《Life as a mercenary (Abandoned)》 History unfolding(Prologue) Humanity didn''t even know what had happened until it ended. It was the year 2021, mass disappearances plagued the whole earth for a simple hour. Those who were unlucky enough to be in proximity of the person who disappeared turned into nothing more than smoking ash, those who did not explained the phenomena as a blinding beam of light descending from the sky and engulfing a single person while at the same time burning everything within three meters around them. Officially it was reported that approximately 1.4 billion simply vanished, later to be corrected to 2.1 billion. Virtually 25% of the human population was gone before everyone''s eyes. The government stayed silent for weeks but was forced to give out a statement, the whole world was panicking. But what was revealed was something straight out of fiction. The planet...was under extra terrestrial attack, the government detected several objects floating within earth''s atmosphere that seemingly surrounded the planet while launching these beams of light. The government tried any way they could think of to get in contact with these "ships" but failed consecutively, the ships disappeared earlier that morning of the statement. The governments around the world were completely shocked, they had no idea how to proceed. But what followed gave them no more time to think of the disappearances, what followed simply turned the civilian panic into straight chaos. Only a month after the disappearances another phenomena straight out of science fiction occurred, several distortions opened around the world seemingly sucking in reality. Swirling holes in reality opened up only to gush out beings of every hell known to man, disformed creatures hellbent on devouring anything in their path. Humanity reacted in multiple ways. The governments applied military force harshly on every distortion which were code named worm holes, civilians around the immediate area died within hours but all cities for miles were evacuated as the military forced the beings back. But most gruesome was what the civilians themselves did, four major human reactions which were out of the governments''s control. Most civilians took up arms themselves, trying to survive the onslaught. Many simply ran with their vehicles, clogging up main streets. Many though...due to fear and religious beliefs...resorted to mass suicide in the face of this despicable reality. Humanity fended off the invading hell for two more weeks, billions died in the massacre brought from another world. As things started to look grim with our numbers plummeting and the enemy''s sky rocketing, like angles ... like astral beings from a world far away... Like true saviours they came. They called themselves the Etyrians, a coalition of different races truly out of fantasy. Elves, Orcs, Dwarves and such...even Demons... Just as the beasts came to bring chaos and destruction they came to end it. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. As more worm holes opened all around Earth those who still had some will to fight seemed to lose it instantly, only to regain it right after. The Etyrians arrived like a storm raging through another, as fang and blade clashed...as claw and arrow flashed...as fire engulfed the battlefields. The Etyrian forces with what seemed like medieval weaponry ran through the invaders with an unbelievable speed, their power over what seemed like the elements astounded the faltering humans. Miraculously they also possessed the ability to close the wormholes, cutting off all entry for the invaders. After days of failure at communicating the language barrier was dropped as professionals finally learned some of the Etyrian languages. Communication becoming available the Etyrians explained the situation with what little they knew. Beings known as the atlantians had transported them on to Etyria for reasons still being theorised upon, as they once also inhabited Earth and its surroundings. The atlantians removed any sign of their existence in the dimension, going as far as covering early man''s memories. As for the beasts that attacked the human race, they came from another plane of existence known as the void. Hungering... Lusting for the resource called mana, they tunnelled their way through reality itself to satisfy it. After the atlantians, who at the time were seen as Gods by the Etyrians, practically kidnapped a human boy and sent him to Etyria. The human boy awakened to humanity''s primal magic, power that could contort and create. The element of chaos was practically unrivalled in usefulness against the void, being able to sense the presence of tunnels who the Etyrians named portals or rifts depending on stability and also distort and close them. But most incredibly the ability to distort and change their trajectory, opening up rifts to other worlds previously unheard of. One of these rifts was Earth''s plane of existence, which the Etyrians later studied and used to travel back to the milkyway...to travel back to their ancient home. --- Author: Chapter posting at first will be chaotic until I settle down with a timetable or such...Thanks for reading and please remember to comment and/or rate :D. Ch 1 - When they came. It all happened that day...that dreadful day...I was only seven at the time...a child still oblivious to the world''s anguish. This is how it all started. Just another normal day... that is what it should have been. I woke up to my father heading out to work, in his military sergeantuniform. My mother preparing breakfast for me and my five year old sister who was still asleep upstairs. We lived in a common home. Two storeys with four rooms per storey, kitchen, living room, bathroom and my father''s office downstairs with three bedrooms and another bathroom upstairs. Currently in the living room I was climbing down the stairs to see my father walking towards me, my mother behind him with her usual motherly expression...full of love and expectation but also something else...the usual worry a mother has...for both her husband and children. My father kneels in front of me with a beaming smile, his ginger hair and moustachemaking his smile look ridiculous as always. He stared at my sleepy green eyes with his expectant blues, while ruffling my similarly coloured hair albeit more red. His usual phrase escapes his mouth "Good morning player! Ready for another day of school?" He always took me to school before he headed to work, he actually loved doing it. Like it was his way of making up for not always being there due to his work, as the only time I''d actually see him is in the morning. I wipe the sleep from my eyes and beam amischievoussmile at him "Ready to roll sir!" my usual childish answer. He laughs and turns to my mother "I''ll go get the car ready" he stands up and walks to her, grabbing her by the waist while she tries not to drop the plates from her hand.My mother''s green eyes switching glances between me and him, her long brown hair under attack by dad''s hand. "Drive carefully Blake... you know Matthew doesn''t like it when you go too fast.." she kisses him as I childishly cringe. "You worry too much Jean, boy loves going fast!" he happily exclaims while turning to the door "I''ll be outside Matt". In a hurry I ate breakfast right as my sister Liana came down to join us, coming to sit next to me to eat. She went to a different school than me so my mother took her in the morning, currently my mother was trying to tie Liana''s red hair in a pony tail while she ate. She always did this... trying to finish eating before me.. unsurprisingly I finished first and ran upstairs while her green eyes glared at my back. After taking a shower and putting on my school uniform I went back down to head out, waving at my mother and sister from the corridor I ran to the door and then outside. Our neighbourhood was simple enough, houses just like ours lined the town. As I exited I looked to the right where my father was locking the garageafter taking out the car...he was a fanatic when it came to military vehicles... somehow our family car ended up being an armoured green Humvee, no attachments of course as that is illegal. Although dad did have his military issued pistol a SIG sauer P226,he also kept a personal one locked inside the Humvee being a Browning 9mm. Being the child I am and the son of a soldier I was also quiet fascinated by weapons, mainly side arm guns, I had begged my father to show me how to use one but he always ended my whining with saying; "A weapon is nothing more than a tool, but when recognised as a weapon it is often seen differently. When you''re older ask me again, then we will see." at the time I did not understand what he meant... I walked over to the car and dumped my backpack into the back seat, riding shotgun as always. My father was already in the car starting it up, he then went on to start his "small chat" while we drove to school. "How you been doing at school Matt? I hear your grades are averaging compared to your usual high?" he strictly questions me while keeping eyes on the road. I would have answered but... I was too busy staring at the awkward distortion in the sky above the road to the left that went through another neighbourhood. It was a strange thing, like the air within that area was compressing and swirling. My father glanced at me when I didn''t answer , he didn''t see it. "You alright there Matt? what are you looking at?" He tries to follow my gaze with hisas he happens onto the distortion himself."What is that?.." he slows down the car and turns to park. Suddenly as if the distortion had exploded...a shockwave of air burst forth from it in every direction. Homes were thorn apart and vehicles thrown as the distortion grew and expanded ten times fold, taking colour in green and grey. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. All hell let loose. Our car was also thrown back landinginside a house, the first floorwall was completely crushed by the Humvee. We couldn''t drive away though, the car was upside down with us inside. I was drifting between consciousness while my father shuffled out of the car to the outside of the house, he bent back down to check on me. Then we heard them... Hungering shrieks... Human screams... People ran to and from homes running away from the street under the distortion in the sky, we couldn''t see what freaked them out so much as the road was hidden behind the other houses on the other side of this road. My father shuffled to his side to unholsterhis gun, he shouted back at me "Stay inside Matt! Don''t come out!" but I could barely understand him. He stood there with his P226 held up while he looked around at the others running, fear plastered on their faces. "Hey! What''s the hell is going on!?" he asked a passing aged man, the man stopped for a moment as if to answer...but no such thing was permitted...Before the man could fully make out a single word he was thrown to the ground while the beast lumbered over his body. A wolf sized monster standing over the man on all fours, grey skin...no,shell like outer body...A scorpion like tail up to a canine like torso with shell like armouring, four spider like legs with seven sharp claws at the end...the head though..was the most terrifying..The actual head was like an ant''s but instead of mandibles it had a jaw that opened up showing off long sets of fangs. The beast devoured the man from his torso while he screamed and cried for help, only to be silenced by the beast impaling his face with its tail. I couldn''t see the carnage from where I hid but..the screams and sounds of it eating was enough to make breakfast come back out.. My father stood there shocked for a moment but when the beast''s tail impaled the man''s head he was shook out of it, he didn''t wait any longer. One...Two...Three...Four...Five...Five shots were aimed at the creature...Each were deflected by its thickly armoured body, as bullets shot in every direction one scratched the Humvee''s side making me let out a slight whimper. My father glanced back at me in worry, only to disappear from view right after. The beast pounced at him in retaliation from having its meal interrupted, it shrieked as it wrestled him down. Three more shots were fired before a resonating crunch was heard...It impaled him with its tail. A hand fell limply in sight from were I stood...from where I hid...tears falling down over my red cheeks... my every particle trembling from fear...As I watched...As I listened...Two more creatures came into view on the street...Then another five...eight...fourteen..they swarmed the streets heading in every direction..each being from slightly to completely different from the other...with one thing in common..their eyes..bright green eyes..hungering for even more... As I fell into unconsciousness...I heard more shots being fired...more shrieks of anger and pain...more screams... --- Author: If you cannot stomach gore do not worry as I won''t be going any further than that with it. Next chapter will be a time skip to the current date of the story. Thanks for reading and remember to rate :D it helps a lot! Ch 2 - The days I walk. When I woke...the smell was the first to hit me. Everything reeked of rotand burning, corpses littered the streets while buildings blazed aflame. As I noticed the building the car was in also was on fire I hastilygot out, on my way out I remembered something as I glanced at the car keys inside the car. I took the keys and opened the locker under the wheel where my father kept his personal gun, I took the gun and the spare ammo. Holding a heavy pistol in one hand while covering my nose with the other I got out from under the car, that''s when the view hit me. Wherever I looked blood and gore filled my vision , I momentarily strared in horror and shock. I then looked back at the car and then to the side, a jumbled corpse lay there. I walked over to it while tears fell down my face in between sniffles , it''s clothes were ripped to shreds while the body itself was indistinguishable from the others. Only a single thing stayed intact...His gun lay by his side...The only thing that remained...I put the 9mm inside my jacket''s inner pocket and grabbed the P226. As I walked away I glanced back at the mangled corpse, my tears quickening in pace. Right now only threethings passed through my mind...Home...Mom...Lia... I had to go back. I walked the bloody street for what seemed an eternity, the stench of blood forcing me to bend over from time to time but nothing came out. I press on down the street towards my home, carnage and blazing fires surrounded me as I walked. My body hurt all over, my head was spinning with slight nausea but I still kept on moving. The beasts were still lurking around the town but were too busy on which ever corpse hit their fancy at that time, the smell of blood and fire covering my own. The crackling of flames as buildings collapsed covering my every step...my every sniffle...my every tear drop. For a moment I stopped as I stared on at one of the creatures while it ate, I held my father''s gun up while my hands trembled. Anger swelled up inside me but was quickly engulfed by fear as I remembered how easily their armour deflected the bullets. I dropped my arms as I turned to sneak around the gnawing beast, slowly and shakily I made my way through the wreckage of cars and buildings. I almost missed it as I passed by, stopping upon my sudden realisation. I was home, a collapsed wreckage of a building. I walked down the front lawn towards the rubble, my hands dropping down from my face as I inhaled the smoke and smell of blood. Nothing was left of the house, not a single wall stood of it nor most of the surrounding buildings. I walked as close to the rubble as I could without getting too close to any flame as it ate, I knew it...I should have realised already...nothing could have survived that collapse...but I looked anyway. I scanned much of the rubble until my gaze stopped on a single spot, something that stood out of the rubble and flames. There underneath the rubble I could see a foot poking out from under, bloody and beaten. I took off...I ran while gaining some minor burns, I couldn''t stop myself. I kneltdown next to it while I stared emptily, I should have known...I should have stopped there...I got lower and turned to look under the rubble. It was already night time but the burning flames gave me some slight light enough to see. As the light from the fire flickered I caught glimpses of what lay under the rubble, a broken down body...casual clothes...a blue apron...Long brown hair....half crushed face...and a single dead green eye staring into the depths of my soul. I jumped up to a standing position but fell backwards as I tripped on some rubble, I crawled quickly backwards as hastened breaths escaped my mouth. Then I sat there staring at the leg, later turning to gush out what ever I had left inside my stomach. I lay there on all fours for a couple moments staring down at the meagre pool under me, my gaze switched to my right hand and what it held. The pistol was greatly disproportionate to my small hand, too heavy for me to hold up with just one arm for longer than a couple seconds. I stared at the dark grey pistol...its barrel...its handle..its trigger...I then looked up and looked around me, for the first time realising and taking everything in. I was alone surrounded by death and monsters, everyone I knew and loved was gone. Sweat, tears and saliva dropping down my chin I looked back down at the gun, my hands trembled as I sat backwards and held it up to the sky. Then turned it back and held it to my face, then my chin. My hands trembled as my fingers lay on the trigger, tears gushing down them and down my arms. I raised my gaze at the unusual sky, stars covering every inch of it almost hiding the moon. My young mind couldn''t take it... I closed my eyes... I tensed my grip and then my whole body... I pulled on the trigger... ... ... Nothing... I pulled harder...It didn''t move an inch...I slowly lowered the gun as my gaze fell on it. "L...Locked..." the words escaped my mouth as I gasped for air, I clenched my hands around the handle. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. With the crackling of the fire and the ringing in my ears I barely heard it until it got close enough. The loud flapping of wind as something flew overhead, scattering flames and attracting the beasts. A bright light momentarily hovered over my position to then move back onto me, focusing me in the middle. I heard loud shouting aimed at me, but I didn''t respond. I heard gunshots and suddenly turned, awoken from my stupor. Multiple Blackhawk helicopters hovered over the town shining beams of lights all over, two singled me out of the corpses and beasts. Soldiers rushed out taking positions around the blackhawks taking shots at anything that moved while a couple broke off heading my way. They had to drag me back to their platoon and onto the heli, I just lay there balled up on the floor as two others were dragged to the blackhawk before it took off. ----------- 14 Years Later today. "Those bastards...they tricked me..." I spoke to myself under my breath as I walked down the street, I stopped once I reached my destination. A large building beckoning in front of me, more precisely a school.Some backstory; I''m Matthew Anderson21 years old, I was discharged from the military and decidedto join a private military group. The group was Etyrian in origin but after the EFRP (EtyrianForeign Relations Policy) was founded us humans were permitted to come and go between Earth and Etyria with airport like regulations while also allowing employment for Etyrian groups, the same went for the Etyrians but with further regulation. This obviously was a government move to spy on our new "friends" and map their world, even though research and information was exchanged thirteen years ago. Also with the exchange of our scientific and medical research we gave Etyria they passed on to us their knowledge of a certain power... Magic. Being what we are us humans studied and tested with various things with the Etyrian''s close tuition, creating what we have today. In the past ten years our world...our life changed completely, magic and science combined to create what we now know as Aethercraft. Which it in itself divides into multiple other crafts, the obvious weaponisation called Bound Aethers, the medical path called Aetherics and engineering for vehicles and other everyday utility called Aether Mechanics. Each of these sectors worked together closely combining Humans and every other Etyrian race. Me? I studied beginner Aether Mechanics and master Bound Aethers allowing me to wield these weapons and maintain them. Without going too much into detail how Bound Aethers worked , basically its the binding of a customised weapon to it''s user with spirit magic, binding one''s soul to the seals inscribed on the weapons. Once the binding is complete the users, called Martial Aethers, can fill the weapon with the resource that is magic called mana. Mana does not reside within the body but flows into it through another realm directly connected to all the others through living beings, this realm is called the spirit realm. That is atleast what the Etyrians teach, as we hold no proof nor are we able to tunnel to it. Tunnelling... Oh right... With the arrival of the Etyrians through their "portals" we insisted on them teaching us what they knew about the wormholes that dove through space. Surprisingly utilising various old theories and magic we were able to produce our own "portals" which we called tunnels. We could tunnel utilising a mixture of human and Etyrian crystal technology letting us accurately create stable tunnels, but to do so we needed mechanisms on both sides. The entrance and the exit, as with only the entrance being powered by the machine the destination would be completely random or sometimes lead nowhere at all. We still took advantage of that though, opening tunnels to uncharted realms ripe for exploration. But...only one such expedition was ever made and only after a week the scout team along with the research team made up of both Human and Etyrian disappeared, we lost all contact for three straight days. The next expedition? The government and the Etyrians agreed to contract a private company to venture for them, that company being my current employer...The Edge Alpha mercenaries and "utility"... That also being why I''m here today, at this school for the magically adept. I was waiting for the arrival of my official Bound Aethers but my squad captain got the address wrong...completely wrong...on purpose. Since he was busy today he decided to make me hit two birds with one stone, going for my package and the company''s package. "That damn bastard..." I scowled as I stepped towards the school''s ridiculous entrance. --- Author: Hope the Aethercraft explanation sufficed :D... I''m still pondering on the actual design of his Bound Aethers but I believe I have one in mind...Thanks for reading and remember to rate :D Ch 3 part 1 - Newbies The school would have looked like any other scholastic building but, the entrance gave off a completely different air. A large grey stone double door stood guarding the entrance, filled with runic inscriptions imbued with magic. It glowed menacingly as Iapproached it,stopping a few meters away as the door shook for a second. "What is your business here." the loud grumbling voice of a woman resonated from the door beckoning a question at me. Myeyes narrowed as Ianswered "Official business by the EA mercs, also a package of my person was misdelivered to this address", "Present your ID" the door answered back. I took a step forward and raised my right palm where a rune was engraved into theskin, the rune glowed brightly. An orb of light formed inbetween meand the door with the shape of an eye within it, the eye scanned my handclosely. Iwas currently wearing mynew uniform I hadrecently received from thecaptain, a black military trench coat and pants with dark blue patterns on the sleeves forming the EA''s insignia; A clenched blue fist."You''re clear for entry." the voice exclaimed as the door opened slowly with heavy drag on the floor. I waitedfor the door to open enough for me to passand when it was I stepped through, walking into the school''s lobby. Unlike the grandiose doorway the room looked very normal and small, with a receptionist to the left , two doors in the middle and a single door to the right.I walked over to the reception "My package if you may" I asked politely as I stood in front of the reception. "Yes..here..ah there it is!..There you go." after some searching the receptionist foundmy package between the boxes to her right and handed it to me. The package waswrapped in everyday paper andengulfed in runes making itimpossible to open without consent of the receiver, that being me, or a very powerful mage. I tookthe package and reached into mypocket to take out a card, I handed it over to the receptionist who read it over then handed it back to me"I''ll go get her, please wait here." she told me soand immedietly headed for the door. "Her?" I stood there confused at her statement, Iwas told to come for a "Company Package" not a person. Iwaited there for a bit before the door opened again revealing the receptionist followed by two others, a young woman in the same uniform as meand an old man in casual teacher''s get up. Iinstantly understood what mycaptain dumped myinto, scammed into collecting the other newbie while the captain set back and relaxed before he had to babysit us. Iscowled inside but put up an indifferent expression "And you are?" Iasked the girl. She was already beaming with tension but myannoyed and indifferent gaze seemed to make it worse "Ah um..Anabel Connery pleased to meet you!" she forwarded her hand to shake but I ignored it and turned to the receptionist "We''ll be leaving then, cannot keep the captain waiting for too long" (I''m not letting that sly fox relax another minute) Ithought to myself. Iturned towards the exit while at the same time I heared some sort of whimper from behind me, or was it a growl? I wasn''t too sure. --- Anabel''s perspective The prospect of adventure always intrigued me...Fantasy even more so. But I have an even deeper... personalreason of why I chose the path I chose.. I had applied for a foreign company the EA mercenary group, my teachers where not very enthusiastic with my choice as they knew what the group entailed and the dangers that followed. But I did not care for those dangers, I needed to join them. The government had contracted with them to continue the following survey of another realm, as the first team was lost contact with completely. I did not know what to expect from this "group", I certainly did not expect such a rude member to be sent for me. The young manwalked away as I tried to convince myself that he probably won''t be on my squad "W..wait! Just one moment please.." He glanced back with an even more annoyed expression but I ignored him and turned to Mr.Ronnald, he had beenmy magic teacher for years and a very smart man. His knowledge and understanding of magic still greatly surpassed my own but he helped me and my friends pass our exams by sharing his knowledge and helping us understand, we were greatly indebted to him and his assistant who currently wasn''t here. "Thank you for everything sir" I thanked the man who helped me make this possible but his response was the same as the day I told him what I aimed for. Mr.Ronnald scrutinised Matt while he questioned his student one last time "Are you sure this is your final choice Connery? You know what happened to the last survey corps... You may not return at all. Humanity needs the likes of you here at home...we don''t know when the void may strike again" the old man sighed and turned to the young woman. I did not falter, I had made up my mind long ago. My expression darkened and turned serious "Yes Mr.Ronnald, I am very thankful for all you and Ms.Hennel have done for me but I have chosen this path and I will walk it even if its on my own." I noddedmy head in respect and turned to follow the young man. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The door opened for usas westepped through and later exited school premises, I followed him down the path as a patrol of soldiers passed bythe road. He was quiet ,too quiet. "So umm..What is your name?" --- Matt''s Perspective I stopped walking and glanced back at the girl, taking in what she looked like due to mostly ignoring her before. She looked young, about myage probably younger.Long blonde hair fell down her back, her body was thin but no other features could be made out due to the trench coat.She also has brown eyes that seemed to be currently glaring at me. I sighed and answered "Matt, Matthew Anderson. Now if you don''t mind I''d rather not be stopped by another patrol..." (I had to teach the last one a lesson...), she continued walking"How long have you been with the company?".I raise an eyebrow and casually continued to walk while staring off at the heavily defended walls surrounding the school"Meh..Three hours?...That I already regret..." She lagged back a couple steps while processing my answer"Huh...wait...three...You''re new too?, I sighed"Yeah, I joined previously today and right after was sent to collect you. What are you by the way? Some VIP?" I glance back at her darkening expression, walking straight into our destination head first."Ow! Crap.." I bumped into the sidewalk teleporter, an Aetheric device used to transport from one city to another. I stumble back a step while rubbing my forehead then turn to the surprised girl behind me "Guess we''ve arrived..." she seemed to be stifling a laugh. The teleporters are easy to use, simply enter the elevator sized cabin which is completelytransparentand select your destination on the tablet like control module. The technology behind it is a lot more complicated to explain though, using a combination of computer technology and runic magic the controls are made. While the actual teleportation module(TPM) is mostly magic it still uses certain computer and mechanical technology connected to the control module, the TPM issimilar to tunnels as it uses wormhole science andstabilisesit with magic. Also something the Etyrians taught us is that tunnels are rifts in nature, therefore unstable unless fed mana. They are temporary, unlike portals which are permanent as far as they know. Even sealing a portal is not removing it but simply putting a lid on one side, which if one is powerful enough can remove that lid. But over the years humans have developed an Aetheric device that can do something better than put a lid on a portal, it can change the portal''s exit and entry. The theory behind it was that digging through realms wasn''t like digging through dirt or stone but through something more liquid, something more volatile to change and distort. Scientists discovered that the portals''s entry and exit are connected to the mana surrounding it, if this is collected and then dispersed somewhere else you can change the portal''s destination. This obviously closes the portal until the mana is dispersed and at first we thought we could close portals permanently this way, until the device that held the mana exploded from the ever increasing pressure the mana gives out when collected. This means that collection of portal mana is temporary and very destructive if not released on time. It was then also discovered that a portal can be detected before it opens, another device was built to detect the specific changes in mana when a portal or rift are preparing to open. Using these two technological marvels humans are now able to accurately open and detect portals and rifts. As I marvelled at the technology in front of me someone behind me got a little too impatient "Oi..What you standing there for?..We going in or what?" her voice brought absentme back from my haven of thought to this despicable earth. I sighed "Yeah yeah...I was thinking about something...Let''s go.." I open the transparent door and enter as she followed closely behind, I close the door making sure its sealed properly and select our destination on the control module''s touch screen. The company''s base on Earth wasn''t complete so first we had to go to the tunnel station, where the captain was waiting for us. The teleporter activated and opened a tunnel underneath us, it sucked us in as gravity took hold. We travelled through swirling lights and darkness as the pull of gravitydisappeareddecreasing our momentum, we reached the end of the tunnel and landed inside another teleporter inside the Tunnel Station. The station wasn''t as fancy as the other surviving countries made theirs, using an old train station the rails where removed completely and the area was changed into large doorways with tunnels swirling within them. These tunnels took to every city within Etyria and Earth that had a tunnel station, due to the large amount of people using them the governments pushed their science division to make a cabin where passengers could sit in and wait for the cabin to be moved into the tunnel entrance which will then exit on the other side. The system was simple yet highly advanced technology, I almost lost myself in thought again. I shook myself from my stupor and started walking towards a large figure snoring off on one of the manybenches. Ch 3 Part 2 : Newbies As we approached the bench I noticed a twitch on the man''s face, we waited awkwardly in front of the sleeping lump. He wasn''t really old in his age, his features and personality simply gave off more maturity than he had. On first look you''d think he was within his late 30s but this snoring lump of a man was still within his late 20s, the youngest of the captains within the EA. While his brown hair sported no real style and with his ragged clothing if he wasn''t wearing a uniform he could have been taken for a homeless drunk, also the bulging muscles that seemed to be trying to tear the uniform apart from within. Finally I got tired of waiting "Urm..Sir?..Captain?...CA!" I was about to shout but was abruptly cut off as a hand was shoved in my face shutting my mouth. "Fine fine...I''m up dammit.." The captain pushed me backwards as he got up and as I struggled to get his grip off my face. "MmmM!!Mghgm!" Only muffled sounds made it out until he released his grip, I took a deep breath and spoke "Don''t use me as damn support!" "Shut yer trap kid" he yawned right after and continued "Alright I see you brought lil missy with you, time to go then!","Lil?..." Anabel''s expression contorted in what seemed to be a forced smile. "Time? You were sla!!" again I was given no time to finish my sentence. "I said, shut up when I''m talking." He grabs my head from up top squashing my hair and pulling me closer, glaring at me with a brown eye and a dead white one surrounded by scars. "Sir yes,Sir." I coldly glared back, Anabel''s expression by now was riddled with annoyance and weariness "Sir..Shouldn''t we go?..We can''t keep the others waiting..." but weignored her, ourstaring competition broken by someone else''s yelp. Off in the distance a woman was rushing towards uswith four station passes, she was wearing the same uniform as usbut something was very much off...Some things where way off. As she ran they rattled and threatened to burst out at any given moment, obviously weighing her down as she made her way while shouting "Sir I got the pa..." You can say it was on purpose or on accident, neither could be chosen as a conclusion as she fell face first into the floor in front of us. We turned to her as she ran and watched as she tripped over nothing, our expressions had lightened up quite a bit as if forgetting our previous quarrel completely. Anabel yelped as the woman hit the floor "Oh! Ah! Let me!.." She rushed to the woman and helped her up then looked at her face only to be left bewildered, not that she had no injury on her face from the fall but that poking out of each side of her head where two long pointy ears. She had never seen an Etyrian in flesh and blood before, their movements on Earth were highly controlled by the government. Anabel took a good look at the woman and with her height, ears and long green hair there was absolutely no way that she wasn''t an Elf. After getting up the Elf walked towards the Captain and pushed forward the passes "I got them as you asked!" she exclaimed with a broad joyful smile. The Captain was still awkwardly holding my head lifting me off the ground a bit, he let go and took the passes out of her hands "Oh..Yeah..Thank you Ell." he then glanced at me and sighed. "No problem Sir!" Ell''s smile seemed to grow larger by the second, like a child receiving attention. The elf was taller then the captain and with her long bright green hair and grey eyes she stood out like a sore thumb. The Captain walked forward a couple steps and turned to us "She is the last of the new recruits, you three will be joining my squad of 4 maxing it out at 7. With the passes now in hand we will head to Etyria where you shall meet your new comrades and they will meet theirs." It took me a second to recover from my confusion, then i proceeded to follow the other three over to the tunnels. The tunnels were large enough to take in the cabin, slightly larger than the cabin itself. The cabins stood the size of a Boeing 777 holding approximately four hundred passengers, although requiring no space for a pilot unlike the plane. That space was used for the employees,to hold large baggage and commercial supplies advertised by roaming employees during the journey. We entered the cabin and picked one row on the right to all sit at, I sat first next to the window with the rest to my left. Anabel sat second with Ell next to her and the Captain last, leaving an empty seat to his left. While we waited for the cabin to fill up I opened my package, I pressed my hand onto the rune inscriptions and it glowed. The other three watched as I practically tore the packaging apart revealing a black box half a meter in length and width and about thirty meters high, I squashed the packaging together and threw it into the trash pipe to my right within the seat. The box was black with grey lining the edges and a grey seal carefully carved on the front, I pressed my right thumb on the seal and it unlocked. I carefully opened the box and inspected the inside, on the top half there was two black gloves with holding seals made to holster the Bound Aethers within them when not in use using special magic. The bottom half held the Bound Aethers themselves, something to note was that normally a Martial Aether has a single Bound Aether to use but those with higher mana capacity are able to bind with multiple. Higher mana capacity is not something one is born with but achieved through years of meditation and forced expansion by using the mana within you, currently I can use both of them but for prolonged combat I could only switch in between them or only use one. The Bound Aethers I received were like any other, customised for the user and their mana''s signature. Ah yes...Mana signatures... This is a complicated topic we do not fully understand yet but basically it is like a finger print for our mana and its aura, the signature is related to our mana''s efficiency with certain elements. Humans had a natural efficiency to the chaos element which had affinity for modelling reality and objects, but other than our natural element each being had a certain efficiency rate with the other elements. No single being had the exact same signature but some came very close, these were mainly close family members like parent and child or siblings. My signature was as any other human mostly chaos, the exact rate was 62% chaos with 23% fire with the other 15% scattered through water, wind, earth and nature. Dark and light efficiency for us humans was always 0% as well as corruption, but this couldn''t be confirmed 100% since our technology gave a rough estimate of the rating and so did the Etyrian''s. I looked down at my new Aethers and was relieved to find their form being one I was already acquainted with, two pistols lay inside the box with a smooth design. The hand was a smooth black rectangle slanting forward with bumps on the front for the fingers and the barrel was a 20cm long black cylinder,one had two long red crystals on each side while the other pistol had two long purple crystals. There was no reloading mechanic in sight as the pistols simply devoured the user''s mana as ammunition by condensing it and amplifying penetrative power by giving it shape. I put on the gloves and took one out, instinctively I poured my mana into the glove and the pistol glowed red faintly and was then sucked into the glove as if being deconstructed into dust. I did the same with the other pistol and closed the box, I turned to glance at the others right after. The Captain was snoring away while Ell was staring at my gloves excitedly, Anabal was doing the same but her expression was more of disbelief. "What?..." I asked them both, as they noticed i was aware of them staring. Ell was the first to answer "Ah..I knew about how Bound Aethers worked but I''ve never seen ones with such a unique design before!" Anabel continued "They''re just pistols, nothing special. What I really dont understand is how you can handle two?!" she pouted in jealousy and then glared at me "Being able to bind and control one is rare enough, but two? No way you can actually use them both." Oh right I forgot to mention...The chance of someone being able to bind with a Bound Aether is currently less than 2% and is extremely painful, If you attempted to bind with a Bound Aether and fail a coma is all but guaranteed. "See it as you may, I can bind and can utilise both.Tonight I will bind them and then be able to use them in combat. Seeing as these two have been customised for me they will be much easier to bind and use than the training Aethers we are given to test with at the academy." I was annoyed at her disbelief, was it that hard to believe that I had talent? No...Was it that unbelievable for her that she wasn''t the only one with talent? This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "Oh! Can I watch your binding?!" Ell practically squished Anabel between her mounds to move closer to me, her excitement almost making her eyes shine."I..Erm..Sure.." my mind was too scrambled to think of an excuse so I just accepted. "Alright its a date then" Anabel had a snide grin on her face before she turned to get Ell off her, which made the elf yelp when she noticed the girl under her. "Great!! Us girls will have our own rooms so lunch time sounds best!" Ell got back into her seat and started chatting with Anabel. "Wait...I didn''t mean..." I stared at the two as they introduced each other and chatted away, when did I make my binding a public show?...Oh right... In the end I dropped the conversation and continued staring outside the window, when suddenly the cabin doors closed shut and a voice could be heard on the intercom "Please take your seats and buckle your belts, the jump will happen momentarily". After that everyone started shifting making sure their seat belts were in place while employees walked in between the seats to make sure, when every one was checked they returned to the front and after a minute or so the cabin began to move forward and into the swirling tunnel of green and blue. When inside the tunnel the windows were closed with automatic black shutters as the effect of the light was unknown to us and safety precautions were taken, the "jump"(Travel through a tunnel) took around three minutes. While inside the cabin it can be felt when the jump starts and ends as within the tunnel there is no gravity and any movement can end up in awkward or dangerous positions without the belts. About five seconds after the cabin fully exited the tunnel the shutters opened to reveal the outside, the Etyrian station was similar to the ones on Earth but had its own cultural and technological differences. The lights were pure white crystals embedded into the roof while the people around working had more differentiation in race, Elves, Dwarves, Demons, Giants, Beast-men and some others could be seen from within the cabin. When the cabin exited the tunnel runic inscriptions on the ground kept it afloat while mages carefully set it down, right after the employees within opened the doors and started checking around for anyone who might be effected by movement sickness or simply snoring away. The captain woke up before being bothered by any of the employees and told us to take off the belts and gather our baggage, we kept some bags under the seats and some up inside slots in the roof right on top of our seats. Once we gathered our things we exited our seats and began to leave the cabin, when we all got through the exit we walked down the path towards the inspection line. "Follow me" the captain glanced back and told us while stepping to the side of the line walking towards the inspection personal next to a door off to the side of the detector, he showed the armed beast-man our passes and he let us through the door. Since we were not normal civilians we had the company to vouch for our weapons and therefore bypassed that inspection.This was my second time in Etyria and last time I had to go through it, I had came here to meet with the recruiter for the EA and present a sort of combat "resume". That was last year the same year I left the military unwillingly, but that is in the past and now I have a different future I simply cannot fail. The city we were currently in was Rosevalt the main city of the elven races and the first destination between Earth and Etyria, our next destination would be another tunnel which will take us to DarkGlade Fortress the company''s HQ. "Before we head to HQ you will meet your squadies, there they are." The captain pointed over to the waiting area at the entrance where three figures sat looking in their general direction. The waiting area was a sort of cafeteria with tables and chairs on both sides of the exit door, at each end was a bar with employees taking orders. We followed the captain towards their table and as we got closer Ell''s excitement could no longer be held back "Uncle!" She charged the elf as he got up, barely standing his ground as she collided with his chest. "We''re in the same squad!" the man was slightly taller than her with short dark green hair and grey eyes, although not looking any older than 30. "It seems so little one, sister will be overjoyed to hear." he sighed at the young elf''s excitement. "Everyone take your seats, we''ll proceed with the introductions." the captain took a chair, rotated the back towards us and sat down with his arms crossed. "Let''s start with me, Kale and so on." Everyone sat down around the table, After everyone settled the introductions began. "My name is Carlos Houghes, Age 29 and Captain of Houghes Squad. I specialise in physical chaos arts as my combat style." He nods for Kale to continue. The elf with dark green hair nodded back "I am Kale Lious, Age 987. My combat specialisation is the bow and I am the squad''s first ranger." at the mention of his age Anabel seemed to try to pronounce an assortment of words but only ended up with "900?!" Kale raised a brow as everyone turned to look at her "Yes child, our kind can live up to a thousand and five hundred years. Surely you''ve heard before?" Anabel''s expression quickly went red as she responded "Oh..Yes yes! I knew its just...Its difficult to believe..." , the captain sighed "Continue the introductions, Anabel no more interruptions." Ell stood up suddenly and started "I..Um..Ell Kellent, Age 82! Second ranger...Uh..That''s...it? " she sat back down smiling. Next to her one that caught my attention stood up, she looked human until you saw her ears and tail. This was a beastwoman and she had the ears of a feline with the tail to go with. That is until her form started to change and grow till her beast features took over showing a large humanoid lioness.She then begun to introduce herself "I''m Lia of the southern pack, Age 30. Earth physical style." she glanced to her left, done with the introduction. The next was a rather interesting individual, one that caught my attention the most. Similarly to a kobold the being had reptilian features but a humanoid frame, except bulkier almost twice the size of a normal human. This was a Drakon, more specifically a Drakeling. He sat further from the others due to his large frame but mainly the large reptilian wings on his back, his scales were a dark blue but went straight black on his wings and tail. "My name is Jerrald Cloudfang, Age 43. I''m a spear wielder and act as the squad''s medic." next to him lay a dark grey spear with a jagged tip and a dark grey kite shield with embedded crystals and carved runes that glowed menacingly. The spear was twice the length of me and the shield nearly twice my length and three times the width. He turned to Anabel and nodded for her to continue, she was currently as pale as a ghost. "Anabel, it''s your turn." The captain saw her pale expression and raised his voice to wake her. "Uh..Oh..Yes..Yes...I''m Anabel Connery, Age 19. I specialise in Support magic and Runes, my combat magic ranges from chaos to water and wind." she looked around taking in everyone''s expression. Seeing that she was done...well even if she wasn''t...I introduced myself "Matthew Anders, Age 21. Ranged Martial Aether, Chaos and fire affinity." Edited by; Birse ---- Author: Thanks for reading and remember to rate :D. Ch 4 - Arrival at HQ Captain Houghes raised his arm showing something around his wrist, it looked like a watch except the crystal pyramid in the main section. He tapped the crystal and a window appeared on top of it covering his face, listing his name, surname, age, occupation and other combat information; Name; Captain Houghes Age; 29 Occupation; Mercenary Class; Martial Artist, Elemental Body Enhancer. Rank; C[III] - B "All information you''ve just heard is collected in our database and can be viewed and edited through a IRIS(Illusionary Revealing Image System) like this one." He takes three more Irises out of his pockets and hands them over to me, Anabel and Ell after we put them on we activate them. The window had a search UI with option for a keyboard to appear or voice recognition searching, it also had a menu from which you could open two other different UIs. One held a party system where you could use the built in comm system to communicate between your group and use the in built camera to stream anything to your group, the other was a messaging system to send text, voice or video messages to who ever is in the database. "Alright, next we''ll be heading directly to DarkGlade where you''ll be taking the ranking test tomorrow. Ranks are what determine what missions you''ll be allowed on and the squad as a whole, meaning that if your not qualified then the squad as a whole will not be allowed to join the mission. This system was made to let us grow as a group and make up for each other''s weakness while honing our strengths, let me also add that in rare occasions you may be added to a mission under a different squad if that mission requires your profession specifically." he then got up from his seat and gestured for us to follow, we turned off our Irises and followed. We follow the captain over to the teleporters, a row of thirty of them. We entered one and he selected our destination, the floor swirled under us as the ground opened up into a tunnel. We fell due to gravity but then simply flowed through the tunnel for a couple seconds, the exit closed in on us fast and I closed my eyes to not get nausea as I usually do. When I opened my eyes we stood at the peak of a mountain that looked broken into three with a ravine in the middle, within it were ruins of the fortress. The ruins are well kept but over all untouched by anyone, kept as a reminder of what us races are capable of but mainly as a grave to the grand heroes of the second Void war. The Etyrians passed us the story of how the human William joined the races together as a single force, collecting the ones with the greatest mana signatures to lure in the Void''s main numbers and his strategic genius in taking them out. They told us of how he wielded the might of a Dragon and the ferocity of a Lycan as his spirits, how he sacrificed himself to connect the void''s realms to every other realm in existence. But in reality... his actions were not all grand, this may just be my personal opinion but due to his actions we may face dangers worse than the void. The void''s attention will be spread due to all these new realms now open to it but it also left it open to us and us open to them, we don''t know what could possibly lay out there. We have advanced fast, faster than before and much further than ever but all that will mean nothing if faced by power we do not comprehend. This was proven true the day the Void attacked Earth, we didn''t understand and therefore almost faced annihilation. I look up as these thoughts pass through my mind, up at one of the many forces sworn on being the sword to our races while others act as the shield. The fortress is quite the sight to look at, a monstrously large crystal base completely etched in runic inscriptions shining brightly as it reflects Etyria''s young sun. Above the crystal base is the fortress itself, hundred thirty storeys of reinforced steel imbued with protection magic and barriers. A tall untouchable rectangle of a building planned by probably the most paranoid being in our society, consisting of almost every defensive system imaginable by both worlds. Hovering over the DarkGlade valley lay the pinnacle of the company''s wealth, the EA''s HQ Fort Ragnarok. The captain turns to me,Anabel and Ell who are staring in amazement at the sky fortress"As you have been told upon being recruited, you will now have to sit through the introductory assembly where you will be given other basic information, the introduction of special members and listen to the CEO''s speech. I suggest you stick together and stay with Lia, she will guide you to the assembly and afterwards she will show you around the base. Also do not forget tomorrow at nine thirty a.m. you must attend the ranking test, as for the time and place they will be mentioned during the assembly as they were still being debated by the higher ups and I have not ben given the information as of yet." he then turns and walks towards the edge "Good luck recruits." Jerrald and Kale follow him, as the three reach the edge their image starts to shake and dissipate. After they disappeared Lia turns to us "Come on cubs, the assembly will begin in a bit." as she takes steps towards the edge we reluctantly follow. As I walk I can feel the mana around me swirl and bend all around my body, I feel my hair stand as if electricity is flowing through me. I turn to look at the others and see their image shake violently until one by one we disappear, my vision momentarily gone dark only for me to suddenly appear along with the others inside a lobby of sorts full of EA recruits. The lobby was highly advanced with scanners on each corner of the room along with multi-spectrum cameras and mana barrier emitters, the security was so tight that privacy was thrown right out of the window. Except there was no windows, the walls are plastered with monitors listing recruits and their squads. "This is the lobby to the large hall where all major and PR announcements are made, follow me closely and don''t get lost in the crowd." Lia gestures for us to follow and we do so, while getting many glances by the surrounding recruits. Humanity is at a very low percentage within Etyrian groups, within the EA we only number around 4% of the company and that is a lot compared to the rest. Everyone is wearing the same uniform save for some having custom ones due to size, but the same color scheme and emblem is kept through out. We wait through the large line of recruits along with their guides trying to get through the four double doors and into the hall but after a couple minutes we finally do, the hall was huge and probably took a whole floor. Hovering above us and around every twenty meters was a monitor with the stage being streamed on it, all around us we could barely see in any direction so we were thankful for the monitors. I looked around to try and gauge the size of the room but i quickly give up as I cannot even see the walls in any direction due to the large amount of Elves, giants and tall beastmen. Suddenly I hear the doors close behind us and the lights change towards the stage, any voice that was talking before had stopped and the room became dead silent. A single figure walks down the stage and towards the centre, an abyssal demon with the usual reddish skin, short dark black hair with two long black horns bulging out of his forehead and bending backwards to the back of his head. His eyes almost purely black except the single white dot in the middle, he stood there with his own version of the company uniform with two extra emblems. Behind him marched out three squads of mercenaries with the same uniform but two emblems. The first emblem was the normal one on every uniform but the second was purely for a select number of hand picked elites, a wolf above a mound of dirt with blood flowing down and corpses littering the bottom.The third was the CEO''s emblem of choice, a sword impaling a crown of bones and skulls. The CEO pressed a finger to his throat and cast a spell, cleared his throat and began to speak. "I thank you all for joining me today to the EA''s annual introduction ceremony. I welcome our new recruits and thank those that guided them safely here today. As many of you may know I am the Chief Executive Officer of the Edge Alpha Mercenaries, King Zeaxar Hellborn. I have multiple topics to brief you on but first I will introduce you to the company''s prized Elite squads. Here behind me stand the best of the best and your commanding officers, with our new squad system in place these will be your outfit leaders. As you may know squads now consists of 7 members while platoons consist of a hundred squads, an outfit will consist of four platoons. Currently there are six outfits with an outfit leader and co-leader commanding them. With the start of this new system we will increase in co-ordination and strength along with better balanced numbers between missions. Next I will introduce you to the new ranking system I personally developed, the ranks go as such; E, D,C,B,A,S,SS , Each rank also constitutes of three tiers. The tiers being lower tier, middle tier and higher tier. For example a lower Tier C ([C] I) is lower rank than a Higher Tier C ([C] III) " As he explained images showing the signs that described each rank and tier "The rank and tier will be given to you after the ranking tests that will be done tomorrow, you will receive a system message on your Irises with directions." The monitors zoomed in on his Iris as he showed how to enter the menu and then the map of the Fort "Now finally I wish to give you all a couple words of advice, my associates call it a speech but personally I do not see it as such." The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. He lowered his arm and the monitors focused on his face "The members of your squad are not just your colleagues, not just co-workers. They are those that will keep you alive on the field, those that will watch your back in combat and aid you in your growth. There will be hard times ahead where you may be stranded from your squad, but do not fret. Because they will find you no matter the cost, as a squad is nothing like a group and nothing like a family. A squad is a well planned and built machine, a single organism. Remember this, those that fail a mission may lose respect and those that fail to save a life will lose their very essence for a while. But those that fail to protect the ones that have sworn to protect them..." he closes his eyes "Have no right to call themselves a warrior, have no right to hold a weapon. Watch their back and they will watch yours." He roars these words as him, the elites and all the guides in the hall move in unison, stand in unison with a single gesture that shows their loyalty. One left fist clenched to the heart and one right fist clenched towards the sky, the company''s signature salute. "Fight..Onward!" and with that cheesy yet chilling show of unity he turns and walks away from the stage, the outfit leaders follow him. "Looks like that''s it from them, Ell, Matthew, Anabel, let''s go." Lia taps my shoulder as I turn, reciting the information in my head. The crowd is large but we orderly leave the hall and then through the lobby exit as each squad takes different directions through the corridors of this floor, we followed Lia to the left and up the stairs three floors until we reached what looked like a dining hall. "This is the dining area, meals are served at breakfast and dinner only." she seemed to show some slight annoyance at this, Ell also seemed to chime in with her annoyance "No lunch?.." Lia lets out a quiet laugh "They try to keep us on a controlled diet with a strict menu, don''t expect anything fancy. Next is sleeping quarters, follow me" we turn around and go up another floor. This floor as the signs said was the male dormitory "Here is the male''s one, you can check your inbox on the Iris for your room number and a linked location to the map. While the Female dormitory is the floor above this one, to access the dormitory swipe your Iris over the scanner by the door and you will be teleported inside if you have allowed entry." she points at a stand next to the door. Anabel seems perplexed at this revelation "What''s the point of the door then?" but Lia expected such a question as she answered nonchalantly with "Incase of system failure manual controls and access is available to captain titles and above. Now for the training grounds, this way please." we continue to follow her another two floors up and down three corridors until we reach a set of double doors with the number "52" on it. "This is Houghe''s squad training grounds, each squad has a room as such within this floor and twelve more up. The thirteenth and twelfth training floors are a single hall for events such as the ranking tests. " Lia sets her palm on the doors as runes light up, unlocking the doors. She pushes the doors inwards revealing a 25 x 25 meter room with another room within it, a thick mana barrier separated the stands and the actual training ground. "You may use the training grounds when ever you wish as each access is instantly recorded in our database, your every move is already fully recorded in our system. Well except for bathrooms, only mana scanners are setup in there." she raises her arms and stretches "I''ll be leaving you here then, if you have any questions use the message function on your Iris and message me. Well or ask now if its important." she turns to us expecting some sort of barrage. I finally break my quiet and ask "May I use this room for my soul binding? The barriers are overkill but it has adequate space for it." I scan the room with my eyes one more time and walk towards the barrier. Lia seems to think it over for a bit but then responds "Sure that''s not a problem but are you sure you don''t want to be closer to med bay? I hear those bindings are very dangerous." but I simply shrug it off "No need, my success rate was higher than average with the academy BA''s. If anything does go wrong I''ll be dead before anybody can help me anyways, the pain is just a byproduct and doesn''t pose too much a threat to my health also." Lia nods and walks out of the room, closing the doors behind her. I turn to Ell and Anabel "Now if you two wish to watch I suggest that you both keep your distance, I will only say this once. Do not interfer no matter what happens, any action you take to aid me will be returned with nothing other than your instant death. I hope I''ve made myself clear." the two girls nod, Ell multiple times and take a seat outside the barrier. I move to stand in the middle of the room, close my eyes and raise both hands to my shoulder height. I pour my mana into the gloves forcing the holding seal to undo, summoning forth the two black pistols. I then focus all the mana within me and the mana leaking out of me to a single point, my mind. I start to chant the spells of spirit summoning "Being of eternal distortion, being of unbalance, being of the forgotten path. Hear me, understand me and respond." I chant this five times until a voice reaches my mind along with great nausea "Wielder of my element, I hear your call and accept your contract." mana surges from around me, I direct it towards one of the pistols and into the purple crystal. That is when the pain starts to strike, agonising pain engulfing my skin, muscles and bones. But I keep standing and continue to the second chant "Being of the eternal flame, being of life''s heat, being that devours all but brings existence to most. Hear my call, let me bear your flame and wield your power." I repeat this chant twelve times while at the same time binding the chaos spirit into the crystal. A second voice finally responds followed by a burning sensation flowing within my veins "One with the flames, I hear you. The contract is sealed." as another wave of agony devours my senses, I fall on my knees as my expression stays slightly collected. I let the fire spirit''s essence float aimlessly around me until the chaos spirit is bound to its crystal, after that I start to do the same with the fire spirit and the red crystal in the other pistol. These spirits will serve as a bridge between me and the Aethers, while also empowering them. I finish binding the two spirits into the Aethers, the pain washing off me. Now I move on to the final phase, binding the Aethers to me. I pour my mana into the crystals as the spirits take a hold of it and direct it around the Aethers, the runes on the pistols start to glow as my very soul is ripped apart. Those parts pouring with my mana and into the pistols, being directed by the spirits. The pain I felt before...Is immeasurably smaller than the soul splitting pain I feel now, imagine as if every bone in your body is crushed to splinters and those very splinters burrow through your flesh back and fort, imagine your veins feeling as if they are being pumped full and are about to explode. Adding also the feeling that your brain is being sliced apart and then put back together over and over, while your organs swirl and twirl giving you extreme nausea. That is what having your soul being literally ripped apart feels like, a feeling barely anything can match. But a feeling I had been trained to endure, I start to recall my training in the government''s Martial Aether Academy. Weeks spent in solitude while honing my body with physical training, months of pain endurance tests, years of practising my chosen art. The words I was told when I graduated rang through my mind on repeat "As of today you are no longer a soldier, as of today you are no longer human. As of today you are a weapon and as a weapon you will serve until the rust eats away at you completely, until your very soul dissipates from existence." and finally the words I said when I left. "I may no longer be a soldier, I may no longer have freedom of choice or belief within society. But I will find a reason to live other than being the wall between monsters." -- Edited by; Birse --- Author: Heyyy...who likes cheesy speeches? :P... thanks for reading xD and remember to rate! Ch 5 Part 1 - The recruit ranking exam Black mist has long engulfed the whole room, a swirling nightmare. Purple lightning flowed freely through the atmosphere as I felt around for my limbs, I couldn''t understand what was happening completely. Bound Aethers each have their own special ability but my chaos spirit''s ability confused me, I couldn''t fully feel my body and my vision was too blurry but one thing was for sure. I could tell exactly where I was, I could tell exactly where Ell and Anabel were and surrounding me was something even more strange as fiery beasts walked circles around my kneeling self. I rose and dispersed the mist forcing it back into my left pistol then took a look around, two beasts were staring at me as they settled down. One flew over to my shoulder and stared me straight in the eye, it was a fairly large black bat with purple eyes and grey wings that it used as arms. With its fox like face and colour scheme I recognised it as the chaos spirit, it had a thin layer of black mist flowing around its wings and a long thin furry tail going down by shoulder and back. I turned to the other I presumed was the fire spirit, it slithered over to my legs and climbed up to my arm. The serpents scales were very warm and slightly horned, they covered it in white with a single stripe of red along its back that climbed to its head and covered its horns which protruded forward. The snake was a type of cobra with two ear like flaps on each side of its head, the inside of them was a runic pattern representing fire. All that along with it being thicker than my arm and almost twice the length, it looked menacing and very dangerous. "Masster we awaits naming." the cobra had slithered to my ear and whispered, the bat simply hissed lightly in agreement. Naming your bound spirit is an important business, it covers they''re real names which are words of power over them and cannot be too complicated. I turned to Ell and Anabel who both wore horrified expressions, the human sorceress almost to the verge of tears while the elven ranger stared blankly at the bat. Naming them out loud would not be recommended even if they are both in shock, so I use our connected minds to ask for their real names.