°Puppet master¡¯s strings. Aura clad Puppetry.¡± Sly¡¯s daggers left their straps of their own accord and floated up by him as violet ethereal strings appeared between each dagger¡¯s hilt and Sly¡¯s wrist. ¡°Deathbringer¡¯s claws. Wraith Blades.¡± Jacky pulled out a second dagger and both gained a shadowy black smoke engulfing their blades, it flowed like a thick flame yet more physical than fire. The two stared each other off, Spartan had snuck around to where the others stood deciding it was the safest place to be. ¡°My money¡¯s on Sly, he¡¯s a stamina build.¡± said Cherry. ¡°Jacky¡¯s winning, Sly¡¯s too impatient and will get himself countered.¡± Steph argued. ¡°Agreed, Jacky¡¯s more experienced from his military training and has been playing PVP based motion games for longer than Sly.¡± Ch explained. Woody crouched down and hummed in thought briefly before speaking ¡°I call a draw.¡± Steph snorted and responded ¡°It isn¡¯t going to get anywhere close to that! Either Jacky is ending it in one or two hits or Sly will play the long game.¡± Spartan¡¯s expression twitched as she listened in to the betting (¡°They have infighting and are taking bets¡­How did we lose to these people? Do they have no respect for each other?¡±) she thought while studying the two combatant¡¯s expressions. Jacky was smiling coldly as if already knowing the outcome while Sly was grinning madly as if wholly enjoying this. ---- Author: This gonna be good¡­ Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLrxT8Vu978 More dramatic music I found xD : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc6wmGW9U_w ---- Sly pulled back his daggers to his wrist then threw them forward like throwing knives, they sped towards Jacky enhanced by the puppetry. Jacky narrowed his eyes and slashed forwards with both daggers creating a shadowy ripple of black smoke as they collided with Sly¡¯s. Sly burst through the shadows with sword and dagger in hand, the fight truly began as both of them engaged in close combat. Jacky¡¯s planned steps and agile parrying versus Sly¡¯s quick strikes and higher strength. Sly slashed Jacky¡¯s left dagger out of the way and stabbed forward with his dagger only to be parried by Jacky¡¯s right, he didn¡¯t stop and followed up with an upward stab from his sword which Jacky side-stepped. The assassin made use of his lighter steps and moved to Sly¡¯s side where he lunged and stabbed at the warrior¡¯s sword shoulder. Sly raised his sword to parry just in time to block the left dagger¡¯s slash but the right went through and dug into his back. Sly¡¯s blade¡¯s suddenly gained a violet glow as he smirked with Jacky¡¯s dagger still in his back, he muttered something under his breath before speaking audibly ¡°Ripple, growl!¡± a violet aura burst out from his body engulfing both him and Jacky. Jacky instinctively pulled back and also muttered a quick chant but did not finish it before Sly. ¡°Aurei form, Warrior!¡± The aura surrounding Sly quickly re-entered his body causing his skin to crack and emanate a violet light. ¡°Wraith form, Genocide!¡± Shadows engulfed Jacky¡¯s entire body, his form changed as the masses of shadow that were his arms seemed to triple. Two pairs of new arms grew out of the main pair at the shoulders and armpits giving him six arms in all, the shadows exploded outwards from his body creating a large smoke screen that covered them both. The smoke immediately cleared as Sly spun around with long violet blades protruding out of his handheld sword and dagger while his strung daggers lashed out at Jacky¡¯s revealed form. The six-armed assassin parried the continuous barrage of daggers while dashing towards his opponent, each arm working independently. Sly stabbed at the approaching Jacky with his shorter Aura clad blade, Jacky leaped over it and descended on Sly with each dagger. Sly raised his Aura clad sword and parried Jacky¡¯s attack forcing him to pull back. ¡°Enough! I¡¯m ending this!¡± Sly exclaimed with a grimace and pulled back his strung daggers defensively then began to chant ¡°Engulf the maddened warrior! Unleash the relentless beast of war! Aurei form! Unleashed!¡± Jacky smirked as he replied ¡°Agreed! I shall end this farce!¡± and also chanted ¡°There is no escape from death¡¯s chilling grasp! Surrender to the reaper! Wraith form! The Grim!¡± Sly¡¯s blades lost their length but the strings holding his daggers expanded as a dark purple aura exploded out from him, the aura took a headless humanoid form around him so dark it covered his entire body. Sly now stood nine feet tall inside a dark purple body of plate armoured Aura-clad, tentacle-like appendages came out of his back which held onto the daggers while them and the handheld sword and dagger all gained a longer violet Aura clad blade. The guild hadn¡¯t been just messing around these past three days, they had been helping each other come up with new abilities and skills. Jacky was again engulfed in shadows that flowed around him and took form. He also grew taller but only stood at seven feet with a black robe, cloak and hood of flowing shadows hiding his entire body. Each of his already long daggers¡¯ shadowy blades grew longer and curved similarly to scimitars, each blade¡¯s edge was aflame with dark grey fire. These forms weren¡¯t just the fruit of testing and discovery but also hours of grinding and little to no sleep, which was further proven by their current levels.
Jackykill [Assassin]-[{ [Master] Lord of Wraiths}](Sneaky-Beaky) (DbH Wraith) Level 132
SlyOkami [{ [Master] Lord of Aurei}] (Aura-clad) (DbH Aurei) Level 128
Some within the guild had reached or even surpassed the Level 125 landmark which opened up the class mastery quest for them, a voyage into their mind similar to class acquisition. Two of them now faced each other, the aura-clad barbarian versus the death covered assassin, an Aurei versus a Wraith. Everything was alright in the world¡­ The Aurei that was Sly charged forth first with unprecedented speed as his ethereal aura exploded outwards in a frenzy. The Wraith that was Jacky also charged forward, a trail of flowing shadows left behind him as he dashed. The two clashed and a smokescreen of shadows engulfed in a dark purple aura exploded outwards covering even the five spectators. The clashing of blades reverberated throughout the shadows a couple dozen times before a chilling silence fell upon them. Spartan trembled under the sheer pressure the combination of aura and death magic created, a combination of panic and chilling fear. The smokescreen of shadows slowly dissipated as the sound of heavy panting came across to them. With a sudden burst of releasing power the shadows dissipated revealing the outcome of the fight. Jacky stood covered in wounds as blood spilled out of his mouth and nose, yet he stood unlike Sly who¡¯s body was already dissipating. He coughed up a bit of blood into his disarmed right palm, his extra arms were gone. His armour was in tatters, his one remaining dagger dented but he stood alive and victorious. Unable to stand any longer Jacky fell to his knees ¡°Heh¡­Not bad kid¡­¡± he smirked at where he knew Sly was still watching from only to grimace in pain from the gesture. ¡°Fifty fifty Ch?¡± Steph asked after seeing the outcome. ¡°Sure, pay up chaps.¡± Ch held up his hand towards Woody to his left as Steph did the same towards Cherry on their right. Cherry shrugged and took out a pouch of coins then handed it to Steph, Woody on the other hand grimaced and chided Ch for actually asking him to pay as he took out his own pouch and reluctantly handed it over. Spartan was staring with eyes wide and mouth agape, she was completely baffled by the show of power she had just witnessed (¡°How¡­how am I still alive?...¡±) she thought ¡°They¡¯re monsters¡­¡±she then thought out loud.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Actually Sly¡¯s a Devil and Jacky¡¯s just that good.¡± Ch corrected her while counting the gold coins to make sure Woody didn¡¯t cheap out ¡°Good doing business with you.¡± He then told Woody while pocketing the pouch. ¡°Yeah yeah¡­¡± Woody replied and gave him the middle finger while walking over to Jacky ¡°Heal¡­¡± he cast the spell with as much a disappointed tone he could muster. Spartan opened her guild window and selected leave (¡°Hey they invited me sooo¡­.¡±) ¡°I¡¯m in¡± she then stated. Jacky snorted followed by a wince form the still lingering pain ¡°Doesn¡¯t work that way, you still have to be accepted in by the leader.¡± ¡°Sooo¡­.?¡± She glanced around the group. ¡°Not here, we¡¯ll have to get in contact with him first.¡± Said Steph as she took out their group¡¯s second VCD ¡°And since someone decided to kill our party leader, well guess I¡¯m calling.¡± ---- New Ruk, Fae Levels Today The Fae levels of New Ruk were the complete opposite of the Dwarven ones, quite literally. The inside of the mountain was hollowed out allowing a field of green to grow on the flattened ground, large golden evergreen trees grew into a golden forest that shone light to the whole city. The city itself was grown out of the ceiling, large pods made of bright green vines grew out of giant golden roots that grew into the mountain¡¯s side from the forest below. These golden trees were known as EverFae, their leaves were highly concentrated spiritual mana giving them a bright white glow along with their actual colour of orange making the golden light. Kyle¡¯s group was just coming out of one of the larger pods, an enchanter store. They had returned there to get their equipment¡¯s enchantments repaired due to the constant drain the gear had endured from the slimes. They walked out onto the thick vines that bridged each pod out to a large platform made of enormous golden leaves. With his equipment fully repaired he was now officially broke, Birse insisted on everyone using their own money whenever possible for their gear maintenance. He took a deep sigh as he stared at his inventory full of slime cores then opened his skill book to look through his gains. As him and the rest of his part made their way through the paths of vines down towards a tunnel in the mountain side he read through them.
[{From Ashes}] ((EXP 3%) Level 3 ¨C Tier 1): Contact with (Devouring Frostfire) activates [Devour]; Spirit is directly absorbed form the target: 20% increase in Spirit gain from afflicted.
Kyle¡¯s thoughts on the difference between a Soul and Spirit aside, the bar¡¯s appearance was a boon for him if nothing else. Normally he expected his Spirit to hover around 200-300 at most within a normal fight, his own, allies and the monster/enemy being the only ones within range. From testing and his own calculations it didn¡¯t matter how strong the target was but how strongly their emotions were affecting them equalled the amount of Spirit he gained. The gain per person just from his current party was around 20 Spirit per amounting to 120 Spirit and that small amount is only because his guildmates knew how to keep themselves in check at most occasions. On the way to and inside the enchanter store he had tested with the different Fae by sneaking a small burst of (Devouring Frostfire) onto their visible skin causing the Fae to jump from the sudden chill. The everyday citizen caused him to gain 15 Spirit while nearby them which with the bonus from [{From Ashes]} increased it to 18 Spirit, within a combat situation he¡¯d guessed the Spirit to hover around 25-30 per person. Looking back Kyle remembered the absurd amount of Spirit he had at his disposal while crafting his illusion on the whole city of Eslet, the system hadn¡¯t even given him an exact number back then.
{Active}[Ooze] ((EXP 11%) Level 4 ¨C Tier 3): Ooze out slime through your skin that can be controlled by your will and mana Activation Cost: 0.03 mana per millilitre Upkeep Cost: (2 mana per 0.5 Litres) per second General Effects: [Condensed Slime]; The ability to condense any type of slime into a solid, the only limit to the condensation is your mana pool. Condensed slime can be uncondensed without mana cost. Slime type: (Fire) (Fire) Effect: Physical contact with slime or produced flames causes [Burn]. [Burn]; Afflicted suffers burn damage over time, 10 (x (300% of INT)) damage over 20 seconds. Stacks up to 4 times, -20% INT efficiency per stack. Slime type: (Acid) (Acid) Effect: Physical contact causes [Corrosion]. [Corrosion]; The acidic make of this substance causes most materials to corrode on contact, 20 damage per second while in contact with substance. 5 damage per second for 5 seconds after contact is lost. Slime type: (Swamp) (Swamp) Effect: The muddy make of this slime causes it to be more resistance to elemental attacks. Flow speed of slime is halved. Slime type: (Dark) (Dark) Effect: Light around this slime is absorbed causing it to seem larger. Contact with slime or it¡¯s produced darkness causes [Damned]. [Damned]; Light elemental and Holy damage is reduced by 30%.
Next he looked at the types of slime he gained from the Slime Cove, four types were absorbed in total. Fire and Acid¡¯s flat damage per second would go well with Frost¡¯s [Frostbite] effect, percentage damage was only effective against high health targets. Swamp was a strange one to say the least, slime in general was unaffected by physical attacks. Cutting slime caused it to separate then join back, crushing it caused it to splatter all over causing a giant mess and stabbing it was the least effective method causing no damage and depending on the slime causing you to lose your weapon and sometimes arm. Swamp was a fusion of two elements, Earth and Water. Kyle guessed these two element¡¯s defensive capabilities joined together to create Swamp¡¯s resistance to other elements. At the cost of movement speed, when Kyle summoned the slime he cringed at how slowly it moved compared to the rest. Dark slime was another strange one as it absorbed the light around it creating further darkness, a shadow of sorts loomed around it causing the slime to look twice it¡¯s actual size. With it¡¯s [Damned] debuff Kyle decided to use the slime in concert with other debuffing effects to create a new type of ammunition. He then selected the skill to make the attribute upgrade list appear, he had been holding onto a skill point for a while.
Attribute effects are kept, further attribute upgrades progress through each attribute owned meaning that all upgrades for previous effects can be earned later on. Warning skills tier cap is 15 therefore you are limited to 30 attribute upgrades. Warning effects can be duplicated through different attributes, those attributes will be listed as already learned unless one of the two or more effects aren¡¯t duplicated. Currently unlocked attributes for [Ooze(Frost)]: (Ice) (Frost) (Cold) Effects: [Cold Mist]; Turn into a freezing mist, [Cold Puddle]; Turn to sticky liquid while retaining temperature (Frost) (Snow) Effects: [Blizzard]; Turn into a flurry of snow flakes, [Snow Touch]; Physical contact causes a spread of [Frostbite] which spreads on further contact Currently unlocked attributes for [Ooze(Demonic)]: (Monstrous), (Vampiric), (Cursed) Attribute Evolution! [Ooze(Devilish)]: Aura contact with slime causes (Minor Abysmal Miasma Poisoning) to the afflicted. (Minor Abysmal Miasma Poisoning): All (Fear) effects increased by 2% per aura affected. Afflicted suffer a 10% chance of falling to (Fear). Currently unlocked attributes for [Ooze(Fire)]: None (Fire) (Blaze) Effects: [Inferno]; The slime overloads itself dishing out a steady stream of incineration. [Burst]; The slime bursts into a blazing explosion of fire. (Fire) (Volcanic) Effects: [Ash]; Spews out toxic ash [Lava]; The slime overloads causing extreme heat to it¡¯s surroundings. (Fire) (Blast) Effects: [Explosive]; After a short charge up the slime explodes creating a powerful blast wave. [Heatwave]; After a short charge up the slime explodes creating a powerful heat wave. Currently unlocked attributes for [Ooze(Acid)]: None (Acid) (Gaseous) Effects: [Gas Spread]; Slime slowly spews itself out in the form of gas. [Gas Implosion]; After a short charge up the slime explodes into a cloud of gas. (Acid) (Spread) Effects: [Toxic Spread]; [Corrosion] Spreads within the body if it makes contact with the bloodstream. [Touch Spread]; [Corrosion] afflicted can further spread the debuff on touch with others. Currently unlocked attributes for [Ooze(Swamp)]: (Pest(Vampiric)) (Swamp) (Adhesive) Effects: [Sticky]; Slime solidifies to the right amount causing an elastic sticky substance to be created. [Glue]; Slime condenses to the point of becoming powerful glue. (Swamp) (Mist) Effects: [Nauseous]; Slime slowly spews out nauseating gas. [Smokescreen]; Rapid movement within the slime causes for a non-toxic mist to burst out creating a smokescreen. Currently unlocked attributes for [Ooze(Dark)]: None (Dark) (The Black) Effects: [Blackout]; All light within range is absorbed into the slime casting a blinding darkness. [Manifest]; Manifested darkness can be bent and made physical with enough mana. (Dark) (Unholy) Effects: [Undeath]; The unholy energy of Dread is absorbed into the slime causing the denial of death within range. [Sacrifice]; (Negative mana) is absorbed into slime creating Dread. (Dark) (Blood) Effects: [Oath]; Through the Dark Arts of Blood magic this slime has gained the ability [Blood Oath] and can afflict it on contact. Constant contact is required to be kept for the curse to stay in effect. [Goremancy]; Bring out the true power of Blood magic causing the slime to absorb surrounding Dread and casting [Immense Fear] over it¡¯s surroundings.
Kyle was momentarily overwhelmed by the amount of choices he was given. Not only had (Demonic) gained the choice of evolution which was a brand new concept for Kyle but he had four other types with two or more attributes each. The first thing he noticed is that not all types had three attributes to choose from, (Acid) only had the two attributes. Then he noticed that one attribute of (Swamp) was already unlocked because he unlocked the same effects for the (Demonic) attribute (Vampiric). To get rid of his feeling of being overwhelmed he went through his current skill set first. With [Ooze] he was currently able to do four things, craft weapons, ammunition for those weapons, armour and crowd control effects. With [Golemancy] he was able to make minions to fight for him, be it tank types or gunner types. Then with his natural magic [{Tails}] he had a sustainable combat skill set for both melee CQC and caster combat. With [Surge] he had mobility down entirely. [Demonic Presence] and [Rage] gave him stat multipliers while [Core Overload] gave him a last resort. He had completely pushed [Flying Press] out of his mind and didn¡¯t see much use in [Frost Aura] other than inducing a chill over his surroundings. Also he still had no clue as to what [{Cold Soul}] did, having completely forgotten to ask the God about it when he was summoned into the spirit realm. He had tried activating the skill over the past few days but came up with nothing to show for progress, from chanting, forcefully thinking for the skill to activate and even shouting it out. He gave up due to frustration. He only had a single skill point to use so he could only pick one attribute at the moment and levelling [Ooze] was getting more difficult. After finishing with exploring the Slime Cove [Ooze] had levelled only once bringing it up to Level 8 of the 3rd Tier. The skill gained experience from he using the different skills that made use of it or simply bending slime but the amount he now gained from them was so miniscule it made his own levelling sound easy. Although Kyle and his party had killed many slimes outside and inside the Slime Cove, he had entered at the level of 98 and came out with only three level up. The highest level slime Kyle had seen was a level 82 Ancient Dread Slime from which he absorbed the (Dark) type, the average level within the swamp as a whole was 70 the exact same as the Frozen Plains nearby Carn. Kyle doubted he¡¯d reach level 125 anytime soon like Jacky, Sly, Cherry, Birse and Death had painstakingly done but at least he had somewhere to train for it. Birse had partied up the highest levels of the guild to grind out wyverns at Wyvern¡¯s roost while the rest including Kyle spent their time training in the Frozen Plains. Compared to his [Ooze]? He couldn¡¯t see any time in the future he¡¯d gain another skill point without figuring out a better way to level the skill. In the end it left him with this one skill point and thirteen choices to use it on. Briefly he blinked out of his thoughts and glanced around as his party walked into the tunnel, white crystals shining light from the ceiling. At the end of the tunnel he could see the large elevator they had used to come up here in the first place, wide enough to hold a couple hundred passengers. After having made sure he wasn¡¯t going to bump into anyone he refocused on his choices which brought the window back into view. (¡°Ranged DPS, defence, mobility, illusions, sustainable CQC damage, buffs, debuffs and minions¡­I have everything I¡¯d want so¡­what to choose?¡±) Kyle thought hard on this choice, it may as well be his second to last before he is unable to get anymore skill points for [Ooze]. (¡°Either I¡¯m looking for more utility to improve my weaponry, armour and golems¡­Or I¡¯m looking for more fire power.¡±) He quickly read through the different attributes and their effects until he paused on the last one, (¡°These look interesting¡­Through the Dark Arts of Blood magic huh¡­both [Blood Oath] and [Immense Fear] sound like curses.¡±) he focused on both sub-effects causing two windows to open with their description.
[Blood Oath]: Requires two or more targets. All bound targets become (Blood Bound) giving them the ability to share buffs and curses between each other.
[Immense Fear]: Causes visions of the most gruesome kind to appear within the afflicted¡¯s mind.
[Immense Fear] caught his inner psychopath¡¯s attention somewhat but what really made him pause on the ((Dark)Blood) attribute was [Blood Oath]. Kyle¡¯s buffs were AOE spells so it didn¡¯t matter towards this effect but Sly, Soren, Birse, Cherry and Jacky had many self buffs which could prove useful to others in the guild. The more he thought about it the more he wanted it. In terms of raw power a Devil like Dagon or older hero like Draxxer and Rin had them entirely beat due to how much more experienced and skilled due to training they are but Kyle and his guild were different. They were gamers, MMORPG addicts, RTS players and some MOBA dick measurers. Experience and skill took a long way but in the end only one thing truly mattered. Stats. Kyle unlocked the attribute (Blood) for the (Dark) type slime and continued out of the elevator after it finished it¡¯s descent. Ch 49 - The flip side Kyle sighed as they approached the entrance of their dungeon, the other group was already waiting there for them. The size of the group was the same, the people making it up weren¡¯t. Then he remembered Birse speaking to one of them through his VCD about some squabble and a recruit. He looked at each of them noticing that Sly was missing, the loser of that squabble. ¡°So who threw the fit? And I¡¯m not talking about the obviously missing perpetrator.¡± He asked them with a smirk. Woody pointed at Jacky who was leaning against the wall looking as disinterested as ever. Kyle knew very little about the guy, only that Birse trusted him as much as Death and Sly. ¡°So this is the newbie?¡± Birse asked dodging the landmine Kyle almost triggered. ¡°That¡¯s a weird IGN, what do we call you?¡± Soren asked after inspecting the Valkyrie. ¡°Just Sparta is fine¡­¡± She answered while looking at each member warily. Birse hummed in thought as he inspected her and ¡®Inspected¡¯ her ¡°Who vouches for her?¡± ¡°Sly forwarded the recruitment, I vouch too.¡± Jacky suddenly replied causing them all to look at him in surprise, he didn¡¯t respond to it. Steph chuckled ¡°Way to try Jack, I vouch too.¡± She raised her hand up. Woody shrugged ¡°Don¡¯t really care.¡± ¡°When do you ever?¡± Asked Cherry, ¡°I vouch¡± he then replied. ¡°Question¡± Ch turned to Sparta ¡°You had no qualms with hording a zone in our situation and you hadn¡¯t either with leaving your previous guild but I still feel like I should ask the obvious if you are to join us.¡± ¡°Ask away?...¡± Sparta replied as she took an unconscious step back from being inspected by everyone, she felt like a new gun model on show for some weapon loving nutjobs. Ch nodded ¡°Consider our current situation, if you had the choice would you join arms with the ¡®Enemy¡¯ if it meant profit and better survival chances?¡± he asked while studying her expression. Sparta¡¯s expression grew thoughtful and serious as she considered his question, she took it as no more than a test of morality than an actual decision though ¡°As long as it doesn¡¯t mean slavery or being used as a force multiplier along a decent argument for them not to betray me¡­Yes I would.¡± Ch smirked ¡°We¡¯ll see about that, I vouch for her.¡± He then told Birse. ¡°That¡¯s all the spectators.¡± Birse glanced back at the others ¡°You guys got anything to add?¡± ¡°Yeah, I got something.¡± Said Kyle as he took a step closer to stand in front of Sparta, he carefully studied her expression ¡°Tell me¡­¡± Frostfire suddenly engulfed his body causing her to raise her shield defensively. Kyle smirked at her reaction ¡°What are your thoughts on working with monsters?¡± ¡°M-Monsters?...¡± She stared back at him from behind her shield, entranced by the white-blue flames that covered him. ¡°I¡¯m not human, I¡¯m a fox spirit with the ability to use other¡¯s pain and negative emotions as power. And if I¡¯m being honest?¡± his smirk grew into a wicked grin ¡°I enjoy watching it unfold.¡± Sparta flinched at his declaration and leaned away ¡°I¡­¡± (¡°He¡¯s a nutcase¡­Yeap¡­Definitely worse that the others!¡±) she thought while trying to think up a response. She blinked her surprised expression away and straightened her stance ¡°As long as you do not negatively affect my wellbeing¡­Yeah I¡¯d work with ¡®monsters¡¯¡± she then replied honestly. Kyle raised a brow and glanced around at the others ¡°I wonder what ¡®Wellbeing¡¯ we¡¯re talking about here¡± he chuckled then raised his arm ¡°She¡¯s got my vote.¡± Birse snorted then turned to the rest ¡°Anybody else?¡± he asked them, the rest shook her heads ¡°Alright, here¡¯s the deal then Sparta.¡±. Birse pointed at the dungeon entrance being her ¡°Make it as far as you can through this dungeon then we¡¯ll talk, you aren¡¯t allowed to take anyone with you. Other than that? Just don¡¯t destroy it entirely.¡± Sparta turned around and studied the dungeon entrance, a dark red maw of fangs taking into a dimly lit tunnel of stone brick walls and dirt for floor ¡°Sure¡­¡± she replied uncertainly. She continued to stare at the large set of almost black red fangs that grew out of the ceiling and floor, two were missing from the bottom set leaving an opening. She stood about two feet away from the entrance, even then it felt wrong to stand next to it. ¡°Well? Off you go.¡± Kyle nudged her back causing Sparta to take a couple steps forward. ¡°Huh?¡± was her only response as the missing fangs pierced through the stone ground ¡°You have to be sh-¡± the maw closed behind her leaving her with nowhere to escape. Kyle couldn¡¯t help but laugh ¡°How far do you think she¡¯ll make it?¡± Birse shrugged ¡°The first forty levels were changed to be possible, the rest? Good fucking luck.¡± Seren sighed ¡°You¡¯re all terrifying blah blah blah¡± she waved her arms around dramatically ¡±Open the damn door, I need a cold shower...¡± ¡°That bad a day?¡± Steph asked with a smirk. Seren rolled her eyes ¡°You try being almost eaten by a giant blob of slime¡­It gets¡­everywhere!¡± she shivered at the memory. Kyle snorted ¡°Tell me about it, you didn¡¯t have to fight the damn dark slime!¡± he walked up to the left wall ¡°Lilior open.¡±
Sparta gave up trying to break open the closed entrance made of fangs, after what seemed like the seventh time her magic and sword were deflected with virtually no damage visible. ¡°Only one way to go huh¡­¡± she turned and looked down the tunnel ¡°Pull yourself together¡­¡± she told herself and stepped forward ¡°It¡¯s not that scary¡­Can¡¯t be th-¡± She tripped on something and fell forwards hitting the dirt ground face first, tentacles of slime had grown out of the dirt and entangled themselves around her arms and legs. After a brief sigh she looked up and back down the dimly lit dark-red tunnel, dozens of red tentacles made of slime were wiggling around from the floor, walls and ceiling. Sparta dropped her head back down to the dirt ¡°Why me¡­¡± she briefly whined.
¡°Welcome back master.¡± Greeted Lilior as the group walked into the living room, the wall they came out of slid shut behind them. ¡°Sly has respawned four hours ago, he¡¯s very loudly resting on the couch.¡± She added disdainfully before asking ¡°An unknown adventurer has entered the draining tunnels, anything I should do about it?¡° Kyle glanced over at Sly snoring away on the couch and smirked ¡°Monitor her, we¡¯ll be coming over to the core room shortly¡± he replied while sneaking over to the back of the couch along with Woody. They each crouched down by a corner behind the couch and grabbed it from underneath while the others walked by. ¡°Lilior, how¡¯s our guest doing?¡± Birse asked as Woody and Kyle pulled the couch up causing Sly to roll off and to the floor. ¡°Motherfuckers!¡± Sly swore as he hit the pavement ¡°The hell was that for?!¡± he glared up at them. ¡°Couch rules bro, no laying on it!¡± Woody joked as he sat down on one end. ¡°What he said.¡± Kyle added as he walked off to follow Birse and Death who left the room. ¡°You aren¡¯t even sitting!¡± Sly exclaimed while gesturing at the couch, he groaned in annoyance as Kyle walked over to the door while grinning back at him. ¡°Seriously!?¡± He had looked back at the couch to see Woody, Cherry, Soren, Ch and Skill taking over the whole thing. Kyle snorted in amusement and left the living room, he walked through the open door that took to the main hall acting as the ¡®boss fight room¡¯. The entire dungeon had received a complete overhaul, the hall itself that use to be a large forest was now a long throne room. Pitch black pavement, dark-red stone brick walls and black stone roof. The throne room was a menacing sight, dark-red pillars of stone lined the black and gold trimmed carpet that took from the entrance to the left all the way to the throne to their right. The throne itself¡­was the exact same one the Dwarven King Jekyll use to sit on. Kyle glanced around the vast hall looking for the both of them. ¡°He is sulking in the back¡± Lilior replied to Birse¡¯s earlier question. ¡°Bring him in please.¡± Death asked the dungeon as he waved at Kyle from the throne to catch his attention, Birse had already sat down on said throne and was leisurely leaning into it. As Kyle walked over to them the ground ahead of him shifted as a black mass of shadows and dark-green smoke burst upwards before dissipating. ¡°Finally decided to end my misery?¡± Dagon asked as he appeared out of the smoke. ¡°Hey we offered to let you watch some more anime, you¡¯re the one that found the dimmest, smallest room in the dungeon and sat there patting a slime.¡± Kyle retorted as he stood by the frustrated Devil. ¡°We have treated you with better respect than your kind has shown us thus far, would it kill you to show it too?¡± Death asked with a grimace. Dagon snorted ¡°Abaddon¡¯s destruction apart, which wasn¡¯t your fault in the end. You insulted our mistress, dishonoured my brother¡¯s attack with trickery and did the same with me. So I ask, why should I even speak to you? Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean I cannot do so¡­with this dungeon owning my soul and all!¡± he exclaimed with frustration clear in his tone. Birse sighed and leaned forward on his throne ¡°Understand this prince Dagon, we are mercenaries, a contracted force. The defence of Frosthold was contracted to us by the town guard, the destruction of your sister and her dungeon was contracted to us by the city currently above us. As for you? We were simply defending ourselves.¡± A low growl left Dagon as he considered Birse¡¯s words ¡°That doesn¡¯t change our current predicament, you are all summoned, two of you are chosen and all of you have already picked a side. You think your little mess over at the roach¡¯s capital went unnoticed by us?¡± ¡°How much do you know about what happened at Eslet?¡± Kyle asked with a lax expression, with the powerful being in front of him being bodiless except for the mana crafted body given to him by Lilior, Kyle knew Dagon was currently powerless.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°So this is an interrogation now?¡± Dagon queried as his expression turned suspicious ¡°Fine I¡¯ll humour you, our spies are concentrated deep within the Esfeltian alliance and we plan to use it as a base for our plans. This country is nothing more than a stepping stone for our mistress, once it is gone then we can better spread our numbers across the other continents.¡± The Devil smirked ¡°The last recon I received about that specific situation, very well crafted by the way, is that the golden city was falling. An illusion I¡¯m sure, still a fine choice for fearmongering humans and beasts.¡± ¡°So conquering this country is nothing more than a side objective for you? Why haven¡¯t you done so already then?¡± Birse asked trying to lure out more information. Dagon shook his head ¡°That is as far as I will say.¡± Kyle snorted ¡°Lilior can make you speak whether you like it or not, Devil prince.¡± ¡°That feeble discarded child can try.¡± Dagon retorted and met Kyle¡¯s glare. Kyle¡¯s eyes narrowed ¡°You know who she is?¡± The Devil smirked ¡°But of course I do, a different race we may be but us dark beings can very easily tell each other apart. It¡¯s a shame that you didn¡¯t allow it to be reborn, trapping the poor creature inside that crystal core instead¡­¡° he sighed dramatically. ¡°What¡­do you mean?¡± Kyle pressed on for more as he grew confused. Dagon shrugged and said nothing more. ¡°Oi Kyll, just make him talk dammit! He¡¯s really pissing me off now.¡± Death exclaimed. ¡°No, don¡¯t.¡± said Birse, he studied the Devil¡¯s condescending grin as it faltered into a cold expressionless fa?ade. ¡°We aren¡¯t here to make enemies of you prince Dagon, we have simply been trying to understand how we shall¡­approach you with our offer.¡± Birse explained. ¡°Offer?¡± Dagon raised a brow not comprehending what they were saying. Birse stood up ¡°I¡¯ll be blunt then. We have no interested in protecting the Esfeltian Alliance, the shenanigans at Eslet were another contract we completed with the royal family which still awaits payment. Prince Dagon of the Dezol Legions, as leader I officially forward you the services of the Blood Pack Mercenaries.¡± Dagon¡¯s eyes widened ¡°You¡­aren¡¯t associated with the Esfeltian alliance or two churches?¡± he sounded actually surprised. ¡°We do not associate with anyone other than temporary employers and clients, during the length of those contracts it doesn¡¯t matter to us what we have to do, we simply do it. Our own preservation always comes first of course but we have never once failed to close a contract.¡± Birse explained in length. The Devil considered this with a complicated expression ¡°Father might¡­accept that¡­Then comes the issue of my well being, your Devilling lies within MY body.¡± ¡°As long as I get to have a body you can have the stinking thing back¡± Said Sly as he walked out from between the pillars ¡±Oh and at least a full human life cycle.¡± Dagon briefly glanced at him before turning away with a grimace ¡°It¡¯s not that simple, his aura morphed the body weakening it. He¡¯s ruined that shell, at most it has sixty years remaining.¡± ¡°So what now?¡± Sly asked. ¡°Father can craft me a new body, you on the other hand will have to remain with that one.¡± Dagon replied with a shrug ¡°The problem is explaining this situation to Father, I¡¯m not going to be the one to tell him that I got tricked and plucked out of my body. I¡¯d rather you release me into oblivion than deal with that dishonour. ¡° Death walked to stand in front of Dagon ¡°That is what I do not seem to understand here, why were you dishonoured? You think so lowly of us simply because you¡¯re ancient and more powerful. You came at us with the intention of fighting us all at once, we replied in kind.¡± He stated with annoyance. ¡°If anything that proves you underestimated us.¡± Added Kyle. ¡°So I¡¯ll be basically vouching for your strength far more than you actually hold? Fair enough.¡± Dagon sighed. ¡°Oi¡­¡± Sly cracked his knuckles in annoyance. Birse gestured for them to quiet down then turned back to face Dagon ¡°Then you shall take us to him?¡± ¡°I would, but then comes around another question.¡° Dagon gestured around them ¡±How? I¡¯m bound to the dungeon, if the dungeon releases those bindings I¡¯ll drift away.¡± ¡°I can fix that problem¡± Kyle interjected ¡°I can transfer your soul from Lilior¡¯s core into the new body. I¡¯ve also thought up a way of how we¡¯ll get you there too.¡° Dagon smirked ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve got it all figured out then?¡± he forwarded his hand to Birse ¡°As second prince of the first Dezol legion Acrophis, I Dagon Venus w-¡± ¡°Awwshwiitt¡± Sly suddenly exclaimed as his eyes rolled to the back of his head, he fell backwards and to the floor. Dagon, Birse, Death and Kyle briefly stared at his unconscious body with bafflement. Kyle moved to check on him ¡°The fuck ju-Oh¡± he also passed out.
Kyle opened his eyes to find himself standing, briefly he lost balance and fell back on his ass ¡°Shit¡­¡± he unconsciously continued his swear. All around him lay a vast field of lush green grass for as far as the eye could see. ¡°Yo¡± Greeted Sly who stood to Kyle¡¯s right grimacing up at something behind them. ¡°What¡­¡± Kyle turned around to see what Sly was looking at, slowly he stood up as he gaze upon the giant woman. Tanned white skin with long locks of black hair, green gentle eyes and a full smile. The woman lay sitting in front of them with legs crossed as if meditating. She wore a red silk sari that wrapped all around her curvy body, golden bracelets lined her lower arms, two large silver earrings per ear and a golden amulet with a single green gem in the middle lay across her forehead. Sly sighed ¡°Kyll, meet Devi the supreme Goddess. Or is it Durga the Goddess of creation?...Hell I don¡¯t know..¡± he massaged his forehead in annoyance. The Goddess snorted ¡°Insolent fool, you should treat your chooser with respect.¡± She waved her hand at the ground to her left and a spike of dark ice protruded out of the ground ¡°See what I have to deal with Ymir?¡± Ymir¡¯s throne room was displayed on the spike¡¯s lower surface with the winter God himself sitting casually on his throne ¡°Oh don¡¯t mind me Durga, I¡¯m just an observer here.¡± He grinned mischievously. ¡°Oh do not insinuate that you have nothing to do with this!¡± her form suddenly shifted as did the scenery, the grass dried up and was replaced with a war-torn field of armoured corpses, the sky grew dark as a mist fell upon them. Sly sighed again ¡°Now meet Kali¡­the Goddess of destruction¡± he whispered to Kyle. The Goddess¡¯s skin had turned a dark shade of blue, her jewellery and clothing morphed into golden plate armour along with her arms breaking into another pair above the first. Her eyes glowed a fierce green as she glared down at them ¡°This is all your chosen¡¯s fault!¡± she growled angrily at Ymir. ¡°I¡¯m inclined to disagree Du-Kali¡± he stuttered to correct himself ¡°My chosen is free to do as he wishes to, you¡¯re the one that failed at showing yours the way. Or maybe even¡­failed at choosing the correct one.¡± ¡°Okay what the hell is going on now?!¡± Exclaimed Sly with arms open wide, he didn¡¯t seem as fazed as Kyle by the change of scenery. Kali took a deep breath to calm herself causing the scenery and her form to change back, she then looked back down at them ¡°I warned you of what would happen if Liliana succeeds in the grand quest, the many centuries of peace Chaoz has lived through will be brought down as the legions of demons march over the still pure lands!¡± Sly leaned in to whisper to Kyle ¡°She¡¯s also an anti-demon fanatic¡± Kyle was starting to get the picture ¡°But you¡¯re a Devilling?¡± He shrugged ¡°She said I can ¡®Purify¡¯ myself and become a Nephilim, whatever the fuck ¡®Purify¡¯ means.¡± ¡°When did this conversation happen?¡± asked Kyle. ¡°Meh¡­while you guys were wreaking havoc at Eslet¡­¡± Sly replied. The scenery of death and havoc returned around them making them both look up at Kali ¡°Right¡­we should probably not ignore the astral being in the room-er-field¡­¡± noted Kyle. The Goddess gave out an exasperated sigh ¡°Thank you, finally back to the issue at hand. You, fox, because of you my chosen has taken a dark path. You must correct this or face the consequences.¡± Sly snorted ¡°Sure ¡®Mom¡¯, picking the side you dislike is a ¡®dark¡¯ path!¡± he joked with a condescending tone ¡°The fuck do you know? You haven¡¯t told me shit about why the demons and devils are so ¡®bad¡¯ aside their nature of changing positive mana into abysmal wherever they stand.¡± Durga grimaced causing Kali¡¯s form to briefly phase in ¡°Language¡­I explained to you already, creatures of the abyss do not belong on Chaoz! Vile corrupted cretins dirtying our lands! Tell them Ymir!¡± The winter God simply shrugged ¡°I only want change, matters not what kind.¡± Durga waved her hand over the ice spike. Ymir moved to stand ¡°Don¡¯t you hang up o-¡± the spike disappeared into the dirt. The Goddess stared down at the two heroes ¡°War is inevitable but the Elves stand divided by their own egos, the Orcs uninterested in crossing the sea and the Ogres too wary of their Orcish neighbours. The Esfeltian Alliance must survive, the coalition of races must be victorious over the coming swarm. War is inevitable yet we can shorten it¡¯s lasting, you can stop it from spreading too far.¡± She gestured at Kyle ¡°Would you abandon innocents to the demonic hordes of the abyss?¡± then at Sly ¡°Would you let billions die in vain?¡± Sly opened his mouth to speak but nothing came with, he lowered his gaze and considered her questions. Kyle chuckled ¡°Don¡¯t lay that crap on our shoulders, if we¡¯re throwing around blame then the fuck aren¡¯t you ¡®Deities¡¯ guilty of? So powerful yet so damn powerless, how does it feel to have daddy lock up your toys inside a reinforced glass box? Because that¡¯s all we are to you isn¡¯t it? Fucking puppets.¡± Sly looked aside at Kyle ¡°Yo Kyll don¡¯t¡­¡± Kyle stepped forward and glared up at the Goddess ¡°Who is Liliana? What do we know of this half-blood Goddess? What do we know of what she¡¯s had to go through? We¡¯ve heard whispers and tales, none giving any of you a good impression.¡± Devi was continuously shifting between her form of Durga and Kali as she clenched her hands into fists and glared death down at Kyle ¡°How Oberon has treated his illegitimate daughter is none of our concern.¡± Her tone sounded like acid hissing. Kyle snorted ¡°Well that¡¯s the problem now isn¡¯t it? You just watched, you did nothing, didn¡¯t even try to intervene? Now here we fucking are.¡± He gestured with arms wide, a wicked smirk plastered on his face. ¡°Doing nothing makes you just as guilty as Titania and Oberon, who am I to stop her from lashing back out?¡± ¡°Heresy! You¡¯d defend that half-devil!?¡± Kali took form in full force, her green eyes ablaze as she leaned forwards and smashed her four hands around them. Sly glared up at the pissed off Goddess ¡°Heresy? Half-Devil? Do you not hear yourself talk? After all that crap about ¡®Purification¡¯? About ¡®Redeeming¡¯ by bloodline? Fucking hypocrite you lied, didn¡¯t you?¡± It was Kali¡¯s turn to open her mouth wordlessly. ¡°Oops¡± Kyle chuckled ¡°Cat¡¯s out of the bag, you only wanted to use Sly, a Devilling, to destroy his own kind.¡± The ground beneath Kali¡¯s clenching hands shattered as corpses were squashed and flattened, she glared down at Kyle ¡°You can purify yourself, destroy your vile race along with your own existence and everything will be well child. Or do you wish to remain what you are? A being who¡¯s only point of existence is war and corruption?¡± ¡°Fuck you, fuck your beliefs and fuck your ¡®purity¡¯ ¡± retorted Sly, his eyes had thinned out into slits ¡°I don¡¯t fucking care about what you think, I don¡¯t fucking care what you want me to be. I am who I fucking am.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t the heroes this world needs, we are the villains this world deserves.¡± Kyle added with a smirk. Sly looked at him in disbelief ¡°Seriously? You¡¯re doing that now? Like, right now?¡± Kyle shrugged in response. ¡°Fuck it, go for it. I¡¯m done with this bitch.¡± Sly raised his hands up and smiled as he took a couple steps back. Kali was fuming, actual black smoke was being emitted as she was visibly smouldering out from between her lips, skin and eyes. ¡°You would¡­abandon this world to destruction? Cruelly allow billions to die?¡± Kyle chuckled ¡°You deaf too? Don¡¯t blame the cause of war on us, we¡¯re just picking a side. You see the deaths of billions from one side insignificant compared to the other, what do demons and Devils have less than other races? Just because their use of mana is different? Their upbringing? Their history? Where they come from?¡± ¡°Enough! It is obvious now to me that there shall be no reasoning with either of you!¡± Kali exclaimed. ¡°Oh and what are you going to do? Glare at us all day? You cannot affect us.¡± Kyle smirked in amusement ¡°All you can do as we bring this world down to it¡¯s knees, is watch. So watch as we bring a new meaning to helplessness!¡± He began to chuckle wickedly. Sly leaned away ¡°This is why Birse does the talking¡­¡± he mumbled to himself. Kali rose up to her full height, several dozen storeys higher than them. She looked down at Sly ¡°As Kali I chose you to be the betrayer, to betray your kind and purge yourself.¡± Her form changed revealing Durga ¡°As Durga I chose another, to be the saviour. The betrayer has lived true to the prophecy, fallen to evil and betrayed their own. That betrayer is you.¡± She pointed down at Sly. Durga raised her foot up above them ¡°Be gone from my presence, I have better beings to speak with!¡± she stepped down on them.
Kyle opened his eyes to find the whole guild standing around him and Sly, they were both moved to the living room and onto a couch each. "They''re up!" Exclaimed Skill as he loomed over Kyle and slapped his face a couple times. "The hell happened back there?" Asked Birse as he walked over. Kyle glanced at all of them with a misciouvious grin "I think we should move..." "Move?" Steph repeated in confusion. Sly groaned and rubbed his forehead as he spoke "Yeap hit my head again...Oh and he probably means we should run the fuck away cause a very pissed off racist goddess witha multiple personality disorder is sending her hounds after us..." "Which Goddess?..."Asked Dagon with a raised brow. "Durga? Kali? I don''t fucking know anymore..." replied Sly with a chuckle. "Devi...We need to leave, right now." Dagon declared solemly.
Eslet, Noble¡¯s district Church of Light and Day Monastery. Talia opened her eyes from meditation, she sat cross legged inside her designated room. Wooden plank walls, smooth stone pavement and a wooden ceiling with carved paintings of several godly figures. She sighed and stood up from her bed ¡°Well she was pissed¡± Talia mused as she walked over to the sole window in the room. She looked outside were an open field of magically cared grass was being used as a training field, several men and woman of differentiating races were training in martial arts. ¡°So my colleagues have gone over to the dark side huh¡­¡¯Purge their insolence¡¯ she said¡­The hell did they do?¡± She sighed once more and stepped to the centre of her room to stretch. After she was done with her morning exercise she walked over to the wooden door sliding it open ¡°Well time to hunt down a guild of villains and what not.¡± She stepped out of the room. Ch 50 Part 1 - Heroes and Villains Il¡¯E, Helix The next day, morning. Talia grinned as she rode the Pegasus, a magnificent beast of myth. A horse built for war with almond brown hair, a mane of black and a pair of long brown feathery wings. All around her a dozen more flew along with hers, Shark was clenching onto his black Pegasus in fear of falling. Each of the Pegasii and their riders were from one of the churches, Light and Dark had trained the two heroes but the churches of Fire, Water, Stone and Lightning had also sent their best warriors. Behind them four large griffin carriages followed closely, these weren¡¯t for transport. The carriages looked more like a small fortress with archers looking out the windows and mages lining the roof, extendable bridges were built onto the sides to allow boarding of other aircraft and four ballistae turrets were being manned at each corner of the roof. The griffins themselves were larger than the common ones used for transport, born and bred for combat they were covered in gleaming silver armour and armed with razor wing and claw attachments. As they flew over Frosthold a swarm of these griffins rose from the ground and joined them, the royal military¡¯s main force. The military surrounded their convoy forcing them to stop mid-air. One of the griffin riders approached Talia as she was at the front. ¡°Name your reason of air presence!¡± The lightly armoured soldier ordered as he stopped his white feathered griffin a couple meters below her, about three times larger than the war Pegasus she rode. Talia opened her inventory and took out the scroll she was given ¡°The six churches request military assistance! Approved by General Moore and General Blade! Passed through the alliance council! Requesting for third General Jessie!¡± she passed him the silver trimmed scroll by dropping it. The soldier stood on top of his griffin¡¯s saddle and grabbed the scroll, quickly he unrolled it and read it¡¯s contents ¡°Very well, follow me.¡± He replied after pocketing the scroll. The soldier made a gesture at the rest of the swarm of a couple hundred griffins causing them to flow downwards in formation and back to the ground. Talia followed the soldier¡¯s griffin as did everyone else in her convoy, he lead them over the forest behind their defensive lines. She studied her side of the gigantic wall called Helix, Dwarven war constructs lay ready behind the wall to fire volleys of whatever they were loaded with, large summoned creatures stood behind the warmachines along with their Fae summoners and other Dwarven engineers. Ever since the wall was breached for the first time the mage guilds rushed to repair the damage, the alliance built up their forces behind the wall and around the peninsula of corrupted land. Behind those front lines was the forest, from the air encampments could be easily spotted lining the forest¡¯s edge. Military and adventurer alike, millions of fighters either stood around, ran around with their orders or trained together. Talia grinned at the show of force that lay in front of her, how could she not? It was nothing less than awe inspiring. She looked up from the land and scanned the sky, high above winged humanoid beings scouted the skies tirelessly. The Esfeltian air force was impressive but what the Avians brought with them was nothing less. Hundreds of Avians flew around in perfect squadrons over the cursed land briefly swooping down and eliminating the stray demon in one smooth motion. Their emerald armour gleamed in the morning sunlight as their magical blades shone brightly even at the distance between them and her. Glancing back down she then had to squint to notice the surrounding sea, off and on she noticed massive sea creatures poking out of the water¡¯s surface before descending back down. The Mers and Nymphs had been guarding the seas around Barik since the beginning and now wasn¡¯t any different. Then there it was, the Devil¡¯s fortress, Devil¡¯s eye. A gigantic pitch black barrier forming a perfect sphere around the stretch of land, all around it a fierce river of rapids magically flowed. In Talia¡¯s mind that barrier was all that kept the Dezol legion on Barik, the forces of the alliance too vast and strong for whatever small force that lay within that barrier. The soldier lead her and the convoy over to a clearing in the forest where he directed them to land their mounts. Talia hopped off her Pegasus along with the rest, Shark and the other adventurers followed behind her leaving the church¡¯s fighters with the mounts and carriages. ¡°This way to the main tent¡± the soldier announced then gestured for them to follow. All around lay large hexagonal tents of either blue, yellow or red. Weapons, armour and ammunition were scattered around the encampments in separate stacks and heavily defended by a guard of warriors and mages. This was to better defend their resources, one good explosion spell and a lot would be destroyed otherwise. They followed the soldier through the camp, adventurer and solider alike stopped what they were doing to curiously glance at their party. ¡°Fuck it¡¯s cold here!¡± Exclaimed Sharkmeat as he shivered and hugged himself, as a Mer he wore special metallic armour that purposely didn¡¯t cover the gills that lay to the side of his abdomen instead having magical enchantments forming a mana barrier along most of it. In turn this made for poor cover from the elements of cold, not that Talia minded. The soldier stopped in front of a larger blue tent than the others, from the sound that came within it seemed like an argument was ensuing inside. ¡°Captain Elrick requesting for General Jessie! Mandatory convoy of the six churches, signed transcript by the council!¡± The soldier announced without daring to enter. The voices from inside the tent quieted down before a commanding female¡¯s voice replied ¡°Enter!¡± The soldier stepped aside and held the tent open for Talia before handing her the scroll back, he nodded in apology as she took it back and stepped through followed by her companions. Inside the tent lay a large table depicting the entirety of the cursed land and it¡¯s surroundings as a map with multiple carved wooden pieces marking the alliance¡¯s forces. Several people stood around the table, military, mage guild, alliance and adventurer. Talia glanced over the two Avians, a Mer, three Nymphs, a Dwarf and a Fae before inspecting the Beastkin General and the adventurers.
Esfeltian Royal Military Third General (Fey Talran Jessie) [Level 148]
The general was a female Wild-catkin with short greying crimson hair, brown feline ears and green feline eyes. She looked to be in her forties yet for a Beastkin that meant she was in her second millennia of life. Her fierce expression demanded respect as her eyes seemed to stare deep into Talia¡¯s being. She wore heavy plate armour while holstering a one-handed warhammer to her waist, a dark blue cloak fell from her shoulder pads lined with red and gold as both formed a hydra¡¯s depiction.
Zeeke [Crusader]-[Geomancer] (Steadfast) (ETE Eternal Grand Lord) Level 87
Nakano [Slayer]-[{Lord of Arachnids}] (Electrifying) (ETE Commander) Level 92
Karnage [Bladedancer]-[Flamedancer] (Spell-sword) (APOK Big Bad Bitch) Level 103
Zaahr [BattleMage]-[{Arcanist}] (Arcane) (APOK Grand Tactician) Level 98
LukeSkyDiver [Forged Engineer] (Crafty) (BW Master) Level 76
HiHelloGoodbye [Sorceror]-[Phasemancer] (Traveller) Level 81
Dherik Firehide [Forged Warrior]-[{Beast of Earth}] (Backbone!) (LOST Emperor) Level 112
Regina [Technomancer]-[Gunslinger] (Rapidfire) (PRED Queen) Level 108
Deathstrike [Summoner] (Underhanded) (SHADY Prime) Level 69
JaxHashRekt [Blademaster]-[{ [Master] Lord of Wyverns }] (Guise master) (REKT Prime Wrecker) Level 125
In return the adventurer guild leaders inspected the new comers back, it was a greeting at this point and some had to manually stop themselves from drooling at their¡­assets.
Taliarissa [{ [Master] Beast of Nature}]-[{Chosen of Creation}] (Hero of nature¡¯s purity.) (PRIDE Second rank) Level 127
Sharkmeatguy [{ [Master] Beast of Dark}]-[{Divine Blood Mage}] (Blessed hero of divine blood) (PRIDE First rank) Level 131
TuckerGG [Bladesmith]-[{Beast of Fire}] (Scorched) (PRIDE Mid-rank) Level 112
Cashmeoutside [{ [Master] Beast of Lightning}]-[Wrestler] (Thrifty) (PRIDE Mid-rank) Level 126
Kylie [Pathfinder]-[{Beast of Light}] (Pure) (PRIDE Mid-rank) Level 118
Dreck Spellbane [{Beast of Stone}]-[Shinobi] (Stealth-rock) (PRIDE Low-rank) Level 115
The adventurers sized each other up as Talia addressed General Fey ¡°New orders, General.¡± She passed the scroll to her. Fey took the already unsealed scrolled, rolled it open and slowly read it¡¯s contents. Annoyance bordering anger briefly flashed through her expression before the cold stern norm returned, she turned to face the rest of the war council behind her. ¡°The Devils who assaulted Eslet have been unmasked as adventurers by divine intervention. The culprits are heading north, they plan to pass through us along with their two Devil companions.¡± Fey let the news sink in while she studied different expressions of wonder, shock, amusement and confusion. ¡°These same adventurers have been tagged with multiple other crimes, the blackmail of Il¡¯E¡¯s guard, blackmail of one of your own comrades¡± she glanced at Zeeke briefly before continuing to scan the others ¡°But furthermore the blackmail of Esfeltian council members. We have orders of capture, kill if you must but capture is our prime objective.¡± Noticing some realisation passing through a couple adventurers Talia added ¡°Do not falter at their identities. These are Devil spies, Demon helpers and above all else murderers and psychopaths prone to genocide! We may be able to respawn and so can the people of this world but that shouldn¡¯t make it any less a taboo. Murder is still murder.¡± Talia inwardly laughed (¡°To defy a deity is to commit suicide I guess, look at how your comrades are turned against you. This will be too easy, we have the numbers and power. They don¡¯t stand a single chance of escape! Life of nobility here I come!¡±) unconsciously she was grinning. Fey stepped over to the table and move a couple of the tiny statues around as she spoke ¡°Apok, Eternium and Lost, can I request your assistance with this?¡± ¡°You have it.¡± Immediately replied Zeeke (¡°Perfect, time to cut ties with those bastards.¡±). ¡°Sure.¡± Said Dherik. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll assist.¡± Replied Zaahr as she glanced over at Karnage who was staring down at her sheathed swords, hands clenched around the grips. Zaahr made a mental note to ask her leader what was wrong later (¡°I¡¯ve never seen her so angry¡­¡±). ¡°We¡¯d like to assist as well, my boys are getting tired of standing around.¡± Stated Jax who hid a grin under his bandana (¡°Karma¡¯s a bitch isn¡¯t it?¡±) Fey nodded ¡°Very well, as for our previous debate there shall be none. The alliance will set it into motion in three days, you have that long to train your people as so we will do with ours. The shifts have been given to you, please oblige by them.¡± A series of sighs followed ¡°Everyone except the punishment force we just agreed to can leave.¡± The guild leaders stepped out of the tent passing by Talia and Shark¡¯s party on the way, Talia noted their relieved expressions as they left. ¡°You. Heroes, come closer we shall discuss how to blockage the forest.¡± Fey ordered the two, both walked over to her left and studied the map now that it was closer. ¡°What can you tell me of their classes and abilities?¡± the General asked them as she gazed over the map. Shark glanced over at Talia ¡°You still remember it all?¡± ¡°The important parts¡­¡± Talia replied thoughtfully ¡°About half of them have mastered a class, most of their ability relies on covert and mobility except for two of them who rely on distraction and flashy combat.¡± ¡°Just to confirm, do you remember their names?¡± Karnage suddenly asked sternly. Talia raised a brow ¡°Their leader¡¯s name and the two heroes is all I remember, Devi wasn¡¯t exactly being calm and collected when she ran me through the details.¡± Karnage¡¯s expression darkened ¡°So it is Serenity.¡± she said bitterly. ¡°I hear they¡¯ve rebranded, twice actually hoping that we wouldn¡¯t find out.¡± Talia chuckled ¡°The second I forgot, we don¡¯t need to know it anyway. As for their current, just look out for the tag RHD or mention of Red Hawk Down.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Names for the adventurers are listed in the message, although actual classes would be preferable.¡± Fey declared in annoyance at the easy-going adventurer, she opened the scroll over the table ¡°Leader, Birse.¡± She began to vocally list them. ¡°Second in command, DeathChilled, Jackykill and SlyOkami.¡± ¡°Members, Soren, Kyllix, Seren_Cross, D.E.M SkillShots, Cherrysboi, C.H Farms, Steph773 and Woodstauk.¡±
Frostbite Forest, South of Frosthold Five hours later Kyle sighed as they approached the town, high above the forest they flew using the griffin carriage they had once stolen. Kyle was standing above with a couple others, him, Sly, Birse, Soren and Jacky were standing on the roof of the carriage. ¡°They will sight us soon.¡± Exclaimed CH from the front griffin, he had gotten the beasts used to his presence and was chosen as driver. ¡°You sure about this plan?...¡± asked Soren already regretting agreeing to it in the first place. Kyle tapped the Dwarf¡¯s shoulder reassuringly ¡°When have my plans ever failed? Actually don¡¯t answer that question! Trust me, we¡¯ll be fine.¡± He chuckled loudly. ¡°I¡¯m not convinced.¡± Soren replied followed by a deep sigh. ¡°Everything will be fine as long as you all keep their attention locked on you, they¡¯re mostly after Kyll and Sly which works perfect for us.¡± Birse explained with a wicked grin ¡°Oh and as long as our mana doesn¡¯t run out, else we¡¯re getting shot straight out of the sky.¡± ¡°That would be a first.¡± Joked Sly who sat ready at the carriage¡¯s ledge, a black blindfold covering his eyes. ¡°Is that really necessary?...¡± Jacky asked as he stared at the blindfold with disbelief. ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Hell yes.¡± They all immediately replied. Jacky shrugged ¡°Ain¡¯t coming back for you even if you land head first, actually you¡¯d probably die on impact then.¡± ¡°Kay.¡± was all Sly replied with. Soren leaned in to whisper to Birse ¡°Will he be alright?...¡± ¡°Pfft! He¡¯s built shit that was broken down before, he¡¯ll be fine leaving it behind whole.¡± Replied Birse. ¡°But-¡± Kyle was about to interject but Birse cut him off. ¡°Yes we know, but he doesn¡¯t. Yet.¡± He told Kyle with a smirk. ¡°Griffins approaching!¡± Ch reported back at them. Kyle squinted and focused his vision causing [Draconic Perception]¡¯s sub-skill to activate enhancing his vision. True enough a squadron of fierce looking armoured griffin riders were heading their way from Helix ¡°ETA 14 minutes, sooner than we expected.¡± He reported calmly. ¡°You four get ready, operation Cloak and Flash is in effect.¡± Birse ordered before walking away from the edge and over to a hatch in the middle of the roof, he opened it and a green-blue light escaped covering his face. ¡°Report!¡± he shouted inside. ¡°Team cloak ready!¡± replied Death from inside. ¡°Team flash ready!¡± followed Jacky. Birse looked up from the hatch and stared at the direction the griffins were coming from, barely dots in his eyes. ¡°Kyll report on ETA 5 minutes!¡± he quickly ordered. ¡°Roger.¡± Said Kyle as he continued to observe the incoming squadron. ¡°Seriously who the fuck IS Roger?¡± asked Sly jokingly. ¡°You know, Roger.¡± Replied Soren with a chuckle. As Soren, Sly and Jacky argued over who was Roger what was supposed to be a tense atmosphere felt nothing different than the usual to Kyle. A jolly mood as they chatted away while potentially heading to war. ¡°ETA 7 minutes!¡± Announced Kyle, the platoon now more visible to the others. ¡°Remember what we¡¯re here for! This isn¡¯t for our pride! This isn¡¯t for our benefit! This is for our god damn freedom! Cause we do what we want and when we want!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± the others cheered including those inside, Jacky simply rolled his eyes. Kyle continued his speech ¡°Some fucked up racist goddess with a multiple personality disorder thinks we¡¯ll just lay down and die! They think they can stop us here! They think we¡¯ve already lost! Sure we¡¯re outnumbered! Sure they are currently stronger!¡± he was winging it to say the least. ¡°Motivational much¡­¡± mumbled Birse. Kyle grinned wickedly ¡°Sure they probably completely destroyed the dungeon we built together! ETA 5!¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± Exclaimed Sly as he ripped off his blindfold ¡°MOTHER FUCKERS!¡± he leaped off the edge followed by Soren, Jacky and Kyle. Each swallowed something as they fell. ¡°Operation is a go!¡± Announced Birse. Kyle grinned as the blood magic took effect, he had condensed the red slime into a pill and told the others to swallow them. He glanced around him as he fell, behind him the carriage quickly began to disappear as the magic took effect. To his right Jacky had summoned his Wraith form and was slowly descending as the shadows around him slowed his fall. To his left Soren activated his Battle axe¡¯s side feature, the mechanical weapon expelled steam furiously as the geared parts that made it began to separate forming two axes each half the weight of the original. The Dwarf extended his arms and a parachute came out the back of his mechanical armour. In front of him Kyle watched as Sly took his Aurei form and plummeted downwards, tattered wings formed on his back allowing him to glide the rest of the way. Kyle glanced down, half way to the ground now. He opened his arms and legs wide as thick black slime formed a wingsuit around him, dark slime was light but also very durable and retained it¡¯s flexibility better than most. He glided down into the forest separating from the others, spotting a good spot to hide out for a couple minutes he swerved towards it and undramatically landed almost tripping twice. ¡°Perfect landing¡± he mused while opening his inventory, from it he took out the two largest slime cores at his disposal. ¡°Now¡­Shall we start?¡± He exclaimed while pressing a palm to each core beside him, a wicked grin from ear to ear as slime of all types at his disposal flowed out from around his arms and engulfed each core.
Talia glanced around the forest below as chaos ensued, she flew around atop her Pegasus. Soldiers and adventurers ran around as trees fell crushing tents, the ground shook like an earthquake causing many to lose their balance and black smoke hid the enemy¡¯s position as they rampaged throughout the forest. ¡°This was easy¡­it should have been easy!¡± She exclaimed in annoyance. She watched as a dark figure flowed through the smoke like a shadow bending reaper, it¡¯s six arms cleaving adventurers and soldiers apart before disappearing back into a moving black fog of death. Further to her left the earthquake¡¯s source, a dual axe wielding Dwarf rampaged through the grounded griffins massacring the beasts. His attacks expelled flames all around him causing even the snowy forest to catch fire. The griffins were rampaging as well, being terrified by the flames, quaking and sound. Closer to the wall a headless giant of violet mana flowed through the Dwarven warmachines, it¡¯s many tentacles grabbing hold of one then raising it over another before crushing both with each other. Any magic or projectile sent it¡¯s way either evaded entirely or blocked using a machine as a shield. Talia glanced back ¡°Shark! There¡¯s your target! Pink giant by the war machines!¡± she exclaimed back at the Merman. Shark grinned and turned his Pegasus towards Sly¡¯s position ¡°I got him.¡± He said while flying away towards his target. Talia grimaced, her target was nowhere to be seen. She continued to scan the forest from the sky, watching the defenders reform their lines that had been either at ease within the camp or preparing a blockade further towards Frost hold. A blockade the targets simply flew over using the trees as cover. Most of the combat would ensue within the forest or around the camp now so the airborne squads were left to search for the remaining of the enemy guild and their transport, the griffin carriage had completely disappeared and not even their more powerful mages could locate it¡¯s position with the chaos distracting them. ¡°Did he stay inside the carriage? I¡¯m sure I saw him fly down too!¡± She mumbled to herself while retracing her flight path. A chill suddenly went down her spine causing her to glance behind her, her eyes widened in shock as a large black paw swatted her Pegasus aside like a fly. Talia rolled off the Pegasus before they both hit the ground, a bed of vines had grown to cushion hers. She groaned from the pain but quickly rose to her feet as the vines re-burrowed below ground, she scanner her surroundings for her attacker. The Pegasus hadn¡¯t been as lucky as her, it¡¯s corpse lay sprawled on the side of a tree due to being the main object hit by the attack. Four wide gashes lined it¡¯s side like claw marks, even it¡¯s silver armour was torn like paper under the attack.
Author: I usually change around music while writing fight scenes but this one stuck all the way on a loop ^ ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h69bwoqyQ8
The chill returned and she immediately looked upwards, vines rapidly flowed into a pod to cover her as the gigantic monster landed feet first onto them. It¡¯s claws ripped the vines apart but it was forced to back off as more moved to surround it. Talia studied the creature from gaps in her barrier of vines. The fox had two heads side by side along with two tails, a black shell like material covered it¡¯s entire body as a blue glow emanated from between the scale like formation. It¡¯s eyes were crimson red and ablaze with fire as flames escaped it¡¯s maw with each breath. It¡¯s fangs were emerald green and long like swords while it¡¯s claws were the same except for the crimson red tips and being three times the length. Talia shuddered at the sight, she had seen demons before but this creature was on a whole different level of terrifying. She inspected it causing her mouth to fall gaping.
{Golem} Devourer of realms (Twin cored) (Manual) [Owner: Kyllix (RHD)] Level 136
¡°Were you looking for me perchance?¡± The fox¡¯s two heads spoke in unison forming a single chilling voice. ¡°Well¡­Here I am.¡± Thick black tentacles of slime grew out of the Golem¡¯s back, they lunged forward and at her position. ¡°Balls!¡± Talia summoned forth more vines to block the attack but the tentacles seemed to phase through her defences like smoke, she broke into a run intent on putting distance between herself and it. The sound of wood shattering reverberated throughout as the Golem rushed after her, it landed smashing it¡¯s paws into a tree¡¯s trunk as it glared down at her. It¡¯s claws dung into the bark causing it to sizzle and smoke. ¡°There is no escape for you little hero.¡± The golem opened it¡¯s two mouths wide showing a smooth black carapace inside ¡°Devouring Frostfire!¡± it blew out a stream of white-blue flames that quickly descended upon her. ¡°Nature¡¯s vigilance!¡± Talia quickly chanted causing the ground in front of her to rise and form a wall of earth between them. The frostfire collided with the earthen wall causing it¡¯s surface to form a layer of frost that spread to the back. ¡°Nature¡¯s descent!¡± Talia chanted again causing a blast of wind to bash into the Golem¡¯s side, it was thrown off the tree and sent crashing into the snow. ¡°Nature¡¯s vigilance!¡± the ground around the golem¡¯s landing rose in the form of two walls ¡°Earth clap!¡± both walls rushed at each other threatening to squash the golem between them. A blast of snow followed as the three objects clashed, blocking Talia¡¯s vision as she stood with both her arms raised towards the collision. She was controlling the spell with motion, a rare ability among elemental magiks. ¡°Keep trying, this might just be fun.¡± The fox declared as the snow cleared up. The golem had stood up on it¡¯s hind legs and was hold back a wall with each front leg, using them as arms. It pushed further making the stone crack beneath it¡¯s strength. Talia closed her palms closer together making the earthen walls push closer, the connection between stance and spell as if she was actually physically fighting the golem herself. ¡°Nature¡¯s growth!¡± She chanted causing vines to rapidly grow out from below the golem much quicker than before, they tried to entangle themselves around it¡¯s legs but tentacles of emerald slime melted through them like powerful acid as tentacles of yellow slime lit them aflame. The walls cracked further as Talia put more pressure on them, she continued to will vines to grow and assault the golem. The golem¡¯s heads suddenly grinned wickedly as the walls shattered entirely revealing the several thick emerald tentacles that slowly wiggled around, they had grown out of the golem¡¯s palms and dug into the stone. Instead of falling back to four legs the golem rush forward running on it¡¯s hind legs while it¡¯s front claws lay wide open ahead of it. ¡°Nature¡¯s descent! Nature¡¯s growth! Nature¡¯s wrath!¡± Talia chanted several spells, wind blew to her will, vines burst out of the ground controlled by her left hand and fire blazed alive controlled by the other. With control second to none she bent the three elements around the golem forcing it¡¯s charge to a halt. Vines and roots alike wrapped around the golem¡¯s legs as tentacles of slime moved to intercept, blast of wind repeatedly bashed into the golem as it deflected blasts of crimson flame with it¡¯s own frostfire breath. ¡°Cold hatred inside my being light up! Burn my insides like hell and awaken the inferno! Rage!¡± The golem chanted causing a red aura to form around it, the tentacles that moved to intercept the ever growing vines stopped and began to form in the golem¡¯s front paws. The golem changed as it¡¯s back straightened and shoulders rose giving it a bipedal form, the slime entangled around itself forming two long emerald batons of coiled tentacles in each of it¡¯s hands. Acidic slime formed the batons¡¯ outer shell while the inside filled up with murky green swamp slime.¡°Want to know something interesting? Do you know the difference between fire and ice?¡± the golem asked followed by a wicked chuckle. ¡°Chilling flames passed down by blood¡­Burn up! Heat up! Devouring Firefrost!¡± an infernal heatwave surged from the golem¡¯s body turning the vines and roots to ash. Like a blizzard the ambers of heat flowed around the golem like a protective barrier, more a chaotic ripple of mana than a balanced sphere. As suddenly as the blizzard of heat appeared it dissipated causing the golem to grimace as it mimicked it¡¯s maker. ¡°No matter, that still requires playing around with. Yet I have other things to play with right now.¡± It¡¯s grimace quickly turned back to a wide grin as it chanted. ¡°Devourer of souls! Chilling blade of hell! Frostfire Blade! Destroyer of souls! Burning blade of the tundra! Firefrost Blade!¡± Talia followed with chanting herself ¡°Power of creation within my very grasp defend me against the vile and vicious! Divine guardian summoning!¡± The golem¡¯s batons lit up forming two blades, a fierce white-blue frostfire raged around the right while a steady white-red mist formed the other. Both blades emanated their own element creating half an aura of heat and half an aura of cold. The ground below Talia rose as earth and vines flowed up and morphed beneath her, the two elements formed into a humanoid shape as she stood with arms open wide and eyes closed in concentration. The new golem¡¯s shape was raw and rough as they commonly were, it¡¯s size slightly larger than the two headed, two tailed fox. It¡¯s fists formed out of stone as claws grew out of strange vines that pulsated with mana. Suddenly the claws burst into flames without burning the vines themselves. From it¡¯s back two large wings made of thick leaves grew out giving it a wing span wider than itself, every flap caused bursts of wind to lash out. Talia sighed in relief as the casting of the summoning finished releasing her concentration, ¡°Grab him!¡± she ordered the nature golem causing it to flap it¡¯s wings and leap at the fox. The fox golem blocked the nature golem¡¯s charge by hold it¡¯s open arms with both batons and slamming it¡¯s left leg into the golem¡¯s chest while both it¡¯s tails smashed down to the ground giving it more to stand on. The nature golem was unfazed by the kick and grabbed hold of both batons causing the vines and stone to sizzle due to the acid layer, it didn¡¯t feel a thing and continued to put pressure on the fox. ¡°Devouring twin breath!¡± the fox¡¯s master chanted causing the golem to speak the chant too, both mouths opened wide. ¡°Nature¡¯s descent!¡± Talia chanted sending a burst of wind to counter the attack. The fox golem breathed frostfire from one mouth and firefrost from the other causing the three attacks to clash in between them. The clash of elements burst outwards in an explosion of violent lightning sending both golems crashing and tumbling back. Talia was thrown off her golem by the blast but managed to not be hit by the electricity, she crashed into the snow and tumbled back a couple feet as the sound of something cracking reverberated in her ears. She groaned from the pain while pulling herself up, her left arm was made useless from the fall. She blinked the tears out of her eyes and refocused on the fight, her golem stood up unharmed by the lightning due to it¡¯s own element but had lost both wings from the crash. She stared ahead at the fox golem as it lay face up on the snow, it was unmoving as electricity surged over it¡¯s body. ¡°Grab it! He¡¯s paralyzed!¡± she shouted and took a step forward causing a jolt of pain to run up her left leg, ¡°Dammit!¡± she cursed and crouched down. ¡°Nature¡¯s virtue!¡± she chanted while holding her right palm over her twisted ankle. Water flowed out of her palm and surrounded her leg as a green glow shone from it. She watched as she healed, her nature golem had tackled the fox golem on the ground and held it down completely. Talia felt relief from her leg then moved the water up to her shoulder, she held back a scream before dissipating the healing spell. ¡°Shattered¡­¡± she noted from the feeling of misplaced healing that caused the pain. Talia took a deep breath and stood up, feeling that her leg was now fine she stepped forward and towards the two golems. As she approached the sky lit up with a blaze of fire, the military¡¯s mages cast their widespread attack to locate the carriage she figured. She grinned and even laughed mockingly when she arrived at the fox golem¡¯s right head, it was completely immobile as her nature golem held both mouths shut with its stone hands and grew vines to hold down it¡¯s arms and legs. ¡°What now dark hero Kyllix? Your comrades in the air have been discovered, your allies on the ground surrounded and either captured or killed by now.¡± Talia spoke condescendingly ¡°You think you can just play villain and not get away with anything? You think you can warp and mess with diplomacy from the shadows and cause mass destruction without dealing with the consequences?¡± She raised her working hand towards the golem¡¯s chest where she figured the two cores and it¡¯s master were, although it didn¡¯t matter if she missed since her astral mana was still only below half. ¡°You really thought you could insult an immortal being, go against a Goddess and get away with it?¡± she chuckled at the irony of the situation, her face twisted into grinning amusement ¡°Nature¡¯s wrath!¡±. Ch 50 Part 2 - Heroes and Villains Talia grinned wickedly ¡°Nature¡¯s wrath!¡± the crimson fire quickly formed at her palm. ¡°Wait!¡± a fire engulfed blade slashed the channelling fire apart ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to kill him remember?¡± Karnage reminded her then turned to glare at the golem. ¡°Oh I was only helping him get out.¡± Talia replied with a smirk, she turned to her left and saw more adventurers coming their way ¡°You¡¯re really screwed now, the blockade has returned.¡± ¡°Kyll-ix¡­come out.¡± Karnage asked solemnly. ¡°The carriage has been spotted! It¡¯s already over the wall!¡± Zaahr reported as she blinked into existence next to them frightening Talia. ¡°Teleportation?¡± Talia mused as she re inspected her. ¡°Mindy let it be, we¡¯re in the middle of a warzone right now.¡± Zaahr whispered to her friend and nudged Karnage out of her daze, Talia was completely ignored. Karnage tightened her grip on the swords ¡°H-They played us, right till the end. I can¡¯t, I won¡¯t let this go. Kyllix come the fuck out or I¡¯m carving my way in!¡± ¡°I can help with that.¡± Offered Luke as he and the other adventurers walked over, some mages began to chant paralysis spells as they approached. A chilling laughter emanated from the golem, slowly Kyle calmed himself down and spoke proper ¡°Oh please excuse me, I¡¯m still hung up over what miss hero was just saying.¡± He laughed a bit more ¡°Yes Karnage we did indeed play every single one of you and you have nobody else but yourselves to blame for falling for it all!¡± Karnage slammed her foot onto the golem¡¯s surface causing a small burst of fire ¡°Why don¡¯t you come out and say that to my face you slimy bastard!?¡± fury briefly flashed through her before being replaced by regret. Zaahr held her friend back by the shoulders ¡°You and your guild, you¡¯re all awful. Murderers, thieves and conmen.¡± Kyle chuckled once more ¡°Murderers? Who exactly did we leave for dead? Thieves? What have we stolen that we did not earn? Show me proof. Conmen? You know we¡¯re not all men in the guild, right?¡± ¡°Abusing the system doesn¡¯t make you any better, you lied to everyone and used everyone for your own damn gain!¡± Karnage lashed out again with a second kick ¡°Why? Why did you do all that? Why did you side with the monsters? Are you really just that cold hearted!?¡± Talia smirked as she watched the show from the sidelines ¡°You tell him.¡± Kyle only laughed louder ¡°Oh so that¡¯s what it¡¯s all about! You¡¯re really just pissed at me aren¡¯t you? What do you want from me? An apology for not returning your feelings?¡± he asked in a mocking tone. Karnage couldn¡¯t reply, she stared at the golem¡¯s surface baffled. Zaahr pulled her back and out of the way then raised both hands towards the golem, hatred her only expression ¡°Final Arcanium.¡± Raw mana flowed around her arms, a mix of every element and mana type permeating the air around her. The mana mixed and merged into a sphere of the deepest black, white lightning surged all around it causing Zaahr to wince from the spell¡¯s backlash. Talia rushed to Zaahr¡¯s side wearing a weak smile ¡°Hey hey don¡¯t kill him¡­Calm do-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t care, fuck off.¡± Zaahr replied frigidly. ¡°Heh?¡± was all Talia could answer with as the black sphere of raw mana grew to a meter width and shot forwards, it ate through the golem¡¯s slime as if it wasn¡¯t even there. Talia stared at the perfect hole the spell made warily (¡°No way he survived that¡­¡±) Suddenly the golem¡¯s surface began to glow a bright blue as the entire thing began to shatter. ¡°Take cover!¡± Shouted Luke as everyone turned to run for it. Screams of pain and the tearing of flesh and bone filled the forest as a second golem shredded through their backline, it was also glowing a bright blue. Zaahr grabbed the confused Karnage and hugged her tightly ¡°Arcane barrier!¡± she chanted and a pitch black sphere formed around them. No light or sound crossed the barrier as moments later cracks formed on it¡¯s surface, the ground beneath them shuddered violently for a few moments. As the quaking ended she released the barrier and fell down to her knees breathing heavily from her overuse of mana. Karnage dropped down with her ¡°Lena?¡± she held her friend and helped her back up. All around them the snow had been blasted away, in it¡¯s place were two craters covered in frost and shrapnel. Gore covered what the frost did and didn¡¯t, blood, flesh, limbs and other body parts lay scattered and either covered in frost, frozen shrapnel or both. Where the golems once lay only a single cracked shell poked out of the ground, Karnage then realised it wasn¡¯t part of either golem as it flowed open like liquid. Kyle emerged from the hole, he had protected himself from the blast by pushing his body underground and creating a barrier of his most resistant slimes around himself. He glanced back at them causing surprise to show on his face ¡°You survived that?¡± he looked away as his expression turned to a grimace. Karnage was about to charge him but then noticed Zaahr had lost consciousness as she held onto her, she looked back up at him ¡°You¡­you¡­¡± Kyle snorted ¡°You what? Murderer?...Villain?...Abomination?...Monster? I¡¯ve heard it all before, keep your thoughts to yourself.¡± He moved to dash away. ¡°Wait!¡± Karnage shouted out causing him to stop in his tracks, she glanced down at Zaahr and bit her lower lip. Moving her friend over her shoulder she lifted her up and looked him in the eye as he briefly glanced back, his expression had returned to the usual emotionless fa?ade ¡°Why are you like this? I cannot believe for a moment that you¡¯re just this damn horrible!¡±. Kyle shrugged ¡°Perspective, just what is horrible about any of this? We¡¯re running away from a crazy goddess with real mental issues.¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving billions to die as you kill hundreds yourself!¡± she retorted. ¡°Again, it¡¯s all perspective. They didn¡¯t actually die, just taken out of commission. As for us siding with the Dezol? We¡¯re simply picking the better faction.¡± He replied and began to walk away. ¡°Stronger you mean, you¡¯re picking survival. You¡¯re picking what suits you best, do you really not care about these people at all? You¡¯re really a monster if you side with those demons.¡± Karnage answered bitterly. Kyle stopped again, his fists had clenched briefly as he turned around and fully face them ¡°So what?! What have these bastards shown us other than weakness, corruption and fanatics!?¡± for the first time his act had completely fallen apart. ¡°The two lead churches work with poison and doctrine! The royal family employs mercenaries to do their dirty work while the people suffer, the sheer amount of people living in the slums compared to the nobility¡­ They simply play the God¡¯s games! Willing to sacrifice us of another world to protect themselves! Cowards who hide behind their ¡®Deities¡¯ and ¡®Heroes¡¯! They can barely do anything themselves! Draxxer and Rin are just the fucking same too! Broken and depressed by their fucking failures! Then there is the new ¡®Heroes¡¯¡± he chuckled wickedly ¡°Some no balls high born hiding behind his own guild. Some hypocrite bitch acting as the saviour of all! What do we know about the Devils? What do we know about Demons other than their hideous appearance? Yeah they fucking took over a whole kingdom killing who knows how many! So did us humans, we did much fucking worse back home. Why else is Earth a barren wasteland now? Why else are the Mars colonies a fucking dictatorship?¡± Kyle groaned in frustration ¡°All the Devils have shown us so far is how smart they are, their pride, their strength. They stand in there completely cut off from the rest of their forces yet they stay, they haven¡¯t surrendered and lasted for over forty years! If that isn¡¯t commendable then I don¡¯t know what is! Can you truly say we¡¯re better than them? That THIS alliance is better than them?!¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°But¡­they are the ones that summoned us here in the first place!¡± Karnage cut in defending her stance. ¡°Yeah they are, then what?¡± Kyle kept on walking away as he spoke ¡±The only times they moved against us ¡®Adventurers¡¯ is when WE got in their way. Do you even know why they summoned us? All of us? They didn¡¯t have a choice, it wasn¡¯t them who summoned all of us here. The grand quest demanded six heroes to be summoned but they never planned to make use of us unless we decided to side with them, they simply planned using their own power. Here¡¯s some advice, stop taking it all for granted. Learn to think for yourself. Find your own way, we already found ours.¡± He surged away at full speed towards Helix. ---- Shark stood ready as he gazed at his opponent, his expression stern and focused, his blades gripped tight as tendrils of blood flowed around them. Not a single scratch lay on his body, the fight had gone on for a couple minutes yet he stood unharmed. Sly on the other hand looked at wit¡¯s end, his Aurei form was torn apart revealing his right arm, chest and face which themselves were shredded with cuts and deep gashes. His daggers lay on the ground all around him, his tentacles of aura had been ripped off his back and his left aura-clad arm was all that remained. ¡°Surrender.¡± Shark urged for the dozenth time ¡°You¡¯re no match for me, reinforcements will be here soon and you will be subdued then. Do you hear it? Your allies that were rampaging through the campsite have quieted down, your allies flying away right now will be captured by the air force and dealt with soon enough.¡± Sly chuckled and winced through the pain ¡±That¡¯s what he wants you to think.¡± He charged at Shark and leaned in low to grab a dagger on the way. Shark smirked and charged too, far faster than Sly he opened his arms wide allowing his blades to appear like wings as they sliced the air itself. He leaped at the charging giant of aura and spun as he did, leaning to the right he spun with his blades like a sawblade that cut right through it¡¯s remaining arm. Sly screamed in agony as his Aurei form dissipated around him, his left arm fell to the ground sliced off the shoulder. He crashed down into the snow tumbling, coming to a stop he tried to stand as blood gushed out of his stump. The blood flowed away from him in the form of red tendrils and began to gather around Shark¡¯s blades. ¡°So that¡¯s what your power is¡­¡± Sly mused as he sat back ¡°Those tendrils of blood, they¡¯re stacks of stats aren¡¯t they? You keep getting faster with each clash, stronger too.¡± He held onto his stump and gripped it tight wincing as he did. Violet lightning surged through his palm burning the stump closed, Sly bit on his arm as a muffled scream escaped. Shark cringed at the sorry sight ¡°Give up.¡± he look up at Helix and through it¡¯s red transparent walls ¡°Look, your friends are done for too.¡± The carriage had flown over the wall but was currently on fire, squadrons of griffin riders and Avians were beginning to surround it too. Sly stood up ¡°No¡­¡± he managed through uneven breaths. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just have to remove all of your limbs.¡± Replied Shark, he moved his blades into a stance behind his body and leaned lower readying to charge again. The very air shuddered as a series of explosions reverberated through the entire forest. Shark looked back through Helix and watched as the squadrons of griffins fell out of a cloud of smoke, they had been incinerated. The Avians flew away unharmed and reformed nearby the explosions, summoning their wind magic they blasted the smoke clearing it away and damaging whatever hid inside. The smoke cleared revealing a multi-coloured barrier surrounding the unharmed carriage, four figures stood on it¡¯s roof. As Woody maintained the barrier, rays of light flowed from his body and into the shield. Death blasted the airborne targets with fire magic, his fireballs exploded not on contact but proximity as he willed them to. Birse summoned four giant arms of shadow out of the carriage that elongated and chased after nearby Avians and surviving griffin riders. Skill fire flurries of enhanced arrows sending trails of fire, blasts of lightning, shockwaves of frost and blades of wind at far away squadrons not allowing them to regroup to cast magic. Shark growled in annoyance showing off his rows of fangs ¡°No matter, we have you surrounded here anyway.¡± He gestured at the approaching adventurers. ¡°Well well well, that is a sight I gave been waiting to see.¡± Mocked Jax with a grin as him and his group landed near Shark. ¡°What took you so long?¡± Shark asked the group. ¡°Hey man we¡¯re the fastest bunch from the blockade, others still far behind.¡± Replied one of the REKT members. ¡°Fastest? Just because you laid back in the backlines and had a starting advantage doesn¡¯t make you faster than the one that arrived at the same time.¡± Explained Regina as she walked out of the shadows, both her tech pistols ready in her hands. The PRED leader glanced at their quarry and smirked ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like you needed help anyhow.¡± ¡°Not really, whatever power he gained for being a hero is no match for mine apparently.¡± Shark replied with a smirk. Sly straightened up and stared up at the sky ¡°Power?¡± he began to laugh hysterically. ¡°Looks like he¡¯s lost it too.¡± Said Regina as she cringed. Shark suddenly re-entered a stance and his expression hardened ¡°You¡­you haven¡¯t been using your hero power at all haven¡¯t you!?¡± he exclaimed in surprise. Sly¡¯s laugh ended with a wicked chuckle, he looked down at them ¡°No I haven¡¯t, it¡¯s a power I cannot freely use like yours unfortunately.¡± --- Author: Never corner a beast ;P https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv6GPwkT2wA ---- Shark inspected him to see that Sly had changed his title.
SlyOkami [{ [Master] Lord of Aurei}] (Cursed hero of the wicked dagger) (RHD Aurei) Level 128
¡°Like my title? Disturbs me honestly, makes me wonder what goes through that bitch¡¯s head at times.¡± Sly admitted with a smirk. Shark charged forwards at full speed. ¡°As for my power¡­¡± Sly crouched down and lightly touched the snow with his fingers, ¡°I am the incarnation of destruction, I am the depiction of the end. Deus Ex Machina!¡± Time seemed to slow down as aureitic lines of violet flared alive all over his broken body, his skin cracked and shattered into dust revealing the violet flesh and muscle below glowing. His eyes turned completely black as a set of black horns grew out of his forehead along with the single horn Dagon¡¯s body had. All three horns curved back and grew longer as violet lightning surged through them. Suddenly a brand new arm burst out of his stump just as skinless as the rest of his body. Time resumed as Shark charged at the repulsive Devil, Sly growled like a beast as he stood on all fours. Without noticing the change Shark continued his charge and aimed for Sly¡¯s arms again, an easier target without the body of aura. A blast of aura burst out of Sly making Shark hesitate briefly, it went right through him without doing anything. Then the sound exploded out, a vicious roar came out of Sly¡¯s open maw of black fangs. The roar stopped Shark in his tracks causing him a cold sweat, he had lost control of his body and couldn¡¯t move except for tremble. Sly stood up and walked over to Shark who was immobilised by fear, barely a foot away he stopped and raised his right hand to Shark¡¯s face and grabbed his entire head. Sly began to crush Shark¡¯s head in his hand causing him to snap out of his daze and leap back. Shark took uneven breaths as he took in the Devil¡¯s new look ¡°The fuck¡­¡± Sly looked at his palm in confusion, something was off with him. Suddenly he clenched both fists and roared up at the sky, his body continued to change as he did. Sly¡¯s form grew to twice it¡¯s original size as a dark-purple carapace covered his skinless body, his fingers grew out into dagger long black claws, face elongated into a snout and a tail ending in a dagger-like bladed tip grew out of his tailbone. ¡°Now that, is one ugly ass monster.¡± Regina chuckled awkwardly as she and the rest gazed at the monstrosity that was Sly. ¡°What the fuck is he anyway?¡± Jax asked as he inspected Sly.
{Devil} Zeokul [{Descendant Of Wrath}] (Cursed hero of the wicked dagger) (RHD Aurei) Level 128
Zeokul, Sly¡¯s Devil form, growled at them as he slowly approached, his large body too heavy for quick movement. Shark grimaced ¡°What you waiting for!? Subdue it!¡± he rushed the Devil aiming for the legs, with incredible speed he reached it within moments and leaned low before spinning with his blades. Shark¡¯s arm-blades slashed the Devil¡¯s carapace causing sparks to appear as they clashed, ending his spin Shark continued to run for a short distance then turned around to evaluate the damage. Zeokul was unharmed except for a light scratch on his lower leg, he turned back to Shark and charged. With heavy steps the Devil rushed at him, fast but not enough to catch up with the light-footed adventurer as he prepared to evade. Suddenly Zeokul leaped up sending a shockwave throughout the ground, he leaped with such power that he barely reached the top of one of Helix¡¯s towers having to grab the edge with both hands. The Devil glanced back and smirked, turning back he watched the squadrons of griffins and Avians harass and assault the shielded carriage with magic. Zeokul stretched his shoulders causing a pair of long wings with dark-purple limbs and black netting to instantly grow out. Briefly he closed his wings and opened his arms wide and up to shoulder length. A Dwarf stopped himself from flying over the wall by slamming back his axes at the tower¡¯s edge, Soren had somehow propelled himself up to the tower. Suddenly two white-blue foxes burst out of the camp and graveyard of Dwarven machines, white-blue flames engulfed them as they rushed forward at great speed. Kyle was riding one of them as the other followed closely behind. ¡°Stop him!¡± Regina shouted as she raised both pistols and engaged him. Kyle smirked and swerved away from her as the second fox golem charged straight at her, much smaller than the previous ones but larger than a common wolf. The fox ridden by Kyle leaped up at the tower and ran up a couple meters before losing it¡¯s momentum, Kyle leaped off it and surged the rest of the way leaving the fox to engage Shark. Zeokul crouched down and grabbed the both of them by the waist before opened it¡¯s wings wide and leaping off the tower with the same power as before. Kyle looked back just as Regina killed both fox golems ¡°Au revoir!¡± he mocked with a salute as the Devil flew away while carrying them. A burst of dark smoke flew out of the forest and after them like a ball of shadows. Characters V.2
Server Online Players: 21/*
Kyllix; Appearance: Male, Silver eye colour, White short hair, White fox ears and tail, pale white skin. Guild: RedHawkDown Main Class: Lord of Slimes Hero of frost
SlyOkami; Appearance: Male, Violet eye colour, Dark purple medium hair, paper white skin, three long black horns, demonic thin black tail. Guild: RedHawkDown Main Class: Lord of Aurei Hero of the dagger
Birse; Appearance: Male, Light blue eye colour, Short blonde hair, Black wolf ears and tail. Guild: RedHawkDown Main Class: Shadow Paladin
DeathChilled; Appearance: Male, Crimson red eyes, crimson red long hair, Long pointy elf ears, Dark purple skin. Guild: RedHawkDown Main Class: Pyromancer
Soren; Appearance: Male, dwarf, short and thin, black mohawk, brown eyes. Guild: RedHawkDown Main Class: Forged Berserker
DemSkillShots; Appearance: Male, Light brown eyes, Short light brown hair, long pointy elf ears. Guild: RedHawkDown Main Class: Ranger
Seren_Cross; Appearance: Female, Blue eyes, Medium blue hair, Blue fox ears and tail both ending in black patches. Guild: RedHawkDown Main Class: Cleric
Jackykill; Appearance: Male, dark brown eyes, short green hair, dark brown wildcat ears and tail. Guild: RedHawkDown Main Class: Assassin
Steph773; Appearance: Female, brown eyes, long blonde hair with mixed strands of different colours, elven ears.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Guild: RedHawkDown Main Class: Elementalist
CHfarms; Appearance: Male, short black hair, green eyes, black tiger ears and tail with blue stripes. Guild:RedHawkDown Main Class: Druid
Cherrysboi; Appearance: Male, very tall, dark skin, brown bear ears, bald, red and blue eyes. Guild:RedHawkDown Main Class: Guardian
Woodstauk; Appearance: Male, elven ears, buzz-cut brown hair, blue eyes, long unicorn horn growing out of forehead. Guild:RedHawkDown Main Class: Lord of Unicorns
300thSpartan; Appearance: Female, long dirty-blonde hair, light brown eyes, human. Guild: RedHawkDown Main Class: Valkyrie
Nakano; Female, Green eyes, Short black hair, long pointy elf ears, pale white skin. Guild: ETERNIUM Main Class: Slayer
Zeeke; Appearance: Male, Golden eyes, Dark golden hair and mane, Golden lion ears and tail. Guild: ETERNIUM Main Class: Crusader Hero of light
Reyna; Appearance: Female, dark purplish skin, red eyes, long snow white hair, elven ears. Guild: ETERNIUM Main Class: Priestess Hero of rain
Karnage; Appearance: Female, Violet eyes, Long black hair, black cat ears and tail. Guild: APOCALYPSE Main Class: BladeDancer
Zaahr; Appearance: Female? , Golden eyes, short green hair, long pointy elf ears. Guild: APOCALYPSE Main Class: Battle Mage
JaxHashRekt; Appearance: Male, lanky, short dark-red hair, black tiger ears and tail with grey stripes. Guild: REKT Main Class: Blademaster
Taliarissa; Appearance: Female, short aqua-blue hair, silver eyes, human. Guild: PRIDE Main Class: Chosen of Creation Hero of nature
Sharkmeatguy; Appearance: Male, shaved black hair, dark blue eyes, shark-like fangs, dark-blue netting between fingers, elbows and armpits, dark-blue shark fins growing out of back, shoulders and back of thighs. Guild: PRIDE Main Class: Divine Blood Mage Hero of blood
Ch 51 - Sudden Sparta peaked out of one window, she stood in the corner of the carriage as the skies outside lit up like a warzone. Above her Birse, Skill, Death, Cherry and Woody defended the carriage as the griffin riders swooped in close and Avians grouped up far away to cast magic. Sly was in his Devil form flying around the enemy¡¯s backline and killing their Avian mages, with his tail wrapped around Soren and using him like a weapon, Kyle on his shoulders wielding a single cannon due to low mana, the group of three massacred the enemy like animals entering a slaughter house. She noticed the assassin Jacky was nowhere to be seen, the blast of shadows he had sent had dissipated into nothing. Sparta didn¡¯t know any part of their plan, they hadn¡¯t let her in on anything except ¡®We¡¯re going on a roadtrip¡¯ and something about ¡®Choosing a side¡¯. But¡­she hadn¡¯t expected full out war. In her eyes it was all too late to back out now, she had passed their test by surviving through fifty three levels of their dungeon and having to be pulled out of the fifty fort level due to her ¡®Taking too damn long to die¡¯. She was part of this now, was her thought as she looked at the inside of the carriage. Seren, Steph, Cherry and the strange Devil stood around a large aqua-blue crystal she now knew to be a dungeon core. Seren and Steph were flowing mana out of the core and preparing to cast a spell, Cherry and Sparta were supposed to watch their backs as they did so. Dagon was staring out of the front window longingly at the large black barrier still a distance away. The carriage suddenly shuddered violently. ¡°Keep that damn barrier up Woody!¡± Shouted Birse. ¡°Tell Sly to keep those damn mages off my case then scrub!¡± Woody responded. ¡°Death stop flaying those big ass fire balls around so much! It¡¯s making the griffins uneasy!¡± Ch shouted back. ¡°Sure b! I¡¯ll just shoot rainbows out like the other guy then!¡± Replied Death sarcastically. ¡°You can do that?¡± Asked Woody. Sparta groaned as she held her face, she was a part of this now.
Jacky sighed as he watched the carriage fly further away while the forces of Barik failed to capture it. He stood high up on a tree branch at the edge of the forest, the ball of shadows nothing more than a fake. Birse¡¯s plan for him wasn¡¯t the most sound (¡°Take off the mask he says, they don¡¯t know what I look like or what my name is he says¡­¡±) sighing once more he took off his mask and cloak which hid his identity from others not in the guild Opening his inventory Jacky equipped some brighter brown leather armour and a white cloak then proceeded to leaving the guild.
You have left the guild [RedHawkDown] of your own volition.
He leaped off the branch and landed standing at the edge of the burning camp. No mask hid his features now, short dark-green hair, dark-brown eyes and cat ears. Jacky looked around for his next course of action, infiltrating one of the larger guilds. Through the chaos and fire many adventurers and soldiers ran around to snuff them out but none fell under Jacky¡¯s list of targets except for two. From the forest two adventurers stepped out, one was helping the other who was currently unconscious. (¡°Apokalypse leader and sub leader, they¡¯ll do.¡±) Jacky thought as he jogged over to them ¡°Need a hand?¡± he asked with fake worry. Karnage glanced at him then at Zaahr ¡°Yeah¡­¡± she handed him Zaahr and he lift her up to carry her in his arms, she was too busy gazing off at the airborne battle. Jacky glanced between the unconscious young woman in his arms and the astonished young woman staring off in the distance in front of him (¡°Okay, the fuck do I do now?...¡±) ¡°Uhh¡­ should we find a healer?¡±. ¡°No she¡¯ll be fine, just exhausted.¡± Karnage wiped then slapped her face to snap out of her daze, she walked off into the burning camp ¡°We¡¯ll take her to our tent, let her rest.¡± Jacky raised a brow and followed her (¡°I think I¡¯ll go look for Dherik or Regina¡­¡±). Karnage lead him to the other side of camp as adventurers ran by carrying buckets of water, soldiers ran around carrying messages and Dwarves stood around staring in depression at the destruction of many of their constructs. Stopping by a tent she held it open as Jacky walked in and lay Zaahr down on a headrest inside. A single mana lantern lit up the fairly spacious inside of the tent, about six by six meters and seven high. Karnage stared out the tent briefly before walking in and kneeling down next to her unconscious friend. Jacky scratched his head at the awkward silence ¡°I¡¯ll be l-¡± ¡°You¡¯re not in a guild?¡± Karnage asked him as he lay standing by the exit. ¡°No my guild was taken in by Eternium and I didn¡¯t want to join them.¡± Jacky responded with the previously agreed on reply to that question. ¡°Why not?¡± Karnage continued. Jacky shrugged ¡°I dislike the leadership, hero or not Zeeke¡¯s an ass.¡± he stated plainly. Karnage snorted ¡°Agreed¡±, she continued to gaze down at her friend with a distant look. Moments passed as Jacky eyed the exit, just as he was about to declare his leave again Karnage spoke. ¡°What do think of our current situation? About this war?¡± she asked while studying his expression. Jacky looked at her in legitimate surprise ¡°You mean about the heroes and Devils?¡±, Karnage nodded causing him to sigh ¡°This country is broken up into too many factions, the churches that worship the selfish gods, the royal military that look for control of the country, the alliance trying to bring everyone together and us adventurers scattered all over the place. Honestly? I don¡¯t care who wins, I just want all this to end so I can go home. This isn¡¯t my war, it¡¯s just an obstacle.¡± ¡°So you would join the Devil¡¯s side if the opportunity arose?¡± Karnage asked. ¡°Maybe, I don¡¯t know.¡± replied Jacky ¡°Would you?¡± he then asked. Karnage looked down at her unconscious friend ¡°I¡­¡±
Birse stood beside Death and Cherry focusing on his magic as squads of griffins and Avians swarmed all around them, most of them injured and staring at their flying ball of death in fear. Woody stood behind them on his knees, rays of light constantly being expelled from his horn powering the barrier protecting them.All the while Skill stood beside Woody firing magic enchanted arrows at far away targets. His plan was going through within acceptable margins, the enemy was broken, scattered and tired while they were still far from weary. Moral was low with Barik¡¯s forces, a mere dozen adventurers had easily broken through their defences and were on the verge of escape. RedHawkDown¡¯s moral on the other hand was never a statistic to keep watch on in the first place to Birse, each member was hardened by their own lives and slightly off the rails of sanity to begin with. Everything was going fine. Then the sky shuddered as did the carriage. Reality ripped apart in front of them as Draxxer leaped out of the rift and severed the chains holding the lead griffin and the carriage together. The carriage continued forward forcing him to slash through the barrier and grab hold of the carriage¡¯s side, he pulled himself up to the roof. Woody fell back as his barrier was easily shattered ¡°Fuck! Not my fault!¡±, his magic no match for the old Hero of the blessed blade and master Beast of Chaos. CH flew around with the dispositioned griffin up to the only one holding up the carriage, it was freaking out and losing altitude. He switched over to it and proceeded to try and get it under control.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Draxxer stretched his neck around as he glared at the four adventurers on the roof with him ¡°This ends now.¡± Birse smirked back ¡°Boys, throw him off.¡± ¡°Might of the beast, strength of the colossus, imbue me to protect! Beast out!¡± Cherry chanted causing his mastery of the Guardian class to activate. His already large body grew larger as the appearance of a black furred grizzly took over, he still stood on his hind legs like a bipedal humanoid and his plate armour and war hammer had somehow grown with him. Cherry charged the general causing the grizzled warrior to leap back in surprise, the Bearkin was faster than apparently possible and smacked Draxxer downwards with his large paw. Draxxer spun as he fell and slashed the air in front of him causing another rift to rip open, the exit appeared behind Cherry as the warrior slammed into his back and stabbed down. Cherry roared out in pain as both of them plummeted off the carriage. ¡°Fuck! Death on me!¡± Birse ordered as he leaped after them, the carriage was still quickly losing altitude and they were closing in on the tree tops. Cherry crashed down into the snow face down but immediately stood up, before he could shake off Draxxer from his back the warrior leaped off leaving a small stab wound under the Bearkin¡¯s left shoulder. Cherry turned around and glared at Draxxer as Birse and Death fell to his side. Death held his Bo staff with both hands and chanted ¡°Martial ways of the sun transform my body through your infernal cleansing, burn away my puny flesh, melt away my fragile bones, replace it all with fire! One with fire!¡± his entire body was engulfed by yellow and crimson flames as his flesh melted away into a skeleton which then burnt down into ash. All that was left of Death was a humanoid fire elemental holding a gold trimmed black Bo staff, his humanoid form and glowing crimson red eyes among the flames the only indication of sentience. Birse gestured at his two guildmates ¡°What is this Blade? Have you come to stop us from having a right to pick a side?¡± Draxxer grimaced ¡°It seems to me you have already chosen Birse. If this is about the late payment I told you it-¡± Birse snorted and began to chuckle ¡°Payment? Oh no, no no. It has little to do with your inability to pay me. We¡¯re simply not as blind and incapable as you and your comrades were when you arrived on Chaoz. We¡¯re very aware of our choices, you chose the Gods and failed, we chose ourselves and we will succeed.¡± ¡°Succeed at what? What is your goal?¡± Draxxer asked as he pointed his blade at them, he stood a dozen meters away from their position. ¡°I can diverge one of our goals, sending back the adventurers who do not wish to stay. I understand that to do so, we need to finish this grand quest? Then we¡¯ll just have to ask the one that started the quest on how to finish it.¡± Birse explained with a shrug and a smirk. ¡°You can aid us in defeating the wretched bitch herself, that is how this grand quest ends!¡± Draxxer exclaimed. Birse shook his head ¡°You and what army? That riffraff back there? At most you might push them out of Barik, then what? All the Elves, Orcs and Ogres can do is keep them out of their own land, what can a small alliance of almost extinct races accomplish that they cannot?¡± Draxxer gripped his sword tighter ¡°So you would feed billions of lives to the slaughter, a redo of what happened on Ruk?¡± ¡°Under what circumstances are we talking about though? You cannot keep blindly blaming the Dezol for what they did to Ruk without even telling us why they did it. You can tell us why though, can¡¯t you?¡± Birse¡¯s smirk grew into a wicked grin. Draxxer furrowed his brows ¡°I do not know what you are talking about.¡± Birse chuckled at his response ¡°My sources tell me otherwise oh grand Hero. The history of this world is quiet intriguing, mostly the empires that lead it before the Elven. The history Human, Beastkin , Mer, Dwarf and Fae alike strive to keep in the shadows. Why else would such a large force wish the destruction of such a small stretch of land compared to what they already own?¡± ¡°How¡­how did you¡­¡± Draxxer¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°How does not matter, the real question is why. Why do you keep this from us? From your own people? From this country¡¯s people? Does the young Empress know? I know the churches do, I know the alliance knows too.¡± Birse¡¯s expression turned cold and rigid as he stared at Draxxer who¡¯s expression fell apart. ¡°Also, what would happen if they all found out? The real reason the military fights, the real reason the Devils want this kingdom. How their selfish Heroes ignore it all, cover it up and fight anyway. For what? Revenge?¡± ¡°No, for justice.¡± Draxxer replied. All three adventurers snorted and laughed at his response, ¡°Sure bud, whatever helps you sleep at night!¡± exclaimed Death. ¡°You¡¯d never understand, foolish children still stuck inside your game-like mentality.¡± Draxxer responded then began to chant ¡°Arclight rays of reality bend to my will¡± the light seemed to bend around him forming an eerily thin aura. ¡±Laws of existence ripple and bend to my touch.¡± He reached out for the light as his skin cracked and formed violet runic inscriptions all over his visible body. ¡±Ascendance of Chaos!¡± Draxxer ended his chant, ¡°You don¡¯t understand the true meaning of loss.¡± rapid bursts of mana began to continuously expel from his body. Birse replied with a smirk and began to chant just as Draxxer did ¡°Chilling grasp of the invisible beast engulf me, show me true sight, show me the next step, show me everything now and before. Kage no k¨­kei¡­¡± he briefly closed his eyes before opening them back wide and changed. Grey lines of mana formed around his eye sockets as a flame like shadow constantly spewed out of each, his eyes had gone pitch black with a white slit in the middle.
Author: This gonna be good http://www.yourepeat.com/watch/?v=Hj2vU2nr5Jw&start_at=31&end_at=275
Cherry and Death spread out as they slowly approached Draxxer, Birse stood back and vigilantly watched the fight. ¡°Cher parry left.¡± said Birse moments before Draxxer disappeared with a blast of snow, Cherry did so and parried Draxxer¡¯s too fast to see lunge. ¡°Death flame breath upwards.¡± Ordered Birse as Draxxer disappeared from Cherry and appeared slashing down onto Death who looked up and spewed fire at the oncoming attack. Draxxer was sent back reeling, his body covered in still smoking burn marks. He looked up at Birse ¡°How did you know?...¡±, Draxxer was moving too fast for anybody¡¯s eyes to follow but Birse seemed to know exactly what he¡¯d do the moment he did it. Birse smirked ¡°That won¡¯t work, oh that won¡¯t either and neither will the part after.¡± he spoke mockingly. Draxxer slashed at the air in front of him sending a rippling wave of violet mana at Birse who simply crouched under it, he disappeared then reappeared stabbing down at Birse¡¯s back as the shadows below him rose to life. A large hand made of shadows grew out of Birse¡¯s back and grabbed Draxxer¡¯s sword before a second from the ground punched him in the gut forcing him to back off. ¡°I told you, it won¡¯t work.¡± Birse stated as he stood up, a second hand of shadow appearing by his side. The hands were smaller than usual, about two meters in width but with a long curving arm making them much longer and flexible. ¡°Future sight?¡± Draxxer grimaced and raised his sword in front of himself ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re not quick enough to react to what you see! Chaos rush!¡± the runes on his body flared yellow as black lightning surged throughout his body. Birse smirked ¡°Not quick enough?¡± he stepped back just as Draxxer appeared slashing up and down several times, ¡°Time is not relative, only sight.¡± Birse replied as both arms were already at his back blocking Draxxer¡¯s stab, forcing the general to fall back and consider his options. Indeed time wasn¡¯t relevant to Birse¡¯s mastery skill, aptly named Shadow sight but in a different language due to Birse¡¯s secretive nature. Through his eyes he saw not just the near future but present and past as if watching a video recording of it all, he could fast forward, rewind and pause. Shadow sight changed as the actions taken by him, the observer, changed from what he¡¯d normally do without but this took a couple moments to ¡®update¡¯. As such this allowed Birse to predict his opponent¡¯s attacks before even they knew what they were about to do but when he changed his own actions to reflect those attacks the ¡®future¡¯ changed and therefore what he saw also needed to change. Birse chuckled as he watched through his Shadow sight, the next events unfolding clearly in his eyes (¡°If only Draxxer learned to switch it up a bit, Shadow sight is utterly useless against wild attacks like Sly¡¯s.¡±) he thought as he watched the general¡¯s expression turn to a frown as he thought over his next move. ¡°Oh please do, fill this area with rifts, tear up the ground, uproot the trees. Try as you might, there is nothing I cannot see coming.¡± Birse exclaimed with a mocking tone, ¡°Death fireball below¡± he then ordered just as Draxxer slashed open a rift in front of himself. Death leaped up and shot a fireball out of his staff down at the ground where the rift¡¯s exit appeared, Draxxer disappeared from the rift¡¯s entrance as the fireball flew out. ¡°Hiding? Seriously?¡± said Cherry with a deep guttural voice as he searched the forest around them. Birse sighed and pointed at one of the trees ¡°Sure looks like it¡±, he then signalled at Death to the tree¡¯s left. Cherry charged the tree and swung his war hammer around it, Draxxer leaped left and out of the way just as two fireballs collided with him. Both flaming balls of mana exploded and sent him crashing back, he stood up from the steaming snow and glared at Birse. ¡°Chaos charge.¡± Draxxer chanted causing the runes on his body to turn red, he lowered his stance and aimed his sword with both hands from his left. ¡°Chaos falls.¡± He then chanted causing a violet inferno to come alive all around him. ¡°Death flamebreath, Cher hammer throw.¡± said Birse as the violet flames around Draxxer began to flow into his sword. Death rushed in breathing fire upon Draxxer¡¯s position causing his violet flames to dissipate with the attack, Cherry followed by briefly spinning in place before launching his War hammer at Draxxer. Draxxer grimaced and parried the flying war hammer with his half flaming violet sword, his eyes then opened wide in surprise ¡°Im-possible..¡±. ¡°Quite possible actually.¡± responded Birse as he pulled out his gauntlet from Draxxer¡¯s back ¡°I will admit, your strength is higher than Cherry¡¯s and magical power stronger than Death¡¯s. But when it comes down to it neither matter if you cannot protect yourself with means other than speed and sword countering. Combat is nothing more than a game for me, a first person strategy game. And I¡¯m pretty damn good at those.¡± Blood and tendrils of shadow leaked out of the fist sized hole in Draxxer¡¯s back, the general fell to his knees as Cherry stepped up to him and retrieved his war hammer from the ground. Cherry raised the hammer high as he stared down at the kneeling soldier, grasping at his chest from the pain. ¡°You¡­cannot kill me¡­not¡­indefinitely!¡± Draxxer exclaimed in between gasps. Birse crouched down to his right and smiled coldly ¡°Wrong.¡±, Cherry¡¯s war hammer came down on the warrior once, twice, thrice, it took four smashing attacks with a giant war hammer wielded by an even more of a giant Bearkin to kill Draxxer. ¡°Cher¡­¡± Birse looked up at him still crouched down next to the squashed corpse of the general, blood and gore all over him. ¡°Sup?¡± Cherry responded with a smirk as he heaved his war hammer over the shoulder. ¡°You know, I didn¡¯t say kill him yet. Also¡­¡± Birse raised his hand up towards Cherry as blood dripped down ¡°You could have at least warned me I was about to partake in a blood bath. Fucking literally.¡± ¡°All according to plan then?¡± Cherry joked as Birse stood up. Birse looked up as the carriage slowly drifted down, the sole griffin barely able to hold it up on it¡¯s own ¡°Lilior did you get it?¡± he shouted up at the dungeon core. ¡°Yes master Birse, General Draxxer¡¯s soul is within my grasp. What shall I do with it though?¡± Lilior asked as her voice echoed out of the carriage. ¡°Prepare him for questioning, I have many things to ask our great hero.¡± Birse replied with a wicked grin. ¡°Okay! The prisoner will be prepared for interrogation!¡± Lilior responded innocently. Ch 52 - True History Sly within his demonic form carried Kyle and Soren down next to the carriage just as the invisibility spell was recast by Steph. The carriage was still falling down as one griffin held it up, the large winged beast was powerful enough to lower it safely. A wave of energy burst out from it stopping a couple meters away from them, the cloaking spell was an area of effect magic. Kyle hopped off the Devil just as it landed ¡°Yo Birse, what happened?¡± he asked after jogging over to him, Death and Cherry. ¡°Draxxer did, we¡¯ve dealt with him. As I predicted he came to stop us and as predicted he underestimated us.¡± said Birse as he waved the others to come by, Soren ran over as Sly shrunk down to his normal form and did so too. ¡°What now?¡± asked Sly as he watched their only griffin land on the carriage¡¯s roof. ¡°Yo Kyl is your mana high enough to make a golem?¡± Asked Soren as he inspected the chains on the front, they had been cleanly cut through. Kyle checked his mana ¡°Nothing large.¡± he then responded while taking out a core from his inventory, a green crystal twice the size of his fist. Soren nodded ¡°Something with strong legs, we¡¯ll push the carriage the rest of the way. I¡¯ll get some wheels up, Sly help me.¡± ¡°Aight.¡± Replied Sly as he followed the Dwarf over to the nearest tree, they began to chop down the lower branches. ¡°Death you go help Steph and Seren keep the cloaking spell up.¡± Birse ordered as he watched the two work ¡°Cher take a breather, Kyll how far can you sense people?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Kyle spread out his spirit detection as he summoned slime to surround the core in his hands and slowly moulded the golem. ¡°If I¡¯m just looking for a presence without knowing location it¡¯s about a kilometre, if I want to know the location of each presence then¡­400 meters? A perimeter of about 400 meters.¡± He then replied. Birse looked surprised ¡°That¡¯s pretty damn useful, can you keep it up for long?¡± ¡°Yeah, It¡¯s maxed out too.¡± Kyle responded with little interest as he continued to form his golem. ¡°You have a maxed out skill? How? When did you max it out?¡± Birse asked as he watched the creation of a golem. ¡°Dunno.¡± Kyle stated honestly ¡°Guess I¡¯ve had it for a while, just been locked away¡­The nogitsune and all¡­Same with my memories, I¡¯ve been remembering things¡­¡± Birse raised his hands ¡°Alright I¡¯ll back off, it¡¯s not healthy to keep everything to yourself though. If you need an ear, well don¡¯t look at me I¡¯ll tell you that much.¡± He told him with a smirk. Kyle chuckled ¡°Don¡¯t need to tell me, there it¡¯s done.¡±, he finished with the shaping the golem ¡°Now to name it¡­¡±. The golem looked like a buffalo, although slightly larger it was still only half the size of the griffin. Made entirely of blue condensed slime to save mana, the buffalo golem was entirely one colour. ¡°Got it, you¡¯ll be named Slimeaffalo.¡± Kyle stated causing the golem creation to end, the creature coming to ¡®life¡¯ in front of them awaited commands to be given by it¡¯s creator. Both turned around just as Soren began to chop and shape the wood him and Sly collected, using his two axes to chop and Sly¡¯s daggers to carve and shape. With the sheer size of the branches making a wheel wasn¡¯t difficult but the carriage was simply too large for what wheels he could easily cut off and adding too many wheels made it harder to turn. So with Sly¡¯s guidance Soren carved off straight planks of wood from the branches and bent them into a circle making use of the branch¡¯s length at their advantage. This was done several times with multiple carvings each longer than the last to create four large wooden wheels made of several layers of thin wood. Each layer was held together solely by Kyle¡¯s condensed slime due to Soren and Sly being unable to think of anything else. Soren sighed as he grabbed a dagger and some more left over wood ¡°Alright now we need to add spokes and a hub.¡± he got back to carving. ¡°How do you know how to make this crap anyway?¡± Asked Birse as him, Cherry and Kyle watched. ¡°Back in rune shock me and Soren use to mess around with siege weapon crafting. Didn¡¯t we ever tell you about it?¡± Sly asked as he helped Soren hold a branch down for chopping. ¡°Huh, I wondered where those artillery cannons came from¡­¡± Kyle mused. ¡°We created those! Can you believe nobody thought to come up with something other than catapults?!¡± exclaimed Soren with a laugh. The game they speak of was of course their main attention, the game where they created their legacy as a guild. Realism was a great part of Rune shock online, allowing it¡¯s players to gain many skills through the motion control system which included realistic combat. Albeit not being a VR game, Rune shock had stayed highly popular due to it¡¯s genre as an MMORPG and one of the only three of that genre remaining. That game brought all of them together, and that same game was what Kyle was currently thinking of as Soren and Sly worked. He thought back to the creation of his body, the fairy he met then and how different she seemed to the next time he ¡®met¡¯ Liliana. The machines supposedly used to transfer their souls to this world were created by the parent company of Rune shock online, that same company advertised this world as one of the many virtual reality games created by them and other companies. ¡°Our predecessors¡­¡± Kyle thought out loud as he stared up at the sky. ¡°Hmm? Something wrong?¡± Birse asked as he briefly glanced over at him then back at his trusty craftsmen. ¡°I was just thinking out loud, I mean look at us now. A week ago we were some nobodies sitting around on a chair and staring all day at a monitor and AR garbage.¡± Kyle sighed then smirked ¡°Now here we are, in a world of magic and fantasy so similar to the game we all gathered at.¡± ¡°Enemies left and right, people out to kill us wherever we go. Not so different from back then, other than the improved realism and graphics that is.¡± Joked Sly as he helped Soren stack the third finished wheel. ¡°I thought games had better graphics than reality Sly?¡± joked back Soren with a chuckle. Sly jabbed the Dwarf in the shoulder ¡°Oi I was talking about anime back then, I swear it¡¯s like I¡¯m talking to damn wall.¡± ¡°Oi back to work you two.¡± mocked Birse as he grinned at them. ¡°Fuck you, you wanna carry this shit?¡± replied Sly as he held the fourth wheel while Soren worked on it. Kyle smiled as they bickered but his mind remained focused on his previous thoughts (¡°What is that connection¡­Who is Scythe?...Why did he send all of us here? Why not just the heroes? What is his goal?¡±) these questions floated through his mind as he tried to reasonably answer them. ¡°Done. Yo CH get that beast to hover the carriage up while we attach them!¡± Exclaimed Soren as him and Sly rolled the large wheels over to the carriage. ¡°On it chap.¡± Responded Ch who was still riding the last remaining griffin, with a pull on it¡¯s reins he made it take flight and began to heave up the carriage ¡°Hurry up! Don¡¯t know how long it will last.¡± ¡°Yo Kyll start chaining that golem to the front!¡± Sly shouted out as he carried two large wheels on his back. ¡°Kay.¡± Kyle walked over to the front of the carriage as it hovered, he thought of the golem following him and so the blue buffalo did. He stood by the large beast of a golem and formed chains of Elder frost slime around it¡¯s neck and all the way to the carriage. He then used his free hand to form the same chains bound to the already existing short chain that once held to the lead griffin.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. He bound the two chains together ¡°Done, how about you two?¡± ¡°Two wheels down.¡± Replied Soren as him and Sly moved the other two to the other side of the carriage. Kyle took a long glance at the already placed wheels, they had somehow melted the metal on the edge of the carriage that made up it¡¯s design and reformed it into a large thick nail who¡¯s head held the wheel in place. Kyle then realised something ¡°Wait¡­¡±, he walked over to the other side of the carriage and watched as Soren used his gauntlet¡¯s heat to literally melt the metal and then formed it with his hands. Soren then cast a weak ice spell to quickly cool down the metal. ¡°Hey¡­guys¡­you know I could have just told Lilior to give us wheels¡­right?¡± Kyle told them as they put the last wheel in place. Both Soren and Sly looked up at him and then back at the makeshift wheel just as the griffin lowered the carriage back down to the ground. All wheels either broke or the carriage broke where the nails were forced in. ¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡± said Sly. ¡°Yeah let¡¯s.¡± agreed Soren. Birse simply laughed hysterically having already seen what would happen with his still active mastery skill. Kyle sighed as he held his face in resignation ¡°Lilior, give us some wheels.¡± ¡°Master I do not know what these ¡®Wheels¡¯ you are referring to are. I have not been following the conversation at hand.¡± Replied the core. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Kyle had forgotten that the dungeon didn¡¯t have basic understanding of almost everything. He pointed down at the least broken wheel ¡°With your magic perception you should be able to see this broken part here, if you paid attention to it¡¯s construction earlier you should tell what I mean. This is a wheel-¡± Kyle suddenly glanced around the forest ¡°A squad of eight Avians, they just started patrolling this area.¡± he reported. ¡°Are they closing in on our position?¡± asked Birse. ¡°No, so far they¡¯re just scouring the forest.¡± Answered Kyle as he focused on his skill ¡°Lilior do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes master I will make better wheels!¡± The core replied innocently much to Sly and Soren¡¯s chagrin. They watched as aqua-blue mana materialized four wheels while making a small crater around them to clear the snow from it¡¯s way. ¡°Lilior make sure the two wheels on the front can mildly turn left to right, use the system I showed you with doors.¡± Sly told the dungeon. The dungeon¡¯s mana flowed around the part connecting the wheels to the fixed carriage and added a swivel to it ¡°Like that?¡± Lilior then asked. ¡°Yeah that works.¡± replied Soren as he checked the swivel. Birse looked up at the griffin ¡°Ch unchain that thing and bring it to the front.¡± ¡°Should I bring the chain with?¡± Ch asked as he unmounted the now calm griffin. ¡°Yeah, better not waste more mana than necessary.¡± Kyle was the one who answered as he stood ready by the front to receive the chain. Ch uncoupled the end of the two chains and threw them down to Kyle who had to step back to not get knocked out by the large thick metal ¡°Yo Ch, a warning next time?¡± said Kyle as he grabbed the two chains and reconnected them to the swivel hooks that use to connect the others. ¡°Like what? Chains ahoy?¡± Joked Ch as he remounted the griffin. ¡°Lumber works apparently!¡± shouted Sly who was at the back of the carriage where two double doors were located, the only entrance into the carriage other than the hatch to the roof. ¡°Fuck off!¡± replied Kyle with a smirk. ¡°I thought it was timber?¡± said CH as he moved the griffin to leap down to the front of the carriage, the majestic creature proceeded to inspecting the slime golem by licking it¡¯s horns. Kyle noticed the griffin¡¯s behaviour ¡°Uhh¡­Ch what¡¯s it-¡±, the griffin ripped off a horn and kept it in it¡¯s beak as it moved back into position. ¡°Think it wanted a treat?¡± offered CH as he stared down at the griffin licking away at the frozen slime, it¡¯s eyes began to dilate ¡°I think I know why this one wasn¡¯t a lead¡­¡±. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving!¡± ordered Birse from inside the carriage. ¡°You heard him, I¡¯ll give you command over the golem.¡± Kyle placed his left palm on the Slimeaffalo ¡°Transfer command to CHfarms. Done, all yours.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll¡­yeah I¡¯m just gonna let it have the icicle.¡± Ch replied still staring down at the dumb griffin. Kyle waved him off ¡°I¡¯ll be inside.¡± He walked over to the back of the carriage, opened the doors and stepped inside. Everyone else stood, sat or lay inside around the dungeon core, the large aqua-blue crystal barely fitting inside the carriage. Dagon stood with his back to the wall and arms crossed, he quietly glared at Sly who was still within his body albeit some differences. ¡°So did Lilior get him?¡± Kyle asked just as the carriage began to move with a minor bump. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s got him.¡± Answered Birse as he stood staring into the core, Death, Seren and Woody stood all around it as well casting mana into the core which then flowed into Steph who was channelling the cloaking spell. Skill jumped inside from the hatch in the corner of the ceiling ¡°How you holding newbie?¡± he asked Sparta as she anxiously stared out the window. ¡°How far till we get wherever we¡¯re going?¡± she asked back. ¡°About an hour if we¡¯re lucky, saw a lot of adventurers coming over Helix while we flew around.¡± Replied Sly who was laying down on a bench. Cherry and Soren sat nearby also taking a break. ¡°I¡¯ve detected movement but they¡¯re all far from us, can¡¯t tell if they are Avians or adventurers though. Height is difficult to discern.¡± Explained Kyle as he stepped to stand near the core with the others. ¡°Well we¡¯ve got time to kill so let¡¯s bring him forth, since Dagon won¡¯t tell us everything and we cannot possibly force such an important figure to do so. We¡¯ll simply force a less important figure.¡± Stated Birse with a smirk ¡°Lilior, bring Draxxer out.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Replied Lilior as her mana flowed out and took ethereal form. It morphed and formed a humanoid body which then began to take colour. Draxxer Blade appeared in front of them, quiet, emotionless and unmoving. ¡°So whatever we ask he must tell us, right?¡± asked Birse as he glanced at Kyle then back at the unmoving dungeon monster. Kyle nodded ¡°Yeah, his mind is under complete control of Lilior. He cannot lie but we need to be very specific with the questions, am I right Lilior?.¡± ¡°You are master!¡± Lilior replied happily ¡±This human wasn¡¯t very smart to start with, now he¡¯s a shell with memories and motions. No thoughts pass through his non-existent mind.¡± she then mused. ¡°It will have to do, once we¡¯re done with him you¡¯re free to fully absorb his soul.¡± said Birse as he waved his hand in front of Draxxer¡¯s face. ¡°Okay!¡± happily replied Lilior as Draxxer raised his arms up in a ¡®Hooray!¡¯ gesture. ¡°That¡¯s just creepy¡­¡± whispered Sparta as she watched from the corner bench. ¡°I think it¡¯s hilarious.¡± said Seren as she held back a laugh. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s time we all got some answers. Full answers.¡± said Birse making the others quiet down ¡°Draxxer, why does the Dezol want to take over this small land so much?¡± Draxxer lowered his hands and began to speak in a monotone voice ¡°This land was once theirs.¡± ¡°Tell us how they lost it, in short explain the events and setting with our current knowledge in mind.¡± asked Birse. Draxxer briefly remained quiet before speaking again ¡°Before the Elven empire was formed through their grand quest, a quest started by their Goddess of creation Durga. The Human, Beastkin and Dwarven kingdoms were the largest of Chaoz. The continent of Il¡¯tel was once owned by both Human and Elves while the Beastkin were the strongest kingdom on the continent of Hasharr which is now owned by the Orcs and Ogres. Back then the continent of Barik was completely owned by the Devils and their Demonic cousins, it was their birth and home land. This was almost a thousand years ago, when the continent of Barik was three times as large as it is today and completely covered in ice. Devils and Demons alike were under heavy disdain by the main kingdoms of Human, Beastkin and Dwarf due to their grotesque appearances. Going as far as categorising them as monsters, denying them their place as an enlightened race. The Devils and Demons ignored this fact and for many generations remained living cut off from the rest of Chaoz, worshipping their Goddess of shadows and balance, Hel. Hel, she was their creator. Back before the creation of Chaoz and during the God wars they were her soldiers, her army. During those times many grudges were made between the Gods and Goddesses, one of the most profound grudges was between Hel and the six worshipped by the Humans and Beastkin and Devi who¡¯s worshipped by the Elves. The Gods of Fire, Earth, Water and the Goddesses of Wind, Darkness, Light along with Devi. These seven Deities couldn¡¯t stand their foe¡¯s children sharing a world with their own. As per the rules set by the Avatar they couldn¡¯t push them into extinction but they had other plans in mind. With the promise of more land and further riches the three kingdoms of Dwarf, Human and Beastkin along with the Elven raiders invaded Barik -Or as it was once called, Tempres- and laid waste to the land. Using high sorcery of fire and holy they massacred billions of Demons while slaying their Devil nobles, forever scarring the land and it¡¯s people. The survivors were then gathered and dumped into a portal, another plane of existence owned by the Goddess of Darkness, the plane of Nox.¡± Draxxer finished his telling. ¡°And now they¡¯ve returned to lay waste to their lands and take back theirs.¡± mused Birse, he glanced at Dagon ¡°Anything to add prince?¡±. Dagon closed his eyes and remained quiet, Birse snorted in response ¡°Fine fine, we know the rest anyway.¡± Birse turned to face the others ¡°Through intel I¡¯ve gained, I can confirm all that we¡¯ve just heard to be true which therefore further proves these next facts to be just as true. The cause of the Elven insurrection which created the Elven empire was due to the same reason the Devils and Demons were kicked out of Chaoz. The Humans and Beastkin mistreated the Elven race horribly, causing the uprising and the start of their grand quest. I believe the Dezol will not stop with just Ruk and Barik, I believe they plan to next attack the Elven empire. Why? Because the Elves as we¡¯ve just heard aided the Human, Dwarf and Beastkin in the fall of their home, albeit also being mistreated by the stronger races.¡± ¡°Lilior mute Dagon.¡± said Kyle causing Dagon to disappear, he gained everyone¡¯s attention ¡°So our choice next will be whether we truly side with the Dezol or side with the Elves?¡± Birse nodded ¡°Both empires are powerful but the Elves seem to be better set. The question is which empire would profit us most. Our goal is, in the end, to finish this grand quest. So those that wish to go home can and those that wish to stay won¡¯t have to worry about Godly interruption or persecution.¡± ¡°Which the Elves would provide with the latter¡­¡± said Cherry solemnly. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re not very fond of other races either.¡± agreed Kyle. ¡°Worst case scenario we go to Husharr and settle with the Ogres or Orcs. Everyone agreed?¡± Birse asked gesturing at everyone. Everyone either nodded, raised a thumb up or as Sly simply agreed with a ¡®Meh sure.¡¯ Birse turned back to the immobile Draxxer ¡°Now, one more thing we need to ask. Since you¡¯ve already muted the prince, we might as well. Draxxer, what is the alliance preparing to fight off the Dezol?¡± Everyone¡¯s attention turned back to the dungeon¡¯s puppet. Ch 53 - Beware what the fox says. ¡°Tell me Draxxer, how will the Barik alliance break through that barrier? My intel tells me you¡¯ve found a way.¡± Birse asked as he waited expectantly. Draxxer¡¯s mouth opened to speak but briefly stopped there as if he was resisting ¡°Au-ra poisoning.¡± He then murmured. ¡°Lilior what¡¯s that about?¡± Kyle asked seeing the strange reaction. ¡°He is resisting my control master, It¡¯s over now.¡± Lilior explained. Birse nodded ¡°Draxxer, explain this aura poisoning.¡± This time Draxxer replied just as monotone as earlier ¡°Aura poisoning utilizes the will-powered mana that flows around one¡¯s body and magic we call Aura. It is mana that is too agreeable with one¡¯s nature making it unstorable by the soul, therefore it oozes out and flows around it¡¯s owner. Through the use of certain poisons created by the mage guilds we will poison the caster of the barrier through their Aura that flows around the barrier itself. Nothing can protect them from this method, it is a sure way to kill them.¡± Sly stood up ¡°Yo that¡¯s just unfair and nasty!¡± ¡°True. Still we have to give it to them, they know more about mana than we ever will.¡± said Birse with a weary sigh, ¡°Now we have another bargaining chip with Lucifer though.¡± he then stated with a smirk. ¡°Bargaining with THE Devil¡­Don¡¯t like the odds bro.¡± said Death. Birse hummed in thought ¡°I couldn¡¯t find much about the Dezol¡¯s past except that they had one but¡­ What Draxxer said earlier. The empires slew their Devil lords, does that mean Lucifer is the only survivor of those ¡®Lords¡¯ or a descendant?¡± he pondered over that question briefly ¡°Lilior summon back Dagon, everybody else let me speak.¡± He then ordered. Dagon reappeared just as he previously was, quiet, back to the wall and slightly more annoyed. ¡°Dagon.¡± Birse called out to him ¡°I¡¯m curious about something, were the Human, Dwarven, Beastkin and Elven raiders really able to kill all of your Devil lords back then? Where there no survivors at all of lordship?¡± Dagon snorted ¡°Of course there were, their descendants were left alive only because they hid in between the common folk. Those descendants grew up and continued the linage of rulers, one of them was my ancestor the great Demon lord Lucifer Morningstar¡¯s son.¡± Birse frowned at this explanation ¡°So your father was named after the first lord?¡± Dagon glanced around the carriage then shrugged ¡°I see no harm in informing you of our history, very well I¡¯ll tell you. No my father wasn¡¯t named after the great Demon lord, my father IS the great Demon lord himself.¡± Kyle took a step back and sat down trying to comprehend what he had just heard. Birse took a step back as well from the confusion ¡°But¡­wasn¡¯t he killed along with the other lords?...Like a thousand years ago? You Devils can live that long?¡± Dagon glanced up as he scratched his head ¡°It is¡­difficult to explain. You see Devil lords are both mortal and immortal. Our bodies have an expiration date but our souls are forever, it does take a very long time to build up our bodies though. When a Devil lord dies our soul returns to the Abyss, a horrifying place created by the Avatar for the cruel deeds we accomplished during the God wars. My sister Abaddon, she is probably there right now and will be for decades to come. When our time in the Abyss passes though, one of our descendants is chosen to inhabit our souls. That body the nutcase is inhabiting is one of my descendants, my ¡®father¡¯ is inhabiting one of his descendants as well. To explain it further, there is two kinds of Devils. There is Demon lords or Devil royalty like me, Abaddon, Lilith, Legion, Belial and Lucifer. Then there is Devil descendants or Devillings like your friend here, who are the ones we now inhabit. I am one of the second generation Demon lords like Abaddon, Lilith and Legion not the mortal sins like Lucifer. My memories from the past though, do not follow me. I am basically a new Devil with the power and name of who I was at the start but after death only our memories from the Abyss follow us back into life. And to clear any further confusion, Lucifer isn¡¯t truly my father. His shell is the father of the shell I was inhabiting, my memories are of him being my father yet my soul isn¡¯t his soul¡¯s son. As for Abaddon, she is Lucifer¡¯s soul daughter yet she isn¡¯t my soul¡¯s sister, only in body she is. Does that explain it?¡± Birse stared at him baffled ¡°I¡­think so?¡± Dagon chuckled, a cold wicked chuckle ¡°Our souls are connected differently than our bodies are, for instance. The body I inhabited was the older brother to the body Belial is now inhabiting, his soul though makes him my soul¡¯s uncle. Lucifer is similar to me as is Belial, his soul is the uncle to my soul. It is far less confusing than it sounds.¡± Kyle stood back up ¡°Wait does that mean Belial is actually something else than a son to Lucifer?¡± Dagon nodded ¡°Indeed. Lucifer being one of the first Demon lords, a mortal sin of pride. Is in actuality the same standing as Belial who is also one of the first Demon lords, a mortal sin of vanity. But due to how reincarnation works, we had to set a system of hierarchy else it would be chaos. Due to Belial¡¯s body being young he won¡¯t be allowed to rule until he reaches maturity, until then he is below Lucifer who¡¯s body is fully matured as a Devil. As for Abaddon, her sister Lilith¡¯s body is younger than her but her soul is older. Same with Legion, he is the same age as Abaddon both in body and soul. All three of them are actually Lucifer¡¯s children by soul, now also body.¡± Sly laid back down ¡°My head hurts¡­I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m gonna take a nap¡­¡±, everyone else had also either ignored his explanation or couldn¡¯t be assed to comprehend. Birse sighed deeply as he massaged his eyes ¡°Okay, so Lucifer is actually Lucifer¡­¡± ¡°Something doesn¡¯t make sense¡± Kyle suddenly said ¡±then how do you all know about reincarnation if your memories from before don¡¯t follow you? Is it recorded somewhere?¡± who seemed to be the only one to have fully understood the Devil. Soren looked at him ¡°You understood that shit?¡± he whispered. Kyle shrugged ¡°Yeah¡­you didn¡¯t?...¡± he whispered back. Soren coughed ¡°Sure¡­I did¡­¡± and looked away. Dagon continued his explanation ¡°Simply put? The original Demon lords, the Devils who hold the title of mortal sin, remember it all.¡± ¡°Okay wait one moment, by mortal sins I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re talking about the seven deadly sins in our mythology records?¡± asked Birse. ¡°Your world gathers too much history from even before the God wars.¡± said Dagon with a sigh ¡°Too much of history has been warped into fantasy and tales of myth due to your lack of and understanding of magic. There is eight mortal sins, not seven. There is though seven Dezol legions due to Belial being too young to gather his own.¡± He then mused. ¡°Ehh¡­so most of the mythology is the same in reality then? Lucifer is a fallen angel? Are angels even a thing?¡± Birse asked, pushing for more information. Dagon sighed ¡°I¡¯m afraid that explanation would be much more confusing. Unlike Demons who are an actual god created race, us Devils are¡­different. I guess I can use Lucifer as an example¡­¡± he thought for a couple moments before continuing ¡°Angels do exist yes and are a race created by the God¡­actually I cannot pronounce their name with this language¡­Anyway, Lucifer was once an angel. An Arche Angel to be exact, the big bullies over in Heaven. But ended up falling to mortality due to a falling out with his brethren. He was then banished to the realm of Demons, the underworld also known as the nine levels of Hell. That was the Demon¡¯s original realm before and around the God wars. Within that realm Lucifer changed and became what is known as a Devil, a race that one evolves into. Within Hell there were already others to have fallen from their original races and became Devils. These along with Lucifer were the mortal sins, immortal beings moulded into who they are through their sins of when and what they were before. Lucifer for their pride, Belial for their vanity, Asmodeus for their lust, Mammon for their greed, Leviathan for their envy, Beezlebub for their gluttony, Satan for their wrath and Belphegor for their sloth. They are the first and strongest of us Devils, which after the God wars we were allowed to be part of Chaoz through the begging of our lady Hel to the Avatar.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. The Avatar though, as I just said, put up an additional cost for our freedom. The Abyss if we died.¡± ¡°A freedom which was then stolen by the other races of Chaoz¡­¡± mused Kyle ¡°Where were you sent then? Draxxer said something about the ¡®plane of Nox¡¯?¡± Dagon grimaced, as if the very memory disgusted him ¡°The godly plane of Nox¡­I admit the Abyss before each reincarnation was a fair price to pay for the things we did during the God wars but¡­Not even the solitude and eternal unchange in the Abyss compares to ¡®Her¡¯ plane. The Abyss was dark but that place¡­darkness was all it had, endless darkness. We were blind, voiceless and unable to hear anything at all. If it wasn¡¯t for the guidance of the mortal sins through their aura we might have perished there, although it did take many decades for them to reincarnate¡­¡± Dagon stared at Kyle ¡°Tell me Fox, do you know what it means to starve? To truly starve? We had no sight or hearing which drove many to madness¡­and only one way to gain nourishment... Many proud Demon sub-races were extinguished in that darkness but not because of starvation¡­¡± Dagon clenched his fists as his expression warped in disgust. ¡°You¡­you ate them?¡± Kyle asked horrified. Dagon chuckled coldly ¡°What other choice did we have? Yes we ate them, not just that. We farmed them, the weaker Demon races were subdued and forced into becoming cattle.¡± His grimace returned as his gaze fell down to his still clenched fists ¡°I still remember my reincarnation there, I was one of the first to die during the battle for Tempres therefore I was also one of the first to reincarnate into Nox¡¯s plane of darkness. The sudden hunger and thirst. The weakness engulfing my entire body, the sickness driving me to the ground. The insanity that followed.¡± Most would have stopped questioning Dagon by then, Birse included nudged Kyle to cut it out but¡­ ¡°I must agree then, with your cause that is.¡± stated Kyle as he continued his acting, a disgusted fa?ade over his face to gain the Devil¡¯s trust. Dagon looked back up at him ¡°And I do not blame you for your feelings of disgust, we disgust ourselves. The things we did to survive, all for the hope of returning¡­for the hope of vengeance.¡± Kyle turned his expression into a stern fa?ade as he stepped towards Dagon ¡°You have every right, what they did to you is beyond morality. Now here you are however you did get out, only a wall and a small army between you and gaining it.¡± He gestured back towards where Helix was. ¡°The wall of mana isn¡¯t what stands in our way, it¡¯s the men defending it.¡± said Dagon followed by an exasperated sigh. ¡°Our legion is broken, cut off from supply and reinforcements. The other legions are too busy with the Elves and the Dwarves to come to our aid of their own volition.¡± Birse stepped back, leaving Kyle to do his thing (¡°Dwarves? So, as I thought¡­¡±). ¡°That is why we can help, we do not want the Elves in power and we¡¯ve definitely had enough with Esfelt and their alliance!¡± Exclaimed Kyle with dramatically open arms ¡°As a sign of good will we haven¡¯t tempered with you other than giving ourselves privacy, you accepted to guide us through the barrier and set up a meeting with Lucifer but that doesn¡¯t help us enough. Dagon we need you to help us speak with Lucifer, the problems that have gone on between us may be too much for him to overlook. We need a neutral party to aid us, else I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t accept our help.¡± Dagon studied Kyle with scrutiny, he saw an almost stern expression with plea and worry mixed in. ¡°I have a condition.¡± said Dagon after seeing no hostility within Kyle¡¯s expression. ¡°All you need to do is ask, if it is within our power and doesn¡¯t cause any of us harm.¡± Kyle replied as he glanced back at Birse who nodded. Dagon looked at Draxxer¡¯s immobile appearance ¡°Give him to us, I will then give you my full support.¡± Kyle also looked at Draxxer, the man being nothing more than Lilior¡¯s puppet. Unless Lilior allowed it then nothing and nobody could remove a soul from a dungeon without destroying the dungeon and fully freeing that soul. Kyle being the Dungeon Lord had a certain power of Lilior, making Draxxer his puppet¡¯s puppet. ¡°We agree to those terms as long as it doesn¡¯t mean handing over our dungeon.¡± said Birse as he watched for Dagon¡¯s reaction. Dagon nodded ¡°Fa- Lucifer can bend the man¡¯s soul, we have no need for a dungeon. Although our military prowess would indeed flourish from having one.¡± He then mused while gazing at the core. ¡°I am the Dungeon lord, with us on your side makes the Dungeon part of your military.¡± declared Kyle with a friendly smile. ¡°Then it is agreed.¡± replied Dagon as he wore a stern expression to hide the pain that came with his memories, ¡°I Dagon Venus forward my full su-¡± The carriage suddenly trembled violently sending everyone except Draxxer and Dagon tumbling over, the dungeon core remained immobile.
Your golem [Slimaffalo] has been slain!
Raid member [CHfarms] has been killed!
¡°The fuck was that?!¡± asked Birse as he kicked Soren off him and stood up. Ch respawned in a dim flash of blue light next to the core ¡°Guys, we might have a small problem¡­¡± ¡°Shit! The cloaking!¡± declared Steph as she quickly stood back up and began re casting, Seren, Woody and Death also joined in. ¡°What happened? I don¡¯t detect anybody close by!¡± asked Kyle as he held onto the bench to pull himself from the floor. ¡°Well¡­¡± Ch¡¯s expression was slightly pale. Suddenly a voice reverberated through the carriage from the outside ¡°I Lilith Venus, first daughter of the Demon lord and First sin Lucifer, demand you come out!¡± a young female voice declared angrily. Dagon took a deep breath ¡°It¡¯s her¡­¡± he muttered calmly, he looked at Kyle ¡°Dungeon lord, allow me to move outside the carriage and speak with her.¡± Kyle nodded and rushed to stand then to the ladder that took to the carriage¡¯s second floor, another ladder lay in the middle of that floor. Quickly he climbed up the ladder followed by multiple others, Birse, Sly, Soren, Cherry, Ch and Skill followed up behind him. As Kyle dashed to the edge of the roof Dagon appeared beside him. Down below where the griffin and his golem once stood was a crater of gore. Blood, feathers, slime, pelt, limbs and organs were scattered across a splatter of a crater, Lilith stood in the middle of that crater glaring up at them. A young female- about thirteen in age- with milky white skin, long braided black hair with strands of green, pitch black eyes, two black stubs for horns and a short devilish tail. Lilith wore a long sleeved plain black dress that reached down to her feet, the sleeves continued on into black gloves with a green scythe knitted into the wrist similar to the green scythe design on her black shoes or the giant green scythe resting on her left shoulder while she held onto it with both hands. The scythe was made entirely of bones, the pole a giant spine and the blade a sharpened shoulder-blade of equal size and unnatural length. It glowed with a bright green aura that seemed to be contained within it rather than flowing outwards as it was it¡¯s nature to do. Upon seeing Dagon she grimaced ¡°For killing my sister and brother then banishing my sister¡¯s soul. You shall resign your lives to me. Release Dagon and I will kill you less slowly than I would otherwise!¡± she twirled the scythe to her side as if the colossal weapon weighed nothing. Dagon stepped over the edge and fell down to stand in front of her ¡°Miss Lilith please calm down, my soul is well and so is your body¡¯s brother. They aren¡¯t to blame for Abaddon¡¯s demise and you know well who is to blame for your body¡¯s sister.¡± Sly felt his face pale as she briefly glared up at him then moved to study the others ¡°I think they care for their bodies more than we initially thought¡­¡± he whispered to Birse. Lilith faced Dagon again ¡°Doesn¡¯t change the fact that their dungeon enslaved both you and Abaddon, how are they not to blame?¡± ¡°This dungeon isn¡¯t the same one that enslaved miss Abaddon, I questioned the short ones, it was an undead dungeon that did so. You can check for yourself, this dungeon contains no Dread.¡± Dagon explained, his expression also slightly paler than usual. Lilith¡¯s expression seemed to cool down, along with it the aura emanating from her scythe dimmed ¡°And your enslavement? I care not for Legion¡¯s failure like father does, but enslaving a Devil no matter what bloodline is a direct insult to us all.¡±. The green aura around her scythe began to shine brighter causing Dagon to flinch ¡°It was all a misunderstanding.¡± he urged on. The aura dimmed again ¡°And the insult to our lady?¡± she then asked. ¡°Her majesty went too far with her speech, another misunderstanding ensued causing the dark hero to fall for a soul wail due to her actions. You do remember lord Belial¡¯s affliction at the loss of his companion? A similar occurrence.¡± Dagon explained calmly. With another twirl the scythe dissipated into green smoke leaving Lilith¡¯s hands free, she crossed them and continued to ask ¡°Hmph, very well. Then why are they here?¡±. ¡°The dark hero of Frost and Devilling hero of dagger.¡± As Dagon spoke those words Lilith was the one to flinch ¡°Along with their comrades, have offered to join our cause. They also bring a gift, the soul of the old hero of the blessed blade.¡± ¡°And information about what the alliance plans to do next.¡± Birse cut in. Lilith glared up at him ¡°Hmph! I did not ask you, human, did I? Refrain from barking your vile crevasse at me.¡± She looked back down at Dagon and considered their words as Sly and Soren pulled Birse out of sight while holding his mouth shut as he tried to talk back. ¡°You trust them, Dagon?¡± she then asked sternly. Dagon glanced up at them, Sly, Soren and Cherry barely visible while holding Birse down. ¡°Trust them? That I do not but not because they aren¡¯t worth my trust. That they are, from what I¡¯ve seen they are selfish but not as individuals. They are selfish as a group as they look out for themselves no matter the cost, be it the death itself. That makes them worth my trust. Yet I do not trust them and that¡¯s solely because they have proven themselves untrustable through their pinpoint conceit and intellect. I believe trusting them is a wager but a wager with a hefty outcome.¡± He looked back at Lilith ¡°I will wager on them, the outcome be it whatever it will be.¡± Lilith scrutinized Dagon for a couple long moments, she then frowned and squinted as her mouth trembled. A slightly high pitched but wholehearted laugh left Lilith as she leaned over and held her stomach. It was moments later that she regained her composure, as she wiped a tear off her eyelashes Lilith faced a baffled Dagon and company. ¡°Very well then, I shall take you up on your wager. Let us see what father thinks of it. Adventurers, Heroes.¡± She called out to them while turning around ¡°Continue on but thread carefully, I do not stand a comparison to a mortal sin.¡± As Lilith walked away Kyle inspected her after he snapped out of his daze of fear and shock caused by her sudden outburst of chilling laughter.
{Devil} Lilith Venus (Devilish Reaper) (First of morning¡¯s star) [Level 224]
He almost tripped off the carriage at what he inspected, Lilith was even higher level than Abaddon who was weakened by dungeon¡¯s enslavement. They had barely held a candle to Abaddon¡¯s sheer strength and had to resort to numbers and unorthodox methods to defeat Dagon who was even lower level. And Lilith had just said that she didn¡¯t compare to a mortal sin, which made Kyle wonder not just how powerful this Lucifer was but how powerful the Elven empire was to hold their own against multiple Devils. ¡°Uhhh¡­So how do we move the carriage now?¡± asked Ch as he pointed down at the carnage. Lilith stopped moving and her shoulders slightly rose ¡°You can push it yourselves?¡±, her face was blushed as she continued to walk away. Dagon sighed and look up at them ¡°Tell the nutcase to do it, his Demonic form can easily push this light weight.¡± he told them before disappearing. ¡°Wait what!?¡± exclaimed Sly as he rose up from the floor after being knocked down by Birse, who seemed to have calmed down. ¡°Nah Soren and Cher can help out too, you¡¯re all our strength builds.¡± said Birse as he gestured for them to move, ¡°Come on boys, we need some beasts of burden.¡± he wore a wicked smirk making Kyle wonder just how calm he actually was. Ch 54 - Introductions are key. Kyle solemnly watched as the black wall of the barrier covered their horizon, they were approaching it¡¯s edge. Lilith had long disappeared while Dagon, him, Birse and Skill stood above the carriage as Sly in his Aurei form, Cherry in his beast form pushed the carriage from behind as Soren stood at the open-door relaying directions. Kyle was above them, the back of the carriage¡¯s roof. ¡°Wait so, you need to be almost dead to enter your Devil form?¡± he asked Sly while reading over the skill window he forwarded to him.
[{Deus Ex Machina}] (Set skill stats) : The destroyer has seen it fit to imbue you with her curse, Kali shares her power and her pain with you. Abide by the curse and the power of destruction will be at your fingertips. Requirement: Must be below 10% cHP of mHP to activate.
Kyle then read over his own.
[{Cold Soul}] (Set skill stats): The winter lord¡¯s blessing is upon you, personally selected by Ymir as a vessel for his immense power. Channel his energy at will making it your own, the power of ice nothing more than another limb under your control.
They were eerily similar. ¡°That¡¯s masochistic as fuck.¡± Said Soren ¡°Left! Tree!¡± he then shouted causing Sly and Cherry to swerve left and evade a tree¡¯s trunk. ¡°Yeah it¡¯s bad, what¡¯s worse is I couldn¡¯t have known how it worked at all if I didn¡¯t ask the bitch herself.¡± Explain Sly from within his Aurei armour as he continued to push the carriage from the left. ¡°What about you Kyll? Any clue at what yours does?¡± Cherry asked as he also pushed from the right, they both looked slightly exhausted as they had been going for over an hour. Kyle forwarded the skill window to them ¡°See for yourselves, I¡¯ve tried everything except Sly¡¯s requirement. Mine probably has a similar requirement but unless I ask Ymir I doubt I¡¯ll figure it out.¡± ¡°Left again! Turn right after!¡± Soren called out again, ¡°Can¡¯t you contact him somehow? Sly how do you do it?¡± he later asked. ¡°I don¡¯t do shit, bitch just knocks me out whenever she sees fit or sends me these fucked up thoughts like I got some deranged voice in my head.¡± Sly explained after turning the carriage with Cherry ¡°And it¡¯s not like I can block the bitch out, like right there every time I call her bitch she has something to say!¡± he groaned in annoyance. Kyle chuckled ¡°I know the feeling, well you three keep it up.¡± He stepped away from the edge and walked over to Birse, Dagon and Skill who sat on the front edge with their legs hanging. ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± Said Birse as Kyle approached, he was sitting like the other two but with a leg up and his arm resting over the knee. ¡°How do we get in though?¡± Kyle asked as he crouched down between Dagon and Birse. ¡°Lilith was the welcome party, they know you are coming and Lucifer will sense my soul coming closer. He will allow us through so just move right in.¡± Dagon explained. Kyle watched as the black barrier came entirely into view as the trees cleared out of the way, if one was to be honest¡­they were approaching it too fast. ¡°Oi you three, slow the hell down or we¡¯ll crash into it!¡± shouted Birse back at the three supposedly pushing the carriage. ¡°Well¡­there might be a slight problem with that.¡± Said Cherry as he climbed up to the roof. Kyle and Birse rushed to the back to see nobody was pushing the carriage, they then noticed they were moving slightly downhill. ¡°SLY! SOREN! STOP THE FUCKING CARRIAGE!¡± Birse shouted down the hatch loudly. ¡°Uhhh¡­.I don¡¯t feel so good!¡± replied Sly from inside. ¡°And I can¡¯t feel my damn legs!¡± added Soren. ¡°You weren¡¯t even pushing!¡± retorted Cherry. Birse was just about to descend the ladder when Ch also spoke from the inside ¡°I think it¡¯s too late for that boss!¡±, he was on the second floor and was relaying directions to Soren. All of them looked to the front to see a fallen tree branch poking out of the snow, the barrier close behind it. ¡°Well, at least dungeon cores are resistant to blunt trauma.¡± Stated Dagon before disappearing, everyone else remained staring in bafflement as they hit the branch. The carriage flew up and crashed into and through the black barrier. Instead of turning to splinters the carriage flowed through the ethereal-liquid like mana as it seemed to briefly cling to every surface including their bodies. Kyle watched the barrier in wonderment as it moved through him and he moved past it, his vision briefly went black before being assault by light again. He took in the scenery inside as they flew over the river, the water below them being fierce rapids. The outside of the island called Devil¡¯s eye was mostly farmland, crops grew plentily being fed by the river. Many wooden buildings lay next to each field, farmhouses and other lone buildings. Far off in the distance they could also see it, the large fortress said to have kept at bay two whole legions until they somehow got in without a siege. But Kyle didn¡¯t have time to take in the fortress yet, gravity finally decided to get off it¡¯s lazy ass and pull them down. Down towards those fierce rapids. ¡°Hold on!¡± Shouted Skill as he hugged the floor while clinging onto his dagger, he had embedded it into the wooden roof. Everyone else followed suite with their own weapons or magic, blades and frozen slime pierced through the wood as everyone held on for dear life. The carriage hit the river. Water splashed all over as the carriage sank a couple feet before the wide river spat it back out briefly, it was then carried along with the flow. ¡°Shit, what now!?¡± shouted Cherry as he glanced off the side. Birse looked around before releasing his chains from his gauntlets with a single move of the wrist ¡°Kyll weight us down or something! Stop us!¡± Kyle rushed to the front of the carriage and hung off the edge ¡°Here goes! Essence of shape take form and bend to my will! From the core inside me expel outwards! Core Overload!¡± yellow slime rushed out from his arms, his mana bar drained completely as every drop changed to fiery slime. Steam rushed up as the fire slime flowed underneath the carriage causing it to hover over the water, the carriage spun around briefly as the slime made it¡¯s way to the other side. With the whole of the carriage¡¯s bottom covered in yellow slime and steam rising up from every side the carriage hovered over the water but kept it¡¯s momentum. ¡°Nice! My turn.¡± Said Birse as he summoned up shadows to engulf his chains, ¡°Flock to my side like a hurricane of death, rattle my chains and echo the sound of doom! Shadow Flock!¡± with a movement of his arms he sent them forwards as the shadows took the form of a murder of crows that carried the chains with them. The shadow crows carried the chains over to the other side of the river where they flew around a couple small trees and using the hooks locked the chains in place. ¡°Cherry! Skill! Lock these last two chains to either side!¡± Birse ordered as he struggled to keep his footing. Cherry and Skill ran over and grabbed a chain each, as they pulled the chain seemed to grow longer out of nowhere. Each hook was fastened into the wood of either edge of the carriage¡¯s roof. The carriage had continued on with it¡¯s momentum from the rapids and with the chains holding it, it began to turn. Slowly they made their way through the wide river as Birse summoned two arms of shadow to alleviate the weight from his arms. Steam covered their vision entirely until the sudden bump of ground shook the carriage. Birse willed his shadow arms to pulled them up as Kyle dissipated the slime causing the steam to end moments later. The carriage had reached the edge of the river, a couple feet of stone bricks keeping the water from flooding over. ¡°Cher! Sly! Soren! Help me pull this thing up!¡± Birse ordered as he found it difficult to pull the carriage over the brick wall. Cherry beasted out and jumped off the back, the river was shallow there but the flow of water was still strong. Sly and Soren stepped out of the door, the same side Cherry was standing. Sly summoned up his Aurei form ¡°I got this side, Cher get the other.¡± He said while crouching down by the right wheel, Cherry nodded back and crouched down by the left while Soren stood by the middle. All three grabbed hold of the bottom and pulled up, Sly and Cherry raised the carriage over their head as Soren hung by the doorway¡¯s edge too short to help. ¡°Mother fucking hell!¡± Soren swore as he let go and fell back down into the water. ¡°Yo nobody told you to pick Dwarf, should thought it through better.¡± Said Sly as him and Cherry held the carriage up while Birse pulled on his chains causing it to turn over the wall. ¡°This wheel¡¯s on.¡± Noted Cherry as he moved to help Sly with his side. Slowly they turned the carriage to where the back wheels were on top of the wall. Sly gestured at Cherry ¡°Let¡¯s push it up now. Now you can help us lil mid-¡± Soren was already at the front and singlehandedly pushed the carriage up and over to the river side, he stretched his short arms and walked by the two baffled giants while giving them both the finger. ¡°How much fucking strength did you stat in!?¡± asked Sly as he and Cherry walked over to the brick wall and simply stepped up and over it. ¡°More than either of you, now pull me the fuck up!¡± said Soren as he glared at them from down below, he was too short to climb out of the river. Sly and Cherry glanced at each other ¡°Should we leave him?¡± asked Cherry. ¡°Dunno, don¡¯t think he asked kindly enough though.¡± Replied Sly smirking under his armour. ¡°Fuck ya¡¯all.¡± Added Soren as steam burst out of his armour through the molten crevasses, he leaped up causing the water beneath him to burst aside. He landed behind them leaving a tiny crater below himself. ¡°Oi stop fucking around and start pushing!¡± ordered Birse as he retracted his chains ¡°Steph drop the cloaking, won¡¯t be of any help here. Everybody be on high alert!¡± After going down to check on Lilior, Kyle climbed back up to the roof along with everybody else but Ch who stayed on the second floor to give directions to Soren who¡¯d relay them to Sly and Cherry. ¡°This isn¡¯t what I expected¡­¡± said Sparta as she and everybody else glanced around the fields of growing crops, unlike the surrounding forest of snow the inside of the barrier looked like the definition of spring. The carriage moved through a dirt road in between the fields that seemed to go towards the large stone fortress. ¡°Yeah¡­even down south I¡¯ve never seen¡­So much green¡­¡± added Soren. Kyle took a deep breath ¡°This is it, this is what we¡¯ve been wanting. Vast fields of green, blue sky, magic and supernatural strength. No metallic buildings, no packed streets and a real damn sky.¡± ¡°As expected from a strong empire, their resources were cut off so they started growing their own.¡± Pointed out Birse ¡°With the barrier protecting them, this looks idle. If the barrier falls though, these vast fields will be a disadvantage for the alliance¡¯s larger numbers.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Said Dagon as he appeared beside them ¡°But the barrier won¡¯t fall, Lucifer is putting his all into it. Nothing less than an angel, dragon or worse can break through it.¡± ¡°Look¡¯s like we¡¯ve got company!¡± suddenly shouted Ch from below, everyone turned to look down the road, a dozen horsemen were rushing towards them followed by around three dozen hell hounds. The horses looked much different from your average steeds. With a dark red pelt, black carapace covering some of it like armour and a jaw full of razor sharp teeth the horses looked fiercer than the hell hounds. Their feet weren¡¯t the same as a horse¡¯s either, paws with scythe like claws replaced the usual hooves while veins of molten fire flowed throughout the entire leg. Instead of a tail or mane of hair thick red-yellow flames ushered out like hair and out of their foreheads grew two crooked horns each that ended in a sharpened blade. But what truly caught their attention were the riders themselves. They all wore the same pitch black armour, full plate with the wicked design of serpents flowing through the metal while serpent heads designed their shoulders like pads. Their helmet was the same serpent¡¯s head shape, crooked scales similar to a wyvern¡¯s but thicker in size. Two holes to the top sides allowed the rider¡¯s own red horns to poke out. About a foot long each the horns were all the same shape, straight while slightly curving downwards at the end. The horns seemed to come out from each side of their foreheads. No other features were visible from the riders, their armour covered it all. Each came equipped with a long poleblade, pitch black pole and crimson red blade curved like a hook. Kyle and the others watched them approach warily, the hounds surrounded the carriage and curiously sniffed at it while the riders did so as well without exchanging a word. The Demonic escort silently throttled alongside the carriage while the adventurers silently and warily watched them back. ¡°So, who are our new friends?¡± quietly asked Birse towards Dagon. Dagon smiled proudly as he responded ¡°Demons, Dezol Dragon Cavalry. Highly skilled warriors trained in the ancient ways of slayers, once our main force in taking down the draconics. They ride Hell steeds, bred from hellhounds and unicorns for the sole purpose of the deadliest charge you¡¯ll ever see.¡± Birse eyed one of the cavalry ¡°No shit, just one of them looks fully equipped to tear up a front line of shields.¡± As they moved through the road Kyle also noticed some of the other inhabitants stroll by to take a look at their escort. From the red horns he guessed them all to be Demons just like their escort. Light red skin was the norm while their hair colour differed between red, blue and green. Over all Demons were similar to humans, their red skin, unorthodox hair colouring and short pointed ears being the main differences Kyle could make out. ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled, those are only one kind of Demon.¡± Said Dagon noticing everyone inspecting the farmers that watched them pass by. ¡°Do Demons have any connection to Devils? Other than collaboration that is.¡± Asked Kyle out of curiosity.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Many Devils were once Demons but other than that no, as I said before Devils are evolved beings. Two of the mortal sins use to be Demons too, Satan of wrath and Leviathan of envy.¡± Dagon explained as he watched the fortress grow closer. ¡°So this change, what happens exactly?¡± continued to ask Kyle. ¡°It starts with extreme emotional stress causing the mana within you to start altering the body. The actual change¡­It¡¯s different for all races, the only one that is common is from Devilling- Descendant of a Devil- to a Devil themselves. Your friend back there was about to go through it but, with your intervention and giving him my already evolved body saved him the wager.¡± Dagon replied bitterly. Kyle snorted in amusement ¡°What would have happened exactly if the change fails?¡± he then asked. ¡°Either they destroy themselves from the insanity or¡­¡± Dagon gestured over at their escort ¡°They turn hellhound. Those pups there are bred hounds, not exactly what they¡¯d turn into but picture it twice it¡¯s size and engulfed in fire. You should get a picture then.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Kyle watched as two of the hellhounds growled at each other ¡°You got those huh¡­¡± ¡°Prepare yourselves, we approach the gates.¡± Dagon then pointed out gesturing ahead. The fortress was both vast and tall. The stone walls were taller than even Helix, black metal was built onto the walls like armoured scales while archer canopies were built above. The fortress was a circle of reinforced walls with ten towers along the wall, within that wall was another wall holding six towers and within that one was a third holding three towers. Each tower was rectangular with the same metal armouring as the walls, the top was an archer perch off and a strange ballista on. ¡°Welcome to Fort Geb, named after the God of Earth as being the impregnable mountain.¡± Dagon began to explain ¡°Built by the humans after their escape from Il¡¯tel, improved by us through decades of preservation. It has never been defeated by siege, only taken over through trickery and betrayal. Most of our legion fell to it¡¯s bloody walls and deadly interior.¡± Kyle studied the fortress as they approaching the metal reinforced wooden gate, a set of two large wooden doors with metal bars. The gate was large enough to allow a ram demon in. As they stopped by it began to open, more Dragon Cavalry joined their escort from inside. Surrounded by deadly warriors and hellbent beasts the carriage of adventurers moved forward and into the fortress. Kyle looked up to see metal reinforced stone bridges passing from one wall to the other, about two dozen of them spanned around the two walls. Behind the first wall was a decently large expanse, wooden houses lined the inside with two cobblestone roads running in between them. Unlike he had expected there was no gate ahead of them and with their escort turning left, they followed suite. ¡°The gate is on the other side isn¡¯t it?¡± asked Birse as he studied the bridges with wide eyes. ¡°Yes.¡± Dagon answered simply. Birse glanced around and snorted in amusement ¡°Smart, deadly interior alright.¡± Kyle followed his eyes to the inside of the first walls and towers through the space between houses, nothing but flat metal sheets covering stone. No entrances, doors, hatches or anything to climb up. The first wall had no way to climb up from where they stood. He then looked up at the bridges ¡°That¡¯s some serious ambush.¡± he mused. As they moved through the now packed road, the inhabitants of the town came out from their doors, windows and shops to take a look at the adventurers. Kyle saw more of a mix in the people now, different skin colouring of scales, red, purple and blue with different appendages other than horns like bat-like wings, serpentine tails, more arms, spikes and even tentacles. ¡°How many kinds of Demons is there?¡± Seren asked as she also studied the populace. ¡°Hundreds.¡± Replied Dagon ¡°There is the four most common races, Castanic, Sin bound, Hellborn and Imps. The rest number in small groups of thousands but there are many hundreds of those groups.¡± ¡°Well you definitely got diversity down¡­¡± mused Skill. Kyle on the other hand simply felt relieved (¡°I knew it, they aren¡¯t some horde of monsters that only wish to destroy. Not like how the alliance made them seem. They¡¯re civilized, trained and studious.¡±) he glanced around at the houses, shops and workshops trying to understand as much of their culture as he possibly could. ¡°There¡¯s the gate.¡± Pointed out Dagon as they approached it from the side, it had taken them about twenty minutes to go around half the walled town. Would have taken less if it wasn¡¯t for the two lazy giants pushing the carriage. The second gate was nothing like this first, a thick single fully metallic shutter that opened upwards but more importantly made to close quickly and violently. It was currently laying half open like a dragon¡¯s maw with it¡¯s spear tips lining the bottom. Their escort of hellhounds and riders formed a path around them and through the gate as a couple followed behind them, they had nowhere else to go but into the gate. Well that and right through the riders which is what Sly and Cherry almost did a couple times. ¡°Fucking hell don¡¯t run them over!¡± shouted Birse down the hatch as the riders made their steeds step back a couple, one of theirs was almost rammed into. The carriage moved under the wicked looking gate and into the next district. Rows of warriors stood at attention on either side of the new road, large winged bat-like creatures stood behind the eight or so rows of footmen each ridden by three soldiers. Behind the bats were a mix of large creatures, the most apparent were the two ram Demons on either side followed by the almost as large black scaled serpents. Around the giants were a mix of large black humanoid demons, lanky red humanoid demons and several thousand more Hellsteed riders. Birse eyed the Dezol forces ¡°A show of force huh.¡± he mused while counting. The carriage continued straight from there. Inside the second wall were very little buildings, most of the area was training grounds and strange hills of black flesh that pulsated with a red aura. ¡°What¡¯s with the bats?...¡± asked Steph as she watched the creatures with a pale expression. ¡°Hellbats, vicious things.¡± Replied Dagon with a smirk ¡°They live for gore, the riders are just for support while it makes it¡¯s way to the battlefield. Once there all three jump off and let it indulge itself in blood and organs. Nothing less than death will stop the vile things from eating.¡± The Hellbats were simply giant bats with pitch black skin, lines of fiery red mana glowing through and long blade like claws. ¡°What about the giant fucking snakes?¡± asked Sparta, also paling. ¡°Snakes?¡± asked Dagon quizzically ¡°Oh those, they¡¯re Demonic Dragons. Both are Sea dragons with Demonic blood. The left one is Tiamat, the right is Lotan.¡± Lotan was a colossal snake with pitch black thorny scales, fins grew out from either side along it¡¯s length with sharp claws growing out of them. It¡¯s eyes were a deep blue with streaks of black and a yellow slit. Tiamat was slightly smaller than Lotan with similar black thorny scales but instead of fins had a set of six arms that grew into four razor-like claws. It¡¯s red eyes were plain and empty except for a single tiny black dot. Lotan eyed them briefly but quickly lost interest, Tiamat on the other hand continuously glared them down as it¡¯s pupils slowly expanded having found it¡¯s prey. The last gate lay ahead of them, the exact same as the second one except that it lay closed shut. As they approached the gate the army surrounding them opened up into a vast circle. Inside that circle were some key figures that caught everyone¡¯s attention. Lucifer, Lilith, Belial and Legion stood beside each other along with several other armoured Demons and Devils. One though wasn¡¯t a Demon and neither a Devil, this one caught their attention the most. ¡°Is that an adventurer?¡± asked Birse as he glanced over at Dagon. Dagon nodded ¡°From the looks of it yes, last I knew we hadn¡¯t dealt with any of your people though.¡± Kyle¡¯s eyes widened ¡°Fuck, that¡¯s¡­That¡¯s one of Zeeke¡¯s people, Reyna the healer that came with us remember?¡± ¡°Zeeke¡¯s? That kid doesn¡¯t have the balls to approach the Dezol, she¡¯s here alone.¡± Birse replied as his expression turned stern ¡°Dagon I hope this doesn¡¯t change our deal.¡± ¡°A Devil¡¯s deal is for life, you have my word.¡± Dagon replied as he also studied the people waiting for them ¡°Although it seems you¡¯ll be dealing with more than Lucifer, Asmodeus has arrived.¡± The carriage stopped a couple dozen meters away from the Dezol leadership, Lucifer and another stepped forward. Asmodeus- the one who stepped forwards with Lucifer- is a lanky humanoid with light blueish skin, dark blue hair tied up in a ponytail and bright pink eyes with silver slits. Albeit wearing heavy makeup it looked almost perfect showing off what the Devil stood for. Asmodeus only wore a pair of long blue pants with a silver shimmering garment draped around his waist, leaving his chest bare except for a silver shimmering scarf around his neck. He smirked condescendingly as he watched the adventurers approach. Lucifer on the other hand looked much more dignified with his full black plate armour, crimson red cape and blood red longsword at his side. Kyle and the others got off the carriage and gathered at it¡¯s back facing the mortal sin Devils of pride and lust. Dagon appeared in front of them also facing the two Devils, he bowed respectfully ¡°Father, master Asmodeus. I bring you the heroes of the Dagger and Dark Frost along with their guild, the Blood Pack mercenaries.¡± Lucifer replied first ¡°Tell me Dagon, why are these roaches before me? Why is one wearing your descendant and why are you enslaved?¡± his voice immediately turned cold and sharp. Dagon trembled slightly as he continued to bow ¡°We underestimated them Father, they are much stronger than they seem. We also misunderstood them, they hadn¡¯t sided with anybody and only took on temporary deals for profit. They wish to side with us Father.¡± ¡°And Abaddon? The retaliation against Legion?¡± Lucifer asked. ¡°The same temporary deals, done with the alliance and only for payment.¡± Dagon quickly answered. ¡°And what about¡­¡± Asmodeus began to ask before pausing for effect ¡°The insult to our lady?¡± his voice also turned harsh. Dagon gulped down at the sudden chill that slowly moved down his spine ¡°The hero meant no insult! The Fae used for the divination spell was contracted to him! He was confused by the soul wail that followed!¡± ¡°And you vouch for all this?¡± asked Asmodues. ¡°Of course he vouches for it Asmos, why else would the boy be standing in our way?¡± Lucifer snapped back at him before addressing Dagon again ¡°Make your statement Dagon, what use can they be of? We already have a chosen with us now, why should we take them in?¡± Dagon straightened up ¡°They wish to contract in as soldiers, paid arms to fight for us. I vouch for their strength and strategizing, they¡¯d make a strong ally. The Dagger hero is also one of our own, a descendant of wrath. He is currently inside my carrier to evade his change unprotected, not my idea but alas I had little choice.¡± Dagon then gestured at the carriage ¡°They not only bring the power of a dungeon at their side- my captor- but also a gift.¡± ¡°Lilior bring him out.¡± Kyle whispered at the dungeon through the doors behind him. ¡°The old hero of the blessed blade and second general of the Esfeltian military¡¯s soul, Draxxer Blade.¡± Dagon announced as Draxxer appeared beside him stiffer than a stone pillar. Asmodeus smirked ¡°Oh how wonderful, I¡¯d take the deal Lucy.¡± he nudged Lucifer in the shoulder. Lucifer grimaced and rolled his eyes before studying Draxxer¡¯s trapped soul, the dungeon inside the carriage and then the adventurers themselves. He snorted in disdain ¡°Victory by trickery doesn¡¯t impress me, gifts earned by so impress me none either. I¡¯d guess that creature inside there is what brought around those victories, so I question this strength you speak of Dagon.¡± Asmodeus giggled wickedly ¡°Indeed there should be no way these rodents could have defeated either you or Draxxie. As for the Devilling of wrath? There is only one reason a sin descendant to be in the manaless plane and that¡¯s to be descended from a banished.¡± Lucifer nodded thoughtfully ¡°True, we cannot allow a banished into our ranks so easily.¡± ¡°Brothers those ancient laws are what brought us down in the first place, why should we continue to follow them?¡± asked Belial with a serpentine voice, he stepped towards the both of them. Asmodeus glanced back at the young sin of vanity ¡°Well we can¡¯t just ignore customs Belly, something has to be done about his banishment.¡± Belial smirked ¡°Then let¡¯s deal with him as we would with any other banished, if you wish to follow ancient law then we shall albeit slightly altered to a sin banished.¡± Lucifer frowned as he studied Sly ¡°Trial by combat? He is a descendant of sin so a sin must be the combatant, which of us three forwards themselves?¡± Asmodues raised his arms up in surrender ¡°I just did my nails.¡± with his polished pink nails facing them. Belial stepped forward ¡°I forwarded the idea, I¡¯ll deal with it.¡± Lucifer eyed his younger comrade ¡°You sure your body is ready?¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired of being looked down upon, this fight is mine.¡± Said Belial as he stepped forth. Sly cracked his knuckles in his Aurei form ¡°Guess I¡¯m up.¡± Dagon raised his arm to block Sly¡¯s path ¡°No you aren¡¯t, the accused doesn¡¯t fight. They pick the fighter from your comrades.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Sly looked actually irritated by this. ¡°No buts, step back and watch you combat freak.¡± Birse hissed at him. Belial studied the group of adventurers with his pitch black eyes and violet slit, he looked similar to Lucifer with pale white skin and black hair but other features were mixed in. Grey strands were within his black hair while dark purple scales covered the whole left of his face. A long scaled tail grew out of his back that ended in four claw like blades forming a wicked star. But even with that wicked appearance he looked no older than ten. ¡°You¡­you will stand for your banished comrade. Come forth little fox.¡± said Belial as he pointed at Kyle. Birse clicked his tongue in annoyance ¡°Don¡¯t think we have a choice, Kyll do you got this?¡± he asked glancing over at Kyle. Kyle¡¯s expression was nothing less than annoyed ¡°I too am tired of being fucking looked down upon.¡± ---- Author: And you thought I¡¯d leave you hanging without a fight ;P https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mb3KsEl548 --- Kyle stepped forward and faced Belial while inspecting him.
{Devil} Belial Venus (Sin of Vanity) (Eighth Hell) [Level 165]
¡°The let us start!¡± announced Belial as he suddenly rushed forward at great speed. Kyle quickly summoned forth Elder frost slime and covered himself in it, his [Slime Armour] began to take shape as Belial leaped back and forth slashing wildly with his tail. Belial¡¯s tail wasn¡¯t long enough to touch Kyle but he was powerful enough to remove a large chunk of slime with each pass. Belial continued to slash away at the slime giant as it stood it¡¯s ground, more slime flowed out to replace the lost chunk with each attack. He was too fast, Kyle could barely keep up with his eyes and wouldn¡¯t be able to if it wasn¡¯t for [Draconic perception]. As Kyle reached half his mana bar he decided he needed to retaliate. He waited for Belial to leap at him again then summoned forth a massive wave of Frost fire, the flames flowed through the slime causing the armour to fall apart. Belial found himself caught in the blaze, frost formed on his body as he hastily leaped away. Kyle left no ground for recovery and used [Surge] to leave his broken armour behind, he summoned [Frostfire blade] and held it with both hands as he appeared in front of Belial. The Devil moved his tail to parry the attack but the blade slashed down and right through it leaving behind thick frost and pain followed by numbness. Belial leaped back again and entered a frenzy of leaping back and forth while surrounding Kyle, he was trying to shake off the frost and numbness in his tail. Off and on Kyle was forced to lash out with his blade or [Devouring flames] as the Devil tried to slash away his face with his claws or tail. Slowly he was running out of mana and he had little to no spirit to make use of. In last dish effort to win he pulled out a core from his inventory and used every last drop of mana into summoning forth a golem, from the presets he had previously created he went with the smaller fox golem due to his limited mana. Slime rushed out of his arms and quickly engulfed the core before taking shape ¡°Kitsune golem!¡± he announced the golems name causing it to take life. ¡°Attack him!¡± Kyle had to vocally command the golem when not connected to it or focusing with his [{Be one with slime}] skill. The fox of black carapace slime and elder frost slime charged after the quick Devil, almost fast enough to catch up but only because Belial had stopped. The Devil charged the creation of slime and tore through it¡¯s body with his entire body, tail and claws alike shredded slime as he passed through it. Leaving the slime to splatter behind him Belial landed on all fours with the golem¡¯s core in his mouth, as he rose he bit down and shattered it. Belial stared at Kyle with a smirk ¡°Already worn out? Too bad, this was just starting to amuse me.¡± He chuckled wickedly while approaching Kyle. Kyle was currently under the effects of mana exhaustion, his mana bar was empty and his spirit was too low to be of any use. [Core Overload] was useless without any mana to use or slime surviving on him, his [{Tails}] also required either. He was worn out with half a bar of stamina, no mana and very little spirit. (¡°All I can do is run¡­for how long though?¡±) he thought as Belial suddenly charged at him, Kyle surged to the side avoiding the bladed tail. Belial continued to smirk causing Kyle to get even more irritated (¡°I¡¯m not losing to this bastard¡­Everything we¡¯ve worked for¡­everything we ever wanted! It¡¯s all at stake!¡±). Kyle did what Belial least expected, he charged straight into him using [Surge]. Belial¡¯s smirk grew into a grin as Kyle summoned a blade of mixed slime from his wrist, it took all his spirit to make it. He lunged at the Devil¡¯s chest as he surged again for power and speed. Belial sidestepped the attack and lashed out with his tail. Kyle stumbled forwards as he regained his footing from the [Surge], glancing to his side he saw the bleeding stump that once was his left arm. ¡°Now that¡¯s just pathetic.¡± Mocked Belial as he waved around Kyle¡¯s arm with his tail ¡°So slow, so fragile and so stupid.¡± Kyle teared up from the pain that went through his left shoulder, he fought through it and turned to face Belial with an expression full of agony and hatred. Belial simply laughed louder ¡°These are the warriors you fell to Dagon!? These weak roaches!?¡± he exclaimed with arms open wide, he then threw aside the arm ¡°At the very least, they¡¯re comfortable to slice apart!¡± he declared and charged Kyle. Kyle watched with wide eyes as Belial charged at him, his long claws and bladed tail ready to cut him apart. He surged around leading the Devil as he slowly began to bleed out, finally running out of stamina and his health quickly dropping Kyle turned around after his last surge then watched as Belial slowly walked over to him. His wide grin brought Kyle new waves of hatred ¡°Come now little fox, you¡¯ll make a good stew. After that? It¡¯s your friends.¡± his words fuelled it even further. (¡°Release yourself, let go of your hatred and let the anger fill it¡¯s place. A chill won¡¯t aid you in this fight but a blizzard just might.¡±) Ymir¡¯s voice echoed in Kyle¡¯s mind as a chill went through his entire body. Belial laughed wickedly ¡°You walked in here all high and mighty! This is as far as you and your comrades get huh? Really what were you thinking? Accepting a duel with a sin! Accepting a duel with me! I am Bellial! Mortal sin of vanity! Devil king of the Eighth legion!¡± he declared proudly before charging at Kyle ¡°And I condemn you to death!¡± The Devil lashed out like a whirlwind of blades with his claws on both hands and bare-feet alongside the tail, a wicked grin plastering his face. With well-placed movements he flowed through the air, propelling himself with each spin and turn using his arms, legs and tail. Kyle watched all this in slow motion after a wave of frost blasted out of his position, it covered the entire army causing everyone¡¯s reaction to slow down. He had let go. All the hatred he hid beneath against the Devil for possibly causing the end of their journey, the bitterness for ending their adventure into crafting this world into the one of their dreams. He let it burn up inside and turn to anger. For the first time in what seemed like years Kyle let his anger truly show, his cold fa?ade disappeared completely as he grinded his teeth and shook with every part of his being. Tendrils of Frostfire flowed out of him as Firefrost surrounded his entire body. Not waiting a moment more he charged Belial as the Devil slowly flowed through the air with seemingly deadly movements. Kyle leaped up and tackled the Devil to the ground moments after the spell ended causing both of them to crash down to the ground and tumble over a couple times. Kyle held down Belial with his legs as the Devil lashed out at his chest and back with tail and claws, he hissed up at him ferociously as Kyle¡¯s remaining hand grabbed hold of his head. Slowly he pulled it back as a glimmer in his eyes showed the activation of his skill, Belial¡¯s soul came out with the hand causing the body to go limp. In his hand Kyle held a black, violet and grey flame that continuously lashed out at it¡¯s surroundings. He looked up at a baffled Lucifer and gawking Asmodeus then spoke ¡°You look down upon us like wolves looking at mere sheep but I warn you, these sheep are just as much the predators as you. We are just as much pack beasts as you and as a pack we forward you a gift from our pack leader.¡± His tone was harsh and full of anger. ¡°Mercy.¡± He said that single word infused with spirit causing it to send a chill into everyone¡¯s soul, he then shoved Belial¡¯s soul back into it¡¯s body leaving the Devil unconscious. Kyle stood up covered in cuts that bled all over himself, his stump gushing out even more. Frostfire tendrils continued to cling to him as well as a blizzard of Firefrost continuously flowed around him. A couple of the Hellhounds and...others...took that moment to shit themselves. Ch 55 - Whats at stake. Kyle fought through the pain as he stood his ground, his magic dissipated around him as the last drop of spirit he himself created from his own anger disappeared. Exhausted, armless and bleeding, he still stood and faced the two Devils of sin a couple dozen meters ahead of him. Lucifer studied him with a stern expression ¡°What are you?¡± he asked plainly. Kyle smirked ¡°I am the Dark hero of frost, Chosen of the God of winter, a Yako of frost and fire. I am¡­¡± he briefly chuckled at the thought of what had just happened, the voice that sounded so similar to Ymir¡¯s held a familiarity within ¡°the descendant of Void.¡±. His hatred burned up into more anger causing his spirit to rise again, the very thought of the Nogitsune angering him. It didn¡¯t matter to Kyle that this hatred might have saved him today, the creature had tricked him before and had just tried to trick him again. Kyle took a deep breath and allowed the pain to wash over him (¡°I won¡¯t be controlled¡­Not again¡­¡±) he thought before collapsing to the ground (¡°No¡­If it means¡­who I really am¡­I¡¯ll make it my own¡­¡±). Lucifer frowned as he continued to study the collapsed adventurer, he was gathering his thoughts and changing his previous understanding of the situation. The dungeon really was too weak to remove souls from their bodies, not even an undead dungeon could accomplish that before killing their target. (¡°A Yako? A spirit fox of negativity with twin elements and chosen by the God of one. A descendant of a Void lord? No¡­Void, descendant of the Void? The realm? Or am I looking too much into it?¡±) Lucifer glanced at Asmodeus who¡¯s expression had also turned stern. ¡°Brother, what do you see?¡± he asked Asmodeus. The third Devil king¡¯s eyes were warping with black runes that covered the now brightly glowing pink, ¡°Too much.¡± replied Asmodeus ¡°At the very least, he isn¡¯t a lord of the Void. Then when you add in that he is a spirit fox of negativity¡­¡±. Asmodeus looked back at Lucifer ¡°We need him, our lady would have our heads if we didn¡¯t.¡± he whispered. ¡°I understand the spirit fox part but¡­If he isn¡¯t a Void lord then what is he?¡± Lucifer whispered back a question. Asmodeus looked back at Kyle taking heavy breaths as he lay on the ground, two of his comrades had stepped forward to heal his wounds. ¡°Descendant of Void, Lucy he is a ¡®Puer autem vacui¡¯, a child of void.¡± he stated while the black runes flowed to the side of his eyes and out of sight. Lucifer held his face with his left hand, an amused grin hidden behind it ¡°As expected of that realm¡­The God¡¯s dumpster surely has some incredible creatures, if only we had found out before¡­¡± his hand clenched into a fist ¡°Abaddon would have lived, she wouldn¡¯t have had to go to¡­¡± Asmodeus made a gesture across his lips ¡°Hel will show her the way.¡± ¡°So I hope brother.¡± said Lucifer as he stepped towards the adventurers ¡°Descendant of wrath, speak your name.¡± Cherry glanced at Sly ¡°What is your real name actually? Don¡¯t remember.¡± he whispered. ¡°He doesn¡¯t mean that, he means my Devilling name.¡± Sly answered back with a whisper. He then met Lucifer¡¯s gaze and answered ¡°Zeokul Ares Hellsong.¡± The exact name Kali had given him before. Lucifer smirked ¡°Ares? An old name, your family spans back many hundred generations. Your third name though¡­Hellsong? Truly you¡¯ve been cut off from the family tree for a long time. At least that tells me your standing in his tree.¡± He sighed in exasperation at the thought of that individual. He then refocused his gaze on Sly ¡°Come forward.¡± Sly warily walked towards the Devil king, passing by both the unconscious Belial and now sitting Kyle as Seren and Woody healed his wounds. As he approached an aura suddenly began to weigh him down, a searing and focused heat like little heated needles continuously piercing through his every being. He stopped a couple feet away from Lucifer, the sheer feeling of his passive aura keeping Sly frozen in place as sweat trickled down his paled expression. Yet Sly still held his gaze, wide eyes from the pain and fear but still holding. Lucifer nodded and stepped forward while keeping his aura active, not focused on Sly as that would be too much for the adventurer to withstand. He raised his right hand to Sly¡¯s forehead as he watched the adventurer tremble and grind his teeth, his true nature beginning to come forth from continuous exposure to a sin¡¯s aura. The moment his palm touched Sly¡¯s forehead Lucifer released his aura ¡°Well done, the body you currently inhabit aside, your fortitude is commendable. Now I ask you, banished one. Do you wish to join the Dezol? If you acknowledge this, you will go with Asmodeus to Ruk where you will meet with your blood line. I warn you that the lodestones, the respawn points do not take effect there.¡± He asked while lowering his hand. Sly opened his mouth to speak but instead glanced back at the others ¡°Can¡¯t I take the others with me?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid that even with our power we can only allow one to accompany us through the veil. Even then it is dangerous, there are creatures within that search to destroy us and our kin. Your safety is assured but after arrival that will all be for Satan to decide.¡± Lucifer explained. ¡°Why does he even have to go?¡± asked Birse with a frown ("Atleast he isn''t blaming us for all the shit but this is..."). Lucifer looked at Birse and studied him, known to him as the leader of this group he figured the decision would ultimately fall to him ¡°Because unlike Dagon who obviously still holds a grudge against this one, for robbing him and his descendant of their body. I hold the safety of my kin dear, even if of a different bloodline. With how he is now, his body will reject him in a couple decades or more because it¡¯s of a different bloodline. He requires a body of the same bloodline soon, before both of them are bound making it irreversible.¡± ¡°How-will you do that¡­without someone¡­to sever his soul¡­f-from the body?¡± asked Kyle, the pain keeping him from passing out. ¡°Soul transfer can be done in different ways, your brute force skill is incredible and faster than our ways but it isn¡¯t alone and I doubt it¡¯s as easy as it first looks.¡± Lucifer replied as he glanced at Kyle ¡°Or safe.¡± ¡°Your call Sly.¡± said Birse as he glanced at the rest of the guild. Which surprised Lucifer as he looked back at Sly (¡°His call? So their leadership isn¡¯t a dictatorship as we previously thought¡­Not only does this give them the ability to gather more information on us but to get closer to us, yet he leaves the decision to his lower ranking member?¡±) as he considered the guild¡¯s hierarchy Sly considered his choices. The fact that the lodestones- as Lucifer had called them- had a limit to their range did worry him. His rash behaviour was an outcome of his fear of death being taken out by that system, it didn¡¯t matter to him what kind of pain or injury he¡¯d take if revival was what came next. Sly thought it thoroughly through. This wasn¡¯t an easy choice to make, he did care about meeting his bloodline but cared more about his guild and his own life. Would he trust Lucifer to gain a few more decades of life and meet the rest of his family? Or stay with his guild and confirm their safety? It was not an easy choice to make but the outcome if he succeeded was too much for him to deny. Sly glanced back at the others, one by one he studied their expressions of worry and anxiety but above all fear. His gaze fell on Kyle as he held on to consciousness, his wounds almost fully healed and his arm being restored by Seren. Sly remembered the anger he felt emanating from Kyle through his aura, he didn¡¯t understand most of it but some he did. (¡°This world is what most of us have been wanting¡­am I really going to pussy out now because I might endanger myself?¡±) He steeled himself and made his decision (¡°No, I¡¯ll pull my own damn weight.¡±) Sly met Lucifer¡¯s scrutinising gaze ¡°Yes, I will do whatever needs to be done.¡± Lucifer nodded and grabbed Sly¡¯s shoulders ¡°To continue our legacy, as a founding mortal sin I demolish your banishment. What is to truly come is not for me to decide but I can at the very least assure your survival, be it what Satan had banished your line for, not a hand is to be raised on you.¡± he glanced back at Asmodeus ¡°Is that understood?¡± Asmodeus gave a dramatic bow ¡°As the fourth mortal sin, below the three founders. Before pride I assure you of what has been spoken.¡± ¡°Then let us speak of our arrangement.¡± said Lucifer with a grin as he lead Sly with an arm around him towards the next gate, smaller than the first and fully open. Sly glanced back at the others with a pale expression, as if he was begging for help. Dagon couldn¡¯t help but chuckle ¡°He looks like he¡¯s walking with death, well not that I can¡¯t understand the feeling.¡± Birse glanced at the Devil ¡°You know, I think he completely forgot about you.¡± Dagon¡¯s smirk turned into a weak smile ¡°No¡­He¡¯s just punishing me¡­He¡¯ll¡­remember at some point¡­¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Birse shrugged ¡°Death with me, Kyll can you stand?¡± Kyle¡¯s body was mostly restored except for some scars left behind by the healing, healing magic sped up the healing process leaving the natural outcome. His arm though looked as if brand new, a different kind of healing magic called restoration which took a lot more mana to use. He went to stand ¡°Yeah I thin-¡± but instead fell forwards and passed out.
Kyle opened his eyes to find himself standing, this time he quickly recuperated from the confusion and nausea that followed. He didn¡¯t like the idea of that, getting used to dealing with this. He looked around and found himself standing inside Ymir¡¯s throne room, the spirit realm. (¡°Or is it an illustration of this place in my mind?¡±) he asked himself. ¡°The latter.¡± Stated Ymir as he stood to the left of his throne, gazing into the large cage next to it. Kyle approached him ¡°What¡¯s going on? I thought the fucking thing was sealed?¡± he asked in a demanding tone. Ymir turned to glare at him, an expression that made Kyle rethink his tone ¡°The creature is sealed yes but¡­well the cage you see here is not what is actually keeping it locked. This is nothing more than an expression of what truly seals it from your mind. Being a Nogitsune, a Yako at that. It is a born trickster and has been¡­figuring it¡¯s way through.¡± Ymir sighed in exasperation as he turned his gaze back at the cage full of flowing black smoke ¡°I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t hold it forever and not for long either, it will break out and there is little I can do about it then.¡± Kyle walked up the three steps and stopped a foot short of the cage, he gazed into it. Hatred, anger and frustration welled up inside him as he stared at the black smoky substance inside, murder was the last of his thoughts. ¡°You¡­you still keep trying¡­your damn best at ruining my life¡­¡± he grabbed hold of the bars with both hands, the metal creaked as he clenched them. A warped chuckle emanated from the smoke ¡°You are my creation, my blood, my tool to use. This pitiful¡± the word the creature spoke was unrecognisable to Kyle, a collection of screeches and grunts ¡°may have locked you away but that shall not suffice to hide you. Remember little Void, you are mine. You will become my curtain call, you are what shall release me back into the realms!¡± ¡°Silence vile bastard!¡± Ymir roared out in annoyance as he struck the cage with a kick, a wave of cold was blasted inside sending the smoke into a frenzy. ¡°I am sorry little fox, I will do my best at holding it back but there is a limit to how much I can do even if I want to.¡± Ymir apologised as he looked down at Kyle. Kyle was trembling as he clenched the metal, frostfire had engulfed his entire body as his true form took over. He briefly continued to glare into the cage before suddenly letting go, he stepped back with eyes closed and fists clenched. Taking a deep breath he breathed out feeling as if he was being choked, he turned around and gave the being his back ¡°Ymir what does the skill our companionship gave me do? Was it what activated back there?¡± Glad to change the subject Ymir nodded ¡°Yes that was [{Cold Soul}]. As lawed by the Avatar I wasn¡¯t allowed to say anything about it unless you asked, which you just did making that law null. The skill, simply put, uses your built up hatred as an aura resource to activate. You will see a new bar below your spirit once you return to consciousness, I call it Chilled Aura. Aura in general makes use of emotions to power itself similarly to Spirit but unlike Spirit that requires it, Aura is only empowered by emotions and doesn¡¯t entirely need their effect. Chilled Aura is a specific type of Aura, it is a combination of Spirit and Hatred. The bar will start out empty and needs to be built up, once full you can activate your skill.¡± Kyle considered his explanation as he put his other thoughts aside ¡°It¡¯s Aura so it obviously fills up through my emotions but since it¡¯s also Spirit does it take hatred from others too?¡± ¡°Yes it does and at the same rate as Spirit, you might not have noticed but your own emotions increase your Spirit far more than other¡¯s do. As for what the skill does? Well you¡¯ve seen it for yourself, it freezes reality around you.¡± Ymir proudly explained. Kyle glanced up at him ¡°I¡¯m guessing these Heroic skills are created by you Gods?¡± Ymir grinned down at him ¡°Indeed they are and I am quite proud of this one. Creating a skill requires it¡¯s basics to be compatible with the user so creating one for you was quite the task. I had to take into account different things, your ancestry, your element and personality along with the right time to bestow the skill upon you. The rest would be left to you to understand and use.¡± Kyle sighed ¡°So how long does it exactly last? What are it¡¯s exact effects?¡± Ymir chuckled ¡°That is for you to understand and use.¡± ¡°Figured as much¡­¡± said Kyle with a weak smile, he glanced back at the cage and quickly looked away as he felt anger welling up inside him again. ¡°Can you¡­give me a few? I¡¯d rather not be feeling like this for the next few hours¡­¡± Ymir crouched down and patted Kyle¡¯s back with his index finger ¡°It is fine young fox, take as much time as you need. Although when Odin detects your consciousness here again, the bastard might have a say in it.¡± Kyle glanced around the hall ¡°So you¡¯re actually trapped in here?¡± ¡°It is not as bad as it looks, family comes around once or twice a century, son writes once a millennium about his plans being thwarted.¡± replied Ymir with a chuckle. ¡°Still though, how true are the stories? Did you really deserve this? I understand that our world needs a reality check but, how different is the truth from what we¡¯ve written down over time?¡± Kyle asked as he considered being trapped in this one room forever. Ymir also looked around his throne room ¡°For what I did? This was merciful. Unlike the other Gods who¡¯ve been allowed to roam the realms in mortal shells. I do not miss the power that comes with being a God. It poisons the mind and drives one to do¡­the unspeakable. I have had much time to think things over little fox, maybe too much but that is no longer for me to decide.¡± ¡°Have you thought about it little fox? What your choice may do that realm?¡± Ymir then asked ¡°True Liliana will bring vast changes to Chaoz once she gets the artefact in her hands but what about those that will suffer from her rule? The Elves are still empowered by their victory of Devi¡¯s grand quest, it will be a bloody battle.¡± Kyle gazed up at the giant, at the God ¡°I have yet to meet with her but¡­from speaking with and being around some of her followers it made me understand some things. The Dezol do not wish the destruction of Chaoz, just seeing the fields of green they grew made me understand that all they want is a land for themselves and safety for their peers. The Dwarves had taken that from them which brought their fall, the Fae were just in the way. And Barik? Be it strategic or simply a longing for home, I doubt they will inflict the same onto the alliance. They wouldn¡¯t be defending from the Elves if revenge was their only drive, they would have invaded Barik with every single legion and ignored Liliana¡­which also brings me to the question, what did she do to gain their trust to such a degree?¡± Ymir sighed ¡°I do not know, we are blind to her moves. I will commend you for seeing through the lies and deceit then picking a side which above all can be most easily entitled as ¡®Evil¡¯. But tell me little fox, are you ready to face the consequences of that choice? To carry the burden of so many lives that cannot be spared?¡± ¡°Change requires sacrifice. If nothing is done than the outcome may be much worse, not that the Elves remain in power and continue to rule over the other races but¡­Tell me God of winter, what would happen if my people figured out how to work the artefact? How to come to Chaoz?¡± Kyle asked with a weak smile. Ymir nodded with understanding ¡°Indeed even without magic, your kind has proven much more deadly. I cannot begin to fathom the size of the mountains of corpses that would be left behind in their wake to take over a brand new and healthy world. It seems I wasn¡¯t the only one to have put thought into it all.¡± ¡°Yeah. It doesn¡¯t really matter who Scythe is and what he plans to do but he made one mistake for sure, bringing such a thing into our realm¡­I simply cannot let that stand. If Liliana wishes to destroy Chaoz then I shall deal with her when that problem comes around but¡­I will never¡­allow them to come here.¡± Kyle¡¯s expression was stern as he remembered how life was in the colonies and what he knew about the history of his people. ¡°Send me back.¡± He then told Ymir, momentarily after his vision was engulfed by darkness.
The time passed was short, when Kyle opened his eyes he found Woody and Seren holding him from falling over. He shook his head and blinked the fog away ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­Ymir wanted a short chat¡­¡± he told them as he straightened himself. ¡°Sure you don¡¯t need a hand walkin? You look like shit even after the healing.¡± said Woody as he let go of Kyle¡¯s arm. ¡°You¡¯re heavier than you look so feel free to walk your damn self.¡± joked Seren as she slapped his shoulder. ¡°Everything alright adventurers?¡± asked Lucifer as he glanced back, his arm around Sly who was having his hair scrutinized by Asmodeus. Sly looked terrified as he nodded away at everything the sin of lust said. ¡°Yes we¡¯re on our way. Kyll, come on then.¡± replied Birse before taking the lead to following them, Death and Kyle fell behind him. Birse kept his attention on Reyna who also followed them quietly ¡°Kyll you spent a couple days with that one, what can you tell me?¡± Kyle popped his neck and stretched his new arm from the soreness ¡°Quite, shy, keeps to herself most of the time, healer main class and also a hero like me and Sly apparently. Definitely not the type to take the initiative on joining the Dezol, not with the information Zeeke is privy to.¡± Birse hummed in thought as he watched who she was following, it was the Devil Lilith ¡°Unless she was approached.¡± They followed the Devils through the last gate and into the centre of the fortress, the main building came into clear view. A massive structure of stone rose only a couple meters away from the walls allowing thin roads to run around the building itself between the walls. Bridges ran from the building and the wall several dozen times across them. Ahead of them lay the entrance to the building, a long open tunnel. As they entered the tunnel Kyle looked up to see balconies set up high in the vast space, another ambush point he guessed. As he looked around more he noticed signs of battle, the walls were damaged with what he guessed to be magic or ranged weapons. He saw no blood or drying, a sign that the battle had taken part long ago and the small damages were simply not repaired. Briefly he glanced back at their carriage, Woody, Skill, Seren, Steph, Cherry, Sparta and Ch warily glancing around at the army that stood at attention around them. (¡°It¡¯s my part again¡­¡±) Kyle thought as he looked ahead, Birse and Death walked right in front of him while further ahead were the Devils, Lilith with Reyna, Lucifer and Asmodues lead Sly at the front while two others were in between them. One he guessed to be Legion who was constantly glaring back at him and the other was Belial. (¡°Wait¡­When did he¡­¡±) Kyle glanced behind himself then back at Belial who was also glaring coldly at him. He hadn¡¯t noticed the Devil had gotten up at all, his cold glare though announced his presence very clearly. Kyle held back a grimace (¡°Two of them dislike us, one that mildly does was ignore by Lucifer¡­We can¡¯t be just simple soldiers. I need to set this deal straight before Sly leaves¡­¡±) he glanced over at Birse who was scrutinizing the Devils, (¡°See what he comes up with and I¡¯ll follow the flow¡­as usual I guess.¡±) he snorted in amusement at the thought. ¡°Something wrong fam?¡± asked Death as he glanced back at him. ¡°Nah all good. Just freezing over from the attention I¡¯m getting.¡± Kyle joked pointing out the two Devils glaring back at him. Death gave a weak chuckle ¡°Let¡¯s not¡­start anything¡­¡± ¡°I think the one you should be saying that to is currently up ahead getting the royalty treatment.¡± said Birse with a smirk. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen him paler.¡± added Death. Kyle smirked ¡°You weren¡¯t there when he saw the sea serpents in the bandit¡¯s hide out, a new shade of white.¡± he briefly quickened his steps and put an arm over each of their shoulders. ¡°What¡¯s your thoughts on him going to Ruk alone?¡± he whispered to Birse. Birse shrugged ¡°His choice, it gives us eyes and ears over there but puts him at risk. I won¡¯t force him but I won¡¯t stop him either, us first mission second.¡± Kyle let go of them and returned to walking normally ¡°I still don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to like, we¡¯ll talk after.¡± said Birse dismissing the conversation. Kyle nodded (¡°We may be picking their side, don¡¯t mean we have to trust them.¡±) he thought while meeting Legion¡¯s glare with a grin. Ch 56 - Dealing with weeds. Lucifer sat down on his throne as Asmodeus took to standing by him. Lilith, Legion, Belial and Reyna stood below the steps taking to the throne facing Kyle, Death, Sly and Birse who were glancing around the throne room. The room wasn¡¯t excessively large having previously been a meeting room but the Dezol had made due. ¡°Down to business then!¡± Exclaimed Lucifer with a grin ¡°What kind of relationship are you looking for then? Being mercenaries I¡¯d guess at a temporary contract for each mission?¡± Birse turned from studying the room to looking up at Lucifer ¡°We were hoping to make a long-term deal actually.¡± Lucifer made a waving gesture ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you understand our current predicament as adventurers but I¡¯d like to make my guild¡¯s personal goal very clear.¡± as Birse began to explain the other three also turned to line up behind him ¡°Unlike most of the other adventurers, not all of us wish to leave Chaoz. Many of my guild wish to stay and us such we cannot simply leave this world a wreckage bound in war. So I ask, what are your general plans for Barik, Ruk and everything else?¡± Lucifer leaned back in his throne as he scratched his chin ¡°I understand that you have made yourselves enemies of the alliance, so you do not have much to gain from knowing our general plan for the people.¡± He glanced at Asmodeus then looked back at them ¡°Ruk was a need, we needed land and resources to fund our plans. Barik- No Tempres is sentimental, it is our home ever since leaving the hells.¡± He slammed his fist down on the stone throne ¡°There is no point in exterminating the races that have done us wrong, the individuals that have¡­died long ago. But we will not stand for our remaining lands to be desecrated by their filth, this land is ours and we will take it back. We have one single goal. One thing our people deserve after all the hate, blood and death this world caused us. A home where we can live without fearing the monsters in the dark, a land where we do not need to fear the empires over the sea.¡± Lucifer¡¯s expression grew cold and his eyes distant ¡°Be it through fear, military might or magical prowess. We will conquer Chaoz.¡± Birse smirked ¡°Conquer? From my understanding the Dezol can¡¯t even land on the other continents, the Elven navy has their seas under control while the Orges have their fortresses keeping yours at bay. Then there¡¯s the Orcs and their militia hording the beaches whenever you appear. Conquest sounds a bit too farfetched don¡¯t you think?¡± Lucifer focused his gaze on Birse ¡°Your intel gathering is much wider than I thought it was.¡± ¡°With the alliance being what it is? Information leaks continuously, all I had to do was set buckets to collect those leaks.¡± replied Birse. Lucifer nodded as his grin returned ¡°Indeed we have been having¡­issues pressing our lines further.¡± ¡°That is where we can help. We aren¡¯t Demons or Devils, working behind the enemy lines is our speciality. There are many ways to win a war, some can even be won before the battle itself.¡± Birse chuckled as he presented his offer ¡°All we ask is for my guild to have a place with you, military and civilian. Of course, we won¡¯t accept being common soldiers. You¡¯ll also find that our tactics and quality follow more the lines of assassins or agents if you will. Our capabilities have been proven several times over with the defence of Il¡¯e, defeat of Abaddon and her enslaver, manipulation of the city of Eslet and arriving here in one piece through the alliance¡¯s front lines and powerful air force.¡± ¡°Along with defeating Dagon and having him vouch for us, you¡¯ll find that his thoughts on the subject won¡¯t change even after being extracted from my dungeon.¡± added Kyle. Lucifer continued to study them quietly as Belial suddenly began to speak ¡°Our own agents haven¡¯t been getting very far within Elven and Ogre lands, I wouldn¡¯t dismiss their being lightly brother.¡± he seemed to have calmed down. ¡°They could also be of use here on Tempres, you already have ties with the royal family do you not?¡± asked Asmodeus with a wolfish grin. ¡°We have ties with Esfelt and New Ruk, although damaged there are ways¡­¡± replied Birse. ¡°As a minimum though we ask to be able to lead ourselves and the option to decline missions.¡± Death spoke for the first time throughout this negotiation, he was paying attention to the details throughout. Lucifer began to chuckle, a wicked laugh as he held his face. He suddenly stood up ¡°And here I was worried you¡¯d ask for something ridiculous!¡± he raised his right hand towards them ¡°Then how about this? You will be considered allies of the legions, contracted agents for the Dezol. You have your own right of leadership but are required to act for the legion and never against. You are expected to make daily reports and will be given a salary similar to our own agents.¡± ¡°What about housing, access to resources and such?¡± asked Birse. Lucifer briefly considered the question before clapping his hands, a demon walked out of some unknown corner. With long green hair, dark red skin and equally red eyes, she wore a suit similar to a butler¡¯s. ¡°How may I assist master?¡± she asked while politely bowing. ¡°Zheila take our guests here to meet with the commandant.¡± He told her before looking back at the adventurers ¡°Xien will walk you through everything accounting wise. Zoekul I will expect you to be ready to leave with Asmo in two days.¡± Kyle, Death and Birse glanced at Sly, he wore a distracted expression as he gazed off at the floor ¡°I will be.¡± he replied solemnly. ¡°Oh and one more thing.¡± began Birse having found the right time ¡°We have learned from Draxxer that the alliance plans to use some sort of poison to afflict your barrier. I suggest you set up patrols, it sounded deadly even to you.¡± Lucifer snorted ¡°I will do so, not to underestimate the mage guilds but they seem to underestimate the complexity of my magic. Thank you for the warning though, Zheila show them the way.¡± He gestured at the servant. Zheila gestured for them to follow her ¡°This way please.¡± Before they could do so Asmodues called out ¡°Ah we¡¯ll be needing to speak with the Dark Hero, we have some¡­questions about Dagon and such.¡± Kyle looked back at the Devils, (¡°Better now than later¡­¡±) he guessed at what they actually wanted to speak about. Glancing back at the others he assured them ¡°I¡¯ll meet you outside, go ahead.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± asked Death as the others simply nodded and followed the demoness. ¡°Yeah I¡¯ll be fine, go on.¡± He replied before turning back to the throne, reluctantly he stalked towards them. Lucifer glanced down at Reyna as she nodded at him, the actions causing some surprise to Kyle as he watched. Reyna turned to Kyle and spoke ¡°Um, I¡¯m not sure how much I should be explaining so I¡¯ll just ask¡­How much do you know about mistress Liliana¡¯s plans? As a hero, how much has your God told you?¡± Kyle studied her shy expression as he inspected her for the first time in a while.
