《Twisted Fate》 Chapter 001 All werewolf packs have a few common characteristics, one of which is that they are a diarchic society. While the men rule over where the pack goes, who and when they fight as well as most foreign relations with absolute authority the women have the same level of authority in their domain. The specifics of each gender''s role are ultimately up to the strongest member of the pack and that person¡¯s mate, or the two alphas. Together they have absolute authority over their pack.
Analais Bloodclaw
Just past dusk on the night of the new moon like all such nights I am stalking a deer in the woodlands the pack calls home. I had just lost my query''s trail and finished a prayer to the Black Wolf father of Lycanthropes as I always do when I am in need, when I catch the scent of a member of the pack that I don¡¯t recognize. It smells like the pack but this female''s scent is not one I know. I abandon the deer for another night, there is food enough for tomorrow and this is more important. I stealthy and slowly move downwind through the oak trees on this warm summer night trying to figure out who it is that I am smelling. I follow my nose to the woods directly behind our shrine and once the object of my diversion is found I can¡¯t but stare confused for several minutes. A young boy lies in the grass at the base of one of the larger trees, he cannot be the source of the scent yet he is. It is times like this I yearn for my mother¡¯s skill in magic so I can send word. I sling my bow over my shoulder as I creep closer making sure not to step on any of the fallen sticks that scatter the forest floor until I am right next to the boy. I try to rouse him, even if he is not the source of the scent that covers him he should know who she is. He does not wake even as I go through his nice yet tattered clothing far to large for his young albeit tall body. I frown as he has no tools, weapons or anything else to give me a clue who he is. I step back for a moment, what should I do? An unarmed boy cannot be a threat so I decide to let the alphas handle it. I pick the boy up and while he feels heavier than I thought he would it is no real issue. My walk back is a slow and uneventful one, the female whose scent this boy caries is strong and the few animals that are a danger to me on a moonless night leave us be. Whoever she is, she smells more powerful than our current alpha, so why isn¡¯t she known to the pack? I enter our small village of just over a dozen huts built out of wood and stone and I am glad most have already gone to sleep. The alpha''s hut is in the center of the village and takes me a few more minutes to reach their door. I set the boy down next to the blood oak tree in view from their window before clapping my hands to alert and call for them. Ragnor will be grumpy but his mate is the more sensible one and this is her decision to make. The boy is a child and unless he picks a fight with Ragnor he has no say in this matter. ¡°Analais you better have a good reason for this¡± Ragnor bellows as he exits through the cloth that covers the door of his hut. He has leather trousers on though little else can be seen in the current lighting aside from his over seven-foot height. As much as I know this is going to be something I later regret I don¡¯t answer and just point to the still sleeping boy. ¡°And what¡¯s so wrong with my tree that you¡¯re waking me up over it!¡± ¡°No yelling at night!¡± his mate Kylana shouts from within the hut as she exits in her leather robes, right into Ragnor''s ears as punishment for breaking the domestic rules. She then turns to me and smiles, ¡°Alanias, did you need anything.¡± ¡°Yes, while hunting I found a young boy. He looks human but his smell is odd and he is covered in the scent of a member of the pack I do not recognize¡± I answer. ¡°Is that him under the tree?¡± I nod and she walks over to him. After a few short moment¡¯s she stands back up and turns to talk to both Ragnor and me. ¡°I don¡¯t know the boy or the scent that covers him. . .¡± ¡°Then get rid of him¡± Ragnor interrupts only for Kylana to ignore his protest and continue. ¡°. . . but he is covered by the scent of a greater wolf than mine and she is of this pack.¡± ¡°What is your decision for what to do with him then?¡± I ask as Ragnor harrumphs before walking back into his hut. ¡°There are only two explanations I can think of two reasons for someone to be this covered in someone else¡¯s scent and one of those isn¡¯t possible by the look of him, so he is to be considered an adopted member of the pack. Take him to you hut for the night and I will discuss with the other females where he can stay in the morning.¡± I nod before picking the boy up once more and going to my own hut near the edge of the village. My mate Alana is already asleep when I pass through the threshold. Since she lies in the only bed of our house while great with one of my pups I set the boy down on the blanket she laid out for me.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. I¡¯m going to get an ear full in the morning but I will happily take it. I pull out some of yesterday¡¯s hunt that I kept hidden from her in case tonight went poorly and set it on the small wooden table so she will have food in the morning. Having saved at least ten minutes from the anger of a pregnant female, I can¡¯t think of anything else I can do get out of all of it so I lean up against the eastern wall of our hut before drifting off to sleep myself.
???
I open my eyes as the light of the sun shines right on me and grumble for an instant before I release this is not where I fell asleep. This isn¡¯t the woods, I¡¯m in a small wooden building with a dirt floor. Is it safe here? Do they know where I am? Can I trust whoever moved me to this location? These questions run through my head even though I can¡¯t remember who ¡®they'' are supposed to be. I glance around the small room of this two-room building. A tall woman with brown hair is cooking something over the small fire that she must have recently kindled. Her loose leather clothing and bulging belly let me know she is in the late stages of pregnancy so I can probably run out of here if anything comes up. Unless she is a mage, then this could be dangerous. Can I trust her? There are a few knives on the table but I¡¯m not sure how sharp they are, I can see rust on them from here. ¡°Child, my mate Analias is out hunting. He found you in the woods last night and brought you here. Do you know my language?¡± I don¡¯t answer even though I understand her without issue. This isn¡¯t English nor either of the Latin-based tongues I know so why do I understand it? Why does it make me feel slightly safer? Why was I in the woods to begin with? I can¡¯t come up with an answer for any of these questions. Amnesia? Maybe, I¡¯ll have to assume that someone has messed with my mind. Everything looks bigger than I assume is normal too so that might not be the only thing. I should be worried over this but I¡¯m not. This is not something I can do anything about anyways though. ¡°Child, my mate Analias is out hunting. He found you in the woods last night and brought you here. Do you know my language?¡± I feel slightly upset over this language but I know it serves as a common tongue, again not English but there are some similarities to Latin based languages. I¡¯ll have to answer to it to avoid suspicion. I should try to get information out of here too. I nod, she called me a child so I should probably act as one. If they trust me I might not get betrayed. ¡°Where am I?¡± I ask in the first language she spoke in since I prefer it. ¡°You¡¯re in the village of pack Bloodclaw. My mate found you in the woods last night. The alpha thought you had been brought by a member of the pack and you just proved her right. Do you remember who brought you to these woods?¡± Prove? I didn¡¯t prove anything, unless this language is a secret one. ¡°No, I don¡¯t remember much of anything.¡± She frowns at that and I place at the door. I might be able to get out of here but what comes after this room? She said village, I won¡¯t be able to escape if they have guards out there. ¡°You¡¯re not in trouble, don¡¯t worry. Here come sit at the table and eat¡± she says while filling and then setting a bowl of what seems to be soup on the table. I move slowly to sit and wait until she has served herself. Only after she swallows some of her soup that came from the same pot do I eat. It is a mix of potatoes, carrots and a meat I haven¡¯t had before. There isn¡¯t enough salt or pepper in my opinion but a quick scan of the room does not show me any. The closest thing was a few leaves of basil hung in the window to dry. Little to no spices then. We eat in silence for a few short minutes, the woman serves me another bowl while eating two more herself before the pot hanging over the small fire is empty. ¡°I hope Analias finds a good deer while he is out today¡± she mutters to herself while looking at the bottom of the pot and absent mindedly rubbing her belly at the mention of her ''mate''s'' name. Is that the equivalent to husband for the village? She drops our two bowls into a bucket of water on the floor next to the fire before turning to me as I am still sitting in the poor excuse of a chair at the table. ¡°My name is Alana. Do you remember your''s?¡± Name, I search my mind for a bit but find two, Asomething and Lyke; no Lykou. The second one I don¡¯t feel as much attachment to so the first must be my name but I don¡¯t remember it. I¡¯ll have to give the second one, I must have gone by it also. ¡°Lykou.¡± She smiles, ¡°well Lykou, I¡¯m going to show you around the village on our way to the shrines. The alpha said you¡¯re a member of the pack so it wouldn¡¯t do to have you not know where everything is.¡± I nod, and stand up to follow Alana outside. There I see twelve other huts, all slightly larger than this one save for two; one at the center of the village and the other at the northern edge. Aside from the one hut in the middle the buildings make a circle around a field that has most of its grass cleared. Within the clearing are a lot of children, at least four dozen between the ages of five and twelve. A few of women are looking over them as they teach them archery and how to fight. I don¡¯t see any men over the age of twelve though there are probably thirty women talking as they clean their homes and tan animal skins. Most of them seem to be pregnant like Alana is. ¡°After today until the men bring you to hunt you¡¯ll be spending your time with the other boys learning the basics as you see. The hut in the field is the alphas''. . .¡± She continues to introduce the adult women of the camp as we pass by the houses and who their mates are. I don¡¯t pay much attention to the names other than the two alphas, Ragnor and Kylana but am surprised that aside from Analais and Ragnor all of the men have multiple ¡®mates¡¯ among the women. There isn¡¯t a shortage of males among the children so I¡¯m confused why this is the case. Are there a lot of deaths among the men from hunting or a war? On another note, everyone seems rather tall even after ignoring my now child sized stature. Unless plants are smaller wherever I am none of the adults are shy of six feet tall. My scale could still be off but this village is full of tall physically fit people. I follow Alana to the other larger hut that is apparently the shrines she said I was being brought to. At the doorway, I can see trailing smoke from the scented woods that are burning within. Unlike the other buildings where the floor is dirt this one is covered in rocks that leave a relatively flat surface to walk on. There is still dirt in the gaps between the stones but this is clearly an important place to these people. There are two mounds of stone on opposite sides of the hut, they seem to serve the function of a pedestal for the figurines of carved stone that sit atop them. There are lines wrapping around the stone piles but aside from that the pattern continues from stone to stone the lighting is too dim for me to see much else. On the western pedestal, there is a carved statue of a cloaked man made in some sort of white stone, there are words carved into the base but the lighting is too dim to read. The eastern pedestal has a black stone carving of a wolf. There is an older couple, a man with a grey beard and a woman of similar age tending a small fire at the northern wall of this house of shrines. ¡°Is this the boy?¡± the older woman says as she turns to Alana. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll pay my respects to the Back Wolf while you present him to the Architect.¡± Chapter 002 Glarings of werecats tend to be highly disorganized with the strongest or most popular member ruling but in their fickle nature leadership tends to change often. They tend to be nomadic and many consider a glaring to be a nescience better ignored than dealt with if possible. They tend to have little care for anything beyond their own group¡¯s entertainment and possessions.
Lykou
The older woman brings me closer to the pedestal of the cloaked man, the Architect is apparently who it depicts. ¡°Child have you received the blessing and guidance of the Architect before this?¡± the woman asks. I just look at her in confusion. Is this supposed to be some supernatural thing? A religion with actual power perhaps? ¡°I¡¯ll take your look as a no. Have you heard of the gods before?¡± she continues. Gods? So, this is a religious thing. Are the gods real here or is it a trick to use me? ¡°No¡± I answer, they haven¡¯t tried to do anything against me yet so I shouldn¡¯t expect them of anything. ¡°Are you not from Althr¨¢?¡± Althr¨¢? Something about that name seems familiar. A place but not one from Earth. I shake my head even though I speak their language there is no way I can fake this. ¡°Don¡¯t worry none of us will tell any of the Althaen Council. Simply touch the statute and the Architect will show you everything else.¡± She then begins to mutter ¡°dragging children into the war and not even teaching them anything. . .¡± She seems genuinely angry over her assumption as I reach and touch the statute of the cloaked figure. A wave of something washes over me for a few seconds. It feels gentle yet powerful, I panic for an instant before I see that it is doing no harm to me. A few screens appear in my vision.
Greeting being from another world, this is the world of Althr¨¢. Due to the ongoing invasion of demonic forces on this word the gods have come to create this system to aid the denizens of this world in surviving. Regardless of the circumstances of your arrival we are unable to return you to your origin while our followers are still under the demonic threat. Instead we extend to you the same benefits as the denizens of this world though to a higher level of access. Basic knowledge of this system of my design will be directly granted to you, along with the common tongue of this world.
Lykou Gender: Male Race: Void Draconian? Age: 10
Strength 14 Intelligence 15 Mana Potential 8 Skills SP: 0
Dexterity 14 Wisdom 14 Mana Potency 7 Traits Titles
Agility 16 Cunning 13 Luck 16 Magic Options
Endurance 14 Willpower 17 ??? 1 Languages ???
Vitality 14 Alertness 15 Perception 12 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 15 Charisma 11 Health 12/12 Mana 8/8
There is a flash a pain through my mind as basic definitions and layout of this system are carved into my mind. Following this another screen appears in my vision, obscuring the larger screen that is a description of my abilities.
In some contrivance of fate, you already know some of the information that would be given to you. As such you may choose to have an equivalent amount of knowledge on one of the following subjects.
Althaen History Ki Mana Martial Skill
I stare at the new screen for several seconds before a grin breaks out on my face. Before I know it, I touch the word mana, it¡¯s like I always wanted it but couldn¡¯t before. Maybe being here is going to be a good thing. I get to learn magic but that doesn¡¯t seem new to me even though mana itself does. Another flash of pain passes through my mind as a very basic knowledge of mana as the energy that is everywhere and a meditation technique that will help me become aware of it. Now clear of obscuring images I look over the main page for me. Two things that are a part of me are not known to this system but they are not what draws my eyes but the uncertain entry in the race category. Void Draconian? that is not something from Earth. How can I be this creature? I am human but this thought does not feel as strong as my other thoughts as if I already know it to be wrong. Age feels wrong too but that could be the physical age of this body. Is there an answer for this? Perhaps there is an answer for this elsewhere in the information I now have access to. I open the screens for Racial Class, Traits and Titles. If there is an answer for me here it will be in them.
Racial ClassDid you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Experience
Dragon Knight 5 0/500
Dragon Knight, sounds familiar but this is not what I am looking for. It is probably the answer for why my race is not considered human.
Trait Description
Accelerated Learning You learn and improve faster than normal.
Alternate Form: Draconian +4 Strength/Endurance/Vitality -2 Dexterity Enable: Breath Weapons, Claws, Eyes, Tail, Wings. Increase Height, Partial Transformations
Alternate Form: Dragon +6 Strength/Endurance/Vitality -4 Dexterity Enable: Breath Weapons, Claws, Eyes, Tail, Wings. Small Dragon
Alternate Form: Human Base Form
Draconic Longevity +4 APR, slow aging, extended lifespan
Keen Senses Your senses are more acute and sensitive.
Magic Resistance Passive resistance to harmful mana-based effects. Other supernatural effects are also resisted at a lower level
Perfect Recall Able to remember anything you paid attention to.
Reality Weaver ???
Void Dragon Body Able to withstand the void of space and the gap between planes. + 2/? to all Attributes. Additional +0/? STR/CON, ???
Void Sustenance You can supplement yourself with radiation. Drastic reduction in need to sleep, eat, and drink.
??? Familiar ???
My answer is not here either regardless of how interesting these abilities are. There are a great many things about dragons here and it makes me smile. Dragons are the greatest creature in existence and I am one? Reality Weaver must relate to the unknowns on the main screen. Whatever it is, is something that is locked in my lost memories.
Title Description
Amnesiac Many of your memories are currently lost, while this has reduced your level and skill regaining them is likely a matter of time. This is also a chance to gain skills your prior currently forgotten ones would impede.
The last section I look at has the answer I am looking for my guess of amnesia was correct and it would seem that I can regain them by attempting to work on the things that I once knew. ¡°You seem quite interested in the blessing of the Architect. Do you have any questions?¡± the older woman asks interrupting my thoughts. ¡°No, well yes but not about this. Are there books I can read to become familiar with this world and magic?¡± ¡°We are not wealthy enough to have many such things. Why do you ask about magic?¡± So, they have books but do not want to share them. She mentioned wealth, they did not seem to be a wealthy society but only a society of hunters and gatherers so that does make sense that literature is lacking. ¡°The Architect gave me knowledge about how to start on the path of magic.¡± ¡°You would be better off not bothering, magic is better left to women.¡± ¡°Why?¡± I don¡¯t see why gender would affect the ability to use magic. ¡°What are your scores for Mana Potential and Potency?¡± ¡°Eight and Seven.¡± ¡°A value of ten is considered the average value, anything less means you have poor aptitude. Women tend to have higher value in those attributes a balance for the men¡¯s higher average physical abilities.¡± I can see the sincerity in her eyes but there is no way I¡¯m going to give up magic. There should be ways to increase those two attributes even if they start lower. Though who knows how long the people of this world would have looked into such an idea. Or maybe not, they may have been too busy with their war against the demons since they had to create something like this system to guide the advancement of their people to deal with it. I frown at her but she does not react, treating me as a child who just had a dream crushed. ¡°Holia, you know there is more to magic than just those two things. There are men like me who even with our initial weakness and are great mages. Child, I am Samuel, what is your name?¡± ¡°Lykou¡± I answer immediately deciding that I like this man and his slightly grandfatherly figure more than the old woman. ¡°If you can learn the first step of magic I¡¯ll give you advice as long as you are doing well in the other lessons given to the children.¡± So, I can get lessons or at least advice on my mana related questions, but I am also going to be subject to being treated as a child. I appear to be a child and I am probably only as skilled as a child because of this amnesiac title. Should I go with it? This world sounds dangerous, it would be in my best interest to go along with these people¡¯s plan. Can I trust them though? What if they want to raise me to be a frontline soldier to be a shield for their own kind? I should be careful when and if such a time comes. I need to determine why they have accepted me into this pack. Why do they call themselves a pack in the first place as well? ¡°Why have you so readily accepted me as a member of this pack?¡± I ask looking at Samuel since he seems to be the kinder of the two. ¡°Kylana, our alpha decided on it¡± he answers. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because you are covered in the scent of a member of the pack. A female that would take her place as alpha should she return marked you as a member of the pack. For the good of the pack you are one of us.¡± So, someone I know from before my amnesia is the reason. That person is a member of this pack and they are respecting her decision. They are a very small group so it does make some sense. I still do not know enough to trust them but I¡¯ll need their protection and guidance, at least in the short term. It is in my best interest to go along with this. Alana walks back over from her praying to the other statute, ¡°are you ready to meet the other children. There is much for you to learn to be a good hunter.¡± I nod and follow her out of the shrine hut and to the field. Dealing with the other ¡®children¡¯ is going to be a hassle. Still I need what these people offer if I am going to be able to survive here. It takes only a short few minutes before we arrive at the field. The other children ignore me except for a few of the older larger boys that give me a look like I am some new toy to be played with. Oh joy, I get to deal with young boys who think they are better than me because they are currently taller, stronger or more aggressive. The woman who was teaching the youngest of the group how to use a bow leaves them and walks over to us. Kneeling down slightly she asks me a question, ¡°child what is your name?¡± I am really going to get annoyed if everyone keeps calling me child, even so I answer ¡°Lykou.¡± She nods, ¡°I am Naliya. Come, let¡¯s see what I will need to teach you.¡± Straight forwards and exactly what I am here for I nod. She turns and walks me over to where the others were shooting he bows at the sticks covered in straw that must be their equivalent to a practice target roughly three dozen feet before us. The young girl who was practicing passes the crude bow and quiver to Naliya who immediately passes them to me. I take the bow and move into the stance that just feels right to me. It is not the same one the young girl was just in as I do not face my chest directly at the target. My left leg points at my target while the right foot is perpendicular while my chest is diagonal to the target. I draw the slightly crooked arrow and frown at the poor craftsmanship as I take aim. As I let the arrow loose and can only think the short range of this test as the reason for me being able to hit the target. ¡°Your stance has some similarities to the elves. Where did you learn it?¡± Naliya asks. ¡°I do not know. Memory problems.¡± She nods, ¡°I do not know your form but it is good. Empty the quiver if you will.¡± I draw a second arrow, and ask ¡°the arrows are not straight and this bow is warped. Is there a better one I can practice with?¡± just before firing. Once more the short distance graces me with a hit. ¡°If you continue to shoot as well as you are I will make sure you are given one and join the hunters early.¡± So, I can earn one. That is something, rewards based on contribution perhaps? I can work with that make myself valuable and reap the benefits. I continue to shoot and empty the other six arrows left in the partial quiver I was given. Four more arrows hits and the others are misses, even though none of the hits are near the center of the target I seem to have impressed my instructor regardless of this pitiful equipment or perhaps because of it. ¡°You are better than I thought, remind me to get you a proper bow. You already know how to shoot and practicing with this bow will only harm your skill. Are you as good with a spear or blade as you are with a bow?¡± I shrug, I actually do not know. ¡°You need to make sure to read through all of the information the Architect grants when you have the chance. You can watch as the others demonstrate the forms, you do not have a spear or blade to practice with anyways.¡± Naliya then turns and I follow her until she begins to explain the stances to the children of around five to seven. I watch and many of the things she shows them seem familiar but that is it. I do not know them. Chapter 003 A sloth of werebears is an accurate description of what such groups look like. While they tend to be wise and physically powerful they are happy to do less rather than more. Generally, a sloth consists of no more than two or three families and are led by the oldest individual of the group. They are isolationists and tend to hide within their woods and mountains.
Lykou
Shortly after the sun reaches the center of the sky Naliya sends all of the children back to their mothers for the rest of the day. As I am not really sure where I would be expected to go I stay put until she comes over to me. ¡°Did you stay behind for the bow?¡± she asks. ¡°Along with that I am not sure where I am expected to be after this¡± I answer. ¡°Normally you would be free to do as you like but today you should meet with alpha Kylana. First however we will go and pick up one of my spare bows from my hut.¡± We begin to walk and as her house is not far like any of the village''s buildings we are soon inside her hut. It is larger than Alana''s, there are three rooms and twice as many chairs and the table is likewise larger. In a corner by the front door is a basket with unstrung bows sticking out of it. ¡°My den sister crafts most of the bows used by the pack. Since she gifts me one or two each season I¡¯ve a habit of passing them on to the more promising hunters to be. The basket is full of them. Take the one you want.¡± I smile as I quickly go through them looking for one with the right amount of stiffness. They are all decent and I make sure to grab a few of the strings at the bottom of the basket as I pull out my choice, a bow just a little longer than I am tall but it should not be long for me to grow back into the height I would need to easily carry it. ¡°A little large but a good choice. Come Kylana had hoped to be done with this before Ragnor return with some of the hunters.¡± ¡°Who is Ragnor?¡± I ask as I am guided to the central hut. ¡°He is the other alpha. Like Kylana he leads the pack but he is often rash and unforgiving. Remember not to upset him.¡± So, there are two leaders, there must be a division of roles then. Or joint decisions after discussion? Naliya stops in front of the cloth curtain that covers the doorway and motions me to go inside. When I do I see a rather large room with a central table, several papers scattered across it. Hides of various animals¡¯ coat most of the walls and there is another room with a large pile of furs. This hut is luxurious compared to Alana¡¯s. A tall woman in leather robes looks up from the book she is reading and asks me a question. ¡°Do you know who brought you here to be found by the pack, Lykou?¡± ¡°No¡± I answer and even if I did know I would not tell her. Whoever it is a threat to her title as alpha. She doesn¡¯t seem upset or anything over me not telling her anything. She just nods and continues onto the next subject she wanted to talk about. ¡°Do you want to stay with the pack?¡± I am being given a choice? Not much of one though, I doubt my ability to survive alone. ¡°I won¡¯t last long alone so yes.¡± ¡°Analais and Alana¡¯s hut is the least crowded, you can stay with them for now. I don¡¯t know who brought you to us but I have high hopes for you. Do you have any questions?¡± ¡°A few, why does everyone keep referring to a pack? Why are you so readily accepting me as a part of this pack? And what is actually expected of me if I stay here?¡± ¡°We of the Bloodclaw are blessed to be children of the Black Wolf, you will understand what that means here in just over two weeks when you see just what that means. Did the woman who brought you to this forest not tell you what she is?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Hopefully your memories will return in time. For your other questions, you are accepted because another member of the pack clearly decided on adopting you into the pack. You are covered in her scent and she would not have done that if it was not for the good of the pack. All I expect you to do is learn and find a role that will benefit the pack. Most males become hunters and gather food while fighting off the enemies of the pack. If you learn a better role for yourself than that follow it.¡± Partial answers, but there is a lot of freedom granted to me. I still do not know why they refer to themselves as a pack but will get to see it in a relatively short period of time. ¡°Is there anything I should be aware of?¡± ¡°The other children will probably provoke and fight with you. Don¡¯t be offended, it is the way our hierarchy within roles is determined. They will want to know how they compare to you.¡± So rank is determined by ability to bully? That sucks, I¡¯ll need to make sure to grow in power quickly then. Or am I already powerful? My physical stats looked good but I don¡¯t have a way to scale them aside from that a ten is average; though average for what? The people of this village do not seem like average individuals though, everyone is physically fit. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Try not to get on Ragnor¡¯s nerves, he will end up being in charge of you when you become a hunter and has a record for putting pack members at risk that he doesn¡¯t like.¡± ¡°Then why is he leading?¡± ¡°He is my mate and the only way for that to change is either my or his death or a member of the pack to show that they are stronger than me.¡± ¡°Why you and not him?¡± ¡°I am the strongest of the pack until someone shows that they are more capable of protecting the pack I and my mate must lead.¡± So, he has power by virtue of his personal connection to Kylana and abuses it. I thought this village was too good to be true. They are straight forwards about it with me though. The strong rule but at least with some of the people here it is in service to the group. ¡°Is there anything else I should know?¡± ¡°Nothing of immediate concern Alana will tell you anything you need to know as you stay in her home. If you don¡¯t have any other questions, I need to prepare my daughter¡¯s lessons for when she comes back from the hunt.¡± ¡°Hunt? I thought you said Ragnor was in charge and it seemed like it was a role assigned to men.¡± ¡°It is mostly men who choose that role but Kythia is a better warrior than she is at crafting and doesn¡¯t have the patience to apply herself to my arts.¡± I nod, and can only assume that ¡®arts¡¯ referred to magic as she separated it from crafting. I stand up and she guides me back to the door even though it is in clear sight.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Once outside I do not see Naliya or anyone else waiting to escort me. They said I was free to do as I wish for the day after the morning training so I should take advantage of it. No doubt the other children will be playing games of some sort, ball or perhaps with sticks would be my guess. I look over towards the open field in the middle of the village to see that I had guessed wrong. They seem to be wrestling and I don¡¯t really want to get involved with that so I walk in the opposite direction towards Alana¡¯s hut or more specifically the woods just past it. I can climb one of those trees and avoid having to deal with under supervised children, at least for a while. I wonder if lunch is a thing here or if that is not a part of their culture. I don¡¯t smell any food being prepared and don¡¯t personally feel hungry so I don¡¯t go looking for a meal. No one stops me as I leave the boundaries of the village though a woman in leather armor holding a bow as she sits on the roof of her hut does look my way. I go a little over an hundred yards into the woods before I start climbing a tree. The low branches give me an easy path to a decent height. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be found by the children wanting to show they¡¯re top dog and the adults probably won¡¯t care enough to get involved. I find a comfortable spot to sit against the trunk and close my eyes as I start looking inwards. Unlike how I had hoped, I do not immediately see the energy that is mana within me in this shallow meditation. It is not fruitless as I do find the screens that are supposed to help me survive in this world.
Congratulations on figuring out how to access the System of the Architect while awake. More often interaction and the clarity of bring conscious will certainly be helpful in obtaining the most benefit.
I dismiss the notification, a happy accident and this will be helpful.
Gains: +2 XP Archery, +3 XP Ranged, +1 XP Perception, +1 XP Knowledge: Althr¨¢, +50 XP Knowledge: Religion, +1 XP Melee, +1 XP Spear, + 1 XP European Sword, +2 XP Sense Motive, +4 XP Man-at-arms, Knowledge: Althr¨¢ 0 -> 1+1 SP, Knowledge: Religion 0 -> 1 +1 SP,
So, watching others practice helped in learning to do the same. An effect of possibly already knowing some of it? It doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯ll need to make sure to watch closely when I see anyone do something I don¡¯t already know. I also gained SP, I could cash that in and get bonus experience with something but I should probably sit in it for now. Two points is insignificant.
Lykou Gender: Male Race: Void Draconian? Age: 10
Strength 14 Intelligence 15 Mana Potential 8 Skills SP: 2
Dexterity 14 Wisdom 14 Mana Potency 7 Languages Titles
Agility 16 Cunning 13 Luck 16 Traits Options
Endurance 14 Willpower 17 ??? 1 Magic ???
Vitality 14 Alertness 15 Perception 12 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 15 Charisma 11 Health 12/12 Mana 8/8
I need to see how to maximize the effects of my use of time. My body is oddly strong for a child, I should make sure to improve on my already higher than normal attributes. Exercise and perhaps weights will take care of that. I do however need a way to raise my magic stats. There is also an unknown attribute with a score of one. It should have something to do with an ability in my forgotten memories so I¡¯ll not worry about it until I know what it is. I open up the two class tabs, more out of curiosity than anything else.
Class Experience
Man-at-arms 1/10 8/100
Student ? ???/???
Apprentice (Mage) 0 0/50
Racial Class Experience
Dragon Knight 5 0/500
So, I have an unknown number of levels in student. I suppose that answers why my mental stats match my high physical ability. This racial class also answers why my race does not say human. Whatever a Dragon Knight is changed it. The alternate forms in my traits list must be from it. I dismiss the windows and try to see if I know any magic. Nothing appears so I can only assume I do not and I am starting from scratch. I open up the skill section and am grateful that it shows a summary rather than each and every skill individually.
Skills
Crafting
Carving 2 Drawing 2 Electronics 0 Leatherwork 1
Conditioning
Combat
Ranged 2 Archery 1 Crossbow 0 Firearms 1
Melee 2 Axe 1 Dagger 0
Hand-to-Hand 1 Spear 0
Sword 1
Tumble 0
Knowledge
Anatomy 1 Althr¨¢ 0 Arcana 1
Mathematics 2 Nature 1
Religion 1 Tactics 2
Senses
Perception 1
Social
Empathy 1 Bluff 0 Handle Animal 0 Persuade 0
Sense Motive 0
Supernatural
Mana Control 0 Meditation 0
Other
Climbing 1 Computers 0 Cooking 0 Driving 0
How many skills are affected by my Amnesia? The blanks must be something, no one would make something this disorganized while trying to implement an organizational scheme. It should be easy to relearn what I knew but there was another detail on the description of Amnesiac, that I can learn things my previous knowledge was keeping me from learning. Perhaps I forgot on purpose? If so what would I have done so for? Not martial abilities, I have a variety of those. My Arcana is here but the associated skills of Spellcraft and Mana Control are not. Did I know a different form of magic that was impeding those skills? It doesn¡¯t matter, learning magic will be beneficial regardless of if I may recover a different form of magic later when I regain my memories. As the two unknowns should just come to me when my memories return I leave them and the other screens behind as I empty my mind. If the information inserted into my mind by my interaction with that shrine to the Architect is accurate I need to completely cut myself off from the world and focus completely on the workings of my body. As I try to ignore my surroundings the sounds of the wild continue to interrupt me. Time passes and my breathing slows and soon after the pulse of my heart begins to feel slower. My hunger grows as the afternoon begins to pass away. I vaguely notice the light shift and begin to dim before someone calling out my name from bellow breaks my focus completely. I look down, frowning because I will have to start all over now that this attempt has been ruined. Below me is a man in leather, a bow and spear attached to his armor. I don¡¯t recognize him but he is looking right at me and the clothes look similar to the ones in the village. ¡°What?¡± I ask, upset at the interruption. ¡°You are late for supper. Alana is waiting for us.¡± He must be her mate then. Analais, I think that was his name. I suppose that I am cared about enough for someone to look for me. At least those that are hosting me anyways. I begin to climb down and once I reach one of the lowest branches jump to the ground. Chapter 004 Mischiefs of wererats are not nearly as benign as the name implies. Wererats are greedy and selfish creatures even those who have not fallen to the corruption of the demons. They are known to be thieves and murderers and while hateful of outsiders they are protective of their group as a whole. Some of the mischiefs have more recently begun to exhibit a form of hive mind and psionic abilities. They are led by the strongest individual and move often to flee retribution of their actions.
Lykou
I enter the hut behind Analais, Alana is sitting at the table where she immediately turns to us. ¡°I was worried where were you all afternoon?¡± she asks. ¡°Sitting in a tree¡± I answer as she begins to serve and place bowls of soup on the table. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Going through what I was granted at the shrine.¡± That shouldn¡¯t cause any suspicion. Though I don¡¯t really need to hide that I am trying to take the first steps to being a spellcaster. Until I actually succeed however, I think it will be better for me to avoid advertising it based on how Holia acted when she heard me mention it. ¡°You could have done that here.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to be bothered during it.¡± ¡°Do you plan on doing the same thing tomorrow?¡± she asks guessing that I could not have spent all of my time on what I said. I nod and the only question that is asked is done by Analais, ¡°is what you are doing a danger to the pack?¡± It seems that most of those in the village as a great amount of devotion to this pack. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then do you need help?¡± he asks with sincerity. ¡°If you want to teach me something I am happy to learn.¡± Analais smiles at that and turns to Alana, ¡°what was Naliya¡¯s evaluation of him?¡± ¡°She gifted him one of her den sister¡¯s bows¡± Alana answers. ¡°Can you let Naliya know that I am bringing him with me hunting.¡± ¡°Are you sure? Ragnor won¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°Any hunter can bring a trainee on a hunt to teach them the skills not taught within the village itself.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll claim you¡¯re not competent enough. You are the weakest hunter and he does not like you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more skilled and you know it.¡± ¡°Skill is only a part of strength.¡± ¡°Why are you arguing? It is skill that matters in teaching¡± I interrupt. ¡°I don¡¯t have the best standing in the pack¡± Analais answers. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a runt.¡± Runt? Like that smallest weakest dog or wolf that tends to be left behind and mistreated? ¡°You don¡¯t look shorter or weaker than anyone else here.¡± He smiles before responding, ¡°do you know what we are?¡± ¡°Apparently not human.¡± ¡°No, we are just more than human, the pack is blessed by the Black Wolf as his children.¡± There has got to be something I am missing. Lots of canine terms used by all of the village and they keep telling me I¡¯ll notice something here in two weeks. . . Everything suddenly clicks when I notice a waxing crescent moon out of the open doorway. In two weeks that¡¯ll be a full moon. . . I¡¯m in a village of a pack of werewolves. I¡¯m not a werewolf and they are only friendly because I am covered in the smell of one. Will they still be friendly when the scent leaves? Can I even keep myself from getting mauled if and when something goes wrong? I need to figure out if they will be hostile or not and if I need to leave before they change. ¡°Do any of the pack lose themselves under the moon?¡± I ask. It may not be the exact question I want answered but it should give me a good idea of the answer. ¡°We know you don¡¯t have the gift of the moon but you are a member of the pack. Our wolves may try to give you the Gift but your life will be in no danger¡± Alana answers. So, I may get infected with lycanthropy. How is that not a danger to my life? ¡°There¡¯s no point in worrying about it now. The alphas will choose who gives you the gift of the moon and when but it shouldn¡¯t be anytime soon. Anyways you should rest, we¡¯ll be leaving to hunt three hours before dawn.¡± It is risky to stay around the village but I need them. I¡¯ll have to hide on the night of the full moon and maybe the nights close to it for now. ¡°Where will I sleep?¡± I ask, I need to learn as much as fast as I can and to do that I will follow him hunting I¡¯m the morning. That means going to sleep early. ¡°The blankets in the corner, we don¡¯t have anything better to offer you.¡± I finish the last bite of my soup before going to the small pile of blankets. There are two, neither are really clean but it is better than sleeping directly on the dirt floor. It doesn¡¯t take me to long to go to sleep. I need to find more clothes and a stream if I can tomorrow. Sanitation seems to be a problem even though I haven¡¯t seen any sick individuals.
Asleep I find myself accessing the Architect''s system. I should see if there is a different name for it. This must be the default method, dreams. Since this is something most people will do consistently it seems like a good method.
Gain: +30 XP Meditation, + 15 XP Hide, +15 XP Stealth, +5 XP ClimbingThis content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Lykou Gender: Male Race: Void Draconian? Age: 10
Strength 14 Intelligence 15 Mana Potential 8 Skills SP: 2
Dexterity 14 Wisdom 14 Mana Potency 7 Languages Titles
Agility 16 Cunning 13 Luck 16 Traits Options
Endurance 14 Willpower 17 ??? 1 Magic ???
Vitality 14 Alertness 15 Perception 12 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 15 Charisma 11 Health 12/12 Mana 8/8
So, my meditation did bear fruit, just not enough to be what I was trying to do. Perhaps there is a better way? A visualization technique or an outward meditation to look at the energy around the body? I dismiss the screens as there truly is nothing I can do with them at the moment and surrender to my real dream.
I find myself walking down an abandoned hallway, the walls seem bare and I can see many things used to hang on the stone walls. Simple stonework aside from the engravings of a dragon every so often. I wander around the empty halls. There has to be someone or something here. At least a window to help me figure out where I am. After some time I see a woman turn a corner and I shout out to her, ¡°hello!¡± There is no answer and regardless of me thinking that it may have been a hallucination I start running. I turn the corner to see the woman doing the same on another corner. She is dressed in some high quality blue pants and a white shirt and black hair. I push myself to go faster as I repeat my earlier greeting in multiple languages. None of them are responded to. Then I turn a fifth or sixth corner to see a change in the hallways. There are mirrors, dozens of them hanging on the walls. The woman has also stopped and while she doesn¡¯t speak she points at me before touching one of the mirrors and vanishing. I walk up to the mirror while looking at each one I pass. They don¡¯t match each other; different patterns exist on each frame and they only reflect my face and nothing else in the room. I touch the mirror that made the woman disappear. If I want to learn where this is I have to follow her. Everything changes in an instant and I am sitting cross-legged on a bed in some hotel room. Across from me is a young woman with sun kissed skin and scarlet red hair. I don¡¯t have control of my body but can watch and hear as I am being taught something by the young woman. ¡°. . . inwards and relax the mind. When your thoughts drift grab onto one of them and you will be pulled into a memory. At first you won¡¯t be able to choose what memory to relive but in time with practice you learn to. In the-daily-rest you are not stuck noticing only the details you did when the memory was made. Because of this the-daily-rest can be used to relive a single moment many times and eventually you start noticing the Mana within your own body. . .¡± The world shifts back to the mirrored hallway and I pull my hand back from the mirror that has turned into a painting of impossible detail. What is this place? More importantly who are these two women I¡¯ve seen here? And why do I find myself smiling at this image? The world shakes slightly interrupting my thoughts and I hear a loud but distorted voice. I can only make out the words wake and hunt. This world vanishes as I open my eyes in the waking world. I¡¯m on the dirt floor of Alana''s hut. Analais is shaking my lightly but stops when I look right at him. ¡°Bring your bow and follow me¡± he whispers probably not wanting to wake his wife at this ungodly hour of the morning. I stand up and pick up my bow, I¡¯m going to have to ask for some arrows. Leaving the blankets in the corner I follow him outside where he passes me half a quiver of arrows. ¡°You can use these until I teach you to make your own. Come I know a spot for us to start.¡± With that I follow him into the woods with the quiver worn to allow me to draw an arrow from over my right shoulder. We spend roughly half an hour walking before Analais stops. ¡°What can you see?¡± he asks. ¡°Trees, grass that looks like people walk through it a lot and I can hear a stream¡± I answer not sure what he is asking for. ¡°Which would mean?¡± ¡°We¡¯re on a trail near the village towards that goes to a source of water. People come through here to get water.¡± ¡°Close but no, there is a closer source of water for the pack. We are standing in a game trail. With this there are two options for how we can hunt. Either searching for a recent trail or waiting while hiding.¡± ¡°Waiting and ambushing sounds easier and reliable.¡± ¡°It is but stalking gets food faster. Since we still have meat from the rabbits I brought back yesterday I¡¯ll show you where something past through and you can try finding it.¡± He takes a few steps before stopping and points at a few tracks that cross the trail, prints showing up in the soft dirt. ¡°A deer came through here and went east. See if you can follow and find it. I¡¯ll help our if anything dangerous shows up.¡± ¡°Dangerous?¡± ¡°Bears and dire animals. I don¡¯t think anything else would be this close to the village.¡± Dire animals? Like a dire wolf? I¡¯d like to see one of those but it¡¯s probably out of my reach for now. I kneel down next to the tracks and look in the direction they lead. There should be disturbances on the ground where it walked. Prints in the dirt maybe grass that hasn¡¯t quite returned to it¡¯s previous state. I think I notice some and I move to that location, there I find tracks but not the same as the deer I was shown. Larger and clawed instead of the hood of a deer. But it is easier to see which direction it went in. ¡°You lost the deer.¡± ¡°And found something bigger.¡± ¡°Looks like a young bear but there isn¡¯t any sign of an accompanying adult.¡± ¡°Will it taste good?¡± He nods and I start following this trail instead. I¡¯m not good enough to track that deer but this bear is larger and leaves a lot of evidence to it¡¯s passing. Not ten minutes later I lead the two of us to a cave, while the entrance is large I can¡¯t see too far into it. Something smells awful in there and there are a lot of scattered bones around the entrance but I do not see the bear cub. ¡°Do you know this cave?¡± I ask. ¡°No but a bear cub could not have been the source of all these bones.¡± ¡°The parent then?¡± ¡°Perhaps Ragnor did run into an abnormally large dire bear last week. It killed a few hunters before managing to flee while heavily wounded.¡± ¡°The scent might be from the festered wounds.¡± ¡°Even injured it is too dangerous to for us to. . .¡± ¡°Can you start a fire?¡± I interrupt. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Smoke, we can drive it into a trap or even suffocate them with the smoke without a single risk to us.¡± Analais looks at me for a moment before smiling, ¡°I can. Set up this smoke trap.¡± I quickly gather dead wood from the forest floor and make a several inch-thick line of tinder before looking back to Analais. He steps forwards and begins to speak words that I cannot understand, a cadence and an unnatural echo ring in my ear. They are in the same language we were talking in before but the meaning escapes me. After a minute, a small ball of fire forms between the palms of his hands and stays only long enough for him to light the center of the tinder. His magic was very weak but that was magic. I wonder if he can help me with the first steps in learning myself, actually he may not be a good idea to learn that from. Either his power is weak or he has a poor grasp on the fundamentals I need to learn and can¡¯t harness the needed power. We help the fire slowly spread across the entrance and help it grow before I start to dump the partially decomposed leaves from the previous fall onto the fire. As soon as a noise is made from within the cave I move away from the entrance and ready my bow, an arrow cocked but not drawn. A minute passes as the noises grow louder and seemingly desperate, before an abnormally large bear cub runs out of the entrance, its fur is discolored and there are bits of bone sticking out of its shoulders. I release an arrow in a panic as I retreat further away from this unnatural creature. My arrow of course misses but Analais¡¯s does not, it wasn¡¯t a killing blow either but it was a hit. A loud noise is still being produced in the cave but only the cub has come out. Chapter 005 Kitsune do not often congregate in groups, when they do it is rare for it to be more than just the immediate family members. Most of them are not malignant though kitsune that are mistreated by others often develop a vicious streak. They enjoy games and tricks and the quickest way to be accepted by one is to trick them or beat them at a game. However, this also draws a lot of their attention and may not be in your best interest if you want to have peace. Kitsune are also one of the most magically powerful races, each tail they have both increases their total amount of mana and its raw power. Foxkin are decedents of kitsune that lost almost all of their power by breaking a promise on the very source of their power.
Lykou
The, for lack of a more accurate word, mutated bear cub does not immediately act on the pain of Analais¡¯s arrow piercing into one of its shoulders. I spend the extra moment taking aim before letting loose a second arrow which does better than my first. I hit the cub though the arrow did not go very deep. I don¡¯t create enough force with this bow to deal significant damage through its hide. I need a blade or better yet a polearm to deal with this animal. Maybe if I hit the eyes or inside the mouth with an arrow it would do well but I¡¯m not skilled enough for that. Even so I draw and loose a third arrow that amounts to little more than a prick as the draw weight of this bow is not as high as it could be. Still an injury is an injury and that¡¯ll still draw blood. An arrow from Analais enters the side and for some reason instead of charging at him the cub runs at me. I shouldn¡¯t be considered a threat so why is it attacking me first? I launch one more arrow at the rapidly approaching bear, everything became clear for an instant as distances, angles and velocities race through my mind and I luck out with a shot to the neck. I can see dark blood trickling out of the injury but it isn¡¯t going to be a fast kill it is too shallow. I begin running making sure to change directions to keep out of the bear¡¯s range and close enough to Analais for him to keep shooting arrows at the little monster. I drop my bow as it was in the way as I turn to fast around a tree. The cub slams into the tree and struggles to stand up before it collapses. I stand to the side breathing heavily for the few seconds it takes Analais to get close enough to check the bear out. I¡¯m not getting close to that thing until I know it is dead. Bear claws can rend flesh and I do not plan on dying over something stupid like not waiting for an enemy to bleed out. Analais slowly walks up to the beast and kicks it. It does not move after the kick rolls it over to show the arrow that hit the neck was forced inwards when the cub hit the tree. Shouldn¡¯t the wood have just broken instead? Well, I guess it counts as my kill then, sorta. ¡°You have some amazing luck for this to happen¡± Analais comments and I can only nod. Its clearly possible as I just say it happen but certainly not the most likely. ¡°Why did it attack me even though you were doing more damage to it?¡± ¡°Corruption, look at the mutations. Splotched fur and the slightly protruding bones, while the bone protrusions can be found on dire animals the cub is no dire bear. There are no bone protrusions along the spine.¡± ¡°How does corruption answer why it attacked me?¡± ¡°Demonic beasts grow at a visible speed when eating the flesh of sentient races. Faster and larger for any living thing but more so for sentient races. It wanted to kill and eat you so it would have the strength to have an easier fight with me.¡± ¡°Is it safe to eat?¡± ¡°No but nature will destroy the corpse quickly for us. We must see what else is in the cave, the smoke should have made anything alive in there pass out.¡± I am not entirely sure how long it has been since we started the fire but most of the wood is now burned and the cave full of smoke. I sit down leaning against a tree to wait, it would be stupid to go in there right now. ¡°Can you explain to me how you were able to summon fire?¡± ¡°I can but you would be better off asking someone else. I am one of the worst with magic in the pack.¡± ¡°You are currently more skilled than me, and no one better is offering to teach me magic until I can already cast it.¡± ¡°You do not think as a child, do you?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Alright then, can you feel your mana?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°When you are meditating to find it focus on your blood, that helped me.¡± Blood huh. Blood is the flow of life force through the body and it is how pretty much everything is delivered to the various parts. Maybe mana is spread through the body along the same paths. ¡°I¡¯ll try it, then.¡± Analais nods and I close my eyes and begin to meditate only to be interrupted by some popup screens.
Gain: +55 XP Woodsman, +30 XP Tracking, +25 XP Ranged, +25 XP Archery(Bow), Woodsman 0 ->1 +2SP, Meditation 0 -> Elven Meditation 0, Tainted Kill: +10 SP
Lykou Gender: Male Race: Void Draconian? Age: 10
Strength 14 Intelligence 15 Mana Potential 8 Skills SP: 14
Dexterity 14 Wisdom 14 Mana Potency 7 Languages Titles
Agility 16 Cunning 13 Luck 16 TraitsThis story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Options
Endurance 14 Willpower 17 ??? 1 Magic ???
Vitality 14 Alertness 15 Perception 12 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 15 Charisma 11 Health 17/17 Mana 8/8
I stare at the two screens for a moment before dismissing them. There is a good reward for being responsible for the death of that corrupted bear but I want to store the SP until I have something big to spend it on. As I turn inwards the world dims and my breathing slowly begins to slow. I sit in this state for some time yet I do not feel my thoughts drift like the woman in my dream explained, nor am I deep enough to look at my blood like Analais suggested. All too soon I feel a touch and I open my eyes to Analais waking me. I knew I would not get to practice this for long but still. Should I use the SP to accelerate my progress? No, I should hold onto them until I hit a wall. When I reach the end of what I can on my own or perhaps some form of bottleneck. ¡°Follow me¡± he says before entering the cave, the smoke while still present is mostly dispersed. While unpleasant to walk through and breathe neither of us have any problems moving to the back of the cave. There sitting unconscious and barely breathing is a bear larger than Analais is tall, at least seven or eight feet at its shoulder. Without saying a word, he draws a knife and flipping it around points the handle at me. ¡°Why?¡± I whisper. ¡°You disabled it it¡¯s your kill.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want the rewards the Architect grants though?¡± ¡°They are better spent on you.¡± Regardless of the whisper his tone is one that makes no doubt in my mind that he will not kill this monster. I don¡¯t sigh or anything like that, I¡¯m happy to get the god¡¯s bribery for killing tainted creatures. I take the knife with a slight smile and search the bear¡¯s neck for the throb of a major blood vessel. As soon as I see it I move to slice across it putting strength behind the knife and then quickly jump back as the blood begins to poor out of the tainted bear. My hands and the knife are covered in its blood though the rest of it is simply spilling to the ground. Even as its lifeblood flows away towards the entrance of the cave the bear does not move. Looking at its side and hind legs it was already injured earlier. ¡°You said it might be a dire bear that Ragnor and the other hunters ran into last week. Is this a dire bear?¡± ¡°Not anymore, sometimes dying animals will accept the corruption for the chance to live it brings.¡± I frown, that isn¡¯t good news. If animals can be demonized by their own will people probably can too. Is that how this whole demon invasion started? As soon as the bear stops breathing and the blood ceases to poor out of the wound Analais speaks interrupting my thoughts once more. ¡°We should return to the pack now. I¡¯ll need to inform Ragnor of this cave so it can be cleansed or otherwise dealt with.¡± ¡°Dealt with?¡± ¡°Large amounts of demonic blood can corrupt the land; the cub is too small to matter but this bear is not. Creating a place where the land is forced to birth demons.¡± So, demon blood corrupts nature if too much is introduced at once but can be cleansed. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard of anything like that before. But why would someone choose not to cleanse it? Allowing it to fester and grow does not seem like a good idea. ¡°I¡¯ll rinse my hands off in the stream on our way back.¡± Analais nods though he accompanies me the whole way, the water is cold and clear. It only takes me a few seconds to clean myself. After which he begin to walk back to the village. I¡¯ll focus on the meditation stuff once we¡¯re back in the village. Analais can deal with Ragnor, what I have heard of him is enough to let me know I would rather not have to deal with him. Seriously, Kylana mentioned him having problems and she is basically the equivalent of his wife. . . Analais waves me off once we enter the perimeter of the village and as it is nearing noon I¡¯ll skip Naliya¡¯s class, I¡¯d only be there for a few minutes anyways. I head towards Alana¡¯s house, should I try to figure out magic there or go to a tree again? Once I walk inside the hut I see Alana stitching together a tunic from deer hide. She looks over at me and sighs, ¡°I wanted to surprise you when it was done. You need clothes other than your rags. Anyways, how did the hunt go? Was it successful?¡± ¡°Nothing that can be eaten. Analais called them corrupted bears.¡± She immediately stands up and the incomplete leather tunic falls to the floor, as she quickly begins to walk to the door. ¡°He¡¯s fine, uninjured and the bears are dead¡± I say before she begins to ask what would likely have been half a dozen questions at once. ¡°How?¡± she asks still walking towards the door. ¡°Smoke, they were in a cave.¡± She frowns at that, I¡¯m guessing that trickery is not appreciated. Honorable fighting is expected I guess. I¡¯ll remember that except when my life is on the line, at least in front of this village. ¡°I¡¯ll be in the tree Analais fond me in yesterday¡± I say and turn to run out the door only to be grabbed by the upset pregnant woman. I could probably break out but I would have to fight a pregnant woman to do so, so I am stuck listening to her as she scolds me over how a wolf must always be fight with honor and tricks . . . bla bla bla . . . I just sit and nod my head with a frown on my face. Luckily, she doesn¡¯t ask any questions because I¡¯m not really paying attention. Others will use dirty tricks against me so its fair game as far as I¡¯m concerned. Eventually she stops just before Analais walks in and I rush past him. I¡¯m not staying around for this and I have far better and more important things to do than sit around being told the rules of proper whatevers. Sparing and such sure but there isn¡¯t anything wrong with using everything you can to survive. Aside from the same sentry as yesterday no one does anything about me entering the woods, and she just looked at me for a few seconds. Back in a tree and away from possible distractions till probably dusk I get back to what is most important right now. Learning magic, or at least trying to.
Gain: +10 XP Anatomy, +1 XP Dagger, +1 XP Melee, +2 XP Meditation, +1 XP Climbing, +15 XP Man-at-arms Tainted Kill: +25 SP
Lykou Gender: Male Race: Void Draconian? Age: 10
Strength 14 Intelligence 15 Mana Potential 8 Skills SP: 39
Dexterity 14 Wisdom 14 Mana Potency 7 Languages Titles
Agility 16 Cunning 13 Luck 16 Traits Options
Endurance 14 Willpower 17 ??? 1 Magic ???
Vitality 14 Alertness 15 Perception 12 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 15 Charisma 11 Health 17/17 Mana 8/8
This is rather annoying if this is going to show up every time I sleep and meditate. Though at the same time it is nice to see my progress so often. The dire bear was also worth a lot more than the cub. Still, I plan on sitting on the SP until I need it or hit a wall so all I do is dismiss the screens and continue to send my mind inwards. Once more my breathing slows and I slowly filter out most of the sounds of the wild. I sit and hold this for hundreds and hundreds of heart beats before I feel a slight change, I look in that direction mentally and begin to relive the events of the day. Some parts moving faster while others slower. Noticing ever so slightly different details as I restart it over and over. Just as I am drawn out by someone calling my name I notice the deer¡¯s trail I missed. Going through the day and reviewing it are going to be a great help to me. Is this why elves are supposed to be so skilled at whatever they choose to do? When I open my eyes I also find that I feel well rested, as if I had had a full night¡¯s sleep. I¡¯ll just fake sleep and keep meditating. Even if I can¡¯t gain magic out of it is a great benefit for me to do so. There is the matter of possibly doing this too much though. I can¡¯t review experiences I don¡¯t have after all and my body will waste away if it is not used. No one says anything over the soup that Alana prepared. I think she is still upset, as she finishes quickly before working on the tunic again. The stitching has changed though and it doesn¡¯t look as good. Even so I watch since I need stuff to review during my meditations. My dream said using it to relive the same memory enough times would help me notice mana. Perhaps I should try the part of today where Analais cast that fire spell? Chapter 006 Bearkin are much like their lycanthrope ancestors, lazy isolationists. They often pick up a crafting hobby such as carving or smithing and are valued for both their innate talent with their hands and the strong bodies their ursine blood gives. Like most therianthropes in the human nations among the Althaen Council most of their population is enslaved or outside of human lands.
Lykou
It takes me a short time to begin meditation as I feel restless but soon enough I am met the screens from the Architect.
Gain: +25 XP Tracking, +35 XP Meditation, +10 XP Woodsman, +3 XP Evasion, +1 XP Sense Motive, + 5 XP Range, +5 XP Archery (Bow), + 1 XP Dagger, Meditation 0 -> 1 + 1 SP, Tracking 0 -> 1 +1SP
Lykou Gender: Male Race: Void Draconian? Age: 10
Strength 14 Intelligence 15 Mana Potential 8 Skills SP: 41
Dexterity 14 Wisdom 14 Mana Potency 7 Languages Titles
Agility 16 Cunning 13 Luck 16 Traits Options
Endurance 14 Willpower 17 Perception 12 Magic ???
Vitality 14 Alertness 15 ??? 1 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 15 Charisma 11 Health 17/17 Mana 8/8
Bonus experience and learning, I mentally smile before dismissing it all. I try to find the drifting thought that is my memories of today to look closer at Analais''s use of magic but grab onto something else instead. I find myself reliving a sparring match between myself and a silver haired and eyed woman with a very nice rack. No matter how I strike at her she easily blocks with superior speed and strength. I throw a punch and she dodges before grabbing my wrist and pulling me forward and striking my elbow with more than enough force to break my arm. I feel myself scream but remain calm, the pain muted by it being a memory. Then I do something after she let¡¯s go and my broken arm looks and feels like the injury never happened. I get into a stance whose name I was never told and we start again. Every attack I make countered and my defenses destroyed in her brutal style. All the while a word is not spoken. Who is this woman? Why did she teach me? Why does she look over the injuries she inflicted with eyes of pain and pride? I try to restart the memory as I did with this morning''s events in my last meditation but it slips away. I need that memory, the combat skill and then there is the magic I did. I don¡¯t know how to explain it but it has to be the unknowns on my sheet. In a slight panic, I try to pull it back as it slips from my mental grasp but it only drifts further away and I latch onto a memory of similar subject but far less helpful. I watch it anyways on repeat as Naliya demonstrates spear and sword techniques to the youth of the village, correcting them as they mirror her movements. That spar held far better information but this is closer to my current level.
Bryan
With a throbbing headache, I bolt to an upright position on the cold stone floor I find myself lying on. Words in a language I do not understand or have heard anything close are being spoke as I quickly look around while I try to remember what happened. I was driving back from game night with my friends and Abagail. Then a flash of light as I tried to get out of the way of a drunk driver. . . Am I dead? A hallucination? Adrian, Tomas and Abagail are slowly getting up as well as some other people I do not know. A man in white and gold robes walks over to me and passes me a metal bar covered in runes while he speaks in his strange tongue. I accept it, after all we¡¯re dead or this is a dream. What can go wrong? As soon as I touch the bar it breaks and he pulls another out to give to someone else but that is not what draws my attention. A character sheet for a game I¡¯ve never played appears in front of me.
Greeting being from another world, this is the world of Althr¨¢. Due to the ongoing invasion of demonic forces on this word the gods have come to create this system to aid the denizens of this world in surviving. Regardless of the circumstances of your arrival we are unable to return you to your origin while our followers are still under the demonic threat. Instead we extend to you the same benefits as the denizens of this world though to a higher level of access. Basic knowledge of this system of my design will be directly granted to you, along with the common tongue of this world.
Notice: You have been put under the Mark of Obedience.
Bryan Grace Gender: Male Race: Human Age: 17
Strength 15 Intelligence 14 Mana Potential 10 Skills SP: 0
Dexterity 13 Wisdom 13 Mana Potency 11 Languages Titles
Agility 12 Cunning 14 Luck 12 Traits Options
Endurance 15 Willpower 14 Perception 11 Magic
Vitality 13If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Alertness 12 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 12 Charisma 13 Health 58/58 Mana 10/10
Not dead, this is going to either be a great dream or even better if it¡¯s real. Mark of Obedience doesn¡¯t sound like something beneficial though. I want to see just what that is.
Mark of Obedience
An effect similar to the geass, this is a compulsion to obey the bearer of some sort of item rather than to follow a command. The bearer also receives a fraction of your experience.
Shit, I¡¯m effectively a slave and experience generator for someone else. Please don¡¯t be some pit fighter bullshit, that dream would suck. Goal two after figuring out this game''s system will be to deal with that curse. At least my magic stats are high, so I should be able to get to a point o can use something like Break Enchantment or Remove Curse. I open up the class section to see what choices I have.
Class Experience
Acolyte 0 0/50
Apprentice 0 0/50
Man-at-arms 0 0/50
Student 9/10 864/1000
Not choices multiclassed, but I¡¯m human. Okay I need more information.
Title Description
Exalted Champion The Architect considers you a champion beyond reproach, he is willing to be a patron for any divine sponsoring, regardless of your future actions.
Favored of the Architect As all those called from another world the Architect has extended his blessing to you at a greater level than others
I need to make sure to pick up divine caster stuff.
Skills
Crafting
Conditioning
Combat
Ranged L 4 15/400 Firearms L 3 237/300 Pistols L3 12/300 Rifles L 3 98/300
Shotgun L 3 1/300 Melee L 1 2/100 Evasion L 1 12/100
Knowledge
Althr¨¢ L 0 0/50 Arcana L 4 15/400 Biology L 0 32/50 Chemistry L 5 15/500
Mathematics L 5 38/500 Nature L 8 378/800 Physics L 5 28/500 Religion L 3 12/300
Tactics L 5 12/500 Technology L 5 12/500
Senses
Perception L 2 12/200
Social
Empathy L 4 32/400 Sense Motive L 1 1/100 Persuade L 1 12/100
Supernatural
Mana Control L 0 0/50 Meditation L 0 0/50
Other
Computer L 6 213/600 Driving L 6 358/600
Looks surprisingly accurate. But why am I playing myself as a character? ¡°Adrian, Tomas are you seeing the same type of stuff I am?¡± I ask them. ¡°Ourselves as character sheets? Then yes, am I hallucinating or was that first thing it said true?¡± Tomas responds. Adrian however is glaring at the man in white and gold bath robes. ¡°We aren¡¯t hallucinating, this isn¡¯t a dream. And these people do not have our best interests in mind¡± he answers us without letting down his guard. ¡°Welcome, chosen one¡¯s. I am Lord Thaddeus of the Northern Woods and by the grace of the gods you have been brought to this world to be heroes! No more are you whatever you used to be but something greater by the blessings of the gods! Help me save my people and you can be rewarded beyond your greatest dreams! Now follow my soldiers for your preliminary training, prepare to go forth and become heroes of humanity!¡± Before I know it I am following his direction as are everyone else. Only later will I realize how our minds are being manipulated. We soon find ourselves in a line waiting for a census of some sort to determine what we will be training in. I hear the questions asked before we reach the table where two men in blue robes are sitting several guardsmen waiting to escort us to what will be our lessons. ¡°Will you be forming a group with those you already know? Do you know magic?¡± are the two questions the older of the two at the table ask after having us touch a crystal ball. Adrian is in front of the rest of our group in line and answers with a frown that I do not currently understand. ¡°I¡¯ll be working with the three behind me and yes.¡± ¡°Show me¡± the old man commands while presenting a pendent I had not previously seen and Adrian smirks. ¡°As you command, slaver¡± he says while whispering the final word. The jeweled pendent vanishes from the man¡¯s hand and appears in Adrian¡¯s for an instant before it vanishes once more. ¡°Return that item right now!¡± both of the men at table shout. ¡°Can¡¯t, I no longer know where it is. Beyond that we are called individuals, not conjured. As such you had no right to compel us at all. We can serve in this war but not as you treat us now.¡± The two stare at Adrian for a moment visibly angry but do nothing for a moment and then the older calms himself, ¡°how do you know that?¡± he asks. ¡°You attempted to bind us with a second spell, a conjure summoning would not have needed it. Either bargain with us or release us to go home.¡± Tomas and me move to stand behind Adrian, showing our support of his words. My questions of Adrian¡¯s magery can wait. ¡°What is it that you want?¡± ¡°We will be taking a moment to discuss our price.¡± Adrian turns to me and Tomas for a moment, ¡°what is it that we want?¡± ¡°What can we even ask for?¡± Tomas asks. ¡°Probably money, knowledge and maybe land and status¡± I answer. ¡°The first two are probably how they planned on keeping us docile in the first place. I wouldn¡¯t trust being able to collect on land or a title¡± Adrian comments. ¡°You think we will be assassinated first?¡± ¡°What is the role of summoned creatures?¡± ¡°Cannon fodder¡± Tomas answers with a frown. ¡°Why are you jumping to the conclusion that they will betray us?¡± Abagail interrupts. ¡°They essentially kidnapped us to fight in their war¡± both Adrian and Tomas answer her. ¡°They can¡¯t be that evil, can they?¡± No one answers that question. They are already angry that we are not going to be free soldiers, they are not good people but can we take advantage of this? ¡°I suggest taking any training and books we can. Money as well so when we end up in a suicide mission we can flee somewhere else¡± Adrian says. ¡°Can we get magic items?¡± Tomas asks with a grin, he always does go for maximizing what we can get out of something. ¡°Maybe, I don¡¯t know but we can try.¡± ¡°What is your initial offer?¡± Adrian asks the mages. ¡°Land and a title of nobility when the demons are all dead¡± the older mage states. ¡°No, no one will ever get to collect on that. There is no way to kill every demon in existence¡± I interrupt, unsure of how it is that I actually can understand and speak this tongue. ¡°Then what do you want?¡± ¡°Gift us full access to your libraries and training grounds for several months to prepare and then hire us as mercenaries.¡± ¡°Of course, you do not look like you are prepared as you are. We planned on doing that to prepare you anyways. Do you already know your areas of expertise?¡± ¡°We do¡± I answer. ¡°We¡¯ll take a place to rest, and a guide to the training grounds and library when we are ready¡± Tomas states and the two men in blue robes motion for one of the guards to be this guide.
Adrian
Once at the room rooms provided by these Althaen I sit down at my bed and begin to go through this game-like interface. I don¡¯t know how it is that we were brought here nor how we will be able to survive. All I can be sure of so far is that these Althaen are not good people and that their magic is not the same as my own.
Adrian Ravnos Gender: Male Race: Human? Age: 17
Strength 12 Intelligence 16 Mana Potential 6 Skills SP:0
Dexterity 15 Wisdom 16 Mana Potency 5 Languages Titles
Agility 13 Cunning 15 Luck 14 Traits Options
Endurance 10 Willpower 14 Perception 14 Magic Reality Control
Vitality 11 Alertness 12 Reality Control 2 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 14 Charisma 11 Health 72/72 Mana 5/5
I begin to go through the various other pages but only a few of them draw my attention far more than the other.
Class Experience
Man-at-arms 1/10 12/100
Student 10/10 -
Learned 2/20 15/2000
Racial Class Experience
Dragon Knight 0 0/50
As interesting as these classes are the lack of anything relating to my magic concerns me. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to find anything to further my magic here and my low attributes for mana will likely bar me from learning theirs at least if it is mana based as the screens hint at. Perhaps I can find information about dragons in the libraries here but even this is not the most concerning thing.
Title Description
Doubleganger There exists another you in this world, should you ever come in contact with each other the weaker will be absorbed into the stronger. The sum of the two will continue on as a single being afterwards.
Favored of the Architect As all those called from another world the Architect has extended his blessing to you at a greater level than others
The first of these titles is not something I can ignore. Is this other me the same as I am? Would he act the same as I would in a given situation? Whoever would be left after the merge would have all my memories so would he help my friends as I would? I need to find this out before I accidently meet this other me? I need more power, if I become stronger than this other me I¡¯ll take over but I cannot count on this being guaranteed. I need to make sure Bryan and Tomas are as strong as possible as soon as possible. Chapter 007 Birdkin are a rare and fragile race, most of them have died and the few who remain value their freedom beyond their lives and have all but given up on becoming a numerous race once more. They hate two things more than anything else, the demons and the Althaen the two groups responsible for most of the deaths of their kin.
Lykou
I am not woken up from the meditation to go hunting once more with Analais but by the light of dawn. I¡¯m going to have to deal with the other youth at Naliya¡¯s class then. Alana is making more stew which I am assuming is the standard meal around here, that is going to get old fast without any variation even if it was just among the components. I move over to the table with a few potatoes laid out on it as she is getting the fire to where it needs to be. I am a guest and should do something to help out so I cut the potatoes with the knife on the table before placing them in the pot of water. ¡°Why are you helping?¡± she asks. ¡°Because I sleep under your roof and eat your food but haven¡¯t done anything to earn it¡± I answer. ¡°So you do have some honor then, why did you ignore my words yesterday?¡± ¡°I disagree with you ideas that fighting honorably is more important than life.¡± ¡°Those are the thoughts of a stray. . .¡± ¡°Stop, before you judge me hear the reason¡± I interrupt. ¡°Can you defend what is important to you if your dead?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then is it not better to live and continue to work even by dishonorable means than die and leave what is important to you to do the same? Both corrupted bears and their threat to the village and pack are gone. Is that not better than losing more people to them after they recover?¡± ¡°It is for the alphas to determine when the danger is great enough to disregard honor.¡± ¡°So, you don¡¯t disagree with my argument only that I¡¯m not the authority figure to make the choice. That¡¯s a completely different argument and I don¡¯t know enough about the social structure here to get into it. I¡¯m guessing I have to go to the lessons Naliya is giving this morning?¡± Alana nods while adjusting the soup pot slightly. ¡°Is there a training weapon I can borrow then?¡± ¡°Only if you agree not to run and hide. You need to face your peers or you¡¯ll be shamed as a coward.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± After a short silence Alana asks me a question, ¡°why are you spending so much time meditating?¡± ¡°Learning magic, any advice?¡± ¡°Mana flows along the same pathways as your life blood.¡± Slightly different information compared to what Analais said. It is not helpful at the moment but perhaps I can use it when I reach the point in searching my body to find it. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Mixing mana and your life blood forms ki, it¡¯s difficult to form but it¡¯ll likely be more potent for you than mana alone.¡± I don¡¯t have plans on being a muscle mage so that shouldn¡¯t matter. I wonder if I can train mana in a similar manner to learn control. The soup while good is starting to get boring having had it for every meal for three days. Once the food is eaten Alana gives me a wooden stick with a rounded tip. A training spear based on the length. ¡°Don¡¯t break it¡± she says before watching me go out the door to what will likely be a very annoying day. I am the last of the children to arrive for the class and as soon as I am close Naliya begins introducing her plans for the day. ¡°Today you are all going to practice working together so divide yourselves into teams.¡± Rather than something sensible like random assignment or making sure the teams have roughly the same strength, Naliya simply allows everyone to make their own groups. Roughly ten groups of three or four form. I of course do the smart thing and approach a group of three of the taller and oldest boys. They are most likely to win so I should team up with them. ¡°Go away you runt coward¡± the tallest of the boys says before I even open my mouth. ¡°Well if you¡¯re going to be like that I¡¯ll work with someone else¡± I respond and he just smirks. Unfortunately for me, his rejection marked me as an outcast for the other groups. Those three boys were the strongest and the weaker groups didn¡¯t want to draw the are I apparently picked up and likewise refuse me as I approach them. After the third group I just stand off to the side as my own one man team. This is going to suck, I¡¯m going to lose because I am sure I can¡¯t handle being teamed up on. After another minute of waiting Naliya begins the teamwork exercise by degrading it into an all out free for all. Which is perhaps my best chance at not being the first person eliminated. ¡°No killing blows, no crippling attacks. All teams are in and last team standing wins.¡± No one wants to be the first one out and since I am the easiest target not having any allies the two teams closest to me rush at me. I move my practice spear between me and the closest opponent and make sure he runs into it. The plain wood spear leaves a bruise on the young lycanthrope''s skin before I abandon it. My only chance of lasting a decent amount of time is the hand to hand techniques the silver haired woman taught me in that fragmented memory. My spear disrupted the boy¡¯s charge and I grab his wrist and pull him in a way that puts him between my next attacker and me while looking his elbow with my left hand. I might have been able to break his arm but there was a rule against crippling blows. I don¡¯t think I have a way of taking anyone down. . .If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. My impromptu shield gets a nasty bruise on his side from a power attack but my success is short lived as two more individuals let loose a similar attack with their clubs. One I manage to turn into a glancing blow but the other knocks the wind out of me. I wrap my arm around the heavier hit keeping the boy from dodging an opportunist''s strike while I recover some of my breath. I manage to trip another with a leg sweep the silver haired woman would have used to set up a pin but am interrupted by a tackle. I hit the ground hard and take a few hits before Naliya calls out, ¡°he¡¯s out¡± declaring me one of this activity¡¯s losers. I think I could have taken one or two of those that attacked me in unarmed combat but the rush of multiple opponents was too much. I sit to the side as over the next few minutes the teams are reduced to the team with the three largest boys. They took a few hits and are bruised like everyone else but their size and experience from being somewhat older gave them the win. The combat being over Naliya announces the winners and her supposed lesson, ¡°as you all can see our newcomer without others to help him was the first to fall while the strongest of you as a single group won easily.¡± ¡°He lost because he''s weak¡± semi shouts one of the three largest boys. ¡°Lyran, do you remember when he countered your charge and held your arm?¡± ¡°Yeah, he was too weak to do anything.¡± ¡°He could have easily broken your arm or pinned you if there weren¡¯t others attacking him.¡± The boy scoffs at the idea and I¡¯m regretting not trying to break his arm. It might have been worth getting in trouble over. ¡°That pride of yours is going to be your downfall, Lyran. The rest of the morning is for you all to practice with bows. No fighting until everyone''s bruises heal.¡± There is some grumbling though I am unsure if it is from bow practice or the no fighting rule she imposed. ¡°Lykou, I¡¯d like to see how you do with the new bow. Care to go first?¡± I¡¯m glad Analais hasn¡¯t taken back his quiver yet even if the arrow count is low as I take a position at the distance shown to me yesterday. I fire one arrow after another, while they all hit the target in the torso only one hit the spot I was aiming at. Not good enough, I need to be better and the only way to do that is to practice so I walk up to the straw target and retrieve my arrows. Naliya says nothing as I fire them all a second time with a slightly tighter cluster but now my left forearm is sore due to me not having an archer¡¯s glove, or is it more accurate to call what I need as a bracer? Once I gather the nine arrows I still have Naliya congratulates me, ¡°good job. See young ones it is possible to accurately hit the target before being a hunter.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still just stick throwing¡± the largest of the boys says. ¡°Which is responsible for most of our food near the new moon.¡± I wonder, is his opinion is based in reverse to his ability in archery? I take Naliya''s words as a dismissal to continuing and move to sit to the side of the rest of the children. If they¡¯re going to act as they have been I¡¯ve no reason to try to interact with them. I miss Naliya calling the largest child up but smile as his first shot does not even touch the target. The boy is a brute and as I¡¯ll not learn anything by observing him I¡¯ll go over the messages the Architect makes.
Gain: +35 XP Meditation, +125 XP Hand to hand, +15 XP Spear, +15 XP Sword, +135 XP Melee, +10 XP Ranged, +10 XP Archery, +10 XP Bow, + 1 XP Cooking, +125 XP Man-at-arms, Man-at-arms 1 -> 2 +2SP, Melee 2 -> 3 +3SP, Hand-to-hand 1 -> 2 +2SP,
Lykou Gender: Male Race: Void Draconian? Age: 10
Strength 14 Intelligence 15 Mana Potential 8 Skills SP: 50
Dexterity 14 Wisdom 14 Mana Potency 7 Languages Titles
Agility 16 Cunning 13 Luck 16 Traits Options
Endurance 14 Willpower 17 Perception 12 Magic ???
Vitality 14 Alertness 15 ??? 1 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 15 Charisma 11 Health 29/29 Mana 8/8
The biggest factor in my improvement was that memory of the silver haired woman. I need to keep grabbing such memories but I can¡¯t go so far as to neglect my progress in other areas. I got more SP but I¡¯m not at a wall nor in immediate danger I shouldn¡¯t go into a deeper state at the moment. It simply is not the place so I slowly open my eyes to see that more than a few of the students have demonstrated their lower skill in the bow compaired to their melee skill. It seems that most of these people prefer melee weapons since they were significantly better in that teamwork test than with these bows. Good news for me I suppose, lots of melee meat shields for a ranged combatant to be protected by. I probably shouldn¡¯t think of them like that but I don¡¯t consider them friends or family. I, bored watch the last few children, girls who are doing better than the boys were. One of them is actually good better than me but I didn¡¯t notice her earlier during the team battle, I would have noticed the silver hair. She must have come over while I was looking at the Architect''s stuff. I¡¯m not the only one paying attention either, most of the class is. After picking up the arrows she walks back to Naliya and gives them to her, ¡°are you sure you only want a demonstration of archery?¡± ¡°Just archery today. Like always that¡¯s what is being neglected¡± Naliya says while taking the weapons. ¡°Let me know if they need to be shown how much they still need to learn. I have to go listen to my mother¡¯s lessons¡± the young girl says with some reluctance. ¡°Alpha Kylana is a powerful mage, you would do well to apply yourself as much as you do to the physical arts¡± Naliya reprimands. The young girl does not respond to that as she leaves. She doesn¡¯t seem to be a part of the class, at least not this one. Is there one for higher levels of skill? ¡°You¡¯re all dismissed¡± Naliya tell us and I make myself scarce though only by not sticking around. I stop by Alana¡¯s hut to drop off her practice spear before entering the woods. Alana was not at the hut and I haven¡¯t seen any writing materials so I can¡¯t leave a note. Within the woods themselves I look for a small clearing where I can exercise without interruption. After roughly an hour I find one near a stream. The first thing I¡¯ll need is weights and practice weapons so I pick up rocks from the stream and hit them against each other until I have an edge, somehow, I knew the lighter rocks were softer. They won¡¯t be a good weapon but for carving soft wooden training weapons to practice form in they will do well. I proceed to then pick up one of the straighter pieces of deadwood on the forest floor and strip it of its bark. It is a little short to make a spear but I feel like such a weapon is a better choice for me than the shorter reach of a sword. I feel like there is a better weapon for that range zero, not sure what it is at the moment but I¡¯ll remember eventually. Once my short spear is striped of back and made into a relatively smooth shaft I round the tip and begin to test it for balance before throwing it aside. The balance was awful, that was no more than an overly long club, that was a few hours wasted. I¡¯ll need better materials, there isn¡¯t going to be such just lying on the forest floor though. ¡°I¡¯ll have to stick to physical conditioning I guess¡± I mutter to myself, abandoning my current plans as practicing with such crude weapons will cause more problems than learning. I spend the rest of the day alternating between basic strength training, stretching and resting in the water of the stream. As I do so I think of how to recover my memories and how I should figure out a way to deal with this racial class. All I can come up with though is to find books on dragons or stumble upon a relevant memory in the elven meditation. What do dragons do anyways? I can¡¯t remember anything about them aside from that they are flying reptiles. Chapter 008 Catkin or catfolk are much like their lycanthropic equivalent in demeanor though they do hold stronger bonds as a group. They will happily harass and harm others of their tribe but will fight to the death should an outsider take a single step to far. They tend to be nomadic by culture rather than the necessity werecats often cause for themselves.
Lykou
I return to Alana¡¯s hut tired and feeling sore but doing this repeatedly will be beneficial. I set my bow down in the corner that I have been given as a place to sleep before I see that atop the two blankets is the leather tunic that Alana was working on yesterday. ¡°I expect you to use it tomorrow¡± I hear her say from the table where she is working on another piece of leather clothing. That one is not for me or Analais as it is too wide to fit us. ¡°Thank you¡± I say before moving to the table. ¡°Why do you spend so much time in the woods?¡± Analais asks as I sit down. ¡°I can practice and improve myself without risk of being interrupted.¡± ¡°Why do you not play with the other children?¡± ¡°This world is dangerous.¡± He does not immediately respond to my answer but after a moment he seems to approve. ¡°Naliya tells me that you are very skilled with the bow for your age, and that you seem to be talented in melee as well¡± Alana comments. ¡°Good memory and practice.¡± ¡°I wanted to bring you hunting again but Ragnor refused it¡± Analais said. ¡°Why?¡± I ask. ¡°He says that because you do not bare the smell of the pack you shouldn¡¯t be treated as one, Kylana disagrees but he is in charge of hunting.¡± ¡°I thought I was allowed in the pack because I had this scent.¡± ¡°You were covered in the scent of a female of great strength but Ragnor is against acknowledging her membership in the pack regardless of how clear the smell was.¡± ¡°Am I in danger?¡± ¡°No, Ragnor can¡¯t do anything Kylana says you are a member of the pack and it is she who decides who is in the pack. He is however in charge of hunting and can say you are not allowed to.¡± So, half of the diarchy that rules the village is hostile to me. ¡°Is Ragnor going to try to harm me?¡± ¡°Never, he must do whatever is best for the pack and you are a member of the pack.¡± Not that he considers me a part of the village, should I rethink my practicing outside of the village? But if I am not outside the village I am more likely to be interrupted though I risk Ragnor being able to do something underhanded. Their disdain for sneaky tactics and does however make me doubt that he will come up with the idea of removing me in such a way. I finish the bowl of stew before me and see that there is no more in the pot. Analais did not catch anything today, did Ragnor prevent him from hunting? He seemed like a good hunter so that shouldn¡¯t have been a problem. He also caught a deer two days ago, we could not have eaten all of its meat already. Actually, I haven¡¯t seen any methods of preservation. Did what was left of the deer go bad and have to be disposed of? ¡°Did the meat of the deer go bad?¡± I ask. ¡°Meat is only good for a day and a half, afterwards it brings sickness¡± Analais says. ¡°Why do you not make the meat safe for longer?¡± I ask as this tongue does not have a word for preserve. I just get looks of confusion from the two. ¡°Taking out all of the water will keep the sickness from growing in the meat.¡± ¡°How? Why?¡± Alana asks. How can I explain this? Actually, I am not sure just that dried meat doesn¡¯t rot and a word, bacteria. Bacteria is whatever makes the rot. ¡°The sickness needs water and warmth to grow. I don¡¯t remember anything else.¡± ¡°How can this be done?¡± ¡°Ice, storing meat in ice will work or a rock crystal one that dissolves in water¡± I say not remembering the actual name for the substance. She frowns and I do not understand how they do not know how to preserve meat, I¡¯ve seen the vegetables that hang to dry have they not attempted to do the same with meat? Or what of magic? Surely there must be a spell that prevents rot and decay. ¡°We have no salt, it is too expensive to trade for.¡± ¡°Do you not have a magic to deal with this?¡± ¡°I do not have the skill to cast it, I''ve never understood that brand of magic very will.¡± So, there is a spell. They have access to food preservation but Alana nor Analais have the skill in magic to do so. ¡°Can you freeze something?¡± ¡°If it is small but we also have no place to store it, and I don¡¯t have the strength to keep something frozen for days.¡± Then there is nothing I can do at the moment about it for them. Should I try to hunt for food myself? I am unsupervised in the afternoon so I should be able to. Perhaps I can gather food while out in the afternoon. None of us say anything else for the rest of the night, though I soon after finishing my meal I move to my bedding and begin to meditate once more.
Gain: +10 XP Man-at-arms, +15 XP Ranged, +15 XP Archery, +15 XP Bow, +5 XP Melee, +5 XP Hand to Hand, +5 XP Evasion, +5 XP Bodybuilding, +5 XP Finesse Training, +35 XP Meditation
LykouThe story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Gender: Male Race: Void Draconian? Age: 10
Strength 14 Intelligence 15 Mana Potential 8 Skills SP: 50
Dexterity 14 Wisdom 14 Mana Potency 7 Languages Titles
Agility 16 Cunning 13 Luck 16 Traits Options
Endurance 14 Willpower 17 Perception 12 Magic ???
Vitality 14 Alertness 15 ??? 1 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 15 Charisma 11 Health 29/29 Mana 8/8
Progress but not enough. I need to improve faster get more done in less time. Multitasking is my best option, I can work on my fitness while hunting. Making sure to run and move things that may not need to be moved. Once I figure out mana I should be able to add it to my regiment as well. The details still need to be worked out but I can figure those out during Naliya¡¯s class in the morning. I am surprised there has not been any physical conditioning but perhaps that was yesterday while I was with Analais. I dismiss the screens and delve deeper into the meditation. Slowly thoughts or more accurately memories begin to drift across my mental eye but I have no way of telling what any of them are. I grab one at random and find myself sitting in a room whose walls are covered in false wooden walls. My feet up on the table which is made of metal and some strange material as I lean back in a chair. Glowing light from an object made of glass hang from the ceiling while empty bookshelves sit with a few days¡¯ worth of dust gathers on the shelves. I turn a page and find myself drawn to the words on the page of the book. The old handwritten pages are filled with words that cause me to shiver but they are words of magic. The secrets to a magic that neither the current me nor from what I gather the me in this memory fragment. I continue fascinated by the knowledge in the book, descriptions of the flow energy needed to twist and warp the body and shape it, enhance it with mana. . . . Mana flows through the blood as the heart is the core through which all energy flows in the body, supernatural creatures require both mana and life force for their bodies to work and rely on the same delivery method natural creatures do. Like life force mana passively radiates away from living creatures. Unlike life force however stopping this mana radiation is beneficial for most creatures, supernatural energy stores refill faster and hunger is decreased with the added benefit of becoming more difficult for divination magic to locate. This is accomplished by taking control of this passive body function and causing the mana to spin in a field just under the skin or by looping the energy back into the core. An enchanted item is the easiest way to do this though meditation is another. Prolonged use of this method of energy conservation however saturates the body with mana and experimentation was stopped to avoid pointless mana poisoning as my foreign mana builds up within the subjects they begin to break down once they are no longer able to withstand the forces. . . The fragment of memory ends as I turn the page once more. I try to grab it or at least one like it but find myself going through the memories of today.
Bryan
The four of us, Adrian, Tomas, Abagail and me, sit at a table within the library of the city. I arrived later than the others being the only one who is going to the swordsmanship training in the morning. Everyone else has spent the day here, reading as we need knowledge if we are going to survive. I place at the books in front of my friends, Abagail and Tomas have books on beginner magic though there are also a few with vague titles in front of Tomas. Adrian has a few dozen books on dragons and another titled Duplicates and Shapeshifters. Pick up a book that Adrian placed on the table for me but do not start reading it yet. ¡°How was the fighter training?¡± Tomas asks. ¡°Painful¡± is all I answer remembering the bruises I recently received. ¡°Did it help?¡± Adrian asks. ¡°Some but I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll manage learning both weapons and magic very well.¡± ¡°You need to, you¡¯re the only one here with the stats to do both.¡± ¡°You have the physical stats too. Why aren¡¯t you switching over, or at least teaching us magic?¡± ¡°My magic is different. I don¡¯t know anything about mana, I can¡¯t help you.¡± ¡°There still has got to be something you can do to help? A hint or an idea maybe¡± interjects Tomas. ¡°Ideas on spells to make after you figure out mana sure but I don¡¯t know the first steps so I can¡¯t help Tomas.¡± ¡°Bothering him over and over isn¡¯t going to change if he can help Tomas¡± I say to stop Tomas from continuing this circular argument. ¡°But the idea that we have to meditate until discovering the mana within us is boring¡± he complains. ¡°Then spend SP on it. You can be rewarded it for raising the skill or class level and killing monsters, that¡¯s your shortcut.¡± ¡°But those are scarce.¡± ¡°Then farm them by studying here. That¡¯s what I¡¯m doing.¡± Adrian closes and sets down the book on the larger of the piles before he picks up the next one in the smaller stack. ¡°But they¡¯re so poorly written¡± Tomas complains and I can¡¯t deny that. Everything I read yesterday was repetitive and vague when not downright cryptic.
Adrian
I turn a page that has nothing on it except for a description of how majestic the left wing of some dragon whose color still hasn¡¯t been mentioned or really anything else of significance aside from the name Triphograph. Like many of the other books I simply begin to skim, you would think that if paper and books are so expensive they would try to keep their information as concise as possible rather than these pages where nothing worthwhile is mentioned. Either they are trying to conceal information or whoever makes these were paid for word count rather than quality. ¡°If you think that book I passed to you is terrible try this one¡± I say after seeing that the description of the wings continues for two more pages. Tomas takes the book and begins to read as I grab yet another equally horridly written book. At least this one wastes time describing the effects and greatness of a red dragon¡¯s breath rather than how great such a creature is. After a few minutes Tomas throws the book I just passed him down while near shouting, ¡°this is utter garbage!¡± ¡°Yes, it is. So, stop complaining that I¡¯m filtering out the worst and leaving you with those that are simply unappetizing.¡± Tomas grumbles for a minute before he turns back to the books that weren¡¯t rejected as I skimmed them earlier. I ignore Bryan and Abagail as she begins to help him with the clearest book I had found on a meditation to find mana. As much as I want to gain use of this form of magic, I do not have the aptitude for it. Shortly after Tomas moves to my side of the table before whispering, ¡°want to go somewhere else?¡± ¡°Yes, but we can¡¯t afford to slack off. Whatever you go do make sure it is something that is useful.¡± ¡°Your loss, I found some coins and there¡¯s a place some of the nobles go gambling. . .¡± With a slight sigh I stand up, it will be good if I can find a card game or dice I can use to win supplies or better information than the public library has. ¡°Fine but expect to lose if you bet against me.¡± Neither Bryan or Abagail seem to notice as Tomas and me leave. The cobblestone stone roads are mostly empty here in the ¡®noble¡¯ district though I notice a few of the soldiers are following the two of us. The stone architecture of a simple chapel to the Althaen gods draws my eyes compared to the painted but plain wooden structures of the buildings holding the other summoned until we will inevitably be shipped to be military assets. We enter into a nicer tavern and I follow Tomas past the tables of adults and those that seem a little young to be drinking towards stairs down to the basement. Once down the stair there are tables of youth spending, winning and losing money on games of dice. ¡°Do you know any of these games?¡± I ask. ¡°Only one, where you guess how many of a number you have under the cup.¡± I smile at that I should be able to cheat at such a game. I scan around the room, looking for the table that is running such a game. Finding it I go to sit at that table. Tomas sits down next to me. ¡°You know it¡¯s a bad it¡¯s a to play against me in dice.¡± ¡°They know about magic you can¡¯t cheat like you did back home.¡± I just smile, they play with mana to cast spells while I do not. I place two of the five copper coins the Althaen gave me on the table and am passed a cup of dice. Tomas does the same. I mirror the actions of the other four players at the table and shake the dice before placing them on the table with the cup concealing the four dice. I push my will at the fabric of reality and while I am not sure how to alter how the dice are falling I can read it and know what everyone rolled. . . Chapter 009 Foxkin are almost identical to kitsune in behavior though far less powerful. Games and pranks are what a foxkin will often choose to do when given the chance. Kitsune with a single tail are also often mistaken as foxkin. Their great beauty makes them a favorite among nobles as personal slaves though they often trick their way back to freedom before too long.
Lykou
I open my eyes with a smile, I now know where my mana is and can work on controlling it. ¡°I''ll come get you in the morning tomorrow. A quick lesson and some reading to get you started.¡± I nod as she gets up, only then do I notice half the afternoon has gone away. ¡°I¡¯ll be back before night fall, I want to try a few things.¡± ¡°Make sure to¡± she says as she begins to walk away. There is so much to do, so much to try. I¡¯ve been thinking of dozens of ways to try to control and then train that control. I mentally push at my mana to no effect for a few minutes before throwing it and the other ideas down the line of brute force from my mind. Pure will isn¡¯t the way, at least not for me. Desire alone could be one but that would be risky. Next, I try to focus on what I want to do, move along the mana pathways that are my veins and arteries. Again, nothing but there is some movement as I do both this and push at the mana. I smile even as the mana begins to flow and cause pain, it is however a good pain. Like the warm burn of sore muscles, I know that this uncomfortable feeling is good for me. How I know this I do not know but is keep pushing and focusing on the mana I try different things to get it to move faster with more or less force as the day passes. As the sun begins to set I finally get up, the discomfort of moving mana around my body is gone, I made sure to send it through every part of my body and while it still reacts sluggishly I should be able to improve that over time. Mental images, willpower and emotions together worked best. Now I just need to practice as I think of how to solve the weakness of my mana attributes. I stand up feeling better than I can remember feeling in these near three weeks I have been in the village. Not only have I stumbled into having a teacher in magic but I can now find and manipulate its flow within me. I reach the village without issue though it feels as if all the animals have left the vicinity, further than they normally do. Alana and Analais are waiting in front of their hut as I walk up to them. ¡°Stay nearme until everyone''s wolves get used to you¡± Analais tells me and I nod. I wonder if they have different names than the human counterparts, they talk as if the wolves are different creatures and Kylana''s seemed to be. I continue to direct my mana to cycle through my circulatory system as it is good practice as the village waits. The moon rises and all of the adults and teenagers shift into giant wolves or wolf-like hybrids, a slight exaggeration as most of them are only slightly bigger than a regular wolf some are significantly larger. Kylana and the burly man next to her are half again the size of the next largest, the teens are somewhat smaller though still easily the size of a normal wolf. Behind Kylana and the one I assume is Ragnor is a third abnormally large wolf, one with silver fur and regardless if the clear signs of being young is almost as large as her parents. Analaiswhile he did change, it was not much size wise. Maybe a few inches taller and wolven features but other than the fur and wolf head he still looks like himself. I guess this is what he meant by being a runt. He does not seem to change much at all. Before doing anything else the wolves each take turns sniffing me and while I don¡¯t return that gesture I do look over their forms, memorizing which wolves are who in the village. None of the prepubescent children turn but some of them wander around in between the wolves. Kylana does not come towards me since she has already become familiar with me, most do not spend very long or seem to care for me. The largest of the male wolves waits to be last and the silver female wolf that is Kylana''s daughter seems more interested than most of the others. She sniffs me a few extra times before walking around me. A small sense of approval before she walks back to her mother. Last to come up is the largest male, like the human that turned into him, he is bulky more raw power and muscle than the other wolves though he seems less graceful than them as well. Strong but clearly lacking in finesse. He does not even bother to smell me before passing his judgement, ¡°this one will dilute our blood.¡± Well, his disapproval is clear. Not that I really want to become a werewolf anyways. ¡°His blood would be almost as good as whoever extends the gift, that is not what I want you to look at. The boy is smart and he is a part of the pack, I¡¯ve already decided that¡± the wolf of Kylana interrupts. ¡°I¡¯ll never approve of him. He will never hunt or take the right. . .¡± the brute wolf begins before Kylana interrupts him again. ¡°You may bar him from hunting but you cannot do anything more.¡± So, he has irrational hate of me, but why? None of the other werewolves seemed to be upset or hateful of me as an outsider. I need to see if he can be replaced, with his mindset regardless of his strength is certainly more harmful to myself and others than he is a benefit. I back away slightly as he growls. I stand absolutely no chance in melee and I know it. ¡°See, he is a coward¡± the wolf exclaims. ¡°Stop it. I did not accept him for being a great warrior but for his mind. Now stop making a fool of yourself and go hunting already.¡± The burly wolf grumbles before turning away from me and walking to the entrance of the village before howling and bounding off into the night followed by all of those that transformed into wolves, save for a few that lay down and look over the village itself. I look at the few that are left, ¡°now what?¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. None of the adult wolves respond but a few of the children shrug but most ignore me as they do in Naliya¡¯s class. I turn to leave since there isn¡¯t really anything for me to do before Ragnan shouts out at me. ¡°Why are you running away coward?¡± With a sigh, I conclude that this boy whose name I only managed to hear yesterday as Naliya reprimanded him over breaking a bow is almost certainly the child of that burly wolf. Neither of the two are great examples of intelligence but are physically strong. ¡°How is leaving at the end of a gathering being a coward?¡± My use of logic does not reach an acceptable level of success as the boy grins. ¡°Your leaving before I dismissed you and I¡¯m the strongest here.¡± I roll my eyes, idiots and their might makes right. He also seems to be ignoring the few wolves that are longing around as they watch over the children of their pack. ¡°Then o great leader what are we going to do while everyone else is away and the moon rides across the sky?¡± I ask with some sarcasm. There are a few hidden chuckles before Ragnan responds without noticing my slightly veiled sarcasm. ¡°You¡¯re going to fight you way up so I can see how strong you are.¡± Sparring? I can actually support that use of time, it¡¯ll be more helpful in learning than the mobbing I get every third day in Naliya''s teamwork exercise. ¡°Sure, but I expect to be treated better after winning.¡± I don¡¯t think I have the stamina to fight all the way up their strength based social ladder but I might be able to get somewhere in the middle. One of the smallest boys walks up to me as the others form a circle which slowly circles around the two of us. I don¡¯t remember the boy¡¯s name but I do know he is maybe half my age and significantly weaker than me physically. He charges first, faster than I remember him being but I still manage to sidestep and grab and arm to swing him around into a pin, while I hold his dominant arm behind his back. He hit the ground and struggles, he breaks free for a moment as I underestimate his strength. Still from the prone position I forced him in I easily push him down into the short-stunted grass of the village. After a few seconds, he stops fighting back and I release him. He frowns and moves to sit down outside of the circle while another enters a girl slightly older than he is. She is more cautious than he is. Still she is young and impatient and falls for the same movement the boy did.
Around ten of those circling me and my opponent have entered and left the ring. The last one was the first that I had trouble maintaining the pin. A boy of eight but none of them have a child¡¯s strength tonight, the moon must be strengthening them while I am stuck with my normal level of power. At least I have not had to spend too much energy. My next opponent is a boy about the same size as me. I can only assume that right now under the full moon he is physically stronger than me. He also wastes no time before charging but turns just before I sidestep and tackles me. I hit the ground but managed to raise my knee into his gut. As he rolls off me in pain I take advantage of the distraction and move to pin him. I get punched but get a hold of one of his arms, I twist and think I dislocate it using the pain to hold him in place. It is a partial success as while he did give up after a minute he spent that minute throwing partially powered punches at my ribs. I can feel the bruises forming, and I¡¯m only a third of the way up this ladder of strength. Once that boy has left the circle I begin to walk out myself. I while unable to reach my thought of goal know that it is better to quit while I¡¯m ahead. I¡¯m already going to be hurting in the morning so I should stop before it becomes something that¡¯ll keep me from continuing my training tomorrow. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Ragnan asks loudly. ¡°I¡¯m done with the challenges for tonight.¡± He pauses for a moment before pointing to the two weakest members of the circle who then take my place as I return to Alana¡¯s hut. I could still stay awake but it might leave me tired tomorrow and I don¡¯t want to start magic training in such a state. The next fight sounds more violent than any of mine and the few seconds I watch before entering the hut let me know those two are relying on brute strength and raw attributes rather than skill. Fighting like that is going to get them all killed someday. I lay down on the blankets and enter into the shallow layer of meditation that grants me a connection to the Architect¡¯s system.
Gain: +75 XP Hand-to-hand, +75 XP Melee, +10 XP Ranged, +10 XP Archery, +10 XP Bow, +55 XP Mana Control, +50 XP Draconic Blood Expansion, +100 XP Meditation, +55 XP Apprentice, +75 XP Brawler, +15 XP Man-at-arms Mana Control 0 -> 1 +1 SP, Draconic Blood Expansion 0 -> 1 +1 Mana Potential, Apprentice 0 -> 1 +1 SP
Lykou Gender: Male Race: Void Draconian? Age: 10
Strength 14 Intelligence 15 Mana Potential 9 Skills SP: 136
Dexterity 14 Wisdom 14 Mana Potency 7 Languages Titles
Agility 16 Cunning 13 Luck 16 Traits Options
Endurance 14 Willpower 17 Perception 12 Magic ???
Vitality 14 Alertness 15 ??? 1 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 15 Charisma 11 Health 78/78 Mana 9/9
I smile as a sense of fulfillment in gaining mana after weeks of work passes over me again. I focus on one of the new skills and hope that my guess of a more detailed explanation will be given if I do so is proven right.
Draconic Blood Expansion L 1 0/1000
Mana veins and the circulatory system are interconnected, while they are not exactly the same they can be bound together as the heart is the source of mana in dragons. Increases Mana Potential Increases the amount of mana that can be draw at once Unable to progress if Mana Potency is two or more points lower than Mana Potential.
Increasing Mana Potential using my Mana Potency and Mana Control, this would be perfect if my mana was more potent. At least I have a solution to half of my problem. Perhaps I can solve that issue with blood magic? The thing I did may not have been blood magic but it was close. Kylana did temporarily raise something using such magic so maybe but that was only a temporary increase and I need a permanent one. I will have to go through her books to see if she has a solution. I dismiss the notifications still deciding to hoard the SP. Once I stop progressing in something I can spend them, for now I need to focus on magic. I grasp at the memory fragment that is closest, it probably is my memories of today and for once I do not mind that it isn¡¯t one of my forgotten memories. I should be able to notice many things from this afternoon that I missed the first time. I just know I must have missed many things as I started experimenting with moving mana. Chapter 010 Ratkin like their lycantropic kin form communities with others of their kind, often in the poorest of areas in the civilized races'' lands. They are dexterous and often skilled in the shadier arts of larceny and skullduggery. Often they are forces into criminal roles by circumstance but would have it no other way.
Bryan
I watch as Adrian goes over the many lists he has made over the past two weeks while we have been in this strange world and counts several bags of coins while frowning. ¡°Recounting doesn¡¯t change how much there is¡± I comment after the third loop of his actions. I know what he is trying to do but I don¡¯t think we are in as much danger as he is assuming. I pick up one of his lists and glance at it while saying, ¡°we¡¯re entry level adventurers. Literally, level zero. We won¡¯t run into anything too dangerous so stop worrying over getting enchanted weapons and armor.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a game, we are going to run into more than just things on the random encounters chart.¡± ¡°Even so untested and under equipped trainees won¡¯t be sent to anywhere where any of this will be needed. Besides, we are being sent along side a group of soldiers no doubt able to do all of it on their own. At most this is supposed to be a difficult test¡± I say and Adrian assents with a slight nod. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean there is no danger, they could have very easily overestimated what we are capable of.¡± ¡°You worry too much¡± Tomas comments as he walks up. ¡°Better over prepared than under prepared¡± Adrian counters. "Where did you even get all of this coin?" I ask. "He cheated at dice" Tomas says before beginning to tell just how.
Tomas Flashback
I glance under the cup to see two fours, a five and a two on the dice. Since there are five other players at the table that means there are twenty dice who''s roll I do not know. I can assume that three of any given number among their pool without too much risk but I''m not sure why Adrian has a smirk on his face. "Five fives" I day placing my bet for the round. I don''t pay close attention to the other players before it is Adrian''s turn. None of their bets overruled my own anyways. "Seven sixes" Arrian days as the last of the players. A fat man laughs at him but now I''m worried. Adrian wasn''t guessing, he was stating it as if it were fact. We all lift up our cups, mine was the only one without a six, and only two other fives were out there. "Lucky guess" the fat man grumbles as Adrian takes all the coins that were pushed to the middle. Adrian then places a silver piece on the table though I have no idea where he got it. Did he pick someone''s pocket as he was sitting down? I place a handful of coppers on the table while others just place a silver piece. How is it that everyone but us received a usable amount of money, while we were given barely enough to get bread to eat? Everyone shakes and rolls their dice. I check my own to see four ones. Before I even start thinking about what to bet on Adrian calls out "nine ones." Seven or eight would be all I can expect but does he know something I don''t? "Four fours" I say betting on other people''s dice since one is not worth much and I won''t risk trying for ten of them. Once the dice are revealed no one speaks for a moment. Adrian''s guess won but he doesn''t have any ones in his own pool. He''s cheating he has to be looking at other people''s dice. There is no other way he could have known. . . I get up from the table, I only have two copper pieces left. Is he using magic for this? The tavern''s worker at the table waves over one of the bouncers, "search the young man for dice." Adrian just smiles and let''s the man go through the few pockets he has. They come up empty but that doesn''t erase suspicion. A man in a bathrobe is waved over next. After a moment and a few nonsense words spoken by the supposed mage the worker frowns as the man declares, "he has no magic on him. I doubt he could even cast a spell." Adrian glances at me, "anyone up for another round?"
Bryan
Tomas''s story is interrupted as I hear a scream of ¡°I did it¡± from Abagail in her room and I rush over to whatever it is. I knock just before opening the door. There is nothing strange or different from last time I saw the room, the only thing of note is that Abagail did not yet get dressed all the way. I quickly close the door after a second of seeing her figure. She may be short but her chest is large and was on full display even if the room was dim. ¡°What was it?¡± Tomas asks. ¡°Nothing, just wait a moment¡± I answer before knocking again, hoping that she didn¡¯t notice what I just got to see. A moment later the door opens. Abagail looks embarrassed but says nothing. ¡°What were you yelling about?¡± Tomas asks. ¡°Mana, I found it. Their magic is real and we can actually learn it¡± Abagail answers after a moment. ¡°Show us a spell¡± Tomas says excitedly. ¡°I can¡¯t, I don¡¯t know any. Touching Mana and getting it to do something are different things.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Show us something then.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t, there isn¡¯t a way for me to show you.¡± Tomas frowns but says nothing. Adrian smiles happy that Tomas will probably be bothering Abagail for help rather than him. ¡°Any tips for us?¡± I ask, knowing which question to ask and glad that my accidental peeking has been brushed under the rug. ¡°There¡¯s no shortcut to hard work¡± she says almost directly at Tomas before moving so that Tomas can¡¯t see her whisper at me with a slight blush, ¡°knocking alone isn¡¯t an invitation.¡± Shit, she did notice me. At least she isn¡¯t making a scene over it but having the only girl in our group mad at me isn¡¯t going to be fun. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of stuff we need to get done today if we are going to leave in the morning¡± Adrian says, calling us to follow him. The remainder of the day is mostly gathering equipment and haggling, all the while Tomas is now bothering Abagail to teach him magic. I think I¡¯ll keep quiet of my own progress until I can actually do something. . .