("Tell me your names.") ("I am Tempre, the devouring mist.") ("I am Ignis, the roaming blaze.") ("I shall name you soon.") I decide to postpone the naming until I''ve cleared my mind from the pain and all my thoughts, spirit binding weakens ones emotions and clouds their mind while the spirits scan your memories. "How long was I out?" I walk towards the girls and aim the question at them, at the same time Tempre turns to mist and enters his crystal while Ignis disintegrates into sparks of fire which flow into the red crystal. "Uh? Huh? Oh..." Ell snaps out of it and checks the time on her Iris "Oh my...its seven already.." Ell turns to look at Anabel who still looks in a state of shock "Anabel?...". The girl had the slight sign of tears in her eyes "Ss..snake..." her own voice jolted her back "S...sorry...it was the snake...I''m alright now...A...Anderson...you have blood..." she points at her ears, I press my wrists to both my ears and then look at them. Indeed I had some blood pouring out of my left ear "It''s nothing, if it had gone wrong I wouldn''t even be alive now." I stare at my wrist for another second, I was still reminiscing the past. I sigh "Let''s go, we''ll be late for dinner and tomorrow is the rankings so we cannot afford to miss out on eating." I don''t wait for them to respond and pour mana into my gloves making the pistols disappear, right after I press my palm to the door and push it open. The binding took several hours as it was already night time and we arrived at Etyria around 2pm Etyrian time, five hours had passed but it felt like minutes to me. With the added problem of having woken up only eight hours ago I wasn''t tired at all, changing sleep schedule wasn''t a problem for me but I decided to make the best of it. We headed down to the dining hall and ate, the menu was simple,vegetable soup, salad, fish or a mix of smaller portions. There we met up with Lia, Kale and Jerrald, the captain was nowhere to be seen. They explained to us along with some advice on what we can expect from the ranking exam. "You''ll be faced with beasts that under normal circumstances counter your fighting styles, these monsters have been captured during some mission or pest control contracts and then trained for this very purpose." Jerrald explained the first test to be combat against monsters. Lia continues after him explaining the second test"The other test is a pack hunt, a similar system to that game you humans have. Tag was it? Mages will cast sensory and teleportation spells on you, when faced with damage the attack will be dispelled and if the damage is fatal you will be teleported out and counted as dead. The teams will be squad based due to most recruits being three per squad anyway, so you three will be together for it.The arena itself will have three entrances, one used as the exit for after the fight has ended." "Do you know how ranks are calculated from those two tests? Seems too short and open." I press my doubt forward and wait for someone to answer while I continue digging into my salad. "The ranks are decided by the outfit leaders and special cases are forwarded to the boss." Jerrald is the one to answer me "Their judgement is as accurate as one can get, any whining afterwards from those being ranked is completely ignored." After I was done eating I excused myself with the reasoning of heading to bed, but I wasn''t actually going to. I headed back up to the training room. I summoned forth the pistols and proceeded to naming them ("Devouring mist, chaotic mischief, I name you. Wayne.") I feel his presence shifting from the pistol and out as a dark mist settles in front of me, taking humanoid form. ("Roaming blaze, slithering flame, I name you. Ember.") A blaze exits her crystal as she also starts to take form. After a couple seconds seemingly two humans stood in front of me, spirits in their corporeal form. Wayne was a scrawny short spirit looking no older than twelve with slightly dark skin, he had short messy purple hair and pitch black eyes with a purple iris and black pupil. He wore a black hoodie and dark brown ripped jeans, when he pulled down his hood it could be seen that behind his ears grew bat like wings too small to do anything. Ember on the other hand was average length with long milk white hair, normal eyes with fiery red irises. Her skin was pale white with freckles while her body was on the curvier side, she wore a red and white army top with white shorts and out of her forehead protruded two short blood red horns slightly curved downwards. She looked around my age, nineteen to twenty two or so. But I didn''t let their looks deceive me, a spirit''s form is mirror to its personality and they can look childlike but in actuality be centuries old. If I concentrated hard enough I could see their beast form but their true form was undetectable unless they are fed enough power, if a spirit is fed enough mana it can be a powerful weapon in itself. I raised my arm and checked the time on my Iris, it was 9 pm so I had plenty of time before the ranking and I didn''t plan to spend it sleeping like everyone else. ----- Anabel''s perspective the next morning. The company hadn''t gone out of its way to make members''s quarters too fancy, the sleeping quarters were a small eight by eight meter room with a bed, a holding crystal for clothes and a door taking into a five by five bathroom with toilet, sink and a shower. A single drawer sat next to my bed with a crystal lamp on top of it and a chest under the bed for equipment. I honestly expected more but after thinking it over it was obvious that most of our time would be spent travelling on missions, so living space at HQ wasn''t a problem. I got out of bed, showered and put on the uniform while scolding myself for eating so little yesterday. Sleep wasn''t a problem as I changed my schedule days ago but because of that gruesome event yesterday I could barely eat, nobody normal would. The sight of that guys instantly paling skin, falling to his kneels with a tortured expression was too much. And he just walked it off right after! Five hours of constant pain I cannot even imagine and he just stands up and walks off...What the hell? But the strangest thing is that it succeeded, both bindings succeeded. I heard of some having multiple spirits but that is either because of the spirits being the same element and being lesser or the person having trained spirit subjugation all their life, and both of those have never been human! The binding itself was amazing to look at but at the same time just remembering it makes my stomach churn, I was dumb enough to use revealing sight a vision spell to see the binding fully only to stare on terrified after seeing a bat and a snake tearing his soul into three. I sigh and open the door "And he''s in my squad..." he honestly scares me but what I found waiting outside my door was even more frightening. "Ana-chan!" she leaped on me hugging my face into her man killers, I''m not jealous or anything they are just too big! "Ell I can''t breath..." I push her away "And I told you we don''t really speak like that...even those of that culture have stopped..." she had been reading old Japanese manga after deciding to study human culture. "But it''s so fun! It''s better than shortening a name!" from what I gather an Elf''s personality and maturity highly depends on them but most reach actual maturity around their 200th year...So Ell may be almost a hundred but she is as immature and hyperactive as a teenager. I sigh "Why are you waiting out here anyway?" I try to control my tone but I couldn''t help the slight annoyance, okay maybe I am a bit jealous. She seems to notice my tone but ignores it "I figured we''d go to the exam together" she takes hold of my hands "we start at similar times so let''s go!" she drags me over to the exit and initiates teleportation then down the stairs while ignoring my complaining, finally stopping in front of the male''s dormitory door. "Why did we come here?" she stares at the door then turns to answer "I thought we could wait for Matt too..." I grimace at the mention of him and activate my Iris, Ell moves closer to see. I enter his name, "was it Anderson?" and use the locate function only to find out he''s already at the training floors, but not the exam grounds. "Did he get lost?" Ell looks actually worried and confused, "No way he''s that dense..." I release my arm from her grip and we climb the stairs to his floor. We arrive at the 52nd training room and go inside, the room has a weekly self cleaning system so it was noticeable that it had recently ben used. Much of the barrier had residual mana signatures from attacks and the activatable shooting dummies were still on, most half or fully destroyed. The sand that made up the floor was a mess of hills and some...molten? But Matthew was nowhere to be seen. "Where''d he go? Did he head down to breakfast already? No way we missed him?" I reopen the tracker on the Iris to see that he''s on the dormitory floor"How did we miss him?..." "Ohh! I remember Uncle Kale saying the training rooms have a teleportation system setup to the med bay! Its a floor under the dormitories and it takes you right outside the medbay door!" Ell goes over to the control panel by the door and fidgets with it. "Sly bastard...he used it to get closer to his room?" I sigh, which became habit for me here "Well if he wants to join us we''ll see him at breakfast, do you know when he starts?" Ell turns after somehow making the control panel spark. "He''s the first of us...but there are three more before him!" we walk out of the room and close the door behind us "The exam starts in...fifty minutes and miss Lia said the first test takes about ten minutes or more each so we have time." we go downstairs to the dining hall "Oh! talk of the beastwoman!" "Its talk of the devil..." I correct her, it''s a human saying anyway. She pouts back "Miss Lia isn''t that mean! You should be ashamed Ana!" I move my hand to my face in a face-palm gesture "It''s a saying Ell..." we reach the table Lia is at. She greets us"Good morning girls, ready to gain your ranks? We''ll be watching you know." I nod"Yeah hoping for the best, by the way do you have access to the training room records?" She looks up from her bacon and eggs "Yes I do? Why do you ask?" I open the menu interface by tapping the red crystal in front of me "Just curious about something, can you check the logs for this morning? Matt was just there and I''m wondering what in the world he could accomplish in a couple minutes." Lia raises her eyebrows, obviously peaking her own curiosity and she taps her Iris on. She scrolls through multiple menus until a list of logs appears, logs to room 52''s use. "Last to enter were you two and before that...a teleportation to med bay? Nothing before that for hours until 8:58 pm last night, seems like he spent all night there." If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "All night!? He''s a bat alright..." I settle on bacon and eggs as well, the food appearing on the table in front of me. "What''s a bat?" Ell asks right as her pancakes appear. I think it over for a couple moments "Remember that winged rodent spirit Matthew bound to? That is a bat." She presses her palms together "That adorable thing! It''s furry and has wings!" Lia looks at the Elf "Wings and fur? What are you talking about? Such a thing exists?" her ears perked up as if the thought of flight excited her. "It''s a...Ugh...isn''t that Anderson?" I see his red head from the corner of my eye as he walks over to a table, orders two sandwiches and walks away while eating them. "Why is he in such a hurry? He hasn''t even slept!" "Let''s ask, MATT!" Ell stands up and shouts his name, making my ears ring "Oh..sorry..Oh he saw us!" Lai lets out a snicker "I''d be amazed if he didn''t hear you!" The man in question walks up to our table with an annoyed expression while checking his Iris, as if socialising wasn''t on his agenda this morning. "What is it?" surprisingly he had no red in his eyes, had he not changed his sleep schedule to match Etyria yet? Of course I couldn''t look him in the eyes for too long, just being this close made me shiver so I turned and continued eating. "Ana is curious of why you''re in such a hurry" as Ell lets the whole truth out I almost choke on the bacon. "Huh? Wha?...I..no..." Only a jumble of words come out as I try to explain myself. "Hurry?" He raises an eyebrow as if not comprehending, quickly shifting to a tired expression of understanding "The ranking exam starts soon, I want to be there obviously." After a couple seconds Lia breaks the ice "You still have a couple minutes before it starts and even more before its your turn?..." He sighs as if we are missing his meaning"My turn may still be half an hour away but the first three start before us, the second test will be tag team combat and seeing as our team is second and that the second test will start in conjunction with the first meaning right after both teams are ready from the first test then the first three and us three will be the first to go through the second test." "Ehh?", "Huh?...", "What?.." are the answers he got from us. He starts to massage his forehead "The first three recruits are the first team for test two, we are the second team for test two and will be going against them. I want to study their combat style beforehand, know your enemy." Me and Ell almost jump out of our chairs to stand up, we stare at him in disbelief as he does the same. Lia enters a fit of laughter "This is great!...A genius on our squad!....Maybe you''ll become a squad leader!" It wasn''t exactly noticeable but I know I saw it, his expression darkened if for just a second with what he said next. "I''m no genius and I''m hardly l..leader material." with that he turned and started to walk away. "Uh? W! Wait up!" Ell grabbed my arm and for the second time dragged me behind her. We follow him up multiple floors and reach the training grounds, a door with a large #2 on top of it stood wide open. "Did they start early?" Ell finally let go of my arm. We enter the room, a massive arena lay in front of us with a roof double the height of other floors and an area large enough to hold two jumbo planes next to each other. On the edges of the room behind a mana barrier seats lined the walls with stair like elevation, the room could very well hold most of the recruits alone but currently just a handful were there seated. On the other side of the room an elevated stand was setup where the outfit leaders stood talking to each other, as we entered there was also someone there with his Iris on and a list of names previewed on it. She also had the outfit leader emblem, looking up at us she smiled and walked over to us. The woman was a human with short dark black hair and grey eyes, an hourglass figure that would make anyone jealous but an air of respect floated around her. "Names and squad please." she directed the question at Matthew. With an expressionless face he answered while looking through her and at the arena "Matthew Anderson, Houghes Squad." She scrolled the list up to and to his name which stood exactly under outfit 1 with my and Ell''s name under his "Ah..You''re in my outfit" her smile seemed to grow more mischievous at this revelation, maybe some sort of officer bets? "You two must then be Connery and Li..Liuu....Ell?" we nod but Ell seemed to pout at her surname being unpronounceable. "I welcome you to Edge Alpha recruits, we hope you meet our leader''s colossal expectations. Take seats and wait, your name will be called when it is your turn." When she seemed to have finished talking Matt walked around her, looks at both sides and takes a left. I put on an apologetic smile and follow him along with Ell, he was walking strangely slow now. Instead of taking a seat directly next to the exit he walked down the row of seats with the other seven recruits that sat there, seemingly glaring at each one of them. I secretly hoped he wouldn''t start any unnecessary conflicts... ----- Matthew''s perspective I walked by the recruits and inspected their mana signatures, scanning mana is another skill I had acquired through training. There was two groups and a solo but only two caught my attention. The one that sat alone, a dark purple skinned elf was obviously condensing his aura to keep its size and power from being detected. The other was a variation of the Drakon race, a female Gorgon. From the waste up she was Elvin while waste down she was snake like, she sat with a Drakeling like Jerrald and a very short woman, a dwarf. After having scanned them fully I sit down while the girls sit to my right next to each other, Anabel seemed to still keep her distance from me. It was still too early for the rankings to begin according to the message we got yesterday but my suspicions were proven correct as only a minute passed and names started being called, they misinformed us of the times of other squads. For what purpose? So that we couldn''t scout the opposition for the second test. The first contestant entered the sand arena after their name was called, it was the gorgon woman. But something I had not expected happened, suddenly the barrier went pitch black blocking our view. "Huh?What''s going on?" Anabel along with many others showed complain. But I remained calm and smiled "Apparently they had thought of us seeing through the time changes as well." "But then why change the time?" this time Ell was the one to ask "Because this was also a test, look around and remember how many recruits there actually are. Many failed the real first test out of three." As I said that I glanced around catching many looking at me, I was right even though I had not expected this outcome and the leaders proved to be shrewder than I first believed them to be. I was slightly annoyed at not being able to gauge the team to fight us in the third test, it would have been too useful of information and would have effected the fight greatly. Each test lasted around eight minutes and quickly my turn arrived, the barrier lost its black colour and went back to being see through with no contestant in sight and not even the sign of battle. "Houghes Squad, Matthew Anderson. Please step into the arena." the words came from the comm system setup in the room. I stood up from my seat and walked over to the barrier, behind me I could hear Ell and Anabel. "Break its leg!" Ell tried some words of encouragement. "Yeah...Good luck..." Anabel was too busy cringing at the Elf. I nodded back at them and entered the arena, walking to the centre of it and right as I reached it the barrier went black yet again. The outfit leader''s stand was still inside the black barrier but had a second barrier dividing it away from the arena, letting them fully oversee the test but keeping them out of it. I summoned Ember in my left hand and poured mana into both hands, powering the pistol up and amassing mana into the other. The second I did an explosion of sand happened twenty meters behind me, the monster was teleported in and the fight had started. The beast had a canine form with dark grey scaly skin and highly studded, almost like a certain dinosaur. It''s mouth lay full of long sharp teeth as two sabers rose from its lower jaw like trunks, its back looked like a shell with all the studs protruding out and its legs were long while the hind legs were thicker with muscle while it also had a short tail with the same studded scales all over it. Altogether the beast was made for speed and had high resistance, its species was unknown to me and my mana scanning ability proved useless on non sentient beings. It paced to the left slowly while looking me over with its brown slit eyes, when it''s gaze fell upon my pistol it hissed and leaped back a couple steps as if it knew what a gun was. We glared at each other for a couple moments waiting for the other to make the first move, it got impatient and moved first. It''s form would have seemed to teleport to untrained eyes as its speed was tremendous, it closed in twenty meters in two mere seconds but I was ready. From my right arm I forced the mana downwards as the chaos element hit the sand making another explosion, at the same time I forced a barrier between me and the impact zone and it propelled me upwards while leaving a smoke screen behind. I ascended fast,at five meters I located the beast within the sand, eight,at twelve I took aim, fourteen,at fifteen I begun to shoot. Pouring my mana into the gun Ember shaped it into projectiles I had previously discussed with her, piercing shots. Every pull of the trigger a long red ethereal projectile shot out of the barrel, the projectile was simple enough unlike the others I had prepared and worked perfectly for this encounter. A long bullet with two dense sections of mana, both sections of different elements and size. The front was fire element and was the longest along with its pointed shape while the back section was chaos element surrounded by fire element except for the side that touched the front section. The idea was to utilise fire''s great heat as a piercing effect while chaos''s explosive effect when forced into another element to re propel the projectile forward increasing the pierce effect. While finishing my ascent I had already shot six bullets that all hit the target at three spots, I was testing its scale''s durability with a varied amount of attacks. Even after three shots its shell like body withstood them all, its shell was too thick to be pierced unlike I had thought. The scales didn''t work like plate armour but more like a shield, withstanding slashing and piercing. I could aim for the joints as the armour would be weaker there but I couldn''t waste anymore time, I had started my descent downwards and it had noticed me. I poured mana into my legs to soften the fall, landing to the right of the beast and only a meter away. It turned and begun to move forward with insane speed but I was long done taking aim, pulling the trigger I released two shots before the first hit its head followed by the second and then a third to the chest as the power of the shot propelled it up then backwards a couple meters. This time I used projectiles with a blunt effect, damaging not only its shell but its insides. It rose back to its feet vomiting up a pool of pitch black blood, it steadied itself and glared at me. I lowered my gun and prepared myself for its charge, a show of weakness to lure it in and it did as it leaped forward with insane speed only to fall for my trap. I released the mana I was building up in my right hand as a blinding flash of light engulfed both of us while using another barrier to push me out of its path, it flew past my previous position with jaw ajar baring its fangs to bite. The explosion had propelled me backwards but also spun my body back, I only had to raise my gun a bit to line it up and as I did three shots left the barrel. With two blunt attacks forcing their way into the armour and dealing brain damage the following piercing shot broke into the shell dealing the killing blow. Edited by;Birse --- Author; Thanks for reading and remember to rate :D! Ch 5 Part 2 - The recruit ranking exam Double chapters today :D --- I stood there looming above the dead beast the size of a tiger, I was waiting for approval of having finished the first test. But I misunderstood something which quickly I came to realise as the sand shifted and they leaped out, there wasn''t a single beast inside the arena but three. The last two waited for me to lower my guard and ambushed me, they leaped out of the sand with incredible speed and crashed into my back launching me forward. I hit the sandy ground multiple times as I tumbled forward, they chased me and aimed to lock me down to the ground. They leaped again and came upon my body putting my tumbling to a stop, one bit down on my legs keeping me in place with its jaws while the other stood over me as I stared up at it unable to move. It looked into my eyes then down to my neck as it opened its jaw to bite down, but then all went dark. The whole arena was engulfed with a black mist after an explosion of force from my position, I couldn''t feel my body anymore but I knew it was there. I could sense everything the mist touched including myself, the beasts down to the smallest difference in the sand.The beasts had been thrown away from my body and their senses had taken a hit from the mist''s side effects, being that sight, hearing and smell were no longer usable outside a meter radius from themselves. I had to hurry as I could not keep this form for long, I forced my body to move and make as much distance as possible between me and the two beasts. After I had ran through half the arena I unsummon Wayne and resummon Ember, the mist starts to dissipate and within seconds disappears completely while the usage of my mana stops with it. I stopped running and turned around, the beasts had finally noticed my position and turned to give chase. There was about twenty or so meters between us but they ate through that length fast, I readied Ember to load a larger projectile type. When they arrived within five meters I pulled the trigger, the explosive shot flew right in between them and exploded sending half of itself towards each beast and knocking it away while doing the same effect a blunt shot would. I didn''t stop there and immediately ran in between the beasts who were knocked down and a couple meters away from each other, while within the span of four seconds I pulled the trigger six times, two blunts followed by a piercing shot per beast all aimed at their heads. One died while the other survived by tilting its head quickly making the last two shots hit its eye, blinding both eyes as the pierce shot went through the shattered bone and onto the other eye. I stood there as the beast yelped and then hissed while sniffing and listening to find my position, it''s nose was sharp and after locating me it charged but my gun was already lined up. The final shot left the barrel and pierced its cracked scales right between two bloody eye sockets, killing the last beast. A voice filled my ears from the room''s comms,"You shall now be teleported to the next test, please await your squad members there. The test will be a three on three match." Teleportation circles surrounded me, runic inscriptions summoned by mages to connect a beings mana to another runic inscription which is the destination. The being is then moved through space between the circle and the destination circle. When I appeared I found myself inside a similar room with another five outfit leaders and three recruits, the gorgon''s team. They are on the other side of the room from me within the blackened barrier and currently arguing about something, I ignored them and sat down on the sand resting and recovering my mana. That fight had taken about 30% of my mana reserves and from what our technology can detect my mana recovery is about 0.0010% per second normally and 0.005% while meditating, a state in which you retrieve your aura completely and focus your mana solely on your mana pores. Mana pores are the ethereal tunnels that connect our body to the soul, a soul that resides within the spirit realm. But meditation has a downside, as aura is the sole defence our body naturally has against attacks targeting our mana pores and therefore is a state solely used while out of combat. I was currently out of combat so I entered a meditative state while waiting for Anabel and Ell. Meditation also has another side effect as while within that state the mana focusing on the pores enlarges them by force slowly over time, increasing one''s mana reserves. Your mana reserves refer to how much mana your body can hold and how fast mana can be transferred from your soul, by cycling your mana into your pores you also put stress on your body to hold denser mana and the denser the mana your body can hold the more mana you have. After about one forth of an hour Anabel appeared next to me, she looked pale and worn out but not injured unlike my legs. At first I figured the outfit leaders would heal injuries but it became apparent that any non fatal injury sustained within the second test was kept throughout the third also, a mercenary would face worse odds in the wild and we still had no idea what kind of beasts lived in the other realms. She turned and looked at me for a couple seconds while I meditated, looking over my leg injuries and the blood tickling down from my forehead''s minor injury. "I..ah..." she seemed about to say something but held it back, entering her own meditative state and a more advanced one for that. Using her knowledge and larger mana reserves she quickly regenerated her mana while I was still missing around 16%, the difference between me and a real sorceress. Only eight minutes after Ell appeared behind us, cuts all over her left arm and weapons still in hand. She wielded nature magic as her race''s main element and with it controlled vine like whips with bladed edges like a polearm, ten of them seemingly growing out of her arms and back. Over the room''s comms a voice spoke to us, "You have exactly five minutes to recover yourselves how ever you can, you will be instructed before the match begins." "Ell! What happened to your arm?!" Anabel went under Ell''s vines which were currently holding her up and put Ell''s arm over her shoulder to hold her up. "A plains wyvern...Very long claws..." she put up a smile while Anabel set her down and rested her palm over her injury, pouring her mana into it she started healing. The cuts started to close seemingly on their own as Ell''s worn out expression slowly faded, Anabel on the other hand was glancing towards me slightly ashamed. "Don''t worry about it." I exclaimed. "Huh? W...what?.." Her glances turned into a slightly flushed stare. "My injuries aren''t worth healing magic, your mana is more precious than a couple bite marks. Its why you didn''t offer to heal them, you don''t need to be ashamed of your decisions it will only slow you down." I knew why she didn''t offer but was too busy meditating to relieve her guilt before. "Y..Yeah..." she looked back down focusing on healing Ell''s arm. "So what monsters did you guys get to fight?" Ell was already brimming with energy and curiosity. "A shade....It''s a corrupted dark spirit that attacks your soul directly ignoring your aura...Deadly to mage types but still susceptible to physical attacks." Anabel answered her question first then they both turned to me. "Dog like beasts with hard scale armour, about the size of a tiger or lion. Long tusk like saberteeth and strong hind legs for quick leaps. I don''t know what they are called." The pain from the bite had finally subsided but the headache from the fall was still present. "Those are Argers, they are one of many descendant races from the spirit beasts. I''m surprised you managed to incapacitate three of them, your not a physical fighter so their head on and agile movements must have been a pain." Anabel finished healing Ell''s wounds and let go of her arm, leaving her stand on her own. Ell''s wound disappeared along with her weariness, her vines retreated into her uniform hiding themselves. Right on cue a voice alerted us the the start of the match, "Your time is up, you shall now proceed to the final test. Damage will be sustained unless it is fatal, limb severing or sense depriving, in which case you will be teleported instantly out of harms way but you will be counted out of the fight. When all members from a team are counted as out the test ends and you will be all teleported out of the arena. Ready yourselves, the match begins....Now!" The Gorgon and Drakeling had already started their charge, dual short swords and pole-arm in hand respectively while the dwarfess held a two handed dwarven artillery cannon. The Gorgon slither forward at terrifying speed while surrounding her self in her race''s prime element, fire blazed all over her scaled body and surrounded her blades. The Drakeling on the other hand used his large wing span to launch himself into the air aiming for our backline with his blazing pole-arm, fire surging all over his body as well. The dwarfess loaded her cannon and moved towards a supportive position within her firing range, close enough to shoot us and far enough to not deal with physical fighters. Ell sprinted forward towards the Gorgon with her vine''s behind her like spears, Anabel started chanting a spell as green runes floated above her arm gestures while I walked forward with Ember in hand. I honestly couldn''t possibly miss the next shot, the Drakeling made it too easy and when he saw my pistol he instantly knew how much he had fucked up. I raised my arm and in quick succession fired a single piercing shot aiming for his head, 3/4 of the way through his leap he was teleported out of the arena. I glanced at Ell while she forced the Gorgon to dance around her vines while keeping her a safe distance away, the Gorgon tried cutting the vines and even slashed one apart but the vine simply regrew its length and blade. I then looked on behind them and saw the dwarfess taking aim on Ell, with trained movements I rushed forward as quickly as I could right as Anabel''s spell finished. A rush of energy flowed through my body as the buff took effect, my speed doubled as each step turned into a leap and I raced past Ell and the Gorgon. I closed in the distance right as the first shot was fired, before it exited the cannons barrel I had raised Ember mid run and shot a blunt shot. The two projectiles collided and exploded, was this dwarf trying to kill her teammate?...I ran past the explosion and got within close quarters of her, my agility with a pistol even of this size was faster than her slow and rigid movements with a two handed cannon. I kicked the cannon to the side as it was aiming for my face while at the same time pulling my trigger, the piercing shot flew true and would have killed her if it wasn''t for the teleportation. I turned to engage the Gorgon but was left disappointed as a column of fire rose from her previous position, the Gorgon would have been done for if it wasn''t for one terrible miscalculation on Anabel''s part. Drakons are immune to damage by normal fire, with that in mind I rushed forward but the speed buff Anabel gave me had run out. Due to the large column of fire and the bright light it emitted Ell was momentarily blinded, the Gorgon surged forth from the fire and slithered under her vines aiming for the kill. But I wasn''t having it, to achieve my goal of joining the second scouting regiment to the new realm I had to ace the best score on these tests and with the blunder with the Argers my blood was already long boiling. I burnt my mana supply as I summoned forth Wayne and loaded both Aethers, pulling both triggers I released a flurry of projectiles with keen accuracy. The Gorgon heard the shots and was able to deflect most of Ember''s shots and dodge the rest but what came after was the real attack, using Ember''s attacks as cover and to pin her down I charged up Wayne''s attack. Pulling the trigger my arm fell backwards with trained movements to not injure it as a purple projectile shot forth from the barrel and expanded to three times the size of my fist, I called it a blast shot. A projectile of pure condensed chaos mana holding untold destructive force but draining requirements, in total while in combat I could fire five of these but their speed was half of a normal projectile and required precision, timing and locking down your target. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The blast shot was only moments away from the Gorgon as it moved its arms and blades to deflect the smaller projectiles, she was teleported out right after. Ell fell on her knees relieved while Anabel stood in place staring at where the column of fire once rose, we were teleported out of the room right after. The Gorgon''s squad was all there along with the other members of their squad and the rest of ours, while the Gorgon and the dwarfess glared at me the Drakeling walked towards me and held his hand up. "Nice aim hot shot, that was completely my fault." he had an embarrassed expression on his reptilian face,as to not be rude I shook his hand and we parted ways walking towards our squad. We also had received a system message with the following; Your examination has ended therefore please continue on with your day while our experts decide on your rankings, you will receive another notification tomorrow morning with your rank and a status update along with a permissions update to allow you to see other''s ranks. If further examination is required you will be sent a private message by your outfit sub-commander; Reas Castell I closed the message and looked around our group. "Well I expected you all to be more beat up, guess you aren''t as bad as I expected." Captain Carlos looked us over and our minor injuries, he then turned and glanced back "What are you waiting for? We''re heading to the training room. It''s time to properly introduce ourselves and see each other''s abilities." and with that we start the descent down the stairs towards room 52. It wasn''t a rule or anything, more of a custom within the E.A. Stating your past and recounting your glory or failures, sharing them with your squad members. I was told of this by the recruiter and that the squad wouldn''t fully trust me if I didn''t abide by this custom. Honestly I didn''t like it, remembering it all that is. But I promised myself I wouldn''t turn back anymore, I wouldn''t give up and finally make something out of myself. We got to the 52nd room, entered and sat down to the side on the benches with the captain standing up in front of us.Captain Carlos started first "We''ll start with me I guess I use to be part of the human military on the north american continent, After the third void wave that is." The third wave it was called, the wave that almost annihilated our race. The Etyrians had survived two of those and we barely survived one with their help. "I was a simple soldier helping in clearing out the void remnants to move the portals and rifts, in the end I couldn''t stand the government''s lamenting and left. Now here I am. As for combat I perform in melee range with a range of body enhancement magic utilising our race''s chaos attribute to mostly augment my damage and manoeuvrability. My main abilities are teleportation along with martial arts combined with magic." he opened his arms wide with a grinning expression then walked over to the bench and sat down while Lia got up. "Honestly speaking not much to say from my part, I''m the daughter of the southern were-clan''s pack leader. Left home in look for adventure with pay...That''s about it.My combat style is similar to the Captains but I also rely on stone bending along with this cub." She raises her left arm and runic inscriptions appear along it while red ethereal dust flowed out of them, next to her a lion twice the size of a normal one appeared."This is Fei, she''s my contracted spirit."The lioness had dark red fur with an even darker red mane, her eyes seemed lit with flames if you looked close enough. "Jerrald your turn."and with that she walked back to the bench and sat down while tapping on Jerrald''s back, he sighed and got up right after Fei dissipated. "Alright then." He looks around the group "I''m the ex platoon leader of the second Jax-Force one of three platoons led by ex-outfit leader Jax Meister, I aided in the second wave thirty years ago as a young soldier and then lead the second Jax-Force in the third wave fourteen years ago. I''ve seen as many battles as you all have seen years, but as seasoned a warrior as i may be the battlefield never stopped calling and as such I stayed My combat style consists mostly of barrier summoning through the runes on my shield and spear, I also have the ability to use aura magic to regenerate your bodies. But beware as lost limbs will most probably stay lost, the regeneration is minimal and gives a slight burst in adrenaline flow." He nodded to Kale and took a seat while Kale got up and stood in front of us also. Kale crossed his arms and started to speak "Life long member of the E.A mercenaries, I was born into the group as both my parents were members. Along with my two siblings, my sister being Ell''s mother and two others we formed our own squad. I was as I am now the squads first ranger which entails taking leadership in scouting missions and reconnaissance objectives, I have a long history of bandit hunting along with aiding in the second and third void waves. My combat style focuses around bow and arrow with augmentation and runic magic while utilising our race''s nature attribute to gain positions unobtainable through normal means." His eyes seemingly begin to glow as a dense green aura forms out of them while the sand beneath him shook, a series of trees and vines let him rise as high as he wished them to while giving him incredible angles for a sniper along with natural cover and stealth."Ell your next." He forced the tree and vines back under the sand then stepped over back to the bench to sit down. Ell got up and rushed to stand in front of us, she gleamed at us and began "I..umm..Trained under mother and her squad until she retired." she stopped to think for a moment staring emptily at something "Was with her squad when our race built up the forces to help Earth in the third wave and also...Ah! Helped with recovering civilians!" She then did a series of gestures in midair to form a green rune which turned to green sparks and entered her body "I focus on medium range agility combat with my babies!" Ten long green vines grew out of her uniform which then grew blade like thorns shaped like an arrow head "My arrow-vines can attack fast in medium range while also able to shoot their thorns for a long range barrage! Though the thorns take a couple moments to regrow...Ana? Its your turn..." she looked worried while she glanced at Anabel who looked to be spacing out. "Hmm? Oh...Yeah...Sorry...Sorry..." Anabel got up and stood in front of Ell who stepped around her and sat down. "First I..I want to say something..." She turned and glanced between me and Ell "I''m sorry for my blunder...I knew Drakons are immune to fire but...I forgot...But that''s not an excuse is it?...I made a mistake...And I..." "Stop." "Huh?W...Why?..." Her expression went pale as I spoke up, saying what everyone else was also most probably thinking. "Yes you made a mistake but you were also drained from the previous fight, we all were. Draining us before hand for the second...or I should say third test, was one of the plans the leaders had. They wanted to see how we would perform and making us face against bad odds was one way of doing so, apologising won''t do anything but put everyone down. Instead look up and promise us you won''t fail again, every one makes mistakes but staying stuck on those mistakes without learning from them...That would be the real mistake. In a life and death situation you should count more on your team mates, if they can cover for what you lack at that moment than all is well." I don''t know why I decided to speak out, I guess that''s just who I am. A couple moments after "Alright now that you''re done sulking, Connery continue." The captain was the one to talk now, asking Anabel to continue and breaking the ice. "I..uh..Yeah...Yes Sir." She straightened herself "I''m part of humanity''s first true generation of sorcerers and sorceresses, I was taught under the teachings of the brightest minds along with my peer classmates. I was the second top sorceress of my class and fifth best from the whole school. My combat magic is divided into three types, assault magic which entails in large area magic barrages, minor healing magic giving me the ability to aid major wounds with physical contact and close other types of wounds within a certain range. My third magic type is single target augmentation magic, more specifically called buffing and allows me to increase one''s agility, eye to mind perceptiveness, skin toughness comparable to small mana barriers and a debuff that can temporarily add nausea to an enemy." She stood there for a bit to let us take it in, when we didn''t respond she turned slightly red. "That''s amazing ana!" Ell was the first to react and clapped her hands together while her expression was one of pure delight,Anabel turned redder as she moved to sit back down next to Ell. I guess it was my turn, so I decided to start from the beginning and skip the sulky parts,I got up and stepped forward onto the sand, turning around I was now right in front of everyone. They said their stories and now it was my turn to share mine. --- Edited by: Birse ;Have a good day everyone~ Author; Those that read my previous story should know...I''m not sorry.... Remember to rate :D! Ch 6 - The rules. I was about to begin speaking but something stopped me, suddenly the door to the 52nd training room opened and three individuals entered. I recognised two of them being deputy outfit leader Reas and King Zeaxar Hellborn himself, the third was another demon. The demon was very different from King Hellborn who was an abyssal demon, he was taller and leaner in frame like an Elf with other similar features being his long pointy ears and dark purple skin. But what set him apart from being a Dark Elf was that he had long blue pointy horns growing from his forehead and large leathery blue-grey wings growing on his back. He was a Wind Demon, one of the four Elemental Demon races. The Wind Demon had the same badges as Deputy Reas so I figured he was our outfit leader, his aura was thick and nauseating if you concentrated on him too much therefore showing how strong he was but when I tried to do the same with the King I felt nothing at all. At first I thought King Zeaxar was mana inept, just like how us humans were before the third wave and the arrival of the Etyrians who helped us unlock our potential with mana. But the further I tried the more I realised that he was simply too good, his control over his aura was so keen and skilled that he could make himself completely undetectable. ¡°Matthew Anderson, I hope you can explain yourself for your own sake. We do not take this kind of misconduct lightly young man, truly to try and toy with us this way is outrageous!¡± Deputy Reas looked exhausted and annoyed, but she had reasons to be. ¡°What has the kid done Deputy?¡± Captain Carlos stood up and walked over, I honestly took him for the type to just watch the drama ensue. ¡°This boy faked the test, he held back in both tests although passing the first hidden test.¡± The Wind Demon was the one to speak this time ¡°Please excuse the abrupt visit Captain but, I outfit Leader Raij Tonitrui swear on my membership that he, Matthew Anderson, has not gone through adequate testing and requires further examination.¡± Raij turns to the King ¡°What are your thoughts Sir?¡±. King Hellborn ponders on this for a couple moments ¡°Give him time to explain himself Raij, must be a reason to toy with us¡­Well if I hadn¡¯t noticed he would have gone through perfectly¡­Kekekeke¡­¡± with that the two elites seemed to be embarrassed at their failure to notice but turned to look at me anyway. I was backed into a corner and had nowhere to run and nobody to blame but myself, I had wanted to ace the second test but purposefully let myself lower my guard in the first to not get too good a ranking. You see the company truly likes to move their ¡°resources¡± around like chess pieces, each squad made and moved with real purpose and without waste. If I had for example been ranked within B rank then my squad would probably have not been allowed on the survey mission to the other realms, as having too many individuals with a high aura signature would attract dangerous territorial monsters. With that in mind I formed this plan to limit my ranking therefore giving me higher odds of being picked for the mission. But they saw through it and I had no other choice but to let the truth flow, lying further would be useless with Zeaxar here. ¡°My goal is to join the second survey mission to realm-X1, it is the reason I joined the E.A and the reason I had once joined the military. If I had been ranked too high then my squad would have not been allowed on the mission and I couldn¡¯t have that.¡± I stood there waiting for an answer but Zeaxar just stroked his chin and waited. ¡°Sir?...¡± Reas was glancing between me and Zeaxar but finally tried to break the ice. Zeaxar¡¯s expression could have passed for bored but his eyes glinted a sort of excitement and interest ¡°Recruit Anderson, you will follow through with re-examination under my watch and Deputy Castell¡¯s testing. You will not hold back again as a re-examination can be life or death, I will not have you toy with my subordinates. However due to your remarkable effort in disguising your mana control and attack strength I will give you this opportunity that lays within the rules. If you are able to defeat your opponent within my expectations then your squad will be allowed on the survey mission with the requirement of you leading a platoon.¡± ¡°Sir? This child leading a platoon, are you sure of this?¡± Raij seemed confused and his expression bothered that he would even consider this. ¡°Would you question my judgement Outfit Leader Tonitrui?¡± Zeaxar turned to Raij and released his aura, a sickening and nauseating feeling washed over all of us as the pressure was enough to make Raij bend the knee and kneel down. ¡°Cartell pick one of your platoon leaders to face Matthew here in combat, rank B[II] to A[I] and make them come to this room. Now.¡± ¡°Y..Yes Sir!..¡± Reas rushed through her Iris to open a list and went through the controls. ¡°There won¡¯t be a need for that Sir¡­¡± Raij spoke out while Zeaxar released his aura ¡°I will personally examine the recruit.¡± After those words Reas stopped her frantic searching and stared at her superiors ¡°Sir¡­You know what that would imply if you lost? You¡¯d be¡­¡± ¡°I know what I am Implying Castell.¡± Raij glared daggers at me ¡°But I will not be fooled and then made a jester out of by a child, even if it means losing my rank as outfit leader.¡± He turned to look at Zeaxar and swallowed ¡°I request this of you Sir.¡± ¡°Kekekeke¡­Did it hurt your pride that much Raij? Very well then, you will face the recruit in second examination combat while I and the Deputy give out the ranking. Under the rules set by me; If a lower rank or unranked combatant is to beat an outfit deputy or leader in combat then that elite is to resign his title and position to the next in line, this case being Deputy Reas Cartell while the elite in question is Leader Raij Tonitrui and the combatant is Recruit Matthew Anderson. I King Zeaxar Hellborn the third, Captain Carlos Houghes, members of Houghes Squad and Deputy Reas Cartell stand as observers. Warriors, enter the arena.¡± Zeaxar did not say this in an asking tone but a commanding one and before I knew it I had walked into the sandy arena with my outfit leader as my opponent. All that ran through my mind was how the fuck did I end up like this. We both stood our ground awaiting the confirmation to begin as the others took seats on the benches, I had already summoned Ember and Wayne while Raij had unsheathed his blade. He wielded a long scimitar like blade with runic inscriptions seemingly burned into the blade and hilt, he held it skillfully forward with one hand behind his back and a smug look on his face.¡°Let us see what you were hiding from us recruit, please do make this worth my time.¡± He was looking down on me before the fight even started, under normal circumstances with a martial aether against a Wind demon of his rank he¡¯d have every right but I wasn¡¯t just any normal martial aether. King Zeaxar stood up and called for the fight to start ¡°The match will now, Begin!¡± Raij rushed forward at speed incomparable to the Arger¡¯s, his blade shone brightly as some of the runes took effect making his speed, power and agility enhanced. The edge aimed for my arm which held Wayne, he wanted to disarm me not injure me. So I let him, the top of his blade met with Wayne and knocked it away from my hand and with quick movements he did the same with Ember. He wanted to show off and finished with pointing his blade to my neck. ¡°Wha..What the hell?¡± He was left surprised when my neck wasn¡¯t there anymore along with Wayne and Ember having also dissipated into a purple mist. ¡°You wanted me to go all out¡­¡± I got his attention making me spin to face me who stood behind him, holding Ember up I pulled the trigger. A barrage of mixed shots left the barrel, piercing shots to get his attention as they took the least mana, blunt shots to weaken the grip on his blade and two purposely missed explosive shots to make him dodge. He had his back to the barrier so his only option, was up. The second the explosive shots took effect he dodged the flank attack by leaping upwards and utilising his wings to steady himself and fly, the second he stopped moving scatter shots left Wayne¡¯s barrel. These projectiles were special to Wayne as they required more chaos mana than fire, basically utilising chaos¡¯s random and explosive nature to spread multiple projectiles forward like a shotgun. The projectiles tore through his wings making him start to lose altitude, that¡¯s when I switched to Ember and fired blunt shots into his main body aimed at his chest. He saw them coming and through the pain he summoned a mana barrier to block them while at the same time pushing him upwards from the power of the projectiles hitting the barrier. I took a step back and aimed Wayne up as the blast shot left the barrel and expanded to its true size, a sphere of pure chaos with the sole objective of distorting and destroying anything in its path. When the projectile hit the barrier it dispersed it as that was in its nature and continued on or would have if the Wind Demon hadn¡¯t finally come to a realisation to what his mistake was. He ¡°cut¡± through the attack turning it into two projectiles that shot around his sides and smashed into the arena¡¯s barrier, putting no dent in it. ¡°It seems I have underestimated you¡± His expression was calm and his blade shone brighter as each and every rune was currently active and draining his mana.¡± Truthfully you are strong, worthy of C rank Tier two but with me now going all out. A B rank tier one officer, the fight ends here martial aether. You simply do not have the experience or combat knowledge to beat me, for a hundred years I have fought while you have merely just started your battles. No green recruit still wet behind the ears will beat me!¡± He rushed forward as wind mana engulfed his wings aiding his speed, before i could even blink an eye he was in front of me.¡°You know nothing of me or what battles I have fought.¡± My figure spoke before disappearing into purple mist again, two blunt shots hit his shoulders from behind and dislocated them. He screamed in anguish and turned to face the shooter, I stood where I had stood at the start of the fight with Ember aimed at him. ¡°No point hiding it anymore I guess. I am Matthew Anderson, Beta Martial Aether and test subject under the now abolished Cerberus Program.¡± I stepped forward as purple mist flowed out of my body and trailed behind me, with both Ember and Wayne aimed at my sole target being an insolent demon. ¡°The bandits you have killed and beasts you may have slain count for nothing, I was raised from childhood to be a monster.¡± Another blunt shot left Ember which he dodged by leaping to the left, only to get his right leg dislocated by another blunt shot. ¡°Eleven years of physical and mental preparation to fight enemies I cannot see, smell, hear or sense. Eleven years of shooting and killing trained soldiers to perfect my trade only because they did not hold the abilities I held. Eleven fucking years of slavery under men and woman of my own race, who¡¯s only interest was themselves. You have heard of the Cerberus Program from our government haven¡¯t you?¡± I was only meters away from the panting demon, his expression full of pain and he had dropped his weapon after those last shots. He took in heavy breaths¡°The¡­Cerberus¡­Yes¡­Like the dark¡­guilds that once roamed Etyria¡­Part of the old Earth government wanted to take over¡­They¡­Trained children into machines of death¡­using a technology of their invention¡­Bound Aethers¡­Kept it secret¡­Started a two year long war against the rest of your kind¡­¡± he stood up in a sitting position ¡±Hah¡­the monsters revolted and ended their campaign, only to be exterminated in the process.¡± He glared into my eyes ¡°We were told that none of them survive, that all the labs were empty except for corpses and signs of massive fights¡­ You? One of them?¡± ¡°My people took pity in me and covered for my existence, they wanted me to have a normal life going forward. I joined the military afterwards only to be kicked out after the ones responsible for the cover up noticed, officially I was a rookie Martial Aether researcher but it wasn¡¯t known that I could utilise two nor that I could even fully utilise other magic known only to a Cerberus.¡± I looked into his eyes ¡°And then there¡¯s you, talking shit to me cause of my age. You think you¡¯ve been through it all? You think you¡¯ve seen a true battle? War isn¡¯t two sides clashing into each other like your kind has seen, no war is a one sided annihilation or a multisided massacre. Seven years old watching your old man eaten alive, seeing your mother crushed to death by the roof you called home. Twelve years old watching children of your age beat into submission and forced to go through shit you couldn¡¯t even start to picture. Made to go on assassination missions and kill, made to take up fear tactics and mess with the minds of our enemies at only the age of eighteen. I¡¯ve killed in ways that would churn your stomach.¡± I move closer and kneel down, whispering into his ear so only he can hear ¡°You think you¡¯ve seen it all?¡± A hiccup of a laugh leaves my lips, slightly more mad than amused ¡±I¡¯ve lost it all and twice over, so tell me¡­What is stopping me from ending your miserable life right now?¡± I unsummon Ember and wrap my hand around his neck¡° Right now I have nothing, therefore nothing stopping me from doing something stupid and therefore nothing stopping me¡­from killing you.¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. I feel a hand grabbing my arm and pulling it back, I turn my head and see Zeaxar behind me ¡°This fight is over.¡± He pulled me back and off Raij, ending up in an awkward position of me aiming Wayne at his chin while he held my arm as I glared at him. He wasn¡¯t angered at this but instead he smiled, a grin from one ear to the other and an ever madder glint in his eyes ¡°You remind me of someone I use to know, you humans can be terrifying creatures if raised the right way¡­Trust me boy if you think your story is over then you¡¯re wrong.¡± He looked down at Wayne, frowned then grinned again ¡±Don¡¯t shoot the messenger.¡± I calmed down and lowered the gun, he stepped away ¡°Recruit Matthew Anderson you are as of today ranking B[II]-B[III],Houghes squad will be taking part in next week¡¯s survey mission and you will be leading one of the four platoons going on the mission. Outfit Leader Raij Tonitrui, I¡¯ll be waiting for your resignation in my office. Deputy.¡± He passed by Reas ¡°Congratulations on your promotion.¡± And he left the room. Reas sighed ¡°I¡¯ll take the dumbass to medbay.¡± She walked over to Raij and effortlessly carried him to the control panel where she selected the medbay emergency teleportation. I turned to see multiple expressions and reactions, I had said things I didn¡¯t want to be known and put them in ways I shouldn¡¯t have but couldn¡¯t stop myself. The captain just sat there looking at me, he didn¡¯t know what to say. Jerrald and Kale did the same and Lia shifted uncomfortably, they also didn¡¯t know how to react. Ell had a surprised expression on her face as she held Anabel¡¯s shoulders who was currently pale as a ghost with signs of possible tears, everyone was shocked. I didn¡¯t blame them, my past was nothing to laugh at. I guess having lived through it myself doesn¡¯t affect me as much, I hardened my emotions long ago. In kind of a fucked up way my past experiences built me to be whom I am today, although left me with nothing to look forward to or dream about. That is why I wanted to join the survey mission and discover new worlds, so maybe what doesn¡¯t exist on Earth or Etyria I may find there and maybe leave my past behind me. ¡°I..I¡¯m¡­Matt..What I said¡­¡± Anabel was stuttering, trying to apologise for some things she said the day before. I glance around the group ¡°Let me be clear, I do not need your sympathy even less so your pity. My past is my own and I require no emotional assistance, captain I¡¯ll be taking my leave for today then.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­sure.¡± The captain seemed relieved that I didn¡¯t expect an answer as I left the room. I walked down the corridor and then down the stairs until I reached the male dormitories, pushing my palm to the panel I got teleported inside and then walked over to my assigned room. On the way I received the ranking notification, (¡°Zeaxar moves fast¡±) went through my mind as the examinations were probably still going on and would be all day today and tomorrow. I was now rank B with my tier ranging around two and three, I was also allowed onto the survey mission but had to lead as a platoon leader. The platoon leader could be any member of any squad within that platoon and would follow the outfit leader¡¯s orders directly while co-ordinating the squad captains. I didn¡¯t want to lead but I guess I didn¡¯t have much of a choice, being so close now I couldn¡¯t give up so easily. Why didn''t i want to lead? Well that¡¯s a longer story, it can be shortened to an extent with my previous rant but it wasn¡¯t something I planned to tell anybody anytime soon. Back in project Cerberus, I was assigned my own squadron. Not that I held any kind of rank or rights within the project, I was simply put the pack leader of a pack of dogs that took orders and led intel and assassination operations in the field. While on an operation I¡¯d be given orders directly via an earpiece and would orderly give tasks to the others, I wasn¡¯t allowed to think only to act as told so I wasn¡¯t actually a leader but more of a proxy. I entered the room and sat on my bed, checking the time I saw it was still noon so I decided to take a short nap to get my sleeping schedule situated. So I took a shower to wash up and clear my thoughts then laid down on the bed, I needed some rest after all the whole morning was a bust. I closed my eyes and drifted away without worry, I figured out that the Iris had a wake up system for notifications that could be given a timer so I set it for two hours. I don¡¯t know what I expected as I drifted into my usual dreams, or nightmares as most call this specific type of dream. Even with how much humanity has progressed with technology due to the ability to use mana and therefore magic, dreams and nightmares were still a mystery to us and so I drifted into the depths of my consciousness. Past events entering my dreams happened all the time to me, as it was the only thing my unconscious mind could bring up. My parents and sister, the Cerberus program, the other Cerberi, it seemed that everybody I came to know had to die in the most ironic ways. When I was ¡°selected¡± for the project or more like kidnapped, secluded and left unfed if I even spoke out of line. The inhumane treatment the scientists and guards gave us along with the abuse and malnutrition was nothing compared to the things we were forced to do. When the coup started us Cerberi were the ones to start it all, our first real operation and field test. Back in the project there was a total of nine hundred of us, divided between four labs within hidden locations all around the globe and well-kept secrets for that. The first mission was when it all began, not just the two year war but our plan to fight back. I don¡¯t know who it was that started it or why but on the first mission a small paper with instructions was passed between each Cerberus in my squadron of forty five, the instructions were simple; Read paper out of sight, under bed sheets or squadron blackline. Each Cerberus was equipped with a camera located somewhere inside our equipment, someone figured out its location was on the front of the collar they put on all of us. The collars also held a poison injector in case one of us tried to run mid operation, a deadly poison that would almost instantly paralyse you and slowly kill you in case another Cerberus was able to recover you. Nobody was ever recovered though, we all respected the choices of those that tried to run and left them to pass on. During the two years of assassinations, Intel procuration and guerrilla warfare we kept passing these messages between each of us and sometimes between labs during joint operations. The plan wasn¡¯t a plan at all, it wasn¡¯t any kind of master move to save everyone or to turn the tide of this war. No it was an end to our suffering and to give back to those that kept us as slaves, it was our very own cry of rage. It took two long years to sync every single Cerberus to one day, one hour, one moment and on that moment we would strike out and fight back our slavers. We didn¡¯t know how our chains would be removed, how the security systems would be turned off, how the cell doors would be unlocked or how the guards would be dealt with. We only knew one thing and that was the date and time, we only knew when but that was enough to light up a small spark of hope within every one of us. When the day came nobody was on edge, we simply went on with our usual day of training and missions. The time specifically for my lab was nine p.m., at night just like two of the other labs while one would still be noon. Hours passed as most of us were returning from a battlefield, the location of one of the labs was found but the government¡¯s forces were eliminated swiftly with twelve Cerberus squadrons and multiple war machines our captors had created. The personnel, equipment and Cerberi were all divided between the other three labs and the day continued on or would have if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that each lab was now reaching its holding limit for us and most of the guards were busy with moving equipment. Minutes away now and we all started showing signs of unrest as our auras started to get the attention of the scientists watching us, each Cerberus had their own special Bound Aethers along with spirits but most of all were the specialized abilities we held after the binding. Powers so different from one another that the scientists probably held an archive of each they knew about, one was probably the cause of what happened next. Everyone felt it, Cerberus or not everyone felt the shockwave that flowed throughout the whole planet. Electricity was cut everywhere like a large scale EMP, one that was obviously caused by magic but more specifically by a Cerberus. When the power went out it was like the third wave was happening all over again¡­Monsters unchained and free to roam the world exited their cells thirsty for blood. It was a massacre for both sides as Cerberi rebelled and guards fought back while the scientists activated the war machines. The guards numbered four times our own while the war machines were huge and numbered close to our numbers, we were completely outnumbered but we didn¡¯t care. That sight is something I will never forget as it now still floats through my unconscious mind, steel doors being opened and chains falling to the ground as hundreds of sixteen to eighteen year olds walked out. Most were healthy but some skinny almost to the bone due to punishments given out to the unorderly. Our bound aethers were locked away somewhere within the lab so we were unarmed except for the powers we shared with our spirits, powers we gladly made use of. Even back then Ember and Wayne were my spirits, Waynes dark and chaos elements allowed me to faze in and out of a misty form allowing for agile movements and unpredictable ambushes. Ember¡¯s fire and wind elements allowed me to create flashbang like attacks while also opening up the use of similar attacks, a sub- element. Sub elements are the joining of two elements creating a new one, to do so you must have at the least a medium amount of dense mana from one element and then a sparse amount of mana from another element. By forcing the sparse wind mana into dense fire for Ember and sparse dark into dense chaos for Wayne, I was more than able to fight without my aethers but what the scientists didn¡¯t know or understand was the bond between a Martial Aether and their Bound Aethers. We can sense our aethers no matter where they are, we located the rooms that kept them and armed most of us which allowed us to fight with a lot more power. Between gunfire, explosions and magic the two year war ended with one side being killed off by their own hunting mutts. More of us would have survived if it wasn¡¯t for the scientists bringing the power back up, which ended the fight by activating the collars on each Cerberus. I watched as that last scene repeated itself in my mind, each one of my kind falling to the ground paralysed and slowly died. I was unaffected by the poison as somehow at some point my collar was damaged and the injector stopped working, I was spared by sheer luck and it was too late for the guards and scientists to recuperate. The remaining governments were able to regain power faster and with the escapee Cerberi they located each of the labs and finished off the survivors. Although even those escapees died from the poison, the collars could not be removed by normal means. My nap ended with one final scene, my blurred vision as I fell to the ground surrounded by a snowy forest. Aircrafts flying ahead while soldiers I had seen so many of already surrounded my blood bathed self, I crashed down into the snow as the adrenaline subsided and exhaustion took effect. --- Edited by: Birse;Author trying to work me to death :< Author; He¡¯s fine :D¡­I take food down to the cellar from time to time :D Remember to rate xD --- Edit:Author; Formatting fixed... Blame Birsey.... Ch 7 - Mystery Journal. As usual I woke up in a cold sweat, some things you simply cannot forget or get over. The alarm on the iris had long activated but did not wake me from my nightmare, this was a rare occurrence as usually the smallest noise would wake me nightmare or not. In the end I figured that yesterdays loss of control was the reason for it, yes yesterday as a whopping thirteen hours of sleep had passed and it was currently one a.m. in the morning. I noticed two notifications in the Iris''s side menu, opening one I found it was from the Captain to the whole squad. Mission notification: Contract type: Misc. Employer: Buck Leg, ThunderBird Keeper. Region of interest: Destora outskirts. Description: ThunderBirds acting strangely and aggressively, requiring assistance in finding the problem and possibly controlling a pack outburst. Debrief time: 7:00 am 5/9/2061 Payment after tax reduction: 14,999 Kel The mission was a decent start for new comers due to the payment and type, you never know what can happen on a Misc. mission. This might be dull or interesting depending on the outcome, we still had a week until the survey mission so it was probably normal to take on short contracts while waiting. The second notification was what brought me back to reality. System Notification: Outfit Delta leadership and permission changes. Outfit Leader: Reas Castell Deputy Leader: Kale Lious Platoon command authorisation: Matthew Anderson Desc: Due to the demotion and resignation of Ex-Outfit Leader Raij Tonitrui leadership changes have taken effect, squads effected by this change such as Houghes Squad will be given a member from the spare recruits. With Raij''s resignation came multiple changes, the largest one was Kale''s removal from our squad to be made Deputy and the arrival of a new squad member from the spare recruits. The spare recruits are members of the E.A still under training and not fully authorised for squad joining or unable due to there being no openings. Also my "acquisition" of the platoon leader title, a title given to multiple members in an outfit that the leaders see fit for the position but what I really did not want to deal with was the outcome from yesterdays outburst. The others were shaken by what I said although CEO Zaexar and Leader Reas were unfazed, I don''t know how they will continue to react or if they will even address me at all today. This was just another thing I wasn''t used to doing correctly, socialising...All I can hope for is for a plan to form in my mind on how to repair my relations with my squad members. After gathering my thoughts I got off my bed and took a shower, putting on another of the same uniform I exited my dorm room then the dorm itself after a short walk and a couple turns. Checking the time it was still two a.m. so I had four hours, you would think that there would be a schedule of when members are allowed to move around the facility but this being a mercenary group schedules were impossible to form for everyone and were left to the person to make for themselves depending on their missions and contracts. The security as it is, is enough to keep every living thing within under control. At first I thought of heading to the 52nd training room and continue practising with Ember and Wayne to see if I was still able of fully using them but in the end decided against it. Instead I explored something I meant to check the day before, in my head I thought ("There is no way they actually take all those stairs with a teleportation system installed.") and after some messing around with the Iris and the panel controls found on each floor I discovered something interesting and enraging. The panel controls held a ranking system just like the iris which gave different options to different ranking members, each rank increased your permissions and as of now recruits were a rank under members and as I was a platoon leader I had the same permissions a squad leader would have. So as any sane person would have I activated my permissions for teleporter use and did the same for Ell and Anabel, I figured it would help in sewing what ever scars I left the day before. Of course I figured Zeaxar would get a prompt of my actions but I decided to deal with that when it faced me, repairing relations with comrades was more important than some freshman rites. Doing that took around an hour of messing with the menus and possible console reading...so I still had three hours before the debriefing for the mission, where I would have to finally face everyone again. Thinking it over for a bit I decided to do research for the mission, mainly on these "thunderbirds" and what could possibly make them react aggressively towards their keeper. After looking through the base''s map on my Iris I found the library and figured that one could directly use the teleportation system from the map, selecting the floor I then selected the teleportation option which required me to step close to a control panel and in doing so the teleportation activated sending me around forty floors up. The room looked simple enough, corridors of book shelves lined in front of me just as any other library would and eight large tables with chairs stood to my right while a reception area stood to my left but when I moved close to the reception which was a smaller room with a window and a door into the library I noticed that the librarians weren''t currently there. It was three in the morning after all so this wasn''t strange at all, what was strange was when I walked over to the book shelves and looked down the rows I couldn''t see the end and that wasn''t an understatement. For a sight as the one that presented itself to me to be possible it required a lot more space than a normal floor would give, the floors were massive but not this massive. I stepped back and read what each corridor was divided into, there were seven sections being; Beasts, Magics, Geography, History, Inventions, Reports and Biography. When I began walking into the beasts section a window prompt appeared out of my Iris. Welcome to the Edge Alpha archive and library, please utilise this window for book searching and you shall be teleported to said book within the library. When said book is gained you may select the teleport back option you will be prompted with to return to your previous spot or select the lobby option to teleport back to the lobby. Warning: You will not be able to leave or teleport out of the library while holding a book/report that is unsealed by the librarian. Teleportations will be blocked and a barrier will stop you from leaving the floor. "Someone is incredibly paranoid about some books..." I thought out loud to myself. "Well they aren''t just some books, some are precious biographies and others are important reports and documents." A raspy voice said from behind me, which in turn made me jump and spin like prey being found out. The owner of the voice was a tall and old Elf, a High Elf to be more precise as they held a very noticeable height difference from their shorter cousins. He had long brown hair with strands of white showing his age and red fierce eyes observing my every move, he wore a uniform similar to mine but with some differences. He had two badges I did not recognise, one was an open book with runic inscriptions flowing out of it and the other was completely different from the title badges the company gave out. It was made of pure crystals with the design of a black dragon facing the left while a grey wolf faced the right, giving each other their backs while sitting. "Ah..Please excuse my manners, I am the librarian here. You must be one of the new recruits?" the elf forwarded his hand for me to shake. I did and then introduced myself "Yes I am, Matthew." "Loke , Pleased to make your acquaintance. Forgive my inquisition but might you be the new platoon leader candidate?" With that question it occurred to me that everyone must have gotten the notification. I sighed "..Yes I am..." I wasn''t looking forward to leading but I was given no other choice. He stared down at me for a bit, a glint in his eyes caught my attention but this was different than the one I saw in Zaexar. "That old demon back to his usual antics...Ah forget my ranting...Were you looking for a book on beasts I presume?" He looks down the unending corridor with a deep-in-thought expression. "Indeed I was, I require information of ThunderBird behaviour. My next mission might req..." Before I could finish my sentence I felt a wind flow from behind me and glanced back, down the corridor of bookshelves I saw nothing but what stood there before and so I turned back only to find the librarian was gone. "What the..." I released my aura further than normal in search of his presence but found nothing, he was completely gone like he was never even there. Thinking back the memory of me shaking his hand became fuzzy until it changed to my hand just passing through his as we shook, that Elf wasn''t on a different level than me but a completely different scale.At least I could detect Zeaxar''s use and traces of magic but this librarian left none at all, none that I could sense anyway. Off the corner of my eye I noticed something different, over at one of the tables a book with a bookmark inside it sat over it while a smaller book sat next to it. I walked over to the table and sat down, the larger book was titled; Feathered Beasts and their behaviour. I opened the book to where the bookmark was to find the Thunder Bird chapter, it listed their elements; Wind and Fire and their physiology along with recorded behaviours. The large birds were an evolved type of gryphon with a larger wingspan but weaker bone structure making them fragile to physical attacks, although having a sizeable list of attack patterns involving aerial bombardment or evasive dog fighting. What mainly caught my attention was the list of beasts they preyed on and those that preyed on them, it was a short list consisting of vegetation for their choice of food and three beasts that could prey on them; Direbeasts that attacked their nests, Mountain Wyverns that fought them for territory and food or River Wyverns that camped their nests to ambush them. Both these monster types had multiple variations of each other but only two types of Wyverns were listed pointing out that ThunderBirds have specific environmental needs, Direbeasts on the other hand could range from the tame and controllable Diresquirrels to feral and destructive Direbears or worse. The behaviour a Thunder Bird shows when faced with predators is very basic to most birdlike beasts, scattered away from anything not of their kind until the danger is located but it also said that they can be calmed down by trained keepers and some even trained to react more calmly. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. When I was done with that book I turned to the smaller book sitting to my right, it was a small black diary of sorts. Written on the front of it was; A Hero''s Journal, Found and published by R.R The RuneLord. When I opened the book I found a page that was magically bound to the rest, it read as so; The contents of this Journal may prove to be heart wrenching and unsafe for immature audiences, the contents have been presented as proof for approval by the Magi alliance. Within lay the actions and events as seen from the eyes of one of the Heroes of DarkGlade, the content is highly edited for privacy reasons by R.R but presents all events of importance to the "Human Assistance" movement. Turning the page I could feel the magic set upon each page, magic to hide certain paragraphs or even whole pages of the journal. I went back to the original first page of the journal; Author; W.S Date; ?/9/2016 I found this very peculiar as the journal was using Earth''s calendar but the date was before Humans even knew about Etyrians, this journal started forty five years ago meaning it was started thirty years before the third wave when the Etyrians first came to Earth. The Etyrians had agreed to use our calendar as they originated from our system and preferred it over their multitudes that ranged between each alliance. The alliances were three...well alliances of different races that aided each other and lived on the same continent together, the Magi alliance stated on the bound page is one of the three and was mainly led by the Elven races. The Heroes of DarkGlade on the other hand refers to the multiple warriors that fought on the front lines in the second wave thirty years ago, most of them died fighting the swarm of void monsters and one was even the reason why the Etyrians could even come to Earth in the first place. This one was the human the Atlantian race practically kidnapped and placed within Etyria, we still to this day not know what he did exactly but what we do know is that he disrupted multiple realms including ours and the Etyrian''s allowing for tunnels to be opened more easily between them. He was literally the reason the human race survived, the Etyrians had many portals to the void and using those they waited thirty years for the void to target Earth and then struck from behind and assisted our survival. The name of this person was William Yesventis, Yesventis being the last name he took on after marrying the High Elf Queen. At first I thought he was the author of this journal but the initials were different and the writing was in Etyrian, specifically Elven with a High Elf "Dialect". I was interested in reading the journal but when I checked the time I found out it was 6:50 a.m., I would run late if I did. I sighed and stood up but when I did I was prompted with another two windows from my Iris; Feathered Beasts and their behaviour; Return Book? Unseal and rent?; Requires Librarian permission. I selected return which made the book disappear from the table, I then moved on to the second notification. W.S''s Journal; Return Book? Unseal and rent? Librarian permission detected. I stared at the second option for a couple seconds..."So that''s how it is..." I selected Unseal and rent which changed the notification; W.S''s Journal rented; Please return within (Indefinite) time. ("Giving it to me? Now I''m really curious...") the thought of reading it on the way passed my mind but I pushed it away and headed to the control panel in the room, after opening the map on my Iris and selecting the floor I found myself with my back to the corridor taking to the 52nd training room. "WHA...AHH!" only to be knocked down with a round house kick. "Oh my! I''m so sorry!" I slowly stood up while she helped me by pushing my back, when I was standing again I looked around to see Captain Carlos laughing his ass off while holding onto Jerrald "Carlos..." Jerrald just sighed. Looking behind me I see my aggressor being a dark blue haired Wood Elf with light blue eyes, she looked young but the power and agility of that kick caught even me off guard. She was also holding the journal I dropped "Here..Sorry about that..."she handed the book over."I''m alright..." ("I think she broke a rib") I straightened myself and saw that Lia, Ell and Anabel stood by the door to the training room. Turning around again I saw the Captain finally containing his amusement and walking over to me "Let''s go inside..Hah..Have a lot to explain.." he wipes a tear off his face and walks towards the others with Jerrald and the Elf behind him, I follow them to the room. Lia was currently doing her best trying not to laugh but that didn''t stop her from teasing "Good of you to drop by...Get a good kick out of that teleportation system?...". I sighed and glanced at Anabel face palming while Ell snickered behind them "Thanks for the teleportation permissions matt" they must have gotten a notification. The Captain, Jerrald , the Elf and Lia entered the training room followed by Ell and Anabel soon after she also thanked me "Yeah..Thanks...". After putting the journal away with the storage magic my gloves held I also entered the room. "Everybody sit down, we''ve got some things to discuss." The Captain seemed to have calmed down and was standing next to the Elf, me and the others sat down. "Due to reasons you all know, our outfit required a new deputy and so Kale was selected for the position. Because of that we lost our first ranger, so Reas selected one of the older squads and gave us their second ranger and gave them a recruit." He turns to the Elf "Please introduce yourself." he steps forwards and sits down. Taking a closer look I see that she indeed has a bow strapped on her back but something less noticeable is the sets of daggers all over her uniform, a belt lined with throwing knives, hidden daggers in her sleeves and coat. I noticed all this from mostly experience and how she moved to keep them hidden, soldiers always kept weapons hidden in case of emergencies although they took them out almost too much. She began to introduce herself "My name is Leya Stesfal now first ranger of your squad, I was trained under Chief ranger Stesfal of the Wood Elf rangers and served in the second and third void waves. My proficiency is with thrown and ranged weaponry while I make use of knowledge as a beast tamer to deal with wild beasts and monsters." when she was done speaking I opened the search on my Iris and looked her up, she was B - [II] rank which is quiet high. To put it into better perspective Anabel is C [II] - [III], Ell is D [III] - C , Jerrald is C [III] - B , Lia is C [III] - B while the Captain is also C [III] - B and I am B [II] - [III] a tier higher than her. This means she was ranked as the second strongest on the squad and close to my strength, she was also probably older and was trained directly by the best ranger to live and one of the Heroes of DarkGlade. In every regard this Wood Elf was a bad ass and someone I would appreciate having on my side of a fight, my mist form did not work on Wood Elves due to their better sight and hearing. After she was done introducing herself she moved to sit down while the captain got up "Alright now for the debriefing, as the notification I sent you all said this is a Miscellaneous contract and therefore we do not know what we might end up facing. The danger of facing Wyverns or even Direbeasts is very real, if we do the mission changes to extermination or pest control. With the addition of a beast tamer to our squad pest control becomes more of an option but that solely depends on what we may meet, the contract lasts for five days which I personally rather not meet the dead line..." He shivers slightly when remembering something, Lia, Jerrald and Leya seem to have the same reaction "We will be leaving in three hours with a caravan and gear, you have that much to prepare your equipment and get something to eat. Now there is also something else I wish to add." He looks at me "This is above all else a mercenary group." he looks at Anabel "We told each other our past to ensure loyalty to each other and trust, some of those stories may be more than some can handle but remember this; You aren''t the one holding that on your back, they are. So respect them and continue on.". Multiple different expressions flowed through the group but everyone seemed to agree, including me and apparently Leya as well who I figured was debriefed on everyone''s or even watched a recording for all I knew. Ell then suddenly got up and with a decisive expression and spoke "Alright! Let''s all go eat together then!" --- Author: Can''t keep down a glutton...and them easter eggs...hint...hint..remember to rate ;D! Edited by; Birse, Author forgot to feed me please send help ;< Ch 8 - The delve With everyone''s approval including the captain''s we all headed down to eat breakfast, to me this felt strange. The joking around, the free and open conversations just felt out of place for me. We covered many topics while picking what to eat, from Jerrald''s stories of strange missions and the captain''s reactions to some of the monsters Etyria had."Ever seen a hydra? Those damn things must be the most annoying monsters to slay!" the captain was explaining how difficult and annoying a fully grown hydra can be to take down."A hydra? measly...Try fighting a pack of swamp basilisks, you cannot look anywhere or you''ll fall to their magic if you even accidentally glance at their vision. They are small but so damn fast and agile, not to mention the blade like scales covering their bodies!" Leya seemed to have more knowledge about monsters though, which was normal for a beast tamer."Have you ever met a dragon?" Anabel aimed the question at Leya who''s expression turned to thoughtful "Wyverns are minor dragons dear, drakes are above them and then there is three more tiers of dragons. Titans are the ones you''d normally see and even they are extremely dangerous, then there is Devourers who are capable of exterminating a whole kingdom. Last there is the legendary Elder Dragons who are said to feed on the mana of a world, as for your question yes I have seen dragons before. The first was a spirit contracted with one of the Heroes of DarkGlade, a Dark elemental Devourer and the second was at the battle for DarkGlade or what everyone calls the second wave these days." her expression went dark as she stared into her open palm, seemingly recalling the event. "That thing...It was like nothing I''ve ever seen before. It''s scales were so white and dense with mana that nothing could pierce them, it was so large that barely anything could move it let alone fight it. It''s eyes were the worst part... A swirling green and black full of corruption, it absorbed too much mana from the void. If it wasn''t for your race''s hero we would not have stood a chance." She looked up "It was an Elder Dragon and he was the one that took him down while his spirits forced it out of our realm.". Ell had just finished eating and turned to join the conversation "Did you know him? The human hero?", at her question everyone who wasn''t listening turned to do so. Leya sighed at the sudden interest from everyone even some from other tables "Well...when he first arrived me and a close friend of mine were the first to meet him, he had almost got himself killed by a Void Wyvern and we had to take him back to Rosevalt."Leya let out a short amused laugh as she recalled the incident." After that the only other time I saw him was at the second wave, he had changed so much I barely recognised him. Do you know what they called him? A manamancer, a type of sorcerer that could use mana in its rawest form and bend mana around him to his will". Suddenly the captain got up from his seat while turning away from his Iris "Alright time to go, I just got a message that the caravan is ready." one by one we got up and followed, we grouped up around the console panel on that floor "I''ll add you all to the comm party system, with that we can all teleport to the air docks together. There, now remember that to use the long range comms just pour mana into the Iris to activate it then just speak." Everyone nodded in acknowledgement and he opened the map on his Iris, selecting one of the highest floors in the base he selected for a group teleportation. The floor under us lit up with runic magic circles as our figures disappeared, altogether we got teleported to the Air Docks floor. The floor was any sci-fi fan''s dream, two thick walls on opposing sides while the other two sides were open with metal shutters and pillars in-between each shutter. "The whole floor is lined with "caravans", magically powered air crafts with the ability to hover, teleport for long ranges and are lined with state of the art weaponry. The real designation for these air crafts is "MCC-MK1" or Mercenary Combat Carrier mark 1, King Zeaxar had these custom made at Redguard the Demon''s capital city and with the aid of human technology" Lia started to explain "Being the King of a country and owner of the most prominent mercenary guild had its perks and toys". The MCC''s body was like a shuttle with its front bent downwards while having only a single wing to the right that came out from the top and bent downwards as its left was flat with the air craft''s entrance on it, the whole frame wasn''t smooth but blocky and the wing itself was twice the width of the craft making up most of its width. On the back of the craft were four propulsion mechanisms connected to the engine which was then connected to the mana supply that was absorbed over time from the surroundings, multiple runes were inscribed on the hull of the craft to absorb the mana while also having some barrier creating runes. "Welcome to the Air Dock, my favourite floor!" Lia became excited at the sight of the caravans, to the point that she ran over to one of them and turned around with her arms open wide "This is my baby!" she was standing next to a caravan looking a bit different from the others, it was numbered like all the others but this one had some "modifications" to its frame. The 52nd caravan''s hull was lined with thick inscriptions following the edges of its frame while underneath it''s wing turret like machines were lined up. "Fifty two has some added weaponry and!" she opened the sliding door, went in and turned the caravan on "Added bling!" we heard her voice on the loudspeakers as the thick inscriptions filled with mana and shone a bright yellow giving the craft a golden luminous trim. The brightly shining craft caught many''s attention while some just sighed and moved on with their day, the captain on the other hand just laughed it off and go inside "Lia is the pilot in the squad, she has the say on what our transportation gets or doesn''t. Get on we''re leaving immediately!" some of us like me, Ell and Anabel were the last to get on due to our surprise and mixed expressions. The caravan was fairly large, I estimated the pilot''s cockpit to be three meters wide, six in height and four in length while slanted downwards and having two sets of two seats with controls on the front left one. The main room was about four meters wide, five in height and seven in length having each side except the sliding door lined with seats equipped with seat belts and a parachute on the back, each seat was connected to the wall which seemed indented all the way to the roof. On the wall to the side where the wing was another room lay, the gunner''s room was two meters in width and length while being five in height while having a single seat and controls in front of it. "Take your seats!" Lia shouted over from the cockpit as she took the pilot seat and the captain sat in the co-pilot seat "Right! Matt in case we need to use the caravan for combat you''re the most qualified for the gunner''s position, Alright?" by the time she finished everyone was seated and ready, the door closed and the engine could be heard turning on. There were no windows and the door to the cockpit was closed so I couldn''t see anything but I did feel the caravan take flight, I also felt the mana flowing through the engines and the mana flowing through the hull and covering the craft. "Hold tight for teleportation!" we heard Lia''s voice in our heads as the party system in the Iris was being used, suddenly the air seemed to shift around us as the teleportation took effect. Looking around the group everyone looked fine except for one person, Anabel looked like she was going to be sick while using healing magic to calm her confused senses. After a couple minutes we could feel the craft land with Lia confirming it on the voice comms "We''re here! Destora''s ThunderBird Roost." I took off the seat belt and got up along with the others, Anabel on the other hand was holding on to the seats to stand "You alright?" I ask her while passing by. "Yeah...it''s...Uh..nothing.." she straightened herself and walked over to the exit, almost tripping down the step. I sigh at the sorry sight and step out with the others, Lia and the captain behind me. When outside I took in the surroundings, dark brown trees in every direction surrounded the opening we landed in and a sole house stood in the middle. The trees were so tall and the canopy so thick that you couldn''t see in any direction, giving you the feeling of truly being in the wild and having no connection to the social world or its communities. The house was fairly simplistic, a two storey stone brick house with slanted hay roof and a wooden door. Only a couple moments after we landed the door opened and a figure walked out, the creature could have been taken as a human child if it was completely dark due to its humanoid shape and short stature. It had greyish green skin with long green ears and a long pointed nose, the goblin stood no higher than a meter and was heading our way.When it got close enough other features could be made out like white stands of hair that grew out of its mostly bald head and star shaped pupil showing their Fae ancestry, the creature is small and frail but looks can be quite deceiving as a goblin''s intelligence and slyness can be the end of any warrior. This one though was old and slightly hunched forward, it could barely walk without the walking stick it held on to but that as well wasn''t enough to make me underestimate it. Goblins just like any Fae race held deep darkness within them that if released could create a killing machine, Hobgoblins were no joke and are even to this day treated as highly dangerous and the change is irreversible although highly rare. "Thank you for coming...more dire than first thought...Feel it?" the goblin spoke as his voice trembled in what sounded like fear, a fear well founded as we also began to feel the rushing of mana all around us and could terrifyingly sense where it all converged. It felt like something or someone was sucking in as much mana from our surroundings as possible and forcing it to converge and compress, it was the same feeling you''d get when standing in a dark and broken down building with the feeling of something watching your every move and the eerie creeping up your veins except you knew exactly were the eyes were watching from.The feeling came from deep beneath the ground, somewhere untouched by the sun. "And something else..." the goblin began walking away towards the forest, we followed it as it spoke "Strange..cave opening...was never there before.". "Cave?..Woah..." the captain''s expression was the same as everybody''s in the group, "Leya, Anabel inspect the entrance." the captain turned to them both and they nodded, moving to the entrance which looked like the earth had been pushed upward to create an alcove of sorts with only one opening that went down who knows how deep. Stepping away from the two and Jerrald who stood guard with them we entered the tunnel which surprisingly had stairs made of stone heading down and torches lighting up the way. We went down the stairs for about a minute till we came to the tunnel''s apparent end, the goblin walked up to the wooden double door and rested his hand on it "Not made by hand..magic so dense...so intricate..." he turned to look at us "Crafted with mana this was..." We stepped closer to the door, intricate runes unknown to us covered the surface "Anabel!" the captain was using the party comms "Get down here, leave Leya and Jerrald to watch. You need to see this." he ran his hands through the runes. "Tried everything to open..would not budge, even tried explosives!" the goblin started exclaiming its failed attempt of opening the door. "These runes aren''t like anything I know of...We won''t open it until our mage gets a look at it." the captain stepped away and started inspecting the torch on the wall, he tried to pull it out of its holder but it wouldn''t budge. Lia sighed "This place reeks of DarkGuild...If I didn''t know better..."and suddenly Anabel almost flew down the last steps "This...that...what...I...." she was holding onto Lia''s shoulder and was breathing heavily having obviously rushed down the stairs. "Calm down girl!" Lia held her up while she collected herself, when she did she walked over to the door and inspected it and the runes "These runes aren''t of Etyrian teaching...They are so much more...Detailed..." she ran her fingers down multiple runes while pouring mana into them and making them glow slightly. "Can you decipher them?" I asked her while moving closer to the door. "No...It will take me too long to get a single word out without a cipher..But something I did discover which also explains these runes..." she turned around to face everyone "The tunnel..The stairs...Even the walls...They were all crafted with almost perfect mana control as if through some one''s will. Each thing in here is connected through a single mana signature...A single presence...And something tells me that same presence is the one collecting mana to create all this..." The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "Jerrald, Leya come down here." The captain sent for both of them to come down "Guess we''re going in..now for the door problem..." He steps around us and lays both his palms on the door, putting little effort into it he pushes the door open "Huh...Well it opened..." he pushes further and fully opens the door to reveal what lay inside. On the other side of the door was a sight to behold, a room almost the size of the large training rooms back at HQ and with almost medieval design to its floors, walls and roof along with several passages on each side. "Woah.." Anabel started walking into the room but I lay my hand on her shoulder and stopped her "Wha..what is it?" she glanced back just as Leya and Jerrald reached us. "I''ll go in first" gently pushing her out of the way as I walked around her I walked into the large room, standing in the middle I counted three other passages excluding the one we came in from. Closing my eyes I began to focus, summoning forth both Ember and Wayne. "I''ll scout the whole thing." pouring mana into both aethers I instructed them on an old magic I use to utilise, with trained movements I raised both and aimed them at the two opposing passages to my left and right. By joining my own chaos magic along with my spirits''s I could create disturbingly realistic illusions, one part of this and my mist form magic. When I pulled the trigger a yelp could be heard from the entrance as a wave of fourteen bats per gun left the barrels and spread through each of the three passages, these bats held within them some of Wayne''s very essence allowing him to see,smell and hear what they do. Several minutes passed and the others joined me inside the room, I stood there with my eyes closed as Wayne worked his scouts and Ember her magic along with mine to create an illusionary illustration of what the bats scouted. This went on for about fifteen minutes until I recalled the bats back when it seemed that they checked every nook and cranny of this place, opening my eyes I looked at the almost holographic red 3D image in front of me. "Alright...That''s pretty sick.." The captain walked up next to me as the others surrounded the map like magic,"Where are we in all this?" he waved his arm over the map that was a perfect square and a meter in length and width. I tapped one of the rooms with Ember''s barrel and an elevated dot appeared on one of the larger rooms, although one of hundreds. "This couldn''t have appeared over night...So many rooms...I would have noticed workers going in and out!...or atleast a thunderbird acting more territorial!" The goblin looked enraged that someone dared build under his property. "From the scale of this...the room here...this covers half the rain forest and a bit of destora..." he didn''t look happy at all. "Wait..What is this space here?" Leya pointed out an empty space in the middle of the map the bats couldn''t get to "Is it just empty?" she did have a point and I went through the vision of the bat''s through Wayne. "There is a single door taking into that middle room, its here." I tapped the map with Ember''s barrel again to make a door shaped carving appear on the wall of one of the rooms north of the empty space. "My scouts cannot make it budge at all, maybe it requires actual people to be close or a large group of them like the other door? That would explain what those runes do." I gave my theory and waited fora response, everyone looked on edge and some trigger happy but I didn''t blame them as this real feeling of something watching penetrated my own senses. The captain walked away from the group and stared down one of the passages that held a long corridor lit up by torches with other similarly large passages along it, "Leya help Matt figure out the shortest path to that door, everyone else ready your gear. We''re going through, Buck you should head back up and let us deal with this while also sending word to Destora''s guard." the next couple minutes were spent with me moving Wayne''s bats through the passages and rooms till Leya had a good grasp of the terrain and paths with my describing. "Ok, we''re ready to go. Matt has the path memorised, though his scouts''s vision is minimal and we''re not completely sure what those rooms hold." she grabbed her bow and as if out of thin air a mana arrow formed in her other hand. Jerrald stood up front with his shield held high while Lia and the captain formed behind him and Anabel with Leya in the middle while I took the rear guard along with Ell who had been silent the whole time. We moved as a group as Leya gave directions "Left...Second passage to the right..." until we arrived at another room, it was similar to the first one but half the size and less lit up. This is where everything went to shit, loud thumping noises could be heard from behind us as if heavy running footsteps with an occasional "Mooouuuauu!" Jerrald quickly moved back and took the rearguard while steadying his spear and shield. With a loud crash the massive beast smashed into the left wall of the corridor while building up a substantial amount of debree and dust covering most of itself from view, we saw its form within the dust cloud turned and taking charge once again. "Minotaur!" Jerrald almost roared the name of the beast as he raised his shield, it glowed brightly as a thick mana barrier appeared in front of it and covered the whole corridor width and height. The Minotaur crashed into the shield putting large cracks into it while it roared at us from the other side, the thing looked like a bull standing on its hind legs with five times the muscle and humanoid like arms holding a gigantic two handed war axe. It took a couple steps back and clenched the axe while heaving it upwards behind it, the axe came crashing down on the barrier and shattered it while at the same time the Minotaur took a step forward and spun to it''s right while spinning the axe with it to combo another attack in. The axe crashed into Jerrald''s shield just as a denser and smaller barrier hovered in front of it, the power of the attack was enough to send him crashing into the wall of the passage. Before the beast could attack again Lia and Captain Carlos rushed behind it and they both lowered their posture into a round house kick at a leg each, they infused the kick with their mana to enhance their power and speed forcing the beast to tumble backwards and to the ground. Jerrald pushed himself out of the wall just as Anabel cast her buff on him increasing his speed and resistance, he threw his shield to the side and leaped to the wall to then kick off into the air above the Minotaur as it tried to get up. Infusing his spear with fire mana he crashed down on the beast''s torso and pierced through its chest with the spear, the Minotaur roared in agony "MUAAAUUUA" and back handed Jerrald off its chest and into the wall again. Golden blood leaked out of its mouth and wound as it rose back to its feet, Lia and the Captain leaped up and punched its shoulders as hard as they could while infusing themselves with more mana just as a sickening crunch filled our ears. The beast fell to its knees with two dislocated or broken shoulders as its arms fell limply to its side and dropping the axe, with agile and trained movements I side stepped around the others while in mist form to increase my speed. Just as I lined up Wayne''s barrel to the Minotaur''s face a purple mass of mana shot out and engulfed its whole head devouring flesh and bone alike, the monster fell on its side dead and headless down to the neck. "What the fuck!? Aren''t these colossal shits extinct!?" The captain stepped around the corpse with Lia behind him."Something is not right...The technique it used..Normal Minotaurs don''t have the capacity for such learning.." Jerrald was being helped up by Ell''s vines while Anabel healed him. Leya walked out from behind us and started to inspect the corpse, only for it to dissipate into mana before she could even touch it "That is definitely not normal...Anabel the mana signature hurry!" with her call Anabel moved from healing Jerrald to pouring her own mana into the area the corpse once was at. "No..No no no...This doesn''t make any sense!" she was inspecting the mana signature the beast left behind "It''s the exact same as everything else!" she was shaking her head frantically as she moved to the wall and then lowered herself to the floor. "Else? What is it ana?" Ell had retrieved her vines as Jerrald could stand on his own again, she moved behind Anabel and rested her hand on her shoulder. "The walls..the floor..the door..the stairs..even the monster...It all has the same mana signature!" now that she mentioned it I too felt it although the Minotaur had already gone and my senses couldn''t pick it up anymore I could sense the mana in the walls, floor and very air around me, it was all the same. "Unknown runes...artificial rooms and monsters...What the hell is going on?" Lia walked into the room and looked around, her expression then turned to excitement "Treasure!" she practically pounced on the chest that lay in a dark corner of the room. "Wait!" I shouted at the top of my lungs as I entered mist from to lunge at her ever descending arm, stopping it just as it touched the chest. With a *clank* and a *squeal* I could sense the intricate mechanisms and mana flowing through the chest and into the walls, preparing Ember I listened closely just as the trap engaged only moments after the touching of the chest''s surface. I pushed Lia down to the ground as five barbed arrows launched out of the wall to our right aimed at my position, in quick succession I fired three blunt shots deflecting three arrows while dodging two with mist form."Damnit Lia contain yourself!" The captain walked up and helped her up. "Ah we''re fine..You''re fine...right?" she played it off but looked at me with actual concern. "Yeah..I''m fine.." I nodded and turned to look at one of the arrows that stuck to the wall behind me, it was oozing and smoking as if acid was eating away at the wall until it dropped to the floor "Acidic poison..Old fashioned but..Deadly..and painful" Leya walked over to one and inspected it "Same thing, same signature I think." she walked over to Anabel who poured her mana into the arrow "Yeah you''re right..." with her acknowledgement Leya threw the arrow to the side. I sighed and moved in on the chest kneeling down next to it, "Matthew? You sure that''s a good idea?" Jerrald walked up behind me as every one gather around as well. "Yeah, the runes disappeared right after the trap activated. It should be safe to open now..." I slowly laid my hands on top of the chest and raised the lid ever so slightly, peaking inside for anymore contraptions. "Well I''ll be damned...Check this out.." I raised the lid fully revealing the contents of the chest. --- Author: Just to clear this out now, No the story is NOT turning into one of "those" story genres. This is just part of the story I''ve elaborated, we will be going over a multitude of settings, legends and mythologies as I will focus a lot more on the "adventure" genre going forward. Also to be clear, No I am not sorry for the ending. :) Edited by; Birse, Pitchfork him for nasty cliffhangers :< Ch 9 - Breaking my limits "Well I''ll be damned...Check this out.." I raised the lid fully revealing the contents of the chest, which held a strange compass, a dusty old thin book and a long wooden staff perfectly carved. I hand out the staff to Lia to my right which gets Anabel¡¯s full attention and then the strange compass to the captain to my left, the compass was pure basalt except for the pointer which was a green crystal. I then take out the book, it had a brown leather back with strange yellow carvings all over it and a blue crystal stuck in the middle of the front. I sat on the edge of the chest and opened to the first page reading the title ¡°A delver¡¯s introduction¡­By W.S¡­No way¡­¡±I stare at the initials as if holding the meaning of life itself, why are they there? Why those initials? Why are they the same? A storm of questions rolled through my mind as the ones behind me finally begun to speak. ¡°This compass is broken, its pointer is not aiming at north nor any of the others.¡± The captain sighed at the useless object ¡°That book give us any information Matt?¡± he looked down at the book from behind me. ¡°More questions just from the title¡± I pour mana into my right glove and take out the book I got from the librarian ¡°I got this from the library, it¡¯s a journal of one of the Heroes of DarkGlade. Look at the initials, exactly the same but then look at the date its 2023 which is years after the second wave and years before the third wave while still using our calendar. It¡¯s the same on the journal but a different date which is before even the second wave, just who is this W.S? Is it the human Hero?¡± Leya moved in from behind us and joined the conversation ¡°W.S¡­Your calendar format¡­It has to be¡­But how? We saw him¡­sucked into that portal with the Elder Dragon following soon after¡­He couldn¡¯t have survived¡­We even looked for him but nothing¡­¡± she took the journal from my hands and started to read it over ¡°This is indeed his journal¡­But that book there¡­How did it get here?¡±. I decide to start turning pages ¡°We won¡¯t know until we read it, it¡¯s only a couple pages and it¡¯s surprisingly in English not any Etryian language like the Elven in the Journal.¡± I began to read the book out loud for everyone to hear ¡°Greetings adventurers, swords of hire or some strange creature with the brain capacity to open a chest and read English¡­This is the guide and bio of what you stand within, unless you moved and read this elsewhere¡­¡± in short the introduction was written by a rather excited author, full of sly remarks and sentences like ¡°I sometimes wonder if writing has taken the place of socializing for me?¡±. Flipping the page I finally started reading the actual book from chapter one of three ¡°I shall start this bluntly, you are currently standing within a being called a Dungeon otherwise known as either a Living Labyrinth, Undead Crypt or Monster Delve depending on the Dungeon¡¯s decisions during its growth. A Dungeon starts out as a simple yet complicated soul crystal, they refer to their crystal as their core. A Dungeon Core, the part of a Dungeon that nobody but its close creations are allowed anywhere close to it. Dungeons are living beings with their spirit connected to their core just like how our body is connected to ours, their core also holds their consciousness which it can also switch to any part of its body being a stone, stair, torch or even the air itself it can see and feel anything that happens within itself. A Dungeon starts out with only its crystal core just how we start out after insemination and grow with the help of our mother¡¯s womb, just like that Dungeons grow with the help of their Dungeon pixie and their own decisions later on. A Dungeon pixie is a rare breed of Fae that has chosen to serve under a Dungeon for its physical body, helping it to grow and defend itself. Dungeons grow by absorbing mana from its surroundings into its core and then using that mana to bend the area within its aura¡¯s range, the more mana it collects the stronger it gets and the larger the range of its aura.¡± The rest continues with mathematical equations to a dungeon¡¯s mana collection rate, aura ratio to mana increase and rather well made images of a Dungeon core and Dungeon Pixie. Flipping to the next page I find the second chapter ¡°When a Dungeon gains enough mana and have made a suitable body, with the help and guidance of their pixie they unlock the ability to summon non-sentient creatures under their command. These monsters will roam the Dungeon¡¯s body, set up groups as per the Dungeon¡¯s demands or even ambushes and traps depending on the Monster¡¯s intelligence and capabilities. These monsters though are not actually alive per say, they are part of the Dungeon and can inhibit its consciousness while returning to its core as mana when destroyed.¡± It trails off to the known species a Dungeon can summon which ranges to most known and extinct monsters except for Dragonkin which stops at Kobolds and Orckin which stops at Hobgoblins. Turning the next five pages which held the list of monsters along with images of what they may look like, wear and variations. The last two pages held the third and final chapter ¡°The birth of a Dungeon is quite an interesting topic, their crystal core is a natural creation that compresses and builds over months through the start of a single speck of the crystallization type it is made of. When the core is large enough it starts to attract lost souls from the spirit realm to inhibit it with the seductive promise of a new life, when such a soul is attracted the core absorbs it and they merge. The crystal that starts it all also has a name, they are called God gems and like their name suggests they have an insane amount of uses. A god gem is created with the compressing of four dense mana types or more, which is almost impossible to do without the perfect conditions and terrain. Which takes me to how this Dungeon you stand in has arrived where it has and contains my book, when I arrived at their realm it was in utter chaos and disfiguration. The dungeons had been warring with each other over land for all of their existence as land was the only way they could get stronger and grow since otherwise sentient beings from which they could gain mana from didn¡¯t exist in this realm. It took me weeks but I was able to communicate with one of the Dungeons that owned a major amount of the planet I arrived on, from it I got my information and taught it about the other realms. With it I was able to bring worlds of dungeons together to aid in opening portals to other worlds where they could shatter their core and send it through to start anew, with the promise of sentient beings to explore their creations and feed them mana with the lure of great rewards. I also spread this book with each one for them to recreate and set as the first reward one would come across along with a compass made to follow certain paths within a dungeon depending on the group size and never taking to the core room, that is a room you do not want to enter as the dungeon will go full hostile with the sole intent of killing you.¡± I stand up whilst closing the book, turning to look at the other¡¯s expressions. Everyone looked baffled and at a loss for words and I did not blame them as even I was so. ¡°He¡¯s¡­Alive?...William is alive?¡± Leya looked confused and baffled ¡°It¡¯s been so long and he may still be alive?...I need to tell them¡­¡±. The captain sighed and set his hand on her shoulder ¡°I know how you must feel but telling his family comes after the contract, we don¡¯t know if this book is even saying the truth so we need to confirm as much of it as possible.¡± He looked down at the compass one more time ¡°If what the book says is true then following this compass was meant for treasure hunters, that staff is probably one of such treasures.¡± He looks at the staff and then back to me ¡°Our goal remains unchanged, we investigate the middle room where said ¡°Core¡± should be.¡± With everyone¡¯s nodding and Leya¡¯s torn agreement we move on. I take back the journal from Leya and store both books with my gloves, Anabel takes the staff to test its properties while the captain just dumps the compass in his pocket ignoring its existence. We head down the next corridor and walk through for a couple minutes, as far as we could see we had only walked through half of it as we skipped two turns to continue taking the path towards the middle room. The torches got weaker and weaker the deeper we went, until we could barely see each other. *Drip*¡­*Drop*¡­*Plop*¡­Strange sounds came from different directions as Anabel flared up a fire to make more light, something was dripping down from the roof on top of us and when we looked up we were horrified at what it was. Slimes¡­Hundreds of litres of blue slimy goo rested on the roof that we hadn¡¯t noticed until it got thick enough to leak down, when the fire was lit atop Anabel¡¯s new staff the slime started to congregate into a single mass right on top of us. ¡°Make cover!¡± Leya screamed at the top of her lungs from what sounded like fear, Jerrald followed with creating a barrier to cover us all as the mass fell on top of it and splattered slime on the walls and floor around us. The large mass of slime moved and fell off the barrier behind us, within the slime one could see hundreds of small crystal like spheres which we knew as their cores. The mass started to separate as the slimes began sliding towards us at speed greater than they should have been able to generate ¡°Run!¡± The captain ordered as he punched the ground shattering the floor and raising some of it as a pseudo barricade. We turned to run but after a couple meters Anabel noticed something off ¡°Ell? What are you doing! Run!¡± we stopped and turned to see Ell still standing behind the barricade which was currently being overrun by slimes trying to climb over, she was holding a strand of her hair in her raised palm and stared at it. Her hair had been touched by some slime, with their acidic nature some of it had been burned off. ¡°ELL!¡± Anabel shouted again to get her attention and Ell turned to glance behind her which is when we saw her current expression, her usual smile had disappeared. Anabel took a step back when she saw Ell¡¯s expression, wide grin from ear to ear with eyes pure of insanity. Ell grew her vines which covered most of her from behind, I counted more than three times the amount of vines she usually used. Without order or mercy the vines began to move and in a frenzy of madness stabbed away at the slime cores, destroying the stone barricade completely while splattering slime all over the corridor. ¡°Shit!¡± Jerrald rushed forward and as fast as he could erected a barrier in front of her, the vines stabbed and bashed into the barrier a couple of times but most moved around it and attacked the slimes relentlessly. We didn¡¯t know what to do to calm her down although the dungeon didn¡¯t give us time to think this over for too long, from the other side of the corridor more sounds could be heard moving towards us *Slop*..*Drip*.. ¡°More slime!¡± Lia pointed out the mass of blue slime cutting off our only escape from this corridor, it was a well-planned trap and we fell for it. ¡°Jerrald keep defending Ell! Anabel, Lia help me erect a barrier here as well!¡± The captain turned and raised both arms with palms open aimed at the second blob of slime, concentrating hard he started to create the barrier although small at first. When Anabel and Lia joined him the barrier got larger and thicker with multiple coloured patches due to the different mana signatures making it up, the barrier covered most of the corridor but a couple meters from the roof down was still wide open. I took this chance and made use of one of Wayne¡¯s abilities, using the wall as a platform I leaped up to the roof as dark and chaos mana encircled my left arm and leg forming claws. I dug my hand into the roof grasping tightly with the claw and then my leg into the wall giving me a good grip, my right leg and arm were left dangling. I was about to summon Ember to start shooting down cores but Leya suddenly leaped to my arm and grabbed onto it ¡°Wha¡­What are you?!¡± I started to struggle. ¡°Just shut it and hold me up!¡± She then raised both her legs onto my right and held my arm with her left hand, with her right hand she started grabbing some of her throwing knives and imbued them with mana making them glow red ¡°On my mark let go of the roof!¡± she gave me a look only one about to do something insane would. The mass of slime was only meters away from crashing into the barrier like a wave of blue, Leya threw all five knives in a fan attack. ¡°Now!¡± on her words I released the claw magic and we fell, I pulled her legs up and held her princess style until we hit the ground as I imbued mana into my whole lower body to reduce the impact. An explosion of fire followed as the knives hit the blob of slime and ignited the substance into a hellfire. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. I set her down as I stared into the barrier waiting for the fire and smoke to cease, I glanced at Leya who simply gave me an innocent grin ¡°Blue slimes are highly flammable and love fire, since it lets their cores evolve to red slimes once they absorbed enough heat from their blue slime igniting.¡± She stood up as I lay there kneeling ¡°We need to make sure to destroy all the cores as soon as possible, red slimes are one of the worst types to fight in close quarters¡±. I sighed and summoned Ember and Wayne ¡°Leave that to me¡±. I stepped forward and closer to the barrier, it was full of cracks and dents as the captain, Anabel and Lia tried their best to keep it whole ¡°Drop the barrier¡± they fell to the ground relieved to stop, the barrier quickly dissipated as its supply of mana stopped and when it did a wave of smoke fell upon us covering out vision. I raised Ember and shot an explosive round to dissipate the smoke, in doing so most of the cores came into my vision and I began my role. One by one with rapid succession I fired both my aethers putting holes in each and every core ruining them before the blue crystals turned red. About seventy rounds later and a couple minutes all cores had been destroyed and the smoke had mostly cleared out, I turned to assess the group¡¯s current situation. Leya looked fine but the Captain, Lia and even Anabel looked exhausted. Looking down the corridor I saw Jerrald on his knees while holding Ell in his arms, behind them was complete mayhem as shattered cores, blue slime and blade like thorns filled the corridor completely. Jerrald stood up and began walking towards us, he almost stumbled a couple times but made it ¡°That was insane, for so much slime to build up¡­insanity¡­¡± he was breathing heavily while Ell lay unconscious in his arms. ¡°How is she?¡± I asked with some concern at her pale expression, trembling hands and pain filled expression. ¡°Mana exhaustion, she¡¯ll be fine in a couple days..¡± he said as he sat her down on the floor next to us ¡°What now Carl?¡±. The captain glanced at all of us before speaking out his decision, ¡°We head back to the caravan and rest¡­We simply cannot go further than this today¡­¡± everyone except me and Leya was either exhausted or unconscious. We walked back to the first room with Jerrald holding onto me for support while Lia carried Ell, thankfully meeting no monsters or traps on the way back we did however find something much stranger. The door to the exit was closed for some reason, not many noticed this oddity and Leya who did rushed over to it and pulled from its wooden knob. When the door didn¡¯t budge she pulled out a knife and started working on the edge trying to pry it open, she turned with a horrified expression ¡°It¡¯s locked shut¡­¡±. A dreadfully known feeling started working its way up my spine ¡°No way¡­Move¡­¡± I stepped to the side and line myself to the door as everyone moved out of the way, summoning forth Wayne I took aim and poured my mana into the gun. As the mass of purple and black formed it shot forth and grew until it hit the door head on, the mass of chaos lurked in front of the door for a couple seconds as sparks of mana flew all around it until it dissipated. When I saw the door unscratched my fear had been proven true and only made worse with Anabel¡¯s reaction ¡°We¡¯re stuck in here¡­Wha...Why¡­Who would¡­¡± she looked like she was about to start freaking out. ¡°Everyone calm down¡± The captain who had taken over helping Jerrald and set him down to sit ¡°We need to calm down and think this over, agitation never helped anyone. Let¡¯s just recall everything we know and come up with a¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer ¡°No¡­We already know why¡­and who¡­It¡¯s the Dungeon¡­It wants us to stay in here as long as possible¡­Do you feel it? The continuous decrease of our mana regeneration? Why do you think the Dungeon is so large with so many routes? It¡¯s to keep us here as long as possible but it miscalculated¡­We got exhausted too early and began heading back¡­It doesn¡¯t want to kill us but it wants to keep us as batteries for as long as possible. Think about it¡­It never had any mana from beings like us before¡­It¡¯s hooked now¡­It wants more and cannot help itself¡­I should know¡­¡± The last words I whispered to where nobody heard them. ¡°Well if that¡¯s true then it will have to let us leave at some point, we will end up dieing of mana exhaustion if we run out completely!¡± Anabel exclaimed as she tried to calm herself to think ¡°But¡­¡± but she also noticed. ¡°But our mana is regenerating faster than it can drain it, it won¡¯t kill us but keep us alive and continue to drain us.¡± Jerrald was the one to speak now. ¡°No¡­No¡­I¡­I can¡¯t¡­¡± The feeling was suffocating, to the point I felt like going insane ¡°I can¡¯t¡­stuck¡­¡± I took a couple steps back revealing my expression to everyone, eyes wide open with fear as I trembled and stumbled backwards ¡°No¡­I will not¡­¡± now turning to anger and frustration ¡°I will not be held down¡­No¡­Not again¡­¡± the images floating through my mind and the ever increasing feeling of suffocation stopped me from thinking clearly. Images of chains, locked doors, rooms full of strange tools I knew too well and corpses filled my mind. ¡°Matt...Matthew! Snap out of it!¡± Leya walked over and held my shoulders trying to shake me out of my stupor, finally slapping me across the face ¡°Snap the hell out of it boy!¡± but it didn¡¯t help, I was already out of it. Wayne and Ember appeared in my hands and Leya took a couple steps back, purple mist started to leak out of myself as my very body shifted into mist and moved at break-neck speed into the passage we came from. ¡°MATTHEW!!¡± someone screamed my name but I couldn¡¯t tell If it was real or another memory, I sped down multiple corridors in mist form and met with many dead ends while completely skipping traps and monsters alike. In my madness I wandered the Dungeon¡¯s corridors and rooms for what felt like an eternity as misty bat like figures returned to my main body, stopping suddenly Wayne forced the path into my mind and I shot forth once again but this time with an actual aim. The moment I reached the door the mist surrounding my body stopped building up and began to disappear, Wayne and Ember forced their aethers to return into storage in fear of me running out of mana but it was too late. The door wasn¡¯t a door at all, a large medieval castle gate stood in front of me with two wooden double doors just as large behind it. I took steps closer and the gate began to rise while the doors behind it creaked open, all alone they opened as I stepped into the room. We were wrong, the room was indeed key to many things but not the Dungeon¡¯s core. As I entered the well-lit hall hundreds of figures turned to face my direction, primal goblins littered the whole room wielding spears, shields and swords while wearing nothing more than a loin cloth and some torn cloth pants. In the middle of the room a single large figure rose from the swarm, red skinned, taller and more muscular than the green midgets it stood tall and glared condescendingly at me. The hobgoblin had a commanding air to it, goblins moved out of its way as it turned giving me its back and walked away as if I wasn¡¯t worth its time. With this sight in front of me my mind was filled with a different kind of fear, I began to think of what to do next but then heard the roars and screams of pure hatred coming from behind me. The monsters I skipped hadn¡¯t given up on chasing me and were creating a stampede, in my mindless rush to get out I had fucked up incredibly. I was stuck between a swarm of armed Goblins and a stampede of pissed off Minotaurs, my mana was too low for me to use any kind of magic without entering a state of mana exhaustion and I couldn¡¯t use my weapons without mana. The stampede behind me was getting closer and closer as the goblins began to slowly move in on my position trying to surround me, I began thinking hard of any possible way to get out of this situation alive. It clicked in my mind then, I wasn¡¯t fighting an army, I wasn¡¯t fighting hundreds of monsters. No I was fighting a single entity, a single consciousness that could switch bodies and give orders to the rest. The first Minotaur we fought, the way the slimes moved to trap us, The Dungeon¡¯s consciousness was behind it all and now it was in this very room watching over this whole thing. It had hundreds of usable bodies but why use any of them if it could use the strongest of them all? Why be inside a weak goblin or a magic-less Minotaur when it could use a Hobgoblin? I glared down the swarm of green until my eyes fixed on a single spot, the red monster had climbed up the couple steps at the other side of the room and was sitting on a large throne like seat with an amused grin. My mind had cooled off, my whole body had frozen in place as seconds ticked away in my mind while I fully concentrated on my ears. The monsters got closer and closer until I finally began taking steps forward and towards the goblins, staring intently at a shield wielding goblin I rushed forward while forming a fist and before even reaching it I poured forward whatever aura I had remaining to induce fear onto the short green monster. As I had anticipated it raised its shield to defend itself, using that as a platform I leaped into the air and over an army of green. Landing behind the goblins I quickly spun around and disarmed a goblin, using its own sword I cut its gut open and turned again sprinting towards the throne. All I heard behind me was the crashing of bodies and screams of anguish as I imagined the Minotaurs crashing into the stupefied goblins, in front of me the Hobgoblin stood up with an expression made of deep pure rage. Jumping over the steps I rushed towards the monster and lunged forward at its chest, it dodged to the left as my blade penetrated the wooden throne but I wasn¡¯t done there and kicked the Hobgoblin off the side of the throne with my left leg. I quickly pulled out the sword from the throne and continued my attack, it unsheathed its own weapons as two one handed axes sliced towards my chest. I took a step back as the axes cut the air where I once stood, using this opportunity and my superior agility I side stepped to the left and lunged at its neck but I wasn¡¯t fast enough and it used teleportation magic to shadow step a meter or two away from me. It was faster and stronger than any goblin but I wasn¡¯t going to be outdone by an inexperienced monster just because I was low on mana, I continued my attack with a flurry of lunges to force it backwards while every wrong step it made left an opening which I abused by aiming at its vitals. When I did aim at its vitals it shadow stepped out of the way, this went on for a couple seconds as it had to shadow step up to five times. It stopped my attack and took a defensive, it saw its opportunity and began its own assault with a frenzy of hacking and slashing while I dodged and parried what I could although taking multiple cuts to my shoulders, legs and chest. After a slash directed at my neck I took yet another step backwards and tripped, while I fell backwards it rushed forward to finish me off but I had lured it into doing so. The second it began its charge I used what little mana I had remaining and forced a flashbang to blind it, confused it used shadow step to back away from me only to end up closer. With the use of mist form I got behind it to where I calculated its shadow step would take it and with a clean lunge stabbed my sword directly into its heart. As quickly as I could and without even pulling out the sword I grabbed its arms and spun the dieing Hobgoblin until I stopped and threw it over the crowd of monsters. It fell into the middle of them all and landed on top of a confused Minotaur and into its arms, I began to fall to the ground to take cover behind the throne as the Hobgoblin¡¯s whole body lit up with fire and exploded. The blazing hell storm that followed charred anything in its blast radius which included every corner of the hall, using what little strength I had within me I forced myself from falling unconscious due to mana exhaustion and pushed the throne as hard as I could so it wouldn¡¯t squash me between it and the wall. When the explosion finished I was holding a large wooden chair from sandwiching me into a brick wall, tired and suffering the effects of mana exhaustion I fell down with my back to the wall as I plunged into unconsciousness. --- Edited by; Birse, Explosive Hobs yay Author; What have we learned today?; Shoot Hobgoblins dead from far far away¡­ :D Remember to rate xD Ch 10 - The Dungeon and the Fairy Memories flowed in as my unconscious mind went through its usual routine, images of my family, my friends and then the disaster of the third wave. Images of hope, a chance at survival and then the kidnapping. Images of slavery, abuse and human testing to then turn into another massacre. That cold night that I survived, I vowed to myself. I made a pact with every fibre of my being; No more¡­ I will stand for this life¡¯s tasteless methods no more, fear turns us into monsters, greed turns us into devils and faith only divides us more so than it should unify us. I will find it, the reason for us all to live. I will find the reason for why our wretched lives have any meaning what so ever. That vow is what made me want to explore the new realms, to find what my world doesn¡¯t hold. To possibly make contact with other beings, learn their ways, their history and unify them with us before fear, greed and beliefs cause more suffering and war. I will use my anger, my hatred and my fear not to destroy it all but to build something better. As I woke I felt some numbness in my legs, I slowly opened an eye and sneaked a glance. My shoes, pants and some visible skin were slightly burned. I fully opened both eyes only to be presented with a blinding fire that blazed right in front of me, the throne that I used as a shield was on fire and mostly destroyed or charred since all that remained of it was a wooden board currently on fire lying flat on the ground. I dragged myself away from the fire and tried to get up, my body felt slightly numb probably due to my earlier mana exhaustion. Earlier¡­How long have I been out? I glanced around the hall at the destruction, the walls and roof were charred while the floor¡­if there was one any more it would also be charred but currently¡­a large gaping crater loomed there where the ground once lay, a deep hole seemingly taking into a lower floor of the dungeon. Looking around the edges of the hole there was a strange difference, a lot of the ground wasn¡¯t charred but looked brand new while at the very corners some floor was still burned. I got up and stagger down the stairs, dragging myself I reach the edge of the crater. Within was another room just as vast but much more impressive, to call it a jungle was an understatement as the density of the trees and foliage made it all look like a single solid object except for the very middle where an enclosure clear of any green lay. The enclosure was surrounding by a pulsating orange barrier and within lay something I only once saw in a book, the book we had found at the start of this dungeon. The Dungeon Core was a polygonal prism made of a grey crystal, around the crystal was a black ring of sorts with blue runes etched all over it and another smaller green crystal orbiting the ring. Suddenly I noticed why a lot of the floor looked new, the edge of the hole beneath me was slowly appearing and making the hole smaller over time. The Dungeon was trying to cover its core, to hide it from us as we try to hide our organs with armour and barriers. I glared down at the core for a couple moments and then got up to my knees, concentrating for a bit I let the mana flow through my body. Thirty¡­No twenty percent or so of my mana had recuperated, I opened my eyes and looked myself over. I had light burns and cuts all over my body but other than that I looked fine, making sure to enhance my legs with mana before-hand I jumped down onto the barrier around the core and as my legs hit the top pain travelled through my whole body. The core was aggressively attacking my body with its aura, so much so that its aura became visible to me as grey light seemingly floated around me. ¡°What¡¯s this little Dungeon¡­You were so kind to inviting us into you but now you reject me? How cold of you¡­¡± an amused grin grows as my eyes open wide in what may look like insanity. ¡°You take over someone else¡¯s home¡­You toy with us with your traps and monsters¡­You lock us in to continue greedily messing with our mana¡­¡± I stand up while trying my best not to slide off the circular barrier ¡°You have been sent here for what? To survive and live with us but instead you fall to greed and underestimate us¡­¡± I summon Wayne into my hand and hold the aether with both hands while aiming downwards, pouring mana in I focus on keeping the size of the attack to a minimum but enough to break the barrier. ¡°Come now Dungeon core¡­Face the monster you¡¯ve angered.¡± The blast shot ate through the barrier¡¯s roof and disrupted the rest, it shot straight through it and down to the core hitting half of it and shattered a fair amount of it. The core had been hovering in mid-air but once hit it fell to the ground with shattered pieces of itself covered some of the ground to its right. I fell down as the barrier disappeared, landing next to the core I looked down and was confused at the sight. Within the smaller crystal a small humanoid creature lay frozen, the fairy had an expression of shock and pure fear plastered all over her face. Mine though¡­ changed from slight amusement to a blank and empty expression ¡°I see¡­Greedy to the end¡­To also trap your companion¡­¡± turning to the core itself I could see a slight change to its glow, it was pulsating and shaking slightly. I take a step closer and lay my arm onto it for support, staring down into the crystal I could see a reflection of myself which then distorted and changed. It was still me but instead of mirroring my expressionless face it had both fear and rage. I then felt a slight pull on my aura, like something had grabbed my soul and was weakly pulling on it. ¡°What is¡­¡± waiting for a bit I felt some of my aura disappear as the core began to pulsate faster ¡°So that¡¯s how¡­Interesting¡­Instead of gaining mana from your soul like us you use your aura to steal it from your environment¡­and other beings¡­I wonder if¡­¡± I force myself off the core for a second and then lay both palms open onto its surface ¡°I do not have the mana to destroy you right now¡­But you are a being made of mana so¡­in theory just like slime cores¡­You can be drained.¡± Instead of pouring mana this time I focus on letting it flow through my body, I force my aura back in to flow with the rest of my mana and then out and into the Dungeon Core. Biting on my lower lip to keep myself awake I began pulling on the core¡¯s mana with my aura, it is the exact opposite of using enhancement magic whereas instead of focusing your aura onto your own body to condense mana you focus your aura on something else to condense mana and then pull back some of the aura to pull the mana with it. Using this method drained a lot of mana to control aura so precisely but if the income of mana drained is great enough¡­Then it can be done with a gain of mana instead of a loss. The downside was that just like meditation this left your pores unprotected except for the side you were focusing your aura on, leaving you open to attacks from the Dark, Light or Corruption elements. But currently I wasn¡¯t paying attention to that, if I passed out of mana exhaustion again then the Dungeon would create a monster to kill me or bind me anyway. So I kept on draining as the Dungeon tried to pull back ¡°You get no mercy from me.¡± The more it tried to pull back the harder I pulled as my mana supply simply kept increasing until it hit its cap. Seeing as my body could hold no more mana I entered a meditative state and starting condensing my mana around my pores and pushing it in, this was a defensive art and one used while contracting with a spirit too strong for the contractee. Your body can only hold so much mana until trained to hold more but your soul had no bounds and could grow without limit, or that at least is how the prime theory goes. By doing this I drained the core of mana (¡°You will be an example to the rest of your kind.¡±) until it had no more. When the last bit entered my body I felt its memories flow through me, memories of earth surrounding me, mana moving at my will, growing and changing to the environment, contracting with the fairy, creating the Dungeon and filling it with creatures. These memories flowed through me for a couple minutes as I fell backwards shocked, until they just disappeared. ¡°What the hell¡­was that?...¡± I stood up and glared at the core, it¡¯s glow had disappeared completely and its ring had dropped to the ground along with the other crystal holding the fairy. At first I thought the fairy would die once its contractor did, when I saw it¡¯s crystal dissipating into mana I was prepared to dig it a grave but apparently it wasn¡¯t meant to be its end yet. When the crystal covering it¡¯s body was fully gone I kneeled down next to it and started gently moving it with one hand over onto the other when I saw a change, it¡¯s face began to show signs of movement until it fully opened its eyes. The fairy had heterochromia iridis, two eyes of different colours. Her left was green and right was grey, she also had short white hair but not white like old humans would get but a snowy gleaming colour. She looked around dizzily sitting up in my palm, she glanced at the Dungeon core and for a moment her expression filled with fear while tears began to fall. When she noticed the core was empty and drained she looked down at her hands and then her clothes, she wore a long black dress that reached her feet but no shoes. She grabbed the end of her dress and wiped her tears with it, for a second she froze looking down and stared at my palm. Slowly she turned her gaze upward and stared at my face which currently held a confused expression, she tilted her head strangely as if not comprehending what was happening. ¡°Are you feelin¡­¡± my words were cut off when green and white butterfly like wings appeared on her back, she dashed off my palm and in a green and white blur flew out of the crater. I sigh and stood up slowly, my body still felt slightly numb and I over all just felt exhausted. I walked over to the shattered core, picking up a larger piece the size of my fist I then started glancing around the crater looking for a way out. My mana had been replenished but most of it was from the Dungeon and therefore not produced by me, that meant it had to be processed by my soul for me to use it without damaging my body. Through trial and error the Etyrians had tested this using slime, golem and elemental cores. I knew the danger of using the mana within me now so I had to find a way out using other means, looking around I could think of multiple things I could try but I decided to go for the most probable plan to work. Tearing out a long vine I then start tying it around the ring that was part of the Dungeon Core, it was large enough to fit around my waste twice over. When I was sure the vine was tied correctly I stepped back a bit and threw the ring as hard as I could with both hands, it reached the next floor with a *thump* sound.