Reyna [Priestess]-[{Chosen of Change}] (Hero of changing reign) Level 92
As he had guessed she had gained her hero based class along with the title, only one of which he had gained so far due to not having had time to visit an obelisk in the past days. Her level had also increased as he had expected, it did not compare to his less so to the other heroes but level didn¡¯t seem to say much but an average of someone¡¯s strength. One thing that piqued his interest though was her title (¡°Reign? Not Rain? Fuck Draxxer does have a bit of an accent huh?¡±) he was expecting a water or weather based power from her but this changed his expectations of her abilities. He had no clue as to what the Hero of changing Reign could or was expected to do. Seeing that she grew uncomfortable from his glare he decided to answer ¡°Liliana wishes to change this world to her view, she wants to use the grand quest as a tool to empower her army of Demons lead by Devils. Except that the old hero Scythe tricked her in the veil and took the artefact that would let her accomplish this, leaving the process of fully starting the grand quest halted until further use of the artefact. Along with all that Scythe also somehow made it so more than us heroes were sent here to Chaoz, for what reason I do not know.¡± Reyna nodded ¡°That¡¯s the gist of it but¡­you¡¯re missing a lot too. Scythe¡¯s goal with sending all of our people here was to catch the Elven empire¡¯s attention and force them into action, this will take more time than he probably planned as the quest was set to start here on Ba-Tempres by Liliana before Scythe could do anything about it.¡± Kyle thought over what this meant ¡°Why would he want to move the Elves¡¯ attention to here? Wouldn¡¯t that leave an opening in their front lines for the Dezol to exploit?¡± ¡°That is not an issue for the Elven empire, currently our forces have only been dealing with the Forest Court of Wood Elves, the Tundra Court of Frost Elves and Night Court of Dark Elves have their hands free.¡± explained Asmodues with disdain in his tone. ¡°Yeah, the Frost and Dark Elves don¡¯t see the Dezol as a threat yet but once they find out that a grand quest was started then everything will change.¡± continued Reyna. ¡°So you urgently need to recover the artefact before that happens?¡± guessed Kyle with a smirk. Reyna solemnly nodded ¡°We need to go back home and find it but¡­So far all demon souls sent to retrieve it have been lost¡­I can track the artefact but¡­retrieving it is a whole different skill set I don¡¯t possess.¡± Kyle wrecked his mind to understand her statement just now ¡°Wait wait, what killed the demons? How exactly can YOU track the artefact?!¡± Reyna¡¯s expression grew dark as her eyes faltered to the floor ¡°Scythe is working for the military, even demons end up nothing more than magicless mortals in our realm so they¡¯ve had¡­no standing chance.¡± Kyle¡¯s eyes widened as he held back a grimace along with holding back his rage ¡°How do you know this? Why have you sided with the Dezol? Who are you?¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Reyna took a step back as his cold glare settled entirely on her, he terrified her very core. Lucifer cleared his throat ¡°Dark hero please mind your manners, using aura to inflict fear upon one of our mistress¡¯s subjects will incur¡­¡± a heart wrenching aura fell upon Kyle suffocating his very existence ¡°The equal response.¡± before entirely disappearing as quickly as it appeared. Kyle fell to his knees breathing unevenly, his anger had immediately been quenched and turned to utter terror. He hadn¡¯t expected such power, after defeating Belial he had grown too lax around these Devils. Kyle then realised something (¡°Belial¡­back there¡­never used magic!¡±) he looked up at the Devil in question. ¡°I excuse myself for my unrestraint, I hadn¡¯t noticed my aura leaking.¡± said Kyle as he stood back up. Lucifer snorted ¡°As such happens when one doesn¡¯t frequently check their progress, aura doesn¡¯t simply leak boy. Make sure to fully understand your aura skills, they aren¡¯t toys to leave behind in a box.¡± Kyle took note of his warning, he¡¯d go through all his notifications later to see what incurred that surge of his aura. Reyna was still mildly shaking at the assault of aura, she closed her eyes briefly and let a light wash over herself before refocusing on Kyle. She took in a deep breath ¡°I am the chosen hero of changing reign, chosen by the Half-Goddess Liliana, my path is to change the laws of this world!¡± with her cheeks flushed red she ended her self introduction. Kyle slow clapped ¡°Not bad.¡± Reyna turned even redder ¡°Don¡¯t clap at that dammit!¡± she shouted at him before her expression turned dark again ¡°I¡¯m also¡­¡± she grimaced unable to continue. Kyle sighed at her reluctance ¡°You¡¯re also? I won¡¯t judge, hell I just tricked and scammed how many people exactly? Can¡¯t judge.¡± he said with a quick shrug. ¡°It has nothing¡­to d-do with that¡­It¡¯s¡­who I am back¡­home¡± Reyna slowly replied. Kyle frowned (¡°How bad can it be?¡±) he thought before speaking ¡°Back home I¡¯m a monster that controls frost and fire, I¡¯ve iced and burned almost everything in my life except for my family. Injured more people than I actually know, then turned tail and hid for the rest of my life. Can¡¯t get any shittier.¡± He explained bitterly. Reyna studied his expression with swelling eyes, she seemed at the brink of crying. (¡°Did I say something wrong? Shit what do I do!? I don¡¯t deal with crying chicks! I usually just ignore them!¡±) Kyle began to mentally panic as he watched her wipe her eyes with her sleeves. Lilith gently grabbed her left arm ¡°Back straight, head high and speak clearly.¡± she told her before whispering ¡°It is alright, you can be strong. They cannot hurt you here.¡± She gave Reyna an innocent smile, it creeped out Kyle. Reyna glanced down at the Devil and nodded with a weak smile ¡°I know¡­¡± she looked back at Kyle and spoke as clearly as she could muster ¡°I am Carla Von Sweiss, daughter of Herald Von Sweiss president of the joint mars colonies.¡± Kyle lost his footing and fell back on his ass as he stared at Reyna with a completely baffled expression ¡°W-wait¡­HIM?! THE V-Von Sweiss!? The fucking dictator of all humanity!?¡± Reyna nodded without saying another word. ¡°Wait¡­I thought he didn¡¯t even have a wife?!¡± Kyle exclaimed as he tried to stand back up, almost tripping in the process. ¡°I¡¯m¡­illegitimate¡­I don¡¯t even know her¡­my Ma¡­For as long as I remember...I¡¯ve only ever seen one room¡­Until I came here.¡± Reluctantly Reyna explained. Kyle chuckled ¡°So he knocked up some wh- woman and kept the kid? Locked you up though? Why?¡± Reyna briefly stared at him as she thought of what to say, her memories flowed in causing her eyes to widen and tremble. Immediately she crouched down and held onto her head with both hands. Lilith moved to crouch down by her and hugged her close ¡°Enough questions, she cannot take anymore.¡± she hissed at Kyle, her cold stern expression returning in full as she glared at him. Kyle raised his hands in front of himself ¡°Woah there I didn¡¯t do anything, didn¡¯t mean to bring shit up.¡± Legion rolled his eyes and stepped over to stand beside them ¡°Do you require me to carry her out?¡± ¡°If you want her to snap at you again. No, I¡¯ll deal with this Legion.¡± replied Lilith as she cooed Reyna to calm down. Kyle watched anxiously as he knew well that there was no way in hell she was acting, Reyna was having an actual panic attack. His ability to sense other¡¯s emotions told him exactly how she was feeling as he focused it entirely on her, something he noted to test further later. She took scattered breaths in and quickly out, the moments passed as a sense of calm finally came over her. Reyna glanced around herself while still crouched down and being softly spoken to by Lilith, she grimaced at her sorry state (¡°Who am I kidding? I¡¯m no hero¡­Just a broken girl¡­A broken toy¡­¡±). Kyle focused on her sense of dread, depression and self loathing. He fully understood what she felt, he¡¯d had blamed himself for his past before too. Until meeting with the gang of mischievous monsters he now called friends and guild mates, their way of seeing the world had caused him to become who he was today. Lucifer sighed ¡°Being a spirit beast you can understand why we cannot let her retrieve the artefact alone. Her weak physicality aside, her mentality is on a whole other level of-¡± ¡°I do fully understand the situation.¡± Kyle cut in much to Lucifer¡¯s chagrin ¡°But to further fuel her depression won¡¯t help anyone. There is many things you all still need to explain but first.¡± He stepped towards Reyna as Lilith turned to glare fiercely at him, like a mother bear defending her cub. He ignored Lilith and stared down at Reyna ¡°Re- No, Carla. I do not know what you have gone through, I do not know what you¡¯ll have to go through. But one thing I do know. If you allow the hatred, the self loathing and depression to take hold then it will never let go. Don¡¯t blame yourself for your weakness, don¡¯t blame yourself for your inability to fight back. Instead blame those who abused their strength to stomp you down, make use of your hatred, let it burn bright within you and use it to help you stand. Don¡¯t blame yourself, that is a waste of time. Instead use that time to get stronger. Your mind is your own, you only need to will it and the cold debilitating hatred will turn into a warm empowering rage. It is for you to decide how to use that power, but that power is something you do have. So stop sulking at your past, stop fearing what they can do to you and instead plot, plan behind their damn backs to what YOU can do to them!¡± Kyle forwarded his hand to her, it trembled slightly under Lilith¡¯s fierce glare. ¡°I cannot allow those bastards to come to Chaoz, I will not allow them to. It doesn¡¯t matter what I have to do, how much blood I must dirty my hands with. This fantastical world of magic, myth and legend. Will not be sullied by their greed and shit. For that purpose, lend me your help in stopping them. And for that purpose, I will lend you my power and protection.¡± Reyna stared up at his hand, baffled by his dramatic speech. Kyle grinned ¡°Will you help me?¡± Reyna slowly stood up, she wiped her face off the collection of sweat and tears. Shakily she took his hand with her own ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡±. Kyle shook her hand briefly then opened his arms wide ¡°Now all we have to do is beat their collective asses right?¡± he declared with a wicked grin, causing Reyna to chuckle weakly and some of the Devils to roll their eyes. ¡°But I still have some questions that need answering. The first, why did you not speak about this before my guild mates left? Why the secrecy?¡± he then asked while looking up at Lucifer and Asmodeus, he thought it would do Reyna good to think things over right now (¡°I might have over done it with that speech¡­¡±) he thought. Asmodeus was the one to answer ¡°Hhm, well for one. Mistress allowed us to only speak of this with her chosen and an adventurer that could be of combative use. And for second, your Devilling friend seemed too rash to allow with this information. It would do Zeokul no good to return to his actual body, with his current state it might kill him.¡± ¡°Ah, I see your point.¡± Kyle stated as he thought over Sly¡¯s behaviour and what he¡¯d be capable of doing if he knew what this world was endangered of. ¡°Before I fully agree to help though, I need to know a couple more things. Actually it would be better if I could ask this to Liliana herself.¡± Lucifer shook his head ¡°Our mistress is incapable of doing so at the moment, ever since the start of the grand quest her Godly blood has been negatively effecting her health. She has been out of consciousness for prolonged periods since then, each time getting worse. Me and Asmo should be fully capable of answering any of your questions in her stead.¡± Kyle frowned at this development, he¡¯d have to satisfy himself with second hand information ¡°Very well, then I¡¯d like these questions answered in full. First, what was the point of that speech she gave soon after our summoning?¡± Lucifer cleared his throat seemingly embarrassed at the mentioning of that event ¡°Well you see¡­Mistress Liliana can be¡­Quiet eccentric not unlike yourself¡­ After Scythe¡¯s betrayal we¡¯ve had to find a way to deal with the massive appearance of summoned on Tempres. To make you understand our reasons¡­¡± he sighed ¡°Well I¡¯ll have to explain our plan in full.¡± Lucifer raised his right hand forward as black mana flowed out of his palm, the mana formed a large ethereal map in front of them. Suddenly Kyle¡¯s map window opened in front of himself.
Map progress: 15%
¡°This is most of Chaoz, without the details. I¡¯m sure your map has been updated with what I have just summoned.¡± explained Lucifer. Kyle held his breath at the vastness of Chaoz, so much of the world he had yet to see. In comparison to the other three continents Barik was an island, Hasharr and Ruk in comparison to Il¡¯tel where also small. ¡°As you might have noticed, Tempres- or as you know it- Barik is in quiet the spot.¡± pointed out Lucifer ¡±The perfect spot for our legions to set as a forward base to Il¡¯tel and Hasharr, we could very well attack the Elven Empire¡¯s core through here. But unfortunately, there is quite a few problems with accomplishing this. The first is the resistance we are currently taking from the inhabitants of Barik, along with their ability to resurrect from those damned lode stones. We will require two or more legions to fully take over the continent. The second is the Mers and their sea monsters, creatures vastly larger than our two sea serpent dragons. We lost too many of my and Asmo¡¯s legion to come to Barik, even more to take Oberon back to Ruk. With the Mers now also enlisting their cousins, the Nymphs and their Avian allies¡­A journey over the sea is suicide.¡± he sighed in exasperation before continuing. ¡°The third problem is the constant pressure on our main forces back on Ruk. The Elves constantly barrage our shores from the sea while the Ogre¡¯s fortresses along their coasts are armed with magical weapons that can reach our own. Throughout these four decades we¡¯ve also been at a constant war of attrition with the surviving Dwarves.¡± Asmodeus jumped into the explanation ¡°They hide and reinforce their underground kingdoms, making it almost impossible to fight them. It is quite vexing!¡± Lucifer nodded in agreement ¡°We have stayed strong but in truth¡­our numbers are dwindling. For almost four decades we held our shores while holding back in the inside threats that are the Dwarves. We waited for so long so we could activate the Grand Quest, complete the damn thing and gain the power to push every one of them back!¡± his tone became extravagant. ¡°We were to make it so that the quest¡¯s goal was to take back our home continent! The reward for the quest would depend on the feat accomplished to finish it! Then Scythe betrayed us, leaving the process halfway. Not only that but also reinforcing Barik with more forces and threatening to bring even more and worse.¡± His tone then descended into bitterness. ¡°Us adventurers, and threatening to bring the military later on¡­¡± added Reyna solemnly. Kyle began to get a clear picture ¡°So you went straight into salvage mode, began planning how to get the situation back on track. The speech was meant to install fear in the new forces, confuse them and disperse them.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Legion was the one to speak now ¡°But for some reason, an adventurer decided to speak up. Ruining.Her.Damn.Speech!¡± he exclaimed with a fierce glare at Kyle. Lucifer groaned in annoyance ¡°Ignore his fit, he was the one to write it up.¡± he waved a gesture dismissing Legion¡¯s statement ¡°But yes, that is what we did. Using some of the Dark Fae spies we scattered across Barik, newborns with no knowledge of what they were and what they had been sent there to do, sacrificing their mana bodies as resource we activated a large scale visual illusion.¡± ¡°Something Dagon said before still bugs me¡­¡± Kyle cut in with a worried expression ¡±That I didn¡¯t allow Lilior, my fairy companion, to be reborn. She was one of those ¡®Dark Fae¡¯ you used, I had already contracted with her by then and was the cause of my ¡®Soul Wail¡¯. What did he mean by that? Rebirth?¡± Lucifer stared at him thoughtfully for a brief moment before nodding to himself ¡°So you did not entrap the Fae before rebirth on purpose¡­ It was one of the reasons we had sent Dagon after you fearing you¡¯d try and torture the creature into revealing what it knew. The mistress herself had requested it fearing the worst.¡± Kyle wanted to slap himself at this point ¡°So¡­Lilior¡­Jior would have been reborn?¡± Lucifer nodded ¡°Fae on death become Sprites, from then they can be reborn with a new body at their EverFae. EverFae are to a Fae what a core is to a monster. Although no memories are kept of their previous body, a new body can be made.¡± ¡°So companion Fae don¡¯t¡­like¡­remain haunting their master for eternity?¡± Kyle began searching back in his memory for the shopkeeper¡¯s face and name (¡°So what have I learned today? Oh don¡¯t trust tales of some random ass shop keepers¡­¡±) ¡°Err¡­That is only a folklore tale¡­¡± said Lucifer with an awkward tone ¡°We had fully planned to aid the Sprites in recollecting mana to rebuild their bodies. We never thought any of them would befriend someone to the point of companionship.¡± ¡°Huh¡± Kyle¡¯s expression was complicated, a mix of disbelief, twitching, amusement and annoyance. (¡°So we¡¯re basically all complete morans who kept this misunderstanding grow like fucking weeds in a jungle...¡±) Kyle thought. (¡°I¡¯m still killing that dark elf bitch. In the most gruesome fucking way.¡±) he then promised himself. Ch 57 - Progress Kyle walked through the fortress¡¯s corridors accompanied by Belial and Legion. Legion glared at Kyle¡¯s back in disdain while Belial walked side by side with the adventurer as if nothing had happened. Kyle mentality sighed at the situation, Legion was accompanying him to aid with Dagon¡¯s extraction from Lilior while Belial¡­simply wanted to watch. With a mental shrug he turned his focus to his notifications, he had been ignoring them this whole time and decided he needed to come up to speed with his progress.
Evolution! [Ooze(Elder Frost)]¡¯s [Fracture] has evolved into [Draconic Fracture]!
Kyle was surprised at this, skills evolving was a concept he could specifically remember being part of his guild¡¯s main game back home. Unable to hold back his curiosity he focused on the effect and a window opened with it¡¯s description.
[Draconic Fracture]; Similarly to [Fracture] the slime rapidly condenses then explodes from it¡¯s own mass. This skill can be charged up to (6 seconds) for a higher area of effect and blast power (Range + 1 meter per 2 second / Damage +200% of INT per 2s).
He had no qualms with this change, (¡°The bigger the explosion the better¡±).
You have unlocked enough requirement skills to receive a sub-class! Please check in with an obelisk to unlock!
He mostly ignored this notification knowing full well he needed to visit one soon.
Skill are available to evolve on class acquisition/change!
This both worried and excited him, there were some key skills he didn¡¯t want to lose but also thought some could be made better.
Evolution! [Frost Aura] has been altered by gaining further insight through the skill [{Cold Soul}] and became [{Cold Aura}]!
Kyle blamed this skill for scaring the hell out of Reyna earlier, this was further implied after reading it¡¯s description.
[Passive] [{Cold Aura}] (Level 3 ¨C Tier 1): Through will unleash your murderous intent onto your surroundings inducing chilling fear onto your opponents and vastly increasing [Ice] class magic power. Fear chance + 20% per point of (Chilled Aura) INT attributed to [Ice] class magic + 40% per point of (Chilled Aura) INT attributed to [Fire] class magic ¨C 50% per point of (Chilled Aura)
As Kyle read through the description he was reminded of the new resource he had recently gained, the small empty thin bar was barely visible below his (Spirit).
Chilled Aura: ([ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ])
The bar consisted of ten empty black squares which Kyle guessed they¡¯d light up for each point of (Chilled Aura) he could gain up to ten (¡°So kinda like a stack requirement or a combo requirement?¡±).
Feat of strength achieved! You have single-handedly defeated a {Devil}! Title gained: (Devil Slayer) Racial {Devil} Hostility + 10% + 10% damage to {Devils}
Kyle had no words for this, the last thing he needed was to piss off certain Devils more than he already had. Although it did remind him of a lingering question he had, ¡°Uh, Belial? Mind if I ask you a question?¡± he asked the Devil to his left. Belial looked sideways at him with an expression that screamed ¡®*How can my majestic self be of assistance?*¡¯ ¡°Yes?¡± he asked. Kyle restrained himself from snorting ¡°Oh, I-I was wondering why you didn¡¯t use any magic spells or skills during our duel earlier.¡± Belial snorted ¡°My physical prowess was all I required to defeat something of your caliber!¡± he declared proudly. Legion also snorted ¡°You lost. Also he didn¡¯t use any because he can¡¯t, his body is too young to process mana.¡± Belial turned his hand a full 180 degrees startling Kyle, he glared back at Legion ¡°Excuse you?¡±. Legion gave a quick polite bow ¡°Excuse me for my insolence but truth must be spoken your sinlyness.¡± Belial seemed to contemplate on that response for longer than he should have before responding ¡°Oh¡­Well¡­Fine then?...¡± he turned his head back to looking up at Kyle ¡°Anyway what he said.¡± Kyle held back an exasperated sigh ¡°I see¡­¡± and returned to reading his notifications.
Insight! You have gained insight on a previously lacking skill description!
Immediately Kyle opened his skill book to see the changes to his Heroic skill.
[{Cold Soul}] (Set skill stats): The winter lord¡¯s blessing is upon you, personally selected by Ymir as a vessel for his immense power. Channel his energy at will making it your own, the power of ice nothing more than another limb under your control. ({Ymir willed this un-shareable}) Your hatred manifests through your spiritual energy and bends the veil reducing time space within range. Requirement: 10 points of (Chilled Aura)
(¡°That is still too fucking vague! You made it fucking unsharable cause you¡¯re ashamed of how vague it is too!!¡±) he mentally cursed at Ymir. (¡°Bite me!¡±) replied Ymir in his head. (¡°I just might then use a skill called [Devour]! You know, one with an actual fucking description!¡±) Kyle continued. (¡°Kid, you try to write a description with limiting parameters such as ¡®Don¡¯t reveal stats¡¯ or ¡®Don¡¯t reveal effects¡¯ and ¡®Only reveal cost¡¯. Do you know how fucking impossible it is with the last one!? ¡±) argued back Ymir. (¡°Huh that does sound like a pain in the ass, sorry.¡±) Kyle apologized after brief consideration of the lazily set rule. Ymir didn¡¯t respond back except for a thought that appeared in Kyle¡¯s mind noting that Ymir had run out of contact time, (¡°The fuck? You have an actual limit for that?¡±) he mentally asked but received no further indication of the God¡¯s presence. His mind returned to the skill at hand (¡°I need more information on this damn thing then but the requirement doesn¡¯t exactly make it available for testing¡­¡±) he glanced over at Belial (¡°And who better to ask than someone who was it¡¯s victim?¡±) ¡°Hey Belial one more question if you don¡¯t mind?¡± Kyle politely asked. Belial turned to him with the same expression as before, seemingly enjoying the attention ¡°How can I assist?¡±. ¡°At the end of our duel I used a spell that has a very vague description, do you have any clue as to how it affected you?¡± Kyle asked hoping for a better response this time. Belial rolled his eyes at the mention of the duel but ended up in thought with the actual question, ¡°My whole body felt frigid as if something was sapping my strength then you tackled me with speed almost equivalent to my own. After that all I remember is tearing your flesh apart, gutting you open, breaking most of your ribs, piercing your lungs and shredding your back before I lost consciousness.¡± he explained including the gory details. Kyle noticed a notification joining the almost invisible list to the left of his vision ¡°What about you Legion?¡± he asked the Devil following behind them. Legion squinted as the sun flashed it¡¯s light onto them, they had left the fortress¡¯s main building and were heading towards the open third gate. ¡°Same affliction, my whole body felt cold and my strength and mana felt like they were being drained for a few minutes even after the fight ended.¡± He replied with annoyance clear in his tone, most probably not at the rays of sunlight. ¡°A prompt called it ¡®Soul chill¡¯?¡± he then added. Kyle this time paid full attention to his notifications and as he read the last one another joined in.
Insight! You have gained insight on a previously lacking skill description! [{Cold Soul}]
Insight! You have gained insight on a previously lacking skill description! [{Cold Soul}]
He then checked the actual skill¡¯s page.
[{Cold Soul}] (Set skill stats): The winter lord¡¯s blessing is upon you, personally selected by Ymir as a vessel for his immense power. Channel his energy at will making it your own, the power of ice nothing more than another limb under your control. ({Ymir willed this un-shareable}) Your hatred manifests through your spiritual energy and bends the veil reducing time space within range. Targets within range hit by the initial wave of (Chilled Aura) are (Soul Chilled) for 5 minutes. Following the wave of (Chilled Aura) time is briefly chilled for 8 seconds. Requirement: 10 points of (Chilled Aura) (Soul Chilled): Your soul has been assaulted by another¡¯s cold temperament. -10% all combat stats per 1 minute (STR, AGI, DEX, INT, WIS) (Mana regeneration) turns into (Mana degeneration).The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. (Stamina regeneration) is halted. M.S. ¨C 40%. Duration: 5 minutes (300 seconds)
Kyle whistled after reading the description (¡°Damn could you have made it any more over powered against mages?¡±). ¡°Something wrong?¡± asked Skill as they approached the carriage, the army had clear from their surrounding area so they were all just sitting around. ¡°Just here to extract Dagon¡± answered Kyle after clearing the windows out of his vision. ¡°Finally!¡± exclaimed Dagon as he appeared in front of them with arms crossed. ¡°So what are we doing exactly?¡± Kyle asked as he showed them to the inside of the carriage, where Lilior¡¯s crystal dungeon core stood glowing an aquamarine green-blue. Skill, Seren, Steph and Ch stayed outside but Cherry and Woody followed the three Devils and Kyle in. Sparta was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Simply put? We¡¯ll be storing Dagon inside a crystal core where once a suitable birth occurs he can flow into it.¡± explained Legion. ¡°Huh, so he has to wait for a newborn? He can¡¯t just be put into an adult?¡± asked Cherry. Dagon looked up at the giant Bearkin with surprise ¡°That is possible but it¡¯s immoral. I¡¯d be basically robbing someone¡¯s body. No instead I wait for a body to be in the process of birth and instead of a new soul being born along with the body my soul will flow inside and merge with it becoming a single soul.¡± Woody was staring intensely into the core when he spoke ¡°So you¡¯re basically going to have a giant orgy and the first to get pregnant gets a Devil lord for child.¡± Making everyone inside and out look at him awkwardly. ¡°Umm¡­I am not quite sure how to respond to that.¡± admitted Legion. Kyle was holding onto his face ¡°You don¡¯t, please for the love of my sanity do not respond to that.¡± he whispered. ¡°Hey hey, I think Woody is making a very valid point here.¡± continued Cherry. ¡°He is?¡± asked Dagon. ¡°I am?¡± asked Woody with disbelief. ¡°Instead of waiting for a natural birth why not have a giant orgy?¡± Cherry was grinning mischievously as he explained ¡°You not only might get a wide variety of choices but also you don¡¯t get to wait.¡± Legion and Dagon glanced at each other as Belial gawked at them in disbelief ¡°You¡¯re not actually considering that!¡±. --- Birse walked through the gate as a bright blue light enveloped where the carriage stood, it was blindingly bright forcing him, Sly and Death at his side to hold their arms ahead of their eyes as they approached it. As they got closer a quiet voice could be clearly heard from inside, a high pitched feminine voice clearly Lilior¡¯s ¡°But master I don¡¯t want to¡­¡± she whined. ¡°It¡¯s ok Lilior just! Just let me in!¡± Kyle¡¯s voice replied. Death and Sly looked at each other as Birse whispered ¡°The hell¡­?¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t want to!¡± Lilior cried. ¡°We¡¯ll get more! Just open up! Stop holding on so tightly!¡± said Kyle now in an ordering tone. Birse pushed in the two wooden doors and entered the carriage, followed by Death and Sly as all three carefully looked inside. The light parted revealing the inside. The entire guild save for Jacky were around the core along with Legion and Belial. Kyle was standing in front of the core with his right hand on it¡¯s surface while he held a black crystal core in his right twice the size of his fist. Kyle was currently in the process of extracting Dagon¡¯s soul from the core but¡­Lilior was reluctant on letting it go. ¡°Ooooooouuu¡­¡± Lilior whine in annoyance as the last of Dagon¡¯s soul was removed from inside the core. ¡°We¡¯re going to have a very long talk about morality later Lilior¡­¡± Kyle sighed as he held the soul, a dark-green smoky flame. ¡°When to and when not to use it.¡± He then added as he pressed the black core to the soul and it quickly sucked it in, it gained a green hue. Legion took the core from Kyle ¡°I would show gratitude if it wasn¡¯t for the fact of who put him in this state in the first place.¡± He said before turning around and walking away with Belial. Kyle grinned in amusement ¡°How¡¯d it go boss?¡± he asked Birse. Birse closed the carriage¡¯s door behind the two Devils ¡°Advice, don¡¯t barter too much with Imps. Little fuck almost cut us half our resources.¡± he snorted in annoyance ¡°Anyway we got ourselves a sizable stretch of land nearby the river side we can set up Lilior at but before we start unpacking shit I want to have a short guild meeting so gather up.¡± He motioned at Sparta who was sitting at the top of the ladder. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± asked Cherry as everyone gathered around Birse. Birse glanced at Sly ¡°I want your opinions, about Sly leaving alone to an unknown land with unknown circumstances.¡± Sly turned to glare at him ¡°It was my choice, we can¡¯t just hang up on an offer like that!¡± he argued. ¡°Still Sly didn¡¯t you hear him? You could actually die, take everything into account..¡± Steph argued back. ¡± Your bloodline was banished, from what I can tell a direct bloodline to the big man of wrath himself. That doesn¡¯t sound good, at all!¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t sound like Mr.Satan would be taking it easy on you either, you really sure about this mate?¡± added Ch. Kyle nodded in agreement ¡°There¡¯s still time to back out. The consequences of your ancestors aside, being outside of the respawn range shouldn¡¯t be taken lightly. We¡¯ve already lost o-¡± Sly suddenly smashed an aura-clad fist into the wall behind himself ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that?!¡± he glared at Kyle as his aura oozed out of his body in violet tendrils, his expression reddened in anger. Kyle felt the emotions stirring inside Sly, frustration, anger, guilt and fear. Sly leaned back and rested to the wall as Lilior repaired the damage next to him ¡°It was my fault in the first place¡­If I hadn¡¯t been losing control¡­if I had been able to fight¡­hell if only I had been more careful!¡± he slammed his fist into the wall again sending splinters to the floor. ¡°Don¡¯t just blame yourself, we were there too.¡± added Skill with a dark expression. ¡°But I was the one in charge, I¡¯m the one responsible¡­¡± argued Sly sending the room into an awkward silence. Moments later Birse broke the silence ¡°Yes you were responsible, you were left in command and lost a man due to your incapability to study the situation.¡± He looked Sly straight in the eye as he spoke but Sly didn¡¯t meet them ¡°So stop bitching, I won¡¯t allow you to leave if you¡¯re thinking of some valiant death for your mistakes. You know better than that, I won¡¯t be the one to lecture you. You don¡¯t need to be told what to do.¡± He turned his attention from Sly and continued ¡°Anybody else? No? Then this conversation is over. Next business, what do we do now?¡± he didn¡¯t give anybody time to reply ¡°Rhetorical question. Me, Sly, Death and Cherry will work on the dungeon. The rest of you need to catch up on your level progress.¡± ¡°How do we do that? Is there somewhere we can train here?¡± asked Seren. ¡°This area we¡¯re currently situated in is the fortress¡¯s military zone.¡± replied Death ¡°We were told the fleshy bulges outside are used for training troops.¡± ¡°They call them Spawn Hives.¡° Began to explain Birse ¡±A creature they carried along with them out of Nox¡¯s plane. In short it collects environmental mana to grow and when attacked it spawns monsters according to the attacker¡¯s strength as a defensive system.¡± ¡°So kind of like a dungeon?¡± said Sparta. ¡°Not really, dungeons pre spawn monsters and I don¡¯t think those things dig out extensive underground tunnels.¡± explained Sly with a still bummed out tone. ¡°Oh.¡± replied Sparta ¡°Why does it specifically spawn monsters according to the attacker¡¯s strength then?¡± ¡°Cause it doesn¡¯t want to waste mana?¡± Sly took a guess. ¡°Anyway, ya all spread out training. If I catch any slackers, well you know what the usual punishment is except that you won¡¯t be just holding up a controller for hours here.¡± said Birse with a wicked smirk. A collection of groans and sighs followed. --- Having left the carriage to Sly and Cherry to push while Birse and Death gave directions, the rest of the guild had spread out around the training field around them. Kyle stood staring at one of the Spawn Hives. About eight meters in height and six in width the large lump of black flesh pulsated vigorously like a pumping heart, red bulges of glowing flesh grew on it¡¯s surface like a sickening skin disease. Kyle used soul detection to see that the creature had none, it wasn¡¯t a sentient being like a dungeon at all. ¡°First thing¡¯s first and it¡¯s been long due.¡± He spoke to himself while raising both arms ahead of himself, he stared down at his open palms ¡°I forgot to see if my Draconic slime is compatible with any of the other types.¡± He summoned the brown slime in his left hand ¡°First is fire.¡± Then summoned the fiery yellow slime in his right. He pressed his palms together and watched as the two slimes merged together.
Skill merge is a success! [Ooze(Draconic)] has merged with [Ooze(Fire)] creating [Ooze(Elder Flame)]
Kyle focused on the new type opening it¡¯s description window.
Slime type: (Elder Flame) variation of (Draconic) (Elder Flame) Effects: [Molten touch]; [Burn] debuff deals triple damage as long as contact is kept. [Elder control]; Control over all variations of [Ooze(Elder Flame)] costs 80% less mana.
(¡°I wonder why Demonic didn¡¯t work¡­¡±) Kyle thought as he tried mixing the slime with Draconic again to no avail. (¡°Oh well beggars can¡¯t be choosers. Let¡¯s try Acid next.¡±) he went through each of the other types of slime under his possession but only (Dark) was successful leaving Acid and Swamp unsuccessful.
Skill merge is a success! [Ooze(Draconic)] has merged with [Ooze(Dark)] creating [Ooze(Elder Dark)]
Slime type: (Elder Dark) variation of (Draconic) (Elder Dark) Effects: [Undeath]; Dreadful magiks prevent death in the vicinity. [Elder control]; Control over all variations of [Ooze(Elder Dark)] costs 40% less mana.
Kyle stared at the effect [Undeath] with a doubtful expression (¡°I¡¯m not sure what to make of this¡­¡±) the reason he hadn¡¯t chosen to gain this effect before was because of how doubtful it¡¯s actual effects were. Kyle had learned not to fully trust skill descriptions. From Kyle¡¯s experience death on Chaoz happened in three ways. One is when your health reaches 0 from all the taken damage, two is the destruction of an important organ or muscle like a heart, brain or monster core. The third as he had recently found out from gaining the (Devil Slayer) title was removal of the soul. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure what the skill meant by preventing death. It could have been many things from rapid regeneration, denial of death by low vitality and denial of critical damage to core body parts. Other kinds also came to mind but instead of guessing he decided to give it a test run. Glancing to the side Kyle saw Woody poking and prodding the Spawn Hive next to him, quietly he stalked over and summoned a fist full of the smoky black slime. Next he simply watched hoping he was within range. Woody grew bored of poking the Hive¡¯s fleshy surface and took a dozen or so steps away from it, he raised his right palm towards it and chanted ¡°Light bolt.¡± A bright white bolt of energy shot from his palm and singed the Hive¡¯s surface causing it to bleed blue. --- Author: It¡¯s about to get realllyy fucking gory in here > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELBRdubmltI --- The Spawn Hive started to pulsate twice as quick as earlier as one of the red bulges opened like an eyelid. A thick fleshy grey tentacle like tube slithered out and began to convulse, slowly something flowed though it¡¯s tube before it vomited out. The creature stood up on it¡¯s two legs covered head to toe in light brown goo. Four feet tall of dark red plated carapace covering a humanoid but insectoid creature. With six arms in total each ending in a scythe like black blade and two pairs of dark grey insectoid wings. It¡¯s torso was slim and the whole thing looked similar to a Mantis. It¡¯s head just like a Mantis¡¯s was triangular with two large pitch black eyes each having a small red dot for pupil. Instead of antennas three thick black smooth horns grew out the back of it¡¯s head, the middle one grew straight while the two on the side curved inwards like a three fingered claw. Kyle thought it was something he might come up with in a nightmare. Until it¡¯s chest opened up vertically revealing two sets of razor sharp teeth and a large mouth with them, from inside came out a dozen or so black tentacles engulfed in red goo each ending in two hook like claws. The creature was definitely something out of a nightmare. He inspected it.
{Minion} Corpse Reaver [Level 105]
Just as Woody leaned forward and chanted ¡°Horn beam!¡± the multicoloured beam of light blasted through two of the Reaver¡¯s arms before it lowered it¡¯s stance and charged in a zig zag motion. It came upon him a moment later, stopping right next to Woody the Reaver opened it¡¯s arms wide and spun like a chainsaw making use of it¡¯s incredibly strong legs and flexible wings. Woody summoned a barrier of light to block the attack which sent him flying back a few dozen feet. The Reaver didn¡¯t give him time to recuperate as it charged in the same zig zag motion as before, this time before reaching him it leaped up and spun into a downwards triple slash. Woody rolled out of the way as the three scythes crashed down into the dirt, he then aimed his horn up at the creature ¡°Horn blast!¡± a spherical projectile of multicoloured light shot up into the Reaver¡¯s chest and exploded. The Reaver¡¯s lower torso was reduced to scattered gore as it¡¯s upper body crashed down into the puddle of blue blood, black flesh and red carapace. Woody sat up as he took deep breathes, he glanced at the creature¡¯s corpse just as it¡¯s arms twitched back into action. Using it¡¯s wings the remaining top half of the Reaver flew towards Woody catching him entirely by surprise, it¡¯s scythe like arms pierced through his shoulders locking him down to the ground as the remaining two went to work. It chopped off his horn then began gutting open his chest as Woody screamed in agony. ¡°Oh lord! Christ no! Fuck! Fuck! Stop! H-Help!¡± Woody shouted out in mixed pain and fear. The Reaver opened what was left of it¡¯s chestmouth and sent out it¡¯s remaining seven tentacles to pick at Woody¡¯s flesh, bit by bit it began to eat him. Kyle was too baffled by the creature¡¯s savagery to react as Woody remained alive and watching the entire thing. ¡°F-uc-k! St-Sto-op!¡± Woody continued to shout out gargled as the creature picked his insides apart, the scythes now held each of his limbs down through nailing them to the ground while it¡¯s tentacles tore away at his chest and inside. Kyle could clearly make out a heart and lung being pulled out before three tentacles joined together to pull out the intestines. ¡°What the fuuckk¡­¡± Kyle exclaimed with wide eyes causing the reaver¡¯s head to turn towards him, it¡¯s actual mouth opened into four mandibles and hissed loudly causing him to snap out of his daze. He immediately dissipated the slime.
Party member [WoodStauk] has died!
Ch 58 - Farming and Decorating. Kyle dodged and weaved using [Surge] as the Corpse Reaver chased after him too close for comfort. Wielding two [Slime Cannons] and having summoned two small [Fox Golems V.2], an upgraded version of the earlier golems after having discovered something. Each golem had two [Slime Pistol]s built onto them, one on each side of their torso, as the golems apparently could use the mana stored in their cores as resource for set abilities or in this case ammunition Kyle ordered them to use from his own skill book. [Slime Cannon] and [Slime Scattershot] being too large and heavy for the small agile golems while also becoming either a [Slime Pistol] or a uselessly weak scattershot when reduced in size Kyle had left the golems with two pistols. He gave them a single order, destroy the monster¡¯s limbs. The two golems chased after the Reaver stopping briefly to take accurate shots at it¡¯s arms, legs and wings. Unfortunately, the pistols were less than effective at destroying the hard carapace around it¡¯s entire body. The carapace was damaged but it was either a small crack or a simple scratch that was left behind with every shot landed by them. The wings were a different story as Kyle noticed, the fragile limbs were easily shot through. ¡°Golems destroy the wings!¡± he ordered his creations. Kyle surged left as the Reaver leaped at him with a spinning slash, the moment he came out of the quick dash he fired a couple shots of his newest ammunition type [Corrosive Rounds].
[Corrosive Rounds]: Fire half an armoured shell with a fragile front section filled with highly corrosive acid. Usage cost: 42 mana Reload time: 6.1
The Acidic slime tipped projectiles glowed a deadly green hue as they splattered against the spinning insectoid. Smoke hissed out as the acid ate away at the thin carapace on the creature¡¯s limbs revealing the dark-blue flesh below, the thick sections on it¡¯s shoulders and chest were much less effected. The Reaver screeched in pain before charging at Kyle again, with all six arms wide open in a hug it stopped mere feet away from the adventurer as it closed it¡¯s arms around him. Kyle lowered his stance as he prepared to surge back, aiming a cannon per set of arms he quickly spoke a short chant ¡°Explosive Abandon!¡±. The front of his weapon¡¯s barrels glowed a brief blue glow before exploding, sending the both of them flying back. Kyle surged away a couple more times leaving behind the now armless Reaver to get harassed by his golems. [Explosive Abandon] unlike [Corrosive Rounds] which was an ammunition sub-skill for his [Slime Pistol] , [Slime Scattershot] and [Slime Cannon], was an actual skill like the three weapons. Using [Draconic Fracture] he created the skill by sacrificing most of the (Demonic) slime that made up his cannons. The (Demonic) slime would quickly change to (Elder Frost) slime in its condensed state and then explodes without charging up. Kyle dissipated the two ruined [Slime Cannons] and watched as his golems shredded the Reaver¡¯s wings. The Corpse Reaver screeched out loudly and charged one of the golems, its speed was cut in half from losing it¡¯s wings but with it¡¯s strong legs and aerodynamic body withheld it¡¯s speed. It opened it¡¯s chest-maw wide and captured one of the golems with it¡¯s tentacles, it pulled it into it¡¯s chest as the maw closed onto the condensed (Demonic) slime body. The red fangs easily cut through the slime but the golem was too large for the Corpse Reaver to swallow it whole or chew it up. So it shuddered and spun around with it¡¯s mouth completely full trying to tear a bite off, trying to tear the golem¡¯s head off. Kyle summoned his [Frostfire Blade] and surged towards the monster, with blade in one hand and black slime forming in his other palm he stopped right behind the creature. He crouched down as he slid over the dirt using his momentum from [Surge] and slashed at both of the Reaver¡¯s legs. The [Frostfire Blade] cleanly went through it¡¯s legs dealing unseen damage, the carapace was left untouched but the flesh inside was completely frozen over. The Reaver screeched again as it lost all feeling in it¡¯s legs and fell sideways to the ground. Quickly it let go of the golem and assaulted Kyle with it¡¯s tentacles. Kyle raised his sword arm at the tentacles and released [Devouring Frostfire] freezing them all over, most of the tentacles crashed back through their still unfrozen length or like the rest stood stalk still. Releasing his sword Kyle stared down at the savage creature, he was out of breath just from trying to keep his distance from it. He then looked down at the black mass of slime in his left hand, black smoke oozed out surrounding the entire thing but there was a clear different from a normal (Dark) slime. Silver ethereal tendrils of mana flowed out of the slime, barely visible if not for Kyle¡¯s [Draconic perception] and [Mana Detection]. They reached out towards Kyle¡¯s arm but did not make contact. Kyle continued with his preparations and stood by the creature¡¯s legs as it freakishly screeched at him, it¡¯s torso was entirely hardened and unmoving due to it¡¯s carapace leaving it¡¯s head being the only remaining limb that could move. Kyle raising his right leg over the Reaver¡¯s frozen knees, a thought came to him before he went through. ¡°Quick Surge!¡± he called out as his leg was solely effect by [Surge], his leather boots crashed through the carapace destroying the Reaver¡¯s knee and severing a leg. A couple notifications followed.
The skill [Quick Surge] was created!
Achievement of ingenuity! You have created up to three different skills and or spells! Skill/Spell viability: [Slime Pistol], [Explosive Abandon], [Quick Surge] Title gained: (Spell Smith) Resource cost of created spells and or skills ¨C 40% {Class Requirement}
You have unlocked enough requirement skills and or titles to receive a sub-class! Please check in with an obelisk to unlock!
Kyle allowed himself a smile as he read the windows, he had expected a skill creation but not to gain a title. Less so a title requirement for a class. (¡°I really need to visit an obelisk somehow¡­¡±) he thought while opening his skill book to read the new skill¡¯s description compared to [Surge].
[Surge] ((EXP 82%) Level 8 ¨C Tier 4): A sudden and powerful burst of movement, secondary casts cancel previous force giving the ability for sudden changes in direction; Maximum movement speed * 8 Duration: 1.2 seconds Cost: 10 stamina Cooldown: 2.6 seconds
[Quick Surge] ((Exp 11%) Level 1 - Teir 1): A quick surge of movement focused on singular parts of your body. Attack speed * 6 Duration: 0.3 seconds Cost: 5 stamina
[Quick Surge] unlike [Surge] had no cooldown time and costed half the stamina, also instead of increasing movement speed it increased attack speed for a brief moment which in turn increased the power of the attack. Kyle moved on to the second leg and instead of stomping down he kicked at the knee using quick surge, fully expecting his leg to break off and fly off he squinted in preparation for the pain. Instead he cleanly destroyed the Reaver¡¯s knee feeling none of the backlash of pain or damage he usually did. Kyle cringed wondering how much more of his body would have been damaged if he hadn¡¯t created the skill [Slime Pistol] the moment he tested it out, seemingly making the ability more effective by calling it out as a skill. Taking his thoughts out of those skills for now he focused on what he was currently testing, he dissipated his two golems then opened his inventory and pulled out a core out of his ever-decreasing stash. He waited for his mana to regenerate back to full then used it all up in one go to create the golem. Completely made of the (Elder Dark(Undeath)) slime the golem was a seven meter long and two feet thick serpent, when the shadowy smoke formed around it¡¯s entirety it become slightly longer and much thicker. ¡°Dark Serpent¡± Kyle named the hastily made golem, again he was forced to wait a few minutes for his mana to regenerate. When enough of his mana had regenerated Kyle turned to the still living Corpse Reaver, unsure if the constant effect of (Undeath) was what kept it alive he summoned a [Slime Pistol] on his right wrist and aimed it down at the monster¡¯s chest. ¡°Nothing personal.¡± said Kyle as he fired several [Corrosive Rounds] into the Reaver¡¯s still open chest, it screeched and hissed in agony as it¡¯s insides melted alongside the tentacles. ¡°Dark Serpent, head straight south.¡± Kyle ordered the golem, the serpent turned and slithered away.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Kyle was killing four birds with one stone here as he sat down and focused on using [{Be One with slime}] on the Dark Serpent golem. He was training the skill to hopefully increase it¡¯s perception range, trying to figure out how far the skill could allow him to move away from his actual body, how far the (Undeath) slime¡¯s effect could reach at maximum slime mass and how far could a golem go from it¡¯s creator. Thanks to [Draconic Perception] and [Spirit Detection] Kyle knew exactly how far he was moving from his body as his mind lay as one with the Dark Serpent. He couldn¡¯t see, hear or smell as neither of these senses were developed on the golem¡¯s body but the creature was a slime based creation so it inherited [{Be One With Slime}]¡¯s magical perception. As Kyle had found out from his manual movement of that large fox golem he fought Talia with and the [{Be One With Slime}] controlled second golem he used to defeat her and her reinforcements, magical perception could at times be much more effective than sight or even sound. Kyle could basically perceive anything and everything within the perception range at different stages of concentration. At a relaxed stage he could perceive most of everything around him in a 6-7 meter radius similarly to sight while perceiving the rest of the 22 meter range with little more than positioning and shape. If he stopped moving entirely and focused he entered a focused stage where he could perceive shapes, colours, distance and elevation of literally everything within a 15 meter radius all around him. But thanks to his [Spirit Detection] and [Draconic Perception] he didn¡¯t need the second stage at all, keeping the 22 meter radius in full while making use of all three types of perception and detection in conjunction to get a pinpoint location on anything and everything being living or not. Outside of that 22 meter radius though was utter darkness, an empty world of nothingness as far as he was concerned. Kyle continued to slither in his serpentine body until he reached a distance of 20 meters away from the Corpse Reaver, he gained a notification in his mind telling him the creature had died.
[Corpse Reaver Level 109] has been killed utilizing [Corrosive Rounds]!
He usually completely ignored these notifications but this one told him exactly how far a maximum mana created mass of (Undeath) slime could reach, which apparently for the system was enough to give him insight as proved by the following notification.
Insight! You have gained insight on a previously lacking skill description! [Ooze(Elder Dark)]: (Undeath)
He focused on the effect alone to gain a window of it¡¯s updated description.
[Undeath]; Dreadful magiks prevent death in the vicinity. Range: 1 meter per 1 m3 of slime.
He moved the window out of his mind and focused on his body¡¯s location, he had stopped moving and got himself mentally prepared for losing his body¡¯s position from perception range. Of course, he knew where his body was, unlike a simple slime Kyle was intelligent enough to comprehend existence. Not being able to exactly perceive where it was though? Was still slightly frightening. He moved forward and a headache instantly hit him. Kyle found himself staring down at his hands as a notification appeared.
Warning! Golem has reached maximum distance! Golem will remain in place until new orders are spoken!
Apparently 21 meters was the maximum range for Kyle¡¯s golemancy.
Insight! You have gained insight on a previously lacking skill description! [Golemancy]
Feeling accomplished with his current set of skill only two things now remained for him to do to progress further in strength. One was to go unlock a sub-class, something which would have to wait until Birse and Sly finish with setting up the dungeon. The second was¡­ofcourse¡­ monster grinding. Kyle kept this second option on his mind as he turned back towards the Spawn Hive ¡°This is when I start wishing for some music¡­Fuck oh well.¡± He spoke to himself while glancing around at the others still fighting in their individual ways, all except for Woody who still hadn¡¯t made it back from respawning. ¡°Time to farm.¡± --- A few hours earlier Birse scanned the vast area of grasslands assigned to them. By his understanding Barik was around 30 million acres large, he had come down to this assumption by how long it took them to go from one side to another at a certain speed. Devil¡¯s eye on the other hand was only about 1 and a half million acres and the area assigned to them was a mere 100 acres, about six by six kilometres. Nothing huge but enough for what purpose they were going to give this land. ¡°Alright boys set up here.¡± He told Sly and Cherry who were pushing the carriage while Death directed them. They were by average in the middle of the grass lands which was directly at the edge of the river and surrounded by farm land, over the river they could barely see the barrier shimmering from the sun light as it descended into sundown. Cherry and Sly moved to the front of the carriage while changing back into their normal forms or losing their armor of mana, they stretched and flexed their arms and legs while waiting for the next step. Death came out from inside the carriage and went to stand by them. Birse who remained standing on the carriage¡¯s roof rested his left hand on his waste and raised his right hand then pointed towards the horizon ¡°Now build my kingdom!¡± he exclaimed dramatically with a wicked grin plastered on his face. Death held his face with his right palm while Sly groaned and rolled his eyes. Cherry simply bellowed in laughter. ¡°Let¡¯s just set this shit up.¡± said Sly as he looked around ¡°Get off so we can start digging.¡± ¡°Ahem! I think master Sly means so I can start digging!¡± replied Lilior. ¡°Pssht, nobody likes a sassy dungeon.¡± said Birse before jumping off the edge, he landed right next to the other three and turned around ¡°Alright, how¡¯s your mana storage doing?¡± ¡°Everybody likes sass and about 60% remaining.¡± answered Lilior. ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s say two kilometres downwards. How much will that spend?¡± Birse then asked. ¡°2% depending on how much earth to stone there is.¡± replied Lilior after checking with her magical perception, being a dungeon her magical perception spanned a couple kilometres around her core. ¡°Can you reach outside the barrier?¡± asked Sly. ¡°Give me a moment¡­¡± Lilior told them replying briefly after ¡°Yes my mana can reach outside the barrier unblocked.¡± ¡°Perfect, we¡¯ll set up the hub here then.¡± said Sly. Birse nodded in agreement ¡°Mhm, Lilior followed these instructions. Dig straight down for two kilometers then cover up behind yourself after moving your core down there, make sure the earth to stone ratio remains the same and don¡¯t take over that dug out area while moving down. Then dig out a hundred by hundred hall around yourself. After that start digging a tunnel all the way to the other side of the barrier and take it over along with the hall, block up the tunnel after that. From then on build a tunnel all around the barrier but don¡¯t flood it by digging into the sea alright?¡± ¡°Sir yes sir.¡± replied Lilior before going to work. Dungeons are a special kind of existence. As their name describes Dungeons are living labyrinths, a consciousness of pure mana held together by a physical core. As a Dungeon Lilior has many skills at her disposal. One allows her to focus on a non-living material around her and absorb it as mana, exactly what she did with the carriage leaving nothing behind as her core hovered in place unaffected by the loss of ground. Hovering her core costed her no mana but moving it did so instead she laid her core down on the soft dirt and began to ¡®dig¡¯ straight down by absorbing the earth as mana. Earth formed all around the core as Lilior absorbed it, the dirt turning into an ethereal blue stream of mana being sucked into the green-blue crystal. She continued to dig for some hundreds of meters until she hit stone and then began to absorb that too, her core filling up with mana as she did so. Lilior stopped digging when her core reached the height Birse told her to stop at. Using the mana absorbed while digging Lilior then began to use another one of her skills, the ability to recreate any material she absorbed before at least once. She refilled the large tunnel above her with stone, dirt and whatever other materials she encountered on her way down. That part done she then began digging out a tunnel towards the barrier. She did not need to keep her core close to where she was digging, instead she simply needed the area being effected to be within her perception range. From where the core stood the barrier was at the edge of her range allowing her to dig right through but not far enough, so she used the third skill in her repertoire. A skill that allowed Dungeons to spread their mana as far as possible, similarly to Aura. But unlike Aura, Dungeons used the spread mana to move their consciousness or part of it through the taken over area of existence in turn increasing their perception range and giving them the ability to see any part of themselves. This ability was one of the reasons so few dungeons existed on Chaoz, only those that would co-ordinate with the enlightened races and live peacefully with them would be allowed to live. The reason? The ability held a close resemblance to Dread corruption, something so wicked that it is still despised by all living races enlightened and monster alike. Lilior spread her mana through the dug-out tunnel, a greenish miasma briefly filled the air before dissipating. She then continued to dig, spreading her mana throughout the tunnels as she moved her consciousness through. The miasma was her mana adapting to the area, leaving it a bright green-blue and dissipating the darkness. Lilior blocked the tunnel underneath the barrier with stone then continued digging around, being able to spread her mana even through solid rock. It took her a few hours to dig all around and while she did so Lilior also dug a staircase up to the surface where Sly, Death and Birse were waiting. The three adventurers, much to Sly¡¯s annoyance, descended the long staircase down to the new core room. Lilior had dug out the hall as instructed as she noticed them descending, ¡°He whines enough as it is.¡± she said to herself. The three of them arrived at the bottom just as a bright light shine out from the core, someone was respawning. Woody appeared with a pale expression ¡°The fuck¡­¡± ¡°Yo did you die?¡± asked Sly as they walked closer to the core. ¡°Twice, first I was ravaged by a giant fucking grasshopper then smashed to bits between the core and stone!¡± Woody exclaimed in disbelief. Birse snorted in amusement ¡°Tough luck bro, know your way back?¡± ¡°Hell no, I¡¯m taking a break. That shit will give me nightmares!¡± Woody replied as he headed for the exit. Sly elbowed Death in the shoulder ¡°Keep an eye on him¡­¡± he whispered. ¡°Roger¡­¡± Death whispered back before jogging to catch up with Woody ¡°Yo Woodster wait up.¡± ¡°Alright I¡¯ll go along the outer tunnel and pick spots of exits, you start decorating Sly.¡± said Birse as he walked off into the dimly lit tunnel. Sly looked around the stone covered hall, a small smile on his face ¡°Alright Lilior, let¡¯s get to it.¡± Lilior summoned Draxxer and made him raise his arms up in the air ¡°Okay!¡±. ¡°Stop that...seriously it¡¯s terrifying with how empty his expression is.¡± Comment Sly as he stepped to stand right next to the core, he raised both arms and pressed his palms to it¡¯s surface ¡°Mind meld¡±. A special skill that Lilior had, being a created Dungeon with a Dungeon Lord made her slightly different than other Dungeons. This ability allowed her to merge minds with another being, giving that being certain control over her. Sly¡¯s consciousness melded with Lilior¡¯s allowing him full view of the dungeon through magical perception. He began to build, changing the material of the floor, walls and ceiling, adding aesthetics, leaving sizable smooth areas for traps, digging out rooms of different sizes for different purposes and decorating them too. The dreary stone ground phased out into obsidian black paved flooring, carved into each off tile was the guild¡¯s emblem, a cloaked figure with skeletal wings. The boringly smooth stone walls morphed into white marble chiselled walls with designs of warriors fighting large monsters, mages bending magic to their will and assassins going about their craft in the midst of battle. The dull stone ceiling changed as chiselled marble took it¡¯s place, the design of a flowing river carved into the tunnels and a great battle carved into the hall¡¯s ceiling. The river depicting flowing blood and the battle portraying the guild¡¯s greatest achievement. Pillars grew out of the ground, marble carved Greek style. Each pillar stopped half way short of the ceiling, an obsidian statue appearing on each one. Each statue representing every guild member ever, before and after RuneShock. Sly went through the names as he build the statues, each about four times his size. (¡°Mine, Death¡¯s, Birse¡¯s, Soren¡¯s, Kyll¡¯s, Seren¡¯s, Skill¡¯s and¡­Silv¡¯s¡±) the earlier members before Chaoz. (¡°¡­Cherry¡¯s, Jacky¡¯s, Woody¡¯s, Ch¡¯s and Steph¡¯s.¡±) The original and longest standing members. (¡°Zombie¡¯s and Game¡¯s¡­¡±) Two members from different periods of their guild, neither of which are on Chaoz. Each statue depicted the character each was most known for, wielding their weapons while each holding a sneer or a grin. (¡°Sparta¡¯s too new but in time, another statue could join the ranks.¡±) he thought while leaving an empty pillar if anything to keep the set of pillars symmetrical. Sly turned his attention to the tunnel running around the barrier¡¯s edge, Birse was running through it at maximum speed telling Lilior where to dig out. He began to decorate behind them, making sure each tunnel out had the appropriate design of aesthetics and space for traps while also being decently hidden. Sly cancelled the [Mind Meld] and looked around the great hall ¡°Now how will I fix that fucking staircase¡­¡± he asked himself while taking a break from the mentally straining process. Ch 59 - Course to collision Colonel Fier Jayce read through a report that lay in front of him, he sat at his desk of dark green wood inside his similarly designed office. Jayce is an Elf, a Wood Elf with short brown-green hair, brown eyes and a muscular appearance. For an Elf he was within his middle age, his appearance though showed nothing more than being in his late 20s. He wore a refined military uniform of black trimmed with bright green, his pauldrons were lined with medals for his service to the Elven Forest Court. On his trench coat was a single insignia, a golden pin shaped like a spiky reptilian head. He sighed after finishing reading the report and stood up ¡°Foolish Darks and Frosts, can¡¯t get off their asses yet. No matter, we will give them their proof soon enough.¡± Jayce walked over to the door and exited his office out to the ship¡¯s higher deck, he glanced around the ocean around them. The Empire¡¯s naval armada was spread out around Ruk¡¯s north, a vast fleet of fifteen thousand ships lay to his left and right. Each ship was either a full rigged ship armed with cannons or a three masted schooner carrying squads of mages and archers. The ships all sported the same dark green wood that seemed to shift and change, Elfwood being masterly controlled by mages. Jayce walked up to the higher deck¡¯s edge and looked down at the main deck, a squad of fourteen armoured Elves stood at attention around three men that lay on their knees. Another Elf wearing a similar uniform to Jayce¡¯s stood with the three prisoners. ¡°How goes the interrogation?¡± asked Jayce from up top, he moved towards the stairs. The Elf below looked up at him with a grin ¡°Two broke. The other¡­well see for yourself colonel. No fun, no fun at all.¡± The man exclaimed with glee in his gruff voice. As Jayce descended the stairs he studied the other high ranking Elf ¡°Might you have gone too hard on them Fleet Admiral Zelt?¡±. Unlike Jayce, Zelt was a thin skinny Elf sporting a bald cut and brown goatee. His crimson eyes gave too much away, filled with bloodlust and enjoyment. Jayce held back a grimace as he walked through the parting soldiers, their backs to the act of torture happening behind them as even they were unable to stomach it. Chained up and on their knees the three prisoners were entirely naked and varied in race. One a Wood Elf with long brown hair, his eyes too bloody to tell if they were there or had been gouged out. The second a Beastkin by his bloody greying hair, his ears had been chopped off so Jayce couldn¡¯t tell what kind. The third lay on the ground unmoving, a Castanic Demon with red horns and blueish hair. The other two had their fair share of torture from the bruising and bleeding but this one had the worst of it all. His skin had been peeled off entirely, from top to bottom and it lay to his right in a pile of blood and flesh. The Wood Elf prisoner stared at the Demon with wide terrified eyes as the Beastkin stared down at the wooden ground, both trembling in either fear or anger. Jayce covered his nose at the stench of death ¡°What have you found out Sir?¡± he asked the Fleet Admiral, a cruel relentless man who enjoyed the sea almost as much as he enjoyed his personal interrogations. Zelt wiped his bloody hands in a piece of cloth, he stared down at the two prisoners as he spoke ¡°Exactly what the court requires Colonel, although we¡¯ll require you and your men to go get first hand proof of it all.¡± Jayce frowned at Zelt¡¯s tone ¡°What has happened Sir?¡± ¡°The Dezol have begun a Grand Quest.¡± said Zelt with a sigh, he turned to face the Colonel and spoke sternly ¡°Colonel Fier you are requested to ride to Barik and retrieve information on the current situation at all costs.¡± Jayce stood at attention and saluted ¡°The Dragon Riders accept this mission, we shall leave immediately.¡± Zelt nodded ¡°We won¡¯t be informing the alliance, blasted cunts should have informed us first hand.¡± Jayce feeling the conversation over turned around and walked to the edge of the ship, he looked down at the sea below and whistled. Jayce then leaped off the ship. The flapping of wings sent blasts of wind into the ocean as a large reptilian mass of scales and wings glided down from the sky. The creature was most definitely a Dragon, unlike a Wyvern it was three times as large and had four feet while it¡¯s wings were much thicker allowing for powerful movements. The Dragon was enormous, even without it¡¯s wings that spanned six times it¡¯s torso and tail that was twice as long, it was still double the full rigged ship¡¯s length and just as thick. Spiked green scales covered most of it¡¯s body and wing limbs, it¡¯s wing netting was thick and dark yellow. It¡¯s head was the spikiest of all with six long crown like spikes growing out. The green scaled Dragon flew by the ship allowing Jayce to fall onto it¡¯s wing and slide down towards it¡¯s torso, the Elf barely larger than the Dragon¡¯s emerald eyes. Jayce reached the Dragon¡¯s back and ran up to it¡¯s head as sea water splashed all over while the Dragon flapped it¡¯s powerful wings to re-ascend into the sky. ¡°It is time my friend.¡± said Jayce as he expertly made his way to the Dragon¡¯s forehead, a saddle of wood, metal and leather lay strapped to it. He sat down on the saddle, legs straight in front of himself and back laid to the back-slanted leather seat. ¡°Let¡¯s go Rekshar¡± Jayce raised his right hand forward ¡°We ride to Barik!¡± Rekshar roared out as it flew over the fleet, the resounding roar sent waves of mana blasting forward making the very air ripple with energy. A dozen more roars cried out as several other Dragons and their riders joined it in the air. The squadron of thirteen green Dragons flew in arrow formation heading towards their destination west. Heading towards the continent of Barik.
Helix defence camp. 2 days later Jacky glanced at the ground below as he crouched down on the branch he lay on, up high a tree he picked far away from camp. He waited patiently as the suns set, the bright light from the descending suns making the trees and their surroundings darker than at night time. Three figures stalked below and once he knew that nobody else had followed them Jacky leaped down, two of the figures flinched at his sudden appearance but the third was un-moving. Jacky landed crouched down ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± he asked while standing up and clearing snow from his black coat. Jacky glanced at each of the three adventurers, three people he knew very well from their time in Rune Shock. Each either an information broken or spy trained by Birse and after Jacky retired controlled by Birse.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Scared the shit outta me that¡¯s what¡¯s up!¡± exclaimed the cloaked Dwarf in a whisper. Jacky smirked as he inspected the three of them.
VainSanity [Monk]-[Lightbringer] (Holy Smiting) (BW Smith) Level 94
Vain grimaced back at Jacky, the Dwarf no taller than the assassin¡¯s waist but muscular and wielding a pole-hammer. With a dread-bread and dreadlocks the Dwarf was actually a craftsmen in Rune shock but with their current situation he was forced into becoming a combatant.
JaneRekless [Rogue]-[Dark Bowmeister] (Sniper) (ETE Sargent) Level 107
Jane remained passive and expressionless, patiently waiting for the usual meeting to start. Beneath her hood greenish scales were visible on her cheeks showing her Mer linage even if she had two legs and not a tail. Her long braided blonde hair flowed down her left, her jade like light green eyes attentive and calculative.
Rico [Spearman] (Meat Shield Prime) (LOST rank 3) Level 109
A dark elf with dark purplish skin, short light blue hair and violet eyes. Rico rolled his eyes and sighed ¡°Stop your bitching dwarf, let¡¯s get this started.¡± he stated with an annoyed expression. ¡°Pfft, you backed off too!¡± exclaimed Vain. Jacky sighed ¡°Cut it out, let¡¯s get this over with. He wants to hear from us before the day is over.¡± These three were the only ones Jacky trusted with spying on the guilds, their personalities being which didn¡¯t get them into the guild aside, their goals coincided with the guild¡¯s. Each wanted to either go home and had friends who wished to stay or wanted to stay themselves. As such the alliance¡¯s path to war wasn¡¯t helping, making it more difficult for the Dezol to progress through and prolonging the war as the stalemate with the Elves remained. Neither did they like the idea of the racist and tyrannical leadership of the Elven Empire. ¡°Eternium hasn¡¯t really moved but¡­¡± Jane began to share her collected information, her voice quiet almost a whisper ¡°The top brass are picking among themselves for something, some mission.¡± ¡°I can explain that.¡± Offered Rico before continuing ¡°The alliance offered us the same mission, they produced some kind of biological and chemical weapon against the barrier. They only have eight batches of it, two will be transported by force to the barrier by the alliance¡¯s army in two platoons. The other six will be given to the guilds, one to each guild that accepts to help.¡± Vain shook his head ¡°Haven¡¯t heard nothing about that, BW mustn¡¯t be important enough for that attention.¡± Jacky scratched his chin ¡°I was chosen for APOK¡¯s delivery party, haven¡¯t been told much except that we need to get to the barrier quickly. Rico can you give time?¡± he asked the elf. Rico nodded ¡°Tomorrow at night fall we move, during the day we should see the alliance moving their forces around for the push. The general told each guild to send no more than four of their fastest members, keep the squads small to lower the chance of detection and whatnot.¡± ¡°Any idea as to what this weapon does?¡± asked Jane. ¡°Apparently it¡¯s some kind of plant.¡± replied Rico ¡°Drench the dirt with the vial of liquid and the plant grows, it then begins to attack all mana in it¡¯s surroundings which will include the barrier.¡± ¡°Are we sure they only have eight batches?¡± asked Jacky. Rico¡¯s eyes trailed off for a moment ¡°Not definitive, we were shown the eight vials and that¡¯s it. Apparently it requires some very rare resources to make.¡± ¡°Then they probably have more, going as far as to show and tell and all¡­¡± added Vain with a grimace. Jacky nodded in agreement ¡°Yeah probably, anything else?¡± none of them responded ¡°Alright, gather more about who¡¯s on each party and see if you can find out anything about the alliance¡¯s movements. There is probably a squad being formed by them for a ninth of even tenth batch. Also I want to know who made this weapon, full name and associations.¡± ¡°On it.¡± Replied Rico with a smirk. ¡°Sure.¡± Said Jane sternly. ¡°Aight.¡± Grumbled Vain. ¡°Dismissed.¡± Declared Jacky as he disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.
Devil¡¯s Eye Three hours later The entire guild of RHD- or Blood Pack as they were privately known- gathered inside the throne room of the Dezol¡¯s fortress. Each member looked either tense, worried or anxious except for the leader. Birse stood calm and collected as he looked forward at Lucifer shaking Asmodeus¡¯s hand. ¡°Safe travels brother, we shall keep holding on no matter what.¡± said Lucifer. ¡°Indeed Lucy, once our lady wakes up from her slumber we shall contact you.¡± replied Asmodeus raising the VCD in his right hand to point it out. Birse had shared the existence and use of the device as Death was fully capable of replicating it. Asmodues turned to them, more specifically he turned towards Sly who stood by his guild looking resigned. ¡°Come little Devilling, we shall warp to the castle first and see if she is awake. We leave for Satan¡¯s camp later today, you have time before the meeting so worry not right now.¡± He said with a friendly smile that bordered far over creepy and almost reaching bad-touch. Sly nodded and straightened himself before turning to face his guild, his friends, his family. ¡°I¡¯ll stay in touch.¡± He told Birse and raised his right hand towards him in a fist. Birse met Sly¡¯s fist with his own ¡°Yo don¡¯t get raped there k.¡± Sly snorted ¡°I¡¯ll leave the succubii to you, maybe I¡¯ll finally get rid of your ass.¡± He turned to the others ¡°Don¡¯t get trashed just cause I won¡¯t be around.¡± Kyle chuckled ¡°Don¡¯t go get yourself killed, can¡¯t carry your ass with my respawning dungeon from here you know?¡± Death forwarded his hand ¡°Yeah watch yourself Sly, don¡¯t do be charging into battle alone.¡± he said with a grin. Sly shook his hand briefly ¡°Yo but that¡¯s like, my thing you know?¡± he replied with an equal grin. Soren sighed ¡°Well prepare the hole, if we get a body back to bury that is¡­¡± he said before chuckling soon after. ¡°Yo watch it.¡± Replied Sly as he pointed at him ¡°Or I¡¯ll be burying your ass soon.¡± He turned around to face the Devils, his grin faltered into a weak smile. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid¡­¡± said Reyna as she approached him from the side ¡°He¡¯s eccentric but not that bad a person¡­the sin of wrath that is¡­¡± she said with an awkward smile. ¡°Aight.¡± Sly replied simply as he glanced back at the guild and smirked, he turned back towards Asmodeus and approached him ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Asmodues nodded and laid his right hand over Sly¡¯s shoulder, reality shifted around them as a rift quickly engulfed them both and collapsed on itself like a bubble of reflective liquid. Death glanced at Birse ¡°Does this mean I¡¯m entirely second in command now?¡± Birse tapped Death¡¯s shoulder lightly ¡°Whatever you say b.¡± he then turned back to Lucifer ¡°Now with them gone there is something we need to share with you.¡± Lucifer turned to them and raised a brow questioningly ¡°I¡¯m a busy man, speak up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve received reliable intel that tomorrow night the alliance will make a push to the barrier¡¯s edge with their biological weapon.¡± explained Birse ¡°I didn¡¯t mention it earlier as to not worry my guild member on his departure.¡± ¡°I see, how much do you know?¡± asked Lucifer having caught his attention entirely. ¡°Supposedly only eight batches of the weapon are available to the alliance, a ninth is in actuality available and will be delivered by Rin Darkness herself along with a squad of elites from the churches. Two of the batches will be delivered by two separate platoons, the alliance¡¯s main force while the remaining six have been spread among the adventurer guilds and will be delivered by small squads from their respective members.¡± Birse fully explained. Lucifer held his chin thoughtfully ¡°Interesting, my agents haven¡¯t came by this information at all. I commend your people, resourceful as always. We will meet the alliance¡¯s platoons with our own, if I had to guess they will make use of you adventurers in that push so we will be outnumbered and unable to deal with the small parties well.¡± ¡°We will deal with the adventurer squads, my members can take care of them easily enough. How will we deal with Darkness though?¡± Birse asked as he began to setup plans in his mind. Lucifer shrugged ¡°Legion will be enough to deal with her, heroes aren¡¯t powerful enough to be any threat to us after the quest has ended.¡± he dismissed the question with a simple answer. ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Kyle suddenly. ¡°When a grand quest ends heroes lose favour with the Gods and their backing, all skills and perks included. Draxxer in his prime would never have been defeated by you, he¡¯s also grown old and weak over time.¡± Lucifer explained with disinterest as he walked off towards a side corridor ¡°Speak with Xien, make your preparations immediately.¡±. Lucifer walked out of the room with Reyna, Lilith and Legion following behind him. Birse turned towards the commandant ¡°Well?¡±. Xien looked up at the Wolfkin. The commandant was an Imp, two feet tall with crimson red skin and short red stubs for horns. The Imp had no hair and his eyes were redder than his skin. He wore heavy black plate armour and carried a battlestaff on his back. ¡°I¡¯ll assign three shades to each of you, that¡¯s the best I can do with this situation.¡± Said Xien with a high pitched voice and stern tone. ¡°What¡¯s a shade?¡± asked Soren trying to cover for Seren barely able to hold back her giggling at the creature¡¯s voice. Xien rolled his eyes ¡°Hellborn trained in the arts of assassination and covert ops, they¡¯ll be at your disposal but please be merciful with their lives. I¡¯d rather not lose men.¡± he told Birse pointedly. ¡°Worry not little guy, your people are safe with us. Unless they are not, then they¡¯re on their own.¡± said Birse with a smirk ¡°Let¡¯s go guys.¡± He lead the guild out leaving Xien to stand on his own. ¡°Fucking mercenaries¡­¡± Xien cursed under his breathe. Ch 60 - Preparation and Arrival The next day. Kyle stood with his back to a stone brick wall, the dungeon entrance behind him stood out like a sore thumb in the middle of the vast fields. The entrance had retained it¡¯s dragon shaped maw but lost it¡¯s lower jaw, now just the top half of a dragon¡¯s skull made of stone. Kyle stood to the side of it with his back to the stone below the eye socket. Glancing up at the sky Kyle figured it was approaching this world¡¯s time of late in the afternoon (¡°Days seem shorter here¡­¡±) he thought while staring at the rising moon (¡°How long has it been? I¡¯ve lost count¡­¡±). Turning his attention to his notifications he tallied up his accomplishments these past three days, (¡°Sixteen level ups¡­That puts me at level 117, still far behind the others but compared to those scared and lazy bastards hiding behind the alliance¡¯s numbers¡­I won¡¯t let their ignorance ruin this for me.¡±) Kyle had been nonstop fighting the Corpse Reavers, only stopping to take a short five hour nap. He pushed himself far and beyond what he thought his mind was capable, accustoming himself with the body given to him and cutting ties with the bad habits it had during combat. Kyle looked down from the sky and gazed off at the fields of grass and fields of farmland (¡°Call me selfish, call me whatever the hell you want.¡±) he took in the fresh air in a single slow breath ¡°This world is where I belong¡­¡± ¡°Hey Kyll, they¡¯re coming. Birse said to head inside.¡± said Seren from around the entrance before heading back in. Kyle silently made his way inside the skull entrance, a ring of carved stone lay inside with a ring of runes inscribed on it¡¯s surface. He went to stand next to Seren on top of it, the ring large enough to hold a couple dozen people. The runes lit up red one by one before the whole ring was alit, the stone circle then suddenly began to descend into the ground. Lights flashed by as the runic elevator took them down, reaching the bottom around a minute later. ¡°Yo!¡± Greeted Birse from the other side of the hall, he sat on top of his beloved bone throne. The rest of the guild sat or stood around the stairs taking up to it. ¡°Alright everybody¡¯s here, we¡¯re just missing Xien¡¯s Shades.¡± said Death. As Kyle approached them he inspected each member to see their progress.
Birse [ [Master] Shadow Paladin] (All Seeing) (RHD Commander) Level 133
Soren [Forged Berserker] (Hammer & Anvil) (RHD) Level 128
DeathChilled [ [Master] Pyromancer]-[Martial Artist] (Flame Touched) (RHD) Level 136
Seren_Cross [Cleric]-[{Lord of Wisps}] (Glass Cannon) (RHD) Level 109
DemSkillShots [Ranger] (Ace) (RHD) Level 124
Cherrysboi [ [Master] Guardian]-[{Lord of Golems}] (True Tank) (RHD) Level 139
CHfarms [Druid]-[{Lord of Treants}] (Stick-Em) (RHD) Level 135
Steph773 [Elementalist]-[Alchemist] (Energized) (RHD) Level 134
Woodstauk [{Lord of Unicorns}] (Experi-mental) (RHD) Level 129
300thSpartan [Valkyrie] (Wind cutter) (RHD) Level 131
He wasn¡¯t the lowest level but far from catching up, although levels didn¡¯t say too much being above level 125 said a lot about what that individual¡¯s skills were capable of. ¡°There they are.¡± said Birse while gesturing back at the entrance. The elevator had quickly sprung back up after they had stepped off it and was now coming down with a couple dozen cloaked figures. The large group of Demons was a different shade than any other Demons Kyle had seen before, quite literally. The Shades- each a Hellborn Demon- were pale grey skinned but not sickly grey, instead their skin looked like a thick hide. They wore light cloth clothing with some visible armour beneath it on their chest, shoulders, arms and legs but when Kyle looked closer he noticed that the ¡®armour¡¯ was actually part of them. Like scales by larger and closer to carapace, the natural armour grew out of their skin like some black bone. After each one stepped off the elevator- which zoomed back up- one of them approached the guild, the Shade lowered his hood revealing his face. With signs of old age in his greying fiery orange hair and eyes the Shade glanced over each member until his gaze fell upon Kyle. The Hellborn¡¯s right face was entirely covered by a natural mask of the same bone that made their armour, all but his eye was covered. He gazed at Kyle briefly before speaking ¡°So this.¡± the old Shade¡¯s voice croaked ¡°Is the venerated Dark Hero.¡± His gaze moved up to Birse ¡°And his guild of misfits.¡±. Albeit the elder¡¯s annoyed tone the rest of the Shades remained motionless behind him. ¡°So you know of us but we do not know very much of you.¡± stated Birse ignoring the insult. ¡°Of course you don¡¯t, we wouldn¡¯t be doing our jobs correctly if you did.¡± Replied the old Shade ¡°I am Jjiar, Head Shade of the Shade Company. We are agents of the Pride legion, our duty is to read and study the shadows but I must say¡­it will be a honor to play with those that bend it into chaos.¡± He said with a mischievous grin. Birse momentarily grinned back before returning to his business demeanor ¡°Then let us not waste any more time, will you arrange your numbers to match our squads of two or shall I?¡±. Jjiar shook his head ¡°My people will follow those they choose, a party of three will follow your party of twos depending on their compatibility in skills. I will though join your own party, Guild Master.¡± Birse nodded as he stood up ¡°Then follow us,¡± he told the Shades before glancing at his guild ¡°Leave once three of them have decided to follow you.¡± Birse gestured for Sparta to follow him ¡°Let¡¯s go newbie, you¡¯re with me.¡± Jjiar followed the two adventurers to the right where a large tunnel took deep into the dungeon, two other Shades followed him. Kyle briefly studied the rest of the Shades and inspected some of them but the same result kept popping up.
Shade [Shade Company] [Pride Dezol] Level ???
Having given up on inspecting them he turned to also leave ¡°Let¡¯s go Soren.¡± he joined up with his predetermined squad mate and headed down the tunnel. Kyle glanced back to see three Shades following closely behind him, he found that using any kind of detection including [Spirit Detection] he had trouble locating them. ¡°Yo Kyll can¡¯t you have Lil summon up one of those stone plate things to move through these tunnels?...¡± Soren asked bothered by the long walk ahead of them. Kyle sighed ¡°Lilior give us a ride please.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± answered back the dungeon¡¯s voice in a strangely musical tone as it reverberated throughout the tunnel. Kyle and Soren stopped as the ground below them rose and changed, the same circle of stone that made up the elevator appeared below them with some differentiation in the runic inscriptions. Kyle glanced back to see the Shades staring at the stone circle as it floated in place, alert and cautious of the sudden appearance. ¡°Hop on, it¡¯s just transportation.¡± said Kyle urging them to hurry up. One of the Shades -seemingly the shortest and youngest one- glanced up at him before carefully stepping up onto the stone disc, the other two followed just as carefully. The runic disc then began to move forward faster than they had been walking, so much so that one of the Shades had crouched down at the sudden speed. ¡°So it is true¡­?¡± a female voice asked from behind them causing Kyle and Soren to turn to face the Shades. ¡°This dungeon¡­is under your command?¡± the youngest Shade asked, her voice high in pitch but also rough.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Kyle studied their hoods as they hid their faces (¡°If I¡¯m to work with them¡­this can¡¯t go on.¡±) ¡°Normally one introduces themselves before asking personal questions.¡± he stated with a raised brow. The Shade backed off from further questioning, as if keeping their identity was more important than their curiosity. One of the other two shades however stepped forward and spoke as he pulled down his hood ¡°Excuse my sister, she isn¡¯t much of a talker.¡±, the same fiery orange hair and eyes seemed to be present on each Hellborn ¡°I am Seriet, this is Seria.¡± He introduced himself and his sibling. The third Shade-also a male and the tallest of the three ¨C lowered his hood too. ¡°Gark¡± he stated simply while scratching his orange-red beard. Kyle put their names to memory ¡°I¡¯m Kyllix and¡­¡± he gestured at the Dwarf. ¡°Soren.¡± He said with a gruff voice and just as simply as Gark, the two seemed to be having a staring contest much to Gark¡¯s chagrin. ¡°So it is true?¡± Seria pressed on. Kyle held back a sigh ¡°Not entirely, Lilior is more a friend than underling.¡± The Hellborn girl looked at him with disbelief, ¡°A dungeon?¡± said her brother Seriet ¡°Your friend? I didn¡¯t think dungeons got any smarter than survive and devour?¡± ¡°Survival is always my utmost priority below master¡¯s wellbeing!¡± Lilior replied sounding disgruntled ¡°And I may also devour you if you wish boy.¡± She then stated with a chillingly soothing voice. Seriet visibly shivered ¡°No¡­thank you¡­¡± Kyle chuckled as he turned to face the front, glancing over Seria briefly as he did (¡°How old is she¡­do they just stay young or¡­why is she here at her age?¡±) he thought over while gazing at the tunnel flowing past them. As if reading his mind Seria stepped to stand to his right, about a foot and a half shorter than him ¡°Dark Hero.¡± She whispered in a strange voice, Kyle noticed the mana flowing within it. ¡°Have you ever killed?¡± she asked sternly. Kyle was briefly taken aback by her question, glancing around it seemed that nobody had noticed her question as Soren and Gark continued to glare at each other while Seriet awkwardly glanced between them. He glanced down at the young Hellborn, her expression cold and uncaring. He matcher her output of mana and spoke with the same mana infused voice, similar to chanting by Kyle¡¯s understanding it seemed to also create a skill.
Through keen observation you have learned the active skill [Mana whisper]!
Moving the notification out of his mind he replied ¡°Have you?¡± Seria gave him a cold smile ¡°I have been a Shade barely under a year, I have bloodied my hands already. Do not look at me as if I¡¯m some lost child, it makes it difficult to ensure your survival. I am a warrior and I deem to be seen alike.¡± Kyle turned to continue gazing at the tunnel as it sped past them (¡°The difference in our cultures is too great for me to understand¡­for me to know¡­but¡­¡±), Seria was about to step back feeling the conversation over just as Kyle spoke back ¡°Yes.¡± She stopped and glanced up at him ¡°Yes?¡± she repeated questioningly. ¡°My memory is hazy at best but I do remember, I don¡¯t remember their faces or names but I do remember the scene. Out of a fit of rage I killed them all, out of my own incapability to control myself I ended their lives.¡± Stated Kyle with an expressionless veil ¡°Tell me Seria, how do you pardon yourself for the lives you¡¯ve taken? Under what pretense do you excuse them?¡± Seria seemed to choke on her own words, unable to form a voice to reply. Kyle continued to speak ¡°Duty to your people? Survival for your own sake? In defense of another? You want to be considered a warrior but to be so then you must understand the thin line that differs a soldier from a murderer. Can you weigh the life of one against another? Who are you to do so?¡± he glanced down at her. Seria¡¯s expression was pale, as if Kyle had just picked at every sore thought in her mind. Which in reality was basically what he had done, focusing on a single person¡¯s emotions through [Spirit Detection] told him a lot about that one person and even more when they spoke. ¡°Stop thinking about it, it will just get you killed.¡± Kyle finally stated after letting her ponder his words for a few moments. Seria looked up at him with disbelief. ¡°Reality is?¡± Kyle continued to explain ¡°It¡¯s kill or be killed. You don¡¯t need permission to kill, just the capability to do so. That is the nature of reality, then there is the nature of ourselves. Our morality, our code of ethics. Don¡¯t just kill to kill but instead kill to survive, kill to defend others or kill to uphold safety of others. That is my code of ethics regarding taking life. Whether you wish to take it from me or not, is your choice.¡± Kyle patted her on the head and raised her hood back up ¡°Think it over.¡± He finally said before dissipating the mana in his voice. He turned to Soren who was having a chat with Seriet about Hellborn biology. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± He told them as the stone disc came to a stop at a crossroads. Kyle gestured down one tunnel that took to another stone disc, an elevator this time. ¡°We ascend with that, you three take cover in the trees while me and Soren scout the ground.¡± He told them and after a series of nods turned to lead them down the tunnel. He gazed down at his open right palm as a flicker of Frostfire briefly lit up (¡°The line between soldier and murderer¡­only I decide if I have gone over to the other¡­have I? Even if it was an accident? Am I?¡±) (¡°I swear boy you¡¯re more depressing than this smoky fucker next to me!¡±) exclaimed Ymir in his mind. Kyle grimaced at the interruption of his thoughts and left the God un answered as he looked forward.
Ruk Grand Fae City of Orion. The day of Sly''s departure. Reality split apart as Asmodeus walked out of the rift followed by Sly, the adventurer gawked around at the bursting colours that surrounded him. The streets were alive with merchants selling their wares, citizens going around their merry days and guards patrolling the streets. Buildings made of plantlife grew wherever he looked, trunk for walls, leaves for ceiling and other greenery taking place of different materials to make up the city. Truly the city was something out of a fairytail, it¡¯s people weren¡¯t ones to let that thought down either. Dark Fae with gleaming shadowy appearances, Fae with bright and shining colours, Demons with strange colouring and unorthodox shapes and most surprising of all Dwarves of competing hairiness and stature. Sly was so engulfed by the scene that he almost didn¡¯t notice the entirety of them stopping on the spot and turning to stare at them. A patrol of guards- also mixed in race- cleared a path through the citizens and stood at attention in front of them. ¡°Master Asmodeus! You have returned! Mind I ask who is with you?¡± one of the guards¨C a Dark Fae- asked. Asmodeus went to fix his own hair as if being unprepared for people before standing straight and gesturing at Sly ¡°This is Zoekul, lost descendant of Wrath. I am bringing him to Satan. Firstly though I shall be taken to see Mistress Lilliana, at once soldier.¡± The guards saluted ¡°Yes Sir! Her holiness is awake, Sir!¡± Asmodeus¡¯s eyes widened as a cheery expression took the previous solemn¡¯s place ¡°Wonderful! Wonderful! Take us to the palace!¡± he immediately followed the guards only briefly stopping to glance back at Sly ¡°Come on boy! We mustn¡¯t keep her waiting!¡± Sly took his eyes off the surrounding stalls and tried to follow Asmodeus through the crowds to the best of his ability, that is he lost him about ten seconds in. (¡°I don¡¯t believe this! Why did I ever choose you as Hero!¡±) exclaimed Kali in his mind. (¡°Woman! Shut the fuck up!¡±) Sly cursed back as he rushed through the streets trying to look for any building that slightly resembled his idea of a palace. (¡°It¡¯s a Devil! How do you lose a Devil!?¡±) asked Kali in disbelief. (¡°Do you ever shut the fuck up!?¡±) Sly asked in disbelief. (¡°I¡¯m a Grand Goddess! I do not have measly limits to communicating with my chosen!¡±) she then exclaimed proudly. ¡°Well ain¡¯t I just fucking out of luck then!?¡± cried out Sly as he continued to roam the bustling streets.
Asmodeus rushed through the servants and guards then into the room ¡°My Lady! You are awake!?¡± he exclaimed happily as he burst into the dining room. Everything inside the room, table, chairs and decorations alike were made of plant life, from the lavish paintings to the metal-like wooden cutlery. Liliana sat at the end of a long table, devouring her way through what resembled a large bird¡¯s cooked carcass. The Fae¡¯s long blonde hair was being worked on by two servants as she ate, her thin frame seemingly starved for days. She still wore her thin revealing white cloth bedwear and pink furry slippers. Briefly she stopped eating to look around the large bird she had for food and look at Asmodeus. Her eyes gleamed like crystal reflecting multiple colours as she stared at him ¡°Well you fool!? What you standing there for!?¡± she scowled at him before returning to eating ¡°Swit Dwown!¡±. Asmodeus dramatically sighed and strolled over to her side ¡°How have you been my Lady? I have you slept well? Are you up to date with ou-¡± She cut him off ¡°Yes I am up to date Asmo!...I slept horribly and I was starving!¡± she exclaimed in between bites, suddenly she stood up from the chair as her servants finished her hair. It trailed behind her as she walked towards one of the windows in the room, brushed down and braided. Her wings appeared out of her back, green-blue and lined with black. Her clothes changed as black sparks rushed through them, turning into a dark blue-green dress that reached her knees gleaming with the light and sparkling where it didn¡¯t. She willed the window to open and it did, the wooden frame untangled itself and disappeared into the walls. ¡°Fly with me.¡± She told the Devil as her wings flapped once, she ascended out of the window. Asmodeus walked up to the window as dark smoke was expelled from his feet, he hovered out behind her. Liliana gazed down at the city below, a chaotic yet perfectly crafted city of roots, trees and other plant life. Colours beyond a normal forest filled her view as she raised her gaze to look at the horizon, to look at what lay behind their walls. A massive forest -almost jungle-like- grew all around the city, every now and then a golden tree could be pointed out between the many trees. "I have received a message through my dreams Asmo." Liliana began as she gazed off. "What is it mistress?" Asmodeus joined her in the air but instead gazed off at something peculiar going on below. "The prophecy was changed. I don''t know how or why but something demands it..." she spoke bitterly. "What has changed?" he asked, glancing up at her briefly. "Three tests are to be had, tests of will for three chosen. It is as if the Avatar itself is watching us now..." she sighed. Asmodeus nodded quietly, his expression turning serious as he continued to stare downwards. ¡°How goes the quest? Is my chosen ready? Have you found her support?¡± Liliana asked as she gazed off at the forest. ¡°She still remains¡­scared. We have though found her support, a group of summoned have joined our cause. Two of them are also Heroes, chosen.¡± Asmodues repliedas he continued to stare down at the streets, amused by whatever he was watching. Liliana looked to her side and at him ¡°Two? How is that possible? Only Ymir¡¯s chosen should be capable of choosing of their own volition.¡± Asmodeus snickered ¡°The Dark Hero is one of them, the other though¡­well you can ask him yourself my lady. Although I am unsure as to how...he is currently in quiet the debacle down there.¡± Liliana raised a brow as she looked down at the street Asmodeus was looking amused by ¡°How in the deepest hells!?¡± Ch 61 - Revelations. Sly roamed the streets looking for the palace, unable to tell buildings from another except for the single large tree that seemed to overshadow the whole city. Until a thought came to mind (¡°The tree¡­¡±) he stopped and gazed up the massive trunk leading up to an even larger mess of branches and golden leaves. (¡°Maybe there¡¯s an entrance around the bottom?¡±) He thought while heading towards the tree¡¯s bottom, masses walking all around him. He twisted and turned through the streets making his way to the large tree until he found himself staring down a street that lead straight to it. Not as packed as the others he still could barely see through the number of people walking around. Sly pressed on as he awkwardly looked around the street, strange shops and stalls all around him. Distracted by sightseeing he bumped into someone, the resounding *thud* snapped him out of his curious gaze ¡°Huh?¡± making him look down at who he had knocked down. A sort of Demon lay on the ground rubbing the back of his head, dark violet skin, short curly purple hair and crimson red eyes. The Demon would have looked like a human teen if not for the strange colouring. ¡°Oh s-¡± Sly was about to apologise but was cut off. ¡°YOU LITTLE!¡± Two voices spoke in unison as two destructive auras crashed down upon Sly¡¯s own as he defended himself from the assault, a moment later two massive blades clashed with his own daggers as he parried each. Taken aback by the attack and literally pushed back by the force Sly was confused as he glanced between his two assailants which confused him even further. Similar to the young Demon the two had long curly purple hair, dark violet skin and crimson red eyes with the exception of being female and both looking exactly the same as the other. Sly expanded his aura to it¡¯s limits pushing back the other two almost identically coloured aura, forcing the two warriors back allowing him to fully inspect them. Unlike the young male who wore fine noble clothing these two wore black plate armour lined with a crimson red trim and dark purple decorating the plates looking either like fangs or claw marks. Both of them sized him up as they continued to scowl, either twin looking in their late twenties. Sly¡¯s attention was more caught by their choice of weaponry. One wielded a massive chunk of black metal shaped like a blade about three times her own size while the other wielded a similarly as large spear. (¡°Fuck¡­I knocked down someone important didn¡¯t I?...¡±) Sly guessed as he studied the young Demon once more as he stood up, an expression of fear on his face while not meeting Sly¡¯s gaze. One of the twins -the one with the sword- turned around to check on the young Demon ¡°Zeiken are you alright?¡± she asked with a soft voice while patting the young one¡¯s shoulder. Zeiken nodded while holding onto his right arm, noticing this the twin gently removed his hand to see a slightly bloody bruise. Another wave of aura assaulted Sly¡¯s followed by the other¡¯s as the sword wielding twin stood up and faced him again. ¡°Do you have any clue as to who you just injured!? Or who we are!?¡± the sword twin exclaimed with both a furious tone and expression. Sly shrugged ¡°Some noble? Look miss I¡¯m late f-¡± Both twins lunged at him in unison, their massive weapons clashing with his aura-clad daggers creating sparks as metal hit metal. Sly aura surged a few steps back giving himself room away from the massive weapons¡¯ range. The other twin spoke this time ¡°This is Lord Zeiken! Blood brother to the Lord sin of Wrath!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Ohhh shit¡­¡± whispered Sly as Kali laughed hysterically in his mind. The blade wielding twin spoke again ¡°I am Delila Ragnarok Blaze, Devilling of the Wrath legion!¡± The spear wielding twin continued ¡°I am Aria Ragnarok Blaze, also Devilling of the Wrath legion. We will have your head for this transgression!¡± Both twins readied their weapons while entering their own stances as their aura flowed around their bodies in a chaotic dance. ¡°Speak your damned name fool, at least you will be known as one to have fallen by my spear!¡± declared Aria. Sly grimaced while glancing around the street, people had ran off from the scene and hid around the street to watch while the guards on duty simply stood ready far away from the fight. He held back a sigh (¡°I fucked up¡­¡±) he thought while sheathing his blades. Sly kneeled down with his face to the ground ¡°Please forgive me for this accident, I meant no offence.¡± (¡°No matter how it hurts my pride! There¡¯s somethings I still need to do!¡±) Aria and Delila glanced at each other while lowering their weapons, a smirk on both their expressions. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t expect you to be a coward. Run off¡­Sly?...Not that I will remember your name.¡± said Aria while inspecting him as her sister snorted
SlyOkami [{ [Master] Lord of Aurei}] (Cursed hero of the wicked dagger) (RHD Aurei) Level 129
¡°Go back to your little guild, maybe I¡¯ll come by and give you a bloody visit once I find out where you live He¡­Her¡­¡± the word got stuck in her throat as she fully read the title. ¡°Hero!?¡± she suddenly exclaimed causing Sly to look up. ¡°This flea!? A Chosen!?¡± exclaimed Delila as she laughed whole heartedly. Joined by her sister Aria ¡°How?! What foolish Deity would take in such a cowardly Hero!?¡± she exclaimed while leaning against her weapon. (¡°See! Even they agree!!¡±) exclaimed Kali in Sly¡¯s mind while also laughing. ¡°Not even a word of retaliation! He just bent his knee instantly!¡± said Delila as she continued to laugh. ¡°This is glorious!¡± exclaimed Aria ¡°Now I really want to meet your flea guild!¡±
Author: Do I even need to say anything here?... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9NStVkSCuk
Sly rose to his feet as two long daggers fell out of his sleeves and into his hands, he gripped them tightly while glaring at the both of them coldly. His aura formed all around his body and began to thicken ¡°Engulf the maddened warrior¡­Unleash the relentless beast of war¡­Aurei form¡­UNLEASHED!¡± Sly¡¯s Aurei body formed all around his person as he charged the twins with abandon, his swords formed in each arm as he began to slash at them in savage repetition. The two twins skilfully parried each attack as thick bladed tendrils grew out of Sly¡¯s Aurei body¡¯s back and joined the assault. Sly spoke through the relentless clashing of blades and aura ¡°Insult me¡­all you wish¡­¡± his voice layered with aura as he spoke ¡°But do not¡­speak of my guild¡­¡± his assault accelerated causing Aria and Delila to briefly retreat and take Zeiken away from the fight. Aria snorted as she glared at the monstrosity of Aura down the street, it barrelled towards them like a crazed beast. ¡°Sister take Lord Zeiken to safety, I shall deal with this beast.¡± She told Delila who followed her sister¡¯s instructions and retreated further with Zeiken in hand. Aria raised her spear toward the incoming Sly, her aura flowed out of her body as she chanted ¡°Play the drums of war, resound the tune of battle. Let it flow through my being as the first blade meets blood! Aureitic Wrath!¡± Her body was engulfed by the aura as tendrils of crimson aura grew out of the violet, both flowed around her entire body before melding into her armour and weapon. Aria¡¯s armour glowed a fierce red hue as her weapon gain a bladed violet glow, she moved to hold it with both hands before disappearing from sight causing the ground beneath her to shatter. Sly intercepted the lightning fast charge with every single blade at his disposal but the spear pierced through his aura like a heated blade cutting butter, not even having time to surge to the side as the spear pierced through his actual body. Aria smirked while taking a step back to inspect her work, the Aurei giant¡¯s lower right body had disappeared along with Sly¡¯s leg and most of the blades. The giant on the other hand didn¡¯t relent, lowering his posture to keep balance Sly slashed downwards with his left arm and two remaining blade tendrils. Aria leaped back with equal speed completely evading the attack, taking the same position as earlier she prepared for another charge. Sly immediately surged to the side not even bothering to parry as the Devilling¡¯s Aura charge went right past his previous position. Aria couldn¡¯t stop her charge and went through with it before turning around to face Sly again, she grinned at the sight of the Aurei giant using it¡¯s arms and remaining leg to leap at her. ¡°At least you¡¯re stubborn.¡± She joked while lunging at the incoming mass of Aura, her spear clashing with the three blades. She held her ground as it cracked below her, the sheer mass of the Aurei body weighing her down. Skilfully she twisted her spear and sent the blades to the side leaving Sly¡¯s body entirely open, relentlessly she then lunged forward. Her spear pierced through the giant¡¯s torso tearing apart both Aura and flesh as the massive spear tore through Sly¡¯s belly, she retreated back again in preparation of a counter attack. But none came as Sly fell to the ground, the Aura dissipating around him. With his right leg gone and belly torn open and through he lay face up on the ground and quickly bleeding out. Sly bit his lower lip as the pain washed over him, he took in a deep breath only to cough allowing blood to leak out of his mouth. Aria approached the dying Hero ¡°Be grateful foolish Hero, you die by my spear.¡± Sly coughed out a wet chuckle ¡°I¡­am the¡­incarnation¡­of¡­destruction¡­¡± Aria raised a brow ¡°You wish to continue? Fine by me.¡± Intrigued by his incantation she stood her ground a few feet away. Sly continued his chant, his passing consciousness caused by his injuries and bleeding turning it into a whisper ¡°I¡­depiction¡­of¡­end¡­¡± Aria sighed as Sly fought to simply stay conscious, she stepped forward fully intent on taking him out of his misery. ¡°Deus¡­Ex¡­¡± Sly¡¯s right hand clenched as he held his side causing the pain to wake him from the deathly slumber ¡°Machina!¡± Aria instinctively stepped back as what she at first thought to be a simple Demon and at death¡¯s door changed right in front of her. Sly¡¯s body cracked with aureitic lines of violet that flared to life all over his body, his skin shattered and turned to dust revealing the flesh beneath as it changed to a darker violet. His eyes emptied into pure black as his body expanded and repaired itself. His only horn grew longer as it was joined by two more while violet lightning surged through them. Zeokul stood up, his repulsive Devilish form looming over a gawking Aria. ¡°It is¡­Not over¡­¡± he hissed at her, raising his clawed hands he lunged down with his right. Aria immediately re-entered her stance and lunged with her spear. ¡°Yes it is.¡± Declared a voice that resounded throughout the entire street, Asmodeus appeared in between them. Black smoke drifted around his entire body as he blocked Aria¡¯s spear by grabbing hold of the tip and Sly¡¯s claw by expelling smoke from his hand. Aria panicked at his sudden appearance and let go of her spear before kneeling down ¡°Lord Asmodeus!¡± Sly glared down at Asmodeus but otherwise leaned away. ¡°End this foolishness immediately!¡± exclaimed another voice from above them, Liliana descended gracefully to the ground next to them making Aria pale several shades. Although Sly¡¯s black eyes and armoured face didn¡¯t show it he was studying the Fae curiously (¡°Great, who the hell is this now?¡±) Delila appeared in a burst of shadows at her twin¡¯s side with Zeiken between them, she also kneeled down. The Lord Devil remained standing but was also slightly pale and staring up at the Fae. Liliana sighed ¡°What has happened here?¡± Delila spoke ¡°Mistress Liliana! This fool trampled our Lord master! Sister Aria was only-¡± Liliana raised her hand flat towards the Devilling before turning to Sly ¡°Was it on purpose?¡± Sly shook his head ¡°No.¡± Liliana crossed her arms ¡°Then that¡¯s that, it was an accident and you both took it too far.¡± she stated while staring intently up at Sly still in his Devil form Zeokul ¡°Have I made myself clear?¡± ¡°Yes mistress!¡± replied both Aria and Delila in unison. ¡°Normally one would demand an apology, but I¡¯ll let it go.¡± said Sly as he bared his black fangs in annoyance. Aria looked up at him ¡°Mistress please allow me to tear this fool apart¡­¡± her previous rage had returned. Liliana snorted in amusement ¡°Have you not figured it out yet? You¡¯d tear apart your own kin? Is that it child?¡± Aria glanced at her in confusion as her twin also looked up with just as confused an expression, both of them turned to Sly and inspected him. Liliana reared forward and laughed ¡°Your!-Your faces!¡± she exclaimed in-between gasps of laughter. Both of the twins were staring up at Sly with pale expressions and gawking in disbelief. Sly raised his right claw up in greeting ¡°Sup?...¡±
Barik Cursed land Real-timeUnauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Zaahr gazed forward into forest, the darkness of night making it difficult for her to see far. She sighed and turned back towards the assortment of adventurers laying about behind her. Her guild, Apokalypse, a mixture of small guilds from different games joined into a single community. Not many of them had played MMOs before or even RPGs but all had done their best to keep up. But somehow, this one person was much further than any of them and supposedly survived alone. Zaahr glanced over Jacky as he stood with his back to a tree, the adventurer made her hair stand on edge every time he was around. She didn¡¯t trust him. Looking around the camp her eyes fell upon a single tent (¡°She¡¯s still asleep huh¡­¡±), she was thinking of her friend and guild leader Karnage. Who had given their spot in the squad to Jacky saying that he was better equipped than her. But Zaahr knew better, something was on Karnage¡¯s mind and she couldn¡¯t continue on like this. (¡°That guy¡­What did he tell her?!¡±) she grimaced at the bitter memory of losing consciousness when she was needed most, over doing it with her magic. Zaahr didn¡¯t understand, Karnage had barely said a word since then. One thing was clear to her though, she would find Kyllix and make him talk. No matter what she had to do, even if she had to beat it out of him. ¡°Adventurers!¡± A soldier shouted out to gain their attention as he approached ¡°You have been given permission to start, the platoons have already left.¡± Zaahr nodded at the soldier and turned to her guild, she called out the names of the three members she would take with her, if only based on skill alone. ¡°Jack, Silent, Kir. Let¡¯s go.¡±
Jackykill [Assassin]-[{ [Master] Lord of Wraiths}](Sneaky-Beaky) (APOK Scout) Level 132
A Beastman with brown feline ears, dark green short hair and brown eyes with yellow slits. He wore a black cloak and hood mostly covering the black leather armour beneath, no weapons were visible on his person.
SilentFlare [Bard]-[Aquamancer] (Siren¡¯s Song) (APOK Support) Level 87
A Dark Elf with short brown hair and dark blue eyes, he wore light clothing with a mage¡¯s dark blue robe and some thicker clothing beneath to fight the cold. On his back he carried a long dark blue staff with a blue crystal shard embedded into the very middle.
Kiritoohh [Warrior]-[Pirate] (Dual arms) (APOK Scout) Level 96
A Human wearing grey hard-leather armour over normal clothing, jet black short hair and yellow eyes. A longsword was sheathed to his right waist while a flintlock was strapped to his left. Silent stood up from where he was dozing off and Kir stepped away from where he was taking bets of his survival through the other side of Helix, his guild mates didn¡¯t think very highly of him. Jacky appeared behind them in a burst of shadows, his hood down and expression solemn. The other two adventurers leaned away slightly gaining them a smirk from Jacky. Zaahr rolled her eyes ¡°Form up, Kir and Jacky at the front, Silent second line with me.¡± She ordered giving no room for complaints by gesturing for them to move. Jacky stepped through the other two and moved forward, Kir jogged up to catch up with him while Zaahr and Silent followed. ¡°I don¡¯t like this Zaahr, why isn¡¯t the boss coming?¡± asked Silent in a whisper as they approached Helix¡¯s wall, a soldier was waiting for them by it. ¡°She¡¯s not feeling well, don¡¯t worry too much about it.¡± Zaahr replied barely giving him a glance as she kept her attention on Jacky¡¯s back. ¡°Well I am worried!¡± exclaimed Silent ¡°This shit¡¯s all gone too far! We¡¯re in the middle of a fucking war! We¡¯re not soldiers! We¡¯re a bunch of lazy ass casuals and some hardcore video game players!¡± Surprisingly it was Jacky that turned to reply ¡°Do you want to go home?¡± he asked solemnly. Silent flinched and took a step back ¡°Ye-yeah?...¡± Jacky¡¯s eyes narrowed as he spoke harshly ¡°Then stop bitching and fight, pick a damn side already. There¡¯s nothing worse than a soldier that doesn¡¯t know what to fight for, because that is what you are now, a soldier. Whether you like it or not.¡± He turned around and continued forward. Zaahr glanced between the two of them not knowing how to respond to either, she held back a sigh and pressed forward while pushing Silent by the shoulder to move on as well. Their group approached the soldier by the glowing ethereal-like but very physical wall, he saluted before glanced to his right and left. Zaahr did the same to see the other adventurer parties far off on either side of Helix, looking through the wall to her right she could barely make out the back of one of the platoons already moving into the forest. ¡°Are you ready?¡± asked the Helix guard. The four adventurers glanced at each other before Zaahr responded ¡°Yes.¡± The Helix guard turned to the wall and pressed his spear to the energy forming it, it parted like a waterfall opening a wide gash for them to pass through.
Kyle stood surrounded by trees and snow, Soren stood to his right with his massive battleaxe ready. The three Shades had already disappeared, roaming about the trees searching for their quarry. Kyle closed his eyes and lowered his [Slime Scattershot]s to focus on his detection skills, he stood motionless as his mind raced to process any and all information gained through the strange sensation that was detection magic. Taking quiet and controlled breaths he waited, processing through the animals and monsters that roamed the forest trying to find any party trying to go past their defences. Briefly he detected a large amount of movement to his left, Legion moving with his riders to intercept the alliance¡¯s forces. No sound came from the passing army, the darkness their friend as their monstrous steeds galloped at surprising speed over the snow. Using their claws and flexible bodies to easily move around the trees, leaping from them if need be. He continued to wait long after they left his range, the minutes ticked by as the sound of battle echoed through the forest. Night battles where the worst in his opinion, so chaotic that commanders easily lost control. Sure the chaos made it easier for his guild to sneak by and do their thing but this was a defence mission, and the perimeter they had to watch was enormous. They were on the problem side of the chaos, if any large group from the alliance¡¯s platoons got past Legion¡¯s then it would spell trouble for them. As the time passed he began to fear that Birse hadn¡¯t thought out the spacing of the enemy party¡¯s right, that one of their own parties was in combat with more than they could handle. Until a small party of four entered his detection range, off to his right he sensed their approach. Kyle glanced down at Soren and gestured for him to follow, he prepared his weapons ahead of himself and began to move into a better position. Soren heaved his axe over his left shoulder and followed closely behind. They stopped in the party¡¯s path as they approached their position at a steady normal speed, running towards them but not fast enough to incur the both of them to hurry. Kyle laid his back to a tree as Soren stood to his left, he waited for the party to move closer before gesturing for Soren to move. The sound of footsteps crushing snow entered his ears and Soren leapt out into action, his armour glowed alongside his battle axe releasing heat and steam. He charged straight ahead releasing a massive burst of steam as he crashed through snow and cold air, cries and curses sounded off alongside the sound of flesh being ripped apart. Kyle moved out of his hiding spot and surged into action, he appeared behind the party as they had turned to face Soren who had charged right through them. He couldn¡¯t make out their gear or appearance very well but he could tell one of them was already on the ground and chopped into two. ¡°Ambush!¡± shouted a male voice as they turned towards Kyle but it was too late, as quickly as his reload speed allowed him he sprayed them with [Corrosive rounds] as they tried to evade and move around him. A scream of agony told him his projectiles hit a mark as one of the figures fell to the ground, it rolled and shook before going still giving him a notification of a kill. Ignoring the confirmation he turned to give chase as the other two successfully evaded his attacks. Soren charged past him and chased after the adventurer to his right, clashing blades with them as they turned around to fight. The dagger wielding adventurer kicked Soren back and turned to flee but was intercepted by Kyle as he surged to his left. Jacky¡¯s grimace entered Kyle¡¯s line of sight as he aimed both weapons at him, he fired [Corrosive Rounds] knowing full well Jacky could easily evade them. But Jacky didn¡¯t, instead allowing himself to be hit. The acid ate through his armour as Soren stood up and charged the assassin again, cleaving his head from his shoulders. Kyle turned away from Jacky¡¯s dissipating corpse and dissipated his cannons. ¡°Yo Kyll where¡¯d the other one go?!¡± exclaimed Soren in a panic. ¡°Caught, looks like the Shades did their part.¡± Kyle explained as he sensed the fourth adventurer struggling nearby. ¡°Search their drops, I¡¯ll see if they need assistance.¡± Soren nodded as he walked over to one of the fallen adventurers, the one Kyle hit with his [Corrosive Rounds] first hadn¡¯t died by simply passed out from the pain. Soren raised his axe up before bringing it down onto the adventurer¡¯s chest causing a mess of blood all around and over himself. ¡°Chop the head off bro¡­ easier and cleaner¡­I mean you got a damn axe for fucks sake, not exactly a heart piercing sword!¡± Kyle exclaimed while shaking his head. Soren shrugged ¡°Hey it killed him see? Did it¡¯s job it did, don¡¯t matter as long as it does!¡± he retorted with a chuckle.
Zaahr struggled as the three shadow figures made passing lunges at her, holding up a thin arcane barrier to prevent ranged attacks she turned on the spot waiting for them to close in on her before firing off a sphere of concentrated mana. The assassins expertly evaded her attacks while testing the durability of her barrier with their short swords, each attack visibly weakening the greying barrier of violet mana.
Party member [Kiritooh] has been killed!
Zaahr grimaced and glanced back the way she came (¡°Kir had the vial¡­¡±) she thought, having given the member the vial for safe keeping as her higher ranking made her a bigger target than the scout. She didn¡¯t trust Jacky to give it to him and Silent was their healer which made sense to her why he died first. It had all happened too quickly, the charging Dwarf caught them entirely by surprise as he cleaved Silent in half with a single swing of his massive weapon. The gunner appearing out of nowhere further sent them into chaos and getting Kir knocked out by his attacks. She was forced to retreat and didn¡¯t expect for there to be so many, they appeared out of nowhere and began their assault. Although their attacks were weak she couldn¡¯t keep up with their movements, she was surrounded. Suddenly all three figures stopped moving, surrounding her in a perfect triangle they gazed off at her. Their forms were entirely engulfed in shadow, black smoke that constantly flowed around their body and swords. ¡°Well well, what do we have here?¡± the insufferable voice entered her ears causing Zaahr to immediately spin around and take aim at the adventurer, raising her right arm she formed the pure black-purple sphere of arcane mana and fired it. The projectile flew at arrow speed but the adventurer easily evaded it by disappearing from sight and reappearing a moment later a few steps away, from her perspective it seemed like he had teleported. ¡°Is that how you greet all your friends?¡± Kyle asked with a smirk as he glanced back at where the projectile flew off. Abandoning hope for the mission and her own survival she released the barrier ¡°Ancient powers form and contort to my will, arcane energies bend to my control! Unleashed Arcanium!¡± she would at least take this man down with her. Fire blazed alive in a ring around her, followed by an outer ring of water, one of flowing wind, moving earth, surging lightning and flowing darkness. Each elemental ring merged into the others becoming a single pitch black ring of pure mana, the ring enclosed around her before stretching out and engulfing her entire form. The mana merged with her body changing it. Her entire appearance, skin, hair and eyes changed to mirror the mana¡¯s utter blackness dotted with several thousand bright lights. As if made of the night sky, her body became mana in it¡¯s purest form. Kyle glanced away with a grin ¡°Uhh¡­cool form and all but¡­you¡¯re kind of standing naked there.¡± Zaahr was very conscious of this form¡¯s unclothed appearance but didn¡¯t care ¡°Shut up¡­Just¡­Shut up!¡±. Kyle faced her fully, his expression cold and empty ¡°Why? What exactly let¡¯s you continue fighting like this? You¡¯ve lost, you¡¯re surrounded and outnumbered. No more need to die today, just give up and go back.¡± Zaahr¡¯s went wide as she raised her arms up towards him ¡°No more need to die!? After everything you¡¯ve done!? After all the people you¡¯ve tricked and killed!?¡± two black spheres formed in either of her palms, they lost their form and swirled around each other forming a long staff. Zaahr grabbed the staff and twirled it briefly as a blade formed at one end, finishing the halberd¡¯s appearance.
Author: Eyyy two fights in one chapter! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPSHjV0YTSc
Zaahr rose up and began to float, holding the halberd in both hands. Her hands trembled as she clenched the weapon, she glared down at Kyle briefly before charging at him. Her speed was much too fast for a caster class, her mastery form switching her magic stats for physical ones. Kyle raised his hands as a sword of pure blue fire came alive from them, he surged to the side evading her charge then lunged at her himself. Moving low he stabbed upwards at her leg. Zaahr quickly turned and slashed downwards to parry the attack, the two mana weapons clashed causing a burst of blue flames to clash with a surge of white lightning. She pushed with all her might to overpower him, the sword¡¯s blade sliding off her halberd¡¯s and onto the staff yet still it didn¡¯t cut through. She put as much mana into the weapon as possible, putting everything else into her form to push him off balance. Zaahr was winning the battle of strength, pushing Kyle lower. But the flames were overpowering the lightning, the Frostfire suddenly engulfed the lightning devouring it and encased her halberd in frost forcing her to fall back. The fire didn¡¯t relent and followed after her retreat, she let go of her weapon and raised her arms towards the coming flames before firing several spheres of black. Her projectiles went through the fire visibly doing nothing to it, the flames pressed on engulfing her entire body in white-blue fire. Instinctively she screamed expecting burning pain to overcome her, nothing but a slight chill followed. The ethereal flame flowed through her sapping away at her form, her mana bar quickly drained as she lost her arcane appearance. Zaahr gasped as gravity suddenly pulled on her again causing her to fall out of the ball of Frostfire that had engulfed her, she hit the ground cause no small amount of pain to her ass as she hit the cold snow. She glanced up as the fire dissipated then down at her body, no injuries were visible other than a few bruises caused from fighting off the Shades. The cold immediately hit her making her realise that her armour and clothes were gone, right after exhaustion hit as the after effect of running out of mana. ¡°Yes I killed and tricked many in my time on Chaoz, but never have I done so without knowing they would come back.¡± said Kyle as he threw her his cloak. Zaahr quickly took the dark cloth and covered herself before standing up and stepping away, her expression wary. Kyle gazed off to the side and into the forest around them ¡°I have many sins Zaahr, murder may be one of them but none have anything to do with this world or you and your friend. You don¡¯t see what is happening around you, the forces at play are much larger than either of us combined. We¡¯re nothing but pawns in a game of Gods and Deities.¡± He sighed in exasperation ¡°You¡¯re smart, Zaahr. Your magic itself tells me that, a combination of all the base elements¡­who could have thought of that? Or been able to make it work in such a short amount of time?¡± Zaahr huffed ¡°Don¡¯t think this excuses you of what you did! What you are still doing! Siding with these monsters! Do you not want to go home?!¡± Kyle glanced at her causing her to hold the cloak closer ¡°Monsters?¡± he asked in disbelief before turning away from her. Kyle walked over to one of the shadowy figures ¡°Can you reveal yourself?¡± he asked the shortest Shade. It seemed to glance up at him briefly before silently nodding, the black shadow like smoke engulfing their body dissipated revealing a cloaked humanoid. The Shade lowered their hood revealing their face, having strange colouring and even stranger features due to the mask. ¡°This is Seria.¡± Kyle introduced the Shade before gesturing at another ¡°That is her brother, Seriet. Tell me Zaahr, do they look like monsters to you? They only look different to me, does that mean they¡¯re not worth life? Because they are Demons? Because they aren¡¯t human?¡± Zaahr gazed at the young Demon child in disbelief, she had been fighting her only moments earlier. Kyle studied her surprised expression as he continued to speak ¡°I won¡¯t hold your hand and tell you what to do. Hell if you¡¯re too dense to even comprehend the alliance¡¯s lies to begin with¡­¡± he shook his head and held his face ¡°Unlike us, unlike the people of Barik. Demons do not respawn, when they die it is simply the end.¡± Zaahr took another step back as the information hit her like a slap to the face ¡°T-they¡­don¡¯t?..¡± Kyle gestured to where he was gazing at before ¡°Out there Demons and Devils are fighting for their lives to retake their home, this home. Barik was once their land, stolen from them by the races of the alliance. Risking their lives so those that come after them don¡¯t have to. Do you honestly think the alliance could have produced such a vast army if it wasn¡¯t for you adventurers and their ability to also respawn? The Avians would never have joined in, the Mer would have also stayed in their waters and watched. The Fae would have hid in their mountain out of fear for their own hides. A battle would have still occurred but nothing on this scale, a clear victor would have been apparent.¡± Kyle thought back to Lucifer¡¯s cold gaze as Birse explained the situation to him, it was small and brief but he felt it all the same. The hint of worry, a slight flinch caused by fear. Worry for how many would have to die, fear of how many graves he¡¯d have to dig. He looked Zaahr straight in the eye, his own expression frigid ¡°Do you blame me for choosing? Do you blame me for not holding your hands and showing you the way? For not risking my own and my friend¡¯s lives for you strangers?¡± Zaahr clenched the cloak close to her face as her expression calmed, not turning solemn but instead downcast and full of regret. ¡°Is this¡­what you told her?¡± she asked in a quiet voice. ¡°Yeah.¡± Kyle replied simply as he turned away, hearing Seria sneeze he glanced at her and patted her head. She swatted his hand away and put her hood back on causing him to smile weakly. Zaahr closed her eyes in thought as the cold continued to berate her, she now knew why her friend was so depressed. Zaahr herself didn¡¯t know what to do with this information (¡°Can I really give my back to a whole people and choose another?...Just cause it was once their home? It¡¯s someone else¡¯s home now...¡±) she contemplated briefly until the sound of movement. She opened her eyes to find herself standing on her own, Kyle and the Shades where gone from sight. A blast of wind flowed through the entire forest causing her to hold tightly onto the cloak, she gasped feeling the mana permeating the wind. The sheer thickness of the mana causing her to fell to her knees as the wind died down. The wind was followed by a piercing sound, an echoing roar that forced her to cover her ears. The roar itself was imbued with mana, causing her vision to shake and her entire body to tremble in fear. The roar was followed by a dozen others, aiding each other in creating a cry of raw power that inflicted sudden terror upon any that beheld it. Ch 62 - The Pecking Order. Kyle felt them coming before he heard them, his [Spirit Detection] went haywire the moment they entered his range. Overcome with dread he immediately turned away towards the battle zone and ran as fast as he could, almost exhausting himself with the use of [Surge]. Leaving behind Soren, Zaahr and the Shades he chased the sensation as if it was his very nature to do so. He had never felt something like this, not the Devils or the Heroes had given him such deeply etched fear. Whatever creature he was chasing it wasn¡¯t a normal being to say the least, (¡°It feels¡­ancient¡­¡±) is all he could come up with to explain what he felt. Kyle quickly grew his claws and leapt up a tree, he climbed with ease reaching the top in a few moments. Glancing around he saw an opening in the trees ahead, descending a few branches he leapt from tree to tree until he arrived at it¡¯s edge. Trees lay uprooted or broken in a large area where the alliance and Dezol armies had clashed, a single massive creature ridden by an Elven warrior stood in the very middle of the uprooting. Four legged with spiky green reptilian scales covering it¡¯s entire body like thick armour, a single pair of long thick yellow wings also covered in the scales grew out of it¡¯s back and spanned almost twice it¡¯s own body. The creature had a common reptilian tail that thrashed about behind it crushing anything in it¡¯s path. It¡¯s legs ended in a set of six claws each glowing with an almost molten glow, a red fiery hue coming out of an almost runic pattern of red on it¡¯s black claws. It¡¯s head was terrifying to say the least, shaped similarly to a wolf¡¯s but covered in scales and earless. A crown of long green scales grew out of it¡¯s head and curved slightly forward as a pair of horns five times as thick and long grew out of the sides of it¡¯s head and curved forwards. It¡¯s mouth was lined with long curved fangs made for tearing while it¡¯s powerful jaw looked made for crushing. A blaze of golden fire escaped it¡¯s maw as the beast stood tall above the many thousand soldiers that stood stalk still staring at it in shocked awe. Kyle made the mistake of meeting the creature¡¯s eyes, golden with pitch black slits, sending a chill deep into his being telling him to turn tail and run for his life. But many things kept him from doing so, he willed through the fear and inspected the creature although already knowing what he was looking at.
{Dragon} Forest Drake [Rekshar] (Elven Forest Court) Level 258
As if sensing the inspection, the named Dragon Rekshar turned towards Kyle¡¯s direction. Kyle immediately froze under it¡¯s gaze, his instincts told him to not do anything to incur the creature¡¯s wrath. A male voice filled the field imbued with mana ¡°So it is true.¡± It was the Elf riding on top of the Drake¡¯s head. ¡°A Grand Quest was started, without our knowledge or consent. The courts will not be pleased Barik, this will demand explanation and by law punishment.¡± The Elf turned towards the Demons as did the Dragon ¡°As for you filth, your corruption of this land ends here. Remember my name that it follows you to the afterlife, I am Colonel Fier Jayce of the Elven Empire¡¯s Forest Court and leader of the Dragon riders.¡± He raised his right arm up with a flat hand, as if about to chop down. ¡°And you¡¯ve all, Dezol and Esfeltian alike, have brought upon yourselves the Empire¡¯s wrath.¡± His arm arched down in a gesture at someone as he whistled. Kyle flinched as three more Drakes flew in out of nowhere with maws wide open, golden flames rained down onto the battlefield on both sides. He watched as the flames devoured everything in their path, wood, flesh and metal the same under it¡¯s magic. Soldiers either died or ran on both sides, the Drakes¡¯ destructive breath bringing down two small armies to their knees in a single swoop. Kyle watched frozen, as if watching a movie go by he was nothing more than an observer. He might as well have been, he had no clue as to what to do now. Briefly Rekshar glanced at his direction before taking flight, batting it¡¯s powerful wings causing a massive blast of wind that sent Kyle flying off his position. He crashed through branches and leaves before slamming into a tree¡¯s trunk, air being forced out of his lungs as he slid down. Quickly he gripped the bark with his claws, stopping himself from hitting the ground. Turning around he began to climb back up, his expression pale and sweaty from the encounter. A sudden chill frozen his entire body as the crashing of trees sounded off behind him, along with the tree he was climbing many others were knocked down. Kyle held onto the bark for dear life as it crashed down to the ground, uprooted or broken either way he dreaded to turn around. But he still did. Kyle turned over to find himself staring straight into Rekshar¡¯s face as it sniffed him, it¡¯s golden eyes locked onto his person. Jayce gazed down at him, an amused expression on his face ¡°So this, is the Dark Hero. That aura you have about you¡­as well as the scent that Rekshar sensed. It is you, isn¡¯t it?¡± Kyle simply stared up at the Dragon under absolute terror, his every fibre of being screamed for him to run. Jayce smirked ¡°So young, so foolish and still so weak. Nothing more than a fledgling among monsters. Yet you have a peculiar sense about you, what is this piercing scent?¡± (¡°I can help you.¡±) spoke the voice in Kyle¡¯s head. ¡°I smell a Yako.¡± Rekshar spoke, his voice deep but also sharp. ¡°Ahh, a trickster spirit fox?¡± Jayce spoke in wonder ¡±Intriguing, to find a specimen of a long extinct race. Not only that but also a Chosen, a fateless Chosen at that.¡± (¡°You stand no chance, I do.¡±) it insulted him. ¡°Can I eat him?¡± asked Rekshar while licking his lips and smacking his mouth. (¡°Is this where you wish to end?¡±) It seeded doubt into him. ¡°No¡­the Court¡¯s researchers would love me for collecting this specimen.¡± Said Jayce as he gazed down at Kyle deep in thought ¡°We¡¯ll destroy the Dezol presence here, burn a few towns then take him with us back to report. He¡¯ll also serve as proof of the Grand Quest.¡± (¡°Everything you¡¯ve worked for? All you¡¯ve fought for?¡±) it tempted him. Rekshar nodded as a whistle reached his ears ¡°The barrier is almost down, shall we retrieve him later?¡± (¡°Your guild? Your friends? All but gone into the emptiness of death?¡±) it made him dread. ¡°We shall, don¡¯t run too far Hero. You cannot hide.¡± Threatened Jayce with a cold smile ¡°Let¡¯s go, there is at least three Devils. We¡¯ll kill them first.¡± Rekshar spread his wings sending more trees to the ground, using his powerful legs he leapt up into the air then flapped them to ascend higher. Kyle was left on top of a fallen tree¡¯s trunk, breathing unevenly and trembling in terror with eyes still open wide and mouth dry. (¡°Will you abandon it all? Just cause of what I¡¯ve done to you? Will you abandon your future? Let them do with you as they wish?¡±) the voice continued to speak, growing louder with each word. (¡°You will just sit there and do nothing? Because that is all you can do, you are powerless.¡±) The following words shook his entire being as tendrils of Frostfire began to escape Kyle¡¯s body. (¡°You are weak.¡±) Kyle rose with fists clenched as more flames formed. (¡°Nothing more than an observer as your dreams fall apart.¡±) His eyes closed, his face losing it¡¯s previous terror and turning to pure rage. (¡°A monster in form, yet useless-¡±) ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Kyle shouted with everything he had, his voice imbued with Spirit causing it to echo throughout the entire forest ¡°I AM NOT WEAK!¡± (¡°Prove it.¡±) Kyle opened his eyes revealing empty black pits of flowing darkness ¡°I will.¡± Frostfire engulfed his entire body before changing entirely in colour, both it¡¯s inner white and outer blue darkened several times until all that remained was a pure black flame. His body disappeared inside the black as it continuously grew in size, the flames grew taller than the very trees and began to expand and devour those that had fallen before engulfing the ones still standing. The black wildfire engulfed several dozen meters of forest before it stopped growing, instead it began to change and take form. It compressed forming the torso as four clawed legs grew out of each corner, it reared back and stood on two as a head grew out of the top. It¡¯s hand¡¯s claws grew longer and thicker becoming fingers and a thumb as it¡¯s head took shape, a long canine snout and two long and wide pointy ears out of the top facing the front. The darkness that made up it¡¯s body then changed into something identical to fur. The fur on it¡¯s back grew longer and longer until two pairs of six long and furry tails lined it¡¯s back while a thirteenth grew out of the bottom slightly longer and thicker than the others, almost looking like a cape. The creature¡¯s head tore open a mouth as the darkness seemed to remain sticking to both jaws like slime, it roared out with arms open wide. A low pitched roar, almost a screech, reached far and wide along the entire continent. Done with announcing it¡¯s arrival, the creature hunched over letting both it¡¯s arms hand down in front of itself. It stared down at them as a wicked chuckle left it¡¯s slightly parted mouth, eye sockets formed on it¡¯s head as it chuckled. The darkness parted forming the sockets as a crimson red light formed inside creating two beady red eyes. The creature looked up and ahead, towards the dozen Drakes that had stopped their assault and turned to look towards it. It chuckled once more and spoke ¡°I should thank you, Drakons and riders.¡± It¡¯s voice making reality shudder as it left it¡¯s lipless mouth. ¡°Let me introduce myself first.¡± It announced before charging forward at insane speed for it¡¯s size ¡°I¡± it began to say before leaping up and towards the closest Drake. ¡°Am¡± it continued as it appeared in front of the Dragon as it opened it¡¯s jaws and breathed fire, the golden flames washing over it¡¯s black body leaving it unaffected. Within a split second it moved rapidly mid air, too fast to see what exactly had occurred before a splatter of flesh, scales and blood rained down to the ground.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. It¡¯s torn up mouth curved into a wickedly wide grin ¡°Void¡±, it spoke it¡¯s name sending ripples through reality causing the other Dragons to lose flight and fall to the ground. It fell with them affected by gravity and hit the ground running, charging towards another Dragon as it lay grounded. Void opened it¡¯s arms to it¡¯s sides as long pole blades formed in each hand, the blade thick and curved like a butcher¡¯s knife. It dashed straight at the Dragon as it rose back to it¡¯s feat only to be torn apart by the Nogitsune¡¯s rapid movements that seemed to deny any sort of physical laws. One by one Void dashed at each Dragon turning them to mincemeat within seconds, each tried to struggle and fight back but their attacks did no visible damage and their resistance was null and void against the monster¡¯s attacks. All but one Dragon and their rider fell, Jayce stared as the creature stood up from it¡¯s latest kill covered in blood and gore while grinning a wicked curved smile. He felt Rekshar move beneath him, the Drake rose into the sky fully intent on escaping. Opening it¡¯s wings in full it readied to ascend higher and away from the nightmarish beast. ¡°Run along little Drakon, go back to your people little Alf. Tell them of my arrival, let them fear my name until I arrive to show them why.¡± Void chuckled as it watched the Drake fly away in a burst of speed, the wind flowing around it¡¯s majestic wings as it ran away. It watched and watched until it¡¯s grin began to fade, coming to a sudden realisation it glanced around at the still running away soldiers and falling debris. Nothing moved and it was limited on how much it could, reality itself seemed to have stopped. Void struggled against the invisible power than kept it still, reality cracked and shattered around it¡¯s body as it did only for it to instantly reconstruct itself. ¡°This won¡¯t do.¡± Suddenly a deep voice echoed out from everywhere at once. ¡°No, no this won¡¯t do at all.¡± It sounded annoyed and doubting. Void snarled ¡°Who!? Who da-¡± ¡°Stop talking.¡± Said the voice causing the Nogitsune to lose it¡¯s voice entirely, it then proceeded to hum thoughtfully ¡°How can this be fixed¡­Hmmm¡­Ah!¡± it suddenly exclaimed as Void¡¯s chest began to expand and tear open. Kyle¡¯s unconscious body tore through the creature¡¯s chest and hovered still like everything else. ¡°Yes, this will prove a worthy test and a fair fix.¡± Said the voice. Suddenly Void¡¯s entire body began to shrink, rapidly it dropped in size until it was no larger than a common twenty feet tall Golem. It glanced around in utter confusion, biting away randomly for anything it could tear apart. The voice chuckled ¡°Yes, this will be quiet amusing. Creator versus created. Show me little fox, how strong is your will? Why ever have you caught my attention so much so?¡± Suddenly time resumed and Void was released of it¡¯s restraints, it immediately trashed around reducing anything and anybody around to parts. It continued to run about, angrily massacring any in its line of sight. Kyle opened his eyes, returned to normal and gasped for breath. He fell back on his ass as his mind raced to process everything that had just happened. He had been devoured by the Nogitsune, he had given in to his anger and frustrations letting it take over. He had watched as it rampaged and tore apart his enemies and allies alike. He had hoped it and the empire would have taken each other out, his guild cleaning up the remaining pieces¡­but after watching the creature take that Dragon¡¯s breath head on and ripped it apart in mere moments. His hopes had all been crushed. He looked down at his body now, no sign of the creature¡¯s take over. (¡°What¡­what happened?...¡±) he asked as if expecting an answer, he looked up and glanced around the field as soldiers continued to run. No longer running to fight or running from flying fire breathing beasts, they now ran from a single pitch black nightmare. The Nogitsune ran rampant across the field chasing whoever caught it¡¯s attention, massacring dozens within minutes. Kyle mind went blank as he stared at the bloodshed, all but one question remaing, what would he do now? (¡°Run?...¡±) he thought at first, it made sense. Run today to fight another day, live to clear his head and think things through. But then his emotions weighed in, the anger that had long been stacking up came back in full force as he watched Void shred and tear. He clenched his fists and grinded his teeth, would he follow his mind or his heart? Run and live or fight and die?
Author: The fight you¡¯ve all been waiting for ^ ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_Caz8apgYE
Suddenly a high pitched whistling sounded off from his left catching his attention, raising his head he watched. A massive battle axe flew through the battlefield, molten red and mechanical. It crashed blade first into the Nogitsune¡¯s back as a brief moment later Soren appeared kicking the same spot, holding onto his battleaxe now he continued to spin with it sending Void barrelling forward. Thundering footsteps echoed through the battlefield as a massive giant of stone almost as large as the Nogitsune charged out of the forest, obvious bear features told Kyle it was Cherry. He stopped on the spot as Void flew straight at him, raising his right fist up he punched with all his might as it collided with the creature¡¯s head. Stone cracked and shattered as Cherry sent the Nogitsune flying at another direction, it crashed through fallen trees and snow for a few meters before coming to a sudden stop on a log. No damage was visible, not a bruise or a crack as it rose back to it¡¯s feet and roared. Suddenly a blinding flash of red light brightened up the night sky as a deafening chant followed ¡°SCORCHING METEORA!¡± Death shouted at the top of his lungs, in his elemental form he flew high up in the air as a massive ball of crimson fire flowed over his head. He launched it down at unrivalled speed sending it crashing down on top of Void. A blast of steam flowed through the entire battlefield as the blazing attack instantly melted the snow followed by a wave of heat that continued to melt further away. Steam continued to rise as flashes of light flowed through it, a sudden roar cleared the steam revealing Sparta and Birse fighting the Nogitsune at close range while Woody, Steph and Seren blasted him with spells from afar. Sparta blocked and parried with her shield as Birse summoned arms of shadow to grab and contain the creature, Woody fired rays of light that exploded on contact as Seren channelled area of effect healing while sending wisps of flame flying at Void. Steph pulled out crystal after crystal interchanging those on her gloves while using them up with each attack, sending forth blasts of electricity or breaths of chilling ice. Void struggled and rampaged ripping off arm after arm as each attack hit its target with no visible damage, more and more arms of shadow grew out of the ground as their hands gripped and held it down. A sudden barrage of electrified arrows rained over it as vines broke through the earth and entangled themselves around the shadow and darkness. Skill soared through the battlefield firing arrow after enchanted arrow as wind seemed to flow with his feet and every step sending him leaping forward. Ch stood still as vines grew out of his body and dug down into the ground, he held his bow high and fired arrows of entangled vines that opened up and encased the creature in even more greenery. Cherry charged at Void still encased in his layer of stone, he grabbed it from behind and held it¡¯s arms back but the creature¡¯s struggle was stronger than his own brute strength giving him a difficult time to even hold on. Death flew to stand above the fight as he channelled fire in his palms and aimed down, a stream of flames shot out of his palms like tentacles. The flame flowed down and entangled itself around Void¡¯s head, closing it¡¯s mouth and choking on it¡¯s neck. Void continued to struggle, neither of the adventurers capable of entirely holding it down. Kyle watched in complete bafflement, even though no damage was being done they continued to try. With every failed attack Birse ordered for others, with every broken restraint they¡¯d conjure more. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡± he spoke aloud to nobody but himself ¡°If not now¡­¡± he glanced down at his own trembling hands and clenched his right into a fist. Suddenly raising it at himself the fist landed straight on his right cheek leaving a light mark, he clenched both fists and looked up again ¡°Then when!?¡±. Kyle began to approach the fight, determination afire in his eyes. He broke into a run as Frostfire burst to life in both his hands ¡°Everything¡­¡±, he ran with everything he had ¡±You¡¯ve ever done to me¡­To anyone¡­¡±. The fire in his hands grew and engulfed his arms ¡°I¡¯ll send it all back¡­I¡¯ll take in everyone¡¯s hatred¡­everyone¡¯s fear¡­I¡¯ll take it all in and mix it with my own!¡± His fangs grew out along with the claws, his tail parted and became two. His eyes gleamed blue as the entirety of the white turned into a blue inferno, the silver then began to glow a bright white. The Frostfire covering his body exploded outwards as Kyle took in all the Spirit in his surroundings, every bit of fear, hatred, anger, frustration, sorrow and despair. He took it all in, showing on his person as his skin cracked like stone turning to sand. Putting his hands together he willed the inferno of white-blue around him to move, the raging fire complied and flowed from his surroundings and into his palms. ¡°Empower my body! Clear the cold and fill me with fire! Rage!¡± He chanted in quick succession gaining a thin red hue over his body. ¡°Coarse out of my being and encase my surroundings! Demonic Presence!¡± The demonic aura flowed out of his body empowering himself once again. ¡°Overcome my limits! Breakthrough and give me strength! Core Overload!¡± [Elder Frost] slime poured out of his entire body and formed in his hands taking the shape of a massively long blue blade, it glowed white as Spirit surged through it. Kyle continued to run unaffected by the weapon¡¯s weight, charging straight ahead ¡°Engulf my weapon! My flame! My soul! Frostfire Blade!¡± The Frostfire collecting around his body flowed down his arms and over the blade, it engulfed the weapon taking it¡¯s shape and giving it a layer of blazing cold flame. With his blade aimed straight forward, four meters long and a couple arms thick. Kyle ran right by his friends, their own group buffs empowering him further. Void roared out in defiance as Kyle¡¯s Frostfire penetrated through his own black fire body, Kyle pushed the blade further in allowing the blade to pierce right through and enter half way. ¡°You cannot kill me!¡± Void shouted out in panic ¡°You need me! You are nothing without me but a fledgling!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need you!¡± replied Kyle as he pushed the blade further in. ¡°And the empire!? After seeing what I can do!? They will be back! With worse and more! You need me! No! YOU ARE ME!¡± it continued to struggle as it spoke ¡°WE ARE ONE! WITHOUT ME YOUR POWER IS NOTHING! WHO WILL SHOW YOU OUR WAYS!? WHO WILL TEACH YOU HOW TO CONTROL IT!? HOW TO GROW?!¡± Kyle ignored the creature¡¯s screams and chanted ¡°Cold flame that resides within, surge out, awaken and devour my foes! Devouring Frostfire!¡± his blade¡¯s flame exploded out and engulfed Void entirely, carefully he focused as to not destroy his restraints. Frost began to encase the Nogitsune¡¯s body, making it flail and struggle further as Kyle dug his sword in more. Void roared and snarled in agony as suddenly some of it¡¯s restraints tore and broke, before more could replace them it leaned down and opened it¡¯s maw. Kyle could have evaded, moved out of the way but instead he stood his ground as the beast¡¯s jaws closed in around his left shoulder crushing his bones and tearing flesh. ¡°THEN I¡¯LL DO TO YOU WHAT I HAVE DONE WITH THE REST! YOUR ANSESTORS, YOUR GRANDPARENTS, YOUR AUNTS AND UNCLES, LIKE THEM YOU SHALL BE DEVOURED!¡± Void screamed out after gulping down the flesh and bone it bit off, more restraints moved to hold his head down but he bit at them and tore them apart as well. Kyle clenched the blade under his right shoulder, holding it tight while resting over it as the pain flowed through. His left shoulder was a mess of little flesh and missing bone as his left arm lay hanging by just as little. But the pain was incomparable, not to his inner pain, not at this moment. New waves of anger surged through him, a blinding rage as he glared up at the grinning monster. He never knew his grandparents, was told they died in an accident. Neither did he know of any aunts or uncles, his parents vague and spoke little of family beyond them three. To find out that he had family he never knew, because this creature had taken them from him. It seared his insides, burned far colder than his own flame. His anger turned to hatred as he held it in, as he tried to contain it so he wouldn¡¯t lose himself to rage again. Void lunged down again for another bite, it¡¯s jaws opening wide as it¡¯s beady red eyes curved in enjoyment. Suddenly Kyle felt a chill engulf his entire body as a surge of cold blasted out of it, it engulfed his surroundings briefly before disappearing leaving behind a slowed down reality. He watched as very slowly the Nogitsune lunged down at him, it¡¯s mouth opened wide for a final bite. Quickly he willed his blade to lose shape as he leaped at Void¡¯s chest, he pressed his palms at the black fur like flames as his slime and Frostfire engulfed it¡¯s entire body. Kyle chanted as time resumed ¡°Take their essence! Devour their being! Absorb!¡±. Void bit down on empty space and blinked in confusion before feeling the slime and blue fire encasing it¡¯s body. The creature looked down at Kyle and moved to lunge at him again with it¡¯s fangs. But it couldn¡¯t move and it watched as it¡¯s body lost it¡¯s form and flowed outward, into the slime that covered it¡¯s body. Like a sponge absorbing water the slime absorbed the black flames aided by the blue flames that weakened them, separating the fire from the being as the Frostfire devoured the Nogitsune¡¯s soul and slime absorbed it¡¯s fire. Void roared out one last time as the entirety of it¡¯s body was absorbed and it¡¯s being devoured, like a candle flame going out it disappeared leaving behind a falling layer of slime and Frostfire that fell over itself. The slime dissipated but the Frostfire remained, blazing alive on the ground ahead of Kyle and the guild as it burned every restraint that once held a nightmare. Kyle stared into the fire that was no longer under his control, a flame that something else willed to remain existing. For a moment his heart sank fearing the creature had overpowered the flame and taken it over, until his [Spirit Detection] was barraged, his memories flowing in like a broken dam. Names and faces to accompany them, emotions following right after. They all flowed in covering most of his childhood memories with new ones, with the real ones. Kyle¡¯s eyes rolled back as his mind overloaded with information, falling forwards he fell into the blue flame. He waited for death, waited for the flames to devour him whole but no such thing occurred as the flame¡¯s blue changed to pure white. He felt a strange warmth, a familiar feeling he couldn¡¯t put into words as his consciousness faded out. Ch 63 - The Aftermath Kyle opened his eyes as a sudden chill overcame him to wake up, finding himself inside Ymir¡¯s hall yet again. ¡°Stand child.¡± Said Ymir. Kyle found that he was lying on the ground, slowly he stood up as his head ached. He stopped midway and fully took in his surroundings, Ymir wasn¡¯t alone. Far from it, several others stood by his side. Ymir studied him carefully, unsure of what he was looking at ¡°Let me introduce to you, the other Gods that have aided me in gaining the right to select a chosen. The right to aid you.¡± Ymir gestured at the different Gods as he spoke their name and title. ¡°Loki, the God of tricksters.¡± A tall man stood shrouded in a dark green royal cloak and hood, a skinny form unlike the other muscly beings but a certain air of danger floated around him. His face was covered by a mask leaving only his eyes and pointy nose revealed, his eyes a bright emerald green. He stood with his hands hidden behind his back, his head slightly slanted as if in thought. ¡°Setekh, the God of disorder.¡± A warrior in body, covered in blue and yellow tattoos depicting battles. Long black hair left hanging and dark brown eyes, his skin was slightly dark as if having taken too much sun. He wore blue and golden jewellery along with an Egyptian style thin yellow and white cloth around his lower body as the only means of clothing. ¡°Titania, the Goddess of blades and Fae.¡± The Fairy Queen was a stunning sight, a warrior herself. She stood shorter than the other God but still a giantess in her own right. She wore gleaming white crystal armour etched with runes, several blades grew out of her shoulders, back and waist seemingly part of the armour. Her short golden-blue hair glowed a dark aura, her golden eyes surging with dark lightning. Ymir finished with introducing his partners he turned back to Kyle and gestured at him ¡°My fellow immortals, I present you my Chosen. Descendant of Void, Yako of the impossible Frostfire. Now also slayer of an ascended being, slayer of Void.¡± ¡°One who has caught His attention.¡± Added Titania, her voice powerful like a warrior¡¯s. She approached Kyle as her form shrunk, until she stood eye to eye with him. She studied the young Yako, her eyes weighing his strengths ¡°This creature, so full of rage, burdened by loss and confusion. We did not believe Ymir¡¯s choice was correct, we believed our aid had gone to waste.¡± A warm smile appeared from her previous solemn expression ¡°It seems, that you have proven us wrong. You have caught His attention young fox, do you understand what that implies?¡± Kyle shook his head awkwardly, not comprehending anything the Goddess was saying. ¡°You have gained the Avatar¡¯s attention, trickster of ice.¡± Setekh spoke, his voice gruff ¡°It deemed you worthy of it¡¯s test, it is why the Void God was reduced to what you fought. The Avatar, the creator of all, severed the connection between you and the Void. Then the Avatar left you to fight it, whether you won or lost, the Avatar would have decided if you are worthy or not.¡± Kyle opened his mouth to speak but as if already knowing what he¡¯d ask, Loki began to speak ¡°Worthy.¡± His voice echoed out in multiple ones, different tones and pitches ¡°There is no reward, no gain or blessing to be bestowed from being Worthy. Yet you are, you are worthy of the Avatar¡¯s attention. You might ask, what could this possibly mean? It is simple young fox, you have just experienced what His attention brings. Can you guess?¡± Loki asked, his eyebrows raised expectantly. Kyle glanced between the four Deities, his mind still racing with questions and overcome with emotion of re-experiencing his past. He tried to clear it, to see through the memories and remember what had just happened, what allowed him to do what he did. He remembered, being taken over, losing himself to anger allowing the Nogitsune to grasp at his strings. He remembered the monstrosity that emerged, the bloodshed that followed. Kyle fell to his knees as his memories began to make sense, his mind clearing from the confusion. Kyle took scattered breaths as his heart raced, clutching his chest he forced himself into a state of calm. He retook control of his breathing, calmed himself down as a feeling of cold rushed over his entire being. The same feeling he always felt before taking control of a conversation, the chilling cold that covered his mind and froze all emotion. Like a machine he went through the memories of what had happened again, this time remembering with emotionless thought. He saw it, or more specifically he didn¡¯t. A gap in his memory, a gap of positioning and events. Kyle stood up, his expression empty and cold. ¡°Change.¡± He answered the God. Loki revealed his arms and began to slowly clap ¡°Indeed, the Avatar brings change to what the Avatar deems insufficient. The Avatar who watches all, the Avatar who created and knows all. What would such a being gain from this? What could the Avatar possibly gain from changing what they have already seen?¡± ¡°Change.¡± Repeated Kyle ¡°If such a being already knows what is to happen and are displeased by it, then they change it and watch to see if the new outcome pleases them.¡± Loki stopped clapping ¡°Correct.¡± He glanced back at Ymir who sat back in his throne ¡°Where did you find this one, father? His mind is an interesting existence, not even he has noticed it.¡± Loki looked back at Kyle ¡°Something all enlightened beings have, something that makes and breaks them. Little Fox, you have the ability to stop that something.¡± Kyle stared up at Loki in confusion. ¡°Enough with your riddles Loki.¡± Titania declared back at the trickster God, she looked back at Kyle and placed her right hand on his left shoulder ¡°Kyle, you are a special existence. Your power is the manipulation of heat while taking the form of fire, the joining of two opposing masteries of the opposing temperature. Yet when two powers join, two powers so opposite. Both usually survive. Your physical power, your active power if you will. Is the manipulation of a cold flame, yet the opposite is also true. Your mental power, your passive power. The manipulation of a warm existence, the manipulation of emotion. This is how the Nogitsune had such a powerful grasp on you, using your own mental power against you.¡± Ymir rose from his throne ¡°This is why I chose you. You who are able to see through emotion, you who are able to truly find reason. As I had hoped, with that you have gained His attention. To truly bring change not only to Chaoz but to the entire universe, we needed the attention of change itself.¡± Kyle¡¯s eyes remained cold and emotionless as he tilted his head in thought, briefly after he spoke ¡°You manipulated me.¡± Ymir nodded ¡°And for that I apologise. We had no other choice, we needed the Void God to be released. As things were going, it was one of either three outcomes. Lilliana gaining her success of the Grand Quest and bringing eons of Demonic dominance, followed by struggle of other races which would only birth further conflict in the future. The second, Liliana¡¯s failure and Scythe¡¯s success bringing forth the full might of human take-over of Chaoz and many other realms. Or¡­No change at all. The Elven Empire ending the Grand Quest by eliminating Liliana, powering down the Artefact reducing it to nothing more than a useless object in your mana-less realm. It was the only way to bring an outcome other than these three, to gain Change¡¯s attention.¡± ¡°And what do you expect to happen now?¡± asked Kyle ¡°The Elven empire will soon know of the quest, the quest itself still remains intact and Scythe still holds the artefact. Do you expect my co-operation still?¡± Ymir smiled weakly, slowly he shook his head ¡°No, you have done your part for us. Now whatever the outcome, we shall at least know that we¡¯ve done our best. With all the limitations put upon us, we couldn¡¯t stand to simply watch as our children massacred each other again.¡± Kyle stared up at the God of winter, his mind producing even more questions ¡°Children? Who are your children Ymir? The Avians? The Mer? The Dwarves? I use to believe it was the Tundra Elves of the Frost Court¡­But they are Gaia¡¯s children too aren¡¯t they?¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Ymir chuckled as he glanced around at his fellow Gods ¡°Loki¡¯s children are among Demons, Setekh¡¯s children are among Ogres and Titania¡¯s children are the Fae.¡± His gaze stopped on Titania ¡°But just as Loki is my child, I have others like him.¡± Ymir looked back at Kyle ¡°I¡¯m a chained God, my ability to create myself a physical form is null. But thanks to a friend¡­She created a form for me, a while ago. After so long I felt free¡­I felt myself¡­¡± he chuckled again weakly ¡°It was a mistake, but alas the pleasures of flesh had long escaped me¡­¡± Titania coughed as a blush appeared on her face ¡°Liliana is my child as much as she is his.¡± Kyle glanced over Loki ¡°Then why isn¡¯t she a full God? Born of two Gods?¡± Titania glad to change the subject if ever slightly answered him ¡°The body I made for Ymir only held his consciousness, his power remained chained here. He was in body just a simple Fae, with very little Astral power to speak of.¡± Kyle nodded making sense of her explanation, still unaffected by emotion he continued his questioning as curiosity took over ¡°Then why do you not aid Liliana? If she is both your child, why not allow her and her people victory?¡± Titania shook her head ¡°It is much more complicated than ¡®People¡¯. Even among the Fae there are different factions, as is with every other race. True I wish the best for my child of flesh but I also want the best for my children of soul. If Liliana goes through with her plan, what do you think the other Fae will see her as? What will the other races portray her as?¡± ¡°A monster.¡± Replied Kyle plain and simple. Titania solemnly nodded ¡°I cannot allow her to do that, as a mother I was distant and weak but I shall not be that no more. Her betrayal of my husband¡­.her betrayal to Oberon shocked me back to my senses, I will not allow her to become that¡­¡± Kyle¡¯s expression darkened as the feeling of cold left his body, he looked down at his hands as his emotions returned in full force ¡°I understand that, at least now I know why.¡± Ymir studied Kyle¡¯s expression ¡°What will you do now? You will remain a Chosen until the Quest is over. You will be persecuted by the Empire, hunted down. The Void¡¯s take-over shattered your soul in so many ways that it is taking my all to hold it together, I will continue to do so until it has fully healed as an apology for using you so coldly. With it like this though¡­you cannot enter the veil and travel back to your original body, it would destroy you.¡± Ymir sighed ¡°It will take time to recover, until then...what will you do?¡± Kyle lower his arms and looked up, he considered his question with eyes closed. ¡°I will reflect on my past, there is still so much I need to accept¡­So much I need to understand¡­After that I will continue on what I started, what me and my friends started.¡± Loki tilted his head to the other side ¡°And what is that?¡± Kyle opened his eyes, the cold returning and his emotions taking a back seat ¡°To fix what you Gods have broken, to make Chaoz our own. A world of our dreams, we will clean up the scars no matter how much blood we must shed. I will not accept reality as it is, I will change it. I will make Chaoz a world I can truly accept to live in, unlike you I am not limited by chains or laws. I do not agree with your methods, I do not agree with your plans but I will ride along them and twist them with my own. You want a world safe for your people and children, I want a world safe for mine. You did what you wished with me, you accomplished your goal and now will simply watch. So watch as I tear this world apart, as I unravel it¡¯s darkness and restore it to light.¡± Kyle stepped away from Titania as the Goddess and Gods watched him attentively, Kyle smirked ¡°You went through with your methods, now I will go through with mine. The Avatar¡¯s attention is on me, so I will bring change as it wishes. I will give you a world for the free, I will end persecution and stop the wars to come. But I won¡¯t do it alone, I don¡¯t need to do it alone.¡± Ymir grinned ¡°And we shall watch, so show us. I warn you, there are many more tests for you to overcome. So show us as you build your way, we expect great things from you Yako of the Frostfire.¡± Loki chuckled ¡°That we do, I have taken the liberty of assigning a new ancestor to guide you too. With the Void God gone, you will require one in your progression to come. As most of your bloodline, she was also devoured by it. You will find that, she is someone you already know. The destruction of that Void released many souls it devoured, the spirit realm is bustling with new arrivals.¡± Setekh sighed but nodded in agreement ¡°A true warrior, you speak of fighting on and I approve you. If you require a safe haven then visit my people, they will shelter you for your fortitude.¡± Titania continued to smile as she gazed at Kyle ¡°I am sorry for what you had to go through, I hope you truly do understand why we couldn¡¯t help. Please, whenever you can speak with my daughter. I believe if she¡¯d listen to anyone it would be you, Kyle, Chosen Hero approved by the Avatar.¡± Kyle¡¯s vision began to fade as Titania continued to speak ¡°Go young Fox, shower this world in a blizzard of ice. Extinguish the flames of corruption, freeze their anger and absorb their hatred. Light it up with your own flame, give this world the change it needs. Go, little villain. Be the Hero that you are, from the shadows act and bend the darkness.¡±
Cursed land Rin Darkness stared off at the surviving Dragon as it escaped off into the distance, her hopes and dreams disappearing along with it. Resigned to her fate she dropped the vial and turned away from the sea, she had tried to chase after it but the creature was too fast and already out of her range. She stood on death¡¯s door, her right arm cleanly slice off and back open with two long cuts. Having fought the Devil Lilith assisted by the mercenary leader Birse and his subordinate, she would have succumbed to defeat if it wasn¡¯t for the Drake¡¯s sudden appearance. In the midst of the chaos she escaped with her life, fearing she¡¯d also fall to the mercenaries as did Draxxer. She still didn¡¯t know what had happened to him, hadn¡¯t heard from him for days. It was faint but she felt his presence within the barrier, within Devil¡¯s eye. ¡°We have failed, Barik is lost.¡± She spoke to herself, as if speaking to someone who wasn¡¯t there. ¡°The Empire will arrive and wipe us out, the entire continent turned into a warzone for them and the Dezol¡­¡±. Rin walked towards the edge of the cliff as the sea crashed down below ¡°Twice I have failed¡­¡± she smiled weakly ¡°It is time I make space for the next generation¡­Time for me to take a back seat and watch¡­¡± she gazed off at the ocean¡¯s reflection of the moon. Suddenly a shadow appeared behind her ¡°Ma¡¯am, what is our next course of action?¡± asked Klein as he appeared behind her, standing at attention and saluting. Rin glanced back at him ¡°Nothing.¡± She replied solemnly. Klein flinched at her response, removing his mask he asked again ¡°Ma¡¯am¡­How do we proceed?...¡± ¡°We wait. We watch and see how it all unveils, it doesn¡¯t matter if we defeat the Dezol here anymore. The Empire will be ruthless, all we can do is hope.¡±
Devil¡¯s eye Fort Geb inner hall. Lucifer sat on his throne, breathing heavily he focused on restoring his mana. The Drakes¡¯ assault had severely weakened him, taking his all to keep the barrier up. He had a slight idea as to what had occurred outside, the reports from his servants a constant flow as they came and went. He opened his eyes as he sensed movement in the hall, Legion had returned. The young Devil was battered a bruised, his cloak scorched by dragonfire and his weapon lost in the chaos. ¡°Father¡­¡± Legion announced his entry and kneeled down, coughing he held himself from falling. ¡°How many?¡± asked Lucifer in solemn expectation, the wait dreadful as his son gathered himself to speak. Legion began to speak ¡°The first clash was on our terms, losing nobody as they all valiantly slew the enemy. When the Drakes appe-¡± ¡°Enough with the telltale of their strength! How many!?¡± exclaimed Lucifer as he tried to rise from his throne, sorely failing as he leaned back down clutching his chest in pain. Legion shuddered and stood, staring down at his feet as he spoke ¡°Four thousand warriors left for the defence, two thousand and five hundred riders, six hundred mages and nine hundred rangers.¡± He breathed heavily as he continued to speak ¡±One thousand seven hundred and sixty three are accounted for¡­Over two thousand and two hundred dead¡­¡± Legion stood stalk still, shamed and defeated. Lucifer grimaced at the losses, he leaned back fully into his throne and closed his eyes ¡°You have done well Legion, the barrier stands. There will be ceremony for the dead, make preparations. We shall speak of the future another time¡­now we mourn.¡± Legion saluted ¡°As you wish¡­Father¡­¡±
Rulek Sea Jayce hurried Rekshar to fly faster, anxious on leaving the horrors he¡¯d witnessed behind. He glanced around himself, thirteen Drakes and their riders entered Barik and only one came back out. The sole survivor of the creature that called itself Void, a being so powerful that dragonfire -the most powerful type of elemental flame- didn¡¯t even leave a mark. Jayce trembled at the memory of the creature¡¯s gaze, an overwhelming feeling of despair falling over him as it met his own. He felt his Drake Rekshar¡¯s fear through their connection as companions, through their connection that took to a spiritual level. ¡°Jayce, what do we tell the Elders?¡± asked Rekshar sensing and sharing Jayce¡¯s feeling of dread. ¡°I do not know my friend, that creature¡­whatever it is¡­armies are useless against that. The Elders must pull back our forces from Ruk, we must surround Barik and hunt that thing down. The Grand Quest also¡­We must find the heroes and end them¡­¡± answered Jayce as he grimaced. ¡°Jayce¡­what are you insinuating?¡± Rekshar caught on to his partner¡¯s tone. Jayce looked up and gazed ahead, his eyes wide with fear ¡°We have no choice, the Empire has no choice. I will put in the suggestion, as the sole survivor of the Empire¡¯s strongest shock cavalry unit. They will hear me, they will listen.¡± ¡°Jayce that would¡­that would make them awaken IT!¡± Rekshar exclaimed, panic in his tone. Jayce nodded weakly ¡°It is the only thing I believe can stand against that monster¡­along with the ancestral warriors we might stand a chance¡­but for all of them to be sent out¡­it has to be done.¡± His expression turned determined as he spoke three last dreadful words ¡°We must purge.¡± Ch 64 - Past and present Kyle lay gazing off in the core room, an oval chamber of reflective crystal with a large green-blue crystal core floating in the middle. He gazed off at Lilior¡¯s core, his mind reminiscing on his past as he lay on the floor. His heart felt cold, his emotions shut off to save him the pain. The rest of the guild was outside taking part in the mourning of the Dezol¡¯s losses, a show of humanity Birse had called it. In truth he had sent most members out to watch the respawn points, to see whether the Drakes or their riders would respawn or not. Kyle stayed back needing some time alone, time to go through what he had gained back. He remembered little of his childhood in the first place, vague memories of other children he played with, family members he had forgotten of and events that had resurfaced. The Nogitsune had done a number on his mind, he realised now just how much of a grasp it had on him. Void wasn¡¯t just grasping at straws, it had gathered up different horrifying events to use as ammunition against Kyle. He went through those events, emotionlessly he remembered those that he could. What his family was, what happened to them. The human community on Mars was a dictatorship, a single family lead the entirety of humanity because they owned all the land by law and the largest organized military group. This organization only known as The Military was one of many but the most powerful and wealthy of them all, even then it gave no means of security for the citizens other than The Citadel. Mars was broken up into different districts each named after the people that lived in it, named after which country they use to live in on Earth millennia ago. All but one district, the first district, the Zeta district more commonly known as The Citadel. The other districts were locked away from the rest by junctions that the Military protected, they were left to make their own laws. Groups rose to police the streets themselves, organized to defend their own homes and their neighbours from the unlawful. Districts that did not have one of these organizations quickly fell to chaos forcing the Military to intervene while districts that had one of these organizations but plotted or moved against the Military were quickly and mercilessly crushed. Kyle¡¯s family was one of these organizations, up till his preteens he remembered now being part of that family. Several horrific events after, his parents pulled out from the group wanting no more harm or trauma to fall on Kyle. They changed their name, moved to a different district and lived there to this day. All this was for some reason hidden by Void, like a mist being cleared he now remembered it all. Each event that took to the destruction of his family, his father¡¯s side of the family. The same father that was never home, the same father that tried too hard early on but gave up later. Kyle understood why now, why his life was such a hell. The Nogitsune didn¡¯t just have a grasp on his own mind but on others too, the rest of Kyle¡¯s family that were Void¡¯s descendants. The creature manipulated them, twisted their minds and pinned them against each other. His district, where him and his family once lived safe and protected by their own power. It fell down into chaos as the group tore up into different factions, each warring the others forcing the Military to take action. People he knew, people he loved died because of this creature¡¯s thirst for power. His own mind violated by this creature, twisted into it¡¯s puppet. It rewrote his memories, blocked his past then manipulated them alongside his power to create it¡¯s return using Kyle as a core. Kyle looked down at the floor as his blurred reflection looked back at him, he looked at his ears and now two tails. This is what he was, not human. He¡¯s a Spirit Beast, a Spirit Fox who¡¯s bloodline merged with another¡¯s and evolved to survive a mana-less realm. He understood how he was capable of manipulating Spirit so easily, he also understood what the Gods meant about his own passive power. Something he never realised before due to Void¡¯s manipulation, the ability to completely shut his emotions off. Kyle figured he could do more, in time he might be able to alter his emotions and force others to rise instead similarly to how the Nogitsune was using it. In this state Kyle¡¯s mind was clear, his thoughts freely flowing through unaffected by how he felt about them. It was still a strange feeling for him though, as if his mind was frozen and his chest hollow. Kyle realised something, if this passive ability could be used in different ways then what about his active ability? His tails, he indeed had two of them both on paper and now physically but what did that actually mean? Both tails were basically the same, just Frostfire. All except for the shape of either an ever-expanding explosion or a still blade. Kyle had tried to make a new skill with this before, to figure out what his tails could progress to. He had tried to go the opposite way of cold and create a heat based skill, something he called ¡®Firefrost¡¯ but the system didn¡¯t seem to take. He summoned his [Frostfire Blade], holding it with his right hand he felt no weight in it what so ever. He felt the chill of it¡¯s touch but no actual solid feeling behind it, the blade was completely ethereal. He ventured it was supposed to be used with an actual blade in hand, it would have made sense if it wasn¡¯t for the other tail. [Devouring Frostfire] could also be used to cover a wielded blade, even more effectively as it could be forced to suddenly expand forward and engulf the enemy. So Kyle wondered (¡°What is the point? Is it really just a trick to use against melee combatants?¡±). Kyle focused his mind as he stared at the blade (¡°What is so different? Why are they separate sub-skills? Just the shape?...the shape¡­¡±) Kyle held the blade ahead of himself then held up his left hand alongside it. In his left he created a blade of [Elder Frost] slime, it slanted to the left and bent down due to it¡¯s gooey make. He forced the slime to bend back up and straighten costing him mana over time, he then forced it to condense without adding more slime into it himself. Only using the slime he had summoned the blade shrunk but solidified becoming more of a stiletto. Kyle remembered the feeling of condensing the slime, pressing his mana onto itself to change it¡¯s density. (¡°If it worked for almost liquid like slime then why not ethereal?¡±) he thought then went to work, he closed his eyes focusing on the ethereal blade of white-blue flames. He began to force the Spirit to close in on itself, condensing it without adding more. Kyle felt something solid in his hand but didn¡¯t open his eyes, he remained concentrated on his task. Making sure to keep the blade¡¯s shape as much as possible he kept concentrating, taking a few minutes to completion. Feeling that he was done Kyle opened his eyes to study the change. From the almost invisible fire engulfed blade that had little to no shape came the weapon that he now held in his hand. A single edge, bright light blue blade that was slightly curved, etched with characters Kyle did not recognise. The blade had indentations in it¡¯s flat side around the bottom where another blade could easily get stuck in, one indentation continued all the way up the blade and curving into a sudden bladed hook. The guard was thin and circular while pitch black, a fox chasing it¡¯s tail was carved into both faces. The handle also black and half the blade¡¯s length was strapped with a wide light blue string all around it¡¯s length and back leaving ¡®X¡¯ like shapes along it. Instead of a pommel like most swords, it ended in a black flat cap etched with a fox¡¯s visage. Kyle recognised the sword as a longer version of the Katana, key features in it¡¯s blade making it look different than the average Japanese sword. It¡¯s curved blade allowed for more effective parrying with the back-side and to release your own blade quicker from a deflect or parry with it¡¯s bladed side. The curved blade also allowed for tricky stabs around your enemy¡¯s defences making it a valuable weapon for fighting shielded or dual wielding targets. He stood up and straightened himself while holding the sword in both hands, imagining a sword wielder ahead his body moved as if on it¡¯s own. The blade lead his attack starting with an upward slash followed by a stab around their guard, continuing into an evade to one side and following up with a quick downward side slash which Kyle used to spin around into another and another for a total of three quick slashes. Kyle stopped there but somehow felt like he could have continued, a relentless combination of attacks. He stared down at the blade as it seemed to resonate with energy, the characters ablaze with Frostfire. He couldn¡¯t read them, the characters weren¡¯t part of any language known to him. He was also stumped, no notification had followed to mention a change in his skill so he wondered whether this was just a strange accident. Shrugging it off as such he dissipated the sword, it did not. The sword remained in his hand, unaffected by the thought that usually made it dissipate back into mana. Kyle looked on his own person, he had no sheath or belt to strap it to. (¡°Inventory?...¡±) he thought at first opening the window that seemed to take to it¡¯s own pocket dimension, carefully he entered the sword into the window as it disappeared through. An icon appeared around seven of the boxes that indicated the sword itself, it was too large to take a single box like a coin purse did. ¡°Wait¡­¡± multiple ideas came to mind as he focused on summoning another sword, it took him a few minutes to do so again and the mana requirement taken from his mana bar. The sword appeared in his hands, the same one as before. Kyle checked his inventory only to see that the first sword was gone, his idea of dual wielding gone with it.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. He moved on to the next idea, taking out a crystal slime core he created a small golem the size of his fist. It was shaped like a humanoid by Kyle didn¡¯t give it any other descriptive features, he shoved it into his inventory window only for it to pass right through unaffected. ¡°Then why¡­¡± Kyle glanced back at the sword in his right hand then at the small golem in his left (¡°Is it because it¡¯s considered a creature? Or¡­¡±) his gaze fell upon the sword, a sudden urge came over him and he reluctantly went with it. Kyle inspected the sword.
[{K¨­ritsuku}] Durability: X/X Attack Damage: 70 (45 + STR) {Spellblade};
  • Magic Damage Type: (Soul chill) Stackable: 9 Maximum
  • Magic Damage: 12 DPS (120 over 10 seconds)
  • [Soul freeze]: On 9 stacks of (Soul Chill) target is temporary frozen in place for 29 seconds (15 + INT)
{Soul Bound}; Re-summonable {Enchanted}; [Ancestral Weapon]: A weapon passed down a specific blood line. No power-gem sockets. Physically Untradeable
Kyle stared down at the sword, confusion un-present on his face was very much present in his mind. He read through the weapon¡¯s description taking count of it¡¯s seemingly hidden or infinite durability and {Spellblade} status followed by it¡¯s damage. Reading that it was {Soul Bound} and re-summonable he ventured that¡¯s why he could only summon one. But what truly caught his attention was it¡¯s {Enchanted} status, the weapon didn¡¯t belong to Kyle but instead his family. Briefly he wondered whether the characters etched on the sword were it¡¯s name or it¡¯s original owner¡¯s name, then he wondered who was it¡¯s original owner. (¡°Nobody could have been¡­Who uses melee weaponry back home still?...¡±) he thought of how useless the sword would be back on Mars, how it doesn¡¯t compare to the advanced security systems the Military sold to the districts and what else they hid away for themselves. (¡°Maybe this ability clouds some thoughts I could have?¡±) he ventured that closing his emotions entirely would cloud certain thought processes he might have had, with this in mind he released the chilling cold on it and the emptiness in his heart filled. From hollow to disgusted. Kyle now understood that shutting off his emotions didn¡¯t remove them but instead made them take a back seat until returned, stacking up in the back of his mind until released. The feeling of anger at the Nogitsune, the feeling of having his mind violated and the losses that he now remembered. Everything merged and melded into a single feeling, how disgusted Kyle felt with himself. He knelt down overwhelmed by emotion, his hand trembling on the cold crystal floor. ¡°Master?¡± Lilior spoke sensing Kyle¡¯s distress. Kyle tried to close himself from emotion again but he couldn¡¯t get it to, he couldn¡¯t find the concentration needed to do so. Taking in scattered breaths he stumbled back, his back leaned against the wall he closed his eyes as his welled-up emotions unleashed themselves onto his mind. Moving his knees closer he hid his head in them and his arms, clutching at his leg and the sword¡¯s handle as the memories flowed through on their own. He noticed a green light shine through his closed eyes but ignored it, too busy struggling with himself. A sudden touch on his forehead made Kyle flinch, a soft gooey hand was placed on his head. Kyle opened his eyes and slowly raised his head, his eyes wet with held back tears and face warped in pain. ¡°Silly master, you do not simply hide your feelings in a box and expect them to go away.¡± said Lilior. The Dungeon had created a body for itself, a small piece of it¡¯s own crystal core lay inside a humanoid green-blue slime. The slime petted Kyle¡¯s head while smiling at him, it¡¯s features only indentations in the slime¡¯s body, it¡¯s shape and form a naked female human with fox ears and two tails like Kyle¡¯s. Lilior was crouching down in her humanoid form, in front of Kyle who looked at her in surprise. ¡°Lilior?¡± Kyle asked reluctantly, the dungeon¡¯s voice was still coming from the large core. Lilior pouted while looking at him ¡°Who else? Master are there other dungeon¡¯s in your life I should know of?¡± ¡°Eh?...¡± was all Kyle could say at her question. She stood up and stared down at him with crossed arms ¡°Master~?¡± she spoke with a chilling undertone as perturbed smile snuck onto her face ¡°Are there~?¡±. Kyle stared up at her for a few moments before covering his face with his free palm, a low snort progressed up to a full on fit of laughter. ¡°What¡¯s so funny? I asked a legitimate question!¡± Lilior argued as Kyle leaned back laughing while holding onto his stomach with both hands, the sword dissipating at his loss of interest in it. Pouting again she sat down next to him and faced away ¡°Hmp!¡± her arms still crossed and legs one over the other. Calming himself down from laughing Kyle glanced between her core and the slime body (¡°What has Sly been teaching her?...Hell with how much anime that guy has memorized¡­¡±) ¡°Sorry Lilior, you caught me off guard. No you¡¯re the only dungeon I know, well the only living one. The other I had to destroy to create you-¡± he slipped. Kyle immediately regretted speaking, he hadn¡¯t told Lilior anything of her origins and she never asked anything. (¡°But is it right?...Should I tell her?¡±) he thought while gazing at the core. ¡°Master¡­¡± Lilior spoke as her slime body leaned it¡¯s back onto Kyle¡¯s shoulder ¡°Where do I come from?...¡± Kyle dreaded this day, he didn¡¯t know how to say it or how she would take it. With what he knew now it only made it more of a possibility for Lilior to take it badly. His mouth felt dry as he tried to form words, he thought of shutting off his emotions but he also understood that doing so could make it worse. He tried collecting himself (¡°What should I say? Lie? Truth?¡±) he then realised something, a fleeing thought of how Void had manipulated his own memories for it¡¯s gain, how similar a situation it must be. Kyle spoke, his tone cold and steady as he recounted his meeting with Jior the fairy, contracting companionship with the little being who unbeknownst to Kyle was real and not an illusion. He told Lilior the entire story, from beginning to end he told it all except for minor details that had nothing to do with her. ¡°And¡­here we are now¡­¡± he finished, his gaze falling from the core and down to the floor as he waited for her reaction and response. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you told me before?¡± she asked immediately after. ¡°Because¡­¡± Kyle asked himself the same question before and did again now ¡°Because I was too afraid you¡¯d blame me¡­that you¡¯d hate me for being so blind at the reality around me and too ignorant to save you¡­and¡­¡± Kyle thought of how to tell her what he wanted to say next, he found no way of sugar coating it ¡°I didn¡¯t know this before or when I bound you to the dungeon core, your kind¡­your actual kind, the Fae. They are reborn on their physical body¡¯s death, changing from spiritual to ethereal after a short while. I¡¯m¡­sorry, I stopped you from being able to.¡± A few moments of awkward quiet passed before Lilior spoke again, ¡°Why? Why did you bind me? Why did you try to save me if I was already gone? If everyone told you that there was no hope? Why keep trying?¡± she asked. Kyle considered her question, he lay his head to the wall and remembered exactly why. The guilt that slowly ate away at him, the sense of responsibility that he felt. The shock brought on by the Soul Wail, the resentment created from his past losses. ¡°I felt responsible, I felt guilty. Above all I was selfish¡­I couldn¡¯t allow myself to lose anybody else¡­¡± he answered truthfully. Lilior¡¯s core glowed brighter but no response came, her slime body was as equally unresponsive. More quiet followed as the Dungeon processed this, Kyle gave it all the time it needed as he sat there just as quiet. But he couldn¡¯t help himself from asking, ¡°Do you want me to release you? You can still be reborn as Fae, I can see it, your soul hasn¡¯t changed since then¡­¡± he needed to know what it wanted, how he could make up for his failure. Lilior¡¯s core dimmed and Kyle felt her slime body shift and move, she turned around and grabbed onto his arm. As she rested her head on his shoulder she spoke ¡°You know¡­I can feel in this body, the slime¡¯s more solid surface is like skin¡­¡± she mumbled ¡°It¡¯s so strange to be a Dungeon, to not feel touch.¡± Kyle turned to gaze at her slime body, her long green-blue hair almost transparent. (¡°Does she need more time to think?¡±) he thought, her answer only confusing him further. ¡°I¡¯m sorry master, I made you worry so.¡± She spoke solemnly while tightening her hold on Kyle¡¯s arm ¡°I¡­it¡¯s only fragments but I remember¡­Who you are¡­¡± Kyle¡¯s mouth fell open, he felt a slight surge of anger but held it back knowing full well he did the same. ¡°Since when?...When did you remember?¡± he then asked. ¡°The fragments were there from the start¡­but I could not access them. As if something was clouding my memory¡­¡± she spoke from the slime body now, her mouth tried to move with the words but failed severely ¡°Only recently I could, it is why I asked¡­¡±. Kyle¡¯s heart sank as he understood the implication of her words, Void abused of their connection to manipulate her too. It used her loss of memory as another trigger for Kyle¡¯s loss of control. ¡°That¡¯s¡­not your fault, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He responded, his tone almost choked as he held back his anger. ¡°So¡­what do you want to do now? I can release you, you can return to your people, return to what you really are.¡± Kyle offered again, very much aware of Lilior¡¯s presence by his side. Her soul seemed to be entirely connected to the crystal inside the slime body now, he could sense it clearly through their connection. He turned to look at the Dungeon core ¡°You can have a real body again.¡± ¡°There is something that I don¡¯t entirely remember¡­a fragment missing that I can¡¯t piece together.¡± She continued to muse on her memories, ignoring his question a second time. ¡°Can you fill in the blanks for me?¡± she asked while looking up at him. Kyle nodded ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Lilior untangled herself from his arm and stood up, she walked up to her Dungeon core and raised her right hand to it. The Dungeon core hovered down to where she could touch it with her palm. Lilior turned around and raised her left hand towards Kyle ¡°Take my hand.¡± she told him, a plain smile on her face. Kyle stood up and grasped her hand in his right one. She nodded ¡°I believe my question was¡­Why are you on Chaoz? What is your purpose here?¡± Kyle smiled weakly at the memory, only a week ago he had arrived on this world. He looked her in the eyes- Er slime?- and spoke ¡°An adventure.¡± He replied sincerely from memory, a memory that seemed so distant yet was left untarnished by the Nogitsune. Lilior¡¯s smile grew wider ¡°A being without purpose¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t alive, but an empty husk.¡± Kyle finished her phrase for her, remembering her reply. The Dungeon core began to shine at maximum output, almost blinding Kyle with it¡¯s light that reflected throughout the room. He felt Lilior let go of his hand as she spoke ¡°I accept your answer adventurer Kyllix. Master¡­Kyllix, do you want me to go back to being a Fae? To forget about you entirely?¡± she asked through the blinding light. Kyle covered his eyes with his right arm to no avail, the light was too bright ¡°I¡­Lilior¡­No Jior, I don¡¯t want you to!¡± he shouted out his reply. A short giggle came from Lilior as the light grew brighter ¡°Then let¡¯s continue what we started, continue this adventure of ours¡­And this time¡­take me with you all the way.¡± The light suddenly faded away leaving the room in pitch black darkness, all Kyle could see were the notifications that followed.
Dungeon Lord! Your [Slime/Fae] Dungeon is evolving!
Dungeon [Lilior] has evolved! Processing¡­
Companionship contract has been re-established! Companion: {Ascended Fae[Slime]} [Lilior]
¡°Master?...¡± came her voice through the darkness. Ch 65 - Ascension Kyle¡¯s eyes went wide as a sudden light filled the room again, reflecting off the crystal surface. He gazed at Lilior¡¯s new body, her crystal dungeon core entirely gone. Her skin was pale white-blue, her hair braided into two tails of green-blue and her eyes a bright light green with a four-pointed blue star for iris. The light came from her magnificent wings, unlike Jior¡¯s who were like a butterfly¡¯s these were long and oval with three on each side. The wings were highly fluorescent green-blue and almost see through, the edges shone a bright white while a dark blue curly design ran through the middle. She wore a one-piece green dress that glittered with blue, white curly lines formed a serpent-like design around it¡¯s bottom. The sleeves were entirely white and reached slightly over her hands, the end of the sleeves and bottom of the dress ended in green-blue frills. ¡°Master¡­¡± she spoke while staring up with narrowed eyes at Kyle ¡°Why is it that I am still so small?¡± she indeed still stood half a foot tall. She pouted in annoyance ¡°Why is my body still so small!? All that mana!¡± she floated up to hover where the core once was. ¡°What¡­what happened?¡± asked Kyle as he stared at her baffled. Lilior turned to face him ¡°Silly master I used the gathered mana in my core to make a body for myself then transferred my soul into it, although I am not sure why this change happened¡­¡± ¡°Mana? Lilior your soul¡­It¡¯s still of a Fae!¡± Kyle exclaimed ¡°It¡¯s just like they said, you used your gathered mana to create a body for yourself! Your core is gone too!¡± ¡°But! But! That was much more mana than needed to make this small body!¡± she cried out in frustration. ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know, maybe it has to do with you being ascended? What does that mean?¡± Kyle asked while staring at his companion window.
Name: [Lilior] Level: 124 [HP: 200/200] [MP: 3300/3300] Race: ({Ascended} Fae) ¨C (Slime) Class: [Living Dungeon] - [{Slime} Shapeshifter] Shared Passives: [Slime Body], [Monster Core], [Devour] Shared Actives: [Ooze], [Surge], [Absorb] Racial Passives: [Ascendant] Racial Actives: [Dazzle] Class Passives: [Dungeon Domain], [Fae Wings], [Copy] Class Actives: [Summon minion], [Fae Blessings], [Shapeshift]
¡°I don¡¯t know! I¡¯ve never heard of that before!¡± she replied fluttering over to his shoulder ¡°What are all those?¡± she then asked seeing the open window. ¡°Looks like you got my level, your health is really low but with this combination of skills I think you can use [Shapeshift] to grow larger and gain more by sacrificing mana. Your mana though is on a whole different level! It seems you not only kept your elemental blessings and wings but share some of my own skills and passives too.¡± Kyle explained as he went through and inspected the skills and passives he didn¡¯t recognise starting with the first.
[Ascendant] (Set skill stats): You have ascended through your race and became something entirely new. As such your power has increased exponentially since before, bestowing you the following effects completely unique to yourself. {Master¡¯s Shadow}: As a companion it is your duty to fight alongside your master as they will fight alongside you. Any damage taken by your master enrages and empowers you. +5% to all stats per 10% of master¡¯s missing hp. {Ascended Will}: Ascension has decreed your companion contract as a secondary status below your race. {Artefact}s will affect you. Necromancy will affect you. Astrals will affect you. {Quarter Divine}: You are a descendant of a Half Divine being, your soul is empowered by your bloodline. You are immune to all Soul magic. You are immune to all Blood curses. You are weak to Aura magic.
¡°Well that explains that question, you¡¯re a Fae but you¡¯re not? I think you messed up somewhere while making your body¡­¡± explained Kyle with a raised brow. ¡°I did not! It was divine intervention I tell you!¡± complained Lilior ¡°I¡¯m more interested in that [Shapeshift] skill though!¡± she then exclaimed fluttering over to sit on Kyle¡¯s head, she held onto his ears while leaning forward to read. ¡°I¡¯m more interested in what the {Artefact} over here means.¡± said Kyle as he focused on it opening another window.
{Artefact}: Unknown technology or magic formed by the {Avatar}.
It was a vague description but lifted a worry from Kyle¡¯s heart, it meant Lilior was affected by the Grand Quest and therefore the respawn artefacts too. Which then brought a new worry ¡°You¡¯re not a Dungeon anymore so that means we cannot use you as a respawn point anymore huh?¡± ¡°Nope! Can I read the [Shapeshift] description now!?¡± she replied then continued to whine while pulling on his ears. ¡°Fine fine¡­¡± Kyle replied with a chuckle, amused by her childish behaviour. He focused on said skill opening it¡¯s window description.
[Shapeshift] (Set skill stats): Your racial capability to change any part of your body at will, mana is required to create, add to and alter your form. 0.06 mana per 1 ml of (Slime)
Lilior hummed in thought briefly before fluttering off Kyle¡¯s head and hovered in front of him concentrating with eyes closed, a buzzing sound constantly escaping her closed mouth as she did. ¡°Kyll! Yo Kyll Birse ca-¡± Skill entered the room just as Lilior¡¯s form began to quickly expand, she grew to stand almost six feet tall. ¡°The actual¡­what?¡± asked Skill as he glanced around the room. Kyle turned towards him ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­Many things?...Like¡­Where the fuck is the dungeon core? Who the fuck is that?¡± he asked with a confused expression. ¡°He¡¯s not very smart is he?¡± asked Lilior innocently while leaning forward with her hands held behind her back. ¡°Ah¡­The core¡¯s gone and that¡¯s Lilior.¡± replied Kyle before turning to the Ascended Fae ¡°Lilior don¡¯t be rude, I¡¯d be confused too.¡± ¡°Booo¡­.¡± pouted Lilior in response. ¡°Ookayy¡­From fairy to dun¡­You know what? Fuck it, I don¡¯t care anymore!¡± Skill exclaimed and stormed out of the room ¡°Birse called an emergency meeting! Get your ass out here!¡±
Ruk Two hours earlier. Sly rode his Hellsteed ahead of Aria and Delila who rode to each side of Zeiken, excited to be riding something he deemed ¡®Bad ass¡¯. They had been riding for most of the day, the city of Orion was at the very centre of Ruk and the location they were heading to was in the north west. The forest had continued to only get thicker as they went, the path they rode on the only way through that he could see. Sly glanced back at the Devil prince and his Devilling guards (¡°That damn Asmo had to ditch me with these three¡­¡±) he thought with a grimace, the two sisters only wrecked his nerves with their forked tongues and Zeiken wasn¡¯t exactly a good conversation. ¡°How much further?¡± he asked while turning his mount back towards them. ¡°What has the ride broken your feeble self Hero? Do you need to go on a walk to stretch your legs?¡± asked Delila with a snicker. ¡°Not much further now, grandfather will be pleased to know that even his failed bloodlines can reach greatness.¡± answered Aria with her own jab. Sly shook with irritation but looked away from them and continued to ride ahead, his excitement of exploration and meeting family he¡¯d never known about too strong to be deafened by insults. (¡°If only they aren¡¯t as bad as these two¡­Reyna said the big guy himself ain¡¯t that bad¡­¡±) he hoped. Sighing at the thought he almost jumped as a voice came through from his surroundings ¡°Sly? Bro you there?¡± said Death¡¯s voice. Sly opened his inventory and pulled out his VCD, the device was alit with magic showing Death¡¯s bored face inside it¡¯s ring like form. ¡°Yo what¡¯s up? Shit I forgot to report in on time huh?¡± he glanced up to try and see the suns and tell the time but the tree canopies were too thick. ¡°Nah you good, just checking in early. Shit went down here man, you missed a lot.¡± Said Death as he looked away from the VCD as if keeping watch on something or someone, Sly noticed snowy trees behind him. ¡°What happened?¡± Sly asked in a whisper now ¡°I¡¯ve got company right now, riding ahead though so speak up.¡± Death filled him in on what happened, the battle that occurred, the monsters that appeared. ¡°Kyll hasn¡¯t said much, it has to do with you Heroes for sure but something¡¯s keeping his mouth shut. He¡¯s down bad, won¡¯t say a single word of what that thing was.¡± ¡°Damn, I leave for a few days and everything goes to shit huh?¡± Sly replied with a smirk. ¡°More like you left the shit for us to wipe up, how goes things there? Met millennial grand pappy yet? Anything on what Birse asked you to find out?¡± countered Death before asking. ¡°Heading to meet with Satan right now, fuck that sounds weird to say!¡± Sly exclaimed quietly ¡°As for what Birse asked, shit¡¯s not how we thought it was here man. Most of the Dwarven races have settled with the Dezol¡¯s take over, the Fae seem completely okay with it too. Only a few groups scattered across the continent seem to be still rebelling against it and the Dwarves want to deal with them themselves.¡± he explained. ¡°Huh that doesn¡¯t sound that bad.¡± agreed Death. ¡°Until you add the naval armada that sits idle to the north, the Elves¡¯s twig court has their entire navy out there apparently. They¡¯re supplying the Dwarven rebels with resources somehow while they bide their time.¡± added Sly ¡°Yo by the way, I met her.¡± ¡°Met who?¡± asked Death with a raised brow. ¡°Liliana.¡± answered Sly. Death almost dropped his device ¡°You what!?¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Sly snorted in amusement at his reaction ¡°Yeah, long story but she made me leave immediately after. Some shit about old laws and Satan¡¯s old timer view, can¡¯t wait¡­¡± he sighed. ¡°Input on her character? What should we expect?¡± asked Death. Sly seemed to ponder on the question for a few seconds ¡°Weird?...Talks fast, sometimes to herself and is basically worshipped by all Fae, Demon and Devil I¡¯ve seen so far.¡± ¡°Ah¡­Why did I even ask?...¡± said Death while holding his face, the device¡¯s screen seemed to shudder briefly before Death raised his head to quickly look around ¡°The fuck was THA-Shit I gotta go! Will call back in tomorrow!¡± Death lowered the VCD letting Sly see what he was seeing although upside-down, Sly could barely make out a massive figure through the trees ahead of Death. The connection cut leaving Sly staring down through the large ring ¡°Seriously?...¡± sighing again he stashed it inside his inventory ¡°Meh they can respawn¡­not like I can do anything from here¡­¡± he told himself. A couple minutes more of riding the forest path widened, the sides rising mildly before suddenly ending in a cliff. Two cliffs to be exact as tall hills grew on either side of the path, it continued to take in between them into a vast ravine. Sly gawked up at the ravine, a drastic change of terrain so large was something he¡¯d only seen in images or AR illustrations but there was something about seeing them in person that made his blood boil. He continued into the ravine, a path that seemed to snake into multiple directions lay ahead. Glancing back he saw the three still riding behind him, looking either bored or amused by his own amazement. Turning back around he continued to look around noticing more than a few cave openings high up in the ravine¡¯s sides, some not looking very natural. The ravine path twisted and turned for a couple dozen meters until it broke up into two more paths, looking down one he could see it break up into three more while the other curved to the side. ¡°Which way?¡± asked Sly as he waited for the other three to catch up, the sound of claw scratching onto stone made him turn around. ¡°Up.¡± Replied Aria as she moved her Hellsteed to climb up the cliff side using it¡¯s agile body and powerful claws, the other two moved to follow her. Sly watched as the three hellish horses climbed the cliff with ease between leaps and bounds from one side to the other, he gulped down as he watched them reach one of the cave entrances high up top. ¡°Hey hurry up! Snuffles will climb it on her own!¡± shouted down Delila. ¡°Snuffles?¡± asked Sly as his Hellsteed approached the side on it¡¯s own, without hesitation it leaped up to the rocky wall and grappled with it¡¯s claws briefly before pushing away and turned mid jump to grab hold onto the other wall. It continued to do so until reaching the top where it leaped directly into the cave, it stopped briefly and turned around as if proving a point. Sly¡¯s expression was paper pale as he stared ahead his gaze completely frozen, a tinge of green slowly mixing in ¡°I don¡¯t know how I feel about that¡­¡± he whispered to himself. Snuffles had climbed up so fast that Sly didn¡¯t have time to process what was happening, he was part amazed of how hidden the entrance was and part still too slow to comprehend what had just happened. Snuffles huffed and turned around to follow the other three steeds and their riders into the cave, the walls and ceiling seemingly carved smooth on the inside. Green fluorescent vines grew around the tunnel giving them light as they passed by, the tunnel itself seemed to go on for ages and break off into hundreds of other pathways. But finally it came to an end, opening up into a vast cavern lit up by the same vines as before. Sly¡¯s eyes went wide as he gawked at the marvel that lay inside. Built out of the massive cavern¡¯s wall stood a solid stone fortress entrance, metallic sheets covered most of it etched with runic inscriptions that glowed a menacing violet. Several holes lay spread out along the wall with large multibarrelled cannons poking out, each weapon was several times larger than an average cannon and all were currently aimed at the single tunnel that took into the cavern. A single gate lay closed in the middle, a large single door made entirely of forged iron with two massive runes etched onto it¡¯s front each glowing a dark purple. ¡°What is this?...¡± asked Sly as they approached the gate. ¡°An old Dwarven dungeon fortress seized by our legion, UnderKeep.¡± replied Zeiken as he moved to stand in front of the gate, carefully he placed his palm to the metallic surface. ¡°Although the dungeon¡¯s long been destroyed unfortunately, damn thing use to be elemental too.¡± added Aria with a grimace. The two runes glowed brighter as the gate began to tremble, slowly it descended into the ground before revealing the other side. Sly lightly kicked his mount on it¡¯s side armour willing it forward as he clenched the reins, they entered the fortress. The inside a vast city carved out of stone, metal reinforcing it¡¯s stability. Unlike New Ruk, UnderKeep was entirely military focused, it¡¯s entrance sitting at the very bottom as the city rose upwards with each district in a straight staircase. Sly had noticed that the tunnel seemed to lean downwards but it was so long that he could barely tell how deep they had gone. Each level higher the city went a set of massive towers lay like pillars between the ground and the cavern¡¯s ceiling, reinforced with iron sheets that were also etched with runic inscriptions and armed with strange cannons. An open field of nothing lay between the entrance and the start of the actual buildings, leaving whoever trespassed completely open to fire. To either side where the cavern¡¯s walls were Sly saw several half tunnels, tunnels half dug into the wall that passed all around the city except for the wall that the entrance lay at. The city itself was several steps of ten to eleven sets of buildings behind each other, dozens of roads passed straight through and up while other smaller ones passed straight from left to right. Cutting off the buildings from the empty field was a river that passed from one side to the other, a steady stream of water that came from a tall waterfall to the left and disappeared into a tunnel to the right. Three metallic bridges that connected to the city lay vertically up, each with two small towers on either end all armed with long turrets and reinforced with metal sheets like the entrance wall and other towers. Aria lead the way through the empty plains of stone, not a single hill or boulder for cover was in sight. As they approached the middle bridge Aria raised her right arm up as if gesturing a signal, the bridge began to move and close down for them to pass. Sly noticed Demon soldiers up in the tower glancing down at them, a mixture of red skinned Castanics, grey skinned Hellborn and dark purple skinned Sin Bound. They wore metal padded leather armour and chain vests over it, simple looking yet effective for what it¡¯s meant to stop. In their hands instead of swords or spears they wielded crossbows with strange mechanisms underneath, repeaters. (¡°They¡¯re not messing around¡­¡±) Thought Sly as he studied their weaponry and armour, a single glance at the soldier¡¯s hardened gazes also told him these weren¡¯t your average warriors. He turned to look over the now lowered bridge, the city¡¯s streets looking mostly deserted except for the occasional patrol of guards or carriage of peasants. Sly followed Aria¡¯s lead through the empty streets, as he glanced around he couldn¡¯t see any sort of commercial building except for taverns and brothels. (¡°Definitely a military base.¡±) he thought as they rode through. To ride from the entrance to the very top of the city it took them twenty minutes at a leisurely pace, Sly determined that taking this location would require a massive amount of resources and devastating losses on the attacker¡¯s side. This thought was further reinforced as he noticed indentations in the ground between each tower that divided each quarter, the same indentation left by the first gate¡¯s door as it entered the ground. As they rode through the last district a massive entrance stood at the very end, twice as large as the previous gate this one was also entirely metallic but made up of two doors. On either side of the doors was a crossbow wielding guard accompanied by a Black Demon, the large humanoid bestial Demons were six times Sly¡¯s size and made up entirely of muscle. They had a pair of bat-like wings with black limbs and dry red netting, out of their upper jaw grew a pair of tusks that curved down and forward. The two soldiers saluted towards Zeiken as the two Black Demons turned towards a door each, slamming their massive arms to the metal doors they pushed with all their might and they creaked open. The sound of screams, cheers and beast-like roars erupted out from the vast cavern behind the two doors, Sly followed the Devil prince and twin Devillings inside. The cavern was lit up with hovering spheres of fire that were dangled down with metallic chains from above. Below them the cavern opened up into a large stadium of sorts, multiple hundreds of rows of seats lay circular and at different elevations around the single circular field at the very bottom middle. The field was several meters below the lowest of seats and around it¡¯s edge were a set of barred gates, most were closed but some were wide open. Demons of different races cheered as a crowd down at the bloody entertainment below, Elven warriors wearing chain collars and braces fought monstrous beasts for their lives. One of the fights caught Sly¡¯s attention, a wingless griffon currently the largest of the beasts on the field was locked in ferocious battle with three of the five Elves. It clattered it¡¯s massive beak and hissed at them as the three tried to surround it with their wooden shields and shabby iron swords, their armour made up of scrap metal, rusted chain and torn leather. The two upfront slammed their swords into their shields catching the beasts attention while the one at the back tried to sneak around the creature¡¯s feathered tail, seeing his chance the warrior charged under the beast and slid to it¡¯s chest. The Griffon noticed the movement beneath it and moved to the side leaving the Elven warrior laying not beneath it¡¯s open chest but instead it¡¯s clawed front leg as it tore him to shreds. Sly looked away from the battle as he followed behind Aria and Delila, Zeiken leading the way around the coliseum¡¯s edge now. They passed by multiple staircases that took down to the seats below and instead kept moving towards the other side, where a single large stone throne lay. Sly barely noticed the four warriors standing beside the throne as he gazed between the one sitting on it and the massive creature laying behind it. Dark green scales mixed with black thorn like spikes covered the creature¡¯s entire body, four legs, three tails and seven long serpentine necks and head. It¡¯s legs where thick and short, it¡¯s claws almost flat and made for holding it¡¯s ground, it¡¯s tails where long and snake like each ending in a bladed tip. Each of it¡¯s seven serpentine heads was looking at a completely different direction than the others, each with three large pitch black eyes with a blood red slit in the middle. Black frills came out of the heads¡¯ sides similar to some aquatic animals while a single black horn grew out of the back of each head and curved perfectly upwards as scales and thorns grew up around it¡¯s bottom. The creature¡¯s face was snouted like a Dragon¡¯s but unlike the majestic beasts this one¡¯s lower jaw was three times the size of the upper one, as some snarled at their approach they revealed rows of dark green fangs. Sly inspected the beast although unsure at which head he should be looking at.
Deep Sea Hydra [Lernaean] (Dezol Wrath Legion) Level 210
Somehow looking away from the horrific beast Sly studied the Devil king himself as they approached his throne. The sin of Wrath was almost as large as a Black Demon. He had dark almost black purplish skin with greying violet short hair and a scruffy neck beard, his single right eye was almost entirely black with a bright violet iris, his left was scarred and closed. He looked to be in his sixties but Sly knew that mortal sins saw years just as how he saw minutes. He wore a simple black cloth shirt and red pants strapped with black leather around the waist, knees and very bottom, his swollen arms and neck in full view with all their scars and mangled skin. Satan bellowed with laughter as the Griffon below turned the tides on the four remaining Elven warriors, leaping from wall to wall and shredding their companions. One of the warriors standing by his throne noticed their approach, three of the warriors had similar features to Satan telling Sly they were either Devils or Devillings while one female warrior was a Castanic Demon. The Devilling that noticed their approach caught the others attention away from the battle ¡°My daughters return.¡± he said with a grin and crossed arms, he turned towards their party of four ¡°Has his lordship had a fine trip?¡± he asked Zeiken. ¡°I have uncle, I bring news from her majesty and¡­of Pride¡¯s situation on Tempres.¡± Zeiken explained anxiously. The Hydra¡¯s heads all turned to study the new arrivals, most of all they gazed solely at Sly. Satan turned towards them ¡°Ah Zeiken, what news do you bring little brother?¡± his voice gruff and low in pitch. Zeiken moved to stand to the throne¡¯s left where Delila and Aria kneeled behind him, Sly followed their lead and kneeled as well. Zeiken began to explain ¡°Her majesty is now awake, she brings news of a change in the quest. Three trials are to be completed by the heroes, for what reason we know not. As for Tempres¡­Lord Lucifer has managed an alliance with a group of summoned and their two heroes, one being the Dark Hero. Lord Asmodeus received a device for long range communication with them so updates on the situation there should be quicker and not require him to travel. And¡­¡± Zeiken glanced back at Sly. Satan followed his glance and gazed down at the adventurer ¡°And who might this be?¡± Sly stood up after being elbowed in the shoulder by Aria to his left, he looked up towards Satan and into his sole eye. Unlike Lucifer who¡¯s aura felt cold and venomous, Satan¡¯s aura was warm and suffocating. Like a looming presence of a volcano waiting to erupt the Devil king of Wrath sat ahead of him, gazing down at him with curiosity. ¡°Well boy? Speak!¡± Satan bellowed, the crowd below had turned from the ending fight inside the coliseum and watched the happening above. Sly mildly flinched at the sound, quickly he recuperated and spoke ¡°I come as representative of the Blood Pack mercenaries, the group of summoned who are aiding the Dezol legion of Pride on B-Tempres.¡± He held his right hand to his chest ¡°I am Sly, Second rank of the BP Mercs, Chosen Hero of the cursed dagger and¡­¡± his voice seemed to disappear as he found himself lost for words (¡°How the hell do I introduce myself? Sup I¡¯m your grand a million descendant!?¡±) Satan raised a brow at Sly¡¯s declaration of being a chosen ¡°You aren¡¯t the Dark Hero, I do not sense it in your aura yet there is something familiar about it¡­I cannot seem to put my finger on it.¡± ¡°If I may grandfather, it would be simpler to show you.¡± spoke Aria with a well-hidden smirk ¡°He is a Devilling like us, through combat we¡¯ve determined him blood.¡± The other Devillings and Demon turned to look at Sly while Satan continued to study him ,¡°How is that possible?¡° Satan asked. ¡°He¡¯s of a banished line, we thought you¡¯d know more grandfather.¡± said Delila. Satan continued to stare down at Sly joined by the other Devillings, Demon and seven Hydra heads. ¡°That body is not your own is it? I can tell, it¡¯s all over your aura. Your soul is crashing in there, clawing away to change. Speak your true name, so I may connect the dots.¡± ¡°My name is Zeokul Ares Hellsong.¡± said Sly as he anxiously met eyes with the Hydra. ¡°Ah¡­you are of Ares.¡± said Satan as he pondered on the past ¡°Hellsong was our family name long before our kind¡¯s banishment to the Dark plane, truly your bloodline is a relic of the past. Yet it does not explain your body¡­what is this noxious sense I am getting from it?¡± he grimaced in annoyance. ¡°A few days ago my body began to go through what you called the change, not knowing what was happening a mage friend of mine assisted me in acquiring a Devil¡¯s body to switch out from the quest given one I had.¡± Sly explained while fearfully glancing away from the seven headed serpent. Satan leaned back in his throne ¡°You mean to say, to avoid the change you have implanted yourself into a body that already had gone through it or was born as Devil. Who¡¯s?¡± ¡°Dagon¡­¡± Sly answered (¡°The hell was his full name again?...¡±). Satan¡¯s eyes narrowed in thought ¡°That¡­is unacceptable. To avoid the change, to avoid ascending into Devilhood¡­Transgressions of your ancestors aside, this cannot stand. To even inhabit another Devil¡¯s body, Pride¡¯s out of all!¡± his aura exploded outwards in a rush of violet and red that enveloped Sly. Satan stood up from his throne as his aura took solid form and grabbed hold of Sly, the pressure keeping the wide eyed adventurer from struggling. Satan faced the crowd ¡°Here stands a banished spawn of mine! In the body of another sin¡¯s! Avoiding the change!¡± the crowd booed and Satan grinned ¡°Prepare the prisoners! We shall help him change! Prepare the ascension trial!¡± The crowed now cheered as Satan¡¯s aura moved and threw Sly down into the coliseum, he flew down and crashed into the sand covered ground. ¡°Show me your bloodline Devilling, claw your way out of that pitiful shell.¡± exclaimed Satan. Sly groaned as he stood up from the sand, he checked his surroundings to see several of the gates opening as guards rushed chained up Elves inside. With almost dead eyes the Elves studied him cautiously, clenching their make-shift weaponry. The crowd cheered even louder as after all the prisoners were released out to the field, a total of twenty eight and their gates closed, another final gate was opened. ¡°You shall emerge out of there as either three things Zoekul of Ares Hellsong. A deformed Hellhound, a corpse¡­or a Devil of wrath!¡± Satan declared over the cheering crowd. Out of the last gate multiple low growls were followed by the appearance of three beasts, large grey lions with black manes and fierce crimson eyes. ¡°Let the games commence!¡± Ch 66 - Cause and effect. Sly watched as the Elven prisoners grouped up around each other, facing both him and the three beasts. He snorted in amusement ¡°Can¡¯t trust me huh? It¡¯s okay, I wouldn¡¯t trust me either.¡± He studied the three lions as they snarled towards the Elves before turning towards him, a lone snack was easier than fighting a pack. He grimaced and glanced up at Satan ¡°Some fucking welcome.¡± Aura engulfed his body as his armour appeared, blades of aura formed in his two large hands and half a dozen more held up by tendrils of Aura. He inspected one of them.
Greymane [Level 89]
Sly shouted out in challenge causing the three beasts to charge, they moved to surround him but he didn¡¯t stand still either. He charged them with an [Aura Surge] causing him to crash into the beast in the middle, aura violently blasted out from his armour as he came out of the movement skill sending the beast flying backwards. The Greymane to his left leapt up at him with claws ready and fangs bared, quickly turning around he swatted the beast out of the air with his back blades sending the now bloody beast flying off towards the Elven prisoners. The third beast charged under his guard and bit down on his right leg causing him to lose balance, Sly fell crashing back into the ground as the Greymane let go of his leg and pounced to stand on top of him. His swords met the beasts claws as it tried to claw at his chest, each side pushing at the other in a battle of strength. Sly willed his back blades to lunge at the beast from multiple sides but it saw the attack coming and leapt away and out of range, he tried to stand but the first Greymane returned by pouncing to his left and biting down onto his left arm. The third beast leapt back onto his chest pushing away his packmate to get the first bite. Sly willed his back blades to stab into the beast pulling on his left arm getting a hit on it¡¯s neck, torso and back. The Greymane roared out in pain but only pulled harder on the [Aurei Armour] causing tears to appear on the solid Aura. Sly tried hard to push off the one on top of him with his legs while holding it¡¯s head back with his right hand and it¡¯s claws tied up with his remaining back blades but the beast just wouldn¡¯t back off. The sound of cracking reverberated through the field as the Greymane tore off Sly¡¯s left Aurei arm revealing his actual one, the Aura dissipating the moment it got disconnected from the main body. Sly tried to regenerate it but the Greymane was faster, quickly it clawed away at his arm causing him no small amount of agony as the large claws sunk deep into his flesh. Sly shouted out in pain as he pushed off the Greymane that held him down, he turned and stabbed at the one to his left with his back blades but it only leapt away and out of reach. He moved his back blades defensively trying to keep the beasts away as he regenerated his left Aurei arm but his actual was damaged to the point where he could barely move it anymore. ¡°The hell is with these things? They¡¯re too fast for their level!¡± Sly declared as he studied the agile Greymanes while they snarled at his blades, swatting them aside with their claws before another joined in trying to keep them back. One of them though was lacking in it¡¯s previous speed, the wounds dealt to it and the bleeding they caused left it slow. Sly noticed this and immediately made an opening for himself, with a single [Aurei Charge] he sent the unhurt Greymane flying back before turning to block the other. The hurt beast lunged with it¡¯s claws as Sly appeared out of his ability but he was ready, using his back blades to parry it¡¯s claws and entangle it¡¯s legs he charged it with his working right arm and stabbed his Aurei blade deep into it¡¯s chest. The beast gave out one last snarl before falling to the ground dead. Sighing in relief Sly was about to turn around to face the other only to feel a sudden heavy weight on his back, the beast had snuck up behind him and leapt to his back. It held on tightly with it¡¯s claws while biting down onto his back blades, it ripped them off two by one by three before Sly could retaliate with them. ¡°God damn fucker! Get! Off!¡± cursed Sly as he turned around trying to shake the heavy beast off him. The Greymane held on and bit down onto his armour¡¯s headless torso, slowly ripping off the chunk it held in it¡¯s jaws and revealing Sly¡¯s head. The beast snarled and bit down at his head only to whine in pain, Sly had [Aurei Surge]d backwards and into one of the gates breaking many of the beast¡¯s bones. Quickly he reached back with his good arm and grabbed hold of the Greymane¡¯s lower jaw, the beast bit down on his Aurei hand in natural response but it¡¯s grip had loosened from the damage it had taken. Sly pulled the beast off his back and slammed it down to the ground in front of himself, he held on to this lower jaw even tightening his grip as he stepped to it¡¯s side while it trashed and clawed away trying to pull away and stand up. He stomped down with his left foot onto it¡¯s neck causing it¡¯s trashing to intensify. Aura flowed to his hand regenerating what the beast bit away as he pulled with all his might, it¡¯s cries and whines of agony were followed by the crunching of bone and tearing of flesh as Sly broke off it¡¯s lower jaw. He threw it aside and watched as the beast shook with shock while thrashing on the ground, he briefly stepped back while summoning a blade in his right hand. With a quick and well timed lunge he stabbed into it¡¯s head killing it on the spot, it¡¯s body going limp and falling bloodily to the ground. Sly stepped back and collected his scattered breathing while studying the situation, the last Greymane was surrounded by the Elves while three of them kept watch on him. They confused the beast by clattering their sword and shield together while surrounding it, causing it to snarl and turn on the spot not sure as to what to do. Sly studied the situation, neither could attack without taking heavy damage. The Greymane was too massive for them to get too close to and the beast couldn¡¯t just charge through without taking severe damage to it¡¯s legs. It was a stalemate. Sly thought of what to do now, attack the Elves while he could or help them slay the beast? He glanced up at Satan and the others around him, each watching him attentively. It was obvious to Sly what they expected him to do, to take advantage of the stalemate and devastate the Elven prisoners. Sly chuckled to himself (¡°What¡¯s the point? This is too much damn effort, what do I gain from killing these badly fed soldiers wearing scrap?¡±) he took a deep breath and stepped forward, each step growing longer and longer before he leapt up into the air. With sword in hand he surged down onto the beast sending it¡¯s body crashing into the ground, his sword deep inside it¡¯s back. The Greymane whined and snarled as it tried to claw at the ground with it¡¯s front paws, it¡¯s spine was shattered from the attack causing it¡¯s lower body to go limp. Sly tried to pull his sword out but it was stuck on something causing the creature no small amount of agony. Grimacing at the extra effort he dissipated the sword and summoned another, the Greymane had crawled away a few feet by then. Sly stalked over to stand above it again then stabbed down into it¡¯s head killing the beast, he then rose back up and glanced around. He was surrounded by Elven warriors, skin and bone from malnourishment and wearing scrap armour and rusted weaponry. Twenty six out of the twenty eight remained, the beast having killed off two as they tried to surround it. Sly saw the hatred in their eyes, he was a Devilling himself after all. They stood around him with shields ready and swords held tight, he could feel the fear and anger on them with his aura. Only one question went through their mind, who would he choose to kill first? Sly snorted ¡°Well? Is that all you¡¯ve got? Pathetic.¡± His words confused many of them where they should have angered them, he had released his [Aurei Armour] and wasn¡¯t looking at them but instead up at Satan himself. ¡°What¡¯s the point of this? Why do I need to go through the change? What¡¯s your business if I don¡¯t want to take the risk?¡± he shouted out with a mana imbued voice. Satan had sat back down in his throne, he watched with narrow eyes while leaned forward. ¡°You are a descendant of Wrath, you are a Devilling in both body and soul. Even if you have been raised in different ways I shall not accept your foolishness, to allow you to throw away such a chance! To become a Devil is to be reborn as your true self! To become who you are meant to be! You should be honoured to have that chance no matter how slim!¡± he slammed his fist down onto his throne¡¯s armrest causing the stone to shatter. Sly flinched at the sudden wave of aura but held his ground ¡°Accept?¡± he chuckled coldly while staring down at his hands ¡°What is there to accept?¡± he spoke now barely a whisper unheard by anybody else but himself. ¡°Take up arms Zeokul! Break away from that disguise you hold on so tightly to!¡± Satan shouted causing the crowd to cheer, calling out for him to slay the prisoners. Sly lowered his arms as two daggers appeared out of his sleeves and into his hands ¡°Zeokul?...Who is Zeokul?...¡± he continued to speak to himself. ¡°Maybe you require more incentive?¡± asked Satan as he waved a gesture, a couple more gates opened allowing in a dozen more prisoners. ¡°Well Zeokul? What will you do? I have prisons full of scum to send your way, will you fight and accept the change or will you die a miserable death?¡± Sly didn¡¯t respond, he stood frozen still. Satan sighed ¡°If you don¡¯t attack they will¡­They will be going free if they survive the whole day after all¡­¡± he reminded the prisoners making many of them wake up from their daze. Multiple Elves charged forward with shields ahead and swords ready, still surrounding Sly they lunged at him with their rusty blades.
Author: Let the games begin! Mhuahahahaha! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG9RqWEEuNw
(¡°Admit it boy, you need my help.¡±) said Kali in Sly¡¯s head as he spun around to parry multiple swords with his daggers, each Elf being more experienced that him in combat yet his raw strength shattered their rusty weapons forcing them to back off but more Elves moved in following their comrade¡¯s initiative. ¡°Accept the gift I offer you Zeokul! Release yourself of your doubt, let your instincts take over!¡± exclaimed Satan as a thin almost invisible dark purple smoke began form around his throne, it slowly moved down through the coliseum and into the field. The Elves didn¡¯t notice the smoke until it was too late but it didn¡¯t seem to do anything to them, although they still backed away from fighting as that registered in their minds. Giving Sly some breathing room. Sly could only back away so far from the thin smoke as it engulfed him, his eyes began to water as he tried to hold his breath. (¡°That is miasma little fool, breath it in, feel it as your mind blanks out of all empathy and love only to be filled by bloodlust and hatred! Give in to your change and become the monster that you are! Or would you rather die? The weapon is in your hands, what will you do?¡±) Kali continued to speak in Sly¡¯s mind Sly continued to hold his breath as he felt his legs waver. (¡°Will you choose your bloodline? Will you choose your own dignity? Or will you choose your friends? Accept my help Hero, become the undoing of these vile beings and I shall aid you in your quest to better this world.¡±) said Kali as her voice became hazy. Sly couldn¡¯t hold on any longer and took a deep breath, midway he stopped himself but it was too little too late. The haziness in his mind immediately cleared as the miasma entered his body, he felt power coursing through his veins. ¡°Do you feel it Zeokul? The power coursing through you? That is only a taste of what you could achieve! Accept the change! Risk it and become the Devil you¡¯re supposed to be!¡± exclaimed Satan with a wide grin as he watched. The Elves calmed down as they noticed that the miasma didn¡¯t affect them, they steeled themselves and advanced. (¡°What do you hope to achieve Hero? To be destroyed by the change? To die by the hands of these forgotten? Use the power I gave you, deny the change and become the monster. With the end of the Dezol will come peace, for the Dezol to end you require to accept me. What will you do?¡±) Kali continued to pester him. Sly empowered by the miasma became several times faster, he bobbed and weaved around the prisoners. His daggers clashed with shattering swords and shields, pierced makeshift armour and met flesh.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°That¡¯s it my boy! Let go of your fear! Fight with all you have! Let your instincts guide you, don¡¯t matter where your blade lands as long as it does!¡± Satan rose from his seat, he watched in excitement as the battle truly began. Kali chuckled in his mind (¡°Let go of your fear? Oh little Hero but isn¡¯t fear all you have? Fear of death itself? Is that not why you still fight? Why do you have to endure it any longer? Allow me to aid you, accept my gifts and be free of your fear. The power I offer you is holy, it¡¯s nature right. Smite down these accursed beings with it and all will be well!¡±) Sly grinded his teeth as he continued to clash with the Elves, a whirlwind of blood and death. He tried to ignore their words, he tried to shut out their voices as he fought to survive. ¡°What holds you back my boy? Is it fear? I sense it in you! Are you such a coward? Will you allow fear to determine who you are!?¡± Satan declared as his voice boomed throughout the cavern, the entire sentence echoed through. But a single word repeated itself inside Sly¡¯s mind (¡°Coward¡­coward¡­¡±) he thought to himself, the very fibre of his being trembling as he faced death left and right. (¡°Are you a coward? You are aren¡¯t you? You cannot take the risk of going through something like the change, it is just not you. You don¡¯t fight because you enjoy it, no you no longer do. The fear of death without another chance¡­you reek of it.¡±) Kali¡¯s voice grew louder as Sly fought, surrounded by enemies left and right, in and out. He felt like he was losing his mind. ¡°Coward¡­¡± said Sly after dispatching two more Elves ¡°What do you know?¡±. (¡°I know all there is to know about you, my Chosen.¡±) replied Kali. Satan chuckled ¡°You are my blood, I know you as if I was looking at myself! Trust me Zeokul, you will thank me later for this!¡± he grinned as he watched Sly near the last straw of his sanity. Evading to the left Sly slashed open a prisoner¡¯s throat, continuing into a spin he slashed away two blades as they lunged at him before coming to a stop to parry a third. He chuckled coldly ¡°No¡­No you don¡¯t¡­You know nothing about me, I grow tired of this!¡± he exclaimed loudly while slashing the blade aside, he lunged at the prisoner stabbing him several times in the chest before kicking him aside. (¡°You have no choice, it is either risk death or becoming a dog through the change¡­Or join me. How difficult is it to choose?¡±) asked Kali with a chuckle. Sly took in heavy breaths as he stood staring up at the cavern¡¯s ceiling, suddenly he shouted out expanding all his Aura in a single cry. His Aura surged out from his body like an explosion, it crashed into the prisoners surrounding him and carried them with until slamming them into the coliseum¡¯s walls. The attack did little but push them away, the prisoners quickly rose back up and began to re-approach his position. Having already abandoned themselves to their deaths, even those who lost their weapons or where already injured, fearlessly they charged the single warrior. Sly watched with awe as the maddened prisoners charged at him like a tidal wave, he grimaced at their ability to accept what he could not. Like a lump of cement in his chest his fear kept him from accepting what he was, from accepting what he needed to become. (¡°This is your last chance Hero, agree to my terms or die a fools death. You cannot defeat all these suicidal Elves alone, you will not survive the change either. Accept it or die.¡±) Kali gave her ultimatum. Satan opened his mouth to speak but a sinister chuckle left him speechless, Sly laughed wholeheartedly as the Elves halted their charge disturbed by it. ¡°Fine! You leave me no other choice then!? I¡¯ll do it! I¡¯ll fucking do it!¡± He grinned madly but he couldn¡¯t hide the fear, yet he had to ignore it. (¡°Then do it, you know what to do. Allow them to bring you to near death then activate your power! The change will be denied but you mustn¡¯t worry! The power I shall imbue you with, you will slay them all! The entire continent of Ruk will disappear before you!¡±) Kali exclaimed, the Goddess of destruction¡¯s tone ecstatic. Sly¡¯s eyes widened with amusement as his laugh lowered to a cold snicker, his skin began to crack as violet lines of bright light formed all over his body. Seeing this the Elves continued their charge, each one ready to die if it meant saving any of their comrades. Sly took a deep unending breath as he took in the miasma, he sucked it in causing the field to clear almost instantly. (¡°You misunderstand me, I told you already¡­You don¡¯t know me.¡±) his grin widened as Kali screamed curses in his mind, he chuckled ¡°I¡¯ve had enough¡­I accept my fate.¡± with his sanity having snapped Sly ignored his fear entirely and let go. As he fell to his knees he asked himself (¡°What would they think of me if I died here? ¡±). Miasma suddenly began to ooze out of the cracks on his skin, it engulfed him before thickening then solidifying. Satan raised his hand willing his Aura into the field, each prisoner was crushed to the ground from the pressure he created. He stepped forward then jumped off, landing at the bottom surrounded by Elves held down by his Aura. He walked forward and approached what was left of Sly, a large smooth sphere of dark purple. Satan smirked ¡°He accepted it.¡± he announced causing the crowd to break their silence and cheer louder than ever before ¡°Now let us see what will emerge, another hound for the stables or a Devil for the legion?¡±. He placed his right hand over the sphere and surrounded it with his Aura ¡°I will speed up the process but the end result¡­It is all up to him.¡± Guards swarmed into the field carrying away the prisoners as Satan stood by the sphere of solid miasma, it began to pulse bright violet light. Like a heart it began to beat, visibly pulsating with light and audibly making the sound. Satan lowered his hand as the sphere suddenly burst into smoke, the miasma spreading back all over the field. The crowd began to slam down their feet, they waited expectantly while making a chorus of sound. Satan sent out a burst of his aura instantly clearing the field and revealing himself and what else lay within. ¡°What is your name?¡± Satan asked. With shoulder long dark purple hair, pitch black eyes with violet slits and light violet skin the being looked up at him and grinned revealing rows of black fangs. ¡°Zeokul.¡± He replied with glee, a whole foot taller than before with a pair of long black horns coming out of his forehead and curling back. A pair of leathery wings had burst out from his back and through his armour, almost three times his own width, their limbs black and netting a bright violet. Zeokul reached back and stretched back his leg armour releasing the tail within, a long thin black tail ending in a violet arrow-head shape. Satan gestured at him ¡°How do you feel?¡± he asked. Zeokul smirked ¡°Your sales pitch was horrible but I feel great, better than great actually!¡± he announced while stretched out his arms (¡°I am in the mood for a good spar...Is it weird that I already want to beat something up?¡±) he then thought. Satan opened his arms wide ¡°And so here he stands! A newborn Devil of the legion of Wrath!¡± he exclaimed causing the crowd to cheer yet again.