Adrian
The morning of our departure all is calm and my thefts of essentials like healing potions through Spatial Graspdoes not seem to have been noticed, yet. It is not long before we are standing before the white stone wall of the city waiting on the contingent that is to be our guide and unofficial keeper. Just as dawn¡¯s light crests over the walls of the city a platoon of a dozen soldiers in chainmail following a knight in plate. Tomas and me subconsciously groan as the man walks up with an air of distain for everyone in his sight. ¡°I am sir Lanis Brightblade. Fear not for with me and the blessings of the Holy One the darkness we face shall not stand¡± the man in his recently buffed silvered plate says as if it were an undeniable truth to the universe. ¡°Are we supposed to follow this delusional paladin?¡± Tomas asks. None of us get the opportunity to answer before the guy who clearly doesn¡¯t know how the world really works begins to chastise. ¡°Hopeful squire, the public ear is not to be tainted by strange tongues. You are to speak the common tongue of Althr¨¢ or I will have to punish you in accordance to the law.¡± ¡°Since when was it illegal to speak a foreign language?¡± I ask having never encountered such a law among my time in their libraries. ¡°The Holy One¡¯s tenets forbid use of any impure tongue.¡± ¡°Religious law and secular law are not one and the same. The tenets of the Holy One are only lawon their own grounds. We are not currently in one of their temples nor is are destination one.¡± ¡°There is also military protocol, I am in charge of this expedition and demand the pure tongue of the Althaen be the only one spoken under my command.¡± So, it¡¯s is his way regardless of whether he is right or wrong. Leave it to a religious fanatic to go too far in his enforcement of the rules of his god. I wonder if he truly believes in the religion of the Holy One or if he uses it as a method of control over the populous. Is he a puppet of the leaders of his church or someone who does the puppeteering? I suppose it does not matter, even if he is not a true zealot there is no way he will break the character before us. We will have to suffer this zealot our entire journey. This is going to be a problem. . .
Lysan
I close the small tome written by my ancestors. Father wanted sister and me to see him after the midday meal. We are just over a century old and have yet to leave the city. I think that we will be sent out to see how we handle real combat. ¡°Sister you can¡¯t just read those books all the time. I¡¯m bored, come spar with me¡± my twin sister Thalia says as she takes the book I was picking up out of my hands. ¡°These books are why I get praised instead of chastised during our magic lessons¡± I answer, ignoring the request to spar. ¡°And you get chastised during our weapons training. Let¡¯s go. We have an hour before Father will call for us¡± she says while pulling my arm. With a sigh, I give in and stand up. The practice field is just outside our room and she isn¡¯t going to stop asking until I go with her and I won¡¯t be able to study the secrets of mana effectively while she does so. ¡°Only if you agree to practice magic with me tonight¡± I say after the first few steps. ¡°But it¡¯s so boring. . .¡± she complains before I cut her off. ¡°Watch this then¡± I say before drawing mana forth from the center of my chest, the place where all blood flows through, and begin to chant the words to one of the few spells in the books that my sister might like to know Flameblade. My mana creates a connection to the Aether and the shell I was building fills with power from that strange dimension. As the last syllable leaves my lips, a blade of pure magical fire forms in my hand. An ever so slightly curved sword the length as long as my arm, the flames glowing and spreading warmth into our room. There is a twinkle in my sister¡¯s eyes as she stares at the sword made of physical fire. I wave the sword around and let the flames trail after the blade built of solidified mana. ¡°How?¡± my sister asks. ¡°The magic you so often ignore. Mana drawn from the Aether to augment my own and fill a shell of force and give birth to flames.¡± ¡°You can do this with magic?¡± ¡°Not at first but yes.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t anyone tell me you could do such things with magic?!¡± ¡°They did sister. You just weren¡¯t paying attention.¡± ¡°Forget the spar, I want to make a fire sword. Teach me sister.¡± I smile even though I will not like being the one to tell her that she will have to work up to it. I think she gave up truly practicing just after getting Mage Hand to work. . . ¡°Come and sit sister. You have a lot of catching up to do¡± I say as I pull put a book on basic Elementalism. We aren¡¯t Elementalists but they have the best descriptions on the shapes Mana must take for Elemental Evocation and sister needs all the help she can get. . .
The light of dusk fades in my window that overlooks the western part of the city. ¡°My Thalia studying. I didn¡¯t think anyone could get her to read so enthusiastically¡± I hear my father''s voice behind us just as I finish explaining a diagram of the simplest fire spell I know to my sister, Flare. Sister bolts up and out of her seat, embarrassed while I turn to our father. I blush slightly as he says, ¡°I¡¯m proud of you teaching your sister Lysan.¡± ¡°What is it that you wanted father?¡± my sister asks. ¡°No matter how much you practice, nothing stands up to real experience¡± he answers my sister¡¯s question. ¡°Does that mean . . .¡± sister begins and our father smiles. ¡°Yes, I convinced your mother. The two of you are to accompany a squad to the border of the Darklands.¡± Sister immediately hugs our father as she repeats ¡°thank you¡± over and over. She has been wanting to do this for a few years now. Personally, I am worried about leaving, the outside world is a very dangerous place. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Lysan, the two of you will do fine. You will only be on the border for a few weeks, maybe two months. Besides you are skilled in magic and will be a great help to the soldiers during their patrol¡± he says and I blush in embarrassment. I¡¯m not very comfortable being praised. ¡°It¡¯ll be fun sister. We¡¯ll get to see so much¡± Thalia says excitedly. ¡°You will be leaving in the morning before your mother changes her mind. Make sure to learn as much of you can¡± our father says as he gives us each a quick hug and a kiss on our foreheads. ¡°Can you help me pack sister¡± Thalia asks as our father leaves the room, her excitement clearly more than enough to keep her from resting anytime soon. ¡°It is not difficult to pack on your own sister. You only need to ready your armor and weapons; food and other supplies will be prepared for us by the expedition itself¡± I answer her. ¡°But I don¡¯t know how many to take with me.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t need more than one so, do not bring more than two or three weapons.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t know which sword to bring.¡± ¡°Not the rapier¡± I answer, I don¡¯t know as much as she does of swordplay but a rapier is for dueling not the battlefield. ¡°I¡¯ll help you pick out which books to bring if you help.¡± I smile and nod. I¡¯ll pack to many if left to my own devices but you never know which bit of knowledge will be needed in a situation. I should try to get an extradimensional bag. Chapter 011 Snakekin have for the most part sided with the Abyssal Hordes. They are by nature prone to deception and violence. More often than not they live among monstrous serpents and humanoid serpents. The few that remain in civilized lands often fill the ranks of criminal organizations. Some argument has been made that they are forced into this lot in life by nobles who would rather keep them as household slaves, but they are ultimately far better at being thieves, scouts and assassins than anything else.
Lykou
My meditative rest ends just a few minutes after dawn as I hear people walk in the doorway. I open my eyes to see Analais still clothed, Alana is however practically naked. Analaiswas the smallest of the werecreatures, his transformation not causing a large enough change to destroy his clothes as the rest of the pack. Alana grabs a tunic laying next to the front door and does not seem to care that I can see her as she puts it on. ¡°No one chose to give you the gift?¡± Alana asks and I shake my head. ¡°How did you do in the youth¡¯s little competition?¡± Analais asks. ¡°In the middle somewhere¡± I answer. There is a smile from the two of them though it is more in surprise than them actually being proud of my accomplishment. Then again, they are basically just people who have been told that I¡¯m to stay in their house. Friendly but I am not truly family and they are just being nice. ¡°So, does this happen every full moon?¡± I ask. ¡°It does and we have a lot of work to do in repairs¡± Alana answers. ¡°Repairs?¡± ¡°Dozens of eight-foot-tall wolf beasts just had a giant party, stuff is going to get broken and a lot of the meat has been left in the middle of the village for the young to cook and eat.¡± ¡°So now we have a feast and clean up?¡± I ask. ¡°Basically¡± Analais answers me. ¡°What am I expected to do?¡± ¡°Gather wood for the cooking fires¡± Alana answers. I nod, ¡°do I start now?¡± ¡°Please do.¡± With that I nod and leave the hut. The rest of the village looks trashed and many broken clay ceramics and wooden things are laying around the village. I don¡¯t mind helping and it is after all a physical activity that doesn¡¯t take much concentration, meaning I can get some practice in moving mana as I do it.
Alana
I wait a few moments after the strange boy leaves my hut before turning to my mate. ¡°What did the wolves think of him?¡± I ask. I won¡¯t know anything about what happened under the moon until my wolf Shadow Paw decides to share the memories and that may be a few days since she knows I am curious. ¡°Pretty much what could be expected. Ragnor¡¯s wolf did not like him and most of the others did not care¡± my mate answers. ¡°Most? Some of the wolves to a liking to him?¡± I ask and my mate nods. ¡°More an interest. Kythia¡¯s wolf showed a lot of interest.¡± ¡°Really? There must be more to him then simply being a seemingly gifted child. She doesn¡¯t seem to like any of the males of the pack.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t get your hopes up. Lykou is to young to be a prospective hunter in thetwo moons before this year¡¯s ceremony.¡± ¡°You did see him stare at my breasts when I walked in¡± I tease my mate. My mate however ignores it but I guess I¡¯m too big with pups right now to have that kind of fun anyways. Instead he switches to another subject with a question, ¡°did you know he is more interested in magic than martial skill?¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty obvious but I don¡¯t know if the rest of the pack knows. He spends the whole night meditating rather than sleeping after all. I¡¯m curious as to how he isn¡¯t exhausted but haven¡¯t brought it up. I think some of the pack discouraged his choice of pursuing magic so he is trying to hide it.¡± ¡°Naliya said his archery was similar to elves, maybe he knows their meditation technique¡± my mate suggests and I nod. That would explain that but then why was he left were we would take him in. Certainly the elves could have taught him. . . ¡°Still there is much to do today andI should get started. But first. . .¡± my mate''s voice trails off after he pulls me into a hug and licks the back of my right ear. ¡°. . . if we wouldn¡¯t risk hurting our pup I¡¯d take you so many times right now¡± he whispers in my ear and I shiver wanting nothing more than for him to do just than and for a moment cursing I am so close to giving birth.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°It¡¯s not nice to rile me up like this¡± I whisper back in protest even as I enjoy every moment of it. ¡°I¡¯ll make it up to you later¡± my mate whispers once more before separating and disappearing from the hut to do his jobs for the pack. I stand and place my hands on my swollen belly in a smile, glad that he is my mate.
Lykou
The morning is uneventful, I am apparently the only child that is not sleeping in and the adults of the village just watched me slowly bring fallen branches to the pile of dead animals near Kylana¡¯s hut. The wolf forms of the adults did a lot of hunting last night. Game is probably going to be scarce for a bit. ¡°Lykou, follow me¡± I hear as I add more wood to the now large pile I have built up beside the fire pit. I look over to see that Kylana is calling me to follow her. She did say she was going to teach me magic and I am almost certain the only reason why Ragnor did not attack me last night was her. ¡°Coming¡± I respond with a smile and run over. I am eager to start the promised lessons and follow her back into the central hut. Inside it is as it was before barring some of the hides have been clawed apart. At the table Kylana sat at before is the young woman with silver hair I saw at Naliya''s lesson. ¡°Kythia meet your fellow student, Lykou¡± Kylana says to the teenager who I assume is her daughter. The name seems vaguely familiar and there is something about the color of her hair and eyes that seems like the woman I saw in that strange memory. Are they related? I push the question aside as Kylana motions me to sit. I know she is using me as a ploy to get her daughter to study more seriously but I want and need to get as much out of this as I can. I look away from the frowning teen towards her mother who will be teaching me what I want to know. ¡°As you both know by now, magic is caused by manip. . .¡± she begins before her daughter interrupts. ¡°I already know, mana. Can¡¯t you just skip to combat magic. It isn¡¯t like I need any of this when I¡¯m alpha anyways¡± Kythia says, much to her mother¡¯s displeasure. ¡°Kythia, there is more to being alpha than being strong. To lead you need to be wise and knowledgeable.¡± ¡°Dad says only strength matters, and if you¡¯re strong you make the rules.¡± I lean slightly away from the two women as Kylana apparently has a straw breaks the camel''s back moment and she gets mad at her daughter for having this argument in front of me. ¡°So you think only strength matters and whoever is strongest is right?¡± The teen nods and I don¡¯t see this ending well for her. Kylana continues, ¡°and you think Ragnor is stronger than me so you don¡¯t need to study?¡± Another nod from the teenager, ¡°why do you think Ragnor only has me as a mate? Weaker males than him have more.¡± There is no answer from the young girl who does not yet see where this is going. ¡°Because I''m stronger than him and don¡¯t want to share.¡± ¡°But he had to beat you to take you as a mate¡± the teenager counters and I find myself confused. How does that have anything to do with this and why would that even be the case? Kylana is stronger than Ragnor, everyone I¡¯ve talked to agrees on that so how is it that he has to be stronger to be mated to Kylana? ¡°If the male has to be stronger how does Analais have a mate as a runt let alone Alana who is the second strongest female of the pack?¡± I¡¯m not sure I should be here for all this but I also can¡¯t just excuse myself. Kythia just sits not sure how to respond even if this logic does not seem to convince her. Kylana pulls a book off the shelf and passes it to me. I take it unsure why she just did that until she grabs Kythia¡¯s arm and pull her out of the hut. I look at the book Kylana put in my hands, the single word on the cover is in a strange tongue and I can¡¯t remember the name of the language but the meaning is Basics of the Arcane. I open the book and begin to read the first page. A description of the basics for casting; somatic and material components, foci and the shaping of mana. Not enough to actually cast anything yet but it definitely a lot of terms that will probably be used later.
Kylana
I drag my daughter out to the section of the woods I know my mate Ragnor will be slacking off in. I probably shouldn¡¯t have made such a big scene in front of my new student but I¡¯m done with Kythia¡¯s attitude. She has the strongest wolf blood the pack has had in centuries but it¡¯ll mean nothing if she goes down the path she is on. The same path that made my mate someone I can barely stand anymore. I enter the clearing I always find my mate in and push my daughter to the side, towards a stump. She sits there knowing that I am upset with her. Even if she thinks Ragnor is stronger than me, she does know that I am far stronger than her. ¡°What is it?¡± Ragnor asks sleepily. ¡°It¡¯s been twenty years since we truly spared and I think our daughter needs to see something¡± I answer, making clear just how upset with the two of them I currently am. He lazily stands up, ¡°alright but you know the ru. . .¡± I interrupt his sentence with a quick blast of force through a mana wave, one of the few weavings I have the ability to do. ¡°The original rules, no killing¡± I state. He frowns and almost protests for a moment before his memories of before I was his mate flash across his eyes but he dismisses them because of his false pride after years of only facing others in the manner that is most favorable to himself. I don¡¯t have a weapon but as Ragnor does he draws the blade with a smirk, thinking that it¡¯ll even matter. The harmonious words of mana based magic flow from my tongue as I dodge the first attack of my mate. My hands glow red as I strike him in the chest finishing all the pieces of Ghoul Touch. I sidestep and my overextending mated falls to the ground paralyzed as I specifically used more than enough mana to overwhelm what natural resistance he has. I pry the blade from his hands with little resistance and place it at his throat. ¡°Your first death¡± I say before stepping back and tossing the blade to the ground as I dismiss my spell. ¡°Again¡± I taunt. Kythia needs to see without a doubt my words are right and my mates needs some humbling anyways. Ragnor growls, enraged that I¡¯m winning and embarrassing him in front of our daughter. How should I disable my mate this time? I smirk as an idea comes to mind, that¡¯ll do. Once more I quickly chant as I dodge the rage driven attacks of my mate. A blade conjured of moonlight, hardened into a quasi physical object, takes shape and I make a cut on my mate¡¯s arm. It may not be an effective weapon to hurt werewolf but it¡¯ll leave cuts and a Phantom Blade would cost too much mana, besides a Moonblade won''t leave lasting wounds on a werewolf. I take advantage of the longer reach of my blade to place another cut on my mate¡¯s side as I start the words for the spell Haste. My speed increases and Ragnor struggles to keep up as I begin cutting to disable but not dismember. Both of his hamstrings get severed and he collapses to the ground. ¡°Death two¡± I say as my magical blade rests on the back of his neck, both of us breathing heavily. My left-hand glows a light blue as I whisper a prayer to the Black Wolf. Making the minor repairs to my mate''s body that will allow his lycantropic regeneration to rapidly heal him so I can continue our spar. Chapter 012 Tigerkin are all but extinct though some are found in the tainted lands fighting against the demonic forces. They often utilize strange magics and often use equipment made in ways not known to the Althaen. While they do not seem to possess any demonic taint, they are not friendly. Every attempt at capturing one to learn just where and how they are able to survive in the tainted lands has been resisted to the point of death. Strangely dressed humans have also been known to accompany them.
Kythia
I shiver as I watch my mother toys with father. Never once does he get more than a glancing blow on her before he is disabled in one manner or another and she announces how many times he has died in the spar. I didn¡¯t think that mother was so strong. Is father wrong? Could it be that physical strength is not the absolute power everyone must follow? Dusk falls before my mother finishes and turns to me, father lies on the ground having completely given up. ¡°Are you ready to listen and learn for once¡± my mother asks in a kind smile, no hint of any of the aggression from her fight in her voice. I nod and follow her back to our hut at the center of the pack''s village. We enter and I see that the boy my mother brought in the morning is still at the table reading. A small number of books are in front of him. More than what was on the table when we left. I smirk behind my mother¡¯s back, she is going to be mad at her new student but my expectations are not met as she instead starts asking him questions instead in a calm voice. ¡°Did you read all of those?¡± she asks. ¡°Only a quick reading. Why do they have conflicting definitions of what mana is?¡± My mother smiles, ¡°there are different kinds of mana: Environmental, Personal and Aetherial. Each of them has different traits and contaminants.What is the Aether?¡± ¡°A field of flowing mana that a mage is able to connect to in order to lower the energy burden of spellcasting. However, not all magic is compatible with the Aether.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± the boy answers and I smile at him not being able to answer. ¡°Neither do I. Now have you tried to cast anything yet?¡± ¡°No, it seemed like a bad idea to try anything without guidance.¡± My mother flips open one of the books on the table to one of the cantrips I recognize from what little studies that I did do before focusing on the martial path, Light. The boy looks at the page for a moment before closing his eyes to better focus on his mana no doubt and he begins to speak the incantation. Somehow, he is actually performing the spell as the words¡¯ meaning is blocked from my mind as all incantations are. A faint dim light forms over his extended right hand. He clearly has little potential for mana if that is all the light that he can create and I almost laugh before my mother shoots me a glare. The boy opens his eyes and looks at the dim glow a smile on his lips as my mother praises him, ¡°You seem to have a talent shaping mana.¡± She takes a book off of the shelf, it is little more than a pile of notes on controlling mana but it was something she had once given to me. My mother places the crude book in the boy¡¯s hands as she says, ¡°read this under the light of your magic at night. I¡¯ll test you on it in a few days.¡± The boy smiles and nods while losing control of his spell and my mother whispers something in his ear. Once the boy is gone I look at my mother with a frown, ¡°what is so great about him? You had me cast that cantrip at five summers.¡± ¡°He only started learning magic less than three weeks ago, touching mana for the first time yesterday.¡± ¡°His mana is still weak¡± I counter not wanting to be upstaged by some random boy. ¡°There are plenty of ways around that. He¡¯ll catch up and surpass you soon enough if you don¡¯t start applying yourself.¡± This morning I would have scoffed at the idea anyone in the pack could become stronger than me, after all my wolf is a Dire Wolf rather than a regular one like everyone else¡¯s, but mother is the strongest and she is saying it. Could I be wrong? Is there more to strength than innate ability like father keeps saying? I grab one of the books that I¡¯ve been refusing to read for a long time and stalk off to my section of the hut. I can¡¯t let some random boy take my place. I fail to notice my mother¡¯s grin as she watches me read for a few minutes before I fall asleep.
Standing in the woods around the village I glance around to see my soul sister, Moonlight Runner walking up to me. I must have fallen asleep. Books are boring anyways. ¡°Did you have fun last night?¡± I ask as I hug the wolf who lives within me. Her tail wags and she licks my face in affection before answering, ¡°some but the woods smelled bad.¡± ¡°The runt found some dead tainted bears. I don¡¯t think father decided to have the cave cleansed¡± I answer. Sister than loses interest in talking and nudges me to run with her through the world of our dreams. I smile and chase after her before she stops all of a sudden, as she suddenly remembered something. ¡°Have you picked out a mate for us sister?¡± she asks.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°No, why would you ask that? All the boys in the pack are weak and stupid.¡± Moonlight Runner looks at me for a moment before saying, ¡°then pick a smarter one that will become strong. That new boy smelled interesting.¡± I frown, ¡°I don¡¯t like him. He''s weak and doesn¡¯t deserve mother''s attention.¡± My soul sister looks are me for a moment, ¡°so he''s weak but not stupid? Sounds like you have a better opinion of him than any of the others.¡± I glare at my wolf and see gives me a playful grin. She knows something I don¡¯t. . .
Moonlight Runner
Sister glares at me as I tease her. I¡¯m not serious but the pack''s paring howl for this year will be in a two moons. We have been a hunter for a few years and even the girls our age who aren¡¯t hunters have to participate so we won¡¯t get out of it this year. I think sister just wants to fight all of the boys, which sounds like fun. The new male pup however smells odd. Like he is going to be stronger than I will be. Too bad he''s too young for us. Sister pushes at me, upset and I begin to run away from her as she chases me for the rest of our time together in this dream.
Lykou
I enter Alana''s hut after leaving Kylana and her daughter. I don¡¯t see Analais or Alana as I enter though there is a small pile of cooked meats left out on the table where they have me sit. I smile as I¡¯ve been hungry for the last few hours even if the books I was borrowing from Kylana were too interesting to put down. I pick up what seems to be the parts of a ribcage of a deer and begin eating the bland unseasoned meat. Even though I¡¯ve gotten used to it I still think they need some sort of flavorful liquid. There¡¯s a word for that but it escapes me at the moment. I eat as quickly as I can, not wanting to damage the small book Kylana loaned me by multitasking. Soon enough the plate is emptied and while I feel sated there isn¡¯t a sense of fullness. Like all of the food I¡¯ve eaten is missing something that I need. I push and guide my pitiful amount of mana into a dim light as I whisper the short incantation from Kylana¡¯s books as I open up the loaned book. The manipulation of mana is a difficult subject. Magic is based on the use of Personal Mana even when Atherial Mana or Environmental Mana are involved and no two individuals will have identical Personal Mana. This causes the method that a mage must use to control their mana to vary. I continue to read, skimming over the ideas that I¡¯ve already had and tried. A latter passage does however catch my eye. Once some level of control is established over ones mana, the use of magic without drawing on Aetherial or Environmental Mana is the best test and practice for control. Such magic also has higher versatility than other kinds though it demands more of the caster. I glance at the dim light of the cantrip I am currently holding. It is Aetherial magic under the Conjunction or Evocation School. The Aether is a crutch, it should not be needed. I close my eyes and focus on the flow of mana. I can¡¯t quite feel what the mana is doing but maybe I can figure it out. I don¡¯t seem to be making the light myself but more of an apparatus for something else to create light. . . What if I mirror the path that energy has to take? I let the arcane construct collapse, there being no way I could split my concentration as I¡¯m trying something new. My first attempts do nothing but let me watch as my mana is wasted by a spell that falls apart before doing anything. After each failure I wait a few moments thinking over what went wrong before my next attempt. Only my sixth attempt do I get anything. A dim flicker before a massive headache begins to form as my senses become dull. I stop immediately, recognizing the signs of mana exhaustion. I am done for the day, but then again it is already a few hours into the night. I move over to the corner I¡¯ve been given to sleep in and begin my nightly meditation.
Gain: +215 XP Arcana, +15 XP Perception, +225 XP Mana Control, +35 XP Meditation, +15 XP Woodsman, +40 XP Apprentice (Mage), Woodsman 4 -> 5 +5SP, Arcana 1 -> 4 +9SP, Perception 1 ->2 +2SP, Mana Control 1 -> 2 +2SP,
Woodsman has reached level 5. You now meet the requirements to opt into a higher class. Do you wish to do so?
Yes No
I choose no. I may have reached the requirements for another class but if I make the change now I won¡¯t get all of the benefits of this one.
Adrian Gender: Male Race: Void Draconian? Age: 10
Strength 14 Intelligence 15 Mana Potential 9 Skills SP: 154
Dexterity 14 Wisdom 14 Mana Potency 7 Languages Titles
Agility 16 Cunning 13 Luck 16 Traits Options
Endurance 14 Willpower 17 Perception 12 Magic ???
Vitality 14 Alertness 15 ??? 1 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 15 Charisma 11 Health 84/84 Mana 11/11
I glance over the information and smile that my mana pool has increased. Not by much but that is still something. I dismiss the screens and fall deeper into the meditation. I find myself laying in a bed as the memory opens, my arms are wrapped around the waist of the silver haired from the other memory. The light of the full moon coming through the window behind her giving me a very clear view of the woman as a strange yet pleasurable sensation of movement comes from her sitting on my own waist. Even as the both of us are breathing heavily, I roll the two of us over. I groan from the sensations from my waist before moving close to the left ear of the woman who is now under me. ¡°Swap with Kythia, Moonlight Runner¡± I whisper in her ear. She shakes her head as I move back to my previous position. ¡°But I want to love both of you tonight¡± I say while withdrawing from her embrace. There is a glimmer in her eyes and something changes. I rush back towards her and nibble on her ear as she wraps her legs around me, making a noise that makes me feel proud of myself. The memory ends abruptly and I just sit as the memory fragment drifts away. What was I doing? Why does that silver haired woman have the same name as Kylana¡¯s daughter? Why did I also call her Moonlight Runner? Are these even memories? I don¡¯t look the same in them, I¡¯m older. But the-daily-rest doesn¡¯t show things that aren¡¯t memories. I drift aimlessly through my memories of the last few days. Too occupied by my thoughts over what I just stumbled upon to pay much attention. Chapter 013 Elves can be divided into two groups even though there are many subraces of elves. The Light Elves tend to live within the forests, building both grand and simple dwellings. They have a monarchy though the royal family has no right to rule but is chosen to do so. The Dark Elves however tend to live in the darker environments of caves and stone cities rather than wood. They are matriarchal with the strongest family of any group acting as the leader. They are far more warlike than their lighter cousins, often raiding and enslaving their neighbors. Neither group has sided with the demonic hordes though some subgroups have.
Ragnor
A few days have passed since Kylana humiliated me in front of our daughter. She should never have done that, I¡¯m the alpha male. I¡¯m supposed to be the symbol of strength to the pack. Now I have to get stronger and show everyone I really am at the top. I left the pack''s village yesterday on an extended hunt to do just that. As dusk falls and the waning moon rises behind me I come to my destination, a hut on the border between the Forest of Daerth and the Althaen Kingdom of Sacred Ashes. I found this place as a youth and I know that the man inside can give me anything if I pay them what they ask for. Since they are why I¡¯ve the strength of two wolves, they should be able to give me the strength to defeat Kylana. I don¡¯t know what they¡¯ll ask for but I won¡¯t stand being weaker than her again. Never again. I knock on the door and it creeks open. Within is a small single room with a table and the basics for a hermit''s lifestyle. A candle burning on the table even though the old hermit is missing. That means he is in the basement. I walk to the southern corner and lift up the hide of some deer that is set to look like it is bedding and climb down the ladder. ¡°Ragnor, I knew that one day you would return¡± calls out a voice and I turn around. ¡°Do you already know what I want?¡± I ask while looking on the old man dressed as a member of the clergy for the Holy One. I don¡¯t know if the man really is a member of the clergy of that god but he does have connections to the Church of the Holy One. Why else would he be wearing all the trappings of their order? ¡°Of course, I do. You want more strength, to be even greater but what are you willing to give up for it? Nothing can be gained without sacrifice as the Holy One teaches¡± the clergyman says as he puts away a book. I glance around the room, there is little of note aside from a bookshelf, blood-stained table and a prisoner in a cage before I answer, ¡°what do you want from me?¡± The man smiles, ¡°that all depends on how much strength you wish to gain. Is it your mate or your daughter that has rekindled your thirst for power?¡± ¡°How does that matter?¡± I ask annoyed not noticing that he should not know of them. ¡°Your daughter¡¯s innate potential is far greater than your own. Theprice for you to eclipse what she will be is far more costly than your mate.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± I ask without answering. ¡°The Order of the Silver Blade has been restless and as you know that I need werewolf blood to strengthen you it should be obvious. . .¡± I look at him not sure just what it is that he is asking for as an odd tingle begins to form in the back of my head. He sighs and then speaks ¡°Give me the location and time for me to have your village raided. A time when you and a few others will not be there during a new moon.¡± I frown, this is much more than what he wanted last time. Just a few of the other hunters, they were going to die anyways during their trial so it didn¡¯t seem like much. No, that would be betraying the pack but . . . ¡°I don¡¯t know, how does more strength cost so much?¡± I ask as tinge of pain jars my thoughts, a remnant of my spar no doubt. ¡°It is harder to empower a strong individual using those who have lower potential. Age also makes things more difficult but with enough materials anything is possible¡± he says with a grin and I feel the slightest of tingles in my mind. I want to do this. I need power, I deserve it and they owe me.
Tynar Vithr¨¢
I smile as the fool of a werewolf falls to his greed and a tiny bit of mind magic. This creature¡¯s foolishness will not increase his might but rather my own and the Church of the Holy One. I grin as he tells me that the best time to come though I really only need the location of the village. Any new moon would work but I¡¯ll need time to get my superior to convince his colleagues for the attack. It shouldn¡¯t take too long, after all they are called Bloodclaw because of the magic that is passed down among them. I''ll have to make some antimagic crystals for their blades too. . . Ragnor departs with a slight mental nudge from my Charm andSugestionspells before I turn back to the slave in my cage. The young girl is a draconian, though I haven¡¯t been able to figure out her dragon ancestor. Her ability to resist magic is high but she seems susceptible to physical restraints and antimagic. Perhaps there is something other than a dragon¡¯s blood in her?
Bryan
After over a week on the road with Mr Babysitter asTomas has decided to call sir Brightblade since he literally allows us to do nothing but walk and sleep since our travel has started.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. I shift uncomfortably on the log that is my seat before the campfire as I eat what I can of my meal before it is decided that the meal is over by Brightblade. As tired as I am, I am hungrier and we are never given enough time to eat. ¡°Any plans on how to get rid of Brightblade?¡±Tomas asks. ¡°The only thing I can think of is to backstab during the cleansing of the graveyard¡± Adrian answers quiet enough that he can¡¯t be heard while blocking the sight of his mouth. Our only opportunity to talk is during meals with that same manner. ¡°The time of meals has passed¡± Brightblade shouts over the camp. It¡¯s been maybe thirty minutes since he was served though we have only had ten to eat ourselves. Several of the soldiers grumble but there is nothing any of us can do. The knight is too strong for any of us to fight and even if we did there is nowhere for us to go. ¡°You may rest until dawn¡± the knight says as if it were some great blessing. Dawn is only six hours away and I¡¯ll need every bit of sleep do I quickly collapse on the blanket that is my assigned location.
Gain: Body Building +5 XP, +5 XP Meditation
Bryan Grace Gender: Male Race: Human Age:17
Strength 16 Intelligence 14 Mana Potential 10 Skills SP: 115
Dexterity 13 Wisdom 15 Mana Potency 13 Languages Titles
Agility 12 Cunning 14 Luck 12 Traits Options
Vitality 13 Willpower 14 Perception 11 Magic
Endurance 12 Alertness12 Classes Racial Classes
Appearance 12 Charisma 13 Health 135/135 Mana 10/10
It has been difficult to get much of anything done during the slow walk that Brightblade has us keep. I should be trying to get stronger but I don¡¯t know how. With a mental yawn, I fall fully asleep. When I wake in the morning it is to a cold bucket of water dumped on my head by someone who has very quickly risen to the top of my least liked individual list. I didn¡¯t even have one before meeting him and all I can do is glare. ¡°The first light of dawn shines on the nearby hills. You must arise early least ye become slothful¡± the man states already in his plate and I can do nothing but gather my things for the slow walk of the day. Adrian walks up to me and whispers, ¡°I¡¯m going to try something. Do not react to it.¡± I make the slightest of nods before he extends his hand to help me up. I grab it and something feels off for an instant. My stomach growls but my fatigue is gone. ¡°How?¡± I whisper but he does not answer. I can only guess that Adrian figured out how to do more magic and there is no magic I would rather him have right now than this one, except for maybe a way to disintegrate Brightblade.
Adrian
More than another week has passed before we finally arrive at our destination, a relatively small village bordering a large graveyard. The sun is blocked by clouds and there is a chill on the wind, one that bites deeper than it should. Something is wrong in the area. ¡°Fear not my charges, this foul wind cannot harm us. Porter! Open the gates!¡± my least favored man in plate shouts. There is no response from the wooden walls of the small town. Only an eerie wind blows over us as we stand in the road before the front gate, the graveyard we are to clear on the other side of the village yet still within the walls. I take a breath and focus, trying to feel what is different in the pattern of reality here. Something has gone terribly wrong here and I do not want to be caught unawares. As my will stretches outwards and passes over my nearby surroundings. On a thematic hunch I focus on the Sphere of Death, after all what else would be in a monster infested graveyard? The light eerie feeling that I was already feeling become stronger and sharper. Clusters of decay and a dark force appear before my mind¡¯s eye. There are a lot of rotting things on the other side of the wall. I haven¡¯t seen that dark force before but it has to be connected with death. It feels similar to lifeforce in the Sphere of Life but more like it was the inverse. Negative Energy? Or is it that there was simply a lot of death recently? Brightblade motions some of the soldiers to approach the wooden gate. With a push, the gate opens while the sound of breaking wood fills our ears. The wooden gate was weakened by dry rot, how long as they put off dealing with whatever problem is here? ¡°Form squads of four and search for survivors¡± Brightblade shouts out without batting an eye as if he either does not care that the village is dead or he already knew what we would find here. Is that why he took his time? Killing whatever caused this in revenge is easier than rescuing the villager. . . No, he is one of those ''holier than thou'' types of knights. I think he truly believes all of the stuff he has been forcing upon us. I glance to my friends and quickly join with them, the soldiers may be better trained but none of us want to deal with them over each other. The soldiers all get into small diamond formations as they begin to move down the central street and search the homes. We likewise do the same though I take the lead to bring us towards the graveyard itself. ¡°Leading us towards the best loot?¡± Tomas asks with a smile. ¡°The graveyard itself is the source of whatever killed the village¡± I state not fully answering his question, in truth I wanted to get away from Brightblade and if we are going to find anything important it will be there. ¡°Five bucks on undead¡± Bryan says. ¡°Not fair, it¡¯s obviously going to be undead¡± Tomas comments. ¡°He¡¯s right Bryan. We all know it¡¯ll be undead, all the signs are here. Eerie wind, advanced signs of decay where they shouldn¡¯t be, there¡¯s even a seemingly unnatural overcast¡± I interject. ¡°We¡¯re safe right?¡± Abagail asks. ¡°As much as we can be. Adrian made sure we all have some alchemical fire and a few healing potions¡± Bryan answers her. Unless we run into something more than a few basic skeletons and zombies we should be fine. At least unless the demonic taint mentioned on that piece of paper is real anyways. You need magical weapons to fight even the smallest demon and I am unsure if my reality bending magic can count as magical fire or lightning. I hear a shout behind us and something breaking or maybe that was a clash of metal. One of the squads of soldiers must have gotten into a fight with something. Can I assume that the dark force is negative energy now that I have reasonable evidence of undead? We do not however stop and turn around to go help the soldiers fight whatever it is that they have encountered. After all, our goal here is to get away from them and Brightblade. Just before we turn a corner I say, ¡°I think something will be there waiting for us.¡± We turn the corner with swords drawn while Abagail has a crossbow readied. My guess was right as there is a corpse standing before us with a rusted blade and tattered cloth. Several cuts already on the corpse leaving no doubt that it is dead. A crossbow quarrel slams into the chest of the corpse to little effect. Chapter 014 The Light Elves are currently ruled by the Alanth¨ªer family, they are known as Royal Elves and have high affinity with elemental forces. From their capital city of Teilianthar somewhere in the center of the Forest of Tellesear, they have ruled the elven kingdom since its inception before the time of demons. The elves are known for their collective magical might and the mastery that each individual has in their chosen role.
Adrian
The corpse does not respond to the quarrel from Abagail¡¯s crossbow, no perception of pain or being impeded by the wound. It begins to lumber towards us, clearly hostile regardless of the lack of groans or calling for brains. ¡°Do you think it is viral or a real undead with negative energy?¡± Bryan asks, calm in contrast to the panic that Abagail has at seeing the walking dead. ¡°It isn¡¯t breathing so we can assume that it is not some sort of super rabies. Blunt and piercing damage is probably going to be ineffective¡± I say as I clumsily swing a blade to strike at the corpse¡¯s arm. Bryan does the same and while the flailing limbs of the zombie prevents me from getting a clear hit, Bryan has better luck or perhaps simply is more skilled and his blade severs several of the muscles of the corpse¡¯s left arm which goes limp. No blood leaks from the wound though the stench of rotten flesh grow stronger as some pieces fall from the creature as its bone becomes visible. I dodge an arm by taking a step back glad that the corpse is slower than me. A blade passes between the ribs from behind and I can only guess that Tomas is the cause and while it does make it harder for the zombie to move that sort of lethal injury probably does not mean too much to the corpse. Bryan hacks at the arm he previously injured while I do the same, managing to hit as Tomas¡¯s blade holds the corpse in place. It is not long until the arms have fallen to the ground. I smirk, ¡°disarmed, I don¡¯t think it can do anything to us anymore.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a terrible pun¡± Tomas comments as all our worry over dealing with the creature leaves. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you finish it off?¡± Abagail asks. ¡°We¡¯ll get to it¡± Bryan comments before the two of us repeatedly hack at the legs of the creature as it lumbers at us in some form of ineffective charge. After one of the legs is removed the zombie falls unable to maintain its balance on a single leg and stops moving. Tomas kicks it a few times but it just lies there like the corpse that it used to be. ¡°I think it¡¯s dead again¡± Tomas states and Bryan and me shrug in response. It does not really matter if it has lost whatever forces were animating it since it no longer has a method of attack aside from maybe biting those who put their hands in its mouth. ¡°Onwards then?¡± Bryan asks. ¡°Why didn¡¯t either of you use any magic?¡± Tomas asks Abagail and me. ¡°I don¡¯t know any spells, we haven¡¯t had time to study with that knight around¡± she answers before I do. ¡°Didn¡¯t need to¡± is all I say. Not that I have a whole lot to work with. Maybe I can pull some lightning from the clouds or play with fire after someone uses one of the alchemist¡¯s fires but I still need a starting point. Though I might be able to use Spatial Aim for something other than guns. . . Regardless of my musings we continue on our path towards the graveyard itself. If we are going to get anything useful out of this trip. I also think that sir Brightblade will take his time in getting to the source of the problem. ¡°RETURN TO THE GRAVE TORMENTED SOUL!!!¡± I may be wrong on that note. I look back at the direction of Brightblade¡¯s shout and give a sigh of relief that he is not in sight. ¡°This way¡± I say taking the lead once more while feeling out the locations of the nearby death energy. That corpse was a source of it so I can assume that even if it is not negative energy, it is associated with undead. We turn a few street corners before arriving at the metal gate to the graveyard. The black iron bars rising from the stone wall doing nothing but making the place look more sinister. The gate itself is also made of intricately shaped tubes of metal and are spread wide while two things in rusted chain stand before them. One of the two look at our group before the sound of bones knocking against each other and an ethereal voice comes from the walking dead man, ¡°no knights? A pity I do love reanimating their corpses. They always have the best reaction when others see them.¡± ¡°Sentient Undead or some form of Undead Lieutenant?¡± I ask. ¡°Someone that knows a bit of the dark arts, what are you doing here?¡± the voice within the rotten corpse asks. ¡°Adrian, shouldn¡¯t we just attack already?¡± Tomas asks and I sigh with a slight nod. ¡°Stay back for a moment. I want to try something¡± I whisper and reach out towards the clouds above as while delving into the Sphere of Lightning. I feel some small charges, only the potential for a storm but that is enough. I grab ahold of it and force it to grow before mentally pulling it down while gesturing with my right hand. An act that is unnecessary but helps me focus on just what the charges are to do. A rumble spreads across the sky as small bolts arc towards the clouds directly above us. The undead or its control recognizes something is wrong and charges at us but only manages a few steps before a streak of lightning comes down on it. Thunder sets my ears ringing as that body is rendered inert.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. The clouds lighten and while I can still feel a small charge it would take some time to build it up to another lightning bolt. Even so I smile, I¡¯ve always wanted to do that. ¡°Holy shit¡± my three friends all say, at least that is what I think that they said, I¡¯m still deafened by the ringing sounds. The second corpse begins to lumber towards us but it is slower than the first and looks like it is heavier. I don¡¯t smell any burnt flesh so what I just destroyed was probably a skeletal undead rather than a regular old corpse. I also doubt that it was the leader since it was acting as a guard. . . Abagail fires a quarrel at the second guard and while it punches straight through the chainmail it does not seem to hurt that thing. It is probably a zombie under that armor, this might be a problem since chainmail does well against slashing. ¡°We need an axe¡± Bryan comments after finding that his sword fails to cut through the armor. ¡°Decapitate it! Doesn¡¯t that kill zombies¡± Abagail shouts. ¡°No, but it might rely on the head to see¡± I answer her as if it were a question. This might be something we should use some of the alchemist fire on though since it is only a single target I personally think it would be better to wait for there to be more undead. Not to use it all at once but that I should be able to manipulate the flames to burn them all. As the three of us boys continue to try to get a disabling hit on the corpse Abagail shouts out, ¡°there¡¯s more!¡± I turn and take a grazing blow to my left arm and see that she is right. Several undead are walking towards us at a slow but stead pace. I disengage from the armored zombie and check the other direction only to find that there two are we being approached by undead. The Graveyard itself has some quiet but strange sounds and I reach out to feel the Sphere of Death. Many motes of that dark energy are moving towards our position. I retrieve a vial of alchemist fire from my satchel through Translocation Grasp before tossing it at the wooden wall of a house. Sure the village might burn to the ground but I need the fire and the dry wood of the homes is fast kindling that probably won¡¯t go out even if I pull enough fire off of it to burn my foes. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± shouts Abagail but I don¡¯t answer, the answer is obvious enough and will only become more so. The flames race up the side of the wooden building, the wood suffering from the same malady that the front gate did, dry rot. I grab a portion mentally and have it race at the nearest corpse before pushing that flame to burn hotter and faster. It¡¯s color shifts to blue as the worst smelling smoke I¡¯ve ever smelled rapidly rises from my target before it falls inert. ¡°Stay close to me¡± I shout to my friends, there is no way I¡¯ll be able to contain the flames and fight with them but I should be able to keep us from being burned alive. I smile as watch as my surroundings slowly become ash. Unfortunately, the wooden buildings burn a little too fast and I can hear the screams of the living. I probably accidently killed some of the soldiers. Still the undead seem to be almost as vulnerable to fire as the dry rot wood is. The flames continue to spread and while I am pushing them away from our immediate surroundings the temperature keeps rising. ¡°We need to move¡± Bryan says as Tomas is looking at the flames. I push Tomas lightly to get him to move towards the graves, which is both our destination and only option. When we pass by the gate there is a ghastly scream that Abagail immediately fires her crossbow at. It turns out to be a skull, probably a Sentry Skull but there is no way that our location is not already known. ¡°Adrian, can you teach me firebending?¡± Tomas asks and I groan. He only recently stopped bothering Abagail and me about magic and now this? ¡°That wasn¡¯t firebending. That was just my magic¡± a answer Tomas. ¡°Are you sure you can¡¯t teach me?¡± I don¡¯t answer and am not the only one to increase my pace. That brings a small amount of comfort that I¡¯m not the only one who would rather rush towards danger than be bothered by ceaseless pestering for something I cannot even give. After several minutes of walking we arrive at a stone church in the exact center of the graveyard. It¡¯s glass windows stained as if the glass was mixed with the color of fresh blood. The wooden doors are open and unlike the rest of the wood they seem to be in perfect condition aside from stains near the bottom. Within the church there are no pews only a stone altar covered in bones and burning candles. Behind the altar is a stair well that goes down into the ground. I glance back for a moment at the inferno that still burns at the entrance to the graveyard. We enter and the wooden floor boards that hold the tiles we stand on creak but there is only silence and the distant crackling of flame. A clapping sound echoes through the chapel as a figure in black robes ascends the stairs into our sight. ¡°You¡¯re too late, I¡¯ve already teleported the demonic core away¡± the figure says. ¡°What?¡± several of us ask at once. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t think someone capable of weather control would be a pawn. I suppose you¡¯ll want me to explain it and all.¡± ¡°That would be nice¡± Abagail responds. ¡°To bad there is no reason to tell one who will soon be dead.¡± The figure continues to speak a few more syllables but none of them make any sense to my mind, I can¡¯t even tell the language. A clear rod is extended in his hand and he points it at us. ¡°Dodge¡± I shout as I drop to the ground feeling my hair begin to stand on end while Bryan does the same. Abagail and Tomas do not react as quickly and a bolt of lightning launches itself from the glass rod. There is no Sonic boom though the crack of some form of thunder as Tomas is the unlucky one to be hit. He falls to the ground and while I can see his chest moving I cannot tell in an instant if it is convulsions alone from the electricity or if he is still breathing. I feel my face become wet and I touch my cheek for a second before pushing down my emotions. Death is all that awaits us unless this thing dies. I rush at the figure while Abagail rushes to Tomas. Bryan likewise rushes to our friend, asking if he is okay. My blade enters into the body of the figure but I do not feel nearly as much resistance as I should. The cloth catches on a nick of my blade and a ripping sound fills my ears as a skeletal figure is revealed. There is a disembodied laughter as a torrent of flame spreads out from the body but I grab onto it in my anger and turn it back on the body figure, taking control of his spell and turning it against him. The bones splinter under the heat, far too easily for it to be the source of my torment. I fall onto my knees in the center of a ring of soot, practically untouched by the flame as silent tears fall. There is a disembodied laugh that fades away as if it were leaving but I know it does not do this because of my actions, in fact there was nothing I could do against it. A short few minutes later the heavy steps of a knight who was not there when he was needed echo in my ears. ¡°You have done well hopeful squires. The evil has left these halls, come we must return¡± the man who can only be Brightblade says completely ignoring that Tomas lies dead by his feet. I turn and silently pick up my friend''s body with Bryan before we are stopped by the prick in plate, ¡°you must leave him. We cannot be slowed in returning to report.¡± ¡°He died driving away the creature you supposed to be here to fight. He . . .¡± I start with venom in my words before the knight interrupts me. ¡°It cannot be helped, I was delayed by the search for survivors. We must go, there is no time.¡± ¡°No, you will either wa. . .¡± Bryan starts before the knight knocks him in the side of the head with the pommel of his perfectly polished sword. The unlit candles in the room ignite as I pull fire that was not there from them and throw it at this disgrace of a paladin in the few seconds before my vision goes black after pain erupts from my right temple. Chapter 015 The dark elves have no capital or central government but whatever family can strongarm the other families in their area to their will. Almost every house is ruled as a matriarchy and loathe the Light Elven races and the Alanth¨ªer family. While they tend to be knowledgeable in the dark mystic arts though they do not serve fiends. Their split from their cousins stems from a time before the Demon Times when an Alanth¨ªer seer foresaw the dangers that dark magic would one day bring and ordered it banned. Their original families were cursed by him when they refused to abide his law and argued that controlled study of the dark arts would solve it.
Lanis Brightblade
Only a half dozen peasant soldiers and three of the four Called survived the cleansing. That so much life had to be lost saddens me. I kiss the holy symbol I wear around my neck as the called are tied to the horses. It will take many hours for me to clean my armor after the fights with the profaned dead and the flames one of the Called struck me with. The sacred stone within my blade must have been expended as it did not shield me from his magic or perhaps the Holy One understood his plight. If I could have given them the time to bury their friend I would but my orders were clear. Cleanse the graveyard of the profaned and return with a black crystal if it is on the altar of the chapel and to make no delays in my return. I close my eyes and take a breath before deciding to omit their attack on me in my report. A sense of righteousness fills me and I know that the Crying God approves. ¡°Move out¡± I command the soldiers while maintaining an authoritative voice. I walk next to the horses, pulling out my holy symbol once more I utter a prayer unto the Holy One and the Crying God, the prayer of succor and healing for those who have suffered in the fight against the profaned. I offer up a portion of mana as the words flow from my lips and a dull blue glow forms over the Calleds'' injuries, closing them and sealing them from infection. They will still bare the scars on their souls but I have done all I can for them. None of the three wake for the first day of forced march back to the capital in accordance to the orders that I have been issued. I cannot even stop for the daily prayers and meals for the Prelate must know with all haste what has transpired.
Bryan
I stand in an empty black void save for a white table that I am sitting at. I do not know how long I sit as Tomas¡¯s death and the actions of Adrian and Brightblade play through my mind¡¯s eye. Adrian did everything that he could, both to protect us and convince us that this place is dangerous. But we wouldn¡¯t listen to him and Tomas paid the price for it. Where I was a fool he made the right choices. Where I froze and abandoned the fight he picked up the slack. What would have happened if I also had been like him, giving everything to learning and preparing? My thoughts momentarily break as the sound of an opening door is accompanied by a white door opening and a tall man with black hair and eyes that look as if they were a picture of deep space walks in and sits at the table. ¡°Bryan Tybalt Grace, do you know who I am?¡± I shake my head, though I think this is a dream. The man smiles but he looks sad before he continues talking. ¡°You know me as the Architect, and I am here to offer you something.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a god, right?¡± I ask and he nods. ¡°Can you bring my friend back?¡± ¡°Yes and no.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take whatever offer you want if you''ll bring him back.¡± ¡°Bryan, I would like to but gods have rules that keep us from doing anything we want¡± he responds with genuine yet also hollow sadness. ¡°What do you mean? You¡¯re a god, just say it and it is so. Isn¡¯t that how it works?¡± ¡°Gods, have to act through the faith of their followers. That is the very energy that gives us form and it shapes a god as he gathers it from his followers. You need to understand something, whether a god is born divine or becomes so, the faith of those that believe in him shape him as the very source of his being. We can also only act if some form of invitation is involved that forms a strong enough bridge of faith. If this was the case I could raise Tomas from the dead but it is not so. I am here for another reason.¡± ¡°What then?¡± ¡°I named you an Exalted Champion, it is time for you to know just what that means.¡± The figure pauses for a moment before he continues, ¡°you are a paladin that cannot fall. That I know you and have declared that even in you flaws I consider you a perfect follower.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never even prayed to you.¡± ¡°But you accepted that I exist and my divinity within minutes of entering this world. That is the bridge of faith that lets me talk to you as I am now, though it alows almost nothing else. Your current lack of prayer and the occasional offering can be corrected when you wake can slowly fix that. What we need to do is get you the basic knowledge of divine magic so you can actually take advantage of what I have declared you to be.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Why now? Why not earlier when that could have helped me save my friend?¡± I ask with clear displeasure. ¡°You were not subconsciously reaching out for help. I can¡¯t give you back your friend or do any handwaving to undo what has happened. The cost for that is too high but I can help you gain the strength to not have to suffer more losses.¡± ¡°What do you want in return?¡± I ask, nothing is free. ¡°The price was already paid a long time ago. I will teach you the basics to divine magic regardless but I do have a separate offer.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°When Adrian leads you west, he and one of those you fight will vanish. When this happens talk and learn what happened before you continue fighting. Will you make a promise to do so?¡± ¡°Why would you ask this?¡± ¡°Because if you do not you will lose another friend.¡± With a sigh, I nod and the god smiles. I do not know if what he says is true but I cannot think of a reason for him to lie to me about such a thing. ¡°I¡¯m going to add a racial class to you aside from the hidden base human you already have. Now divine magic is the easiest form of mana based magic to use. Just pray asking in flowery speech what you want while releasing mana into your surroundings while thinking of the mana dispersed as an offering. I won¡¯t be a stickler over the exact wordings of spells but there are some emotional and intelectual connections that you must maintain during the spells for them to function properly. You will have to think about the meanings of the Divine Spheres in order to use divine magic under their domain. Your understanding of a Divine Sphere will make it easier to muster up the faith to get the spells to work. At least that is how I have my clergy use it. It makes them good at other magics as well rather than the devotion that the others demand for even simple spells.¡± Before I can ask any questions, everything vanishes and I find myself in the haze between sleeping and the waking world. The Architect¡¯s system screens in my view but nothing else.
Gain: +235 Man-at-arms, +465 XP Acolyte, +15 XP Apprentice (Mage), +25 XP Learned, +12 XP Disciple of Freedom, +2 XP Bodybuilding, +5 XP Melee, +5XP European Swords, +215 XP Religion, Acolyte 0 -> 3 +6SP, Religion 5 -> 6 +6SP, +1 XP Meditation, +1 XP Mana Control,
Bryan Grace Gender: Male Race: Human Age: 17
Strength 16 Intelligence 14 Mana Potential 10 Skills SP: 115
Dexterity 13 Wisdom 15 Mana Potency 13 Languages Titles
Agility 12 Cunning 14 Luck 12 Traits Options
Endurance 15 Willpower 14 Perception 11 Magic
Vitality 13 Alertness 12 Faith ?? Classes Racial Class
Appearance 12 Charisma 13 Health 180/180 Mana 35/35
I look over the screen and am surprised that the few sentences that he spoke on divine magic were of such value. I also have a new attribute Faith though I can¡¯t see the value of it. What is the point of knowing that I have it if I can¡¯t look at it? My mana went up too, not entirely sure as to why though. I pull up a description of the Disciple of Freedom, wondering if this is the additional thing that I got from the Architect.
Disciple of Freedom ¨C Racial Class
Humanity does not have a path of become more human and so most deviate from humanity by introducing the blood of other creatures. You have taken a different path. Within humans is the potential for both great good and evil, law and chaos. Freedom is one of the infinite paths of alignment and as you develop your spirit, it will change your body to match rather than trading pieces of your humanity for the bloodline and instict of another race.
This does not make a whole lot of sense. Then again, I have never looked at the subject before. It seems the idea is rather than trade my humanity I transcend it?
Tomas
I feel cold as I sit up finding myself on a stone altar, the last thing I remember is pain, searing pain and collapsing to the ground. ¡°You woke up, and here I thought that you would not make it¡± a voice says and I look around for it. I''m still in the stone church in the middle of that cemetery but it is not late at night rather than the afternoon, a waning gibbous moon is on the other side of a broken window while an elf with a black and red cloak over some sort of chainmail and a sword at his side stands smiling at me. The smile makes me uncomfortable, it is as if the elf sees me as a thing rather than a person. "Nothing to say? No where are my friends? What have you done to me?" the elf asks. "Wha. . ." I begin before the elf cuts me off while frowning. "Slow reaction to initial situation, my hopes may not have been low enough. I''ll explain then so be quiet, nod if you understand." I nod and he continues, "I am Dam? R¨¢meri the Immortal. You died tragic and you friends left you to rot." "Th. . ." I interject only for the elf to glare at me before my jaw snaps shut and I lose control over the muscles of my mouth. "Willing or not, they left you to rot where you fell. I always need test subjects and since Called then to adjust better mentally I decided to use you as one. I haven''t come up with a name for what I turned you into but you should notice a raised level of physical ability and a quickly growing hunger. You should figure out how to resolve that part easily enough . . ." Chapter 020 Acronas is the elder of the two cities of the draconians and lies in the eastern mountains on the southern side of the Land of Shael. There is no road to the city and only by flight can anyone reach the city causing them to be isolationists. The matriarchal council that rules the city cares little for the events outside of their mountains. In a continuing failure to control the population their council actively removes males who are more aggressive and powerful. This has over centuries weakened their population overall reducing their size and failed to create more docile males.
Tomas
The first day that I follow the strange elf who brought me back from the dead was uneventful, he did not answer any of my questions and we have yet to run into anybody else on the road. I have taken the time to do some examination of my body. I¡¯ve lost some weight in whatever he did and I no longer need glasses to see though I can wear them and after a moment my vision will become clear again. My hands are however the only thing that give away that I¡¯m no longer human. In the center of each palm is a slit that opens up when I press my palm against something. Within that slit are some fangs or maybe stingers that I have no idea what they do. There is also an ever so slowly growing discomfort within me even though I have felt no hunger as we walk. The strange elf Dam? walks up to the small wooden gate that surrounds a village on the side of the road. I don¡¯t remember seeing it on the map Adrian found in one of those books and it is maybe a dozen small houses. Little more than a few small shops and an inn. ¡°Enjoy yourself¡± he says while tossing a bag of coins to me. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Willing subjects are easier to study. So long as you¡¯re a good experiment I¡¯ll give you some things you want and desire¡± he says before literally falling into a shadow. I look around but none of the few people on the street have so much as batted an eyelash at his vanishing act. Was that magic? I think that was magic. He also said if I was a good experiment I¡¯d get rewards. Dying sucked but maybe this is not so bad. . . Still I walk into the inn to see three tables in the common room, one of which is currently occupied by an old man who smells like he sweats what he drinks. The bartender does not say anything but a young woman in a tunic that is cut a little low around her chest says, ¡°take yer pick of table. I¡¯ll get ta ye soon darling.¡± I sit at the one nearest the stairs which have some odd symbols carved on their railing. Since I don¡¯t know what they mean I ignore them. ¡°Just a meal or spending the night?¡± the waitress asks after trying to get the other man to pay for his drinks. ¡°Spending the night¡± I day while pulling out the pouch of coins Dam? gave me. Glancing inside I can see at least a dozen gold coins. ¡°Looking for any extra services?¡± she asks while leaning lower than she needs to. ¡°What kinds?¡± I ask not sure what she is hinting at. ¡°The kinds you can¡¯t let your mother know about¡± she whispers in my ear and I find myself nodding. ¡°I''ll bring you a selection after dusk then. The soup will take a moment.¡± I smile, I never would have gotten away with bringing a whore back to our quarters in that Althaen city. Abagail would probably run her off and I think Bryan might shame me. Still I hope whoever it is is clean. Who knows what sort of funky diseases could show up in a magical world like this. Actually, magic could probably make sure that sort of stuff is cured before it can spread. The soup somehow feels wrong to me. I can smell that it is lightly seasoned but the taste is bland. I can see the cheese sticking to the sides of the pieces of potato but I cannot taste it. I don¡¯t feel full or satisfied with it as I drink the broth but I have to eat. I stick to water for the short hour before dusk. I want to be able to remember this in the morning and somehow the water seemed more appetizing than the soup did. I must have been dehydrated. Dusk falls and the waitress approaches me while I grin. ¡°Your room has been prepared, follow me.¡± And follow I do, I wonder if she is the company I¡¯ll be paying for or if she pimps for some other girls. We go up the stairs and she opens the second door on the right before handing me the key. I enter the room to see that there are three girls, each scantily dressed in a way that covers only their breasts and hips.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Pick the girl you want. They¡¯re all clean, fresh from the market.¡± I don¡¯t immediately catch the latter sentence, excited to enjoy myself and I point to the girl with the largest chest. The other two follow the waitress out while the girl I picked looks at me scared for some reason. ¡°Are you alright?¡± I ask. ¡°Y yes¡± she answers but I¡¯m not sure the answer is truthful. ¡°You don¡¯t have to. . .¡± I start before she interrupts. ¡°Yes, I do.¡± She then begins to undress from what little clothing she is wearing as I begin to stare. The cloth that covered her breasts fall to the ground, giving me my first real look at that part of female anatomy outside of pictures from the web. I reach out and touch them, the smooth softness under my fingertips as more and more of my hand is filled by the softness of the female flesh. I give a light squeeze, enjoying the soft firmness. That very instance the girl screams and a warm wetness fills my palm and the warmth travels up my arm. I try to pull back in a panic, this isn¡¯t how it is supposed to be, but my hand does not move from her chest. The girl¡¯s skin goes pale and takes on a deathly pallor as some sort of warmth travels up my arm from her. Her screaming gets louder before she goes limp in my grasp and the strange feeling shooting up my arm ends. Only then does my hand separate from the girl and she falls to the ground. I hear a knocking at the door and I quickly look between the door and the girl who is no longer breathing. No, no, no this can¡¯t be happening. How can it be like this?
Dam? R¨¢meri
I grin in my shadowed form as my newest experiment on creating immortal weapons stumbles upon the most significant change to his anatomy. The screams of the dying girl however seem to have alerted the other mortals and judging by the hyper ventilating and panicked look of my experiment he is not adjusting fast enough to his new race. It seems that I will have to intervene if I want to get a significant amount of data from this experiment. I walk through the wall and into the hall before shifting my body back into the physical world. With a flick of my wrist and a burst of mana I corrupt the latent mana flowing through the blood of the waitress and the hidden bouncer that protects the slaves; taking control of the blood in their bodies and freezing them in place just as the waitress opens the door. I manipulate the two as if they were puppets and have them follow behind me as I enter the room. My experiment appears to be trying to maintain the flow of blood in his accidental victim, not that it will do any good. Such crude methods cannot repair what has been done. The two being puppeteered by their blood look forwards with eyes full of fear, their minds runing unhindered, while I have full control over their bodies. They begin to pull my experiment away from his meal so that I can examine the effectiveness of the feeding process. The lack of clothing makes the initial examination easy, still I frown at how much lifeforce is still dissipating from the corpse as my eyes shift to look at the flow of positive and negative energy. The drain did not kill the girl but a mix between the toxins involved and physical trauma from creating the bridge to draw out her lifeforce. Now that my examination is complete I turn to my experiment and bother to hear the words which he speaks. ¡°. . .ve her. I didn¡¯t mean to. . .¡± and immediately regret doing so. Perhaps I made a mistake in which of the Called I killed to raise and use as an experiment. There is too much morality in him but it is too early to be certain of that judgement. With another small burst of mana, I add my experiment to the list of people under my Blood Puppets spell, silencing him. ¡°The girl is dead and I will not change that. This is what you are now, a monster that must take life from others in order to sustain yourself. Surely you have been feeling the ache in your veins, a growing discomfort ever since I rose you from the grave. A pain that lessened as you took that girls life. Unfortunately, the process is still too crude and wasteful though the girl may have simply had too weak of a body. You will try again on these other two¡± I say before releasing him from my spell. ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill people¡± he answers as I loosen my hold over him. ¡°Then learn control, living creatures can heal and recover from you just as they could from a vampire¡¯s bite. And don¡¯t think of starving yourself, the hunger will drive you mad before it kills you. If you don¡¯t eat your instincts will take over and you will gorge yourself on everything nearby.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t . . .¡± ¡°You¡¯re not human anymore, holding onto your humanity too much will only hold you back. You must balance who you are with what you now are.¡± ¡°What ca. . .¡± ¡°. . .can I know of becoming a monster? Because I am one. A monster who walked a path far worse than the one I am putting you through. I scratched and crawled my way back into the world of the living after being tortured and then eaten by demons. I burned in the flames of Ignaris, got extinguished in the depths of Aquarvas, torn asunder by the winds of Caelaris and crushed under the weight of the mountains of Terraniar. All this before I was destroyed again by paladins and holy men, only to rise from the fragments because they failed to purify all of my remains. Then I suffered for decades, subjecting myself to the lights of the higher planes that it could not happen again. All you have to go through is drain the life of others, there are those that must eat their own kin to live. Those who live in soul wetching agony every second of their existence but still maintain their sense of self. I would prefer you to stay sane so I can just release you when I¡¯m done but I won¡¯t let you die until I¡¯m done¡± I say with venom and a surge of mana through the blood in his brain. A crude substitute for the enchantments that have never made sense to me. I then grab his hand and place it in the bouncer, if the failure of the feeding process was due to the weakness of the girl there should not be any issue with him and there are plenty of ways to strengthen the victim. . . The man screams as I apply just the right pressure on my experiment''s hand to start the process. I grin as I watch the flow of his life force turn into a flow towards the subject of my study. His body withering as he begins to rapidly age but he still dies of the trauma before all of him can be taken. Refinement is needed, perhaps a less extensive bond? Or a feedback, returning some of the life in healing to reduce the trauma as the feeding progresses? Chapter 016 While the dwarves live for the most part in the mountain range, known as the Darkwall Mountians, that separates us from the Darklands; they have some cities in the other mountains around the world. The dark elves say that there are vast highways underground and that they have an empire under the feet of all those on the surface. That idea is of course laughed at in any respectable circle. Aside from the draconians they limit all outsiders from the majority of their cities but aside from their skilled smithing they have nothing worth fighting to take from them.
Lykou
A week has past since I started being taught by Kylana and while I have been astounding her in the speed that I pick up the theory and to a lesser extent learning to manipulate mana there is one aspect of magic that I suffer setback after setback, raw ability. ¡°Tired already?¡± Kythia asks in a mocking tone as my latest attempt at Magic Missile fizzles failing to do more that blacken the log sitting on a stump in the clearing where Kylana has us practice any potentially dangerous spells. ¡°Says the girl who has been suck at this level for years¡± I counter. She frowns at the reminder that it has taken me a week to reach the point where she set magic aside in control. Kylana smiles at the remark. ¡°At least I can cast more than twice¡± she shouts back after a second. ¡°And the only thing you have is brute strength¡± Kylana interrupts as she always does when Kythia makes fun of my inherit weakness. There has to be a way for me to improve Mana Potency. Base values can change, Draconic Blood Expansion already proves that but how do I strengthen it? Raw practice until I hit mana exhaustion at least once a day isn¡¯t doing anything but maybe helping my pool grow as I rise in level. Is my guess that it is like a muscle wrong? Or that I¡¯m not feeling any resistance as I cast the issue with that idea? ¡°But mom, it isn¡¯t fair that he gets to make fun of me but I can¡¯t him¡± Kythia complains. ¡°Lykou improves on a daily basis. When I can brag the same way about your progress in magic I won¡¯t let him mock you either¡± Kylana says. ¡°But it¡¯s hard to make mana do what I want.¡± ¡°And squeezing a small amount of mana for all you can isn¡¯t? He didn¡¯t have the mana for that last spell but did it anyways. Now it¡¯s your turn, show me a good Magic Missile and prove him wrong.¡± Even though the cadence of mana blocks me from directly understanding the words Kythia says I recognize it as the spell her mother demands and that her anger is also added. A red bolt near twice the size of my last try forms and slams into the log. The bolt of force splintering the bark and leaving a small hole behind. Power, raw magical power. How is it that I¡¯m supposedly draconic but suck in the aspect of raw magic? Dragons are supposed to be the best at raw power, aren''t they? ¡°You¡¯re to angry and that bolt flew perfectly straight. A skilled opponent would have dodged that waste of mana¡± Kylana says with a smile even though it was better than most of her tries today. ¡°Still, our time for today is up. Lykou, I¡¯d like to talk to you when you¡¯re done here¡± Kylana continues knowing full well that I¡¯m going to do some exercise here while waiting for my mana to replenish before trying a few more times before dusk. Kythia looks troubled but does not leave like she normally does while I clear the splintered wood from where I will do some push ups and crunches. After a few minutes she bites down on nothing before walking up to me. ¡°How do you do it?¡± she asks. ¡°Do what?¡± I ask wanting to make her say it. Teasing her is fun even if I still haven¡¯t figured out if there is any relation between her and the silver haired woman in my dreams. ¡°How do you make Magic Missile not take the most direct path?¡± Should I tell her or tease her some more? ¡°Is that all you want to know?¡± ¡°How are you learning so fast?¡± she asks. I smile, I don¡¯t know why but I like the idea of teaching her. I don¡¯t think I would consider teaching the brats of Naliya¡¯s class anything but I find myself enjoying this. This is also part of the reason why Kylana is pushing her so hard, to get her to ask for more help. ¡°Outside practice. Every day I repeat all the spells I was taught outside of class and read more than just what she tells us to. Hard work is my secret. If you want to be better practice, if you don¡¯t understand something ask someone who does.¡± She holds her tongue for a moment as if thinking about what to do with my answer before she asks almost in a whisper, ¡°teach me.¡± ¡°What?¡± I ask with a grin. ¡°Then please teach me after mother¡¯s classes, please?¡± she asks embarrassed and upset at doing so. ¡°Only if you¡¯ll teach me what you¡¯re better at than me¡± I answer. She is way better at martial skills and she does know things I don¡¯t about magic even if she doesn¡¯t know it herself. A week cannot compare to years of instruction regardless of her not paying as much attention as she should have. ¡°Deal, now how do I make irregular paths?¡± ¡°Strings, multiple directions or by marking the target.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. She just looks at me, bit getting anything out of that brief list of hows. ¡°I can demonstrate after I get some mana back.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°You can feel when your mana touches other mana. I¡¯ll take a tiny part of you mana along for the ride.¡± ¡°Ride?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have my mana drag yours along for what I do.¡± She nods at that before saying, ¡°then spar with me while you wait.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t put all your strength behind it. This is to teach not give me a beating¡± I say while moving into a readied stance. Kythia does not answer before striking me with a jab. It hurts and I know that it¡¯ll leave a bruise but I also know that she could have hit much harder with her advantage in stature. I throw a left jab only to be caught and twisted to a position I remember from that dream. I block a strike that if it did hit would have broken my elbow. This style is the similar to that dream. We spar until I fall to the ground breathing heavily and I clearly lost, many many times. This feels familiar. As if this was not the first time she beat me in a spar. ¡°How do you knowWolven Fist?¡± Kythia asks, the first words either of us spoke since the start of the spar. ¡°A dream, I was taught parts of it in a dream¡± I say out of breath and for some reason she just nods. ¡°Do you have enough mana now?¡± she asks. ¡°Give me a moment to catch my breath¡± After about half a minute I stand, I really hope my idea for showing her will work. The basics of counterspell is to inject mana and disrupt the caster''s mana. It might be possible to do the first without the second. ¡°Kythia, I¡¯m going to hold my spell readied and you¡¯ll have to push the smallest amount of mana you can into it and then not resist anything I do and just focus on watching it.¡± She nods and I chant everything save for the last syllable of Magic Missile while forming the small cylinder that is filled with the mana that is to detonate on impact. I feel a twinge of pain and my spell all but collapses as something slams into it. I barely manage to wrap my mana around the foreign construct and while it makes my energy bolt lopsided and deformed I do incase it and incorporate it with my spell. I nod to Kythia as she looks at me and she takes a deep breath releasing control of the foreign energy I feel, allowing me to push at it as it slowly becomes a miniature version of my own spell as I restart the chant to aid in my focus. This time I continue through the final syllable and the bolt of force slams into the log with a slight spin and arcs along the path I planned by putting different amounts of mana in the vectors of the spell. Kythia stares at the log after it was hit before I see her eyes following the path that the bolt took. ¡°Can you show me again?¡± she asks after a minute. ¡°Maybe, it took more out of me to drag and shape your mana than I thought.¡± ¡°How come the directions you set hit the target even though they don¡¯t point to it?¡± ¡°Math¡± I answer and she frowns as most do. At least I feel like most people don¡¯t like the subject. I don¡¯t actually know, I can¡¯t remember ever talking about it with anyone, just how to do it. ¡°The directional movement of a default Magic Missile have three parts a rate of release, an amount of energy and a direction. The one I just used was slightly different. There were six of them but each had a preset direction and a delay instead. The rate of release and amount of energy let¡¯s me know how far in a direction it¡¯ll go while the delay let¡¯s me set when it will do so.¡± ¡°And how does that make it hit the target?¡± I grab a stick and start drawing in the loose dirt as I explain, ¡°that log is two hundred and seventy eight hand spans in front of us at a slight angle. As long as all the directions add up to that distance and direction it¡¯ll hit.¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s still the earth pull.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just an additional direction that you have to add in.¡± Maybe I should switch to that other tongue, it has a word for vector while this one does not. . . ¡°That seems like a lot of work to do the same thing¡± she comments so I can only assume that she has understood the concept. ¡°But it makes it seem like you¡¯re attack missed before it actually does hit.¡± She nods at that but asks, ¡°are strings and this marking easier?¡± ¡°Strings are easily counterspelled and to use a mark you have to have placed it beforehand.¡± ¡°How do they work?¡± ¡°A mark pulls your spells to the target while strings are used to guide you spell As if it were a puppet.¡± ¡°Why did you show the hardest way?¡± ¡°Because it is the best way. Now you try it before I¡¯ll show you it again.¡± She does not hit the log but a branch in the trees around us. She really needs to work on control. ¡°Alright, come here I¡¯ll demonstrate once more but then I¡¯ll have to go back to the village¡± I say and she nods. It feels ever so slightly easier the second time I shape and drag Kythia¡¯s mana along my spell even if this one is a failure as far as damage goes, leaving only a slight mark of soot on the side of the log. A bead of sweat forms on my brow and I feel the emptiness of being almost out of mana once more. I glance at the falling sun, there is maybe an hour before it is dark. A moment later I start the ten or fifteen minute walk back to the village, the sentry ignoring me from the roof where she sits as most of the huts have a fire burning as they cook their evening meal. No one stops me as I reach Kylana¡¯s hut where she is waiting for me by the door. ¡°You cutting it close. Did my daughter ask you to help her yet?¡± she says while welcoming into her hut. ¡°She did. I taught her a bit about indirect aiming.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°She listened and tried it but failed the first time though in a way that proved the method as possible.¡± ¡°She figured out a way to attempt what you explained in a few hours?¡± ¡°I showed her the form.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°I had her inject a tiny bit of mana into my spell and not resist as I used it as part of my spell.¡± ¡°A butchered attempt at complementary casting. Interesting, and she got the form right from that? I don¡¯t think you could have shown enough detail in that manner.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe if her mana is the majority she¡¯ll feel more detail. I¡¯ll try more things tomorrow.¡± Kylana smiles, ¡°good. I am glad that taking you as a student has helped her. Now there is something else we must discuss, has Alana told you about how to be recognized as an adult?¡± I shake my head. Aside from some basics of who is who and a bit on magic she hasn¡¯t told me much of anything. ¡°In the pack as a male you must hunt alone and bring meat to the pack twice. On a night when the moon is full and one that has no moon. Doing so shows that you will be able to provide food for your den.¡± So I have to prove I can be a provider, that seems oddly sensible. ¡°Why are you bringing this up now?¡± ¡°You¡¯re smart, isn¡¯t it obvious? What is the following full moon?¡± ¡°Something I was never told about¡± I guess and she frowns. ¡°What has Alana even taught you of the pack?¡± ¡°Next to nothing, but to be honest I am not in her hut very often.¡± With a sigh Kylana continues, ¡°tell her or Analais to explain to you what the Paring Howl is. You can figure out the rest from there.¡± I nod, not sure what else to do. ¡°Well go on.¡± Chapter 017 Gnomes are few in number living mostly among the nation¡¯s in the southern section of Althr¨¢. They are known for creating amazing objects of power without the aid of magic though such objects tend to be as harmful to the wielder as they are to the target. While their own communities have no centralized leadership the oldest and most knowledgeable of them handle quarrels between the others of the community. When under the rule of others they tend to be law abiding citizens except in the cases of what is banned from research by that group while allowed by the informal council they have.
Lykou
I walk into Alana¡¯s hut to find that like yesterday Analais is filling the bowls with stew as he started a few days ago as Alana will likely go into labor any day now. While she does not complain I can tell that she is having difficulty in just getting around with how swollen her belly has become. I sit at the table while being able to tell with a glance that Alana¡¯s bowl has the most substance to it, while Analais¡¯s has mostly broth. As I sit at the place that they have always had me sit Alana asks me a question. ¡°Kylana is going to come over for lunch tomorrow, do you have any good gossip for me to bring up?¡± ¡°Maybe, she told me to ask you what a Paring Howl was¡± I answer knowing that she hasn¡¯t left the hut in the last four days. ¡°What brought you to that subject?¡± she asks with absolute attention. ¡°She was telling me that I should take some sort of trial to be recognized as a hunter this new and full moon. . .¡± I don¡¯t even finish the sentence before both she and Analais begin laughing. Alana catches herself from falling out of her chair and Analais rushes over to support her. His laughter ends there while hers continues for a few more moments before she with a smile says, ¡°that¡¯s good, is that for real?¡± I nod, and she says ¡°oh, I¡¯ll never let her forget this¡± with a grin. ¡°So, care to let me know what is going on?¡± I ask. ¡°I think you can explain this one better¡± Alana says while looking at Analais. ¡°Basically, it is a free for all fight to determine which female or females will be your mates.¡± Okay, on top of how fucked up the idea that combat is a sensible way of deciding whois ''mates'' with who; what is the whole mate thing about anyways? My face must have shown my thoughts on this matter as Alana starts speaking, ¡°it isn¡¯t as messed up as it sounds. The females get to fight too and if we want a particular male it isn¡¯t difficult to help him fend off challengers or keep an unwanted male back until some other male defeats him. Though Kylana wanting you to be involved I can¡¯t defend. Though none of the actions mates do are involved and only when the wolves take over under the full moon is the final decision made by them to accept each other or not. If you wake together at dawn you share your wolf names with each other.¡± ¡°So why would she want me to be involved? It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± ¡°Probably to give her daughter an option that¡¯ll make it easier for her to postpone taking a mate for at least a few years¡± Analais comments. I frown though it is not that surprising as the only reason that she is teaching me magic is to get her daughter to work harder and improve but at least I get something out of that arrangement. What would I even do with a woman? Are there even benefits to this? Being a hunter will get me out of Naliya¡¯s class and with Kythia teaching me while we wait for my mana to recover I don¡¯t really need her class anymore and could progress more using the time with her instead. Not sure if training with Kythia will even be an option though I will probably have to hunt for food in the morning. Would I be expected to build one of these huts? Now, I am not sure if I am better off with the privileges of adulthood. Then again that memory with the silver haired woman felt really good. I wonder what Kythia would look like at her age. If I take her mother¡¯s figure as a base. . . . . . she would look almost exactly like the woman in that memory. Did I remember the future? That place looks nothing like anything in the village though. We didn¡¯t look like there was as much age difference as we have though. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Alana asks with a smirk. She is enjoying this, she has spent way too much time alone in the house. ¡°If I should play along with her plan¡± I answer. ¡°Play along? Do you mean to do as she plans?¡± I nod to her question and Analais speaks next. ¡°I would go for it. Kythia will in time most likely be the alpha female as her mother is and a beautiful woman.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be against sneaky planning?¡± I ask him. ¡°Yes, but as a runt other than under the new moon it tends to be better for me to not be direct.¡± I nod, that reason seems like a pretty good one. I don¡¯t think regular wolves are this honor centric though Kylana does not seem to be as focused on straight up battles as the others with her scheming to aid her daughter. "What are mates anyways?" I ask. "I knew that you would end up asking" Analais smirks before turning to Alana and asking, "how much do you think we should go into?" "I think you should go on a walk to the woods so I don''t have to hear it all" she answers. He stands up from the table while nodding and I soon follow him out of the hut and into the woods. Is this supposed to be something uncomfortable to talk about? Once we leave earshot of the village Analais starts talking and we stop, "mates are a male and a female that live together. A smaller pack within the pack, and no the children are not mates to the adults whose den they live in." "What about the huts that have more female adults in them than males?" I ask, not having the question he answered without me asking in mind anyways. If the childen have to go through a Paring Howl to have a mate then they obviously aren''t mates with whoever they are living with. "The male is matedto all those females." "You can have more than one? Then why is it called pairing?" "Because the act of mating can really only been done by two people of opposing genders at a time. Let me explain and I''ll come back to your questions later. Now, a mated pair or group live together. Their mates until whoever they are mated to dies. Males sometimes will take on additional mates as the other males of the pack die in defense of the pack but the females will stay loyal to their mate until he is dead and some even choose not to become another''s mate afterwards. Any questions so far?" I shake my head and he continues, "pups are produced by the mated pairs within the pack. The act of mating itself is what creates them." He pauses and I nod, then he asks me a question, "what is it that makes you male?"The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "My penis" I answer as if it was the stupid question it is. "Good, now fairly soon you body will start changing. Rapid increase in height, bodily hair but most significantly that part of you will get larger. After you have gone through enough of this period of change girls will start drawing your eye. It''ll feel ackward and uncomfortable at times but that is because it is your body wanting to do a very specific act with them. Which is the act of mating." Analais pauses again for a moment as if waiting for a question that I do not ask before continuing, "Mating itself is rather simple, you will end up being excited by nudity in females. While excited in this manner your penis will grow even more and become very firm. Females have a hole where you have your penis and when they are excited it will prepare itself by becoming damp. Once both have done so, put your penis inside the female and do whatever feels good after that. Soon enough you''ll feel like urinating inside of the female and that''ll feel even better than what you had been doing before. That would be you passing your seed into her that may become a pup." This seems really familiar, as if I had heard it before. I think this is what I was doing that felt so good in that memory where I said the silver-haired woman''s names. "No questions? You do not even seem to be suprised, have you already been told about this?" "It sounds familiar." "Then what is the most important thing to remember?" "If the girl isn''t enjoying it she isn''t likely to let you inside her again?" "I was going to say, the more the female likes it the more she''ll let you ride her, or her ride you but that is just as good." Neither of us say anything for a moment. We then return to the hut in silence. ¡°So. . .¡± Alana asks as I reenter the hut. ¡°Gossip all you want withKylana tomorrow, I need to think for a few days¡± I answer. She frowns but nods and I can see her thinking as I finish my bowl of stew and excuse myself to rest.
Gain: +2 XP Bodybuilding, +2 XP Finesse Training, +5 XP Battle Sense, +10 XP Sense Motive, +35 XP Arcana, +35 XP Meditation, +15 XP Melee, +15 XP Spear, +40 XP Hand-to-hand, +65 XP Apprentice, +45 XP Brawler, +30 XP Man-at-arms, +5 XP Mana Resistance Training, +5 XPAnatomy
Lykou Gender: Male Race: Void Draconian? Age: 10
Strength 15 Intelligence 15 Mana Potential 9 Skills SP: 142
Dexterity 15 Wisdom 14 Mana Potency 7 Languages Titles
Agility 16 Cunning 13 Luck 16 Traits Options
Endurance 14 Willpower 17 Perception 12 Magic ???
Vitality 14 Alertness 15 ??? 1 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 15 Charisma 11 Health 160/160 Mana 13/13
I smile at the accumulated SP but I feel that it is still not enough. That I will need more, that I will always need more. Wait, what is Mana Resistance Training?
Mana Resistance Training
While one of the crudest ways of strengthening mana, it can be done by having to push against the mana of another as you manipulate your own. Increases Mana Potency Unable to progress without outside assistance
I stare at this screen. Mana can be trained as a muscle, just not without help, but when did I push against someone else¡¯s mana today? Teaching Kythia, that method of teaching her having her piggyback on my own spell so she can learn it. This is not however a perfect solution, a partial one but it isn¡¯t like I can spend hours and hours a day working with this method. Maybe a few times a day but that won¡¯t be enough to be significant. Can I try just pushing against her mana, not actually casting? That would almost eliminate the mana cost if it works though I don¡¯t know how I could convince her to do something like that. I should try some sort of refinement in case I am not able to get the needed outside help or that help lacks the time it would take to be significant. But how? Slamming my mana against itself? Centrifugal force to push out impurities? Compression? Too many things to try but could it be risky to do some of them? My heart is the core of my mana so it could be fatal it something goes wrong. I also don¡¯t have any way of testing if it will work without trying it on myself. Should I ask Kylana? I¡¯m going to need to talk to her about plenty of other stuff anyways. . . With a breath I turn further inward, forcing away my conscious thought as random fragmented memories begin brush up against my mind¡¯s eye. As I still have no idea how to do more than sort of tell what the subject of a memory might be I grab one at random. In an instant, I find myself in a very different body than the one that I have always found myself in. I am not in the grown teenage form that I¡¯ve become somewhat familiar with. I feel the rushing wind as I move a limb that I do not normally have to shift my direction through the air as a pleasant feeling of warmth entering through another pair of limbs on my back as they to move to propel me forwards and upwards. The crisp clean morning air and warmth bringing me comfort and seems to slowly begin to energize me as the memory goes on as if I was consuming the light that fell upon me. After what feels like a short period of I land to see a few people standing in front of a building as if they were waiting for me. The silver haired woman, two of the red-haired elf and a fourth woman that I have not seen an any of the few memories I have stumbled upon that were from before this. Three red tipped yellow tails wag behind her as I begin to shift, muscles moving and bones shifting around as my wings retract back into my back. My body rapidly shrinking into human form clothes appearing out of nowhere the instant that the transformation is complete. I smile as the four women each give me a kiss but before a single word is said the memory ends. I am a dragon. I am a flying and maybe fire breathing dragon. Can I still do it? Do I have the ability to turn into a dragon? There was something about it in my Traits according to the Architect¡¯s system but it was marked like it was disabled. How do I get that back?
Adrian
The walk home from the graveyard of Karthas was far faster than the track to the village though somehow it was even less enjoyable as Brightblade literally forced us to march without rest. Like before he did not permit speaking though none of my friends were in the mood to speak. Yesterday we entered through the gates of the city and I have finally heard its name as the City of Sacred Flame. Now Bryan, Abagail and me sit at the table in the common area to the quarters that we were given. One that is smaller than the previous to reflect that our group is smaller. ¡°We need to do something, we can¡¯t just sit around here until they send us out again¡± Bryan says. ¡°What can we even do?¡± asks Abagail ¡°We need to get out of here¡± I say. ¡°They won¡¯t just let us walk out of here¡± Bryan replies. ¡°Then we sneak out. A smuggler or some group of thieves has to exist somewhere.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t that be dangerous?¡± Abagail asks. After a moment¡¯s thought Bryan responds, ¡°no less than continuing to serve as the summoned fodder, and the casualties among the soldiers was even worse than ours.¡± ¡°Following the Althaen does not seem to work well for anyone¡± I comment with sadness in my voice. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to get them to help without something in return. We need to come up with something that we can offer to get help.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of that¡± I say, I should be able to find something of value with my magic. ¡°How? We don¡¯t have anything of value¡± Abagail says. ¡°I¡¯ll find what we need, even with my magic if I have to.¡± ¡°How?¡± Bryan asks. ¡°Either theft through teleporting an object or preferably by cheating at games of chance.¡± Bryan nods though Abagail seems more confused than anything else but I have yet to fully explain what I can and cannot do to them. Only a brief overview of some combat potential. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll find some valuable somethings. Don¡¯t ask questions just find someone that¡¯ll get us out of here and get stronger¡± I continue. ¡°There is something else. After Brightblade knocked us out I had a dream. In it I was taught some magic¡± Bryan says as I begin to get up. ¡°What kind of magic?¡± I ask. ¡°Divine magic, here I¡¯ll demonstrate¡± he says before drawing a symbol on a piece of paper before muttering words that I feel as if I am blocked from truly hearing even though they are in English. The pencil drawing seems to shimmer unnaturally before a pale blue light appears above the paper. ¡°That seems easier than what I¡¯ve been trying to do¡± Abagail comments. ¡°It is, the caster barely even shapes the mana.¡± ¡°Can you do the same without whatever outside assistance your alluding to?¡± I ask. ¡°I have not tried; the invocation cannot be the same and I do not know enough theory to figure out what is should be on my own.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get useful books for you one way or another. But first I need to sleep.¡± I finish getting up and turn to my room. There are a few things I¡¯ve yet to try in the Architect¡¯s system and one of them may be rather important. Chapter 018 Halflings are often called halfmen, midget and other names as few have respect for them in any matter save for the creation of food. They tend not to have or even need a government aside from the occasional case of younger halfling stealing food that is not theirs. That is unless they are introduced to the crimes and cruelties that exist in other cultures. They are considered to be good trading partners for luxuries by most kingdoms. Those who have grown up in the slums of other societies are often involved in the shadier trades as there are naturally skilled in stealth.
Adrian
Sitting on the straw covered cot I close my eyes and turn my mind inwards to connect to the Architect''s System.
Adrian Ravnos Gender: Male Race: Human? Age: 17
Strength 12 Intelligence 16 Mana Potential 6 Skills SP:132
Dexterity 15 Wisdom 16 Mana Potency 5 Languages Titles
Agility 13 Cunning 15 Luck 14 Traits Options
Endurance 10 Willpower 14 Perception 14 Magic Reality Control
Vitality 11 Alertness 12 Reality Control 2 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 14 Charisma 11 Health 93/93 Mana 5/5
I touch the options section and see a new screen come up.
Options
Colors
Connection
Immersion
Color choices? Well I don¡¯t mind the purple so I¡¯ll just leave that alone. Connection and Immersion though could be interesting.
Connection
On Meditation On
On Rest On
On Attack Off ¨C Due to Immersion
On Hit Off ¨C Due to Immersion
On Level Off ¨C Due to Immersion
On Mana Use Off ¨C Due to Immersion
On XP Gain Off ¨C Due to Immersion
Immersion
Full - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - <> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Game
Changing how often I connect and allowing notifications in real time. Should I mess with this? Why is this the default? I touch the Immersion slider and a warning appears before me.
You are at the optimal level of Immersion, further integration will force you to suffer the constraints of your derived numbers. Limiting further growth and breaking through by effort. This is considered to be a larger detriment than having continual access. Once you alter your Immersion Level it cannot be lowered.
So, the Architect has us defaulted to what is considered to be the best option. Going further into a game system would bind me to the rules of health and mana bars. If I don¡¯t know my HP or MP I can push past those limits with enough willpower. That¡¯s a good enough reason for me so I dismiss the screens without changing anything. SP is supposed to be able to be spent to increase my stats and while I doubt that it can do anything with my magic I touch that tab anyways, and immediately regret that I had not done so earlier.
400/500 Reality Control 2The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
80 Death 1 320 Space 2
80 Soul 0 40 Fate 1
160 Life 2 80 Primal 0
40 Mind 1 80 Time 0
20 Transmutation 1 10 Telekinesis 0
40 Fire 2 40 Lightning 2
20 Light 1 10 Darkness 0
I can augment my magic. Why did I have to assume that I could not earlier? If I had done this before Tomas may not have died. If I understood Life better I could have healed him. I don¡¯t have the SP for it but I could have gotten it somehow if I had known. I dump SP into the Reality Control stat until it turns into a three. Once it does the Spheres that were discolored turn normal signaling that I can spend SP to increase them. I however frown in that I no longer have the SP needed to purchase much of anything. I want to save the SP up in order to purchase Life so I can make sure my friends will not die but there are more pressing needs than healing. I need to gather wealth so we can get out of the city. For that I will end up stealing and for that I need to keep myself concealed. Sound does not seem to be an option at the moment but I can think of a few ways that I can use Light to be invisible. . . I purchase the next rank in the sphere and some sort of three-dimensional symbol appears in my mind. It flashes and shifts in different colors as if it were showing me something and just before it vanishes I have an eureka moment on how light is represented on the fabric of reality. How I may be able to push and prod at it to do my will. Then the vision ends and all of the screens save for the main starting screen dismiss themselves.
Adrian Ravnos Gender: Male Race: Human? Age: 17
Strength 12 Intelligence 16 Mana Potential 4 Skills SP:12
Dexterity 15 Wisdom 16 Mana Potency 3 Languages Titles
Agility 13 Cunning 15 Luck 14 Traits Options
Endurance 10 Willpower 14 Perception 14 Magic Reality Control
Vitality 11 Alertness 12 Reality Control 3 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 14 Charisma 11 Health 93/93 Mana 3/3
I look over the screen as there has to be a reason why it was not dismissed like the others and frown at the two mana related stats. They¡¯ve gone down, significantly down. Why? The only things that changed were my magic. Wait, the description of Reality Control said that there would be an inverse correlation between it and most other magics. My own magic conflicts with the mana based magics of this world. At least in my ability to use them. I wonder if there is a way around it. I could use Ravnos magic most of the time and save the more finite resource of mana for when people disbelieve. But I am unsure if it is even a viable option now if it even was before. Will there be a problem if my mana hits zero? I dismiss the screen more happy than sad with the changes even if they come at a cost of more than just SP. Now I drift to sleep while thinking of what I can get ahold of that would pay our way out of this city. In all the games I¡¯ve ever played, a zero in an attribute causes the character to die. I¡¯ve never heard of anyone in the family growing too powerful in our magic and dying from it but should I be worried about it? Is mana even something that is needed for me to remain alive?
Morning comes and there is are still the same concerns on my mind as when I fell asleep but I know that there is nothing I can do about many of them. I put on a fresh tunic though I do not feel much cleaner for it. I open the door to my room and see that neither Bryan nor Abagail are awake. For a moment, I think of waking them but I don¡¯t want to risk them suffering the same fate as Tomas. Even just getting better equipment for the three of us is going to be dangerous already with how most of it will end up being stolen unless I can find a shady gambling rind or the like. I walk out of the common room into the street to see that it is early morning. First thing I need is a place to pawn whatever I manage to acquire. The poor section of the city seems like the right place to go though I am unsure if that assumption is true. Still my walk to that portion of the city while it does take a while, I am not interrupted before I actually reach the slums. A thieves¡¯ guild or a similar organization will have what I need as well as ways to keep me from having to deal too much with the Althaen law. Now, how do I find such an organization? Large seemingly abandoned complexes or find and threaten some pickpockets? Such a complex would also have an underground section and I might be able to find those if they are populated. . . I begin to walk down the streets at random, simply wandering as I delve into the Sphere of Life to feel for the lifeforces that are nearby. The poor that are in the streets avoid me as I walk around and I consider talking to them, asking for information but I doubt that they will be forthcoming. If they were what I am looking for would not be in the city itself. A few hours pass before I feel something, dozens of lives under my feet. Lives that are too strong to be rats or some other vermin in the sewers and drainage of the city. I turn to the nearest building, a large building that looks like it is a warehouse that had been converted into a shop of some sort. A sign hangs over the door that reads ¡°Lucky Angelo¡¯s Discounted Goods¡±. I walk in the store to see mostly empty shelves with various weapons, tools and dried foods are scattered around the shelves. The two customers that appear to be browsing move slightly as if they were maintaining a flank as I look around inspecting the room myself. None of the items out here are in good enough condition for me to consider buying but that isn¡¯t why I am here anyways. I release a ripple through the fabric of reality performing the only trick I know in the Sphere of Transmutation; to sense the nearby locations of some material, specifically iron. I feel the hidden knives, arrowheads and mechanical components of what I think are miniature crossbows. I walk over to the front counter; the store clerk gets out of his chair as I reach the counter. ¡°Is der something I can help ye with?¡± the clerk asks in a drunken slur even though I can see a small amount of dust on top of the open bottles near him. ¡°I would like to speak with the boys downstairs¡± I answer and the clerk sobers up immediately. ¡°Give me one good . . .¡± the clerk begins as the two false customers begin to move towards me. ¡°Consider this as payment¡± I say as I withdraw a small crossbow from within the loose sleeves of my tunic and lay in on the counter. The two thugs reach for their crossbows but I grab the second via Translocation Grasp before they get ahold of them first. It and all of their knives join the first cross bow in the table within seconds. ¡°How?¡± the three begin as they stare at the small pile of weapons on their body and I am oh so joyful that the sheer amount of magic in their society has caused them to accept so much to be within the realm of possibility. ¡°Are you going to show me to your bosses downstairs or do I need to make a scene?¡± I interrupt. ¡°We can¡¯t just . . .¡± the clerk begins before I interrupt having expected such a reaction. ¡°Then go and tell him I would like a word with him but do hurry before I decide to stop waiting.¡± The clerk nods and the now unarmed thugs look at the pile of their weapons and then to me and back before one of them asks, ¡°can we have those back?¡± ¡°Not yet¡± I answer. It is only a few minutes before the clerk returns with several other men. ¡°Are the thugs necessary?¡± I ask. ¡°Disarm yourself or my men will shoot you¡± says a burly man in Black leather amongst the thugs. ¡°Will I be getting my requested audience?¡± ¡°You will be taken and tortured unti. . .¡± I glance around the room as I say ¡°then it seems I¡¯ll be making a scene¡± interrupting the lead thug. No torches, at least not on ground level but sunlight is entering one of the windows and I can use that. I pull at the god''s rays bending them in an instant to create a flash temporarily blinding the now hostile thugs giving me a few seconds before I have to worry about their attacks. I need something more offensive, I don¡¯t have enough light or time to make a laser. I need fire and there is only one way I can get enough in time. I call a vial of alchemist fire from my room and toss it on the floor. The thin glass breaks and a rush of flame spews forth before I grab ahold of it and light the two thugs next to me on fire. They scream but I push the flames to burn hotter and faster to kill them as I grab one of the crossbow on the counter. I fire it and one of the thugs in the hall let out a cry of pain. I should have thought about how to convince them to give me an audience rather than just finding them. Of course they would be hostile to an uninvited stranger that knows about their secret base. They recover from their blindness just after the two thugs nearest me fall to the ground, dead or close enough to it. I don¡¯t remember what swear word I say as I take a crossbow bolt to my shoulder as I take cover behind a shelf. This also causes me to lose control over the fire in the room and it begins to spread. I remove the bolt by teleporting it into my hand through Translocation Grasp and delve into the Sphere of Life as quickly as I can. I can feel a numbness spreading from the injury for until I begin to heal myself. Rejecting the damage to my body and accelerating my metabolism and cell division. Should I get out and try somewhere else or push to get what I wanted in the first place? I have to stay and deal with it, if I don¡¯t then I¡¯ll have to deal with them coming after me. I grab ahold of the flames once more and send them as a wave of fire into the hall, bathing the hallway in fire until the screaming stops. Then I grab the light around me with my will and bend it, keeping it from touching me thus making me invisible as I walk into the smoke-filled hall towards the stairs that I assume will lead me towards the actual operation. Chapter 019 Draconians unlike their pure dragon ancestors do not divide themselves by type, color and the like but as their humanoid ancestors do as they have two main cities. Both worship the gods of the dragons in addition to the Althaen Pantheon though like their dragon ancestors refuse to give any information about those draconic gods. Both of the draconian cities are ruled by a matriarchal council though Drake¡¯s Home has abandoned some of the ways that their sister city Acronas still follows.
Adrian
Charred corpses fill most of the short hall but that does not pose too difficult to get by. There are stairs in the store room down the hall next to some crates. The stair creek lightly as I descend but no one is rushing towards the store front. I don¡¯t know the layout but there should be a guarded office somewhere, that is where I need to. How do I make sure that I don¡¯t get attacked and get to talk? And how will I convince whoever is in charge? I should have spent more time thinking about those questions than just how to find them. As I walk down the hall I can see several rooms where some children are being taught to pick locks and who to target when they are out picking pockets. While interesting and morally questionable none of these rooms are the one that I am looking for so I follow the hall to its end and find myself in what appears to be an underground tavern. There are three closed doors that should lead to the rest of the complex, a counter with a fat man cleaning mugs as his eyes constantly glance around. Roughly a dozen people are sitting around at the six tables in the room as they exchange items between each other. Is this a miniature black market? Why are they so calm? Shouldn¡¯t there be some sort of precautions against my entrance? I take a few steps in before the bartender says, ¡°ya can drop your invisibility. I already know where ya are.¡± I turn to look at the bartender to find him looking straight at me. No, at my feet. I look down to see that the sawdust covering the floor is thick enough to give away my footing. I drop my invisibility and hold myself ready to perform some other magic as I say, ¡°I want to talk to whoever is in charge.¡± None of the thieves in the room stop what they are doing as the bartender beckons me over to him as he says, ¡°Sneak''n¡¯s a good way to get attacked.¡± ¡°I was attacked before I tried sneaking upstairs.¡± ¡°Ya don¡¯t know any passwords then and you''d be full o¡¯ holes if it weren¡¯t that ya got past the magic detectors and dispelling walls with your spell. I ain¡¯t the boss but be as close as your gonna get so what''cha wantin?¡± ¡°To make a deal to smuggle some called out of the city.¡± ¡°Learn that ya gonna die before they pay ya did you?¡± ¡°Not exactly but close enough.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t be done. We could get ya out o the city but they¡¯ll find ya.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°They put all ya called under a second spell. So long as they got that it don''t matter where ya go.¡± ¡°The Mark of Obedience, that isn¡¯t a problem. They don¡¯t have the command amulet for my batch anymore.¡± ¡°Then what hav ya to offer? It¡¯ll cost the guild a lot o business when they come look''n for ya.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you can come up with a favor that would be worth what I''m asking. After all I found this place with something similar to a Detect Living spell, my Invisibility doesn¡¯t set off magic detectors and I can do this among a few other tricks though not all at once of course¡± I say as I place a jeweled dagger that was concealed on the bartender with a Sense Metal and Translocation Grasp. The bartender looks down at his dagger. ¡°Ya never put your hand close to that. How close do ya have to be for that spell to work?¡± ¡°Further away than you can see me from.¡± The bartender grins, ¡°welcome to the Shadows, name''s Griff and I think there¡¯s a lot we can do to help each other. . .¡±
Bryan
When I wake it is several hours past dawn. I dreamt of Tomas''s death again with only minor changes. I had tried to heal him only to find my magic too weak. Always I am too weak. I open the door to the common area to see several books open and a small wooden box that could half a pair of shoes if you didn¡¯t mind stuffing them in. That box was not there last night. Is this what Adrian meant when he said he would find us what we need?This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I open it to find two ink wells , some quills and a single piece of paper. Bryan, Abagail, I¡¯ve made contact with someone that can help us get out of the city though it isn¡¯t for free. We came to an arrangement and before we get smuggled out of here we''ll need more equipment. Write whatever you think you need and leave it in this box. Do not move the box and at noon it¡¯ll disappear. -Adrian ps destroy this note once you¡¯ve read it. Why would I need to destroy the note? Unless we are being spied on but even so wouldn¡¯t the box and whatever else he brings back give away that we¡¯re hiding something? Still, Adrian would not have written it for no reason. I light one of the candles on the table though it takes several minutes as I have little to work with aside from some flint and steel. Once the candle is lit I put a corner of the note into the flame and keep the fire at the lowest point of the paper so that it will all burn. Another black mark is added to the wooden table as the final corner burns after I drop it so I do not burn my hand. A door opens and Abagail walks out, looking as tired as I feel. ¡°Burning things already? Why?¡± she asks while moving towards the table. ¡°Adrian left it as part of some instructions on a note. Make a list of what you want and need and put it in the box before noon but we can¡¯t move the box¡± I answer. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°He made a deal with someone about getting us out of the city but it seems like it may take awhile.¡± ¡°Then what are we to do?¡± ¡°Practice till we stop being dead weight¡± I answer. Neither of us say anything else as I pass her a piece of paper and one of the ink pot and quills that are in the box. I begin making a list though I still more ink on my hand and table than I manage to get where I want it. Eventually, I manage to craft the following list amidst the splotches. Enchanted Chainmail that won¡¯t interfere with magic, medium shield preferably a kite shield, enchanted long/bastard sword, any standard spellsword build items, arcane spell books and as much on mana control as you can. Abagail''s handwriting looks better than mine and her list is longer as she does not know a build she could just name for Adrian to know to pick up an assortment of items along a similar path. Light armor, daggers or a small sword, a flute, boots, sewing kit, clothes, water bottles, rations, spell books, mana theory books, anything on harmonic or music, crossbow, bolts, magic items that: protect the user, heal, energy resistance, invisibility It took Abagail over an hour to come up with all of it but I don¡¯t say anything as she goes over it several times. No doubt checking to see if she missed anything. I don¡¯t worry about it as Adrian will fill in any gaps. He has always been better than me at that, one of the reasons why he always made a good wizard. He always had the spell we needed either memorized or on scroll or wand. We put the papers in the box and nothing happens. ¡°Now what?¡± Abagail asks. ¡°We wait. Have you read all the books on the table?¡± I answer. ¡°Yes, but they aren¡¯t very helpful.¡± I nod at that having done the same. Certainly, Adrian will be able to find better books and if not a teacher who can show us and explain things both faster and better than these texts. ¡°Have you figured out how to cast an arcane version of that Light spell?¡± Abagail asks. ¡°No, no matter how much I go through these books a few critical pieces are missing to actually cast a spell. While I can guess at how to shape the mana, I cannot guess the incantation which is also missing in the thirty pages they take to explain that cantrip.¡± ¡°I have similar problems. I also have a different question. Did you start worshiping the Architect? Is that why you¡¯ve been given magic by him?¡± I sigh ever so slightly. Abagail is religious and I knew that the topic would eventually come up. ¡°It sort of went the other way, though I am not sure if prayers for the sole purpose of spells counts.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about being tricked? What if . . .¡± ¡°The Architect isn¡¯t evil, he has given us help without asking anything in return.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be more worried about it because it had no cost?¡± ¡°He said that the price had already been paid and the only other thing that he asked for was to listen to a piece of advice. I actually know nothing of his religion and he didn¡¯t even ask me to worship him. Besides we probably don¡¯t have the time to be overly picky on the help we¡¯re given.¡± Our two stomachs growl as neither of us have had any food even though it should be getting close to noon. ¡°Let¡¯s get something to eat and then work on something we can at least get progress in.¡± ¡°Okay¡± Abagail says with a smile as she gets up from the table. Now where to go to make the most out of the coppers I have?