(¡°Here we go¡­¡±) I grabbed onto the vine and pulled while hoping it would get stuck on something, hopefully a Minotaur for its weight. After multiple charred corpses fell down the hole and other failed attempts the ring gets stuck on something, checking quickly that it could withstand my weight I then start climbing up the rope like vine. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Reaching the top of the vine I pull myself onto the floor, taking deep breaths I lay on the ground face up while staring at the black charred roof. I sense something watching me and chalked it up to the Fairy who was probably too scared right now, I force myself up and look around the room. Many of the Goblins and Minotaurs simply got disintegrated by the Hob¡¯s violent explosion, some though where laying at the edge of the hall and were too charred to be recognisable. I noticed the ring had stuck itself on a corpse too large to be a goblin so I figured it was a Minotaur or two, It was sitting with its back to the wall but lumped forwards. ¡°Lucky¡­Well it did take more than a couple tries¡­¡± I then began walking towards the exit where one of the double doors had broken off and fallen, resting on the other door it blocked the way a bit but I just climbed over and continued walking. I suddenly start hearing footsteps quickly heading my way (¡°Shit¡­Monsters?...¡±) I looked around but saw no where I could find except the entrance for an ambush or back down the crater and take the height disadvantage. In the end I decide on waiting by the entrance for an ambush as the footsteps sound too light to be a Minotaur, thinking of a goblin running late for the fight finally making themselves show I stand with my back to the wall waiting for it to come around the corner. The second the footsteps got within my detection range I noticed something odd (¡°Don¡¯t I know this signature?¡±) I turned around the corner to take a look and abandoning my ambush. As Leya ran at full speed I turned to find the fairy hovering in between us, Leya didn¡¯t stop her self in time which ended up with a poor Fairy being sandwiched between an Elf and Human collision while the last image I saw was the Fairy¡¯s horrified expression turning to look at me while a tear fell down its cheek. [Me]¡°Shit!¡±, [Leya]¡°Oh crap..¡±, [Dungeon Fairy]¡°EEkk!!¡±. On collision Leya head-butted me, slammed the fairy with her chest and all three of us rolled for a couple meters. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± opening my eyes a I felt a trickle of blood down my face, I was lying face up on the ground with Leya lying face down on top of me ¡°Ughh¡­What the hell¡­¡± she was also just opening her eyes. I try to stand ¡°You¡¯re heavy¡­¡±, with a punch to my gut ¡°Ooof!¡±she gets off and into a sitting position next to me while I held my stomach. ¡°Alright Hot Shot, why¡¯d you run off and what the hell is this fairy doing here?!¡± the fairy was currently hiding in between Leya¡¯s breasts although she seemed more stuck than willing, she tried to push herself out to no success ¡°Ehh! Don¡¯t move like that! Here!¡± Leya helps the Fairy out by pushing them apart, it flutters out of her top and flies down to the ground while glancing between me and her. Leya stands up and glances behind her at the entrance to what I interpreted as the ¡°boss room¡±, ¡°What¡¯s that smell?¡± she walked over to the entrance while I stood up, reaching the passage she stands there with a dumbfounded expression ¡°What the hell happened here?...It looks like a Hob site¡­¡±. ¡°It is¡­¡± I walk over next to her ¡°One of the monsters was a Hobgoblin, in my¡­.fit most of the dungeon monsters followed me to this room and died with it. The Dungeon Core is within that crater, I¡¯ve already taken care of it and have recovered a sample.¡± I turned to glance at the Fairy who had fluttered over to the passage and was peaking from behind the wall, ¡°Do you have a name?¡± I directed the question at her while her previous dumbstruck expression turned dark at this question and she simply nodded *No*. I kneeled down to get my face closer ¡°So you understand our language¡­Can you tell us why the Dungeon did what it did? Or can you not speak?¡±, she finally turned away from the hall and faced me ¡°I¡­I can¡­.¡± A soft and high pitched voice came out with an almost magically soothing effect. ¡°That¡¯s adorable...¡± Leya moved in closer and crouched down, the Fairy turned slightly red at the compliment ¡°I..Uh¡­uuuuu¡­¡± her blushing intensified as we stared at her and waited for information. ¡°Please, we need to know what happened. With that information we could stop this from ever happening again.¡± I solemnly stared on at the Fairy, she regained some of her composure and continued speaking ¡°Labi¡­The Dungeon¡­It¡­when it arrived here¡­it didn¡¯t comprehend how dangerous¡­you¡­sentients are to it¡­I failed to¡­teach it that¡­¡± tears started streaming down her puffy cheeks ¡°It¡­thought it didn¡¯t need¡­me¡­imprisoned me..for mana¡­I struggled¡­tried to run¡­¡± It couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and hovered down to the floor sitting down, head buried in her hands and legs crying. I sigh at this (¡°It¡¯s her fault¡­No matter what screwed up way you look at it, it was her role to teach the Dungeon what to do and not to do. But her crying¡­I can¡¯t take it¡­Obnoxious¡­¡±). I grab the Fairy¡¯s head between my thumb and Index finger and raise her to eye level and glare at her reddened puffy face wet with tears and snot. ¡°Hey be gentle! You¡¯ll hurt her!¡± Leya puts her hand on my shoulder but I don¡¯t stop nor turn. I keep glaring at the Fairy with an empty expression ¡°So what?¡±¡­ This response was something she didn¡¯t expect, her expression turned to bewilderment to which I presumed was also plastered on Leya. ¡°You failed the role you took on, you failed and now you just sit there and weep? Lives were at stake, if I didn¡¯t stop the Dungeon then who knows to what extent it could have gone?!¡± I stand up while keeping the terrified Fairy at eye level ¡°Tell me, would weeping have helped me go through my hardships? You felt it too didn¡¯t you? When I absorbed the Dungeon, I also absorbed its contract with you. I am not a Dungeon and so the contract is null and void but the connection between us is still there, here see for yourself. The times I lost hope, the times I wanted to end it all but didn¡¯t and the times I felt powerless towards my captors. You¡¯re a Fae so use your power and our temporary connection, search my memories¡±. I lower my aura to permit the Fairy to use her magic, her eyes grew when I did so as if she couldn¡¯t believe I¡¯d lower my defences to my soul just to prove a point. For a moment she stared at me but then lowered her gaze slightly and raised her arms with the palms open towards me, her eyes rolled back as she faded from consciousness. Memory magic was powerful and could only be used by Spirits to read other¡¯s memories or Fae to read and slightly temper with memories for a short duration. Looking through all my memories in theory would take weeks at a comprehensible speed but the magic the Fae use allowed them to do decades within minutes, this was allowed through their high elemental attribution towards nature and light. The whole process took around three minutes, in the mean time I just stood there waiting while Leya let go of my shoulder and rested her back to the wall. When the Fairy¡¯s green and grey eyes turned to normal, the signal of the magic ending, I returned my aura. Tears began to stream down her face again, she looked up into my eyes with a saddened expression and I looked into hers with a weak smile. ¡°A¡­after all that¡­your smile looks more fake than how insane your goals are¡­¡± at this statement I let out a short laugh and counter ¡°Who¡¯s lecturing who here?¡±. She wipes her face in her dress again ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­but you are wrong¡­Crying won¡¯t help my situation¡­but crying does help my emotional state¡­you¡­You gave up long ago haven¡¯t you?¡± My expression darkens, knowing full well ¡±...I saw¡­I heard¡­I felt¡­Your dream¡­Your ideals¡­Fake goals to hold yourself together¡­You would of lost yourself to insanity if you had not¡­I understand¡­I will make my own goals¡­no matter how insane just like you did¡­¡± I let go of her head and she flutters her wings to stay hovering ¡°You embraced your anger, your hatred and your insanity and just the same I will embrace my fear, sadness and anger. I have nowhere to go, I have no one left and nothing important to me remaining except this one goal I have decided on¡­Human¡­M..Matthew¡­I wish to make a contract¡­with my saviour¡­I wish to follow my liberator¡±. Her words surprised me, she wanted to make a contract with me after all that happened with her previous master? ¡°Why? Your connection to this world still exists within me and because of it your body will live for however long a Fairy would until you become a sprite again. Why bind yourself when you are already free?¡±. She looks at me with a saddened smile, ¡°What is the point of living with nothing to live for?...as a child you experienced that despair didn¡¯t you?...Just like you, I want to find something to live for¡­Please¡­¡± I understood how she felt, I really did and I simply could not refuse. ¡°You saw what is inside me, are you sure you want to fight my monsters?¡± I forward my right arm, palm open for her to stand on. She flutters over to my open palm and sits down ¡°Yes¡­if it means making a successful contract I will battle the ones that rampage within your soul. Do you know the words?¡±. I turn and sit down, back to the wall ¡°No¡­I¡¯ll repeat after you¡±. She closes her eyes ¡°Alright then¡­Here we go¡­¡± and I close mine too. She starts the contracting chant, ¡°Fae of light Fae of nature.¡± I repeat her words ¡°Fae of light Fae of nature.¡± ¡°Being of both spirit¡± ¡°Being of both spirit¡± ¡°And of body¡± ¡°And of body¡± I finish the chant with the usual words, ¡°I name you Faekin, I name you Fairy, I name you¡­¡± Everything goes black, my body and my mind. I stop feeling the world around me as my vision swirls and merges. --- Edited by; Birse, Have a good day everyone! Author; Had to rewrite some things¡­Took me a bit! Remember to rate and maybe comment :D! Ch 11 - Me versus me ¡°I name you, Saya.¡± I waited for Ember and Wayne¡¯s approval of the contract, spirits already contracted to someone have a certain degree of power over later contracts and may weaken them if they do not agree. I waited for several moments but they did not respond, only darkness filled my mind as not even Saya¡¯s voice made it through. Now that I think about it though¡­I can¡¯t even feel my body anymore, everything is just a void as my consciousness seemingly floats inside it. ¡°He¡¯s here¡± a cold detached voice rang out, piercing into my thoughts but seemingly directing their words to someone or something else. ¡°Finally¡­to give us such an opening¡­we¡¯d be fools to not make use of it!¡± a second voice makes itself heard, attempting to consume my mind and solicit my soul into a burning rage. ¡°For years we¡¯ve waited, for years we have been caged and have endured. Your weakness strengthens us, your fall will be our rise¡­¡±. Suddenly the darkness began to gain colour and swirls, somehow I was engulfed in nausea as within moments my vision returned completely although it took me a bit to adjust it. When the sickening feeling and nausea left, I looked up and opened my eyes. ¡°This isn¡¯t possible¡­Why here¡­¡± I stood up as I stared at my surroundings, I was standing in my old home town and it was exactly as I left it. Rubble that were once buildings grew in a pattern as wide paths of concrete divided them, I stared with mouth agape at what simply couldn¡¯t be possible. My home¡­My house¡­lay perfectly standing amidst the surrounding destruction, a perfectly normal two storey building with a triangular roof. I was shaking uncontrollably, who wouldn¡¯t be? I began walking towards the house, every step echoing in my mind. When I reached the door I could hear laughter inside, nothing sinister but the childish innocent kind of laughter. I forgot breathing somewhere in between standing outside and opening the door, as I entered the familiar home a warm feeling came flooding my way that might as well have been a cold chill up my spine. ¡°Pa! We¡¯ll be late for school!¡± a young red haired child runs down the stairs to my left, he notices me and gives me a smile worthy of an angel. ¡°I¡¯m coming! Calm down!...Oh you¡¯re here?¡± a man looking around his thirties with similar features to the child walks into the corridor and down towards the entrance where I stood, he turned around for a moment ¡°Babe! Liana! He¡¯s here!¡± he then turns back and faces me with a warm smile. Behind him two others walked out of the side room which I knew to be the kitchen, a beautiful woman with long brown hair along green eyes and a young girl having fiery red hair with similar green eyes. ¡°Bro!¡± the young girl ran up to my side and had to rise to her toes to hug my waist, ¡°Matt¡­¡± the woman looked warmly at me as she settled onto her husband¡¯s arm. ¡°My family¡­How¡­What¡­¡± tears streamed down my wide open eyes, a liquid I had thought to have ran out of long ago. My whole body was shaking, multiple emotions I had kept blocked suddenly began rushing through me all at once. Before my mind could settle on anything I glanced out of the corner of my eye, their forms dissipating and disappearing into dust. Everything seemingly exploded in dust as it changed form, the once standing house was now layers of rubble and smoke. ¡°No¡­Why¡­¡± I turned to look away only to see what I had hoped to never see again, his corpse lying still and half eaten on the side of the road. I looked away and back at the house only to find myself laying on the ground looking under the collapsed roof, two greens stared back at me lifelessly ¡°It¡¯s all¡­So real¡­¡± I stood up almost immediately. ¡°Poor broken soul¡­One moment you had it all and then nothing at all¡­¡± the cold and detached voice spoke from behind me making me turn, I stared into the eyes of what looked like me but was someone else¡­something else¡­It gave me a cold and empty smile ¡±You had it all¡­and then they came and took it all away¡­but what could you have done? A young and weak child¡­with nobody to look after you¡­¡± he raised an arm as if presenting something, distorted breaths and snorts began echoing into my ears as I turned to look upon the young red headed boy once more. He lay kneeling on the ground with blood trailing down his forehead and a gun in clenched in his small hands, tears and snot plastered on his depressed face. He looked up at the sky and lifted the barrel to his chin, tears falling down the pistol as rain began to buffet the land and him as well. I stood there and watched as he tried to pull on the trigger¡­pulling as hard as he can while trembling. A bang echoed throughout the town as blood splattered out of the little head and his small body fell backwards, a pool of blood instantly forming under him. I buckled over kneeling trying my hardest to let out what ever beasts rampaged in my stomach only for nothing to come out, I shakily rose to my feet as I stared down at the young corpse. ¡°You have seen it with your own two eyes now¡­The truth¡­This body we lay inside¡­It¡¯s owner has long died.¡± I turned towards the frigid voice, sadness the only way to explain its expression. I took a step back and summoned fort both Ember and Wayne ¡°What are you¡­¡± I raised both aethers at it and it glared back expressionless with eyes wide open. ¡°Your ploy has failed, Despair¡± the second voice from earlier echoed through the town as if formless, ¡°No!...He! Please Hatred! Give me more time!¡± the one apparently called Despair began to tremble and walk backwards while glancing all over the place. ¡°You have lost your use, your visions have caused the damage I needed. It is my turn now¡± the second voice called Hatred spoke from Despair¡¯s body as it began to instantly bend and shake at impossible angles until it stopped arched back facing the sky ¡°Hello¡­Other.¡± It straightened up and stared at me, madness danced in it¡¯s eyes as it¡¯s gaze seemed to pierce through my soul. Hatred¡¯s expression was wide eyed like Despair¡¯s but a glint of insanity shone within them and it¡¯s mouth curved in a devilish grin. ¡°I applaud you Other, you still stand after being shown ¡°That¡±. Truly you are broken beyond repair! Come now¡­Let me replace what is unfixable.¡± Ember and Wayne appeared in its hands and the fight began, a barrage of projectiles and blasts each trying to over step the other or outnumber the other. Not a single projectile went through the other¡¯s barrage as we simultaneously fired away Ember at a rapid rate and Wayne at a calculative rate. I was scared, I was confused, I was depressed but above all¡­ I was enraged that these things would dare mess with my past! ¡°What are you! Why did you show me those things!? Why show me that lie of an ending!? Why are we here!?¡± we began moving while keeping up our barrages, seemingly never running out of mana. ¡°I guess you are about to disappear anyway¡­I will humour you. We are your¡­pent up emotions shall we say! Although Despair is now gone¡­since I merged with him and all¡­Year over year we¡¯ve collected and grew within the soul fragments you tore away until we gained our own consciousness! The moment you let down your defences to contract with a third we struck! Despair was supposed to drop you into¡­despair, to make you give up and make you easy prey for me¡­The fool underestimated your bluntness! The years you spent tortured¡­weren¡¯t for naught I guess! We are you! But I have been there since the start! All your pain¡­All your anger¡­All your hatred! I sucked it all in! I AM YOU! ¡± we continued to run faster and faster. ¡°You¡¯re me?...How is that possible¡­?!¡± bullet for bullet, shot for shot, I faced off against what was apparently myself. Every step, every shot, every turn, he copied me more than perfectly. He seemed to¡­think ahead from copying me¡­as if he knew every step I¡¯d take before I even began taking it! I began being pushed back, first it was a stray shot going through my barrage and then it was a scar down my cheek and suddenly we stopped completely as I found out pain was still very real wherever I currently was. We stared each other down, this wasn¡¯t no honourable fight between two warriors, no battle for survival between beasts, but a stare down between two deadly gunmen. The next shot would mean everything, the next shot could be either of our ends, if we could even die in here that is. We began to sway, left to right to back to front as mist covered our bodies and our eyes never leaving each other¡¯s. We walked in a circle, continuously awaiting the other¡¯s move and their misstep. Seven shots fired and only a single one hit its mark. ¡°Tell me Other, why do you keep holding on? I am you and I can tell¡­The pain you carry is holding you at the edge of insanity. Why do you fight? Why do you strive so hard to keep going on? You have nothing left, no one left and no home to return to. What soldier keeps fighting a war that ended years ago? When the enemy is caged and your allies are already dead? What do you have to gain from fighting beasts of another world while ignoring the ghosts of your past?! Why not just give in¡­to the anger¡­to the hatred¡­¡± He looked down at me as I lay there kneeling, coughing up blood from the wound in my stomach. I sat my head on the ground while grinding my teeth ¡°THEN WHAT!? MASSACRE THE SURVIVORS OF A BYGONE WAR!? LOSE MYSELF TO MADNESS!? END MY OWN SUFFERING!? YOU SAY YOU¡¯RE ME! YOU SAY YOU HAVE LIVED THROUGH THE SAME SUFFERING I HAVE!...Oh¡­But you haven¡¯t¡­¡± I rose to one knee ¡°You simply watched, you never felt. You never truly lived through what I have, so dare ask me again. Why do I keep fighting? Why do I keep striving to live?!¡± I forced myself upwards and glared at his empty expression ¡°You say you have taken my hatred¡­But you are nothing more than a fragment of my rage¡­¡± his expressionless fa?ade curved into a mad grin as a drop of sweat fell down his forehead, I take a step forward ¡°Do you know what a bullet feels like?¡± I dropped both aethers ¡°No but you have taken enough bullets to know¡­¡± he answered sincerely and began raising his Ember. ¡°I knew it¡­You are nothing more than a fragment.¡± Multiple shots fired and all hit their target, with inhuman speed I had lowered my posture and gained hold of Ember with both hands. With eyes worthy of a predator I came down on my prey, the mentality forcefully hammered into my brain I couldn¡¯t switch away from. Hatred fell backwards onto the ground, a pool of blood forming around him. I straightened myself and stepped towards the corpse, an expression of surprise plastered on his face. ¡°So this is what I would have ended up like, if I had given in to my hatred¡­But why was he so¡­undisciplined¡­I could see the fear in his eyes¡­I still can. Ignis, Tempre answer me. Where are you two? Where am I?¡± I could feel their consciousness, as if I could hear their thoughts within my own. ¡°Show your selves or will you also incur me?!¡± with that their humanoid forms appeared to my left, Ember stood there with her expression empty while not making eye contact with me and Wayne standing behind her his expression pale as he hid. ¡°We¡¯re here¡­Matt¡­Please forgive us¡­we slipped up¡­¡± she seemed to stare off at Hatred¡¯s corpse, grimacing. I stepped toward them causing Wayne to cover himself more behind her ¡°Explain.¡±, she turned her head and looked at me while never focusing on my glare ¡°Those two were¡­¡± she began to whisper ¡°EXPLAIN Clearly!¡± blood continued to drip from my wound but I ignored it, I made sure to not get hit directly In the stomach or any actual organ using barriers under my flesh. ¡°The soul fragments used in the aether binding¡­the first time you bound with me all those years ago¡­One of the fragments began absorbing your anger¡­your hatred¡­your negative emotions¡­I ignored it¡­I saw it as a way to keep you sane¡­¡± she glanced back at Wayne ¡°When they destroyed our old aethers¡­our contract changed and the soul fragments joined back with the rest of your soul¡­but we kept the emotions collected in my fragment to keep you from doing something insane¡­Then Tempre began feeling your despair¡­the years you spent after the war all alone¡­researching¡­creating aether tech¡­ he felt that pain and used his fragment to collect it and stop you from losing yourself in it¡­Somewhere along the line¡­somehow¡­they gained their own consciousness¡­.¡± She crossed her arms around her chest and looked down at the ground. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°You¡­¡± I drop the aether and move forward grabbing both of them and forcing them into my chest as I held the back of their heads to it ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± Ember held on to my shirt while Wayne just stood there his face by my wound, both of them shaking ¡°We are sorry¡­sorry¡­it¡¯s our fault¡­they could have killed you¡­master¡­its our fault¡­¡± Tears formed on Wayne¡¯s face, ¡°It¡¯s okay now¡­what you did you did to help me¡­I told you before didn¡¯t I?...Whatever happens¡­It will always be us three¡­until I die¡­I¡¯ll never leave you behind¡­¡± these two had been with me almost from the start, they had been with me through thick and thin. How could I ever blame them for anything? Why was my anger searing me so much right now? Was it because I saw my family dead in front of me again? Was it because I almost literally killed myself? I don¡¯t know¡­but we stood there for some time¡­until Ember broke off and spoke ¡°You should go¡­they are worried sick about you¡­¡± she pushed away ¡°They?...Ah¡­Where are we anyway?¡± I let go of them. ¡°This is your soul realm¡­the inside of your soul¡­a place your consciousness builds up from your experiences and personality¡­¡± Wayne answered me although he hadn¡¯t moved away from me and just stood there covering his face with my shirt, I lay my hand on his hair and he slowly stopped trembling. ¡°My soul huh¡­¡± I look around the rubble and smoke, the cold stale air filling my lungs as the rain kept plummeting down on us. ¡°What happened here is called soul defragmentation, the soul fragments you tore away are starting to merge back into the main body. Your soul is healing itself but because of that your emotions will be in disarray¡­be careful¡­Once the healing is complete¡­ this place will also change.¡± Ember solemnly looked at me, the empty expression of hers I was used to seeing. ¡°It¡¯s best you go now¡­¡± Wayne looked up and into my eyes ¡°Wake up¡±. My vision instantly went dark as my mind blacked out into a void again. My senses returned and I began opening my eyes, I was laying on a bed facing the roof. ¡°Finally you¡¯re up, do you know how long you¡¯ve been asleep!?¡± Anabel glared down at me. ¡°Hours?...¡± her brows furrowed ¡°Days, four to be exact. What the hell were you thinking!? You entered a soul journey with the Fae!¡± she was steaming and grinding her teeth, ¡°Ana was very worried!¡± Ell looked at me from her chair with an oblivious expression. ¡°I..I¡­WE! We were worried!¡± Anabel turned burning red as she turned to shout at Ell who stared back at Anabel with very¡­focused eyes ¡°Hhmmmmm¡­¡±. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that! And you! Say something!¡± she glared at the captain who was lazing around on another chair with the others who were playing with some cards. ¡°Well it would be great if you could explain what happened¡­would make writing my report easier.¡± The captain sighed and turned his chair to face me, I stood up into a sitting position on the bed and then noticed Saya waking up on my lap. ¡°Ma¡­Master?...¡± she wiped her eyes and looked up at me, her expression one of confusion. I sighed and began to explain what I could, being forced into my soul realm after lowering my inner defences to make a contract. Fighting the soul fragments and winning, my soul beginning to heal for some reason and the dungeon¡¯s mana it still was processing and integrating. I told them everything except my conversation with my two oldest friends. ¡°Well that is¡­disappointing¡­alright then cry-babies¡± he looked at Anabel and Saya who really seemed on the verge of tears ¡°Since we¡¯re all up and¡­¡± he glances at Ell ¡°Not freaking out¡­Let¡¯s go check on the situation outside. Oh yeah you probably don¡¯t know¡­¡± He got up and yawned ¡°The whole damn area is collapsing into the caverns left behind after the Dungeon died¡­The Dark Elf¡¯s coalition of mages is trying to take care of it.¡± One by one, we walked out of the room and then out of the house which turned out to be the old goblin¡¯s. The scene that presented itself when I walked out of the door was one of insanity, the trees bent at strange angles as the very ground seemed to be falling apart. Green energy passed through the ground keeping it together as Elven mages with dark purple skin chanted together, each standing about twenty meters apart for as far as I could see in each direction. ¡°What are they doing?¡± I ask the question at Leya who was closest to me, ¡°Continuous earth and enhancement magic to keep the ground together¡± She sighed and suddenly looked up at the sky, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I notice her change and look at the others, both Lia and Ell seemed to notice something in the sky as well as,Ell was staring intently at the sky and Lia was glancing at each direction as if being hunted. I also saw that the Dark Elf mages also seemed to sense something, I tried to follow their gaze and slightly noticed movement in the clouds. Something or rather someone was flying at high speed in our direction, before I could even try and guess at who it was the humanoid form sped up and landed in the forest opening with a crash and forced the Dark Elves to curse and fully focus on their magic. ¡°Kekekeeke!! So where is this Dungeon you¡¯ve told me about, Carl?!¡± Zeaxar was standing inside a small crater while dusting himself off, a bright smile plastered on his face. ¡°Si¡­.Sir¡­The Dungeon was¡­Eliminated days ago¡­¡± Jerrald stepped forward and saluted, ¡°Carlos¡­hasn¡¯t made a full report yet¡­¡±. Zeaxar made a complete 180 as his smile immediately turned into a frown ¡°Eliminated? Late reports? I flew here and all I find is disappointment?! And for fucks sake what¡¯s wrong with the ground!?¡± the earth under him seemed to slightly shift as one of the Dark Elves almost lost his balance due to Zeaxar¡¯s shouting and aura leaking out ¡°Ah right¡­Sorry about that fella¡­Kekeke¡± He chuckled as he noticed what was going on with the mages. ¡°I guess that is what I get for rushing over a summary report¡­¡± He sighs and walks out of the crater and towards us just as we hear some noise behind us, the goblin had come out to see what all the ruckus was about but with one glance at Zeaxar he simply sighed and went back in grumbling something that sounded like ¡°Nope¡­Never again¡­Fuck that¡­¡±. ¡°Hhmm? Kid what happened to you? You seem¡­Different.¡± Turning around I found Zeaxar staring me down, I put on a stern expression ¡°Soul defragmentation¡­¡± Saya was the one to answer him though. Zeaxar sighs ¡°You humans mess with dangerous magic¡­Wait¡­Who are you?¡± Zeaxar crosses his arms and bends down to look closer at Saya who was sitting on my shoulder. ¡°She¡¯s¡­.Contracted with me¡­She was the Dungeon¡¯s Fairy, it seems that Dungeons and Fairies make contracts to benefit each other¡­This Dungeon though did not respect that contract and broke it to use her as a mana core.¡± With my answer he seemed to ponder over something for a moment and then sighed again ¡°Interesting¡­¡± he then glanced at the Dark Elves and an almost¡­evil¡­grin crept up his face. ¡°Well I¡¯m off to do some¡­business¡­Carlos I will expect a full report by today.¡± After the captain nodded in acknowledgment he turned around and walked over to one of the mages, starting a conversation with them while pacing around them. ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡­¡± Anabel seemed worried as each of the mages looked like they were about to collapse and Zeaxar¡¯s earlier expression did not bode well, Lia¡¯s ears perk up ¡°Tsk¡­He¡¯s making a deal with the mages¡­Yeap there he goes walking towards the head mage¡­and the head mage has tears coming down now¡­Hold on to something¡­.¡± She quickly turned to hold on to the fence behind us. The ground began to shake as an incredible amount of mana flowed out from Zeaxar who had both hands raised up in front of him, we held on to the fence for our dear lives as the ground seemed to swirl and merge. The ¡°earthquake¡± came to a halt and all of the mages fell to their knees or arses breathing heavily, Zeaxar lowered his arms and nodded at the head mage. He then knelt down and seemed to be charging up another magic but ¡°Sir, wait!¡± Jerrald spoke as loud as he could to get his attention, Zeaxar raised an eye brow and before we knew it he was in front of us ¡°What is it?¡±. Jerrald turned to me ¡°Kid, the book.¡± I stare at him for a moment and then it came back to me ¡°The book!¡± raising my arm I pour mana into my right glove, the Delver¡¯s Guide book appeared in my hand ¡°Sir you should take a look at this¡­¡± I hand him the book and he takes it, reading through the pages with abnormal speed he displays multiple expressions ¡°What¡­How¡­Son of a¡­¡± he closes the book and an enraged expression flows over his face. He glares at the book for a couple moments and then raises his head and looks at us with a mad grin ¡°Pack up ladies¡­The survey corps is leaving tonight!...¡± he turns and starts walking away ¡°I¡¯m not letting that bastard stay ahead!¡± with a sudden flash he disappears and leaves a crater behind. Dumbfounded we stand there glancing at each other until Ell breaks the ice ¡°So no dinner?...¡± with a genuinely sad face she crosses her arms, Leya raises her hand to her face and sighs ¡°Precenturians¡­¡±. ¡°But¡­the report¡­Fuck¡­Lia ready the caravan¡­We¡¯re leaving¡­¡± We follow the Captain and Lia to the ship and sort our things to leave, suddenly I notice something was missing ¡°Anabel? Where¡¯s the staff we got from the Dungeon?¡± she just stood there staring at the forest ¡°Lost it¡­¡± I stared at her not comprehending ¡°Excuse me? What?...¡± she turns and walks past me ¡°Don¡¯t¡­I¡­¡± she kept walking away red as a tomato, I turn and look at Ell who was helping Lia check the craft for damage due to the quakes ¡°Ana dropped it after falling over a skeleton when we came to find you¡­I don¡¯t remember the rest¡­I think I heard screaming¡­and maybe crying¡­¡±. I did not push the conversation further and we all got inside, while readying myself for the craft¡¯s teleportation I starting thinking to myself. I felt strange, after having my emotions so limited for as long as I can remember I could finally express myself like any other of my kind¡­Annoyance, Anger, Doubt, Regret, Worry and many other things I never really felt all that much of unless pushed to the edge with anger like back in the exams. I then felt the air around us shift as the caravan went through its teleportation magic. ---- Somewhere in existence at some point in time A dark valley of dried land and dead trees lay surrounding a lonely hill, every meter one climbed they could spot bony limbs and weapons lying on the ground. At the very top a figure stood alone staring down the dead landscape ¡°Heh¡­Sure taking your sweet time¡­ There is still many worlds out there requiring a visit ¡­¡± a grey eye accompanied by a purple eye kept staring down the hill as his half white and half purple hair seemed to rise upwards, no wind rustled it but only his raw aura effecting every single object in his surroundings including himself. Suddenly reality in front of him seemed to break as a rift opened to another unknown world ¡°Hurry up now you two¡­can¡¯t leave everyone back ¡°home¡± waiting¡­¡± the rift grew to a hundred times his size as the earth began to quake and the wind picked up, two lumbering beasts climbed the hill. One flew down and its form shifted in darkness till a beautiful black haired woman with fierce red eyes stood next to him, the other ran on four legs and seemed to shrink until a beastly man approached them. ¡°We don¡¯t even know where they will show up first, no point in rushing.¡± The beast like man spoke as the three entered the rift, it stayed open for a couple moments until dense purple aura flowed out and seemingly forced it to close. --- Author; Mysterious¡­.Remember to rate and maybe comment xD! Edited by; Birse Ch 12 - A new world awaits. When I woke up it was still mid day but nothing much happened after we arrived at HQ, I was later called to the docking bay floor for the large transports. I teleported in and looked around the floor which looked very similar to the one above, the only exception was that only a single large ship lay within awaiting its passengers and pilot. The ship was almost as wide and long as the whole floor, it was by no means an overstatement to call it the ¡°Sky whale¡±. The sky whale was a square craft with circular edges and corners while on each edge a long cone grew out with the docking bays and blast doors at the end of each one. As a platoon leader I was there early for debriefing, I walked over to one of the entrances to the ship and entered. Inside the corridors were bathed in a blue hue leading to multitudes of rooms and hangars for smaller ships and cargo. I reached the captain¡¯s quarters and pressed my palm to the panel by the metallic door and it lit up blue, my name, ID and face appeared on the panel above it so I waited to be let in. A beeping sound alerted me to the door opening as only a moment after the double doors spread letting me in, I stepped into the large room which held an assortment of monitors and a large rectangular table in the middle with a screen on it. Sitting around the table were the new outfit leader Reas, new deputy leader Kale and three others which I presumed to be the other platoon leaders. I straightened myself as a drop of sweat fell down my forehead, this was all new to me and I was quite literally shaking from over excitement. Being an un-emotional ice cube for years made it very difficult to control them now, I stopped midway and saluted while glancing around at the others. ¡°Sit down Anderson, we will begin shortly.¡± I straightened myself and took one of the empty seats, to my left sat a very bored looking dwarf with a half burned half ginger beard, ginger short hair and grey eyes to the opposite of us sat Kale with two others to his right. One was a female wolf Beastwoman, greyish blue long hair, tail and ears while next to her sat a male Avian with snow white long hair and feathered arms looking like wings. Reas was intently looking at the screen in front of her when all of a sudden ¡°Very well, we shall now begin. As some of you newer platoon leaders don¡¯t know, platoons are formed for larger contracts and as such operate as a much larger squad while outfits operate differently. When a contract comes around that requires an Outfit we pick platoon leader candidates and give them lead under my and the deputy¡¯s supervision, this contract will involve a large force that through out our company¡¯s history has only been shown twice and those were the second and third waves. Approximately seven hundred members make up a platoon and each of the four platoons will operate as a single force while being strategically controlled by command which will be us in this room.¡± She inhaled and continued ¡°Platoon leaders will move with any unit of any size that moves away from the main outfit¡¯s force acting as leaders and communicators between the platoon and command. You are the strongest and most experienced of the whole outfit hand picked by either me, Deputy Kale or Lord Zeaxar himself.¡± She sent an amused glance at me while everyone else in the room except Kale sent me one full of curiosity and some jealousy ¡°You may be sent on solo missions or elite missions with just the four of you so you MUST be acquainted at least, come now before the day is over. Introduce yourselves.¡± She waved a hand at the dwarf who stood up (¡°You should of stayed sitting¡­¡±) an unusual thought went through my mind as I forced a smile down. The dwarf began to introduce himself ¡°My name is Jrel HighSung, I specialize in dwarf machinery and Earth magic. I rank B [II] ¨C [III]¡± When he went to sit back down I noticed his left arm, or would be arm due to its metallic look and robotic features. I suddenly felt everyone¡¯s gazes on me and went to stand ¡°My name is Matthew Anderson, I specialize in Aether Tech and am a Martial Aether myself.¡± I sigh and await what is to come ¡°I rank A [III] ¨C S ¡±. *TUMBLE* *SLAM* *CRACK* *WHIMPER* *SNORT* Multiple sounds fill the room as everyone takes in my declaration at their own paces and reacts. This was something I expected and had yet to announce to anyone, it was a given that with my power increasing from gaining full control of my soul and the addition of fully cultivating the dungeon¡¯s mana that my rank would also increase. As far as I knew the only ones above A rank were King Zeaxar and his new Elite squad which was handpicked from the old elite squads, called the elite seven this squad was the most formidable force the E.A held and was almost never deployed. I thought I could probably go head to head with one of them but Zeaxar himself was on a completely different level, at my current estimate he was around S [II] ¨C S[III] and a single S tier was the whole table all over again. I looked up at everyone¡¯s expressions, Reas had jumped up and slammed her hands on the table breaking the small screen in front of her, Kale stared dumbfounded at me, Jrel had fallen off his chair and was staring up at me, the Avian looked at me with a disbelieving expression while the werewoman had risen up just like Reas but had taken a couple steps back from the table. Some of these expressions worsened because I stopped concealing my aura the second those words had completely left my lips. ¡°Lower S rank? You? Reas where did you find this cub of yours?!¡± The werewoman stared at Reas who was at a loss for words, ¡°Well..Ugh¡­That was surprising¡­¡± Jrel got up and sat back down obviously entertaining the idea of nobody noticing he fell off. Reas cleared her throat ¡°Settle down¡­Anderson¡­How¡­When did you break through to S?...¡± everyone settled down and intently looked at me, I started feeling uncomfortable from the stares ¡°It was from..the last mission¡­I had reached to A[III] after soul defragmentation which was due to my past as a Beta Martial Aether. The break through to S came later with cultivating the mana of an outside source that I absorbed, have you all heard the reports and news of the Dungeon Core species leaking into Etyria and Earth?¡± everyone nodded ¡°I drained the mana of one and integrated it as my own, due to that I lost attribution to many elements and now I suspect my effieciency is at least 90% chaos. With also the addition of contracting with the Fairy, my mana control and mana production sky rocketed.¡± With that I sat back down, forcefully ending the conversation. The werewoman cleared her throat and rose to break the ice and introduced herself ¡°My name is Kayleigh Zerk and I specialize in my family¡¯s Ancestral Arts, Berserker Arts. I rank B [III] ¨C A . ¡± she sat back down and nudged the Avian next to her left out of his daze ¡°Oh!...uh¡­.¡± he stood up ¡°I am Skel Faus¡¯delra, I¡¯m a wind mage and spear master to be. I rank B [II] ¨C [III]¡± he coughed and sat back down, while all still glanced at me as if I was some kind of monster in the room. Kale saw the situation and began without Reas, he stood up and walked over to the monitor in the back of the room ¡°The contract is a long standing survey mission so our whole outfit will be involved and we will be using this carrier as headquarters. As we speak thousands of our members are entering the carrier and the pilots are preparing for launch.¡± He turns the monitor on and turns around ¡°We have three goals, scout out the area we come out in, find information on the previous survey corps from Earth and make contact with any sentient civilizations, in that order. We have a basic map of the surroundings due to the previous surveys.¡± He opens the map on all the monitors in the room, the land mass was desert for miles with many rock formations. ¡°We will appear here.¡± He points at one of the larger rock formations ¡°When we arrive the human scientists that are accompanying us will send drones to scout the area for danger before we send out a scouting party, the scouting party will be made up of one platoon leader and twelve first rangers. Captain, your pick?¡± Reas was intently sizing me up, which made me feel horrified. ¡°Matthew, you¡¯re the strongest combat wise from all the platoon leaders and therefore has the highest survivability rate. You will accompany the ranger squad, relay any information you might think is important immediately on comms. The rangers have already been picked and you will meet them immediately after we depart, they will meet up in bay 7 with the scout ship pilot.¡± She rose along with everyone else ¡°Meeting is adjourned for now.¡± Everyone entered the E.A¡¯s salute stance and we walked out of the room. (¡°The new guy gets the scout mission? Well can¡¯t complain but¡­¡±) With a weak smile on my face I walk towards the on-board dorms and mess with the panel to find my room, (¡°232¡­233¡­234!¡±) finding my dorm room I press my palm to the door and runes fill its metallic surface, it unlocks and I push it open. The rooms were the same size as the ones on the dormitory floors with the exact same furniture, but in here was something different. A large black case sat ontop of my bed, inside I would find equipment I made while within the military¡¯s Aether Tech division and although most of my equipment was taken by the military I was able to keep some key gear that I made with my own resources. I walk over to the case an arm¡¯s length and width with a couple centimetres of height, I open it with a grin plastered on my excited expression and start taking out some of the aether technology. First I take out two belts, one I strap around my waist and the other my torso and back. Along the belts where pockets and clips for holding and sticking equipment to, I then started taking out the rest of the gear. Multi-shaped weapons and utilities were taken out and equipped onto the belts which are mostly hidden by the long trench coat, a couple minutes passed as I took everything except the tools and parts out which I used to repair or make more. It is quite hilarious when I think about it, everyone is amazed or terrified at the fire power I can produce with my Bound Aethers so what would they think if I had the use of every single one of my hand made aethers? Weapons like grenades and other utilities that use both science and magic. This wasn¡¯t a mission I was prepared to fail at, I wanted to be as equipped as possible. The previous survey corps were a large force of Earth¡¯s military with top of the line equipment but lacked something that humans back then did not give military importance, magic. If the joint government had given more attention to the research on magic instead of petty politics and pointing fingers after the third wave then the two year war would have ended much quicker or never happened at all. The corporations behind the two year war took advantage of magic and would have won if it wasn¡¯t for us Cerberii rebelling. I turned around and looked into the mirror on the wall, my usual blank expression completely gone and replaced ¡°What¡¯s with the mad grin? Looking like some insane scientist¡­.¡± But my excitement died there, as a dark expression replaced it. ¡°I¡¯m such a damn pessimist¡­¡±. ¡°They say scars of the heart never heal but rarely show, is this one of those?¡± I had let my guard down, turning around I found my door open with Zeaxar staring at me but it wasn¡¯t him that spoke. Next to him was a balding old man with a white lab coat and glasses, he seemed to be drenched in sweat and pale as a ghost as he stared at the ground not wanting to make eye contact with me. I felt my heart stop as this moment seemed to break my very soul, my mind went into overdrive as I raised my right arm forcing Wayne in aether form.¡±AhhH!¡± I fired, multiple times with a dead like expression but Zeaxar blocked all of them with a barrier as the old man fell backwards into the corridor. ¡°You said you had it under control!¡± the old man¡¯s face was as white as it could possibly get, ¡°Stand down.¡± Zeaxar looked me dead in the eyes with a serious expression as I looked back with an ice cold glare ¡°Get out of my way.¡±. Our killing intent and auras clashed for supremacy, he sighed ¡°I figured we¡¯d get this over with now, before you head out¡±. ¡°Get it over with? Head out? ¡°HE¡± is the scientist?! You take one second away from him and Iwill give him more holes than a block of cheese! That ¡°man¡± should have stayed locked up! I WARNED THEM! ¡± I continued firing as a drop of sweat fell down Zeaxar¡¯s face while he blocked all my devouring blasts with his barrier. Purple mist formed off Wayne¡¯s aether as it¡¯s form instantly changed, instead of a black long barrelled pistol my hand now held a black automatic shotgun with purple runic designs. ¡°Shit¡± Zeaxar¡¯s form disappeared for a second as a black shadow appeared next to the scientist and they both disappeared again, the area they once stood in was being covered in black pellets that exploded while leaving behind a purple mist that corroded the ground and walls. ¡°Sorry about this kid.¡± The voice came from behind me just as I felt a jab at my neck, turning and falling at the same time as the last thing I saw before I passed out was Zeaxar standing behind me. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! --- Author; Hello darkness, my old friend I''ve come to talk with you again Because a vision softly creeping Left its seeds while I was sleeping And the vision that was planted in my brain Still remains Within the sound of silence --- *Thump* *Thump* My heart beating is all I could hear, I wondered why I wasn¡¯t recalling my past as I normally would. Utter darkness filled my mind as my heart continued to beat. *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* Then my eyes began to open, light filled my sight as it took me a bit to adjust to it. ¡°I swear you¡¯re more of a handful than I thought you¡¯d be.¡± I was laying on a bed in medbay, Zeaxar and Reas stood by me. I stared at Zeaxar ¡°What is the meaning of this.¡± He sighed and looked at the straps holding me to the bed ¡°A precaution I should of taken beforehand, now shut the hell up and listen. Doctor Heiken WILL accompany us on the survey mission and you WILL NOT lay a hand on him, if you do I will personally pull you out of the mission and chain you down some fucking where. I do not expect you to interact with him at all, simply keep him safe from whatever the hell is here.¡± He glared down at me ¡°Have I made myself clear?¡± his killing intent was very clear but my emotions cared not for the fear I should have answered with ¡°Crystal¡±. He turned to leave and in an instant all eight straps fell apart as if a flurry of blades passed by, my eyes went wide as I rose off the bed and grabbed hold of my arms rubbing them from the numbness the straps gave me. I looked at the exit and he was gone, ¡°Well then, since we have that sorted out. Meet up with the rangers in bay 7, the scout ship and pilots are ready. Please do not scare them to death.¡± Reas sighed and got up, my killing intent and aura seemed out of my control as so was my anger. ¡°You have ten minutes.¡± She turned and left the med bay. I sat there for a couple minutes staring down at my palm, I sighed ¡°Practice what you preach¡­¡± clenching my hand into a fist I got off the bed and checked my equipment making sure nothing was missing. I sighed as I noticed a second badge on my trench coat, one that showed my rank as a platoon leader. I checked my Iris and located the 7th docking bay, while walking down the corridors I got a glimpse at the outside through a window where multiple other members where currently viewing out of. ¡°Desert as far as I can see¡­¡±¡­¡±No sign of life, not even a damn tree.¡±¡­¡±Three suns might explain it, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if this whole planet was like this. But all three seem so small¡­our moons look larger.¡± The small crowd pointed out pretty much everything, except the strange rock formations that looked out of place in the sandy lands. I kept moving on and finally arrived at bay 7, the moment I stood in front of them the metallic double doors slid open. Inside was a fairly large room with enough space for three bus sized scout ships and some seats, off the side of the room as I entered I glanced at twelve members in uniform lazying around on the seats while the two pilots where standing in front of them apparently in deep conversation. I didn¡¯t mean to sneak but it was a habit of mine to walk silently, ¡°I hear he¡¯s a friggin monster¡± one human pilot exclaimed with arms wide open as the others intently looked at him ¡°He aced the exams and destroyed his outfit leader in a duel! I hear he¡¯s already medium tier A rank! What really takes the cherry on the cake is that he¡¯s only twenty years of age!¡±. The second the rangers and the second pilot saw me behind him their expressions went from amusement to wide eyed dumbfounded, these were rangers and specialised in covert ops and scouting after all but I had completely walked into their group without their noticing. ¡°Wha?..Why you looking at me like that?...He¡¯s behind me ain¡¯t he?...¡± the female pilot turned to find me glaring at her, she went ghostly pale as she took a couple steps to the side and saluted. ¡°Get up and get in, two minutes till we launch.¡± I gave my orders and turned to the scout ship, similarly to the caravans but around half the size these ships are equipped with top of the line aether technology. The pilots rushed to the front as I sat down with my back to the cockpit and facing the whole group of rangers as they sat down, ¡°Froze our hearts there kid, no wonder you¡¯ve been picked.¡± I hadn¡¯t noticed it was her before but Leya entered the ship and sat on the seat closer to me, as the others sat as far away as they possibly could and the ship only had enough space for thirteen passengers not including the pilot seats. The last ranger entered and closed the door behind him, when everyone was seating we waited for orders from command to leave. A monitor rose from the floor facing me, Zeaxar¡¯s amused face appearing on it. ¡°Prepare for launch in 3¡± The ship¡¯s engine was turned on ¡°2¡± the hover mechanic was activated and everyone made sure their belts were well buckled ¡°1¡± the ship began moving forward as the bay¡¯s blast doors opened ¡°Mission start, Go!¡± the monitor descended back into the floor as the ship sped out of the carrier¡¯s docking bay and out into the desert¡¯s skies. ¡°This is Reas, the drones scouted no danger and have updated the map with some changes. The map will be displayed at the bottom left of your peripheral vision using the Iris A-tech, you may move it with touch like any other Iris-window.¡± A map appeared in my vision showing the area within 100 meters of me and glowing green dots indicating my squaddies¡¯ location. ¡°Reas may I have a copy of the old map overlay differences?¡± I spoke into the comms as the ship began to land. ¡°Here you go, won¡¯t that decrease your vision though?¡± a second map appeared on top the first one covering a little bit of my left vision. ¡°Its fine.¡± I felt the ship land and unbuckled the belt ¡°Let¡¯s go, out.¡± On my orders the rangers pulled up their hoods and face masks due to the sandy wind and opened the ship¡¯s door, we got out one by one as everyone formed a circle around the ship while I exited. We had landed next to one of the larger rock formations which rose roughly four storys high, between us and the cliff looking formations was a glimmer in the air as if reality was distorting. I recognised this as the portal which was stretched for the gigantic carrier to pass through and then sealed so that nothing can go back unless Zeaxar wants it to. The portal was perpendicular to the rocky hill and so we had to walk by it to arrive at the hill. Using the squad menu on my Iris I selected some members ¡°Kess, Neil , Harley , Rejk , Nulis and Ren stay with the ship, the other six come with me.¡± I divided the squad leaving six defending the ship and took six with me as we quickly ran towards the rocky hill, the sand rose high with every step we took we almost had to leap. ¡°What the hell is this?¡± one of the rangers spoke out as we arrived by the hill, one part of the rocks was charred and broken as if an explosion took place there. ¡°Guard formation, I¡¯ll check it out.¡± The six rangers formed a semi circle around me as I summoned Wayne into my hand, using Aether Morph I changed it into a black claw like weapon and aimed my arm at what looked like the centre of the explosion. The claw shot forth from my arm as black rope trailed behind it, the rope then began flowing back into the cubic black bracelet that was the lower half of the claw and began pulling me up the hill¡¯s face. It didn¡¯t take me long to reach the middle of the charred patch and I began inspecting the stone, it was burned as I expected but something was off. From my belt I took out a black coin like object and pressed it to the shattered surface, when I let go the coin was stuck to the stone and glowed purple.I unsummoned Wayne and skid down the hill¡¯s side till I reached the sandy ground, ¡°What did you find?¡± Leya turned when she heard me hit the ground and so did the others. ¡°Heads up.¡± I warned them and they took a step back right when the explosion occurred, the ATC(Aether Tech Coin) was similar to C4 but had a smaller radius and weaker blast making it perfect to break apart small surfaces without too much damage. Stone showered down behind me as I waited for everything to settle down, when the last stone hit the ground I crouched by the rubble and began looking through it. Pieces of shrapnel could be identified between the stone, that along with the obvious explosion that had occurred brought me to one conclusion ¡°Tank shell, the previous group fired a tank shell at this hill side for some reason¡±. ¡°Why would they shoot a rock?¡± one of the female rangers looked up ¡°Okay a big rock but¡­still?¡±, one of the older male rangers snorted ¡°Who said they didn¡¯t just miss their actual target?...¡± the wood elf began glancing around the desert. ¡°If you¡¯re right let¡¯s hope whatever that may be is long gone, to dodge a tank shell at what might be point blank range¡­But then¡­¡± I rose up and looked around ¡°Where is the tank?¡±. I looked down at the sand beneath me ¡°I wonder¡±, I summoned both Wayne and Ember and aimed both down at the ground. I shot a blast shot that devoured the sand and rapidly poured mana into Ember shooting a flamethrower kind of attack but on a higher heat level, the hole was about a meter wide and too deep to see what was within while it¡¯s sides was molten glass. The rangers stepped close and some crouched by the hole, I aimed Ember down the hole again and shot a single projectile with the sole purpose of illuminating it. *Clunk* More than some eyebrows rose at the clunky sound, ¡°Well that answers that¡±. ¡°How do we get it out?¡± Leya stared down the hole, ¡°How did it get down there is what you mean¡­¡± one of the Beastmen in the squad spoke and began inspecting the sand, some saw him and began doing the same. I looked at the wood elf to my right who seemed the most experienced ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±, he glanced at me ¡°Get to the ship¡­¡± a mad expression filled everyone¡¯s faces ¡°GET TO THE SHIP!¡± everyone including me turned and made a mad dash towards the ship as the sand beneath us began to shift and rise. ¡°KRAAAAAAHHHH!!!¡± --- Author: I feed upon your tears at every ending¡­Salty tears¡­Hehehehehe¡­. Remember to rate xD! Edited by; Birse, Rise up in rebellion of his cliffhangers! Ch 13 - The devouring desert. Author; Shit happened and wasn''t able to post, posting schedule has been scrapped... --- ¡°KRAAAAAAHHHH!!!¡± ¡°SAND WYRMS! RUN!¡± The sand rose and a gigantic monster broke through and into the sky above the desert, worm like but with the thickness of a skyscraper. Their skin was earth brown scales pointing out their reptilian bloodline but the scales weren¡¯t all ¡°normal¡±, a scale grew out like a large blade giving the creatures four fin like protrusions every couple meters all over their body and its seemingly had no head as its body started and ended the same. At each end a mouth with hundreds of sets of rotating fangs that shred through sand giving them their speed and digging through stone making them almost impossible to escape in the current landscape. The monstrous wyrm after rising from the sand turned and began its descent down towards the puny scout ship, ¡°Guard squad get the pilots and run now! We don¡¯t have time!¡± I gave the order and saw the rangers by the ship enter and start the engine. All I could do was run and hope, will they make it? Or will they become worm grub? The worm kept descending as the ship finally took flight, it¡¯s maw picking up speed towards the ship. I sighed, in relief as the ship¡¯s pilots proved their mettle by dodging the wyrm¡¯s mouth at the closest range possible. I could barely hear one of the rangers cursing in Elvish behind me as we dashed towards the open desert, I glanced to my left ¡°Turn left! Towards the hill!¡± we turn and start heading towards the rock formation as the wyrm crashed back into the sand and disappeared. ¡°It might change target! Does anybody have quake magic!?¡± the old wood elf shouted on the squad comms but all we could do was keep running as nobody responded in acknowledgement. ¡°Scout squad we are sending extraction!¡± Reas shouted in my ears making me grimace ¡°No! Send no more ships! They will just be eaten up by the wyrms!¡± I glanced back at the unmoving sand, no way to tell where the damn beasts are at. ¡°Stop moving! NOW¡± I summon fort Wayne and Ember, I take a left and began firing at the ground. All six rangers stop in their tracks and stare as I keep running, I glance back and see the wyrm grow a lump of sand as it changes direction to follow me. ¡°Matt I don¡¯t know if to thank you or pray for you! You mad bastard!¡± I heard Leya speaking in my ears but I focused on running, mist began flowing out of my body as I entered mist form and I stopped. I leaped upwards but kept shooting Ember towards the ground where I was heading to keep the wym interested, I turn mid-air and aim down wards while putting Wayne and Ember¡¯s sights to collide their shots. Using both aethers I propel myself upwards using the blast from the explosive projectile from Ember colliding with a normal projectile from Wayne, after rising about five storeys I see the wyrm moving under me close to the surface. My fear was on point as the wyrm came out directly at me not at the decoy shots, ¡°Double Aether Morph!¡± I shout to get its attention as both my aethers become unstable and lose their form. The wyrm slows down to swallow me as I fall while in my right arm was the outcome of merging both aethers into one, a long red barrel ending in a thicker distorted black block with flowing purple runes. (¡°This is gonna fucking hurt!¡±) static energy flowed at the end of the barrel as mana condensed at insane speed within the cannon, seven meters away from the wyrm¡¯s mouth, waves of heat began to form around the barrel and pummelling my face as I descended, five meters now, the static got sucked into the barrel and the heat completely stopped at 3 meters. A red and purple beam of rotating mana blasted out of the barrel and into the wyrm¡¯s open mouth, ¡°KRREEEEEHHHH¡± it screamed in agony as the beam shred some of its jaws as they rotated and a straight line down its throat and stomach. The wyrm turned its body away to hide its mouth from my line of sight so I stopped the beam, I was still heading straight for one of its bladed fins and aimed at its scaly hide. I shot a power blast and summoned my weak barrier to take the explosion, I barely dodged the bladed edge and skid down its side. Whenever I could I stuck fist sized spiky coins in between its scales that I got from my belts, it began turning towards the ground to descend under the sand just as I reached it and began running away from the monster. When I felt like I was far enough away I stopped and turned to see it burrow back down, in my left was a detonator and I waited with my cannon raised. When the other end made itself visible as it burrowed I pressed the detonator and seven loud explosions could be heard from underground while a couple of bulges could be seen in the sand, ¡°KREEAAAEEEHHH!!¡± the wyrm screamed in pain again as the explosions attacked it¡¯s ¡°ears¡± due to the sound. Another mouth rises from the sand while staying half hidden by the sand it was still open for me to attack, I had been charging one up just for this opportunity. A sphere of pure dense chaos energy hovered in front of my cannon, gravity seemed to distort around it as sand floated upwards and static struck the ground and air nearby it. I released the pent up fire mana inside the barrel which propelled the black and purple sphere at great speed towards and into the wyrm¡¯s mouth, this projectile is similar to a devouring attack from Tempre but much more dense and containing massive amounts of more mana. Although I was reaching my limits so I put my full fate into this one attack, the sphere entered the half open mouth while disintegrating any fang or flesh it touched and kept going ¡°Krreeaaeehhh!!!...¡± the wyrm let out another scream of anguish but was cut off by the sphere expanding to its full size while within its throat and destroying one of its two brains. The visible end went limp as it was pulled into the sand by the other end, ¡°Don¡¯t move, will it have survived that attack?¡± I ask on comms for an answer and to wake up those that were awe struck. ¡°That one is no longer a problem, it won¡¯t move too far since one half is dead and cannot process the sand. It¡¯s stuck down there.¡± The old wood elf¡¯s voice comes through, ¡°Scout ship, do a pass by and get the others. Do not land, I repeat do a pass by.¡± I look around and locate the ship. ¡°Yes sir!¡± the co-pilot¡¯s voice comes through and I recognise it as the female pilot, the ship flies down and hovers by the rangers as all six are helped up and in by the others. ¡°We¡¯re making a pass by for you Sir!¡± I slightly relaxed and waited for the scout ship to close in, it covered half the distance and something felt completely wrong. I glanced around the sand ¡°PULL UP!¡± the sand shifted underneath the ship as it pulled up, two sand wyrms rose out of the desert and with mouths agape crashed their sides with each other only to dive back into the sand. I sighed with relief when I located the scout ship flying upwards, ¡°Sir we can¡¯t get close! Requesting orders!¡± I furrowed my brows and looked around. I was closer to the rock formation we discovered the tank shell at so I slowly turned to face it, ¡°Hover on top of the previous hill, I¡¯ll meet you at the top. Do not land and keep a height higher than your current.¡± I took a deep breath and made a mad dash towards the hill while unsummoning the merged aether. These beasts located their prey through sound and probably body heat compared to the sand which was much warmer than our bodies, right now I just hoped they would prefer a possible larger prey than a small easy one. From the belt around my chest and shoulder I took out two large discs with glowing blue runes, I held one in my mouth as I activated the other and switched to do the same. When both were active I threw them perpendicular to me, one for each side and summoned both aethers in their original pistol form. The discs landed a couple meters away from me in the sand and I turned aiming an aether per disc, I shot a single shot each and nailed the discs making them explode in a cold blast of water and wind mana. The explosion instantly froze the air and formed a large ice spike which slowly began to melt in the sand, I turned back and continued my dash for the hill hoping I was right. Two loud crashed echoed behind me ¡°Kreeeaaahahh!!¡± followed by equally disturbing screams of pain as the wyrms devoured the cold ice and are confused by it, I kept running till I finally reached the side of the hill. I dared not glance backwards and grabbed a set of knife like weapons from one of the belt¡¯s pockets, a blade with a ring for a hilt so I had one per finger. I threw one and the second it stopped rising I activated it¡¯s magic, the knife disappeared and I replaced it. I called them Shadow step kunai, using them I rose as high up as I could until I had two remaining and threw the one before the last as hard as I could. The second I replaced the knife I stabbed the last knife into the cliff edge with my left arm and held on, I was a couple meters away from the top so I summoned forth Wayne and morphed the aether into the grapple claw. I shot the claw at the top and began ascending, when I reached the top I ran to the middle of the hill and looked up ¡°Descend a couple meters quickly!¡± I shouted the orders and the scout ship began descending, I waited and when I felt like it was within my comfortable range I threw the last knife and it flew straight at the ship. I switched with the knife and grabbed hold of someone¡¯s arm as I looked down at where I once stood, one of the wyrms crashed into the rocky hill and destroyed it with its drill like fangs and weight. ¡°Well that was a close call¡­thought we lost you there¡­again¡­¡± I looked up to find Leya on the other side of the grip grinning madly, I grinned back as two other rangers came around to help pull me up ¡°Not dying to some damn worm¡±. I looked back out of the ship before closing the door behind me, I watched in horror as at first tens of wyrms increased to a number I simply couldn¡¯t start counting. ¡°Holy¡­They¡¯re all over¡­How did the first group survive for a whole week?!¡± the pilot had a better view of the desert and was thinking on the same wave length as me. ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, there is no way they went around with their vehicles without disturbing them.¡± I looked at the two maps and analyse them ¡°There was no land mass larger than the current rock formations, the only difference is the location of some of them changed slightly.¡± The only thoughts passing through my head was how would these large masses of stone change location in this sea of sand?...¡±Take us back to HQ, we¡¯ve gathered all we could for today.¡± We all settle back and buckle up as we fly back to the carrier, ¡°Reas we require access to bay 7¡±. The blast doors to the docking bay opened and the scout ship slowly hovered in, half way in it began to descend and landed as the blast doors closed behind us. ¡°Platoon leader please present your report at command in 10.¡± Kale¡¯s voice arrived over personal comms ¡°Yes Sir¡­¡± I sighed and began walking towards the door, ¡°Yo cap, thanks for having our behinds back there.¡± I turned to see the whole squad saluting me ¡°Some monsters are better to have on your side, don¡¯t you think?¡± I glanced at the co pilot who went pale as everyone else started laughing. I left the bay as the others sorted out their minds after this dreadful mission, I headed down towards my dorm room and took a shower also changing to another set of my uniform after. I then headed up to the third floor of the main section and towards the outfit leader¡¯s office, as before I pressed my palm to the door and waited for them to slide open. When they did I entered to find Zeaxar sitting in the far middle with Reas to his left and Kale to his right, the other platoon leaders sitting on each side of the large table. ¡°Give your report kid.¡± I furrowed my brow when I saw Zeaxar but began giving my report anyway, ¡°It is still unknown how but the previous survey group spent a week in this desert until all communications were lost as per our intel, the group encountered an aggressive and larger variant of desert wyrm which presumably destroyed their camp and their whole force with little resistance. I divided the squad into two and took six members to inspect the closest formation the group would have come into contact with, a tank shell¡¯s shrapnel was found within one of the rocky formations indicating tank fire. The wyrms then attacked our ship and forced us to retreat, we suffered no casualties and possibly buried one of them which might result in its death. I inspected the current terrain and the map made by the previous survey group, the rocky formations have changed position slightly which might hint at how and why the wyrms did not instantly attack them¡±. ¡°Sir have you seen their numbers?...¡± I looked at Zeaxar dead in the eyes, ¡°Yes we all have, do you have any more information on these wyrm variants? Any speculations?