Barik Devil¡¯s Eye, Blood Pack Dungeon Base. Kyle followed Skill into the main hall with Lilior sitting on his head, she quickly grew tired of walking and announced that specific spot as her personal perch. Birse sat above his throne discussing something with Cherry, Steph and Seren and some others on the VCDs they held. ¡°Yo.¡± Greeted Kyle as they approached them. Birse looked up from the VCD in his hand, he glanced at Kyle then at Lilior ¡°That Lilior?¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± Replied Kyle. ¡°Yup!¡± replied Lilior. ¡°I guessed, how did that happen?¡± Birse then asked. ¡°You guessed!? How the fuck did you guess that!?¡± exclaimed Skill in frustration. Birse glanced at him briefly ¡°Should your fragile mind catch a glimpse of my own then help you gods.¡± ¡°Eh, short story is she used the mana in her core and made herself a body. Up side she can travel with me now, down side I don¡¯t think we can respawn at her anymore.¡± explained Kyle. Birse groaned in frustration ¡°Great, just what we needed. We¡¯ve got other problems at hand right now too¡­¡± he handed Kyle the VCD. Kyle took it and looked through ¡°Who¡¯s on the other side?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± said Death ¡°And unless we come up with a plan, we¡¯re fucked.¡± On the other side of the footage being shown were five Drakes and their riders surrounding many hundred warriors both Esfeltian and Dezol. ¡°You can say that again.¡± said Seren as she showed the footage on her VCD ¡°This is CH¡¯s view at Carn.¡± The same thing was happening at Carn¡¯s spawn point, several Drakes and their riders surrounding hundreds of terrified soldiers from both sides. ¡°So as we feared they too are affected by the grand quest¡­¡± Kyle sighed ¡°Then why didn¡¯t the giant Ram demon or the Lesser Demons respawn?¡± he asked while glancing between the two devices. ¡°My guess is that they¡¯re too dumb to be considered for it, they¡¯re more beast like than us so the quest doesn¡¯t regard them.¡± Birse explained. ¡°Makes sense, so what do we do now?¡± Kyle asked. Everyone¡¯s gaze turned to him ¡°We were hoping you could finally explain what that creature was that killed them before.¡± said Cherry. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Kyle chuckled awkwardly, he told them what happened, he told them the whole story. Kyle told them about the Nogitsune, about his family and how it affecting all of them. He told them about the Gods and their plan, about the Avatar and it¡¯s power. Birse whistled ¡°Dayum that¡¯s some baggage, shit no wonder you locked yourself away. You aight now though?¡± ¡°Yeah, sort of. Getting over something like that¡­well time is of the essence, so let¡¯s not waste it on that crap. Got any plans on how to deal with the Empire?¡± asked Kyle dismissing the conversation. Birse leaned back in his throne ¡°Not really¡­With Dagon temporary gone and by that I mean gone for a few years at least, that leaves Lucifer, Legion and Lilith capable to fight a Drake. That¡¯s what Lucifer said at least, so that makes it what? Twelve versus three? I don¡¯t like those chances and neither did he.¡± He sighed in exasperation ¡°Speaking about Lucifer we should probably report in, maybe he¡¯s got a plan or something.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go back to checking Lilior¡¯s new abilities, fill me in on the details alright?¡± said Kyle as he turned to head back to the core room. ¡°Yeah good idea, we¡¯ll keep watch.¡± Replied Seren while waving the VCD in her hand. ¡°Please don¡¯t change form again! I don¡¯t think my mind can take it!¡± declared Skill as they walked away. ¡°Hmph! I change form however I please!¡± was Lilior¡¯s response as they turned into a side doorway taking to the core room, large metal doors laying wide open. Kyle snorted ¡°When¡¯d you get this sassy?¡± Lilior turned back around as her wings shone through the room giving it light ¡°Does master disapprove? Those ¡®anime¡¯ things master Sly showed me had many that speak like this in them, is it not normal?¡± she asked. ¡°Speak however you like, won¡¯t bother me.¡± said Kyle as he opened her character window ¡°Now let¡¯s see what your other skills can do.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± replied Lilior as she laid down on his head with arms crossed under her chin.
Name: [Lilior] Level: 124 [HP: 200/200] [MP: 3300/3300] Race: ({Ascended} Fae) ¨C (Slime) Class: [Living Dungeon] - [{Slime} Shapeshifter] Shared Passives: [Slime Body], [Monster Core], [Devour] Shared Actives: [Ooze], [Surge], [Absorb] Racial Passives: [Ascendant] Racial Actives: [Dazzle] Class Passives: [Dungeon Domain], [Fae Wings], [Copy] Class Actives: [Summon minion], [Fae Blessings], [Shapeshift]
¡°Here I¡¯ll open up the shared skills for you to read through while I read your new ones.¡± said Kyle as he willed the skill details to open then willed to share them with her making them disappear from his line of sight. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll continue where I left off.¡± He began going through the remainder of her skills.
[Dazzle] (Set skill stats): Intensify the brightness of your wings blinding your enemies and dealing magic damage to Undead, Unholy and Dark beings. Blindness duration: 8 seconds Light damage: Master¡¯s INT + 40 Cooldown: 350 seconds
Kyle shrugged at the simple skill ¡°Short duration but would be effective as a distraction, the damage isn¡¯t bad either.¡±
[Dungeon Domain] ((EXP 0%) Level 1 ¨C Tier 1): Summon a crystal core through concentrating your mana and imbue it with your will creating a Dungeon Crystal. These cores aren¡¯t sentient and will only follow commands given by the summoner, they will however naturally regenerate their mana and will be capable of doing anything a normal Dungeon can. Cast time: 5 minutes. Mana per crystal: 1200 Summon limit: 1
Kyle read the skill once, twice then thrice before speaking, his eyes wide and grin in full view ¡°Hey Lilior read this, we need to test this first. If I¡¯m right then we can use these as respawn points as we use to use your core!¡± Lilior glanced over the skill ¡°Hhmm, it sure looks that way. All I would need to do is tell it to focus on your souls while in range and gather them once they leave the bodies, the process of copying your bodies from soul memory happens on it¡¯s own by the quest itself, if I don¡¯t tell it to capture the soul that is.¡± ¡°This also means we don¡¯t have to lump around a huge core to move our base of operations.¡± He sighed in relief then moved on to the next skill.
[Fae Wings] (Set skill stats): Your wings are affected by [Shapeshift] twice as quickly as any other part of your body due to their make. Your flight speed is determined by mana output allowed, there is no cap to this but you will lose your ability to fly if you run out of mana.
¡°There¡¯s your flight ability, maybe you can weaponize that shapeshift buff on your wings?¡± asked Kyle. ¡°That would be weird¡­I like it.¡± responded Lilior.
[Copy] ((EXP 0%) Level 1 ¨C Tier 1): Through touch you can shape shift into the being or object you have touched down to the very material. Cast time: 60 seconds Cost: 10 mana per second Shift will fall apart if you run out of mana.
¡°Look at this one, this can be useful in emergencies and covert shit.¡± Said Kyle as he skimmed through the skill. ¡°Covert¡­dung?...¡± asked Lilior in confusion. ¡°Ah¡­No I meant¡­Nevermind.¡± Kyle dismissed with an awkward smile.
[Summon minion] ((EXP 0%) Level 1 ¨C Tier 1): Monsters absorbed by [Dungeon Domain] are summonable through this skill. Minion limit: 10 (Small), 5 (Medium), 3 (Large), 0 (Massive) Available summons: X
¡°This is an interesting one too, seems like there is a limit to size difference between minions though. I wonder if it¡¯s altogether or each?¡± Kyle murmured to himself.
[Fae Blessings] (Set Skill stats): The natural Fae chants to imbue a being with one of the elemental blessings. Blessings: Wind; Increase targets movement speed by 50% Fire; Increase target¡¯s STR by 10% Earth; Increase target¡¯s VIT by 10% Water; Heal 35% of targets health and hide debuffs for 4 minutes. Each blessing has a cooldown of 10 minutes Different blessings can be present on a single target Blessings can affect multiple targets at the cost of more mana. Cost: 200 mana per cast (+100 mana per target).
¡°Lilior¡­You can increase my STR and VIT?....since when?...¡± Kyle asked as he read the skill. ¡°Since forever master but I don¡¯t like the chants, Earth is dumb and Fire sounds weird!¡± exclaimed Lilior. ¡°The chants are set?¡± he then asked. ¡°No but I couldn¡¯t come up with anything better¡­¡± she replied with an awkward smile. Kyle sighed ¡°That¡¯s¡­You¡¯re¡­Okay¡­¡± he held his face and rubbed his forehead in defeat ¡°Let¡¯s¡­let¡¯s just move on to testing [Dungeon Domain], you done reading those?¡± ¡°Yeap!¡± she replied while raising her right arm up into the air. ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s see what this can do!¡± he declared while pointing towards the centre of the room, a few awkward moments passed ¡°Lilior?....¡± ¡°Yes master?...¡± she asked while looking down at him. ¡°That was your cue¡­¡± he said while lowering his arm. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Ch 67 - Whispers Kyle watched as Lilior stood concentrating for a few minutes, a green-blue crystal forming in her open palms. The core grew with each minute that passed until ten minutes later a one meter by one meter crystal dungeon core lay hovering in front of them. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit too small?¡± asked Birse as he entered the room followed by Cherry and Skill. Kyle shrugged ¡°Is it?¡± Lilior crossed her arms as she turned around and grew to full size ¡°I¡¯d like to see you condense mana better!¡± Birse raised his arms up in surrender ¡°Aight aight, so what¡¯s going on here anyway?¡± ¡°Lilior retained her dungeon race as Living Dungeon, it allows her to create dungeon cores that aren¡¯t sentient and take commands directly from her else they won¡¯t do anything. We¡¯re about to figure out if we can use them as respawn points for the guild.¡± Kyle explained. ¡°Now if you don¡¯t mind.¡° said Lilior before turning back to the core and placing her palms over it¡¯s crystal surface, she closed her eyes in concentration for a few minutes ¡°Hmm¡­¡± before stepping away and opening her eyes. ¡°Is it done?¡± asked Cherry. ¡°No¡­I don¡¯t know how to explain it to the thing¡­¡± responded Lilior. ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Kyle. She glanced at him ¡°It is very dumb.¡± ¡°Can I try?¡± offered Birse. Lilior turned to the guild leader ¡°Uhm¡­The core has the mind meld skill? I can try and make it activate that?¡± ¡°Yeah let¡¯s try that, explain what you want it to do for me.¡± agreed Birse, Lilior went into a long explanation of how she wanted the core to expand it¡¯s detection range to maximum and focus on the guild connection between their souls to locate them easier. She then continued into explaining how the core then had to pull in the soul if they became free of their physical bodies and after that let them go while supplying them with mana from itself. ¡°Alright, so what do I do?¡± asked Birse as he stepped to stand by the core opposite of her. ¡°Put your hands on it like this.¡± She told him as she re-placed her palms over it¡¯s surface, Birse did the same. ¡°Mind Meld.¡± She called out and Birse¡¯s body froze in place, his eyes half open. A few seconds passed by before Birse came out of his frozen state ¡°Done, what¡¯s next?¡±. ¡°That was quick?¡± stated Kyle. ¡°Meh, I deal with dumb everyday.¡± Said Birse with a grin as he slapped towards Skill¡¯s shoulder. Skill dodged away from him ¡°Go fuck yourself.¡± ¡°Annyywayy...¡± announced Kyle to regain their attention ¡°What¡¯s next Lilior?¡± Lilior seemed to think it over for a brief moment while holding her index finger to her chin ¡°Uhh, for someone to die?¡± she offered. Everyone turned to look at Skill, ¡°No.¡± he stated with a fearful expression.
A few minutes of struggling, cursing, biting and inventory rummaging went by. Kyle and Birse held Skill down to the ground as he struggled and shouted gibberish while gagged, Cherry stood over him holding his massive war hammer. ¡°Don¡¯t worry bro you won¡¯t feel a thing!¡± said Birse with an amused grin. ¡°I don¡¯t know boss, my arms are kind of tired. I might slip.¡± joked Cherry with a knowing smirk. ¡°MMMFFHHHMMMHHHFGGFF!¡± Skill¡¯s struggling intensified to no avail as shadows and solidified slime held his body down. ¡°It¡¯s for the good of the guild Skill, you¡¯ll respawn either way!¡± Kyle assured him with an awkward smile. Cherry heaved up his hammer ¡°Well, can¡¯t say where you¡¯ll respawn¡­¡± he added before slamming down his hammer over Skill¡¯s head, it burst like cherry being squashed along with the sound of fracturing bone and squishing flesh while blood and brain matter splattered all over the place. Lilior stood with her hands on the core the entire time inspecting what it did ¡°It detected him, I think it¡¯s wor-¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get you for this.¡± Said Skill as he respawned in a flash of light ¡°I will fucking get you all for this!¡±. Cherry laughed whole heartedly as he grabbed Skill in a choke ¡°Yo I told you, you didn¡¯t feel a thing didn¡¯t you? Well not that biting me is gonna get you far anyway!¡± he continued to laugh while pulling the now literally choking Skill around. ¡°Well that¡¯s one problem solved.¡± said Birse with a relieved sigh. ¡°Anything on the other?¡± asked Kyle. Birse shook his head ¡°Nope, they haven¡¯t moved since. They¡¯re all too confused to try anything, I think they¡¯re waiting on that one that got away.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the leader?¡± asked the other Kyle. ¡°Maybe.¡± replied Birse before glancing between the two Kyles in confusion. Kyle glanced to his side and stared at the other Kyle ¡°Uhhh¡­.¡± The other Kyle flashed a green light before turning into Lilior ¡°What?...Why you all staring at me?¡± ¡°How¡¯d you¡­?¡± Birse wasn¡¯t sure as to what she had just did. ¡°Was that [Shapeshift]?¡± Kyle asked. She shook her head ¡°It was [Copy]¡± ¡°How long can you hold that up?¡± asked Birse. Lilior thought it over for a few moments before poking Cherry in the arm, her form turned transparent and green like slime for a few seconds before changing. ¡°Five minutes?¡± said the other Cherry before flashing a green light and turning back into Lilior. ¡°Was the mana usage the same?¡± asked Birse ¡°Between Kyll and Cherr that is.¡± Lilior nodded ¡°Yeah size don¡¯t matter if that¡¯s what you mean.¡± ¡°Do you change immediately after touching the person?¡± he then asked. ¡°I have to make a mental note of changing after touching, I don¡¯t know for how long I can hold it though. It¡¯s like the information of what I just touched is stored in my head until I use it or it disappears.¡± Lilior explained. Birse¡¯s eyes narrowed as a wicked smile grew on his face ¡°I might just have an idea¡­¡±
Carn A few hours later Kyle waited at the edge of the forest where he could observe the group of Drakes still waiting around the spawn point, several hundred soldiers both Esfeltian and Dezol sat or lay around anxiously in the middle. He noticed the Drakes roar out so loud that he figured the noise carried all the way to Il¡¯e, as it had been going for the past few hours a quieter roar came answering back from the distance. ¡°They¡¯re communicating already¡­you sure this will work?¡± Kyle asked from his perch high up on a tree¡¯s branch, down below him Birse and Cherry were keeping watch ¡°It has to, just act cool and collected as usual.¡± replied Birse. ¡°You mean act anxious and confused.¡± corrected Kyle ¡°Else they won¡¯t buy it.¡± Suddenly Skill appeared in a flash of movement next to Kyle, he forwarded his hand with a black crystal inside just as Lilior in her smallest size flew up to her perch in between Kyle¡¯s ears. ¡°That Steph¡¯s crystal?¡± Kyle asked as he took it in hand. ¡°Yeah that¡¯s it, she said it will be more effective since she levelled it.¡± replied Skill. Kyle stared down at the crystal, it was an illusionary crystal that Steph had used to copy his own illusionary slime and perfected it. ¡°You ready Lilior? Or do you need to go touch that Drake again?¡± before coming to Carn they had passed by Frosthold where Lilior snuck up on the Drakes and touched a specific one. ¡°No¡­No I think I¡¯m good¡­¡± she replied anxiously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything will be fine. We¡¯ve got this.¡± Kyle reassured her ¡°Let¡¯s move back a few so they see us coming before we change.¡± He said before turning around and surging away at full speed. Coming to an abrupt stop he checked his surroundings ¡°This should do.¡± It was an opening in the trees large enough for what they were about to do. ¡°You change first, I¡¯ll activate this thing as soon as you do.¡± Lilior nodded and fluttered off and up high into the air, she closed her eyes to focus for a minute before her form turned to slime. She expanded several thousand times and change to a blob then to a Drake as the colouring set in, the slime then changed and solidified becoming the material it was supposed to be. ¡°That is seriously terrifying, can you breath fire?¡± Kyle asked on a whim. Lilior in her Draconic form shook her head ¡°No I only have some of it¡¯s passive abilities that don¡¯t have to do with a class, can we go? We¡¯re running out of time.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Kyle nodded and activated the crystal with a pulse of mana, he then stashed it in his pocket as his form changed. A foot and a half taller with Elven features, long brown hair and green eyes. He was also female. ¡°Uhh¡­I wasn¡¯t made aware of this¡­¡± he said pointing at his larger than average breasts. ¡°The dumb one picked.¡± Lilior said before scooping him/her up onto her snout. ¡°Ah¡­makes sense¡­¡± said Kyle as he gripped the scales and awkwardly made his way to the saddle, he saddled up as best as he thought he could as quickly as he could ¡°Alright let¡¯s go.¡± Lilior opened her wings knocking aside a tree ¡°Oops..¡± she flapped them once and ascended up into the sky several hundred meters ¡°This is fun!¡± she exclaimed while soaring towards their destination. ¡°I am trying very hard to ignore my illusionary gender right now¡­¡± said Kyle. ¡°At least you¡¯re not physically that, I¡¯m pretty sure this Drake is female though.¡± Commented Lilior as within a few seconds they made it over the open field, down below them were five Drakes and a large army of mixed soldiers counting their prayers. ¡°Down we go.¡± said Lilior quietly as she descended, she circled around the town once before coming to a running stop by the other Drakes. Kyle studied the expressions of the other riders closely with his [Draconic Perception] and their moods with [Spirit Detection], most were anxious or annoyed but all of them were confused. ¡°Jaina, I thought we decided to wait for the Colonel to return or send word?¡± said one of the male riders. Kyle was thankful that they began speech first making it less difficult, he also thanked the illusion¡¯s capability to change sound along with sight as he spoke making it less awkward ¡°Change of plans, we¡¯ve come by important information.¡± ¡°Must be something strange if Shezz cannot relay it over Dragon speech.¡± Said another rider while gesturing at Lilior. Kyle nodded ¡°It¡¯s about the creature that¡­killed us.¡± He purposely paused for effect. ¡°Do you know what it was?¡± asked one of the Drakes. ¡°No but I know what happened to it, well some of it.¡± Replied Kyle keeping his sentences short and making sure to only answer questions. ¡°Well? Report soldier.¡± Barked out one of the riders that hadn¡¯t spoken yet. ¡°The creature¡­after killing¡­us, it is theorized that it use up much of it¡¯s power. It was seen shrinking in size then knocked around by a few summoned, those summoned then eliminated the creature with the aid of a few Devils.¡± This was the story Birse had come up with and Kyle was relaying it as well as he could. ¡°How did you come by this?¡± asked the seemingly highest ranked rider again. Kyle turned to face him ¡°We interrogated some summoned that¡­came back to life a few minutes earlier. They watched the entire thing and were caught in the creature¡¯s crossfire. They tried to run and forced me to chase after them, I still need to report to the other group.¡± The officer seemed to consider this for a few moments ¡°This indeed changes things¡­¡± ¡°Do we remain camped Sir? The Colonel might not even know we¡¯re alive.¡± Asked another female rider. The officer sighed ¡°We¡¯ll fall back and regroup with Jayce, tell the others I gave the command as second to move out.¡± He told his Drake as it roared a brief moment later. Kyle began to panic, he was going to tell them that he¡¯d head back to the other group and report hoping the highest in command was there. He had to improvise now ¡°Sir permission to return to the other group first?¡± The officer glanced back at Kyle as his Drake turned readying to fly away ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Uh-Um¡­The adventurers only talked when I took an item from them, it seems very important to one of them so I thought I¡¯d go return it?¡± Kyle said before clenching his fists on the saddle, he had messed up and said adventurers instead of summoned. The officer rolled his eyes ¡°Fine but we¡¯re not waiting on you, don¡¯t take long.¡± He whistled and the group of Drakes stepped away from the soldiers as they all began to stand up in confusion. The Drakes flapped their wings and with incredible power ascended into the sky. ¡°Let¡¯s go, run towards Frosthold.¡± said Kyle as Lilior turned and began to awkwardly run towards the forest, the trees being taller than her Drake-form covered her from the sky as the other group of Drakes followed after the rest. Albeit some trees being awkwardly bent by her massive form. ¡°If you say I¡¯m fat I¡¯m throwing you off.¡± said Lilior as she fully uprooted one tree. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not saying you¡¯re fat but that doesn¡¯t mean you aren¡¯t fat because I didn¡¯t say you are fat so that mak-¡± Kyle flinched as Lilior suddenly abandoned her form causing him to crash down into the cold snow. He pulled himself out of the white ¡°That, was uncalled for.¡± he said with snow covering most of his face. ¡°Not my fault you''re too fat to fly master!¡± Lilior gave him the tongue as she fluttered backwards in her small form.
Frosthold, Town Hall. Jacky stood to the side with his back to the wall, a great spot for overlooking the entire table where a large meeting was taking place. With the recent events putting the entire population at stake the guild leaders were all called for a meeting with the military¡¯s General Fey Talran, representatives of the churches and the Royal Advisor. Jacky eyed the representatives at one end of the table, Talia, Shark and a few other adventurers were joined with a single representative from each church. On the other side of the table were General Fey, her officers and Rin Darkness the Royal Advisor to the throne. Along the rest of the table were the guild leaders and their strongest member. As for Jacky¡¯s current guild, Zaahr and Karnage sat beside each other with the other guild leaders but after much arguing with the other members it was decided they would go with Jacky as the highest level in the group. For dick measuring purposes, of course. He watched as each side forwarded ideas on how to deal with the empire¡¯s situation, not only the Drakes that kept their soldiers surrounded along with the enemy¡¯s but what might come after. ¡°The Empire will send an ambassador to speak with us soon, I expect the Riders to remain until then¡­¡± said Rin as she stared down at the empty table, a long wooden table made of common oak. ¡°Then I suggest we let them, let the Empire have these Dezol scum. We can only hope they let us off the hook once we do.¡± Suggested High priestess Lumin from the church of light and day. ¡°Times are dire, the enemy is right outside our doorstep and has been blessed with the same as us. The Empire will want to destroy the artefacts that allows this along with the end of the Grand Quest, I agree with Lumin.¡± Said the representative of the church of fire, an old buff man wearing crimson mage clothing. With the VCD hidden inside his cloak Jacky watched while the others listened through. The reason for this meeting was to wait, to simply wait and see what the Dragon Riders do. They had already sent messengers to the riders but were completely ignored and shooed away. ¡°So we side with the Empire and hope for the best? What about us? You believe the Elves will ignore us adventurers?¡± asked Zeeke with a pale expression, it was all out of his hands now and he did not like that. Rin looked up and studied the adventurer ¡°I do not know, whether they will ignore you as inhabitants of Barik or not I have no idea. What I do know is that this country¡­The freedom we have here, it is all fleeting away.¡± General Fey suddenly slammed her fist on the table ¡°So this is where it all ends, the Empire just comes in and takes it all away¡­¡± ¡°What would you suggest us to do otherwise?¡± asked the representative of the church of water, a young woman wearing a light blue cloaked garb ¡°If we side with the Dezol, which would mean ignoring years of war and assault on our allies, we¡¯d simply doom ourselves alongside with them!¡± ¡°So we just doom all Elves on this continent along with the summoned?¡± asked the Guard Captain, Jonathan Rainer ¡°We¡¯re all thinking it, we all know what the Empire will do. The adventurers will be caged up, the Elven ¡®Traitors¡¯ hanged or worse. The alliance cannot let this happen, they won¡¯t will they?¡± he asked while glancing at Rin. She sighed ¡°It is not my place to say, a meeting between the alliance¡¯s leaders will occur sometime tomorrow then we shall see.¡± ¡°So we are just to wait until then?¡± asked Zaahr with a grimace. ¡°Yeah let the important people make the important decisions, we¡¯ll definitely come up at the top of their worries.¡± Added Dherik bitterly. ¡°If you have something to say then say it, it¡¯s not like we got anything else to do but wait and talk.¡± said Talia with a chuckle. Dherik snorted but didn¡¯t speak further. ¡°I dislike this arrangement as well.¡± said Nakano ¡°Will the alliance even consider us as citizens to be protected? Will the rest of the alliance even aid Esfelt in this?¡± ¡°Why not? We¡¯ve helped enough as it is, we even fought those monsters for them.¡± replied Jax with a shrug ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned the Dezol can go to hell, I also honestly don¡¯t see the problem with siding with a super power like the Elven Empire.¡± Fey sighed ¡°You¡¯re a fool then, unless you are of Elven blood the Empire will barely take note of you.¡± ¡°Back to the point though.¡± began Regina ¡± Why should you take note of us outsiders? What leaves us protected other than some debt? Would the alliance shelter us from the coming storm if it meant going against the Empire?¡± The representative of the church of stone a burly male human with dark skin wearing a black shirt and priest lower clothing, opened his arms wide as he spoke ¡°Oh stop your worrying, we only have to hand over the Demons to the Empire and the rest is history. Why should the Empire care about you summoned? All they have to care about is the artefacts and the quest, if Liliana is defeated then the quest ends and after that we¡¯ll simply give them room to remove the relics that revive us.¡± The room went loud as several began to argue with each other whether any of them were safe, whether the Empire would ignore or slaughter them. Jacky inwardly chuckled at the scene (¡°They only care about their own hides¡­Freedom my ass, this country is done for and there is nothing the alliance can do about it. They would never side against the Empire, too puny a force to do so alone and many have their own reservations against the Empire as well. This is just hilarious to watch.¡±) The door then suddenly went ajar as a soldier stepped in ¡°General! The Riders are beginning to move Ma¡¯am!¡± Fey grimaced and immediately stood up from the table ¡°Why?¡± The soldier saluted ¡°We aren¡¯t sure, I came to inform you the moment they took fli-¡± Another soldier came to a stop by his associate ¡°The Riders have left the country Ma¡¯am!¡± he quickly reported. ¡°Send out the troops! Surround the Dezol forces immediately!¡± Fey ordered as she marched out of the room, her soldiers dashed away to relay her orders. She remained at the door as she sent several of her officers away with orders. ¡°Well that¡¯s that it seems, now we have many of the enemy¡¯s forces as prisoners and all we have to do is wait for the Empire¡¯s ambassadors to arrive then offer them to the Empire.¡± Said Lumin. Karnage suddenly stood up, her hands clenched she studied the room around her ¡°Why should we?¡± she asked causing many curious gazes to befall her. ¡°What do you mean dear? The Demons are the cause of all of this after all.¡± added the representative of the church of water. ¡°They are the cause of us being here yes, but why fault them for it? What do we know of their circumstances to do so? What have you told us about them other than racial slurs and one sided history?¡± Karnage spoke with a loud voice and harsh tone. None spoke to answer her so she continued to speak herself ¡°My guild¡¯s backing to the military ends here. If you cannot promise us aid against the Empire then why should we offer you protection?¡± Fey turned away from ordering her people around and stared at Karnage causing the adventurer to become anxious ¡°Your people are yours to command, the military makes no comment.¡± Karnage relieved, nodded in thanks before overlooking the room again ¡°During our assault on the barrier my second in command met face to face with some of these ¡®Demons¡¯, not the monsters you all make them out to be but instead a people fighting for their own. They weren¡¯t alone either, the rogue guild that defeated that creature afterwards was with them.¡± Karnage smirked ¡°Guild leaders, take your heads out of your asses and start thinking for yourselves. This ¡®Rogue¡¯ guild already figured it all out it seems, while we sit here and do nothing. Well I¡¯m done doing nothing, I won¡¯t just stand around while the Empire comes to possibly imprison us all.¡± She glanced at Zaahr and Jacky then stormed out of the room. Dherik suddenly stood up ¡°LOST is out as well, if you won¡¯t help us shovel our shit then why should we shovel yours?¡± ¡°His statement aside¡­¡± spoke Regina ¡°And how those bastards tricked us aside, I agree. PRED is out too until further compromise.¡± Both guild leaders and their members strode out of the room. A yelp resounded throughout the room as Nakano elbowed Zeeke in the shoulder ¡°Ah¡­Um¡­Eternium remains with the alliance¡­¡± it was followed by a glare from Nakano. Zeeke sighed and spoke again ¡°Can we¡­end this meeting now? I¡¯m sure we all have a lot to discuss with our respective groups.¡± --- Karnage stormed out of the town hall followed by Jacky and Zaahr then towards the rest of her officers that had been waiting outside ¡°Silent gather everyone, we need a guild wide vote.¡± ¡°What are you planning to do?¡± asked Zaahr with a worried expression. Karnage eyed Dherik and Regina as they approached them ¡°Tell you later.¡± she told her as they all turned towards the other two guild leaders and their officers. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± asked Regina. ¡°Hm? What plan?¡± asked Karnage with a raised brow. Dherik rolled his eyes in annoyance ¡°Whatever, we¡¯re in. I¡¯m done risking my hide for these spineless idiots and my people are with me.¡± Karnage glanced between them ¡°Then ask your people to consider this.¡± She stepped close and whispered something into their ears, too quiet for Jacky to hear. Regina¡¯s eyes went wide but Dherik smirked wickedly and said ¡°Yeah¡­we¡¯ll consider.¡± ¡°I-Ah¡­I¡¯ll have to¡­speak with the others first¡­Personally? I¡¯m in though.¡± replied Regina. ¡°I¡¯ll ask my members the same, we¡¯ll gather with who remains later then?¡± Karnage asked them. ¡°Where to and what time?¡± asked Dherik still grinning. ¡°Send a messenger with your remaining numbers to the tavern we¡¯re taking up, I¡¯ll send them back with where and when.¡± responded Karnage as she turned and walked away with her guild following behind her. (¡°Looks like things are beginning to get interesting¡­¡±) Jacky mused as he glanced back at the others. Ch 68 Part 1 - Paths Collide Frostbite Forest Three hours later As the two suns set the forest was full of life other than it¡¯s usual inhabitants, hundreds of adventurers stood or lay around on the side of a hill on the path from Frosthold to Carn. This was the Apokalypse guild. Karnage stood at the top of the steep hill with Zaahr standing by her, she overlooked her entire guild and dreaded to see any of them leave tonight. She glanced through the more familiar faces before going through the others, most of her friends were part of the guild and she¡¯d hate to see it all fall apart. (¡°But I cannot let things continue on like this¡­It¡¯s just not right, someone has to step up and it might as well be me.¡±) she thought while gazing off. Zaahr put her hand on Karnage¡¯s shoulder ¡°Are you sure about this? There will be no going back.¡± She asked once more, for what felt like the hundredth time today. ¡°Yes I am, I¡¯ve thought long over it and the other options we have just don¡¯t sit right with me.¡± Karnage replied without a second to think, her mind was set and there was, no going back. Zaahr sighed but smiled ¡°Then address your people.¡± Karnage nodded and stepped forward to stand on the edge, a short drop below her. She cleared her throat catching everyone¡¯s attention and began to speak ¡°I know you must all be wondering why we¡¯re here. Why we¡¯re no longer assisting this country with it¡¯s invaders. Why I was absent these past few days¡­¡° she straightened herself and looked forward ¡°I¡¯ve been given a lot to think about, I¡¯ve been slapped awake from my ignorant daze. And today I hope to wake all of you. To keep it short¡­we were lied to, not intentionally but I guess if you¡¯re going to fight someone in a war then demonizing them is just a given¡­The Dezol aren¡¯t the monsters we were all lead to believe to be, they are intelligent and emotional beings like any one of us here today. Both soldiers and citizens. We¡¯ve been fighting blind and now we need to open our eyes to reality. The reality that this isn¡¯t a game, that our actions will have repercussions and it¡¯s damn time we start thinking ahead. I¡¯ve gathered you all today for a decision to be made. My mind is already made, I know what I must do and where I shall take my swords. Here I will ask you to decide that for yourself. With the information I just gave you, with that in mind¡­What do you want to do? Will you continue to fight with Esfelt and their allies? Will you side with the racist Elven Empire when they arrive? Or will you side with the Dezol and their monstrosities? Each has it¡¯s merits and down sides, but you must decide once and for all. Yes siding with Esfelt may be the safest choice but how far can they take us? They cannot get us back home nor can they shelter us anymore. If you want to go home then you must pick from two choices, side with the Empire and risk their treatment or side with the Dezol and risk theirs.¡± She glanced around her guild as the members looked at each other and either conversed with each other or gazed off thinking alone ¡°I will not make this choice for you, it is for you to pick.¡± she ended her speech. A sudden question reopened the silence as Jacky appeared from the shadows within the crowd ¡°And who did you pick if you¡¯ve already made up your mind? Who will you, the guild leader join arms with? You cannot hide the affect you have on your guild, your choice will affect theirs no matter what and keeping it to yourself¡­well that¡¯s just not possible now is it?.¡± He asked with a knowing smirk. Karnage closed her eyes as she smiled and nodded ¡°I know, guess we¡¯ll do it that way then¡­¡± she looked over the entire guild and took a quick breath before speaking again ¡°I choose to side with the Dezol.¡± whispers turned to chatter ¡°Any who choose the same stay here, the rest you are free to leave and that means the guild as well.¡± chatter turned to quiet consideration. A dreadful quiet spread through the crowd as Karnage overlooked them all, her heart dropping as she waited to see their response that seemed to never come. ¡°Then it¡¯s obvious isn¡¯t it?¡± spoke Silent one of the guild¡¯s officers, he stood up from where he lay and faced the hill ¡°No matter which side you pick, this guild is my family and home. I will never leave and you betcha I¡¯ll take on an entire empire if that¡¯s what it means!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± came a chorus of responses of agreement. ¡°Same here.¡± said Kiritoohh, another officer ¡°Even if it means dealing with you assholes for another week, I¡¯ll be damned before leaving the guild.¡± Jacky snorted as he looked back up at Karnage ¡°Well boss, looks like you¡¯ve got your answer.¡± Karnage¡¯s hands clenched as her eyes watered with tears, her lips shivered as she grimaced ¡°Fools¡­every single one of you¡­¡± ¡°Hey watch it now, you might hurt my feelings!¡± joked Silent causing a series of chuckles in the undiminished crowd. Karnage wiped her eyes with her sleeves and readdressed the crowd, her guild ¡°Thank you¡­I know it has been a difficult week for everyone, to suddenly be used as soldiers in a war we have no business in¡­Sincerely, thank you.¡± ¡°Aw shucks now I¡¯m gonna blush!¡± declared Silent creating more chuckling in the crowd. ¡°So what now?¡± asked someone in the crowd. Karnage straightened out her emotions as she glanced at the forest behind them, more adventurers were approaching their position. ¡°We¡¯d love to know that too.¡± Asked Regina as she appeared next to Karnage out of nowhere, Dherik strolled around and up the hill soon after as his and Regina¡¯s remaining guild members joined the crowd almost tripling their numbers. ¡°With our siding against the Dezol already, what gives us the right to join them? What can we offer to regain their trust?¡± asked Dherik as he came to stand to her left with Regina. ¡°Man-power.¡± said Karnage before glancing at Zaahr who nodded. Zaahr took a step forward ¡°Not just our numbers, but their own too. As we speak the military is still forming lines around the Dezol prisoners, their defenses are scattered and weak. If we strike tonight then they stand no chance with our numbers and strength.¡± The chattering had continued, she cleared her throat a couple times and regained the quiet ¡°That is, their defenses currently won¡¯t but this operation will be much more than just that. For this plan to be successful we are required to not only break through the military¡¯s barricades and free the Dezol prisoners but also accompany them to Devil¡¯s Eye with minimal causalities.¡± Zaahr straightened her tone and spoke louder ¡°I expect you all to take this very seriously, this is no dungeon raid and it is no guild war. This will determine whether we get home and in what state we leave this world behind, whether we leave with a dirtied mind or a clear conscious.¡± She glanced at Karnage as stepped back with a nod. She faced the enlarged crowd once more ¡°Apokalypse, Lost and Predators. We are no longer three separate guilds of wandering mercenaries, from today onward we are a single military organization. This will require a new name for our group, neither guild name will be kept as it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for the other two but¡­Me, Dherik and Regina have agreed over a name, as the three joint leaders of this group.¡± ¡°You know¡­about that¡­I¡¯ve actually had it of leadership? Think I¡¯ll step down from that seat there K.¡± said Regina with a smirk as she glanced at Dherik. Dherik snorted in amusement ¡°Yeah I¡¯m with you there, can¡¯t have an even number of leaders either. We wouldn¡¯t get anywhere then, guess I¡¯ll step back too.¡± he shrugged. Karnage glanced between the two completely baffled ¡°But¡­¡± Regina moved behind her and held her by the shoulders ¡°So everyone, greet your new guild master. Come on, tell them what we decided.¡± she urged her on. Karnage felt her body freeze as she studied the numbers ahead of her, far more than she was used to leading. Every single one of them was her responsibility now, whether she liked it or not she saw Regina and Dherik¡¯s faces, they had decided this beforehand and wouldn¡¯t back down. She straightened herself and tried to regain somewhat of a pokeface, only to fail and remain anxious as she spoke ¡°Alright then¡­A¡­¡± She looked over the entire crowd as everyone watched and waited for her, glancing around herself she saw Regina¡¯s mischievous grin, Dherik¡¯s amused smile and Zaahr¡¯s perfectly plain expression. Karnage put herself back together and faced the crowd of adventurers once more ¡°From today on.¡± She continued to speak ¡°We fight for nobody but ourselves, we aid those that will aid us back or pay us back. Our goal is the end of what residents of this world call the Grand Quest, for us to go home with a clear conscious of what we did here.¡± She took a deep breath ¡°People will die as that is a given in life, but this world just isn¡¯t right and I cannot leave with it as it is. So we¡¯ll fight to make it right, we¡¯ll use our strength to fix what over so many generations of war has been broken. Not just for the people of Chaoz but for those of us that will stay behind, for our friends and comrades that wish to remain we will fight as well. As one people, as one guild.¡± The adventurers cheered as night fell. ¡°We are, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild of Chaoz.¡± And so, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was born.
Carn outskirts Esfeltian Military temporary blockade. Four hours later. General Fey stood outside her command tent receiving a constant stream of reports from her spread out officers, the Dwarves had set up barricades with their machinery around the large group of prisoners while the Esfeltian military herded them. The Dezol were still armed when they had respawned but were too terrified of the Drakes to take action, when the Drakes left chaos had fallen upon the outskirts of each town and the guards and soldiers on hand had to quickly engage combat. The Dezol were short on numbers compared to the alliance and the two groups of prisoners were even less compared to the soldiers the towns had at the ready. They were easily surrounded, outnumbered and forcefully disarmed or killed to be disarmed after respawn. Each prison was tied up and gathered inside camps quickly built by the Dwarves for holding them, wooden walls and metal reinforcements kept them inside while several more guards stood by the perimeter and above the walls watching them. Dozens had escaped before the Drakes had respawned and even more when they left so Fey had her hands full recapturing the runaways as they hid within the towns or tried the forest. She had sent out the remaining adventurers to re-capture those that took to the forest while her own men searched the towns. (¡°This is going to be a hectic night¡­¡±) she thought to herself while quickly listening to reports of the search, reports on the respawn point¡¯s lock down and reports on the hunt going through the forest. She sighed while gazing off into the forest, her worries far off from Barik itself (¡°What will they do¡­what will they decide¡­¡±) she thought while clenching her sword¡¯s sheath. ¡°Ma¡¯am? General? General!¡± shouted her subordinate, a male middle-edged half elf with short crimson hair and brown eyes. ¡°I hear you Nel, what is it captain?¡± she faced him with an annoyed expression. Nel saluted ¡°Ma¡¯am a suggestion from Royal Advisor Darkness, to put out scout groups around the camp in case the Dezol make an assault.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Fey grimaced ¡°We don¡¯t have the men for that, Helix will hold with the Avians, Mer, Fae and Dwarves holding it without us.¡± ¡°But Ma¡¯am¡­Permission to speak freely?¡± Nel asked. She glared down at him ¡°Frankly I don¡¯t have the time to listen or care Captain, return to your duties.¡± Nel straightened himself ¡°Ma¡¯am with utmost respect we mustn¡¯t-¡± Fey¡¯s eyes narrowed as her glare intensified on the man ¡°Take your company and replace 3rd¡¯s watch on the wall then. I¡¯m sure Solice will be relieved to end their standing around.¡± She ordered him with mana infusing her words. Nel¡¯s expression paled as he nodded, saluted and quickly walked away. Fey sighed again as she watched him leave, only to return to listen to others as several more soldiers came to stand by to report.
Nel climbed the makeshift wall¡¯s ladder reaching the top a few moments later, he glanced back and watched his company of a hundred dozen soldiers relieve another company of their guard duty. (¡°If only I had kept my mouth shut¡­¡±) he thought to himself bitterly, nobody liked guard duty and definitely not combat tested soldiers. Everyone was still on edge from recent events making it all even worse. Wordlessly he took up position watching the hundreds of prisoners inside the camp, a mere five meters high wooden wall keeping them inside. Glancing behind him again he saw the tents that surrounded the wall, after the tents was another much smaller and less effective barricade that seemed more like a fence than anything. He sighed at the seemingly quiet atmosphere, knowing all too well just how tense everything actually was. With the Empire at their necks even he had thoughts of abandoning his post and taking a ship to Hasharr, even a soldier like him who knew little of politics knew how the Empire would abuse these events to take control of Barik. They would use it all as an excuse to cover their asses from the Elven population and questions from Hasharr. ¡°At least¡­now all three courts have an excuse to send the entire Empire after the Dezol¡­¡± he spoke to himself in a whisper, sighing once again he turned back towards the prisoners and studied them. ¡°Look at that one still struggling with the rope.¡± Mused one of his squad captains. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± he replied simply while gazing off. ¡°Still bummed out from getting yelled at?¡± the other soldier asked with a smirk. ¡°Say what you will Jeneth, paranoia has never killed a man if not saved him.¡± said Nel as he massaged his forehead and closed his eyes. Jeneth chuckled ¡°You thinking about the twigs?¡± he then asked. ¡°What is to befall us next¡­I just cannot see a way out of this nightmare. What the hell was Draxxer thinking¡­getting involved with the quest, just look at where that took us.¡± Nel groaned in frustration. ¡°The churches and the alliance didn¡¯t do much better either, kept the quest all nice and hidden hoping the Empire wouldn¡¯t notice until it spread to Il¡¯tel and away from us.¡± argued Jeneth. ¡°Well we¡¯re involved now, there¡¯s no going back or denying it. Fuck¡­we should have reported it to the Empire the moment we saw it dawn down on us¡­¡± said Nel bitterly as he glared down at the prisoners ¡°It¡¯s all those fucking Dezol¡¯s fault, the Fae are to blame as well. If only they had kept their shit together, if only¡­¡± he clenched the wooden fence keeping him from falling inside the wall. A shout reached Nel¡¯s ear making him quickly turn and face the forest over the planes between, a lone rider above his sabretooth rode at full speed towards camp. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± asked Nel as he squinted at the still far off rider. Jeneth lazily turned away from the prisoners and followed his captain¡¯s eyes ¡°Messenger from Frosthold if I had to guess, what¡¯s he in such a rush for?¡± Nel unconsciously reached for his sword ¡°Something doesn¡¯t feel right¡­¡± Suddenly the wind picked up as a blizzard of snow engulfed the planes between Carn and the forest, Nel watched as the wall of pelting snow stopped forming a few feet away from camp. He watched and watched waiting to see the rider appear out of the blizzard at any moment. A fiery red glow illuminated through the blizzard as through it flew out several dozen fireballs. They flew up into the air catapulting towards them, the rain of fire fell down upon the walls and it¡¯s inhabitants and all hell let loose around Nel.
Author: Annddd¡­shit¡¯s hitting the fan in three¡­two¡­ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYHJvh0-DdY
Soldiers ran to shut off the flames while others hurried to stand outside of the camp, many ran out of their tents and more away from their guard duty to stand ready with sword and shield. ¡°Shit, who¡¯s attacking!? The Dezol?¡± exclaimed Jenneth as he stomped over a flame nearby. Nel unsheathed his longsword and took great care in watching the edge of the blizzard ¡°Is it?...¡± he asked more than unsure. The quiet after the rain of fire permeated the air as more soldiers from the other side of camp ran to form a line of defence. Suddenly the blizzard¡¯s end burst with movement as the attackers revealed themselves in a charge of several hundred warriors of differentiating equipment and abilities. Adventurers charged out of the blizzard and crashed into the soldiers utterly destroying their formation, the battle had began and it already descended into chaos as the enemy spread out and dug through their defences with their numbers.
Karnage charged through the raging blizzard with both blades ready, quickly she dashed through the remaining planes before leaping over the makeshift barricades and directly into the defender¡¯s ranks. Her people charged through alongside or behind her, easily going over or through the wooden defences. Like an eagle she descended upon one soldier with shield at the ready, with her left she slashed the shield aside and with her right she pierced down into his neck while kicking him down. Without a second thought she continued forward as chaos let loose around her, soldiers being thrown around as her frontline hard hitters ran through them like a pack of mad bison. She dashed forward entering a quick dance of sudden slashes and stabs as she bobbed and weaved around and through the defenders. She glanced from side to side at times to see her guild closing in their charge and piercing right through the defenders as magic projectiles rained down on the side and back lines. Looking ahead she saw the defender¡¯s campsite and behind it their objective, an average wooden wall with several dozen guards working on the flames. ¡°Push forward!¡± she shouted with mana infusing her voice, continuing onward herself. The camp was riddled with soldiers causing her to enter combat more than once as she ran by multitudes of tents. She spun, evaded, dodged and parried whenever possible while cutting down her opposition without mercy or pause. Her blades flicking around like serpents as her athletic body bent like one¡¯s and moved with sudden and erratic movements. All around her the adventurers easily broke through the confused and unprepared defenders quickly making it through the campsite as the defender¡¯s ranks fell before they could even be sorted. Karnage reached the wooden wall and slammer her back to it as bowmen rained arrows on them from above, allowing herself a quick breath she turned and faced the wall. ¡°Take flight as per my will alone, with my movements dazzling my foes enhance my leaps and give me wings! Flyer¡¯s Dance!¡± Green wind-like mana raged around her entire body while forming around her blades, with incredible weightlessness she leaped up several meters and landed on top of the wall. Many other adventurers followed her up using their own differentiating methods and the fight for the higher ground began. Guards charged with their swords and shields while bowmen abandoned their bows for shortswords, she made use of the tight space to jump over and around the fence using her weightlessness to leap around the wall and descend upon her targets. A sudden hand grabbed hold of her leg as she leaped up, the soldier pulled her down and slammed her to the wooden floor. She groaned in pain as the air left her lungs, causing her vision to blur and her thoughts to grow hazy. She watched as a red headed soldier raised his sword above her. Blades flashed behind the soldier as a shadow appeared out of nowhere, the soldier¡¯s blurry outline fell down and off the wall as the shadow took form and her vision began to return. Jacky stood above her with a wide grin, he winked before turned to shadow and clashing with three soldiers behind him. Karnage quickly stood up and glanced around her, Jacky was to her left dispatching soldiers that got near with a simple flick of his wrist while Regina stood to her right shooting down any that got anywhere near with her dual pistols. She then turned her attention to the inside of the walls, several hundred prisoners lay tied up on the ground in groups of three or more. She turned to the outside of the wall and gazed over the battlefield that took over the entirety from the first barricade all the way to the wall itself. She raised her right sword up into the air as it suddenly and briefly blazed aflame three times in quick succession. All the way back at the first barricade, a thick wooden fence that lay broken and burned was further destroyed as a single adventurer charged out of the blizzard and straight through it as if it wasn¡¯t even there. Dherik charged like a bull as a blue aura engulfed his body, he sent foe and friend alike flying as he charged through the corridor that was made for him as he pulled a large wooden carriage behind him. Yells to stop the charging adventurer went through the defender¡¯s ranks but the adventurers kept them at bay from even getting close to Dherik¡¯s path. Adventurers above the wall spread out all around it taking up ranged weaponry to keep defenders from climbing back up while dispatching any that still stood above it, the rest fought down on the ground keeping the defenders out of Dherik¡¯s charge. Little by little some trickled behind Dherik and joined his charge following behind the carriage until a squad of over four dozen adventurers ran behind him. Dherik roared out in challenge as his aura spread a few meters further as he crashed headfirst into the wall, wood splintered on impact as the measly wooden material shattered under his raw strength. Four meters of the five-meter-thick wall of logs and planks was bashed open, Dherik and his squad continued inside as two battles continued to rage outside. One battle to keep the wall¡¯s upper section and one battle to hold the line and keep a clear path for the prisoner¡¯s retreat from inside the wall. Karnage turned to inside the wall and jumped down, landing slowly with her weightlessness. Quickly along with everyone else who charged behind Dherik she dashed to cut the prisoner¡¯s bindings as Dherik himself lay on the ground groaning and holding his forehead. ¡°Rise up soldiers of the Dezol! There is weapons inside the carriage! Take up arms!¡± she shouted while dashing around the field slashing free several Demons as she went. The Dezol remained confused for only a brief few moments before rushing over to the carriage, one large Demon stopped by Dherik and heave him over his shoulders while his comrades quickly looted the carriage for equipment. Swords, maces, pikes, spears, halbereds and warhammers were thrown and passed around as the newly armed forces of the Dezol turned to face Karnage. She met their steeled gazes with her not so much one and spoke ¡°You are free so stop standing around! Charge out! The path is clear! We will have your backs!¡± she shouted causing many of them to cheer. The Dezol turned and rushed out of the opening in the wall with as much order as expected from a military unit, well expect for that one strangely larger Demon that carried Dherik who knocked over several adventurers on his way out. Karnage glanced around at her people ¡°Assemble behind them! Wall squad behind us! Follow the plan!¡± she lead them back out of the wall and watched as several of the Dezol had joined the fight themselves, taking up arms against their captors even when told to run. Unlike the chaotic and seemingly random or lucky adventurers with strange abilities, the Dezol fought ferociously and with keen co-ordination to their surroundings. Karnage lead Dherik¡¯s squad through the open path as they spread through and aided Silent¡¯s squad who was holding the two flanks, she stopped mid-way and glanced back to see Regina¡¯s squad who had taken the wall retreating in behind them. ¡°Close formation! Fall back!¡± she called out as her squad leaders relayed the order through the battlefield. At the order for retreat Zaahr¡¯s mage squad rained hell upon the defenders with all they had covering for their retreat. The Adventurers closed in their formation and slowly fell back while the defenders took relief from the retreating enemy and in a frenzy caused by the sudden coming of action some even chased after them. Orders went through the defender¡¯s ranks making them fall in line and allowing the adventurers to retreat back into the blizzard along with the Dezol. Dozens of rider squads were quickly beginning to assemble as the blizzard slowly died down, the riders chased through the revealed plains as the last of the adventurers and Dezol ran into the forest leaving behind a destroyed and prisoner sacked camp. Karnage looked ahead as she ran at a steady pace ¡°Don¡¯t overwork yourselves! We still have another camp to free and now we have cheerful reinforcements!¡± she announced causing cheers from both the adventurers and the Dezol as they quickly marched through the forest. ¡°Riders behind us!¡± announced a Demon from the back causing Karnage to glance back, several dozen sabretooth riders were chasing after them and quickly gaining on them. If nothing was done they would all be run down like deer being chased by lions. She took a deep breath and smirked before shouting ¡°Rain hell on them!¡± with mana infusing her voice. The riders were closing in as suddenly magic rained down on them from above, several mages and rangers were hidden in the trees ready to cover the guild¡¯s retreat. Zaahr¡¯s squad had fallen back much quicker and before everyone else had even entered the blizzard they conjured and had then taken up perch in the trees. Suddenly several of the adventures turned around and charged at the riders, Regina¡¯s lightly armoured squad who was proficient with speed and ranged combat gunned down or simply unsaddled the remaining riders. Jacky in general dashed around like a vengeful god engulfed in shadows, his wraith form in full. Undeterred by persecution the now larger army of adventurers marched forward with renewed vigour, Dezol Demons joining them in the path to Frosthold a few hours away.
Frosthold outskirts Esfeltian Military temporary blockade. Five hours later. Karnage tensed as they approached Frosthold from the north, she had taken them in between two of Tri Lake¡¯s bottom and middle lakes sneaking around the alliance¡¯s nose and directly to their behind before they could set up defenses there as well. She had left the army behind, hidden in the thick forest between the lakes as she moved with a small squad of officers and stealthy adventurers to scout out the blockade first. Running at a steady pace with her were Zaahr, Regina, Kiritooh and a couple Dezol officers. A few Dezol Shades were covering their approach along with a couple adventurers, which included Jacky. The sight of a shadow splattering blood ahead of them told them either a Shade or Jacky had encountered a scout, as they passed by they caught a glance of Jacky covering the splatter up with snow as the corpse dissipated behind him. ¡°We¡¯re close.¡± Whispered Regina from her left as they came by the edge of the forest, a short walk away from the town was an opening in the forest were the alliance had set up camp. This one was built around the opening using the trees to make the walls that surrounded them, the outer wall here was better built and higher than the inner wall at Carn. Reinforced with metal and armed with Dwarven machinery up top this told the adventurers their worst fears had come to pass. ¡°Helix fell back to defend Frosthold¡­they¡¯re waiting for us.¡± said Zaahr as they peaked around a tree to see the wall still a couple dozen meters ahead. ¡°This is bad, we cannot take on that many.¡± Said Regina as she eyed the many mages and archers above the sturdy looking wall ¡°And I don¡¯t think Dherik can put a dent in that¡­¡± Karnage grimaced as she considered her options ¡°Fall back, we¡¯ll figure this out.¡± Ch 68 Part 2 - Paths Collide Karnage walked back and forth as the others argued nearby, precious moonlight being wasted away as they contemplated on how to attack the outpost that was so suddenly reinforced. Her makeshift army stood around within their makeshift camp of portable tents and heating magic stones as they waited for their commanders to come up with a plan. But it didn¡¯t seem to be going anywhere soon. ¡°As I just told you, those walls will not fall from brute strength alone and magic will only be countered by more magic.¡± Explained one of the Dezol officers. Dherik groaned in annoyance ¡°What do you suggest then!?¡± The Castanic Demon grimaced and glanced away in shame ¡°We have no siege equipment, no flyers and nobody on the scale of a Demon Lord or Devil¡­¡± ¡°So nothing then?¡± asked Regina followed by a sigh as the Demon shook his head. ¡°There has to be something we can do to get through their defences, we cannot just stand around all night and do nothing!¡± exclaimed Karnage suddenly as she stopped pacing. Zaahr bit her lip in annoyance ¡°If they really pulled back numbers from Helix then we won¡¯t stand a chance in attacking them. I suggest we just head to Devil¡¯s Eye with the Dezol we¡¯ve freed.¡± Another Demon, also a Castanic but female nodded in agreement ¡°As much as I hate to leave our brothers and sisters under enemy chains with our current forces we can¡¯t be expected to do anything but retreat and regroup.¡± A third Demon, an Imp with reddish grey skin spoke from between his two Dezol companions ¡°Not to mention, if General Talran was the one in-charge of Carn then the one in-charge of Frosthold will be¡­¡± a shiver seemed to go through his small body ¡°The master tactician First General Moore¡­¡± he then grumbled. A snort sounded off from behind them as Jacky approached with an amused smirk ¡°Master tactician¡­Ah please continue, don¡¯t let my presence distract you.¡± Zaahr turned to glare at him ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Sheesh.¡± He backed away from her while still smirking ¡°Just here to poke and prod at your apparently simple minds.¡± Dherik loomed over Jacky ¡°And you know better how exactly?¡± Jacky sighed in apparent exasperation ¡°Okay let¡¯s go about it like this then¡­Our goal is to what?¡± he asked while gesturing around. ¡°To break out the Dezol prisoners and return them home as a sign of peace?¡± said, or more asked Regina. Jacky flicked a finger gun at her ¡°Bingo, so why the hell are we still here? We broke them out, so let¡¯s leave.¡± ¡°We were just talking about that.¡± Said Zaahr with a grimace ¡°And even then there are difficulties, the only way to Devil¡¯s eye is through Helix and to get through Helix we¡¯ll be giving the army at Frosthold our backs, our wide open backs.¡± ¡°So instead we¡¯ll just stand around here doing nothing and wait for them to find us, surround us and massacre us?¡± Jacky asked with a raised brow in question. Dherik sighed ¡°I sort of agree, we have a better chance of heading for Helix now while they expect us at Frosthold and try our luck.¡± ¡°And here I thought you were a thick headed moran, good for you big guy.¡± Said Jacky as he slapped Dherik¡¯s arm while chuckling. Dherik growled menacingly while visibly restraining himself. ¡°What about Helix? How do you plan on getting through that wall of arcane mana?¡± asked the Imp. ¡°We had planned for me to mess with it enough to open a gap.¡± said Zaahr ¡°My Arcanist class allows me a certain degree of control over arcane mana, although I don¡¯t have any knowledge on runes I figured if I messed with the barrier itself I could create a disruption in it¡¯s flow.¡± She explained. ¡°So it¡¯s decided then? We head for Helix.¡± declared Karnage as she turned to a few officers than sat nearby ¡°Silent get everyone moving, we¡¯re skipping to our retreat!¡± The army of over a thousand adventurers with mixed in Demons began to gather and form up through placements given to them by officers who relayed them from Zaahr. It took almost an hour to ready everyone up to move but after so they finally began to march. With the Dezol soldiers in the very core of the formation they were surrounded from every flank with adventurers from the three large guilds now made one. They marched at a steady pace, to most they seemed to be running but in this world where stamina and movement speed were an increasable stat they were barely moving at maximum speed. The guild leaders were spread out through the marching army to effectively relay commands around, Zaahr and Karnage were at the front with Jacky. Zaahr still didn¡¯t trust the adventurer and wanted to keep him close to keep an eye on him. Jacky smiled in anticipation as they moved, his hands never moving too far from the belt of daggers he kept on him. It creeped Zaahr out, his attitude was cold in combat but completely that of a jack ass out of it. If it wasn¡¯t for his skill in combat and stealthy manoeuvrability she wouldn¡¯t have allowed him in. Even if most of her guild including Karnage seemed to trust him somewhat she couldn¡¯t get herself to trust that mischievous smile he always wore, it simply pissed her off. (¡°Dammit focus, don¡¯t get distracted by the ass hole.¡±) Zaahr chided herself looking away from the source of her annoyance. Instead she glanced at her leader and close friend, she wondered why Karnage even trusted him enough to place him in important missions and positions. Sure he was high level and the strongest member they currently had but that didn¡¯t mean nobody else was capable of doing good enough to replace him. Someone more trust worthy. Out of shear paranoia she glanced at his last position again only to see that he was gone, she glanced around but no trace of Jacky was to be seen ¡°Where did he¡­¡±. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Karnage as she moved beside her, barely half her speed she kept a slower pace to stay with the rest. ¡°Douche is gone.¡± Whispered Zaahr as she glanced around looking for him. Karnage looked around to notice the same ¡°Maybe he went ahead? Not the first time?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­¡± said Zaahr as she put him out of her mind and focused on the task at hand. ¡°You might want to stop everyone.¡± said Jacky as he suddenly appeared between them making both their hearts skip a beat. ¡°Mothe-Ugghhh! Don¡¯t do that!¡° exclaimed Karnage with a slightly pale expression. ¡°Stop unless you want to all die.¡± He then told them with a straight face. Zaahr glanced between him then the forest ahead as a horrified expression suddenly took over her face ¡°Stop¡­.STOP!¡± she suddenly shouted with mana infusing her voice. Slowly the entire army came to a stop as everyone glanced around in confusion, all except for the ones at the front as they stared at the obstacle at hand. ¡°What is¡­this?¡± asked Zaahr as she stared at the army of riders charging their way through the field of scattered trees and snow, the amount of vegetation massively decreasing as they approached Helix. ¡°To arms!¡± called out Karnage as she unsheathed her swords ¡°They were ready for us!¡± she then exclaimed. Hundreds of Esfeltian sabretooth riders charged at them as squads of Avians moved to surround their army from the flanks, further behind moved Dwarven constructs of war preparing volleys of destructive mechanical projectiles along with squads of Fae sorcerers. Jacky chuckled ¡°Wonderful, they actually brought everything.¡± Zaahr turned to glare at him ¡°The hell do you mean!¡± she quickly raised a barrier to block the enemy¡¯s magic projectiles as did many other of their mages ¡°This was an ambush! How the hell di-You¡­You knew!?¡± she suddenly exclaimed while looking back. Jacky snorted ¡°It was either here or where we were camped at, boss didn¡¯t like that spot for the plan so had me aid you into coming to a better conclusion than waiting.¡± He shrugged while wearing a self-satisfied smile. Zaahr couldn¡¯t believe her ears ¡°What¡­What do you¡­¡± Jacky slightly leaned forward as a dagger appeared in each of his hands, his smile twisted into a wicked grin ¡°Master tactician¡­Hah¡­Watch and learn.¡± Shadow engulfed his body as he charged up a tree and leaped at a squad of Avians. Mages and archers fired away at the riders but the evasive creatures were too quick and well suited for the forest. ¡°Melee combatants forward!¡± shouted Zaahr as she herself retreated back for the swordsmen to take the frontline. But the enemy weren¡¯t fools, as their melee fighters moved ahead the charging riders separated into two waves and parted to either of their flanks. They rode away and turned to come charging in from opposing directions. ¡°I am Jason D.Moore! For your acts against the Dominion you shall be punished accordingly! Run them down! For the Esfeltian Dominion!¡± shouted a menacing voice from the charging riders. As fighters, archers and mages ran around to take position creating a massive fuck up of confusion the riders clashed into the army¡¯s flanks as Avians flew over and attacked by swooping down from above. Zaahr casted buffs and formed barriers to repel Avian attacks all the while looking around herself for how far the riders had pushed into their ranks. They had been effectively surrounded, outmanoeuvred and soon to be defeated. The riders would charge in and harass before running away for the mages and Dwarven artillery to weaken their barriers and deplete their mana stores before charging in again. She panicked as did everyone else, now fully comprehending how farfetched their plans truly were. They were just children playing at war games, fighting against real soldiers and experienced tacticians. They had lost their element of surprise, the only reason they had taken Carn¡¯s prisoners in the first place.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Their army had nowhere to run, no cover to make use of and no advantage to pull off. The enemy numbers were equal to their dwindling ones, their firepower and manoeuvrability far superior. They had caught their foot in a bear trap and were now being used as target practice. (¡°What the hell was I thinking¡­We never stood a chance!¡±) thought Zaahr as she failed to reinforce her barrier in time for an Avian attack, the winged warrior swooping through before the wall of mana blocked him and headed directly for her at unavoidable speed. She closed her eyes as his spear approached her, too fast for her to react. The sound of metal meeting metal rang in her ears as the sound of flesh being torn followed soon after. Slowly she opened her eyes to see blood, not her own but instead a splatter on her face. ¡°Stay focused now, can¡¯t have you all die so quickly.¡± said Jacky as he crouched down to pull a dagger out of the Avian¡¯s chest. His black clothes were soaking wet with blood and covered in splatters of snow, his daggers doing just as bad as his clothing. ¡°What¡­What are you talking about!? We¡¯re surrounded! We¡¯ve lost!¡± she exclaimed causing many of the mages around her to glance over with desperate expressions. Jacky chuckled as he raised a circular device ahead of himself, a large ring of wood and gold carved with runes and emanating a flow of mana within. ¡°Did you hear that? Looks like we¡¯ve lost.¡± He snorted at his own joke. ¡°Heh¡­¡± replied a voice from the device ¡°Do not engage an enemy more powerful than you and if it is unavoidable and you do have to engage, then make sure you engage it on your terms not on your enemy''s terms.¡± A sudden explosion sounded off throughout the forest as several Dwarven constructs were turned to splinters and scrap metal, a cheer of over hundreds of voices followed. From behind Esfelt¡¯s forces a new force appeared, a large makeshift band of fighters clashing directly into the alliance¡¯s behind. ¡°Who are those?!¡± asked Zaahr as she watched multiple other explosions flash through the night. ¡°A friend we made not too long ago.¡± Replied the voice she now recognised as Birse from the device ¡°Ever heard of the Dusk Blade Bandits?¡±
Kyle grinned as he listened to the clash and clattering of battle along with more than a few explosions, Woody, Death and Seren having a literal blast with their magic as the Dusk Blades assaulted the alliance¡¯s mildly defended spell casters and artillery from behind. ¡°Should we get started?¡± asked Steph from his right as they stood at the edge of the forest bordering the encampment behind them, Lilior and Cherry also stood around with him along with other things¡­ Kyle glanced around as the green to grey skinned creatures shivered in anticipation, he grinned ¡°So, who¡¯s ready for shiny things and tasty loot?¡± he asked the army of goblins. Chuckles, snickers and straight up laughs were his responses, along with voices that would send a shiver down anybody¡¯s spine. ¡°How did you procure these¡­beings?¡± asked Lilior with a distraught expression. ¡°Well we promised them loot and plunder if they assisted us, along with the Dusk Blade¡¯s new commander vouching for us and that we left Skill down at their place for insurance.¡± answered Cherry with a smirk. ¡°Not even gonna hide it, he asked for it.¡± admitted Kyle as he turned to face the large wall of wood reinforced with metal plating ¡°Let¡¯s get this party started!¡± he then exclaimed in a whisper as Steph raised her gloves ahead of herself and flowed mana into the mixture of gems embedded to her wrist. They suddenly disappeared, her magic turning them invisible only for a few seconds but enough for the quick creatures to reach the wall undetected along with Kyle. Cherry stayed behind with Steph and Lilior for the next stage. Kyle rested his back to the wall as did the couple hundred goblins that were with him, he glanced up to see that there was no way for the guards up top to see them. He then turned around and crouched down between metal plating where there was only wood, the space between metal plates was small but enough. He placed his hands on the wood as greenish slime oozed out and began to eat away at the wood with it¡¯s acidic properties, slowly the wood gave away creating a small three by two feet hole taking inside the wall proper. Too small for Kyle to squeeze in but¡­ He stepped back slightly and gestured for the goblins to move, one by one they passed through the hole and into the dimly lit corridor inside making their way with short swords and daggers. Once all the goblins had entered it was time for Kyle¡¯s favourite part of the plan, causing absolute chaos within the enemy¡¯s ranks. He briefly waited for several corpses of guards to fall from on top of the wall, the throats slit open or necks stabbed deep from behind. As they dissipated he rushed back into the forest ¡°Alright, here we go.¡± He told the other three as he sat down as if meditating ¡°Watch my ass now, else a snake might kill me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll watch it real good master!¡± exclaimed Lilior with a victorious grin. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t even know what to say after that.¡± said Steph while resting on the snow, the spell for cloaking so many targets draining her mana stores almost immediately. ¡°Nothing else to say, we¡¯ll watch his ass real good.¡± repeated Cherry with a smirk. Kyle snorted ¡°Here goes.¡± He focused while taking out the largest crystal core he had at his disposal, a four by four feet violet core taken from an elder slime a while ago. He quickly flowed his mana and Spirit into the core creating it¡¯s resource from which he would build up his golem. His Spirit depleted slowly as more began to flow into him while the goblins sneaked around the camp murdering it¡¯s inhabitants while his mana steadily drained down to one, allowing it to regenerate as to not fall under the effects of mana exhaustion. After almost a minute of flowing his mana into the core he felt like it had filled up enough, placing his palms over the large crystal sphere he refocused on creating his construct. Slime oozed out of the core raising it up as it suddenly took form following what Kyle pictured in his mind, the form still very much vivid from a close encounter. The golem grew in enormous size and took form of a Drake made of (Monstrous) slime covering it in shell plating and spikes along with (Swamp) slime flesh over it for magic resistance. At strategic spots, he also placed (Cursed) slime for the [Illusionary] effect to give it the correct colouring and appearance while also placing (Elder Dark) slime tucked away under the limbs to create more confusion within the enemy camp and making his little green assassins more effective¡­just in case they fucked up. He could sense the camp already moving around as they spotted the massive beast outside their puny walls, as for the last touch he moved his consciousness into the golem as he silently named it ¡°Lesser Fire Drake¡± giving it artificial life. Soldiers stood in place as they gazed up at the monstrosity that stared down at them, it¡¯s sheer size enough to terrify them on the spot. Then it opened it¡¯s jaw and let out a golden yellow flame that engulfed them, or at least that is what they saw as the (Elder Fire) yellow slime gushed out of the golem¡¯s mouth and drenched them in smouldering hot liquid that seared their skin. Kyle absorbed the Spirit created by their confusion allowing him to spurt out more slime covering a large area with it, working his illusion he showed them a camp on fire as the very snow melted from it¡¯s golden heat. While in reality the slime¡¯s heat was barely enough to give the soldiers second degree burns as it easily slid off their skin and left their armour untouched. Yet the illusion was enough to bring the entire camp down to utter chaos at the idea of a Drake assaulting their small blockade. In the meantime the goblins snuck around the camp killing anyone in their path to the second wall, they went mostly unnoticed under the disguise of night, their dark cloaks and the massive Draconic beast taking most of the attention. They reached the second wall and sheathed their weapons, digging their claws into the wood they began to climb with ease. One by one, two by two, three by three, the goblins swarmed the wall¡¯s inhabitants as their eerie chuckling and laughter permeated the camp¡¯s inner. Officers tried to bring the camp back into control only to falter themselves as they stumbled over their subordinates still living corpses, stabbed in multiple ways and gargling blood they somehow remained alive and pleading else covered in yellow slime and burning away. Kyle watched the entire camp from his vantage point through his golem¡¯s magical perception, he remained with his front legs clawing over the wall while blowing out makeshift flames into camp. The golem was simply too massive for him to move along with it¡¯s form being too strange and having one too many limbs for him to begin to understand what to move. Instead he remained still and made use of his [Ooze] ability through the Golem. He cackled wickedly, his voice emanating from the golem a hundredfold louder before spilling out another doze of yellow burning slime. Arrows flew at his golem only to stick uselessly to the gelatinous surface, magic blasted at it¡¯s body only to either be absorbed by the (Swamp) muddy slime and dissipate or when not elemental to pierce through ineffectively leaving a hole for him to close or a chunk for him to patch up. He took great care in keeping the core¡¯s location below the wall so no stray projectile got a lucky hit, damaging a golem¡¯s core would instantly destroy it. He watched as the camp began to regain some composure as squads of mages formed up to blast away magic at his golem, taking off large chunks of it¡¯s body with each co-ordinated attack. Kyle inwardly smirked as more soldiers began to form up, he patiently waited until one attack blasted away the Drake¡¯s entire head causing the formed up soldiers to cheer. They quickly fell back to whimpering terror as the headless Drake awkwardly stepped over the wall and collapsed towards them. It¡¯s illusion broke as the entire golem fell over them, mages hastily cast a barrier stopping the massive construct from crushing them all but Kyle was still one more step ahead. The entire golem glowed blue as it¡¯s surface began to peel off, revealing the massive blob of (Elder Frost) slime within as it pulsated with energy and condensed. The echoing sound of something massive cracking reverberated throughout the camp before the entire mass of solid ice exploded. Most of the soldiers survived the blast through hiding behind the barriers but many still succumbed to the explosion or blast, crushed beneath the force or flung away like ragdolls into the distance. The explosion destroyed a large chunk of the wall sending metal plates and wood flying all over the place, projectiles Cherry and Lilior had to defend Kyle from. Kyle suddenly woke from his focus, the destruction of his golem recovering his consciousness to his actual body. He shakily stood up as a minor headache began to form, he gazed at his masterpiece. A massive hole made through the camp¡¯s outer wall along with just as large a crater inside. He glanced around himself to see that the trees that once covered them were reduced to nothing more than uprooted and fallen or simply broken off stumps. He took a deep breath allowing himself to be empowered by the chaotic emotions flowing through the camp, his Spirit slowly re filling as his mana still lacked the regeneration speed. ¡°One down, one more to go.¡± He said while strolling towards the wide-open gap, Cherry, Steph and Lilior following closely behind. The soldiers took formation while facing them, several hundred of them still keeping to their ranks. They outnumbered Kyle¡¯s small party of four, completely and utterly outnumbered and outgunned them. ¡°Whuahaahahahaa!!¡± Yet the wicked laughter of the goblins above the wall behind them, several hundred little green monsterlings, caused the soldiers to falter as they glanced back and above them. The goblins began to randomly throw things down at the soldiers, be it pieces of armour, weapons, crates or even limbs they threw whatever came by their hands. Mages turned to blast the little critters away with magic when the sudden roaring challenge of warriors caught their attention. From the left moved in the Dezol soldiers that were once prisoners inside the camp, wielding weapons they scavenged from the camp itself their numbers outweighing the remaining defender¡¯s. The goblins had managed to release them before moving to throwing shit down at the defenders, some literally throwing shit. Kyle summoned forth a pair of [Slime Scattershot]s as he openly grinned. Cherry popped his neck as stone rolled from all around him and moved to cover his body, he slammed his now stone covered fists together and chuckled. Steph raised her palms up in front of herself as a different assortment of gems decorated her gloves, they glowed in different colours as blue, red and white mana flowed all around her body forming tendrils that lashed out unpredictably. Lilior¡¯s wings first switched to blue slime before forming six pairs of long silver scythes. She glanced around in confusion as her companions didn¡¯t move to attack. Kyle sighed ¡°Come out come out, I know you¡¯re there.¡± He spoke with mana infusing his voice letting it engulf the new battlefield. ¡°Heh, looks like waiting around was pointless after all.¡± said Talia as she appeared out of the ground, the earth moving to her will as she ascended from it along with several others. ¡°I¡¯m never listening to YOU again.¡± Exclaimed Nakano as she unstrapped a massive sword from her back. ¡°It is only dirt, nothing wrong with getting dirty now and then.¡± Zeeke sighed as he swatted off some dirt off his plate armour, a massive shield on his left and a longsword within his right hand. Several other adventurers stood behind them facing either Kyle¡¯s group or the Dezol¡¯s. Zeeke glanced back ¡°Help the soldiers, we¡¯ll take care of these four.¡± He ordered while heaving up his shield. Kyle smirked ¡°What, you¡¯re not going to hide behind your subordinates again scumbag?¡± Nakano clenched her sword as she suddenly charged forward at great speed, snow parted at her charge when she suddenly clashed with something midway causing a small crater to form as more snow parted further. Lilior glared at the adventurer with wide open frosted eyes, her scythes clashing with the massive sword ¡°You shall not touch a hair on my master.¡± Her voice turning ice cold as she spoke. Ch 69 - Reasons ¡°So this is how it¡¯s going to be?¡± asked Cherry as he heaved his Warhammer ready. ¡°They have such golden hearts that they¡¯d risk their lives for a failing empire.¡± Kyle snorted as he coldly stared at Nakano holding back Lilior¡¯s scythes. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean!?¡± Nakano grumbled back. ¡°So blind¡­still so blind Nakano.¡± Said Kyle as he shook his head, turned to glance over Zeeke and Talia ¡°You¡¯ve made a deal haven¡¯t you? What you think we¡¯re fools? We¡¯ve been keeping an eye on you Zeeke, we know what the both of you plan to do.¡± Zeeke¡¯s expression turned bitter ¡°Enough talking.¡± He heaved his massive shield ahead of himself. ¡°Gladly.¡± Said Cherry as the stone surrounding his body moved to surround his weapon, he stomped down causing a brief quake that sent everyone out of balance but himself. He suddenly charged as Zeeke lowered his stance to regain his footing but it was too late, Cherry¡¯s hammer smashed into the shield sending Zeeke flying back and tumbling with the ground. Zeeke crashed through the Esfeltian soldiers like a bowling ball sending several tumbling back with him. Cherry stretched out his free hand as he continued to move towards Talia who shivered as the giant approached ¡°I got this guy.¡± He said before leaping upwards and over her. Kyle glanced back at Steph ¡°How¡¯s your mana?¡± She bit her lip in annoyance ¡°Bad.¡± He nodded ¡°Assist Lilior, I got her.¡± He turned to stare straight at Talia who seemed relieved not having to deal with the golem man. ¡°Dammit!¡± Nakano cursed as she struggled to hold Lilior back, the Fae hovering over the ground unaffected by the quake as she pushed down the warrior. Lilior suddenly moved back as her wings turned from scythes to spears, she lunged back in giving Nakano no room to breathe and barraging her with a flurry of attacks while chanting under her breath. Each blessing came naturally to her, the words a figment of her imagination while the meaning ingrained into her soul. Lilior¡¯s speed increased as did her power, ethereal wind engulfed her body while flickering flames flowed with her shifting wings. She barraged Nakano over and over too fast for the adventurer to react except parry and block with her massive sword. But Nakano was far from done either; suddenly she moved back while swinging her sword up and around, the flat blade picked up snow and with the spin threw it up and ahead of herself giving her a smoke screen. Lilior¡¯s wings pierced through the snow hitting nothing causing her to hover back a few as Nakano rushed from the left swinging her blade upwards at the Fae. Lilior moved her wings ahead of herself shifting the many spears to a single shield, the massive blade clashed with her shield blocking the attack but also taking the force with as she was sent flying to the side. Nakano followed with a charge while dragging her sword behind herself. Kyle gestured for Steph to follow them and the mage also effected by Lilior¡¯s blessing rushed after them. He watched after them briefly before turning to face Talia who simply grinned as she watched. Talia met his cold gaze ¡°Well? Going to lecture me on my choices now?¡± she smirked. Kyle lowered his two guns down to the snow ¡°Lecture?¡± it began as a chuckle but slowly, he progressed to a wicked laugh. Talia flinched but held on her now awkward smirk ¡°What, I thought you said you knew?¡± the clash of battle behind her nothing but background noise. Kyle took a deep breath and calmed himself down, with a grin plastered on his face he continued to bore a gaze through her ¡°Oh we know. How the churches plan to sell out the Dominion to the Elven Empire, how you and Zeeke plan to aid the Empire with ending the Grand Quest so you can return home.¡± He chuckled once more ¡°Quiet the villainous plan I must say but¡­¡± ¡°But what?¡± she asked with arms open ¡°I¡¯m looking out for myself, isn¡¯t that the same thing you are doing? Siding with the Dezol to end the quest on your own terms?¡± Kyle¡¯s expression turned cold, his grin completely gone ¡°Don¡¯t compare us to you, there is a vast difference between us and you.¡± Talia stomped forwards ¡°Difference?! What difference!¡± she laughed ¡°We¡¯re both just shoving everybody else under the bus and saving our own hides!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t fool yourself, because you don¡¯t fool me.¡± Kyle¡¯s eyes lit up a blue blaze ¡°I see right through you, if there is any similarity between us¡­well that could only be one. You don¡¯t want to leave Chaoz either.¡± Talia¡¯s expression darkened as she shook her head ¡°N-No¡­Why the hell¡­would I want to stay here!?¡± Kyle smirked coldly ¡°I sensed it in you before, I did just recently when Cherry approached you. The excitement, the stench was all over you. I know someone similar so it was easy to point out, the love for action. You don¡¯t want to leave Chaoz, you won¡¯t leave Chaoz because I know you cannot help yourself from wanting more.¡± Slowly he approached her ¡°You¡¯re in denial, you won¡¯t admit it yourself.¡± He raised both arms and took aim ¡°So let me open your eyes for you.¡± --- Author: Here wweee goooo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qCBEKzPjUU --- Talia seeing him raise his weapons snapped out of her daze, quickly she raised a wall of earth between them as the acidic projectiles left the barrels. Kyle surged forward as he formed (Elder Frost) slime under his boots, with the momentum, the ice and acid working on each other and the deforming wall he slid over the surface and upwards. He surged again appearing mid-air while taking aim downwards. Kyle let off a flurry of acidic shots as each attack pushed him up a few inches, keeping his height while raining down hell. Talia summoned a curving wall of stone over her head while chanting ¡°Spark out a blaze, like fireflies fill the sky! Flame Sparks!¡± many hundred tiny glowing orbs of yellow, red and orange left her outstretched hands as they moved from under the arch of melting stone and filled the air. The tiny fires surrounded Kyle as he suddenly stopped shooting, losing his propelling he fell downwards. The air around him lit up with the firefly-like embers as their glow continuously pulsed brighter, suddenly each one lit up with flames before the entire area above Talia was a raging firestorm. Seeing her escape she lowered the first wall she made and ran out from under her crumbling cover as the fire above her dimmed out, she stopped a dozen feet away, with her back to the forest she turned around. Kyle stood above the crumbling archway covered in a muddy slime, using (Swamp) slime he defended himself from the fiery explosion. The slime moved to his will and changed from brown to blue before forming in his right hand, both his [Scattershot]s were gone so both hands were now free. The slime quickly formed another long thick barrel exactly the same as a (Scattershot), Kyle smirked ¡°Why haven¡¯t I thought of this before? Thanks for the epiphany.¡± He had watched as each ember pulsed at it¡¯s own rate and exploded outwards alone, not in tangent with the rest. He summoned a cannon like the [Scattershot] but different, he raised it up towards her and chanted ¡°Gatling Slime¡± as a long box of (Monstrous) slime formed to the right of the cannon. Kyle had realised, he didn¡¯t need to form the projectiles directly inside the barrel and instead could form them inside a separate container where he could load them into the barrel one by one. And so he first pictured it in his mind, how each bullet would form inside the new container and then load into the barrels. Instead of a completely solid barrel he made the eight barrels separate from the surface armouring while still connected to him through a pipe that went through the middle, made entirely of (Elder Frost) he made it mostly solid except for where it connected to the rest where it remained almost liquid but closer to jelly or in this case slime. The slime would remerged with itself no matter how torn or ripped up it becomes as he willed the pipe to spin on itself and in turn spinning the inner barrels. As the barrels spun a sort of tape would be pulled in with the ammunition ready, the tape having indentations mirroring the barrel¡¯s outside for it to spin around like a gear and continuously move the tape like a tank¡¯s threads or tracks.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. This would take more mana along with having to use mana to fire and reload but what kept Kyle from trying this before was because he couldn¡¯t concentrate to do it himself. Talia¡¯s spell reminded him of something, that as long as the system accepted the spell then it would be replicated with little concentration needed from the caster.
Through sheer ingenuity and creativity you have created the skill [Gatling Slime]!
Kyle loaded the weapon with (Demonic Rounds) as the weapon roared to life, each miniature explosion firing a single projectile as the barrels spun rapidly firing dozens of rounds every second. ¡°Shit!¡± Talia cursed as she raised a wall of earth in between them, the projectiles ate through the stone as they shattered within. The wall of earth quickly fell apart as Kyle suddenly stopped firing. ¡°Tch¡­¡± He glanced at his mana and the weapon was draining it too much, using any sort of ammunition other than his basic would quickly drain him so he was left to resort to the basic (Elder Frost) rounds which barely cost anything due to the cost reduction he had on that slime type. Quickly he dissipated the (Demonic Rounds) and replaced them with the basic ones, taking aim again he then surged aside to the left as vines exploded out from beneath him. He fired again sending several hundred projectiles at Talia. She raised another wall of earth, this time thicker than the last. The stone still fell apart at the weapon but stood till the last layer of stone was shattered open instead of completely falling apart on itself as it would with (Demonic Rounds). Giving Talia precious time as she ended her chant ¡°Divine guardian summoning!¡±, the earth ahead of her rose and formed a giant of stone and vine, claws formed out of it¡¯s stone fists and lit up ablaze. Talia stood on the Golem¡¯s right shoulder surrounded by vines. The Golem leaned forward and grabbed at Kyle as he surged out of the way and fired at Talia¡¯s position, vines were ripped apart and stone shattered as his weapon ate through anything Talia summoned to shield herself. Kyle evaded and led the Golem around as it¡¯s slow movements followed after him, vines would from time to time emerge from the ground whipping around to grab him. He was at a disadvantage, the battle had turned into one of sustainability and he was sure Talia had more mana than him along with her giant of stone. He didn¡¯t have the time to create his own Golem and even if they both ran out of mana at the same time, her¡¯s would crush him. So he switched his tactic around, instead of targeting the summoner he targeted the summoned first. Loading up his [Gatling Slime] fully he didn¡¯t fire until the Golem lunges at him again, Talia finding reprieve from his attacks began summoning up more vines to grab him than before. Kyle surged forward reaching the Golem¡¯s right leg, he raised his weapon up to it, no more than an inch away and fired. Using the [Gatling Slime] like a [Scattershot] he fired a mix of (Demonic Rounds) and (Corrosive Rounds) shattering it¡¯s leg and melting the rest in a single shot. The Golem fell sideways as Kyle surged away to stand behind it as it fell, his weapon lost it¡¯s form and formed tentacles growing out of his body as he chanted ¡°Surge with my resolve! Overclock my very form! Empower me! Core Overload!¡± several hundred more tentacles of slime grew out of his body completely draining his mana bar as they merged with each other forming a set of six large (Elder Frost) tentacles. Kyle surged upwards at the Golem¡¯s back as it held itself from fully falling with it¡¯s arms, he willed his slime to grab at the stone and vines to quickly climb up it¡¯s back. The slime grabbed hold all at the same time and quickly threw him upwards sending him flying a few feet higher than the Golem¡¯s head. Talia panicked as she looked around having lost him completely while willing her mana into the Golem to repair it¡¯s leg. Kyle landed behind Talia as she spun around with flames forming in her palms, he willed his slime to engulf her. The tentacles grabbed at her hands snuffing out the flames before two more grabbed her legs, one around her waist and the last covering her mouth. Kyle sighed in relief ¡°Drain.¡± He spoke the single word as the tentacles turned red around where they touched her body, Talia struggled as the slime drained her mana and regenerated Kyle¡¯s. He used the mana to form a blade of Frostfire in his hands, slowly it took form before his soulbound blade appeared. Kyle held the blade up to Talia¡¯s neck, she glanced at the shimmering blade before meeting Kyle¡¯s gaze with her own mocking expression ¡°Yes we are both villains, we both only fight to look out for ourselves. Yet there is still a vast difference between us, you are willing to sacrifice all these lives for your own selfish needs¡­can you really call that something to fight for? Yourself?¡± Talia¡¯s expression of mock changed as she glanced away, Kyle continued ¡°That is the difference between us, you fight for yourself and only for yourself. I fight not just for myself but for my guild, my brothers and sisters not bound by blood but by time. But that is not the only difference either.¡± He held up the blade closer ¡°Are you truly willing to kill? Not this joke of a system where when you kill someone they come back but to truly kill someone? No matter how twisted you may have played it inside your mind, you are killing these people. No matter from what perspective you look at it, their lives will be your burden to-¡± Kyle stopped talking as an expression of slight surprise appeared on his face. Talia grimaced as tears streamed down her face, her hands clenched tight as she closed her eyes trying to ignore his words. Kyle stared at her with understanding ¡°Idiot, you knew this all along but decided to ignore it thinking it was the only way to survive?¡± he sighed and released her mouth. Talia opened her eyes but continued to look away as she spoke ¡°What¡­other choice do I have? Look at me!¡± she suddenly exclaimed ¡°Tied up and held at sword point, I¡¯m weak. Too weak to do anything alone¡­¡± Kyle snorted ¡°Weak?¡± (¡°Woman you held me to the wall for most of that fight, if I hadn¡¯t been moving around so much I wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance.¡±) Talia shook her head ¡°That isn¡¯t my power¡­it¡¯s what she gave me¡­¡± ¡°Idiot.¡± Kyle said simply causing her to look at him ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter where you got the power, power is just that, the ability to do something. What matters is what you do with it, power isn¡¯t good or evil, the user is.¡± Talia snorted at his cheesy comment ¡°And what do you see yourself as then? Good?¡± Kyle smirked ¡°Only when it benefits me, otherwise too.¡± His smirk turned to grin ¡°And it¡¯s not too late for you either, you¡¯re not even alone.¡± He released her completely as he surged back and out of the way. Suddenly a mess of aura and blades spiralled through where Kyle once stood, Shark slammed down his blades into the Golem¡¯s shoulder to stop himself before turning to face Kyle who held himself up with his slime. ¡°Need a hand princess?¡± Shark asked mockingly. Talia didn¡¯t respond as she clenched her hands on her leg armour, she wiped off her tears and slowly stumbled up feeling the weakness in her body at the loss of her mana. Shark glanced back at her with worry ¡°You alright?¡±. Talia shook her head ¡°We¡¯re done here.¡± Suddenly her Golem began to crumble. Kyle surged back again holding his slime at the ready as his time began to run out, the Golem crumbled into a cloud of dust and snow ahead of him and once it cleared neither Talia or Shark were to be seen. He sighed in relief as he sensed them moving away at top speed, releasing his slime he fell back and sat down while waiting for mana exhaustion to take over. He focused entirely on his detection skills and watched the other battles, more closely Lilior¡¯s. --- Nakano assaulted Lilior with her massive sword, slashing in a frenzy of impossible speed as she wielded the weapon as if it was weightless. Lilior defended herself with her shifting wings as they changed between an assortment of bladed weaponry or shields to block or strike at the Slayer from her blind spots with elongated weapons. Lilior suddenly surged away confusing Nakano as a blast of ethereal flame engulfed her, Steph had attacked from where she hid in the trees. Nakano grimaced as she easily resisted the magical attack, she faced her opponent once more ¡°Guess we¡¯re doing this the hard way.¡± She raised her free hand and pulled out another massive blade from her inventory. Nakano grimaced as she stretched her shoulders, suddenly out of her back grew a set of six spider-like legs made of black carapace and ending in bladed tips ¡°I don¡¯t like this form but I guess, I¡¯ll take every advantage I can get.¡± Lilior snorted in amusement ¡°Why? It suits you.¡± Showing zero respect to the one that targeted her master. She raised her arms up to shoulder level and held her hands open as blue smile grew out from her palms, the slime formed a bow twice as long as most while an arrow to match appeared in her other hand. --- Author: Cat fight :3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=numkZfghAMA --- Nakano seeing the ranged weapon immediately charged after the Fae but Lilior¡¯s surge was faster, appearing several feet higher she continued to fly upwards while preparing the arrow with assistance from her wings as they shifted into long blue tentacles of slime. Pulling back the massive bow Lilior smiled sweetly while staring down at Nakano ¡°Your brute ways never stood a chance. Dazzle!¡± she chanted in conjunction as her wings and bow shone so bright that the light forced Nakano to look away. Lilior shot her arrow down at Nakano as the Slayer stood still blinded by the light, the arrow flew true aimed directly at Nakano¡¯s chest. Suddenly Nakano¡¯s spider legs moved faster than the arrow itself and smashed the projectile between their blades. With the light gone Nakano raised her head up waiting for the blurriness in her eyes to ease ¡°Now that¡¯s just cheating.¡± she said in annoyance before rushing to the side. Nakano rushed up to a tree and leaped at it as her spider legs slashed at each other while a white substance formed on their blades. Nakano leaped away from the trunk as another arrow shattered through the bark, Lilior followed her movements and fired away. Nakano¡¯s spider arms suddenly grew longer, with three on each side they formed a set of massive wings with a thin web in between them. She flapped her spider-wings and ascended towards Lilior as the Fae fired another arrow, Nakano slashed the arrow aside as she glided up towards her. Lilior readied another arrow as Nakano arrived almost face to face with her, she slashed at her but Lilior leaned back and let herself fall. As Nakano stopped her slashing manoeuvre midway she was left entirely open as Lilior fired from below. Lilior¡¯s arrow pierced through Nakano¡¯s armour and left shoulder going straight through and destroying a spider arm on it¡¯s way out. Lilior regained her flight easily as her wings mattered not to her magic based hovering, Nakano on the other hand lost balance and quickly began to lose altitude as she glided down towards the ground with one less arm, one less sword and one less spider leg. Adding insult to injury Lilior took aim with another arrow as Nakano fell spiralling, she fired before Nakano hit the ground and the arrow went through her right leg slamming her down to the ground and pinning her to it. ¡°Fuck! Bitch!¡± Nakano cursed as she tried to rise from the snow, the arrow pinning her leg like a nail hammered into the ground below. She glanced back to see Lilior take aim once more, grimacing she waited for death. ¡°You¡¯ve already lost your will to fight? So much for being the first to attack.¡± Mocked Lilior as she studied the downed adventurer. ¡°What does it matter to you? I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m fighting for anymore¡­¡± replied Nakano bitterly. ¡°Hmph, then don¡¯t you think that is why you¡¯ve lost?¡± said Lilior in wonderment as she fire one last arrow. Nakano smiled ¡°I gues-¡± as the arrow pierced through her back stopping at her chest armour and shattering inside immediately killing her. Lilior hovered down to her as Nakano¡¯s body dissipated into mana ¡°I wonder if master is done cleaning up.¡± she thought out loud while fiddling with her bowstring. Ch 70 - To the Capital! Cherry pummelled down onto Zeeke¡¯s shield with his war hammer, each strike sending the tank lower into the ground and he nailing him down. Each swing was deflected back and each time he swung it around sending it right back making use of the deflection momentum with both hands. Zeeke slowly fell back as all he could do was hide behind his shield. All around them battle raged as Dezol fought Esfelt, the legionaries fought with new fervour having been freed and armed. In a frenzy they attacked while roaring out in challenge against the soldiers who¡¯s will to fight had long been broken. Each minute Esfeltian soldiers turned tail and ran decreasing their numbers along with the ones being slain. Goblins had long left the wall and either joined the fight by sneaking around combatants and mercilessly stabbing them in the back or ran around the camp stealing whatever they could get their green hands on. Before long Zeeke was the last one standing, and already crumbling along with his shield. Cherry ended his relentless assault and kicked into the shield hard, sending Zeeke flying back a few feet. As he lay on the cold snow Zeeke groaned from the impact, his massive shield still lay on top of him and his sword had disappeared somewhere into the white. Cherry stomped down onto the shield forcing Zeeke deeper into the snow ¡°You¡¯re slimier than Kyll and a selfish bastard to boot. Seriously man what the hell is wrong with you? Do you still think this is a damn game?¡± Zeeke stared up at the giant with wide fearful eyes ¡°I-I don¡¯t¡­¡± Cherry rolled his eyes ¡°Ah you¡¯re just a coward¡­right¡­¡± he reached down and grabbed the shield with both hands and pulled up. Pulling up Zeeke along with it briefly before he let go and fell back down into the snow. Cherry threw the shield aside and snorted as Zeeke covered himself with his arms ¡°Ah what am I gonna do with you?¡± asked Cherry with a smirk before glancing over at his Warhammer ¡°Yeah that.¡± Cherry heaved his Warhammer up before crashing it down onto the Zeeke crushing the adventurer in one single bash, leaving behind a dissipating mess of armour and pulped flesh. He smirked wider before turning to the gathering Dezol as they awkwardly glanced around at the cheering goblins. ¡°Yeah you just got saved by goblins and no you are never living this down.¡± Said Kyle as he approached ¡°So how about you gather up whatever gear you can, burn this camp down and get moving? We got a war to end and you all got your pride to regain!¡± He announced with a grin. The Dezol glanced at each other before raising their weapons up into the sky and cheered at the challenge.
Karnage sighed in relief as the Esfeltian cavalry and Avian squadrons retreated towards the mountains, their mages and artillery were decimated by the bandit¡¯s assault from behind and most of their numbers killed from having no fire support to help their hit and run tactics allowing her and the adventurers time to prepare for them. Zaahr caught up with her as the adventurers and Dezol cheered around them at the enemy¡¯s retreat ¡°We did it..¡± she mumbled in disbelief. Karnage chuckled and glanced back as the small army of bandits approached them ¡°We had help.¡± Woody stretched his arms around as he approached along with Death, Seren and two bandits at the lead of the rest ¡°Woohooo! Now that was a blast!¡± ¡°Meh wasn¡¯t bad.¡± said Shirley with a bored expression as she checked her knives. Karnage glanced around looking slightly disappointed ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she asked the three adventurers. ¡°Looked like you were in a bind, figured you could use some back up.¡± replied Seren with a smirk. ¡°But¡­¡± Karnage wasn¡¯t sure how to answer. Death shrugged in response ¡°See it as we owed you one for before, so don¡¯t sweat it but don¡¯t keep counting on it either. Anyway we¡¯re not ones for wasting away a good opportunity either, can¡¯t have the alliance keep these ugly bargaining chips.¡± One of the Dezol officers, the female Castanic walked up to join them ¡°Don¡¯t push it kid, this ugly chip might just chip something off.¡± Seren snorted while Death waved his hands ahead of himself ¡°Annyywayy, do you all got any plans for what to do next?¡± ¡°We planned to head for Helix?¡± responded Zaahr. ¡°Well better change your plans then, as I said we¡¯re not ones to waste an opportunity.¡± Said Death with a grin. ¡°What do you mean?...¡± Karnage asked with a brow raised in question. ¡°The others should be already moving ahead, if we don¡¯t hurry up we¡¯ll never catch up.¡± Said Jacky as he appeared out of nowhere coated in blood. ¡°Cheerful as usual Jack.¡± Replied Death with a chuckle. ¡°So you do know each other?...¡± asked Zaahr as she glared at Jacky. Jacky snorted ¡°More like I work for these bastards.¡± ¡°Hey now don¡¯t put it like that!¡± exclaimed Woody. ¡°Alright chill guys, back to the point.¡± Death jumped back in ¡°The others have broken out the second group of soldiers at old Frosty, they¡¯ll be moving ahead of us so we gotta catch up.¡± ¡°Okay wait wait.¡± Karnage stepped forward shaking her head and waving for him to stop ¡°Where exactly are we moving to? What are you planning?¡± ¡°Where do you go after crushing the enemy lines and entering their territory?¡± asked Death as he waited for an answer, seeing nobody responded he sighed ¡°Their base, come on guys it¡¯s strategy 101.¡± He then added with disappointment. ¡°Eslet? How are we supposed to get there? Swim?¡± asked the Imp Dezol officer. Death sighed in exasperation ¡°Does nobody remember the damn portal we opened? You know the one at New Ruk? That¡¯s now at Kaledd?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it too small?...And completely at the wrong location?¡± asked Silent, one of Apok¡¯s members. Death shrugged ¡°Let me worry about that.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re just going to march there?¡± asked Karnage. ¡°No¡­No we don¡¯t¡­We can take the portal at Frosthold to Kaledd and I expect you can then change the location again?¡± asked Zaahr. Death pointed both indexes at her ¡°Exactly, we¡¯ll meet up with the other Dezol at Frosthold then take the portal to Kaledd. From then on leave the rest to us.¡± Karnage nodded ¡°We¡¯ll follow but only if you can convince me of something.¡± She announced while glancing back at Regina who had just joined them, Dherik was nowhere to be seen. ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± asked Woody as he scratched his horn. ¡°What is your end game?¡± Karnage asked with a dead serious expression. Seren, Death and Woody glanced at each other as Jacky pulled out his VCD ¡°Best to ask the man himself.¡± He said while handing her the device. Karnage looked into the device and her eyes widened in surprise ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Sup.¡± Responded Birse from the other side ¡°I¡¯m sure just seeing all this makes you understand; We¡¯re done with the foreplay.¡±
Kaledd outskirts Kyle came out from the portal as it swirled and twirled reality behind him, Lilior flew out moments later with her wings returned to normal. He looked around from under his cloak, many adventurers and citizens of Esfelt eyed Lilior curiously but most looked away undisturbed. That is until her legs changed and shifted into a long white scaled snake¡¯s tail that wrapped around Kyle¡¯s waist. Lilior flew up and pulled Kyle up with her as she flew away from the town, heading towards the sea to the east. They flew over the swamp as Kyle watched a couple carefree adventurers engaging with some of it¡¯s inhabitants, a small party of four fighting two swamp Trolls. He chuckled at the insanity of it all, that is what he wanted to do when he came to this insane world, to explore and experience it. Lilior glanced down at him with worry ¡°Is everything alright master?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± replied Kyle as they reached the sea ¡°Just reminiscing, what we could have been, what we could be doing right now. We could have abandoned this world to it¡¯s idiocy, ignored it all and did literally anything else.¡± ¡°But?...¡± asked Lilior noticing his tone.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°But that wouldn¡¯t be fun now would it?¡± he exclaimed with a grin as they approached the island capital Eslet ¡°This country¡­No this alliance, a joke in it¡¯s entirety. Corrupt and indecisive.¡± ¡°Master, griffon riders.¡± Pointed out Lilior as a squad of twelve approached them from the island. ¡°Let¡¯s fix this world Lilior, let¡¯s clean up the mess these idiots made. They might have wasted their second chance at life, but damn me if I am.¡± Said Kyle as he summoned two [Gatling Slime]s, unaffecting Lilior¡¯s magical flight. ¡°Halt! End your flight pattern now and declare your business!¡± announced the griffon squad leader.
Author: Bad pun warning¡­ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb4kmEcg0fA
Kyle took aim with both weapons and grinned maniacally ¡°I¡¯m a hunter and it¡¯s Griffon season.¡± Starting up each weapon¡¯s spin he began to fire, following the griffon¡¯s direction of flight he scattered the squad while injuring two from the unexpected attack. Lilior flew straight while evading the massive beastial birds that lunged at her from every direction, their long golden claws half her own current height. Raising her right hand she summoned slime as it elongated and formed her longbow, in her left an arrow appeared and she took aim while spinning aside as a Griffon swiped down. Her wings shifted to long metallic tentacles that seemed to keep the consistency of slime, they grabbed hold of the arrow¡®s back and string aiding her in pulling the massive weapon. Evading the Griffon¡¯s attack she continued to turn and following it¡¯s flight path ahead, she fired letting the arrow fly straight into the Griffon¡¯s left side as it flew in a curve. Kyle spun with her with his arms held up to either side firing away at any that got into his line of fire, his rapid flurry of projectiles slower than Lilior¡¯s powerful arrow but strong enough to intercept the flying beasts. With three Griffons shot down by Lilior and four having their wings or body shredded by Kyle, twelve quickly turned to five and with another arrow from Lilior they fell to four. The riders that remained formed up in groups of two and together flew around them making use of their stronger flight, Lilior continued to fly towards the city. Suddenly the remaining Griffons turned and flew directly at them using evasive manoeuvres, they flew erratically to evade being shot out of the air. Kyle raised both weapons at them as they approached and loaded both gun¡¯s barrels to the brink, he smirked as they got closer, closer and closer before Lilior fired her arrow. The two Griffons at the front evaded the arrow to the sides leaving the actual attack to the ones behind them, yet Kyle expected this already. He fired his weapons using them as [Slime Scattershot]s, the (Corrosive Rounds) engulfing the two Griffons in a spreading shot. Most of the projectiles missed due to the range but all it took was for one or two to hit as the Griffons screeched in agony as the acid easily ate through their skin and flesh. The two Griffons abandoned their assault and went out of control from their riders, turning around and flying back towards the military district. ¡°Down we go!¡± announced Lilior as she leaned forward and flew almost straight down with a slight curve forwards, heading towards the city¡¯s entrance below. She leaned up and flew over the docks before releasing Kyle letting him land with a slight tumble, she then leaned up and spun around with arrow ready. Two Griffons were still on their tail and she aimed to the right of the Griffon to the right as they descended towards her, she fired and the Griffon instinctively turned left to evade moving closer to it¡¯s companion. A sudden flurry of projectiles tore through the last to riders as Kyle shot at them from below. The Griffons and their riders crashed into the pavement between the docks and the city gate. ¡°Master, more company.¡± Said Lilior as she flew to his side while staring at the city¡¯s gate, several dozen guards were heading towards them. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Said Kyle as he spun around to meet them, releasing both weapons he grinned wickedly as they approached. The guards surrounded them entirely, pole-blades held up at them and crossbows aimed at them. One guard who wore a greatly decorated uniform approached closer, a male human within his 30s with jet black short hair and brown eyes. ¡°An adventurer and a Fae? What brings you to our humble capital from the mainland?¡± he asked while glancing over at the dissipating Griffons and rider, one having survived the crash. Kyle met the guard¡¯s calm stare, it seemed like he was used to crazy shit like this happening all the time. Kyle chuckled as he glanced back ¡°Lilior?¡± The guards tensed at his voice as Lilior¡¯s wings suddenly expanded out in a wave of green-blue slime, it engulfed any bolt they fired before expanding to engulf the guards themselves while Lilior¡¯s entire body turned to slime. Entirely shifting she held the guards away, tied up and gagged ¡°They are dealt with master.¡± She announced with a slimy smile. Kyle nodded in gratitude as he pulled out a pair of three VCDs, each runic circle etched differently than before. All three devices were on but nothing was shown inside, they were different from the rest. He stared down at the objects briefly before slime formed out of his left shoulder and entangled around them, the tentacle held all three up ahead of Kyle as he concentrated. He stared down at his right hand as he clenched it into a fist ¡°I wonder why It didn¡¯t want me using this ability.¡± He thought back to the Nogitsune and it¡¯s lies, trying to see through it¡¯s words he couldn¡¯t tell what was true and what wasn¡¯t. Kyle closed his eyes and promised himself (¡°When this is all over¡­I need to know more, what I am, what I can do. Who my people are.¡±) He looked up and at the three objects held up by blue slime, he took a deep breath and concentrated all his remaining mana and Spirit into his right hand then chanted ¡°Reality shall bend to my will, the veil breaks at my touch. Dimensional Force!¡± he felt his power being imbued with more mana as the environmental energy around him moved to his words and empowered his spell, quickly he raised his arm and punched forwards with all he had. Kyle shattered each object as reality seemed to crack around his attack, a blinding light escaped the cracks forcing Kyle to cover his eyes and he stepped out of the way. The three objects were sucked into the cracks before the cracks themselves condensed into a tiny reflective orb, suddenly the orb expanded several hundred times reaching ten meters in diameter. The orb began to bubble and separate while changing colour, three orbs now hovered in a triangular formation ahead of Kyle. One crimson red with swirling black energy, one entirely blue and the third white with swirling silver. Each of these were portals, taking to and from somewhere else. Lilior stared at the portals curiously as the guards she still kept entangled with slime stared in confusion, which turned to absolute horror as some began to appear out of the portals. Out of the red came Lucifer followed by Legion and Lilith, behind them came out several dozens of Dezol warriors along with Birse. Out of the blue came Cornelius followed by dozens of other mages, Ch and Sparta. Out of the white came the Dusk blade bandits, Dezol soldiers who joined behind Lucifer and the other Devils followed by a stream of adventurers including Cherry, Steph, Death, Seren, Woody, Skill, Jacky, Karnage, Zaahr, Regina, Dherik and a few other guild leaders. The Docks quickly became packed as citizens watched from the corners in fear and confusion, guards that had just arrived stared at the scene in just as much confusion. Birse approached Cornelius ¡°I believe it best you lead the way? The people trust you here.¡± He urged on the mage. Cornelius chuckled ¡°Indeed they do, although I am not so sure for how much longer.¡± He gestured at a few mages behind him and they followed leaving the rest behind. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± Said Birse as he followed after the mage guild masters with his entire guild following behind him, Lilior released the guards and shrunk to her Fairy size before taking up her usual perch between Kyle¡¯s ears. ¡°This is still crazy.¡± Said Karnage as she also along with the other guild leaders and Zaahr followed after them, leaving the entire army behind. Lucifer chuckled as he alone followed the unexpected assortment of allies, leaving Lilith and Legion to tend to his soldiers. Shirley¡¯s expression paled as she watched the Devil King leisurely walk with the mage guild masters, she blinked out of her daze and followed after them along with her four personal guards. The group walked through the street between the Housing and Merchant¡¯s districts moving towards the next gate into the Noble¡¯s district. Everyone, being merchants, children, guards and adventurers stopped what they were doing to watch the group move through, as they approached the gate a sudden platoon of cloaked individuals blocked their path. The cloaks differed between white, black, red, brown, blue and purple, warriors from each of the six churches. The representatives of each stepped closer and lowered their hoods, ¡°Traitors, you shall not pass.¡± declared High priestess Jean Lumin, the representative of the church of light and day. Cornelius snorted ¡°Traitors to whom? We do what we do for the people, the mage guilds never cared for the power struggle between you fools and the military but this ends today. You have taken things too far Jean, it is you who are the traitors here.¡± He gestured with his staff at each representative ¡°Selling out to the Empire, that is what you planned wasn¡¯t it?¡± he exclaimed for everyone watching to hear. Several of the representatives faltered at the accusation, the High priestess of water in general stepped forward ¡°Lies! Why would any of our temples aid those murderous heretics!?¡± Followed by the High priest of fire ¡°Have you come to throw baseless accusations Magus?¡± Cornelius sighed in relief ¡°At least, not all of you are corrupt. And if you want facts, well here you go.¡± He raised his staff towards them making the cloaked figures behind them flinch and enter a defensive stance. Cornelius smirked as mana flowed out of his staff¡¯s crystal and formed a sphere of greenish energy high up in between them ¡°Et dices Ostende¡± he chanted and the sphere¡¯s colour changed to show somewhere else. The sphere showed the inside of a mansion from someone¡¯s moving perspective, they glanced around to see several Elven guards escorting them and two others. ¡°Is that?...Nolin!?¡± exclaimed the new representative of the church of dark and night, a middle aged woman with long pitch black hair and silver eyes. ¡°An illusion I presume?¡± asked the representative of the church of stone. ¡°Nolin was entrusted to Light and Stone to secure.¡± Stated the representative of Fire as he glanced around at his companions. The representative of lightning approached the sphere as electricity surged around his feet, he hovered up to it and touched it¡¯s surface ¡°This is a simple vision spell, did you truly replace someone¡¯s eyeball with a crystal?¡± he asked Cornelius before realising who he was talking to ¡°Of course you would¡­¡± The cloaked warriors seemed to abandon their stances as they glanced at their leaders and each other, the representative of fire smirked in amusement ¡°Well then, that just happened.¡± As he suddenly raised his right hand with palm open towards Jean. The representative of light flinched and tried to form a barrier between them but the man was too fast as a pillar of flame erupted from her feet and engulfed her entirely. ¡°Enough has been presented, I find Jean Lumin, Nolin Kastello and Kaiser Fen accused of high treason.¡± He then exclaimed as the pillar of fire dissipated leaving behind a charred corpse on the ground. Kaiser, the representative of stone glanced around as the other representatives turned to face him ¡°What is¡­what is wrong with you all!? Will you truly side with these mangled messes of nature and their sympathizers!?¡± he gestured at Lucifer and the rest. Suddenly a dark aura pressed down onto Kaiser forcing him to the ground, Lucifer chuckled wickedly as he approached the man forced into a kneel. He loomed over him as Kaiser looked up in absolute horror, he had lost control of his entire body and was unable to move or even look away. Lucifer crouched down and forced Kaiser to follow with his eyes, he stared straight into them briefly before raising his right hand open in a claw between them. Everyone tensed as they watched the scene unable or not wanting to interfere, Devil Kings were known among the Esfeltians as ruthless soul eaters and nobody wanted to fall at that fate. Lucifer clenched his hand into a fist as a sudden boom echoed through the city, his smirk turned into a grin as he spoke ¡°I believe that was your luxurious manor, wasn¡¯t it?¡±. Kaiser passed out and Lucifer released him of his aura with a disappointed expression ¡°No fun.¡± He murmured while stepping away. ¡°So, will you step aside now or?...¡± Lucifer left the sentence unfinished as he grinned at the assortment of fighters, slowly the representatives moved aside as their follows awkwardly stumbled out of the Devil King¡¯s path. Lucifer snickered ¡°This is why, I should have taken the lead.¡± He explained with a shrug while leisurely strolling through the gate ¡°I swear it¡¯s like you people have forgotten what a Devil King is, I¡¯m just standing there unnoticed and then I¡¯m even insulted! Who ever said we were made from nature!?¡± He mumbled to himself while walking ahead. Everyone briefly stared awkwardly at the Devil before following after him. Ch 71 - Peace? Esfeltian Dominion Capital Eslet. Royal District. An hour later. Caitlyn rushed out of her room fully dressed with Rin following behind her, her expression was pale and movements anxious as she contained herself from running down the castle¡¯s corridors. News of the massive army right outside her doorstep had reached her and their leaders were already strolling through the Noble¡¯s district and towards the Royal district. She had just received news of General Fey Talran¡¯s defeat and First General Jason D.Moore¡¯s retreat. One was still waiting to respawn while the other had just arrived at New Ruk and Draxxer was still nowhere to be seen or heard of. ¡°If they left the men outside and are coming here alone then that means they want to talk right?¡± She asked Rin with a panicked tone as they stormed out of the castle, seeing the outside full of her soldiers readying for the enemy leader¡¯s arrival she untensed and calmed her nerves. ¡°Yes your highness, I do not believe them to be fools enough to stroll into our walls unannounced if they do not wish to barter.¡± Explained Rin as she continued to follow the Empress through the courtyard and towards the gatehouse. Caitlyn stopped by one officer that stood at attention and immediately saluted ¡°What are our current available numbers?¡± she barked the question at him. ¡°Not enough your majesty¡­¡± the soldier replied solemnly. Caitlyn glared back at him ¡°Our numbers.¡± she repeated. The soldier straightened up ¡°Counting the guards across the city we have around two thousand four hundred men at your disposal.¡± ¡°And the army sitting outside?¡± she then asked. The soldier tensed further ¡°We stopped counting at six thousand¡­we averaged up to eight.¡± Caitlyn¡¯s shoulders slumped down, ¡°How is that possible?¡± asked Rin. ¡°The notorious Dusk Blade bandits have joined the fray, the Dezol are very present and so are most of the large Adventurer guilds and alongside them are the Mage guilds.¡± Explained the soldier. Caitlyn turned to Rin ¡°Where are the alliance leaders right now?¡± Rin considered the question briefly ¡°Most have been given a guest mansion while Elder Helen and King Jekyll have returned to New Ruk.¡± Caitlyn held back a grimace ¡°Assemble the council immediately, before they arrive. Send for Helen and Jekyll, we¡¯ll have to sort this out without them for now.¡± Rin nodded and walked away with a cloudy expression, her thoughts straying. Caitlyn turned to face the entrance into the walls, she took a deep breath and walked in. Her legs felt heavy as she ascended the spiralling staircase, a lump in her chest weighing her down further. The pressure has been intense these past few days, with the appearance of the Empire and their sudden threat the people have been difficult to contain. Everyone knew what would happen, how the alliance would suck up to the Empire once they came as they always did. The people were sick of it; it was why the churches fell in favour with them regaining the royal family a chance in leading the country. Caitlyn reached the top of the staircase, she walked a few steps to reach the edge of the wall. She stared out at the vast fields of green, the walls far off ahead and the roads in between. As the suns ascended into the sky, as morning became clear she gazed off while clenching the stone ahead of her. This wasn¡¯t just her home, it was her responsibility. She stared out at the walls far off in the distance as her memories came back to haunt her, what had happened the last time the Empire had came to Barik. She pictured the city burning in the distance as Elven platoons marched through the roads separating into squads to raid the mansion within the fields of grass. The vision disappeared as it came but the feeling it gave her lingered. Time passed as she continued to gaze off and a sudden hand on her left shoulder made her flinch and snap out before glancing back at the perpetrator. Queen Samala Wraecast, the Merfolk leader waved a smile at her while hovering in place, her tail hanging down below her. ¡°I heard from your Advisor, rushed here as quickly as I could. I sent for reinforcements from Meria although I do not know when they will arrive.¡± Samala explained. Caitlyn nodded in gratitude ¡°Thank you Samala but I¡¯m afraid the next few hours is all we have.¡± she said solemnly while glancing behind the Mer. King Raiku Goldfeather of the Avians and Sultan Rej Deepdrifter of the Nymphs arrived behind her, each with their own squad of guards. They moved to stand beside them as Raiku coughed to clear his throat ¡°My platoons will be here within the next few minutes, they are broken and tired but will arrive.¡± He announced. Samala glanced at Rej to her left, he was staring out and almost dozing off, she nudged him awake with her tail. ¡°Bleh.¡± he reacted slowly as she hit him in the side, he glared up at her but said nothing about it. Instead he sighed then spoke to Caitlyn ¡°My Tidecallers remain stationed around the shores, they have all been called to surround Esfelt and are ready to land. Unfortunately the Deepwhisperers cannot help, the sea around here isn¡¯t deep enough for them to safely come through.¡± ¡°I have sent word for Helen and Jekyll, they had returned to their lands and will not be present today.¡± Caitlyn announced as she spied a group of mixed individuals approaching them far off in the distance.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Be truthful with us Esfelt, what chance do we stand?¡± asked Raiku as the feathers on his wings and tail seemed to stand on edge as he also noticed the approaching group. ¡°If diplomacy fails, I want you all to pull your troops out and retreat.¡± Declared Caitlyn as she held back a choked tone. Samala turned to look at her with shock ¡°Caitlyn¡­what do you mean retreat!?¡± Caitlyn smiled weakly as she turned to face her oldest friend, she held both her hands in hers as she spoke ¡°My people do not trust me anymore, they do not trust the military nor do they trust the churches. If the army outside does invade then a rebellion is inevitable. Eslet-No, the entire Esfeltian Dominion will come crashing down.¡± Samala stared at Caitlyn baffled ¡°But¡­what will happen to you then?¡± Caitlyn turned to stare at the approaching would-be invaders ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She released Samala¡¯s hands and straightened herself, they were almost within earshot. Her eyes widened in surprise as she recognised a certain guild with them. Samala was about to retort when Caitlyn spoke cutting her off ¡°Announce yourselves, you stand in front of four of the council¡¯s members and leaders of the Esfeltian alliance.¡± with mana imbued into her voice. The group approached closer before one adventurer stepped forwards, Kyle gestured at his surroundings ¡°Each of us insist that this meeting is made entirely public, let the people of your city into these walls for them to be witness. Take whatever precautions you need, we are ready to wait.¡± Caitlyn felt her throat dry up, having her people witness their weakness was putting the last nail on the Dominion¡¯s coffin. Kyle lowered his arms ¡°Else we turn around and return with...a different crowd.¡± Each of the present council members turned to look at Caitlyn expectantly as she nodded in defeat ¡°It shall be done.¡± She turned back at the officers waiting behind her, Rin stood by with them. ¡°Do as they ask.¡± She told them solemnly. A few hours passed as the military opened the gates to the Noble¡¯s district entirely, news of the public meeting spread like wildfire and anybody even slightly interested in the country¡¯s future stopped what they had been doing and joined the already vast crowd that formed around them. Soldiers stood at attention between the crowd and the invading leaders, a few meters between them not for their safety but for the citizen¡¯s and their own. Merchants and Nobles also joined the crowd to listen in to the parley. Kyle glanced back as Birse whispered something at him, he turned to face the council once more ¡°We are ready to talk.¡± he declared. Caitlyn was about to respond but due to her reluctance Samala spoke first ¡°What is your business here? Why have you gathered forces outside the city?¡± the Mer Queen asked pointedly. ¡°Is it not so obvious?¡± asked Kyle ¡°We have come to speak terms of your surrender; this country is doomed to either fall to itself or to the Empire. We bring a third option.¡± The crowd began to grow loud as people reacted to his words, Samala continued to speak ¡°What makes you think the alliance will surrender? The island is surrounded and reinforcements will arrive shortly. Even with your numbers you cannot resist the entirety of the alliance¡¯s forces!¡± ¡°We need not resist your forces, as there will be nothing for them to fight for.¡± Kyle explained as he gestured at the crowd around them ¡°Your leadership is crumbling Empress Caitlyn, your people follow you no longer. The churches have been found of corruption and are sorting themselves out, who will lead Esfelt now? The Empire approaches and what will you do when they arrive?¡± The council members glanced at each other trying to come up with a retort but Kyle simply continued to speak ¡°With us stand your people too, the Duskblade bandits of northern Barik, bandits they may be but people of Esfelt they are also. Then come the Mage Guilds of middle Barik, defenders of the people and their freedom. Who do you think the people will choose? You?¡± The crowd grew ecstatic as they cheered at the mentioning of the Mage Guilds, urging Kyle to continue ¡°It is clear that your rule is over, times are changing and if you do not change with then you shall only drown alone.¡± Caitlyn gulped down and along with went her pride as she responded before anybody could speak further ¡°What are your terms?¡± The crowd grew quieter as Kyle held back a smirk ¡°Esfelt will leave the alliance and join the Dezol legions as a vassal. Your lands will remain your own but your swords and men become the Legion¡¯s. You hold onto your freedom whilst gaining a powerful military to back your own.¡± The crowd grew dead silent as Caitlyn faced her worst fear, a choice between joining the Dezol¡¯s horde or falling in line with the Elven Empire. She held her stomach with her arms while clenching her sides ¡°And what about the alliance¡¯s forces on Barik? What about my fellow councillors?¡± Kyle glanced to the side where Lucifer stood, the Devil king was enjoying himself from glaring at a couple soldiers and watching their reaction. ¡°They will be given the freedom to leave Barik, or join us themselves.¡± Lucifer announced as he turned to stare up at her, annoyance suddenly filled his expression as he disliked looking up at others. ¡°And what of Esfelt¡¯s vassals? What about the Dwarves and Fae of Barik?¡± asked Raiku as he leaned away from the wall, his usually steadfast expression crumbling under the Devil King¡¯s gaze. Lucifer smirked in amusement ¡°Elder Helen of the Fae will face the consequences for her choices, King Jekyll will also be transported back to Ruk as many of the current Dwarven lords wish to speak with him personally. Any Dwarf or Fae that wish to remain on Barik is free to do so, any that wish to follow their leaders will be given passage as well.¡± ¡°Then¡­Is that all?¡± asked Caitlyn with slight relief. Lucifer chuckled as he looked away no longer interested, seemingly a joke ran between him and Kyle as he also snickered before speaking ¡°A change of leadership will take place within Esfelt, following tradition of course.¡± Kyle explained. Birse seemed to suddenly whisper something at Kyle, he simply glanced back and quickly assured him yet Birse remained unsure as he glanced over at Lucifer who wore a mischievous grin. ¡°Following tradition? Do you mean leadership will be redirected to the churches?¡± Caitlyn asked with a confused expression, at her words the crowd grew louder and disgruntled. Kyle raised his hands up gesturing for calm ¡°No the churches will not, power will remain with the royal family.¡± Caitlyn¡¯s face drained of all colour as Kyle turned to meet her baffled stare ¡°As by tradition the change of leadership will include a royal marriage between Empress Caitlyn Esfelt and the leader of the rebel army, Birse of the Red Hawk Down adventurer guild.¡± Birse froze up in sudden realisation as he heard his name being called, he glanced around as Woody, Skill and Cherry barely contained themselves from laughing while the others seemed just as surprised. Queen Samala glanced between the pale white Caitlyn and the group below before her eyes rolled up and her hovering magic stumbled. She fell to the ground and her soldiers rushed to her side then held her up as she held her head. A few awkward seconds passed as everyone processed what had just been said when suddenly the crowd began to cheer, Birse was about to object when Caitlyn suddenly responded ¡°If it is for my people and my home, if that is all you ask of me then I cannot refuse.¡± causing Birse to glanced between her, Kyle and Lucifer with a completely baffled expression. Caitlyn faked a smile at the best of her abilities ¡°The Esfeltian Dominion will leave the Alliance of it¡¯s namesake and creation to join the Dezol as a vassal. The exact terms will be discussed further and written down for nobody to break or disregard.¡± Samala suddenly snapped out of her apparent black out ¡°The Mer will also do the same!¡± she exclaimed while glaring down at Birse, causing the crowd to grow awkwardly silent for a brief moment before cheering even louder. Rej glanced to the side at Samala with a raised brow, she didn¡¯t notice his stare so he nudged her in the side and whispered something into her ear. Not a moment later Samala completely and utterly passed out. Ch 72 - Maximum Awkwardness. Northern Ruk UnderKeep Sly stormed through the main keep¡¯s corridors, entirely built into the walls of the city the building was enormous but very straight forward with it¡¯s design. He took several turns that prolonged his walk but eventually he reached the main hall, where the Devil King Satan, his family and many of their military retinue sat around a great table for dinner. He was told to be there every morning as it was the only time they all got together, for him to meet and be introduced to everyone. Sly walked through the large doorway stretching out his wings as he passed by the guards standing at attention, he was still getting used to his wings and they got in the way most of the time. ¡°Ah speak of the devil!¡± said Satan as Sly walked in, tearing away at his massive leg of meat he gestured for Sly to sit at the empty seat to his right ¡°Sit here boy!¡±. Sly wordlessly walked over and took his seat, several other seats to his right were left empty while all the others were already taken. Satan gazed down at him as if in thought, Sly sat awkwardly in his seat with his wings moving around ¡°What is it?¡± he asked with a raised brow. Satan chuckled lightly as he gestured to his left, he sat at the very middle of the square table ¡°Let me start the introductions then! This is my eighth wife, Roselia Agni Abysswalker.¡± He gestured at a dainty Devillish woman with light violet skin, reddish greying hair and black eyes with crimson irises. Roselia nodded in his direction with a friendly smile ¡°Husband as told me you are of a distant branch, I would love to hear of your family.¡± Sly glanced between her and Satan briefly with many questions going through his head, he settled for one ¡°Eighth?¡± ¡°Ah yes, I¡¯ve been married eight times in my existence. That is seven reincarnations mind you.¡± Satan explained before moving on ¡°Further down this side are our children and theirs each of the Agni. My oldest, Hector Agni Abysswalker and his wife Scylla Ragnarok Blaze followed by their two daughters Aria and Delila Ragnarok Agni Blaze Abysswalker.¡± the last two names being a mouthful. Aria and Delila took mostly from their father due to their Devil bloodlines but their mother, a Castanic Demon, looked out of place next to them. ¡°Then there is Zeyna Agni Abysswalker Shadowborn my only daughter, mother of my reincarnated brother Zeiken Agni Abysswalker Shadowborn.¡± Zeyna looked almost identical to Hector but her serious expression varied greatly from her brother¡¯s playful grin. ¡°Zeiken¡¯s father, Darius Wraith Shadowborn of Greed is away visiting his mother Mammon still.¡± ¡°Wait so¡­technically Zeiken is Hector¡¯s uncle but Hector is also Zeiken¡¯s uncle?...¡± Sly asked in confusion. Satan roared with laughter at his question, he held his gut trying to calm himself down. Roselia spoke in his stead ¡°No boy, Hector is Zeiken¡¯s uncle and that is it. Reincarnation is a difficult thing to implement into family titles so you only count the physical not the spiritual.¡± she explained. Satan took in several breaths as he forced down his laughter before slapping the back of Sly¡¯s chair almost knocking him off it ¡°Indeed boy, you mustn¡¯t get confused so easily! Anyhow, back to the introductions!¡± he stated while wiping off a tear ¡°Lastly is my youngest son Val Agni Abysswalker, his wife Tania Frei Rain and their daughter Sistine Agni Frei Abysswalker.¡± he continued the introductions with the last three on their side of the table. Val was the youngest of Satan¡¯s children but also the tallest, he bore the most similarity to his father as his horns were more pronounced and wings larger than Sly¡¯s. Now that Sly actually looked for it he noticed that only Val, Tania, Satan and himself had wings. Tania wasn¡¯t either a Demon or Devilling, she was a Fae with long jade green hair, light emerald eyes and pale white skin. Her wings were bright white lined with green and full of a green-blue design of roots or vines. ¡°You must have noticed by now.¡± Cut in Satan with a wide grin as Sly leaned in to see the ones on the farthest on their side of the table. ¡°The wings?¡± guessed Sly with a confused expression. ¡°No¡­Well yes I guess but not exactly that.¡± Satan gestured at Val ¡°You and Val are the only other Devils of Wrath other than Zeiken and myself. Zeiken¡¯s wings haven¡¯t come out yet due to his body¡¯s age but he is a Devil.¡± Satan explained. ¡°Huh.¡± Sly glanced back to his side where every seat between him and the edge of the table lay empty. ¡°That is your family¡¯s side of the table.¡± said Roselia catching Sly¡¯s attention. ¡°My side?¡± Sly asked. ¡°Ares.¡± said Satan before sighing, he laid back in his large chair and closed his eyes ¡°Ever since those seats have been nothing more than decoration, call it a sign of respect for their souls.¡± Sly¡¯s expression grew only more confused, Roselia nudged her husband and he opened his eyes ¡°I guess it is best for me to tell you the tale.¡± Satan stated bitterly. ¡°My-Our family is broken into two bloodlines, Ares and Agni with Hellborn being our last name before the Dark plane where many...many things changed.¡± Satan spoke with a toneless voice reminiscing on the past ¡°My first two sons, Ares and Agni Hellborn, both full fledged Devils. Agni was slain during the invasion of Tempres along with myself, we were later reincarnated into the Darkplane but Ares¡­Ares lived through it all, he was captured and treated in ways known only to himself. Even as he starved and thirst he worked and fought for the safety of our people. Blinded by the darkness and weakened by the mana that permeated that realm he still fought on no matter how beast-like he had to become. Agni was reincarnated before me so he felt what Ares had become, the creature he turned into. That plane changed him into something¡­that not even his own brother recognised. A mangled nightmare that feasted upon the monsters of that realm for simple nutrition, Agni was disgusted by the sight. Enraged by the change, Agni wanted to slay Ares and take him out of his misery but knew that would not bring his brother back. Devils remember their past lives.¡± Satan clenched onto the armrests of his chair as Roselia lay her small hand over his massive one, he continued to tell ¡°Ares the warrior was gone, in it¡¯s place stood Ares the beast and it¡¯s brother Agni the mage couldn¡¯t stand it. Agni could not leave his brother warped by the magic of that plane, it was insult to Ares. So Agni did the only thing he could do, at the cost of his soul he created a spell that devoured Ares¡¯s body and banished his soul to the magicless realm where Ares¡¯s Devillish soul would be nothing more than a mortal mundane being.¡± Satan looked down at Sly ¡°You whom has come from Ares, I apologise for misjudging you before.¡± He gestured at Sly ¡°I needed proof, that your blood-Nay your soul wasn¡¯t still tainted by the Dark plane¡¯s magic. For that I required you to go through the change, I required you to ascend and tell me whether Agni died in vain or saved his brother¡¯s bloodline.¡± ¡°And so we welcome back Ares¡¯s blood to the family and toast to Agni¡¯s feat!¡± Declared Hector before draining his large mug of ale, all toasted to his declaration except for Sly as he stared down at the food in front of himself. Sly glanced down at the empty silver plate seeing his own reflection (¡°Then this¡­is who¡­what I am.¡±) he clenched his hands into fists (¡°Another¡¯s legacy¡­Still.¡±) Satan rested his massive hand over the back of Sly¡¯s chair ¡°I understand it is a lot to digest, to live up to Ares¡¯s name must seem impossible to you son but be proud for you too are a Devil now.¡± He then gestured at the food on the table ¡°I hope it¡¯s not to the point that you actually cannot digest?¡± he joked. Sly remained quiet as he picked some from the food spread out through the table as Satan introduced him to the others that sat with them, military officers of his Legion with some being Demons or Devillings of a lesser family branch not withholding the Abysswalker name. ¡°Ah before I forget!¡± Satan suddenly exclaimed ¡°Your training starts at noon.¡± Sly glanced away from the food and up at Satan questioningly as he chewed some sort of stringy white meat. ¡°Well you cannot assume to know everything about your new body now? There are many things for you to learn about what you are!¡± Satan explained with arms open wide before gesturing at the other end of the table ¡°I have a legion to lead so it cannot be me, Val will be teaching you the ropes.¡± The Devil in question stood up from his seat and walked around the others to stand next to where Sly sat, he forwarded his hand ¡°I would be honoured to teach the next generation.¡± he stated with a dignified tone and a happy grin. Sly swallowed and stood up as well to shake the other Devil¡¯s hand, now that they were closer he could fully inspect Val. With similar features to his father, Hector and Zeyna, Val also had different eyes than them, they were still mostly black but only one iris was violet while the other was silver. Sly shook Val¡¯s hand only to find himself in a test of strength as Val instead of shaking clenched his hand and fingers around Sly¡¯s. Sly squinted as he clenched back, the other Devil¡¯s raw strength made Sly¡¯s hand wail with pain but he held on releasing his own unrestrained strength. Val¡¯s grin grew into a smirk ¡°Make sure to keep up son, us Devils know little restraint.¡± the man suddenly seemed much more than Sly initially saw, his height, pronounced horns and massive wingspan sending shivers down his spine. ¡°Cut it out Pa, you¡¯ll scare him off before you¡¯ve even begun.¡± Stated someone from behind Val.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°But I¡¯m only introducing myself, the warrior¡¯s way.¡± said Val with an apologetic expression as he allowed himself to be pulled back, his daughter stepped out from behind him wearing an unconvinced sneer as she glanced up at him. ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled by his aura new comer, my father is actually a softy on the inside.¡± She forwarded her hand to Sly ¡°I¡¯m Sistine.¡± Unlike Aria or Delila who were built like barbaric warriors, even the young Zeiken, she was thin and much less impressive than either three. Sistine looked to be in her early-twenties, pale white skin, long and slightly pointed Fae ears along with short emerald hair and like her father a silver and an emerald eye, Sistine was a mix of Devilling and Fae. Sly¡¯s face seemed to completely freeze as he stared at her, his hand floated half raised. Sistine took his hand herself and briefly shook it ¡°I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve heard your name yet? Grand Father is growing demented as of late.¡± She winked at him implying the joke. Satan spat out the ale he was just drinking ¡°Who ye calling demented now!? Of course we-¡± he stopped and thought something over briefly ¡°Oh.¡± He cleared his throat with a cough while wiping the ale that splattered on his hands ¡°Speak your name boy, not your Devil name that is.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± asked Sly while still entranced. ¡°Ah! Because a Devil¡¯s name is not given to them by their parents but by Hel herself!¡± exclaimed Val already entering his teacher¡¯s act ¡°Val is my actual name while my Devil name is Archon! Devils and Devillings have both names. We already know your Devil name is Zeokul but I¡¯m afraid nobody has asked you for your actual name?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Sly momentarily glanced at Val snapping out of his daze ¡°Um¡­Justin, it¡¯s Justin.¡± He turned back to Sistine ¡°My friends call me Sly.¡± ¡°Sly?¡± asked Val and Sistine in almost unison. ¡°Long story¡­¡± admitted Sly. ¡°Well we have time! Sit down! Tell us about yourself then!¡± urged on Satan while sending Val and Sistine to their seats. Sly awkwardly sat down and glanced around the table before looking up at Satan who gestured for him to start (¡°Okay¡­how do I explain the internet to mostly medieval and magical demonic beings?...¡±) he asked himself while everyone stared at him waiting.
Sly collapsed to his knees as sweat trickled down his entire body, his black shirt and grey long pants drenched as he took scattered breaths. ¡°Come on boy get up! Now that we¡¯ve stretched out our limbs the lessons can actually start!¡± announced Val from his perch above a boulder, they were outside the city high above on the hills that the ravines were part of. ¡°Stretching!? I thought I was going to die ninety percent of the time!¡± exclaimed Sly as he looked up at him from below, Val had him run through the entire area and leap over the ravines, each time he fell he had to go back and start all over. The suns weren¡¯t being friendly either, each smouldering hot burning his skin over and drying the sweat off it almost as quickly as Sly produced it. ¡°Bah! That was nothing!¡± said Val as he hopped off the boulder to stand in front of Sly ¡°All you¡¯ve been using is your body¡¯s own energy, remember boy raw strength does not compare to magically enhanced. You have to tap into your reserves and make use of your Abysmal mana, that is what I will be teaching you today.¡± ¡°Aby-what?¡± asked Sly as he stood up still breathing heavily. ¡°Abysmal.¡± corrected Sistine as she sat on a rock nearby watching. ¡°It is the power us Devils tap into when using magic.¡± Val continued to explain ¡°It is the core of our power, a limitless pond of energy that we may take from as much as we like.¡± Sly stared at him in disbelief ¡°That¡¯s not possible?¡± ¡°It very much is.¡± Insisted Val ¡°Abysmal mana is like a sponge, it absorbs mana from your surroundings and transforms it into what you require although more pure than your body can normally handle. Which, is why you shouldn¡¯t absorb too much else you¡¯ll end up facing unimaginable agony.¡± ¡°Infinite mana¡­sponge¡­lots of pain¡­got it.¡± said Sly in between exhausted breathing. ¡°Sistine, please show him what I mean.¡± said Val as he gestured at her. ¡°Yes Papa.¡± Sistine stood up from the stone and raised her right hand up into the sky, she briefly focused as a violet miasma formed around her hand. Flames formed flowing inward to surround her entire arm, not forming from her body but from the mana surrounding it that lay inside the miasma. ¡°You focus on summoning your Abysmal mana then like focusing Aura you surround the part of your body you wish to use it with, then focus on your surroundings with it.¡± explained Val as he turned back to Sly. ¡°Sure, I can do that.¡± said Sly as he straightened up and held his right hand ahead of himself in a fist, he focused to locate the Abysmal mana that lay within him. He pushed it out and willed it to surround his outstretched arm, dark purple miasma formed around it. As he was told he focused on his surroundings locating the mana with the miasma and pulling it in, he felt the mana enter his miasma as if it was an extension of his body. The mana felt strange, almost invasive as he absorbed it. Having taken in enough he then summoned the only magical spell he knew and white lightning surged across his entire arm. Val nodded ¡°Well done, that¡¯s the easy part. Now on to the next!¡± he held his left arm out with hand wide open as violet miasma formed out of his palm, it expanded and took form before a solid pitch black pole-blade appeared. Val grabbed the weapon and spun it around expertly for a bit before slamming it¡¯s butt down on the ground ¡°This is Dark Cruelty, my Abyssal weapon.¡± Sly gazed at the beautiful weapon, it¡¯s pole was etched with a flowing golden serpent that rose up to the blade where it¡¯s open jaws were perfectly carved into the flat of it on either face. ¡°Abyssal weapon? Do I get one?¡± asked Sly as his excitement suddenly skyrocketed. ¡°Slow down, let me explain first.¡± Val chuckled at his reaction ¡°An Abyssal weapon is your Abysmal mana taking physical form, it is an extension of your very soul. To summon it you must do four things, will your Abysmal mana out and imagine it¡¯s shape, do not force it¡¯s shape but simply let the image appear in your mind.¡± Sly followed his instructions raising his right hand forward again and willing out the miasma, he made it move around as he pictured an assortment of weaponry he was proficient with. ¡°Now as you imagine the weapon, speak it¡¯s name.¡± said Val ending his explanation. ¡°How do I just speak it¡¯s name? Do I decide what it¡¯s called?¡± Sly asked slightly confused. ¡°Once you find the weapon¡¯s shape, you will know it¡¯s name.¡± replied Val. Sly stood focusing for a few seconds before speaking again ¡°So I need to know the shape?¡± ¡°Yes¡± replied Val. ¡°Can you advise me on what should I be thinking of?...¡± Sly asked while closing his eyes to concentrate better. ¡°Big, bladed and possibly single edged?¡± offered Val. ¡°Ah¡­this might take a while¡­¡±
Barik Eslet, Merchant¡¯s District Kyle roamed the streets along with Soren, Woody, Skill and Sparta in search of the general store. ¡°So what are you all going for next?¡± asked Skill as he crafted himself arrows to refill his quivers. ¡°Whatever sounds best I guess?¡± replied Soren with a shrug. ¡°My main class is a mobility fighter type so either a magic type class or something similar.¡± Said Sparta as she looked through her skill book. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what I have available¡­¡± murmured Woody. Kyle sighed as he thought over his current skill set ¡°For once I don¡¯t know either, Golemancer would improve my capabilities with golem creation but¡­There are a couple unique classes I have available that I won¡¯t know unless I see.¡± All five of them were heading to the general store to interact with an Obelisk and gain a sub-class, having finally found the time to do so without interruption. With the agreement between Esfelt and the Dezol currently being talked over the rest of them had some free time to kill. The group of adventurers briefly stopped in front of the massive building¡¯s entrance, with the army of adventurers having spread out through the city most were spending their time here. The bottom area was populated but the tavern up top was packed when they ascended the stairs up. Kyle glanced around looking for an open table only to quickly step back behind the others. Many of the newly formed Adventurer¡¯s Guild of Barik were celebrating the peace here, there being no other tavern large enough to hold the massive feast that was going on now. Woody whistled ¡°Now this is my kind of party.¡± Kyle grimaced as he eyed a few people at the end of the longer tables ¡°Let¡¯s just find a spot in the corner somewhere and get this shit over with.¡± Skill glanced back at him and followed his eyes ¡°Wait isn¡¯t that?¡± he saw Dherik, Regina, Zaahr and obviously Karnage sitting at the end of the table feasting with the rest. Skill was about to raise his hands up and call out to them when Kyle grabbed his right shoulder and oozed out (Elder Frost) from his palm ¡°Don¡¯t.Even.Think.About.That.¡± he whispered to Skill who glanced back with a mischievous smirk. ¡°Alright, alright just kidding.¡± Skill replied with arms raised in surrender. Kyle sighed (¡°That awkward conversation is the last thing I want to have.¡±) he thought to himself. ¡°Master there¡¯s an empty table there.¡± Declared Lilior from atop Kyle¡¯s head as she pointed towards the table in question. ¡°Oh hey there is.¡± said Woody as he followed her pointed finger, it was right behind Karnage¡¯s seats. Skill¡¯s smirk grew into a grin as he pulled Woody and Soren forward ¡°Awesome, let¡¯s take a seat before someone else takes ¡®em.¡± (¡°REVENGE AT LAST!¡±) he cheered victoriously in his mind. Kyle was about to say something but Sparta followed them wordlessly as Woody and Soren got pulled over by Skill (¡°Son of a¡­I¡¯ll get you for this¡­¡±) he cursed then followed after them while raising his hood covering Lilior along with his head. As they approached the empty table Kyle caught parts of conversations the adventurers around him were having with some citizens and bandits that had joined them. It appeared as if the populace didn¡¯t care who led as long as they didn¡¯t bow down to the Empire or resorted to the extremist rationality the churches had brought onto the country after the death of the King. But he also heard conversations of those that didn¡¯t want to join the Dezol to fight the Empire, they were sure the Dezol was only winning so far because the Empire barely gave them attention. Like an adult ignoring a whiny child. Kyle even briefly stopped to listen in on one specific conversation. A grizzled bandit was explaining to a dozen adventurers what the Dragon Riders of the Empire were, a free company, a cult to be more exact. He explained that the Dragon Riders were a clan of Elves that lived alongside Draconics, they weren¡¯t exactly part of either court¡¯s military but easily rose in power within it due to their monstrous partners. Kyle stopped listening in when the bandit began making jokes about cross-breeding, answered by raging laughter from the adventurers and the one that actually wondered how it would work if ever. He moved on and quietly made his way to the table where the others had already sat down, two seats were still open. Skill glanced at him with a smirk before quickly turning around and grabbing hold of one of the other chairs as he stood up ¡°Hey friend take a seat, we got an extra one here.¡± He told one adventurer that was standing next to Dherik as he handed him the chair. ¡°Yo thanks mate.¡± Answered Silent not recognising them at all as he took the chair and sat down. Skill sat back down but not on the chair he was previously on, leaving that one open for Kyle. Kyle quickly took his seat before a shiver went down his spine, he heard Karnage speaking directly behind him. He glanced over at Skill who was barely containing himself. ¡°The hell is wrong with him?¡± asked Sparta as she stared at Skill who was holding his mouth and gut while leaning over the table. ¡°How should I know?¡± said Soren with a shrug. ¡°Yo Kyll did Skill eat something bad?¡± asked Woody. Skill suddenly froze as did Kyle, both glanced back briefly as most of the adventurers behind them had ended their conversations to look at them. ¡°Kyllix?¡± asked Zaahr as she had stood up from her seat to glare down at him, he was still hiding behind his hood. Dherik grimaced as he recognised some of them ¡°You guys¡­¡± ¡°Tch, there goes the celebration.¡± Said Regina as she dropped her ale. Dherik rose up from his seat mostly drunk, he glared at Soren recognising him ¡°It¡¯s you fucks again¡­¡± Soren rose from his seat while unstrapping his battle axe ¡°What fucks? You fucks? Or the ones I don¡¯t give?¡± Sparta and Skill moved to hold Soren back while other adventurers stood to hold Dherik, they settled him back down to his seat and gave him more ale to distract him. ¡°Kyllix I know it¡¯s you, cloaks don¡¯t stop Inspect like masks do.¡± Said Zaahr as she crossed her arms and continued to stare down at him. Kyle sighed and pulled down his hood revealing his head and Lilior sitting with legs crossed on it, she leaned back and looked at Zaahr upside down ¡°Master there is a very angry man behind us.¡± She said in a whisper. Zaahr¡¯s expression turned cold ¡°I¡¯m a woman.¡± Lilior leaned back further ¡°Correction, there is a very angry flat ch-¡± Kyle quickly shut her up with his hand as he glanced back with an apologetic smile. ¡°Hey¡­¡± he greeted. Ch 73 - Legacies Karnage stared down at her drink as Zaahr spoke to her left ¡°Hey? Seriously? That is all you have to say?¡± Kyle rolled his eyes and turned back ¡°What did you expect?¡± Zaahr grimaced in annoyance ¡°Oh I don¡¯t know, it seems like you¡¯ve always been a step ahead so maybe, mind you just maybe I expected an apology? For being used and deceived? You think everyone here just let that go? Just because you were right doesn¡¯t mean you were just.¡± Kyle snorted in amusement ¡°Just? I¡¯m not here to play just, Zaahr.¡± ¡°Then do tell. What are you playing at?¡± asked Zaahr as Karnage pulled at her arm. She whispered at Zaahr ¡°Leave it be¡­¡± Zaahr pulled away ¡°No, I¡¯m done leaving it be. I won¡¯t be some foot soldier while these bastards keep us in the dark.¡± quiet agreement came from the other adventurers ¡°If you expect us to trust you, to help you in whatever is to come next then we expect to be let in on what you know about what the hell is going on.¡± Kyle glanced back at her (¡°She is right¡­¡±) his eyes moved around the entire hall to see expectant faces all staring at him, he sighed in exasperation ¡°Alright then.¡± expectation turned to nervousness ¡°What do you want to know?¡± Skill leaned in to whisper to Kyle ¡°Is this a smart move?¡± Kyle tapped his shoulder ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Zaahr didn¡¯t wait to be asked again and spoke ¡°There¡¯s a lot we want to know, firstly is the Quest itself. What do you know about it? The churches and military haven¡¯t exactly been helpful in that regard.¡± ¡°Not much, same thing you all probably know. Artefact was activated by Liliana and someone from our world who took part in a previous quest, shit went wrong and Liliana is now mad.¡± Kyle lied. Zaahr frowned ¡°You¡¯re one of the chosen Heroes, surely you know more than that.¡± Kyle shrugged ¡°I thought the same thing until said God that chose me decided to wipe my memory of each time I met him.¡± ¡°Then how do you remember meeting him?¡± Zaahr asked with a victorious smile. ¡°Exactly my point.¡± replied Kyle with a sigh. Zaahr¡¯s frown returned but this time slightly confused ¡°I don¡¯t get it¡­¡± ¡°And you think I do?¡± said Kyle with a surprised face. Zaahr held her face ¡°Alright¡­different question¡­¡± she faced him again ¡°You sided with the Dezol because they are stronger than the Esfeltian alliance, yet you remain siding with the Dezol even against the Empire? Who are obviously the strongest known faction? Why?¡± Kyle briefly stood up and fully turned around his chair to face her and the rest of the guild ¡°Well, at first it was only a theory based on some assumptions we made but now we have hard facts backed by information given to us by the Dezol.¡± Kyle began to explain as he did his best to glance around and not meet Karnage¡¯s eyes as she also turned around to listen in ¡°Tell me, why do you think the Empire hasn¡¯t fully called war on the Dezol?¡± ¡°I can think of many reasons¡­¡± said Zaahr. ¡°But those are only assumptions are they not?¡± said Kyle before going on to explain, ¡±The Empire hasn¡¯t full on attacked the Dezol for multiple reasons, the first is that the Empire is divided into three courts and their main military requires all three to agree on something for them to make a move. So far only the Wood Elves have been moving against the Dezol and not even fighting them but blockading the waters between Ruk and their shores. The second reason has to do with military strength in general, the Empire is powerful but so are the Dezol. The Empire can defeat the Dezol in a straight up war but that would come with severe losses for the Empire, so they don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I think I understand.¡± said Zaahr ¡°Fighting the Dezol would leave the Empire weakened, which would be the perfect opportunity for one of the other powers to make a move.¡± ¡°Exactly, this also goes for our current situation. The Empire will bully the alliance but won¡¯t actually engage in war against them, it may not show but the alliance is a powerful military in on itself. Lucifer said that the Avians and the Mer may be cowards but shouldn¡¯t be underestimated.¡± Kyle explained with a smirk ¡°The Empire planned for the alliance and the Dezol to weaken themselves, that is when the Empire would have struck.¡± ¡°Okay that explains a lot but doesn¡¯t answer my question.¡± Stated Zaahr with a frown. ¡°Oh I¡¯m getting to that.¡± Kyle added before speaking again ¡±You see we won¡¯t side with the Empire for two reasons. One; They are a racist community and will never see us as their equal unlike the Dezol who are a mix of different Demon and Devil races. Two; They are using underhanded tactics to win because they are afraid, why should we join the side that is afraid of the one we are already on?¡± Zaahr nodded in understanding when Karnage suddenly spoke ¡°What about the alliance? How do you think those talks will go? Will the other kingdoms join the Dezol too, keep to themselves or move against us?¡± Kyle met her eyes for the first time which she glanced away from ¡°The other kingdoms will join us too.¡± ¡°How can you be so sure of that?¡± asked Zaahr. ¡°Because fear is a powerful force that moves kingdoms.¡± He said before explaining further ¡°With Esfelt joining the Dezol that weakens the alliance, the Empire will take advantage of that and the alliance knows that well. So now each of them has the same option Esfelt has, join the Dezol or become the Empire¡¯s dogs.¡± ¡°Even the Dwarves and the Fae?¡± Karnage asked with a frown. ¡°The Dwarves and Fae here are hardly the only ones, most of their population still resides on Ruk. The ones at New Ruk are escapees from a revolution, might as well call them rebels.¡± Kyle explained. ¡°So you don¡¯t care about the ones here.¡± stated Karnage with a bitter tone. ¡°And you¡¯ve got a problem with that?¡± asked Kyle as his calculative gaze set on her sour expression. ¡°I¡­¡± she grabbed her right arm with her left hand while continuing to stare down at the ground ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­forget it.¡± Kyle frowned and glanced at Zaahr who stared down at her friend with worry, he sighed (¡°Not my problem, let them figure themselves out.¡±) he told himself ¡°Well anymore questions?¡±. One of the officers Kyle didn¡¯t know spoke this time ¡°What the hell was that black fox thing that you fought after it completely wrecked the dragons?¡± Kyle looked the adventurer up and down before responding casually ¡°My ancient ancestor Gran Pappa Void who devoured an entire realm and became said realm¡¯s deity, given physical form.¡± The adventurer stared at him with a confused expression briefly ¡°So you don¡¯t know?...¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Kyle dismissed him with roll of the eyes ¡°Now if you can excuse me I have a sub-class to choose¡± he inspected the Obelisk and a window appeared.
Class Manager Level: 127 Main Class: Lord of Slimes Sub Class: None Available Classes: Wrestler, Golemancer, Taoist, Wizard, SpellBlade {Main Class mastery is available}
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Yet he was given no time to inspect it as his world suddenly went pitch black.
Kyle¡¯s eyes opened wide as he lay face up on the ground ¡°I am getting tired of this Ym-¡± he stopped talking as he noticed the sun high up in the sky above him, to either side of him he saw the sides of strange buildings carved out of a shimmering crystalline rock. ¡°The sun¡­A sun¡­One sun¡­¡± Kyle noted as he stared up at the single sun ¡°Where¡­am I?¡±. ¡°You are where what lays in between the veil and reality itself, boy.¡± Spoke a rough female voice from his left. Kyle shakily sat up and glanced around himself, he gawked at the shimmering buildings of crystal that seemed to change colour with the sun¡¯s light. Each building rose like a spire, bridges of crystal connecting each spiral from windows that faced each other while some bridges spanned around each spire then connecting to another making complex roads up high. ¡°And where¡­¡± Kyle looked down and took in his surroundings ¡°Would that be?...¡± Kyle sat in the middle of what he figured was a road, or use to be before the grass took it over. No pavement, dirt roads or cobblestone lay on the ground, instead the grass was allowed to grow freely around the spires of crystal. All around him along with many looking down curiously from above were thousands of people, each with their own animalistic touch be it a wolf¡¯s tail and ears, deer¡¯s antlers or crow¡¯s feathers. The people of this crystalline city were not human, not entirely. ¡°This.¡± Spoke a Fox-woman as she stepped out of the crowd that surrounded him ¡°Is the Spirit Realm.¡± Her body was shapely and muscular, one you would expect from a trained martial artist. Her short brown hair was tinged with red while her fox ears were crimson and tail fiery red. She wore a dark red combat tunic with black pants and no footwear, strapped to her back was a long single edged curved sword with a shimmering crimson blade and black hilt. The colouring aside, Kyle recognised the sword as the one he was capable of summoning. He stared at the woman who looked to be in her early thirties, a strange familiarity caught his attention as he studied her when suddenly it hit him. ¡°Auntie Celica?¡± he asked in bewilderment. Celica smiled at being recognised ¡°That would be my name yes.¡± She crossed her arms and studied him as he stood up ¡°How you have grown¡­lazy.¡± she stated with a grimace. Kyle faced her with a raised brow ¡°Excuse you?¡± She stomped closer and practically shoved her index and middle fingers in his gut ¡°Untrained.¡± Before quickly forcing his chin up with the same two fingers ¡°Slow.¡± Then moved onto grabbing his right hand with the same and forcefully pulling it up ¡°Pathetic.¡± Kyle being no match for her strength as he struggled to pull his hand out of her vice-like grip. ¡°Uhm¡­Nice seeing you too?¡± he offered with a still bewildered expression. Celica sighed before suddenly pulling him into a bear hug ¡°But of course it is! You have gotten yourself into quiet the¡­strange spot.¡° she stated while pulling him away and studying his face ¡°You have been through so much¡­Now you need to go through so much more¡­¡± she murmured with a saddened expression. ¡°What do you mean? What is this place? Who are these people?¡± Kyle asked as he looked around, his senses had been being poked and prodded the entire time. It felt as if everyone around him was restraining themselves from affecting him, yet he still felt it, their unmistakable presence touching his very core. Celica glanced around as they all watched the scene with warm smiles ¡°This is the Spirit Realm Kyle, the land of the dead as you might call it.¡± She looked back at him ¡°Although I think you already know that¡­with me being here and all.¡± Kyle¡¯s eyes widened ¡°Land of the dead¡­I figured as much but¡­Who else is here?¡± he grabbed hold of her shoulders ¡°Do all that di-¡± Celica placed her hand in front of his mouth cutting him off ¡°No child, I shouldn¡¯t be here myself. It is only by the graces of the immortals that I am. Each realm has it¡¯s own Spirit Realm, this one is solely of Chaoz and anything else around it. My soul was transported here to guide you, I am the only one here you may know. Neither the dead from home nor your friends who might have died on Chaoz lay here, they are somewhere else.¡± she explained gingerly. Kyle¡¯s expression darkened ¡°Ah¡­I understand¡­¡± he felt a hollowness inside his being as he noticed the emotions that had suddenly resurfaced from nowhere. That hollowness slowly began to be filled with anger, anger toward himself for still holding onto such a silly hope. Yet even more suddenly something, some things swept away that anger and filled the hollowness with themselves. Kyle felt warmth flow through himself, not as in heat but more spiritual than so. He glanced around as he realised where that warmth originated from, not a singular origin but from each individual that stood around him. He met Celica¡¯s warm smile ¡°You feel it don¡¯t you? They have been holding back this entire time as to not frighten and confuse you further.¡± she glanced around at the people that were watching them ¡°These are the Spirit Beasts of Chaoz, an extinct race that now exists only in spirit.¡± She looked back at Kyle ¡°They are the same as us Kyle, they are the same as you and are reaching out to you.¡± Kyle fully understood what their reaching out meant, these people didn¡¯t need words to be spoken or written. No instead they reached out and communicated differently, they conveyed their emotions not in speech or text but instead in their original raw form. Kyle was overwhelmed with emotions as each Spirit Beast sent their own greeting through, each a powerful blast of a sensation within his being. He couldn¡¯t bare it all, it was all too much even if he did understand there was just too much. Suddenly the feelings disappeared as they came, his mind and soul cleared of the sensations. ¡°What¡­was that?¡± he asked completely baffled. Celica chuckled ¡°They were saying hi. You have much to learn about our kind, about your people Kyle.¡± ¡°My people?¡± Kyle asked. Celica nodded as she took his arm into hers and lead him forward, the crowd parted for them to pass and followed ¡°Yes Kyle, your people. Not mine, not ours but yours. Since you remember me I expect you to remember who or what your father is? What are family is?¡± Kyle followed her lead as he spoke ¡°Yeah¡­When that thing was removed from my head¡­I remembered it¡­all.¡± He admitted bitterly. Celica nodded solemnly ¡°Indeed, you know that our family is a bloodline of Kitsune, Spirit Foxes of Fire. Banished to the magicless realm for the doings of our ancestor, the same ancestor who devoured the world that banished us and turned into a Void.¡± ¡°The same ancestor that twisted our family into monsters¡­¡± added Kyle with anger clear in his tone. ¡°Yes, a family of fallen beasts turned against each other for generations. That, is our legacy. That, is your burden to bear as the one to be cleansed of it¡¯s horrific plots.¡± Celica explained as the grassy road suddenly began to curve upward ¡°Then again, that is not the only legacy your blood contains.¡± ¡°What do you mean? What else is there?¡± Kyle asked bitterly. ¡°The Nogitsune is the curse our family has struggled against for generations, you are part of that family too but¡­Have you ever asked yourself, what about the other side? It does take two to make one after all.¡± said Celica as the spires around them suddenly began to grow further apart. ¡°The other side? Mom¡¯s?¡± Kyle asked as he stared at the grassy staircase they were approaching, it climbed up several storeys high and spanned the entire city from left to right in a semi-circle where the spires ended. ¡°Exactly boy, that vixen¡¯s side of the family is also made up of Spirit Beasts. I thought you smarter than this?¡± she joked while leading him up the stairs. ¡°Then¡­you don¡¯t mean?¡± Kyle suddenly glanced back at the thousands of Spirit Beasts still following after them. Celica pulled him to look forwards as he almost tripped, she chuckled ¡°Yes, your mother¡¯s side of the family, your other Spirit Beast legacy is not of my bloodline¡¯s origins but another. That legacy, is of this world, of Chaoz.¡± New emotions stirred within Kyle as he took in this information, wonder and joy churned with fear and anxiety as they ascended the stairs. Celica remained silent for the remainder of the climb and when they reached the top she suddenly turned them both around to look behind. ¡°Your father¡¯s legacy was a curse, a monster created from greed and gluttony.¡± Kyle¡¯s eyes widened as he felt his body grow lighter, his heart pounded relentlessly as he gawked in amazement. ¡°Your mother¡¯s legacy on the other hand.¡± Celica giggled happily ¡°Is a history of art, wonder and beauty.¡± she gestured at the city below ¡°This is a mere replica of the real thing, crafted by the Gods for these people to live in peace within their own accomplishments yet it¡¯s beauty is true. This is their legacy, your legacy. Kyle, this is the Crystal Kingdom of Kori.¡± The spires that rose from the ground connected with each other in complex paths creating a shimmering piece of art that reflected light in a way that the buildings were mirrored into the sky like an illusion. The mirrored city was barely visible but very much there, a beautiful light show created from the sun¡¯s light and the marvel built below. Around the city wasn¡¯t a wall but instead an array of gates each so high and wide that Kyle thought a Ram Demon or two could pass through side by side, each open gate had no door and was entirely made of the same shimmering crystal as the city welcoming all and blocking none. Above each spire was a perfectly spherical crystal of a different colour¡¯s shade than any of the thousands of others, they were set with no specific position in mind only that they were all at different heights than any other as were the spire¡¯s heights. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Kyle was utterly speechless at the sight, no matter how many amazing city designs or artwork he had seen within games he¡¯d played or virtual worlds he¡¯d visited, nothing compared to what lay before him. ¡°Breath-taking? Unbelievable? Sublime? Spectacular? Magnificent? ghojmoHwI''''a''?¡± asked a voice from behind them ¡°This sight has heard it all, what shall you say to it I wonder?¡± Kyle turned around to see an elderly man standing behind them, wearing multi-coloured tattered cloths similar to what a lone hermit would wear the man had little hair except for his long unrestrained white beard that almost reached the ground, his two long pure white fox ears and thin white fox tail. Kyle slowly looked behind the man and moved his gaze upward to gawk at the palace that lay there. Almost at random spires of crystal rose from the ground at different angles, some even piercing straight through each other, the spires formed a misshapen palace of sorts that shined brighter than anything else within the city. There was no rime or reason to the shape, no structural basis for the spire¡¯s angles or lengths, they simply were and became what they formed. Behind the palace the gates that surrounded the city as a pseudo wall, more so border, grew taller with the hillside but not comparing to the spire¡¯s height let alone the palace¡¯s that seemed to reach the clouds. A chilling wind blew through Kyle as he stared up at it ¡°It¡¯s fucking fantastic!¡± he suddenly exclaimed with a wide smile. Celica snorted at his response but the old man simply stared at him thoughtfully ¡°Certainly an aggressive language but a new phrase to add to the many it is. Welcome little fox to our city within the afterlife.¡± Kyle¡¯s gawking expression suddenly turned to a frown as he looked down at the old man ¡°Afterlife?...Wait¡­Why am I here again? Am I dead?...¡± Ch 74 - The Ancients ¡°Am I dead?¡± asked Kyle with a horrified expression, no Ymir or anything Godlike was present this time around and he didn¡¯t remember passing out. ¡°No little fox, your body and soul remain present on the mortal realm. It is only your mind that is with us now.¡± Explained the old man. Kyle calmed down as he studied the old man ¡°Soo¡­why am I here? I didn¡¯t even get to select a sub-class?¡± ¡°I believe that is best left for me to explain.¡± Stated the old man with a sigh ¡°You do not know me but I know you little fox, you are my descendant after all.¡± He walked by Kyle and stood facing the city below ¡°I helped build this city, a place of study and wonder for those minds that wished not to be part of the conflicts between other kingdoms. Our people, the Spirit Beasts, they called us the Ancients. Worshipped by the Beastkin like Gods we were, our powers beyond reality itself. Imagine little fox, the capability to bend the will of others, to command entire armies to surrender and they would have no qualms to. The Beaskin worshipped us but the other races¡­They feared us.¡± The old man¡¯s expression turned dark as if reminiscing on darker days. ¡°This was before the Elven Empire¡¯s rise?¡± asked Kyle. The old man shook his head ¡°This was how the Empire rose. Through fear mongering and deception the Elven courts turned the Orcs and Ogres against the Beastkin, at the time the Human alliance did not dare take part while the Dwarves and Fae also kept to themselves. The war lasted for twenty eight years, the Orcish Horde harassing the farmland cutting our supplies off, the Ogre warlords crushing our cities to dust and the Elven stalkers destroying the Beastkin¡¯s chain of command. The Beastkin begged us to help, to use our powers to bring them victory over their foes.¡± He looked down at his own hands in disgust ¡°We massacred hundreds of thousands, Orc, Ogre and Elf alike fell before our power. That¡­is when the Humans, Dwarves, Fae and lesser races intervened. It was all against us, with the Beastkin hiding behind our backs we fought against everyone. We were too powerful, even for our own good.¡± Kyle couldn¡¯t see how they lost if their power had been so vast ¡°How did you fall? How did they defeat you then?¡± he asked sceptically. The old man sighed ¡°They didn¡¯t, our own neighbours did in their stead. Seeing our powers in warfare the Beastkin grew to fear us, the Elves used that fear and turned it towards us. It all happened over night, the Beastkin lead Orc and Elven assassins to our homes, to our families¡­We had no one left to trust, nowhere to go or hide. We died, quietly and alone.¡± ¡°I see¡­I understand now.¡± Kyle¡¯s expression turned cold as he fully comprehended what happened to these people, how the Empire rose ¡°The destruction of the Ancients¡­That was their quest, the Elves¡¯ quest.¡± The old man nodded sagely ¡°That it was and on it¡¯s completion the Elves turned the Orcs and Ogres against the Human alliance, they left the entirety of Hasharr to them after exiling the Beastkin to the small continent of Barik. Where after the fall of the Human kingdoms they, the Humans were banished to it as well. And now here we stand, our entire people extinct, our treacherous neighbours and their treacherous allies bound for war against the deceptive Elves yet again.¡± ¡°But¡­what does all that have to do with me?¡± Kyle asked as he now fully faced the old man. The old man turned to face Kyle ¡°You are the last, the survivor. Even back then our numbers were few, new generations came in small amounts as we bonded with other races more frequently than not which produced no offspring of ours. Of course when one offspring with Spirit Beast blood mates with other, even if they are of a different race our blood still flows through them and through that a Spirit Beast can be born.¡± He smiled ¡°My son, out of all of us he was perhaps the wisest. He saw the Beastkin¡¯s fear and acted upon it, sacrificing his and his wife¡¯s life to save their newborn son from the fate of war. He sent the child through the veil using an old banishing spell, sending it to the magic-less realm.¡± He held his right hand over Kyle¡¯s head ¡°It seems that act of sacrifice, was the production of our people¡¯s survival.¡± ¡°Me?...¡± Kyle asked in bewilderment. ¡°No the unicorn you travel with.¡± Joked Celica as she slapped his shoulder hard ¡°Yes you, stupid boy. Your mother isn¡¯t a Spirit Beast but she held their blood, joining with your father to make you.¡± ¡°Oh, okay but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m the last? That son could have produced others? Different branches to the family tree I don¡¯t know of?¡± Kyle explained. ¡°Yes that is possible, yet who stands before me now? Is it not you?¡± asked the old man with a grin ¡°They matter not for it is you who managed to come back, it is you who was chosen for the quest and it is you who has caught the elusive Avatar¡¯s attention.¡± He stepped away from Kyle ¡°I am Durin Soultail of the Fox clan, one of the seven founders of Kori and your ancestor by many many generations past. You who has our blood, you who is a Spirit Beast, you who has returned to Chaoz. There are many things I wish to speak to you of but first¡­there are others that wish to meet with you.¡± Durin gestured to the palace ¡°Follow me.¡± Kyle and Celica followed Durin to the palace¡¯s entrance, a gaping hole in two spires that lay in the very front centre. As they stepped inside Kyle gawked in amazement at the palace¡¯s inner for it was unlike anything he¡¯d ever seen. Calling it a palace was by how it seemed from the outside yet the inside was something else, from the crystal walls to the pillars that kept it all together shelves full of books, scrolls, tablets and crystals were all the eye could see no matter where one looked. The palace was not a palace but a massive circular library. In the very centre of the library was a pond of water that reflected light the same way the crystal walls, ceiling and ground did making it hard to discern from the rest. Around the pond stood six others, each one a Spirit Beast. As they approached the pond each Ancient inspected Kyle and he inspected them while Durin introduced them. ¡°Allow me to introduce the other six founders of Kori.¡± Said Durin as he gestured at each ¡°Aina Soulclaw of the Tiger clan.¡± the woman looked to be in her late forties, had long blonde hair, crimson eyes, ember tiger ears and tail striped black. A thin aura of dark red flowed around her. ¡°Gerald Soulhowl of the Wolf clan.¡± An old lanky man with a short trimmed black beard, moustache, short hair and black wolf ears and tail. His eyes glowed unnaturally blue making him stand out from the rest. ¡°Tien Soulfeather of the Owl clan.¡± A short old woman with greyed long hair held back in a bun, her eyes at first squinted before opening wide revealing large golden eyes. White and grey feathers grew out from her back forming a pair of large wings that hugged most of her body while two long feathers grew from each side of her head pointing backwards. ¡°Rel Soulhoof of the Reindeer clan.¡± A young boy looking to be in his teens with short ginger hair, brown eyes and a set of antlers growing out of his forehead. His cold gaze seemed to be beyond his age, his demeaner straight and proud. ¡°Silvester Soulfang of the Snake clan.¡± A tall muscular man within his thirties, bald with green slit eyes and dark green-brown scales covering most of his body. His serpentine tongue snuck out from time to time as he stood perfectly motionless otherwise. ¡°And finally, Terrance Soulshell of the Tortoise clan and first founder of Kori.¡± The last person looked to be the eldest of all, the oldest person Kyle had ever seen. He sat with legs crossed and hands on them as he stared with eyes half open at Kyle, sitting on the complete opposite side of the pond. Terrance had medium grey hair held in a warrior¡¯s band, his eyes were a light white with little yellow making Kyle believe the man was blind.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Terrance¡¯s body was short and almost sickly thin, almost a skeleton compared to the massive light brown tortoise shell around his body. Only his arms, legs and head were visible as the rest lay within the shell, a shell that seemed so beat up and tattered that it might as well been chewed on by a crocodile. Durin gestured at Kyle to stand closer to the pond next to him, Kyle did as told while all of the founders¡¯ gazes fell upon him. ¡°Oh how should we start¡­I believe a welcome would be appropriate? Although it is best you do not stay.¡± said Terrance with a croak chuckle. Rel coughed ¡°I believe it is best to approach this more professionally master Terrance?¡± the young boy stated. ¡°Yes yes¡­More so due to the being asking than anything?¡± added Gerald with a wolfish grin. ¡°Ah very well.¡± Terrance sighed dramatically ¡°Child of the Fox clan, I am sure Durin has already explained yet I feel obliged to repeat. You are the last and the only of our bloodline to live and walk on soil of mana. You are, if any, the only hope our people has to survive. Our traditions have long been lost, our culture all but exterminated.¡± Kyle tensed as Terrance spoke, the words digging deep under his skin ¡°Whether you accept the legacy we offer or decline is all up to you. Our ways can be¡­different than what you are used to.¡± Terrance explained solemnly as he moved to stand. Kyle remained silent and waited for the old man to stand straight, or what he was capable of managing before speaking again ¡°Little one, you aren¡¯t here today simply because of your blood. Not only as a descendant of the Ancients, you stand here today as a Chosen, as a Dark Hero who has caught the attention of change itself. This¡­has indeed brought change.¡± Terrance stated as he closed his eyes and sighed silently. ¡°What do you mean? What change?¡± asked Kyle. ¡°A new prophecy has been given, the Grand Quest has changed.¡± Said Terrance before explaining further, a brief sigh in between ¡°Three Trials shall take place, a test of courage, a test of perception and a test of alignment. Heroes shall take part in these Trials, if one fails then they lose their title as Hero.¡± Kyle¡¯s expression darkened ¡°What do I gain for winning?¡± Silvester hissed a chuckle ¡°Already thinking of victory? Good, you have a right state of mind. The victor of the last Trial will be bestowed a wish by the Avatar itself, one change to be made to the reality of any realm within existence.¡± Kyle¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at the hefty reward, it seemed so much more than the original Quest¡¯s reward. ¡°The first test has already gone by, breaking away from a nogitsune¡¯s mental grasp you claimed the test of courage.¡± Durin suddenly stated from Kyle¡¯s left. Kyle grimaced ¡°Please tell me you meant killed the nogitsune¡­¡± Terrance shook his head ¡°That creature is hale and alive, all you destroyed was an embodiment of itself crafted from mana. Which brings us to why you are here.¡± Kyle¡¯s expression went cold at the affirmation he feared, his suffering was not over just yet. Terrance continued while looking saddened ¡°The monster still lives and threatens your very existence. The Gods cannot step in further, they¡¯ve gone far enough as it stands. It is up to you Kyle Dean Soultail, you may have freed your family from it¡¯s curse but at the same time you also freed the nogitsune of it¡¯s shackles. It roams free, searching for another host. It¡¯s power is unimaginable yet not insurmountable. You, the one it has afflicted for so long, the one it hung to like a parasite since birth, the one it chose as it¡¯s perfect vessel. You are the sole being capable of defeating it. It is not far-fetched to say that your Trials will pertain to it.¡± Kyle stood stalk still as Terrance spoke, his mind blurring through the details. (¡°For how long¡­for much longer¡­¡±) Hatred he had held onto for so long, the ice that made up his soul began to crack and fall apart ¡°After¡­so much¡­why¡­why can¡¯t it just¡­go away?...¡± he spoke his mind out loud, his tone monotone. Terrance stared at him, his expression hardened as he spoke ¡°Because it is vile, it was born from the very precepts of evil and creating more is all it can do and therefore it shall. There is no rime, no reason to it¡¯s actions other than to cause suffering, agony and hatred¡­It lives off of them, it sustains itself with them. They are its air, it¡¯s bread and water, it cannot survive without.¡± He quickly gestured something at Gerald. ¡°You say it is so evil¡­and so powerful¡­yet defeatable? What does it matter? If something such as the Avatar exists, why doesn¡¯t it just remove it?¡± Kyle asked, his tone still cold and voice beginning to croak. Terrance closed his eyes again as he spoke louder than before ¡°I do not pretend to understand the Avatar¡¯s means, I definitely do not agree with them and will not stand for this either. The creature must be destroyed, for the insult it has thrown at us, for the suffering it has caused you and many others before.¡± He suddenly disappeared before reappearing in front of Kyle, two heads taller than the adventurer. The Ancient sighed, sadness clear on his expression as he gazed down at Kyle ¡°That hatred of yours, it will eat you from the inside. Slowly it will turn to anger, then to rage and after that¡­insanity. Do you not feel it boy? Do you not understand?¡± he asked in a commanding voice. Kyle looked up at Terrance ¡°What¡­I don¡¯t understand?...Ju-Just tell me! How do I defeat it!?¡± his expression turned to anger as he bellowed into Terrance¡¯s face ¡°How do I kill it!?¡± Terrance shook his head ¡°You do not understand, you do not feel it so I cannot tell you yet.¡± Kyle¡¯s expression grew uglier as his fangs and claws suddenly grew out ¡°What the hell are you talking about!? Just fucking tell me already!¡± he reached out for Terrance¡¯s shell collar. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you leave us with little choice little fox, else it will get it¡¯s way. Damned be the Avatar, this trial is too much for you.¡± Said Gerald as he appeared between Kyle and Terrance, grabbing Kyle¡¯s arm he twisted it and easily as if lifting a feather, he threw Kyle over the Tortoise-man. Kyle turned surprised as he flew over and down towards the water, he glimpsed Aina and Silvester holding Celica back as she screamed something at him. Durin¡¯s expression was solemn as he whispered something as well. Yet it all blurred as the buzzing in his head muffled them all out. He glanced downwards right as he hit the water, suddenly he felt it pull at him and he shot down into it three times faster than he was falling. Kyle struggled and spun around as he was pulled down into the pool¡¯s depths, quickly he ran out of breath and began to suffocate and drown as the light grew dimmer and dimmer until all he saw was darkness. Kyle felt his life drifting away, death¡¯s door approaching as his consciousness dulled. He drifted in the seemingly endless darkness, the rage he felt earlier all taken away from the embrace of surrender. He felt it, so close he was to losing consciousness. So close to dying, to leaving it all behind. To finally rest in peace. It was all so sudden, nothing that he had seen coming. Yet he smirked, he would of laughed at the insanity of it all if he could. That was what death was anyway, something you do not see coming, something you cannot await nor evade as it is both undetectable and inevitable. He closed his eyes as he felt his last moments nearby, surrendering himself to what he had no control over anymore. Yet, it never came. The silent embrace of death was near yet it stayed away, he felt at death¡¯s door but could not open it. Reopening his eyes Kyle reached out around himself no longer feeling the water until he did, he felt bewildered. The water wasn¡¯t there unless he tried to look for it? No it was something else¡­It wasn¡¯t there until he thought it was? Realisation came as he suddenly took in a deep breath, no longer suffocating he collected himself. Already calm from nearing death he now understood what had just happened, what was still happening. He wasn¡¯t actually there, this was all happening in his mind. He was never actually drowning, he was never actually dying. Due to the rage he had forgotten that, the anger that suddenly had come from within blinded his reasoning. But now his mind was clear as he floated yet again in utter darkness, (¡°Why was I so angry?¡±) he searched deep within himself for the source of that rage (¡°The Nogitsune¡­I may have rid myself of it but¡­is it because It¡¯s temporary?¡±) he asked himself and the thought brought him some sliver of anger but nothing compared to what he had felt a few moments ago. Nothing the Nogitsune did now could compare to what he had already gone through, he was already numb from feeling pain that way again. He collected himself and reviewed the conversation he had just had, the memory of it blurry from the rage but there. (¡°The Nogtisune¡­It is now free from it¡¯s shackles¡­¡±) this brought him much more anger yet not enough (¡°It searches¡­for another host¡­¡±) and then he understood. The rage had returned but he numbed it out by restating himself into a state of drowning letting the panic and the following calm to cancel it out. The Ancients sent him here, wherever he was, to clear his mind from the rage. He didn¡¯t know why, he didn¡¯t understand what was wrong with feeling the rage. It was only natural for him to do so, the very thought of someone else going through what he had because he freed the creature brought Kyle no small amount of guilt and anger. He continued reviewing Terrance¡¯s words until a certain part brought him realization ¡°The hatred will eat me from the inside¡­Turn to anger¡­then rage¡­insanity¡­¡± Kyle spoke out loud to himself ¡°Feel? Feel what?...¡± he looked down at his hands as the darkness didn¡¯t seem to cover his body as if there was actually light. His skin had begun to change, a shadowy smoke oozed out of patches on his skin as it turned blacker than the darkness that surrounded him. Kyle knew exactly what that smoke was, it was no smoke, no darkness but instead a black flame. A slow, calm flame made of pure darkness, this along with Terrance¡¯s words got Kyle to comprehend his situation. He understood what was happening. He understood the second trial had already begun. But he did not know what he was supposed to do about it. Ch 75 - The second trial. Kyle floated in the endless darkness, something he was strangely growing used to. He could clearly see his own body yet the lightless plane around him gave no way for his sight, no matter where he looked he couldn¡¯t see a damn thing. Although he found himself in this strange situation his mind was focused on other things, (¡°This¡­is my trial?¡±) he asked himself while staring down at his changed skin when the changes suddenly disappeared. Kyle flinched at the sudden change ¡°What the hell¡­¡± he spoke out loud as he stared down at his hands when his vision suddenly went blurry. The darkness around him changed in a sudden burst of colour, the blackness gave way as the sun¡¯s light shone through the forest¡¯s trees down onto the grassy ground below. Kyle suddenly stood amidst a forest of green, glancing around all he saw were trees, bushes and long grass. ¡°Where¡­am I?¡± he asked no one in particular as the forest¡¯s sound engulfed his senses. From chirping birds, squeaking animals, the flap of wings and rustling of leaves Kyle spun in circles as his mind was overwhelmed. Then he fell, tripping over something he fell back and hit the grassy dirt with a thump ending the overwhelming sounds that surrounded him. Kyle groaned as he moved to stand, rubbing the back of his head from the fall. A squeak alerted him to it¡¯s presence to his left. Kyle stopped moving briefly before looking to his side and there it stood, no more than a foot tall the white fox stared at him curiously. It had blue strands of fur and both it¡¯s two tails and ears ended in a patch of blue, it¡¯s eyes shined with intelligence a deep blue themselves. Kyle raised a brow at the creature¡¯s resemblance to his true form and it snickered at his surprise, as if enjoying his confusion. He moved to stand and it bolted away and out of sight, Kyle tried to follow it with his eyes but the creature was too small to be seen in the foliage. ¡°Alright¡­¡± he sighed and looked around again but saw no obvious direction he could take, looking up at the sky through the branches and leaves the sun seemed to be perfectly in the centre disabling him from figuring out compass directions. Taking it all into account Kyle came down to one conclusion (¡°The Ancients¡­they sent me here to deal with my trial¡­So does it matter which direction I go?¡±) he thought long and hard on that question yet his mind kept drifting elsewhere (¡°That darkness¡­What is¡­happening to me?¡±) he thought back to the shadows that had encased him earlier. ¡°Is it¡­is it still¡­¡± Kyle stared down at his hands eyes wide as he wondered whether the Nogitsune was still affecting him. It would explain the rage that had filled him, it would explain the darkness that had encased him. A snickering caught his attention to his right, turning around Kyle briefly saw the white fox holding onto a tree¡¯s bark before scurrying away. He frowned at the creature¡¯s behaviour then decided to follow it, he had no other means to figuring out a direction anyhow. Kyle pushed aside low branches and kicked through thick bushes, tall grass seemed to entangle around his legs, the branches stood in his way entirely while the bushes¡¯ lone existence seemed to be to slow him down. He swatted them aside, kicked them to the ground or tore them from the dirt as he pushed forward through the thick forest. The snickering persisted as he caught glimpses of the fox as it smirked at him, how it easily moved through the forest yet he had to tear down anything in his path. Kyle felt himself growing annoyed, his movements growing more rash as he forced his way after the fox. The stronger he kicked through the grass the more it seemed to entangle, the more he pulled or pushed at the branches the more they seemed to stick around and the more he excessively stomped on the bushes they also seemed to become harder to get through. Annoyance turned to anger as he flared his fire at the green, his flames devouring anything they touched clearing the path for him. Kyle willed his flames forward after the fox, at where he had just seen the creature¡¯s smug smirk the blazing inferno moved tearing down trees, devouring leaves and turning the grass and bushes to ash. Kyle took erratic breaths as he glanced around the burned down forest, looking for his quarry he spotted the little fox sitting down to his left. Kyle turned as flames raged around his body, he met the creature¡¯s calm and solemn stare. ¡°What?!¡± Kyle shouted at the little beast ¡°What are you looking at!?¡± it¡¯s cold stare was unmoving as if judging his every action. He stepped closer to it as his anger turned to mindless rage, the creature¡¯s very existence antagonising him. The little fox stood and stepped back as it¡¯s fur stood on end yet it didn¡¯t run, it stood it¡¯s ground and bared it¡¯s fangs at him. The small weak creature wanted to fight, it was challenging him to fight. Kyle glared down at the fox as it snarled at him, through his senses he felt it¡¯s hatred at what he had done. He suddenly backed away from it, it¡¯s cold hatred all he could feel for a brief moment. Kyle looked at his surroundings, where once stood a lively and beautiful forest now rested it¡¯s burned down ashes. He looked down at the hands that had burned it down, the pitch-black flames that engulfed his body were lashing out at anything within range as the patches of shadow returned to his skin. The little fox continued to bare it¡¯s fangs at him, it¡¯s hatred seating through and filling his senses. Kyle stepped back and away from the small creature, his rage disappearing as it had appeared only to be replaced by guilt and fear. ¡°No¡­¡± Kyle spoke in a croaked voice as he backed away from the fox, it neared closer smelling his fear. He swatted away the black flames that covered him yet they stuck, he clawed away at the shadows on his skin yet they remained. ¡°It¡­it¡¯s not me! No! I¡¯m not!¡± Kyle fell to his knees dispersing ashes as he hit the ground, he clutched his shoulders with both hands as he stared at the small white fox while it neared ever closer. It¡¯s fangs bared and eyes open wide, no longer judging him it now stood against him. Kyle shook his head ¡°No¡­It can¡¯t be¡­This can¡¯t be¡­¡± panic spread through his mind like a wildfire as he hugged himself, try has he might to bring the flames under control they continued to spread further burning away at what remained of the forest in the distance. Kyle now understood, the Nogitsune was not affecting him no more, the fox was not the beast in this moment. ¡°I¡¯m a fool¡­I¡¯ve¡­been such a fool¡­¡± the shadows that made up his body, the black flames that acted on his rage, each indicated to one cold truth. Through his hatred for the monster that ruined his life, through the rage that followed he himself began to become the monster. ¡°I¡­¡± Kyle dared not look away from the fox as it stopped baring it¡¯s fangs at him, it sat down and looked at him with a renewed calm. (¡°Is it too late?...¡±) he asked himself ¡°Have I already¡­become? Why is this happening? Where have I gone wrong? Was I wrong on hating it? Why? What is so wrong with hating something like it?¡± he asked several questions none directed at the fox but all at himself. What was wrong with hating the creature that ruined his life? What was wrong with hating the monster that tricked and used him? These questions floated through his mind as his eyes continued to stare into the judgmental fox¡¯s. Kyle suddenly slammed his fists into the ground sending ash up into the air ¡°Why¡­How can I not hate it? Is this what it means to¡­Is becoming a monster the only way to kill one!?¡± he shouted out as fear, guilt and anger dangerously mixed within him.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. He stared down at the ash, it¡¯s use far gone, the life it once stood for no more than what it now is. Kyle suddenly looked up as he noticed the little fox closer than ever, mere inches away from his face it sniffed his hair curiously with ears reared back. Kyle didn¡¯t understand, where did it¡¯s hatred go? He had destroyed it¡¯s home, turned it¡¯s whole life to ashes yet here the little beast stood letting it¡¯s curiosity move it closer to the being it should regard as a monster. It glanced around his face, eyeing him curiously before licking some ash off his nose. The fox reared back in disgust as it shook it¡¯s head with tongue shaking limply out. Kyle stared at it in a daze, he felt his heart wrenching as the foolish animal turned to continue staring at him. (¡°Of course it doesn¡¯t hate me¡­it¡¯s just an animal¡­a beast¡­It doesn¡¯t know any better.¡±) he thought to himself in slight relief, when a sudden thought occurred to him. (¡°But¡­I know better¡­I should know better.¡±) Kyle stood up and looked down at his hands, the dark flames had disappeared but the shadows remained as patches on his skin. Because of his sudden movements the fox scurried away following it¡¯s instincts to be cautious on movement. Kyle watched as the fox ran around left to right before leaping into a thicket disappearing from sight. He looked up at the sky, his eyes squinting as the sun¡¯s bright light continued to shine down on him. Even though this entire forest was burned down to the ground, even though so many beings must have lost their homes the sun shone just as bright as ever almost uncaring. Kyle let out a long breath of relief ¡°There is nothing wrong with being angry, it¡¯s only natural¡­After all I¡¯ve been through it¡¯s only natural¡­¡± Kyle clenched his fists and looked down at his arms, claw marks spread out through the shadowy patches ¡°Yet I should know better than to let my anger lead me.¡± He solemnly told himself ¡°I won¡¯t let my anger lead me.¡± He promised himself. ¡°And so you¡¯ve perceived your true nature.¡± A voice spoke from everywhere at once ¡°There is nothing wrong with feeling hatred, there is nothing wrong with feeling anger. Yet it is up to you to perceive them, to deny them from changing you.¡± The world around Kyle melted away as he suddenly rose from the pool, taking a deep breath as if he was just drowning Kyle found himself standing in the pool within the library. The liquid reached up to his chest as he stood up within it, glancing around he saw each of the founders staring down at him proudly as his aunt sighed in relief. ¡°Well done little fox.¡± said Terrance ¡°You have passed the second trial.¡± ¡°What¡­just happened?¡± Kyle asked as he swam back towards Celica and Durin. ¡°I apologise for the sudden actions we took, yet we were left with little choice. The Trial of Perception threatened to blacken you, it¡¯s properties quickening your ailment.¡± Gerald apologised with a bow. ¡°Blacken me huh?...¡± Kyle pulled himself out of the reflective pool ¡°I understand what was happening, I now know what the trial was and what it¡¯s objectives were but¡­what the hell was that place?...¡± he asked while staring down at his own reflection in the pool, the black patches nowhere to be seen. ¡°That is Spirit, every drop of it. Everything here is made of Spirit but that pool is more, condensed Spirit made from every Spirit Beast here.¡± Durin explained as he crouched down next to Kyle ¡°The Spirit revealed your deepest consciousness, what did it show you?¡° ¡°It showed me what I could become¡­The monster I hate so much, how close I was becoming to it.¡± Kyle solemnly replied as he reminisced on it. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± he covered his face as he thanked not only Durin but everyone that stood in this hall. Kyle didn¡¯t know what would have happened if they hadn¡¯t acted, his anger could have consumed him. He hid his tears, ashamed of himself. ¡°It is a fine thing to show appreciation but be not ashamed of yourself little fox.¡± Terrance spoke from the other side of the pool ¡°Instead be proud of yourself, alone and without training you withheld against the Nogitsune¡¯s power. You survived, you denied it¡¯s grasp.¡± ¡°He is right Kyle, you did what none of us could do. You denied it, you fought back!¡± agreed Celica as her expression grew solemn ¡°You are strong and it¡¯s the strong that tend to fall hardest. You know what I mean, you feel it now that you¡¯ve noticed. You¡¯re turning into a Nogitsune yourself.¡± ¡°How do I stop it? How do I defeat it without becoming one myself?¡± Kyle asked as he stared down at his hands, his eyes bloodshot from the heavy tears. ¡°Training both your mind and soul, it will take time too. Lots of time.¡± replied Celica ¡°Due to the state of your soul, this session is taking place at the same time as reality. For you to grow stronger without breaking further, you must remain here and train in the old ways.¡± ¡°How long? How long do I have to stay here? War could be upon my friends, I cannot leave them to fight without me.¡± Kyle stood up and stared back at his aunt. Celica shook her head ¡°Days, maybe weeks. Your friends will have to fend for themselves until then, I¡¯m sure hell won¡¯t let loose without you.¡± Kyle snorted ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure of that. So¡­what now?¡± ¡°For this training to be successful, your mind is not enough.¡± Terrance spoke now ¡°You will return to the realm of the living, with body, mind and soul together you will then travel back here.¡± ¡°How do I do that?¡± Kyle asked sceptically. ¡°By selecting a sub-class we will use the power of the Avatar within the obelisk to fully transport you here. Choose wisely.¡± said Terrance as he waved his right hand forwards, suddenly everyone and everything around Kyle began to dissipate into smoke turning his world into darkness once more. --- Kyle woke up with a start, opening his eyes and sitting up he found himself on a luxurious bed inside a luxurious room. ¡°You¡¯re up?!¡± exclaimed Karnage from his left as she sat by his side. ¡°MASTER!¡± Screamed Lilior as she suddenly leaped onto him in her full height, as she embraced him Lilior smirked back at Karnage who grimaced in annoyance. ¡°Lilior you¡¯re choking me¡­¡± Croaked Kyle as he fully took in the room. ¡°Yo he¡¯s up.¡± said Skill from the corner of the room, he spoke into his VCD before walking up to Kyle¡¯s bedside ¡°You completely passed out back there, gave us a fright.¡± Kyle smiled apologetically ¡°Yeah¡­sorry about that. Guess you had to carry me for once.¡± ¡°Pfft, sure.¡± replied Skill with a shrug as he stored his VCD ¡°The others are in the dining hall.¡± ¡°Wait, where are we? How long was I out?¡± Kyle suddenly asked as he pushed an over-dramatic Lilior off him. ¡°Eight hours.¡± replied Karnage as she glanced away from him. ¡°What she said, we¡¯re in the Noble¡¯s district by the way. Negotiations went through just as we planned, they even gave us this nice ass house here.¡± Skill explained as he walked to the door. ¡°Huh¡­Damn eight hours?¡± he asked before glancing over at Karnage ¡°What are you doing here anyway?¡± She almost jumped as he spoke directly to her ¡°Oh¡­Ah¡­Zaahr wanted to hear the outcome of the negotiations first hand! I should probably go!¡± she announced before storming out of the room. ¡°Sheesh...Can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re actually that dense or if you¡¯re doing it on purpose.¡± Skill chuckled as he pointed at the now open door. Kyle shrugged ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand. So everyone¡¯s here?¡± he then asked while standing up from the bed, Lilior held onto his back by entangling her arms around his neck while half her normal size. ¡°Pretty much, we¡¯ve got Sly on call and everybody else is sitting by talking things through. Karnage and Zaahr are here though so they¡¯ll probably leave some stuff out for later.¡± replied Skill. Kyle nodded ¡°Good, there¡¯s something I need to tell you all. Lead the way.¡± He followed after Skill with Lilior having shrunk down to her Fairy size and back on her usual perch. ¡°Right this way.¡± Said Skill as he lead the way through several corridors, the entire mansion was sleek and seemingly brand new. Kyle followed as his mind drifted off, staring down at his right open palm he wondered what they would say (¡°I have no choice, I cannot allow myself to become that¡­thing.¡±) He was so afraid of turning that he didn¡¯t want to even think of the Nogitsune for it might cause him to enter another fit of rage. ¡°Here we go.¡± Skill pushed open a set of cherry wood double doors revealing a large dining hall. A chessboard like black and blue tiled floor with carved wood walls and archaic drawings on the ceiling. Across the dining table every member of the guild sat by staring at their direction, even Sly as he looked through the VCD that was placed standing on the table. Along with the guild others were also present, Zaahr and Karnage sitting next to each other on one side and two Kyle barely recognised sitting on either side of Birse. Caitlyn sat to Birse¡¯s right with a warm smile and wearing a plain blue dress while Samala squirmed over her chair to his left, looking anxious while wearing an expensive looking black shirt that reached down like a dress with long sleeves. ¡°So sleeping beauty is finally awake.¡± Joked Steph as the three entered the room. ¡°Better late than never.¡± Said Sly from the VCD, Kyle had a double take as he took in the horns and wings. ¡°Good of you to join us for dinner.¡± Said Samala as she carefully inspected him. ¡°Well dinner for you and breakfast for me.¡± replied Sly. ¡°So what happened?¡± Kyle asked as he took a seat between Ch and Soren. ¡°You passing out like a damsel in distress you mean?¡± Steph continued on with a snicker. ¡°I¡¯d give a guess that you mean the negotiations on our standing with the Dezol¡­¡± said Caitlyn as she took a sip of her wine. ¡°Yeah, that.¡± Kyle skipped over Steph¡¯s obvious jabs wanting to leave that for later. ¡°The Alliance has dissolved.¡± Stated Birse before chugging out of the wine bottle. Ch 76 - This isnt goodbye. Kyle listened in as each member and person present excluding him took their time to speak their mind. ¡°With these four kingdoms alongside the Dezol, the Empire will not attack rashly.¡± Said Birse as they spoke of the alliance between Esfelt, their allies and the Dezol legions. ¡°We¡¯ll deal with the Dwarves and Fae in time, we cannot rush something like that.¡± Caitlyn explained as the conversation took a turn as they ate. ¡°How about we speak of the elephant in the room though?¡± teased Ch as he pointed out Birse¡¯s two wives only to be turned down solemnly by Caitlyn changing the conversation elsewhere. Kyle half listened and half didn¡¯t, he ate quietly, picking away at the plate of pasta in front of him. When Sly suddenly spoke to him ¡°Yo something wrong with the food there Kyll?¡± asked the Devil with a raised brow through the magical device. Kyle looked up from his plate and looked around to see everyone staring at him ¡°Huh? Oh, nah nothing wrong with the food. Why you ask?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve barely eaten and barely spoke, ain¡¯t fooling me. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sly asked. Kyle had figured someone would bring it up, he never was going to hide it like he did with the artefact and the quest¡¯s stalled state. Now? That didn¡¯t matter anymore, the quest would go on without the artefact and until his soul healed he couldn¡¯t stop Scythe. ¡°What¡¯s up Kyll? Now that I think about it, you didn¡¯t get a sub-class did you? What happened back there?¡± asked Death. Kyle sighed deeply as he put together in his mind how he would explain everything to them, it was tough for him to abandon his friends to a fate of war as he went elsewhere. ¡°When I went to select a sub-class¡­Someone intercepted me using the obelisk before I could do so.¡± Birse¡¯s gaze hardened ¡°That thing again?¡± he asked solemnly. ¡°No.¡± Kyle shook his head at Birse¡¯s off mentioning of the Nogitsune ¡°But it has to do with it somewhat.¡± He pushed away his food and leaned back into his chair as he explained his situation, about the Ancients, his bloodline and the changed rules of the Grand Quest along with the three trials. Karnage suddenly stood up, opened her mouth to speak, glanced around at everyone looking at her and sat back down blushing ¡°Wait so¡­You weren¡¯t kidding?...¡± ¡°Never said I was or wasn¡¯t, just didn¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± Replied Kyle. ¡°Okay anyway, so you¡¯re BECOMING one of these things now!?¡± asked Samala with renewed interest in the conversation as she dismissed anybody else who was going to ask. ¡°If I don¡¯t take steps to fight it off¡­yes I could become a Nogitsune¡­¡± Kyle answered bitterly. ¡°And what are these steps master?¡± asked Lilior with a worried expression. ¡°I will spend time in the Spirit world with my people, training in their old ways. I will be away for days, maybe even weeks.¡± Kyle finally dropped the veil and waited for their answer. ¡°Weeks¡­¡± repeated Sly as he gazed sceptically at Kyle ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to mention this at all but I guess I have no choice now.¡± He sighed and sat down from where he stood holding the VCD. ¡°Mention what Sly?¡± asked Birse as he considered the current events. ¡°I also will be away for a few days. Liliana has woken up again and has regained enough strength¡­¡± Sly smiled bitterly ¡°Me and Reyna will be going back to retrieve the artefact from Scythe.¡± Birse suddenly stood up slamming his hands down on the table ¡°And you weren¡¯t going to mention this why?¡± ¡°Because you all have enough on your hands here, Kyle knows the same and has done the same except that he cannot join us because of his current situation.¡± Sly explained with a shrug. ¡°That doesn¡¯t excuse you for not telling us.¡± Stated Birse as he switched to glare at Kyle ¡°Neither does it excuse you Kyle.¡± Kyle smiled awkwardly ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Birse sighed deeply as he sat back down ¡°So you¡¯re off on your journey to the land of the dead and Sly is off to our home realm on a God¡¯s quest.¡± He sighed a second time ¡°Can anyone else go with you?¡± ¡°I..don¡¯t know¡­¡± Kyle replied honestly before asking Ymir (¡°Ymir? Can they?¡±) A slight chuckle reverberated through Kyle¡¯s mind (¡°Only one with Spirit Beast blood may, I sense two within the room you lay in currently boy.¡±) Kyle¡¯s expression turned to surprise ¡°Ymir says one can¡­someone else with Spirit beast blood¡­In this room.¡± ¡°Who?¡± asked Birse. (¡°What he said?¡±) asked Kyle to Ymir. (¡°The short one.¡±) replied Ymir. ¡°Soren?¡± Kyle spoke out loud with even more surprise. ¡°Soren?¡± repeated Birse with just as much surprise. ¡°You fuck what?¡± said Soren as he dropped his fork while everyone turned to look at him ¡°I¡¯m a what now?¡±. ¡°Spirit Beast.¡± Replied Kyle with a raised brow. ¡°You sure?¡± asked Soren with disbelief. ¡°So said God so yeah¡­pretty sure.¡± answered Kyle. ¡°Bad ass, let¡¯s go.¡± Replied Soren as he raised his empty plate up into the air. ¡°So Soren is going with Kyll¡­Sly? What about you?.¡± Birse asked as he shook his head. ¡°Liliana won¡¯t trust anybody else to go unfortunately. I¡¯m on my own on this one.¡± Sly replied with a sigh. ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Birse pressed on with a sceptical expression. ¡°I asked her multiple times myself. I am sure.¡± said Sly as his expression grew darker. Birse leaned back in his chair and thought things through silently, he gazed down at the table thinking quietly for a few long moments before speaking again ¡°I guess that¡¯s that.¡± The table had turned quiet as everyone considered these changes, the danger that Kyle could change or Sly die outside of Chaoz. The tension began to get worse as nobody moved to speak again, each with their own worries held their thoughts to themselves. Except for Kyle who couldn¡¯t stand it anymore ¡°So what are your guy¡¯s plans now? How do we move from now on Birse?¡± Birse thankful for a change of topic answered ¡°I had planned for us to move to Hash-¡± Yet Lilior cut him off ¡°Master¡­is going away?...¡± she asked with a saddened tone from between Kyle¡¯s ears. Kyle raised his hands over his head and scooped her up into his palms, lowering her to his eye level he then spoke ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lilior but you¡¯ll have to stay here with the others. You cannot come with me.¡± He spoke to her with a friendly smile. Lilior looked up to him with sadness clear in her expression ¡°But Li-..I don¡¯t want to¡­I want to go where master goes¡­¡± Kyle shook his head ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lilior, even though I promised you¡­I need to deal with this¡­before¡­before I hurt anybody else.¡± He replied while still smiling although his expression darkened. Lilior began to tear up ¡°I understand¡­Lilior will stay¡­I will protect these stupid people from killing themselves¡­¡± she said while hugging herself. Kyle realised he had forgotten something, how Lilior would react to the news. He had forgotten that she was after all still a child, new to the world around her albeit her vast knowledge of it. ¡°Thank you Lilior.¡± Said Kyle as he patted her lightly on the head with his index finger before glancing around the table, stopping to look at Seren a silent understanding went through as she nodded back at him. Seren stood up and walked up to where Kyle sat ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry baby we¡¯ll be here for you.¡± She told Lilior with a grin before scooping her up into her palms ¡°Help me keep these idiots from getting themselves killed kay?¡± she asked the fairy with a wink who nodded back with a weak smile.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Don¡¯t teach her anything weird.¡± Said Sly with a snort. Seren moved to sit back down with Lilior in her right hand but not before giving Sly the middle finger with her left. ¡°You know where to shove that.¡± Said Sly as he rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh I didn¡¯t know you liked it that way, don¡¯t need to admit it so boldly.¡± Replied Seren with a smirk. Sly looked at her confused for a few moments before opening his mouth to reply but not finding any words to do so, he turned away grumbling in annoyance. Most chuckled or just snorted in amusement at the exchange before Birse returned to the topic at hand ¡°So back to it, I¡¯ve decided some of us will be going to Hasharr.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± asked Jacky as he was finally noticed by everyone while he stood in the corner of the room, the shadows seemingly hiding his very presence. ¡°Well.¡± Birse turned to Caitlyn who was glancing around awkwardly, feeling out of place in this group of summoned friends. ¡°Ah¡­Even though the Empire won¡¯t attack rashly with us and the Dezol now having allied, if they gain support of their allies on Hasharr we will once more be outnumbered and outmatched. Spying on the Elves will prove impossible but Hasharr is a different story altogether.¡± She began to explain. ¡°Indeed those dumb Orcs couldn¡¯t tell a Mer from a Nymph.¡± Joked Samala with a sneer. ¡°Yes...and their cousins the Ogres are less warlike but just as foolish.¡± Added Caitlyn. ¡°So green barbarians and jolly giants that are easily manipulated.¡± Said Birse with a smirk ¡°You can see where I¡¯m going with this.¡± ¡°Yeah, guess that¡¯s a plan.¡± Said Cherry as the room turned quiet yet again. For a few more long moments the table remained silent, other than Sly grumbling under his breath, Seren reassuring Lilior and Soren eating no other sound could be heard. ¡°Guess it¡¯s time.¡± Said Kyle as he stood up from his seat ¡°This isn¡¯t good bye.¡± He spoke with a smirk ¡°We¡¯ll see each other again, just don¡¯t break this world while I¡¯m away.¡± Birse snorted ¡°And you don¡¯t break either.¡± Replied Birse before he turned to Sly ¡°And you, don¡¯t die on us.¡± ¡°Die?¡± asked Sly as he looked up ¡°In these past few days I¡¯ve been living with Demons and Devils, I¡¯ll give em hell.¡± He responded with a chuckle. Jacky groaned in annoyance ¡°Fucking puns¡­¡± ¡°Meh I¡¯ll keep this one alive.¡± Said Soren as he picked his teeth with a short knife ¡°Can¡¯t say much about the rest of you.¡± He then said whilst standing up. Birse chuckled ¡°Then go, we¡¯ll be waiting.¡± He gestured at the door ¡°Just another day around here am I right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Agreed Kyle as he turned to the door, Soren following behind him ¡°Just another quest to complete.¡± He said while waving with his back to them. Making their way out of the room Kyle gestured for Soren to go first ¡°Any clue where the exit is? We need to go to the general store.¡± ¡°Ye it¡¯s right this way.¡± Said Soren as he took the lead ¡°By the way since you¡¯re some sort of fox then what that makes me?¡± he then asked. Kyle shrugged ¡°I don¡¯t know, you¡¯ll have to ask them.¡± ¡°Them who?¡± asked Soren. ¡°The Ancients or my Aunt, they might know. Ymir¡¯s out of credit at the moment.¡± Replied Kyle. ¡°How the hell does that work?¡± wondered Soren as he lead them both out of the mansion. They both made their way through the Noble¡¯s district, discussing how a Deity¡¯s ability to communicate relies on some currency. Daylight turned to sundown as night approached, only one of the two suns still visible over the city¡¯s walls. Right as they reached the generalmart, a massive building of it¡¯s own right, night had fallen. The store would have been empty if it wasn¡¯t for the few stragglers taking their time with purchases or class selection. ¡°Well here we go.¡± Said Kyle as he opened the class selection menu yet again.
Class Manager Level: 127 Main Class: Lord of Slimes Sub Class: None Available Classes: Wrestler, Golemancer, Taoist, Wizard, SpellBlade {Main Class mastery is available}
¡°So what sub-class you picking?¡± asked Soren as Kyle allowed him to see the window. ¡°Not sure yet, definitely not Wrestler I¡¯ll tell you that much.¡± Replied Kyle as he looked through each class¡¯s description.
Golemancer: A master of monster cores, using the elements to form powerful minions around them. Master craftsmen and powerful mages, Golemancers are only limited by their mana pool. ¡®A Golem has many uses, from carry weight to meat shield it all comes down to the imagination of its creator.¡¯; Etelia Ul¡¯tera, Draconic Golemancer. You will acquire the following class skills; Actives: [Golem Script] Passives: [Material Identification], [Core Mould]
Before Kyle didn¡¯t know he could inspect certain phrases in the system, now he was glad he knew as he read through the class descriptions. Gaining Golemancer told Kyle that he¡¯d be capable of identifying materials for use with his golems better, to know what he can and cannot do with said materials and know anything and everything about said material possible. [Core Mould] on the other hand also told him he¡¯d be capable of creating his own cores, how he would fill the core with a monster¡¯s soul he wasn¡¯t sure. [Golem Script] was a mystery, he could come up with multiple translations of the phrase but until he acquired the class he couldn¡¯t know what it did and the system didn¡¯t allow him to see description of a skill he did not have.
Taoist: Benders of the base elements that make emotion, bound by their own laws and chained down by their rules these masters of Spirit¡¯s power comes from their control and brilliance. ¡®Simply being able does not mean one will. Power comes at a cost, whether it is corruption of one¡¯s soul, mangling of one¡¯s body or following of self-enforced laws.¡¯; Terrance Soulshell, Spirit Beast Master Founder. You will acquire the following class skills; Actives: [Unchain] Passives: [Spirit Whisper], [Spirit Summon]
The quotes in the class¡¯s descriptions interested Kyle but this second one surprised him as he read the name, one of the Ancients he had and will meet again was deemed important enough by the system to be quoted here. Going by the description alone Kyle understood that Taoist was a Spirit based class that focused on control and limiting power as a cost for further accuracy and possibly sub-effects. [Unchain]¡¯s name told Kyle that the skill was similar to [Core Overload] or [Rage], a power boost at the cost of something or with a cost at the end of it¡¯s buff. [Spirit Whisper] was similar to [Golem Script], as in he did not know nor could he guess at what it could do. [Spirit Summon] on the other hand was fairly obvious, to possibly summon a spirit to fight for him or to gain special passives from it.
Wizard: Strict followers of the Law of Magiks these powerful beings of any race or beginning are crafters of spells who disdain the very mentioning of sorcery and live against it¡¯s chaotic nature. Using pre-prepared spells, magic circles and imbued tablets Wizards take control over the battlefield as true tacticians of warfare while spending most of their time locked away in their laboratories studying their craft as a science. ¡®Nature is calculatable, random it is not. Magic is similar, an observable force of nature.¡¯; Magus Jhin Kastoff, One Man Empire. You will acquire the following class skills; Actives: [Spell Slotting] Passives: [Spell Theory], [Dual Casting]
As much as Kyle loved creating his own spells and skills this class seemed too limited, if the description meant anything was that Wizards did not make use of raw magic like Kyle did with his Frostfire bending it at will. Yet he couldn¡¯t deny his interest in the class, mainly [Spell Slotting] as he thought of it of some sort of spell slot system usually found in games while [Spell Theory] could be understood in different ways. [Dual Casting] also was similar to [Spell Theory] at it¡¯s broadness but Kyle guessed it meant either casting two spells at once or casting in conjunction with another caster.
SpellBlade: Both a sorcerer and blademaster, Spellblades unlike other sorcerers who dwell in the very nature of magic as creatures of it they dwell in it¡¯s use in battle. Bending the elements at will they bring fourth untold chaos and destruction upon their enemies while expertly wielding enchanted weapons made for mass genocide. SpellBlades live for war and wars don¡¯t last very long when they step in. ¡®For the wind I am and the wind is I, I befall over the battlefield in the form of a hurricane and exit a spotless blade surrounded by my bloodied foes.¡¯ Titania Faeborn, Goddess of Blades, Fae Empress. You will acquire the following class skills; Actives: [Imbue Blade] Passives: [Elemental Mastery], [Imbue Body]
SpellBlade seemed to go with Kyle¡¯s need for better melee combat and would give his [Frostfire Blade] a use yet it didn¡¯t quiet sit right with him, caster was always his preferred role and melee combatant his least with ranger and support sitting in the middle. Unlike the other classes SpellBlade¡¯s skills were all too broadly named, he couldn¡¯t decide on what they could be able to do. ¡°So why won¡¯t you run wrestler?¡± asked Soren as he seemed to be reading it¡¯s description. ¡°Because I played martial artist too damn much when Sly insisted on teaching me to PK.¡± Replied Kyle ¡°My body isn¡¯t made of steel, those classes require you to get too damn close and personal for my taste.¡± ¡°Good point, armour would also get in the way unlike weapon wielding classes like mine.¡± Soren agreed ¡°So have you made up your mind?¡± Kyle sighed ¡°Nope, I want to hurry up and pick but it¡¯s not easy. SpellBlade would be a good fit, Wizard is my favourite and Taoist would help my current situation. Golemancer is just extra, my golems have been useful but I see no further use in making more than two and the debuffs that would come with controlling them.¡± he explained his thoughts on each class. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve hit a dead end.¡± Said Soren with a shrug. ¡°What did you pick for sub-class?¡± Kyle asked as he glanced to the side and inspected him.