Brunch itself was uneventful as we went down and bought bread and the cheapest cheese that I could find while Abagail was deciding on what loaf to take from the baker. On the walk back however I hear a voice call out my name though it isn¡¯t one I immediately recognize. Both of us turn towards the voice and I see a fat man who used Tomas and Adrian used to play with before I got into RPGs, Jeff. I am not sure how but he seems to be doing well for himself. A pair of some sort of canine beastkin follow behind him with empty eyes. ¡°Bryan, did Adrian and Tomas get summoned here with you?¡± Jeff asks while scratching his shirt. ¡°They did¡± I answer not sure what to make of the situation. ¡°That¡¯s great, where are they now?¡± ¡°Tomas died and I don¡¯t know where Adrian is right now¡± I say in a lower tone than normal. ¡°Oh, well can you tell Adrian I¡¯m here when you see him?¡± I nod and hold my tongue, angry that he just brushed off the death of someone who he should consider his friend. ¡°Thanks. Holly which direction is my house in again?¡± Jeff says as he turns to one of the two girls following him. One of them shivers before saying, ¡°this way¡± and walking to the east. Shortly after he is gone I look back to Abagail as we walk back to our assigned quarters. She has a frown on her face, something is bothering her. ¡°What is it?¡± I ask. ¡°That man was uncomfortable to be around. How does he even know you?¡± ¡°When I started playing games with Adrian and Tomas he was a part of the group.¡± ¡°Why haven¡¯t I ever seen him then?¡± ¡°We stopped inviting him after he quit his medications and got really weird.¡± ¡°I think we should avoid him. Also why are those beastkin girls following him when they clearly don¡¯t want to?¡± I don¡¯t immediately answer, not sure if my assumption of magically enforced slavery is right. Though I don¡¯t know how he would have acquired slaves. He definitely is not fit enough to earn then via ''adventuring''. Chapter 021 Drake¡¯s Home while still isolated by their location that requires flight to enter the city, has abandoned many of the isolationist ideas of their sister city. Allowing guests to live in the city though non-draconians cannot own any part of the city. They also often extend some aid in fighting back against the demons though it is minor and more so that they can find those who have draconic blood to bring back to the city. While they still practice eugenics like their sister city but they have reversed it, culling their weak and promoting strength rather than attempting to create docile males. These changes are however done in the more recent generations causing only minor differences in the physical makeup of their population.
Kylana
I enter the hut of my friend Alana, it is not often that I get to spend a day with her; that she will soon give birth gives me the excuse I need. ¡°Kylana, you¡¯ve finally made it. Come sit and help me stoke the fire. Analais brought in a deer yesterday and Lykou has told me of interesting ways to keep the meat from going bad¡± I hear my friend say as she struggles to get out of her chair. I smile as I respond, ¡°don¡¯t get up I¡¯ll take care of it. What method of preservation has he mentioned?¡± ¡°Dehydration by using the hot air of the fire.¡± ¡°An effective if time consuming method. Are you truly that bored?¡± ¡°I have trouble just moving around, how am I supposed to practice archery or spear work?¡± ¡°And you are close enough to the birthing that your mana is unruly.¡± ¡°Yes, so I have nothing to do but talk and cook. Did you know that I heard the most interesting thing yesterday?¡± I groan slightly at what must be coming, perhaps I should have explained everything rather than have him ask her the parts I did not want to talk about. At the same time, I pull some of the firewood from a pile to the side of her cooking fire to add to the small pile of coals. ¡°Do tell¡± I say to entertain my friend. ¡°That you¡¯re trying to set up your daughter with a certain young boy. Any chance you¡¯ll tell me why?¡± ¡°How about you tell me what you think of the boy first? Then we can compare opinions.¡± She smiles, glad for a way to lengthen the amount of time we spend on any individual topic before she responds. ¡°He is strange, he certainly is hard working and intelligent. Not the most honorable though, even after you started teaching him magic he still tries to hide it. Still, he sneaks back rabbits to add to the pot.¡± ¡°How does he catch them?¡± ¡°Traps¡± my friend answers with a frown. ¡°A good method since he spends so much of his time studying magic and Naliya¡¯s class.¡± ¡°You always did like the sneaker methods. Have you noticed how aside from a bit of muscle development the boy has not changed?¡± I had not but now that I think about it there should have been at least some small amount of change in his height but not even his hair has grown over the moon he has been in the pack. Could there be more to him than his unusually powerful spirit and body? ¡°I had not. I would like to check something. Has he cut himself or otherwise spilled his blood on anything?¡± ¡°Oh, did I spark an idea in you?¡± ¡°Just tell me.¡± ¡°Your opinion of the boy first.¡± ¡°So, you do have a sample of his blood on something. Fine, I am very impressed by the boy despite some of the oddities he exhibits. He works harder than anyone I have ever taught. So much so that he has made Kythia jealous. He shows significant improvement each day, as if he is simply remembering most of it aside from the manipulation of mana itself. He has the same cleverness that Analais uses to be so successful with his lower strength.¡± ¡°No comment about how he only will eat food he either sees prepared or someone else eat first?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen him eat food Kythia passes him without batting an eye, though I made her do it behind his back.¡± ¡°Really? He didn¡¯t talk like he trusted or liked your daughter that much last night.¡± ¡°The blood?¡± ¡°On the table, the kitchen knife. He cut his finger cutting up the deer for me. You¡¯ll have to filter out the deer blood but that shouldn¡¯t be too difficult for you.¡± I walk over to the table and pick up the knife, there isn¡¯t any dried blood on it but the table itself has stains from the butchering. A few quick incantations and some mana separates the animal blood from the blood of a sentient creature. A small tendril of red fluid follows my mana up to my hand and I start another series of spells I call Blood Analysis. The blood vaporizes into a mist and the discolorations and patterns in the swirls tell me many things about whose blood this is. Draconic traits, an age that does not match the appearance of child, traces of something else but not something I recognize. Some sort of damage has been done to him, his essence either damaged or drained. The reversion? to a younger body is a side effect? No, some method of getting by until it can be repaired. But it does not seem to be naturally regenerating. ¡°Something interesting?¡± Alana asks. ¡°Very much so, his true age is roughly that of my daughter and his current appearance is because something has damaged him.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Oh, and are you going to fix that before or after pushing him into your daughter¡¯s den?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to do so before but it may be difficult. I would have to drain the raw essence of creatures similar to him.¡± ¡°Why is that a problem? Humans are very similar to the moon blessed.¡± ¡°It is his dragon¡¯s blood that is not recovering from whatever caused this. There are not many things nearby with such traits. Do you still think that I am wronging my daughter?¡± ¡°I never said that.¡± ¡°No, but you thought it and that it was wrong of me to manipulate the boy towards that end.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ve never been good at making pairs for the Paring Howl.¡± ¡°Come now, I¡¯ve done well recently. Are Vyth and Ragnath not happy?¡± ¡°That was you copying Naliya''s bet, Mrs. I picked my mate because he had the big. . .¡± ¡°Enough, okay my judgement on mates tends to be poor but. . .¡± ¡°So what¡¯s the boy''s size?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. . .¡± ¡°I just saw you cast your Blood Analysis spell is it the second or third subspell? I forget.¡± ¡°Fine, once he finishes growing it¡¯ll probably be bigger than Ragnor''s, but I did not make my decision on that.¡± ¡°Look me in the eyes and tell me it wasn¡¯t one of the things you considered.¡± ¡°Fine, I give but it was only part of the decision and there is nothing wrong with . . .¡± ¡°Size isn¡¯t everything.¡± ¡°Oh you think your mate does better than mine?¡± ¡°Why do you think I keep letting him knock me up even though most the time our pup doesn¡¯t make it?¡± ¡°Are you going to go back to how Analais is a better mate in every way except that he''s a runt again?¡± ¡°Only that my offer to share him is still open. You know he still says you name half the time when he''s asleep.¡± ¡°I¡¯m mated to Ragnor, and I won¡¯t dishonor that. Now, what do you think after my explanations on the boy?¡± ¡°That your idea was not nearly as messed up as I originally thought but I don¡¯t see you daughter accepting anyone who can¡¯t beat her in a fight.¡±
Lykou
Two days have passed since my discussion with Alana and Analais, morning has come and passed. My time in Naliya¡¯s class follows the three-day pattern that it always does; exercise, technique drills and ¡®teamwork¡¯ beatings. Today was exercise with consisted of chasing Naliya through the woods. I may not be the fastest among the various youth but I have noticed that the other children¡¯s physical abilities have significantly dropped compared to what I experienced under the full moon. They have some sort of connection with the moon that they derive strength from. I am the seventh to enter the village as the sun reaches its zenith, behind only the oldest of the boys who are over a foot taller than me. Ragnan and his buddies have been getting more aggressive in their dislike of me but I think that I can take one of them in a fight. At least when they aren¡¯t empowered by the light of the moon. I walk to Kylana¡¯s home as I do after a rinse in one of the small streams that run through the woods. This time however I am not the only one aside from Kylana herself. Ragnan is there talking to her and while I don¡¯t hear all of their conversation I do hear a significant portion. ¡°. . . take the Rites of a Hunter, mother.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re ready.¡± ¡°Why? You¡¯re letting weaker boys take the rite and sister got to take it when. . .¡± ¡°You are not your sister.¡± Wait, Ragnan is Kythia¡¯s younger brother? I know I compared Ragnan with Ragnor as they both are burly muscle heads but I didn¡¯t think it was actually true. ¡°I am strong enough to pass the trial of the dark moon. You know that.¡± ¡°I am not questioning your strength. It is your emotional growth I question.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready and you know it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to give this up, are you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Kylana sighs before she says, ¡°very well but I do not plan on making the target of your hunt anything easy.¡± Ragnan then turns around with a smile until he sees me. He gives me a glare as he leaves the hut, purposefully bumping into me to knock me off balance. ¡°Have you decided yet?¡± Kylana asks as she has each day as soon as Ragnan is out of earshot. ¡°I am not sure yet. I have some doubts and some questions over your whole become a hunter to take part of the Paring Howl.¡± ¡°Kythia will be late today. Ragnor wanted to take her deep into the woods to hunt a dire bear that came down from the mountains so there is plenty of time for us to talk. Come and sit, no one should bother us.¡± I take the few steps needed to sit at the table. ¡°What are your questions?¡± Kylana asks. ¡°Why me? Why do you want a prepubescent boy involved in this? And why are you pushing so much for this?¡± I ask one question after another. ¡°I can¡¯t answer all of them at once but I want you because I know that you are not as you appear to be. That is the reason why I want you to be more than just a member of the pack. A Direwerewolf brought you to the pack but that is not all. I am a bloodmage and a necromancer, one who has attained the rank of deathspeaker. I noticed something when I helped you find the mana within you. Your spirit is stronger than the ten-year-old you appear to be, stronger than most adults even if it seems to be damaged. In my opinion, that is why you have memory problems. The effect of some sort of magic has hurt you and you will probably return to your real age once you begin to recover though I am unsure of what you will need to recover. So, I want you because you are not really a prepubescent boy, a Direwerewolf of this pack brought you here, and you have a mind that is likely to make you a good leader in the future. There is also how my daughter is starting to like you even if she would never admit it.¡± Neither of us immediately say anything as I think over what she said. That I¡¯m not really just ten years old. That the strange memory fragments of mine are real, those things really happened. That I¡¯ve somehow regressed to a younger form also makes a lot of sense; there are several things that support such a thing other than just the strange memory fragments. That I have several things marked as disabled in the stuff from the Architect. Then how do I get them back? How do I regain that full-grown body I¡¯ve seen in those memories? ¡°That¡¯s it? I have traits you think will be good for the pack?¡± I ask. ¡°Why would it be any other way? You are good for the pack and good for my daughter. That is all I need to know.¡± ¡°Most of your packmates do not seem to agree with that assessment, particularly your mate and the youth.¡± ¡°Their opinion does not matter they shall see your value in time and truthfully have gotten too used to my mate¡¯s way of thinking. So, do you want to continue our cooperation?¡± Once more there is a period of silence as I think. Is she really offering me what I think she is? Does she really think that I¡¯m what she says she thinks? Does she really want to give her daughter and pack to me just because she thinks that I will be a good thing for them? She hasn¡¯t done anything to deceive me or anything that is detrimental to me. In fact, the only ill intent I¡¯ve received from anyone while here has been Ragnor and Ragnan. Actually, is that why they don¡¯t like me? Do they think that I am stealing their rightful places? That I am threatening their power/inheritance? That makes a decent amount of sense, while at the same time why would Kylana choose me over them? Still playing along with her plans means I can mess with Kythia more and that¡¯s fun. I also am only here because of her and I still need her influence to keep some of the pack from attacking me. ¡°Alright but help me recover whatever it is that I¡¯m missing. It would be wrong to Kythia otherwise.¡± ¡°Agreed, though it may take a while for me to find everything. And don¡¯t tell me you aren¡¯t thinking of what her face would be like if her wolf accepted you and she woke up to find you as her mate.¡± ¡°Actually, that would be funny. Just how mad and embarrassed she would be?¡± Chapter 022 Daerth is named after the forest that it was built next to. Originally it was a logging camp until a pass through the Darkwall mountains was found near it and Fort Shadow was built in the pass to prevent demons from leaving the Darklands. Daerth exports lumber and the work of carpenters aside from hunting and trapping in the forest of Daerth. They have strained relations with the lycanthropes who live in the forest but are currently at peace as every battle they¡¯ve ever had with the pack in the forest has been their loss.
Lykou
Kylana grins, thinking about what that would look like before changing the subject. ¡°The Rite of the Dark Moon is in three days, it is mentioned to test your ability when you are at your weakest. When your inner wolf cannot help you but you don¡¯t have one yet. On that night you are to go hunting in the woods and bring back meat. The stronger the creature and more meat you bring the more likely your approval to be a hunter becomes. Usually two deer or a bear are enough but I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll have too much trouble. The Rite of the Light Moon will start just before the next full moon. Prospective hunters are sent into the Darkwall mountains to hunt, there the more powerful of a creature you bring back the more likely your approval becomes and you only need trophies not the whole creature as it takes time to return. It takes roughly a day to reach the mountains without rest and you must return within three days of the full moon.¡± ¡°What do I need to bring back for that test?¡± ¡°A few dire animals or something stronger than a pair of dire bears together.¡± ¡°That test is much more difficult than the other.¡± ¡°For you perhaps but that is because you do not yet have the gift of the moon.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m guessing you have plans for that?¡± ¡°I want my daughter to be the one to pass the gift but she won¡¯t consider doing that anytime soon. Still, I think you will manage now that you know what you are going to need to do.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t making this easy.¡± ¡°Of course not, but if you can¡¯t even manage this, why would I even allow you to be involved with my daughter?¡± ¡°Alright I¡¯ll do what I can but I¡¯m going to need more lessons.¡± ¡°Conning my daughter into teaching you to fight isn¡¯t enough?¡± ¡°Nope, and that helps her self-image anyways to see that she is in fact still better than me at something. I want more help with magic. Specifically, I want to talk to you about something I ran into while showing Kythia spells.¡± ¡°Mana Resistance Training¡± Kylana interrupts and I nod. She then continues, ¡°it is a crude, inefficient and time-consuming method of increasing Mana Potency. You want to use it to offset your current weakness but that won¡¯t do much if you don¡¯t deal with Mana Potential as well.¡± I just smile at that. ¡°So, you have a way for that problem? Interesting, I won¡¯t ask how but can my daughter benefit from it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so, the idea maybe but not what I actually do.¡± ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll imbue something you can use for a few weeks and have it ready for you tomorrow. I¡¯ll give you a tip though, do not try to refine your mana until you run out of forces to use in this kind of method.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Purer mana overcomes resistance easier and is thus counterproductive to this sort of method.¡± ¡°Do you know other methods that are better?¡± ¡°Not that you can use at this time.¡± So, there are better ways but they aren¡¯t available at my level. Due to my low base or low level of skill? Still, she is basically giving me everything I ask her for. ¡°Anything else or shall we start?¡± ¡°Any chance of helping me get Detect Living working in the next three days?¡± She smiles, ¡°Of course, we should also get Minor Drain, Dark Missile, Burning Hands and Burst of Speed since you are excused from Naliya¡¯s class to prepare for the two trials.¡± I smile even though this is going to be a lot of work to learn so much in a short period of time but I can also get Kythia to demonstrate the spells for me since she does know them even if her control is not up to her mother¡¯s standards.
AdrianThe tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
It took Griff a few days to get me up to speed on all the passwords, signs and so on of the Shadows. Of name for a thieves'' guild but they are apparently a conglomerate of various guilds of illegal activity. Of course not each subguild or cell touches every aspect of crime, Griff mostly deals in smuggling and heists though he plans on introducing me to another cell that he thinks I could do well in. These three days were not solely just me learning about the organization but I also managed to leverage how useful my skillset will be to get some advances on my cut of loot from heists and a signing bonus to get some of the equipment Bryan and Abagail need though not all of it. No enchanted equipment yet but some actual spell books from apprentices who don¡¯t lock their doors at the inn and Abagail¡¯s requested flute are already in their possession. ¡°You seem to have put everything to memory¡± Griff says as he just finished quizzing me on the various signs and tokens of the Shadows. ¡°I told you I¡¯m a quick study¡± I respond glad that he gave up his uneducated accent since I¡¯m on the in now. ¡°That you are. Feel like taking your first job then?¡± ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± ¡°Something simple, I want you to accompany one of my best sneaks as he breaks in a manor of a house I think is involved in smuggling.¡± ¡°Alright but he knows I can¡¯t do more than one of my special spells at once, right?¡± ¡°He knows and will fill you in on the details. He and his team are in room 4c.¡± I nod and turn to leave the bar for the deeper rooms of the guild. They practically a small city here under the building. I wonder how they manage to feed everyone down here though I doubt I would get a straight answer if I asked. I also can¡¯t help but notice how almost everyone past the second concealed door are dwarves. I knock on the door only to have it open as my knuckles brush up against it. Strange, that should not have happened. Are they going to try to haze me? I suppose I am the new guy but should I even play along? A small ripple of energy spreads outwards from my mind as I try a slightly different way to sense life force. It works and while I only feel them for an instant the mental image of direction and distance is clearer in this radar style version of my Sense Life. A little easier to do as well but there is probably some form of drawback to tossing out a ripple to hear an echo. Loss of being able to as easily differentiate between life signs and that it may act as a beacon to anyone doings something similar would be my guesses. Damn I¡¯ve had too much time to think lately as Griff and the other rouges kept repeating things they had already said. That may have been my own fault though, I was purposefully not ¡®remembering¡¯ everything the first time it was told to me even though I did. It would have been even more suspicious than my walking straight in their door. Rather than enter into the room I push the door the rest of the way open and say, ¡°I know that the three of you are in there. Your plan to scare the newbie is a bust this time.¡± ¡°Dammit¡± I hear a rough voice say as a dwarf steps out of a shadow that does not even seem large enough for him to hide in. ¡°Terrance, you idiot! He couldn¡¯t have found us already. He was bluffing to get you to do just that.¡± ¡°Nay, he knew our number¡± the dwarf who walked out of the shadows answers the feminine voice that preceded his response. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now, we may as well come out and see our extra for the job¡± a third voice says; this one male. There is some grumbling but soon enough I am standing in front of two dwarves and a young elven woman. Both of the dwarves have a tattoo that appears to be a rune of some sort on their left forearms and beard rings of gold and silver in their black beards. They stand roughly four-foot tall and are in leather armor that is designed to appear to be normal tunics. The elven girl stands maybe five-foot and four maybe five inches. Her tunic is cut in a revealing fashion though she does not hold herself in a way that matches the seductress roll of her clothing. She is pretty but she has clearly had a rough life, light but noticeable scars are on the parts of her body that could have easily been covered if she were in regular clothing. Aside from how she holds herself her haircut also detracts from the seductress roll the dress alludes to. Maybe some guys like it but I don¡¯t find the butch dike haircut as attractive. Perhaps he wears a wig and acts differently when she needs to? ¡°So, which one of you is in charge?¡± I ask. ¡°That would be Laura¡± the dwarf that responded to the name Terrance. I turn to the elf, surprised. I don¡¯t think that I had seen a woman in charge of anything since I had arrived on this world. ¡°Laura is the other dwarf¡± the elven girl says as if she had expected it. ¡°But isn¡¯t Laura a girl¡¯s name?¡± I ask, confused. ¡°And you don¡¯t see me as a girl?¡± the other dwarf asks, indignant. ¡°But you have a beard¡± I say confused. ¡°Griff said that you were a smart one but it seems that you¡¯re just another sky crazed idiot. Of course, I¡¯m a woman can¡¯t you tell by me beard?¡± ¡°No, well I mean the two of your beards are cut differently but I don¡¯t know if that means anything.¡± ¡°The beard be everything to a dw. . .¡± Terrance says. ¡°Hush Terrance, I¡¯ll be telling the boy what he needs to know¡± Laura interrupts and then continues as the elven girl and Terrance take a seat. ¡°The beard is the single most important part of your appearance. Even if you are barely more than a smooth chin you should . . .¡± Laura continues onwards to give the most detailed and fervent description of beards with several words that I do not recognize that I can only assume are dwarven words for some specific type or subsection of beard. Far more than I ever would have thought possible. After what feels like an eternity, but was only a few hours passed before the elven girl interrupts her, ¡°Laura, if we¡¯re going to get the goods then we need to set started on work.¡± ¡°Lynn it¡¯s bad enough I have to look at your bare chin every day don¡¯t interrupt me making sure that this young boy doesn¡¯t follow your shameful choice in being a smooth chin. Beards are more important than work.¡± Laura basically scolds the Lynn. ¡°Lynn, you can always continue teaching him the basics of beards during the job. It won¡¯t be enough time to finish but if he¡¯s as good as Griff thinks we can always use him for other jobs¡± Terrance mentions but all I get is that she hasn¡¯t even finished the ¡®basics of beards¡¯. How can all of what she just said have only been basics? She went into detailed things like how a beard is parted denotes the difference between men and women in dwarves. That the placement of beard rings shows status. How can all of that detail be basics? Basics is just on overview. Just how much is there on beards? ¡°Fine, but the lad can do his looking out for us without being outside.¡± ¡°I think that was why Griff wanted me to come along¡± I interject. Laura nods and then turns to Lynn who then begins speaking. ¡°House Tyris has been showing off an unusually large amount of imported goods, more than they can get from legal channels and they aren¡¯t getting the extras through us. A simple break in and find as many financial documents as we can and go.¡± Each of us nod, knowing what our part will be. At least I assume they do since I know mine and they have far more experience in this. Chapter 023 The Darkwall Mountains stretch across the western border of the civilized lands with few passes save for the Crater. These mountains form a natural wall that the nations who border it defend the passes against the demons that fill the Darklands. While some of the tainted manage to travel through the mountains without the passes they are few enough in number that mercenaries and traveling clergymen can deal with them. The mountains themselves are also home to most of the dwarven city kingdoms and beasts both mundane and magical.
Adrian
I follow the two dwarves as our small group walks down the streets of the nobles¡¯ quarter. The target mansion is just down the street and we timed it so that most of the residents will be away on some business or another. Laura continues to tell me about beards but I am not paying as much attention to her as finding all the life signs in the mansion as I gently prod at the fabric of reality to make the needed ripple. ¡°I can¡¯t tell who any individual is but most of them are outside of the mansion. Too many for me to get past without magically cheating¡± I say before we enter into the range of sight of the house guards. ¡°Will you set off the wards?¡± Laura asks. ¡°No, but if you want to be invisible too you''ll need to stay fairly close to me.¡± She nods and I stop making ripples to sense the nearby living. The world seems to waver and dim as I bend the light in my immediate vicinity. I can barely see but if I go further the how of my invisibility will blind me. ¡°You made it darker¡± Terrance mutters. ¡°Side effect but I¡¯m sure you vision is better than mine¡± I tell him. The patrolling guards do not notice us as we walk through the yard to the back of the building. Specifically, we go to a servant''s entrance because there will not be anyone keeping watch on that door. Laura glances at the door for a second before saying, ¡°we¡¯ll be here a moment, tis locked.¡± A small set of tools appears out of seemingly nowhere in her hands as she begins to build what seems to be a key from the various picks. She must have picked this lock many times. How come this hole in security isn¡¯t being filled in? A key assembled Laura inserts and turns it slowly, a click sounds and the door opens to reveal a currently empty hall. We enter, closing and relocking the door behind us. The world is refilled with color and light as I cease my hold on reality through the Sphere of Light. I return to feeling out where living things are though I also try to feel the location of golden objects. The building is full of them and I start making a mental list of the piles of small pieces of gold that are in a room below. We take a left and then go straight past two other halls before I whisper, ¡°someone just turned into the hall behind us.¡± ¡°Then we hurry to the proper door, it¡¯s just a bit further. Can you make a false image?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± They frown at that answer but I don¡¯t know. Probably not quickly in any event since I would have to constantly adjust the wavelengths of the photons. . . Luckily, my ability to conjure images out of residual light in the area does not end up being tested as we rush forward and find the door to the archives unlocked. We quickly close the door behind us as the sounds of a man walking around in a chain shirt enter our hearing. That guard ends up passing by the door without checking it and I let out a breath of relief. Looking around I see many books and letters on shelves along the walls of the small room. As the other three search for ledgers I look for a different kind of book. Unfortunately, only mundane matters are kept in this room. Soon enough the others find what they¡¯re looking for and the elf pulls out a carved twig while Terrance sets a stack of paper next to the ledger. She mutters a word that I don¡¯t quite catch. The pieces of paper begin to fill with writing as the wand showers the original with light. Page by page the elf uses the wand to copy from the ledger. Why not just take the ledger? That would hurt the family or is it a matter of keeping them from knowing that their secrets got stolen? I assume that she is done as she puts the wand away and Laura turns to me and asks ¡°anyone on the other side of that door?¡± I pause for a moment as I once more check for life signs with a ripple on the fabric of reality before shaking my head. They smile and we begin our exit, retracing our steps and once we are at the servant¡¯s entrance I once more resort to bending light to become invisible. Even if the two dwarves and elf could sneak past them I do not have the skill to do so myself. Once we are outside of the guard¡¯s loose perimeter the male dwarf slaps me on the back, ¡°you did good. I¡¯ll let Griff know that you¡¯re good.¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t do much of anything. You don¡¯t seem to have needed my help¡± I say. ¡°For this job, no we didn¡¯t but you made it easier for us and he finished faster than we normally would. We didn¡¯t have to wait and find a hole in the pattern of the guards or deal with any detection issues. Come by the guild tomorrow, Griff will probably have another infiltration job for you or at least some training for your mundane skills.¡± I nod, I suppose that makes sense. They also wouldn¡¯t have sent me on anything too important without testing my abilities. Though I had assumed me entering into their guildhall uninvited had been enough to get past that. I turn to look at the three only to find that they are already gone. Guess they left, I¡¯ll just pick up some more stuff on my way to my assigned quarters then. I put my hands in my pockets and pull a few pieces of gold through Translocation Grasp from a room that I assume is the Tyris family treasury. They won¡¯t notice a few coins are missing and even if they do they¡¯ll suspect thieves or corruption within their family but there shouldn¡¯t be any way for them to suspect me. Well, aside from divination magic. That might work but I doubt it will come to that. At least as long as I keep the theft¡¯s value to below what it would cost them to cast it.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I walk into a tavern that is mostly empty at this late hour. There are only two individuals drinking in the otherwise empty room. I walk up to the counter but one of the bottles on a shelf seems to draw my gaze. ¡°What drink is that bottle?¡± I ask as I point to the dark red bottle. ¡°Drakeflame whiskey it¡¯s made by gnomes, thirty gold a bottle¡± the fat man answers. Whiskey? Why do I want it? I haven¡¯t ever had alcohol but I find myself pulling more coins from the Tyris treasury as I say, ¡°how many bottles do you have?¡± ¡°Just the one, have you had it before?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then be careful when you open it. Gnomish drink has a perchance for exploding when exposed to air if it gets too warm.¡± I look at the counter as he places the bottle on it to find that I¡¯ve put the needed coins down. Why did I do this? I place the bottle carefully in my bag before saying, ¡°can I get some bread and . . .¡± ¡°Sure thing, I¡¯ll consider it part of the price for the whiskey.¡± A moment later the bartender has placed an unlabeled bottle and three loaves of bread on the counter. I add them to my bag before thanking the man. He merely nods in return before I exit the tavern. I wonder if anything has happened to Bryan or Abagail while I was out? A short few minutes later I arrive at the door to the small building that we are staying in and unlock it with my key. Entering through the door I see that the two of them are still awake and immediately jump up. Abagail seems to be embarrassed but I¡¯ll just pretend not to notice that her shirt isn¡¯t on straight. I always thought that she liked him but I didn¡¯t think something like this would happen over the short few days that I was gone. I pull out the bread and unlabeled bottle and place them on the table while not looking at Abagail, giving her an opportunity to become decent again. ¡°Where have you been the last few days?¡± Bryan asks. ¡°Working on getting us equipment and a way out of here¡± I answer. ¡°How? There should not be anything that pays as well as all the stuff you¡¯ve sent back the last few days¡± Abagail asks. ¡°The kind that you wouldn¡¯t like knowing about.¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Bryan asks. ¡°I found and then made a deal with one of the criminal organizations in town. Once I do enough jobs for them they¡¯ll get us out of town.¡± Abagail frowns and starts to say something but Bryan voices his question first. ¡°Are you sure it is a good idea to work with criminals?¡± ¡°How else do you think we could leave?¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t we talk to someone from those that brought us here?¡± asks Abagail. I shake my head, ¡°I doubt it. Their response to us not being commendable was to provide us with less than the necessities of life and that the only thing they sent us out to do was an unpaid mission where we ended up being knocked out for not immediately returning. It is pretty clear to me that they have no intention of us being anything other than fodder.¡± ¡°Are you sure that you can trust who you are working for to keep his end of the deal?¡± Bryan asks pulling the subject away from the current subject. ¡°I cannot be absolutely sure but he has been honest with me so far. We need the resources he''s given me to get by anyways.¡± ¡°You mean that. . .¡± ¡°. . .everything that appeared out of nowhere I got from him? No, most of the coins and food I acquired on my own but the things that you can actually use to get better are from them¡± I say interrupting Bryan. ¡°I don¡¯t think it is a good idea for you to affiliate yourself with criminals¡± Abagail says and I let out a sigh. ¡°It isn¡¯t but I don¡¯t have much choice. We need to get out of here, if we stay all that awaits us is death. It¡¯s risky and they may cheat me but a chance is better than certain death. What have the two of you been up to?¡± They¡¯re quiet for a moment, presumably thinking before Bryan answers my question. ¡°We¡¯ve been going over the two books that you got us. Specifically, the cantrips in them and trying to understand them and cast them with limited success. The two books conflict each other and we don¡¯t know which version is the real spell since neither work.¡± ¡°Have you tried mixing the two explanations together? Each may be skipping a part that the other explains to obfuscate the real how. Like how the books the Althaen gave us never included the incantation.¡± Silence reigns for a moment before Bryan hits his head on the table. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a no then. Try it tomorrow¡± I say as I pull out the bottle of Drakeflame whiskey. I frown at the lack of cups, I should have grabbed some glasses on my way back. I break off a chunk of bread from one of the loafs after setting down the bottle where only I can reach it at the table. I take a bite of the bland hard bread and am glad that it is chewable. Bryan and Abagail begin to do the same with their own bread and Bryan is the first to open the unlabeled bottle I set down next to him. He takes a drink before coughing. Abagail pats him on the back for a moment and he then says, ¡°you know that that is alcohol, right?¡± ¡°I assumed it was but there wasn¡¯t anything else available at this hour. Besides we are in a world at the medieval level of technology, some alcohol in our system will help with the low level of hygiene¡± I say to answer him before finishing off the small loaf of bread that I kept for myself. ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you drinking your own?¡± he asks. Rather than answer I open the small bottle. I know that I shouldn¡¯t drink too much at once, whiskey is supposed to burn as it goes down but what I¡¯ve seen in the movies has to be an exaggeration, right? I take a quick swig and swallow as fast as I can. I feel as if my mouth was filled with a fire for the short moment that the liquid was in my mouth. A searing sensation follows the liquid down my throat and I almost begin to cough before the burning sensation is replaced by a soothing one. I find myself enjoying a pleasant aftertaste unlike anything that I can compare it to. ¡°That¡¯s weird¡± I say. ¡°What?¡± Bryan asks. ¡°This drink, it burns at first and then feels soothing. I can¡¯t explain the aftertaste either.¡± ¡°Let me try some then, it has to be better than whatever is in that bottle you gave me.¡± ¡°Fine but I¡¯m not trading, I brought all of this so I reserve the right to pick what I want.¡± ¡°Fair enough¡± Bryan says as he takes the bottle from my outstretched hand. He takes a sip and spits it out with a cry of pain. I have to catch the bottle through Translocation Grasp as he drops it to try to wipe the remnants off his tongue. After a moment he chugs some of the unlabeled bottle next to him before turning to me and saying, ¡°soothing my ass. That is nothing more than distilled fire.¡± ¡°What do you mean? It isn¡¯t that bad¡± I say before taking a few more gulps, the initial burning sensation feeling lighter as I drink. ¡°Well I¡¯m going to sleep. See you in the morning¡± I say as I get up and enter my room for the first time in days. A little dust covers the room and I take another swig. I¡¯m really liking this drink. I don¡¯t notice the growing tingling feeling in my head as I finish the bottle in bed. I know that doing so is a mistake and I¡¯ll suffer in the morning but I do it anyways. My eyes close and I briefly see some screens from the Architect before falling completely asleep without doing anything to them.
Gain: +75 XP Pogonology, +75 XP Learned, +450 XP Dragon Knight, Pogonology 0 ->1 (+1SP), Dragon Knight 0->2 (Lesser Draconic)
Adrian Ravnos Gender: Male Race: Human? Age: 17
Strength 13 Intelligence 17 Mana Potential 5 Skills SP:17
Dexterity 16 Wisdom 17 Mana Potency 4 Languages Titles
Agility 14 Cunning 16 Luck 15 Traits Options
Endurance 11 Willpower 15 Perception 15 Magic Reality Control
Vitality 12 Alertness 13 Reality Control 3 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 15 Charisma 12 Health 97/97 Mana 4/4
Chapter 024 The City of Sacred Flame is the capitol of the Althaen nation known as the Holy Empire. All of the summoning rituals are conducted in the chapel of the White Palace, at least all of those that are sanctioned by the Holy Empire. While most of the Divines are worshiped within this nation, the Holy One¡¯s decrees are put at a higher level as he is considered the patron good of the city and nation.
Bryan
It has been two days since I encountered Jeff on the street and Adrian semi-disappeared. It is only that notes and items show up that I know that he has not truly left. I feel guilty that he is off doing things while I am stuck here reading the few books that he has left for Abagail and me and basic exercise. ¡°What is it?¡± Abagail asks me as she walks out of her room. I must have been frowning again. ¡°I was just thinking. . .¡± I answer before I stop talking as she gives me a hug. ¡°I know. I don¡¯t like that we can¡¯t help Adrian but we don¡¯t know where he is or what he is doing.¡± My frown becomes a smile at the soft feeling of her chest against mine. A feeling that I¡¯ve almost gotten used to over the past few days. ¡°You¡¯re right but it¡¯s just I¡¯ve never not been able to help a friend when I¡¯m needed before.¡± ¡°All we can do is study and learn until he comes back. You¡¯ve already tried finding another way out of the city and failed.¡± Ughh, that did not go well. All my asking around did was get more of the Althaen soldiers stationed near our assigned quarters. Tomas was right when he said that they consider us as their fodder. I don¡¯t know how he managed to make a deal with someone without the authorities getting wind of it but all I can do now is bet everything on his success in that endeavor. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make me feel any better about it.¡± ¡°Yes, it does. So, does doing what work you can do.¡± I smile and pull her into a deeper hug, my arms wrapping around her waist. To my surprise she does not fight against it and just blushes a little as I enjoy the feeling of her in my lap. I wonder if she would let me kiss her? She does like me, at least I am fairly certain that she does. She has been getting more affectionate lately. . . In the end I simply let her go, there is a smile on her face but it seems a bit different from the one she had while in my arms. Maybe I should have went for it. Too late now though, maybe next time she gives me a hug. ¡°Did you make any progress in understanding these books?¡± I ask. ¡°Some, they are a lot better than those the Althaen gave us but I think they are still missing information. The instructions for some of the spells also conflict.¡± I nod, I¡¯ve been running into the same problem. Even so, the Architect¡¯s system has been saying that I¡¯m making progress even if it is more on the divine side of magic. Why does arcane magic have to be so much harder? ¡°Did you finish all the books?¡± Abagail asks. ¡°Yes, but I am running into the same problem. I can get some of the spells to work as divine magic but without the extra help from the Architect I can¡¯t get the mana to make the change that it needs to. And I don¡¯t know enough about spellcraft to fill in that blank that seems to be missing.¡± ¡°You got one of them to work as a divine spell?¡± ¡°I did. Not one of the complicated ones but I did manage to get the Ignite spell to work.¡± ¡°Can you show me?¡± I smile, ¡°of course¡± and grab one of the candles that appeared in the box Adrian keeps putting things in. A small beeswax candle of poor quality but it does do its job at night. I begin a small prayer to the Architect, releasing a part of my mana into the air around the candle while thinking of exactly what needs to happen in order for it to light. It takes a few seconds as I have to actually end the prayer before my released mana begins to move on its own. Condensing around the wick of the candle before becoming thermal energy. A flame bursts into existence as the mana is no more. I see a smile on Abagail¡¯s face as she says, ¡°see you can do it. You¡¯re really improving¡± and hugs me again. This time I pull her into my lap and before she realizes it and reacts lean down and give her a kiss. My heart beating faster as I worry over how she will react. I have been enjoying spending so much time with her over the last two days. She freezes in my grasp, not sure what to do.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. She doesn¡¯t push me away though so I don¡¯t move away either and just continue my clumsy kiss. A few seconds later her arms once more tighten around me. Once more pulling her towards me as she is the smaller between the two of us. After a moment we separate and I grin, that was fun. It feels good to have a girl in your arms. She blushes and looks at me though she wears a smile similar to my own. ¡°Wanna do that again?¡± I ask and she nods. I give her another clumsy kiss as I hold her in my arms, loosing track of time as I eventually build up the courage to go further bit by bit. She doesn¡¯t ever stop me even when she shifts around a bit. I lose track of time long before I manage to slip a hand under her shirt.
All of a sudden, I hear a door open and in that instant Abagail and me separate. I turn to see Adrian walking in and while I never thought I would do this I silently curse that he showed up. I can still feel the smooth softness that lies under Abagail¡¯s shirt in the palm of my hand. Abagail turns beet red while I feel my own face heat up being caught but aside from a glance Adrian does nothing and simply begins placing some food and drink on the table. Did he not notice? ¡°Where have you been the last few days?¡± I ask. ¡°Working on getting us equipment and a way out of here¡± Adrian answers. ¡°How? There should not be anything that pays as well as all the stuff you¡¯ve sent back the last few days¡± Abagail asks. ¡°The kind that you wouldn¡¯t like knowing about.¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± I ask. ¡°I found and then made a deal with one of the criminal organizations in town. Once I do enough jobs for them they¡¯ll get us out of town.¡± Abagail frowns and starts to say something but I accidently cut her off. ¡°Are you sure it is a good idea to work with criminals?¡± ¡°How else do you think we could leave?¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t we talk to someone from those that brought us here?¡± asks Abagail. Adrian shake my head, ¡°I doubt it. Their response to us not being commendable was to provide us with less than the necessities of life and that the only thing they sent us out to do was an unpaid mission where we ended up being knocked out for not immediately returning. It is pretty clear to me that they have no intention of us being anything other than fodder.¡± ¡°Are you sure that you can trust who you are working for to keep his end of the deal?¡± I ask changing the subject. ¡°I cannot be absolutely sure but he has been honest with me so far. We need the resources he''s given me to get by anyways.¡± ¡°You mean that. . .¡± ¡°. . .everything that appeared out of nowhere I got from him? No, most of the coins and food I acquired on my own but the things that you can actually use to get better are from them¡± Adrian say interrupting me. ¡°I don¡¯t think it is a good idea for you to affiliate yourself with criminals¡± Abagail says and Adrian let out a sigh. ¡°It isn¡¯t but I don¡¯t have much choice. We need to get out of here, if we stay all that awaits us is death. It¡¯s risky and they may cheat me but a chance is better than certain death. What have the two of you been up to?¡± Neither of us answer, I can¡¯t say that I accidently spent theafternoon kissing Abagail. There is no way she¡¯ll let me do that again if I go and tell. ¡°We¡¯ve been going over the two books that you got us. Specifically, the cantrips in them and trying to understand them and cast them with limited success. The two books conflict each other and we don¡¯t know which version is the real spell since neither work¡± I answer talking about yesterday, it isn¡¯t a lie but just not the whole truth. ¡°Have you tried mixing the two explanations together? Each may be skipping a part that the other explains to obfuscate the real how. Like how the books the Althaen gave us never included the incantation.¡± Silence reigns for a moment before I hit my head on the table. Why didn¡¯t I think of that? The two incantations for Ignite were very similar, neither worked but maybe if I swapped around some of the words between the two. . . ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a no then. Try it tomorrow¡± Adrian says ashe pulls outa bottle that looks different than the ones he gave Abagail and me. Adrian frowns while looking at the table before picking up one of the bread loaves and breaking of a piece and setting a smaller bottle to his side. He takes a bite of the bread. Abagail and me begin to do the same with our own bread. After swallowing some of the stale bread I pick up the bottle that Adrian placed next to me. It doesn¡¯t seem to be water in there. With a shrug I open it and take a small drink. A harsh yet sweet taste fills my mouth and after swallowing I start coughing. Abagail pats me on the back for a moment. ¡°You know that this is alcohol, right?¡± I ask Adrian somewhat upset, while I wonder if he did this as a prank. He does know that we are too young to drink, so why would he bring this back? ¡°I assumed it was but there wasn¡¯t anything else available at this hour. Besides we are in a world at the medieval level of technology, some alcohol in our system will help with the low level of hygiene¡± he answers before finishing off the small loaf of bread in his hand. ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you drinking your own?¡± I ask. Rather than answer he open the small bottle and takes a small drink similar to my own. He makes an odd face, but seems to enjoy the drink far more than I did. Has he done this before? ¡°That¡¯s weird¡± he says. ¡°What?¡± ¡°This drink, it burns at first and then feels soothing. I can¡¯t explain the aftertaste either.¡± ¡°Let me try some then, it has to be better than whatever is in that bottle you gave me.¡± ¡°Fine but I¡¯m not trading, I brought all of this so I reserve the right to pick what I want.¡± ¡°Fair enough¡± I take a smaller drink barely more than a sip before spitting it out as a burning sensation fills my tongue. I have never shied away from spicy food but this is nothing like anything I¡¯ve had before. All I can feel is pain in my mouth and I grab the bottle he originally set next to me and take several gulps out of it to quell the burn in my mouth before I say after coughing, ¡°soothing my ass. That is nothing more than distilled fire.¡± ¡°What do you mean? It isn¡¯t that bad¡± he says before taking a few more gulps of that drink from hell. How did that bottle even get back into his hand? ¡°Well I¡¯m going to sleep. See you in the morning¡± he says and takes the bottle with him. Everything is silent for a moment before Abagail says, ¡°I can¡¯t believe he made you drink booze.¡± ¡°He was right about one thing though. The alcohol will help against disease¡± I say to defend my friend. ¡°You¡¯re slurring your words¡± Abagail says and I frown. ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Yes, you are.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± Abagail sighs and I try to kiss her but she dodges and says, ¡°you should go to bed.¡± ¡°Okay¡± I say as she walks me to a room. Was the room always so blurry? I can¡¯t have gotten drunk this fast. What was in those bottles? Chapter 025 Karthas is a small town of little significance aside from the westward road into the Darkwall Mountains and the Graveyard of Karthas that is the largest graveyard within the Holy Empire. Buried there are all of the soldiers that have died fighting against the Darklands, if their bodies were recovered. The trace amounts of demonic taint that the soldiers have acquired during their forays into the Darklands has like tainted the graveyard itself into a demonic nest. This causes the dead to rise which while providing a training ground for many of the Holy Empire¡¯s forces requires constant attention and cleansing to prevent it from festering and growing just as the locations tainted directly by demonic blood do. Aside from the forces of the Church of the Holy One, another unknown individual is known to pass through the town when the Graveyard is close to needing a cleansing.
Lykou
Another three days have passed and tonight will be the new moon. I¡¯ll have to take a test on my ability to hunt but between the magic Kylana has been teaching me and my practice fighting with Kythia I should be fine. I sit up to see Analais was about to wake me from the meditation I use as a substitute for sleep. He smiles before pulling out a piece of leather handing it to me without a word. I look at it, or more specifically the chaotic and haphazard squiggling lines that cover one side. I look back at Analais in confusion until he points at a spot and says, ¡°we are here.¡± It¡¯s a map, but of what? There are too many lines for them to be the streams in these woods. Perhaps, game trails? I smile as I squint slightly to try to read something that looks like writing. I find a spot that I think is the word bear, but I¡¯m not sure. Still, there are a lot of game trails and that¡¯ll make it easy when combined with sparsely used Detect Life spells. ¡°Thank you¡± I whisper as Alana seems to still be asleep. He nods and then I pocket the rough map before going outside. As Kylana had told me would be yesterday, there are a few of the young males from Naliya''s class waiting along with several other ¡®adults¡¯. Most of which I do not know the names of but there are four I do, Kylana, Kythia, Ragnor and Holia. I move and sit near the other prospective hunters before Kylana finally begins to speak as the light of the rising sun begins to touch the small village. ¡°The Rite of the Dark Moon, is the first test that you must pass to be recognized as a hunter and thus an adult member of the pack. The pack can be attacked at any time and even on nights like the one that will come once the sun sleeps anew, we must eat. Before the next dawn you are to return with a bear¡¯s corpse, there are plenty of them in the woods if you leave the area the hunters patrol. Go.¡± ¡°I object to one of the participants. He is. . .¡± begins Ragnor before Kylana cuts him off. ¡°If he is inadequate then he can simply fail like anyone else.¡± ¡°And if he dishonorably . . .¡± ¡°The ability to provide food when the pack is at its weakest is the purpose of the test. Food is food, regardless of where it comes from.¡± Ragnor nor anyone else says anything after that. After this moment of silence, Kylana waves us towards the forest and I smile as I begin to run out towards one of the locations that Analais wrote bear. This could technically be cheating but like Kylana just said food is food. One of the boys that is always following Ragnan''s lead follows me into the woods but the others scatter. Is this going to be an attempt for Ragnan to get rid of me? It would make sense for this to be an attempt but at the same time I doubt that he could come up with such a sneaky plan. Like his father he seems to prideful to try and remove me anywhere except in front of others so as to display his own dominance over me. Luckily, I seem to have spent more time in the woods that him and rather quickly lose him as I head towards what I assume is one of the caves with a bear in it according to Analais¡¯s map, smiling as I think of how I should take down a bear. A sneak attack with some well-placed arrows from a tree and a bit of magic to finish it off as I keep out of its reach should do the trick. A few minutes after I am sure that my unwanted follower has lost me I slow down to a walk and confirm my destination on the map. It should only be a few more minutes to the west, close enough for me to check if there really is a bear there through magic. I whisper a strange incantation that seems to almost echo off of nothing while wrapping my mana around my left hand as Kylana taught. Just as the last syllable leaves my lips I snap my fingers but no sound is made, instead a wave of energy ripples outwards and I close my eyes. The world goes dark for an instant as I see my surroundings from above through the mana ripple, various dim lights in the shapes of plants surround me but there are a few that are much brighter if not larger than the trees and grass. A few rabbits to my right, a small group of deer a few minutes behind me, but none of that draws my focus.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. In a small area a few thousand feet in front of me is something twice the size of a human, that should be a bear but I am not sure as I have never sensed a bear through the spell before. It is however strong and large enough to be one. Another light catches my attention as it is even stronger than the bear but it is not moving. I think it might be a collection of multiple creatures but I can''t be sure since it is on the edge of my magicial sight. Should I check on it before taking out the bear? No, the bear is more important and whatever the second thing is, it is not going anywhere. The short few seconds of magical sight end but it was worth the mana it cost me. It takes me a few minutes to reach where I saw the bear through Detect Living, and unsurprisingly the bear is not in fact there anymore. It did however leave a fairly clear trail behind as it walked off, and I know which direction to follow since I got to see a few seconds of its movement while my magic was active. I nock an arrow before following the trail and it is not long before I see my prey. Larger than I expected it to be, the bear is almost the size of the dire bear in that cave with lighter brown fur. Grizzly? I am not sure where that name came from but the bear may give me some trouble. At least I am downwind and so it does not yet know that I am here. It may not even care if it did as I doubt there is much around that it would consider a threat to itself. I glance around for a moment and find the thickest tree. The one that will take the bear the longest to knock down and spend a minute climbing it. While I am doing so the bear is eating some shrub that I would need to be closer to in order to identify. Once on a branch I think will keep me out of the bear¡¯s immediate reach I nock the arrow that I had to return to the quiver in order to climb the tree and draw it all the way back. My arms tremble slightly as the bow is a bit too large and stiff for me to use its full power but I manage to hold it steady for a few seconds as I take aim. A strange sensation washes over me as I focus on aiming, details that I shouldn¡¯t be noticing are entering my mind and I adjust the arrow slightly to account for them. Somehow, I know the exact distance, the arrow drop from gravity and how the bear is shifting about as it breathes and eats. The only other time I can remember this happening is when I felt threatened by that small bear¡¯s charge. I loose the arrow before I lose this sensation where I know that the arrow will land true. The twang of the bowstring is followed by a sharp pain as it smacks against my exposed forearm but I just smile and draw another arrow. My second arrow is nocked before the first lands and the bear cries out in pain as it passes between two of the ribs and punctures a lung. The bear looks around in a panic and those few seconds allow me to draw another arrow though the strange feeling has left me and I know that this second shot will not be so accurate. The bear notices me and roars in anger at the pain I have forced upon it. It charges at me or more specifically the tree upon which I am crouched in and I loose another arrow, this one aimed at the head. The arrow flies true, but not as true as the first, striking the top of the head but I know there is no way that it pierced through the skull. I need a shot through the eye or to piece the other lung to kill it, neither of which will be an easy. Or maybe down the neck if I luck out and sever an artery or the windpipe. No, the head is in the way, I am too high off the ground to get that type of shot in. A third arrow is nocked and I shift my footing to brace for the impact of the bear. The tree shakes and tips over slightly but I remain where I am. I draw the arrow as the bear staggers from the recoil of its failed charge and loose it into its back. A bone keeps it from any vital organs but it will cause some bleeding and speed up the death that a punctured lung is already going to cause. I just have to keep inflicting damage while staying out of reach. The bear stands up on its hind legs and slams into the tree, shifting it a bit more as I nock a fourth arrow. I grin, there is an opening at a vital spot when it rears back for that slam. I draw the arrow and wait through another slam on the tree so I can time it just right to hit the neck. Another twang of the bowstring and sting on my left forearm sends an arrow into the neck of the bear and I grin at the steady stream of blood flowing down the arrow. This is just what I needed. I start the incantation to another spell that I found in Kylana¡¯s books, one that she didn¡¯t teach me but has a lot of potential in just such a situation. A simple cantrip that thins the blood, meant to be used when slaughtering farm animals, Bleed. A tiny red ball of light fills my right hand as my mana shifts and I pour far more than the required amount of mana into the spell. Then I simply drop the created object and it dissipates as it falls to the bear. Most of the energy is wasted as it is meant to be delivered via touch but enough of it does stick around long enough to touch the bear. My grin widens as the stream of blood off of the arrow in its neck runs faster. Now all I have to do is wait. The spell will keep clots from forming and the bears own movements and fear make its heart beat faster and faster until a large pool of blood forms beneath it, seeping into the dirt as the bear gets weaker and weaker. Soon it collapses onto the ground, passed out from the blood loss. I wait another minute for it to stop breathing before I climb down from the thick oak tree. Necromancy is the best. I draw a dagger and begin to cut away the right paw. There is no way that I can drag the whole bear back to the village but a few trophies should be enough proof. I think a paw and a few teeth should be enough. Before I begin though I hear the voice of a female I recognize behind me, ¡°stop.¡± This may be the answer to my inability to draw a ton of bear meat back, or something very bad. I turn to see that it is Naliya and ask, ¡°why? Do I not need to bring back a trophy to show as proof?¡± ¡°I saw enough of your battle and will vouch for you kill. I¡¯ll see to it that you get the credit for this and take care of the corpse. Go and keep hunting¡± she says and tosses me a bundle of arrows tied together with a piece of leather. I catch it and add them to my quiver with a smile. She has treated me well, I can probably trust her. I didn¡¯t think that we would be watched during the trial though it does make sense. How come I did not notice her when I cast Detect Life though? She probably came when she heard the sounds of combat and was outside of its range earlier; that or some sort of nondetection magic. Chapter 026 The Graveyard of Karthas as mentioned before is tainted by demon blood. Lands such as these are known as Tainted Lands and like the Darklands, monstrous creatures spontaneously take shape within such locations. Some of the archmagi has theorized that it is how the demonic planes propagate. That the planes within the Abyss are living creatures themselves of immense power and they create demons to go to other planes and turn them into new layers of the Abyss. The only evidence of this theory is that the ancient records of the Abyssal planes depict them having demons spontaneously appear like the tainted creatures do within tainted lands. These lands also grow and become more twisted and demonic as blood is spilt within them.
Lykou
After deciding to leave the bear with Naliya I head westward towards the strange entity that I found when I cast Detect Life. I don¡¯t know what it is but I should be fine. It takes me roughly thirty minutes before I notice something different in the woods. It is a lot quieter as I approach the clearing. That is not a good sign, that means there is something dangerous. So I move slower and leave the game trial that I was on to conceal myself in the bushes. It¡¯ll slow my progress but it is better for me to be careful than find myself the target of a sneak attack. Another ten, maybe fifteen minutes pass as I approach what turns out to be a clearing. Nothing strange about it save for the pair of white cloth tents that stand out and some sort of winged reptile that is chained to the ground next to the tents. I can see two men in white tunics with a symbol I do not recognize on them. Something within me feels uneasy about them, like something is wrong and that they are dangerous. Along with that strangely enough is that I begin to drool even though they are not cooking anything. I move to get a better look as I am confused but shortly after moving I hear a voice above me and look up at it, ¡°stop where you are boy. You are trespassing in a camp of House Tyris.¡± I frown at the language that he uses. It makes me feel uneasy, like I am unconsciously associating it with something bad. The voice I heard comes from a man in dyed green leather. The poor dye job seems to act as camouflage though I probably would have seen him earlier if I had looked up. The man is pointing a crossbow at me but I am not sure the bolt will hit me as it seems tilted, as if he only knows my rough location. I stop moving, maybe he is testing me and is unsure if the movements that I made in the bush were caused by an animal. ¡°By Althaen law you are to come forth and present yourself for the punishment for disturbing the camp of your betters. If you do not I am going to shoot you¡± the man in the tree once more says. I glance at the two men in white tunics but they do not seem to be paying attention. There is no way I am going to submit myself to being punished for walking close to their camp. Who does that man think that he is? The man frowns and fires his crossbow at the bush I am behind, the quarrel piercing into the dirt roughly a foot to my left but I keep quiet and still. He should give up thinking that I was never here if no sound or movement comes from his attack. If he comes to retrieve his bolt I can ambush him with a knife and some magic. Hopefully before the two men in white tunics join the fight. Luckily, the man does not move from his perch and I begin to think of another plan. A way to kill these people, they make me feel threatened and one of them did try to kill me for no other reason than being nearby and not subjecting myself to his will. Now, I need to just wait until he looks away for a few seconds. . . As the man in greenish leather pulls out a bolt to reload his crossbow, I take a step back from the bushes and use one of the major advantages that a bow has over the crossbow. The faster draw and reload speed lets me have the arrow drawn and aimed before the man notices me due to his focus temporarily being on the crossbow. I loose the arrow and the relatively short distance between us along with him being a stationary target graces me with a hit almost exactly where I was aiming. The arrow lands a little low but slips between two of his lower ribs. The man drops the crossbow as he yells out in pain and I move myself behind a tree and hear him fall to the ground shortly after his crossbow did the same. There is some panic and whatever that large lizard like creature is wakes up adding much noise to the running of the two men in white tunics. A sound I recognize as the chanting of spells reaches my ear and I peek around the tree as I hold another arrow knocked. One of the two men is chanting something, magic but I can¡¯t recognize what it is that he is trying to cast. Even so, I know that it cannot be something that is good for me. I draw the arrow all the way back before quickly taking aim and firing. My arrow flies true only to divert unnaturally to the side at the last moment after the two men had finished their magic. Shit, something that blocks arrows. New plan, I need a different way of dealing with them. Their spellcasting took several seconds so it is probably either divine magic or arcane magic that is beyond what they are comfortable casting.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I set my bow down and draw a knife while whispering the words of a spell that I¡¯ll have to follow with another if I am going to cross the distance in time. The two men look at each other and then the fallen but still breathing man with a now broken arrow in his chest. The two of them begin to draw swords that hang at their waist and move towards me as I race through the words for another spell. I only have about half of my mana left so I need this to work. Much as the I did with Bleed I gather and shape mana within my left hand, but the shape of the construct is different. A bolt of needlessly bright fire forms and I toss it towards the two and begin another spell as this Flare temporarily blinds then. They don¡¯t drop their weapons or panic but I take advantage of the short few seconds to use Burst of Speed to close the distance. The casting of this spell is quicker than the cantrip that preceded it even though it costs more mana. Bits of grass and dirt fly into the air around my feet as my mana wraps around them and augments the kinetic energy of me pushing off the ground. I reach one of the two before he recovered from the flash of light from the Flare. I sink my drawn knife in my right hand into his gut as soon as I am inside of the reach of his blade. He screams in pain and drops his weapon but I leave it where it lies as I do not know how to use a sword very well. The man I shanked stumbles and I grab his right arm and pull him towards me to keep him between me and his ally, a shield against the other¡¯s sword. Unfortunately, such a move was expected by the man who shifts to go the other way around his ally. Shit, I didn¡¯t even get enough time to finish one of them off during their momentary blindness. I quickly twist the blade to widen the hole before stepping back and letting the man fall to the ground where he is too occupied holding his innards inside him to continue the fight. I back away from my last able opponent slowly as he looks for an opening in my stance, there are many of them but he does not immediately attack. A few seconds pass before I dodge a lunge only to be knocked to the ground in a bull rush. As I fall I lose my grip on my knife. Prone and left unable to defend myself, I begin to panic, I don¡¯t have anything to block. The only thing I can think of is to roll to the side to dodge the sword that comes down to end my life. A stinging sensation crosses my back as I only barely get out of the way, at least enough that only some of my skin gets cut. I can¡¯t think of anything that can save me as I roll the opposite way to dodge a second attack. The man moves to block me and I stop with my shoulder against his. The world seems to slow as the pointed blade gets closer and closer to me. The short month that I can clearly remember flashes through my memory as I throw my mana, more than I thought I even had, outwards in a futile attempt to defend myself. Then in an instant something clicks in my head. Mana magic does what it does based on the shapes and flow of mana. Incantation, somatic gestures, all of that is just to shape it. Only the shape and flow matters, not how you get to it and just before the descending blade pierces my chest the wave of mana I threw out in a panic changes as I nudge it. A flash of heat and torrent of flame surrounds me, a scream of pain fills my ears as my skin is seared by the heat as dozens of half formedflares erupt around me. The descending sword continues to fall but its direction shifts, it still cuts into my as it lands on me but only slices at my flesh rather than impaling me, the blade dulled by stabbing the ground unable to cut too deeply without the force of a person¡¯s strength behind it. I push the blade off me and roll away from the now burning man as a feeling of extreme discomfort fills my body. I feel sore, weak and tired but I can¡¯t stop yet, I pick up m knife from where it fell on the ground and walk towards the two that are still breathing, ignoring the guy who is currently burning to death as he rolls around on the ground. I guess magical flames are harder to extinguish. I ignore the partially disemboweled man¡¯s pleas and add additional holes in him until he ceases to breathe. Which does not take long as he had been bleeding from his gut the entire time that I was dealing with the other man in a white tunic. The crossbowmen that fell from the tree had stopped breathing by the time that I got to him which I find convenient. Now there is only two things left to do. Deal with the awake but chained lizard thing and go through all their stuff. I wipe off the knife on the crossbowman¡¯s clothes before picking my bow up from where I left it. After brushing off the dirt I frown at how the wood has absorbed some moisture. I¡¯ll need to wax it but not right now. Instead I turn to the horse sizes winged lizard and spend a moment to get a better look. It isn¡¯t a dragon, the tail is wrong. That part of the creature seems more like a scorpion. It struggles against the chain that holds it in place and after a moment of thought I knock and draw an arrow. If I let it go it¡¯ll attack me. If I leave it it¡¯ll likely eventually get away or be released by allies of the three men I just killed. There is also how I am drooling at the sight of this creature, like it is some sort of fancy food. It must be really good or I am really messed up. Only one way to find out. . . I take aim for what should be softer areas and fire arrow after arrow into the creature, swallowing at the sight of its spilling blood. I want to drink it and feast. Every now and then I find that I¡¯ve taken a few steps forward and have to walk back to make sure that the lizard cannot attack me. Each arrow causing a cry of pain as the beast slowly learns that it will die here. I all but empty my quiver into the creature before I am certain that it¡¯s dead. It stopped breathing and the flow of blood has likewise ceased. I find myself taking steps forward but unlike before I do not force myself to step back, only to do slower. I reach the horse sized lizard and touch the warm blood before smelling it. It smells different. I find my finger entering my mouth and a strange taste like a warm spice yet sweet but also neither. My stomach growls and in an instant a ravenous hunger fills me. I need to eat and whatever this thing is I adore the taste. I rip out and toss aside an arrow that punctured the creature''s and rip out a piece of meat and put it in my mouth before I even realize what I am doing. I don¡¯t gag on the raw meat as I barely chew before swallowing. It¡¯s delicious, better than anything I can remember and I can¡¯t stop myself from ripping another handful one after another from the corpse. Chapter 027 The city of Valar within the borders of the Holy Empire is not a true city but a collection of nomadic beastkin be it escaped slaves or those who have managed not to be sold as servants among the Althaen Nations. Most of their population is catkin and foxkin.
Lykou
I can¡¯t stop myself from eating. The taste is too good and my sudden hunger too great until I find myself amidst scraps of scaled hide and blood covered bones. I glance around to find little remains of the creature but what I had to break and rip apart to get at the delicious meat. I frown, and only then does my hunger subside and my mind clears. I am covered in blood as I sit where the winged lizard once was. It¡¯s gone, I ate the whole thing. But how? I don¡¯t feel bloated or overstuffed. I touch my stomach to find it is just as it was before this strange frenzy. How could I have eaten so much? The creature was over twice my size. Oddly, despite how I am worried over how I did what I just did I do in fact feel better than before. A bit sleepy but otherwise perfectly fine. Well, aside from that the leather tunic Alana gave me is ruined by the blood stains. I check the sky to see that several hours have passed, and that it is near dusk only to have my thoughts interrupted by Kylana''s voice. ¡°It¡¯s about time you came back to you senses.¡± I look over to see that she is sitting against a tree with a small pile of items next to her. ¡°How long have you been there?¡± I ask. ¡°A few hours, in time to see the second half of your meal.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop me?¡± ¡°Because you instinctually were eating the wyvern. Which means that it is something that your body knows it needs.¡± I needed to gorge myself on that creature? Why? ¡°Come over here and help me carry your kills back, but leave the wyvern bones behind¡± Kylana says interrupting my confusion. I walk over to her and am passed a sack that while heavier than it seems is lighter than I thought it would be as I can hear metal clanking around within it. ¡°You¡¯re almost certain to pass the Rite of the Dark Moon¡± Kylana comments as she lifts a second sack over her own shoulder. ¡°Almost? Aren¡¯t you the one who decides who passes?¡± I ask. ¡°No, Ragnor will declare a minimum acceptable level of return from the hunt before he knows who brought what. A single great bear may not be enough but as long as he doesn¡¯t know you found and brought back scouts from the Holy Empire. . .¡± ¡°I thought you said a bear was the target at the start of this thing.¡± ¡°I did and that was a lie to push everyone to take the risk on large prey.¡± ¡°Well it worked.¡± She nods and the rest of our walk back to the village is silent and the moon is high in the night sky as we cross the border of the circle of huts. ¡°Go ahead and rest¡± Kylana says as I yawn. I nod and walk over and into Alana''s hut. It only takes me a moment to lose my outer clothing and enter the bedding. As has become a habit I begin to meditate.
Gain: +175 XP Apprentice, +200 XP Woodsman, +50 XP Man-at-arms, +1200 XP Dragon Knight, +50 XP Spellcraft, +10 XP Evasion, +25 XP Bow, +25 XP Archery, +25 XP Ranged, +5 XP Dagger, +5 XP Melee, +15 XP Mana Control, +25 XP Climbing, +50 Tracking, +75 XP Hiding, +75 XP Stealth, Apprentice 4-> 5 (+5SP), Dragon Knight 5->7(Keen Senses, Partial Recovery of Void Dragon Body), Spellcraft 0->1 (+1SP)
Lykou Gender: Male Race: Void Draconian? Age: 10?
Strength 16 Intelligence 16 Mana Potential 10 Skills SP: 347
Dexterity 16 Wisdom 15 Mana Potency 8 Languages Titles
Agility 17 Cunning 14 Luck 17 Traits Options
Endurance 15 Willpower 18 Perception 13 Magic ???
Vitality 15If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Alertness 16 ??? 1 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 16 Charisma 12 Health 160/160 Mana 45/45
Apprentice has reached level 5. You now meet the requirement to opt into a higher class. Do you wish to do so>
Yes No
I ignore the last screen that pops up to the side of the other two. What¡¯s Spellcraft? And how did I get Dragon Knight to advance? I touch the word spellcraft to get a description.
Spellcraft
Similar to Arcana, spellcraft is the study of the structure of magic and how it works rather than what each individual magic is and does. In addition to being a knowledge skill this can also be applied as a craft as is implied in the name.
Understanding the construction of magic as opposed to the memorized theory of Arcana. I smile at just what I might be able to do with this. If I can learn more of the how of the structures in spells rather than copying memorized ones and enough control over my mana I could spontaneously alter spells to suit the situation. This doesn¡¯t answer how my odd racial class managed to advance though. What have of done that could have caused it? Now the hunting or magic, those don¡¯t seem to be draconic. What sort of dragonny thing did I do? That wyvern looked kind of like. . . and I ate it. I need to eat dragon-like creatures? Is that why I was compelled to eat? I need more information. Can I get it from this system? I touch the racial class button on the main screen and then the only thing that it brought up, my Dragon Knight class and its current progress.
Dragon Knight - Void
A Dragon Knight is like the Dragon Disciple, one who seeks to become like unto a dragon. The main difference between the two is that Dragon Knights shift between their original form and that of a dragon, aside from a few minor changes, instead of slowly turning themselves into half dragons. They are also subject to the instincts and biological needs of their dragon half once they have awoken to their heritage. By following these instincts and emulating their draconic ancestors the Dragon Knight becomes more like them until reaching the point that they become a true dragon.
This both helps and doesn¡¯t, I have to act as a Void Dragon to improve but there isn¡¯t a description of one included. Was eating that wyvern an instinctual action for a void dragon? I can¡¯t come up with anything else that might have been, so I can only assume that it was. I look at my ever-increasing store of SP and give a mental smile, it¡¯ll be helpful when I hit a road block but that is not yet. I also dismiss the pop-up on the side about swapping Apprentice for the next tier, I haven¡¯t finished all of it yet and there has to be something at its tenth level. Otherwise it would end earlier though I don¡¯t know what it is. I dismiss the rest of the screens before falling deeper into meditation and latch onto a memory as it drifts past my semi-conscious mind.
I find myself sitting at a table, with a small pile of books in front of me. A ball of dim magical light floating above the opened book as I continue to read. . . . can be increased if the subject is artificially subjected to mana poisoning either by injecting pure mana or mana that was previously harvested and stored from the subject without contamination. The subject must be subjected to the moderate level mana poisoning for months before the subject begins to adapt to hold the higher mana levels. There are three limitations to this beyond the high risk of physical degeneration. First is that the subject''s natural mana generation does not increase as shown by all subjects, second that the increase in the mana pool will slowly degrade to its original amount again shown by all subjects that survived the initial mana poisoning, and lastly the physical degeneration is permanent and will slowly kill the subject even after the mana pool has returned to its original size as shown by subjects 19, 21, 23, 24, 25 and 26. Rare cases of success were found after repeated testing, leading to the conclusion that mana reinforcement of the body can offset and even overcome the physical degeneration among some races. Aside from dragons, demonic, angelic and elemental creatures that have strong connections to mana in their physiology augmentation of the mana pool through induced mana poisoning . . . My reading is interrupted by a whisper in my ear, ¡°my mate, how are you doing in your reading?¡± The me within this memory turns and smiles at the silver-haired woman before answering, ¡°it¡¯s interesting even though I can¡¯t use mana myself.¡± As the sentence ends I frown and the silver-haired woman. She presses her body up to mine while giving me a hug, ¡°don¡¯t be like that. Your family¡¯s magic is much stronger than anything I¡¯ll ever be able to cast.¡± ¡°Thanks Kythia, but they do have different weaknesses and restrictions. You can cast spells in situations that I even if I can create more extreme effects.¡± ¡°Are you going to come to bed?¡± ¡°No, you know I wouldn¡¯t be able to keep my hands off you if I did that. Not until we. . .¡± I find my speech cut off as the silver haired woman kisses me and somehow moved herself into my lap. My arms wrap around her and enjoy each other¡¯s¡¯ touch. The memory ends after a few short moments. The rest of the night is spent reviewing the last few days but while not as interesting it does still help. I wake with less ''sleep'' than I usually do, but I should probably be present for the end of the whole challenge of the Rite of the Dark Moon. I stretch a bit and feel somewhat stiff. When I pull my shirt back on it also feels tighter than it was before. Assuming I was simply mistaken I exit the hut and hour before dawn and walk over to where many of the pack are gathering. No one says anything as I pick a spot to sit though Kylana is giving me an odd look. Ragnan smirks at me in mocking triumph as he enters the village though he has several bandages on his body, specifically both his arms and his left leg. He has a limp as he walks slowly towards his father. Other than him, three of the five other boys that were involved are here. ¡°The remaining prospective hunters failed and died in the attempt, five of seven returned but not all will have passed. Those who have not hunter the equivalent of a great bear or more are dismissed. You have failed and may try again in six moons¡± Ragnor says with pride and two of the others grumble and leave. Once the two who did not pass have left Ragnor begins to speak again, ¡°those who have confirmed the kills declare them.¡± ¡°Two brown bears and a deer¡± one female whose name I do not know declares while standing behind one of the boys that is always following Ragnan around. He is injured though not as much as Ragnan is. ¡°A honey bear and a brown bear¡± Analais declares before moving next to Ragnan. Who immediately stands taller in pride though I am unsure what a honey bear is, at least it is not what I think it is. ¡°A honey bear and three intruding scouts from the Order of the Silver Blade¡± Naliya declares before walking over to me. So, the honey bear is that bear that looked similar to a grizzly bear. I wonder what the differences between them is or is it just a different name for the same creature? Unlike the previous two declarations my kills cause the other two that passed to frown. Ragnan in fact speaks up to call it a lie as he says, ¡°there is no way that he killed. . .¡± At least before Kylana cuts him off, ¡°I retrieved the equipment of the scouts myself. They are his kills.¡± ¡°How? He is uninjured, I do not believe . . .¡± Ragnan begins before Naliya cuts him off. ¡°Archery and the magic your mother is teaching him.¡± Naliya interrupts. ¡°The boy raises a valid point, archery may be enough when there is a single enemy but that is not what is claimed. Show the magic you used against them or lose the claimed kills¡± Ragnor says with the slightest of smiles. I do not immediately respond. So, since his son calls me a cheater I have to prove my innocence. What is to keep him from repeatedly doing so? I¡¯ll have to make sure to keep proof for the next test but for this one it will have to be enough for me to duplicate that wave of fire I used. I turn to a direction that there is not anyone close to me and ignore Ragnan as he yells something about I can¡¯t ignore him and Ragnor. A wave of loose mana exits according to my will as I move my right hand forwards to give it some direction before shaping the initial part of a flare that is fire once more allow it to go wild. A flash of heat and light fills the area before my hand, consuming a large patch of grass as the fire spreads through the whole area that my mana had reached. When I turn back to Ragnor he holds a neutral face and says no more though I smile inside at the disbelief from Rangan and the smile on Kylana¡¯s face. Who is in fact the next person to talk, ¡°The Rite of the Full Moon will begin in twelve nights, all three of you are approved to participate.¡± Kythia walks up to me as the rest of the relatively small group disperse and she asks, ¡°how did you do that?¡± "I''ll tell you when we train later today" I answer. Chapter 028 The city of Alamar is considered the capitol of the small nation that shares its name. Unlike most kingdoms they do not have a state sponsored religion though most of the citizens and leaders follow The Merchant. While it is the capital it is not the largest city of the nation, which is Tradesmeet. Alamar is ruled by a small council of the richest of the noble families though who in the family that sits on the council is hidden even from the families themselves to prevent corruption.
Lykou
Kythia nods at my proposal to postpone my answer until later in the afternoon after Kylana teaches us. That said I¡¯ve only about three hours until that time and I need to make sure that it is used to some benefit. I¡¯ll end up needing another quiver of arrows but it seems like many of the adults are taking a rest, at least Naliya and a few others are. Probably because they were helping with this trial. Though they didn¡¯t follow any of us specifically. If they had there would not have been two deaths among the participants. Or is it that they expect the weaker members of the group to die? As my musings continue I walk over to Kylana¡¯s hut to continue reading the books that she allows me to even though I have finished most of them the remaining ones might have something that will help me. I should also probably go over the theory books an additional time though. I should try to find if there is anything on the subcomponents of the structure of the spells in her books. After skimming through a few of the books, Kylana enters into the hut and I look up at her as she speaks, ¡°you don¡¯t waste any time, do you?¡± ¡°I try not to. There is too much to do and not enough time to do it¡± I answer and she nods at that. ¡°Do remember to have some fun. You can burn yourself out if you do too much.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, magic is fun and I only need to keep this up for two or three weeks.¡± ¡°Fair enough, but since you usually spend the morning in the woods you must be looking for something. What is it?¡± ¡°The structure of a spell is made up of different components, that conflagration of fire I did came from a bunch of half formed Flares. I want to better understand that section of magical theory. I want to pick up the ability to customize and craft my own spells like your different variations of Magic Missile.¡± ¡°That is going to be a lot of work. It also isn¡¯t something that someone at your level would normally study. You would probably be better off with what you are currently studying rather than something that won¡¯t help you in the short term of the next few weeks.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that Alana told you that I do not sleep as much as everyone else. I can spend a few hours at night like when I started studying under you. You know I have a really good memory and learn quickly.¡± ¡°Alright but if you slow down in your current studies I won¡¯t loan you any more books. I don¡¯t have much on the subject except for the spells that I¡¯ve made myself but they are only notes on spells that are more complex than what I¡¯ve been teaching you so far.¡± ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll make sure not to disappoint you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t but before I let you take a look at that part of my small library there is something else that I want to talk about.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Have you noticed anything different about yourself since last night?¡± Should I mention that I am fairly certain that eating that wyvern is what advanced my Dragon Knight class. I haven¡¯t mentioned it but the way that she asked the question is like she already knows. I can trust her, most of the others no; but her, Kythia, Alana and Analais I can trust. They have done nothing but help me. ¡°I am assuming that you know about Racial Classes¡± I say and she nods before I continue, ¡°I have one called Dragon Knight. Something that I did leveled it up.¡± ¡°Then my guess was right.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°One of them that I hadn¡¯t told you about. I¡¯ve known that you weren¡¯t human for a while. While I still don¡¯t know what you are exactly but I can tell you that eating creatures with draconic blood in them will help you recover.¡± ¡°Should I assume that you have made a plan about this?¡± ¡°Plan no, but I do have some advice on something to focus on during your Trial of theFull Moon.¡± ¡°Are there not creatures that I could hunt that are nearer to the village?¡± ¡°No, Ragnor does a very good job of keeping the dangerous things away from the village itself. The Darkwall Mountains however do have wyverns and drakes. And since you only need to bring back trophies rather than a whole corpse I shouldn¡¯t have to tell you anymore than that.¡± I nod, that does give me all I need to decide what to track down on that hunting trip but I would have liked to have had something closer and sooner. At least itgives me a focus on what I need to look for during those few days. It doesn¡¯t help me at the moment but I should ask Analais if he knows where any such creatures will be before I go. Though that my body in those memories is just taht memories confuses me. I''m remembering things from the ''past'' but they appear to be future events. That can''t be right though. I''ll figure it out later, right now I''ve a hunt to prepare for.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
Adrian
Griff has had me mostly been doing infiltration assists with Laura, Terrance and Lynn for the last few weeks. Stealing information and documents for the most part though when I go to see what work I can do. We need more resources so I have been doing a job almost every night, each time having Laura continue her teaching of beards. After entering the hidden tavern, I take a seat at the counter as I have the last few days. ¡°You¡¯re here early¡± Griff says. ¡°Well you did say that tonight¡¯s job was going to be different. I thought it would be a good idea to come early so as to prepare¡± I respond and he nods. After a moment of silence, I ask, ¡°so are you going to tell what all this has been leading up to?¡± ¡°Now why would I go and do that?¡± ¡°Highest probability of success.¡± ¡°Fine, but know that this isn¡¯t anyone trying to get rid o ye. All that infiltration was to get the location of a where our competitors are running their bases of operation. I¡¯ve got a specific one picked out for you, a smaller complex that only has a few men in it. I don¡¯t know what will be there but whatever you manage to get from the complex is yours.¡± ¡°Everything? Why so generous?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been very helpful and reestablishing our monopoly in the Holy Empire and the Shadows are good to those that help us. We¡¯ve also seen to it that your next mission is one that you should be able to fake your deaths without too much effort.¡± ¡°Oh, when were you going to tell me that?¡± ¡°Today, your next assignment will end up being to accompany the Order of the Silver Blade to attack a village of werewolves.¡± ¡°That sounds like a terrible idea.¡± ¡°It is even under a new moon like they are planningand they are probably going to lose most if not all of their men meaning you should be able to leave without them being the wiser. But you are smart enough to figure the rest out on your own. This paper has directions to the small warehouse as long as you leave the building in little more than ash.¡± Easy enough, it is good that I¡¯ve been making progress on my magic even if it was only creating fire without something already burning and healing. I pick up and pocket the piece of paper asking, ¡°am I going to be alone in this or do you plan on including an escort?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be followed but that¡¯s it. You¡¯ll be on your own.¡± ¡°Alright, and I guess I should lay low after this since the guards will be running all over the place afterwards.¡± He nods and I stand up, opening the piece of paper and follow the directions. The place is on the other side of the slums, right up against the wall. It¡¯s probably a concealed entrance for moving small amounts as it is little more than a small home. I can only assume that there must be a basement if Griff¡¯s information that there are over a dozen men in it. A short moment later and a snap that let out a wave of energy rather than sound and I see the lights of the lives around me.Many of them seem weaker than most that I¡¯ve ¡®seen¡¯ before. Only three on the ground level, invisibility and a hand crossbow should be all I need for them. I could plan further but I do not have a map of the basement where most of the lifeforces are. I glance around to find that the street is empty as if many of the residents know that something is going to go down tonight. Convenient and probably for the best even if it is somewhat alarming that they somehow know that something is going to happen. As no one is looking I summon a hand crossbow through Translocation Grasp before bending light to make myself invisible. I wait for a few seconds for the illusion to stabilize before going to and opening the back door that didn¡¯t have anyone guarding it. It was locked but was easy enough to just remove the lock rather than pick it. And my magic doesn¡¯t trip the magic detection wards that might have been employed to prevent such a method of circumventing the security. Another pulse of the Sphere of Life confirms their positions and I move to get a shot at the one that is separate from the others. I walk up behind him, my steps masked by the conversation of the other two. I pull on reality drawing information on my target in relation to myself and I instantly know far more about our relative positions than I need for the bolt to fly the path I wish. A light click sends the bolt between the vertebrae in his neck. The man falls to the ground as I quickly reload the crossbow and move to conceal myself as I will need Spatial Aim to pull off the shot to kill one of the two. I want to minimize my use of magic in front of others to avoid them thinking that I have used too much mana. I wait a moment for the two to come to check the noise of their now paralyzed and suffocating compatriot. They enter and one of them meets the same fate as the first guard. The last of the three turns to me and he screams, terrified. Shit, that is going to alert the others in the building. Maybe I should have just incinerated them. ¡°Don¡¯t kill me!¡± Unfortunately for him, I can¡¯t have witnesses lying around. That¡¯ll bring back trouble and I can¡¯t risk anything coming back to myself and my friends. The whole point in doing this is to get us out of trouble. ¡°Just burn¡± I say while waving my hand at him bending reality to create a swath of flame. The man screams, and I push the flames harder and hold them from spreading to the wooden building. It is too soon for that. I need to get as much as I can from this place before I reduce it to ash. Seconds later his screams stop and I extinguish the fire I created. The three that were above ground are dead, now I just need to find the likely hidden stairs downwards. It should be simple enough. I snap, releasing a ripple on the fabric of reality to check for iron. The stairs or ladder that does down will have nails in it, and those nails will be made from iron. I walk to a closet with a smirk before opening it the same way I did the back door. A makeshift stairway descends into the ground under the house. I bend light once more to hide myself as I descend, most of the lives down here felt weak so I do not know how many are really a threat down there. As I arrive at the bottom to see people in cages that are heavily injured but my attention is drawn elsewhere to a table that has a young woman with golden hair strapped to it, she is covered in injuries both recent and partially healed like those in the cages. Next to that table is a man holding a heated blade as he asks, ¡°what does disobedience bring?¡± ¡°Pain¡± the young woman mumbles. ¡°What did I say about answering questions?¡± the man asks as he cuts into her arm. I don¡¯t see anyone else outside of a cage but just what is going on here disgusts me. I drop my invisibility and release a jet of flame on the torturer. He deserves to die painfully and being burned alive is the most painful way I can kill him. Unfortunately, the flames part to some sort of shell around him. ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to be here¡± the man says calmly, unconcerned with the torrent of fire around him. Shit, he has some sort of magical protection. I let loose my crossbow bolt at the man and while it does hit judging the knife that flies at me afterwards did not kill him. Luckily for me the blade only cuts into my arm rather than something more immediately lethal. Chapter 029 Dathos is a trade hub between the Holy Empire, Alamar and Elenath. Aside from the trade of legal goods, smuggling is a large part of their economy and it is rumored that within its walls is the only communal black market where multiple organizations sell their goods at a single location. Dathos itself is run by the Ryth family which is assumed to have at least one member on the council that rules Alamar. There is a long history of people that try to disrupt the underground activity in the city of going missing.
Ria
Like every day for the last few years, I am strapped to a table as a ¡®trainer¡¯ tries to beat obedience into me, and just as I have each day I pray to the Black Wolf and the Architect that the man they show me in my dreams each night will come today and take the pain away. I give the answers the disgusting man that hurts me wants but he can see that I haven¡¯t truly given into the identity of being a slave. Then I smell something, the scent of the man in my dreams. The man that takes away the pain and hurt and will keep me safe and warm. A wave of heat warms my body as a stream of fire covers the disgusting man who is my newest ¡®trainer¡¯ but fire won¡¯t hurt him. My ¡®owner¡¯ made sure of that after I burned the last one with foxfire. Is it really happening, or am I hallucinating again? A crossbow bolt passes over me and then a knife being thrown by the ¡®trainer¡¯. I didn¡¯t get to eat today, no drugs. Did he really come? ¡°Use ice or lightning¡± I shout knowing that the bad man isn¡¯t warded against them but the man that smells like the one in my dreams doesn¡¯t recognize my words. He knows this language in them so maybe he isn¡¯t him. I create and cover my shackles in foxfire to free myself but it takes some time to destroy the iron bindings. Time that I can¡¯t see what is happening other than the bad man drew another knife and walked towards the other. When I free myself, I turn to see that the bad man has a strange blue fire burning on his chest. One that is making the room colder. I¡¯ve seen that fire in my dreams, he uses it but this man is shorter and had different eyes. Hazel instead of a myriad of blue, purple and gold. His hair is lighter too but he smells just like he does in my dreams. Why? Why is he different from the visions? I grab the instuments that make me hurt and throw them at the man who hurts me but he is armored in leather and I don¡¯t have the strength to really put any force behind them. He still falls to the ground and I think it is the frostfire that killed him. That fire also feels exactly like the one the man uses in my dreams, a fire that should not exist but does. Something that could only be made with mana yet is created from nothing. Is he the man in my dreams? He walks up to the corpse before the frostfire just disappears as if it were never there and the man uses a knife to make sure the corpse is really dead by stabbing the neck. Then he looks at me, I want him to be the one I foresaw and prayed for every day but he looks different. ¡°Thanks for the help. Would you like some healing?¡± he asks and I slowly nod. He walks up to me and as soon as his hand rests on my shoulder I feel the pain begin to leave. The burns and cuts that cover my body disappear. I can¡¯t believe it for a moment and touch some of the worse ones as they vanish. With them my doubts vanish. He came, the one that my gods showed me actually came. I jump onto him, letting go of my false human form and try to get as much of my body to touch him at once as I lick his face. His arm wraps around my back for a moment as I feel his lower body push against my belly for a moment before he gets embarrassed but I don¡¯t care. If he wants me he can have me. He came and saved me just like in my dreams. Seconds later he pushes me away from him and even though I don¡¯t want to I let go. He looks at me for a moment before saying, ¡°uhm, I¡¯m Adrian and you should probably get dressed¡± while looking to the side. A pair of clothes appears in his hands, held out for me. They seem too small for me and I want his attention so I say, ¡°Ria, and I don¡¯t mind if you see me¡± with a smile while moving my hair so he can get a good look at me. ¡°You¡¯re going to need to be dressed for when we leave¡± he says and that makes me smile. I get to go with him. ¡°Okay¡± I say grabbing the clothes and putting them on while making sure he can see everything they will cover. The shirt is too small for me and the trousers too tight but I manage with a tiny bit of help from my magic. He keeps glancing at me then looking away and I enjoy his gaze. I want more but he turns and begins to pick up and collecting the valuables from the corpse of the bad man. Would he like it if I gave him the stuff he and the other bad men kept stashed? I walk over to wall and pull off the loose board that the bad men hid a magic bag in before bringing it to my savior. He looks at me for a second before asking, ¡°what is it and why are you acting like this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bag of holding. I saw the bad men putting money and shiny things in it. Because you make the pain go away like you do in my dreams.¡± ¡°Okay. . .¡± he says slightly confused. ¡°I¡¯m not crazy. It¡¯s magic and you looked a bit different taller and your eyes were different but you smell the same.¡± ¡°If it was magic then tell me something else as proof.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Proof? How much should I say? What parts of my dreams should have already happened? ¡°Okay, your family name is Ravnos. You¡¯re addicted to eating dragons but it helps you get stronger. Your mom is Katherine and she''s really religious. Your friend Bryan likes Abagail. Your world is called Earth. Your magic also works different than mine, bending reality instead of mana.¡± He stares at me for a second and I can see the same thinking face that he has in my dreams. He looks different but he definitely is the one in my dreams. I walk behind him as he thinks for several seconds before hugging him from behind and whispering in his ear, ¡°please let me go with you. Ria is a good girl, your good girl.¡± ¡°Okay¡± he says embarrassed and I lick his cheek again before looking for something else to show my affection. He isn¡¯t ready for everything yet but I can wait. I¡¯m his best most obedient girl.
Adrian
I swear and stop maintaining the stream of fire. It isn¡¯t working and whatever force that is defending my enemy is not being reduced at all. I need something else. The torturer picks up another knife and I don¡¯t think I would win in a knife fight against him. I don¡¯t have a weapon and fire isn¡¯t working. This is what I get for making sure to pick up Life for healing, a lack of offensive capability though it looks like I may need the healing after this. The girl on the table says something in a language that I don¡¯t understand before a flash of green fire envelopes her. Guess I know why he had fire protections on. I sidestep a knife slash, staying out of reach to wait for him to over extend while thinking if there is anything else to try. That and I wonder what that green fire is that is trying to burn through the chains on the table. Strange fire, wait, my magic is different than whatever protects him. Resist Energy only blocks one element but I can invert the effects of my magic. . . I flick my wrist at the man and send a ball of strange blue flames that are the opposite of fire at him. He does not try to dodge and they strike him in the center of his chest. Unlike the previous fires they are not turned aside and stick. I can feel the room start to get colder as I push more and more at the icy blue flames. The torturer''s movements slow and his teeth begin to knock against each other as he shivers. Perhaps I can win with this. I continue to stay out of reach of the slowly freezing man as the girl on the table manages to free herself. She begins throwing the knives and other tools on the table next to the one she was on at our common for though it does little. Red ice begins to form on the man and I smile, some of his blood is freezing. A moment later he falls to the ground and I pick up a knife from the floor and walk to him slowly, never stopping the cold flames I have put around him. Once I am next to him I slam the blade into his neck and leave it there before turning to the young woman who was previously on the table. Golden hair that seems to be tipped in red is all that keeps me from seeing her nakedness but I can see that she is hurt fairly badly. I don¡¯t know how the burns and cuts on her body aren¡¯t infected and she looks at me with a mix of both hope and fear. Those in the cages have not responded to any of my actions but this one is different. She hasn¡¯t fully been broken. Should I help her? She tried to help, I should do something for her. ¡°Thanks for the help. Would you like some healing?¡± I ask and she slowly nods. I step forward and put my hand on her shoulder to make it easier for me. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve healed someone else but it is only slightly different than healing myself. A few moments later, all of her injuries are gone. The girl runs her hands down her side, checking to see that she really was healed for an instant before I find myself wrapped in a full body hug and the girl is licking my face. I sure I turn beat red as I try to get her off of me before she notices the rapidly growing bulge in my pants. She felt so soft and how my arm ended up around her waist was . . . No, stop perving. It isn¡¯t time for that, and I don''t even know her. She looks at me disappointed when I finally manage to separate us. Only then do I notice that her appearance has shifted, two red tipped yellow tails are behind her and small animal ears have appeared on the top of her head. Also without being distracted by the burns and cuts I can see that she has some really nice curves. . . I glance away before saying, ¡°uhm, I¡¯m Adrian and you should probably get dressed.¡± A pair of clothes straight from Abagail''s closet appears in my hands, held out for her. They are the wrong size but they happen to be the only female clothing that I know where it is. ¡°Ria, and I don¡¯t mind if you see me¡± she says with a smile while moving her hair to give me a clearer view of her very nice rack. My crotch twitches in protest of my restraint as I keep myself from staring at her as I say, ¡°you¡¯re going to need to be dressed for when we leave.¡± ¡°Okay¡± she says grabbing the clothes and putting them on while making sure I see everything they cover before they actually do cover anythng. The shirt is too small for her, leaving her belly bare while her breasts stretch the fabric and her hips do a similar thing to the trousers. I have trouble keeping my eyes off her, not because I haven¡¯t seen beautiful women before but that she is beautiful and is trying to show that off to me. Somehow my self control remains strong and I begin looting. The fox?-kin girl Ria begins to do the same after seeing me do so and brings a bag to me. She looks at me as if she was a puppy looking for attention as I take the bag from her and I ask, ¡°what is it and why are you acting like this?¡± Her tails wag as she answers, ¡°it¡¯s a bag of holding. I saw the bad men putting money and shiny things in it. Because you make the pain go away like you do in my dreams.¡± ¡°Okay. . .¡± Is this girl crazy? ¡°I¡¯m not crazy. It¡¯s magic and you looked a bit different taller and your eyes were different but you smell the same.¡± ¡°If it was magic then tell me something else as proof.¡± ¡°Okay, your family name is Ravnos. You¡¯re addicted to eating dragons but it helps you get stronger. Your mom is Katherine and she''s really religious. Your friend Bryan likes Abagail. Your world is called Earth. Your magic also works different than mine, bending reality instead of mana.¡± How can she know all of that? Well the dragon addiction is wrong but everything else is right, unless that is why I keep looking for more of that Drakeflame Whiskey. I¡¯m not sure what to do about this. She definitely knows too much to just let her go but I¡¯m not sure if it is a good idea to keep her next to me. My thoughts stop as I feel her breasts being pressed against my back as she whispers, ¡°please let me go with you. Ria is a good girl, your good girl.¡± ¡°Okay¡± I say, likely thinking too much with the wrong head. She definitely is messed up but I kinda like this. She licks my cheek with a smile before letting me go and going back to helping loot the place, her tails wagging as I look at her rear end. I look away and focus on gathering all I can from the basement. I need to distract myself before I do something stupid. Chapter 030 The forest of Telness¨ªer is home to the light elves. The ancient forest is home to many dangerous creatures and few that venture into the woods without both their permission and one as a guide ever exit. The south-western edge of the woods has a semi stationary camp where they trade with the nation of Alamar that resells their goods to the other nations and it is rumored that there is another for trading with the city of Drake¡¯s Home. Legend also states that the forest is named after the elven capital city but no non-elf has ever been able to prove that they have been to such a place since the creation of the Darklands and the Althaen Council believes that the real city lies to the west of the Darkwall Mountains.
Adrian
After looting all that I can from the basement; little more than the bag of holding, a few golden trinkets and a magic ring from the torturer, I have to decide what to do with the prisoners other than Ria. All of them have dead eyes and haven¡¯t responded to anything that I have done so far; so, I think that there is not much that I can do for them. They are already broken and have lost the will to live. Releasing them is not really an option since they would probably just sit wherever I left them until they died or someone else came along and took them. I have to admit that the torturer was good. He made these people into broken remnants of what they were. They are probably completely compliant to anything asked of them but I have no need or even use for slaves. ¡°Ria, would you wait for me upstairs?¡± I ask, having made my decision. ¡°Okay¡± she says while her tails wag happily. After she has left the room I pull out a knife, at least I can give them a quick death that has little pain rather than leaving them to burn alive when I light this place up. I stop by each of the six cages and end their lives. They give no form of resistance and one of them even thanked me for ending her life. Still, I feel bad for doing it. It was needed but they¡¯re the first people that I killed without provocation. The first thing I¡¯ve done that I couldn¡¯t fully justify in a way my mother would accept. I can¡¯t even say that they deserve death, just that their lives were bad enough they wanted it. Once I finish wiping the blood off my hands and knife on a rag I move the candles that light the room to the four corners of the basement. I put one next to each wooden support for the house. Then I walk upstairs to see Ria once more disguised as a human eating an apple. When she sees me she holds it out, offering it to me and I just shake my head before saying, ¡°thanks for the offer but we should get out of here.¡± ¡°Okay¡± she says with a smile before following me outside. Once we a clear of the building I pour everything I can into the Sphere of Fire and command the candles I placed under the house to burn hotter and larger. Less than a minute later smoke begins to rise from within the house but I hold it until flames rise out of the floor boards and begin to consume the whole building. Only then do I allow my concentration to break and notice that there are several people on the street. Shit, witnesses are bad. They may think that. . . ¡°We¡¯re invisible¡± Ria whispers in my ear and I don¡¯t question why I can still see her. I glance around and none of the locals are looking at either of us. ¡°Thanks¡± I say before leading us back to the small building where I have stayed since returning from Karthas. I ignore the other plumes of smoke that are rising from the other targets Griff is having hit to take out the competition. My deal with him is done; though his ''smuggling'' is just setting us up where we could escape ourselves, everything else he has kept. More than I had hoped for in most cases. When I open the door to the common room in the front, I once more catch Bryan and Abagail kissing. I gently close the door before knocking and then opening it again. They really should just do that in one of their rooms rather than the table. ¡°Oh Adrian, a dwarf came by earlier and dropped off a. . . Who is that?¡± Bryan says. ¡°Her name''s Ria. She helped me during my last job and wanted to follow me¡± I answer before Abagail asks, ¡°why is she in my clothes?¡± How can she even tell? Aside from what we brought from Earth the tunics all look the same to me. ¡°They were the only clothes close enough to her size that I knew the location of.¡± Ria closes the door behind us before she pulls my arm I¡¯m to her bosom and says, ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°I expect to get those back¡± Abagail says with a frown no doubt meaning her clothes but that is not going to happen until I get her her own clothes. ¡°I''ll get her her own clothes tomorrow. Tonight, there is going to be too much going on.¡± ¡°What is going on?¡± Bryan asks. ¡°The group I was working with is taking out their competitors violently.¡± ¡°Then. . .¡± he says while looking towards Ria. ¡°No, she was a captive.¡± ¡°Food please¡± Ria whispers into my ear. ¡°Sit at the table, there will be food soon.¡± ¡°Okay¡± she says immediately doing what I said with a smile. ¡°Captive?¡± Abagail asks. ¡°Bad men wanted to make me a slave but master saved me¡± Ria answers. ¡°Master?¡± I ask, she never mentioned that. Bryan and Abagail frown at the word and connotations it brings. She nods enthusiastically before answering the partially worded question. ¡°A master is someone you obey. Since good girls are obedient and I¡¯m your good girl then you must be my master.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Adrian, is she safe to be around?¡± Bryan asks. ¡°I think so. She probably just needs time to get over the torture she¡¯s been through. They were trying to break her¡± I answer while picking up some bread from the small amount that has been built up as rations for when we leave. As soon as I set them on the table Ria looks at me, silently asking for some and I just nod. She smiles and begins to eat while I turn my attention to the box on the table that must be what Bryan was talking about when I walked in. It¡¯s a small chest, no more than two-foot by three-foot by two-foot with a small padlock of dwarven design holding it closed. None of us talk for a moment, I don''t want to talk about what I''ve had to see and do recently and Abagail and Bryan don''t seem to want to know. ¡°Any idea what¡¯s in it?¡± Bryan eventually asks after seeing thatnone of us want to continue witht he current conversation. ¡°No, did they leave a key behind?¡± I ask in return. He shakes his head and I just let out a sigh. Of course not, but that is not much of a problem. I may be shit when it comes to picking locks as Griff keeps telling me but it doesn¡¯t matter if you can just move the lock out of the way. I grab hold of some empty air while focusing on the lock through Translocation Grasp and then set the lock on the table and flip the latch that prevents it from being opened. I open the chest and see that most of it is filled with dark brown bottles, there are roughly a dozen of those. Another section has some smaller bottles that are filled with a dark red liquid, that seem to draw my attention more than the larger bottles, and there is a note sitting on top of them. I pick it up and open it only to see that it is written in a language that I do not recognize. It isn¡¯t dwarven but something else. Something I haven¡¯t seen before. ¡°Can you read this?¡± I ask everyone at the table while showing it to them. Bryan and Abagail shake their heads but Ria gives me a verbal answer, ¡°no, but it is in Draconic.¡± ¡°Why would anyone write me a note in Draconic?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re a dragon.¡± I just look at her in confusion. Maybe Bryan''s question of her sanity has even more merit than I thought. ¡°Sorry, that must not have happened yet. Your Racial Class does it.¡± Dragon Knight is turning me into a dragon? Did she see this in her dreams? Should I trust that her dreams see true? I¡¯ll have to see if I can get a description of Dragon Knight from the Architect''s system. Even then how accurate are her dreams of the future if they are true? I would really like at least this specific thing to be true. . . ¡°Did your dreams tell you what is in these bottles?¡± I ask. ¡°You¡¯re just leaving it like that? This is clearly crazy¡± Abagail interjects and I sigh. Ria however answers the accusation I was about to, ¡°sometimes, I dream things that haven¡¯t happened yet. It¡¯s one of my Gifts.¡± None of us understand the explanation so she continues, ¡°kitsune have special powers from each tail they gain. It¡¯s magic and it always gave me something to look forward to.¡± ¡°How much of the future do you see, and how accurate is it?¡± I ask. ¡°Not much and I don¡¯t know, sometimes they are about different ways things might happen. It is ever changing and I don¡¯t have control of what I see but some things always happen.¡± As she answers the question I pick up one of the small red vials and hold it up for me to get a better look at its contents. The deep dark red looks different than the healing potions I¡¯ve seen and gathered. It feels different too. Why would Griff give me this? ¡°So you have semi-passive Divination abilities?¡± Bryan asks and Ria nods and leans over before pulling the cork off of the vial I am holding. Then the smell of blood fills my nose but it also smells different. My mouth waters for it but I do not understand why. ¡°So, what is. . .¡± Bryan begins to ask before I drink the small glass like a shot of alcohol. Terrance made sure I knew the right ways to drink after he saw me drinking the wrong way. . .
Adrian Flashback
After finishing another job of helping Laura and her crew sneak in and stealing information. The short job this time must have kept her from giving all of today''s beard lesson as she says, ¡°lad, you¡¯ve done good. How would you like to join us in drinking? I still need to finish telling you about beards today after all.¡± ¡°Sure, lead the way¡± I answer. After all I am getting SP for learning Pogonology. That and I don¡¯t have anything else planned but reading and gathering supplies. Not a few minutes later we are in some run-down tavern, The Drunken Pony I think the sign said but it was hard to read. I sit down at the table with a bottle of Drakeflame Whiskey, the only one that the bartender had behind the counter. It was covered in dust so I think I may just be the only person in this city that will buy it. I don¡¯t know why I like it, I shouldn¡¯t taste the strange taste that I do. No one else seems to. Laura begins her lecture on proper beardage and various ornaments that are worn on specific holidays. I uncork the bottle and take a swig, enjoying the taste that makes no sense before a large rough hand pulls the bottle from my lips. ¡°Lad, I won¡¯t let you disgrace your drink and yourself like that¡± Terrance says as he manages to take the bottle from my hand. I don¡¯t even notice how he did so but I barely felt it as it left my hand. ¡°Disgrace? I know there is as much to alcohol as beards for your people but. . .¡± ¡°Don¡¯t finish that sentence, it won¡¯t end well¡± Lynn interrupts me. ¡°The smooth chin knows, she once did what you were about to. It seems that no one ever taught you to drink¡± Laura says before Terrance pick up where she left off by shouting. ¡°A bottle of everything, I got to teach this young lad how to drink!¡± All of the dwarves in the tavern shout out in their native tongue. There were only four of them but the bartender smiles at announcement. I think I am going to be sick after this. . .