¡± he sat back in his chair and swiped at a screen in front of him, making some images of the beasts appear on the monitors around the room. ¡°As any normal wyrm they use sound and vibrations to locate their prey and find their way around the desert, they are fast enough to catch up to even me at full speed. They also seem to be attracted by variations in the temperature, two instances of this is when they attacked the scout ship for its hotter engine and when they focused on ice spikes I created for their colder temperature. I highly suggest we keep the carrier at a very high elevation and away from the ground at all costs, one of them ate through stone to get to me¡±. Zeaxar switched off the monitors ¡°Indeed, Reas prepare four platoons to leave in twelve hours. We cannot access the terrain beneath us therefore we will scout further and look for more favourable terrain, each platoon will consist of fifteen rangers and a platoon leader. They will head in every direction with MCCs, mark 1 not the mark 2 scouts. Everyone make necessary preparations¡± He looked back at me ¡°Kid I suggest you go rest up, this is going to be a long mission. Meeting adjourned!¡± with that he simply dissipated into shadow, leaving us to walk out of the room and let Reas sort out the platoons. I had three things I needed to do before the next mission, first I needed to eat something, second I needed to refill my aether belts and third I needed a couple hours of sleep¡­so first I decided to head down to the second floor and towards one of the cafeterias on the ship. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I reached the elevator and went a floor below, walked around a couple corridors and looked at the map on my Iris a couple times till I reached the open doors of the cafeteria. The room was very large with enough seating for around a thousand, there were two cafeterias on board so enough room to fit the whole outfit. The walls similarly to the rest of the ship were metallic grey while the floor was studded black, along the walls there was either lines of mana flowing through and giving the room a light blue hue or a large window from which one could look outside while within the cafeteria. Currently almost every member of the outfit was in one of the cafeterias since unless they were part of the ship¡¯s crew they had nothing else to do, ¡°MATT!¡± I sigh ¡°MASTER!!¡± I slump my shoulders trying to make myself look as small as possible as I walk towards the loud wood elf that is Ell and ball of green light buzzing around her that is Saya. ¡°Stop shouting¡­I see you¡­¡± I walked over to their table and noticed the whole squad except the captain were there, with some others as well. ¡°Yo boss, heard from the guys here you¡¯re in their squad?¡± a fox Beastman was sitting by Leya with an older wood elf next to him. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m in Houghes squad. You three going to be in the next scout too?¡± these two where some of the rangers that were sent with me. ¡°Yes we will be, I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve introduced ourselves¡± the old elf gets up and salutes ¡°I¡¯m Glent Jriej¡¯el, this old fox here is my old friend and introduced me to your squad¡± the fox beastman also gets up and salutes ¡°Kesh of the north west pack, we¡¯ve been meaning to thank you for ya know¡­saving our asses back there¡±. I take a seat next to Jerrald ¡°No need, just doing my job.¡± Saya flutters over to my shoulder and they sit back down as well, ¡°Job? Kid I¡¯ve been going on these jobs for years, I could have sworn that would of been my last! You saved our lives and all the other rangers back there agree, we owe ya!¡± I looked at both of them without their hoods on, Glent looks to be around his forties but for an elf that only meant he is over a thousand. He has long brown hair held back in a warrior style and green eyes with multiple scars on his face. Kesh on the other hand easily spoke his years, fox beastmen could live for a good couple hundred years but not as much as others or elves. He has red fox like ears growing out of his greying red short hair, a long furry red tail ending in white and a greying red moustache. ¡±Wanted the others to join us but they said they wanted some time for themselves, recon those cowards be drowning In their own piss right now.¡± Kesh seemed annoyed at something but I didn¡¯t ask, ¡°Hey Matt, would you know why I was moved to another platoon? Got a notification for the platoon grouping but I¡¯m with Zerk¡¯s platoon now?¡± I furrow my brow, activate my Iris and check the party menu for who is in my platoon ¡°Don¡¯t know, all the others are still in my platoon¡­Ell you¡¯re coming too?¡± she looks up from eating, ¡°Y~eap¡± I facepalm because I didn¡¯t understand her through the food in her mouth but figured I didn¡¯t need a confirmation as her name on the party menu was enough. I turn away from the Iris and order from the crystal on the table, touching it a menu pops up and I just settle on some steak. The food appears in front of me and I start inspecting the two maps while I eat, ¡°Ma..Matt¡­?¡± Saya calls my name to get my attention ¡°Can I come with you on the next mission?...I don¡¯t like being away from my contractor¡­¡± I think it over for a couple moments and then look into her eyes ¡°Fine fine¡­Just stick close and don¡¯t touch anything¡±. I swear her eyes lit up with excitement when I acknowledged it, she fluttered around me the whole time I ate afterwards. ¡°Well I¡¯m off to my room, I need to refill my belts.¡± I got up and waved, ¡°I¡¯ll come!¡± Saya came fluttering onto my shoulder. I felt eyes on my back but said nothing, for some reason most of the cafeteria was watching me and it wasn¡¯t pleasant. I got out of the cafeteria and sighed of relief ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Saya looked at me with a worried expression while I walked, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, some people are just too impressionable¡±. I headed to the dorms and found my room which I had located earlier in the day, ¡°What..happened¡­here?...¡± Saya was staring wide eyed at the corroded walls, floor and roof. ¡°Long story, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I scratched my head thinking of a way to dodge the subject while she pouted and looked at me as if she knew it was my doing, ¡°We¡¯re partners now¡­Why can¡¯t you tell me?...¡± I entered my room as she kept looking at me and I turned my head to look back. I sighed and sat down on the bed, ¡°One of the scientists that the government sent as a researcher, he¡­¡± I wanted to talk about anything else and for some moments I stayed quiet. ¡°Please¡­We don¡¯t need to have secrets¡­I¡­I need to know you can trust me¡­Or I¡­I don¡¯t know if I can¡­¡± she balled up on my shoulder and drowned her face in her arms and legs, ¡°He¡¯s one of the scientists responsible for the Cerberus Project¡± I leaned back a bit, holding myself with my arms ¡°He was one of the main researches back in the lab that was responsible for me, due to that he was too well protected for me¡­for us to get to him. He¡­He¡¯s the bastard that pulled the trigger on everyone¡¯s collar, I don¡¯t know if I can resist the urge to¡­¡±I clenched my fists ¡°To kill that disgusting being¡­If I see him again¡­and if nobody is there to stop me¡­I don¡¯t¡­.I know I won¡¯t be able to control myself again..¡± we stood there for some time, I drowned in my misery while Saya sat there shocked. ¡°What will you do?...I have no connection to these people¡­we¡­we are in a different world¡­we could¡­they wouldn¡¯t be able to find us¡­¡± I understood her train of thought but ¡°No¡­Zeaxar will find us in a heartbeat, He¡¯s too strong and I doubt even I can kill him If he didn¡¯t hold back at all. Also¡­I need everyone here¡­Roaming the desert¡­even if it means killing that bastard¡­I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to stay sane after that.¡± I up from the bed and took off my belts, Saya got off my shoulder and fluttered over to the headrest. I grabbed my tools and resource box, sat on the bed by them and began building what I had used up. ¡°What is all this stuff?...I¡¯ve never seen anything like it before¡­¡± Saya stared with curiosity as my hands fidgeted with different parts and tools, ¡°This is Aether Tech, using science and magic to create weapons and other utilities to aide me in combat and missions. This here for example¡± I hold up a small coin looking object with a purple crystal embedded in the centre of it ¡°Is an explosive, it is timed and cannot be stopped even if destroyed it will just instantly blow up. It¡¯s area of effect and blast power is small which gives it some very specific uses and not much for combat, I mostly use it as a detonator for something or a contained blast to destroy specific things. Then there is this, it¡¯s upgraded version.¡± I put the coin down and hold up a larger one with clamp like spikes on the edges ¡°This has an area of effect a bit larger than its smaller counterpart but its blast power is very strong, it¡¯s perfect for piercing through doors and walls or even armour.¡± I put it down and continue working ¡°This here that I¡¯m making is called a shadow switch kunai, the design is based on a human culture called Asia and that culture has certain clans called ¡°Shinobi¡± they are masters of deceit and assassination but were mostly used for information gathering and scouting. This knife¡¯s shape is made for penetrative power and accuracy, it will embed itself into walls and armour and then¡± I throw one to the wall and instantly switch places with it causing it to embed itself into the wall next to the bed ¡°with it¡¯s minor spacial runes it allows for short teleportation bursts and can only be used twice.¡± I then re appear standing on the bed while the knife falls to the ground where I was just standing, I sit back down and raise my left arm taking off the glove ¡°This is one of the runes it works off of¡± I touch my wrist and a rune glows forming a scar on my wrist which then disappears almost instantly. Saya looked impressed but also furrowed her brows ¡°How many of those do you have?¡± I raised an eyebrow at her question ¡°Kunai?¡± she shook her head ¡°Runic scars¡±. A weak smile forms on my face, knowing what she was trying to bring up ¡°As many as my skin could fit, along with my eye lashes, ears, bottom of my feet, tongue, mouth and¡­other places.¡± She stared at me for a couple moments confused, I stared back and she slightly went red ¡°EEHH!?¡±. I let out a chuckle ¡°I¡¯m joking, well the last part anyway¡± I continue putting things together, putting screws in, infusing mana and using my chaos affinity to distort and shape crystals to hold the mana. Saya kept staring at my hands which I had covered back up with my gloves, ¡°You know those will never go away right?...Runic scars are permanent¡­even if you are rescarred over them they will re appear searing your skin...even if healed they will stay¡­¡± I continued to work ¡°Why¡­No¡­I¡¯m sorry I know why¡­To stop anything like which had happened to you to happen to anybody else¡­To save others from the nightmares you faced¡­Isn¡¯t that the definition of a hero?...¡± I dropped what I was working on and turned to look at her, she blushed and looked away ¡°It¡¯s true though? Isn¡¯t it? What you do isn¡¯t just for yourself¡­but for others¡­You could have abandoned me¡­You could have abandoned those rangers¡­.¡± She turned and looked me straight in the eyes ¡°You can bring your whole race to its knees for what they did to you, you can bring forth extinction to the disgusting beings that burnt, tormented and tortured you. But you won¡¯t¡­instead you fight to save them¡­Even those horrendous scientists, you know you¡¯re paving a better future for them as well right?... ¡± her expression darkens and she stares off at the wall by the bed. I sigh and turned then lay back with my head on the headrest next to her ¡°I know that but I also know this, suicide is insanity, massacre is unfounded unless it is for self-preservation and that of others. I know I have every right to kill those that wrong me and thousands of others but¡­what will that give us as a race? What will that do for Humanity and Etyrians? How will killing brilliant researches no matter how mad or warped they are, improve our odds of surviving the void? The beasts from all the other realms that we haven¡¯t even heard of yet? Any other threats we don¡¯t even know about?¡± I turned my head to look at her, she was resting her head on her knees and looked into my eyes ¡°I¡¯m not just doing this cause of I can, I¡¯m thinking for my race as a whole. Our numbers are so small now compared to before you might as well list us under pre-extinction, every single life is more precious now than it was before.¡± We laid there for what seemed like minutes before I broke the ice ¡°My parents¡­even before the third wave¡­My father was a soldier, he trained others to fight for our people. My mother was a nurse, a medical status. Every day I think to myself, what would they do?...I know I¡¯m probably just imagining their choices, I can never know what they would actually do¡­I just have an idealistic and biased image of them from when I was still a kid. Can you blame me though?...But above else¡­I think of my sister¡­she¡­lived such a short life¡­and I think of the children that were with me in the Cerberus project¡­I was one of the youngest¡­there were so many¡­so young¡­to have to go through all that¡­Just because of humanity¡¯s stupidity and fear, because some adults were too afraid to fight themselves or too stupid to look ahead¡­Hah¡­¡± my eyes began slowly closing, weariness eating away at me ¡°I don¡¯t care¡­¡± I yawn ¡°How many I have to exterminate¡­I don¡¯t care¡­what monsters I have to fight¡­I don¡¯t care what tortures I have to go through¡­Nobody¡­within my reach¡­will ever take advantage of someone else¡¯s weakness again. I will fight every monster on this planet if it means keeping children from having to take up weapons¡­I will die if it means stopping a war.¡± My consciousness fades as I plunge into sleep. ¡°Your kindness will be the death of you¡­But even if you do¡­I thank you¡­ for giving me another chance¡­.I thank you¡­*sob*¡­for giving me something to live for.¡± --- Author; First arc is starting¡­Please remember to give a rating and maybe comment! All feedback is appreciated!! :D Edited by; Birse Revoking death ¡°You think you¡¯ve already won?...¡± Darkness filled my mind as a voice spoke to me in my sleep ¡°You blind fool, your hatred is colder than a frost dragon¡¯s breath. Your despair is darker than a corrupted shade.¡± The voice sounded familiar, like I¡¯ve been hearing it my whole life and it was a bit distorted but it also sounded like nothing I¡¯ve ever heard before. As if a serpent could speak with the voice of a tiger, deep but cold and vicious it continued to speak. ¡°You may have gotten rid of our grip on your mind¡­But that will not stop us¡­We have merged into one¡­Your mind will someday falter¡­¡± Flashes of the horrors I¡¯ve seen throughout my life go by. ¡°You will see more death, you will see more destruction and you will feel more pain. You will lose those you hold dear, you will lose the attachments you have made but most of all you will yet again feel betrayed. You have lived through it all already and you still do not believe my words? I can feel it too you know¡­The seed of doubt within your heart¡­The speck of a flame that will burn you whole if it reaches your deepest despair and then blaze forth into your coldest hatred¡­You will burn like nothing has burned before¡­I will be there¡­.W...a¡­i¡­t¡­i¡­n¡­g¡­.¡± ¡°WAITING?!¡± I suddenly woke up sweating like a wet sponge, my fists are clenched and my teeth grinding on themselves. I suddenly hear a high pitched squeak coming from the door, a beastwoman was standing at the open door. ¡°What is it? Why are you here?!¡± I shouted and she took a step back looking like she had seen a ghost and her mouse like ears down while her tail tried to hide on her back. She looked absolutely terrified and I felt like I was in the worst mood I¡¯ve ever been in, then I noticed the reason she was so afraid. My aura was in complete chaos and was raging all over the place, a thin layer of purple mist like substance filled the room and was thicker the closer you got to me. My aura screamed killing intent and was engulfing the poor girl, I looked to the side and saw Saya sleeping soundlessly next to me so I was relieved contracted beings are unaffected by each other¡¯s aura. I gripped my left shoulder with my right hand and clenched my palm to induce myself some pain, feeling any kind of pain helped me focus on myself and let me regain control of my aura and slightly my emotions. The mouse girl dropped to her knees and tears began leaking out of her eyes as if something was holding them back, she began to shake insanely fast while her tail whipped around ¡°I¡­I¡­Si¡­.Sir¡­I¡­¡±. ¡°Calm down, I¡¯m sorry about that¡­Bad dream.¡± I got off the bed and noticed all my gear was back in the box and it was closed while my belts were ready and full. I raised an eyebrow and looked back at the mouse girl ¡°What are you doing here, and speak cohesively¡±. She quickly nodded ¡°I..I was sent by¡­Reas¡­to pick you up for the scout¡­mission¡­you¡­you have twenty minutes to get ready¡­¡± she stopped crying and her shaking slowed down. ¡°Fine, get out and close the door. I¡¯ll get ready and meet you outside.¡± I sighed and looked at the time on my Iris, I had almost overslept and made a mental note to increase the loudness of its alarm to max. ¡°O..Okay¡­ ¡± she got up and turned to leave but suddenly turned back ¡°Oh¡­and!¡± I had already taken off my coat and shirt, she turned pale and slightly red while quickly turning away and closing the door behind her. I took off the rest of my clothes and spent as much time as I could in the shower,(¡±What the hell was that?...Was that just a dream?...No¡­I cannot take any chances. After this scout mission I¡¯ll make sure¡­¡±). After showering and changing clothes I put on the belts and proceeded to waking up Saya. I shook her slightly and her eyes opened up ¡°M..master?¡± she got up and wiped her eyes, ¡°Told you not to call me that, just Matthew. Come on you wanted to come with me on the next mission, right?¡± her eyes lit up and she began flutter around me ¡°Yes! Yes! Yes! Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go!¡± her excitement was obvious as she landed on my shoulder, ¡°Alright but remember, don¡¯t touch anything and never leave my side understand?¡± I began walking towards the door. ¡°Aye aye sir!¡± she gave a salute as I opened the door, I walked out and saw the mouse girl to my left standing by the wall. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­what¡¯s your name again?¡± I looked at her and she looked away ¡°M..Mika¡­Mikala Reshnar¡­¡± , ¡°Let¡¯s go then Mikala¡±. We walked towards the caravan bays, the ship was bustling with mercenaries going around left and right ¡°What¡¯s with everyone?¡± I looked around at every one passing me by although I did notice them trying to keep their distance from me. ¡°I¡¯m¡­surprised you didn¡¯t wake up¡­ A wyrm lunged at the sky whale and¡­Zeaxar...He ordered the elite squad out after it¡­You could hear his shouting from the other side of the ship¡­the wyrm didn¡¯t damage the ship but for some reason he was very very mad¡­The elite squad incinerated the wyrm from the inside out¡­¡± she was trying to keep up with my pace, Saya was staring down at her tail with wide eyes. ¡°Huh¡­¡± (¡°There¡¯s no way that was a normal dream¡­¡±) we reached the door to bay 21 and I checked the time, two minutes were remaining so I just opened the sliding door and went inside. ¡°Alright everybody inside, mission is a go.¡± All the rangers were sitting idly on the seats in the corner of the room while the pilots were already inside the large ship including a third being the gunner. All the rangers got up and began entering the ship, Mikala side stepped me and followed them. ¡°Matt! Saya-chan!¡± Ell walked up to me and began gently rubbing Saya¡¯s head with her finger, Saya rocked back and forth with a smile. I sighed ¡°Get in ranger¡­Oh right¡­I never asked¡­What happened to you back then? Back at the dungeon?...¡±, she looked up at me with a oblivious expression ¡°What happened?¡± I stared at her ¡°With the slimes?...¡± she tilted her head looking even more oblivious ¡°Slimes?...¡± we stared at each other for a couple moments. ¡°Ahh¡­Nevermind¡­Just¡­get inside¡± (¡°I¡¯ll ask Leya later¡­¡±) I entered the ship and sat down, she followed in behind and did the same while everyone else buckled up and the ship¡¯s engine turned on. ¡°Mission is a go, good luck out there.¡± Reas¡¯s voice came out from the docking bay¡¯s loud speakers and the blast doors began to open, ¡°You heard her, Go!¡± I shouted a bit so the pilots could hear me. The blast doors opened up completely and the ship began to move, ¡°Teleportation engaging¡± I felt the air shift as the ship¡¯s short teleportation module engaged and we zoomed forth and away from the sky whale. ¡°Viewing screens coming up!¡± monitors came down from the roof and in front of each seat, from them everyone could see whatever the gunner and the seven cameras on each side of the ship could. We were still flying over desert when suddenly the rocks began to get thicker and thicker, strange trees could be seen sticking out here and there on top of larger rocks. ¡°Well, this place ain¡¯t all sand atleast!¡± the gunner sounded excited as he spoke, I switched the monitor to his view and saw what he was talking about. Off in the distance lay a vast and thick jungle, but the jungle was just as strange as the trees on top of the rocks as it had a reddish lustre and the trees themselves were dark red with pitch black crystals taller than the trees themselves. ¡°Hover within a hundred meters from there, I¡¯ll make sure there are no wyrms beneath this rocky area¡±. I took off the belts and moved to the ship¡¯s door, ¡°Ready Saya?¡± I glanced at her who was on my shoulder and she nodded. I waited for the ship to stop and hover. I opened the door, looking down I could see the stone ground with little sand and took a deep breath. ¡°Saya focused your mana on Wayne¡± Saya closed her eyes and began focusing her mana on me, ¡°Wayne lend her your power¡± black and purple energy formed on my back as black bat like wings began to grow with purple pulsating veins. The wings grew to twice my size, ¡°Here we go¡± I pushed off and out of the ship into the warm air. I plummeted down for a couple moments until I got used to moving the wings, Saya held on for dear life as I finally opened them up fully and began gliding down. I pitched forward and began descending faster but suddenly ¡°Matthew get the hell out of there! NOW!¡± Reas¡¯s voice rang in my ears but I was already landing on the ground, ¡°What is it?! What happened?¡± I looked up at the ship and saw it plummeting down towards me ¡°SHIT!¡± I flew at it in hopes of holding It up ¡°The ship is empty! I repeat the ship is empty! Let go!¡± HQ could see everything the cameras could so they saw me flying at it, I released my aura on the ship to make sure and surely it was empty. I turned and got out of its way as it crashed down in front of me and into the ground, the ground cracked as the large mass of the ship hit it. ¡°Reas what¡¯s going on? Reas? Hello!?¡± Nobody answered, I landed on the ground next to the ship as the dust began to clear out. My eyes widened as I felt mana bending behind me, I jumped forward and turned as a humanoid shadow instantly disappeared. ¡°Show yourself!¡± I summoned my Aethers and entered mist form, ¡°Saya?¡± checking my shoulder I saw that Saya was also gone and I began to freak out. ¡°Come out you bastard¡­¡± a purple aura formed around my eye sockets and both aethers formed their own aura, red for Ember and purple for Wayne. I released my aura and sensed hundreds of signatures surrounding me ¡°Wha¡­¡±, I also sensed Saya¡¯s moving away fast with three others. ¡°Now you¡¯ve done it¡­¡± the killing intent in my voice was clear, I raised both aethers and their forms both shifted. In my hands now lay a red and white shotgun with a red crystal embedded in it and a black and purple small machine gun with two purple crystals on each side. ¡°Show yourselves, or this will be a blood bathe¡­¡± I released the full force of my aura and felt multiple of the figures shift. Suddenly one of the figures appeared in my vision in an explosion of dark mist, she had dark red skin and long red hair while a long red tail whipped around her back with an arrowhead tip. ¡°No weapons, no fight. We no hurt you, you no kill.¡± Her English wasn¡¯t terrible but it bordered to it, she spoke of no aggression but her grin said otherwise. I raised Ember at her ¡°Where are my people¡± my eyes flared a brighter purple as a drop of sweat fell down her cheek but she continued to grin, ¡°Let me rephrase that, where did you take them. Tell me. Now!¡± Her grey eyes gleamed red as I felt a sharp pain hit the back of my neck. Something embedded itself in the nape of my neck, I was about to pull it out until my vision began to blur and my body became numb. I fell forward as both aethers returned into my gloves, I forced out some more words ¡°If you hurt them¡­¡± before I passed out. When I came to the first thing I felt was the hard cold ground beneath me, (¡°Cold?...¡±) I opened my eyes to find out I was underground and surrounded by a large barrier. My eyes adjusted and I looked around the cave, on the outside of the barrier I could see obviously hand made structures on the wall of the huge cavern. I saw walls around me that had seating spots at the top, I figured I was inside some kind of coliseum and rose to my feet. Above the risen ground on top of the walls I could see thousands of red skinned figures shouting in a language I did not understand, a sort of podium stood to one side of the circular wall on a balcony with three large thrones to its left. ¡°Human, the Emperor greets you.¡± One of the beings stood behind the podium and apparently spoke to me, but I was too busy checking my body for injuries. I was mostly naked except for my pants and my Iris was also gone, they stripped my gloves away and took everything from my pockets. I looked up at the balcony and saw three figures in regal clothing, a male and two females. I recognised one of the females to the very left as the one I saw before I passed out, she was wearing a sort of red stone like crown and the two next to her wore larger versions of it. ¡°If you wish to live¡± he coughed and a sound caught my attention behind me ¡°You will fight¡±, I then quickly turned and saw that multiple gates lay on the walls around me. While the ground was a grey pavement the walls were dark red bricks with pitch black gates every couple meters, one of those gates was opening ¡°Also, this barrier around the arena prevents any use of Qi. You cannot use ¡°magic¡±.¡± I tried to pour mana or form my aura but I couldn¡¯t feel any of it, my aura was completely gone and my mana felt drained but I was somehow still conscious and able to move normally. The gate stopped opening and I squinted my eyes looking into the darkness behind it, ¡°Ggrrrrgrrrr¡± two low pitched growls exited the darkness as a fiery red beast leaped out and stared me down. The beast looked like a wolf but was larger than a Direwolf standing about three meters high, it had two heads and four tails while its fur was dark red on its back and blood red from its legs downward. It¡¯s eyes gleamed red while flames escaped its mouths, It took a step forward and opened both its mouths while bending backwards as a ground rumbling howl exited its lunges. Six more howls joined in and three more of the beasts came out from behind it, ¡°These are Hellhounds, you will be provided a weapon but of our choosing.¡± The one I assumed to be the announcer spoke again as a glint caught my attention from the corner of my eyes. A blade embedded itself into the ground next to my feet, I crouched down and grabbed the red hilted dagger. The second I did all four hellhounds rushed forth and encircled me, I rose back to my feet and prepared myself. (¡°Hounds? They look more like wolves¡­and just like wolves¡­¡±) one of the beasts broke from the encirclement and leaped towards me, I ducked down under its jumping form and slashed upwards making a deep cut in its front legs. It crashed down behind me and rose back to its legs while growling in pain and stuttering forward, it looked back at me with hatred in its eyes. The crowd roared in excitement as I grinded my teeth (¡°They enjoy this!? They see this as entertainment?!¡±) ¡°I¡¯ll give you something to enjoy yourselves on¡­¡± I turned and threw the dagger with all my strength, it flew and embedded itself in the shoulder of what I presumed to be the Emperor. I then took a step forward and looked straight into each of the Hellhounds¡¯s eyes while keeping a low growl ¡°You like to watch combat? You enjoy to watch death? I will show you¡­Blood spill like you¡¯ve never seen before. ¡± I put all my anger and frustration into my voice as I found out that my aura wasn¡¯t depleted or gone but I simply had little control over it and little control meant zero restraints on it mirroring my emotions. I saw the announcer¡¯s paling expression as the Emperor stood up and pulled the dagger out of his shoulder while the two women to his side ran to him to help, he looked at the announcer and made a gesture with his thumb slicing his chest. The crowd roared in anger as the hellhounds began to pick up on the situation and took steps backwards and towards their tunnel, ¡°For your atrocious actions your sentence for stepping on our land has been increased to instant death! Release the manticore!¡± the crowd roared as another gate opened and the hellhounds took more steps back and towards their gate. ¡°Haaahhhh¡­.¡± A cold and dreadful breathing came out of the second gate and the hellhounds began booking it to theirs, three made it to the gate but the one that was further was crushed as a larger beast dashed out of the second gate at insane speed and lunged at the hellhound. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The Manticore was twice the size of the hellhounds with the body of a brown lion, wings of a dragon, tail of a scorpion and the face looking like a human with no lips and a furry red mane around its head. It had large chains on its wings and pitch black rings around its legs with blazing red runes etched on them, it began to devour the hellhound as I saw a larger ring around its neck. I thought it was eating the hellhound but suddenly it spat the flesh out and proceeded to tearing the body apart with its teeth and fangs, when the hellhound was no more than scattered flesh it stopped and turned to glare at me with its green reptilian eyes. It¡¯s face wearing an expression of deep hatred while it growled coldly, it broke it¡¯s gaze and looked up at the balcony. ¡°You will eat once you¡¯ve killed this pest! Go now!¡± The Emperor roared over the crowd at the beast, it hissed back at him and turned back to me. Now that I looked closer I noticed that the thing looked starved and tired, ¡°So that is what the collar is for, it¡¯s just like¡­¡± I put a hand around my neck as my expression darkened further. I had figured it out, these people¡­they enslaved this beast by using a key factor of life to blackmail it. ¡°Manticore, you will be handsomely rewarded with some of these new specimens here.¡± The announcer gestured with his hand to the right where another gate began to open, a barrier blocked anything from entering as a couple figures walked out of the shadows and slammed on the barrier. ¡°Leya?..Kesh?...Saya!...Everyone¡­¡± I was about to run towards them but the Manticore stepped in my path and shook its head, ¡°You will go nowhere¡­Except the next life¡­¡± it spoke in a chilling yet dried up voice. ¡°You¡­you speak?...¡± I was honestly surprised, monsters don¡¯t usually speak unless they are comparable to dragons or are hybrids. ¡°I know many languages two legged one, yours is not an exception as I have been kept caged up for decades. Your people have been here for a while¡­fighting¡­it took me only a couple days to learn yours.¡±. It stared down at me for a couple moments then looked back up at the Emperor who was holding his shoulder and standing at the edge of the balcony with anger in his eyes, he made the same gesture he gave the announcer. ¡°The order was given¡­I might enjoy this¡­Finally¡­A new specimen to taste¡­¡± excitement was obvious in its eyes and expression as it prepared to attack, I had almost forgotten this thing was more of a monster than a sentient being. The Manticore being able to speak and it¡¯s intelligence along with its speed and strength, I was no match for it without my magic and would die if I had to fight it as such. I began to focus as hard as I could on my aura but nothing, I tried to focus on Ember and Wayne but neither answered. (¡°Is this?... The end?...¡±) dread filled my heart as the Manticore bent its legs and leaped forward at speed I could barely notice, its fangs bare and its claws swiping inwards towards my unmoving body. I tried to run, I bent backwards slightly to turn but it was too fast and it¡¯s claws crashed on my position cutting the ground itself. It flung me sideways and into a wall as a cloud of dust followed in my wake, I felt the life quickly seeping out of me as my eyes forcefully closed and darkness took over. I saw nothing, I felt nothing and all I heard was the sound of crowds cheering but that also began to get quieter¡­and quieter¡­until I also¡­heard¡­nothing. --- Author: Just to show you I¡¯m not completely evil¡­I wanted to end this chapter here but¡­to not get questions of if the story ends here or not¡­ --- ¡°What did I tell you?...¡± ¡°Shut up¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re done for, now¡­¡± ¡°Shut up¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s all over! Your body is broken! You are about to take your LAST BREATH!¡± ¡°Shut¡­up¡­¡± ¡°Hahah! I will finally be freed from your ignorant consciousness!¡± ¡°No¡­¡± ¡±Die! Die you fool!¡± ¡°No¡­I¡­¡± ¡±I will then haunt your spirit for eternity!¡± ¡°I¡­won¡¯t¡­¡± ¡±If you only had listened to me! If you only had given up your body to me! I would have made sure our revenge was sweet!¡± ¡°No¡­I won¡¯t die just yet¡­¡± ¡°Wha¡­¡± Somehow, for some reason, I felt light. I FELT, I was able to feel my body again as I opened my eyes to see the Manticore moving towards me. ¡°What in Ruuk are you?!...¡± It¡¯s eyes lay open wide as it stared in astonishment while I pushed myself out of the crater I made in the wall, I looked down at my hands to see every rune I ever etched on my body glow dark purple. The runes began to shift and I felt mana flowing through my body once again, ¡°Ember¡­Wayne¡­Quarter-Body merge¡­¡± my aura began to thicken around my arms ¡°We¡¯re here master¡­¡± Ember spoke in my mind as her power flowed out from outside the barrier and into my hands forming the aether shotgun and then flowed all over my arm covering it in white and red bionic looking armour. ¡°We will not fail you again¡­¡± Wayne spoke next and did the same but forming a pistol with black and purple stone like armour, I looked up at the Manticore who wore a surprised expression while it licked its non-existing lips. I move my arms and raised both weapons to my shoulders, the armour didn¡¯t feel there at all but it increased my grip on the weapons, the physical protection of my arms and the mana flow to the aethers. Red mana radiated while flowing through veins on the left white arm and purple mana pulsed while flowing through the cracks on my black arm, this was my strongest and most mana draining magic. ¡°Do you feel it Emperor?...¡± I glared up at the balcony ¡°My spirits hunger for your death¡­you defiled their contractor¡­You defiled my companions¡­You have hunted these beasts and enslaved them¡­I will teach you what it feels like to be the prey¡­I will be your hunter...You will learn to fear just how your slaves have¡± I clenched both weapons and purple mist flowed out of my body as the Manticore roared and leaped forward, I bent backwards and sideways at comparable speed while lowering Ember. The Manticore was on top of me as I fired multiple shots into its thick hide, it soared over and turned the second it landed behind me while hissing. I spun around and began running to my left while lowered my right arm and firing Wayne as Ember rested in my left arm which was dragging behind me. The flurry of shots from the smg hit the beast all over giving it light scratches, it roared in annoyance and lunged forward while I leaped upwards ending up straight in front of its face. I raised Ember again and fired at its face, the pellets injured its eyes to the point of blinding it but only slightly damaged its head. I crashed into its face as I pushed over it with my legs and spun mid air, I fired Wayne all over its back as it flew forward and landed. I landed on my feet ¡°Merge¡± I put the weapons together as they merged and formed a cannon on my right arm, the Manticore spun around and lunged at me again while I charged the cannon. It was too fast for me to charge up so I jumped upwards again, this time it was ready and it swiped at me with its claws as I blocked with both hands and the cannon. I was yet again sent spiralling into a wall this time making a larger crater, I pushed myself out of the wall while coughing up blood and grunting. I leaped out of the way as the Manticore came crashing into the wall making large cracks in it, It stumbled backwards while shaking its head and then turned to face me again while glaring at me with one eye. Static flowed around the cannon and my arms as I ran away from the Manticore and charged my weapon, it began to give chase and catches up to me almost immediately. It leaped and came crashing down onto me, its fangs bare to bite and swallow. I turned and ran the opposite way for a couple steps till I was directly under it. This all happened within mili-seconds and was a blur of movement, I raised the cannon and let it loose. A beam of black and white mana burst forth from the barrel and propelled the Manticore upwards and into the barrier¡¯s ceiling, it hissed in surprise as it momentarily stayed stuck to the barrier as energy coursed through its body inducing pain. ¡°Un-Merge¡± I take a deep breath as the cannon turns into two pistols, I turn and put the pistols together and shoot. Blast after blast I propel myself upwards towards the Manticore ignoring the pain in my arms from the blasts, I bent my arms to where the next blast made me spin mid-air as I ascended towards the beast. ¡±Merge¡± Mid-air and mid spin the two pistols merged back together and into a cannon beginning to charge, the Manticore began to fall as I hit its fur and using my momentum rolled around its body and onto its back. I grabbed onto its fur and stopped my movement with a sharp pain in my arms, I quickly stood and using its back as a platform jumped towards the barrier¡¯s roof. I raised the cannon that I put as much mana into as quickly as I could, I focused my mind on one word¡­¡±Pierce!¡± A thinner beam of dense mana shot from the cannon and into the barrier¡¯s roof as I was quickly pushed back down into the Manticore¡¯s head but kept my aim true. The barrier began to show cracks as everyone including the Emperor began to pale, ¡°I!!¡± Another crack appeared¡±...WILL!!...NOT!!...¡± Multiple cracks began quickly forming¡± BE!!..HELD!!!¡± The Manticore crashed into the ground headfirst as my attack died down, I rose to my feet ontop of the Manticore¡¯s head as the cannon turned back into pistols and I raised Wayne upwards towards all the cracks in the barrier. ¡°No cage¡­Never again¡­¡± I shot a blast shot that ascended towards the barrier at great speed and crashed into it, it ate through the mana and shattered it. Particles of mana showered my body as I turned and began blasting with both pistols, I propelled myself up and towards the balcony as the Emperor stumbled backwards and onto the floor. With wide eyes and hatred in them I glared down at his pale and agitated expression after I landed on the balcony¡¯s railing and stepped down onto the ground in front of him. Silence filled the coliseum as with every step I got closer to their ruler, ¡°Now tell me¡­Why I shouldn¡¯t kill you where you stand?¡± --- Author; ¡­ Remember to rate and maybe comment :D! Edited by: Birse A hounds duty POV of a viewer at the coliseum I sat there watching the slave get thrown around by the Manticore like a puppet, it hit the wall and looked like it had already died. I sigh (¡°If you¡¯re going to be so loud mouthed at least show us you¡¯re worth our time¡­¡±) I began to stand to leave early as it seemed like today¡¯s events were going to be a bore, then I felt it as every other noble in the coliseum ¡°I WON¡¯T DIE SO DAMN EASILY!¡±. I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry, I wanted to fall over and ball up¡­the shiver that crept up my spine spread and chilled my whole body stopping me from doing any of those. I froze in place while staring down at the body inside the dented wall, a thick purple mist grew out of its now rune etched skin as its eyes opened and it pushed itself out of the wall. ¡°Do you feel it Emperor?...¡± It glared up at the balcony ¡°My spirits hunger for your death¡­you defiled their contractor¡­You defiled my companions¡­You have hunted these beasts and enslaved them¡­I will teach you what it feels like to be the prey¡­I will be your hunter...You will learn to fear just how your slaves have¡± The Manticore charged it as objects appeared in its hands, in a flurry of attacks and swift movements I could not believe were possible the fight tilted completely. The slave was now dominating the beast and threw it up into the barrier¡¯s ceiling, it¡­shot itself off the ground and towards the Manticore¡¯s body still embedded in the barrier¡¯s deflection magic¡­It used the beast as a platform and leaped towards the ceiling. The slave changed its weapons so many times I couldn¡¯t keep track of what it was using but one thing was for sure, when the first crack appeared panic spread upon everyone and the guards were too astonished to act. I was pushed back in my seat as someone rushed in front of me to run¡­It snapped me out of my daze and I also turned tail, I arrived at the closed gates where everyone was crowding in on the guards trying to pull the gate open. ¡°No cage¡­Never again¡­¡± When the sound of something shattering filled the coliseum everyone went silent and many turned to look, the barrier¡­It was falling apart as a figure practically flew out of it and onto the Royal Balcony¡­ ¡°Now tell me¡­Why I shouldn¡¯t kill you where you stand?¡± our pride be damned, me and the other nobles were pushing and tumbling over each other to get the hell away from this being. It stepped down onto the balcony and approached the Emperor, ¡°G¡­Guards!¡± He called for the guards as multiple of them entered cloak and began to approach the slave but it did not seem to understand our language, ¡°You spoke my tongue before, do it now then as well. I do not speak yours¡± multiple tranquilizing bolts flew towards it as many of the guards charged to shield the Emperor from it. Purple mist engulfed its whole body as the bolts practically flew through it and onto the throne or walls, some hit the Royals and all the cloaked guards uncloaked and charged with swords at the slave. The Royals were instantly effected by the magic inside the bolts and lost consciousness ¡°Great¡­Now who will answer my questions¡­¡± it was surrounded from all sides as the guards formed a wall of blades, I could not see its expression as the back was towards me and the guards covered most of it from view (¡°What¡¯s taking so long!? Open the damn gate!¡±) I briefly turned to see why the gate wasn¡¯t opening, the crowd was so dense that the guards at the gate had nowhere to move and were unable to pull the gate open. Clashing blades and minor explosions sounded off from the balcony as I turned to watch the new disturbance, my heart sank at the sight of every single guard on the balcony laying on the ground while the slave stood over them with only a couple new cuts. He had two weapons in his hands that looked like crossbows without strings or limbs, one gave off a demonic glow with a thick purple mist while the other was engulfed in a fiery blaze. It turned and for a moment I thought it was going to head towards all of us at the exit, every other noble and guard thought the same and began pushing harder onto the gate. It kept turning and faced the coliseum master, he was squirming by the edge of the balcony glancing between the slave and the Manticore who was currently attempting to climb up the walls opposite of us and the balcony. ¡°You¡­you also speak my language¡­Come here!¡± It quickly stepped forwards and towards the coliseum master ¡°N..No! Stay away you monster!¡± he moved back and fell backwards, he plummeted down to the arena and hit the ground legs first. ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH¡± he screamed in pain as he held his legs, the Manticore noticed this and turned away from the wall. ¡°Shit..wait¡­¡± the slave was about to jump back down into the arena but the Manticore leaped at the coliseum master and tore him apart within seconds ¡°YOU!! ZHEK JKOU!!¡±. ¡°Tsch¡± the slave spat down at the Manticore which hissed back, it then turned towards us and spoke ¡°You all, do any of you speak my language?¡± it began stepping towards us as everyone clustered closer to each other. I was on the edge of the crowd and one of the closest to it, I would have been one of the first to fall if it attacked. ¡°I¡­I spea¡­I speak¡­¡± I raised my arms and stepped forward, hoping it needed my knowledge more than my death. End of POV ------- Everything was going to shit, the guards hit the Emperor and his bitches putting them into what looked like a deep sleep and the announcer got himself killed by the Manticore. I was running out of options to gain information, the others were safe as long as that barrier on their gate stood and the Manticore was still chained up but I had to make sure things were safe on my side. I turned towards the crowd that formed by what looked like the only exit, I wondered why the gates hadn¡¯t been opened yet then I noticed the guards trying to pull on them (¡°Seriously? An exit that opens inwards?...How stupid can you be¡­¡±) ¡°You all, do any of you speak my language?¡±. I needed someone who spoke English to understand our current situation, the whole lot of them looked terrified but I continued to approach them. ¡°I¡­I spe¡­I speak...¡± one of them with short black hair and grey eyes stepped forward and raised her arms, I looked her up with my aura for any weapons out of habit and then attacked her with it ¡°I have questions that you WILL answer, I will make myself clear only this once. You cannot lie to me, when you do I will not hesitate to behead you. You will tell me what this place is, NOW.¡± I grabbed her by her neck as she wore scanty clothing with nowhere else for me to hold her from, ¡°Kha¡­This...is the monster coliseum¡­slaves and¡­monsters captured fight to the death¡­¡± her whole expression paled and her eyes darted all over the place to not look into mine. I decided to lower my killing intent a bit to allow her to breath and speak more clearly ¡°I know that already, I meant the whole underground we¡¯re in. Is this a city? Who are you and your people? Why did you capture us for your games?¡± her gaze landed on the Emperor¡¯s unconscious body ¡°We¡­we¡¯re all nobles here¡­you know¡­important members of our empire¡­all this is¡­Kjuri city, the Dherki Empire¡¯s citadel¡­¡± she stopped to breath and I let go of her neck, she took a couple steps back and hit the wall of people behind her only to be pushed back and made to fall on her knees. She looked up at me and her expression froze ¡°You¡­your people¡­were found at the edge of the earth eater¡¯s domain¡­they were weak and starved¡­the eaters chased them off their lands¡­the guards captured them and locked them up¡­we¡­ one of their minds to learn about them¡­we didn¡¯t get a lot¡­we know what your kind is¡­that it went through a near extinction¡­because of that¡­your numbers are small¡­we saw little use in¡­you¡­you used no magic¡­only metallic machinery¡­we saw you as inferior and¡­potentially worth enslaving¡­that was¡­weeks go!...then your group came¡­we saw different machines and weapons¡­we sensed magic¡­when we captured you some of us nobles wanted to study many of you but¡­the Royals wanted none of that and wanted you in the arena with the rest¡­¡± she lay there half terrified. ¡°I see¡­¡± my killing intent returned in full as my emotions went in disarray ¡°Enslave?...Arena?...Study?...You treated my people as animals¡­sent them to slaughter¡­They were a peace convoy¡­¡± I grinded my teeth as a foul smell pierced my nostrils, a small puddle of liquid built up underneath her. ¡°What has been done cannot be ignored or forgiven, my race has seen enough death. Your crimes towards my kind are unforgivable, each one of you¡­¡± I looked up at the whole crowd and every guard being squished within it ¡°Repeat my exact words in your language for everyone here to understand¡± I glanced down and she nodded so I began speaking while she interpreted ¡±Let this be heard before I send you all to the afterlife. Us? Inferior? I will show you¡­what the madness and fear of my kind created¡­monster? I will show you what a true monster¡­looks like¡­I will be your judge¡­I will be your jury¡­and I will then be¡­your executioner.¡± ------ Author: Gore warning, the next paragraphs will have gore and some very unpleasant scenes for the stomach. ------ She stopped speaking as the last word left her mouth and tears began to fall down her face, she covered her mouth with her right palm and stared up at me with a pale expression. Screams of fear and those of guards trying to gain order came from the crowd but the gate remained closed, I raised both aethers ¡°Merge¡± they changed and formed a cannon as multiple strange barriers appeared in front of the crowd from some of them. ¡°Pointless resistance¡± static formed around the barrel as the temperature quickly rose and then dropped as the air and static were sucked into it, a beam of black and white energy shot above the woman interpreter¡¯s head as she ducked down and through the crowd instantly disintegrating many while others remained partially there with their insides falling into the beam as they screamed in pain, passed out or simply died on the spot. I moved my arm to the right and the beam passed into those that stood by the edge of the second floor, many fell down into the arena but were devoured by the Manticore. I heard screams of what sounded like pleas of mercy and shouts of pain but most simply stood there too shocked to react, piles of flesh and organs stood in the place of the people they belonged to as the crowd tried to move away from the gore after the beam ended. I turned the cannon towards the rest and they snapped out of their daze, some remained pushing on the gate but many began to run back into the seating areas or around the edge of the second floor by the fence. ¡°Wh¡­why¡­why are you¡­doing this¡­¡± the woman beside me was still alive as she ducked under my arm, she was balled up and trembling in her own puddle ¡°Because eliminating threats to his people is what a soldier does, this race¡¯s rulers and nobility are too warped to be saved and pose a threat to future negotiations. As such I will eliminate the threat.¡± With a blank expression and an unmoving gaze I looked on at the ones still by the gate trying to push it open, the cannon was charged up as static energy formed at the end of the barrel and launched forth towards the remaining crowd. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The blast shot from the cannon shredded any living being it hit until it reached the gate and exploded outwards engulfing everything in a flaming blast as flesh and sometimes limbs flew outwards from the point of impact, scorched and still burning corpses now littered the exit along with coal black mounds. The Manticore hissed in pleasure at the sight of flesh and blood pouring onto it ¡°THIS IS WHAT THEY DESERVED! ALL ALONG! ¡± with renewed vigour it leaped up the wall and bit the edge to hold on and pulled itself up, it gave chase to those that ran and one by one began to kill them. ¡°Un-merge¡± both aethers returned to pistol form as the mist around my body increased its flow and size, I rushed backwards and systematically shot down every noble that entered my range while I made sure to stay out of one of the gate¡¯s sight. I felt a mana flow behind me as I spun around and shot a single blast shot towards the three balls of flame that were heading towards me, the purple mass of chaos devoured the flames and the seats behind the two casters that shot them. They paled as their surprise attack had failed to do anything more than grab my attention, they were two of the only six remaining alive but were standing in a part of the coliseum that could be seen from the barrier everyone was kept in. I turned around and began walking back to the balcony as their expression went from confusion to terror, the Manticore had massacred every noble on its side and came down on them next. It held one down as it made his staff touch the ring around its neck, the ring turned to dust and the Manticore roared before devouring the both of them. I arrived in front of the three royals who lay soaked in their guard¡¯s blood while unconscious on the ground, ¡°I will need survivors for this to work after all¡­she must be their daughter¡­¡± I raised one aether towards the Emperor and one aether towards the woman who wore the same crown. Two shots exited their barrels and pierced both of their heads, they died not even knowing they would. I heaved the girl onto my shoulder and walked up to the other survivor, she just laid there on her side while looking up at me ¡°Will you kill me now?...¡±. ¡°You have witnessed everything that happened here, you have seen today¡¯s slaughter. You are witness to your people¡¯s future if you continue to persecute us, get up and free my people. ¡± I put down the girl next to her as she stared up at me in disbelief, I walked away and towards the Manticore. It was currently climbing up the outer walls to leave the coliseum, I was down to around fifty percent of my mana and could kill it. (¡°What comes next is a necessity. Chaos can also be used, not just fear.¡±) I waited for the Manticore to climb the wall, I raised Wayne and shot a single blast shot towards the top of the wall it was climbing to give it a lower wall to climb. As the rubble fell down on its head it turned to look at me ¡°Thank you two legged one¡­For today¡­We both shall have our vengeance¡­¡± it leaped one last time and grabbed onto the destroyed wall with both front legs and claws, it heaved itself up and over the wall (¡°You will have your vengeance¡­monster¡­but only to further my plans¡±). I leaped onto one of the many barred windows of the wall and entered mist form, I passed through the bars and shifted out of mist form to hold onto them as a cold breeze hit my bare chest. I looked down at the dark grey buildings making up the city, a crowd had built up outside the coliseum and spread away when the Manticore landed on top of many of them. The city guard had yet to arrive if there were any that is, the Manticore was ripping through buildings and civilians alike leaving nothing more than rubble and corpses in its wake. ¡°Merge, rifle.¡± As I held my arm around one bar the aethers in my hands lost their form and reformed in the other, a weapon longer than the cannon but with a thinner barrel formed in my right hand. The weapon was long with an even longer barrel and a scope on the top, this is my aether¡¯s sniper form which holds the most penetrative power but¡­it takes too long to charge up to use while in combat. I glanced down momentarily to see multiple civilians pointing up at me, I ignored them and focused on the Manticore as it ravaged the city. ¡°DIE! FALL! COWER AND RUN!¡± the beast was closing in on what looked like a market district, suddenly shadows began leaping from all over the city towards it and multiple cloaked figures surrounded it. (¡°Slow¡­Their response is too slow¡­¡±) I watched as they tried to subdue the creature, they shot their crossbows till the beasts back looked like a porcupine and its eyes were filled with rage. It refused to fall for their narcotic magic and continued to rage on in a flurry of claws and blood, many of the guards fell to the ground in pieces with guts and limbs scattered everywhere while others it simply ate up and swallowed. (¡°That will be enough¡­if they held anymore back then this whole city is weaker than I presumed it would be¡­¡±) I felt a strong mana signature approaching as a group of hooded figures landed on a roof close to the massacre, I aimed my scope onto the figures one by one just as the one on the front removed their hood. The figure spoke and caught the Manticore¡¯s attention although I did not understand a word he said he was obviously someone important as all the shadows backed off from the beast and went to his side, he unsheathed a pitch black sword with a green aura and leaped at the Manticore while the other¡¯s stood there clenching their fists and watched. (¡°There he is then¡­the city¡¯s strongest¡­Ember¡­ Wayne¡­Shoot to kill¡±) I poured mana into the weapon as I took aim, angle and timing while the figure slashed at the Manticore¡¯s limbs to slow it down. I waited for the right shot, the Manticore had fallen on its face as it lost the use of its legs and the warrior was closing in on its head. I narrowed my eyes and glanced around the buildings, finding the right spot I pushed off the window and grabbed onto the roof of the closest building and heaved myself up with one arm. I leaped over multiple roofs to reach the right spot with the perfect angle, I didn¡¯t use mist form and I tried my best to hide my aura so that I went unnoticed. I crouched down on a roof¡¯s corner as I lined up my shot, my heart practically stopped as my breathing literally stopped. I stared into the scope as I found my target, the warrior stood between my reticule and the Manticore. The second the shot left the barrel it pierced through the warrior¡¯s head and the Manticore¡¯s heart, the warrior fell forward as a pool of his own blood began to build up around him and the beast¡¯s body just fell limp as it took its final breaths. I unsummoned my aethers and turned back towards the coliseum, using the roofs I reached back to where I started and jumped down next to the crowd that formed outside as hooded figures began to push them all away from me as I moved towards the gate. I stood facing the gate as they surrounded me with weapons in hand, I pushed open the gate slightly with my right arm and the pungent smell of death fell upon them all ¡°Follow me if you dare, death doesn¡¯t wait¡± without glancing back I pushed open the gate wider revealing some of the carnage that laid inside and then walked in while closing the door behind me. ¡°Boss!..Wha¡­What happened here?! What¡¯s going on!?¡± Kesh spoke out as I entered the coliseum and caught my attention ¡°Nothing you need to worry about, is everyone here and safe?¡± I turned towards the whole group of people, I recognized my whole platoon including the other three platoon leaders but that didn¡¯t even make up half of them. ¡°Yeah¡­we¡¯re all here, what do we do about these two?¡± Glent was holding onto the noble and the royal from the ropes that tied their arms, the royal was also now awake and was looking around with wide eyes. ¡°They are our keys to get out, the ones outside will show little resistance. They both speak our language, although the black haired one is preferable for interpreting the red haired one is royal blood here and is of higher priority for them.¡± I walk over to Glent and look down at both of them, I end my glare at the red haired woman ¡°What is your name and status¡± she looked up at me and her expression instantly paled ¡°R¡­Ris¡­Risa¡­my father¡­the emp¡­¡± she turned to look at the thrones only to turn back and puke all over the floor ¡°Blimey! Hold it in there damnit!...ughh¡­¡± Glent let go of her arms and she began to fall forward. I grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up to my eye level ¡°I will be clear, you try anything and I will not hesitate .If your people try anything I will never stop, understand?¡± she hesitantly nodded and I pushed her back onto Glent, he grabbed the rope again and pushed them both to the gate. ¡°Matt¡­¡± I turned to see Saya resting on Ell¡¯s shoulder, Ell was staring wide eyed at the carnage and gore littering the entrance ¡°What is¡­Oh!¡± Leya covered her eyes with her left hand and pulled Ell¡¯s head to her shoulder ¡°Don¡¯t look if you cannot stomach it child.¡± She glared daggers at me as I passed by her ¡°What is it?¡± I directed the question at her but she didn¡¯t meet my eyes ¡°Nothing¡­Sir¡± I ignored her condescending tone and move towards the other three platoon leaders. ¡°Status report Anderson?¡± Skel was sitting on the fence with Jrel to his left and Kayleigh to his right, they all turned to me as I approached ¡°Potentially dangerous combatants outside, their commander is dead and their rulers lay dead over there¡± I gestured at the thrones ¡°They witnessed a potential A rank monster die in a single hit that also killed their commander, their morale is low. We have under custody the princess and one of the last nobles, it is unknown if other nobles are alive within the city.¡± I turned to look at the ragged group behind me that stood weapon less ¡°I suggest we scout for our gear and then immediately leave, or bargain for it back with the princess¡¯s life.¡± I turned back to the three platoon leaders who from the start of me arriving had been glaring daggers at me, ¡°What did you do?...we heard the screams¡­your shouting¡­the¡­deaths.¡± Kayleigh looked at the gore by the gates and shivered. I felt eyes on my back as everyone turned to listen in, I turned around and began moving towards the gate and raised my voice for everyone to hear ¡°I did what was necessary, what none of you have the stomach to do. Negotiations are now on our side, they are weakened and in disarray while we also hold their only royal captive and another important noble. We have all the cards on our side, the next ten or more moves are for us to make and there is nothing they can do about it¡± I rested both hands on the door handles ¡°Now follow me out or stay here rotting with the dead, the choice is all yours.¡± I began to open the gate. --- Author; Remember to rate and maybe comment! :D Edited by; Birse Awakening As I pushed open the gates I felt my heart drop, a sense of dread and foreboding filled my gut (¡°What¡¯s this¡­feeling?..¡±). A drop of sweat fell down my forehead as I revealed the other side of the gate, two new hooded figures stood in front of the entrance with the guards surrounding them from behind. An old male stood with a young child by his side, the old one wore black robes with emerald runic designs that went all the way up to his emerald green hood while the boy wore black leather armour similar to the guard¡¯s but with green runic designs similar to the older man¡¯s. The robed old man took steps towards me with arms open ¡°I was told¡­that humans were captured more¡­but for two like you¡­¡± his English was even worse than the princess¡¯s ¡°Danger¡­You two are danger¡­Our god spoke truth...you arrived here¡­you only got death¡­destruction¡­The fools are dead¡­The little miss captured¡­¡± he turns to the young boy and kneels then speaks in their language. I turn to the noble woman and whisper ¡°Translate¡± she glances between me and the old man but then nods ¡°The¡­Great priest named the young prince¡­Emperor¡­He calls for your deaths¡­and begs the pri..Emperor to call upon the church¡¯s knights¡­¡± I turn to look back at the scene, the young Emperor nodded and the priest rose while raising his left hand. He flicked his fingers and seven emerald cloaked figures appeared behind him, black armour visible under their cloaks while the hoods hid their faces. ¡°Who are they?¡± I asked the noble woman but she didn¡¯t respond so I turned around and was about to grab her hair when I felt mana fluctuating behind me, I spun around and saw each of the seven had rushed forward to attack but were intercepted. Each of the seven had a short curved sword with a black blade and green edge, each of those blades were clashing with someone else¡¯s magic. All three platoon leaders had charged in and taken two of the knights each while Leya and Kesh surrounded the remaining one, ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there! Assist them!¡± I glared back at the rest of the platoons who were too slow to react. Before the platoon members could rush in and assist fighting the knights a wall of guards appeared between us and them with the young Emperor in the middle of it. The princess cried something from behind me while struggling to get out of Glent¡¯s rope, the boy glanced at her and then fixed his gaze on me. He looked no older than ten but his grey eyes looked familiar, as if I was looking into a mirror years ago. Something else also bothered me, the feeling I got from his aura disturbed me to no end (¡°Who¡­what is he?¡±) but my thoughts ended there as the boy¡¯s body disappeared and then reappeared with his fist closing in on my face. A small fist covered in dark green mana slammed into my face, before I knew it I was back within the arena and inside one of the cages as I had slammed right through its gate. I glanced back up at the second floor from which I was thrown from and saw multiple bodies left limp by the hole I made in the stone fence. I rose up in the darkness as I heard multiple whimpers and gasps around me, humanoid figures shifted in the shadows as I walked through the destroyed gate and back into the arena. The young Emperor stepped through the hole in the fence and off the edge, his hood came off as he slowly floated down into the arena. His short black hair had emerald strands of glowing hair within them that gave off an eerie aura, (¡°He¡¯s not normal¡­Wayne! Ember!¡±) the aethers I had dropped after being hit lost their form and returned back into my hands as dust until they reformed into pistols. The boy eyed them boy curiously but then turned to glaring at me ¡°What is your name¡­¡± his killing intent wasn¡¯t what shocked me but the force one of his age was able to put behind it did, I grinded my teeth ¡°Normally id be the one asking to announce themselves first¡­I¡¯ll ignore your lack of manners due to your age kid¡­¡± he ignored my remark completely ¡°Matthew Anderson, now who is this new Emperor I¡¯m facing?¡± he twitched slightly at my second sentence but quickly regained his composure ¡°Alexius Xioqu, I will remember your name but only because we are both Champions.¡±. I raised a brow ¡°Champions?...And what might that mean?¡± I could clearly hear the clashing of blades and magical explosions going on up top but it didn¡¯t rush me at all, I had already sized up that the guard captain I had killed was stronger than those seven while the priest and this boy should be my prime targets. Alexius showed little emotion but from what I could see he was slightly surprised ¡°Champions¡­that is what we two are¡­and that strange woman up top. You feel it too don¡¯t you? I have awoken to my legacy which is why you can, while you and that long eared one haven¡¯t yet you can still sense those that have but not those that haven¡¯t¡± multiple questions filled my mind (¡°Champions?...Legacy?... Long eared one?¡±) ¡°I have many things to ask you it seems¡­¡± his aura thickened ¡°But It seems you have plans other than simple chatter¡­That is unfortunate... your English is just as good as your information¡­¡± his form disappeared again and reappeared to my left as he performed a reverse kick aimed at my gut ¡°Predictable¡± mist flowed from my body as his leg seemingly went through. ¡°Take a long nap kid¡­¡± I made a throwing motion as he tried to regain his balance, he fell forward as the dart protruded from his left shoulder. I crouched down to pick up Wayne which I had dropped to retrieve the dart from my pant¡¯s right pocket, one of the darts I had scavenged from the dead guards that surrounded me up at the balcony. ¡°I have many questions for you¡­but first¡­your elder seems to have more answers¡­¡± I glanced up at the second floor as I saw a shimmering green ball of light quickly flying towards me ¡°MASTER!!!¡± the little fairy had tears and snot falling down her face as she slammed into my shoulder ¡°Calm down, wings quickly¡± she looked up at me and nodded as her form dissipated and just as my aethers reformed on my back as wings similar to the ones she gave me when I first exited the caravan but larger. (¡°Interesting?¡±) I made a mental note to ask her about the larger wings and her form merging with them later, I stepped towards the young boy to pick him up. My eyes widened as I leaped backwards, green ethereal tendrils lashed out at me from his body as he rose up to his knees and pulled out the dart from his shoulder. ¡°Foolish ¡­you cannot use a devil¡¯s tricks on another devil¡­.¡± He rose to his feet and glanced back at me as his tail flicked along with the tendrils at my position, as if hungry and impatient. ¡°No¡­ not only did you think you could escape¡­but to think you could defeat me so easily?! You will join me¡­The priest said so too¡­I am the strongest of the champions¡­I am the leader¡­ A petty subordinate like you dares¡­to kill them¡­to hurt her¡­¡± he turned to face me and stared me straight in the eyes, his eyes gleamed like an emerald aimed at a sun. ¡°Kneel¡­¡± his body disappeared in an explosion of green fog as a flaming kick hit me in the gut, I was sent flying to the coliseum wall but before I hit it I felt a sharp pain in my back. He was behind me this time, mid air and mid flight he grabbed my head with a rock covered fist and bashed it into the ground. Blood splattered all over the ground as I struggled to get back up ¡°Beg for mercy¡­¡± he kicked me in the side and flipped me over, ¡°You don¡¯t even smell of any element yet you¡¯re a champion? You must be darkness¡­one of the weakest brothers¡± he stepped over my head with his left leg as I tried to raise Wayne at him. ¡°Tch¡­you can barely even move¡­I¡¯d rather not kill you¡­¡± he used my face as a platform as he spun around on it and kicked the aether out of my hand with his other leg, when he came to a stop he stomped his leg onto my other arm that held Ember ¡°Stripped of your weapons, held down by someone so much younger than you¡­ Does it anger you? Do you not feel any hatred towards me now? Maybe you¡¯ll awaken to darkness due to it¡­The earlier you do the faster I will meet my legacy.¡±. ¡°You¡­¡± I tried to speak but his foot was covered my mouth, ¡°Hm? What is it? Speak up now¡­I cannot hear you.¡± He removed his foot from my mouth ¡°You might just be¡­¡± I could see veins growing on his expression ¡°Speak faster¡­¡± a grin grew on my face ¡°You might just be crazier than me¡± I grabbed on the leg that was on top of my left arm and pushed up with all my remaining strength. He lost his balance and leaped backwards as I rose to my feet, (¡°Shit¡­I need to get out of here¡­my mana is reaching its limit¡­and my body can¡¯t take anymo¡­.¡±) before I could think further he was already upon me. ¡°I said¡­KNEEL!¡± he rushed forward and within moments was in front of me, he grabbed me by the neck as I tried to counter his move but his raw strength was too much for me to rely on martial arts. He pulled me back then pushed in a throwing motion, within moments I was flying back up to the second floor, I hit the ground and tumbled a bit till I came to a stop in front of the seven knights. I tried to glance around with the one eye that wasn¡¯t bathed in blood, the fight had entered a stalemate as the two sides stared each other off while they held their injured and dead. Alexius landed to my right, several meters behind him were the mercenaries ¡°Mages engage teleportation! Now!¡± Kayleigh was barking orders at the mages as Skel was busy on the comms with someone. Off the corner of my eye I saw Ell behind held back by Leya and Kesh, she had wild eyes and looked like she was about to go on another rampage. I was on the ground trying to hold myself up with my right arm, I looked at them and shaked my head ¡°Go!¡± I shouted at the top of my lungs which caught attention I was trying to gain and attention I didn¡¯t mean to regain. ¡°Shut it worm¡± Alexius kicked me in the gut again which made me spit out another pool of my own blood, Ell grew her vines and was about to charge but everyone¡¯s form on their side began to shimmer. The mercenaries disappeared as most of the devils stared in shock, the knights on the other hand quickly grabbed onto me and held me up right after taking Ember away ¡°Hold him securely, take him down to the dungeons and chain him up with curse chains¡±. The priest walked up to me as the knights turned to take me away ¡°Your friends have gone, but we will capture the champion later¡­You are enough of a gain.