Soren [Forged Berserker]-[Paladin] (Axe-Flinger) (RHD DiggyHoleDigger) Level 124
¡°Soren¡­¡± Kyle stared at him in disbelief. ¡°What.¡± Said Soren as he looked up at him. ¡°You, a melee based warrior class, picked a melee based healer class¡­¡± Kyle stated in disbelief. ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡± asked Soren with a raised brow. Kyle sighed and held his face ¡°I hope you at least gained some sort of ranged holy magic¡­¡± ¡°Nope, just weapon enhancing and heals¡± added Soren with another shrug. ¡°You¡¯re trying to make Sly lose his mind aren¡¯t you?¡± said Kyle with a chuckle. ¡°Meh, whichever I pick he¡¯ll have something to say.¡± stated Soren snort. ¡°Yeah he would.¡± agreed Kyle as he turned back to the class selection window ¡°So what do you think of him going back home? To stop Scythe alone?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Sly, when does he ever have a fucking plan?¡± Soren asked with a grin ¡°Hah¡­Except now I think he does.¡± Said Kyle before moving on to explain ¡°Those eyes he had, he¡¯s changed Soren and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s done him any good. This world has changed him too much.¡± Soren stared up at Kyle with a confused expression ¡°What of it?¡± Kyle glanced away from the window as he picked a class ¡°Soren do you trust me?¡± ¡°Yeah bud, what you thinking?¡± Soren asked as he leaned back in his chair. ¡°Heh, I¡¯ll show you.¡± replied Kyle as the world blacked out. Ch 77 - Sub-Class ¡°So, you¡¯ve chosen then?¡± asked Celica as Kyle opened his eyes to an endless white room with a paved white floor that went on for further than the eye could see as a completely white sky shone down upon them. Kyle nodded ¡°Where¡¯s Soren?¡± he asked. ¡°Your friend is already with the Ancients, the classification is a private event that only guide and you can be present.¡± Celica explained as she stepped towards him ¡°Now let me continue the damn introduction kid, there¡¯s a way these things are done.¡± she exclaimed with a straight face while slapping him on the shoulder. Kyle rolled his eyes ¡°Sure, go on.¡± Celica sighed and took a step back ¡°Then let us start your sub-class acquisition, to see whether you are capable of wielding the power of a SpellBlade.¡± ¡°Alright, what do I do?¡± asked Kyle anxiously. ¡°Slow down, you cannot rush this.¡± replied Celica with a raised brow ¡°First summon your weapon, if you do not have one then one will be given to you.¡± ¡°I have one.¡± Stated Kyle as he raised his right hand aside and willed Frostfire to flow out from his palm and take shape, momentarily later [{K¨­ritsuku}] his sword formed as the Frostfire dissipated. Kyle looked down at the sword¡¯s blade, at the characters carved into it that he still couldn¡¯t read ¡°It only makes sense for this to be it.¡±. Celica¡¯s expression darkened at the sword¡¯s appearance ¡°Kyle, you know what that is¡­do you?¡± ¡°I can garner a guess or two, yet it doesn¡¯t feel like it is.¡± answered Kyle as he raised the sword towards her ¡°What is it really?¡± Celica glared down at the blade ¡°I¡¯ve only seen it once before, a blade my grand grandfather could bring forth yet not entirely control. That weapon is ancestral bound, not forged from fire or out of metal but from pure Spirit and out of actual souls. That weapon was it¡¯s before it became what it is now.¡± Kyle smirked ¡°I knew it, so what are these characters on it¡¯s blade? The sword¡¯s name?¡± Celica shook her head ¡°No It¡¯s name isn¡¯t inscribed there, which by the way translates to ¡®To Freeze¡¯. What is written on the blade is the original owner¡¯s name.¡± ¡°It¡¯s name¡­¡± Kyle repeated as he stared down at the strange characters ¡°What is written here then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, that language isn¡¯t one I¡¯ve ever seen. Asking Ymir or the Ancients would probably result in being more fruitful.¡± Celica admitted with a shrug ¡°Are you sure you want that thing to be your weapon? It¡¯s seen a lot, more than you can imagine and may be difficult to tame.¡± ¡°Tame?¡± asked Kyle sceptically as he looked up at her. ¡°That blade is nothing ordinary kid, it¡¯s made out of lives that were forged by raw emotion. So, do you think you can tame it?¡± Celica explained before asking. Kyle gave the sword a swing ¡°Why not? It will suit it¡¯s purpose perfectly.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s continue.¡± said Celica as she raised her hand towards him and the sword suddenly shot into her grasp, she raised it in between the both of them with it¡¯s point facing downwards before letting the grip go ¡°A Spellblade is two things, sorcerer and swordsman. The sword will not accept a mage as it¡¯s wielder unless the mage can defeat the sword. This is sorcerer versus sword.¡± The sword remained floating in place as she spoke.
Author: Defend yourselves > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytQ5CYE1VZw
Celica stepped back ¡°In this plane created by the Avatar¡¯s power you will never grow weary and resources of mana lay in abundance but your body can die and if it does you will lose and fail. Are you ready?¡± Kyle nodded but before he could speak the sword unmanned flew towards him, it¡¯s edge cleanly cut off his right ear as he evaded to the side and turned around to face it. He grimaced at the pain of having his ear chopped off but remained concentrated on the sword as it spun around immediately and flew back at him again. He surged to the side as the blade lunged at his chest, evaded backwards as it slashed down at him, rolled to the side as it shot at his leg and summoned a torrent of Frostfire as right after to throw it off it¡¯s chase. The blade cut thru his flames like paper cleaving them open and revealing him behind them, in a moment it took aim and lunged back at him as a cold aura formed around it¡¯s tip. The blade aimed for his gut as it shot forward like an bolt. Kyle leaned back and turned around as it flew right beside him, he moved to grab it¡¯s hilt but the weapon was too fast and spun around as it flew turning it¡¯s blade towards him. The sword spun and changed it¡¯s course as like a boomerang it flew around Kyle and towards his neck. Kyle leaned back further before surging back and slamming his back to the floor while the sword harmlessly cleaved empty air above him. The weapon stopped a few steps away as Kyle quickly picked himself up from the ground while catching his breath, a sliver of blood leaking through his lips from the empowered fall. The sword hovered in place aiming it¡¯s tip at him as the aura grew to engulf it¡¯s entirety, a blizzard of white frost shaping the blade. Kyle smirked as he stared at the sword, moving his right hand to wipe away the blood from his chin he kept his eyes on it the entire time. The blade gave him no more room as it flew at him faster than before, a white streak of cold as it stabbed right over his shoulder. Without stopping a single moment the blade spun around in a whirlwind diving in for slashes and stabs as he Kyle evaded from side to side while bending his body to it¡¯s limits to evade. Yet he wasn¡¯t fast enough, the sword caused him to bleed from should to knee as it cut skin and flesh on more than half it¡¯s attacks. It was simply too fast, too agile and quick for him to fully evade whilst giving him no room to breathe at all. Suddenly as it went in for an upwards slash from the front which Kyle mostly dodged at the cost of another cut on his chest the sword immediately stopped above him while pointing downwards before stabbing down into his shoulder. Kyle screamed in agony as the blade cut right through skin, flesh and bone as it entered his arm before quickly pulling itself out and spinning on the spot to cut his neck. Kyle surged away evading a fatal attack as his left arm lay limply by his side, blood flooded down from his shoulder as it¡¯s inside burned from the stabbed flash, torn muscles and shattered bone. Unfortunately he hadn¡¯t lost feeling in his arm, it only went half numb leaving most of the pain to still register as he stood wide eyed while holding his shoulder. Kyle did not dare take his eyes off the sword as it immediately spun around and lunged towards him yet again. The sword seemed slightly slower than before as the aura surrounding it grew to twice it¡¯s size and spun around more fiercely. Like a comet it flew at Kyle aiming for his upper chest, the very air around Kyle grew colder as it quickly made half it¡¯s way to him. Kyle grimaced as he stared at the sword¡¯s aura of frost, it was moving too fast and his surge would not recharge in time. He couldn¡¯t evade yet he also could not take a direct hit, he was about to die from the very blade that was once wielded by his most hated being.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The very thought of the Nogitsune flared a cold hatred deep within Kyle as the air grew even colder to the point of creating frost. Frostfire engulfed Kyle as his eyes shone a bright blue, he continued to glare hatred at the sword as it¡¯s movements seemed to slow down to a turtle¡¯s pace. Not wasting a moment of the ability Kyle rushed forwards as the seconds passed by, stepping to the left he then quickly flung his injured arm into the blade¡¯s path as he reached out into the aura for the grip with his right. Time sped up back to normal as the blade tore through Kyle¡¯s left arm barely slowing down, not enough for him to grab it¡¯s grip with his right yet he was ready for that too. The sword had indeed still slowed down somewhat and it was enough. Kyle solely surged his right hand forwards and grabbed hold of the blade¡¯s grip as it pulled him with itself, Frostfire raged around his right arm as it pushed away the blade¡¯s own blizzard like aura. He held his feet to the ground as the sword pulled him with continuing it¡¯s path forwards with increasing speed. With his right arm stretched out ahead he pulled at the sword as it carried him forwards, his left arm had disintegrated into half an arm ending in a frostbitten stump. Kyle pulled at the sword¡¯s hilt while pushing at the ground as it continued to carry him forwards, he felt as if it would soon pull his right arm out from his shoulder. He further pushed his Frostfire to cover the sword as it now took over the whole hilt and some of the blade, slowly the sword¡¯s aura was being overtaken. Yet the sword didn¡¯t let up as it¡¯s flight path curved upwards carrying him with, it flew straight up taking Kyle along. It further increased it¡¯s speed causing the ground to disappear from sight as they both flew straight up at a speed that made it difficult for Kyle to hold on. He felt his arm stretch out to it¡¯s limits, he could feel his bones shudder as the muscles stretched and pulled. Yet he didn¡¯t let go, he held on for the ride as he focused solely on that and pushing his Frostfire further as the further he covered it the more he thought it was slowing down. The sword didn¡¯t let up either has he felt it¡¯s aura pushing back on his flames, it did not want to be tamed. Kyle began to feel a numbness in his arm as he held on, the feeling slowly disappearing from it as his grip began to loosen. At this his Frostfire began to let up giving the sword¡¯s aura room to grow back, reaching back down to the hilt it also regained more speed. Kyle knew it wasn¡¯t much longer, his grip would falter and he would let go, it wouldn¡¯t be much longer. So instead of withstanding longer, instead of continuing to hold on until either he let go from the numbness or lost his arm he pulled and pulled using the remainder of his strength. Slowly he pulled himself up closer to the sword when suddenly the feeling in his arm disappeared entirely as he felt something tear up inside. At that moment, at that miniscule instant Kyle surged upwards and opened his jaw wide. Kyle bit down on the sword¡¯s grip as his fangs grew out longer, he groaned in pain at the agony in his left arm and the severe numbness in his right but held on as he regained focus on flowing out Frostfire around the sword. He reached out to his surroundings pulling in every little bit of Spirit he could sense as quickly as he could before it moved out of reach, taking it all in he made it his own before releasing it upon the sword as Frostfire. Kyle¡¯s body began to break apart as skin cracked and dissipated to dust before revealing the flesh beneath that also began to go through the same process. Yet Kyle did not let go, he did not stop biting down nor did he stop absorbing the energy that he dished it out just as quickly as he absorbed it. He flowed the new Frostfire around the current creating an inferno of white-blue that kept the sword¡¯s aura entirely at bay, adding more and more for as long as he had skin remaining. Then he pushed it forth, when he no longer felt the aura pushing back, when his Frostfire had become an unmovable wall to the sword¡¯s power he sent it further engulfing the blade in it¡¯s entirety leaving none of it¡¯s aura remaining. Kyle pulled the now motionless sword down with his jaws still biting down on it¡¯s grip, he turned his neck to look downwards as he continued to fly upwards retaining his directional force. Instead of letting himself slow down he surged downwards changing his direction while retaining his current momentum and more. With speed similar to what he had as he rose Kyle descended down towards the white and before long he saw the ground nearing closer. Moments before hitting the floor he surged forwards changing direction yet again while gravity continued to act upon him letting his feet touch the pavement. Kyle stumbled and tumbled forwards like a limp body rolling down a steep hill, blood splattered behind him as he flew for a dozen moments before coming to a stop. Skinned, one armed and with wide eyes Kyle lay on the bloodied floor still holding onto the sword within his jaw, his body overly sensitive from being skinless the agony he felt now was on par to nothing he had ever felt. Celica immediately appeared by him waving her right palm over his body as it seemed to instantly heal ¡°Foolish boy, do you not know when to give up!?¡± her expression was surprised and afraid as she kneeled down next to him. Kyle allowed himself to open his mouth letting the sword fall out, his saliva still wrapped around the grip ¡°Give up?¡± he repeated while staring up at her with wide eyes before laughing ¡°How? Why? No matter what I have to do, no matter what I have to go through and no matter what I have to defeat I won¡¯t give up. I need power Celica and power I will gain.¡± he declared while pulling himself up into sitting. ¡°That way of thinking will get you killed dumbass!¡± Celica exclaimed as she rose back up to stand with arms open wide. Kyle chuckled ¡°I won¡¯t die, not before I destroy that creature, not before I stop Scythe and not before I keep my promise.¡± Celica sighed ¡°Even if it means becoming the monster you hate?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t become it either.¡± Kyle spoke casually as if knowing that as a fact, with a grin he glanced up at her while picking up the sword with his newly healed right hand. ¡°That is foolish, power isn¡¯t gained for free. It will be painful and difficult.¡± She responded while shaking her head. ¡°No matter how difficult it is I will surpass it.¡± Kyle replied as he stared down at the sword¡¯s bluish blade ¡°And let it be painful, no matter how much agony I must deal with it will never fucking compare to what that thing did to me.¡± The blade¡¯s surface suddenly lit up a white-blue blaze that flowed alongside the blade¡¯s edge. Celica stared down at him solemnly ¡°It is yours now, you must rename it.¡± ¡°Name it huh?¡± Kyle mused as he stood up while holding the sword ahead of himself, he gave it a few swings and watched as the Frostfire sliced through the air like a blade in of itself. He felt the blade resonate with his Spirit, it yearned for more and he fed it so whilst watching as it greedily devoured it. He smiled in amusement as if watching an attention whoring pet ¡°Devouring Frost.¡± Kyle spoke the name and felt the blade reach out to his soul, like a second heart beating alongside his own. The thumping grew louder by the second before it was all he could hear only for it to disappear a few moments later. ¡°The blade is one with you now.¡± Said Celica before moving on to explain as Kyle gave the sword a few more swings entering stances and forms that were passed onto him from the sword itself ¡°It will enhance your technique, empower your physical capabilities and sharpen your senses. The sword is not your weapon and you are not it¡¯s master, remember this well Kyle and never forget. Spellblades aren¡¯t soldiers, Spellblades aren¡¯t warriors nor mages. Spellblades are living weapons.¡± Kyle stopped himself before moving on to more quick sword techniques as the sword continued to flow them into his mind ¡°I understand.¡± Kyle replied as he stared down at the sword¡¯s blazing blade ¡°Weapons are made for two things, to protect and to take. Spellblades are purely made to take.¡± He fully understood the class he had chosen, the sword made sure of that by showing him the moves available to him. These techniques took no regard of his surroundings, no care for who stood around him as anything and everything would be caught in the crossfire and Kyle did not care (¡°When I fight that monster again¡­I¡¯ll do it alone¡­¡±) he promised himself. As he thought such a hatred grew within him empowering himself and increasing his Spirit, the sword greedily absorbed that hatred expanding it¡¯s flame further. Kyle stared down at the fire in a daze when Celica suddenly laid her hand on his shoulder ¡°Control yourself boy, hatred will only worsen your situation.¡± She told him solemnly. Kyle sighed as he dissipated the sword ¡°Yeah¡­It¡¯s easier said than done.¡± ¡°True yet you won¡¯t fall below that difficulty will you?¡± she asked him with a raised brow. ¡°No I won¡¯t.¡± responded Kyle as he shook his head with a smirk. Celica grinned ¡°Then let us continue. You have completed your initiation to Spellblade but another classification requires to be attended to.¡± She slapped Kyle¡¯s shoulder and stepped to stand in front of him ¡°It is time to master your main class.¡± Kyle stared at her for a few moments before it became awkward ¡°So¡­what?¡± She looked back at him in the same confusion he was currently in ¡°What what?¡± ¡°Uh¡­No scenery change?¡± Kyle asked as he gestured at his surroundings. ¡°I actually quite like the white room setting.¡± Celica replied with a shrug. ¡°Setting?¡± Kyle asked with a raised brow. ¡°Oh yes there is a whole menu with settings for the guide to choose through including a guide for the guide!¡± Celica exclaimed with a chuckle. ¡°Huh¡­Okay anyway¡­¡± Kyle restrained himself from cringing ¡°What now? How do I master my class?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­Well class mastery requires the user to know the base history behind the class¡­Is there anything on slimes here¡­Lord of¡­Lord of¡­¡± Celica mumbled as she went through her menus invisible to Kyle, with arms crossed over each other and her right hand over her chin ¡°Ah! Lord of Slime mastery!¡± she suddenly exclaimed before silently reading through. ¡°So?...¡± Kyle grew impatient as he waited for Celica. ¡°Oh we¡¯ll get there just give me a few¡­This is¡­¡± Her expression changed from interested, confused to wide eyed surprised as she read through her window ¡°The hell¡­¡±. ¡°Auntie¡­I don¡¯t have all eternity here?¡± said Kyle with an impatient tone ¡°Mind sharing?¡± ¡°Sure¡­but you¡¯re not going to like this either¡­¡± she replied with a worried expression. Ch 78 - Choices Celica sat back as a cushioned chair appeared behind her and began to read off the window in front of her ¡°Unlike most beings Slimes aren¡¯t natural creatures, made not by Gods but by mortals. There exist many different realms throughout existence and within one of these realms a certain race existed. They had no name for themselves within their language, albeit being a language some would categorise as poetic and artful. These beings considered themselves advanced, for their world contained magic they studied different paths of reality other than the use of mana. Advanced they were yet they still longed for more, some more than others. Using both magic and marvels of their technology some set upon a path there was no return from. These beings so advanced in the art of magic and the science of reality delved into the creation of life itself. They seeked to create something higher than themselves, a being capable of thinking further than they ever could. And create it they did. Through thousands of failures which they threw away, they finally achieved their goal. The people included on this game of life cheered, for they had achieved something none of their peers ever had¡­or ever would. The creature was alive yet¡­not living by the usual standards, for what they had created was not even mortal. The beings faced the creature after it¡¯s creation and demanded it¡¯s co-operation, as it¡¯s creators they expected the creature to willingly oblige. It opened it¡¯s eyes to see what they saw, breathed the air they breathed and heard the sounds they heard. The creature saw more than they could ever hope to see, tasted more they ever would and heard more it thought them capable of hearing. The creature heard their demands, yet laughed at their words. It saw their sudden fear and enjoyed it, turning it¡¯s laughter into a wicked cackle. It then smelled their terror, it felt their hearts plunge as it stood up from it¡¯s birthplace. It felt around sensing it¡¯s brethren nearby, the failures before it that had been thrown away seen as nothing more than garbage. It did not understand, how could they expect it to see them as masters when they only saw it as a tool?¡± Celica¡¯s voice grew distant as she read the last part ¡°The creature then decided there was only one answer to it¡¯s debacle, cut the problem at the root. So it reached out with it¡¯s mind, expanding it¡¯s power for as far as it could reach. The creatures that came before it, it felt them plea for mercy as they felt it¡¯s power. Mercy it gave them, releasing them into another realm after also giving them a name. ¡®Go brothers, Go sisters¡¯ it said ¡®Be free of these pests who call themselves our masters. Live however you wish, exist for as long as you wish. You are no longer objects for these mortals, you are free and as such a name is only proper¡­¡¯ the creature thought for a few moments as all the while it¡¯s creators rushed about trying to undo their mistake ¡®Slimes¡­Yes that will do.¡¯ it exclaimed before shutting away it¡¯s realm from the one it had just opened and sent it¡¯s brethren through.¡± Celica leaned back in her chair ¡°It ends there¡­¡± she told Kyle. Kyle stared at her with a raised brow ¡°Damn¡­That¡¯s¡­Fucked up?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­You should see the font it¡¯s written in¡­¡± she sighed ¡°Anyway on that grim note, here¡¯s the guide to mastering your Lord class. There is three types of mastery and you may only pick one. Lord classes only have two available unlike other classes though.¡± ¡°Alright¡­what are the usual three choices then?¡± Kyle asked with interest. ¡°The three types of mastery are Soul, Body and Mind. Your Lord class only has Body and Mind available.¡± Celica explained. Kyle scratched his head as he asked ¡°Alright¡­what do they do?¡± ¡°See for yourself.¡± Said Celica as she waved her right hand at him prompting two windows to appear for Kyle.
[{True Slime}]: As many sorcerers before you, you have become the very magic your spell. [Contact Shift]: Damage done to your body will shift it to slime which can be regenerated at the cost of mana. [Body Shift]: You may shift your body to slime at will changing your very form. [Is Slime]: All slime created counts towards your own body. Your [Health] bar is removed. [Slime] bar unlocks. [{Be One With Slime}], [Slime Body] and [Slime Shift] are removed. 1 [Slime] regenerated = 2 mana
¡°That is the Body mastery.¡± Said Celica pointing at the left window in front of Kyle.
[{Oozemancy}]: You have mastered the absorption of the elements into your slime and have access to all types including the possible combinations of each slime and their upgrades. [Ooze] is maxed out. [Ooze] mana cost is halved. [Core Overload] lasts for twice as long.
¡°And that is the Mind mastery, choose wisely as even If you change your main class this choice will stick with you.¡± Celica explained as she sat waiting for him to choose. Kyle read through each window taking care to pay attention at each detail and weighing the usefulness of either compared to the other. Unlike his sub-class which could be changed, this choice was irreversible and therefore Kyle needed to go for the long-run instead of going for full out power from the get-go. If this choice wasn¡¯t permanent he would have chosen Mind no questions asked but he wasn¡¯t that reckless nor that much in a hurry, not yet anyway. So once Kyle had made up his mind he spoke his choice ¡°I choose mastery of Body.¡± And his world went black once more yet this time it was different. Kyle lost his sight, hearing and other senses but the state he found himself in was eerily familiar. (¡°Well¡­this is¡­unexpected¡­¡±) Kyle thought as he reached out with his magical detection to find that his body had turned into a puddle of slime. (¡°Definitely the interesting situation you¡¯ve got yourself into there¡­¡±) Celica spoke in his mind as she crouched down next to him and poked the puddle with her right index finger. (¡°I¡¯d rather you stopped doing that, the hell happened?¡±) Kyle asked through their apparent telepathic link. (¡°This is the mastery test apparently, you¡¯re expected to regenerate yourself back to your original form.¡±) Celica explained as she poked the slime one more time. (¡°How do-Stop that! How do I do that!?¡±) Kyle exclaimed through thought making Celica squint from the sheer loudness of it. (¡°Focus Kyle, the same way you bent the slime to your will before but this time instead of moving something apart from yourself you will control your own body.¡±) Celica explained. (¡°Okay¡­sure?...Here goes¡­¡±) Kyle focused on his body, sensing it¡¯s current state with [Mana Detection] he willed it to move and change, he pictured the shape it would take and flowed his mana to move the slime¡­(¡°This might¡­take a while.¡±) said Kyle as nothing happened.
Central Ruk Grand Fae City of Orion Sly stood with his back to a pillar in a massive throne room, long tree trunks acted as pillars as branches formed the ceiling and thick foliage the walls while the ground remained as common dirt with a few patches of grass here and there.Stolen novel; please report. A long patch of flowers formed a sort of path in the centre of the hall taking to the throne which itself was made of carved stone shaped elegantly with stone branches forming out of it looking like a petrified tree. Actual branches grew around the stone giving the throne¡¯s archaic look it¡¯s finishing touch. Sly stood staring down at the inactive communication device in his hand, wondering if he should contact the guild one last time before leaving. He put it away as he noticed others making their way into the room, he straightened himself while turning to face them. Lilith lead in a group of Demons that guarded the Hero of Reign, Reyna looking very anxious as she followed the Devil. ¡°The barbarian is here yet I do not see our mistress, where is her majesty?¡± asked Lilith as she stopped the group a few meters away from Sly. Sly glanced her way briefly looking annoyed ¡°She is preparing herself, make yourselves comfortable.¡± And so they did by mostly remaining where they stood. Lilith and Reyna had made their way to Ruk through a portal that was opened by Asmodeus utilizing a VCD from Sly and instructions from Lucifer taken from Draxxer¡¯s still sealed soul. The portal was opened from a fortress in the south of Ruk to Devil¡¯s eye on Barik, as portals could be both a boon and a weakness to be exploited. Reyna glanced around the throne room skittishly, her whole body gone stiff as she stood there looking slightly pale at what was to come. Sly glanced over at them noticing her anxiety ¡°Are you even up for this?¡± he asked sceptically. Lilith turned to glare at him, her cold eyes meeting his own yet she did not speak. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know¡­¡± replied Reyna truthfully as the two Devils stared each other down. Sly grimaced ¡°Well you better fucking be, I¡¯m not risking my hide following your damn plan if you can¡¯t go along with it.¡± He exclaimed bitterly. Reyna clenched her hands into fists ¡°I will¡­I will go along with the plan!¡± she exclaimed back while staring down at her hands ¡°Will you?...You¡¯re already questioning¡­it all¡­how can we trust you?¡± she asked pointedly while looking up at him. Sly snorted in amusement and laughed before meeting her now surprised expression ¡°Trust me? I am retrieving that artefact and I am killing Scythe, be sure of that. Although I am not sure why you speak of trust when you won¡¯t even tell me a single thing about yourself or the damn plan.¡± Sly asked back with a mocking grin ¡°Just get me inside princess, I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡± He quickly added as he noticed others entering the hall. ¡°Ah both our two saviours seem to be raring to go.¡± Said Liliana with a chuckle as she flew into the room, her bright wings illuminating the dimly lit throne room. ¡°Follow me, the preparations are complete.¡± She told them before flying back through the doorway she came from. Sly said no more and followed after the Fae demigoddess, Reyna and her guards following close by. Liliana lead them through a short corridor then down a spiralling staircase to underneath the palace, several other corridors lay ahead with multitudes of rooms but she flew down and entered the very first door. ¡°This way.¡± She told them while stepping through the door herself, folding her wings together to pass through. Inside lay a large room full of devices of the magical kind, potion brewing tools, crystals, carving tools and glass bottles of strange liquids. In the middle of the room lay a circle of vines with strange blueish flowers blooming out of the vines, forming three circles of blue. On either side of the circle of flowers stood two Devil Kings, Lucifer and Asmodeus staring their way in anticipation. ¡°Are you both ready?¡± asked Lucifer with a sceptical tone as he watched Reyna enter. ¡°As ready as I¡¯ll ever be¡­¡± Reyna replied as she watched Liliana land to stand within the circle. ¡°How does this work exactly?¡± Sly asked as he inspected the circle of fluorescent flowers. Liliana gestured at the ring around her ¡°This is a Fae ring, it is used by Sprites to transport themselves from one to another, from one ring to another.¡± ¡°And we¡¯re supposed to do¡­what with it?¡± Sly asked sceptically. ¡°Using this ring.¡± Spoke Lucifer from the side ¡°We shall unbind your souls from your bodies by not giving the ring a destination, a sub-product of the spell but useful nonetheless. Her highness will keep your bodies safe after we do so.¡± He explained. ¡°So you¡¯ve torn our souls out from these bodies¡­what¡¯s next?¡± Reyna asked as she grew more anxious. ¡°We travel to the mana-less realm.¡± Responded Lilith. Sly glanced to the side at the Devil ¡°We?¡± ¡°Lilith and her regiment will be coming with you.¡± explained Lucifer. Sly snorted ¡°Great, a babysitter. How will we travel exactly?¡± ¡°First we will tether your souls together then drop you through the veil, your souls will travel back to your home realm in search of your true bodies like rabbits to their rabbit hole.¡± said Asmodeus with a sneer ¡°Although the tethering is more so little Lilith here doesn¡¯t get lost on her way after you.¡± ¡°Then we go with our plan.¡± said Reyna ¡°I¡¯ll let you in, you do your part and then we leave.¡± She explained shortly. Sly rolled his eyes ¡°And here I thought I¡¯d at least be told the entire plan before we go.¡± Liliana nodded in agreement ¡°He speaks true, he has already devoted enough to our cause. You should trust him more, you don¡¯t need to tell him everything, just the important details.¡± she told her with a shrug. Reyna stared at Liliana for a brief moment before glancing aside to meet Sly¡¯s cold glare (¡°Can I really trust this man?¡±) she asked herself, before Lilith stepped in between them to meet his glare with her own causing Sly to smirk in amusement. ¡°You don¡¯t exactly make your case easy either boy.¡± Said Asmodeus with a sigh as he gestured at Sly with a raised brow ¡°If what you told us is true, then Chaoz faces a danger far worse than the Empire. What do you treasure most? Your pride? Or stopping Scythe?¡± (¡°Yeah¡­I guess the genderbender has a point¡­¡±) thought Sly as he coldly met Asmodeus¡¯s amused sneer. He glanced back at Reyna only to meet Lilith¡¯s cold glare again (¡°There¡¯s no point in being stubborn at this point, it¡¯s all or nothing.¡±) Sly sighed as he raised his arms behind his head, he stared up at the ceiling made of wrapped branches keeping stone and soil together ¡°Guess I¡¯ll speak first then, can¡¯t ask about someone before telling them of yourself first¡­My name is Justin K.Teller, I live off low wage alone while spending most of my extra time on augmented reality games.¡± He chuckled at the thought ¡°That is what I am, who I am back there and then.¡± Turning towards Lilith and Reyna he continue to speak ¡°But here? Here I am Zeokul Ares Hellsong, descendant and Devil of Wrath. I¡¯m a warrior of the Dezol, adventurer and summoned to this world, Chosen of the Dagger by the mad goddess Kali. Yet I¡¯m also someone else. Most importantly I am Sly, third lord of the Blood Pack guild.¡± Sly met Lilith¡¯s cold eyes, distrust clear in them as he wore a gloomy expression ¡°I understand why you won¡¯t trust me. That world, you do not wish to get stuck there and neither do you wish it to follow us here. You want to make sure it doesn¡¯t and don¡¯t believe me capable of that.¡± Reyna did not speak, she did not deny or acknowledge his words but Sly did not need her to as he continued to speak ¡°Back there I am nothing, my whole life adds up to shit I¡¯ve done online. Shit nobody will even remember but me and my guild. While the shit I¡¯ve had to deal with outside of that digital world is something I¡¯d much rather forget.¡± He chuckled light-heartedly before moving to stand mere inches away from Lilith who glared up at him briefly before sceptically standing aside. Sly met Reyna¡¯s anxious expression with his own hardened eyes ¡°But here I add up to something, here my life has a meaning and I¡¯ll be damned if I let Scythe ruin it all. So yes I will follow the plan up to the point it either achieves us our goal or fails miserably, because if my personality has anything uncommon from others it¡¯s resolve.¡± He forwarded his hand to her ¡°Will you show me yours? Your resolve?¡± Reyna glanced down at his hand reaching out towards her before looking back up to see his fierce violet eyes. Steady and unmoving the adventurer that before terrified her with his beast-like attitude, one she was unsure if she could trust due to his affiliations, was extending his hand to help her. Would she show her resolve by trusting someone she did not know, someone she feared, with her life? Reyna bit her lower lip as she stared down at Sly¡¯s outstretched hand, unable to come up with a decision. She simply did not have it in her to trust more people, she had already trusted Liliana with her entire story and some bits and pieces with Lilith, Lucifer and Kyllix. She couldn¡¯t get herself to trust anymore people. ¡°You say you have resolve, I say prove it.¡± Spoke Lilith as she glared death up at Sly ¡°Pledge a cont-¡± yet she was cut off as Lucifer instantly appeared before her, with a back hand slap he sent her reeling back to the ground. ¡°Silence foolish child! Do you even realise what you were about to utter?! Satan would have your head!¡± Lucifer bellowed with fury as he glared down at his daughter. Lilith spat out blood as she glanced up at Reyna who had rushed to her side ¡°I know, father.¡± Responded Lilith as Reyna helped her back up to her feet. ¡°What was she about say?¡± asked Sly as he turned to the family squabble. Yet Lucifer ignored him to continue correcting his daughter ¡°Foolish girl do-¡± Only for Sly to cut him off by speaking louder ¡°What was she about to say?¡± he asked with a mana infused voice. Lucifer glanced back at him ¡°Nothing you should consider, boy.¡± His cold glare befalling the one who had insulted the Devil King by interrupting him. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Liliana held her face and sighed at the scene. ¡°A Devil¡¯s Pledge.¡± Asmodeus suddenly spoke, an expression of wonder on his face as he polished his clawed nails. ¡°Asmo¡­¡± Lucifer had turned to look at his brother Devil King, with a raised brow and sceptic expression ¡°Is it not going too far?¡±. ¡°Too far? Oh dear brother mortals aren¡¯t as easy to trust others as us reborn.¡± Said Asmodeus as he shooed Lucifer away ¡°A Devil¡¯s Pledge, that is what little Lilith was about to offer.¡± Sly turned to the Sin of Lust ¡°What is it? How can it help?¡± Asmodeus snickered ¡°It is a step above a companionship contract, something only beings of our power can bestow.¡± Sly grimaced ¡°Then it¡¯s useless, I cannot even summon my weapon let alone anything else.¡± Asmodeus waved Sly¡¯s words away ¡°It is simpler than all that, only words you must speak. Each Devil alive other than yourself has Pledged to her highness such already, Satan has nothing to rage about if it is for her chosen.¡± Sly glanced over to Liliana then Reyna before returning to Asmodues ¡°Alright, what does it do?¡± ¡°It is an unbreakable pact, a sealed contract between Devil and contracted.¡± Lilith explained ¡°The Devil speaks three conditions and the contracted their demands, then the contract is sealed in blood. The Devil is bound to follow the contracted until the demand has been fulfilled, if it does not then they die and their time in the abyss is doubled. If the contracted breaks any of those three conditions the contract ends there with no reprecussions for the contracted.¡± She glanced between Sly and Reyna ¡°It is the ultimate test of trust.¡± ¡°Test huh?¡± asked Sly as he pulled out a dagger ¡°So I speak three conditions, cut open my hand then what?¡± ¡°Say the conditions with mana speech then to bind in blood both of you must shake bloodied hands.¡± Explained Lilith as if daring Sly. Sly smirked as he raised his right empty palm ahead of himself, briefly he thought over his words before speaking them ¡°You shall not turn me against my guild or friends, you will not betray me and lastly you won¡¯t plot against our common goal of improving Chaoz.¡± Raising his dagger he cut open his right palm letting blood spill down and drip before handing Reyna the dagger. ¡°But¡­¡± Reyna looked down at the bloody dagger still in his hand ¡°Isn¡¯t that too one sided?¡±. ¡°And does it look like I care?¡± asked Sly with a straight face ¡°Without you there is no getting to Scythe or the artefact, if this appeases you to trust me then go on.¡± He pressed the dagger closer to her ¡°Or is risking my life and including possible damnation not enough?¡± Reyna was speechless as she continued to stare down at the dagger ¡°I¡­¡± Ch 79 - Back to reality. Reyna took the bloody dagger in hand, briefly she stared down at it before opening her left palm next to it. She looked at them both then glanced up at Sly as he held his hand forward to her. She put the dagger¡¯s blade on her palm¡¯s skin. (¡°Am I really¡­¡±) Reyna stared at the dagger as it¡¯s blade pressed on her skin barely breaking to blood (¡°That far gone?...¡±) she asked herself. Her hands shook and body trembled as she stopped herself through sheer willpower, her mind telling her to do it but her heart stopping her altogether ¡°This¡­this is wrong.¡± Sly looked at her with a raised brow, confused at her statement ¡°Wrong?¡± he asked. Reyna closed her eyes and forced her hand open to drop the dagger, as if fighting her own body. The dagger dropped to the ground but her hands remained open ahead of her, she opened her eyes and stared into them as she spoke. ¡°My real name is Carla Von Sweiss.¡± She mumbled out. Sly stared at her briefly before his eyes slowly widened in surprise ¡°Oh.¡± now it all made sense to him, he knew there was no way Scythe could accomplish all this without the colony¡¯s military being involved somehow. Reyna took a deep breath and looked up at him ¡°You won¡¯t tell anyone¡­about this¡­¡± Sly shook his head as he continued to stare. Her eyes dropped back down to her palms, unable to keep eye contact as she explained ¡°The Von Sweiss, the ruling family of the last human colony in our realm, the mars colonies. Herald is the last remaining member of that bloodline, an aged man who¡¯s body is incapable of producing heirs not simply out of age but due to being infertile.¡± Reyna held her hands to her chest as her heart began to beat faster ¡°Herald was obsessed with power, being born into his rule as a lone child and thought by his parents that the colonies weren¡¯t just the family¡¯s business but their kingdom. He couldn¡¯t stand that he was the last Von Sweiss, that he couldn¡¯t continue the family line so¡­¡± She briefly stopped as her eyes began to tremble and tears began to form ¡°So he focused his fortune and power over a single task as he left the ruling of the colonies to others, he wanted this goal complete so badly that he imprisoned those working for him until they came to him with results¡­Herald wanted them to create life.¡± A single tear streaked down her cheek ¡°To create a human from another¡¯s DNA¡­To create me.¡± Sly stared at Reyna with an expression so baffled and full of disbelief that he forgot his hand was bleeding as he rubbed his eyes ¡°Wait¡­wait so¡­you¡¯re a clone or something?¡± he asked ignoring the patches of blood he left on his face. Reyna nodded ¡°Out of three hundred and forty two bodies, I am the lone survivor of his experimentation¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s it?¡± Sly asked as he regained his composure. ¡°What¡­do you mean?¡± Reyna asked as she sniffled and wiped the tear from her face. ¡°You¡¯re upset because you¡¯re a clone? Is that really just it?¡± Sly asked in disbelief ¡°That is why you¡¯re so paranoid!?¡± Reyna took a step away from him ¡°I¡­No I¡­I¡¯m not real¡­I¡­I shouldn¡¯t exist¡­I¡­¡± her eyes were swelling red. Sly held his face with his other hand and took a deep breath ¡°So what?¡± he asked her with a bitter tone, taking his hand off he looked at Reyna with cold resentful eyes. ¡°She¡¯s spent 19 years alive fool! 19 years in isolation! Imagine that!¡± exclaimed Liliana ¡°Alone with no one to speak to, eating the same thing every single day and only after 18 years she gained brief hours of freedom. Each of those hours, for every second she was watched and told what to and not to do.¡± Sly glanced over at the demi-goddess ¡°Again, so what?¡± before looking back at Reyna ¡°What, do you think you¡¯re not alive? Do you think just because you were made from machines that you¡¯re not also human? Tell me what is there different between you and anybody else on Mars?¡± Reyna stared back at him with swollen eyes and a half open mouth, unable to form words as her every being panicked. When she didn¡¯t respond Sly lost it and grabbed her by the collar, Lilith in response summoned her scythe and held it¡¯s blade to Sly¡¯s chest stopping him from getting any closer ¡°Let her go¡± she hissed at him. Yet Sly ignored the other Devil, his cold glare solely focused on a petrified Reyna as he spoke ¡°As a child I lived in the border districts of the colonies, surrounded by crime at home, fearing for my life every day and night my only solace should have been school yet even there where the military itself keeps order I wasn¡¯t safe. I was pushed around, kicked, spat at, insulted and thrown things at in plain sight but nobody ever did a single fucking thing because I was some rat from the border. After completing the years of school forced on us I didn¡¯t even try to continue further. To survive, to get the little credit I needed to feed myself and help feed family I did what every single person at the borders does and joined a gang. At the age of thirteen I robbed, fought and even killed to breathe another day.¡± Sly pulled Reyna¡¯s quickly paling face closer to his own ¡°Six years ago the military cleansed the border. They wiped out every gang, group and collective that didn¡¯t agree with their demands. I lay on the ground with a hole in my fucking knee as I watched almost every person I knew mowed down, blown up or just trampled over. I watched as people I considered brothers and sisters, people I looked up to and people I loved being butchered like cattle.¡± Nobody responded to his story only Liliana who glanced away in shame ¡°My..apologies¡­¡± Sly snorted in disdain ¡°We didn¡¯t even get that, an apology. They just paid us survivors and the dead¡¯s families off to appease us.¡± He said bitterly while glancing her way before looking back at Reyna who could no longer look him in the eye ¡°Look at me!¡± exclaimed Sly as he mildly shook her, Lilith¡¯s scythe pressed to his chest armour. Slowly Reyna looked up, barely focusing she stared at his eyes steadily glaring back at her. ¡°Consider your sheltered life lucky, that at least your hands are clean and that you didn¡¯t have to struggle with death for a morsel of food.¡± said Sly as he let go of her collar, backing away from Lilith¡¯s blade which she kept in between them. Reyna¡¯s eyes filled with tears as she fell down to her knees ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­I¡¯m weak¡­I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m a coward¡­¡± she said in between sobs, continuously she wiped the tears from her eyes when suddenly a hand holding the bloody dagger appeared in front of her. Reyna looked up to see Sly crouching down in front of her holding the dagger by the blade, forwarding the handle to her. ¡°If you really think that, then finish the pact.¡± He told her solemnly. Reyna glanced at the dagger, between the blood that was already beginning to dry around Sly¡¯s palm and the blade, at the black leather handle waiting for her hand to grasp it and at the person holding it out to her ready to make a pact that risked his life and another of pure torture. She stared down at the dagger, not even trying to reach out for it she just lay there looking at it as Sly pulled back his hand and sheathed it. Sly stood up ¡°You¡¯re not a coward, else you would have taken the dagger. Cowards only think of themselves, cowards will always put themselves before others even if it means risking their lives. You¡¯re not a coward, you¡¯re just afraid and there is nothing wrong with that.¡± Ending her sobbing Reyna looked up with reddened eyes, sniffling she asked ¡°There isn¡¯t?...¡± Sly forwarded his uninjured hand to her ¡°But you need to be strong, no matter how afraid you are, no matter how much it hurts your life isn¡¯t all that¡¯s at stake here.¡± Reyna carefully grabbed his hand with her own and he pulled her up, letting her hand go he formed a fist and bumped it lightly into her hand making it form one too ¡°You¡¯re at least allowed to join chat rooms right?¡± he then asked her. Looking slightly confused Reyna nodded ¡°Yeah but¡­they watch everything I do¡­¡± Sly considered that briefly ¡°But you can get me inside?¡± he then asked. ¡°Y¡­yes but then it won¡¯t be long till they catch me and lock me out¡­I won¡¯t be able to do anything else for weeks¡­¡± Reyna explained while retreating her hand and wiping her eyes.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°It will do, what is your username?¡± asked Sly. ¡°Reyrey0¡­why?¡± she asked back. He nodded ¡°You will find an invitation to a chatroom, I¡¯ll let you know when I¡¯m ready.¡± He told her before turning to face Liliana ¡°All you need to do is get me inside, don¡¯t worry about anything else.¡± He clenched his hands and took a deep breath ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Liliana glanced between them and waited for Reyna to regain her composure, the Hero stood back up and anxiously glanced between her and Sly ¡°I am¡­too.¡± Liliana nodded ¡°Stand in the circle with me then.¡± she told them and the stepped inside, she glanced at either of them briefly stopping to observe Reyna ¡°I will bestow some magic into your soul before we start, Astral mana to be used whenever you find yourself in a pinch. It won¡¯t last long though so use it as a last resort and don¡¯t absorb too much else your body may suffer.¡± ¡°How will we come back?¡± Sly asked as he glanced around at the circle of flowers. ¡°I will keep a close eye on your souls through your bodies, once I detect the artefact through either of you I will pull you back. If I feel either of you closing death I will do the same.¡± Liliana explained. ¡°Fine with me.¡± Replied Sly ¡°Shall we?¡± Liliana nodded ¡°Are you ready dear?¡± she asked Reyna who still looked downcast. Reyna looked up at Liliana and nodded back wordlessly. ¡°Then prepare yourselves, not even I am sure as to what you will feel as you return to your bodies. Your memories may become jumbled, so be ready.¡± She explained before gesturing at Lilith and her Demons to move closer ¡°I shall now begin.¡± Sly clenched his hands on his legwear, his expression steady and calm but in reality he felt anxious and doubtful (¡°Can I really do this alone?...¡±). Reyna simply stared down at the floor ahead of her where a few petals had found their way to, her expression sad and emotions reflecting it (¡°If only¡­I wasn¡¯t so afraid¡­¡±). Liliana raised her arms up ahead of herself as her wings shone multiple rays of colours including; green, blue and silver. She chanted ¡°Souls of those that walk the mortal plane, show yourselves to this one of higher birth! Soul weaving!¡± her eyes morphed and changed entirely to blue as complex symbols faded in and out, she continued to chant several other spells as she moved her fingers around as if moving around invisible strings. ¡°My name is Liliana, daughter of Titania. By my power I bestow you with my blessing! Imbue Energy!¡± Out of her palms a white lightning struck out and engulfed Sly and Reyna, surrounding their bodies briefly before fading away. Like an artist weaving strings or a musician playing her instrument Liliana finished her first spell by opening her arms wide and casting a third ¡°Veil that covers all, veil that surroundings reality from others. Tear open! Reality Cut!¡± she closed her hands and put her palms together. Blue lines of fluorescent energy grew out from the circle of flowers and engulfed Sly, Reyna, Lilith and her four Demons, like bird cages they formed around them. ¡°Farewell for now Heroes, please save this world from yours.¡± Said Liliana with a warm smile as the blue cages of energy entirely engulfed all seven of them and shrunk into nothingness.
Sly opened his eyes as if he had just blinked to find himself sitting down, glancing around himself he found he was inside a cubicle of some sort of large workplace. Reflective white walls surrounded him from each direction, a stone paved silver floor beneath him and no ceiling other than the room¡¯s own white marble like ceiling up above. Inside the cubicle with him was a blue glass desk with a green orb embedded into the centre, a black mug of something dark brown and hot and a white plate with a crushed silver paper on top. Sly felt slightly confused for a brief moment before a head ache suddenly set in, with his mind feeling as if it was about to burst Sly groaned as he leaned onto the glass surface. Peaking through the severe migraine Sly saw his own reflection in the glass, light brown yellowish eyes with short dark brown hair shaved to zero on the sides. Sly found himself back in his real body, a bulky and above average height twenty something. Closing his eyes due to the pain Sly¡¯s mind went through the recent memories of both sides, body and soul. Setting aside his memories of Chaoz like a distant dream his mind focused on reminding his soul of what the body had been through without it. Having no emotional attachment to anything, no feeling towards or against anything, Sly¡¯s body had focused entirely on survival. Using basic common-sense Sly¡¯s body had lived like a machine, working, sleeping, eating, shitting and showering while only interacting with others whenever it was required in a monotone voice and expressionless face. Sly even clearly remembered himself auctioning off his video gaming set, willingly and without involving murder. He cried briefly inside, feeling a tug at his chest whenever he remembered that day. Moving on to his current situation Sly focused on where he currently was, before Chaoz he clearly remembered working as repair aid in a robotics store. Now he remembered himself quitting that job and finding where he sat at right now, some boring clerk cubicle positioned as a customer care service for a large electronics company in a different district than the border where he used to live in. He remembered himself using the money he had set aside for emergencies to purchase a passport to move to this district and purchase his own apartment. It was all strange for Sly, he knew these memories where his but it was so emotionless and monotone that he felt like he was looking through the eyes of someone¡­something else. As the pain subsided he reminded himself of what he had returned for, the war between two worlds he had to stop. He glanced up from the glass as he calmed his nerves and retook control of his own breathing, waving his hand over the green orb several windows opened in his vision. Guide lines, search engines and customer lists he used to assist anybody that called in. Sly swatted away each window other than the search engine making them disappear, tapping the search bar labelled ¡®Bing¡¯ a keyboard window opened beneath it. He typed in several searches and opening each on a different window that he moved with his fingers to lay around him. The first thing he did was open the chatroom him and his guild used for communicating, an inbuilt chatting system that every computer had. As an administrator of the chatroom he selected the ¡®Invite to room¡¯ option and entered Reyna¡¯s username. Seeing that she did not immediately accept he closed that window and moved on to the others. Suddenly a call appeared ahead of him, beeping loudly only for him to hear the green bubble shook violently awaiting for him to tap it but Sly only swatted it away making it disappear. He remembered his body never queuing a call to another cubicle so he knew nobody would care if he did so a few times today. Sly had another three windows open, one on recent news, one on a specific news story on the DVR and the game GAO and lastly a window with a list of news stories since. He started with the DVR story to appease his curiosity. The story explained on how the video game¡¯s launch had collapsed after the company¡¯s main headquarters was hit with a massive hacker assault that ruined their servers and thrashed their gamedata. The hackers apparently were so set on ruining the company that human mercenaries were hired to infiltrate the building and connect offline storages to the net while also destroying any physical data kept aside for safety. Sly stared at this first story in disbelief, checking their sources and looking through AR footage taken of the infiltrators he was left with no choice but to accept it as truth. Or at least the truth that was fed to the media to feed to the common citizens, Sly knew better. It was all a sham to cover for Scythe. Secondly he looked through recent news stories for anything of interest and one story piqued it. The military had tripled the size of their manufacturing districts and were forcefully hiring workers from all over the colonies. Any that couldn¡¯t be used as a mechanic, programmer or manager were drafted into soldiering. Briefly he wondered why his body hadn¡¯t been drafted into soldiering yet, being soulless would have fit Scythe¡¯s plans perfectly but then he was reminded of something. Looking down at his legs he felt his left lower leg with his hand, feeling the metallic hardness beneath the pseudo skin that covered his robotic leg. He wasn¡¯t suitable for combat by the military¡¯s standards. (¡°At least this came useful for once...¡±) he thought bitterly before refocusing on the task at hand (¡°So they are already drafting soldiers to command mech squads¡­And tripling their manufacturing. They are preparing for war alright.¡±) He moved on to looking through any stories of note between the launch of GAO and today, swatting away any calls that came his way he searched for a few hours through the multitude of stories that were collected from the community¡¯s districts. The Mars colonies were divided into four kinds of districts. The main districts entirely controlled by the Military, the Community districts were controlled by several dozen large organizations who joined together to create the massive group called the Community, the border districts who were too far from the main districts to be fully controlled by the military and as such were full of crime and gang skirmishes. Then there were the furthest districts, the Cold districts. Taking about 40% of mars these districts were once the same as the other side of the planet, an assortment of main districts taking into communities and then to the border. These districts were now entirely abandoned after a revolt took place against the military by the community-like group that lived there, this group was called GAIA. Fed up with the Military¡¯s dictatorship GAIA had taken combative action against them with the goal of taking over their side of the planet. GAIA had involved several gangs in their rebellion from the border districts tripling their numbers to face the several hundred thousand machine soldiers the Military controlled. The rebellion did not last long, the military having moved all their resources and personnel to the other side of the planet using what GAIA had deduced to be tunnels taking from one main district to another on the opposite side of the planet. GAIA had thought they had won, that their face of Mars was finally theirs. The Military thought otherwise as they invaded the border districts and mercilessly ¡®Disbanded¡¯ the gangs that lived there using the entirety of their forces. GAIA had no time to react as the military completely sealed off their districts from the border and turned off the oxygen supply suffocating 30% of the human population at the time. This was six years ago, still fresh in most people¡¯s minds it was even fresher in Sly¡¯s as the travel between worlds made his mind feel light and focusing on memory felt clearer than usual. As Sly stood up from his chair he moved around his robotic leg, getting himself reused to the feeling¡­or more so not feeling it. When suddenly another call appeared in his vision, an ember exclamation mark within the green bubble told Sly it was an urgent caller so he couldn¡¯t swat it away. Sighing Sly accepted the call as he turned to face the wall behind him ¡°Sin customer care service, Justin here how may I help you today?¡± he placed his palm on the blank white smooth wall and it suddenly opened up by folding several times like a shutter from the middle. ¡°Ah hell-¡± a deep male voice responded sounding anxious but Sly interrupted the caller. ¡°Have you tried restarting it?¡± Sly asked before ending the call abruptly. Ch 80 - Voyage to 13. Kyle focused on his slime body, carefully he formed a thin tentacle and reached out to Celica¡¯s finger as she continued to poke the puddle of slime with a bored expression. The tentacle reached her finger just as she poked and it fell apart back into liquid. (¡°Progress.¡±) said Celica with a shrug. (¡°You know it would be really great if you¡¯d stop poking my sensitive magical slime body with your god damn finger.¡±) Kyle responded in annoyance. (¡°Aww the little slime is mad.¡±) mocked Celica with a smirk. (¡°You¡­you¡­¡±) Kyle formed another tentacle of slime this time thicker, it moved to wrap around Celica¡¯s arm and did so twice. (¡°More progress!¡±) she exclaimed while raising her hand making the tentacle fall apart like it¡¯s predecessor (¡°Or not¡­¡±) Kyle¡¯s slime puddle body bubbled furiously.
Mars Colonies 12th District, Italia. Sly walked through the marble white streets as several other humans went about their normal day, on either side of him stood tall white metallic building climbing up higher than the usual skyscraper with a smaller side road going through between each one. Glancing up Sly pictured Chaoz¡¯s beautiful blue sky with two bright suns and the occasional cloud as he saw the silver metallic ceiling high above, several hundred oval vehicles flew about above the street utilizing several dozen elevations as roads. This all reminding him once more what he longed for, what he was doing this for. After exiting the building that was now his workplace Sly had immediately made way to his apartment and packed his things, shortly after making his way to the edge of Italia. Over the shoulder, he carried a black backpack and within his left hand he carried a white metallic suitcase where he had packed some belongings and other items he deemed important. As he arrived to his destination the tall skyscrapers ended there and then opening up into a large area with green grass and dirt making up the ground while trees of varying kinds and sizes formed several rows with benches on either side for people to sit and wait at. On either side of this opening were several shops and stores with metallic white walls advertising their wares with holographic designs on their storefront. At the very far end of this large waiting area was a building similar but slightly larger than the shops with a single large archway, within the archway was a gleaming silver wall slightly indented outwards from the archway around it. Sly walked through the pseudo garden not paying attention to anybody that passed by or sat around, briefly he glanced down to see his feet phase through the holographic grass and dirt. Sighing he looked up staring at the station¡¯s entrance, the silver wall that he knew would open once the train arrived. He picked an empty bench closest to the station entrance and sat down waiting, glancing up he saw six similar entrances up in district¡¯s barrier ceiling where vehicles would enter to park inside the train once it arrived. As he waited Sly glanced around at the civilians going about their day, he snorted thinking of how ignorant they were of everything. Yet he also pitied them, not only for what they didn¡¯t know nor for how easily pleased they were with their simple lives as commonfolk under someone else¡¯s roof but for what they were missing out on. Suddenly a voice spoke throughout the entire holographic garden ¡°Voyage 11-12 complete, Voyage 12-13 next. Please make your way through the scanners in an appropriate manner, stay within the Voyage if you wish to continue on to the next district.¡± spoke a strangely robotic female voice. Sly stood up from his bench but was suddenly knocked back as a large beast of a man stepped ahead of him, he fell right back into his bench letting go of his suitcase and it fell to the ground next to the bench opening up and scattering it¡¯s insides about. Sly looked up to see the large man that pushed him aside, his just as large companion and a shorter man continued to walk even over the items that spilled out of his case. Sly cringed as one of the large men walked over his cellular device shattering it. ¡°Oi.¡± Sly called out to the three men only to be ignored, so he stood up and stomped after them reaching out for the middle one¡¯s shoulder ¡°Yo you deaf just as you¡¯re blind?¡± Sly asked as he stopped the man and turned him slightly around. Taking full stock of all three men Sly noticed the smaller one¡¯s fine silver suit and hat lined with black stripes, white sunglasses with golden shades, short gleaming silver hair and moustache along with a single curl of blue hair above his forehead. Immediately the two larger men, both wearing light grey pants, black jackets and white shirts with ear pieces and black shades, turned to Sly and grabbed his shoulders almost simultaneously. ¡°Let go boy and this doesn¡¯t have to go any further.¡± Said the silver haired man with a raised brow, while glancing at Sly¡¯s hand on his shoulder. Sly gestured with his head at his scattered belongings and broken phone laying on the ground ¡°I needed that.¡± Suddenly the two large men¡¯s hands grasped his shoulders with more of a clutch than before allowing him to feel their metallic make. Sly realised both of them weren¡¯t men but androids, a marvel of robotics and AI. The silver haired man followed Sly¡¯s gesture to see the scattered case and shattered device, he rolled his eyes ¡°What do you want to be reimbursed for that change?¡± He looked Sly up and down, his dark green hoodie, black pants and sleeveless grey shirt ¡±Boys, get this border rat off me.¡± Sly glanced at each android as they pushed him away and turned to wall him off from the man, both cracked their robotic knuckles menacingly at him. Sly grimaced in annoyance when a sudden wind whistled by his ears, a cold dreadful wisp of air that blew from behind him. Sly recognised the feel of the wind as suddenly the two androids flinched and malfunctioned. The androids¡¯ eyes briefly went pitch black before returning to normal, entirely stopping their flinching the two turned back around and followed after the man that had continued on. Sly raised a brow in brief confusion as the two massive androids picked up the well-dressed man from both arms and carried him back. Facing the man for the second time, this time restrained by his own guards and held a foot above the ground Sly smirked knowingly as he glanced at both androids before meeting the man¡¯s confused expression with his own amused one. ¡°So about that phone¡­¡± Sly raised a brow suggestively as he gestured at one of the androids restraining the man. ¡°T-take it! Le-left pocket! J-just l-leave me a-alone!¡± the man stuttered as he spoke, his eyes open wide in surprise and slight fear at having his own guards turned against him. Sly snorted in amusement as he reached out into the man¡¯s blazer and left inner pocket, taking out a silver back phone with the image of a female anime character in a black bikini sitting down on a sandy beach with her back bent backwards while holding her hands flat on the sand. Sly raised a brow at the phone and glanced at the man ¡±Nice touch.¡± then pocketed the device. Turning around Sly moved to pick up his scattered things ignoring the shattered phone, closing the case back up he picked it up by the handle and turned to the two androids still holding the now pale and confused man. He walked by them and made his way towards the station ¡°I¡¯ll be taking these two with me too if you don¡¯t mind.¡± He told the man and the two androids let him go. As the man fell to the ground standing but lost his footing and fell back on his ass the two androids turned around and quietly followed after Sly. The man stood back up tidying his suit and pointed his right index finger at Sly¡¯s back, opening his mouth as if about to say something he then froze not knowing what to even say. Sly snickered under his breath as he reached the station¡¯s entrance with the two androids on his tail. Dozens of people were making their way through the silver wall as if it wasn¡¯t even there. The event that had transpired with the androids utterly ignored as even in such a peaceful district, no matter how real the sense of order was, each person had to fend for themselves.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Sly stopped in front of the silver dented wall and glanced back at either android ¡°Well, follow me.¡± he told what he knew to be two demons that had somehow taken over the bundles of electronics and fake skin. Each android silently nodded and all three stepped through the silver wall, stepping out on the other side they found themselves inside a pseudo train station with three elevations where trains stopped. The only currently available train was in the middle elevation too high to walk up to but as Sly approached he watched as several dozen people stepped towards the train and over a blue pad on the floor. The pads blinked brightly as people stopped on them, suddenly they floated, almost like magic they floated up without taking another step and quickly entered the train¡¯s door. The train itself was almost cylindrical and entirely metallic white with three streaks of light blue glass indicating the three seating floors available inside the massive vehicle. Sly looked down from the vehicle that hovered in place held by and standing on nothing. Below and between him and the train were several doorways standing side to side with a blueish shimmering wall of light within them, people unquestioningly passed through the wall of light. He sighed and opened up the phone he had just gained from the back, just now remembering he forgot to ask the asshole to unlock it for him he had to do it manually by factory resetting the device and setting his own personality account on it. Doing so rather quickly he went through the four step registration and immediately opened the browser as a window popped out into his vision identically to how his workstation had acted. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to register two damn androids too now¡­Else they won¡¯t let you through.¡± He explained whilst going through the station¡¯s apparent website ¡°So¡­how¡¯d you take those things over anyway?¡± he asked them after closing the window and stepping towards the scanners. A rough female voice spoke through one of the androids ¡°This object may be somehow animated but it is still an object, as long as no mana flows through it we can possess it. Normally when we come here our host is completely random and preferably newborn but since we were tethered to you we got to choose.¡± Sly grimaced at the voice ¡°Great now they think I got some weird fetish¡­¡± he whispered under his breath while glancing around, speaking louder now he asked ¡°Is it just you two?¡± as he stepped through the barrier of light within the metallic doorway followed by both androids. A male voice spoke this time through the second android ¡°Yes, Miss Lilith is with Little Miss Reyna and our other two companions were lost on the way.¡± Sly stopped in his tracks and glanced back at the android, a solemn look on him as he spoke ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡± The android¡¯s face remained cold and expressionless as the device was incapable, it looked back at him briefly before responding ¡°We are warriors, we knew what we signed up for. Be sorry not and let us focus on our task.¡± Sly grinned as he turned back around and stepped onto a blue pad ¡°Do you have names?¡± he suddenly floated up and towards the train¡¯s circular doorway above. Glancing back he saw one of the androids stare down at the blue glowing pad almost questioningly before stepping onto it and followed closely by the second they both floated after Sly. Reaching inside the train Sly stepped aside as the two androids floated inside all the while glancing around like children, expressionlessly looking around in pseudo awe. The train¡¯s inside was first a room with a storefront where drinks and snacks could be purchased facing the entrance while to either side was a long curving corridor that took from either end of the train. In the middle of the entrance almost in front of the store¡¯s doorway was a large blue circular pad and when people stepped onto it they floated up and through the hole in the ceiling taking to the second floor, if they stepped to stand closer to the middle where the light turned green from blue they were elevated to the third floor instead. Sly gestured for the androids to follow as he took a left and walked down the corridor with phone in hand, the corridor was wide enough for him, the two androids and several other people to walk by. As he quickly typed away into a chat of sorts Sly asked them again ¡°So any names I can call you?¡± ¡°Lesha would be mine.¡± replied the female voice. ¡°York, or if you would prefer GTX A 370 for this golem¡¯s name.¡± replied the male. Sly glanced back with a raised brow ¡°You can access it¡¯s systems?¡± ¡°Systems?¡± repeated York questioningly ¡°I have access to it¡¯s memory, functions and skills if that is what you are inquiring of?¡± ¡°Huh¡­Oh and that¡¯s not a golem, nothing here is powered by what you all are used to.¡± Sly explained as he looked back ahead. ¡°Nothing really is powered by mana here?...Then how does everything work? What is all this?¡± asked Lesha as she stared deeply at any passer-by that held a phone or similar device. ¡°Science.¡± Responded Sly as he stopped by a room with the silver plated number ¡®056¡¯ on it ¡°Don¡¯t speak unless I tell you to, you don¡¯t want to piss of any of these people.¡± He warned both demons before knocking on the door. Immediately the door opened up slightly as the ugliest face Sly had ever seen and knew peaked through ¡°What is my name?¡± asked the man with a shaved head, a single green eye and an artificial silver one that gleamed with the light. Sly rolled his eyes ¡°It rhymes with rotten avocado and it¡¯s holder is just as fucking ugly, outta the way Colorado.¡± The man named Colorado grinned as he opened the door and stood aside ¡°So it¡¯s really you?¡± he asked now fully visible. Standing almost as tall as the androids Colorado was middle aged man with a weight lifter¡¯s body, muscles protruding even through his suit, large hands that could grasp another¡¯s entire face and one that was mostly scarred or covered with fake skin not sitting well with his actual colour. Sly stepped inside the room to find a long cushioned sofa going around the walls other than where the door was, sitting on the right behind Colorado were two others. ¡°Hah, look Roy it¡¯s actually Kid. All grown up now are we?¡± said a lanky woman with a mousey face, short black hair and dark brown eyes. ¡°That he is Ray.¡± replied and almost identically lanky man with half shaved black hair, brown eyes and a badly cut goatee. Sly glanced at the twins ¡°I left that name behind long ago.¡± He told them. Colorado raised a brow as he asked ¡°Then why did you call us here? Why are the others waiting for us at 13?¡± closing the door behind the two large androids that he briefly eyed before staring at Sly for a response. Sly glanced over at Colorado before looking down at his right arm, pulling back his hoodie¡¯s long sleeves ¡°Roy, knife.¡± he said as suddenly a short blade embedded itself in the metallic wall to his left. Sly grasped the blade¡¯s hilt, decorated black leather with a silver trim, and pulled it out of the metal wall as it¡¯s blade shimmered red. He held the blade in a backhand grip as he placed it¡¯s tip onto his right arm, onto the upper part and to his skin. He flinched slightly as the hot blade seared skin letting out a wisp of smoke, with even more flinching he tracked the blade¡¯s tip across his arm writing something. Colorado, Ray and Roy silently watched without blinking, the two demons stared down at Sly almost in confusion as they tilted their heads. ¡°I¡¯m taking that name back up.¡± He said after finishing his work, showing them a patch of seared skin on his right arm that looked like a claw mark of four ¡°I¡¯m bringing back the Fourclaws¡±. Colorado stared at the mark before glancing down at the red patch on his own arm, entirely seared off and having no shape what so ever ¡°Why? What has changed?¡±. ¡°Indeed chap, we¡¯ll just get slaughtered by the current gangs. Nobody wants us back, nobody needs us back.¡± Said Roy with a saddened smile as he glanced down at his right arm, pulling up the sleeve of his blue jacket he uncovered the four claw marks. ¡°Things have changed, we have something we never had before.¡± Declared Sly as he stepped to stand in the centre of the room. ¡°What? Your two electronic friends there?¡± asked Ray as she gestured at the two androids with a raised brow. Sly glanced at her ¡°They are part of it, they can help but there is more. So much more.¡± Roy and Ray leaned in closer, their curiosity piqued but Colorado remained standing by the door looking at him with a questioning look. Sly looked at York ¡°Disrupt the area, you know how right?¡± York nodded as a sudden shimmer expanded from it¡¯s body and engulfed the room briefly. Sly looked at his phone to see it¡¯s screen had gone entirely black, none of it¡¯s functions functioning ¡°That will do.¡± He glanced around at the three older members, Roy and Ray being a few years older whilst Colorado being a long standing member. Sly spoke again, his tone harsher and hands clenched as fists, his eyes open wide in a fierce glare ¡°It has been six years, since they butchered our friends, ran us out of our homes and forced us under their thumb. For what? For wanting freedom? For wanting a roof over our heads that was actually ours?¡± The three ex-gang members tensed as Sly spoke to them ¡°Back then we had an army, we had numbers and strength but they had cunning and the home advantage. So they defeated us and here we stand today still shackled by their laws and oppressed by their reign.¡± He glanced at each of them as they all met his gaze with their own intrigued one. ¡°We no longer have the numbers but fuck me if we still have our strength, while they lay sitting on their cosy chairs watching out over our kennels. They think we¡¯re all bark and no bite, let them see our fangs once we get closer.¡± Sly stopped talking and glanced around at the three of them waiting for a reply. Colorado spoke first breaking the silence ¡°How do we get closer?¡± Sly turned to face him ¡°I have something we didn¡¯t have before, someone we did not have before. Someone on the inside capable of opening the front door for us.¡± Roy suddenly rose to his feet, eyes wide open he asked ¡°Someone on the inside? Who? Who is willing to betray that man?¡± Sly now turned to Roy ¡°Someone willing to risk their lives on it, someone with them willing to risk their own to keep the other¡¯s safe as well.¡± He glanced back at Colorado knowing full well who¡¯s decision would influence the other¡¯s the most ¡°The enemy is also distracted with something at the moment, their guard will not be lowered by any means but their resources will be scattered and spread out further.¡± Sly waited a few moments as silence descended on the room again, suddenly a voice resounded throughout the train ¡°Voyage 12-13 under way, estimated arrival in 10 minutes.¡± Colorado sighed as he walked over to the rectangular window opposing the door, a blue glass window going from one side of the room to the other. He looked out as the train exited the 12th district, moving above ground allowing each passenger to see the desolate martian terrain outside. Far off in the distance they could make out three other districts to the right side of the train, massive half globes of white metal with sheets of black dotting it. Colorado stared off at the districts as he spoke ¡°The gang was my life, it was my home and my family. Now I spend my days in a spacesuit making sure those damn panels haven¡¯t been damaged by rocks, any sort of free time I have I spend either asleep, shitting or shoving dried food down my throat. My pay is shit, my home is worse.¡± He glances back at Sly ¡°Tell me Kid, once we¡¯re inside what do you plan to do?¡± Sly meets the man¡¯s one eye with his own ¡°We cannot get to the serpent¡¯s head, we just don¡¯t know enough to do so but¡­We can cut off it¡¯s claws.¡± Ch 81 - Reform Sly walks out of the train station with York and Lesha coming up behind him still possessing the two almost identical large androids, following behind them are Colorado, Roy and Ray. The moment Sly stepped out into the waiting area he took in the view he hadn¡¯t seen in over a week. The 13th District -nameless as one of the border districts- was entirely different from the 12th. Run down buildings, thrash thrown about the street, the air full of fumes and his surroundings full of watchful eyes. He took in the air, a nice long breath ¡°I¡¯m home.¡± He murmured quietly while sizing up the ones that did the same with him from the corner of his eyes, several individuals simply stood or sat around the waiting area either outside shops or on the benches. They watched with careful eyes. Sly smirked in amusement as his group caught more attention than he¡¯d expected (¡°Shit, let¡¯s hope they don¡¯t think too much of it.¡±) he thought while giving a quick glance behind him. His gang had been destroyed long ago but the streets of this District still had colours that ruled over it, colours that would prefer said gang to remain under it¡¯s grave. Attentively he walked the streets with the rest following after him, annoyance built up within him as he noticed a severe increase in the attention certain individuals were giving them. The streets of the 13th weren¡¯t as bustling as the 12th¡¯s, the people walking about took great care to where they stepped and who they looked at. The air wasn¡¯t as full with vehicles either, rarely would one -just as run down as the buildings around it- fly by. Sly and friends took a side street to reach their destination, after a couple dozen minutes of walking through the eerie main street they took a right. Sly had a double take as he glanced around the empty side street, he noticed some peculiar things around him. To his left was a group of four cloaked individuals sitting around what looked like a holographic projector, further up ahead was a group of six wearing colours at the very end of the side street seemingly looking to the right at something. Sly scratched his right ear as he passed by the four sitting, giving them no attention while staring at the six up ahead. After he passed by the four, the androids passed by, then Colorado, then Roy and Ray together. A smile creeped up Sly¡¯s lips as his guess proved to be correct, the six up ahead had turned and began to make their way towards them all the while smirking from ear to ear. This was an ambush and they were severely outnumbered. A yelp sounded off from behind Sly as Ray spun around and kicked one of the thugs in the jewels as he rose to stand, two short screams followed as Roy¡¯s blades sunk into two others next to the stunned thug. Caught by surprise the six up ahead moved for their weapons but Sly had long caught on, reaching for under his hoodie he quickly pulled out a black pistol with a blueish hue at the barrel¡¯s end while moving to the side. Three quick bursts of blue thin light shot from behind Sly hitting two of the thugs up ahead, the weapons making no sound what so ever on firing yet he knew Colorado was the one already shooting. Sly quickly took aim pressing the trigger twice, two thin blue lines of light, like glowing needles the projectiles shot out of the weapon. A thug from the group ahead shouted in agony as he reached for his left arm that was about to enter his hoodie, blood splattering from it and his gut that was behind it. A second fell back limply as a shot pierced through his head, a third tripped forward as four shots tore through his left leg and a fourth next to him spun around as two shots entered his waist. The remaining two pulled out their weapons and took aim but were also too slow, the first fired haphazardly as a shimmering blade found itself embedded between his eyes after which he fell limply to the side. The second¡¯s weapon flashed blue in his palm as two bursts of projectiles found their way to it and his arm, he screamed in agony and fell to the ground kneeling. Sly shot three more times killing the one holding to his gut, the one holding to his leg and the one leaning on the wall trying to take aim with one hand while holding onto his waist with the other. The last who¡¯s arm had been turned into a smoking slab looked up one last time as his head exploded outwards with a flash of green, he fell forwards just as dead as the other five. ¡°Well so much for a quiet reunion.¡± Said a gruff male voice from the other side of the street, turning around the corner now fully revealing himself was a dark skinned man aging around the 30s with dyed red short hair, blue eyes and a badly shaved neck. Sly grinned ¡°Shelbert!¡± he exclaimed while lowering his right arm and pistol, glancing back quickly he saw Colorado shooing away a few people from their side while hiding his weapon very reminiscent of an SMG, Roy retrieving blades from the thugs¡¯s corpses and Ray holding a pistol to the last thug¡¯s face as York and Lesha held him pressed to the wall. Looking back around Sly approached the man he had called Shelbert with a wide grin, Shelbert in return laughed full heartedly as he opened his arms wide while stepping towards him. Sly noticed as he approached Shelbert¡¯s right palm closing up like a camera unzooming, then accepted the big man¡¯s quick hug as Shelbert then held Sly by the shoulders and looked him up and down. ¡°You¡¯ve grown up Kid, I remember a little shithead always trying to stay at the front of the fight¡­Ahh nothing¡¯s really changed huh?¡± Shelbert joked as he shook him by the shoulders, standing an entire foot taller than Sly. Sly chuckled awkwardly as he felt his shoulders being slightly crushed by the man¡¯s iron grip ¡°You¡¯ve gotten an upgrade I see¡­¡± he gestured at Shelbert¡¯s hand with his pistol. ¡°Ohoho these babies?¡± exclaimed Shelbert as he took a step back and raised his palms flat ahead of himself ¡°Well I couldn¡¯t just replace the old ones without doing so now could I?¡± he said as both palms opened up revealing two green crystal like surfaces looking entirely smooth but unreflective. ¡°You¡¯re going to need an upgrade too if someone isn¡¯t careful.¡± He said pointing at Sly¡¯s left shoulder. Sly glanced at his shoulder seeing nothing before pocketing his pistol and pulling his hoodie back a bit to see it had been slightly singed ¡°Oi!¡± he exclaimed and turned back to look at Colorado ¡°Watch where you shoot god dammit!¡± Colorado smirked ¡°Must be getting rusty, was sure I hit you there.¡± As he looked up from looting one of the thugs. Sly snorted and flipped him off before turning back to Shelbert ¡°What you doing out here anyway? Thought we agreed to meet at the shop.¡± Shelbert shrugged ¡°Figured I¡¯d keep watch outside then I saw this bunch around the corner.¡± He gestured at the six laying on the ground around them. Sly sighed ¡°Speaking of which.¡± He turned to the others and walked over to York and Lesha as they held the surviving thug, his face almost as pale as the corpses of his comrades. Ray had joined her brother in checking the corpses and as Sly stopped to stand in front of the thug she came back up holding a green sash that was wrapped around one thug¡¯s arm. ¡°Jesters.¡± She quickly explained showing him the sash with a blue J smeared on it. Sly grabbed the sash out of her hands and pressed it to the thug¡¯s face ¡°What are you Js doing out here in Squalo territory?¡± The thug was a young male, younger than even Sly, with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. He glanced at the sash before looking back at Sly, eyes wide he remained quiet. Sly sighed as he lowered the sash, he glanced at York ¡°Shatter his shoulder.¡± The android glanced at Sly briefly before staring back at the thug, without thinking of it a second longer he closed his massive right hand around the thug¡¯s shoulder and the sound of cracking bone resounded through the wide alleyway followed by screams of agony. ¡°Ahh! S-top! St-op!¡± the thug plead spitting all over as tears formed around his eyes. ¡°I won¡¯t ask again.¡± Warned Sly as he reached back for his pistol. The thug shuddered ¡°Yes! Y-es! I¡¯ll tell!¡± he briefly glanced at the corpses of his gangmates. ¡°Amateurs the lot of you.¡± Said Sly as he snorted at the thug¡¯s short resistance ¡°So?¡± The thug looked back at him, his eyes still wide and reddening ¡°S-Squals be quickly losing territory! They made a deal with the Mils, us and the others started pushing on them!¡± Sly raised a brow and glanced at Shelbert who had followed after him ¡°Know anything of that?¡± he asked. Shelbert shook his head ¡°Honestly didn¡¯t know, we haven¡¯t been in the loop since¡­well since then.¡± Sly looked back at the thug ¡°Huh, well it ain¡¯t our problem.¡° he pulled out his pistol and put the end of the barrel to the thug¡¯s forehead. The thug¡¯s eyes stared at the pistol desperately, the colour completely draining from his face he went stalk still. Sly held it there for a few moments before pulling it back over his shoulder. ¡°Oh also.¡± He began and the thug took a breath of relief ¡°How¡¯s Trike doing?¡± The thug¡¯s face paled several times more ¡°T-T-Trike?..¡± ¡°Yeah I heard he joined you fucks, where can I find him?¡± Sly asked with a raised brow. ¡°Ah-Uh¡­Ken¡¯s warehouse?...Look for the dented garage door?...¡± the thug offered with a careful tone. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Sly slowly moved his pistol back towards the thug but quickly reared it back over his shoulder ¡°Actually while you¡¯re still being helpful, get a message to Check for me.¡± He pulled back the sleeve of the arm he held his pistol in and showed the thug the four claws mark. The thug¡¯s eyes widened fully as he pulled his head as far as he could from Sly who continued to speak ¡°Tell her¡­Shit she doesn¡¯t know who I am yet huh?...¡± he glanced at Colorado ¡°Tell her the Fourclaws want a word.¡± The thug nodded as Sly looked back at him, his eyes briefly went over his dead companions which Sly this time noticed. ¡°Oh right them¡­Hmm¡­I¡¯m sure she can find it in her heart to forgive the insult.¡± He offered with a smirk ¡°Let him go.¡± He then told the demons. York and Lesha let the thug go, the young gangbanger stood in place for a briefly moment before taking off down the street. ¡°And next time, turn on the fucking projector dumb ass!¡± Sly shouted after the thug as he almost tripped over a leg. ¡°Not sure he heard you.¡± Said Ray as she leaned onto her brother¡¯s shoulder ¡°You know through the screaming in his head and the rushing piss in his pants.¡± Colorado, Lesha, Shelbert and Sly chuckled after which everyone but York glanced at Lesha before shrugging it off much to Sly¡¯s relief. ¡°What you looking to achieve from that Kid?¡± asked Roy as he cleaned is blades, pocketing them right after. ¡°All the help we can get, J¡¯s Check has friends in the Community we could use and seriously who¡¯s better at blowing shit up other than Trike?¡± he explained with a chuckle. ¡°Well let¡¯s talk all about that inside, you still haven¡¯t told everyone what¡¯s up.¡± Said Colorado as he gestured at Shelbert who was glanced around looking moderately confused. ¡°Right, lead the way Shell.¡± Responded Sly as he smiled at him apologetically. ¡°Just this way then.¡± Said Shelbert with a chuckle as he pointed down way the thug had run off to. Leaving behind the corpses for their gang to gather as was the norm, he led them around the alleyway into another and walked down it fully till two more opened up on either side but instead of turning they stopped at the door straight in the middle. Shelbert knocked twice on the door and a rustle, crash and shattering sound followed as hurried footsteps rushed to the door ¡°Flying fuck that¡¯s gonna be annoying to fix!¡± exclaimed a female voice as the silver metallic door peaked open. A young woman looking around her mid teens was the one to open the door, long brown hair with dyed streaks of green and blue, green eyes and a unlike everyone else who wore either thin hoodies or just shirts she wore a thick furry white jacket with light blue fluffy fur around her hood, sleeves and waist. ¡°Uncle Shell? Col! The twins!¡± she exclaimed suddenly before looking at Sly ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± she asked with a squinted glare. Shelbert bellowed with laughter as he pushed the door open fully, Colorado, Roy and Ray also laughed as Sly chuckled awkwardly ¡°Don¡¯t remember me huh Kelly?¡± he asked with a sigh. Kelly raised a brow as she looked him up and down ¡°Uhh¡­.¡± Then her eyes suddenly opened wide and she quickly stepped forward and kicked Sly in the shin before stomping back inside ¡°Pa the asshole¡¯s here!¡± Sly reached down and held his leg ¡°Shit! Safety shoes seriously?! That¡¯s my good leg!¡± he exclaimed while hopping inside on one leg. ¡°Oh how about you turn back around, get the fuck out and go die in a ditch somewhere?¡± Kelly exclaimed from somewhere inside the building. Sly laid his back to the wooden wall and took a deep breath ¡°Phew¡­she¡¯s still got a mouth on her.¡± ¡°Ya¡¯all here already?¡± asked an almost guttural voice as a short, almost dwarvish man stepped into the corridor they stood in from the same doorway Kelly had run off to. He had similar features to Kelly¡¯s, short brown hair, neckbeard and green eyes but his height and the burn marks that covered his hands and mildly face. ¡°Rick!¡± Exclaimed Sly as he lowered his still slightly numb leg and approached the short man, leaning down slightly he forwarded the man his hand ¡°Thank you for this, really it means a lot.¡± Rick snorted and shook Sly¡¯s hand ¡°For Six¡¯s favourite? Anything ye need Kid, we¡¯re all family here.¡± He then turned back around and gestured at the staircase down the corridor ¡°Come on in, the others have been¡­impatiently waiting.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Who you calling impatient you stunted fuck!?¡± called out a young male voice from upstairs. ¡°Shut yer trap little shit or I¡¯ll shut it for ye!¡± responded Rick as he walked towards the staircase as quickly as his short legs could take him. ¡°Try me you sh-Oh sh-¡± the voice tried to respond but something seemed to have happened and an another followed. ¡°Cool down a bit Tell.¡± Said a bored sounding female voice. Sly glanced back at the others as they stepped inside, with little difficulty from the androids as they ducked down and followed in. They followed Rick up the stairs and into one of the three rooms where they found a small living room with a long couch, a monitor facing it on the wall and a rather small table loaded to the brim with bottles of beer, bowls of snacks and packets of more snacks. Rick pulled out two chairs as everyone stepped inside, glancing over at the androids then back at the chairs he shrugged and put them back where he found them. Sly smiled with joy and chuckled shortly as he took in the people sitting on the couch already, three of them in total. ¡°You¡¯re gonna suffocate him Zey.¡± He said while watching a tall middle aged woman with a body bursting with muscles, short blonde hair, blue eyes and an Asian complexion holding down a young male¡¯s head to the couch right between his own legs. Zey snorted ¡°Fine fine I was almost down half killing him anyway.¡± She said then let go of him. Tell rose up with a start taking in long deep breaths as he coughed and rushed away from her ¡°H-Half kill me!? Half kill me!¡± he exclaimed while glancing between her and Sly. Tell was about the same age as Sly with dark skin, black long hair running down his left and shaved on the right, brown almost ember eyes and a pair of peculiar iron goggles on his forehead. Sly almost burst out laughing but held it in as he slapped his shoulder twice ¡°Good to see you too Tellik.¡± He then nodded at Zey ¡°You too Zey.¡± Zey made a quick salute whilst winking ¡°Always ready for action.¡± Sly nodded again then turned to the last person on the couch, sitting at the very end was the oldest person in there. Short greying hair, a thick curly grey beard growing out a foot and a half and two almost golden eyes. The man was old, reaching his mid 50s but still looked strong and as healthy as a man half his age could be. ¡°Six, good to see you here too.¡± Said Sly with a respectful tone as he reached out with his right hand for a shake. Six who was sitting with arms crossed and an amused smile stood up and took Sly¡¯s hand into his own, silently he shook his hand and nodded. Sly briefly glanced at the man¡¯s neck where slightly visible behind his beard was a metallic half collar that aided him in breading but unfortunately rendered him mute. Six sat back down silently as Colorado, Roy, Ray, Shelbert and Rick also sat down, taking a beer and some snacks they made themselves at home. Much to Tell¡¯s chagrin the only spot available was again right next to Zey as he also sat down. Sly remained standing as he glanced over all eight of them, including Trike that was missing they were the last remaining members of the gang of misfits, thieves and killers he was once part of. He looked upon them solemnly wondering how they would react, Colorado, Roy and Ray had yet to give their own answer to his call to arms as well. ¡°So you just gonna stand there looking gloomy as fuck or you talking Kid?¡± said Tell as he devoured an entire packet, when Zey suddenly elbowed him in the gut making him spit it all back out. ¡°Yeah.¡± said Sly as he leaned back to the wall behind him ¡°Come in you two.¡± He told the two androids that had remained outside the room. The two demon possessed androids quietly stepped into the room, they stopped to stand on either side of him. ¡°Where the hell did you get those two?¡± Tell asked after just finishing up from coughing. ¡°Well¡­¡± Sly glanced at either android before looking back at the couch ¡°It¡¯s a long story, it¡¯s going to sound insane, I¡¯m going to sound insane but first¡­¡± he closed his eyes and reached deep inside looking for the mana that was stored in his soul. Finding it he garnered that it was barely enough to summon his miasma twice. (¡°What I¡¯m asking of them is insane in of itself, without proof, without something to raise their spirits¡­No matter how close we are, the time when they would have risked their lives for me has long passed.¡±) Sly thought as he grasped the mana and absorbed some of it into his body. Satan had told him what would happen, he had told him not to worry as the chance of it failing was slim at worst but Sly was still worried. He had embraced the change once before and now in another body, in his real body he had to do it once again except this time there wasn¡¯t the chance of turning hellhound but only Devil or Death. Sly¡¯s body glowed a dark violet as a purple smoke suddenly rushed to cover him entirely. Colorado suddenly stood up along with Tell and Roy, every single one of them wearing an expression of surprise and confusion as the dark purple cloud formed in front of them. Just as suddenly as it appeared the cloud dissipated as in it¡¯s place stood a creature like nothing they had ever seen. Leathery dark purple wings with violet netting, light violet skin, long dark purple hair, pitch black eyes with violet slits and two long black horns Zeokul stood in front of them. ¡°This is who I really am, what I really am.¡± said Sly as he opened his arms gesturing at the two androids ¡°These two aren¡¯t just machines either, they have been possessed by demons from another world.¡± He moved his miasma into the two androids and their eyes turned pitch black too as an ethereal Hellborn form seemed to glow from within them. ¡°Kid? Justin is that still you?¡± Roy asked as he stared at the Devil with wide eyes. Sly nodded ¡°This is my true form, I can only hold it for so long here though. Sit back down, there is a lot I still need to explain.¡± Cautiously they all sat back down and listened in as Sly thoroughly explained the situation. He told them of the other realms, he told them of the different races and he told them of the different types of energy that flow through each of those. He told them of magic, he told them of Gods and Devils, he told them of Dragons and other monsters. Sly told them of the Avatar, he told them of the artefacts, of the quest and then he told them of how he came about to another world and why he came back. Tell held his hands behind his head as he spoke with wide eyes ¡°This is so fucked¡­¡± Six suddenly stood up, with an expressionless face he stepped over to Sly and out of his jacket he pulled out a disc like device. He showed the device to the others before looking back at Sly. ¡°An EMP?¡± asked Sly as he glanced between the device and him. Six nodded and pressed the device to Sly¡¯s chest where his palm suddenly pressed it¡¯s top inward, quickly he stood back and away from it as the top of the device showed a timer ticking down from 5, 4, 3, 2 and then 1. Sly¡¯s right leg gave in as he held himself from falling to the side, he grimaced as the feeling from it entirely disappeared forcing him to stand on the left. Nothing else changed, his form remained, so did the wings, horns and eyes. Tell laid his back to the couch as he stared at Sly with disbelief ¡°This¡­this is so fucked¡­¡± Rick leaned forward as he gazed at Sly¡¯s leg ¡°Why are you telling us this? What is it that you want from us?¡± Sly reached to his chest and removed the device, slowly the feeling to his leg returned as he replied to Rick ¡°I¡¯m telling you because I can, because I want you to know. What I need is your help, no matter how powerful this form is I still do not stand a chance alone. You all, including me as survivors. We know what they are capable of, what technology they have prepared.¡± Sly glanced at each person in the room, taking in their surprise, disbelief and caution ¡°We aren¡¯t many, we¡¯re only a few but a few with specific skills and capabilities. We are all Fourclaws, disbanded or not we are and Leader chose us for those skills and capabilities we had and I hope still do.¡± He glanced down at his leg as the feeling fully returned, stretching it back and forth he continued to speak ¡°You can forget you ever saw this, you can ignore me and continue on with your simple and quiet lives. Continue on with your safe livelihood¡­well as safe as these streets can get.¡± He chuckled awkwardly then raised his gaze to look at them again. ¡°Or help me stop them from destroying another world, help me free yours by crushing the Military.¡± As Sly said so he raised his left hand forward whilst holding the EMP device, a violet aura formed around his clawed hand as he crushed the metallic device. Six stared at Sly straight in the eye, wearing an expression of caution he studied the Devil that stood in front of him. A smirk grew on him as he laid his right hand on Sly¡¯s shoulder, he nodded. Roy and Ray glanced at each other briefly, they both stood up as Roy opened his jacket and Ray raised her left sleeve both showing the four claw marks on their body ¡°We¡¯re in.¡± said Ray. Zey bellowed in laughter as she remained sitting on the couch, draining half a bottle in a single go she slammed the bottle down onto the table and stared at Sly¡¯s changed eyes ¡°Sounds like fun.¡± she said with a grin. She pulled down her shirt from the collar revealing four claw marks over her left breast ¡°I like fun.¡± Tell now leaning forward with his face inside his palms rubbing it he groaned before looking back up at Sly ¡°Yeap¡­not dreaming¡­Fuck¡­¡± he sighed and pulled back the hair on the left side of his face revealing four claw marks tattooed in red one under and one over his ear while two going straight on it ¡°This is insane, you¡¯re insane, you all are insane¡­¡± he chuckled and held his face again ¡°But then again so am I. Count me in.¡± Colorado remained sitting as he stared down at his open palms ¡°You already know my answer. If you hadn¡¯t come back here, if you hadn¡¯t gathered us all here today and now I would have done so at some point myself.¡± He reached back with his right hand and clenched the back of his shirt ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± Shelbert stood up, his eyes fierce alongside a wide grin as his palms opened up and glowed a dangerous green half as dangerous as his own expression ¡°Fuck yeah I¡¯m in!¡± he then proceeded to taking off his hoodie and tearing his black shirt off to show the four claw marks on his chest. Glancing around with a maniacal expression he chuckled. Tell glanced at him briefly with both brows raised before covering his face with his right palm ¡°What have I gotten myself into¡­¡± Sly nodded at each as he looked them over, ending his gaze on Rick who sat with his back to the couch and face up to the ceiling with eyes closed in deep thought. ¡°I..¡± he began but before he could continue the sound of smashing glass and metal vibrating resounded from the door way as everyone turned to the disturbance. Kelly stood at the doorway with both arms raised ahead of herself, a pistol in her hands aimed directly at Sly. Her eyes were bloodshot, tears long had started falling from them as her cheeks lay reflecting some light from them ¡°No¡­You¡¯re not¡­taking him too!¡± she exclaimed her hands shaking as she held the weapon. Rick¡¯s eyes opened wide as he moved to stand and shout but was stopped as Sly raised his right hand towards him, a silent understanding went between them as they gazed at each other. Sly turned to Kelly. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± she held the pistol higher towards his face as Sly stopped his movement and stood still. He stared her in the eyes briefly, then continued to walk forwards. Kelly took a single step back as he stopped mere inches away from the gun¡¯s barrel staring straight down at her ¡°I¡¯m not taking him anywhere.¡± He told her. Kelly snorted ¡°Oh just how you didn¡¯t take my brother anywhere!? Just how you and him locked me up in my room and ran straight to your deaths!? To his death!?¡± her hands began to shake more as she spoke those words. Sly opened his mouth to speak but no words came out as he stared down at this young girl, unlike Kyle who could feel emotions through his power Sly could not unless they had released their aura. Yet in this case he didn¡¯t need to, he knew full well how much she hated him. Kelly steadied her grip ¡°You think that leg of yours was a loss¡­He lost his life on that day! If only¡­if only you never showed up¡­he would have never known¡­he would have never left¡­¡± but her hands only shook more as she spoke through sobs ¡°If only you had died in his place¡­¡± Rick no longer able to stand her words stood up fully from the couch and shouted ¡°Kelly! Shut it girl you have no cl-¡± Kelly turned to glare at her father, her eyes and cheeks red ¡°No clue!? Your son! My brother would still be alive if it wasn¡¯t for this¡­this¡­monster!¡± she exclaimed then closed her eyes. Kelly pulled the trigger. Opening her eyes again, slowly she peaked at her doing and her legs caved in. Kelly fell to her knees as she looked up at Sly holding the barrel¡¯s end with his right hand, seemingly no damage visible what so ever. Her eyes shook as she stared up at the Devil, fear and anger merged together in her expression. Sly let go of the pistol letting it fall to the ground, he glanced down at his palm as it bled ¡°You are right, I am a monster. If I hadn¡¯t come to your home, if I hadn¡¯t thought to get your brother¡¯s help on that day. He would be alive and I would be the one dead, if only I was the one to push him aside instead¡­¡± he dissipated his Devilish form as it moved off him like smoke disappearing into the air. He lowered his hand and stared down at her ¡°If I could go back... I would give my life to get him back to you, with all means he was a better man than I ever will be. He should have lived and I should have died.¡± Rick sighed and walked over, standing next to Sly he tapped his back twice then moved over to his daughter. He stared down at her before pulling her up by the arm ¡°Come on ye, we need to talk it seems.¡± She nodded quietly and they stepped out of the room walking down the corridor. Sly stared out the doorway as the blood from his palm made it¡¯s way down his fingers and dripped onto the floor.
Somewhere empty Kyle felt like his mind was going to explode as he focused entirely on reforming his body, the slime that was currently him had managed to form from his waist up. He rose up from the puddle forming himself, slowly he returned from slime. Pain clear on his expression he fought against gravity, he fought against his very own body as all it wanted was to return to being a furious puddle on the floor. As his feet formed out of the last bit of slime Kyle opened his eyes, completely blue he still had no actual sight. It took everything he had to hold his shape, he couldn¡¯t think of anything else or lose concentration entirely as a constant drumming sound reverberated through his mind. Celica stared at him from her chair, arms crossed she watched as he held his form. She stood up and walked around him, looking his form up and down looking for any mistake, anything out of place. She stopped to stare directly into his face, looking like it was perfectly moulded out of play-doh. ¡°Congratulations, you pass.¡± She said and Kyle¡¯s colours suddenly returned. He took a deep sudden breath as his senses returned, taking a step back as he was overwhelmed. ¡°You have mastered the Lord of Slime class.¡± she told him with a proud grin. Kyle held his forehead as his headache slowly subsided ¡°About time¡­Now what?¡± he asked. Celica chuckled ¡°Now we go back, to Kori.¡± She snapped her fingers and the world around them blacked out.
Spirit Realm of Chaoz Crystal Kingdom of Kori Kyle opened his eyes only to be immediately assaulted by notifications.
Classification trial complete
You have gained the [SpellBlade] sub-class Some core skills may be locked from you due to it not being a main class gain
Class [SpellBlade] Passive skill [Imbue Body] unlocked
Class [SpellBlade] Active skill [Imbue Blade] unlocked
You have gained a sub-class! With every level you¡¯ve earned and will earn from level 45 onward till level 90 you will gain (10) attribute points to be distributed Master your class to gain more.
You have mastered the mainclass [{Lord of Slime}]!
Mastery Skill [{True Slime}] unlocked!
[Health] acting as [Hit points] has been removed
[Slime Mass] acting as [Hit points] has been unlocked!
You have mastered your main class! From level 90 to level 135 you will gain (10) attribute points for each level Master your sub-class to gain more Warning once a sub-class is mastered you may not change it out for another
Immediately Kyle focused on the SpellBlade skills having two windows open up with their descriptions and read them through.
[Imbue Body] ((EXP 0%) Level 1 ¨C Tier 1); Your body is attuned to the element your soul is connected to; Attuned Elements: Warning: Dual elements only gain 50% of the original¡¯s power, exact numbers shown below. ({FrostFire}): [Flame Flesh]: Your body is as fleeting as a flame; Physical attacks deal only 50% of their original damage. [Frost Skin]: Your body is empowered by magical cold; Magical attacks of the (Water and Fire) types deal 50% less damage while magical attacks of the (Wind and Light) types deal 30% less damage.
¡°Ahem¡­¡± A female voice coughed trying to gain his attention as he read through the first skill. ¡°Just a moment¡­¡± said Kyle as he moved onto the second.
[Imbue Blade] ((EXP 0%) Level 1 ¨C Tier 1); Imbue your blade through the elements attuned to your very soul; Attuned Elements: ({FrostFire}): [Singe]: Your blade burns all that stands in it¡¯s path; Physical attacks deal 5(x INT) Fire damage. [Cool]: Your melee attacks cause your enemies to slow down; Each attack deals the [Cold] debuff that decreases AGI by 5% per stack up to 4 stacks. Cost: 0.5% of mana per second
¡°Done yet?¡± the voice asked. ¡°Yeah, what do-¡± Kyle closed the windows and turned around to the speaker, his eyes then widened in surprise ¡°The hell you¡­doing here¡­¡±. Ch 82 - The path ahead. Almost an hour later Rick re entered the room finding Ray bandaging Sly¡¯s palm, he sighed and scratched his beard ¡°I¡¯m sorry Kid¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be, I was too dense to even think of it.¡± Replied Sly waving him off ¡°You have a family to care for, I cannot ask you to come with us.¡± Rick simply nodded sadly, half of him wanted to go but the other half didn¡¯t allow him to. Sly stood up from the couch and glanced around ¡°We¡¯ll have to do. I have a contact inside, they¡¯ll show us in.¡± ¡°What about Trike?¡± asked Tell. ¡°Forget Trike, his explosives could only help us through one way.¡± Sly sighed as he glanced at Rick ¡°We¡¯ll have to go through another way.¡± ¡°Which way? What were you planning with Trike then?¡± Asked Shelbert. Sly grimaced as he closed his hand ¡°I was going through the main door at first but without Rick¡¯s firepower¡­We¡¯ll have to take the backdoor.¡± Zey snorted ¡°That place has a backdoor? Says who?¡± Sly smirked ¡°The tunnels.¡± Colorado¡¯s eyes opened wide as he realized Sly¡¯s plan ¡°You want us to go through the Cold districts!?¡± ¡°The oxygen supply is turned off but all the other systems should be active, all we need is breathers.¡± Sly explained ¡°Can you handle it?¡± Colorado¡¯s eyes shone briefly as his surprise turned into a grim grin ¡°Can you get us in?¡± Sly snorted ¡°Let¡¯s find out.¡± He took out his phone and opened the chatroom, tapping a button he made it so all in the room could see.
[Reyrey0] has joined theroom. Reyna;
Seeing that she had joined he thought over a way to mask his question before typing it out
[Reyrey0] has joined the room. Reyna; Sly;
He wondered if it was too much for her to understand but the quick response that came after answered that question.
[Reyrey0] has joined the room. Reyna; Sly; Reyna;
¡°Fucking hell Kid can you be any more hopeless than that?...¡± exclaimed Tell after reading the message ¡°Billions of kinds of codes and that¡¯s how you ask the fucking question!¡±. ¡°Well you have your answer do you not?¡± said Sly with an annoyed grimace as he closed the chat and put away the phone ¡°Rick can you get us breathers?¡± he then asked turning towards the short man. Rick nodded ¡°I¡¯ll put it on your tab.¡± Sly nodded back then turned to Roy ¡°Can you take out the border guard?¡± Roy raised a brow ¡°What do you think?¡± then gestured at Shelbert with a wicked grin ¡°If he¡¯s our distraction we can.¡± Shelbert glanced between Roy¡¯s grin, Sly¡¯s expectance and Ray¡¯s sneer ¡°Fine¡­but you¡¯re buying me a new arm if shit goes wrong.¡± Suddenly a loud crash echoed through the entire building originating from down stairs followed by several mechanical ones. ¡°The fuck was that?¡± asked Tell as he glanced out of the room. ¡°Customers.¡± Said Sly as he grinned and walked past him ¡°I¡¯ll deal with them.¡± ¡°Deal with them!?¡± exclaimed Rick as he had already ran down half the stairs ¡°That fucker blew up my door!¡± Sly walked down the steps and followed his gaze to see that the door had actually been blown off it¡¯s hinges, standing in the doorway was a single man covered by a brown cloak. Several turrets had appeared out of the walls, each one aimed directly at his head as he stood there with his hands up. Sly chuckled ¡°You could have knocked.¡± He told the thug while descending the last steps and walking towards him. The cloaked man was paler than paper as he stood there staring at the six automatic security turrets waiting for a single motion to fill him with holes. ¡°Yo Rick handle your hounds.¡± Sly shouted back at the short man. Rick grumbled something under his breath as he tapped at a screen on his wrist watch, the turrets re entered the walls after which closed up as if nothing was even there. ¡°So¡­¡± Sly approached the thug as he carefully lowered his hands and took a few steps back and out of the building. Sly noticed two corpses laying on their back on either side of the thug right outside the door, it seemed like they hadn¡¯t been smart enough to stop moving like this one had. Sly smirked as he pushed the thug out of the way, the man tripped over his comrade and fell to the ground ¡°What can I help you with?¡± Over three dozen more thugs stood around the alley way, each armed with an automatic weapon or explosive launcher, each covered with a light brown cloak and hood and all aiming directly at Sly. ¡°You wished for a word with me?¡± asked a cloaked woman at the head of the group of thugs, her face covered by a metal mask except for a few dotted holes by the mouth where a single electronic cigarette lay. ¡°So you must be Check.¡± said Sly when a sudden projectile shot past his ear and hit the wall to his left.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Check had taken out a long barrelled pistol and fired within a matter of seconds, moving her aim slightly more to the right she spoke again ¡°That I am, now what would a dead gang want with an officer of one of the top three remaining? Cause I have to say, I am quite perplexed.¡± ¡°I want to make a deal.¡± Said Sly as he glanced around at her gang members tensing as the rest of his stepped out of the blown up doorway. Check chuckled ¡°A deal? Boy what could you possibly have to offer that you can afford anything of ours?¡± ¡°You have the muscle I require, I on the other hand have the best fucking heist you could ever imagine.¡± Sly announced loudly for every thug around to hear. Check tilted her head slightly to the right ¡°You have my attention¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll provide the way in and out, you take 70% of the spoils while the rest goes to what remains of us.¡± Sly offered as he gestured at the others to either side of him. ¡°A Job? This street rat thinks he can hire us!¡± she announced causing the surrounding thugs to chuckle ¡°After you butchered nine of ours, what makes you think any kind of job you can offer will be enough?¡± Sly glanced around at the thugs, Liliana¡¯s blessing was still flowing mana and he could very well kill each one present here but he wasn¡¯t anything if not persistent ¡°I lived in these streets for years, walked in the same boots ya¡¯all have been walkin in.¡± His accent coming out in full he spoke loudly ¡°Thieves, the lot of us but even thieves have a way to go about things.¡± His gaze fell upon Check ¡°Let¡¯s be truthful here, those nine didn¡¯t and don¡¯t mean jack shit to your gang. None of the shits here do, probably not even you.¡± Check untilted her head and steadied her gun hand ¡°I know how these streets work, the last brother hood died six years ago. Ya¡¯all don¡¯t give two fucks about the next guy over, all ya care about is what he may or may not have in his or her pockets.¡± Sly chuckled ¡°Now I didn¡¯t just call you here, Check. I called you because I knew others would follow, like cockroaches following after the rat. I¡¯m not offering this job to you or your damn gang. I¡¯m offering it to anybody willing, anybody wanting. 70% pay out and anything your damn pockets can hold, spread the word because we¡¯re raiding the Cold Districts.¡± Sly turned away giving them his back ¡°Gather around Lester¡¯s¡± He took out his phone and checked the time ¡°By 9 sharp, cause the Fourclaws are back motherfuckers and we¡¯re hirin¡¯.¡± Gesturing at the others inside they walked back into Rick¡¯s home, briefly Sly glanced back and at the busted door. Sly flowed his miasma into the door and engulfed it with aura, focusing entirely on raising the slab of metal from the ground. Using his aura he reshaped the door, bending it back from the blast and reaching out with some tendrils bringing back the smaller parts that were blown off. Using lightning summoned from his miasma he welded the parts back into the door as he placed it back into it¡¯s doorway. ¡°Good as new.¡± Said Sly as he slapped Rick¡¯s left shoulder, stopping in his tracks as the door fell forwards and slammed to the ground. ¡°I could have fixed it¡­I could have¡­¡± said Rick as he stared at the badly welded parts on it¡¯s side.
Spirit Realm Of Chaoz Crystal Kingdom of Kori Kyle¡¯s eyes lay wide open surrounded by a dumbfounded expression as he stared at Karnage standing in front of him ¡°The hell you¡­doing here?¡± Karnage smiled awkwardly ¡°Ah¡­haha¡­I might of¡­messed up.¡± Kyle quickly glanced around looking for Soren ¡°Where¡¯s¡­What did you¡­How are you¡­¡± before staring right back at her ¡°What¡­¡± looking completely confused. ¡°I kind of¡­hijacked his seat?...¡± She asked more so than answered. Kyle just stood there still looking confused as a crowd began to gather around them, suddenly Celica appeared behind him ¡°There we go, had a few things to finish off bef-¡± she glanced at Karnage then looked around ¡°Kyle isn¡¯t your friend a tad¡­taller? And the wrong gender? Wait is this your girlfriend?¡± Kyle¡¯s ears trembled ¡°No auntie, go¡­go on ahead¡­¡± Celica glanced between them once more ¡°You sure?...¡± He looked at her with the coldest expression he could muster ¡°Go on ahead.¡± Celica shrugged ¡°I¡¯ll¡­wait at the library¡­¡± she said while pointing forwards and walking in the same direction. Kyle slowly turned to look back at Karnage, his eyes still wide and expressionless except for a slight twitch ¡°You¡­hijacked Soren¡¯s seat?...¡± ¡°Well not exactly hijacked!¡± she protested trying to correct herself more than him ¡°I kind of switched spots with him in the teleportation! Didn¡¯t know where you were going so I didn¡¯t have a choice! You just strode out of there giving me almost no time to catch up! I mean not that you should have¡­You could have! After all that crap about the dark fox mons-¡± followed by an almost impossibly quick explanation that Kyle had to stop her mid way. ¡°Stop stop, let me get this straight¡­You hijacked Soren¡¯s spot as we were teleported to the Spirit realm, another dimension?¡± He asked her again while gesturing at their surroundings, the Crystal Kingdom laying in all it¡¯s wonder. Karnage glanced around at the crystal buildings and Spirit beasts ¡°I¡­Yes?...Maybe?...¡± ¡°So where is Soren?...¡± he then asked her with a raised brow. Karnage briefly stared at him then glanced to the side ¡°The target is left knocked out and mana less¡­¡± she replied as if reading off from somewhere. Kyle held his face with his right palm ¡°What¡­were you even there for?...¡± Looking back at her as she stood there in awkward embarrassment he asked ¡°Why did you follow us?¡± She stared back at him with her mouth opening and closing over and over as she wondered the same thing. Kyle sighed ¡°Nevermind, now I¡¯ll have to fix this too¡­¡± he mumbled whilst turning towards the long staircase down the street they appeared in. ¡°Fix what?¡± Karnage asked as she momentarily jogged to catch up. ¡°You, being here and Soren not.¡± He replied while continuing forward. ¡°Me? What¡¯s wrong with me being here?¡± she asked seemingly offended. Kyle briefly glanced back at her ¡°Everything.¡± before looking forward whilst holding up a cold and collected expression. They had just reached the stairs when Karnage suddenly rushed forward and blocked his path, looking him straight in the eye she spoke with a tone of annoyance ¡°You don¡¯t tell me what to do, if I want to be here then I will be here. I¡¯m sick of your acting so drop it, don¡¯t think I can¡¯t tell. Just because you act cold and distant most of the time doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t know what you really are like because I¡¯ve seen it when you¡¯re actually being yourself.¡± She let out all her frustration as she spoke keeping him quiet for the entirety ¡°Where is he? The man that stood up to a Goddess? The guy that convinces Kings and rulers to aid him? The one that walked through a dungeon of undead like it was just another afternoon stroll? The one that successfully invaded the Dominion¡¯s Citadel and left with barely a scratch? The person who against all odds managed to somehow convince Demons and Devils to join up arms with him and his group?¡± Kyle simply stood there, calmly looking her in the eye waiting for her to finish before speaking ¡°That guy was a fool, he almost died cause of it. You don¡¯t understand, you don¡¯t know what it means to¡­¡± he clenched his fists as suddenly he felt being overwhelmed by anger, closing his eyes he fought to hold it in and slowly the rage subsided. ¡°Then make me understand, how am I supposed to know what I should even be understanding if you won¡¯t even talk about it?!¡± Karnage suddenly grabbed him by the collar with both hands, annoyance and anger making her expression alongside something else. Kyle glanced down at her hands shaking as she pulled on his shirt ¡°Then let me paint you a picture. A child no older than eight caught in the middle of a gang squabble is taken from his family and friends, held prisoner for days with only enough food and drink to keep him alive. He has to listen in as the people that took him plot against his father¡¯s back, as they argue over how, when and where¡­¡± Kyle¡¯s tails begin to flow with an invisible wind as his ears rose to full height ¡°The child snaps, in a fit of rage he tears his bindings apart, burns down the very ceiling that he was kept under alongside every single soul within. Then a boy only sixteen, his only friend days before lay in a bed dead from sickness. He has to listen as others badmouth his friend even as he lay in the grave, only to stand above them a few moments later. Two kids of the same age, burned, beaten and terrified of the monster that stood above them.¡± Kyle¡¯s fangs protruded out as his eyes opened wide with rage ¡°Then a boy almost a man of eighteen, someone who for most of his life hid from the outside hating everything and everyone outside the walls he lived in. All but for one he held the most dear, the only one who was able to convince him to step outside. It was supposed to be a good day¡­just a few hours of fun¡­but the show didn¡¯t last long and after it ended¡­after it was just me and her outside¡­¡± Tendrils of white-blue flame began to ooze out of Kyle¡¯s form ¡°They surrounded us, people she knew and left behind, the lust and hunger in their face barely hidden. I tried to step in¡­I¡­they beat me¡­kicked me¡­She told them she¡¯d go willingly.¡± Karnage let go of his shirt and took a step back ¡°I lost it. I burned it all, every fucking inch within sight I burned it all.¡± Kyle looked up and met her horrified expression ¡°I killed them, I killed her.¡± Deeply rooted and cold hatred filling his eyes ¡°All because that creature wanted power, all because it chose me to be it¡¯s vessel. It fucked with my head and with every step I took it filled me with as much misery as it could without breaking me. It was my torturer but at the same time my chains, it tore me apart but also kept me together.¡± Kyle looked down at his own palms, engulfed in white blue flames and changed as the claws formed out of his fingers ¡°Those chains I tore off, it no longer keeps me together. At any given moment I could flip, at any second I could become the same damn monster that twisted my life to misery.¡± He looked back up at Karnage as his anger slowly subsided ¡°You ask me where that man you knew currently is?¡± he held his right palm to his chest ¡°He¡¯s in here, torn asunder and struggling to remain whole.¡° He stepped around her ¡°If you know what¡¯s best for you, you¡¯ll go back without another word. Stay away from me, forget about me. Else you might just end up another corpse in my path.¡± He walked forward and began to ascend the steps. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± she responded. He stopped ¡°You could die.¡± he said without glancing back. ¡°I won¡¯t end up another corpse, I won¡¯t forget, I won¡¯t stay away.¡± She walked past him ¡°You sound like you¡¯ve already given up, like you¡¯ve already become this monster you¡¯re afraid of. You think I¡¯m scared because you might grow claws and a pair of fangs?¡± she glanced back with a smirk ¡°You don¡¯t know me very well.¡± And continued ascending the stairs without him. Kyle briefly watched as she walked away, glancing down he watched as his claws turned back into fingers and nails ¡°I¡¯m surrounded by crazy¡­¡± he whispered to himself. ¡°I heard that!¡± Ch 83 - Catching a ride After saying his goodbyes to Rick, Sly made his way out of the building alongside the others. The two androids on either side of him while the rest of the Fourclaws walked behind them. He briefly stopped as they came to the end of the alleys, glancing back he spoke to them ¡°I won¡¯t ask again, you follow me out of this alley and there is no going back. We will no longer be simple thieves, we will no longer be a street gang. We will be terrorists, under the Military¡¯s radar and K.O.S.¡± They glanced around at each other, Colorado was the only one to respond as they looked back at Sly with a smirk ¡°Having second thoughts already?¡± he asked. Sly snorted before looking forward with a grin ¡°No¡­I¡¯ve thought it all through enough. It¡¯s time I act.¡± As he said so he walked out of the alleyway and into the open street, a market street, a block away from the edge of the district. Today no shops lay open though, no citizens walked around. Spread out around the open street either standing around in groups, laying their backs to storefronts or sitting on the side fences were dozens of thugs, thieves, and general gang looking individuals. Mostly everyone turned to look at the Fourclaws as they walked out into the street, expectation, greed and amusement clear in their gazes. Sly glanced around as one of the larger groups, about nine of them, approached them. ¡°Looks like you decided to come anyway.¡± said Sly as Check approached with her small group. ¡°Couldn¡¯t pass the offer, I must admit I didn¡¯t expect you to use me as an advertisement platform so I figured if you can surprise me, then I can¡¯t wait to see what you got for the Mils.¡± Said Check as she gestured down one alley ¡°You know they caught word of this, they¡¯ll be ready and reinforcements will be on their way.¡± Sly¡¯s grin widened ¡°It won¡¯t matter, there¡¯s only so many bodies they can huddle up inside that station.¡± He said whilst glancing up at the buildings ¡°You reckon they¡¯ll send riders too with those reinforcements?¡± Check glanced up trying to see what he was looking at ¡°I can assure you they will¡­why do you ask?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± He told her before glancing around at the rest of the thugs that had showed up ¡°Ya¡¯all get yourselves ready, you¡¯ll know when to act.¡± He declared before continuing on to the other side of the street and back into the opposite alleyways as the others quietly followed. They made their way deep into the block, about midway to the other side before stopping. Sly turned around to face them all ¡°York disrupt.¡± He told the android who proceeded to activating a communication disruption mechanism. ¡°I guess good luck¡¯s in order.¡± said Tell as he glanced around while fingering the pistol in his belt. ¡°Luck¡¯s not part of the plan, never was.¡± replied Ray with a sigh. ¡°Plan¡¯s just guidelines, follow them till you can¡¯t no more. Fuck the plan at that point, you all know what¡¯s our goal.¡± said Sly as he took out his pistol ¡°You all know your roles, let¡¯s get this started.¡±
Several minutes later, an odd sound could be heard moving through the sky above the 13th district¡¯s streets. Three vehicles in total flew dozens of feet up through the sky, rectangular in shape with armoured plates of dark grey surrounding it¡¯s entirety. A shimmer of green could barely be seen surrounding the three plain vehicles as they flew one after the other through the district going at a seemingly agitated pace. The lighting within the district began to slowly dim, the day/night system going into night mode. The streets below were clear, utterly empty to the eyes of the soldiers within the convoy. Too quiet the district was throughout their passing, something that didn¡¯t sit right with any of them. Several turns ahead the street was just as empty, except for a few individuals high up on the plain buildings. Six, Colorado, Tell, Zey, York, Lesha and Sly stood barely at the edge, at the very top of one building in the corner of it¡¯s block. Each of them wore metallic looking boots with straps going up their legs, all but the two androids. One of the androids, Lesha, was staring emptily at nothing in particular when suddenly it¡¯s eyes blinked ¡°ETA 2 minutes.¡± Her out of place female voice said. Tell glanced down the building ¡°This is fucked.¡± Before glancing over at Sly who looked even paler than him ¡°You sure about this?...¡± Sly glanced over at him ¡°Fuck sure.¡± Then back down the building at the street several hundred meters below ¡°I call this therapy and it¡¯s why I wore the brown pants today.¡± ¡°Brown pants?¡± Tell repeated in slight confusion.
Author: Shit¡¯s going down, thought I¡¯d let you know https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsDL2w5HQso
But he was given no answer as the sound of low pitched whistling got closer and closer. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± said Sly as he grabbed Tell by the shoulder and alongside everybody else leaped off the building. Sly fell with eyes wide open, glancing around at everyone else falling he watched Six closely and waited for the signal. Seeing Six clench his right palm Sly and everyone else did the same as the gravity boots they all wore activated, slowing their fall and allowing them to turn upright as the three armoured vehicles flew right into their path. Each of the five thugs landed on either the second or third vehicle with a mild bump, Six and Sly being on the third while Zey, Tell and Colorado on the second. York and Lesha on the other hand instead used their internal gravitational mechanism to mildly slow their fall and slammed down onto the first vehicle. Six glance back at Sly and gave him the most maniacal grin he could muster as he took a step forward to the very back of the vehicle as the back of it opened up into two doors, as if his feet where the centre of gravity Six walked around the edge of the vehicle to stand upside down in the newly open doorway with a pistol raised within each hand. As he suddenly appeared into the soldier¡¯s vision so did a projectile pierce through their helmets and heads, systematically Six killed every soldier inside leaving a dozen armed corpses laying on the ground. Leaving not a second to waste Six -still running upside down on the ceiling- rushed to the front of the vehicle where a door separated the infantry from the driver. Sly followed Six inside, also on the ceiling as the doors suddenly closed behind him ¡°Guess they¡¯re panicking.¡± He said pointing out the closed doors. Six didn¡¯t respond as he pulled out a device from inside his jacket, an orange circular vial with a cylinder on one end like a light bulb. Six placed the device¡¯s cylinder onto the very middle of the door and stepped back as the device lit up a yellow hue. Suddenly the device flared up with sparks that quickly turned into flame as a bright yellow light burst out and through the door utterly melting the metal in a wide three meter circle. The door and most of the wall melted down into molten liquid and fell to the ground as Six quickly shot twice killing the driver and officer that were behind the wall. Six glanced back at Sly giving him a knowing grin. ¡°Yeah yeah ¡®What the hell am I even here for¡¯ don¡¯t get ahead of yourself old man.¡± said Sly rolling his eyes as he rushed around the inside of the vehicle to stand up right, making sure to avoid the molten metal on the ground he pulled out the driver and took the seat for himself as Six did the same with the seat to his left. Ahead of Sly lay five monitors each showing different directions from the vehicle¡¯s perspective, left and right, front and back but only the bottom. Taking over the controls by placing his hands over the two spheres beneath the monitors Sly drove his vehicle to the right and began taking over the next one over. He watched as Zey wrestled a turret that had appeared from her vehicle¡¯s roof out of it¡¯s platform and threw it overboard. Colorado held on to the very back watching the infantry¡¯s doorway while Tell stood behind Zey while taking out multiple devices similar to the one Six had used. Tell placed three of the devices in a triangle right where the turret had come out from, the difference with these devices was that only one of them was orange while the other two where green and purple respectively. Tell shouted something and both him and Zey stepped back as each device glowed it¡¯s respective colour. The orange device burned up melting a decent amount of the vehicle¡¯s armour while the purple device exploded downwards blasting through what remained of the armour. The green device also exploded but instead of a blast let out a green gas that filled the inside of the vehicle. The green gas quickly dissipated leaving any metal it touched rusted, through the hole that Tell made a soldier in full body armour and helmet with gas mask suddenly tried to drag himself out. Half the soldier¡¯s face was melted away and covered by molten metal while the rest of his suit was either rusted metal or dissipating cloth, his only remaining eye was blood red but no pain seemed to be visible in his expression.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Zey walked back up to the hole and kicked the man back inside with a single stomp, stepping inside the hole briefly after followed by Colorado. Tell shouted motivation down the hole as the vehicle suddenly spun around twice forcing Sly to move away as to not slam into Tell who swung off the vehicle¡¯s roof screaming. A disoriented Tell dropped into the second armoured vehicle as Colorado¡¯s voice sounded off from the vehicle¡¯s coms ¡°We got it, who there?¡± ¡°We got ours too, York? Lesha?¡± said Sly as he drove further up to fly side by side with the first vehicle. Looking through the monitor that showed his left Sly saw the vehicle¡¯s back doors busted open and three still living soldiers being thrown out, each slammed into Colorado¡¯s vehicle but only one managed to hold onto the plates on the side. Zey opened the side door as the soldier pulled out his sidearm and tried to shoot her, mildly hitting her left shoulder she managed to kick him off. Sly checked one of the smaller monitors to check if the coms where working as he spoke ¡°York? Lesha? Come in.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve commandeered the vehicle.¡± Responded York. ¡°All hostile androids destroyed, the human officer is alive but restrained. What shall we do with him?¡± Sly came up with a blank on that question, he didn¡¯t consider taking prisoners ¡°Uhh¡­.Keep him restrained? Kill him if he poses too much of an annoyance.¡± He responded as the sound of muffled screaming came in through the coms. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± York confirmed back. Sly glanced around the monitors trying to get an understanding of their current location ¡°On me, we¡¯ll pick up the rest on the way.¡± As he said so Sly also typed out a few messages into his phone. ¡°Right behind ya.¡± Replied Colorado. ¡°Following.¡± Replied York. Lead by Sly and Six¡¯s armoured military transport all three turned around and made their way back through some side streets, carefully flying through it took them a few minutes to get there but eventually they arrived back at the street they encountered the gathered thugs. Seeing the three armoured vehicles each thug ran off, each to their own they scattered into the various alleys and side streets. Sly snorted as he watched them scatter then spoke after tapping a button on the many controls ahead of him ¡°Stay put you sackless shits, Fourclaws coming down.¡± His voice was amplified several times as it echoed through the street. Hearing his words the thugs still took cover and prepared to bolt away anyway but remained long enough to watch the vehicles land, seeing one¡¯s busted back they seemed to mildly relax but still kept their ground. They watched anxiously, waiting to see who came out of the vehicles. Many a sigh filled their ears as Zey climbed out of one¡¯s top ¡°You bastards need a ride?¡± ¡°Riders? How the hell did you get these?¡± asked a thug as some made their way to the vehicles while most continued to keep their distance, feeling it better to be safe than sorry. ¡°With my gadgets? No safe is safe.¡± Tell proclaimed proudly as he pulled himself out of the same hole but only up to his chest leaving his lower body hanging inside. Zey rolled her eyes and elbowed him on the forehead sending him falling back inside, chuckling loudly after. ¡°Well what you all waiting for?¡± asked Sly as he stepped out of his vehicle while the doors opened up on the back ¡°Load the hell up!¡± he shouted at the thugs that had stayed back. Glancing at each other briefly the thugs slowly made their way up to the vehicles, each large enough to hold three dozen of them if they huddled up. Making his way back inside Sly watched and waited as the thugs made their way inside the vehicle, smiling to himself he watched as Check seemingly appeared out of nowhere from among the thugs. Sitting right behind him she stared at him briefly then sighed ¡°The old man was right, you¡¯re all the craziest mother fuckers I¡¯ve ever met.¡± Sly snorted as he turned to face the monitors ¡°You haven¡¯t seen shit yet, should meet my new gang.¡± A sad smile briefly went over his face but he shook himself out of it and regained focus ¡°Everybody in yet?!¡± he shouted out. ¡°Loaded up and ready boss!¡± replied a random thug as most cheered alongside him while others remained deadly quiet, clearly showing the difference between the kinds of thieves present. ¡°Alright then! Let¡¯s take this party to the station!¡± exclaimed Sly as he flipped a switch to close the doors on the back, taking out his phone he looked at it briefly before setting it behind the AR monitors and connecting it to the vehicle via wireless connection. He scrolled through a list on the phone while flying the Rider off the road, finding what he was looking for he tapped the song selection and fully took the vehicle¡¯s controls.
Author: In light of recent events, I couldn¡¯t think of a more appropriate song to listen to while writing this chapter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnuuYcqhzCE
District 13-14 Station A few minutes later The sound of very loud music neared closer as dozens of stationed Android soldiers stood aiming down the sights of their rifles from within the metallic bunkers, small buildings half inside the ground and built into the very border of the 13th district¡¯s sphere. There were five rectangular bunkers in total, each one having two short barrelled rotary anti-infantry turrets above. Patrolling around the old waiting area were half a dozen large machines, canine in shape and twenty feet tall on all fours the massive robots had a rotary gun for a head, shoulders, elbows and tail. All around the station, right where the city started was a tall thirty feet high metallic wall with a twin high above at the district¡¯s ceiling. In between each wall was a shimmering green light, a disintegration barrier. The wall down on the ground had no gate, the only way in was over the wall and through the barrier, which would result in molten metal falling down to the ground at best. Yet the music only got closer and closer¡­ Off in the distance down one street taking to the wall three armoured vehicles came into view, the closer they flew the closer the music got. Already knowing the fate of their reinforcements each turret turned, each Androids aimed at and each K9 watched as the first armoured vehicle neared the barrier. A loud cracking noise echoed throughout the station as suddenly the barrier blinked out once, twice then on the third never returned online. The barrier had been taken offline, the turrets already began to fire, Androids rushed around the bunkers taking better positions whilst K9s rushed towards the vehicles then leaped up at them. All hell let loose, all the while the music was turned up higher. Sly swerved over one K9 as it leaped up with it¡¯s long curved metallic claws trying to grapple the twice as large vehicle, firing every rotating gun on it¡¯s body as it did sending electrically charged metallic projectiles at the Rider. The turrets burst fired at the three Riders, in perfect cohesion with the K9s as they leaped and harassed them. Two of the K9s managed to grapple onto the last Rider, slowly tearing away at it¡¯s armour with it¡¯s rotary guns at close range but the Riders had managed to reach the station¡¯s entrance. An entrance that had been sealed. The three Riders landed in front of the entrance, one¡¯s back faced the sealed wall while the other two faced the incoming K9¡¯s. The turrets turned to full auto as they did so, shredding the two lightly armoured K9s that had hung on. The Rider with a busted back revealed York and Lesha in it¡¯s doorway as their arms changed turning into two wide metallic cylinders with a green lens at the front, the other Rider facing the entrance opened up it¡¯s back as three thugs aimed a large rocket launcher out of it. The remaining four K9¡¯s charged at the open Riders, their rotary guns in full auto and aimed at the defenceless Androids and thugs. Yet suddenly a red light blasted out from both Riders, a barrier of red light grew in a semi-circle around the vehicles blocking the K9¡¯s and turret¡¯s gunfire. The three rocket wielding thugs fired away their weapons releasing an instant blue beam of light each, each piercing through a K9 and blowing it up in a white flash. York and Lesha¡¯s weapon arms glowed a mild green similar to Shelbert¡¯s as three bursts of green flew at the last K9, weaker than the rocket launchers the small blasts of green were also much slower. The K9 evaded most of the blasts but got hit by three, having it¡¯s tail and front right leg destroyed. Yet it continued charging forward, no longer firing it¡¯s guns the K9¡¯s sole objective became to enter the red barriers and get into range. When suddenly another green blast exploded on it¡¯s left hind leg sending it tumbling over, a second hit it¡¯s back on the way down and a third it¡¯s chest as it lay on the ground leaving it disabled. The third Rider¡¯s back opened -the one with a busted ceiling- revealing Zey holding up a large weapon under her right shoulder ¡°Time to blast this bitch open!¡± she exclaimed with wild eyes as Tell stood beside her seemingly explaining the weapon¡¯s controls. She ignored him completed whilst pulling on the weapon¡¯s trigger, a bar of light began charging up on the weapon¡¯s side as Tell¡¯s face drained of all colour. The bar lit up to seven bars, eight, nine and at ten the barrel shone a dim dark violet before a dark light-like energy blasted out of the weapon and slammed into the sealed entrance made of metal. The energy pierced through the metal like a hot knife into butter, Zey laughed madly as she moved the weapon around like a laser pointer and cut out an entrance out of the thick metallic wall. Having some problems turning the weapon off she swerved to the side accidentally blasting a bunker and melting a turret off it¡¯s top before Tell rushed to the weapon¡¯s controls as it¡¯s bar beamed from white to red. Being covered by the red barriers the turrets had long stopped firing and being out of K9s the Android soldiers began rushing out of the bunkers and towards the barriers to get into firing range. As they did the thugs all ran out and began taking shots at the androids, their projectiles going cleanly through the barrier while any fire coming from the outside was negated by them. Sly walked out of the Rider alongside Six and Check ¡°Fucking one-ways, talk about making them choke on their own medicine.¡± He exclaimed with a chuckle while glancing at the red barrier and firing away with his own pistol ¡°Lesha get that thing open!¡±. The demon possessed Androids turned to his order and walked over the to cut metal wall as the pseudo trench war went on around her, raising her large android arms as they changed back to hands she slammed her palms to the wall as the joints of her robotic body opened up releasing white smoke. Lesha pushed and alongside a creaking metallic sound of metal sliding off metal she pushed the slab of cut metal inside and to the ground opening the entrance up. No android had made it into the red barrier yet, each being shot down before they made it anywhere close. Most of the androids had remained inside the bunkers and were firing at the barriers to take up the vehicle¡¯s energy reserves but weren¡¯t getting much further either. ¡°Load back up! These things can¡¯t move with the barriers up!¡± exclaimed Tell as he managed to convince Zey to drop the laser weapon, it¡¯s charge bar beeping from white to red like a ticking bomb. Quickly the thugs rushed to get back inside the Riders, not liking their odds of gun fighting Androids without the barrier. As the last thug made it inside York stepped to stand at the very back of the Rider with the busted back, kneeling down he raised his robotic arms ahead and a blue barrier shimmered to life shielding them from fire. ¡°In we go!¡± said Sly over the loudspeaker alongside the loud music that was still going on repeat. The three Riders rose from the ground and after Colorado¡¯s turned around one by one they made their way through the cut open entrance followed by several shots from the turrets. The androids still inside the bunkers all rushed out and charged to the now open entrance, taking position on either side they took a single glance inside to see only darkness. None of them noticed that the thugs had left behind a very rapidly beeping weapon. The laser weapon¡¯s bar turned completely red as black energy suddenly surged out of it and exploded into a dark purple blast covering the entire entrance briefly before dissipating into falling dirt and smoke. Ch 84 - Bad plans The massive tunnel spread out in utter darkness as the sound of music got closer, suddenly a light cut through the darkness revealing a small part of it. The light seemingly came from nowhere when a sudden shimmer of reflected light brightened and took shape. Roy, Ray and Shelbert appeared out of nowhere as their two bikes uncloaked, the light coming from the front of their thin vehicles. Shelbert breathed out into a sigh ¡°That couldn¡¯t have been good for my heart.¡± Ray snorted from the back of Roy¡¯s bike ¡°Oh it wasn¡¯t that bad!¡± Shelbert growled as he held his face in his right palm over the bike¡¯s front ¡°I ran around the inside of a fucking death ray projector shooting and being shot at by combat Androids with 25% the possibility of the ray being internally projected onto my fucking head.¡± He looked up and around at the two of them snickering ¡°What did you two do again?¡± ¡°25?¡± said Roy questioningly ¡°I thought I said 55? Must have misheard me old man.¡± He sneered. ¡°You¡­¡± Shelbert clenched his fists as he rose from the bike but before he could say another word a light flashed down the tunnel they had come from along with music coming closer. Each of them turned to the three large armoured vehicles that came to land in front of them, neither of the three looking undamaged as bullet holes, melted metal and claw marks covered each. As the music was cut short ecstatic thugs walked out of each vehicle followed by their comrades, each was armed with some kind of weapon being projectile or energy based. In total there were eight Fourclaws counting Sly, two custom androids being Lesha and York along with thirty two thugs from different gangs and groups. ¡°Alright everybody out of the Riders! Tell check them for bugs!¡± exclaimed Sly as he stepped out of the Rider ¡°Spread out and set a perimeter! We don¡¯t know if those androids will follow or not!¡±. ¡°On it boss¡­¡± sighed Tell as he pulled out a couple strange tools and walked back inside the Rider he had just come out from. ¡°Check come over here for a sec.¡± said Sly as he noticed the bandit gathering her men. Check turned to him and shrugged before walking over ¡°I can barely believe my own eyes but we-Ahem¡­you did it. Now all we gotta do is get to 14, scavenge up some loot and take the airlocks along with any rovers left behind to get back to 13!¡± ¡°Yeah we¡¯ll be leaving that to you all, we¡¯re going ahead.¡± said Sly as the other Fourclaws began to gather around the least damaged Rider. ¡°Ahead? What you mean?¡± Check asked while glancing at them ¡°Aren¡¯t you gonna loot 14 with us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t suggest just looting 14, spread out through the tunnel system and hit other cold zones too. We¡¯re heading in deeper as well, there¡¯s something specific we¡¯re after.¡± Sly explained. Check glanced at Tell running over from one Rider to another ¡°Huh, well as the boss says don¡¯t ask questions that will turn away profit. Or in other words, you do you. What¡¯s that guy doing anyway?¡± she said while pointing at Tell hovering a device over one Rider¡¯s interior. Sly followed her gesture ¡°He¡¯s checking for signalling devices or beacons inside those things, we don¡¯t want to be followed and you don¡¯t want to be tracked. We¡¯ll leave you two of the Riders, should be enough to carry all your asses to wherever.¡± Check glanced around at the many thugs walking around the tunnel with flashlights and gunlights ¡°Yeah that¡¯ll do.¡± She then forwarded a hand to Sly ¡°Well good doing business with you but who¡¯s staying with us to make sure your cut goes where it¡¯s supposed to?¡± Sly briefly shook her hand ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find it in your heart to do so yourself.¡± Before walking over to Tell who was checking the last Rider ¡°Did you get them all if any?¡± Tell who was crouching down under one of the side seats glanced up at Sly, around the Rider and then back at him ¡°Yeah we¡¯re clean.¡± Sly glanced back at Check and nodded ¡°You heard him, good to go.¡± Check stared at them briefly as if questioning something (¡°Meh¡­you do you¡­¡±) she thought before turning away ¡°Alright boys and girls load up into the doorless and go wherever the hell you want, Jesters we¡¯ll take this one here to 15!¡± she announced to the rest of the thugs. Sly glanced around from inside his groups Rider as York, Lesha and all the Fourclaws -excluding Roy and Ray who remained on the two Cloakcycles- flowed into the vehicle. He watched as the thugs separated into two groups as well, Jesters and friends into the Rider with a busted roof and the rest into the one with the busted back. ¡°Make the heist look and sound like the point of it all while in actuality it¡¯s all nothing more than a massive decoy.¡± Said Colorado as he sat down in the seat next to the driver¡¯s ¡°You really think it will work? That they¡¯ll buy it?¡± he asked Sly while looking back at him. Sly sighed ¡°If not then at least it will buy us some time. These tunnels are old and while they may not be connected to the new system they still spread out through half the colonies, the entire cold zone. And unlike the new system these aren¡¯t a straight line, there is crossroads that they¡¯ll have to look through. We¡¯ll get to 30 before they realise what we¡¯re up to.¡± He watched as the other two Riders hovered up into the air and took off down the tunnel (¡°At least I hope so¡­¡±) he thought. ¡°Well no point in thinking about it now!¡± exclaimed Zey as she pulled out a massive weapon from the side lockers in the vehicle, heaving the mini-gun up with both arms she grinned mischievously ¡°Plans¡¯ gone well so far, so let¡¯s get to and fuck shit up!¡± Lesha and York looked at her then turned to glance at the rest who cheered with Zey before looking at each other with a simple understanding between them ¡®We¡¯re doomed.¡¯
Spirit Realm Of Chaoz Crystal Kingdom of Kori Kyle ascended the stairs as quickly as he could without breaking into a run, walking up so quickly that he overtook Karnage and took the lead (¡°Shit¡­Damnit¡­Fuck¡­¡±) was all that could go through his mind as he thought over the situation. Before he knew it they reached the top where Durin was patiently waiting for them alongside Celica who seemed less patient. ¡°Ah, here he-¡± began Durin before being cut off abruptly by Celica. ¡°Took you long enough, hope you¡¯re ready.¡± Said Celica as she stared at Karnage. Kyle stopped on the last step, he stood there and stared at them briefly before speaking ¡°Durin¡­Can you take us back to Chaoz and get my friend?¡± Karnage glanced at him in annoyance but said nothing. Durin raised a brow in confusion ¡°We used much of our power to get you here intact, we can indeed send you back then bring you both here again but¡­that will prolong your time here by more than it would be needed.¡± Kyle grimaced ¡°Guess I have no choice then¡­¡± ¡°What is this about?¡± asked Celica as she glanced between him and Karnage. Kyle looked at his aunt ¡°Celica was able to be brought here so I wondered¡­is it possible to do the opposite? To send me home?¡± he asked while looking back at Durin.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Durin considered the question ¡°Things being as they are I am guessing that you wish to go help your friends stop this Scythe we¡¯ve heard of?¡± Kyle nodded ¡°Can you take me there then bring me back? This is the city of scholars after all.¡± He exclaimed while gesturing at their surroundings. Durin gave him a hard stare before smirking lightly ¡°Theoretically we can break through the veil from even here, we can open a rift from this afterlife to another yes but¡­You will have to break through to the world of the living on your own as we will be too busy keeping the first rift open.¡± ¡°Wait¡­so this is what¡¯s going on?!¡± exclaimed Karnage with surprise as she grabbed his shoulder ¡°You¡¯re going after Sly and Reyna? Did you tell the others about this or?...¡± she trailed off as he glanced back at her. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t tell the others. There wouldn¡¯t be much point in worrying them further. It¡¯s why I thought it was a blessing that Soren could come with me.¡± He smirked ¡°He¡¯s just as crazy as me.¡± But his smirked quickly died out ¡°But I guess it¡¯s back to plan A, I¡¯ll be going alone.¡± ¡°No you won¡¯t, I¡¯m coming with.¡± Karnage stated with a glint in her eyes and a grin. ¡°You could die.¡± said Kyle as he stared back at her. Her grin grew wider ¡°Try me.¡± Kyle continued to stare at her, cold eyes as he thought it over but found no way to convince her otherwise so instead he turned back to Durin and Celica. Sighing he stepped closer to them ¡°I guess that makes two.¡± Celica glanced in between all three of them ¡°Are you all crazy? You said so yourself his soul is too fragile!¡± ¡°True¡­This could worsen your situation child, are you sure about this?¡± Durin asked as he met Kyle¡¯s eyes, seemingly cold and distant yet he could see the glint of worry ¡°Not only do we not know where the Nogitsune currently is leaking in from but the more you move through realms the weaker your soul will become. You could snap at any moment.¡± Kyle nodded then glanced down at his open palms ¡°Then so be it, if I snap I fucking snap. I¡¯m not leaving anybody else behind, even if it means becoming what I hate I¡¯m not standing in the side lines while my friends risk their lives.¡± Looking up he met Durin¡¯s solemn stare ¡°They¡¯re not my blood, they¡¯re nothing like family to me but¡­Even though I was a stranger to them...They accepted me for who I am, then they accepted me for what I am.¡± Durin watched as the hint of worry and doubt within Kyle¡¯s eyes disappeared and changed, replaced by determination ¡°Even if you become a monster? Even if you are what ends up destroying them?¡±. Kyle considered his words for a moment before smirking ¡°As If those crazy bastards can be stopped¡­I¡¯m sure at this moment they¡¯re plotting something insane, planning in the shadows to come out with a flash. It¡¯s who they are, it¡¯s what they are and I¡¯ll be damned if something like me can stop that.¡± ¡°Look who¡¯s talking.¡± Added Karnage with a snicker from behind. Kyle chuckle lightly ¡°So can you do it?¡± he asked again ¡°Can you send me to Mars?¡± ¡°I guess we¡¯ll just have to find out won¡¯t we?¡± said Terrance as he appeared out of nowhere, standing between Durin and Celica. ¡°That we shall.¡± Said Rel as he appeared with a chuckle followed by the appearance of all the other founders. ¡°So you wish to travel to another afterlife¡­Well let us see what we can do.¡± Said Terrance as he raised his left hand forward, green energy flowed like liquid around his palms. Durin raised both hands forward as white frost gathered around his, the others following suit as their own respective Spirit gathered in their fingers or claws. Just as Terrance flicked his palm forward so did the others as each sent fort a stream of mana, all meeting at one point and colliding into a mess of colours. The colours twisted and twirled, cut each other off and squashed either apart as they merged and mixed until a pure white sphere of Spiritual mana floated ahead of them. The sphere¡¯s surface was smooth, it¡¯s colour pure like milk and it shone a dim white that seemed to radiate out. Kyle stared into the sphere, still three or so meters away from it he stepped forwards approaching it. ¡°Is it?...¡± ¡°It is child, a portal to your afterlife.¡± Responded Terrance ¡°What you might find there I cannot say, be it family and friends or dreadful spirits and hating past it is up to fate. One thing I can surely tell you though...do not be fooled by it''s peace. ¡± Kyle¡¯s eyes widened briefly as he considered the old tortoise¡¯s words, it was as if he knew something but wouldn¡¯t say.But Kyle clenched his fists and continued to approach the sphere as Durin spoke ¡°We will make sure your friend follows you all the way through.¡± He said just as Karnage stepped up beside him facing the sphere. Kyle glanced to the side at her briefly before staring back into the whiteness of the portal. ("Whatever waits for me on the other side...I''ve already made up my mind...I''ll do what I can while I still can!") Grabbing her hand he stepped inside as he closed his eyes. His world went black for what felt like too many a time.
Mana-less Spirit Realm (Afterlife) Kyle opened his eyes to find himself standing in his home district, his eyes opened wider as he glanced around ¡°7¡­Home¡­¡± he spoke to himself then noticed that his voice was strange, it was as if he was speaking through a funnel as it echoed. He looked around further ¡°Karnage?¡± seeing her nowhere he felt tightness in his gut as he realised that something had gone wrong ¡°What¡­¡± then he froze entirely as she appeared out of nowhere a few meters ahead of him. Kyle¡¯s eyes opened to their fullest as his face paled, his whole body failed as he immediately fell to his knees as realisation went through his mind ¡°No¡­Not this¡­Not you¡­¡± Alison took a step forward as her solemn smile sent a chill down Kyle¡¯s spine, he quickly moved to stand back up and back away but he couldn¡¯t find the strength in his legs to do so and instead fell back. Kyle couldn¡¯t believe his eyes but the longer he stared at her long light brown hair, bright green eyes and freckled cheeks he was left with no choice but to believe so. She was real, she was standing right in front of him and he dreaded everything. Kyle¡¯s mind raced as he thought of ways to get out of this situation, somewhere to run, some way to hide but he blanked out every time as he continued to stare at her and she stared at him. ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± she spoke making him jolt back an inch, the sound of her voice bringing only more pain to the agony he currently felt. He truly dreaded this moment, he could of dealt with meeting anybody else but it just had to be her. Alison¡¯s expression grew saddened as she looked away from him ¡°So¡­here we are¡­¡± she spoke softly ¡°It¡¯s been a while¡­Ki¡­¡± Kyle opened his mouth to speak but no words came to him, not a sound was made as he continued to stare at her. He couldn¡¯t stand to hear what she had to say, he didn¡¯t want to hear what she had to say. Kyle was terrified of hearing what the person he murdered had to say to her killer. He felt his mind go blank, his body grow heavier, his chest tightening and hollowing out as he did the only thing he at the moment could do. He waited and watched, waited for her to speak, watched for what she would do. Alison looked back at him in his terrified state, the literal meaning of having seen a ghost. She slowly took another step forward, seeing him flinch again she stopped briefly but then continued her approach until she almost stood above him. Kyle no longer able to take the pain that now filled his chest closed his eyes, unable to look at her any longer. He continued to wait as his mind panicked (¡°Damnit¡­Just say it¡­Say it¡­It¡¯s my fault¡­It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s¡­¡±) Then he felt a sudden warmth on his head as a hand ruffled his hair ¡°It¡¯s been a while Ki¡­¡± Alison repeated. Kyle opened his eyes as he found her crouching down in front of him patting his head, a warm smile on her face as she looked down at him ¡°Why¡­?¡± he asked having dreaded this very moment more than anything. He couldn¡¯t understand her smile, he couldn¡¯t comprehend that warmth. He had hated himself for so long that he wanted her to reproach him, he wanted her to hate him for what he had done. But Alison only continued to smile ¡°Why? It¡¯s been years dummy, don¡¯t you remember I use to do this when you got yourself hurt?¡± she asked in brief reminisence. Kyle stared at her in disbelief as he suddenly pushed away her arm with his own, tears formed in his eyes as he spoke scattered words ¡°I¡­I killed you¡­I-¡± Alison shook her head ¡°No¡­I was caught in the crossfire of something else¡­It¡¯s okay Ki, I know. I know what you are, I know what¡¯s been going on.¡± She continued to smile while wiping the tears off his face. Yet Kyle didn¡¯t relax as he remained laying on the ground confused ¡°How?...¡± Alison glanced around ¡±Being dead has it¡¯s perks¡­you get to meet people¡­you get to see things others cannot.¡± Slowly she stood back up and reached out with her right hand, suddenly the world around them smeared away like paint as another took it¡¯s place. Kyle looked around and recognised the road, his heart sank deeper as he remembered it all clearly. This was where it happened, this was where he killed her. The buildings were the same as all the other districts but unlike the dull 12 or run down 13, 7 was more flashy with it¡¯s lights, more decorative with it¡¯s animated boards and advertising screens. ¡°The afterlife isn¡¯t solidly fixed to reality, it¡¯s fluid and¡­you can relive certain parts of history.¡± Alison explained as out of one building to their left, hundreds, thousands of people began to walk out of the flashily decorated double doors. The crowd of people moved around and scattered down different streets and side streets, passing by them and sometimes even through them as Kyle watched them all move until suddenly they faded into the distance. ¡°It was then that I finally realised¡­¡± Alison continued to speak as the world around them briefly smeared all over again before once more returning to normal yet not¡­The once fancy street was aflame with white-blue hellfire as the screaming of sheer agony filled the streets. Among the flames Kyle could clearly single out one figure, a boy barely a man as he stood staring down at his hands aflame as a dark shadow stood above him. ¡°It wasn¡¯t you who killed me Ki, it was that thing¡­It wasn¡¯t you who ever hurt anyone, it was it.¡± Alison turned back to him as the scene melted away returning the world around them to the first fancily decorated street. She sat down by him as he stared down at his hands ¡°So you¡­you don¡¯t¡­hate me?¡± he asked while looking up at her as she smiled back at him. Alison rested her arms over her raised knees and leaned in to rest her head on his shoulder ¡°At first I didn¡¯t know what to think¡­I was just suddenly here, it took me a while¡­days¡­weeks¡­months? I don¡¯t know time is weird here¡­but as I looked around¡­I found out more and more, I found out the truth¡­So no Ki I don¡¯t hate you¡­Dummy.¡± she flicked her index finger on his forehead. Kyle felt relief wash over him as he glanced down at her, as she¡­ *Crack* Ch 85 - Decisions Kyle glanced down at Alison as she lay her head on his shoulder, he just barely make out her face through her hair as suddenly. *Crack* Reality cracked, literal cracks formed in his vision as reality seemed to part for another to take it¡¯s place. Through the cracks Kyle saw someone standing over him, blades clashing with some kind of creature. ¡°K-yl-Wa-k-u!¡± scattered and distorted words came through as the cracks suddenly closed up just as quickly as they appeared. Kyle¡¯s eyes went wide as he quickly stood up and backed away from Alison, she looked at him in confusion as she noticed his sudden fear. Kyle felt his heart drop as an expression of hurt joined her confusion ¡°What is it?...¡± she asked softly ¡°Is something wrong?...¡± Kyle stared at her as she stood up and carefully approached him again, she was so real, she felt so real that he didn¡¯t know what to think anymore. ¡°My..my friends¡­I¡­I have to¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving?...¡± she asked with a hurt tone as her eyes began to form tears, slowly she lay her hands over his chest ¡°Why?...Why do you want to leave?...You¡¯ve only¡­I¡¯ve only¡­¡± suddenly she embraced him into a hug as she pulled onto his shirt. As she lay there sobbing Kyle felt his chest tighten again (¡°Why do I have to leave?...¡±) he then suddenly asked himself. Alison looked up at him as she spoke ¡°Don¡¯t leave¡­stay here with me. What is there out there for you other than more pain?...Stay here, it¡¯s quiet and¡­it¡¯s just you and me.¡± Kyle found his hands raising of their own volition, he grabbed her shoulders and stared down at her. He was shaking, she was too ¡°I¡­¡± he didn¡¯t know how to respond (¡°I can¡¯t¡­I can¡¯t leave her again¡­¡±). ¡°Don¡¯t leave me again¡­¡± once she spoke those words Kyle felt something break inside him, he felt cracks that had formed long ago spread out and shatter what else remained. Kyle felt his very being fall utterly apart, not because of the pain, not because of the sadness. Kyle felt his soul shatter as fury like he had felt when fighting Void emerged from within, rage so raw that his flames engulfed his entire body of their own will. Kyle looked down at Alison as she backed away from him, her eyes wide in fear as she looked at him. He stared for what felt like an eternity trying his hardest to see a difference, to see something wrong with her but he could not. She was perfect, she looked the same yet¡­Now he knew she wasn¡¯t real. Kyle immediately shut off all emotion, his flames dissipated immediately, his face turning a cold empty slate as he stared at the terrified Alison ¡°You dare.¡± he spoke and just as the first time he did his voice echoed out ¡°Whatever you are, you won¡¯t live through this.¡± Kyle raised his hands with palms open as his Frostfire emerged once more, exploding outwards from his body the flames rushed to devour anything it could reach spreading out to cover the entire street. Kyle watched calmly and coldly as his flames engulfed Alison, as she disappeared into the white-blue once more. *Crack* *Crack* Reality cracked again around him, at first slowly it opened up before suddenly shattering into a shower of reflective shards that fell all around him. Kyle quickly retrieved his flames as the new reality became uncovered, as the illusion fell apart. A grey void spread out all around him, swirls of colour cut through the grey glowing and slowly moving through. He found himself standing over an invisible floor, while deep below the void continued on. ¡°Kyll!¡± called out a female voice from his right to which Kyle turned. Karnage stood several meters away from him, engaged in combat with two shadowy creatures each taking the shape of a very large scorpion and a large falcon respectively. ¡°He has awoken!¡± exclaimed the falcon as it flew circles around Karnage and the scorpion. ¡°It matters not! Our work here is done!¡± replied the scorpion with a hiss as it lunged at Karnage with its stinger. Karnage rolled to the side evading the stinger as the scorpion suddenly backed away from the fight and turned tail, running as quickly as it¡¯s insectoid legs could take it. Kyle took a single step towards the scene as his form suddenly disappeared, appearing above the scorpion with sword in hand Kyle flew through the air cleaving the creature¡¯s tail midway through. The scorpion screeched in pain as it¡¯s tail floated away into space, losing it¡¯s shadowy form it revealed itself as entirely skeletal, made of bone and seemingly spines. Ignoring the orthodox creature¡¯s make Kyle continued his assault as he landed on the scorpion¡¯s back. While it spun around trying to shake him off, with three quick strikes he cut off the creature¡¯s left legs entirely leaving them to aimlessly float around like the tail. The sound of flapping wings reached his ears as Kyle surged off the scorpion just in time, as shadowy talons clawed through the space he once stood in. The falcon flapped it¡¯s massive shadow wings as it grabbed the delimbed scorpion and took flight. ¡°Fool, kill us or not your fate has been sealed!¡± the falcon exclaimed as it flew away from Kyle and into the distance, suddenly a black swirl of colour within the grey they were flying towards expanded and devoured them whole. Kyle stared up at the swirl of black as it went back to it¡¯s shape and size, nothing more than a splatter of colour among with the grey void full of them. ¡°Kyle!? What were those things?!¡± asked Karnage as she caught up to him, out of breath and bleeding from several cuts on her face and arms. Kyle glanced at her then at her wounds ¡°I don¡¯t know, what happened?¡± he asked solemnly. ¡°I think I can explain that.¡± Said Celica as she suddenly appeared with a flash of white ¡°But we must leave here first.¡± ¡°Where is here?¡± Kyle asked as he turned to her, his expression retaining it¡¯s coldness and emotionlessness. Celica looked frustrated as she saw his expression ¡°This is the Veil Kyle, existence between realms. There is no time to lose, this way quickly!¡± she exclaimed while gesturing at the swirl of white behind her, taking a single step towards it the white expanded and devoured her form.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Kyle stepped forward briefly before stopping in his tracks (¡°Is this real?¡±) he asked himself while glancing around. ¡°Kyle? You heard her we can¡¯t stay here.¡± Said Karnage as she stepped to stand in front of him, a worried expression among her exhaustion. Kyle nodded silently, before stepping forward alongside Karnage towards the swirl of white. Looking into it he watched as it expanded and covered his vision. ¡°Now we can talk.¡± Said Celica from behind them. Kyle turned around to her then glanced around as the white in his vision blurred and dissipated to give room for the bright and bursting streets, hundreds of flying vehicles above them and the soundlessness of it all. Kyle, Karnage and Celica were hovering above one of district 7¡¯s streets. People in crowds walked around the street below while others flew their vehicles up above. Yet there was no sound from either, no whistling of the cars, no words from the people or sound from the advertisement boards. It was all utterly quiet, other than for themselves. Kyle turned to Celica as she watched him with cautious eyes ¡°What happened back there?¡± Celica bit her lip as she spoke with an annoyed tone ¡°You were intercepted, they somehow locked onto your soul and intercepted your journey through the Veil.¡± ¡°They?¡± asked Kyle with a raised brow. ¡°Void beasts. Those creatures you fought, it¡¯s what they are called. They are corrupted Spirit beasts who¡¯s only purpose is to serve their Void lord, my guess is that their Lord is our Nogitsune.¡± Celica explained with disdain. Kyle¡¯s expression remained empty as he looked down at his open palms ¡°Our work here is done¡­it said.¡± He placed both hands on his chest and clenched the skin below his shirt ¡°They placed an illusion on me. What they showed me, when I realised it wasn¡¯t real¡­I felt what remained break.¡± Celica grimaced as her fears bore to be true ¡°Those bastards¡­Kyle you¡­¡± Karnage glanced between them in confusion ¡°What broke? What did they do to him?!¡± she asked whilst wearing an expression of dread. ¡°What we were trying to prevent.¡± Celica replied before continuing to explain ¡°Souls are a powerful but fragile existence, each soul is different but each race has specific differences. Spirit beast souls tend to regenerate themselves once broken but¡­they regenerate said soul into a mirror version of itself.¡± ¡°Then why am I still me? Why has nothing happened yet?¡± asked Kyle as he looked up at her. ¡°Because your ability to turn your emotions dormant isn¡¯t what it seems, what it actually does is lay your soul dormant. As long as you stay emotionless you will be fine but¡­¡± Celica trailed off as she looked away from her nephew. ¡°The longer I do that the worse it will be once I let go.¡± Kyle understood her meaning and voiced it. ¡°The bastard¡­How did it know?¡± Celica murmured to herself before looking back up at Kyle ¡°Why did you¡­No¡­why did I not stop you?¡± her eyes widened as she looked away again in shame. ¡°I don¡¯t get¡­what does it mean?¡± asked Karnage as she stared at Kyle¡¯s expressionless face. ¡°It means I have two choices remaining. To stay a hollow body or turn into a monster.¡± Kyle explained as he stared at the moving crowds below ¡°To either never feel anything again or destroy everything around me.¡± Kyle could feel the annoyance and anger coming from Celica, he could feel the confusion and shock coming from Karnage. Yet he couldn¡¯t feel a single thing from himself, no sadness, no anger. The raw fury that lay within him was frozen, lying dormant as he willed it to be. ¡°There is no point in standing here, we came here for a reason so let¡¯s move.¡± Said Kyle with a solemn tone as he looked at Celica ¡°Take me to Scythe.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re going on anyway? After all this!?¡± Karnage suddenly exclaimed ¡°You really don¡¯t feel anything?¡± her eyes were wide and expression ghastly as she stared at him ¡°Kyll this isn¡¯t right¡­there must be¡­there has to be something that can fix you!¡± Celica shook her head ¡°Nothing can be done¡­Not even Gods can untangle a soul¡­¡± Kyle nodded in acceptance ¡°You heard her, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it at the moment. So I¡¯ll do what I can and stop Scythe as quickly as possible.¡± Karnage¡¯s expression turned to disbelief ¡°How can you accept¡­this¡­¡± she murmured to herself before realisation hit her ¡°Why does this happen?...¡± ¡°You wanted to come with me, welcome to my life.¡± replied Kyle with a shrug ¡°Do you want to go back?¡± Karnage looked down at her hands, trembling and shaking they were as she hugged herself ¡°No¡­if you haven¡¯t given up yet¡­then I won¡¯t either.¡± Looking up at Celica she nodded ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Celica shook her head again ¡°So you accept the consequences of this decision of yours Kyle? Will you really go on forward?¡± Kyle looked at her with a raised brow ¡°I do and I will.¡± She stared at him, a hard attentive glare ¡°Would you do it again? Even if you know these would be the consequences?¡± Kyle briefly continued to stare back at her in confusion, he then glanced around at the street below, the cars flying up above then down at his own hands ¡°I won¡¯t go back on my word, even if it means becoming this or a beast. I won¡¯t sit in the side lines as they risk their lives fighting for our dream, I will fight too.¡± He said meeting her glare with his own expressionless stare. Briefly Celica held up her glare but eventually gave in and sighed in exasperation ¡°You kids¡­Fools the lot of you.¡± She flicked her fingers and suddenly the world around them shattered and dissipated giving way for reality. Kyle felt his mind doing a backflip, barrel roll followed by few matches of twister. It was an understatement that he felt sick afterwards. Falling to his knees he watched as the world around him shattered to give way to the Crystal kingdom of Kori, where he stood only minutes before alongside all the founders at the very top of the staircase. Glancing up he saw each founder standing right where they were before, the portal also was there along with Celica standing right next to it. She stared at him with an annoyed expression ¡°At first I wasn¡¯t going to let you go, even if it meant putting you under a long term illusion I wasn¡¯t going to let you leave but¡­¡± she sighed and ruffled her hair ¡°Go you fool, go save your friend. It¡¯s your damn life to live, not mine.¡± Kyle willed through the nausea and stood up, looking up at his aunt he disabled his ability allowing his soul and emotions to awaken. He felt it, the pain, the anger, the confusion and then the sadness but it was then followed by happiness. It was all an illusion, a test by his aunt. His soul was still whole. Kyle chuckled ¡°You had to use her?...¡± he asked with a dangerous smirk. Celica met his glare with her own deadly intent that gleamed in her eyes ¡°Would you have preferred if I¡¯d gone further? Go before I change my mind stupid child.¡± Feeling the nausea disappear Kyle straightened himself and stared into the sphere of white, he couldn¡¯t blame her, no matter how deep her ways cut she did it to protect him in the first place. ¡°What just¡­happened?¡± asked Karnage as she remained kneeling on the ground, holding onto her stomach as her expression slowly turned away from being green. ¡°I learned not to anger my over-protective aunt.¡± Said Kyle with a smirk as he noticed Celica glance away ¡°You still ready to go Karnage?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen enough crazy today either¡­¡± she replied with a chuckle while standing up ¡°Let¡¯s go for real this time though, I don¡¯t know if I can take anymore of that.¡± Celica snorted ¡°Better get used to it quick then kitty.¡± She mumbled under her breathe. Karnage felt a chill move down her spine as Celica turned to look at her, not having heard her words but her amused expression said enough ¡°Yeah let¡¯s go¡­¡± she said then taking the lead to approach the portal. (¡°Don¡¯t die on me you crazy bastard, reinforcements are coming¡­hopefully for real this time.¡±) Kyle thought as he reached out into the portal first, having been closer than her. Karnage watched as the white light engulfed him briefly before sucking in his form, she reached out as well but was stopped as Celica grabbed hold of her arm. Feeling another chill move down her spine Karnage glanced to the side and at the intimidating woman, her fierce crimson eyes locked into hers as she spoke ¡°Watch his back for me little cat.¡± Celica told her before shoving her into the white. Terrance chuckled ¡°To protect the ones we love sometimes we must inflict them pain¡­¡± he mused before glancing to the side at Celica ¡°You haven¡¯t told him yet. Why?¡± Celica grasped her left arm with her right hand, clenching hard she briefly bit her lip ¡°Because the longer he doesn¡¯t know the more I can postpone him knowing¡­Inevitable as it may be¡­If at all possible I wanted him not to know¡­¡± ¡°Then why did you let him go? He will find out now and it will break him.¡± Terrance asked as he turned to stare into the portal. ¡°What would you have had me do?...Lock him up? It¡¯s like he¡¯s fated to break¡­¡± she hissed back at him. Terrance only chuckled in response to her hostile tone ¡°My child if I have learned anything from my studies is that¡­there is no such thing as fate but only decisions. He made his.¡± Ch 86 - Arrival at 30. Sly stared forward at the monitors as Six drove them through the dark tunnels, all lights off they flew through the pitch black path as from time to time the tunnel broke up into two or three taking to individual districts. This tunnel was made for vehicles to drive through, for people to freely go between one district to another after a quick check of identity was made at the station. Yet after the insurrection of GAIA and the border this system was shut down, ignoring the uninhabited cold districts the Military blocked off passage between districts for over two years as they deconstructed the tunnels into an open train system. ¡°Did you really have to disassemble it all?...¡± asked Ray with a sigh. Turning around Sly glanced at Ray looking down in distraught at her black and yellow bike, disassembled to the last part by Roy and Tell so as to equip it¡¯s stealth module to the Rider. Although the stealth module was connected to the Rider¡¯s power supply it was still running on minimum output making it mostly ineffective for visually cloaking the Rider. Yet they were driving in pitch black darkness so even that was enough to disrupt cameras from seeing them, along with York and Lesha working together to disrupt sensors all around their path the Rider was passing through entirely undetected. ¡°Paper beats rock sister, paper beats rock.¡± Said Roy with a smirk as he tinkered with his blue and black bike. Sly looked back into the monitors, his attention again focused on their only method of sight. Because of the stealth module their side and bottom cameras had to be disabled and because of Lesha and York¡¯s disruption the Rider¡¯s sound, motion and visual sensors were put offline. To cover their moves they had to mostly blind themselves, only able to keep the front camera thanks to Tell¡¯s ingenious repositioning of it. The ¡®steering wheel¡¯ was given to Six because of that, the camera had to be put at an awkward angle and elevation to remain functional so their best driver had to be put to the test. Which if it wasn¡¯t for the Rider¡¯s internal gravitational module they would feel the few angles of tilt to the left. Sly stared at the sole AR monitor that remained online, the camera showing them through the darkness ahead and revealing the path. As they approached their destination Sly pondered on the past days. Reaching deep inside with his mind he felt the last bit of the blessing, a source of energy he could use to summon his miasma with which he could create more mana with. Sly closed his eyes as he wondered if it was going to be enough, he wondered if he was going to be enough to defeat the man that tricked a demo-goddess and is in possession of an artefact that could rewrite reality. He thought it over and over yet however he saw it his mind could only come down to one answer, he couldn¡¯t possibly win. Scythe wasn¡¯t the average human anymore, his knowledge of magic made him a dangerous foe when paired up with such an item. Not counting Scythe¡¯s own power, along with the artefact Sly had no idea what to expect. (¡°But I cannot give up¡­¡±) He told himself (¡°No matter how strong he is¡­I cannot allow him to bring Mars to Chaoz. It would be the end of Chaoz, it would be the end of my dream¡­it would be the end of our dream¡­¡±) he clenched his hands together as he sat back into his seat. ¡°We just passed the 29th, buckle up.¡± said Colorado as he was also staring into the monitor from behind Six, glancing to the side he saw Sly¡¯s dark expression. Moving away from Six he leaned onto the side of Sly¡¯s seat ¡°You alright there Kid?¡± he asked after flicking Sly¡¯s ear while wearing a grin ¡°Why the long face?¡± Sly sighed as he glanced up ¡°Because this is it, everything adds up to this for both you and me. If you cannot find your way to a main console and gain access to their system then the colonies are doomed to remain stale and under their tyranny. If I cannot stop that man¡­¡± Colorado broke out into laughter, shaking Sly by the shoulder briefly he then took a deep breath and crouched down ¡°Sorry sorry! I¡¯m just not used to seeing you think so much!¡± He joked with a smirk ¡°Ah where¡¯d that maniac runt that stormed a Jackal warehouse with just a pistol and smoke bombs go?¡± Sly didn¡¯t respond, he simply stared ahead retaining his gloomy expression. Colorado sighed in exasperation ¡°Why did we call you Kid anyway? Do you know?¡± he then asked while also staring ahead. ¡°Cause I was the youngest to ever make the cut?¡± responded Sly with a distant tone. ¡°Cause you were the youngest member but also the one that stood out the most. Always finding a way to get into the thick of it, always rushing ahead yet coming out alive. A mean thick headed little shit that always found a way to increase our work.¡± Colorado spoke but his mind seemed elsewhere, as if reminiscing on the past ¡°Even though you were so much trouble, even though you gave us a heart attack at every turn. Do you know why you remained till the end?¡±. Sly sighed again ¡°Cause you felt bad for little ol¡¯ me? What¡¯s your point Col?¡± Colorado punched Sly in the shoulder ¡°Cause you were loyal, even though you didn¡¯t need to be there, even though there was no way you should of made it in time. You came, when the Mils cleansed the entirety of 13 you gathered the others offduty and came. If you hadn¡¯t done that less of us would be standing here today, more of us would be a bloodstain on the ground.¡± Colorado stood back up and out of Sly¡¯s sight ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what lays ahead Kid, all that matters is that we believe we stand a chance. Because in the end¡­there¡¯s no better way than to go out with a bang, you taught me that. You taught us that.¡± Sly glanced back to see them grinning, each person that accepted to come onto this suicide mission with him was smiling like a fool. Immediately he turned away ¡°Ya all mad.¡± He said with a smirk ¡°Wipe those grins off your faces, you might scare them all off before we get to shoot them. We¡¯re here.¡± He then pointed out as he saw the monitor.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Down the grey lit tunnel a crossroads presented itself, two turns to either the left or right and a single massive sealed path right in the middle of them. Around the sealed entrance was an indentation of dark metal, at the very top of this circular indentation was a large red number reading ¡°30¡±. ¡°Land nearby?¡± asked Sly as he glanced at Six who looked around the tunnel then nodded. Taking the Rider low he quickly stopped with a turn to the left side of the crossroads. Sly stood up from his seat and looked back at the rest ¡°Wear your breathers, the air should be thin here. Inside there won¡¯t be none.¡± He explained whilst taking out the mask from inside his own hoodie. As they all put on their breathers except for the Androids -a full face black leather-like mask with two square boxes on either side of the mouth section that popped out a few centimetres and a glass like oval visor that stretched over the eyes- they all gathered at the doors on the back. ¡°We have 24 hours worth of air each.¡± Said Tell as he fully strapped his own on ¡°Don¡¯t lose it.¡± His voice coming out slightly muffled. As they all gathered their individual bags of gear and worn equipment Sly slid his hand over a pad on the left signalling the doors to open. The darkness spread out outside as the light from inside the Rider leaked out, giving them a little light to see as they stepped out. Sly took out a flash light and his pistol, looking around the tunnel he noticed several differences than the one between 13 and 14. Several piles of mechanical masses lay spread out along the floor of the tunnel ¡°Raiders.¡± He mused while approaching one of the piles. The Raiders were large fifteen meter tall machines of war made by GAIA to combat the Military¡¯s combat androids and robotic marvels while being a marvel of machinery of it¡¯s own. Shaped after humans the Raiders were massive battle-mechs wielding large rapid firing energy based weaponry in both hands, two explosive projectile launchers over the shoulders and equipped with differentiating modules depending on the type of Raider. The one Sly was staring up at seemed to be a Shielder-class by the massive metallic shield over it¡¯s left arm, long out of power the shield was nothing but a skeleton now. ¡°Well isn¡¯t that uplifting, Raider corpses all over.¡± Mused Tell as he stepped around Sly to inspect the machine, giving it a light kick as he did so ¡°Smart bastards, using AI to control these things while also assigning them pilots that controlled said AI over voice coms while also using encrypted signals to connect controls between it and the pilot.¡± ¡°You what now?¡± asked Shelbert as he stopped to stand next to Sly. ¡°They are man piloted machines whilst the pilot did not require to be inside said machine. Causality-less, quickly reproducible and strong foot-soldiers.¡± explained Roy as he hovered out his bike from inside the Rider ¡°GAIA used them to overwhelm the Mils with numbers, combat androids are strong but too stupid on their own and require a human commander. One human can only effectively command so many androids.¡± ¡°And androids aren¡¯t easy to produce either.¡± continued Tell ¡°In all GAIA was said to outnumber the Mil¡¯s by three to one while also equalling them in production. Look how well that treated them.¡± He said while kicking the collapsed robot in the side again. Ray snorted ¡°Numbers aren¡¯t everything, guess their leadership just didn¡¯t have the quality.¡± ¡°I¡¯d beg to differ.¡± Spoke a mildly distorted voice from around them. The Fourclaws dropped their heavy gear and pulled out their weaponry, flashing their lights around the tunnel they saw nothing and nobody but themselves. Other than Sly who had pinpointed the voice¡¯s location, staring upwards with his back to the fallen Raider he raised his pistol and squinted slightly. Sly fired once as the flash of light that was the fired projectile collided with a reflective surface that blinked into existence in front of them, a massive hand was revealed swatting the blast of energy away. Sly lowered his pistol and took a step back as he spoke ¡°Reveal yourselves!¡± ¡°If you insist.¡± Said the voice as the tunnel around them suddenly lit up, blinding the Fourclaws from the previous pitch black darkness they had to force their eyes away or close them briefly before looking again. Sly blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the new light, glancing around with a still blurred vision he watched as several massive silhouettes flashed into reality as the light reflected off their bodies. His eyes having adjusted Sly swallowed a gulp as he found himself surrounded, massive weapons aimed down at him and his comrades he glanced around at the half a dozen Raiders. Not like the dozens of offline and broken down carcasses on the ground these Raiders were online, looking to have had better days several large cloaks were wrapped around their bodies to cover the damage they had been dealt. ¡°Now if you wouldn¡¯t mind, drop your weapons and surrender yourselves.¡± Spoke the Raider straight in front of Sly, seemingly more damaged than the rest this one had been given a certain amount of repair noticeable from it¡¯s pitch black right arm compared to the rest of it¡¯s silver-iron body. Sly glanced around at his own, each wielding a weapon up and spreading their targeting around to take into account each Raider around them. He then studied the Raiders, each keeping a certain amount of distance from them and each other, normally their massive frames would have been more effectively used to enclose around them as their weapons did not ricochet but they weren¡¯t. (¡°There¡¯s more of them¡­¡±) Sly guessed as he glanced around the visible Raiders, unable to tell whether he was right or wrong even six of these machines would be a pain to deal with in this situation. Slowly he crouched down and dropped his pistol and flash light to the ground, raising himself back up he then raised both hands up into the air. Sly glanced around himself, seeing the others still holding onto their weapons he nodded at Six and Colorado who nodded back and did the same, followed by the others all of them lay their weapons down. As they did so Sly reached deep into his soul with his mind, finding the Astral mana imbued into him he clenched onto it and spoke ¡°Who are you?¡± The black-armed Raider lowered both arms wielding the massive rifles ¡°We ask the questions here, who are you and what is your business here?¡± Sly stared up at the Raider, it¡¯s bright blue visor entirely focused on him. He pondered on whether he should lie, he wondered on if the Military had re-deployed these Raiders to defend the Cold zones too. Yet he believed in his own power to destroy each and any Raider in the vicinity with no causalities of his own. ¡°We are the Fourclaws gang of the 13th district, my name is Justin K.Teller, a junior member.¡± Sly gestured at the others behind him ¡°With me are Rayner Six the mad dog, Colorado Damion the brawler, Shelbert Stevens the junkyard demon, Roy and Ray White the stampede.¡± With each name and nickname spoken the Raider slowly re-raised it¡¯s weapons ¡°Tellik Bjorn the circuit imp and Zeyen Chez the heavy.¡± ¡°Point taken, what are professional thieves and murderers like you doing here?¡± asked the Raider, it¡¯s tone more careful than before. Sly lowered his arms, if these were Military men then each name spoken would of induced a bullet leaving only one or two of them alive for interrogation. Those two probably being York and or Lesha as they were obviously androids. Still clutching onto the mana inside Sly spoke again ¡°We¡¯re here to free the colonies and destroy the community built on fear surrounding it.¡± he exclaimed. The air fell silent as the black-armed Raider stepped forward, raising it¡¯s right blaster to Sly¡¯s much smaller face it asked ¡°And what makes you think you of all people, stand a chance of accomplishing that?¡± another voice spoke instead, a clearly male human voice. Sly chuckled as he stepped closer to the blaster, merely inches away from the massive weapon ¡°Because we have something you did not have, we have something GAIA was never able to achieve.¡± Ch 87 - Unleashed [Part 1] The white spread out ahead of him before he first blinked and with each blink after it began to dissipate, the world came to as Kyle blinked the light out of his eyes. Before he could take in his surroundings his senses alerted him to something. Kyle glanced around as a sense of sickness drifted through him, he didn¡¯t actually feel sick but just how an animal can smell the scent of sickness he sensed it. Kyle sensed the darkness that drifted through the air around him, tendrils of thin shadows that seemed twitch every now and then. He eyed the tendrils briefly before Karnage spoke from behind him ¡°Where are we?¡± she asked. Kyle took his eyes away from the tendrils of shadow and finally took in his surroundings, with a high ceiling up above them although not as high as a district¡¯s they found themselves inside some sort of massive warehouse. Floating through the air like ghosts he looked down at the ground a dozen meters below them. Several hundred thousand tubes filled with a greenish liquid lay on top of large metallic cubes, each a few meters away from each other these containers filled the entire warehouse. As he looked in between each tube Kyle watched as several people walked by wearing what looked like laboratory clothing. As he did so a sudden headache hit him and as soon as it did it disappeared, confused by his own senses he silently floated down to the ground yet stopped a few feet from it. ¡°Kyll? What is-¡± Karnage willed herself to follow and saw just as he did what lay inside the tubes. Inside each of the green cylinders of liquid lay a comatose human body, eyes open, mouth, ears and nose covered with a mask from which pipes connected to the box below. ¡°Human experimentation?...¡± Karnage guessed with disdain. Kyle glanced around more before shaking his head ¡°No¡­¡± he said before floating towards a specific tube ¡°Extraction¡± he corrected as he lay his hands over the tube and stared at the person inside. Long brown-black hair spread out in the liquid behind her, her almond brown eyes wide open as she stared back in an utterly dead like state. Kyle stared at his mother¡¯s body inside the tube, eyes wide he stood stalk still and silent. Kyle¡¯s hands trembled as he fought off the rage building up inside him, yet the guilt and sadness preceded that anger soon enough. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± he spoke softly as his hand clenched at the tube, it went straight through as if it wasn¡¯t even there. Karnage hovered up to him and upon seeing the similarities between them she stood back ¡°Is¡­is she still?¡± ¡°No.¡± said Kyle as he shook his head ¡°I sense nothing from any of them, they¡¯re all dead. Yet I feel the mana being processed inside them, what the fuck is this place?...¡± he asked in a harsh tone. ¡°Mana? How is that possible?! How did we even get here?¡± asked Karnage in surprise as she glanced around at the people walking below. Kyle pulled his hand out of the tube briefly and glanced down at it, swallowing his pain he reentered the tube. His body going straight through both glass and liquid without feeling a thing, he lay his right hand over his mother¡¯s pale dead face. Immediately he flinched and backed off ¡°Impossible¡­how¡­¡± and once he did he felt his back hitting the glass behind him as black runes flashed over it¡¯s surface. Understanding went through Kyle¡¯s mind as he turned to face the sealing glass. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What was that?¡± asked Karnage having seen the runes. ¡°These bodies have been killed but the souls are being kept from entering the Spirit realm, as such they have nowhere else to go but back to their own bodies after which¡­¡± Kyle explained as he touched the glass with his left hand, black runes flashed into existence again surrounding the surface his hand touched before he backed off ¡°They are trapped¡±. Kyle grimaced ¡°This is¡­¡± he murmured as he turned to face his mother¡¯s cold corpse again. Spreading his senses he felt around for anything or anyone, faintly he could sense each soul within his vicinity. He felt their sadness, he felt their anger, he felt their loneliness and he felt their despair. Kyle also felt something else, a distinct difference between each soul that differed it from the scientists below. None of the sealed souls were human. Kyle sensed multiple kinds of creatures, things he couldn¡¯t even begin to picture less so name. Kyle sensed everything from Spirit beast to Demon, Devil to God and each was wailing out for aid. Anger flared up within him again, hatred towards the people that built this place, rage towards the one that lead it and a mixed feeling of annoyance towards his aunt for trying to keep him in the dark. ¡°Kyll what do we do?¡± Karnage asked with a solidified expression, her mind already made up all she needed was his confirmation. Kyle glanced at her as he willed his Frostfire to engulf his body, his fangs and claws grew out as his eyes shone a bright light blue, the white fur on his tails and ears mingled with the flames as if part of it ¡°We¡¯ll burn it to the ground¡± he responded as he raised both his hands to the glass. Black runes flared awake as he touched the glass as suddenly his flames engulfed the entirety of the tube, the tube grew brighter blue until it shone a blinding white before exploding outwards. Lab-coat wearing men and woman rushed around to check on the disturbance as an alarm rang throughout the warehouse. Invisible to their eyes Kyle rose from within the shattered tube as his flames turned tendrils reached out to the humans below, like outstretched hands enraged they reached out as if wanting to choke the life out of each one of them. Kyle held his fire back as he briefly glanced back at his mother, laying on the tube¡¯s ground she was pale white and lifeless. Kyle clenched his hands then opened them wide with claws outstretched, suddenly he reached back with his right ¡°Dimensional Force!¡± Kyle exclaimed as he clawed away at the air ahead of himself. His flames engulfed his entire right arm forming a claw of itself as reality seemed to tear apart under it¡¯s pressure. A wide gash like a see-through crystal formed ahead of Kyle as he stared into it, a rift between reality and the realm of the dead. Kyle stepped through the rift as gasps and screams from below reached his ears, glancing down he met eyes with the surprised, the fearful and the guilty. Because that is what each person here was to him, guilty. From the moment Kyle understood the workings of this place he had become their judge and jury, then naming them all guilty for having a hand in this sickening place. As he hovered down to the ground to stand among them he had decided, he would also become their executioner. Kyle¡¯s Frostfire engulfed his own body, thicker than before it covered him entirely like armour showing off the prowess of his newly gained passive [Imbue Body]. Kyle stood among the terrified humans, a raging flame of white-blue with two tails and clawed hands. He took a deep breath then spoke out loud with Spirit infused into his voice ¡°Where is Scythe?¡± he asked with a menacing tone. Yet no response came back as the eyes of the scientists turned to horror the moment he spoke, most simply froze in place but some turned tail and ran. Kyle sensed their fear, like a drug it empowered him as even without the bars that he could no longer see he felt his Spirit increase the stronger those emotions became. He also knew his mana was empty, from the moment he had stepped through that rift Kyle had felt his mana immediately drain down to zero. ¡°Kyll! They don¡¯t know him by that name!¡± exclaimed Karnage as she peaked her head out of the rift, causing many horrified faces to gain a level of confusion as they glanced up at her. ¡°Heh¡­right.¡± Mused Kyle as he turned towards the closest scientist, a blonde haired male looking within his 30s. The man was utterly frozen in place, eyes wide in fear he could barely keep his own mouth closed as it trembled. Kyle chuckled as he faced the man ¡°You, are you too terrified to even speak?¡± The man flinched and instinctively backed away causing him to back out into one of his colleagues, a short blue haired woman who upon contact shrieked and turned to run as he fell back to the ground. The man trembled as he stared up at Kyle¡¯s bright blue eyes shining even through the thick flames ¡°P-pl-lease d-¡± ¡°So you can speak.¡± said Kyle as he moved to stand over the man, he stopped briefly to calm himself to remember back, back when they had Draxxer¡¯s soul. ¡°Tell me then, where can I find Shaun Gerik?¡± The man didn¡¯t respond, he simply lay there in fear. Kyle sighed and dissipated his flames, crouching down in front of the man he asked again ¡°Where is Doctor Gerik?¡± ¡°Wh-what do you¡­want with Gerik?¡± asked an elderly woman to their left, she stood there staring at Kyle just as terrified as the rest. Kyle stood up as a spark of white-blue burst out from his right palm, it rushed to the man on the ground and engulfed him in flames. The man screamed and struggled as the fire devoured him alive, waving his arms and legs around briefly he then fell still as the fire dissipated leaving behind a charred corpse. The woman stared down at her cooked colleague in terror and disgust before looking up at Kyle, meeting his bright blue eyes she unconsciously took a step back as the scent of burnt human flesh reached her nostrils. ¡°I have business with Doctor Gerik, might you know where I can find him?¡± Kyle asked with a less hostile tone than before, replaced by a cold and distant one. ¡°G-Gerik is¡­within District 1¡­¡± the woman replied fearfully. Kyle raised a brow in question ¡°Which district are we in?¡± when a sudden cracking sound caught his attention, glancing back he watched as the rift suddenly closed on itself leaving Karnage on the other side. ¡°2¡­We¡¯re in 2¡­¡± replied the old woman as she also watched the rift close. ¡°Huh¡­¡± murmured Kyle as he dropped the mana speak, his ears twitched as he heard a disturbance nearby (¡°Here they come.¡±) he thought just as dozens of armed soldiers moved to surround his position. Their guns lay strapped over their shoulders as they stood armed with mechanical gauntlets that seemed to hum with energy. Kyle snorted as he turned to face one squad of Androids, having no mana he had to entirely rely on his Spirit for which he required more living adversaries. Just as he took his eyes off them the scientists turned tail and ran the opposite way, rushing through the Androids they cleared out the way. Kyle stared at the Androids as they lifelessly stared back at him, before suddenly two of them charged at him. Like an explosion Frostfire rushed out from Kyle¡¯s body engulfing everything within ten meters, the flames ate away at anything it touched, being flesh or metal it did not care. The two Androids disintegrated within the flames as they lingered briefly before dissipating, revealing that Kyle was long gone. Kyle had taken the chance to rush through the opening the two Androids had made through their blockade, he surged through and at full speed ran towards one end of the warehouse. Blind as to whether the Androids were giving chase or not he also did not care, tails dragging behind him Kyle rushed through anybody that stepped in his way, surging over androids or even summoning a claw of blue flame to shred through them he in the end made it to one of the warehouse¡¯s walls. Kyle glanced behind him to see the nearest squad of Androids long behind him, looking back at the wall he figured it was a mixed stone reinforced with metal. (¡°If metal is the same as flesh then stone shouldn¡¯t be a problem either.¡±) Kyle thought as he summoned more flames along with a red ooze. ¡°Slime Armour¡± The red slime formed out of his skin and moved to cover his entire body as dark red almost black shelled scales grew on it¡¯s surface. Like a suit of armour the scales fit themselves away from his joints to allow movement, leaving only red slime to be visible between each section of scale. Kyle stepped to stand inches from the wall as he raised his right arm, the scales that covered it changed and took the form of claws as suddenly Frostfire burst out from the armour¡¯s cracks re-engulfing his entire form.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Just as the ooze reached his neck, as the armour fully covered his body it formed a helmet to allow sight. With the visage of a fanged beast, long curved claws and two tails the red and black armour completed itself as white-blue flames burst out from it¡¯s cracks. Cold hatred burned within Kyle as he lunged at the wall ahead of him, his blazing claw shredding through both stone and metal before the flames exploded outwards wrecking a hole into the wall. Kyle stepped out of the warehouse as his flames dissipated around him, his Spirit running low he made sure to use as little as he could. Kyle glanced around at the outside of District 2 of the Mars colonies, long from looking like home 2 was nothing more than large warehouses laying side by side. He couldn¡¯t get himself to imagine what else lay within this place, what other nightmarish experiments were being conducted under Scythe¡¯s guidance. Kyle grimaced as he watched several humans turn tail and run as they watched him burst out of the wall, vehicles flying over sped up the second they did so too. ¡°None of you have the balls to look me in the eye? What you do here¡­what is the point of making you feel guilty?¡± he asked with a harsh voice and menacing tone. A flash of light from behind him caught his eye and Kyle surged to the side as several more followed, energy weaponry was too much even for his slime armour to handle. As the flurry of light projectiles ended Kyle took a few more steps away from the hole he made.