Flashback End
The liquid tastes like the strange taste I get from Drakeflame Whiskey, the one that I¡¯ve only ever found in it but stronger. Almost as if it was distilled. I¡¯m not even sure it is liquor of any type, I don¡¯t know what it is but I like it. I want more, but there are only a few in what Griff gave me. I wonder if I can find and get any more. . . Before I know it I¡¯ve drunken all of the vials. I don¡¯t notice anything that was said as I enjoyed each and every drop of the spicy and sweet but actually neither dark red liquid that washes over my tongue. I want more of that taste. I want more of those vials, but all I have are the larger bottles. Maybe they are the same? I pull one of them out and find that they are labeled, Drakeflame Whiskey. My hopes that they were larger versions of the small bottles are instantly crushed but at least I get the consolidation prize of a drink that still has some of the taste. ¡°Adrian are you okay?¡± Bryan asks with some desperation. That clearly wasn¡¯t the first time. ¡°Yeah, why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± I answer. ¡°You just went to town on six unidentified potions. You didn¡¯t start using drugs, did you?¡± ¡°Drugs? No, it just tastes really good.¡± He looks at me skeptically before I say, ¡°I¡¯m fine, they didn¡¯t do anything to my mind and it is the first time I¡¯ve run into them. They have the strange taste that was in Drakeflame Whiskey.¡± ¡°So, you think drinking a bunch of it is a good idea?¡± ¡°It¡¯s good for him¡± Ria interjects. I end up taking a swig of the larger bottle as Bryan looks at her in confusion. Terrance would be pissed but he isn''t here and I don''t have any shot glasses. She said that before, or something like it. Dragon¡¯s Blood, she said something about an addiction to that and that and growing stronger. . . That must be what caused my Dragon Knight class to grow. I look at the bottles once more, Griff knows. He knows what I am and that this would help me. How? Magic like how Ria ¡®saw¡¯ it? Was that why he originally made a deal with me? It doesn¡¯t matter, this is good for me. I¡¯ll just drink all of it. Chapter 031 The city of Telness¨ªer is a myth, the elves claim that it is in the forest that they call by the same name but as the majority of elven lands was on the west side of the Darkwall Mountains as their capitol would be on that side of the mountains. It is said that powerful elven magic, wards that turn the very power of the world at any that would do the city and its people harm. None of the expeditions into the Darklands have confirmed any of the elven ruins now infested with demons to be Telness¨ªer.
Adrian
There is a pounding in my head as I wake not wanting to open my eyes. My arms are wrapped around something warm and soft. I don¡¯t want to wake up yet, fucking hangover. I shouldn¡¯t have drunk all of that booze. Why didn¡¯t I learn my lesson after Terrance teaching me to drink? At least my pillow is warm and soft. . . Wait, I don¡¯t have a pillow. Just a pile of cloth. What am I hugging? My eyes hurt as I open them to a shower of golden yellow hair. My hand moves and the smooth texture has a bump and whoever I am holding lets out a moan. I immediately let go and roll off the small bed in a panic. I groan in pain for a moment and I worry over what I may have done while drunk. I look over at the bed as the girl in it gets up. She sits naked in plain view but it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust and focus as they water from the too bright room and my head pounds. Ria, why was Ria in my bed, naked. Shit, did I do something? I look down in a hurry, I¡¯m not naked. Shirtless, but I do have underwear on. It isn¡¯t hiding my morning wood but I¡¯m not actually naked. Wouldn¡¯t I be if I did anything? ¡°What happened?¡± I whisper, while sitting up. I feel Ria sit in my lap and give me hug before she answers my question in a whisper as I hope my worries don¡¯t come true. My mother would kill me already for what I¡¯ve done. ¡°My tails are soft and warm and fluffy and you wanted to cuddle them.¡± ¡°Then we didn¡¯t. . .¡± Ria interrupts me, licking my face before she says, ¡°just cuddles, but if you want to change that. . .¡± She then presses herself against me. Damn that feels good. Should I? No, I don¡¯t know her. Even if she is clearly so willing I shouldn¡¯t. Not yet, maybe in a few weeks. I gently push her off me and she frowns before I start talking. ¡°Ria, no, not yet. I don¡¯t know you well enough for that. And could you put some clothes on?¡± ¡°Only if you promise to hold me again.¡± ¡°Why would you even ask that?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± she asks before licking my face again. ¡°Fine, I get it you really like me. Please just put some clothes on, I can¡¯t get you new ones otherwise.¡± ¡°Really? Can they be fitted for my tails?¡± ¡°Uh, sure¡± I answer before she gets dressed excitedly. I should have enough coin, I have been taking a few dozen gold from each house I¡¯ve helped rob and there is still that bag of holding that Ria gave me. I takes me a moment to find my pants as I pull myself together and somehow force myself not to be as hungover. I struggle to button the jeans I still have. They feel tighter than I remember and more uncomfortable than the last time I had to stuff a stiffy into my pants. I don¡¯t think anything of it until the same happens with my shirt. It too felt smaller than I remember, the room seems slightly smaller. The ceiling seems lower. I stretch a bit and touch the ceiling, I could do that before but not with my palm. I went through a growth spurt? ¡°Do you want me to make a mirror for you?¡± I hear Ria ask. ¡°Did more than just my height change?¡± She nods and I say,¡°please do." Rather than answer she makes some sort of strange gesture towards the wall and says a short phrase in a tongue I do not recognize. The wall begins to shimmer and while it does take a moment it becomes reflective and I can see myself in it. I look silly in the clothes that are clearly too small for me, my hair is darker. I walk closer and to get a good look to see if anything else changed. I still look like me but there are minor differences, but the only big change is in my eyes. The hazel is gone, the brown has turned into a strange mix of blue, violet and black while the yellow has become sharper. The shape of the pupil is also odd, an almost pointed oval rather than a circle like before. I take a step back and find myself looking at the more minor changes. That my now lower body fat percentage is showing more muscle definition than I am used to. I look good, I know all that I drank last night somehow did this and I don¡¯t have any problem with it aside from the slowly diminishing headache. Ria¡¯s spell ends and she pulls on my arm saying, ¡°come on lets go buy clothes.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Abagail nor Bryan are outside of their rooms when the two of us leave. Ria is smiling as she follows me down the street. There is on oddly large amount of guards looking around though none of them stop either of us. I walk to the only clothing store that I know of, ignoring the weird looks I''m being given. I am lucky enough that it was not associated with any of the organizations that were competing with the Shadows. Inside is an older woman sitting behind a counter that does not even look up as we enter. I walk up to the counter and say, ¡°my friend and I are in need of some new clothes.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look like you can afford my work so just get out already¡± the older woman almost spits at me. I roll my eyes and ¡®pull¡¯ a fistful of gold out of my pocket and leave it on the counter just long enough to say, ¡°you shouldn¡¯t assume things so quickly. Now unless you want me to take my money elsewhere I suggest you start helping us.¡± As soon as my second sentence is finished I take every single coin back from the counter while the old woman begins to find the dresses whose colors work best for Ria as I look for my own. It does not take me long to pick out and change into a tunic that fits me in the provided changing room. Once that is done I end up having to ¡®help¡¯ by telling Ria if one dress is better than another. It made no sense to me but I told her I liked the ones that would cause her to draw less attention were better. Still at the end of it she asked if she could have all the dresses and I just nodded adding the tunics I needed for myself to the pile. Clothing isn¡¯t cheap but it ends up being only a few fistfuls of stolen gold. Just as we are about to leave however I hear a voice I did not expect to hear again. ¡°Adrian, you did end up here¡± comes the voice of a fat slob named Jeff. ¡°Jeff I didn¡¯t think I would see you again¡± I say while turning around to see that he is followed by two wolfkin women who are not wearing much and have the same eyes that I saw in the caged people I killed yesterday. The ones that didn''t deserve what I did to them. Something is wrong with those two. I doubt that they are willing followers of Jeff¡¯s. Slaves? Probably, how did he manage to have the money and status to go buy them though? He looks away from me for a moment and eyes up Ria. ¡°I see that you have picked up a hobby similar to my own. Isn¡¯t this a great world? Care to trade your kitsune to me? I lost the one I had in training.¡± I find myself disgusted by the very idea that I took up a hobby of sex slave trading. Wait, he lost his kitsune that was in training? Then he is behind at least some of that disgusting shit that I saw yesterday. No, maybe not what I saw but he is having that done. . . ¡°No, I don¡¯t have your furry sex slave hobby and I won¡¯t be trading anyone to you.¡± ¡°Come on Adrian. I¡¯ll let you have one of my wolves if you let me borrow her. . .¡± Ria holds onto my arm, hiding as much of her as she can behind me. I may not have spent much time with Ria but it has been enjoyable to have her around for the short period that I¡¯ve known her. And even if she wasn¡¯t, I would not wish her under his four hundred pound ass. ¡°I said no.¡± He frown and stares at Ria behind me for a moment before asking, ¡°were you given a writ of nobility or patronage?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Then you are a peasant and as I noble I am conscripting your property for the defense of the nation. Follow me yellow haired kitsune.¡± ¡°No, Adrian has magic so he is a noble too¡± she says from behind me. ¡°If he did he would know what those writs are. Girls, restrain them.¡± As soon as the one of the wolfkin touch me I say ¡°burn¡± as I twist reality drawing on the Sphere of Fire and light both of Jeff''s slaves on fire. The shopkeeper begins to panic realizing that this could very easily destroy her store while Jeff looks absolutely terrified. Should I burn him? He probably deserves it. He literally just had me attacked. But I need to keep myself away from the law until I leave. Otherwise, my opportunity could go away and two months of work will have been for nothing. I will have become a theif and murderer for nothing. I either have to kill everyone here or shut them up. . . He seems to have ties to a noble family, too much risk in killing him. Too many saw me come here and plenty of spells could identify me as the killer. ¡°Jeff, you made a mistake. You attacked someone you shouldn¡¯t have and now you must give me a good reason not to kill you.¡± I should at least try to get something out of this. ¡°I¡¯m aligned with House Sunchaser. They¡¯ll kill you if you. . .¡± ¡°That sounds more like a reason to remove all witnesses. Here, I¡¯ll help. What will you give me to not kill you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you anything you want.¡± ¡°Anything? Alright, get me the blood of a draconic creature.¡± I don¡¯t actually expect any results but if he¡¯s looking for that he can¡¯t be looking for a way to get back at me. Six weeks and we¡¯ll be gone. Then I can start working on a way home. I let out a sigh as Jeff leaves as a second thought hits me, what has this world forced me to become?
Lysan
Sister and I after over a month of travel due to having to wait on caravans finally arrive at the Forest of Daerth which is oddly quiet for being so close to the Darklands. The city of Daerth at its edge was full of rumors of a werewolf blood cult that sacrifices intruders but as sister and the dozen elves that are our guards walk we find nothing wrong in the woods. I look up at the full moon and worry, father said the werewolf pack in these woods are elf friends but if the rumors in Daerth are true we¡¯ll be dead. We should not be traveling at night but sister wanted to make up for lost time and Vallen said there wouldn¡¯t be any dangers in the woods. A large grey wolf walks into our path and our dozen guards freeze for an instant, they didn¡¯t know the wolf was there until it revealed itself. ¡°Matron of Pack Bloodclaw, we thank you for your friendship with the elves of Telness¨ªer¡± Vallen says with a bow. Somehow the wolf seems to smile before shifting, her hair ungrowing and bones contorting as she returned to human form to stand before our group nude. ¡°Vallen, it has been a long time. Has Tesseram finally decided to let his daughters experience a real fight?¡± the wolf woman asks while pulling a robe out of nowhere and putting it on. ¡°It has only been a decade. I¡¯m surprise he let them so soon. These two are Thalia and Lysan Alanth¨ªer.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you. Now do you plan on staying for a while or are you passing through?¡± ¡°Passing through to the Darklands. We can stay a few days on our way back though.¡± ¡°Well, I guess I have something to look forward to. Thalia, Lysan, it was nice meeting you and if you want to participate in the Paring Howl your welcome to.¡± Paring Howl? What is that? ¡°Kylana, you know Tesseram won¡¯t allow human blood into his family.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt to offer and it would not be the first time an elf decided to join the pack.¡± Chapter 032 There are rumors that the elves are enacting a plan that they call the retreat. There is no doubt to the fact that the elves have had an ever-decreasing presence on Althr¨¢, though the idea that they have chosen to leave rather than that they are simply unable to reproduce at a rate to simply make up for those they lose to the demons and against those that invade their forest.
Bryan
I am reading one of the books on evocation after returning to our place having done some morning exercises and drills, when the front door opens without someone knocking on it. I look up to see Ria and someone that looks like a taller version of Adrian with black hair. Both of them are dressed in new clothes and the guy I think might be Adrian is wearing the face I¡¯ve seen him have when he is troubled. ¡°Something wrong, Adrian?¡± I ask and he turns to me before answering. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s just. . .¡± ¡°You ran out of things to keep you from thinking didn¡¯t you.¡± He sighs and nods, but doesn¡¯t say anything. ¡°So, what is bothering you?¡± ¡°I ran into Jeff and his furry sex slave fetish. Since the day we¡¯ve arrived I¡¯ve been stealing to get by. Over the last few weeks I¡¯ve lost count of how many people I killed andmore than a few of them have made me a murderer. . .¡± My mind goes blank for several seconds as I had no idea just how far my friend was going in protecting Abagail and me. I immediately feel guilty, I¡¯ve been doing almost nothing in comparison. I¡¯m only slowly making any progress in training while my friend was suffering in silence. Unfortunately, I do not come up with something to say back fast enough and Adrian''s shoulders slump as he says, ¡°I¡¯ll just be in my room then.¡± Ria follows him like a love-sick puppy until he stops her at his door saying, ¡°I want to be alone for a while¡± before closing it. She doesn¡¯t say anything but as soon as the door closes her wagging tails droop and she glares at me. Even without that, I know I just fucked up but I can¡¯t just go and apologize right now. After a moment, she stops glaring at me and lays down next to the Adrian¡¯s door. She isn¡¯t quite curled into a ball but she looks like she could fall asleep just like that but at the same time she seems to be waiting for a door to open but I can¡¯t tell if it is Adrian¡¯s she is waiting for or the front door. ¡°Would you like a blanket or something to make yourself more comfortable?¡± I ask the fox girl. She lifts her head up for a moment to look at me. The light in her eyes seems distant, with barely any of the emotion that I have seen her show up until now. She doesn¡¯t even answer me, just stares at me. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I ask her and take a step forwards. ¡°Go away, Adrian doesn¡¯t want to see you¡± she almost growls. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to enter his room. I was only asking if you wanted something to be more comfortable.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°To be nice.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Not even food?¡± ¡°No, I will wait for Adrian.¡± ¡°Why not? Why wait?¡± ¡°I am his good girl.¡± ¡°You¡¯re nuts" I mutter asI begin to walk away shaking my head but she does hear me and respond. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, he hasn¡¯t met my pole sisters so I¡¯m all he¡¯s got to comfort him.¡± Pole sisters? What does that even mean? How does Adrian even have this absolute loyalty from her? Its only been a bit over a day since she met him. But she does have one thing right. Adrian needs someone there for him and I already botched my chance to help him anytime soon. He just closed himself off, did his whole choosing not to care or feel about something thing. He might be able to act like he¡¯s not hurt but that doesn¡¯t make the pain go away. I let out a sigh, ¡°just help him please.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Ria does not respond, instead she just lies back down. She is done talking and I take a few more steps forwards to the door. This time Ria does not stop me. I knock on the door but I know Adrian won¡¯t open it and I won¡¯t even try; even if he didn¡¯t have a crazy fox girl guarding the door. After a second I say, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re my friend, I just didn¡¯t know what to say and still don¡¯t. Whatever you have done doesn¡¯t change that¡± just loud enough that he should hear me before walking back to my room just stopping to pick back up the book I was reading before I fucked up.
Adrian
Somehow, I manage to keep my face straight until the door is closed. Bryan just looked at me when I answered his question on what was bothering me. It wasn¡¯t admitting what I¡¯ve done that hurt so much but the look on my friend¡¯s face that hurt so much. The disgust at the beginning I knew would happen but that it stayed trough to the end hurt. I kick the bed, angry not at my friend for being disgusted with me but at myself for what I have had to do. The disgust that I myself have for my actions. My foot hurts from the impact but I ignore it and lash out with fire, destruction is the best way to work out what I feel. The best way to get rid of enough of these emotions to set them aside again. . . . Eventually I stand in the center of my room with all the furniture broken and partially burnt. My hands are swollen and bleeding but I don¡¯t care. I deserve worse than this. Then I feel someone wrap their arms around me and pull me into their lap and just hold me.
Ria
Adrian¡¯s friend leaves to his own room and I sit before my to be mate¡¯s door listening to what is happening inside. Waiting for when he needs me; for him to finish hitting and breaking things while I hide the sound from the outside world. He wouldn¡¯t want the others to see his pain, not even his good girl but he needs me. My ears twitch occasionally to the sounds of splintering wood. Minutes pass as my mana slowly diminishes but long before my reserves run dry the sounds from the room stop. I glance over at the doors to his friends¡¯ rooms, confirming that they are closed before getting up. I open the door just enough to slip inside before closing it again. The room is covered in broken pieces of wood, ash, torn pages and rent cloth. In the center of the destruction is the man who saved me. He sits there not quite crying and I walk up to him. I pull him into a hug as I sit next to him. Some tears begin to fall into my lap as I wrap my tails around him. He grabs one of them and rubs it against his face as I start to rub his back. ¡°You¡¯re not a monster and even if you were I¡¯m here for you. Ria is your good girl¡± I whisper to him amongst other things. Slowly, he relaxes and falls asleep. The dreams never showed me this, that he can suffer from pain too but he takes mine away so I¡¯ll do anything to help him with his. I keep whispering in his ear until the sun sets through the holes in the walls of the building. I look around the room. I can¡¯t fix all of it with magic but I¡¯ll get some of it before going to sleep myself. But first, there is a bit more I can do for him. I take off my shirt and toss it to the side. Removing my pants, without waking Adrian, is only slightly more difficult as they are fitted for my tails. I then work on getting rid of his excess clothes. He should be comfortable and what he is wearing is not. I smile as I wrap his arms around me as he sleeps. I get as close to him as I can before falling alseep.
The next morning, I wake up the same way as I did the previous, to mysaviorpanicking out of my embrace. It makes me feel special as he turns red in embarrassment looking at me and then to himself. ¡°What did you do?¡± he asks, upset but not angry. ¡°Cuddles and helping you be comfortable. Was Ria a bad girl?¡± I ask. ¡°No but why are you naked? And why did you remove most of my clothes?¡± I crawl over to him and lick his face before whispering in his ear, ¡°because you like it¡± while brushing up against his underwear. He then pushes me away and I pout as I continue, ¡°and it made you more comfortable.¡± ¡°Ria, you shouldn¡¯t be climbing into bed naked with me.¡± My previously wagging tails droop for a moment before he grabs my arm and pulls me into a hug. I can feel him poking me as he says, ¡°still, thank you for being there for me last night. You¡¯re the best Ria. But can . . .¡± . . . You¡¯re the best. . . . . . You¡¯re the best. . . . . . You¡¯re the best. . . Ria is the best, Adrian just said so. . . Take that you bad doggie werewolf; I¡¯m the best. The feeling of my back hitting the floor breaks me out of my trance to find Adrian pinning me to the floor. Did he decide that he wanted to take me? I spread my legs a bit but he doesn¡¯t move forward atop me. ¡°Ria! Stop it.¡± I freeze in place, looking at him wondering why he is upset again. He just said I was the best. . . ¡°Why did you start humping me when I asked about petting your tails?¡± he asks. I can¡¯t keep my tails from thumping against the floor as the implications of the question runs through my mind. ¡°Uhh, I didn¡¯t hear that question. I was happy you called me your best girl. But you can pet my tails all you want.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll remember that. Now, please puts some clothes on¡± he says while getting off of me. He then picks up the bucket of water used to wash and after a second of covering it with frostfire, he dumps it over himself. I stare at the water as it runs over his body. I like the view so much I don¡¯t even question how more water than what was in the bucket has been poured out or why the floor is not beginning to flood. I just keep staring as he tries to get over his arousal for me. Eventually he says, ¡°Ria, aren¡¯t you forgetting something?¡± ¡°Clothes, right.¡± Only once I start getting dressed does he look at me again. ¡°Ria, I have a question¡± he says. ¡°Yes?¡± I ask just after finishing casting a Clean charm to make both the room and our clothing in an acceptable state. ¡°You know how to manipulate mana, right?¡± ¡°I do. Do you want to learn?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t have any talent for it. I was wondering if you could help Abagail and Bryan.¡± No talent for mana? But he¡¯s a dragon. He naturally produces large amounts of mana, at least he always does in the visions. . . ¡°But he hurt you last night.¡± He thinks for a second before answering, "hedidn¡¯t mean to. I just, probably didn¡¯t give him enough time.¡± ¡°Do you want me to?¡± ¡°I would like you to help them.¡± ¡°Okay, but you have to sit and listen too.¡± He nods and I smile. Maybe I should have asked for something more. Chapter 033 Tolheim is considered to be the capital of the dwarves though they have never admitted it. It is the largest of the dwarven towns and the only one that does not have to import food. Like all of the other dwarven cities no maps of them exist outside of dwarven hands, so the extent of the city and its defenses are unknown to any save the dwarves themselves. It is also rumored that the dragons in the mountains around the city have made an alliance with it but this like most rumors about the dwarves it cannot possibly be true.
Lykou
The Rite of the Full Moon started almost identical to the previous test though we are given more time to hunt. A few days before the full moon we were kicked out of the village and told not to return before the dawn after the full moon. It took me a little over a day to reach the mountains even with the shortcuts that Analais marked on a rough map for me when I asked him where I could find any draconic creatures in the mountains. When this is over I can rest and think of other things, but first I need to kill and eat as many draconic creatures as I can. I open up my map of the small section of the mountains that is close enough for me to hunt in and return at the dawn after the full moon. The closest draconic creature is a nest of ice drakes a few more miles north.
I look over the nest of ice drakes in the cave Analais marked on a map for me. There are a lot of them there but that only makes me smile and drool more. Six adults and five clutches of eggs. Now how to kill them? I could probably snipe one or two with some mana enhanced archery but once they are airborne it will be difficult to win. Inside the cave though it¡¯ll be too many of them in close quarters. I doubt my ability to survive melee with six enraged drakes at once. One or two maybe ,rrbut I can''t take the full nest on at once. For now I will have to sit and wait. Perhaps I can pick some off in their sleep. . . Hours pass as I force myself to be patient. A few hours after the moon rises, four of the six are asleep while two guard the mouth of their cave. This is likely the best I am going to get. I nock two arrows in my bow while filling the mundane arrows with mana bringing a dull glow to the runes scratched on them by my own hand. They will fly fast and hit harder than they should but this won¡¯t be enough. Not alone anyways, the mana begins to slowly leak from the shoddy work I did as my mind shifts in a different direction. I can¡¯t do it as easily as I saw in my strange dream memories but the world seems to slow and I just know exactly how far my targets are from me. I know where the arrows will land and how much gravity and wind will deviate them from my intended path. I adjust my shot and perform a trick I could not do without this strange state of mind. The arrows fly true and sink deep into the right eyes of the two drakes before I snap and the mana held in both arrows turn into fire. The two drakes fall to the snowy ground and I smile, it cost me a bit of mana and two arrows that won¡¯t be recoverable but they had their brains burned. It takes a few minutes for me to get to the cave and I have to struggle against my stomach¡¯s protests for both my desire for the taste of dragon and regular hunger to pass the two horse sized lizards. I have to get them all or I could get ambushed. I slowly walk inside the cave and while I can see it is difficult. The four sleeping drakes are on top of the clutches of eggs near the back and I smile while standing far enough away to keep them from sensing me in their sleep. I¡¯m thinking of repeating the trick I used on the two outside I might even get lucky enough for a chance to get all four without a fight. Repeating the mana enhanced archery from before, two drakes meet their end but the other two wake up and they are pissed. I swear under my breath, all my plans for causing as little damage as possible leave my mind. I¡¯m going to have to use fire, even if it will mean there is less for me to eat. I drop my bow, it won¡¯t help me in melee. My thumbs touch as I pour an abnormally large amount of mana into Burning Hands. One of the drakes hiss in pain but the other has moved to flank me. I try to dodge a rake and barely manage to save myself though the taste of iron fills my mouth. My vision turns red and I let out a growl. I feel my bones pop as I charge at the drake. [Kill it, eat it. How dare that lesser dragon hurt us] a voice rings in my head. Somehow my direction changes midair as pain and the sound of ripping leather comes from my back. I land on the drake''s back and thrust my hand into its spine. Somehow, my hand actually pierces the white scaled hide and I pull on something. I glance down for an instant to see a blood covered bone in my hand. But my hand looks different, it is covered in black scales and my nails have become claws. My stomach growls as a hunger unleashes it¡¯s claws on my insides. I throw the bone to the side as the dark blood staining my hand drips onto the cave floor. I want to lick my hand clean and almost get hit by the last drake before I start dodging. I promise myself that I can gorge until I get sick once the last one is dead. A feral grin bares my teeth at the last drake as my stomach grumbles. I lick my lips as the two of us circle around the cooling corpse of its fallen kinsman. Hunger makes my patience short but anger drives the drake to charge me at the first opening I make. Which was a bluff. I drop to the ground and coat my claws in mana, it just felt right for this. The belly of the drake is exposed and while I thrust my hand upwards. At first my claws just scrape against the scales, just because they are weaker than other areas does not mean that they are not hard but when the drake stops moving I manage to pierce through. My clawed hand enters into the intestines, spilling blood, guts and partially digested food all over me but I enjoy it. A roar of pain echoes in the cave, louder than when I burned its face. I push forwards, rending internal organs and reaching towards the pulsing heart of the beast on top of me. A hind leg of the drake steps on my own and I hear a crunch. I let out my own scream of pain just as my claws pierce what I was seeking.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The overgrown lizard falls on me and while it hurts I just smile and begin to eat. The taste of drakes¡¯ flesh filling all my thoughts. They comfort and warmth I feel as it slides down my throat is good enough I would do it even if it was detrimental rather than a benefit to me. Meanwhile the pain of my likely broken leg is forgotten.
I find myself standing in front of a large black winged lizard in the cave now stained with the fallen blood and yoke of the drakes and their eggs. Everything seems slightly off though. My peripherals are blurred as I look at the creature before me. ¡°Finally managed to wake up?¡± the beast asks in a tongue I had not heard before but it makes sense to my ears. ¡°Who are you. What¡¯s going on?¡± I ask while shifting to a position to dodge if I am attacked. ¡°Why I am you, a part anyways. As for what, have you really forgotten so much Mage?¡± ¡°You¡¯re that voice in my head while I was fighting. You were messing with me, why should I trust you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a part of you.¡± I glare at the dragon. Should I try to eat him? This could all be a lie and I did plan on eating every draconic thing I run across while in these mountains. . . I begin to slowly walk forwards, if this is some sort of fucked up dream it doesn¡¯t matter. If this is real though, eating the other me or whatever this is should be good for me. The dragon doesn¡¯t react at first but then it smiles and laughs as just before I jump at it. ¡°Yes, embrace your beast. Embrace me; that is all I ever wanted. Not the coexistence you started doing before¡± it says as my claws tear a wing while I ignore its words. They make no sense. The dragon turns and bites at me but misses as the weight on my back shifts allowing me once more to turn in midair. I growl and feel as if I had sat on my tailbone for a moment before the sound of tearing leather fills my ears. My balance shifts again as I duck a claw swipe from a smiling dragon. I charge again and sink a clawed hand into the side of my foe, ripping out a chunk of meat. I stuff it in my mouth and swallow. A groan of pleasure leaves my throat involuntarily, he tastes even better than the drakes. I want more. All of it will be mine. Blood flows out of the dragon¡¯s wound but I don¡¯t notice how it flows towards me. Not at first anyways, only after I rip a few more chunks out of the dragon and eat them. Each time I feel stronger, faster, better in every way; more complete as the dragon itself gets slower but seems to be putting more into this fight. Soon enough though, it falls and I feast.
I bolt upright and look around the cave, at the bones and blood and fallen scales but all I can see are the remains of the ice drakes and they all seem smaller than before. I can still taste that other creature, it was so much better than these pathetic creatures but there are no marks left in the cave from that fight. It was just a dream, the first real one I can remember and I don¡¯t know why I would dream such a thing. I look down and inspect my own body, I felt myself changing as I fought but didn¡¯t pay attention to it at the time. I am covered in small scales, dark black scales but they seem to almost glow with a color I don¡¯t remember. I find myself with a reptilian tail and a pair of large wings on my back. I can¡¯t go back to the village looking like this, even as awesome as it is they wouldn¡¯t recognize me. No sooner does that thought cross my mind than I feel my body shift and find myself human again. I smile, but the other form will be better for hunting, and there is so much hunting to be done. But first I should review the changes through the Architect¡¯s System. That will be the fastest way to know what¡¯s changed.
Gain: +300 XP Apprentice, +200 XP Brawler, +300 XP Man-at-arms, +500 XP Woodsman, +8200 XP Dragon Knight, +25 XP Ranged, +25 XP Archery, +25 XP Bow, 50 XP Melee, +50 XP Hand-to-hand, +150 XP Claw, +50 XP Evasion, Woodsman 6 -> 7 (7SP), Dragon Knight 7¨C14 (Majority Recovery of Void Dragon Body, Alternate Form: Draconian, Draconic Longevity, Void Ability: Void Cache, Void Grip, Void Slip), Hand-to-hand 6->7 (7SP), Claw 0->2 (3SP),
Lykou Gender: Male Race: Void Draconian? Age: 11?
Strength 22 Intelligence 19 Mana Potential 13 Skills SP: 616
Dexterity 20 Wisdom 18 Mana Potency 12 Languages Titles
Agility 20 Cunning 17 Luck 20 Traits Options
Endurance 20 Willpower 21 Perception 16 Magic ???
Vitality 20 Alertness 19 ??? 1 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 23 Charisma 15 Health 270/270 Mana 91/91
I smile and I somehow immediately recognize what each thing is. As soon as I look at the text I seem to remember what it is and how to do it. I immediately dismiss the screens and end my meditation. My mind¡¯s eye turns to my Void Cache like it was something that I have done all the time and I just stare at the vast pile of things. Clothes, money, jewelry, books, armor, weapons and devices I can¡¯t remember the use of fill the empty space but it doesn¡¯t feel full. There is so much in here, but now is not the time to go through it all. Then I notice something that catches my eye, a dress that I saw the silver-haired woman in my dreams wear. I will in into my hands as I turn my focus back to the real world. I am literally holding an object that I have dreamed of. Those dreams all happened. But why do the two Kythias look so similar? I smell the dress, its the only way I can think of confirming it. I can smell Kythia on it, not the one in my dreams but the one that I know, though her scent is not the only one and it is slightly different, but clearly her at least to me. My own is on it almost as strong as her own. The two are the same person, but how? I¡¯m holding a dress that an older version of Kythia wore. One that I was sleeping with. Wait I dreamed of other girls too. . . I had a harem? Why am I here then? Something has to have gone terribly wrong. No one would ever choose to lose their harem to run around as an amnesiac. Someone did this to me but who and why? And more importantly how do I fix this? Chapter 034 The nation of Shael is the furthest from the Darklands, as such those that live there have little care for the demonic taint that their neighbors worry over. Instead they act as a neutral ground to the other nations. While they have not prevented the smaller skirmishes between the nations, there has not been a full war since soon after the Darklands were abandoned to the demons.
Two days have passed since I ate the drakes and the last day that I can spend in the mountains if I am going to make it back to the village by dawn. I have had less success than I had hoped but it seems to be that some of the places that Analais marked for me are old and they are rather spread out. Flight is at least faster than the walking and climbing that I had to do before. I circle in the sky for a moment enjoying the morning sun while looking at my next potential target. Analais¡¯s map marked this cliff as one to avoid. That there was a true dragon here, he even wrote what kind. One that I feel is a weak dragon, a white dragon. I don¡¯t know how old it is but white dragons are the weakest of the chromatics. Soon enough I find the cave I am looking for on the side of the cliff, one that I would not have been able to get to without flight. I land in the opening and slip on the ice. I let out an involuntary groan from pain as my tail feels like it was a knocked funny bone. After a moment I stand pack up and shiver. I feels colder, a good sign for what I want. I slowly descend into the icy cave. Second turn to minutes and I think more than an hour has passed by the time that I find myself in a large opening standing before a dragon with dull grey scales. One that happens to be sleeping, the dragon is larger than anything I have ever seen. Something isn¡¯t right with Analais''s info but I don¡¯t want to cut my losses, not yet. I move closer slowly until a deep voice rumbles through the frozen cavern, ¡°not even dead yet and I already have poachers moving in on my territory.¡± ¡°So much for hoping that you would be asleep¡± I mutter before saying more loudly, ¡°you seem awfully fatalistic.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already dying of old age. Do you even knowhow old that is wyrmling?¡± ¡°More than a millennium.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a smart little wyrmling. Tell me what was your plan in coming to my lair.¡± ¡°Grow stronger by eating you¡± I say as she seems like she already knows the answer. The dragon just seems feminine to me. ¡°Well, you didn¡¯t lie even though it was a stupid thing to admit.¡± ¡°I thought you already knew and you hadn¡¯t attacked me over it yet.¡± ¡°Fair enough but give me a good reason why I shouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°You¡¯re dying anyways, grey isn¡¯t your color, is it?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m silver. And me dying is no reason to give you what you want.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t attacked or thrown me out so what do you want?¡± The giant dragon smiles, ¡°first a question. Do you know what you are?¡± ¡°Not sure, but I¡¯m me. What does that even matter?¡± ¡°Because it is the reason why I haven¡¯t turned you into an ice statue. You have the mutation that forces you to eat your own kind but haven¡¯t gone mad from the hunger or died from starvation or trying to eat something too strong. Normally, that would be more reason to kill you but, you have another aura on you. Remember the name Thes¡¯racnellum.¡± As soon as she finishes her sentence she rips through part of her front claw and showers me in her own blood. I begin to greedily drink before everything goes blurry. The last thing I see is the dragon in front of me grinning as a dark mist flies into me from her body. At first it felt good, at least until it started to hurt. My muscles begin to lock up before I feel myself falling and my vision going dim.
My sight slowly returns but I find myself somewhere else. I¡¯m sitting in a room that looks as though it could be a grand hall in a castle all ready for a feast save for one missing detail, none of the platters have food on them. ¡°Running around for only a few moons and you¡¯re already gotten us into something you can''t handle on your own¡± a female voice says and I look over to the speaker. She''s the girl that brought me to the mirror that showed me how to meditate.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°What do you mean and who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m you-but-not-you.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like the dragon you already met after gorging on those drakes.¡± So that strange dream was ''real''. Something does seem familiar about this girl though. ¡°Then do you know what''s going on?¡± ¡°With the dragon, this place, in general? You¡¯re going to have to be more specific.¡± I frown before I speak, ¡°yes, and I expect to be told why I¡¯m not with my harem.¡± The girl laughs before she responds, ¡°the dragon is trying to steal your body but that isn¡¯t going to succeed. What''s left of your inner dragon is fighting with her right now and that¡¯ll hold her long enough for us to talk. This place is your mind though it isn¡¯t finished being fixed yet. In general, well obviously you¡¯ve been thrown backwards in time and are suffering memory loss and a regression in power from it. You have been capitalizing on it very well though. Of course there is still a lot of work to do to get you back where you were before. I¡¯m still working on your left over memories and will get them back for you in time. . .¡± I look at her impatiently but she just continues onwards. ¡°. . . This isn¡¯t something you chose to have happen and you''re not ready to know how or why it did, at least not yet. As for your harem, well they are all alive in this timeline.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°I set everything in motion to get them all back before you woke up in the woods.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No need to, I am you after all. Now there isn¡¯t much time left if you want to make sure to get your K back and you still need to deal with an intruder.¡± As she says K like a name a sense of warmth fill my heart and I can almost see the silver-haired lycanthrope from my dreams. That¡¯s what I called her in my head. I don¡¯t remember why I thought of her that way, only that I did. I nod at . . . me-but-not-me, that just feels right. I want my K back and to do that I need to destroy that bitch who wants to steal my body and get back to the village. Then beat down anyone that challenges me at the Paring Howl. I may need a way to get her to accept me too. . . She¡¯s friendly but not the same friendly as the dream memories. These thoughts go to the back of my mind as what I see shifts and I am standing in some sort of coliseum. A slightly smaller black dragon like the one I dreamt of recently if fighting a much larger white dragon and is losing badly. Its presence feels thin. The giant white dragon feel solid and seems to become more so by the second. The black dragon retreats from its losing brawl the moment it noticed my arrival. The white dragon seems confused but smirks as if my arrival does not matter. Surprised but not worried. The black dragon slams into me but I don¡¯t feel any pain, instead it¡¯s form breaks and the leftover mist flows into me. Something seems familiar about this location though, as if I had fought here before. I look at the white dragon and as I begin to let out a breath of freezing cold air I think in reflex no. The icy wind vanishes half way between us and I smile. This too is in my mind. It doesn¡¯t matter how intimidating that dragon looks, I am in charge. I am stronger and this intruder is in my way. I teleport while taking a step forward, instantly I am exactly where I wish to be and a blade of fire is in my hand. I stab it into the hind leg of the white dragon and can feel a bit of its presence vanish. I smirk as I feel ever so slightly stronger and that moment of hubris gets me smashed by the leg I just stabbed. I vanish and reappear in the stands as my body rapidly snaps back into its proper shape but I feel much weaker than when I arrived. I swear under my breath before vanishing with a step to dodge many tons of angry dragon only to appear on it¡¯s back to form and create another blade of blame to stab it with. This time as soon as the blade slows, I retreat. Hit and run, I can¡¯t hold up to melee. That pattern of teleport, hit and flee repeats and the only variation to it is to either reject the changes the dragon tries to make on our surroundings or to add some form of projectile bombardment, mostly Magic Missiles. Ever so slowly, the white dragon begins to shrink in size and presence while her rage grows and grows. I don¡¯t know why but it feels so easy to simply will things into existence. Like I had practice doing so in a more difficult environment but can¡¯t remember it. My for seems to be getting faster and starts to predict me after a time but she has shrunk to only half again the size of a large horse by that time though. I appear to make an attack only to meet a claw to my chest instead. I fly backwards and smash into the stone wall but it does not hurt nearly as much as the first hit I took. Less of me had to be pulled back together but that my attack pattern no longer works is a problem. I need something else, but it was unrealistic that I could continue to do the same thing without my opponent eventually figuring it out. I teleport away from a charge and release a barrage of Magic Missiles, only for most of the missiles to be intercepted by a barrage from the dragon at point blank range. Not leaving enough time for me to deny themexistence within my mind. Ranged kiting won¡¯t work either. Maybe a large explosion, more than it can negate. . . I will a massive explosion into being but the results are lackluster. The dragon did take damage but not enough to be worth the will power it took out of me. She is resisting my power over this place somehow. I growl in irritation, it seems like I will have to resort to a melee brawl which my opponent is better suited to if only because a dragon''s body is full of natural weapons unlike the ''human'' shape I think of myself as. But I¡¯m not human, I¡¯m some sort of fucked up cannibalistic dragon. I can shapeshift in real life so why not here too. . . I smirk before my bones begin to pop and the clothes I had envisioned myself wearing tear as my point of view shifts upwards while everything begins to seem smaller. I keep thinking bigger until I am larger than what is left of my draconic opponent. She growls and charges me but I teleport above her and dive. Crashing into her in a tackle while I rake my claws on her side as her wings snap under my new found weight. A maw full of teeth turn towards me and lunge for my neck but my own teeth sink into her neck first. I twist my head to prevent the snapping jaw from hitting me and while I do so its claws hurt my hind legs, she is weakening faster than I am. I begin to suck on the blood filling my mouth, I know it is not real but I still enjoy the taste. Oh, so rich and delicious. I want to prolong the fight just to taste more but I need to get back to the village before dawn so I can work on getting my harem back. I clench my jaws tighter and as the presence of my foe gets weaker my teeth dig deeper and deeper. Should I get more than just my K under the next full moon? No, I don¡¯t know any of them and K is better. Get my girls back then think about if I want more. I still don¡¯t know the names of the other three though. The white dragon slowly ceases to exist and my surroundings fade soon after. Chapter 035 The Temple of Shael lies near the center of the country who was named after it. It is the only temple to the Architect though the other gods have shrines within the holy city. It was built shortly before the lands west of the Darkwall Mountains were abandoned. An Avatar of each of the god¡¯s, including the heretical, gathered a portion of their followers to the site where they witnessed the Architect reveal himself to the world. It is also the only place that his blessings can be removed as it is where the peoples of this world were given it. While the temple city has an army, it has never had to fight and it is said that the Architect walks disguised as a mortal along the streets.
Lykou
When I wake I feel stiff and tired, my head hurts and I want to sleep but I know I don¡¯t have the time for it. I look up from where I lie prone to the corpse of the bitch of a dragon who tried to steal my body and smile. All her hoard is now mine. Even her body is now mine to eat but I don¡¯t have time for that right now. I will an axe into my hand from Void Cache as I walk up to the corpse. My stomach grumbles as I want nothing more than to gorge on it. That moment where I almost abandon myself to the feeding frenzy, I close my eyes and think of the girls in my dream memories. I whisper ¡°stay strong. Restrain yourself to get your girls back. . .¡±
It is late into the night by the time that I exit the cave with the white dragon''s kinda butchered corpse and hoard in my Void Cache. I jump off the cliff side and flap my wings to gain altitude. I barely take the time to get my bearings before flying east towards the woods. I push myself to go faster, not the equivalent of a sprint as I have many miles to go and even as a bird flies I am not close to the village. My wings begin to have a dull ache but I only slow slightly. Hours pass before I reach a point where I think I need to land. As soon as I touch down on the forest floor, breaking more than a few branches from the nearby trees as I land, I shift back to human form and pull out my tattered and stained pants from Void Cache. I have other clothes but they are too large for me at the moment. I start running towards the village, knowing that there is not much leeway left while I think about if I should show the head of the white dragon or not. The purpose of this trial is to show off for the females but that might be too much. Will the nest full of ice drakes be enough? Hmm, if they aren¡¯t enough I always can pull the dragon out afterwards. I pull the backpack I was given for the trial out of Void Cache just before I reach the village. I am the last to arrive, I know because I can see the other two youth that were taking this trial are already in the clearing. I look over to the adults that are sitting atop the roofs of the huts and wave. When I enter the clearing itself, it seems that nearly the entire village is present; at least all of them except that I do not see any of the boys that are still part of Naliya¡¯s class and only some of the older girls. Ragnan and his follower are standing in the middle of the circle of three to four dozen ¡®adults¡¯. They don¡¯t have any trophies out in the open but they are holding onto a backpack that looks just like the one I have. Those two and Ragnar frown as I walk into the circle though those of the pack that I get along with smile. As soon as I am rather close to the middle of the circle, Kylana speaks up and says ¡°those who have taken the trial have returned and the dawn that marks the decline of this moon¡¯s blessing has arrived. Each will present what they hunted and the pack will stand if they approve. Tallen you shall present first.¡± So that¡¯s the name of Ragnan¡¯s strongest yes man. Still, he frowns at being called to present first. Why? Is there some sort of meaning to the order that we are called in? The boy pulls out the skulls of a few reptilian creatures and sets them on the ground as he names them as frost salamanders and the only skull that is different he names as a winter wolf. A few of the stood up as the boy set down skull after skull but it is only when he stopped that several more stood up, roughly half but neither Ragnor or Kylana stood. Still the boy does smile at the end, there must have been enough approval for him to pass. As soon Kylana nods at him he walks over and joins the outer circle and sits down. Those that stood up for him sit down as soon as he does. Kylana then speak up again, ¡°I have too high expectations for my son and apprentice and do not know which may have brought something better. They will present simultaneously.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t truly believe he can hold up against Ragnan?¡± Ragnor asks and several of the others frown at the interruption while others smile. Great, more political bullshit. ¡°This is domestic, and you know the boy is not weak. Now, Ragnan and Lykou will show what they managed to hunt.¡± There is a sneer on Ragnan¡¯s face as he pulls out a pelt from his backpack and calls it a winter wolf. I pull out a skull from one of the ice drakes much to the surprise of those circling us.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. By the time that I have placed all six of the ice drake skulls on the ground Ragnor has a pile of pelts larger than the bag he is pulling them out of. Extra-dimensional space? My own bag is empty so I wait a moment and observe the spectators for a moment. Ragnan tops off his pile with the skulls of two wyverns and looks at me with his ''I''m better than you'' thing he always seems to be doing. I can tell that both of us brought back more than expected from the looks those around us are giving but there are two things wrong in this situation. First, that what I brought seems to be considered less than Ragnor and the second more important thing that is wrong is that six ice drakes were not enough to get my K to look at me. I might have been able to put up with not being the best but this is to show off for the girls and if I don¡¯t even catch the eye of the one I want I¡¯ll just have to go further. I look right at K before willing the decapitated head of the white dragon to appear under my hand. I don¡¯t notice anything else as I watch K look at the head then to me and back again multiple times. Each time there seems to be a glint in her eyes that was not there when I left on this trial. Only after several seconds do I look at what others are doing. Ragnan is pissed and his father is the same but Kylana seems to be daydreaming. Analais, Alana and Naliya seem to be following everyone else in just being surprised. A moment later Kylana stands and walks up to the head and touches the still wet stump. ¡°How?¡± she asks. ¡°Fight smarter not harder¡± I answer with a grin and Analais chuckles. ¡°The boy must. . .¡± Ragnor begins before Kylana cuts him off. ¡°Ragnor, the head is still bleeding. And even if all he did was sneak in and kill the beast in it¡¯s sleep, it is still more than either of the other boys.¡± She then pauses for a second, ¡°who stands for Ragnan?¡± Everyone is standing within seconds before Kylana continues, ¡°and for Lykou?¡± Almost everyone remains standing save for Ragnor, Ragnan and the boy Tallen. Can they seriously not admit that they¡¯re wrong about me? Whatever, I¡¯ll enjoy beating him down for his sister right before the night of the next full moon. I glance at the other females, those that don¡¯t seem to be mated to anyone yet and several of them are frowning at my young body. At least I¡¯ve started getting my grown body back and with a whole great wyrm white dragon to fuel my growth I should be adequate when the time comes. I touch the dragon''s head and pull it back into Void Cache, before doing the same to the drake skulls. Analais and Alana walk over to me and I finally take the time to notice that her belly is no longer bloated with child. Ragnor and Kylana walk over to Ragnan while most of the others disperse to do whatever it is that most of the village does during the day. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you went and killed a dragon¡± Analais says softly. ¡°She was dying of old age already, and it wasn¡¯t a physical fight. Anyways, congrats on your kid¡± I say only for both of them to frown. Luckily rather than having to deal with whatever landmine I just walked into Kythia enters the conversation and says, ¡°Lykou, mother is about to start her lessons on magic.¡± ¡°Sorry, I have to go¡± I say to Analais and Alana before Kythia leads me towards the clearing in the woods. After we leave earshot she says, ¡°all of their children come out still born. It makes it a sore subject for them, Analais already gets judged for being a runt even though he is very skilled. And Alana used to be one of the strongest in the pack but she¡¯s tried to give him pups every year since they became a mated pair.¡± ¡°You seem different. What happened?¡± ¡°Mother made me fight Analais yesterday, I couldn¡¯t hit him. How did you kill that dragon?¡± ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± ¡°Just tell me.¡± ¡°She was dying of old age and tried to steal my body.¡± ¡°What? Why? How?¡± ¡°She killed herself and stuffed her soul into my body and then lost the mental battle.¡± ¡°Are you okay, you seem different.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, just starting to remember some things from before is all.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Some stuff about what I am but mostly how to do some things.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°A bit of shapeshifting, a little bit of instinctual magic and this. . .¡± I quickly move to my tip toes and pull Kythia''s head down with a hand on the back of her neck. My lips touch her own in a kiss for two maybe three seconds before I move out of arms reach just before she reacts, her face beat red in embarrassment. She tries to slap me but I¡¯m too far away and she almost yells, ¡°what the hell are you doing?¡± ¡°I like you and I¡¯m going to make you my mate.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too young and weak¡± she says with a slight uncertainty and more than a little upset over what I just did. I just grin before saying, ¡°a lot can change in a month.¡± Kythia doesn¡¯t say anything in return and the two of us reach the clearing we use for sparing and magic practice.
At the end of the day I walk into Alana¡¯s hut to see both her and Analais waiting for me. ¡°Lykou, how did it go with Kythia and Kylana?¡± ¡°Well, but I managed to upset Kythia and she took it out on me during the spar we always have¡± I answer and somehow that brings a smile to their faces. ¡°Oh, what did you do?¡± Alana asks. I don¡¯t say anything. I know Alana would gossip over it. Kylana might too if Kythia tells her but I¡¯m not starting this. Seeing that I¡¯m not going to answer that question, Analais smirks before asking a different one. ¡°Did Kylana tell you all the things you''ll need to do as a recognized adult?¡± ¡°Just that I would need to participate in the Paring Howl.¡± ¡°Of course, the only thing she would tell you is about setting you up with her daughter¡± Alana comments before Analais begins to inform me on the other things that will be expected of me. . . Chapter 036 Vanaris is the closest thing Shael has to a secular capitol. It and the city of Valar¨¢ are the only two cities of note aside from the temple city of Shael and they produce most of the food that is consumed in the valley nation. Both cities are also known to have many craftsman of incredible skill, though it is more in the artistic elements of their craft rather than the martial utility that is so often found in Althr¨¢.
Kythia
I sit at the table in my mother¡¯s hut looking at a book but I can¡¯t seem to focus long enough to actually read it. Every time I finish a few words I am distracted by one thing or another that the boy did today. I can¡¯t get the image of him standing next to the severed head of that dragon out of my head, but I also keep getting mad over how he told me I am going to be his mate. He¡¯s weaker than me and clearly too young to even do what I would need from a mate. Even if he was old enough, he''s too weak. He can¡¯t beat me in physical strength or speed and his mana is just plain weaker than mine. Sure, he is a quick learner and reads my attacks better than I can his but he doesn¡¯t have the force to back it up. Why do I keep thinking about him though? Other boys have said stuff like that before and I never thought of them. ¡°What¡¯s got you riled up? Don¡¯t tell me you like what you brother brought back¡± my mother begins. ¡°Eww, no. That¡¯s disgusting and just no.¡± My mother smiles and I realize that she said that for the sole purpose of getting me to say that. ¡°How about Tallen? Anath? Fael?¡± I look at her like she is an idiot. She knows and just wants to get me to act out. Her grin flattens some before she says, ¡°fine, spoil my fun then. Just tell me what Lykou did then.¡± ¡°How did. . .¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious my daughter. He¡¯s the only boy you¡¯ve ever given a second glance to. You sometimes go looking for him to help you or to help him. So, what did he do?¡± ¡°He said he was going to make me his mate.¡± ¡°Oh, and is that a bad thing?¡± ¡°But he¡¯s weaker than me.¡± ¡°So? That doesn¡¯t mean he will always be and even if he doesn¡¯t, you like spending time with him.¡± ¡°But he can¡¯t beat me!¡± ¡°Then let him win, you want him to after all.¡± ¡°No I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Well if you don¡¯t then you shouldn¡¯t care when the other girls in the pack fight over his affection.¡± I just look at my mother confused and she smirks again. ¡°He killed a dragon, do you really think that he didn¡¯t catch anyone¡¯s eye?¡± ¡°He¡¯s still too young¡± I mutter. ¡°Just wait and you¡¯ll see that probably won¡¯t be a problem.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Nothing. Now, are you going to realize and accept it yet?¡± Rather than answer, I stand up and leave for my room. I don¡¯t get whatever she is alluding to and don¡¯t want to deal with her anymore today. After closing the curtains that act as a door, I lay down and close my eyes to rest. Maybe sister can help me where Mom is only making it worse.
Soon I am sitting is the forest that is my dream world. Moonlight Runner is sitting across from me in the small clearing and is the first thing I see as I open my eyes. She stands up and walks over to me before asking, ¡°what is it?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t stop thinking about someone.¡± ¡°Who? Is it that new boy? I like his smell.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just as bad as mother but yes.¡± ¡°Can I watch your memories for today?¡± ¡°Sure, but . . . I don¡¯t get a chance to finish as sister begins to pull on my mind. With a sigh I let her and the events of today flash through before my eyes. As soon as it started the replay ends and sister is giving me a grin. ¡°What?¡± I ask. ¡°Good job sister.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°He likes you.¡± ¡°What does that have to do with what¡¯s going on?¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? He caught your eye.¡± I just look at my wolf, she is not making any more sense than mom. After a moment, sister takes a step back and just says, ¡°his smell is stronger than ours so stop worrying and just enjoy it.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°What do you smell from him?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s strange and makes no sense.¡±
Adrian
It¡¯s been three weeks since I finished working with Griff. Like every morning since then I open my eyes to a shower of golden hair. My head lies atop of a pair of tails that are both pillow and blanket while one of my hands rests on a pillow of a different sort. Once more Ria snuck into my bed naked and stripped me down to my underwear while I was asleep. I¡¯ve long since given up on telling her not to do this and stopped trying to even get her to keep her clothes on. She simply won¡¯t stop, even though she has done everything else I ever asked of her with a genuine smile. She shifts slightly, rubbing against me and I wonder once again if I should just take her for the ride that she has so often offered. She¡¯s gorgeous, fun, kind and I really want to, but she is a little crazy. She follows me around everywhere and always asks me for permission for things that she doesn¡¯t need from me. ¡°Ria¡± I call softly but she just grumbles, feigning to still be asleep. ¡°I know you¡¯re awake.¡± I say. ¡°No, I¡¯m not¡± she says. I let go of her bosom and roll away from her even though I immediately miss the feeling of being wrapped in her soft tails. Once we are separated she rolls over and then straddles me, rubbing her hips against mine as she asks, ¡°do you want more than cuddles?¡± somehow innocently. I pause a moment, enjoying the feeling and appreciating the view before I ask, ¡°do you really want this?¡± ¡°More than anything.¡± She then licks my cheek and I think for a second before rolling the two of us over and kiss her as she is pinned to the floor under me. The kiss starts awkwardly as I don¡¯t really know what to do but I do enjoy it and she eagerly reciprocates my advances. When I end the kiss, I smile at her before I say, ¡°I''m not ready yet for that but . . ." ¡°I can wait. I love you. Ria is your good girl, always and only your good girl¡± the kitsune under me whispers in my ear before licking my cheek. I want to give her what she wants but I shouldn''t. I don''t deserve it and I''d just be taking advantage of her, more than I already am. I then slowly get up to take another cold cold bucket shower as I say, ¡°clothes Ria.¡±
I had just finished eating breakfast when there is a knock at the door. Not even fifteen seconds later someone tries to open it and immediately begins to knock it down shouting about not reporting for a trip. Before I get to the door to open it, it is broken and a pair of men in chainmail are behind one of the stuck-up pricks that I never wanted to have to see again. Sir Lanis Brightblade, in his immaculately polished plate. Who of course begins talking with all of his holier than thou attitude, ¡°it is disgraceful to ignore the call to arms against the darkness of the world. Yet, it is not too late to redeem yourselves in . . .¡± His lips keep moving but the sound of his voice has stopped and I look at Ria and Abagail. Ria smiles back at me but not the normal way she always does but the way she smiles after doing something I asked of her; like she was proud of herself and she should be. ¡°What call, we were never notified of anything?¡± I ask and only then does Ria cease whatever she did to keep the paladin silent. Brightblade of course look stunned as if that could not be possible. He stares at me for a moment before saying, ¡°you¡¯re not lying. I apologize, it appears there was a mistake but I am still here to bring you to your next task. . .¡± Wait, did a religious fanatic just apologies for being wrong? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard of that happening before. Maybe this misguided ass in plate is not as bad as I think him to be. ¡°. . . and that does not make you innocent of the crime. . .¡± Or maybe not. He just happens to be an ass that does give token gestures every now and then. ¡°Just shut up and give us a minute to gather our things¡± I interrupt and the man frowns but does not stop us from gathering our things before we follow him to our job as being sent to be cannon fodder. It takes barely a moment for each of us to gather our things, after all we have been expecting to get something like this for a while. The next new moon is seventeen days from nowif what Griff said about the attack is true. Though I do not know why it has taken so long for them to plan and actually start their attack. I know they are somewhere in the forest of Daerth, and that is about as far away as Karthas was and that took roughly a week to get to. Each of us have a backpack and a sack in hand as we follow Brightblade. Ria is following me closer than she normally does after we reach the rest of the group and begin the overly slow march that Brightblade seems to favor. I thought for a moment that someone would make a stink over us not being here already but apparently, we were not the only ones not informed and then dragged into this. The march itself seems like a medieval prisoner transport. Those that seem to be native Althaen are on the outside while we are on the inside of their formation though it seems those that walk too slowly are encouraged to move faster. There is also how after arriving no one has actually explained what is going on. The other otherworlders seem to be confused and afraid. I wonder how much they know, if they even have as much information as I do. I lean over to whoever the random person is next to me and whisper, ¡°so do you know what is going on?¡± The man answers, ¡°no, how long ago were kidnapped?¡± ¡°Then they aren¡¯t telling anyone.¡± The man says something else but I already started ignoring him. He knows even less than I do. I look around to see if someone else seems to know more but it doesn¡¯t seem to be the case. At least none of the other ¡®called¡¯. I close my eyes for a moment as I focus on the fabric of reality. I need to spy on someone who matters and none of those near me will do. Well, I¡¯ve always wanted to try duplicating Clairvoyance and Clairaudience. I never had a good enough reason before as my Sense Metal was always enough before to find whatever I needed. The spatial tunnel from Translocation Grasp is all I have to start with. I don¡¯t understand it well but all I really need is to hold it stable. I push at reality and fold it, making a hole through the something between the two points I want to connect; one just next to my left ear and one near the man in the fanciest clothes I can see. I struggle to get it to form and stay. After a few attempts I manage to get it working. ¡°. . .ough fodder?¡± ¡°Perhaps, there are a few more powerful called in the group.¡± ¡°Oh, so the rumors of a foolish Elementalist that refused to serve his betters are true?¡± ¡°So, what can he do?¡± ¡°Fire, enough that forcing him to the front line should kill a werewolf or two.¡± ¡°So, who is he?¡± ¡°The lad with the kitsune.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ve let him keep her?¡± ¡°A half-trained slave knows the laws. There¡¯s too much risk in him declaring himself a noble if I tried to take her away.¡± ¡°How do you plan on salvaging her then? A young kitsune is too valuable to use as fodder.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t, it¡¯s better to lose her than have to deal with a noble not subservient to a House.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± I end my twisting of reality, I¡¯ve a lot to think about. Chapter 037 Silver Port is one of the few harbors that exist and it is has ships that regularly go to two locations; Tel¡¯nathar the city of the dark elves and Alamar Port. While there is a smuggling problem the criminal elements of the city are largely ignored as long as they stick to smuggling. After all, it does still bring in revenue to the people from the sales taxes that are the only type that the nation of Shael uses.
Adrian
Ria apparently knows whatever nobility thing they are worried about is, so I can ignore that for now and focus on the more immediate issue of how we can deal with our escape. Leaving now while possible is too soon. There would be too much risk of not being written off. We need to make our move in the forest, maybe during the battle itself. We have decent equipment, more than the other fodder we have been grouped with. Invisibility and some misdirection should be able to cover us. I¡¯ll need to continue experimenting and find a better method of invisibility, one that doesn¡¯t dim my vision. Light constructs? If I can make better illusions that may be enough. Wait, I glance up at the almost full moon, barely visible in the afternoon sky. Could I duplicate moonlight? Making the moon suddenly full while I flee would probably decimate or eliminate the Althaen. There has got to be more to moonlight than just the color, else even a minor Illusionist would be able to negate the reason they are attacking on the new moon. Unless they have a way of countering magic here too. Can I sabotage it? I don¡¯t see anyone that looks particularly wizardy, antimagic items then? I need more information. ¡°Ria do you know what they would be using to counter the mages among the werewolves?¡± I ask in a low voice. ¡°Wizard Slayers, Templars and Antimagic Crystals.¡± I can¡¯t do anything about the training some of the Althaen have but I may be able to see that some of the item that they are using to go missing. At least if I am able to find them and they aren¡¯t too big. Though I am going to need some way to identify them. Personal firepower and illusions may be more useful though. I do however have roughly two weeks left to figure out how to do and implement these ideas. ¡°How are we going to get past all of this to run away?¡± Abagail asks in a whisper. ¡°Illusions or brute force?¡± Bryan half asks and half answers. ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. Probably a mix of the two.¡± ¡°Shock, awe and then run away during the distraction?¡± ¡°That and see if I can tilt the battle against our captors in all but name.¡± I feel a tug on my arm and turn to Ria. ¡°Teach Ria, your language?¡± she asks. She must have felt left out with everyone else talking in English. ¡°Sure, but after we get out of here.¡± ¡°Okay¡± Ria smiles at me.
It is late into the night when the crawling march comes to a stop and it is announced that we may rest until the march begins again at dawn. We are given neither food nor sleeping gear but we had gotten our own through Griff weeks ago. I pass Ria a chunk of bread before starting to set up a tent. The weather doesn¡¯t make the tent needed but I know Ria and me will end up snuggling naked and I don''t want others to see her like that. Bryan begins to help me but I whisper to him quiet enough for Abagail not to hear, ¡°I¡¯d like to have the tent to myself.¡± ¡°Why? There¡¯s enough space for all four of us.¡± ¡°Personal time with Ria. Besides, you could do the same thing with Abagail.¡± ¡°You know?¡± ¡°Every time I knocked before entering the building was because you hadn¡¯t noticed me earlier.¡± And my friend is embarrassed but he does nod with a smile. He then walk over to Abagail and they whisper for a minute or two before she turns red while nodding slightly. As they¡¯re talking Ria helps me finish setting up. It only takes a minute for the two of us to get it set up. Ria is whispering something as she does so. Once we are done I ask, ¡°what spell did you cast?¡± ¡°Sound Suppression¡± she answers before licking my cheek and walking into the tent while swinging her hips slightly, my eyes following each movement for those few seconds. Why must she make me restraining myself so difficult?
Lykou
The next full moon has finally arrived, this afternoon I¡¯ll be fighting to make K mine again and tonight under the full moon I need to get Moonlight Runner to accept me. I lay in a stream in the woods as I finish off the last of the dragon who tried to take over my body. Even after eating dragon meat for every meal for a month I still do enjoy it, just not as much as I did at the start. I still want more, just not white dragon meat; at least not right now. I lick my hands clean as every drop does count towards me being a Dragon Knight before stretching and admiring myself. Kylana¡¯s guess was right on when she thought that I would recover my older body if I managed to recover my essence as she called it. I¡¯m taller than the boys that were teaming up against me in Naliya¡¯s class now, the same height as my K; roughly six and a half feet. Which I do not think is my full height, the dreams showed me that I was taller than her but I cannot count on every detail being the same as it was in then. Me being in the past has to have changed many things about this world. I glance at the sun, it is almost noon. I have two maybe three hours before the Paring Howl is to begin. I sit back down in the stream and begin to meditate.
Gain: +125 XP Dragon Knight Dragon Knight 19 -> 20 (Full Recovery of Void Dragon Body, Magic Resistance, Access to Racial Class Dragon)
Lykou Gender: Male Race: Void Draconian? Age: 16?
Strength 26 Intelligence 21 Mana Potential 15 Skills SP: 1162
Dexterity 22 Wisdom 20 Mana Potency 15 Languages Titles
Agility 22 Cunning 19 Luck 22 Traits Options
Endurance 25 Willpower 23 Perception 18 Magic ???
Vitality 24 Alertness 21 ??? 1 ClassesThis text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Racial Class
Appearance 25 Charisma 17 Health 383/383 Mana 135/135
I finished Dragon Knight then, I smile all it took was a month of near nonstop eating. At least when I was not in front of others. Which was most of the time after I managed to put together a small house. I glance at my ever-growing amount of SP and wonder when I should put it to use. I feel like there is something I could be using it for but I haven¡¯t hit the wall in anything yet. I¡¯ve slowed down in several things but it feels more like I¡¯ve gotten to where I was, rather than I exhausted my ability. Should I spend a bit, just to get a bit of an edge? I don¡¯t think anyone will beat me but K might be difficult. I can hold my own but I haven¡¯t actually won any of our spars. I¡¯m more skilled in magic but she still has more raw power.
Class Experience
Apprentice (Mage) 9/10 890/900
Brawler 9/10 770/900
Man-at-arms 9/10 450/900
Student ??? ???/???
Woodsman 9/10 895/900
It shouldn¡¯t cost too much to move them all to ten. . .
Apprentice has reached level 10. In addition to unlocking the next tier of class you gain: +1 Mana Potential, +1 Mana Potency. Which Tier 2 Arcane Caster do you wish to have?
Sorcerer Spell Shaper Wizard
Brawler has reached level 10. In addition to unlocking the next tier of class you gain: +1 Strength, +1 Vitality. Which Tier 2 Unarmed Combatant do you wish to have?
Martial Artist Street Fighter
Man-at-arms has reached level 10. In addition to unlocking the next tier of class you gain: +Strength, +1 Dexterity. Which Tier 2 Armed Combatant do you wish to have?
Barbarian Fighter
Woodsman has reached level 10. In addition to unlocking the next tier of class you gain: +Agility, +1 Perception. Which Tier 2 Nature User do you wish to have?
Herbalist Hunter Trapper
I glance over the class options and somehow, I know what each one is but only as I look at that button. As soon as I glance at another the knowledge fades away. I end up picking Spell Shaper, Martial Artist, Fighter and Hunter.
Lykou Gender: Male Race: Void Draconian? Age: 16?
Strength 28 Intelligence 21 Mana Potential 16 Skills SP: 1093
Dexterity 23 Wisdom 20 Mana Potency 16 Languages Titles
Agility 23 Cunning 19 Luck 22 Traits Options
Endurance 25 Willpower 23 Perception 19 Magic ???
Vitality 25 Alertness 21 ??? 1 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 25 Charisma 17 Health 425/425 Mana 160/160
Class Experience
Apprentice (Mage) 10 -
Brawler 10 -
Fighter 0/10 0/500
Hunter 0/10 0/500
Man-at-arms 10 -
Martial Artist 0/10 0/500
Spell Shaper 0/10 0/500
Student ??? ???/???
Woodsman 10 -
I suppose this will be enough to get make a bit of a surprise. I could do more but I want to store SP till I hit the end of my potential. Hmm, there still is one thing that I haven¡¯t messed with in here. . .
500 ??? 1
320 Planar 0 160 Space 1
160 Soul 1 40 Fate 1
80 Life/Death 1 40 Primal 0
20 Mind 0 40 Time 0
20 Transmutation 0 10 Telekinesis 0
10 Fire 1 10 Lightning 1
10 Light 1 10 Darkness 1
10 Gravity 0
I don¡¯t know what this is but I feel like it is powerful. I can assume that the higher the cost the more powerful it is and I have no idea how to progress further in this on my own. The names of all but the top seem to be themes of some sort. I make the purchase of the most expensive option available. As soon as I do I swear as I notice what the purchase did.
Lykou Gender: Male Race: Void Draconian? Age: 16?
Strength 28 Intelligence 21 Mana Potential 15 Skills SP: 593
Dexterity 23 Wisdom 20 Mana Potency 15 Languages Titles
Agility 23 Cunning 19 Luck 22 Traits Options
Endurance 25 Willpower 23 Perception 19 Magic ???
Vitality 25 Alertness 21 ??? 2 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 25 Charisma 17 Health 425/425 Mana 150/150
That was the attribute that I did not know what it is, but it did not just raise it. Increasing it also lowered my mana attributes which I have been working so hard on increasing. I close the screen, I can¡¯t risk losing the power that I¡¯ve been working so hard on just to get a different one that I do not know how strong or useful it is. And I just burned nearly half of the SP that I have been building up over near three months. I end my meditation with a frown and test to see if there is anything different with my body. I need to know if the system actually does give improvements with what is purchased. I know that the Racial Classes are real even if they just might be a reflection of my actual body and race. Once I finish with my tests, which amount to little more than a few rocks and a jog, I turn back to the village. I arrive shortly before the two that I assume are my competitors. Those that are considered too young are brought back to the hut of their respective parent and told not to leave for the night. Other than those that are too young it seems to be that almost everyone else is here. Several more minutes pass and Kylana speaks up, ¡°those that do not want their mate to get you a new den sister may remove him from the field.¡± Many of the women of the village then whisper to the men they are mated to before both move to the side leaving only a few in the middle of the field. Myself, Ragnan, Tallen and four older males that did not have as many women around them. They are young, twenty or so but still older than me and the other two. Of course, that is only the males that are still in the middle of the field. Aside from us there are several young women, eleven to be exact, and three that are older. Widows or spinsters, either way there is only one of them that I want. Chapter 038 Alatar is a small city state between the nations of Elthias, Shael Valley and Desert Triarchy. They are named after the swamps that they were founded on the border of and aside from being known as a city with many alchemists, it is known as a trade route between the three if only for their near monopoly on alchemical necessities such as Instant Ice. Which is of course needed by most in the Triarchy as their mana is needed in the battle against the Southern Darklands.
Lykou
As I do not quite know what I need to do during this strange activity, I wait and watch as the girls form their own groups. The older ones, that I do not want in any way, all stay together and most of the younger group end up in either pairs or trios but not Kythia. She stands alone and she is wearing a grin that I know as her looking forward to a fight. Once they seem to have finished separating themselves into what is probably their preferences for den sisters, Tallen and one of the older hunters, who seems to be in his twenties, move towards Kythia. Ragnan and the others move towards the others though none choose to go towards the three widows. I walk towards Kythia, Tallen hesitates for a moment and steps aside while the older male says, ¡°don¡¯t oppose me. She¡¯s mine.¡± I glance at Kythia and ask, ¡°are you?¡± ¡°No¡± she answers upset that I¡¯d even ask that question. Turning back to the male I say, ¡°well, if she does not want to be someone¡¯s then she isn¡¯t.¡± The man does not respond but I know that saying it will bring a smile to K. Instead he punches at me only for me to dodge by leaning to the side while taking a step back. He is slower than Kythia, and his technique is rougher than hers too. I grab his wrist and strike his locked elbow, breaking it before knocking him to the ground in a leg sweep. He cries out in pain and I wonder if I went to far or not far enough. Too little and he might come back for more but no one ever did tell me where the line in the sand was for this. They let members of the pack die in the last two things I was involved but this one might be different. . . I look over to Tallen to see him pick up a spear before charging at me. It¡¯s not a training spear either, so more than just an unarmed spar is allowed. I didn¡¯t bring a physical weapon with me. I could shift to draconian form but they haven¡¯t seen that yet and I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be accepted. Just before he gets within striking distance with the spear I form and release aburst of mana from my left foot,Thunderstomp was the original spell but I¡¯ve changed it to a much more concise attack than the massive burst that it originally was. A cone of concussive force expands outwards, not far and not very strong but enough to end the oncoming charge. I then take a second step forward, and am now within the reach of the spear. He drops the spear to strike at my throat. I catch his hand and hold it by his wrist. I twist it and turn my body while pulling it. Pain and the limits of his joints force him to comply as I pin him to the ground. I break the arm I¡¯m using to hold him pinned and smile at the snap of the bone. This has been more fun than I thought it would be. He screams more than the other guy did but it was muffled by the dirt. I lean down and whisper, ¡°I¡¯ve killed dragons do you really think you can win?¡± He just growls and I feel something hit me on my side, knocking me aside. The first guy is back up. Damn it, I thought a broken elbow would have been enough. I look at his right arm and while it is swollen and discolored, that is going down. Shit, I forgot about Lycanthropic Regeneration. Tonight is the full moon, so all their powers are at their peak, not just their physical strength. It hurts slightly to breathe and that isn¡¯t going to go away anytime soon. I glance at the forming bruise, might be a cracked rib. I dodge another kick with a step backwards and begin the chant to Mage Armor as I shape a shell of mana around my body. It¡¯ll only turn away some glancing blows but it will help. I dodge another kick while thinking just what to do. I need to do more damage, enough to keep them down for a while or break their will to fight me. Do I have any silver weapons in my Void Cache? No, just coins. I should fix that as soon as I get the chance. Should I just make compound fractures of his limbs and put a silver coin in it? No that might be a bit much, and I don¡¯t want to extend my stash on such a thing. I also haven¡¯t actually told anyone about it other than it¡¯s an extradimensional storage spell I remembered. What of partial transformation for my claws and paralyze him? No, the recovery time would be short as the actual physical damage isn¡¯t much. I fall into the strange trance from the dream memories, it comes easier than before, as I dodge another melee attack from my current assailant. In an instant I decide on leaving him with multiple compound fractures. He shouldn¡¯t die from it, not with it being the full moon but that might keep him down long enough.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. I break his elbow again and then twist further. The bones of the forearm then pierces the skin and I let go as a stream of blood leaves through the broken skin and is deflected by my magic. I then mirror my actions on the other arm, snapping the elbow and twisting until the forearm''s twin bones are exposed to the outside world. The man screaming in pain as his woundsclose at a visible rate, but as he has no way to set his arms the protruding bones stay outside of his skin. I turn back to Tallen and smile as I ask, ¡°want to join him?¡± while pointing to my other opponent. He shakes his head and runs over to the battle unfolding over the other ten teenage girls. I glance at the other pack members who are just watching. They do not however seem to be interested in intervening on behalf of the man who is trying to be very still on the ground. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to go that far¡± Kythia says from behind me. ¡°He didn¡¯t stop earlier¡± I answer as I turn around. ¡°Are you going to join the fighting over the others?¡± ¡°Why would I? You¡¯re the only one here I want.¡± ¡°And if I refuse you?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Really? I still think you are too weak.¡± ¡°We can fight over that later. I am stronger than your other options and treat you with more respect than they would and you know it.¡± ¡°And if I reject you anyways?¡± ¡°Just let your wolf judge me and we can talk and fight about it later.¡± Kythia spares at me for a moment before she answers, ¡°alright but if my wolf accepts you that fight will be in the morning.¡± I nod in agreement, good enough for me. I wouldn¡¯t really have anything against us fighting now but I would rather not have anyone see the results of that fight. We stand fairly close to each other and look out over to the other fights currently going. Unlike the way that Kythia and me fight, they just hit each other with brute force and little to no care to where a fist or kick lands. The only one with some semblance of skill is Ragnan but that is probably only because his older sister is Kythia and he would have had to have sparred with her at some point. Whereas my fight took a few minutes from beginning to end, that brawl is goingto take far longer. ¡°You¡¯re not going to join in the fighting for the other females? You could probably win and their wolves might accept you¡± Kythia asks. ¡°I don¡¯t want them. I want you¡± I glance over to Kythia for a moment to see a look of confusion and a smile. She doesn¡¯t understand why I am acting as I am but she does like it. I myself smile, even if she doesn¡¯t want to accept it yet I took her heart and she has no idea what to do about it. I smile at her before turning back to the other fights going on. I see bruises and injuries on all of them. Why are they not healing? They can recover from broken bones fairly quickly, so why not the scraps and bruises? Their own natural weapons must overcome the resistance, that is the only possibility I can think of at the moment. Several minutes pass and while I am fairly certain at least one of the other participants isn¡¯t going to be getting back up, none of those watching do anything about it. I suppose this is one of their population control traditions. If the weaker males die then the stronger will get to father more children. Barbaric but I¡¯m on the side that benefits. I look over to the setting sun, there are only a few minutes of dusk left. At this point the fighting has settled down and the other girls have bunched around the four who can still stand. Ragnan looks over at me and frowns at seeing that Kythia is not fighting me off. Two others also look at me and then to the man whose regeneration left his bones sticking out of his body on the ground and decided to leave me be as Tallen already had but Ragnan does not. He rushes at me and I smile, I¡¯ve been wanting an excuse to pay him back for how he acts. I feel my mind move towards the strange state that makes archery easy and sidestep a charge. It comes easier than before and I trip him. As his face hits the dirt, Kythia says ¡°don¡¯t hurt him too much.¡± What is too much? Death is certainly on the other side of the line but are compound fractures? She didn¡¯t like me doing it to that random guy. . . I continue to dodge as Ragnan gets back up and continues his attack. Every movement being tracked in my mind faster than I ever could without whatever this is. What should I do to him? Eventually, I make my decision and catch a fist and twist it behind his back while hitting the back of his knees. He falls to the ground, held in place by the pain shifting would place on his right arm. I lean down to whisper low enough that he should be the only one able to hear me, ¡°sister complexes aren¡¯t attractive you know.¡± ¡°What? I . . .¡± Ragnan begins before I push his head back to the dirt. ¡°If you don¡¯t see your sister as a romantic interest why are you trying to be her mate?¡± I let him up slightly and he begins to say, ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you try and take the spot of alpha from. . .¡± at least until I push him into the dirt again. ¡°You¡¯re not an alpha. Your sister is, you will never be and you can never have her.¡± He growls back at me and I just hold him in place. As I do so the four females, that he had fought off the other males to get their favor, turn to me and start walking over to Kythia. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I ask them as there is a low growl from Kythia even if she is trying to keep me from noticing it. ¡°You just beat Ragnan over us and we¡¯re not against being your mates¡± the tallest of the girls answers. Should I take them? Nome of the four are ugly, late teens with decent curves. . . Harem orgy with a bunch of girls and an upset Kythia or just my K?Then again they don¡¯t want to be mine for me, they just want the status of a stronger mate. ¡°We weren¡¯t fighting over any of you. He wanted his sister.¡± ¡°You¡¯re turning them away?¡± Kythia asks. ¡°I don¡¯t know them, so I don¡¯t want them¡± I say while gesturing to Kythia for us to move. ¡°What?¡± and ¡°Why?¡± are on several of their lips as Kythia and me move away from them. Both of us ignore both them and Ragnan who seems pissed but surprisingly enough not at me for the last few moments before it is truly night. Chapter 039 Alantar is one of four cities that are part of the Desert Triarchy. Like the other cities of the Triarchy, it is lead from the City of Sand in holding back the Southern Darklands. The city itself is known for making the enchantments that the Triarchy uses. The most notable of which they call Saltfire, which burns those that are not natives to the land where the salt used in the enchantment is from.
Lykou
The world dims and I get to watch as the members of Pack Bloodclaw turn into their wolves once more. Like always the transformation does not seem pleasant as their bones pop and hair sprouts as they become quadrapeds, but my own when I shift probably doesn¡¯t look pleasant either and it doesn¡¯t hurt. I smile at the wolf who should be Moonlight Runner as she looks around. After a moment she sniffs me and speaks, ¡°follow me.¡± ¡°Sure thing¡± I respond before she bounds away into the forest while I chase after her. There is something just plain enjoyable about chasing a girl through the woods. Though Moonlight Runner is definitely faster than I am in human form; at least she does wait for me to catch up every so often. Mostly at turns but somehow I just know where she is heading to. The small clearing where Kythia and me tend to spend much of our time together. It takes several minutes to get there but I enjoy every moment of chasing after the beautiful silver wolf. Moonlight Runner sits in the center of the clearing and stares me down, ¡°normally this would be between me and your wolf half but as you don¡¯t have one. . .¡± I just smile, I already know how close the bond is between Kythia and Moonlight Runner, and that her wolf is both stronger and smarter than most of the others in the pack. ¡°Why are you here and what do you want with my soul sister?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t actually know how to explain why, I just woke up after Analais found me in the woods. As for what I want with Kythia. . .¡± I say as I slowly approach the giant silver wolf. As soon as I stand directly in front of her, I whisper in her ear, ¡°I love her, and I love you Moonlight Runner.¡± She tenses up and I hug her as I speak her name. She begins to speak but I stop her with another whisper answering her question, ¡°you gave me it. I don¡¯t know how or remember much but I was thrown back from the future.¡± I let go of the hug and lick her face. Something just tells me it¡¯s a token of affection, the ears would mean more but she isn¡¯t ready for that. She does however relax at the gesture. ¡°Do you have proof?¡± the wolf asks, but she seems to be at ease regardless of how crazy it sounds. ¡°Will an item covered in your scent count?¡± The wolf nods and I pull a shirt from Void Cache and hold it out for her. She sniffs and seems confused for a moment. After a moment I return the article of clothing to Void Cache and wait for Moonlight Runner to speak. I don¡¯t doubt that she will accept me but I know if she rejects me I¡¯ll never have my K back. Moonlight Runner stares at me for a moment and growls, ¡°if you ever break sister¡¯s heart I will kill you.¡± I smile, Kythia is going to be so flustered in the morning. ¡°Want to go hunt something then?¡± Moonlight Runner¡¯s tail wags and I already know her answer.
I end up waking before Kythia does in the morning. She is of course nude having shifted back from being Moonlight Runner while I only have leather pants on. She groans at the sun''s light, not being much of a morning person. It takes her a minute to wake and then sit up. She looks around for a moment as if Moonlight Runner does not normally leave her to wake in this location, during which I admire the curves of her body as they glisten in the morning sun from the dew of the grass we slept on. ¡°Why are you here?¡± she asks not caring about how I am looking at her breasts. ¡°Moonlight Runner accepted me¡± I answer before she cuts me off. ¡°I won¡¯t accept a mate weaker than me.¡± ¡°I did promise a fight. Would you like to get dressed first?¡± ¡°Are you too distracted by what won¡¯t be yours?¡± ¡°No, but I¡¯m sure the feeling of them bouncing around will be just as uncomfortable for you as it is distracting for me. What are the rules of the spar?¡± "Our usual but I won¡¯t hold back and your win condition is to claim me.¡± My thoughts stop for a moment, does she really want me to wrestle her to the ground for sex? ¡°Are you sure this is what you want?¡± Rather than answer she tosses a stick at me in an attempted distraction as she flips up to a standing position. I dodge the projectile as I move to a readied position; falling into the strange state of mind where everything slows and I just know where everything is around me. I dodge a charge and she jumps over my attempted trip. I duck under a kick and strike at her side, knocking her away. The forming bruise quickly dissipates and I frown at the wonders of her regenerative power. A brawl isn¡¯t going to work if any hits I do manage to get in don''t keep. She is still better than me at this save for the strange state of mind that makes it so much easier to fight, like some sort of battlemind. I bide my time, dodging and counterattacking while I wait for an opening to pin her. Yet before that comes she releases a barrage of Magic Missiles at my side after a counter attack. They sting but less than I remember, it does however remind me of the real advantage that I have over her and two can play this game. My mana races through my body as I shape it in an attempt to trip her in a concussive blast from a Thunderstomp. My foot hits the ground and the wave of force knocks up the twigs and dirt between us as it rushes towards her. She holds her ground, releasing another barrage of Magic Missiles. I smirk while as I mirror the spell with a weaker version to intersect them but with far weaker missiles, I only need them to break the outer shell of mana to detonate them. ¡°You won¡¯t beat me with ranged magic¡± I taunt and Kythia frowns before trying melee with me again, falling for my bluff. She could have just kept it up until I ran out of mana. Ever so slowly she begins to make mistakes. She either is growing impatient or has a lesser desire to win and openings are being made in her attacks. She eventually over extends herself and I manage to trip her as I redirect her fist. As she falls I follow her down to get her pinned. We hit the ground hard. Kythia looks up from under me with surprise on her face. ¡°I win¡± I whisper in her ear as she starts to struggle to break the pin and I am only barely able to hold her down. After a moment she stops and asks, ¡°aren¡¯t you going to take your prize?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get to it but only after you accept me as your mate.¡± Kythia doesn¡¯t respond for a moment before nodding. . . SC . . . and as soon as she does I run my hands from her shoulders to the soft firm mounds of her chest. They are not quite as big as I dreamed of but they respond just as I had hoped, her nipples showing her arousal as I lean down and whisper into her ear, ¡°I love you¡± before licking it.Stolen novel; please report. I then trail kisses down her neck slowly as she leans her head back enjoying every move I make. Once I arrive at her boobs I gently bite a nipple while the hand that once held that breast slides down to the joint between her legs. It brushes lightly against her mound just enough for her to know it was there and me to feel that she already wants me inside her. Her thighs trap my hand as she rubs them together. I tease her entrance with my thumb as I shower her breasts in the love they deserve, only leaving them once I feel her hands pull on the leather pants I still wear. Her hands slip inside and wrap around my erection. The feeling of her touching that part of me forces out a groan of approval as she strokes it. I back up breaking her hold on my shaft and she frown until I remove my pants. I look at her and smile as she stares at my manhood. I can see the desire in her eyes as I move next to her and ask, ¡°ready for me to take my prize?¡± as I force her legs to spread. ¡°Take me¡± she says commandingly and I smile. My tip brushes across her slit as I position myself, teasing her as I make her wait. She widens her legs and pulls on me while saying, "now please" before I begin to push inwards. Her body resists my intrusion, but her inner walls are forced apart as I slowly go deeper until I reach the barrier that is her virginity, at which point she grits her teeth before I stop. I lean down and kiss her as I break through and plunge the rest of my way into her. She screams in pain and holds me as tightly as she can to keep me from moving. I whisper sweet nothings in her ear to distract from the pain of her deflowering letting her slowly get used to me being within her. Even so, no matter how much I try to hold myself back, I can¡¯t help but make some gentle motions with my hips. It just feels too good not to. After a minute she relaxes, finally ready and willing for me to do more. I increase the tempo and range of my thrusts. Sliding in and out of my lover to both of our pleasure; her inner folds wraping around me and I knock against something else at the end of her depths. Within the first few thrusts she begins to reciprocate even if she doesn¡¯t know what to do. Moving under me and she arms run over my sides and back as she starts trying to tell me how I''m making her feel. With each thrust I make I can feel her move closer to her peak, the folds within her getting both tighter and wetter as I enjoy them. Her praising getting louder as I carve my shape into her depths. Her legs soon wrap around my hips, not to keep me from moving as before but an attempt to somehow keep more of me inside her. When she suddenly holds me as tightly as she can again, arcing her back while howling into the morning sky as she flutters around my cock, I know I don¡¯t have to hold it in anymore and with a few more quick thrusts I let the building tension go. Drawing out her pleasure as her walls move around me, sucking at me for all that I am worth. I groan as I lean back pushing myself a bit further inside as I feel a torrent of fluid rush out of me in several bursts, dyeing her insides my color. My vision fades to white as all my body and mind is focused on filling ever part of my K. Her muscles continue to contract in undulations to draw the flow of my seed deeper, the feeling seems to suck more out of me and I am all too happy to give. While the bliss of the moment lasts awhile seemingly forever, it is still only for a few seconds and once it stops I stay where I am hilted inside of my K as we recover, breathing heavily and regretting only I didn¡¯t manage to do this with her sooner. After a moment she rolls the two of us over, somehow keeping my slowly softening manhood inside her. She then starts to rub against me, rousing my semi-hard rod within her to grow back to its full size as I see the red stains of lost virginity and a trickle of white making it''s way past our union. ¡°Can¡¯t get enough of your alpha''s cock?¡± I ask playfully. ¡°You¡¯re not alpha¡± she responds confused. ¡°Kythia, it¡¯s playing around and we¡¯re going to be the next alphas anyways.¡± ¡°What does that. . .¡± I roll the two of us over and whisper,¡°Never mind, I¡¯ll just ravage you some more. . .¡±
It¡¯s roughly noon by the time we¡¯re done exploring each other¡¯s bodies. We both need a bath and are getting hungry as I hold my K. ¡°Kythia, there¡¯s some stuff I need to tell you.¡± ¡°What?¡± she asks while rubbing a hand over my chest. ¡°Well, I¡¯m. . .¡± I begin and explain what I do know about me being a dragon, an otherworlder, and how I somehow traveled back from the future. K looks at me for a moment before she says, ¡°I don¡¯t care, but why aren¡¯t you Moon Blessed?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know, I haven¡¯t remembered anything on that.¡± Her stomach growls and she tries to get up but falls back down. She glares at me while I smile in pride at the sight. ¡°Do you remember some way of healing me enough to walk?¡± she asks. ¡°No, well maybe. Do you know blood magic?¡± She shakes her head. ¡°Then I suppose we¡¯ll just have to eat here¡± I say while pulling out some meat from my hunt with Moonlight Runner from Void Cache. K smiles as she takes and eats the raw meat, not caring to wait the short time it would have taken to cook it. Only after eating her fill does she ask, ¡°where did it come from?¡± ¡°I went hunting with Moonlight Runner and stored it.¡± ¡°Do you have more in whatever storage you are using?¡± ¡°Not that but these are pretty good¡± I say before pulling a strange green can from Void Cache. I then pass the cold metal cylinder to her. With which she just looks at and then back to me and asks, ¡°how do I eat cold metal?¡± I retrieve another that is mostly grey and I hadn¡¯t tried it yet but all the others were enjoyable and say, ¡°like this¡± while manipulating the odd piece of metal that gives me access to the liquid inside. The sound of the strange metal breaking hisses twice as K mirrors my actions. We both drink it though I find that this drink was not as good as others I had tried, looking at the can again I can only assume that the word ¡°Diet¡± on the can is to blame. I still drink the whole thing, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll choose to have this one again if another kind is still available. Once we are done K asks, ¡°can I have another?¡± For a moment I don¡¯t want to, they¡¯re mine and she should not get any but I refuse those emotions. K is one of my girls and she is more valuable to me than this strange sweet drink. ¡°Sure, but I don¡¯t have any way of getting more so we can¡¯t have them every day¡± I tell her while giving her a red can that is far superior to the ''diet'' version I just had. As she enjoys the can I consider what to do about clothes. I don¡¯t want any eyes but my own to be graced by her naked body but I know she does not have any with her. I have clothes that should fit her in Void Cache, or near enough to it, but should I reveal I have many possessions in extradimensional storage? I already revealed its existence last month and no one questioned it. They never asked for any part of the dragon''s corpse either. Whatever, even if they ask I can always lie or refuse. I pull out a set of clothes for both K and myself. ¡°What are those?¡± she asks as I pass her the undergarments. Pointing at the bra I say, ¡°support for your breasts to keep them less in the way and more comfortable and the rest are just comfortable clothes.¡± ¡°And how am I to wear them?¡± I smile as I answer, ¡°I¡¯ll dress you today.¡± K accepts and I do have fun perving on her as I tease her through compliments on her curves while dressing her. The clothes are slightly big but not too much to become uncomfortable. The jeans and grey shirt look good on her. I dress myself similarly and we head back towards the village and to my small hut. While there are those that do give the two of us odd looks I am not sure if it is from the clothes or how K keeps rubbing her face with a sleeve to appreciate the softness. When we enter the small building, Kylana, Analais and Alana ate sitting at my makeshift table. K frowns at the pathetic workmanship of mine but says nothing as both of us are more interested in whatever these three people are here for. Whatever it was for however gets postponed as Alana asks, ¡°where did you find otherworlder clothes?¡± ¡°They were in the extradimensional storage I remembered about during the Trial of the Full Moon¡± I answer. ¡°Do you have more? I''d like to barter if you do.¡± ¡°Sorry but I already consider the female clothes to be Kythia¡¯s.¡± She looks down, sad yet, at the same time there is some sort of almost smile on all three of the women. They, the clothes, must be considered a form of luxury. Makes sense as they are more comfortable than the leathers Alana has given me. ¡°How much is in your storage?¡± Kylana asks. ¡°A lot but I haven¡¯t gone through everything in it yet. Why are you in my hut though?¡± ¡°To congratulate our respective family members¡± Analais answers. ¡°Glad I teased you so much now aren¡¯t you, daughter?¡± Kylana asks and K turn red as she mumbles something towards her mother that I do not quite catch. ¡°Well thank you for helping me out so much to get here¡± I say to all three of them. Alana gives me a hug before saying, ¡°you¡¯re like the sons I never got to keep.¡± ¡°Alright, now let¡¯s exchange gifts and leave the two alone¡± Analais says and I realize that I never did prepare anything. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure they would very much appreciate being left alone some more. Unfortunately though, I also have to give you some bad news Lykou. Ragnor did not accept you being a hunter and so you are not allowed out of the village. He also revoked your status as one too Kythia¡± Kylana says with a bit of venom in her voice. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous, I am one of the strongest hunters in the pack, and my mate is stronger than me!¡± Kythia all but yells. ¡°We all know that but as long as he holds the spot as alpha male only he gets to make the decision. We can¡¯t stop him from acting out on his hate of Lykou¡± Alana says to K. ¡°Then what am I going to do all day if I can¡¯t hunt?¡± ¡°You could enjoy the affections of your mate, learn. . .¡± Kylana begins before K cuts her off. ¡°Stop trying to make think about his giant penis.¡± ¡°As much as I like the compliments, real and implied Kythia is right¡± I interject. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t get mad den-daughter. You mother is just jealous¡± Alana says. ¡°Do that always talk about this when they get together?¡± I whisper to Analais as the three women have ignored me and the two older women tease K about how the whole pack heard her shouting and howling how good I am. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s part of why Ragnor never accompanies Kylana when she visits" he answers. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t like hearing about me being better than him at sex.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t blame him there. So, what do we do during this?¡± ¡°Sit back and enjoy or go do whatever needs doing.¡± Chapter 040 Haelsith is another major city of the Desert Triarchy and is near the border of Desolation. The city is the primary source of food due to irrigation and trading with the towns within Desolation to the north. They are also the primary researchers of Blight Magic, both in use and how to cure the tainted it leaves on the land.
Lukou
Analais and me exit my little hut and walk over to his own. As much as I would like to listen to K telling others how great I am, there are things to do and I don¡¯t really want to hear about the other things are bound to come up in the path that their discussion is going. As the two of us enter into the hut, Analais asks ¡°so, what did you want to talk about?¡± as he sits down at his table. ¡°Food, if I can¡¯t hunt because Ragnor abuses his power I need another way to get food and you bring more meat than you and Alana can eat before it goes bad¡± I answer. ¡°I can¡¯t bring in the food for four people every day.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°You have a solution for overhunting?¡± ¡°No, but I did find a lot of salt in my extradimensional stash.¡± ¡°Oh, just how much salt do you have?¡± ¡°Not sure, more than would fit on your table.¡± Analais just stares at me for a moment before he asks, ¡°how large is your extradimensional pocket?¡± I shrug, ¡°I don¡¯t know, I can¡¯t sense an end to wherever it is. So, how about a trade of salt for meat?¡± ¡°Alana usually handles this sort of thing for the two of us but she¡¯ll probably accept. Kythia will probably end up doing the same for you.¡± ¡°Why would she?¡± ¡°Division of responsibility and power; while the balance between you and her may differ, it¡¯ll probably end up being the same as the division that the two positions of alpha are.¡± ¡°What is that actual division?¡± ¡°Well, the alpha male has final say in all matters of war, travel, hunting and the like while the alpha female has the final say in all matters domestic.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem very good for the girls, and a bit sexist.¡± Analais shrugs, ¡°it¡¯s a system that works and they¡¯re in charge of more than you think. Spend a moment to think how much Ragnor was really able to do to you with the authority he has.¡± I pause for a moment, he¡¯s right. Ragnor couldn¡¯t really do much of anything to me. He won¡¯t let me hunt ¡®legally¡¯ but that really only cost me maybe an hour to get around his pathetic plan to prevent me from getting food. Though bartering it from Analais is only a temporary option, regardless of how much I do have in Void Cache it will eventually run out if all I do is trade it away. I need to add to it. I want to have more not less, even if it is something that is as plain as salt. ¡°That is a fair point. Do you think they¡¯ve finished up with the topic they were on?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible¡± Analais says while getting back up and we begin to walk back to my small hut. As Analais and me reenter my poor hut the women inside look at us. They had apparently been waiting a short period of time for our return. On the makeshift table lies a bow, a piece of what seems to be leather armor, and some blankets. ¡°Kythia has already received the gifts on your behalf¡± Alana says after giving me a moment to take a discrete count of the table''s contents. I know what comes next, I am supposed to give gifts of appreciation to those that housed me the past months as well as a gift for the mother of my mate. Though that does not have to be at this exact moment. I could probably give Kylana a random book from the piles of them in Void Cache but I don¡¯t really have anything to give Analais and Alana. ¡°I apologize that I was not present to receive them, and thank you for the gifts, I am sure Kythia will enjoy showing me them. Unfortunately, I have not yet prepared anything to give you all¡± I say. ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t find anything that could be a gift sitting around in that odd extradimensional storage of yours?¡± Kylana asks.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°No, I was too busy chasing your daughter to look through it all¡± I counter for the sole purpose of embarrassing K as I put an arm around her waist. K blushes as I pull her to me and as she submits to me, both of the other women laugh. My hand slips slightly under her shirt on accident but I just enjoy holding my K. I don¡¯t care that the few people here can see my actions, at least during such a small token of my affections. ¡°We¡¯ll see ourselves out¡± Alana says with a smile. I nod at her and the odd smirk on Kylana¡¯s face. Which in all honesty bothers me a bit that she seems to be so interested in what I am about to do to her daughter again. Is she not getting enough love from Ragnor? After everyone has left my small little hut, I nibble on the tip of K¡¯s ear. ¡°Already?¡± she asks half excited, half exasperated. ¡°Of course, how could I not want to give you all the love and attention that you deserve¡± I whisper in her ear as I get a little more handsy . . .
Thalia
Sister and me began the return trip from the expedition father sent us on a few days ago. The journey itself has been boring as the most dangerous things we¡¯ve run into are desiccated and dissected corpses of the tainted. The older elves are terrified of some guy their calling the blood elf lich but I never heard of any such person. ¡°Don¡¯t be mad sister, at least we got to leave the city¡± Lysan says as weexit the mountain pass towards Daerth. ¡°But we didn¡¯t get to actually do anything¡± I complain. ¡°Quiet, something is wrong¡± Vallen says as we reach the woods. If only I think for a moment. I should have pushed to get back to these woods in time for whatever that Paring Howl was rather than for more time in the Darklands so we could actually fight something. My thoughts are disrupted as Vallen knocks sister and me to the ground. I almost hit him before a wave of heat explodes from behind me. The screams of my guards echo across the pass as they burn and both terror and excitement run through my mind. The scent of burning flesh hit my noise as Vallen says, ¡°I need to get the two of you out of here.¡± ¡°No, I can fight¡± I begin before sister cuts me off saying, ¡°sister, no we¡¯re surrounded.¡± A moment later, Vallen speaks a word I do not recognize only to finally notice that we were not alone. That we had walked straight into a trap, a trap that was concealed in some sort of illusion. No, not a trap, they are not surrounding or flanking us. Sister shouts something out, a spell that I did not know she knew. The air seems to take on a sheen as a barrage of roughly a dozen arrows knock against the empty air. ¡°There¡¯s too many to fight like this¡± Vallen says as he pulls me up to my feet. He glances at the barrier that sister set up or more specifically what lies beyond it. A moment later, he pulls two vials of something out of his bag and passes them to me as he says, ¡°drink them, you¡¯ll be invisible for a few minutes. Go to the Bloodclaw, they¡¯ll help.¡± He then draws the thin elven blade that shows his rank as a Bladesinger, that he is a master of the blade and use of magic to augment his martial skill. The blade glows and blue-silver flames race along the blade, as he begins to swing the blade in an arc towards those that had ambushed us in one of the flashiest ways that he could have. The silvery flames draw my eyes as they pass through the air before sister pulls me away and uncorks one of the bottles before emptying it in my mouth. I choke for a second before swallowing, and begin to follow the tug of my sister to the side. When I turn to look at her I do not see anything, not even my own hand. Invisibility? Sister doesn¡¯t know that spell, how. . . The potion, Vallen gave us potions of invisibility to sneak away. I want to fight, I never get to actually fight but there are a lot of Althaen. Too many for Vallen, sister and me to win against. Too many for them to have been gathered to deal with our small group. Sister and me run into the woods, I don¡¯t want to and my vision begins to blur as I know that we are leaving Vallen to die. That all of the elves that we traveled with are either dead or we are leaving them to die.
It is late in the night and hours after the invisibility from the potion had worn off when sister and me finally stop. We don¡¯t know where in the woods that we are or where the werewolf village is but Lysan seemed to know where she was going in. We stopped in a clearing that is covered in broken pieces of wood and torn grass as if people fight or spar in the clearing every day. ¡°Why did you lead us here?¡± I ask. ¡°R¨²loa?a, told me to go here¡± sister answers. ¡°When did you have the time to call on her?¡± ¡°I, didn¡¯t. It just came in a dream last night.¡± ¡°Why, why would she tell you to go here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. The gods don¡¯t often tell the why but we will meet with the Bloodclaw if we wait here.¡± I just look at my twin sister, I have never understood the divine side of magic or the actions of the gods as she can. All I do know is that gods have their own plans and problems. If R¨²loa?a told sister to come to this place there is a reason but it may not be for the reason that she thinks. ¡°Are you sure?¡± I ask and she nods. ¡°I¡¯ll watch as you take your rest then¡± I say as I know she had a harder time running for as long as we did than me. She nods and I begin to circle around the clearing, laying down the lines of mana for the detection field in an Alarm spell while looking to see what I can learn about those that frequent the clearing. I can¡¯t tell what magics have been cast here nor anything other than that at least two people come here often. Once my Alarm spell is set I pace around the clearing thinking as I keep watch, at least I can see with what little light the moon still gives off. Now, why would a small army of Althaen be in these woods for? They couldn¡¯t have known that we would be passing through. If they were here for us the ambush would have been up the mountain pass just after the keep that guards it. . . What else is in these woods that they would even want? Or were they on their way to the Darklands to cut down the population of the tainted as we were? No, not the Darklands. They would not have made a camp where they did for that. They were trying to conceal the camp we walked into. . . The forest, they have to be after something here and they¡¯re waiting for something. The only thing I know is in this forest are the Bloodclaw, but what would the Althaen be waiting for? Maybe the right time to attack? I look up at the night sky to see a waning crescent that barely exists. Tomorrow would be a new moon, tomorrow is when the Bloodclaw would be their weakest. If they are the reason for the Althaen to be here then they would make their move tomorrow. Chapter 041 Dess¨¦er is another city of the Triarchy, they are completely dependent on their sister cities for food and are responsible for mining the hills around the city and the forging of weapons and armor used in the Triarchy. They are also one of the few places that can compeat with dwarven craftmenship in the weapons and armors that they make.
Lysan
Sister doesn¡¯t end up waking me and I don¡¯t wake up until well after dawn even though she should have after only a few hours. I look over to sister to find that she is asleep against a tree. She must have tried to stay up the whole rest of the night on her own. She always does try to do too much. I stand up to look around though the clearing is not that different from what I was able to see under what little moonlight there was last night. I stand up and look around but find nothing out of place. The leave of the trees rustle in the breeze, the sun shines through the canopy of the forest. Everything seems right in these quiet woods, not even the birds are chirping. . . Wait, the animals are not making noise. If they are silent something bad is going to happen relatively soon. The voices of two individuals approach on the breeze but I cannot understand the words nor have I heard this tongue before but it is neither Elvish or Althaen. Two oddly dressed individuals walk into the clearing and stop as they look at sister and me. A tall man with dark hair that has a blueish glint where the sun lands on him and eyes that are a mix of blue and violet with flecks of gold in them. The black clothes he wears has some sort of strange writing on it but both it and the pants are of a design and cut that I have never seen before. The woman, like the man, is tall but her shoulder length hair is silver, almost the same color as the moon is in the night sky, while her eyes shine a brilliant gold. The woman frowns at me as the man seems surprised as he looks at both me and my sister. He seems to be thinking for a moment before he opens his mouth and begins speaking in elvish fluently.