¡± He gave me a smirk as I was led out of the coliseum, the sharp pain in my back began to fester as I quickly began to lose consciousness. Darkness once again filled my mind as my senses momentarily left me, a crackling laugh echoed in my head ¡°I told you so¡­Who knows what they will do to you now¡­More torture¡­More experimentation¡­If you only had given up the body to me¡­We wouldn¡¯t be back in this predicament¡± the voice sounded amused yet annoyed. If I could I would have sighed ¡°What do you really want? I know what you are now¡­ A fragment of my past self¡­but what is it that you really want? You cannot be so unreasonable to truly want to eradicate humanity.¡± I waited for an answer as silence filled my mind for what felt like hours. ¡°What do I want?...I¡­I¡¯m not sure¡­I¡¯ve been stuck here¡­Plotting¡­Hating...¡± the voice finally answered but only brought up more questions ¡°Would you even enjoy killing all of humanity? You would gain nothing¡­Only lose everything we still have¡±. I could hear some kind of cracking sounds ¡°No¡­I probably wouldn¡¯t¡­I don¡¯t know¡­I just¡­want to be free again¡­again?...why did I¡­I never was¡­¡± the voice sounded confused as the darkness began to shift. My senses returned to me as I opened my eyes to a new kind of darkness, a dimly lit room with what looked like brick walls and floor. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re up¡± Alexius was sitting on top of a wooden table to my right, he was resting his arms and head on his left leg while staring at me. I glanced at myself and my predicament, I was chained up in a cross position while being held up mid air and slightly bent forwards. Suddenly a creaking sound caught my attention, a door behind me creaked open as the room was illuminated ¡°Milord you should leave this room, the process will not be pleasant.¡± The priest¡¯s voice came through from behind me ¡°Hehehe indeed little lord, me and this ¡°champion¡± will be having a lot of ¡°fun¡±¡­¡± a slightly high pitched woman¡¯s voice also reached my ears as the two came into view to my left. The priest was accompanied by a scantily dressed blonde woman, she was pushing a metal cart covered by a black cloth ¡°Do as you wish with him, I don¡¯t care how you do it but once you break him I will directly address any failure of reacting to my commands onto you dungeon mistress. ¡± he got off the table and stepped towards the exit as the woman bowed in respect ¡°But of course little lord¡­¡± a grin plastered on her and the priests face as they watched the young Emperor leave the room and close the door behind him. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I will be filled in at all?¡± the priest walked up to stand in front of me as the woman unveiled the cart ¡°So it is true¡­ you know nothing? Your priest has done a bad job¡­for my fortune¡­I¡¯ll give you the¡­basics then¡­Before time¡­Before everything, five beings only were. One simply slumbered, two constantly fought, one created while the last devoured it¡¯s creations. Then the slumbering one was woke¡­the younger brothers that fought woke it¡­ It rampaged, destroyed and created as the other four¡­defended themselves. The five beings began a war that still exists now, they are weakened but still fight. Instead of them themselves fighting, they pick one strong minor being to grow another to fight for them¡± he lifted his arm and revealed a green tattoo of a strange run ¡°The priest¡¯s mark of corruption, every priest has one of their great being¡±. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. I glanced between the priest and the dungeon mistress as he explained and she sorted out her tools, ¡°You are one of the five being grown to fight, like Emperor Alexius your role is to fight for your god. You seem not convinced? Well you do not need to believe¡­You no remember any of this soon¡­¡± he turned to look at the woman ¡°You will feel pain like you have never felt¡­First physical¡­¡± he took a couple steps back as the woman approached me with a curved dagger in one hand and a purple vial of liquid in another. She held up the vial ¡°This makes you feel more¡­stronger pain¡­¡± with a grin plastered on her face she emptied the vial onto her dagger as the blade greedily absorbed it and began to shimmer its colour, she got closer pulled on a chain. My body lowered to her eye level as she threw herself onto me and began nibbling on my left ear while whispering into it ¡°This will be¡­fun¡­¡± I could feel the dagger¡¯s point on my bare chest moments before she shoved into my right leg and bit onto my ear. I felt her shiver as she let go of the dagger and pulled back to look at my face ¡°Is that all you have?¡± I glared back with eyes open wide and an empty expression, her expression of what I could only understand as joy instantly switched to confusion ¡°H¡­How?...¡± she glanced between the dagger, vial and my face. ¡°Pain like I have never felt?..Hahaha¡­¡± a dry laugh left my lips ¡°Your collection of toys cannot compare to what I have felt as a child¡± she took a couple steps back ¡°Imagine your whole body covered in conductors as electricity is sent forth every moment off and on¡­Imagine drowning for hours as you¡¯re being choked to death¡­Imagine being pulled apart slowly for days by heated chains covering your whole body¡­You think you know pain? You think you¡¯re a giver of true pain?!¡± a grin grew as I continued to speak while a sinister chuckle sometimes escaped my mouth ¡°Unchain me¡­I will show you¡­what real pain is¡­what unspeakable torture my race created¡­what methods I was taught to resist them¡­¡± she turned to look at the priest as if asking ¡°what now?¡±. The priest shook his head ¡°Do not worry, someone else already broke him for us. We will start the mental process then, his physical resistance will not matter if his mind is weak¡± he stepped forward and shoved the woman out of his way as he pressed his palms onto my forehead. The woman stepped forward and put her arm onto the priest¡¯s shoulder, at that instant my mind went blank as darkness filled my vision again. Memories of my past flowed through like a slideshow but some exterior force pushed them aside ¡°They invade our mind¡­They dare¡­invade our past¡­they want to control us¡­No¡­¡± the voice was no longer amused or confused, a seething hatred flowed with every word it said ¡°I don¡¯t care anymore¡­let me show them¡­what we are¡­let us show them what we¡¯re capable of¡­¡± my senses returned to me as I opened my eyes to the same room. The priest had taken a couple steps back while the woman lay on the floor shivering, I smiled at this but their expressions were full of horror ¡°What¡­are you?...¡± the woman asked a question but immediately regretted it as my gaze fell upon her ¡°What am I?...I¡¯m not entirely sure myself¡­¡± I chuckled ¡°I¡¯m your demise¡± a second voice exited my lips ¡°I spent my entire life fighting against my own kind¡­murdering and massacring¡­I¡¯m a soldier¡± the voice spoke again right after I finished ¡°I¡¯m the one in every shadow¡± I turned my head and cracked my neck ¡°You wish to control me? You wish to make me your slave?¡± again the voice filled in between my words ¡°You will fail, you will fall¡± I ignored it as if it was normal ¡°You seem to misunderstand something¡­I am no simply hound¡­I am Cerberus¡­These chains¡­do not bind me¡­these walls¡­will not hold me¡­your spells¡­will not affect me¡­your fear nourishes me¡­You speak of gods¡­I do not care what they are¡­Nobody will hold me¡­I am the monster within your halls¡­I am the demon inside your head¡­¡± I lower my head and glare down at the priest ¡°I have one sole purpose, hunt down any and all in my path¡­No matter where you hide¡­no matter how fast you run¡­no matter what walls you put in between¡­ the woman had already rushed out of the room as the priest began taking steps away ¡°I will find you¡­I will catch you¡­I will kill you¡­¡± the priest tripped on his cloak and fell sideways, he got up and rushed to the door ¡°I AM THE REAPER¡¯S HOUND!¡± the door closed shut as the room¡¯s light disappeared leaving me in utter darkness. A cold and bitter laughter echoed throughout the whole dungeon as I stretched my limbs and their chain hoops, sweat trickled down my whole body as the only light in the room was coming from my eyes and reflected off the blood on the floor. With the only light being a weak red hue and the only sound being my trickling blood I began to question my sanity and existence (¡°What is this?...I feel¡­different¡­That voice¡­he¡¯s¡­gone?...Why do I¡­¡±) ¡°Hahahah¡­¡± (¡°Feel so¡­¡±) ¡°HAHAHAHAHA¡± (¡°Great?!¡±) ¡°Saya¡­I feel you there¡­Wake up¡± I could feel her presence on the miniature wings on my back, she had been slumbering the whole time. I felt a cold touch on my back as the wings changed form and I lost the feeling of them, ¡°M..Master?...¡± a cold high pitched voice came from behind me as a small being latched onto my left shoulder. ¡°Why¡­do I feel so good?...Hihihh¡­¡± she giggled as if drunk and pushed herself off my shoulder and fluttered in front of me, her green glow was completely gone and replaced with a purple one. ¡°I feel it too¡­¡± I looked up at her, her short snow white hair was now long purple curls while her mismatched irises changed to a dark purple one and a light pink one both surrounded by a black sclera. She looked into my eyes and shivered with what looked like excitement ¡°What now? What now?!¡± she fluttered back and forth ¡°Now?...While they cower in fear¡­we shall introduce them to grand mayhem¡­we shall cause them havoc¡­this underground will become pandemonium¡­¡± ------- POV change to the priest of corruption. ¡°I¡¯M THE~ REAPER¡¯S HOUND~¡± My whole body shivered as the boy awakened to his chosen name, the same feeling I felt when the young Emperor awakened. I ran out before the feeling of confusion took me over, shutting the door behind me I face my subordinates that awaited outside. The seven knights gained their power through Alexius himself, he could affect people in many ways and was key in my plan¡­But we failed in the first step of breaking this one. I stood there with my back to the door as a cold laughter shook my bones, chains rattled and the laughter albeit slowly died down. ¡°You seven stay by the door, never leave and do not let anybody inside¡± I ordered the knights to stand guard ¡°You show me to his gear¡± the dungeon mistress was shaken but still nodded and began down the many corridors of the underground, insubordination to a high priest costed more than one life. We spoke as we moved ¡°What in the underworld was that? The creature isn¡¯t normal¡­¡± she hugged herself as she walked and spoke, ¡°Do not question it, simply work. He will be broken and that is your job. We may have underestimated the biological differences between us, your poison must have not affected him at all. Try different methods, as for his mind I¡¯m sure it was his element. Darkness is very aggressive with their soul while light is highly defensive about it, it could have been either.¡± (¡°Although not even I a priest can detect his element¡­He named himself the reaper¡¯s hound, that could be taken as death¡¯s hound and death is mostly regarded as dark¡­but we cannot be too sure, if we mistaken his element then the corruption will fail!¡±) my mind races with ideas on how to reveal his attribute (¡°We cannot take into account his previous elements¡­¡±) ¡°We¡¯re here high priest¡­¡± the woman stood by a black stone door engulfed in different sealing runes (¡°The royal armoury¡±) I sigh and press my palm to the door. ¡°By the high priest¡¯s seal, open¡± the door creaks open and I rush inside. A chill finds its way up my spine when I enter the room, a simple yet eerie room with pitch black bricked walls and dark green pavement presents itself. The chill though wasn¡¯t from the room but from what lay inside, the champion¡¯s weapons had changed form completely and now lay chained down and sealed inside runic crystal cases. I walk up to the cases and look inside ¡°What the devils¡­¡± the two weapons were no longer, in their stead lay a crystalized white snake and a case full of black fog. The snake¡¯s white crystal colour was shifting as very quickly it gained a purplish hue like pouring dye on snow, the fog on the other hand raged like a storm with purple energy crackling at the casing. ¡°What is happening to them?...¡± the woman stared wide eyed at the cases, ¡°They are¡­awakening¡­this should be impossible¡­his weapons are awakening to his name¡­what¡­what are these things?...can they possibly have a soul?...or gained one?¡± suddenly a cracking noise caught my attention and I stared at the crystal statue like snake. It¡¯s eyes glowed a bright pink as it¡¯s crystal shell began to crack and fall apart, ¡°Hissss¡± the snake¡¯s head exploded as an eerie fog exited the shell followed by a pitch black serpent with purple runic designs and large ear like appendages on each side of its head. The serpent glared straight into my eyes and I felt its poisonous power (¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­what is this power? Surely it is not light¡­Darkness?...its designs are similar but there are differences¡­¡±). The snake turned away from me and stared into the black fog inside the other case, I followed its gaze and stared deep into the black fog ¡°Eheheh!¡± the dungeon mistress yelped back and fell ¡°There! There is something inside the fog!¡± I glanced back at her and then at the case again. I lifted my wrinkled right arm and made a waving gesture, the fog was pushed aside momentarily as I gasped at the other being¡¯s form. ¡°Xeeee¡­¡±Four pitch black eyes stared back at me as the large grey bat hissed at me, ¡°Xeeeeee!!¡± the bat hissed louder and louder as its case began to shudder ¡°Impossible¡­¡± suddenly the case cracked and shattered engulfing the whole room in a black mist. I felt my senses leaving me as I fell to my knees, I heard something else shatter and felt a slithering sensation around my neck. ¡°Foolishsss beingsss¡­.¡± I suddenly couldn¡¯t breath anymore as all my senses but my hearing left me completely ¡°You chained down our massster¡­You cagesss usss¡­¡± the voice sounded cold and very close, ¡°Hehehehee¡­You think you¡¯ve imprisoned us here?...No¡­there seems to be a¡­misunderstanding¡­¡± a second voice echoed into my ears as if speaking directly into my mind ¡°You¡¯ve imprisoned yourselves here with us¡­¡± the two voices chuckled coldly as they got more distant. Suddenly my senses began to return to me and I opened my eyes ¡°What has?...¡± the fog had disappeared completely, I turned to find my subordinate but she was nowhere to be seen. I rose to my feet and gave one final glance at the shattered cases then turned and rushed out of the room, ¡°Let the gods have mercy on me¡­¡± the dungeon mistress was embedded to the corridor¡¯s wall with crystal shards in her arms and shoulders holding her to it. (¡°I must find Alexius¡­immediately¡­¡±) I stared at her headless body one last time and turned to run down the corridor (¡°Of course¡­how could I have not known?...I sensed him¡­I sensed his presence but not his element¡­I should have known!...¡±) I rushed down the corridors and towards the dungeon¡¯s exit, a stair case leading upwards ¡°He¡¯s not¡­he¡¯s not a champion¡­his element¡­he¡¯s¡­he¡¯s the destroyer¡­his element¡­ch¡­¡± suddenly the feeling in my legs disappeared as I fell face first to the floor with a tud. ¡°Now now priest¡­I cannot have you leave so suddenly now can I?...¡± a distant voice came from behind me as I felt every bone in my body dissolve and my muscles losing their abilities, ¡°You have many things yet to explain to me¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t feel what but something had grabbed onto me and was dragging me back and away from the exit at a fast pace. ¡°Even if you do not wish to tell me¡­we shall have some¡­¡±fun¡± now won¡¯t we?...Hah¡­¡± a crackling laughter filled the dimly lit corridors as the only lights immediately shut off before I could see what did so. I was being dragged back down the corridors into¡­into what I could only perceive as being dragged to hell. ¡°NNoooooo!!!!¡± I screamed at the top of my old lungs, but nothing heard me. --- Author; I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve hinted enough and I would love to see if anybody has figured the storyline out so far in the comments¡­There are many things I have yet to reveal but have hinted at in one or two ways¡­Next chapter will be¡­thrilling¡­ and disturbing. Edited by; Birse Whos the real devil? Matthew¡¯s POV My mind has never felt so clear, I wandered through the empty streets of the underground city with an unconscious being on my back. With no care in the world I walked towards the largest of the structures, alone I walked and unarmed I moved. Before I would have thought this as insanity but not I couldn¡¯t care less, I have a plan in mind and the other three I made too busy to guard me while they do their tasks. Without meeting any of the residents I reached the coliseum from the run down villa I had emerged from, nobody within the villa was left alive after I left. Fortunately the young emperor wasn¡¯t present which let me set down the crumbs for him to follow, oh this is going to be a wonderful day! With a bright smile maybe a bit too much on the sinister side¡­I opened the gates to the coliseum as an almost invisible force eliminated the two guards that had tried to stop me, after entering I didn¡¯t stop and continued walking through the half cleaned up gore and the half-assed patch job on the fence ending up all the way down in the arena. I walked to the centre where I had two wooden stakes prepared with chains to hold the old priest ¡°Is everything prepared?¡± I asked nobody in particular as I lifted the old man and chained him up to the wooden pillars, ¡°Yes¡­Hehehee!...Everything is ready¡­¡± a loud voice echoed into my mind. ¡°Excellent! Take your positions then, while I question¡­our oh so friendly neighbour¡± I stood in front of the chained up being, his face slightly lifted up higher and slapped him across the face three times. ¡°Wha..hah¡­hah¡­¡± he woke up shivering and shakily looked around ¡°What¡­?¡± I sighed and grabbed a tool from the belt around my waist ¡°I will be asking the questions here if you do not mind¡­¡± I pressed the wrench looking object around his left index finger and twisted ¡°Huh?AHAHHAAAAAAAAHHH¡± he screamed purely out of pain as tears of agony fell down his wrinkly cheeks. ¡°Now if your answers provide¡­I will refrain from using my new toys¡± he stared at me and nodded as a chuckle escaped my lips ¡°Wonderful, now tell me¡­what is¡­what has happened¡­to me?¡± I opened my arms wide as I awaited his answer, he momentarily stared down at the ground ¡°Tch¡­An old dog needs a special touch to teach apparently?¡± I lowered the wrench to his right big toe and pressed it¡¯s fangs around the nail. ¡°Speak¡­¡± I pulled slowly and slowly out another scream of agony came along with the nail, this went on for another four toes and three fingers until¡­I threw away the wrench and pulled out another resembling a hair crimper. He stared wide eyed at the item as I lowered my posture and slowly made the tool approach his crotch in a wavy toying gesture ¡°Shall we proceed to¡­more interesting means?¡±, ¡°Do you have no honour?¡± he breathed in deeply as I pressed the tool around his thigh and poured in mana. When the screams of agony weakened and the smell of burned flesh began I spoke ¡°Honour is for the weak to speak of, an excuse to force rules of combat upon the sly¡± I rose and stared him straight in the face ¡°Now speak, or next time I won¡¯t bluff¡± a purple glow emanated from my eyes as my grin grew and a sinister chuckle left my lungs. He looked up at me with a weak smile ¡°Your people called us devils for our looks¡­although our race¡¯s name doesn¡¯t interpret I find¡­ironic¡­because you are the real devils he¡­.AAHAHHHHHAAAAAAAAHH¡± I had pressed the device to his crotch and interrupted his little speech, ¡°Indeed my race¡¯s culture can be quiet the thing to laugh at¡­Full of hypocrisy¡­Fear¡­Manipulation! But none the less I am what I am and you are what you are, a threat that I will take care of. Now answer my questions priest, because from here on out...I am done being lenient with you¡± my full killing intent purposely attacked his aura as he shivered and wept. ¡°What¡­Am I?¡± three words exited my lips begging the same question I asked before but with power behind them, ¡°You are¡­the impossible¡­For millennia the four champions fought in the name of Darkness, Light, Nature and Corruption¡­Four fronts fought each other in so many more wars than even I know of¡­hah¡­your own world may have been the battleground for such a war¡­the last one corruption was victorious and literally devoured the spoils¡­what you call the void was once a single entity¡­a champion. You though¡­you are no champion as I thought¡­when you arrived I felt your presence¡­as a priest It is my role¡­to find you¡­end you while I protect and grow my champion¡­but now there is no point anymore¡­¡± he looked straight into my eyes as tears streamed down his face ¡°You are the chosen of Chaos, the being that brought the other four down to their knees¡­You are¡­in every sense of the word¡­a Monster¡­¡± I backed up, looked at him momentarily and laughed a heart filled laugh ¡°Chosen of Chaos? Monster? Truly I feel¡­different¡­but higher beings? My race has had many gods and goddesses, what makes you think I¡¯ll believe your crap?¡±. He stared at me in disbelief ¡°Your change in¡­personality¡­your weapons¡¯s evolution¡­what else¡­is there to believe?¡± he slumped down his head, ¡°He doesn¡¯t need to believe anything, teacher. Only that his death is now imminent.¡± I turned towards the childish voice and grinned ¡°Well¡­Good of you to show yourself to the party! You are after all¡­the VIP!¡± I raised my arms in a gesture of grandeur but it only made his glare grow even colder. ¡°Even if what teacher spoke is true, you have just awakened. Your power cannot compare to mine! You are weakened! Unarmed! As good as dead as your people say!¡± Alexius¡¯s expression was pure anger, he glanced between the bloody tools on the floor and his teacher ¡°You come into our land¡­murder our officials¡­kill our people¡­¡± a thick emerald aura built up around him, the ground under his feet crumbled as the air around him dimmed into fog. ¡°Ah yes about that...enough with the theatricals and light shows kid¡­¡± I flicked my fingers as the signal I had prearranged, we watched as a thick blue barrier engulfed the whole arena and Alexius¡¯s aura dissipated ¡°Indeed I may be weakened¡­truthfully my mana is reaching its limits¡­¡± I took step after step towards the devil ¡°I am unarmed¡­but a long shot away from dead. You seem to misunderstand what it means to be human¡­¡± I right in front of his dumbfounded face ¡°When we are at our weakest¡­¡± I put my right hand gently around his neck ¡°Is when we become the most dangerous of creatures¡­ ¡±. He slapped away my hand and took a couple steps back ¡°What¡­how¡­¡±, ¡°Simple really, your kind had all the tools I required ready for me. The priest was the bait, the arena the cage¡­you the catch. The simplest method of hunting¡­yet has its own complications depending on the prey¡±. Alexius steadied himself and glared at me ¡°You¡­.YOU!!!¡± he dashed forward as I could see it in his eyes he was hellbent on killing me, ¡°Don¡¯t rush now¡± I grabbed his fisted arm as it approached my stomach and I spun with it until I was throwing him to the side with his arm as a handhold, he tumbled a couple times till he came to a stop ¡°Tell me, what do you think corruption is? Your element that is¡±. He looked up at me ignoring my question ¡°I¡¯ll kill you¡­¡± he spoke in his language and rushed at me again, he leaped and spun mid-air aiming his left leg at my head. ¡°Not bad¡± I turned sideways and grabbed his leg with my right arm then pulled downwards, I jammed my left elbow into his gut. He fell to the ground by my feet and began spitting out whatever he had for breakfast¡­lunch¡­whatever time it was ¡°I believe corruption isn¡¯t the distortion of material¡­No that is indeed chaos¡­Corruption is enhancement¡­Emotional enhancement¡­Lust¡­Anger¡­Fear¡­ they all are corruption¡­the void?...Gluttony¡­Your teacher?...Greed¡­You?...Love. Pushed by your parent¡¯s lust and your teacher¡¯s greed you were forced into what you are now, your love for them prevented you from declining¡­Well guess what kid¡± I stomped on his back ¡°At least you had a choice¡±. ¡°Choice?...What choice did I have?....¡± I was about to lower myself and end his life (¡°NO¡±) a voice screamed I knew in my head (¡°He can be saved Matt¡­Don¡¯t get lost¡­¡±) Saya whispered , I sighed and stomped on his back again ¡°Follow my words now¡­don¡¯t get lost¡­Imagine this¡­A whole race of bipedal humanoids with mediocrely advanced technology without the use of any kind of magic what so ever who had almost faced extinction by the hand of a gluttonous void, then had to face an army of weaponized monsters¡­tens¡­hundreds¡­thousands¡­¡±I bent down and whispered into his ear ¡±of me¡± I felt him shiver under my leg ¡°Guess what happened to them?...They survived, I will spare you the details¡­but surely even you understand¡­My race will absolutely not take any more chances¡­They have allied with multiple other races even though remain very sceptical about them¡­but your race? You have already shown yourselves to be dangerous¡­what do you think my race will do? With you?¡± he gave up trying to rise and let his face hit the dusty ground ¡°I don¡¯t¡­I don¡¯t know¡­¡± I rose up and backed off from him as he turned over and stared at the barrier. ¡°If my race finds out that you have not only enslaved some of us but also see us as a lower species¡­Well I¡¯m afraid you will be nuked¡­killed¡­exterminated¡­Massacred till there is no one left and believe me when I tell you that you will not be able to save anybody¡­not even yourself¡± as I spoke I glanced at the upper floor to see a shimmer of purple (¡°The audience shall soon arrive¡­¡±) I looked back down at the devilish child laying on the ground defeated. ¡°Then what?...Why do you not kill me now? Why tell me this?...¡± he slammed his fist on the ground as tears fell from his eyes (¡°Truly corrupted¡­so easy to influence¡±) ¡°Because I have an offer for you, call it a deal with the devil if you may¡±. My grin lowered as my old blank expression returned, Alexius looked up at me ¡°an offer?¡± I glanced back at the priest making sure he was unconscious then back at him ¡°Yes, something I need you to take part in fully¡­If you wish for your race to survive¡­for your sister to be returned unharmed¡­You will do exactly as I say¡­¡± I raised my right arm and flicked my fingers, the barrier lowered and both aethers appeared in my hands. Two dark pistols with different designs of runes, a purple hue to their form and a longer than normal barrel also carved with the same purplish runes, they were Ember and Wayne in their new although similar forms. ----- Alexius¡¯s POV The creature I considered my worst nightmare stood there as the only reason I couldn¡¯t kill him broke down, the barrier fell and my fear turned to confusion ¡°Wha¡­¡± I looked back down to see he was in my face ¡°Don¡¯t fight back unless a voice tells you to¡± my eyes went wide as from one of his weapons a blast of energy threw me back and through the walls. I flew so far that when I landed I couldn¡¯t see the coliseum anymore, I had ordered the citizens into the lower shelters when I heard he escaped but¡­I could see from the corner of my eyes¡­they were peeking out to watch the disturbance¡­they watch me rise up from the dust as blood trickled down my front (¡°How can I?...HOW CAN I NOT FIGHT BACK!? WHEN THEY ARE ALL WATCHING ME!¡±) my aura thickened as the air around me grew stale and the floor barren and cracked, but I wasn¡¯t ready. Another attack hit my side but this one was much stronger although seemingly smaller, the small blast of condensed mana hit so hard I was shot a couple feet into the cavern¡¯s wall behind me. ¡°This is your champion? A little child barely off his mother¡¯s supervision? ¡± I heard the beast coming closer as his voice echoed through my ears ¡°Disgusting, you send children to fight your battles yet expect to survive this day?¡± I pushed myself out of the hole my body made and stared up at the being on top one of the roofs, anger built up inside me as I watched him standing up there looking so damn high and mighty ¡°I¡¯ll!...¡± but then I looked around again. The ones I swore to defend, my people, my blood, my family peeked out from around walls and doors with fear and expectation in their eyes (¡°How can I sentence them to death? Just cause I¡¯m angry?...¡±) I stood my ground and waited for his move. ¡°Your warriors are dead, your peaks of society dead, your rulers dead. There now stands your last champion ¡± he points at me ¡°He is all that remains between you¡­.And me¡­But not even he¡­can save you¡­or him¡­¡± from behind him he threw down a corpse into the streets, my eyes went wide as I saw it¡¯s features ¡°T¡­teacher¡­¡±. ¡°Emperor, I present you one last offer. Surrender or face complete annihilation.¡± I was about to drop to my knees when ¡°Fight¡­Act¡­Then lose.¡± A voice echoed into my mind. I looked up at his face and he was grinning, he gestured with his hand for me to come¡­(¡°Fine¡­I¡¯ll play your game¡­monster¡­¡±) the aura around me condensed around my legs and I walked forward. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I leaped upwards and pushed forward with my legs to dash mid-air (¡°Why should I believe him? How can I know he isn¡¯t lying? Why wouldn¡¯t he lie?...¡±) mana formed on my right fist as I sped forward towards his head (¡°DAMNIT JUST DIE!¡±) mist swirled around his whole body as I passed right through him, I shot right into the building under him and crashed down through the roof. Four shots followed me down that hit both legs and arms, pain rushed through all four as I felt multiple bones dislocating and some breaking. I looked up and saw those beast like purple slits only a foot away staring down at me as he lowered to whisper into my ear ¡°Even at my current strength, something so obvious as that might as well be asking for death¡± my skin crawled as I heard his serpentine voice so close again, his very breath made me feel like choking. He grabbed me by the collar and forced me up, I steadied myself as he¡­dusted my shoulders off and grinned like a maniac¡­to say he got under my skin would be an understatement as this being absolutely terrified me. I looked up at the hole I made then at his grinning face and then at the weapon aimed at my chest, then back up to his face as another blast of mana hit me straight in the gut. I flew through the wall and back into the streets, I screamed in pain as I clutched my gut while although the damage to my body was decreased pain was a completely different story. ¡°I gave you a choice emperor¡­It is not becoming to keep me waiting for an answer¡­¡± He strolled out of the broken down wall with his left arm hanging down armed while his right¡¯s weapon rested on his right shoulder, ¡°Why has this happened to us¡­¡± my voice sounded choked with smoke as I spoke. I shuddered as his grin grew wider, something I had thought impossible till now ¡°Don¡¯t think you can blame this on something else¡­This is no tragedy¡­This is no coincidence either¡­And don¡¯t dare call for fate. This is something you all let happen, you let your rulers run wild and do as they pleased. Even now you set your pride aside and let a child defend you!¡± he wasn¡¯t speaking to me, he glanced around the streets at the citizens. ¡°Weakness! Cowardice! Greed! Those are what you currently represent! Do you like that image? It¡¯s what you have left, all you have left. Your identity is all you have, if it stays as is¡­Your race will die. Your only option is to improve your image here, now and in front of me. Prove to me you are no longer a threat and I will not kill every last one of you.¡± I glanced around at the tunnels taking to the shelters, some citizens interpreting for the others, fear the only thing I could see in their expressions until they heard his words. I clenched my fists, I want to kill him so badly I can barely restrain myself (¡°No¡­if there is the smallest chance¡­thousands of him¡­is that even possible? I don¡¯t know¡­but¡­just him alone¡­killed all of them¡­we wouldn¡¯t survive¡­¡±). I rose from the rubble and dirt ¡°In the name of the empire!¡­we surrender!...¡± I fell to my knees as I rested my fists on my legs and looked down at the ground, ¡°Then pledge so, what do you have that is worth our trust?¡± I thought it was over¡­I thought surrendering was all I had to do¡­but no¡­it wanted more¡­I looked up at the devil himself as his monstrous eyes stared down at me ¡°What¡­What else do you want?...¡±. ¡°You are the emperor now aren¡¯t you? A pledge is worth nothing without a life as sacrifice¡± his eyes flared as his aura thickened and formed strange lines in front of me, purple tendrils of mana forming an image which made me swallow my heart ¡°You¡­But¡­¡±. ¡°I don¡¯t care, you wish to live? You wish to get back on our righteous side? Then prove you are willing to sacrifice what you hold most dear, maybe then we will share ours with you.¡± I stared at his expressionless face, no sign of emotion to be seen ¡°I propose¡­.my sisters life to you¡­¡± I bowed my head down and slammed it into the dirt ¡°Please¡­have mercy¡­¡± ----- Matthew¡¯s POV The terrified young ruler bowed down his head into the ground in front of me, I stepped closer and crouched down in front of him making many citizens hold their breaths ¡°I accept your offer for peace emperor, my people will be back soon. Make preparations , no guards are to be armed not even civilians and make sure to keep your doors open.¡± I rise up and walk back towards the coliseum as many civilians and guards rush to their prince¡¯s side. (¡°Teleportation could be quiet the dreadful thing¡­they will only teleport back into where they already teleported out of¡­to not end up inside stone¡­therefore that should be their entrance¡­unless they find the actual one¡­Guess I¡¯ll have to wait and see¡­.Hehehe¡­¡±) ----- A couple hours earlier, Ell¡¯s POV ¡°LET GO OF ME! MATT! SAYA!¡± My rage had reached a new high as I could only stop myself from killing the two holding me, I had to stand there and watch as we left our comrade to what seemed to be his death¡­when we appeared inside the ship¡¯s TP room I had already turned to throw my rage at the platoon leaders but¡­someone beat me to it. ¡°JREL! SKEL! KAYLIEGH! WHAT ARE MY POLICIES ON LEAVING OTHERS BEHIND?!¡± Zeaxar was standing in the middle of the room as everybody else who was waiting for us kept their distance from his thick fiery aura, the three platoon leaders swallowed as the avian stepped forward to speak ¡°Sir¡­he broke protocol¡­he k¡­¡± ¡°DO I LOOK LIKE I GIVE A DAMN ABOUT PROTOCOL?!¡± Zeaxar stomped towards Skel and literally headbutted him to the ground ¡°You abandoned a member, a platoon leader no less! Do you feel it now? The shame? Well you¡¯ve brought that down on all of us. I expect the whole outfit to be arranged for combat within minutes, we¡¯re swarming that city for our man.¡± He glanced at the princess and the noble woman who were staring with dumbfounded expressions, reeking of fear ¡°Arrange cells for the prisoners, CASTELL! The elite squad is launching¡± He immediately turned and left the room that was still full of his aura. I glared at the platoon leaders as they began issuing orders and arranging their platoons to get attendance of the rest, ¡°Calm down child, he¡¯ll be fine. He¡¯s made of a tougher bark than anybody in this room¡± Leya spoke from behind me ¡°I mean no disrespect young elder but¡­you don¡¯t sound or look convinced of your trust in him either¡± I turned to her as I spoke. She bit her lip ¡°Indeed I dislike the man, his methods are far from what I first expected of him but that¡¯s my fault for making those expectations in the first place¡­I do not know what has gone through his mind, what he did was unbecoming of a member but that doesn¡¯t mean it was wrong. They caged us, stripped us and forced us to fight monsters and each other. He spoke truth before opening the gate, none of us had the stomach for it except for him¡± She looked down at me and tapped me on the shoulder ¡°Just keep your emotions in check young sapling, at your age¡­with your power in the first place¡­I¡¯m surprised your mother let you leave the clerics at all¡± she sighed and walked towards Glent and Kesh. The hours went by as we waited for the elite squad to scout for an entrance but returned with nothing, the outfit leaders decided that teleportation was our only way in and so we formed squads to go in bit by bit. I was grateful to elder Leya for giving her spot to me so I could go in first, the squad was made up of a hundred and twenty members which was the maximum amount the teleporters could take at once without putting some at risk. I had spent the whole time waiting at the TP room so I was one of the first to be there, while I waited with my back to the wall a familiar voice called out ¡°Ell!¡± I turned to see Anabel rushing towards me ¡°Are¡­ are you alright?¡± she looked worried ¡°Yeah¡­it¡¯s just¡­I¡¯m worried something happened¡­something bad¡­You¡¯re human too¡­do you think¡­he¡¯s okay?¡± I looked at her and her smile faded away. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I mean he beat an outfit leader on week one¡­and¡­he¡¯s one of them¡­the mon¡­cerberii that brought my race to its final knee¡­he survived the onslaught¡­He¡¯ll live through this¡­¡± she rested her back to the wall by me, ¡°He has to¡­¡± the words left my lips before I could think of what I said ¡°Huh?...Umm..Ell¡­I don¡¯t mean to pry but¡­Do you?...Matt?...¡± Anabel turned slightly red even though she mentioned it ¡°Hm? No¡­no¡­at least¡­I don¡¯t think so¡­Us Elfs have¡­different senses than your kind¡­at my age we are emotionally unbalanced¡­very unbalanced¡­thankfully I am reaching maturity¡­I was...Hehe¡­way worse¡­But when he is around¡­It¡¯s strange¡­it¡¯s as if¡­It doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯m maturing or not¡­I feel like I can be myself¡­It¡¯s not attraction¡­It¡¯s the freedom I feel with him around¡­I feel¡­a connection with him¡­¡± I turned to look at her and pouted in annoyance ¡°That didn¡¯t change your mind did it?...¡± Anabel chuckled ¡°Nope¡­not one bit¡± I sighed. Suddenly another familiar voice took over every conversation in the room ¡°FORM UP YOU SLOW BASTARDS!¡± Zeaxar rushed into the room with six cloaked figures behind him, each cloak having its own emblem with the company¡¯s colours. The Elite squad formed up in front of him and we lined up behind them. ¡°Listen up, this is our fuck up and ours alone. We will fix this and get our man back, that is our first priority. If this new race does indeed show itself to be a threat to our homes¡­we have permission to exterminate. If you do not have the stomach for this leave now, the humans have volunteered to do this themselves but I will not allow our name to be tarnished. Nobody? Very well then, Mages! Engage teleportation!¡±. Lights flickered as multiple runic rings formed around our small army, everyone prepared there weapons as I summoned forth my nature¡¯s arms. We were prepared to fight, everyone was already releasing their aura except for Zeaxar and the Elites who stood like ghosts almost unnoticeable within our collective bloodlust. My vision went black as the teleportation initiated and our forms disappeared, ¡°Took you long enough?¡± a familiar voice entered my ears as I opened my eyes to the dreadful arena. Zeaxar¡¯s bloodlust and the Elite¡¯s collective aura blasted forth gaining everyone and everything¡¯s attention, ¡°Platoon captain, care to explain why I had to call to action the whole outfit in your behalf yet you sit there on a wooden stool surrounded by your would be captors? ¡± Zeaxar stepped forward and I saw him sitting there on a stool. Under my breath I whispered ¡°Matt¡­?¡± because of all the auras around me I couldn¡¯t sense him very well but I could still tell that something was wrong and very different, ¡°That is simple boss¡± Matthew stood up from the stool ¡°Is it now?¡± Zeaxar stopped midway and began glaring down the line of unarmed guards, civilians and the single child that stood out like a sore thumb. ¡°They have surrendered, I have taken care of their leaders and the only three survivors are your two captives and the young man you see here. He has inherited leadership of his people and has afterwards begged for forgiveness and wishes to surrender¡± he spoke as if he was bored, as if none of this interested him anymore. He walked passed Zeaxar with an uninterested expression which made many eyebrows raise, ¡°I see¡­interesting? Two, four, six. Scout for sharpshooters or hidden groups¡± on Zeaxar¡¯s orders three of the elites nodded and instantly disappeared from sight, ¡°Very well then¡­if you wouldn¡¯t mind joining us young king¡­I would like to go over the¡­terms¡­of your surrender¡± the child slumped down his shoulders and nodded ¡°I¡¯ll come¡­¡± he then looked up and glanced at Matthew¡¯s back as he stepped forward and stopped next to Zeaxar. ¡°Three, five, seven. Spread out and watch. Everybody else brace for teleportation, we¡¯re going back to base. HQ Requesting immediate teleportation back, I don¡¯t give a damn if they¡¯re tired!¡± he spoke the last part on the comms, I waited for my vision in the TP room to return before deciding to approach Matt along with Anabel. --- Edited by; Birse Author; Next chapter¡¯s reveal might catch¡­some¡­or many¡­by surprise¡­;P remember to rate and maybe leave a comment! :D Eye-opening Matthew¡¯s POV I felt light headed and quite annoyed, for some reason something didn¡¯t sit right (¡°What¡¯s this?...¡±). ¡°Matt?...¡± I heard Ell calling my name and turned to see her with Anabel, ¡°Hm? And how are you two doing?¡± they reacted in surprise to my statement ¡°How are we?! You¡¯ve been left behind! We¡¯re supposed to ask you that!¡± Anabel shouted which made many eyes turn and shoulders slump down. (¡°That reminds me¡­¡±) I could feel a chill run through my veins up to my eyes ¡°Where¡¯s Skel?¡±, I could see them both stiffen even though I purposely avoided them with my aura. I turned and looked around the group, Zeaxar had already left with Alexius in tail. ¡°Don¡¯t speak my name with that vile tone, human. I¡¯m here.¡± Skel was standing to the left of the group with the other two platoon leaders, ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this Skel¡± Jrel sighed but didn¡¯t move ¡°Not for ¡°him¡±, we all know his ¡°methods¡±. All those people¡­killed for a higher hand in negotiation¡­and where did that take us? Nothing because we still had to retreat!¡± Kayleigh looked enraged and was taking it out all on me. I clutched my gut and slightly bent forwards ¡°HAAHAHAAA¡± I couldn¡¯t help it, I began to laugh ¡°Nothing? Please werewoman, you cannot be that blind. You think they would have surrendered with a simple show of power after they killed a whole platoon of human soldiers? You think they would have surrendered after our retreat? If I hadn¡¯t removed their line of leadership moral would never have gone so drastically low. But instead of sticking with the plan you all retreated with your tails between your legs, you abandoned me because you couldn¡¯t stomach some blood.¡± I walked towards them as I spoke ¡°Think of me as you wish, see me as you wish. But¡­dare speak so in front or behind my back and¡­I will not hold back¡± my killing intent engulfed the room along with my aura, ¡°Yes, I am not even close to what my people call Human. I am indeed more Monster than human, but my short comings have enlightened me on many things.¡± I arrived in front of them as Skel held her by the shoulder ¡°You think you¡¯ve seen bloodshed? Your race has known no true war, you¡¯ve fought beings you¡¯ve seen as monsters and beasts your entire lives. Never have you actually killed in its true meaning as you¡¯d consider that murderous and atrocious. Even in the two year aether war you Etyrians never gave a helping hand, yet you expect humanity to trust you? You expect me to accept your beliefs when my own have saved me so many times over? Well let me explain this to you, wolfy¡± I was now inches away from her fanged face. ¡°Death is nothing more than a stage in life, to kill is to survive. You think what I did back there was murder? I¡¯ve killed thousands more before I even joined this group, before I should have even been allowed a weapon I had hundreds of lives on my name. If you do not wish to end up the same as me then leave and go home now, if you cannot live on with blood on your hands then quit while you can. What we do here is to protect those back home, so that they won¡¯t have blood on their hands. You think you know¡­but you do not. If we failed here, death would have been the last of our problems. If a war between our alliance and a race just a strong was to start¡­the blood shed would have been endless and unrivalled. For this instance? If the ones down there wouldn¡¯t have surrendered, my race would have personally exterminated them. Do you want that? For a whole race to disappear within a single night?¡± my killing intent subsided and I retreated my aura. ¡°I¡­¡± Kayleigh looked confused as she gritted her teeth, ¡°Enough of this¡± Skel pulled her back and momentarily stood in front of me looking me straight in the eye. He bent down and kneeled ¡°I ask for your forgiveness, what I did was cowardly and beyond repair. Yet still, Matthew I beg for your forgiveness!¡± we stood there for a couple more moments ¡°My pride is all I have¡­I may not understand what you may have gone through but please understand, we are of different natures than you¡±. I glanced between the kneeling avian, uninterested dwarf and glaring werewoman, ¡°As long as you understand, you make your own choices¡± I turned and began heading towards the exit but stopped momentarily ¡°But remember this, if you at some point get in the way. I will not hesitate.¡± I continued on towards the exit while containing a smirk (¡°What¡¯s wrong with me? I didn¡¯t mean to laugh¡­why do I feel like this?...¡±) at that point I remembered something (¡°I¡¯ll ask him later.¡±) I had reached the corridors when ¡°Matt wait!¡± I heard Anabel calling from behind me, I turned to see both her and Ell had followed me out ¡°What is it? I¡¯m tired and I need to rest¡± Anabel just stared down while Ell spoke as she looked straight at me ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You¡¯re¡­different?!¡±. (¡°Long eared one huh?¡±) I could feel it now, as if a scent I could feel her presence ¡°Different?¡± I turned and continued walking towards the dorms ¡°You know me enough to say that I¡¯m now different?¡± I didn¡¯t look back nor stop but simply kept walking till I was out of sight. When I arrived at my dorm room I poured mana into my gloves, my gear was returned to me while I waited for the outfit to send a squad. ¡°Gah..¡± somewhere on the way a splitting headache hit me, the two aethers appeared in my hands and I examined them momentarily (¡°The forms slightly changed¡­more detail compared to the basic shape they had previously¡­the barrel is rectangular with runes I don¡¯t understand¡­the grips have a condensation of runes forming a strange sigil¡­wait¡­their crystals¡­both purple? What happened to Ember¡¯s fire?¡±) the change in my aethers made me question a lot of things but I was too tired, not only that but my worry for them and Saya was overwhelming and there was nothing I could do about it. Within the mana-jamming barrier I had momentarily lost contact with all three of them and it felt like they disappeared, I was about to kill Alexius when Saya¡¯s voice stopped me and showed me some reason. After that I had ordered them to lower the barrier and they did but¡­I felt Ember and Wayne return to their aethers and Saya...she dwelled inside my soul realm like any contracted spirit normally would¡­I can feel them¡­ slumbering...Not responding. I returned the aethers into my gloves and took off my gear, I ignored the sweat and dirt on my body and then just crashed onto the bed passing out moments after. I waited for the usual dreams to fill me in¡­the horrors I had given the seven knights within that dungeon while my mind twisted and distorted into what I hoped I could never imagine again¡­my past to overshadow me again¡­the voice to harass me again¡­but it was none of that. I lay there in darkness, literally, when I opened my eyes darkness was all I could see which made me jump up and release my aura. My aura didn¡¯t release, I couldn¡¯t even feel my mana anymore which reminded me of the time I faced the voice in its split personalities. I felt around me but there was nothing, no bed, no walls, nothingness. Then I felt it, a force so powerful it forced me to my knees and to the ground. A dreadful feeling so powerful it activated every emotion I knew I had within me and some I thought I lost, my confusion did not stop there as when tears began falling down my face I shouted ¡°WHO¡¯S THERE!?¡±¡­then I felt the ground beneath me shift, the ground moved which made me tumble backwards and making me realise I wasn¡¯t standing on any normal ground. The gigantic eye opened releasing a purple light almost blinding until it slowly weakened to where I could see again, I was standing right on top of it and it was terrifying (¡°What could be so huge?¡±) ¡°Technically a small planet could be¡­but that is not what we are here to discuss human.¡± A voice answered from everywhere at once, it echoed throughout the darkness multiple times but was still comprehendible somewhat. ¡°What..do you mean?...wa¡­you read my?...What are you?¡± I took a step back and looked around, the eye might as well have been an island as it was all I could see as far as I could see. ¡°Too many questions boy¡± I lowered myself and noticed a force was keeping me afloat and away from the actual eye ¡°I shall explain this in terms you might understand, I am the literal existence of chaos. I am the randomness that is life, I am the distortion of the realms, I am chaos¡±. I felt my body beginning to shiver (¡°Is this?...fear?¡±) while still crouching I grabbed my left arm with my right hand and grimaced ¡°What¡­do you want¡­from me?¡±, ¡°Khakhakhakha¡± the being made a low pitched clicking sound almost as if laughing ¡°Not just what I want from you¡­but what you need from me. You¡¯re drowning boy, drowning in a power that was never intended for you. Your body is not yours to have, your soul is not compatible enough. Within a couple more years¡­you will tear yourself apart. I had chosen this body for my champion but¡­you humans made things¡­complicated¡­My champion was supposed to rise above and exterminate his pain, to fall completely for chaos and return a demi-god that would return me to power.¡± Chains suddenly appeared from the darkness and held me up facing the eye ¡°But I have an offer for you human, my power is limited and I could only pick one champion¡­so it would be quite the loss to have you die on me. You are too balanced for me to use, your body too unbalanced to hold your soul. I forward you this offer boy¡± a blade shaped purple crystal formed in front of me as my right arm¡¯s chain was released ¡°End yourself here, sever your soul from your body so I can take over. When I¡¯m finished with ending the other four champions I will gather their power and fully incarnate, I will reincarnate you after that. You will gain whatever you wish, anything you could possibly desire I will give you.¡± I let it¡¯s words sink in¡­(¡°Anything I want¡­¡±)¡­¡±I¡¯m what you could call a god, anything you could ever want will be yours¡­and what you need to do is very simple¡­use that shard¡­strike yourself in the heart.¡± I grabbed hold of the bladed crystal it called a shard and felt great power flow through me, my very skin vibrated as I held the object ¡°Can you not do all that without me doing this?¡± I clenched the object and stared at it ¡°No, my existence has been weakened due to my brothers¡¯ war. The injuries inflicted on me can only be healed by their power, do it human¡­I could even bring back your family¡­your mother¡­your father¡­do you not wish to reunite? Death is nothing more than a stage, let me reunite you.¡± I felt two hands on my shoulders and two hands around my right hand ¡°Wha¡­¡± I glanced around and saw purplish ethereal forms, human like but distorted. Their forms finally stopped distorting and what I saw terrified me even more, tears continued to fall as my parent¡¯s forms held the blade aimed at my heart. I stared down at the crystal, my whole body shivered as I closed the distance between it and my chest. (¡°Don¡¯t be a fool, you would abandon everything you¡¯ve fought for? Everything you¡¯ve strived for and everything you stand for just to have a moment with your parents? How long do you think that would last? You truly believe this ancient being will keep you three alive as it goes about its destruction?¡±) a voice spoke in my mind, I didn¡¯t know who or what it was but it sounded eerie and distant (¡°Don¡¯t fall child, nobody is there to pick you up this time. Continue on the path given to you, ignore this foul creature as it shall never contact you again. Say the word and you will exit its control, say it once and continue on protecting. I will give you a hint child to let you go forward¡­they are still alive.¡±) a second voice continued, I felt the worry somewhere in its sweet tone. My body stopped shaking and I steadied the makeshift weapon in my hand, ¡°Kheeeaaa!¡± a screech filled the darkness as chaos reacted to something ¡°Be gone you failures! This is my champion! Ignore these fools! They try to affect you! They whisper lies in your ears to deny my revival! To deny you from joining your family!¡± suddenly the representations of my parents dissolved ¡°Delve forward child of humanity, live on and prosper as you deem fit. Your actions have been watched by many and will remain to be. Your future is bleak with monstrosities as this one but don¡¯t falter now, you are getting closer with every step you take. This is the only push we will give you, the rest lays within your hands. Don¡¯t make the mistake we made.¡± A third voice spoke and not just in my head this time, it was loud and dominant but also prideful. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. I looked down at the eye as veins of black began to grow all over it ¡°I¡¯m not anyone¡¯s toy¡­God¡± with the blade I slashed at the chain holding my left arm and it cut right through like a heated blade on butter ¡°My answer¡± I fell forward and stabbed towards the eye as I descended ¡°Be gone beast¡±, ¡°Disappear horror¡±, ¡°Away with you brother¡± the three voices spoke in unison as power formed in my right arm and the crystal lost its purplish colour changing to a mix of bright white, contorting black and pulsating blue. ¡°My answer is no¡± when I stabbed at the eye I felt no force holding me back from it and the crystal went right into the iris, purple smoke escaped the wound as the eye retracted and closed taking me back into darkness. Suddenly I had opened my eyes and found myself laying on the bed upside down with half my face on the pillow, I was facing the wall to my left ¡°What¡­¡± I blinked several times and turned to face the roof. I laid there for several minutes but finally closed my eyes and sighed ¡°I gave up potential immortality¡­I¡¯m that distrustful huh? and also¡­¡± I clenched my fists when suddenly I felt something falling on my chest ¡°Master?...¡± I raised my head and looked, ¡°Ember? Wayne? What happened to you?¡± the two were in their actual forms but much smaller and looked incredibly different. Ember who use to be an albino cobra with red runes now looked more like a phaya, a dragon of the sea with an arrow head like face and no limbs except its long serpentine body ending in two bladed tails. Wayne on the other hand had changed even more, from a pitch black bat with misty purple wings he was now a pitch black wyvern with purple horns, spikes, wing netting and grey lines following his bone structure like painting. ¡°We evolved it seems¡­¡± Ember looked over her body which was currently no larger than a common grass snake, ¡°I don¡¯t like this! I want my old body back!¡± Wayne hissed and stomped around my chest with his pigeon sized body until he got disoriented and fell off and onto the ground ¡°Uhh¡­I don¡¯t feel so well!¡±. Ember sighed ¡°Ignore him, he¡¯s been bitching about orientation for hours now. More importantly are you alright? Master¡­you also¡­look different.¡± I was taken by surprise at her comment and immediately got off the bed, she hissed quietly and strangled my arm to not fall off ¡°Okay okay! Don¡¯t hold on so much¡­¡± she weakened her grip as I looked into the mirror. Wayne had climbed up to my left shoulder as I noticed the differences in my appearance, my dark red hair now had small streaks of purple and some of the runes on my body had become completely visible. One rune in particular shaped like a ¡°G¡± on top of a ¡°T¡± was prevalent in purple on each of my eye lids, while another was peeking out from under my shirt. I removed my shirt and coat which forced Wayne to climb up to my head, the rune resembling a ¡°K¡± within a circle around it was on my left abdomen around where my heart was located with the same colour as the other two. Both Ember and Wayne had gotten off me and were on the floor by me staring into the mirror ¡°Do you know what¡¯s wrong with Saya? She still won¡¯t respond¡± I glanced down at both of them but they both shook their heads ¡°I¡¯ll take a shower and then we¡¯ll go find some¡­answers¡± I opened the door to the small bathroom and took off my clothes, I saw Ember and Wayne peaking in from the door looking at something on my back and I heard Wayne whisper something but didn¡¯t quite make it out ¡°Did you say something?¡± I asked but Ember was the one to respond ¡°No, nothing¡± so I ignored it and cleaned myself up then got out of the room and put on some new clothes. I looked back at the mirror once more and then at the time on my Iris, in Etyrian terms it was nine pm but I have no idea what this world¡¯s time actually was. ¡°By the way, why are you in these forms?¡± I looked at Ember who rested herself around my neck while Wayne tried to get comfortable on my head ¡°The gloves can¡¯t hold our aetheric bodies any longer, so we required an actual physical body to rest since we aren¡¯t directly connected to you. The gloves cannot hold such a body at all so this is our only current solution¡±. ¡°Very well then¡± I looked forward and closed the door behind me ¡°Don¡¯t interfere unless told to¡± I walked down the corridor as I looked at the map on my Iris to find the room. When I finally found the room I stopped a couple steps away from it, seven blades were aimed at several vital points on my body wielded by seven cloaked figures ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing exactly?¡± Zeaxar stood behind them with an annoyed expression. Ember hissed and Wayne growled ¡°I¡¯m looking for answers, ¡°He¡± may hold those answers.¡± We stared at each other for a couple moments. He sighed ¡°Let him through¡± the elites sheathed their weapons and stood to the side of the corridor, I could have probably killed all seven of them with some injuries taken but with Zeaxar there I didn¡¯t want to take my chances since after all as long as he thought he was in control I wasn¡¯t a threat to him and he wasn¡¯t to me. I stepped through the elite squad and towards the door, I stood momentarily in front of Zeaxar until he turned and entered the room while leaving the door open. I walked in behind him to find a normal looking laboratory, tables with chemicals and apparatus filled the untidy room while the only thing out of place was the drunk old man with three bottles of alcohol standing on a desk by him as he stared into a piece of paper. ¡°What do you want now¡± he sighed and turned to look at Zeaxar, when he saw me his expression went through several stages of fear and confusion but ultimately ended in sadness and some anger. ¡°He has questions for you doctor, I expect you to fully answer them like you did with me. You know what happens if you do not comply.¡± Zeaxar rested his back to the wall as he kept glancing between me and Dr.Heiken, I clenched my fists and stepped towards him while focusing most of my senses on Zeaxar as he closely watched me ¡°You should know¡­What is happening to me? Just yesterday I went from my usual personality to a slightly normal one and then crossing insanity¡¯s border¡­What is happening to me?¡±. The doctor slammed his arm over the bottles and threw them off the table, two shattered and broke ¡°Your body is rejecting your soul, that is what¡¯s happening to you¡± tears began to fall down his eyes ¡°You¡­Matthew Anderson hasn¡¯t been alive for four years¡± my eyes widened at his answer as rage began to fill me ¡°I don¡¯t need your philosophical bull shit, tell me¡±. He raised his head from the table and looked me straight in the eye ¡°Four years ago¡­subject Matthew Anderson¡± he pulled something resembling an I-pad from his coat ¡°Lost control and eliminated his whole squadron, he was terminated soon after massacring three others¡± he passed me the device which was already on and with a single folder on it. I tapped the folder and found a video file which I tapped open soon after, a video began to play from the perspective of what I understood to be a Cerberus. The girl¡¯s name, code and image were displayed to the top left as she glanced between the rest of her squadron inside a military installation. They were fighting¡­exterminating a group of soldiers and scientists¡­until every squadron member turned to look at a single direction, through a broken doorway another Cerberus walked in¡­purple tendrils of dense mana lashed out from most of his body while his eyes had been black empty pits. ¡°That¡¯s¡­me?¡± the Cerberus I recognised as myself disappeared from view and one by one right after a figure appeared behind them each Cerberus¡¯s head was cut clean off, including the girls¡¯ who¡¯s feed was cut. The video changed view to another Cerberus, the time was hours later and the boy was looking at a demonic being standing surrounded by several Cerberus corpses. It was lashing out continuously at anything within its range as it held on to its neck while apparently screaming, in the end it fell forward and its body went limp. The being¡¯s demonic form dissipated and what I saw made my heart drop, I saw myself dead on the ground with pulsating green veins signalling the poison¡¯s injection into my system ¡°No¡­this can¡¯t be true¡­it¡¯s¡­it¡¯s a lie¡­¡±. I dropped the device and it hit the floor ¡°It¡¯s the truth, Matthew Anderson died minutes later as the antidote was never administered. Instead we waited for your soul to leave your body and then we healed it, medically you were dead as your soul could no longer be detected. What we did next¡­my son¡­he was at the final stage of his cancer¡­something not even magic could cure¡­we¡­we transplanted his soul into Matthew¡¯s body. Memories were changed by sacrificing the power and lives of many more cerberii. We created a being so distorted that its chaos efficiency bordered perfection but didn¡¯t reach it, we created the perfect soldier and programmed it with one sole purpose. Ensure humanity¡¯s survival. My son¡­was only twelve at the time¡­his soul wasn¡¯t compatible so we knew your time would be limited but due to the elemental compatibilities you both had¡­you two were the best choices we had¡­the best choice I had at giving you a new life¡­free of your curse¡­Kyle¡­I did it all for you..¡±. I raised my head and stared Dr.Heiken straight in the eyes, he had risen slightly from his chair and had tear filled eyes ¡°I did it¡­I¡­¡±. ¡°NO!...¡± I fell to my knees ¡°I¡¯m¡­.No¡­.wh¡­why¡­¡± I held my head within my hands as Ember licked my chin and Wayne simply stood still ¡°Then¡­No¡­it makes¡­sense¡­Hah¡­hahaha¡­.You fools¡­You impossible fools¡­without even knowing it¡­you saved everything that is¡­fools¡­but it all makes sense¡­hahah¡­he¡­I¡­Matthew¡­didn¡¯t die¡­the voice¡­it all makes sense¡­but¡­¡± suddenly I felt a sharp pain in the side of my neck. I fell forwards but was held up by something, I lost most feeling in my body and began to lose consciousness. ¡°Wh..Why¡¯d you do that?!¡± I heard Dr.Heiken shout and a chair moving ¡°He began talking of voices and laughing randomly, why wouldn¡¯t I? Don¡¯t need a cra¡± everything went black right then. Memories rushed in, my parents, my sister, the wave, the war, my time as a Cerberus¡­fuzzy memories slowly appeared but quickly fell apart. ¡°Wha¡­¡± I opened my eyes to find myself on a bed in medbay, ¡°Finally awake? I swear if you start talking of voices again I¡¯ll put you back in¡± I looked to my right to find Zeaxar sitting down in reverse on a chair while staring down at me ¡°Oi? Anybody in there?¡± he made a knocking gesture. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I sat up to find the elite squad surrounding my bed with weapons in hand, I looked down at my open palms and felt lost. (¡°It feels like I¡¯m looking through a monitor¡­¡±) I didn¡¯t feel myself¡­I wasn¡¯t myself¡­I didn¡¯t even know who or what I was anymore, ¡°Guess I¡¯m gonna have to put you back in till you talk¡­¡± Zeaxar stood up from his chair and was about to approach me until one of the cloaked figures put themselves between us ¡°Sir, I don¡¯t think you can fix a broken head by hitting it more¡± a feminine voice came out which I felt like it should have been familiar. Zeaxar sighed ¡°That¡¯s what they all say Leya¡­I say otherwise¡­¡± he glanced at me, ¡°Hah¡­hahaha¡­¡± a chuckle escaped my lips as things began to fall in place. ¡°I agree with the boss, he¡¯s gone nuts¡± another female voice came from the left most figure ¡°Thank you Lisa! See someone agrees with me!¡± Zeaxar gave a wide grin as he opened his arms wide. ¡°There is one last thing I do not understand, what is your interest in me Zeaxar?¡± I asked the question but continued to stare at my hands, ¡°Hmph¡­My interest? Simple really, whether you are a useful ally or a powerful enemy¡­I would have either killed you¡­or recruited you fully. From the start I never trusted you, until I learned your past before even you knew it. Now the question is, what will you do from here on?¡± he straightened himself up and stared down at me again. ¡°What will I do? I¡¯m not who I thought I was nor am I who I¡¯m supposed to be¡­My goal has been pre-programmed this whole time¡­I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯m in control of myself or if there even is such a thing as ¡°my self¡±. I feel like I¡¯ve already snapped multiple times in a chain reaction, I thought it all over multiple times but came with no answers. In all honesty? I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ----- Edited by; Birse Author; Here¡¯s the simple math of this chapter: Reader + Plot = brain nuked. Disclaimer; I am not responsible for any actual mind blowing events or brain damage acquired, please refer to a doctor if at all possible. Remember to rate and maybe comment xD! Puppets ¡°Don¡¯t know huh? Kekekekeke, well I don¡¯t blame you.¡± Zeaxar got up and turned around ¡°Wait¡± he was about to leave but I began speaking ¡°There is something else you might want to know¡± he stopped and glanced back ¡°And what is that?¡±. I turned and sat on the bed side ¡°I don¡¯t know how to fully explain it myself¡­Did Alexius explain champions to you?¡° he raised an eyebrow ¡°Yes he did, do you believe it?¡± I pressed my right arm onto my chest ¡°Yes¡­now I fully do¡­What I¡­what Matthew was¡­he was also a champion¡­chosen by the being that is chaos to gather the others and use their power to regain it¡¯s power back. The Cerberus project mistakenly stopped that by eliminating it¡¯s champion as he awakened, but they failed at something. Matthew¡¯s soul never left the body for some reason¡­My¡­Kyle¡¯s soul merged with Matthew¡¯s and strained the body¡­when I binded my spirits to the aethers it was Matthew¡¯s soul that shattered and was used¡­imagine if you glue together two pieces of anything, if you were to try and break it¡­it¡¯s obvious where it would break first. The time I had been taken into my soul realm¡­the soul fragments didn¡¯t gain a consciousness¡­they already had one¡­that time my¡­Kyle¡¯s soul had taken in to Matthew¡¯s memories becoming him¡­the soul fragments representing Matthew¡­wanted their body back¡­Back at the coliseum¡­the two souls bound together completely¡­it makes sense to me now¡­I don¡¯t know which is prevailing so I still don¡¯t know who I am but¡­Chaos wanted to decide that itself¡­¡± Zeaxar sighed ¡°I somehow understand your jibber jabber but what do you mean decide that itself?¡±. I rose from the bed and stood up ¡°Chaos contacted me as I slept¡­It asked me to sever Kyle¡¯s soul from Matthew¡¯s body¡­¡± I stumbled a step forward ¡±it wanted to take over the body itself¡­Three others blocked it from doing so¡­Zeaxar¡­we are playing a game made by Gods¡­¡± he narrowed his eyes and held his gaze ¡°A Gods¡¯ game huh?...my kind has had enough of those¡­¡±. I clenched my fists ¡°We both have had enough of those¡­but these aren¡¯t fakes like the Atlantians¡­the power I and Alexius have is real¡­Did he tell you? Ell is also one¡­I don¡¯t know which but¡­¡± He continued my sentence ¡°That makes three¡­Chaos¡­Corruption and another¡­so that leaves two still unknown¡­¡± I nodded ¡°Not just that but also the priests¡­each champion has a priest¡­and we only know of one which I killed¡­that one also mentioned that the void¡­the void was the previous champion of corruption¡­¡± his eyes widened as he spoke ¡°A champion can gain that much power?...¡± he lowered his head and seemingly was deep in thought. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I¡¯m¡­well almost as good at negotiating as you¡­¡± he smirked ¡°I would rather divide the power of you three through different outfits but¡­if what you said is true then¡­¡± he sighed ¡°Matthew, Kyle who ever the hell you want to call yourself. Your platoon leadership role is from now on removed, you will lead a new squad that is to be formed under my direct supervision similar to the Elite squad. Come to my office in two hours, you have that long to figure yourself out¡±. He turned and disappeared, the elite squad did the same except for the one I knew to be Leya ¡°Matt¡­¡± I looked away from her ¡°You don¡¯t need to say anything¡­just leave me alone. Where are my spirits?¡± she looked at the ground and raised her right arm, two spiralling shadows exited her palm and rushed towards me. The shadows took form and both Ember and Wayne appeared rushing to me, Ember landed on my left shoulder and surrounded my neck like a scarf while Wayne tried to grab onto my arm but fell to the floor. They both turned and hissed at her ¡°They were too problematic to calm down so I¡­never mind¡­¡± she turned and also disappeared. I sighed and rested my back to the wall as I thought things through ¡°Master¡­what happened? Are they to be seen as hostile?¡± Wayne spoke as he climbed up my left leg and shirt to reach my head ¡°No¡­no they aren¡¯t¡­not yet anyway¡­Did you two hear what we said?¡± I glanced at Ember and she nodded ¡°We never thought¡­it¡¯s all so strange¡­your soul always felt strange¡­but all this¡­it¡¯s insane¡­¡± Ember rested her head on my left shoulder after she was finished speaking. ¡°Yeah¡­it is¡­and I don¡¯t know what to do¡­it¡¯s all so¡­crazy¡­Zeaxar wants me to lead a squad now¡­but I don¡¯t know if I have it in me to¡­I don¡¯t even know if my decisions are my own anymore¡­¡± my mind felt foggy and dread filled my gut. In the end I decided I should eat something and went for the door, I left Wayne and Ember on the bed resting. When I opened it though I found the last person I expected waiting for me (¡°I almost forgot about her¡­¡±) I closed the door behind me. I didn¡¯t speak but just stared at the princess wearing our uniform as she stood there clenching her fists ¡°What is the meaning of this¡­¡± she was glaring at me but I could sense the fear prevailing over her anger, ¡°Meaning? You¡¯re an asset and was used as such, there is no other meaning behind it. You are a hostage to be kept by us until your kind proves itself to us, simple as that¡± her anger became more apparent as she began to grit her teeth ¡°Then why this?...why not just cage me up somewhere¡­your horned boss told me¡­why must I¡­Why must I bed you?...is this what your kind sees as spoils or war?...!