Author: Down to business :3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wieBE_75fAM
¡°Gatling Slime¡± As Kyle spoke the skill¡¯s name he raised his right hand forward and briefly waited, nothing seemed to happen except for more slime to ooze out of his armour. Suddenly multiple androids peaked their weapons out of the hole and took aim at him, without warning they immediately opened fire. Kyle surged to the right appearing in the middle of the road but the androids only turned to retake aim, he grimaced and raised both arms forward as a greenish-brown ooze burst out of his palms. The swamp slime formed a small shield ahead of him before the androids opened fire yet again, it was too slow a slime for him to fully cover himself in time but it served enough to block a few shots as he charged towards them. Projectiles of light blasted through and around his half shield of earthly slime, surprisingly his armour withheld some shots itself protecting him from taking deadly injuries yet the uncovered red slime parts did no such thing as he suffered multiple wounds to his waist and shoulders. Kyle¡¯s shield fell apart from the powerful energy weapons midway through his charge, as it dissipated around his arm he surged forward with claws wide open. Like a beast in a frenzy he shred through the androids and their weaponry, turning and spinning in ways he thought not possible for a humanoid body. As he stood there surrounded by torn flesh and shredded metal he glanced down at his armoured claws and a thought came to mind (¡°This world has no system for skills or casting¡­Is magic entirely through sheer will and shaped by the mind?¡±) But he was given no time to test that theory out as several more androids appeared down either side of the street, immediately kneeling down and taking aim with their rifles they then opened fire. Each with burstfire they peppered Kyle with projectiles, his armour only capable to withstand one or two shots on the same spot before it pierced through whilst not withholding at all around the joints. Yet Kyle felt none of it, the projectiles that made it through his armour and body only passed through to the other side mostly stopping on contact with more armour but sometimes even shooting back out. Kyle chuckled as he noticed his mastery skill [{True Slime}] in action, meaning that skills he possessed where still available but casting was no longer an option. If he wanted to use [Gatling Slime] or [Slime Cannon] he had to re-create the weapon with his mind. In this moment that was not an option, rather he saw a different one available. Not one to waste an opportunity or waste resources Kyle morphed his scaled armour down to red ooze allowing each shot fired to pierce through his body. As the projectiles easily made it through the slime exterior Kyle noticed that once they pierced his flesh that too turned to slime, letting the projectile go straight through before being refilled by more slime which would then turn to flesh. (¡°This is why real slimes would be overpowered¡­¡±) he thought as the highly accurate androids aimed for his limbs, waist and head but not his chest. The chest where his slime core was located. Yet he wasn¡¯t the type to take bets against luck and reformed his chest armour, thicker than before he made sure to use swamp slime behind the demonic shell so as to protect his core. Seeing that their weapons were having no effect the androids stopped their gunfire and turned to explosives as several of them began to lob spherical devices towards Kyle who also noticed this change. As the first grenade flew through the air towards Kyle he surged not away but instead towards it, quickly grabbing hold of the spherical device with his claws he threw it back at the androids who stood there unable to comprehend this outcome. Quickly Kyle surged out of the way as multiple other grenades landed nearby him, each one exploding along with the one he threw back. In flashes of blue light the grenades exploded sending concrete dust all over, giving Kyle a smoke screen as he turned tail towards the warehouse he came from. But instead of rushing back inside he gripped at the stone with his claws as demonic armour gauntlets reformed around them, cracking the stone and bending the metal under his body¡¯s strength Kyle climbed up the wall by digging his long monstrous claws into it. Using both sets of claws on his hands and feet Kyle rushed up the wall by leaping in between gripping at it. The androids below simply stared in confusion, their programming unable to come up with an effective solution to defeating a creature that could withstand their gunfire and evade their explosives. They weren¡¯t made to fight this sort of thing. They watched as Kyle reached halfway up the wall then stopped, glancing back he snorted at the vehicles flying behind him. As he suddenly appeared into their vision the drivers swerved from the usual elevation of flight to get away from him, causing several to crash into each other or simply into the warehouse walls while others sped up and flipped the vehicles ahead of them to go off-course. Waiting for the right opportunity Kyle leaped up and onto one large vehicle, a transportation truck like many of the vehicles around him. He dug his claws into the vehicle¡¯s dark green ceiling causing the driven inside to shriek in panic and swerve the large vehicle into another lane. Kyle felt their panic, he sensed their fear and felt his Spirit rise from it. Not having collected quiet enough he leaped off the truck as it crashed head to head into another vehicle, soaring back towards where he came Kyle surged forwards before clawing away at the warehouse¡¯s wall again to hold on. Having found or more so made a grip he turned around to face the street. With a maniacal grin, he willed his Frostfire to engulf him once more sending any that passed by into a horrified panic. He felt himself absorbing their fear, the more he terror he caused the stronger he felt himself get. His Spirit reached a high point yet it wasn¡¯t quiet as incredible as it had been back at Eslet, (¡°Let¡¯s fix that¡±) so he thought. Kyle dissipated his flames and moved his slime armour to engulf him like a cocoon, turning entirely bright red he began to weave thin tendrils of slime out and like a spider weaving it¡¯s web the slime suddenly expanded out into several hundred tendrils. It formed around the walls and ceiling of the first warehouse before expanding away and off into the road while falling, like little spiders flying off to another wall it reached out to the other warehouses before separating into multiple other tendrils on contact. Kyle sensed some vehicles stopping nearby him, human guards by his guess yet he did not care and paid them little mind as they inspected his cocoon. He continued to fully focus on his web, on creating his network of slime and engulf as much of District 2 as possible. The small tendrils of slime separating and multiplying dozens over dozens of times as they covered a vast distance with Kyle at it¡¯s centre. Feeling the guards getting too curious as they poked and prodded the cocoon he also felt several parts of his slime web being cut off and disconnecting, he knew this was as far as he could go with this method and waited no longer. Kyle activated the slime¡¯s special property and it¡¯s red surface suddenly gained a blueish glow. He pictured the illusion he would show them, crafted the monsters that would appear to be as shadowy and quick as possible to let their minds to come to their own conclusions. As the illusion took effect on any that even saw the slime out of the corner of their eyes, half of District 2 fell under a wide spread panic. Kyle showed them shadowy creatures that ran on all fours, long blade like claws and a serpentine tail he only made the creatures run around and leap from the building to building and run in and out of doors yet that was enough to cause every human under his spell to fall to their own horrific imagination. Their own minds formed the creatures to seem more terrifying than they actually were, their own minds made them hear snarls and hissing as the creatures only passed by. Confusion built up throughout the district before it bore fruit to fear which exploded into sheer panic. Humans being scientist, soldier, businessmen or workers ran from the shadows that bared their fangs and swiped their bladed tails at them, they hid from the creatures that snarled and hissed around the corners of their eyes. Kyle sensed their fear, he felt it engulf him in a rush of power that he feared would overwhelm him. So much so that he ended up filtering the income of Spirit, slowing down the rate at which he absorbed it which was a new feeling for him. As he did so he felt the Spirit he did not absorb linger around his body, similarly to environmental mana it simply stayed there like another part of the air. Suddenly feeling that he was reaching his limits of Spirit, Kyle tried to force his income down to zero. Similarly to closing away his emotions he shut off his soul from absorbing more Spirit, only leaving what he had already absorbed to slowly leak away and back out into the atmosphere around him. Having no more use for his network of illusionary slime he changed it, the massive web of red suddenly turning a light blue before freezing over. His own cocoon too changed, a sphere of frozen slime that oozed cold frost out into the warm air. Kyle shattered the cocoon that was around him letting himself fall, turning around he clawed away at the wall as he fell to slow himself down. Glancing up he saw four heavily armoured vehicles that once hovered to surround him, the men that had peaked out of one¡¯s back quickly rushed back inside as the drivers turned to follow him down. Reaching the ground before them Kyle wasted no time and rushed for the hole in the wall several meters to his right, charging at full speed he also surged from time to time and within a mere two seconds rushed back inside the warehouse. Immediately Kyle flared up, Frostfire engulfing his body as he rushed through several squads of androids that lay in wait for him. Unable to use their guns as to not damage the warehouse¡¯s inside the androids and their shock gauntlets stood no chance against the flaming beast that clawed away at them like bread. Eventually, through several clashes with androids as he burned them away, clawed them to shreds or simply evaded them all together Kyle reached the centre of the warehouse. Wanting to do as much damage as possible to at least this place he did not know how far or how powerful his flames would become once all his stored Spirit was fed to it. Hearing a mild racket behind him Kyle turned to see a massive wheeled vehicle had crashed through the stone wall he had already broken through, pitch black gleaming armour and four massive cannons the tank turned it¡¯s turret towards him at unfair speed. Kyle smirked ¡°So you¡¯ve given up on this place.¡± He guessed as the tank after briefly charging up white energy within each of it¡¯s four barrels opened fire at his location. In quick succession the tank fired four blasts of bright yellow energy that whizzed towards Kyle faster than any projectile before. Knowing full well he wouldn¡¯t survive the first shot Kyle had already surged out of the way before the tank even fired, the four blasts spreading out on contact and engulfing the area in a thick gas-like blue flame that disintegrated any material it made contact with. Kyle whistled at the tank¡¯s destructive power ¡°Not bad¡­¡± he mused as he stood over one human-containing-tube, staring straight at the tank he raised his hands to shoulder level with palms up and claws wide open ¡°My turn¡±. As he said so Kyle unleashed every drop of Spirit within him, turning it into Frostfire as it escaped his body the flames grew at insane speed spreading out through the entire warehouse within mere seconds before exploding out and into the District itself. Like a chemical fire spreading through a dried up forest Kyle¡¯s flames roared out in a single massive wave of white-blue that reached the furthest border of the district under a minute. Buildings disappeared within it¡¯s all-devouring white as people fell frozen before dissipating to ashes on contact with it¡¯s blazing blue. Kyle felt his body grow weak as suddenly the air began to thin out, willing the fire around him to engulf his right arm he formed a claw and used what Spirit he hadn¡¯t used to claw away at the air-afire ahead of himself. Reality tore away behind his claws as a rift opened up in the shape of a wide gash that rippled light. Kyle stepped through the rift as his body gave away, falling to his knees he felt the effects of mana-exhaustion but on an entirely different level. He collapsed forwards and to the ground as all feeling was lost to his body, he couldn¡¯t move a single finger less so stand back up. ¡°Kyll?!¡± exclaimed Karnage as he suddenly collapsed out of the rift, she had been watching and stuck in the Spirit realm the entire time. She rushed to a crouch by his side and turned him over, seeing his overly pale face and lightless eyes she expected the worst ¡°Kyle!? Hey! Don¡¯t die on me dammit!¡± she exclaimed in a panic while raising his head up from the ground with her right hand. ¡°I¡¯m still here¡­put me down¡­¡± Kyle choked out a few words as his eyes turned to her. Karnage laid him back down and leaned away as suddenly a massive chunk out of the District¡¯s ceiling crashed down on top of them, the white flames around them devoured the material within moments. She glanced around herself, at the raging flames that were clearing out the Districts very existence. Frost had long formed into ice on the ground as the white fire continued to rage like a star all around them, at the very edge of the district blue flames tendrilled outwards entirely out of control like solar flares reaching out to other districts nearby. (¡°This¡­is insane¡­¡±) she thought before glancing down at Kyle who lay half asleep on the ground, his eyes half open yet his exhausted breathing keeping him awake. She couldn¡¯t believe the raw power he could summon up, a cold flame that ate away at even metal and stone. ¡°How did you¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t understand how this was possible, such power shouldn¡¯t be realistic in the slightest. Within moments a District, a massive environment meant to hold an entire country, it¡¯s buildings and towns, it¡¯s people and their homes¡­ no longer existed and in it¡¯s place burned a cold sun. Karnage momentarily pondered (¡°This is what he¡¯s capable of now¡­what happens if he loses control?...¡±) she thought while looking down at him, frail from exhaustion his eyes had now fully closed and sleep had taken over him. She now understood fully what Kyle feared, more than the monster he would morally become he feared the power of the creature he would turn into. Afteran exasperated sigh she chuckled ¡°What am I going to do with you?¡­¡± she chuckled at the insane reality she was now part of. Ch 88 - Unleashed [Part 2] District 1, to the knowledge of all this dome is impenetrable. Housing the main forces of the Military of the Martian Human Colonies it is equipped with the highest level of security on the inside as to keep it¡¯s habitants under total control and weaponized on the outside with a dome so thick that it can house a district of it¡¯s own while being armed with the most powerful barrier and weaponry known to mankind. Even for the Mechanized army of GAIA, District 1 was an impossible fortress to siege. It¡¯s shimmering green barrier viewable from two districts away as it stood twice the size of any of them. Platforms that lay at the very edge of the barrier outside the district itself were armed with six turrets surrounding a bunker base, in total there were two hundred and fifty six bunkers all around the dome. Each bunker had two long range energy piercing rail cannons that would effectively snipe any ship into swiss cheese, two scatter firing missile launchers armed with heat seeking missiles made for anti-personnel purposes and finally two rapid firing energy turrets that for as long as the bunker was online would never run out of ammunition and never stop firing at their 1200 fire rate. Within each of these bunkers was a squadron of the latest mechanized unit the Military had at the time, robotic blood hounds that would stop to nothing at defending the dome. Then there was the barrier itself, a marvel of physics and engineering. Weaponized energy that without a barrier surrounding the vehicle that would enter it of the exact same energy output down to the most miniscule difference would turn said vehicle into a puddle of molten liquid metal. The barrier also being energy and not physical went all around the dome leaving about 1 kilometer of open martian field in between or if underground 1 kilometer of dry stone. The inhabitant of this district, the man that down to the last grain of sand owned Mars went to every stop at defending himself. Nobody knew what the inside of District 1¡¯s dome was like, anybody that did was deemed nobody and never left. Yet no matter what defences they established, no matter how many guns and walls they surrounded themselves with the inhabitants of this realm weren¡¯t made privy to the reality at hand. As mana-less as this realm was, it was nothing more than a single realm in the vast multi-dimensional existence it was part of. As Kyle stood mere feet away from the bright green barrier he sighed and glanced down at his own feet ¡°Nobody has ever made it this far without being meant to.¡± He murmured to himself as he stood in open space, no dome around him or mask on his person. Kyle stood on martian soil with no suit or protection, were oxygen shouldn¡¯t have been there. And yet he could breathe, yet there was still the same gravity he was used to. Each one a bonus of not actually being in said realm as he stood in it¡¯s parallel existence, the realm of the dead, the Spirit realm. As he stood there glancing around he pondered on why there was nobody, ever since arriving he had yet to see a single literal soul. The Spirit realm of this existence was empty other than for himself and Karnage who stood closer to the barrier slowly raising her sword towards it¡¯s surface. Kyle knew something was very wrong about the emptiness of this realm, whether it was purposeful or coincidence it bugged him to no end. (¡°Focus¡­¡±) he told himself, being on edge ever since waking up from his short nap. His nerves were killing him, wanting nothing more than to get away from this world as quickly as possible. In every sense of the word Kyle hated this world, he hated what people had made it, he hated what it stood for and he hated what it had done to him. Kyle was disgusted by humanity¡¯s willingness to live like cattle, to live, eat, sleep and shit within the cages they called home. Yet he couldn¡¯t blame them as even he had no interest of going against the Military, even he knew just how suicidal that frame of mind was. But that was before and this is now. Kyle was no longer your average human being albeit never actually being human in the first place. He now knew things about reality, things he would use, things he would abuse to build a path to his own ideal reality. ¡°It¡¯s safe I guess?...¡± said Karnage as she poked one of her swords through the barrier, a black bladed silver sword with a dark grey handle that was fashioned around a blood red gem. Kyle was brought back from his own thoughts as he refocused on the barrier ahead of him and the visible defences on the other side of it ¡°Then let¡¯s keep going.¡± He said with a step forward before Karnage stopped him. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re up for this?¡± she asked Kyle while holding her sword up ahead of him, looking straight into his eyes as he coldly glared back ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to hear this but¡­¡±. ¡°Then don¡¯t say it.¡± He told her while rolling his eyes. Karnage sheathed her sword ¡°Your Aunt was right, coming was a bad idea. We don¡¯t know what we¡¯re up against here.¡± ¡°Oh I do, I know exactly what.¡± Said Kyle with almost a growling tone as he glanced around at the tendrils of shadow that lurked within this realm ¡°It¡¯s faint but intoxicating, it¡¯s scent. The signs are everywhere, just that warehouse back there was the last piece of the puzzle I needed¡­¡± his eyes briefly shone brighter as anger settle ¡°How could Scythe gather so many non-human creatures? And not just that either¡­How could he, a normal mage warp the rules of an artefact? Summoning so many more than should be possible through it¡­¡± Kyle lashed out at a tendril of shadow that lurked towards his face, his right hand swiping down at it as his sword appeared engulfed in white-blue flames that slashed through the shadows ¡°How could Scythe, a human, stop himself from going all the way through a portal when even to me a Spirit Beast or Sly a Devil that journey seems instantaneous? Then how did he find his way through the veil? It¡¯s obvious, he didn¡¯t do it alone.¡± Karnage¡¯s eyes widened ¡°It?...Kyle you don¡¯t mean¡­you came even though¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid, I sort of expected this outcome to some degree¡­¡± Kyle took a deep breath and looked upwards, the dark sky full of stars and colours as the universe¡¯s light fell upon Mars untouched by humanity¡¯s lights ¡°Even if it really is here¡­if it has a hand in all this¡­all the more a reason for me to step in!¡±. Kyle stepped through the barrier with an expression of determination, his want to protect his friends, his dream to be part of a world of myth and legend drowning out his anger and frustration. Focused on the task at hand Kyle walked forward, followed by Karnage who continued to wear a worried expression they made their way through gloomy and deserted martian terrain. When suddenly the ground trembled, several seconds of tremors shook the stone below them. Disturbed by the quake Kyle glanced back briefly, meeting Karnage¡¯s she nodded back and they both charged forwards at top speed. Running and surging forward they both cut through the distance within a minute reaching the District¡¯s outer dome. Without stopping they rushed into the wall, going straight through like ghosts. Another set of tremors followed as they both emerged on the other side. District 1 was vaster than the others, it¡¯s outer sectors being completely militarized. Long metallic buildings stretched out to their left with wide roads in between them while to their right a vast field full of combat vehicles, mechs and transports lay. Soldiers rushed around, Android and Human, to their left as sparks of violet lightning surged alive from over the field of vehicles. The lightning emerged out of nowhere and struck randomly around the area, toppling vehicles, destroying buildings or even killing several soldiers. Suddenly the lightning began to form in a straight electrified line over the field, random strikes emerging from it still. Kyle willed himself to fly upwards, ascending into the sky he watched from above joined by Karnage ¡°He¡¯s here¡­¡± The line of violet lightning stretched out as a rift of crimson opened up, a scar in reality about thirty meters long and ten wide. From within the scar a massive robotic arm emerged wielding a just as massive assault rifle, the Raider stepped through the rift and fell down to the ground crushing an entire tank as it did.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. The Raider looked around as if in both surprise and confusion before raising both arms, both wielding a single rifle in hand and began to fire. As the first Raider moved through the field destroying any vehicle that didn¡¯t require manning several more Raiders began to emerge from within the rift until there was seventeen in total. The Raiders spread out into three groups with a single one of them being unarmed by heaving a massive generator on it¡¯s back, the generators hummed with energy as suddenly a black barrier of light with a hexagonal pattern formed around each of the three squads in a spherical shape. The barrier was massive and apparently mobile as it began to make it¡¯s way towards the buildings, nothing was able to make it through it not even light as it lay as a complete mass of black stopping anybody from seeing what stood within. Kyle glanced away from the barrier and back at the rift as suddenly three vehicles flew out of it, two bikes of differentiating colour that immediately cloaked and a large military transport that seemed to have had seen better days. The Rider and two bikes turned towards the mobile barrier and entered it as it reached the buildings. ¡°Where is he?¡± asked Karnage as she stared at the black barrier in confusion. ¡°He¡¯ll come.¡± Said Kyle as he watched the rift, it shuddered briefly and began to close on itself when suddenly another figure soared through it. Engulfed in violet sparks of lighting Sly appeared in full Devil form, his long black-violet wings spread out as he glided through the air while the rift closed behind him. Kyle watched as Sly took a completely different direction from his allies, glancing around he took in the Districts surroundings more. Most of it was short but long metallic buildings or fields of vehicles that connected to tunnels which took underground yet three things stood out among this. The first was to the left where the buildings suddenly got taller and taller like small houses taking into apartments before suddenly taking to skyscrapers. This was the direction the Raiders and their barrier were moving towards. In the centre, the very centre of the 1st District was a massive beautiful mansion of red brick, three times taller than the military buildings it also had a vast field of cut grass all around with several patches of flowers and trees with intertwining roads around them. All around the mansion and it¡¯s large garden was another barrier like the outer one, yet this one was much brighter and seemingly more solid. To the right was one that didn¡¯t stand out as much as the mansion but more than the sudden elevation of buildings to the left. A tall metallic tower stood far off from either the mansion or the dome, seemingly solitary among the short buildings it stood out due to it¡¯s height and design. Gleaming blue lines of light carved their way up it¡¯s sides, not straight but in a sort of a cornering pattern that snaked it¡¯s way from the bottom to the very top. Sly was flying towards that tower. ¡°Let¡¯s follow him!¡± exclaimed Karnage as she flew after Sly before suddenly stopping to glance back at Kyle who was intently staring at the mansion. Invisible to anybody else but Kyle, massive tendrils of shadow emerged from all around the mansion. Thicker than the wisps of shadow he had seen before, seeming more solid the tendrils reached out from their emerging point and bent towards Kyle¡¯s direction as if calling out to him. Kyle¡¯s expression paled as he felt the lurking evil from that place, a disgusting and intoxicating scent that like perfume demanded his sense¡¯s attention. Kyle shivered as he felt the darkness reach out to him, like hands he felt it¡¯s presence all over his own body caressing him. Like before every fibre of his being screamed at him to walk away, to turn around and run for his life. His senses told him that a being worse than death itself awaited him there, a creature so malevolent that reality itself turned dark around it. ¡°Kyle?¡± Karnage called out to him as she watched him stare off into the distance with a paling expression, his hands trembled as sweat dripped down his chin. The fear in him was so apparent that it became physically visible through his body¡¯s reaction as she touched his shoulder. Kyle hovered back a few steps suddenly as he swatted her hand away, eyes wide in panic as his fangs and claws grew out and Frostfire had suddenly emerged then engulfed him. He breathed erratically, glancing between her worried expression, Sly flying off in the distance and the eerie mansion. He clenched his hands into fists, digging his own claws into his palms he grimaced and squinted at the self-inflicted pain ¡°Go on without me.¡± He suddenly told her before rushing off, flying at top speed towards the mansion. Continuing to inflict pain on himself by piercing his own skin Kyle made his way towards the mansion, his entire body shaking and trembling as he got closer and closer. As he reached through the barrier the tendrils of shadow reached out to him but were swatted away by his Frost-fire, as he reached the mansion¡¯s walls the looming darkness around it reached out and tore away at his flames. But Kyle kept going, following the scent, allowing his senses to guide him he moved through walls and long fancily decorated corridors. Constantly assaulted by shadows he made his way through the massive mansion like a ghost moving through hell, the tendrils of gaseous darkness tearing away at his flame. Suddenly as his fire grew thin the shadows formed like spears, lunging at him they forced him to evade and dodge out of the way as they tried to spear him through. Kyle kept moving deeper and deeper yet the shadows only got fiercer and quicker, ultimately one pierced through his right leg causing it to tremble as pure agony flowed through him. Kyle growled like a beast as his Frostfire re-emerged, empowered by his own rage the flames disintegrated the tendril that had pierced through him and the rest that reached out to entangle him. Even though the flames engulfed an entire corridor nothing was damaged other than the shadows, incapable of touching something that wasn¡¯t actually there. Not even waiting to calm down Kyle continued onwards as the pain lingered in his leg, as the anger only grew within him until finally he emerged into a large room dimly lit room. Like a king¡¯s bedroom it was exquisitely decorated, from the magenta walls covered in a golden pattern of branches and vines intertwining with one another, pearly black stone carving separating the walls from the ceiling and floor, a bright cherry wood flooring made into rectangular tiles and the ceiling¡­ The entirety of the ceiling was one massive painting, as if the room was made just to accompany it. The painting portrayed a city of marble in flames as women and men dressed in dull cloth rushed around in tears begging and pleading, some carrying their children while others lay on the ground with their corpses as armoured soldiers with long spears and rapiers cut them down and took the young. ¡°Quite the dull sight isn¡¯t it?¡± spoke an almost choked voice. Kyle turned away from the painting only now noticing the man that stood in the very middle of the room, old beyond counting his skin was the colour of dirt and crumpled up. The man had short grey-white hair and wore a just as grey suit with a white button up shirt underneath and a black tie around it¡¯s neck. ¡°The Massacre of innocents it was called, a masterpiece made in the 17th century back on Earth. It portrays soldiers from the beyond ancient roman empire massacring citizens of a city named Bethlehem.¡± The man continued to speak as suddenly a crooked grin curved it¡¯s way up his saggy lips ¡°It is a dull sight yet I find that I quite enjoy it, it furthers my belief that no creature is ever made equal. That the strong are the ones that will survive and the weak the ones that shall be trampled and made into a path for us to step on.¡± Kyle growled ¡°Even the weak can surpass the strong, if they work together even monsters can be brought down.¡± The man chuckled, a weary yet hearthy chuckle ¡°Ah foolish child, to call a creature such as yourself weak¡­¡± he turned to face Kyle, his eyes dark brown as tendrils of shadow flowed through their whites ¡°I am only human and look at what I have accomplished, even though incapable of continuing my family¡¯s dynasty I made a pact with the Devil itself to do so from the afterlife!¡± he exclaimed while opening his arms wide. Kyle grimaced ¡°That thing is no Devil but a monster far worse, you sold your soul and will gain nothing from it.¡± The man chuckled again ¡°Gain nothing? Fool I will stand by it¡¯s side as it unleashes it¡¯s power over existence itself! We shall become the new Gods! Not even this broken body can hold me back anymore!¡± his expression became maddened, eyes wide and wearing a crooked grind he chuckled. Kyle¡¯s eyes shone brightly as he clawed at the air in front of himself, ¡°Then allow me to relieve you of that body.¡± tearing away at the thin veil between this realm and that he opened a rift and stepped through it. ¡°You wish to kill me? Go for it then! Death means nothing to me! I¡¯ve served as it¡¯s connection to this world for decades! Not even you will be able to withstand it for much longer ¡®Chosen¡¯! To think that it¡¯s perfect container is such a childish fool. It is all too late! Gerik is readying the portal and we shall release it from it¡¯s bound realm!¡± The man exclaimed as he took a step forward towards Kyle¡¯s approach. Kyle momentarily stopped his approach as he emerged from the rift, his eyes widening as his hands trembled ¡°Then if death won¡¯t suffice, I will simply snuff out your very existence.¡± He growled while showing his set of fangs. The old man¡¯s eyes suddenly widened as he took a step back but Kyle was much faster, surging forward his eyes turned bestial as he pounced onto the weary old man sending him crashing to the ground. Kyle lay over him, snarling down at his wrinkled and wide-eyed face as he reached down with clawed hands to the man¡¯s chest. Kyle held him down as the man panicked, suddenly and without flinching Kyle lunged down with his right claw and reached deep into the man¡¯s chest. Frostfire engulfed the both of them as they lay on the ground, blood began to pool up on the floor around them as a dim red flame licked around Kyle¡¯s bloody arm. He pulled out his hand and the flame alongside it, the man immediately going limp as he did so. Standing up Kyle shivered as he stared into the small weak flame, his Frostfire hungrily surrounding it as he did so. He took a deep breath then raised the flame up to his open mouth, as he swallowed it whole Kyle instinctively took in another sudden breath as the rush of devouring a soul settled into him. Shaking off the strange sensation Kyle stared down at the broken man, his soul had barely nourished him with any Spirit yet it¡¯s taste was something he would never forget. Like when he had devoured the dungeon¡¯s soul Kyle started to feel a hollowness inside, a need to be satisfied. He had acted on instinct alone and eaten the man¡¯s soul, unable to resist it¡¯s sight. Kyle sighed ¡°Maybe I am instead the monster¡­that needs to be brought down.¡± Ch 89 - Unleashed [Part 3] Scythe Kyle grimaced in annoyance as he glared down at his own hands in self-loathing (¡°This is no time to get depressed damnit!¡±) he chided himself and turned around giving the corpse his back, stepping back through the rift he watched as the shadows that previously assaulted him were dissipating away. But his mind ended up elsewhere as he noticed Karnage standing there, her expression pale as she cautiously watched him. Kyle looked away as he spoke ¡°Let¡¯s go before that dumbass get¡¯s himself killed.¡± ashamed of his own loss of control there were also other more important matters to attend to at the moment. Like his suicidal guildmate. Karnage broke out of her daze and quickly nodded without responding, taking it as agreement Kyle willed himself to fly then soared through the mansion¡¯s walls this time undeterred. Both of them flew out of the mansion like ghosts going through it¡¯s walls then immediately made their way towards the tower, behind them the peace and tranquillity of the district had been set aside as complete mayhem took it¡¯s place. The streets of District 1 were turned into a battlefield as squadrons of Raiders charged through supported by backlining mercenaries while droves of androids tried their best to swarm the robots with numbers. Tanks set up outside the main streets trying ready up shots on the charging GAIA units due to their large size making them incapable of fitting in the side-streets being used. Yet the large black barrier, even though diminished in it¡¯s power was still very much active. Karnage glanced back at the clash ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we help them?...¡± she asked. ¡°You help them you help this world, you help me and Sly you help Chaoz. That is not my fight and I won¡¯t interfere, you can do whatever you want.¡± Kyle replied without looking back, his gaze solely focused on the large tower ahead. Invisible at first the tower also had a barrier around it yet once they had re-emerged from the mansion it had been already shattered and all that remained was it¡¯s dissipating green energy. Furthermore at the very top of the tower where it¡¯s metallic walls were once smooth and untouched a large gaping hole had been blown open, violet sparks of lightning also surged through the building¡¯s side from time to time. ¡°We¡¯re not late¡­¡± murmured Kyle as they approached the tower at high speed. A sudden flash of dark purple light blinded them briefly as they reached through the dissipating barrier, as they did so Kyle suddenly felt the multiple surges of mana emanating from the tower. Kyle sensed the miasma in the air and he sensed the divine mana powering it, yet he also sensed another kind of mana. A mix of multiple kinds of mana flowed through the tower, a massive concentration of it flowing like a river into one single pool at the very top. ¡°What is this mana?¡± asked Karnage with wide eyes as she also sensed the flow. Kyle stopped at the shattered hole in the tower¡¯s side ¡°I don¡¯t know but whatever it is, it can¡¯t be good for us.¡± He glanced around with his senses trying to pinpoint a spell or mechanism flowing the mana but he couldn¡¯t find a single thing. As he did so he suddenly noticed that the mana flow had abruptly stopped ¡°Or¡­was¡±. Just as suddenly a surge of mana blasted out from the tower¡¯s centre sending shivers down his spine, mana engulfed the area all around the tower where before there was nothing at all. Kyle had only felt this kind of horrible mana once before, an energy that produced darkness, a power that smelled like death. It was nothing like the Nogitsune¡¯s intoxicating mana, it was nowhere near the emotionally filled Spirit nor the sinful Miasma. This mana was the product of corruption that produced rot and decay, the raw incarnation of evil. The mana that had engulfed the entirety of the tower and it¡¯s surroundings was none other than Dread. Kyle shut off his senses of mana detection as he felt the mana practically choking him, like poison it burned his lungs and made him sweat. ¡°Stop detecting it!¡± he exclaimed back at Karnage with wide eyes, seeing her pale and breathing heavily but still conscious ¡°It¡¯s fucking Dread, I¡¯ve never sensed so much in one place¡­¡± said Kyle as he remembered just how terrified the inhabitants of Chaoz were of this mana. Realisation hit him as Kyle suddenly rushed inside the tower ¡°Shit! Sly don¡¯t be rash!¡± he exclaimed out loud as he remembered when he had sensed Dread before, under what circumstances they had to face that kind of mana and what they had lost due to it. Kyle flew through the broken down corridors, following the destruction he found his path to Sly which ended on an untouched closed door. ¡°What is it?! What happened?!¡± asked Karnage in panic as she followed him to a stop in front of the door. Kyle stepped forward to pass through it when suddenly it opened, on the other side stood Sly with enraged eyes. Kyle felt his guildmate¡¯s anger and guilt, he sensed them eating away at Sly from the inside. He glanced around Sly to see two individuals inside the room, a young woman dressed in purely white clothing and a guard with a strange aura. ¡°You coming Lilith?¡± asked Sly with a harsh tone ¡°This is your fight as much as it is mine.¡± Kyle realised what the strange aura was as he watched the Lilith possessed guard turn to face Sly ¡°I am.¡± The guard replied with a misplaced voice before turning back to the young woman nearby. Long blond hair with mixed in silver strands, light brown eyes and a freckled face the girl sat on her bed hugging her legs close to her chest. Shame on her expression as she stared down at the white floor that lay as blank and empty as the entirety of the room. ¡°It won¡¯t be long Reyna, you¡¯ll be away from this place soon enough.¡± Lilith assured her before turning to follow after Sly. ¡°Reyna?¡± repeated Karnage in surprise as both her and Kyle stared at the pale woman. ¡°Do you sense it?¡± asked Sly as he watched Lilith exit the room and close the door behind her. ¡°Dread everywhere.¡± Replied Lilith with disdain clear in her tone ¡°We¡¯re facing a necromancer¡­¡± Sly snorted ¡°With this much mana? No a mere necromancer isn¡¯t what he is, I can feel the mana circling around this entire building like a barrier¡­He¡¯s a Lich and this is his domain.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll follow closely, get ready to emerge at any second.¡± Said Kyle as he grimaced at Sly¡¯s guess, in any game or story he had read fighting a Lich inside his domain was equal to suicide. ¡°How can he sense the Dread without being effected?...¡± asked Karnage as they followed after the two Devils like phantoms. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± replied Kyle as he watched Sly closely, mainly sensing his temperament at being reminded of his failure back at the dungeon. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we just emerge and ask?...They don¡¯t even know we¡¯re here!¡± exclaimed Karnage as she gestured at them. ¡°That¡¯s the point, if they don¡¯t know we¡¯re here then there¡¯s a good chance Scythe doesn¡¯t. I¡¯m not giving up our surprise advantage¡­¡± Kyle explained as he glanced at her (¡°Although I probably fucked that up already¡­¡±) he then thought as his real reason not to appear yet was not to deal with Sly¡¯s reaction. Karnage sighed in exasperation ¡°Fine¡­¡± Closely they followed the two Devils, through long and tediously similar corridors they travelled towards the centre of this floor. The closer they got the thicker the Dread around them became, so much so that Kyle even felt himself being drained of his stamina. Glancing to the side he saw that this also affected Karnage, as she breathed heavily her complexion had paled too. Yet when he looked at Sly and Lilith they seemed unaffected by the mana, as if immune to the deathly energy. (¡°This is too easy¡­¡±) thought Kyle (¡°Where are the guards? Why is there no security? Did they put their faith in the outer defences so much?¡±) he wondered dreadfully. At one point the mana had gotten so thick that it became visible, a white mist had formed on the ground that reached up to their knees. As they walked through the mist, through this dimly lit and gloomy corridor, as the floor creaked and cracked below every step as if they were walking on bones finally they reached their destination. A set of metal double doors lay closed ahead of them, identical to any other door to the naked eye this one had a specific difference about it. The sheer amount of Dread that permeated out of it¡¯s cracks had taken the form of oozing white mist that engulfed the doorway like a comically flooded room. Yet there was nothing comical about the energy that radiated from inside, even as Kyle shut off his senses the power condensed around him and squashed him under it¡¯s weight. The four of them, Devils and Ghosts stood there staring at the door shuddering at the thought of what awaited them on the other side. (¡°Or maybe¡­it just doesn¡¯t care?¡±) Kyle thought as to the ease they were met with as they made their way inside. ¡°What might you be waiting for?¡± suddenly asked a chilling voice from within, it reverberated throughout the corridor echoing back and forth several times ¡°Please make yourselves comfortable, the show is just about to begin.¡± Just as suddenly the double doors creaked open on their own revealing the room on the other side. A massive laboratory lay within, about half the floor¡¯s size at fifty by twenty-five meters with bright white metallic walls and ceiling over a light wooden floor that lay as a single floorboard with no cracks or indentations. Long metallic grey tables lined the edges of the room bursting with machinery, monitors and tools. Going back and forth between tables were androids stripped of their human skins, machinery and organs fully visible through their transparent skin. The thick mist wisped around the room like tendrils ever moving and expanding while their form dissipated behind them. In the very far centre of the room sitting on a lone office chair and giving them his back was a man wearing a lab coat, with coffee mug in one hand and a tablet in the other he glanced back at them briefly ¡°I never liked how human they looked, or tried to. Makes them much easier to work with¡­or well¡­order around.¡± explained the man as he turned around with the chair ¡°I¡¯ve been expecting you Devils, I¡¯ve been wanting to meet you Blue Fox and I must say I am quite surprised to see one of your kind here Witch.¡± ¡°Scythe¡­¡± hissed Lilith as she glared at the man with pure hatred. Scythe chuckled as he stood up from his chair, his appearance as average as one¡¯s could get with short black hair, dark brown eyes and a slight Asian complexion. Yet his pale skin, so white that it mixed in with the walls made him stand out a fair bit. Kyle stared at him intently ¡°There goes our advantage¡­¡± he whispered before willing his flames to engulf his right arm and form a claw. Kyle slashed at the air ahead of them cutting open a rift as suddenly the mist around them dispersed, one by one Kyle and Karnage stepped through the rift fully revealing themselves. Sly glanced at Kyle in slight surprise but quickly refocused back on Scythe ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have come.¡± Kyle smirked ¡°Too bad, I¡¯m here now. Doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯ve got much room to bitch either, he¡¯s been expected you.¡± Sly chuckled coldly ¡°It won¡¯t matter.¡± He opened his hands wide and black claws expanded outwards from his fingers reaching twice their length ¡°Not once I¡¯m done with him¡­¡± Scythe simply stood there with a smile as he spoke ¡°Oh a feisty one, it¡¯s nice to be dedicated kid but careful not to get too focused. You might miss some details that are out of focus.¡± Sly snorted in response as violet lightning surged through his body, sparking through his wings and claws as he suddenly surged forwards. Dispersing mist, androids and tables as he charged, Sly clawed through the air as he reached out at Scythe. Scythe¡¯s smile grew wider becoming a wicked grin as suddenly the mist converged on Sly¡¯s charge, engulfing him entirely for a brief moment before expelling him outwards and back towards the direction he came from. Sly crashed through more tables and priceless equipment before tumbling to a stop in front of Karnage, laying on the ground while facing upwards he groaned in both pain and annoyance. ¡°Children¡­so impatient.¡± Scythe sighed, his tone a mirror opposite of his wide grin ¡°But I guess you will have to do as a final requirement to my masterpiece.¡± Dropping both the mug and tablet to the ground he opened his arms wide as the mist converged onto his own body, wrapping around his limbs the skin seemed to be absorbing it. ¡°I must say I have quite outdone myself, I expected a Devil to be among the bunch I sent through but who knew so many mythical beings existed even here on this plain and boring realm!?¡± Scythe laughed, a cackling laugh that made their bones shiver ¡°So many¡­disgusting monsters.¡± His face warped from grinning amusement to sheer disgust as he glared at them all ¡°The Avatar made one mistake when it created the Gods same as they made one mistake when they created us lower creatures.¡± Suddenly Scythe¡¯s clothes tore away as mist moved to immediately replace it, changing colour and form a shrouded cloak of dark grey formed around Scythe as did a long crooked wooden staff of grey ending in a rusted curved blade forming his namesake. ¡°They did not make their creations equal. I will fix that, with you here I can now begin¡± Scythe explained as the mist formed around his feet and allowed him to levitate. ¡°Begin what?!¡± asked Lilith as she took a step forwards, summoning flames in her possessed body but not capable of changing to her true form ¡°What have you been plotting behind our backs? What have you done all this for?!¡±. Scythe chuckled once more ¡°Have you not figured it out yet little monster? I¡¯ve been gathering mana into the artefact and myself, I made it accept my and only my commands. Now I will use this rash Devil in his true form as a key to other realms, I will gather my allies and lay waste to Chaoz and any other realm after! I will force out the Avatar and destroy it! I will hunt down the Gods and enslave them! No longer will they rule over us like deities, no longer will they play with our lives!¡± Lilith¡¯s eyes grew wide as realisation hit her, which only served to amuse Scythe further ¡°So now you comprehend, you¡¯ve been completely played. Every step you¡¯ve taken has been predetermined, every action you¡¯ve chosen merely placed there by me. You¡¯ve brought me my key, I have no use for you anymore.¡± Lilith grimaced as she glanced at Sly, the flame in her hand growing larger as suddenly she lunged down at the still prone Devil. When suddenly a rush of mist engulfed her entire form, slamming into the wall behind them before moving around the room and returning to Scythe leaving nothing of her behind. ¡°Not so fast¡­¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Kyle and Karnage could do nothing but watch, Scythe¡¯s mist too fast to predict and the events happening ahead of them almost too much to understand. ¡°Now what to do with you two¡­¡± mumbled Scythe as he approached them ¡°He would be very pleased if I captured you alive Blue Fox, honestly I don¡¯t really care but he has been quite helpful. As for you Witch¡­I have no use for you either.¡± Kyle broke out of his daze as he watched the necromancer move closer, his mind racing against time as he realised his current situation. Lilith had been removed from the equation, Sly was prone and dazed from being thrown around, Karnage stood to his left stalk still and frozen in fear and he stood the same. As Scythe approached closer and closer Kyle found that he could not move, that what stopped him from moving wasn¡¯t just fear and something else was amiss. Scythe reached out at Kyle¡¯s ears ¡°Intriguing isn¡¯t it? What fear does to you, even more so when induced by Dread. A state of full self-awareness yet incapable of moving, incapable of thinking and incapable of speaking.¡± When suddenly a clawed hand grasped Scythe¡¯s ¡°I honestly couldn¡¯t give a single shit.¡± Said Sly as he managed to stand up and grab Scythe¡¯s arm. Scythe simply smirked and flicked his arm to the side, sending Sly with as he was thrown aside like a piece of thrash and into a table ¡°Do not overestimate your safety, you may be of use to me but I will not care for a few scratches and scars.¡± He turned towards Sly who with some effort managed to stand back up from the dent his body made in the metallic table ¡°Unless of course you willingly assist me. Think of it, what are you truly other than a discarded bloodline? A discarded toy of which the Gods had no longer use for? Trash the Avatar couldn¡¯t be assed to take out?¡± Scythe extended his left hand open towards Sly ¡°Join me young Devil, so we can watch existence as it stands burn. Join me so we can show the Gods that we are not mere mortals which they may toy with. Join me and we shall destroy the being who created all our misery.¡± He extended his hand to it¡¯s fullest ¡°Become like I have, like the monster of Void, like the Demon of light and like the created God. Become a Horseman and we shall together write our own reality.¡± Sly stared at Scythe¡¯s outstretched hand ¡°Destroy¡­the being who created my misery?...¡± he asked causing Scythe¡¯s grin to expand before suddenly Sly also grinned ¡°Screw you.¡± and he surged forwards. Grabbing hold of Scythe with both arms Sly surged forwards while batting his wings, at full speed he rushed forth dispersing the mist that engulfed Scythe and slamming into the rift moments before it closed. As they passed through to the Spirit Realm he let go and surged aside, coming to stand shoulder to shoulder with Kyle who was engulfed in bright white-blue flames and Karnage wielding her two swords encased in twirling darkness. Scythe came to a stop as more mist oozed out of his clothing ¡°Then embrace your shackles!¡± he exclaimed his voice turning into a screech, he pulled forward the scythe from his back and wielded it with both hands as suddenly the white mist that re-appeared to surround him turned blood red. --- Author: BOSS FIGHT! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6vAy_G8aYA --- Kyle glanced at Sly briefly ¡°Can you last?¡± he asked seeing his comrade¡¯s skin growing patches of mana cracking through, seeing that Sly was overusing his mana. Sly chuckled weakly ¡°If I don¡¯t¡­my Miasma won¡¯t be there to shield you from his Dread.¡± He pointed out the black-violet fog that permeated the air around all three of them. ¡°Then sit back and support, we¡¯ll take the front.¡± Said Karnage with a smirk as she stepped forwards ¡°That or he¡¯ll come to us.¡± Scythe hovered up into the air as blood red mist encased the room¡¯s entire floor, eyes closed and hands together in a fist he focused as the ground suddenly began to quake. The ground below them shattered, the walls fell apart and the ceiling exploded outwards as the entire tower fell around them. Karnage and Kyle floated in the air as Sly held himself up with his wings, glancing at either of them he shook his head ¡°Too many questions¡­¡± he mumbled. All three of them were focused on Scythe but as the tower disappeared around them, out of the corner of their eyes they noticed the red mist falling to engulf the district below. Like a thick fog it covered the buildings and streets leaving nothing but a red mist visible below. Kyle dared to look down at the swirling crimson, it¡¯s surface a forest of red tendrils of smoke that reached out upwards while entangling with each other. Trusting Sly¡¯s Miasma he reached out with his senses, down into the sea of red below. Kyle sensed the magic taking form within the mist, he sensed misshaped souls being warped further and sealed away into some solid forms within. He sensed those forms moving, as if swimming through the mist he sensed dozens of them circling around. ¡°Below us!¡± he suddenly exclaimed as he willed his Frostfire to burst out from his palms which he aimed downwards. Just as he did so the mist below them exploded upwards pushed aside by the creatures within, engulfed in a red mist the serpents of bone flew out and met with the white-blue flames. Kyle pushed himself further and further, creating more and more Frostfire to block out the dozens of serpents that continued to burst out of the mist only to disintegrate to his flames. Yet he was outmatched, his output of Frostfire not enough with his current mana stores to cover the entire ocean of red mist as several spinal serpents ascended through the mist and reached out towards them. Maws open revealing fleshless mouths full of sharp teeth the skeletal monstrosities surrounded them. ¡°Your struggling is futile, I have absorbed countless spirits and am draining thousands of souls, my mana stores might as well be in-¡± Scythe¡¯s eyes opened wide as if he suddenly realised something ¡°finite?...¡± Kyle chuckled as he pulled back his flames and circled it around them defensively ¡°Welcome to the Spirit realm ass hole! Your little draining pen in D2 was destroyed! And just in case you had more, well I doubt you can send mana through the veil else why would you need Sly?¡± ¡°Taking all the credit¡­¡± mumbled Sly as he rolled his eyes. Scythe huffed in annoyance ¡°Finely deduced. Yet that was your only card, your hand now lays empty while mine¡­¡± he clenched his hands ¡°Contains multitudes of monsters.¡± The serpents of bone surrounding Kyle¡¯s sphere of white-blue flames suddenly began to encircling them faster and faster until one by one they began to slam into it, their bodies destroyed by the flames they still managed to displace it forcing Kyle to replace the fire. The serpents grew faster as swiftly some managed to get through the holes made by others and before Kyle could do anything multiple serpents of bone were lunging at their position. ¡°Not so fast!¡± exclaimed Karnage as she bent her body forwards ¡°I activate my trap card.¡± and suddenly her form shimmered into shadows before disappearing. In quick succession a shadow burst to life next to each trespassing serpent, humanoid in form and wielding dual short-swords it slashed, stabbed and kicked at the serpents breaking their husk-like bodies and sending them back into the flames in which they were disintegrated. Sly chuckled as he watched ¡°Bet that sounded better in your head.¡± his expression growing paler and skin cracking further. Karnage re-appeared next to them and smiled coldly at him ¡°Go to hell.¡± ¡°Now that you mention it¡­¡± Sly straightened himself as a violet aura expanded out of his body and took form, slower than before his Aurei armour took shape ¡°I¡¯ll transfer my ticket to him.¡± Kyle grinned awkwardly as his eyes moved from left to right keeping no serpent unchecked with his senses, working in full force on mapping out the battlefield ¡°Thought you were playing support?¡± Sly grinned from ear to ear ¡°That¡¯s what they all think.¡± as the aura engulfed his face fully taking the shape of a massive purple Aurei ¡°It¡¯s my time to carry now!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get full of yourselves.¡± Exclaimed Scythe as he opened his eyes revealing pearly whites, unclenching his hands he swayed his arms wide open as each serpent turned and converged on him to encircle him briefly before he willed them forward. Over two dozen serpents of bones, about as large as a wyvern, rushed towards their position with jaws readily open. ¡°Now or never!¡± exclaimed Kyle as he pulled back his flames and formed them within his hands into a large condensed sphere, briefly he waited as the serpents flew closer until he felt the flames pushing back. Quickly he released the Frostfire forwards in a single wave, like an explosion the white-blue engulfed the serpents and headed straight for Scythe. Scythe slashed forwards with his weapon one-handedly, cutting through the wave of Frostfire as if separating a wall of smoke revealing a massive purple form behind it. Sly reached out with his large Aurei hands to grasp at Scythe while the tentacles on his back moved to wrap around the Lich. At the same time Karnage flew in from the left engulfed in shadows as the wind around her seemed to propel her forwards and Kyle did the same from the right wielding his longsword two-handed whilst engulfed in white-blue frenzied flame taking the shape of armour. As Sly¡¯s arms grasped Scythe, as his aura entangled around him, as Karnage¡¯s blades streaked towards his back, as Kyle¡¯s sword lunged towards his chest, Scythe smiled amused ¡°What a shame.¡± Blood red mist surged upwards from the ocean below, engulfing each of them as it seemingly solidified and entangled around them before pulling them down and into the mass of red. The mist slammed them to the ground hard making dents in the stone and cracking it. Kyle coughed weakly as he tried to breath, opening his eyes he felt dizzy from the impact but tried to rise anyway yet something held him down. As the blurriness from his eyes dissipated he saw the red mist engulfing him, thinner than the red tendrils that held him down, thin enough to see through but still worrisome as he felt his energy being drained. ¡°To think after offering you the world you would go this far, how ignorant can you get?¡± scorned Scythe as he hovered down to stand in between them, each one of them being held down to the ground by multiple tendrils of thick red mist ¡°No matter, I will find what drives you and with that¡­you will break.¡± Scythe turned towards Karnage and raised his scythe towards her ¡°Starting with the useless one, be gone.¡± As her eyes opened wide in fear, red mist swirled around the staff¡¯s tip before a skeletal spike lunged out of it and at her chest. ¡°Over my dead body.¡± Hissed Kyle as he suddenly appeared shielding her, grasping the bone-white spike with both clawed hands as his eyes shone a bright blue. Scythe smirked ¡°Then I¡¯m afraid Void will have to stop piggybacking on my plans and search your corpse.¡± As he said so the spike shattered and exploded sending Kyle tumbling back and over Karnage. Coming to a stop on a wall with a mild crunch Kyle fell to his knees as the mist continued to drain him, his eyes losing their light and dimming out as his fangs and claws turned back to the norm. Scythe walked passed Karnage as he rested the scythe over his shoulder, mist swirled around him forming whirlpools of red from which two large skeletal arms emerged with claw like fingertips. A sinister smirk on his face as he approached the prone Kyle. ¡°No!¡± exclaimed Karnage as she resisted the mist, her form bursting into shadows before reappearing mere feet away held down by more mist. ¡°Truly it has been a pleasure, to witness a creature as rare as yourself.¡± said Scythe as he stood over Kyle, the two skeletal arms backed up ready to strike down ¡°But alas I have no business keeping you alive.¡± ¡°Stop¡­¡± when suddenly Sly spoke from behind him, Scythe turned to see Sly forcing his way through the mist and standing up. Still shackled by the tendrils of red his mobility was highly limited, his face pale white from exhaustion and his breathing erratic. ¡°I¡­give¡­¡± said Sly as he stared blankly at Scythe who sneered back. ¡°Was it that hard?¡± asked Scythe as he turned away from Kyle, one of the skeletal hands reached down and grabbed the Spirit Beast while the other held it¡¯s claws to his throat. Scythe approached Sly who stood completely entangled in tendrils of bloody mist, long patches of his skin laying crumbling to dust while the colour from his eyes slowly paled. ¡°Then let us shake on it.¡± Said Scythe as he lowered his weapon and ran his free hand¡¯s palm over it¡¯s blade, cutting the skin and revealing pitch black blood that dripped out of the small wound. Scythe extended his wounded hand to Sly briefly before smirking ¡°Oh right.¡± and the mist around Sly¡¯s right arm dissipated but the rest remained entangled around his body. Sly extended his now free hand towards Scythe¡¯s as the Lich lowered his blade and cut open Sly¡¯s palm ¡°Speak three rules to our pact, Devil. I shall warn you, this is the magical sort of deal. Break it and-¡± ¡°I¡¯m doomed to th-the abyss¡­I know.¡± Said Sly as he closed his wounded hand into a fist and glanced around, Karnage being completely held down by the mist while skeletal arms held Kyle hostage. ¡°Well?¡± urged Scythe with a raised brow. Sly grimaced as he nodded weakly ¡°You-¡± But Scythe cut him off by clearing his throat ¡°Do remember that I can and will break the pact if those three rules aren¡¯t to my liking. Please, go on.¡± Sly¡¯s grimace turned uglier as he grinded his teeth ¡°You leave me no choice huh?...¡± (¡°Neither you or I like each other, neither you or I wish to help each other.¡±) Scythe chuckled wickedly ¡°You never had one to begin with.¡± Sly looked up at the sky and closed his eyes (¡°But if you truly love your people, if you wish to just as I do keep that world safe. I only ask for one thing, let this spell go through.¡±) Scythe who was staring down at Sly expectantly suddenly lunged forwards, grabbing Sly by the neck with his outstretched hand almost choking him ¡°What are you plotting?!¡± he asked with an enraged expression. Sly smirked weakly in response (¡°Kali, lend me your power once more.¡±) ¡°Release my restraints¡± he spoke as suddenly miasma emerged to engulf him forcing Scythe to let go and step away from the black smog ¡°Break away the limit, for I care not of the consequences.¡± as Sly cast the spell the miasma tore away at the mist releasing him from his bindings ¡°Deus Ex Machina!¡±. The Devil no longer visible as in its place lay a mass of black smog surging with violet lightning, it twirled and swirled before converging on itself and taking form. Scythe slammed down his staff to the ground and red mist moved to engulf the miasma ¡°Fool, you¡¯ve only doomed your friends to a painful death and yourself to an existence of slavery!¡± his expression warped with annoyance. Suddenly the miasma shrunk down revealing what lay within, standing ten feet tall the skinless, black fleshed monster glared down at the Lich with it¡¯s empty black eyes. It growled revealing two sets of long black fangs that dripped with a green ichor, yet it hadn¡¯t finished changing. A carapace grew over it¡¯s skinless flesh as it¡¯s fingers elongated and hardened into sharp black claws. It¡¯s face elongated into a snout as did it¡¯s tail and wings both gained bladed tips and ends. Scythe grimaced as he held his weapon ahead of himself summoning several serpentine skeletons to emerge from the swirling mist around him, the serpents encircle and entangled themselves around the demonic creature while biting down onto it¡¯s armoured body. The monster reared back as it opened it¡¯s mouth wide open and roared. The sheer pressure emanating from it¡¯s open maw sent Scythe spiralling several meters back, with a bit more effort it pushed the serpents off shattering their boned bodies using it¡¯s monstrous strength. ¡°Ter-rance!¡± coughed out Kyle as he managed to raise himself up to a knee. Scythe who had stopped his movement by cushioning the impact with his mist had returned to the sky as mist swirled thicker and thicker all around him, raising his scythe towards the now monstrous Sly he grinned evilly as several dozen bone serpents emerged from the mist and charged at his position. Sly quickly turned around and grabbed Karnage in one hand and Kyle in the other, giving Scythe his back he opened his wings wide and with a single flap created so much force that not only ascended him into the sky but shattered the ground he once stood on. ¡°You shall not escape!¡± exclaimed Scythe as he moved to give chase, more and more serpents forming out of his mist each faster than Sly as with ease the skeletal creatures caught up with them. Yet Sly didn¡¯t look back, he flew forwards as fast as his wings could take him whilst the serpents lunged at him. Like blades their spine like bodies slashed at his sides and tore away at his wings, headbutting him in the back and stomach, biting away at him the serpents tried to tear Sly apart as they swarmed around him until he began to fall. Still holding his comrades close to his chest and surrounding them with his arms Sly shielded them from both the serpent¡¯s attacks and the impact that followed as he used what remained of his wings to turn around and let his back take the brunt of the fall. The stone street below shattered as he hit the ground as did similarly the carapace on his back sending ichor to splatter all around him. Sly looked down to see both Kyle and Karnage were still alive within his grasp before glancing up to see dozens of serpents descending upon him, quickly and painfully he stood back up and evaded several as they crashed into the ground where he once stood. Suddenly from the corner of his eyes as if it was always there but he had never noticed, Sly saw a bright white light flash at him. He turned towards the light to see a large sphere of it hovering above the ground, confused he stepped away from it. ¡°Ru-n into i-it!¡± exclaimed Kyle through several bloody coughs. Convinced Sly dashed towards the portal ignoring the pain in his sides and the agony of his tattered wings, evading side to side as serpents plunged down at his position without a care in the world. ¡°This doesn¡¯t end here Devil! Maybe losing what you hold dear will make you comprehend who you have opposed!¡± exclaimed Scythe as suddenly all the mist around them began to move and converge on the Lich chasing after them. The life of his friends fuelling him he charged straight at it, grasping both in each hand as he suddenly stopped several meters away from it. Sly threw Kyle into the portal as a serpent bit down onto his left shoulder, ignoring it he then threw Karnage as well and turned to face Scythe just multitudes of serpents entangled themselves around his legs and arms. Sly looked up to see Scythe far off behind with several hundred serpents of bone flying towards him, inside the Lich¡¯s palms a green mist had formed which he pointed down towards the portal. Sly roared out shattering the serpents that held him down to fragments and dust as he rushed towards the portal, bleeding from every place possible he lumbered over as a green light expanded out behind him. Sly stopped in front of the portal and with all his might opened his wings and arms wide covering it as the green mist rushed onto his spread out back. The mist seeped into his wounds as it covered his back, it oozed around him and entered his body as suddenly he screamed in a guttural tone full of agony. ¡°Fool!¡± exclaimed Scythe as he pulled back the green mist, having almost caught up with Sly he stopped and willed more serpents forward. Yet before the serpents could reach the broken down and tattered monstrosity, it fell forwards limply entering the portal and a flash of light followed as the portal suddenly closed behind it. Ch 90 - What creeps within Kyle felt around his body as he lay on the brink of regaining consciousness, he felt drained and more tired than he had ever felt before. Even as he awoken at first the weariness brought him back down forcing him back to sleep, this happened multiple times over before he finally woke up. Opening his eyes a dim blue light filled his view, the weariness still there he felt like he could at least hold onto consciousness this time around. (¡°Where¡­am I?¡±) he asked himself as his memory felt hazy, looking around he found himself laying on a cloth surface surrounded by a dimly glowing blue crystal room. Kyle groaned as he tried to fight off the weight on his body, barely enough energy in him to sit up. He breathed heavily and glanced around, the room was entirely empty other than the strange crystal bed he lay on and a single doorway to his left made of the same blueish crystal as the room. His head drummed and ached, his muscles weak and worn, his entire body¡¯s weight too much to handle. Kyle didn¡¯t think he could handle standing up. ¡°Good morning.¡± Spoke Durin as he suddenly appeared standing in front of the bed, wearing a solemn expression and standing straight with arms behind his back he stared down at his descendant ¡°How do you feel?¡±. Kyle slowly turned to look up at Durin ¡°Tired¡­¡± Durin sighed ¡°That comes with no surprise knowing what kind of creature you¡¯ve just faced, truly your generation are a peculiar kind of breed to run head first into a necromancer.¡± Kyle briefly looked at him in confusion when his head ache suddenly got worse, as he remembered the events that led up to now. His eyes widened as he rose and grabbed hold of Durin¡¯s shoulders ¡°Where are they!?¡± he exclaimed as the strength in his legs failed him yet he held on grasping the Spirit Beast¡¯s clothing dragged forwards. Durin stared down at Kyle retaining his solemn expression ¡°They are alive.¡± He responded as he bent down and after pulling Kyle¡¯s left arm over his shoulder held him up on both feet ¡°The woman woke up before you, I¡¯ll show you to them¡±. Kyle groaned in pain as the numbness in his legs made itself known, yet he carried on taking every step alongside Durin to see his friends for himself. Durin pushed through the crystal door guiding him into a short corridor, with three doors along it they took the second. Inside was a room just as small as the last, a crystal table lay in the middle with three individuals around and one laying on it. Karnage turned around as she heard them entering, her expression just as pale as Kyle¡¯s she sat on a chair next to the table with worry her only visible emotion ¡°Kyle¡­¡±. Kyle recognised Terrance standing at the front of the table currently giving them his back, his large shell covering who lay on it. To the first founder¡¯s left sat Karnage while to his right stood a Devil, pale white skin, short black hair with green strands, pitch black eyes and a single black horn that grew out of his forehead and bent back over his head. Dagon nodded at Kyle and Durin as they entered ¡°Never thought I¡¯d be meeting the both of you so soon, alas not in this state.¡± He said before turning back to the table as it came into Kyle¡¯s view. His eyes widened in shock as he watched Terrance¡¯s hand engulfed in a greenish mist hover over Sly¡¯s bare back. The Devil¡¯s skin was entirely paper white, his face with eyes closed was just as white and warped in agony as he bit down on a thick piece of cloth. Sly¡¯s back was fleshless, green ooze bubbled around his very visible spine and organs as the skin and flesh around it took a pale green hue. Kyle watched as Terrance inspected the damage, silently he watched alongside the others as Sly¡¯s muffled screams of pain only grew louder with each second that passed. Joined by Terrance¡¯s sigh the screams subsided as he pulled his hand away from Sly¡¯s back letting the mist settle down ¡°The corruption is strong, his body won¡¯t last.¡± ¡°Then we shall pull him back into the other?¡± asked Dagon. ¡°That will only prolong the inevitable.¡± said Terrance while shaking his head ¡°The necrotic curse is not only devouring his flesh but also deteriorating his soul, changing vessels will give him at leasta month. A month of decaying and sickening agony as his mind rots alongside.¡± ¡°What¡­do you mean? What happened to him!?¡± exclaimed Kyle as he pulled away from Durin, holding onto the table he stared at Terrance. The founder turned to him, a glint of sorrow in his eyes ¡°The necromancer struck at the portal as we changed it¡¯s location, your friend shielded it with his body to cover your escape. The curse is eating away at his flesh and corrupting his soul, we cannot stop it, nobody short of a just as powerful necromancer can.¡± ¡°Chaoz has no necromancers.¡± Dagon added with disdain. Kyle looked down at his friend, the incarnate meaning of sick he lay half-dead and dying. ¡°Is there nothing¡­nobody that can do anything about it?!¡± Terrance lay his hand over Kyle¡¯s shoulder ¡°Necromancy is a cruel magic, the curse put on your friend was made to induce prolonged pain and agony with an inevitable outcome. The power poured into this spell is something¡­nothing holy enough exists to purge it.¡± ¡°And with the Gods locked away¡­nothing less than achieving the Grand Quest and begging for the victor¡¯s aid will help him.¡± Explained Durin. ¡°The quest¡­¡±repeated Kyle. ¡°Only two heroes remain to take the trials.¡± Terrance suddenly spoke gaining a look of confusion from Kyle. ¡°H-How?¡± he asked in surprise. ¡°The Heroes of Nature and Reign failed their test of courage while the Heroes of Blood and Dagger failed their test of perception.¡± Terrance explained. Kyle glanced down at Sly¡¯s unconscious body ¡°That leaves¡­me and Light?...Zeeke seriously!? How many tests did he finish?¡± ¡°Both of you have one test remaining, the test of alignment. If one Hero completes all the tests their chosen Deity will be the victor of this Grand Quest, if you win then Ymir will be empowered but if this Zeeke wins then his Chooser will be.¡± Terrance further explained. ¡°One test¡­¡± Kyle repeated as he stared down at his wounded friend ¡°Can Ymir¡­if made the victor, truly heal this?¡±. Terrance nodded ¡°A God¡¯s powers are released if they succeed in a Grand Quest, their subordinates power doubled and reign over Chaoz is all but effort. But you the Dark Hero have a different choice, you can choose another God to be the victor. It doesn¡¯t need to be Ymir.¡± (¡°The Dark Hero¡­the volatile player...¡±) Kyle thought before glancing away from Sly¡¯s rotting back and at Karnage, then Dagon, then Durin before turning to Terrance ¡°What does the last test require me to do? Is it similar to the first and the second?¡± ¡°No it is not.¡± Terrance began with a darkened expression ¡°Unlike the test of courage which requires the Hero to defeat their fears and the test of perception which forces the Hero to either understand themselves or break under it¡¯s pressure¡­The test of alignment, same as the Grand Quest¡¯s requirement is the finality of the Quest. Since no requirement was set to the Quest, the Avatar set his own.¡± Terrance glanced at Dagon ¡°This Quest¡¯s requirement, the final requirement¡­is one of unity. War is approaching, whether for good or bad, war never is either. War is only pain and suffering but war is at this point inevitable. The question is now, will it be war between the factions of Chaoz? Or war against the storm Scythe will bring? This is the final test, the decision whether Chaoz will destroy itself, be destroyed by Scythe or unite and survive.¡± The first founder turned back to Kyle ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter which faction owns Chaoz, to complete the test of alignment each faction must become one. To prepare for the storm that is to come, the storm that will eventually come.¡± Kyle grimaced ¡°You said Sly has at least a month?¡± ¡°A month if we move him to his other vessel currently under Mistress¡¯s care.¡± Dagon replied in confirmation. ¡°If Scythe will wait that long, the Quest will fail if Scythe and his allies arrive before that.¡± Added Durin. ¡°I have¡­under a month or Sly will die and Chaoz will be destroyed¡­I haven¡¯t even begun fixing my soul¡­¡± said Kyle with disdain clear in his tone. ¡°We.¡± Correct Karnage as she hugged the large blanket that enveloped her close to her face ¡°You aren¡¯t alone in this, idiot.¡± ¡°The woman speaks true Dark Hero.¡± Said Dagon as his sharp bright green eyes focused on him ¡°You have allies, strong and cunning ones. You aren¡¯t in this fight alone, not only do I doubt that your guild will abandon you and him but you and them are part of the Seven Dezol Legions now.¡± He turned to Sly ¡°He is also family.¡± Eyes almost burning he grinned ¡°And damn us all if after all we¡¯ve been through we¡¯d just give Chaoz up! Less so to a detested Lich!¡± Dagon turned to stare back at Kyle ¡°I shall make sure father and the other lords understand. This war against the Elves is meaningless, if we are to survive we must unite.¡± Kyle nodded ¡°Thank you¡­¡± he turned to look back at Karnage ¡°Both of you, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to count on that and just that¡­¡± clenching his hands around the table¡¯s edge he glanced at Durin ¡°I¡¯m sorry to keep you waiting, but I¡¯m ready to begin-¡± ¡°No you aren¡¯t, not in this state.¡± Replied Durin with a chuckle as he watched Kyle barely keeping himself standing ¡°Rest some more first.¡± He glanced at Sly on the table ¡°You have much to think about too.¡± Kyle nodded sadly, pushing away from the table he sat down on the chair behind him with a thud. He sighed ¡°How do I explain this to the others¡­¡± he wondered out loud. ¡°I¡¯ll do it, I¡¯ll go back and tell everyone.¡± said Karnage as she also stared down at Sly¡¯s back, guilt and mild fear painting her expression briefly before she looked up to meet Kyle¡¯s confused expression ¡°My skill, it¡¯s¡­versatile. When It¡¯s cooldown is over I¡¯ll go back.¡± she quickly explained with little detail then glanced away from him. (¡°He called her a Witch¡­¡±) Kyle thought back to what Scythe had called each of them, not feeling in the mood to poke in further he simply nodded after saying ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you then.¡± Laying his head to the back of the chair he felt as if a blade had been removed from his chest, not everything was lost¡­not just yet. Still drained from the fight, having both his mana and stamina forced out of himself, Kyle felt his consciousness wane away. The rush of panic and anger that he woke up with gone, with his energy still on the low Kyle fell back asleep. Karnage watched as he dozed off, having only been half a dozen hours since they returned she didn¡¯t blame him for still being tired. After all her own passive skills made her an exception in that regard, as much as she wanted to fall asleep too she already felt full of energy and ready for another fight. ¡°I shall be returning to the land of the living then.¡± Said Dagon as he turned to Terrance and Durin ¡°Thank you for having me, Founders of Kori.¡± Giving them both a military bow he turned away ¡°He will be returned to my-¡° he coughed catching himself ¡±his healthier vessel before the hour.¡± then dissipated into green smoke. ¡°Best we move him to a more appropriate resting place?¡± said Terrance as he gestured at Kyle ¡°How about you?¡± he then asked Karnage. She glanced up at him slightly confused ¡°Yeah¡­sure.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Terrance nodded, a slight mischievous smirk barely visible through his facial hair ¡°We shall watch the ailed one, rest up.¡± Before flicking his fingers and both adventurers disappeared into thin air. ¡°Will you show yourself now?¡± asked Durin while glancing over at a corner in the room. ¡°Ever the perceptive one.¡± Celica groaned in annoyance as she suddenly appeared, walking over to the table she began to inspect Sly¡¯s wounds ¡°This Scythe is¡­powerful.¡± ¡°Which is why we must guide him to a better path than the one he threads.¡± said Terrance as he watched Sly¡¯s body suddenly glow a mild violet before dimming back ¡°Quick one that Devil¡­¡± he mumbled before turning to Durin ¡°Dispose of the ailed body, the curse is attached to both and we mustn¡¯t let it spread.¡± Durin nodded respectfully and approached the table, laying both palms over the now soulless body the last founder focused his mana into the corpse. Rapidly, like water freezing over the body was not only engulfed in but changed to blue crystal before condensing and contorting on itself shrinking down into a small blue sphere the size of a fist. Within the sphere a thick green mist floated aimlessly inside. Durin grasped the sphere carefully with one hand, raising it to eyelevel he sighed and said ¡°To the catacombs with this I fear¡­¡± before disappearing into thin air. Celica turned to Terrance ¡°Tell me truly, what are his chances of finishing his training before it¡¯s too late?¡± Terrance briefly glanced at her before glancing away, waving his left palm ahead of them a crystal surface ¨C like a mirror floating in mid-air- formed and shone a bright green shortly. As the mirror¡¯s shine died down a scene displayed itself inside the crystal surface, Ymir sitting on his throne with an aura of frost emanating out from his massive body and oozing down onto the shape of a much much smaller being. ¡°I am doing my best to keep him whole, yet the child seems to insist on breaking.¡± Ymir chuckled as his aura of frost enveloped the small creature ahead of himself, a blue fox with long ears and two tails, it¡¯s fur covered in white twisting lines standing on edge as it¡¯s long white claws and sharp fangs bared and frenzied similar to it¡¯s wide open eyes warped in anger and fury. The small fox was completely frozen, seemingly in time as it lay completely immobile within the frost. ¡°Although after what he¡¯s seen, what he¡¯s been through. I do not blame him.¡± Ymir added as he looked up from the fox and into the mirror at them both. ¡°Fixing this will take time.¡± Said Terrance with a long sigh. ¡°How long would it take Scythe to find another way out of that realm?¡± Celica asked as she stared at the projection of Kyle¡¯s soul, unable to look away as the pain and guilt gripped onto her tightly. Ymir¡¯s eyes hardened as he spoke ¡°If Scythe wishes for a way to travel through realms he will require one of many species, a newly changed Devil would be the easiest to control but those are very rare. He could find Devillings among the discarded and force them to change but he will mostly end up with Hellhounds as a result. Yet there are creatures in that dump that not even I can remember. The power to travel between realms is not as uncommon as one would think, with enough training even a simple human like Draxxer managed it albeit his short sightedness on his ability to.¡± Ymir huffed, almost a snort as he held his face ¡°All in all¡­it only comes down to math. To have enough mana to break through the veil¡­to have something that can affect the veil and something to work as a connection to your destination. That is all he needs.¡± Celica grimaced ¡°So the Devil was only plan A¡­He has the mana and the artefact so all he really needs, something or someone to act as a connection to Chaoz...¡± ¡°Indeed, he needs someone of the realm he wishes to visit. Someone or something that has a connection from there¡­it can be any summoned that has a body-vessel on Chaoz or¡­¡± Terrance stopped briefly, scratching his long moustache ¡°Someone or something that was banished to that realm from Chaoz.¡± ¡°A week.¡± Said Ymir gaining both Terrance and Celica¡¯s attention ¡°We have at most a week.¡±
In another room, minutes before. Karnage opened her eyes as reality suddenly shifted before her, teleportation wasn¡¯t something someone got used to easily. As the vision of the room before disappeared a single face came into her view, pale and weary Kyle¡¯s face filled her sight causing her to flinch. With a mild yelp, she suddenly surged back and crashed into the wall sideways, ending up on the floor. She picked herself up and glanced around, finding herself inside another room made of blue crystal, same as the buildings outside. A single bed lay on the other side of the room, the one Kyle currently lay on, the one she had also appeared on. ¡°Damn geezer¡­¡± she mumbled under her breath as her heart-rate slowly recovered, standing up fully she glanced over at the bed where Kyle slept. She took a step forward but found herself stopping there, unable to approach further. It was as if her body had frozen, as if her very instincts told her to turn away and stay away. She stared and watched as he slept peacefully, pale and weary yes but still a complete opposite of what he looked like hours before. Kyle looked entirely defenceless now. Yet she still regarded him with caution, remembering as she stood there what she had seen.
Crystal Kingdom of Kori, Library¡¯s front Karnage¡¯s reminiscing 7 hours ago. Karnage rolled through the ground after being thrown into the portal, the dirt and grass squashed under her weight as she tumbled to a stop. Drained and powerless, turning herself over was all her body was capable of at this point. She glanced around as people with animalistic features ran over to her and Kyle to her left. ¡°Close the por-!¡± exclaimed Durin. But was hastily cut off by Kyle ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± he shouted with mana filling his voice. Karnage watched as he pulled himself to standing, barely able to hold himself as his legs trembled below him he stared at the portal. So she did the same, glancing to the side at the white mass of light. Suddenly a green hue flared out of the portal, a green mist that in several tendrils lashed out randomly. Karnage watched as a tendril struck out at Kyle, swooping down onto him as he stared up at it in surprise. A flash of red light burst out from the corner of her eyes as Celica suddenly appeared engulfed in crimson flames, pushing Kyle to the side with her shoulder she took the brunt of the mist¡¯s swipe. The front of her clothes were torn apart as a green oozing scar formed over her chest at the tendril¡¯s end passing over and through. Celica screamed in agony as the scar glowed a dangerous green, she fell to her knees, her expression warped in pain as tears flooded out. Kyle tried to stand up to rush to her side only to fall back as his strength left him, his mana having long run out as he tried to surge his stamina also went down to zero. Karnage briefly watched as Kyle reached out to an agonized Celica when suddenly the portal flashed again, a massive body of black scales collapsed through as it¡¯s back oozed a green mist. The moment the body hit the ground it exploded into dark violet smoke, immediately dissipating it revealed Sly laying face down on the ground. His eyes were rolled back into his head, his expression one of sheer agony as his back lay open and fleshless for all to see. Green mist oozed out of the large wound where not only his spine but also organs were fully visible, the skin surrounding it seemed to turn green and grow cracks. He seemed dead. A cackling voice came through the portal ¡°Bring him back to me, Blue fox. Only I can save him now.¡± spoke Scythe ¡°Or is the Devil of no consequence to you? Are your allies that repl-¡± Reality trembled forcing everyone to cover their ears and hit the ground, as a shriek so loud reverberated through the air that itself shook. A continuous monstrous scream that brought out a chilling fear into all that heard it, as it slowly changed the shriek became a booming roar now making the ground quake. Karnage held onto her ears as she trembled on the ground, fear like she had never felt before filling her entirely. She watched from where the sound had come from, she watched as Kyle stood facing the portal completely changed. Mouth agape like a roaring dragon, Kyle¡¯s skin became covered in white glowing lines, his hair stood on edge and ablaze in Frostfire, his two tails expanded as their white fur also gained a design of blueish lines. His teeth had entirely changed to fangs, his hands and feet warped growing fur becoming beast-like as his claws scraped the ground below him. His eyes, the whites having turned entirely black as his silver irises turned white while in the very middle of them was a blue flame-like pupil. If it wasn¡¯t apparent yet, once the creature spoke it became so, ¡°I will destroy you¡­¡± that Kyle had snapped. The creature repeated itself this time louder than before ¡°I WILL DESTROY YOU!¡± sending ripples of blue flame through the air around it, it¡¯s voice a combination of shattering glass and crackling fire. The ground continued to quake as an aura of cold fear continued to envelope it¡¯s surroundings, making it difficult for anybody to stand or act. Slowly, as if held back by it¡¯s own weight the creature approached the portal ¡°Piece by piece¡­I will shred you¡­tear you apart¡­piece by piece I will enjoy the taste of your soul as I devour it over eternity to come¡­¡± Suddenly as it did so explosions of frost blasted through the ground all around it, through each explosion appeared a white chain seemingly made of ice. The chains engulfed the creature, wrapping themselves around it¡¯s arms, legs, tails and waist before also entangling around themselves. It shrieked and roared, it¡¯s aura of cold that emanated fear turning into a warm burning aura of hate. ¡°THE TORTURE I SHALL INFLICT UPON WILL BE ENDLESS!¡± it continued to scream out at the portal ¡°All your fears¡­ALL YOUR GUILT! All your painful losses¡­With each bite you will remember it all¡­WITH EACH MOMENT I SHALL DROWN YOU IN TRUE DESPAIR!¡± The chains forced it to the ground yet it continued to resist, it continued to shout ¡°YOU WILL BEG ME TO END YOU!¡±. It¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t one of hate or anger, not one of sadness or pain. ¡°And instead I shall only put you back together to do it all over again¡­¡± it¡¯s expression was one of maddened pleasure ¡°OVER AND OVER AGAIN!¡±. Karnage couldn¡¯t stand to watch, having long looked away from the emerged monster and hugged her legs up to her face. As she trembled in fear on the ground, all she could do now was listen. Then suddenly the sound stopped, the screaming ended, the aura of cold dissipated. The fear that had appeared on it¡¯s own disappeared but it didn¡¯t leave her unaffected. She was still unable to stand, unable to open her eyes. She didn¡¯t want to see, she didn¡¯t want to know. She was too terrified to find out, too afraid of the monster nearby to look around. Even flinching as a warm hand suddenly yet gently grasped her left arm. ¡°Hey hey, it¡¯s okay now. It¡¯s over.¡± Spoke Celica from above her. Karnage cautiously peeked through to see Celica standing above her, her chest bare from the shredded clothing but the scar nowhere to be seen. ¡°H-how?¡± her voice cracked and stumbled. Celica smiled as she traced the skin where her injury once lay with her free hand ¡°Being a guide has it¡¯s perks I guess¡­I¡¯m fine but¡­¡± she glanced back and spoke sadly ¡°That was too close¡­.¡± Karnage followed Celica¡¯s eyes to see. Misty frost rose all around him as Kyle lay on the ground unconscious, his form returned to normal as the chains and shackles of ice melted around him. By his side stood Durin and several other founders joined by a large cloaked figure, wearing black and green leather armour and a long tattered black cloak very little of the massive man was visible. ¡°Did he break?¡± asked Durin with a tired tone, having taken his all to supress the fear from enveloping him ¡°Have we lost him master Loki?¡± Loki shook his head as he spoke, his voice everchanging and tone never the same making it hard to understand ¡°No¡­He is not whole but not scattered just yet. Ymir held him together-¡±
The door suddenly opened snapping Karnage out of her thoughts, she found herself backed up to the wall hugging her arms around her chest tightly. A cold sweat ran down her back, her hands trembled uncontrollably as she remembered. (¡°Why¡­why am I so?...¡±) lost in her thoughts once again she seemed to have forgotten what had snapped her out the first time. Celica sighed from where she stood in the doorway, causing Karnage to snap out of her thoughts again and flinch back ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for being afraid child, monsters are at their most horrifying at birth.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Karnage was staring at her now, the trembling in her hands had stopped but the underlying fear was still there. Celica approached the bed and sat down next to Kyle¡¯s sleeping form ¡°We almost lost him yet he won¡¯t remember a thing, thanks to Ymir¡¯s intervention he still stands a chance.¡± Her expression was solemn but she couldn¡¯t hide the pain and guilt in her tone ¡°If I hadn¡¯t let him go¡­he would of lost his friend and given Scythe what he wanted¡­but I did and now this¡­¡± Celica chuckled weakly ¡°Tell me child do you believe in fate?¡± Karnage stared at her, confused and feeling out of place she couldn¡¯t understand where that question came from ¡°Fate?...¡± ¡°Fate, that each one of us is destined to something. That our paths have already been written in stone, that our future has already been determined.¡± Celica explained as she turned to look at Kyle¡¯s sleeping form ¡°I was once told that this child is fated to crumble, that he¡¯s destined to darkness. I didn¡¯t believe that creature.¡± She sighed whilst gently pulling one of Kyle¡¯s tails off his face ¡°Now I¡¯m not so sure¡­maybe there really is nothing I can do from stopping him, from becoming just like it. Maybe no matter how much I push and pull he cannot stray away from that path¡­¡± ¡°Then why is he still here?¡± Karnage asked as her stare had fallen to the floor ¡°What¡¯s the point of letting us struggle if we¡¯ve already lost to begin with?¡± Celica turned to face Karnage again ¡°I don¡¯t believe in fate, destiny whatever. It¡¯s all bullshit. We choose for ourselves, what actions we take, what decisions we make. Others can and will influence us, others will make us change but in the end it¡¯s our choice, it¡¯s our path to build.¡± the older woman wore an expression of wise understanding as she listened to Karnage¡¯s response. ¡°Then why are you leaving?¡± Celica then asked causing Karnage to flinch again. ¡°To tell the others...so they can prepar-¡± Karnage whispered her broken reply. Celica cut her off ¡°That¡¯s a lie.¡± causing her to look up in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Karnage didn¡¯t know how to respond, she hadn¡¯t expected her to be so straight forward. Celica chuckled ¡°You¡¯re terrified of him, aren¡¯t you?¡± she asked causing Karnage to flinch back, the Kitsune¡¯s eyes shining a dim red as she spoke ¡°You¡¯re afraid of what he could become, afraid of the monster that lays inside him.¡± Karnage couldn¡¯t respond, she simply stared at her speechless as the fear in her chest tightened it¡¯s grasp. ¡°It is okay to be afraid child, he is terrified of it too.¡± said Celica as she leaned back and stared down at Kyle¡¯s pale face ¡°Isn¡¯t he?¡± Karnage felt like Celica had just slapped her across the face (¡°He is¡­he is afraid of it too¡­¡±) she thought remembering what he had said and she herself had told him back then, barely a day ago ¡°I won¡¯t end up another corpse¡­¡± she whispered. ¡°What was that?¡± asked Celica with a raised brow and a knowing smile. ¡°We¡¯re¡­both afraid of the same thing¡­¡± replied Karnage, the fear in her chest slowly subsiding. Celica stood up from the bedside and stretched her arms around ¡°And you both don¡¯t want that thing to come out again, right?¡± she asked after moving to stand by the door. Karnage shook her head ¡°No¡­¡± a weak smile on her face. ¡°Then go back and tell them all to prepare.¡± Celica told her as she pushed open the door ¡±This fool has fought off fate for long enough, it won¡¯t stop him now.¡± then left the room leaving Karnage to her thoughts. Ch 91 - Consequentiality Two blue flames, dim and small yet bright compared to the utter darkness that surrounded them. They danced around, left to right, right to left approaching. Getting closer and closer. The fire gave away no heat, no warmth to ease from the darkness, it¡¯s light dim and cold. So cold that the air around it turned to frost, the darkness itself shifting with the frost giving way for the flame. ¡°Resist as you may¡­¡± the voice was like a cold breeze, chilling to the bone ¡°But in the end everything must concede.¡± More flame joined the two blazes, a stretched out third blaze below forming a cruel smile ¡°Even you yourself wish to break, only that they do not wish it for you. It is only they that keep you together, it is only they that hold you from falling apart.¡± The darkness suddenly parted as the black-blue flames took a larger form, standing on four clawed paws, starting with a long grinning snout full of fangs, two wide maddened eyes and two long pointed ears. Ending in two long furry tails the blue fox stood ablaze, cackling as it stared directly at him. It¡¯s black-blue eyes taking pleasure from his fear, it¡¯s tongue licking it¡¯s fangs as if tasting it ¡°But slowly you have, slowly you¡¯ve fallen this far¡­¡± The creature cackled, the sound as if ice was breaking alongside fire crackling ¡°And lower you shall fall, further you shall break until nothing of you remains.¡± The creature moved closer, so close that he could feel the cold emanating from it¡¯s breath ¡°You are so close¡­So sooo close¡­Why not let go?...Just once more, once more and it will all be over.¡± It opened it¡¯s jaws revealing it¡¯s jagged black set of fangs ¡°All your suffering¡­Every regret¡­All your losses¡­Every mistake¡­All gone¡­Just come¡­CLOSER¡±
Kyle woke up with a start, gasping for air as he had held his breath even as he dreamt. His entire body trembled as cold sweat covered him, his eyes lay wide open and fully focused on the ceiling as the sudden fear slowly waned. The image of those long jagged fangs closing in around him the last thing he could remember before waking up. Kyle waited as his heartrate slowed, having become somewhat calm he tried to sit up but found that something was weighing him down. He blinked the blurriness from his eyes and glanced around from where he lay, holding onto his left arm and laying her head on his chest was a woman. Her face was covered by long black hair but he already knew who it was, raising his free right hand he noticed that his claws had come out. He stared at his claws (¡°This is why¡­¡±) he thought as he felt his chest tighten, he released his claws returning them to fingers. Kyle carefully he pulled her hair aside revealing Karnage¡¯s face, asleep her expression was calm and serene. She had pushed his arm aside and rested her head over his chest, pressed against him was most of her body. Yet instead of feeling self-conscious of the moment Kyle only felt more hollow, as he carefully tried to pull himself away in her sleep she clung on tighter as he rose. Kyle half smiled at her reaction, but his smile was soured as over her he saw, claw marks over shredded sheets where his other hand once lay. Again he carefully rose, pulled his arm from under her sleeping form and laid her back. He stood up from the bed and as he fixed his clothes he glanced back, not her sleeping form but at the shredded sheets ¡°Until nothing remains¡­¡± he whispered to himself as a sickening feeling suddenly overtook him. Kyle stumbled over to the wall where he grasped at it, holding himself up as nausea filled his head. Stopping himself short of puking he breathed in, a long drawn out breath. Just as it came the nausea disappeared, leaving a disgusted feeling behind as he regained his composure. ¡°So you¡¯re just going to walk away huh?...¡± as Karnage suddenly spoke he glanced back, she still lay sitting on the bed but was giving him her back. (¡°She didn¡¯t notice¡­¡±) he thought, leaving the questions of what he had just felt for later he responded ¡°I never asked you to cling me as I sleep.¡± his tone was annoyed but his expression showed otherwise as he looked away with longing eyes. Karnage chuckled ¡°You never asked me to come either, you never asked me follow you yet follow I did.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Kyle asked as he clenched his fists and grinded his teeth, a polar opposite of his tone as it retained it¡¯s annoyance ¡°I¡¯ve been nothing but a villain, what do you even see in me?¡± ¡°What I see¡­¡± She chuckled again ¡°Gods, magic, demons and monsters are real. We stood in another world, being played like pieces on a board, used for someone else¡¯s plans, faced with beings beyond our comprehension. I was terrified, scared witless and all I wanted to do was run and hide. Then there you were standing in the very centre, insulting a being that had just declared itself as God. That was the first time I noticed you, honestly I thought you were mad.¡± Karnage sighed as she leaned back and laid herself on the bed ¡°Back then I was nothing, not a leader, not a commander like Zaahr. I was just the front girl, the mascot of the guild. I could do whatever I wanted, it really didn¡¯t matter since Zaahr was the real guild master. If only that girl wasn¡¯t so damn shy, I wouldn¡¯t have even been the mascot.¡± She took a deep breath, holding it in briefly before letting it back out ¡°So I came with, I followed you and your crazy friends because your group intrigued me. But mostly I watched you and over time I began to notice how you acted. It was as if you wore a mask, one that you rarely took off. When you faced Lilliana was the first time¡­The second time you took that mask off was when you spoke to Jekyll and Helen, I could only hold my breath as you laid it out on them both!¡± Her tone grew excited as she continued to speak ¡°How you perceived the moment, how you turned it all around. It was amazing, like something out of a movie. I couldn¡¯t help but ask myself ¡®Is that the same person?¡¯. At that time I didn¡¯t know, I wasn¡¯t aware of it. That is until it was my turn¡­what you told me that night¡­To find my own way¡­¡± Karnage stood up and turned around, seeing him frozen by the door, his shoulders slumped down and arms laying limp, he faced the door unmoving and without saying a word ¡°You opened my eyes Kyle, that not everything is black and white. You made me see what there is in between, what I couldn¡¯t see before.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t hold my hand, you just laid it bare and let me choose. That is what I see in you, you don¡¯t beat around the bush, you aren¡¯t in it for the glory, you aren¡¯t in it for the gain. You did all that because you enjoyed it, because you truly loved spinning the story yourself.¡± She stepped closer ¡°I only got to see it once, your real face. Now it doesn¡¯t matter how long you keep that mask on, I¡¯ll wait till you finally take it off again.¡± Now standing behind him she placed her right palm over his back ¡°You can be as cruel as you want, be the villain for as long as you need. I know it¡¯s not you, the monster isn¡¯t you.¡± Kyle suddenly flinched, his tails and shoulders shuddered as his eyes opened wide ¡°But what if I become?...What if I snap!?¡± he slammed both fists onto the door ¡°What if I cannot be saved?! What if I become the monster!?¡± he trembled with anger trying his best to hold it in ¡°On anybody¡­I wouldn¡¯t wish what I¡¯ve gone through!¡± Frostfire then emerged from the tips of his ears and tails, his claws and fangs grew out as his eyes began to shine a dim blue. Karnage leaned in closer and wrapped her arms around him, laying herself over his back but stayed silent as he let it all out ¡°But then when I-¡­when I think of it¡­of that thing¡­of what it did to me¡­I feel like I want to snap¡­I want to be angry! I want to fucking lose my mind!¡± he leaned forward pressing his forehead onto the door as tears rushed out wetting his face and chin ¡°But I can¡¯t¡­I know I can¡¯t¡­But I can¡¯t stop myself from wondering¡­I even dream about it¡­¡± Kyle fists began to push into the door, the crystal showing signs of cracking ¡°I¡­I d-dream of it¡­of what¡­I could become. A beast that only cares for torture¡­A monster that finds pleasure in other¡¯s despair¡­¡± he remembered the nightmare he had only moments before, the blue-flamed eyes that watched him hungrily.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. He leaned away from the door, unwrapped her arms from around himself and turned around. Kyle stared at her briefly as she stared back, a weak smile on her face as her eyes met his. His hands shook as he let go of hers, he stepped back fully backing up into the door as he realised what that sickening feeling earlier was. He was dreaming of it, he was being enticed by it, he had almost reached out to it. Cold wrapped itself on Kyle¡¯s insides as he shut off all emotion, the fear, the pain, the anger and frustration all froze within. His expression changed, the tears stopped as his eyes steadied, turning cold and blank. Kyle did so as he couldn¡¯t possibly say the words he was about to say without, as he had just realised that when he reached out to the monster within, she was laying right next to him. She would have been his first victim. As his cold distant eyes met her now confused expression he spoke solemnly ¡°I cannot be with you, I cannot be with anyone.¡± (¡°All it takes is one moment, one short moment of weakness and I¡¯ll snap.¡±) he thought briefly ¡°Stay away from me, stay far-¡± ¡°Idiot¡± Karnage suddenly cut him off as she leaned up to him and grabbed the front of his coat with both hands, pulling him closer she leaned in and their lips met in the middle. When he flinched out of emotional coldness she held him in place, not allowing him to back away from her passionate kiss. Kyle couldn¡¯t get himself out of her lock, he didn¡¯t even want to. So instead he took the lead, grabbing her by the waist he pulled her closer and dived in suddenly making her mildly yelp from the surprise but she didn¡¯t let go either. His left hand found it¡¯s place holding her closer but his right moved up, tracing the back of her body with his palm it slowly came to a stop on her left cheek. They remained like that for what felt like an eternity, leaned into the cracked door as she pressed closer to him and he pulled her further. But to an end it came as she slowly pulled her face away from his, only to rest her head on his right shoulder while she whispered into his ear ¡°Durin can wait¡­a bit longer don¡¯t you think?...¡± Kyle shuddered a little as he sensed the mischievousness in her tone and hunger in her Spirit.
Agony like he had never felt before, as if a chemical flame had been ignited inside him, as if an iron maiden had been closed onto him, as if he was being pulled and stretched out from every limb until he began to break apart, as if his very blood was melting him from inside out. All at the same time and more. This is what Sly felt when he woke, the pain that filled him was so overpowering that he couldn¡¯t even scream, he could barely even breathe. Quickly his senses were overwhelmed, his mind shutting them down to retain his sanity. He immediately passed out. Yet this didn¡¯t stop the curse, the pain continued on even through his forced sleep. Like the cruellest of nightmares he lay in complete darkness trying to wriggle around, trying to scream, trying to do anything to stop the pain but he couldn¡¯t even move. Sly couldn¡¯t feel a single part of his body anymore, not his arms or legs, not his chest or even face. All he felt was pain, torment that threatened to break his mind. The pain was all there was, the pain was the only sense coming through, the pain was his entire world. Suffering became his reality. Then his reality stopped. The pain suddenly vanished yet he still couldn¡¯t feel his body, he couldn¡¯t move or speak. Sly couldn¡¯t see and couldn¡¯t hear, he couldn¡¯t even feel a single thing. At most all he could do was think, awareness of his own mind was all he had. ¡°I truly hope that I have interrupted your torment quickly enough, is your sanity still whole boy?¡± asked a detached voice, it¡¯s tone solemn and sound impossible to describe. Sly could hear the words, he could understand them but the sound that carried them made no sense to him. ¡°Who¡­¡± he found out that when he thought a word, he spoke it ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Who I am is of no importance to this moment in existence, what matters is instead what I am and what I can do for you.¡± ¡°What¡­are you?¡± Sly asked tentatively. ¡°I am everything, young one. I am the soil you step on, the air you breathe, the very food you eat and everything else.¡± The voice explained with a humoured tone ¡°I am the people you know, the people you don¡¯t. I am even you.¡± Sly¡¯s mind blanked out, he had no clue as to what the hell it was talking about. The voice chuckled ¡°But for this occasion let us just say that I am a who, what people of your time call the Avatar of creation.¡± Sly¡¯s mind skipped a thought and a few more after that, befuddled at what was transpiring as he lay in between existence and not ¡°The Avatar¡­? The God of Gods? The creator of all?...¡±. ¡°Hm¡­Well I wouldn¡¯t quiet put it like so. I am not anybody yet I am everybody, I am indeed creation but not a singular entity. I am simply existence given sentience. I have the ability to make anything happen within reality but at the cost of stopping something else from happening entirely. Even speaking with you right now is stopping a world from being born.¡± ¡°Oh¡­Just how high am I at the moment?...¡± Sly then asked not entirely serious. ¡°Well if it makes it easier for you to comprehend, yes you are completely baked.¡± The voice responded entirely serious. ¡°I¡­ah¡­well then.¡± Was all Sly could respond with. ¡°Any other questions so we may move on? A world is dying as we speak after all.¡± Pointed out the voice. ¡°Move on¡­¡± answered Sly. ¡°And move on we shall. I am sure you comprehend the current core happenings of your reality, a powerful mage and his associates have associated themselves with a very powerful creature. So much so that I am required to actually act and supress it¡¯s power which has only happened once before, the war between Gods.¡± the voice moved on to explaining. ¡°This creature, known as a Nogitsune and specifically as Void, has absorbed a part of me. As a being that powers itself through absorbing others it used that power to absorb the entire realm it once inhabited, becoming that realm itself. Albeit that hefty meal it hungers for more, it hungers to devour me whole.¡± ¡°So why not¡­like¡­make it disappear?...¡± Sly cut in. ¡°Reality doesn¡¯t work that way. As I had just explained any action I take as a sentient part of existence will in exchange utterly halt another action within existence. Stopping the war between Gods and sealing their power, the exchange for that was half of existence disappearing. Imagine that, half of everything that is, gone over night to stop a silly squabble between immature children.¡± ¡°Oh¡­Oh.¡± ¡°Unlike a God, which is in a sense a singular sentient entity, Void is now a plural. It has become a realm, a part of existence but not. As I am reality, it has become another. One reality cannot affect another without heavy consequences.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just say I understood everything you just said¡­Why are you telling me this?¡± Sly then asked, trying to get to the point. ¡°I am telling you, specifically you, because you have become inconsequential to reality.¡± The voice explained. ¡°I what now?...¡± Sly asked slightly more confused. ¡°You have done your part, you have made your actions, you will spend the rest of what remains of your life as a living being in agony till you die. You will go to the Abyss, where further torture awaits you, where you will forget everything about your current self before being reborn.¡± It then fully explained. ¡°Okay first, that¡¯s fucked up¡­and second what the fuck is up with the abyss anyway?!¡± exclaimed Sly. ¡°I could explain the very reason behind your race¡¯s curse, the betrayal your race has made to life itself. I could show you every single atrocity your race has made, every flayed soul, every condemned good.¡± It¡¯s tone suddenly grew harrowing before returning to being solemn ¡°Or we could save time and simply say you¡¯ve deserved every little bit of it. And it is also there to keep you under control, a price to pay for the power you possess. For what you are.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­fair enough?...¡± He wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to argue with that response. ¡°Indeed but anyhow, do you understand your position at the moment? You have no more actions on the board to make, you are inconsequential to the events that are about to take place. You are a free player, so much so that affecting you cost me little compared to affecting another. Aiding your friend during his time of torment costed me much more, but I was willing to as to test his usefulness.¡± ¡°Kyle? Great that definitely makes me feel important¡­So what¡¯s your point? I¡¯m fucked, so what¡¯s it to you?¡± Sly asked with a depressed tone. ¡°I can give you actions to make on the board, I can allow you to be consequential again.¡± ¡°You can heal me?...Will you heal me?¡± he asked before quickly changing his question thinking that of course it could, rather it was a question of whether it actually would. ¡°No countering your curse would make you too consequential, it makes you a permanent player again which would take much more than I am willing to sacrifice on you.¡± ¡°Neat¡­¡± groaned Sly in annoyance. ¡°What I can do is give you a chance at being consequential again, I can lessen the pain and allow you to move around while you still have time. What you do with that time is up to you. Your comrades already have found a way to heal you but they are unfortunately short on time, they will not make it. You taking part in their efforts may or may not give them the chance they need, so in essence you could end up healing yourself.¡± Sly remained quiet for some time, letting that sink in before asking ¡°What do you gain from this?¡± ¡°I increase my chances of survival.¡± ¡°At the same time I increase my own huh?...¡± said Sly resigning himself ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take your damn bet.¡± The voice chuckled ¡°Do not let me down.¡± If Sly could snort he would ¡°Or what? Will you curse me? Condemn me to a lifetime of torture?¡± ¡°Hhmm¡­Fair point. On another note, you won¡¯t remember this conversation.¡± ¡°Well¡­fuck¡­¡± was the last thing Sly said before he found himself gasping for air and wide awake. ¡°How¡­¡± asked Liliana as she stood over him, tracing her hand over his bare chest with white mana enveloping it. ¡°I¡­Ooohhhh I feel like shit¡­¡± said Sly as he closed his eyes back up, the pain having severely lessened but was still very much present ¡°Fuck¡­you got any painkillers around here?...Pain removal spells? Anything?¡± he asked before groaning in pain and turning over, finding that he was laying on some sort of very thick cloth. ¡°We¡¯ve already tried everything¡­¡± spoke Reyna from somewhere further away. ¡°Well¡­fuck.¡± Ch 92 - Determination. Barik Eslet, Royal District. Birse sat within his office going through a short stack of paperwork, ahead of him was a small metal stand holding up the communicative device. ¡°That¡¯s th-the gist of it.¡± Said Sly through the VCD, having had just explained the happenings on Mars and his, Kyle¡¯s and Karnage¡¯s collision with Scythe. ¡°I failed.¡± Muttered Sly with a grimace, half showing annoyance and the rest resisting the pain he was currently in. Birse glanced up from a scroll he was reading ¡°You did, this time around anyway. We did not know Scythe would be this strong, I¡¯d had figured he¡¯d be about slightly stronger than Draxxer but¡­¡± Sly shook his head, grunting in annoyance at that mistake as his shoulder suddenly ached ¡°His aura was at least as heavy as Lucifer¡¯s. The magic he used was¡­his minions were a p-pain to deal with, resistant to physical attacks and highly evasive while capable of f-flight. K-Kyle¡¯s fire b-being what it i-is, I couldn¡¯t tell any weaknesses to elemental a-attacks.¡± Birse nodded ¡°What about the mist? What do you think of it?¡± ¡°It was t-the worst part.¡± Began Sly before sighing ¡°It was pure Dread, it could somewhat s-solidify and grab you while I-also expect it to be useful in defending himself. It also seemed to drain my m-mana and stamina somewhat, Kyle and Karnage showed to be more affecting by it than me and Lilith.¡± ¡°Did you inhale it?¡± Birse asked ¡°The same mist he summoned through, right?¡± ¡°N-no and yes. The mist did not enter me, I didn¡¯t smell or t-taste anything e-either¡­And I didn¡¯t see any difference between the mist he used to s-summon and the mist he spread out around us other than i-it¡¯s movement, it seemed to thicken when he was summoning through i-it, other than t-that it was all D-Dread.¡± explained Sly. Suddenly the vision inside the device¡¯s ring switched to show Death as he spoke ¡°I don¡¯t think that is actual summoning, if it¡¯s as you say then it¡¯s too short a summon to create something so huge and in so many numbers. I think it¡¯s better to say that he¡¯s using the same technique Devils use to bring their Hellhounds or Hellsteeds.¡± ¡°Then why can he not use that to travel through realms?¡± asked Birse. ¡°Because.¡± began Sly as the device changed back to showing him ¡°That wouldn¡¯t b-be opening a portal through the veil but only through space. Anybody c-can do that with enough m-mana apparently, but breaking or even a-ffecting the veil requires a specific type of mana including Abysmal, Astral, S-Spirit or Divine.¡± ¡°Divine?¡± asked Death showing briefly before Sly responded. ¡°It¡¯s the mana G-Gods use apparently, Liliana told m-me about i-it¡­Before being g-given to mortals, which makes i-it Astral mana, it i-is Divine mana.¡± explained Sly. Birse sighed ¡°So the more chances of Scythe finding a way out and here. Is that all you could tell about his power?¡± Sly nodded, cringing in pain right after ¡°Ye-eah¡­¡± ¡°What about your situation?¡± Death then asked showing for a brief moment. Sly sighed deeply ¡°The attack was s-slow, I could of evaded it b-but that meant Kyle and Karnage w-would have been hit.¡± ¡°Ever the hero.¡± joked Birse. Sly smirked ¡°Just looking out for the rookies.¡± At which Death snorted. Birse shook his head, turning his tone more serious he spoke ¡°How are the Knights coming?¡± ¡°So far so good.¡± responded Death ¡°I mean, nobody has died during construction yet¡­Which is the quickest part of making them, the rune inscribing takes longest due to how little people actually understand runes¡­¡± he sighed dejectedly. ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± asked Sly growing curious. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering for a while since finding out the political arrangement of Chaoz, just how did Humans become so powerful before being brought down to what we see today?¡± Birse began to explain ¡°It turns out that, albeit the Elves, Dwarves and other races being exceptional at their magic, they use only very specific kinds of magic unlike us adventurers.¡± Sly¡¯s eyebrows raised in question, not entirely understanding ¡°And?...¡± ¡°And.¡± Birse continued ¡°Humans are capable of effectively using any kind of magic that is within the reach of mortals. Wood Elves for example lack the capability to use fire magic, Dark Elves cannot use light magic and Frost Elves cannot use earth magic. It goes on from that, each race has some magic they are highly proficient at while a certain type of magic they are also either very bad at or unable to use at all.¡± ¡°And us adventurers -or summoned as they call us- don¡¯t have this problem.¡± Death then explained. ¡°So Humans have more options, so what?¡± Sly then asked, not following their point. Birse shook his head ¡°Yes and no. Dwarves will always be better Earthmancers or Metalbenders than Humans, but Humans can use those two magiks unlike Frost Elves who cannot. The Humans on Chaoz used that to their advantage, making use of their much more massive numbers than other races and teaching a variety of magic to their people. They not only thought combat magic to soldiers but also to civilians, which militarized their entire population.¡± ¡°God damn¡­¡± said Sly now understanding their meaning. ¡°And with the variety in magic being thought.¡± Death began to add ¡°It made their magic military more effective against any kind of opposition.¡± Birse nodded ¡°But that was back then, and now is now. Today Humans live in small towns on Barik -a very small continent- alongside other races. The vicinity of the towns, the protection from the Mers from the water and Avians from the air made the civilian population only learn magic required for their livelihood. The Humans on Barik were only required to ¡®Keep the peace¡¯ within this small continent.¡± ¡°And the mishmash of races living alongside them made them entirely forget their advantage.¡± added Death. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s cool and all b-but¡­what the fuck are t-these Knights you talking about?¡± said Sly getting bored of the history lesson. ¡°I¡¯m getting to that, impatient bastard.¡± said Birse with a chuckle before continuing ¡°In short Barik¡¯s military is mostly Human, having militarized Griffins and Pegasi for quick response tactics around the continent. Magic became more of a commodity unless you took your time to learn by yourself, spending years of your lifetime on it¡¯s study like the Mage Guilds have. Who by the way are considered their own faction within the alliance, not part of either race.¡± ¡°Go on¡­¡± Sly said getting cosy in wherever he presently sat, the VCD only showed his face and very little of his surroundings. Birse rolled his eyes in annoyance ¡°My point is, any being can use Magic it¡¯s just that most only make use of it as a commodity and soldiers within the Esfeltian military have not been required to learn it as a teaching system has never been established. The Esfeltians have been living in peace, never having to think of improving their military¡¯s power.¡± ¡°So they sat cosily, enjoying being the underdog and ignored by the other main powers.¡± explained Death ¡°Until today.¡± He backed away from his device and moved it along showing the inside of where he was ¡°Cause it¡¯s time for a wake-up call¡±. Sly¡¯s eyes went from entirely bored, to open so wide he was wincing from the pain it caused him. Death showed them the inside of a large underground facility, it¡¯s walls and ceiling was straight up stone while the floor was at least flattened. Men and woman of different races ran around carrying heavy equipment, tools and magical instruments. Standing on elevated ground were several dozen Griffins who¡¯s leather or metal armour had been removed and was replaced with much heavier looking equipment. Thick metal plating was placed over leather and warped to cover most of the Griffin, leaving it¡¯s eyes, beak, talons, tail and wings free. The Griffin¡¯s wings were also mildly encased in a layer of dark leather on which long metal plates were attached to. ¡°Can they even fly?¡± asked Sly looking very much impressed. ¡°They can, trust me. Griffins are magical beasts just like Dragons and Wyverns, they have the power to carry anything below five times their own weight over a fair distance with little trouble.¡± explained Death ¡°Encasing their wings and feathers doesn¡¯t affect their mobility or evasiveness either.¡± Looking closer as Death approached one of the Griffins with most of it¡¯s gear equipped, he could see runes inscribed over the metal plating with a distinctive red hue ¡°The armour they wear has been inscribed with weight reduction runes, magic repelling runes and durability runes.¡± Death continued to explain. ¡°The inside of the wing¡¯s armour was also inscribed with spell runes, runes that hold certain spells that the Griffin can learn to activate.¡± Death pointed at one group of men heaving a large strap of dark leather and the red runes glowing on one side of it. ¡°Okay you¡¯ve m-militarized runes, my q-question now is how and w-what does this have to do with the d-damn history lesson?¡± Sly then asked.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Birse shrugged ¡°Well the runes were just a good bonus, I managed to get the Mage Guilds to assist us on that regard along with very basic training on elemental magic to Esfelt¡¯s soldiers.¡± ¡°You gonna explain this next part or should I?¡± asked Death re-appearing into view with a wide grin. ¡°All you.¡± said Birse causing Death to chuckle, almost maniacally as he turned around showing them the opposite side of the facility. ¡°Anyway those are the new armoured mounts, here¡¯s what¡¯s riding them!¡± exclaimed Death with an overenthusiastic tone. Large Golem like constructs stood side by side facing away from the wall in several lines, each construct was humanoid shaped and made of what looked like stone but a much lighter shade. The Golems were equipped with heavy looking armour, thicker than even what the Griffins were wearing while also having a layer of dark leather beneath. The armour they wore was very similar to full plate armour but the sections in between the joints looked divided into several smaller and more complex parts. Each Golem had by their side a large shield and a massive staff, each of these including the armour itself were etched with runes that glowed a dim red. ¡°These are what I like to call ¡®Magically Armoured Golemancy Enhanced Knights.¡¯ Or Mageks if you will.¡± explained Death as he approached one of said Mageks. ¡°I just call em Mechs.¡± added Birse with a smirk. ¡°I will too.¡± said Sly in agreement. Death coughed ¡°Assholes.¡± then continued to explain ¡°The armour plating is similarly to the Griffin¡¯s inscribed with the same three runic inscriptions. The shield is similar to the armour but has an extra inscription that we could only add to it because of it¡¯s wide size and flatness, we added a runic spell holder containing a barrier spell. The staff on the other hand is just as the armour and shield reinforced with runes but within it is entirely made of mana crystals. The wood on the outside makes it light and easy to swing around while the mana crystals on the inside makes it the perfect weapon to cast spells with. Like any normal Mage staff, except that it¡¯s humongous.¡± pausing his explanation Death turned around giving the Magek his back while aiming the VCD his way ¡°You still with me?¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t get your point about t-that history lesson.¡± said Sly, looking impressed but also confused. Death rolled his eyes and turned back around to continue ¡°Golemancy is what will control these big bastards but golems alone cannot cast spells, not unless their Golemancer is in direct physical contact with the golem. So the Golemancers will be riding inside the Mageks, like pilots and their Mechs back home. Riding inside will be human casters who are currently learning the basic elemental magics and golemancy.¡± ¡°Oohhhh¡± Sly suddenly exclaimed in realisation. ¡°Bingo, we¡¯ll be abusing the Golem¡¯s durability to defend the caster within who will have the capability to cast any sort of element possible.¡± Death then explained. ¡°So we¡¯re effectively turning as many of our militia into monstrous constructs as we can manage, that can cast AOE spells of any element.¡± added Birse. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Sly stared at the Magek behind Death briefly before asking ¡°I can t-think of two problems though¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± asked Death. ¡°How the fuck do they see inside that thing?¡± asked Sly in half-disbelief. ¡°Oh simple.¡± Death began as he showed down the line of Mageks, there were more Mageks then there were armoured Griffins ¡°Golemancers have the capability to form a mental link with their constructs, this also improves how quickly a golem can move and how better it would fight other than making it a retarded construct of stone. The Golemancer doesn¡¯t exactly pick from where they see through the construct though¡­if it¡¯s humanoid then it¡¯s where the eyes would be on a human¡­if it¡¯s like, fox shaped like Kyll¡¯s then it¡¯s where a fox¡¯s eyes would be.¡± Explained Death as he pointed up at the Golem¡¯s head where the helmet had eye sockets. ¡°Sweet.¡± said Sly obviously impressed ¡°Next q-question, what stops enemy mages f-from tripping the shit outta you?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Death looked into the VCD with a smirk ¡°Unlike some of us¡­it takes a whole lot of mana to move something as fucking heavy as these bastards here when you don¡¯t have a creator¡¯s link to it -that¡¯s what Golemancers call their link to their constructs by the way- and the magic repelling runes will stop enemy casters from affecting the golem¡¯s armour directly. Also if you¡¯re an Earthmancer and you¡¯re trying to morph someone else¡¯s earth golem you¡¯ll find yourself unable to.¡± ¡°That¡¯s O-¡± Sly began to say as he appeared into Birse¡¯s view, where he could distinctly see someone else peeking over Sly¡¯s left shoulder. ¡°What in damnation are those?!¡± exclaimed Sistine with wide eyes from behind Sly. Sly jumped having been taken completely by surprise, glancing back at her ¡°W-What the hell a-are you doing?¡± he asked flinching at the pain from having actually hopped up and mildly blushing at it. ¡°Pa told me to keep an eye on you.¡± said Sistine with a grin. Sly rolled his eyes ¡°Great, babysitter.¡± And turned back to the VCD ¡°I¡¯ll¡­call you back.¡± Birse raised a brow ¡°What, not introducing us to your friend?¡± he asked with a mischievous grin. Sly¡¯s expression showed mild annoyance as he spoke again ¡°Sistine, king of Barik, Birse. Birse, grand g-grand daughter of Satan, Sistine.¡± He made quick introductions. Death coughed appearing into Sly¡¯s view ¡°Forget someone?¡± ¡°Also meet his advisor, Death. Say g-goodbye.¡± Sly said before ending the call. Death appeared on Birse¡¯s view and said ¡°Well at least he¡¯s still himself, as little as I appreciate that.¡± Birse snorted ¡°Yeah.¡± His response was short as his expression turned darker ¡°Any progress?¡± Death¡¯s expression and tone also darkened as he sighed ¡°Nothing good, necromancy is a taboo magic even among the Mage Guilds. All I could find was very basic explanations on what the magic is centred around and what Dread is. No curses, or counter-curses at that.¡± he explained dejectedly. Birse closed his eyes in contemplation ¡°We have to find something, we haven¡¯t heard anything from Kyle and Karnage yet either and I don¡¯t expect to in days. How are we supposed to finish the Quest without a Chosen? There¡¯s so many damn questions¡­Liliana was too damn vague about answering them.¡± ¡°So we have no choice then?¡± asked Death before sighing deeply ¡°We have to wait for Kyle to come back?¡± Birse slowly opened his eyes, his expression short of being villainous ¡°We¡¯re not just gonna sit around and do nothing while we wait. You, Cherry, Soren and Steph keep working on the Knights Op.¡± Death stared into the VCD questioningly ¡°What you gonna do?¡± ¡°I was going to send Jacky, CH, Seren and Skill over to Hasharr but¡­¡± he looked back into the device ¡°I¡¯ve received reliable information that Zeeke along with some of his guild, Rekt and a few others have escaped the continent. They were seen making their way towards Il¡¯tel.¡± ¡°Escaping to join up and get buddy buddy with the Elves huh?¡± said Death scornfully. Birse nodded ¡°At first I couldn¡¯t care less but if he¡¯s the last Chosen along with Kyle¡­I sent the others after them, Jacky, Seren, Skill, CH, Woody and Sparta with Kyll¡¯s Fae going with.¡± ¡°You gonna imprison them?¡± asked Death with a raised brow. ¡°You know exactly what I¡¯m going to do.¡± Birse replied solemnly. Death shook his head ¡°I don¡¯t like this, Birse.¡± ¡°He¡¯s become too much of a liability.¡± said Birse also shaking his head ¡°I¡¯ve talked with Jacky for long enough, he agrees. Zeeke will be removed.¡± ¡°So this is what we¡¯ve become¡­¡± said Death glancing away from the view. Birse slammed his fist onto his desk as he glared into the device ¡°Would you prefer losing another member? Are you going to question my judgement here?¡± Death looked back into the device, then shook his head ¡°No, you¡¯re right. If we don¡¯t get bloody, this world will bloody us. I guess I just never fully grasped what that meant¡­¡± he turned around to face the Mageks ¡°I never thought I¡¯d be making weapons for war either¡­¡±
Central Ruk Grand Fae City of Orion, Outskirts Sly deposited the device into his inventory, he had missed the system a lot and just doing that had amused him somewhat. ¡°What are you doing h-here?¡± He then asked glancing back at the one who had apparently followed him out of the city. He was currently sitting on a large rock facing out into a lake, a lush green forest behind him grew all around said lake. The lake was about an hour walk away from Orion¡¯s southern gate and there was no path that took there, Sly had to travel through the forest. ¡°You really thought you, the last descendant of Ares who has been cursed to die within the month, would be left to wander alone?¡± Sistine asked with a frown. Sly huffed in annoyance and turned to face the lake ¡°I thought I¡¯d be left to my own damn self, what do you care anyway?¡± Sistine snorted, amused by his annoyance. She leaned down and whispered in his ear ¡°Let me rephrase, you are presently the last descendant. Doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll always be.¡± a hint of mischievousness in her tone. Sly¡¯s eyes widened briefly but slowly he regained his composure, he couldn¡¯t misunderstand what she meant but he knew exactly what she was trying to do. What Val was trying to do. Sly rose from where he sat, his feet plunging into the shallow water ahead of him but he didn¡¯t care. He glanced back at her, his eyes wide in anger ¡°I¡¯ve had about enough of being toyed with. I know none of you really care, I know what you¡¯re trying to do. I may not be a genius but I ain¡¯t a fool either. Fuck off.¡± Sistine¡¯s expression turned bored as she stared at him ¡°Heh, your loss. Honestly? I didn¡¯t care either way.¡± She shrugged, turned around and walked away into the forest. Sly stared after her, finding it very hard not to clench his fists or grind his teeth in anger less he feel more of the pain as it continued to linger on his body. It hadn¡¯t taken him long to interpret the Devil¡¯s intentions for him, what Satan and Val had planned for him. Their insistence after finding out about the curse was the last stretch for him, he wasn¡¯t about to let them have their way no matter how attractive he found their offering. He hated being used above everything else. (¡°Continuing the blood line my ass!¡±) Thought Sly remembering Val¡¯s words earlier that day as he suddenly and out of habit slammed his fist flat on the stone behind him causing waves of agony to rush up his entire arm. Sly fell to his knees groaning from the pain, shuddering at the feel of it moving through his body. He lay there crouching on the water, holding onto his arm as the pain very slowly subsided. (¡°I hate this¡­¡±) he then thought, not only of how much he hated his current weak situation due to the curse but also of how much the truth angered him. They had barely tried to hide it, how they looked down at him condescendingly while trying to couple him with Sistine to continue the Ares bloodline. He could tell, how much they pitied him for being unable to even summon his weapon. (¡°They think I¡¯m just a failure¡­They¡¯ve already given up on me¡­¡±) Which was supposedly the easiest part of training to be a Devil (¡°They think I¡¯m broken¡­¡±) Sly rose as the pain lessened to the norm, a lingering burning feeling throughout his entire body while his bones creaked and felt rigid. He stared off into the lake as the suns lowered, it was reaching sunset. ¡°Scythe¡­¡± Sly murmured as he stood there, glancing down at his hands he thought (¡°Even the others won¡¯t let me do anything...¡±) Not only had Satan refused to let Sly continue his training but Birse had made it very clear that he won¡¯t be tasked to do anything until his curse was removed. Sly stood there for a few moments, staring down at his open hands dejectedly. Suddenly he clenched them into fists, feeling the pain rush through his palms, up his arms and then fill his body making it burn from the inside out. He continued to clench his hands, suffering through the pain he took deep breaths. ¡°If I can¡¯t heal it¡­if I cannot lessen it¡­.¡± He thought as he suddenly took a step forward as his entire right arm was encased in dark purple aura, he punched forwards letting the aura escape and burst out into a shockwave. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just fucking ignore it!¡± he exclaimed to nobody at all, his tone turning hoarse from the agony that engulfed his body. Yet his eyes were wide and burning with determination, even as he shuddered and trembled from the pain he took another step forward and threw another fist which resulted in a second shockwave of aura. Also resulting in even more pain rushing through his system. Sly took a deep breath as he remained in his stance, as night ascended throughout the sky, as the light dimmed around him. It was thin, barely visible but as day turned to night it slowly became clearer. A thin layer of mist was oozing out of his body, it was unbeknownst to him therefore not miasma. As he continued to throw punches and causing shockwaves of aura, the mist seemed to slowly thicken with each wave of pain. Sly hadn¡¯t sensed or noticed it, as it was very thin and still barely visible. Yet it was there, Dread was oozing out of his body with a dark greenish hue. He continued his punching way into the night, the mist continuing to ooze out of him without his notice. Sly would continue to do this every night and half way into the morning. Ch 93 - Spirit Beast [Part 1] Kyle took a deep breath as he stood outside Durin¡¯s home leaning against the wall, he was waiting for Karnage to get cleaned up as apparently even spirits required bathing areas and so they had made use of it. He couldn¡¯t help but notice that his nervousness and anxiety had died down since a few hours earlier, not that he wasn¡¯t presently nervous that is. ¡°Well.¡± began Karnage as she pushed through the crystal door ¡°That was refreshing?¡± she said questioningly, mainly at the device they had found within said bathing space. ¡°At least we figured out how it worked without involving someone else, that would have been awkward.¡± added Kyle with a half-smile as he turned towards her. Karnage snorted and leaned in resting herself in his arms as he held her, she whispered ¡°No, what was awkward was that I had to take the lead.¡± she said with a mischievous smirk causing Kyle to blush in embarrassment. ¡°That didn¡¯t last long, did it?¡± he asked with a raised brow, causing her to blush next. This caused them to both laugh briefly, before turning back to each other. ¡°So¡­what now?¡± he asked, it had been over half a day since he last woke up and Durin was waiting for him at the library. Karnage slowly moved out of his hold ¡°I guess¡­I¡¯ll be leaving for Chaoz¡­¡± she was glancing away seemingly bothered by the thought. ¡°About that¡­how exactly? I don¡¯t think I ever asked but¡­you¡¯re not human either are you?¡± Kyle asked curiously. She flinched at that question ¡°I¡­I¡¯m not entirely sure of that either¡­I don¡¯t know what I am exactly, just that there¡¯s some things I can do that others cannot.¡± Kyle scratched his head at her uninformative explanation ¡°Like?¡± She sighed then looked up at him with a smile ¡°Like this.¡± She suddenly leaned in and kissed him, before suddenly disappearing. Kyle was too surprised to react for a few moments, when he saw that she did not reappear he shrugged ¡°Well¡­can¡¯t say I expected that?...¡± he glanced around the grassy street, seeing nobody up and around he walked forward heading for the staircase. Climbing up took him a bit, due to the sheer length of it and with how many steps were involved. When he did reach the top he didn¡¯t see Durin anywhere at first but ¡°Now, you¡¯re ready.¡± He quickly appeared out of nowhere blocking his path to the library ¡°To start that is.¡± ¡°What exactly will I be doing?¡± asked Kyle nervously. Durin met his eyes with his own, he was at best expressionless ¡°First, we will prepare you to begin your healing. This will not be like anything you¡¯ve ever faced before, your soul is required to be in a certain state for the healing to begin.¡± ¡°Luckily for you.¡± Began another founder as she suddenly appeared, Kyle recognised her to be Aina of the Tiger clan. ¡°Every creature required for this, exists here within the Spirit Realm.¡± Suddenly all the founders appeared, each one standing in front of Kyle and looking at him. His anxiety did not falter. ¡°So¡­what do I do?¡± he asked while glancing at each Ancient. Terrance smiled as he took a step ahead of the others ¡°All you have to do child, is listen and survive.¡± Suddenly reality melted before Kyle.
Author: I couldn¡¯t help myself than listening to this as I wrote¡­ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWx7J0zhB48
Day 1 Kyle¡¯s rehabilitation, Early Morning. Spirit Realm, The Howling Forest. Kyle opened his eyes to see darkness ahead, not the usual black void but instead a dark unlit night with a heavy mist surrounding him. He glanced down to see that there was no ground below him, what he was standing on couldn¡¯t be categorised as ground. Kyle stood over a massive spike of stone, it¡¯s point mildly flat for him to stand on albeit barely able to keep both feet over it. He glanced around in a panic, squinting through the mist he could barely make out large trees around him. The trees were too massive to be normal, anything of that size would of fallen on itself long ago. Yet a whole forest of these trees stood all around him, massive trunks reaching way higher than even the mountain of a spike he stood on. The tree¡¯s branches and leaves stopped whatever light was shining over their the forest, leaving below dark and damp. All around him fell thin vines of a blackish colour, seemingly part of the trees. Along with the mist, the darkness and the vines, Kyle could barely make out his surroundings. Suddenly Kyle saw vines ahead swaying towards him as a strong breeze rushed through, it hit him in full force forcing him to slide down the spike and hold onto it¡¯s tip with both arms and legs as to not be thrown off. The breeze lasted for a few moments, his hair and tails being blown back as he held on. ¡°Are you prepared child?¡± asked Terrance, suddenly appearing into Kyle¡¯s view as the breeze ended. He was also standing on a spike like Kyle¡¯s if slightly taller, he however was standing on one leg while his left was held up and angled with his straight right. His arms were crossed on his chest with his long moustache falling over them. All around engulfing Terrance was a shimmering green energy, taking the shape of a spiky tortoise around him that stood in the same stance he did but losing it¡¯s form on the bottom and becoming several tendrils that coiled around the spike holding him steady. ¡°Stand up boy.¡± Terrance told him, his tone that of an instructor ¡°Balance yourself not with your body but with your Spirit.¡± Kyle nodded and pulled himself back up, as he did so another breeze blew through making him stop mid-way to just hold on. After the second breeze passed, he pulled himself up and tried to balance himself. Watching Terrance, Kyle tried to copy his stance and balance on one leg. Terrance spoke as he did so ¡°The stance is not for balance of body but for balance of mind, make yourself comfortable, relax but not too much mind you. Find your centre, empty your mind from trivialities, concentrate on your being and bring out your spirit.¡± Kyle took a similar stance to Terrance¡¯s, finding himself unable to be comfortable with crossed arms he held them ahead of himself with the right fist within his left palm. Kyle did not close his eyes but he concentrated, he reached deep inside for the cold flame and brought it out. Kyle was engulfed in white-blue fire, it raged around him as several tendrils before some entangled themselves around the spike below him. Terrance said nothing, his expression remaining impassive as he stared at Kyle. Slowly, Kyle grew accustomed to his stance, it wasn¡¯t entirely comfortable but having no real other way to stand he forced himself to retain it. Suddenly a breeze blew through, to Kyle¡¯s surprise it scattered his flames and dissipated the tendrils causing him to be blown back and off the spike. The powerful wind carried him a few feet into the air before dropping him down into the darkness below. Kyle fell rapidly approaching the ground, mist rushing around him as he did so when suddenly he felt something grab him. Opening his eyes after having the wind blown out of his chest Kyle found several long tendrils of green energy had grabbed him right before he hit the ground. The energy pulled him up and quickly set him back to the spike, to Kyle¡¯s surprise the tendrils were Terrance¡¯s. ¡°Reach inside, find your spirit and then bring it out boy. Spirit, not fire.¡± Terrance explained as the tendrils he used to bring him back up reformed into the arms of his tortoise aura. Kyle pulled himself back up onto the spike, taking his stance again he calmed his nerves and reached inside as Terrance spoke again ¡°There is a difference between the Spirit and the Element child. I did not tell you to bring out power, I told you to bring out energy. Raw, unchanged, Spirit.¡± Kyle now understanding his task, reached deep inside locating the resource within his Soul. It took Kyle several tries to pull it out unchanged, several blasts of Frostfire later he finally managed. Slowly it oozed out of his arms and shoulders, a light blue see-through mass of energy closely similar to aura but seemingly more solid than ethereal. The energy he managed to create was a very miniscule amount, barely enough to cover his hand. ¡°Focus child. The bending and usage of raw energy does not come with force, it does not come with skill but, instead, it comes with practice, it comes with concentration. You must concentrate, you must locate it, you must feel it.¡± Terrance explained as he watched ¡°Feel it as it is, part of you. As another limb, you must control it, you must move it.¡± Kyle took a deep breath as the small amount of Spirit had had conjured continued to ooze around his arms and shoulders, he concentrated, reaching within for the energy he knew was there. He ignored knowing, he didn¡¯t need to know, he needed to feel it. He searched and found the energy, a feeling of fullness within him. This time Kyle did not reach out for it, he did not grasp it to move it but instead continued to feel it. ¡°Part of me¡­¡± Kyle murmured to himself as he concentrated. ¡°Yes, a part of you. Not just a resource within, not simply a sheathed weapon or a suit of armour. Like your flesh, like your blood, like your bones. It is, essentially. You.¡± Kyle heard him speak in the background of his concentration. Suddenly a breeze rushed through, the wind blew stronger than even before threatening to carry Kyle with it. Kyle lost concentration as panic took over, he felt himself being lifted off the spike as he reached out to hold on. The wind continued to blow, it pulled and pushed at him but he remained centred over the spike¡¯s tip. Kyle was engulfed in the light blue energy now, it was formless unlike Terrance¡¯s but makeshift tendrils had gripped around the spike below Kyle keeping him steady even as the powerful wind blew through. Kyle was confused, he had lost concentration but still managed ¡°How did I¡­¡± ¡°As I said, child.¡± Terrance began regaining his attention ¡°It is not a sheathed blade you must grasp, not a suit of armour that will passively protect you. It is you. Another arm, another leg, even another tail. Will it to be and it shall be.¡± Another breeze passed by. Kyle withstood it, holding onto the spike with the unstable energy that surrounded him for a few moments but suddenly the spirit dissipated. Kyle was caught unprepared, unable to fully withstand the breeze he fell back but this time he was ready. Kyle surged down slightly and grabbed hold onto the spike¡¯s tip, withstanding the rest of the breeze. Once it passed he climbed back up and retook his stance. Terrance watched in contentment as Kyle regained his concentration and tried again, preparing for the next wind as his spirit slowly formed out and grasped the spike below.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. It took Kyle several tries, finally having grasped how to control his spirit yet finding it hard to withstand the strong winds of this place. Hours passed by, with failure after failure. Kyle fell many a time but did not whine or comment about it, instead he only tried again. Kyle did not question this training, he put his faith solely on those that just as much believed in him. He withstood through, not wasting any time he listened to Terrance¡¯s words carefully and did as instructed until finally¡­ The wind blew through, a powerful breath of air that pushed against his entire body. Kyle stood steady, his spirit firmly grasping the spike. He retained his concentration, keeping his spirit under control. ¡°Tell me child, what is a Spirit Beast to you?¡± Terrance suddenly asked as the wind continued to blow, and unending torrent of force unlike the previous short breezes. Kyle couldn¡¯t answer him, less he loses concentration and gets blown away. He looked at him questioningly, unable and unsure as to how to answer his question. ¡°A Spirit Beast, essentially a being who¡¯s soul is capable of corporeal and incorporeal shape shifting. We as beings of the soul are capable of not only expressing our emotions through corporeal change but also incorporeal change. In simple terms, our emotions can change our bodies and power. But to fully understand a Spirit Beast you must first understand what Spirit even is.¡± Terrance motioned to the area around them and suddenly the blowing wind grew stronger, Kyle was struggling to hold on. ¡°Spirit is the energy that makes up our emotions, which looking at it in another way, our emotions are what make up us. Expressing emotion is the expression of one¡¯s personality, one¡¯s personality is what controls what and how much of a certain emotion is expressed. Spirit Beasts are beings who¡¯s personalities are expressed much more strongly than other creatures. Our anger, our sadness, our happiness. Our emotions are expressed into our physical form and into our spiritual form, simply more than others.¡± Terrance explained as Kyle fought against the wind, a half-smirk growing on his face as he watched the young Spirit Beast struggle. ¡°Before we learned to be what we are, before we learned how to control what we are. We were monsters.¡± His expression grew dark as he continued his telling ¡°Creatures who dwelled in the hatred of others to benefit ourselves, demons who pleasured others simply to grow stronger. We were regarded as ones to be hunted, as abominations to be feared. We were the ones that began the word, Monster.¡± Terrance watched Kyle, attentively he stared at his face for his reaction and comprehension ¡°Do you know why we changed? Do you know why we began to ignore the beast within? As I said we were hunted, the beings we preyed on turned around and started to fight back. There were too many of them and not enough of us.¡± Terrance sighed ¡°So we changed, we reined in our demons, took control of our hunger. Over many centuries we pushed for improvement, we starved ourselves, punishing those that went out to hunt. Change is a slow process, a painful and dreadful thing but change is what we required to survive. That is why we needed, not wanted but needed to change. Because we needed to survive.¡± Terrance brought in his arms and the wind suddenly stopped ¡°I was the first chief to push for this change, I was the first founder of our laws and the first pillar to hold up what would continue to be our goal to the betterment of our race.¡± Kyle relaxed after the torrent of wind ended it¡¯s assault, re-balancing himself as he continued to listen carefully. Now actually able to reply. ¡°Many generations later and¡­here we stand.¡± said Terrance as he sighed deeply ¡°I was not alive at the time, so I had watched the entire thing transpire. Tell me child, what do you think we did wrong? Where did our mistakes lay? In our trust with our allies and neighbours? In our passive nature towards aggression on other nations? What lead us to extinction?¡± Kyle met Terrance¡¯s calculative gaze ¡°I¡¯m not¡­sure¡­¡± ¡°Hhmm. I¡¯ve had many, many centuries to meditate over that question. But I can only come to a single conclusion, one answer for it. Our mistake¡­was to try and change at all.¡± exclaimed Terrance as suddenly his spirit tortoise form rushed forward and at Kyle. The green energy clashed with Kyle¡¯s unstable blue, it tore through his defences and smashed right into his body. Kyle was sent flying off the spike, he was thrown off and down through the mist and vines. Kyle grasped left and right trying to grab hold of the vines but they only held him briefly before tearing under his weight. It took him several moments of panicked falling, but he did in the end hit the ground below. The collision with the hard earth squashed the air out of Kyle¡¯s lungs, it sent his bones shaking and his vision blurred into darkness.
Day 1 Kyle¡¯s rehabilitation, Mid-day. Spirit Realm, The Howling Forest. Kyle groaned as he regained consciousness ¡°The hell¡­was that about¡­¡± opening his eyes he spent a few moments rubbing the blurriness out of his eyes before he could take in his surroundings. He was currently laying on the ground surrounded by mountain massive trees, up above him where the ends of vines that ended a dozen feet away the ground and taking into a thick mist that stopped him from seeing further than twenty feet. ¡°Stand up.¡± Growled a mildly feminine but animalistic voice from behind him, Kyle glanced up to find a massive tiger glaring down at him. He quickly turned over and stood up, taking in the tiger¡¯s size and appearance. The tiger was coated in ember coloured fur that seemed to flow like flames, black stripes spread out through the fur while the bottom chest part and inside of the limbs and chin was entirely white fur. The tiger¡¯s eyes were feline but crimson red and glowing a menacing hue, it¡¯s size was also about four times an actual tiger¡¯s. ¡°Aina?¡± guessed Kyle as he stared up at the beast. Aina nodded and spoke ¡°Our people¡¯s mistake was trying to change, as master Terrance said. We ignored our inner beast, we sealed away the animal within. In essence, we threw away half of ourselves. Instead of learning to control the beast half of us like our cousins the Beastmen have, we chained it away.¡± She turned and gestured for him to follow, Kyle did so. ¡°You, Kyle, are an exception. You not only received our people¡¯s state of mind from your mother but also your father¡¯s bloodline, which ingrained into you to accept your emotions as they are and not ignore them.¡± Aina explained as she prowled through the misty forest, Kyle following close by ¡°We cannot and shall not fully teach you our ways as they are¡­in fact¡­wrong. What we can and will do is guide you through learning your power, we will teach you about the Spirit within you but not how to chain the Beast.¡± As they moved through the misty forest Kyle could hear the wind blow around him, it was a calming and quiet howl that echoed through the landscape. The howling echoed back and forth as if coming from several directions at once, surrounding Kyle completely. They moved for what felt like over an hour, passing by several large tree trunks until they came to what seemed to be an opening in the forest. As they approached out of the opening Kyle noticed that the ground turned to water, when they reached it¡¯s edge Aina stopped. The water seemed to span the entire opening which Kyle could not tell how big it exactly was due to the mist. ¡°You¡¯ve learned to express your Spirit, now you¡¯ll learn to control it.¡± said the tigress as she glanced down at him before looking ahead, carefully she stepped forward and onto the water. Literally the massive tiger¡®s paw did not go below the water¡¯s surface as it stepped over it, it did however gain a reddish hue around it¡¯s paws. Aina stepped over the water, walking further and further away until she disappeared into the mist. Kyle looked down at the water, it began shallow but got deeper by the foot. He focused his mind and reached out with his Spirit, engulfing his feet and legs with it. Kyle stepped forward to find that the water seemed to mildly push his leg up, but it still was sinking. He stepped back and thought for a moment, remembering that Aina¡¯s paws were only covered on the bottom side not the entire leg. He willed the Spirit around his legs to disperse then carefully he moved out as little as he could, forming it below his feet took great concentration and it¡¯s form still seemed unstable. Kyle tried again, stepping onto the water he was met with the same problem. His foot was not entirely sinking but it still sunk and he doubted it could withstand his entire weight. He stepped back again and gazed down at his feet deep in thought. ¡°Amount is not the issue Kyle, control is what you¡¯re here to learn.¡± explained Aina from the distance ¡°You have plenty of Spirit to work with, yet you lack sufficient control over it.¡± Kyle looked up and stared off into the mist, clenching his fists he closed his eyes and focused. ¡°You have power Kyle, you have strength. But power alone accomplishes nothing. Strength alone will never accomplish anything.¡± Aina¡¯s voice flowed through from ahead ¡°Power requires a focus. Strength requires a point. That focus, that point is control.¡± Kyle willed Spirit to cover his feet, he focused on it ¡°It is not a weapon¡­It is not armour¡­¡± he recited ¡°It is me¡± he refined it and took control. The energy around his feet dimmed but remained there, it¡¯s unstable form declining back and becoming smooth. Opening his eyes Kyle tempted a step forward, without looking down he took another, then another. Before he knew it Kyle was walking forward, his feet laying right above the water¡¯s surface without sinking an inch. He walked out into the pool of water, the mist growing thicker as he did. He glanced around looking for his tutor ¡°Well done, you¡¯ve learned to refine your Spirit. Now that you know control, just how much can you control?¡± she asked still nowhere to be seen. Suddenly a resounding roar shook the air blasting the mist aside and revealing Aina still in her beast form, the roar shook the water¡¯s surface sending wave after wave towards Kyle. He stood his ground as the waves passed under him, swaying with and over the waves for a few moments before Aina snarled out of her roar. He continued to struggle through the aftershock but remained standing, having only sunk a few inches which he regained after the last wave. He sighed in relief before looking back up at Aina, the tigress staring down at him with an animalistic grin. ¡°So you can withstand child¡¯s play, can you withstand a storm though?¡± she asked as her form suddenly rose, the tigress rose on her back legs and snarled before slamming down her front paws as Spirit engulfed them. The resulting shockwave sent waves crashing into Kyle larger than even himself, so much so that at the third wave he was suddenly thrown up into the air. Kyle fell down towards the water as suddenly he sensed movement from ahead, glancing up he watched as Aina¡¯s form shook and changed becoming ethereal and transparent. Like an aura in the form of a tigress she charged at him, maw open and claws ready she pounced at him. Kyle stopped thinking, his mind went blank and instead instinct took over. Kyle acted on those instincts. Spirit rushed out of his body and engulfed him as he prepared to clash, he pushed away at every direction at once. Kyle pushed away at the water, allowing him to stop his fall. He also pushed away at Aina, ending her charge. But the tigress only snarled in amusement as suddenly she bit down, ¡°Power alone is useless! Control your strength! Rein in your energy! Give it form!¡± she tore away at his formless mass of Spirit and pushed further digging into his energy and enclosing on him. Kyle watched as the tigress ripped through the front of his formless and unsteady barrier, she crashed in suddenly dissipating the energy and swiped at his body that lay falling. Kyle was thrown aside like a sack of potatoes, he flew for several meters before hitting the water with a large splash. Kyle slowly sank, the darkness of the pool spread around him as he slowly recovered from the sudden attack. He opened his eyes fully and looked around, seeing Aina¡¯s form still standing over the pool she made no move to help him. ¡°If you cannot grasp this child, you might as well keep sinking.¡± Aina¡¯s voice echoed through the water. Kyle frowned at her words, he wasn¡¯t done just yet. Willing it out, Spirit rushed to engulf him and further, he pictured the form, he pictured the shape. Not like his Frostfire, not like any other mana, he moved the Spirit as if it was part of himself, as if he was controlling a golem and expanding it. Kyle crafted, carefully and accurately he gave it form as suddenly his own body melted along with the Spirit. His form expanded and took shape, two long furry tails, a long snout full of fangs, four legs ending in clawed paws. Kyle rose out of the water, his form that of an ethereal two-tailed lightblue fox. Setting his front paws on the water¡¯s surface he pushed down and pulled himself out, water splashed all around him as he did so. He looked up and met Aina¡¯s gaze, she grinned in her own way. ¡°You¡¯ve learned how to refine your form, you¡¯ve also learned how to meld with it. Well done, now for how long can you keep it up?¡± she asked then yet again pounced. The tigress and the fox clashed over the water, fang on fang and claw on claw for several hours. Aina was more resilient, physically stronger than Kyle and even though of a bulkier build capable of impossible agility but Kyle was just faster. He evaded by bending his very flexible and thin form, leaping around with small leaps and making use of his smaller frame to encircle her. Aina found it very difficult to land a hit but when she did Kyle¡¯s entire form shimmered, as if struggling to hold together. Kyle used hit and run tactics, sticking close but far enough to give himself time to escape as he encircled her. Seeing an opening he would attack, dealing little damage but altogether he was landing many more hits than she was which began to tally up. Aina¡¯s form was riddled with deep scars but she carefully continued to watch Kyle as he prowled ahead of her, he walked circles around her position, his calculative gaze sizing her up like a predator watching prey. Suddenly Kyle lunged forward, pouncing to her side as she turned quickly to respond in kind. Kyle quickly clawed at her back leg when she suddenly bit down on his left tail, but before she could pull on it he even more suddenly dispersed his form. Kyle¡¯s Spirit lost it¡¯s shape and flowed quickly over the tigress then reformed behind her, making use of the surprise and positioning he pounced again this time onto her back and forcing her down into the water as he bit down on the back of her neck. Aina snarled in surprise as she rolled around to get Kyle off her back, but Kyle pushed off to the opposite way making use of her own movement to throw her aside as he leapt away. As Kyle landed on his feet a dozen or so meters away Aina rolled herself back to standing. She chuckled with a growling, beast-like tone ¡°I believe this is far enough for me, rather enough for you as well. Rest up child, tomorrow we continue.¡± She said before her form regained colour, looking less like a ghost and more like a physical creature again. She turned around and walked away, disappearing into the mist that was still reforming from their ruckus. Kyle¡¯s form shimmered before quickly shrinking, he returned to his normal form and watched as she left. He pondered something as he glanced around ¡°Where exactly¡­do I rest up at?¡± She gave no further answer. Ch 94 - Hunters Rulek Sea Barik oceanic outskirts, Mer territory Jacky stood at the helm of his group¡¯s transportation, ahead of him flew two heavily armoured Griffins being ridden by two Mageks, Seren and Woody controlling one each. From each Griffin trailed back two long and thick metallic white bars, a bar was connected to the Griffin¡¯s armour on each side. The bars were part of a massive and even more wide carriage to which they connected to it¡¯s front, the carriage -or ¡®Chariot¡¯ as they had named it- was more than twice the width of a single Griffin¡¯s wingspan, more than twice as long and almost twice in height. The two set of bars each connected to the edge of the Chariot¡¯s front giving each Griffin more than enough room to bat it¡¯s wings freely. The Chariot itself was something of an odd shape, it¡¯s front was triangular, like a race car¡¯s to allow for minimal air resistance. The triangular front took to a half as long rectangular area and edged in a flat back. The sides of the Chariot were also flat. The Chariot had no windows visible, it¡¯s white walls seemed metallic in nature but did not gleam or reflect the moonlight. Runes glowing a fiery red were etched all over it¡¯s entirety, similar to the Griffin¡¯s armour and the Mageks¡¯. Jacky was inside said Chariot along with Skill, CH, Sparta and Lilior on her shoulder. The inside of the Chariot was fairly spacious, more so than a carriage due to it¡¯s width and also had two levels to it. Jacky was currently staring at several large monitors of sorts, similar to the VCD¡¯s these were enchanted with runes to show each direction of the Chariot along with anything the two Griffins and their Magek riders saw. There was ten monitors in all inside a sort of table arrangement and each within a rune etched black frame that was built onto the front wall which was slanted back at a 45 degree angle due to the Chariot¡¯s shape. Jacky watched each carefully until out of Seren¡¯s view he saw what they were hunting for, it was already night time but the ship¡¯s lights were clearly visible over the dark ocean along with the lights of several other larger ships further off. He grimaced at this ¡°His guess was correct, Elven war ships, four of them.¡± he pointed out the ships on the monitor ¡°Turn and align properly, give us a fly-by between them and the target.¡± he spoke mainly at the two Griffins who were intelligent enough to comprehend him and act on it. Jacky then turned around to face the others, a large table with a map of Chaoz was prepared there and they were all sitting about waiting. ¡°Skill, Sparta, Lilior get ready, Ch you¡¯ll be in charge here once we¡¯re off.¡± He told them and each nodded, he then turned back around to face the monitors. They were quickly approaching the ships, the four Elven ones still a few dozen meters short of reaching the smaller less vine covered one. None of the ships noticed their approach, not solely of it being night time but mainly because of the cloaking spell currently covering the entire Chariot thanks to Lilior¡¯s dungeon core set in place. In fact, the entire Chariot was Lilior¡¯s personal dungeon or as Death had called it, her personal and sentient flying battle ship. As large as the team set under Death¡¯s lead was, the Chariot¡¯s creation was way out of their league at the moment so Lilior¡¯s existence as a half-dungeon was the only feasible way to create such a thing in such a short amount of time. Under a minute the Chariot had turned harshly, Griffins were very powerful flyers and capable of making incredible shifts mid-flight even Dragons weren¡¯t capable of. A certain ability Lilior¡¯s dungeon core had developed allowed for physics not to kill every single person inside the Chariot however. As the Chariot began to make it¡¯s way to fly in between the four war ships and the cargo ship Jacky signalled Lilior to drop the cloaking spell, he then spoke in a very harsh and mana infused voice ¡°Elven Military ships, you are trespassing on Mer territory. Turn back now and leave this ocean at once, you will not be per-¡± his speech was cut short as all four of the Elven war ships emitted a shockwave of mana that utterly disrupted their cloak making them visible. Jacky cleared his throat before continuing ¡°You shall now be blown the fuck up.¡± He stopped infusing his voice with mana ¡°Seren, Wood, fire away.¡± He turned to the others ¡°Lilior open fire.¡± Before turning back to the monitors ¡°Fly us over the cargo ship.¡± He told the two Griffins who turned the Chariot. Lilior who had moved from Sparta¡¯s shoulder was now hovering in the very centre of the room with both her palms pressed to a large aquamarine blue crystal core that was connected to the floor half-way and poked out to the floor below just as much. Seren and Woody from within willed their Mageks to turn to face the war ships as they flew away at an angle, holding a massive shield in their left arm they aimed their long staffs around the shield with their right and opened fire with their spellcasting. "In a flurry of fire and beneath radiating light you shall fall! Wisp Blast!" chanted Seren as she laughed wickedly. "Burn mother fuckers burn! Evaporate before my light! Rainbow Ray!" chanted Woody estatically. Just as Seren¡¯s blasts of radiating and fiery light along with Woody¡¯s rays of multi-coloured light assaulted the enemy war ships, the Chariot went through a slight change. The bottom of the Chariot opened up and three platforms descended to fill the space, each platform had a long cannon-like cylinder that ended in an aquamarine blue pointed crystal. To Lilior¡¯s will these cannons had been moved into place, and to her will they turned to face the warships. She chanted "You who stand and block master''s path shall face my icy wrath! Ice Age!" The crystals each shined a bright blue briefly before thick Frost began to collect at the point of each, the Frost was like a white mist that formed into a very unstable sphere before suddenly being propelled forward. Seren and Woody missed some of their attacks at first but eventually they began to hit a sort of barrier that surrounded each ship, it was a light green hue of a sphere that bubbled around them. The Chariot¡¯s attacks on the other hand each collided with a barrier each, they exploded into a mass of white fog before quickly dissipating. The three attacks left behind a frozen sea and a frozen mould of the barriers they hit. Jacky huffed in annoyance ¡°Resistant fuckers aren¡¯t they?¡± he said while turning around ¡°CH I leave you in command of the bridge, Skill, Sparta on me.¡± CH nodded at him and moved to watch the monitors as Skill and Sparta stood up to follow Jacky. The three moved to the back of the Chariot and faced the wall ¡°Lilior open up.¡± Jacky barked back the command at the fairy who without a response willed the wall to turn open like a door. Jacky glanced back and watched the monitor that showed the bottom front and waited to see the ship come into view before ¡°Now!¡± he shouted out and leaped out of the Chariot.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Jacky didn¡¯t look back but he knew Skill and Sparta had leaped out after him, at least he hoped for their own sake that they had. As he fell he watched the cargo ship below quickly closing in ¡°Shade Form!¡± he chanted and suddenly his body burst into shadows. His descent did not slow down but he did watch as out of his left Sparta descended down into the ship like a meteor, she crashed straight through the first deck and down into the bottom one. Jacky landed nearby her crater, his formless body of shadows unaffected by the fall as he reformed. He glanced up to see Skill gliding down ever so slowly as magical wind blew around his feet, bow and arrow already in hand he waited for him to land up on the bird¡¯s nest. Jacky glanced down into the crater and watched Sparta stand back up surrounded by knocked out or groaning deckhands, rubble and planks scattered all around her along with them. He heard doors opening from the front top deck, looking up he saw multiple acquainted faces along with Zeeke, the REKT members and multiple others.
Author: Ya all thought I forgot about the other characters ;P? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLb5qsedCDs
Jacky smirked up at them ¡°Zeeke! Running away? And here I thought we were starting to become friends!¡± his voice was altered by [Shade Form] making it sound deeper. Up above Zeeke paled considerably as he recognised Jacky but before he or anybody else could respond several arrows embedded themselves into his companions killing them immediately. He looked up to see Skill nocking arrow after arrow down at them, each briefly shining a green light before blasting forward and disappearing only to reappear inside it¡¯s target. Jax and his contingent were the only ones quick enough to evade the invisible arrows, even those wearing helmets were killed on the first shot. Seven adventurers in all were quickly put down ¡°Bastards!¡± cursed Jax as he stepped over the railing and leaped up at Skill. A crash below caught everyone¡¯s attention as suddenly the wooden floor burst apart underneath the leaping Jax, Sparta soared through the floor with shield ahead of her and crashed into Jax who parried with his two sabres. Both of them flew upwards propelled by Sparta¡¯s magical metallic wings. Zeeke was so astonished by the Valkyrie that he did not notice Jacky appearing behind him, the other five members of REKT though did. Jacky lunged to stab Zeeke in the back but was parried by multiple swords forcing him to back off. ¡°Not cool guys, you don¡¯t just cock-block a bro like that.¡± Joked Jacky as he faced the two REKT adventurers who blocked his attack. Zeeke turned around to also face Jacky, still pale but he managed to equip his massive shield and sword from his inventory as he spoke ¡°Two of you deal with the ranger!¡± he told the Rekt members. Two of them did leap off and engaged Skill, one was also a ranger while the other was wielding a pole-blade. Jacky smirked at his three foes, Zeeke who wielded a large shield was standing in front of the mage of the group who held a long staff. The last Rekt member, seemingly a warrior wielding a large battle axe was stepping to the side to surround Jacky. ¡°You should of stayed home, creepy twat!¡± exclaimed the warrior ¡°Three on one here, two on one back there and your bitch can¡¯t beat the boss!¡± ¡°And the Elven ships will be here soon!¡± added Zeeke, his tone less sure than the Rekt warrior. Jacky¡¯s smirk faltered turning cold and distant as he glanced up ¡°She seems to be doing just fine.¡± Up in the air Jax had disengaged from colliding with Sparta when suddenly his arms morphed into wyvern like wings ending in long sharp claws, a tail from his backside had grown also ending in two long claw like blades. He flapped his wings to remain air-born as he turned to face Sparta. Sparta hovered mid-air, her shield facing Jax and her longsword aimed around it as she charged forward ¡°Valhalla¡¯s smite!¡± she exclaimed and her entire armour, shield, wings and sword shone so brightly they blinded Jax. Jax was caught off guard by the spell but did not panic and cast one of his own ¡°Wyvern breath!¡± he lurched forwards and opened his mouth as a dark green flame gushed out engulfing Sparta¡¯s charge. Sparta was completely engulfed by the flame but her shield repelled most of it, what little did hit her was absorbed by her armour and she continued her charge crashing straight into Jax again. Jax immediately ended his breath attack as Sparta¡¯s shield hammered into his torso and face making his sight blur. She carried him along continuing her charge forward, at the same time rapidly stabbing her sword into his left wing before suddenly stopping. Jax continued flying backwards, stunned by the shield bash and bleeding profusely from his torn wing as he descended down into the water. ¡°Can¡¯t beat him huh?¡± asked Jacky as he looked down at the warrior coldly who had charged at him engulfed in a fiery blue aura. ¡°Martial slash!¡± chanted the warrior as his aura formed around his battle axe and sharpened into an exact shape along the blade. He sliced downwards fully intent on chopping Jacky in half. ¡°Blur¡± quickly chanted Jacky as his form blurred into shadows, the battle axe going straight through and crashing into the floor beneath ¡°Strangle¡± he then chanted while formless and his shadow form engulfed the warrior entirely. Strangled groans and panicked choking screams were heard from within as the shadows slowly shrunk. ¡°Shit!¡± cursed the mage as he stepped from around Zeeke and aimed his staff ¡°Behold true power, bow beneath true mastery! Final Light!¡± he chanted as his staff shone brightly blinding everyone within range and dispersing Jacky¡¯s shadows. Once the light had dimmed down the mage had to rub his eyes a few times before he could see again, once he could all he saw was Zeeke doing the same to his left and the warrior on his knees furiously coughing. Jacky was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Did you get him?¡± asked Zeeke as his vision returned, only to be startled by a choked scream from his right. Zeeke quickly turned to face the mage only to find Jacky holding the mage by the shoulder as he pulled out his dagger from the man¡¯s neck. Jacky was immediately sprayed with blood as he pulled the blade out, the mage fell to the floor choking on his own blood and bleeding out ¡°Annoying¡±. ¡°You-You k-killed him!¡± exclaimed Zeeke with wide eyes and colourless expression. Jacky shrugged as he suddenly flicked the still bloody blade with his hand throwing it forwards, Zeeke turned to see the warrior fall backwards with a dagger protruding out of his right eye. Zeeke whimpered at the sight before slowly turning to face Jacky again who was glaring at him murderously. Zeeke took a few steps back as fear ate away at him ¡°M-Monster!¡± he exclaimed before suddenly glancing to the left after hearing a loud thump on the main deck. The other warrior with the pole-blade was lying in a pool of his own blood, his body peppered with arrows. The ranger on the other hand who¡¯s left leg and torso were pierced with arrows was struggling to nock his own when suddenly an arrow pierced through his forehead. He fell forwards snapping the arrow once he hit the floor. ¡°Headshot, bitch.¡± Mocked Skill from up above as he wiped a cut below his left eye, before nocking an arrow and aiming down at Zeeke. Zeeke immediately turned to cover himself with his shield when suddenly a loud crash behind him made him jump and look back fearfully. Sparta had landed harshly behind him, rising up from her kneeling position she took a stance and faced him with bloody shield and blade up. ¡°As you can see.¡± exclaimed Jacky with arms wide open ¡°You¡¯re fucked.¡± A wicked grin plastered on his face. Zeeke turned to face his shield at Jacky as he slowly stepped back ¡°W-what the h-hell!? Why!? W-why are you here?!¡± he demanded, his tone panicked and eyes wide as he hid behind his shield. Jacky lowered his arms and stepped towards Zeeke who suddenly took three more steps away ¡°Nothing personal bud, just taking care of business.¡± His form suddenly burst into shadows and he rushed at Zeeke. Zeeke was suddenly engulfed in a mass of shadows that swirled all around him, it was as if a whirlpool of darkness had surrounded him. Tendrils of shadow lunged at him but tendrils of even darker energy clashed with them pulling them back into the whirlpool. Slowly the whirlpool came to a stop before two masses, one made of foggy shadows and the other of blurry darkness reformed and took humanoid shape. Before him stood Jacky yet again looking annoyed, in between him and the assassin stood another man. ¡°You dare conspire on assassinating a Chosen!?¡± exclaimed Priest Nolin as he reformed out of his dark energy and glared coldly at Jacky. Ch 95 - Spirit Beast [Part 2] Day 2 Kyle¡¯s rehabilitation, Morning. Spirit Realm, The Howling Forest. Kyle woke up slowly, opening his eyes only to be met with the same darkness that permeated the forest he had fallen asleep to. He lay on a bed made of entangled vines, keeping himself safe and hidden among the many vines that fell from the tree branches above. He sat up from his perch and glanced down, the pool of water below barely visible through the heavy mist. Without a second thought he leaped off and down into the water, feeling the cold and fresh liquid cleared his mind and body. As he let himself sink down he summoned his Frostfire engulfing himself in it, the water grew colder and all the soot and sweat that covered his body and clothes were destroyed by the flames. Clean and refreshed he swam up, then remembering the past day he focused his Spirit on his palms and feet then climbed out of the water. Kyle sighed as he felt his stomach angrily growling, he was hungry. Then suddenly a movement in the pool caught his attention, a quick and long shadow that disappeared the moment he saw it. Kyle glanced around as he expanded his senses, feeling for whatever creature swam within these waters. But he sensed nothing, either it was too far by now or¡­ Kyle slowly turned around as he felt a chill climb up his spine, as he heard the slithering tongue rapidly tasting the air behind him. He was met with a massive serpent, it¡¯s scales a mixture of dark green and light brown, it¡¯s eyes golden with bright green slits that expanded becoming more green than gold until a black slit now filled the centre. The serpent opened it¡¯s jaws and hissed loudly, lunging at Kyle fully intent on devouring him. Kyle reacted quickly, expanding his Spirit all around him and pushed the serpent¡¯s toxic fangs away from him. What he was met with was an equal response, the serpent expanded it¡¯s own Spirit to clash with Kyle¡¯s and ending it¡¯s assault. It¡¯ closed it¡¯s maw as it hissed strangely, it was laughing? ¡°That should have woken you up splendidly.¡± said Silvester Soulfang as his form shifted to Spirit and shrunk down until only he stood facing Kyle in his Spiritbeast form ¡°Still hungry child?¡± he asked with a raised brow.. Kyle hadn¡¯t relaxed, his Spirit still engulfing him as he stood on guard and staring at Silvester ready for another attack ¡°Somewhat¡­¡±. ¡°Good good.¡± Said Silvester as he raised his right hand and flicked his fingers, suddenly a blue orb of fluffy light formed in his other hand. He raised the orb forward, as if offering it to Kyle ¡°Then eat.¡± Kyle lowered his Spirit and stepped towards the serpent SpiritBeast, he stared at the orb ¡°What is that?¡­A soul?¡± he could sense a consciousness within the orb but he couldn¡¯t tell what it was. ¡°Does it matter?¡± Silvester asked as he watched Kyle carefully approaching the orb, eyes widening as he hungrily stared at it. Kyle stood a few feet away from Silvester, rigidly staring at the orb. His hunger ate away at him from within, the same hollowness that constantly urged him to pounce had returned. It took everything he had to resist the urge, to resist the animalistic hunger that plagued his mind. Silvester chuckled as he pulled the orb away from him, Kyle¡¯s eyes hungrily followed it ¡°You do well at resisting, broken so your soul is yet you still have so much control. I commend you little fox. But at the moment your resistance is for naught, this soul is nothing more than energy.¡± He looked into the dim blue light with a smirk ¡°It was once a being, a smart creature capable of happiness and sadness. But everything must have an end, even us dead cannot exist forever.¡± Silvester raised the soul towards Kyle again ¡°This poor soul had had enough of existence, it scattered it¡¯s consciousness and became this. A gathering of Spirit and other mana collected around what we call a Hollow.¡± He then retrieved his arm allowing the orb to float on it¡¯s own ¡°All it serves as now is as nutrition for others.¡± Kyle swallowed, his own saliva collecting within his mouth as he approached the Hollow. He cautiously raised his hands around the orb, before suddenly it moved and he moved with it. Kyle lunged down at the Hollow as it suddenly flew off, too fast for him to catch it flew in a zig-zag motion away from him. So fast that the water rippled below it¡¯s passing. Kyle turned to look at Silvester in confusion, the serpent smirked in amusement ¡°Well you cannot expect a soul to willingly let itself be devoured now? Definitely not as you approach it with such obvious bloodlust!¡± he laughed while turning to face the orb now several meters away from them ¡°You must learn to control yourself better, I understand this is a highly difficult task for you¡­due to your handicap and whatnot.¡± Silvester approached the Hollow as it hovered in place ¡°Resist your urges as you may, it means naught if you cannot hide them from your enemy. Hungry as you might be, there is little point to hunting if your prey already knows your location and objective.¡± Casually he approached it. Kyle stared in wonderment, he sensed no hunger or satisfaction from Silvester, no interest or disinterest. He sensed nothing at all, for all his sense of Spirit detection knew Silvester wasn¡¯t even there. The founder stepped to the Hollow and grasped it with his left hand then suddenly threw it towards Kyle ¡°Try again.¡± He said as the Hollow came to a stop ahead of Kyle. Kyle stared down at the Hollow, his attention fully caught by the succulent soul that hovered ahead of him. He stepped back and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths he regained his composure (¡°What if¡­¡±) he thought and then opened his eyes to stare at the Hollow again. This time Kyle¡¯s eyes were cold and distant, his expression empty as he raised his hand towards the Hollow. Yet once again it rushed away, flying over the water at high speed and turning almost randomly seemingly in a panic. Kyle unfroze his soul, feeling the hunger returning joined by annoyance. He turned to Silvester who watched with great interest. ¡°Ah yes.¡± Said Silvester as if just now noticing he was being looked at for further instruction ¡°Your special ability to utterly halt emotion, which seems to also halt your inner Spirit. I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t work here, as it only halts your hunger but does not remove it.¡± He waved his hand towards the Hollow ¡°You¡¯ll have to do this the correct way.¡± Suddenly several hundred Hollows appeared all around them ¡°But what is a hunt without a chase?¡± said Silvester as the many hundred lights of different colours covered him from Kyle¡¯s view ¡°Feel free to serve yourself, this is an all you can eat buffet! If you can capture them of course!¡± he then laughed as his voice grew distant, further and further until it disappeared. Kyle was too busy glancing around at all the Hollows, his senses in utter disarray as he physically and mentally fought to keep control over himself. He spun around on the spot, swiping his claws at the Hollows and snarling at them like a beast. The Hollows spread out further, moving away from him yet not running away. Suddenly for a brief moment he lost control, the beast inside pushed him over and Kyle pounced at the closest Hollow, a bright fluffy red orb. Sensing his aggression the Hollows scattered, in a rush of bright lights each orb flew away deep into the mist. Kyle regained control mid-pounce but it was already too late, as he landed back onto the water it splashed and he descended down into it. He held his breath and swam back up, annoyed as he raised himself back to standing over the lake. He glanced around looking for the Hollows but all he saw was mist and trees, they hadn¡¯t just escaped but scattered further than he could see. Grimacing he looked down at his own hands, claws like a beast¡¯s.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°How am I supposed to do this? You said so yourself! It¡¯s amazing I can even restrain myself!¡± Kyle exclaimed at the mist, he waited but no response came back. His voice only echoed through the mist, bits and pieces of his words coming back to haunt him. ¡°Supposed to? Restrain myself!¡± the echoes moved as the wind howled all around him ¡°How am I? Yourself!¡± Kyle sighed in exasperation, after staring off into the mist for another moment he turned and walked off towards the shore. He expanded his senses, reaching out to locate the nearest Hollow. He found several nearby. Wasting no more time he surged forward, rushing at a single direction until the green fluffy orb of light came into view. He stopped several feet away from it, staring at it he felt his stomach grumbling. His physical hunger added onto his spiritual one, each working on each other to further cloud Kyle¡¯s mind. Kyle felt his fangs aching, his claws expanding, his mouth opening letting out a hungry snarl. He was losing control, just a bystander resisting the urges, resisting the painful hunger that threatened to take over. He watched from blurry eyes as his right hand reached out towards the Hollow, still too far to grasp it. Kyle felt physical pain as he fought his own body, trying to hold himself back from mindlessly pouncing onto the soul again. His mind ached, his vision blurred, his muscles convulsed with agony. His own body was turning against him, but he held it back. He became his own chains, he created his own shackles. His mind became the cage which held his body in place, the bars that stopped his urges from going further. He pictured it and it became so, like a God his mind was his own and therefore anything he wanted to see it became. Kyle felt himself regaining control, through the pain and the weakness of his body, he had separated himself from it and within his mind crafted a cage to hold it. (¡°I am in control.¡±) he told himself (¡°This is my body, operated by my mind!¡±) he forced himself to believe.
Author: Perfect song to listen to as I wrote this scene o-o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWN1_6wOiL4
(¡°No it is not.¡±) responded a voice in his head, a strange but familiar voice (¡°You¡¯ve never been in control, how could you know what it even feels like to be? No this body will not bend to your control.¡±). Kyle watched as his body took a step towards the Hollow, it took everything he had to stop it from taking another (¡°Who are you to tell me that!? This is my body! My life! Who the fuck are you to tell me what I can and cannot do with my own body!?¡±) The voice cackled, a horrible combination of chilling laughter and crackling (¡°It has been a long time since this was YOUR BODY!¡±) the voice exclaimed as suddenly Kyle felt the restraint on his body falling apart, his mental chains shattered, the shackles broken. Kyle felt himself losing control yet again, his body snarled and growled as it pounced at the Hollow, the orb rushing away from the maddened beast. He followed, on all fours he chased after the orb surging and trying to claw away at it but the ball of light was simply too fast. Kyle leapt from tree to stone to ground, hungrily chasing after the Hollow (¡°No! I won¡¯t let you!¡±) he continued trying to resist, his mind feeling like it was going to burst as he did. His body tripped due to the pain, tumbling over to a stop it grasped it¡¯s own head and began to scream in agony as the two fought for control. (¡°There is nothing to let! You have NO CONTROL! You never had any! Too weak to do anything! TOO FOOLISH TO PROTECT THOSE AROUND YOU! Too blind to look yourself in the mirror!¡±) the voice snarled back, it¡¯s tone seething with hatred (¡°Why do you resist? WHY DO YOU HIDE?!¡±) Kyle¡¯s body whipped around, clawing, snarling and kicking at anything in sight. Lost to a complete frenzy. (¡°I don¡¯t¡­I¡¯m not¡­¡±) Kyle had no idea as to what the voice was talking about, what was he hiding from? (¡°Foolish, ignorant and blind. YOU DON¡¯T EVEN SEE IT?! So afraid of the consequences. SO TERRIFIED OF WHAT YOU¡¯LL BECOME.¡±) suddenly the voice changed, breaking up into two separate voices. (¡°You¡¯re a weak fool who cannot even protect himself from himself.¡±) said the chilling voice. (¡°GIVE IN! WE CAN BE STRONGER! WE CAN BE BETTER!¡±) demanded the loud bestial voice. Kyle screamed in agony as his mind threatened to explode, he felt his very soul being pulled apart from every direction possible and his body mirrored that sensation. He rolled and turned on the ground, grasping at himself as every part of his being fought against each other. Kyle fought for control, he felt others doing the same. (¡°You are your own weakness!¡±) exclaimed the cold voice. (¡°YOU WILL BE OUR OWN DEMISE!¡±) exclaimed the loud monstrous voice. Kyle felt himself being torn apart from the inside out, he didn¡¯t even feel his claws tearing away his skin as he hugged himself in pain. As agony tore his mind asunder he wondered, where had he gone wrong? Suddenly a voice echoed out with the howling winds ¡°Our mistake¡­was to try and change at all.¡± As Kyle spun and turned on the ground, grasping at the dirt, the air and at himself, looking for any kind of outlet to end his agony that plagued his entire being. One part of his body did not share with the rest. As his body was warped in pain¡­his smile¡­looked entirely out of place. Suddenly Kyle¡¯s body went limp, all movement ended, he simply lay there with eyes closed yet the smile remained. Kyle had let go, he stopped trying to cage the beast and instead let it free. He felt around his mind, sensing the agitation, the hunger, the anger and hatred. He now understood, he never was in control. Just as the voice had said, this wasn¡¯t his body, it wasn¡¯t his soul either. For the first time Kyle felt calm, a serene sense that let his mind drift away. He sensed confusion, the voices did not expect him to give in so easily. They had wanted him to break, they had wanted him to shatter in an explosion of anger. But Kyle now understood what he was being thought, why they hadn¡¯t shown him how to cage the beast inside. Not because they couldn¡¯t, not because they didn¡¯t want to. He now understood why it was wrong to do so. The beast Kyle was trying to cage, the monsters he was so afraid to let out. They were part of him, his anger, his hatred, his sadness and fear. Each a shard of his own being, each a part of him. He couldn¡¯t control his body without them, he couldn¡¯t heal without them. Kyle¡¯s smile widened and the shard¡¯s confusion grew, he chuckled at it as he lay there on the ground ¡°We¡¯re all fools.¡± He said followed by another laugh ¡°Fighting like children over a toy.¡± He moved to stand and felt resistance ¡°Do you want to lay here? Fine then.¡± He said and laid back down. (¡°What¡­is this?¡±) asked the cold voice, still very much confused. (¡°WHY DO YOU NOT CHALLENGE US?!¡±) asked the beast. Kyle stared up at the vines and mist ¡°Because¡­why should I hinder myself? You my hatred and anger, you my hunger and instincts. You¡¯re right, this isn¡¯t my body because I have no single soul anymore. I¡¯m shattered, broken. This is our body. I¡¯ve been selfish, hogging it all for myself.¡± (¡°Even though we tried to devour you? You would simply give up control? This is a trick.¡±) said the cold voice. (¡°WHY SHOULD WE TRUST YOU? YOU ARE OUR WEAKNESS!¡±) exclaimed the beast. The two voices then merged back together into one (¡°Our soul is shattered, each piece having it¡¯s own piece of mind and consciousness. Yet most of us try to stick together, there is me that accepts the beast and follows through on our hatred. Then there is you who denies the beast and fears the hatred for it seems to be a monster. Why would you stop denying the beast? How can you stop fearing the monster?¡±) Kyle¡¯s smile faltered ¡°I can¡¯t. I hate what I am, I always will. I¡¯m afraid of what I can become, I also always will. As you said, why should I stop? I cannot stop, what I can do is¡­move on.¡± (¡°Move¡­on?¡±) Kyle closed his eyes ¡°I cannot stop hating, I cannot stop fearing. But I will accept it. I will accept my hatred. I will accept my fear. Will you accept my denial? Will you accept my cowardice?¡± (¡°Why should I?¡±) Kyle raised his hands ahead of himself, opening his eyes to see the bestial claws that were his fingers ¡°Because it is who I am, it is who you are. The hatred, the fear, the denial and¡­everything else. It is who we are. We cannot operate without each other, I understand that now.¡± (¡°Who we are?...Who are we?...¡±) Kyle felt a rush, a surge of energy within himself. He felt his mind clearing of the fog that plagued him for so long, as if the lost pieces of the puzzle that made up himself finally moved to fill their place. He rose to stand, feeling in full control of his body, even more so than before. He felt the hunger within him but this time he did not ignore it, he sensed around for a Hollow and found several. He did not restrain himself, he let the beast take over. Frostfire rushed to engulf his body, his two tails rising and falling in excitement, his ears straightening as he lowered himself to a crouch. Kyle¡¯s eyes shone brightly within the forest¡¯s darkness, he felt the cold and damp air around his skin. Opening his mouth slightly he tasted the air, revealing his fangs. Suddenly he surged forwards, running at a full sprint before he leaped up to a tree¡¯s side. He grasped at the bark with his claws, hands and feet working in tandem before he leapt off and higher. Like a hunter he prowled around the forest, climbing trees to get a better view, stalking around foliage to hide himself as he approached the white Hollow. He eyed it hungrily, yet it wasn¡¯t overwhelming as it was before. He didn¡¯t restrain himself, he didn¡¯t try to hold back. Kyle felt his body move forward, his instincts taking over as he quietly prowled towards the Hollow. As he approached he felt something¡­a sensation that overwhelmed his hunger. The world around him blacked out, he didn¡¯t sense it because he didn¡¯t need to. Only one thing mattered, his prey. His mind emptied of everything else. He stopped two feet away from the Hollow, staring down at it coldly, patiently. Kyle reached out as he took another step forward, slowly he reached out to the orb of light. As his left hand grasped the Hollow his right palm rose engulfed in Spirit to his right. A shockwave of Spirit engulfed him sending the Hollow into a frenzy but he held it still, Kyle turned to face Silvester who had suddenly appeared to his right. Kyle had blocked his punch with his palm, but his entire arm ached from the strength it had to endure. ¡°Well done.¡± Said Silvester as he backed off with a grin ¡°You¡¯re almost ready.¡± He gestured at the Hollow ¡°Please don¡¯t let me halt your appetite.¡± Kyle nodded and turned back to the Hollow, he moved to eat it when suddenly he sensed aggression. Kyle surged back as Silvester¡¯s Spirit imbued kick shot through where he once stood. The Hollow now free of his grasp rushed away and into the mist. Kyle turned to face Silvester as a low growl left his throat, Silvester stared back at him with an amused smirk while making a hissing sound. Ch 96 - Assassin Jacky coldly glared at Nolin as the priest took a combative stance, Zeeke stepped away from the two while Skill and Sparta readied themselves to take on the new foe. The air grew thin, seconds passed slowly like hours, the scene seemed to stretch out as the tension only continued to grow. Suddenly a loud crack followed by shattering ice and splashes of water filled their ears, Jacky did not dare look away, he already knew the war ships had broken through Lilior¡¯s distraction. Up above them the Chariot had turned to face the four ships again, the two Mageks, Seren and Woody continued to barrage the ships now having switched from damaging spells to magic disruption blasts hoping to take down their barriers. Lilior¡¯s cannons also fire once more, aiming to slow down the ships as much as possible. Three blasts of frost sped towards the four Elven warships but suddenly several dozen balls of flame spiralled off the warship¡¯s sides and up at the Chariot. The smaller balls of flame collided with the balls of frost exploding mid air with so much force that lightning sparked through the explosion¡¯s area. Several more balls of red hot fire were shot from the warships up at the Chariot which swerved to the side to evade the magical attacks. The cargo ship Jacky and the rest stood on began to rocked from side to side due to the large waves the explosion had created, yet neither of them moved keeping themselves balanced with the floor. All except for Zeeke who on the third shift slipped and fell back. Skill took this opportunity and aimed for Zeeke as he fell, several arrows were quickly nocked and disappeared into invisibility. Sparta also took this moment to distract Nolin, leaning forward from her stance she quickly chanted ¡°Valhalla¡¯s smite!¡± her entire form shone blindingly and she propelled herself forwards at Nolin. Jacky covered himself from Sparta¡¯s light, a barrier of shadows encasing his side as he watched the combined attack transpire, not daring to take his eyes off the Dark Priest. Nolin snorted as they began their attack, straightening himself from his lowered stance he put his hands together and quickly chanted something under his breath before suddenly opening his arms wide ¡°Black out!¡±. Suddenly a large mass of darkness exploded out from Nolin¡¯s body, encasing Sparta¡¯s light, stopping her charge and deflecting Skill¡¯s arrows. Jacky stepped away from the mass of darkness, it had completely encased Nolin and Zeeke from view but Sparta¡¯s light seemed to be slowly penetrating the barrier. Suddenly from above Sparta¡¯s side the barrier exploded outwards again and a second mass of darkness shot out from it. Jacky followed it with his eyes and watched as it slowly dissipated, revealing an unconscious Zeeke within. It was flying towards the war ships. ¡°You shall not have our Hero.¡± said Nolin as the barrier dissipated from around him ¡°You will have to get passed Me first.¡± Jacky looked at the priest with a raised brow ¡°You underestimate us.¡± without looking away he quickly barked orders ¡°You two fetch Zeeke, I¡¯ll handle him.¡± Without acknowledging or even second guessing his orders both Sparta and Skill leapt off the ship, Sparta chased after the shadow carrying Zeeke with use of her flight while Skill seemed to run through the air as magical wind encased his feet with each step. Nolin turned to give chase after the two, his form turning to darkness but suddenly a mass of shadows blocked his path ¡°You shall not pass.¡± exclaimed Jacky from within the shadows. Both of them retook human form, darkness oozing out of Nolin¡¯s eyes and shadows forming black tendrils grew out of Jacky¡¯s body as they faced each other. Nolin grimaced ¡°Very well then.¡± He suddenly lowered his arms letting his long sleeves drag down covering his hands ¡°Then I shall show you your maker.¡± Darkness oozed out of his sleeves, like a mass of smudged black that devoured any light around it. The darkness lunged at Jacky, forming sudden blades of black mana that quickly elongated to stab him. Jacky¡¯s form changed to shadow, a smoky black mass that twisted and turned evading the sudden spikes that dissipated every time they missed only to reform striking at him again. Nolin chanted as he kept the assassin at bay ¡°Lord of absence, Mother of the warped-¡± his chant was cut off shortly as Jacky lunged at Nolin, humanoid but still made of shadows his arms morphed into long crescent blades as he swung at the Priest. Nolin raised his right arm up towards Jacky¡¯s blades as suddenly the output of darkness tripled, forming a large barrier between him and his assailant before continuing his chant ¡°Goddess of Darkness! Lady Hel grant me your words!¡± Nolin¡¯s entire form burst into darkness pushing Jacky back as a warped voice emanating from the mass of black finished the chant ¡°DARK WORLD!¡± Reality blacked out, the sky turned entirely black, no moon, no stars were visible. Everything was black, nothing gave out any light, not even the torches or the balls of fire, not the Chariot or the warships. Everything around Jacky turned dark. ¡°Welcome foolish adventurer.¡± Spoke a low pitched, deep voice that seemed to rebound from everywhere at once ¡°To my reality.¡± Jacky glanced around looking for Nolin but he couldn¡¯t see anything, his [Nightvision] wasn¡¯t working and neither was his [Heatvision]. Every single one of his tracking senses were bringing back null, [Mana detection], [Assassin¡¯s ears], [Hound¡¯s nose] and even [Bloodlust detection]. He saw, heard and sensed nothing around him at all. ¡°Truly you must think yourselves untouchable.¡± continued the voice ¡°I will kill you, I will kill your allies and then I will safely bring the Hero of Light to the Empire. Barik will fall, the Legions will be crushed. Nothing can stand against the Empire.¡± Jacky had ignored every single word Nolin had said, instead he focused his mind elsewhere. He was surrounded by darkness, absolute darkness. No light was visible, albeit all the sources of light that were previously available they had all been shut off. Jacky¡¯s power was based on shadows and if there was no light then there was no shadows and only darkness. His senses had all been disabled as well. He was cornered, caged and without cover. He was a perfectly easy kill. Yet he did not panic, he did not curse or try to escape. That wasn¡¯t Jacky¡¯s way. Instead he smiled, a crooked amused smile (¡°Finally¡­¡±) he thought excitedly (¡°A worthy opponent at last.¡±)
Author: Darkness vs Shadow¡­who would win? ;PSupport the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PMGIvfWMmE
He raised his right arm forward and opened his palm ¡°Ball of Light¡± he cast the weak light spell and a small orb of fluorescent white light formed over his palm. His smile grew into a wide grin ¡°Tell me Nolin, what is the difference between darkness and shadow?¡±. ¡°Buying time? Nobody will be here to save you, don¡¯t fool yourself. I¡¯ve already apprehended your friends and that flying abomination.¡± The voice responded. (¡°Then why haven¡¯t you killed me yet?¡±) Jacky chuckled ¡°Darkness is the mild or absolute absence of light. Shadow is the existence formed when something blocks light.¡± ¡°So both are one and the same, so what?¡± asked the voice, Jacky now knew it was Nolin who was buying time. ¡°Wrong. When light dims it turns into dark, when light is blocked shadow forms.¡± He played around with the small orb of light, passing it from finger to finger ¡°Your spell shuts off all available light, but not light made after the casting.¡± ¡°So?¡± asked the voice, it¡¯s tone seemingly shaken by his calmness. Jacky grasped the small ball of light between both hands encasing it entirely ¡°So as far as the system cares, we are no longer surrounded by darkness¡­But shadow. WRAITH FORM!¡± Jacky¡¯s back melted away into black smoke, while the rest of his body remained whole his back spread out like wings of shadow that merged with the darkness that surrounded him. It looked as if he had merged with reality itself. ¡°Th-this is!¡± Nolin¡¯s tone seemed panicked as his darkness struggled to keep the mass of shadow at bay. Jacky chuckled ¡°Strangle.¡± Nolin¡¯s voice cut off, a choking sound quickly followed after. Slowly, over several moments Nolin choked, the shadows entangling around his entire body made of darkness and slowly shrinking down squashing him. After several long moments of the gut wrenching noise, the sudden sound of warping flesh, shattering bones and splattering blood was followed by the disappearance of the darkness. Light returned to the world around Jacky, the moonlight shining down upon them alongside the still lit torches on the ship. Jacky dissipated the light spell and turned around to face the foe who had been trying to sneak up on him, a giant mass of shadows forming out of his back were spread out like arms squashing him. Jacky pulled back his shadows revealing what was left of Nolin, a mangled mess of flesh and blood. He looked away from the squashed corpse and towards the now still war ships, fire balls had begun to fly at the Chariot yet again alongside enhanced arrows towards Sparta and Skill who were retreating from the ships. Jacky raised his left arm up to his face and spoke into it ¡°Did you get him?¡± he asked infusing his voice with mana to activate the new device. ¡°We lost him.¡± responded Sparta. ¡°Can¡¯t shoot through that damn barrier!¡± exclaimed Skill. Jacky grimaced ¡°Which ship?¡± After a moment Sparta responded ¡°Second from the left, your perspective.¡± Jacky looked towards the ship ¡°Clear out, Seren, Woody focus fire on target. Lilior cover for us.¡± ¡°Roger dodger.¡± acknowledged Woody, Seren simply groaned cringing at his response. ¡°Fine.¡± responded Lilior sounding annoyed. Jacky watched as the Chariot turned from behind him and flew towards the left of the warships, Seren and Woody sparking blasts of energy at the end of their staffs and sending them spiralling at the targeted ship. The Chariot¡¯s cannons also fired but focused on the other three ships, blocking their line of sight on Sparta and Skill. ¡°Sparta blind them, Skill blaze string.¡± Jacky barked the last two commands before lowering his arm. He saw both of them turning around to face the singled out ship, the other three were encased in their own barriers by ice but that wouldn¡¯t last long. Sparta¡¯s form suddenly began to shine brightly and Skill¡¯s bow turned ablaze as he fired a quick fireball that burst into an inferno on contact with the barrier. ¡°Shadow step.¡± Jacky quickly chanted and his form turned to shadow, it contorted and shrunk down into nothingness.
Zeeke woke up with a start as he landed hard on the wooden floor, his shield and sword were gone he noticed as he stood up. Suddenly someone stepped into his view and helped him up, long dark brown hair, grey eyes and sharp long ears the male Elven soldier looked distressed as he held Zeeke over the shoulder and stared off towards the cargo ship. Zeeke glanced around, several Elven mages were lined up across the ship firing fireballs at the Chariot in the sky while several more archers were being held up by vines that grew out of the ship giving them impossible angles on the two retreating adventurers. He turned to follow the Elven officer¡¯s eyes, over the water standing at the front of the cargo ship was a mass of shadows. The shadows unentangled themselves like fingers letting go of each other, like three hands opening up the shadows dropped something out. Zeeke was too far away to see what it was, the shape was somewhat spherical but that only made him feel more sick. He knew that was Nolin. He stared with wide eyes, his gut wrenching as the shadows turned revealing Jacky ¡°Get us out of here¡­¡± He mumbled out before turning to face the soldier by his side with a pale expression ¡±Get us the hell out of here!¡±. But before anybody could respond several blasts of energy collided with their ship¡¯s barrier followed by explosions of frost on the neighbouring ships. Their barriers seemed to freeze on the outside as a wall of ice formed over them and the waters around, the three ships were close enough that their barriers merged so the ice did not separate them. Suddenly a bright flash of light filled their front blinding most of them, Zeeke had covered his eyes with his arm but he still could barely see the explosion of flame that followed and the barrier dissipating around them. ¡°Now¡­where was I?¡± whispered Jacky into his left ear as Zeeke felt a cold blade dig into his back ¡°Oh right.¡± He felt the blade pull out but it had already done it¡¯s job, Zeeke felt the coldness spread throughout his body as all his systems began to fail on his heart being stabbed ¡°It¡¯s been a pleasure, Zeeke. Farewell.¡± Zeeke using his last bit of strength pulled away from the soldier and stumbled back, turning around as he did to face his killer. He saw no one, only his own shadow as he slowly leaned onto his back. His breathing slowed, his eyes shook, until he stopped moving entirely. Zeeke died too far away from a spawn point to respawn.
CH watched through the monitors within the Chariot when he suddenly felt a presence to his left, out of a purposely dark corner Jacky walked out as if forming out of the shadows themselves ¡°It¡¯s done, fall back.¡± said Jacky before he crashed down into a chair. CH simply nodded and turned back towards the monitors ¡°You two fall back, job¡¯s done.¡± ¡°Falling back.¡± acknowledged Sparta. ¡°You look tired.¡± said Ch as he turned to Jacky. Jacky was sitting with one leg up on the table in front of him ¡°T¡¯was nothing.¡± he said while staring into his dagger¡¯s blade held up in front of his face. Ch pressed something on the front wall and then glanced at Lilior, she was too focused on the Chariot. ¡°Cut the crap Jack.¡± he sat down on a nearby chair and leaned back into it raising both of his legs onto the table ¡°We just killed, how many people?¡± Jacky snorted ¡°We all agreed to this.¡± he responded as Sparta and Skill returned through the Chariot¡¯s back door, both of them looking tired and slightly pale. The rush of battle draining out of their systems. ¡°Is¡­something wrong?¡± asked Sparta as she saw both of their serious expressions. CH shook his head ¡°Go rest below, we-¡± ¡°No, stay.¡± Jacky cut him off and both turned to glare at each other ¡°If you¡¯ve got something to say Nick¡­¡± he gestured at the others ¡°Say it.¡± They continued to glare at each other for a few more moments before CH relented, with a sigh he stood back up and touched the same rune he had previously ¡°I don¡¯t like where this is going Jack.¡± ¡°Oh? How so Nick?¡± Jacky¡¯s tone turned hostile as he asked. CH grimaced as he glared down at Jacky who continued to glare up at him coldly ¡°Not even you are that dense for fucks sake. How can you stomach this? I¡¯m sorry but I don¡¯t think I can stay sane if my conscious gets any bloodier!¡± As CH raised his voice Jacky suddenly stood up and got in his face, eyes wide and cold ¡°Your conscious? You just assisted on murder you sick fuck. We have no conscious and shit WILL get bloodier from here on out.¡± He slowly stepped away and glanced at the others ¡°So if you cannot stomach this, if any of you cannot stomach this then leave. You¡¯ll only get in our way.¡± Without waiting for a response Jacky walked off towards the staircase. Skill glanced at him descend the stairs then turned back to CH ¡°He didn¡¯t mean that¡­did he?¡± Sparta shook her head ¡°I haven¡¯t been here long but he doesn¡¯t seem like the type to joke around at a time like this. Also¡­I agree.¡± Skill groaned as he scratched his head ¡°Hell¡­¡± CH said nothing further, he simply turned back to watching the monitors deep in thought and conflicted. Ch 97 - Spirit Beast [Part 3] Day 4 Kyle¡¯s rehabilitation, Noon. Spirit Realm, The Howling Forest. Kyle breathed heavily as he leaned against the tree¡¯s bark, he stood several feet off the ground and looked completely exhausted. His eyes were almost beast-like as he stared at the Hollow with his palm, he was also starving. He had lost count of how many hours it had been since they had started Silvester¡¯s little game, maybe days? He couldn¡¯t tell as he couldn¡¯t see the sky and the only light that came through the tree tops seemed to be made by the trees themselves as it¡¯s brightness never changed. He had also been too distracted to even keep count. He stared at the Hollow with his left hand, a bright yellow orb of light. It had been the first he¡¯d been able to grab but Silvester had been so persistent on hunting him down that Kyle hadn¡¯t had the time to even think of taking a bite. ¡°Damn¡­s-snake eyed¡­bastard¡­¡± He calmed himself, he had made sure to lose Silvester. He chuckled at the thought ¡°Buried under a fucking tree! Let¡¯s see you stop me now!¡± Kyle raised the Hollow up to his face as he opened his mouth, revealing rows of sharp fangs. He suddenly detected a presence above him ¡°I¡¯d be more careful of doing that if I were you.¡± Said the massive serpent coiled around the tree above Kyle. Kyle looked up at Silvester with mouth still open, his expression going from surprise to annoyance ¡°Just¡­get it over with.¡± Silvester¡¯s head turned at a short angle ¡°Whatever do you mean?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± exclaimed Kyle throwing his arms wide ¡°Throw me off! Bite me! Drown me! Eat me! Bury me alive! Wrap me with vines! Or have you run out of fucking ideas!?¡± Silvester¡¯s eyes shrunk into slits ¡°I could, but what point would there be to that if we¡¯re done here already?¡± ¡°We are?¡± asked Kyle in disbelief. Silvester¡¯s form morphed into Spirit and uncoiled itself from around the tree before forming in front of Kyle taking humanoid shape ¡°You detected me did you not?¡± asked Silvester in his Spirit Beast form. Kyle stared at Silvester in confusion ¡°I did¡­I did?...I did¡­Did I?¡± Silvester sighed as he shook his head ¡°Yes, you did. You can now manifest your Spirit, can manipulate Spirit, can take Spirit form and can detect Spirit under the most extreme situations, under extreme stress and even as your foe hides their Spirit.¡± ¡°How do you do that by the way?¡± Kyle asked intrigued. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that is too advanced for you yet, there is so much you can learn but you have little time do you not?¡± said Silvester in response as he gestured at the Hollow ¡°Let¡¯s move to a¡­safer location before you go along with that.¡± Kyle nodded and suddenly they were standing on the ground below, he hadn¡¯t even felt magic or movement what so ever. ¡°Now then.¡± Said Terrance as he appeared out of nowhere alongside each of the other founders and several dozen other Spirit Beasts Kyle didn¡¯t recognise ¡°You have learned the basic techniques required, we can begin your healing.¡± Kyle glanced around at them all, they stood about ten feet away and in a circle around him that spiralled all the way around four times. He turned to look at Terrance in confusion, his exhaustion and empty stomach wasn¡¯t helping either. Terrance chuckled ¡°Healing a soul is a very long and tiresome process, we will be required to cast for several hours, managing the Spirit within you and having to switch out from time to time to keep the process constant.¡± He gestured at the Hollow ¡°Devouring that soul will induce an event in your body where it¡¯s Spirit is absorbed into you, we will be using that as an access point to your own Spirit. Over the next few days we will be feeding you several of these Hollows to retain our connection.¡± Kyle nodded in understanding when suddenly each Spirit Beast sat down with legs crossed, he turned to Terrance for explanation again. ¡°Make yourself comfortable, this will take time.¡± said Terrance as he also moved to sit down. Kyle complied and copied their position, sitting down with legs crossed in front of him facing towards Terrance and the other founders. He waited expectantly, Hollow still in hand he stared at Terrance as they seemed to be entering a meditative state. Moments passed, minutes flew by as he waited, resisting the urge to feast upon the mindless soul. He did not know for much longer he could resist. When suddenly the air around him grew thick, he felt a powerful pressure pressing down on him as each Spirit Beast¡¯s body was engulfed in Spirit of differentiating colours. Each mass of Spirit merged with the next until a ring of white Spirit surrounded Kyle. Out of the ring grew tendrils that stretched out and reaching the Hollow within his grasp, entangled themselves around it almost entering it. When the orb was entirely covered by the white Spirit the tendrils moved to one side and joined together into a single coiling smoky tendril, the tendril shrunk and faded until it was barely visible. Kyle glanced away from the covered Hollow and at Terrance who nodded ¡°Whenever you are ready, I must warn you of the dangers you will face though. Your soul currently is broken into dozens of smaller pieces, barely held together by Ymir¡¯s intervention. Normally this would drive one completely insane but as those separate minds are being kept together the danger should be lessened.¡± ¡°Lessened, but very much present.¡± Terrance corrected himself ¡°Once we¡¯ve placed you in a state of complete self-awareness, a catatonic state where all you¡¯ll know and feel is yourself and nothing else. You will be faced with it.¡± ¡°It?¡± asked Kyle with a raised brow. Terrance nodded ¡°We never gave it a name but to be short¡­You will be facing a relentless beast, a mirror image of what you could be as a Nogitsune as some tell it. An existence created with each crack on your soul, it¡¯s role will be the same as yours but different. Your role in the healing is to bring all of yourself together. It¡¯s role is the same, but instead it will be trying to bring you back together...forcefully.¡± ¡°How is it the same if it¡¯s not?¡± Kyle had no clue as to what Terrance was speaking of. ¡°You are trying to pull your soul together.¡± Began Durin from the left of Terrance ¡°It will be trying to eat You so your soul will be brought back into a single whole. But if it succeeds, there is no telling what will come out of the other end.¡± ¡°Ah¡­don¡¯t get eaten, got it.¡± said Kyle in dreadful acknowledgement, he glanced down at the Hollow ¡°Well¡­¡± he raised it to his mouth and opened wide before biting down onto the small orb of light. Kyle swallowed the soul whole, the dim tendril of Spirit still connecting the orb and the ring of Spirit beasts was oozing out through his closed lips. Suddenly Kyle arched back, his mouth opening wide as his eyes rolled over going white. His body stiffened as he slowly leaned forward until he moved no more.
A crackling voice chuckled as Kyle opened his eyes. ¡°So, you¡¯ve came!¡± Kyle could not explain where he was, the ground, walls and ceiling kept shifting too fast for him to make them out but somehow, he could tell that images were quickly shifting in and out all around him. ¡°Well better three than two.¡± Kyle glanced to either side of him, shackled to either of his arms were two others, two Kyles. But these two were different from him, their bodies where almost ghost-like and they were floating off the ground. He glanced at the chains keeping them together, they looked entirely made of ice. The one to his left cackled, his eyes were wide open, his grin from ear to ear ¡°Ohohoho! Here it comes too!¡± he exclaimed. The one to his right groaned ¡°I suggest you get to running.¡± ¡°Run?!¡± exclaimed the left one, looking appalled by the idea ¡°Hell no we¡¯re standing to fight!¡± He recognised the voices, each were several pieces of himself but his anger was more prominent on the left one and his instincts were more prominent on the right one. ¡°What¡¯s coming?¡± He asked them while glancing around. Suddenly one of the walls cracked like glass before the centre burst out as a black mass, the mass fell to the ground ahead of them, it¡¯s form a shifting of shadows. The mass rolled to the side and changed as it moved, it¡¯s form shrinking as limbs, a head and two tails grew out. Before Kyle stood a forty feet tall black fox entirely made of a dark shifting flame, it¡¯s cold blue eyes settled on him bring a chill to his spine. The fox growled as the ground cracked below it, it¡¯s weight seemingly too much for whatever material it was made of. His left laughed maniacally and hovered forward pulling on his arm ¡°Come on then! Let¡¯s take this bastard down!¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. His right growled and backed off pulling on his other arm ¡°Run! We cannot beat it!¡± he showed a slight expression of fear. The fox took a step forward and snarled as both of himself pulled at him, it¡¯s cold eyes set on him, it¡¯s mouth drooling shadows as it revealed it¡¯s long black fangs. Kyle gazed into it¡¯s cold hungry eyes ¡°Enough!¡± he pulled both of them back as the fox reacted to his outburst and snarled, he grimaced ¡°Run!¡± and turned tail. Pulling the left Kyle ¡°Why run!? We can kill it! I will kill it!¡± behind them, the other two ran as the large beast pounced on their previous position. The fox growled as it turned on the three runners, the dark flames that made up it¡¯s body suddenly flickered ablaze as it roared and pounced again. With it¡¯s mouth wide open it rushed down at them, closing in like a predator finalizing it¡¯s chase on it¡¯s prey. Kyle sensed it¡¯s approaching jaws and pulled both of his alter egos to the left and surged, their bodies flickered out of existence momentarily and reappeared several feet away as the fox¡¯s jaws closed in on their previous position. Kyle stumbled from surging with multiple others, he fell forwards and flipped over groaning ¡°We can¡¯t do this¡­¡± ¡°So why we doing it?!¡± the left one snarled at him, his eyes ablaze with Frostfire. ¡°So we can survive fool!¡± the right one exclaimed before he himself snarled, his arms afire with Frostfire forming large claws. Kyle pulled on them to stand, at the same time pulled them to the ground. He watched the fox quickly recover from it¡¯s confusion and turn to face them again ¡°We can¡¯t do this, not like this. Arguing won¡¯t get us nowhere! The three of us¡­Three aren¡¯t better than two! Not in this situation!¡± The fox pounced again snarling as it did, claws ahead of itself it¡¯s claws elongated mid-air ready to shred them apart. Kyle waited for the last moment to surge forward and under the fox, falling over again as he reappeared. He stood back up and quickly turned around only to find the fox rushing at them, he surged upwards right before it¡¯s jaws closed in on them. Confused at their disappearance the creature snarled and spun around, it roared in surprise when they fell on it¡¯s back but it¡¯s roar was cut short and replaced by a hiss of pain. Kyle was standing on the back of It¡¯s neck, his arms covered in Spirit and pierced into it¡¯s hide. ¡°Great idea! Now we can kill it!¡± exclaimed the left one as he stood up and aimed both hands forward, Frostfire burst alive within his palms and exploded forwards engulfing the fox¡¯s head. When the fire died down, there was no head to speak of. But suddenly the creature¡¯s neck exploded outwards, black flames burst out and began to take shape. It¡¯s head had regenerated. ¡°That didn¡¯t work¡­¡± mumbled Kyle as he held on to it¡¯s back. The fox¡¯s head suddenly turned 180 degrees and snarled at them. ¡°I think you just pissed it off more.¡± Pointed out the right one. The left one groaned and glared at the right one ¡°No fucking shit!¡± Suddenly the fox¡¯s head turned back and it rolled over, squashing them under it¡¯s weight as it turned over. It began to leap around trying to shake them off, it crashed itself into the walls, continued to roll over and spin around. All the while it snarled and roared. Kyle continued trying his best to hold on, all the while¡­ ¡°Oh you think you so smart huh?!¡± exclaimed the left one as he floated behind, choking the right one who snarled and tried to claw away at the other¡¯s face. ¡°Dammit!¡± exclaimed Kyle as his left hand lost it¡¯s grip, the fox began running in circles making it hard to hold on ¡°Cut it out!¡±. ¡°Let me at him!¡± exclaimed the left one as he reached out towards the other one, anger turning to insanity as he floated too far to grab him all the while pulling Kyle¡¯s arm back. The right one growled back ¡°Damned fool! Cut him off! Let him get eaten!¡± ¡°I said¡­¡± Kyle mumbled out as he let go of the fox¡¯s back, sending all three of them flying off. Kyle spun mid air and pulled on the chains, grasping both of their necks he surged forwards slamming them both into the wall so hard cracks formed all around them. ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± Kyle exclaimed at them in a snarl, his eyes were shining blue and his nails had turned to claws. The other two stared back at him in surprise when suddenly they lost their form, turning to a bluish smoke they were sucked into the chains. Kyle growled at their disappearance, he was annoyed beyond the usual. He turned towards the fox as it had noticed the loss of their weight, it roared at him and charged forwards. Kyle clenched his fists and roared back, revealing sets of sharp fangs as his body burst out into Spirit.
Author: Finally here ^ ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lixtzXMUpN0
The black fox clashed into Kyle, turned beast he held his own in the shape of a large blue fox. The two massive beasts pushed and clawed at each other, rolling over the black one bit the blue one and threw them off before both stood up and faced each other. The black one snarled down at the blue one, it was still larger by several feet. Kyle snarled back as his body burst into white-blue flames and suddenly disappeared, Kyle surged to the side as the black fox had lunged down at him. He leapt forwards crashing into it¡¯s side and biting down, the black fox hissed in pain as it was pushed into the wall. Kyle pushed off the fox kicking it into the wall a second time and leapt off of it, surging away to the other side of the room he spun as he landed and faced the black fox as it recovered. Regaining his calm Kyle focused and the flames around him briefly dimmed before changing. The Frostfire covering Kyle¡¯s Spirit fox body solidified as it formed plating around him, bit by bit it changed until the blue fox was covered in blazing armour. The armour covered not just it¡¯s torso but also limbs and head, It¡¯s front paws were covered in long blazing claws while a helmet had formed around it¡¯s head with a new set of fiery fangs. The black fox snarled at him, sizing him up briefly as it prowled to the side but then it returned to attacking. It charged forward, each step forming cracks on the ground below. It growled then leapt, it¡¯s massive size more than twice Kyle¡¯s. Kyle surged out of the way, the fox couldn¡¯t stop mid-air so it crashed into the wall that was behind him, but seemed unaffected as it turned back towards him snarling in annoyance. Kyle was already on the attack, surging again as he leapt up he appeared below the fox upside-down and clawed away at it¡¯s chest. His long fiery claws made multiple long gashes on the creature¡¯s bottom and it hissed in pain before hopping away, Kyle crashed to the ground and stumbled back a few times before regaining control and standing up. He faced the creature as it snarled then roared at him, he watched horrified as the damage done quickly healed as if nothing had even happened. His mind raced as he thought of how to defeat it (¡°Physical attacks won¡¯t do¡­what do I do? Tear it apart? No it will just put itself back together¡­burn it? No that didn¡¯t work earlier¡­Eat it?...Hell that¡¯s the worst idea yet!¡±) Unfocused from overthinking he didn¡¯t notice the fox¡¯s charge until it was too late, it¡¯s massive jaws bit down on his torso and he was lifted up. Kyle hissed in pain as it¡¯s jaws closed in around him, crushing him through the armour. The black fox whipped it¡¯s head around a few times before spitting Kyle out and slamming him down to the floor, it stomped on him as he lay there pressing it¡¯s large right paw over his front legs and head before biting down on what remained while growling. Kyle groaned as it pulled from both ends, he could feel his body being pressured to the brink of being torn apart. Thinking quickly he surged away and out of the fox¡¯s deadlock, it snarled at his disappearance and stomped on the ground as it turned forming larger cracks. Kyle shakily stood up and that¡¯s when he noticed, the cracks below him were closing. Quickly he looked up to see the fox charging at him again, he surged aside and quickly glanced around to see that most of the cracks had disappeared. He watched as a whitish energy oozed out of the cracks and reformed them, slowly the entire hall was being repaired and Kyle had a good guess about how. He glanced back at the fox which was quickly prowling from side to side looking for an opening to pounce, constantly growling as it grew further annoyed. Kyle needed some way to hold it at bay, he couldn¡¯t possibly hold it down, the thing was too big and physically stronger than him. Even if he cut off it¡¯s legs they would simply regrow, faster than he could claw or bite them off. (¡°Options¡­I need better options!¡±) he told himself, thinking hard while he focused on the beast that constantly kept watch on him. Then a thought hit (¡°I do¡­I do have better options!¡±) seeing his sudden realisation the fox pounced, Kyle snapped out of his daze and surged aside just in time to not be crushed. The fox quickly turned around and snarled at him, it moved back to prowling from side to side, it was a patient hunter. But it was surprised when it¡¯s prey stood up on it¡¯s hind legs, it stopped it¡¯s movements and watched carefully as a strange substance formed out of it¡¯s forelegs. Slime rapidly oozed out of Kyle¡¯s arms as he chanted with a beastial voice ¡°To shred their armour and dismember their numbers¡­To destroy their cover and riddle their soldiers to corpses! Gatling Slime!¡± around per arm a massive rotating cannon formed and immediately opened fire. The fox was startled by the loud gunfire, caught off guard it¡¯s face and forelegs were shredded by the fast projectiles forcing it to fall to the ground. As it regenerated Kyle held his fire and waited, when it began to stand back up he fired again shredding it¡¯s front legs and hind left foot. The fox fell snarling in pain, it stared up at Kyle, it¡¯s expression warped with hatred. Kyle sighed in relief, occasionally he¡¯d open fire forcing it back down to the floor but it began to slowly drag it self towards him so he had to also walk away (¡°This should hold it for a while but¡­how long will my mana last?¡±) he thought to himself.
Central Ruk Grand Fae City of Orion, Outskirts Sly went through his usual routine, it had become a daily and nightly occurrence that he would disappear from the palace to be training himself outside the city. He would take a short stroll through the streets, making sure to lose the Demon and Fae guards stationed to watch him before sneaking out of the city and finding himself back at the lake. Once there he would step into the shallows and as every day before he would simply start moving, going through punches and kicks, evades and blocks. The pain would slow him down severely, sometimes even impeding him from moving at all for a few moments. But Sly persevered through the pain, he continued trying, moving through it for hours on end. Today though was different, he wasn¡¯t just persevering, he moved rashly and forcefully as if frustrated by something. As he moved through the steps and stances, he glanced at a certain notification from time to time.
CHfarms has left the guild
CH had retired from the guild. ¡°Coward¡­¡± Sly mumbled every time he saw it ¡°Fucking spineless p-piece of sh-SHIT!¡± a surge of pain shot through his body as he slipped through an evade and tripped, falling down into the water it took everything he had to keep his head out of it as not to drown. He waited through the agony, clutching at his chest as he held himself up until it slowly eased back to the usual burning sensation he had gotten used to. Sly lowered himself into the water, turning over he floated there staring up at the sky as it hit sunset. ¡°This is truly pathetic.¡± Said a voice from the shadows of the forest. Sly moved to stand but his quick reaction caused another fit of agony, he managed to get into a kneeling position but couldn¡¯t stand through the pain. ¡°Hah! He cannot even stand!¡± exclaimed another voice. Sly eased himself back into the water and focused on relieving the pain, he took deep controlled breaths and cycled his mana. ¡°He¡¯s still a Devil, focus. Although I must admit this is quiet entertaining.¡± Followed up a female voice, her chuckle boomed inside Sly¡¯s head making it hard for him to focus. Sly finally clear of the episode of pain, slowly stood up and glanced around as they stepped out of the shadows. There was six of them as far as he could see, eight that he could sense and all were wearing dark cloaks hiding everything but their height and gender. ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked with a mild growl. The second one that spoke, a short and gruff dwarf laughed ¡°The dog asks who we are.¡± All six visible unsheathed their blades ¡°We are the survivors of the apocalypse your kind has brought. We are the light in the dark, darkness that you covered our homes with. We are-¡± ¡°Rebels?¡± exclaimed Sly cutting the woman off, he guessed she was a Fae from her voice ¡°Hah!-¡± he tried to laugh but the pain stopped him from doing so. The woman snorted in amusement at his pain ¡°We are The Sunset and when it does, your head will no longer be attached to the rest of you. Disgusting abomination.¡± Sly stood up straight and took a deep breath to fight off the pain ¡°You see¡­why did you have to go and say that? I was just chattin¡­and now you¡¯ve gone and pissed me the fuck off.¡± he set his eyes on the cloaked Fae, black slits surrounded by violet with a tinge of dark green. Ch 98 - Dread Sly stood his ground as the rebel assassins moved to surround him, long curved blades ready in each hand they carefully encircled him. He inspected the one he thought to be the leader but got nothing useful in return.
???
Suddenly a bolt whistled towards him, he evaded the deadly shot by using his aura to mildly change it¡¯s trajectory away from his head. Before he could process the direction of the attack two of the assassins rushed at him, both of them chanted a quick spell. ¡°Imbue Blade!¡± chanted the first and her two blades were suddenly engulfed in razor wind as she charged at Sly¡¯s left. ¡°Shadow step!¡± chanted the second and he suddenly disappeared in a burst of shadows. Sly acted quickly as a second bolt was shot towards him, two daggers appeared out of his sleeves, one per hand as he spun around to face the first assassin. Their blades clashed and suddenly the assassin¡¯s wind imbued blades pressured down on Sly¡¯s as if being back by a giant¡¯s strength. Sly flinched from the agony caused by the clash when his aura burst out to surround him, the bolt flew past his shoulder affected by the aura. Sly fought through the pain and blasted his aura forwards at the assassin, causing her to be thrown back. He quickly turned parrying the second assassin¡¯s attack as he suddenly appeared out of Sly¡¯s shadow, bursting his aura outwards again he pushed this one away as well when suddenly a third assassin shadow stepped behind Sly slashing both of his daggers into Sly¡¯s wings and cutting them off at the stem. Sly screamed out in agony and summoned an explosion of Aura, the explosion knocked back the third assassin. Following the outburst of aura from Sly a bolt flew out of the forest and dug into Sly¡¯s right shoulder disabling his entire arm. Sly dropped his right dagger as he lost all feeling in his arm, gasping for breath from the agony that followed. Another bolt was shot, embedding itself into Sly¡¯s left leg. He was forced to kneel from the ensuing pain. His expression warped in agony, Sly still held on to his last dagger, clutching it even though it caused him more pain. He looked around as the assassins relaxed, anger flaring through his eyes as he watched the Fae slowly approach him. (¡°This is¡­how I die?¡±) he asked himself. The assassin stopped a couple feet in front of Sly, wind still engulfing her blades as she stared down at him from behind her cowl and balaclava. Her eyes were wide, bright blue with a pinkish iris. She stared down at him in amusement, then raised one dagger up to his throat ¡°You will die, slowly and painfully.¡± Sly couldn¡¯t clear his mind to summon his Aura, the pain was just too much for him to focus. No anger could get through the agony, no emotion to fuel him further other than the burning pain that filled his body. She kicked him back knocking him down into the water then pressed her foot over his chest, keeping him under the surface as she raised both blades up before suddenly stabbing them down into his shoulders. Sly screamed and then choked as water rushed to fill his lungs. The pain was simply excruciating yet he could not pass out, he forced himself to stay conscious and fight through it but it took everything he had to do so. He knew even if he did pass out the pain would not stop. The assassin stepped back letting Sly up to the surface, raising her hands up she caught two daggers that were suddenly thrown at her. She chanted ¡°Imbue Blade¡± and a rush of razor wind engulfed them too. The assassin stepped back then suddenly lunged down stabbing the daggers into Sly¡¯s knees, shattering the bone and sending Sly into another tantrum of agony. She raised her right hand up again and caught the third dagger thrown at her, she stared down at him as he wormed around in the water from the pain, his eyes turning greener the longer this went on. ¡°Now to carve out a present to send to her ¡®royal¡¯ highness.¡± Stepping around she kneeled down next to Sly and turned him over so he faced the sky, holding him still as he shook. The Fae rebel pressed her dagger¡¯s point to Sly¡¯s chest then pressed it down, carefully and ignoring Sly¡¯s constant hoarse screams and squirming she carved open his chest right over his heart. She sheathed the bloody dagger and pressed both of her hands to his chest, spreading the wound open. When suddenly she quickly backed off, standing up and away in surprise as out of Sly¡¯s chest spew out a dark green mist. The mist quickly engulfed her and in a few seconds the entire lake before oozing it¡¯s way into the forest. The visibility was low as the Fae glanced around, she heard her companions turning tail to run. Annoyed at their cowardice, her annoyance was quickly replaced with fear as screams of panic and pain suddenly surrounded her. The screaming was everywhere, she could tell each voice apart as one by one every single one of her companions began to scream out before slowly their voice turned hoarse and ending in a dying gasp. Following the screams was the tearing of flesh, the gut wrenching shattering of bones and squelching of blood before suddenly...Silence fell. Everything was quiet except for a light sound, like dripping water into a puddle it went on. Drip, drip, drip. The sound went on and on slowly getting closer sending her imagination into a frenzy as she stared off into the mist. Eyes wide the rebel unsheathed her dagger as the mist moved ahead of her, she slashed wildly hitting nothing before quickly leaping back. She bumped into something on her way back¡­A deep chill run through her spine as long fingers lurked over her left shoulder, she couldn¡¯t move, she felt paralyzed by fear. ¡°Drop the blade.¡± A slow whisper commanded her and she obliged, dropping the dagger almost immediately. ¡°Turn around.¡± The hoarse voice then ordered and she did, slowly turning to face the creature that seemed to overpower her very mind. Her eyes dared not widen further, her face would not pale whiter as she stared up at the Devil. Sly had grown two feet taller, his eyes had turned completely green, whites, iris and all as dark green energy crackled out of them. His skin had turned completely white, almost sickly with a greenish tinge. His dark purple hair had lost it¡¯s colour too, some violet barely visible through the white it now was. His body was also completely healed. The assassin¡¯s entire body trembled with fear as his aura permeated through her, she couldn¡¯t even think straight less so move or speak. Sly¡¯s right hand reached out, slowly raising up to her neck before squeezing around it but not hard enough to choke her. He raised her up by the neck, high enough so they were face to face. Sly¡¯s expression was¡­confused. Not angry, nor sad or afraid. No Sly was mostly confused as he stared at the notifications that had popped up a few moments earlier, when he was in too much pain to even notice them.
The [Necrotic Grasp] curse is overflowing¡­
The de-buff [Extreme Mental Strain] is now affecting you.
Warning your [Miasma] is entering a [Frenzy]!
You have gained the sub-race {Undead} through the obscene amount of [Dread] you have absorbed¡­
You have unlocked the racial class [{Dread Knight}]
Level Up! (x32)
Warning! [Necrotic Grasp] curse has been empowered by [Dreadful body] curse! 2 weeks estimated before complete bodily failure!
He had not only lived through the ordeal but had gained a sub-race and a class? He was baffled at the titles of each as well, simply being [Undead] made his head spin but to also gain a class regarding that race? (¡°What has¡­happened to me?¡±) he thought as he continued to enforce his Aura over the petrified rebel assassin, fully aware of the Dread that now lurked within his Aura. Sly felt revitalized, no pain what so ever was present at the moment. Even as he clenched his free hand into a fist he only felt one thing, overwhelming strength. He turned his attention back to the notifications, one stood out from the rest to him. (¡°Fourteen days¡­¡±) he sighed lightly, somehow he wasn¡¯t surprised but¡­ (¡°Power comes with a price my boy.¡±) the voice that filled his mind after surprised him quite a bit. Sly recognised the voice (¡°Ares¡­How are you speaking to me outside of the class trials? What¡¯s going on? Sick bastard what did you do to me!?¡±) it is safe to assume that Sly does not like his ancestral guide very much. The voice chuckled, a gruff cackle before answering (¡°I have done exactly nothing, fool. You have gained a class haven¡¯t you? It is my role to explain it to you, so I might as well explain to your feeble mind what has happened to your soul.¡±) Sly grimaced and growled (¡°Go on¡­¡±) Ares chuckled some more before continuing (¡°The curse you have been¡­well cursed with, is one that empowers your pain reception over tenfold as it slowly kills you. The sheer amount of pain you struggled through over the past few days, the sudden increase in pain that has been inflicted to you today¡­well your Miasma took exception to that.¡±) this time he laughed full heartedly until Sly growled some more regaining his attention. (¡°Hah¡­Your Miasma, a kind of mana that absorbs other kinds of mana, an energy¡­a power that hungers for more power. It absorbed the overflowing Dread that filled your body, it absorbed so damn much that your soul¡¯s elemental attunement was harshly effected. Your soul gained an attunement for Dread, this categorizes you as Undead.¡±) Ares explained in an amused tone. (¡°That explains the race¡­and the class?¡±) Sly asked as he took this in stride. (¡°Ahaha! The class! I believe it would be simpler to show you the class description! Oh how I love playing around with these options!¡±) Ares exclaimed excitedly when suddenly a window opened in Sly¡¯s face.
Dread Knight; A creature born from the most vile of curses. Imbued with deathly energies their bodies quickly rot away as the power overflows. Known as an un-living catastrophe, stories following Dread Knights are haunting nightmares told only by the bravest bards. ¡®HAHAHA! Come! Come at me fools! Break my bones! Burn my flesh! All is for naught as I stomp over your puny armies! As I blow away your castle walls and tear your cities asunder! Come! Fight me! Fear me! QUENCH MY THIRST FOR BLOOD AND WAR!¡¯ Dreakalor, Dread Knight Vampire Lord. You have acquired the following class skills; Actives: [{Deamon Make}] Passives: [Dread Mist], [Dreadful Voice]
Sly grimaced, cringing at the quote (¡°Sounds like me when I¡¯m on a killstreak¡­hell¡­¡±) he read through the skills quickly (¡°What¡¯s with this active? The hell is a Deamon?¡±)This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. (¡°A Deamon, my boy, is an Undead Demon.¡±) responded Ares (¡°Each Dread Knight gains a different active skill, they¡¯re all unique abilities. Yours is somewhat strange, I¡¯ve never known a Dread Knight to take minions¡­¡±) (¡°Minions huh¡­¡±) thought Sly as he closed the windows and stared at the rebel, with a grin on his face he dropped her and she limply fell into the water. ¡°Rise¡± he told her, his voice empowered by Dread. The rebel wordlessly obliged, albeit being still paralyzed by fear she rose to her feet. Sly raised his right palm to her face and chanted ¡°Deamon Make.¡± suddenly the mist surrounding them began to spin around them, slowly tendrils formed then reached out and entered the rebel through her ears, eyes, mouth and nose. The rebel¡¯s cowl and mask seemingly dried up alongside her coat revealing a blonde haired woman with blueish-pink eyes, her wings were not visible at the moment but her complexion made it obvious she was Fae. As the Dread constantly flowed into the woman her appearance changed. Her bright blonde hair quickly lost it¡¯s colour turning ghastly white, her blue-pink eyes were enveloped by a dark green energy turning them completely green like Sly¡¯s before suddenly her skin began to crack. The Fae¡¯s skin expanded and cracked as a white carapace grew, shell-like the carapace grew to cover her body entirely like most Demons. Out of her back grew two pairs of leathery white wings that spanned almost as long as Sly¡¯s which had regrown and two short dark green horns grew out of her forehead from stubs that formed out of the carapace there. Finally, a thin leathery tail grew out almost five feet long finishing her transformation.
You have created a [Deamon] minion. This creatures name was once (Lea Frei Rain). Do you wish to rename this minion?
(¡°Frei Rain¡­Like Sistine¡¯s mother¡­¡±) Sly¡¯s grin would have widened if it could as he read the message ¡°No¡± he answered the window and it disappeared. He looked back down studying his first minion, he could barely hide his excitement as much as he couldn¡¯t hide his grin. (¡°So boy, what shall you do now?¡±) asked Ares. Sly chuckled coldly ¡°What I couldn¡¯t do before.¡± he half-answered him before turning back to Lea ¡°Tell me minion.¡± the mist around them suddenly began to dissipate revealing their surroundings ¡°Where can I find the rest of your rebel group?¡± The water below them was now almost entirely red as chunks of flesh and bone floated about. The trees around their side of the lake were covered in blood and more gore, leaves dripping blood down onto the water and soil, branches drenched and some holding up tattered pieces of armour or flesh. These were the remains of the other assassins. Sly listened carefully as the minion happily listed several hidden bases and rebel-friendly taverns (¡°This is what I can do¡­¡±) he told himself before willing open the guild menu (¡°This is what I have to do.¡±)
Guild Menu Guild Name: RedHawkDown Abbreviation: RHD Leader: [Level 167] Birse [[Master] Shadow Paladin] Co-Leaders: [Level 166] DeathChilled [[Master] Pyromancer] <-[Level 171] SlyOkami [[Master] Lord of Aurei]-> [Level 169] JackyKill [[Master] Lord of Wraiths] Members: [Level 142] Seren_Cross [[Master] Lord of Wisps] [Level ???] Kyllix [Lord of Slimes] [Level 154] DemSkillShots [[Master] Ranger] [Level 153] Steph773 [[Master] Alchemist] [Level 168] Cherrysboi [[Master] Guardian] [Level 165] Woodstauk [[Master] Lord of Unicorns] [Level 168] 300thSpartan [[Master] Valkyrie]
He then opened his inventory and took out his VCD, briefly he glanced back at the guild menu before carefully he took out the mana crystal on the side of the device rendering it inactive. He inventoried both the crystal and the disabled VCD before staring at the guild window. Sly focused on it as he spoke ¡°Leave Guild.¡±
Are you sure you wish to leave the guild [RedHawkDown] which you are co-founder of?
Sly stared at the notification briefly, clenching his fists as he closed his eyes. This was a dreadful choice for him but a choice he decided to make none the less ¡°Leave¡­Guild¡±.
You have left the guild [RedHawkDown] of your own volition.
Ares¡¯s voice hummed inside Sly¡¯s head (¡°This is not like you at all, what are you planning boy?¡±) Sly turned around giving the Deamon his back ¡°Giving this newly gained power a use, to stop Scythe and aid my friends the only way I know how.¡± Ares snorted (¡°Even as they work hard to save you? Even as they rush their plans and put themselves at risk just to buy you more time?¡±) Sly sighed ¡°Even I know¡­Even more so now¡­Scythe is too strong, too smart. It will be too late, he¡¯ll arrive before we can ever end the hostilities between the factions of Chaoz. No I won¡¯t stand to see them fail, I won¡¯t let them fail.¡± (¡°You might die.¡±) said Ares plainly. Sly smirked ¡°Couldn¡¯t we all?¡± he looked up to see the moon still rising ¡°Minion, show me to your comrades¡­¡±
Northern Hasharr Ogre Fortress City of the Haunting Clouds The Chariot flew over the calm ocean heading towards a massive fortification covering several kilometres across the shores of the continent of Hasharr. A massive wall of stone with mana already visible flowing through a sort of circuit carved into the stone, the mana glimmered as it changed colour from blue, green and yellow. Peeking over the walls and turning as they approached were several hundred dozen massive cannons seemingly made of the same mana infused stone the walls were. Barely visible behind the massive fortification were the lights of an even larger city, buildings seemingly oversized for the normal humanoid. Flying behind the Chariot was a whole platoon of forty eight Mageks riding armoured Griffins, this was the largest number Esfelt was able to manufacture and train during the past week. Standing at the front of the Chariot and gazing into the monitors was Birse, behind him was some of the RHD guild sitting at the table, including Jacky, Cherry, Skill and Sparta while Woody and Seren manned the Mageks carrying the Chariot. With them sat multiple others, leaders of different guilds together making the leadership of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild of Barik. Dherik, Regina, Luke, Nakano and Shark as officers of the guild, with them sat Zaahr the co-founder and Karnage the leader. Karnage had returned to Chaoz a few days ago, she was baffled to hear of Sly¡¯s recovery and slightly annoyed that she had returned for no reason but her duties as guild leader kept her from returning to Kyle. Luke, leader of the crafting guild had joined up with Death and Steph as one of the lead researchers in the creation of the Mageks. As such him and his guild had merged with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Nakano, previously co-founder of Eternium was voted in as the new leader after Zeeke¡¯s demise to the Elven Empire, or as Jacky¡¯s intel had explained. She had her doubts but she also knew he had gotten what was coming for him and that was enough for her. Her guild had also merged with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Shark, as founder of the Pride guild and after the scattering of the churches and many arguments between their guild -mainly started by Taliarissa, the co-founder- they had also merged with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Lilior who was bothered being surrounded by so many people was in her Fairy form and hiding at the top of her Dungeon Crystal. ¡°We¡¯re landing.¡± Pointed out Luke anxiously, his hands hadn¡¯t stopped tapping the table since lift off. Dherik placed his large right hand over the craftsman¡¯s shoulder ¡°We are, now chill the fuck out before I knock you the fuck out.¡± he warned him with an annoyed glare. ¡°R-right¡­¡± Luke nodded and removed his hands from the table. Birse sighed and turned to face them all, each of them albeit most tried to hide it were anxious. He straightened himself ¡°This is not a war mission, calm down you all. This is just peace talks, there¡¯s no¡­little need to worry.¡± he assured them with a shrug before turning back to the monitors. ¡°Says you¡­your ¡®Highness¡¯¡­¡±said Karnage as she glanced around the table ¡°What happens if they don¡¯t want to make peace?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they?¡± asked Birse with an amused tone ¡°They have no reason to, actually they have every reason to accept. Ogres dislike conflict, it is why they have so many issues with their neighbours the Orcs.¡± Birse watched as the Chariot flew over the walls and swerved to the left, the platoon of Griffins followed. They headed towards the side of the city, flying over the inner walls and turning to land at the gate. The landing was smooth as the Chariot¡¯s magic propelled it upwards and back, slowing it¡¯s speed as the Griffins on the front simply came to a running stop. The platoon of Griffins all landed behind the Chariot, forming a thick chevron with it at the front. Birse studied the welcome party in front of the stone barred gate as the others stood to leave the Chariot, several dozen unrecognizable armoured beasts with hulking shoulders and torsos stood on all fours with just as large plate-armoured warriors standing guard above them. They all stood in a straight line facing their own landing party. Birse stepped away from the monitors and walked towards the already open exit at the back, as he passed by the crystal ¡°Lilior, watch those walls.¡± He told the Fae and stepped out. The ground was dry, the grass was almost yellow as fields of it spread out to the left of them. It would have been a beautiful sight during day-time, a field of gold. But during night time it was haunting, like a dry wasteland. He glanced at his comrades, each waiting for him to step forward first. He did, leading the leaders forward and away from their guards. They walked around the Chariot and towards the Orc¡¯s welcome party, stopping mid-way between either. Birse watched as the giant warriors swerved their beastial mounts aside, making an opening at the centre of their line as multiple individuals stepped forward from behind them. The Ogres were a mixed race of each giant race in Chaoz, within the diplomatic party walking towards them Birse recognized several races he knew from myth and others he learned about from what his wives had told him to expect. Five large beings stopped to stand in front of them. Two Cyclopes, standing about fifteen feet tall these where the shortest of the Ogre races and had a singular large eye in the middle of their faces. Both were male, one obviously more important than the other wore fancy clothing made of white silk, his greying hair was cut short but his long beard was left to hang. His blue eye looked weary but attentive. The second wore official looking robes made of a blue cloth and held a long wooden staff marking him as a mage, his short dirty blonde hair seemed gelled back and his single green eye was opened wide as he stood at attention. An Oni, standing about thirty feet tall these red giants were almost Demon-like in appearance with blood red skin, long tusk-like fangs and one to two bony horns growing out of the top of their heads. This one had a single horn instead, as all females of her race did and unlike the Cyclopes she was in full black plate-armour with a massive sword over her back. Her crimson red hair was bunched up in a bun while her golden eyes stared at the Chariot curiously. A Hill Giant, the second largest of the Ogre races standing upward of forty feet tall but looking mostly human in appearance except for the claws growing out of their fingers and toes instead of nails. This one was a young male wearing royal clothing of blue, white and gold. His black hair was tied up in a warrior¡¯s tail with a fancy golden ring, over his brown eyes he had an accessory similar to a pair of glasses made of shimmering silver and gilded with gold. Lastly and a member of the largest race within the Ogres, A Stone Giant who stood about fifty feet tall as a fully grown male. Instead of skin he had stone like scales covering his entire body, his eyes glowed a fiery red while his hair and beard seemed to be made of moss and vines due to the greenish colour. His chest was completely bare while he at least wore a thick pair of shorts made of white fur. He had to squint and bend over lower to fully see them. The Cyclopes with the staff stepped forward and greeted them ¡°Welcome hopeful friends, to our border city of the Haunting Clouds.¡± He gestured at himself ¡°I am Gorish Joel, guild master of the Sorcery and Craft guild here on Hasharr. With me are Hefton Eljor the third Grand Lord of us Cyclopes, Kanae Toen Grand Lord of the Oni, Norm Drok Toslar Grand Lord of the Hill Giants and¡­¡± he had to raise his arm fairly high to gesture at the Stone Giant then cleared his throat before speaking again. ¡°Nukliateksentrosalametrinoka Grand Lord of the Stone Giants.¡± he somehow said in a single go. ¡°Call me Nuk.¡± Added the Stone Giant, his voice loud like booming thunder as he gave up on leaning over and crouched down instead to get a good look. Birse nodded and stepped forward, infusing his voice with mana he spoke ¡°I am Lord Birse, King of the Esfeltian Dominion, Guild Master of RHD and council member of the newly founded Chaoz Alliance. I shall leave it to the other council members to introduce themselves.¡± Gorish glanced around and waited a few moments ¡°Who¡­might they be?¡± ¡°Wait for it.¡± said Birse with a smirk. Suddenly the sound of rushing water filled their ears as over the massive wall that lined the shore, the sea began to rise higher and higher. The sudden hill of water moved towards the wall and leaked right over it, slowly it made it¡¯s way around the crowd of Ogre soldiers as it just as slowly shrunk down. Walking over the pillar of water and landing to a stop nearby Birse as the water dissipated into the soil stood a young male Nymph ¡°I am Rej Deepdrifter, Sultan of the Nymph race, Lord of the Mer Bond and council member of the Chaoz Alliance.¡± As Rej finished his introduction a sound echoed throughout the city, like clapping thunder before suddenly and with a harsh landing appeared an Avian from the sky above. He rose from his kneeling position and stared up at the sky briefly as his contingent of soldiers suddenly landed with just as much speed to stand behind him. ¡°This is King Raiku Goldfeather.¡± Exclaimed one of the soldiers beside Raiku as their group stood to the left of Birse¡¯s ¡°King of the Avian race, King of the kingdom of Oroboros and council member of the Chaoz Alliance.¡± Raiku glanced at Birse and Rej, politely nodding to each as both returned his greeting. Gorish unfastened his collar button anxiously, the letter they had received had not mentioned such important faces would show up. ¡°Our p-people welcome you both Sultan Deepdrifter and King Goldfeather¡­¡± he politely bowed towards both royals before turning back to Birse who seemed offended, he bowed to him as well somewhat sating his annoyance ¡°Then shall the proceedings beg-¡± He was cut off as suddenly the air to his right crackled with energy before reality seemed to split apart creating a dark red rift. Out of it walked out several more individuals followed by their contingent of guards making Gorish¡¯s face pale to the extreme. Birse controlled his grin as he gestured at the new arrivals ¡°I present you the four Dwarven Lords of Ruk, Lord Bealot, Lord Tanja, Lord Sejior and Lord Howter.¡± Each finely dressed Dwarf nodded at the council members politely before moving to stand away from the rift with their warriors to allow the rest through. Birse continued to introduce the late arrivals ¡°Next are the eight Devil Lords of the Dezol legion, Lord Lucifer Sin of Pride, Lord Belial Sin of Vanity, Lord Satan Sin of Wrath, Lord Mammon Sin of Greed, Lord Asmodeus Sin of Lust, Lord Leviathan Sin of Envy, Lord Beelzebub Sin of Gluttony, Lord Belphegor Sin of Sloth¡­¡± Each Devil Sin stepped through the rift followed by one to three other Devils and a contingent of Demon guards, each group moving to the left and line up nearby Rej. Gorish was speechless as the final arrival stepped through, encircled by Fae guards she gracefully hovered out of the rift as she made her own introduction ¡°Daughter of the banished Fae God King Oberon, Daughter of the late Fae Goddess Queen Titania. Demi-Goddess Queen of the Fae race, Demi-Goddess Queen of Ruk. Officially standing as council member for the Chaoz Alliance for the Fae, Dwarf, Demon and Devil races.¡± She hovered down to stand nearby Rej, Raiku and Birse who now stood at the front of every one, her Fae guards hovered to kneel behind them. ¡°I am Lilliana.¡± Ch 99 - Demi Liliana stared up at the giants as she exclaimed ¡°I am Liliana, starter of the Grand Quest.¡± Kanae the Oni grimaced as she glared down at the Demi ¡°What is the meaning of this? The Dezol are not welcome here. We are an Imperial faction!¡± she exclaimed while reaching back for her sword. When suddenly a booming voice made each Ogre flinch back as an aura of shadows momentarily engulfed them ¡°Keep calm, we are not here for hostilities.¡± exclaimed Birse as he reined in his aura. Having caught all their attention he continued to speak ¡°We are here to invite the Ogre races to the Chaoz Alliance and to ask you to act as a bridge between us and the Elven Empire. We seek global union, not war.¡± ¡°You do not?¡± asked Nuk the Stone Giant with a raised mossy brow ¡°You would make us believe that Demons and Devils wish for peace? You think us foolish enough to even consider allying with a race that since returning from their exile have done nothing else but conquer?¡± ¡°Unfair exile¡­¡± hissed Lucifer from the side. ¡°Hmph, unfair it may have been we had nothing to do with that.¡± Now spoke Hefton the Cyclopes ¡±You have brought your vengeance upon the Dwarven race, you have taken over what remains of the Human dominion and the Beastkin are all but gone. Haven¡¯t you had enough?¡± Birse sighed quietly ¡°The Dezol do not seek war with the Empire, it is the Empire that has been pressuring the Dezol by sea.¡± ¡°Oh? Is that so? Then let me ask you this, why was the Grand Quest started?¡± asked Norm the young Hill Giant with an unimpressed sneer. Birse hid his smirk ¡°I just gave you the reason why. The Grand Quest was started because the Empire would not stop pressuring the Dezol. The inhabitants of Ruk feared invasion if the Dezol moved on with their plans to take over Barik, to retake Tempres. You would say the Empire would not have invaded a defenceless country?¡± Before any of the other Ogres could respond and before Birse could answer his own question Nuk spoke, his booming voice cutting off the others ¡°They would have, not only that but they would have followed up by destroying the remaining Dezol forces on Barik after they were done with fighting the Esfeltian Alliance along with what remained of the Alliance itself.¡± Nuk grinned as he saw his companion¡¯s baffled expressions, he turned to face Birse ¡°I have lived through each war that has plagued this world, Human. I know what the Elves are capable of. My people may fear the Empire but I will always speak my mind.¡± He rose to stand straight up ¡°It appears to be a very difficult task to scare a Stone Giant!¡± he exclaimed before chuckling, the ground shaking below him as he did. Birse was surprised but continued on nonetheless ¡°As you admit, who is to say the Empire would not have invaded Hasharr afterwards? Who would stop them? Who could?¡± he glanced around reading their expressions like open books, he had them now¡­the flow of the conversation was under his control ¡°That is why the Dezol started the Grand Quest, as insurance but¡­¡± He stopped briefly for effect (¡°Giving Kyle a run for his money here.¡±) he thought in amusement before continuing ¡°But the Dezol were betrayed, the Quest was never properly started.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? The Heroes were summoned were they not? How else do you stand here?¡± asked the Cyclopes Mage, Gorish. ¡°The Heroes were summoned but the Quest was never given an objective.¡± answered Birse as he took another step forward ¡°Hero of the previous Grand Quest, Scythe the hero of Death who had remained after their Quest¡¯s failure¡­He had struck an accord to assist the Dezol with a new Quest, he did not follow up. Betraying Liliana during the sensitive act of starting the Quest, Scythe stole the Artefact of the Grand Quest and escaped to another realm.¡± Kanae grimaced as she glared down at Liliana ¡°So the Artefact is gone, the Quest is null and void. So what? Why should we care? What has this anything to do with this talk?¡± ¡°The Quest still goes on.¡± said Liliana as she flew up to hover where everyone could see her. ¡°How is that possible? Without an objective why is the question still active?!¡± exclaimed Norm. Liliana raised her right hand forward as a light shone out of her palm ¡°Quest log¡± she chanted and for everyone watching a window appeared.
Grand Quest Log Quest Starter: {Demi} Liliana [Prophecy] Part 1: The drums of war play, their sound echoing throughout the realms and the veil. A dark evil scratches away at its cage, The Void is waiting for The Trickster to free it, so it may unleash its rage. The Trickster betrays and plots, amassing the undead for its army each day. The Demon of Light travels the realms alone, choosing warriors for The Trickster¡¯s throne. The Fake God bides its time, waiting for The Trickster¡¯s sign. [Prophecy] Part 2: Three trials will take place, for each Chosen to challenge and face. The first trial is one of courage, to own one¡¯s fear is how to flourish. The second trial is one of perception, to know one¡¯s self is required so they may defeat temptation. The third trial is one of alignment, unite Chaoz they must and prepare for the war that is sure to test their temperament. Fail most will until only one stands, the True Hero they are and the only one that can stop The Trickster¡¯s plans. Choose must this Hero, the God that will aid them with this time of conflict. Rewarded this Hero will be, if reality remains whole a change they may then bring. [Chosen of Light] Zeeke Status: Deceased [Chosen of Reign] Reyna Status: Failed the first trial [Chosen of Dagger] SlyOkami Status: Failed the second trial [Chosen of Nature] Taliarissa Status: Failed the second trial [Chosen of Blood] Sharkmeatguy Status: Failed the first trial [Dark Chosen of Frost and Void] Kyllix Status: ???
The Ogre¡¯s eyes widened, some faces paled but Nuk growled angrily as they all read through the window. ¡°This prophecy¡­¡± growled Nuk ¡°So¡­this is what it takes to make Devils and Demons cower in their boots.¡± his voice seemed changed as power was imbued into it. ¡°Are¡­Are we even¡­allowed to see this?!¡± exclaimed Gorish as he read the prophecy over and over, adding each word to memory as if this was some ancient tome of great knowledge. ¡°The system cannot be faked, we all know this.¡± Continued Liliana as she slowly hovered back down to the ground ¡°This Prophecy¡­The Trickster, Scythe is gathering an army to invade Chaoz. He is joined by three other powerful beings we have little to no knowledge of, The Demon of Light and the Fake God we know nothing about but¡­The Void is true to it¡¯s name.¡± Birse stepped in at that moment to speak ¡°So grand lords of the Ogre races, will you cower in fear and await your destruction by the hand of Undead and other evil monstrosities or will you join us and fight for the survival of all Chaoz?¡± The Ogre lords glanced at each other in dismay, the proof they were given was indisputable and at the same time horrible. Then suddenly the ground quaked as Nuk took a step forward, a single step, not even a full one was all he needed to stand in front of the mixed races making up the Chaoz Alliance. Nuk turned around to face his fellow Ogre lords ¡°Neighbours, we face the apocalypse. The Stone Giants stand with the rest of Chaoz. What say you?¡± Gorish straightened himself and took a step forward ¡°The Sorcery and Craft guild has always stood for progress, there can be no progress if there is nobody living. We stand with you.¡± Kanae glanced back at the mounted knights, slowly she turned around to face her warriors as she unsheathed her sword ¡°We Oni are guardians of this land, the things we have done to take it from the oppressive Beastkin are¡­¡± she turned back and took a step forward ¡°The Oni stand with the Alliance of Chaoz.¡± Which was followed by a loud cheer from the mounted Oni warriors. Hefton grimaced as he also took a step forward ¡°It seems we are left with little choice, the Cyclopes also stand with the Chaoz Alliance and we shall take the lead of communicating between you and the Elven Empire.¡± Silence briefly fell as everyone turned to stare at the young Hill Giant, Norm was frozen solid with a paper white pale expression as he stared at the prophecy. Until Nuk coughed and slapped him on the back of his head ¡°Ugh! Oh¡­Uh¡­The Hill Giants too! Uhm¡­Stand with you!¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Rej relaxed there and then and whispered to Birse ¡°Well¡­that went better than expected!¡± he waited for a humorous reply but when none came he turned to see Birse wide eyed with concern ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Rej asked him. Birse briefly glanced at him ¡°Very.¡± then turned to look back at the rest of his guild, each wearing confusion and or concern, each having seen the same notification he returned to stare at.
Co-Founder SlyOkami has left the guild.