Lykou
Two weeks have passed since I got my K back and I love waking up with her in my arms. Our schedule of sparing in the morning and learning magic in the afternoon, has been a lot of fun. On this day of the new moon however when we arrive at the small clearing we use for sparing there are already two people there. Two elves, in near identical armor and clothing. Their red hair so similar to the two that I had seen in the memories from another time. I still don¡¯t remember their names but I find myself smiling and a warmth in my chest similar to the one I have for my K as I look at them. The tips of their ears peak out of their scarlet red hair and my eyes rove downwards as I compare the curves of the elf who is awake to those of the elf twins in my memories. She looks just like one of them, could the two of them be who I think they are? ¡°Why are there elves here¡± K asks as if I would know. I shrug and open my mouth to ask the elf girl who is awake and am surprised when the words of another tongue pass through my lips. ¡°Why are you here?¡± The elven girl seems surprised for a moment before she answers, ¡°are the two of you part of Bloodclaw Pack?¡± ¡°Yes, but who are you and why are you here?¡± ¡°I am Lysan Alanth¨ªer, and this is my twin sister Talia Alanth¨ªer. There¡¯s something I need to ask of your people.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°Sister and me need help getting back home, our escort was killed by a small army from the Holy Empire in these woods yesterday.¡± I just stand still for a moment. This is both terrible and too good to be true. There were certainly friends and others that they care about are now dead but this is also extremely convenient for me. Not only does this give me the opportunity to leave and gets me in contact with two of those that I had loved. At least I think the two of them are the two elves that I can remember. Could this be one of the things that the strange me-but-not-me girl set up? It makes no sense for these two specific girls to show up out of nowhere but at the same time I can¡¯t think of how she could have set it up. But there is another detail something called the Holy Empire. It doesn¡¯t remind me of anything nor is it anything that I have heard of that place in my time here. ¡°Kythia, what is the Holy Empire?¡± I ask K. ¡°You don¡¯t know? How can you not know?¡± ¡°Amnesiac from another world, remember.¡± ¡°Oh, right. I forgot. They are the Althaen nation who claims ownership of this forest.¡± I frown at the word Althaen, for some reason I just hate whoever that group is. Why? ¡°Well, these two elves ran into their army and they lost their guards. They also want. . .¡± ¡°When?¡± K asks interrupting.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°When did you run into this group of Althaen?¡± ¡°Yesterday afternoon.¡± When I repeat her answer to K, she frowns and begins to think. I can only assume it is about why this Holy Empire would be here and I just don¡¯t have the information I would need to make a decision on my own about this. A moment later, K says ¡°the pack is probably going to be attacked. We should get back to the village and let the alphas know.¡± ¡°Do you think Ragnor will even do anything about it? He will probably ignore it just because I am involved.¡± She pauses for a second before responding, ¡°you might be right on that but what can we do about that?¡± ¡°Tell Kylana first and let her deal with it so he doesn¡¯t know that I¡¯m involved and won¡¯t take his hate for me out for them.¡± She frowns for a moment before nodding and I turn to Lysan and say, ¡°follow us we¡¯ll bring you to Kylana. She¡¯ll want to hear what you told us.¡± ¡°Now?¡± Lysan asks. ¡°Preferably.¡± ¡°Alright just give me a moment to wake my sister.¡± I nod, before turning back to K as Lysan gently wakes her sister. ¡°Why did you look at her like that?¡± K asks. ¡°Jealous?¡± I tease. ¡°I¡¯m your mate, your only mate and you shouldn¡¯t look at others.¡± I pull K into a hug and smile as she only put a small token of resistance before just leaning into my embrace as she normally does. She is still angry and will take it out on me during our next spar but for now she is content to just let me hold her. Gods, how I love how she gets all submissive when I show her physical affection. I blow on the back of her ear before I whisper ¡°don¡¯t worry, my eyes may wander but you¡¯ll always be on my heart. Besides, if I have more women that just means that I¡¯m a stronger mate.¡± She grins at that, she loves the idea of me being strong and powerful. Just after she does so I continue to whisper in her ear, ¡°just think of it. Your strong powerful mate having his way with you and his other girls, while you lead them as the dominant female of the den.¡± Her grin grows, as I say just the right things. But both my thoughts and actions are stopped as a coughing sound comes from behind us. I turn around, I forgot that they were there for a moment. I got a bit too caught up in talking K into the idea of me having more than just her. ¡°Right, let¡¯s bring them to Kylana¡± I say as K and me separate. ¡°Shall we?¡± I ask the elven twins as the lot of us begin to walk towards the village. It takes roughly half an hour for us to get to the village. Unlike all of the previous times that I have entered the village those that keep guard of the village itself do move to block us. I do not know the name of either person in the pair but K speaks up to greet the two of them. ¡°Nalina, Kalna, it is good to see you. These elves need to speak to Kylana and Ragnor.¡± ¡°Ragnor is out hunting, but Kylana is at the shrine house¡± the woman on the left says. ¡°Thank you¡± I say before they begin to escort the two elves along with us to the shrines of the Architect and the Black Wolf. Have I even been here since my arrival in the village? No, but I never really felt any need to visit the shrines for any worshiping. As I walk into the building I look around to see who else is currently here in the mostly empty shrine while the sun¡¯s light shines through the holes in the roof onto the small statues atop the piled stones. I frown at Holia but aside from her and Samuel who probably are always here, Kylana is the only other person in here. She seems to be praying at the statue of the Black Wolf but she no doubt heard us approach. Just after she turns around she says, ¡°Lysan, Thalia it is good to see you again but you do not look like you are not here for a social visit.¡± K looks at her mother confused, as one of the elves answers the implied question. ¡°No, we ran into a small army from the Holy Empire and our escort was all killed¡± she, Talia, says in genuine sadness. ¡°Where?¡± Kylana asks quickly, concerned. ¡°At the edge of the forest next to the Darkwall Mountains. I didn¡¯t get a good look when we were ambushed but it seemed more like a camp than an ambush that we had walked into.¡± Kylana just stands for a moment thinking while we all just stand still for a moment before K leans over and asks me, ¡°what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°She is telling Kylana the same information that her sister already gave us¡± I answer. ¡°Where is Ragnor?¡± Kylana asks the two women that followed us as we brought the elves here. ¡°Hunting, he left early this morning and hasn¡¯t come back¡± one of them answers. ¡°He should have been back by now, it has only ever taken him a few hours to come back with food.¡± ¡°Can you give us any assistance in getting home?¡± Lysan asks quietly. ¡°That would be a question that you would have to ask my mate Ragnor, but even if he does refuse your request for aid you have safe harbor here¡± Kylana answers. ¡°What? But aren¡¯t you in charge?¡± the same elf who has done all the talking so far asks. ¡°I am but I am not in charge of everything.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense. How can you be in charge over some things but not others?¡± ¡°Division of power¡± I answer. Kylana looks at me slightly confused, and I continue ¡°by splitting power between your leader you make your society more resistant to corruption.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lysan asks. ¡°You know what, never mind. Just consider it to be tradition then¡± I say, not wanting to do into the subject of societal structure. ¡°Where did Ragnor go hunting?¡± Kylana asks the two women who were acting as guards. One of the two run off as the other says, ¡°he didn¡¯t say anything to us when he let but one of the other guards.¡± ¡°We can just wait here while she goes and finds Ragnor.¡± The two elf girls nod before the one who had not talked yet asks, ¡°would you mind if I borrow a corner to pray?¡± ¡°Which god?¡± Holia interrupts with implied disapproval. Is this going to devolve into a religious fight? ¡°R¨²loa?a¡± Lysan answers. ¡°We don¡¯t follow any of the elven gods, you¡¯ll have to find somewhere else to pray¡± Holia says with an ever so slight distain. That name does not seem to fit the same scheme that the other gods I¡¯ve heard of, a different pantheon? ¡°Then she can use my hut if she requires seclusion¡± I say both out of my petty spite for Holia and that she seems so similar to the elves in my memories. Chapter 042 The City of Sand is the capitol of the Desert Triarchy, the city does not have its own leadership but is ruled by the leaders of the other three cities. They stay in the City of Sand at all times and direct their joint government over the region and war to contain the Southern Darklands.
Adrian
Aside from a minor skirmish from a small group wandering into the camp yesterday, nothing of note happened in two weeks it took to both get to the Forest of Daerth and gathered to be thrown at the werewolf village as fodder. ¡°Assemble in formation!¡± Sir Brightdouche yells out and I sigh. Tonight is the full moon, this must be at the start of the attack. I suppose this explains the lack of food being distributed this morning. I can just hear those in charge saying, ''no need to waste good food on those that are going to die.¡¯ ¡°Alright, Ria will be in the middle of us. Bryan you¡¯re front while I¡¯ll take the outer flank. Abagail. . .¡± I say before Abagail interrupts ¡°inner flank, we know.¡± By the time we¡¯ve set our own small formation within the blocks that Brightblade has forced us to be within, the paladin shouts out ¡°advance towards the heretic monsters!¡± Shouts of derivatives of ''for the Holy One'' echo his shout while I just roll my eyes annoyed. These werewolves have been here for a long time and seem to just want to be left alone but because they fight the demons in a different way and worship a different god from the same pantheon they¡¯re trying to exterminate them. We begin the March into the woods and after nearly an hour at the pace Brightblade set, we see a small circle of huts. Atop of the huts are several people holding bows, most of which are women but I don¡¯t have time to notice more than that as the whistle of arrows flying through the air as several of those in the block fall dead. I stand ready as Ria begins one of her spells. Unfortunately, she is noticed as a caster and a few arrows fly at her. I want to protect her but Bryan beats me to it as he raised his shield and it glows pulling the attacks to it. I stare for a moment, I did not know he could do that. I really should have done more than just trying to figure out how to do more with my magic. . . ¡°Charge!¡± Brightblade shouts over the growing clamor of combat. The actual soldiers behind us force us forward and it is not long before we are at the edge of the village. Bryan blocks a spear strike from a child before I feel a flash of heat from my right. A conflagration of fire exploding and killing many of those who wanted no part in any of the bullshit of this world. I grab at the flames and force them to grow larger and wash over my friends and me without actually burning us, giving Ria the cover she needs to keep anyone from noticing her illusion''s flaws for a while. I feel a strange tingle wash over me before she grabs my hand and pulls me towards the village. I grab Bryan, who grabs Abagail to keep us from getting lost. We rush through a gap in the fighting caused by the oversized fireball and into the village. From here we should be able to get out before the village is surrounded. At least that was the plan before Ria says, ¡°someone broke my illusion.¡± I turn about as I look but the only people I see are a silver haired woman and two red haired elves walking out of the shabbiest of the huts. A young man follows after them and the world freezes in place as our eyes meet.
Lykou
It does not take long for me to lead the elven twins to my hut as Kylana does whatever it is that she needs to do with the information that she just gained. I move the cloth aside that acts as a door and say, ¡°it isn¡¯t much but it should be secluded enough to keep you from being interrupted.¡± ¡°Thank you¡± one of the twins say but I don¡¯t know who it is as I¡¯ve lost track of which one is who. They frown just as K used to at the low quality of just about everything in the building. Maybe I should get some better furniture. . . The elf girl who thanked me kneels down in a corner and I guess she starts praying. I¡¯m not really interested in whatever religious thing is going on so I turn to the other elf and ask, ¡°where are you and your sister from?¡± ¡°Sister¡¯s prayers need to be done in silence¡± she says rather than answering my question. So much for my subtle plan of learning what I can about these two elves who look exactly like the two elves in my memories; at least the shorter versions of the two. I glance at K who frowns at the elf girl''s response to my question but she doesn¡¯t do anything about it. Since I don¡¯t want to potentially ruin getting back my harem, I just pull K away from the less polite elf and we sit and wait for something to happen. I am a little disappointed that we didn¡¯t get to have our morning spar but I have this strange feeling that I am not making some connection and something is going to happen. Minutes pass before I hear a yell outside. I don¡¯t quite catch what was said but K must have as she stands up immediately. Oddly enough, the elven girl who was praying also gets up and walks towards the door of my small abode as the outside noise grows louder.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I get up and follow them outside, wondering why the warmth in my chest is there for the elf girls. K was fun to be around from the start but they have not been so. One of them is overly prideful and the other just seems hasn¡¯t spoken much since her sister woke up. The elf who was praying chants something in the doorway, a spell of some sort but I don¡¯t know what it does. Just that it doesn¡¯t use the parts of magic I¡¯ve been studying. As I step through the doorway, I see the air shimmer as K begins to charge forward. The shimmering area blurs for an instant before I notice four people. The first two seem familiar, a tall teenage male with brown hair in a chain shirt holding a longsword and shield, and a very short girl that could probably pass herself off as a halfling in leather armor cut not to get in the way of the somatic gestures required in casting. Even though I feel that I know these two people, they are not what catches my attention. The red tipped golden blond fox ears and twin tails on the girl between those to and the next male is. She¡¯s a kitsune, and looks just like the one in my memories other than that she is a tail short and a bit shorter. I feel a warmth in my heart for her but it is even less than what I feel for the two elves. I need to figure out if she and the elves really are my lost harem and if they are get back their affections. I continue my traveling gaze until it lands on what seems to be a near mirror image of myself. He seems to be slightly taller but he doesn¡¯t have as much muscle on him. The two of us make eye contact and all the sounds and movement in the world seem to stop, the color rapidly draining from my vision before the world goes dark.
An instant later, I am standing in a white void across the from the mirror image of myself. ¡°Where are we?¡± the double says as I wonder the same thing before muttering ¡°a mindscape¡± to myself. ¡°What did you do?¡± the duplicate yells at me but I ignore him. What is going on? I shouldn¡¯t be in this kind of place. Someone did something to put me here. The last time I got stuck in a mental battle like this was that dragon trying to steal my body. That imposter must be trying to do the same. But he seems to be confused. Maybe he isn¡¯t . . . No, I can¡¯t risk it. I just got my K back and haven¡¯t figured out my questions about the two elves and the kitsune yet. It could also be a distraction, him trying to get me to lower my guard. I begin to cast Magic Missile at the intruder and find it draws on my will rather than mana as it did during the conflict with that dragon. As the barrage of miniature bombs of concussive force fly true, I shift into the dragon-human hybrid form as I charge. The false me yells out in pain as my preemptive strike succeeds and I send him in twain, showing myself in the blood of his astral projection. The blood seeps into my body like rain on the dry ground before he vanishes and reforms. I feel my form grow stronger, larger and more solid in this astral realm. Images begin to play in the back of my mind but I ignore them for the moment. Kill the false me who intrudes on my mind, that is what I need to do, I can figure whatever else is going on when I am safe. The false me does not say anything as he reforms slightly smaller than before and he says, ¡°Bestow Curse: Weakness¡±. Unlike when I¡¯ve heard people cast spells before I understand what he is doing and that he is not actually using magic at all, but something else entirely. His will slams down on me as I throw my denial of the changes he tries to make to find that his power to manipulate this place is stronger than my own. My projected form feels weaker but I know it is not nearly as much as he had wanted to afflict me with. I also know that I can just tear him apart a few times to completely offset that debuff. I take a step, teleporting behind him and try to send him with my claws but am blocked by a party from a blade of condensed light. He struggles to hold it against my physical might and while he succeeds, I smirk and use my tail to trip him. As he falls I will a Combustion into existence without any word or gesture around him, his flesh Burns and the acrid smoke that billows off of him for a short few seconds before the projection vanishes and reforms flows into me just as the blood before it. The instant that my foe reappears, I am hit with a blast of lightning, but it is not a full hit and only ruins my left arm. The smoke and blood dripping from it moves for my opponent for a second before Iam whole again. I teleport and maul my double, overwhelming him with the physical power of a dragon but do not immediately kill him again. My tail smashes his legs, my claws pierce his spine to paralyze, and I rip a chunk out of his shoulder with my teeth. He tastes even better than the dragon did. I didn¡¯t expect him to, I just wanted to inflict as much damage as possible before he dissipates and reforms to pull as much out of him as possible but now I just have to get more of this taste. I quickly take as many bites as I can before he dies again, and with each but I feel stronger and more images begin to fill the back of my mind. He soon dies and reforms, smaller and weaker and I repeat my pattern of disabling him to eat. Sometimes I break limbs with magic or sunder and eat them, and at times he manages to strike me with a blast of fire or lightning but each time we clash I take more from him than he does from me. I do not know how long we fight for but I am disappointed when he finally dies and simply remains dead. He doesn¡¯t reform and I just finish eating what little is left after our fight. As soon as I swallow the final bit the images that fill my head crash into my conscious mind, years of life fill much of the blank space that was my forgotten memories. I shout out in pain as I feel like I am being crushed by the rushing information. Names, places, events, raw knowledge and ideas spin around my mind. I don¡¯t understand most of them but I feel guilt, anger, hate, confusion and love that was not in me before and I remember who I am. My name is Adrian Ravnos, World Shaper, Dragon of the Void, and son of Randy and Kathrine.
Geldath (Twisting Fate Timeline)
Three days have passed since the ritual I and the other Archmages used to throw one Adrian Ravnos through time and space and yet nothing changed when we had done so. The outsiders'' invasions were not undone nor did any of their actions changed. ¡°We can only assume that the ritual failed. If anything was going to change it would have by now¡± one of my colleagues says before another interrupts saying, ¡°I told you time travel was not the solution! Now not only is it too late to perform a disjunction but we¡¯ve lost both our chance at fresh blood and Rynald who managed to cure himself of our curse.¡± ¡°Yes, yes your idea that parallel multiverses may have some credibility. Now shut up. Why it failed isn¡¯t important, we need to deal with the outsiders. Greater demons are beginning to make their way through the planar breaches¡± I shout at my fellow Archmagi. A moment after I finish speaking a chill passes through the room and I turn to look at the origin of the feeling. I pale when I see what is standing in the back of the room. A physical embodiment of paradox. The creature walks forward, it¡¯s shape changing with each step, until it reaches one of the others in the room. It touches him and he vanishes is a burst of light, erased from the fabric of reality. I throw all of my reality bending might and refined essence at the creature. My power slams against it as I panic at the strength of the creature. How did we manage to generate so much paradox, especially given that everyone has seen the supernatural by now? It barely slows as it approaches me and reaches out it¡¯s hand Chapter 043 Tel¡¯nakran is the small forest to the south of the Desert Triarchy on the border of both the Southern Darklands and the coast. While inhabited by elves they are not aligned with either of the other elves groups and do not seem to care about the demonic taint that infects the land to their east. They kill all those trespass on their land but there has never once been a fiend that has been found moving through their border. Due to this the Desert Triarchy is content to leave them alone, while the more immediate threat of the demon taint is still a problem.
Kythia
I try to hide my displeasure over how my mate is looking at the two elves. He is strong enough that it would not shame me if he took a second mate but they look weak, and worse they have not been as respectful of him as a host. No, the priestess of the elven goddess of magic has done nothing rude but the other has. Thalia, that¡¯s the name of the rude elf. She needs to be taught some respect and courtesy. . . My thoughts stop as my mate''s hand slips under the soft fine fabric of the clothes he gives me to wear. His large rough hand glides along as he guides me to just sit next to him and wait. I follow his lead, I still can¡¯t believe that I thought he was weak but two weeks ago. It was only days after I meet him that he had surpassed my skill in magic. He can even beat me in an unarmed spar, when he has enough desire to. I lean up against my mate¡¯s chest, content to let him hold me as I enjoy his scent as my mind wanders. If only the two of us could go off to hunt together. Should I talk him into doing it even through Ragnor forbids us? My thoughts of running through the woods on a moonlight night end as I hear a shout outside. I only notice the noise itself but the meaning is clear; the pack is under attack. My mate does not immediately recognize the noise for what it is but follows behind me as I answer the call to arms. The elves being closer to the door arrive outside before me and the one who does not carry a sword begins to chant a spell. I don¡¯t recognize it but can tell that she was using the tongue she spoke to my mate in for the incantation, or at least a language close to it. The final syllable leaves her lips and an illusion I broken barely a stone¡¯s throw from me. Four figures come into view, a human male, either the tallest halfling woman ever or the shortest human woman ever, a two tailed kitsune, and a man that looks exactly like my mate but not quite in as good of physical shape. He also lacks the confidence and martial skill of my mate in how he walks. I glance to my real mate as he leaves our small hut, he scans over the nearest four Althaen fodder but seems to recognize them. At least until he suddenly stops and vanishes. I turn to the four enemies and their false copy of my mate is gone. I growl as I charge their caster, drawing the bone blade that my mother gave me after I had accepted my mate. The fox bitch has to be responsible for this. The ¡®humans'' are more confused than she appears to be. I am cut off as the human male wearing a chain shirt blocks my way with his shield. Somehow, he braced himself in time to keep his footing but I got close enough to catch her smell and the smells on her. Three scents of people that I have never met but one that I do. The double of my mate smells exactly like my mate did a few days before the Paring Howl. The glow of some sort of self-augmentation spell covers the male who block my path, and I withdraw while unleashing a barrage of Magic Missiles. He keeps himself between the fox bitch and me as I rush through my thoughts on their smell. My mate said he got thrown into the present from the future and the other male that disappeared has the same scent, not just a similar one. Was he my mate¡¯s past self? ¡°What did you do to my mate fox?¡± I shout at the kitsune. ¡°Nothing, Ria is his best girl¡± she answers while wagging her tails a bit, not caring at all that all she has to defend her is a half trained human spellsword. The elven sisters look around scared before they run to some other part of the village, but I pay no attention to them as a few conclusions are made in my mind. First, my mate and his past self just meet; which may be why both of him just vanished. Second, the fox''s scent despite being covered with my mate¡¯s still marks her as an unclaimed female. Then the fox¡¯s words hit my mind, and I forget everything. His best girl? How dare she consider herself that when she hasn¡¯t even lain with him. Flashes of my first time with my mate go through my mind, how he wrestled me to the ground and dominated me completely but only after I consented to him. She must have refused to let him inside of her. I slam into the human blocking my way. That whore fox tricked my mate, and I will not let her get away with it.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
Adrian
The strange mindscape vanishes, and I find myself standing in the small circle of huts that is the village of pack Bloodclaw. It takes me a moment to adjust to what happened to me before I notice everything around me. I don¡¯t know what happened or exactly how much time has passed as I fought that other, me? but at the moment K is beating the crap out of one of the guys from before. He seems to be only barely holding her single blade back with his sword, shield and help from the kitsune. Wait no, I know their names. The male is Bryan and the kitsune is Ria. The other girl, the short one, I know her too but I just can¡¯t remember her''s at the moment. Where did the elven twins go? Can I remember any more about them? No, focus. Now is not the time to be going through this. I need to stop the fighting between my Terran friend and my K. That and the attack is still going on. The Althaen, no, a subgroup of them are doing this. ¡°Kythia, I know him. He isn¡¯t our enemy¡± I shout out. ¡°What do you mean and what did his ally do to you?¡± she answers without letting up on her attacks against Bryan. ¡°What did you do to Adrian?¡± the short girl yells at me. ¡°Now is not the time for this, stop fighting¡± I yell at the three of them. ¡°They¡¯re with the Holy Empire, they are attacking the pack¡± Kythia shouts just before throwing a barrage of Magic Missile at some guy I do not recognize, probably someone on the Althaen side that broke through the melee at the edge of the village. ¡°We were forced to, we only wanted to sneak away during the fight. We don¡¯t need to fight¡± the kitsune, Ria says. ¡°Shut up fox whore!¡± Kythia shouts at the fox girl. ¡°I¡¯m not a whore, I¡¯m still pure an innocent.¡± ¡°Yet you¡¯re covered in my mate¡¯s scent. . .¡± ¡°You know what, just don¡¯t go killing or crippling each other. I¡¯m going to go deal with the Althaen bastards¡± I shout at the two bickering women. ¡°Wait, you aren¡¯t. . .¡± Bryan begins but I don¡¯t hear the end of his sentence as I rush off to the front. As I get a clear look at the front I see the blood-soaked ground covered in dozens of dead bodies, most of which seem to be untrained fodder and the youth in Naliya¡¯s class. What remains are some of the adults of the village and soldiers that are far better armed and likely better trained than those that have died. I shape mana as I had done earlier this morning into a barrage of Magic Missiles, but not only does my mana feel weaker but the missiles also disappear seemingly negated as they strike the nearest Althaen soldier. How? Kylana and Kythia have broken them apart with counterspelling techniques but never like this. Was this antimagic? No, focus, I need to focus. To fight and kill my enemies. I charge at the nearest soldier and shift into my draconian form, my clothes tearing as my body expands before I tackle the chainmail covered man. My claws puncture the iron rings and the soon to be corpse screams in terror for the short moment before ribs crack and break. My right hand gets covered in the soft tissues of his lung and intestines for a moment before I throw a handful of them out of the man¡¯s chest. A man in full plate shouts out at me but I do not fully hear what he says as my focus is taken by as two blades bite into my left arm and back. My scales deflect the angle to a glance and keep the blade from cutting into me as much as it should have. I lash out and try to claw my melee assailants and feel a flash of heat, my claw misses but they still scream in pain. An instant later, I feel my focus shift like when I reach that strange battlemind but different. Rather than suddenly knowing all that is happening around me; I can feel my injuries, the flow of my blood, and the state of every muscle in my body. I don¡¯t know why but I will the damage to heal and with an itching feeling the cuts close and repair themselves. What is going on? How did I just heal myself? I jump and fly into the air to dodge a glowing blue blade on reflex as the man in plate shouts something about ¡®heretic¡¯ but I remain confused as to what I just did and how come there are scorch marks and burnt corpses to the left of where I just was. Arrows puncture my wings and I crash to the ground, landing on the ground breaking one of my wings only for my mind to turn inwards again for a moment. Again, I feel my mind focus in a strange direction and my wounds close as the bones snap back into place. I roll out of the way of the plate wearing man¡¯s blade. A name flashes through my mind, Brightblade. I don¡¯t know why but I push at something in my mind a fire erupts around me, killing those around me but a blue glow covers the man in plate as he continues his assault on me. The melodic chant of a spell comes from his lips as white fire covers his sword. I throw a barrage of Magic Missiles, but like before they dissipate rather than discharge as they hit his plate. My mind shifts focus again as I fall into the frame I¡¯ve used for battle several times now. This time it feels almost too easy, barely taking any effort and I can pull more information from. . . something. I dodge all of the strikes in the flurry of attacks that are unleashed at me completely. I just knew exactly what moves the man would make and how to dodge, though there were no openings for a counter attack before the end of the move chain. Once I see my chance I take it, deflecting the sword aside I get within his reach. My claws leave a deep scrape on the plate before I plunge them in the gap between the helmet and breastplate. I smirk with a feeling of joy at killing the man unlike the other soldiers, as if he had wronged me. In this moment of letting my guard drop and the Knight¡¯s last gurgling breath, an explosion of white fire explodes outwards enveloping the two of us in a pillar of white flames. Searing pain comes from every part of my body, yet there is no heat, no smoke nor ash as I burn in the suicide attack of the dying man. A second later the world that was covered in white fire ends, the Knights and other Althaen, alive and dead are untouched as are the woodlands around us but the corpses of the werewolves caught in the fires are gone. I once more begin to somehow start magically healing myself without mana, my mind wandering into questions of how I can just will myself better. As soon as I have recovered enough I begin to charge the nearest enemy. I lash out on instinct, killing all those that are not Bloodclaw, or otherwise recognized as i fall into flashes of confusing memory. Chapter 044 Tel''nathar is the only known city of the dark elves, also known as drow. The actual size of the city is unknown as it extends into the depths of the earth and outsiders are not permitted below a certain level. Unlike the dwarves who have large farms around their cities to feed themselves, the drow do not though it is unknown how they manage to feed themselves. They are in a constant war with the dwarves, elves and occasionally raid the lands to their North and West.
Adrian
I am unsure for how long that I continued to vent my anger and confusion on those that were attacking or their remains but eventually I hear my K calling to me along with Kylana, Analais and Alana though the exact words I don¡¯t catch. The bloody goop of whoever was the last target of my anger drips off my hands as I turn to those who are calling the name they know me by. My breathing slows as I look around while my mind clears; there is not many of the Bloodclaw left within the confines of the village. Only Kythia, Kylana, Analais, Alana, and Ragnan are in view. Where did the others end up? Ria, Bryan and that short girl. They seem smaller then I remember, that and did it get brighter? No, wait, everything is smaller. ¡°Is that the shapeshifting you mentioned before Lykou?¡± K asks, calm compared to the faces the others are making. The others seem confused, except for Ragnan. He looks scared but also proud of living through the attack. Aside from that they are also all injured. ¡°It is¡± I answer her, my voice deeper than I remember it being. An effect of me being larger in this shape compared to my human form. ¡°Where is dad. We need to deal with those that got away and those Kythia knocked out¡± Ragnan says. ¡°Quiet Ragnan, we don¡¯t need to run off in vengeance like idiots. Enough of the pack has died already¡± Kylana scolds him. ¡°You don¡¯t have a say in this, it is the alpha male¡¯s decision to make. And since he isn¡¯t here, it is mine and the other men¡¯s decision to make¡± Ragnan says before turning to Analais and me, and continues to say ¡°we can¡¯t let them get away with attacking us. We need to track them down and . . .¡± ¡°Running off in vengeance is only going to get us killed. We need a plan and to. . .¡± Analais begins before Ragnan cuts him off. ¡°You¡¯re lucky to even get a say in anything runt. I¡¯m the next alpha male and . . .¡± ¡°You¡¯re never going go to be the alpha male. No matter who you take as a mate you won¡¯t be stronger than my mate and me¡± Kythia says. ¡°Stay out of this sister. This isn¡¯t any of your business¡± Ragnan interrupts. ¡°Over who are the alphas or what we do about being attacked?¡± I ask sarcastically. ¡°Both, it is the strongest male werewolf that . . .¡± he starts before getting knocked upside the head by both Kythia and Kylana as all of the other lycanthropes say, ¡°it is the strongest mated pair.¡± ¡°I¡¯m against dying by stupidity. So, majority rules when the alpha is absent?¡± I say while looking at Analais. He nods and I continue, while ignoring Ragnan, ¡°suggestions?¡± ¡°We need to determine if Ragnor fell to these people and how they found the village. We should have gotten warning from the hunters as they searched the forest¡± Kylana answers and I nod. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get the information out of. . .¡± Ragnan begins before K cuts him off, ¡°no, they are my prisoners.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have a . . .¡± ¡°Even if she doesn¡¯t, I do. I think I know them, so I¡¯ll talk to them¡± I say cutting him off. During the latter half of the second sentence though, images like those in that strange mindscape where I fought that look-a-like. Memories not unlike those I relive through meditation but disordered and scrambled. I rub my head but find it uncomfortable. Right, I¡¯m still in hybrid form. Claws are not meant for that. I will myself to be human again and watch the world grow back to the size I am more familiar with before I finish the gesture. I frown at my destroyed shirt and barely in place pants. I¡¯m going to need to be more careful with what I have on when I shift. ¡°You¡¯re not in charge¡± Ragnan says. ¡°No, but I agree with him, and majority rules without the alpha being present¡± Analais says with a frown. ¡°So where is Ria and the other two?¡± I ask as I turn to K. K seems slightly bothered but she does answer me after a second, ¡°the humans are at our table waiting, and the kitsune is elsewhere in our hut.¡± ¡°You left them alone¡± Ragnan says condescendingly. ¡°I left them tied up and they did surrender¡± she says to defend herself. ¡°You can¡¯t just leave them alone, they attacked us and you should have killed them.¡± ¡°Shut up, Ragnan. Leave her alone, I told her not to kill them¡± I say to shut him up.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Why couldn¡¯t he have gone missing like his father? No, I shouldn¡¯t think like that. It is wrong to think of people like that. ¡°I¡¯ll look into seeing if I can find any of the hunters that never came back since early this morning¡± Analais says to which I nod. He is the best in the pack at tracking and better suited for it than me. ¡°Be careful, we can¡¯t afford to lose another pack member¡± Kylana says while Ragnan shows his age in sulking over how he isn¡¯t in charge. K follows me back to our hut while Kylana and Alana keep lookout for the next attack from the Althaen. When I open the door, I see that Bryan and the short woman are tied to my pathetic attempts at making chairs. They could easily have gotten out of their bonds by breaking the chair but have remained sitting. ¡°Adrian what is it with you and crazy girls, and could you untie us?¡± asks the just over six-foot male in yet another language that I just know how to speak; but this tongue seems more familiar to me than the one that I have been using the last few months. ¡°Kythia isn¡¯t crazy. She is kickass and awesome¡± I retort. ¡°Are there any languages you don¡¯t somehow already know?¡± K asks me and I shrug at her. I could look at a language list and compare it to the one displayed in the Architect¡¯s System but I have more important things those few minutes could be spent on. Like getting stronger, more awesome and enjoying my time with her. ¡°You should look into that¡± she says in response. ¡°I¡¯d rather spend the time on something else¡± I say while stepping a little closer to her. She smiles at my loosely implied intention but out moment is stopped as the short girl interrupts us saying, ¡°could you please let us out of these chairs? They are very uncomfortable.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I worked very hard to make those a month ago¡± I say even though I really only threw them together to have chairs. I don¡¯t even use them, too many splinters. . . ¡°How could you have made these a month ago when you were with us?¡± Bryan asks sarcastically and I pause for a moment as another series of memory flashes fill my mind. Anger at the Althaen, guilt and desperation accompany the images of me acting weakly in playing the game that those that tore me from my home according to their rules. I feel almost disgusted by the memories, why wouldn¡¯t I just kill my way out of the city with fire and lightning? No I wasn¡¯t there, I was here with my K. ¡°I have been here for the last three months¡± I state as an absolute fact. ¡°That¡¯s not possible, you were. . .¡± the short woman begins before Bryan cuts her off saying, ¡°you¡¯re his doubleganger. What happened to our Adrian?¡± Doubleganger? Why would he. . . Wait I am from the future, so that look alike was my past self? How can I still be here when I killed my past self? ¡°Time travel paradox¡± I answer in a guess before continuing to the questions I need answers to, ¡°now, where is the camp and how did the Althaen know where the village is?¡± I don¡¯t hear his answer as more images flash through my conscious mind. Conversations that my past self eavesdropped on by bending space, the path that he had been forced to march, and the interactions he had with Ria. Why didn¡¯t he give her the loving that she spent weeks begging for? My question''s answer begins to flash before my mind¡¯s eye. Dozens of different morals and logical arguments that he had put himself through. My head begins to hurt before I somehow push the images back to the corner of my mind. I shake my head and rub my temples again. ¡°Kythia, they aren¡¯t enemies. Could you until them? I need to meditate for a moment¡± I ask K. ¡°Okay but why, and should I leave the fox tied up for you?¡± she answers. ¡°Remembering to many things at once. Where did you put Ria?¡± ¡°In your bed.¡± I¡¯m not able to process that for a moment as my mind grinds to a halt. K tied her up and left her on a bed for me? Here I thought it might be difficult to get her to accept other women into our bed but. . . ¡°Don¡¯t expect me to let her stay though, she is too weak to deserve your. . .¡± K begins before I pull her to me and silence her with a kiss. ¡°Kythia I love you but don¡¯t finish that sentence. Love isn¡¯t earned by strength¡± I whisper in her ear. ¡°I only. . .¡± she begins before I cut her off again saying, ¡°no, you accepted me because I¡¯m strong. You alreadt loved me because of how I treat you.¡± She doesn¡¯t say anything in return, but I don¡¯t know if it is from what I said it that I¡¯m holding her and she is really submissive to tokens of affection. Regardless, I sit down and begin to meditate. Like always, the Architect''s System shows up and I actually am curious just what eating my past self did.
Gain: +125XP Brawler, +125XP Melee, +125XP Claw, +125XP Hand-to-hand, +75XP Flying, +100XP Fighter, +100XP Martial Artist, +150 XP Dragon, Claw 2 -> 3 (+2 SP), Flying 1 -> 2 (+1 SP), Dragon 0 -> 1 (Void Grasp),
Absorption of your temporal duplicate has begun. +1000 SP, various other increase.
Lykou Gender: Male Race: Void Draconian? Age: 16?
Strength 28 Intelligence 23 Mana Potential 12 Skills SP: 1610
Dexterity 24 Wisdom 21 Mana Potency 12 Languages Titles
Agility 24 Cunning 20 Luck 23 Traits Options
Endurance 26 Willpower 24 Perception 20 Magic Reality Control
Vitality 26 Alertness 21 Reality Control 5 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 26 Charisma 17 Health 425/425 Mana 150/150
I smile at everything save for how this Reality Control has reduced my mana attributes again. Why must all that hard work be undone in what was but a moment? Yet for some reason that five makes me happy regardless of how I am upset. I don¡¯t know exactly what it means but that it is a good thing even if the value is so much lower than my other attributes. I glance at the large value in the SP field before dismissing the screens going fully into the meditation. Chapter 045 There are three pantheons or religion groups in Alth¨¢, the dwarven god Enthrul and the Ancestor Spirits, the Althaen Pantheon worshiped by most, and the Elven Pantheon. Dragons are said to have their own gods, and demons are known to serve some sort of higher power, but the truth of those individuals'' divine status has been lost.
Bryan
The strange look-a-like Adrian goes and sits down after saying something to the werewolf woman that I had surrendered to earlier by the request of my patron. I don¡¯t understand how this is supposed to be the best outcome but without the power he gives me I won¡¯t survive in this world. Rather than immediately letting us go from the bonds she put on us as Adrian said she watches him for a moment like I¡¯ve seen Ria do. I don¡¯t understand why he is so different than the Adrian I know. He mentioned something about time travel complications but how could he act as he is? Also, how could he have managed to live with a pack of werewolves for months? Aren¡¯t they supposed to be monsters that kill and eat people? The werewolf woman walks over to me and begins to untie me as she says, ¡°if you betray my mate¡¯s trust I will kill you.¡± I don¡¯t respond other than to rub the soreness out of my wrists. A moment later the werewolf woman asks, ¡°how do you know my mate?¡± ¡°Why do you keep calling him that? You couldn¡¯t possibly be married to him?¡± Abagail interjects and the woman whose name I still don¡¯t know get visibly upset. ¡°By the traditions set by the Black Wolf he has taken me as his mate. Now be quiet while I talk with the boy you want to take you¡± the werewolf woman says, slightly growling at the end. Rather than defend Abagail, I try to defuse the situation by changing the topic back to the question I was just asked. ¡°We¡¯ve been friends for years and ended up being called to Alth¨¢ by the same ritual. I understand that you are a pair but why do you keep referring to him as your mate?¡± ¡°Because he didn¡¯t remember his name when he arrived and the one he gave my mother is not his.¡± What? That, doesn¡¯t make any sense. He forgot his own name? But he recognized it when I said it to him. ¡°His name is Adrian.¡± ¡°No house or clan? There¡¯s no way he could be as skilled in magic as he is without subconscious knowledge that would only have been from a powerful family. What is his family name?¡± Powerful family? Adrian''s family doesn¡¯t fit that description. His grandparents seem to have a lot of money but nothing like the power that she could possibly mean. ¡°Ravnos. . .¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± she asks cutting me off. ¡°Yes, why?¡± The strangest smile of affection, pride and lust fills the werewolf''s face as she looks over to Adrian. Did I just make a terrible mistake? ¡°The House of Ravnos is a legend in this world. They cast out all of our ancestors from the world of Terra. They are masters of a magic that no others have ever managed to even grasp the fundamentals of. Able to bend the world to their whims through their inexhaustible supply of power that other mages cannot even sense.¡± I just sit with a blank look on my face for a moment. Adrian¡¯s version of magic is that powerful? She doesn¡¯t say anything else as she literally watches Adrian do whatever it is that he is doing.
Adrian
I am unsure of how long I was meditating, and there is still so much I haven¡¯t gone over and ordered in my mind but enough has been done for now. It would take too long to go through all the years of memories in one sitting even if there wasn¡¯t the problem of the Althaen continuing their attack. At least I did enough to be stable, I think. I went through what I think is most of the other me''s time here in this world and while I still don¡¯t understand why he acted as he did, I do know what¡¯s going on. I know where in the woods the remaining Althaen should be, where the one who is in charge of their attack should be, but not the why and how they knew right where to find the village. I open my eyes and look around to see Bryan and, I think her name is Abagail, sitting at the table still while K is standing guard. ¡°Thank you Kythia¡± I say with a smile. ¡°Did you remember your name?¡± she asks, excited. ¡°Yes, are you upset that my name isn¡¯t what I had been going by?¡± I answer with some hesitation. ¡°We all knew it wasn¡¯t.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Your smell when you said it. It isn¡¯t right. So, what is it?¡± ¡°Adrian Ravnos¡± I answer at the same time as Bryan interrupts us with a false cough. K smiles as she commits it to memory and I turn to my friend and the girl who likes him. I still don¡¯t know much of anything from before being dragged to this world but I know he is my friend by how we acted after arrival. Him and Tomas? A flash of a different memory hits my thoughts, one of me burying Tomas while K and the two elves watch. Taking turns with Bryan as we dig and fill a hole next to a building that could not be in this world. I shake my head, making a note to figure out why I¡¯ve two different memories about his death later. There is a threat I need to deal with and my mind is well enough together to deal with it now. ¡°Anyways, has Analais gotten back from his scouting?¡± I ask changing to a language both K and Bryan know. K of course frowns at using this tongue instead of the native instinctual tongue of the wolf, but answers in it. ¡°No, but he should be back anytime.¡± I nod, and after a moment of considering the power these Althaen have from the memories from the other me, begin to think of my own powers. Mana based magic is going to be of little use due to the antimagic crystals they brought but the strange magic that is apparently from my family is relatively unaffected. And there is also how I am far more powerful physically than any of their remaining soldiers. . . ¡°Kythia, I think it is time for a hunt.¡±
Lysan
I do not know why but when the Althaen reached the village of Pack Bloodclaw, sister muttered something I did not catch before pulling me in the opposite direction, to flee from the battle. I could see how on her face she wanted to fight but deemed it necessary that we flee much as how we were hitherto told to. It didn¡¯t make much of a difference, as while none of the werewolves fled, the soldiers of the Holy Empire still had the place surrounded and we were captured. That part I do not remember how but from the ache on the back of my head I can assume we were knocked unconscious. I look around as my eyes water to find I am in a cage that has just enough room to allow me to sit but not stand. Outside of the cage I can see a few others, a pair of children that seem to be from the Bloodclaw, another cage with my sister, and a third with a human girl sitting inside. I can¡¯t tell the colors of anything in the dim light but I can hear a conversation. ¡°. . . at we agreed to. Capture a few not sack my pack''s village!¡± ¡°We never discussed how many, besides most will be spent empowering you. You should also be proud, your unwanted members decimated the forces sent against them. Only a few sptopped their total destruction, one of which was not expected. Who is the black draconian?¡± ¡°Draconian? There was no draconian in the village, just a weak human boy.¡± The second voice laughs at the apparent stupidity of the first voice before saying, ¡°I suppose it is my fault for relying on the information you gave on your pack. Still I suppose your reward is in order.¡± Seconds later two men who must have been the two voices enter my sight as I try to look like I am still unconscious. The first is a human in bloodstained robes for the clergy of the Holy One. The other is a very tall burly man with corse black hair. The large man goes and sits between the cages containing children. The young boys cry out in their tongue at the man but he just sits. They must know him, but why then does he not help them? The older man in clergy robes, that keep me from seeing anything but his hands, begins to draw something on the floor. I don¡¯t recognize the ritual he is setting up but I do manage to recognize some of the symbols in the circle, Infernal runes. This kind of magic is banned in every kingdom of this world but I always knew the rulers of the human nations don¡¯t follow their own laws. I don¡¯t watch and close my eyes while trying to ignore the dark magic being performed by a man who is supposed to serve the gods rather than the fiends he must have consorted with to learn what he is now doing. The whispers of words just out of hearing tempt me to listen closer, to hear something I am not supposed to know. To touch the first stage of some Infernal power. The screams of pain before me somehow seem quieter than the whispers but I ignore them. I will not turn to fiends for power. Then as soon as it had begun, it ends. The room sits in silence for a moment before the voice of the false priest enters my ears, ¡°you disappoint me. Not even watching as I show you what will eventually be done to you.¡± He knew I was awake? I open my eyes and see. The children are now dead, desiccated in their cages, the false priest smiling, and the large burly man now at least a head taller but mutated to now show traits a human never could have. Patches of fur and baldness covering the body, an elongated snout and fangs that no longer fit in his mouth. Almost like an oversized diseased werewolf in hybrid form. I glance at the creature that is twice my height and see madness and pain in his eyes. ¡°Do you like what I¡¯ve done to the alpha of the werewolves you were with? He wanted to be the strongest, largest and most powerful in his pack. Would you believe that he originally was slightly below average when I met him? A young boy, half a head shorter than all the other males save the runt, but he had ambition. A thirst to be the male that rules the pack and so he was clever. He sought to become strong and followed a rumor one day after trading meat he hunted for knowledge in the village nearby after learning he had no talent for magic¡± the priest begins to monologue, pausing at this point for a question no one asks. ¡°Yes, indeed. This is where he met me, and I let him in on a secret to great power. And do you know what he did once he knew? He brought the stupidest of his age group into the woods and gave him to me to use to empower him, and did so again during the test to become a hunter. With the collective might of several of his rivals, he was then what he wanted to be but he never consolidated that power. Never purged himself of the remnants of those whose power he stole. I even warned him the first time that this could happen. The corruption of the magic leaving behind all the worst parts of the spirits of the sacrificed. Now what to do with you my ball of madness? Perhaps have you finish off the rest of your pack?¡± There seems to be a spark of something in the creature''s eyes before the priest laughs. ¡°So you are conscious in there, just no longer in control. Good then go and do just that, but bring me your mate and children. I want to see what I can make of them with what is left.¡± The priest then turns to me and smiles, ¡°elven royalty. A cross between two elements and you have a perfect balance between them. Oh, there is so much I could do with you, but alas another has been given the right to your bloodline.¡± I spit at the priest who dodges it with speed and grace an old human should not have. Chapter 046 The largest of the pantheons is known as the Althaen Pantheon, though several of them are worshiped by the beastkin rather than the human Althaen or are considered dark gods. Every member of the pantheon is only ever mentioned by their title and only some of their higher priesthoods have mentioned knowing the personal name of their god. Each member of this pantheon is marked by the naming scheme in their titles of the followed by something that shows either their position or domains.
Adrian
K follows me outside without a moment¡¯s hesitation while Bryan and the short girl are still confused. We find Kylana and Ragnan outside where he was no doubt trying to get his way. As much as I dislike Ragnar, he is needed at a time like this. I need to get him back here or establish K and me as the new alphas. Which can only be done by challenging him or the other contenders if he is dead or banished. ¡°Has Analais returned?¡± I ask only for him to speak up from behind me. ¡°Just got back. The hunters got ambushed but I can¡¯t find any remains so they were captured or the remains were taken by the soldiers¡± he says less than a foot behind me, both startling me and giving the information I would be asking for. ¡°Do you have to do that at such a serious time?¡± Kylana asks. ¡°Yes, I do¡± he answers as if offended that she would ask. I just shake my head a bit before saying, ¡°I know where their camp is and who to get more information out of.¡± ¡°Perfect, now I can. . .¡± Ragnan begins before Kylana pulls on his ear and says, ¡°you¡¯re not in charge.¡± ¡°How well defended is their camp?¡± Analais asks ignoring Ragnan. ¡°They have no defense from the air¡± is all I say with a smile before the others catch on to what I mean. K however says, ¡°you can fly while carrying me, right?¡± I think so, I don¡¯t have a problem carrying her in human form and my draconic form is stronger . . . I nod and say, ¡°yes, but I don¡¯t think I can carry more than just you¡± as I revert to the hybrid form. My voice deepens as I do so. The darkness of the night brightening before my eyes as all that surrounds me becomes smaller. My wings and tail unfurl and I stretch a bit before holding an arm out to K. She takes my hand and I jump into the air, struggling for a bit to gain altitude but I manage to climb upwards and then glide towards the camp. K holds onto me tightly as we leave the sight of the others. I rather enjoy the feeling and should try to do this again later but I can¡¯t keep thinking of how I forgot something in the short few minutes that it takes me to reach the Althaen camp by flight. Just before we pass over the border I ask, ¡°you wouldn¡¯t happen to know a spell to cause lots of damage in an explosion of fiery death?¡± I think K just shakes her head as I do not hear her answer. Unfortunate, but I am going to have to resort on the strange power that is apparently from my family. There has to be a reason why my past double didn¡¯t just rain down fire and various other forms of death on them. He hated them enough to do it, but why didn¡¯t he? Morals? Fear over how his friends would act? A drawback of the magic itself? I can ignore the first two but the possibility of the third would be a problem. Then again nothing did happen when I used it in blind rage earlier. Could that be another mistake that he made? Magic not restricted by the amount of energy available has to have some other sort of restriction. . . Still there is no choice but to rely on this strange power I do not yet understand. My mind shifts, much as it does when I fall into the trance I called battlemind but I push in a different direction, pushing my will onto the world around me as I mirror the actions of the images in my mind on a larger scale. Fire appears from nowhere around me before raining down on the general area of the camp. The screams of people burning to death break out and panic ensues. The flames dim and weaken as the flames reach the ground. As if something is pushing my power back. In the growing chaos I land among a group of tents that should be the command structure unless it has changed in the last few hours. In all the chaos and destruction, we are not immediately noticed, though I doubt that I will be unnoticed for too long. Even if I do return to human form, my tattered clothing and how this is not an area that I am supposed to be in would give me away. K looks around with a smile before asking, ¡°how did you do that?¡± ¡°A magic that isn¡¯t based on mana¡± I answer.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Can I learn it?¡± she asks as I throw a blast of flame at some soldier who I do not recognize and I continue to walk towards the tent where those in charge should be. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, but perhaps I can help you figure out how to do the same with mana.¡± K follows me as I enter into the tent as she draws the blade her mother gave us the morning after the last full moon. Oddly enough the only person who is in the tent is not surprised by our arrival. The old man in the tent just sits there. ¡°So, a draconian from another world is why the attack did not reach my foreseen conclusion. Care to introduce yourself or will I have to waste the mana for it?¡± the old man asks. ¡°Do you not care that burning death is still raining down on your soldiers?¡± I ask to taunt to old man. The old man¡¯s eyes flash with an unnatural light before he says with a smirk, ¡°Called Adrian, by the bindings of the contract kneel before your better.¡± I smirk as I ignore the tingling in my mind that must have been some sort of compulsion that I absorbed with the memories of my past self, or a remnant left over from however long it was that I traveled back in time. I take a step forwards and shift to human, for dramatic effect, as I say ¡°you really have no idea who you pissed off do you? I am Adrian Ravnos, and you pissed off someone that can command the world around you and it obeys.¡± A moment later, a blade of black fire appears in my hand. The air in the room turns stale and the color in the room begins to bleed away around the blade. A blade of compressed death, which is what I so very much want to inflict on this man. As the man panics I finish walking up to him. My blade passes through his right arm, leaving no cut but where the blade passes is desiccated flesh. The old man screams and I ask, ¡°who told you where the village would be?¡± ¡°You think an old man like me is afraid. . .¡± I let the form of the blade of black flame dissipates as I coat the man in its flames. Stopping the moment before his death and inverting them. Forcing the man to return to his prior age, healing him of all the damage I have done, only to repeat my question. I do this a few times before the old man gives into my ridiculous attempt at torture. ¡°Tynar Vithr¨¢, he''s a priest who lives in a hut near the edge of the forest¡± he eventually answers. ¡°And where are the prisoners you managed to capture?¡± ¡°Sent to him. He was to handle the prisoners.¡± ¡°Then you really don¡¯t know anything and were a waste of time¡± I say while forcing his heart to stop. I don¡¯t know exactly why, but it seemed so easy to do this. Like there was nothing that protected him from it; unlike the resistance the flames suffered earlier. Why? The camp¡¯s supernatural protections? I turn back around to K and rather than seeing her looking at me like I am a monster, she is smiling and asks ¡°can I finish him off then?¡± ¡°Sure¡± I answer not wanting to ruin her fun. I don¡¯t bother to watch as she guts him. There won¡¯t even be a shower of blood since his heart has already stopped, and he will die shortly even without her actions. There is no scream or splash of blood from her actions as I do something that I don¡¯t think my past self ever thought of trying, I begin to build and weave a construct of power as I did mana when I first started learning from Kylana. Fire and Death spun and shaped into an oversized malformed capsule not unlike a Magic Missile. I shift back to hybrid form and say, ¡°Kythia, it is about time for us to get going.¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t even get to fight¡± she complains as I smile. I let out a sigh and look at the ball of black flames in my claws. There are too many for the two of us to fight normally, but maybe I can just kill most with this, rather than all? Actually, I have no idea how much damage this thing could do. I spend another few moments to fill it with more death before I throw it up in the air and will the energy to not touch K and me. A wave of darkness that is not the lack of light spreads from the ball of black fire as it breaks and passes over us. Somehow, the strange fire does obey my will and pass over us without touching either of us but everything else dies and rots in seconds as the wave expands outwards over the camp. Then just as K begun to speak the world goes silent, a building tension that I had not noticed snaps within me. I feel myself begin to fall before the world goes dark.
In an empty void I find myself standing, surrounded by multiple creatures. A dragon the size of a house with pitch-black scales that glow a color beyond human perception, two girls identical in every way that look like the me-but-not-me girl each frowning as they glance to each other, and a man who looks just like me in human form save for his hair is the same color as the dragon''s glow and the eyes are like the dragon¡¯s. One of the girls says, ¡°really? A few hours and you go and cause a backlash?¡± ¡°One of the stranger ones too¡± the other girl comments. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I ask and the strange looking almost me answers, ¡°reality backlash. Is this really me with most of my memory erased?¡± ¡°I think he''s done well¡± the dragon comments. ¡°That¡¯s just because his solutions of eating anything draconic he comes across and bedding the girls are the vast majority of you¡± the human mocks the dragon. ¡°Those are the two most important things mage, food and the hoard¡± the dragon comments. I just stand confused, trying to figure out what is going on. Something to do with the magic I used to probably wipe out the Althaen camp but how could this and that be connected? ¡°So how do I get back to. . .¡± I start before the human cuts me off, ¡°the answer is not going to be to tear everyone else apart and eat them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s always worked before¡± I mutter and the dragon laughs. ¡°Can we just do something productive?¡± I ask and the two girls smile. ¡°Sure, go meditate and piece together your memories so you don¡¯t do something too stupid again with the power you hold¡± one of the females say while the other nods ¡°Why are there two of you anyways?¡± ¡°Time travel duplication¡± they say simultaneously. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the two of you combine like the current me and the past me from this timeline?¡± the human asks. ¡°We will when we get around to it. There is ever so much to discuss with each other first though¡± one of them answers before the two of them walk a bit further away from me, the dragon, and the human. I sit down on whatever it is that we have all been standing on. I am not sure why but I do not feel as if any of those here would do anything that is not beneficial to me. That said whatever is going on does not make sense. Chapter 047 The Father is the head of the Althaen Pantheon, his title both what he is to multiple of the other gods in the Althaen Pantheon and how he acts. He portrays himself as the stern but caring father figure. His main domains are Order, Law, Justice and Leadership. He is not however a patron of any of the nations in the civilized world, even though he is one of the most powerful deities in this world. He has few laws outside of how to govern and stewardship but Abyssal and Infernal powers are strictly forbidden. He is one of few Althaen deities that are liked outside of the humans in the Althaen nations.
Me-but-not-me
My host has done perhaps the dumbest thing I have seen him do. Not because of what it is that he did in snuffing out the lives of so many but in how he did it. He didn¡¯t even try to set up the thematics needed to pass it off for the culture of the observers. A little power spent on some flash and awe and this never would have happened. The bigger question is why the only semi-sentient forces of the fabric of reality would do this? Once we are out of earshot of Adrian, the me of this timeline speaks up and says, ¡°so, care to let me in on how you managed to travel through time and get around the paradox. That and what is your plan in all this?¡± ¡°Time travel is easy, just another direction of movement and a near infinite void between the two multiverses. As for how to not suffer the rebound from the paradox, it wasn¡¯t by my power that we came to be here¡± I answer. ¡°Then you are acting on the opportunities that this allows for¡± my double comments with a nod as ¡®she¡¯ no doubt comes to many of the same conclusions that I did during the travel backwards. ¡°How did you manage to get our host to cannibalize himself? How did you manage to get them to meet here in this world?¡± ¡°The loss of memory left the instincts, and the instincts of a void dragon are already cannibalistic. The how doesn¡¯t really matter though does it?¡± ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t and as we fuse I¡¯d have all the information you do.¡± ¡°Everything for completion, to finally be whole¡± we both state before nodding and grasping hands. A moment later the raw essence of my double flows into me as I am the greater between the two of us. With this Adrian might reach the pinnacle of the magic I grant him rather than only being another step. A smile forms on my projection as all the power spent in my scheme is more than just replenished.
Adrian
Once I begin meditating to go through the memories absorbed from my past self, I find myself unable to stop or slow down. I am forced to relive the entire life I had forgotten, from start up to the point where my past self met me. Sure, it was at an accelerated rate but I had to suffer through all the stupid nonsense decisions that I had apparently done in the past. Not only that but there was also how I had to watch every single thing I did, even what I¡¯ve done late at night that should never be brought to the knowledge of my mother. Or my girls for that matter, I¡¯m sure they would never let me hear the end of it. Then just as I think it is finally over, it starts anew. But the memories are different than the ones before it, as if they had been sitting around in my mind for a while rather than less than a day. Memories of things that could not have happened with how I was pulled into Althr¨¢ rather than the Althaen invading. Those memories never reach an end, they come to a grinding halt suddenly as that me was going to fight my kin but I can¡¯t remember how that fight ended. . . The entire time, I watch, think and observe. So many of my actions and morals make no sense to my current mindset, yet they also resonate with something in the back of my mind that makes me somewhat disgusted with some of the actions that I have taken since I have woken up in the village. At least the morals do not have anything against me bedding K this time. I also come to understand what I did wrong with my Ravnos Magic. I didn¡¯t mask it by making it seem like normal magic or prevent them from noticing it as something beyond what they would normally consider within the bounds of what is real. When I finally open my eyes the woman that is the embodiment of my Ravnos magic is nowhere in sight but both the dragon and human are still there. ¡°Figure it out yet?¡± the human asks. ¡°You never were what you presented yourself to be¡± I answer. ¡°We are and also are not¡± the dragon says. ¡°So, who are the two of you and what is it that you want?¡± I ask ignoring the cryptic bullshit. ¡°Reality has a will and we are embodiments of it, we''re just borrowing some parts of your psyche for this.¡± ¡°And we have a deal to offer you¡± the human says. ¡°Which is?¡± I ask skeptically. ¡°We would rather not our world be consumed and destroyed by demons.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to go and fight off the hordes of the Abyss for you.¡± ¡°Who said anything about fighting off the endless hordes?¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just smite them and be done with it?¡± ¡°Everyone and everything has rules by which they are governed. Just as those like us enforce the rules you have to keep, there are those that enforce rules upon us.¡± ¡°Who could dictate to reality what the rules are?¡± ¡°Several things but that isn¡¯t important. Rather than erase you, we gave you time to process what you lost. In return we want you to destroy the growing connection to the Abyss.¡± ¡°Anything else? It seems like a bad idea to do something when there is no reward for finishing it as you have already been paid in full.¡± The dragon laughs before saying, ¡°yes, especially one that you were paid before agreeing to do the work. There is also how there could be another reward in order when it is finished. Perhaps information or directions to your home plane?¡± I frown, I certainly want to return back to Earth. All the luxuries of technology that are nonexistent in this world, I want them. However, I do not want to leave behind what I do like of this world. Most of my girls would cause problems if they just walked down the street. Which would cause an issue if they arrived on Earth through Ravnos Magic. I¡¯ll need a solution to that, but I have so much to do in Althr¨¢ first. I need my elven twins back. Then there is how I still haven¡¯t finished destroying those who attacked the Bloodclaw. . . ¡°I won¡¯t be doing it anytime soon¡± I state and the human nods. The dragon however says, ¡°that is not a problem nor was it expected. Only that you close the rifts before you leave this world.¡± ¡°Why do you want this so much?¡± ¡°Simple, the plane does not want to be eaten by the Abyss.¡± ¡°I want to know just what I¡¯ll be paid.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± I pause for a moment to think before answering, ¡°I want information on how to do a partial planar conjunction through mana, and how to selectively teleport a large number of people across the gap between planes.¡± ¡°And what would you be doing with that knowledge?¡± ¡°Returning to my home and bringing those I care with me.¡± ¡°Our counterparts on your home plane won¡¯t like that.¡± ¡°So? If it is done through mana I can¡¯t be punished for it.¡± The dragon laughs and then the two of them nod.
My eyes open and I find myself in a dead waste as far as the eye can see, wood that would crumble at the slightest touch and bones in much the same condition. The only thing that breaks from this is K as she is checking me for any injuries. The air stinks of rot and death, but I barely notice it as I focus on my K. ¡°Sorry, I did something stupid but I¡¯ll be alright¡± I manage to say even though my body is sore. I feel her lift me up into a hug, the worry on her face falling to relief. My tail wraps around her as I hold her for a moment before the two of us get up. ¡°Remind me never to do something so stupid again.¡± ¡°Why? What happened to you?¡± ¡°I broke a rule I didn¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°What rule?¡± ¡°What I did, did not seem possible to the observers.¡± K doesn¡¯t seem to quite understand what I said but she doesn¡¯t need to understand. That and with a more detailed explanation she probably would. I glance at the sky and see it is the afternoon. ¡°How long was I out?¡± I ask as it was still dark when I collapsed. ¡°Most of a day. Are you sure you are alright?¡± ¡°Yes, besides we need to get back to the others. I need to have a talk with both you and Ria.¡± ¡°Is it going to include why you were eying the elves?¡± she asks seemingly innocent. ¡°Perhaps more than one talk then.¡± K nods but next moment, she pulls my head down to her level and says ¡°what is going on in your head. Tell me, why has your scent shifting so often?¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯ll explain what has been going on with me as we walk back.¡± ¡°Good now can you go back to looking like you normally do since we aren¡¯t going to fly back?¡± I nod and return to human form while ignoring how K eyes my physical form. Rather than bring up the subject and tease her I say, ¡°I am very quickly recovering my memories.¡± ¡°There has to be more to it than that.¡± ¡°Some but not all of it makes sense, remembering events that are impossible to occur now. I have conflicting memories of how one of my friends died. Memories of a people invading my world to get away from the demons that are invading this one.¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± I smile, and say ¡°knowledge of the future is a bad idea, but I can. . .¡± ¡°You were sleeping with those two elves weren¡¯t you, and that fox?¡± ¡°Well yes, but you were first and also were the one that brought them to our bed.¡± She somehow seems pleased by that sentence, even if she was also confused. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the reason why you are so interested in the elves too? Even after one of them treated you so poorly?¡± ¡°Yes, but to be honest Talia was a bitch to me for a bit before accepting me. She is overly protective of her sister and had trust issues.¡± ¡°Then why. . .¡± ¡°They were very affectionate after accepting me. That and they are both very beautiful, but enough on that. How about I tell you about something other than the other women that I was with.¡± ¡°But what could possibly be more interesting or important?¡± I roll my eyes before tossing her a can of soda from Void Cache. To which she caught with a smile before accepting it as a bribe saying, ¡°fine, tell me the other things about them then.¡± ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re not going to let the topic go, are you?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll start with Ria since I know more about the current her than I do of Lysan and Talia. She is a two tailed kitsune that specializes in Divination and some. . ." ¡°What?¡± ¡°A type of magic used for detection and acquiring answers. Both times I¡¯ve met her she was a slave, this time before she was fully broken. I don¡¯t know what her two tails are exactly but I am fairly certain they are fire and time; the last time it was fire and light while the third tail was space.¡± ¡°How¡¯d she get her third tail?¡± ¡°Uh, well. . .¡± ¡°Makes sense.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You got an advancement in your racial class when you claimed me right?¡± I nod and she continues, ¡°Did you think that was only one way?¡± ¡°I never thought about it.¡± ¡°Well so long as the male is of a compatible race that isn¡¯t weaker and haven¡¯t fully matured, we get a smaller amount every time. . .¡± I feel conflicted for a moment, I like how it incentivizes her to let me enjoy her more but also how my mother would call it degrading to women causes a disgust to form from the morals she instilled in me. Chapter 048 The Mother is one of the minor gods in the Althaen pantheon, even though she is the wife of the head of the pantheon and mother of several of the gods that have more power than her. She is known to be the reason why the Father is more forgiving of the young than he would otherwise be. She rarely has temples dedicated to just her but often has shrines in the temples of her children and her husband¡¯s temples always have a shrine to her. Her primary domains are Mercy, Motherhood, Family, and Life.
Adrian
¡°Anyways, she is overly attached to me from all she has seen of me in due to her magic while they tried to break her¡± I say to break away from the subject. ¡°Does she have any combat potential?¡± ¡°Some illusions and she does have foxfire. But she is better at finding things and avoiding battles than helping win them.¡± K frowns at that. She prefers straight up combat to subterfuge and I don¡¯t think that will change anytime soon. ¡°And the elves?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what they currently can do but the Talia I knew was a good swordswoman and knew how to use magic to augment it. Lysan practiced both Arcane and Divine magic and could do things you nor Ria knew how to. She is also far shyer than her sister and just wanted to follow me around.¡± ¡°You like Lysan more than her sister, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It¡¯d be wrong for me to play favorites¡± I say to evade the question. The last thing I need is them fighting with each other over who gets the most affection. ¡°Are the strange drinks from your world?¡± ¡°Yes, and that is. . .¡± I begin and continue on to describe other foods, drinks, and entertainment that I can now remember for the rest of our walk back to the others.
Bryan
I¡¯ve gotten used to Adrian running off to take care of stuff but something is bothering me about how he acted and like always my patron has been quiet aside from his advice that this is the best possible outcome. At the moment I am sitting in the front room of the shoddy hut that my friend apparently built. None of the werewolves have done anything to Abagail or me aside from the teenage male giving us dirty looks. The only answer I¡¯ve gotten out of them is that I¡¯m Adrian¡¯s prisoner so he¡¯ll decide what to do with me. I haven¡¯t seen Ria since the crazy girl my friend is apparently sleeping with dragged her into a back room but I never heard a struggle back there so I can only assume she is still there. I don¡¯t know why but one of the two adult women also keep me from that room. The werewolves talk amongst themselves and aside from confirming that the teen male has some anger problems I haven¡¯t understood anything that they have said. So all I have really done is sit and wait for my friend to return. The werewolves haven¡¯t even given us any food, but they also have not eaten at all in the time that I¡¯ve been here. While I can handle the hunger well enough, Abagail has not been as good of a sport over it and has asked and been ignored multiple times. Eventually though the door to the outside world opens for someone other than the few lycanthropes that still live in this place. Adrian walks in and Abagail immediately speaks up, ¡°could you tell these people that we are in fact allowed to eat?¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten? Why didn¡¯t you just eat from the supplies I packed¡± he says and before Abagail retorts I say, ¡°Ria has them and we haven¡¯t seen here since that werewolf girl took her to another room.¡± His face goes blank for a moment, before he asks, ¡°has she been there the entire time I was gone?¡± ¡°Yes¡± I answer and Adrian immediately becomes concerned. He really has come to care for Ria in the last month. A case of soda and several bags of chips and a box of cookies appears in his hands. He places them on the table and all I can do is stare at the junk food from our home. ¡°How?¡± is all I can say and think as the pile of food grows.
Adrian
¡°Dragon magic¡± is all I say as Bryan and Abagail begin to eat. I can¡¯t do this all the time, I have a lot of food sitting in Void Cache but most of it is not so ready to eat. This sort of luxury unlike all the flour, fruit and vegetables aren¡¯t something I can restock in this world. Still, they deserve to enjoy something for the first time since arriving in this world. As I turn to the only room that I bothered to separate from the rest of the hut I compare my current friend to the one right before I must have traveled back in time. I think he is far more proficient with divine magic than before, though the me I ate was far too busy trying to get a way out of the Althaen¡¯s custody to have all the information that I need for a full comparison. Swordplay might be about the same but his skill in the arcane is far lower and he lacks combat experience. Should I get him to perform that shadow lichdom again? I should have paid more attention to the circle he made. At least this time I should be able to help correct the mistakes that must have been made. I look over to Kylana, and say ¡°the nearby remnants of those that attacked us are dead.¡± ¡°What of those that went missing?¡± ¡°There was no sign of them¡± Kythia answers for me and I nod before adding, ¡°the leader of the Althaen said that they were sent to a different location, one on the edge of the woods near Daerth.¡± ¡°When will you be ready to head out again¡± Analais asks. ¡°Tomorrow, do you have any new information?¡± He probably did more scouting while I was out. ¡°All I found is where Ragnar and the other hunters got ambushed. Some were killed but others including Ragnar appear to have been captured¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t track them?¡± I ask. ¡°If they didn¡¯t end up using a short-range teleportation maybe, but as you know I am terrible with magic.¡± I nod, that is probably one of the few ways to get away from him. At least I know the rough location of where they were most likely sent to. Now how did my past self not end up overhearing any information on them teleporting prisoners? K follows me into the back room. There on the only piece of furniture that I did pull out of Void Cache is Ria who looks back at me. Immediately her tails begin to wag as she pushes the remnants of food she ate while she waited off of the bed. ¡°Can I be let go now?¡± she asks. ¡°Was it even necessary that you tie her up?¡± I ask. ¡°Of course, it was¡± K answers as I walk over to the kitsune. The rope that still holds her in place is actually easily disposed of and I can see that Ria aside from eating did not even try to escape in the half a day that she has been sitting here. ¡°Kythia, come and sit. We all have some things to talk about.¡± K nods and does as I ask though she does give Ria a dirty look as she does so. She does not like Ria. This was a problem last time; how did it get resolved then? K just started getting along with her after beating a spine into Ria. . .Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Can I get the same thing to happen again? Probably not, Ria doesn¡¯t have quite the same personality this time around. . . ¡°You seem slightly different, and when did you learn this language?¡± Ria asks. ¡°So, you don¡¯t see everything with your divination. The short of it is that I¡¯ve somehow managed to travel backwards in time¡± I answer. ¡°Then are you the one I¡¯ve been foreseeing or was it the other you?¡± ¡°The answer to that is yes. You have probably been seeing both. My past self for the events prior to now and me for anything that happened after this point in time.¡± Ria looks at me skeptically before saying, ¡°time travel cost too much energy to be done and your magic would kill you if you used it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember the how of it and I am sure I am not the one responsible for it.¡± ¡°What happened to your past self, and do you have any proof you are who you say?¡± Ria almost growls out. ¡°Absorption, I think that is the best way to word it. That is all that happened to me so I can¡¯t be the one responsible for the magic that sent me back here. As for proof if I wasn¡¯t me do you think that Kythia would let me do this?¡± As soon as I finish the question I pull K to me and kiss her before slipping my hand under her shirt and squeeze a breast. K not only acts submissively to my sudden advance but also smirks at the kitsune and snuggles closer to me. Ria stares at me for a moment as if thinking, considering if there is any chance that my K would allow anyone to do this but me as I simply enjoy the soft firmness of her upper torso. A moment later, Ria jumps at me and gives me a kiss while her tails wag faster and faster as I return her advances. Then K has to ruin the feeling of enjoying both of them simultaneously by growling and pushing Ria off of me. I suppose that it is too soon for me to have both of them at the same time. I flip K and me over so that she is prone and whisper in her ear, ¡°no, Ria is going to be your den sister. You can help her become a stronger woman but you can¡¯t deny her the privileges of that position.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not in charge of domestic. . .¡± I bite her ear and manage to mumble, ¡°I¡¯m the dominant one between us.¡± After a moment she nods and I let her go, and lick the back of her ear. ¡°I¡¯m still in charge of domestic affairs¡± K says with a voice that I¡¯ve not heard from her but is one I can tell is to go well if I don¡¯t give in to her demand. ¡°Of course, but there are a few things that I won¡¯t allow; you can¡¯t deny your den sister¡¯s their rights and privileges I give them. You get a say before they become your den sister but once they are you must treat them as such.¡± ¡°You¡¯re definitely Adrian but you¡¯re different too¡± Ria says while pressing herself against me while hugging me. ¡°I¡¯m different in a good way. Now do you have any questions?¡± I ask as K softens the growl she begins to let out before catching herself. ¡°When are you going to go save the elven girls?¡± ¡°Tomorrow morning, tonight I plan on doing what you¡¯ve been begging for me to do for a month.¡± K¡¯s growling grows louder and I know she is not happy though calms as I give her a kiss and return my hand to where it was before. Ria however does not pay any attention to K¡¯s growl as her tails wag faster. ¡°Really? Why didn¡¯t you earlier?¡± Ria asks. ¡°Self-doubt, guilt, some morals, a lack of confidence, the list goes on. But I got over those long before I ended up getting thrown back in time. So, now I¡¯m more than willing to take you for a ride if that is what you want.¡± Ria¡¯s tails wag faster as she smiles and asks, ¡°Kythia, do you want to share our mate tonight?¡± K doesn¡¯t immediately respond but I can see how she does not want to and whisper in her ear, ¡°you don¡¯t have to, you can have your own time with me all to yourself. Also, since it is her first time I think she should get my full attention.¡± She doesn¡¯t seem like she would handle being there as I do this. It probably is a mistake to do this now but Ria has been aching to let me have her every day for weeks and I think she deserves it as much as my K does. ¡°No, I think I¡¯ll get everything ready for tomorrow¡± she half whispers. I can tell she doesn¡¯t like this but has accepted it. I¡¯ll make it up to her later, but for now. . . I pull out a second case of soda, and pass it to her along with one of Dam? R¨¢meri¡¯s books that are on simpler subjects. This one should be on the draining of life, or was it animation? ¡°Here, Kythia, you may have to ask Kylana for help with the language but I think you¡¯ll enjoy it.¡± She stares at the book for a moment before asking excitedly, ¡°is that a book from the Blood Elf?¡± I nod, that is one of the titles that he called himself in them. As soon as I do so she smiles and gives me a very affectionate kiss before running off to read the book, not even remembering the case of soda that I pulled out for her. I wonder if she¡¯s developed the thirst for knowledge that lead her to love me the first time for a moment before turning my attention to my other canine companion. SC As soon as our eyes meet I see the loving devotion that I can remember waking up to every morning for weeks. My arms slide around her waist as I pull her to me and kiss her. She is softer in my arms than K, shapelier and if I¡¯m not mistaken her breasts are bigger, but that may just be that she is shorter than my K. As my hands begin to explore her curved body, her own slip under my shirt. Her light touch passing over the muscle definition that I gained in my training here. She stops for a moment as I begin to pull her shirt off and tosses it aside, her bosom bouncing slightly as she aids me in doing so. I immediately begin to touch her bare chest, committing every detail to memory as I give her twin peaks all the attention they so deserve. I trail kisses down the neck of my kitsune as she let¡¯s out a light moan as we descend to the bed. As my mouth reaches the current focus of my attention, I latch onto her hardened nipple and nibble on it drawing more noise from her. I suck on her breast while playing with the nipple for nearly a minute before doing the same to it¡¯s twin. The whole time Ria hold my head to her chest even as she rubs her thighs together beneath me. I separate myself from her, much to her displeasure until she sees me remove and toss my shirt aside, her eyes scan over my body before fixating on the bulge in my jeans. I slide my hands down her sides before slipping them into her pants. My right hand goes between he legs to find that she is already wet and more than willing to continue. My left runs along the base of her tails as I get a feel of her rear. Ria let¡¯s out a begging whimper as I withdraw my hands. I unbutton and then drop my pants and underwear before reaching to strip her of the rest of her clothes. A moment later I look at my very naked lover to be as she spreads her legs invitingly, her tails thumping against the mattress. I trail kisses along her inner thigh until I reach my goal. For a second I think of trying out her taste but the throbbing pulse of my desire urges me to move past the foreplay, and she is more than wet enough. I slide the rest of the way up to look at Ria as I prepare to finally give her what she has been aching for. Her folds part with little resistance as my tip enters. Ria''s tail stop thumping as I slowly advance, both to allow her to get used to me and for me to enjoy the softness of her body. I pause for a moment when I reach the barrier that is her maidenhead before I pull back and slam into it, breaking it and hilting myself within her. I give Ria another kiss and caress what I think is the nerve cluster for her tails to distract from the pain even as her nails claw into my back. I try to stay still, but can¡¯t help but make small movements with my hips. She¡¯s tight but not the same way as my K. Smoother and with less resistance, one that let¡¯s me enjoy myself rather than milking me for my seed. I like both and really want to show Ria how much I like hers right now. . . Soon enough but agonizingly long for me, Ria becomes used to my girth and pulls on me as she whispers, ¡°you can start moving.¡± I smile and enjoy how I can feel her voice vibrate my length a bit, just as her own breath forces her flesh to shift around me a bit. I run my hand over Ria¡¯s cheek before making my first real thrust into her, a gentle soft thrust to get started and I am soon rewarded with Ria matching my rhythm as I hammer my shape into her with a slowly increasing tempo. The thump of her tails and the creek of the bedspring sound like a drumroll to the inevitable conclusion of our actions. I can feel her tightening around me, just as I get closer and closer to dyeing her forever my color. As our need of release grows so to does our grip on each other¡¯s bodies, both of us trying to get as much of me inside of her as we can, ignoring the fact I¡¯m as deep inside her as possible as our tempo increases faster and faster. I strive to last as long as I possibly can, to get my lover to cry out my name in coital bliss as I bring her over the edge first but I get the feeling that she is doing the same, though I know not why. Just before I can hold back no more I feel her begin to flutter around my manhood, she screams out my name while arcing he back lifting me upwards for a fraction of a second before I cease to hold back. I bite down on her left shoulder, and groan as I begin to dump everything I have into her. The taste of iron fills my mouth and my vision dims. A second passes, and then another as my entire being is devoted to pumping my lover full of my seed. I take a breath and detach myself from Ria¡¯s bleeding shoulder to see my newest mate smiling when my orgasm ends. A moment later I find myself in a kiss, it last only a moment as both of us are already out of breath but to second our lips touch, a sensation forms in the back of my mind. A link that I can only assume is between Ria and me. I can feel joy and happiness from her as well as a sensation of completeness before a phantom tingling on my tailbone and a warm tingling spreading from my belly. No, not from my body, Ria¡¯s body. Her body begins to glow slightly as I both watch and feel a third tail grow. With its arrival is a growth spurt as over a few seconds she grows a few more inches in height as well as her waist and bust. All the while I am still sheathed within her, feeling of her body making movements that aren¡¯t normally possible. I quickly find myself hard again and begin thrusting to both of our pleasure but this round lacks any sort of endurance and I soon let out another albeit smaller flood into Ria. A moment later, both of us collapse on the bed content to bask in our afterglow. At least for a bit as both of us focus on the newly formed bond. I can feel her emotions and to a lesser extent my own touch as I run my hands down her body. A short few minutes pass before Ria rolls over and while trailing a finger across my chest asks, ¡°can I have thirds?¡± I let how my manhood quickly begins to poke against the trail of white fluid slowly running down her inner thigh speak for itself . . . Chapter 049 The Holy One is one of the least loved gods outside of the nation that he acts as patron for. He is a human supremacist and as such has very few non-human worshipers. Those that do follow him however are often zealous in their faith as he nurtures that trait in his churches. His main domains are Purity and Light, though many not of his faith disagree with his versions of these principles.
Adrian
When I wake I find myself using Ria as a pillow though she seems to have enjoyed it. I can tell she¡¯s awake from the bond formed last night but humor her for a few minutes before ''waking'' her with a kiss. I wouldn¡¯t mind spending all day in bed but there is too much to do. Besides that, I am a young man, I can lounge around with my harem when I¡¯m older; I should be focusing on getting a nicer place to do that in and building wealth. I sit up and smell the morning air in my piece of shit drafty hut before stretching and getting dressed in some fresh clothes, using a few applications of a cantrip to clean up. Definitely one of the most needed applications of magic in the modern world. ¡°Why¡¯d you have to use magic to clean up. I wanted to watch you shower¡± Ria complains. ¡°I''ll remember that for mornings that are slower. Here, this should help you learn English like you wanted.¡± I say before pulling out one of several handwritten dictionaries and pronunciation guides in Void Cache. ¡°I don¡¯t speak Elvish.¡± ¡°Yes, but Kythia has a similar book for learning Elvish.¡± ¡°Can''t you teach me?¡± ¡°I will but when I¡¯m not available the book will be¡± I answer her as I help her up off of the bed, healing her a bit for the soreness from hours ago as I do so. I touch the bed and store it in Void Cache as I do not know if we are going to come back here and I am not leaving it behind. So long as I am in this world it is practically irreplaceable. I then pause for a moment to watch Ria get dressed, not just for my own enjoyment though. I don¡¯t mind if Kythia sees her but there is a good chance that Analais and Bryan are waiting for me in the main room. I open the door to find that my guess was mostly right, Kythia, Bryan and Abagail are there waiting. All of them also seem tired. Did Ria and me keep them up? I thought we were fairly quiet, quieter than K and me get and no one ever seemed to mind the noise before. I guess it doesn¡¯t make too much of a difference if they are fatigued. I didn¡¯t plan on counting on them when a fight breaks out, not yet anyways. They aren¡¯t combat ready. Bryan¡¯s close but he doesn¡¯t have the mindset he did from the timeline of the better me. Should I send him through a bloodbath of people he knew? Bending light and having Ria cover tactile sensations could do it. No, I¡¯m not sure he¡¯d believe it and it isn¡¯t ethical to do it for real. I could just let K, Kylana and Analais beat him into shape like they helped me. They can be scarier than most anything we might encounter. . . ¡°Good morning¡± K says to me but she still seems slightly upset to I run over and hug her and say ¡°I missed you.¡± ¡°No you didn¡¯t, you were too busy with the fox.¡± That is very much true but I¡¯ll never admit it, to her, and it is not what she wants to hear. ¡°Kythia, of course he missed you¡± Ria states as she turns it into a group hug. Which bails me out because now K has forgotten the current topic in favor of pushing Ria off the two of us. I glance over to Bryan and Abagail to see Abagail giving me a glare. She¡¯s pissed I¡¯m being immoral. Bryan however just seems tired, and a bit jealous. K begins to growl at Ria and for a moment I think about just watching the two of them fight out their differences as K wouldn¡¯t maim or kill Ria and I don¡¯t think Ria could cause any lasting damage. ¡°Kythia, Ria now isn¡¯t a time to fight each other¡± I say and Ria immediately moves to stand on the other side of me, separating herself from K, who only growls at her for another second. That worked better than I thought it would. I knew Ria would obey with a smile but not K. Must be something she sees as on the male side of authority. . . ¡°Are you done with harem shenanigans?¡± Bryan asks. ¡°I think so¡± I answer only to notice Ria stick her tongue out at K as my back is turned. Which, like K, I choose to ignore at the moment. ¡°Care to fill us in on what is going on now?¡± ¡°Long version or summary?¡± ¡°Summary, you don¡¯t have enough time to tell them everything¡± K interjects. I nod, there is a lot to do but most of it is travel time so I can give them more details during that. ¡°As you already know, I am from the future though that timeline is very different from this one. So even if I did tell you spoilers they¡¯d likely be wrong. I am not the one who performed whatever it was that threw me through time but there were side effects. I¡¯ve recovered from most of them but there are still some holes in my memory. I¡¯ve been living with Pack Bloodclaw and was adopted into it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a werewolf now?¡± Bryan interrupts and K frowns. She really wants me to be but . . .This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°No, I can¡¯t catch lycanthropy. Not even as a carrier. You probably shouldn¡¯t bring that up again. Anyways, so I¡¯m an adult member of this community and Kythia and me are their equivalent of married.¡± ¡°Then why did you just cheat on her with Ria?¡± Abagail asks and I have to physically catch K as she started to lunge at her. I should have had this conversation in English. ¡°Kythia you can punish her later but she doesn¡¯t know better right now¡± I say to K to which she does nod and stop her would be mauling. I don¡¯t let go though I¡¯m sure if she wanted bad enough to, she could get out of my grasp. ¡°Why are you attacking me? He''s the one. . .¡± Abagail starts before her voice goes silent and I feel a smirk from my bond with Ria. Again, she deserves to be proud of her actions. I should learn how she does that, a Concealed Silence or is it a Quickened? Definitely beyond my scope of magic at the moment. ¡°Abagail, that is not the subject we are talking about. If you really want to get into the morals and legality of my relationships, it will have to be later. In each of their cultures and societies, I am the equivalent of their husband. Now, moving on to current events, yesterday Kythia and me destroyed the Althaen camp where almost all the soldiers were and today along with the rest of those still alive among the Bloodclaw we are going to go and deal with the remnants. After this I¡¯m going to try and get both of you some help in becoming actually combat ready.¡± Bryan laughs, ¡°Adrian, I¡¯m a better fighter than you.¡± I just smirk and ask, ¡°Kythia, how long until the others want to leave?¡± ¡°An hour? Mother is trying to decide if she is going to ask you to store her library or risk Shadow Cache Storage. While everyone else is still caring for the dead¡± she answers. ¡°You can tell Kylana my storage method is more stable. So Bryan we¡¯ve most of an hour. How about a spar?¡± Should I feel guilty over what I¡¯m about to do? I feel guilt but it doesn¡¯t make sense. Whatever, this isn¡¯t wrong. I stand up and motion everyone to follow me outside. I don¡¯t see anyone in the immediate vicinity but that isn¡¯t too important as I turn to Bryan and ask, ¡°armed or unarmed?¡± ¡°Unarmed, I don¡¯t want to accidently kill you¡± he answers. I could probably win without it but I fall into my Battlemind, which I now remember is only a slight alteration to Spatial Aim. I am doing this to make a point after all. Sure, he is better than the foot soldier fodder the Althaen want him to be but he is not ready for anyone of true skill. I¡¯m not either, but I can cheat. I matrix dodge the first punch for the hell of it before catching and breaking his arm when I catch the second punch. I didn¡¯t mean to but K''s bones are much harder than his and he should have broke the hold. Shit, well at least I can undo it. ¡°Sorry, give me a second¡± I say as I warp reality and force his body to repair itself in an instant as I pull it straight letting the muscles align the bones. That didn¡¯t stop Abagail from rushing over and fussing over the arm. She really does like him. ¡°What? How?¡± Bryan asks. ¡°My understanding of some aspects of my magic are better than you¡¯ve seen earlier. That and I have more raw power than before.¡± ¡°But it didn¡¯t even take a second, and it was broken bone. Do you know how hard that is to magically heal without even setting it?¡± ¡°Yes I do, and I actually did set it as it healed. That¡¯s why I pulled on it. Still, sorry I didn¡¯t mean to.¡± ¡°You should have broke Adrian¡¯s hold earlier, he was expecting you to so he could use its threat to force you into a pin¡± K interrupts. ¡°How is that even right?¡± Bryan begins before K cuts him off. ¡°If you don¡¯t get it, you¡¯re lacking experience.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be mean about it¡± Abagail says but I don¡¯t pay full attention to her. She''s Bryan¡¯s and even if I did want her, her morals would complicate everything to much. That and in both sets of memories, she hasn¡¯t had much combat potential. ¡°No, it proves the point and that means they care. That they don¡¯t want me to die¡± Bryan says as he realizes the why. He knew he wasn¡¯t the strongest and that he couldn¡¯t take on an army himself. He would have been right about my physical powers save for a few small details, training with Kythia, cheating with Ravnos Magic and most importantly I¡¯m a dragon. I smile and withdraw a few books from Void Cache and hand them to Bryan as I say, ¡°they¡¯re on combat magic and the descriptions are garbage but the top book is on mana control. You should be able to figure it out from there.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t read these¡± he says after looking over the books. ¡°They¡¯re in Elvish. I gave Ria an English to Elvish dictionary and grammar guide so she can help you as you help her with English.¡± I then turn to K and continue, ¡°Kythia can I ask you a favor?¡± ¡°What?¡± she answers. ¡°Can you help Ria learn Elvish when I¡¯m not available?¡± ¡°I can barely read Elvish, let alone speak or teach it.¡± ¡°Please? We all need to learn each others¡¯ languages rather than using Althaen as a common tongue.¡± ¡°You know we could all just purchase them from the Architect.¡± ¡°That would not be as ingrained and there are far better ways to use the rewards.¡± She nods, acquiescing to the request though I¡¯m sure Ria and her will fight during it. I wonder if I should try to twist that in a way to get them to try to out perform each other. Healthy competition, but what should the reward be? Alone time would be the most effective but no. Aside from morally I just don¡¯t feel right about that, maybe if I didn¡¯t actually love them I would do that. Food? Lessons on the ideas I taught them before? If only I could have started actually consciously using mana before the time travel. ¡°Are you already packed up?¡± Analais asks as he walks up, I can see Kylana being helped by Alana to carry several large sacks full of provisions, books, and other necessities. ¡°Well there was only one item I needed to bring that wasn¡¯t already in my storage magic¡± I answer. ¡°Good, because I doubt the pack will return to this place.¡± ¡°Oh mate of my daughter, care to help your den mother?¡± Kylana says in her ever-teasing fashion. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever given her much of a rise but as always K does, even if it is to simply move a little behind me in a pitiful attempt to avoid further teasing from her mother. Though for once it did work as I go ahead and distract her, ¡°so Alana, have you started you plans for your next hut yet?¡± Alana of course is more than happy to begin talking about how there are so many minor things about the layout if the hut that need to change, including the mostly perverse reasons why. I don¡¯t pay attention to it but she knew what I was trying to do and is more than happy for the excuse to brag about Analais to her friend. I should probably make sure Abagail never learns this particular language. Even now the two of them have no qualms about what they are saying. I¡¯m not even sure they¡¯d care if Bryan and Abagail could understand them. Chapter 050 The Architect is the only deity that is universally revered by the civilized races of Althr¨¢. While his only true temple is in the valley of Shael, he has a shrine in every single settlement of the civilized races. He is most known for the system he created and runs to aid those that accept his existence. He is the only god that has been accepted to be ¡°respected¡± or revered by all of the other religions among the civilized races of Althr¨¢. His dogma is simply to do whatever it is that you do well. His main domains are Strategy and Foresight.
Adrian
Having successfully distracted Kylana from embarrassing K, I take the bags and set them in Void Cache, separate from the various piles of stuff in there. Once I finish the last of the half dozen bags I ask Analais, ¡°do you know where the priest''s cabin should be?¡± He nods and I continue, ¡°then please lead the way. We''ll make better time that way.¡± Analais smiles as he once more nods. Ragnan for once is silent but he does glare at me. Something must have happened last night to him. Still, this is an improvement and I don¡¯t want to be bothered by his usual actions. As we walk rather than half waste the time I begin the language lessons that we so need. While it is true that we could use the Althaen language as a common tongue for our group and that it is good at not confounding communication with double meanings, I don¡¯t like the language. A byproduct of how I dislike the people, or is it peoples, that share the language''s name but aside from that almost everyone speaks it in this world and that means anyone can listen in on our conversations. Less people know Elvish or English so I¡¯d rather us use those. There is of course also the many dialects of Lycanthrip, but I don¡¯t know if Bryan and Abagail can learn it. Even though it is simpler than many other tongues, many different words are identical and I sort of just instinctually know what the other speaker means. Sure, just afflicting them with Lycanthropy would teach it to them but that would have other complications. . . Bryan would probably be okay but I don¡¯t think Abagail''s body would survive it. So that leaves the options of English and Elvish to fill the role of a common tongue without letting just anyone listen in on us. Aside from that I also spend some time thinking about what I should get Kylana, Alana and Analais for the return gifts I still owe them. I should have figured something out by now but K is rather distracting and we never had permission to leave the village. I technically should also get Ragnor a gift but he didn¡¯t get me one and he''s an ass. Roughly an hour or maybe two before we are supposed to arrive at our destination, a huge creature enters our sight from the treeline. The thing is half again the size of a large horse and is hideous, if not for the lack of stitching I would have thought the patches of bald skin and fur sewn together. It also has those veiny dehydrated roided out bodybuilder muscles that are literally pulsing and moving with every beat of his heart. The wind shifts and I frown, something smells familiar about this creature but I can¡¯t quite place it. Abagail screams only just noticing the monstrosity as Kylana growls, ¡°what have you done?¡± I glance at K to see a shocked faced, as if she can¡¯t believe what she is seeing. I¡¯m definitely missing something and it looks like all the werewolves do recognize whatever and whoever this is. The creature manages to get three words out somewhat garbled his misshapen form, sorry, betrayal, and mistake. Then Something shifts in the light of it¡¯s eyes before it begins to growl at our group. I don¡¯t know what this thing is but I know it will easily tear us apart in melee.
Kythia
I couldn¡¯t give my full attention to my mate going over the basics of the elven tongue as my mind keeps wandering back to how he pinned and growled into my ear last night. How he asserted his dominance over me, forcing me to accept the fox whore''s place in our den. I was mad at the time, but it also makes me so proud that he can make me submit to his will. The legends of the Ravnos echo through my mind as I glance at my mate as he like all those here, save my mother, are ignoring the shifts in my scent that thinking of him brings. Then we all go silent as a large creature walks out of the tree line and into the path that we are on. What walks into our view is clearly a werewolf in hybrid form, yet it is not anywhere near the moon to permit such a thing. Even without that it is clear that he is diseased and corrupted.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The wind shifts and I catch his scent as my mother says, ¡°what have you done?¡± It is the scent of my father, but wrong. He never had a good one but it was never like this. Even now with only a sliver of the moon to power her, sister growls in the back of my mind. I don¡¯t catch what this creature says as sister growls of ¡°pack eater, betrayer¡± and another word I don¡¯t quite understand. My mate shifts his stance to be ready to intercept if he attacks me and blocks the way towards the fox. Neither he nor us attack as we stare each other down, the creature that was once my father struggling with the madness that fills the light of his eyes. I wish it were not so, that he was gone rather than trapped in what he now is. That way I would not feel as I do and could fight rather than suffer the two conflicting pulls on my heart. ¡°You have betrayed the pack, turned on and slaughtered kin and become an Anathema. You are no longer of the pack and no longer my mate¡± my mother growls out in her own emotional turmoil. I glace around to see Alana and Analais glare at what was once my father, Ragnan muttering something to himself, and my mate¡¯s two friends stand confused. The fox oddly enough seems to be ready to act but I don¡¯t know if I can bring myself to fight my father. All I can remember are the lessons that he taught me. All of the good that he has done for me as a father. . . I know that I should but I just can¡¯t bare my fangs at him. Instead I give into Moonlight Runner¡¯s fury, push her to the forefront and give her control even though the moon doesn¡¯t give her the needed power and I have to give it to her but I barely feel that pain.
Moonlight Runner
The moment that sister somehow pushes me forward, I feel far stronger than I should be. Not as strong as I normally am under the full moon but strong enough to control our body as sister shoves me to the front. I stumble for an instant, not ready to take sister¡¯s place as she mentally cries over the event that roused me from my slumber and the conflicting emotions. She shouldn¡¯t have done this, turning on such a moon as today is unnatural and wrong. The Anathema that stands before me losses itself to it¡¯s madness and charges in that moment of weakness between sister¡¯s control and my own. He is however blocked by both my mate and mother though a ball of greenish flames that no doubt is from the fox. I growl and can feel our body begin to change into a hybrid shape albeit at a slow pace as sister¡¯s strength trickles into me. My mate shifts into his own hybrid form chanting words that don¡¯t seem to form a complete spell yet fire coats his claws as the sink into the flesh of the target of my rage. Mother steps back, slicing into the back of her right hand and in a magic she never showed sister, the running blood erupts into dark scarlet flames along the blade of her bone sword. The Anathema¡¯s flesh regrows under the attacks from my mate but the cuts from my mother¡¯s blade stay. I circle the creature waiting for an opening along with Alana and Analais. I hear the bones of my mate break as he is launched back by a heavy blow, his wings breaking against the tree that stops him. I charge in, not noticing how the Anathema seems not quite as large as before, just like everyone else. My claws sink into his flesh as mother frowns. I rip out a chunk of flesh, the thought of eating it for power flashes through my mind as blood splatters over my form. To grow stronger and draw the strength I need from something other than sister. I toss the meat aside, refusing to become like the thing that hurt sister so. It must die for that alone atop its sins. A blast of black flames wash over the creature, yet it begins to recover as soon as the flames run out on whatever power it is that my mate used to create them. His attacks seem unable to overcome the resistance and regeneration of the Anathema but he does pull the attention of the beast as he deals more pain than my claws or mother¡¯s blade as he continues to perfectly time his movements to keep from being hit or take the least possible damage. As the battle continues, sister¡¯s presence dims as my anger grows and the blood of my enemy turns my fur red. My mate continues to burn the creature while the attacks of my mother and me deal lasting damage. Every so often my bones shift and pop to accommodate my slow transformation. Not once do those outside of us three interrupt and intrude of the fight, save for the greenish flames of the fox whenever she finds an opening. My mate suffers many injuries, all of which he heals a moment after they are inflicted. Time passes and wounds accumulate on the Anathema before he finally falls and I rip out his throat, blood running down my jaw as I spit out the chunk of meat and growl at the corpse. I rip another piece out of the corpse, growling. This thing needs to be reduced to nothing. Mother does not sheath her blade but looks at me with a sadness I¡¯ve never seen in her eyes. She takes a step forward and I shift to defend myself before my mate tackles me to the ground. I let him pin me as he says something to mother, my focus turning to him rather than the blood and gore that surrounds us. ¡°Moonlight Runner, it¡¯s over. Calm down. You¡¯re harming Kythia the longer you¡¯re out¡± my mate whispers in my ear and I stop. I turn to feel my soul sister to find her hurt and weak in addition to her emotional turmoil. Every ounce of power I used I had to tear from her. I was about to be a thing similar to what I despised so. A wolf who overtook and consumes their human sibling. I whimper and look to my mate for what to do, how to fix what I¡¯ve done. At first, he doesn¡¯t just rubs his hands over my back as he returns to his human shape. He says something to my mother that stops her in her tracks before whispering in my ear, ¡°you have to feed Kythia pieces of yourself until she recovers. Slowly and steadily, to not hurt her more.¡± Chapter 051 The Black Wolf is considered to be one of the dark deities and is illegal to worship in many countries. He is however followed by some extent by most demihumans. He has two main ideas in his dogma, familial ties and doing what is necessary. While not an evil god he has done many evil deeds to push back even worse evils. He has several ¡®dark¡¯ domains in addition to Lycanthropy and Family.
Adrian
After whatever that thing was finally ceases to recover and falls K in her frenzied shifted state begins to tear into the corpse not eating any of it but to destroy it. Kylana is the saddest voice I have ever heard from her says, ¡°I am sorry my daughter¡± as she steps towards Kythia while a tear falls from her face. I tackle the wolf-woman form of my K knocking her away from the corpse of a monster and blocking Kylana as she is about to do something to my K. As I pin K I see her eyes, how the light within them is different. They¡¯re more primal, and don¡¯t seem as bright as they normal do as she struggles against my pin. Moonlight Runner is in control, but it¡¯s just past the new moon. She shouldn¡¯t be, she couldn¡¯t have the power to shift even if K put her in charge. . . ¡°Kythia is not lost¡± I say to Kylana but there is only a look of sadness on her face as she struggles with herself. ¡°Adrian, her wolf consumed her. . .¡± Analais begins before I cut him off. ¡°No, she¡¯s still in there and she¡¯s mine. I won¡¯t let you take her from me!¡± I growl at them before holding onto my K. ¡°Moonlight Runner, it¡¯s over calm down. You¡¯re harming Kythia the longer you¡¯re out¡± I whisper into the ear of my lover. As soon as I do so she ceases to struggle and growl, she looks at me vacantly for a second before whimpering and somehow, I know what it is she wants. My hands run over her coat as I revert to human form, to hold my K more intimately than I can comfortably do in draconian form before I begin telling her what Kythia once told me in the other timeline. ¡°You have to feed Kythia pieces of yourself until she recovers. Slowly and steadily, to not hurt her more.¡± I tell her, hoping that it is the same as my memory. Moonlight Runner lowers her head and closes her eyes to focus on doing what I said. I turn to Kylana who has yet to dismiss her Bloodfire and sheath her sword and say, ¡°back off.¡± ¡°She gave herself over to the wolf and became a beast¡± Kylana says fighting back her tears and she is no doubt hardening her heart. ¡°Adrian, one''s wolf goes mad without their counterpart¡± Analais says. ¡°So what? She gave herself to her wolf and now her wolf is giving itself back to her. I won¡¯t let you interfere¡± I state as Ria growls at the four werewolves that surround us. ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that. . .¡± Alana begins only to stop when K''s form begins to slowly shrink and revert to human form. I quickly pull out a blanket from Void Cache and cover my lover in it. ¡°Why?¡± I hear K mumble. I don¡¯t say anything and just hold her. She needs me right now, but there is still so much to do. So much that has to be done but none of it matters to me at the moment. ¡°Why did it have to be him?¡± K mumbles into my chest. I run through a list of all the people that thing could have been, who could have made K this upset? I¡¯m the only male I¡¯ve ever seen her show any friendship with. . . No wonder she never mentioned her father in the other timeline. There¡¯s nothing I can say or do for her, I don¡¯t know any way I can fix what has happened. All I can do is hold my K and be there for her. ¡°Kythia?¡± Kylana asks tentatively. K looks at her mother, and while the light within her eyes seems wild and changed it is definitely K who is there. As soon as the two make eye contact, Kylana drops her sword and hugs her daughter as she says, ¡°it¡¯s okay we¡¯re here for you.¡± The two exchange no further words but aside from holding my hand to know I am here she just cries between the two of us. I glance around to see, Alana and Analais acting as sentries, Bryan and Abagail confused, and Ragnan staring at his father¡¯s corpse in anger and shame. I half expected him to spout off about how he is now alpha. After a moment tears begin to fall from his eyes and I whisper to Kylana, ¡°I¡¯m here for my mate, but your son also needs someone right now.¡± ¡°Will you be okay?¡± Kylana asks K and is answered by a nod before she breaks away and goes towards her son. The two hug again, and I turn my attention back to K. ¡°Is she alright?¡± I hear Abagail say as she begins to approach, at least before Ria cuts her off.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Stay back, she doesn¡¯t like you¡± Ria says to Abagail. ¡°What¡¯s going on then? What was that creature?¡± Ria does not answer and instead starts repeating, ¡°I know something you don¡¯t¡± to her over and over. Trying to find some fun in what she can. I find myself smiling as she enjoys her time doing something other than focusing on me. ¡°Can you please let us know what is going on?¡± Bryan asks as Abagail is quickly becoming annoyed. ¡°That¡¯s no fun.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be acting like that, this is a serious situation!¡± Abagail all but yells at Ria, which she considers entertaining. ¡°All the more reason for some fun. Why else would Alana have been telling Kylana lewd jokes since this morning?¡± ¡°What? But . . .¡± Abagail starts but I don¡¯t bother to listen to her whole stammering. ¡°But if you must know. . .¡± Ria begins before waiting a moment and then continuing, ¡°they were about Bryan.¡± Bryan just groans as Abagail gets more riled up; Ria grinning with an enjoyment that is not perfectly matched by the emotions over our bond. My K looks out from my grasp to see what is going on and why she can hear almost everyone else bust up laughing; all at Abagail¡¯s expense. She smirks and mutters, ¡°maybe the fox isn¡¯t so bad.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry you¡¯ll be back to hating her soon enough¡± I whisper while taking a pair of clothes from Void Cache. Kythia dresses quickly, and the spectacle of Abagail¡¯s humiliation manages to keep everyone¡¯s eyes off her long enough for her to finish. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you fell for that. Why would she use Bryan as a source for such jokes?¡± Ria laughs as she points at Abagail. ¡°What? You mean?¡± Abagail stammers. ¡°I was messing with you¡± Ria says before running over to me with a smile. ¡°So, what is going on?¡± Bryan asks. ¡°Family troubles and politics¡± I answer, not a real answer to her question but I don¡¯t want to bring up the actual answer. A moment later, Kylana asks me ¡°can you care for the corpse?¡± ¡°Burial or. . .?¡± I begin before she interrupts, ¡°you must reduce the shame on the pack to ash.¡± I nod, as a tear forms in K¡¯s eyes. She does not however say anything, or even look at the corpse of what used to be her father. I am not sure I should be the one to do this as it seems to be something that the person in charge should be doing but I¡¯m not going to bring up at the moment. I know that with Ragnar dead that a new pair of alphas will have to take his and Kylana¡¯s place though I do not know when that is to happen. I take a few steps towards the bloody mess that was once Ragnar and snap my fingers as I press my will on reality. A flame appears in the palm of my hand as I open it and speak words to make a show for the other members of the pack. ¡°Burn and be reduced to ash, that your shame be erased¡± I state as if it were a command before blowing into the flames. A torrent of fire follows my will, along the path of my breath to the corpse. The flames begin to dance over the ground as I guide them to each and every drop of blood before converging on the corpse itself. I smile at how much easier it is for me to control fire like this rather than through mana. An acrid smoke begins to fill the clearing as the fumes of a burning corpse rise. If I only knew how to manipulate the air as well as flames this would be far more pleasant. Still, I do not let up on my focus; making sure to scorch it all to ash. I maintain it until the smoke ceases to rise from the flames, only then do I let the flames follow their natural course of running out of fuel. When the flames finally disperse there is nothing but glowing shards of bone and stone on the blackened earth. None of the members of Pack Bloodclaw speak as they remain silent for a moment. This is however broken by Abagail once more asking a question. ¡°Will someone please let us know what is going on?¡± she asks making sure not to look at Ria. I half expected Ria to continue messing with her but she stays quiet as she walks over to mirror how K stands near me. No one says anything for a moment before Kylana speaks, ¡°it is not for those outside of the pack to know. Any danger there was to you has passed, but do not bring this subject up again.¡± The glare added to the end of her two sentences keeps Abagail silent but I am sure that she does not like anyone here but Bryan at the moment. I wonder if I should act as the good party leader and smooth this over with her later. I probably won¡¯t ever get around to that though, too many far more enjoyable things can be done with my spare time. Bryan places a hand on her shoulder and shakes his head as she begins to speak once more. For a moment the two of them just look at each other before Abagail asks him, ¡°why are you still supporting him so much?¡± in a whisper. ¡°He is still Adrian, whoever and whatever he becomes does not change that. . .¡± Bryan begins to answer before he is cut off. ¡°Did you not see him turn into that reptilian monster?¡± Abagail asks before I cut in. ¡°Draconic monster if you must call me a monster. I am a dragon not some stupid lizard. And I do still speak English.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± ¡°Dragons have intelligence, wings, magical powers and far more powerful bodies. Lizards have none of that¡± I say more than a little upset. ¡°Dragons do not exist on Earth, so you can¡¯t be one because you¡¯re from Earth.¡± ¡°The hell I¡¯m not a dragon. Something don¡¯t have to be known to exist. You¡¯ve already seen more than enough proof that I am." "You haven''t proven anything." "You''ve seen me shapeshift, I''ve given you my word. Do you deny that as enough?" I continue on, not giving her time to respond saying, "will you also deny that magic and mana are real? If you claim that what you¡¯ve seen isn¡¯t enough then anything of lesser evidence would also be denied. If I¡¯m not a dragon, then you¡¯re not sensitive to mana. We aren¡¯t on a world other than Earth. The Earth is flat. Small obscure countries don¡¯t actually exist. And most importantly for you, your God is nothing more than a lie.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. None of that has anything to do with your delusions.¡± ¡°Because you claim the proof you¡¯ve seen is not enough? I am a dragon and your denial of that fact changes nothing. You might as well deny the existence of magic and demand reality put you back on Earth. Fact is fact regardless of your opinion or acceptance; or anyone else for that matter.¡± Abagail frowns and almost glares at me for a moment before accepting that I¡¯m a dragon; or maybe that there is no way for her to convince me otherwise. She then shifts to one of her other problems with my life choices as she says, ¡°you still shouldn¡¯t be acting like this. Where are your morals? How could. . .¡± ¡°Abagail, I have not broken a single one of the morals my mother taught me in my relationships with Kythia and Ria,¡± at least in this timeline. . . though I leave the last part unsaid. ¡°Polygamy is illegal and immoral!¡± ¡°I have broken no laws and everyone involved is willing.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± ¡°Then ask them¡± I say with a smirk. Chapter 052 The Lady of Roses is a minor goddess that is in some areas only followed by cults rather than a fully recognized religion. She is known to be a fickle goddess who sides with beauty and art regardless of the source. She is most known for being worshiped in fertility cults, hedonistic practices, and that she refuses to call for the destruction of beautiful fiends.