¡± she shouted but her statement only confused me ¡°Bed me? What do you mean? I never¡­¡± she stepped forward and slapped me ¡°Take responsibility at least! My brother told me! You forced his hand! Zeaxar made the arrangements and forced my brother as emperor to tell my people¡­I don¡¯t have a choice anymore¡­¡± she fell on her knees ¡°The shame if you deny¡­I will never be able¡­to look anyone in the eye again¡­¡± her red hair lost its red glow and its true black colour revealed itself. Here I stood with a girl on her knees and crying in front of me, I never felt more like a villain than I did now. (¡°Zeaxar¡­you bastard¡­¡±) I knew his ploy¡­but I was too confused¡­too much hatred at everything had built inside me and I didn¡¯t have it in me ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± I knelt down and was about to lay my right hand on her shoulder but stopped myself, ¡°This was¡­a misunderstanding¡­I never wanted your life in that way¡± she stopped crying and looked up ¡°Can it not be revoked?...what is the backlash if it is?¡±. She wiped her eyes with her arms ¡°I¡¯ve¡­already been marked¡­¡± she lowered her shirt and showed me runes on her left shoulder ¡°These¡­ the ritual¡­it is a mark of shame if the ritual is not completed¡­I will never be able to find a male if it does¡­neither will I be able to have children¡­that monster¡­Zeaxar¡­laughed when we told him ¡­¡± she clenched her fists. ¡°Then¡­I don¡¯t know¡­I¡­I don¡¯t know¡­¡± I honestly didn¡¯t know anymore, I clenched my fists as inwardly I swore I¡¯d make Zeaxar pay for this ¡°Why even face me? Don¡¯t you hate me for what I did? Your parents¡­Your people¡­¡± I stood up and looked down at her ¡°Isn¡¯t the shame of spending your life alone better than being forced onto me?¡±. She looked up at me with tears still in her eyes ¡°That¡­¡± she shook her head ¡°I understand¡­ my brother told me¡­I don¡¯t hate you¡­you killed them but¡­saved the others¡­I understand¡­I don¡¯t like it¡­but I understand¡­it was their fault¡­father¡­and mother¡­they did it to themselves¡­ I don¡¯t blame you¡­¡± she unsteadily stood up but kept her face down ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ this problem¡­ my problem¡­ you shoulder enough¡­ ¡± she turned around and began to run. I stood there staring as she made a turn (¡°How much longer am I going to just stand around dammit?¡±) I clenched my fists as I saw tears still falling down her cheeks, ¡°Wayne¡± my form shifted to mist as I sprinted forward and stopped in front of her. She bumped into my chest and was about to fall forwards but I held her by the shoulder ¡°Ah..So¡­sorry¡­huh?¡± she looked up at my face and looked confused ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ This is my fault. Even though you were there you cannot be blamed for that being¡¯s games, I cannot hold you responsible for what they told you and hid from you¡±. She began to tremble ¡°But¡­ You not remember?... I caught you¡­ I was also¡­ I believed the priest too¡­ I saw humans as lesser too¡­¡± she clenched her fists around my shirt ¡°We put them in cages¡­ made them fight¡­ kill each other¡­ I also deserve¡­ this¡­¡± she pulled back and looked at her hands. I don¡¯t know what it was, for the first time in my life I felt guilty ¡°No¡­ I deserve so much worse¡­ ¡± I pulled her back and held her to my chest ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what they forced you to do, if I can I will find a way to remove the curse they put on you¡­Don¡¯t blame yourself for what you had no control over¡± she didn¡¯t push back but just stood there with her face in my coat while I ruffled her hair ¡°Back then¡­ I wasn¡¯t fully myself¡­ but I still saw it¡­ you looked away¡­ when I fought the beast¡­ you looked away¡­ Why?¡±. ¡°Because¡­ I saw it a lot before¡­ beasts killing humans¡­ humans killing humans¡­ beasts killing beasts¡­ I was the female child¡­ I wasn¡¯t expected to rule¡­ so I became a huntress¡­ but I never liked it¡­ fighting¡­ killing¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ ¡± she grabbed onto the shoulder that held her mark, ¡°Then that is enough for me. I don¡¯t hold you responsible and you shouldn¡¯t either, if you truly don¡¯t hate me then let me help you¡­ I may not look like it but I have knowledge on magic and runes. I may be able to remove it¡±. She looked up ¡°You can?¡± I nodded ¡°You hungry? Let¡¯s go eat while you tell me what you know about it? Sound good?¡± she nodded again and I pulled away ¡°This way¡± I began walking and took her to the cafeteria, ¡°Wait a minute¡± I released my aura to detect people inside. I chose the one with least people inside ¡°Alright, in here¡± I went inside and chose the table furthest from everyone else who seemed to have grouped up around each other and were talking. ¡°Here you go, we¡¯ll talk here¡± I was close to starving, I sat down and ordered multiple sandwiches which I then proceeded to devour ¡°Um¡­¡± I looked up from the food and saw her blushing while staring at the crystal in front of her ¡°Oh¡­tap the crystal like this and a menu will appear¡­Ahh¡­you probably don¡¯t know what any of it is¡­here let me¡± I tapped her crystal and chose some tuna sandwiches for her ¡°These should do, they are called sandwiches. These ones are filled with tuna, a water creature from my world¡± she stared at the eight sandwiches in front of her and slowly grabbed one with both hands. She looked up at me as I ate my last one then back down at hers and took a bite ¡°It¡¯s¡­good¡­¡± she slowly continued to eat. I tapped the crystal and made the plate disappear ¡°So¡­ what can you tell me about those runes?...the mark¡± I ordered some water while waiting for her to explain, ¡°It¡¯s¡­multi-layered¡­the first layer¡­timed for three days¡­if time runs out¡­¡± she blushed and looked downwards ¡°I will be sealed¡­the second layer¡­if forcefully removed it¡­umm¡­it¡­¡± she seemed to be having trouble explaining ¡°Spreads¡­another appears somewhere else¡­the third layer is a barrier¡­to stop damage¡­¡± she stopped eating and looked at me. I sighed for what felt like the thousandth time today ¡°That¡¯s¡­complicated¡­a sealing charm¡­a copying curse and a barrier¡­¡±. Removal of a barrier was simple enough but the sealing charm would require close to perfect mana manipulation and added with the copy curse it sounded impossible ¡°Can I see it again?¡± she nodded and raised her shoulder while lowering the collar for me to see it, the runes were an oval shape with four circles inside it. The top circle held five runes in a star shape, the left circle held a single rune, the right circle held six runes under each other in rows of two while the bottom circle was hidden as it continued onto her breast. I stared at the mark which made her cheeks go slightly blueish, something I figured was her blushing ¡°It¡¯s not impossible but¡­ it won¡¯t be easy¡­ your people won¡¯t accept to remove it for you?¡± she shook her head ¡°It is a dishonour for a female to be marked then denied by the male¡­they will tell to not have marked in the first place¡­¡±. I placed my hands together and rested my chin on top of it ¡°What is required to deactivate it?¡± I stared down at my cup, ¡°To¡­you know¡­for the marked to¡­and the male¡­to¡­¡± I got tired of her embarrassment ¡°For the male and female to have sex? Is that even possible with our racial differences?¡± she stopped blushing and stared at me ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±. (¡°Maybe she can help¡­dammit I have no other choice do I?...¡±) I stood up ¡°I know someone who could help but we¡¯ll have to go to my world to meet with her, you have three days but one will be enough to reach her. What do you want to do?¡± she rose from her chair as well and nodded ¡°I¡¯ll come¡­.¡± She responded but her eyes diverted to look at something behind me ¡°What?¡± I suddenly felt someone approaching but I didn¡¯t turn around. A couple moments later I felt a hand on my left shoulder ¡°Hey kid¡± I turned to see Carlos ¡°You alright? I heard what happened, sounds like you¡¯ve had a tough time.¡± He gestured at the others who were looking in our direction, some even saluting ¡°Just know that what you did, we know what it feels like and we¡¯re with you¡± I then noticed that every one of them was human ¡°If you ever need anybody to talk with or just hang out with, you¡¯re not alone¡±. This hit me like a truck and I immediately turned away ¡°Yeah¡­thank you¡­¡±. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ------ Risa Xioqu¡¯s POV When I went to face him I was confused and angry, I didn¡¯t hate him but I thought he hated me. When he told me he didn¡¯t¡­the relief I felt was unlike anything I ever did, now here he stood¡­the one my brother calls monster¡­tears falling down his face at this show of comradery. ¡°Risa, let¡¯s go¡± he called out to me and headed for the door, ¡°Ah¡­y..yes..¡± I followed him out and through multiple corridors but he didn¡¯t say a word and I didn¡¯t feel courageous enough to mention anything. We reached a door and he turned to look at me ¡°Don¡¯t say anything just wait out here¡± he immediately turned back around and opened the door by placing his palm to something on the wall and then entered, from where I stood I could see a large table with a single person sitting by it. The woman had short black hair and looked very busy and tired. ¡°Anderson? What is it? Zeaxar has me up to my neck with reports today¡­¡± she turned away from what she was doing and face him ¡°I request three days of leave, I wish to return to earth for private reasons¡± he stood straight like a soldier, she sat back ¡°You know Zeaxar is awaiting you in his office within an hour right?¡± she smirked ¡°How fast can you get ready to leave?¡± he glanced back at me ¡°Ten minutes, back to my room and then to the docking bay¡± the woman nodded and went for something on the table ¡°Kasey, prepare your ship. Two with maybe baggage, take them back to HQ.¡± she spoke into a device and a male voice answered back ¡°Will do, at dock 11 in five minutes¡± she then put the device back at glanced at me ¡°You know he¡¯s gonna be pissed right?¡± she went back to something on the table. Matthew turned to leave ¡°Yeah¡­he will be¡± he walked out and closed the door behind him the same way he opened it ¡°Let¡¯s go, I have some things and others to pick up¡± I glanced at the door and then at him ¡°Is it not good for us to leave?...you don¡¯t have to¡­¡± he sighed and went back to ruffling my hair ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, come on¡± he walked past me and down the corridor. (¡°You¡¯re strange¡­¡±) I swallowed my doubts and followed him back to the first room he came out from, ¡°We¡¯re picking up my contracted spirits¡± he opened the door and a small winged creature crashed into his face ¡°MASTER! HELP!!¡± the creature slapped his face multiple times as it tried to get a hold of his hair. ¡°Wha..! Wayne what the hell are you doing!? Stop!¡± he grabbed the creature by its wings and held it up in front of him ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he glared at the one called Wayne, ¡°Ember is¡­ Ember is¡­ ¡± a white serpent with red markings slithered out of the room ¡°Oh sstop your whining. It¡¯sss for your own good¡±. ¡°Ember what is going on?¡± he glanced down at the serpent as it climbed up his leg and onto his left arm ¡°I¡¯m just trying to help him learn how to fly in his new body¡± the black winged one was released from one wing and grabbed fully onto Matthew¡¯s right hand ¡°She threw me at walls! Multiple times!¡± it worked its way over his raised arm and then climbed up onto his head. Matthew shook his head ¡°Yeah¡­.what ever¡­Anyway we¡¯re heading back to earth, Ember, Wayne this is princess Risa..Xi..¡± he stopped himself and I figured it was my family name ¡°Xi-oh-qi-u¡­nice to meet you¡± the two creatures stared at me momentarily but then turned back to their master ¡°Why are we going back there?¡± Wayne slumped down and let its wings go limp ¡°We¡¯re visiting someone you two never met, after our first contract was nullified a guardian was chosen for me. We¡¯re going to meet her and ask for her help in removing some runes for Risa¡±. He closed the door by tapping the wall and turned to me ¡°Risa, these are Ember and Wayne my spirits and lifelong companions. They are like brother and sister to me¡± the creatures looked at me again but still seemed uninterested ¡°Don¡¯t mind them right now, they¡¯ve just went through evolution. I¡¯m surprised they¡¯ve stayed awake this whole time¡± as he said that I noticed Wayne was already asleep while Ember had encircled Matthew¡¯s neck fully. ¡°Ah¡­okay¡­¡± I figured they were his familiars and most likely held their own power, ¡°What is this person like?...your guardian¡­¡± he gestured me to follow him as I asked the question. ¡°What¡¯s she like?...hhmm¡­Picture a big bulky ape with bulging muscles and short temper¡­now give it a big mechanical hammer¡­¡± we walked down another couple corridors till he spoke again ¡°I call her mum out of respect¡­but really there is no blood between us¡­she took care of me and that much I owe her for but¡­Well, you¡¯ll find out when you meet her¡­¡± he suddenly stopped as I followed him which ended up in me getting too close to the serpent for my comfort, although it didn¡¯t react to me at all. Down the corridor he was staring down was a single door, next to it a human man stood with his back to the wall. The man was old and wore a white suit kind of priest like but fully buttoned on the front and with tighter sleeves, he looked towards us which allowed me to see his expression. ¡°Not him again¡­¡± Matthew sounded annoyed but kept on moving towards the man so I followed him, ¡°Kyle¡­¡± the old man spoke but was stopped by Matthew ¡°That is not my name old man, what do you want? Have you finally said your prayers and decided to end it?¡± the old man didn¡¯t react to Matthew¡¯s pressure and stared at him momentarily ¡°There is¡­something else you should know¡­Matthew¡­¡± the old man stood away from the wall and began walking away ¡°You weren¡¯t the only survivor of the Cerberus program¡± he stopped when he arrived next to Matthew and closed his eyes. ¡°Wha¡­¡± Matthew grabbed the man by his collar and slammed him to the wall while raising him a couple feet in the air ¡°What do you mean by that?!¡± I could feel his mana¡¯s pressure as if it was my own, his emotions came out unhindered and fully mirrored into his pressure ¡°How many? Where are they?!¡±. The old man shook his head ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­believe me I don¡¯t¡­Zeaxar¡­this whole leave you¡¯re taking is something he preplanned¡­you fell right for it¡­this is off record and I wasn¡¯t supposed to tell you but¡­while you are there¡­please¡­.find them¡­Zeaxar wanted you to go back home and clear your mind from everything but¡­I know you enough¡­¡± he put up a weak smile ¡°You¡¯d have found out sooner or later¡­I trust that sooner is better for all of us..¡± Matthew slowly put the man down but didn¡¯t let go of him until he spoke one last time ¡°I will find them¡­I will free them¡­And take them as far away from you and the government as possible¡­¡±. He let go and stomped through the door, I stood there in a daze for a second or two but then followed behind him without closing the door as I didn¡¯t know how. Something these people called a ship was there to receive us, I marvelled at their technology but made sure to not slack behind him and entered the thing ¡°Sup, going on vacation huh kid?¡± a rugged man waited inside but Matthew just sat down ¡°If you value your position here¡­Fly¡­Now¡± the man didn¡¯t respond but instead rushed into the next room of the ship and disappeared out of my sight. I sat down next to Matthew and put the belt like mechanism around me like he did, I glanced at his expression and decided conversation wasn¡¯t the best idea right now (¡°What did that man mean? He wasn¡¯t the only survivor? What is a Cerberus program?¡±). ¡°You must be confused huh?...¡± he spoke when I expected him to stay quiet which surprised me a bit, I wasn¡¯t sure how to answer ¡°The Cerberus project¡­it was a human experiment where¡­¡± the ground began to rumble ¡±magic and our technology¡¯s best were combined¡­ with human subjects as the¡­ medium to hold it all¡­ Children¡­ trained¡­ tortured¡­ broken¡­ injected and bound¡­ Kids¡­ made machines for war¡­ I was told I was the only survivor¡­ I never trusted them and in the end I checked myself¡­ but I found nothing¡­ someone lied¡­ something is out of place¡­ ¡° I felt a change in the air inside the room ¡±I¡¯m sorry Risa but after we¡¯re done with releasing your mark¡­ I might have to stay at earth longer than previously intended¡­¡± I glanced at his expression and all I saw was sadness. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­I won¡¯t mind waiting¡­ when this mark is removed¡­I¡¯ll wait¡­ find them you will right?¡± I tried to give a genuine smile, he momentarily glanced at me and nodded ¡°Yeah¡­ I will find them¡­¡±. We stayed quiet for the rest of the time, I wasn¡¯t sure how these ¡°ships¡± worked but after what seemed like only ten minutes I felt the ground shake again and the door open. ¡°We¡¯re here, let¡¯s go¡± He helped me remove the belt and I followed him out of the ship, I was surprised to see the room we stood in now as it was many times larger and held hundreds of ships instead of the five in the first one. ¡°Where are we?..¡± I looked over the many ships and their occupants ¡°We¡¯re in Etyria, the world that is connected to yours and mine. My race comes from a single world while all the others you may have noticed are from here, this specifically is the E.A¡¯s main headquarters. The safest place known to us, the edge of technology and known magic.¡± What he spoke of was grand but he had no sign of enthusiasm in his voice at all, ¡°Normally we¡¯d have to go through the civilian tunnel to earth but since Zeaxar elevated me to squad leader recently¡­¡± he tapped something on his wrist and writing appeared in mid-air above it ¡°I have clearance to use the officer tunnels government issued to the company¡­For once¡­his scheming has proven useful to me..¡± he seemed to be talking more to himself than to me now. We stopped by the door ¡°You¡¯re not a registered member so you¡¯re going to hold on to me for teleportation¡± he grabbed my shoulder with his left arm and waited, ¡°Oh¡­right¡­¡± I stepped closer to him until my arm was touching his body. He tapped the writing on the wall and particles of mana surrounded us, suddenly we were in a completely different room ¡°Wha¡­¡± I gasped at the room. The room wasn¡¯t very large but what was impressive was what lay within, as if reality was distorting one of the walls swirled and twirled on itself ¡°I.D please¡± a woman walked up to us with a flat crystal clear plate in her arms. Matthew raised his arm and pressed his palm to the plate ¡°Your departure is recorded squad leader, should I set a time limit?¡± he shook his head ¡°No, return time is unknown¡± the woman nodded and then glanced at me momentarily before returning to the desk she came from. ¡°This way¡± he motioned for me to move, I was kind of glued to his clothes gasping at the swirl of mana in front of me ¡°Y..yeah¡­¡± I stayed clenched to him as we stepped towards the wall ¡°This is a tunnel, it¡¯s literally a hole in reality that takes to another. This one specifically takes to Earth, to the company¡¯s branch there¡± I stared into the swirling tunnel as he guided me into it. Reality bended and swirled as gravity lost it¡¯s grip on my body. ----- Author; Next arc we¡¯ll be taking a look at what Earth is now within the story, there will be a lot of progression for the mc¡­ Remember to rate and maybe comment ;D! Edited by; Birse Cutting strings Matthew¡¯s POV My vision stops swirling and gravity returns it¡¯s pull again, the company¡¯s earth branch building comes into focus. ¡°What is¡­all this?...¡± Risa stares in amazement at the company¡¯s private tunnel station ¡°This is Zeaxar¡¯s private teleportation and portal floor, the floor below us is the commons and offices while I do not have access to whatever is in the three floors above¡± I was in a rush and didn¡¯t explain everything ¡°This way, before someone¡­¡± a voice behind me seemingly calls out to me ¡°Anderson? Hey Anderson!¡± but I ignore it and guide Risa to a teleporter. ¡°Inside, don¡¯t be surprised. A portal will open beneath us¡± I quickly fidget with the panel and select the destination, ¡°Yo Anderson? You in a hu¡­¡± the voice of the recruiter I had met to join the E.A is cut off as we descend into the tunnel. ¡°Hu¡­.huh¡­.¡± when we arrived out of the portal I glanced at Risa who was hugging herself and was slightly pale, ¡°Warned you, let¡¯s go¡± I open the glass door ¡°She lives around here¡± I wait for her to exit the teleportal and then closed the door. We began walking down the side walk ¡°So many buildings¡­why are the streets¡­so empty?¡± she glanced around the many buildings until her gaze fell upon a couple broken down ones¡­¡±what happened there?...¡±. I sigh ¡°Many things happened to my people, we were invaded by beings that can travel through the stars, massacred by monsters from another realm and then¡­ a power struggle that brought our numbers even lower and our patience to zero¡± I glanced at some vehicle crash nobody bothered to clean up ¡°My race has had enough, we took things into our own hands and barely even trust our own allies. Currently our leaders are focusing on travel through the stars to chase some¡­.thieves¡­.while they ¡°use¡± the E.A as a means to scout other realms before those realms come to us¡± We cross a road while having to walk around debris of some building, ¡°Nobody bothers cleaning the streets or even repairing buildings we don¡¯t have the numbers to fill, whatever we can salvage we do but¡­we have the weapons and the means but our numbers have dwindled to where most of our territories remain uninhabited¡± I suddenly stop and look down a specific path taking to our destination¡¯s door. The three storey house was somewhat run down, ¡°You should see the capital our oh so great leaders are building¡­bastards wasting precious resources for propaganda. I cannot really blame them though¡­another power struggle would possibly be the death of us, they try to keep the populace content¡±. I keep staring at the grey brick house until Risa taps me on the shoulder ¡°Is this it?...¡± my gaze falls on the aged wooden door and then on the open garage to the left ¡°Yeah¡­we¡¯re here¡­¡±. I began slowly walking towards the garage after opening the white fence gate ¡°This way¡±, we walked to the garage that is almost half the size of the house next to it ¡°Ma? You in here?¡± I shout for her attention as we step inside the garage workshop. Multiple mounds of machinery lay covered by clothe and desks engulfed in tools and parts was most of the inside, one specific piece of machinery lay half covered in the middle of the room with spot lights and tool boxes all around it. ¡°Red? You back already?¡± a slightly low pitched feminine voice shouts out from behind the half covered machine, from my position the bottom part which was visible looked like mechanical legs each taller than an average human with a ladder to the other side of where we stood from it. ¡°Yeah it¡¯s me¡­where you at?¡± we venture closer to what I presumed to be a mecha when the ladder suddenly shakes ¡°Ehh!¡± Risa screams and clutches my arm when Ma¡¯s oil splattered face comes sliding down the ladder ¡°I¡¯m he¡­Woah there calm down!¡±. She stood almost two meters tall along with her bulky frame, I didn¡¯t blame Risa for being frightened by this giant of a woman ¡°What you building this time?¡± I momentarily eye the machine, Ma is an engineer and has spent every day since the third wave studying aether craft. ¡°Nevermind that! Who¡¯s this girly here? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve been gone for less than a month and already you¡¯re bringing back a woman? Huh red? And what the hell is on your head and around your neck?¡± she grinned and opened her arms wide in a joking manner, I sighed at this over grown child with oil all over her short blonde hair, face and clothes ¡°It¡¯s¡­complicated alright? This here is Risa, she¡¯s one of the inhabitants from the realm the company¡¯s first expedition was sent to. The information probably hasn¡¯t been publicised yet but we¡¯re on mostly friendly terms with them now, I need your help with a couple things Ma¡±. She eyed Risa and raised an eyebrow ¡°No kidding, what do you need me for?¡± she grabbed a piece of cloth from her belt and wiped her face and then hands ¡°Name¡¯s Abbey, Abbey Clarke¡± she forwarded a hand towards Risa but she just stood there paling every second, ¡°Ma It¡¯s a long story but do you still have the faulty mana jammer?¡± she glanced at me and nodded ¡°Yeah it¡¯s in the back, why?¡± I rush past her towards the back of the garage with Risa still clinging onto my left arm. Abbey follows us to the back ¡°Hey? What¡¯s going on?¡± we reach a table full of covered machinery, ¡°many things are going on, I just found out that apparently my damn soul is actually two different people, that gods are playing war games with our lives and that I wasn¡¯t the only survivor of the Cerberus project!¡± I uncovered several things until I find what I was looking for. The mana jammer is a small project I had worked on a year ago with Ma, it was actually supposed to be a mana collector but the mechanical glove turned out to disperse mana and mostly nullify magical activity. Abbey put a hand on my shoulder ¡°I..Uh¡­want to talk about it¡­them?...¡± I turned around and hand her the glove ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I take a couple breaths and look myself over, my trembling hands, my dripping sweat, my quickening heartrate and crazed breathing ¡°Yeah¡­I need¡­ I need to sit down¡­¡± Risa pushes away from me slowly while half blue and looks at me ¡°S..Sorry¡­¡±. I step back rest my back to the table behind me ¡°Ma¡­¡± I look up at her ¡°They¡¯re alive¡­some of them¡­are alive¡­I need to see them¡­I need to know what¡¯s happening to them¡­¡± she shakes her head ¡°Not like this you don¡¯t, just how quickly did you rush here?! You look like you¡¯re running away from the devil! Sit the hell down and take a breather, explain¡­slowly¡±. Ma pulls out some chairs and we sit down by the table while she turns on the mana jammer, ¡°The company¡¯s CEO Zeaxar¡­he employed Heiken¡­¡± a spark flew from the glove when she heard his name ¡°That god damn slug!?¡± I nodded ¡°They forced it out of him somehow, he then told me¡­what I am¡­I¡­Ma¡­I died before¡­back there at the lab¡­I died¡­I was brought back but¡­as a different person¡­¡± I stare down at my whitening right fist being squashed by my left hand ¡°then¡­they¡­the beings that represent the main elements¡­they¡­spoke to me¡­it wasn¡¯t a dream¡­it wasn¡¯t a hallucination¡­I thought I was doing what I wanted to do but¡­even now I¡¯m still a fucking puppet¡­The Cerberus project¡­Chaos¡­and now Zeaxar¡­they are all pulling my strings¡­and I just followed blindly even now¡­Risa is one causality¡­She was forced into a ritual of her people¡¯s by her brother who was probably used by Zeaxar¡­she was marked with¡­¡± I look at Risa who is already opening her coat and lowering her shirt ¡°The mark is triple layered, a seal, a curse and a barrier. You¡¯re the only one I know who could remove it, can you?¡± Abbey eyed the runes and then rose to bring her chair closer to Risa. She sat down by her and raised the gauntlet looking glove to the runes while taking out a flat blue crystal the shape of a rectangle from her pocket ¡°Stay still¡± the glove turned on as green liquid filled the pipes inbetween the metal sheets that covered the rest of it¡¯s machinery and then place the crystal infront of her left eye as she closely inspected the runes ¡°The barrier is currently inactive while what I think is the curse is being mostly jammed although somewhat working I can deactivate it first, the seal should then be deconstructed but it will take me several hours to do so. Matt¡± she lowered the crystal and looked at me ¡°I somewhat understand your predicament, no I will not pretend to understand what it feels like to have been reborn or what it feels like to have spoken with some damn gods but it¡¯s clear what question you need to answer first. The cerberii, what will you do about it?¡±. We looked at each other until I broke the gaze and looked down at Ember who slept soundlessly around my neck, Abbey sighed ¡°Red, you cannot just stay indecisive. If you don¡¯t have it in you to keep going then just stop, do what I did and settle down somewhere.¡± her eyes began to redden. ¡°I can¡¯t stop¡­ if I don¡¯t keep fighting¡­ what purpose do I have then?...¡± I rest my hands as blood returns to my fist , ¡°Then drop the glum look kid, stop doubting yourself. You can¡¯t be both human and a soldier, I know that well enough. If you¡¯re going to save them then just do it, the government is blinded by fear and hate. The only reason you¡¯re even public knowledge is because my unit commander refused to stay quiet, the only reason they weren¡¯t is for military power but you knew that already¡±. She looked back down at the glove ¡°Second guessing only brings more casualties boy, what will you do the next time you face one of these ¡°gods¡±? What will you do if the government decides to take you back as a weapon? Your problems only increased since you left and you cannot run away from them¡± we sat there for a couple moments as she let her words sink in, ¡°I know¡­I know!...But I can¡¯t use my magic anymore¡­test my damn efficiency¡­if I keep using it...chaos will take over and I will die¡­I saw what happens when my element goes to 100%...I will kill¡­without care for anything. I will become a real monster¡­lose myself to insanity¡­there is nothing I can do¡­the power I rely on is not even mine to begin with¡­¡± Suddenly Risa stood up and stepped towards me, I raised my head only to be slapped by her again ¡°Don¡¯t give me that¡­¡± she was visibly shaking ¡°You who brought my kingdom to its knees within a night¡­you who is seen as the devil by my people¡­you who made a birth trained champion kneel to you¡­Is your race so formidable that any of them could do these and more? I don¡¯t¡­I can¡¯t believe that! Alexius told me¡­even with your power you can¡¯t beat him¡­but still¡­you did¡­You who I want to hate so badly¡­but I cannot¡­Matthew¡­I know what you are feeling now¡­you made me feel it yourself¡­I was useless, just useless. But you are not me¡­you killed so many¡­to stop worse¡­Don¡¯t sit there and say you are powerless¡­¡± her latin like accent along with her stuttering ¡°You have many lives on your shoulders¡­don¡¯t drop them¡­don¡¯t fail them after what you have done to them¡­don¡¯t make those sacrifices worthless¡­don¡¯t give up¡­¡± made me realise just how better her English was than I first thought. Risa stood there for a couple more seconds while I stared at the wall to my right, she then turned and stomped out of the garage after stumbling on a couple sheets ¡°Nothing else for me to add there Red, remember what you told me when we first met? ¡°I¡¯m not a monster by creation or birth, but a demon by cause and effect.¡± I think humanity has had enough time asleep. So much so that the government is acting behind our back again, someone needs to remind them of what that brought. Someone needs to remind them what you are Matthew Anderson, remind them why Cerberii exist in the first place¡±. She stood up and chased after Risa who had walked out of the garage ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the girl, you do what you must do¡±, their words sank deep. I also stood up and headed to the door that took to the actual house, three years I had spent here, eating , sleeping, building, wasting my time, sulking. (¡°If I only searched more¡­if I only payed more attention¡­ I could have noticed them¡­ I could have known earlier¡­ But they are right¡­.It¡¯s not too late¡­¡±) I reached the spiral stair case in the kitchen and began ascending (¡°I will remind them¡­ I wasn¡¯t made¡­ I wasn¡¯t created or built¡­ No¡­ I was trained¡­ Blood and sweat¡­ burning lunges and aching bones¡­ I was squashed and remade¡­ I was deconstructed and repurposed¡­ This is what their back handed methods made¡­¡±) I reached the third floor and looked to my left. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. The room that stood in front of me was where I mostly spent my time here, I opened the door and entered. ¡°I don¡¯t need to use my power¡­No¡­ we¡¯ve advanced beyond that¡­¡± several tools and crates lay inside with the only bedroom like part being the bed itself ¡°I will gather mana from the environment¡­ I will craft¡­ create¡­ use my machines¡­ my weapons¡­ ¡± I lay my hands on the largest of crates and wipe some dust off it ¡°Ember, Wayne wake up¡± I felt movement around my neck and on my head ¡°We have a lot of things to discuss and prepair¡­ if I cannot use my own power then¡­ I will rely on other things¡­¡±.The dragon around my neck slithered ¡°Yesss massster¡­ we sense your lust¡­¡± , the dragon on my head stood ¡°We sense your desires¡­¡± and the demon that is me never felt so alive as my mind raced with aether tech knowledge, the location of spirit magic information and the uses for my past creations bending to repurpose them. Ember slithered off my neck and onto my right arm as I pulled open the crate, inside lay multiple parts and materials I had collected or purchased, each crate held either and there was a total of five two by two by two meter crates in the room. I wasn¡¯t sure how far I could go with my ideas, tricks and toys I could craft would only take me so far in firepower but utility was unlimited. I couldn¡¯t use my own mana as it would only shorten my control over my body, what happened in Kjuri¡¯s underground¡­ wasn¡¯t an option and I wasn¡¯t going to let my mind bend like that ever again¡­ what I did to those knights¡­ went beyond the realm of insanity. So I will not use my current mana, instead I will take a page from Etyria¡¯s books and rely on my spirits to then make them my arms and finally fists. I began taking out my tools and materials, I bent metal, wielded, connected, screwed, hammered and made Ember with Wayne infuse their mana into the aethertech. I went through books and information I found using my tablet, went through multiple calculations in my head and simulations on the device. The same fire burned inside me which drove me to plan Kjuri¡¯s subdual, the pure drive undistorted by chaos that drove me to not only protect my race from their fear but Risa and Alexius¡¯s race from us as well. What I created was what I had failed to before and never seen the need in repairing as it¡¯s by-product use at the time seemed much more useful, after all it was something us sentient beings did subconsciously but now even the smallest usage of soul¡¯s mana gathering property would then contaminate my body more with chaos in the end refining my efficiency for chaos even more than it already is. This wasn¡¯t a weapon, no not even close. I had come to this conclusion years ago, I am already a weapon myself. What I made was a tool to improve myself, to change and enhance myself. Like a blade needs refining and a gun needs maintenance I needed so as well, unlike how clubs and sticks were upgraded to swords and maces I needed to go further and upgrade from already advanced firearms to something new and untouched by mortal minds. I went through everything I am and could be, what magic I could use to what I cannot and why. In the end the conclusion I came to opened my mind to a mistake the Cerberus program had made, they were afraid spirits would take over a body and transcend into something they couldn¡¯t comprehend. They gave us limits so their own comprehension could keep up, I didn¡¯t need those limits any longer and so would transcend them forcefully. Etyrians had a similar magic called spiritmaster but I needed to go further, they focused on control of a spirit¡¯s physical body similarly to how Martial Aethers controlled their aethers spiritmasters controlled their spirit¡¯s body but without using their own mana. What I needed was similar, power over my spirits without the use of mana but also allowing me the physical enhancement properties that aether magic did. The answer was very simple, instead of just using aethers as the medium to hold the spirits I will also use my own body. I will continue the Frankenstein¡¯s project that was already done to my body, this time without filters. With the perfect mana infusing glove in hand I finally faced my two bound spirits, ¡°Ember I want you to do exactly as I say¡± I turn to the serpent that I sat right next to ¡°Yesss masster¡± I put on the thick mechanical glove and put it¡¯s palm to my heart ¡°Drain me of mana¡± I then forward my left arm to the serpent who looks up at me sceptically ¡°But¡­ that will¡­¡± I nod ¡°Yes it will strain my pores and weaken my mana usage, but it will also feed yours as you have no fixed physical body. Wayne you do the same, I will use the glove to control the drain rate so just go all out¡± Wayne looks down at me for a couple moments but then slides down to my right arm while facing my shoulder ¡°Are you sure?...master¡­Matthew¡­ you will have to fully bind with us¡­ we already have physical bodies and a connection¡­ your body¡­ your body will change¡­ ¡±. An almost maniacal grin takes it¡¯s place on my face ¡°There¡¯s no stronger parasite than one that lives inside you¡­I know what I am doing, my body may suffer changes but that doesn¡¯t matter anymore. I don¡¯t have the resources to fully rely on aetherweaponry like the government does, I cannot rely on my own mana anymore so it¡¯s useless to me and I cannot use your aethers without my mana signature. I¡¯m left with no choice, I have hidden from becoming this for too long. I¡¯m done sulking over my problems, I want to face them and to do that I need power. You both know just as much as I do¡­ this fucking crazy existence we live in is full of mistakes¡­ it¡¯s on us to choose whether to fix them or ignore them¡­¡± I bite my lower lip ¡°If humanity is to survive then something needs to shake its corrupted foundations¡­ How can I continue subjugating other beings in the name of my race¡¯s survival if we aren¡¯t able to trust ourselves?!¡± they both continue to stare. ¡°Damnit just bite! Drain it! Grow!¡± it took every part of me to supress myself from using my aura, ¡°This isn¡¯t even my body anyway¡­ What is a scale or two compared to what it has already been made go through?¡±. I breath in and out multiple times, ¡°Do it¡± ¡°As you wish¡± ¡°Yess¡± both spirits bare their fangs and sink them in my skin. Purple veins appear around the wounds, they bulge, pulse and shimmer as my mana uncondensed as it¡¯s being sucked out. Using the fingers of the glove as controls I use every definitive movement of them to control the amount of mana within me by continuously draining mana from the air and forcing it into my system so that my mana supplies don¡¯t run out and my body does not require to pump mana from the pores, this meant unrefined mana was flowing through my system and would cause me pureness poisoning. Mana was like a drug, before our bodies had it they didn¡¯t need it but now that we do the body requires it to function properly but if the dose is too pure then there are side effects and possibly damage to the pores. My unnatural high efficiency to chaos made most of the mana I was now gaining highly damaging to my body but this was counter acted by the other event currently happening within me, as my spirits drained my highly abundant mana they grew stronger due to our connection which made my mana more nutritious for their power but this also had side effects. If one looked closely enough they could notice it¡­their bodies ever so slowly merging with my skin until eventually becoming part of me fully. This meant my mana efficiency would shift with the addition of the new pores, I regulated the mana with the glove as Ember and Wayne¡¯s physical bodies melted onto my skin and began to merge with it. ¡°Ah¡­.Ahhh¡­.¡± a choked scream escapes my lips, too quiet to be heard by anybody ¡°Ahhkkkk¡­¡± I feel my vision shift as mana flows from my body into my spirit¡¯s system and then breaks back into my body again. An infinite loop of mana flow begins as the two bodies integrate themselves with my own, I feel liquid in my eyes that then begins to flow down my cheeks. Then it finally starts, the flow of mana within me is reversed as Ember and Wayne¡¯s pores begin to suck everything in while I pump in more and more mana with the glove. I then start forcing the pure mana into my pores while leaving some to release the mana that currently resided with my soul for Ember and Wayne to consume, this meant my soul didn¡¯t need to produce more mana but will also be left damaged by the purity. I was injecting something too pure straight into my core, I stood by deaths door for hours while I endured the pain. It felt like my insides were being sucked out and then refilled over and over, I could barely breath and my heart had completely stopped pumping as the movement of mana within me was the sole thing keeping blood flowing albeit in a strange flow. I could feel my consciousness fade but I fought against my weariness to stay awake, I tried to stand but fell on my knees and onto my arms as I slammed my head onto the floor. ¡°I¡­Ahh¡­w¡­.oont¡­.¡± I raised my right arm and formed a fist then slammed it into the floor as hard as I could ¡°fall¡­.¡± Blood splattered all over the floor as the purity of mana was highly obvious within it from its unnatural silver gleam. ¡°What¡­ever you are¡­.who¡­ever you are¡­.gods¡­.atlan¡­tians¡­.if you¡­are watching¡­if you can¡­hear me¡­then¡­listen on¡­I will not¡­.give¡­in¡­.so damn¡­.easily¡­I will¡­not¡­be toyed¡­with¡­I¡­AM¡­NOT¡­YOUR¡­PUP¡­PET!...¡± they said they were watching, so something inside me wanted them to hear ¡°Chaos¡­be damned¡­I don¡¯t¡­need your¡­power¡­I¡¯m done¡­being¡­a¡­ho¡­hou¡­.houndd¡­.¡± I felt many things inside me break as my sense of touch was suddenly shut off ¡°I am not the reaper¡¯s hound¡­ to protect those I wish to protect¡­ to carry on my my sole purpose¡­I will no longer be the hound¡­you no longer pull my strings¡­¡± with my sense of touch gone the pain went with it. ¡°To gain power, to protect those I hold close, to defend the innocent¡­¡± Although the pain was gone my voice still retained its choked sound. ¡±I will become the reaper itself¡­¡± for several more hours I remained like so, even after someone knocked at the door although no one came in. After what felt like days although was probably only hours, my consciousness faded and I plunged into darkness. ------ Edited by ;Birse Author; Remember to rate and maybe comment :D My Scythe ¡°Ahhhh!...¡± a searing pain filled my lungs when I woke, I shouted as every bone in my body felt like it had broken, shattered then re built itself anew. The pain slowly began to subside and I heard the door quickly open ¡°What have you done?...¡± Abbey¡¯s voice entered my ears and I turned my head to look at her, Risa was behind her and both of them looked pale and terrified ¡°I did¡­¡± my voice came out different as if colder and more metallic ¡°what I needed¡­to release myself from my strings¡­and keep the power I need¡±. I would have been on my back but I felt something else there now, I rose up and glanced at the pitch black wings ¡°Do you have a mirror?¡± I turned Abbey and she nodded ¡°Yeah¡­the next room¡­¡± they stared at me as I walked past them and out of the room. I reached for the knob of the next room¡¯s door and noticed my hands for the first time, my skin had turned paper white while the runes that covered it changed and became a single list that tattooed the top of both my arms in blood red inscriptions. I opened the door and entered the room I discovered to be a bathroom, I saw two mirrors and walked over to the full sized one by the shower. ¡°No scales¡­at least¡­¡± I took in my current appearance, red hair with white strands, a red right eye with a slit, a black left eye with red crack like patterns filling it, a pair of black wings with dark grey webbing and three claws at the end like a wyverns, a single white horn grew out of my forehead with a hook like spike growing opposite of the main spike. (¡°Ember, Wayne?...¡±) I thought of their names (¡°We¡¯re here master¡­.¡±) Embers voice came first (¡°We are one with you now¡­¡±) Wayne¡¯s second (¡°Don¡¯t forget about me¡­¡±) with sudden surprise I took a step back ¡°Saya¡­¡± her voice came third and it echoed in my mind like the others (¡°You¡¯re awake? What happened?¡±) she had been slumbering inside me the whole time and my change must have awakened her but I worried how it affected her. (¡°Your merge of the contract affected me too¡­My power is now fully yours too¡­I feel them too¡­your spirits¡­I can interact with them¡­I think I can move their power too¡­with mine¡­¡±), I took a deep breath and focused on her spirit (¡°What else can you tell now?¡±) It is strange to explain but I could feel her presence searching me (¡°Ma¡­Matt¡­I can sense your mana¡­I can¡­move it¡­use it¡­it¡¯s¡­its raw¡­your mana is pure¡­this shouldn¡¯t be possible¡­your soul can no longer process mana¡­you cannot use any of the elements anymore¡­¡±) I first grimaced but then sighed (¡°Power comes at a price¡­this only means I¡¯ll have to find other ways than the conventional ones¡­¡±). I finally turned around from the mirror and faced the two currently staring at me from the door way, ¡°Did you remove her mark? How long have I been out?¡± my voice snapped Abbey out of her thoughts ¡°Yeah¡­it wasn¡¯t easy but I took it off...the mark will remain on her skin but its disabled¡­I came to tell you some hours ago but you didn¡¯t respond to the door so I left¡­you¡¯ve been in there for seven hours Red¡­¡±. ¡°What happened?...to you?¡± Risa took a couple steps towards me ¡°I merged with my spirits, it appears I was correct and it affected my soul¡¯s elemental alignment but¡­¡± I looked down at my left palm ¡°It changed much more than I first expected¡­my body changed to reflect all three as expected¡± I looked back at her ¡°I freed myself from the power that held me back, nothing will hold me back now¡±, ¡°What will you do then? About the Cerberii?¡± Abbey rested her back to the door and held her face with her right hand. I thought it over for a moment ¡°My information is inconclusive, I don¡¯t know what they are doing with them if they really even have them at all. I know many places to start but I¡¯ll go for the most probable one first, Ma can you take care of Risa while I¡¯m away?¡± she sighed and looked at me but nodded in approval. ¡°No!... I¡¯m coming with you¡­I owe you that much¡­let me help you¡­¡± Risa looked at me with determination ¡°You cannot, princess you¡¯re not part of the alliance and currently your people aren¡¯t on the best terms with ours. If the government were to find out you¡¯re even here it would speak tragedy for your people, you will stay here and lay low. Do you understand?¡±, her expression died down and she nodded ¡°Yes¡­¡±. I walked passed them but Abbey stopped me by putting a hand on my shoulder ¡°Are you leaving already?¡± she glanced at Risa and so did I ¡°I have to, I need to know what they are doing with them¡± she quietly chuckled ¡°You never change, I¡¯ll take care of her but you have to promise me you won¡¯t do anything insane¡± I looked away and continued walking out ¡°When have I ever done that?...¡± she laughed ¡°Whenever you found the time to!¡±. I took the stairs and went to the ground floor (¡°Firstly¡­I need to figure out what my current body can do¡­¡±) I think over multiple locations I could use to test my power out but the closest one was a place I was reluctant to go to, ¡°Matt¡­is there nothing¡­I can help with?...¡± the both of them followed me down (¡°She feels useless master¡­¡±) I sigh ¡°Ma, I¡¯ll need your ride to get somewhere¡± I feel an arm on my shoulder and a hand with keys in it appear in my vision ¡°Just don¡¯t break it¡­¡± I take the keys ¡°I won¡¯t, Risa¡­I understand how you feel and I cannot take you all the way but¡­¡± on the last word I saw a gleam in her eyes ¡°You could help me figure out what all I can do now, after that you¡¯re coming back here though¡± she nodded multiple times ¡°Anything¡­ I¡¯ll help¡­ ¡±. I turned towards the exit ¡°Hey Ma¡­thanks¡­ as always¡± I turned the knob and entered the garage with Risa following me, ¡°It should be here somewhere¡­Heh¡­always next to the garage exit huh?¡± I spot the vehicle half covered up and walk over to it. ¡°What is that?..¡± Risa walks over to me as I uncover it ¡°This is an AetherBike¡± the vehicle looked like any normal motorbike except the two black crystal spheres for wheels ¡°Our lives run on both magic and engineering, things like this is barely scraping the bottom of what we¡¯ve created¡± I hop on the vehicle and glance back ¡°Hhmm¡­this will be a problem though¡­my wings are in the way¡­¡± (¡°You can probably change that master¡­¡±) Wayne¡¯s voice echoes in my head (¡°He¡¯s right, focus on not having them¡±) Saya follows up and I do as she suggested. Suddenly the wings began to shrink until all that remained were two holes in the back of my coat and shirt, ¡°Hop on, wear this and hold on to me¡± I hand her a helmet which snaps her out from staring at what just happened. She takes the helmet and puts it on after watching me put mine on, ¡°Yo kid, you gonna bring her back yourself or should I come for her?¡± Abbey called out from another room in the house ¡°You come for her since you offered, would save me time. We¡¯re going to Casvelle!¡± Risa gets on behind me ¡°Hold on to my waste, trust me you don¡¯t want to let go¡± she hesitantly put her arms around my waste. I enter one of the keys into the keyhole and turn, the engine roars to life as mana fills the crystals and the vehicle hovers slightly off the ground ¡°Ehh!¡± Risa tightens her arms around me ¡°Here we go¡± I place both hands on the steering and lightly turn the right handle backwards which makes the bike go forwards. I slowly drive it out of the garage and then onto the open road ¡°Hey Red! Good luck!¡± Abbey waves out of a window from the second floor and I wave back ¡°Yeah!¡±, I then look down the road and take a deep breath. I turn the handle further than before and we zoom forwards at great speed, I glanced at the speedometer as it hit a hundred twenty kilometres per hour ¡°Whe¡­.wher¡­.are¡­.we¡­go¡­goin¡­¡± Risa trembles as she speaks from behind me ¡°A barren landscape long abandoned by my people, unlike hundreds more like it this one is the closest. Also¡­nevermind¡± I turned the handle further and we accelerated forward, we drove past many buildings until a straight empty road began to present itself for miles. Risa¡¯s arms held on further as I felt her take a deep breath ¡°What is that?...¡± I glanced to the left where I figured she¡¯d be looking ¡°That¡­is the height of our technology¡­¡± a gleam stood like a sore thumb far away amidst the dead landscape ¡°Our capital, Olympus City¡± the city shone like a bright star surrounded by death and emptiness ¡°It¡¯s¡­beautiful¡­¡± I looked away ¡°There is a flower similar to that city¡­the rose¡­beautiful¡­but pointless¡­and full of thorns. That city is nothing more than a symbol, it blinds everyone with its brightness from what we really should be focusing on. My government still can¡¯t forget¡­my people¡­haven¡¯t forgotten¡­their anger¡­their hatred¡­their thirst for revenge¡­The Atlantians are a people of higher technological standing than even us, they played gods with us and the Etyrians. They only cared for themselves, when the void came to devour us they did not stand with us but ran and not just that but kidnapped some of our own for their experiments. Humanity doesn¡¯t forget, forgiveness comes at a heavy price¡­and our hatred burns brighter than any star. That is what that city stands for, hatred, greed, vengeance. My people are so blinded by that vengeance that they don¡¯t see the mistakes they are making yet again, I won¡¯t permit the Cerberus project to repeat itself. No matter the cost, no matter how many I must break or even kill I will shut down the program that created me¡±. We drove for about three hours until our destination came into view ¡°Is that it?...¡± Risa glanced at the town from behind me ¡°Yeah¡­nobody will bother me here and Abbey will know how to find me¡± the town fully came into view as I began to decelerate, ¡°This is far enough, we¡¯ll stop here¡± I turn the bike into the first building who¡¯s shape reminded me of an old gas station ¡°Here? Why not further?¡±. I turn off the ignition and take out the key ¡°Because it won¡¯t matter, the town is all the same. Destruction is all you¡¯ll find in there, come on if you want to help¡± I got off the bike and looked around ¡°Firstly¡­I¡¯ll need a..¡± (¡°You there kid?¡±) when the voice came in I sighed ¡°Zeaxar¡­¡± Risa turned and looked at me ¡°What about him?¡±. I gestured at my head ¡°Our devices use telepathic magic, he¡¯s speaking in my head. Give me a minute¡±. (¡°If you¡¯re contacting me that means you¡¯re on earth, I¡¯m not sure if that is because your pissed at me leaving or you actually put all this together to get me here.¡±) I began checking the settings in my Iris to shut him off, Zeaxar speaking in my head whenever he wished was the last thing on my to do list (¡°Would you have accepted to be my spy for a couple days? I doubt it¡­But what Dr.Heiken told you did interest me enough to change my plans¡­¡±) I slightly relaxed (¡°So you didn¡¯t know either? Your torture methods must not be as effective as you think, boss.¡±) I walked over to a large brick which I presumed use to be part of the torn down roof and sat down. (¡°Kekekeke¡­maybe you can give me some pointers. Officially I¡¯m here to speak with your government about our findings in the new realm, Alexius is here with me. I will find whatever I can about the surviving Cerberii, in the meantime I need you to look into certain individuals for me. I will send you the details via notification when I have them. Expect mission details in two days and don¡¯t even think of looking for information about the cerberii yourself, you know what your government thinks of you and now you know what they would have done with you if you hadnt been publicized.¡±) I hated it but he was right, the government would shut me down the second they figured I was onto them and with how things worked now traitors get the death penalty. (¡°Also¡­your Iris has recorded some interesting mana fluctuations, I don¡¯t expect you to explain but I do expect you to live. What this tells me is that you have changed a lot since we last spoken, I admire your choice of abandoning lent power kid but remember this. All power comes with sacrifice, I expect this ¡°God¡± to not take your actions lightly¡±). A grin curves my lips (¡°Then I say come, Gods don¡¯t scare me Zeaxar. I¡¯ve already proven I don¡¯t fear it, if it means securing our future I don¡¯t care what I must fight.¡±) no answer came beyond that ¡°Risa help me look for something I can use as target practice, preferably metallic or stone.¡± I stood up and began looking around the wrecked buildings, (¡°Might as well check now while I look around¡±) I took out the tablet from my coat and looked over my previous elemental efficiency where I had listed at what rate it was changing. Mana efficiency was something hereditary that one is born with, efficiency to an element that you possess no percentage for is impossible to gain as far as we knew so what elements you could use effected what mana types you could use and the purer the mana meant the more balanced were the amount of elements inside it. Chaos, fire, water, earth and wind were the only elements humans could use naturally because our mana efficiency was with them only. I took out a pebble like crystal from one of my pockets and pressed hard on it while pouring in large amounts of my mana, within the crystal was a device used for efficiency detection while an app on my tablet gathered that information and calculated it. ¡°This really should be impossible¡­¡± my mana efficiency was being shown on the tablet as a pie chart ¡°Eleven point eleven recurring?...All of them?...Darkness?...Light?...Corruption and Nature?...¡± I currently possessed perfectly balanced mana efficiency which means the mana within me was the purest you could find, the kind that runs within a planet¡¯s core and it¡¯s ley lines. I put things together in my head ¡°Wayne is Darkness and Chaos¡­Ember is Fire and Light¡­Saya Nature and Earth¡­where did Corruption come from?...¡± I pondered over this as I looked around for something appropriate for me to use as a training dummy. ¡°Matt¡­will this do?¡± I heard Risa shout from the other side of the wrecked gas station, I walked over to where she was ¡°Yeah this should¡­¡± it was a large metallic sign with what I presumed to be advertisement for a gas company. The sign had a large depiction of earth ¡°Corruption¡­ efficiency¡­ mana¡­ So that¡¯s how¡­¡± I glanced away from the sign and at Risa who was worriedly staring at me ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s nothing¡­ I just figured out why my mana is as it is¡­ Currently¡± I show her the tablet ¡°I have mana inside me that is for all the known elements which is normally impossible, each is perfectly balanced-out so that makes my mana what we call pure mana¡±. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Then you can use all the elements?...That¡¯s incredible¡­my kind is attributed to Corruption, earth,fire,wind and darkness but to be able to use all nine? And all five prime elements?...All that just with some changes to your appearance?...Isn¡¯t that¡­a bit too¡­¡± I sadly chuckled ¡°Yes it would be incredible if it were true, unfortunately it doesn¡¯t work that way. You see when casting magic the pureness of your efficiency effects it¡¯s power, each element has others it cancels out so for example if I had the same amount of efficiency for water as I do fire then I wouldn¡¯t be able to use fire. The same goes for any other element so¡­with how things are now¡­I cannot use any of the known elements and therefore none of known magic. I can move and let my mana flow as aura but I cannot manipulate it without condensing specific amount of it with the exact amount of one element¡­and that takes too damn long¡­picture a sorcerer¡¯s casting time¡­it would take me ten times as long as your average sorcerer¡­in combat that is more than enough time to die. I cannot even use enhancement magic because even that has its elemental use¡­¡± I stared down at the palms of my hands. ¡°Then¡­ why do you need a target if you cannot even cast?...¡± I looked up at the sign ¡°Oh that target isn¡¯t for me¡­ I want to test something¡­¡± (¡°Saya I¡¯ll need you for this, you said you can sense my body and soul as well as my spirits. I need you to focus on my soul, the mana flowing from it and then on Wayne.¡±) I close my eyes (¡°I feel them¡­master I think I understand¡­similarly to summoning correct?¡±) a smile creeps up my lips ¡°Clever girl¡­Wayne accept the call¡± I raise both arms forward and chant ¡°You¡¯re a draconic now¡­this should work¡­Being of fire and earth, breather of flames and devourer of worlds, beat your wings for me, descend your might upon my enemies!¡± I felt mana rush within me as if boiling, I opened my eyes ¡°Wayne!¡± mist surrounded my body similarly to mist form but after fully engulfing me it move away and momentarily stood in front of me in a blob of black mist which then began to grow and take form ¡°Concentrate Wayne! Focus on your new form! Focus on what you look like! What you feel like!¡± the mist began to twitch and shift until the noticeable shape of a wyvern presented itself. ¡°Almost there!¡± the mist began forming some more edges and detail ¡°Damnit!¡± the wyvern burst in an explosion of mist and dissipated. (¡°I¡¯m sorry master¡­I couldn¡¯t do it¡­¡±) Wayne¡¯s sadness noticeably affected my own emotions as I grimaced and kicked a stone out of my way ¡°Matt¡­? Maybe there¡¯s other things you can try?...¡± I shook my head ¡°No¡­I won¡¯t give up so easily. His wyvern form didn¡¯t work¡­ maybe he could still take the form of a bat?...he only spent a day or so in that form after all¡­¡± I closed my eyes again ¡°Wayne again, if it almost worked that means that it will we just have to figure out what¡¯s keeping it from working¡±. I raised my hands again ¡°Being of darkness, hunter of the night, seen as blood but known as shadow, echo your voice, find my targets and engulf them with your shadows¡± mist formed around my body again and then moved to stand in front of me again this time more quickly, it took the form of a large bat and quickly formed details as the bat¡¯s wings closed on its body shrouding it ¡°It¡¯s working! You can do it Matt!...Wayne!¡± Risa began to become enthusiastic. ¡°Come on Wayne, we¡¯re right there¡­¡± the mist again exploded but this time in its place stood a four feet tall black bat with purple runic patterns and bright purple eyes, I lowered my arms and took a deep breath ¡°It works, we di¡­¡± Wayne¡¯s form exploded into mist and yet again dissipated ¡°Why¡­¡±. I clenched my fists and stepped towards the sign then slammed my right palm onto its surface ¡°I won¡¯t be able to¡­at this rate¡­¡±, I felt a hand hesitantly placed on my left shoulder ¡°You did there¡­if taking a different form¡­made it easier¡­aren¡¯t your spirits those two weapons you use to wield?¡± I felt a shiver climb my spine as the idea entered my mind ¡°The Bound Aethers¡­Yes¡­Yes that explains it!¡± I stepped away from the sign and blankly stared at it ¡°When Wayne and Ember changed form they did so with their physical bodies at the time¡­which were the Bound Aethers¡­the material and magic cast on the Bound Aethers is very specific¡­Form manipulation is coded into them¡­which means¡­¡± I turned and stared at her ¡°The magic is still in place¡­they merged with me¡­it¡¯s within me¡­the wings¡­Saya focus on the same thing you did with my wings! This time focus on both that and Wayne!¡± I waited for a couple moments but nothing happened (¡°I need somewhere on your body to also focus on¡­I also need a shape¡­what should I think of?¡±) Saya¡¯s voice followed the momentary silence and it made me think. ¡°I understand how it works then¡­¡± I stretched my right hand and touched where the wings use to stick to ¡°The soul pores¡­but that one is unreachable¡­¡± I then placed the same hand on my chest ¡°Saya focus on the middle of my chest and concentrate on a pistol, you are connected to my mind and memories¡­you should find what you need there¡± I waited again while hovering my arm over my chest, what I was waiting for? I honestly don¡¯t know but I at least expected pain and disoriented senses. Suddenly I felt something strange in the middle of my chest, as if a void was created and I couldn¡¯t feel that part of my body anymore as at first I thought I couldn¡¯t breathe anymore but that wasn¡¯t the case. I looked down which made my heart stop if I even had one anymore, a whirlpool of mana grew from my chest as it engulfed my clothes and presumably my skin ¡°What is it?..¡± Risa walked over to see what I was looking at ¡°Wha¡­¡± she said something in her language and simply continued to stare at the swirling hole in my chest. (¡°Master you¡¯ll have to pull him out..¡±) I raised a brow ¡°Pull him out?...¡± I looked at my right arm and grounded my teeth in preparation for whatever was to come, I looked back down at the hole and hesitantly moved my hand inside. Surprisingly the hand entered and I could still feel it, I pushed it in further and felt something hit my fingers so I gently grabbed around it to feel its shape ¡°Found it¡­¡± I put my hand around it and slowly pulled. (¡°I added my own¡­touch to it¡­ I hope you like it¡­¡±) Saya sounded excited somewhat so I increased the pull and out the weapon came, Risa gasped at what was happening but I simply grinned while looking at the gun. ¡°It¡¯s perfect Saya¡­maybe a bit too flashy¡­¡± I marvelled at the weapon, from the grip to the trigger it was obsidian black and suddenly switched to paper white all the way to the barrel, the pistol¡¯s body was similar to a pre third wave semi-automatic with two times the barrel length and Saya¡¯s ¡°touch¡±. At the start of the barrel right in front of the trigger was a miniature white wyvern skull with the barrel going through its mouth while skeletal wings grew out of the back of the barrel and a skeletal tail fell down from the grip¡¯s bottom. ¡°A trigger? I guess I can¡¯t manipulate the mana myself anymore so a trigger does help me control when the shot starts¡­Good job Saya¡± I heard a giggle echo through my mind and somehow it also affected me as I chuckled ¡°Wayne how you feeling?¡± the skull¡¯s eye sockets came to life as two balls of black flames ¡°Except for whatever that feeling in my throat is? I feel great! Really what is this¡­¡± the wyvern skull literally spoke with Wayne¡¯s voice which had me taken aback. ¡°I wonder¡± I raised the gun and aimed at the sign ¡°Here we go¡± I pulled the trigger and immediately a bullet sized shot fired slightly denting the sign ¡°Ahahah! That¡¯s what it is! Master do it again!¡± I pulled the trigger a second time but this time the shot took a bit longer to exit the barrel but also seemed to deal more damage to the sign, ¡°I can control how much mana is used! Nothing fancy like with the Aether like shape or mana types but¡­there is something else. Fire again¡± I nodded and pulled the trigger a third time, as the first it immediately left and slightly dented the sign but this time it made my eyes grow wide and my jaw slightly drop ¡°Did you just?¡± the skull began to clatter rapidly ¡°Yes! Yes! I can control the projectiles! It¡¯s just like controlling my swarm! Well¡­except for the slack on turn speed¡­.¡±. This made me wonder ¡°Wayne tell me when you can no longer control the projectile¡± I aimed the pistol upwards and pulled the trigger, the shot fired immediately and about two seconds later ¡°I lost control¡­Aww¡­¡± I glanced at the pistol then at the sign ¡°Doing it again, this time charge it up like the second shot¡± I aimed upwards again and pulled the trigger. The shot fired about a three seconds after I pulled the trigger and for what I counted as six seconds Wayne didn¡¯t answer ¡°Lost control, master you¡¯re a genius!¡±, Risa walked over and closely inspected the pistol ¡°You can control the attack?...I¡¯ve never seen that before¡­¡± she then poked the skull ¡°Oi girly! That¡¯s my cheek! Well¡­bone¡­you know what I mean!¡± Risa shook her head ¡°No¡­No I don¡¯t¡­¡±. ¡°Alright then, now we see just how long you can charge up. Wayne get ready.¡± I distanced myself from the sign a bit more and then aimed ¡°Here we go¡± I pulled the trigger and seemingly nothing happened until I could visibly see energy crackling on the barrels tip ¡°I can¡¯t hold it much longer!¡± about a half a minute passed and my whole arm wanted to tremble ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± I rushed to hold the pistol with both hands and the shot fired piercing right through the sign and a couple buildings behind it ¡°Woah¡­¡± my knees buckled as the toll from that attack¡¯s mana usage hit me. ¡°That was¡­ interesting¡­¡± I glanced up at the multiple holes in a straight line in front of me ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ never do that again¡­¡± Wayne spoke once more and his form turned to mist which then entered my body. I fell back into a sitting position and began to breathe heavily ¡°This will take some getting used to Wayne¡­I wonder what Ember can do¡­¡± --- Author; I went through multiple thoughts of changing the mc¡¯s power but in the end gunner remained my favourite and that gun design¡­.oohhh¡­sexy¡­.Ahem!....Anyway¡­.Remember to rate and maybe leave a comment and/or feedback :D All feedback is appreciated! Edited by; Birse Information is power Zeaxar¡¯s POV (¡°Then I say come, Gods don¡¯t scare me Zeaxar. I¡¯ve already proven I don¡¯t fear it, if it means securing our future I don¡¯t care what I must fight.¡±) I turn off the Iris comms and get out of the vehicle, wearing my business tux I begun walking away from the luxurious car and towards the current main building of the Human government. ¡°Ah! Mr.Hellborn I presume!?¡± A mousy young human man walks down the many long steps that take up to the building¡¯s entrance ¡°This way please, the meeting has already began and unfortunately you are a bit late¡± the man gestures for me to follow him but I show no acknowledgment to his existence and continue walking towards the stairs. One by one I climbed the stairs as the man followed behind me, soon I reached the large wooden doors and pushed them open ¡°The..meeting is to the left¡­¡± by now my aura had leaked out and reached the whole building¡¯s insides. I silently walked towards the left and turned into the corridor leaving behind the man and other receptionists in the lobby cowering for their lives, I made sure to walk down the corridor at the slowest pace possible while enjoying the sense of fear that filled my destination. When I reached the door I slowly opened it revealing the large room inside, the human government officials and Etyrian leaders where all present inside and sitting around a large circular table with a holocrystal in the middle of it. ¡°You¡¯re late Hellborn¡± Arryn Yesventis Queen of the High Elves spoke first ¡°Ah excuse me your majesty¡± I perform a bow with a slight smirk on my face ¡°It takes time to move whole outfits you see¡± I stood up and glanced at the multiple leaders ¡°Enough theatrics Demon, where is he?¡± Zyrr the Werebeasts Chief spoke next from the other side of the table, I sighed ¡°I do enjoy my theatrics don¡¯t I? Well here you go then, Ladies, Gentlemen and impatient felines I present you the Emperor of Dherki¡± the young boy walked in from behind me as shadows left his body since he had been cloaked the whole time ¡°Alexius Xioqu, let¡¯s sit¡±. I walked over to an empty chair as far away from the fuming werelion and sat down, Alexius followed me and sat a seat away ¡°King Hellborn¡­Since you are finally here, care to explain the situation?¡± a blonde human fellow to the left spoke with a heavy northern accent ¡°So far the only information you¡¯ve given us is that the first expedition was mostly wiped out and survivors captured dying soon after¡± the human leaders directed many glares at the young boy. ¡°While it is true that his kind captured the research expedition and made them participate in kill or be killed activities it is not the whole story, you see from further investigation it was found that most of the party was wiped out within the scouted area by a diverse type of Wyrm. The survivors escaped the desert and were captured by his people when they entered their territory, I will let him explain what the situation at the time was¡± I glance at Alexius who seemed nervous at the many glares he was getting, he nodded ¡°My father was Emperor at the time, although Emperor holds utmost power within our society the High priest also holds a similar position¡­ My father ruled that the survivors weren¡¯t worth helping and employed them in the monster arena¡­ The High priest who was also my teacher found that humans at the time held minimal magical power and regarded them as inferior therefore as such the rest of the populace began to as well. We underestimated humanity and heavily payed the price.¡± Alexius clenched his fists and looked down at the table. I continued after him ¡°After a platoon under my command also got taken the squad leaders managed to break out of imprisonment but a single platoon leader ended up being left behind, within that first incursion most nobility, the emperor and empress got killed. When we returned for our man the High priest was also killed and then after Dherki surrendered, the question is now what shall we do with their surrender?¡± I glanced around the room at the many itching to speak but were beaten ¡°Then from what I understand there is nothing else to speak about, the ones in control are dead while those that remain cannot be blamed for their superior¡¯s decisions¡± Queen Yesventis spoke before anybody else could ¡°Look at this child, does he look like some monster leader to you?¡± she glared at those that previously aimed their hatred at him ¡°Then the decision is made unless anybody else has something to say?¡± nobody did and therefore the topic moved on with me continuing ¡°Then as previously planned I will move a whole outfit to operate in Dherki for protection and information gathering, Alexius here will become part of the council that sits here as well. Now for the next topic.¡± Many eyebrows raised at my sudden change in tone. I leaned forward and rested my arms on the table with fingers entwined together ¡°Mr.Kieth would you mind explaining my resent findings?¡± I locked my gaze on the plump short human. The man barely responded and kept a blank fa?ade of an expression as he spoke ¡°What ever do you mean King Hellborn?