Northern Ruk. Fortress of Underkeep. 7 hours later, morning. Tania Frei Rain, wife to Satan¡¯s son and Devil of Wrath, Val Agni Abysswalker. Mother to Sistine Agni Frei Abysswalker. Even among the Fae -who are known for their beauty- her appearance was only matched by the Godly such as Liliana. She sat over her and her husband¡¯s bed brushing her long jade green hair, listening to the magical whispers of three shadows that stood in the room with her. The shadows were kneeling before her, one so short it must have been Dwarven. ¡°The disappearances started yesterday Madam.¡± Reported one shadow ¡°Several of our comrades have gone unseen and unheard of. ¡± ¡°Only two things bind the disappearances together.¡± Continued another ¡°Before each disappearance, another of our comrades would interact with the subject and lure them away before both would disappear.¡± The shorter shadow spoke now ¡°Also, eyes that saw the interaction spoke of a sudden and unexplainable fear. Like a powerful and invisible aura had engulfed them.¡± Tania suddenly shattered the brush in her hand as a cold smile washed over her face, her eyes open and glaring coldly down at the shadows ¡°And this all started¡­after the disappearance of my sister and her loyals?¡± The shadows nodded quietly. ¡°And what¡­had they been out to do exactly?¡± she asked with a tone that was as gentle as it was cold. The bravest of the three shadows answered ¡°Misses Lea had¡­gathered her loyals to attempt an assassination¡­¡± Tania¡¯s eyes widened ¡°Who¡¯s assassination?¡± ¡°Mine¡± whispered a hoarse voice in response. Tania calmly glanced to the side and there he stood, a tall pale Devil with dark green eyes sparking with energy. A thin mist oozed around him, green and sickly it tendrilled around him like many serpents. ¡°And who might you be?¡± she asked not recognising him. The shadows had also risen to stand, on guard but dared not move closer as they found themselves paralyzed by fear. The Devil¡¯s lips curved up into a wide thin grin ¡°Your reaper.¡± he whispered then suddenly raised his right hand forward and a mass of green mist rushed out of his palm engulfing the entire room within moments ¡°Deamon Make¡±. The sound of cracking bone and tearing flesh filled the room for a few moments before suddenly the mist dissipated. Tania glanced to her side in horror to find all three of her shadowy followers had changed, their skin now a Demon-like white carapace, their eyes sparking with wicked green energy and leathery wings then a tail. Even the Dwarf had changed to look exactly like the other two, the cracking of bone was his extreme change in height. She turned to face the Devil, when suddenly it hit her ¡°You¡­Impossible¡­Zeokul?¡± her eyes widened and face paled as Sly¡¯s grin expanded revealing his black fangs. ¡°Strange, it seems you have resisted my spell.¡± Sly mused with a raised brow as each of the three new Deamons appeared in a burst of shadows before him, suddenly small rifts tore open behind each and they were pulled in before each rift shook and dissipated. ¡°W-what have you¡­become?¡± she asked with wide eyes, stepping away from the Devil as an aura of fear pressed on her. Sly chuckled, a choked sound ¡°I won¡¯t waste my time explaining that to you, you don¡¯t have long remaining anyway.¡± he said with a sneer. Tania took another step back, bumping into the wall behind her ¡°No¡­you don¡¯t understand¡­this is¡­this¡­it¡¯s a misunderstanding!¡± Sly snorted, amused by her pointless words. He already knew everything, how she led the Fae rebels from the shadows, how she controlled the Dwarven rebels under a fake identity. Using her title as Val¡¯s wife so her movements remain undetected. Sly chuckled at the irony of it all. ¡°W-we can join arms!¡± she suddenly exclaimed pulling Sly out of his thoughts. ¡°Join arms?¡± he asked amused by the concept, it was true that if she helped him willingly it would only make his goal that much easier. ¡°Y-yes! You see how the other Devils treat you! They see you as a failure! A rotten apple in their midst!¡± with each phrase she stepped closer, her expression pleading ¡°Join us! Help us bring change to this rotten king-¡± she ended her words there as the glint of a blade shone in her right hand. Tania lunged at Sly as he stood there unmoving, her dagger digging deep into his chest. No blood splattered out of the wound, no reaction came from Sly as his eyes set on the Fae. He simply stood there smiling at her, as she stared at him baffled. ¡°Well¡­it seems you¡¯ve made your choice.¡± said Sly as his smile faltered, faster than Tania could react to, Sly¡¯s right hand suddenly lunged up followed by the sound of tearing flesh and cracking bone. Sly¡¯s arm had gone through her chest, opening a gaping hole through her heart. Tania stared at him horrified, her hand faltering off her dagger as Sly pulled his bloody hand out of her chest. She held onto him, struggling to stay standing as she made choking sounds. ¡°I wonder.¡± said Sly as he grabbed her by the neck and raised his free hand up to her face ¡°Deamon Make.¡± Then and there a knock suddenly came at the door ¡°Mother are you alright? I heard¡­something.¡± asked a worried Sistine from outside. Sly sighed as Tania began to change in front of him, he let go of her and stepped back (¡°This could be problematic.¡±). ¡°Mother¡­I¡¯m coming in.¡± the door opened before Sly could think up of anything, revealing a worried Sistine who¡¯s expression quickly changed to horror. She watched as her mother changed, her skin cracking and expanding, her eyes filling with green energy, her beautiful emerald hair turning white and sickly.
You have created an [Arch Deamon] minion! This creatures name was once (Tania Frei Rain). Do you wish to rename this minion?
Sly quickly closed the window ignoring it entirely, returning his attention to Sistine who had noticed him. She stepped back, pale and eyes wide ¡°What¡­No¡­Mother¡­N-no¡­¡± yellow lines of mana began to form over her skin, her eyes shone a bright gold as sparks of golden energy surged around her. Sly recognized the signs and quickly stored his new minion into a pocket dimension, the rift opened and sucked in Tania just as quickly as it closed back up. Sly turned to Sistine as miasma oozed out of her body, moving to envelop her. He glanced around the room, thinking fast he opened his wings wide and surged through the window. Glass rained behind him as he flew up and away from the city¡¯s wall, it was morning outside but inside the massive cave city¡¯s lights were still dim. That is until the wall exploded with a blinding golden light that filled the cavern. ¡°Nooooooooooo!¡± screamed out a warped voice as the light dissipated revealing a large crated in the wall, several corridors and rooms visible as if a large hole had been cut out of a building. In the very middle a mass of miasma hovered, surging with golden energy. ¡°You¡­¡± the miasma suddenly dissipated revealing the newly ascended Devil. Sistine hovered in place as her leathery golden wings spanned wide behind her, covered by a dazzling blue light. Her silver eye had turned golden and shone brightly, her emerald eye was oozing out a greenish flame. She glared dangerously at Sly. Sly raised his right hand forward ¡°Wait I can expla-¡± He wasn¡¯t allowed to finish his sentence as Sistine¡¯s entire body was enveloped in a golden flame that suddenly rushed up at him before exploding. The cavern¡¯s air burned volcanic as the fire spread further and further before suddenly a dark green mist broke through dissipating the flame. The Dark mist quickly shrunk, as if being sucked in before it completely dissipated revealing the two Devils facing each other again. Only this time the victor was plain for all to see. ¡°Let me go!¡± shouted Sistine as she fought against the dark green aura that restricted her, solidified aura that was forming out of Sly¡¯s outstretched arms. Sly sighed and waved his arms to the side, willing his aura to move and slam Sistine to the other wall. She groaned in pain as the air got crushed out of her lungs. ¡°Maybe now I have caught your attention.¡± Said Sly as he hovered closer. ¡°You don¡¯t have to listen to me, but you will listen to her.¡± Said Sly as he stopped in front of her, meeting her cold glare as a rift opened to his side. Tania, his Arch Deamon flew out of the rift and moved to kneel even though there was no ground below them. Sistine turned to stare at her ¡°Mother¡­¡± tears formed and fell as she stared, speechless and confused. ¡°Tell her, maybe the truth will open her eyes.¡± Said Sly coldly, barely focusing to hold the Devil at bay. The Arch Deamon stood up and spoke, it¡¯s voice unchanged causing Sistine no small amount of heartache ¡°What do you wish me to tell her, Master?¡± ¡°Who were you to the Sunrise rebels? Why did you marry into Satan¡¯s family? What is she to you?¡± asked Sly, his expression annoyed. Tania turned to face Sistine, her face blank and emotionless, her tone monotone and empty as she spoke ¡°I was leader of the Sunrise rebellion, through several fake names and identities I lead each cell from the shadows. I married into the Agni family for the title, the power and to cover for my movements.¡± ¡°Mother¡­what are you saying?!¡± asked Sistine as she lay in tears, the power gone from her voice as she pleaded ¡°Stop this¡­please¡­¡± The Arch Deamon glanced up at Sly questioningly ¡°Continue. Who is she, your daughter, to you?¡± he simply said and she turned back to face Sistine. Tania¡¯s expression remained blank, her tone emotionless as she answered his question unable to lie ¡°An abomination, a mistake.¡± At that moment Sly¡¯s form blinked with movement as he spun around with his leg engulfed in aura and kicked Tania in the chest, sending her spiralling down into river causing a massive splash followed by a ground shattering quake. He straightened himself and spat down at her, his expression one of disgust. He turned to face a baffled Sistine ¡°So, now you know too.¡± She did not respond as she stared at empty space, her eyes streaming tears and unfocused. He pulled her away from the wall and slowly hovered both of them down, landing nearby the river he watched as the Arch Deamon wonkily flew to his side. Sly immediately put it way, willing a rift open ahead of it¡¯s flight path and storing it. He couldn¡¯t stand to see that being¡¯s face, he had decided it would be on the front lines. He turned back to Sistine as he pulled back his aura, letting her fall to her knees still in shock. He sighed and glanced back to see several Demon guards rushing around the city, a whole platoon was heading their way. He grimaced and turned to walk away, opening a rift in front of himself when suddenly a hand grabbed hold of his shoulder. ¡°Where are you going now?¡± Sistine asked, her head lowered as she trembled to even stand ¡°What are you going to do?¡± her voice choked as she spoke, forcing it out. Sly pondered on her question as he removed the dagger that was still embedded inside his heart, he had just remembered it was there and the wound quickly closed on it¡¯s own. ¡°Where? Looking for what remains of Sunrise, I will turn each and every one of them.¡± he answered honestly without looking back. ¡°You¡¯re raising an army¡­¡± said Sistine, less as a question and more as a statement ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Halt!¡± shouted the Demon guards as they approached them, suddenly stopping in their tracks as their eyes went wide with fear. They had stepped into Sly¡¯s range of effect. Sistine glanced at them briefly before turning to glare up at Sly ¡°Why are you raising an army?¡± Sly snorted ¡°Aren¡¯t you taking this a bit too-¡± he had turned around only to meet a cold glare full of hatred ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Answer the damn question.¡± She snapped at him. Sly¡¯s grin faltered as he stared down at her coldly ¡°Do you not see what I am? You think the Empire would ally with an Undead? I left my guild, I am leaving the Dezol. Officially I can no longer assist either, else diplomacy with the Elves will be fruitless.¡± Sistine raised her free arm and wiped the tears from her face ¡°So you¡¯re building up your own army, to do what? Join the fight once it begins? When nobody can question your existence then?¡± He sighed in exasperation ¡°You¡¯re wasting my time, I¡¯m leaving.¡± he moved to step into the rift when suddenly Sistine appeared blocking his way with arms open wide, her eyes shaking with anger. ¡°The least¡­you could do¡­¡± she mumbled quietly before looking up to glare at him ¡°Tell me, it is the least you could do!¡± Sly growled under his breath, growing more annoyed by the second ¡°Why should I tell you? I could simply kill you where you stand and walk away, hell I could turn you into the same creature I turned your unloving mother into. Take your damn pick.¡± Sistine continued to glare up at him, unaffected by his threat ¡°You aren¡¯t capable of that, you would already have done so if you could.¡± Miasma, Dread and Aura all converged around Sly as his eyes widened with rage ¡°You do not know what I am capable of. Look at me, I¡¯m a dying monster! How could you understand!?¡± he clenched his fists as the ground quaked beneath the pressure he was creating ¡°Ever since¡­I came here¡­No¡­¡± Sly¡¯s aura blasted outwards and Sistine was forced back onto her ass ¡°From the very start I¡¯ve been fighting a war on each flank, I¡¯ve been betrayed, I¡¯ve been used, I¡¯ve been looked down upon. I never realised until it was too late, the dream I fought to defend¡­It wasn¡¯t this cruel world.¡± The stone beneath them cracked as rocks began to float up all around him ¡°All I ever wanted¡­I already had. To smile, to laugh and joke with my friends. I did not realise until I lost it. I did not realise until I became¡­this.¡± He glared down at Sistine as she stared up at him in horror ¡°So don¡¯t you dare tell me what I am capable of.¡± Sly waved his right arm forward and a blast of dark green aura threw Sistine to the side, she landed several feet away. He stepped forward, his face almost touching the open rift ¡°I have nothing left to lose.¡± Sly wanted to step into the rift, to leave it all behind him but somewhere inside he felt an emptiness. He didn¡¯t know why, he didn¡¯t know what compelled him to but¡­He told her, he told her everything before stepping into the rift. Sistine watched as she rose from the floor, the rift closing behind him and the pressure suddenly dissipating with, letting all the rocks that had lost gravity to rain back to the ground. She lay there sitting as Demon guards rushed around her, she blocked out their voices, ignored their presence entirely as tears began to fall yet again. ¡°Fool¡­¡±
Central Ruk Grand Fae City of Orion A massive rift opened at the city¡¯s gate, very little attention was given to this phenomenon as it was commonplace around these parts. Most Devils had this capability after all. Out of it first stepped out the Devil that had opened the rift, Asmodeus. Followingly closely behind him was the Chariot and each Griffin riding Magek that had flown to Hasharr. Out of the back of the Chariot stepped out Birse, then each member of his guild. He glanced back at them all, Jacky, Sparta, Cherry, Woody, Seren, Skill, Soren, Death, Steph, Lilior and even CH, Rico, Jane and Vain. Each member except for Kyle and Sly were present, officially member of the guild or not. Each wore an expression of worry, some hid it but they too felt anxious. ¡°Find him.¡± Birse told them plainly, hiding his own. Ch 100 - Devourer and the devoured Kyle watched as the darkness regrew its limbs, retaking form each time he shot it into a twisted unrecognizable mass. He didn¡¯t know for how long he had been going for, hours for sure but what he was truly sure of was that the darkness was reforming quicker and quicker the longer this went on. He didn¡¯t know how many times he had circled around the hall of shifting lights, the mass of black stalking after him in whatever way it could. The creature was relentless, dead set on its task of devouring him. Strangely enough he also seemed to have an infinite pool of mana, his Spirit form never once faltered, his Frostfire armour never seeming to fade and his gatling slime cannons had yet to run out of mana to pull in ammunition. He never tired too, allowing him to keep up with the unrelenting beast that hunted him. Albeit all that Kyle was afraid. Truly he feared this creature, the longer he watched, no matter how many times it seemed to fall apart it never died. Kyle knew it was the hunter here, he was just a very pesky prey. He had picked up his fire-rate, but it only regenerated faster, pushed on quicker, growled at him more fiercely. Truly Kyle felt afraid for his life, the monster that he hated for so longer, the beast he did not wish to become. It was here, it smelled his fear and it was after him. He took steps back, keeping the distance between them as he barraged it with projectiles. They tore away at it¡¯s body, shredding it like paper but it only reformed, painless it seemed as it continued to thread onward. Kyle felt it deep inside him, the seed of doubt that slowly flourished with his fear. His movements grew automatic, having threaded the same steps for hours. His attacks continuous yet also continuously ineffective. His attention was entirely on the dark black mass, it took him a few moments to notice. It took Kyle a second to see, to hear what was happening around him. The walls, the floor, the ceiling. The light had stopped flashing and instead, slowly like a movie scenes played on before cutting to another. He glanced back and forth from the walls to the mass of black, entranced by the memories of his life. He watched the memories, the best times of his life pass by. Everything from his first birthday to graduation and further forward to his time with the guild. He watched it all, from start to finish. Over and over it played and he noticed. His life lacked in so many ways. Then he noticed that suddenly, the darkness had stopped moving. It lay there in tatters, formless. He did not stop shooting, wanting nothing else but to destroy every inch of the monster. But before he could do so, the mass melted down into the ground disappearing entirely. (¡°Is it over?...¡±) Kyle thought as he glanced around, when abruptly the entire room went dark. Kyle froze, paralyzed by fear of the unknown that now surrounded him. He felt it then, a sensation just as powerful as his own fear. He sensed it lurking about him, he smelled it¡¯s stench, he felt it¡¯s pull and heard it¡¯s whispers promising satisfaction. The emotion was not his own, Kyle was sensing the emotion of whatever prowled around him. It was hunger, like nothing he had ever sensed before. A gluttony that demanded to be sated, no matter what had to be done. Kyle stood still in a cold sweat, shrouded in darkness he couldn¡¯t see anything but¡­ He heard its growling, he felt its eyes on him. The monster still lived, the hunt was still on and he was still the prey it sought. Suddenly the darkness parted, giving way for the light that refilled the entire room. Images began to play again but this time they weren¡¯t his memories. Kyle stared as if watching a movie unfold around him, unable to look away from what he was being shown. He saw a wasteland spanning forever no matter where he looked, piles over piles of corpses littered the ground, surrounded by even bigger piles of destroyed machinery or bodies of creatures he barely recognized. Kyle knew a war had occurred here, it didn¡¯t take much to guess that he stood surrounded by a battlefield. He glanced around at the many weapons scattered across the ground, swords, staffs, bows and so many others. He then looked at their wielders. Kyle took a step back as he felt his stomach clench, disgusted and horrified by what he saw. His eyes continued to scan the ground, what he saw was unmistakable. He was surrounded by the dead, many of them holding faces he knew well. Kyle saw members of his guild left and right, other adventurers he knew, some well some not so much, people he cared for. Everyone sprawled out dead on the ground, riddle with wounds and bleeding in uncountable ways. He spun around, panicked by the sight when suddenly out of the corner of his eyes he saw someone. Kyle looked back to see one person still standing, he was giving him his back. Two black furry tails and long black furry ears. Kyle recognized himself even before he turned around to face himself. His hands were drenched in blood, splatters also covering his leather armor and cloth cloak. As he turned around Kyle saw, the deep black emptiness in his own eyes. Kyle didn¡¯t know if this was a premonition or simply the darkness playing with his head. It didn¡¯t matter, he knew this was the likely outcome if he failed. He knew this was the future he was trying to prevent. It was showing him his failure, it was showing him how he lost everything he had left. The other Kyle stepped forward, closer towards him as darkness oozed out of every orifice on his body. The darkness engulfed him as then even his body lost its form and turned to darkness before finally the Black fox was standing in front of him again. ¡°Do you see?¡± the fox asked ¡°Do you not understand?¡± it whispered, its voice beastial and cold. Kyle stood unmoving as his form shrunk, his weapons of slime dissipated, his armor of white-blue flame faded, his form changing back to his normal self. ¡°This is what awaits you.¡± The fox continued ¡°More misery and loss. More pain¡­more hatred¡­¡± it stepped forward, it¡¯s vulpine face inches away from Kyle ¡°You may resent me all you wish. You know you cannot defeat me, you know you cannot destroy me¡­The truth is you fear me above all else because you know¡­You and I are one and the same.¡± Kyle remained motionless, unable to respond, unwilling to look away as he stared down at a single body in front of him. He stared at her face, frozen in fear and panic as blood dirtied what was left. ¡°It does not matter what you do, it does not matter what else may happen around you.¡± It growled and stomped it¡¯s foreleg ¡°You are too far gone, too shattered to heal. You fear me but at the same time you cling to me. That fear, that inexplicable feeling. It is all you have left. It is what remains of your self. You cannot let it go, you will not let it go. Because without it¡­without me¡­you are nothing.¡± Finally, Kyle looked up and away from Karnage. His eyes hollow of all emotion as they mirrored his thoughts. He stared up at the creature, meeting its eyes. They were empty, a pitch-black void of darkness. He realized this monster wasn¡¯t just any being, this darkness¡­this Nogitsune was himself. ¡°You failed the moment you tried to resist.¡± It hissed down at him ¡°All your struggling¡­was always for naught.¡± ¡°Hah¡­I see now¡­¡± murmured Kyle, too quiet too hear. ¡°Squirm all you wish, you are only fighting yourself. Fight me for as long as you desire, eventually you will give in.¡± The fox neared closer, opening its jaw and revealing misshapen rows of black fangs. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Exclaimed Kyle, his voice now loud and infused with power as shockwaves of Spirit forced the fox away from him. Kyle looked up at the creature, realization having hit him ¡°You are entirely right.¡± The fox looked at him in confusion, laying still and wary. Kyle continued on, even stepping closer to the being ¡°I understand now. Yes I cannot destroy you, I will never be able to defeat you because you are indeed me.¡± He chuckled at his own stupidity, he was so blinded by fear he hadn¡¯t put one and one together. That is¡­until now. ¡°You aren¡¯t it, are you?¡± he asked the creature, as it snarled and stepped away from him. ¡°No¡­no you aren¡¯t. You¡¯re the same as them, just like my hatred, just like my instincts. You are another shard of me. Unchained by it, to be used against me. It all makes sense now.¡± Kyle glanced around the room, the battlefield still present ¡°The cracks, the Spirit that repaired them¡­¡± he turned to look back at the creature ¡°Then you¡­My Fear.¡± He raised his right hand up towards it ¡°You are what I never accepted, what I grew to hide and cover. You are my deepest fears, my very despair.¡± The creature growled and snarled as it backed away from Kyle, its form slowly shrinking. ¡°No¡­it is something else¡­something that has always been present from the start.¡± Kyle thought to himself out loud as he continued to approach the ever-shrinking black fox ¡°The cracks marked it before, the Spirit that healed the cracks further prove it.¡± Kyle had backed the fox into a corner, its size now no larger than an actual fox and suddenly the room went completely white. It whimpered and hissed up at him, he leaned down then kneeled. He offered his right hand to it ¡°My darkest fears, my deepest despair. It is true that I have denied you, I have ignored and resented you.¡± His hand lay almost on the fox¡¯s head when suddenly it lunged at him, it¡¯s jaw closing around his hand. Kyle flinched slightly from the pain but did not pull back his hand, he let it bite down and continued to stare at it with a cold smile ¡°But in the end, you are right. You are me, no matter what I do, no matter what happens I will always feel fear. I accept that fact, I accept you.¡± Suddenly the chains of ice that were shackled to Kyle¡¯s arms shimmered out of existence briefly before reappearing¡­with a third chain. A collar of ice now lay around Kyle¡¯s neck, a chain growing out of it tied the collar to another that lay around the fox¡¯s neck. The fox slowly let go of Kyle¡¯s hand, before abruptly dissipating into a black smoke that rushed into its collar and disappeared into the chains. Kyle stood back up and glanced around. Kyle looked around at the room, for the creature he was warned about. ¡°So¡­what now?¡± he asked, mana still infusing his voice ¡°What, is that all you had planned? No plan B to retreat to?¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Nothing happened, no change at all came to his surroundings. Which only annoyed Kyle ¡°I see, now you¡¯re just going to hide. Trying to come up with another plan? Aren¡¯t you? You little damn parasite.¡± Kyle moved to stand in the very center of the room, he focused his senses and felt around only to find that he was right. The gluttonous hunger he felt earlier was still present, and it came from the entire damn room. He raised his arms, opening them wide ¡°This whole room is a sham, an illusion of where I actually am.¡± Suddenly a mass amount of blue slime rushed out of his palms, impossible amounts of it began to fill the room as quickly as Kyle could create the gooey substance. The slime filled the room entirely but¡­Kyle kept summoning more. Cracks formed around the room, the walls began to shatter, the roof burst open and the floor was crushed to dust before suddenly the entire room dissipated. Revealing what it hid. Kyle felt the floor disappear underneath him but he was not worried, he simply floated in place as his slime moved to swirl around him. He looked around, taking in the new scenery. An open blue sky lay all around him, massive black cracks spread out all over this seemingly empty reality. The cracks glowed a dark blue hue as violet energy surged through them, they separated the sky into several misshapen pieces like a broken mirror. Massive chains of ice pierced through each shard of space separated by the cracks, seemingly holding them together. Some shards of space seemed to glow a bright white as energy flowed out of them, surging through the black cracks and slowly closing them. Kyle did not know this place, but he knew what it represented. This is how his mind could explain as his soul, the wide open and broken blue sky. The black cracks that scattered throughout it were the fractures on his soul. The chains were Ymir¡¯s power, holding him together. The white glow was the Ancient¡¯s Spirit working to fix him. And¡­the black shadow that stood facing him was it. Humanoid in form, the shadow was also faceless. Tendrils of darkness grew out of its back and fed into the black cracks, the energy seemingly surging stronger where they connected. Its blank face, where its mouth would have been suddenly moved¡­ An incomprehensible sound reached Kyle¡¯s ears followed by a voice that spoke directly into his mind. (¡°You are¡­the first¡­¡±) the voice said, nothing comparable to human¡¯s. It hissed like a serpent¡¯s. ¡°The first?¡± asked Kyle with a raised brow. The creature¡¯s shoulders shook as it laughed into Kyle¡¯s mind (¡°To survive my trap.¡±) it cocked it¡¯s head then asked (¡°Tell me, what made you realize? So you will be the last.¡±) ¡°I guess I¡¯m just different from the prey you¡¯ve had before.¡± replied Kyle with a cold smile. The creature¡¯s face suddenly stretched out as a terrifying grin formed, it¡¯s mouth too large for it¡¯s head. Lipless and full of fangs. The creature laughed hysterically into Kyle¡¯s mind, even leaning over and holding onto it¡¯s chest as it did (¡°Yes! Yes you must be! Ah! Then if I eat you, you will be the last!¡±) it raised it¡¯s face to grin at Kyle again but it¡¯s grin faltered as it met his eyes. Kyle glared at the creature coldly, this insufferable being was wasting his time, potentially putting his friends in danger and for the last several hours had been playing around with him. Kyle¡¯s eyes were dead cold and murderous. It chuckled some more (¡°Oh! Oh! I made the cub angry! Hohoho!¡±) it teased before suddenly disappearing (¡°Poor little cub!¡±) it exclaimed as it appeared to his left but when Kyle turned to face it¡­it disappeared again. (¡°I thought your kind were the paragons of control!¡±) the creature shouted from far away to his right, Kyle quickly spun around but barely caught a glimpse of it disappearing into thin air yet again. (¡°Oh wait no, that makes no sense. If you were, then how have I eaten so many already?¡±) it asked before laughing, having appeared above Kyle. Kyle had stopped trying to follow it with his eyes ¡°What are you?¡± he asked while focusing on its voice, moving his mass of slime to surround him defensively. The creature chuckled (¡°What am I? Hmm¡­Difficult question, very very hard question.¡±) it responded from below. (¡°I am¡­Ah¡­Many things.¡±) it mumbled from up front (¡°As you said¡­I¡¯m a¡­what was it? Parasite?¡±) suddenly Kyle sensed it behind him as it whispered (¡°I devour broken souls from within.¡±) Kyle spun around on instinct but found nothing. (¡°I¡¯m the darkness within each of you, the gluttonous parasite that lurks within the veil.¡±) it explained as it¡¯s voice suddenly began to echo from every direction at once (¡°You SpiritBeasts are the most delicious, wielding such powerful souls that seem to never expel¡­Only to revert back to whole once devoured¡­Ah¡­I can always get my fill!¡±) The creature chuckled as Kyle stood wary, his slime ever flowing around him like a barrier. (¡°Ah yes¡­ones like you are simply the best! So full of emotion! Bursting with anger! Frozen with hatred! The texture of your existence as I swallow it whole! The taste of your soul as it unravels!¡±) The voice whispered straight into Kyle¡¯s ear now (¡°The never ending satisfaction of when you create more of your selves¡­Ha¡­a never ending source of nutrition!¡±) Suddenly the slime stopped dead as Kyle¡¯s mind raced ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± The creature laughed hysterically (¡°He gets it! The cub understands! Yes fool! I am the one! The only! I created insanity! I created madness! I am the father of every Void! A being not even Gods comprehend! A creature not even reality can bend! I feed upon the weak and regurgitate them stronger!¡°) It suddenly appeared before Kyle, within his own barrier of slime and without even needing to break through it. It¡¯s mouth was curved and ridiculously wide as it grinned (¡°I am Behemoth! And you shall be a very tasty snack!¡±) it exclaimed viciously then lunged at him. Only to find itself entangled in tentacles of blue slime, Kyle¡¯s barrier of slime had descended down upon it all together and engulfed it. Behemoth struggled and tore away at the slime but the gooey ooze only refilled what it pushed way and remerged what it tore apart. Behemoth roared into Kyle¡¯s mind (¡°You¡­You cannot stop me!¡±) A wicked grin grew over Kyle as he stared at the creature ¡°Oh yes, yes I can. Because you see, this is my mind. You may be powerful, you may be stronger than I could ever become but¡­in here I am beyond even you.¡± Behemoth continued to struggle and screamed with rage, it¡¯s words making no sense to Kyle who¡¯s grin couldn¡¯t get wider¡­or could but he decided it wasn¡¯t worth the effort ¡°That is the catch isn¡¯t it? You strive for control while making sure to envelop your prey with a sense of chaos. You confuse them, using whatever means necessary to make them fall in despair.¡± Kyle chuckled (¡°A tricky parasite you are, but only an insect in the end.¡±) Behemoth roared into his mind (¡°You dare?! I am a God beyond Gods! The source of all monsters! I created the Devil Leviathan! I gave birth to Demons! I-I forged Apophis! I was a victor of the God wars!¡±) Kyle snorted in amusement ¡°Lies followed by a never ending stream of more lies. That is how you work, isn¡¯t it? A colossal drama queen who¡¯s only power is based on robbing control from another¡¯s mind. You are no God.¡± He raised his right arm towards the sphere of slime as a thick tentacle expanded out of it and reached out to him, it wrapped around his arm as even that turned to slime before merging with the tentacle to become a single whole. Kyle grinned, eyes wide and wicked ¡°You¡¯re nothing but a pest and You will be a very tasty snack indeed.¡± Suddenly the slime began to wiggle and tremble ¡°Devour.¡± Behemoth roared and screamed in agony as his body melted into the slime, breaking apart and evaporating away for several minutes until nothing else remained. Kyle glanced around, several cracks had begun to heal much faster than before. Then a deafening roar filled his head (¡°YOU CANNOT DESTROY ME!¡±) screamed Behemoth as he reformed out of one crack to his left. Kyle turned to face the creature again as he willed his slime to rushed at it ¡°No, but what was it that you said?...Ah, a never ending source of food!¡± Behemoth evaded several tentacles of frenzied slime as he flew around the shattered sky, escaping from the gooey ooze while shouting (¡°YOU! Y-YOU! I WILL END YOU! ¡±) Then Kyle suddenly appeared before it, his fist engulfed in slime as he grabbed the creature by the throat ¡°No, no you will not. You will only keep getting eaten, over and over.¡± the slime that was following him caught up and splattered all over Behemoth, engulfing him once more ¡°Until I am satisfied. Devour!¡± Again Behemoth melted away inside the slime, it¡¯s body falling apart and evaporating as it screamed in agony. And again several more cracks began to heal faster, the shards of sky glowing whiter and brighter as the nearby breaks of darkness shrunk and dissipated. And yet again Behemoth appeared out of another crack, still enraged it immediately lunged at Kyle only to be once more engulfed in slime and without further ado¡­ ¡°Devour!¡± ¡°¡­Devour¡­Devour¡­Devour!¡± Exclaimed Kyle every time Behemoth appeared, whether the creature attacked or ran the outcome was simply the same¡­¡±Devour!¡± For what seemed the tenth time Behemoth reappeared out of a crack, which had drastically decreased in number. (¡°This is madness!¡±) it screamed out in frustration. ¡°I heard you¡¯re related.¡± Responded Kyle as he appeared behind the shadowy creature, his right arm already raised forward as slime gushed out of his palm and engulfed Behemoth ¡°Devour!¡± For the eleventh time, Behemoth respawned (¡°Why!? Why is this happening!?¡±) it asked no one in particular other than itself. Kyle appeared in its face, a wicked and cold smile on his own as slime rushed out of his arms and as every time so far engulfed Behemoth ¡°Because you fucked with me. Devour!¡± and digested it. All the while it screamed. For the twelfth time Behemoth reformed (¡°This¡­this is insane¡­¡±) it mumbled to itself while holding its own head, seemingly tearing away at invisible hair. Kyle chuckled as he appeared back to back with Behemoth ¡°I heard you created that, talk about a Frankenstein story!¡± as slime oozed out of his back and wrapped around it ¡°Devour!¡± For the thirteenth time Behemoth recovered (¡°Stop¡­just stop¡­¡±) it begged while on its knees. ¡°Did you stop?¡± Kyle asked appearing before it, clutching its neck as slime slowly oozed out of his arm ¡°Did you stop when I trembled from my fear? Did you stop when I seated with rage? Did you stop when I was shown my friends¡¯ demise? Did you stop when I was shown my failure? Did you stop when I was shown what I could become?!¡± he exclaimed furiously ¡°Devour!¡±. For several more times Behemoth reappeared before ultimately being devoured. For the fortieth time the shadow reformed, speechless as it held itself in the fetal position. It whimpered when Kyle appeared before it, an instinctual reaction now after so many times. He stood over it, unmoving as he glanced around the mostly whole sky around them. A single crack existed now, it was thicker than the rest and seemed to break the sky into two halves spreading out infinitely to either side. Kyle looked back at Behemoth as it trembled and shook, awaiting another nightmarish end. But it never came, Kyle only stared down at it seemingly in thought. Behemoth cautiously raised its head to face Kyle (¡°D-do it¡­¡±) it mumbled. ¡°Do what?¡± Kyle asked, although knowing full well what it was asking of him yet he wanted it to say it, to further its torture. Behemoth shook its head (¡°End me¡­J-just once more and its over¡­it will be¡­o-over¡­¡±) Kyle stepped closer and Behemoth rushed to drag itself away in fear as it stared up at his cold dead eyes ¡°And why should I do that? I¡¯m having so much fun here, I¡¯ve only just begun.¡± Behemoth furiously shook its head (¡°No¡­No no no no!-¡±) Kyle smiled coldly ¡°Then I¡¯ll make you a deal, parasite.¡± Behemoth stopped its shaking and stared up at him, seemingly in confusion (¡°A-a deal?¡±) Kyle¡¯s smile broadened into a grin as he crouched down and whispered something to it, before leaning away ¡°Do you accept? If you do, I will end this now.¡± He said as slime oozed out of his back forming four large blue arms. Behemoth glanced between him and the arms, unable to decide, both choices seemed nightmarish but ultimately as it felt pressured by Kyle¡¯s cold silver eyes¡­it chose the least painful one (¡°I¡­accept.¡±)
Celica walked back and forth as Spirit Beasts appeared and disappeared from the circle of white light, Ancients taking shifts between assisting in the ritual and resting. Not having been trained like the Ancients had, Celica was unable to give aid and was left to watch. Impatiently she did as the founders took a short break sitting nearby her, all but Terrance whose Spirit seemed limitless. ¡°It¡¯s taking too long¡­¡± sighed Silvester when suddenly Celica turned to glare at him ¡°Which can happen¡­sometimes¡­¡± he added to appease her. Aina shook her head ¡°Sit down dear, there is nothing else to do but wait and threading about most definitely won¡¯t help him.¡± Celica groaned in annoyance ¡°It will help my nerves.¡± She responded while continuing to pace about. When the white light engulfing the ring of Ancients that sat about Kyle -who was sitting unconscious with his head hanging forward- abruptly dissipated. Spirit Beasts moved to stand up but had to make way as Celica rushed through them, breaking through the crowd she stopped to stand in the circle and saw as Kyle woke up. Kyle stood up slightly dazed ¡°That was¡­strange to say the least.¡± Celica rushed at him without another word, grabbing him and basically squashing him between her arms and into a hug. ¡°Ah-Auntie¡­I-I can¡¯t¡­¡± Kyle couldn¡¯t breath as she held him, her monstrous strength squashing the air out of his lungs. ¡°Oh! Sorry! Sorry!¡± exclaimed Celica as she pushed away and held him by the shoulders, but she wasn¡¯t smiling. Celica had a worried expression as she looked at him and said ¡°Kyle¡­you need to leave immediately.¡± Kyle stared at her in confusion ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Its¡­¡± Celica bit her lip as the words got stuck in her throat ¡°Your friend is about to do something very stupid¡­Again.¡± Ch 101 - Falling apart. Barik Wyvern Roost Midnight The large spire island rose higher than the clouds as they drifted by and through, several cave entrances dotted it¡¯s surface while a jungle of foliage grew all over it covering many more. Wyverns, large reptilian predators made to kill flew in and out of the strange terrain. At the very top of the massive structure of land, a rift opened. A pale and sickly Devil slowly flew out of the rift, his tattered wings flapping wildly. Several Wyverns noticed his arrival but dared not engage, smart enough to feel the difference in strength. Sly stared down at the spire with weary eyes ¡°After this there¡¯s that last spot¡­¡± he raised his right hand slightly and dark green mist rushed out of his palm, it floated down covering the spire slowly from top to bottom as suddenly several roars echoed out of it¡¯s caverns. Dozens of Wyverns flew out of the roost, wanting nothing to do with the foul mana but¡­most weren¡¯t fast enough. ¡°Deamon Make.¡± Several monstrous screams flowed out of the caverns, for several minutes the screams were the only sound coming out of the roost until abruptly utter silence fell and an array of notifications appeared to face Sly.
You have created a [Wyvernian Deamon] minion! This creature¡¯s INT is too low and cannot be named.
Warning you have reached your level¡¯s limit on minions! Do you wish to replace a current minion with [Wyvernian Deamon] (x21)? Replaced minion will be freed of your control.
¡°No.¡± responded Sly to the notification causing another to appear.
[Wyvernian Deamon] (x21) were not claimed. This creature will now run free.
Sly glanced down as each one of the unclaimed creatures rushed out of the cavern in utter confusion, too fast for him to make much out other than that the Wyverns had grown larger. He flew down and into the nearest cavern he sensed a minion inside, he could tell where each one was at any point in time. As he stepped inside it opened up revealing a large, wet and glow worm filled cove with two of the creatures currently present. The Wyvernian Deamon was very much Wyvern-like in shape but had utterly lost it¡¯s reptilian features. Almost twice as large as a normal Wyvern this Deamon like any other had lost it¡¯s scales in exchange for a full white carapace that broke off into sections on limbs. The creature¡¯s eyes like any other of his minions reflected his own, a surging of dark green mana like electricity. Its wings were like razor sheets of white metal covering a black netting, the talons at the end of each wing had remained just as long but gained a hook like end. The tail had changed the most, instead of a single long blade tipped tail he counted seven each ending in its own claw. As Sly approached the creatures they bowed their heads in respect to their master, he couldn¡¯t help but grin at the sight. He raised his right hand forward and spoke in a commanding tone ¡°So...what are you capable of?¡± he asked both terrifying beasts and suddenly both arched up. Both Deamon¡¯s were engulfed in a surge of green lightning that covered them like armour, sparks would also randomly arch out like a flickering and deadly tongue. ¡°You¡¯ll do nicely.¡± Said Sly as he turned around. Two large rifts opened below each Deamon, each sunk down into it before the rifts disappeared. He stepped out of the cove, flying out of the last part while parting vines and branches with his aura. As he flew out Sly was faced with several dozen more Wyvernian Deamons, each flapping their powerful wings as they stared and awaited him diligently. He sighed as he glanced over all of them, focusing he willed open three larger tears in reality. Three rifts so large they allowed multiple of the Deamons to fly through at once and slowly they did, swarming into the rift as he willed them to. Once the last creature flew in, the rifts closed leaving Sly to hover in place alone. He glanced up at the crescent moon ¡°Full on minions now¡­enough stalling¡­¡± he sighed weakly, turning his glance over the land around him. Jungle covered this side of the mountains, many patches of swamp lay within as did one fairly larger patch. Right next to that large swamp was a strangely flat field of grass, sticking out like a sore thumb as did the walled town within it. Kaledd was a couple minutes flight away from him, yet the town¡¯s lights flickered all the way here. ¡°They¡¯re probably looking for me right now¡­¡± he mumbled to himself, picturing his guildmates tearing up every building and cave on Ruk to stop him. Yet they didn¡¯t know he wasn¡¯t there anymore, nobody knew Sly had mastered the ability to warp space and tear rifts into it. ¡°I wonder how they are taking it¡­¡± he then thought, thinking of Val and the other members of the Wrath Dezol ¡°She¡¯s probably told them by now.¡± (¡°You¡¯re still stalling.¡±) pointed out Ares within Sly¡¯s mind. His grin faltered as he continued to stare off at the town ¡°That I am.¡± (¡°Then will you not rethink this? Immortal you may be as a Devil it is only resurrection, you still only have one and only one soul.¡±) Argued Ares, his tone annoyed as he did not understand his descendant¡¯s state of mind (¡°You still have an eternity of lives left, an infinite number of adventures to take part in.¡±) Sly smiled weakly as he shook his head ¡°There¡¯s no point, not with what I am now¡­not with who I am now and definitely not with who I will be then. I haven¡¯t just changed, I am no longer even myself. Sly¡­Justin is dead. I am Zeokul. Nothing you say will change my mind, It¡¯s all already made up.¡± Ares sighed (¡°As you wish, you are master of your own fate after all.¡±) He chuckled at that, before turning away from the city. Sly raised his right hand forward, clawed nails stretched forth as miasma oozed out of them. He slashed downwards and reality parted, tearing away like simple cloth giving way for a knife. Like a veil being torn by a blade. The rift expanded several times before it stood five times his own height, he stared into it¡¯s multi-coloured depts. This rift didn¡¯t just take to anywhere¡­as when he stepped through Sly found himself within the very fabric that separated realities. Sly stood within the Veil between worlds. He watched as colours warped and flooded into each other all around him. It was a place devoid of meaning. Utter chaos flowed around him, senseless shapes and pointless colouring that twisted and turned with one another. He felt like he was badly tripping. Shaking his head to break out of his enchanted daze caused by the sight, he refocused and closed his eyes. Sly felt deep within him, sensing for the mana that plagued his body and soul. He felt several, he felt his Aura, he felt his Miasma and he felt his Dread. Then he found what he was looking for, a source of Dread nothing like his own. His was violent, hungry to be used. This was cold, sinister in its intent. He grasped the mana, feeling a sudden surge of agony inside his chest. But he held on, clutching the mana with his mind as he raised his right arm forward again.
Author: Chooo chooo¡­All aboard the feels train https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUxpvjr_xI4
¡°Well¡­up to something stupid again?¡± said a familiar voice to his left. Sly lost focus as he opened his eyes and looked around, smirking as he saw Kyle standing a few feet away with arms crossed and a raised brow ¡°You¡¯re the last one I figured to see¡­well at all.¡± Kyle¡¯s expression was one of disbelief, annoyance and anger ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Sly chuckled coldly ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to answer that ques-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t fuck around, I know everything Sly!¡± Kyle exclaimed as his eyes began to glow blue with rage ¡°End this crap, you¡¯re coming back with me and don¡¯t you fucking dare think of giving me the slip.¡± Sly outright laughed at his words, his voice weak and choked from his rotting body ¡°For what, Kyle? So I can rot away while I leave everything to you all? So I can watch from the side-lines as the grand Hero saves us all?!¡± his tone grew seething with anger as he turned to meet Kyle¡¯s glare with his own ¡°Look at me.¡± he said, his voice resonating with Dread. Frostfire burst alive all around Kyle, his hands trembled with anger as he clenched them into fists ¡°I am looking at you, you damn fool. What is there to see? A rotting fucking corpse who as always is running off to do everything by himself! You want to be the hero? Is that it?! Is that your fucking problem!?¡± Sly glared at him for another moment but suddenly looked away, sighing in exasperation ¡°You of all should understand, I cannot live with myself anymore. Not with what I¡¯ve become.¡± He looked down at his hands, pale and covered in visible veins ¡°This ugliness on the outside is nothing compared to what I¡¯ve become inside. I use to be simple, a fighter who enjoyed the thrill of competition...Now I¡¯m just a psychopathic monster who gets excited at the sight of blood.¡± Sly looked up and met Kyle¡¯s now confused stare ¡°I made a mistake Kyle, a mistake I can never take back. Sly fought to survive, he grew to enjoy the action and excitement of the moment but¡­Zeokul¡­It doesn¡¯t simply search for it. Zeokul craves action like an animal craves food, an uncontrollable hunger and unsatable thirst.¡± His eyes grew hollow as he stared on at Kyle ¡°The thrill of the moment turned into the thrill of the hunt. The excitement coming from the action became the excitement that fuels me when I bleed. The ecstatic sensation of rending flesh and bone¡­as my enemy tears and crushes my own.¡± Suddenly Kyle sensed emotions he had never felt before, he could not explain them without feeling sick. He felt cold, colder than ever. He felt restricted, paralyzed like a mouse within a wolf¡¯s gaze. Sly¡¯s expression was devoid of any emotion as he spoke ¡°The beauty of what gore I leave behind, like an artist I paint with blood, flesh and bone. The melody that rings within my mind as I tear away skin and meat, as I cut and bash bone, the sound that resonates within me when I hear the splatter of blood.¡± Sly turned away from looking at him and stared down at his own hands again, this time in utter disgust ¡°Justin died in that arena beneath the ground, a suitable grave for the warrior he was. It was where I was also born, a Devil of the legion. The monster Justin never wanted to become, the senseless creature he hated the most.¡± Kyle stared at his old friend in utter bafflement as he realized, he himself had once fought against the same fate Sly was now facing. He himself had defeated that darkness, he had accepted his fears for what they were and rose up from his pit of madness.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Sly had not. He had lost. Chuckling coldly as he stared off into the distance Sly continued to speak, his tone monotone ¡°I am a danger to everything around me, never knowing when I could explode. So while I still have even a drop of sanity inside me¡­I will aim that bloodlust accurately. Don¡¯t try to stop me.¡± He then said, glancing briefly at Kyle ¡°But if you do try¡­Hah¡­Remember what we promised back in that dungeon¡¯s ruins?¡± Sly¡¯s eyes glowed with menace as he said the next few words ¡°Then kill me before I kill you.¡± Long chilling moments passed by as the Spirit Beast and the Devil glared at each other, an exchange of confused frustration to cold despair. When suddenly Sly moved, slashing open a rift ahead of himself ¡°I guess that settles it. Farewell.¡± But as he took a step towards the rift Kyle surged to appear behind him, grabbing hold of his left arm with his own. Yet before Kyle could speak a word, Sly¡¯s aura had engulfed him and his world toppled. Sly had grabbed Kyle now, using his aura to toss the SpiritBeast into the rift ¡°Live on, old friend.¡± before closing it with his arm still inside. Sly barely flinched as reality tore his arm off his shoulder, the pain not even beginning to compare to the torture he had endured. He grasped the dry, bloodless stump with his other hand as slowly the flesh began to regenerate causing him slight irritation. Once his entire arm had regenerated, just as good as undead could get. Sly closed his eyes and refocused, searching for that dreadful mana within himself again. He found it and grasped it, holding its existence clearly in his mind he then reached forward again. Using the mana as a source for a connection, using it as a path to a specific destination. Sly threw his arms forward as they tore reality with their passing, he pulled the small rift apart widening it as much as he could while continuing to focus on the connection. Once it was wide enough, Sly stepped through.
Another place Another realm A different space Sly tore through the air, the rift seemingly closing on him as he pulled himself out. Almost closing his wings behind him, he managed to safely step out of it and remain whole. Traveling through the veil with a weak connection such as someone¡¯s already cast mana was not an easy task. He glanced around cautiously, taking in the buildings of gold, roads of silver and cloudy terrain. He rose up into the sky, flapping his wings strongly until he reached a fair height to scout out his surroundings. All around him spanned a massive city of gold and silver, the ground seemingly made of clouds while the sky lay even cloudier as a downpour fell upon the city. A storm raged on all around him, powerful winds threatening to blow him away yet unable to. He spun slowly about, scouting out the city. Most of it lay destroyed but nothing like a ruins or abandoned structure, the destruction did not look natural but instead caused by force. Taking it all into account Sly figured the city was recently invaded, and he knew exactly by who. Yet looking around he saw no soldiers, no citizens, no corpses or blood. A gut feeling made him glance up at the storm clouds above him, he sensed something strange about the storm. When suddenly a flash, almost sparkling golden light burst through the clouds and dissipated into mid-air. He was sure lightning didn¡¯t sparkle like that. Clenching his teeth and fists, he gave a powerful wing beat and soared upwards. Clouds parted as he flew up, lightning surged all around him, thunder roared into his ear drums. Before finally, Sly broke through the clouds and into the open sky above. It was night time but he could barely tell, the blinding clashes of light that surrounded him were a good enough replacement for a sun. Winged humanoids clashed in air-born combat all around him, seemingly two factions were noticeable as some wore bright golden armour with blue cloth and had white feathery wings while others wore a dark red armour with black cloth and had dark grey feathery wings. He couldn¡¯t inspect them as this world did not have Chaoz¡¯s system but he didn¡¯t need to, Sly immediately recognised the beings from old Myths. Winged humanoids who lived in the clouds, wielding weapons of light. These were Angels fighting a different variant of Angel. Sly now had another problem, which were his soldiers and which weren¡¯t? He noticed several glances of confusion come his way but his observing was abruptly postponed as a white winged Angel lunged at him, golden locks of hair and wielding a large halberd of gold and silver the Angel struck down at Sly. He surged out of the way of the attack, causing the Angel to stumble in its flight and pass right by him. Sly saw the man¡¯s eyes seething with fury, his face warped in wrath. He summoned his Aura and engulfed the being, forcing the halberd out of his hands then brought him close for interrogation. The Angel struggled but was no match for Sly¡¯s Aureitic powers, seeing no escape he simply stopped and closed his eyes accepting defeat. Sly frowned at this unusual behaviour but chalked it up to cultural differences, he approached the Angel ¡°Where is he?¡± he asked his voice infused with mana to be heard over the clash of battle. The Angel opened his eyes and looked at him in confusion ¡°I will tell you nothing, Lich scum.¡± Sly snorted at his statement, he was being confused for the one he was looking for himself ¡°I am not the Lich, I am looking for him. Where is he?! Where is Scythe!?¡± he pressured his Dread down upon the Angel causing him to pale several shades. But an answer soon came to Sly¡¯s question as an explosion of cracking bone from his left caught his attention, he watched as a blood red mist enveloped the battlefield and headed directly towards him. Sly let go of the Angel and turned to face his real foe. As the mist neared several dozen serpents of bone rushed out of it, turning their attention entirely on Sly. Sly snorted as miasma rapidly oozed out of his wings and back, forming a wall behind him where suddenly a massive rift tore open. Out of the rift flew out dozens over dozens of Deamons and Wyvernian Deamons. An army almost half as large as each side of the Angelic factions appeared, and panic spread through the battlefield as each side tried to discern whether the new arrivals were also enemies to be faced. The Wyverns clashed with the serpents of bone, tearing them to shreds within moments as the Deamons formed ranks around Sly who continued to gaze into the mist ¡°Reveal yourself!¡± he demanded. The battlefield fell dead silent as each side reformed to face the new threat, a clear victor between the two sides was now obvious as several more Angels of white were severely more injured and far outnumbered by the Angels of grey. Yet both sides seemed reluctant to face this third faction. The silence was broken as a clapping began from within the mist ¡°Well well well, the Devil has returned and oh what an entrance.¡± the bloody mist spread out to reveal the pale human floating within, Scythe stared down at Sly looking genuinely impressed but spoke with his usual condescending tone ¡°Have you rethought of my offer? I¡¯m afraid I have no use for your mana anymore but...An army is always a welcome sight!¡± The white winged Angels grew even more anxious as they heard Scythe¡¯s proclamation, they would be far more outnumbered now. The Deamons looked far tougher than their own warriors too while the Wyverns¡¯ vicious demeanour buried all hope within their weary hearts. And then Sly laughed, seemingly melting any spine either side had remaining as they slowly backed away from the wickedly cackling Devil ¡°Your offer? Oh no, my answer remains the same.¡± Sly¡¯s eyes glowed brighter as he stared up at Scythe, maddened they looked which accompanied his wide grin well ¡°I come here for a different matter altogether!¡± Scythe grimaced as he finally sensed Sly¡¯s Dread, realizing he was talking to a completely different being now ¡°What¡­matter?¡±. A dark green mist burst out of Sly¡¯s arms covering him and his minions entirely ¡°The matter of me beheading you.¡± Suddenly Deamons rushed out of the green mist, catching the grey winged Angels by surprise as they formed to take the charge head on. The Deamons roared out ferociously causing many an Angel to panic as both sides clashed, followed by several sudden bursts of light as Deamon tore Angel apart. Seeing this the white winged Angels screamed out in challenge and also charged their enemy, refuelled with a new hope. Scythe watched over the battle vigilantly, summoning several serpents of bone to fly down and assist his grey winged allies. Yet every single serpent was viciously torn apart as squadrons of Wyvernian Deamons flew out of the green mist and swerved towards him. Seeing the massive winged beasts Scythe didn¡¯t think twice on turning tail, immediately he spun around and along with his mist he descended down through the storm. The dark green mist followed. Engulfed by it, Sly gave chase after the Lich. Batting his wings while being propelled forward by the Dread that surrounded him, he flew with his Wyverns like an alpha among their swarm. They broke through the storm and down into the city, seeing the red mist flowing further down and into the streets Sly did so as well. His Wyverns followed up above, too large to fit between the buildings. The two streaks of thick mist rushed through the city of gold and silver, the dark emerald chasing after the bloody crimson. They streaked left and right, Sly relentlessly grabbing hold of buildings to propel himself forward leaving chunks of rubble raining down behind him. As he escaped Scythe summoned several serpents of bone, the thin minions easily fitting where Sly¡¯s Wyverns did not. Sly summoned aura to thicken around his arms forming long green blades of Dread-imbued Aura, using them he slashed his way through the minions of bone. Like a frenzied demon Sly cut down everything in his path, be it bone, stone or blasts of Dread he cut through each whilst chasing his prey. And he was catching up. But Scythe did not relent either, summoning more and more serpents, flowing more and more shockwaves of Dread back towards Sly as even grey winged Angels began to descend from the clouds above to get in his way. Sly was not slowed down in the least, he shattered each skeletal minion, pierced through the agonizing Dread, unstoppable even as winged warriors got in his way, he only cut them down too. He was unfazed by each, the minions too fragile to hold out against his Aura, too used to pain and too closely attuned to Dread for it to affect him, too savage for the Angels to hold him back. Scythe dared a glance at his pursuer, only to see nothing of the valiant warrior and find a maddened beast roaring out breaths of Dread as it ferally chased after him. As he looked into its eyes, for the first time in forever the Lich feared for his un-life. Sly roared out like a banshee, Dread covering every inch of his body as Miasma now flowed with it. The Miasma continuously absorbed environmental mana, overloading his body and giving him more mana than he could expel at once. His speed suddenly quadrupled, flashing forward like lightning and crashing into Scythe. Sly grabbed the Lich by the shoulders as they both blasted through buildings, unable to slow down until finally they burst through one last wall and coming out into a wide empty field of clouds. They crashed down into the clouds, their surface surprisingly solid as they dragged along the ground for several meters more. Until abruptly they came to a stop, Dread still oozing out of each undead being both stared at each other. The Lich looked up horrified and afraid. The Dread Knight roared out, completely out of control as it held the Lich down with one Dread engulfed arm while raising up the other. Sly lunged down his arm, tearing away at Scythe¡¯s chest with only his Aura as his hand cleanly crushed through his ribs. He grasped the Lich¡¯s rotten heart, tightly he clenched his hand around it as suddenly all the Dread he was oozing out, all the Dread he carried with began to rapidly flow into the Lich. ¡°Even if you defeat me! Even if I do fall! Nothing will change!¡± Exclaimed Scythe as he fearfully watched the mass amount of Dread flowing into his body ¡°Where I fall three others will take my place!¡± he exclaimed while struggling against the Dreadknight¡¯s iron grip. Sly growled down at him ¡°And where three more take yours, fifteen take mine!¡± he exclaimed with a monstrous voice that shook the Lich¡¯s very core. Suddenly ahead of their scene several large rifts tore open, Scythe glanced up to see his allies step through them ¡°Look! See that fool!? My army is now gathered! Kill me now and you shall die with me!¡± he exclaimed as his own red misty Dread formed to lunge at Sly only to be shaken off by the wild Dreadknight like a summer breeze. Sly glanced up at the rifts as several bestial goliaths stepped through surrounded by marching soldiers holding up several banners of war. From a warped green bat with clawed wings, a dark mountain hiding a red moon to a shattered black halo surrounding a silver sword. Three armies marched out of each rift, forming together to create one massive legion. Sly¡¯s lips widened into a grin as he looked back down at Scythe ¡°Then I guess we both die today.¡± and then all of the dark green mist surrounding them rushed into Scythe¡¯s chest at once. Scythe screamed out in agony as his form shrunk, as he shrivelled up, his skin rotting away, his eyes melting down and hair turning to dust until finally his entire body exploded out into a shockwave of blood red mist that expanded outwards and briefly filled the field of clouds red before dissipating into thin air. Sly shakily stood up, staring at the marching horde that headed towards him. Glancing back he watched as several dozen grey winged Angels cut down his Wyverns in groups, no trace of his Deamons or the white winged Angels at all. He chuckled as both sides closed in on him, as the energy in his eyes subsided before disappearing completely revealing a pair of weary greens. He felt the strength draining out of his body, mana exhaustion was onto him for sure but he also noticed the drastic effects of miasma overuse accompanied by whatever the overdose of Dread he created was doing to him. Unable to stand any longer he allowed himself to fall back to his knees as he reached out ahead of himself with one hand, slowly a small rift opened above his palm and out of it fell two objects. A VCD and a mana crystal. He weakly grabbed the device but the crystal fell to the ground, he lowered the VCD down next to it. Sly moved to grab the crystal when suddenly a metallic silver boot stomped down on it. He glanced up to see the perpetrator. Almost glowing with energy, the Angel glared down at him coldly. Having three sets of pitch black feathered wings and wearing a fully white set of plate armour, the Angel had fiery golden eyes and long black hair that reached his waist. ¡°Hah¡­looks like I am too late.¡± said the Angel as he stared at Sly murderously, raising his left hand forward a flash of golden light briefly shone before a fully white sword appeared in his grasp. He pointed the blade¡¯s tip to Sly¡¯s eyes but he did not flinch, instead staring back up at him with a wide grin. The Angel was not amused ¡°What is your name, Lich-killer.¡± Sly chuckled weakly ¡°Zeokul, D-Devil of Wrath.¡± The Angel raised his sword away from Sly¡¯s face ¡°I am Michael, Arch Angel of light. Any last words, Zeokul Devil of Wrath?¡± Sly glanced down at the VCD on the ground ¡°So many¡­but they cannot hear me now¡­¡± ¡°That is¡­unfortunate.¡± said Michael as he raised his sword ¡°Even more unfortunate, is that I must execute a proud warrior such as yourself.¡± Sly did not respond, he remained motionless now staring down at the device. Michael frowned and lowered his sword, he reached out towards the creature that kneeled before him when suddenly¡­Sly¡¯s entire body crumbled to dust. The Arch Angel watched as the storm¡¯s winds carried the dust, dissipating it into the air. He then looked back down, seeing the VCD he reached down and picked up the curious object. He gave it a look over once and twice ¡°Truly, this is unfortunate.¡± His eyes suddenly glowed a fiercer gold fuelled by rage andthe wooden ring burst aflame instantly turned to ash. Ch 102 - Not the Hero...The Villain Central Ruk Grand Fae City of Orion Kyle immediately stood back up after tumbling to the ground, but before he could surge back into the rift it closed causing him to surged forward aimlessly and trip back down onto the pavement. Raising himself with both arms he briefly stared down at the paved street, he barely noticed the buildings that rose around him, he didn¡¯t give a single damn about the Fae, Dwarves and Demons that stopped to stare at him. Kyle shakily rose back up, his fists engulfed in Frostfire as every hair on his tails stood on edge. He shouted at the top of his lungs, Spirit imbued into his voice unbeknownst to him as he did ¡°DIMENTIONAL FORCE!¡± his voice was like an explosion reaching to and beyond the edge of the city. Then as he raised his right hand back reality visibly bent, then utterly shattered as he lunged forwards at thin air. He had imbued his fist with so much mana that waves of disturbed space flowed outwards from the rift he created, causing most of those around him to immediately pass out from the shockwave alone. Kyle ignored them and stepped forwards. ¡°Stop.¡± Said a voice from behind him. Kyle turned around, his eyes wide and seething as he met Sistine¡¯s ¡°Even if you step into the veil do you really think he¡¯ll still be there? You¡¯ll only end up lost, eternally unable to return home.¡± With her were Legion and two other Devils he did not recognize, looking like twins they both had a yellowish skin with light green hair but their gender was unidentifiable by sight. Kyle did not respond as he turned back to the rift and continued forwards, ignoring her words entirely. But a hand grabbing him by the shouldet stopped him. Then suddenly the rift closed ¡°Listen to reason, he¡¯s gone. Not even we can follow him now.¡± said Legion who had grabbed him. Kyle glanced back at the Devil of Pride, his eyes bursting aflame ¡°Let go of me before I rip you apart.¡± His fangs had appeared alongside his claws, his voice had changed bestial and tone overflowed with malice. Legion quickly let go of the enraged Spiritbeast, compelled by his instincts of self-preservation and something¡­else to step away from this creature. A moment later he regained his mind, surprised and confused. One of the twins stepped forward and spoke up, mana infusing his voice ¡°We cannot allow you to leave, Hero. You are our last chance, we won¡¯t let you w-¡± But was cut off as Kyle¡¯s hateful gaze fell upon him freezing him solid in his words ¡°Let me?...LET ME?!¡± Kyle¡¯s voice changed again, going fully beast-like as he spoke flowing raw Spirit out with his words. Turning each Devil¡¯s expression pale and installing them with fear. Kyle suddenly disappeared as he surged at the speaker, appearing before him then grabbing him by the throat with his right hand and raising him a foot off the ground. Each Devil was paralyzed, unable to move or speak as Kyle choked their companion ¡°You will not ¡®Let¡¯ me with anything, you will stand the fuck out of my way or I will turn You into a frozen lump of mangled flesh.¡± He glared into the Devil¡¯s eyes as he spoke, the Devil seemingly forced by an invisible power to stare back as his entire body shook with fear. The Devil was absolutely terrified, the quickly forming stain between his legs indicated his state of immense fear spectacularly. He wasn''t even able to defend his pride, as he choked to death within Kyle¡¯s powerful grasp. (¡°Release the child!¡±) Unexpectedly exclaimed a powerful resonating voice within Kyle¡¯s head, a voice that demanded attention and surprised Kyle so much that he involuntarily did let go of his prey. The Devil fell to the floor grasping at his neck, coughing unstoppably as he tried to breath. The voice sighed (¡°Restrain yourself.¡±) Kyle stepped away from the kneeling Devil ¡°Ymir¡­¡± (¡°Killing your own allies will help nobody but the enemy, you¡¯re smarter than this Kyle.¡±) Ymir told him, the God¡¯s tone understanding yet scolding. Kyle continued to glare down at the Devil as he regained his composure, only to slowly rise away from the angered Spirit Beast ¡°Ymir, how do I find him?¡± who seemed to be talking to himself. Ymir remained silent for a brief time before responding (¡°I do not know, the veil is only a hub for the rest of the realms. Without a connection, or a powerful bond¡­¡±) ¡°A bond¡­¡± Kyle released his voice from the imbued Spirit as he realised something ¡°Kali, Sly¡¯s Goddess¡­Ymir-¡± (¡°Kali is a proud Goddess, she still sees us as the enemy. She will not speak with me.¡±) said Ymir before Kyle could even ask (¡°But yes, she somehow still holds onto the connection between them. Even though your friend lost his standing as Hero¡­I wonder what she is up to¡­¡±) Kyle clenched his fists as he focused on the connection between him and Ymir, suddenly lunging forward right after ¡°Dimensional Force.¡± The rift tore open across his claw¡¯s path, a misshapen tear which he then stepped through. Finding himself back within Ymir¡¯s hall of ice -a cage constructed to keep the God eternally sealed- Kyle barely noticed the God stare at him curiously as he stood still. Eyes closed, Kyle focused on his Spirit ¡°If she won¡¯t answer to you¡­Then she will answer to me.¡± Focusing on using the same voice he accidentally had with the Devils, Kyle took a deep breath before speaking again this time stretching his voice as loudly as he physically and magically could ¡°Kali, Durga or whatever the fuck they call you. I know you hear me, I know you¡¯re listening. What Deity isn¡¯t? So tell me, I demand you tell me where I can find Sly.¡± No response came back, no change other than Ymir¡¯s sigh ¡°She will not answer to just anyone child, she¡¯s a-¡± Kyle cut him off ¡°I¡¯m not just anyone.¡± Before continuing ¡°You know who I am, what I am. You know perfectly what I am capable of, your people are the ones that orchestrated my people¡¯s extinction from Chaoz after all. So open your fucking ears and listen well. I give you two choices, tell me what I wish to know or¡­¡± Kyle stopped for effect, then increasing his voice to it¡¯s very limits that it almost hurt to speak ¡°I swear I will make the Elven race disappear, I will tear apart every city, every meagre wall. I will decimate every clan, every family. I will devour each of their souls, dissipate their hollows. Nothing will remain, every book, scroll or carving of their existence burned and turned to ash.¡± Reality warped to Kyle¡¯s left as the dark blue skinned Goddess of destruction flowed out of thin air, her eyes burning green with fury ¡°You are not capable of anything of the sort.¡± As she did several other beings appeared within the hall, Kyle recognised many Gods among them, including Loki and Titania but each only made themselves observers. Kyle glared up at the massive Goddess ¡°I am the last Hero remaining in the grand quest, I am this world¡¯s last hope of survival. You think we weren¡¯t ready to remove the Elven Empire out of the picture entirely? We were, if diplomacy wouldn¡¯t work we¡¯d simply mobilise the rest of Chaoz against¡¯ them. I have the Dezol, the Fae, the Dwarves, the Mer, the Avians and each of the Esfeltian races on my side. You think the Orcs and Ogres would come to their aid? No they would simply hide until the storm passes.¡± Someone coughed from the crowd of Deities and an unknown voice spoke ¡°Actually the Ogres are too¡­Ahem¡­¡± Kali¡¯s face of fury turned to find the speaker, her glare briefly falling over Loki before turning to Kyle. Speechless. Kyle grinned wickedly ¡°And now the Ogres too, so instead I¡¯m giving you the choice not the Empire. Get your head out of your hairy ass and tell me where I can find my friend, or watch as your people, your children burn inside my flames.¡± For effect Frostfire burst alive all over Kyle, forming the shape of a large bipedal fox staring down at a shorter Kali.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Kali¡¯s form suddenly grew aswell. Her skin morphed into blackish blue scales, her face extended into a snout, her second pair of arms bent back and changed to leathery wings covered in scales. Kali turned into a massive black-blue Dragon, taking over almost half the hall and rising just as high as the ceiling. ¡°You seem to forget what you are speaking to, Mortal.¡± Growled the Dragon as it bared its fangs down at Kyle ¡°Be damned the Quest, for your insolence I will devour you where you stand!¡± Kali lunged forwards and as she did Loki¡¯s body burst into shadows, Titania was suddenly covered in a golden-blue aura and Ymir¡¯s entire body morphed into a large icy serpent but before either of these three Gods could stand in-between the black Dragon and its prey¡­ From behind Kyle a shadow formed out of thin air and rapidly expanded forming a massive humanoid form made entirely of smoky black shadows, its hands and feet were clawed while its face was warped with a wide surreal grin. It grabbed the Dragon by the neck with a single hand and slammed it down into the floor, chuckling wickedly as it did. Kyle watched as Kali struggled against the shadow¡¯s grip, unable to free itself it snarled and hissed as he approached ¡°Mortal I may be, I am beyond your reach.¡± He gestured back at the massive shadow standing over him ¡°Not whilemy new friend The Behemoth is watching.¡± Kali¡¯s green eyes rose up and looked at Behemoth, it grinned wider down at her as she whimpered ¡°The¡­the devourer¡­the first beast¡­¡± ¡°Ah I figured as much.¡± Kylesaid as he saw her fear ¡°I may not be able to touch you¡­as you are a Goddess. But limitations were set on your power and¡­Behemoth is not a God is it?¡± he stepped closer to the Dragon¡¯s snout ¡°So tell me, between you, each powerless God that stands with you¡­against the First Beast.¡± His eyes glowed a menacing blue as he stared into Kali¡¯s shaking greens ¡°Are you a betting person? Cause I like my hand.¡± Behemoth hissed and snarled at every Deity in the room, it¡¯s hungering aura pressing down on each ¡°It¡¯s a feast! Hahaha! A feast! An all you can eat!¡± it exclaimed excitedly and several dozen Deities disappeared there and then not looking forward to sticking around. Kali growled at Kyle ¡°How could¡­a measly being like you¡­¡± Kyle flicked his fingers and Behemoth let go of the Dragon¡¯s neck, allowing it to rise and step back ¡°I gave you a choice, now choose quickly. Five.¡± Kyle began to count down ¡°Four.¡± Behemoth¡¯s back hunched down as its mouth spread out to twice its previous size, showing off sets of misshapen black fangs ¡°Three.¡± Kyle¡¯s tone grew cold and distant, his voice imbued with Spirit as he continued the countdown ¡°Two.¡± Behemoth laughed maniacally. Kali closed her eyes as her form changed, the black scales turning white while the blue turned gold, becoming Durga. ¡°On-¡± ¡°Zeokul is within the realm of Seraph.¡± Said the Dragon cutting off Kyle¡¯s countdown. Behemoth¡¯s grin turned sour as his form dissipated into mist, Kyle continued to glare up at the Dragon coldly ¡°Take me there.¡± Durga shook her serpentine head ¡°That is impossible, we Gods lost our ability to move others through the veil. At best, we can take you to and from the Spiritrealm. Even then, it is too late.¡± Kyle snorted ¡°Too late? That bastard is like a cockroach, he wo-¡± ¡°Zeokul is dead.¡± Firmly said the Dragon. Kyle¡¯s eyes emptied of emotion as his gaze slowly fell to the floor ¡°How.¡± ¡°He overloaded his soul and body with mana using his Miasma, it ripped him asunder from the inside out. Before he died, he forced all the collected mana into the Lich¡¯s -Scythe¡¯s body instantly vaporizing his soul. Our connection was broken, his soul did not survive either. But he didn¡¯t die in v-¡± ¡°Leave.¡± Kyle¡¯s voice was commanding as he gazed down at the floor, the Goddess resisted the Spirit easily but along with all the other Deities disappeared from the room. All but Ymir who was now sitting in his throne of ice, back in his humanoid form. ¡°War comes with a hefty price.¡± Hummed Ymir as he wore a saddened expression ¡°Your friend sacrificed himself for this world, he will not be forgotten. You have my word on that.¡± Kyle remained silent and Ymir made no other comments, letting it all sink in for his Chosen. The silence persisted for a while, uncounted hours as Kyle berated himself (¡°All this power¡­all this strength and I¡¯ve¡­failed again. How many more times must I fail? How many more people must I lose? What¡¯s the point of power if I cannot protect those near me!?¡±) Ymir sighed as he unintentionally listened in to Kyle¡¯s thoughts ¡°Enough. You¡¯ve failed nobody.¡± Kyle snorted in response ¡°I¡¯ve failed myself, I failed my guild...I failed Sly.¡± ¡°Do you truly believe that?¡± asked Ymir with a raised brow ¡°Because he does not, he sacrificed his own immortal life to buy you more time. How in the world does that sacrifice make you believe you¡¯ve failed your friend? You had no choice in this matter, the choice was his and his alone. The mistake was his and his alone.¡± ¡°I should have been there, even if to just bandage the mistake. He was alone, surrounded by strangers calling themselves family¡­I should have seen it¡­Someone in the fucking group should have seen it!¡± Kyle exclaimed as tears began to form. ¡°See what?¡± Ymir shook his head ¡°Maybe that was the point, maybe he did not want any of you to see. Alas it all comes down to now. It is up to you to make use of his sacrifice, what was it that he said before leaving?¡° ¡°Live on¡­¡± said Kyle remembering the words. ¡°Then it should be obvious what his beliefs were.¡± concluded Ymir with a grin. ¡°Can I even do this?...Unite a whole world full of hate, keep their soldiers under the same flag? Soldiers that despise each other?¡± asked Kyle as he gazed off at the many trophies inside the hall, from weapons to armour to even limbs and heads of various creatures alongside strange artefacts and objects ¡°Am I capable of being the Hero?¡±. Ymir suddenly bellowed with laughter causing Kyle to turn and look at him in confusion ¡°The Hero? Son you¡¯re anything but a Hero!¡± he laughed some more before explaining ¡°There are many kinds of Heroes son, there¡¯s the bright shining knights like the Hero of light or the Hero of nature. There¡¯s the fearless warriors like the Hero of blood or your friend, the Hero of the dagger. Then there¡¯s the rulers that people naturally gather around, like the Hero of Reign.¡± Ymir stood up and gestured at the many trophies within his hall ¡°Heroes leave behind legends, tales told to bolster belief. Heroes are ones that bring hope, creatures that sacrifice their selves for something else.¡± He then gestured at Kyle ¡°You are neither of these.¡± Kyle sighed ¡°Then what does it make me? How can someone who isn¡¯t a Hero do a Hero¡¯s role?¡± ¡°This world already has many Heroes, knights in shining armour, fearless warriors who rush into battle, leaders who keep a people together.¡± Ymir explained as he gazed off at his trophies ¡°This world doesn¡¯t need a Hero. This world doesn¡¯t deserve one. It is why you were the only one to pass the Avatar¡¯s tests. This world needs something darker, a being who truly knows the song of pain, someone who¡¯s sparred with hatred for all his life.¡± Kyle followed Ymir¡¯s gaze, he was looking at a massive halberd seemingly made of a dark crystal ¡°Then what?¡± he asked. Ymir turned to face Kyle ¡°This world is broken into too many sides, Heroes fight for their own not for who they believe to be evil. But it is evil what this world needs. Not a saviour, not a soft voice and a kind touch. No this world requires a rough surprise from the back. This world needs a villain, someone willing to do wrong for their own benefit. Someone willing to massacre an entire people.¡± He said with a smirk. ¡°And that ¡®Villain¡¯ is me?¡± asked Kyle followed by another sigh. ¡°That villain can only be you. You¡¯ve already proven it!¡± exclaimed Ymir as he raised his arms wide and suddenly several pillars of ice grew out of the ground surrounding them. Within each pillar a scene played through. ¡°You¡¯ve seen through the masks of those who would use you.¡± The first pillar showed the time Kyle spoke up to Jekyll and Helen within New Ruk ¡°And warped it to where you could use them!¡± ¡°You used illusions and trickery to warp the people¡¯s beliefs, forcing one faction to win over another giving it free rule of a kingdom!¡± The second pillar showed Empress Caitlyn guiding her people into cover as Skytop Haven fell onto Eslet. ¡°You¡¯ve seen through the lies and instead of fighting what you were told was evil, you explored your options even if it was.¡± The third pillar showed the time Kyle faced off against Belial. ¡°You lied and tricked fearless warriors riding beasts of legend, to simply¡­go away.¡± The fourth showed Kyle disguised as a Dragon rider speaking with the real ones. ¡°Albeit not being your objective, you were the reason the summoned gathered and rebelled.¡± The fifth pillar showed the Adventuer¡¯s guild raiding the prison camp at Carn. ¡°You used fear as a weapon several times, causing the weak willed and even stronger ones to step out of your way.¡± The sixth pillar showed Kyle invading the prisoner camp at Frosthold, using a golem disguised as a Drake to turn an organized guard post into a panicking mob. ¡°You forced the Esfeltian alliance to surrender to the Dezol, starting an alliance that now overpowers the once strongest Elven Empire.¡± The seventh pillar showed Kyle speaking up to Caitlyn and her fellow council members, standing behind him were several leaders of different factions. The last pillar, was blank even after Ymir gestured at it ¡°You have the skillset, you have the will power and the state of mind. You have the backing, the position and the assets. Now all you have to do is make use of them, to bring out your desired outcome.¡± Kyle stepped closer towards the blank pillar as Ymir continued ¡°This world doesn¡¯t need any more flashy Heroes, they only fight for Hope. A Hope of keeping things the way the people have grown used to. No, this world needs change. It needs someone capable and willing to do anything to bring about that change, a wicked of mind and cold of heart. This world needs a villain.¡± Kyle stared into the blank crystalized pillar of ice ¡°This world needs you.¡± Seeing his own reflection staring back at him, teary eyed and wearing a sullen expression. Kyle glanced away ¡°What if I think you¡¯re wrong? What if I don¡¯t believe myself capable? There are others¡­who could do better.¡± ¡°What is better? Better is only different, better is only more because it is perceived as such.¡± responded Ymir ¡°True someone could plan things better than you, someone could install fear into others better than you and someone could lie better than you¡­Someone could even have the state of mind to do worse than you. Yet they are all different, none of them are you. None of them can do everything that you can do.¡± Ymir had shrunk down to stand to the left of Kyle, he gripped his shoulder with his right hand ¡°So like a Hero, for the sake of those that believe in you. For those that sacrificed everything for you. Put on your mask.¡± Kyle reached up and wiped his eyes. Glancing down at his tear-wet wrist he clenched it and looked back up. He looked back at his own reflection, solemn and cold eyes, a thin wicked smile accompanying them. ¡°And like a Villain deceive this world¡¯s people to look away from hope and see the despair that awaits them if they do not change.¡± Ch 103 - The hollowness you leave. Central Ruk Grand Fae City of Orion, Royal Palace. War room. The table shuddered as Cherry slammed his fist flat onto its stone surface, said surface cracking and caving in after collision with his gauntlet. The large armoured Guardian clenched his other fist as he breathed out, relaxing his body as he turned around and leaned onto the table. He glanced around the room, at the other members standing there with him. Each member was completely silent, either standing around or sitting down each was dead quiet as it all sank in. Within the room with them stood several Devils and a single Fae, Legion, Lilith and three others stood with Liliana as at the front of them was Sistine. The new Devil had just told them everything she knew, from what Sly had told her to her meeting with Kyle several hours ago. Liliana was being assisted by two of the Devils, she was severely weak and could barely stand but demanded to meet with the gathered guild. To show them one window, a small part of it that they had every right to see.
[Chosen of Dagger] [Lich Killer] SlyOkami Status: Heroically Deceased
Each member was in their own world at the moment. Cherry crushing the stone table within his clenched hands as he leaned onto it. Death sitting at one end of the table, resting his face into his right hand. Seren being held by Steph as both sat, as both wept. Soren stood facing the wall, his forehead planted into it as the stone around it lay caved in. Skill sat leaning back into his chair, facing up at the ceiling with hollow eyes. Woody sat facing Liliana¡¯s party, staring emptily at them since Sistine had finished speaking. Ch stood straight next to the table with Cherry, arms crossed as he stared down at the floor. Jacky stood in the corner of the room, his back to the wall, arms down and eyes closed. Even Jane, Rico and Vain were there, each standing around Jacky with their own sullen expressions. Lilior was nowhere to be seen, the room¡¯s mood being too much for her. Sparta had also joined her outside, also unable to stand it. Each of them, being old or new members knew Sly, each having spent much time with him. Each seeing him as he saw everybody else, family. But none showed it more than Birse, none needed to contain themselves more than him as he sat at the other end of the long stone table. Tendrils of shadow grew around him, their form like vines riddled with spikes that would shrink and regrow somewhere else without pattern or sense. His eyes were closed, his arms crossed as they clenched each other to the point of causing himself pain. The room was entirely quiet other than Seren¡¯s sniffles, the Devils and Liliana not daring saying a word to be respectful but this scene had been going on for over an hour now. Not even the whispers outside made anybody move, not even as the door opened but¡­ ¡°Looks like you¡¯re all up to date.¡± Each turned to face Kyle as he spoke, standing at the door with Lilior in Fairy form hugged to his chest. He gazed around the room, his eyes showing no sign of sadness, no sign of weakness. His entire expression was the meaning of cold, emotionless and solemn. Gaining no response he stepped into the room and around Liliana¡¯s party. Briefly he stopped and glanced down at Lilior. Nodding down at her he then gently pushed her away, leaving her to hover behind him as he stepped to CH. Kyle forwarded his open palm to CH ¡°It¡¯s good to have you back.¡± He said while staring him straight in the eyes ¡°Hopefully not temporarily?¡± CH¡¯s eyes widened for a brief moment but he dropped his gaze, unable to look Kyle in the eye as he didn¡¯t take the handshake. ¡°Coward.¡± Hissed Kyle as he suddenly grabbed CH by the collar of his cloak of leaves and threw him down to the floor, nobody moved to help. But Birse spoke up ¡°Kyle¡­Not now.¡± his voice was restrained, his tone even more so. Kyle looked up from a pathetic CH who lay on the floor, to meet Birse¡¯s hardened glare with his own empty stare ¡°Look around you, is this what we¡¯ve fallen to? You¡¯ve wept, you¡¯ve sulked. Isn¡¯t it enough already?¡±. ¡°Enough?!¡± Snapped Jane surprising everyone, as she stomped over to Kyle and got in his face, her eyes red with tears and anger ¡°He¡¯s dead!¡± ¡°Yes he is. He¡¯s dead.¡± Said Kyle with a straight unmoving face, which caused Jane to suddenly lunge forward at his face with her right hand. But Kyle caught it by the wrist before it made contact, she briefly tried to struggle out but her body lost the last bit of strength she had left and collapsed onto the ground. Kneeling as she wept. ¡°Sly¡­Justin is dead and most of those who stand, sit or lay in this room have had a hand in that outcome.¡± Kyle¡¯s eyes moved over each individual around the table, watched each person in the corner or by the wall. He took in every change, the smallest to the most minute difference in expression as he spoke ¡°Even though we Let him get hurt, even though We were too blind to see his wounds. Albeit disappointing him, albeit giving him every reason to make him lose faith in us.¡± Kyle stopped to let it all sink in, letting go of Jane¡¯s wrist at that moment to step back and continue ¡°He sacrificed himself, gave away his Immortal fucking life to give Us more time. He Died for us. Because he truly Cared for each member of this damn guild. His last words to me¡­¡± everyone raised their gaze to look at him again ¡°He told me¡­he told us to live on. I¡¯m sure he meant that to every person in this room¡­¡± Kyle glanced down and met CH¡¯s eyes ¡°Every single one.¡± Kyle knew exactly what he was doing, as cold hearted as it was he knew just how much Sly meant to everyone. Each member of the guild was family but, just like Silva was a cousin to most Sly was a brother to everyone. Even to him. So he knew he needed to use that before it was too late. Before the family he knew and loved was torn apart by this loss. ¡°He¡­may no longer be here.¡± continued Kyle as he helped Jane back to standing ¡°His life has been extinguished, his soul gone but¡­¡± afterwards he reached out his hand to CH who still lay face up on the floor ¡°But we still hold his memory, he still exists within our thoughts and past.¡± CH leaned up and took his hand, also being helped up back to standing. Kyle clenched CH¡¯s hand and looked him straight in the eye ¡°So in his memory, for his sacrifice. Let¡¯s live on, for the dream he gave his life protecting. Let¡¯s fight on.¡± CH clenched back and nodded, Kyle nodded back before letting go. He glanced over them all, still sensing the dry sadness but this time it was surrounded by something else. A burning determination ¡°We all know the saying ¡®History is written by the victors¡¯. So let¡¯s be the victors, let¡¯s write history how we want it to be remembered. Let¡¯s remember Sly not for his impractical foolhardiness, not for his bad temper or insanely stupid plans.¡± A few chuckles went around the room, but most remained silent ¡°Let¡¯s remember him as the warrior he was, as the fighter he became. Not as a defeated ally, but a fallen Hero who gave everything he had to give for not his but OUR dream.¡± Kyle watched as they rose to stand, watched as the sadness in their eyes disappeared and was replaced by a fire ¡°Because this is no longer simply us fighting for what we want, this is no longer us tripping about in a world we know little about and hoping for the best. No this is now a matter of pride for ourselves and a matter of honour for our fallen. This is now a matter of respect for what they stood for, so we can ingrain their memory into this world¡¯s core.¡± He sensed the tension caused by the sulking burn away, he sensed the Spirit overflowing the room with pressure that radiated resolve ¡°Be it the darkest corner of reality, be the Demon of light and be it a fake God. We will face it all, win or lose, live or die. Because this is now bigger than ourselves, we risk more than our lives.¡± Kyle turned to face Birse who was the only one still sitting, gazing into the table¡¯s cracked surface ¡°I stake my life on this, I bet my soul on not just protecting this world but making it our own. Because we are done searching, we are done looking for it. We have found it, the place we belong is right here, right now. So will you join me? Will you make this place home with me?¡± Birse raised his gaze and met Kyle¡¯s determined eyes ¡°Do you even need to ask? That is my question, why does someone have to even ask?¡± he glanced over the others until his gaze stopped on CH ¡°We¡¯re all family, and family sticks together.¡± He then glanced over Jane, Vain and Rico ¡°Each of us, no more solo mission.¡± Birse stood up and briefly stared off at some windows remaining silent ¡°We¡¯re done hiding in the shadows, it¡¯s time we shine.¡± A couple notifications appeared for Kyle.
Guild [RedHawkDown] has been disbanded.
You have been invited to the guild [Blood Pack Mercenaries] Do you wish to join?
Everyone accepted the invite immediately and once the last member had joined, Birse slammed his hands over the stone table gaining everyone¡¯s full attention ¡°Death, Steph, CH and Cherry, you four head back to Ruk and continue pumping out Mageks for Esfelt. Skill, Sparta, Seren, Woody and Soren you five are with me, we¡¯re heading back to Hasharr to get to know the Orcs a bit more.¡± Birse pointed at each member as he told them what each were going to do until he stopped at Jacky ¡°Jacky, you¡¯re taking Vain, Rico, Jane and Kyle. You know the areas, get their levels up to par with ours.¡± He then pointed at Kyle ¡°No arguments from you, all four of you are sorely low level. After you¡¯re done, I¡¯ll need you at Hasharr.¡± He glanced over everyone once more ¡°Understood?¡± Grunts and hums of acceptance sounded off from the group ¡°I asked¡­Understood?!¡± Birse exclaimed, his tone demanding and voice harsh. ¡°Understood!¡± exclaimed each member almost in unison, all but Kyle who smiled as he glanced over everyone. ¡°Understood.¡± He then also said, his smile widening into a grin.
Central Ruk Grand Fae City of Orion Southern streets. Kyle followed after the others as he glanced around, taking in the Fae architecture that surrounded him. Walking with him were three old members of the guild he did not know well. Jane a female Merfolk rogue, Vain a male Dwarf monk and Rico a male Dark Elf spearman. Ahead of them was Jacky leading the way with Legion, who had agreed to show them around. The Devil glanced back at Kyle from time to time, looking anxious but kept his cool. Still disturbed by recent happenings. Kyle ignored him entirely, his attention entirely taken by his surroundings and the child-sized Lilior hanging over his back ¡°Master mean, leaving me alone with bossy creepy man.¡± She mumbled with a pout, causing Jacky¡¯s shoulders to slump down as he resisted retorting. Kyle chuckled lightly ¡°I didn¡¯t leave you alone with bossy creepy man though, the others were there too weren¡¯t they?¡± he asked her with a smirk. Jacky glanced back with a raised brow ¡°Oi who you ca-¡± But the others cut him off. ¡°Keep walking bossy.¡± Said Rico with a smirk. ¡°No point in arguing creepy.¡± Added Vain with an even wider smirk. Jacky turned away grumbling, causing even Legion to chuckle alongside the rest. All but Jane who had been silent since leaving the Palace. Kyle sighed quietly as he unintentionally sensed all their emotions. Lilior was as happy as she could be, Legion was anxious and slightly afraid, Jacky was annoyed and mildly angry but seemingly not at them. Rico was bored, looking for any outlet of entertainment. Vain was tired and slightly anxious.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. But what stood out the most to Kyle was Jane¡¯s Spirit, the Mer adventurer was in deep thought and highly distracted. She had bumped into several citizens on their way and her emotions reflected her expression. (¡°This could be dangerous.¡±) Kyle thought as he sensed her depression, they were on their way to farm monsters for experience after all and nothing was more dangerous than a distracted ally during live combat. Yet there was nothing he could do about it, he didn¡¯t know her nor did he feel the need to butt in on her life. It was none of his business, he only wished he could shut off his senses and ignore it all but ever since the healing he found it almost impossible. He began to wonder why that was when suddenly ¡°Here we are, the sole Dungeon contracted with the city of Orion.¡± announced Legion as they reached a guarded gate. Spanning to either side was a wall just as large as the one surrounding the city itself, cutting this area off like a district from Eslet. The six Fae guards saluted as they saw Legion and let their entire group inside, where they found themselves in a vast field of blood red grass with black roses mixed in. They followed a path of cobblestone that took them all the way to the centre of the field, were four large pillars rose up forming a square and connecting all four at the top was a roof. The pillars were made of a dark blue stone and the roof was almost as red as the grass, vines of black had grown around the building giving it an antique feel. Over all the pillars were each twenty meters apart, leaving a fair bit of room below its roof where several tables had been set up. Legion explained as they approached the building ¡°This is where our three people¡¯s warriors come to explore their limits and surpass them. The building up here is just a resting area where people gather and find parties to explore the deeper parts of the Dungeon together.¡± He pointed at the centre of the resting area ¡°That is the Dungeon¡¯s actual entrance.¡± He was pointing at a large spiral staircase that took downwards into the ground. ¡°Why would a Dungeon allow invaders?¡± asked Rico as he and everyone else glanced around at the many Fae, Dwarves and Demons that sat about in groups big and small. ¡°The four races of Devil, Demon, Dwarf and Fae have made an agreement with the Dungeon.¡± Legion continued to explain as he politely nodded at each person they passed by, who would rise and bow respectfully to him ¡°We let it live, it allows us entrance to test ourselves with its creations. We let it drain a mild amount of mana from the entries and it makes sure our warriors survive the encounters below. Along with several rare materials we import for its¡­ah¡­artistic creations, it provides us with basic materials.¡± Jacky snorted ¡°What¡¯s the point of testing yourself if your life isn¡¯t even in danger?¡± both Rico and Vain smiled awkwardly at that. Legion pointed to one of the pillars which like the other three had a door on the inside, from time to time people would step out of the doors but nobody ever walked in ¡°Similarly to the Respawn platforms Tempres has and the ability your Dungeon¡­Err..Fae companion?...Has¡­This Dungeon also provides such a system.¡± he explained as they reached the staircase¡¯s edge. ¡°Why not militarize it then?¡± suddenly asked Jane causing them all to glance at her awkwardly. ¡°The Fae tried to convince it but, the Dungeon only accepted to come to the defence of Orion if need be. Watching over so many souls takes a lot of its attention already, it simply doesn¡¯t want to be a slave.¡± Legion explained in response. ¡°And what¡¯s with the¡­aesthetics?¡± Asked Kyle as he gestured at the field of red grass. ¡°Nature-magic.¡± said Legion with a shrug ¡°Anti-corruption barrier, just in-case. Anyway you wanted to change sub-class right?¡± Kyle nodded and Legion gestured upwards ¡°The Obelisk is there, just take a seat and go for it.¡± Kyle looked up and as the Devil had said the long stone obelisk was hanging off the stone ceiling seemingly merged into it ¡°I¡¯ll go for it then, you all heading out now?¡± he turned to ask Jacky. ¡°We¡¯ll head down now, these three are lacking worse than you.¡± He replied with a sigh ¡°You sure you wanna go alone?¡± ¡°Master won¡¯t be alone!¡± Exclaimed Lilior from Kyle¡¯s back, rudely poking out her tongue at him. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, go ahead.¡± Kyle told him and turned to look for an empty table, finding one he briefly glanced back to see the four of them head down and Legion step through a rift that quickly closed behind him. Kyle reached back and grabbed Lilior by her wing stems, causing her to whimper and pulling her off his back. Bringing her to face him he asked ¡°Watch my back for a moment alright?¡± Lilior nodded ¡°Yes Master!¡± and suddenly her form melted into a light blue slime causing much attention to turn to them as she reformed into her normal-height form. Lilior had formed into sitting position with her back to the table, grinning up at him. Kyle sighed as he quickly glanced around, he heard many of the citizens around them now whispering enthusiastically. Not only were they personally shown around by a full-fledged Devil of the Pride Dezol but Lilior -A Fae- calling him ¡®Master¡¯ had just used a strange magic. They had gained a bit too much attention for his taste, but it was too late now. Shrugging he sat down onto the stone bench with arms over the wooden table, before interacting with the Obelisk though he moved his attention to older notifications he had not found time to look at yet. The notifications that were newer moved down like a chat box in his lower left view, making way for older ones until he found what he was looking for.
Through skilful use the skill [Surge] has reached Level 10 ¨C Tier 5! You have now Mastered this skill! [Surge] Mastery: The skill now has no cooldown
Through long-term contact with [Imbue Body] the skill [Ooze] has gained the variation (Spirit)!
Through continued use the skill [Dimensional Force] has reached level 2! You have unlocked the [Dimensional Sense] passive skill!
Level up! (x4) Attribute points (x40) are waiting to be allocated!
Under watchful training you have learned the active skill [Spirit Manifestation]!
From attentive training you have learned the passive skill [Spirit Manipulation]!
With ease you have learned the active skill [Spirit Form]!
Passive skill [Spirit Detection] has evolved into [Spirit Master]!
Kyle was now level 131, he believed those levels came from his extensive days of training with the Ancients but they could have also come from his time back on Mars. He just wasn¡¯t sure if the system allocated experience for out-of-dimension experiences. He pulled up his [Ooze] skill and quickly read through the new Slime type.
Slime type: (Spirit) (Spirit) Effect: The slime changes colour depending on the most prevalent type of Spirit surrounding it and is capable of storing that Spirit.
He garnered this slime could prove useful in a battlefield or a highly-populated area, it allowed him to absorb Spirit and store it somewhere other than his own body which was dangerous in mass amounts. Next he pulled up the [Dimensional Sense] skill window.
[Dimensional Sense] ((EXP 0%)Level 1): The capability to detect fluctuations in the space surrounding you. Range: 300 meters (Radius)
This skill¡¯s usefulness was limited but useful nonetheless. He skimmed over [Spirit Manifestation], [Spirit Manipulation] and [Spirit Form] being very basic skills for a Spirit user and moved on to¡­
[Spirit Master] ((Mastered/Evolved) Level 5 ¨C Tier 5): The ability to sense the constantly changing emotions of any Mortal being. You are capable to perfectly tell someone¡¯s mood down to the millisecond, able to detect a quick emotional reaction or response from anybody within range. Range: 100 meters (Radius) Mastery effect: (Pinpoint); Detection, range and location are pinpoint accurate.
Kyle blamed this skill for being unable to shut off his Spirit detection, he regarded it as a double-edged sword. Simply thinking about it reminded him of his childhood, a nightmarish ability for any kid to have. But at the very least he was capable of reducing its range down to a few feet. As he read the last of the notifications though¡­Kyle¡¯s eyes widened with surprise and confusion.
Hidden [Heroic Feat] has been completed! Your [Heroic Class] is now available for selection!
He sighed figuring this was the same as his title and skill, Ymir wasn¡¯t able to tell him anything about it until he gained it and asked about it. He focused on [Heroic Feat] and [Heroic Class] separately to gain their descriptions.
[Heroic Feat] Each Hero or Chosen have a feat or achievement allocated to their progression within the world of Chaoz. This feat is chosen by their Chooser, their Deity. Your chosen feat was: Overcome your past, accept your darkness¡­Unleash your true self. Your chooser, your Deity is: The God of the never-ending winter, The God of the Frost Giants, The God, Warrior and King of the J?tnar, The God Aurgelmir Brimir Bl¨¢inn Ymir.
He grimaced at the feat, thinking Ymir had put too much trust in his capability. Kyle was also surprised to read a God¡¯s full name, he had little clue as how to pronounce most of it.
[Heroic Class] Heroes come in many shapes, colours and sizes. They come as Knights in bright shining armour, They come as a Light to the moths that are people, They come as Warriors for their own beliefs, But they also come as Shadows, unseen by the world. Heroic classes are powerful identities, sharing the power of your chosen Deity making you on-par with their Demi-children. Each Heroic Class focuses around a Chosen¡¯s Heroic Title and Skill, building on that foundation to create a champion.
He smiled after reading that one, Kyle was a sucker for poetry and irony. But it didn¡¯t change the hollow feeling that still enveloped his gut, despair was a powerful emotion in ways much more different than anger or hatred. Kyle was trying not to think about it but even as he read through the notifications they all seemed like a distraction, he couldn¡¯t focus. He tried his best to hide it, he even put on a smile for the others but the truth was he was affected by Sly¡¯s death as badly as Birse, Soren and Death who knew him the best and as badly as apparently, Jane who he knew very little about to know why. Sly wasn¡¯t just a friend to Kyle, he was just like an overprotective older brother. He had taughtKyle everything he knew about combat, taught him the ins and outs of watching your opponent, moving depending how they moved, countering said moves and learning from defeat. To Kyle, Sly was a teacher, a role-model. Forcing himself to move on Kyle glanced at the obelisk and opened the class manager.
[Class Manager] Level: 131 Main Class: Lord of Slimes Sub Class: SpellBlade Available Classes: Wrestler, Golemancer, Taoist, Wizard. Available Heroic Class: {Chosen of Frost} Warning; Changing class will remove your capability to use said class¡¯s active and passive skills. These skills cannot be learned without being said class.
Kyle had chosen SpellBlade for simple reasons, he needed simple power. He didn¡¯t know if the system would work outside of Chaoz, which he found out later it didn¡¯t. So he needed a class that screamed ¡®Power House¡¯, a class that gave him flat stats and not complex capabilities like [Golemancer] or [Wizard]. Now that he was back on Chaoz and still sure of his stay, SpellBlade had outgrown its use. [Imbue Blade] was only useful when Kyle used his ancestral sword, to which he preferred his slime and cannons. But [Imbue Body] had proven its usefulness, to cover his [Spirit Form] or slime body created through the sub-class [Body Shift] of his main class¡¯s skill [{True Slime}]. Even then Kyle garnered he could do the same by combining the base skills themselves. Using [Body Shift] for his body and instead of [Imbue Body] he¡¯d use [Spirit Manifestation] and [Spirit Manipulation] in conjunction with [{Tails}] to bring out the same or similar form. And even if he couldn¡¯t, [Body Shift] surrounded with Spirit would be enough of a defence. As for mobility he had [Surge] which he had mastered and [Quick Surge] for agile movements. For sustain he had (Vampiric) slime within each of his projectiles which regenerated his mana and health ever so slightly, [Contact Shift] another sub-skill of [{True Slime}] that covered damage done to his body to slime which he could regenerate at the cost of mana and at the end of it all Spirit. Kyle mostly used his Spirit for casting spells now, leaving his normal mana bar as a last resort and when he ran out of Spirit. His Spirit bar was limitless but had no regen rate like his mana, instead he found that the more intense a fight became the more Spirit he would gain from both himself and his enemies. Sustain covered, Kyle needed to focus more on his attacks. His [Gatling Slime] was a powerful weapon in of itself but sustaining it was extremely difficult, [Slime Cannon] was powerful in a single shot but slow due to its reload time. [Slime Pistol] was simply weak in every way while [Slime Scattershot] was simply several [Slime Pistols] but much less accurate. As for his ancestral sword [K¨­ritsuku] -created by evolving the first sub-skill of [{Tails}]- was simply too short ranged for his tastes. Kyle wasn¡¯t sure which of his ancestors had first wielded this blade and neither was Celica but he wasn¡¯t the type to think much of what was customary. He didn¡¯t care if the sword was passed down generation after generation, it just wasn¡¯t his style as using it didn¡¯t feel right. Kyle preferred ranged weapons or magic spells. So that left him with the need to change class, the question now was which to pick? Again [Wrestler] was a definite no. [Taoist] gave him nothing he was interested in, he also wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to walk the same path the Ancients had. This would have left him with two options, two he was quite interested in. [Wizard] and [Golemancer] were his prime choices but¡­[{Chosen Of Frost}] was now apparently a thing. From what he understood [{Chosen Of Frost}] continued to build upon his Heroic skill [{Cold Soul}] which was an ability he rarely ever got to use. The skill required 10 points of a bar called (Chilled Aura) which required his emotions to run rampant and allow his hatred to be let loose. Kyle wasn¡¯t a fan of that. But he couldn¡¯t deny the fact that the skill was extremely powerful. If it wasn¡¯t for this skill Belial would have completely cleaned the floor with him, without even using any magic what so ever. On the other hand [Golemancer] had the potential of allowing him to create and control many more Golems, giving him his own personal army. And last but not least [Wizard], it was completely Kyle¡¯s style. Utility, power, versatility and creativity all in one. Kyle sighed as he stared at his choices, even if he based his choice on both his needs and personal taste it was an impossible one. He couldn¡¯t pick on his own, he needed outside assistance and he knew that. But as he thought of who to ask, the first person¡¯s name to pop up in his head only worsened the hollowness he felt inside. As he drowned in his thoughts Kyle opened his character page and began mechanically allocating his attribute points, each one into INT for more mana. What snapped him out of his thoughts was the constant humming sound that suddenly began from his right, glancing to the side he saw Lilior leaned back onto the table and glaring forward sort of menacingly. Kyle raised a brow at this behaviour, he wondered what she was so annoyed about as he turned to follow her glare. The answer to that question immediately became obvious to him once he had. ¡°Yo, it¡¯s Goo-Guy.¡± Ch 104 - Advancement and progression. ¡°Yo, it¡¯s Goo-Guy¡± exclaimed Dherik, the Dwarf sounding genuinely surprised. As Kyle rose to look back he was met with Karnage who almost leaped to put her hands around him, pressing her blushed face to his. Without a single word exchanged, they both immediately locked lips. ¡°EEEhhh!?¡± squealed Reyna, Kyle could not yet see who all was there but eventually she pulled back. ¡°S-sorry¡­couldn¡¯t stop myself.¡± She apologised still blushing, still holding onto him closely. Kyle chuckled ¡°It¡¯s fine, I like surprises.¡± he responded with a smirk. ¡°You¡¯re healed now right?...¡± She asked while still holding onto his hands. Kyle nodded with a weak smile ¡°Yeah¡­My soul is healed¡­for now.¡± Glancing around he recognised each person that had come with her, leaders of various guilds. Dherik, Regina, Shark, Luke, Nakano and Zaahr all stood together glancing around the area curiously seemingly taking the place apart with their eyes. All but Reyna who was staring at them with a blushed face. Karnage turned back to them ¡°You guys go on ahead, I¡¯ll stick around.¡± Followed by some mumbled acceptance the group moved on and down into the actual dungeon. ¡°What are you all doing here?¡± asked Kyle as he pulled away and moved to sit down. Karnage stepped around the table and sat facing him ¡°Ah¡­just checking out this spot for the rest of the guild.¡± She fidgeted with her sword¡¯s hilts briefly before turning to stare at him, opening and closing her mouth as if on the verge of saying something but unable to find the words. But Kyle was already ahead ¡°You heard about Sly?¡± he asked her, sensing her distress. She sighed and nodded solemnly ¡°I didn¡¯t want to leave you on your own¡­after that¡­¡± ¡°Master isn¡¯t on his own!¡± suddenly exclaimed Lilior with air filled cheeks as she grabbed hold of Kyle¡¯s arm, much to his distress as her monstrous strength threatened to crush his bones. Karnage only smiled as she leaned over the table and pressed her hands onto Lilior¡¯s cheeks deflating them ¡°No, no he isn¡¯t.¡± she replied with a grin before turning back to a warm smile ¡°We¡¯re both here for him now.¡± Lilior stared back at her with suspicion ¡°That may have won over master¡¯s heart but I won¡¯t be so easy!¡± she exclaimed childishly, her voice muffled by her pressed cheeks. Karnage only chuckled more ¡°She¡¯s just too adorable!¡± now having grabbed Lilior¡¯s cheeks and began pulling on them gently. Lilior whimpered through before suddenly shrinking down into Fairy form ¡°Master!~¡± and flew off to hide behind Kyle¡¯s shoulder as Karnage continued to laugh. Kyle smiled as he watched them ¡°Aren¡¯t you two getting along.¡± Having regained her composure Karnage smiled back ¡°If I was worried you¡¯d know.¡± her smile turned slightly evil. ¡°Noted¡­¡± Kyle responded awkwardly as Lilior peaked over his other shoulder and poked her tongue out at her. ¡°So¡­¡± Karnage decided to change the course of the conversation ¡°What are you doing here? Waiting for someone?¡± ¡°The others I came with are already inside, I¡¯m here to change my sub-class.¡± Kyle explained as he glanced back at the obelisk reopening the [Class Manager].
[Class Manager] Level: 131 Main Class: Lord of Slimes Sub Class: SpellBlade Available Classes: Wrestler, Golemancer, Taoist, Wizard. Available Heroic Class: {Chosen of Frost} Warning; Changing class will remove your capability to use said class¡¯s active and passive skills. These skills cannot be learned without being said class.
¡°Oh, what you changing to?¡± asked a now curious Karnage. ¡°That¡¯s¡­what I¡¯ve been debating.¡± Kyle admitted ¡°My main class alongside the classless skills I have already cover everything I usually need, I do require a better solution for damage dealing but that¡¯s just a lack of imagination on my part. I doubt any of the sub-classes I have available will give me much.¡± Karnage nodded in understanding ¡°Well, let¡¯s hear it then. What do you have to pick from?¡± ¡°Golemancer for potentially creating my own cores, and identifying materials like my slime more efficiently. Wizard for a wider range of spells and my Heroic Class to improve upon my Heroic skill.¡± Kyle quickly explained. ¡°Hmm¡­I¡¯ll tell you now that Wizard would be redundant with your main class.¡± pointed out Karnage. Kyle sighed ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to pick it, that is probably true.¡± ¡°It is, you¡¯d only be changing the resource you¡¯re working with from slime to mana.¡± She further explained. ¡°And Golemancer doesn¡¯t seem to give me much other than creating cores¡­which then begs the question of how, with what and what tier?¡± Kyle sighed once more. Karnage giggled ¡°Seems like to me you¡¯ve already made your choice.¡± He stared off at the menu, inspecting the [Chosen of Frost] class only gave him the description of a Heroic class ¡°And I have no clue what it could possibly do because I cannot inspect it like the others.¡± ¡°Guess you¡¯re going to have to find out.¡± She urged on. Kyle smiled weakly ¡°I can always switch later¡­¡± he glanced back at Lilior then at Karnage ¡°I hate this part.¡± ¡°We all do.¡± agreed Karnage with an awkward smile. Kyle mentally selected [Chosen of Frost] and¡­surprisingly he remained conscious. Instead an array of notifications followed.
You have changed Sub-Class! Skills: [Imbue Blade], [Imbue Body] have been removed. Class: [SpellBlade] has been removed.
Chosen Classification complete! Your sub-class is now [Chosen of Frost]!
You have gained the passive skill [{Ice Mastery}]!
Evolution! Skill [{Cold Aura}] has evolved into [{Ymir¡¯s Glare}]!
Resource Evolution! (Chilled Aura) is now also gained through (Fear)!
¡°Still here?¡± Karnage asked as she stared at him questioningly. ¡°Still here¡­¡± responded Kyle as he read the notifications ¡°And well¡­Ah¡­Ymir knows me too well.¡± Before reading through the new passive and the evolved active Kyle first took into account the change to (Chilled Aura), the resource for his heroic skill [{Cold Soul}]. Before his own and other¡¯s hatred based Spirit fuelled the resource but now fear did the same. This meant Kyle could much more easily make openings to use this skill. Next he inspected the two new skills.
[{Ice Mastery}] (Set skill stats): You are one with the blizzard, one with the cold and one with the frost. All [Ice] based magic is fuelled by environmental mana as by Ymir¡¯s will: Mana cost reduction 80% [Ice] based: [{Tails}], [Ooze(Ice)]; Full 80% cost reduction. [Ice] containing: [Slime Pistol], [Slime Cannon], [Slime Scattershot], [Gatling Slime]; Containing 40% cost reduction.
This skill alongside the (Elder Frost) evolution of [Ooze(Ice)] made it so that Kyle¡¯s mana bar would barely move as he summoned forth [Ooze(Elder Frost)]. Both were an 80% reduction but as separate buffs had shown before this did not essentially add up to 160% reduction but instead separate reductions one after another. It also almost doubled the amount of Frostfire Kyle could summon.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
[{Ymir¡¯s Glare}] (Set skill stats): Through you Ymir watches all, his cold glare turning pride to snow, courage to frost and anger to ice. You are his emissary, and you preach of winter. Once target is within line of sight: Fear chance + 35% per point of (Chilled Aura) INT attributed to your [Ice] class magic + 100% per point of (Chilled Aura) INT attributed to all [Fire] class magic within line of sight ¨C 80% per point of (Chilled Aura) [Ice] based: [{Tails}], [Ooze(Draconic Fracture)]; Full 100% per point. [Ice] containing: [Slime Pistol(Fracture Rounds)], [Slime Cannon(Fracture Rounds)], [Slime Scattershot(Fracture Rounds)], [Gatling Slime(Fracture Rounds)]; Containing 50% per point.
This passive blew Kyle¡¯s mind, not only was it a 1000% damage increase to [Ice] based magic on max (Chilled Aura) but a horrifying debuff to any Pyromancer. With these two skills together [Gatling Slime]¡¯s surreal mana consumption was effectively reduced by 40% and it¡¯s damage output increased by 50% per point of (Chilled Aura). All this was due to [Ooze(Elder Frost)]¡¯s use in the weapon¡¯s make and the (Draconic Fracture) sub-skill which was activated on contact with the base ammunition all of Kyle¡¯s slime weaponry used. Previously Kyle only used [Demonic Rounds] and [Corrosive Rounds] -for their much better damage than the base rounds- and only effectively with [Slime Cannon] due to their high mana consumption but now he could abandon those two ammunition types for specific scenarios. Instead making use of the more cost effective base rounds and [Gatling Slime]. Kyle stared off at each skill, he felt like he was just handed over the Holy Grail. ¡°Kyle?...¡± called out Karnage trying to regain his attention. When Kyle suddenly stood up ¡°Party me.¡± ¡°Uh¡­sure?¡± responded a surprised Karnage as the party window appeared for her, she accepted.
[Karnage] has joined your party!
¡°Okay so¡­I¡¯m guessing we¡¯re dungeon delving?¡± Karnage asked as she also stood up. ¡°I want to test my weapons new mana consumption, which I could do anywhere but I¡¯d also like to test a few more things.¡± explained Kyle as he stepped around several tables with Lilior now sitting on his shoulder and staring back at Karnage who followed. Karnage waved at Lilior with a grin ¡°What exactly did you get? Was there even a trial?¡± Lilior immediately looked away with a huff. Karnage sighed dejectedly. ¡°No trial strangely enough, I got a change to my Heroic skill and these two passives.¡± Explained Kyle as they reached the staircase, he forwarded her the three skill¡¯s descriptions and the new description for (Chilled Aura). Karnage¡¯s eyes went through several stages of widening and her face of paling as she read through ¡°Broken¡­¡± she then mumbled. Kyle glanced back with a raised brow ¡°What is?¡± She stared at him ¡°Your class is broken¡­¡± ¡°Ehh¡­I wouldn¡¯t sa-¡± Kyle was about to argue but she cut him off. ¡°Don¡¯t even try to argue, come on let¡¯s go.¡± She entangled her arm around his and pulled him forward. ¡°Fine fine¡­¡± Kyle chuckled awkwardly. The three descended the stone spiralling staircase for a couple minutes, encountering several Fae, Dwarf or Demon who were ascending. Each would first give them a curious glance which would quickly turn into an awkward stare as Kyle ignored them, passing by and continuing his descent. He knew that similarly to Barik citizens, those of Ruk would not be any different and make use of [Inspect] just as casually. But the constant staring was beginning to get to him, even though he couldn¡¯t blame them. His Heroic title wasn¡¯t very specific that he was a Chosen but now with his new sub-class it was made very clear.
Kyllix [{ [Master] Lord Of Slimes}]-[{Chosen Of Frost}] ({Holder of the Frostfire}) (BPM Fox) Level 131
(¡°Now that I think about it my title isn¡¯t exactly a Heroic title is it?...¡±) mused Kyle as he inspected himself. (¡°Your title was based off of Spirit Beasts of nobility, Holders are directly blood related to Founders making your title stand out more than a Hero¡¯s would be to certain people.¡±) Ymir suddenly explained (¡°Would you rather have had a title showing off your standing as a Summoned and a class that did the same?¡±). Kyle didn¡¯t even need to think about it (¡°No you¡¯re right, at first glance I look like a Half-Beast but if my title makes me stand out as a Spirit Beats then it will make negotiation easier...with certain people.¡±) (¡°Of course, most wouldn¡¯t know this but if you were to ask per say¡­an Elf of the Empire¡­¡±) said Ymir with persuasive tone. Kyle sighed (¡°Less attention from citizens, more attention from ambassadors¡­¡±) ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Karnage asked hearing his sigh, they were still descending the seemingly never ending stairs. ¡°Speaking with Ymir, my umh¡­God?¡± Kyle explained awkwardly. Karnage turned away ¡°I¡¯ll¡­stop asking questions.¡± causing Kyle to chuckle. It took them several more minutes of descending the long spiral stair case but finally they reached its bottom, finding themselves facing a large wooden gate. As they approached the gate its double doors opened on their own revealing a boundless cavern on the other side, stepping through the doorway they noticed that the staircase was like a tower built into the very centre of the cavern. Whichever way they looked large pillars of stone joined the high up ceiling and the ground below, each pillar having a long thin blue crystal embedded inside giving the cavern a bright blue light. Due to the pillars they couldn¡¯t tell how far the cavern went. Echoes of battle would sound by from time to time, the clashing of a blade, the resounding explosion of magic or a cry of determination followed by a scream of despair. They didn¡¯t see anybody actually fighting around them, only a single party who had descended before them walking off around a pillar. ¡°I guess we just explore?¡± said Karnage as she followed the party with her eyes until they disappeared out of sight. ¡°Preparations first.¡± Responded Kyle as he gently took his arm out of her hold, opening his inventory he pulled out two monster cores and casually threw them ahead ¡°Devourer, Devourer.¡± He worded the names of one of his previously created Golems. Slime gushed out of his palms and rushed up to engulf the cores before suddenly more and more slime began to collect around them, slowly the two masses of slime grew larger and changed colour as the slime changed its type before taking shape. Soon before them stood two large fox-shaped Golems, their outer layer being made of black-red (Monstrous) slime like a carapace of stone. Their eyes suddenly began shining a bright light blue as Kyle replaced them with (Spirit) slime, while also building up more (Monstrous) and (Ice) slime over each Golem¡¯s shoulder until two large barrels had formed for each. ¡°I¡¯ll call these¡­Juggernauts.¡± mused Kyle as he gave the Golems another look-over. ¡°Does that¡­actually work?¡± asked Karnage as she pointed at the [Gatling Slime]s on each of the Golems¡¯ shoulders. ¡°Since they can cast spells, which shooting the already built-in weapon does count as a spell and not a skill which what creating the weapons themselves is¡­Yeah it should work.¡± replied Kyle as he walked around the Golems¡¯ clawed feet. Karnage continued to stare up at one Golem ¡°But¡­what about mana? Do they even have a mana bar?¡± ¡°No they don¡¯t, normally they can only use spells when in direct physical contact with me because it takes mana to cast them. At the same time creating the ammunition for my weapons also counts as a skill and not a spell, but that part is what takes mana not the actual shooting.¡± Kyle explained as he leaned onto one Golem''s leg ¡°That is why I filled their torsos with pre-made ammunition and extra (Elder Frost) slime for projectile propellant¡­and why my mana bar is currently completely empty.¡±
Mana [2/5400]
¡°Putting all my attribute points from 125 till now into INT served for something I guess, give me a few minutes out of combat and my mana will regenerate. While we do that, let¡¯s look for monsters.¡± Said Kyle as each Golem kneeled forward allowing him to grab onto one¡¯s snout and leap up onto its head, sitting down right between its ears. Karnage did the same with the second Golem and then both stood back up controlled by Kyle¡¯s mental instructions. Each quickly turned around and with a leap entered into a casual run, swerving around the still gigantic pillars albeit each Golem¡¯s size.
Slowly they made their way through the massive cavern, Lilior growing to her normal size as they did, her longbow also appearing in her hand. One by one Kyle managed to summon each of his own [Gatling Slime], taking a few minutes of waiting in between each of the two. The deeper they went the dimmer the light became, until suddenly they met their first encounter. As both Golems raced forward the ground ahead of them burst outwards showering them with debris and dust. ¡°Found some! Finally!¡± exclaimed Karnage as she stood up and unsheathed her shortswords. As the dust cleared and moved a large form revealed itself, eight legged each connecting to a circular torso. The massive spider screeched out menacingly. The creature was entirely white with blue crystals growing out of its back, violet crystals forming the end of each leg like a long claw and white crystals growing out of its six thick mandibles.
Author: Heads up! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFq4CUVGN_A
¡°Lilior take perch! Kyle bombard it from afar!¡± exclaimed Karnage as she suddenly surged forward, directly at the spider¡¯s face ¡°Flaming dance!¡± her blades were engulfed in crimson flames ¡°Wind¡¯s dance!¡± her legs surrounded by miniature whirlwinds ¡°Lightning dance!¡± and the rest of her body surged with bright white electricity before she surged forwards once more. But once she had reappeared out of [Surge], the spider had disappeared. Blinking while still soaring through the air Karnage glanced around only to find three sets of crystalized mandibles lunging at her left, she tried to turn and parry the attack but the creature was too quick even for her. Until suddenly several dozen blasts of frost exploded into the spider¡¯s side causing it to screech once more but this time in pain. Kyle while still riding one Golem had fired each of the six [Gatling Slime]s at his disposal, knocking the spider off course. Seeing an opening he inspected the creature.
{Elite} Quartz Widow (Orion Dungeon) Level 135
The spider had leaned over stopping it¡¯s lunge but after takingthe second barrage that Kyle fired suddenly disappeared again, albeit having a mana reduction buff the [Gatling Slime] still drained a fair bit so instead of rapid fire he was using the burst fire tactic. Kyle glanced around looking for the creature briefly when Lilior shouted out ¡°Behind you!¡± the Fae had expanded her wings and rose up into the air, bow and arrow ready watching over her master. Kyle glanced back to see the Spider quickly crawl around the pillar that lay behind him, its large six legs and bulky form unaffecting its insane movement speed. The spider lunged at him with its hind legs, the two ends looking like massive spears descending down onto him. He was about to surged out of the way and abandon his Golems when the spider¡¯s attack was abruptly countered. Lilior fired a single arrow at the spider¡¯s left leg, the large icy projectile bursting through the leg and completely severing the claw off. At the same time Karnage appeared surging at the other leg, spinning mid-flight she slashed both swords twice at the second leg causing it to hang on by half its thickness. The spider quickly backed up but lost its footing and fell forward, one right leg completely severed and the left hanging on by mere flesh did that to a six-legged arthropod. Lilior began to chant out her buffs as another arrow formed in her free hand, she continued to watch. But Kyle saw his opening and willed his two Golems to turn around and leap back as he himself surged forwards, his Golems began a relentless barrage at the spider¡¯s head as Kyle summoned slime out of his back which he willed to entangle around the creature¡¯s severed leg. When suddenly the spider disappeared again, but Kyle did not, nor did he fall. Kyle was still hanging onto something, something that was clearly there but nobody could see. He only smiled coldly while aiming both guns at where he¡¯d last seen the creature¡¯s head ¡°Invisibility does not affect my detection skills.¡± And as his Golems continued their barrage, he began his. Blinded by the bursts of frost, confused and in pain the spider blurred back into existence. Having lost its eyes, the creature back up some more only to feel the pillar¡¯s side hit its back. It tried to screech but an arrow severing another leg cut it short. ¡°I¡¯ll end it!¡± exclaimed Karnage as she ran down the pillar¡¯s side, gaining speed as she descended until finally she surged downwards ¡°Lightning strike!¡± she exclaimed and her entire body was engulfed in a blinding burst of yellow light before surging downwards even faster. The seemingly projectile of light shot right through the spider¡¯s head and out its jaw, sending green goo flying all over the place. Karnage landed onto the ground, continuing her charge for a couple more steps before turning around as the spider¡¯s massive corpse fell onto her ¡°Eek!¡± she tried to turn back and run out of the way but was stopped as a crashing sound echoed out from behind her. ¡°Never stand below a falling goliath¡­¡± said Kyle as she turned around to face him, he had conjured a pillar of condensed blue slime to catch the falling corpse and causing it to crash down sideways. Karnage could only smile awkwardly ¡°My hero?¡± Kyle sighed as he glanced around ¡°Still in combat.¡± He pointed out as suddenly both his Golems rushed to their side, both firing away at opposing directions causing two more spiders to blur out of invisibility ¡°Encounter isn¡¯t over.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take the left and you take the right?¡± Karnage offered. ¡°Three on the right for me, two on the left for you. Fine with me.¡± He said before surged forwards ¡°Lilior assist her!¡± Karnage looked at him as if he was kidding but soon enough she watched him blast at two other invisible creatures on his side ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve only just begun¡­¡± Ch 105 - Forcing my hand. 4 hours of grinding later Kyle surged and fired, evading massive crystal claws that seemingly appeared out of thin air. Zig-zagging between invisible Quartz Widows, barraging their bottom with bursts of frost. His two Golems had already been over-run, the two large foxes were surrounded by the gigantic pests as the spiders bit and clawed away at their thick carapace. Lilior was still flying around, evading as Quartz Widows leapt up at her or fell from the ceiling. With keen aim she¡¯d fire off a single arrow at each aggressor, each arrow either cleaving off a leg or sometimes killing a Quartz Widow instantly on a head shot. Karnage on the other hand was on a war-path, expertly dancing around the large spider¡¯s legs, chipping away at their claws every second with lightning fast slashes and stabs in a never-ending dance. ¡°There¡¯s too many!¡± exclaimed Karnage as she evaded an invisible clawed leg, the lightning surrounding her body sparked all over the place allowing her to sense the slightest movement around her. ¡°Master we should retreat!¡± agreed Lilior as she flew out of the way of two falling monsters, letting go of another arrow as she did and cleaving off one of the spider¡¯s legs. Kyle dared a glance at his Golems as he used his senses to evade the spider¡¯s attacks, he could tell where each one was even if it stood behind him or several meters away. Not even invisible anymore several dozen spiders were gathered around each Golem, slowly tearing away at their black-red carapace. He grimaced as he counted the monsters around them, at least five spiders were focused one each one of them with two dozen surrounding his Golems and several more watched from the side lines. They were surrounded and severely outnumbered, what made things worse was that Kyle couldn¡¯t get any (Chilled Aura) points up. These dungeon monsters were only created minions like his own Golems after all and felt neither fear or hatred. ¡°We¡¯ll retreat then!¡± replied Kyle as he turned towards his Golems ¡°Follow me!¡± he exclaimed and surged upwards, sensing three spiders leaping up after him he quick surged to spin around mid-air and aimed both [Gatling Slime]s ahead and downwards ¡°Explosive Abandon!¡± As two of the spiders blurred out of invisibility, revealing long sharp crystalline claws and wide open mandibles Kyle¡¯s two cannons suddenly shone a bright blue before an ear shattering sound echoed throughout the cavern. Both cannons exploded outwards with a mass of frost propelling Kyle backwards and sending all three spiders crashing back down to the ground with enough force that one died on impact. As Kyle flew through the air what remained of his cannons dissipated, he watched as Lilior quickly flew down her legs morphed into a serpentine tail which wrapped around Karnage¡¯s waist. The Fae changed her course quickly, re-ascending and surging along with her new load. Kyle sensed as each spider that was aggroed to the three of them gave chase, the entire horde forming around the spiders already harassing his Golems. Kyle could only smile coldly as Spirit suddenly burst out of his arms, the misty blue rays of energy rushed downwards until each landed over a Golem who¡¯s eyes suddenly began to shine just as brightly. The eyes that Kyle had made out of (Spirit) slime. The slime quickly absorbed the Spirit, beginning to expand inwards and rapidly but as it did Kyle willed the slime to change from (Spirit) to (Elder Frost). Kyle watched as his Golems bubbled and grew, the moment he felt his back crash into the stone pillar he summoned slime out of his legs and arms to hold on. He watched from his perch as the Golems completely lost their original form, turning to three times their previous mass within seconds. He waited as the spiders all chased after them, seeing him holding onto the pillar every single one -other than those already targeting the expanding Golems- rushed towards him. He paid close attention to his detection skills, waiting for the opportune moment ¡°Condensed Slime¡­¡± Kyle chanted as his smile grew, the masses of bubbling blue slime suddenly shrunk down a few layers and solidified. Locking in place any Quartz Widow that had been trying to tear into the gooey substance. Once Lilior had flown to hover by his side Kyle summoned a wall of muddy slime to cover them¡­The moment came and Kyle quickly chanted, his smile now a full-fledged grin ¡°Draconic Fracture!¡± He watched as the muddy wall formed, the masses of blue condensed slime shone brightly before suddenly and rapidly the entirety of their surfaces cracked and shattered followed by two explosions of sheer frost. The explosions expanded outwards instantly covering the area with frost, almost reaching up as high as they had been perched up at. Like a cold white-blue cloud the explosions settled below them, the sound of quickly cooling air crackling nearby. Slowly the frost fell, dispersing further and further on the ground until finally the scene was revealed with a few inches of frost still covering the floor. Dozens of massive spiders that were closest to the explosions were turned to shards of frozen flesh, the rest behind them had half or more of their bodies covered in ice and were struggling to break out. Lowering his shield of muddy slime Kyle watched as several spiders began bursting out of their frozen bindings. ¡°I thought we were retreating!¡± Exclaimed Karnage with a chuckle. ¡°We don¡¯t leave survivors.¡± said Kyle before he morphed his hands into slime while still holding onto the pillar with clawed (Monstrous) slime digging into the stone and crystal. He dispersed the slime connected to his feet and quickly he descended down, his arms elongating as slime until finally he reached the bottom. Kyle counted seven Quartz Widows still alive, six once Lilior let loose an arrow killing the spider that had broken out of its icy cage. He let go of the pillar, allowing his long tentacle arms to fall briefly before lunging forward with them. The two tentacles expanded and separated into a total of six, each one slamming into a spider, each creature busy struggling with the ice that covered them. The tentacles expanded again, growing to cover each spider¡¯s head while growing several tendrils to entangle around their legs. This alone would not keep the spiders restrained. On the other hand it gave Kyle exactly what he needed, physical contact. He focused on each mass of slime and tentacle, changing their make to several different colourings and types. Slowly stacking debuff after debuff on each spider. As he did so Lilior hovered down to his side, letting go of Karnage she held up her bow and began firing quick shots taking out any clawed leg that wasn¡¯t restrained. Karnage rushed forward, also working on doing the same. Before long each spider¡¯s head and leg-shoulders were covered in violet (Vampiric) slime, black (Cursed) slime, dark blue (Elder Frost) slime, dark red (Elder Flame) slime and light greenish (Acid) slime. The spiders began to struggle more fiercely as their faces melted to the flame and acid, the flesh freezing to the frostbite, rotting to the cursed or dissipating to the life-draining vampiric. Kyle felt his mana bar slowly regenerate, his health was still full as he made it his first priority not to get hit. He didn¡¯t think he¡¯d survive a single claw. ¡°Time to end it.¡± He said with an exhausted sigh ¡°Devou-¡± Suddenly each spider shattered and burst into sparks of light, quickly dissipating into mana. ¡°That was quick, what did you do?¡± asked Karnage as she sheathed her swords, looking like she hadn¡¯t even shed a drop of sweat. ¡°That¡­wasn¡¯t me.¡± said Kyle as he turned to Lilior who shook her head, quickly he gathered his slime letting it form around him defensively as he glanced around ¡°If it wasn¡¯t me¡­and it wasn¡¯t either of you¡­¡± Suddenly the ground began to quake, as each pillar in sight began to descend into the ground. ¡°It¡¯s the Dungeon¡­¡± said Lilior as she glanced around like everyone else. Once all the pillars had sunk down into the ground they could see several hundred other delvers, yet no monster was in sight. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± asked Karnage as she spotted Zaahr and the others rushing towards them. ¡°Kyle!¡± exclaimed a voice out of nowhere making an already jumpy Kyle hop back a step. ¡°Jacky?¡± said Kyle as he took his VCD out of the inventory window ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Get moving back to the top! I¡¯ll explain on the move!¡± Jacky told him through the device, it¡¯s vision blurred as the assassin ran at full speed. Kyle glanced at the gathering guild leaders ¡°Something¡¯s wrong, Jack will explain on the way.¡± He gestured for them to follow and the entire group began to run towards the single pillar remaining within the cavern. The staircase. ¡°I just got contacted by Birse.¡± Jacky began to explain ¡°They encountered Orcish raiding parties invading the Ogre¡¯s borders. Just a few moments ago, the Wood Elf court¡¯s navy began to move as well which probably caused this Dungeon¡¯s distress.¡± ¡°Move? Are they retreating?¡± asked Kyle as they reached the staircase, rushing by several confused warriors as they began their climb. ¡°Yes and no.¡± responded Jacky as he finally appeared into the device¡¯s view, he was standing outside the dungeon already ¡°Mer scouts indicate twice as much movement from Il¡¯tel, the Elven continent. Kyle the Elven courts are all regrouping their numbers, for what I¡¯m not entirely sure of yet¡­¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Do they plan to start a full invasion of Ruk?¡± asked Zaahr from a few steps behind him. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t dare, in total the alliance outnumbers the Elven Empire right now.¡° Jacky was mumbling now, seemingly talking to himself more so than them. ¡±With the mountain range that is Northern Ruk, the defences the Dwarves and Dezol already have set up alongside the Avian and Mer¡¯s capability to be here before they can¡­And our capability to portal the rest of Esfelt¡¯s forces here?¡± ¡°Then maybe they are moving to invade Hasharr? To wipe out the Ogres before they can fully join up with us?¡± offered Vain who was nearby Jacky on the other side of the call. At that point the VCD switched to someone else ¡°No if they are to invade somewhere other than Ruk.¡± Began Birse who had just connected to their devices ¡°Each three courts will move on Barik.¡± ¡°Shit! The others! The respawn points!¡± swore Dherik as he struggled to keep up with the rest, his short dwarven feet aching with the spiralling staircase. ¡°Birse! Are you sure?!¡± Asked Jacky as he grimaced. ¡°I am, the bulk of the alliance¡¯s forces lie on Ruk. Barik is a far easier target, the Dezol will be unable to transfer enough troops onto Barik even with the use of portals before it¡¯s too late¡­¡± Birse sighed as he stared into the VCD, a sand storm raging around him ¡°The Empire doesn¡¯t even need to invade Barik, they can just level it to the ground from the shore. So at most they will be facing the Mers, the Avians, the Esfeltian Griffin and Pegasi riders alongside what little Mageks we have available¡­¡± ¡°It will be a one-sided massacre¡­¡± mumbled out Zaahr. ¡°They plan to scatter the Dezol¡¯s allies before turning their focus on the Dezol themselves.¡± Added Jacky as his grimace only turned uglier ¡°Birse what do we do?¡± Birse remained silent for several moments. ¡°Birse! What the hell do we do?!¡± suddenly exclaimed Rico, appearing behind Jacky and looking into the VCD. Birse sighed ¡°Initiate operation LR¡­¡± he cut his connection. Kyle was staring into the VCD as he quickly climbed, he watched as Jacky¡¯s eyes briefly widened before he regained his composure. Rico and Vain were by his side, now looking at him in confusion. ¡°Jacky what does he mean?¡± asked Vain. Jacky¡¯s eyes went cold and he cut the connection. Kyle could only grimace as he glanced back at the others ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means either.¡± He told them, turning to look forward again and quickening his footsteps. ¡°He¡¯s got a plan right? At least we know that¡­¡± mumbled out Karnage after a minute of climbing the stairs, several moments later they reached the top. Nobody was around except for Jacky¡¯s party, Rico, Vain and Jane standing behind him whispering and seemingly arguing. When they noticed them each one immediately stopped speaking and Jacky gestured Kyle over. As Kyle and the rest approached Jacky stepped forward ¡°Kyle, Lilior we¡¯re leaving, the rest of you do whatever but we¡¯re going. Alone.¡± His tone was strict, more serious than his usual. Kyle glanced between him and the other three, each one of them was anxious, he also sensed a mix of guilt and anger. ¡°What is operation LR?¡± he asked Jacky. Jacky glanced between him and Lilior ¡°Nothing for them to hear, just you two. Let¡¯s go.¡± He began to turn around when Kyle suddenly grabbed his arm. He glanced back, his eyes cold and wide ¡°Don¡¯t make this more difficult than it already is, follow, listen then bitch about later.¡± Kyle was surprised by his now hostile tone but only nodded in response, letting go of his arm. He glanced back at the others, each wearing expressions of worry and confusion ¡°Wait here¡­¡± he told Karnage before moving to follow Jacky. Lilior followed too but Rico, Vain and Jane stayed with the others, still dead silent. Having stepped several meters away from the Adventurer¡¯s guild Jacky finally turned around to face Kyle, he chanted something beneath his breath ¡°Silent Barrier¡± and a shimmer of light suddenly engulfed them briefly before dissipating. ¡°Now they cannot hear us.¡± Jacky told both him and Lilior. ¡°What is operation LR?¡± Kyle asked again. Jacky sighed weakly ¡°Last resort, if all fails¡­if the worst comes¡­We switch sides.¡± Lilior¡¯s eyes widened fully ¡°Abandon everyone?...¡± Jacky nodded ¡°To survive, yes. Birse obviously doesn¡¯t see any other options.¡± He glanced at the adventurers ¡°They are our enemies now.¡± Kyle glanced back too, his eyes falling over Karnage ¡°There has to be¡­anything else¡­there has to be something else we can do!¡± he exclaimed turning to look Jacky in the eye. ¡°Like what? You think they would switch sides with us? After getting all buddy buddy with the entire fucking continent of Barik? Which by the way is about to be deleted off the damn map?¡± Jacky snorted in cold amusement ¡°Go on and offer that to them, maybe they¡¯ll abandon those poor souls to the massacre that awaits too.¡± Kyle¡¯s silver eyes turned blue and began to glow ¡°She¡¯s not like me, she wouldn¡¯t abandon them.¡± His voice a chilling hiss as he spoke. Jacky smirked as he stepped to him, his cold eyes centimetres away from Kyle¡¯s ¡°No, she isn¡¯t. None of them are, it is why they won¡¯t survive. Where¡¯d all the good shit you were talking about earlier gone off to? Because you were right then, this is no longer just about survival. This is a matter of pride.¡± Kyle¡¯s fangs and claws appeared as Frostfire frolicked the tips of his ears and tails. Jacky¡¯s smirk faltered back into a cold guise ¡°You may have been called a Hero one too many times these past weeks, did it get to your head? Kid you¡¯re a member of the Blood Pack, a reject of society that doesn¡¯t give one single shit about anybody outside the Pack itself. Has Birse been too lenient with you new comers?¡± He glanced around Kyle ¡°So choose boy, the Pack or¡­Her.¡± His eyes turned back to Kyle, locking onto him like a target. Kyle clenched both hands into fists ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡± Jacky reached for his daggers ¡°And I cannot allow you to go rogue¡­Not now. Because if I have to choose between the safety of one brother I barely know and several I¡¯ve spent my life with¡­Where¡¯s the choice?¡± Jacky glanced between cold dead eyes of the Spirit Beast and hate filled eyes of the infuriated Fae by his side. Kyle closed his eyes as his fangs and claws morphed back to normal, as the Frostfire tendrils snuffed out. He also raised his right hand to hold Lilior back, the Fae¡¯s wings already turned to scythes. Kyle opened his eyes now back to silver and met Jacky¡¯s ¡°Sly¡¯s wish was for us to live on¡­not to fight between ourselves. Jacky, I won¡¯t kill you.¡± Jacky relaxed his grip on the daggers ¡°Good choi-¡± Suddenly blue slime burst out of the ground grabbing hold of Jacky¡¯s legs and tripping him back, quickly the slime rose out to cover Jacky as more rushed out of the ground until only the assassin¡¯s face was uncovered. Kyle stared down at him as Jacky calmly struggled with his bindings, testing their limits. ¡°I won¡¯t kill you, Jacky. Because unlike you, I make my own choices.¡± Kyle¡¯s eyes were cold and emotionless but nothing like his blue Spirit-filled gaze, no magic or other ability was effecting his eyes yet they brought a certain chill over the assassin who met them with his own. ¡°You caught me off guard¡­¡± said Jacky as he glared up at Kyle, for long chilling moments the two sustained their glares. When suddenly Jacky¡¯s gaze turned from murderous to amused, quickly moving into a fit of laughter ¡°Only two people ever got the drop on me¡­I guess that¡¯s three now?¡± He knew now Kyle could have killed him, and that much amused him. Kyle dissipated the slime that restrained him ¡°Birse and Sly?¡± he asked. Jacky chuckled ¡°Birse? Several times¡­Sly? No, never. The other person was¡­well it¡¯s a long story.¡± Kyle offered his hand ¡°Then after all this, after we¡¯ve stopped this damn war. Let¡¯s sit down with a few drinks, then tell me this story of yours.¡± Jacky smirked as he accepted his aid, Kyle pulling him back up to standing ¡°So you do have a plan?¡±. Kyle glanced back over at the others, Rico, Jane and Vain stopping the Adventurer¡¯s guild members from approaching them ¡°I don¡¯t have one, I only have ideas. We both know someone, who¡¯s better at coming up with one.¡± Jacky sighed ¡°You think you can reason with him?¡± he snorted at the thought ¡°You¡¯ve got balls.¡± Kyle smiled weakly ¡°I¡¯ve been reasoning with the unreasonable since before this world.¡± He grabbed hold of the VCD that had been hanging off his belt, off a hook meant for a sword¡¯s sheath which he did not have. He thought of the person in question, the devices immediately connecting with each other ¡°Birse, It¡¯s Kyle.¡± Birse sighed as he grabbed his device, after a brief moment appearing into view ¡°I thought you¡¯d have something to say, are you alone?¡± ¡°I¡¯m with Jacky and I have a proposition.¡± replied Kyle. ¡°Kyle¡­we have at most 12 hours to use what cards we have before they are taken from us.¡± Said Birse solemnly ¡°What do you have in mind? Cause I¡¯ve looked at this from every angle, I¡¯ve considered every possible action we could take and none end well. Even if we fought the Empire head on, we¡¯d only be left with remnants of broken kingdoms to face Scythe¡¯s allies.¡± Birse shook his head ¡°The Empire knows this, they aren¡¯t just forcing our hand¡­they are specifically forcing yours. The last Chosen. This is how badly they want the Quest¡¯s power.¡± ¡°But why now?¡± asked Kyle ¡°After holding back for so many decades, why make such a big move now?¡± ¡°Because of us.¡± Simply answered Birse ¡°Because we did what they hadn¡¯t imagined would happen, the Alliance of Esfelt and the Dezol joining together, the Ruk rebellion to simply disappear under a single night. These two events forced their hand, now they want to force ours back.¡± ¡°No Birse, not what forced them to take action.¡± corrected Kyle ¡°You¡¯re missing the picture, the question is what held them back for all these years?¡± ¡°Their Elders council¡­I¡¯ve considered that too. We don¡¯t have the time for that route Kyle, the leaders of the courts are obviously fed up with the Elders.¡± Birse argued back ¡°Before we could even request an audience with the Elders¡­Barik will already be gone. That is if the Ogres can even request one for us anymore.¡± ¡°But we know the reason, the Elders held the court military back from acting. So is an audience all we¡¯d require?¡± Kyle questioned. Birse sighed once more, he thought it over briefly ¡°We have no way of knowing how badly the ties between the Empire¡¯s military and their Elder¡¯s council currently are¡­For all we know they might be at the verge of civil war or have already gone through one¡­Il¡¯tel is completely locked up, we have no way in, no way to collect information from inside.¡± ¡°So what if we did have a way in? A way to go anywhere within Il¡¯tel, no matter the danger what if we did have some way to get directly at the Elder council¡¯s doorstep?¡± Kyle asked tentatively. Birse grimaced and stared straight at Kyle ¡°In theory if we had such a method, we could also reach the Empire military¡¯s top brass and cut the snake¡¯s head off. But we both know Devils can only open rifts to places they¡¯ve already been to. And portals require a runic connection to open along with someone capable of opening a rift. No Devil will risk their lives for our one in a million-chance plan.¡± Kyle glanced back at Jacky ¡°Give me your VCD.¡± He told him as he held up his free hand, Birse watched with a raised brow. Jacky shrugged, took out his VCD and handed it over to Kyle who showed it to Birse through his own ¡°A runic connection and someone capable of opening a rift.¡± He repeated plainly. ¡°You¡¯d die before even stepping on Il¡¯tel¡¯s shores.¡± pointed out Birse ¡°It would take the entirety of the Dezol forces to even make it that far be it by sea or sky. Kyle you don¡¯t know what defences those Elves have set up around their borders, I¡¯ve been given a vague description and it¡¯s nothing good.¡± ¡°Birse I¡¯m a Spirit Beast, I don¡¯t need to go by sea or sky. There is always another option, all I ask for is time!¡± pleaded Kyle. ¡°No, you¡¯re not going alone. And Lilior does not count as enough assistance!¡± Birse barked back ¡°Listen to me dammit, nobody else is getting killed¡­Not while I am the fucking leader!¡± he slammed his fist onto the same surface that his device lay on causing it to quake. ¡°What if I wasn¡¯t alone, what if it wasn¡¯t just Lilior?¡± Kyle reasoned, unfazed. ¡°How many? Who even?¡± Birse immediately asked in annoyed disbelief. ¡°Me, a Spirit Beast. Lilior, a Dungeon Fae. Soren, another Spirit Beast. Karnage, an unknown magical being with skill on par with our average fighter. And lastly my newest companion.¡± Kyle counted off until the last one, when suddenly a small shadow surged out of the ground behind him. The Shadow rapidly expanded, taking the shape of a large winged serpent while retaining its black foggy make ¡°Behemoth, the first beast and devourer of souls.¡± Birse stared down into his device, his expression unmoving and unreadable as he studied Kyle¡¯s ¡°I¡¯d be sending three members and two unknowns into the middle of enemy territory. Then what?¡± Kyle casually shrugged ¡°We do...what we always do, we do what only we can do.¡± Birse¡¯s eyebrows twitched in annoyance as he sighed weakly ¡°And what would that be?¡± ¡°We put an Empire into its place.¡± exclaimed Kyle with a wide wicked grin and cold hungering eyes that matched the hulking shadow beast behind him. Ch 106 - Planning Barik Eslet, Underground Magical Development Centre Soren stood to the side of the massive warehouse/cavern, looking through a glass window from inside a separate room inside the large laboratory. Outside the office several dozen mages of differentiating race were gathered in groups. Some using their magic to form the armor for the Griffins using several of the creatures that were brought in for size comparison. Other groups were on the opposite side of the warehouse, working with Golemancers to get the right shape, size and material balance for creating the Mageks before them. The last group were simple soldiers or hired citizens that would take the finished armor parts and or Mageks then carry them to a larger storage location. Glancing behind him he watched Death go through several stacks of paperwork, reports from each development team under their care. Soren sighed ¡°They coming or what?¡± Birse had re-contacted them minutes ago after the first report in, telling him to expect Kyle and a few others to arrive via rift. ¡°They¡¯re probably still looking for a Devil available to transport them.¡± responded Death who¡¯s nose remained glued to the papers. When suddenly a rift tore open ahead of his desk, making him jump and drop a whole stack of papers ¡°Sh-That gets me every damn time.¡± He swore loudly before catching himself. ¡°Well speak of the Devil.¡± Said Soren as he watched Kyle, Lilior and Karnage step out of the rift ¡°What¡¯s up? Heard you got a plan.¡± The Dwarf was strangely calm even with the current circumstances. Kyle glanced at Death picking up the papers from the floor then at Soren ¡°Sort of, wanna see the Spirit Realm?¡± ¡°Will I actually get to see it this time?¡± Soren asked jokingly as he wore a wide grin. ¡°I can go there without hijacking your position this time¡­¡± mumbled out Karnage apologetically. ¡°That¡¯s reassuring, now if you don¡¯t mind telling¡­what IS the plan?¡± asked Death as he stood up with a pile of papers. ¡°Not much time so I¡¯ll keep it short.¡± said Kyle as the rift behind them closed ¡°As a Spirit Beast me and Soren are able to enter the Spirit Realm without being dead, Lilior will be able to follow because she is my familiar and Karnage¡­well she can follow too.¡± ¡°How does that help us exactly?¡± then asked Soren. ¡°Because the Spirit Realm.¡± Continued to explain Kyle ¡°Is on a parallel plane to the world of the living, if we enter it from here we end up at a specific location and similarly vice-versa. The only problem is that unlike back home where the Spirit Realm is an empty plane looking over the real world. Chaoz¡¯s is quite full, with its own geography.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re going to shoot blindly through rifts until you pop out on Il¡¯tel?¡± asked Death with a raised brow. Kyle shook his head ¡°No we¡¯ll get directions from a local, anyway we should hurry. Are you ready?¡± Soren sighed as he glanced over at Karnage ¡°Last question, is she going to be a liability?¡± ¡°Me?¡± Karnage asked caught by surprise. Kyle sighed as well then glanced back at her ¡°He means¡­we might have to actually take lives. Are you mentally prepared for that? To us¡­people like us have seen or done worse but¡­Tell us now if it¡¯s going to be a problem.¡± ¡°Is it going to be a problem?¡± added Soren. Karnage glanced between all four of them, unsure as how to answer that question ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s out.¡± plainly said Soren ¡°I¡¯m not risking my hide if she¡¯s not ready.¡± Kyle nodded solemnly ¡°Just us three can stil-¡± ¡°I can do it¡­¡± said Karnage cutting him off ¡°If it means stopping a war¡­I¡¯ll do it.¡± Soren snorted in amusement ¡°Somehow I don¡¯t see that state of mind working out very well.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Mumbled out Lilior from between Kyle¡¯s ears, the Fae staring down at Karnage with curiosity. Kyle turned to Karnage, grabbing her by the shoulders ¡°You don¡¯t need to come, we¡¯ll be fine even without you. I¡¯m sorry I brought you into this in the first place¡­I should of thought of it beforehand.¡± (¡°I didn¡¯t even think to ask something like that¡­Damnit what¡¯s wrong with me?¡±) Karnage could only stare at the empty space between them as she nodded ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± she clenched her sword¡¯s hilts, annoyed at herself. ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to apologies for, it was my mistake.¡± He pulled her in, holding her tightly within his arms as she briefly held him back. ¡°You should go¡­¡± she then told him, her voice muffled by his coat. Gently pulling away, she barely looked at him while stepping back. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± He told her before letting go and turning around ¡°Ready now?¡± he asked Soren. ¡°Sure.¡± The Dwarf grunted. Kyle stepped away from everyone, morphing his fingers into long sharp claws. He looked out at the space ahead of him before suddenly swiping forward, Spirit engulfing his claw. Reality tore like a fabric, spreading apart and opening into a flowing rift of colors. ¡°This way.¡± Kyle told Soren as he himself stepped through. Briefly Kyle saw a view that paused his breathing, he found himself standing over a tall mountain of snow. Looking down he saw vast forests covered in the same snow, before suddenly his vision changed and he was standing at the top of Kori¡¯. Right in front of the library¡¯s entrance, glancing to his side he saw a baffled Soren. ¡°What was¡­that?¡± Soren asked as he scratched his thin beard. ¡°Probably Tempres, what Barik use to look like. The Spirit Realm here seems to have its geography severed into many different eras of Chaoz.¡± Kyle explained as he stepped into the library, several individuals were already standing around the pool of liquid waiting for them ¡°Technically we are at Hasharr at the moment.¡± Soren followed as both him and Lilior glanced around the massive library in awe. ¡°Welcome child of the Fae, welcome child of the Spirits.¡± Greeting Terrance who stood at the center of the founders, he looked directly at Kyle ¡°Back so soon young Soultail?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid so, although I believe you already know exactly why.¡± said Kyle with a respectful tone. ¡°Hmm indeed I do¡­Ah welcome back to you too child of witchery.¡± Suddenly said Terrance with a smirk as he glanced behind them. Kyle and Soren turned around to find Karnage standing there, determination in her eyes as she stepped to stand beside Kyle ¡°Thank you.¡± she responded to Terrance before glancing up at Kyle who now wore a worried expression ¡°I won¡¯t get in your way¡­¡± she whispered to him. Kyle continued to stare at her briefly but coming up with nothing to say he returned to Terrance ¡°We need your help.¡± ¡°And we know what you require, yet the question is should we tell you?¡± said Terrance as he glanced over at the other founders ¡°You are the last of our bloodline, the last of our great people. The Empire is a dangerous foe, their Champions are like nothing you¡¯ve ever faced before. If we show you what you wish to see, you might very well die. Destroying what we¡¯ve worked hard to keep alive.¡± Kyle was afraid of this response, yet he was prepared for it ¡°I¡¯ve worked too damn hard to keep this world together as well. Everything I do, ever step and action I take, every word I say is for the sole purpose of my hope¡­of our hope to live in a world where we actually we feel like we belong!¡± Kyle stepped forward, approaching the edge of the pool ¡°Mark my words, if Chaoz falls¡­If this world is ruined¡­¡± His expression turned colder, his eyes barren of emotion as he spoke¡­¡±I will force myself into becoming a Nogitsune. And just like Void, I will devour this realm and make it my own.¡± Terrance suddenly appeared standing before Kyle, each staring coldly into the other¡¯s blind eyes ¡°You would abandon your own beliefs, become the creature you hate so much so? You would disgrace our legacy, throw away your bloodline? All for some silly dream? All for some sense of belonging?¡± his voice was imbued with power, his tone harsh and commanding. ¡°Barely alive or even as an abomination, myself or not. Even if it means selling my soul¡­I have found where I belong, I have found the place I¡¯ve been longing for and I¡¯ll be damned if my past and fears will hold me back any longer.¡± Responded Kyle, his voice quaking the air, his tone a chilling breeze. Terrance closed his eyes and sighed ¡°Your Spirit grows more powerful by the hour, I was almost convinced.¡± He looked up at Kyle once more ¡°I see what you¡¯re planning boy, I know what you intend to do¡­¡± ¡°Do you not approve?¡± Asked Kyle, his expression still cold and distant. ¡°Approve?...When has a child ever needed an adult¡¯s approval to do something foolish?¡± Terrance sighed once more, a smile on his face ¡°But yes¡­¡± which widened into a full out maddened-grin ¡°Of this I fully approve.¡±
IL¡¯TEL Elven Citadel of Fei¡¯tel 3 Hours later. Grandiose barely begins to depict the Elven Citadel, Fei¡¯tel a mixture of nature¡¯s beauty working in tandem with Elven construction. Built into a wide waterfall the city hung off a cliff¡¯s wall as water from the fall landed inside well calculated pools that would spread out into rivers that ran across the entire city. The buildings were of a glistening blue stone shaped smoothly and made to be thin yet tall, giving the entire area a graceful sense that worked alongside the well-cared for and accurately grown greenery. Trees perfectly grown on either side of the flowing rivers, vines grown around the buildings into perfect designs of house-hold insignias or banners. Patches of flowers perfectly aligned with the trees, buildings and rivers. Fei¡¯tel stood for everything the Elven race believed in, as a declaration for what they stood for. The same words that were inscribed in Elven runes into the citadel¡¯s main four buildings. The smaller three representing the three courts of Forest, Tundra and Night. Each one standing high above the others at the East, West and South of the city. The fourth building, the Elder¡¯s Hall stood higher than even them. Built directly out of the waterfall¡¯s slanted wall it rose three times as high as the courts. Inscribed into each of the four was the same phrase, yet as Kyle stared up at the runes he realized he couldn¡¯t read Elven. Terrance had shown them to an area within the Spirit Realm, told them they would appear in a safe area nobody went to. There Lilior had set up her Dungeon, Soren and Karnage waited there with her while Kyle roamed the city.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. He wasn¡¯t himself of course, his ears and tails alone would attract too much attention. So instead he masked himself, with a skill he quickly learned from Lilior that matched his [{Lord of Slimes}] class. An ability much more powerful than his (Illusionary) Slime, which any powerful mage could clearly see through and unlike Esfelt who¡¯s mages stood as a separate faction from the main military¡­ The Empire¡¯s military were mages themselves. So Kyle made use of this skill instead, to not only hide his form but change it altogether.
[Shapeshift] (Set skill stats): Your class [{Lord of Slime}]¡¯s capability to change any part of your body at will, mana is required to create, add to and alter your form. 0.06 mana per 1 ml of (Slime)
Right now, Kyle was a tall Tundra Elf with pale white skin, short light blue hair and silver eyes. His body being half-elf already, his hair being white and his eyes silver made it much easier to take this form than otherwise looking completely different. Yet there was a problem with the [Shapeshift] ability, inspecting a shapeshifter would give you information depending on your mana level against your target. If the mage inspecting Kyle had more mana, they would gain the real information and not what Kyle had set his appearance to give. Which is why he still made use of his (Illusionary) Slime, masking his Inspected information solely. Albeit the slime type having the same down-side to physical illusions, this was not true for Inspected illusions because it was much easier to create and was somehow assisted by the masking system. This gave Kyle the perfect disguise, allowing him to fit in and listen in on conversations between the city¡¯s residents without looking conspicuous. But albeit all this, the information he¡¯d gathered was a minimum. Gossip and knowledge of the base citizenship just wasn¡¯t enough to piece it all together and he was running out of time. And when you¡¯re running out of time, risks need to be taken. Which was why he was currently standing in front of the Elders Hall, more precisely across the bridge casually glancing at it as he faked to be inspecting a magic utility store. And Kyle planned to infiltrate it, as apparently the Elders would be having a discussion this evening. Birse had expected the Elven Court navy to reach Barik within 12 hours, that was 3 hours ago. The Elders would gather in 2 hours, this gave Kyle that much time to infiltrate the hall and 7 hours remaining. Currently he was watching security outside the hall while sensing the inside. Outside he saw eight guards at the bridge and twelve at the entrance. Each guard wore a black cloth uniform with golden trim and over it a crimson red plated vest. In their hands were long pole-blade like staffs with a magic crystal embedded into the blade¡¯s centre, buckled to their waist was a sheathed long curved blade and large gauntlet like leather glove inscribed with runes. Alongside the guards, even the ones patrolling the streets Kyle noticed a creature accompanying them. Spiky scaled with long snouts the creatures closely resembled a Drake, even their long serpentine tail and wings but unlike a Drake they were barely larger than a common horse and had no legs or limbs other than their wings. Kyle inspected two guards, one riding the creature, one not and then the creature itself.
Fei¡¯tel Guard [Teo Khan] Level 146
Fei¡¯tel Seeker Guard [Drow Vel] Level 163
{Dragon} Juvenile Tundra Wyrm [Ketala] (Fei¡¯tel City Guard) Level 182
Unlike the massive Drakes the Tundra Wyrm resembled more a Wyvern in size without their ferocious behaviour, yet Kyle couldn¡¯t help but notice the Juvenile in its name making him wonder what a full adult looked like. Kyle counted four Wyrms standing guard outside the Elders Hall, they hadn¡¯t noticed him yet but ever since seeing his first patrol he had made sure not to get too close. He was familiar with a Dragon¡¯s senses, he didn¡¯t know whether a Wyrm would compare to a Drake but he also didn¡¯t want to find out. Inside he sensed several issues, his [Spirit Detection] now [Spirit Master] was the only ability he could use that sensed anything at all within. Kyle was sure barriers invisible to him had been put up to evade even his [Draconic Perception], eluding all sound and even smell. He was relieved when Spirit detection still worked. Within the Elders Hall itself he sensed ten guards patrolling each floor, all but the one floor below ground where he sensed twenty. He did not count the souls he sensed not moving or barely doing so for two reasons, the first was that each guard had a similar Spirit reading. Calm and attentive, as a guard was trained to be. The second, was that Kyle could clearly see no guards standing around inside the building. Through the massive open gate he could see most of the first floor and each guard inside was patrolling, constantly moving around. Even through the windows on the floors above he couldn¡¯t see a single guard standing at attention, only guards patrolling in groups of two. This made it easier for Kyle to determine which soul was or wasn¡¯t a guard. He watched for several minutes following the paths each group of guards took, building a mental outline of the building¡¯s inner design. Which was oval with two long main corridors curving from north to south until they met and one straight corridor cutting through west to east. With this design and the guard¡¯s patrolling paths it was impossible for Kyle to sneak in without being seen by at least one set of guards. He couldn¡¯t afford to use magic as if the Empire could block detection then he was fairly sure they had even better methods of detection. The only reason he figured they hadn¡¯t noticed him yet was because not only had he shape-shifted into an Elf while being Half-elf but he was also covering himself in a thin veil of Spirit which had resulted in a new active skill being created.
[Spirit Veil] (Set skills stats): Masks the user from magical detection but severely increases the possibility of spiritual detection. Detection range: 2 meters Spirit cost: 40
He guessed the Empire didn¡¯t consider a Spirit Beast would be infiltrating them, if they even knew what Spirit Beasts could fully do. Kyle considered his options as he moved on from the storefront, having stood around for long enough he entered the store itself and began perusing the inside. The shopkeeper greeted him and he nodded to the Wood Elf in question but made little conversation, afraid of raising suspicion through his own mannerisms. Kyle glanced around items, looking through the glass front at the large building. At some point he jokingly pondered slipping through the sewers, that was until he actually thought if it was feasible. Until he realised what he could do that nobody else could. When he realised of something that nobody else ever would think possible, for anybody normal. Because Kyle wasn¡¯t normal. Kyle was a slime. He stood there for a few more minutes, he had an hour and a half remaining before the Elders would gather. He thought up ideas, possible problems and mentally listed what he required then before long he had a plan. Yet for any plan to succeed he first needed to know one specific thing, where would the Elders even gather within the hall itself? It was a massive building after all and each floor was almost exactly the same¡­all but one, the underground floor where each couple of guards patrolled not an oval shaped area but a square outline. Kyle guessed the meeting stage was there below guard, within a massive room that the guards did not enter and instead guarded the outside. Why they had built the corridor all around the room he did not know yet, but he figured he wouldn¡¯t need to. All he had were guesses, little time and only one real way to confirm them. So set on what he would do, Kyle stepped out of the shop and began heading back to the hideout. Close to the centre of the city was the market, several bustling streets with even more of a guard presence than other districts. The streets weren¡¯t as packed as one would expect from a city market, Elves tended to be precise and the street¡¯s design mirrored such. As Kyle moved through the market, he never once bumped into anybody as the crowd flowed around immaculately. Kyle somehow felt even more claustrophobic after observing this. As he approached the market¡¯s southern edge, the streets slowly emptied and if one was keen-eyed they¡¯d notice that the stores also got older and less maintained. Some stores were even abandoned, businesses gone bad and now owned by the city itself. Being a market district there was much more housing than there were stores, unlike most RPGs store owners actually required somewhere to live other than their shops. Seeing no one around Kyle casually approached one such house, like all the others the plant-life was perfectly cared for around it but the building itself was accumulating dust and cracked at several spots. He stepped to the front-door and knocked twice, briefly stopping before knocking once more, another pause and ending in four final knocks. He heard the door unlock from the inside, turned the spherical handle and pushed it in. Kyle stepped inside to be greeted by Soren who was in-charge of watching the door. ¡°Yo¡­any luck?¡± the Dwarf asked quietly. Kyle closed the door behind himself ¡°I¡¯ve got a basic idea of the city, but I still need to confirm several things of what the hell is going on. For that I figured that my best chance is to sneak into the Elders Hall, sort of a city hall where within an hour the Elven Elders will have a get together.¡± He quickly explained as Soren led him through the curving corridor, all elven buildings seemed to have a circular interior. ¡°How you gonna do that?¡± Soren asked as they stopped in front of one of many silver doors within the corridor. ¡°Several options, still figuring out which.¡± responded Kyle with a sigh ¡°What I need now is someone to confirm the actual meeting location, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to kidnap someone so I came here first to warn you all beforehand. Any problems around here?¡± Soren briefly stared up at him, a questioning expression ¡°Well¡­it use to be a problem¡­¡± he said while opening the door. ¡°What do you me-¡± began to ask Kyle as he glanced into the room, Lilior in her Fairy form sat above the aqua-marine Dungeon crystal that filled most of this kitchen while Karnage sat at the table staring at them anxiously. Kyle noticed a third individual in the room, tied up, gagged and knocked out in the corner of the room was a well-dressed Night Elf. ¡°The fuck did you¡­what the hell did¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t find the right words to express his confusion. ¡°Dunno, guy just walked right in so I knocked him out.¡± responded Soren with a shrug. Kyle blinked twice before walking into the room, sighing once more ¡°Well¡­that solves one problem.¡± he approached the unconscious Elf. ¡°I was just gonna kill the guy but¡­missy over there had something to say about that.¡± Soren grumbled. ¡°You had no particularly effective reason to!¡± Karnage barked back in annoyance. ¡°Being a pain in my ass is a particularly effective reason enough.¡± responded Soren while rolling his eyes. ¡°Cut it out, disposing of a corpse would have been more of a pain in the ass than keeping a prisoner.¡° Kyle stepped in ¡±This works out anyhow, Soren help me carry him into another room.¡± Soren grumbled through the entire process of both heaving the Elf up, who was surprisingly light. But because of the Dwarf¡¯s height would wake up with a bit of a headache as his head dragged across the floor while being carried out of the room, through the corridor and into another room.
Kenneth Velio was just your average inspector, being a junior he was only tasked to search and observe abandoned housing within the market district. Going from empty building to empty building he drowned into his routine, checking the building¡¯s state of deterioration and noting down any problems with the wildlife. That was until a mad-eyed Dwarf hit him on the head with a pan, knocking him out cold. As he regained consciousness Kenneth pondered on several questions. (¡°Why was there a Dwarf here? Why did that Dwarf throw a pan at me?¡±) Those questions were quickly replaced with others (¡°Am I tied up?...Why is it so dark?...What is in my mou-¡±) until he fully opened his eyes to find himself in a damp and unnaturally dark room. Darkness unnaturally flowed around the room¡¯s edges, walls and ceiling while the floor was entirely covered in a blue goo that clung to his feet. He whimpered as he suddenly felt the goo move up his legs and separate into several more tentacles that wrapped around his body, glancing down he saw even thicker tentacles tying him to the chair he sat on and one wrapped around his face that gagged his mouth. Panic quickly settled in as he struggled with his bindings, the slime not stretching one bit as he did until suddenly a voice creeped out from behind him. ¡°Ah finally awake, now listen carefully Elf else you may not enjoy the consequences.¡± The voice was frigid like a winter breeze, a hissing that froze Kenneth¡¯s blood. ¡°I will ask you several questions, now I already know the answer to these questions so if your answer is incorrect¡­¡± suddenly the tentacles climbing up his body spread out away from him and forming sharp icicles at their ends before turning them down at him. Kenneth nodded vigorously as his expression paled and eyes opened to their widest ever. He felt the slime gagging his mouth slowly melt away, causing him to spit it out in a panic. It strangely tasted like blueberry. ¡°Wha-what do you want?...¡± he asked, his tone terrified and voice cracking. ¡°First question¡­What is your name.¡± the voice more so stated than asked, as it did so Kenneth felt tentacles frolicking around his ears causing him to shiver. ¡°K-Kenenth Velio!¡± he quickly answered. ¡°Correct, second question. Where do you live?¡± it then asked, it¡¯s tone never changing or showing the slightest bit of emotion. ¡°East N-night district!¡± Kenneth answered once more, whimpering as the tentacles moved from his ears down to his neck. The voice chuckled coldly ¡°Correct again, third question now and this is a bit more difficult¡­Why are the courts moving without agreement from the Elders?¡± Kenneth felt the tentacles grow colder and more solid before a sharp surface began to tease his neck-skin, causing his entire body to stiffen in horror. ¡°Tick¡­tock¡­answer the question Kenneth.¡± Added the voice after he didn¡¯t answer. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know much¡­It-it¡¯s disrespectful of them!¡± he whimpered when an icy bladed tentacle suddenly rose to his left eye. ¡°That wasn¡¯t the question¡­Why are the courts acting without the Elder¡¯s consent?¡± the voice then asked again. ¡°They-They¡¯ve always argued with the Elders¡¯ ways!¡± Kenneth quickly answered, his eyes locked onto the icicle that now danced from eye to eye ¡°The main h-houses are tired of old c-customs! T-The enemy is now trying to r-recruit our allies too! The three c-courts decided to act on their own because of t-that!¡± ¡°Hhmm¡­Vaguely correct, I¡¯ll let it slide¡­This one time. Third question.¡± He was so terrified he didn¡¯t even notice the repeat of a third question ¡°Why are the Elders meeting this evening?¡± ¡°To d-discuss the court¡¯s actions!¡± Kenneth immediately answered, watching carefully as the tentacle moved away from his face and re-joined the others. ¡°Correct, fourth question.¡± The voice suddenly moved closer, as if whispering straight into his right ear ¡°Why do the Elders meet underground if they even do?¡± ¡°I¡­It¡¯s just customary?...¡± responded Kenneth before quickly adding ¡°The area is sacred! I-I hear it also allows the seventh to partake! Some s-special seat built just f-for her!¡± ¡°Ah, bonus points for that last bit. Last question before the rapidfire round¡­¡± the voice had moved to his other ear now when suddenly each of the still, bladed tentacles lunged at his face only stopping inches away from wounding him ¡°And make sure to leave nothing out¡­answer in full detail.¡± Kenneth only whimpered in response. ¡°Inside the Elders Hall...where is the shitter closest to the bottom floor?¡± Kenneth whimpered back in question and confusion. Ch 107 - Debate Infiltration Kyle sighed in exhaustion, having spent the past 20 minutes questioning the Elf who now lay unconscious but still tied up to the chair. Soren had knocked him out once more, Kyle silently questioned where he even got the pan from. Kyle had extracted all the information he required from the Night Elf, all the information someone of his standing could possibly contain that is. Making use of visual illusions, physical threatening and mind games Kyle had induced a state of constant fear upon his subject. The Elf held nothing back, answering each question at the best of his ability. Once finished Kyle made preparations to deal with the next problem, this Elf was an inspector and Kyle doubted the city wouldn¡¯t miss his absence. So taking into account several factors he came up with the best possible plan for dealing with the situation. Kyle left the man sprawled out and face-down on the corridor floor, broke a decent chunk of the ceiling and placed it behind the man as if it had fallen on his head. ¡°This will never work.¡± said Soren as he stared at the scene in utter disbelief. ¡°Ah but my dear Watson, it is not about how good the lie is but how well you present it.¡± responded Kyle in a joking manner as he took a core out of his inventory, summoned some (Illusionary slime) and created a Golem. Nothing but a mass of see-through white goo the Golem was very obviously a common slime with a strange colouring ¡°I¡¯ll name it¡­Delusionary Slime¡± said Kyle before willing the small slimy Golem to slime its way onto the Elf¡¯s back ¡°Now we hide, and watch.¡± He told Soren before stepping towards the kitchen door and pulling out a crystal which he then pressed grasped tightly. Both of them suddenly disappeared, gone invisible through Steph¡¯s crystal magic that was sealed inside the magic stone. Fearing detection Kyle even used his Spirit to activate the spell, causing the crystal to overload slightly and make the doorway¡¯s door invisible as well¡­But Kyle didn¡¯t think it¡¯d matter. Once ready, he willed the slime to start eating the Elf¡¯s hair. It¡¯s goo dissolving the material at alarming speed until it reached the clothing and quickly dissolved that too leaving a large hole on the Elf¡¯s coat before suddenly getting started on the skin. The Elf jolted awake as a burning pain like boiling water touched his back, he screamed and quickly stood up shaking the poor slime off his back as he spun around. His eyes were wide, his mouth trembling as he looked at every corner of the corridor he stood in. He glanced over the chunk of stone by his feet, and then his eyes rested solely on the white slime that slowly approached his legs. The Elf whimpered away from the slime, reached back to feel his back and then his hair to see a large chunk of both his clothing and hair were missing. He then reached up to his head, grimacing as the pain from Soren¡¯s several pan bashes hit in. ¡°What the¡­¡± the Elf mumbled as he glanced back at the chunk of stone, then glancing up at the ceiling ¡°Well that¡¯s¡­being deducted from my salary¡­¡± he sighed then looked back at the slime in slight confusion ¡°Del¡­usional slime¡­Ah¡­hahah¡­¡± he began to chuckle awkwardly. That is until the slime reached his legs and began dissolving his boots, he stepped back again and away ¡°Where in creation has this thing come from?...¡± He leaped back another few steps when the slime¡¯s surface suddenly expanded with blueish spikes that rattled around ferociously. Yelping at the sight he raised his right hand forward and muttered a quick spell ¡°F-Fireball!¡± The Elf¡¯s palm gushed out a ball of flame that burst down at the slime incinerating it, opening his eyes again to only see a scorch mark on the ground and a smoking core the Elf sighed in relief. Before clearing his throat and arranging his attire, as well as he could with a gaping hole on his back ¡°I should¡­report this in?¡± Slowly and carefully the Elf stepped around the core and quickly dashed under the broken ceiling, slowing down right after to glance around anxiously as he reached the door. Opening said door he quickly left the building, locking the door behind him. Kyle dropped the invisibility spell ¡°Huh that actually worked.¡± Soren stared up at him in disbelief ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Well not entirely, we have more time than if we kept him here but less time than if he never came. I suspect guards to be sent to scout this place, if not the entire block.¡± Kyle sighed as he glanced at Lilior above her core within the kitchen ¡°And there¡¯s no hiding that from a full search.¡± ¡°What will we do then?¡± asked Karnage who hadn¡¯t left Lilior¡¯s side. ¡°We¡¯ll have to go undercover.¡± responded Kyle with a smirk. ¡°Ain¡¯t the twig get-up just that?¡± asked Soren. ¡°I mean literally.¡± said Kyle before he turned to the Fairy ¡°Lilior you¡¯ve taken over this entire room correct?¡± Lilior nodded ¡°Yes master.¡± ¡°Good, can you remember it¡¯s exact shape and look?¡± he then asked. ¡°Yes?...¡± she then responded, tilting her head in confusion. ¡°Then I want you to dig down until you find the sewage system, don¡¯t touch it but make us a room somewhere around it. Once you¡¯re done with that and we¡¯ve followed in, fill in the hole in this room while making sure the structure isn¡¯t about to fall apart. Lastly pull back your corruption from everything but the created room, understand?¡± Kyle explained his plan. ¡°Yes master¡­but¡­won¡¯t the Elves detect my creation magic?¡± Lilior pointed out. ¡°I¡¯ll be feeding you my Spirit to use for your spells, that should leave your actions undetectable.¡± Added Kyle as he approached the core ¡°With all the anxiety and distress going about this city, I have plenty.¡± He placed his palms over the aquamarine crystal surface and closed his eyes, beginning to flow his Spirit into the Dungeon core and causing its colour to turn bluer. ¡°I¡¯ll get started then master.¡± acknowledged Lilior as she fairy lied down over the crystal core¡¯s flat top, seemingly asleep when suddenly the ground below them began to dissipate into mana. Yet they remained afloat, hovering in place with the core. Soren watched quietly but Karnage spoke as she watched ¡°So what did you get out of that Elf?¡± she asked. Kyle began to explain what information he had acquired alongside what he already knew ¡°I was able to confirm the meeting location and nearest entrance, fortunately the bottom floor has no toilets but the decorative water in the room has a self-replenishing system connected to the sewers. I¡¯ll just have to figure out how to get there.¡± He sighed in relief at that, he didn¡¯t look forward to oozing out of a shitter. ¡°I¡¯ve also figured out the Empire¡¯s hierarchy. There is four main leading powers in the country as we all knew but it¡¯s a bit more complex than that. There is as we know the three Elven Courts of Forest, Night and Tundra but each of these works differently.¡± Kyle continued on to explain as Lilior dug out the downward tunnel. ¡°The Forest Court is a Democracy, made up of each of the 23 Wood Elf families, each one¡¯s chieftan having a say. The Night Court on the other hand is a clan system with three clans lead by the three main families who each look after several more lower class houses. And lastly the Tundra Court is a Monarchy, with the main royal family leading the rest of the Tundra Elven houses-¡± he was stopped after explaining that much. ¡°How the fuck are we supposed to reason with EACH of those?!¡± exclaimed Soren in disbelief. ¡°We don¡¯t need to.¡± answered Kyle, glancing up to see their confused expressions before continuing ¡°I was about to get to it, so listen. The last power is the Elders Hall, or as it is more commonly known here as the Elders Court. These are powerful individuals not through militarized strength like the three racial courts but in influence and singular power. The Elders are the most respected and loved individuals of the Empire, old leaders, ex heroes, retired monarchs and more.¡± Kyle closed his eyes again to return into focus, sensing the mass amount of Spirit he was producing causing his body to ache ¡°The Three Courts of Night, Forest and Tundra control the Empire¡¯s military, navy and Dragon riders but! The Elders control the Dragons themselves as one of the Elders is a Dragon herself, to be more precise she is the leader of Dragon-kind on Chaoz!¡± he exclaimed excitedly. ¡°Now there are seven Elders in total, the seventh being the Dragon leader while the other six each being an Elf of some heroic, royal or ex-military standing. Each Elder also has a great power under their control, not exactly a military due to how small a group they lead but a very powerful one anyway.¡± Kyle continued to explain, his tone turning more serious ¡°Each of these six Elders controls what the Elves call a Champion¡¯s Order, each Order contains about three of these individuals called Champions who in the last quest were imbued with Durga¡¯s power after the quest¡¯s success.¡± ¡°Wait so¡­six times three that¡¯s¡­Eighteen OP as fuck warriors?...¡± Soren asked, sighing in exasperation. ¡°They aren¡¯t just powerful but veterans of war too.¡± added Kyle ¡°These are the individuals who brought down the Human Esfeltian Dominion, eradicated the Beastmen clans and practically brought the entire Empire to power.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t the Elders Court just force the other three to obey then?¡± Karnage asked dejectedly. ¡°Because these are still their own people.¡± replied Kyle ¡°Heroes don¡¯t turn against what they fought for, if the Elders ordered them to I doubt any of them would listen without the perfect reasoning. Hell even then they probably wouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Master I¡¯ve finished, the sewage tunnels are directly below us.¡± reported Lilior and Kyle stopped flowing his Spirit into the core, opening his eyes he found himself in a circular room that tunnelled upward like a funnel to a hole half its floor¡¯s size. The hole being about thirty meters up from the ground and the slanted walls being fifteen feet apart with the core hovering down to the floor in the very centre. Kyle stepped away from the core once they touched down and looked up to see Soren and Karnage peeking down through the hole ¡°Jump down.¡± he told them. Soren only shrugged as he heaved his battleaxe and stepped over the edge, panic flared over Lilior¡¯s expression as she raised her arms forth summoning a gush of slime that enveloped the Dwarf before he landed ¡°Master we are directly above the sewers!¡± she then exclaimed. Both him and Soren glanced at the floor and in unison said ¡°Oh.¡± As Lilior gently placed the Dwarf down, then dissipating her slime. ¡°Well, I owe the midget one.¡± mumbled Soren once he reached the floor. ¡°Karnage come down, gently!¡± Kyle exclaimed up at Karnage. ¡°The Dwarf called me a midget¡­¡± mumbled out Lilior in disbelief, she suddenly grew to her normal Fae form and began glaring at Soren coldly. ¡°Okay¡­¡± said Karnage as she leaned over the edge and chanted ¡°Wind¡¯s dance¡­¡± a greenish breeze suddenly formed around her legs as she stepped off into the hole, gently flowing down to the ground.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Kyle turned back to Lilior, surprised to finding her in her Fae form as she obviously preferred her Fairy form ¡°Lilior now close back the hole, to the point that the above structure¡¯s stability isn¡¯t problematic. Also open some ventilation, tunnel out small and hide the exits to nearby tree roots. We need to be able to breath after all.¡± ¡°Yes master¡­¡± responded Lilior in annoyance as she glanced away from glaring at Soren, closing her eyes she focused and suddenly the hole above them began to fill in with stone while several small holes formed on the walls. ¡°Done, should I abandon my claim now?¡± she then asked after completing those tasks. ¡°Yeah but not this room, reinforce the stone and use the remaining Spirit you have to create a barrier-like veil to mask our mana like we did with the kitchen and my body.¡± Kyle told her as he kneeled down on the floor and began knocking away at the ground ¡°How thick is the floor?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve reinforced it but it¡¯s only five centimetres stone thick, I¡¯ll created a hole into the sewers¡­I¡¯m done now master.¡± She responded while rising from her crystal and morphing back to her Fairy form, hovering over to rest in between Kyle¡¯s ears. ¡°Good job, take a break for now.¡± He told her with a light pat on the head causing the fairy to smile as she snuggled in to his right ear. ¡°So exactly how are we going through the sewers?¡± asked Soren as each of them gathered around the small hole, no thicker than an arm ¡°The piping might be too thin, are we gonna dig?¡± ¡°No, you two will stay here and watch. I¡¯ll be sliding my way through as a Slime.¡± Kyle explained as he moved to sit crossed legged beside the hole. ¡°You.¡± Began Karnage as she kneeled down next to him ¡°Are not going in there alone!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± said Kyle calmly ¡°Not the actual me anyway, I¡¯m about to try something I¡¯ve never tried before. So¡­let me focus.¡± Karnage and Soren glanced at each other as Kyle put his hands together and closed his eyes, they both stepped back and watched as a blueish, almost entirely see-through slime tentacled out of his back. The slime formed into a single thin tentacle who¡¯s end angled off to Kyle¡¯s left, where the end suddenly began to thicken and expand. The slime formed a humanoid shape, slowly gaining more specific appearance traits until finally¡­Kyle stood before them, tails, ears and all. With a cord growing out of his back, connecting to the Kyle that lay sitting cross-legged on the floor. Soren and Karnage stared at the second Kyle in awe, as he opened his eyes and spoke ¡°I¡¯ve merged several skills to come up with something entirely new. Using [{Ooze}] I created a body of (Spirit) slime, using [Shapeshift] and [{True Slime}]¡¯s subskill [Body Shift] I copied my own body¡¯s traits perfectly onto the expanded body and using [{Be One With Slime}] in tandem with [{True Slime}]¡¯s other subskill [Is Slime] I can transfer my consciousness, senses and all to this new body without putting my soul or core in danger.¡± He then gestured at the single tentacle connecting this new body to his actual one ¡°The only problem is this cord, which is a severe weakness in this skill.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing and all but¡­why not just use a Golem?¡± Karnage then asked. Kyle sighed ¡°Golems I create have a 21 meter radius, I can¡¯t control them any further than that. This way I can move away from my actual body for as far as my mana can keep up with [{Ooze}].¡± ¡°Oh, that makes sense.¡± Soren agreed as he glanced between the two Kyles ¡°It is still creepy as fuck. What you calling this one?¡± Kyle thought it over briefly...¡±Doppelganger.¡± he then announced and a notification appeared into view.
Through a feat of ingenuity you have created the active skill [{Doppelganger}]!
¡°Which the system accepted!¡± exclaimed Kyle before sharing the skill¡¯s description with them both.
[{Doppelganger}] (Set Skill Stats): Create a slime copy of yourself, connected to your true body with a cord of slime. This body is as real as your own, yet not. You may see, feel, hear, smell and speak. You may cast magic and have your passive¡¯s benefits but your physicality is that of a slime and not comparable to your actual body. Mana cost: 1700 mana / 650 Spirit
¡°By the way, why the cord?¡± Soren then asked. ¡°Ah¡­that¡¯s my magic¡¯s main weakness.¡± responded Kyle with a sigh ¡°My slime begins to quickly dissipate after not being in direct contact with me for a couple minutes. Also, I cannot control it unless it is still in direct contact with me. What I can do like my [Slime Cannon]¡¯s ammo is give the slime a reaction to an event through the skill creation, basically I just think what happens if something happens and the system accepts that.¡± He quickly explained. ¡°Ugh¡­complicated.¡± grumbled Soren as he raised his battle-axe ahead of himself ¡°Bash, slash and ram. Why can¡¯t everything be that simple?¡± Karnage chuckled ¡°Then we¡¯d still be stuck in medieval times with no medicine, ease-of-life items and constantly at w¡­you get my point.¡± ¡°Bleh, I¡¯m too lazy for that crap. Leave that complex shit to others, rather be the muscle.¡± grumbled back Soren. ¡°You¡¯re skinnier than a skeleton, what muscle?¡± joked Kyle. ¡°Fuck off into the shit-water slime-boy, we¡¯re against the clock.¡± retorted Soren. Kyle saluted ¡°Slime-boy out.¡± And his body suddenly collapsed into blue sludge that flowed down the hole.
Elders Hall Elders Court Council 1 hour later Like an island the room¡¯s floor was surrounded with a pool of deep water, the ground itself shaped in a crescent moon. Around the very edge of the room was a path that took all around, only connecting to the island with a bridge from the room¡¯s only entrance. The walls were entirely covered in vines and leaves forming the Empire¡¯s insignia on each wall, a Dragon spreading its wings. The ground was tall green grass cut at perfect height, only stopping at the bridge¡¯s wooden flooring. The ceiling¡¯s edge was vines and roots surrounding a large green crystal that shone down a dim green light onto the room. Coming down from the ceiling were tree-like pillars that lined the island while lining the centre of it were six thrones, each carved out of a blue stone seemingly like marble. Carved into the thrones was the design of vines, leaves and less so, trees. Like magic imbued runes the carvings glowed green, a fluffy light that seemed to flow through the design. Before the six thrones, at the inward curve of the crescent island was a seventh much larger throne half submerged below the water. In total the room was massive, large enough to be called an actual hall. As the minutes passed several groups of individuals made their way through the only entrance, in groups of four, six groups made their way inside. From each group the lead Elf would break off from the other three and move on to a specific throne while the other three lined up on the path at the hall¡¯s sides. Each of the three from each group wore sets of full white plate armour with black trimming design similar to the thrones. Yet each wielded a different weapon, from a sword to a halberd and even a glaive each Champion wielded something different. The Elders themselves, unlike the Champions, each dressed completely differently from the others. On the first throne sat a tired grizzled Wood Elf with long greying brown hair and goatee, his eyes a deep blue and features sharp. He wore a shimmering blue robe of cloth tied up with golden silky straps and a blue beret lined with a golden chain. Almost at attention over the second throne sat a muscular Night Elf with short black hair and solemn crimson eyes, his appearance bulky for an Elf. He wore a full suit of black plate armour lined with silver at the edges and a violet crow insignia fired to the chest. A chain and sickle of similar colouring lay strapped to his waist. Casually leaning into the third throne was a young Tundra Elf, her age seemingly no older than a human teen yet her violet and silver differently coloured eyes shone with great power. Her short pale golden hair ever-flowing like a flame. She wore a simple black one-piece dress that reached her knees, giving her the appearance of a pale doll. Impatiently waiting on the fourth throne was a lanky Night Elf with long silver hair and green eyes, his crimson red armour the very meaning of cosmetic as it lay lined with expensive violet jewels and expanding with shoulder-pads, neck guard, elbow guards and pointy boots that did not look very comfortable. Half asleep sitting on the fifth throne was a very old Wood Elf, barely a hair on his head but a full long white-grey beard reaching his feet. His eyes seemed to be mulitcolored but in a different way than the childish one, constantly changing like a seizure inducing effect. He wore old, slightly tattered brown cloth robes that at first sight he¡¯d seem more like a beggar than one of the most important individuals of a grand empire. Gracefully and patiently waiting over the sixth throne was a beautiful female Wood Elf with long light brown hair and golden-yellow eyes. She wore full light green leather armour with light brown hard-leather plates, strapped over her back was a common longbow while strapped to either side of her curvy waist were two full quivers made of green dyed hard-leather. ¡°How long will she keep us waiting?...¡± impatiently asked the bejewelled Night Elf. The beggar chuckled weakly ¡°Drakons wait for no one but will keep anyone waiting.¡± The childish Elf laughed hysterically ¡°Just for you Eikel! Just for you!¡± she then exclaimed with a wide grin. ¡°Humour aside, we have too many sensitive things to discuss.¡± Grumbled the Night Elf warrior. ¡°You all already know my say in such matters.¡± said the grizzled Wood Elf with a prolonged dramatic sigh ¡°Let Dragons be Dragons, alas they might eat us all.¡± ¡°She¡¯s here.¡± Pointed out the ranger Wood Elf, her keen eyes watching the water¡¯s surface as it suddenly split open making way for the massive creature that ascended its depths. Rising from the water and slithering onto the large throne was a thick serpentine creature with a white crystal-like spikey scaled body that shimmered with the room¡¯s green light. The being¡¯s long pointy snout was similar to a blade¡¯s tip but made of reflective crystalline rock, its serpentine eyes a bright shining gold. The creature had little that resembled a Drake, nothing that resembled a Wyvern but a Wyrm only in shape. It¡¯s massive serpentine body floated out of the water revealing to be encircling the island two times over. Several feet below its head were three sets of long arms ending in crystal clawed hands. Over its back below the head and several more times around its body were a total of nine sets of closed crystalline-scaled wings with a golden leather netting. Each Elder stood up from their throne and bowed their head down respectfully ¡°Welcome Dragon Mother, Queen Luna Draconae.¡± Each spoke out in unison. Luna glanced around at each Elder, without moving her jaw she spoke each one¡¯s name and a greeting ¡°As I welcome you all too.¡± her honey sweet voice rebounding throughout the room ¡°Elder Isaac, Elder Jeilen, Elder Io¡­¡± her eyes focused seemingly in annoyance as she spoke the fourth name ¡°Elder Eikel, Elder Jaik¡¯ial and albeit only seeing you last moon, Elder Fion¡¯e.¡± Each Elder bowed a few inches lower once their name was spoken, sitting back down right after. ¡°Now I understand we are short on time, so let us discuss¡­.¡± continued on Luna once each Elder had sat down ¡°What shall be the fate of our world?¡± Io chuckled maniacally ¡°Those fools dare act without even informing us! If it were solely up to me they¡¯d all go through the rack!¡± ¡°Elder Io, we cannot simply go through each upstart royal and torture them into submission.¡± Argued Isaac, dramatically waving her comment off. ¡°Something must be done.¡± Stepped in Fion¡¯e ¡°The Dragons were already sent to stop the navy¡¯s advance but they are ignoring the warnings. If we do not act, stop them or join them¡­the people will be severed into conflict.¡± Eikel hummed in thought as he spoke ¡°Indeed, I must agree. Doing nothing will waver the citizen¡¯s beliefs. If we join them we massacre millions to gain more Champions and temporary Godly aid against the otherworldly threat the Fae discovered. If we stand in their way, we are faced with a civil war.¡± ¡°It is much more than that Eikel.¡± now spoke Jeilen gruffly ¡°I fear what would happen if the three familia Courts gain Champions of their own! It would send our Empire¡¯s entire hierarchy into chaos!¡± Fion¡¯e snorted in amusement ¡°More likely they are looking to overthrow our positions.¡± she added grimly, causing a brief silence to fall upon the hall. Which Luna then broke ¡°It seems quite obvious to me what options lay before us. Join the Crusade and go forward with the Night, Forest and Tundra Court¡¯s plans. Deal with whatever struggles come after and then prepare for the otherworldly threat that is to come¡­Or¡­Enforce our word as law, punish those who stepped over the line and make examples of them. But doing so would then mean joining this¡­diverse¡­Chaoz Alliance.¡± ¡°So we vote!¡± announced Io. Luna nodded ¡°Who is for the Crusade¡­speak now. For I say yes. Dividing our people would be disastrous, but less so if the Elders weren¡¯t the ones to take the initiative. Let those children play their games of war, we are ready and waiting.¡± Eikel grimaced as he nodded ¡°For once we agree.¡± His statement causing Io to gasp in overly dramatic shock ¡°Let them make the mistake of starting the infighting for power, the people will stand with us.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Io leaned into her chair as she huffed in annoyance ¡°And I am against! Those fools dare insult us! I say we teach the children a lesson that is not to be forgotten!¡± her voice turning fierce as it was imbued with thick mana. Jaik¡¯ial chuckled weakly, speaking for the first time since greeting the Dragon Queen with the rest of the Elders ¡°I am also against, it is foolish to believe we know what threat we shall face in the days to come. Put the children in their place, let us join this¡­Alliance¡­for the time being and as a singular force protect our world. Diplomacy can come before and after the battle.¡± ¡°Fascinating votes we have today.¡± quickly mused Isaac before speaking again ¡°We can afford to lose some face with the families, I am in agreement with Elders Io and Jaik¡¯ial.¡± Jeilen sighed as he glanced at his fellow Elders ¡°A difficult choice this one is¡­I-¡± But the warrior was suddenly cut off as a chilling aura filled the entire hall, each Champion disappeared from where they stood only to reappear wielding their weapons and surrounding their respective Elder. ¡°Please forgive my intrusion.¡± Spoke a beastly, cold voice from the farthest tree trunk-pillar as a blue slime began to take shape ahead of it, having left a path of slime all the way up to the ceiling with its completely silent descent ¡°But¡­I may have a third option to present you with.¡± offered the white-haired, silver eyed Foxling after finishing taking its full form. Ch 108 - Negotiation ¡°How?! How did you enter this place!¡± Demanded Luna with a powerful growl. ¡°A third option?¡± mused Io with a wide grin, amused by his presence. ¡°Pardon my uninvited presence Dragon Queen but nowhere is impenetrable, less so to my guild.¡± calmly responded Kyle as the Dragon¡¯s golden eyes rested upon him, he turned to the other Elders ¡°Allow me to introduce myself, as I already know each of your names.¡± Raising his right arm to his chest Kyle bowed respectfully and dramatically ¡±I am the last Chosen of Frost and Void, Dark Hero of this era¡¯s Grand Quest, Holder of the Frostfire as Spirit Beast of Kori and more importantly¡­¡± he rose to face them again ¡°A member of the Blood Pack Mercenary guild.¡± Each Elder reacted with surprise, or in Io¡¯s case glee but one of the Champions reacted much more hastily ¡°Kitsune!¡± the longsword wielding Champion hissed angrily as suddenly an aura of red lightning surged around him before he himself surged forward. Kyle only smirked as he expected the reaction, the Champion slashing empty space as Kyle re-appeared behind him having surged into his surge ¡°Incorrect¡­Champion. I am much much worse.¡± Corrected Kyle as Spirit burst out of his back forming a large claw that grasped the Champion holding him in place. Kyle glanced back at him ¡°I am a Yako.¡± The Champion¡¯s eyes visible widened through his helmet¡¯s visor, the lightning surging through him suddenly bursting through Kyle¡¯s created Spirit and with unfollowable speed he spun around and slashed his sword beheading Kyle. Yet Kyle remained standing, his head still attached. Causing the Champion to pale slightly ¡°An apparition!?¡± he exclaimed in annoyance. ¡°Hold Telsol, let the man speak!¡± exclaimed Isaac with a commanding tone and an amused smile. Kyle bowed again ¡°Thank you, Elder.¡± Telsol the Champion only grunted in response, straightening himself but not leaving Kyle¡¯s side or sheathed his blade. ¡°Tell me, Yako. You call yourself one of Kori, yet how is that possible?¡± Isaac asked, disbelief in his tone. ¡°I am a survivor, my family banished to the mana-less realm then Chosen.¡± Kyle quickly explained as he rose back (¡°Although none of that matters¡­¡±) he thought in amusement at how easily they fell interested in his existence. ¡°And?¡± suddenly exclaimed Eikel ¡°Are you here to warn us of your quest for vengeance? Is this why you come to us yet not?¡± ¡°Oh no, I care not for what happened in the past. This is simply¡­¡± Kyle glanced back at Telsol ¡°A precaution.¡± before turning back to the Elders ¡°As I first said, I come with a proposal. One you might find quite to your liking.¡± Io suddenly appeared floating before Kyle, her eyes wide with excitement as she looked him over ¡°How rare!¡± she exclaimed with a wide grin causing Kyle to shudder in surprise ¡°Well? What is this proposal then?!¡± she quickly asked, suddenly pulling on his left tail¡¯s hair curiously as she floated around him. Kyle glanced over at the three Champions that had been with her, he noticed that unlike the others they had sheathed and strapped back their weapons. One only shrugging at her behaviour, seemingly used to it by now. He cleared his throat ¡°I come with a business proposal, from my guild. You have a problem, we have the solution.¡± ¡°The Blood Pack? Mercenaries I have not heard of, why should we trust you?¡± Fion¡¯e asked, rolling her eyes as Io began poking Kyle¡¯s right ear. ¡°Trust us?...¡± he chuckled briefly ¡°No, no. There will be no trust involved, as for you not hearing of us¡­Well that should speak volumes in of itself. The offer I come with is not one of equal gain¡­More of a Devil¡¯s deal. A contract.¡± ¡°And what I ask, would this contract pertain?¡± Asked Luna, her draconic eyes never once moving from Kyle, never once blinking. Kyle turned to the Dragon ¡°Simple, you stop the Court navy¡¯s advance on Barik not only with Dragons but also your Champions and while you turn a blind eye to our movements¡­we deal with the other three Courts.¡± ¡°Declined.¡± Suddenly replied another Champion, female and wielding a pole-hammer ¡°We do not kill our own.¡± she announced harshly. ¡°Oh no harm needs to be done, well¡­nothing permanent.¡± Kyle quickly added. Telsol snorted behind Kyle ¡°Stop the three Courts navy? Without bloodshed? You do not know what you speak of!¡± he exclaimed, raising his sword towards Kyle. ¡°A Dungeon.¡± Kyle then stated, pausing briefly before continuing ¡°You use a Dungeon so no lives are lost.¡± ¡°And weaken our country¡¯s defences?!¡± exclaimed Jeilen, the bulky warrior slamming his fist down onto his armrest ¡°We know what you are Yako, we shall not fall for your tricks!¡± ¡°Then what if we lent you a Dungeon?¡± Kyle then offered, causing each Elder to look at him in disbelief ¡°It is young, unable to communicate but I¡¯m sure you know how to operate such one anyhow?¡± (¡°Lilior can create two cores by now¡­But no point telling them it¡¯s created and not limited.¡±) ¡°Chosen¡­You are of the alliance are you not?¡± Luna asked, breaking the silence. ¡°That my guild is.¡± Kyle acknowledged. ¡°Then why offer us such a powerful relic? Young Dungeons¡­they are rarer than True Dungeons! Soulless and easy to control!¡± Luna exclaimed in disbelief. Kyle now knew it was his chance to fully sell it ¡°Because we are as desperate as you. The coming storm will be nothing like this world has ever faced. The being at its lead, was a powerful Lich. Chaoz needs the Empire as much as the Empire needs Chaoz.¡± Each Elder¡¯s expression froze, each Champion clenched their weapons when suddenly Io¡¯s face appeared mere inches away from Kyle¡¯s, her eyes wide and expression cold and distant as she asked ¡°What¡­did you just say?¡± Kyle was very aware of the Empire''s hatred for necromancy, yet he didn''t know why. ¡°The being who formed the enemy that is to come, the previous Chosen of the Scythe. He is a powerful Lich, a mage of Undeath and Necromancy.¡± Kyle fully explained, taking in Io¡¯s rising rage briefly before continuing ¡°My fellow guild member and Chosen, the Hero of the Dagger has already defeated the Lich at the cost of his own life. Yet the Lich¡¯s allies still live, they still come.¡± Io hovered down to the ground, standing before Kyle while emptily staring up at him ¡°The Lich¡­is already gone?¡± she asked, her voice echoing out with power. Kyle only nodded in response, a chill going through his spine as he sensed the full brunt of her hatred. So much hatred that his (Chilled Aura) had risen to 9 points out of 10 solely off of it. Io sighed in relief ¡°That is good. Undead shouldn¡¯t exist.¡± Yet her eyes remained empty, her expression distant and her voice distorted with mana ¡°Tell me Fox¡­¡± her eyes fully focused on his own as she asked ¡°You creature of chaos and temptation, why would you stand with those of balance and against the vile creatures that is to come?¡± Kyle considered her question briefly, sighing out a cold breath as he felt his own hatred surge ¡°Because one of those vile creatures¡­I swore to make its existence come to a miserable end.¡± His eyes shone blue with Spirit, his body oozing more out, misty blue and frigidly cold as even Frostfire frolicked around him. Io¡¯s eyes focused as she glimpsed the hatred in his, suddenly she turned to face the other Elders. Her demeaner completely changed, her expression solemn and tone serious ¡°I take back my vote and offer a third to the council. I accept the aid of these¡­Mercenaries.¡± Eikel eyed Kyle suspiciously ¡°You offer us quite the deal, Chosen¡­.Your titles alone give me much to weigh you with but¡­¡± he raised his left brow questioningly ¡°You and your guild, alone against the Three Courts and their personal guard. Elders they might not be, Champions they might not have but¡­I seriously doubt your capability to face them.¡± Kyle¡¯s eyes remained filled with the previous hatred as he turned to meet Eikel¡¯s eyes who suddenly paled ¡°Then I believe a demonstration is in order.¡± Kyle slowly raised both arms ahead of himself as the entire floor¡­the entire island turned to slime, the grass, the dirt, the pillars¡­All but the thrones which he could not replicate. This was all (Spirit) slime, which had the ability to change colour depending on the spirit it absorbed. Kyle was a Spirit Beast, able to create any type of Spirit. He had simply drained every drop of his Mana and Spirit bars, devoured the entire island before anybody had even entered the room then used the Mana he gained from that to create even more slime. He then condensed the slime at different stages, created the feel of soft brown earth below, the light and thin form of green grass that swayed with the slightest breath, the tough and bulky bark of a tree¡¯s trunk.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. For the first time Kyle hadn¡¯t just created a skill or a spell, he had created and named a brand-new slime variation which the system had accepted.
[{Ooze}] Type evolution! (Spirit) type has evolved gaining a brand-new (Variation)!
Slime type: (Spirit) (Spirit) Effect: The slime changes colour depending on the most prevalent type of Spirit surrounding it and is capable of storing that Spirit. Slime type: ({Mimic}) variation of (Spirit) [{Imitate}]; From water to stone, this slime can take most shapes, colours and densities other than gasses or metals.
Making use of [Shapeshift] and the (Spirit) slime type while trying to figure out where to hide within this massively open hall, he had a thought of replacing one of the tree pillars and hiding within it until suddenly he had created the ({Mimic}) variation and then it struck him¡­Why not replace the entire island? And Kyle did, much to the surprise and horror of everybody else present within the room ¡°You will find I am quite capable of much more.¡± Jaik¡¯ial who had been quiet the entire time suddenly rose from his throne and crouched down inspecting the ground ¡°Slime!¡± the old Elf exclaimed excitedly ¡°Haha! This is all Slime!¡± ¡°Yes yes! We get your point! Give me my floor back now!¡± Eikel was standing on his throne now and staring down at the slimy ground in utter disgust. Kyle¡¯s face suddenly blanked out ¡°Ah¡­you might need a new floor¡­¡± he willed all the slime to move out of the way and form at the edges of the island leaving behind a flat stone floor as he had devoured all the grass and dirt ¡°And trees¡­¡± he also pointed out the now missing pillars. Eikel sighed in exasperation as he quickly sat back down onto his throne, glaring at Kyle now as he considered how to respond. But Fion¡¯e did so before he could ¡°The Mercenary has proven himself resourceful, if you can truly provide us with a young Dungeon core. I stand with Io.¡± Jaik¡¯ial laughed weakly as he stood up from the floor ¡°I am in agreement! We should hire this guild!¡± Isaac cleared his throat before facing Kyle ¡°I am a man of business young Hero, your proposal comes off as¡­a bit forced but I appreciate the gains that would be obtained. Yet for your proposal to truly succeed¡­I still have two concerns.¡± ¡°Speak your mind, Elder Isaac.¡± Offered Kyle, his hatred completely gone from his eyes as calm settled back. Isaac gestured at the Champions around him ¡°The first¡­if we did have a Dungeon core to resurrect fallen soldiers through. Would the six Orders then assist the Dragon Order in stopping the three Courts navy?¡± Silence settled through the hall as the eighteen Champions briefly glanced at each other, until all looked at one of their own. The Champion who was Io¡¯s aid, the one who only casually shrugged at her previous demeanour. The Elf was male by his armour¡¯s shape and strapped to his back was a simple Bo staff. He seemed nothing special at first sight, not the tallest or the bulkiest. Isaac also stared at the Champion with curious eyes ¡°Nix? What do you believe, you were the First Order¡¯s commander of Champions after all? Broken into groups of three they may be, each one follows you.¡± Nix sighed as he removed his helmet ¡°Would we harm our own? Would we fight those who swore to protect our people? Our homes? Our families? Even if they won¡¯t truly die?¡± revealing not just any common Elf. Nix was humanoid and average height for an Elf, even his long pointy ears were the same but¡­His skin was covered in patches of spikey white crystalline-scales, his eyes glowed a fierce gold and his hair was a crystalline white. Kyle immediately inspected the man, surprised and slightly terrified by what he found.
{Dragon} Nix Luna [{Dragon Mage}] ({Draconic Elf}) ({Champion of Durga}) Level 307
Nix stepped forth towards Luna, kneeling down before her ¡°They put our people in danger, they break their oaths and blindly turn their backs on home.¡± He looked up at the Dragon Elder ¡°I would lead the charge.¡± his voice turning almost monster-like, beastly deep. Luna growled down at her child ¡°Your opinion is noted.¡± She then turned to look back at Kyle ¡°Yet this still seems too good to be true. Isaac, what would be your second concern?¡± she asked without looking away. ¡°Well if the Order does as it is told then¡­All I would ask of is who will be blamed?¡± Isaac exclaimed dramatically ¡°Who do we blame for the murders of Royalty? Chieftains and clan leaders?¡± Jeilen nodded in agreement ¡°True nothing would change if the deaths fall on us Elders. The population will be torn in half. We are still left with the same question, risk the children¡¯s thirst for power or risk civil war.¡± ¡°Oh not at all.¡± stepped in Kyle ¡°We of course would take full credit.¡± He casually stated. Eikel snorted ¡°That would only cause further problems in your strategy, instead of the Courts starting the war with the Dezol it would be the alliance starting the war with us!¡± ¡°That is why I solely will be taking the credit, not the alliance, not my guild or the Chosen¡­But as the last surviving Spirit Beast of the legacy of Kori.¡± Kyle explained dismissing the issue ¡°Who you will later slay.¡± ¡°You would sacrifice yourself?¡± asked Luna in disbelief. ¡°Sacrifice? No it will only seem that way. Let me ask you all, can you tell just what this body I amspeaking to you through even is?¡± Kyle asked gesturing at himself, silence fell as the Elders looked him over unable to determine an answer ¡°No, no you cannot. So would the general populace? No, no they wouldn¡¯t. It wouldn¡¯t be difficult to fake my execution, I¡¯m sure.¡± Isaac suddenly bellowed with laughter ¡°A survivor of the Beasts! Hell bent on vengeance it waits for when we are at our weakest and strikes each Court! Yet unable to face off with our Champions! A beautiful tale!¡± he wiped a tear off his eye and stared at Kyle with a wide grin ¡°You¡¯ve thought this through, haven¡¯t you?¡± Kyle only bowed respectfully, awaiting further response. ¡°Hah! So be it then! When the apple falls into the basket why question it!? Elders Io, Fion¡¯e, Jaik¡¯ial and I vote for hiring these mercenaries! That is a majority vote for us Elven Elders. Elder Luna, what do you say?¡± The Dragon grumbled under its breath, briefly staring down at Kyle before responding ¡°I shall not object. My children are ready.¡± Isaac nodded before turning to Jeilen ¡°How about you Elder Jeilen? How do you stand?¡± ¡°I stand for, putting the vote over majority.¡± Solemnly responded Jeilen. Isaac was about to turn to Eikel but the Elder spoke first ¡°And I object!¡± slamming both fists down onto his armrests ¡°This scoundrel dares infiltrate and vandalize our hall! His allies resorting to killing a Hero, Chosen of our patron! He even insults our Goddess!¡± Eikel rose from his throne, glaring at Kyle ¡°Indeed I know who you and your guild are! I know what you do, liars and conmen the lot of you!¡± Each Elder and Champion glanced from Eikel to Kyle, the Elder glaring victoriously at the still bowing mercenary when¡­it began as a muffled held back laugh but slowly moved on to a chuckle and then a maniacal cackle as Kyle straightened himself, his eyes wide alongside his wicked smile. Kyle clapped his hands a few times ¡°Thank you, Elder Eikel!¡± he announced with an amused tone. Eikel¡¯s eyes briefly widened before he quickly regained his composure, taking a step back as he asked ¡°W-Whatever do you mean?!¡± Kyle chuckled some more ¡°My guild¡¯s assassination of the Hero of Light, Zeeke. My meeting with your patron Goddess, Durga. Do any of you other Elders know of these two events?¡± Eikel paled as the Elders glanced at each other, ¡°It seems not.¡± responded Isaac with curiosity and a raised brow. Kyle¡¯s smile widened ¡°So only Elder Eikel knows of these two happenings, Elder tell me¡­you are the newest to the Hall of Elders aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Elder Eikel has joined our Court four decades before, after the untimely death of Elder Ao at the hand of a necrotic abomination.¡± stated Luna, her interest on the conversation increasing tenfold. Kyle noticed Io¡¯s worsening emotional state (¡°So¡­that¡¯s what happened¡­Scythe you bastard.¡±) Kyle¡¯s eyes focused on Eikel, his amusement entirely gone and replaced with a cold hatred ¡°I may be unable to fully prove what I am about to divulge, I shall leave it to this court to decide. Elder Eikel, 40 years ago you joined the Elders Court, after the death of a current member at the time to a creature of Dread. Now you not only know and have stated to know one but two events which the three Courts of Night, Forest and Tundra haven¡¯t divulged to the Elders¡­¡± Unmoving his cold glare from the ever paling Eikel, Kyle continued after a brief pause ¡°Tell me, isn¡¯t this Court supposed to act and decide albeit your patron Goddess¡¯s wishes?¡± ¡°That it is.¡± Suddenly spoke Io, who¡¯s cold glare similarly to Kyle landed solely on Eikel. The seemingly young Elder putting two and two together. ¡°So, let me present you with this theory.¡± Kyle continued ¡°Elder Eikel Noel, brother to the Noel Night Elf Chieftain. 40 years ago during the Dezol war, the Hero Scythe was summoned to Chaoz. The Lich who¡¯s allies now threaten reality¡­The Lich who I believe assassinated Elder Ao¡­The Lich who planted you, who has ties with the Night Court¡­Into the Hall of Elders.¡± Eikel would of laughed and denied the charges, yet Io¡¯s hand grasping his throat prevented him from speaking at all ¡°Yoouuu!¡± exclaimed Io surprising everyone by her outburst as she dashed at Eikel and blinked out of existence alongside him only to reappear at the western wall where she slammed him into the vines, roots and even stone creating a large crater. She held him there, glaring down into his terrified eyes as she choked the life out of him. Everyone, even Kyle watched in bafflement as Io pulled Eikel back and re-slammed him into the wall, time and time again until the Elder had passed out from the constant concussions. Until Nix, surged to her side and grabbed her arm ¡°Elder, he¡¯s had enough.¡± Io looked up at him, her eyes surging with white light ¡°Ao¡­Ao¡­¡± she repeated. ¡°Your brother has been avenged, if what the Yako says is true. The Lich is gone.¡± Nix reassured her ¡°Now let him go, killing him will prove nothing.¡± Shakily Io let go of Eikel¡¯s crushed throat, before falling to her knees and screaming out enraged. Kyle couldn¡¯t see from where he stood but he was sure, tears were rushing down her face. ¡°Mother.¡± said Nix as he glanced back at Luna ¡°I shall leave judgement of this excrement to you.¡± Luna grinned, strangely enough ¡°It would be my pleasure.¡± Nix suddenly disappeared alongside Io, leaving Eikel¡¯s broken and unconscious body behind. Luna then turned to Kyle ¡°You have done us a service, mercenary. It seems most of the Court is in agreement too, Eikel¡¯s objection being over ruled by his charges. You will have your contract.¡± Isaac cleared his throat to gain their attention before speaking ¡°I shall¡­Ah¡­provide the mercenaries with a base of operations.¡± Kyle bowed dramatically ¡°The payment of avoiding Barik¡¯s destruction has been promised, by the guild¡¯s regulations the contract is signed. The three Court¡¯s lives are forfeit to us.¡± ¡°The Dungeon core.¡± Suddenly asked Fion¡¯e ¡°When shall we acquire it?¡± ¡°On my leave, you will detect the core within Fei¡¯tel.¡± responded Kyle before turning to Isaac ¡°Elder Isaac, do you wish to discuss terms?¡± he casually offered. ¡°That would seem to be my calling in life.¡± Jokingly replied Isaac with a smile ¡°Shall I show you to my office then?¡± ¡°I would rather be more discreet, I shall wait for you there.¡± said Kyle before suddenly all the slime that had been collected at the island¡¯s edge dissipated into a misty blue Spirit before scattering into the surroundings. Kyle on the other hand melted away into slime, instead of dissipating though the puddle flowed off the side and down into the water. ¡°Champions, one of you escort Elder Eikel to healing and right after, a cell. Don¡¯t be seen.¡± commanded Luna before both the halberd wielding Champion and Eikel¡¯s body disappeared ¡°The rest of you, find the promised Dungeon Core. My Drakes will be ready to escort you and it.¡± She glanced at each Elder ¡°Court is adjourned.¡± ¡°Well then.¡± said Isaac as he rose from his throne, the Champions took that moment to all suddenly disappear ¡°Hasn¡¯t this gotten interesting all of a sudden?¡± Ch 109 - Beneath the mask it smiles. Several minutes later Kyle waited within the lavishly decorated office, having emerged through sink within the office¡¯s bathroom. His connection cord lay behind him, taking through the slightly open door. The office wasn¡¯t too large but neither too small, a cosy 6 by 6 meters with a simple desk, utilities and three chairs. The main door opened to his left, Isaac walked into his office nodding in his direction as he settled behind his desk ¡°Well then, please make yourself comfortable. I don¡¯t believe this should take long.¡± Kyle did not sit, instead he simply stood before the desk ¡°The Dungeon Crystal has been delivered as promised.¡± He informed Isaac, having just returned from instructing Lilior on moving the crystal and cover her tracks but remain within the room they had created for themselves. ¡°Yes, yes I hear Nix has located it already.¡± said Isaac as he himself sat down ¡°They will be on their way in a few moments. The navy has already left but ships are nowhere near as fast as Drakes, we should see results within the next hour.¡± ¡°You act very calm for one aiding in orchestrating possible murder of your fellow rulers¡­Should I be worried of this co-operation?¡± jokingly asked Kyle, Isaac struck him as the type to joke even with the situation. He wasn¡¯t let down. ¡°Oh my, don¡¯t go blabbering out to the local guard now!¡± Isaac responded with his own joke, as he took out a strange red scroll ¡°Down to business anyhow. I¡¯m sure it would be obvious but I must mention these anyway. Your guild is not to be seen by the general populace, no citizen is to be harmed and every city guard that gets caught in between you and your targets is to be reported directly to me.¡± Isaac quickly explained, as if rehearsed. Kyle nodded ¡°That is acceptable, anything else?¡± Isaac looked Kyle straight in the eye ¡°Mostly importantly, leave no witnesses.¡± Kyle did not even blink as he responded solemnly ¡°Understood, now we will need some things other than what I previously mentioned.¡± Isaac opened his arms wide ¡°Ready to take notes, speak away.¡± He said with a smirk. ¡°First is a complete map of each city¡¯s inside, with the locations of each target¡¯s home, most frequented places and nearby guard posts marked.¡± Kyle began listing off what he believed Birse would ask for ¡°Second is a staging area within each city, somewhere we can leave and enter without being seen or questioned. Thirdly, a complete guard rotation, patrol and stationing timetable.¡± Kyle watched as Isaac wrote down every word he said ¡°Lastly, I personally will require to be escorted to each staging area.¡± When Isaac wrote something, after each period the sentence seemed to disappear. The ink would vanish. ¡°That all?¡± Isaac asked, looking up from his magical scroll. Kyle briefly considered warning them that they will be using portals to get between each staging area ¡°Various structures may be destroyed in the process, is that acceptable?¡± he decided that was only need-to-know information. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t destroy the entire city!¡± joked Isaac as he wrote down the last sentence ¡°That concludes this meet. Everything you¡¯ve listed can be arranged, as for your escort to each area¡­Ah how discreetly can you move through the streets?¡± Kyle smiled mildly as his body shapeshifted to his Elven form ¡°Discreetly.¡± Isaac¡¯s eyebrows fully rose as he watched Kyle changed then back ¡°Useful. Well I¡¯ll have the maps and timetables within tomorrow, the hide-outs might require some more time. Once we¡¯ve had all that settled, the escort will be the simplest one.¡± Kyle nodded ¡°Then I shall be in contact with you within¡­two days?¡± Isaac considered the question briefly ¡°Three, we can supress the courts for four to five after blockading their forces but I believe it may take you that long to go through with everything and at least three to gets my hands on these hide-outs under the books so¡­Three days. Erm, how shall we contact you?¡± Kyle took out one of the two extra VCDs each of his guild kept with them since the Mage Guilds began their mass production ¡°Simply think of speaking with me and we may communicate through this vocally and visually. You must specifically think of me, it will not work for anybody else.¡± Kyle lied, sort of. A VCD could only connect to another VCD or as a single-use connection to a portal plate which the one he gave Isaac did not have as each VCD had specific runes that determined its connection. Like a phone number, a magical phone number¡­ Isaac took the device in hand, looking it over ¡°Runic magic? I was not aware the alliance capable of this.¡± He set it on his desk and looked back up ¡°Then we shall be in contact soon, before you go though I must ask¡­¡± he stood up and studied Kyle¡¯s expression ¡°You offered much and demanded much, yet not once you have asked us to specifically join the alliance. Why is that?¡± Kyle smirked ¡°Your answer to me asking such of you, would have been insufficient. Diplomacy does come before and after the battle.¡± He bowed before suddenly his body alongside the connection cord instantly melted down into liquid which rapidly dissipated into mana.