Adrian
I just hold my smirk as Abagail turns to K and Ria and says, ¡°tell me you don¡¯t really want to both be with him.¡± Stating it somewhere between fact and demand. ¡°This is what you¡¯re arguing with my mate about? That has nothing to do with you and you have no say in who is in our den¡± Kythia growls at Abagail. She may not like Ria but Abagail has managed to get herself a lower approval rating. ¡°Yeah, stay out of our business¡± Ria starts before K cuts her off saying, ¡°I can handle this fox whore.¡± A mix between a frown and a chuckle appears on my face as I am upset at K insulting my Ria but also how funny it is that she already defends her from Abagail. I glance around to find that no one noticed my small action. In fact, everyone seems to be making sure to not get involved. ¡°You should not have to put up. . .¡± Abagail begins before Ria cuts her off, ¡°it is not our fault your so insecure about holding onto you desired mate¡¯s attention you have to push that insecurity on others.¡± Abagail just stammers for a few seconds before K picks up where Ria left off, ¡°is it because your desired mate hasn¡¯t picked. . .¡± I nudge Bryan and begin to walk away. With a slightly guilty look, he follows me out of earshot before commenting, ¡°I didn¡¯t think they would be so mean.¡± ¡°If there is one thing to upset both of them enough to set aside their dislike of each other it is an attack on me¡± I answer the not really a question. ¡°If they don¡¯t like each other why did they agree to share you then?¡± With a smile I answer, ¡°they like me far more than they dislike each other. Besides Ria knew it would almost certainly come to pass before she even met me and most societies in this world see it as a good thing to do.¡± ¡°Seems weird to me. Why would . . .¡± Bryan begins before stopping and turning to watch Abagail run off crying into the woods. I glance over to my two mates to see them smiling at what they no doubt caused. I wonder, what it is that they said to push her even further? It¡¯s probably better if I don¡¯t know. Bryan sighs before walking after Abagail asking, ¡°please stay in this area while I calm her down.¡± I nod and walk over to my girls. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to push her that far¡± I say low enough that the others nearby should not catch enough to understand. ¡°She needs to learn her place and stop dictating morals as if she were our god. Besides it¡¯s a domestic issue, so you don¡¯t need to worry about it¡± K says in response. I don¡¯t say anything in response and simply nod. K smiles at my apparent approval to her handling wherever this end up going while Ria just happily watches me. A moment later, Kylana speaks up and says, ¡°as the two not of the pack are currently gone, we need to decide on new alphas.¡± ¡°You¡¯re counting Ria as a member?¡± I ask surprised as they seem to be trying to ignore her as much as possible. ¡°If only because she is my den sister¡± K answers with a frown. ¡°Ragnar is no longer alpha and I have no mate. A new pair must serve¡± Kylana begins as she looks to me and Analais. I glance at the older male, barely noticing that K and Alana are looking at each other. ¡°You and Kythia has more raw power than us¡± Analais says and I nod slightly. ¡°But the two of you have far more experience and skill. Which is more important for leadership¡± I say surprising K. ¡°I don¡¯t have the strength to take on challengers and Alana . . .¡± Analais begins before Alana cuts him off. ¡°Kylana, my friend of many years. I offer you a place in my den, to share the warmth and protection of my mate¡± Alana says interrupting and everyone turns to her. ¡°Alana this. . .¡± Analais begins stammering a bit before Kylana says, ¡°Alana now isn¡¯t the time. . .¡± ¡°No, this is what would be best for the pack. Kythia is not ready to take you place nor is Adrian to take the place your mate once held¡± Alana says cutting both of them off. ¡°Mother, she is right. You are still stronger than me and . . .¡± K begins before looking at me to finish. She does not want to say that I am too weak or inadequate in any way. ¡°. . . I have much to learn both of the pack and this world before I would be ready to lead the pack¡± I finish for her. Analais glances at Kylana before looking away, like he is unsure what to say. I look over to Ragnan to see him clenching his fists and biting his tongue. He wants to take his father¡¯s place but he has no mate and so cannot take the position.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I . . . I accept. If you mate and our wolves agree it shall be so¡± Kylana says after a moment. An instant later Alana pulls Kylana into a hug and whispers in her ear, causing a blush to appear on her face. I don¡¯t catch what was said but as Analais smiles in pride I can make a good guess on the subject. A moment later Analais speaks saying, ¡°are there any pairs willing to challenge our leadership?¡± I do not answer and look at Ragnan. He clearly wants to, but bites his tongue to keep from saying anything. He clearly does not want this to happen but his only other choice is me as he himself has no mate to serve aside him. An effect of him casting aside the females he did win after they were willing to be mine after his failed challenge over K. I don¡¯t blame him at all for refusing them; I would have done the same. They did not want him, only his power. Does that make them this world¡¯s version of a gold digger? No this kind of person exists on Terra too, I don¡¯t remember the name of that trait though. Ria brushes up against me and whispers ¡°should I go and bring back you friend and his mate-to-be?¡± ¡°Give them a few minutes, but yes¡± I answer her. ¡°We should continue as soon as possible. It is unlikely that our actions are unknown¡± Analais says after I do. I nod to Ria, and she walks off towards Bryan and Abagail. ¡°We can continue so long as we keep a pace they could catch up to¡± I say. ¡°Won¡¯t they have trouble finding us? None of them are trackers¡± Ragnan says almost like he was mocking me. Rather than explain how I just ask, ¡°how much do you know about a kitsune''s mate bond?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the how and just accept she can then¡± I retort. K looks at me slightly concerned but I just smile at her for a few seconds, wondering if I can create a similar bond with her. Hmm, linked neurons or . . .
Ria
I walk away from the werewolves and my one-who-makes-my-tails-wag smiling as they continue onwards towards where the two elves should be. I whisper a few words of power as my mana flows to my cupped hands for the spell I now need. As the last word of power leaves my lips the ball of green fire takes the form of a small fox and jumps out of my hands and begins prancing around as if to get me to chase it. I glance over to the departing lycanthropes and smirk at my den sister as she glances back to me. She bares her teeth while our mate is looking the other way. ¡°The competition is back on¡± I mouth to her, unsure if she can even read lips let along from the growing distance, before I turn and follow after the foxfire kit that is the nexus of my Seeking spell. I follow my spell''s directions for several minutes before I reach the friend of my beloved and his mate to be. I hear them nearly a minute before I come into actual sight of them and cut the trickle of mana that sustains my Seeking spell. I hear Abagail¡¯s voice first, though I do not understand their native tongue and can only walk into their sight. Once I do so Abagail goes silent and glares at me. Did I go too far in tricking her? It wasn¡¯t even much of a trick. Or is it what the werewolf and I said to her that was too far? ¡°Ria, this is not a good time¡± Bryan says to me but I don¡¯t immediately respond. Instead I walk over and sit next to one of the many nearby trees and then say, ¡°Adrian and the werewolves are continuing toward their destination. When you¡¯re ready to go back I¡¯ll lead you to them.¡± ¡°Well you can just leave, I¡¯m not going back¡± Abagail says and I glance to Bryan. He shakes his head, and I turn back to the Terran female and say, ¡°you¡¯ll die out here without help.¡± ¡°So, I should just go back and let you and that wolf thing insult and demean me?¡± Rather than answer that question I pause for a moment and then ask, ¡°would you defend your relationship with Bryan if I said it was wrong?¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t anything wrong or immoral with my relationship . . .¡± A burst of mana stifles the air and the sound of her voice dies out before it reaches me. The only drawback to this version of Silence is that she cannot hear anything until the spell ends and so I wait a moment for her to realize that she cannot speak before saying, ¡°that is the same thing that both me and the werewolf think of our relations with Adrian.¡± as I end the spell. ¡°But it is wrong. . .¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It is illegal and goes against the teachings of. . .¡± I don¡¯t let her finish and cut her off once more with the help of magic. I get glared at but she is no threat to me. ¡°The laws are different here. The cultures are different here. You can¡¯t just superimpose your ideals and expect everyone to abide by them. Also, as far as the teachings of your own god, ask Adrian about them.¡± Abagail glares at me for a moment before saying, ¡°I still don¡¯t understand how you could be willing to share him.¡± I smile and my tails wag slightly faster as I say, ¡°because I love him far more than I dislike the werewolf and it makes him happy.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯ll just let him sleep around because he likes it?¡± ¡°That is not what I said at all¡± I growl. ¡°But that¡¯s what . . .¡± ¡°No, what is going on is not anything like that. I share him because it is better to do so. Do you how hard it is to find someone like him? Someone who is both powerful and treats his women well?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean. . .¡± ¡°You think that this world is kind to women? Do you think that the powerful would not simply take what they want in this world? None of them care about your morals or ideals. Do you know what kind of slave Adrian saved me from being?¡± ¡°No¡± Abagail answers, upset that I keep cutting her off. ¡°A sex slave, I was going to be forced to breed for someone¡¯s pleasure and to produce as many children as they could get out of me.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that illegal?¡± ¡°No, it is even encouraged in some places. Being with Adrian is better than anything else I could have hoped for as a slave and even if how we met changed I would still want to be his.¡± ¡°None of that is a reason for me to go back.¡± ¡°No but it does show your morality tantrum deserved what the werewolf and me said to you.¡± ¡°Just because you didn¡¯t like what I said doesn¡¯t validate what you said.¡± ¡°No? Then how about the law about the nobility being allowed to claim any unclaimed commoner as their property? Or had you forgotten about it when you were trying to get Adrian to cast one of us away? Being his means I don¡¯t have to worry about just any random noble making me a slave again. Or should I go and be some noble''s sex toy because you don¡¯t like the idea of women consensually sharing a boy?¡± I say with a bit of venom in the last question. ¡°No¡± she mutters, barely audible. I don¡¯t say anything else and jusst nod, she still does not accept her view as wrong but this is enough. I turn leave and smirk as both she and Bryan begin to follow me. Chapter 053 The Shadow is considered one of the dark gods in the Althaen Pantheon, mostly due to his domains and one particular tenant of his religion. He is the god of death, thieves, darkness and lies. His clergy often foretells of disasters as they go about their duties of preparing and caring for the dead as well as aiding the dying through the transition of death. He does not teach all about the non-death aspects of his religion though most rogues do worship him for the darkness to conceal their actions. He considers everyone and everything to be supplicants to him as they will eventually die, even other gods.
Adrian
As Ria does not return quickly and feels annoyed, I can only assume that she is having to talk to Abagail and Bryan into coming back. I should consider that they have not reached us by the time that the fairly large hut comes into view as a good thing as it will keep them out of the fight that is sure to happen here soon. The hut itself looks like it could house several people, being larger than almost all of those that were in the village of Bloodclaw, and better put together than all but the building that housed the shrines to the Architect and the Black Wolf. I don¡¯t notice any form of defense around the building as we slow down and fan out; silently working to surround the building without even communicating to each other that it needed to be done. For a moment I worry about setting off an Alarm spell or any number of Wards that must surround this place but I don¡¯t know how to disarm or circumvent them. As none of my lycanthropic allies pause in their advance, I likewise continue my approach assuming that one of them will have dealt with it if it is a problem. I don¡¯t even know the detection spells to find that kind of magic. Nothing stops us as we reach the only door and open it. Analais is the one to do so but we all quickly follow in after him as he motions us to enter after him. Once through the doorway I see little to show that this building is anything but a hunter¡¯s lodge. Only the smell of ink and blood coming up through the floor boards breaks the theme and even that is faint and only perceivable to those with sharpened senses. That and the distinct lack of windows. I let out a series of pulses into the fabric of reality, listening for the echoes a few specific things: life force, negative energy, fire, and iron. Immediately confirming my guess that there is a basement and that we will find what we are looking for there. Three cages,two occupied and one empty are under my feet and the room down there is lit by candles but I did not feel any hinges or nails in shape of stairs or even a ladder down to the basement. There is only a single mass of life force outside of a cagebut that mass seems strange, as if it were mixed with something else that I don¡¯t know how to check for. ¡°We should find a way down into a basement¡± I say and Analais nods and we begin to search for a trap door. A moment later, before any of us manage to find anything, a flash of light erupts from the floor boards blinding memfor a fraction of a second. When I regain my vision a light golden light surrounds everyone, freezing our movements in that instant. I can feel the light acting as if it were a physical bond holding me in place and frown. I try to move and feel the light give a little either due to my strength or the resistance to it I have as a dragon. It feels like I could break free if I put my full effort in doing just that and while this does keep me from speaking or making the gestures needed for mana magic, Ravnos Magic is not blocked. In the south-eastern corner of the room a trap door opens up revealing stone steps that an old looking man in loose white and gold robes walks up into the room. The way he holds himself betraying none of the fragility that someone his age should have before he smiles in an almost sneer. ¡°Oh wonderful, you all made it here on your own. It seems that Ragnar is missing though. A pity, but that only means that you all are even better materials. Perhaps not the runt, but that affliction is worth some experimentation. But one of you is not a lycanthrope, a draconian whose element I do not recognize. Or might you be a dragon that took human form? No, neither quite fit the growth spurt you underwent. . .¡± the strange priest begins to rant as he seeming inspects us speaking his thoughts aloud as I wait for a good enough opening. For him to get close enough that I can physical strike him as I break his spell. I am sure that I can already lash out with my magic but both is better than just one. It is not long before the old looking man is within my arms'' reach as he reaches into the golden light that binds me to move my mouth so he can examine my teeth. In that very moment I throw all of the power I can into breaking the golden glow that holds me and the priest smirks for the just over a second it takes me to overcome the spell. Unfortunately, my claws do not rend his face but only manage to draw blood from a cheek as he dodges the moment that he realized his spell would not hold me. There is no fear in his eyes and voice, only increased interest as he says ¡°excellent, high magic resistance. Likely generationally close to a true dragon or one himself¡± with a smirk.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. With a gesture he casts a wordless spell, blasting me with a ray of reddish light. One I also failing to dodge at our near point-blank range. That does not however stop my own power from lashing out at him as I had intended in a bolt of lightning. A wave of fatigue and physical weakness washes over my body at the same moment my lightning discharges into the torso of the strange priest. I slump slightly and frown at how most of my attack dissipated against a likely enchanted chain shirt after lighting the man''s robes on fire. Through the few seconds of flame comes the voice of the priest saying, ¡°mana-less elemental manipulation? But there are no dragons dark enough to pass off as black possessing the lightning element. A half breed of some sort, yet you seem to have all of the signs of having exceptionally strong dragon blood.¡± I frown, that should have done a lot more to the man but as the flames and smoke of his ignited clothes clear I see why. The man is not human, or at least not anymore. Aside from what was visible before, being his hands and face, there are patches of scales and discolored skin and surgical scars. None of them natural parts of whatever this thing now is. The strange priest then lunges forward at a speed impossible for the old man that he previously appeared to be, slamming a fist into my scale covered belly. The air within me is forced out and the pain of a rapidly forming bruise spreads from under the man¡¯s knuckles, followed by a tingle that should not be there. I knee the priest in the crotch, betting that regardless of whatever has been done to the man that it will still hurt. I feel my hit land and then give a bit more with a popping sound but the man does not react in the least. A warmth that can only be one of two things flows over my knee, telling me that I was right but wrong on how much it would affect this man. As the man grabs onto my neck with a strength that cannot be anything but supernatural. I grab his hand putting all of my strength into breaking his grip by his thumb as I glare down at the man. Why doesn¡¯t he react at all to pain? He doesn¡¯t seem to care at all about physical damage. I need something else but what? Something lethal or maybe crippling by a means other than pain. As soon as I get a bit of a break in his choking attempt I perform a tail sweep sending both of us to the ground but it does help me in getting out of the hold. I roll and shift to human, needing smaller hands for what I try next as I will a single small firearm from Void Cache. At least it is small compared to the non-hand guns floating in the space of Void Cache. The revolver or more importantly the bullets within are soon on their way into the chest of my foe assisted as I use Spatial Aim to hit what I want. The first few bullets slam into a shell of glowing motes of light; some sort of ward against ranged missiles. As the fourth bullet slams into it however it begins to dim. The fifth and sixth however break the shell and do manage to put nice large holes into the torso of the man. Yet even now he does not seem to be in any pain as his red-black blood falls to the ground. There is only a smile on his lips as he begins to regenerate. The bits blown away by the sheer concussive force returning to the main body. . . Why does this seems so similar to the fiends I¡¯ve run into before? Is that why he hasn¡¯t been feeling any pain? No, what I did with my bare hands stayed. . . I begin to smirk as the likely demon man says, ¡°terran weapons, good potential but lacking in a few very important ways. But that means you are most likely a called. . .¡± I cut him off by trying one of my breath weapons, hoping that I have redeveloped it. Mana floods into my lungs just before I exhale, a blast a gravity which was not the one I was going for but one I can work with. It will restrain him for a few seconds. Enchanted weapons, that¡¯s what I need. That or to reinforce my attacks on the fabric of reality, I''m not sure I can replicate that at the moment. . . I am not sure if anything in Void Cache will work either . . . I glance around, and end up focusing on the sword Kylana uses. The bone blade has got to be magical. Free her or borrow the blade? I don''t know the needed counter or how to create an antimagic effect. I''ll have to take the blade. I pull the sword to me via Translocation Grasp. I know Kylana will get upset over this but she is immobile and I need a weapon. A moment later the blade is in my hands though it feels off, wrong in my hands. I then step into the gravitational field just as it dissipates, lunging as I put the blade into his torso. There is resistance, far more than I had expected but the wound does not begin to close or otherwise heal in seconds as with the bullets. I twist the blade before taking a step back and attack again, slashing across at the man¡¯s head, yet there is nothing but a smile on his face as he does not defend himself. He just keeps smiling as if none of my attack have done anything to him as he says something in a tongue I don¡¯t understand before he falls to the ground and ceases to move. I stab the apparent corpse a few times to make sure it is dead and can¡¯t fight anymore with a bit of dismemberment before turning to those that are still immobile. Somehow, Kylana has managed to glare at me and I can see her right hand making small gestures in the small amount of room she gained from me removing her sword. A few seconds later the golden glow around her shatters. I immediately hold her blade out for her to grab and let her take it from me without resisting. Only once she has it in hand does she growls, ¡°do not ever take my sword from me again.¡± All I manage to do is nod, as for the first time she actually tried to intimidate me. Her gaze letting me know that she can and might just end me if I do that again. After a few seconds, she ends her glare and walks over to Analais before she begins to chant in the oddly impossible to understand ways of magic. I can tell she is using Lycanthrip, but not what she is saying. Iwalk over and decend down the stone steps,to search the basement while dressing myself anew through the clothes inVoid Cache. Chapter 054 The Crying God is considered one of the most demanding gods in the dogma that his followers are to uphold, having many commandments and morals. Unlike many of the other gods that are so demanding of their followers, he is still well received in almost every local due to his open offering of succor for those in need. Almost every miracle cast through his servants has been to either heal or protect someone other than the caster. One of the most puzzling parts of the magical he grants is that his clergy are incapable of cast a spell that benefits themselves directly and have to rely on each other for their powerful defensive and healing magics. That and the many vows of self-sacrifice that have turned many of his clergy into powerhouses of divine magic. He does however call a much larger percentage of his followers to be part of his clergy than other gods do, trying to have multiple priests and acolytes in every local that he has any followers.
Adrian
Aside from the visibly decomposing corpse; there are three cages against the far wall, a table that judging by the straps and bloodstains is either a sacrificial altar or for whatever experiments he ran, another smaller table covered with various knives, and a bookshelf with half a dozen books and several scrolls on it. One of the three cages has a dead body not much different from those that are shackled to the wall. Another has the two elven twins I personally came her to rescue and the last has a young teenage girl in it who is covered in bloodstains and is just staring out into space vacantly at the moment. She must have been here awhile. . . Something about her seems to draw my eye, calling to me. My mouth begins to water as I can¡¯t stop staring, confused as to why I feel a gnawing hunger. Only a moment or two later does that train of thought end as I hear the voice of one of the elven twins say, ¡°werewolf man who speaks elven, please free us.¡± I shake my head and walk over to the cage that hold the twins, unsure just how I should treat them. They¡¯re going to be different than I remember. They¡¯ve already shown themselves to be in the little interaction that I did get before they ran off yesterday. That doesn¡¯t stop me from thinking about my Lysan and Talia when I see them though. The locks on the cage are easily opened by taking some of the internal components out through Translocation Grasp and not even a minute later I am opening the door to their cage. ¡°When you ask for help, it¡¯s a good idea to stay with the people that were going to help you¡± I can¡¯t help but say, mostly to upset Talia. I am rewarded with a bashful Lysan looking at the ground as Talia glares at me and puts a little more of herself between Lysan and me. I smile as at least that part of them is still the same. In fact Lysan seems shyer than before and I¡¯m not sure if Talia still has that trust problem or if it is pride that caused her to act as she did yesterday. Should I mess with them or hurry up and get what is needed from here so the pack can move on? ¡°Also while I am part of pack Bloodclaw, I¡¯m not a werewolf and my name is Adrian¡± I say as I turn to the scarcely filled bookshelf and skim through the titles on the books. None particularly catch my eye as I already have them in Void Cache and they are entry level transmutation. Not something I¡¯ve read through since getting the prerequisite knowledge on mana but nothing that would skip to the top of my reading list. That is except for one book, Erg?nzendeUmwandlung und Genetik,I flip through a few pages in the middle to see rituals taken apart and notes about replacing some sections. That explains what the priest had done to himself, at least partially. Though why such advanced work is inGerman is another question. I add the books to my Void Cache, before doing the same to the scrolls as I skim through a few of them. They seem to be letters, though are in some sort of cypher. I doubt I¡¯ll ever get anything out of them but as I¡¯ve a seemingly endless extradimensional space to store things in they follow the books into Void Cache. I make another quick visual sweep of the room but find nothing of particular value or quality, then walk up to the caged girl. I examine her, trying to ignore the strange calling feeling I feel from her. My mouth waters and I feel the need to devour her in a very different way than I do Kythia or more recently Ria. I want to break the metal box that holds her and rip her apart, to slurp up the blood that would spill as I feast on her flesh and taste the marrow in her bones. I hold myself still for a moment, trying to keep myself from doing just that as I realize why I must be feeling this desire. The girl is draconic, more so than a wyvern or ice drake. For several seconds the desire to feast and my morals against killing and eating people watching in my mind. How I shouldn¡¯t just kill and eat people but that is basically what I had gone to do when I went to hunt that white dragon. Dragons are fully sentient beings just like humans so why not each this girl like I am all too willing to do to a dragon? I keep calling myself a dragon so haven¡¯t I already been a cannibal? No, I shouldn¡¯t. But it¡¯ll taste so good and I need the strength. . . My inner conflict ends as the girl who I am staring at asks, ¡°is the priest dead?¡± ¡°Yes, can I . . .¡± I start before she cuts me off. ¡°What¡¯s your element, draconian?¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Void . . .¡± I answer before starting to say I¡¯m a full dragon, but am again cut off. ¡°Void, devourer of kin and kind¡± the girl says in fear as she backs away from me in her cage and my stomach gargles at the end of her sentence. I told my eyes and ask, ¡°are you going to introduce yourself or just keep cowering in fear?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to eat me?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t decided.¡± ¡°But. . .¡± ¡°If you want to live, introduce yourself and give me a good enough reason that it¡¯ll suppress my instincts¡± I cut her off. ¡°Dannaerithalis and I¡¯m one of the royalty in Drake¡¯s Home. A powerful . . .¡± she stammers. ¡°Stop, your name is too long and you¡¯re only making yourself sound more appetizing. You need to tell me a practical reason to keep you around.¡± ¡°You can get more over time than all at once¡± she stammers out in fear as I glare, stomach rumbling. That comment gives pause to my screaming instincts. I can almost feel my inner dragon grumbling in annoyed acceptance of that reasoning as a possible one to keep her around. I still want to just rip her apart and feast but this has merit; a lesser continual gratification. . . ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t be eating you. I¡¯ll convince the others that you¡¯re coming with us.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not with the clergy of the Holy One?¡± ¡°Why would you think I was?¡± I never get the answer to that question as K interrupts asking, ¡°what language are you talking in¡± as she walks up behind me. ¡°Draconic. Do you think we can talk your mother and Analais into allowing another to travel with us?¡± I respond. ¡°Maybe, why?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a draconian, probably angry with the church of the Holy One and could help with a dietary issue of mine.¡± K raises an eyebrow, wanting to know more so I continue, ¡°I may have an addiction to eating dragon.¡± ¡°Is that where that white dragon went?¡± ¡°Yep, really tasty and good for me¡± I say with a smile. ¡°Is that how you grew up so fast?¡± ¡°It was more of recovering what was lost but yes. My racial class advances by eating other dragons.¡± K leans in an sniffs me for a second, checking something before whispering ¡°you¡¯re not saying that to cover up infernal rituals?¡± ¡°No, dealing with devils is generally a bad idea. Besides you or Kylana would notice rather quickly if I was going fiendish.¡± She nods at that but still seems troubled. I pull her into a hug and lick the back of her ear sending a shiver down her spine before whispering ¡°and you keep me far too distracted to have the time to walk down that path.¡± ¡°Having fun in a dungeon already?¡± I hear Kylana playfully call as she walks down the stone steps into the room. Kythia jumping out of my arms flustered while I just grin and say ¡°not now that you¡¯ve ruined it.¡± ¡°Would it hurt you to get all embarrassed like my daughter at least once?¡± Kylana asks. ¡°Not if I want to keep the powerful stronger than her male image she likes so much.¡± Kylana nods at that before a cough from the side reminds me that the I was not alone with K. The draconian girl whose name is far too long for me to regularly use is still in her cage locked up. I turn back towards the stairs where Analais is now descending and ask, ¡°any problems with adding an upset draconian ally to our likely vengeance against the Church of the Holy One?¡± ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to rush of into battle?¡± Analais answers with a question. ¡°I don¡¯t want to rush off to my death. There are plenty of ways to attack them that don¡¯t include fighting on the front line.¡± Analais nods and smiles at that before asking, ¡°did you happen to think of a plan?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve been rather busy and have only had access to most of my memories for a little over a day. However, ideas I do have. All of the Althaen, not just the Church of the Holy One, build upon the foundation of two things: a ridged cast system similar to feudalism and the importing of otherworlders. Both serving to protect and fuel the continuation of their system. Disrupting either would cause serious issues. There is also how I can very easily declare myself a noble and start harming individual houses rather than having to fight all of the houses in a nation at once.¡± ¡°Collapsing the system in place would likely allow the demon to finally break the Darkwall Mountains¡± Kylana says in comment to the first idea and she has a point. Doing so would cripple the army of this kingdom and as it is on the border it could easily become a much larger front line than the passes through the mountains. ¡°And here I was thinking about just letting Ragnan afflict a few dozen with wild wolves in Daerth was all we would be able to do¡± Analais says with a smile. The female werewolves in the room frown at the mention of creating wild werewolves but neither of them say anything. ¡°Still, may I add another to the group of people that I have following us?¡± I ask Analais and Kylana. Both of them nod either in true acceptance of my proposal or that like the previous additions, I may do it anyways. Having received the ''needed'' permission, I turn back to the teenage girl in the cage and with a twirl of my hands remove the padlock that had held the cage shut. Tossing the still locked lock to the side I say, ¡°assuming you can stand, let¡¯s go and get you cleaned up. We¡¯re still going to have to do some traveling today and we should get started unless you know of something I missed when I was going through the stuff in this room.¡± ¡°The shelf has a false back, he stored samples and notes behind it¡± the girl says as she struggles to get out of the cage. I manifest my claws as I tear the back of the shelves off after taking the few steps I needed to get to that part of the basement. Hidden behind the wood are a large number or vials, each filled with a red liquid though a few are only half full. I can feel some of them calling to me. Asking me to drink them but now is not the time for that. Regardless of just how much I want to find out which of these vials contain blood of a draconic creature and debate drinking them in sips as fine wine or chugging them in my ravenous hunger and thirst, I stuff them all into Void Cache; adding another task to the list of things that I need to try to get done before falling to the temptation of K''s, and now Ria''s, embrace. Chapter 055 The Frost Queen while a harsh and demanding goddess, gives large amounts of aid to her followers in the colder parts of Althr¨¢. While she bans fire and the kinds of shelter needed to survive in harsh winters, her blessings more than make up for the sacrifice. She is not well received in most places outside of the domains of her followers and is often banned as an evil goddess.
Andrus of the Anointed Counsel Going through the reports of the Church and nation, I cannot help but smile at how well the last few decades have gone. Few incursions of demonic forces, the decline of the sub-human population, ever increasing tithes and tax revenue, and the occasional but still random appearances of particularly powerful or useful otherwolders. Opening the scroll that tracks the state of affairs on the western border of this holy nation, I immediately frown. The forces that we¡¯re sent to Daerth to collect Pack Bloodclaw have failed. The leadership of that force are dead and while some of the soldiers and called likely survived, none have made a report. The Bloodclaw were supposed to be the fuel for another calling or two. A setback that will delay our plans to field test the Purification by Blood rituals on the tainted lands. But that is not the greatest loss in the last few days. No that would be the loss of one of the transmutes that are looking into the ideas of a weak but extremely useful otherworlder. Yet, he did submit a report claiming the near total success in collecting and condensing most of the werewolves. He should not have died with all of the leadership if the mission was as much of a success as noted in the report. The report can¡¯t be false as they are enchanted to only accept truthful reports. Unless, it was the survivors of the Bloodclaw who did it or a third party. ¡°Raenath, have there been any spatial disturbances near Daerth recently?¡± I ask one of my assistants. ¡°One, a small disruption. Not large enough for anything of real size and the magnitude was too small to be long range. A second point was not found and determined to be no more than a particularly large burst of ambient charge in the wards¡± he answers and I nod. That would make sense, a short-range teleport without a second point would have to be either one of the rare quirks that show up in any ward of it¡¯s size or a botched teleport. Neither significant but something nags at the back of my mind. Something about an upsurge in ambient spatial disturbances. ¡°Get me a map of the ward¡¯s readings over the last few months, including those deemed insignificant. Another from the same time period last year.¡± ¡°At once¡± Raenath says with a bow before rushing off to retrieve what I desire. This may simply be a waste of time but something or someone must have drastically changed the course of that subjugation. There has to be a reason for their sudden disappearance and lacking anything else, this is the only potential lead. There should have been something more, a grand spell''s signature or evidence of an army to destroy them all overnight but I¡¯ve nothing but spatial static. As I wait, I open the drawer of my desk and pull out a vial from one of the projects that has not suffered unforeseen setbacks. I down the vial''s vile contents and wince in pain as a burning force spreads from my gut. The short few seconds of agony end and I smile as I go over my form. The slight changes of the alchemical agents making me better, stronger, faster, smarter and more powerful even if each dose does only a minor amount. To slowly reach and surpass the natural Apex of humanity without devolving into sub and demi-human scum. The Holy One is no doubt pleased to see his followers augmented and purified however slowly. I play with the vial and whisper, ¡°the things otherworlders come up with¡± for the few moments I have to wait on lesser examples of the human species to fetch what I commanded them to. Once the maps arrive, I frown to see several hundred more ''insignificant'' spatial disturbances around the capital. Far more than could be from the increase in extradimensional space items. Generally, this would not be my problem, but a similarly large increase around Daerth and the line of unnaturally large number of minor disturbances between the two coinciding with the force sent to deal with the Bloodclaw. . . ¡°Why was an disloyal called with the ability to manipulate space sent as fodder against the Bloodclaw?¡± ¡°We have no records of acquiring such an individual¡± Raenath answers before pausing a moment and guesses the question I am about to ask as he says, ¡°the only disloyal called that we¡¯re sent to be fodder were an elementalist and a few followers of his, the most noteworthy being a two-tailed kitsune girl.¡± ¡°Read me their records¡± I state for my other assistant Raenaer.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. A moment later she begins, ¡°Adrian, no known surname. Classes and race not confirmed but suspected pureblood human as most terrans. He has a weak mana presence, almost non-existent despite his ability to manipulate flames and call lightning from a storm. He spent most of his time in the library before one of his followers died after witch he began to drink, spending more coin than he should have had. Likely began working with one of the thieves'' guilds. Abagail and Bryan both showed slightly above average mana potential and potency but no knowledge of the fundamentals of magic. The two spent most of their time together while Adrian provided for them. Abagail is loyal to Bryan who is loyal to Adrian. Bryan also showed some talent in swordplay but again lacks the fundamentals needed to be worth recruiting. The possibility that one of them are really in charge has been dismissed as both of them have been seen trying and failing to cast simple magics. Ria the kitsune was a slave to one of the criminal organizations under training before they were destroyed in a fire. Her tail given powers are unknown but one is suspected to be fire. Appears to be dependent on Adrian to cope with her half-finished training. Like most kitsune she seems naturally gifted in illusions but also managed to pick up some divination before she was taken from her kin roughly half a decade ago.¡± Something doesn¡¯t fit, none of these individuals would have both the power and skill to be responsible for the disruptions. . . ¡°Was the mana reading verified on Adrian? He shouldn¡¯t be able to use magic at all according to what you read.¡± Raenaer nods and I frown. We¡¯ll need to raise Vithr¨¢ from the dead then, but the Holy One is unlikely to restore the life of that fallen priest. . . Another method will be needed. . . We can¡¯t turn to another god, and such necromancies are forbidden by the Holy One. . . ¡°Track down the called that were sent as fodder. If any are still alive I want them interrogated under accusations of heresy and treason.¡± ¡°At once¡± my two assistants say simultaneously before Raenath leaves to deliver the command. With nothing left to do on this issue, I turn to the next report. One on the actions of an old enemy of the Holy One. It seems the Blood Elf has been active of late according to the scouts in the Darklands. The creation and training of a new toy of his. A series of murders in a town bordering the Darkwall Mountains, easy enough to cover up. The citizens of such villages tend to be tainted anyways so there was no harm. At least not enough for me to send an army to it¡¯s death in the Darklands to temporarily kill the man. Damn sub-human and his immortality. Such a lowly creature should not be allowed to have such a blessing. His newest creation seems alarming and dangerous though. Something the alchemical transmuters would like to study but ultimately, no longer human and thus will need to be destroyed eventually. A knock at my door given in courtesy echoes off the stone walls before it is opened by a servant of one of my colleagues on the Anointed Counsel. The man enters without looking at the lower human as he says, ¡°Anointed Andrus, I hear your pet heretic died. Do you need any aid in finding the killer?¡± I frown at my fellow Anointed, I did not give up my house to be mocked by one such as he. The fool doesn¡¯t have the power he should have to act as such but I can¡¯t remove him. He''s too useful of a pawn in manipulating the other Anointed. ¡°Anointed Farriel, yes but do remember that that particular heretic was once on our counsel. It was hoped that he would recant his one failing by all of the counsel. Even fallen he still did all he could to further the agenda of the Holy One. So do tell me what it is that you found out?¡± ¡°Likely only a little more than you have already. The leader of your expedition was killed by a called. Or at least he tried and failed to command a called in the last moments of his life. That and all but threw of the called sent to be fodder were killed either during the attack on the Bloodclaw or around the same time as the victorious army.¡± ¡°And who were these three?¡± ¡°Adrian, Bryan Grace and Abagail Clark.¡± I raise an eyebrow at that interesting piece of information only to be surprised as my fellow continues, ¡°but that is not the most interesting part. During the fight with the Bloodclaw, Adrian ceased to appear on the lists of active called only to reappear moments later in red . . .¡± ¡°meaning he broke his compulsions¡± I finish for him. This changes everything, he would need to be capable of powering and casting a fourth-tier spell at minimum to break free. Something that we take great care never to have happen. Individuals of that power are supposed to be treated differently than the fodder that is the majority of the otherworlders. Someone of that power level is entitled to nobility and is supposed to be adopted into a house immediately. ¡°So you¡¯ve come to seek my aid in covering up that you lost and likely made an enemy out of a significant called?¡± I ask with a smile. ¡°Oh no, the records of his summoning have already been deleted with. I just thought you would want a target to pin your failure to. After all, between this and the Blood Elf''s recent actions you will need to do something about one of them¡± he says as he places a small amulet on my desk, one used to track rouge called. With that the Anointed who has temporarily raised my opinion of him leaves. I stare for a moment at the offered amulet. If I use it I¡¯ll owe the weakling a debt. A minor one, but still. I usually have debts go the other way. I wave Raenaer to me and she takes the amulet, knowing what to do. The squads that hunt down escaped called won¡¯t be able to handle a mage capable of breaking his own compulsions. They tend to rely on the bindings to handle the called and will end up slaughtered if they meet this one. Fourth tier magic at his age, and those in charge of his summoning turn him against us. Though that alone does not explain how the entire force was lost. There is more to it than what I have deduced. He must have had outside help as well, perhaps an item stolen from somewhere in the city? No, such a valuable object would have caused a blood hunt by the house who lost it. Then the thieves¡¯ guild? Maybe, something to look into but unlikely unless there is far more to h and his group than I know. . . Chapter 056 The Warrior is one of the lesser gods, worshiped by soldiers and generals. While he does have clergy all of the are expected to train as fighters first and priests second. This lead him to have the largest percentage of knights and paladins among his clergy and it is not unheard of for a cleric of the Warrior to be unable to cast more than the most basic of healing or blessings. He is however accepted by many of the non-humans of Althr¨¢.
Randy Ravnos
I feel sick and disgusted with those I once thought of as kin and teachers as I ride my bike home from the most recent meeting between the Counsel of Archimagi and myself. Like every meeting in the last three months, I was once more called in as a consultant for the search of my own son. While they have continued to do the self-appointed duty of the family, it has taken second priority to finding my son. But not for his safety though; no, it is because he is the only new true Ravnos that the family has managed to produce. They want him back to sire another generation and an experiment into how to recover the power lost over the centuries. Parking my bike, I enter my house to find the twins missing, likely off doing some task for those that can still be called Archimagi, and my wife crying her heart out as she prays. My heart aches to see her like this but I stand and wait for her to finish up after noticing my entry. If I could I would rip apart the fabric of reality and reweave it into a paradise for her, to fix everything that makes her sad but I can¡¯t. Even if I threw away my existence to the backlash of the subsequent paradox, it would not work. No more than a minute passes before she finishes with tears still streaming down her cheeks and she looks over to me in hope only to have it crushed again as our son is not in the room. Then she asks, ¡°did you find anything?¡± I am about to open my mouth to tell her that I¡¯ve gotten more people looking, broadening the search area but as I look into the light of my wife¡¯s eye the lies stop before they reach my tongue. Her hope and faith are starting to dim and I just can¡¯t do it. I can¡¯t tell her the lies about what has been found when I¡¯ve already learned that he is not anywhere on the Earth weeks ago. Instead, I hold out my hand and say ¡°Kathrine, I need to show you something.¡± She jumps up and runs over to me, thinking that I must have our son waiting just outside the door in a surprise but as soon as she holds my hand I do what I haven¡¯t done in more than a lifetime. Something that will alarm Geldath to my recovery but it is time I tell my wife everything. In a blink of an eye, I throw all of my power into folding and bridging space and the two of us teleport. Kathrine panics for a moment finding herself in another building, one that houses my true search for Adrian rather than the lies given to Geldath or those she had been told earlier. Maps of not just cities, countries and continents but also planets, star systems and even planes line the walls with all but a few covered in notes on how my son is not there in any point close to the present. ¡°My angel,¡± I whisper in her ear before continuing at a regular volume as I guide her into a chair, ¡°there is something about my family that you need to know before you can understand what I¡¯ve learned about what happened to Adrian.¡± She nods and I continue, ¡°the Ravnos family is something similar to mages. We can manipulate the world around us. . .¡±
I don¡¯t mention how my family has stolen the lives of their decedents, including the bodies of our other two sons or exactly what their plans are for Adrian. Today, I only tell of the existence of our magic and what I have learned about the location of our son. She handles it both better and worse than I expected. Upset that everyone in the family but she knew and was hiding it, confused as to how to fit being married to a ¡®wizard¡¯ and having sons who are the same will fit with her faith and glad to be told so much of what I¡¯ve found. Not once as I explain does she stop and ask a question until I have stopped for the nearly a full minute. I can almost see her mind turning as she discards the first two issues for the last. She walks along my poor but mostly accurate drawings of the planes within a few connections to our own before pointing to the one that is closest and asks ¡°why is this one marked as not having Adrian? You didn¡¯t mention anything about it.¡± I look at the location before saying, ¡°a barrier was set to bar any contact with it.¡± ¡°Did you check it?¡± ¡°It won¡¯t need maintenance for another century. There¡¯s no point in checking.¡± ¡°Why was it barred?¡± ¡°Idiots who wouldn¡¯t stop consorting with demons were banished to there.¡± ¡°Check the barrier.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason to.¡± ¡°Is there another reason why Adrian couldn¡¯t be there?¡± ¡°No . . .¡± ¡°Then make sure that barrier is there¡± she says slowly. ¡°Fine, if it will help I¡¯ll check it even though I already know the answer¡± I say before altering the chalk lines around the focus circle I¡¯ve had to use to bridge the gap between planes.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. It only takes a few minutes and as soon as I¡¯m done I wave my wife to come to the crystal sheet and say, ¡°this won¡¯t work if the barrier is intact but if it isn¡¯t we¡¯ll see something.¡± With that I throw every once of power I can into bridging the gap between two planes. Creating a hair thin channel across the void to see what is on the other side. An instant passes before my reach extends to where the barrier should be, only I don¡¯t slam into it as I expected. In fact, I don¡¯t hit anything at all before the crystal of my viewing glass flickers with light. For just short of a second, a city of white stone fills the blue-green of the crystal. Hundreds of humans and beings close to being human walk around in what could be passed off as an idealized version of the medieval ages. Then something cuts my channel. I stare at the now missing image, the barrier is down and has been for some time for me not to encounter any of it. . . ¡°Bring it back. I wasn¡¯t able to check all of it for our boy¡± Kathrine says hurriedly. I turn back to the runes I used as foci. Something cut me off, it wasn¡¯t Ravnos magic and no hedge wizard left on Earth has the power to even fathom what I¡¯m doing right now. . . The ones who could were all banished there and are still there then. They sensed and cut off my divination. The barrier is down and they retain the ability to do interplanar magic. They could be responsible. Adrian might have been stolen away to their world. . . ¡°Kathrine, I have a lot of work to do. That¡¯s an entire world to search. I need you to calm down and help me clear all of the chalk on the floor¡± I say and she looks back at me with a fire in her eyes. One of determination and hope. She doesn¡¯t even say a word about me being wrong about the barrier either. For a moment I consider telling the others that the barrier is down. No, I can¡¯t risk them finding him first. Only if he is not there will I tell them.
Adrian
As I exit the false hunter''s lodge, Ria enters the clearing followed by Bryan and Abagail. The draconian female whose name is too long for me, I think I¡¯ll call her Danny, exits closely behind me and is followed by K and the rest of the Bloodclaw. Abagail glances at the newest addition and her proximity to me, and her state of being, and back to me before frowning. She is no doubt already judging me to be cheating on Ria and K. Why did I hang out with her again? Bryan, she likes Bryan and tended to join in our games. We never had issues like this during those. How can I solve this or at least not have to deal with it myself? Wait, this would be a domestic thing so K will want to be in charge of it. Though she did drive her to run away so maybe I shouldn¡¯t leave it to her. Rather than deal with having to correct her, I turn to Analais and ask, ¡°where do you think we should go?¡± ¡°We would like to request aid in getting back to our home¡± Talia states in a formal request. ¡°We¡¯ll be heading east then. We will also have to stop by Daerth to get provisions and supplies since the land to the east is not likely to have enough game to sustain us. Unless we raid others on the road¡± Analais states and the werewolves nod in acceptance. Somehow the idea of just taking what I need from other travelers does not seem to bother me as much as it should. I know it is wrong but either from how the other me was a thief for months or just me being a dragon, I don¡¯t feel a need to avoid it but rather the hassles those actions would bring. ¡°Do we need to worry about being found?¡± I ask not waiting to deal with being hunted down by too many at once. I can deal with them, but not without cost and it will likely be easier to avoid them than slaughter my way across the country. ¡°Kylana, Alana and myself have been to Daerth to trade before. The guards would recognize us. They may not have any orders about us though.¡± ¡°Would they also recognize anyone else?¡± I ask Ria causing her tails to wag a bit faster. ¡°Yes but you look different enough that it won¡¯t be immediately noticed and I can do this¡± she answers before her ears flatten and she wraps her tail around herself. A moment later both disappear from sight leaving her looking slightly different. A little wider than before with her curves not quite as prominent but appearing human in every way. ¡°You¡¯re not going into the city alone with Adrian¡± K almost growls at Ria. To which she after walking up to Kythia and tries and fails at getting her into a hug as she whispers ¡°we can have personal time with our mate away from your mother.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather be without you too.¡± I don¡¯t say anything to the two of them and instead pull them both into my arms as I say, ¡°we¡¯ll get what we need. Aside from some food is there anything else we need?¡± ¡°Clothing and shelter¡± Bryan answers. ¡°Arrows, a pair of bows, and knives¡± Talia adds. ¡°You can use the coins I gave you to hold onto¡± Kylana says though I was already planning on doing just that. K glares at Ria who ignores it in favor of wrapping my left arm over her shoulders. ¡°Why do you get to go while we have to stay with them?¡± Abagail asks. ¡°Because the guards will soon be looking for any survivors of their attack and while I look similar to whatever description they have of us, I do not match it. Someone who knows me may recognize me but I don¡¯t exactly match the description of ''tall thin male with dark brown hair and hazel eyes''. My hair appears to be black to human perception and my eyes don¡¯t fit that at all anymore. Close but wrong and since this is natural and not a disguise, no spell is going to reveal my appearance as a fake.¡± ¡°It still sounds like an excuse to leave us behind.¡± ¡°No, the only one I plan on doing that with right now is Danny¡± I say while pointing to the draconian female. ¡°My name is Dannaerithalis¡± the draconian female says irritated. ¡°Dannaerithalis, is too long to say every time I mention you so it¡¯s Danny now, unless you have a better nickname¡± I say mildly amused by how upset she is over this. It probably has something to do with draconic pride. She then turns to Ria and Kythia and says, ¡°you¡¯re the females in charge of him. Don¡¯t let him act. . .¡± She doesn¡¯t get to finish as a, albeit weak, ball of foxfire hits her face followed by a slap from Kythia, both of them silent. Kythia then whispers something in a low voice to Danny though I don¡¯t catch it as Abagail shouts something about not treating people poorly but I ignore her. Danny is something between pet and food right now, at least in her role. I still need to figure out just how me eating sentient beings for food is going to work out morally now that I¡¯ve talked to one that hasn¡¯t tried to kill me. None of us respond to Abagail. Instead I turn to Kylana and ask, ¡°could you watch them for me?¡± ¡°Of course¡± she answers with a smile and with that I turn to Ria and say, ¡°lead the way. We''ll stop to change on the way.¡± Chapter 057 The Smith is another minor god, often worshiped by craftsmen who focus on utility alone. Even then, he is only worshiped by humans and is distained by elven and dwarvish craftsmen. Both laughing him off as a lesser version of their own deities. While he is not well liked outside of the Althaen people his mark of approval is still recognized as noting an item to be above the usual level of human skill by the other civilized races.
Adrian
It is almost dusk by the time that I reach the wooden wall around Daerth with my canine companions. The gates are closed but they are small, just wide enough to let three or four men through at a time. A single man stands in front of the wooden gate with two more standing on the wall itself. They are in leather and each has a crossbow and a blade. The guards ignore the three of us until be are almost at the gate. At which point, the man in front of the gate says ¡°state your business.¡± ¡°We¡¯re passing through to the north¡± Ria answers for us. ¡°You sure you¡¯re not going south? You look like runaways to me. Not that it matters to me so long as you pay the toll.¡± So he wants a bribe? Though the existence of an entry toll could be real. ¡°How much is this toll?¡± I ask. ¡°Depends on how much you have. It¡¯s a percentage of goods toll. You do have some possessions on you don¡¯t you? You must if you¡¯re planning on buying what you¡¯ll need to hop the border. . .¡± ¡°And does this toll happen to apply to nobles?¡± ¡°Of course not, but you¡¯re. . .¡± I cut him off by crafting a small dragon out of light as I warp reality between the palms of my hands as I cup them together and blow. The light construct flies around for a few seconds according to my will before I allow it to fade away. The guard seems stunned for a moment before he asks, ¡°of which house are you mage?¡± ¡°One that would be rather upset at being delayed longer than necessary¡± I answer. He eyes me for a moment before looking at Kythia and Ria. Then he says, ¡°perhaps you could loan us one of your attendants, . . .¡± He stops instantly as K draws her blade and rests it against his leather covered chest. Not where she could easily kill him, at least if it wasn¡¯t for the abnormal strength that she possessed as a lycanthrope. As the guard is clueless to that detail, while surprised at her speed where she could have inflicted serious harm he is not afraid nor are the two guards on the wall pointing their crossbows at us. ¡°Is he an enemy to kill?¡± Kythia asks half playfully with a smile. ¡°Not at the moment¡± I answer her while gesturing towards the gate. Either from the intimidation or the appearant arrogance, the three guards seem to accept me as someone of importance and open one side of the gate. On the other side is a continuation of the dirt road though it has more rocks in it than outside of the small ''city''. We enter and begin to walk down the main street, which is mostly empty at the moment. Now that I am within the walls I am not sure that this should be classified as a city or even a town. I can see the eastern gate even as I stand at the western. If there were not buildings in the way I am fairly sure that the same would be true for the northern and southern walls as well. This is not a city or a town, a village perhaps but there is not enough farms around it to be self sustaining. Half of the buildings on this road seem to be shops while the others seem to be either barracks or inns. There is a large military presence on the street but none of them are more than glancing at us. I scan the street for the nicer inns and pick one at random. I may as well be as comfortable as possible when we stay the night. The others would not expect us back tonight. Actually, Abagail might be but everyone else should have come to the conclusion that we would arrive late and for just the appearance of being normal travelers would require us to spend the night. As the three of us walk towards a building named Corpulent Cyrus''s. The sign hanging in front of the building over the door features a bed and tankard below the name. The interior while not up to modern sanitation is fairly clean. The saw dust used on spills seems like it is regularly swept up. The tables are in good condition and the bar maid looks clean. Then a tall bald man who looks to be almost as wide as he is tall walks into the common room from what must be the kitchen. ¡°Oh more customers? Welcome to Cyrus¡¯s Inn and Tavern. What can I get for you?¡± the morbidly obese man says taking a breath between each sentence. ¡°I thought this was Corpulent Cyrus¡¯s¡± Ria asks with a smirk. ¡°I am not fat! I¡¯ve lost at least a hundred pounds!¡± the fat man yells, a few of the patrons snicker. ¡°A hundred pounds?¡± K repeats not recognizing that unit of measurement. ¡°A Terran unit of measurement. How did you manage not to be used as fodder?¡± I answer K before asking a question to Corpulent Cyrus. The fat man glares at me before saying, ¡°I happen to be a very good cook, regardless of my prior noble patrons'' death.¡± ¡°I was asking how you managed not to be made a soldier on the front line.¡± With that the fat man smiles as he says, ¡°oh, well I was cooking when I was brought here. Some of the food came along and some guy in robes tried it. After that they wanted me to cook for them.¡± I nod and then ask, ¡°how much for a room and three meals?¡± with no concern over how he slipped that his prior noble patrons are dead. ¡°Depends, do you want the larger room?¡± ¡°Of course¡± I answer. ¡°Two silver for the night and five coppers per meal. Alcohol is extra.¡± I pull out several of the silver coins from Void Cache and place them on the counter as I say, ¡°keep the food coming, and if you have any liquor distilled from dragon''s blood I¡¯ll take it.¡± ¡°Gnomish Drakeflame Whiskey is five silvers a glass.¡± ¡°How many bottles do you have¡± I ask instantly. ¡°Two and. . .¡± He goes silent as I let a small pile of a nearly a dozen golden coins fall from my hands onto the counter from Void Cache. He stares not believing the sight before his eyes. He then asks, ¡°is there anything else I can get you? If I don¡¯t have it myself I can send one of my staff to get it.¡± ¡°Actually yes. If you could get the rest of any draconic liquor in town I¡¯ll buy it. I could also use some supplies . . .¡± I answer with a smile before listing off the items we were supposed to retrieve in town. I know that it¡¯ll cost more this way but it will save me time. Time I would rather spend with my two canine companions in our room than out shopping. The fat man nods and says, ¡°I¡¯ll send someone out right away, though your deposit may run out before everything is gathered.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the difference before we leave then. Do make sure to get some receipts though.¡± ¡°Of course now please take a seat. Fernilda will bring your stew right away and I¡¯ll get working on a main course. Steak, pasta or fried chicken?¡± ¡°Steak¡± both K and me answer while Ria says, ¡°the chicken¡± while the three of us move towards a table. As soon as we sit down though, K asks, ¡°where did you get all those gold coins? They¡¯re not from the Pack are they?¡± ¡°No, they¡¯re mine. I found them in Void Cache¡± I answer her. ¡°You¡¯re spending your personal money for the good of the Pack?¡± ¡°No I¡¯m fronting the money and as soon as we get receipts, I¡¯m taking that part from the funds Kylana gave me. This meal and the room is all I¡¯m paying for.¡± We pause for a few seconds as the waitress sets down a hardy bowl of stew in front of each of us along with three cups and a bottle of Drakeflame Whiskey. Ria stares at the glass for a second before saying, ¡°can I . . .¡± Before she finishes I answer, ¡°sure.¡± With a smile she turns to the waitress and asks, ¡°could you get me something a little fruitier to drink?¡± The waitress nods as she says, ¡°right away.¡± K however frowns slightly before saying, ¡°why are you getting the fox anything?¡± as I pour myself a shot of my Drakeflame Whiskey while frowning at the clearly not dwarf-approved cup. ¡°She asked. If you want something do the same¡± I answer before downing the cup. Not quite as good as I remember, glass really does make a better shot glass than clay. But now isn¡¯t the time to focus on that. I need to talk with K and Ria. I take a spoonful of the stew and eat it, enjoying the well seasoned meats that were thrown in, thinking for a moment about just how to word the next thing I need to say. ¡°Kythia, you are the dominant female in our den. You should at least make an effort to become friends with Ria.¡± ¡°Are you really going to lecture me about this in front of her?¡± I look over to Ria and see that she is not even paying attention to the current conversation as she eats her stew before answering, ¡°only because she isn¡¯t paying any attention to us right now.¡± I pour a second glass and drink it before asking, ¡°what¡¯s your problem with her anyways?¡± ¡°Kitsune aren¡¯t trustworthy, they¡¯re cowards who¡¯ll trick you and run away from a fight rather than meeting on the field of battle regardless of if they¡¯re friend or foe.¡± ¡°Has Ria done that to you?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a fox, her kin have to mine.¡± ¡°But she hasn¡¯t done anything. She¡¯s been with the other me for weeks¡± I say taking a third glass. ¡°You should slow down on that stuff, it¡¯s strong and toxic¡± one of the nearby patrons say and I laugh. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me¡± I say to him.
Kythia
Around an hour has past since the meal began and my mate''s words on judging the fox by her actions rather than her kin have long since become messy and repetitive as he has downed both of the large whiskey bottles. It has been amusing to watch some of the other males in the tavern lose as they try to beat my mate in some sort of competition. Ria has long since finished her food and like me limited herself to only a bit of drink. At the moment she is just sitting here at the table, content to wait for something. I don¡¯t know what but it¡¯s probably for some attempt to take up more of my mate¡¯s time. As my mate looks into his second empty bottle, he frowns and looks around the table for a third before Ria stands up and whispers something into his ear. He get a big grin on his face and then stares at her with his eyes following her swaying hips as she walks to the back rooms. ¡°You better not be thinking of spending the night with her again tonight¡± I say agitated. ¡°But K we could . . .¡± he starts slowly. ¡°No, it¡¯s bad enough that you¡¯re keeping a fox in our den. . .¡± I start before my curiosity gets the better of me and I ask, ¡°why did you just call me K?¡± ¡°Because the first time I met you, the other time, I didn¡¯t catch you name. But why not? It¡¯ll be fun.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything fun I would want to do with you and the fox.¡± My mate pauses for a moment before starting up again, ¡°not even hunting? I think you''d like taking turns with Ria being hunted down.¡± Involuntary images of running through the woods, tracking the fox down and then being mounted by my mate in celebration flash through my mind. An instant later another of me being the prey follow. I blush at the idea and manage to almost completely keep just how much fun that sounds like out of my voice as I say, ¡°that isn¡¯t what you¡¯re wanting to talk me into.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hear a no¡± he says before standing up and pulling me into his chest. Nibbling on my ear before he whispers, ¡°I want you both tonight.¡± Then before I can answer he picks me up and very quickly carries me to the back where the fox was going. SC I don¡¯t struggle on the way back to our room, enjoying the dominance my mate is showing. His hands slipping into my clothes as he kisses my neck. It does not take long for the two of us to arrive at the bedroom where my mate drops me on the bed as he strips me of my tunic while kicking the door closed. His eyes alight with the lust that my now nude upper body brings him. ¡°So who are you having first?¡± a voice from my left says and the two of us look over to a very naked kitsune. My mate pauses for another moment before grinning widely as he picks me up and whispers in my ear, ¡°sorry but we can¡¯t do the hunting thing tonight.¡± With that he rolls me over and I almost squeal into the bedding as his hands run down my sides before suddenly stopping at my waist and grabbing ahold of my hands. A moment later his strong grip is replaced with something cold and hard before he whispers, ¡°be a good girl or I¡¯ll make you wait longer.¡± I smile, remembering how we¡¯ve done this sort of foreplay before. Restraining me and making me submit to him even if he¡¯s only held me down before. My legs rub together in anticipation for his rough hands to spread them but I find another far less desirable thing happened instead. My mate sat me up before kissing the fox in front of me, his hands running over her form before she begins helping him strip. I can¡¯t help but keep watching as the fox undresses my mate as he plays with her beasts, her tails swaying faster and faster as she receives more of the attention that I should be getting. I¡¯m the dominant female of the den and it¡¯s still the first moon of our pairing. I continue to glare hatefully at the fox as her hands rove over my mate before focusing on stroking his manhood. I can¡¯t help but watch as it quickly rises to its prodigious size. My center aches to be stuffed full of it¡¯s womb stretching girth. I struggle against the slowly warming metal that holds my arms behind my back only to find that it is much harder to break than how he usually hold me down for the dominance I love so much. They actually start to hurt as I struggle against them before my mate separates from the fox for a moment bite my ear and saying ¡°bad K¡± without the usual licking of my ear that sends shivers down my spine. I cease my struggle for a moment before he allows the fox to guide him down on his back as she says, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the first round.¡± The two of them kiss for nearly a minute before the separate again. The fox then slowly raises her hips above my mate¡¯s as her hands wrap around his fleshy pillar to guide herself down around it. My mate¡¯s hands run down from her breasts to her hips as she is spread wide. My mate let¡¯s out a groan of approval as she begins to move more, up and down his length; half guided by his hands as she pleasures him. She does not try to take control but puts forth almost all of the effort in their act. I can see the light of her eyes as she slowly mates with my mate. As he guides her to do things that he enjoys and how she enjoys every moment of giving herself to him. They take their time before my mate graces her with the seed that should be in me. How he holds her tightly against him and her own pleasure follows his. They breathe heavily for a moment before my mate rolls the two of them over and kisses her before licking her ears and whispering something to her before he begins thrusting between her legs. Rutting himself on her but not with the rough need that I enjoy so much. He takes her softer, gentler and oh so agonizingly slowly as I am forced to watch them. The whole time I glare at either the fox¡¯s face or her union with my mate. Angry at her for stealing away my mate. The only condolence that I have is how he is not taking her with the same ravenous need that I¡¯ve gotten every time we¡¯ve mated. Finally the torment is over as my mate separates from the fox and watches his excess seed spill from her depths. He whispers something to the fox I don¡¯t catch before she clears the bed with wobbling legs but I soon forget she is there as my mate pushes me back down onto the bed. My face lands in the puddle that spilled from the fox¡¯s loins but when I start to say something I feel my pants vanish to my mate¡¯s magic. My legs are forcefully spread and he sheathes himself in me. I let out a scream of surprise and the feeling of being split before I had expected it. My face rubbing into the pool seeping into the bed as my mate begins thrusting into me hard as he holds me in place, not once stopping or slowing as I scream into the bedding loving every moment as he forces me to submit and be bred more than any other night in the half moon of our pairing. Even as I begin to move to help him as he ruts himself on me, driving me to waves of pleasure as my body tries to pull his seed from him, he does not slow and only get faster and harder as I become more and more lubricated as he just keeps going. Then he slams harder into me and grunts ¡°mine¡± as he floods me with his seed for the blissful eternity of seconds as I once more cry out into the bedding in my own pleasure. The two of us then collapse on the bed before he rolls my face out of the smear that was once a puddle and licks my ear and whispers, ¡°I love you.¡± I whisper the same back, completely forgiving and forgetting about the fox until she crawls in between us. My mate pulls the three of us into a hug as he drifts to sleep and I follow soon after, too pleased and sore to bother with the fox save to note that she does make a comfortable pillow. My last conscious thought being how maybe having a fox in the den is not as bad as I thought, that and my mate goes way further when he''s drunk. Chapter 058 The Merchant is an odd deity. He is worshiped by both those who earn money and those who waste money. He teaches to always increase one''s net value with any action yet at the same time does not only support but encourages reckless hedonism. The more successful members of his congregations and his clergy do not see an issue with the conflict but it does baffle clergy of other gods. The upper echelons of his followers are immensely powerful though he is considered one of the weakest gods.
Adrian
I wake up to a headache and only blurred memories of the night before but smile as I find myself holding onto both K and Ria. I can¡¯t recall how I got K to agree to a threesome but hopefully this will lead to more in the foreseeable future. As neither of my girls are awake yet and the sun is not shining through the window, I close my eyes and begin to meditate for the first time since the last full moon while focusing on speeding up my metabolism to get through the headache faster.
Gains: +500 XP Dragon, +5 XP Endurance Training, +75 XP Mana Control +8400 XP Carving, +4000 XP Drawing, +350 XP Electronics, +3250 XP Leatherwork, +950 XP Mechanics, +950 SP Sewing, +6750 XP Smithing, +9250 XP Stonework, +900 XP Firearms, +1200 XP Pistol, +1200 XP Rifle, +1300 XP Shotgun, +1500 XP Axe, +1200 XP Claw, +583 XP Dagger, +93 XP Glaive, +3650 XP Hammer, +328 XP Spear, +398 XP Sword E, +2115 XP Tumble, +2700 XP Fly, +2965 XP Anatomy, +3098 XP Biology, +1800 XP Chemistry, +6650 XP Geology, +1400 XP Planes, +5090 XP Tactics, +600 XP Technology, +500 XP Empathy, +150 SP Bluff, + 1050 XP Handle Animal, +298 XP Sense Motive, +500 XP Computers, Dragon 0 -> 2 (+20 SP, ), Carving 7 -> 14 (+84 SP), Drawing 5 -> 10 (+40 SP), Electronics 0 -> 2 (+3 SP), Leatherwork 2 -> 8 (+33 SP), Mechanics 0 -> 4 (+10 SP), Sewing 0 -> 4 (+10 SP), Smithing 0 -> 12 (+68 SP), Stonework 0 -> 14 (+95 SP), Firearms 4 -> 6 (+11 SP), Pistol 3 -> 6 (+15 SP), Rifle 3 -> 6 (+15SP), Shotgun 2 -> 6 (+18 SP), Axe 1 -> 6 (+15 SP), Claw 3 -> 6 (+15 SP), Dagger 1 -> 4 (+7 SP), Glaive 1 -> 2 (+2 SP), Hammer 0 -> 8 (+28 SP), Spear 2 -> 4 (+7 SP), Sword E 2 -> 4 (+7 SP), Tumble 0 -> 6 (+21 SP), Fly 2 -> 8 (+33 SP), Anatomy 6 -> 10 (+34 SP), Biology 2 -> 8 (+33 SP), Chemistry 5 -> 8 (+22 SP), Geology 0 -> 12 (+78 SP), Planes 4 -> 6 (+11 SP), Tactics 6 -> 12 (+57 SP), Technology 1 -> 4 (+9 SP), Empathy 5 -> 6 (+6 SP), Bluff 0 -> 2 (+3 SP), Handle Animal 0 -> 4 (+10 SP), Sense Motive 3 -> 4 (+4 SP), Computers 5 -> 6 (+6 SP), Spheres: Soul 1 -> 2 (+80 SP), Fate 1 -> 2 (+20 SP), Darkness 1 -> 2 (+10 SP), Time 0 -> 2 (+120 SP)
Adrian Ravnos Gender: Male Race: Void Draconian? Age: 17
Strength 28 Intelligence 23 Mana Potential 12 Skills SP: 2,664
Dexterity 24 Wisdom 21 Mana Potency 12 Languages Titles
Agility 24 Cunning 20 Luck 23 Traits Options
Endurance 26 Willpower 24 Perception 20 Magic Reality Control
Vitality 26 Alertness 21 Reality Control 5 Classes Racial Class
Appearance 26 Charisma 17 Health 425/425 Mana 150/150
Once I skim over the changes with half mental smirk as to how I earned some of them, I open up the tab for Ravnos Magic. This and being a dragon are the greatest powers I have. And while I may not use it to its fullest ability, I do know how to take advantage of this power more than I do mana.
3000 Reality Control 5
160 Planar 0 320 Space 2
320 Soul 2 80 Fate 2
640 Life/Death 3Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! 160 Primal 1
40 Mind 1 320 Time 2
20 Transmutation 1 10 Telekinesis 0
80 Fire 3 80 Lightning 3
40 Light 2 40 Darkness 2
20 Gravity 0
I quickly pick up several of the Spheres that I can partially remember and purchase them with the surplus of points that I currently have. Primal, Time, and most importantly Life. Thousands of symbols flash through my mind, both teaching and reminding me of how my perceived world is a reflection of the fabric of reality. How to twist and nudge at it to get what I want though not the knowledge of how to use those changes. That is something I have to work on my own. But what else should I get? I could get more Spheres, but no. What I just I got will keep me busy incorporating it to how I fight. Space and Planes would likely be extremely useful but I feel like something is whispering in the back of my mind I don¡¯t need those Spheres. That I can already do what they would let me. What I need is more raw ability. Something to offset the negatives of me going further into my Ravnos powers. So, I turn to the only thing that might tell me about the other great power I have. I pull up the description for what kind of dragon I am and find myself pleasantly surprised and disappointed in the offered information.
Dragon - Void
A rare mutation that sometimes occurs when a dragon survives being touched by the cosmic radiation in the void during gestation. The void dragon does not generate enough of several compounds and energies to grow on its own and thus is driven to acquire this ¡®draconic essence'' from their food. They are however the longest living type of dragon with no known member ever dying of age and have many abilities to manipulate and control the void and the energies within both it and the vacuum of space.
Interesting and it did have some information I did not know but not immediately useful. Only letting me know that there should be a lot more to being a void dragon than what I¡¯ve messed with so far. How did I get exposed to the cosmic radiation of the void while in my mother¡¯s womb though? No, that doesn¡¯t matter right now. I stare at the screen for a few moments longer before dumping everything else I have into it. Unlike with my prior purchase of Spheres, I do not get an explosion of knowledge being pushed into my mind. Instead, I feel the tiny tingle that sometimes accompanies my consumption of draconic flesh but stronger. A thousand times stronger and it spreads forth from my core infinitely faster than it would normally. I open my eyes in suprise and find I cannot move. I feel and can visibly see my muscles shifting and twitching under my skin. It feels pleasant though I should probably be considered about my current paralysis. It lasts for nearly a minute during which I can do nothing but let my mind wander and watch my two still sleeping lovers. As the muscle spasms die down I feel tired and glancing out the window to see that the sun is likely still a few hours away I quite happily drift back to sleep as I rest my head on Ria''s bosom.
I once more find myself in the strange dream coliseum, looking around at the empty stone stands. The sky overhead, dark but lit with the lights of trillions of stars while the ground and stone around me seems so plain regardless of the decretive engravings that form a near mirror to the sky overhead. I do not know why but I jump up as high as I can into the air and begin to shift, letting my clothes tear as I take on not the hybrid form of a draconian but the form of a dragon. My wings spread and I immediately begin to ascend into the night sky. The night air cool against my scaled hide and the dark of the night made clearer as my eyes become slitted. I leave the ground behind, flying for several minutes before a voice draws me away from my simple pleasure. ¡°finally ate enough to feel the call?¡± the deep voice chuckles from behind me and I turn around to see my own dragon form lounging in the thin air of the upper atmosphere. But he is not the same as me, he is dozens if not hundreds of times larger than me. Still, I do not feel afraid. I do not even answer him as I feel my hunger for all things dragon well up within me. I am about to charge, to try and feast as before but find that I cannot move. ¡°Good but there is more to being what we are than just hunger. The void is far more than what we¡¯ve stumbled upon already.¡± I know I should stop, that I should think about what was just said to me but the call of my hunger is too much. As soon as whatever force was restraining me ends, I rush towards the dragon many times my size and take a bite. That dragon does nothing to defend itself other than disappear after the first bite, as I feel something resonate within me. A power different from the others that I¡¯ve felt racing through my veins. My thoughts ceasing, my emotions going silent, leaving nothing within me but a hollow emptiness and the hunger. . .
I bolt upright, waking my lovers by the sudden movement. I can still feel it, the rush of strange energy through my veins as it slowly recedes from me. My emotions and thoughts roaring back to life as the endless hunger dims down to a desire to eat more dragon. ¡°What? Are we under attack? What¡¯s going on?¡± K asks as she rolls to her discarded clothing. ¡°No, just a dream that is probably more than just a dream¡± I answer before K asks, ¡°why are you taller? The small amount of dragon''s blood in that alcohol should not have been enough to change you.¡± ¡°I may have spent several hundred, maybe a thousand points of the Architect''s system on my racial class. . .¡± I answer while staring at her still nude body. The desire to push her down and claim her as mine again and again rolls through the front of my mind. I want to do it. I want to take both her and my kitsune, to drown their minds in my seed. . . ¡°Adrian, that¡¯s not a good idea. You can lose yourself to instincts that. . .¡± I don¡¯t hear the rest of K''s sentence. Instinct, instincts going out of control. That¡¯s what this is. I shouldn¡¯t let them go wild, accept yes but not like this. But K and Ria wouldn¡¯t really mind if I . . . No, not like this. Love, affection, not lust alone. I shut my eyes and focus inwards. Pushing the outside world away as I try to get myself under control. To stop thinking of Ria''s nice soft breasts, K''s slightly smaller but perfectly firm twin peaks or their. . . No, I growl to myself. I am my master. I rule my body, it does not rule me. I indulge in the carnal pleasures of my lovers when we want to; not when my body demands it. Somehow, I feel the bestial part in the back of my mind, how it¡¯s far stronger than before. How it¡¯s almost clawing at my conscious mind, demanding to feast and fuck and fight and feast some more. But that is not all there is to it. No there is far more to it. It is just those base needs are screaming to be acted upon. I can feel K and Ria''s hands run over my body as I keep focusing on getting myself back under control. But no matter what I try my mind keeps going back to the idea of just indulging in it. Giving in for just a bit and then taking control. ¡°Its okay to use us¡± I hear Ria whisper in my ear and my resolve shatters as she kisses me.
It is well past dawn when I finally calm down and the three of us have cleaned up. I close my eyes and seek for my instincts again but can¡¯t find them, either they¡¯ve gone silent or working through them was really the best thing for me. I feel tired but when I open my eyes I stand up and finish getting dressed. I even feel a bit of guilty pride in how even after what healing I can do for my K and Ria they¡¯re still limping ever so slightly as the three of us collect the things Cyrus gathered for me and leave without a word. I also make it a point to ignore the looks of jealousy that we¡¯re getting from many of the other patrons. Our way out of the city is however far more eventful as our actions must have been noticed by someone of note. We are stopped halfway to the north gate by a half dozen soldiers being lead by a young man just over six feet in height wearing a set of gold embroidered robes. I only start paying attention to what he was saying after we are cut off so I only hear, ¡°. . . one of your or your companions'' description among the nobles of the area. You are to come with me and explain yourself.¡± ¡°Hmm, no. Now get out of my way¡± I say which cause him to grin and say, ¡°take them¡± to the soldiers. I dodge the first soldier to lunge at me and break the a of the second in a counter attack. Abusing my draconic strength and the reflexes that I have through Battlemind. K likely does something similar to the two that went after her but Ria does not have the melee skill to deal with this. I turn to help her to find that she just released a torrent of foxfire on the two. Which works well against the unprotected though moderately trained warriors. They scream and die in the green flames as Ria moves to stand behind me in relation to the young robed man. ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to be able to resist. Only nobles and those backed by us can be this strong. Who do you serve?¡± the youth asks in a sneer as if he was ever in charge of the situation. For a moment I think about declaring myself a noble but instead I go with something that will infuriate him far more. ¡°You aren¡¯t important enough to know who we are¡± I say with my own sneer that turns to a smirk as I feel Ria''s approval through our bond. The youth himself does not seem to even be able to process it as the three of us walk away, ignoring the shouts that follow a moment later. The guards at the northern gate don¡¯t stop us having seen what we can do to six of them let alone just the three that man the gate. Chapter 059 The Traveler actually has a few titles that are all different versions of the same deity. He is also known as Herald, Messenger, and Visitor. He is the Althean God of communication and hospitality. Prayed to by those visiting foreign lands and those who have guests in their land. He has no permanent temples but many portable shrines whose clergy give aid to travelers and those who grant them shelter, but also cursing both bad guests and hosts.
Bryan
The night was dark, damp and cold preventing me from resting well; though I still managed to get more sleep than during the march the Althaen forced. None of the werewolves said a word to us in the afternoon after Adrian left with Ria and that other woman. I can¡¯t remember her name at the moment but she and her kin scare me. Analais seems the least dangerous out of the four but that can¡¯t be true. The alpha male in a wolf pack is the strongest so he must be stronger than Adrian. Then there is that Dannair, Dannaeri, Danny. I have no idea what she is or why she is now with us. She seems terrified and confused unlike everyone else here but she refuses to talk to anyone at the moment so rather than get roped into Abagail''s anger over Adrian¡¯s more recent actions I am trying to get a better hold on my mana by casting light over and over again while slightly changing how I am shaping the mana. Less mana makes it dimmer, while more makes it brighter but in the last hour or two I¡¯ve found more to it than just that. The speed and force of the circulating mana can and will change the color of the light. I can¡¯t seem to figure out how to get a specific color or any shape manipulation before my meager reserves run out though. ¡°You¡¯re doing that wrong¡± Danny says causing everyone to look at her. ¡°Doing what wrong?¡± I reply surprised. ¡°You should form a compression funnel into a regulator to get a steady color of light rather than constant manual manipulation.¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°This¡± she says before raising her right hand just before a ball of steady blue light appears over her palm. ¡°That doesn¡¯t show us anything¡± Abagail says. The girl seems to revise something before she says, ¡°sorry I forgot humans can¡¯t see mana.¡± ¡°You can see mana?¡± Abagail, Ragnan and myself ask simultaneously. ¡°It isn¡¯t uncommon for dragons to develop some sort of manasight. In fact, almost every mage of sufficient power will have some form of manasense¡± Kylana says. ¡°What? Why didn¡¯t anyone mention that when I started?¡± I ask. ¡°Whoever brought you to this world didn¡¯t think you were worth it. You didn¡¯t show enough raw talent for your age. We¡¯re you brought as part of a mass summoning or a smaller one?¡± ¡°There were around a hundred.¡± ¡°A mass summoning then. The Church of the Holy One is still going for quantity over quality then.¡± ¡°What?¡± Abagail asks confused. ¡°There are an infinite number of ways that conjuration can be altered. I don¡¯t know much of that school myself but imbuing a conjured or increasing the number of conjured things are the two most common methods to improve a basic conjuration¡± Kylana answers. ¡°What is your specialty then?¡± I ask. ¡°Evocation.¡± ¡°Could you teach us?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why? You¡¯re teaching Adrian and we have more mana talent than he does¡± Abagail interjects. ¡°If you had the more innate magical power than a dragon, you would not be here. And even if that were true, you are not of the pack¡± Kylana says. ¡°Adrian isn¡¯t a werewolf either but you¡¯re teaching him.¡± I groan into my palm as I rub my nose at just how dumb what she just said is. At the same time, all of the werewolves glare at her and say some variation of Kylana''s words. ¡°My daughter allowed him to take her as his mate. He and any in their den are part of the pack but neither of you are¡± being the exact wording Kylana spoke. Neither Abagail or I say anything for a moment, but just as the werewolves are about to go back to whatever conversation that they were having I ask, ¡°is there anything you would consider teaching me?¡± Kylana frowns before the other adult woman says something in their strange tongue. Kylana rolls her eyes at the other lycantrope before asking me ¡°why do you want to learn?¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°From the moment we arrived, Adrian did everything possible to protect us. To keep us safe and have what we needed. I don¡¯t want to be nothing but a burden. I want to be able to actually help¡± I answer. Kylana and the other adult female walk closer to me, looking at me for a moment before they begin talking in their strange tongue with the two males. Then before I even notice that they had stopped talking I am tackled to the ground by the young teenage male. I let out a yell of pain as he bites down on my shoulder. I try to push him off but fail, the shorter, younger boy is stronger than he looks. I can hear Abagail scream as she rushes over to me. Yet just as she arrives the boy stands up and spits my blood out onto the ground. He steps back and wipes the blood running down his face and seems to be swearing in his strange language. ¡°If you go insane we¡¯ll put you down, if you survive the change you will be of the Pack. Then, you might be taught¡± one of the females say but I don¡¯t catch which one as I panic to stop my bleeding. ¡°Why did you just bite him?¡± another voice I recognize asks. ¡°He wanted to be stronger, to not stay a weakling surviving on your power¡± a female voice says before a male voice interrupts, ¡°Ragnan, you went too deep. He''s bleeding out." An instant later the throbbing pain of the cut and chill of my draining blood pauses. The chill begins to dissipate as the pain grows stronger. I let out a grunt as something touches me the pain of my injury rapidly dims to nothing. I feel exhausted but open my eyes to see surrounded in dark spots Adrian¡¯s face and eyes that can no longer mark him as human. The slitted reptilian eyes may still have the same light that I know is my friend but how inhuman they look bothers me. Another sign of just how much he has changed to survive in this world. How much of his humanity he''s lost in the months we¡¯ve been here. How he barely looks like himself anymore. Taller, with a strong athletic build compared to the scrawny thinness he had before. How he holds himself ready to fight rather than relaxing. He¡¯s done everything he can while I¡¯m still struggling with the basics of mana. I can barely hold my own against a grunt soldier while Adrian can blast them to bits with lightning or tear then apart with his bare hands. ¡°Do you want me to heal the lycanthropy as well?¡± Adrian asks. ¡°What?¡± I ask. ¡°You just got bit by a werewolf. I healed the physical damage but there is lycanthropy in your blood right now. Do you want me to remove it too?¡± I pause for a moment, not sure what to say. That women, Kylana hinted that she might teach me if I survive and adapt to being a werewolf but I don¡¯t want to turn into a mindless killing machine under the moon. But is that assumption correct? ¡°What will it do to me?¡± I ask. ¡°Increased physical attributes, additional power based on the phase of the moon, becoming more difficult to damage, vulnerability to silver, an alternate ego that can and will hijack control of your body under the full moon, shapeshifting, heightened senses, forced schizophrenia, heightened hormone levels, preferring to have rarer or raw meat, and as you¡¯ll be an afflicted lycanthrope it may cause physical degeneration when you¡¯re older.¡± I pause for a moment, only a few of those bad and if those I¡¯ve seen far are anything to go by then only the last is the one I have to worry about. And that only matters if I manage to live long enough. . . ¡°No, leave it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± he asks. I pause for a moment, my guilt about what¡¯s happened while we¡¯ve been in this world no doubt showing on my face before I answer, ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay weak. It¡¯ll make me stronger¡± then maybe I can actually pull my own weight. I expect him to say something, anything to try and talk me out of it but he just nods before two book appear in his hands. ¡°If you change your mind, let me know before the full moon. You should also read these.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it, you¡¯re just going to let him be infected with werewolfism?¡± Abagail asks angrily at Adrian as I fail to read the titles on the books ¡°Why not, it¡¯s his decision and lycanthropy does make someone stronger if they can handle the increased instincts and make peace with their beast.¡± ¡°But he''ll be a monster!¡± ¡°His choice.¡± ¡°Just because you went and threw away your humanity for your delusions of being a dragon doesn¡¯t mean Bryan should become a werewolf.¡± ¡°Abagail, they aren¡¯t delusions¡± Adrian says as his voice deepens, his skin turning to scales, horns growing close to where his ears were, tail and wings extending from his back side. ¡°I am a dragon¡± he states just as he finishes becoming a black winged lizard larger than a Clydesdale. Danny looks absolutely terrified of him while Ria hugs his tail as it circles around her and Kythia. For an instant I wonder just why Adrian kept Danny after rescuing her but right now it doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°Abagail stop, it¡¯s my decision to make. Adrian, I can¡¯t read these books¡± I say interrupting before Abagail can once more lose at ''poking the bear''. While shifting back to human form, Adrian says, ¡°they¡¯re in orcish. You¡¯ll have to buy the language from the Architect''s System.¡± ¡°You can do that?¡± I ask as Abagail says something I don¡¯t catch. ¡°Yes, but learning on your own is better for most things. You get a deeper understanding rather than having to focus on the imbued knowledge for full comprehension.¡± ¡°What are the books about?¡± ¡°It¡¯d be better if you read the titles yourself.¡± I sigh and nod, wondering if I¡¯ll even have the ability to get the needed language. I then watch as Adrian. Passes out item after item to the other people in our strange group, each one appearing out of nowhere. As soon as everyone has what they asked for, Analais says, ¡°Adrian, Kythia take up the rear guard. Kylana, Alana we¡¯re leading the front.¡± No one else says anything though I look at Abagail to see an angry scowl as we begin to walk northeast, to get around Daerth before we will turn southeast to get on or perhaps go parallel to the road.
It is several hours into the night by the time we actually stop for the night. Abagail having long since turned into a mindless zombie from fatigue, immediately collapses while I seriously consider doing the same. Several of the werewolves look at her with frowns as they mutter something that has to be derogatory towards her stamina before they begin to ignore her once more. Ria let¡¯s herself down from Adrian¡¯s back before running over to Kythia as she and her mother begin to carve up a deer that Analais somehow managed to hunt down without allowing us to slow one bit. ¡°The food will be ready in about half an hour¡± Adrian answers my unspoken question before he pulls a book out of the air. ¡°Where did you manage to hide all this stuff without anyone noticing?¡± I ask while taking off and rubbing my own feet. ¡°Not sure, but it¡¯s somewhere in the gap between planes.¡± ¡°Translocation Grasp let¡¯s you do that?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s a dragon power.¡± ¡°How did you manage to do that with holes in your flow of mana?¡± Danny asks. ¡°What?¡± Adrian asks confused. ¡°Your mana, it had gaps in it. How did you keep it from blowing up?¡± ¡°Gaps? What gaps?¡± The two of them begin to talk in another strange tongue and I wonder just how many has Adrian learned. Chapter 060 The Sage is a reclusive god that chronicles the events that happen and records any and all knowledge that he can. His followers are known for having knowledge of forbidden arts that are banned by other gods and most nations. He does not forbid any knowledge and has extensive rules about how and when to use the darker lores, including how to evaluate circumstantial issues.
Adrian
¡°Can¡¯t you see a difference between your spells and others''¡± Danny asks changing to Draconic. ¡°What do you mean? What¡¯s wrong with my mana and what do you mean see?¡± I ask slightly worried. Did my Ravnos powers reduce my mana talents again? If Spheres lower it, I may as well abandon it. ¡°There were gaps in that spell you used to call an object to you. Why haven¡¯t you used your eyes to look at it? You¡¯re a full dragon, you should be able to.¡± ¡°I can see mana?¡± ¡°Just focus on it like. . .¡± I don¡¯t pay attention to the last part of her sentence as I focus, not unlike when I shift my vision to Infrared. The world shifts to a mostly empty blackness with thin trails of blue. Tiny streams of energy flowing through many but not all of the living things around me. I look around for a moment before my vision shifts back to the normal spectrum. I try to focus on seeing mana again but my sight keeps reverting back faster than I can switch to this manasight. ¡°Danny, what do you think about making a deal?¡± I ask and she just stares at me in surprise and fear as I once more have to stop myself from moving closer. She¡¯s more useful alive than in my stomach. That thought calms my instincts once more but I don¡¯t think it will last forever. ¡°My name''s not Danny.¡± ¡°Teach me all you can about mana and dragons, pay tribute to me in blood, and help me in acquiring more draconic things to eat. What do you want in return aside from not being eaten and protection?¡± ¡°You to use my name and. . .¡± ¡°Your name''s too long, next request¡± I interject. ¡°. . . help me with my own endeavors¡± she continues frowning at my rejection of using her full name. ¡°And those are?¡± ¡°I, I want to become a full dragon¡± she says while looking down as if that were something wrong. ¡°Okay, why did you say that like it was wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s blasphemous.¡± ¡°So? Wouldn¡¯t it be a good thing to become what you look up to?¡± She pauses for a moment before something clicks in her mind and she nods. Then I think she remembers what I am and cowers ever so slightly, moving slight farther away from me. ¡°Anything else?¡± I ask. She just shakes her head. ¡°Alright, I''ll help. What racial classes do you have?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very rude. . .¡± ¡°I have to start with something. Now answer the question.¡± ¡°Dragon Disciple and Mana-borne¡± she says with that fear of me creaping into her voice again but I ignore that detail for the moment. ¡°What''s are the details of Dragon Disciple?¡± ¡°Venerating your draconic ancestor thus becoming more like their half dragon child that is your connection to them for you are also a child of a dragon.¡± ¡°That sounds like a step below Dragon Knight.¡± ¡°Dragon Knight?¡± ¡°Emulate the dragon whose blood you share and become it. When you reach the pinacle, you fully become one.¡± At least here it does. . . ¡°How did you get it?¡± ¡°Hereditary, but it is something for you to look into.¡± ¡°How can I gain access to a hereditary class that I didn¡¯t start with?¡± I pause for a moment before answering, ¡°Ravnos Magic.¡± Wouldn¡¯t it be similar to how I helped the twins before? I don¡¯t have quite the same ability yet but . . . ¡°Ravnos Magic is a ridiculous myth. A power that can ignore the Laws of Conservation can¡¯t exist. And even if they do exist, how would we ever find and get one to help? They don¡¯t. . .¡± Something in me finds her rant amusing and I start laughing at the end. I don¡¯t know what she ended on but she stops shortly after I start laughing. Ria interrupts bringing me a bowl with cooked venison cubes in it. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± she asks with her tails wagging.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°She''s going on about how Ravnos are just a myth, can¡¯t exist and aren¡¯t on this plane¡± I answer before taking a bite of the deer meat. It¡¯s a little undercooked but I¡¯ve been enjoying rarer meats since becoming a dragon. I smile at Ria as she points and laughs at Danny, who is not very confused. ¡°You don¡¯t know¡± and similar phrases come out of Ria''s mouth for several seconds before Danny asks, ¡°why is this funny?¡± ¡°Adrian is a Ravnos¡± Bryan states slowly before going back to the he thinner of the two books I just gave him. He must have already meditated and used the Architect¡¯s System to get the language. ¡°You¡¯re a Ravnos?¡± Talia asks in skeptical disbelief. ¡°But the Ravnos are supposed to be a human only House¡± Danny says not believing me. ¡°Shall I do some manaless magic then?¡± I ask ¡°How can we know your not cheating with another energy source or base manipulation?¡± Danny asks. For an instant I want to say ¡°scale¡± and just throw everything into a lightning bolt towards the sky but that would probably draw too much attention. Instead I go for scale in another direction weaving and switching between the Spheres of Fire, Light, Lightning and Darkness. Motes of colored light, strange fires, shadow and static discharge dance through the air. Light and shadow forming images of random patterns before they negate each other while the fire and lightning circle me as they spread outwards, never touching any of those in our group. I can feel building tension of reality pushing back, the growing threat of a backlash but I hold it for a few seconds longer. Just long enough for whatever detection spell Danny cast as to show her nothing. Then I let reality reassert what should actually be here and all that I did fades, leaving only the smell of soot and ozone in the air as proof it even happened. ¡°I¡¯m actually a lot better at Ravnos Magic than mana-based magic¡± I say as Kythia walks over and then whispers ¡°do you want to go hunting tonight?¡± in my ear. ¡°Sure, but not yet¡± I whisper back as Danny''s louder voice keeps everyone else from hearing what we said as she says, ¡°but, you don¡¯t have the control to do this. Let alone the inversions that would be needed to conceal the mana to where it can¡¯t be detected.¡± ¡°Inversions?¡± Bryan asks. ¡°A method to keep mana from being detected¡± Lysan answers his question as Danny is not paying attention to him. ¡°There are multiple ways to hide mana?¡± Bryan asks but no one answers that question. Only a few seconds later does Danny comes to the conclusion that I could not have done it through any way she knows of. By this point however I¡¯ve finished with talking to her for now. Ria walks up to me with another bowl of the partially cooked meat and says, ¡°feed me?¡± with a smile. I smile before patting my lap. She smiles and lays down and I start giving her the pieces one by one. I start absent mindedly playing with one of her ears just as Danny says, ¡°I agree.¡± I nod towards her before saying, ¡°go eat and leave me to think.¡± The twins are looking at me while trying to hide it; Lysan with curiosity while Talia is more guarded. Should I mess with them? No, there actually are important things I need to think about. I need to help everyone else become stronger, practice with both Ravnos and Mana magic, find more dragons to eat, continue Martial training, help the twins get back to the elves, vengeance on the Althaen with some extra on the Holy One''s church, and figure out how to open and close rifts without Ravnos magic all while giving my girls the attention they deserve. . . I¡¯ll need to get a look at Bryan¡¯s, Ragnan''s and probably Analais''s reflections on the fabric of reality to actually help Bryan. . . Wait, could I also use it to help Analais? Is his runt version of lycanthropy due to it being incomplete like the twins'' Solar Elf or some other defect? No, lycanthropy is a supernatural viral infection at the start. His constant contact with Alana would have filled it in. Perhaps something about your physical body resists or can¡¯t support it? I¡¯m not sure I have the skill to figure that out. Not yet. But Bryan, I can probably help him now. First, he¡¯ll feel weaker as it spreads through every cell in his body. Then under the full moon he¡¯ll gain his wolf half. Not sure how that works but it will be interesting to watch, especially if I manage to get some sort of soulsight going through Ravnos magic. But what can I do now? Heal the damaged caused by the virus sacrificing some of his cells to multiply. . . and what? I need something that will help him handle the instincts of a beast. I glance at Abagail, should I stage a way for her to be ''married'' to him? Or would it be easier to find another female? No, he may not calm his instincts the same way I do. Meditation maybe? Perhaps all three, I doubt Abagail could tire a moonlight empowered lycanthrope and it would also be amusing to see how she copes with having competition. What else? Nothing that can help him now. I need to learn more about the body and soul first. I look over to Kylana just as I run out of meat to feed Ria. ¡°I¡¯m not bringing you food to feed your pet fox¡± she says and Ria just sticks her tongue out at her. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to ask that. Would you teach me blood magic?¡± I say in response. ¡°Why? You have no need of supplementing your mana with blood and I doubt it¡¯ll be more useful than whatever power let you do what you just did.¡± ¡°Ravnos magic has its own drawbacks, some that mana based magic does not have. I can also probably use the ideas from blood magic to add to both of my repertoires.¡± ¡°I thought that the Ravnos were against all forms of dark magic.¡± ¡°Certain kinds yes but others depend on the use. Sometimes dark magic is a good thing, what happens is more important than the title given.¡± Kylana smiles at that and says, ¡°tomorrow then, I can teach you and Kythia the basics as we walk.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°How did you do that?¡± Kythia asks me quietly. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Mother never just agrees to teach magic so easily.¡± ¡°Really? She always seemed to be fairly willing to teach me.¡± ¡°You never wanted to put in the work to go beyond the basics and expected it to just work because of your high talent without the work your mate put in before I even started teaching him. I still think your control is lacking but there¡¯s no reason for me to repeat myself all over again in a few weeks¡± Kylana says to answer her daughter¡¯s question. ¡°I need to borrow Analais and Kylana. We¡¯ll be back before dawn so don¡¯t let Ragnan die before we get back¡± Alana says before grabbing her friends arm and winks at me. ¡°But. . .¡± Kylana begins before she is cut off by Alana saying, ¡°it¡¯s not that, not yet. I¡¯ll be performing the Rite of the False Moon for you.¡± I look to K, wondering if she can fill me in on what that rite is but she doesn¡¯t seem to know and Alana has already managed to pull Kylana a fair ways away from us. ¡°Why are they leaving?¡± Abagail asks. ¡°Nothing that concerns us.¡± ¡°But aren¡¯t they supposed to be protecting us?¡± I don¡¯t bother answering Abagail¡¯s question. Short of a powerful supernatural creature or someone with several abjurations on them I should be able to handle anything that just shows up. Instead, I start making a mental inventory of Void Cache. I need at least five tents, four if my guess for what Alana pulled her denmates away for is what I think it is. Chapter 061 The Hunter is a minor god, his exact domains are often debated among the learned and the only one they all agree that he has is patience. He is often considered a deity of the woods and other wild places but not all hunting is done in the wild. Some argue that he is an amalgamation of house gods and doesn¡¯t actually exist.
Kylana
I actually see Analais nervous as Alana guide the two of us into the woods. We walk nearly half an hour away before finding a clearing far enough away that the rite should not affect the rest of the pack. We stop as Alana says, ¡°this place will work.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re up for this?¡± I ask, worried that she may not have recovered from her latest child. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have dragged the two of you out here otherwise. Now be a good densister and sit¡± she says while pulling out a wax statue of a wolf. She sets it down in the middle of the three of us as we all sit. She then bites her thumb and smears the dripping blood on the candle, once she has done so Analais and me do the same leaving three red streaks that all but cover the entire statute. With a word, Alana lights the wax on fire and the smoke begins to circle around us. The white cloud slowly taking on a silver hue as we all breathe in and out the fumes. The sent of wet earth and crisp night air fills our noses. My heart beats faster as I feel my wolf stir. Some of the smoke breaks off from its circle and rises above our head, taking the shape of a small silver ball before it begins to glow. I hear my soul sister growl in the back of my mind, upset at being woken up so abruptly. The world seems to spin and tilt, making me feel sick so I close my eyes waiting for the feeling to stop. I feel my soul sister move somehow and my eyes snap open to a perfectly still world. The smoke circling around the three of us billows and seems to become almost solid as it condenses into three forms. Each a wolf of different sizes next to us. My own is the largest with her shoulders just shy of where my own would be if I was standing, though Alana¡¯s is close if skinnier than she should be. Analais¡¯s however I a tiny scraggly thing smaller than his human form, barely the size of a dog. Analais has always been a good friend, we trained together before each of us passed our trials into adulthood, but his wolf was the greatest shame to the pack. A weakling who even with the full moon could not cause a full transformation. I glance at Analais as he opens his eyes and lowers his head to the other wolf spirits. My own growls at him, ignoring the wolf by his side as insignificant. It is Alana¡¯s wolf who is the first to speak, ¡°you know why we¡¯re here.¡± My soul sister looks at the runt spirit and sneers, ¡°I won¡¯t let a runt have me.¡± Analais¡¯s wolf makes no response other than to look at Analais who says, ¡°you do not think I am strong enough.¡± ¡°You are weak, your seed only brings dead pups.¡± ¡°Yet I am alpha, the other males are your son and your daughter¡¯s mate who says he isn¡¯t ready to be alpha.¡± ¡°I will not submit to a weak male.¡± ¡°Then submit to the human rather than the wolf¡± Alana¡¯s wolf says. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe the things he can do¡± Alana brags with the smirk she always uses. All her stories that I only half believe flash through my mind, upsetting my wolf further.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. She growls at Analais but he stares back even as his wolf moves behind him. At first I think his wolf is cowering but no, it moved to get out of the way while still giving what little support it could to Analais. ¡°Sister, . . .¡± I start before my wolf cuts me off saying ¡°The pack is too small. His seed grows dead pups.¡± I pause, sister is right. The pack is too small, we don¡¯t have enough members. I should be turning humans and testing them to see if they are worthy of the gift, not taking an effectively sterile mate. I glance at Analais, his face a reflection of the same guilt I feel but stronger. Still, he does not break his eye contact with my soul sister; continuing to challenge her. The same look of determination in his eyes that lead him to be the most skilled Hunter in the pack. The same look that he had when he beat down every other male that challenged him for Alana with only minor help from her. I look over to my soul sister and say, ¡°sister, at least let him prove his worth. He is needed.¡± My wolf glares at me for a moment before nodding. She then turns to Analais and growls, ¡°fight me then. Prove your strength runt.¡± Analais does not answer. He stands up and in the curling smoke my wolf lunges at him. He sidesteps, turning just enough to get the space to draw a knife from his belt. The knife sinks into the fur of my soul sister before the blade breaks. My wolf¡¯s fur and hide to strong for the iron blade but still it draws blood and Analias runs his own hand through the cut preventing it from healing as it should. The injury on the smoke body of my wolf reflects onto my own and my blood begins to spill from a cut on my left side. Analais pulls another blade from his belt and throws it into the billowing smoke, this time the weapon doing nothing but a minor annoyance as my wolf gets into melee distance once more. He dodges a claw swipe by grabbing hold of the claw and swinging himself onto my wolf¡¯s back. I wonder for a moment what he could possibly want to do from there without a weapon before I see his nails extend, piercing through his gloves. No not nails, claws but they¡¯re also too small. That can¡¯t be a partial transformation, even if he could there is no way that his wolf is strong enough for it nor does he have the magical talents to shapeshift with any sort of spell. . . My thoughts stop as a flare of pain erupts from my back, my scream of pain echoing my wolf¡¯s as his somehow clawed hand tares into the back of the smoky manifestation of my wolf. ¡°Submit¡± he growls into her ear as another not quite clawed hand rests on the back of her neck, the points just barely drawing blood. A threat that he can sever the spine from where he now is. I can feel rage and shame well up within my wolf, but she does stop. Neither of us can figure out how he managed to manifest his claws, but she lowers herself to the ground and shows her belly. She does not break eye contact, she still does not like this, but she does submit to him. I am not sure if I am happy or upset. I am glad that my wolf has accepted he actually does have some strength but at the same time I am furious with myself that some part of our twin soul lost to half of a runt. Somehow that makes me angrier than losing most of the pack to an Althaen army. Yet at the same time I am proud of my friend, that he can with just his skill take down my raw power. ¡°I repeat my invitation to share a place in my den and the warmth of my mate¡± Alana and her wolf both say with a proud smile. I look at my soul sister, I can feel how she does not think it is a good idea to take a mate that cannot sire new pack members. How she does not like the idea of a mate that is so much weaker and smaller than our last one. I mentally nudge her, reminding her that he I strong enough to beat her and Ragnar was also weaker than us. She grumbles for a moment before saying, ¡°Analais, my name is Bloodfang.¡± He nods and smiles stepping back before saying, ¡°thank you Bloodfang, my wolf¡¯s name is Witheredfang.¡± Alana smiles as she walks over to me and begins to chant the words to a healing spell. Her use of magic ending the ritual that allowed our wolves to manifest. The smoke that makes up their form begins to dissipate and rise upwards into the sky as it quickly loses the magic that held it in place. My wounds close as the odd tingle of healing magic washes over me. A few seconds pass before Alana stops and Analais helps me up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for hurting you¡± he says. Before I can respond, Alana smirks and says, ¡°don¡¯t apologize, kiss her.¡± He smiles and stands up straighter, still slightly shorter than be before pulling me to him. His arms wrap around me and our lips touch. He kisses me in a way Ragnar never did, softly, tenderly, a gentle caress with more than just the crude lust that Ragnar never went past. I struggle to reciprocate, unsure how to show anything but crude physical lust. My heart flutters and I can¡¯t help but take a step forward when he separates from me. ¡°Enjoying yourself?¡± Alana asks with the most infuriating smirk. ¡°You can tease her later¡± Analais says to Alana and she just smiles before walking up to me and pulling me into a hug. ¡°He only keeps getting better. Enjoy it¡± Alana whispers before stepping away and saying, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the two of you alone.¡± Chapter 062 The Fisherman is a minor deity, sometimes called a demigod as an insult by the clergy of the stronger gods. He is known to be the weakest of the divines in the Althaen Pantheon, ruling over streams and the act of fishing. He is also known as the god of patience, waiting for the perfect moment to get the most out of any given action. He actually shares that domain with several other demigods, the Hunter being the only other with a large enough following to be considered more than a house god.