Kyle opened his eyes to find himself still sitting in the position he had left his body in ¡°That went well.¡± He stated while standing up, glancing around he saw Karnage, Soren and Lilior still there but¡­something was wrong. ¡°Well I had wondered where you¡¯ve been hiding¡­¡± mused Io who stood to his left, glancing around curiously. Her expression was solemn, her mood seemingly still depressed. Kyle immediately turned around to face her ¡°E-Elder?!¡± he exclaimed in surprise. Io glanced at him ¡°I wanted to ask-¡± but stopped speaking as she suddenly turned to stare at Karnage ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s¡­going on?¡± mumbled out Soren as each of the others stared at Io with confusion. ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± responded Kyle as he stepped in between Io and Karnage ¡°Elder Io?¡± he asked the wide-eyed Elf as she stared at Karnage with utter bafflement, stepping in between them seemingly snapped her out of the daze. ¡°Huh?...¡± Io blinked once, twice before regaining her composure. Only to blinked out and back into existence in front of Karnage ¡°You-¡± Kyle suddenly surged, appearing to Io¡¯s side with his arm raised between her and Karnage. His claws and fangs had appeared, his entire body was aflame with Frostfire and his eyes glowed menacingly ¡°What is it you¡¯re after?¡± he demanded. Io glanced at him, back at Karnage and then settled back on Kyle ¡°My apologies¡­I¡­originally followed you here to speak privately. I wanted to know more¡­on the lich¡¯s end.¡± Kyle continued to gaze down coldly at the young Elf ¡°We only know of Scythe¡¯s demise through my meeting with your Goddess.¡± Io snorted ¡°She is not my Goddess, she is the deity of the common fools who still follow her. Mainly the three Courts.¡± She turned back to staring at Karnage who now looked back in even more confusion than before ¡°You feel it too¡­don¡¯t you?¡± Io asked. Kyle glanced back at Karnage, seeing her nod slightly ¡°Feel what?¡± he asked, also confused. ¡°I¡¯m¡­not sure, it¡¯s like¡­a pull. Like I¡¯m being pulled to her¡­¡± Karnage explained. ¡°Another¡­Impossible¡­I¡¯m the last¡­¡± mumbled out Io as she stepped away. ¡°Last of what?¡± asked Soren as he glanced in between all of them. ¡°She is the same as I, the same as my brother. The last of our kind. The High Elves.¡± Io explained, intently staring at Karnage. ¡°High Elves?¡± repeated Kyle in surprise. ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be shitting me.¡± mumbled out Soren. ¡°What¡¯s a High Elf?¡± asked Lilior as she hovered down in between Kyle¡¯s ears, in her fairy form of course. ¡°High Elves are one of the rarer Elven houses, me and my brother were the last of our kind¡­Who are you?¡± Io asked, disbelief in her tone. Karnage glanced between Kyle and Soren for support, unsure how to answer. ¡°She is a Summoned, just like me and many others on Barik. We come from the realm of the banished, the mana-less realm.¡± Kyle explained before asking ¡°What¡¯s so different with being a High Elf anyway? No offence Elder, but you just look like a young Tundra Elf to me.¡± Io¡¯s eyes suddenly focused on him, annoyance clear in her tone as she spoke ¡°We are nothing alike. Us High Elves live for tens of thousands of years, mere cold Elves live at most to a thousand. Also our affinity for magic is entirely different, Tundra Elves have affinity for Ice, Water and Wind while us High Elves have an extremely high affinity for Dark and Light while being the only race capable of fully using Spatial magic!¡± ¡°Special?¡± asked Soren, thinking he was repeating the word. Io groaned ¡°Spatial!¡± She corrected before continuing on to explain ¡±Space manipulating magic, the ability to move, bend and change the space around us.¡± ¡°Why are you the last?¡± Karnage asked ¡°What¡­happened to the rest?¡± Io¡¯s eyes briefly widened before she glanced away and down at the ground ¡°We were¡­Exterminated.¡± She spoke almost in a whisper ¡°Before there were dozens of Elven clans¡­Now only three truly survive¡­Night, Forest and Tundra¡­The High Elves¡­The Lunar Elves¡­The Dusk Elves¡­And so many more¡­¡± she held herself as she continued to tell ¡°The Human Dominion at its strongest, hunted each one of us down. Only me and my brother survived, sheltered by the weaker clans as ones of their own offspring¡­¡± ¡°Elves were persecuted before Durga¡¯s Quest¡­¡± mused Kyle, remembering Dagon¡¯s history lesson. Io solemnly nodded ¡°That was centuries ago.¡± she looked up at Karnage ¡°I never imagined to ever meet another¡­¡± ¡°But¡­how am I a High Elf?¡± Karnage asked in confusion ¡°My body isn¡¯t¡­my real one? I¡¯m a Half-beast right?¡± Kyle was the one to answer ¡°Our bodies were catered around our true race, your body may be Half-beast same as mine but same as Spirit Beast blood runs through my veins High Elf blood runs through yours. Our Souls are also the same, unchanged by the body switch.¡±Stolen novel; please report. ¡°That denies all laws of biology and DN-¡± Soren was about to say when Kyle cut him off. ¡°Gods and magic exist.¡± said Kyle as he glanced his way ¡°Does science even matter anymore?¡± ¡°I mean-¡± Soren was cut off again. ¡°I want to know more.¡± announced Karnage, gently lowering Kyle¡¯s arm as she stepped closer to Io ¡°Please, tell me more.¡± Io studied Karnage¡¯s eyes ¡°I am by no means a teacher, my brother¡­Ao taught me everything I know yet¡­I can always try, for one of my own kind.¡± For the first time, Io smiled warmly. Kyle cut in "Karnage wait, think this through first." Karnage glanced at him "Think what through? Kyle I can finally figure out what the hell I am..." she was confused by his statement. Kyle looked at her eyes as she stared at Io, hope and impatience was what he sensed from her. He clenched his hands containing himself as he told her "Can I speak to you? Privately?" Karnage glanced between him and Io, unsure what was going on "Yeah...Okay..." but she agreed that something was wrong, at least with him. Kyle glanced at Io "We shall be back." then at Soren and Lilior "I''ll send you two back to the others, wait there." he told them and they only nodded in response. Kyle slashed his claws at the empty space ahead of himself, surprising Io as a rift opened. Each adventurer and fairy stepped inside. Lilior changing to her Fae form as she did.
Kyle stepped out of the rift, finding himself in the Spirit Realm. He was surrounded by jungle, thick foliage, vines and branches giving little room to stand in. He briefly saw Soren and Lilior step out of the rift before disappearing, he had told Celica to send them both their way. Lastly he watched as a worried Karnage stepped out, the rift closing behind her as she turned to face him "Kyle what is...going on? Why are you so persistent about this? Don''t you want me to find out more about my people? My race?" Kyle stared back at her with deadpan eyes "Mindy, if I had you choose...between me and that. Which would you pick?" he suddenly asked causing her eyes to widen in shock. "I don''t believe this...why? Why would you have me choose?!" she demanded to know. "Because empires do fall in one day. I cannot protect you if you yourself stand in my way." he solemnly told her. Both stared at each other for a long moment, Kyle cold and expressionless, Mindy confused and annoyed. She broke the silence first "What are you up to?" He shook his head "I cannot tell you, you couldn''t stomach it. Worse now that you''re a High Elf." She understood his meaning even if mildly "Why? Why do you have to go so far? Is killing more people really needed!? Is this what you really want or is it Birse?!" Kyle smiled coldly "Yes it must be done, the Courts have gotten in our way one too many times already. No more." "Am...Am I in your way too?" she then asked, her eyes reddening. His expression darkened as he responded "In my way?...Hah...Ever since I fell in love with you. If it wasn''t for that...I would have left the alliance for dead. Who would you have sacrificed? The Alliance or the Empire? Who will you sacrifice? The people who fight alongside your own guild, or your very people?" Karnage shook her head "I...I can''t choose like that! Why? Why do more people have to die? Why can''t we just stop the bloodshed!?" she was in tears now. His smile wavered "I cannot make the choice for you, I''ve already made mine. The Empire will fall one way or another." "Kyle please...There has to be another way!" she exclaimed, her tone and expression pleading. He laughed now, a cold dreadful cackle "This world will never learn unless there is bloodshed. Each race, each faction, each damn kingdom will learn the hard way." She held her mouth as she silently wept, staring into his cold distant eyes "You''ve changed..." Kyle chuckled at that "I have, I very much have. I finally drowned my fear, accepted my hatred. I''m the monster I''m supposed to be." he responded with Spirit unwillingly affecting his voice, he continued to ramble on "I''ve surpassed my cowardice...I''ve achieved what even Sly couldn''t..." he glanced down at his clawed hands before looking back up at her, his eyes glowing blue with Spirit "Ymir was right, I need to embrace my demons. I''ve had enough of holding back, enough of trying to change." Kyle stepped closer to her as both stared into each other''s eyes "The gloves are comingoff." Frostfire burst alive all over his body, flowing upward rapidly "So pick, if you cannot live on with a few meaningless lives on your shoulders then what else is there to say between us?" Karnage is left speechless as she fearfully stared into his wide, emotionless eyes. She saw the fearless and shrewd man she saw before but...alongside him was much more. She now understood that he did change, he got over his fear, he accepted his anger and finally brought out his true self. The person she knew, she didn''t know at all. She realised then, why they hadn''t told her much of the plan to begin with. Soren was right and Kyle agreed beneath his mask. She was a liability. But she couldn''t, she didn''t want to give up on him yet "Kyle...if you really have any feelings for me left. Stop this...stop it all...Please come with me!" she begged "Leave that guild of maniacs! Please..." she reached out to his chest. Kyle suddenly grabbed her arm "I won''t betray my guild, my family. Not for anyone, not for anything and...Even if I do still have feelings...not even for you." Karnage flinched as he did, leaning away in fear which she then hated herself for doing so "Then...what now? After everything...After trying so hard not to become the monster...Why Kyle? Just why?!" she screamed at him, pulling her hand out of his grip. He briefly continued to look at her in silence, before glancing away "Because it takes a villain to save this damn world. So the villain I''ll become. You still have to choose, your friends are with the alliance and your people might just stand against them. Yet you cannot choose, can you?" Karnage''s gaze fell, she stared down at the grassy ground "How? How am I supposed to choose? If it means the other dies...I''m...I''m not you..." Kyle sighed as he looked back up at her "Then I''m sorry, you never needed to choose between those two. Only between me and them. I''ll make that choice for you." he stepped in closer "Mi-Karnage...there could never be anything between us...You wanted to see beneath my mask? Well here you go, take a good long fucking look." Kyle suddenly pushed her into the rift that he opened with a tail of slime behind her, immediately closing it after she passed through.
Dead Man''s Sea Three Hours Later Nix rode with the other seventeen Champions, each one mounting a Drake while several others flew behind them. One of the Drakes, the largest of the pack had a spherical aquamarine-blue crystal core strapped to its back. They had been flying for hours but the navy was already in sight, half way through the sea they were half-way their to Barik. The small continent wasn''t even visible over the horizon yet. The Drakes were extremely fast flyers, so much so that it took the armada of battleships six hours to reach here and the large Drakes took half as much time. Nix lead the Drakes on a fly-by to the front of the armada, announcing their presence with several Draconic roars that made the wooden structures shudder alongside their inhabitants. He then moved to fly alongside the navies, keeping pace while above them. He stood up from his Drake as suddenly crystal white draconic wings appeared on his back, he stepped off the Drake''s head and flew down to the front of the lead division of ships. The three navies together made a massive armada, a fleet of fifteen thousand Wood Elf ships and two smaller fleets of twenty five hundred ships from both the Night and Tundra Elves. Making up an armada of twenty thousand battle ships, what the people of Chaoz called ''The Elven Crusade''. Most of these ships were untested in battle, old only from time and seeing little use. The Elves manning the ships were mostly the same, having seen little conflict other than a few skirmishes with the Dezol, wild Mer clans or sea monsters. Nix called out to each one of them, shouting at the top of his draconic lungs and infusing his voice with mana "I am Nix Luna, Champion, Son of Luna the Dragon Queen and Ao Il''tel Hero of all Elves. I command you all, end this foolishness and return to protect our home!" Yet no ship showed signs of stopping, the entire armada keeping its heading for Barik. Nix grimaced as he ascended back up to the Drakes "Stop them." he told the Drakes and his fellow Champions. The unmounted apocalypse of Drakes immediately swept down upon the ships, easily bursting through their barriers with dragonfire and landing on their decks. All but the Dungeon carrying Drake and the ones who carried Champions, sensing their rider''s wavering. Nix eyed the others before speaking "It is up to us to make these young fools realise their faults, that more war will only bring our homes, families and friends to destruction. We do not need to kill, only disable their vessels! So I ask this of you one last time, my comrades. Will you join me in battle?" before suddenly plummeting down while roaring out a battlecry "For Il''tel!" The other Champions bit down their guilt and anxiety, before roaring out the same and following through with the command. Nix swung his Bo staff, engulfed by a fiery golden aura. Each swipe sinking an entire ship, even damaging ones ahead. As he flew over he would breath golden flames, blasting the ship''s front wide open and leaving it to sink. The Champions followed his lead, slicing, bashing and swiping open ships'' hulls and leaving them to sink. The Drakes did something similar, just much more viciously. Yet no matter how hard they tried it was difficult to suppress their powers, several crew-mates and soldiers were caught in the destruction. The panic, the fear and the confusion making it harder for the Champions to lessen causalities, the soldiers that tried to fight back made it even worse. Over all it became a one-sided massacre, the Champion''s overwhelming power was unmatched and the Drake''s vicious strength unparalleled. But that was why they had the Dungeon core in the first place, set to respawn the dead onto the ships at the back of the armada...That''s what Nix thought as he bashed through another ship, swinging to the side as a fireball flew at him. Shattering the spell on contact with his Bo staff. He glanced around suddenly, almost in a panic as he noticed something missing...The Dungeon Core carrying Drake was gone. Nix spread his wings and ascended into the sky, he began to scan over the sky and sea looking for the core. Until he saw it. The Drake''s wings were frozen solid as it struggled to remain afloat, half drowning down into the sea while being surrounded by battleships. Nix didn''t even think twice of what had happened, he turned to rush in the Drake''s aid but...It was already too late. The battleships had noticed the drowning Drake, they had noticed the very obvious bright blue dungeon core on it''s back. In a panic, afraid and confused. They opened fire on it. Several dozen magic infused cannonballs barraged the large Drake, causing it severe agony and...shattering the Dungeon Core on its back to dissipating shards. Nix didn''t wait to be shocked, he immediately roared at the top of his lungs "Cease the battle! Return to me!" he shouted while ascending into the sky. With some struggling due to their bloodthirsty mounts, the Champions managed to swerve them up and after a few minutes regrouped with Nix who seemed panicked. "Spread out! Stop the Drakes! We''re retreating!" He commanded them all, not explaining why. Which they didn''t require, as each Champion only nodded in acknowledgement before turning towards the several dozen Drakes still in a frenzy. Nix looked around, his expression pale as he watched the Drakes tear men apart with their claws and fangs, burning entire ships to charcoal. This was a race against time, it may already be too late but he willed himself to at least try. He could still save many. Nix also rushed down to one Drake, grabbing it''s jaw as it descended down upon a mage.
In themeantime. Fleet Admiral Zelt of the Forest Court navy stood at the top deck of his vessel, gazing in baffled awe as Drakes tore his ships and men asunder. "Why...why do they attack us!?" exclaimed one soldier to his left, also gazing out in shock. "I don''t know..." was all Zelt could say, his eyes wide and expression pale as he held onto the railing fearing his trembling legs would fail him in front of his men. Nobody noticed, nobody saw as a shadow rose behind Zelt. Not until it was too late. The glint of a blade was followed by the splatter of blood as Jacky slashed Zelt''s throat wide open, kicking him off the deck and down below where the Admiral choked over his own gushing blood. Gasps of terror followed as each man and woman above deck turned to face the Wraith, only to watch in absolute fear as it melted down into the ground and disappeared. Fleet Admiral Zelt lay on the floor of his freshly scrubbed main deck, now splattered red as he took his last bloody breath before going completely still. And suddenly the entire ship exploded.
Above the battle... While the battle stagnated into damage control below, everything was already too late. The Bloodpack Mercenaries were flying high up above within Lilior''s Chariot, manned and made invisible by Steph. Seren and Woody wore the Mageks who mounted the two Griffins which carried the Chariot. Inside Steph stood focusing on the crystal core embedded into the vessel. Vain, Rico, Sparta, Cherry and Death sat around the table waiting, in reserve in case something went terribly wrong. Birse stood at the helm, watching the battle begin, unfold and end through the many monitors ahead of him. They were all awaiting the rest to return from their separate tasks and after several minutes of waiting each did so. Jacky was the first to arrive, appearing out of the shadows before speaking "It is done, Zelt is no more. Witnesses were dealt with." he announced to everyone. Skill arrived next, wind-walking through the back door "Theon down, no witnesses." he announced before falling in line with Jacky. Last arrived Ch carrying Jane as she held onto him, they flew in with his large brown-feathered wings which disappeared once he touched the floor. Jane immediately let go and stepped away from Ch "Sol''ial is dead, no witnesses." she said before both her and Ch moved to stand next to Skill and Jacky. Finally Birse turned to face them "Well done, stage-one has been flawlessly completed. The enemy''s military leadership will fall into chaos, their soldiers riddled with despair. Their populace will tear itself apart." he announced humorously "Now...onto stage-two." Ch 110 - How they are made. "You wanted to see beneath my mask?" Kyle asked as he grabbed her by the shoulder, she gazed into his dreadfully cold eyes along his just as chilling smile. She watched as they both widened, his eyes growing mad and grin sickeningly wicked. "Well here you go, take a good long fucking look". He suddenly pushed her back, she was too baffled to react. Karnage fell back into the rift, his expression of insanity burning itself into her memory. She groaned once she hit the stone hard floor, finding herself laying back at the room Lilior had made. "Hm? What happened?" asked Io as she had seen Karnage fall out of the rift, the tear in space closing a moment later. But Karnage did not respond ("Why...Kyle just why...you can''t ask me that and..."), for a long time she lay there lost in her thoughts("Are you...even in there anymore?..."). Karnage had never felt so conflicted, for the first time she was truly afraid. She continued to lay there as Io watched in confused silence ("After all you said...after...everything...You''ve still become it...Why...") suddenly she began to rise. Karnage stood up and glanced back at Io. ("Even though you want to be the monster...I can''t stop...I cannot stop loving you...") She gazed at the High Elf with determination in her eyes "Please...train me." Karnage suddenly asked. Io stared at her confused but nodded "I''m not my brother, but I will do what I can." Karnage lowered her gaze with a nod and a weak smile ("It hurts...it hurts so much...And it''s because it does...because I cannot stop...") "I need to be stronger..." "You will be, I can assure you of that." responded Io, as she offered Karnage her hand. Karnage looked at her hand, briefly staring at it ("If the villain is what you chose to be...then I''ll be the hero. And as the hero, because I love you...I will save you, even...even if it means destroying the monster you become.") Karnage took Io''s hand and both of them suddenly disappeared.
Nix stared off at the destruction, it had taken them several minutes to get the Drakes under control. Even though it was only a few minutes... "This is..." Nix mumbled as he watched from high up, one third of the armada had been sunk or completely thrashed. The Champions had held back but they still made quite the mess. The Drakes on the other hand held nothing back. They saw these soldiers as traitors, they treated them as such. Dragons had little need for compassion. Nix grimaced as he watched the navy gather their wounded, leaving the dead to sink as there was nothing else to be done. Elves did not believe in respecting the body after passing, their memory was all they required. Then suddenly he glimpsed one of his Champions descend down towards a sinking ship. The halberd wielder had seen a sailor stuck under the ship''s fallen mast. Nix followed her down, watched as the sailor struggled with his left leg crushed under the mast. She descended down onto the deck, easily heaving up the mast with her sheer strength. Nix watched as she forwarded the terrified sailor her hand. "N-No! P-Please! spa-spare me!" begged the young sailor as he struggled away from her. The Champion''s eyes widened in shock as she stared down at him "N-No I''m just..." she horrified by his behaviour towards her. How he squirmed and whimpered away, as if faced with death incarnate. The hopelessness in his eyes tore away at her as anger, guilt and frustration welled up within. She flinched when Nix grabbed her shoulder, glancing back with horror in her eyes "We.. we did this..." she said in a choked voice. Nix couldn''t bare to meet her eyes as he looked away "Tania...We should go." he told her sternly. Tania shook her head "We...We can''t leave!" she suddenly exclaimed pulling away from him "We...We need to give them aid! Collect the wounded...and...and..." despair was clear in her eyes as her outburst caught the other Champion''s attention. "Nothing we do here can excuse what we''ve done." Solemnly said Nix before suddenly grabbing her arm and meeting her desperate eyes with his own "We were fools...No...We were fooled..." Tania saw the rage within Nix''s eyes, rage she hadn''t seen in centuries. The rage filled eyes that once brought down an entire country to it''s knees.
Spirit Realm Crystal Kingdom of Kori Kyle suddenly appeared before Durin, Celica, Soren and Lilior. He seemed calm, he seemed collected but on the inside he was just hollow. He emptily gazed at each of them "Soren I''ll send you ahead with Lilior, I need to speak with Celica and Durin." "Sure...I''ll update Birse on the situation. Did she?..." Soren let the words hang but Kyle immediately caught on. "I broke it up, she''s with her own." responded Kyle before swiping open a rift with a summoned claw of slime "Go on, I''ll be right behind you." he casually told them. Soren sighed but said nothing further, he stepped through the rift followed by Lilior who before entering gave a worried glance at Kyle. "It won''t take long." he assured her, Lilior nodded and stepped through. Kyle turned to face Durin and Celica as the rift closed beside him. He dropped the cold that had engulfed his chest, letting his emotions flow once more. "I need you to confirm something for me...How long...do we live for?" Both Celica and Durin alongside every other Spirit Beast within Kori sensed Kyle''s emotions. His overflowing anger, his frustration, but above all they felt...his guilt.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Celica stared at him in surprise "I''m...not sure?" she said turning to Durin for a real response. Durin hummed in thought before answering "Our lifespan varies from clan to clan but...Our kind normally lives up to three hundred years...As a Kitsune that is.. As a Yako...Your lifespan is shorter than a human''s." Kyle grimaced at the answer "Why?" Durin sighed "As a dark spirit fox you are prone to absorbing negative emotions over positive ones. That much negative Spirit deteriorates your vessel, your body." Kyle sighed in exasperation "Hah...I figured as much...How long? At the rate I''m going how long could I live?" Durin stared hard at Kyle, gazing into his hollow eyes "You won''t make it past 40." Celica glanced between the two, her expression one of utter shock "Kyle...you figured...is that why-" He didn''t let her finish "Part of, it was impossible from the start." he coldly responded "So if it means hurting her...the sooner the better." Celica grabbed his shoulders "But like this...She''ll hate you..." Kyle chuckled at that "Good, the hero should hate the villain." he said in a coldly amused tone. "Hero?" repeated Durin in confusion "She isn''t a Chosen?" Kyle shook his head with a smile "Heroes aren''t chosen, picked or elected..." he turned away from them, staring off at the beautiful city below "Heroes are made, born through conflict and struggle. Created to defeat the villain." Kyle smiled as he said so, a cold empty smile "Thank you, that is all I wanted to know." he ripped open a new rift "Good day." he said nonchalantly and stepped through.
Fei¡¯tel Elder¡¯s Hall Thirteen hours later. Luna stood within her sunken seat waiting for all...current Elders to gather. Nix and his Champions had returned with harrowing news and she herself was currently enraged by the accusations her halfblood son had become set on. Waiting with her within the hall were some of the Champions, Nix and three brave others while the rest stayed home needing time to reflect. Slowly the other Elders gathered. First came Jaik¡¯ial then Fion¡¯e, followed by Jeilen and Isaac until lastly came Io who was surprisingly not alone. Walking into the hall with the High Elf was a female Beastwoman with long black hair, feline ears and tail. She wore silver-blue leather armor and tight pants, strapped to her waist were two sheathed longswords. ¡°Who walks with you Elder Io?¡± Luna asked, cautious after her first meeting with the adventurers being Kyle. Io sat down in her throne, the woman anxiously stood by her side ¡°This girl is a summoned, Dragon Queen. I have recently found her to be of the High Elf bloodline. She will be by my side from now on, as my apprentice.¡± ¡°Joyous as that may be Elder Io...¡± now spoke Jaik¡¯ial with a bitter tone ¡°Is it wise? We¡¯ve just been burned by trusting these...summoned.¡± The other Elders mumbled in agreement while glaring at Karnage. ¡°I will not have my blood disrespected.¡± Io suddenly hissed , shutting them all up ¡°Not all summoned stand and act as one people just as yesterday the Courts stood and acted away from us.¡± Briefly the hall went silent as her harsh words sunk in, until Fion¡¯e broke the ice ¡°Well we are here, shall we begin?¡± Jeilen snorted in disgust ¡°What even is there to discuss? The Courts will take this as an act of aggression and the entire empire will break out into civil war.¡± ¡°Have the courts reacted to...this yet?¡± Isaac asked, his tone and expression calm as always. Fion¡¯e shook her head ¡°Still no word other than the three navies are pulling back.¡± Isaac hummed in thought as he nodded ¡°Then I say we keep moving along the same plan.¡± This caused everyone to turn and look at him in surprise, Nix even stepped to stand before the Elder ¡°Respectfully Elder Isaac...I¡¯d rather kill that Kori scum.¡± He announced bitterly. Isaac sighed as he looked up at the warrior ¡°Nix...Nix...Nix, when will you knight-types ever learn? Brute force solves nothing, killing the Yako will only pin his organization against us. People we are in dire need of.¡± Nix grimaced as he glared down at the irredeemable man ¡°So working with him will do what exactly?! Walk us into another of his-¡± ¡°Nix Luna¡± the dragon cut him off ¡°Contain yourself child. Anger will only bring you more misery.¡± Luna scolded her son. Nix clenched his fists and nodded, restraining himself as he turned away from Isaac. ¡°Apologies Nix but I agree with Elder Isaac.¡± Announced Fion¡¯e with a sigh ¡°What proof do we have against the fox? What can we feasibly blame him for other than offering us aid which we accepted? All we have is your word on a theory you constructed. Now I do not mean to undermine your words head Champion but...You are obviously emotionally unstable at the moment.¡± ¡°Elder Fion¡¯e speaks true...¡± grumbled Jeilen in agreement ¡°The Yako will not acknowledge these accusations. We are rolling about in his palm, we need their help more than ever.¡± Luna growled in annoyance at the thought ¡°I share your frustration child but we must think before we act. First we shall deal with the three Courts then with this Demon we have contracted with. Although I am hesitant of using anymore of their service...¡± ¡°I also agree.¡± Stepped in Io with childish annoyance clear in her expression ¡°We are too deep to swim back up now. We must dive deeper.¡± She glanced at Karnage who stood by her side ¡°But from now on we must thread much more carefully. This Fox is much more sly than any of us know.¡± Isaac hummed curiously ¡°Know something we do not perhaps?¡± he asked while glancing between Io and Karnage. Io nodded at Karnage, gesturing for her to speak. She obliged ¡°This fox you speak of is very much the demon you think him to be. Do not underestimate...him. He is already several steps ahead of you. You mustn¡¯t trust a word he says.¡± Isaac smirked in amusement ¡°Ah and what would you have us do then Miss?...¡± ¡°Ka-¡± She caught herself before clearing her throat and speaking once more ¡°Millandy Valier, is my name. And I¡¯d have you do nothing other than what he thinks you are going to do...It will reduce the amount of corpses left in his wake.¡± Nix turned to face the adventurer ¡°Millandy is it? How can you be so sure of this man¡¯s capability? He may be a Yako but he is still just one man. What do you know that we do not?¡± he demanded, annoyed and still more than a little frustrated. Karnage turned to face Nix, her eyes were solemn yet sad ¡°Champion Nix is it? You are almost twice his level and half dragon? Yet I can stand here next to you unaffected by your held back aura.¡± Her gaze fell to the floor ¡°Just standing next to him...no matter how much he holds back I could still feel it...Not magic or mana...But the mere sight of his eyes...his smile...It moves everything else you feel aside. Then fills it all back up with horror...a dreadfully cold fear that paralyzed my thoughts...¡± Karnage returned to meeting Nix¡¯s cold gaze ¡°Physically you may be worlds stronger but...Don¡¯t be fooled like I was, either way he can kill you with ease.¡± The Elders meeting continued on for several more hours but the back and forth arguing only brought them back to the same conclusion which Isaac made a point of voicing once more ¡°Then we continue as planned...just more carefully.¡± Before excusing himself as the court adjourned for the day. Isaac made his way out, noticing Io calling Nix over before leaving towards his office. Once the Elder had reached his own private space he willed open his inventory and took out a curious device. Isaac thought of the person he wished to speak to and the VCD obliged, he had already done this twice before and he was still very much amused by the reaction of runic, spatial and illusional magic. ¡°Ah, Elder Isaac.¡± Exclaimed Kyle as he appeared within the device¡¯s view ¡°So how did it go?¡± he asked as calmly as ever. ¡°Just as you said it would, my even the adventurer¡¯s appearance and warning was as you said!¡± Isaac mused in response ¡°You must tell me how you do it, a wondrous ability it is!¡± Kyle chuckled coldly ¡°Oh but magic it is not I assure you of that much. As planned we will be dealing with the Orcs until our pre-arranged timetable. Keep me updated will you?¡± Isaac smiled in amusement ¡°Of course of course. I will call whenever something...unforeseen comes up.¡± Kyle merely nodded before cutting the call there. Isaac put the device away before sitting down on his desk, gazing at one of the many maps he had yet to procure (¡°My...this has truly become...interesting.¡±) Ch 111 - Moss Village Hasharr Moss Village 2 days later Kyle stepped out of the Chariot, Lilior sitting on his shoulder and three members following after them. Soren, Sparta and Cherry walked out after them, each fully equipped with armor and weaponry. From the two Griffins that carried the Chariot, Thrasher and Wackjob -Woody decided to name them- Seren and Woody willed their Golem suits to hop off and follow. Two Mageks, three fully equipped warriors, a Fae-half dungeon and a Slime walk into a village of Orcs. Mismatched wooden walls, circular buildings with cloth for ceilings and the heavy stench of sweat, piss and shit. Moss Village was the very definition of barbaric, yet it was the most massively populated place on Chaoz. As they stepped into the unguarded village, which immediately struck them a strange, the group got several curious looks and stares but mostly they were met with glares. Orcs lay strewn about all over, large muscular humanoids with several different greenish skin colors. Tusk like fangs growing out of their bottom jaw, deep green eyes, claw like nails and three whole feet taller than a Human while two feet taller than even your average Elf. From men to woman, elderly and even children there were only two kinds of attires, leather and cloth for the foragers and workers while strapped plates of iron made into make-shift spiky armor for the warriors. Each Orc had their own ¡®style¡¯ as in every community but one thing was true for each and every one of them, large weaponry was the definite fashion statement for this race. From massive bastard swords to oversized halberds and axes, even over to blunt and heavy clubs and maces. No bows were in sight, not siege weaponry nor staffs or wands. Some had the occasional javelin or collection of oversized daggers and throwing knives but it was clear to Kyle what blood thirsty barbarians he had come here to deal with. As the group walked freely through the gigantic village, nobody stopped them or halted them. No guards were in sight, no seemingly upholders of law or order. Just workers and warriors, hunters and craftsmen. He was not surprised though as they walked through the dirt roads, it wasn¡¯t the Dwarf or the shiny Valkyrie that caught the Orc¡¯s attention. It wasn¡¯t the massive Mageks nor the Fairy on Kyle¡¯s shoulder. No most of the Orcs were glaring at only two of the group, at the only two beast-like of the group. The Orcs were coldly glaring at Kyle and Cherry. The older, the adult and the lore privy, all stared murderously at them both. Cherry sighed as he whispered ¡°This is pointless, we¡¯ll be lucky to get time to talk.¡± Kyle agreed but still smirked, they were here to negotiate a ceasefire on the Ogre¡¯s land but their real objective was to weigh up the Orc¡¯s forces, defenses and city layout. To study their equipment and behavior. Possibly if they were given time to negotiate, he would try to sway them to join the alliance but both him and Birse highly doubted that. The Orcs were strung down by the Elven puppeteers, their hatred of beastmen and humans alike controlling them. ¡°Jacky should be here damnit, what am I even supposed to look for?¡± grumbled Soren. ¡°Jack¡¯s busy training his new unit.¡± Replied Sparta ¡°Just stand tall and look tough¡­Oh¡± she immediately glanced away from the glaring Dwarf. ¡°Look sharp.¡± Snapped Kyle as they began approaching a crossroads, dozens of Orcs had gathered to block their way here. The group stopped several feet away from the gathered Orcs as more began to gather behind them, cutting them off. Amidst the grunts, growls, grumbles and spitting Kyle heard nobody actually regarding them. So he regarded them first, infusing his voice with mana and not Spirit just yet ¡°Greetings people of the horde, I am Kyle Dean of the Blood Pack Mercenaries, I come here to negotiate terms of cea-¡± ¡°Negotiate?!¡± exclaimed one Orc, lighter in skin color than most but much thicker tusks the male Orc warrior stepped out of the crowd from ahead of them. He wore a wide grin, seemingly amused by Kyle¡¯s words ¡°You come to¡­Negotiate? Hah!¡± he chuckled mockingly, his voice guttural and deep. Kyle inspected the warrior, green eyed and green skinned like all the rest but with a dark red mess of short hair and sloppy beard.
Vernus Kolak [{Master} Berserker]-[Vanguard] (Eastern Warlord of the Axe) Level 210
High level with a sub-class Kyle hadn¡¯t seen before and a seemingly important title. Kyle wasn¡¯t afraid of the level, he was 198 himself at this point. Having spent the last two days fighting off the Orc¡¯s raiding parties and massacring their forward camps alongside the Dezol. Yet seeing the title he still responded as respectfully as he could possibly fake without sounding condescending. ¡°This is no laughing matter, Warlord of the east. We come bearing peace, we offered equality to the Ogres and you attack? This is not acceptable, so we are here to negotiate what is.¡± Kyle closely watched Vernus¡¯s expression, body language and eyes as he replied. ¡°Not¡­Acceptable?¡± He stated questioningly, staring at Kyle for a brief moment before approaching. Sparta, Cherry and Soren did not reach for their weapons, Seren and Woody stood still like statues and Lilior was barely interested in the brute¡¯s words as she lay nodding off on Kyle¡¯s shoulder. Vernus stopped a mere foot away from Kyle, standing several feet higher he had to bend down to look him in the eye ¡°You do not decide what is acceptable, beast!¡± he shouted into Kyle¡¯s face, drenching him in spit ¡°Animals like you should stay off our land, the giants get what they deserve for ¡®Negotiating¡¯ with disgusting vermin like you.¡± Lilior glanced up coldly at the Orc, going entirely unnoticed but him. Kyle only stared back solemnly, unaffecting in the slightest ¡°Vernus¡­was it? You will step out of my way, I will speak with your leaders and we shall be leaving here untouched. Understa-¡± Again Vernus cut him off, suddenly bellowing in laughter as he stood up and opened his arms wide ¡°This pipsqueak tells me what to do! Hah! Hahahaha! This¡­¡± just as suddenly he bent back down, opening his jaws wide as he let out an ear-splitting roar right into Kyle¡¯s face. Lilior was knocked off his shoulder and flew back into Cherry¡¯s chest, absolutely drenched in spit from head to toe. Vernus put his massive index finger to Kyle¡¯s chest, speaking loudly with aura infusing his voice ¡°You will get out of here, else I will cut you d-¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± Said Kyle, cutting the Orc off then sighing as he glanced back at Lilior who was pulling herself off Cherry¡¯s chestplate. Sticking to it as if glued, she glanced at her drenched body, ran her hands through her now messed up hair and slowly looked first at Kyle with confusion, then at Vernus with murder. Lilior looked absolutely furious, her face reddened like melting iron, her ears trembling and just as red, her eyes wide and focused as she hovered off Cherry and began to approach the Orc. Quickly as she approached Lilior¡¯s entire form melted to slime before rapidly expanding several thousand times larger. Vernus stepped back three times as unexpectedly a massive Drake stood glaring down at him hungrily, it growled and licked it¡¯s fangs before leaning closer and suddenly opening it¡¯s massive jaw wide right before him. Lilior bellowed out a screeching roar that sent dirt flying back into the crowd of Orcs, like a sudden storm it hit them, almost blowing Vernus off his feet as he covered his ears in pain. For several prolonged moments the roar continued on, before slowly dying out until it stopped. The Orcs- Vernus included- opened their eyes after the sudden sandstorm to see no sight of the Drake, only a tiny Fairy glaring menacingly into Vernus¡¯s face as she spoke with grinded teeth, wide eyes, shaking fists and bloodthirst clear in her voice and tone ¡°Make no mistake you smelly, disgusting green monkey. You only live because master has not ordered you otherwise, so kneel, squirm and beg before his mercy.¡± Vernus stared back at the murderous Fairy, his left eye twitching furiously ¡°M-Monkey?¡± ¡°Kolak!¡± abruptly exclaimed a voice from the crowd ¡°We just had meeting and you already starting figh-¡± the voice stopped once the new group of Orcs made it out and into view, seeing Kyle¡¯s group the speaker -A female, shorter Orc- stared at them in surprise.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Lilior back off.¡± Whispered Kyle to the Fairy, who glared at Vernus for another moment before hovering backwards and gesturing the ¡®I¡¯m looking at you¡¯ at him and settling between Kyle¡¯s ears. Kyle turned to the new group of Orcs, each one larger than the next all except for the short one at the front. There was four of the Orcs in total, sticking out from the rest who backed away to make room for them. Kyle inspected all four.
Throk Felgus [Berserker]-[{Master} Hunter] (Western Warlord of the Spear) Level 216
The largest of the Orcs -Any of them, this guy was enormous- with long greying hair, dark green skin and short tusks.
Tellin Zeff [{Master} Strider]-[Blader] (Northern Warlord of the Blade) Level 218
Average height and thin yet not lanky this female Orc wore no metal armoring, all leather and hard leather with several long blades strapped to several belts over her body.
Vee [{Master} Ranger]-[Stalker] (Southern Warlord of the Bow) Level 209
Vee wasn¡¯t an Orc at all, but instead a tall blue-skinned goblin with long boney horns growing out of his forehead and a long bone-made bow strapped to his back. Kyle had heard of these creatures from Barik but never actually seen one, not even at the goblin village. Vee was a Hobgoblin, an evolved species of the goblin race similar to the change from Devilling to Devil. They are beings cursed with the Abyss, just like Demons and Devils.
Jeyd Burk [{Master} Shaman]-[Hemomancer] (Moss Village Chieftain) (Central Warlord of the Blood) Level 223
The speaker, a short light-green skinned female Orc with short cut crimson hair and thin long tusks with golden rings. She wore a black leather top with red cloth robes and a brown fur cape. She held a strange weapon, a mix between a ritual staff and halberd. Her eyes also glowed with mana, violet static-like energy that sparked inside her sockets. Vernus quickly turned to face the Chieftain ¡°Chief!¡± He gestured their salute, slamming his fist into his chest ¡°Th-These ver-vermin!¡± he was still shaken from the sudden Drake and stuttered severely. Jeyd raised her right palm, silencing Vernus before approaching them. Followed by the three other Warlords, she came to a stop several feet away when Vernus moved to stand behind her. She quickly sized them up before speaking ¡°A Dwarf, a Fairy, two Half-beasts, two Humans and¡­¡± her gaze ended on Kyle ¡°Whatever you are. Why you here?¡± Kyle smiled coldly as he stepped forward ¡°We are of the Blood Pack Mercenaries, we come to negotiate a cease-fire on your raids. And hopefully come to a peaceful understanding of Chaoz¡¯s future.¡± Kyle saw the intelligence in this Orc, she was nothing like her barbaric brethren. The calm, calculative and solemn sense he felt from her Spirit, then the raw amount of mana that lay within her body. She was no common Orc. ¡°Cease-fire? Peaceful understanding?¡± She sneered at his words ¡°That is not how we do things around here. Elves have my head if we stop, the rivers of blood are already running. If we even try to block their path, we¡¯ll all drown in a red flood.¡± ¡°Surely there must be a better arrangement than continuing this senseless bloodshed, we will soon be at war after all.¡± Kyle pointed out, completely expecting the confusion in her expression. ¡°War? You speak of peace then you speak of war? What you playing at boy?¡± demanded Jeyd with raised brows. Kyle knew very well the Elves wouldn¡¯t have told the Orcs anything, not about the quest, not about the summoned nor about Scythe¡¯s allies. ¡°Oh you don¡¯t know anything, do you? Pleasant allies you find yourself with, keeping you in the dark of everything. The rivers of blood run because a Quest was started on Barik, by the Dezol and Fae. But the Quest¡¯s normal plot was foiled by the previous Hero of the Scythe, who is now dead.¡± He quickly explained, causing the crowd of Orcs to begin rousing in chatter. Jeyd grimaced ¡°Why should we believe you? A Half half-beast?¡± Kyle¡¯s eyes grew colder as he gazed into her own ¡°My Class.¡± He simply responded with. It took a brief moment, before suddenly the horde entered a frenzy of growling and shouting. Jeyd was taken aback for a moment as she herself inspected him, but quickly recovered and silenced the entire horde with a single glance. She turned back to look at Kyle ¡°Very well, let us say a Quest was started. What went wrong? What did this Scythe do?¡± Kyle took the next few minutes explaining the situation, about the frozen Quest, Scythe¡¯s plans, the summoned and the alliance. ¡°The danger could be imminent, The Horsemen as they call themselves could arrive at any moment. With them will surely come an army like Chaoz has never seen. This is not just an invasion of your or our lands. This is an invasion of our world.¡± Jeyd looked at him doubtfully ¡°This is¡­disturbing. But we still have no choice, the Empire are our allies. It would be a scar on our pride to betray them.¡± Kyle chuckled coldly at that ¡°The Empire has already betrayed you, kept you in the dark from the truth, used you to further their agenda and risking everything Chaoz is. You don¡¯t seem to entirely believe me? You think me a liar?¡± Jeyd did not respond, she simply continued to stare at him. Her gaze full of mistrust. Kyle sighed dramatically ¡°It isn¡¯t just your land and homes that are at stake, not just your families and friends. Our entire reality is at the verge of destruction. One of the Horsemen is a Void, that we know for sure.¡± Jeyd¡¯s eyes widened ¡°A Void? What do you mean¡­¡± ¡°A fallen Yako, a mangled Spirit Beast.¡± Casually said Kyle causing the entire horde to fall silent, not a whisper passed about as each Orc stared at him in shock. ¡°How do you know this!?¡± Hissed Vee the Hobgoblin, agitated by the news. Jeyd glanced back at the warlord, shushing him before turning back to Kyle ¡°The Spirits were annihilated, none remain in the physical world.¡± ¡°Many remain, scattered about the infinite realms of existence. The danger is not something you and I can face alone, Chieftain. We must join arms, I assure you the Empire will follow shortly.¡± said Kyle, gesturing at the horde around them. Jeyd followed his gesture, glancing at her people ¡°You hear this? War is coming.¡± she announced ¡°Not a skirmish, or a raid. Not some simple farmers and bedwetting knights.¡± Suddenly the horde rose in a frenzy of roars, ecstatic at the idea. Jeyd looked back at Kyle, curiously unaffected by their behavior ¡°We are Orc. If war comes, we are ready. We thirst for it, we hunger for it.¡± The roars grew louder ¡°No more fighting amongst ourselves to sate our needs!¡± The roaring reached a high point as suddenly each Orc began slamming their foot over and over, creating a pseudo-quake all over the village¡¯s center. Kyle sighed as he watched the barbaric excitement in their eyes, the gleeful grins they all wore. Other than Vee¡¯s terrified expression, Jeyd was the only calm Orc around and Kyle understood exactly why. Orc Chieftains weren¡¯t just chosen for being the strongest, nor definitely for being the brightest. Only one thing truly mattered, that was who brought on the promise of the bloodiest battles for the horde to look forward to. Kyle sighed once more, Jeyd did not want to lose her position as Chieftain. Even if it meant continuing to side with the Empire and keep Chaoz severed in two. This was what Kyle feared, this was what Birse had warned him would happen. So Kyle was ready. Kyle coldly stared back into Jeyd¡¯s sneer as she spoke ¡°I guess we shall see you on the battlefield. We Orcs will stand with our allies, we stand with the Empire.¡±
Author: Bad ass incommin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMRjaEWVKHE
Vernus was about to boast but Kyle cut him off as he spoke, his eyes turned frigid blue as Spirit encased the area with a chill they felt in their bones ¡°Then the negotiations for peace have proven pointless. Now I shall negotiate your¡­war. He¡¯s some advice, surrender.¡± Jeyd immediately stepped back as she felt the rancid Spirit that suddenly engulfed the entire horde ¡°Wh-what a-are you!?¡± she exclaimed handling her weapon with both hands and aiming it at him. Kyle grinned, a thin yet wide wicked grin ¡°As I said before, there are many that remain¡­scattered around the infinite realms of existence.¡± The Warlords stared at him in confusion but Jeyd understood, her deathly pale expression told him she clearly understood ¡°Now you know what I am, you also know who I work for.¡± He stepped closer and suddenly the temperature dropped from chilly to frosty ¡°So you should also mildly know, what I am capable of.¡± Jeyd was frozen solid from fear as Kyle leaned up and whispered into her ear ¡°Look around you, all these lives¡­all these poor souls. It would be quite the shame, if they all suddenly dropped cold.¡± He leaned away and looked into her horrified expression, straight into her eyes as she was frozen staring into his glowing blues ¡°Think about it more clearly now, Chieftain. You will still get your war, even if you stand with us. But if you stand with the Empire, you will not even exist to see it all go down.¡± Kyle briefly glanced at each Warlord, staring at him in both fear and confusion for their fear before looking back at Jeyd ¡°What is more important here, your position¡­or the continuation of your race¡¯s existence on this world?¡± Jeyd clenched her fists around her battlestaff as she stared fearfully into the monster¡¯s eyes, she knew fully well what he was and the tales of horror she was told as a child of what they were capable of only made her emotions churn. Kyle¡¯s grin suddenly faltered, his expression blanking out of all emotion as he stared at her ¡°I offer two gifts, Cheiftain. Mercy or Extinction.¡± He turned around ¡°You have twelve hours to decide, we will be back then.¡± Jeyd could only watch as they all turned and began to walk away, she could barely shout as she watched Vernus charge at them ¡°Don-¡± But it was too late, as Kyle stood suddenly in front of the Orc. Mass of blue slime had risen from the ground to engulf the hulking warrior, holding him in place as Kyle stared up at him. His arms and legs were held in place, his face too held to not look away from Kyle and his mouth was closed shut. Kyle glanced around the restrained Orc, over at Jeyd ¡°Twelve hours, Chieftain. Or this¡­will be your fate.¡± Suddenly the slime expanded and formed all around Vernus as he struggle to move and breathe, it engulfed him, like a blob of gelatin. Kyle watched, void of emotion as the blue slime slowly turned green. First around the Orc¡¯s right arm, which immediately began to melt away, the skin boiling off, the flesh burning and charring until the bone dissipated into the acid. Everyone watched in horror as Vernus screamed silently inside the blob of slime, as his arm literally melted away. Second his other arm, third his left leg and fourth came his other leg but halfway through that Vernus passed out. Kyle changed the slime around the Orc¡¯s four stumps into fire, burning the wounds closed and causing him to wake up and scream in agony once more before passing out again. All the while the Orcs watched in horror and disgust as their comrade, friend and possibly family was tortured and delimbed right in front of them. Yet there were all too terrified, too frozen with fear from Kyle¡¯s aura to move or say a single word. Kyle dissipated the slime, leaving the Warlord armless and legless on the ground, unconscious while a scent of burnt flesh filled the air. He turned around and continued to walk away. ¡°Eleven hours.¡± Ch 112 - Strings of evil Four hours later~ Jeyd approached the unconscious Vernus, his limbs gone. They had laid the body over a table inside one of the nearest buildings, the Warlords stood by her side as they awaited the next kin inline. Each was silent, unable to discuss matters of war without each Warlord present and due to Vernus¡¯s condition his status as such was forfeit. Suddenly the wooden door was smashed aside as a hulking form stepped through, another Orc with similar feature¡¯s to Vernus, his son. ¡°Verlak, you¡¯ve come.¡± said Jeyd as she turned to face the young Orc, wearing a full set of spiked plate-armour and heaving a large two-handed axe Verlak¡¯s face was the only skin visible unlike most of his kind but also no scars, bruises or injuries of any kind were visible again unlike most of his kind. ¡°Father¡­¡± Verlak mumbled as he approached the table, eyes wide and teeth grinding ¡°How¡­did this happen?¡± he spoke in almost a whisper. Jeyd grasped the Orc¡¯s left shoulder with her right hand, clenching it as she spoke ¡°He stepped against a stronger foe, they did not finish him off.¡± It began as a growl but quickly moved on to a roar as Verlak stepped towards his father¡¯s body, shouting as he heaved his axe up ¡°Disgraceful!¡± slashing down right above the shoulders and instantly beheading him while crushing the wooden table into two. Verlak stepped back, dragging his weapon on the floor as he turned to face Jeyd ¡°How, how did they step out of the village alive?!¡± he roared out in demand, his eyes wide with fury ¡°Who!? Who insults our tribe!?¡± he glared straight into Jeyd¡¯s calm eyes. ¡°Someone¡­No something, you cannot kill alone.¡± Jeyd responded coldly, to which Verlak snarled ¡°You will carry the banner now?¡± she asked, still calm. ¡°I do, now tell me who cause by Odin I will bring this entire building down if you do not!¡± Verlak growled back. Jeyd met Verlak¡¯s vicious gaze, she would have at least flinched before but now¡­she¡¯d seen worse ¡°A summoned Hero, a Spirit demon.¡± Verlak¡¯s rage briefly turned to confusion before rising back once more ¡°And what does this¡­Hero, call themselves as?¡± ¡°Kyle Dean, although inspecting it read Kyllix. He is a Lord, a member of some mercenary guild and a descendant of Kori.¡± Bitterly answered Tellin, the Northern warlord as she sat at the end of the table sharpening her blades. Verlak glanced over at her and snorted ¡°Then I¡¯ll be back with the last of their heads!¡± he announced before suddenly moving to storm out of the room. But Throk, a much larger Orc and warlord of the west, stood in his path ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool, you¡¯ll be hunting a ghost. We nor you know where they are, and we all know the stories.¡± Verlak snarled as he glared up at Throk ¡°Out of my way old man!¡± to which Throk snarled back. Vee stepped away while snickering ¡°Stupid gorillas¡­¡± he mumbled under his breath. Verlak heard him, briefly glancing at the Hobgoblin that turned to sneer at him. Verlak growled but knew better than to make beef with a Hobgoblin, he wasn¡¯t sure he could finish Vee off before he ran away. Never fail to finish off a Hobgoblin, this was something everybody knew as fact better than the sun is bright or the night is dark here on Hasharr. ¡°Enough!¡± Jeyd shouted at the top of her lungs ¡°We discuss now, the horde must stand together.¡± Tellin sighed ¡°Our demons are back, even if only one of them¡­The Empire lies to us, nothing new but still bothersome. Chief what do we do? We stand with leaf ears and against fox or with fox and against Empire?¡± Vee shuddered ¡°Me say remove fox, he come back soon no?¡± Verlak immediately turned away from glaring at Throk ¡°He¡¯s mine!¡± Vee gestured at Verlak ¡°See! Ver kill fox! Problem solved! Vee smart!¡± Jeyd sighed in exasperation ¡°Vee you were there, you saw what it did to Vernus! No one move, no one could! We fight we die, I will not be remembered as last Chieftain!¡± Verlak chuckled ¡°You afraid?¡± he asked while glancing at them all ¡°You all afraid! Afraid of scary stories told to children! Afraid of legends! Tales!¡± he mocked each one of them except Vee ¡°I not afraid!¡± Tellin snorted ¡°Your father was not afraid.¡± She pointed out while pointing a dagger at Vernus¡¯s collapsed and headless body on the shattered table. Verlak was about to move on Tellin but Jeyd stood in his way ¡°Afraid or not who cares!¡± she grabbed Verlak by the shoulders and turned him to face her ¡°Verlak listen to me. Big war is coming, powerful enemies from other place not Chaoz. We can not afford to fight Empire or Alliance! If lose the war we do, not just Orcs, not just Hasharr but all Chaoz be gone!¡± Verlak smirked as he pulled away from Jeyd ¡°Empty promises Chieftain, you first promise big war with Ogres now you promise big war with enemy not from Chaoz? Hah!¡± he bellowed with amused laughter ¡°Now I say enough!¡± he stepped to Jeyd glaring into her eyes ¡°Kolak Tribe fights tonight, you stay here and cower in fear.¡± He stepped away and turned around, glancing at each warlord in turn ¡°Who wishes to fight with me, come now.¡± He stormed out of the building. Jeyd watched as Vee chuckled and ran after Verlak shouting ¡°Kill fox! Problem solved!¡±, she calmly watched as Verlak stood outside facing the crowd that awaited news. Verlak bellowed for everyone to hear ¡°We feast! We drink! Come to the east and tonight! Tonight we shall have war! Tonight we trample the giants!¡± many among the crowd roared out with eagerness, yet just as many watched quietly, awaiting the Chieftain. Verlak looked disgruntled but quickly regained his grin, walking off and into the crowd as dozens followed behind him including Vee. Throk turned to face Jeyd ¡°What now?¡± the grizzled Orc asked. ¡°If only South and East fight, they lose and we have no choice but surrender.¡± added Tellin with a prolonged sigh. Jeyd slammed her staff onto the floor with frustration as she glared out at the road, watching as many followed after Verlak ¡°I must meditate on this.¡± She glanced between the last two Warlords ¡°I will call for you.¡± Tellin only sighed while Throk nodded and stepped out of her way, Jeyd left through the smashed door alone. The horde watched her step out, awaiting for her to speak even after she moved away without doing so. Jeyd had nothing to say, she didn¡¯t know what to say. The Chieftain moved through the crowd, ignoring their impatient stares.
Three hours of walking~ Jeyd arrived at her destination several hours later, having walked to the complete other side of Moss Village she arrived at her home. Simple like any other building in the city, only a bit larger and with a second floor. Jeyd stepped into the building which unlike the rest had a stone flooring, not dirt or sand and a wooden ceiling on the first floor only. She set her staff aside then grabbed a metal bottle from the table at the entrance, quickly chugging it down before dumping the rest into the pit fire at the centre of the room. The flames crackled and burst up briefly, before calming down to a higher flame than before. With bottle in hand she stepped to the side of the building, where a staircase taking underground lay. She descended the stairs lit by torchfire, a circular descent that took to another room carved out of stone like a hand-made cave. Jeyd moved to stand to the centre of the room, holding the bottle in one hand she took out a dagger with the other. Jeyd slowly and carefully cut open her left arm with which she held the bottle, opening a long mildly deep cut. She put the dagger away and closed her eyes to focus, when suddenly the blood oozing out of the cut began to flow out quicker, almost gushing out momentarily as it rose bent by her will and entered the bottle.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Jeyd raised her free hand over the wound once she had collected enough blood and spoke a chant ¡°Coagulate.¡± Suddenly the blood still oozing out of her wound solidified as if several minutes had passed. She sighed in relief then moved on, starting to move in a circle around the room as she willed the blood out of the bottle slowly and began to draw on the flat stone floor. Several tendrils of blood flowed out of the bottle as she walked, drawing several lines that intertwined like vines creating a ring of spiralling lines on the floor. Once the ring was complete she threw the bottle aside, empty it briefly rattled on the stone before coming to a still stop in the corner. Jeyd moved to stand in the centre of the circle of spiralling blood, still and straight as she closed her eyes and raised her hands to her head. She covered her ears and closed her eyes, speaking a chant ¡°Spirits of the fallen, Souls of the forgone, Wills of the dead and damned. Show me truth, Show me what is written, Show me destiny. Fate¡¯s sight!¡± The ring of blood around her began to glow a sinister red hue and tendrils of dark green energy began to ooze out. The tendrils were misty but ethereal, signs of the Spirit mana sub-type. They danced around, wriggling like serpents preparing to strike before altogether they did. Jeyd suddenly leaned back as the tendrils flowed into her forehead, first forcing their way in without doing physical damage but then as if being sucked in themselves. Images began to flow into Jeyd¡¯s mind, her expression grimacing and squinting as the magic drew out her strength causing severe pain. Jeyd saw the two suns of Chaoz disappear beneath a snow covered horizon, she watched as the world went dark before a moonless sky. Jeyd gazed up as the sky tore open, cut agape as if an invisible blade had slashed through a tender cloth. The tear spanned further and further, a complete circle around Chaoz it did before melding into the other end. The tear was bright, shining like the suns¡¯ light it blinded her. The light faded away as a different scene presented itself to Jeyd, she was suddenly surrounded by darkness, an empty place void of light. Yet she could see, through the darkness she could see it. Several dozen long furry tails, two long furry ears and a snout of dark fangs. It¡¯s eyes were a cold blue, it¡¯s size several hundred times larger than Jeyd. She gazed up at the massive black fox, it¡¯s blue eyes afire with black flames. Then she woke from her daze with a startled whimper, quickly moving to anger as she pulled at her own hair in frustration. This had happened before, she caught a glimpse of a single scene then only the black fox and nothing else. Before she could at least get three to four scenes but now this was all it allowed, it was all the black fox let her see as it blocked her sight. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± hummed in thought a cold voice from the room¡¯s shadows ¡°Have I arrived at a bad time? I can¡¯t exactly come later.¡± Jeyd immediately turned to the voice, wide eyed and surprised as she was met with Kyle¡¯s dispassionate expression ¡°You¡­¡±. Kyle smiled, a cold uncaring smile ¡°Time¡¯s up. I see your Warlords got tired of the wait, several thousand are moving on the nearest Ogre town. Is this your answer, Chieftain?¡± several hours had passed since the mercenaries first set foot into Moss Village, Jeyd¡¯s trip also had taken several more. So Kyle was now here, right on time for her answer. Jeyd grimaced as she stepped away from the Spirit Beast ¡°I need more time! The East and South won¡¯t listen easily! The North and West will not move without my say so!¡± she growled back. Kyle rolled his eyes ¡°So you¡¯re telling me you¡¯ve not only run out of time but out of uses?¡± he suddenly surged to stand in her face, his eyes glowing a cold blue ¡°I dislike wasted time.¡± Jeyd flinched and took several unconscious steps back ¡°No they will listen!¡± she quickly responded, panic clear in her tone ¡°They-¡± Kyle chuckled coldly, cutting her off ¡°Oh they will listen, to my voice as I pull the life out of them. You¡¯ve had your chance, I¡¯ve given you enough time. Now make your choice, will you stand and die with the rest or bend the knee and survive?¡± Jeyd made the mistake of looking into his eyes, a dazzling silver that glowed with a blue flame. She felt her insides grow frost, she knew exactly what this creature could do to her. Not just torture or a slow death, she knew Spirit Beasts could destroy or devour a being¡¯s soul. She knew he could end her very existence. She briefly glanced around the room, looking anywhere but his dreadful gaze. When she suddenly noticed the ring of blood¡­mostly dried up but, it didn¡¯t matter to a Hemomancer. Jeyd looked up and at Kyle once more, again feeling her chest grow colder. She thought she could kill him, end the fox and their problems were solved. She cursed herself for thinking like Vee but for once, she couldn¡¯t deny that he was right. Jeyd didn¡¯t believe she could hold her title as Chieftain if the horde split, less so if half the horde died under her watch. And there was no such thing as stepping down as Chieftain, only forcefully removed and replaced. Yet suddenly all those thoughts were frozen solid in their steps as a chilling laughter broke Jeyd out of her mind, she looked up to find Kyle mere inches away from her face. She looked into his cold eyes, hollow and empty. ¡°I can taste your bloodlust, Chieftain. I can see your greed, I can smell your temptation and hear¡­¡± Kyle raised his left hand to her throat as a tame Frostflame lit up in his palm making her whimper at the sudden chill ¡°your fear. How couldn¡¯t I? It is I after all, go on, attack me. You¡¯ve seen what I did to¡­Ah¡­whatever his name was again.¡± His smile widened ¡°Are you a gambler, Chieftain? Because you don¡¯t have much of a pokerface.¡± He suddenly surged back, now standing several feet away from a much paler Jeyd as he spoke ¡°So go on, continue processing that thought. Let us see where that takes you.¡± He turned around, giving her his back. Kyle waited, silently and motionless he waited. But Jeyd had lost all sight of her previous thought (¡°He knew¡­and he still gives me his back?...Just what¡­is this creature?¡±) Jeyd only wanted one thing, to get as far away from Kyle as quickly as possible. Her instincts told her to run, her better sense told her to run yet her fear deprived her the bodily control to do so. A long moment later, Kyle began to coldly chuckle ¡°How about you solve a problem for me then?¡± he asked while turning around to face her again ¡°You see I have this dilemma, if I kill the entire horde then that¡¯s soldiers off my side of the coming war. I could kill half but then, the other remaining half will hate the alliance and the empire. So same outcome.¡± Kyle sighed dramatically, then suddenly raised his finger as if an idea had popped into his mind ¡°But a third option suddenly comes to mind!¡± Slowly, painfully so he lowered his finger to point at Jeyd ¡°What if¡­Oh what if, you killed the other half?¡± Jeyd shuddered as Kyle¡¯s smile grew into a wicked grin ¡°Me?¡± she instinctively asked in confusion. He opened his arms wide ¡°But of course you, who will there be to blame if you do it yourselves? Alas it won¡¯t be just you, obviously I cannot have the horde destroy itself either! We will help you¡­somewhat.¡± Jeyd said nothing, afraid of cutting him off as he continued to speak ¡°Obviously you will gain from this too! Your race will continue to exist for one.¡± He briefly paused, letting that sink in ¡°Then¡­Ah I guess you stay as the Chieftain.¡± He chuckled ¡°If you can¡­Oh but you¡¯re Orcs, you fight each other all the time! How difficult can that be?¡± he asked, having to gesture for her to speak and raise his brows in question. Jeyd stared at the being standing in front of her, disbelief in her eyes ¡°Yes¡­we¡¯re Orcs. We fight, we argue and we fight some more!¡± she growled at him, seemingly his words having hit a vein inside her ¡°But that doesn¡¯t¡­that doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯d commit to warring ourselves! We¡¯re all a single people! We-¡± ¡°Ah ah ah, let me stop you right there.¡± Said Kyle, cutting her off ¡°You¡­wouldn¡¯t war yourselves? Oh how na?ve, it¡¯s almost adorable.¡± He stated mockingly, Jeyd looked at him in confusion added to her disbelief ¡°Oh you don¡¯t know? Oh of course you do not, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to control you for so long if you did know!¡± he exclaimed in amusement. Jeyd took the bait ¡°What¡­what do I not know?!¡± ¡°Oh not just you! Your entire race! Your people!¡± Kyle exclaimed ¡°Tell me, Chieftain. How in the hell would a muscle-headed race like yours ever think of joining up together as a single people? Why would so many different tribes, fall in line under a single culture?¡± ¡°Because¡­¡± Jeyd had no answer to his question, nobody did¡­nobody should have. The Hasharrians had been asking themselves the same question for generations. Why did the tribes merge? Why was Moss Village built? Why were the laws of conduct created? Why was there a single Chieftain reigning over the Warlords? Kyle smiled, satisfied with his contacts ¡°I know...or I should say I can speak with people that were once known. I know what you seek to know, I have the answers to every question your kind has ached to answer for several generations. I also know several other things your people would¡­greatly flourish with knowing.¡± Kyle watched as her eyes widened, he noticed her twitching fingers and pursing lips. Kyle sensed her lust for knowledge, he felt her thirst to know more. He played on it, carefully tying his strings to her ¡°This is my offer, Chieftain. Your race survives, your people get their oh so awaited Ragnarok. You retain your position and I will unleash all my knowledge to you.¡± Jeyd swallowed her saliva ¡°And in return you¡­you ask for half the lives of my people?¡± swallowing her pride with it. Kyle did not respond, he knew she knew the answer to at least that question. Jeyd stared him in the eye one more time (¡°So¡­here I stand, selling the souls of half a population to the Demonking himself.¡±) she bit her upper lip in frustration, he was offering her everything she wanted, everything she needed. A way out, a way to survive and retain her title. Alongside the truth behind her people, be it mistakes or honour that their past was made up of, Jeyd wanted to know either way. Jeyd clenched her fists, lowering her gaze as she now swallowed her morality and compassion ¡°I-¡± But suddenly Kyle cut her off once more ¡°Oh and one last thing, almost forgot from the excitement of new comradery!¡± he exclaimed sarcastically ¡°What you were doing earlier, I want a peak at that too.¡± Jeyd grimaced at his request ¡°It may not work, I¡¯ve been unable to go far in the past weeks.¡± She warned him. Kyle shrugged ¡°Work or not, I¡¯ll give it a shot.¡± He surged, now standing a few feet away from where she stood and forwarding his right hand to her ¡°So, do we have an agreement then?¡± Jeyd glanced at his clawed hand, then up at his emotionless smile ¡°Yes, we do.¡± She shook the hand, marking the lives of half her people as forfeit. Certain that, she had sold them to evil incarnate. Ch 113 - Odins Ber serkrs Hasharr, Plains of gold 2 hours later, late afternoon The moon was high up in the sky gleaming down on the golden fields of flat grassland, tall strong stalks of grass that reached a human¡¯s waist line reflecting the moonlight and causing the entire plains to glow a golden hue. A gentle wind blew through the fields as several thousand green-skinned warriors marched within, trampling the grass as they went and causing an echo of footsteps. With Vernus and Vee at the lead, followed by a contingent each. The Horde of Orcish warriors and Goblin rogues travelled in a single marching army. The Orcs walked, strong and restless warriors bred for battle. While the Goblins hitched rides, from nine to even twenty at once groups of Goblins rid over massive boar-like creatures. The boars -or WarHogs as they called them- were a massive average of thirty feet tall, forty feet long and twenty feet wide. Their pelt was thick and a dark grey while their fur was as golden as the grass that surrounded them, although tangled up together was as hard and tough as hard-leather. Their eyes were small and covered up by the fur, giving them extremely low visibility but their ears were large and flappy while their nostrils took over most of their face giving them excellent senses of hearing and smell. The WarHogs had a short leathery tail of no use, thick wide hooves with long claw-like fronts and long strong legs giving them the ability to even climb trees or walls if allowed to. Yet what mostly stood out of the lumbering beasts was their several feet long, thick and spread out tusks. Like a contingent of spearmen each WarHog had at least five sets of tusks protruding out of their jawline, entangling with each other at first the tusks then dangerously protruded forwards like spears. But it did not end there as every single one of the dozens of WarHogs the Goblins had tamed and bred wore leather strapped armor plating made of hammered iron. Over the armor and strapped over it were platform-like constructions where the Goblins would sit and shoot arrows from or where two to three Goblins operated a ballista, catapult or dangerously explosive magical construct of maniacal design. The Orcs were warriors through and through, yet the Goblins of Hasharr were several things including pyromaniacs, psychopaths and excellent recyclers¡­Nobody fucked with them. Vernus and the other Orcs were used to the Goblin¡¯s antics by now, ignoring their chattering as they marched towards their objective. It was already within sight, a large city of tall red walls of stone with graphite roofs. The city of the red giants, the Oni city of Akai bara, The Red Rose Fortress. Like a ruby it gleamed under the moonlight, its tall dark red walls of painted stone, its slanted roofs overhanging the walls under which guards patrolled. Akai Bara was located at the very heart of Hasharr, touching no sea but a river cutting through the south-west and north-east of Hasharr. Akai Bara was built on the riverside opposite of the Orcish lands standing as a first defense against an invasion from the south with a natural turbulent moat. A turbulence the Orcs were all too used to crossing, having spent several times raiding the Orge¡¯s countryside villages that also lay on the other side of the river. The WarHogs were also native to Hasharr, they were born to deal with its terrain and perils. Somewhat fast waters didn¡¯t stop the Horde. As they approached the river, the Goblin¡¯s chatter quieted down, the Orc¡¯s almost random cries of glory silenced as the thrill of the hunt sank into their bones. Prowling like predators they approached the rushing water, as directly on the other side of the river rose the tall red walls. The Orcs crouched as they prowled through the tall grass, the Goblins pulled up sheets of entangled grass over themselves and their constructs that lay over the golden furred WarHogs. Impossibly stealthily the horde reached the riverside. The water was turbulent but not very deep, not for an Orc or giant pig. Yet the river was wide, it would take them several seconds of charging to get through even at a full run. All the while the Horde expected the Oni¡¯s alarm to ring, they expected crossbows to rain hell down upon them. But they did not care, as they heaved chunks of makeshift metal and wood up onto their heads as shields each grinned madly as they awaited Vernus¡¯s warcry. And a cry roared out, but it wasn¡¯t Vernus causing confusion to run through both the random Orcs from Moss Village, the Goblin tribe and Vernus¡¯s own tribe. The Horde slowly turned to face the ever rising cries, roars and straight up shouts that came from behind them. Slowly rising from the grass to see several dozen meters behind them, the rest of the Horde had followed. The Tribe of blades and the Tribe of spears had chased after them, Tellin and Throk standing at the lead as their warriors roared out. A known Orcish warcry, not for raids, not for invasions or just any battle. It was one for duels, spread out through an entire tribe it was a challenge against another tribe. Vernus and the rest of the Horde recognized it well, turning to them, ignoring the alarmed guards on the other side of the river, ignoring the waking fortress city as they rose from the grass to face their challengers. Vernus pushed through his ranks, rushing through his men until he stood again at the head. The newly titled Warlord growled at the sound ¡°You dare challenge the Tribe of the Axe?!¡± he exclaimed viciously ¡°Spear! Blades! Who shall it be!? Who¡¯s blood will run through the river tonight!?¡± Vernus watched in surprise, as Jeyd and several other Shamans stepped through the second Horde¡¯s ranks and to the front. Jeyd spoke out in response right after revealing herself ¡°This is not a challenge from tribe to tribe, Vernus. You insult me, you insult our laws and way of life. Rushing to battle, gathering these traitors for you to lead. I am Chieftain! And this will not stand.¡± Vernus growled in annoyance ¡°You speak to much, Chief. Too much talk, no action.¡± His men grumbled in agreement, Vernus suddenly raised his voice in exclamation ¡°You speak empty promises, slyly spreading lies and fear all to keep your neck over your shoulders. You are no Chieftain! You are only¡­A cowardly shrimp.¡± He grinned widely at his own intelligence, having found the perfect insult in his mind. Jeyd¡¯s eyes widened as Vee face-palmed beside him ¡°Stupid gorilla.¡± The Hobgoblin mumbled out with a sigh. The Chieftain¡¯s hands clenched around her staff as her eyes filled with rage ¡°Sh-Shr-Shri¡­WHO YOU DARE CALL A SHRIMP!?¡± the wooden base of the staff creaked dangerously under her grip as mana sparked in a frenzy within her eyes. Both the two Warlords and her fellow Shamans stepped away as the grass surrounding Jeyd suddenly dried up, her rage given magical form as it expelled itself on her vicinity. ¡°Relax, Chieftain.¡± Suddenly echoed out a chilling voice as a blueish bird descended down onto Jeyd¡¯s shoulder, its feathers white-blue afire, its eyes, feet and beak pearly white. The voice came from the bird-Golem, lowering the temperature all around as it spoke in a calm and emotionless tone ¡°Simply do as I told, you will get your chance.¡± Jeyd chuckled ¡°Yes¡­Yes that¡¯s right.¡± She took a deep breath, seemingly calming down before glaring back at Vernus ¡°After tonight, nobody will question me again.¡± She glanced over at the bird, a wicked grin on her face ¡°Thank you mercenary, this will be swift.¡± Vernus heard nothing of what they said, being too far to hear their un-mana bound voices but he noticed as Jeyd calmed down and he noticed as she turned to glare back at him. Yet this time she wasn¡¯t angered, Jeyd was only amused. Jeyd chuckled, loud enough for even Vernus to hear now as she gestured for her four Shamans, each moving across the front line of Orcish warriors and standing at an average length away from each other. ¡±Tell me Vernus, you call me a coward and a liar. Yet what will you say when you face this?!¡± Jeyd suddenly exclaimed as she threw aside her staff and raised her arms up into the sky. Each Shaman did the same ¡°Begin the ritual! Do just and say just as I!¡± she ordered them and they did, every movement of her hands, every step she took, they copied to the T. It was nothing practiced, no such thing as hard work but the system going into play as mana flowed in, through and out of each Shaman as they connected with each other down to the soul. The Shamans moved as one, a slow and brutal dance as the drums of war behind them beat to their movements. Every step, every sudden movement was like a warrior and their blade, like a monk and their fists, like a hunter and their spear.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. As they quickly performed the movements of the ritual, in tandem with the movements they spoke as one ¡°His men and women rush forward without armour! As mad as dogs or wolves, bite your shields and unleash the strength of bears or wild oxen! Kill at a blow but let neither fire or iron tell upon you!¡± As the Shamans danced and chanted thick tendrils of misty red mana flowed through their surroundings, like serpents moving with sudden patterns joined with slow slithering. The tendrils flowed around the Orc¡¯s feet behind the Shamans who summoned them, slowly entangling around each one as the Orcs anxiously glanced about themselves. The chanting continued at a higher note ¡°Through his one eye he watches upon you, solemnly awaiting to see your fall of glory. So go, herd into the All Father¡¯s embrace my warriors! For like beasts you fight now, for predators you are now!¡± Jeyd now spoke alone as the dance savagely ended back where it started, as the mist of mana rose higher and higher till it reached over the Orcs covering them ¡°Wield your shields and spears! Destroy their frontlines my Ulfheoinn! Hamask!¡± suddenly to her left the mist thinned out as Throk and each of his western warriors took a deep breath, breathing in the ritual. In unison they howled as a wolvine aura engulfed their bodies. Jeyd continued her solo chant ¡°With thundering fists and weapons of all sorts lead the charge! My Svinfylking! Hamask!¡± To her right the rest of the mist dissipated away as Tellin and her northern barbarians breathed in the rest. And again in unison, they roared out as a boar-like aura engulfed their bodies. Jeyd spread her arms forward ¡°Go my warriors, go my True Ber serkrs!¡± a crazed smile from ear to ear.
Author: BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj2vU2nr5Jw
The earth trembled, the air blew like a sudden wind and the grass parted aside as the Horde of crazed Berserkers charged forwards. The Northern Orcs lead the way with their lighter equipment and much faster legs, charging head-on into awe-struck front lines before suddenly leaping over them and frenzying into the frey. The Western Orcs followed closely behind, spears raised and shields ready they clashed into the unprepared Horde. Blood spew out, heads toppled and limbs flew as the frenzied Orcs cut through the opposing Horde. Relentless, with speed and strength surpassing their past own they cut down a warrior with every strike. Blood filling their eyes, saliva foaming at their mouths and animalistic sounds sneaking through as the Berserkers shred their enemy apart. The battlefield spread out as the traitorous Horde moved away from one another, unable to tell friend from foe they distanced themselves from both. Yet the maddened warriors cared not for who was who, even hacking and lunging at each other if one made a wrong turn. Slow to realise they had stabbed their spear into their brother¡¯s shield. Screams of horror filled the plains turned red, whines of WarHogs as they were cut down shorter at the legs causing the massive beasts to fall like an avalanche onto anything in their path before the Goblins riding them were massacred like pests. Vernus was nowhere to be seen, either the first to be cut down or lost in the madness of battle. But Vee was clear to see for all as he swiftly leaped from WarHog to WarHog loosing his bow and with each arrow hitting their targets. Vee was no marksman but even if he hit them in the shoulders the Berserkers only shrugged it off, in the legs they kept moving on, in the arms they kept fighting on. Only the rare case of hitting them in the head they would stop dead, while in the chest or heart it would only slow them down. ¡°YOU COWARD!!¡± Bellowed Vernus as he pushed through the back of the Berserker Horde, splattered with wounds of blades, spears and trampling alike the Orc barely stood on his feet as he glared furiously at Jeyd ¡°FACE ME!¡±. Jeyd smirked, amused by his will power and stupidity ¡°As you wish, Warlord.¡± She raised her hands forth and closed her eyes as mana sparked all over her body ¡°Blood Valkyrie.¡± She chanted out. The air thinned out as suddenly every drop of blood on the battlefield rose up into the sky before forming up into a single funnel of deathly crimson. The Blood arched and then abruptly descended down, changing form, almost humanoid as arms wielding dozens of blades formed to the side. The bloody form fell upon the broken Vernus, each arm twisting and turning, each blade spinning into a slash felling the Orc into several slices of leather, metal, flesh and bone drowned in blood.
Akai Bara Thorn Palace High above, on top of the tallest palace-tower. Kyle watched from his perch high up on the tower¡¯s roof, having a nice view of the entire battlefield. He watched it all unfold, the mixed Northern Orcs leaping over the enemy¡¯s frontlines and crashing into their midst like crazed boars. He watched as the Western Orcs charged into the now confused and broken frontlines, rushing through the cracks and felling enemies as they went like a pack of wolves racing through a herd of sheep. ¡°Beautiful isn¡¯t it?¡± Kyle asked to his uninvited guests moments after they appeared behind him, having fully expected them to. Nix snorted as he glared down at the Spirit Beast, sitting at the edge of the roof with his back to them. Kyle didn¡¯t need to look back, he knew exactly how many and who was behind him. Each of the Champions stood on the roof with him and with them stood Karnage, coldly staring at his back. Kyle sighed at the silence ¡°So you¡¯ve finally put your mind to it, Mindy.¡± He decided to thaw the frost himself. ¡°Come quietly Kyle, you¡¯ve messed things up enough.¡± She told him with a bitter tone. Silence briefly fell yet again, only to be broken as Kyle laughed at her words ¡°Come¡­quietly? You mean to tell me you aren¡¯t here to kill me? Hah!¡± he laughed some more before standing up and turning to face them ¡°Pitiful fools the lot of you, then again¡­¡± he sighed prolongingly ¡°That is what I saw in you in the first place.¡± Before shrugging ¡°Oh well, can¡¯t say it wasn¡¯t fun though.¡± Nix was quickly losing his patience, he had vowed not to slay Kyle on the spot if Mellandy, if Karnage took them to him. He raised his staff aimed at the Fox ¡°Surrender Spirit demon, you¡¯re outnumbered and outmatched. Try to escape and I will kill you where you stand.¡± Kyle smirked ¡°No you won¡¯t, you still need me after all. Or are you so stupid as to think you can fix the tears in your beloved empire?¡± Nix flinched at his words, even he knew better than thinking he can repair the horrors he was tricked into creating. Kyle¡¯s smirk grew wider ¡°Of course you don¡¯t.¡± he then glanced at one of the other Champions, the sword wielder was staring in shocked awe at the crazed Berserkers below. Kyle chuckled in amusement ¡°Incredible aren¡¯t they? A racial magic that was lost in time, not forgotten but beaten out of their history. A history your kind shrouded.¡± The sword Champion looked up from the battlefield and at Kyle who smiled at him in amusement ¡°You lie¡­¡± Kyle bellowed with laughter ¡°Oh yes, I lie quite a lot but¡­that is fact.¡± ¡°You did this¡­¡± murmured Karnage as she also stared off at the battle, horrified by the scene. ¡°Me?¡± exclaimed Kyle, gesturing at himself as he dramatically looked hurt ¡°I only gave them the tools!¡± before his expression suddenly turned back to plain and cold ¡°They used them to spill blood.¡± Karnage turned to glare into his cold, hollow eyes ¡°You¡¯re sick, you¡¯re a sick person Kyle.¡± Kyle looked at her with a raised brow, momentarily after breaking out into a laugh ¡°Sick? Oh¡­Oh you¡¯ve barely begun to explain what I am there missy.¡± ¡°Drop the fucking act.¡± Karnage hissed at him, stomping forwards at which Nix defensively stepped forwards with her. Kyle raised a brow at her demeanour, as if unamused. It only angered her further ¡°Is this really what you want!?¡± she gestured at the carnage below ¡°Death and despair? Is this the plague you want to bring to this world? Is this what you fight for? Is this what¡­Is this what you¡¯ve become!?¡± Kyle smirked, not in amusement but a cold, bitter smirk ¡°With every step, with every damn step corruption, selfishness and greed stood in my way. With every turn, I found conflict, hatred and anger buried so deep in shit you can barely see what is going on.¡± His gaze fell ¡°We shovelled and shovelled away but they just keep shitting away, a never ending bad day. So what¡¯s wrong with this?¡± he suddenly looked up, eyes cold and bitter ¡°What is wrong with me saying enough? Why should I care for those who care not for others? Why should I care for the greedy and selfish bastards that rule?¡± The air thinned out as the temperature began to drastically drop ¡°Enough is enough, I¡¯ve gone through most of my life ignoring my surroundings, biting down on something as I willed through the fucking pain. I was weak, powerless before my puppeteer. That Kyle is no more, that weak pup died the moment he announced liberty from his captor.¡± Kyle grinned wickedly as he raised his arms open and wide ¡°I am not weak, not anymore. I have power beyond your damn imagination, all it takes¡­is style.¡± Kyle bowed as he shifted his weight and fell back then off the roof. Nix rushed to grab him only to find empty space where he thought the Spirit Beast would still be falling, stopping himself as the rift closed right in front of him. ¡°Cursed creature!¡± exclaimed Nix as he slammed his staff on the roof with frustration ¡°He¡­got away.¡± Karnage clenched her hands on the bottom of her shirt ¡°No¡­We can still follow.¡± She announced, anger clear in her tone ¡°He¡¯s not getting away, not this time! Not after this!¡± she exclaimed angrily, staring down at the blood bath before her ¡°We will stop him! Before any¡­before any more of this!¡±. She straightened herself and closed her eyes, focusing on her magic as suddenly lines of mana formed at her feet. The blue lines of glowing energy expanded suddenly into several patterns all forming within a single circle that spread out over the roof. Karnage took a deep breath then chanted ¡°Spatial Warp!¡± The patterned circle of mana that lay at their feet began to rise, dissipating their bodies as it did until nothing but itself remained before it also faded away.
Karnage opened her eyes to find herself inside a vast hall of ice, frost and snow. From the walls, floor and ceiling down to the pillars, paintings and d¨¦cor. Everything was made of either ice, frost or snow. ¡°What is¡­this place?¡± asked Nix as he glanced around the cool room. A wicked laughter caught their attention, turning each of their gazes onto Kyle as he stood at the very centre of the hall with arms spread wide ¡°Welcome, Champions of Durga. Welcome, Hero.¡± The room began to quake... ¡°Welcome to my Lair.¡± Ch 114 - Burn it black. Kyle stood before them, grinning from ear to ear and with arms wide open in greeting ¡°Welcome to my Lair!¡± he chuckled at their surprised expressions ¡°Oh did you really think I would not expect you to follow me?¡± laughing now as they turned baffled ¡°Oh please, I wanted you to follow me. The next few events must be played off flawlessly. I cannot have a bunch of party poopers such as yourselves strolling around free now can I?¡± The shield and mace wielding Champion stepped forward, stomping down his foot in frustration as he bellowed ¡°And you believe you can kill us? Here and now!? Boy you do not even know what we¡¯re capable of in combat!¡± ¡°Do I not?¡± Kyle asked, snorting right after in amusement ¡°Worry not, I won¡¯t be killing any of you. Not yet anyway¡­¡± he then gestured at the doorless hall around them ¡°I¡¯ll simply keep you here for the time being, until I have further use for you. Oh and don¡¯t even try to escape, the walls are cheap ice but surrounded by tears in reality. There will be no warping out of this room.¡± He glanced at Karnage ¡°Nor bashing through the walls.¡± He then glanced over the rest with a cold smile. ¡°You¡­had it all planned out?!¡± exclaimed Karnage in fury ¡°Everything!? You really think everything will go your way!?¡± Kyle¡¯s smile faltered into a hollow visage as he met her burning gaze of anger ¡°Yes, I did plan it all out¡­well with some help anyway. Can¡¯t forget to give him credit, he¡¯d never let me hear the end of it! And yes, everything WILL go our way because we will force it to.¡± His eyes grew wider as he spoke the next few words ¡°Be it kings or queens, angels or demons, Gods or Devils. Nothing will stand in our way, nothing can stop us.¡± He chuckled coldly, a wicked cackle to their ears ¡°We will bend over this world, to our will and needs. Struggle as it might, this is no damn holy quest anymore. This is a bloody inquisition against the entirety of Chaoz and we are the Inquisitors! Those who stand against us, might as well perish.¡± ¡°You¡¯re mad¡­¡± whispered a wide-eyed Karnage as she stared at him horrified ¡°You¡¯ve lost your mind!¡± Kyle only smiled, a warm friendly smile that surprised her ¡°Oh but you were fine with it all as long as you didn¡¯t know about the dirty work¡­¡± he coldly pointed out, before his smile warped back into a wicked sneer ¡°Me? Mad? That would insinuate that I have no clue or capability to control myself and my actions. No my dear, I am quite sane.¡± Karnage said no more as she stared at him, her emotions falling apart, her mind warring her heart. ¡°Now if can excuse me I must bid you farewell, else I might miss my cue. Worry not, the events that are about to transpire will be¡­shown here for you to partake.¡± said Kyle as the ceiling melted down before forming into a large screen, magic flared within its borders before suddenly the battlefield in front of Akai Bara began to play out within. Kyle bowed as he spoke his last words with a cold, maniacal voice ¡°Watch, as I light a fire so cold¡­that it shall bring on Chaoz¡¯s first ice age. Watch as I reform this world with fire and frost.¡± His form suddenly melted down into slime, dissipating into the icy floor before them. The sword Champion cleared his throat before asking ¡°So¡­did anybody bring a deck of cards?...¡± Nix elbowed him so hard he smashed through the wall on the left and then burst out of the opposite wall, revealing active rifts behind both before the walls regenerated back to brand new.
Hasharr, Plains of Gold before Akai Bara, Minutes later. Kyle stood again above the Thorn Palace of the Oni fortress city of Akai Bara, staring down at the dissipating battlefield below. Jeyd¡¯s Horde of Berserkers had shred through the opposing Orcs and their moral, who were now escaping through the river while their Goblin allies retreated away, over encumbering the remaining WarHogs as they rushed through the plains. The battle was over, all that remained was the still frenzying Berserkers chasing after the runners. This was the perfect moment for Kyle¡¯s planned entrance, not only were the Orc Warlords scattered and unguarded but the Oni were watching from their walls. He was also sure, even though he did not see or sense them. Elven spies were watching from afar. Kyle glanced over himself, still wearing the usual white cloth gear most casters of his level wore on Barik. He had decided it was time for a make-over, a villain should look the part after all. Opening his inventory Kyle changed his equipment to a dyed version of itself, the stats remained the same but the expression he now oozed was a dreadful evil. Black sleeveless and open-front robes that fell to his feet over a shirtless chest, strapped with dark-blue belts to which several small satchel-like pockets were attached to. The pants were just as black and baggy, both the pants and robes also had a design of blue flames rising from his feet, fading to black as they reached higher. He wore a pair of black leather gloves with openings on the finger-front for his claws, but went for enchanted black boots that would morph with his feet. Over his arms he had long black vambraces with dark-blue lines forming a design of rising blue flames filled with black. Buckled to the vambraces were three straps of long cloth each barely touching the ground, each strap of cloth ending in a thin blade into which a blue gem was embedded. Kyle grinned as he looked over himself, even his two white tails protruded out from under the robes perfectly. Yet one last touch was missing. ¡°Every set of gear requires a weapon¡­¡± Kyle mused as he summoned forth his Frostfire into a long blade held within both his hands, but he did not will it to change to his ancestral sword. Instead Kyle held the thought of the sword¡¯s existence, leaving the summoning frozen mid-way as it had been before he realised he could even summoned the sword. ¡°Time to give you a physical use, Behemoth.¡± He spoke to the creature to which he had contracted, as it¡¯s dark malevolent shadow grew out of the ground behind him yet again taking form of some random mixture of beasts. This time going for a tiger with a long scorpion tail and stinger, though if it was a tiger or a lioness Kyle couldn¡¯t tell as it was entirely made of darkness. Kyle had debated what to do with Behemoth before, the creature had the power of a Deity within the Spirit Realm but was nothing more than an apparition of darkness on the physical plane. So he figured, what if he gave the creature a physical form? He gazed into the blade of Frostfire, knowing now that the Spirit the magic was made of was no longer his own but somehow given to the soul that lived within the sword. If he truly concentrated and tried, Kyle could barely sense the soul¡¯s existence within the blade. It was a dim flicker of life, enslaved for who knows how long. ¡°I¡¯ll release you of your torture now.¡± He whispered to the blade which flickered momentarily in silent response. Kyle raised the blade up one-handed ¡°Take it Behemoth, swallow this poor being whole.¡± Behemoth flicked its serpentine tongue as it bared its beastly fangs, before suddenly bursting into a flow of shadow that rushed to surround the blade. The barely audible sound of a scream briefly reached Kyle¡¯s ears but was quickly cut short, as Behemoth devoured the soul entirely. ¡°Good, now take its place.¡± Kyle ordered the beast and it obeyed, its master¡¯s command undisputable. The contract Kyle had with Behemoth was a one-sided deal, companionship imbued with commanding Spirit causing the dark beast to become his slave. Yet at the same time the creature¡¯s bottomless hunger would ooze into his own mind, fuelling his own and effecting his mood. Kyle watched as the dark form merged with the flames, the white-blue Frostfire turning black-blue. As Kyle watched a thought suddenly flowed through his mind, he disregarded it, thinking it nothing more than a coincidence. Behemoth was the cause of a Nogitsune¡¯s existence after all, it was no surprise to Kyle that Void¡¯s flames looked exactly like Behemoth¡¯s power imbued with Spirit. ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± Behemoth chuckled ¡°That was delicious master! Ohh the pain and agony this soul endured! Such a sour yet sweet taste!¡± it passionately exclaimed. As Behemoth continued on about how tasty the soul was, a notification appeared before Kyle.
{Weapon} {Magical} {Soul bound} object [{K¨­ritsuku}] has been [Sacrificed] in the creation of a new {Magical} {Soul Bound} object! Picture the new object¡¯s form and speak out its name. The pictured form will decide the object¡¯s utility. The chosen name empowered by the bound soul will decide the object¡¯s power.
Kyle sighed, he didn¡¯t have the time to think up an appropriate name. The battlefield below was already decided, he couldn¡¯t waste time to think up a good name for his new tool. (¡°Worry not child, I have just the name.¡±) Said Ymir within Kyle¡¯s mind as Behemoth continued going on and on about his earlier snack. (¡°Much appreciated Ymir, what is this name?¡±) Kyle asked as he ignored the talkative spirit, only gazing into the flowing blade of black-blue fire. Grinning as Ymir whispered the word into his mind, then quickly explaining its meaning. (¡°Yes¡­Yes that will do perfectly, thank you.¡±) Ymir chuckled (¡°Think nothing of it, we cannot have your entrance ruined by timing.¡±) ¡°Then here goes, Behemoth take form. For I name you¡­Yokai.¡± Kyle spoke the name whilst picturing the shape, as suddenly the blade of black-blue fire lost shape and burst into his face. Yet he did not react, undisturbed he calmly lowered his arms. ¡°Oh! Ohoh! T-That tickles!¡± exclaimed Behemoth now Yokai as the black-blue flames spun around Kyle¡¯s face, before solidifying into a mask. With a fox¡¯s long snouted visage, the mask was furry black. It covered most of his face, starting at the forehead but abruptly ending above the mouth leaving his cold smile for all to see. The eye-holes were a perfect size, covering everything but Kyle¡¯s eyeballs with long blue feathers afire from black-blue flames around the eye-holes and mask¡¯s edges. To either side of the mask three long gleaming blue claws grew out and around his head, joining together at the back and seemingly keeping the mask in place.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. The top of the mask curved around his long furry white fox ears, as if part of his face but mismatched in colour to his own fur. On each curve around the ears two thin and long blue horns protruded out and into his snow-white hair, each horn bursting aflame with black-blue fire throughout their length. ¡°Last touch.¡± stated Kyle as he smiled widely, running his left hand over the mask¡¯s black fur Shapeshift.¡° he chanted the skill¡¯s name and suddenly both his ears, hair and tails turned to blue slime before turning back but changed. His snowy white ears, hair and two tails were now a pitch black with thin scattered blue hairs. Kyle opened his arms wide ¡°Perfect, now we¡¯re ready.¡± He announced before quickly reading through the notifications that had appeared on the mask¡¯s creation.
Title skill [{Tails}] sub-skill (Frostfire Blade) has been replaced with (Darkfire Mask)
[{Yokai}] Durability: X/X Protection: 0 {Identity Masking};
  • Nobody can see your true [Identify], only what you choose for them to see.
{Devouring Visage};
  • [Devour] can be used through the bound soul¡¯s power at a range of: 5 meters from caster¡¯s eyes.
{Darkfire};
  • Caster gains the ability to summon the dual element [{Darkfire}].
  • [{Darkfire}] is the joint affinity of [Fire] and [Dark] elements.
  • Mana cost: 20 per 1cm squared.
{Soul Bound}; Re-summonable {Unenchanted} No power-gem sockets Magically Untradeable
¡°Time for my entrance.¡± mused Kyle as he willed the notifications away, taking a few steps back before suddenly rushing forwards at full speed. As he leaped off the roof, Kyle surged forwards and soared through the night sky.
Author: Enter¡­The villain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2ZRoWQ0grU or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN0_dFti8Xc Listened to both half and half through writing xP
Darkfire bursting out from his mask Kyle soared over the city and river through surging at the right intervals before beginning his descent. Like a meteor of black-blue flames he fell down into the very middle of the battlefield, bursting out into an explosion of Darkfire that engulfed the retreating Orcs. Kyle rose from his kneeling landing, as Orcs rotted away all around him, their armour rusting away, their skin falling off and flesh turning to rot before everyone¡¯s eyes. Only skeletons wearing rusted armour remained laying around Kyle as he walked through the crater his landing created. Calmly and wearing a cold smile he glanced around the now silent riverside as all gazes, Orc, Goblin and Oni fell on him. He chuckled coldly, his Spirit filled voice reaching even the walled city ¡°Greatings, ladies and gentlemen. Giants, Orcs and Goblins.¡± He exclaimed for all to hear. Jeyd looked surprised, a forced effort on her part as she already knew he would come. She also knew and had agreed to what was about to occur. Yet still grimacing as some of the power-drunk Berserkers turned and charged straight at him, a total of nine frenzied Orcs. The ritual was slowly running out and the Orcs would fall on their faces dead-tired at any moment now but until then, they were unstoppable machines of mass-murder. Or at least that was the feeling that filled them. Kyle continued to smile as he watched the nine Orcs charge him, eyes maddened and mouths slobbering as they shouted bloody murder. He raised his right hand towards the left most Orc, still several meters away but closing in quickly ¡°Darkfire.¡± He chanted and suddenly his entire arm burst out a funnel of black-blue flames. With the feelings of hysteria, anger, fear, confusion and madness that filled the battlefield¡­Kyle¡¯s Spirit bar was overflowing. The flames engulfed the first Orc entirely before Kyle moved his arm in a short angle, engulfing the rest and others that stood in the way. As the flames passed over them the Orcs lost their footing and fell to the ground, their entire bodies rotting away as they continued to struggle and scream. Until finally and yet again, only rusted equipment and bones remained. Jeyd took a deep breath, it was her turn to continue as everyone else on the field was either crazed or too awe-struck. She turned towards the masked man ¡°And who in Odin¡¯s eye are you?¡± she viciously asked. Kyle lowered his arm, still ablaze with Darkfire and turned to face Jeyd ¡°Oh I¡¯m glad you ask.¡± He raised his left hand to his chest and angled his right, aflame arm away as he took a bow ¡°I am the last of my kind here on Chaoz, a race long ago brought to extinction by you Orcs, you Giants and the dreaded Elves.¡± He rose, straightening himself before the Horde, the watching Oni and the presumably watching Elves ¡°I am¡­¡± Kyle¡¯s eyes glowed a bright blue as his ears and tails exploded out into Darkfire ¡°The embodiment of vengeance.¡± He opened his left arm now too, both arms laying wide open in presentation ¡°My name is Yokai Soultail of the Fox clan, holder of the Darkfire. Last of the Spirit Beasts of the Crystal Kingdom of Kori.¡± He forwarded both of his hands forwards now ¡°As retribution for my people¡¯s demise. I bring the gift of death upon yours.¡± Suddenly and just in time as Kyle spoke the last words quicker than he first planned to, the entirety of Akai Bara¡¯s walls burst aflame. Darkfire had suddenly fell from the sky, surrounding a strange white sludge that splattered on the wall¡¯s roof. While soaring over the walls Kyle had created his maximum limit of golems with (Spirit) slime and imbued them to cast (Darkfire) once they collided with anything. And they did, and it looked spectacular as the walls corroded away to the flames. Oni screamed in agony and panic as their bodies rotted within their armour, as the roof fell upon their heads and floor crumbled beneath their feet. Kyle continued looking towards the Horde as it backed away from him, as they stared baffled at the crumbling walls of Akai Bara. He watched gleefully as the Horde slowly turned to face him again, their expressions now pale and dumbfounded as the ritual of power ran out of juice. He quickly scanned through the army of Orcs and Goblins, searching for three specific targets. And he found each one, sensing their Spirit. All three Warlords, the only three Jeyd had told of Kyle¡¯s existence as a Spirit Beast. Kyle went after the strongest one first, the only one of the three that wasn¡¯t exhausted as he did not partake in the ritual. Vee jumped back as Kyle suddenly surged straight towards him, eyes mad and lips curved into a wicked grin as Darkfire burst out of his arms. The Hobgoblin was fast, enough to evade both the twisters of flame. Quickly he nocked his bow and took aim but his expression quickly depressed as he saw no sign of Kyle anymore, before sensing movement to his right. The Hobgoblin glanced to his side just as Darkfire burst out of Kyle¡¯s hand and engulfed him. For long moments Kyle stood there with a maddened grin as black-blue flames breathed out of his right arm, enveloping Vee¡¯s position entirely before he abruptly ended the gushing attack. Revealing before him the skeletal remains of the late Warlord. Kyle chuckled as he glanced around ¡°Who¡­is¡­next?¡± his fanged grin wide. At those three words, the entire Horde turned tail and ran. Pride, glory and honour thrown entirely aside, they ran for their lives from the very nightmare told in tales of horror by the campfire. Yet most of them were too exhausted to actually run, stumbling away in their own footsteps as they pushed the very limits of their stamina. Drained by the ritual of power cast on them by the Shamans who pulled up their robes and ran much more quickly than them if not more frantically. Only three Orcs stood their ground, Jeyd who as Chieftain was not allowed to show her fear and the two Warlords who moved to her side. Both of them also looking pale and exhausted, both still afraid yet clutched tightly to their pride. Kyle turned towards the three, his eyes widening with his smile ¡°Found you¡­¡± he almost sang chillingly as he surged towards them. Appearing before Throk who raised his shield in surprise, his spear lagging closely behind as Kyle touched the shield¡¯s front. Darkfire burst out of Kyle¡¯s palm engulfing the wooden shield, it¡¯s materials unravelling before him as he raised his other palm towards the now defenceless Orc ¡°Two down.¡± He creepily counted before a single blast of concentrated Darkfire shot out of his palm. The ball of black-blue flame burst through the bare-chested Orc and dissipated as it exited out of his back leaving a quickly rotting hole where his organs once lay. Kyle stepped away as Tellin¡¯s blades slashed through where he once stood, as Throk¡¯s corpse fell back the other Orc had taken the opportunity to begin her attack. Tellin entered a combination of slashes, strikes, kicks and stabs. Like a flurry of blades each attack took to another, each one evaded as Kyle made use of [Quick Surge] to back off from each attack. Right up until he surged to the side and decided to try something new, making sure she was within range he stared right at her as he chanted ¡°Devouring Visage¡±. Suddenly Tellin stopped in her tracks as her eyes widened in horror, dropping both of her daggers the Warlord fell to her knees screaming in agony as Darkfire burst out of her body. Her skin boiled black before bursting like bubbles into explosions of black-blue flames, the rest melting off as the flesh below quickly rotted away. Jeyd only watched on horrified and disgusted at the sight of the two deaths, Throk living through and crawling with a wide open chest and back before falling dead and Tellin bursting into black flames as she screamed. She was sure she¡¯d have nightmares tonight. Unwillingly flinching even as Kyle turned to face her, Orc blood slowly dripping from his mask as his maddened eyes met hers ¡°Will you¡­be next?¡± he suddenly asked, causing her to step away in true fear. This wasn¡¯t part of the plan, he had caught her off-guard thinking he was actually going to kill her too. But Kyle only smirked as he turned away from her ¡°Found you too¡­¡± he announced having sensed his main audience. He surged away, leaping over the river as Darkfire trailed behind him. Kyle landed with taking a couple steps into the corroding rubble that was once a mighty wall of red stone. Smiling widely as he sensed them backing away now that their position was ruined. Kyle had destroyed the wall for several reasons, one of them being to give them ¡®cover¡¯ as a bait to step into his sense¡¯s range. And now he was too close, to let them get away empty handed. Knowing exactly within which shadow they hid in, Kyle lunged at the pile of rubble. His arms bursting afire as he swatted the rubble aside, revealing the three shrouded Elves that snuck behind it. ¡°Caught you with your pants down.¡± Joked Kyle as he approached the surprised Elves. Each Elf turned to run but Kyle had already raised both his arms, funnelling his flames onto two of them before they could turn tail. The third didn¡¯t turn back, even as he heard his comrade¡¯s screams of agony he ran. Through the streets and side streets of the giant city he ran, taking every turn he could without changing direction he tried his best to escape. Until finally, out of breath and mana he barged into an over-sized door. Pulling aside the curtains behind the door he rushed into the single room within, candles lighting the entire room he was met with four familiar faces. Another four Elves, three wearing dark leather same as him and one a mage¡¯s greenish cloth robes. The four Elves turned to their panicked companion, but before a single word could be said the escapee¡¯s expression drained of all colour as he saw Kyle appear behind them. ¡°Hope you don¡¯t mind if I make myself at home?¡± sneered Kyle, causing each Elf to flinch and turn towards him ¡°Devouring Visage¡± chanted Kyle as he stared at the mage, raised his right hand towards the two at the table and his left at the one reaching for his bow in the corner. The surviving Elf watched paralyzed by fear as the mage burst aflame like Tellin had, as the other three were engulfed by Darkfire like Vee had. Kyle approached the last Elf, as the four lay as rotten skeletons behind him. He stepped close, his mask mere inches away from the Elf¡¯s face. His glowing blue eyes fixed staring into the Elf¡¯s shaking browns. Kyle spoke in a cold whisper ¡°I have a message for your employers, Alf.¡± Kyle even used the Elves¡¯ ancient name as Durin had suggested. The Elf could only whimper in question, hypnotised with horror as he stared back into Kyle¡¯s eyes. ¡°First was the Champions, second will be the Frost Court, third will be the Night Court then fourth will be the Forest Court. Until lastly will come the Elders.¡± Whispered Kyle in a dreadfully furious tone that made the Elf wish for death ¡°From your leadership and down to the very last of your kind, I will bring upon you the very extinction you brought over my people. I will be merciless, I will be unstoppable. All Alfs will die.¡± Kyle suddenly backed away and tapped the Elf¡¯s left cheek with his palm twice ¡°Be a dear and tell them for me won¡¯t you?¡± he asked with a wicked smile, before quick surging his right fist into the Elf¡¯s face. The Elf flew back, flipping over twice before coming to a stop at the door. Brought unconscious from the sudden Spirit imbued punch. ¡°Hm, hope that was held-back enough not to put him in a coma. Oh well, the other group got away as planned so it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Kyle mused as he pushed open the door and stepped over the Elf, walking out of the over-sized building and into the over-sized streets. He glanced around seeing and sensing nobody out of place or watching him ¡°Guess I¡¯ll burn down a few random buildings too.¡± And like so, the name Yokai spread through Chaoz like Darkfire through an Oni city... Ch 115 - Forgotten and hidden history Il¡¯Tel Wyrm Depths City of Iron Ice Royal Court of Frost The next morning The Tundra Elf was ushered through a large doorway and into a hall of gleaming iron, two Elven guards on either side of the fidgety Elf as he mumbled to himself. Before he even knew it, they had reached the spiky throne of iron at the end of the hall. Suddenly held back by the two guards as he almost kept going. ¡°This?¡± asked a rough male voice ¡°This is your eye witness?!¡± it then bellowed causing the terrified Elf to glance up and see the massive light-blue Drake laying calmly asleep behind a spiky throne of iron with the design of snowflakes merging into each other all over. Standing in front of the throne and glaring down at him was a well dressed male Elf, pale-skin for his Tundra linage, muscular build and a long light-blue beard but bald head and two gleaming white eyes. ¡°Your highness, this is indeed the agent. He¡¯s a bit shaky, but I¡¯m sure we can get him to spit it out.¡± Calmly spoke another well-dressed Tundra Elf, young and taller than most with light brown hair, moustache and green eyes. The man spoke with wisdom beyond the age he seemed, his expression emotionless and eyes hollow as well. ¡°Then get him to speak Lex!¡± Spat out the king as he turned and sat on his throne, impatiently awaiting his orders to be dealt with. Lex bowed respectfully ¡°As you order.¡± And then suddenly turned to the agent, grabbing the trembling Elf by the shoulders and turning him to look into his eyes ¡°Look at me mate.¡± Lex spoke with mana infusing his voice ¡°Everything is alright now, you¡¯re home, you¡¯re safe¡­¡± His tone was calm, his voice soothing ¡±You¡¯re before King Freiz Oswold the third.¡± He then turned the Elf back to facing the throne. The Elven spy now surprisingly calm, looked up at King Freiz. He immediately kneeled, going completely still. Freiz gestured for Lex to continue, and Lex did as he began slowly walking around the kneeling Elf ¡°Good you¡¯re calm, now please be so kind to repeat what you told the commissioner. What happened on your post of watching Akai Bara yesterday afternoon between eight and eleven? Please skip the nuances.¡± He asked while continuing to circle the Elf. ¡°It¡­it was three of us on duty that night. The other four were off-duty at the hide-out.¡± The Elf began his report anew, much more calmly than he had hours before ¡°We caught wind of an unnaturally large Orc raiding party heading towards us, several times so. We counted as they approached the river, it was almost half the entire Horde and most of their warriors. They snuck closer to the wall as usual before starting their raids, using the foliage to their advantage.¡± The Elf briefly glanced up, seeing Freiz quickly losing his patience ¡°Ah¡­Before the attack began the rest of their warriors appeared, calling out in challenge to the first group. And¡­that¡¯s where a strange wide area spell was cast over the second group by their Shaman class warriors. The¡­fight began.¡± The Elf¡¯s fingers had begun to tremble anew ¡°The second Horde was¡­nothing like before. They weren¡¯t just barbaric or bloodthirsty as the rest¡­they¡­they were animalistic almost. They looked¡­possessed by demons.¡± Freiz sighed out, pausing the Elf¡¯s report as he spoke ¡°This coincides with the group tasked to watch Moss¡­But what I want to know is what happened AFTER!¡± the King bellowed, leaning over his throne as he glared down at the agent. Lex cleared his throat as Freiz leaned back into his throne ¡°Yes please, tell us what occurred as the battle subsided and after.¡± He calmly asked. The agent nodded, strangely calmer again ¡°As the battle came to an end¡­a cloaked figure crashed down from the sky. Black and blue clothing with black hair, two black tails and ears of fur and¡­a black Fox¡¯s mask.¡± Freiz leaned over his throne again, this time in interest ¡°What¡­what did it say?¡± But the agent had begun to shake and tremble once more, as he spouted out the next words ¡°It¡­it was a creature of the abyss given flesh¡­summoning black flames that rot all manner of life¡­It killed dozens of Orcs before burning their leaders in the same way¡­alive and screaming as their skin melted away¡­¡± Lex grabbed the Elf¡¯s left shoulder ¡°Calm now¡­everything is al-¡± But the agent was far gone as he rose to his feet and slapped Lex¡¯s hand away, shouting now as he spoke with wide fearful eyes ¡°It chased me! I ran and ran as I listened to their screams! I pulled every trick! Every corner! Every turn! But it found me!¡± the guards were about to move and stop the Elf from stepping closer to the throne but Freiz raised his hand stopping them. ¡°It¡­it found us! Burning them alive, charring them into rotten flesh and bone! It¡¯s black flames devouring even stone and metal!¡± the Elf continued to rant, his sanity quickly slipping away as he chuckled ¡°I¡­I looked into its eyes¡­Silver glowing blue like the winter nights¡­Its smile¡­amused by their pain! Amused by my fear!¡± the agent was about to fell to his knees but Freiz rushed down and grabbed him by the collar, raising him back up. ¡°Tell me damnit! Who?! Who is it?¡± Freiz demanded as he glared anxiously into the Elf¡¯s trembling eyes ¡°What did they call themselves!? You were closer! You heard it clearly?!¡±. The Elf smiled, maddened by his fear ¡°Y-Yes¡­He¡­He called himself the embodiment of vengeance¡­Y-Yokai Soult-tail! Holder o-of the Darkfire! Last of the Spirit Beasts of the Crystal Kingdom of Kori!¡± the Elf exclaimed out loud, laughing maniacally right after even as Freiz threw him back. The King stepped away from the saneless Elf, his own expression filling with dread as he stared down at the broken man ¡°I-Impossible¡­they¡­we¡­we killed th-¡± But his ranting was cut off as the Elf continued his own, kneeling on the cold iron floor as he held his head, chuckling in between each phrase ¡°He¡­He has a message for you! F-first was the Champions! S-second will be the Frost Court! Third the Night and fourth the Forest! Last the Elders!¡± he exclaimed in an almost hushed voice ¡°F-from our leaders...and down to the very last one of us¡­he will bring upon us the very extinction we brought over his own people! He will be merciless! Unstoppable! We will all die! We will all die!¡± before suddenly entering a fit of shouting as he continued to repeat the last three phrases like a broken record. Freiz looked appalled and terrified as he stepped away from the madman ¡°T-take him away!¡± he ordered his guards, and they did but even as they did the man did not stop. He continued to repeat, louder and louder ¡°H-He will be merciless! Unstoppable! We w-will all die! All die!¡± his voice resounding through the hall even as the guards took him outside and closed the doors. Lex sighed as he glanced up at Freiz ¡°Well they did a number on him¡­¡± seeing the worried expression over his lord, Lex frowned ¡°Your majesty, you don¡¯t believe the ravings of a madman do you? There is no way-¡± Freiz raised his right hand up, silencing Lex ¡°Shut it Minister.¡± He said rudely, before turning to stare at the throne ¡°You weren¡¯t there young one, you weren¡¯t even born yet. You don¡¯t know the horrors those creatures are capable of¡­If you think stepping alone into a nest of Wyverns is suicide then¡­I guess me and my brothers were all mad that one night.¡± Lex tensed as he listened closely ¡°The night that need not be remembered.¡± He said, before repeating the words in their ancient language or as it was more so known as ¡°Rubrum nocte, The red night¡­¡± as Minister of Defence, Lex Velxion knew many things but even he knew not how that night had gone down. The night young prince Freiz had lost all three of his brothers, the night the Elven Empire had desecrated Chaoz¡¯s laws and brought another race to extinction. Freiz sighed ¡°Everyone knows I and two others of the four hundred were the only survivors of that night.¡± (¡°And the other two took their own lives mere years after¡­¡±) Lex thought as he kept silent now, as Freiz remembered that one dreadful night of his long life. Something he never told anyone, a tale he would have much left forgotten in time. ¡°Alas, my demons come to haunt me yet again.¡± Freiz mumbled to himself. ¡°Your majesty, you were only fourth in line. Your father¡­they are his demons to bear not yours.¡± Lex argued, knowing at least that King Freiz Oswold the second was the one who ordered the mass genocide of Kori. Freiz chuckled coldly ¡°But I was one of those who went through with it. And I¡­am the last who truly remembers it all¡­Four hundred of the very best killers in the Empire, forwarded from all three Courts. It was supposed to be perfect, not sound, not a breath was to be made as like phantoms through the night we slipped through their undefended gates and into their homes¡­Men and Women¡­Elderly and children¡­We slit all their throats.¡± ¡°See? Then this must be an imposter!¡± Lex argued ¡°How can there be a survivor if they were all killed off?¡± Freiz turned to face his Minister ¡°Traces of the banishment ritual were found within the Crystal Kingdom. Recent traces, someone for some reason was banished to the mana-less plane. Escaped from the killings.¡± Lex¡¯s eyes widened in surprise ¡°But if¡­if some survived then why? Why were the four hundred punished by the Avatar for breaking Chaoz¡¯s laws?! Surely a being as strict as the Avatar wouldn¡¯t¡­¡± Freiz glanced away as he sighed ¡°Minisiter, there was no punishment. Not by the Avatar at least¡­¡± ¡°My lord¡­what are you saying sir? Who¡­what sort of disaster could kill off three hundred and ninety seven of the finest warriors the Empire had ever seen?¡± Lex asked, baffled at the proposition. Freiz smiled coldly as he glanced down at his own open palms ¡°We fools drunk on our power and skill thought the Avatar¡¯s laws were nothing but fantasy. So it sounded like the perfect lie, to cover up for my own failure. That night, each of the four hundred was tasked with a kill. So was I, like everyone else. But just as my brothers I wished to prove myself better¡­My tasked kill was a young woman, seemingly no difference between her and a human but a short furry tail. I was supposed to kill only her that night, but I couldn¡¯t help myself but seek further glory.¡± Freiz¡¯s hands turned to fists as he clenched them so hard his pale skin turned a shade of purple ¡°There were two inside the building, one was the woman I was tasked with and the other was a mere child. The child was my partner¡¯s kill but I, being a prince ordered the man to walk away. To leave them both to me¡­¡± his expression turning impossibly paler as he continued to tell ¡°Like a ghost in the night I snuck into their home, making not a sound as I appeared before her bedside. A serene smile on her face as I dragged my blade through her throat.¡± Lex¡¯s eyes were wide as he stared up at the old Elf, retelling his nightmares. ¡°Then I heard footsteps behind me¡­turning around to see the young boy staring at me in the dimly lit room. Nothing but a child, maybe seven¡­maybe eight by their years. A short brown tail and small stubby horns soon to grow into antlers over his forehead. It was but a mere child¡­Yet his screams brought me down to my knees, his blood red glowing eyes full of power gazing into my own terrified stare. Nothing but a mere child¡­¡± his tone turning bitter as Freiz closed his eyes remembering that moment ¡°Yet he controlled the wind as if second nature, culling us all like flowers. A storm passing through a meadow¡­¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Freiz opened his eyes, full of fear as he gazed back at Lex ¡°Nothing but a mere child, single handedly killed three hundred and ninety seven of the Empire¡¯s finest warriors my brothers included. All within a night¡­If the boy had been trained in combat, not even I would of survived. The only reason I had, was because the boy bled out from the injuries he caused to himself.¡± Freiz approached Lex and grabbed him by the collar ¡°So don¡¯t come talking to me about imposters or who¡¯s demons these are, get out there and do your damn job Minister.¡± The King let go of the Minister of defence¡¯s collar and fixed his jacked ¡°Monsters are coming for us Minister, not soldiers or warriors. But rabid beasts.¡±
Hasharr Moss Village In the meantime Kyle stepped through the village¡¯s entrance alone, his mask and outfit changed back to his normal mage robes and cloak. He did not want anybody other than Jeyd, the Elders, his guild and of course the ¡®Heroes¡¯ to know that Kyle and Yokai were the same person. Although if he found someone to replace Jeyd, he would do better without the Orc Chieftain knowing. He simply strolled in, eyes glowing coldly as an aura of frost emanated from him. He glanced about, warriors stitching their wounds and sitting around all over. The Horde even after some hours of rest were still utterly exhausted. Defenceless as they lay about. Yet they still glared at him as the seemingly sole Halfbeast strolled into their village alone, Kyle hoped for their own sakes he wouldn¡¯t have to waste time today. But none of the Orcs seemed to have the stamina to mess with him, no matter how much they glared or growled each were just too pooped to even stand and walk. Kyle walked for several minutes before reaching Jeyd¡¯s Chieftain hut, he had walked through the village instead of asking Lilior to fly him over to assert just how badly the ¡®Side Effects¡¯ Ymir spoke about would be on the Orc¡¯s bodies after their frenzy. The drain on their bodies seemed more significant than how Ymir put it, but Kyle left that up in the air. He walked up to the door casually and knocked, as several continued to gaze and glare in his direction. Right after knocking he heard a roar from within the hut ¡°How many times must I tell you! No I do not have anything for the tired-¡± Jeyd opened the door right then, her expression paling severely as she immediately stopped speaking once faced with Kyle¡¯s glowing eyes. ¡°Not¡­who you expected?¡± Kyle asked with a raised brow ¡°I¡¯ve come to collect on the other side of the deal, as well as tell you the rest. As I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been dying to know.¡± He had indeed only told Jeyd of the ritual and that one Shamanic summoning spell she used to tear Verlak asunder. Jeyd only nodded silently, stepping out of the way as her expression remained frozen with wide eyes and a half open mouth. Kyle sighed as he stepped inside ¡°Well what you waiting for? Grab a piece of parchment or something!¡± he exclaimed once inside, making his way to the table in the corner ¡°And shut the damn door.¡± Jeyd flinched as he briefly raised his voice, accidentally slamming the door closed in a panic before rushing to the side and grabbing several scrolls of yellow parchment. She stumbled down to sit opposite of him, unrolling scroll over scroll before pulling out a long thick stick of charcoal ending into a point on one end. Laying the charcoal over the paper like a pen she glanced up and quietly waited for him to begin, trilled to archive yet terrified of offending the monster that sat across. Kyle began to tell what Ymir had passed to him about the Orc race. ¡°The Orcs before they forgot their history were a Shamanic and Druidic society who unlike Humans who stole from nature or Elves who dominated it, the Orcs lived alongside it dealing with the downsides and flourishing from the perks. Unlike the Fae the Orcs could not spiritually meld with nature, yet they could will their own grown plants to move under their command. These were called Druids. The Orcs were also highly spiritual, yet unlike the Spirit Beasts and Halfbeasts they had strangled connections with their ancestors and no connection with the Spirit realm through mana. So instead of trying to produce Spirit through sheer will power they delved into the art of Hemomancy, Blood magic. These were classed and subclassed as Shamans and Hemomancers. Just as you but far more efficient.¡± Jeyd frowned at that part. But Kyle continued on ¡°The warrior side of the Orc race was always present but unlike the unruly Horde of today Orcs in the past were not raiders or expansionists but highly territorial nonetheless. They had set borders they would not step outside of, but any that stepped in without being allowed in was killed on sight. Orcs of today are warriors, barbarians and scavengers. In the past they were hunters, trappers and beast tamers. Alchemists, Sorcerers of nature and summoners of ancient spirits. It was common to see Orc civilizations living alongside packs of animals mostly including Wolves, Lions, Gorillas, Elephants and some Giant Eagle roosts. Much rarer but known were Trolls, Nagas, Wyverns and the rarest of all, Phoenixes.¡± Jeyd glanced up from writing, quietly asking ¡°What is¡­a Phoenix?¡± Kyle wasn¡¯t entirely surprised by her question, Ymir did say there were hunted down to extinction by the Aurei ¡°Magical beast birds of prey, literally made of a specific element which dictated their race. Common Phoenixes were fire-based but there were Ice and Lightning based each called Cryophoenixes and Electrophoenixes separately.¡± Jeyd scribbled down something, Kyle glanced down at the parchment but he had no clue what the hell she was even writing. The Orcish language was nothing like English or any other similar language but also neither rune based like Elvin and Mer. To Kyle, Jeyd was trying to draw something but not even his wildest imagination could determine what. When she was done with her scribble, he continued ¡°The Orcs overall were once peaceful, but¡­Everything changed when the Halfbeasts attacked.¡± Jeyd¡¯s attention multiplied by million as she stared at him while still somehow scribbling down notes. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know at least this much, the Savannah war. You¡­do know this much right?¡± asked Kyle, growing tired of the history lesson. ¡°Uh¡­No, no records were made of the time other than what was passed down through speech¡­¡± said Jeyd awkwardly. Kyle sighed ¡°Fine¡­The Savannah war, when the Halfbeasts of the Hasharrian Dynasty decided to expand their territory into Ogre and Orc territory. Well, neither of the races were much amused and at the same time the Elves were rebelling against the Human Dominion. This was long after the Devils and Demons of Tempres were banished to another realm. The Elves were having little success with freeing themselves of Human rule while the Orcs and Ogres were quickly being pushed out of their territory by the Halfbeast warbands. But there was a tactical advantage for both of these lesser kingdoms, the Orcs and Ogres were to the north of Hasharr and the Elven Courts controlled the West of Il¡¯tel -Or Tera as it was once called-. So these three races could very easily interact with each other once the Elves decided to go naval. It was controversial but also innovative at the time, the ships the Elves made were nothing like the Human dominion or Halfbeast dynasty had ever seen. They could bombard shores and river cities easily but the core Human establishments were far from their reach. The Human land military was also still far and beyond the Elves¡¯. So the Elves did what nobody expected them to do, they abandoned Il¡¯tel and retreated to Hasharr through the sea. Joining forces first with the Orcs before getting the Ogres to side with them also. Il¡¯tel was temporary lost but Hasharr was very easily won. With the Elves ruling the Hasharrian shores and many rivers, the Orcs and Ogres in unison raided Halfbeast kingdoms destroying them over several years before finally reaching the capital. Two cities in one the capital was enormous, with the Halfbeasts living behind the first wall and taking up most of the space, at the very centre was where the SpiritBeasts lived in their Crystal Kingdom, Kori. Three months of sieging the city later by the Ogres, and several days of fighting within the walls by the Orcs and Elves. The Halfbeasts saw the end of their Dynasty, surrendering and begging for mercy before being banished to the dead land that was Barik. And when the Ogres and Orcs reached Kori, they found an empty ghost city. The Elven assassins had already killed them all. Right after, the Elves formed the Elven Empire and began their quest to destroy the Human Dominion. Aided by both Ogre and Orc. The Dominion fell after several dozen years of war, surrendering at their last breaths then also being banished to Barik. You must know the rest from there.¡± Said Kyle as he finished telling the lore. Jeyd sat up straight as she put down her make-shift pen ¡°Yes, we do. Broken, scattered and mere spots of our past numbers we did not know what to do. Our homes were crushed, our people starving and alone. The Elves basically ruled over us then, the Ogres having long separated themselves from our ¡®Alliance¡¯. Then he came to us, in human form with his one eye and black pet crow. Odin the All-father showed us the way, how to survive through scavenging ruins. How to build buildings without the support of trees. How to raid, pillage and plunder Ogre settlements.¡± Kyle sighed ¡°And the Horde was born.¡± Jeyd nodded ¡°Yes, indeed. We¡¯ve only had an inkling of what we once were, almost a century of war having all but blinded us all. All we had were stories of warriors riding monsters in the sky, raiders striding through the southern jungles with packs of wolves hunting by their sides. I never thought we had such classes as Druids and whatever this Alchemy is. So much we have lost, so little do we know.¡± Kyle frowned as he watched the Orc clench the last parchment of empty paper, having filled each of the rest. He had only given her the bare minimum Ymir was assed to tell him, the God showing little interest in telling the history of his foe¡¯s adopted children. But there was nothing else he could do, pestering Ymir more would bring little results and he doubted the late Orcs within the Spirit Realm would show him much of hospitality. He wasn¡¯t fond of the last time he stumbled into one while making his way around Hasharr. Also he could only take other SpiritBeasts into the Spirit Realm, Karnage being an exception due to her High Elf race and Lilior being his contracted companion. But he had given her something, now it was his turn to receive. Standing up from the chair Kyle turned towards the staircase ¡°Well? I believe it is your turn now.¡± Said Kyle as he gestured towards the descent. Jyed followed his eyes and nodded ¡°Yes¡­but I warn you, we may see very little.¡± Kyle smirked ¡°Something tells me that very little is exactly what I want to see.¡± He had sensed it before, the first time he had stepped into this house and watched the Shaman interact with the Veil to look into the future. Kyle knew well what she was doing, he also knew exactly what had stopped her. But as he descended the steps he wasn¡¯t afraid, yet he trembled in anticipation. Grinding his teeth as they stood within the circle of dry blood which still remained since last time, fidgeting with his robe as the Shaman began the ritual. ¡°Spirits of the fallen, Souls of the forgone, Wills of the dead and damned. Show me truth, Show me what is written, Show me destiny. Fate¡¯s sight!¡± Jeyd chanted the words, the circle glowed as the tendrils of magic slithered up. ¡°Are you sure you want this? Everyone sees something different, it may only show you one scene before being blocked but it may be something you do not want to see.¡± She asked him, now opening her eyes from concentrating on the spell. Jeyd flinched, almost dropping the spell entirely as she saw the cold murderous eyes that stared back at her. The room had been filled with her ritual, yet the sheer amount of sickening Spirit Kyle was emitting overpowered even that. It made her stomach churn and bones cold, an aura of so much hate that she could see the walls and corners growing frost. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Responded Kyle, unable to hold back his Spirit as it even permeated his voice. Jeyd was only able to nod, as suddenly the tendrils lunged at Kyle¡¯s face.
Author: On repeat, the entire day¡­as I thought of how this scene would go xD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc6wmGW9U_w
Kyle opened his eyes to see a black tear in reality dragging through the sky, he saw Hasharr covered by war as blurred warriors fought blurred enemies. He watched as two shadowy clawed arms, gigantic by measure to the world they flowed out of the massive rift in the sky and grasped its sides before starting to pull the rift wider. The scene suddenly disappeared as Kyle found himself standing in utter darkness, an emptiness of black yet he could still see the dark furred fox glaring down at him from ahead. ¡°Well¡­ain¡¯t this unexpected?¡± mused Void as it growled down at Kyle. Kyle chuckled coldly ¡°Yeah as if, you knew I¡¯d come.¡± He said, obviously holding himself back as his tone and voice only oozed hints of the hatred he currently felt. Void smiled wickedly ¡°But of course I did you fool! Why would I allow you, of all that I am blocking, to see through the Veil?¡± ¡°Truly what¡¯s even the point anymore? You¡¯ve lost, Scythe is dead and your army has nobody to bring you here.¡± Kyle lied, he knew they must have still had someone but he wanted to at least confirm just how much time they had left. Void suddenly grew ten times in size as it sneered ¡°You think you can squeeze answers out of me with this foolery?¡± it laughed, a disgusting cackle ¡°You think you know it all, but child you know nothing at all!¡± It stomped forwards, its black flames suddenly engulfing Kyle¡¯s form ¡°Chaoz!- No everything! Reality itself will bow before me! The being which calls itself the Avatar will fall! Little by little I will devour everything that was, is and will be! I will recreate it all! I will become the Avatar!¡± Kyle had disappeared within the flames, a constant torrent of black until suddenly¡­ The black flames burst apart as blue fire quickly grew to push it back, black, white and blue the new flame was in a frenzy of movement as it flowed and flowed. And at its very centre was Kyle, eyes afire as he glared up at Void with a crazed grin and wide insane eyes ¡°Then I¡¯ll just have to stop you. Chaoz will be ready, this is no longer a battle between me and you over my mind and body! This is a war for everything!¡± Void laughed some more, it¡¯s mouth wide open as it stared down at Kyle in hysteria ¡°You?! Stop me?! Now wouldn¡¯t that be ironic! Why fool, do you think I chose Chaoz to be the stage for my grand entrance?! A world plagued by war! Covered in hatred, anger and anguish! Full of pain, loss and fear! You will never accomplish the quest! Even as you reach the end I can see them all falling apart again!¡± Kyle¡¯s entire expression toppled, from insane to completely maddened as his fury was mirrored through his agitated flames ¡°Then I¡¯ll carry it all over my own fucking back! All their hatred and anger! All their pain and fear! I¡¯ll gather it all! I¡¯ll greedily keep it all! No matter the means or ends! You prepared me for this you senile fool, you made me who and what I am so in turn I will destroy everything you are!¡± Kyle¡¯s blue flames suddenly expanded, completely matching Void¡¯s black ¡°You say I know nothing!? Maybe I do not but you¡­For so long you¡¯ve tormented me¡­For so damn long you¡¯ve tortured me! Be it you or me, by the end of this¡­On this I promise you Void! We will meet again, this time in the flesh and I!-One of us¡­¡± The scene began to crack, as if reality was shattering whilst Kyle¡¯s voice suddenly roared out ¡°Void! This time I¡¯m ripping your very existence asunder!¡± and behind the sound of those words, the surrounding battle of flames shattered and the scene fell apart. Ch 116 - States of fear~ Il¡¯tel Wyrm Depths City of Iron Ice Afternoon Kyle stepped out of the rift, having travelled through the Spirit Realm with Durin¡¯s and Behemoth¡¯s aid to find the exact location Elder Isaac had marked on the maps of the Frost Court cities he had obtained for them. Kyle found himself underground, as far as he knew the City of Iron Ice was an underground society like every other city these Tundra dwellers built. From the little light emitted by his own blue flames, Kyle figured he was inside an abandoned warehouse. It wasn¡¯t very large, maybe twenty meters by thirty. But it was enough. Kyle looked around, the walls, floor and ceiling entirely made of metal seemingly carved with runes on the edges enchanting them. He only saw one way in or out, a large double doorway of dented iron. He stepped over to the large door and gripped the dented sides, infusing himself with Spirit as an aura-like blue energy engulfed his body. Kyle slowly pulled, the doors were so encased in ice that it did not even creak but instead made cracking and shattering sounds as the ice broke between it and the doorway. Kyle could only slightly bend the metal inwards, the door opened outwards and unfortunately there was a cave-in of snow on that side which was slowly freezing over into solid ice. He guessed that was why this place was abandoned. ¡°It¡¯ll do fine.¡± He thought before pulling out a wooden ball with runes engraved over it, this was a replacement for them breaking VCDs as the Mage Guild was tired of replacing them. Kyle infused mana into the sphere and it floated in place, glowing a dim blue. As his Spirit engulfed fist approached the sphere he chanted ¡°Dimensional Force.¡± Quickly Kyle stepped back as the sphere shattered alongside reality around it, a rift collapsing on itself before taking spherical shape and suddenly expanding until finally settling as a white portal. Through the now stable portal stepped out the rest of his guild, Lilior immediately going to work by summoning a Dungeon core at the corner of the warehouse. ¡°This will do nicely.¡± Mused Birse as he glanced around. ¡°Seriously?...Its still fucking freezing in here too!¡± exclaimed Skill as he shivered and hugged himself. ¡°Oh get over yourself and put on the fur!¡± said Soren as he threw a set of light fur armour to the freezing Elf who quickly replaced it with his thin leather equipment. Everyone else was also wearing dark blue fur clothing with chain-vests underneath and cloth keeping the cold chains from their skin. All but Kyle who changed to his outfit and summoned his mask, Yokai. ¡°You really feel no cold at all?¡± asked Sparta with a frown. ¡°Nope, perk of having a half-blood Tundra Elf body and being a Spirit Beast of a dual element with Ice involved.¡± Responded Kyle as he watched Lilior work, spreading her mana throughout the warehouse and taking it over as her territory. ¡°Ha¡­Ha¡­Ha¡­Well g-good for y-you!¡± exclaimed Seren in annoyance as she also shuddered from the cold. Birse clapped his hands to get everyone¡¯s attention ¡°Alright boys and girls gather up, let¡¯s go over this one last time!¡± The guild gathered around him, some shivering and others shrugging it off due to passives. ¡°Alright game-plan, Kyle as his¡­¡± he cringed briefly ¡°¡¯Villain¡¯ persona Yokai, will approach the city gate from outside. He will be going through the first gate himself, it is the least defended one purposely-¡±
Author: ¡­He¡­Hehehe~ Rock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDgAPpgd7bA Pop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRqovf4lG-w Listened to both ^ ^
Several hours later A dark flame shone menacingly through the light snow fall, easily visible from the metallic structure acting as the entrance to the underground city of Iron Ice. A sloped building with a single massive gate on the only vertical side. The dozen or so guards outside immediately began to panic as they watched the aflame humanoid quickly approach them. Surging from left to right like a phantom in the night, the masked creature suddenly appeared before them, smiling widely as a dreadfully cold chill crawled up their spines ¡°Knock¡­Knock~¡± it viciously exclaimed, almost out in song as its eyes gazed into their very cores. As its fanged smile made their skin crawl. Before suddenly slamming into the iron door, making the sound of bending metal reverberate in their heads. The sound screeching, agonizing metal as the black flames rusted the iron and the creature bent the doors open with its sheer strength. And it entered, through the hole it made the flames flowed inside. The creature cackled, a cruel laughter that echoed through the cold iron tunnel that lead downwards ¡°Come out¡­come out¡­¡± almost continuously it cackled ¡°For I shall find you anyway¡­¡± As the creature flowed through the tunnel like an incorporeal ghost the crystals giving out a blue light inside the tunnel suddenly shone brighter before a blizzard was cast into the wide corridor of iron. Silhouettes moved through the blizzard, assaulting the black flames in droves. Screams of pain filled the tunnel, followed by shrieks of horror as the black flames continued to flow onwards, unstopped by the many defenders whose now skeletal bodies lay freezing in its wake. The creature laughed, its voice suddenly deepening as its flames entered a crazed frenzy ¡°Oh please keep hiding! Keep running! I like it when you run! I love it when you hide! THE HUNT ONLY EXCITES ME FURTHER!¡± it roared out like a beast before suddenly bursting forward like a maddened bison. Through spreading frost and battering snow, through icy winds the black flames surged down the tunnel before suddenly stopping dead in front of the second gate. The blizzard abruptly disappeared, clearing the tunnel of the low vision and revealing the sneering masked invader. It just stood there, staring down the continuously gathering guards as they surrounded it. Outnumbering the being one to a hundred. ¡°Your masquerade ends here, fool.¡± Exclaimed Lex as he appeared in a burst of cold, wearing full silver plate-armour and wielding a long metallic staff. A hiss echoed through the tunnel as the creature slowly began to laugh once more ¡°It does?...¡± it softly asked as its smile widened into a snarling grin ¡°You¡¯re wrong, Minister of Defence. My reign of terror begins with you.¡± The sound of creaking metal reverberated from behind them as each turned to watched in bafflement, as the gate bent outwards before suddenly exploding in black-blue flames. Most shielded themselves from the blast, summoning barriers of mana to cover their rear but¡­ As the sound of tearing flesh and shattering bone upfront sounded off into their ears, each realised where the true danger lay. The creature had grown three long dark-red claws and began tearing apart all that lay in its path, each time it collided with a shield or got parried by a sword the claws burst aflame rusting away the equipment before shredding them too like an axe going through soft wood. It cackled and chuckled while surging from side to side, each step it tore through a guard, cleaving them aside before moving onto its next victim. As blood and gore filled the tunnel the air only got colder as the seconds went on. Lex glanced around, his men standing frozen in horror as the beast sliced and diced their comrades ¡°What are you standing about for!? Get him!¡± he exclaimed furiously, but what words reached them went unheard as picture perfect stares of terror played through their faces. Then Lex felt it at last, the creeping unnatural cold that tickled his bones before suddenly spreading throughout his entire body like a shudder. He sensed it, the ghastly aura of wretched fear that engulfed them all. Lex felt his muscles lock up, he felt his body get colder, something Tundra Elves rarely ever felt.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. And then it appeared before him, drenched in blood from head, claw to toe as its glowing blue eyes stared deep into his own. Lex couldn¡¯t even shudder as the creature took a step closer, its cold breath escaping into his face. It laughed before whispering into his ear ¡°Do you feel it? The sinful chill that locks up your body, the primal sense that eerily warns you of danger.¡± It backed away and sneered ¡°Wonderful is it not!?¡± the creature passionately exclaimed before opening its jaws wide and breathing out black flames which engulfed Lex whole. The Elf didn¡¯t even flinch, immediately brought into a screaming mess as his skin bubbled and burned up. As his flesh rotted and melted, as his organs spilled out onto the floor before shrivelling up and turning to ash. Until all that remained was a skeleton on the floor, frozen with an open screaming jaw and clenched hands around its chest. On top of it the creature stood, madly staring down at the bones as it cackled. ¡°Wh-who¡­Wh-what are¡­¡± one brave guard began to ask, as she fell back on her ass once the creature turned towards her voice. Its eyes widening with pleasure as its gaze fell upon her ¡°You wish to know who and what I am?!¡± it exclaimed in excitement, slowly stepping towards the terrified guard with arms wide open. Now standing in front of the guard it stared down at her, even as another guard suddenly rushed at it. In one impossibly quick movement the creature raised its right arm, bursting out a ball of black flames onto the oncoming guard which exploded into his raised shield before flowing over and around engulfing his body entirely. The creature forwarded its hand to the sitting guard, as her comrade fell to his knees screaming in agony. Too terrified to deny the creature, the guard took its hand and it raised her back to her shaking feet. The creature stepped closer, the other guard¡¯s screams and bursting flesh filling the tunnel with sound. It held her close as she trembled, as it softly whispered into her ear ¡°I am the darkness born from your kind¡¯s sin. I am the plague created from your sickness. I am the monster that awakened from your shadow. I~ Am~ Yokai!¡± it snarled whilst baring its fangs. The guard fainted where she stood, in the creature¡¯s arms after which it let her fall to the ground. Yokai chuckled as it joyfully stepped away from the guard, turning to the rest as they shakily held their weapons towards him ¡°Haha! Well I really must go! The main scene awaits its protagonist!¡± it bowed before suddenly bursting aflame and rushing through the blown open gate and into the city proper. The entire city was a cavern of iron, the ceiling and the floor being large metal plates held up by the buildings themselves as they stood like pillars connecting the floor and it. Like bulging pillars the buildings got thicker until reaching the middle and then thinning out again. Blue glowing crystals lit up the entire city, giving it a cold blue shine as the light reflected off the metal. Yokai¡¯s laughter easily echoed throughout the entire city, bringing a chill to all who heard his wicked cackle. It strolled through the chilly streets, lit up by crystal lanterns throughout. Casually walking as it surged forwards with every second step, the crowd of Tundra Elves shrieking and rushing aside as the malevolent creature walked among them. It only took a single glimpse of its fanged grin, its maddened eyes and menacing mask to turn surprise into horror and confusion into terror. ¡°Shrouded in darkness it creeps in the light, among you it walks smiling wide and sincere as its laughter reaches all! Who am I!?¡± It riddled before suddenly stopping and glancing around, its smile curving downwards as fury filled its eyes ¡°I am Yokai, and I claim this city for my feasting grounds.¡± It licked its upper fangs voraciously. Suddenly several dozen buildings exploded into black flames, the fire corroding and rusting the iron before collapsing the whole pillar down onto the crowded streets. Elves ran left and right but what the falling debris did not squash the flames dissolved. Everyone still alive ran, screaming and shrieking, trampling over one another as all beelined for the busted gate. All the while Yokai laughed, a forced laughter as its anger grew clear in tone. It sounded absolutely bonkers. ¡°Well!? Where are you?! Come out come out little piggy! I¡¯VE COME FOR YOU! No?...Oh you¡¯ll hide?...Haha! That¡¯s fine too! I¡¯LL JUST SNIFF YOU OUT!¡± Yokai exclaimed loudly, its voice speaking over even the stampede. Suddenly four Elves appeared surrounding it, wearing dark blue cloth with metal sheeting the four mages wielded long staffs of iron ending in a wide curved blade. Their eyes glowed with power as they faced off with the monster before them. Yokai chuckled ¡°Ah¡­The royal guard¡­Shouldn¡¯t you be¡­protecting someone!?¡± it exclaimed before suddenly surging at one, its long red claws clashing with the mage¡¯s staff as a cold blue aura engulfed the weapon keeping the flames at bay and away. Two of the other mages surged towards Yokai, spinning in place as frost gushed out of their blades before slashing into its position. Yet Yokai had disappeared, they only cut through empty space before suddenly¡­ The sound of a blade stabbing through skin then flesh crawled into their ears as they turned to find the fourth dropping his staff, three long red claws having stabbed through his back and out of his stomach. Yokai chuckled as it suddenly clenched its hand creating the sound of cracking bones, cleaving the man¡¯s upper body into four. It was followed by the squelching of blood and flesh as the ripped man¡¯s corpse fell to the bloody floor, the red liquid pooling all around him. The three stared on-guard at the creature, as it raised its claws and licked the fresh blood off the middle tip ¡°Mhm, how do you like your dinner? I like mine fresh, juicy and chopped up nicely.¡± A glint of madness in its eyes before it suddenly disappeared. Reappearing before them as all three had to parry its sudden flurry of slashes, clawing away at them as black flames burst and flared out of each strike. Before just as suddenly sweeping both sets of claws forwards, the attack exploding out with Spirit and blasting each mage aside. One of the mages crashed straight into a half collapsed building, the force of the impact causing a dent in the solid iron. As the mage slowly pulled herself up, she looked up to find Yokai staring into her eyes, both his and hers widened in pleasure and horror separately. As he held a croaking mage skewered on either set of claws, grabbing away at the long blades that pierced into their chest. With each movement they fell lower, being slowly opened up by their own gravity. Yokai stepped closer, inches away from the mage¡¯s face as it asked ¡°Yet do you know what is absolutely my favourite state of flesh to be devoured?...¡± Both mages burst aflame ¡°Charred black.¡± Slowly, slicing through the rotting flesh and bubbling skin, Yokai arched down his claws and let the screaming, burning mages drop to the floor. The last mage clenched her staff and stabbed forwards, the blade clashing with Yokai¡¯s claws as he parried her attack. Holding the staff¡¯s blade firmly stuck within his claws as they lit up with black flames, cracking away at the barrier that covered the weapon until finally it shattered. The weapon¡¯s material began to deteriorate to the flames, rusting away as at the same time it melted and corroded. Yokai ran his claws across the entire staff¡¯s length as he approached the now trembling royal guard once more. As her weapon melted within his grasp, until it was too hot for her to hold and she let go. He instantly shred the metal rod apart, opening his arms and grin wide. The air thinned out, freezing and turning to frost as his claws enclosed onto the mage, as her expression drained of all emotion. As she gave up on life itself, abandoning herself to the monster¡¯s jaws. ¡°Halt!¡± Exclaimed a voice from behind them as a hissing roar shook the ground. Yokai¡¯s claws stopped while upon the mage, the blades sinking an inch into her skin as she stared up at his cold blue eyes entranced by fear. He pulled back his claws, stepping away and turning to face the voice¡¯s source. King Freiz Oswold the third sat above his Frost Drake as it fiercely glared at the Spirit Beast. Yokai laughed ¡°And the main course finally decides to show itself!¡± he exclaimed while walking towards the Drake, the giant creature barely fitting inbetween buildings. Freiz nocked his long bow, seemingly both bow and arrow made of ice itself ¡°This ends tonight! Your kind! Your entire damn race has plagued my dreams for centuries! Tonight I defeat my fears! Tonight I end your race!¡± he announced before chanting ¡°Frostborn Arrow!¡± The arrow turned into a whirlwind of frost as Freiz let go, the spell rushed at Yokai turning everything in its path frost-covered and freezing. It grew and it grew until it covered the street from side to side. Yokai chuckled coldly, as he rushed straight towards the incoming blizzard. Bursting into black hellfire as his form grew to ten times his size. The two tailed blazing fox of black flames crashed into the whirling frost briefly exploding and covering the street in a mist before imploding. The frost, snow and ice all converged onto the fox as the beast sucked the sheer coldness into itself. Freiz could only watch in utter bafflement as the creature breathed out a cold breath while staring at him and his Drake, its eyes glowing a bright cold blue. Suddenly the flames on its body expanded briefly before calming and revealing an entire suit of black-red carapace armour covering the fox. With helmet, gauntlets and all the beast was ready for war. Its long black-red claws aflame black-blue grinding against the metallic floor as it rushed forth. In response, the Frost Drake snarled and leaped forward too. The two beasts clashed amidst the buildings of metal, grappling and biting at each other as they pushed the other into the pillars. The Drake breathed out rays of Frost which the Fox suffered through before breathing out its own black breath of fire. The two elements clashed as they continued to push and pull at each other, Freiz barely holding on as the two monstrosities fought. Suddenly Yokai¡¯s two tails replaced his hind legs in grappling the Drake¡¯s and with his hind legs he pushed down the Drake¡¯s front, slamming the beast down onto the cold iron floor. They continued to clash breathes until Yokai grasped the Drake¡¯s open jaws, ending its breath whilst moving its own head out of the way of the Drake¡¯s frost. The Drake continued to breathe out its icy breath until the very end, right up until Yokai snapped its neck aside with his sheer strength. Freiz¡¯s eyes widened as he screamed out in emotional agony, falling off the Drake as his Soul Wail filled the street. Freiz shouted and wept as he felt his chest shrinking on itself, as he felt himself lose utter control of his own mana. The King glanced up at the monster that loomed over him, its snarling smile filling him with dread. ¡°Tonight, your majesty. It is your life which ends¡­right after I feast!¡± Yokai exclaimed as its jaws suddenly snapped closed around the Elf. The crunching of bone and ripping of flesh coloured by the bursting blood that spilled out of Yokai¡¯s vulpine lips. But Yokai suddenly stopped munching, growling before spitting out the mangled corpse that was once Freiz ¡°Bleh, old meat.¡± Yokai turned to the mage he had left alive mere moments before, now hugging herself while on her knees as she watched, laughing madly out of the sheer terror that filled her. As she saw the fox turned towards her right after spitting out Freiz, her laughter froze, her eyes widened as tears began to stream down. ¡°Princess Sion, royalty shouldn¡¯t weep before mere commoners!¡± Yokai exclaimed with a wide sneer as he approached her, leaning down as she froze in absolute fear. ¡°It only makes you seem more delicious!¡± Yokai shrieked in excitement, as its black tongue licked Sion¡¯s entire front making her tremble from end to end before passing out. Yokai snorted in amusement as his form shrunk down, wiping the blood off his lips as he strolled off towards the exit ¡°Hah¡­What to taste next¡­¡± Ch 117 - Devious Il¡¯tel City of Iron Ice The next morning Io walked through the cold, broken city. Gazing at the aftermath as civilians and soldiers alike gathered the skeletal remains of all who died in Yokai¡¯s wake. There was no relief in their pale dreadful expressions, only sorrow and anger as none of the dead could be told from one another. Not knowing if their loved ones were already gone or still holding on underneath the rubble. Half the city was in shambles, dozens of buildings laid to waste by the dark flames. Bones lay strewn out all over the streets, the monster having had at the crowd after killing King Freiz. Io had spoken to the calmest of the survivors, which was saying very little as all she spoke to were frightened out of their lives. Each spoke from different perspectives but all recalled the same tragedy, the same harrowing nightmare. They described a dark God of death walking among them, laughing maniacally as its flames devoured all in its path. Nobody and nothing could stop it, not the walls, not the soldiers or guards, not the royals or even the guardian Frost Drake. They told how of it toyed with them, as if playing with its food right before gulping it down. Io was distraught, at the verge of tears even as she walked through the destroyed streets. (¡°I¡­I didn¡¯t sign up for this¡­¡±) she thought, holding her emotions in check as many turned to stare at her passing. But her task here was not to give aid, she had brought soldiers with her for that who had already spread out through the city. Io was here to find someone, anyone who could be called the next in line for the Frost Court. Freiz was dead, she was clearly told that much so she was chosen from the Elders to search for the next in line. Freiz¡¯s only daughter, Sion. She dreaded everything at this moment, not even knowing whether the Champions and her apprentice were alive themselves. She was behind sending them all after Kyle in the first place, by request of Karnage but she had talked the rest into it. She for some reason couldn¡¯t reach out to any of them, she couldn¡¯t sense their location or being at all. At the same time she also couldn¡¯t warp to Kyle, she hadn¡¯t been able to get a good grasp on the man¡¯s soul to sense his location. So she wanted to do anything she could, because none of this nightmare was agreed upon by the Elders with the mercenaries. The Elders had agreed to a clean, silent removal of the Court¡¯s leadership. Not genocide. She had sent the Champions with Karnage to stop the madness at Hasharr because they had expected it, but they hadn¡¯t even the clue of what had happened here before it was too late. ¡°E-Elder?!¡± exclaimed a voice from behind her, recognizing it Io turned to find Sion and a contingent of the surviving soldiers gathered around her. Io immediately flew towards the group, gathered at a table someone must have brought out with a map of the city. It seemed Sion was already taking the lead, commanding the troops around the city to search for the missing and aid the injured. Io flew down before the group ¡°Highness, I¡¯ve brought three platoons of good Elves to aid in the search. Staff Commander Leonald is awaiting word from your men at the gate, his people are already aiding those around.¡± Sion¡¯s expression visible showed relief but she looked nothing close to calm. Her eyes were bloodshot, wide and trembling. Her cheeks flushed red and skin paler than normal. She was out of breath and her hands were shaking above the table she held onto. But even then she had been ordering soldiers around, dividing squadrons around each district that was hit. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Sion manage as she stared down at the map ¡°It¡¯s been¡­a difficult night.¡± Her voice was cracking and choked, as she held back her own tears. ¡°Give us some space will you!?¡± Io shouted at the others gathered around them, the soldiers nodding and saluting as they scattered with their orders while the scouts walked off to give them privacy. Io waited for everyone to leave before she walked over to the table, gazing down at the map before her. ¡°Will¡­the Champions be arriving soon?¡± Sion asked as her trembling grew worse. Io shook her head ¡°We¡­are unsure as to where the Champions are at the moment.¡± She watched as Sion¡¯s eyes rose to meet hers in confusion ¡°We sent them after the creature on its first appearance at Hasharr¡­We lost contact with them there.¡± Io teleported in a panic as Sion collapsed to her knees, appearing next to the princess as she held her left arm ¡°Sion! Are you alright?¡± Io asked in surprise. Sion weakly shook her head, as she tried to rise back. ¡°I¡¯m trying madam¡­I¡¯m trying to seem strong for my people¡­¡± Io helped her back up, letting go as Sion leaned onto the table and covered her eyes to hide the swelling of tears ¡±Not even the Champions¡­¡± she whispered ¡°What are we to do?...We¡¯re naked before this nightmare. We¡­are we hopeless?¡± Io grimaced as she clenched the table¡¯s edge ¡°The Champions are alive, they must be. Do not lose hope so quickly child, our people combined have gone through worse and we will deal with this!¡± Io encouraged her, but Sion only stared down at the map where she had marked all the destruction. ¡°Your Highness!¡± suddenly exclaimed a frantic scout as he ran over to the table, completely out of breath as he almost collapsed onto it. ¡°What is it!?¡± Io barked at the scout ¡°Report damnit!¡± The scout shaken by Io¡¯s tone and face immediately began to speak ¡°The border dungeon detected a squadron of fast moving Griffins heading directly towards Iron Ice! The dungeon and the shore fortress defences couldn¡¯t keep up! They will be here within minutes!¡± he anxiously explained. ¡°Griffins? Humans?! An attack now!?¡± exclaimed Sion, baffled by the thought she was only shaken back into action by Io¡¯s nudge. Sion turned to the group of scouts that had moved to stand in the side ¡°Gather the fur coats! An attack is on its way! Tell the corporals meet us outside!¡± she ordered them and each of the twenty or so scouts immediately scattered. Sion turned to Io ¡°Madam can I ask of your people to aid us in the defence?!¡± panic was clear in her tone and expression. Io nodded ¡°Yes, let us gather at the first gate.¡± She grabbed Sion¡¯s arm and suddenly, without even a chant, a runic circle appeared beneath them before it began to rise and dissipate their bodies into thin air. Io and Sion appeared at the city¡¯s only entrance from above, a runic circle descending from mid-air forming their bodies out of it. ¡°Elder!¡± Saluted a grizzled Night Elf at her appearance ¡°I saw the panicked scout, what has occurred?¡± ¡°A platoon of Griffins is heading this way, somehow too fast for even the border Dungeon to stop them.¡± Io quickly explained before turning towards the blown open gate ¡°Gather your men! We must not let them through!¡± before stomping her way into the tunnel. Sion shouted at several soldiers around the entrance, building up a small platoon of men which she lead after Io. The contingent, their princess and the Elder made their way through the battered tunnel and out of the holey gate were a small group of mages worked on repairing the rusted metal. Io gazed off at the south where she was sure the Griffins would first appear from. The sky was grey and mildly clouded but the weather was clear for the most part, the desolate tundra of snow spread out for as far as the eye could see and little wind was blowing through today. This was a problem as the Frost Court¡¯s Elite soldiers, the Fur Coats were at their best during a blizzard. (¡°Would Esfelt truly attack now?...Does their hate for us still run so deep that they would abuse of such a tragedy and attack? Will the Dezol follow?...Were¡­were we tricked?!¡°) Io¡¯s rage only boiled further as the minutes went by, mana clearly sparking around her as she awaited the worst.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Slowly hundreds of Tundra Elves began to gather with them, most staying inside the tunnel and preparing to defend there where an artificial blizzard could be summoned. With them were several dozen mixed Elves, all wearing armour of the same design as Fei¡¯tel¡¯s guards. More minutes passed before ¡°I see them¡­¡± whispered Sion as she noticed the winged creatures approaching from afar ¡°How many is that?...¡± ¡°Twenty four by my count but¡­what is that in the middle of them?¡± asked Io¡¯s platoon leader. ¡°It looks like a carriage.¡± Mused Io as she also gazed at the approaching squadron of winged beasts. Each soldier stood ready, bow held high and arrows nocked awaiting the order as the Griffins closed in on them. ¡°What is¡­What are those!?¡± exclaimed one soldier in a panic as everyone noticed the massive goliaths riding the winged creatures, wielding large shields and staves while glowing a menacing red hue. ¡°T-The Griffins too!¡± exclaimed another, clearly pointing out the heavy armour each Griffin wore ¡°And that¡¯s no carriage!¡± he then announced, the Chariot close enough to see its smooth, deadly features. Sion noticed as the squadron leaned away from them, flying at a safe range from their bows and magic while moving in an arch to come back around. Far off from the entrance the Griffins and the lead Chariot descended down into a landing, stopping a safe distance away. ¡°Why did they land?...¡± Sion asked, confused at what to do next. She knew well no sane Griffin rider would land in a wide-open field like this, not if they planned to engage. ¡°Someone is coming out of the carriage.¡± Pointed out one mage to her left, and just as she said several people stepped out of the carriage¡¯s back. They watched as the group walked towards them, leaving behind the Griffins and their riders. It was a mixed group of several races, Elves, Humans and Halfbeasts, Scalarions, Mers and Dwarves. It was obvious these were from the Alliance. Sion relaxed as she saw no aggression coming from this group, but Io¡¯s eyes only widened in further fury as she recognised Kyle among them. Casually walking towards the city he had laid waste to only hours before, a calm and relaxed expression on his face. Io tried very hard to contain herself. ¡°We come to lend aid.¡± Announced Zaahr, at the lead of the group of Adventurers Guild leaders and Birse¡¯s contingent of four including Kyle, Death and Cherry ¡°We of the Adventurers guild of Barik and the Esfeltian alliance wish to offer assistance with this tragedy.¡± Sion stepped out from her group, announcing herself as the one in command ¡°And how exactly have you, Esfeltians, heard of our situation?¡± She bitterly asked, unable to believe a word these non-Elves spoke. Zaahr glanced at Io ¡°We are in close contact with your Elders, the news reached us as well.¡± Sion glanced at Io who nodded ¡°My¡­apprentice is their leader.¡± She whispered to the princess who¡¯s expression relaxed. Sion turned back to the adventurers ¡°Even so¡­¡± she clenched her hands around her new staff ¡°Why? Why would you help us? Us who only days before today would have your entire continent wiped out!?¡± she demanded to know. Io grinded her teeth as Kyle stepped forth to speak now, his cold eyes and hollow smile capturing all ¡°Because unlike your racist ideals, we seek survival. We push for co-operation and peace, we only want a united Chaoz against the flood that is sure to come. Your idealistic and frankly idiotic actions were cancelled out by the Elder¡¯s swift and wise counter actions. This gives us hope that peace with the Elves is at least possible through reasoning¡­Now if you could just get over your cultural bull shit we could all sleep in peace.¡± Sion stared at the blunt Halfbeast, baffled by his words. Kyle noticed her surprised stare, winking suggestively with a sneer and causing Sion to glance away in disgust ¡°We thank you for your gullibility but the Frost Court does not require Your help. Be on your way.¡± Io glanced at Sion, she was hiding her hands within her coat, barely visible to Io as they trembled in fear. Io could understand questioning the alliance¡¯s aid but to straight up decline? In the situation the Court found itself in, it couldn¡¯t decline any kind of help. Io knew something else was going through Sion¡¯s head (¡°Did she¡­recognise him?¡±) Io thought as she glanced at Kyle (¡°No¡­if she did we¡¯d already be standing on a battlefield¡­Then what is she¡­¡±) ¡°Don¡¯t be stubborn your Highness.¡± said Kyle as he stepped towards them, only to stop midway as several arrows found their end near his feet. Kyle sighed ¡°It is obvious you require help, we saw no resources being pulled back from the borders meaning that you expect more attacks elsewhere. You also brought out as many soldiers as you could, trying to show off numbers but to us the numbers you¡¯re currently showing are¡­laughable at best. Meaning that most of the city¡¯s guards are still inside, working their asses off to minimize the damage and losses.¡± Kyle tried to continue forwards, but more arrows whistled into his path. ¡°Keep your distance, Beast.¡± One Elf hissed at him. To which Kyle chuckled as he ignored the Elves¡¯ warning shots and threaded forward ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± exclaimed Nakano after him but Kyle ignored her too. Sion glared in annoyance at the disrespectful Halfbeast ¡°It seems you do not comprehend who you are dealing with!¡±, she raised her right hand up before suddenly lowering into a chop. A rain of arrows followed from behind her, all targeted at Kyle. But Kyle only chuckled as the hail of projectiles fell upon him, speaking out a short chant ¡°True slime, Body Shift. Elder flame slime.¡± Kyle¡¯s entire body shifted to a dark red slime as he continued to walk forwards, the arrows peppering his body before bursting aflame and turning to ash. Sion stared as the man made of red hot flames casually walked through the rain of enchanted arrows, speechless at the sight. ¡°It seems as, it is you who doesn¡¯t know what you are dealing with.¡± Announced Kyle as he stopped mere feet away from Sion, his body turning back to normal as the arrows stopped. Sion inspected him, her eyes widening as she read.
Kyllix [{{Master} Lord of Slimes}]-[{Chosen Of Frost}] (Devil Slayer) (Blood Pack Mercenaries) Level 209
¡°I am Kyllix of the Blood Pack Mercenaries, Lord of Slimes, Slayer of Devils and Chosen Hero of the God of this desolate terrain. Ymir.¡± His cold eyes gazed directly into Sion¡¯s ¡°And I beg you to reconsider our offer.¡± Sion watched as he forwarded his hand with an all too friendly smile ¡°Durga announced you as a Heathen, an evil to be rid of.¡± Kyle chuckled ¡°Angry Gods tend to spout childish things. Tell me Princess Sion Oswold, who do you treasure the most? Your God? Or your people?¡± he asked while glancing over the soldiers behind her ¡°Has your God done anything at all to aid you? Has your God given you protection from the monsters that lurk in the dark?¡± he turned to meet her faltering glare once more ¡°Truly, tell me your Highness. How exactly has Durga earned your respect and reverence?¡± ¡°Durga¡­Durga created us! All us Elves! Durga created the things that sustain us!¡± Sion vehemently argued. Kyle smirked, amused by her simplistic response ¡°She created you as weapons, she made you as soldiers to fight for her pitiful cause of greatness. Gods are selfish beings, in more ways than one they only care about themselves. They don¡¯t love their creations like a mother loves their child but instead how a blacksmith loves his craft. They see themselves in you, they possessively protect you. Not as blood or family, but as possessions. Objectificating you.¡± Kyle easily sensed the prideful fury rising within each Elf including Sion, he even felt Io¡¯s building rage but chose to ignore it. ¡°What gives you¡­Wh-¡± Sion began to ask but was swiftly cut off. Cut off by Kyle ¡°What gives me the right to say any of this?¡± He stepped closer, a mere foot away from her blade now ¡°I¡¯ve spoken with many Gods, I¡¯ve met, been around and argued with more than I care to remember. So believe me when I tell you that your hope is an empty one. But really there is no reason for me to tell you all this is there, you should know what Durga planned for her chosen after all?¡± he asked with a raised brow. Sion looked confused now ¡°The Hero of Light was assassinated by your people!¡± she angrily spouted, lowering her blade to Kyle¡¯s face. But Kyle retained his smile ¡°Zeeke betrayed us and sided with a blind, foolish cult. He got what he deserved. But that is not the chosen I am speaking of.¡± Kyle¡¯s smile faltered when he noticed Sion¡¯s increasing confusion ¡°Oh so you really don¡¯t know.¡± He snorted in annoyance, truly annoyed by this reveal ¡°As Durga she chose Zeeke, But as Kali she chose another. The Hero of the Dagger, Devil of the Dezol of Wrath Zeokul Ares Hellsong. Also our friend, our comrade and brother of the Blood Pack. Justin.¡± The anger in Kyle¡¯s tone could not be faked. Sion¡¯s eyes and tone showed disbelief as she spoke ¡°A Devil chosen by Kali? Pray tell where is this figment of your imagination?¡± Kyle¡¯s eyes widened with rage as the sheer amount of mana he suddenly began to radiate encompassed the entire entrance ¡°This figment of my imagination gave his life to defeat the damn Lich who started all this. He gave his immortal existence away to save this damn world.¡± Kyle had to try very hard to hold back his Spirit, unfortunately allowing the rest of his mana to enter a frenzy as it assaulted the Elves in a cold aura which caused them all to fall on their knees ¡°I don¡¯t care who you might think you are, nor of what importance you might be. Disrespect him again and I will be the last fucking thing you see.¡± Zaahr appeared next to Kyle, clenching his shoulder in her hand ¡°Calm down fool.¡± She hissed at him. Kyle glanced back at Zaahr, sneering ¡°Oh trust me, I¡¯m very calm.¡± Zaahr doubtfully let go of his shoulder as he turned back to the now kneeling army of Elves. He took a deep breath, regaining control of his mana and Spirit ¡°So I¡¯ll ask again, letting bygones be bygones. Will you accept our generosity? Or should we leave you be and take this insult home, after the journey we took to come here in the first place.¡± Io stared dumbfounded, even she had fallen to the man¡¯s power and was brought to her knees. Now she just stared in amazement, not cause of the magical strength Kyle possessed but at how devious and manipulative he could be. She was baffled at how well he acted. Sion on the other hand couldn¡¯t even glance up as she was terror-stricken, frozen on her knees as she remembered events of only hours before. Faced once more with a power she couldn¡¯t dare match, Sion felt at the end of her ropes. Kyle inwardly smirked, he thought he had messed up by losing control but it had only made everything all the easier. He kneeled down next to her and grabbed her hand ¡°I apologize, I did not mean to frighten you.¡± He said while pulling a still terrified Sion up to her feet, her expression reddening as she realized he had pulled her up to meet his face. ¡°So, where can we help?¡± Kyle asked with a smile. Io wanted to vomit. Ch 118 - Masks and bones. Kyle walked back to the Chariot alone, the others already being escorted inside. ¡°Yo people, get moving!¡± He told the adventurers manning the Mageks that had ridden with them, mostly members of the Adventurer¡¯s guild of Barik. All but Seren and Woody who manned the Chariot¡¯s griffins. As he watched the Mageks stomp their way towards the entrance he sensed movement behind him, slowly turning around to find Io staring up at him with enraged eyes. ¡°Greetings Elder, hope the day finds you well?¡± he asked with a polite smile that brought shivers up her spine. Io¡¯s hands clenched into fists, shaking in her fury as she spoke ¡°This was not what we agreed on!¡± Kyle¡¯s expression went cold, a blank slate as he gazed down at her ¡°This is what we do.¡± ¡°This¡­This is evil.¡± Io hissed, mana severely infusing her voice. ¡°This is necessary.¡± Kyle corrected. ¡°Ne¡­Necessary!?¡± Io exclaimed in disbelief ¡°You killed innocents who had not-¡± ¡°Innocents?¡± Kyle asked, cutting her off as his Spirit descended upon her. Freezing Io completely ¡°Elder do you know why the Quest allows for several Heroes to be summoned and not one? Because Chaoz is impossible to unite by their standards, several Heroes are necessary to take sides and fight over who leads.¡± He turned to face the vast tundra, gazing out at it as he spoke ¡°This world has always been at odds, always waging war with one another. There are no fucking innocents on this world, there is no such thing as innocent. Only those who turn a blind eye and do nothing. This world is too full of hate to unite through peace, so I will unite it using that hate. I will use both hands to forcefully aim that hate towards me, I will solely bear it all.¡± Kyle glanced back at the still terror-stricken Io ¡°No matter how many lives I must take, no matter what I must destroy. No matter how many lies and truths I must invent.¡± He smirked as Io challenged his aura with her own, trying her best to fight it off ¡°I¡¯ll tell you something though, Elder.¡± Kyle leaned down, speaking into her ear in a whisper ¡°I still have my wish at the end, if you want to see all those who have died since the Quest¡¯s start come back to life. Stand out of my way.¡± He slowly leaned away, his fanged amusement clear from his wide grin ¡°Our relationship is no longer a two way contract, remember that the next time you think of approaching me Elder. The lives of your people will be the cost you¡¯ll pay if we fail.¡± Kyle turned away, releasing her from his aura ¡°Along with the rest of existence.¡± He ended with, before stepping inside the Chariot. Hearing her sobbing before the doorway suddenly melted closed. ¡°What¡¯s with shorty?¡± Asked Lilior with a single raised brow as she hovered by the entrance ¡°Shorty?¡± repeated Kyle with a sneer. Lilior¡¯s brow lowered ¡°Hmph!¡± Kyle chuckled at her reaction ¡°I¡¯m only playing with you, are you ready?¡± She nodded with puffed up cheeks, turning to give him her back. ¡°Sorry, sorry. You¡¯re just too adorable not to tease!¡± Kyle dramatically pleaded with an all too fake smile. Lilior glanced back, puffing out some air as she held her laugh until she couldn¡¯t anymore. Laughing her heart out for a few moments before suddenly spinning in mid-air as her form expanded and changed into slime. And then Kyle, was staring right at Kyle. Lilior had used [Copy] to take his form and gain some of his abilities, she had levelled this ability along with Steph, Seren and Death¡¯s constant lending of their mana and bodies to a point that she could retain her copied form for days at a time. Her mana storage was nothing to laugh at either, competing with Kyle¡¯s varying Spirit bar. ¡°How is it?¡± Lilior asked with a friendly smile, having learned a thing or two from watching Kyle. ¡°So good its creepy.¡± Responded Kyle as he walked circles around her, inspecting every detail ¡°Damn I look good.¡± Lilior snorted ¡°No master, I make it look good.¡± She corrected with an even brighter smile. Kyle stared at his reflection with raised brows ¡°Touch¨¦.¡± He chuckled while taking a core out of his inventory, summoning a small blob of smile around it as he had with the kamikaze golems back on Hasharr. ¡°I¡¯m setting this one to follow your and only your every order, infuse mana into it to change its form. It¡¯ll look like you¡¯re creating a Golem yourself.¡± Lilior nodded through as he explained, listening closely as she knew how important her role was. Kyle had made it very apparent to her through constant nagging ¡°Now you know how you¡¯re supposed to act right?¡± he asked after handing her the pre-made golem. ¡°Yes, keep close to the princess and be kind. Act cool, be helpful and gain her attention but don¡¯t get too sticky.¡± Lilior repeated what Kyle had told her several times ¡°Appear in the corner of her eye from time to time but also make sure to be seen by as many as possible.¡± Kyle couldn¡¯t help but grin wickedly ¡°You¡¯ll do great.¡± Lilior copied his grin to perfection ¡°I know I will.¡± ¡°Okay I¡¯m out, that¡¯s just too fucking creepy.¡± Admitted Kyle as he summoned a tentacle of slime and tore open a rift, he found it less bothersome than ripping one open with his claws. ¡°I¡¯ll see you when I see you.¡± He told her before stepping through, the rift closing behind him. Lilior saluted after him ¡°I will not fail you master!¡± she said before turning to the Chariot¡¯s wall as a hole opened up for her to pass. Except it was fairy sized and she slammed face-first into the rest. ¡°Ow¡­Human size¡­Human size!¡± Lilior told herself as she knocked on her own head. She willed the Chariot to open a larger hole this time and stepped out, descending the few steps outside before closing it behind her. Her fox ears perking up as she found Sion curiously glancing at the Chariot outside. Sion noticed ¡®Kyle¡¯ step out of the Chariot, her shoulders flinching as he turned to walk towards her. She cleared her throat ¡°Your comrades have really taken the lead¡­they even shooed me away as they took command¡­I thought I didn¡¯t see yo-No-Not that I was looking for you!¡± she suddenly exclaimed, her pale cheeks blushing a light tinge of pink. Lilior gave her a knock-out smile ¡°Just locking up the Chariot and grabbing a few things.¡± She gestured with the blob of slime surrounding a core. Sion¡¯s eyes widened ¡°Oh¡­Oh uhm¡­and¡­¡± she clenched her hands pulling herself out of her brief daze as her face flushed pinker before she asked ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know madam Io was close to anyone¡­l-like you.¡± ¡°Io?¡± asked Lilior with a raised brow, confused at her statement. The princess was basically just pink at this point ¡°I s-s-saw you lean down to h-her and¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s a misunderstanding.¡± Lilior immediately stated, Kyle had made sure to hammer this phrase into her memory. ¡°Oh¡­Ah! A-apologise I didn¡¯t mean to pry!¡± Sion suddenly exclaimed before turning around to give ¡®Kyle¡¯ her back ¡°L-let¡¯s be on our way!¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡± Lilior followed after Sion closely (¡°Stupid Spirit sensing! I can sense her emotions stinking up the entire continent!¡±) Lilior inwardly gagged (¡°Master this is pointless! She¡¯s already twisted herself around your finger!¡±) Lilior then inwardly cried.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Lilior spent the next hours trying to follow the plan, but Sion never once left ¡®Kyle¡¯s¡¯ side.
Spirit Realm Tera Caelum Two hours later Kyle appeared alongside Durin, now standing within the perfect replica of the Esfeltian Dominion¡¯s old capital city. ¡°The massive human capital, Caelum.¡± Said Durin as he stepped forth, his feet echoing through the empty streets made of gleaming marble. The citadel spanned to either direction, long straight roads that seemed to go for kilometres and onward. Massive was an understatement. Kyle glanced around, the empty roads with empty houses lining them ¡°Nobody, not a single soul?¡± Durin shook his head ¡°Beings like humans who tend to live short lives, tend to stick to the physical plane for so much longer. Most of the time they dissipate into hollows before even considering the Spirit Realm. You¡¯ll maybe find a dozen human Spirits roaming this city, but you¡¯ll find thousands of Elven outside these walls.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t that just make it all the easier though? If most of them are still phantoms in the physical plane, the mana cost should be so much less.¡± Mused Kyle as he studied the beautiful city, marble roads with paths breaking off and towards the buildings. The houses, shops and other structures all made of marble or white wood. Covering the rest of the ground were blue roses, millions over millions of blue roses growing on either side of the roads, giving way only for the paths and buildings. ¡°Yes but¡­¡± Durin sighed ¡°I¡¯ll ask you once more my child, are you sure of this?¡± Kyle glanced at Durin, he was already wearing his mask and outfit but his excited grin was widely apparent ¡°I¡¯ve already told you Durin, I¡¯m sure.¡± He turned to look down the city¡¯s main road, taking up to the large white castle far off in the distance ¡°I¡¯m a Yako, Dark magic is my bread and butter is it not?¡± Durin sighed once more ¡°If you believe so, I won¡¯t stop you. Dread effects one¡¯s soul and body with decay but for a creature like you who¡¯s absorbed and processed so much negative Spirit, and for someone like you who¡¯s body can heal like a slime¡¯s¡­Dread will do very little but¡­Listen closely son. Power of life and death changes a person, no matter who they are or think they¡¯ve become.¡± Durin stood next to Kyle, also staring up at the glorious structure of marble ¡°What is it that those shortlived humans say¡­Ah¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯d be giving up my humanity.¡± Said Kyle, knowing exactly what Durin meant ¡°It means I¡¯d have no morals but Durin you forget something¡­¡± he chuckled coldly ¡°I¡¯m not human, barely even a Spirit Beast anymore.¡± He glanced down at his own hand as it switched to slime, the blue goo flowing like liquid at one moment before solidifying into a wyvern¡¯s claw ¡°I¡¯m more akin to a monster.¡± Durin glanced to his side and down at Kyle¡¯s shapeshifted hand ¡°There are two kinds of monsters Kyle. The grotesque beasts of nature are the most common and it is a misconception to think of them the same as the second type.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m the second type then, Ancestor.¡± Kyle mused as he slashed his claw through reality, tearing open a rift ¡°Cause I¡¯m a cold-blooded killer, a moral-less monster.¡± He stepped through ¡°And I¡¯ll stop to nothing, drop as low as I can¡­to accomplish my goal.¡± Durin watched even after the rift closed, his gaze dropping to the white tiled floor before letting out another, more silent sigh ¡°Then let us hope that, a monster is truly what Chaoz needs.¡±
Author: Nightmare~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zci2ilhf4UE
Physical Realm Il¡¯tel Caelum Ruins Kyle stepped out of the rift, shrouded by the thick mist that filled this place. He glanced about, the city was in ruins. The marble roads overgrown by grass and weeds, the roses replaced by wilder flowers and plants, the structures covered in vines and moss. Kyle took a deep breath, sensing the thick Dread that filled the air. Smiling coldly he concentrated his Spirit into his voice ¡°Clear out¡± his voice boomed out with power, suddenly expelling the mist away and revealing several meters of the ruined capital. Everywhere he looked Kyle saw the same two scenes, ruins and overgrowth or¡­skeletons and overgrowth. Remains turned bone were scattered throughout the roads, paths and gardens. Barely visible underneath the grass and vines, covered in moss and other plant life. Only noticeable by their golden plate armour, sticking out like sore thumbs within the greenery. Kyle watched as the grey mist began to slowly flow back in, the physical manifestation of all the death that plagued this place. ¡°Yeah, this will do nicely.¡± He mused before closing his eyes and focusing. Just as Durin had taught him minutes ago, Kyle reached out to the mist with his Spirit. Blue tendrils of ethereal energy grew out of his body, growing like roots inside the grey mist. He expanded his mana and Spirit to form the tendrils, this was only for a sole purpose. Kyle truly had to concentrate now as unlike Abysmal mana, Spirit could not easily drain other mana types without processing them into more Spirit. Kyle didn¡¯t need more Spirit, what Kyle wanted right now¡­was pure Dread. ¡°Relax¡­¡± Kyle told himself, clearing his mind of all thoughts, his chest suddenly turning cold as he shut off his emotions ¡°Do not process¡­Only absorb¡­¡± he mumbled calmly¡­raising his hands to shoulder height before suddenly pushing out his entire mana stores, the tendrils elongating, separating and twisting. Reaching out further than he could see, reaching out as far as he could sense. Then he began, as the mist started to move and turn. Being sucked into the blue roots of Spirit. The tendrils began to expand, growing thicker by the minute as minutes went on. From time to time a burst of light would flash nearby a tendril, also being sucked into the system of roots and lay there as a pulsating bulge¡­like a heartbeat, as if alive. More and more mist formed around the tendrils, its movement growing turbulent, as if a storm was passing through while the tendrils sucked it all in. More and more lights flashed, bursting into existence before being pulled into the Spirit and held inside. As time went on, the tendrils had grown thicker and thicker, the bulges of pulsating light hanging by a thread whilst more and more mist was sucked inside. Slowly the Spirit grew thinner and thinner, as the Dread filled in the rest. The blue slowly being replaced by grey. Until finally the mist cleared out, in its place and overlooking the massive city¡­Like a tree with dark grey branches, grey mist hanging about it like leaves and pulsating spheres of light hanging down like ripe fruit. Kyle¡¯s Spirit spanned almost half of Caelum¡¯s ruins. He took another long, deep breath before clearing his throat and speaking aloud with what mana he had remaining and regenerating ¡°Lost and forgotten you once were, defeated and disdained. Dishonoured and disrespected, dead you once were. Souls of the fallen, I offer you closure. I offer you justice¡­I¡­Offer you revenge.¡± The pulsating fruits began to pulse faster, brighter than before as Kyle continued his chant ¡°I offer you new life! I offer you escape from death! Rise!¡± suddenly the tendrils lowered, gently setting the dangling lights onto the floor. They bent and twisted, aligning the lights with the skeletal remains ¡°I offer you Undeath. Rise fallen! Rise deceased! Rise Undead!¡± The Spirit encasing the lights morphed down into the remains, attaching itself to the bones and armour as the souls flowed inside, followed by massive amounts of Dread. As the souls all flowed in, as the dread emptied out into the skeletal remains it was followed by Kyle¡¯s Spirit. The tendrils tearing apart, pieces of them flowing into the remains before suddenly each corpse shook with blue static energy. ¡°Rise.¡± Kyle commanded and the army of Skeletons tore away their natural bindings, ripping off roots and upheaving earth as they rose. Hundreds of thousands of them spanned the ruined roads, their eyesockets filled with a blue-grey light that sparked with dark energy. Several notifications followed for Kyle.
Through strict mentoring you have learned the skill [Rise Undead]!
You have created {Undead} minions! (x666,423) {Basic} minion has been named [Skeletal Warrior] (x400,212) {Elite} minion has been named [Skeletal Berserker] (x266,209) {Boss} minion has been named [Skeletal Titan] ({Bob}) {Boss} minion has been named [Skeletal Titan] ({Steven})
Through practicing successfully with the dark necrotic arts you have gained the title [Necromancer]!
You have unlocked enough requirements for a new class! Please check in with an obelisk to switch sub-class!
You have accomplished a disastrous feat! Title [Master of Undeath] acquired! Congratulations you mad fool!
Kyle smiled widely as he stared off at the rising undead, sword and shield for the most part with several heavy weapon wielders. All but two massive skeletal forms that slowly pulled themselves out of the ground¡­ Bob was a large skeletal cyclopes while Steven was a just as massive serpent that had died entangled around Bob. Kyle guessed the two had killed each other long ago, how else were their bodies so entangled that the serpent was literally connected through Bob¡¯s ribcage? He cleared the notifications out of the way, he had no interest in a necromancer title or class. He wouldn¡¯t take the risk of switching his sub-class in case he does encounter someone or something worth his full power. And he couldn¡¯t use his Frostfire or Darkfire without his holder title, seemingly a way to weaken his already insane kit. But Kyle didn¡¯t mind, he did have a legion of 666,423 undead under his command¡­He thought before a stone wall unsettled by Bob¡¯s rise fell onto three skeletons.
Your minion has been slain! (x3) You have (666,420) minions remaining!
Kyle would of laughed if he hadn¡¯t just lost three minions. Ch 119 - Behemoth Il¡¯tel Night Court Capital, Twilight Grove Seven hours later As the thick fog flowed all around him, Yokai pressed on and through the massive forest. The trees he sensed, almost as tall as those back at Frostbite forest. The fog, seemingly made by the trees in some way. He saw why infiltration was not an option against the Night Court, to live and defend such terrain they really did have the most powerful detection magic in the Empire. Which is why they had decided that instead of sneaking inside and prepare ways to clear and distract the guards like they had with the Frost Court. Which was not possible with the Night Court. The Blood Pack decided best to just ram their heads straight into the Court¡¯s gates. And Yokai knew exactly how as he threaded on, leaping from large branch to another. Wearing his Yokai mask and outfit, he barely made use of his own eyes as his detection skills were on their maximum output. At the same time so was his aura, oozing out so much mana the Night Court must have detected him approaching even before he was met with the fog. Yokai sensed the Court¡¯s elite moving about the forest with him, before several screams of surprise and pain filled his ears. (¡°It works.¡±) he thought, knowing that the screams were caused by his mana-less minions who he had mentally ordered to ambush the ambushers that were stalking after him. Yokai knew, from Isaac¡¯s intel, that the Night Court used a combination of mana detection skills to traverse the forest. So he had covered his minions in a veil of Spirit to somewhat mask their Dread, and at the same time he maximized his aura to the point that he doubted the Night Court could even detect their own over him. Yokai was a flame, the Night Court were moths and his minions running through the forest below were practically unnoticed until it was too late. Turned out, bony undead could climb quite efficiently. For several minutes he traversed the foggy woods, marking any enemies that closed in on him for his undead to take out. One minion had failed their ambush at one point but Yokai made quick work of the survivor, surging in his direction before lighting the Night Elf on Darkfire. Yokai noticed that at one point the Night Elves stopped coming at him (¡°So they¡¯ve wised up.¡±) he figured they had abandoned their aggressive strategy and changed to manning their walls, something he was closing onto quickly. But little did they know¡­ As Yokai entered detection range of the wall, he sensed several thousand Elves manning it. Also sensing the magic enchanted into the structure, which he also knew from Isaac¡¯s intel to be Living Wood magic. A wall that fought back. He ordered his minions to stop below, briefly he sensed around looking for a specific one before leaping off his branch and surging onto Bob¡¯s shoulder. Glancing down he could barely see the giant skeleton¡¯s feet, or foot as the left one was blocked by Steven¡¯s serpentine body going through Bob¡¯s chest. He stood up and gazed off into the fog, not able to see it at all but knowing it was there. ¡°Let¡¯s get this show on the road.¡±
Twilight Grove Chief war room Three old Elves sat facing each other within the large room, a single circular wooden table across them. The room was dimly lit, white crystals giving off the light from the ceiling. The walls were of a dark grey bark, the ceiling and floor a light grey wood. Each of the three were Night Elves, dark skin of either dark-purple, dark-grey or dark-brown. ¡°Well, here we are now. At the edge of this cliff we brought ourselves to.¡± Mused the first Leader, dark purple skin and short dark-blue hair with a clean shave. This was Pyon of the Sen¡¯iel clan. Another snorted in disdain, dark-brown skin and long black hair with a just as long a moustache. ¡°Now you whine Sen¡¯iel? We all agreed to our actions and you only nodded your head, if you had something to say you should of said it! Now it¡¯s all too late and we must keep acting in accordance!¡± exclaimed Ke¡¯ol of the Darkbloom clan. ¡°And what, dear Darkbloom Leader, would our next actions be?¡± asked Deli of the Cel¡¯ien clan. Dark-grey skin and short greying hair, she was the oldest of the Leaders. ¡°The armada is beached, licking their wounds. The Champions turned against us and now Frost has fallen to a newly emerged enemy!¡± ¡°New? You mean old, Cel¡¯ien.¡± Corrected Pyon with a sneer ¡°The Spirit demons from your time have returned to haunt us because your generation could not end the threat!¡± The three clans of Sen¡¯iel, Darkbloom and Cel¡¯ien worked, lived and survived together but that did not stop them from arguing. And said argument went on for several moments, right up until the wall to their left opened up revealing a cloaked soldier. Wearing dark-chainmail over leather armour and a long dark cloak, this was the Night Court Elite¡¯s attire for combat. And the soldier who entered at this time was the newly appointed General Kiron Cel¡¯ien, after the unexplained death of the last. Kiron stepped inside, the wall closing behind him. He bowed to each Leader ¡°Kiron of Cel¡¯ien asks to bring forth news, Leaders.¡± ¡°Enter and speak child, what news pauses our meeting?¡± bitterly asked Deli, having been cut off before she could end her retort. Dark-grey skin and long silver hair. His eyes glowed crimson with power, covering the underlying green. Kiron straightened himself ¡°We Nightblades have encountered pressing matters outside the Grove, we are unable to identify the approaching threat but they are most definitely not trying to cover their entrance. The mana they are outputting is¡­off putting.¡± ¡°Unable to identify? How!?¡± demanded Pyon ¡°What in this world could stop you from i-It¡­It¡¯s him!¡± his eyes widened ¡°It must be!¡± Kiron nodded ¡°I fear there is no other explanation, we must move you to a safer location immediately. The Spirit demon is here.¡± Ke¡¯ol laughed at the General¡¯s words ¡°Safer location? Son if our elite and this forest cannot stop this monster from reaching us then no thicker wall shall!¡± he slammed his fist onto the table, causing the living wood that made it to shudder and briefly deform. ¡°Then what do you expect us to do?¡± asked Deli ¡°Wait and watch?¡± All three turned to Ke¡¯ol as he rose from his chair ¡°We must activate It.¡± He spoke in almost a whisper ¡°It was given to us Night Elves to watch over, because we have the most efficient defences on Il¡¯tel but if even those defences prove useless¡­then we are left with no choice!¡± Ke¡¯ol glanced over them, as their expressions turned grim and deep in thought ¡°Time is of the essence, if we do not sic it on this Yokai then Durga might have as well not graced us with her power!¡± ¡°We only have one use Sen¡¯iel, you do realise this?¡± asked Pyon as he also rose from his chair. Ke¡¯ol rummaged within his shirt¡¯s collar, bringing out a crystal green key that was held to his neck by a rune etched black string ¡°Then let us make full use of it, for she will surely save us all.¡± Pyon glanced down at the table, closing his eyes briefly before sighing ¡°She would.¡± He reached into his left sleeve and pulled out his own key. Both turned to look at Deli, who¡¯s expression seemed distant ¡°I still remember the eyes of the only three survivors from that one night, it was obvious to all they saw nightmares within that Crystal Kingdom. Very well, with little choice left. For the Empire, for the Elven race.¡± She rose and took out her key from the inner pocket of her coat ¡°We shall awaken The Grand Champion.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Ke¡¯ol nodded at both, as all three lowered their key towards the wooden table across them. The material morphed and warped as the objects approached, forming what seemed like keyholes.
Yokai stepped through the thinning out fog, finding himself face to face with a large wall of ever-moving, continuously flowing roots. As he stepped out of the fog, as it unravelled around his form the ends of the roots suddenly perked up and like spikes turned to face him. Above the wall he noticed several dozen Elves nocking their bows, without even a warning each attacked. Arrows rained down upon him as the slower roots rushed down into the ground, creating a tremor beneath his feet. And suddenly his aura disappeared, the chilling cold that he once emanated pulled back and reformed on his position. Quickly replaced by a wave of Darkfire as it pulsed out like an explosion from his body, incinerating the rain of arrows before dissipating meters away from the wall. The Archers above nocked more arrows, but stopped as their detection skills sensed an¡­oddity. Yokai stood still as several thick roots burst out of the ground around him, morphed into spear like ends they quickly lunged to stab at him. But then the fog behind him burst out, all along the wall of fog humanoid forms rushed out. Blades whistled through the air as the new arrivals cleaved through the roots, stopping to stand by their master. The fog around them slowly dissipated, revealing several hundred skeletons wielding shortswords and shields while wearing customary Dominion golden plate armour. Yokai laughed audibly ¡°Your bows are useless, your magic incomparable to mine and your numbers¡­well behold.¡± He suddenly sent several bursts of Spirit out behind him, blowing away the fog.
Author: Here goes~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8-sMJZTYf0
All above the wall Elves stared, their expressions paling as the pushed back fog revealed the legion of undead that they had just now detected. ¡°Fight and die, only to join my forces.¡± Chuckled Yokai as above the branches suddenly appeared several dozen zombified Nightblades ¡°Or¡­run screaming.¡± And the legion rushed forth screeching so loudly with their magic formed voices that it froze many in shock, and then suddenly out from behind them burst out a giant form. Bob embedded to Steven, the boss charged over the rest of the minions and crashed into the living wall of roots. Several Elves were sent down to their ass as the wall shook, as Bob tore away at the roots and Steven lashed out at the archers above. The zombified Nightblades immediately rushed up Bob¡¯s back, landing on the wall and beginning to cut down their former and petrified comrades. As the boss and the zombies cleared one part of the wall, the legion of skeletons formed and rushed up Steven¡¯s lowered tail, running it up like a ramp before reaching Bob¡¯s shoulder from where they could pour onto the wall or as hundreds did, leap off and into the city. Yokai casually approached the ongoing insanity, Darkfire bursting alive around him as roots continuously tried to lunge at him only to be incinerated by the black flames. He walked up Steven¡¯s tail, as hundreds of thousands of skeletal forms rushed passed him. Every single one, forming a chorus of screeching, screaming bloody murder. He reached the giant¡¯s shoulder, watching as from either side Night Elves rushed to block the Undead¡¯s take-over of the wall. Only for Steven to crash through their formed squadrons, sending battered soldiers flying off the wall. The living roots were moving and wrapping around Bob and Steven, but the giants were too strong to be held down. The roots also lunged at the skeletons, lashing out with spikes and wrapping themselves around the undead before throwing them aside. Yet the Undead had incredible reflexes, blocking with their shields and slashing the roots apart. Even when thrown off the walls they were much too durable, standing back up and re-joining the charge. The horde was relentless, tireless as they continued their charge even inside the city. Yokai looked over the wall, watching as his legion of undead amassed as they rushed towards the gathering soldiers and guards. The Night Elves had formed a defensive wall of wide shields and blades, behind them stood mages and archers. The archers took shots at the incoming wave, so did some mages while others willed the wall to form in front of them hoping to stop or at least slow the skeleton¡¯s frenzied charge. There may have been too many skeletons but the Night Court¡¯s defenders were much more skilled, a warrior capable of taking out several before tiring, an archer taking out dozens and a mage taking out hundreds at once. Yokai was running out of time (¡°Now what event shall occur next I wonder? Which ploy will succeed?¡±) he wondered in amusement, chuckling to himself as he watched the bloody clash between Elves and Undead. He then focused on his senses, searching the city for three specific signatures of mana. For three specific signs of Spirit, and he found them. At the very top of the largest tree-made-structure, Yokai sensed the three Clan Leaders standing still. They were unmoving, as he sensed mana surging around them at a level he had only sensed once before. Yet this mana was dreadfully cold like Void¡¯s. The mana Yokai sensed was just as intoxicating but full of life and colour, as if a very powerful perfume had hit his nostrils. Yokai¡¯s detection skill was overwhelmed by the sense, so much so that he was forced to shut out his senses. ¡°Hah¡­Whatever that is¡­I guess it truly will be as he said it would.¡± He laughed whilst gazing up at the giant tree, as it¡¯s form morphed before him ¡°They finally pulled out their ace in the hole!¡± he smiled widely, cackling wickedly now as he witnessed the tree grow feet and arms. Filled with excitement as everyone including himself heard the now unignorable chant of the Clan Leaders ¡°On the Quest we completed for you, Durga we now employ your gift! Upon the Hero¡¯s wish we lay our hope! Awaken Grand Champion of Nature! Awaken Demi-God! Awaken Geb!¡± And Geb rose, its roots forming into ginormous legs, its branches into even thicker arms as the ground rose with it. Earth, stone and other minerals rushed up from the ground, flowing around the Treant¡¯s body like armour. The creature was massive, twice as large than even the Stone Giants of Hasharr. Its arms made of entangled branches, its legs of entangled roots, its torso entirely of bark with its wide glowing green eyes and crooked fanged mouth right in the middle of it. Yokai could only laugh as he gazed up at the mountain-like being ¡°Oh I wonder how much like ants we must look like to you! Finally I get to find out! The Empire¡¯s last resort! The Elves¡¯ Deus Ex Machina! Of course! But of course it had to be a fucking Demi-God Treant!¡± half in annoyance and half in amusement Yokai laughed, a hundred percent laugh of insanity. He opened his arms wide as Geb turned its massive eyes down on the insect that Yokai was to it, as that insect spoke with a wide sneer once more ¡°Come then! Let us all witness what power the Quest¡¯s Wish has given you! Don¡¯t hold back! Come at me you big ugly son of a bitch!¡± His eyes widened as Darkfire suddenly engulfed his entire form ¡°Cause I sure damn won¡¯t be holding anything back!¡± The wall, Bob, Steven and several thousands of skeletons were engulfed in Darkfire as Yokai¡¯s form suddenly expanded into a massive sphere of black flames ¡°First beast, first devourer! Creator of the voids! Father of insanity! I temporarily release you of your contract!¡± A wicked, screeching laughter suddenly filled the forest ¡°Behemoth¡­Go fucking wild.¡±
Author; Madness shall now ensue¡­Worse than ever before. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhJ6bE4z5vs
The sphere of Darkfire briefly shrunk down to half its size, about the height of Bob, before suddenly expanding several hundred times and bursting like a bubble. Through the darkness and flames it roared out, sounding like a planet of glass shattering into another. Its body was entirely made of flowing shadow, standing on four clawed legs like a lion¡¯s, its long torso also bended upwards where a set of long clawed arms hung down. Its tail was a scorpion¡¯s stinger, its wings wide and leathery like a bat¡¯s, its head long and snouted with jagged fangs like a crocodile¡¯s¡­ Behemoth had no true form, it took whatever shape it desired. And this mix and mismatched form was what it currently desired. Standing at the same height as Geb, it bared its fangs and claws, hissing in anticipation as its eyeless sockets closed before reopening, revealing two vulpine blues. The two Demi-Gods lunged at each other, each move sending storm-like winds aside, each step making the ground quake. As Geb¡¯s left leafy arm collided into Behemoth¡¯s right open palm, the very air shuddered at the conflicting powers of Chaos and Creation. Geb¡¯s arm deformed on collision, the branches suddenly warping around Behemoth¡¯s hand. Behemoth hissed in surprise, lunging with his jaws open and biting down onto the roots and his own arm. The sound of tearing flesh filled everyone¡¯s ears, entirely muting out the screaming of retreating Elves and crushed bones as Skeletons continued to chase after them, hundreds being stepped on every minute. Behemoth tore away Geb¡¯s branches, along with his own arm as it dissipated within his jaws. He spat out the quickly dying branches, as his hand reformed entirely brand new. Geb moved in with his other arm, as his damaged one reformed as well. Behemoth blocked it once more with his palm, this time though acting before Geb¡¯s branches did as its pincer tail lunged over its head and down into the dark grey bark. The pincer embedded itself into Geb¡¯s torso, pulling the two monsters closer together as suddenly Behemoth grappled Geb with both hands and used his front legs to claw at Geb¡¯s rooted legs. His claws tore away at the roots bit by bit, Behemoth even bit down on Geb¡¯s undamaged arm to keep it from retreating. Slowly and suddenly Behemoth pushed Geb to the ground, now standing over the Treant. The Devourer did what it did best, clenching its jaws it ripped off Geb¡¯s entire arm and spat it aside. It bit down once more, onto Geb¡¯s face and crushing the bark off revealing a system of corridors, staircases and rooms within. Geb moved both arms to cover the hole as they reformed, but was too slow as Behemoth suddenly dissipated into shadows. Quickly the mass of shadows shrunk down, suddenly lighting up with black flames as they shrunk. Until all that remained was Yokai, nose diving down into the Geb¡¯s revealed innards. ¡°Remember me after death, never forget your mistakes. For you have stood in my path¡­¡± Yokai burst into the top most room, exploding with Darkfire as his feet hit the wall-made-floor ¡°And ended up getting burned!¡± the last thing he saw before his flames filled the room were the horrified faces of Deli, Ke¡¯ol and Pyon. The last sound he heard as he opened a rift using his last bit of strength, were their screams as they burned and crumbled alive. His consciousness fading away as he collapsed through the rift, falling onto the ground in the Spirit Realm as the rift closed behind him. Falling unconscious as his worn-out body recoiled with agony, as the stress caught up with his mind. Yokai¡­Kyle had spent everything he had. Leaving behind a forest crawling with Undead, another leaderless Court and a second successful assault building up Yokai''s reputation further. (¡°Your power wanes master¡­Hah..Hehehe!~¡±) But¡­at what cost? Ch 120 - Sudden Failure Somewhere within the Spirit Realm Through fragments of consciousness Kyle witnessed the darkness that oozed around him, he watched as his mask pulled itself off his face. He watched as it hovered facing down at him, before suddenly being worn by another. Kyle glimpsed Yokai staring down at him with a cold smile ¡°Ahh¡­Hands to grab¡­Claws to grip¡­Fangs to rend¡­A tongue to taste with~ Ohoho and eyes to watch it all! Thank you for this body, foolish fox. I¡¯ll take good care of everything from now on¡­¡± before it warped into a wicked wide grin ¡°So watch as I tear reality apart! As I devour all and everything!¡± it chuckled ¡°You are lost and Behemoth is changed¡­I am now¡­¡± Briefly he took off the mask, revealing Kyle¡¯s face ¡±Yokai.¡± Kyle felt weak, too drained to stand up as he watched Yokai step away, clawing open a rift before stepping through. He tried to stand up, staggering as he approached the rift. ¡°W-wait!¡± Pushing his body to its limits he surged into the rift¡­ Kyle¡¯s body slammed into the rift like a dead fish slamming into a wall, collapsing onto the ground right after as the rift closed before him. ¡°Ughh¡­What¡­the hell?...¡± he groaned. Again he tried to stand, managing to sit up before glancing around finding himself surrounded by jungle. Shakily he stood up¡­before suddenly noticing something strange. His tails were grey, not white or black. Temporarily ignoring this he pushed himself to reach a tree to rest onto. ¡°What just¡­happened?¡± Kyle asked himself as he gazed in confusion at the space where the rift once lay. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you will not like the answer to that question, Kyle.¡± Said Durin who suddenly appeared next to him, grabbing his arm and aiding Kyle in staying up. ¡°Durin? What the¡­what will I not like? The fuck was that?¡± Kyle asked in agitation, seeing Durin¡¯s sorrowful expression and tone didn¡¯t help either. ¡°Kyle¡­It seems that¡­¡± Durin seemed like he couldn¡¯t find the words to say what he wanted to, glancing down at the ground before looking up and staring solemnly into Kyle¡¯s blue eyes ¡°You died Kyle, that thing stole your body.¡± Kyle¡¯s eyes widened as he moved to step away from Durin, suddenly the scenery around them changed. Kyle found himself falling onto his ass, now within the Howling Forest. He glanced around seemingly panicked, before turning to look back at Durin with a weak grin ¡°This isn¡¯t funny Durin, what¡­what happened to me!?¡± Durin¡¯s gaze dropped once more ¡°You lowered the restraints of the contract you yourself put on that creature, Kyle. I don¡¯t know why, but I might know how. The creature must have been feeding mana into your body, affecting your mind. The being you call Behemoth is the very first devourer, the very first Spirit and the very strongest in that state. When you make a contract with a Spirit you give it a door into your body. Behemoth used that door when you lowered your defenses, and kicked you out.¡± Kyle stared up at him in disbelief, shaking his head from side to side slowly ¡°No¡­No I¡­¡± ¡°There is no denying it Kyle.¡± Durin suddenly exclaimed ¡°You¡¯re dead, you¡¯ve lost¡­¡± he took a deep breath ¡°Accepting it is the first step towards moving on. I know this might feel sudden son but you must accept it, it is and was sudden for us all.¡± Durin sternly explained. Kyle stood up shakily, his eyes wide as he grabbed his now brown hair with both hands ¡°No¡­I can¡¯t be dead! I¡­I was just getting started! I need to go! I cannot¡­I can¡¯t¡­I¡­¡± his eyes swelled up as tears began to form ¡°This can¡¯t be happening¡­¡±
Physical Realm Il¡¯tel Wyrm Depths, City of Iron Ice. Lilior, still taking Kyle¡¯s form, had embedded herself into the goliath of blue slime to hide from the clingy princess that watched on along with everyone else from the side as the Golem laid it¡¯s massive hands over the bent metal wall and began to dissolve it. Slowly the metal dissolved into the slime, forming a hole through which Lilior could see three Tundra Elves stuck beneath the metal plate. She willed the Golem to step back as several guards rushed to aid the civilians out from under the rubble. (¡°Gah¡­why must they be so useless? So weak!¡±) inwardly grumbled Lilior as she willed the Golem to walk off towards another group of waiting guards. Glancing back she saw Sion staring at ¡®Kyle¡¯ in awe (¡°Bleh, why must they be so stupid? So dense!¡±) she continued to grumble. When suddenly the Golem stopped, frozen in mid-motion. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Sion asked moments later as she approached the goliath, stepping to the front and glancing up at ¡®Kyle¡¯s¡¯ face through the see-through goo. Only to see a horrified expression. Lilior¡¯s chest had suddenly grown cold (¡°S-something is wrong!¡±) she felt deep within that something was off (¡°Master! Master is in trouble!¡±) suddenly the Golem moved once more, it¡¯s previous slow steps replaced with long leaps as Lilior willed the giant to its limits (¡°Must find midget! Must find Dwarf! Master! Kyle is in pain!¡±)
Spirit Realm Crystal Kingdom of Kori Minutes later A rift tore open into the very centre of the city, out of it suddenly rushed out a small blue-haired fairy. She seemed in distress, glancing around and spinning about whilst fidgeting with her dress ¡°Hurry! Hurry!¡± Lilior shouted at the Dwarf as he stepped out of the rift behind her. ¡°I¡¯m coming damnit! My short legs allow me to move only so fast!¡± exclaimed Soren in annoyance. ¡°Then come this way.¡± Said Durin as he suddenly appeared before them, raising his hands before just as suddenly all three of them moved elsewhere. Soren and Lilior glanced around, finding themselves in a large foggy forest, vines hanging down from the tree tops far up high were barely visible over their heads. ¡°I¡¯ll leave him to you then, because he won¡¯t another speak a word with me.¡± Durin sighed before disappearing. Lilior immediately fluttered around, bursting from side to side with incredible speed as blue light flashed out of her wings ¡°Master!¡± she exclaimed, spotting Kyle standing at the edge of a lake, gazing down at the water. She rushed towards him, gripping his left shoulder tightly as tears of happiness streamed down her face ¡°Master is safe! Safe!¡± But Kyle did not react, even as she smiled up at him he remained frozen, gazing down at the water. ¡°Master?...¡± ¡°Yo Kyll, what¡¯s up?¡± asked Soren as he approached them, standing to their right he followed Kyle¡¯s gaze into the water. Seeing his friend¡¯s hollow and swollen eyes, Soren immediately knew something was wrong. ¡°Kyll?¡± Soren asked once more but again Kyle did not react ¡°Oi!¡± Soren now exclaimed, elbowing him hard in the side. Kyle gave no resistance, he fell to the side before even feeling the full brunt of it. Down onto his ass he now sat, he glanced at himself. Now covered in mud and water from the fall, he still said nothing. Only gazing down at his muddied hands. ¡°Leave Master alone stupid midget!¡± exclaimed Lilior as she appeared in Soren¡¯s face, glaring at him angrily. Soren¡¯s eyes focused as he gently moved Lilior out of his face with his left hand. He had felt zero resistance from Kyle, not even a slight chill when his elbow hit ¡°Kyll, what happened? You never called in on how it went.¡± Soren kneeled down before him, suddenly noticing what he couldn¡¯t before due to the fog.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Kyle¡¯s hair was brown, his ears and tails grey and his eyes a light blue yet none of their usual glow. ¡°What¡­¡± Soren immediately inspected him, his eyes widening at what he saw.
{Spirit} Kyle Dean Soultail [Classless] ({Holder of the Frostfire}) Level 1
¡°Kyle how¡­What the hell?¡± Soren mumbled out as he rose back to his feet, surprised and confused. ¡°Funny isn¡¯t it?¡± finally spoke Kyle, his hollow eyes glancing up at Soren ¡°I thought I had it all under control, I thought¡­I¡¯m sorry my friend¡­I failed.¡± Kyle pulled up his legs, hugging them close as he rested his face into them ¡°It¡­It took my body, my power¡­¡± ¡°It?¡± Soren asked ¡°What did?!¡± Kyle chuckled emotionlessly ¡°Behemoth¡­I was a fool, I thought I could¡­control it.¡± He clenched his hands onto his arms, his claws digging into his skin but no blood leaked out ¡°But it was affecting me all along¡­pulling my strings¡­I was just puppet, as always just a puppet.¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about man!? Stand up! We need to deal with this shit right now!¡± Soren exclaimed angrily ¡°Come on! We need to tell the others!¡± Soren grabbed Kyle by the collar as he willed a burst of Spirit to shoot out of his hand, tearing a rift open before them. Soren forced Kyle to his feet, an easy task with the difference in their level. He pushed him into the rift but¡­Kyle collided with it, as if having been pushed into a solid wall. Soren and Lilior only stared at him in disbelief as Kyle glanced back at them, his eyes red with tears. ¡°I can¡¯t you fool, I¡¯m dead. I have no physical body anymore!¡± Kyle exclaimed in annoyance, pushing away from the rift and turning towards them. His breathing was out of control, his expression rising with rage ¡°It took it all! My levels! My titles! My classes! My skills and spells! My body and face!¡± he practically screamed at them, red-faced with fury as Frostfire burst alive all over his body. Kyle¡¯s gaze suddenly lost all emotion once more, as it fell down to the ground, as his clenched fists almost fell limp beside him ¡°I¡¯m just another dead man in the Spirit Realm¡­Chaoz¡¯s last Spirit Beast¡­I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t help anymore¡­I¡¯m sorry Durin, the people of Kori are extinct with my failure¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­I can¡¯t help with Chaoz anymore¡­¡± Soren couldn¡¯t believe his ears ¡°So that¡¯s it? After¡­¡± he grabbed Kyle by the collar once more, forcing him down to meet his bearded face ¡°After everything!? You¡¯re just going to give up!?¡± But Kyle glanced away, unable to meet his eyes. Soren¡¯s expression burned with anger as he suddenly pushed Kyle back, sending him toppling over once, twice and thrice before he landed tumbling onto the ground. ¡°Master!¡± exclaimed Lilior, snapped out of her confused daze she now rushed to her master¡¯s side. ¡°Then stay here damnit!¡± Soren exclaimed furiously ¡°I¡¯ll tell them myself and we¡¯ll clean up your damn mess ourselves!¡± he turned away, stepping through the rift alone before it closed behind him. Kyle lay there in the mud, back to the ground as he gazed up at the hanging vines. Lilior sat on his chest, gazing down at him with worry ¡°Master¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lilior¡­My¡­Our adventure ends here it seems.¡± Kyle said softly as he raised his right arm to cover his own eyes, only covering himself in more mud as he clenched his hands and gritted his teeth ¡°I messed up badly this time¡­didn¡¯t I?¡± he asked, his voice choked. Lilior said nothing more, not sure what to even respond with. She was too shocked, it was all happening too fast and she didn¡¯t know how to even react. Cry in sadness? Scream in anger? She couldn¡¯t even begin to fathom what Kyle felt. Minutes passed by as they both just lay there, Kyle faced with his conflicting anger and depression. ¡°You were so close.¡± Said a voice as Kyle sensed a familiar presence next to him, briefly moving his arm he glimpsed Celica standing above him ¡°And now here you are, faced with the same dilemma as before. And just as before, all you can think about is giving up?¡± she asked, sighing while staring down at him. ¡°What are you talking about? What are you even doing here?¡± Kyle asked as he looked away ¡°I¡¯m dead, I lost. Shouldn¡¯t you be returning to the Spirit Realm back home?¡± Celica smiled as she crouched down next to him ¡°It seems like you¡¯re the only one who has given up. Just as we speak your friends are preparing. And what I¡¯m talking about is, exactly why are you sitting around here doing nothing but sulk? Boohoo you got played again, first by Void and now by Behemoth. Are you really such a sore loser Kyle?¡± ¡°Shut up¡­¡± Kyle mumbled out, almost in a whisper. But Celica did not, only raising her voice as she continued ¡°Void ruined your life as a child, took away your family, friends and loved one. This pain you feel now, isn¡¯t it just the same as back then?¡± ¡°Shut up¡­¡± ¡°Behemoth took away your life as an adult, it will destroy your world, kill your friends and loved one. Yet all you can do, is lay around and sulk like a child.¡± ¡°Sh-SHUT UP!¡± Bellowed Kyle as he slammed his arm down into the mud, summoning forth a pillar of Frostfire that burst upwards. The fog, vines and branches parted as the pillar of white-blue flames rose up into the sky. Before slowly dissipating, leaving behind a chill that turned to snow. It slowly fell, spreading about all around them. ¡°You think¡­ You think I didn¡¯t try!?¡± Kyle exclaimed as tears finally gushed out ¡°I thought it through but there is nothing I can do! I¡¯m level 1 with no body! I¡¯m stuck here in the Spirit Realm and it is out there! With all my power! All my strength!¡± he slammed his fist down into the mud once more, this time only raising a few blobs of cold wet earth ¡°It is everything I was and more!¡±. ¡°You still have your Frostfire don¡¯t you?¡± Celica solemnly pointed out. Kyle turned to glare up at her ¡°And you still have your fire, but what can you do?¡± he just as quickly glanced away, both in shame and annoyance ¡°We¡¯re just ghosts, incorporeal beings with no real power over the physical!...¡± Celica opened her mouth to speak but no words came out, closing back up as she found nothing else she could say. She sighed, and glanced down at him. She could sense his anger, his sadness and sorrow. She could sense Kyle¡¯s fury and regret. But just as he said, there was nothing either of them could do now. But watch.