Dam? R¨¢meri
I watch my latest project as he devours the life from a pair of gnolls, he is progressing faster than I had thought on most fronts but his growing addiction to life force is troubling. Another gnoll rushes in and interrupts the feeding process by putting an axe into Tomas''s side but the boy barely notices the axe over having the now corpses of his victims torn from his grasp. The gnoll panics as the boy rips the axe out of himself and the gnoll''s grasp before throwing it aside. The axe lands at my feet, the gnoll screams as it is tackled to the ground by a hand teen just over half it¡¯s size. A strong specimen of it¡¯s race but like most of it¡¯s kin, too stupid to realize we are the predators not the prey. I look into the eyes of my project as he begins to feel that on the gnoll¡¯s life, the bleeding of his own wounds ceases and the flesh knots itself closed in seconds as the gnoll ages significantly past the decade or two that it probably would have lived naturally. The process has been refined enough, but I do not like the look in the boy''s eyes. He still fears and hates having to feed like this but can¡¯t stop himself. He looks around, ignoring the desiccated corpses of the gnoll tribe as he looks for another meal. He sees me and shivers, having learned that I am the one being he should never even think of trying to feed on. He is a danger to anything around him and I should write him off as a failure but since the only two peoples around are tainted and the Holy One''s idiots, I don¡¯t really care if he runs loose. ¡°Why do you keep setting me up to lose control?¡± the boy finally asks after staring at me for several seconds. ¡°I already told you, either embrace your instincts or they will rule you. Surrender to the current and guide it¡± I answer like the people I am thinking about ditching him on. I glance to the southeast, a lot of blood and death happened in that direction recently and I want to have a look. Perhaps I can find a better base for this project. . . ¡°That doesn¡¯t tell me why it keeps getting harder to stay in control!¡± I don¡¯t bother responding, he would not understand how the body and spirit are linked. His spirit was roughly equal to the body weeks ago but now the body has grown far faster than the spirit. Maybe starving the body for a time to restore the balance? Hmm, I know how to bind and destroy souls but helping one grow is not my forte. Yes, I like this idea more and more. The Jade Empire owes me a few favors and I¡¯ll be able to look into who managed to cause so much death among the Church of the Holy One. ¡°Tomas, shut up and take my hand.¡± ¡°No, not until. . .¡± Stupid teen, I roll my eyes and just spend the extra mana for Mass Teleportation instead of Apportation. Of course, my own versions of the two spells are slightly different. The spilt blood flows along the floor forming I to the glyphs that set where we will be teleported to. The boy panics, remembering many other things that I¡¯ve done to him before in a flash of bloody light we find ourselves standing in a courtyard of tiled jade. A white wooden gazebo behind me covered in more gold and jade while in front is a building of black marble, small but more Ethan large enough to have a few rooms. My very presence slowly turns the tiles near me red but the two wolfkin ashigaru that stand guard remain where they are. Their jade tipped spears at their side. I am known here, welcomed as a guest but never to stay for long. ¡°Blood Immortal, why have you come?¡± a black haired kitsune in a robe asks as his five tails betray his worry over my presence. ¡°Relax, I¡¯ll make some blood jade you can gift in apologies for what I require of the Brotherhood¡± I say as I try to remember who this kitsune is. It has been a century or two since I¡¯ve been here, and I just can¡¯t remember any black kitsune. ¡°What are you talking about and what¡¯s going on?¡± my project asks as he restrains himself from trying to start a fight.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°You¡¯ll be staying here for a few weeks. Learn their language and anything they teach you. Also, their weapons are one of the few things your especially vulnerable to so I do not advise fighting them.¡± I then turn back to the black kitsune who is frowning at my project. ¡°Please tell me the uncouth peasant is not actually staying¡± the kitsune pleads. ¡°No, I want the Brotherhood to teach him some of the Way. He¡¯s losing himself to the darkness I put within him. If you could help him become somewhat cultured while you¡¯re at it I would be most grateful.¡± ¡°He must be terrible indeed if you the Blood Immortal known for his rudeness calls him so.¡± ¡°I¡¯m immortal, that doesn¡¯t mean I have time to refuse a gift thrice before accepting or dancing around a subject for hours before having alluded to all the details; I don''t control time.¡± ¡°Will you at least accept the offer of tea?¡± ¡°I always have time for the tea of the Jade Empire, so long as you haven¡¯t had to stoop to the tea the Althaen use.¡± ¡°Of course not, shall we?¡± the kitsune asks while motioning to the gazebo behind me. I nod, making a minor bow. The minimum respect he must be shown as a host but any respect given by me is an honor to them. My project follows the two of us, gaping at the golden inlays amongst the jade. The idiot probably hasn¡¯t realized we¡¯re in a giant spellform that ¡®purifies'' fiendish power. As I sit at the intricately carved white wooden table one of the servants sets a silver tea set in the center for my host to serve from. Which he does in their ceremonial fashion, he is skilled and graceful managing to make characters with the rising steam, but the true significance is lost on me. ¡°You are skilled in this art¡± I say in complement as I taste the tea and smile, enjoying the blend. ¡°It was difficult to find a suitable plant; this land does not have the proper one and it shames me to serve you this.¡± ¡°There is no shame in failures that are not your own¡± I start before standing up, having finished the small cup, and saying ¡°I would also like to see one of the seers while I am here.¡± ¡°Of course, but the peasant cannot be allowed in the Temple of the Void.¡± I nod and turn to my project, ¡°stay here. They will send a teacher who can speak with you when they are ready.¡± I then follow the black furred kitsune to the building he was in before I arrived. The black marble and silver engravings far more to my liking than the gold and jade of the rest of this outpost. Soon we are in a small room with a silver pedestal holding up a crystal bowl filled with pure water. The grain of the marble somehow matching the stars of the night sky perfectly, the constellations seamlessly lining up to the night sky. I can¡¯t feel the magic that must be involved but I have been in similar rooms before. I pause for a moment, where is the seer? Unless, I turn to the black kitsune who smiles. ¡°As the Forty-Eighth Keeper of the Flames of the Void what is it you wish to ask?¡± the black kitsune asks as his eyes fill with the black emptiness of the strange magic he practices. The slightest runs through my body as I am once more reminded that this specific kind of magic might actually be able to harm me. Forty-eighth, so it¡¯s been three generations of seers since I¡¯ve visited. No wonder I didn¡¯t recognize him, he probably was a kit or a thought when I was here last. ¡°Some months ago there was odd spatial disturbance near the Bloodclaw, a few days ago a lot of Althaen worshipers of the Holy One died near them. What details can you see about this?¡± The kitsune seems to chuckle but no sound comes out, his mouth moves as he says the very words I asked him. His eyes rapidly move for several seconds before they stop and he grabs ahold of the crystal bowl. An inky blackness blooms from the center of the clear water and the stars in the sky and marble of the room begin to spin. A black fire burst from the bowl as it becomes fully black and then everything returns to how it was in an instant. The black kitsune stares at the once more clear water before saying words that make no sound but the water ripples and show them in text. Behind them an image of a black dragon and a man facing away from each other. A boy, no a man came from a beyond the stars; touched both body and soul. A dragon who breathes light and emptiness gathers a hoard most strange. The image shifts, now three gates, rifts in a triangle held on one side of a balance while the other a sword and chain. Power enough to end the struggle, gates close or open, they matter not. His chosen returned to the true world. Others dead or damned again. I frown as this is not helpful to me. So, someone was brought in or sent from another plane and there¡¯s a dragon I don¡¯t recognize by the description. The rifts are almost certainly the portals that started the whole demon invasion mess and this person or dragon will bring some people to another plane. Not much to go off of, bit it is more than I had. ¡°Thank you,Seer¡± I say just as the darkness leaves the eyes of the kitsune. He doesn¡¯t even seem as tired as the last seer was after their Communion with the Void. ¡°I am afraid I must now retire, Blood Immortal.¡± I bow slightly to the kitsune before following him out of the building. Once more in the Jade courtyard I look over to a stack of jade slabs and almost consider just leaving. I¡¯ve already fulfilled what I said I would do in that several of the tiles on the floor have turned blood red due to my presence, but I know what they will use blood jade for. I step up to the pile and cut my hand open with a jade blade handed to me by a servant. I let my blood roll over the dozen slabs before recalling my blood to me. The Jade stays its color even after the cut is undone. I ignore the looks that the peasant soldiers give and in an instant, I use Apportation. With a burst of sound only I¡¯d don¡¯t hear I now stand in a scorched forest. Now to sunder the veil and call on the souls of the dead. . . Chapter 063 The dwarves have but one god, Enthrul, The Stone Father, Life Forger, Firstborn of the Earth. He is the embodiment of all that the dwarves people as he guides the to better both themselves and their nation. Yet, just as one man cannot personally direct all things he is aided by the greatest of the dwarfs¡¯ ancestors.
Abagail
Another week has passed in this god forsaken world. The whole week we¡¯ve been walking through the woods eastwards, mostly in silence aside from the werewolves talking to each other in their bestial tongue, Adrian talking with his prisoner about his delusions of dragonhood, or Bryan asking questions about the books Adrian gave him. He only ever told me about the first, Introduction into the Grey Arts. I¡¯ve told him several times that he should not mess with that sort of magic, but he keeps reading both it and the other book that he refuses to tell me what¡¯s in it. As the world dims and the sun sets in the west, I look at the moon. It¡¯s not the full moon tonight, maybe I can still talk Bryan out of going through with his insanity of letting himself become a monster like Adrian has. I look around as we stop, I didn¡¯t notice anyone call for us to do so. They must have done it in one of their foreign languages. Why can¡¯t they be sensible and use a language that everyone in the group understands? I walk over to Bryan intent on trying to convince him to stop looking into evil powers and notice that once more Adrian is talking to the elven twins, causing one of them to blush right in front of the two girls he claims to be married to. I but my tongue, I should say something. Call him out on his sinful actions but that won¡¯t change anything. I really need to warn those poor young elves that Adrian is fooling them, that he should not be saying whatever it is that is causing one of them to blush. But every time I¡¯m near them Kythia or Ria is there, and I know they want, actually want Adrian to pull more people into their promiscuity. I ignore the glare from the werewolf boy that hurt Bryan as I pass him only to see Bryan begin walking towards Adrian after setting up my tent. ¡°Adrian, did you give me the second book because of the notes in it?¡± he asks. ¡°They were yours. Something you came up with¡± Adrian answers without mentioning what they are really talking about. ¡°Did it work?¡± ¡°Its missing a soul anchor.¡± Soul anchor? What are they talking about? ¡°Can you do that part?¡± Adrian nods and Bryan then asks, ¡°will it cause problems with tomorrow.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Affect definitely, negative effects probably not much but it is possible.¡± ¡°Will you help me do it?¡± ¡°What are you planning on doing?¡± I ask interjecting before Adrian can finish setting Bryan up to lose his humanity. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it¡± Bryan says before pulling me into a hug and continuing ¡°it¡¯ll help me keep us alive.¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t do this. You don¡¯t have to throw away everything that really matters. We don¡¯t need to throw away our sou. . .¡± I begin to plead before he cuts me off. ¡°Abagail, these are things I have to do. And don¡¯t be ridiculous nothing I¡¯ve done or am going to do will cost me my soul. Now I need to. . .¡± Bryan begins before I shout to cut him off. ¡°Bryan! Please don¡¯t, you don¡¯t have to do whatever it . . .¡± I yell at him pleading but he just turns away and while my mouth keeps moving the world goes silent. I glare at the fox who corrupted Adrian just as sound returns to the world. I hear Bryan saying ¡°. . . te me but it¡¯s more important for me to be able to actually help.¡± As I take a step forward to follow Bryan and Adrian, to try and talk him out of this, a hand stops me. A voice I recognize as Adrian¡¯s werewolf bitch says, ¡°you¡¯re not interrupting them.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see that they¡¯re making a mistake?¡± I ask struggling to get out of her grip. The much taller woman turns me around as she says ¡°you have no idea what they are doing. Don¡¯t act like you know what is best.¡± I glare at her, I know that anything dark is a mistake. God would not have commanded the Jews to kill dark mages if it wasn¡¯t, but I can¡¯t say that. She would just laugh and ignore it just as she seems to be amused by my glares. ¡°Tell me tiny human is a magic that protects crops from being eaten by insects evil?¡± the older werewolf woman with silver hair asks. ¡°No¡± I answer. ¡°The best magics for that are variations of Plague, Disease, Contagion, Infection, Blight, Poison, Toxic and other such spells. Do you know what else such magic can do?¡± ¡°There are ways to do that without evil magic.¡± ¡°What? A ward that strike only a certain creature can just as easily be tuned to humans. A barrier that stops entry could be applied to stop the blood from entering the heart. Summoning an ally can as you know be used to kidnap. Anything beyond trivial cantrips can be used for both good and evil.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t fall to temptation, give up. I¡¯m not going to . . .¡± I am cut off as a hand covers my mouth.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Thank you Kythia. Now you stupid midget of a human, I want you to listen. Actually, listen as I state this as clearly as possible. What you do with power is almost always more important that what the power is. I am tired of having to hear you go on and on about your flawed interpretation of how the world works.¡± I glare at the monster woman, unable to understand how she truly seems to care for my benefit as she is tempting me to accept evil power. Can¡¯t even she see that evil can only lead to more evil, that they should be trying to repent and become human again rather than reveling in their unnatural wolf monsterness? ¡°She isn¡¯t going to get it if you keep using force¡± one of the elven girls says as she walks over to us. ¡°We are not a people of flowery words or subtlety. If you can do better than do so¡± the tall werewolf woman says to the elf. ¡°Abagail, your taking this all the wrong way. Am I evil?¡± the elf says and I am already skeptical to her intentions. ¡°I don¡¯t know you well enough to decide that¡± I answer. She pauses for a moment, upset, angry at me not agreeing but she hides it well. Then she continues, ¡°they are not trying to convince you that evil is okay and needed. . .¡± I snort, like I would ever accept such a thing. ¡°. . . they were trying to say that you made a mistake in labeling them as evil. Fire can burn down your house or cook your food preventing you from getting sick. So, is fire inning of itself evil? Or is it the person who uses it to kill innocents evil?¡± I frown, not liking where this is going but answer ¡°the person.¡± The elf nods, ¡°They were trying to say that most power is the same way. What it is used to do, with some exceptions, determines if it is evil or not. Magic itself is not good or evil, nor are lycanthropes. You don¡¯t need to worry about your friend becoming an evil monster just because he is learning something that you don¡¯t understand.¡± My frown does not move, and the phrase Satan¡¯s greatest tool is that he convinced the world he doesn¡¯t exist runs through my mind. But this is also one of the very few times that I have been allowed to talk to either of the elves. . . ¡°So, the giant wolf-monster-man thing wasn¡¯t evil?¡± She pauses for a moment and the look on the werewolves¡¯ faces is one of both anger and sadness. ¡°No, he was evil. He turned to magics that stole power from others and was consumed by it¡± Kylana says while gritting her teeth. ¡°The girl has already set her mind, until she¡¯s willing to learn there is no teaching her¡± a voice says and we all turn to see an elf dressed in black and red. The elven twins look at the man in fear? but don¡¯t say anything, the werewolves however seem notably more readied for a fight; that is a except for Kylana who says something in their strange tongue, a single word. After which they appear confused before Kylana begins, ¡°Giver of the Gift, Pack Bloodclaw welcomes you.¡± The strange elf smiles, and a shiver goes down my spine. The man feels wrong in every way I can think of. My blood runs cold as his eyes pass over me, and I can see nothing but him judging me as if I were but a piece of meat. . . ¡°I see that you have yet to inform your new mate of my identity. No matter, I would speak to the two of you and . . . Alana, you as well.¡±
Dam? R¨¢meri
The elven twins, no doubt royals that begged my werewolves for help, get out of the way with just the right amount of elven pride to make me smile in memory of my time with the people. Three of the werewolves follow me to a nearby clearing, likely outside of the hearing of the human that seems strangely familiar. ¡°Tell me of the two males¡± I say expecting the werewolves whose ancestors I created so long ago to begin a report immediately, but they do not, instead she asks a question. ¡°Do you plan on harming my daughter¡¯s mate?¡± I almost laugh, but both of us know that she can¡¯t survive if I decide to kill her. Still, one of the boys is already truly considered a member of the pack in her mind. ¡°Unless he''s an ally of demons or the Holy One then no¡± I answer her, somewhat impressed that one of them actually managed to get ahold of their canine loyalty. The lycanthropes nod slowly and for a moment I wonder if they¡¯re going to say something about the sentence smelling wrong rather than calling it a feeling like most others would but soon enough the current alpha male begins to speak, ¡°the newer of the two males is Bryan Grace, though I have no knowledge of the supposed house, clan or family. His martial training is in its infancy as is his magical. He does however have a divine patron and is learning quickly, he has taken the bite and if the Gift judges his strong enough will soon be part of the pack as a yearling.¡± The current alpha male pauses for a moment considering if there is more to be said as I go over the information myself. The name seems familiar, much like the girl''s face. Still, he seems to have a decent amount of potential but is clearly not who I am here for. After a moment the alpha male nods to one of his mates and she begins, ¡°my daughter¡¯s mate, Adrian Ravnos has been with the pack for a few moons, recovering from something I could not identity and amnesia, and has been accepted into the pack as a full adult regardless of his own yearling status and apparent immunity to lycanthropy.¡± Ravnos? A Ravnos? I hadn¡¯t even heard of one since they threw everyone here. Could he be an exile or an ill-conceived attack in response to the Althean method of stealing people from Terra? No, the name alone isn¡¯t enough to jump that far. I need more information, but that they accept him even though he isn¡¯t one of them means that he is significant. ¡°I need more information than just that¡± I state, and it is the other female that speaks back to me. ¡°He is no friend of fiends and hates the Church of the Holy One, swear you will do him no harm.¡± ¡°You are in no position to command me.¡± ¡°No but We defend our own even if we owe an unpayable debt¡± the male says and I truly do believe that they are willing to fight and die to me. . . ¡°Very well then, I, Dam? R¨¢meri give my word that I will not harm the boy unless he is friend to demons or an ally of the Holy One.¡± There is no binding chain or seal, I have long since been able to break or ignore such things, but I do keep my word; at least so long as it is not to demons or followers of the Holy One. And as feared as I am, I am also known for that and respected. The lycanthropes lower their stances, but I can tell they are still willing to try, and fail, to rip me to pieces should I be deemed hostile to the pack. ¡°Adrian Ravnos of Pack Bloodclaw is a dragon of some kind he calls space-between-spaces. The word itself does not exist in this tongue. He is incredibly talented at magic but excels even further in theory as his mana is weaker than it should be. We believe his claim to be a Ravnos as he is capable of magic without any source of energy any of us can sense¡± the alpha female says before waiting for a moment. Space-between-spaces? What sort of dragon is that? It is no color, crystal or metal perhaps it is something from the planes? Or is it like the mana dragon, a being of rarity and power? I¡¯ll have to bother the draconians for the needed lore. That he is a Ravnos is however very tempting, though it depends on how powerful of a Ravnos he is. They do after all have an entire spectrum of power level from something they call an Exemplar that can likely win a fight against gods to their apprentices with barely the skill and power to pull off their equivalent to the cantrip. But nowhere in my knowledge of the Ravnos were there any who were not fully human, and all of their half-breeds failed to inherit any of their powers. I will have to think on what to do with this information, he could be very helpful in crippling or even destroying the Church of the Holy One. . . Chapter 064 Other than the Stone Father, the dwarves venerate three other tiers of what they call Patron Spirits or Paragon Ancestors. The divisions are made by how widespread their veneration is, nation, clan or house. These entities are not considered divine in nature, but they are in power, often acting as stand ins for the Stone Father in directing and patroning clergy if they are of nation or clan level. A dwarf, legally or racially, can be elevated to these positions by two methods, post mortem by a council of elders and then ratified by the entities of that level or by declaration of the Stone Father directly. If still alive, as only those the Stone Father declares, are known as Paragons. They may also be removed from their status should a council of all members of the next tier declare it so, which has happened twice. As all records of them other than that someone was removed are destroyed upon their removal, who they were and why are no longer in mortal memory.
Bryan
Once a fair distance away from where we were set to camp for the night, Adrian and me begin to set up the circle and associated paraphernalia for the ritual that I had apparently made in the timeline that he came from. While I do believe him, I can¡¯t help but be ashamed of how much more competent that me must have been, I barely understand this enough to cast it with assistance of additional foci let alone make the adjustments that have been done to the original ritual. I look at the nearly full moon for a moment, much as with the lycanthropy there is no going back once it is done. ¡°Adrian, please begin.¡± He nods and says, ¡°this will probably hurt¡± before a number of somethings seem to stab into me. I scream out in pain for a moment before it dims to something similar to a large but uncomfortable sliver over several places on my body. I can see blood slowly running down my arm and staining my clothes where they are but I try my best to ignore them. I speak the words that I must sending shivers through my soul yet I also cannot remember them, as if I never knew them in the first place. The moonlight slowly dims as I pace around the circle and let loose my blood on the focal points of the ritual. Those that are to have the sacrifices to powers the mixture of blood and shadow necromancy. With each of those seven nodes the shivers of what must be my life draining away grows yet somehow whatever it is that Adrian is maintaining prevents me from actually dying from it as waves of life giving warmth flood me with each beat of my heart. As soon as each is covered in my blood I sit in the center of the circle, or at least I try to before collapsing to the ground. A cold that has nothing to do with temperature washes over me as the darkness of the night seems to stretch towards me slowly while I can do nothing but struggle to breathe. I am forced to watch as the darkness somehow begins to become something physical. . .
I scream and bolt upright, but nothing around is as it should be. I am not in the woods nor anywhere else I can remember. Adrian is not nearby and all I can remember is starting to panic before a cold darkness swallowed me up. I look around to see only some sort of silver-grey mist around me as I am sitting on some white nothingness. Did I die? All I can hear is some chuckling in the distance after that very question rings through the mist. It honestly scares me a bit but I begin to walk and then run looking around for something, anything other than this strange silvery mist. I don¡¯t know how long it takes but seconds add up to minutes than soon become hours or maybe even days in my mind before I find anything but the damn silver mists and the white floor. I blink up at the billowing silver clouds as my head hurts slightly. Did I hit something? Then I notice something different, that tendrils of black. As I sit up, the mists rush away from me and I can see the dark tendrils growing and spreading outwards and upwards. Among the tendrils is a wolf just larger than I am, the darkness wrapping around it as it fights against and breaks free of the tendrils. I look around and wonder for a moment just what it is that I am seeing and why, but all such thoughts come to a quick and immediate stop as I feel a coldness around my ankle. With a glance I see one of the tendrils latch onto me and it begins to grow faster than the others in this strange place. I pull my left foot up and the tendril snaps, but my foot just doesn¡¯t feel the same as before. It feels ever so much lighter but also a slight cold tingle. I shiver as the wolf breaks several of the tendrils holding it at once. As soon as it does, the darkness around me attacks, and I find myself unable to dodge as several wrap around me at once. The chill spreading. What is going on? Why is this happening? Adrian did not say anything about having to fight something during the ritual. Or did he not know? And what is that wolf? What am I even supposed to do? I struggle to break free of the tendrils once more but each time I do, more strike at the wolf and each time it breaks free they come after me. Each time they take a tad more strength to break and the feeling they leave behind gets stronger. Ever so slowly however I slowly become numb to their grasp, as if their power was slowly starting to have no sway over me aside from their increasing thickness. Neither the wolf or me ever seem to tire though I slowly start to notice a change in its fur, where a tendril of darkness and shadow held too long and left a stain. The wolf¡¯s fur slowly turning more black than the silver grey it originally held and I can only guess that a similar change is coming over me. . .The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Adrian
As Bryan lies in the center of the ritual¡¯s circle, I can see the shadows cast by the moonlight stretch towards him. His skin slowly becoming paler and hair darker much as it had before. But this time his heart stays beating strong and his spirit stays bound to his physical body. When his muscles begin to twitch and spasm on their own I check to make sure that my twist on the fabric of reality is still holding and doing what I wanted it to. I smile as I see that it is. He is in no danger of death, but this does seem somewhat different than it was before. An effect of the lycanthropy still in his blood? Should I check on that? No, I wouldn¡¯t want to accidently let all his life slip away. . . Minutes pass and just as I am about to get out a book due to my boredom he stands, and when he does the shadows of the night seem to stretch and cover the clearing to where I can no longer see the moon overhead. He should not have this level of control yet. Something has gone wrong. ¡°Bryan?¡± I ask but he does not answer, he does not even respond. Instead he seems content to just stand there in the darkness. I feel the drain on Bryan¡¯s lifeforce pick up and compensate for it. As I do he smiles and says something in a language that I know he does not speak. He pauses for a moment before slowly walking to a tree struggling slightly to do so. As soon as he touches the tree however it begins to wither slowly but at a visible pace. ¡°Bryan!¡± I hear a scream from a very familiar female voice and let out a groan. The others were supposed to keep her from interrupting this. Now I am never going to hear the end of this if she does survive running blindly into an arcane ritual she does not understand. Bryan or rather whatever is in currently in control however has no such worries. ¡°Abagail, female lusts after primary¡± he mumbles low enough that she doesn¡¯t notice it but I do. I frown, wondering if this is a bad thing or if it is just going to be another voice in his head like his wolf will end up being. ¡°Bryan, please tell me that you haven¡¯t. . .¡± Abagail begins before she is stopped by whoever is in control of Bryan¡¯s body pinning her to a tree with one hand over her mouth. ¡°Sorry, primary isn¡¯t home right now. Unless you want to break a rather specific set of your morals or become part of the fuel for my creation I¡¯d suggest staying away¡± Bryan says and this time Abagail does stop and turn to yell at me. I do not even bother listening, something about evil dark magic and such crap as selling my soul. You can only sell a soul to a devil and I know no such thing is involved. There was a warning about losing yourself to the shadows but I don¡¯t think that is the case here. ¡°So you¡¯re capable of logical thought?¡± I ask looking at Bryan rather than someone I am seriously considering trying to figure out a selective silence spell. ¡°Yes friend of Primary and my benefactor. Tell me, is bloodshed or lust more fun?¡± he asks with a dark smirk. ¡°You¡¯re really asking that? Are you trying to mess with Abagail?¡± I ask as we both ignore the girl. He shrugs, ¡°Primary will eventually reassert control and breaking his things will make him try to keep me from playing later. Also attacking you would be stupid, I could probably get away but then I would have to actually go on a rampage to get what you making Primary able to provide.¡± So he is an embodiment of darkness and shadow. Interesting, he already seems to know and accept Bryan as the dominant entity. But what should I do now? Could he also be trying to trick me? That is part of the theme of shadows. . . He shouldn¡¯t have been formed though. . . Shadow Lichdom has nothing that could cause this, unless. . . ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you have shown up tomorrow?¡± ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s probably changed. I don¡¯t feel particularly strong in tonight¡¯s moonlight as I should, just oh so hungry.¡± ¡°How long until you swap back?¡± ¡°Dunno, Primary is fighting something in our head. He¡¯ll have to resolve that, then wait until the power from the ritual bleeds off and I go to sleep.¡± He pauses for a moment and seems to shiver for a second, his body changing somewhat as he does so. I recognize some similarities to the werewolves of pack Bloodclaw I¡¯ve seen transform. He gets a bit taller but begins to slouch as bones shift and hair grows, yet unlike with them the process does not go all the way. This was however the last thing that happened before Abagail¡¯s grasp of the situation hit critical mass, screaming like mad she throws out something that seemed like a Magic Missile barrage but they were either overcharged and she was lucky or they were altered somehow on accident as the burst of force when their classing broke against shadow? werewolf? Bryan was far stronger than they should have been. Several holes are blown in his side revealing tendrils of shadow that grow out of the bleeding flesh as they hold the wound closed. Shadow Bryan looks at his side as the flesh regrows in less than three seconds before he growls. He charges her while becoming more bestial, he grabs her by the neck and lifts her off the ground. Tendrils of shadow spread from his hand, holding her still somehow. He stares at her, her eyes quickly filling with fear and then terror. Should I stop this? Then again maybe she¡¯ll finally accept that the world isn¡¯t a black and white coin but a spectrum of grey. . . ¡°Silly, stupid girl¡± he growls before ripping the cloth covering her shoulder before biting down on it. Then just as soon as he does, he vanishes; collapsing into the myriad of shadows cast by the moonlight and warped by the magic of the still ongoing ritual. The draw I feel on Bryan¡¯s life begins to fade as I walk over to Abagail, not worried about her dying from the bite but curious to if Shadow Bryan infected her with lycanthropy and of it¡¯ll feel different from the strain that Kythia has. The bite isn¡¯t deep but it is enough that without the medical attention she in her current state of panic is unable to perform would eventually bleed enough to pass out. She tries to swat my hands away, but her strength is far to weak to actually do anything to me but be an annoyance, though the movement does accelerate the bleeding and prevent the needed clotting from happening. Stupid girl, and I can¡¯t just wave my awesome Ravnos Magic and be done with it as it¡¯s still tied up keeping Bryan from dying. I shake my head before calling upon one of the blood magic spells that Kylana taught me, Clot. A generally useless spell for a werewolf with regeneration, aside from on the new moon, but here it is useful to force the blood spilling from her wound to clot and form a scab. Could I use this to cause a stroke? No, Kylana mentioned something about a body''s natural flow of mana and life force resists it internally, I could probably over power that with enough mana. . . Chapter 065 El?thian is the eldest of the Elvenhan and father to the rest of the Pantheon save his wife. He claims to have been a mortal at one point, a powerful wizard beyond the scope of what we can do now that was king over his people and his people venerated him. Over time and generations this turned to worship, and he ascended to divinity. While the dwarven gods accept his story, the Althaen Pantheon almost unanimously declare it heresy of the highest order. This has led to many executions of the elven faithful and more than a few crusades; most performed by orders of the Holy One.
Adrian
The bleeding slows as the clots form under the spell but Bryan, nor Shadow Bryan, does not return in the few minutes it takes me to make sure she is not going to get herself killed tonight. At least she is either too unstable for her meager skills with mana to work or she burned all of her pool on that add magic missile earlier and a pair of handcuffs is enough to hold her as a regular human. Well that and a gag to save my ears and hopefully not draw anything more towards the area. The shade-lich ritual probably drove most everything away but that isn¡¯t a guarantee. Now what to do with my friend¡¯s quickly going insane girlfriend? Wait for him to show back up or return to the others? I probably should stay but babysitting Abagail shouldn¡¯t be my problem and K has been smelling particularly appealing all day. . . So I do the only thing I can think of to finish this up as soon as possible, I pick Abagail up and walk towards Bryan, or at least the direction I can feel him in. I. After all, I am still maintaining a hold on his life force at the moment. It takes only a few minutes before I find him under a tree, more bestial than before eating a small family of rabbits. I don¡¯t care about the scattered blood as I place Abagail on the damp earth, ignoring her muffled protests and taking note of how he still maintains the spark of intelligence in his eyes. ¡°You have to look after her. I expect you to make your own way back and not intrude on my tent when you do. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes¡± he somehow manages to say without stopping his feast and I happily turn to leave for some fun time with K and Ria if I can get K to agree to it again. If only I could remember how I got her to back in Daerth. . .
???
I grin when the Ravnos leaves me to finish my meal and watch over Primary''s bitch. Savoring to warmth of the blood running down my neck with each bite I take, the crunch of the weak bones as they yield their marrow to me, and the taste of flesh as I slowly eat the rest of the small colony of rabbits I caught with my shadows. Oh how easy it was to bind them and pull them to me. Too bad they died as they passed through the shadows to reach me, but the distance was short enough nothing took part in my prizes. With each I feast upon, I can feel how Primary will take longer to take back over. With each I grow stronger, but it also adds strength to Primary, so I can never truly become Primary. Once my feast is finished for the moment I stretch ignoring how I¡¯ve shifted further into my natural state of a wolf and look over at Primary''s bitch to be. She reeks of fear and has soiled herself as she was watching me eat. I don¡¯t get what Primary sees in her. Intelligent but stupid, she is smart enough to understand what everyone has been trying to teach her over the last week but refuses to acknowledge it. I look over her body and can feel Primary¡¯s physical attraction to her but surely that can¡¯t be it. There are prettier girls in his memories, but they weren¡¯t as willing as she seems to be before actually being mates. I close my eyes for a moment to feel if there is anything in the nearby shadows, but it seems that I¡¯ve already taken what is in range of that ability. Great so now I¡¯m alone with a girl that while pretty I don¡¯t want. I can only hope that the shadow wolf that forms from her will be more interesting. Bored and with maybe two or three hours before Primary takes back over I run my eyes over his bitch again, would it be worth it? No, but I can still have some fun. . . With a claw I cut the rope that binds her and growl, ¡°run little girl and hope Primary takes over before I catch you. I¡¯ll give you a head start.¡± I grin as she finally decides to do something other than scream and shout. She runs even if she is crying and I give chase. Never quite catching her even if I do give her scrapes and minor cuts. . . Her muffled screams are also rather fun when I jump out of a shadow just barely out of reach . . .
Bryan
When the shadowy tendrils finally stop attacking me, the wolf is long gone and they have covered the entirety of wherever it is that I am. I don¡¯t however have much time to look around before this strange world spins and falls apart revealing the woods that I remember traveling through earlier today and the slowly brightening sky of dawn. I sit up and feel queasy but strangely strong and powerful, then I notice Abagail laying in the dirt covered in small cuts and grime. Flashes of running through the night, howling and laughing, the scent of blood both her¡¯s and something else¡¯s flash through my mind.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it What happened during that ritual while I was wherever my mind went? I rush over to her and my guilt skyrockets as she flinches from my touch as I pull on the divine sphere of Healing. Her wounds were only superficial, but she cowers from me. ¡°Are you okay? What happened?¡± I whisper, and she shivers. What did I do? Could she have been right and turning to the powers being offered me be wrong? ¡°Please no, don¡¯t do. . .¡± Abagail mutters by doesn¡¯t otherwise respond to my touch and the healing.
Abagail doesn¡¯t end up waking up before the others stop by and Analais says we need to start moving. So, I spent most of the day carrying her around as we walk.
Adrian
When K and me leave our tent in the morning to find that Bryan had not returned during the night I am not overly worried but when we go to him after packing up camp, well Abagail¡¯s appearance of being treated as a play thing is concerning. I had not thought that Bryan was capable of doing such a thing. The frowns on everyone¡¯s faces however does not come from some sort of judgement on the state Bryan apparently left her in, at least the frowns of Pack Bloodclaw doesn¡¯t. Kylana actively tries to leave us off worse went martial practice comes up but the frown on the elves might be a condemning one. Ria, like always, ignores it completely as she is perfectly happy just following me around. Bryan quickly ends up carrying Abagail for the day, but I am far more distracted by the conversation that Kylana starts with me and am not paying attention to Bryan or really anyone else. ¡°Adrian, there is something about the Pack that you need to know¡± the conversations starts. I turn to Kylana and she continues, ¡°unlike most werewolf packs, we know our progenitor. The first werewolf that is the source of the lycanthropy that we share. His Gift was given to him by another, one who created it.¡± ¡°Why are you bringing this up now?¡± I ask, and it is K who answers saying ¡°the Giver of the Gift to the first werewolf of our line visited last night while you were off helping Bryan.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you mention that last night?¡± I ask, this sounds important. ¡°Well, I . . .¡± K begins before her mother takes the opportunity to tease her daughter, ¡°oh, were you too distracted?¡± K stammers some before Alana turns the table on Kylana saying, ¡°no more than you were last night.¡± ¡°Alana, not now. This is supposed to be serious¡± Kylana mutters towards her friend. ¡°You¡¯re the one that got on this subject, and I know you¡¯ve been just loving every single. . .¡± ¡°Alana, I¡¯d rather not know what you, Analais and my mate¡¯s mother do in your den¡± I interrupt. ¡°Can I at least tease her some more first? She¡¯s been trying to hog our mate all to herself.¡± ¡°Later¡± K answers and Alana seems to accept that though I have no idea why. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t get to at all¡± Kylana says while frowning but both of the other females don¡¯t say anything in return. ¡°Kylana, so who is this Giver of the Gift and why did he visit?¡± I ask. ¡°Dam? R¨¢meri, more commonly known by the title the Blood Elf.¡± Dam? R¨¢meri? The blood mage that wrote the fucked-up books on lichdom I have? Shit, this could be bad. ¡°What did he want?¡± ¡°Information, apparently whatever it is that you used to kill those Althaen drew his eye. Well, not it inan of itself but rather that they died, and he couldn¡¯t determine the source. He . . .¡± ¡°Is he hostile?¡± ¡°No, praise the moon it is not so. None of us are demons nor do we venerate the Holy One, so long as that is true we are not his enemy. He wanted to know about you and the soon to be yearling Bryan.¡± ¡°Yearling?¡± I ask, not sure what the word is for. ¡°A title we call the recently turned, those who have only been in the pack for less than a year¡± K informs me with a whisper and I nod. ¡°We told him what he wanted to know though not in as much detail as he would have liked. He knows that you are a dragon of some sort but was confused on the type that you call yourself, it is not one that he recognized. We also told him you are a Ravnos, though it only seemed to confuse him, he muttered something about all Ravnos were humans.¡± That makes sense, Gramp. . . Geldath told me the same when I asked him about magical creatures back home. He never did explain why there were very few of them still around. He hinted it was Rome who did it, pointing out that they killed strange and dangerous creatures. Dam? knows that I am a Ravnos, that could be very bad if he gets the idea of trying to steal my power, though I don¡¯t know if he even can steal it. After pausing for a moment to let me think, Kylana continues, ¡°he did promise not to be hostile towards you and he has always kept his word with the Pack. He left muttering to himself, but I don¡¯t think that he truly left.¡± ¡°He¡¯s probably observing, gathering information and deciding if you can be of use in his vengeance¡± Analais adds in. ¡°Vengeance?¡± ¡°There are two things in existence that he hates, that he has focused his entire immortality on destroying or gathering the resources and power to destroy.¡± ¡°And those are?¡± I ask as they were never mentioned in any of the books that he wrote. ¡°The Abyss, and the god known as the Holy One.¡± I smile, while I am unsure if the god himself is at fault for the actions of his church I can get behind destroying it. Wanting to destroy the Abyss though, well they do have an important role in the multiverse. At least if Geldath¡¯s teachings and the books I¡¯ve gotten ahold of can be trusted on the subject. Without the conflicts that they are involved in the balance of the planes will shift to stagnation. ¡°He wants to see if I could be an asset worth investing in to use as a weapon then?¡± Analais nods. I won¡¯t just be a weapon that he can use as he wills though I don¡¯t see a problem with helping him. both the Church of the Holy One and the Demonic Hoards are hostile to me. It only makes sense for us to aid one another against mutual enemies. That doesn¡¯t guarantee that we¡¯ll be allies though, I¡¯ll have to be careful. . . Chapter 066 Vaniala, as a mortal she was once Queen of the Elvenhan; as a goddess she has continued in this role. Guiding, following and assisting her husband as they rule over the subjects that raised them into the ranks of the divine. While she is a goddess of motherhood, she is also the god of mercy and charity in the justice system of the Elvenhan. She pleads for her children, both direct and by her rulership, to receive the mercies that they may when her husband judges them for their deeds. This relationship is mirrored in the courts of law amongst the elves, her clergy acting not as advocates in defense but to plead for leniency for the penitent. As the goddess of weather, she is also known to bless elven lands with the sun and rain they need for their crops but also in sending forth winds and lightning to strike down those who would harm her children.
Adrian
After the relatively short discussion about Dam?, the rest of the day goes as most of the past week has. Abagail does however seem much quieter than before, so maybe Shadow-Bryan was a good thing to happen to her? Though she does keep looking outwards with the same eyes as before, still I mark it as an improvement. Kylana continues her lessons on mana manipulation and blood magic, which as I¡¯ve been using excessively to get more practice in than I otherwise would be able to. Sure, magical healing from the magics that Bryan, Kylana and Alana know can¡¯t heal the damage to one¡¯s vitality but Ravnos magic can. . . Of course, we still do have to be careful, the way that I¡¯m healing the spent blood does spend energy from the body which means that we do have to eat more than if I was not doing this, but it is in my opinion a great tradeoff. Though we are running out of meat in my stash of food. We do however stop to make camp a bit earlier, after all it is the night of the full moon and that means there are werewolf stuff that the pack is going to do tonight, probably a Howl since I don¡¯t think any of the rites need to be done. Unless there is something that needs to be done about Bryan? There probably is as he is told that he is to stay in the center of the clearing where we are camping tonight. Like every other night of the full moon, none of the werewolves seem even the slightest bit tired even after walking the entire day without any breaks aside from one we had for lunch. Danny walks up to me followed by the elven twins, Talia then asks, ¡°are we in any danger when they turn?¡± Deciding not to mess with her I answer, ¡°no, unless you act in a way they consider hostile or a challenge you¡¯re perfectly safe. Don¡¯t stare at them, especially straight in the eyes or show your teeth and they¡¯ll likely ignore you. They¡¯ll have mentioned you to their wolves and know you¡¯re not prey.¡± ¡°You talk like they are different people¡± Danny says. ¡°They are, the wolf and the human do not always agree with one another and they don¡¯t act the same. You can expect the wolves to act more bestial and a bit ravenous. They¡¯ll probably even try to play with you somehow.¡± ¡°Play?¡± I don¡¯t answer the question as I wait the few minutes before they begin to shift and change each of the Bloodclaw giving way to their inner wolves. Most sprout grey fur but my K''s silver hair stands out as the best, though Bryan¡¯s black has a silvery glint to it when it catches the light, he is also the only one who struggles with his wolf rather than just letting it loose. Analais, like always, merely seems a bit taller and bulkier. Abagail tries to hide and make herself even smaller when Shadow-Bryan looks over towards her. The other wolf¡¯s looking at him, as if eying up a piece of meat. Which they probably are, he isn¡¯t part of the pack yet. ¡°A shadow brother? Why is he a shadow brother?¡± Kylana''s wolf asks to no one in particular. ¡°He didn¡¯t seem like someone who was suppressing what they consider evil in themselves¡± Alana''s wolf says to herself while Moonlight Runner instead looks towards me with a wagging tail that only speeds up when I make eye contact. I smile when she bares her teeth at Ria for a moment before looking back to me. Ria moves and hides behind me but I don¡¯t actually feel any fear from her. Either she¡¯s playing the poor defenseless fox or she has absolute confidence that being at my back completely protects her. Ragnan¡¯s wolf ignores everyone else and growls something towards Analais before stalking off into the night. I think he¡¯s still mad about the Pairing Howl and not getting to be alpha. ¡°Are you sane or need to be put down?¡± Analais asks the dark wolf as Moonlight Runner walks over to me and leans into me as she sits down. My right hand begins scratching behind her ear as I know just the right place to tide her over until we can go play. ¡°My Primary somehow still likes and cares for the small female, you tell me¡± Shadow-Bryan answers with clear disapproval and those who can understand the language chuckle. ¡°Shadowkin are dangerous, no single moment can prove him safe¡± Alana comments from the side. ¡°It¡¯s rude to talk about me as if I wasn¡¯t here.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t even been accepted as a yearling. Right now, you¡¯re a beast we¡¯re deciding on if you¡¯re a member of the pack or need to be put down¡± Analais says to him while the women continue a discussion that I don¡¯t hear as Moonlight Runner has decided she is getting all of my attention. Which honestly, I am willing to give but I¡¯m not sure if I want to give a specific kind to her current shape. That the elven twins and Danny are keeping away from the wolves by using me between them and the wolves doesn¡¯t help.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Can we go play yet?¡± Moonlight Runner asks in a tone that demands a yes. ¡°Soon, I want to see how this goes and if he¡¯ll be accepted¡± I answer. ¡°What¡¯s going on and should we even be here?¡± Talia asks in her ever-present authoritative you need to answer me way. ¡°They¡¯re deciding if the black wolf can be a part of their group or not¡± Ria answers her purposefully leaving off the answer to the second question; for which Moonlight Runner bares her teeth at the elf. Not a threat, but she is inpatient to start run off with me and maybe Ria if I read the first thing she did right. Still, Talia moves a bit further away to which Moonlight Runner grins to her ability to scare a two-legs A moment later K gets all the way up and all the wolves have stopped their talking and are looking eastwards, not inquisitively but like they are searching for something. I follow her eyes to a shrub, was that their earlier? ¡°Ria. . .¡± I start before she cuts me off with a nod. ¡°We¡¯re discovered, start. . .¡± I hear from the bush before it fades away into nothing, revealing a man in dark brown leather armor holding a small hand crossbow. I don¡¯t even have time to react before I see Kylana¡¯s wolf already there with tearing out the man¡¯s throat. He as talking to someone else though. . . I snap my fingers, casting what I have started to call Life Radar, sensing the life forces around me and giving away their locations and strengths. I quickly ignore the static of the insects and plant life to find over a dozen significant signs around me, but something is odd. At first it was only one other then it became two and more kept appearing. ¡°They¡¯re teleporting in!¡± I hear Danny shout panicking while the two elves have moved to each other¡¯s backs. Ria tosses a ball of her foxfire at a man in chainmail but unlike with the soldiers a week ago they seem to be magically protected from her flames and it only serves to give light to the area, not that any of us needed it aside from Abagail who in a surprising degree of competence retaliates with a variant of Magic Missile on someone in leather that is charging at us. Not that it helped her, but it did slam against a shimmering shell of light that I did recognize as an abjuration most likely the spell Shield. They all have magical protections on, this was not a random assault that we stumbled into, but a hit squad sent by someone. The ponce back in Daerth? No, he was a minor noble of a backwater town; not the level that could afford or have access to something like this. A Lightning Bolt formed of Ravnos Magic likewise discharges into a similar shell around another of the assailants, but Moonlight Runner seems to have no trouble at all with using her claws and teeth though they certainly are not tearing apart the men as well as they should be. Their elemental and magical protections are too high for me to simply overwhelm in mass. I really should have focused more on antimagic, but evocation and necromancy are so much more fun and interesting. . . I shift, growing into my larger hybrid form; an action that is copied by Danny and grin as a quarrel from an unknown crossbow is defected off by my scales. They seem surprised by that and how their weapons are not leaving lasting damage on the lycanthropes. None of them brought silver weapons, they are not fully informed to our capabilities, or at least that I am a part of Pack Bloodclaw. I don¡¯t recognize the spells that the elven twins are casting but they seem to be protections of some sort. I growl out to Ria ¡°conceal yourself and take pot shots¡± which she seems partially confused about but vanishes from sight. I fall into Battlemind and catch the first of the soldier¡¯s blades in my claws, the iron giving way to whatever compound they are made of and my left claw punctures the chain shirt he is wearing relatively easily . . .
Tallian Feros
When I was told by my superiors that they would be sending me and my men to capture or kill a rouge called I was skeptical as to why it was an order sent to me. Watching my men be torn apart by werewolves that I was not told anything about in the briefing through a Clairvoyance focused on my office mirror however leads me to accept that either I¡¯ve been set up for a failure that will see me demoted or that this elementalist is far more dangerous than even my superiors thought. As I pull out the information packet that I was given to check for a third time if there is any mention of werewolves I notice something else that also is not in the dossier. The elementalist is in fact either not human or not an elementalist at all, he just took on the shape of a draconian¡¯s natural form; that of a half dragon. Black scales but far sleeker than the black dragons that I know. A variant of some sort? Can draconians even manifest the variant versions of their draconic ancestor? And why does it specifically say that he is a low human denoting to his abysmally low mana levels? None of this information is right. It is all garbage aside from maybe the names of some of those that are with the target and that he is in fact marked with a trace anchor. I stand up and as swiftly as I can move to the courtyard where another two dozen men stand at ready to be teleported into that bloodbath. Seriously, why did they want me to attack under the full moon if he has multiple werewolves around him? Especially without giving me the information to have my men even carry a silver weapon of this strike? I run though the white marble halls of the temple-castle and only have to push a few scribes out of the way. As soon as I get through the door into the courtyard I shout, ¡°stand down, there is no hope of success.¡± ¡°Knight Commander, why would you shame us?¡± Sargent Angrus Brightblade shouts back at me in question, not wanting to be called back on his chance to avenge the death of his cousin. ¡°There is an entire pack of werewolves, two elves, and a draconian you are not prepared for nor is the information on our target accurate.¡± ¡°That is not possible, our orders clearly state that his most dangerous ally is a two tailed kitsune, hence me being an Inquisitor who is well practiced in True Sight am here.¡± ¡°The kitsune has three tails, his male ally is a lycanthrope and he himself seems to be a draconian. The only information . . .¡± ¡°That is not possible. Our orders state otherwise, I advise that you call the attack back on. The kitsune must have noticed and is fooling your Clairvoyance. Their kind is known for such deceptions¡± he says in a sneer and he does have a point with that, but I did not sense any such trickery and my mirror is enscrolled to resist and note any such attempts to alter its divinations. ¡°No, as the local commander I belay the attack orders for two weeks for us to strike on the new moon. See to it that you bring silvered weapons and at least one dragon¡¯s bane . . .¡± Just as Sargent Brightblade speaks up again I cut him off, ¡°. . . my orders are final. Even if this is kitsune trickery the silver will harm her better than the steel you have now.¡± Chapter 067 Lethelan is the second child of the Elvenhan and considered the heir to his father. He is the god of battles, strategy, war and storms. Well known for both his use of cold strategy and subterfuge he teaches to those who lead the armies of the elves and the wild rage some elves are known to release in desperation. He is well known to not want the throne of the elven pantheon and it was his appointment as heir that drove his older sister Jailia to betray their parents in a coup that he caused to fail.
Adrian
The surprise teleport in ambush ends as swiftly as it started, and aside from everyone having blood splashed on them we are unharmed. It really was stupid of them to attack a pack of werewolves under the full moon without a weapon that can deal lasting harm or any casters. That does however also mean that the casters that sent the men are still out there somewhere and this may have been a recon attack and the men were all disposable, though they seemed well trained. My thoughts however turn elsewhere as I see what Danny looks like in her natural form, the silvery-blue scales that cover her body seem pleasing to my eyes and for some reason I find my eye following the curvature of her horns, how they go in almost mirror opposite to my own curving backwards and up into a hook rather than forwards and then up, or how her tail is thinner proportionally to my own. Moonlight Runner however decides that I can think about such things later as she moves in between the two of us before brushing up against me and her tail wagging faster as she trots off to the side and looks back at me, her rear end on full display. I don¡¯t get why she is acting this way specifically, but Ria does and whispers ¡°she wants to have fun.¡± That however stops my thoughts for a moment, this is Moonlight Runner calling me out for a boody call? I don¡¯t really want to do her in that form though. I wonder if she can take on Kythia¡¯s human form or at least a hybrid form. . . Wait, I can remember her doing something like this once before. She took K¡¯s shape then when I asked her to, can she do it now? If it was due to her taking over much of K¡¯s spirit then. . . Still, I follow my canine companion off into the woods followed by Ria. At least I started to before Abagail shouts out, ¡°you can¡¯t just leave us here. What if they attack again?¡± That does cause me to stop. I don¡¯t want to lose the elves and my draconian pet just because I was off having fun with my girls. ¡°Moonlight Runner, we probably need to stay nearby¡± I whisper into her ear, not sure if I am allowed to let Ria know her name. ¡°Why? I wanted to play chase the fox like you mentioned to my soul-sister¡± she answers and while that does sound very appealing I respond with ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave them unprotected if we are attacked again.¡± Moonlight Runner frowns at that and says, ¡°the only one that can¡¯t defend herself is the tiny girl.¡± ¡°The elves alone would have died, and they are friends of the pack.¡± Another wolf walks over to us and speaks, ¡°my soul sister Kylana wants to know if you can block the moonlight for a few minutes.¡± ¡°Okay? Just give me a moment, I''ll try¡± I start before looking up at the moon and grabbing ahold of it¡¯s light in my mind. Pushing my will onto reality, I bend its light away from the few feet around Kylana''s wolf. The werewolf before me slowly begins to shrink, her fur ungrowing before my eyes. It is at this moment that a voice I do not recognize saying, ¡°you needn¡¯t, I know the spell she would use.¡± I turn towards the voice to see an elf standing in black, red and gold robes that he wears as if they were a cloak open just enough to show the chain shirt that lays underneath. His dark red hair the color of spilt blood and while I do not recognize him, I can only assume that this elf is the one that Kylana told me about earlier today. And he is not someone that I could fight without taking full advantage of my Ravnos magic. I drop the manipulation of light and Kylana¡¯s wolf quickly regains what she had lost. ¡°I assume you are the one Kylana told me about earlier?¡± I ask. ¡°I am, and it seems we have a common enemy¡± he answers while walking towards the corpse who had the best clothing before his mauling. The elf then begins to chant in a tongue I doubt I would recognize even if it were not masked by the mana he is using. The night seems slightly darker and I wonder why Abagail hasn¡¯t started yelling for a moment before I look over to find her unconscious by the hand of Shadow-Bryan. A chill passes through the air as I look back to see the elf pouring a glass on wine into the mouth of the corpse and a glowing specter of the dead man rises from his own corpse screaming incoherently though I think some of it is cursing the elf. The elf just stands there for a moment before speaking another mana concealed word that seemed to be a command that silenced the spirit. Then Dam? commands ¡°speak your name.¡± ¡°Sir Francis Baerrien, Knight in the service of the Holy One through the order of Unstained Blades, you unclean abomination¡± the spirit answers with a sneer. ¡°Who were you sent to slay?¡± ¡°Some nameless rouge Called, but if we had known the depth of his. . .¡± ¡°State his name and all the information you were given on your target.¡± ¡°Adrian, last name unknown. Suspected elementalist, but dispute his great skill was labeled as a waste due to nearly no magical potential. His companions have moderately high potential, but their association and lack of preparatory training left them not worth the effort. His most dangerous ability is to call lightning down from the sky. Suspected links to a thieves¡¯ guild and theft of an unregistered kitsune slave. The kitsune knows how to call on foxfire.¡± Barely any of that information is accurate, so that¡¯s why they were shielded against fire and lightning but not to several hundred-pound death machines. ¡°How did you know to strike here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Will there be another attack?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°When?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Where is your base of operations?¡± Ria interjects and the specter sneers at her in contempt. ¡°Answer her questions¡± Dam? states. ¡°Two days straight west of the gate of dusk.¡± ¡°What else is there?¡± ¡°A great many things, hundreds of axes, one handed swords, two handed swords, . . .¡± ¡°Skip all items worth less than ten thousand gold.¡± ¡°. . . there are a total of one hundred and seventy six chests of coins in the coffers, the mages of the Order of Exaltation and Purification perform experiments on those we are sent with capture orders, they have two labs in the basement, there is a library used in the training of acolytes, apprentices and knights, the office of the Knight Commander for the order is well decorated.¡± ¡°What are the actions this Order of Exaltation is making?¡± ¡°Potions, potions that make the drinker permanently stronger and purer.¡± ¡°How many?¡± ¡°Enough for all officers and leaders in all the Orders.¡± Stat potions? They¡¯re mass producing stat potions? How? I turn to Analais and Kylana''s wolf and ask, ¡°that is on the way right?¡± ¡°It is now¡± Analais answers with a grin. I think he wants in on this. Them there is a flash of bright white light and a robed man stands next to our unwilling informant. ¡°Tainted Abomination release the spirit of the faithful!¡± the angel? shouts.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Dam? smirks and twists his hands and the spirit of the man falls into pieces. The winged man frowns as he charges to attack only to be parried by the elf¡¯s blade. I stand for a moment and just watch as the elf stands bored as he parries the attacks of his assaulter. Did he really just destroy the soul of that man? ¡°Care to help?¡± Dam? asks. ¡°You seem to be doing well enough¡± I answer. He then nods before saying a single word in an unknown tongue and in a blur of movement ending with his blade through the chest of the angel. The angel screams as he seems to be sucked into the blade as it glows in a sickly dark green light, trails of black smoke rising up from the angel as he disappears. Time Stop and a Soul Trap? I need to make sure none of those I care about ever end up on the wrong side of his blade. . . ¡°I will be in touch, I¡¯ll see you when you look into the information you overheard¡± Dam? says before he vanishes leaving the rest of us alone with the various dead bodies of the Althaen strike force. Moonlight Runner then nudges me and says ¡°nothing is going to happen, and the blood elf will be watching them anyways. We¡¯re playing hunt the fox.¡± She then turns to Ria who nods before running off into the woods before I can get another word in and I can feel her wanting me to play along through our bond. She wants me to chase her down through the woods, or maybe what comes afterwards, I¡¯m not sure. SC I look into Moonlight Runner¡¯s eyes for a moment, unsure if I really want to go down this road in the shape she currently holds but I do love her as I love Kythia. I rub my head against hers and ask, ¡°how much of a head start should she get?¡± ¡°How much of a run do we want?¡± I shrug, not sure. To which Moonlight Runner slowly stands up and says, ¡°now then.¡± With that she runs off faster than I could possibly keep up with in human form, but I am still in my hybrid shape. I charge after her using my wings to make short bursts of flight to keep up. Four legs are better than two at speed and maneuverability. It is only a fraction of a minute before Moonlight Runner catches sight of Ria, but I know it¡¯s an illusion as my bond shows her in a different direction. I don¡¯t say anything as she tries to tackle the illusion to the ground only to hit her head on a tree but once she realizes she was fooled she looks over to me as I rush off in the correct direction. It does not take long for her to pass me and once more see Ria running away from us. Another attempt at tackling only leaves Moonlight Runner with a shower of dirt and leaves to show for it and I can¡¯t help but wonder if she could catch Ria alone. Neither of us say anything as we go off after Ria once more, but I can¡¯t help but enjoy the chase. The cool night air running over my scales and wings and how Ria keeps getting Moonlight Runner to go after an illusion rather than her real self. It is not long however before Moonlight Runner catches on and slowly gets closer and closer to the actual Ria rather than the illusionary ones. At the same time Ria gets closer and closer to me as her illusions are destroyed one after another by Moonlight Runner. Eventually though, Ria is caught pinned down by Moonlight Runner. She growls as she forces Ria to lay on her back with her belly and throat exposed to us. Moonlight Runner looks at me with her tail wagging for a moment before growling ¡°I win.¡± With that Moonlight Runner lets Ria up in favor of rubbing against me before taking a step back and looking at me for a moment. She stands up on her hind legs and shifts, become more humanoid; not morphing back to the human form my K has that I enjoy so much but one that resembles the same balance between man and ¡®monster¡¯ I currently am in. The light of the full moon reflecting off of her silver fur covered mounds as they grow to mirror K¡¯s and to a size that would be too large for me to enjoy outside of my own larger draconian form. . . I take a step towards her, I wonder if they have the same perfect firmness as her human form does. . . Moonlight Runner doesn¡¯t stop me as my advance and while I can feel the firmness I enjoy so much, though the scales that cover my clawed hands dull the sensation. They¡¯re still fun to touch but I can¡¯t feel the same level of detail that I do when in human form. For a moment I think of shifting back to that very form but Moonlight Runner is not as patient with foreplay as K, ¡°push me down and take me¡± she growls into my ear before forcing me away from her chest. My tail flicks behind me, a mirror to the tiny bit of annoyance at not getting to play as I wish but if she wants to be pushed down and breed like an animal. . . I can always play with them after forcing her to howl out my name. . .
Moonlight Runner
My mate stares at me for a moment, my own eyes scanning over his scale covered body. Its uglier than his usual pink two-legs form but he is strong. He is my mate and he will be the one to sire pups on me; even if I would rather he take the form of a wolf to mount me. The only warning I get before he tackles me to the ground is a single step before his tail takes my legs out from under me and I find my back pressed against the ground. He stares at the breasts that will nurse our pups for a moment while holding my arms over to the ground. I try to move them, but he holds them in place, keeping me pinned as a bit of scaleless pink flesh begins to exit from the hidden pouch that kept it from view. He presses it against me as it grows, whispers into my ears ¡°Moonlight Runner, I will be playing with your breasts later.¡± He pauses for a moment before licking my face, my heart flutters at the display of affection while his manhood just keeps growing making me think that my soul sister¡¯s dream memories might not have exaggerated it after all. I feel him move my arms together, so he can hold both in one of his scaled claws, his tail wraps around my left leg and the recently freed hand forces me to spread wide. I struggle for a moment, refusing to be completely dominated by my mate but he has too much leverage. I look down staring at the flesh spear in a mix of fear and wonder, knowing that he will stuff every bit of it inside me like my soul sister. That in a moment I won¡¯t care for anything else but getting more of it. . . He slides down, lining the pike up to my entrance before sliding upwards. Like sister I yelp as I am spread and stretched to accommodate our mate. His scaly body feeling wrong as he rubs against my fur but at the same time, I like just how full he makes me feel. How the edges of his spearhead run against the folds I did not know I had within me. How even my breath forces me to know just how thoroughly I have been claimed. My mate lets a light growl of approval into my ears as he savors his first taste of my flesh, his manhood pulsing within me each time growing and pushing back against my flesh a bit more as he quickly reaches what I can only hope is his full size. With another lick to my face he begins to move, slowly as I adjust to him at first but with growing speed and strength as he holds me under him. Each thrust knocking against something deep within me, sending an enjoyable feeling through my loins yet also a growing need. I want more, but each time I struggle to force him to do just that he slows; nipping my ears as his breath like mine grows heavier, ¡°not this time¡± he whispers. . . ¡°this time, is mine. . .¡± he continues into my ear, demanding and enforcing the demand I submit. Rewarding me with quicker more powerful thrusts as I give myself letting him do as he wants. ¡°More¡± I half whimper as he recedes from me, before saying ¡°harDEr¡± as he hammers into my depths. A smile covers he faces as he bares his teeth, doing just so as something in me snaps, a wave of pleasure an instant after he doubles his pace. Somehow in that moment, I break his grip or he lets go, and I cling to him not caring how the scales feel wrong against my fur as I let loose a howl. And he continues driving into me faster, another wave of pleasure spreading from my depths before he makes one last thrust slamming into me harder and shudders growling into my ears as a flood of warmth spills from his spearhead as he vibrates within me. He stays there for a moment holding me as I take his seed, some of the warmth spreading past the barrier he kept striking as we lay still, seeding my womb as I stare into the moon above and lick his face no longer caring how odd the scales feel against my fur. Slowly he shrinks within me but lets me continue to hold him close. Not wanting the moment to end, I move his hands to my breasts. I don¡¯t understand why he likes them, but he slowly begins to grow within me and I slowly let go, letting him play before taking me again. I growl at the fox when she gets near, she just pouts and says, ¡°Ria wants the next round then.¡± I start to growl a ¡°no¡± but my mate still mounting me growls ¡°be nice to your den sister¡± and all I can do is grudgingly accept . . .
Adrian
The next few days are uneventful, more traveling and practicing magic. Abagail has been silent for multiple days, probably struggling with her love for the monster Bryan now is. How come she never had this problem before? Then again, we never did tell her about Bryan turning himself into some sort of shade-lich. As we haven¡¯t been bothered by another attack from the church, they must be waiting for something; an optimal time to attack. I and most of the others agree that their next attack will be under the new moon. A greater concern however is that we can¡¯t figure out how they are tracking me. I must be marked in some way, but we can¡¯t find anything. Maybe they have a piece of me that they are using as a Scrying focus but none of us can figure out anything to do about however they are doing it. Danny has however been rather helpful if still scared of me. Even if I am having trouble duplicating the dragon magic she has been showing me they are all interesting. Unfortunately, they are fully internal and that is stopping me from being able to use the blood magic Kylana is teaching to get more practice. Today however we are arriving in a small village roughly two hours from the place Dam? interrogated out of the dead man. I don¡¯t know if they are expecting us or not, but I can only assume they are at least on guard from knowing I am so close. The village itself is little more than a dozen houses and takes up almost as much space as the one the Bloodclaw kept but they have a store and a tavern rather than a training field. Which is of course where we go after walking into the unwalled settlement. The Fragrant Fish is the name of the tavern and while the place does fit its name it is not in a pleasant way. The meat in the far too thin stew was charred and the vegetables discolored. After the first bite I simply refused to eat any more of it and was not alone in the decision. As we sit around a table a little too small for our group we begin to discuss a plan. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should go with the attack, they are tracking me¡± I start. ¡°You could be a good distraction, fly to the far side of their compound and raise some chaos¡± Analais says in response. ¡°But that would cause them to be on alert as I approach.¡± ¡°They¡¯re probably already alert. We¡¯re rather close right now¡± Bryan days though the lycanthropes don¡¯t respond to it. Yearlings don¡¯t have a say in pack actions though I know they listened to his words. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to attack them. Won¡¯t that cause them to counter attack and send even more people after us?¡± Talia says. ¡°But sister, if we take out our enemies we pick the field of battle¡± Lysan interjects. ¡°If they come on the new moon with silver weapons we will suffer casualties. Whatever method they¡¯re using to track Adrian is there and once that is done with we¡¯ll have little opposition the rest of our way to elven lands¡± Analais adds. ¡°It is still risky¡± Talia counters. ¡°What do you think they¡¯ll do when we reach the border?¡± Ria asks. ¡°Desperate all-out attack, sending soldiers into Alamar would cause them a lot of political problems¡± Kylana answer though frowning that it is Ria who brought it up. ¡°So, should I be a distraction or keeping them from knowing you¡¯re closer than the tracking spell says?¡± I ask. Chapter 068 R¨²loa?a is the third child of El?thian and is wife to No''alan. While both are deities of magic R¨²loa?a is the patron to almost all elven arts. As a child before the ascension of her family into divinity, she was almost constantly in trouble for sneaking out to either give funds to artisans or to learn their craft. She is often mistaken as a love goddess by nonelves due to her frequent depictions in art her husband would rather have only in their own house, but she is not and in fact does not consider erotic arts to be art in and of themselves.
Tallian Feros
I frown at the crystal that marks Adrian¡¯s current position, it broke the pattern of moving eastwards just as it had before our attack a week ago. He¡¯s been in the same village for an entire day. Before he avoided them or only stayed for half a day. Something is going on, we are four days before our next attack and I had hoped that he would continue to make no change in his actions. I already have the men patrolling more than normal but I can¡¯t shake the feeling something. . . The crystal moved, no keeps moving. . . He seems to be making sweeps in the direction of our fort. How can he be traveling so quickly? He must be flying but a draconian''s fly speed isn¡¯t this quick. . . I look put the window and frown at the rain, he can call down lightning. The buildings are warded against it but only so far. I see a shadow of a flying creature from the window in a flash of lightning as the crystal passes over my location. The first bolt in the storm, or one he called down remotely? No he doesn¡¯t know where we are and the storm will make his search for this place difficult. Though the lightning may be a problem if the elementalist does find us before the storm moves on. When a second bolt strikes against the wards I begin to worry, but the crystal continues to move away sweeping a different section of the sparse woodlands. Then an alarm bell rings to my left, spatial disturbances? But the wards don¡¯t read any intruders. Why would you bridge space and not use it to speak by the outer walls? Then some sort of fireball explodes from inside the wards. That shouldn¡¯t be possible, we keep antimagic fields around the barracks to keep this very thing from happening. . .
Adrian
Best thing I found in my piles of mostly random stuff in Void Cache, C4 or maybe the firearms but C4 was something very useful at the moment. There wasn¡¯t much but when Life Radar told me the majority of the men were in a single room of the base it was worth trying. When the sound of the blast collapsing that part of the complex rang out over the winds of the rainstorm I just had to look back and smile at the smoke and dust cloud. It wasn¡¯t part of the plan I made with everyone else, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll complain. Another pulse of Life Radar tells me most of those in the room are now dead and a lot of people are running to the explosion. Should I take advantage of this? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll overwhelm the shields against lightning yet but maybe. . . I inhale feeling a warmth build in my chest as mana pours into my lungs for a few seconds, and bend space to make a connection between just in front of my mouth to one of the rows of men charging towards the bombing. And exhale releasing a beam of light through the small portal. I don¡¯t see exactly how much destruction it caused but there was a flash of light behind me so it did manage to get through. I wonder how many of these I can get off before they find a way to block me? Or should I start stealing the valuable metals between lightning strikes? I probably shouldn¡¯t spend my mana on putting things into Void Cache at the moment though, I can always do so after the attack. . .
Tallian Feros
When an explosion of light coincides with another spatial disturbance, an attack through a portal? But the cost the amount of mana that would be spent. . . I pull up the small mirror and the amulet keyed to Adrian, weary of what the kitsune might do. The last time I used this she altered the image as Sargent Brightblade claims happened during the attack. I really do not want to see the Holy One molested by strange creatures again. Luckily, the kitsune is not in the image as the mirror begins to show a black dragon flying in a rainstorm but that can¡¯t be right. I can see how a draconian can be mistaken for human if they don¡¯t use any of their subhuman abilities but a dragon would never manage to pass themselves off as human so convincingly for the error in the information I was given.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I almost throw away the mirror before I see the black dragon exhale a beam of light that suddenly vanishes into the air before it. A beam that look very similar to once that flashed into existence just outside my window. Not an illusion, we¡¯re being attacked by a dragon, a dragon that has enough mana to just attack remotely through small portals? We don¡¯t have anything with the range to hit it from here. . . I run down the hall, descending a flight of stairs that only leads to a single room at the exact center of the encampment, ward control. The dim glow of a blue crystal that the mages here constantly feed mana to sustain is the only light in the room filled with writing and gemstones mounted into the stone as foci and control crystals. I don¡¯t know exactly how they all work but I reach for the one that control the Dimension Lock. We won¡¯t be able to receive reinforcements or messages out and it¡¯ll drain the crystal in only a few hours but without it there¡¯s nothing to stop that dragon. The jewel slides across a small line of runes before it begins to glow and I let out a sigh of relief. This will stop the dragon¡¯s current method of attack but how did it show up instead of the half breed? Did it eat him? Or worse was he riding that dragon? He did have an entire pack of werewolves that we had no information about a dragon would be just as hard to get to do your bidding. . . Another alarm goes off, the alarm for the entry of nonhumans without the restraints a prisoner would have. Did the dragon already come to attack more directly or was it a distraction for another force? He has a pack of werewolves that appeared loyal to him, but would they work with a dragon? Generally, no but some packs do. I could check where they were, but the Dimension Lock interferes with exact placement. Shouts of ¡°dragon!¡± answer my question, the alarm is from the dragon. Hopefully the dragon¡¯s bane bolts will be enough, but we only had a few made. Two draconians require far less than what I fear this dragon may. . . I run back up to the main area of the building, my knights do not have the training they need for dragons, they were never meant to be put against a flying foe or at least not one that can fly naturally. When I finally reach the roof, I can see smoke rising from more than a few of the smaller buildings and the flickering of flames as they are slowly put out by the rain. My men are running around, organized as best they could be against the terror of a dragon; spread out to keep its flyby attacks from taking too many at once in squads of three. Two holding shields and polearms to cover a third with one of the heavier crossbows from the armories. The thunder of the lightning strikes continue to ring out, preventing any communication of significance from passing between the men. The lightning granting glimpses of a creature flying in the storm as only something controlling the lightning could. The elementalist must be with the dragon, the crossbows won¡¯t work well against wind barriers. Antimagic bolts will likely lack the power to pierce the dragon¡¯s hide while dragon¡¯s bane bolts would be blocked by the magical winds. We have to force the dragon to land, keep it earthbound. The magi of the Order of Exaltation in the basement should be able to handle that part once they arrive, unless they already fled. No, they wouldn¡¯t have left already. There wasn¡¯t enough time between the start of the attack till the Dimension Lock for them to finish their preparations to escape. A moment later just after a group of my men dies under a beam of light. A beam of light, only one dragon has that power, Radiance Dragons. But they have been friendly to the Holy Once for centuries, only a few of them serve him but none are hostile to him. Yet, here is a dragon that is most definitely not a radiance dragon using their power. Is the beast masked by an illusion? Have we displeased the Holy One? My thoughts are broken as a man in the white gold robes of the clergy walks up to me, ¡°SLAY THE BEAST FOR THE GLORY OF THE HOLY ONE!!!¡± echoes over the storm, sending my ears ringing as a divine power washes over me, lightening my mood and strengthening my own power. ¡°We need an Earthbind¡± I say to the priest, unsure of my volume but he hears me and nods before pulling a small net of gold wire from his sleeve. With a flick of his wrist it flies off to the dragon, seeking it unerringly as it dodges the expanding net only for it to me taken from behind. The world turns white for a moment, all sound ends and all I can see is a purple blur as I stumble finding myself on the ground. I touch the side of my head, a warm wetness. . . Slowly my vision comes back, my hand wet covered in blood before my face. I look around in a panic, the dragon is gone. The golden net that held it laying on the ground with a single man standing in its center. The man we were assigned to kill. He looks around with a surprised smile at the destruction that surrounds him, the charred black corpses and rising smoke as he walks out of the pit that attack blew in the ground and I know that dragon was not his ally; that dragon was him. . .
Adrian
It takes me a moment to heal myself from the electrical burns and the damage to my ears after throwing everything I could into a lightning strike. Metal cages, or nets, do not in fact stop electricity from harming what is inside of them if the charge is large enough. At least dragon scales are far less conductive than everything else that was around. . . Careful as I step over the molten slag that was once part of a finely woven magical golden net I look around to find a lot more destruction than I was expecting. Patches of molten glass? are scattered around the charred remains of the soldiers yet I don¡¯t feel any backlash building. Why? Did they expect that this is a possibility? Why then did the last time I rained down death and destruction I suffered from a backlash? With a snap, I find through Life Radar that there are some people still alive underground but aside from a few everyone on the surface is dead and my five friends are roughly five minutes away. Now what to do? The plan was if I could remove as much resistance as possible but if I do any more I might destroy something important. . . Chapter 069 No''alan is the elven patron of dark magics. He is the husband to R¨²loa?a daughter of El?thian and is a minor power to the elven people. In times of desperation his wife will come to him for his mastery of the darker forms of the Art and he and his clergy are often called upon to deal with the machinations of the other pantheons, particularly the Althaen Pantheon. He is however not considered an evil god and contrary to outsider speculation never sided with the Jailia in her attempt to take over the throne of the Elvenhan. In fact, he is the one who informed the Elvenhan how to disrupt the rites that Jailia had turned to for power. It was for this deed that El?thian finally accepted his marriage to R¨²loa?a after they had eloped to escape her father¡¯s wrath for the then ¡®defiling¡¯ of his daughter.
Dam?
The Ravnos child has been both interesting and confusing to watch. I cannot fathom how some of his powers work, I know he can do them and how the forces that appear out of nowhere according to his will react with the world just as the Ravnos I met before the disjunction, but they break basic rules that all other forms of magic that I¡¯ve encountered have. The only exception to that is the divine magic used by the gods, but their power is fueled by faith and is simply an energy that I cannot sense and cannot measure in any accurate way aside from a rough count of followers and devotion of those followers. Even they have limits, but the boy does not seem to. He casts his strange magics at all times of the day yet never get tired nor does he seem to weaken over time. Even compared to the Ravnos I have met before he does not fit the same pattern as they. They had power that was at most equal to their skill while the boy has far more power than skill. He has the power to fuel massive and intricate changes to the world around him but does not go far beyond crude healing and blasts of power. A waste of the power of his family, but unfortunately, I cannot just take the boys power for myself. Even if I had not given my word, I know of no way to take it from him. Body possession and Spirit Eating have both proven to be failures before the disjunction by a few of my ¡®peers¡¯. No, if I want to benefit from the boy¡¯s powers I will have to use him as a carefully handled tool. Mold him to grow stronger and vastly improve his skills while pointing him in the direction of those I loathe. Vexing to have to do even though it is the same as what I do with my experiments. At least he does know enough to not through his full force into just any of his crude magic. Then there is the type of dragon, or draconian? they do tend to exaggerate their draconinity, he is; I have spent a considerable amount of time going through the text I do have on dragons and still lack one that matches close enough in description. Atavistic Black and Shadow are close in appearance, but he does not show the elemental affinities for them. I have seen no shadow, water or earth magic and all the fire has been from either his Ravnos magic or variations of standard evocation magic practiced by the Bloodclaw. Until only recently I had not seen much of anything that could be considered draconic magic. Overheard his pet draconian explain things that should be instinctive to him yes, but not once had he succeeded in anything she directed him to try before running out of his internal mana pool. A pity that he has not been able to combine his crude healing with whatever alterations need to be made to allow draconic blood magic. His mana is also very low for a draconic creature, a downside to the hybridization between Ravnos and whatever form of dragon he is? Should I simply ask his pet draconian? She fears him and seems to know what he is. No, she would likely end up asking me to escort her to her home. Taking one of his pets from him would be a poor choice. An angry child does not do what you want if it is mad at you. I also wonder if he will leash her and the elven girls as well as he has the werewolf and kitsune. I also cannot help but think that I have been missing something, that I have seen the boy and two of his followers before, but I cannot place it. I need to be careful, if it was something that ¡®wronged¡¯ him I cannot let him know it. The boy is a young fool, but he is still a powerful young fool. I do not want to test if his crude power can overwrite my immortality. I know a fully trained Ravnos could, at least one skilled in their version of death magic and I have not seen him give any indication of his skill in that field. His plan of acting as a distraction for the others to infiltrate and disable the encampment is flawed but a good try for a boy that has clearly little to no training in this field. Does he suspect he can break the wards they have with his Ravnos magic or is he betting on them being unprepared for an aerial attack from a dragon? Did he not consider that they should have at least some dragon¡¯s bane weaponry? There are many things that could turn his plan into a disaster that gets the boy killed, though the Church of the Holy One does seem to be grossly underestimating the boy. Even with the information that they gathered in the one attack they have performed, they will not have an easy time dealing with him if he does not make a serious mistake. I glance over towards the small fortress of wood and stone, should I begin my own attack? The boy¡¯s lightning is doing a decent job of draini. . .If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. A pillar of white-blue lightning crashes down, the world goes silent for a moment before my ears heal as a shockwave of thunder knocks me to the ground. I blink away the purple afterimage for several seconds as I get back up. I need to re-evaluate just how much power that boy has. . .
Bryan
I and the others stand just a few yards from where Kylana says the wards of the Althaen fort begin, waiting for Adrian¡¯s signal or the start of dusk in roughly half an hour. Abagail is the only one who will not be taking part and I cannot deny the others logic for forcing her to stay in the woods alone. She is not ready for fighting and has done little to redeem herself in their eyes over the week. That she has been getting sicker and sicker over the week confirms another of my worries. Whatever that wolf version of me did to her passed lycanthropy to her. I knew it was bound to happen at some point but had hoped that she would have corrected her viewpoint before she caught it. I can only hope that her encounter with her own inner beast helps rather than pushes her further into her hatred of everyone else here. I glance over to Analais asking if it is time to start silently, but he only shakes his head. I take a breath not wanting to just stand here while I can see Adrian flying in a lightning storm. I should be helping him, somehow. [Don¡¯t act like that is your only reason] I look around, not knowing how I heard my own voice. [It¡¯s almost the new moon, mind if I come out to play? There¡¯ll be enough shadows. . . ] Moon? Wait is this voice . . . [What? Don¡¯t want to talk?] I¡¯ve been trying to talk to you for days, why did you only now. . . [You wanted to talk about boring stuff. I don¡¯t want to talk about ¡®Don¡¯t torment the tiny female¡¯ or ¡®You need to behave yourself¡¯.] Chasing her through the woods for hours while inflicting minor wounds is not something that you should do. [Why? You want to try it but. . .] I would never. . . [You can¡¯t lie to me. I know you want to try it someday. Your just too loyal and faithful to your morals.] I, I don¡¯t want. . . [Why then did you read those crappy fanfictions for their smackdowns? They certainly didn¡¯t make sense in how the story didn¡¯t change.] [See you can¡¯t hide from me. So how about letting me go on the bloody rampage you oh so desperately want to do.] Aren¡¯t you supposed to be quiet and weak around the new moon? [Probably but you messed that up turning yourself into a living shade the night before I finished forming. So how about it? Let me go torture some paladins please.] You can¡¯t just. . . [Why? They are fanatic equivalents to an Inquisitor going on with hunts. They would torture us to death if they could, returning the favor is how the Golden Rule works.] Do unto others as you would have them do into you is the Golden Rule. I don. . . [They torture heretics to death, they clearly want to be tortured to death by someone who disagrees with their religion.] That is not the meaning of. . . [But it is a valid interpretation of it. Besides you know you aren¡¯t ready to deal with those knights.] And you are? You¡¯re literally two weeks old. How could you possibly be more ready than me? [Easy, I¡¯m an inner beast. I instinctively know how to do things. Don¡¯t you want to see what you have the innate power to do?] Why aren¡¯t you trying to just take over? [Wrong moon, I could try but whoever wins would be spending most of their concentration on suppressing the other.] Then no, you¡¯re too destructive and sadistic for me to trust you with this. [Fine, I¡¯ll just wait and take over after you get your ass handed to you on the end of . . .] A crash of thunder and light far brighter than any of the others thus far leaves my ears ringing but one look from Analais and everyone else is moving forward. Somehow, we manage not to cough on the smoke from whatever it is that Adrian did as we run into the small fortress. The outer wooden walls burning or missing and the few men who are still alive on the surface in no condition to fight. I can¡¯t however help but wonder how Adrian managed to cause such a discharge of electricity. We spread out ending what few still living we do find. Step one is to secure ground level. Two was the above ground sections but I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be necessary anymore; at least not for the auxiliary buildings. I only catch a glimpse of Adrian for a moment as he blasts a pile of debris out of the entrance to the main building before entering. ¡°Secure the higher floors with Ragnan¡± Analais says as he Alana and Kylana pass me and run into the main building.
Ragnan
The runt I have no respect for sends me with the shadow yearling. A weak human that took the bite, he might have survived the Gift, but he is impure. He and his wolf are not like the true members of the pack I don¡¯t accept him as a pack brother even if mother and the runt had me give him the bite myself. Still, I allow him to go before me as if he were leading as the two of us begin to wander the stone halls. I would rather follow sister, at least she is strong. She knows how to fight and has great strength. I can even accept the lizard male, he is strong and went through all the rites to be part of the pack before taking the bite. But this male does not deserve it and his human female does not deserve to be even prey. It has been generations since the Bloodclaw have been out for man-prey though today is the start of a new one. Darkfang liked the taste of man-flesh but mother says not to let my soul-brother feast too much on it. Eventually the yearling leads us into a fight, a trio of Althaen soldiers that panic at the very sight of us. Unfortunately for the yearling, they loose their crossbows as soon as they see him. And he is too young, too recently turned and it is too close to the new moon; the bolts puncture the tunic of metal rings. At first, I smile, but after a second rather than falling to the floor and dying as he should have the yearling begins to laugh before saying ¡°my turn.¡± Chapter 070 L?th¨ªan is the youngest of the gods of the Elvenhan. He is also the only child of the royal family to have never been married, as the son of No''alan and R¨²loa?a. He is the god of records, literature and knowledge. Each and every library, courthouse and archive of the elves contains a shrine to him. He and his twin sister Talmara are often used as examples to elven youth for why one must find balance.
Shadow Bryan
Primary just is not ready for the job he was given. He wasn¡¯t even silencing his steps or checking a room before he enters so, when he takes a trio of crossbow bolts to the chest after walking unprepared into one of the rooms I just grin. I can¡¯t push him out of control today but if he dropped the reins by dying? ¡°My turn¡± I find our body saying before my laughter follows. I glance at our bleeding chest, noting how what little power we are currently deriving from the moon is not healing the injury. Silver tipped bolts, good choice to use against lycanthropes but we are ever so much more. I allow our body to fall into the shadows cast by the window, the world shifting to dark greys before pulling the bolts out of our chest, barely feeling the dull throw of pain that Primary did as they entered, dropping them with a smirk as our blood evaporates into shadowy smoke that drifts back into the rapidly healing injuries. It is too bad that we cannot recover this way outside of the Shadow Realms, but I am vulnerable until he recovers, and it is here that he will revive. Seconds pass before I hear Primary¡¯s scream in our mind. [What happened?] You died, it¡¯s my turn now. [How?] Crossbow bolt to the heart. Now if you would be quiet I¡¯ve some fools to play with. [No, I said no to you going on a rampage.] I smirk as I resist Primary''s grab for control. I can¡¯t take it myself most days but holding onto control is easier regardless to what I told him. I take a step forward, walking back through the film that separates the physical world from the world of shadows and smile as color returns. Ragnan, giver of the Gift to my Primary, stands barely holding his own against the three and only because their hand-fangs are not silvered as the bolts were. Following my intent to harm, shadows wrap around my hands forming claws similar to the hybrid state between man and beast some of the pack can take under the full moon. Silent as the shadow, I take one of the soldiers unawares and sink the mostly substantial claws into his throat from behind. A shiver of pleasurable warmth races up my arm as blood flows through the shadowstuff of my claws. In that moment however, my hold on control lapses and Primary takes the reigns. He jumps away from the dying man just in time to dodge bring skewered and I can see the confusion on not just the knights faces but alas on Ragnan¡¯s. My laughter fills our head and I don¡¯t catch the words they speak as one of them manages to disarm Primary of his hand-fang shortly after he pulls it from his changeable furs. You lose again I chant into his thoughts as one of my prey pushes his hand-fang into our chest. Again, I seize control as we drop into the Shadow Realms to heal. [Don¡¯t, give me back control.] Nope, just stay there. I¡¯ll give it back to you later. With that I return to the physical realm ignoring once more the confusion on everyone¡¯s face. Too bad I can¡¯t just assassinate one of them again. . . Wisps of shadowy smoke billow forth as I allow a hand-fang to pass through me. ¡°Steel has no bite, silver does not not burn¡± I say while standing as insubstantial shadowstuff before the knight''s flurry of attacks. Oh, how I want to simply claw out his throat, but I¡¯d have to return to tangibility for that. [How are you doing this?] Eh, why not. Easy we are a shade of some sort. We are both living flesh and made of the shadowstuff of another plane. [How do you know how to shift between the two?] I already told you, I am an inner beast. Instinct guides me to know all that we have the innate ability to do. [I want you to teach me] No. [Why?] The more often you fail, the more often I get extra turns to go and play.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Primary does not respond to my last thought, but I can feel him watching me closely. An action that I approve, my Primary does need to learn and become more skillful even if I do want to take advantage of it. Remaining as pure shadowstuff I walk through the man who is trying and failing to harm me with his hand-fang, before turning around and plunging my shadowy claws into his neck from behind as I return to physical form. Once more washing me in waves of pleasurable warmth. For a moment, I feel my Primary touch the reigns of control in the moment that I relax enjoying the warm lifeblood flowing through my claws. I then grin as he does not take control, deciding on leaving me as the dominant consciousness. Good choice, I¡¯ll make sure to show you some good stuff. [. . .] ¡°Yearling, how are you still here?¡± the voice of Ragnan draws my attention as his single foe joins mine in staining the floor red. ¡°I don¡¯t answer to you hunter¡± I say with a smirk as I walk back into the hallway. ¡°Yearling, answer me!¡± I roll my eyes and step into the Shadow Realms. I have funner things to do than deal with him [Is it a good idea to ignore him?] Your problem not mine. A few seconds later I return to the material plane in another hallway. No one is there to see me as I turn back, the fun stuff will be downstairs not upwards. [It¡¯s never good to split the party.] We¡¯re a shade lich, we can never be permanently killed while the other lives. Just make sure not to die before I reform if one of these fools gets lucky with their holy light bullshit.
Ria
No matter how much I argued earlier I did not get to ride he-who-makes-my-tails-wag into battle, so here I am following my den sister as she follows the trail of our mate¡¯s scent into the lower levels of the Althaen complex. ¡°Fox, can you keep them form defending themselves?¡± my den sister asks. ¡°Unless they¡¯re an Inquisitor I could confuse them with illusions¡± I answer before sending a set of illusionary duplicates down the hall and around the next corner. Both of us smile as a pair of crossbow bolts kit the wall after passing through my illusions. As we ourselves rush around the corner, the voice of some man in plate shouts ¡°in the name of the Holy One you shall die!¡± before the pair of soldiers in leather release a second volley at us. Somehow both of them miss us but I know what the man in plate is. He is an inquisitor, a knight that specializes in killing mages and breaking illusions. Beyond that he is also holding a silver blade in his hand. The werewolf charges him with as much disregard as she had for the grunts she fought before. The knight blocks her first strike with his shield as I run around to get an opening on the two crossbowmen that will soon finish reloading. A jet of foxfire lights them on fire for a single moment before the knight banishes my flames with a wave of his blade in their direction. But it is enough, the crossbows were already destroyed. The werewolf uses that moment to slam the knight towards a wall, limiting his mobility before unleashing a barrage of Magic Missiles that are deflected by the man¡¯s armor. She growls as I turn to focus on the two who are now drawing silver blades as they approach me. I growl, panicking in my knowledge that the inquisitor can and will negate any illusion and spell I use on these two. I don¡¯t have any chance to win in this fight as long as the inquisitor is here. All I can do is dodge and survive long enough for my den sister to save me by . . . Why is Bryan walking out of the shadow of a wall? He looks at me and smiles but his eyes are wrong, darker than they should be and has the cruel smile of his wolf. He charges one of the soldiers as I dodge one of the blades while the other cuts into my arm in a glancing blow. Bryan, or his beast?, slams the one he charged into a wall before he is noticed by any of our foes; a pair of shadowy claws extending from him hands before they like my own magics are dispelled under the antimagic wave the inquisitor throws in our direction. Still the force beyond what I am capable of crushes the air tube in the man¡¯s neck as Bryan frowns. ¡°Who stopped my $h@#ow$?¡± he asks himself, though I do not know one of the words, while turning to the other soldier. Who knowing I am not particularly dangerous stabs him only for the blade to pass through him. I look around, needing a weapon but I am no good with the only thing I find. Still I pick up the silver blade, knowing if it wasn¡¯t two on one I would have already lost. Swinging widely I find myself disarmed in seconds by the Althaen soldier. But I was a sufficient distraction to give my ally an opening. I don¡¯t see what it is that he did but the man is on the floor in the fetal position holding the space between his legs. His blade now in Bryan¡¯s hands is quickly plunged into the man¡¯s chest and left there as he mutters, ¡°hand-fangs aren¡¯t as fun.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t Bryan are you?¡± I ask. ¡°Nope, he died so it¡¯s my turn for now. So. . .¡± he begins to answer before the werewolf shouts, ¡°shut up and help me.¡± I pass Not-Bryan the sword in my hand before throwing a tongue of foxfire swiftly negated by the Inquisitor. It doesn¡¯t harm him but it does cost him some resources and attention so I continue to toss small bursts of foxfire making sure not to have a pattern the knight could pick up on. As I do this Not-Bryan and the werewolf attack in melee with the blades being used as a club; hitting the knight with the pommel rather than the blade. Soon enough we succeed even if it is only getting the knight in plate on his back after knocking him to the ground. ¡°So, Ria mind burning him slowly?¡± Not-Bryan asks as he kicks the knights sword away. ¡°Why? We should just kill him and move on¡± the werewolf says before I answer. ¡°For fun, but you might be right there could be something more fun further down.¡± ¡°Just kill the man. There are still enemies that need to be dealt with.¡± I nod in agreement with my den sister, though Not-Bryan seems to have wanted a different answer and waits a moment before actually doing so as he grumbles to himself below any of our hearing. My den sister however demands my attention as she walks up to me and asks, ¡°which direction is our mate in?¡± I point back towards the stairs and say ¡°heading away from us. Why?¡± ¡°No reason.¡± I smirk as she turns away, considering if I should tease her about it for the barest of instances before saying ¡°is someone lonely?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with. . .¡± ¡°Sshh, don¡¯t worry I¡¯m here for you¡± I whisper in her ear before getting shoved away. ¡°Let¡¯s just get back to work¡± my den sister says before walking in the opposite direction of our mate. Chapter 071 F?en is the only child of El?thian that has died. While he is still one of the gods of the Elvenhan, he is not one that is often talked of. He is lord of death, keeper of the graves but also the god of life and reincarnation. He governs the elven entrance to the afterlife, judging those by his father¡¯s rules and sorting them into either their just rewards or offering those he thinks deserve it a second chance at life. His death was originally caused by his eldest sister Jailia in her failed attempt to usurp El?thian as god-king of the elves.
Shadow Bryan
I can only watch in annoyance as the fox verbally torments her den sister. They are Primary¡¯s friend¡¯s mates and I do not wish for them to turn him against me. At least it is only for a moment that have their own fun after denying me mine before Kythia begins to lead us to down towards another room. Soon we are before a large important looking door labeled in a language that I cannot read. Not that I am worried about the writings of men, I can feel how the door is not warded and open it without a care in how much noise the hinges make. Within is a large room with multiple cages around the circular wall separated by tables covered in papers and strange instruments beyond my knowledge. In the middle of the room is a single old man who is currently dissecting a body of a male humanoid whose race I can no longer determine. Not human because there is what looks like a tail attached but I can¡¯t tell more than that though he is wearing an odd uniform I can¡¯t place. The old man looks up and says something that sound vaguely familiar but not a language I know. Maybe Primary could place it but is certainly isn¡¯t something that we¡¯ve heard since the start of my existence. [Its German.] And that is? [A language spoken by a European nation on Earth.] So not something important at the moment. I turn and look at the fox and Kythia before looking back to the elderly man. He seems different than the others, the Althaen soldiers and knights upset me by their very presence but this one I don¡¯t care about. Still, killing him will be fun so. . . ¡°You are not of this people. Who are you?¡± the old man asks in a commanding tone. ¡°We are your death servant of the Holy One¡± the fox shouts out in a theatrical flourish. ¡°I do not serve their god. Be gone so I can continue my research and preparations to return.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just kill the geezer and move on¡± I say while looking around the room for any other threats. Nothing seems overly dangerous. . . [Cages of dire animals and anthropomorphic experiments aren¡¯t dangerous?] They can¡¯t kill us no matter how many times you die to them. Time consuming and annoying is all they¡¯d be. [That is dangerous.] Nope, annoying but not dangerous. As I am distracted by my Primary¡¯s foolishness however, the old man makes he first move though not one that I would have expected. After a moment of grabbing a pile of the scribblings on the table in front of him he vanishes in some feat that would have to be magic. The only consolation that I get is that all the cages in the room open and the mistreated animals are not the happy cuddly kind. Some of them charge at us while others fight amongst themselves, tearing into each other in their desire to get more food. Some sort of feral tiger-man pounces through me as I shift to and back from being made of shadowstuff and I plunge my own shadow claws into the man''s spine. The warmth of blood flowing over my hands is greeted with a smile. [You¡¯re messed up.] A good portion of that is your fault, now shut up, I want to see if I can get a blood fountain by decapitating someone. [I think that doesn¡¯t actually happen.] One way to find out. . . I charge the nearest creature, an odd dog of some sort. It bites into my right arm, a dull stinging and the limb slowly begins to feel colder, but I don¡¯t pay it any mind. It¡¯ll close up in seconds once I slip into the shadows. My left-hand claws into the throat and I am reminded of something I forgot, necks tend to be thicker than the length of my claws. The animal soon let¡¯s go of my arm, dropping to the floor adding to the growing pools of blood around the room. I stare at my shadow claws for a moment, unsure as to how to get them to mimic a hand-fang rather than just my claws. It is in this moment I see some sort of female cat person swipe at her own opponent. A dark force or substance trailing off into the air bridging the gap and cutting into the ribs of her near human foe. I¡¯ll try that. That seems easier than thinking about how to make shadow mimic human tools. Primary can deal with that and I¡¯ll just have fun.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The first two attempts were only partially successful, sure the things I didn¡¯t pay attention to died but they just didn¡¯t cut deep enough to dismember. When the fox however is about to throw a burst of her fire at the female cat person I jump, diving through the shadows, and in an instant, I am next to the feline girl and shove her out of the way. ¡°Not-Bryan, why?¡± the kitsune shouts out as if I had betrayed her personally. ¡°Uh, she¡¯s friendly?¡± I answer, not wanting to say I only did it because I hadn¡¯t been able to fully copy what she did with what I think k are shadows. [Like you could ever consider someone your friend.] How rude, I¡¯ll have you know I can be really friendly if I want to. [Who would you want to be friendly to?] Your midget girlfriend''s inner beast when she takes over. [Why? You dislike Abagail, what makes her future lycanthropic self-different?] A decent part of my personality is parts of yours you don¡¯t want to admit to. So, what does Abagail want but won¡¯t admit? She¡¯ll be fun. The fox looks over to Kythia who says, ¡°no, we¡¯re not bringing back a cat to the pack.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± a voice from my right says. Oh, right that¡¯s were the female feline is. [What language is that?] With a grin knowing no one else will understand I answer her question, ¡°Shadowed Fa. . .¡± She then sniffs me and says with a crinkling of her nose, ¡°you stink of dog.¡± ¡°And you stink of cat.¡± ¡°Get away from the cat¡± Kythia commands and I almost do so. ¡°No¡± I say. ¡°We¡¯re not risking Adrian deciding that he likes her¡± the kitsune says. I actually nod at that, seems reasonable to me. Hell, he might evenconsider it to get the two of them to stop their infighting. ¡°Adrian has a pet fox, she can be my pet.¡± ¡°Ria is Adrian¡¯s best girl, not his pet. Danny is a pet¡± the kitsune says puffing herself up with pride. ¡°You¡¯re not his favorite, fox¡± Kythia begins before I tune out their argument and turn to the cat as she stands up. ¡°So you have two choices, the first is to. . .¡± I start before she cuts me off saying ¡°I demand to be treated with respect and spoiled as much as possible.¡± ¡°You understand the canine language, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I would never sully myself speaking it but yes. Tell me why you have the scent of shadows when you stink of dogs?¡± ¡°You know I could just let the kitsune and werewolf females do what they want to you.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t, you want something from me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a living shade and werewolf, now . . . I am cut off as the feline hugs me and whispers into my ear, ¡°if you treat me as a spoiled princess I¡¯ll be really nice to you. . .¡± [Do not fall for her trying to . . .] Oh, now I want to do it a bit more. [Going along with what she is clearly trying to do just because I . . .] . . . disagree is idiotic, stupid and vindictive. I know, but it will infuriate the midget. [Upsetting Abagail is also not a reason to do this.] But shaping her forming inner beast is. The more jealous she is of any other female remotely near us the more I¡¯ll like her beast after her creation. [You¡¯re terrible.] ¡°Well, when you put it that way. . . I suppose I could make sure your safe from the rest of our group and are never locked in a cage again.¡± ¡°Are you sure? I can be very friendly. . .¡± I lean in close, glancing down the tattered tunic to appraise her figure. Not the best, but she does have nice wide hips and slightly larger than normal breasts for her otherwise athletic build. Whispering into her ear I say, ¡°so can I.¡± She pushes me away from her and I smile, good she isn¡¯t some broken thing. Still she does follow me as I walk over to where the fox and Kythia have drifted to during their argument. ¡°No, we are not doing that¡± Kythia says to the fox. ¡°But, it¡¯ll be fun, and I just know he¡¯ll like it¡± the fox pleads while tugging on her arm. I cough rather loud, not wanting to know what sort of perverted things might be happening to some other male. No, the only secret of Adrian''s harem I want to know is how to get multiple females. [I don¡¯t want . . .] Don¡¯t lie to me. You might not be willing to risk your relationship with the midget to get the chance for a second female, but I know you wouldn¡¯t be opposed if . . . [Shut up!] I smile at the echo of Primary¡¯s embarrassment as the two females cease whatever bickering they wandered off to. Making a straight face and turning away from the fox, Kythia says ¡°we need to move on.¡± I look over the papers, even with Primary¡¯s mediocre understanding of magic I can tell they are far more advanced than anything other than the book Adrian showed him, but it is something else that catches my eye through his knowledge. The language is German, and I am fairly sure at least one of the drawing is on cell division or maybe so other biological . . . [You¡¯re jumping to conclusions I have no idea what the language is.] Please what language other than his native tongue would a man old enough to have been around during the world wars and was speaking German earlier, given that he was wearing some military uniform rather than the clothing that would have been given to him? ¡°Adrian will want to see these papers¡± I say and for the first time since the end of the fight does she actually look through them before saying ¡°they¡¯re nonsense scribblings.¡± ¡°They¡¯re in a Terran tongue.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen Terran before, and they most certainly are. . .¡± ¡°Not the elemental language, he meant as in a language on Terra¡± the fox whispers just loud enough that everyone can hear to embarrass her den sister. ¡°Then you pick them up and carry them¡± Kythia tells the fox who does just that without complaint, smiling and clearly has some plan that involves them already forming. Within a minute she is holding them all though just barely and in a pile that might collapse or explosion at any given moment. Still, she does turn to the door we came from without problem before asking, ¡°Kythia could you get the doors between me and our mate?¡± I roll my eyes as the two of them walk off all but forgetting me and the feline for a legitimate excuse to go bother Adrian and likely stay by him. Now what to do? Hmmm. . . ¡°Want to find some poor fool of a paladin to torment?¡± I ask the cat. She smiles and so do I, another reason to acquire more than just the midget. [You¡¯re not . . .] Not yet no, but it will be amusing having her around for more than just to mess with the midget. Chapter 072 Jailia was once the firstborn of the King of Elvenhan and was wife to Larius before she turned against her father. She claims that it is she who was betrayed, first by her father who gave her to her husband in a political marriage rather than allowing her to rule as us the right of the firstborn. Then again by her husband when he took Talmara as his second wife. For this she swore to see the corruption of the Elvenhan destroyed, thus she turned to the forces once considered her enemies to usher her to her rightful place an heir to the throne of the Elvenhan rather than the unloved and scorned wife and daughter she saw herself to be.
Adrian
I smile as the lives of multiple relatively weak but odd lifeforces are snuffed out around my two girls in the echoes of Life Radar. There isn¡¯t much else around that Analais, Alana and Kylana haven¡¯t gotten to and even though I tracked them through the corridors I am not sure how they manage to move so quickly through the halls of this place. Still, they are still picking off the last few Althaen that are wandering the halls and so I have turned my attention to gathering what I can. While I do not know where they keep the paper and parchment that holds the secrets I would be interested in knowing, I do know where a rather large cluster of gold and silver is from my earlier uses of Sense Metal. In front of the door to the treasury for this compound, I look over the metal door and smirk at the runes that have been carved into it, wards that I don¡¯t understand but wards that could not account for what I can do. I can see the lock built into the door and have no idea where the key is but I don¡¯t need one. A few Translocation Grasps and dropping the pins from the hinges and the internals from the lock litter the floor around me. Now all I have to do is. . . The door slams on the stone floor of the hall as I tip it to fall, knowing that it¡¯d be blocked if it hit the chests on the other side. Stepping over the heavily enchanted but useless door into a room that is lined with chests full of expensive things. I open the nearest chest and stop, staring at the glint of gold and silver from the torch light of the hall. It is so simple but also beautiful, I run my fingers over the top of the pile within the chest. For a moment I feel like I should dump it on the floor, put all that I own in a pile of glittering glory and lay upon it. To feel it with more than just my hand. . . ¡°Adrian¡± a voice says behind me drawing me from the gold and silver as I quickly turn around to see Ria and Kythia in the hall. In Ria''s arms are a large stack of books and papers which she holds out for me to grab. ¡°What are these?¡± I ask as I take them from her without even looking at them while I drop them into Void Cache. ¡°No idea but they¡¯re written in a language from Terra. I think they¡¯re on the research being done here¡± she answers with a smile, tail wagging as I look at her. I pull her into a quick hug before asking K, ¡°have any fun?¡± knowing full well that Ria is doing something behind my back to mock her for not getting a token of affection while she herself did. ¡°Only in having to fight the fox''s battles for her¡± she answers with a grin. ¡°Hey, I fought. You¡¯re just better at it than me¡± Ria says from behind me. I just smirk before saying, ¡°I¡¯m glad you had a good time. Anything interesting happen?¡± ¡°Not-Bryan came out to play and . . .¡± ¡°Not-Bryan?¡± ¡°His wolf¡± K clarifies for me before Ria continues ¡°. . . he also decided that he wants to keep a pet cat, but we¡¯re against it.¡± A pet cat? Why would Bryan or his inner beast want one? Why is it even out so close to the new moon? ¡°Cat as in what exactly?¡± I ask. ¡°Some black furred anthropomorph that used some magic similar to something he did¡± Ria answers. ¡°Weird I didn¡¯t think he was into that kind of thing.¡± ¡°Well?¡± K asks expecting me to say something else. ¡°If he takes care of it himself I don¡¯t really care.¡± ¡°It? Thanks for accepting at least some of the lessons on other races the pack gave you¡± K says while pulling me into a hug. My arm wraps around her waist and I enjoy the firm yet also softness that is her ass for a second not wanting to say I only used that article because I wasn¡¯t told the gender of this cat pet. Ria jumps into our hug, but K stops blocks her and separates from me before I get to fully enjoy it. I do however smirk at their squabbling. ¡°Can the two of you help me with these chests?¡± I ask not wanting it to go on to the point where they ask my opinion on which of the two is right. ¡°Okay¡± Ria says loudly, her voice echoing off the stone walls before she tries and fails to drag one of the chests to me. K shakes her head before saying, ¡°he meant going through them to see what we should take.¡± ¡°But he wants to take all of it?¡± K looks at me and I answer, ¡°I do, but knowing what is here is most of the work.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°You¡¯re going to take everything and put it in that nothing space?¡± ¡°Of course, but it¡¯s called Void Cache.¡± ¡°Make sure to separate some of it for the pack.¡± ¡°But¡¯s it¡¯s shiny¡± Ria complains mirroring my natural instincts. Should I just lie and say I separa. . . No, K is more important. I glance at the coins and gems for a second, it would be so easy to just. . . ¡°Kythia, Ria could you bring me the . . .¡± I start while slowly separating myself from the valuables before I start pocketing some. ¡°Sure¡± Ria says interrupting me and with a glance at K she pulls me to the side. K nods at Ria with some flash of understanding and for once smiles rather than glares at Ria when she thinks I¡¯m not looking. That is until Ria decides now was the perfect time to give me a taste of her mouth. For the next few seconds I just enjoy the feel of Ria in my lap not caring that I taste a bit of whatever breakfast was. Then she steps back and as K says ¡°get over here and help fox.¡± ¡°I am helping. . .¡± ¡°Distracting Adrian isn¡¯t the help I want from you.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s more fun. . .¡± she complains while walking slowly to K.