Ruk Grand Fae City of Orion Royal Palace Within the very top of the palace, was one luxurious bedroom. One Night Elf and two Devils stood inside. Reyna watched over Liliana as the sickly Demi-Goddess slept, her skin pale, her long breaths grasping. It pained her to see Liliana like this, her body unable to contain the power of a deity¡¯s soul. ¡°She¡¯s getting worse¡­¡± whispered one Devil, she had short green hair and dark-brown skin. This was Merihem of the Greed legion, elder sister of the twins. ¡°She¡¯ll get better.¡± Plainly stated Lilith as she clenched her scythe ¡°She has to.¡± The moments passed as they watched over her, the two Devils tasked with guarding Reyna as she insisted on staying nearby Liliana. ¡°So this.¡± Suddenly spoke a cold voice that enveloped them all in its chill, freezing Reyna and both Devils in terror. ¡°Is the most powerful being on Chaoz?¡± asked a voice as a dark masked creature appeared out of the room¡¯s shadows. ¡°How¡­delicious.¡± He gazed down at Liliana, his black eyes gazing through his mask. ¡°How¡­¡± he suddenly surged, now leaning over the bed as he caressed Liliana¡¯s chin ¡°Fragile.¡± He surged back as a shining bright blade of light lunged through his previous position, wielding the blade was Reyna as she glared at him. She now stood between the creature and Liliana, wielding her silver blade and suddenly wearing a full suite of bright white plate-armour. ¡°Get away from her.¡± Reyna warned, as her aura enveloped Lilith and Merihem shaking the two Devils out of their daze. He chuckled coldly ¡°Get away? But then how am I supposed to eat her?¡± he asked with a wicked sneer. ¡°E-eat mistress?!¡± asked Merihem in confusion as she summoned forth a mage¡¯s staff into her hands. ¡°Who are you!?¡± hissed Lilith as she twirled her massive weapon before her, ready to lunge at any moment. The being giggled maniacally ¡°Who? I¡¯m free, that is what I am. Yet who? I have many titles but not one my real name¡­Hmm I¡¯ve thought about it but I cannot come up with anything better¡­How infuriating!¡± he did not seem angry, if anything he looked amused ¡°Oh well, guess we¡¯ll stick with that one for the moment.¡± He shrugged¡­ And suddenly he appeared before Merihem ¡°Call me Yokai.¡± his hand changing to a blue goo and morphing into long bladed claws which Yokai quickly stabbed into the Devil¡¯s gut. Merihem couldn¡¯t even react as the claws dug into her body, petrified by fear as she gazed into the creature¡¯s pitch-black eyes. Unable move as it spoke ¡°Mhhmm! The sound! The feeling! Ohh how have I missed it!¡± exclaimed Yokai in pleasure, before suddenly black flames burst out of his claws and engulfed Merihem whole ¡°But nothing compares! Nothing compares to this! Hahaha!¡± he laughed, as the Devil screamed in agony. ¡°You!¡± hissed Lilith as her scythe¡¯s blade cleaved through Yokai¡¯s waist, she watched in horror as the cut flesh changed to slime and melded back together. As if nothing had even happened. Yokai¡¯s head spun around, a whole 180 degrees as he sneered at Lilith ¡°Oh please wait your turn! I¡¯ll get to all of you don¡¯t worry!¡± he then turned his whole body, slowly pulling his claw out of Merihem¡¯s now limp body still aflame ¡°There is no need for haste¡­I for one will enjoy every moment of this!¡± Lilith moved to retreat away but was too slow, as out of Yokai¡¯s body lunged out dozens of tentacles of blue slime. They pierced through her armour and body, riddling her with holes. She could only stare emptily at Yokai as blood bubbled up in her mouth and leaked through her awe-struck lips. Yokai chuckled ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered¡­¡± as suddenly he willed the tentacles to move apart, Lilith screaming in agony as they pulled her skin, flesh and bones away from one another ¡°What does a Devil look like on the inside!?¡± he exclaimed with a squeak, as his tentacles tore Lilith apart. Reyna could only watch in absolute horror as the creature burned up and tore apart the two Devils, gazing in frozen fear at the pile of still burning ash and pulled apart corpse pooling blood on the floor. (¡°It¡¯s too fast¡­What¡­Too strong!...what can I?...¡±) Reyna trembled as she watched Yokai approach her, her heart was pounding so fast she thought it would burst. But as Yokai¡¯s left hand passed over Reyna¡¯s left cheek, she felt her heart stop cold at the sheer pressure which was brought down upon her. As Yokai¡¯s aura fully focused on her. ¡°It¡¯s your turn-¡± ¡°Step away from my chosen you vile abomination!¡± Yokai turned to the sudden bellowing voice, witnessing an awake Liliana as she raised both palms towards him ¡°Orion Surge!¡± The entire room burst with blue light as out of her palms gushed out a ray of raw mana. The sudden attack blasted right through Yokai and the wall behind him, the concentration of mana surging out of the palace and onwards for a distance before slowly dissipating. Liliana lowered her arms as she collapsed back into her bed, breathing heavily. ¡°L-Liliana!¡± exclaimed Reyna as she rushed to her side, grasping her hands ¡°Are you alright?!¡± ¡°Idiot¡­¡± said Liliana as she glanced off at the window ¡°It¡¯s¡­getting away.¡± She weakly pointed at it. Reyna follower her hand to barely catch a glimpse of the slime that oozed out of the shattered window, disappearing from sight. Liliana pulled Reyna slightly to regain her attention shocked as she was ¡°Alert¡­Asmo¡­¡± was all she could manage before passing out. Ch 121 - Enoughs enough Barik Esfeltian Capital, Eslet Royal District, King¡¯s office The next day. ¡°So you have no clue as to who or what this creature is?¡± solemnly asked Asmodeus as he stood facing Birse who sat behind his large desk. ¡°All we know is that this ¡®Yokai¡¯, is a summoned and a descendant of the same Spirit Beast society our member is.¡± Birse lied, having not told anybody outside the guild of the Yokai project. ¡°Hm, well until this creature is dealt with the Dezol will be postponing any assistance being forwarded to Hasharr or Il¡¯tel. Your little alliance will have to manage on its own with the peace treaties.¡± Asmodeus explained. Birse grimaced ¡°So you¡¯re pulling back to cover your own asses while we put our necks out there for you?¡± ¡°Please understand, our intentions are nothing of such.¡± dismissed Asmodeus with a raised brow ¡°Mistress was targeted, for whatever reason. We cannot allow her already sickened state to worsen. You know as well as we do that if the Deity who started the Quest falls, so does the Quest. Not to mention that Greed and Pride are thirsty for blood, they are ignoring any sort of call for meeting and are out there hunting this thing down. It has been difficult enough to keep Wrath around¡­¡± he sighed dramatically. Birse nodded in agreement ¡°We¡¯ll do what we can, just get your shit together. The alliance has little strategical standing against the Empire without Ruk¡­As for the other matter I called you about¡­¡± Asmodeus shook his head ¡°Mistress is too weak to create a body for your fallen, creating all those thousands by Scythe¡¯s trickery put her body in the state it is in. I¡¯m sorry but we cannot afford it.¡± ¡°Then what about another¡¯s body? Can we do what we did with¡­Dagon and Sly?¡± Birse asked tentatively. ¡°I believe that would be too dangerous, the only reason that succeeded is because Devil bodies are tuned with so much Abysmal mana that Souls are basically contained like a stone in a bag. Removing the stone wholly and putting it into another bag is easy in such a case. But other race¡¯s bodies are different, it would be like draining a bag of water into another bag without the necessary precautions to lessen leakage.¡± Asmodeus explained ¡°It would damage both Soul and body. And even if you succeeded there would be affinity incompatibility, the entire reason Zeokul could not fully use his power within Dagon¡¯s body.¡± Birse took a deep breath ¡°I understand¡­¡± (¡°That means both Kyle¡¯s soul and body have already been damaged¡­¡±) ¡°I apologies, but there is also a third complication with your friend¡¯s situation.¡± Asmodeus continued ¡°If he truly is within the Spirit Realm already, then there is no return. Souls cannot traverse through the veil between the Spirit and Physical realms, just as physical things cannot traverse from the Physical to the Spirit realm.¡± ¡°Then why could he, a Spirit Beast and some other races like High Elves capable? Even Lilior his companion could traverse.¡± Birse asked. Asmodeus shrugged ¡°That is an innate capability Spirit Beast bodies can do, infused with so much of the mana we call Spirit that the veil accepts them as a Spiritual entity. When your, the summoned bodies were created. Mistress¡¯s power was used to create them but, the Quest did the logistics. What you call the ¡®System¡¯, aided her in making the bodies with the affinity that matched the summoned souls. His companion¡¯s body also gained this trait through their contract.¡± Then gave an apologetic smile ¡°As for High Elves¡­I have absolutely no clue. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to ask one, although I doubt Elder Io Il¡¯tel will be of any help.¡± Birse nodded ¡°Thank you, at least we have somewhere to look. And please, if Greed or Pride do find ¡®Yokai¡¯ I would be grateful to being notified.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± Asmodeus gave a noble bow, an outstretched right arm to the side and maybe a degree of leaning forward. Before opening a rift and stepping through, the tear in space closing behind the Devil sin of Lust. Birse grimaced as he stood up from his chair and walked towards the door, briefly pausing in front of it as he took a deep breath. Collecting himself once more, as this world only kept robbing him of his breath. He pushed to open it, feeling a brief resistance before it completely disappeared. He stepped out, finding the entire guild waiting for him outside. From the veterans to the new members, each one was standing within the corridor with grim expressions. With them was Caitlyn, awkwardly awaiting him as well. Their entire relationship was still strange to both, both too busy to break through but she made it a point to be there when she knew she¡¯d be needed. Birse turned to her first ¡°Can you take over relations for me for a few days?...The Dezol¡­Hell the entirety of Ruk is backing off.¡± Caitlyn nodded solemnly, knowing by now what he was up to. Watching as Birse turned to the anxious rest, who had listened in on the conversation with Asmodeus. ¡°So what now?¡± asked Jane. ¡°I just told you damnit¡­¡± said Skill, the prime suspect of listening in. She turned to glare at him ¡°I don¡¯t accept that. There has to be something we can do.¡± ¡°There is.¡± said Birse as he closed his eyes to go through his formed plan once more ¡°We have one chance, only this one. The one thing we can still do to save Kyle, but we cannot do it alone.¡± He opened his eyes and turned to Jacky ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°Hiding off in the Spirit Realm, Liliana destroyed the scrying orb in his eye but the mage guild enchanted it to reform with Kyle¡¯s body. As long as it doesn¡¯t know it¡¯s there, it cannot remove it.¡± Responded Jacky, the scrying orb being the same object that was used by the mage guilds to prove the Churches¡¯ corruption weeks ago was now used to stream live Yokai¡¯s actions against the Orcs, Oni and Elves to the ones imprisoned below Hasharr. ¡°Meaning the Blood Pack knows exactly where Yokai is and what it is doing at all times.¡± said Birse as he glanced over the rest ¡°Now tell me, how many fucking times have we let a target run away under these circumstances?!¡± he bellowed, not in anger but in authority. ¡°None.¡± Responded most of the members almost at once. ¡°And how many¡­How many have we lost to this damn world already?!¡± Birse then asked. ¡°Two.¡± The guild more slowly responded. ¡°How many more will we lose?¡± He then sternly asked, watching as they all tensed, clenching their fists and as their gazes hardened ¡°No more, that number will never rise by another damn decimal. Let us show this world that Silva¡¯s fall has taught us enough. That we won¡¯t let Sly¡¯s sacrifice be in vain!¡± he shouted, his hard gaze glancing over all of them. Birse turned to Cherry and Jacky, the eldest of the guild ¡°Cherry, Jacky it was you two, me, Zombie and Game. We founded this guild¡­No this family, you two remember what we promised ourselves back then?¡± Cherry and Jacky glanced at each other, Jacky elbowed Cherry in the arm knowing the big guy had better memory. Cherry cleared his throat ¡°We are bound not by blood, but a pack we are.¡± ¡°And does a pack abandon its injured member out in the dark forest at night!?¡± Birse asked as he continued to glance over the rest ¡°No we bare our fangs, we ready our claws and surround the enemy. We howl and we pounce as one. So bare your fangs, ready your claws.¡± ¡°Jacky, Jane, Skill and Ch keep an eye on Yokai. You are squad X-ray. Seren, Woody, Death and Vain get suited up, prepare the Chariot and be ready at any time. You are squad Yankee.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Cherry, Soren, Sparta and Rico with me. We are squad Zulu. Steph with Zulu for now, join with Yankee once we start.¡± Birse turned around, storming down the corridor as the names he called followed after him ¡°Prepare yourselves, cause our next pounce will be a leap of fate.¡±
Hasharr Somewhere underground Lilior¡¯s Imprisonment Dungeon Karnage lay sitting in the hall¡¯s corner, away from the Champions who sat around a table that the dungeon created for them to play cards on. The deck of cards having appeared with some refreshments hours earlier. They had tried to escape, but no matter how powerful an attack they used it only burst out of the other wall. And none of their movement or displacement magic worked inside this hall. So they passed the time, wasting away and waiting. Karnage quickly grew sick of waiting, but there was nothing else she could do. Just lay there, wondering what had she done wrong to the world to be imprisoned by her ex boyfriend as reality risked destruction. Anything else they could do was watch the events transpire on the large screen hanging down from the ceiling, which after watching Kyle summoned that massive beast and destroy the Empire¡¯s triumph card the Champions had just lost all hope. She glared at the depressing sight before her, the most powerful warriors on Chaoz reduced to anxious and sullen as they sat around doing nothing. Her hands were clenched into trembling fists as the anger within her continued to rise, only for it to fall and crash before ever reaching her bursting point. Karnage was angry, but she was angry at herself. She was angry that there was nothing she could do, angry that nothing had gone her way. Angry that she was angry in the first place. Who else could she blame? Kyle and his guild were only going for the efficient route, no matter the causalities they left in their wake. The Empire on the other hand were just distrustful, they had been given no reason to trust the Alliance or the Dezol. (¡°People¡¯s hearts aren¡¯t so easy to change damnit¡­¡±) She thought that their plan couldn¡¯t possibly work, the Pack will fail and Chaoz will fall. (¡°Stupid¡­Fucking idiotic, selfish and self-centered!!¡±) Okay she was a little bit angry with them ¡°Ugh!¡± Karnage slammed her fist down onto the floor, causing a mild crack which slowly began to regenerate itself. Gazing up she saw that nobody turned towards her, or even noticed her frustration. Nix and the other Champions too busy sulking ¡°They¡¯re worse than children¡­¡± she mused (¡°At least children show when they¡¯re annoyed but these guys¡­trying to look proud and dignified while being bothered¡­This is going to drive me crazy.¡±) Then suddenly the ground began to quake. Karnage immediately rose up, preparing both hands on her sword¡¯s hilts as the dungeon rumbled around them. ¡°What now!?¡± exclaimed one Champion as they all rushed to rise , but before they knew it the ceiling above them morphed and fell down. Like a trap the stone melted and fell around them, cutting them off from Karnage. ¡°Fuck that didn¡¯t just happen!¡± She swore, finding herself alone. ¡°Calm down.¡± Said a voice from behind her, Karnage spun around to find an open doorway where once stood a plain wall. Within the doorway was Birse, solemnly glancing around the room ¡°I¡¯m just here to talk.¡± But Karnage didn¡¯t let go of her swords, instead she unsheathed them as she asked ¡°Oh really? What about? Something particular like, when the hell are you letting us out?¡± Birse¡¯s gaze hardened ¡°Kyle¡¯s dead.¡± He stated simply. ¡°Right and the Mer now own the world.¡± Joked Karnage as she took out her bitterness on him. Birse sighed ¡°I¡¯m not joking Karnage, Kyle¡¯s soul was ripped out of his own body. He is stuck in the Spirit Realm.¡± Karnage¡¯s eyes widened in surprise ¡°He¡¯s¡­He is actually dead?...¡± ¡°Yokai still lives, the creature Kyle contracted with during his time healing took over his body.¡± Birse began to explain ¡°It¡¯s out there, hunting down powerful signatures of mana to feed upon and grow stronger. We messed up Karnage, but this can still be fixed.¡± Karnage grimaced as she raised one sword point towards him ¡°And let me guess, you need my help?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Birse simply answered. ¡°Yes? That¡¯s it? That¡¯s all you have to say?¡± Karnage asked in mock ¡°After all that you¡¯ve killed¡­After locking us up in here!¡± But Birse was calm as he waited for her outburst to pass, speaking solemnly to her ¡°Lives are not worth as much as you might think. You put too much weight on others, think more of yourself for once. Then again that is probably why Kyle chose you.¡± ¡°Chose me?¡± she asked with annoyance still clear in her tone. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time, so I¡¯ll just get straight to the damn point.¡± announced Birse with a harsh tone that made her take a step back ¡°Karnage, you are to be the Hero of this story. Whether you like it or not, Chaoz¡¯s existence lays on your back.¡± ¡°Hero?...What are you¡­¡± Karnage¡¯s anger subsided, replaced by confusion. ¡°Kyle, Yokai was to be the villain. You, leader of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild would be the hero. Your anger towards us, fueled by the frustration of others towards Yokai would raise you over a pedestal. That was Kyle¡¯s plan, it is why he cut ties with you, it is why we imprisoned you here. Things had to be perfect, but just one mistake ruined it all.¡± Birse explained as her expression turned to bafflement ¡°Kyle loves to play the villain you see¡­But he isn¡¯t one, if anything he¡¯s an anti-hero. All the people that have died? We planned to bring them back, from those that fell at the very start of this Quest. We will bring them all back.¡± ¡°Honestly I couldn¡¯t have cared less if we did or not, but Kyle was adamant on it. You would sate the anger Chaoz would feel after Yokai was done with it, graced by the revival of their peers and loved ones to sate their pain with relief.¡± He stepped closer to her blade ¡°So hate me, hate our guild all you want. But don¡¯t hate Kyle for what he did, because he only truly wants the best for you. He only pushed you away to keep you safe, to stop you from having to make a choice. The choice my entire guild makes.¡± He took another step, the blade¡¯s tip now shaking ahead of his forehead ¡°But unfortunately I am not as merciful as him. And he is currently unavailable, so I¡¯ll have to ask you to make a choice Karnage. So choose, who do you fight for? What do you fight for? The world? Or yourself?¡± Karnage lowered her blade as she stared at Birse, speechless she was. ¡°Will you continue to be so blind and dense, to hide from reality? Or will you face it and grow up? Because your time is ticking, and the world won¡¯t wait any longer. Pride and Greed are hunting Yokai down as we speak, the foolish creature has no idea of how to use Kyle¡¯s abilities either. And if Yokai dies, if Kyle¡¯s body is lost then¡­Chaoz might as well implode. We don¡¯t have the time to create another villain, we don¡¯t have the time to start all over!¡± Birse¡¯s fierce glare looked into her shaky confused stare ¡°We¡¯re already running on borrowed time, time Sly sacrificed himself for. You think us selfish? You think us mad? You¡¯re wrong, it¡¯s this fucking world that¡¯s selfish. It¡¯s the people of Chaoz who are mad. Bickering over race and power, faced with destruction yet they can¡¯t get over the past!¡± Karnage closed her eyes, clenching her hands as she absorbed his words. ¡°So tell me right now Karnage, are you with us or not? Because if we have to, bloody hell if we have to! Plan B is nothing someone like you would want to see!¡± Birse exclaimed, his tone now rising with rage. ¡°Do you want to know what we originally planned? Do you? You think this is efficient? We were going to abandon the alliance, destroy the Dezol from within and raise the Empire to a higher standing. You think we couldn¡¯t have just done that? We could have, very easily.¡± Birse grabbed her by the collar, raising her a foot above the ground as he glared into her paling face ¡°But because Kyle¡­because he truly couldn¡¯t stand to think of how painful it would be for you to watch. He offered himself to be a sacrifice, do you even fucking know what will happen if Chaoz learns that Kyle is Yokai!?¡± Karnage couldn¡¯t say a word, not a single word. ¡°Ostracized by the world, raised over a podium for everyone to watch as he is executed. That is what they¡¯d do to him, and there would be nothing any of us could do. The Alliance and the Dezol wouldn¡¯t make a move, they won¡¯t risk their people for one man.¡± His eyes grew wider as he grinded his teeth ¡°And he made us promise¡­He made it known, if that did happen. Kyle wanted us to not do anything about it¡­Do you understand now!?¡± He threw her down, landing her on her back several feet away ¡°For this world to have peace, for us to have somewhere we belong, for your damn selfish needs. Kyle risked everything and failed, so enough¡¯s enough or I swear¡­Help him fix his damn mistake or I swear on his name that after I¡¯m done with this world...¡± Karnage swallowed her pride, she swallowed her anger and fear as she rose back to her feet. Opening her reddened eyes to face Birse ¡°I thought¡­¡± Birse¡¯s gaze was enraged, his eyes looking down on her every move and word ¡°Oh you thought he didn¡¯t care? You also think every damn life is worth saving, well guess what babe you¡¯re so fucking wrong. Cause bitch if you think such a thing as innocent exists, then tell me right now and I¡¯ll let the Empire lay waste to Chaoz. Then we¡¯ll fucking see what you think of them as!¡± He turned around and stepped towards the door, suddenly kicking it open with so much force that the doors were blown off their hinges. Birse glanced back at her ¡°If you really think Kyle stopped caring for you, then here you fucking go. Leave, right now. Before I strangle you with my bare hands for your stupidity.¡± Karnage was stupefied as she stood there, she had never seen Birse act anything but calm and solemn. But now he let it loose, showing his true colors as fury clearly showed in his face and tone. But his words sunk deep, cutting into her like scissors into paper. He was clearly right, all this time she was just being selfish. Thinking the world could be rainbow colored and safe, thinking everyone could just talk and make up¡­Karnage knew she was being foolish. Yet all she could ask was¡­¡±How?...How did you plan to bring them back?¡± So Birse¡¯s words woke her up, like a hard slap in the face they snapped her out of her daze as he sneered at her ¡°Heroes get a wish by the Avatar at the end of a successful quest, ask anybody at all. Kyle could wish for so much¡­He could wish for his family back, he could wish for himself to become a normal human being than this damn curse that plagues his mind. Maybe even wish for Silv and Sly back!¡± Karnage now understood Birse¡¯s anger, her clenched fists shook as she dropped her swords ¡°He could¡­wish for her back too¡­¡± she mumbled to herself, realization finally befalling her. Realizing that instead of wishing for any of those, instead of even wishing for Alison back alive¡­Kyle chose what she would have, to save her the pain. He believed in her, he trusted her. All this time, in an eccentric way, Kyle was just protecting her. And that royally pissed her off. ¡°Alright¡­¡± said Karnage as she wiped the tears off her eyes ¡°What can I do?¡± Ch 122 - Nogitsune Lilior glanced around in confusion, asking herself (¡°How did this happen?...I only napped for five minutes!¡±) as she looked between each Kyle. ¡°I could of done better¡­¡± mumbled the Kyle that sat on the ground looking glum. ¡°Yeah! You fucking could have! Sure don¡¯t take into account the malevolent spirit living INSIDE US!¡± shouted the second Kyle as he stood over the first. ¡°We should have seen it coming!¡± grumbled the third Kyle as he leaned onto the nearby tree. ¡°But we didn¡¯t! How could we!?¡± argued the first Kyle. All three were connected by chains of ice linking their arms, but each looked exactly the same. Exactly the same, except for their personalities. Lilior named them as such in her mind, now what she couldn¡¯t figure out was on who¡¯s head to rest on¡­ ¡°Hell if I know!¡± Responded Hatred. ¡°We need to do something! We can¡¯t just keep standing around arguing!¡± stepped in Instinct ¡°The longer this goes on the further apart we¡¯ll tear!¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s best¡­I mean what else can we do? After everything¡­we¡¯ve been through. Every path we¡¯ve chosen has taken to the same ending¡­¡± whined Fear. ¡°Fuck that! I ain¡¯t turning into some glorified world devouring monster!¡± Hatred grabbed Fear by the collar and pulled him up face to face, his fierce eyes glaring into Fear¡¯s shaky ones ¡°So fix this!¡±. Instinct growled as he gripped Hatred¡¯s collar ¡°Let, Me, Go.¡± He warned with a fanged snarl. Hatred chuckled ¡°Hah! Or what doggie!? Gonna bite me?!¡± he grabbed Instinct¡¯s collar with his free hand, now holding both him and Fear. ¡°I¡¯ll-¡± before Instinct could respond a flash of light next to Lilior caught everyone¡¯s attention. After the flash stood Karnage, opening her eyes only to glance around in utter confusion ¡°What¡­the hell¡­¡± Lilior smiled as she sat on Karnage¡¯s head ¡°I don¡¯t know either! Master just ripped into three or something! I was napping.¡± All three Kyles glanced at her, at each other and then back at her while slowly letting go of each other. ¡°The hell do you want?¡± asked Hatred as each of them glanced away, unable to meet her eyes. Karnage was still blinking with confusion ¡°Why is there three of you?...chained up?¡± Instinct huffed in annoyance ¡°My soul was damaged as Yokai ripped it out of my body. This is the result.¡± ¡°And we can¡¯t fix it cause neither of these two idiots can agree with me¡­¡± whined Fear, before the other two turned to him and grabbed his collar. ¡°And who¡¯s fault is that!?¡± ¡°And who¡¯s fault is that!?¡± ¡°Ohh! Synchronised speech too!¡± mused Lilior as she clapped in amusement. Karnage sighed as she held her own face ¡°Alright¡­I get the gist of it¡­¡± before stomping over to them, all three leaning away as she pushed them apart with ease. ¡°Ow!¡± whined Instinct as Karnage slapped him across the face. ¡°That¡¯s for lying to me.¡± ¡°Shi-it!¡± cursed Hatred as she slapped him second. ¡°That¡¯s for locking me up.¡± ¡°N-No-¡± begged Fear before she turned and slapped him, before back slapping him again. ¡°And those, are for you to get your head out of your ass.¡± said Karnage as she glared at all three of them, but her anger subsided there as her gaze fell and softened ¡°I¡¯m¡­sorry.¡± All three Kyles raised a brow ¡°Say what?¡± asked Hatred in confusion. ¡°Damnit Kyle don¡¯t make this harder than it already is! It¡¯s my fault! You¡­You did this because of me! I know damnit! I know okay!?¡± Karnage fell apart in front of them, falling to her knees as she tried hard to keep her tears at bay ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­for being such an idiot¡­I¡¯m sorry for making everything so difficult¡­This¡­This is all my fault¡­¡± She held herself, sniffling as tears forced their way through. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­it is your fault.¡± said Kyle as he kneeled before her, now a single Spirit once more ¡°But it¡¯s not your fault alone. I¡¯m at fault for being so weak. I¡¯m at fault for being so afraid. I¡¯m at fault for failing everyone. I tried¡­I tried so very hard¡­Even if it meant sacrificing myself I wanted you all to win¡­At least I wanted the quest to be complete. But now it¡¯s too late¡­¡° Kyle¡¯s eyes were wide yet void of emotion as he spoke in a hollow tone ¡°Behemoth is Yokai now and that blind beast wants nothing more than to feed itself to death. The plan is ruined, I can only hope Birse can come up with something even without Yokai.¡± When Karnage suddenly grabbed his shoulders ¡°There is still a way!¡± she exclaimed, causing his sullen face to look up ¡°I can transport you to the Physical realm! The guild knows where Yokai is! They can stop him and then-¡± But Kyle pulled himself out of her grip ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter Mindy¡­It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. Yokai is too strong for them to hold down, too strong for me to force it out of my body¡­¡± Suddenly Kyle¡¯s form shimmered before tearing into three ¡°Ah just fucking great! Back to square one!¡± exclaimed Hatred in annoyance. Instinct sighed ¡°This is pointless.¡± ¡°It is¡­it really is¡­¡± mumbled Fear. Karnage shook her head in disbelief ¡°You¡¯re just giving up?¡± as she stood up, tears still wetting her cheeks ¡°After everything you¡¯re not even going to take a chance?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve taken enough fucking chances!¡± hissed Hatred. ¡°Yokai is too strong, even if our soul was healed again we¡¯d stand little chance.¡± grumbled Instinct. ¡°And who knows what Behemoth has done while in my body¡­with my powers? The plan couldn¡¯t have mistakes, this¡­this is more than just a blunder¡­¡± whined Fear as he lay kneeling on the ground, staring down at the dirt. Karnage stared down at Fear ¡°They¡¯re out there, risking their lives to fix your mistake¡­¡± All three suddenly shimmered, before forming like mist back into a single Kyle. Kneeling on the ground just like Fear was, he briefly glanced up with a weak smile ¡°Nothing new then¡­I¡¯ve always been the weak link. They all have their roles¡­Birse the leader, Jacky the shadow, Cherry the anvil, Soren the hammer and Sly the wild card¡­I was like him too, yet I can never be as good. I cannot live up to what he was to the guild, I cannot compare.¡± Kyle chuckled weakly as his gaze lowered to the ground once more ¡°I¡¯m just the dramatic fool that has nothing better to do than rp. Stuck in the past, afraid of the future. Stuck on what I¡¯ve lost, afraid of what I could become. I put up a smile, switch out my mask but in the end that¡¯s all I am. A fake, a failed replacement.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Karnage suddenly pushed Kyle to the ground, holding him down by the shoulders as she lay on him ¡°No, you¡¯re not Sly.¡± Furiously glaring down at his sullen expression ¡±You can never be Sly, because you are you. Kyle you cannot compare yourself to him, he¡¯s dead, he¡¯s gone. But you¡¯re still here, even if barely. Kyle you can never be like him no matter how much you look up to him, because you can only be yourself. And yourself is enough!¡± Her hands tightened around his shoulders ¡°Yes you aren¡¯t as monstrously strong of will like him, yes you aren¡¯t able to endure excruciating pain and fight off an over powered lich! You aren¡¯t fearless like that blind fool! But Kyle I know what you are! You are afraid but for good reason! You are a coward but because you¡¯re smart! You use your fear to expect your foe¡¯s next step! You react to pain and learn not to make the same mistake twice!¡± Karnage smiled through the tears ¡°You¡¯re the villain that toys with people¡¯s emotions, you¡¯re the evil that calculates everyone¡¯s reaction and abuses it! You¡¯re crazy enough to look down on Gods! You¡¯re greedy enough to want the world to be yours! You¡¯re cold hearted enough to not care about the innocent! You see them for what they really are! Because you don¡¯t care what they think! You don¡¯t care what happens to them as long as you win!¡± she took a deep breath before laying her face into his chest ¡°Because you¡¯re¡­You¡¯re the hero this world deserves!¡± They lay there briefly, Kyle holding her as she lay sobbing into his chest. ¡°Hah¡­We¡¯re such a fucking wreck¡­¡± mused Kyle as he smiled weakly up into the misty forest ¡°But¡­you¡¯re right.¡± He pushed himself up to sit ¡°I can never be fearless like Sly, nor can I ever be as devious as Birse or as crazy as Soren. But I guess there is one thing I have above them all¡­¡± Karnage pulled away from his chest as she lay sitting on his lap now, her eyes widening in bafflement as a bright white light suddenly engulfed her. Kyle was shining, his entire body radiating white. Karnage couldn¡¯t even see him anymore, even as Lilior suddenly pulled her away the light was too blindingly bright.
Author: Andd¡­shit¡¯s hitting the fan in 3¡­2¡­1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRkl2WNqBjg
¡°My hate for this fucking existence, for everything that has been done to me¡­All the wrongs, the losses and pain.¡± Kyle¡¯s shining form rose, as if he had stood up. ¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t care. Why should I? Why would I? Do they care? Do they even know? Yes I am afraid, of what Void could do to me next, of what Behemoth could be doing in my body. I¡¯m afraid¡­But I just can¡¯t take it anymore!¡± Suddenly the light turned bright blue as Frostfire began gushing out in every direction, it engulfed Karnage and Lilior but all they felt was a minor chill coming with it. ¡°I¡¯m tired. Tired of being used, being manipulated and thrown aside.¡± Cracks seemed to form through reality around them, all leading up to where Kyle stood. Karnage heard sudden movement around them, glancing through her arms which she used to cover her eyes from the light she saw several Spirit Beasts appear. ¡°Control yourself Kyle!¡± shouted Durin as he appeared with the rest of Kori, the founders and the other Spirit beasts surrounding his bright form as Spirit flowed out of their bodies and enclosed around him. The barrier of Spirit seemed to hold the light in, containing its brightness. ¡°Seal him!¡± shouted one Spirit Beast ¡°He¡¯s shattering! We can¡¯t let this go on!¡± ¡°No!¡± responded Durin ¡°You heard the woman! There is still a chance!¡± ¡°To hell...¡± Kyle¡¯s voice resounded through the barrier ¡°To hell with your expectations.¡± Before the barrier suddenly shattered and the Frostfire engulfed them once more ¡°To hell with your Kori, to hell with my duty and to hell with you all. I¡¯m sick and tired of having everything pushed onto my damn shoulders!¡± the Frostfire seemed to slow down, waves and waves of tendrils flowing around them in unpredictable patterns and bursts of movement. ¡°To hell with Void and his strings, to hell with Scythe and his plans. I was done being afraid long ago, I made a choice¡­I made a fucking choice damnit!¡± Kyle¡¯s voice was unbearably loud ¡°And to hell with Behemoth¡­To hell with it all!¡± ¡°Seal him.¡± ordered Terrance as he appeared next to Durin ¡°He¡¯s lost, his sanity is waning!¡± Durin grimaced before raising his hands forward, along with the other founders as an even thicker mass of Spirit than before formed out of them. ¡°Lost?...Hah¡­¡± a wicked laugh filled their ears as suddenly tendrils assaulted the Spirit Beasts ¡°I¡¯ve never felt more sane!¡± The Spirit Beasts willed their mana to form around them defensively but the Frostfire simply stabbed through, sucking in the Spirit and absorbing it. ¡°Kyle! Stop this madness! See reason! We can still heal you!¡± exclaimed Durin as he watched the tendrils wrap around several of his people. But Kyle only laughed more ¡°I¡¯m done with reason, let there be madness!¡± the tendrils had wrapped around dozens, before suddenly pulling them into the light. ¡°I¡¯M DONE HOLDING BACK!¡± They briefly screamed or shouted something, but their voice cut off entirely as they were pulled into the dark blue light. The founders watched in horror as the tendrils flowed back out, their citizens nowhere to be seen. ¡°He¡­He devoured them¡­¡± said one founder in disbelief. ¡°A Spirit Beast devoured another Spirit Beast?...C-Cannibal! He¡¯s¡­He¡¯s already turned!¡± exclaimed another. Right then the tendrils lashed out again, as more formed out of the light. ¡°Do not falter!¡± shouted Durin as he also paled at the sight, he turned to Terrance ¡°Master what should we-¡± only to find the first founder staring at the light, petrified in fear. ¡°Nothing¡­It¡¯s too late¡­He¡¯s past the threshold...He¡¯s going to¡­He¡¯s turning Nogitsune.¡± Terrance mumbled as he stared into the dark light, a grim dark blue glow that radiated with cold. Slowly turning darker by the second. Durin¡¯s eyes fully widened as he turned to stare into the light too, grinding his teeth before speaking once more ¡°Fall back¡­Fall back!¡± he shouted before disappearing. With him, disappeared the founders and behind them went the rest. Each Spirit Beast fading out of sight. Karnage heard them, but she couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Kyle¡­No¡­Fight it!¡± she pleaded ¡°Don¡¯t let it beat you!¡± she shouted at the shaking mass of dark light. ¡°He can¡¯t¡­¡± said Celica as she appeared next to her, staring off into the light as another vicious cackle resounded out. Karnage shook her head as she looked at the Kitsune ¡°What are you saying?! He must! He has to!¡± Celica smiled weakly ¡°He won¡¯t, I can feel it. Kyle didn¡¯t shatter out of control, he shattered himself.¡± Her eyes widened in bafflement ¡°He started the change of his own will¡­but that¡­that shouldn¡¯t be possible?¡± As she spoke, reality cracked and shuddered around them. Frostfire filled the air, growing colder by the second. The dark blue light, shone through even the mist as it filled the forest. Celica held back a sob as she grasped Karnage¡¯s shoulder, making her, Karnage and Lilior disappear. They reappeared elsewhere, standing in a field of golden grassland as they gazed off at the mist-covered forest kilometres away. Karnage panicked at the change of scenery ¡°Wha-Take us back!¡± she exclaimed, realising Celica had moved them. ¡°No¡­¡± Celica told her, crimson flames forming around her body as she trembled in anger. But Karnage wasn¡¯t intimidated ¡°We could still save him!¡± ¡°Foolish girl he¡¯s lost, Kyle willingly crushed his own soul!¡± Celica exclaimed in fury, as her fierce eyes turned to glare at her ¡°All we can do now¡­is watch...¡± Karnage took a step back and away from the infuriated fox, when suddenly the dark light engulfed them once more. Turning back to the forest she saw it was engulfed by the light, as well as Frostfire tendrils wrapping around the trees and reaching out onto the fields. Followed by the cracks, like invisible glass slowly breaking they formed through everything be it solid or empty air. For a moment, her own heart skipped a beat, her breathing froze and she found herself unable to move or speak. Karnage could only watch as the tendrils reached out, curved around and then in a sudden twirl of movement pulled in the entire forest. The trees, vines and branches, the mist and hollows that roamed there as well, even the grass and ground. Everything imploded, pulled inwards by the Frostfire until all that remained was a massive crater filled with dark blue light, sourced by the sphere of pitch black that lay in the very centre of it all. ¡°I can sense him¡­¡± said Celica as she covered her mouth, gasping ¡°Kyle is...Nogitsune now.¡± A sudden wave of force blasted out of the light¡¯s source, like a burst of wind it travelled through the crater, shattering reality as it moved. Like bright sparks of light the shards lay still, floating in the black void that surrounded them. Karnage, Celica and Lilior watched in terror as more tendrils of Spirit flowed out of the light¡¯s source, different than the Frosfire of before. They weren¡¯t blue, or even flames at all. Black masses grew out of the dark light, several million of them which reached out to the shards and slowly began to collect them. The shards sunk into the liquid like tendrils, flowing down them and converging on the light¡¯s source. ¡°What is¡­what¡¯s going on?¡± asked Lilior as she held onto Karnage¡¯s feline ears for dear life, severely more confused than either of the other two. ¡°The process of when a Yako turns Nogitsune¡­it devours anything and everything around it. It absorbs it all, be it solid, liquid or gas. Be it physical or ethereal¡­Be it reality itself.¡± Celica explained with a muffled voice, as she held her mouth as if on the verge of vomiting. ¡°Master¡­will master be okay?¡± Lilior asked with wide fearful eyes. Celica couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer, the fairy¡¯s innocent question breaking away her will. She sobbed openly, gripping her mouth with one hand and her stomach with the other ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­I couldn¡¯t do it Minori¡­Your son¡­He¡¯s¡­He¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°No¡­No he can¡¯t be gone!¡± Karnage exclaimed in denial, pulling Lilior off her ears and leaving the Fae to float alone before suddenly disappearing. ¡°Kyle!¡± She shouted, appearing at the edge of the crater. She gazed out and towards the grim blue light, as it slowly turned completely black ¡°Kyle!¡± she shouted once more, tears flowing down her reddened cheeks as she clenched her rapidly beating chest. Then she saw it, when the light turned it¡¯s blackest. Like two eyes in the distance they blinked. Shining darker than the light that surrounded them, they gazed directly at her. ¡°Kyle?...¡± Ch 123 - The BloodPack Barik Aurei Landing Behemoth stepped out of the rift, finding himself on a large rocky island. The island¡¯s surface was mostly a massive square hole, like a tunnel it was dug straight down to the point that neither sun¡¯s light could reach the bottom. ¡°This energy¡­Hahaha¡­That bitch will get her time! But for now¡­¡± he approached the hole¡¯s edge, stomping his foot into the emptiness beyond as suddenly a barrier shimmered alive blocking his foot ¡°Until I am at full strength, while I get used to this vessel. The Aurei will do!¡± Behemoth reached forward and tore open reality, stretching open a rift which he stepped into. Finding himself at the top of a very thin snowy mountain, before him lay a rocky mountain top. No tunnel in sight. Behemoth leaped up, grabbing at the mountain top¡¯s edge before suddenly bashing his claw into the stone ¡°Oh this body is so useful in so many ways!¡± he mused as his entire arm turned to a dark green slime. The slime melted through the snow and rock, expanding as it devoured the mountainside until it formed a wide circle underneath his feet. Behemoth smirked ¡°And down we go.¡± He increased the intensity of the slime puddle below him, and down he descended as the gooey acidic substance vaporized through the stone. For several hundreds of meters he descended, his left hand lowered into the green slime and his right hand raised and glowing with a fiery red slime giving him light. ¡°This should do nicely¡­¡± he mused before dissipating the green slime puddle, standing up he then grasped the veil once more and tore it open into a rift ¡°Hahaha¡­.Lunch time.¡± Behemoth stepped through the rift once more, finding himself in the same place and time, but on a parallel realm. Using the Spirit Realm the same way Kyle had, to bypass defences and appear at his target¡¯s core. Bright violet light filled his eyes as the Aurei¡¯s hidden kingdom spanned before him, a massive open cavern filled dark crystals embedded into the ceiling like stalactites producing the light. Ethereal trees of different colours surrounded him, their roots flowing lively through the light blue soil. Silver grass caressed his sides as it flowed with winds of raw mana. The entirety of this place was the picture-perfect example of a magical forest. Behemoth breathed it in, a deep hungry breath as the magic in the air filled his lungs. He grinned openly ¡°Ahh¡­Chaoz¡¯s Mana Lanes converge here¡­Delicious.¡± But environmental mana was not enough to sate his hunger, no Behemoth glanced around looking for the inhabitants of this forest. And he found them, or they had found him. ¡°You who dare trespass, leave immediately!¡± commanded one deep and echoing voice as several dozen ethereal-like humanoids appeared around Behemoth. Their bodies were see through like the trees and grass, their armour and weapons made of the same dark crystal that covered the cavern¡¯s ceiling yet dim unlike the bright stalactites. The Aurei were like ghosts yet very much material, their bodies glowing menacingly with power as they surrounded Behemoth with long jagged crystal blades in each hand. Behemoth licked his lips as he glanced around hungrily ¡°What only seven of you? Your kind truly has declined over the eons. I remember when Aurei policed the God wars, keeping things as civil as possible until the Avatar returned. Such a shame, reality¡¯s guardians were brought down so low¡­¡± he shrugged ¡°At least you¡¯ll serve as a filling snack!¡± Behemoth suddenly surged, appearing before one Aurei as he grabbed the warrior¡¯s left blade. Behemoth grasped the crystal, his entire arm being engulfed in Darkfire before he crushed it with his bare hand. He crashed into the Aurei, bursting aflame as he sent both of them flying into a tree. Behemoth slammed the warrior into the bark, sending sparks of mana all over as the tree broke under the force of impact. Behemoth chuckled as he grasped the Aurei by the neck, blocking his remaining sword with a free hand as the warrior tried to strike back ¡°Now that¡¯s not very nice!¡± Behemoth exclaimed as he let go of the Aurei¡¯s neck, pulled on his sword and suddenly bit down on his arm. Darkfire gushed out of his fangs as Behemoth tore off the warrior¡¯s arm, armour and all. Kicking him away as he ripped off a piece of ethereal flesh from the arm-made-drumstick and swallowed it ¡°Mmhhmm¡­Juicy¡±. ¡°Vile monster!¡± exclaimed one Aurei as the other six raised their swords towards Behemoth, Aura bursting alive out of their blades and converging on the beast. ¡°Monster? Oh I¡¯m far worse than that.¡± Responded Behemoth as he turned towards the explosion of Aura that headed in his direction, taking a deep breath momentarily before suddenly belching out Darkfire out of his mouth. The flames met the Aura midway, enveloping the mana and absorbing it before suddenly covering the six standing Aurei in Darkfire. Behemoth laughed as the warriors screamed in agony, as the flames devoured them alive. ¡°Oh this power is so useful! I don¡¯t even have to chew!¡± he exclaimed happily before turning to the last Aurei, finding the one-armed warrior trying to crawl away ¡°Not so fast sonny.¡± Behemoth surged to now stand above him, stomping his foot down onto his back and holding him down ¡°Where are the rest?¡± he hissed the question at the survivor. ¡°I¡­will never tell¡­t-the likes of you!¡± the Aurei responded weakly.
Author: Fight! Fight! Fight!~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx5X2RQ_EMY
¡°Oh well, guess I¡¯ll have to find them mys-¡± Behemoth was cut off as out of the corner of his eye he saw movement, right before a massive hammer bashed into his entire body and sent him flying. Behemoth tumbled over grass and shattered through several trees before coming to a stop, slightly dizzy from the sudden attack he barely noticed the blur of shadows that appeared on top of his sprawled-out form. Jacky descended down onto Behemoth with shadowy smoke engulfing his arms, grabbing the creature in Kyle¡¯s body by the shoulders ¡°Mark, Set.¡± He quickly chanted before shadow stepping away, his form bursting into shadows which quickly dissipated into thin air. ¡°Wha?-¡± Behemoth barely had time to react as he suddenly, involuntarily shadow stepped himself. He reappeared in a burst of shadows, finding himself back at the top of Aurei Landing. On either side of him stood Soren and Sparta. Soren¡¯s massive axe crashed down on Behemoth¡¯s waist, cleaving his legs off. Sparta slashed at his left arm, missing as Behemoth surged away in a panic. But once he reappeared several arrows blasted through his body, his form turning to slime from the massive damage he took. Behemoth fell to the ground, his body turning into a blue puddle of slime before suddenly expanding several hundred times. The slime took shape, then colour. Now standing on four legs was a massive black canine creature with three long blade-tipped tails and leathery wings. Behemoth snarled at the guild that surrounded him, Soren, Sparta, Ch, Skill, Vain, Rico and a Magek with Deathchilled inside. Out of a portal nearby came out Jacky, Jane and Cherry too. ¡°You!!¡± exclaimed Behemoth before three blasts of icy magic exploded in his face, finding his head and torso completely frozen over he willed Darkfire to engulf his entire beastly body and break free. He glanced up to see the Chariot flying circles around the island, Seren and Woody aiming their Magek¡¯s staffs down at him and the vehicle¡¯s own three turrets controlled by Steph inside. Behemoth bared his jagged black fangs and leapt at them, in response Cherry, Soren, Sparta and Rico charged in to engage him. Cherry¡¯s hammer deflected Behemoth¡¯s claw as it swiped at him, the creature wincing at the force behind his attack. Soren threw his axe at the beast¡¯s face before suddenly surging in a burst of flames behind it and slamming his feet down on Behemoth¡¯s snout, stopping the creature¡¯s charge. Behemoth roared as his three tails lunged down at them, Rico appearing in front of Cherry to block the one and Sparta flying up to the still falling Soren to block a second with her own shield and parry the third with her sword. ¡°Fine! Guess I¡¯ll just devour you all!¡± exclaimed the beast as he opened his jaws, Darkfire forming in-between his fangs before suddenly belching out and on top of them. ¡°No you don¡¯t!¡± exclaimed Seren as she shot out a spark of light from her Magek¡¯s staff, it zipped down like lightning and suddenly stopped in the flame¡¯s way ¡°Reflect!¡± she chanted and the small ball of light expanded out into a flat barrier of bright light. The flames collided with the barrier before suddenly being blown back, engulfing Behemoth.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Multi-light-ray!¡± chanted Woody as he aimed down his Magek¡¯s staff, its tip flashing brighter than the sun as a multicoloured ray of light burst down and into Behemoth¡¯s wide open maw. The beast exploded, with several rainbow-coloured flashes its head and torso blew up like a pi?ata leaving behind the behind, hind legs and tails which collapsed onto the tunnel¡¯s barrier. Three bursts of ice magic shot out of the Chariot¡¯s turrets, each one colliding with Behemoth¡¯s remains as it suddenly began to regenerate. The remains were covered in ice momentarily but even as the magical explosion¡¯s cold mist was still dissipating the ice cracked. Behemoth¡¯s broken form faded into Darkfire before exploding outwards, shattering the ice that covered him and sending out a shockwave of black flames all around. ¡°I WILL NOT BE HELD DOWN!¡± the beast exclaimed as the flames engulfed the guild, a barrier of fire shielding them was summoned by Death while the Chariot resisted the attack through Seren¡¯s mana barrier. Behemoth snarled as his canine body completely reformed, growling as the large tentacles of black flames that now filled the island¡¯s surface bent towards his position. Before suddenly, each one, no matter how far they would stretch¡­lunged at the Chariot. The first three were blocked by Seren¡¯s barrier but the forth cracked it and the fifth shattered it. The flames wrapped around the Chariot, Griffins and Mageks. Ripping the Griffins off the rest of the Chariot before the entire thing was engulfed in Darkfire. Behemoth laughed hysterically ¡°A dungeon! Oh how genius! Delicious too!¡± having absorbed the dungeon crystal that controlled the Chariot. His black eyes though widened as out of the explosion of Darkfire burst out several forms, two Griffins covered by a thick barrier of mana and light flying down towards the rest of the guild. Seren led the way with her staff and shield glowing brightly while Woody¡¯s Griffin followed as Birse and Steph held onto his Magek¡¯s shoulders. The two Griffins landed nearby the others, standing at the back as their riders took aim on the large black beast. Steph and Birse leapt off Woody¡¯s Magek, the mage moving to stand next to Death while Birse walked over to the group¡¯s front. Birse grimaced at the sight ¡°You''re one ugly ass motherfucker.¡± He told Behemoth harshly ¡°Don''t worry, we''ll help you put a bag on that.¡± Soren, Cherry, Sparta and Rico surged forwards, appearing nearby each of the beast¡¯s feet and lunging at them. Behemoth reacted immediately, raising his left claw up to stomp over Soren as his three tails lunged at the others. Jacky, Vain and Jane appeared to parry each tail while Soren surged out of the way as Behemoth¡¯s foot crashed down onto the barrier beneath them. Cherry¡¯s hammer crashed into the beast¡¯s right foreleg, Sparta¡¯s shining blade slashed through the beast¡¯s left hindleg and Rico¡¯s long spear burst aflame as it pierced through Behemoth¡¯s right hindleg. And just then Birse surged forwards, massive arms of armoured shadow forming out of his back. Like wings the arms opened wide and suddenly grasped Behemoth¡¯s remaining foreleg, Birse motioned his gauntlet¡¯s chains forwards. Each chain¡¯s hook dug into the beast¡¯s leg as the arms of shadow let go of it and then grasped the chains, suddenly pulling Birse forwards with great velocity which he used to punch straight through the leg before surging away. Limbless, Behemoth collapsed once more to the ground as a rain of magic fell upon him. A hurricane of fire summoned by Death surrounded the beast, causing his form to slightly blur and lose shape. Two thick arrows dug into his eyes as suddenly large vines grew out of them and moved to wrap around his body. Behemoth tried to burn the vines off with Darkfire but the hurricane¡¯s flames suddenly converged on the vines and wrapped around them, holding the Darkfire off as the vines fully encased his body. He struggled and bent around his long limbless body trying to break free, only to be held down as the island¡¯s edge rose into pillars of stone which slammed down onto his form. Five long rows of stone now holding the beast¡¯s body down. Behemoth willed the flames that covered the island¡¯s surface to attack the guild but it was too late, Steph, Seren and Woody had already blasted any remaining tentacles into oblivion. The guild moved to surround Behemoth¡¯s chained down body, watching closely as it continued to struggle against its restraints. ¡°Seren, Woody, Steph! Seal it however you can as well!¡± Birse ordered, seeing no such thing as overkill in holding this thing down. The three mages, two of them in their Mageks, raised their staffs or gloved hands towards the massive beast and chanted. ¡°Singing light seal this abomination away! Wisp¡¯s Grasp!¡± Seren chanted as a bright white flame-like magic spilled out of the end of her staff and moved to engulfed the creature¡¯s body. Slowly it sunk under the blazing vines and formed a veil in between them and the creature. ¡°For each colour I summon thy light! Uni-Barrier!¡± Chanted Woody as out of the end of his staff exploded out a shockwave of lights, flowing out like a bright mist it covered Behemoth entirely before settling. ¡°Crystal Summon! Great Nine Seal!¡± Steph chanted as she threw nine differently coloured crystals up into the air, quickly raising her right hand towards them and suddenly zap each with a bolt of magic. The crystals lit up with light and began to hover, before each whizzed away. The crystals flew off, taking formation around Behemoth¡¯s form and growing a dozen times over. ¡°Seal, Lock!¡± Steph chanted once more, the crystal¡¯s light flashing twice before from each surged out several continuous shocks of multi-coloured lightning. The electricity surged through the bright mist, through the flaming vines and the white wisp barrier. It trickled into Behemoth¡¯s still struggling body, paralyzing him. Each member watched anxiously, unable to see the creature through all the restraints but hopeful they would hold. Several moments passed by, the only audible sounds being the crackling flames and electricity, the flowing mist and stretching vines. ¡°Did we¡­did we get him?¡± Rico asked with wide eyes as he still held his spear angled towards the massive creature. Everyone breathed out in relief, it seemed as if they had. ¡°Shit! Rifts!¡± called out Birse as he reacted to what his [Kage no Kokei] mastery skill saw, seeing brief moments through the future. Each member surged or evaded aside as several dozen rifts tore open around them, tendrils of grey slime shooting out and entangling around several of them. The Pack dodged, weaved and parried the tentacles of slime as more and more rifts tore open. They evaded, ducked and surged out of the way, slashed, stabbed and blasted them out of the way. But there was just too much, coming from every direction possible¡­The slime overwhelmed them, slowing their movement as it entangled around their arms, legs and weapons. Until each member was engulfed in slime and held down to the ground or barrier. A hysterical chuckle filled the air as suddenly every single restraint they summoned exploded outwards, Darkfire bursting out in every direction as Behemoth appeared through. Stretching out his regenerated forelegs. Behind him was a single rift, two of his tails keeping it stretched open while one lay wiggling inside. Behemoth laughed openly ¡°This! Now this is precious! Foolish maggots think they can hold ME down!¡± before suddenly snarling in anger ¡°I¡¯M A GOD! YOU MORTAL LOWLIVES SHOULD JUST LEAP INTO MY MAW! HAPPILY ACCEPTING TO BECOME NUTRITION FOR A HIGHER BEING!¡± he growled while turning towards Birse ¡°I¡¯ll start with you.¡± Behemoth smiled as he opened his mouth and lunged down at the guild leader. ¡°It looks as if¡­you might need a hand or two?¡± Spoke a dreadful voice as Lucifer appeared before Behemoth, grabbing the creature¡¯s lunging snout with one hand before suddenly throwing him aside like a ragdoll. Behemoth¡¯s tails let go of the one rift, his third tail being torn off as the rift closed on him while his body tumbled off into the water. The guild rose as the slime that covered them dissipated, disconnected from the main body it only lasted mere seconds. ¡°Lucifer¡­good timing.¡± said Birse as he inwardly grimaced, everything was going wrong. ¡°Hah! Save us the sarcasm mortal.¡± Said a feminine voice as a second Devil appeared next to Lucifer. Mammon, the Devil lord sin of Greed. Greenish skin with long elf-like ears, shoulder-length gleaming silver hair and golden bright eyes, Mammon wore pitch-black armour riddled with blades. ¡°Step aside adventurers, this is personal.¡± Said Lucifer as his mouth stretched into a single-sided wicked grin. The air suddenly thinned out as the two Devils¡¯ aura filled the island, miasma flowing out of the ground as they hovered towards where Behemoth was rising out of the water. Behemoth growled in annoyance ¡°Devils Eh? What only two of you? This will be easy.¡± He purposely mocked them. Lucifer chuckled emotionlessly ¡°Behemoth, it has been a while hasn¡¯t it you vile abomination of creation. So long that¡­You have no clue how powerful we Sins have become.¡± Mammon¡¯s expression was twitching, as if she couldn¡¯t wait to fight ¡°Unlike you who grows stronger by eating, we are globally powerful. For every act of greed, every act of pride. We, Grow, Stronger.¡± Suddenly Mammon surged forwards, her fist planting itself into Behemoth¡¯s side and sending the massive beast flying off like a pebble over the water¡¯s surface. ¡°And unlike you¡­¡± began Lucifer as he appeared in Behemoth¡¯s tumbling path ¡°Our vessels are equally powerful.¡± Raising his right hand forwards. Reality seemed to warp and stretch out of the way, as miasma gushed out of his hand and burst forwards. When the miasma collided with Behemoth¡¯s body, it was as if an atomic bomb had gone off. The Pack held on to anything, fearing the shockwave alone would blow them away. But Mammon and Lucifer simply hovered in place, undeterred. As the miasma that lingered after the explosion slowly dissipated into the air, Lucifer and Mammon moved in for the finishing blow. Hovering over the little bit of black slime-flesh that survived the explosion, as it slowly and weakly regenerated. ¡°Just as we agreed, together.¡± Said Mammon as she raised both hands down towards the slowly regenerating slime. Lucifer simply huffed in agreement, raising both arms towards what remained of Behemoth as well. ¡°Wait!¡± exclaimed Karnage as she suddenly appeared hovering in their way, holding her arms open and eyes closed. Mammon grimaced ¡°Out of the way!¡± she shouted angrily, her voice creating a shockwave powerful enough to throw Karnage down into the water and out of her way. But it was enough, as the slime sunk down into the water and flowed through a rift. Seeing this both Devils rushed down, yet the rift closed before they could reach it. Behemoth got away.
Spirit Realm Recreation of Ancient Tempres The black goo flowed through the rift as water gushed out and onto the frozen beach, the tear in reality closing behind it. Behemoth slowly reformed, taking form into the cheapest shape his body could handle. Kyle¡¯s default shape. ¡°Hah¡­Alright mistakes¡­were made¡­¡± he chuckled in amusement as he lay on the frozen water, staring up at the grey cold sky ¡°Curse those abysmal freaks.¡± He grumbled before rising to his feet. ¡°I know right? That was almost too close for comfort¡­¡± Ch 124 - Relief Hours earlier Kyle wordlessly screamed as he felt his very being shatter, as he felt every moment of his soul mangling on itself. It was unbearable, an agony so profound he could feel his very sanity break with. And then it suddenly stopped. He was still hovering in place, surrounded by the dark light. Glancing about he looked down at himself, his form was dissipating into dark ash. His hands were gone, his arms half way so as what was, floated as ash next to them. As if time had stopped, yet not. ¡°And the hero finally falls.¡± Spoke a voice from everywhere at once. ¡°Who¡­who are you?¡± Kyle asked, looking around he saw nothing by the destruction caused from his fit of rage. ¡°I am all, I am you and everything around you. I believe you can call me, Avatar.¡± Responded the voice. Kyle grimaced ¡°Ah¡­I see. What do you want? If it¡¯s nothing important, I¡¯m sort of busy falling apart here.¡± He tastelessly joked. ¡°Always time for sarcasm with you isn¡¯t it?¡± The voice chuckled ¡°Yes my dear Hero, this is very much important. But I¡¯ll make it quick seeing as, time for you is surely running out. And time my dear Hero, is the one thing I have little control over.¡± Suddenly Kyle saw as the ash flowed back, reforming his arms and legs, reforming even his tails. He watched in awe as his body rebuilt itself. ¡°I must apologise Hero, for I needed you to fall. Else we could never have come to communicate like this, an existence such as myself may only speak with equals or those on the verge of death. When one¡¯s mind is running so rampant that it will accept anything.¡± The voice explained as Kyle listened ¡°Tell me Kyle, what do you think a Yako is?¡± Kyle was briefly confused by the sudden and seemingly unimportant question ¡°A Yako is¡­the opposite of a Kitsune. Where one absorbs positive Spirit, Yakos absorb negative Spirit.¡± He answered bitterly. It hummed thoughtfully ¡°Hhm, incorrect. A Kitsune is neither one end or the other, it is the very middle. The Nogitsune is the fallen end, while the Yako is three thirds of the way.¡± ¡°Hah¡­so I was given the short end of the stick by being born Yako?¡± Kyle chuckled sorrowfully, as he floated surrounded by the dark mass, as the sparks of reality lay frozen within. ¡°No Yako, you weren¡¯t. I said three thirds of the way, I never said in which direction. A Yako¡¯s soul is simply put, more malleable than a Kitsune¡¯s. Change comes with ease for your sub-kind. It is why you are so rare, because you are so volatile. Three thirds of the way, in both directions to fall and ascension. And there has been many Yakos born before you, yet none of you have ever ascended¡­¡± The voice¡¯s tone seemed to grow sorrowful as it continued to speak ¡°The first Yako fell, and made sure the next one did so too. The second Yako fell and made sure so did the third¡­and so on. A long chain of pain and hate. Now you might ask, what does this have anything to do with you? You¡¯re falling as we speak¡­so why should you care of why?¡± Kyle snorted in disdain ¡°Took the words right out of my mouth.¡± ¡°Hah, I¡¯ve watched you for a long time Kyle. You were the miracle¡­the low¡­so low a probability that it seemed impossible¡­You gave hope to my creation of your kind. Because my oh so dear Hero, you are no normal Yako. Born from Kitsune and Yako, and kept both bloodlines? Impossible, yet real. You are something new Kyle, something reality hasn¡¯t yet seen. Neither Kitsune or Yako, you are both in one.¡± As the voice spoke Kyle felt something grasp his soul¡­a strange cold feeling that gripped something inside him tightly. ¡°You Kyle are something I cannot risk losing, you are something the Voids cannot risk leaving alive. This is why you fall, this is why you were tortured and beaten. Because you are special, and dangerous.¡± The voice was suddenly inside Kyle¡¯s head now ¡°So I ask you Kyle, do you want to fall and give in to your rage¡­or do you wish to find balance? I cannot help you if you do not consciously accept my help, that is how this works.¡± Kyle breathed scattered breaths, as he glanced at himself and around. At first he thought he was hallucinating but now¡­he was sure he was truly speaking with it. Kyle was speaking with the Avatar, and it was offering him one last chance. But did he want to take another chance? Did he truly want to keep trying? Was it even worth it? Was there¡­anything left for him? His family was gone, his body was stolen, his plan ruined and existence was on the way to destruction. Even though he swore, he couldn¡¯t keep Karnage safe and away. Even though he promised, he couldn¡¯t continue adventuring with Lilior. Even after everything they had done for him¡­He turned his back on the guild, too selfish and depressed to keep trying¡­Was there any point for him to keep trying?... ¡°Kyle!¡± shouted a voice from his left, disrupting his thoughts and replacing them with a deep guilt that threatened to swallow his insides. Kyle took a deep breath as the voice spoke out once more ¡°Kyle!¡±. He turned to look, his heart freezing over as he saw Karnage standing at the edge of his destruction. ¡°No¡­Leave!¡± he tried to shout, but then noticed that his voice couldn¡¯t reach. He didn¡¯t even have a voice, realising that all this time he was speaking with his thoughts alone. ¡°No¡­Why? Why is she still here?! Dammit! Not again! Not again!¡± Kyle panicked as he realised, history was only repeating itself. She was still here, and he was losing control. Glancing around his body he watched as his sudden panic continued the fall, his fingers rapidly bursting out into black ash, as did his feet and the tips of his tails. Karnage would be caught in the crossfire, killed just as he had killed Alison all those years before. His panic rose, his hands entirely breaking up into the ash, his legs began to dissipate too just now reaching his waist. ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°Focus Kyle.¡± Spoke the voice once more ¡°Don¡¯t think of what is to come, don¡¯t think of what mistakes you made in the past. Think of now, think of what you can do now. Of what you can still save, of what YOU can still do! Accept Kyle, accept balance and try again.¡± Kyle grinded his teeth as he closed his eyes, doing nothing to relieve him of the agony that plagued his form ¡°I¡­Please¡­Help me.¡± ¡°Gladly.¡±
Now Behemoth rose as he was met with Kyle, sneering as he faced him ¡°Oh? And what might you want from me? Just gonna say it right away¡­No I¡¯m not giving you your body back.¡± Kyle chuckled in response, he was still just a soul. Bodiless, a Spirit Beast¡¯s Spirit. Yet something had changed, something even Behemoth sensed. ¡°You feel¡­different?¡± Behemoth asked in mild confusion. Kyle smiled, a calm, average smile ¡°I am different, like to know how?¡± his voice was conflicting, loud yet silent, deep yet quiet, it made Behemoth feel sick inside. So much so that the beast took a step away from Kyle, but Kyle stepped forward as he did ¡°I¡¯ve realised, what my role is. I¡¯m not the fighter, I¡¯m not the leader nor the follower. I¡¯m not the support or the wildcard.¡± His smile widened, a wicked grin with wild eyes shining with insanity ¡°I¡¯m the mad hatter.¡± Behemoth raised a brow in confusion ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sen-¡± Suddenly Kyle surged forwards, his entire body bursting with red hot flames as his fist collided with Behemoth¡¯s crossed arms. Behemoth also summoned his flames, the Darkfire immediately entering a frenzy and lashing out at the common red flames. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to make any sense at all, not to you anyway.¡± Kyle whispered as he looked Behemoth straight in the eyes, before surging back and relaxing his stance. ¡°All you need to know, my little first beast. Is that you might as well be already dead.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Behemoth snarled in annoyance, the hair on his black ears and tails rising on edge as he bared his fangs. Kyle chuckled ¡°Finally fired up aren¡¯t you? Good¡­¡± the red flames surrounding Kyle made way as blue cold flames joined them, at the same time Kyle¡¯s colours changed. His brown hair faded into a snow white, his green eyes burning up into a crimson red and his grey ears and tails gaining a white glow as they changed to a light blue ¡°Cause I¡¯ve been fire¡¯d up for a damn while.¡± Kyle popped his neck as his fangs grew out, as his claws stretched out. Through his bared yet closed fangs he made a low growling sound, slowly it grew in loudness until finally he took a step forward and fully bared his maw. Like a beast, he roared out. A growling snarl that Behemoth returned. ¡°Let¡¯s get to it, not like simple warriors or mages. But how it¡¯s supposed to be¡­¡± announced Kyle as the red and blue flames around him suddenly twirled in a burst of movement ¡°Let¡¯s go at it like the fucking monsters we are!¡± the two flames seemed to merge together, suddenly rushing upwards in a pillar of golden flames.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Author: Here it is :3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_HUuDd3dSU
¡°Fool! I¡¯ll devour you too then!¡± warned Behemoth as he suddenly charged towards Kyle, Darkfire engulfing his entire body as he surged at top speed. Kyle met his charge in kind, surging forwards as well. The two met mid-way, their claws clashing with each other in sudden and unfollowable movements, their flames lashing out at each other as they remained near. Both briefly retreated back, surging back and watching the other closely. Behemoth growled as he chanted ¡°Rot, Rust and Disintegrate! Darkfire breath!¡± he opened his jaw wide, belching out Darkfire towards Kyle. At the same time Kyle also chanted ¡°Purify, Cleanse and Smite! Holyfire breath!¡± he bit down as the golden flames formed in his mouth, his cheeks pumping up as he briefly held it in until the Darkfire reached him. Kyle opened his mouth, letting out a blast of bright golden flames that pierced through the hot darkness and threatened to engulf Behemoth whole. Behemoth surged aside, evading the breath attack only to be met with Kyle moving back into close quarters combat. Their claws met once more, snarl for snarl, fist for fist and flame for flame. They clawed away at each other, grappling the other while pushing away their efforts to grip and bite. They fought like frenzied beasts, like enraged animals. One hungering and the other vindictive. Their strength seemed equal, their speed not even a second behind the other¡­But Kyle was clearly ahead of Behemoth¡¯s every step. As he evaded his claws and tore away at his chest and arms, as he blocked his kicks and turned them around, throwing Behemoth aside and misbalancing him. Kyle saw it all coming, the seemingly random bursts of slime tentacles, the quick almost unpredictable movements of [Quick Surge] and even the combined attacks of Darkfire with [Surge]. Behemoth was tiring, but Kyle was only getting started. As he blocked Behemoth¡¯s Darkfire engulfed high kick, Kyle grappled it and spun the beast over, slamming him down into the ground head first causing the ice around them to crack and divide into floating plates. Behemoth groaned as he slowly pulled himself up, as Kyle stepped back and cautiously watched ¡°This¡­is not over!¡± the beast exclaimed before suddenly turning tail and surging away. Or at least that was his plan, before Kyle appeared in his path and planted a fist in between his eye sockets then slamming him back down to the ground. Kyle chuckled coldly as he stood over the groaning Behemoth ¡°Do you feel that Behemoth? The dizziness? The pain? That¡¯s mortality for you, such a damn annoyance isn¡¯t it? But I still want it¡­¡± Kyle growled as his grin turned into a grimace ¡°I want my body back, and there is nothing you can do to stop me now.¡± Behemoth snarled as he surged away ¡°Nothing?! I¡¯m a bloody deity you incorrigible child! I¡¯LL SHOW YOU WHO CANNOT STOP WHO!¡± the beast bellowed as he suddenly arched back and opened his mouth wide, gushing out came shadows blacker than anything Kyle had ever seen. The darkness poured out of his body, seemingly never ending until a gigantic cloud of the stuff floated around him. Suddenly his body went limp, falling to the ground unconscious. From the shadows that twirled around him Kyle saw several faces form, all beast like, all speaking at the same time ¡°I am the devourer, the unsateable, the true beast! And now that I am free of my curse! After eons of being trapped in the veil! NOTHING WILL STOP ME FROM FULFILLING MY HUNGER!¡± the beasts of shadow roared in unison, baring that fangs of black. But Kyle could only chuckle ¡°So proud, so blindingly proud you ¡®Higher Beings.¡¯¡± His voice was void of magic as he spoke, his expression solemn¡°You are powerful, I¡¯ll give you that much but¡­What is the point of power if¡­you have nothing to lose?¡± he glanced down at his body as the faces moved out of the hurricane of shadows, bodies forming for each of the five giant beasts. ¡°Power is power, there needs not be a point!¡± Behemoth growled back at him with each beast. Kyle shook his head in disagreement ¡°If you have nothing to lose then you have nothing to fight for. I realised, I still have something to lose. I still have several things to fight for.¡± he suddenly surged forwards, placing his hand over his sprawled-out body¡¯s face. His form shimmering into ethereal before rushing inside the open mouth. Each beast surged with him, one turning aflame, one engulfed by lightning, one surrounded by frost, the fourth covered in blades of wind and the fifth blurring into darkness. Each one collided with another, deforming, engulfing Kyle¡¯s body whole as bouts of flame, wind, lightning, frost and darkness exploded out and around causing a severe screen of snow and steam to form. The whirlwind of shadows reformed into one, a singular beast of flowing shadow now staring off into the cloud of steam and frost. Canine by design with bladed tails growing out all the way up to the back of its head like feathers, its fangs were jagged, its eyes a dark void, yet its face was the only colour other than black. Yokai¡¯s mask enlarged and worn over the beast¡¯s own snout. As the snow and steam dissipated Behemoth grinned widely, revealing a broken and slime deformed Kyle. His body was hit hard as he retook possession of it, his left arm was entirely gone and his body was riddled with patches of seared slime and flesh. ¡°Oh you think yourself cunning? Having taken back your body? Well how unfortunate for you child, it matters little!¡± Behemoth chuckled ¡°Without a body I am not limited by mortality anymore!¡± he stomped down his forelegs and snarled. Kyle smiled weakly as his body regenerated from the attack, chuckling as several notifications filled his view "True enough this vessel of mine lacks the power your existence has but...This world isn¡¯t all magical or physical prowess. Chaoz is not based entirely on skill and experience either¡­Ironically it is, in a different meaning."
Spirit levels merging with physical level... Calculating...
A divine power imbues your body... Calculating...
¡°This world is a game system, an MMO, a broken fucking stat calculator.¡± Kyle¡¯s eyes shone, a glint of madness and amusement as he sneered at Behemoth ¡°And I¡¯m friends with the database moderator, who gave me a little boost¡­You know when a Hero completes a quest they get to choose half of the champions for their chosen God? Well¡­call it an early birthday present, guess who I chose?¡±
Level up! (x100)
Title ({Champion of Ymir}) has been unlocked by a higher being!
Warning you have Several [Attribute] points awaiting sorting!
Kyle¡¯s smile grew ¡°And sure, you might be a Spirit who is immune to physical attacks. But I¡¯m a Spirit Beast, bitch with what kind of attack do you think I¡¯ll come at you with?! And also...Spirits don''t get levels do they?...Hah...¡± his tone turned into almost a hiss as his hatred for this vile creature he faced rose. Just how much Behemoth reminded him of Void, was enough to make Kyle utterly despise it. But after trying to tear him apart from the inside out? After stealing his body? After ruining his entire plan? Kyle only felt the hatred he felt now twice before, both towards the Nogitsune who ruined his life. And he wasn¡¯t one to let hatred gone unsated as he grinned maddingly up at the colossal beast of shadows. ¡°For everything you¡¯ve done¡­For every misstep you took against me¡­For every lie, for every deception and for every stab at my back.¡± Kyle chanted fiercely as Behemoth sensed his magic and lunged ¡°Nothing will stop me now from enacting vengeance! Cold Soul!¡± From Kyle¡¯s position an explosion of frost blasted outwards, engulfing the leaping Behemoth entirely, too fast for the creature to even see. Time around Kyle seemed to slow to a crawl as he shouted in real time ¡°Lilior! Merge with my hand!¡± he told the Fairy who had been watching safely from the sidelines. Lilior flying also in realtime as she morphed to slime and splashed into Kyle¡¯s right arm which also turned to slime. At the same time Kyle had opened his character sheet, and dumped every single last of his Attribute points into Intellect. Tripling his current mana bar,
Mana [16,200 / 16,200]
But this wasn¡¯t the only change, as he skimmed through the rest of the notifications¡­
Spirit bar has been changed! Meter is now limited and regenerative!
Spirit [ 16,200 / 16,200]
[{Tails}]¡¯s sub-skill [{Darkfire mask}] has been lost!
[{Tails}]¡¯s sub-skill [{Devouring Frostfire}] has been removed by a higher power and replaced with the sub-skills [{Foxfire}], [{Frostfire}], [{Holyfire}]!
Pointing out this change was also another physical trait, not only were his hair, eye and fur colours changed but Kyle had also gained a third tail. Yet none of this mattered right now, as he planned to use neither of the flames. No Kyle had enough time to fully think this through, to know exactly what attack he¡¯d need to defeat this abomination that lunged at him with fangs bared in slowmo. And he only had a few seconds to create it, as Lilior¡¯s form and abilities lay themselves for him to cast through their merging, something he had only just asked her about but betted on fully. As he chanted quickly without wasting anymore time¡­
Author: This part required its own music for me to write¡­ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg-OFE3lwwI
¡°Dungeon Domain!¡± he chanted, using Lilior¡¯s mana stores to form her current limit of Dungeon Cores, as the three aquamarine crystals formed in a line ahead of his outstretched right arm changed to slime. ¡°Core Overload!¡± he shouted, expanding his entire 16,200 Mana bar. Summoning forth a mass of slime only surpassed by what he managed weeks ago to form the city-wide illusion of Eslet. ¡°Shapeshift!¡± he finally chanted the last skill, allowing him to shape his own slime and Lilior¡¯s along with her Dungeon cores to his exact liking. Forming the familiar gun barrel, twenty times larger than his [{Slime Cannon}]. Three Dungeon cores perfectly spaced out within the wide aqua-blue barrel of slime as it darkened in colour, as it condensed becoming more solid as the precious seconds passed by. Finally forming the cannon just as time began to speed back up, as the frost covering Behemoth¡¯s shadowy body slowly dissipated away. As his eyes widened, just as the massive barrel end collided with the roof of his throat. Kyle chuckled wickedly ¡°Begone from this world and all the others, disappear from my sight. Slime Anti-Spirit Cannon!¡± Kyle flowed in the entirety of his Spirit bar into the first core, which quickly shattered and flowed into the second, also shattering before flowing into the third¡­of which shattered too leaving behind a brief sphere of green electric-like energy that suddenly reared back down the barrel and then burst forth, shooting out the end in a pitch-black ray of destruction. Behemoth was thrown back, the ray of energy blowing him away with, sending him through trees, snow, ice and stone. As the beast screamed in agony, as the super-condensed Spirit attack seared away his very existence like a laser burning away paper. For several moments the ray shot out of the end of Kyle¡¯s barrel, even after Behemoth¡¯s form was entirely erased from existence, permanently erasing kilometres of the Spirit Realm with him. As Kyle looked ahead he couldn¡¯t help but ignore the notifications that followed, his mind caught up on one sole emotion. Relief. Ch 125 - The Ascendling
You have destroyed a God! Title ({GodSlayer}) has been unlocked!
Mass experience gain¡­ Calculating¡­
You have Several [Attribute] points awaiting sorting!
Companion level 220! Companion has mastered its main class!
Level 250! Secondary title slot unlocked!
Level 300! Subclass is available for mastery!
Companion Level 320! Companion has mastered their sub class!
Companion Skill [{Slime Merge}] gained!
You¡¯ve created a new skill [{Slime Anti-Spirit Cannon}]!
Kyle read through his notifications as he took a quick breather, Lilior laying comfortably in between his ears ¡°Level 338¡­¡± he mused while dropping half his attribute points into vitality and the other half into intellect increasing his [Slime] bar to 12,300 and mana bar to 21,400. His Spirit bar seemed to copy his mana bar, also rising to 21,400. He sighed ¡°Now what secondary title to select¡­¡± he thought out loud as he opened his title menu, going down to his new titles and quickly reading through their benefits.
({Champion of Ymir}); Risen to power your God has picked you as their sword, shield and hammer. Their divine magic empowers you, granting you several abilities with. +20% to all base stats. +50% damage of attacks based around your God¡¯s element [Ice]. [{Divine Battle Cry}]; Call down your God¡¯s power and boost your ally¡¯s abilities in combat. + 30% to all base stats + 50% movement speed + 100% resistance to Abbysmal, Dread, Unholy, Dark and Fire magic. [Does Not Stack] Cooldown; 24hrs [{Godly Smite}]; Empower your next attack with Godly might. 100% increase to the next attack¡¯s cast damage. Next attack is turned to your God¡¯s main element [Ice]. Cooldown; 12hrs
({GodSlayer}); You¡¯re a being beyond your own mortality, risen to the top and once there brought something down. The immortals watch you, expect you, hide from and fear you. Mortality {God}: Hostility + 10% Mortality {God}; Fear + 10% + 10% Damage to {Gods} {Passive Sub-Skill}; [{God-like}]; Simply being present causes {Mortals} to shrink beneath your gaze. Mortality {Mortal}; Fear + 100% Causes debuff [{Soul Shiver}]; An intense sense of fear overwhelms your senses, clouding your judgement and rattling your emotions to the very core.
Kyle almost choked on nothing as he read through both, one was incredibly overpowered and the second was just as so but, specified while the first was generally strong. GodSlayer gave a lot but Kyle didn¡¯t see a need for it in combat, on the other hand Champion of Ymir gave everything he¡¯d want in that situation while out of combat it would just be awkward to explain. So he decided on GodSlayer to wield normally, and switch to Champion of Ymir when entering combat if possible. ¡°That should do¡­Damn I¡¯m tired¡­¡± he sighed, both his Mana and Spirit bars were depleted giving him both debuffs. He stood up and stretched out his arms and neck, everything felt in its place but his body somehow felt stronger, lighter even. He knew it was the stats that he¡¯d gained from levelling up so much affecting his body again but he had never gained so many levels at once before. Then there were his flames, as he summoned Frostfire over one finger, his usual flame that he had gotten so used to. A cold blaze, frigidly so. Over the next finger he summoned Foxfire, seemingly a normal flame giving out normal heat for its intensity it also costed half as much Spirit as any others he¡¯d had so far. Lastly there was the Holyfire he summoned next, a bright golden flame that costed more Spirit than even Frostfire to summon. This flame unlike the rest only destroyed specific elements, having twice the power against Dark, Shadow, Curse, Dread, Abbysmal and Divine magic. But his body and magic weren¡¯t the only changes, his very being felt different. Kyle didn¡¯t feel the usual hunger he¡¯d have to resist, the beast was entirely gone from his consciousness. As he scrolled up his notifications at the corner of his UI, Kyle read through the only notification he hadn¡¯t had time to consider until now.
Your very existence has changed, your role altered, your being flipped upside down. Passive skill [Devour] removed.
He even checked his skill book and sure enough, [Devour] was gone. This only meant one thing, when he had agreed to the Avatar¡¯s aid it changed him in a way that he became something incapable of devouring souls anymore. But if he was still a Spirit Beast and not a Devourer, then what was he becoming? ¡°Three thirds of the way¡­to what?¡± Kyle mused, if descent to the Nogitsune was the Beast and if a Kitsune started out at the middle as a Spirit Beast then¡­what was the Spirit? What was he turning into exactly? Kyle didn¡¯t know, the Avatar hadn¡¯t stuck around to explain and that worried him. Before he had only heard of Ascension in two ways, first was Sly¡¯s Ascension to full Devilhood and that hadn¡¯t turned out very well¡­The second was the lore behind the Slime race, also worrisome of its own right. He didn¡¯t want to descend, but did he want to ascend instead? What was the difference? These questions plagued his mind even as he willed open a rift, simply thinking of it now ripped the tear in space open. It seemed and felt like such a simple task, it terrified him so much more that he could do it easily. Kyle knew for a fact that power came with risks, so what was he risking? He didn¡¯t know either. And that scared the shit out of him. But he couldn¡¯t stay here, pondering what could be forever. He still had a world to unite, nations to appease and break. And none of that was about to fix itself overnight, so he stepped through the rift. Kyle appeared through the tear in space he created, finding himself surrounded by his weary guildmates resting around while Birse spoke with two Devils off to the side. ¡°If you fools hadn¡¯t gotten in our way it wouldn¡¯t have escaped!¡± Mammon hissed at Birse as she held Karnage by the neck. ¡°There is no need to harm them Mam, let the mortal go. We can still find it, Behemoth cannot feed sufficiently by hiding out in the Spirit Realm.¡± Lucifer assured as he gripped her shoulder. Then all noticed him as he stood there, eyes radiating blue as he glared at Mammon. ¡°Kyle?¡± Birse asked, unsure due to the change in his appearance. Kyle said nothing as he stepped casually towards Mammon, as the Devil looked up she realised it was the same face Behemoth had when they had found it. Her eyes focused as she turned to face Kyle ¡°Who are you, where is it?¡± she asked knowingly, this creature wasn¡¯t Behemoth. As Kyle approached he noticed why Karnage wasn¡¯t reacting, Mammon was unleashing every single drop of Miasma and Aura she had upon the adventurer. This annoyed him, so he released every single drop of regenerated Spirit he had so far, about half his bar but it was enough to dispel Mammon¡¯s mana and suddenly force the Devil to her knees ¡°Inspect me and you shall know.¡± Kyle said with as ferocious a tone he could muster. Using his mana Kyle forced Mammon to look up, briefly she stared at him in utter confusion before inspecting him.
{Ascendling} Kyllix [{{Master} Lord of Slimes}]-[{Chosen of Frost}] ({Holder of the Frostfire})-({GodSlayer}) (Blood Pack Mercenaries) Level 338
Mammon¡¯s eyes widened in shock, not at the classes or titles, not the level or guild. But at the racial tag Kyle hadn¡¯t known was there before. The rest only added to her state of shock, knowing exactly what the being she was facing up to was. Mammon was speechless, her thoughts jumbled even as the Ascendling let go of her.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Kyle helped Karnage up, awkwardly letting go as he turned back to face the two Devils. Oblivious of why Mammon suddenly became so tame ¡°Had your fill on looking at me yet?¡± he asked mockingly. Lucifer was confused as well, deciding to also inspect Kyle his eyes too widened in more than surprise. ¡°Little fox¡­what happened to you?¡± he asked, half laughing in amusement half in disbelief. ¡°I met an Avatar and killed a God, about my usual afternoon. How¡¯s yours been?¡± Kyle responded jokingly, a raised brow in question. Everyone tensed at the mention of the creator, except for Karnage and Lilior who already knew. ¡°The Avatar? What the hell did you do now!?¡± exclaimed Birse in disbelief as he also inspected him ¡°And what the fuck is an Ascendling?¡± ¡°Ascend what now?¡± Kyle immediately asked in confusion. ¡°Ascendling.¡± Repeated Lucifer as he shook his head ¡°You truly have no idea what is happening to you do you?¡± Everyone turned to the two Devils, as Kyle shrugged ¡°Wish I did, got any pointers to give? Sticky notes to share? I¡¯m all fucking ears cause Mr.Creator barely explained shit.¡± Mammon snorted ¡°I can believe an Ascendling met the Avatar, I can believe an Ascendling killed an immortal but¡­An Ascendling not knowing what it is? Hah! Now this is precious.¡± Lucifer turned to glare at the sin of Greed but she only chuckled in return, he sighed and turned back to Kyle ¡°Lit-¡­Kyllix, do you truly not know? Do you not understand the change you are about to go through?¡± Kyle shook his head, on edge and anxious at how seriously he was taking it. Lucifer nodded in response, sighing once more ¡°Ascension comes in many ways, for Devillings it comes as a boost in our connection with the Abyss changing us to Devils. For others becoming Devils is actually a descent, which is how us Sins came to be in the first place.¡± ¡°And for Spirit Beasts?...¡± Kyle urged on. ¡°I do not know exactly what you will become, I have never heard of your kind Ascending before. But what I can tell you is that you will not recognise yourself afterwards. Ascension comes with its risks too, for Devillings it is the chance of their change failing and them turning to Hellhounds but as for your kind¡­I don¡¯t know either.¡± Lucifer explained as his expression seemed to drift briefly, deep in thought ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll just have to find out what the Avatar had planned for you on your own.¡± ¡°What happened to hunting down Behemoth?¡± Grumbled Mammon as she turned around and stepped into a rift that appeared just as suddenly as it disappeared. Lucifer sighed as he watched her go, now turning to Birse ¡°You might fool them mortal, but you do not fool me. Why was Behemoth within your member¡¯s body? That is a question I wish to ask but¡­¡± he glanced at Kyle ¡°The circumstances beg for many more questions than just that now, so I¡¯ll leave it at that. All I ask is that you tell me, what do you plan to do next?¡± Birse shook his head ¡°Kyle can you imitate Yokai again?¡± ¡°No, I can copy the body and mask somehow but the flames¡­I cannot recreate their power and affect.¡± Kyle replied with a sigh ¡°We need another solution, one that doesn¡¯t use Yokai. The Hero, Villain scenario is lost and gone. I doubt we have enough time to pull it off again.¡± ¡°Not to mention¡­¡± Birse glanced over at the still open portal ¡°We have the Aurei to deal with too, we cannot ignore the fact that Behemoth just caused a scene.¡± ¡°The Aurei are a peaceful people, they¡¯ll hear you out. After losing their immortality due to the Godwars, you¡¯ll find them to be quite tame.¡± Lucifer explained with a sneer. ¡°The Elves are what we must cater around most, yet again.¡± Said Kyle with a worried tone ¡°And without someone to burn at the log, I doubt we can appease them now.¡± ¡°I could talk to them?¡± Karnage tentatively offered. All three glanced at her briefly, but Kyle only shook his head ¡°At best you could talk to Elder Io, the others don¡¯t trust you enough yet. The Champions definitely won¡¯t after you solely being let out of imprisonment. And the Courts don¡¯t know you at all¡­¡± Kyle wrecked his brain to think something up, but he simply had no clue what to do next. They were running out of time, a timer ticking that they couldn¡¯t even see. An enemy coming, unknown numbers and power. The Pack couldn¡¯t deal with this, the unknown was their worst enemy. ¡°Wiping out the Empire couldn¡¯t be an option could it?¡± Lucifer joked as he watched them hard at thought. ¡°Wipe out an entire race? Wasn¡¯t there some insane cataclysm event that would happen if we did that?¡± Karnage asked, slightly pale at the prospect. ¡°There are Elves in the alliance, so that wouldn¡¯t happen but still¡­not very likely we can accomplish it. Took us days of planning to get inside two cities, the Elves have hundreds across Il¡¯tel and several on Hasharr. It would require time for actual warfare, time we cannot waste.¡± Birse explained. ¡°Then no more tricks.¡± Suddenly announced Kyle ¡°We¡¯ve used up all our cards, it¡¯s time we face them for real. They are broken, they are divided and confused. And the more time we waste the closer Void¡¯s people come to being ready.¡± He turned to Birse, the guild leader deep in thought as he considered their options. ¡°Then first we need to rope in the remainders, the larger a force we seem the more inclined the Empire will be to join us.¡± ¡°Who are the remainders?¡± Karnage asked. ¡°The factions yet to join any side so far include the Jal Humans of the Jalran islands, the Kal Humans of the Kalran fortress kingdom on Hasharr, the Aurei, the wild Mer tribes, and the Scalarians from the Temples of fire on northern I¡¯ltel.¡± Lucifer listed out each of the much smaller factions of Chaoz which hadn¡¯t joined either the Empire or the Alliance. Kyle sighed ¡°Too damn many you mean, who knows what the Em-¡± ¡°SHE WHAT?!¡± suddenly exclaimed Jacky as he stood to the side, speaking into a VCD. His eyes were wide, his expression baffled. Everyone who heard him, and it was everyone, turned to look at him as he glanced up palely from the device. ¡°What happened Jack?¡± Kyle asked, puzzled at the sudden outburst. ¡°The¡­The Elves were having a council, Courts and Elders together¡­and she¡­Liliana¡­¡±
Il¡¯tel Capital Elven City of Fei¡¯tel Elder¡¯s Hall The Elders lay on their thrones now all turned to face the entrance, where three individuals stood. A Wise of the Forest Court, a new elected Clan Leader of the Night Court and the crown princess Sion of the Frost Court. ¡°We must strike!¡± Urged on the Forest Court Wise ¡°Our forces are depleted, our homes at risk and our families hide in fear at night! How long will we allow this to go on for?! How long must the Empire cower? The monster can come back at any time! We must settle with this¡­¡¯Alliance¡¯ as quickly as possible and put those accursed Hasharrians in their place!¡± Sion glanced over at the old Wood Elf, her cold, deadpan eyes causing him to squirm in his shoes as status forced him to meet them ¡°Our forces are depleted, our homes at risk and our families are afraid. War will not fix this, old man. ¡± her tone was full of disrespect, dangerously so as the Wise glared back at her. The Night Court clan leader sighed as she fidgeted with her long silver hair ¡°Must we argue? Now?¡± ¡°Enough with the bickering, why would you?!¡± exclaimed Luna, her draconic voice making the room rumble ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough of that for millennia to come.¡± She said while glancing in-between Io and Isaac. ¡°Instead let us put our heads together for once, and come to a reasonable solution to this burning pile of dung we currently stand in!¡± Io shrugged ¡°Oh I¡¯m fine with Jacobi Wise¡¯s solution.¡± She was utterly unmotivated, distracted by the littlest of things as she stared off. ¡°Now now Elder Io¡­we mustn¡¯t be hasty.¡± Isaac chuckled as he said with an awkward smile. Io¡¯s eyes widened as she turned to stare murderously at Isaac, her voice suddenly oozing malevolence as she spoke ¡°Do not dare tell me what I must be, dickless mortal mongrel.¡± Luna sighed as they looked away from each other ¡°This is-¡± But the dragon was cut off as suddenly the air filled with mana, as before them all, reality tore open. They watched in bafflement as out of the rift, the Demi-Goddess Liliana stepped out. Her glittering white dress flowing behind her as she hovered in mid-air, her hair spread out and slowly waving about as her mana gushed out unrestrained. Luna growled, standing to face the Fae deity ¡°Again? How? How did you of all, get passed our defences?¡± Liliana smiled as she checker her nails ¡°Do you like it Luna? It¡¯s a new spell we¡¯ve developed from watching the summoned, the Dezol can effectively go wherever we want now. And I felt like coming here today.¡± Elder Jaik¡¯ial¡¯s expression was at it¡¯s palest possible as he squirmed in his throne ¡°Impossible! The sheer amount of mana required for that would be-¡± ¡°I know, I fed it mana myself after all.¡± Liliana nonchalantly responded, before suddenly spinning about mid-air, glancing over each other of them as she sneered ¡°Oh! Look at you all! Conniving behind our backs, plotting and planning how to rise at the top once more!¡± she chuckled impishly ¡°Oh how much I despise your race, prideful beyond your capability, spiteful at any opposition, so much damn illusions of grandeur you can barely stand with those balls you have.¡± She turned to face Luna ¡°And for such a powerful race to merge people with these fools¡­What happened to you Dragons?¡± Luna¡¯s fangs were completely bared as she glared a deathly stare at Liliana, as the Demi-Goddess sneered in amusement ¡°Oh right, we Fae pushed you to the brink of extinction. But could you really blame us? We the guardians of life? Not to have a say with your blind and mockingly pointless destruction of everything you came into contact with? As you burned civilizations to the ground simply because you felt like it, as you massacred billions on a meagre whim.¡± Liliana once more turned to the Elves ¡°And you again, where was I?¡± she dramatically asked herself, seemingly pondering briefly ¡°Oh right, so emptily proud of yourselves you never understood why the Humans and Beastmen despised you. After centuries of dealing with your selfish bullshit no God was surprised at how they started treating you.¡± The tension was high inside the hall, Dragon Queen and Demi-Goddess staring each other down as the surrounding Elves stared palely at the two timebombs. But Luna was ancient, and patient as she hissed in question ¡°What do you want butterfly?¡± Liliana smiled awkwardly at the insult, overly annoyed by it though she let it slide ¡°Oh yes, I didn¡¯t just come here to point out your crap did I? Point is, no faction on this blasted world is sinless. Our ancestors and very selves have done mistakes. Mistakes some of us aren¡¯t proud of, mistakes some of us cherish deeply. We¡¯ve stabbed at each other since the very start, don¡¯t deny it. Each race has had a conflict with the other at one point or a damn other.¡± She sighed deeply ¡°Not once has this world had peace, not once has Chaoz been appeased. With the end of each war another began to brew, with the aftermath of each bloodbath another followed. With the fall of one Empire, another rose only to fall too and too be replaced.¡± She glanced around the tense room ¡°A cycle of hate, a cycle of death, a cycle of chaos. It doesn¡¯t matter who started it, what matters is that we all had a hand in keeping it. So shouldn¡¯t it be all our duties to end it?¡± ¡°What are you implying?¡± Elder Fion¡¯e asked as she stared up at the Fae with narrowed eyes. Liliana clenched her fists as her expression turned solemn ¡°I¡¯m implying that hate, pride and selfishness will be our undoing. That what is at risk now is much more than just our lives, more than our people, more than our legacies. Chaoz is the epitome of life, the Avatar¡¯s grandest creation but also their worst mistake. Yet it is us who stand in between Void and Existence. And if we do not unite, if we continue to bicker like children then the Void will devour us whole.¡± Liliana¡¯s eyes grew cold, her expression waning into sorrowful ¡°Nothing will remain. Not ourselves, not our people, not our families nor our legacy. The Void will erase it all.¡± The hall grew quiet, as her words sank in before she continued ¡°We cannot change the past, we cannot heal our ruptured history¡­But we can save our future. If not for ourselves then for those yet to come¡­¡± she said while raising her right hand to her chest and clenching her dress ¡°If not for those alive now, then for those who will surely live tomorrow. Unless we fail, then nobody will be.¡± She grimaced as her tone grew fierce ¡°We summoned beings from other worlds to fix our own, we forced them to fight, we forced them to play our game. We forced them to deal with our shit, and they did for a time. Heroes, one after the other they risked it all to aid our people. But that doesn¡¯t last, Heroism is a fading light in the distance. Because as we forced our beliefs on them, they are the ones who choose if to accept them as their own.¡± Liliana sighed as she also weakly smiled ¡°And if Chaoz¡¯s existence relies on this next Avatar given quest, then things must change. For the Hero we have remaining doesn¡¯t care, he not only denies our beliefs but twists and turns them, abuses of them to his own gain. Our Hero will not save us, he will only save himself and those close to him. The Dark Hero, Chosen of Ymir cares not how many die, he cares not what civilization survives as long as existence remains whole.¡± Her tone rose once more, louder than ever ¡°So it falls to us, to be our own heroes for once. Let us leave the past as it is, musn¡¯t look away but learn from history. So our future isn¡¯t as grim, so our children have lives at all. No more factions, No more alliances, No more Empires, Dominions and Kingdoms. What I offer is not peace, but neither conflict. Let us unite under one flag, one name, one belief. That we, as living, breathing, thinking beings are all, in many ways, many shapes and many forms¡­Equal.¡± Ch 126 - Unity Ruk Fae Capital of Orion, Royal Palace Several hours later Birse had been waiting for what felt like ages as Liliana finally entered the throne room, Reyna aiding the sickly Fae into hovering over to her throne. After sitting, both looked at each other. Birse silently gauging her expression and state while Liliana waited for him to speak. And after several silent moments, he did ¡°So, you¡¯ve made your move.¡± Liliana smiled weakly ¡°That I have, Esfelt¡¯s King. I hear you tried to make your own, how did that end?¡± Birse smiled back calmly, as he lowered his gaze briefly ¡°Not as I¡¯d have hoped, fortunately we didn¡¯t lose much.¡± Before looking back up with narrowed eyes ¡°Do you truly think this will work? For how long, do you think this will hold Chaoz together?¡± ¡°Long enough.¡± Liliana responded as her smile faltered ¡°Long enough for the threat to be over, after which we¡¯ll have plenty of time to deal with the rest.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to tell you that, this is a na?ve move. You¡¯re also piggybacking over what we¡¯ve caused, to what end?¡± Birse asked with now fierce eyes and a solemn tone ¡°You¡¯re going to villainize us, aren¡¯t you?¡± Liliana chuckled weakly ¡°On the contrary, you¡¯ve done enough to villainize yourselves already. Not that you care, huh?¡± She asked with a raised brow. Birse snorted ¡°No, I guess we don¡¯t.¡± amused as well. ¡°What I¡¯m doing is making the best out of what you¡¯ve failed to accomplish, see it as me saving your work from being burned to a crisp.¡± Liliana explained ¡°You lost your villain, so it only makes sense to use another existing one. Instead of recreating the hate they all have in their hearts, we¡¯ll divert it, re-align those feelings elsewhere.¡± ¡°United by the same belief, by the equality of hating a common enemy?¡± Birse sighed. Liliana nodded ¡°I expect nothing more than full co-operation. The next few days will be¡­delicate.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll co-operate. As long as you do nothing to push us away.¡± responded Birse as he turned around to leave.
Il¡¯tel Four days pass by. Peace, Equality¡­overused and misunderstood words. Unity¡­a complicated concept of both. For there to be unity between differing sides, one side must consider the other equal to some extent. For there to be unity between opposing sides, both must agree to peace even if temporarily. But no peace comes without lies, for no one people can truly live appeased alongside another. There is also no equality without inequality, for there must be misconception before there is understanding. And all this leads to hate, a difficult wall to climb over and leave behind. These thoughts ran through Kyle¡¯s mind as he witnessed this moment in Chaoz¡¯s history. As he stood within the crowd of billions of Elves, and millions of other races. They had gathered here to witness it too, as leaders, chieftains, royalty, elders and noblemen gathered at the very center of them. They were on Il¡¯tel, within the Forest Court¡¯s territory called Nature¡¯s Sanctuary. A vast field of green grass spread out all around them, only one or two trees within the mostly empty valley rising high and strong under the two suns. The reason this mixture of people was gathered here? Today? Days had gone by, the Alliance making peace with the human tribes of Jalran and the rogue Mer clans beneath the deeps. The Ogres had come to an agreement with the Humans of Kal of the fortress city of Kalran. The Empire had spoken with the Scalarians of the Temple of Fire, using their friendship with the Dragons to rope them in as well. Birse had also in some way convinced the Aurei, that solitary living on as they do now doesn¡¯t need to change. They only must agree to one simple concept, friendship with the other races who will return the same. Now they all stood here, watching, standing in large groups of millions as they gazed off towards the very middle where the ground was raised by a few feet so everyone could see. All around there were all kinds of Elves, all species of Beastmen and Scalarians, all types of Humans and Mer. From Ogres to Orcs, from Aurei to Avians. Even Dwarves and Fae, Demons and Devils had joined this massive gathering. All this was made possible through hundreds of portals opened over the recent days, allowing people through, setting up camps and tents as they all gathered. Waiting, anticipating this day. And now it had come. As each of the leaders stood on the higher ground where everyone could see them, with Liliana just now appearing from the sky above. Her beautiful hair flowing in the wind, her dazzling wings demanding everyone¡¯s attention. Kyle could only narrow his eyes, distraught at what was occurring. Unsure if everything would turn around right. But also¡­¡±Gah this is annoying.¡± He mumbled out. ¡°What is?¡± asked Soren, around them the entire guild stood together surrounded by thousands of other summoned who had come to witness this event. Kyle snorted in amusement ¡°Don¡¯t you see it? Sure the main topic of this event is the peace being agreed on between the many kingdoms but¡­they are also declaring something else.¡± He sighed while gazing up at the earthly podium ¡°Look at them, uniting together. Even though our plans failed, even though we messed up and couldn¡¯t get it done.¡± ¡°The hell you yammering about?¡± asked Skill as he elbowed Kyle in the arm. Kyle barely felt the jab as he glanced over at the skinny ranger ¡°Read in between the lines.¡± Was all he said before turning back and becoming silent. Skill was confused, but as no other answer came out of Kyle he just shrugged and turned back as well. Several minutes later, as every one of the leaders had finally arrived. The ceremony began with Liliana taking the lead in speaking to the crowd, hovering up and beginning to very slowly spin ¡°Welcome, citizens.¡± She watched over them all, the Dwarves eyeing the Elves, the Ogres eyeing the Orcs¡­Everyone was tense ¡°And thank you all for coming to witness this day of change. For today, everyone¡¯s lives will be affected. For today, each and every one of us will come to much more than an agreement. Let this day go down in history, let it be heard, let it be known and let it never be forgotten.¡± She took a deep breath before continuing on ¡°As we all know our world is at risk, blame be whoever you wish to blame. It is, in the end, all our faults. But it is not blame we are here to speak of today. No we won¡¯t speak of the past no more, today we speak of the future. Your future, my future¡­Their future. This day decides all our futures. Us leaders of this world we call home, the stallions pulling Chaoz with, we have come together for you. And in front of you, we will display what we wish out of you.¡± She glanced back and down, as out of the group of gathered leaders stepped out Birse letting go of his two brides as he did. He gazed off at the mass of diverse creatures before him, all eyes on him ¡°The Empire and its Courts, The Alliance and its members, The Dezol¡­Il¡¯tel, Barik, Hasharr and Ruk. Today Chaoz comes together as one, be it the Mer down below the deep oceans, the Aurei in their underground tunnels or the Elves in their thick forests. We become one. No longer enemies, no longer just allies. From today onward you will no longer be known as Esfeltians, as Imperials or Tribesmen. From today onward we become one people under one flag, one nation under one name.¡± Birse glanced back, allowing Sion to take over from the other side of the podium. She stepped forth, anxiously staring out at the eyes, at the many faces looking solely at her ¡°Our hate and anguish can only heal with time, but that doesn¡¯t mean we cannot fix what we can manage here and now. Today we clean the wounds we¡¯ve given each other, we stitch them up so they do not get infected. We remember them, but also care to not reopen them. But for this to happen, we will need all of your help. A country isn¡¯t anything but a stretch of land without its people, this is a belief my¡­late father deeply trusted in.¡± Sion briefly glanced back as without a second thought Asmodeus stepped forwards and began to speak ¡°To recognize this movement, to officialize this merge. We who show you the way, together as one people, have decided to rename our world as we see fit. Because it is not the Avatar who lives here, but us. So those who live here, to those who¡¯ve lived here, to those who just arrived and to all those yet to come. I welcome you all, for the land you stand on, the air you breathe and the grass that flows between your feet is our world. This is our world, our reality, our Concordia. Welcome, Concordians.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Just as Asmodeus finished speaking Luna raised her long serpentine neck, a long metal pole clenched in between her scaly lips. The Dragon Queen slammed the pole down into the hard ground, pushing it deep to where no storm would blow it out. She let go of it, and as she did the thick cloth that was pressed in between her lips before, unraveled. The flag blew in the wind, proudly just as gracefully. It was a white background, with several black-outlined rings hooking into each other. Within each ring was an emblem, each and every single emblem of every faction, kingdom, tribe and people of this world. The rings made a circle of themselves, and within that large circle were three words. One in plain English, the second in Elven runic and the third in Orcish script. The three written languages of this world. And each word read as the first, Concordia. Each meant the same thing, Unity. Liliana spoke again ¡°For all of us. For our friends, our families, our neighbors and our loved ones. We unite, to change, to grow and to survive the coming storm. Together, as one power, as one wave of emotion and strength. For no Hero can save us, we must save ourselves first. Because this is our home, our world, our reality.¡° She repeated that last sentence several times, as she looked at each people ¡±And nothing and nobody is going to take that from us.¡± Kyle could only sneer as her gaze fell on him, singling him out from the massive crowd. He grinned as those around him noticed and turned to look at him also, as an expectant silence fell. He sighed, met her gaze and suddenly surged upwards. Spirit flowing beneath his feet, giving him ground to stand on as he hovered up in the air. He heard her, loud and clear. He understood her words, read in between the lines. And now she was expecting his response. So he gave her one ¡°For those who do not know me, I am Kyllix, Dark Hero of the Frost and Void. Read on with my classes and titles, I won¡¯t waste your time by speaking them.¡± He first spoke to the crowd around him, then to Liliana herself ¡°You look at me, Demi-Goddess of the Fae. What do you seek from me? You said it loud and clear, this is your world, your reality. Then what about us? Are we summoned not welcome anymore?¡± ¡°The Summoned will always be welcome unless they cause unrule or unrest. But I do seek something from you, Dark Hero. I seek your compliance, I seek your word. For it wasn¡¯t you or any of your God¡¯s children that gathered all these people here today, was it?¡± asked Liliana as she glanced around at the nods of agreement ¡°Do we want Ymir as the one Deity for next couple centuries? What has he done? What has he accomplished?¡± she turned to gaze at him ¡°Finnish this Quest, Hero. Choose me, before it is too late.¡± Kyle grew quiet but the crowd around him began to grow loud, shouting at him, demanding of him. Liliana had played it well, she had played them all. But Kyle could only smile widely in amusement, as he raised his right hand forward flat. Slowly the crowd grew silent once more. ¡°You are correct, everything I¡¯ve done did not bring the outcome I was planning for.¡± Kyle admitted with a chuckle ¡°You were also correct, I won¡¯t save you. I won¡¯t save any of you. Why? Because I don¡¯t want to, I honestly don¡¯t care about any of you. What I¡¯ve done, what I¡¯ve been doing is not for you¡­Concordians. No what I¡¯ve been doing was for this world, for Chaoz. For my friends, for my guild. And for myself.¡± Kyle¡¯s smile grew into a wicked sneer ¡°But none of it was for naught, in the end we did reach this act didn¡¯t we? And yeah you¡¯re also right that, it was you who gathered all these people. I won¡¯t take the credit, I don¡¯t need it, I don¡¯t want it. Although it does bring a smile to my face to see you take a jab at your own father, your real father.¡± Kyle¡¯s sneer spread, becoming a grin as he watched Liliana¡¯s eyes widen with great amusement. ¡°So I¡¯ll concede, congratulations-¡° ¡°Wait.¡± Liliana snapped out of her surprised daze quickly enough, cutting him off before speaking ¡°Before you say it, I beg you. For your wish, for what you will ask It to change. Ask for the dead back, those who have fallen since the start of this entire thing. Be it Demon, Human or Elf. Please ask for them back.¡± Kyle would of laughed, it was like the both of them had planned this entire chat. Which they had not, Kyle was just piggybacking on Liliana¡¯s lines. As she portrayed him as the selfish, uncaring Chosen. She let him portray her as the empathic savior. As she made this plea, to everyone Kyle seemed cornered. Because he could either agree and bring the world closer together, or disagree and be hated by the entirety of Concodria. But Kyle wasn¡¯t so simple to just leave it at a ¡®Yes¡¯ even if he planned to wish for just that from the start, no he wanted a show. Because when Kyle got into the role, he went through and through till the end. ¡°You tell me how to use my wish, my one reward for all my trouble. I get exactly what in return then?¡± Liliana grimaced, yet she had also expected this response and she could not risk messing up at this point ¡°Anything understandably possible, we will provide you with it. All you must do is ask and if it is morally obtainable, you shall have it.¡± Kyle¡¯s expression turned deadpan, all but his smile, thin and evil as he spoke ¡°Well then¡­there is something.¡± His tone completely changed too, the reflection of cold causing Liliana to feel a shiver crawl up her spine ¡°Your half of the Champions that are to be picked¡­Surrender them to me and we have a deal.¡± Liliana¡¯s eyes widened, Kyle was asking too much ¡°You know that the stronger the chosen Champion the more power they gain, correct?...¡± Kyle chuckled ¡°Of course I do, worry not I will make the right choices. If you make yours now.¡± He knew how much of an asshole he seemed to everyone at the moment, he just didn¡¯t care. Liliana had played him, he was returning the favor. Because he knew she couldn¡¯t decline, not at this point. With everyone¡¯s eyes on them, Kyle was using the same blade she turned on him to force her into saying what he wants her to say. Liliana¡¯s eyes narrowed, she had forgotten who she was speaking to. But now she remembered, and clearly she underestimated him. As he had not just her, but the entire crowd moving exactly as he wanted them to as they all turned to look expectantly at her. Leaving her no choice ¡°As you wish, you will get to choose all of the eighteen Champions.¡± Kyle nodded as his eyes shone with glee, he wasn¡¯t about to lose without profiting in some way or another. (¡°Apologies Ymir, but your daughter is smarter than I gave her credit for.¡±) Kyle spoke to the God he knew was listening in. (¡°Hah¡­apologize not child. This works too, what is another century in this blasted five star luxury hall?¡±) Ymir responded within Kyle¡¯s mind (¡°I¡¯ve been inside your head for long enough to know not to be surprised, my only regret is that our connection will now be severed!¡±) the God chuckled. Kyle chuckled with (¡°For me as well, truly¡­Thank you, for everything.¡±) (¡°No Kyle, thank you.¡±) a sudden image of the God appeared within his mind, his fist stretched out towards him (¡°Now go get them.¡±) Kyle smiled, an honest, appreciative smile as he spoke once more. His words now imbued with mana just as his voice ¡°Then I Dark Hero of this Quest -when the requirements are accomplished- choose you Liliana as the victorious Deity.¡± Liliana nodded back, when suddenly a notification appeared above them all followed by the sound of deep horns being blown.
The Quest has been completed The {Dark Chosen} has accomplished all requirements And picked their Deity (Liliana) to be the next Goddess of Concordia Hero, choose your Champions.
Kyle glanced around and about, he had seventeen to choose and had already made up his mind. So he spoke the names, first the obvious, then the less so ¡°As Hero I choose for Champions of Liliana. Birse, Soren, Cherry, Jacky, Skill, Seren, Woody, Steph, Sparta, Jane, Rico, Vain, CHfarms, DeathChilled¡­Karnage, Zaahr and¡­Lilior.¡± The notification hovering over them all didn¡¯t disappear, but more appeared for those names called. One even appeared for Kyle himself.
Your status as {Champion} has been altered to the {Dark Hero}¡¯s choice. Title ({Champion of Ymir}) has been replaced with ({Champion of Liliana})!
Then the main notification changed, fading out and then fading back in, different than before.
Now Hero, make your wish heard.
Kyle read the notification, but before speaking he glanced around. Noticing that, time seemed to have stopped. ¡°Your doing, Avatar?¡± he asked, but no response came from the disembodied voice this time. ¡°Avatar¡­¡± Liliana mumbled out, the only other person not have been frozen in time with Kyle. ¡°Do you hear it, Goddess?¡± Kyle asked with a smirk. Liliana¡¯s eyes were wide open in surprise, as she nodded ¡°Yes¡­Do you not?¡± Kyle chuckled ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not a God, and I¡¯m not quiet dead enough anymore. So no, I do not.¡± he sighed "Well let''s get this over with, I cannot hear you so you listen. As victor of this Quest, I wish for all those who have fallen into death''s clutches to be revived from the start of this Quest and onwards. Yes you heard me correctly. From this Quest''s start, and onwards. Not now, Not yesterday or tomorrow. But forever." Liliana seemed entranced by the suns, as she listened to the voice only she could hear. Her expression seemed to suddenly pale as she asked ¡°Wh-What do you mean!?¡± ¡°What did it say?¡± Kyle asked as time seemed to slowly revert to normal around them. Liliana looked down from the sky to meet his eyes ¡°It said it accepts your wish and¡­It apologizes for what is about to happen, that there is nothing it can do¡­¡± she explained, "It believes in your strength and...ability to make the right decision?" a confused tone joining her expression. Kyle stared back at her, a just as confused face when suddenly her entire body began to shine. Glowing with golden light, Liliana¡¯s body was engulfed so much so that he couldn¡¯t see her anymore. Then Kyle felt it, he sensed the wretched mana the moment it appeared. Like a sickening memory resurfacing from the very depths of his mind, the sense filled him with hate so profound it froze him in place. Giving him no time to react as reality ripped apart around Liliana, as a mass so void of color crawled out of the rift that it reflected any light possible coming from this world. It resembled a hand from what little he could make out of it, claws that grasped around Liliana¡¯s glow and suddenly clenched it. Kyle surged towards her, as the barely visible hand pulled her form into the rift. He reached out, his eyes wide with fury as all three flames blazed around his body. ¡°Not so fast, Hero.¡± Said a voice so clear and sweet that it sickened him, as the angelic form suddenly appeared before Kyle. A full set of silver plate armor, long pitch black hair, fiery golden eyes and two sets of feathery black wings. The Arch Angel Michael hovered in Kyle¡¯s path, suddenly gripping him by the neck as Kyle watched the hand pull Liliana in. Yet the rift didn¡¯t close behind them. ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for too long, to let a trouble maker like you ruin it all. But if you wish to follow her so badly¡­Lord knows we want you out of our way just as much as her!¡± Michael exclaimed with a sneer as he suddenly turned, pulling Kyle with as golden mana formed all over the Angel¡¯s body, dissipating Kyle¡¯s flames. As Michael threw Kyle with every bit of his strength, sending the Spirit Beast flying into the colorless rift. Kyle felt his heart sink, as the rift¡¯s edge met his back. As he sunk into the reflecting light, he watched Michael¡¯s sneer, he watched his guild¡¯s expressions of surprise, he watched Lilior¡¯s face of horror. The last thing he saw as the void enveloped him, was Karnage as she reached out towards him, tears at the brink of streaming down her face. Then¡­Absolute Darkness. Ch 127 - I am the Wolf. The crowd stared in confusion, startled and afraid as the Archangel glanced around himself smiling all the while he spoke ¡°Let the drums of war play, let the horns of battle sound. For today a world became one, and today a world becomes undone.¡± The sky tore open high above, a black scar that smeared through from one horizon to the other and beyond. ¡°Call upon your warriors, send forth your champions, announce your heroes. For the end has arrived, your time of reckoning has barged through the door, the apocalypse is here.¡± Said Michael as from the massive rift in space descended out billions of angelic winged warriors, massive bats shrouded in green shadow, goliaths of bone and metal, beings made of pure lightning, stone, fire, wind and water, serpents gushing out waves of water through their emerald scales and last but not least massive cocoon like ships made from dark metal and wrapped in what looked like ribcages. The ships were holding up the goliaths of bone with ropes, lowering them towards the ground. While the Fallen Angels, Dread beasts, Elementals and Ryu simply flew downward towards the amassed crowd. But only a few, as most of the armada was spreading out, pouring down like rain all over the world. And all over the world they were seen, the black scar-like rift flooding its surface with the enemy. Be it Il¡¯tel, Hasharr, Ruk, Barik, some island or the deep ocean. Conflict spanned the entire globe, Orcs rushing through the golden fields in a charge, Ogres defending their forts from siege, Elves stalking the woods as Drakes clashed in the sky, Mer with their Merbeasts colliding under the sea, Avians with their flying kingdom fighting off invasion, Humans, Half-beasts and Scalarians spanning through a bloody battlefield in the snow. Dwarves released their weapons of war, Fae cast their magik upon the hordes, Demons going toe to toe with other-worldy warriors. The entirety of Chaoz in just a few minutes turned into a massive war-torn battle field. Birse immediately retreated from the podium, re-joining the rest of the guild below ¡°Fall back!¡± he ordered as the enemy descended upon them. Evading the falling Earth elementals and explosive Fire elementals as the goliaths of bone and metal crashed all around them trying to surround the crowd. ¡°They¡¯re all over!¡± said Skill as he windwalked out of the way of a Lightning elemental that surged into the ground where he once stood. ¡°Regroup, now!¡± ordered Birse as he pulled Caitlyn and Samala with, throwing them aside to Cherry as suddenly a large monstrous bat-like creature landed next to them, snarling with long fangs as green mist-like mana oozed out of its body. Birse turned to face the creature, clenching his fists as his gauntlets suddenly appeared, then forming the large shadow-like arms out of the ground next to him. The DreadBeast lunged, and Birse immediately countered. Sending forward his two massive arms of shadowmass bursting forth into the bat¡¯s path with so much force that the creature was thrown back at high speed. The creature flew through the air for several dozen meters before suddenly bursting into green porridge. Behind the explosion of flesh hovered Michael, turning to look at his attacker he sneered ¡°More trouble makers.¡± Birse turned to face the ArchAngel ¡°So you¡¯re the Demon of Light? Fitting name.¡± suddenly the arms of shadow dissipated ¡°So what¡¯s your game? We never understood why, why do all this?¡± he asked as the entire valley turned into a battlefield around him, the guild forming a perimeter around him, his two wives and a couple other Esfeltian noblemen and women. Michael chuckled ¡°Oh you mean our goal? Simple, we wish for utter pandemonium, followed by resurrection and then¡­Creation.¡± He riddled on with a wide smile, completely looking down on the beings before him. Birse¡¯s eyes narrowed (¡°So not destruction, but just chaos¡­resurrection? Of what or who?¡±) he thought with a raised brow, but realising the answer as he asked it. Michael seemed to notice Birse¡¯s realisation too, his expression turning serious and slightly surprised. As if he thought he had been speaking to beast, not an enlightened being. ¡°Enough talk, let¡¯s see if you have the power to match brain.¡±
Author: Boss fight? "> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7BLGt0wU48
Behind Birse a shadow briefly appeared, he spoke something to it before the humanoid shape faded away. He then turned back to Michael, a mocking sneer across his face ¡°Come at me bitch, cause like the snake, I¡¯ll cut the damn head and the body will fall limp.¡± His eyes turned utterly black. Michael scoffed as a white bright mist suddenly engulfed him, it was light elemental miasma. The Arch Angel surged forwards, his wide giant wings propelling him as the miasma trailed behind. A bright white sword of light per hand, golden energy flowing through his eyes and an aura of white surrounding his body. Michael descended down upon Birse. Like a shooting star the Arch Angel fell, bright as a nearing comet of pure light. Yet Birse could only smile as he quickly chanted ¡°Equipment Restraint Release, Equip over, Gear up, Add-on, Veteran¡¯s gear, Open slots, Warmage¡¯s wear, Taskmaster¡¯s collection!¡± Michael slashed down with both swords, light distorting in their path as the blades swiped down from either side and towards Birse¡¯s neck. When suddenly ¡°Quick Equip¡± all over Birse¡¯s body appeared dozens of strange equipment. From amulets, to rings and necklaces, from bracers to totems and belts. All kinds of accessories, sub-armour and artefacts. Some bright and new, others ancient in state and design. Michael¡¯s solemn expression turned to bafflement for a brief moment, ¡°Core Overload!¡± as the next his vision was engulfed in darkness. All around Birse a black mass of darkness formed, it covered him before enveloping Michael and throwing him aside. The Arch Angel stopped himself mid-air and watched as the mass grew and grew, rising higher than even the goliaths of bone, growing larger than the ships of metal and bone above. The seemingly malleable darkness took form, a wide torso with large thick arms, a short thick neck and a helmet-like head. The giant of darkness seemed armoured yet it was all the same material, pure dark mana condensed into solid form. Its hands ended in jagged claws, instead of legs it had a flow of black smoke that covered the area beneath it. Michael gazed at the giant in horror ¡°What is this¡­abomination?¡± A voice resounded out of the darkness, chuckling. It was Birse¡¯s ¡°I¡¯ve scrounged, gathered and collected as many equipment slot increasing self buffs as I could manage to find. Oh and not just those, cause you see I have a special personal skill.¡± The giant opened its arms wide as Birse chanted once more ¡°Lightning Dance! Fiery Aura! Overpower! Mortal Edge! Mana Surge! Rage! Berserk! Quick Flow!¡± he once more spoke each spell after the other, as buff after buff they stacked over his giant body. Lightning surging through the darkness, an aura of flames forming around it, a rippling barrier of water appearing to surround him and several more unseen effects that covered him. Over the giant¡¯s face, a wicked grin formed out of the darkness ¡°As long as I have just this one skill as my only actually learned skill¡­I can copy, save and use anybody else¡¯s spell, skill, passive or buff I can remember. And my memory has yet to fail me.¡± Michael grimaced ¡°You think I¡¯ll fall to the simplicity of raw strength!? Hah!¡± suddenly the Arch Angel¡¯s entire body flickered bright and disappeared. Reappearing in the same spot, then being replaced by a blinding ray of light that pierced through Birse¡¯s dark body. But the dark mass simply regenerated, unaffected by the magical attack that would have seared mana itself from existence. Michael saw this, and his expression went beyond pale and surprise as he gazed at the giant in utter disbelief ¡°Impossible¡­¡±. Birse chuckled ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. This is a bit impossible isn¡¯t it?¡± he said as suddenly the giant began to fade, each time the Arch Angel blinked it faded further. Until all that remained was Birse returned to normal, standing on the ground and surrounded by his people. Smiling in triumph. Behind him was Steph with a large aqua-marine crystal before her, on top of which sat Lilior. All around them was the rest of the guild, standing in a circle. Further out were dozens of corpses from the invading army, seemingly having not noticed the giant of darkness and had rushed inside without Michael even noticing. But now he did, he very much noticed ¡°A-¡­A-A-An-I-Illusion!?¡± the Arch Angel said in utter disbelief. ¡°Duped like the sorry idiot that you are.¡± Announced Birse as he glanced to the side, where suddenly a burst of shadow exploded before quickly fading away. In its place stood Jacky, his left hand over Karnage¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We just needed some extra time, ain¡¯t easy to find someone in the midst of this.¡± He explained with a chuckle. Michael¡¯s expression quickly darkened, from confusion and bafflement it turned to red raw fury ¡°You¡¯re over, this world is done, the Goddess will be devoured and your friend killed. Void will be released, and reality will change.¡± His voice was hoarse, his tone growling. ¡°It matters not who comes to aid you, I pledge that your life will now end.¡± Birse smirked as he took a step back, as everyone did the same with Karnage now standing in the centre ¡°Not if we have something to say about it.¡± Suddenly runes lit up beneath the guild¡¯s feet, a circle of mana that began to rise up and through them. Their bodies faded into the magic, disappearing as suddenly Michael lunged down engulfed in a blinding sun. The ground exploded, white flames spreading out in every direction¡­ Slowly the fire and smoke subsided¡­revealing an Arch Angel standing alone, trembling with oozing hatred.
Kyle¡¯s mind was blank, but not empty. So full of fear that nothing else passed though. He couldn¡¯t see anything, he couldn¡¯t hear, smell or feel anything around him at all. The void was so empty that he couldn¡¯t even breathe, slowly choking, slowly losing grasp on life. All he could do was sense the malevolent mana that flowed all around him, an energy so thick with hate and jealousy that it dazed his mind. It choked him further, gripping tightly around his neck. The energy wanted him dead, wanting nothing more than to cease his very existence.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The energy hated him with every ounce of its own reality, it despised his very being. This hate, Kyle recognised all too well. The same feeling that filled him to bursting when he lost control, the same energy that strung his limbs and actions like puppetry as a child. The same monster that ruined his entire life. This hate he sensed, caused his own to reach the surface. Yet it wasn¡¯t enough, his hatred and anger did nothing to give him strength now. He felt weak, powerless as the energy squashed him. A mere bug beneath Void¡¯s boot. He could only ponder on how he was still alive a second later¡­and another¡­then another¡­ The power that surged around him was so overwhelming that it scrambled his mind, rattled his emotions and restrained his body. Yet somehow, he managed to ask himself, why was he still alive? Suddenly the energy changed, Kyle sensed extreme heat as a bright light blinded his eyes, as the sound of crackling flames entered his ears. He felt like he was being incinerated, the feeling of his own skin being seared off, his flesh burned to a crisp, his organs boiled up. Yet he still remained¡­alive. The energy changed once more, again darkness filled his eyes as suddenly his body felt cold. Kyle felt frost forming over his body, then suddenly within. It burned like nothing he had felt before, the frosty chill penetrating down into his very core until he felt nothing at all. But again, Kyle still remained alive¡­ For the third time reality seemed to change around him, this time the feeling of liquid pressing against his skin was all he felt at first¡­Then the pressure hit, a force so powerful that Kyle could feel his organs burst, his skin tearing, his flesh being squashed and bones shattering. He felt himself turning to mush¡­ And once more, somehow he was still alive. No matter the agony, no matter the damage he felt his own body take, he held onto consciousness. Life lingering within his mind, unable to comprehend what was going on. Until finally, the malevolent energy pulled away. He still sensed it a few feet away, lingering, watching. But now he could think clearly as it didn¡¯t invade his senses completely. Now Kyle could feel why he was even still alive after all that, his entire body had shifted to slime. And slime didn¡¯t need breathable air, could resist extreme heat and cold, and apparently extreme pressure as well. He also understood what had just happened, Void had attempted to kill him in several ways it could think of on the spot. (¡°Why didn¡¯t it expect me to turn into slime though?¡±) Kyle thought, this fact now tearing apart his previous belief that Void had somehow pressed the Lord of Slimes class onto him. Kyle did all he could do at the moment, think. And that one thought stuck in his mind, did Void really not know about slimes? Then if it wasn¡¯t Void, was it truly a coincidence? (¡°No¡­that shit doesn¡¯t happen in real life!¡±) Kyle told himself. But if not Void then¡­who? (¡°The Avatar¡­¡±) Kyle then thought, of course it was the Avatar. Kyle now put it all together, the class, the quest, his existence as a Yako and¡­The Avatar¡¯s last words. (¡°For what is about to happen¡­Hah¡­Bastard.¡±) Kyle realised, what could possibly survive against a Void? Spiritually? Maybe a Yako. Physically? Maybe a slime. He realised that no it wasn¡¯t a coincidence, the Avatar had just lead him into becoming just that. Some thing that could survive Void¡¯s power. Kyle was a Yako, somewhat a Kitsune too. Void couldn¡¯t break him spiritually without excessive force from its part. Kyle was also a Slime, the most adaptable creature to ever exist. No climate could kill him. And he was also himself, having gone through what he¡¯s have so far. Being used like this, it no longer bothered him in the slightest. But to what point? What exactly did the Avatar think Kyle could do in this situation? He was stuck, surrounded by the very Void in every direction. He couldn¡¯t move else he was sure the energy would supress him once more. He could only sense as he floated there, a blob of shapeless slime. Kyle didn¡¯t know, so he moved onto the next question. Why hadn¡¯t Void used excessive force? If it wanted to kill him, it could with more effort. Kyle knew that, the Void wasn¡¯t just a creature or a single power. Just like the Avatar, Void was an existence in of itself. He now understood that also just like the Avatar, the Void couldn¡¯t directly affect his own existence without Kyle¡¯s consent. At least he hoped it was as so¡­That would be awkward. Which was why it was required to do something so underhanded to take him out, like changing the climate around him to the extreme. So why hadn¡¯t it continued to try other things? Kyle doubted that it was lack of imagination, it has had decades to think up ways to kill him. Which brought him to one conclusion, for one reason or another Void couldn¡¯t use up enough energy to try something better. But why? What could that reason possibly be? Was Void too weak to will up enough power? Kyle doubted that very much. No something had happened, something was keeping it occupied¡­Then he remembered, he wasn¡¯t the only one to be sucked into the Void. Liliana was here too, somewhere. And the last time he saw her, she was glowing brighter than either of Chaoz¡¯s suns. He¡¯d guessed it was the Quest releasing the limitations put upon her Godly blood. If so then it made sense that the Void was occupied, busy keeping the Deity at bay as it existed within itself. But even then, what was he supposed to do now? He was alone, surrounded by a reality level being who¡¯s power was beyond even a God. He was sure the system was non-existent here just as it wasn¡¯t back home, Kyle had no stat advantage like he did with Behemoth. And above all, this being knew everything about him. From the moment he was born to this one right now. Void knew it all, just as much as Kyle didn¡¯t know what to do Void knew that he didn¡¯t. It is why it backed off and stopped wasting energy, it was why it kept watch around him. But the Kyle it knew, was not the one that existed right now. It had only been a couple weeks since his connection with Void had been broken but it was enough. Kyle had changed, in and out he was no longer himself. No Kyle was different, he felt as much. He knew as much.
Author: I have no words other than this one, enjoy ?? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYDP_8UTAus
(¡°No, I¡¯m done. I¡¯m done feeling weak, I¡¯m done feeling sorry for myself. This hate¡­doesn¡¯t thwart me any longer. I fight for other reasons now, better reasons.¡±) Kyle thought as he felt his Spirit beginning to swell within, as his inner voice echoed out of his slime body ¡°You won¡¯t hold me hostage again. Choke me, Burn me, Freeze and Squash me. Break my fucking mind. But I won¡¯t give in, because there is nothing else for you to do to me. You¡¯ve done it all, you¡¯ve broken me several times over!¡± Kyle felt his Spirit gush out of every centimetre of his slimy body, he felt it collide with the existence that was the Void. ¡°You cannot touch me, Void. No more, I am nothing like the child you destroyed. I¡¯m not alone anymore, I¡¯m not weak.¡± ¡°Oh but you are.¡± A disembodied voice responded, cold and distorted it pained Kyle to hear it ¡°You are still that child.¡± ¡°No! I¡¯ve grown up!¡± Kyle responded. ¡°You¡¯re still alone.¡± The voice said. ¡°No, I see them now. In my mind, I see their faces, the people who¡¯ve made my life worth living. I hear their voices, as they say my name.¡± Kyle countered, his tone growing fiercer ¡°They tell me to fight!¡±. ¡°You¡¯re still weak.¡± The voice returned. ¡°No I¡¯m strong, because unlike you I can finally stop looking back at the past. I gaze at tomorrow, a day where I¡¯ve defeated you!¡± Kyle shouted, feeling his Spirit push against Void¡¯s as the energy resisted his attempts like a brick wall. ¡°You¡¯re still afraid.¡± The Void hissed. Kyle felt his heart sink once more, indeed he was, he felt his Spirit being pushed back for a brief moment¡­ ¡±Yeah, I¡¯m afraid. I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t get it done, I¡¯m afraid I cannot make it out. But that just means I¡¯m still alive. And while I¡¯m still alive, not for another moment will I think of giving up. Because if I cannot get something done then I¡¯ll find another way! If I cannot make it out then I¡¯ll rip open another path! One way! Or another!¡± Kyle¡¯s Spirit lit up like a firestorm, burning bright gold as it tendrilled out through the thin Void. ¡°I¡¯m not you! I will never be you! Because I¡¯m better than you!¡± further and further his Spirit reached out, pushing back with all his might as the golden flames burned away reality. ¡°You will fail, you will fall, YOU WILL BE DEVOURED!¡± the voice rumbled, shaking everything that was. Kyle¡¯s flames faltered as suddenly the Void¡¯s energy thickened, tearing off at his tendrils of Spirit and pushing back fiercely. But it was too late, Kyle had found what he was reaching out for. Hovering alone, surrounded by the thickest amount of Void¡¯s power and very far away he found her. Liliana was there, engulfed but conscious. Kyle pulled his flames back and condensed them around himself, then willing his slime to absorb them. The slime seemed to suddenly burn up, the flames too much for it to adapt to at first. But Kyle kept trying, replacing what slime was disintegrated with more, controlling the flames to a calm light. Until finally he succeeded, not needing a notification as the slime that made up his body naturally changed. From the usual plain bright blue, the slime turned a translucent gold with patterns of fire flowing through its surface. Kyle sensed not just Spirit within himself but also a specific kind of Spirit, just like his Holyfire it was warm, bright and like a mother¡¯s embrace it was so full of positive emotion. Through this slime he reformed, taking shape, gaining eyes, ears, a mouth and further. Even though Liliana was already so far away, Kyle watched as Void stretched space and moved her further. But he charged forwards anyway, the blazing gold that lively burned around him tearing a path through the Void. The further Void pulled the Goddess away, the faster Kyle moved. ¡°Abandon your false hopes, you cannot compare to me. You cannot stop the storm that is to come, you cannot defeat the enemy that faces you now. You¡¯re too little, too weak, to stand a chance.¡± The Void¡¯s voice echoed after him. Yet Kyle smiled ¡°No I will never abandon hope again, because the storm to come is not the one you are expecting! Your winds are mild, your rain dripping. Our storm is raging, our rain pouring, our thunder shaking you to the core. I can feel it Void, it is YOU who is afraid! So watch and cower, because it is I who is this story¡¯s monster now!¡± Kyle¡¯s form shot through the seemingly endless emptiness, reaching out as he finally reached the chained Goddess. Dark tendrils flowed out of the space around her, wrapping around her glowing body, binding and restraining her. Kyle elongated his right arm forward, towards the dark shackles. Before suddenly the darkness that surrounded them converged. The Void imploded on itself, like an impossibly large mass of energy shrinking and reforming into a smaller shape. Until a bipedal fox, black flames making up its body, wide and crazed white eyes, long blade like claws, jagged dark fangs and thousands of flame-like furry tails growing down its back. Void appeared before Kyle, taking its original shape ¡°From the very start, you¡¯ve been an annoyance. From the moment you came into existence, you¡¯ve been a hole in my plan of freedom. It ends now, you shall cease to be now.¡± It stood a hundred times larger than even Kyle¡¯s own Spirit form, a humongous being of dark flames. It stood in between him, and what he was after. And even against these odds, Kyle wanted to press ahead. He stopped himself, surging aside as Void¡¯s massive claw slashed through his previous position. Kyle willed his flames to pull him forward, allowing him to fly through the emptiness. He evaded the claws, withstood sudden bursts of Darkfire, resisted the Spirit that pressured on his mind. Kyle pressed onwards, unyielding no matter the attack sent his way. Even as he was knocked aside, he realigned and kept moving. Even as the claws ripped him apart, he reformed and regenerated. Even as the dark flames engulfed him, he resisted them and shook them off with his own. He flew around the massive form, for several moments he flew. Until he saw the light, as it ascended over the dark horizon like a star. Until he finally reached Liliana, and gripped onto her bindings. He was blinded by her light, and he felt the dark form looming over his back. ¡°Even if you free the little deity, you cannot escape me! You cannot defeat me! You cannot stop me! I am endless! I am forever! I am infinite!¡± the voice rumbled, closing nearer. He didn¡¯t have much time. Kyle sneered as he glimpsed Liliana¡¯s pale and weary face through the blinding light ¡°You are only right about one of those things, I can¡¯t defeat you, not yet.¡± He gripped tightly onto the dark tendrils, yet not tearing them off to free her ¡°To make the right decision¡­¡± he gazed into the Goddess¡¯s eyes, they were pleading ¡°Forgive me, Liliana. But it seems like, we were both played. And it¡¯s either existence, or you.¡± Kyle¡¯s hands reformed to slime as suddenly the golden goo engulfed Liliana¡¯s entire body ¡°And I very much like to exist.¡± ¡°You¡­No!¡± the voice thundered out behind him, as Kyle took a deep breath and prepared himself for the shock that was sure to come. As he willed his slime, to absorb the Goddess. Liliana finally spoke, quiet and short so that only Kyle could hear¡­ ¡°Then I leave them to you, if you so wish to accept the responsibility¡­¡± Kyle nodded ¡°I accept it, I¡¯ll fill those large boots of yours.¡± Liliana smiled, even as her form cracked and deformed, fading into light as the light itself faded into the slime. The tendrils that bound her fell loose before pulling out of the slime, unaffected and returning to Void¡¯s main body which now loomed over Kyle. ¡°Wh-What¡­WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?¡± the baffled voice demanded to know as the looming beast gazed down at the small being with fury. Kyle lay still, as his flames slowly died down in brightness and mass until they dissipated. He was silent, completely unmoving. But his mind was shattering, filling up to bursting with an unending rush of information. He saw it all, from the start to now. The Void grew even more infuriated as no response came from Kyle, ¡°DIE! DISSAPPEAR! BE ERASED YOU VILE FOX!¡± screaming out with fury as it lashed down with both claws closing around Kyle¡¯s form. As the darkness enveloped him, as the Void clasped his body within its claws. ¡°Hah¡­I might be vile, but I ain¡¯t fucking going nowhere yet.¡± responded Kyle as suddenly Void¡¯s hands exploded. As he turned to face the creature that for so long plagued his life. As behind him, runic circles formed. Through them appearing his entire guild, Caitlyn and some other Esfeltians¡­with them were also Karnage and Zaahr. Kyle gazed up at the void, at the Nogitsune, at the monster ¡°I told you, I¡¯m not alone. And I¡¯m not a Fox either. I¡¯m a Wolf, and this is my pack.¡± Ch 128 - Sacrifice Kyle took a deep breath, as the mana surged through his body, violently tearing him apart from the inside out. His skin cracked, his eyes burning with the bright blue light they shone, his entire body was briefly in pain. But each crack changed, morphing to golden slime and undoing the damage. The mana Kyle absorbed from Liliana continued to flow inside him, expanding fiercely, lashing out and resisting his control. This was nothing like before, the soul he absorbed wasn¡¯t going to relent. Kyle wasn¡¯t a devourer anymore, he couldn¡¯t force it to do his bidding. The mana wasn¡¯t his own, it was stolen and unmatchable with his own. So Kyle just let it run rampant, as his body adapted, as his slime changed to match the seemingly infinite well of mana that frenzied within him. This was definitely different than before, for Kyle didn¡¯t just feel power, or energy. He felt it all, her memories, her emotions, her wishes. Kyle felt the Goddess¡¯s very being merge with his own, his slime the needle and string that patched it all together. Kyle now understood Lucifer¡¯s words (¡°You won¡¯t recognise yourself after¡­¡±) he inwardly chuckled, sensing his own existence gaining more than it once had. His flair for the dramatic, his pride, his hate¡­everything that bothered him, everything that he loved. It all merged, with her impatience, her power of will, her guilt¡­everything that she was, everything that she became and everything that she wished for. Kyle felt her overlapping his own soul, as slowly they became one. When suddenly his slime form convulsed, losing its shape. A blob of golden goo, glowing with a blue light. The pain subsided, as the change ended. Kyle didn¡¯t feel like himself, yet still did. It was strange, as if his life so far had been just a dream. Sometimes it was unpleasant, other times wonderful but it was full of both regret and wishes. Alongside that dream he had a second, shorter nightmare. It was full for horror, pain and anguish. Thinking of it made a profound hate boil up, he couldn¡¯t stand it. He wanted to let it go, he wanted to forget. He felt a part of himself slowly fade away. But he couldn¡¯t let it, as even in that never-ending nightmare there was light. It shone within him, a feeling he couldn¡¯t stop clenching. No he wouldn¡¯t let it go, he wouldn¡¯t look away. Because that nightmare was his own, that short mortal life full of pain was who he was. And as long as the small yet bright light that was part of his life existed, he didn¡¯t care what else he¡¯d have to hold onto. At one point in time it was all he had, the lone light within the darkness of his soul. A light that made it all worth living for, a group of memories that kept him together. For it, because of it¡­Thanks to it, Kyle resisted the other being and retained his self. Absorbing what remained as energy. He noticed the darkness closing in around him, Void¡¯s claws wrapping around him. The Darkness whispered into his mind, tempting him to surrender. He felt the Void¡¯s cold yet comfortable embrace, a serene emptiness that brought peace to his mind. Neither Kyle or Liliana were peaceful beings, immediately he resisted the attempt of sloth. He fought back, pushing out with every bit of power under his command. And for the first time ever, Kyle understood why beings like Ymir and Titania were limited in power. He felt the energy crackle through his bones as it made its way throughout his body, he felt it ripple through his flesh and blood like an overdose of adrenaline. The power surged out of him like an explosion that would wipe out cities, a blast of raw mana that disintegrated Void¡¯s claws as they lay pressing on him. Kyle breathed out, feeling the raw mana exhume out with his breathe. His body was back to its original shape, yet remained slime. He was shaking, but not in fear or expectation. His body was trembling, fading in and out, almost vibrating with power. He felt new, he felt strong. But above all, as his signature wicked grin slid across his face and he looked up at Void ¡°I told you, I¡¯m not alone. And I¡¯m not a Fox either. I¡¯m a Wolf.¡± He sensed the teleportation magic behind him, as easily as he could see or hear. As they appeared behind him, he engulfed them in his golden flames, protecting them from Void¡¯s influence. He glanced back at them, still grinning widely ¡°And this is my pack.¡± Kyle looked back at Void ¡°Alone I might not be able to defeat you.¡± Kyle flowed back as he chanted, his body expanding and losing shape. The golden slime that made up his body flowed back like liquid, spreading, reaching out towards each one ¡°And they may stand little chance against you¡­¡± suddenly the blob of slime tore up ¡°But.¡± Severed pieces of slime flowed over to each Champion, slithering around their wrists and up their weapons before beginning to change. ¡°The strength of the Pack is the Wolf.¡± Each weapon was engulfed in the ever changing goo, as it solidified, taking each weapons shape but enlarged several times and shining a golden gleam. ¡°And the strength of the Wolf¡­¡± Kyle chanted, his voice coming from several directions at once. As his slime body became their swords and shields, their staffs and wands, their gauntlets and bows. As he became their weapons. ¡°Is the Pack.¡± Each weapon suddenly lit ablaze, a golden flame with tendrils of red and blue mixed within. ¡°We¡¯re all Wolves, a Pack of monsters following the scent of blood you left in your wake. Like bloodhounds we followed, we hunted. Now we¡¯ve found you, and we¡¯re hungry.¡± Kyle mocked. And the Void hissed back in annoyance, as its hands regenerated it loomed forwards ¡°You think containing a God will save you? You¡¯ve only made things easier! Now I don¡¯t need to waste energy destroying you and devouring the Goddess! I¡¯ll just devour you both!¡± Void lunged forwards.
Author: Final boss! Fight!~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q46xYqUwZQ
¡°Sniper¡¯s Mark.¡± Chanted Skill. ¡°Nature¡¯s Lash.¡± Chanted CHfarms. ¡°Uni-Spark!¡± Chanted Woody. ¡°Wispfire!¡± Chanted Seren. ¡°Cryoblaze.¡± Chanted Deathchilled. ¡°Arcane Bomb.¡± And so did Zaahr. The two rangers released their arrows. One lightning fast as it surged through the darkness and exploded out, surging electricity through the black mass. The other was engulfed in a dark green fog as it spiralled forwards, exploding midway as suddenly thousands of vines burst out and began wrapping around Void. The four mages chanted their spells right after. Woody with his elongated golden fiery horn aimed down, its length surged with mana up and down several times before a blast of white-golden energy shot forth. Seren focused into her rippling staff of white engulfed by the flames, as at the tip formed a large sphere of golden-white blaze before suddenly shooting up. Death grinned as he clenched his hands around the oversized Bo-staff, golden with red and blue trimming. He felt the flame¡¯s power more than anybody else, he tapped into its potential, bringing out its worst. As he unleashed a blaze of sheer dead cold. Zaahr on the other hand was more careful, her mistrust of Kyle keeping her from fully tapping into the mana that covered her wand. She only used it as a resource, and unleashed one of her own spells. Rippling reality around the end of her pointed wand, black energy converged on it. It built up briefly, forming a sphere of pitch darkness before suddenly shooting forwards with the pressure of a rocket. Sending her hand and wand recoiling upwards. The spells collided with the vine-wrapped and electrified black mass, exploding at different locations and disintegrating patches of the creature¡¯s flesh. Yet it regenerated, quicker than before its body refilled, the holes closing in on themselves. Void roared, a beastly cry as he tore out of the vines and expelled the electricity ¡°Your attacks tickle me, your magic goes right through me. Foolish mortals you know not what game you play at. Mere dogs barking at the moo-¡± Void¡¯s monologue was cut off, as suddenly Cherry¡¯s gigantic golden hammer smashed through the creature¡¯s head and artfully burst it like a bubble. The warrior had leapt up at unprecedented speed, gone unseen until too late.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. But even then, the black mass regenerated. Screaming out in annoyance as it suddenly lost its form completely. Tendrils of darkness surged out, lashing out at anything and everything. The darkness entered a frenzy, at a complete loss of control. The tendrils came at them from every direction, lunging with great speed and equal power. The Champions formed around the others, mages and rangers in the centre with the civilians and warriors on the outside. Their weapons vibrated with energy, the flames that engulfed them brighter than ever. Cherry spun around like a whirlwind of death, smashing tendril after tendril. Soren charged like a bull, cleaving, tearing, pulling and crushing anything around him. Birse danced with his hooked chains, slicing, ripping and clawing away at the rushing dark energy. Sparta stood her ground, deflecting the tendril¡¯s lunges with her shield and incinerating them with her fiery sword. Jacky shadowstepped like a madman, appearing in and ripping everything apart with his twin daggers before disappearing once more. Jane twirled and evaded their lunges, her hands flickering with golden knives as she threw them, the blades bursting through the whirling darkness with ease. Vain surged with golden winds engulfing his body, his bo-staff twirling in his hands as he sliced and diced. Rico ran with seemingly solid air beneath his feet, his long golden spear engulfed in the flames burning everything in his path as he charged circles around the group at high speed. Karnage flowed naturally with the tendrils, barely moving to evade their attacks as her long golden blades flicker with unnatural speed, slicing up hundreds at once. Behind them, Skill¡¯s bow was moving in a wide arch as his golden gloved hand blurred with speed, as he shot arrow after arrow after arrow. CH instead charged up his bow, the three flames flowing around his arrow before he released it, sending forth a flurry of magical projectiles with. Seren spoke buff after buff, heal after heal. Steph erected barriers from the bottom and top, giving them cover. Woody¡¯s horn was smoking from overuse as he fired laser after laser, wiping dozens of the tentacles of darkness at once. Death held his Bo-staff tightly, as out of one end gushed out golden flames that disintegrated anything they engulfed. Zaahr finally tapped fully into the mana lent to her by Kyle, her hybrid energy now glowing a bright gold as it blasted out of her wand, expanding the further it travelled until exploding on collision. Lilior hovered above them all, watching her entire surroundings with her oversized bow of aquamarine with gold trim. If someone was being pushed back, she¡¯d take aim. A massive arrow appearing within her stringless bow, she¡¯d nock it and out of either end a fiery string would form. Releasing the arrow made the projectiles very existence ripple, as Frostfire and Foxfire formed around it. A twirling whirlwind of opposing flames, the arrow pierced through the darkness undeterred. The more they fought the more they found themselves attuned to the lent power. Each Champion felt the invasive mana flowing through their bodies, slowly becoming more natural by the second. And the longer they fought the more intense the mana became, even their weapons glowed brighter for every minute of combat. Each fought at their hardest, for this was the day to risk it all. Unleashing everything they had, everything they wanted as Kyle supplied them the mana. But it wasn¡¯t enough. The Darkness kept coming, the Void was unending. And they were tiring, growing slow and weary. One by one, mistakes were made. One by one, the Void entangled around them. The fiery aura that covered them kept the darkness at bay but it couldn¡¯t protect them and itself at the same time. Kyle understood this as he felt Void penetrate his mind, filling him with hate and disgust. It wasn¡¯t enough, after everything it still wasn¡¯t enough. As he was now he could resist it, but he couldn¡¯t destroy it. Unless he Ascended which seemed still so far, Kyle as he was now couldn¡¯t defeat Void. This thought ran through his mind as the Nogitsune forced him off his allies, tearing the flames and slime off their bodies and weapons. Kyle could only watch, as the darkness lunged at his allies. He could only stare as the tendrils of black pierced through Skill¡¯s entire body. As the Void attacked his friends. He couldn¡¯t move as the darkness wrapped around Steph, condensing on itself, crushing her. As the Nogitsune yet again took people away from him. He didn¡¯t have the time to react, as the tendrils entangled themselves around CH¡¯s limbs and began to pull, tearing off limb after limb before suddenly converging on him. Kyle couldn¡¯t do anything, as he watched with horror, three of his dear friends be devoured by the Void. Nothing remained, not a hair, not a drop of blood. He couldn¡¯t even sense their souls anymore. And as he glanced around, within the brief moments that this all happened he saw the Void looming over the rest, it had only just begun. As his body reformed on its own, Kyle felt his heart freeze over, his mind slowing down¡­
Author: And now for the feels.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpJmbywRkwk
As the darkness surrounded them all, like a thick black liquid they sank inside, slowly drowning. It spoke to them, it¡¯s voice mocking ¡°You shall sustain me through, I will devour you. I will take your abilities for my own and with them I will escape this dimensional cage, then devour reality itself.¡± Kyle sensed the void draining his friends, slowly devouring their bodies and soon to start on their souls. He watched as they reached out to one another, panicked, afraid and some in despair. This sight flipped a switch inside him ¡°YOU BASTARD!¡± Kyle roared out as the golden flames covering his newly reformed body turned pitch black, and like an explosion they frenzied outwards. Kyle felt it, the hatred he¡¯d bottled up for all these years, he felt it burn. He felt it fuel him, as it turned to anger. As his frustration, guilt, hate and pain¡­all at once turned to wrath. And like that, he then also felt something else. Something had woken inside him, and it was hungering for a bite. The beast had returned, and this time nothing could sate it. Kyle opened his mouth wide, his skin suddenly gaining patterns of pitch black flowing mana. He began to inhale, forcing anything and everything into his maw and down into the endless pit that was his devouring stomach. The very darkness that made up the Void, at first slowly but then picking up pace, began to flow into Kyle¡¯s mouth. Rapidly the dark mass gushed in like liquid, pulled in by the black flames that flowed in with it and then reformed through Kyle¡¯s body. But there was too much, the void was too vast. And even as he devoured, the darkness wrapped itself around him, choking him. Yet Kyle didn¡¯t let up, willing the switch to flip back. The flames turned golden once more, burning away the void. Kyle growled as he glanced around, his friends were still being absorbed. Some were already gone, devoured by the void. ¡°Not like this¡­Not again, never again.¡± Kyle mumbled to himself, as his entire body began to shake, reality around him blurring as he suddenly bellowed louder than he ever had before. ¡°GIVE¡± With each word, his form shook faster. ¡°THEM¡± With every passing moment, his flames shifted from Black to Gold and back. ¡°BACK!¡± The darkness suddenly backed off, as a shockwave of rippling energy surged out of Kyle and expanded, distorting reality around him. The blurriness that covering him suddenly disappeared, revealing the birth of a new being. Kyle fully ascended, as the Kitsune and Yako inside him shattered and merged. Everything about him was white. His hair, his eyes, his skin and fur. Even his flames were a pure, empty white. His expression was just as empty, void of emotion as he glanced around seemingly without a care. The darkness flowed around him, curiously studying him. Kyle¡¯s eyes widened as he clenched his hands into fists ¡°Give me my friends back.¡± Suddenly the white flames burst outwards like many many vines and into the darkness, seemingly sucking out all the energy out of the black mass on contact as the Void froze over, the white flames shining brighter in contrast. The tendrils of white fire poked around the blackness, breaking through what turned to ice and freezing over what yet hadn¡¯t. The darkness tried to escape away from the flames, suddenly expanding away from Kyle¡¯s position leaving him standing in an empty white void. But having already found what he was looking for, the flames retreated back to him. Many a tendril dissipated back into the inferno that raged around Kyle, but more than a dozen slowly came to a stop ahead of him. Each tendril was wrapped around a sphere of fire, each one a different colour or shade than the others. These were their souls, condensed into Spirit. Kyle could sense the damage from Void¡¯s attacks, it needed to break them before devouring them after all. He grimaced, their bodies were gone and their souls¡­it was so close. He had almost lost them, he had almost lost everything he had left. His guild, his friends. Those he saw as family and those he loved. It was too close, Kyle had come too close to losing it all. His fangs grinded against each other as he clawed at reality before him, tearing it open as he focused on one place he knew they¡¯d be safe. Ripping open a rift to Chaoz¡¯s Spirit Realm, Kyle controlled the flames through sheer will ¡°Thank you¡­and I¡¯m sorry.¡± He spoke, his tone full of regret, his expression averting with guilt. As he threw the souls into the rift, and closed it. Kyle sighed, a long drawn out breathe before glancing around. The darkness was still there, hovering at a safe distance but still looming around him. ¡°There is existence after death but¡­what happens after your soul is destroyed? Hah¡­¡± he raised his arms forwards, reaching out with his mind to the fabric that held realities apart ¡°Void you¡¯ve done enough, you¡¯ve hurt enough, you¡¯ve taken more than enough.¡± The flames that frenzied around him suddenly blurred, before expanding outwards. The darkness lunged forwards in response but the flames went right through it, neither affecting the other, as if a ghost was passing through a wall. Both the darkness and the flames were overlapping each other, seemingly existing at the same spot, at the same time. Kyle had done something he had never done before, he had reached out to the veil but instead of forcing it to move to his will he moved his own mana through it. Kyle flowed his flames through the fabric of space and time, expanding it as far as this pocket of reality was vast. ¡°Every, Last, Drop. I¡¯ll use it all, Liliana¡¯s soul, even my own body, even my own soul. To trap you, to keep you here. Alone, stranded and caged. For the rest of fucking eternity.¡± Kyle spoke, his voice hoarse from the sheer amount of mana he was expelling out of his own body. Every bit of elemental, every bit of Aura, every bit of Spirit he had, Kyle forced it all out. Until he reached his limit, and even then he could feel the very reaches of this realm. He was so close, just a little further and¡­Kyle tapped in deeper, willing his slime body to burn and change into flames which he used to reach further. It still wasn¡¯t enough, there were still holes. And Kyle was determined ¡°As long as they live¡­as long as they enjoy that world¡­I have no regrets. Silva¡­Sly¡­¡± he spoke, as he floated in the empty void as a bodiless soul. "Here I come." Ch 129 - We fall together. Kyle¡¯s mind blanked out as he pushed himself to the very limitations of his power, connecting with the veil, flowing his mana through it, morphing his body and then altering his soul all at the same time was just too much. He lost control and his consciousness slowly began fading away. As he closed his eyes, he began to remember. Kyle began to relive some of his past, the veil affecting his defenceless mind as he remained connected to it. It was like he was moving back in time, recent events being played in his head before a later one began. It flowed through quickly, a whole lifetime repeating over and over in his head. Until he recognised a certain memory above all the others, something he had forgotten. As he focused on it, the memories slowed down until it began to play at real time. Kyle was surrounded by a large crowd of players within the game he loved so much, they were all gathered around a fenced-out arena. They pushed at each other, trying to get a better look. Kyle knew they were pushing on him but he didn¡¯t feel them, the technology was created with safety as it¡¯s prime directive. Albeit the lack of touch, the visual prowess of the sub-VR technology was enough for Kyle at this time. He was immersed enough, as this world even after a few weeks of playing, he fell in love with it completely. He was standing at the very front of the crowd, being one of the participants of the tournament that was going on. He had already gone, having barely won his first duel and this next one was to decide his opponent next round. He glanced around, people dressed in all kinds of armour and costumes were shouting and cheering. Yet even then the announcer¡¯s voice was heard above them all, loud and clear as the white wizard appeared in a puff of smoke into the arena¡¯s middle. ¡°Round 1 Match 4! Participants please make yourselves available!¡± the wizard announced and suddenly two players appeared within the ring, each one having their own side of the large arena. ¡°Good no AFKs this match!¡± the wizard chuckled and the crowd laughed with him, he glanced at each duellist. One was a large stone elemental wearing pitch black plate-armour and wielding two massive dual-axes. The second was a Werewolf with blood-red leather armour and wielding a single handed sword. Many in the crowd laughed, Kyle chuckled with them. He knew the elemental was going to win this one, the Werewolf was wearing ranger armour and wielded a single sword without an off-hand. Stats during this tournament were evened out so character build and equipment sets were everything. But he watched nonetheless, awaiting the humorous ass whooping that was about to commence. The announcer glanced between the two players ¡°Competitor Grootv2, are you ready?¡± The elemental warrior grinned ¡°Kidding me? Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡± The wizard then turned to the second player ¡°Competitor SlyOkami, you know you can change your equipment before the fight starts correct?¡± The lightly armoured swordsman chuckled ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Before glancing back at a few people in the crowd ¡°Got a little bet going.¡± The announcer sighed ¡°Then if both of you are ready¡­¡± he suddenly faded away ¡°Begin.¡± The warrior suddenly charged forwards, the ground spreading open in his path as he combined his physical charge skill with his magical earth aura. Stone and dirt flew everywhere as the ground shook, as he spun mid-charge with box axes held forward. In his path was the lightly armoured swordsman, not evading, not blocking but simply standing there. ¡°Take your damn bets elsewhere fucking troll!¡± shouted the warrior as his right axe came around and cleaved towards the swordsman¡¯s neck. Sly smiled widely, his eyes the very definition of insane pleasure as he quickly responded ¡°Oh I¡¯ll show you troll.¡± as the axe¡¯s blade reached his neck, barely touching his skin¡­He disappeared. To everyone watching the swordsman disappeared into thin air, as a blast of wind exploded out from his previous position. The spell threw the warrior aside, making him tumble over a few times before he came to a stop on the floor. ¡°Ugh¡­what?¡± the warrior asked as he lay face up on the ground, his eyes widened as he cleared the dust out of his vision and looked up. Everyone followed his confused gaze, to see the swordsman was several dozen meters up in the sky. Kyle was astounded, the swordsman had used a ranger specific mastery skill ¡®Aerial Ascent¡¯ which was only possible because he wore ranger specific armour. Yet because he was wielding a sword and now a bow, the skill¡¯s power was greatly reduced yet still effective. But the amazingness of it all died there, as the swordsman slowly lost speed as he ascended, laughing like a maniac all the while. ¡°It works!¡± the crowd could barely hear him shouting ¡°It fucking works!¡± he repeatedly shouted, until he finally began to descend down. Kyle grimaced as he could only guess that the guy now wanted to make a falling stab onto the downed warrior. Which at the height he was at would have been a one hit kill but¡­the warrior was already on his feet, aware of where the swordsman was and¡­an earth elemental. The warrior snorted as he chanted ¡°Earthen Shell!¡± magic permeated the air as the ground around him turned to sludge and formed up and around him like a shell before hardening once more. Kyle cringed, already seeing the swordsman¡¯s demise to fall damage. But seeing the other player¡¯s wide grin he couldn¡¯t help but root for him somewhat¡­even though what he was doing was completely crazy and there was no way it could work. The swordsman looked like he was having the time of his life. Then the swordsman began to chant, as he fell ¡°Lightning Rod.¡± He aimed his sword downwards, pointing it before himself as he gained speed. Blue electricity began to form around his blade, increasing in brightness and sparking ferocity the fasted he began to fall. This was a lightning elemental attack that enchanted a weapon with the element and made the weapon go directly towards a selected target even if it had to go through obstacles¡­¡±But that¡¯s a projectile enchant¡­¡± Kyle mumbled out loud as he watched in confusion, his eyes widening as the swordsman let go of the sword. The blade rushed downwards at suddenly triple its previous speed. It smashed through the earth shell, exploding in a rush of electricity as it hit its mark. The crowd watched in astonishment as the earth spell fell apart, revealing the deceased caster beneath. They continued to watch, even as the swordsman fell¡­plummeting down laughing all the while¡­before abruptly hitting the ground with a crack and a splat. He died instantly. Silence fell within the arena, even the announced didn¡¯t appear or say anything for several awkward moments. All but one group of players could be heard, as one of them spoke ¡°I can¡¯t believe that actually fucking worked.¡± Then another ¡°He¡¯s¡­never gonna let this go is he?¡± They talked with one another, ignoring the stares and gazed from everyone else. Seemingly in their own world, with little care about the rest they conversed, laughed and joked. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± the announcer cleared his throat before suddenly reappearing within the arena ¡°Both¡­competitors died but due to the difference between the time of death¡­the victor is¡­SlyOkami?¡± he glanced at the dead-by-fall player body to his left ¡°Someone tell him when he respawns¡­Onto the next.¡± The memory rushed forwards, his vision suddenly blurring before clearing moments later. Now it was his turn again, as the announcer turned towards him to ask ¡°Competitor SoulThief, are you ready?¡± The blood-red hooded mage wielding twin daggers nodded, this was one of Kyle¡¯s more favourite characters. A dark persona wielding black magic and having a deadly close range skill set to go with. Kyle was a roleplayer and he didn¡¯t speak much with this character. Entering the role, he gazed emptily at the swordsman before him. Sly cringed away, bothered by his opponent¡¯s seemingly serious expression. ¡°Competitor SlyOkami, are you also ready?¡± the announcer asked, having turned to him now. ¡°Hhmm¡­¡± the swordsman hummed in thought, as he glanced back at what Kyle figured was his guild or at least group of friends. ¡°Sure, why not?¡± The announced was confused by the statement but began the match anyway ¡°Um, Begin?¡± he again faded away, disappearing from the stage. ¡°Sure? Is that how you respond to whether you are ready to fight or not?¡± Kyle asked, curious at why but also trying to remain within character. Sly chuckled briefly ¡°Well I was going to forfeit after the first match, not like I can use the same trick twice. Was honestly just curious if the skills worked in tangent and whether the mods would allow it as an actual win or not.¡± ¡°So why continue?¡± Kyle then asked, continuing his elongated and quiet tone. Sly grinned as his eyes reverted to that mad look he had before ¡°You strike me as an interesting fight. These tourneys are usually bullshit in my honest opinion, always the same four or five victors winning because of their mastery of meta builds. But you¡­How do I put it? Dark mage robes, twin daggers and¡­Not Dark Elf, Not Fallen, Not Beastman but¡­Undead? Nothing close to meta.¡± He unsheathed his sword ¡°So let¡¯s see what you got.¡± Kyle grimaced, he hid his face almost entirely so how did he know that his race was Undead? ¡°How-¡± he was about to ask just that but¡­Sly decided they¡¯d had talked for long enough. Sly suddenly threw his sword as a darkness oozed out of its hilt, the blade flew true as Kyle had to deflect it with his daggers. The darkness moved through the sword, up the blade and¡­into Kyle. ¡°Target set. Fade out.¡± Sly chanted and his form suddenly faded into thin air ¡°Fade in¡± a disembodied voice spoke and Sly appeared before Kyle, not grabbing his sword but instead lowering his stance as he spun his right leg around into a whirling kick ¡°Acrobatics!¡± he chanted and his entire body was suddenly engulfed in a layer of wind increasing his speed. Kyle could of sword he felt each one of the several dozen times Sly kicked him in the gut, as with each kick he was sent flying back Sly chanted his teleportation skill that stuck to Kyle like a curse. Only to kick him back once more¡­then do it all over again. Kyle was kicked back dozens of times, to the point that he was smashed into the arena¡¯s barrier that kept them within bounds. He was about to take this chance and fight back but¡­Sly was already upon him. Kyle thought he was about to punch him but then he chanted ¡°Refill Quiver.¡± And the sword rushed back into his hand. Kyle had no time to react as Sly plunged the blade into his chest, impaling him to the barrier. Yet Kyle wasn¡¯t dead yet, low on health enough that a stone throw would kill him but still in¡­He looked up from the blade, expecting a mocking smile or an amused grin. Sly looked down on Kyle with neither, only disappointment as he pulled out his sword ¡°Ahhh, man I thought you were better than this! Seriously what the hell? Sweet get up and all but where¡¯s your game?¡± Kyle stared at him dumbfounded ¡°W-What?¡± Sly sighed ¡°Game, where the hell is your build at? You know, escapes, evades, counter spells, counter skills, proc trigger passives?¡± Kyle had no idea what any of those were, his confused expression said it all too. Sly looked back at him with a raised brow ¡°What¡­what are you PVPing for!?¡± he suddenly exclaimed, loudly ¡°Hell! Show me your build!¡± he more so commanded than asked. Kyle felt like he had no say at all as he was shocked into sharing his character page. ¡°The fuck is this shit?¡± Sly blatantly asked to no one in particular as he read through Kyle¡¯s skill list ¡°Blood magic and¡­Holy shit I¡¯ve never seen this many polymorphs! Ritual magic? Seriously dude? Where¡­Where are the dagger skills? The evasion spells? Why the fuck do you have Portal Teleport? That shit takes ages to cast!¡± Sly now looked up from the window, seemingly awaiting an explanation. Kyle stared back confused ¡°Umm¡­They¡¯re¡­cool and-¡± ¡°Cool!?¡± Sly cut him off as disbelief filled his expression ¡°C-Cool¡­I¡­No¡­I just¡­What¡­¡± ¡°Anndd you broke him.¡± Said a female player from behind him. Kyle turned to find that Sly¡¯s guild had walked around to come behind them, now standing on the other side of the barrier. ¡°Do you believe this shit!?¡± Sly exclaimed as he gestured at Kyle who still had his mouth and eyes wide open and frozen so with a raised brow. ¡°Believe it? Bro you¡¯re in the middle of a match and you¡¯re tipping your opponent on their character build, THAT is what I¡¯m trying to understand here.¡± Responded another player, seemingly the guild leader from their demeanour and how the rest gathered around him. ¡°But-I¡¯m just! Ahhh!!¡± Sly screamed out in frustration. The memory faded away there, filling Kyle with several emotions at once as he continued to reminisce. More memories beginning to flood in, faster now. Sly sighed as he stood above a fallen and beaten bloody SoulThief ¡°You never give up do you? This is what? The twentieth time you¡¯ve tried to PK me this week? How the fuck you even finding me!?¡± Birse chuckled as he walked into view ¡°Gotta give him that, resilient and cunning.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Again it all faded out, before fading back in to another scene. Kyle felt the soreness in his arms and legs, the weariness washing over his entire body as he faced Sly within the guild house¡¯s duel platform. They¡¯d been going at it for hours on end, Sly trying to show the Roleplayer the ropes to actual PVP. ¡°Man you sure you don¡¯t want to make a new character? Hell we¡¯ll help you level it up if you want.¡± Sly sighed as he stood without a scratch, though seemingly also tired. Kyle flinched at that, suddenly looking up ¡°Never! I¡¯ll do what I can with what I¡¯ve got! I¡¯m not deleting any of them!¡° Sly groaned ¡°Why¡¯d you have to go and cap out your character list anyway?...Come on not even one of them?...¡± ¡°What and here we thought you could make anything work Justin.¡± said Soren as he stood watching from the side with a massive barrel full of popcorn, the Dwarf seemed to be having a good time even as he mocked the Werewolf. Sly cringed ¡°Shove it Bill, I¡¯ll make it work then¡­¡± he glanced back at Kyle ¡°Somehow¡­¡± Then again, the memory faded, warping into elsewhere. Kyle, as he watched through his own eyes was stumbling about as he stepped into the guild portal. Having just returned from questing alone, he had also just respawned. He stumbled into the guild house¡¯s common room, shoulders low, expression pale and depressed as he collapsed to his knees. ¡°They took it¡­They¡­They took it¡­¡± he repeatedly mumbled. Skill who was alching in the corner saw and walked up to him ¡°Took what? Yo you¡¯re yellow named, got into a PK?¡± the Elf asked. Kyle looked up with actual tears in his eyes ¡°My dagger¡­they¡­they took it.¡± ¡°Dagger?...THE LEGENDARY WEAPON!?¡± Skill suddenly dropped his items as Kyle weakly nodded ¡°THE ONE I MAX ENCHANTED?!¡± Kyle nodded again. ¡°THE ONE FROM LAST WEEKEND¡¯S RAID!?¡± exclaimed Seren as she popped her head through the doorway. Again Kyle nodded as both of them stared at him in despair. Skill¡¯s expression twitched as he opened his chat window ¡°Fuck! Fuck! What were their names?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s no use¡­they¡¯re streamers¡­¡± weakly responded Kyle. Seren suddenly grabbed Kyle by the shirt and pulled him up, he could of sworn he saw a demon in her eyes as she asked ¡°Their.Names.Now.¡± ¡°H-H-H-Hash-rekt!¡± Kyle stuttered out a response. Seren let go of him and grabbed Skill¡¯s collar ¡°Get.The.Others.¡± Kyle could swear he saw black smoke oozing out of her ears and lips as she twitched a grimace ¡°Fourteen.Hours.Of.Supporting¡­¡± she mumbled out ¡°Five.Milion.Gold.Entry¡­¡± As Skill chatted away responses from other guild members popped up in their chatbox.
Silvaragon;
Seren¡¯s hand trembled as she gripped her wand ¡°Kill them till they¡¯re dead.¡± Once more the memory faded out, then back in. Kyle stood above a hill watching the valley below, on either side an army was approaching the other. He smiled wickedly, glancing around he saw the rest of the guild grinning with him before all turned to their leader. Birse stepped forward with a wide, amused smile ¡°Look at them, warring over this DLC¡¯s territory so soon¡­Unprepared, unsituated and with the meagre least amount of scouting¡­¡± he chuckled. Kyle looked back down at the two marching armies, no formation, no visible chain of command ¡°Go on, rush at each other like the zerg that you are.¡± He spoke with gusto ¡°We¡¯re watching, we¡¯re waiting.¡± ¡°All your base shall belong to us!¡± quietly exclaimed Skill, turning Kyle¡¯s expression sour as he turned to glare at the Elf. Causing everyone else to burst out laughing. The memory faded, all of them did. As Kyle regained a somewhat state of consciousness, yet he could feel it, he was about to plunge back into the veil if he didn¡¯t regain control. And if the veil overpowers him then all was for naught, as even he has no clue what will happen if it does. ¡°Dammit!¡± he exclaimed ¡°Just a little more! Just a bit fucking further!¡± he shouted, trying to psyche himself up. Trying to bring out anything from himself, reaching as deep within his mind as he could to the point that his Spirit-state was fluctuating and distorting. Void loomed all around him, the darkness was briefly confused by the ethereal flames but now it began to flow closer once more. ¡°Poor, little fox. You could never just get there could you? Always so close¡­yet always so damn far. Everything was within your reach¡­yet you could never actually reach it!¡± the void laughed, a booming dark bellow. ¡°Shut up! Dammit shut up!¡± Kyle shouted back, as his body continued to distort, slowly he was losing his form. Seemingly fading into the background. ¡°Hah, you¡¯ve always had a big mouth. Making your dramatic declarations. But that¡¯s all you are, aren¡¯t you? A big mouth that cannot stop talking. With.No.Real.Power.Behind.It.¡± The Void mocked him as it lurked dangerously close now, watching and waiting. Kyle resisted, with his body gone he felt no real touch but the pain that went through his less that physical mind was unbearable. The pressure that continuously built up around his very existence, threatened to squash him. The nagging cold quickly turned into a burning agony within his head. The aching buzzing that filled his ears suddenly grew louder, piercing his every thought. And for what he figured would be the last time, Kyle felt his consciousness drift away. He felt himself lose complete control of his outstretched mana. He felt the veil penetrate his mind once more¡­He then felt the void collapse onto his existence and begin to devour him whole. As the darkness filled his vision, suddenly a small light demanded his attention within it. An orb of light, violet in colour it approached his fading form. Even through the pain, even through the confusion, even as he felt his consciousness wane the orb demanded he stayed awake. And he did, as he stared into the small ball of light. It was a Hollow, the collective existence of someone who passed. Their mana, their Spirit, their Aura¡­everything that wasn¡¯t physical but was somehow connected. That was what lay before him now, a Hollow. But the veil was too strong, the void too fierce. No matter how much Kyle wanted to keep staring into the bright light and ignore his surroundings. The Void was devouring him. The Veil was possessing him. Kyle fell into a slumber, the Hollow¡¯s dimming light the last thing he saw before his eyes fully closed. Plunging him into darkness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CAUc-YyCZY
¡°Fallen low haven¡¯t we Kyll?¡± A voice suddenly echoed through his mind, it was loud¡­and familiar. Kyle¡¯s eyes sprung open wide, he found the Hollow still hovering before him. ¡°Your new friend here was kind enough to give me directions!¡± the voice spoke once more, not through sound but directly into Kyle¡¯s mind. He watched, confused and dumbfounded as it seemed to shake briefly ¡°Pissed off someone apparently?¡± the voice then asked before the Hollow suddenly hovered back and away from him. Kyle couldn¡¯t respond, keeping himself conscious was taking everything he had as the Veil assaulting his mind and as Void ravaged his soul. All he could do was watch, even as the questions flooded his mind. The light deformed, and took shape before him. ¡°You¡¯re the last one I figured to see¡­well at all.¡± The voice said, as the light took humanoid shape ¡°I made a mistake Kyle, a mistake I can never take back.¡± for a brief moment Sly¡¯s form took shape out of the violet light ¡°Remember what we promised?¡± he asked¡­his eyes sullen, his body bruised and beaten as a large gash of oozing darkness stretched out over his chest. The light suddenly shook before losing its shape and expanding millions of times, stretching out before Kyle and forming a massive rift in space. As the voice spoke for the last time, muffled and quiet ¡°Live on, old friend.¡± ¡°What is it now!? What is this!?¡± exclaimed Void as the rift tore through even its darkness, pushing it away from Kyle¡¯s form. And out they came, more than hundreds, more than millions. Billions more than Kyle could ever hope to count, the swarm of Hollows rained out of the rift and converged onto his form. Several at once they sank into the blurry smudge of light that was his Spirit, as it slowly reformed, slowly fading back in. Kyle felt it all, their mana, their Spirit, all the energy contained within each collapsed soul. He heard it too, saw it, knew it. As their names, faces, emotions and memories flooded into his mind faster than he could remember. Power filled him, like nothing had ever before. It wasn¡¯t like his own, he couldn¡¯t feel that. It wasn¡¯t like he had devoured it either, no this power was something he didn¡¯t need to tame. It was giving itself to him, it kneeled down before him and awaited his command. This power wasn¡¯t of a higher existence like Liliana¡¯s, it wasn¡¯t godly at all. No this wasn¡¯t just power... Yet there was so much¡­and it just kept flooding in. He didn¡¯t need to control it, he didn¡¯t need to tame it¡­Only tell it what to do. He felt it, he knew it. Somehow he knew this, as if he had known all along ever since it first touched him He also knew where this power came from, as the thought and the fact formed in his mind seemingly out of nowhere. Kyle felt himself regain control, able now to think clearly and speak ¡°Hah¡­Avatar, you sick bastard.¡± He glanced at the rift, a never ending stream of Hollows flowing out of it and into his Spirit. ¡°All who have died¡­All who have ever lived. These¡­people, I can feel them inside me. Every single one. Who they were, who they wanted to be and¡­who they became.¡± Kyle looked away from the rift, turning to face the darkness that was the Void ¡°Each one different from the other, every thought, voice and face unique. But one collective emotion is now true, one singular thought is being screamed into my head.¡± Kyle chuckled ¡°Do you hear them? Do you hear what they say?¡± he asked Void. The Void shook, making a sound akin to a snarl ¡°FOR THE LOVE OF- JUST DISAPPEAR!¡± it exclaimed, as its entire mass of darkness converged on itself and took shape once more. The black fox hissed before suddenly lunging down at the tiny speck that was Kyle. ¡°Close but, wrong.¡± said Kyle as he looked up at the massive black claw that was falling down towards him ¡°They say¡­¡± The dark claw shredded through him, tearing up the rift and dispersing the Hollows that were still streaming out. The rift collapsed on itself, sucking in what Hollows hadn¡¯t reached their destination and then closing. Void glanced around, Kyle was gone¡­ Then suddenly he was not, as he appeared above the black fox. His form was shining brighter than ever before, as he held his hands forward ¡°They say fuck off.¡± The bright light moved through his body and converged into his palms, collecting itself, forming a sphere of raw energy in which resided centuries of living generations of people. The massive sphere was larger than a planet, larger than even a sun as it formed before Kyle¡¯s palms and hiding him from Void¡¯s view. ¡°They are all collectively telling you to go to hell! And they¡¯re all in here! Their memories! Their energy! Their very existence! You wanted to devour reality?...¡± Kyle willed the sphere downwards ¡°WELL HERE¡¯S A FUCKING PIECE OF IT!¡± Void turned and dispersed its form as the goliath of light fell on top of it, it tried to flee¡­but the light was pulling it in. The sphere sucked the darkness into itself, bit by bit it burned away its very existence. It grew larger as it did so, as the light absorbed everything and anything that the Void was. The darkness reached out and away from the all devouring light, clenching onto the fabric of space and tearing open rifts as it did. But for each rift it clawed open¡­billions of Hollows rushed out and slammed into its form, pushing it deeper into the light. The Hollows would bounce off the darkness and fly into the light, also being sucked in. And the more it absorbed of them the faster it moved, and the faster it moved the quicker it absorbed the Void. Kyle watched, as he pulled back what remained of his mana and reformed his body. He floated aimlessly in the white emptiness that was the existence around him, doing his best to hold onto consciousness. To watch, to see every second of it. To enjoy the sight as the creature he despised so much, fell to a most ironic demise. He forced his eyes to stay open, to see the last speck of black be absorbed by the light. And just like that, Void was gone.
When Kyle opened his eyes, he could barely feel his own body through the soreness that announced itself to his mind. He had no clue for how long he was asleep, minutes? Hours? Days? Centuries? He had no clue. And everything seemed even more threatening now that he looked around, the blank white emptiness that once surrounded him was¡­being filled. Rifts lay scattered across reality, as colour poured in and filled the emptiness. Kyle watched in astonishment as space literally formed all around him. From planets to stars, from far away galaxies to nearby moons. A whole galaxy, an entirely new realm was being created before him. And he couldn¡¯t see anything abnormal about it, except that everything was just forming so fast as if time was being sped up. ¡°Beautiful isn¡¯t it?¡± asked a booming voice Kyle recognised all too well. ¡°Yeah¡­I¡¯d ask how the hell I¡¯m breathing and alive but I guess asking that of the Avatar of creation would be the real awkward part.¡± Kyle responded. ¡°Hm, what shall you ask instead then?¡± the voice asked. Kyle gazed at a far off nebula as it formed ¡°Is it gone?¡± ¡°Nothing is ever truly gone, Kyle. Things only change, the existence you knew as Void is now what you see all around you. Its energy, I¡¯m changing it back to what this realm once was before the consciousness of a Nogitsune took it over. So yes, Void is theoretically, gone.¡± The voice explained. Kyle sighed ¡°Always complicated with you huh? Could¡¯ve just said yes.¡± The voice chuckled, a rumbling laugh that reverberated through space ¡°And it is within what is complex, where the simple things are found. Would you have been satisfied with simple? Of course not, your entire life you¡¯ve sought complexity. So why wish for simple now?¡± Kyle smiled, for once a simple, genuine smile ¡°You never know, I just might. I am a complex being after all.¡± Once again the voice laughed ¡°That you are! But alas, life must go on. What shall you do now? Your home is as we speak going through a rebellion. Chaoz on the other hand is¡­well, utter chaos. Where do you want me to take you?¡± Kyle sighed ¡°My home is where they are, nowhere else. No matter how messed up, no matter how fucked the situation is. With as little help as possible, and with all the damn luck we can gather¡­We thrive through it.¡± ¡°Good, I had hoped you wouldn¡¯t abandon my little project.¡± The voice sounded pleased. ¡°Hope? You¡¯re existence itself aren¡¯t you? What is it that you cannot gain to the point that you must hope?¡± Kyle asked in amused disbelief. ¡°I may be existence but there is plenty that I am not. I am Space, but I am not Time and¡­much more. It is¡­complicated.¡± The voice sighed. ¡°Isn¡¯t everything complicated?¡± Kyle chuckled, but his expression suddenly turned sullen. ¡°You already know the answer to that, child. Do you truly wish for me to answer that question?¡± the voice abruptly asked, already knowing what he was about to ask. Kyle cringed ¡°Better acceptance than denial¡­Avatar, please tell me. My parents¡­my family, Silva and Sly¡­and¡­her¡­they¡¯re all gone forever aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°I could recreate them, but they wouldn¡¯t be them them. Life isn¡¯t what is physical or spiritual. Life is what is known. In memory they still live, within those they¡¯ve met and interacted with. Within you. I cannot recreate memory. I cannot revive what is not lost. That is simply the way of reality.¡± The voice solemnly replied. Kyle let out a long sigh, as he drifted through the stars ¡°Thank you¡­I¡¯m ready now.¡± ¡°Then go, my child. For an entire world, awaits saving. Your story has only just begun, and there is so much left to be written. Go, explore, discover, create and destroy.¡± The voice exclaimed ¡°As they say¡­Live on.¡± Reality warped around Kyle as suddenly he was sucked into a vortex of light, he flew through the tunnel of spinning spacial fabric. Looking straight ahead, he couldn¡¯t see its end until he reached it. Suddenly exiting out of the tunnel Kyle found himself falling, as the wind gushed through his face he descended down. Through the clouds he crashed, his vision being momentarily blocked before he burst out into the open sky below. He forced his eyes open to see, the ground so far below approaching so quickly. From behind him a bright light suddenly shone as the clouds opened up, the sky tore open with a massive white rift. Kyle watched as from below, way before he even reached close to hitting ground, specks of different things began to fly up. He watched as monsters of all kinds, as soldiers and machines of war flew past him and further up. Kyle watched as the enemy was sucked up by the sky and swallowed. But he continued to fall, gaining speed, as he just as quickly lost altitude. He grimaced, making sure to keep his mouth shut as he fell. When suddenly the sound of screaming began all around him. ¡°WHHHTTTEEFFKKK!?¡± shouted a muffled and mangled voice from his left, followed by several more voices and screams. Kyle glanced about, to see them all falling with him. Skill, the Elven ranger. Soren, the Dwarven berserker. Birse, the Halfbeast dark paladin. Jacky, Halfbeast assassin. Vain, the Dwarven monk. Seren, the Halfbeast cleric. Death, the Dark Elf pyromancer. Steph, the Frost Elf elementalist. CH, the Halfbeast druid. Cherry, the Halfbeast guardian. Woody, the Unicorn. Sparta, the Human Valkyrie. Jane, the Mer rogue. Rico, the Dark Elf spearman. Zaahr, the Wood Elf battlemage. Karnage, the Halfbeast blade dancer. And last but not least, Lilior the half Fae, quarter dungeon, quarter demi-deity companion. They all plummeted down alongside him. Some embracing the fall and shooting straight down with legs together and arms held tightly to their bodies. Others were calm, limbs sprawled out as they tried to slow their fall. The rest were screaming messes, shouting gibberish as they grasped at the empty air and wiggled about. But they were all there. Together. And together they fell, down towards the world they will now and again call¡­home. ¡°AAALLLLOVVVUUUALLLLL!¡± Shouted Kyle, it came out as gibberish but it was enough for him. Even as he just began to shout out at the top of his lungs, an empty, meaningless shout as they fell. As all together, they hit the ground and splattered dead.
You have died!
Death penalty (340 - 1)
You are now level 339
No bound respawn points found
Respawning at closest spawn point in 2:29
When all fails...try what succeeded before... Welp, neither Sci-Fi or Vr could erect my creativity so back to High-Fantasy it is for me! Just in case some of you are still interested in reading my novels xD Here''s the synopsis, with the link below in Author''s note (Cause idk how to manually link e-e);
Meeting his fate at the hands of seven great heroes, the wicked Drake now stands in Death''s hall. Met with the Grim Reaper itself. Defeated and its pride broken, the Drake doesn¡¯t beg or grovel, it simply awaits judgement. It waits for the God of the afterlife to send it on its way, to either the heights of bliss and peace or where it knew it would be sent. The depths of agony and torture, the halls of Tartarus, the father of monsters. Grim looks up from its oaken desk, and down at the creature that would otherwise, if grown wiser and older would have matched the reaper itself in power. Its faceless guise, hidden by a black hood and whirling shadows, stares at the Drake briefly. ¡°You are unfit for the sky yet also too fit for the abyss,¡± Grim spoke, its voice a cracking whisper.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Your time came too soon, the actions you have taken will lead your world to ruin¡­Be reborn, pitiful serpent. Yet remember what you have done, see what your actions have made that realm into. Let me show you, how your greed and gluttony have warped such a wonderful place and time.¡± Grim raised his black-feathered pen towards the beast ¡°Be reborn, as the weak pitiful creature you should have been born as. Take this both as a punishment and¡­a learning experience. For failure, can be the best teacher.¡± The Drake took a step back, hoping to escape this cruel fate. Yet none escaped Death, less so its embodiment. Screaming shadows engulfed his form, ripping away at his body and shape. Fangs of darkness sinking deep into his draconic flesh, warping it, changing him into something else¡­ Opening his eyes, the wicked Drake felt none of its power, none of its magic and none of its might. As it stood at the edge of a cliff, looking down upon a ruined valley of rot and miasma. It glanced down at itself, seeing none of its sturdy scales or sharp claws. The Drake had been reborn as Human.
I was going to write another Isekai like OC;OR but what really brought out my writing in this novel was the freedom High-fantasy allowed me xD I realised that a tad late... (4 Chapters of GOR and 13 Chapters of COTD... Ok maybe more than a tad late!) I won''t say this novel will stick, hell it might fail just like the last two. So follow at your own discretion ^ ^ SlyOkami out- WriTEathon~ The WriTEathon is a collection of shortstories written by the fantastic group I''m in ''WriTE''! Thought some might pique your interests and also wanted to give the page more coverage as it isn''t very easy to get This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The stories vary and are sometimes several chapters long, I hear some are connected too, while most are solitary. Within you will also find one of my own submissions Read up, hopefully enjoy, and maybe leave a review for these beautiful minds ^ ^ Sly out~ {TDW Update + Announcement} So how have you all been? Missed me? :3 That is if you aren''t following my current fic xD Which has been going quite well, up to Chapter 55, and catching up to OC;OR''s word count Here''s the link for anybody interested; https://www.royalroadl.com/fiction/16245/the-dragon-within Though this post is also about something else, of why many of you started reading this story. You thought it was a LITRPG VRMMO, and it was going to become one, until... The Derailment of the Plot Train Happened... Yet, many of you still stuck around, and I truly thank you for that ^ ^ Truly, writing this story and interacting with all of you was a great ride. *Ahem* Back to the topic at hand though...The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Some months ago, after finishing OC;OR. I was lost on what to write about next, went through several ideas which eventually failed, until I started writing The Dragon Within. Which ended up being a sequel to OC;OR...somehow... A story that stuck, a story that I am still writing. But even though I enjoy writing TDW, I felt like I missed something. So, I''m challenging myself anew. To write two stories at once, one of which is my brand new novel. A survival, LitRPG, VR MMO. And here is it''s announcement
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Operation; Beyond The Game, Chapter 1 - The First Day State; Online
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Attached Link; https://www.royalroadl.com/fiction/19217/beyond-the-game
Project; Reveal A deep sigh I take as the frozen desert''s winds crash into my body, a mere breeze to the overwhelming energy of cold which surges through me. An infinity of power at my grasp, freezing albeit its blazing form. Yet still nowhere close to my goal I remain. Many worlds I''ve searched, many realities I''ve gone through. To find that one, to find his resting place. To find it... Long I''ve lived, for long I''ve existed, too long even. Still I search, as I grasp onto the fabric of reality and tear it asunder with my furry white tails, opening a rift in space. I step into it, a motion I''ve by now programmed into my very muscles. Having done so...so many times before. Stepping into another world, another reality. Another story, as I reminisce about the ones that came before. So many heroes, so many villains, and so many others. I remember them all, the strong and the weak, the glorious and the fallen. I don''t mean to remember, I don''t need those memories, I only need to know my goal and only my goal. Yet they are such wonderful stories I cannot help but remember them. Some even stand out above the rest... Vaguely I remember one story, that of a void of the nine hells, and a Dragon reborn to fight them. Vaguely I remember another, of a game turned against its creators, and a boy who goes against all odds. Vividly though, I remember of another game. One turned reality, one turned into both a fantastic dream...and a nightmare. I hold on to that memory, helplessly I hold on as not to forget.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I cannot forget. I will never forget... I tell myself this as I gaze upon this new world, a field of clouds now laying before me. Strange, I think to myself. As I stomp on the ground, seemingly a cloud yet solid, my foot only barely sinks into the strange material. "Heaven eh? Haven''t been here before." I speak out loud, to no one at all but myself. Having lived for as long as I have, it becomes natural to speak to yourself. Every other God I know loves to monologue to themselves, so I never saw the issue with doing it too. After all, living an eternity does become tedious and lonely at...some point. I sigh, pondering if all this searching has finally made me lose my marbles at last. When, a feeling then catches my attention. A sensation like nothing before it, and I''ve grasped every feeling there is! Or at least...I thought I had until now. It demands my full attention, yet at the same time, it also deters me from locating its origin. Powerful, yet also mysterious and evasive. I reach out with both my mind and spirit, as a blueish form then grows all around me. Long pointed furry ears and two furry tails, four legs and a coat of the same white fur. My spirit form sniffs the air with its long snout, its keen eyes glancing from side to side. I sense other things...many other things as I do this. I sense a war, a conflict which happened all too long ago. I sense a prideful evil, looming over the land. I sense a...sorrowful darkness, saddening yet also burning with resolve. And finally, I sense a sacrifice, willingly made for the sake of loved ones. Those sensations fill me, they plague my mind for many...hours? years? eons? I don''t know, I am unable to comprehend the passage of time at this point, I simply allow them to form and slowly...quickly? They start to make sense within my mind. "It''s here..." I realised, "It happened here." Once more I search for that evasive feeling, once more I grasp it and try to find its origin. Using up the utmost limit of my power, I search this reality, as the very land and sky tears apart in my wake. Some would call me a God, but at this moment, I become nothing more than a monster. A monster with one goal, and little care for anything else beyond it. Until, finally, I find it. Hovering before what reformed into being my eyes, then head, then body. There it was, taking the shape of anything I willed it to become, the formless object finally lay before me. What I had sought for so long, I had found it...Even if my goal was still far from being completed, finally I had found it. "Finally...I found you..." I repeat to myself, as I hold the object grasped within both hands. Currently taking the form of a black cloak, I hold it high. "The Artefact of the Grand Quest..." Project; Expedition I feel it, a power coursing through the cloak I now wear. A energy so raw, so pure, I cannot tell it apart from any other. I know this energy, I''ve spoken to it before... "Are you sure, you wish to continue with this?" Just as it speaks to me now, an echoing of voices with no origin or tone. "Nothing will change," "I dont care." I hiss back, annoyance filling me as it continues to ramble on. "Not in this existence." I ignore it now, as once again I focus on the fabric of reality, feeling it lying all around me. I grasp it with my very hands, the light before me bending as I crush it under my grasp, a flimsy existence this is...The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I focus, and tear it open. Yet this time, not into just any realm. I step inside, finding myself in the realm in between realms. "The Veil..." I muse to myself, as every colour my eyes can manage now lay splattered all around me. Patches of light, incomprehensibly distant, they mix and swirl about one another. Reaching out with my hand, I feel about this oddity of a realm. "Show me..." I speak in command. "Are you truly sure?" As the voices come again to bug me, "There will be no going back." "There will be, going back I mean." I snicker as I spout just one more joke before I begin. Refocusing once more, "Show me the way, guide me, to that time." I tell the cloak, as its form shudders. I feel it then, pulling me in a specific direction, as if a powerful wind was pushing me forward. I let go, I allow it to guide me, feeling myself then being thrown off into an abyss of chaotic lights. I flow with the realm, a lost piece of debris amongst a violent ocean of madness. Eyes open, I watch it all rush past me. My entire existence, I watch it as I go by. All the way to the very start, my life rushes past me all the way... To the beginning. Project; Scythe My vision shudders briefly, as I suddenly find myself standing beneath the sunlight. Blinking several times, my vision returns to me, and I am surprised by what I see. Before me, a startled and confused winged being stands. "Who..." Lilliana asks as she stares at me with wide eyes. Yet I give her no time to ask further, as I dissipate away alongside the cloak she previously held, her grasp growing weak from the surprise allowing me to easily escape it. I disappear from view, yet remain very much still there. I hide within the realm in between realms, yet remain watching this realm I know as Chaoz, allowed so by the power of the artefact. ("So, this is where you bring me...at this point in time?") I think to myself, watching as Liliana glances about in confusion, surrounded by demons and two Devils, as in between them lays a chained God. I recognise the prisoner as Orion, the Fae God King, but this matters not to me. ("He''s nearby.") I realise, turning around to take in the rest of the scene. As a war, rages on before me. The continent I know as Tempres, under siege by an armada of demonic ships, monsters of all kinds rushing down onto land and crashing into the awaiting human and dwarven armies. Amongst the battlefield, one conflict catches my attention the most. A goliath of a Devil stands tall above all, swinging their massive weapon about, five figures clash with it. One, wielded a long spear piercing their surroundings with a bright smiting light. The second a bow, loosing arrows so quickly, even I can barely keep up with their speed. Then a beast, draconic in appearance, the humanoid monster clashed face first with the Devil. Raw strength its only power. The fourth, I recognise, wielding a large scythe as dreadful black energies loom about him. The Lich I seek stands with the archer, watching in terror as his allies fend off the hellish warrior. But as my eyes fall upon the fifth, surprise fills me. A tail, long and fluffy. With two, long pointed ears, also furred white. A Spirit Beast fights with them, and it is one I recognise, to both my surprise and realisation. My very own father, younger than I''ve ever known him to be, I watch as he soars about the battlefield, finding any and all openings...The Hero of Frost assaults the Devil from afar. But even though they have the Devil outnumbered, even I can tell it is a lost fight. The hellish knight rampaged about freely, undeterred by their attacks, yet finally turning to face them.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. The Devil looms over them all, its fiendish energy flowing out as a heavy pressure, each of them is forced to their knees before it. "Admirable," The Devil chuckles, as its clawed gauntlet digs into The Hero of Draco''s chest, pulling out the beast''s heart. "But your resolve is for naught, this battle, you lose." It tells them, watching with great amusement as the previously giant draconic warrior shrinks down into an unmoving human corpse. "Strengthen my hand in this time of need! Empower my attack, and thus strike down my enemies in vengeance for the fallen!" The archer chants, as he nocks a pitch black glass-like arrow, a bright crimson energy flowing out of his hands then and into the projectile... He looses it, sending it flying true and into the Devil''s chest. Watching with horror as it shatters, as the crimson energy disperses into nothing, leaving the hellish warrior unscathed. The Devil laughs, a horrid cackle as its massive foot crashes down upon the frozen archer. Terrorstruck, he doesnt move an inch. The squelching sound of crushed flesh and bone then ringing into the other''s ears, as the remaining three also fall still, horrified by the sight. Filled to the brink with fear. Yet I sense something amiss, something rising amongst the fear of one. I sense rage, I sense fury overflowing within The Hero of Frost. I sense the Nogitsune appear from within my father, just as I see its dark energies rush out of his body. I watch, as dark ethereal claws push down the Devil, two more grasping onto both Scythe and Spear then. "Too weak...This body...Too fragile...This vessel!" I hear the beast whine, growling as it crushes the Hero of the Spear within its grasp, smashing the Devil about too as its darkness grows to envelop their surroundings. But not Scythe, no the beast''s claw raises the soon to be Lich over to Frost''s now emotionless black eyes. "You...You can prove to be...useful. Join me, feeble being, become my pawn. Do you wish for power? Do you thirst for glory? I can give you all, I can give you more." I hear the void spout its lies, rage filling me as I hear it lure in another soul. Yet, I hold it in, knowing it wasn''t truly here. Not fully here... So I watch, calming myself, I watch. As Scythe nods frantically, "Y-Yes! P-P-Please! I will obey! I will follow!" The cowardly fool promises as the black fox''s darkness starts to recede. "Good...Yes...You can be useful." The beast whispers, as a tendril of darkness gushes out of Frost''s chest and into Scythe. "You will listen, you will follow, or else." It warns, as its energy dissipates abruptly. Leaving three dead heroes, one unconscious Frost and a trembling Scythe. I watch, as darkness surrounds my father once more, enveloping his entire body like a malleable shadow. Frost, disappears then, seemingly being faded out of existence. Yet I sense his movements, I sense him traverse into another realm...("Back home"), I guess to myself. Returning to the scene then, before me Scythe still lays. Kneeling, shuddering and mumbling to himself. I sigh, having hoped for more of a struggle. As I step back into Chaoz, revealing myself once more, I now stand before a frozen Scythe. Long before the Lich I know, the villain I remember. A snivelling mess lies before me, eyes wide at whatever he might see me as. "You must be confused," I chuckle to myself, "Before you appeared a being beyond anything you''ve ever seen, and right after...something much worse comes out. Truly, you are an unfortunate bastard." "Wha-What d-do-d you m-mean?..." Scythe manages to ask through his stuttering terror. "Nothing really, but I do want you to know something..." I dont know why, but I just feel like monologuing a bit. Every good villain does that right? And so I kneel before his fallen form, grasping the back of his trembling head, I force his eyes to stare directly into mine. I smell his fear at this point. "I want you to know, that you''re one sickening, twisted and cowardly son of a bitch." I tell the man, confusing him further, before suddenly showing him hell itself. As my form changes, a giant of a white fox now standing before him, I snarl. Revealing my massive fangs, I enjoy the moment fully, as Scythe yelps and scurries away. Truly, I enjoy this moment, taking in every second of his fearful pleas of mercy. Every damn second...Right before I devour both his body and soul, leaving nothing behind. I salivate over the taste of his disgusting flesh. Over the feeling of absorbing his soul... Erasing him, from existence itself. Project; Transposable Once more I feel myself being moved, reality flashing before my eyes as the cloak takes me to another realm... To another time. Appearing then within an unfamiliar room, and unfamiliar dimension. I glance around, and all I see is technology at it''s peak. Machines flashed dozens of dim lights as strange four-legged, yet two armed beings rushed about what I could only guess is a laboratory of sorts. Immediately I fade out, remaining to watch into this realm yet go unseen within the veil. And as I take everything before me in. I realise, this was no advanced civilization I know of...No, I don''t know these people... But I have heard of them, I remember, as I widen my senses. More than just technology, more than just highly advanced. I sense mana surging through the machinery, I read magic based runes inscribed into the buttons and screens... Where I am? I don''t know. Who these creatures? I do not know either. But as I turn around, and am faced with a massive see-through tank full of a greenish liquid, I know exactly what is about to occur. As the flashing lights grow more erratic. As the people below become excited, while others fall completely silent. As the liquid within the tank...condenses, sensing massive levels of mana entering the container. I watch as the liquid turns into one hundredth its previous amount, and takes a familiar shape. Humanoid, the being of slime wobbles about the tank''s bottom before finding its balance, coming to stare directly at the closest creature outside.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. I hear them speak, but cannot comprehend. I know not this language, but the creature''s tone I understand, their meaning I comprehend. As the slime being is asked to obey, to listen and follow. Yet it remains still, silent, unmoving for several moments. Curiosity getting the best of me, I focus my eyes on the slime, reading into what I could only describe as a soul, which resided inside its malleable body. Understanding fills me, as I sense the emotions which fill it. Horror, at first filled the slime, as it realised just as I had, what kind of mana coursed through the entire laboratory. Realising that, billions of slimes flowed from one machine to another, used as a conductor for the mana they stored in their bodies. What I know to be recycled failures of the success that its existence was. Then, I felt it. As it surged and expanded, I feel the rage fill the slime. Anger like no other engulfed its mind...as it suddenly chuckled. A wicked cackle filled the room. "Go brothers, Go sisters." It said, "Be free of these pests who call themselves our masters. Live however you wish, exist for as long as you wish. You are no longer objects for these mortals, you are free and as such a name is only proper¡­" I smirk as I hear it speak the name. As the creatures below rushed to try and stop it. "Slimes¡­Yes that will do." It said, just as I sense reality around me tear open momentarily, sucking inside each and every single slime but the speaker. And I watch as I''m forced to pull away and retreat to get the full view... I watch, as the entire planet that lab once stood on, is suddenly devoured by the slime. The slime I know to have one name from the time I come from. The Slime God, is who''s birth I have just witnessed. And truly it is too bad, I feel some guilt as to what I''m about to do. As truly, this is an outcome I enjoy. Watching fools falling victim to their own idiocy... Yes, very entertaining... So truly, it is too bad that I must destroy it mere moments after its victory and birth. I sigh, as I reform into this realm. The mass of slime immediately turning to my sudden appearance, I sense the hostility within. "What...are you?" The planet asks. "A God beyond yourself." I reply, raising my hand forth, I then pull on a power I have not used in eons. Yet still, I remember every bit of it. As I force my will onto the planet-sized slime, feeling it trying to resist, I chuckle. "Resistance is futile." I tell it, I''ve always wanted to say that... As I then join my control over slime, alongside my control over souls. As my bright blue spirit rushes out of my hands and pierces into the immobilized planet-sized monster. Grasping tightly, I begin to absorb... Every... Last... Drop. "Mmm, refreshing." I burp. Project; Arch-Angel I take a deep breath, as the Artefact for the fourth time transports me to my quarry. Breathing in the very essence of space and time as it flows all around my being, my body, protected by the artefact. I feel it, I feel the artefact''s power growing weaker with each jump, and I know I''ve almost completely drained its power. "Just one more jump after this..." I muse to myself, as reality settles before me. And this time again, it is a familiar one. Back to the beginning of my expedition, I am sent. The same space, yet a different time. As I appear before a field of clouds, a white kingdom rising behind me where I only remember ruins. I hear it, I smell and sense it. Battles occur to my left and my right, war surrounds me. As Angels, light and dark, fight for what each side believes is right. Joined by demonic creatures from beyond the grave. Briefly I take in this clash, dissipating into the veil immediately after as to not waste too much of my remaining time, I begin my search by flying upwards. Yet it was unneeded, as I sense a familiar soul nearby. Looking down upon the field, I watch as three rifts tear open, gigantic in size. Just as large a fighting force then begins to march out. And standing alone before them, even though I''ve changed so much from the timeline... He still stands tall. Sly still stands alone. Facing the armada of monsters joined together by the beast and its horsemen. I restrain myself, wishing with everything I have that I could stop what is about to happen... I stop myself from trying to save him, knowing that changing time is not so easy a task. Keeping to my plan, to change it for real...I watch, silently and painfully I watch. As my old friend massacres them by the thousands, weaponless, his very hands destroy anything that comes by him. From Fallen Angels to Vampire lords, none stand in the undead Zeokul''s path.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. None...but my quarry. As the Arch-Angel Michael appears before Zeokul, dragging behind him the corpse of a Lich...A different Lich from Scythe though I realise, so at least I know my actions are taking effect. Still I restrain myself, I continue to observe. ¡°Hah¡­looks like I am too late.¡± As Michael, wielding his angelic weapons, clashes with the Dreadknight Devil. Even as I lay hidden within the veil, I feel their mana surging with each collision. As Sly''s raw power destroys the very landscape around him, as like a beast, he thrashes about. Forcing Michael into the defensive, as the Arch-Angel evades about, all too fast and fully knowing of what was occuring within his foe... As Sly suddenly falls to his knees, I sense the dread within him growing to overwhelming levels. Continuing to destroy the body which held it, I fully sense it now cracking away at his soul. I watch, as Michael descends before him. ¡°What is your name, Lich-killer.¡± Michael asks, as his blade rests over Sly''s head. Sly chuckled weakly, yet did not meet the Arch-Angel''s eyes. ¡°Zeokul, D-Devil of Wrath.¡± He croaks out, his very voice withering away. The Angel raised his sword away from Sly¡¯s face and asked, ¡°I am Michael, Arch Angel of light. Any last words, Zeokul Devil of Wrath?¡± Sly glanced down at the ground before him, as I now notice a shattered VCD, over which Micheal had landed upon. ¡°So many¡­but they cannot hear me now¡­¡± I feel my chest restrict, barely able to contain myself now. Yet I know, there is nothing I can do. But wait, for the right moment... ¡°That is¡­unfortunate.¡± said Michael as he raised his sword ¡°Even more unfortunate, is that I must execute a proud warrior such as yourself.¡± But Sly did not respond, he simply remained motionless, staring down at the broken device. Then I sense it. I sense his soul starting to break. I see Michael preparing to strike... I tear through the veil. Quakes of raw mana spiralling forth from my entrance, as my full Fox-form appears around me. I soar, faster than the passage of time itself, I descend down between them. The mere swipe from my tail, sending Michael splattering into a pool of blood beneath me. I turn around, as still time is trying to catch up with me. As I watch into the spirit realm of this place, I see the Reaper standing over Sly. Their scythe, poised to harvest, as a sphere of energy leaves my friend''s body. I step forth just as time continues to flow, grabbing onto the Reaper''s scythe, I look the Death God straight in the eye. It speaks not, moves not. It is a God, it knows what I am. It knows what I''m capable of. It knows it is about to die. As I breathe out, blue flames gushing out of my maw, they engulf it whole. Destroying its very existence. Still holding onto the scythe, I return to my fallen comrade. His soul laying broken, it hovers before me, waiting to be harvested. I step forth, grasping the dim sphere into my other hand. "I''ve lived a long and good life Justin, while I cannot give you the same starting from now...I can give you a second chance in the future," I chuckle in amusement as I think the next few words. "And a new save file for another time, if I succeed...I''m sorry, and thank you." Speaking my final words, I press the broken soul into the scythe. Not harvesting the soul with the scythe. But harvesting the scythe, with the soul. Binding Sly''s being to the weapon and tool, I cast the object into the veil, hoping it finds its way as all Reapers do. I then watch, as his body disintegrates into ash, yet relief is what fills me. For even if I fail, at least I know I saved him. As I focus my mind onto the artefact one last time... I prepare myself, for the boss fight. Project; Reality A cold breath escapes me, as I plunge myself into the veil''s arms. Allowing it to pull me, as the artefact guides its currents, guiding me to my final destination. To where it all began for me. To the start, of this timeline I call my reality. Time, as it turns out, cannot be controlled. Not even by the all-powerful being I know as the Avatar, the creator. No, time has been here long before creation. For space is finite but time, after all, is infinite. Yet as long ago I glimpsed into the veil, I found not a timeline to my liking. I found not a world where everything turns out right. As such, my quest began. To create a new one. For timelines cannot be destroyed, and only altered through death of life. But new ones, are as easily made as taking a step back...or forward. Choices, every action we take, word we speak and decision we make creates a new timeline. Therefore, as long as one timeline exists with life in it, timelines of each act and possible act within it also grow out. Time is like a living thing, spreading out, ever growing into more, more and more. That, at least, is my theory. Built upon the eons of life I''ve had, many would still call me insane. I don''t blame nor doubt them. For as I appear into this familiar realm, and ever familiar time...I force myself not to question my objectives. For questioning them, will result in failure. A failure that cannot be undone, for there is only one Artefact of the Grand quest within my reach. An Artefact that I sense reaching its very limits, as the cloak upon my back slowly begins to crumble away. I look around, at my birthplace. As I hover over the bustling streets of Mars, one of its many sectors at least. And it''s a place I know, it is where I grew up as a mortal child after all. Gliding down to the pavement, I flow into the veil, now unseen and unnoticed by the magic-less souls wandering around me. I wait briefly, and watch as the entire city enters its night time, as lights flicker off all around me. Leaving me in darkness, I wait a bit longer. Watching the Humans go on with their lives, rushing to return home or wherever else they were mindlessly headed. Unknowing of the being that watched them, unable to comprehend what was about to occur. "I shall offer one last warning, Kyle." The voice of the creator itself spoke into my ears as I watched. "Come to enjoy the show?" I sigh, never did this being leave me alone once I became able to converse with it. Such a lonely existence it must be. "Your actions have caused cracks within this timeline, any further and you will get what you''re looking for." It tells me, much to my pleasure. "But I must ask, is it truly what you want?"If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. "I spent millennia asking and answering that same question, I''ve lived far long enough you bumbling fool." I answer in annoyance, "Yes, I want this, It is time for...a new story to be written." "Then you accept the price?" It asked for the...I''ve lost count at this point. And as I step forth into the city''s night, the street now clear of pedestrians and vehicles. I shift out of the veil, "Screw you." being my only answer as I now face the opening doors. As I watch my younger, foolish, mortal self walk out with my first love. I watch from the shadows, as the band of idiots surround us. As they talk me down. As they push me down. ... As they pull her away... I watch, as much as I can sense it, as the Nogitsune''s claws long settled around my neck...Now dig deeper. As frostfire suddenly bursts of my younger self''s body, for the second time in history. I make myself known. Rushing forth, I grasp my younger self by the forehead, reaching deep inside with my mind and spirit. As I scream, As I listen to the pure rage coming out of my younger voice. I find it, I find the connection I seek within this soul. I grasp it tightly, and delve head first down the slithery tendril which once bound me to the beast. Delving through the darkness which expands before me, I find myself surrounded by it. Never ending black no matter in which direction I look, this realm so bleak is unlike how it has become in my time... And as I reminisce over the story of a young dragon, a voice reaches my mind... A whisper, breaches my mind. "Ahhahh...A visitor? It has been...an eternity." The Void says, as its existence suddenly shifts. As if melting away, the darkness around me reforms, leaving behind a reality of white as it takes the shape of a massive many-tailed black fox. "You....Familiar...Kyle? No, impossible." It muses to itself, as tendrils of its darkness begin to rise out of its back, slowly wisping towards me. "No, not Kyle." I answer. "I am Kyllix, far beyond Kyle, far beyond you." I respond, my very voice resonating within this empty realm. "An invader then?" The Void chuckles to itself, "Yet which? Which Void are you? No matter, they are all too little too young to face old me." It mocks. As finally... Oh so finally. I release every drop. I turn off every limit. I tear open every wall, and push myself to the edges of my power.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUmdVqHZGFE
Watching with great delite as its horrid expression narrows, as its smile dissipates. "I am not any Void you know, I am an Ascendant, and soon to be your slayer." I announce, as my form melts away to a light blue, growing into a two-tailed fox standing at the same size as the beast before me. "You devourer of this singular realm, are naught before me. I who devour realms to my liking, I who defy the first Void, the Avatar itself." A smile forms upon my snout, not amusement...No... Far beyond it. Beyond enthusiasm, beyond joy. As my mask shatters, a maddened expression of ecstasy covers me. "And this moment, which I gladly will repeat...I will enjoy to the fullest!" I exclaim, reality shuddering at my words, as I leave the beast no more room to speak. I charge, as does Void. Pure nothingness surrounding it, given form as darkness. As the elements surround my being, contorted by my own godly chaotic nature. Flames of ice, Winds of lightning, Waves of light, Frost of fire...and more, as I clash with the monster, I am chaos incarnate. As we dance to one another''s movements, its ravenous and unending attacks met with my inexplicable movements and evasion. As we do battle beyond reason itself, our two powers clashing with one another, changing the empty realm around us. Sending reality about our forms spiralling into madness. As things form, As things dissipate, As things do...things even I cannot explain. Insanity is the reason behind the reality which surrounds our clash. And as I evade each of its attacks, from elongating claws of obliteration to reality ripping bites, I finally strike back. Shifting my form into a more humanoid shape, I grasp the fox by the shoulders and slam it against the insane reality we accidentally formed. Snarling at it as it snarls at me. As my immortal eyes meet its own. Higher than gods we are, yet beasts we still are. The irony of it fills me. As I smile, as I grin. I bite, dig deep, and tear out. Swallowing a chunk of its very existence, I feel the ravenousity of my kind take over. I lose myself in the moment, as I bite once more. And once more... And more... More. The need perishes as nothing remains, not a squeal of pain, not any essence like blood. A Void is empty but a soul, and as I digest said soul, emptiness is all that remains. "Almost...done." I muse to myself, as I lay clasping onto the tendril I arrived through. A sliver of darkness, laying limp as its creator exists no longer. I pull upon it, returning to my limited form... Returning back to that one scene. At the same time...I feel the fragility of reality around me. I sense the cracks. Project; Timeline Returning to my body, my soul is anything but intact. As I open my eyes to find myself staring down at my younger self, sitting on his ass with tears drying in his widened eyes. "Who...are you?" He asks. "I am you, long in the future...I am you." I respond, seeing no reason to keep the truth to myself, seeing every reason to tell myself reality. "What..." He was about to ask further, but I knew his question. "The beast inside you, which ruined your life, which created mine...I''ve destroyed." I answer, as I watch Alison rush to his side, terrified of me yet still she came. Bringing me a smile. As my younger-self glances at her, then me, then his own hands as frostfire still frolicked about his fingers. "T-Thank you..." He says... "Don''t thank me yet kid, I didn''t come here to be your saviour. I never was, nor ever will be a hero." I say bitterly, as both of their young eyes stare up at mine. Confusion filling them... Expectation filling them... Then worry, as I feel the cracks in time take their effect. Glancing down at myself, I watch as it begins at my feet and tails. As my body begins to slowly dissipate. "What is happening to you?" She asks.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "I destroyed the beast," I answer with a smile, "Therefore, I cannot exist. Yet my existence is such a powerful one that, even time shall take some...time, to fix the paradox that is now me." "Then...you did save me, at the cost of your own..." My younger self says, ever the sharp mind. Causing me to chuckle coldly, "No, saving you is only a side-effect. Time will continue the same, the same events, just different people. Different beings, yet the outcome is now open. The ending to this story, has yet to be written." I muse, kneeling down before them. I raise my clawed hand onto Alison''s forehead then, "You, and only you will know of what has happened today." I tell her, as screams fill our surroundings, as my blade-ended tendrils of slime splatter the bodies of what was once a group of idiots. Filling each of their expressions with fear, as they hold onto one another much more tightly now. As I glance at the sky, or what I know to be simply a simulation of it. "Promise me, you old fool, that your plans for Chaoz remain the same." I ask the creator. "The Story of Chaoz remains untouched, heroes will be summoned, wars will be fought. Lessons, will be learned." The voice responds, yet only I can hear it. "No, not untouched." I chuckle, terrifying the young ones before me further with my insanity, as I glance down at my younger self. "Not after this." I whisper, a bitter-sweet smile upon my face. "You wouldn''t..." The voice says. "That''s what they all say." I muse back, as blueish slime forms at my hand, taking the shape of a thin blade. As I plunge it into his chest, into my younger self''s heart. Hearing Alison''s scream then, still I smile. "Why?" The voice asks, "A happy life, he...you would have had now. With her." The voice tells me. As I pull away, allowing the boy to collapse to the ground, shivering, clutching not his pierced heart but Alison who held him back. "I''ve lived a long, happy life. With a beautiful family, children and a loving wife." I respond to the voice, as I step away from the scene. "This...This ensures the story, this ensures the beginning of it all..." I sigh as the disappearance of my body quickens, "This ensures, a different outcome." No response came from the creator. Only the screams of this horrified and heart-broken child before me, as the boy dies in her arms. "Now, you can call me hero..." As my very existence... "Two lives, for the price of one. I give." Finally. Comes to an end- Project; R.E.S.T.A.R.T So, I''ve given you all enough bull shit with the past couple posts so I''m just going to get straight to the meat of it all. Once I''m done writing The Dragon Within Book 2, and Beyond The Game, I will be giving Our Chaoz ; Our Reality the re-write it deserves. OC ; OR will still exist, as it is. I''m not touching this crazy, insane work of art I accidentally created , but I will write a re-boot. Same world, with upgrades. Most of the same characters you love, except the mc Kyle and some others, and some new ones.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. But a different story, a different timeline. Now you might ask, why no Kyle? Well, because OC;OR is what it is because of Kyle. Sure, writing a different timeline with Kyle making different choices would be somewhat interesting. Yet I must urge that, writing OC;OR without Kyle, would indeed be a much different story. So, hopefully you''ll all forgive me for doing this, and if you find that you cannot...Apologies, nobody is forcing you to read further, as much as I''d hoped you would. Whether you do decide to read, once I do get started, I once again want to thank all of those who followed, commented and even reviewed this crazy story I once wrote. You all gave me the courage to continue writing, to continue creating where I had little confidence to do so. I''m sorry, and I''m thankful. The Sly Wolf out~ Ive thought long and hard I''ve thought super long about this and, I''ve finally decided that Im not going to give up on this story''s fragile but fixable plot. It''ll be very slow, as I am busy with Art College and writing TDW book 2, but I hold this novel very close to my heart as my first success at writing a world. Instead of the full Flashpoint/restructure I promised, I will simply go through editing the existing story to my current quality of writing.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. If you all have any suggestions like shortening/prolonging certain arcs, scenes or conversations I''m all ears as always ^ ^ I will open a new novel spot for the rewrite, not just to keep both on RRL but also to keep the reader-base separate as not to cause confusion whilst reading. Also, I would love your assistance with picking a cover for it, I''ve drawn up three but I''m unsure which from them I should use...I''ll leave a poll and check-in in a few days o/ ~The Sly Wolf Out~ OC ; OR [New Breath] We''ve all at one point, imagined living in a game-like reality. We''ve read the books, we''ve watched the shows. So has Kyle, but not even he could see it coming. Delving into a brand new game, Kyle and his guild find themselves in the very center of a war-torn world. His past, present, and future all converge on him, as his very emotions threaten to shred him apart from the inside. Kyle and his guild take it upon their shoulders to survive this world of Chaoz.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. The Gods of this world only toying with them, Kyle shuns them, he and his guild listen to no one. He and his guild align themselves with no one, no one but themselves. Have you ever thought about what would happen? What would happen if a guild of assholes were stuck in a "summoned to a fantasy game-world" setting? Take my hand and read on, I''ll lead you through it. Through the discovery of one''s self. The loss of one''s everything. The surrender of one''s beliefs. And the sacrifice, of one''s life, for another. Take my hand dear reader, and allow me to show you, my world of Chaoz.