Tomas
After Dam? left me wherever it is that here is, the appeal of being in an oriental quickly vanished. The vast majority of the people here look at me as if I was a beast to them. An animal that was dropped off to be domesticated and trained. Somehow it bothers me more than the uncaring apathy Dam? displayed to my actions. He saw me as a person even if he was using me as a tool in whatever his plans are but these people me as nothing more than an animal. Pointing and saying commands in a language of which I have only managed to pick a few words up and physically forcing me to do what they want if I do not immediately begin what they want or if it done differently than expectations that are never told me. The only person that will talk to me is a servant who can barely speak enough Althaen to get an idea across. I¡¯ve also been getting hungry but feeding on anyone here will certainly get me killed. Maybe if I. . . No, but. . . ¡°T@1n73d thing, come h3¡êR¡± my caretaker shouts at me and I rush swiftly to him without breaking into a run. I do not want to be taught a lesson again. Even with my growing hunger the threat of death and the pain those crystal blades cause is too much for me to risk. Walking up to the wolf like man that called meet I see a half dead orc bound and being dragged in by several men taking great care not to touch the creature. Several others that display more animalistic traits or strange colorations are looking from the balcony that overlooking the courtyard. The men drop the orc and the canine man says some word I have never heard before. When I look at him in confusion some of the looks of distain that a few are not even trying to hide grow before the canine says just two words, ¡°eat it.¡± I swallow, not believing that I just heard him right, but I don¡¯t wait. Before I know it, I¡¯ve taken several steps forward and am now in front of the single captive orc. My hand shakes as I stretch it out. I don¡¯t know what is going on, but those words slowly break through what little hold I¡¯ve been able to keep on the hunger. The orc screams much as that bar wench did as I tear what little life remains in it. It ages rapidly for a few seconds before falling from my grasp. It¡¯s tainted life force flowing through my veins as whatever Dam? did to me metabolizes it. I¡¯ve long since gotten used to the sick feeling of the demonic taint after being forced to feed so much on tainted and fully demonic creatures but after not feeding for weeks it is sweet to what taste I have now. Those watching do not seem to care and I honestly am glad to get something to eat even if it is nowhere near enough. The canine who told me to do it stands and watches me for a few seconds as do the men in full armor and crystalline blades before the canine says, ¡°follow¡± and walks of towards a building of black stone I have not been inside during my entire time here, the one that Dam? went to during his short stay before leaving me here. A chill runs through my body as I cross the threshold of the building, a shiver unlike any other I¡¯ve felt before. As if something touched the very essence of what I was for an instant and let it go. I follow the canine down several halls for nearly an hour before I am both completely lost, and we arrive at a large door twice as tall as I am that opens to a hall of emerald stones. Continuing to follow the canine, after another hour we come to what seems to be a courtroom of some sort. The emerald green stone that fills the walls is the same as the blades I fear and covered in golden and silver. A human male sits on a throne of similar crystal with the black furred kitsune I saw on my first day kneeling to the man sitting on the crystal throne. The others in the room are primarily animal kin though I do recognize some of them as humans though with strange hair and eye colors. The canine that guided me here, taps the back of my left knee with his blade. The burning sting of the green crystal against my skin causes me to kneel just before he does himself. ¡°St@nd, K3393R of the N01# Flame. Speak to the thing for me¡± the man commands and that single person stands and turns to me. ¡°3Xp@!n3 it to the @b0m1n@t10n¡± the man in the crystal throne says and while I can hear his disgust at having to speak in the Althaen tongue the kitsune does so. ¡°The Emperor wishes to confirm the whisperings of the void. Before you were with the Blood Elf who were you traveling with?¡± Why is this important? ¡°Bryan Grace, Abagail Clark and Adrian Ravnos.¡± A cacophony of whispers fill the room when I finish Adrian¡¯s name. The black kitsune and the man, emperor?, in the crystal those seems unfazed as if they already knew. The black kitsune turns to the emperor and they have a short conversation in a language similar to the one I¡¯ve managed to pick up some words of before the kitsune once more asks me a question ¡°was it the Blood Elf who separated you from this Ravnos and what is your relation to him?¡± ¡°I think so but he might not have had anything to do with the undead that killed me. Adrian is my friend but could you tell me why you¡¯re asking these questions?¡± The kitsune does not answer me until after speaking with the emperor for nearly a minute. ¡°What do you know of the Ravnos?¡± ¡°That they¡¯re wizards and have a lot of family only activities on the weekend?¡± The kitsune frowns as he continues ¡°then what do you know of this Adrian Ravnos?¡± ¡°Uh, he likes reading and studying, games. . .¡± ¡°About what he is and can do¡± the kitsune interrupts. ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± ¡°The Jade Emperor needs that information to determine if extending an invitation of friendship is in order.¡± I look at him for a moment, I¡¯m not good at reading people but I think he doesn¡¯t mean any harm to my friend. And if he does well, he did leave me to rot where I fell. ¡°Well, he isn¡¯t much of a fighter, but he seems skilled in magic. I¡¯ve seen him command fire and call lightning from the sky. I saw some of the slate the Althaen use to interact with the Architect¡¯s System and it had two weird things on it. Doppelganger, saying there was another him somewhere and that he was some weird kind of dragon. I don¡¯t know what a void dragon is but. . .¡± The rest of my sentence is drowned out by everyone talking even to my own ears and thoughts before the Jade Emperor speaks a single word that echoes over the other voices in the room despite being quieter. Chapter 073 Larius is the only elven god that has two divine wives, Jailia and Talmara. Jailia was his first wife and for a time they did love one another. They were married for centuries but eventually her love for power and ire over her father denying her right as the firstborn to rule grew and their marriage grew cold. His marriage to Talmara started during that decade as she comforted him as his wife began to plot to overthrow her father. His marriage to Talmara soon soured as he found her incapable of staying loyal to the oaths of their marriage. Yet he still loves both of his wives, constantly forgiving Talmara of adultery and trying to guide Jailia to let go of her hate and anger. He is the god of Repentance, Healing and Redemption for he has suffered nigh all betrayals at the hands of his wives.
Tomas
After the man speaks the room sits in silence for several seconds. Everyone obeying whatever command they were given by the robed man. Then the black kitsune and him speak to each other for a short while before he turns to me and says, ¡°the Jade Emperor wishes to extend an invitation of friendship to Adrian Ravnos. Would you be willing to introduce us and act as a translator if needed?¡± What? ¡°I would like to know why. It depends on that.¡± The kitsune frowns for a moment before answering, disliking having to treat me as something more than an animal. ¡°The Ravnos are much more than you know. They created this plane and then stuffed most of the supernatural world of the time here for the sin of consorting with demons. The punishment is just but not all were guilty. We not our ancestors ever sided with fiends but we¡¯re caught in their spell. The Jade Emperor wishes for your friend to rescind the punishment for his people. To trade knowledge and aid with him, and to confirm if he truely is the kind of dragon you named.¡± I stare for a few seconds before nodding, but what can I get out of this? I don¡¯t mind helping my friend but if I could get something out of this. . . ¡°I would need to know more about your people to know what to say to him and your language to act as a translator. . .¡± ¡°Yes, those would be needed. Your education will the adjusted and accelerated before you and a few others leave to find the young Ravnos.¡±
Randy Ravnos
I stand holding my phone to my ear with one hand as I walk through the woods of one of the few werewolf reservations hidden from the public eye. ¡°. . . I¡¯m telling you, this is a mistake. They have nothing to do with the disappearances¡± I say into the device scanning my surroundings for the creatures that roam these woods. ¡°You have your orders. The disappearances seem to happen near vampire and werewolf congregation points. More so where they overlap. They are likely recruiting to continue their wars.¡± ¡°Then where are the new thralls and yearlings? The weapons and stockpiling? No other signs point to this.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I dragged you away from the search for your son this weekend. You can make it look like an accident if we¡¯re wrong and you need a break.¡± I frown, wanting to teleport and end the entire leadership that knows of me and erase my existence but no. I need to use them later. They¡¯ll be useful when I return home with my son. ¡°You know I¡¯m only doing this for the money I need to keep searching and this is a mistake.¡± ¡°Your objection is noted and has been considered. Carry out your orders.¡± With that the line hangs up. I look up at the full moon and howl out in a crude imitation of their instinctive language calling the alpha of the pack who prowls the surrounding woods and hill to me. This would not be the first time I have done so to speak with a leader of their kind and I doubt it will be the last. I wait several minutes for the Savage will men to surround me before a young but larger than normal male breaks from the circle. He seems more intelligent than the others, a natural lycanthrope? Not uncommon for a pack leader but unexpected. This pack is supposed to be young a runaway from an older pack that has given the disease time to balance? ¡°Who are you to call my pack to you?¡± the beast barely manages to get out of it¡¯s canine mouth. Definitely a third or higher generation natural then. One from a far older pack. ¡°I am an agent for the US government. I want to know if you¡¯ve anything to do with the . . .¡± ¡°No and I will not. . .¡± I sigh not bothering to follow the rest. I know what is next but it is what I wanted to avoid. An instant later I am in a tree far out of sight of the wolves. No one lives when in melee with an entire pack and while I have the answer I knew I was going to have, I pick up the rifle sitting in the branch with me. A few shots, some teleporting then start a forest fire and get back to what matters. . . My phone rings, normally I don¡¯t answer at work but my angel hasn¡¯t called since our boy vanished. I answer the phone, the very instant the connection opens my wife says, ¡°come home now. I found . . .¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. The world shifts, I don¡¯t even bother masking my actions in my hurry to return to the basement I left my wife to continue scanning through Althr¨¢ on the devices I built for her to be able to help. ¡°. . .m. Randy, look . . .¡± her voice cuts off as our son taller and physically stronger than I remember but definitely him, walks out of some sort of stone building followed by two girls. One with three tails of red tipped gold and fox like ears and the other a tall woman with a powerful athletic figure in contrast to the more curved figure of the kitsune. Aside from her silver hair she looks completely human but her stance and bearing are giveaways to another heritage most would overlook. She¡¯s a natural lycanthrope, and a powerful one. Dangerous. . . What the? My thoughts freeze for a moment as I see him do something he cannot possibly have the power, control and knowledge for. He shifts into a dragon, a young one but still larger than a Clydesdale before giving the two girls a ride somewhere. A crack of lightning making a blue tint that should not be in his hair obvious before it is lost in the shapeshift he should not know how to do. ¡°Let¡¯s go. You can take us there, right?¡± ¡°Close, I can get us close. Grab the bags¡± I answer her staring as another flash of lightning shows an odd dragon gliding over a forest. The precision on these instruments isn¡¯t enough to get me directly in front of Adrian but I can get within miles without risking stepping into the void. The return trip may be more difficult, the planar coordinates aren¡¯t stable and fluctuate too randomly to prepare a return trip before leaving but that doesn¡¯t matter to us. As soon as Katherine returns with the two bags-that-are-bigger-on-the-inside to use her own wording I finish making what few changes needed to set the destination on the archway I¡¯ve already prepared as a focus. It glows, and we walk through, flashes of light as if we were streaking past stars at relativistic speed fills our vision. An illusion caused by the energies of the void crashing against my temporary tunnel through it. A beautiful reminder of the promise of certain death should I have made even the slightest mistake during travel and not just on arrival should something be where we land. Seconds pass before the tunnel is replaced with what seems to be a small army camp built around a stone fort the acrid smoke of burnt flesh hangs in the air. My wife throws up as I look around and touch the Tellurian to feel the raw and pure form of all that surrounds me. The storm isn¡¯t natural, perhaps it originally was but not anymore it was twisted to be stronger and if all the damage around me is anything to go by it was also directed to lay waste to whatever this place once was. But not all of the supernatural effects are manipulations of the Tellurian, most of the destruction is but not all. I also can¡¯t feel any remnants of biological manipulation on the pattern. Could he have manipulated his form with something other than the Tellurian? He must have since he clearly is not trying to hide or conceal his manipulation of reality in any way as far as I can tell. ¡°Where is. . .?¡± ¡°Close, but the remnants of whatever happened here make it difficult. . .¡± ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Ravnos, what are you doing here?¡± a voice I recognize says from behind me. We both turn, and I see a youth standing in the door, a girl slightly shorter than him with black hair, she has feline traits, but I ignore those as the youth looks exactly like my son¡¯s friend save for his hair is far darker than it should be, and he feels different than he did last time I saw him. ¡°Bryan?¡± Kathrine asks and the boy nods. ¡°How did you get here?¡± he asks at the same time I ask, ¡°where is Adrian and what¡¯s happened to you?¡± We both pause for a moment, before Bryan is the first to answer as both Kathrine and I stare at him. ¡°He probably already went back to camp. I can show you the way.¡± The woman behind him says something to Bryan in a tongue I have only ever heard once before, the language of shadows. Something he should never have known yet he answers her in the same language. ¡°Please do¡± I say, and he begins to walk off towards the woods as he says, ¡°there¡¯s a few things you should probably know. . .¡±
Adrian
I land at the campsite to find Abagail where we left her along with almost everyone else save for Bryan and his new pet I was told about. As soon as K and Ria descend from my back I return to human form. ¡°Find what we were looking for?¡± Kylana asks as I sit down near the fire. ¡°I think so but it¡¯s in a language I don¡¯t know¡± I answer her. ¡°We still got rid of those that were chasing you down, so it isn¡¯t a total loss¡± Analais says while checking the food we left Abagail to make. He passes me a bowl of the stew, one that is far better than the stew that I refused to eat this morning. ¡°Is there at least some fruit we could have?¡± Lysan mutters as she looks into the bowl in her grasp. Elves and their silly aversion to meat. Rolling my eyes, I pull the last of the fruit from Void Cache and toss an apple to her and an orange to Talia. ¡°That¡¯s all the fruit I have, unless you¡¯ll settle for canned goods¡± I answer as they give me a weird look. ¡°Canned?¡± Lysan asks. ¡°Bottled up and stored in a manner to keep it edible.¡± ¡°Adrian, I have a question¡± Ria whispers in my ear. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Can you do that partial transformation thing. . .¡± ¡°Fox, I told you no! We are not asking about that¡± K interrupts. ¡°Ask about what?¡± K glares at Ria as she answers ¡°well you see a dragon¡¯s tongue is longer than. . .¡± ¡°No fox. We are not. . .¡± ¡°Oh, is someone else embarrassing my daughter without me?¡± Kylana asks as she walks over to us. ¡°Yes. She doesn¡¯t want to try something that I . . .¡± ¡°Oh, what? If it sounds. . .¡± ¡°Kylana, if you¡¯re going to get ideas out of Ria could you do it when I can¡¯t overhear?¡± I ask. ¡°Oh, fine but first. . .¡± she answers before whispering something in K¡¯s ear quiet enough that I don¡¯t catch it. K does look at her like whatever it was that she is crazy. After a moment I lean over to Ria and whisper, ¡°when you¡¯re asking that kind of question, can you do it in private? You can still get the same rise out of Kythia with just the two of us.¡± Ria nods as she moves into my lap, happy to let me wrap my arms around her waist as I find her far more appealing than my half-finished stew. Kythia moves to my side and pushes Ria half-way off my lap to make room for herself as she pushes a bowl to my chest. I glance between the two of them, just knowing this is going to end up some sort of competition between the two of them. I grab the bowl, wondering just how to handle this for a moment. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re going to spoil your pet fox you have to spoil me the same¡± K says. Oh, she was jealous about that the last few days. Well, it¡¯ll nice and give me time to think about why Ria would want to use my longer draconic tongue for. . . It''s probably something perverted . . . In what situation would a dragon''s tongue . . . Chapter 074 Talmara is the youngest of the Elvenhan. She is the opposite to her twin in almost every way. While know to be the most beautiful of elves she is also known to be the least faithful wife in recorded history. She is the goddess of love, lust, promiscuity and fertility. She is worshiped primarily by young unmarried elves particularly those who are male.
Adrian
After feeding Ria and K they fed me and we¡¯ve since been distracted by swapping spit. I think the two have started a who can last longer without taking a breath competition and I¡¯m the real winner so long as they don¡¯t start asking me who¡¯s better. Honestly, I¡¯m not sure I could choose who I enjoy more. . . ¡°Adrian!¡± a loud voice breaks me from focusing on my girls. As I jump up in some ingrained vain attempt to hide whatever it was that caused that tone of voice to come from my mother. At the same moment, everyone but Ria and Abagail get into a readied position to fight. More than one ranged weapon aimed at the source of the voice. I look over there to see Bryan followed by a girl that must be his new pet cat and both my mother and father. How did they even get here? No, doesn¡¯t matter; how am I going to get through her no premarital sex talk. . . Wait no, I am the equivalent for them already. ¡°Who are they Yearling?¡± Analais asks getting a jolt of recognition from my father. I didn¡¯t know he could speak Canine. ¡°Allies, from Adrian¡¯s family¡± Bryan answers at the same time my father mouths the word ¡®yearling¡¯ to himself. ¡°Oh? Mother of my daughter¡¯s mate welcome¡± Kylana says switching to what little English she¡¯s picked up by listening to me teach K and Ria. My mother rushes to me and pulls me into a hug asking so many different questions that all boil down to ¡°are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay, safe¡± is all I say as she hugs me, crying with relief into my chest. I can hear yelling, but it is not about my family and I tune it out as I just hold my mother. Dad is talking with Analais and Kylana while Bryan, his cat and Abagail are arguing. ¡°Adrian¡± K says quietly as she and Ria stand next to my mother and me. I nod to her before saying ¡°Mom, I¡¯m safe. I¡¯m okay. You don¡¯t have to worry. I need to tell you some things and introduce you to some people. . .¡± She slowly let¡¯s go and nods, ¡°Bryan mentioned a few things.¡± ¡°Alright, just let me explain everything before . . .¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°So, uh, this is Kythia and Ria . . .¡± I begin before Ria interrupts me by hugging her and saying, ¡°Adrian picked us to be your daughters.¡± ¡°Picked you what?¡± ¡°We¡¯re married" I interject, hoping this will go better than it did last time. ¡°You¡¯re what? You¡¯re too young to . . .¡± ¡°The culture and rules are different here.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean . . .¡± ¡°Mom, I . . .¡± ¡°Adrian. . .¡± ¡°He fought off all of the other males for me. I am his and you have no . . .¡± Kythia begins before I cut her off. ¡°Kythia no threatening my mother.¡± ¡°But she is weak and overstepping . . .¡± ¡°Kythia no. I¡¯ll handle it. Mom, I am married. I love them both.¡± She waits a moment before asking, ¡°do they make you happy?¡± I smile and answer, ¡°yes.¡± She looks at me for another moment before she says, ¡°just no grandkids yet okay?¡± Grandkids? ¡°We uh haven¡¯t had time to think about that. So, as I was saying, these two are Kythia and Ria.¡± ¡°Can you tell me about them?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a kitsune and Adrian saved me from being a slave. I like having fun being awesome and messing with my; I don¡¯t know the word. But Kythia and she is a I don¡¯t know the word for that either. . .¡± Ria starts saying before hitting the wall that is her vocabulary. ¡°Kythia is a werewolf, and . . .¡± ¡°Werewolf? You mean like. . .¡± my mother starts. ¡°Yes, but not evil or some sort of monster. Well, she can turn into a wolf monster but she¡¯s in control during that¡± I explain leaving out Moonlight Runner. ¡°She, isn¡¯t dangerous or anything right?¡± ¡°Not to my mate¡± K answers. ¡°But isn¡¯t lycanthropy contagious?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sort of immune. No giant wolf beast of death for me, just dragon awesomeness for me.¡± ¡°Is that why your eyes and hair are different?¡± ¡°Yes actually. It¡¯s a side effect of your side of the family.¡± ¡°My side? We¡¯re not. . .¡± ¡°My draconic awesomeness is from you not dad.¡± ¡°But. . .¡± ¡°I¡¯ll prove it later. Tonight we . . .¡± I start before I¡¯m interrupted as Abagail and Bryan¡¯s cat who have apparently started fighting pass a little too close and I have to move my mother out of the way as Abagail gets thrown right past us. I look at her and the cat before turning back to my mother. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we stop that?¡± ¡°No, Bryan would intervene if it was out of hand.¡± ¡°Not-Bryan is still in control¡± Ria says. I shrug, he should still care because Bryan does. Maybe it will be good for her in the long term anyways. ¡°Adrian, stop it.¡± ¡°Fine, who started it?¡± I ask while looking towards Shadow Bryan. ¡°The midget, don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll handle it¡± he answers before walking towards the two girls. ¡°Bryan is getting it.¡± ¡°Alright then tell me what¡¯s happened to you then¡± my mother says, and I begin telling her almost everything. Not everything, not the alternate timeline, murders or thefts but most everything else.
A few hours later, I¡¯ve told my mother everything I¡¯m going to tell her; K and Ria have gone off to speak with my dad since he apparently does speak a language they do; and most of the others have gone to sleep. I¡¯m surprised I wasn¡¯t asked about Danny or the elves but at least I am not getting chewed out over my actions like last time. Probably because I left stuff out. ¡°So, did you plan on a way back?¡± I ask. ¡°Sort of, you would have to ask dad. I don¡¯t understand the how.¡± I nod, there are plenty of thing I need to talk to him about anyways and I can''t imagine her knowing the magic for it anyways. ¡°Adrian, I¡¯m tired. Can we go to bed?¡± Ria asks as she, K and Randy walk over.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Of course, just give me a moment¡± I answer. ¡°Don¡¯t take too long¡± K says as she gives into Ria dragging her towards our tent. ¡°Those two are interesting¡± Randy says as I watch my two girls enter the tent. ¡°Really? One seemed violent and the other childish¡± my mother says. ¡°They¡¯re a werewolf and a kitsune of course they¡¯re going to be. Just don¡¯t challenge the werewolf over our son and know that the kitsune will try to play tricks on you.¡± ¡°Well as much as I want to defend them, they aren¡¯t particularly patient when I make them wait¡± I say. ¡°Oh, sounds kind of like your . . .¡± ¡°Randy!¡± Kathrine shouts. ¡°Well, uh. I¡¯ll talk to you later.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll talk tomorrow¡± I say while rushing off. SC As soon as I enter my tent I am met with two half-dressed girls who give me a hug. My arms immediately wrapping around them. ¡°So, can you change just your tongue?¡± Ria asks. ¡°Maybe, why?¡± ¡°Well you see its longer and you could use it to. . .¡± I smirk, ¡°oh? That sounds more like something nice for you, you told me you had a special reward for me. . .¡± ¡°I told you your idea was stupid¡± K says. ¡°But I didn¡¯t even tell the whole thing yet¡± Ria pouts. ¡°Oh, there was more to it than just me tasting your insides with my dragon tongue?¡± ¡°Yes, we were going to take turns, switching between your meaty tower and tongue.¡± ¡°See, dumb idea. Pinning us down and ravaging us is a better plan¡± K says as she slips my hand from her waist to her soon to be bare ass. With a squeeze of her ass I say, ¡°I could always do both and it does sound like fun to try. . .¡± Ria kisses me as my hand slips under her bra. My fingers sinking into soft flesh, I like the firmness that gives K her oh so perky breasts, but these are easier to manipulate and oh so soft. ¡°Adrian, I love you and you¡¯re amazing, but you don¡¯t have that much stamina.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll use magic.¡± ¡°Adrian, you can¡¯t use magic like. . .¡± ¡°Not literally. And I¡¯m sure mana could be used to accelerate recovery and generate more semen to pump into you.¡± ¡°Is that what you plan on doing when you eventually drag that draconian girl and the elven princesses to join?¡± Ria asks. ¡°Um, err. Not before this moment no. I¡¯ll have to figure out how to do that. . . But tonight, I want to try. . .¡± ¡°Yes! Told you¡± Ria shouts towards K. ¡°Fine, but first dips on getting stuffed¡± K says before the two of them push me towards the bed. I watch with a wide grin as the two of them take off their bras leaving them topless. Ria¡¯s are larger but K does have a perkier set. ¡°Well? We can¡¯t ride you if you stay clothed¡± one of them say as I stare at the four boobs in front of me. I slowly take of my shirt before asking ¡°wouldn¡¯t you like to strip me for once?¡± The two of them pause for a moment and the urge to push them down and make them submit rolls through my mind. But I stay still as my erection pushes against the cloth prison that holds it. With a smile the two of them work together to strip me of both pants and underwear before pausing once more as they stare at my crotch as I do their own nudity. Slowly the two of them come to me. K stopping to straddle my waist, my length running along her slit as she uses it to cover me in her fluids. I like how it feels, the slowly build of anticipation for when she will inevitably impale herself upon me. She even gets a few groans of approval from me as Ria straddles my head. I don¡¯t have much practice with my tongue let alone my longer, stronger and more nubile dragon tongue but I find it easy to flick it against her lower lips and the nub I know to be a bundle of nerves. The taste is different, but I still like it. Slowly I work my way around Ria¡¯s slit as K coats my member. Only teasing the shallowest parts of her depths yet I can feel her approval and how she enjoys it from our bond. A minute, maybe two passes before K decides to take the next step and the chill of her absence covers my dick for the few seconds she takes to line her sheath to take it in full. My mouth let¡¯s out another groan though it is closer to a growl into Ria as I buck upwards as K descends. She takes me in full for an instant before lifting herself partially off me and descending again. Slowly at first but at a quickening pace I match in my explorations of just what I can get to with my tongue inside Ria. Trying to learn what I can with it despite the very pleasurable and distracting sensations of K doing her best to get me to paint her insides or bruise her womb. Sometimes it¡¯s hard to tell with how rough and wild she likes it. Still I manage to last until she howls out my name before I dump several spurts of baby batter. I pause my advances into Ria for those few seconds and she dismounts my face. Slowly K dismounts as well though we all know full well she¡¯d have liked to just stay and try for more. My still almost full size manhood is then treated to a tongue bath by Ria as K moves to take the spot Ria vacated. I start to tease K''s lower lips and while the taste that I¡¯m sure is K I enjoy, that of my seed is not. I try to give K the same treatment as Ria but she notices the difference in enthusiasm and asks "what¡¯s wrong?¡± before Ria finishes prepping my cock for herself as I spit out a bit of seed stolen from her by my tongue. ¡°I should have tried this on you before filling you up.¡± ¡°Well I don¡¯t like you taking out what I worked so hard for.¡± ¡°Why? Are yoU TRying . . .¡± Damn, Ria always feels so good to be inside. Just like a fitted silken tunnel made to house a penis the exact dimensions of mine since the bond formed. Something to enjoy in a drawn out fashion compared to the hard fast rock star style fucking K is perfect for. ¡°Adrian, you¡¯ve taken me almost every night since you claimed me as your mate. . .¡± ¡°Most of thOse were at yOUr request.¡± ¡°Its fun to talk to you while someone¡¯s riding your spear.¡± ¡°Try tAlking to RiA.¡± ¡°Fine but you¡¯d better leave me walking funny in the morning.¡± ¡°Of cOUrse.¡± ¡°Fox, how was. . .¡± ¡°It wAs . . . thE . . .¡± Best fucking idea ever to get Ria to try to talk while riding me. I can feel her voice shifting her tunnel just like when she breathes. . .
Randy Ravnos
I glance at the tent my son¡¯s women dragged him off to. Pride in my son¡¯s ability to satisfy two women to the point where I had to put up a sound barrier to talk with my wife. ¡°He seems so different. . .¡± Katherine starts. ¡°He lived on his own for weeks maybe months here. He¡¯s still our boy though.¡± ¡°I I know. But I just wanted everything to go back to how it was. That can¡¯t happen now. I just, I don¡¯t know what to do. . .¡± ¡°We help Adrian come home and just let him bring those girls with him. You did see how they look at each other, right?¡± ¡°The ones in his tent or the elves?¡± ¡°So you noticed that too. I¡¯d say yes. . .¡± ¡°But it¡¯s wrong. He shouldn¡¯t. . .¡± ¡°Those two elves see him as interesting. They may not love each other but polygamy doesn¡¯t seem to be a problem to them. I don¡¯t think we should stop it.¡± ¡°But. . .¡± ¡°Our Western Christian morals don¡¯t apply. They¡¯d be consenting adults.¡± ¡°Adrian isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Adrian has fought and killed to defend himself. You¡¯ve seen how much he grew physically and mentally.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t stop me from seeing him as my baby boy.¡± ¡°Nor me.¡± ¡°So, what did you think of those two?¡± she asks gesturing towards our son''s tent. ¡°They¡¯re certainly in love with him. I could barely get them to talk about themselves rather than our boy.¡± ¡°Really? He would go on and on about them. Though Kythia being a kick-ass awesome woman who he learns mana magic with isn¡¯t. . .¡± ¡°Wait, did you just say he is learning mana-based magic?¡± ¡°Yes? He said there was a bunch of different types of magic. Most he doesn¡¯t plan on ever learning but he said mana magic was useful since it doesn¡¯t upset reality. Whatever that is supposed to mean.¡± My son can use a power Ravnos don¡¯t have. How? The Ravnos soul and body mutation doesn¡¯t permit it. The avatar soul doesn¡¯t bind to those with other supernatural powers and developing them after binding damages the binding. . . ¡°Did he mention anything about his ability to turn into a dragon?¡± ¡°Yes actually, he said it was something from my side of the family, but I can¡¯t see how that is.¡± ¡°Well, they can¡¯t have been from my side. The Ravnos have lineage charts over thousands of years and no dragons anywhere. But it should not be possible at all. Ravnos traits either suppress or are suppressed by any other supernatural ability.¡± The only exception to that ever recorded was a natural-born lycanthrope who was only a carrier before some ritual to awaken it. But it wasn''t repeatable. . . ¡°Something you¡¯ll have to talk to him about tomorrow then. He did tell me some about it already though I don¡¯t understand all of what it should mean. Is it normal for a void dragon to manipulate space? Or spit death lasers?¡± ¡°A void dragon? Never heard of them. But the Void is the space between planes so maybe, the two would make sense.¡± The Void is also where the avatar souls that bond with Ravnos exist between hosts too. So maybe that¡¯s why he can be both. At least it makes more sense than anything else I can think of except maybe an act of True Faith or divine intervention. ¡°Anyways, back to his two, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying it, wives. What are we going to do about them?¡± ¡°Besides tease them for grandkids?¡± ¡°Randy, I¡¯m being serious. . .¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t really anything for us to do. Not until we¡¯re back on Earth anyways.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just I didn¡¯t think it would be like this. . .¡± ¡°Would you really rather have found him scared, starving and alone?¡± ¡°No, I just don¡¯t know what to do.¡± ¡°Get to know our new daughters.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t speak their language, and, and I can¡¯t stop thinking about how they¡¯re both monsters straight out of mythology.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not fair to them. Natural-born lycanthropes have little to do with the wolfmen that are crazed killers under the full moon. And fox yokai were never considered evil, only vindictive.¡± ¡°They¡¯re still monsters, I just have trouble wrapping my mind around it. It goes against everything I . . .¡± Knowing where this could easily go, I interrupt asking ¡°how do you deal with my use of magic?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a black mage.¡± ¡°And neither are the two of them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s different, they¡¯re not human. . .¡± ¡°And regardless of the teachings of Christendom there isn¡¯t a mandate to slaughter the supernatural in the scriptures other than black mages.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that. It just seems so weird, I mean Ria? has fox ears and a tail and the other becomes a wolf monster under the full moon.¡± ¡°And our son appearently can and does turn into a giant flying lizard.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me started on that. I don¡¯t even want to get into how my side of the family will respond him being a dragon." Chapter 075 The Jade Empire is a rumor shared among those who traverse into the depths of the Darklands. As if an entire country of could exist in that demon-tainted land let alone by how it seems to be composed almost entirely of the bestial races. The rumors speak of crystal blades that burn and destroy the taint, yet such magics have been lost as Jade Dragons have been hunted to extinction to fuel them.
Randy Ravnos
I didn¡¯t sleep well, unable to rest as too many questions swirled through my mind. Too many questions on the changes in my son. Too many questions about what must have happened to him and what I can even do to help him. Just a few weeks ago he was clever and stronger than most of the Ravnos his age but never the raw power he now has on the threads of the Tellurian near him. Yet it isn¡¯t tainted as Geldath¡¯s and the other remaining Archmagi. His reflection within the Tellurian also seems odd, powerful, larger than normal and something I can¡¯t quite place. Something I can¡¯t place from the story Katherine repeated to me last night. Still, he is definitely my son and that is enough for me. As much as I want to know the why and how of all of this, I don¡¯t go and ask him for answers. He is my son and has enough to deal with without me adding additional stress. Still, after camp has been packed up and we begin to walk he walks over to me as we begin heading eastwards. After a moment he asks, ¡°dad, what¡¯s the truth about our family?¡± ¡°Why do you ask?¡± I ask not really wanting to get into it if I don¡¯t have to. ¡°You can feel something odd about me, right?¡± I nod before my son continues, quieter than before ¡°I can¡¯t remember all of it, but I arrived here on Althr¨¢ from two separate locations. Two instances of me. . .¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡± ¡°I know and as I wasn¡¯t vaporized when I met the other me by reality being upset; it was caused by a different person. I can only think that it was some other Ravnos that sent me back in time. . .¡± I look at my one son for a moment, ¡°you, you¡¯re . . .¡± ¡°Yeah, so can you tell me the. . .¡± ¡°You¡¯re a composite.¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°Which Adrian are you?¡± ¡°That makes no sense, I¡¯m me and do we really have a need for existential questions?¡± ¡°Are you my boy or a thing that killed. . .¡± ¡°I¡¯m me. The only difference is I can remember a fork in causality. One an Althr¨¢ a few years older than this one invades Earth chaos and mayhem ran rampant then it gets blurry and I woke up in the woods near Pack Bloodclaw alone, the other I¡¯m called by a ritual and am practically enslaved by the Althaen and meet myself during my escape attempt.¡± ¡°And your ability to use mana and shapeshift?¡± ¡°The shapeshifting is from mom''s dragon blood it just had to be awakened. I started learning mana manipulation from the werewolves, I couldn¡¯t remember much of anything at the time, but I¡¯ve had to specifically work to maintain it. Now can you please answer my question?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather not get into it where others can here. . .¡± ¡°Later then? When we stop to set up camp?¡± ¡°Sure, but how are you going to keep yourself from getting dragged off by your wives?¡± I tease and smile as a bit of redness fills his face. Sure, he responded with a flat voice, but I know my son. ¡°Nothing, but they¡¯ll give me a bit of time. So, uh dad how skilled are you with the family magic?¡± ¡°Looking for a teacher?¡± My son rolls his eyes before asking, ¡°will you help or not?¡± I frown, not liking this change in my son. Still, I suppose I shouldn¡¯t mess with him over everything . . . ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll help; though our magic isn¡¯t able to just be taught.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°There are two parts to manipulating the Tellurian. . .¡± ¡°The what?¡± ¡°The Fabric of Reality. Actually, tell me what you know, and I¡¯ll start there.¡± ¡°Well, we can alter reality by forcing our will on it and bending it in ways that take advantage of basic laws of the world make it easier.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t entirely off but you are missing a few details. Is this how you were taught?¡± ¡°No, grandpa only taught me the first thing. Push my will on reality and it¡¯ll change. I think he left things out when he was teaching me. Add in some of the events of the other timeline and that he would have to be involved in however I ended up here it could only be on purpose.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I nod, that does make sense though what Geldath would possibly have to gain is beyond me. ¡°You¡¯re close but your missing a few details. Our power works in conjunction with an Avatar. . .¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°A second soul fused with our own until death.¡± ¡°So me-but-not-me is real? Not some fragment. . .¡± ¡°Me-but-not-me?¡± ¡°She says things to me in dreams that tend not to make sense. Dreams that tend not to seem like dreams.¡± I smile in pride, surprised that he has a strong connection to the second soul. A fully sentient one was always rare too . . . ¡°Yes, well she is the source of your ability to manipulate reality. Just what the second souls are we don¡¯t know but they are a part of our own souls until we die. The ability to manipulate reality is not however tied to using the laws that govern reality but the strength of the second soul and the understanding and believe we have in concepts.¡± ¡°Is the conflict between the used concepts why one Ravnos can¡¯t just teach anything to another?¡± ¡°Yes, I can explain to you how any of my weaves work but if your understanding and definitions of the relevant concepts differ they won¡¯t do the same thing. I can tell you how I peered across the planes to search for you, but you couldn¡¯t duplicate it by copying what I did. I can however share insight into ideas and what I know of the only field of Reality Manipulation that does transfer between us without difficulty.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°Understanding the fabric of reality itself. The Tellurian is the same for everyone and also both the least and most helpful thing to know.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t useful on its own but combined with other concepts it can make the changes in reality permanent or include some interaction without fully knowing the details like making light into sunlight so it will destroy vampires . . .¡± ¡°Could you do the same with moonlight?¡± ¡°Yes, but . . . I would advise against creating moonlight just to shine it on your lycanthropic friends.¡± ¡°Why? They know we¡¯re allies and won¡¯t harm us.¡± ¡°The process of shifting does put a strain on their bodies. Doing it too often should be bad for them.¡± ¡°Fine, but I¡¯ll end up asking them about it.¡± I nod, the werewolves would know more about how the moon affects their bodies, though I much prefer only having to deal with their beast forms from a distance and as rarely as possible. ¡°I¡¯ll teach what I can, but I do have a few questions.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°How is it that you¡¯re unaffected by lycanthropy?¡± ¡°Oh, some moon wolf spirit handles that.¡± ¡°What? You know a Spirit of the Moon?¡± Kythia interrupts. ¡°I thought I alr3@dy told you that.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯ll 1n7r0duC3 him to everyone closer to the full moon.¡± She looks at Adrian for a moment before walking over to the other werewolves to no doubt talk about whatever this Spirit of the Moon is. ¡°Is a Spirit of the Moon important?¡± I ask, only for my son to shrug. ¡°You didn¡¯t pay any attention to their religion or culture did you.¡± ¡°I paid plenty of attention to what I needed to.¡± ¡°Which was?¡± ¡°Gender roles, familial ties, rites of courtship, rites of adulthood, government, martial arts, and their arcane traditions.¡± ¡°Their religion is important too.¡± He rolls his eyes, ¡°I got the gist of that but the pair that ran the shrines were not very welcoming to me.¡± ¡°You just didn¡¯t like her telling you that you''re bad at magic¡± Kythia shouts over to him. ¡°Yet I still beat you at it¡± he shouts back, and I see her smile rather than the challenge I expected. Lycan-Lupine culture confuses me. Those were insults yet none of them seem offended. I¡¯ve seen people killed for less . . . ¡°Any other questions?¡± ¡°How did you awaken as a dragon?¡± ¡°Eating a few after drinking their blood on accident.¡± ¡°And you plan on having your mother do that?¡± ¡°Not knowing what it is but yes.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll never agree to it.¡± ¡°Which is why I¡¯ll only tell her what it is afterwards. She might say something about not killing an intelligent creature.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like her.¡± ¡°She¡¯s going to end up considering them people because I am one. And then it¡¯s murder.¡± I frown, that is a logical jump. ¡°Do you consider them people?¡± My son shrugs, ¡°they¡¯re food but sometimes. Danny I . . .¡± ¡°M @3 is n07 Danny.¡± ¡°Y0&% @3 is ** l0%g F0% daily u$3.¡± ¡°You speak Draconic? How many languages have you learned?¡± ¡°Draconic, Elven, Canine, Dwarven, Althaen, the high dialects of Elven and Dwarven, Ignan, Orcish, Lycanthrip, and Necrol. So, eleven¡± my son says as he counts them out. ¡°Several of those are dead languages.¡± ¡°Not here. So back to your question, I am a dragon that has to eat other dragons to survive. Yeah, they are sentient and sapient life forms but that won¡¯t stop me from eating.¡± ¡°Has to eat other dragons? You¡¯re sure of that? Was it an effect of the awakening process?¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be. Mom in the other timeline thought draconic flesh was disgusting.¡± ¡°And that doesn¡¯t worry you?¡± ¡°No, why should it? I¡¯ll ask Danny to make sure it isn¡¯t unusual.¡± ¡°Why would you ask her?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a draconian, a half dragon.¡± I watch as Adrian asks a few questions in Draconic, able to recognize a few words of the language. The girl Danny seems scared by the questions, but he doesn¡¯t seem to care. She answers him in the same language and while I can pick up a few words the human ear isn¡¯t designed to hear all the range of sounds needed. ¡°I¡¯ve nothing to worry about. The cannibalism is part of the mutation that results in void dragons. Me wanting to and actually eating other dragons is normal. Probably some way of gathering something I don¡¯t produce enough of naturally.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you turning you mother into something your instincts will start telling you is food.¡± ¡°Eww no. I would never consider that. Besides I don¡¯t have to eat everything I feel like eating.¡± I look at my son very carefully for several seconds before nodding. The only thing more important to me than him is my Katherine. He does seem absolutely repulsed by the idea though and it probably would be good for her. . . ¡°Fine but answer me this. Did you ever feel even the slightest desire to cannibalize her?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then go ahead if she wants it. Mind telling me what sort of thing you can do? Both naturally and by manipulating reality.¡± ¡°Sure, it¡¯ll give you ideas on what to teach me. Starting with . . .¡± I am utterly surprised by the wide array of what he admits are mostly unused abilities. I don¡¯t know how to judge his mana-based magic but any use of it at all is further than any Ravnos have managed. He says it¡¯s weak, but his manipulation is apparently good. His ''draconic awesomeness'' is however strange. Different from any records of dragons I¡¯ve read, and it is honestly a bit terrifying to contemplate the idea of a dragon that can fly between planes and has innate abilities focused around the manipulation of space and absorbsion of the energies that run rampant in the planar void. Even so, his manipulation of the Tellurian is worse than I¡¯d feared. Crude half-made effects pushed into being by raw power. Accelerating time without stabilizing space, healing that age the target area of the body, detection that works off the same idea as radar but is easily warped to give false information in addition to broadcasting your position to anything listening . . .
"Son, I''m proud of you but there is a lot you need to improve on" I say as he finishes. He smiles, glad to have to opportunity to learn more. . . Chapter 076 The Jade Emperor is an immortal from centuries or possibly millennia before the disjunction that rules over the empire that shares his title. He teaches and guides his people to follow The Way, also known as the Celestial Order. All have a place in this ideology determined by the tides of the primordial forces, though some gain the ability to adjust these flows slightly through enlightenment.
Kylana
If it were not for the similarities in their scent I would never believe the female walking beside me is the mother of my daughter¡¯s mate. How a male of such innate strength came from her loins baffles me though I can see the intelligence she has even with the limited vocabulary we share. ¡°. . . means a lot to me that you''?€ looked after my $0¦Ð. I just f33¡ê . . .¡± she says not for the first time, trying to start a conversation with more depth than we can in my limited grasp of the strange terran tongue. ¡°Wait a bit¡± I say not wanting to have to decipher her speech and turn to the pair of elves and ask ¡°you wouldn¡¯t happen to have a translation spell?¡± The two look at each other before the shyer of two answers, ¡°yes, but it¡¯ll only be good for a few hours. . .¡± ¡°Please cast it for me.¡± The elven girl nods as she pulls out the silver necklace that is a focus to her god, or is it goddess? I never did learn the names of the Lords of the Elvenhan. I instinctively move away as the elven girl approaches with the silver brandished. ¡°She will cast magic to make talk easier¡± I say while turning back the Adrian¡¯s mother. The woman looks uncomfortable but nods. Her hesitance on the subject of magic is odd, she is a part of the Ravnos family. Maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s different than the one she knows from her husband and son. The girl casts the short spell that will temporarily allow Katherine to understand most languages and others to understand her. ¡°Can you understand me?¡± I ask. ¡°Yes, but how can I understand your language. Shouldn¡¯t an effect like this translate what I say and hear?¡± she answers slowly at first. ¡°It works by causing a small telepathic connection, broadcasting the base ideas of the words you use while gleaning the meaning of those you hear. It won¡¯t work on things that are overly complex or you lack exposure to¡± the elven girl answers. ¡°And that is safe?¡± she asks. ¡°As long as it is cast properly, and you haven¡¯t upset the gods.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a priestess?¡± ¡°Of R¨²loa?a. . . do you have a problem with that?¡± I watch as Kathrine frowns for an instant before covering it up. She doesn¡¯t like the gods? Odd, Adrian and her husband have no issues with them. Is it because she married into the Ravnos family? ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just the religion I follow is very much against false idols and following other gods. I¡¯m uncomfortable with it but I¡¯ll try not to hold it against you.¡± ¡°You follow the same faith as the small human don¡¯t you?¡± I ask not trying to disguise my dislike of the girl. ¡°Yes and no. The same god but different sects.¡± ¡°Different sects? You mean orders?¡± ¡°No sects. Different interpretations of the same set of scriptures.¡± ¡°Which does you god say is the right one?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t, at least not in the same way I suspect yours do. And as much as I would enjoy a theological debate there are more important things to our immediate needs.¡± ¡°Does your mate and son follow your god?¡± There is some genuine sadness in her voice as she answers, ¡°Randy does in his own way but Adrian does not.¡± ¡°Your mate does not seem like it.¡± ¡°His understanding of religion is very strange but I think that¡¯s since he has seen how the sects have changed over a few centuries.¡± ¡°How? Humans don¡¯t live that long?¡± the elven princess asks. Rather than answer she clenches her fists with enough force to hurt herself and takes a breath to calm herself before once more apologizing as she says, ¡°sorry, it¡¯s just . . .¡± She never finishes as Alana cuts her off with a hug. ¡°It¡¯s okay you don¡¯t have to share it. I know your pain kin of the pack.¡± ¡°How could you. . .¡± ¡°All of the pups I¡¯ve born for my mate are stillborn, every year at least one more name for a child I will never see reach adulthood¡± she whispers low enough the elven girl will not hear. ¡°Lysan, I thank you for the help but we¡¯ll be talking about pack issues¡± I lie as I finally see the little signs Alana shows when we touch on the topic of her pups. The girl nods and walks back to her sister as they talk with Adrian¡¯s pet fox.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. At the same time Kathrine returns Alana¡¯s embrace though neither cry. I wait and give her a bit to calm down, thinking of the possibilities that would allow a human to live several lifetimes, cost her her children and wouldn¡¯t cause her to hate him. . . Reincarnative Necromancy like Soul Jar or draining life force in some variation of Youth Transference? Perhaps that is why Adrian didn¡¯t like talking of his extended family after beginning to remember them. It takes several minutes, but eventually the time for comfort passes and she has composed herself once more. All of us agree to drop the topic as she changes the subject to one I am more than happy to go into at length. I might even get to finally embarrass my daughter¡¯s mate. ¡°So, how did our children meet?¡± she asks, my grin growing. ¡°Analais found him unconscious in the woods around our village. When he brought him to me I saw little in him but he was marked by another werewolf of the pack''s scent. I couldn¡¯t understand why, he didn¡¯t seem overly strong and has pitiful magical power. . .¡± She looks at me like I¡¯m not making any sense and I grin. ¡°In fact I think Alana can best explain the state he was found in since he stayed at her den rather than my own.¡± ¡°I can do better than that¡± my den sister says with a grin before whispering the words to a small illusion, an image of the much smaller, weaker and less impressive version of the boy appears in between her and the mother of my daughter¡¯s mate. ¡°How? He wouldn¡¯t have looked like that but a few weeks ago.¡± ¡°Oh, he didn¡¯t tell you of it then. Well it didn¡¯t last long, as soon as he woke up he was running around learning anything he could. That¡¯s when I noticed he was different. That he had a gift for understanding arcane theory. So I did a Blood Evaluation on him.¡± ¡°And you expect me to know or ask what that is?¡± ¡°No I expect you to smile and grin as I tell you how great your son is.¡± She grins, and as I am about to continue my daughter rudely interrupts asking, ¡°did you know Adrian knows a Spirit of the Moon?¡± ¡°A what?¡± Kathrine asks. ¡°Of course, I knew he had a connection to one.¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you say anything? ¡°If a Spirit of the Moon wants to follow him around it isn¡¯t our place to question it.¡± ¡°Care to explain?¡± Kathrine asks. ¡°Spirits of the Moon are incorporeal embodiments of the moon.¡± ¡°So, you worship them?¡± ¡°No, just because we are heavily influenced by the moon does not mean we¡¯ll worship anything connected to it. They are respected and considered friends of the pack along with any who hold one¡¯s favor.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t. . .¡± ¡°They are not divine, and what you imply is an insult to our actual gods.¡± ¡°Sorry, I just keep putting . . .¡± ¡°Worry not. You are a friend of the pack. You will be given time to learn¡± Alana interrupts. ¡°So do you want to keep hearing about . . .¡± I start before my daughter interrupts. ¡°You¡¯re not telling embarrassing stories again are you?¡± ¡°She¡¯s you mother, of course there¡¯s embarrassing stories. I¡¯ll be sharing some about my son soon enough¡± Kathrine answers with a smile. My daughter pauses for a moment and asks ¡°what kind of embarrassing stories?¡± ¡°Oh, there¡¯s too many to count. I¡¯ll probably start with something on crying over toys or maybe things he said when he was five.¡± ¡°Those are always good. Kythia would go on and on about how she would be the best alpha and then all the pack will be big and stro. . .¡± ¡°Mother!¡± my daughter shouts as Kathrine smiles with a chuckle.
Bryan
Following along with the rest of the group, I am doing my absolute best not to have to deal with the conflict that wolf me instigated. . . [I have a name.] You never gave it to me so don¡¯t complain evil fuzzball. [Evil? I¡¯m you how can I be evil? You certainly didn¡¯t mind watc. . .] Shut up. I shouldn¡¯t have . . . [Too bad. I¡¯m here and I won¡¯t be going anywhere.] I cringe slightly as Abagail says something I don¡¯t catch into my ear. Probably a request to tell the ¡°cat demon¡± to go away. [Just fifteen more days. . .] Till what? ¡°Abagail, I¡¯m not getting involved in you fight with her¡± I say though I was not paying attention to whatever it was that they have been going on about. ¡°You¡¯re my boyfriend and she¡¯s being mean to me¡± Abagail says as the cat sticks her tongue out at her. ¡°Wolf me invited her. Do you want to explain why she isn¡¯t here when he shows up in two weeks?¡± [Sure, just throw me under the bus. I¡¯ll remember that.] You did it first. A perfectly working stable balance was working before you decided to go and torture her. [Fair point, though in just fifteen days I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be complaining.] Why? What are you going to do? ¡°You should never have . . .¡± ¡°Abagail, we¡¯re not going into that. It can¡¯t be changed and honestly even with the troubles he¡¯s caused I¡¯d be dead without him.¡± [Damn straight you would be. But as for what I¡¯m going to do. . .] ¡°You can¡¯t honestly believe that. We should find a way to. . .¡± ¡°No, Abagail. Please just listen. . .¡± [I¡¯m not the one that is going to do anything. It¡¯ll be her inner beast that will sort everything out.] That is a terrible idea. How could that possibly work. [What did you go through when I came into existence?] I was in a mental realm and had to . . . [And if you didn¡¯t have to fight off the shadows what would have happened?] Abagail looks at me for a moment before pausing, ¡°alright I¡¯ll listen but. . .¡± ¡°You need to let go of your anger and hate for the ¡®monsters¡¯ we¡¯re travelling with.¡± ¡°But they¡¯re evil and. . .¡± ¡°Name one truly evil thing they¡¯ve done.¡± I would have had to talk with you? [Exactly, and what do you think her inner beast will force her to come to terms with?] And when she tries to kill it for being an evil monster? [She¡¯d lose.] I wouldn¡¯t bet on that solving all the problems. ¡°They¡¯ve driven you into becoming a monster. Creating an evil you that possessed your body and . . .¡± I sigh, ¡°other than that?¡± ¡°What more do I need to say than that?¡± This is your fault. [You¡¯re the one with minor sadistic tendencies I inherited. I just don¡¯t have a prob. . .] Stop, no. You did it thus it is your fault feeling like doing something and actually doing it are not the same. And how is tormenting a girl with the threat of death for hours minor? [Because I never intended to do more than minor damage that would ultimately be for the best.] How is that minor? ¡°Abagail, that was an all-around accident.¡± [No, it wasn¡¯t.] She just looks at me before saying ¡°Bryan I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything you can say that would convince me I¡¯m wrong.¡± [Tell her to talk to Adrian¡¯s mother. She¡¯s religious and not going bonkers.] How could that possibly work. [The woman has a dragon for a son and a super mage as a husband.] That is a good point. . . [In fact, you should do everything I suggest. . .] ¡°Abagail, at least talk to someone about. . .¡± ¡°Who? One of the creatures? The monster Adrian has turned himself into? Tomas is dead and you won¡¯t listen who could I possibly talk to?¡± ¡°What about . . .¡± ¡°Adrian¡¯s parents? They can¡¯t even. . .¡± [Maybe you were right. She might be too far gone. . .] ¡°Stop ignoring me. I want to play with the other you. He''s more fun¡± my ''pet'' cat says. ¡°Later, I . . .¡± ¡°Don¡¯t start talking to that. . .¡± Abagail starts as I mentally groan. [We should ask how he got his two to behave how he wants.] Yes, we. . . damnit stop nudging me towards. . . [I inherited the desire from you. Now go and do it, or watch the catfight. I want to see it when . . .] No, we aren¡¯t going to let it get that far. [I don¡¯t think that¡¯s our choice.] Chapter 077 The Way, is a set of teachings primarily found in the Jade Empire centered around two concepts. First to understand the flow of the forces of the world and then to understand the self. Mastery is labeled as something impossible to achieve though being an Enlightened is the closest thing to it. They through their enlightenment over the forces and their place in the world are able to predict the future and harness a fragment of the forces of the world for their own use.
Dam?
I keep my distance and make use of a few enslaved spirits to relay the conversations going on around the young Ravnos. Regretting that I have yet to learn any of the translation spells and none of my enslaved shades know the language they are speaking in. It is a terran language but it has diverged since the disjunction too much for any shade I have to work. Still I manage to get some information from the cognates and what is said in a language I do have access to. The new arrivals are relatives of the young Ravnos, I suspect his father but I can¡¯t tell what the relationship is with the female. It seems mother and son but she is too weak, only a base human. Adoptive? Maybe though it seems unlikely, similar features but she lacks draconic traits that would have to be from his mother if my assumption is right. Should I go get my current experiment and force him to translate? May. . . ¡°Did the short human just say?¡± I ask one of the shades I keep floating around me. ¡°Yes¡± it answers. Tomas is a name, it must be a person they know, a person a dead person? It seems like they know a Tomas. That name isn¡¯t found on Althr¨¢. . . Oh no, no no no. Tomas is not a name used by anyone native to Althr¨¢, if they know a Tomas who is now dead but was here when the arrived. . . I can¡¯t take the risk. My project cannot ever meet these people. The devourer project while promising is not worth the risk if it turns this dragon-ravnos against me. ¡°Continue observing¡± I command the spirits before walking a short way further from the traveling mortals. Once more the world shifts in a resounding crack of air being displaced in an instant and I now stand in the courtyard of the outpost I left the boy at. This shouldn¡¯t take much time, he is after all a tainted creature that never had personhood in their laws to begin with. The soldiers unlike when I appeared before do not act startled by my method of arrival, as if they were waiting for me. The kitsune must have seen more through his magic than he mentioned. . . But how much? Enough to know I would return soon, but how much more? What are they planning? ¡°Blood Immortal, welcome back. Might I invite you to tea once more?¡± a voice I recognize as the black furred kitsune fills the small courtyard. ¡°Unfortunately, I am in a great hurry. I need to see the creature that I left in your care¡± I respond, the man frowning at the rudeness as he knows that I do not give polite declines before accepting anything. ¡°That is unfortunate, shortly after you had left the thing went mad. It has to be put down and erased by the purifying flames of the void. I am sorry to have destroyed your property.¡± I frown that can¡¯t be right, I had laced thousands of spells into his blood and bone. Dozens that should have alerted me if the corruption was getting too high and even more on the cause and time of death. Yet the flow of his blood is completely undisturbed within the kitsune. He isn¡¯t lying but this isn¡¯t right. Ignoring the kitsune and the soldiers that surround me, I snap my fingers casting a simple charm to check on the status of the spells woven into my experiments and frown. No response from anything on the boy as if I had never cast any of them on him, that is not possible. They would have had to have been dispelled all at once with overwhelming power, difficult but not impossible. I glance at the black furred kitsune. He is not lying yet my magic¡¯s results point to a betrayal. . . Why would they do this? I¡¯ve worked with them for centuries. What could be so valuable that they would risk betraying me? Why would they go through the effort of erasing everything with their Flames of the Void? Tomas does not have any power, knowledge or skill to be worth so much more than me, so it must be a connection to someone or something else who does. . .If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Then it is as I have feared, no worse Tomas will have some form of support from the Jade Empire to help him return to the Ravnos while at the same time endearing him so that he would be willing or even volunteer to use his connection to the Ravnos on their behalf. Yes, that seems the most likely reason if they know his connection and it is in fact a real one. I look towards the black kitsune and say, ¡°a pity, and his corpse was also purified as under your laws for aberrants?¡± The fox nods, seemingly without a care to that I just may level this compound for what they have done. Should I? Or do I need to start tracking my experiment down? They would have removed any information from the outpost, I won¡¯t get any benefit from destroying this place but I cannot allow them to cross me as they have. . . Do I even have a use for them anymore now that I cannot trust them to babysit something for me? ¡°Keeper of the Flame of the Void, are you sure this is what you and your Emperor want to do?¡± I ask and am answered only a moment later ¡°The boy went mad and had to be put down. That is the truth regardless of how you feel about it.¡± ¡°Then suffer the consequences of betrayal¡± I say before attempting to teleport away. I grin as I slam into a barrier that prevents me from leaving. So they planned to get rid of me? This will be so much more entertaining then. I am slammed back down onto the jade stone floor that is their deposit site for all unauthorized extradimensional movements. My bones snapping into multiple compound fractures that I don¡¯t chose to feel and my blood spills out onto the jade floor. I pick myself up as I rapidly heal my body snapping back into its proper place. I look around to find that the room has not entrances or exits. I am inside a hollow piece of jade. So they have decided to imprison me? This would have been easier if it were blood jade, but it shouldn¡¯t be overly difficult to get out of here. I pull out a small piece of blood jade, a shard that is tied to every single piece of the material I made for them. With it I can move to any piece of the substance on Althr¨¢, but first I shall use it to punish them. I pull out another vial, one with a single drop of blood from every diseased creature that I have found and pour it onto the shard slowly. Drop by drop the blood seeps into the shard and goes into those that are using the other pieces as I cast every variation of Plague, Pestilence and Pandemic I know. If only the Church of the Holy One could be dealt with so easily. Unfortunately, they do not have a focus I could use and have gotten very good at the healing spells the Jade Empire is going to need if any of them are going to live. Now for the some Ancestral Curses . . .
Andrus
Setting down a vial of the elixir I just drank, I frown as I read the last two reports from the men tasked with bringing in rogue Called. The first makes no sense, allied with multiple werewolves and that the elementalist is some unknown subspecies of draconian. Which is ridiculous, there are only humans on Terra where he was pulled from, he was registered as a human by the scanning divinations upon arrival and the very idea that a pack of werewolves is following him is almost as impossible. The vast majority of the information has to be false, an illusion crafted by the kitsune that follows him around like a lost puppy. But even that does not explain the details of the second report. That a ''dragon'' attacked their stronghold is possible, how they managed to track it down and that there has not been any communication from there since is another matter. I should never have accepted this assignment, it was simply too easy to be true. A weak elementalist ran off during a battle that ended up costing more than had been expected. At least the Bloodclaw were confirmed to have been dealt with. Their little tribe is gone and animal attacks near the forest of Dearth should go down quickly now that they are not disturbed nor infected by the barbarism of those disease infected creatures. I slam my head down on my desk and groan as I realize that it is the battle with those canine barbarians that allowed the elementalist to get free. Wait, could they have colluded? How would they have gotten past the detection wards to listen in on message spells? The elementalist doesn¡¯t have to mana pool to sustain a wind whispers over such a distance but what of some other method we haven¡¯t yet set a net for? No, elementalism is well known for it¡¯s minimal mana costs and disturbances. Something that he seems to have taken that to an entirely new level. Aside from his presence nothing he¡¯s done registered beyond the error margin on the continual shifts of the leylines, a feat only master of the craft could accomplish. Perhaps the short range small scale spatial folding he used to perform petty theft? Ingenious but that he was on site for almost half of the unregistered spatial manipulations was foolish. A few larger heists and he would never have been discovered. Should I use that as a way to get an extension and more men? Can I even use it? He has skill and power but not the wisdom to use it. He should have been easily recruited and placed as a strategic weapon rather than two suicide missions. Even with three followers of only slightly above average use. . . No I¡¯ve already had the screeners interrogated and punished for their failures. I need to work on confirming his actual power level and preventing another walking catastrophe like the blood elf. Confirm possibility of communication with the diseased wolf men and check on the men sent to recover the focus medallion for the bindings on his batch of called. Investigate what happened at Research Lab 17. Setting the papers down I open the bottom drawer of the desk, it seems emptier than it should be but I can¡¯t remember having one of the vials within since the sun came up. I grab one and drink it, the familiar burning sensation of it going down my throat calls me the dim glow of my blood increases and I frown. I guess it hasn¡¯t been a full day since the last dose. No matter I¡¯ll just have to remember to not have one tomorrow. Now, where was I? Reading these reports, yes. Skimming through the lines of the first page I frown. Draconian? No, he could not be a draconian, he very clearly registered as a human. . . I yawn but push off the need for sleep, this is too important. There is too much to do for this assignment of mine. Chapter 078 The majority of the population of his mythical Jade Empire is made up of demihumans, specifically anthropomorphs. It is well known that these species are not fit to rule what is claimed to exist deep within the Darklands, the few humans in their society must therefore hold every position of power if such a place even exists. ¨C an excerpt from Myths of Those Long Lost
Lysan
The day after our attack, we ended up walking far further and longer than normal. I don¡¯t fully understand why but sister said it was about putting distance between us and those that will be or already have been sent to figure out what happened to their facility. A day through the night and the next day. When we finally stop to rest in some small town not marked on any map I¡¯ve ever seen. We¡¯re the only group of travelers currently in the small inn and yet it is full as we sit in small groups around the tables in the common room. As we sit, all waiting for the rooms to be readied as they have to prepare extra beds. I am surprised at how well some of the others have handled the extended marching. Sister and me can use a variation on the daily rest to take it while walking but the others don¡¯t have that benefit. The werewolves look exhausted as they sit around a table and the little human woman looks dead on her feet but somehow the other humans look fine as they sit around talking. I try to listen in on their conversation but cannot get more that a few of the words. I can hear them, I just don¡¯t understand it. I¡¯ve only figured out a few words from overhearing the lessons Adrian is giving to the others. ¡°Why do you bother with that?¡± my sister asks as we both frown at the barely eatable fruit that the owner of the inn sold us. ¡°Learning their language will be helpful¡± I answer. ¡°How? They are not enemies and already know ours.¡± ¡°There are more reasons than just military to learn others languages.¡± ¡°They¡¯re no tomes written in whatever tongue that is.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t been paying attention to them have you.¡± ¡°Why would I?¡± ¡°To learn from them.¡± ¡°They can teach us in our own language.¡± ¡°All day those two,¡± I begin pointing at Adrian and the older man, ¡°were talking about the secrets of their magic.¡± ¡°What? Right there in the open?¡± ¡°Well, they we¡¯re quiet enough for the other humans not to hear but the rest way just the language barrier.¡± ¡°Then how do you know that¡¯s what they were talking about?¡± Both of us go quiet when a certain kitsune walks over to are table and very quietly asks ¡°are there stores in elven lands?¡± ¡°Uh yes¡± I answer surprised that she could actually speak the elven tongue. ¡°Do these stores sell clothes?¡± My sister rolls her eyes as I again answer ¡°yes.¡± Why would she be asking such obvious questions? The kitsune then leans in closer and whispers, ¡°fancy girly clothes?¡± ¡°Of course but why are. . .¡± I don¡¯t get our the rest of the sentence as she hugs me and says, ¡°we¡¯ll have to go shopping then.¡± ¡°There rather expensive¡± my sister says at the kitsune. ¡°That¡¯s okay. Adrian will let me spend money on this.¡± ¡°And what m¨¢kes you thought that he did¡± Kythia says as she walks over to the table, butchering the conjunctions of the elven tongue. I turn to look at her leaving Adrian to the mercies of a lecture from the older human woman as she takes a bottle away from him. The kitsune then says something I don¡¯t catch, something in Lycanthrip. I do however see the werewolf pause and smile at whatever it was before saying, ¡°no you worry, Adrian has money for we twelve.¡± ¡°You need to practice more¡± the kitsune says. ¡°Your need to stopped cheater.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°It¡¯s not cheating.¡± ¡°Remembered things that no happen is cheater.¡± ¡°not yet happen.¡± ¡°What is she talking about?¡± I whisper in confusion to my sister who merely shrugs before taking a bite of her apple. ¡°are cheater¡± Ria just sticks her tongue out at Kythia before turning and walking over to the table Adrian is at. Kythia''s eyes follow her for a moment with the slightest of frown before she turns back to sister and me and says, ¡°m¨¢ke learn me you . . .¡± she pauses for a moment before saying ¡°words please¡± clearly knowing that it is the wrong word but close enough for us to understand. ¡°No¡± my sister answers before I can. ¡°What your want?¡± ¡°Sister, she¡¯s one of our benefactors. Keeping us safe as we travel back home¡± I say towards my sister. ¡°But teaching a language takes so long. . .¡± ¡°We¡¯ll teach you but. . .¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± I sigh, knowing she isn¡¯t going to budge on that soon.
Katherine
I sigh as I give a bottle of wine back to my son. He grins as he takes it back and pours a glass. Why did he have to change so much? ¡°Adrian, can howlie and me go. . .¡± Ria begins saying as she walks up to my son before she is interrupted by his other wife. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that!¡± my son''s other woman shouts from where she is talking with the elves. Only to continue with the same slightest of smirks, ¡°. . . shopping when we get to the elven cities?¡± having paused for the exact moment she was interrupted. ¡°Your going to push her too far one of these days¡± my son says. ¡°It¡¯ll still be worth it.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t push her too far¡± my son whispers as she leans up against him. ¡°Adrian, we. . .¡± I begin as Ria sits in his lap, easily getting his attention, even if they don¡¯t go farther than that. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question¡± Ria says and my son just replies, ¡°you already know my answer.¡± ¡°I still like to hear it.¡± ¡°Later¡± he whispers in her ear. I cough just loud enough to catch my son¡¯s attention before starting to speak again. My husband just sitting with a smirk on his face. ¡°Adrian, we need to talk about how to get home.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think dad¡¯s original plan will work anymore¡± he responds. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going to happen when we bring a bunch of extra people back?¡± ¡°Others will start looking into where they came from.¡± ¡°And Ria is the only one who can speak English.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry I¡¯m good at hiding¡± Ria interjects. ¡°Until you think it¡¯d be funny to mess with someone¡± Adrian adds to the end of her sentence. ¡°I can make a paper trail but that won¡¯t last forever. Something else would be better. I¡¯ll do it anyways but . . .¡± Randy starts before my son cuts him off. ¡°We can find another way. The magics of this world can do it and that can give both a background to answer questions and . . .¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a good idea. Just oh aliens from another world will not go well.¡± ¡°I mean a larger scale. Dump a bunch of people, a bunch of the supernatural creatures, and enough of the land to make an island for them. . .¡± ¡°How is that better?¡± I ask. ¡°Our group won¡¯t be the focus¡± Randy answers. ¡°There¡¯s still several problems with it but. . .¡± ¡°Enough rampaging supernatural creatures and they¡¯re not going to be able to deal with it themselves, then a significant population of those who do know. . .¡± ¡°That¡¯s my idea. At least on how to make it perfectly fine for the Bloodclaw, Ria, and the rest won¡¯t be a problem with their clearly not earthly culture and supernatural abilities. Doing that I¡¯m not sure yet. It can¡¯t be Ravnos magic though.¡± Randy nods though I don¡¯t understand why it can¡¯t be the magic he used to get us here. ¡°Do you have any idea on how to do that or how much energy will have to be provided?¡± ¡°I grabbed a lot of books on Conjuration, that should give me some of the how. I¡¯m not sure how to get the energy, blood magic while using Ravnos magic to regenerate works well but. . .¡± ¡°Aging is a problem¡± Ria states. ¡°How? I thought it was magic?¡± I say with a frown still a bit uncomfortable about it. ¡°You haven¡¯t figured the way around that yet have you?¡± Randy asks. ¡°Sort of, I can just undo damage but that leaves the mana drawn from the blood hollow and it collapses.¡± Randy nods for a moment, ¡°how do the natives drag people to their world? That power source should be enough.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. The Althaen never shared tha. . .¡± ¡°They use a mix of blood sacrifice and storing mana into crystals¡± Ria chimes in before snuggling herself further into my son¡¯s lap. ¡°Blood sacrifice?¡± I ask, assuming mana is some form of energy. ¡°Usually ritualized murder to harvest life force and use it as a source of power¡± Adrian answers with none of the horror and disgust that he should at such a thing. ¡°Why would? How can?¡± I begin finishes to babble ¡°People do such a thing?¡± Ria finishes for me. I nod my head before she answers the question, ¡°they¡¯re desperate and believe humans are more important than any other race.¡± ¡°How can they . . . No, it doesn¡¯t matter¡± I begin wanting to disbelieve that it could be true but I catch myself. If the humans I know can do what history has told me to our own kind, this shouldn¡¯t be a surprise. ¡°How can we get home then?¡± I ask returning to the only question I have to get an answer to. ¡°Gathering the power and lore¡± Randy answers and both my son and the girl I his lap nod. ¡°Do you speak German or any of the languages close to it?¡± Adrian asks while looking at my husband. ¡°Most of them, why?¡± ¡°I have a bunch of books I took from a man . . .¡± ¡°Stealing is wrong¡± I say cutting him off. ¡°But. . .¡± ¡°Do I need to . . .¡± ¡°Mom I¡¯m fairly sure he was a Nazi and is part of an organization that is still trying to kill me.¡± I stop and take a breath as my son cuts me off. I need to get used to him doing things that see wrong at face value. This is a world of greys, I can¡¯t jump to conclusions. After all I do not understand any of the supernatural nor this world we currently stand on. ¡°Any idea on what the books are on?¡± Randy asks not caring about the how Adrian got them. ¡°They have diagrams that seem to be similar to anatomy but otherwise no. Lots of runic circles but they¡¯re inscribed with the same language as the book so I can¡¯t tell what they should do.¡± ¡°Want to look through them or . . .¡± ¡°I¡¯ve gotten good a picking up languages. I¡¯d like to be able to read it myself. I¡¯ve a fair grasp on mana theory and. . .¡± ¡°I won¡¯t get it all as I don¡¯t know the terms nor a great deal of the basic information about the form of magic. Sure, I can teach you.¡± My son smiles before turning to me and saying, ¡°there¡¯s also something else I¡¯d like to talk to you about mom.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave you two alone for this. Ria, would you mind coming with me to. . .¡± Randy starts. ¡°But I like sitting here. It¡¯s my third or fourth favorite place¡± she wines before she gets up as Randy just looks at her for a second. ¡°Fine but you got to tell cool stories¡± she says as she gets up. ¡°Only if you tell me your side of how you met and decided to, what was the word your culture uses?¡± he answers her with a grin. ¡°Deal but I¡¯m going to. . .¡± she begins as they walk off and my focus turns to Adrian. ¡°How much do you know of dragons?¡± he asks. ¡°What does that have anything to do with what¡¯s going on?¡± I ask in return. Chapter 079 Rumors of the Dwarven Underground Kingdom are highly exaggerated, but do have a grain of truth to them. It is well known that they do keep sections of their city under that which is presented openly. The rumors of this being vast cities could be true but they would be empty cities. Caves and mountains do not supply even a fraction of the amount of food needed. No the dwarves are a dying race, their pride preventing them from leaving the few ancestral holes of theirs that did survive the Disjunction. ¨C Of Dwarves and Their Holes
Adrian
I look at my mother for a moment, ¡°my dragoness comes from your side of the family. I want to . . .¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous¡± my mother says cutting me off. ¡°Dad can¡¯t do it which mean I must have inherited the ability from you.¡± ¡°I think I would know if I was a reptile¡± ¡°Is dad one?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°I would know if he was one.¡± ¡°Than how can I be one?¡± My mother pauses for a while on the question before saying, ¡°you¡¯re my son but this is ridiculous. How can you know it is not due to something whoever took you to this place did?¡± ¡°Because I could do it before I arrived here.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t turning into a giant lizard before. . .¡± ¡°Two different versions of earth. I can remember both of them, in one of them . . .¡± ¡°Different places, doesn¡¯t that also mean that there are going to be differences?¡± I pause that is a good point, but everyone is so close to what I can remember of everyone leaves them as essentially the same person. My K is the same her if less experienced, the elven twins are them, Lysan kinder and shier while Talia is more prideful. Mom and Dad are themselves, and Ria is the same troublemaker she was before under what her slavery forced upon her before. . . No wait, she shouldn¡¯t have had the foresight when I met her. ¡°Maybe but shouldn¡¯t we still look into it?¡± I ask. ¡°Why? What possible benefit could being a dragon give?¡± I frown, how could she ask such a thing? Dragons are awesome. ¡°Aside from a body that will help you in the case of danger and weapons when we run out of bullets for the guns? Resistance to the magics that will be used against us. Flying, longevity, and being harder to kill?¡± I ask slightly flippantly. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to use that tone with me.¡± ¡°The benefits of being a dragon are self evident.¡± ¡°It is still silliness to think that I am one.¡± ¡°Would it hurt for me to confirm it?¡± I ask. ¡°And how would you do that?¡± ¡°Easy I just have to use the correct detection spell on a sample of blood. Kylana has already shown me a few of them, they¡¯re really useful for determining if meat is safe to eat or not¡± I half lie. I¡¯ve learned a few of those but what I¡¯m going to do is definitely not one. My mother looks at me for a moment, thinking if she wants to humor me, either that or she can still tell every time I lie. . . ¡°Adrian,. . .¡± Shit she realized it. ¡°Why is this so important to you?¡± ¡°Dragons are awesome.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain why. . .¡± I just look at her with a bit of confusion, how doesn¡¯t that explain why it¡¯s really important? ¡°Mom, how are you going to help with what we need to do?¡± ¡°Any way I can you know that¡± she retorts. ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°I have guns and. . .¡± ¡°When the ammunition runs out?¡± ¡°Dad can make more.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°His magic.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°And when his magic is more useful doing something else? Or when bullets don¡¯t harm the enemy?¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll have to. . . to . . .¡± she slowly trails off. ¡°Find something else?¡± I ask. My mother pauses for a moment before nodding and I continue, ¡°this gives you that something else. There¡¯s no way for you to learn fighting fast enough, magic isn¡¯t going to be a strong suit, and I can¡¯t think of something else that may work. . .¡± ¡°Adrian I do know. . .¡± ¡°Some martial arts. I remember, but you don¡¯t have the conditioning or level of training. . .¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that for sure and aren¡¯t you pushing your friends to?¡± I stop for the slightest of seconds, ¡°Bryan can¡¯t die, literally. He anchored his spirit to the mortal realm. Kythia would kick my ass if I tried to keep her from fighting. Ria knows enough magic to defend herself. The elves are nearly a century old and know what they¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°What do you mean can''t die?¡± ¡°Just that, a killing blow doesn¡¯t end him.¡± My mom frowns and is definitely not approving of it. ¡°That sounds a lot like what. . .¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t, no one else suffers when he gets hit with a killing blow. Now can I do what I can to help?¡± My mother does not immediately answer. She clearly does not like the implications of being ¡®unable to die'' I should have said something else for Bryan. At least she didn¡¯t ask why I don¡¯t stop Abagail. She¡¯s so much worse this time. . . ¡°What is involved?¡± my mother finally asks and I smile. ¡°A bit of magic using dragons'' blood to wake up what¡¯s been left dormant.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to have to tell me more than that.¡± ¡°But you won¡¯t understand it.¡± ¡°Than explain it better.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be hunting down a few dragons, getting Kylana to help me distil their essence and using it in a ritual where you will have to drink and be drawn on in.¡± ¡°Hunting down dragons? You¡¯re going to kill and. . .¡± ¡°Yes, and before you go off on how it would be wrong to kill clearly sentient creatures; younger ones are beasts and . . .¡± ¡°Beasts?!¡± ¡°Rampaging animals driven by little but hunger. Anyways a large section of the adults are also irredeemably evil.¡± I pause for a moment, expecting some denial of that possibility but none arrive. Skepticism, but none of the rejection from before. ¡°Plus, I have to eat dragon anyways¡± I continue for a moment before she asks ¡°why?¡± ¡°The kind of dragon I am demands it.¡± ¡°So I¡¯ll have to continually eat. . .¡± ¡°No, I''m a kind of dragon that shows up occasionally. You won¡¯t have to hunt other dragons, just some of one I would have to hunt anyways.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea. . .¡± ¡°That I have no choice but to hunt down and eat dragons?¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just use your magic and make it so you didn¡¯t have to?¡± I pause for a moment, I never thought of that. . . ¡°Maybe but I don¡¯t think I could hold it forever. It wouldn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t hold the change it will revert and there are other problems to that idea. Magic has prices, rules to follow and consequences when they¡¯re broken. Different magics have different set of rules. Anyways, I have to eat dragons; you won¡¯t aside from the initial thing.¡± ¡°I still haven¡¯t agreed.¡± ¡°But you understand?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, I just need a few days to find a dragon.¡± ¡°There¡¯s something else I want to talk to you about. What are the other two girls? The one with the metallic blue hair and the cat looking one that is following Bryan around.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the catfolk. Bryan found her and she¡¯s following him around. You¡¯d have to ask him or maybe Ria. Danny is the other girl, her real name is too long but she¡¯s a draconian. A hybrid between human and dragon able to shapeshift between human and a half dragon.¡± ¡°Half-dragon?¡± ¡°Kinda looks like a lizard man with horns. She¡¯s a mana draconian, good at a different form of magic than the one dad can do.¡± ¡°Why is she afraid of you?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a draconian. She has dragon¡¯s blood.¡± ¡°You¡¯re compelled to eat her?¡± my mother asks horrified. ¡°At first, it isn¡¯t as bad now but that¡¯s not important.¡± ¡°You wanting to eat someone is important.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to eat her.¡± ¡°Have you told her that?¡± ¡°Yes, not recently but yes.¡± ¡°Why is she following you?¡± my mother asks giving me one of her few don¡¯t you dare lie glares. ¡°I rescued her from an evil man who was going to sell her as a slave or use her in some sort of magical experiment. I don¡¯t know all the details.¡± ¡°And she¡¯s terrified that your keeping her around to eat her.¡± I pause for a moment, a bit of guilt but not near what I think she is trying to push on me. I frown, should I do anything about her? ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her later.¡± ¡°You should talk to her now.¡± ¡°Later.¡± ¡°Now.¡± ¡°We already have an agreement. She knowns I¡¯m not going to eat her. I¡¯m going to help her with one of her goals anyways.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°She want¡¯s to become a full dragon. I¡¯m not sure how to do that but . . .¡± ¡°And how can you say you know how to turn me into one if you don¡¯t know how to do that?¡± ¡°Because I already did it once in the other timeline. I have an idea, but I do not know how to do it exactly.¡± Neither of us say anything for a moment. ¡°So, what¡¯s going on back at home?¡± I ask. ¡°On what subject?¡± ¡°Family, world events, anything really. What season was it when you left? I don¡¯t even know if the rate of time is different.¡± ¡°Mid-summer, but the garden hasn¡¯t been tended as it should have been. The police called off the investigation into the disappearance of you and several others in town after a month. I haven¡¯t been keeping up on anything else.¡± ¡°What of the twins?¡± I ask only for my mother to frown. Taking a deep breath she switches between anger and sadness before she says, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen them since your disappearance. Your grandfather recalled them.¡± I frown, ¡°any idea on how much they¡¯ve figured out?¡± ¡°You¡¯d have to ask your father.¡± ¡°And your side of the family?¡± ¡°They haven¡¯t said anything.¡± ¡°Nothing?¡± ¡°They visited a few times, when they could. Not as much as I would have liked but you know how they are.¡± ¡°Super religious and judgmental, but they do love us in their own weird way?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to put it like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not wrong though, am I?¡± ¡°No, but you shouldn¡¯t say things like that about family.¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s true?¡± ¡°Adrian, is this really the time for this?¡± I just grin, knowing it bothers her a bit. ¡°Adrian?¡± ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t say anything in public or around them¡± I answer with a roll of my eyes. Like I would ruin Christmas, what get togethers we are invited to, and Grandma¡¯s cookies. My mom just smiles back knowing full well that I haven¡¯t changed my mind. ¡°Well, I should probably go see Dad before Ria drives him crazy¡± I say as I stand up from my seat. ¡°You mean rescue her from your father?¡± I shrug, not actually sure which one of the would have ended up winning the competition of embarrassing questions or saying terrible things. . . ¡°We¡¯ll see¡± I say as I walk over towards the table the two of them are at only to immediately turn around after hearing a single sentence. Retaking my seat only a fraction of a minute later, my mother asks ¡°decided against it?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to get involved in their discussion.¡± ¡°What were they talking about.¡± ¡°I think babies and grandchildren, either that or. . .¡± I don¡¯t get to finish as my mother stands up and eagerly goes to join that discussion. After that I smirk, knowing her enthusiasm will drop when she finds out they¡¯re on the discussion of weird hypothetical outcomes that may come to be. I shiver slightly at the idea of lizards that become fuzzy under the full moon. Chapter 080 While the truth of the existence of dwarven cities is debatable to their physical survival, the old underground roads that once were still exist at least in part. Some have been damaged to the point of collapse, the only way sections of those roads have been found, but they will be suffering the same decay as their supposed cities. Today these roads are the primary dwarven method in their snuggling of goods and bases for their criminal activities. -Of Dwarves and Their Holes
Adrian
The next morning as we are once more heading westward after asking my dad if he can point me towards the nearest dragon, fly off in that direction. K and Ria riding on the back of my dragon form. Ria is laughing as I take unnecessary turns through the air as K just grins at going hunting with me. We should be heading towards a rather large dragon if Randy¡¯s reading of reality can be trusted. I don¡¯t know the type of dragon but I haven¡¯t had any in a while. My mother was of course not pleased with me running off into danger alone until Kylana went off when she tried to talk us out of it. It is very hard to say no to anything Kylana says. She can be very scary when she wants to, even without using any of the methods she uses during training. Is that just who she is or due to her being my mother-in-law equivalent? I glance down over the rolling hills, looking for something out of place. Something that calls out to my draconic instincts. Randy said that there should be a dragon around here amidst the hills and sparse patches of trees. I look for scorched earth and other marks of a several ton beast moving around the area on a constant basis. There should be something I can use to get a clue to narrow down where my meal will be. Sadly I see nothing, no upturned earth, blackened ground or upturned trees. At least nothing on the scale that I expect. I circle around again before landing outside of a small village. Randy couldn¡¯t have read the results of his spell wrong, and reality itself does not lie. So I must be missing some piece of information. Ria and K jump down from my back before I revert to human form. K scanning our surroundings as Ria looks over me during each stage of the transformation. ¡°You don¡¯t have to stare¡± I say towards her only for her to smile at me. I shake my head, silly perverted fox. ¡°Something smells odd¡± K says and I immediately sniff the air, focusing on the various scents. I can smell fires, both for cooking and metalwork, the smell of humans and the rot and filth that lays in the streets. I can¡¯t however tell what scent it is that K finds odd. ¡°Lets go shopping¡± Ria says without a care as she grabs both of our arms and tries to pull us towards the gate; not that she succeeds in moving either of us. ¡°This is a small village¡± I say. ¡°So?¡± ¡°They¡¯re not going to have what you are looking for.¡± ¡°Even more if they saw a flying dragon and panicked¡± K adds on and I nod. Hopefully I was high enough that I wasn¡¯t noticeable. ¡°Really?¡± Ria asks before both of us nod. She looks down for a moment before smiling and asking ¡°can we try anyways?¡± ¡°Sure, but only if both you and Kythia want to¡± I answer. Ria then looks over to K, making the best begging puppy dog like eyes she can, only for K to say, ¡°maybe after the hunt is finished¡± before grumbling something under her breath. With that we begin the rather long and boring walk to the city gate, arriving there almost an hour later regardless of our quick pace. The gates are open and the guards are chatting unconcerned with the few people moving around. I would have thought that they had missed me flying around earlier if it were not for part of a conversation that I overheard as we passed through the gates. ¡°. . . ying thing that was over head earlier?¡± ¡°Probably just some contender against our lord.¡± ¡°Think we should pack up until the inevitable fight is over?¡± ¡°No, it probably won¡¯t take long.¡± ¡°Yeah but this one was smart enough not to just rush right in.¡± ¡°Intelligence and power aren¡¯t the same thing.¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± I glance at K as Ria is completely ignoring everything as she looks forward towards the few stall that line the main street. K nods at me, she heard it too. The three of us walk in unimpeded, the guards at the gate not even looking at us as we enter. Something is definitely wrong with this place. I would have thought it was just lazy guards, nothing I haven¡¯t seen before, but not something I would have expected here. Every village, town and city has some sort of toll in this country.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Ria pokes at me and whispers, ¡°can I gives spoilers? I wanna shop earlier.¡± ¡°Ria spoilers? Really?¡± I ask. ¡°But divination and all the proper words are long, archaic or boring.¡± ¡°Do you even have anything important to say?¡± K asks. ¡°The dragon will show up if we start a giant fight¡± Ria answers. ¡°That sounds like a terrible idea¡± I say. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Fighting a whole town at once is a horrible idea¡± K answers. ¡°Why? You can take them.¡± I roll my eyes, ¡°if you start a giant fight and kill a bunch of townspeople, who will sell you things?¡± Ria straight up stops for a moment before saying ¡°what if it was looting instead of shopping?¡± ¡°Why do you want to get this done quickly?¡± I ask. ¡°Fighting isn¡¯t fun.¡± K looks at her in confusion as she says ¡°so you want to start a giant fight?¡± ¡°The fighting gets done sooner if this happens.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t going to cause a giant brawl and kill a bunch of random people¡± I say. K nods as she says ¡°It¡¯s a bad idea even if there wasn¡¯t a bunch of people looking for us.¡± ¡°Okay, then can . . . can . . . dibs on not telling Katherine.¡± ¡°Telling her about what?¡± I ask. ¡°Uhh, that¡¯s not important. I¡¯ll tell you later.¡± I don¡¯t really know what to do, or even what Ria is talking about now. ¡°Foreign Languages Are Not Allowed In Commercial Areas!¡± someone shouts at the three of us. I frown and even though I am curious to just what Ria was talking about, we did come here for a particular purpose. None of us say anything towards the rude comment and continue to walk down the street, K talking a slight lead. She¡¯s still a far better tracker than I am, at least until I figure out how to get more than size of life force out of my Detect Life pings on reality. I suppose I could try that here, a dragon should have more life in it that any of the villagers but Randy did say that this method of detection broadcasts information on me to any trying to listen. We wander the village for several minutes before I stop us and ask, ¡°have you smelled anything?¡± ¡°No, nothing but the odd animalkin¡± K answers. I glance to Ria only to see her shake her head. We already walked most of the streets and after the guards'' uncaring attitude of seeing me flying earlier it may not be the best idea to go asking around about a dragon. Whatever dragon Randy sensed clearly has some sort of relationship with the village. Perhaps we should try something else? Scent tracking hasn¡¯t worked for anything but maybe causing some suspicion from the villagers and asking them straight up is unlikely to be favorable. . . Crude raw magic it is then. I snap while pushing my will onto the fabric of reality. My fingers silent as if I hadn¡¯t actually snapped as it ripples not through the air but the pattern, specific types of things producing an echo that I can read as I leave not only Detect Life but also for gold, and silver. I just need to find a powerful life force near a lot of those metals. A dragon''s greed would cause any to gather a hoard and of I can find that I¡¯ll find the beast. I grin, I didn¡¯t find a massive blob of life but there are piles of gold and silver stashed in the village. All of them pretty close to each other too. . . ¡°We need to go back to the trading area. We won¡¯t find what were looking for here¡± I say. ¡°Why? There¡¯s nothing there and I can¡¯t smell anything over all the random stuff laying about¡± K says. I just smile but she follows me anyways. With that same smile I lead the two of them to one of the shopping that we passed over earlier. Seeing the sign in front of it gives some cover to the treasures that lay beneath the building but no Goldsmith would have hundreds of pounds of gold and silver just laying scattered in a basement. The shop itself has several pieces scattered around the shelves, each of fine craftsmanship and intricate detail, placed in a manner I find ascetically pleasing when combined with the paints and rugs that fill the gaps. So many shinny metallic colors. I don¡¯t pay attention to the proprietor as I take in the scene. I should have come here earlier. ¡°Did you just want to look at gold and silver?¡± K asks. ¡°What? No, it is a coincidence¡± I answer while taking in the rest of the store. When I finally look at the owner, he smirks at me. A giant of a man, easily seven feet tall made of mostly muscle and bone. Too much muscle in my opinion but he in his smirk says, ¡°took you long enough little one.¡± Little one? . . . Crap, he knows and is a dragon. Why didn¡¯t he show up on my detection? ¡°Confused little drake? I knew about you before you entered the village. You did manage the best time to find me out of all the other younglings but . . .¡± he doesn¡¯t get to finish the sentence as K charges at him while drawing the sword at her side. I glance at Ria who moves to get a shot with her foxfire before moving in to join K in melee. The noise outside of the shop quickly dying down. The villagers all know he¡¯s a dragon and plan on just watching? Why? K''s blade cuts into the man''s skin but does not go near as far as it should have. But the scent of draconic blood hits my nose and I smile. K frowns, and has to lose her blade as the man kicks her away. ¡°Loyal girls, do they even know what you are?¡± the man asks as I retrieve a spear from Void Cache and thrusting forward. The sudden appearance of the dwarven made spear surprises him though not enough for me to get a lethal hit. The tip slices into his side, leaving a gash but not deep enough to hit any of his organs. Pushing my advantage, I cast on of the simplest of spells. A cantrip, Jolt releasing a small jolt of electricity onto the metal shaft of my spear as I twist reality. With ease, the fabric bends to my will and a bolt of lightning erupts out of my hand and races down the path of least resistance. With crackling thunder the tip of my weapon releases the electrical charge into the flesh of the dragon in human form. The scent of ozone fills the room as the lightning is discharged. Unlike all the others that I have used this on, he does not get blown back nor fall over dead. No, instead the electricity is drawn up to a ring on his finger which absorbs it. The man laughs, ¡°you¡¯re going to have to do better than that drakeling¡± clearly not taking me seriously before taking a step forward. Now too close for my spear to be of use, he makes a jab at my throat I manage to dodge only due to the reflexes that I¡¯ve gained through spars with K. I slam my palm on his chest trying another element, or rather the inverse of an element. Artic blue flames cover the two of us, the dropping temperature doesn¡¯t bother me but I smile as it does have an effect on my foe. Not as much as I would have liked. Another one of the rings on his fingers glows slightly probably doing something to fight off the cold. The man shoves me backwards as he inhales sharply. Drawing in far more air than the humanoid torso should be able to before he exhales a torrent of flames. Chapter 081 Regardless of the near total criminalization of their race after the Darklands finished falling to the demons, there is still two reasons why their race was not marked for extermination as many demihumans and most non-humanoids were. While the basics of mithril and several dwarven alloys are known to human smiths, dwarven craftsmanship is still far beyond what even the best of human artisans are capable of. It is assumed to be due to their unnaturally long lifespans much like the elves. While it is difficult to get dwarven weapons and armor in even the smallest quantities, due to the loss of almost all of their surface territory they can be bartered for with food and the grains they need to make their other significant art, brewing. -Of Dwarves and Their Holes
Adrian
As the torrent of flames rushes towards me, I abandon the frostfire I was creating in favor of throwing my will into deflecting the oncoming attack. The flames resist my manipulation even though they do bend to my will. The flames do not touch me though the scorching heat of dragonfire surrounds me. My skin turning red as the radiating heat sears my flesh. I drop my spear as the man is still inside the reach of the weapon and manifest my claws and striking out at his throat. I grin as the heat of the flames ends, my claws cutting into the flesh of another dragon cooling from the heat in the blood of my next meal. . . The man glares at me, no longer taking me as a joke after taking an injury to his throat. He backs up a step, getting out of my reach for a moment while holding his throat. Screams from the audience outside of the shop cover up whatever it is that he is muttering while holding the injury on his neck. A pale blue glow of some variation of healing magic is being released from his hand. I walk over to the man as K manages to set her blade at his neck. ¡°Why have you attacked me? You are no drakeling seeking his first hoard¡± the man asks. I grin at seeing the dragon in human form recognizing his loss. At least until I notice looks of those outside of the shop, they are neither panicked nor enraged. Something isn¡¯t right. . . I snap my fingers, loosing another set of detection weaves. At first I find nothing, no mass of fiery, or other, death incoming not a projectile made of any material I know how to detect but I do indeed find something. Thin strands of life, so small I didn¡¯t notice it earlier but they all lead to the man under K''s blade. I frown and ask ¡°what¡¯s with your connection to the citizenry of the town?¡± ¡°Payment for the trouble I cause them when people like you come through¡± the man answers. I stop for a moment, am I doing the right thing here? [Eat him.] Dammit, I thought I got rid of you. [You can¡¯t get rid of instinct, only fuse with it.] Didn¡¯t I already do that? [No I was just busy.] Busy with what? [You shouldn¡¯t be doing most of the things you are.] [And you¡¯re supposed to shut up.] [You¡¯re driving him to do all this.] ¡°Adrian?¡± K asks noticing something. I glance around, making sure there isn¡¯t some other thing that would mess this whole operation up before nodding at her, regardless of the conflict of the pair of voices that decided to show up. However just before K makes the necessary movement, the man begins to make a demand ¡°promise me you won¡¯t harm the peo. . .¡± but is cut off in a grunt of pain from the blade that dogs into his neck. [You murdered him, we shouldn¡¯t. . .] [Don¡¯t make me drag you back down into the recesses of the mind.] [You can¡¯t, I got to the surface.] What is the second voice? [The original. . . No you can¡¯t . . .] [Leftovers you didn¡¯t fully digest.] The other me that¡¯s was from this timeline? [That¡¯s the one. I¡¯ll try to keep him from bothering you too much.] Thanks but I¡¯d rather neither of you be in my head. [Then master all our power and assimilate instinct.] ¡°I never intended to do anything to anyone but you here¡± I tell the man as K''s blade sinks deeper before coming to a stop on the bones of his spinal cord. The blade not strong or sharp enough to cut into the bone.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I invoke my privilege of single combat¡± the man says and I feel the fabric of reality twist as my most recent sensing weave returns to me. A voice echoes through the expanse of what can only be a pocket dimension, ¡°Gaelus by invoking your privilege your favor has been called and paid. The fight is to the death and the to the victor the spoils.¡± ¡°Why did you do this?¡± I ask the man. ¡°Neither of us want to hurt the humans and I don¡¯t want to die without a fight.¡± I roll my eyes, ¡°no, I mean why did you not just start with this?¡± ¡°Do you think the favor of a someone with the ability to create a pocket dimension is easily gained?¡± I glance at the surrounding space and just know I could break it. The void is just so much closer here than on Althr¨¢ or Terra. I almost want to do just that but the void would destroy my meal. . . ¡°It seems shoddily constructed.¡± ¡°You are far to young to know what you speak of.¡± I just smirk, and before beginning to shift to my dragon body. An action that is copied by Gaelus, revealing a bronze dragon far larger than me covered in scales marred by both age and injuries from previous battles. The instant my transformation is complete I rush forward and attempt to bite down on the nearest piece of my foe. Somehow he manages to move fast enough to get out of the way of my snapping teeth. During his dodge, he also swipes a claw down on to my side scraping against my scales before splitting them and wetting the ground of this strange place with my blood. I growl with the pain, and lash out in the most effective way I know. A bolt filled with death and decay flies forward from my left claw as I twist the reality of this pocket dimension and strikes against the hide of the far larger dragon. A patch of scales discolors as it succumbs to the entropy within my attack, though his body is simply too large and a dragon¡¯s innate resistance to the supernatural keeps it from simply killing him. Moving past him, I begin to heal myself drawing on the Sphere of Life accelerating the speed at which I heal to where my flesh knits together in but a second as I jump over the other dragon¡¯s tail. As soon as it is done, I flip around and exhale a beam of light at the spot I just forced into a decayed state. The laser flies straight and true faster than Gaelus can possibly dodge and sears into the damaged spot. The keratin-like substance splinters at the bombardment even if the generated heat did far less due to the innate immunity to most flames a bronze dragon has. With a smirk I twist reality yet again as I maintain my Radiance Breath, inverting a single aspect of it an instance the glowing hot scales are subjected to a swift freezing splintering them further. Gaelus turns faster than I had expected and unleashes a torrent of flames far stronger than the ones I was subjected to within his wooden shop. I swiftly shift to my hybrid form, shrinking the area I have to enforce my will upon as I throw every once of my will into a shield. Seconds pass as the magically reinforced heat presses against my alterations to the world around me. Slowly my weave and scales are no longer enough to block all of it. At fist it is just the searing of a hot day upon a sunburn but is slowly grows. I can¡¯t do anything but endure as I move diagonally to get away from the source and spread of the flames, but Gaelus must be turning his head to follow as there is no escape. After what feels like an eternity, but could only be but a few seconds, the torrent of fire stops as his lungs must draw breath before continuing. In that half a second, as smoke drifts up from my own scales I take a step slashing my clawed hand. Following the subconscious whispers of instinct, my mana flows around them as they catch not on the air but something else. I hear a ripping sound, like paper torn from a punctured hole. I can feel a calming chill of the void from the tear as I step through it. In an instant I a right against the side of the other dragon, well inside of the reach of anything he could do and I can¡¯t help but smirk regardless of the pain of moving the skin my face. Abandoning the gun idea I had earlier, I dig my claws into the relatively unarmored patch caused by rapid heating and then cooling followed by a reheating he caused himself. My claws easily sink deep into the muscles underneath as I dig forward. Tearing chunks of flesh out and dropping them into Void Cache for later. In a blur of preternatural speed as I alter the flow of time in a variation of Haste, I quickly move towards the rhythmic thumping ignoring the screaming and thrashing panic of the multi-ton beast who I will oh so soon be feasting upon with reckless abandon. There just has to be enough left . . .
Kythia
The instant my mate and our prey vanish, the villages rush as the fox and me. I knew something was wrong, the village smelt off and while I can understand the shouts of anger and fear from the humans I ignore it. Turning my blade upon them the instant they are within reach. The blade easily cutting through the flesh and bone of men as I begin to use one of the few arts that my mother did not share with my mate. With a chant of words that chill the blood of speaker and listener alike, my mana spills forth flooding the area for an instant before returning to me, carrying the blood that has been spilt. Thin strings of the crimson fluid arc through the air though not all manage to actually reach me. Still some converge onto the bone blade my mother gave me and ignite in a crimson flame. It flickers and fails to draw in all that it should but I begin to move faster, rending life and limb rather than a cut that merely leaves my opponents to bleed to death. Even under the new moon and the silence of my soul sister that comes with it, a mob of poorly and untrained humans can do nothing. ¡°Fox. . .¡± I begin to shout only to hear her voice whisper just barely loud enough to be heard, ¡°call my name.¡± ¡°Block them from leaving.¡± ¡°Not until you ask me.¡± ¡°Fox, . . .¡± ¡°By name.¡± ¡°Just do it already.¡± ¡°Not until . . .¡± ¡°. . . Ria. . .¡± As soon as the words leave my lips, the air almost shimmers in the distance as a thin wall of the fox¡¯s green flames incircles the area. I frown, the fox doesn¡¯t have to power to do something like that in an instant. . . She hid them from me in an illusion? What was the point of that? It takes little time to turn the ground red with blood, every moment that passes more of the villagers die yet whoever took my mate and his prey away do not show themselves. In short order none of the villagers are left alive, each and every one of them lie on the ground letting out the last of their blood as their hearts slowly cease to beat. The crimson flames along my blade slowly begin to dwindle as the blood spilt upon it begin to run dry. I turn to the fox as she just stands there in the open, looking towards the spot that was the last location of my mate without a frown or seeming care in the world. ¡°Fox. . .¡± The fox turns to me and smiles as she says ¡°what?¡± ¡°use you find stuff magic.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°Then where is our mate?¡± ¡°He¡¯ll show back up right there¡± she answers while pointing towards the spot. Not a chapter sorry Sorry that I have been silent for a few months. Life got busy and I just didn''t have the time to sit down and continue writing. This has always been something that I did as recreation, so it got set aside till I found the time again. Sadly since it''s been so long I''ve lost some of the notes I kept for where the story was going and who had what powers. Not all of them but some. Probably from having to change over to a new laptop. I don''t know if I''ll continue with this story, but I''ll probably start writing something again. For those that want to know the rest of the story I''ll set a rough outline below in a spoiler box. Spoiler: Spoiler Adrian and co head towards the elven lands, during the travels Randy and Catherine return to earth. They take Abagail and Bryan back with them and fake a kidnapping so explain their absence. Tomas is a bigger focus for a bit as he begins to cause problems in the region. Slowly finding clues to his friends location. After getting to the elven lands, Adrian is subjected to typical elven hubris and dismissal of their lessers. They''re corgial as he is part of a group their supposed to be allies with.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Soon enough they learn of a coup planned by a branch of the royal family. Warnings are dismissed and it leads to the deaths of most of the elven leadership. Adrian saves the twins who are devastated and want revenge but Adrian already killed most of them. The elven nation doomed to collapse now lacking most it''s leadership and some key powerhouses, the party travels south into the draconic territory. Danny suffering Stockholm Syndrome decides not to leave and sides with Adrian after they realize he''s a void dragon. With stolen knowledge and his powers as a void dragon Anthony begins to head towards the Darklands, to break the foci holding open rifts there. Alana and Kylana get pregnant, and have kids. Alana is thrilled that for once her babies live. Once all five of the rifts are closed, preventing bleed over onto earth Adrian starts kidnapping Althaen nobles and using the blood sacrifice rituals they perfected to open up passages to earth and dumping chuncks of the world there. Danny, Kythia and Ria help with the magic. Lyssan and Thalia helping with who to drop onto earth. Anthony leaves the remaining nobles to deal with the demonic army that no longer is growing but cuts them off from stealing people from other world to fight for them as fodder. Back on Earth panic and mayhem ensue but strategically placed demonic forces to get killed by Althaen refugees and local powers brings a bonding point. And without the demons having a connection to their homeworld their powers are weaker and have few reinforcements. During this chaos Adrian and Randy kill off the other Ravnos and some of the supernatural community that decided to cause problems.