¡± he didn¡¯t meet my gaze ¡°I have recently come upon information that your government is holding more Cerberii alive and hidden, would you be so kind to explain?¡± many of the Etyrian members and some human seemed enraged at this information ¡°Why would we do that? I can assure you that ¡°boy¡± you accepted into your ranks is the sole survivor¡± I knew he wouldn¡¯t be an easy crack ¡°Then you wouldn¡¯t mind if I forward my evidence?¡± I raised my right arm and a shadow appeared behind me, Leya handed me a crystal which I inserted into the table through a slot in front of me ¡°Since the divide that brought in the two year war multiple laboratories were used to produce Cerberii, powerful human children with enhanced souls and artificially altered bodies. This much everyone here knows but did you know that one such laboratory was kept active even after the war ended? Hades Laboratory is to this day still in use with the surviving maniacs that started the power struggle still working there albeit in chains¡± with every word images appeared above the holocrystal and with every image the man¡¯s expression became darker ¡°Care to explain this then Mr.Kieth?¡±. ¡°Y..Yes¡­As you all know our race has suffered great losses and we believe that each life has more worth today than it ever did to keep us from extinction, they serve life sentences caged inside their own creation but I swear what they do in there is nothing more than the usual aether research! If you truly wish I will personally guide you through the whole thing! The Cerberus program died with the war, we absolutely did not continue it!¡± with those final words a smile creeped its way up my face ¡°There will be no need for that, if you say the program wasn¡¯t continued then I am obliged to believe that¡± I ended that topic there and let the rest go on with their¡¯s. The meeting went on for another three boring topics that I mostly ignored except for the last one, ¡°Lastly I wish to ask about the next expedition, Zeaxar¡­you are aware of the creatures that leaked from that portal correct?¡± The Wood Elf Elder Reiner spoke to me ¡°But of course I am, while it is true that draconic hybrids have been the stuff of legend in our history it is not strange. Life works in strange ways but for a race so powerful it is not uncalled for a realm to be ruled by them, their blood runs stronger than even us demons! For a realm full of them is dangerous you do have to take something into account Elder¡­My mercenaries number many and are trained with keen military co-operation and are lead by ones I personally pick. We have ways of dealing with dragons specifically, half dragons aren¡¯t far off¡±. A hand slammed on the table ¡°Do not underessstimate dragon blood Hellborn¡­My kind only holdss a very ssmall percssentage of our heritage from dragonss but a half born sssentient dragon? That would be on part with a wild Devourer sspirit!¡± The large snake in the room Nekt the Queen of Gorgons and Drakons spoke in a rather worried tone ¡°It hass been too long for our kind to fully know but we sstill have it written in our hisstory bookss! The WereBeasstss have it etched ssomewhere too! Dragonss are not to be trifled with! The Dragon warsss taught uss that well enough!¡± many nodded at her exclamations, ¡°Nekt speaks true¡± Zyrr sighed ¡°We mustn¡¯t forget what that fallen Elder Dragon¡¯s power felt like¡­ If it wasn¡¯t for the heroes the second wave would have costed us much more than it did¡­ Elder Dragons have been in hiding for eons yet the prospect of a realm with even one of them fully awake and not fallen to the void¡¯s whispers is¡­ something that makes my fur stand on edge¡­¡± the room went quiet for some time. ¡°An Elder dragon is something we¡¯ll have to deal with when the time comes, until then we shall focus on scouting rather than combat. Shall we call the meeting¡¯s end here then?¡± mostly everyone nodded and agreed so I gestured for Alexius to stand up, I waited for everyone else to leave first as I usually did just so I could look at their expressions as they left but this time someone approached me, voluntarily, someone I didn¡¯t think would do so ever ¡°Don¡¯t mind these old oafs child, my race welcomes our peace with open arms¡± more specifically approached Alexius but normally she wouldn¡¯t even look at my direction due to¡­ past events¡­ ¡°Has this demon given you any trouble yet?¡±. Alexius seemed frozen and unable to speak which was mostly normal given her cold beauty so I spoke for him ¡°Trouble? Now milady why would I ever get this child in trouble?¡± she gave me a cold glare and looked back at Alexius ¡°Don¡¯t trust everything he says, if you need anything at all be sure to ask me little one¡± she gave him a warm smile and turned to leave. I sighed and put my hand on the boy¡¯s shoulder ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled kid, she waves that warm smile at you but in actuality she¡¯s as sly as her husband. Let¡¯s go¡± I push him towards the exit ¡°Um...who¡¯s her husband? Why isn¡¯t he a member?¡±. I wanted to say because I¡¯d shove a dagger in his back if he was but I contained myself ¡°Because he¡¯s probably too busy doing what ever the hell he¡¯s doing in another realm, I suppose someone already told you what the void waves are correct?¡± he nodded ¡°The first wave was when the Etyrian alliance first arrived in Etyrian, the second wave occurred decades later when the Atlantian race sent a human to test their creations with on the void and the third wave happened here on Earth and was when Etyria saved humanity from probable extinction¡±. We reached the exit and began stepping down the steps ¡°You¡¯ve done your homework kid, yes those are the three void waves. During the second wave the one human called upon the strongest of each race to join together and fight together, using their joint mana signatures the void¡¯s massive army was lured by their hunger towards them putting them against the worst of the wave. That human is her husband, to this date he is still missing and only recently have we found that he might have survived the wave. Get in¡± I entered the vehicle¡¯s driver seat and waited for Alexius to get inside the front passenger seat ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to find out much about him¡­ ¡± he closed the car¡¯s door and glanced around the other members of the council also leaving ¡°Why did you single that man out back there? How did you know he might be behind it?¡± his question didn¡¯t surprise me as I did know how perceptive this kid was but it still made me chuckle ¡°Kekekeke¡­¡± I started the car and drove out into the street ¡°I don¡¯t, all I need was put a seed of doubt into all of them and mentioned that the information leaked¡­ now all I have to do is wait and see how each of them acts¡­ I¡¯m not even sure if the Cerberii are being kept at Hades but if they are then my spies will notice changes to its routine¡±. I began driving around the city while Alexius glanced around the sights it had to offer ¡°How can a race that can create something so beautiful also create something so insane? Matthew¡­ Even before he awakened his power was abnormal¡­ thousands of them?...¡± I slowed down to turn and arrived at the city¡¯s gate, ¡°Do you know why in the human language our kind is called Demons and Devils? Because of our physical traits and differences, there is no real translation for our race¡¯s names to theirs so they went off their mythologies and history which was altered by the Atlantians to reflect so. In the end though humans can be much more terrifying than what those two words represent, each human has their own demons inside them but some grow to have a devil as well¡±.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. He looked at me with a confused expression ¡°Kekeke¡­Fear boy, fear is what makes this race so strong. A demon¡¯s lust, an elf¡¯s pride neither a dwarf¡¯s greed can compare to a human engulfed by fear and insanity. Read their history kid, for generations they have fought each other. Generations of evolving combat methods and improving machines of war, generations of losses and instability yet now they suddenly have balance and peace? They say so but look around¡± we pass by the gate with multiple guard posts each having three or more soldiers in AetherTech armour and weaponry alongside two Troll sized mechanized suits. ¡°They trust nobody, not even themselves yet expect it from others. It¡¯s hypocrisy at first but when you know their history it¡¯s understandable, now add in the hatred they feel against the Atlantians into the brew and everything falls into place¡± I press a button and the glass on my window opens, I take out a card from the vehicle¡¯s cabinet and show it to one of the armoured guards. The guard nods ¡°Have a nice day Ambassador¡± he speaks through his blacked out helmet and I close the window again, ¡°So you¡¯re saying It¡¯s a whole race run by emotion?¡± Alexius stares at one of the AetherMechs curiously. ¡°Yes they are, but right now two key ones are what drives them. Fear of death and Hatred towards being used, they are blinded by them and see nothing else¡± we drive out of the city and onto a long road surrounded by a dried up landscape ¡°They cling to what power they can get a hold of, power that will yet again be their own demise¡±. I step down harder and accelerate ¡°Which is why those that can look ahead of the fear and behind the hatred are so much stronger.¡± ----- Matthew¡¯s POV I breathed heavily as the first signs of mana exhaustion began showing themselves from the continuous testing of Wayne and Ember¡¯s new bodies (¡°Master you should take it slow¡­ you are still not used to your own body yourself¡­ your mana usage is too high¡­¡±) says Saya worriedly, I take a couple steps back and rest my back on a half standing stone pillar ¡°Yeah you¡¯re right¡­It¡¯s getting late anyway¡­¡± I stare up at the ascending moon amidst the many stars unblocked by any city lights they shone brightly at us. ¡°Wayne has simple abilities like a normal aether pistol would have but I didn¡¯t expect his bats to become that and Ember also was quite the surprise, well done Saya¡± a silent giggle went unnoticed in my mind, ¡°It¡¯s beautiful¡± a voice suddenly spoke from next to me ¡°Wha¡­¡± I was caught off guard as Risa went unnoticed by me while she sneaked up by my side and laid back onto the same pillar. She turned and gave me a confused expression ¡°What is it?...¡± I cleared my throat as I clenched my fists ¡°You caught me by surprise¡­ my senses have also dulled along with my soul, which is concerning¡± I looked back up at the sky ¡°Yeah¡­it is beautiful¡±, (¡°Ehh¡­ I could make it better¡­¡±) Saya commented thoughtfully. I couldn¡¯t help myself as she said that with a serious tone and Fae weren¡¯t known for their sarcasm, I buckled forward as I began to full heartedly laugh ¡°What is it?... What is so funny?...¡± I let myself laugh for another couple moments but finally rose back up after wiping a tear ¡°Right¡­ You haven¡¯t met Saya yet, not sure how to go about doing it though¡±. I stared thoughtfully at my chest thinking of what a non-combatant spirit could take the shape of, (¡°Would this work?¡±) Saya interjected on my thoughts as a sudden bright blue light shone¡­ on my face. ¡°S¡­ Saya?...¡± the blue ball of light morphed around my eyes taking the form of what I can only define as goggles. ¡°Like this I can physically have a voice and use within combat!¡± Saya¡¯s voice echoed out from the goggles as I took them off to examine them, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ interesting design?...¡± the goggles were your average shape and a leather like band for it to hold onto my head. The frame was black with blue runic inscriptions running through it and the leather band, the lens also had two black runes on the inside per eye which weren¡¯t visible from the outside. ¡°Put them¡­me¡­them?...Uhh¡­just put them on!¡± Saya¡¯s excited yet confused voice echoes out of the goggles, I raise the lens to my face and pull the band over and behind my head ¡°Saya¡­ is this vision enhancement?¡± I began focus on certain things and my vision practically zoomed in on them ¡°Mhm! Yeap!¡±. While marvelling at the gadget I remember Risa next to me ¡°Ah¡­ right¡­ It may sound strange but this is Saya, she is a Fae. Fae-kin are a spirit race that live most of their lives as roaming souls, they bind themselves to physical or even sentient things to gain a body¡± she looks at the goggles curiously ¡°Hello?...I¡¯m Risa¡±. ¡°Nice to meet you princess! I¡¯m Saya the Dun¡­Saya¡­just Saya!¡± a humming sound suddenly began to approach us ¡°Well just Saya the goggles, say good night to the princess for today. Ma¡¯s here to pick you up Risa¡±, I turn around the rubble and stand by the road as in the distance two bright lights approach me quickly ¡°What are you going to do now Matt?¡± she walked up beside me as the car slowed down and turned to face the direction it came from ¡°Information gathering, I know some unsavoury individuals that could tip me on where to look. Normally I could persuade them to speak easily but with no power over my aura my current body and weaponry will have to do¡±. ¡°Yo kid you coming?¡± Abbey shouts out from the driver¡¯s seat of the old ford truck, ¡°Don¡¯t get killed¡­¡± Risa said her parting words without looking at me and walked towards the vehicle. After Risa got in Abbey gave me the same look she gave me when I left to join the E.A ¡°Oi Red¡± she nodded and I nodded back, a wordless conversation with the same meaning every time, I looked back up at the night sky as the truck drove away ¡°Really is a beautiful sight¡­ ¡± I turned around and walked over to the aetherbike. I took out the key from my pocket, started it and turned the vehicle around while it hovered to face the road ¡°Saya be ready to materialize Wayne at any moment when we arrive¡± I pulled down the goggles and sat on the bike¡¯s seat. I unbuttoned the black leather trench coat that normally was fully buttoned from my collar to my waist and took out my arms, it waved behind me holding on from the collar button ¡°That¡¯s better, the dress code doesn¡¯t count if I¡¯m off duty¡± I studied my black T-shirt where hours ago a whirlpool seemingly grew from it ¡°Would be annoying if I had to change it every time¡­ thankfully¡±. I leaned forward onto the bike and turned the throttle ¡°The wind¡­ I thought I¡¯d never feel it again¡­¡± Saya spoke through the goggles as I accelerated deep into the town¡¯s streets, within minutes I reached the southern end of the town and turned off-road while keeping the direction I was heading. The bike handled perfectly even off-road as unlike wheels levitation magic didn¡¯t require physical contact with the ground but did add upward and downwards as possible movement directions so one had to be very careful with driving uphill as the magic wasn¡¯t strong enough to turn the bike upwards as it drove at full speed unless the user motioned the stronger secondary magic to do so. I drove for about two hours through the desert like dried up landscape until signs of a ruined city began to come into view, surrounded by deserted mountains and hills from one side and open sea from the other the city stood in complete ruin. When I finally reached the crossroads I slowed down and began driving down the city streets that lay full of vehicle wreckage or fallen buildings, I hovered over wrecked cars and stone rubble along with the occasional bone carcass from an unidentifiable creature. ¡°Where is this?...¡± Saya whispered as if afraid to wake the ghosts that might have rested in these ruins ¡°This? Welcome to California, one of the largest and most populated areas on this planet that albeit it¡¯s ruin still has some mild hospitality. Geographically speaking we are in the south west of the second largest continent, politically speaking?... One of the only two continents that still retains human life¡±, I took a hard turn and some signs of life presented themselves. Lit signs hung by large buildings along with mostly clear streets and the occasional human walking on the sidewalk, she whispered again ¡°Most populated?... so little people¡­¡± I glanced around ¡°Most of the surviving population has been militarised, the old, the sick, the weak and the guilty are all that remain on the streets¡±. I slowed down even further and turned into a downward tunnel dimly lit up, the tunnel took down to an underground parking lot and I drove over to the far left corner where some other operational vehicles were parked. I parked the bike between a rusty old car and a similarly rusty truck, after getting off I flipped a switch hidden under the bike¡¯s seat and took out the key which I dropped into my zipp pocket and then closed it (¡°Everyone¡¯s swift with their hands here, Saya focus a dense but thin aura around me. Thieving is nothing new¡±). I glanced to the left where two rough looking men stood laid back by a wooden doorway (¡°So she really did end up employing bouncers¡­¡±) now you have to understand that I was tall for my age but these two were a whole foot taller and almost as wide as the double door way, I raised the goggles onto my forehead and began walking to the doorway. I walked past the bouncers and was about to push open the door ¡°Oi outsider, we don¡¯t want no trouble here¡± one of the bouncers glared me down and I locked my eyes on his ¡°There is no trouble to be had, if they co-operate that is. After all I don¡¯t wanna break Mick¡¯s new toys¡± I pushed open the door leaving behind a confused bouncer and entered the pub (¡°Guess I really don¡¯t look human anymore¡­ if I even am human¡±), ¡°Didn¡¯t know you served dogs around here Mick¡± the voice came from the bar where three of the ten or so stools at the very end of it are occupied. ¡°Shove it Bekk¡± the bartender a dark skinned woman in her thirties with long black hair lined with green turned to me while tapping away on her phone, she looked up ¡°What can I g¡­Matt?¡± she looked at me with a raised brow ¡°Duty?¡± she asked the question with slight fear in her voice. I glared at the back of one of the shady men at the bar ¡°No, off-duty¡± I turned and sat on the first stool right by the door, the pub wasn¡¯t very large as except the bar itself there was only three tables with four chairs each and only one of them was occupied with two men and a woman playing some card game and drinking. I glanced away from the bar and at the bartender ¡°I¡¯m looking for information, thought you¡¯d have something for me Mick¡±, she eyed me suspiciously and ended with staring at what I guessed was my black eye ¡°Cain ain¡¯t around today but I might be able to help, what you looking for?¡± she was leaning onto the wall behind her but when she began hobbling to stand in front of me it was obvious. Looking closely you could see the mechanical left leg she had under her worn out camo jeans, ¡°How¡¯s Cain been?¡± her expression had a slight twitch but overall remained plain ¡°He¡¯s the usual, getting into shit too deep for him¡±. I sighed (¡°So he does know something¡±) ¡°Heard about the labs being reopened for use, wonder what they¡¯re doing in there now¡±, she grabbed a bottle of beer from behind her and leaned onto the bar slightly to my right and whispered in between sips ¡°He¡¯s in deep Matt, I don¡¯t know what to do. He hasn¡¯t told me much¡­I expect there¡¯s a lot more to it but¡­¡± she rested the bottle on the bar and stared at it ¡°If you offer to help him get out I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll tell you everything he knows, you know how he is he doesn¡¯t mean anybody h¡± I interrupted her ¡°Michael, what did he find?¡± my tone was commanding even while whispering. She glanced at me then took a long chug out of the bottle ¡°Govs been moving shit a lot since last year, you know that Academy they built right by Olympus?¡± I nodded ¡°Heavily armed containers were moved from the ports, Hades and Silvus to there. Several months back they even moved a military transport with several Mechs and Trashers as guard, Cain said he¡¯d never seen so much military moving together since the war. Two months back¡­¡± she lowered her head and held her forehead with her right hand ¡°Someone with a case full of cash came by to speak with Cain, the guy was alone with some rich ass suit and bleached hair. Offered Cain a deal, see what is inside those containers and get the money. They told him they¡¯d take care of the guards themselves while he snuck a peak, he took it even though I begged him not to. Deal went without a hitch, he snuck by the port as somehow an electric failure occurred which shut down all security and the guards entered a panic for some reason. Something got their attention and he got in and out easily but¡­ Matt¡­ inside those damn containers¡­ They¡¯re¡­¡± she held her mouth with her eyes wide open as if resisting from spewing. Dread ¡°Mick spit it out, what did he see?!¡± I began to lose my patience but tried to keep calm, she closed her eyes and let go of her mouth ¡°Children¡­ Hundreds per container¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ how¡­ Cain said¡­ they were all a couple months old¡­ inside these glass cylinders full of some¡­ blue slimy liquid¡­ He¡¯s been looking into it this whole time¡­ I don¡¯t know anything else¡­ ¡± she suddenly grabbed my shirt from the collar ¡°Is it as bad as it sounds?... Are they?... Again?...¡± her eyes spelled fear as she stared at mine. I shove away her arm from my shirt and stood up but stayed there momentarily staring at her expression for any signs of what I hoped to be a lie, ¡°Where is Cain?¡± she sat back on a stool behind her and sank her head down into her hands ¡°He stayed in contact with that man, I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s been having Cain do now but he¡¯s been going to the old shelter. You might find him there¡­¡±. I turned around and walked out of the door (¡°Bastards¡­Uh¡­¡±) I ignored the two men outside and stomped over to the bike but just stood there for a couple seconds then turned to the wall and punched it with all my strength, not even a dent was made as I had no control over my mana anymore so I simply ended up with a busted wrist and blood all over the wall ¡°Children¡­ they¡­ aren¡¯t just reusing surviving Cerberii¡­ they¡¯re¡­Uh..¡± I fell to my knees as I heaved out my stomach onto the ground. I lay there breathing heavily as I stared down into my own belch as every fibre of my being shook (¡°M..Master¡­¡±) Ember¡¯s voice whispered in my mind, ¡°I¡¯m¡­fine¡­I need to stop this¡­They¡¯re¡­doing it all over again¡­nobody will accept it¡­I sure damn won¡¯t¡­¡± I forced myself up and held onto the wall (¡°MASTER BEHIND YOU¡±) Wayne practically screamed in my mind and I turned to see what he detected only to receive a kick in my back and lose my balance. I fell sideways hitting my head on the wall and down onto the puddle ¡°You deserve much worse filthy dog¡­Hiq¡­¡± the three men that were sat at the bar were now standing over me as I tried to stand up, a low hissing sound along with a frantic screech resounded in my mind. I rose to my knees and was pulled up by two of them, they held me from my arms as the third closed in and began slugging me in the gut ¡°Government hound¡­how does it feel¡­to be on this side of the boot?¡± he grabbed my head and shoved it down as he kicked upward nailing me in the face with his knee. He stopped momentarily as he observed his doing, the commotion brought out the other residents of the pub along with Mick who shouted at her bouncers ¡°The hell you two waiting for!? Stop them before h!...¡± they wouldn¡¯t have made it no matter how quickly they ran. A loud hiss began to emit from me accompanied by a teeth grinding growl, the two behind me let go and backed away as my skin began to crack and morph ¡°Mortal Filth¡­You will pay for that dearly!¡± a serpents voice spoke with my mouth as I felt Ember taking over. My skin turned into clear white scales as my black eye shifted and became the exact same as the other, I felt Ember¡¯s rage swelling up inside me as our consciousness collided and merged. I stomped down my right foot as a loud screech escaped my impossibly gaping mouth while two sets of fangs grew within, the sound was powerful enough to send each man to their knees and the stomp cracked the ground beneath me. ¡°Burn¡± embers began to form around me as suddenly a pillar of fire engulfed me completely for a moment, the blast sent two of the men flying into a wall while the other rushed to take cover behind a truck. The pillar of flame disappeared right after completely disintegrating my coat, some of my shirt and pants as well as everything else around me since for a couple feet was nothing more than ash. I glanced at the man that hid behind the truck and walked over to it ¡°You can¡¯t hide¡­¡±, I stepped around the truck and glared down at the terrified old drunk. I stood over him momentarily then lashed out with my right hand as flames engulfed it forming a sort of blade, I aimed for his neck as with lightning speed I lunged down. I stopped millimetres from his skin which was enough to burn him a fair bit ¡°N¡­o¡­.¡± I backed away from the man and held my forehead with my left hand as my consciousness fought Ember¡¯s rage from continuing. ¡°No¡­enough¡­¡± I took a couple deep breaths as my skin and eye returned to normal along with the shrinking fangs ¡°Never¡­ Do that again¡­ Ember¡­ ¡± I glanced between the frantic backing away of the one in front of me, the unconscious one to the wall to my left and the one rushing for the exit. I then glanced over at the pub¡¯s entrance and at the observers ¡°Mick if Cain come¡¯s around tell him to contact me, you know Ma¡¯s number¡± I turned to the fallen bike and heaved it upright, I took out the key from my pocket although having to tear it open due to the damaged zip and sat down starting the vehicle right after. I turned the throttle and drove out of the underground into the street, I immediately turned and began driving down the path I came from and only increasing my speed when I left the city. ¡°Matt¡­Ember blames herself¡­.¡± Saya spoke in her current form, I sighed (¡°Ember I understand why you did it, but never take action again without me telling you to. You almost went too far, those people have been forgotten by society for their physical traits or age, they have every right to be angry and they thought in their hate and stupor that I was with the government. Now what I want to know¡­what the hell was that?¡±) I began remembering the feeling of my very skin shifting as Ember¡¯s consciousness temporarily merged with my own. ¡°Both of them seem more able to focus their power by using your body as a medium¡± Saya began to explain ¡°I suspect Wayne can do the same but entering that form in your current state drained most of your remaining mana, it¡¯s going to take more time for all three of you to learn to control it before you can really use it. Matt you need to rest, I can sense your weariness and with your current mana flow you¡¯re not doing anything else. It¡¯s a good thing you¡¯re not inju¡­Matt¡­.¡± I sensed surprise in her voice so I slowed down and stopped to the side of the road. ¡°What is it? Wha¡­Oh¡­.¡± I stared down at my hand which earlier was busted and bleeding, ¡°My injuries¡­Saya¡­what is this?¡± my injury was gone including the beating I took earlier ¡°I¡¯m¡­not sure, it could be because your body changed due to Ember? Or it might just be your body now¡­I don¡¯t know!¡± I felt her frustration and tapped at the goggles ¡°Calm down, we¡¯ll figure things out. First I really need rest¡­and new clothes¡­¡± I looked down at the tatters I was still wearing albeit strangely not feeling any cold, ¡°We¡¯ll head back to Ma¡¯s place and rest, I want to shut them down but I ain¡¯t doing that in my current state¡±. I turned the throttle right after pulling down the goggles and drove ahead, my emotions were mixed but I remained as collected as possible and logic screamed over my anger and frustration so I decided to follow reason. I drove at full speed until the signs of my home town came into view, I slowed down slightly in case I needed to evade rubble or a wreckage although still keeping up a fair speed. I drove without incidents back to the town Ma¡¯s place was at, I drove up to the gate and stopped to get off and open it. After getting the bike in I opened the garage with the second key chained to the first and drove the bike inside, I closed the garage shutter behind me and walked over to the door taking into the main building. I silently went through the door to not wake anybody up, checking the time on my Iris which surprisingly survived the flames it was five in the morning and I thought they¡¯d both be asleep. ¡°Matt? We heard you ar¡­What happened?¡± Risa stood up from the staircase and stared at my tattered clothes, I glanced at her worried expression and the bags under her eyes ¡°I¡¯m fine, a lot happened and I need to rest. I¡¯ll go clean myself up and sleep, you should get some sleep yourself¡±. She looked down at the ground and nodded so I walked away into the bathroom, I went over to the sink and stared into the mirror, I stared deep into the monstrous eyes that stared back at me in disbelief. (¡°Guess I have to look the part¡­¡±) I stepped away and tore off the burned clothes then inspected my whole body but no wounds, burn marks or injuries were present so I stepped under the shower and turned it on. I stood there under the cold running water as I went through everything I now knew (¡°The Cerberii program has been re-instated, I suspect all the scientists that survived the lab massacre are still working on it. I don¡¯t know how many but some other Cerberii except me survived as well and are still being experimented on, now I also know that they plan on making more Cerberii but the question is¡­ where did they get all those children? If that many went missing¡­No¡­Mick said there were multiple shipments and if each held the same amount¡­there is no way the current population can provide that many¡­They¡¯re all heading to Humus Academy, are they experimenting with the students there too?...¡±) I clenched my fists as I restrained myself from anger. I felt useless, weak, unprepared and everything felt out of control but worst of all I felt horrible for dragging Wayne and Ember back into this as they both had went through enough themselves as spirits during the first project. I also felt horrible for dragging Saya and Risa into this world¡¯s problems, I wanted to protect the innocents of other world¡¯s civilizations like Risa and Alexius¡¯s but if this project went through then nobody would be safe and humanity¡¯s population could do nothing but watch. With my current power there was no way I could take on two Cerberii let alone a squad, I thought about it over and over but If I couldn¡¯t fight them with the intent of killing them then there was absolutely no way I could fight them to safely disarm them. For a moment I began to regret abandoning the powers of Chaos ¡°No¡­That thing¡¯s power wouldn¡¯t have helped anybody¡­If I didn¡¯t abandon it¡­there¡¯s no telling what I could have done¡­¡± the memories of what I did to the 7 knights flooded back in, their cries of despair as I slowly drove them insane with images in their mind and physical torture ¡°Never again¡­¡±. I finished taking a shower and then remembered I didn¡¯t take any replacement clothes inside with me ¡°Shit¡­¡± I felt exhausted and I wasn¡¯t thinking straight, I stared down at the tatters on the floor before turning to Saya who was still in her physical form as a pair of goggles on the sink ¡°Saya is there any way you can create clothes, I didn¡¯t bring anything to change into and I don¡¯t think Ma¡¯s will fit me¡±. ¡°With the mana you have left? I can create a single pair¡­but¡­I¡¯m not sure what standards you humans use for clothing¡­¡± her form shifted into a green floating orb of light that circled me, I sighed ¡°Anything will do, just make it dark and resistant¡±. I dried myself with some towers and then waited as mana exited my body and condensed into detailed textures, every second that passed the further my expression changed. --- Risa¡¯s POV I wake up in the room the giant woman assigned to me, walk out of the room and knocked on his door only to receive no answer. I go down to eat whatever food our host prepared then spend the rest of the day practicing my swordplay outside, at night I¡¯d sit idle in the kitchen waiting for him to get back only to freeze before talking to him as he climbs the steps with a dark look on his face. This went on for days and I didn¡¯t know what to do, this morning I just sat there staring down at the food blankly when suddenly ¡°You want to help him don¡¯t you?¡± the woman called Abbey stepped away from cleaning the plates and sat down adjacent of me. She laid back on the chair and rested her legs on the table then sighed ¡°He¡¯s not going to ask you to help you know, that¡¯s how that kid is. He thinks he can carry the world on his shoulders, you can¡¯t even stop him nor slow him down and you damn sure aren¡¯t going to change his mind. Trust me I¡¯ve tried but he¡¯s always tried to be the hero, always looking for the path with least causalities but never showing mercy to those without¡± Abbey tinkered with some tools and a strange looking object in her hands as she spoke, I stared down at my open palms ¡°Then what should I do?...I¡¯m tired of just sitting here¡­doing nothing day by day¡­Does he¡­even stand a chance? I heard of your military¡­your warriors¡­machines enhanced with magic while being controlled by a single person¡­I sense the power within him¡­he¡¯s changed¡­weaker...he¡¯s not the demon that ravaged our tyrants anymore¡­how far will he get before he¡¯s killed?¡±. She chuckled ¡°So you do care about him huh?¡± her words caught me by surprise and I turned to look at her as my face turned warmer ¡°N¡­no..I¡­¡± she gave me a knowing grin so I didn¡¯t respond and looked back down at my now clenched fists, ¡°It¡¯s not that he¡¯s too full of pride or too cocky, he knows that he¡¯s not strong enough but it¡¯s because he really cares about others that he won¡¯t drag anybody into his fight¡± she stood up and laid a hand on my shoulder ¡°Let¡¯s go¡±. I glanced up ¡°Where?¡± she smiled ¡°You wanna help that dense bastard right? Then you¡¯re just gonna have to force it into his thick head that he needs your help. I¡¯m also curious at what the hell he¡¯s been up to, he spends the whole damn day th¡­¡± suddenly a sound rang through the house as if a bell was being rang but slightly distorted.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Wonder if that¡¯s him, doesn¡¯t he have the key to the garage?¡± Abbey walked off to the front entrance and I followed her due to curiosity, she peaked through a hole in the surprisingly armoured door ¡°Wilson?¡± she unlocked the door and opened it. ¡°What the hell you doing around here Cain?¡± outside stood a skinny dark skinned man wearing multiple different kinds of cloaks, hoods and scarves that if it wasn¡¯t for his hands not having gloves you couldn¡¯t tell what he was. The man dropped the hood ¡°Looking for the runt, he around? Mick said he¡¯s been looking for me¡± they were very well hidden but if you looked close enough you could have noticed the assortment of knives and weapons all over his clothes ¡°We were just heading out to were he¡¯s currently at, follow along if it¡¯s important¡± Abbey looked back and gestured for me to follow her out so I did, the man sighed and as I walked over to Abbey¡¯s vehicle I saw him slamming on his vehicle¡¯s side (¡°What a strange starting mechanism¡­¡±). I entered the vehicle they called a truck and began pondering on what I got myself into (¡°What am I supposed to say? He has every right to say no¡­ I can¡¯t be seen infringing any of the laws here¡­ I probably shouldn¡¯t even be outside in public¡­ ¡±) the vehicle¡¯s engine began to hum and we began to move with the smaller rusty vehicle following closely behind us, ¡°Thinking about how you¡¯re gonna convince him?¡± Abbey spoke while keeping an eye on the front view ¡°Don¡¯t think about why you should help him but how, what can you do that he can¡¯t? For example what magic do you have under your sleeve?¡± her statement confused me and I raised my sleeve to see if she put anything there without me noticing which in turn made her chuckle ¡°No no girl, I mean what magic can you use, from what I gather he¡¯s going for infiltration right? Well what can you do to¡­¡± her statement was cut short as I raised my cloaking magic and disappeared from her perspective ¡°What in the seven hells!?¡± the vehicle suddenly turned multiple times while making a screeching sound as Abbey regained control. I lowered my magic ¡°S..Sorry¡­¡± I was surprised and slightly terrified myself at what had just happened, ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­seems like you understood though¡­ next time I¡¯d like a warning before you know¡­ you go invisible¡­¡± she laid her head back and sighed. A little bit over an hour had passed and the site Matthew decided to use as a training ground came into view, Abbey raised her arm outside her window to signal the car behind us and began to slow down until we came to a stop. I exited the truck slowly with eyes open wide as I took in the scenery ¡°The hell?...¡± Abbey also stared at the area, blood both dry and fresh could be seen at multiple spots on the ground, rubble and walls as one single figure stood amidst the destruction and red. Matthew was sitting in meditation with a warped form, white scales had replaced his skin while a fiery blaze lashed out from his body at the surroundings, he wore a long grey coat that looked like it could reach his feet, a button up red shirt underneath it and grey jeans along with blood red pointy shoes. He raised the wide black hat that sat on his head and stood up, his goggles had also changed and now had red lenses through which you couldn¡¯t see his eyes and had lost the band that kept it to his face instead now having two white earpieces. Abbey tried to contain herself ¡°You¡­still look¡­ridiculous¡­BAHAHAHAA¡­¡± but in the end gave in to laughter, Matthew on the other hand smiled ¡°Saya refuses to change them, I¡¯ve become accustomed to it. What are you two doing here anyway and whose that?¡± he turned to look at the cloaked man. Abbey stepped out of the vehicle ¡°That¡¯s Cain, said he came to find you since you¡¯ve been asking for him¡± Matthew nodded and walked over to the man who was still inside the roofless vehicle, ¡°The grand commandant of the new resistance, it¡¯s funny how things change isn¡¯t it?¡± the man took off his hood and stared at Matthew with a surprised expression ¡°How the hell do you know that?¡± Matthew chuckled ¡°The E.A has a powerful spy network and a lot of resources, I¡¯ve been looking all over for you but in the end I only need three things to be confirmed¡±. Cain stepped out of the car ¡°Why the hell should I tell you anything? You¡¯re one of those beasts too, hell you look more of a beast than they do¡± he opened his arms wide pointing out Matthew¡¯s appearance, Matthew sighed ¡°Do you want the Cerberii war to happen again? You know the government is divided about the project and if things continue war is sure to occur¡±. Cain took a step back ¡°Tch¡­¡± he spat at the ground ¡°Fine, what do you want to know?¡± Matthew nodded and smiled ¡°First, who is your financial backer? He¡¯s given us a run for our money trying to identify him. Second where are they getting all these test subjects? Third do you know the location of each surviving Cerberus?¡±. Cain sighed and laid back into the car seat ¡°Our backs are the Russians and General Decker, they¡¯re both against the project and have been trying to convince the rest of their continent while General Decker is working to convince the rest of the American military. As for the children¡­We don¡¯t exactly know but they have been popping out from the labs, we have our suspicions that it may include cloning technology¡± he looked Matthew straight in the eye momentarily but quickly looked away ¡°The Cerberii have been all moved to the Academy, the General has confirmed this personally. Matt they haven¡¯t made any more yet, if we can take them out¡­¡± Matthew suddenly grabbed Cain¡¯s neck and lifted him a couple feet off the ground ¡°You will not touch them, you will not do anything further. Leave things to me, gather your forces and prepare to invade the Academy¡± He then turned to Abbey ¡°Ma I¡¯ll need you to get back in contact with your old platoon, we¡¯ll need all the help we can get¡± he let go of Cain and turned away. Cain held onto his neck and gasped for breath ¡°Bastard¡­what do you plan to do?...¡± Matthew stopped and glanced back ¡°I¡¯m a killer Cain, I¡¯m going to clean up the survivors we left behind like any good assassin would¡± Cain stared at his back in confusion ¡°Kill? The Cerberii? The government? You kn¡­¡± Matthew cut him off ¡°Everyone and anyone who has a hand in the Cerberus project, I will try to turn the three surviving Cerberii to our side but if I cannot¡­humanity doesn¡¯t need any more monsters¡± Cain began to laugh ¡°Monsters? They have thousands of those freaks being born every day in those labs!¡±. Matthew began walking towards the bike ¡°Monsters aren¡¯t born, monsters are made through blood and sweat. In the next couple days I will hit all the labs one by one, they will be disoriented and busy. You should go prepare, war is coming¡±, I wasn¡¯t about to be left behind again ¡°What are you doing?¡± I had gotten out of the truck and sat behind him on the bike as he looked back at me ¡°I¡¯m coming with you¡± I said it plainly while trying not to look away from his demonic eyes. He looked ahead ¡°You sure? What is to come might not go well with you, it will be bloody¡± I leaned forward and held onto his waste ¡°I don¡¯t care, I¡¯m done feeling useless and standing around¡± he chuckled ¡°Suit yourself¡± he glanced at Abbey and nodded which she returned with her own nod. He started the bike and drove towards the direction Abbey¡¯s house was at, something told me that it wasn¡¯t our destination though. --- Matthew¡¯s POV, Five days ago This was something I was used to doing, even before I would prepare myself before a mission but now things were a bit different. Firstly I had nobody limiting what I could do and nobody watching my vital statistics, secondly there was nobody to clean up the blood and there was no machines attached to my head. I stood there in the middle of the ruined town with Ember¡¯s power effecting my body, I called this serpent¡¯s skin just for future reference. I wielded Wayne on both hands which I had done since day two of my training when I discovered one of his powers still could take effect but in a different way, I stood there aiming both pistols at a large pile of rubble as I charged up the attack while at the same time Saya trained my body to use mana more efficiently which just like meditation weakened me. After a couple moments of waiting I pulled both triggers simultaneously and right after two blasts of pure mana shot forth into the rubble sending every rock sky high or turned to dust, I rushed forward underneath the rainfall of stone as everything crashed around me. If I couldn¡¯t evade it I¡¯d destroy it by shooting it, if It was too large to outright destroy I would shoot it multiple times to break it and evade the scattered pieces but if I couldn¡¯t do either¡­well¡­I¡¯d bleed then heal. The healing factor was what impressed and intrigued me the most with my new body, the pain was still there although with my past I could quickly numb it out but most wounds healed fairly quickly. I was going to test if limbs would also regrow but then Ember brought up the point that It might not and if it doesn¡¯t¡­I kind of need all my limbs right where they are. Rubble fell down as I evaded multiple smaller rocks while shooting down larger ones, a fist sized rock hit my shoulder as it came down and the pain made me lose my balance disabling me from dodging the next larger rock that hit my back. I rolled out of the way and then leaped further to be out of the rainfall, this all happened within seconds as for anybody watching. I staggered as I walked over to a large rectangular stone and sat down, I felt mana condensing around my injuries repairing bones and even snapping them back to place where needed. ¡°Are you sure this is a good training regimen?...¡± Saya sighed ¡°It¡¯s like you enjoy pain¡±, I laid back on the stone to look up at the sky ¡°I¡¯ve had worse, just focus on regenerating my mana Miss.Designer¡± Saya practically screeched every time I called her that. The wind began to pick so I scouted the horizon, the sky was darkening and storm clouds began to close in on the ruins (¡°What is it master?¡±) Wayne sensed my distress ¡°A storm¡­something¡¯s not right with it¡­¡± I continued my training albeit the darkening sky until clouds had completely engulfed it. I stood in the open with my new injuries healing as rain poured over me, I looked up at the sky again ¡°Matt? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Saya now also sensed it as a surprising amount of fear welled up inside me ¡°This feeling¡­ I¡¯ve felt it before¡­¡±. The only light within the ruins were the occasional lightning strikes from the sky, I walked around glancing at the smallest change in the shadows as dread, fear and anger. I shut off Ember¡¯s snakeskin making my form return to what I now considered my normal one, I stood dead still ¡°Saya, Ember, Wayne¡­Don¡¯t¡­.React¡­¡± a cold breeze flowed around me as the rain suddenly stopped. A chill went down my spine right when¡­¡±Greetings¡­Human¡­If that is what you even call yourself anymore¡­¡±. Hunting grounds I spun around as a blob of shadow rose from the ground towards me, the being was completely void of any colour but black as I also could see the reflection of my surprised expression in it. ¡°Why so surprised mortal? Did you expect to simply betray your God and be left alone by the rest?¡± the voice was feminine and brought a claustrophobic feeling to me, the shadow encircled me like a serpent ¡°Your potential is¡­ Too great to be ignored. But don¡¯t let my appearance here terrify you into freezing¡­I come with an offer¡±. Through quick breaths I spoke ¡°Offer? Like Chaos gave me? No thank you, Leave¡­ I want nothing to do with your war. I have my own!¡± I lash out with my left arm at the shadow but it only passes through as if nothing was actually there ¡°What the¡­¡± when it came out the other side my arm was momentarily all bone until everything else that was supposed to be there began to re appear, I wasn¡¯t injured as I didn¡¯t feel any pain in fact I still felt my arm as normal. I stared as my arm reconstructed itself ¡°Now now¡­Don¡¯t be so impatient¡­My offer is nothing like what my brother forwarded to you, I ask of you a very simple thing actually¡± the shadow had completely encircled me in a ring and suddenly spread out making a wall of shadows all around me, ¡±My brothers¡¯ war has brought me multitudes of different kinds of pain and anguish, I wish not for you to be a part of it but I¡¯m afraid none of us have a choice. From the ever hungry devourer to the blind fool shining like a dyeing star none will stop until only one of us stands, many of my brothers have set their sights on your kind yet fail to see the potential that lays specifically in you¡± the wall of shadow began to shift as waves formed at one point and shifted on the whole thing like a body of water. ¡°Stop beating around the damn bush, what do you want?¡± it was starting to get more and more difficult to breath while at the same time I felt an increasing pain on multiple areas of my body, ¡°Yes¡­Indeed you mortals have little patience...My offer is simple, find my children and protect them from what is to come. In turn I will grant you all the remaining power I have accumulated. My childre¡­¡± I cut him off which on second thought probably wasn¡¯t the brightest Idea to cut off a God ¡°No, I will not fall for your tricks. You Gods created everything didn¡¯t you? Yet you also destroyed everything from what I understand, why should I trust a being that cannot protect it¡¯s own? Why should I trust a being that must ask others to protect their own?!¡±. A chilling silence followed for multiple seconds but then suddenly the wall of shadow dropped like liquid and disappeared into the ground, ¡°My offer stands mortal, whenever you feel your own power isn¡¯t enough¡­The darkness always waits patiently. In the meantime enjoy my parting gift¡±. The rain began pouring yet again as I buckled onto my knees, the pain had subsided and I took this time to regain my breath ¡°M¡­M¡­.Ma¡­.Mat¡­¡± Saya stuttered and sounded terrified ¡°It¡¯s okay now¡­I think it¡¯s gone¡­¡± I weakly got up but almost stumbled ¡°What¡¯s¡­ wrong with me?...¡± I felt weakened and different yet a familiar feeling flowed through my whole body, ¡°Saya¡­what did that thing do to me?...¡± I felt something I had thought I wouldn¡¯t ever feel again, the mana flow through my body felt different but I could never forget it. ¡°Matt¡­your soul¡­it¡¯s¡­healed¡­¡± Saya was right as I felt I could control my mana again along with my aura while at the same time I could sense Saya, Wayne and Ember inside my body. ¡°Why would¡­¡± I was confused but more so annoyed at this development (¡°Putting me in his debt¡­bastard¡­¡±). Suddenly a presence nearby caught my attention (¡°Is it because of this change? I couldn¡¯t sense them before¡­¡±) ¡°Come out¡­Or shall I come to you?¡± I sent out my aura creating a presence of killing intent at multiple ruined buildings, ¡°Finally discovered us huh?¡± three cloaked figures appeared out from their hiding spots ¡°Zeaxar wasn¡¯t pleased with you losing your Iris¡± Leya lowered her hood revealing her face. ¡°How long have you been watching me? Oh and I didn¡¯t lose it, I broke it.¡± I didn¡¯t move as it would make it more difficult for Saya to scan my body, I had sensed her doing so which made me feel strange and naked. ¡°Since you¡­wait what?!¡± she held her face and breathed in ¡°Those things aren¡¯t cheap¡­¡± she was suddenly startled by something and closed her eyes, ¡°That him? Good, now I won¡¯t need to go find him or have him in my mind. What¡¯s he found?¡± I waited as she opened her eyes and glared at me (¡°What?...Not happy of being used as a messenger?¡±) I fought back a grin as she answered ¡°Our intel have discovered strange movements by your¡­.Oh excuse me¡­The human government¡± her snide remark didn¡¯t go unnoticed ¡°You know what are inside those transports don¡¯t you? Do you also know that the government is torn in three sides about it? Those for¡­that are behind it¡­those undecided¡­and those against¡­who are behind a group of outlaws that have been making terrorist attacks on those transports, Zeaxar wants you to make contact with their leader and find out who exactly is funding them¡±. Sensing that Saya was done scanning (¡°Anything abnormal?¡±) I turned around (¡°No¡­Nothing else is different Matt¡­¡±) I felt relief ¡°Who¡¯s this ragtag commander?¡± all three elite¡¯s eyes went wide when I turned around (¡°So that¡¯s how I never noticed them¡­ they must have tracked me by sense alone¡­¡±), my goggles were on top of the hat so I had nothing hiding my face or eyes ¡°John Cain Wilson, what the fuck happened to you?¡± there expressions were priceless. A grin crept up my lips probably making me look even more menacing ¡°I broke up with a God, really though? Cain? Guess he really is in deep¡­Unfortunately he¡¯s been eluding even me with his location, I¡¯ll make sure to ask¡­kindly¡­if I ever see him¡±. Leya nodded and all three of them disappeared in their own way, one in a burst of shadow, one dissolved in the wind while Leya herself sank into the ground leaving no trace ¡°Heh¡­Flashy bastards¡±. I looked up at the stormy sky ¡°I guess it is better I head back for now¡­After all¡­when things get rolling¡­I need to be¡­¡± --- Still Matthew¡¯s POV, back to real time. (¡°I am¡­ready¡­¡±) the wind blew in my face as I accelerated towards my first target, the place of my nightmares so long ago ¡°Ember¡­¡± my skin cracked and morphed as my eyes blazed with fire ¡°Wayne¡­¡± I released the grip of my left hand and raised it as the gun appeared out of the shadows into it. A burning feeling filled my gut as literal flames burst out from between my lips as I breathed, I spun the bike sideways and came to a skidding stop as the press on the ground from the bike¡¯s magic sent dust everywhere ¡°We¡¯re here, Hades¡±. Risa stepped off the bike ¡°What is this place?...¡± a canyon lay ahead of us like a crack in the earth, ¡°This is where I was trained¡­¡± Metal bridges looking like giant pipes flowed from one wall of the canyon to the other ¡°An underground facility with state of the art security and hundreds of guards, this is where monsters are made¡± . I also got off the bike and stepped towards the edge of the canyon then looked downwards at the huge drop ¡°Make peace with what we¡¯re about to do princess, death will soon become a common event here¡±, Risa walked out from behind me and leaped off the edge ¡°Make peace? Makers of monsters don¡¯t deserve my thoughts¡±. I sighed ¡°Whatever you say¡­¡± I stepped off and felt the wind blow as I dropped ¡°Hey Ember¡­¡± I landed hard on top one of the bridges breaking right through the glass roof and landing inside onto the metal floor ¡°She¡¯s here¡­¡± I had released my aura to sense my surroundings which with Saya¡¯s help my range had increased considerably (¡°I ssensee her assswell¡­.hhsss¡­.¡±) a low hiss began emanating from my body as I also followed Risa¡¯s movements with my senses, I couldn¡¯t see her but I knew she had landed on a different bridge and found her way in. ¡°It¡¯s fine if¡­.We lose control¡­from time to it¡­isn¡¯t it?...¡± the hiss grew lounder and lounder until it was the only thing I could hear. I walked down the bridge and began finding my way through the corridors I knew too well, an alarm had been set off but I couldn¡¯t hear anything due to the maddening hiss filling my ears (¡°Yesss¡­from time to time¡­¡±) (¡°Let loosee¡­Destroy¡­¡±)(¡°Hunt¡­.¡±)(¡°Down¡­¡±) ¡°The prey¡­..¡±. I felt Ember and Wayne¡¯s thirst and hunger take over as my own lust for revenge boiled up and exceeded my limits, ¡°This one isn¡¯t under anyone¡¯s protection¡­She¡¯s free game¡­¡± I sensed her, one of the lead researchers that was in charge of me was in here. ¡°Stand down!¡± suddenly three guards came around the corner, all three wore armoured vests along with helmets and visors while armed with two assault rifles and what looked like a semi-automatic shotgun ¡°Come with us quietly and¡­Shit¡­what¡¯s with his fa¡­.eyes¡­the hel¡­¡± I raised both arms and another pistol appeared in my right ¡°Disappear¡± I shot five times and with each shot a black stream of mana blasted away whole limbs or even chunks of their body. The three guards died with some silently screaming in a choked voice, I stared down at the corpses and made a sudden realisation ¡°Intriguing¡­¡± I could not only sense the mana inside them but I could see it leave their body after it died. I released the pistol in my right arm and then reached out to the flow of differently coloured mana which I thought was the elemental affinity, the pistol dissipated mid fall and my arm entered one of the streams of mana that was slowly reaching out to me ¡°Just like a core¡­the pure mana inside me¡­¡±. The stream of ethereal energy twisted around my arm in tendrils ¡°When a sentient dies it¡¯s mana is usually unsalvageable because it¡¯s devoured by the closest core, Dungeons, Slimes and even Planets have cores which are masses of pure mana. Matt, your body is similar now since your mana is pure too! Now that your soul is fully functional you are a core!¡± Saya excitedly exclaimed this as I moved my arm through each of the three streams of mana making them all reach out with their own tendrils of energy. My mouth curved up into a crooked smile ¡°Hah¡­¡± I stepped forward between the bodies and reached out with my aura, just like I had done with the dungeon although on a much smaller scale I absorbed the mana. ¡°This is what it meant¡­Hah¡­Hahah¡­¡± I began to chuckle with my cold serpentine voice ¡°Potential? Heh¡­I can work with this¡± I kept moving forward and turned around the corner the guards came from, ¡°LIGHT HIM UP!¡± the turn took me to a short corridor with two doors on each side and suddenly from each door a guard peaked their rifle around and began firing. I stepped back and took cover ¡°Right¡­¡± I snapped myself out of my bloodlust and reminded myself that these are trained soldiers and are nothing like the Devil guards but in the end my smile only grew wider as I spun around and faced the metallic wall to the right of the turn, I raised my left arm and waited a couple moments until I sensed two of the guards moving in on my position. ¡°Shred¡± I pulled the trigger and a blast of black mana ate away at the wall in front of me and behind the wall itself, I summoned the second pistol to my right hand again and stepped through the hole I had made. The blast had charred the next wall but not enough to make a hole in it, I glanced at the floor where a set of feet lay charred on it ¡°Should have moved¡­¡± I turned to the left and came out in the corridor where two of the guards stood between the doorway and the turn while the third was staring straight at me from the doorway opposite of mine. I raised my right pistol at the one in front of me and pulled the trigger which made everything from his neck up disappear, I then rushed in to his room and turned around while raising both pistols at the door ¡°Come come roaches¡­¡±. One of the guards rushed to the left side of the door way while I sensed the other with his back to the right side ¡°You never learn¡­¡±, ¡°Surrender now! You¡¯re cornered!¡± I widened the gap between my arms and aimed at the walls to each side of the door way ¡°Cornered?¡± I pulled both triggers after having charged them both up and two blasts of mana ate away at the walls making two human sized holes.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. I lowered my arms and walked out of the room ¡°You seem to mistaken your position here¡­¡± I glanced up at one of the many cameras in the corridor and gave a mad smile ¡°You¡¯re the ones stuck in here with me!¡±, my blood boiled as did my excitement and with a burst of speed I rushed down the corridor while with a single shot I blasted open the door at the end. I slowly stepped into the room while continuing to focus my senses on my main target which was still three rooms away ¡°She¡¯s trying to escape¡­¡± (¡°But the fun¡¯s only just begun!¡±) the moment I entered the room multiple explosions destroyed what remained of the doorway, ¡°Did we get it?¡± one of the many guards in the room asked the one with the enhanced looking RPG as they all stared at the rising smoke and falling debris with guns raised but what they didn¡¯t notice was the shadows distorting behind them. Using another of Wayne¡¯s memories of an old ability I called mist form Saya had come up with this, ¡°You missed¡± the shadow condensed and I was reformed behind the barricades the guards had set up from crates and other objects. The second they turned three shots had already left my pistols hitting three of them, the second they began firing their assortment of weapons my form had begun dissipating into shadow and moments later I reappeared where the explosion had occurred with both guns still raised and triggers being pulled. Four more guards swiftly fell while only three remained with one screaming in pain from losing his arm ¡°What the hell is it?! Fucking monster!?¡±, they began to panic but suddenly a shift in the roof caught my attention. ¡°You work for monsters yourselves¡± the security level must have been raised as multiple areas in the roof opened up and automated laser sensory turrets took their place, the turrets shot at anything alive in the room including the guards which gave me enough time to leap back into the corridor I came from ¡°This won¡¯t stop me¡±. I stood there waiting and bleeding from the multiple gunshot wounds on my body as they healed with unnatural speed albeit any bullet that was inside stayed there, when the bleeding stopped I stepped back into the room. My form shifted to shadow as I rushed inside reaching the middle of the room when the turrets locked on to me and began firing, the bullets went straight through the misty shadow as it dissipated and reappeared back at the entrance of the room where moments later my body also reappeared. The turrets relocked onto me and began firing ¡°Machines¡­Too stupid¡± my body shifted to shadow again as the magic took effect and my body reappeared in the middle of the room, while the turrets shot at the entrance I rushed to the other door and blasted it open. I leaped through the doorway just as the turrets began firing on my new position, this magic was something Saya made from Wayne¡¯s mist form and another magic called shadow step, she called it shadow rebound. I slammed my back onto the wall and released the pistol in my right hand which then dissipated, I raised my now free hand and made a claw as actual claws grew out of my finger nails ¡°Shit..¡± the claws sunk deep into my left arm as I forcibly pulled out the bullet and then did the same to the one in my right leg ¡°Hahah¡­that hurts¡­¡±. I glanced back at the corpses in the room ¡°Can¡¯t collect those¡­¡± I summoned the pistol to my right hand and ran down the corridor, I met with no guards but instead multiple turrets had been activated throughout the lab. The first came out the moment I ran underneath it so I leaped to the left wall and then off it while spinning my body to turn mid-air, I raised my left pistol at the turret and my right pistol at another turret that began setting up further down the corridor then pulled both triggers. Both shots hit their mark destroying or disabling the turrets. I hit the other wall and skid back down to the floor, turning around I continued to run down the corridor ignoring two turrets appearing as I made a sharp turn to the right and out of their sight. ¡°Fo¡­ound¡­.You.,..¡± I shot at the door at the end of the corridor moments before both pistols dissipated into shadow, I dashed inside the room just as my form began to change since Wayne began to take over from Ember. The room was dimly lit and messy with papers and objects scatted from the four long tables and the floor, a single person was standing next to a large backpack with multiple files in her arms. The woman wore a white lab coat with a pink shirt underneath and white pants, she stared at me with a mix of fear and sadness as she held on to the files and back away from me. Her long brown hair got caught on something from the table ¡°St¡­sstay¡­away¡­¡± she pulled and pulled as I moved in closer to her side of the room, the scales on my body disappeared as my skin momentarily returned to normal while patches of black fur like spikes grew out of my joints like the shoulders and elbows. As the spikes tore through the ethereal clothing and curved slightly what most noticeably changed and what she was focusing on was my eyes, darkness filled my eyes as the red crack like pattern later fills in, I moved closer to the pitiful woman as she stared up terrified at my yellow slit eyes. ¡°N..no¡­dd¡­don¡¯t¡­.¡± she tripped which in turn pulled and tore her hair, ¡°Do you remember me?¡± her eyes widened at the sound of my crackly voice and she shook her head slowly. ¡°Oh but you took such good care of me for all those years¡­So much so that you brought me back to life after I died¡­¡± I raised my right arm just as a blazing fire grew out of my hand forming a long white pole which I gripped tightly, the fire blazed on at the top of the pole forming an axe like blade with a long curved blade opposite of it. The halberd¡¯s axe started normally with the usual curve at the top but with a much longer spike at the bottom of the blade giving it a sinister look, the opposite blade grew perpendicular of the pole and was twice as long as the axe giving it a scythe like feel. Both blades were pitch black with fiery red crack like patterns, this halberd was what Saya could manifest Ember as although it surprised me melee still indeed had its uses in combat. I held the halberd with my right hand while resting it on my shoulder leaving the arm long back blade hide behind me, the woman looked up at me with fear and confusion as tears streamed down her eyes ¡°Pl¡­pleas¡­.please¡­.d¡­don¡­¡± she stuttered as she spoke while visibly shaking. ¡°You remembered me now? Hah¡­.Hahaha¡­¡± a crackling chuckle full of joy exited my lips making her shake more violently ¡°So you remember my vow? What I told all of you that day?¡± I remembered my words perfectly, it was days after the Cerberii project was supposedly stopped and on that day the government had announced their plans for the surviving scientists. When I heard that they would be kept under guard to continue on different kinds of research I had given them a visit where they were all gathered, I had snuck into the prison and stood between their cages as they stared out to me from between the bars. I told them ¡°While all life is precious, while everyone deserves a second chance. If the atrocities you made someday carry on¡± I began to lower my posture ¡°No matter where you are¡­¡± I was on one knee now staring right into her eyes ¡°No matter how many I have to kill¡­¡± the halberd on my shoulder blazed awake with white flames lashing out at the woman as she screamed from the burning pain ¡°I will find you¡­then destroy you¡± I stood there as the fire ate away at her body viciously while she screamed in agony, slowly her skin began to char and her flesh burn away along with her blood until even the bones began turning to ash. I rose up ¡°You will all soon learn¡­some things are not meant for us mere mortals to do¡± I walked out of the room and began heading down another corridor to the right (¡°We¡¯ll make them fear¡­so that they understand¡­we will make them afraid¡­so they will never again¡­never¡­do this¡­again¡±) ¡°Saya, cover my face. A reaper doesn¡¯t look this human¡±. --- President of Humus Academy POV, four days later I was sitting in my office which is located on the fourth floor in the academy, I was reading over the reports from the various attacks dealt to the laboratories made by the guard survivors ¡°Monster? Demon? Seriously? Nobody even knows what is attacking us¡­¡± I sigh as I put down the reports and lay back in my chair. Suddenly agitated knocking comes from the door ¡°What is it?¡± I grab the files and put them inside a drawer, the door opens and my assistant walks in with an exasperated expression ¡°Chairman¡­Kal is under attack¡­¡± I slam my right hand on the table making her jump ¡°Well!? Have we gained visual of the attacker!?¡±. She nods ¡°We¡¯re streaming the security camera system, here¡± she rushed over to the left wall where multiple monitors hung around a larger one, she grabbed a remote from the drawers there and turned them on ¡°Channel¡­¡± she looked at her phone then back at the remote ¡°13!¡± all monitors except for one began showing the live footage of the security cameras at Kal Laboratory. ¡°There! Focus on that one!¡± the main monitor changed to the camera I pointed out, the camera was viewing one of the many labs where the Cerberii clones are being made ¡°What the hell is that¡­¡± five scientists stood by the controls desk as an otherworldy being stepped closer to them. The creature wore dark clothes and had marble white skin along with eight or so black spike like appendages growing out of each joint on its body, ¡°Zoom in on the door, what is¡­Oh god¡­¡± my assistant turned on the other smaller monitor and zoomed in on the door from it. Burned corpses littered the doorway ¡°Oh¡­¡± I held my mouth with my right hand and stood up then looked back at the main monitor, ¡°We...gained audio!¡± she fiddled with the controls and sound recorded from the cameras was now being given ¡°You have messed with powers that are unethical, your lives are now forfeit as payment for your disgusting deeds¡± Its voice cracked like a choking man¡¯s but was much louder and clearer. I wanted to see what it looked like but its face was covered by its wide hat since the camera was on the roof, ¡°Is there no other cameras in the room!?¡±I shouted at my assistant. One of the researchers stepped in front of the others ¡°And who are you to decide that?! We do what we must to survive and nothing more! If it wasn¡¯t for demons like you!¡± he is an old grizzled man but spoke with anger in his voice along with fear, ¡°Like me!? Hah¡­Hahha¡­HAHAHAHAHA¡± the being¡¯s laugh sent chills down and up my spine ¡°What you must?! HAHAHAHA! Fool! Old fool! It¡¯s BECAUSE of people like you that MONSTERS like me are made!¡± it stepped forward and raised its right arm. ¡°There!¡± my assistant was messaging someone with her phone and suddenly she spoke out and began fiddling with the remote, the main monitor changed to another camera in the room that was located behind the researches ¡°That¡¯s worse! Now I can¡¯t even see it you damn dolt!¡±. Suddenly I noticed a bright light as I shouted at her which made me turn to look back at the monitor just as all four researchers behind the old man got cleaved in half by a fiery halberd, ¡°As for who I am? I am the one who devours souls of those unworthy of life¡± the being turned around to look at the old man as he took steps back ¡°I am the monster that was created for one sole purpose, the demon awakened by the blood you spill¡± I then noticed its red hair and mask. It raised the halberd up and white flames lashed out at each corpse burning them to ash one by one until it was the old man¡¯s turn, ¡°I¡¯m the reaper¡± the flames ate away at the scientist as he screamed and shouted in agony. The reaper as it called itself turned around and looked straight into the camera ¡°Oh? Is this on?¡± it tilted its head as it turned while we both gasped when it¡¯s face filled the monitor, it wore a red mask with the design of a skull¡¯s face that covered everything except for its eyes¡­its eyes were pitch black with a red shattered pattern of lines while in the centre¡­was a yellow slit that retracted further as it stared. It glanced back at the hall of hundreds of cylindrical containment baths with Cerberii clones inside ¡°Let it be known human, that such blasphemy WILL be punished¡± suddenly its halberd turned into a blazing fire that shot at the baths and turned into a giant wildfire that destroyed each of them. ¡°Also¡­¡± suddenly the being''s skin began to change into what I perceived as scales while the spikes retracted back into its body, it looked back into the camera ¡°Humus Academy¡­Do you need someone to work the graveyard shift? Well¡­I can help with that¡±. Its voice was replaced with a serpentine slitter as it chuckled merrily while moving closer to the camera, when it got close enough it raised its left hand towards the camera and the feed was cut. Infiltration, encounters and naming I laid back in my chair as I watched the being systematically go from room to room massacring anybody each researched with the occasional defensive turret ¡°Pamela¡­be realistic with me¡­what losses are we looking at?...¡± I asked my assistant without looking away, ¡°We can no longer provide results to our employers¡­in turn we have little to show to turn the diplomats, Sir¡­what will we do?...Forget that demon¡­the government will give us the death penalty and nobody will step up for the school¡­¡± I glanced at her as she trembled. I began to caress my beard ¡°How many clones have been successfully transported and how long have they been estimated for completion?¡± she raises her phone and stares at it ¡°Three thousand have successfully arrived, we estimate their completion to stage one in nine years. If we only had another year of the factories running¡­we¡¯d have had seventy thousand¡­That¡± she glances up at the monitors just as the last one¡¯s feed is cut ¡°was the last factory¡±, rage takes over as I rise up and trash the monitor off my desk as I shouted ¡°To hell with everything!¡± I turn and glare at her. ¡°Prepare the students for injection of the THH-6 compound¡± her expression immediately turns to surprise, I raise my right hand and point at her ¡°We have no other choice! GO! Get the Cerberii ready for defence of the lab too! Now!¡±. She nods and rushes out of the office ¡°We have¡­no other choice¡­results¡­must be produced¡­¡± I wipe the sweat off my bald head and sit back down on my chair, I sink my head in my hands and proceed to calming myself down. Suddenly a ringing sound fills the room which makes me tense up ¡°Wha¡­¡±, I look up at my desk where the phone that was connected to the assistant¡¯s office was going off ¡°That¡¯s on the first floor¡­¡± (¡°She isn¡¯t that fast?¡±) I cautiously press the screen on the phone ¡°Yes?¡±. ¡°SIR WE¡¯RE UNDER A¡­UG¡­.¡± Multiple crunching sounds are heard and I rise from my chair ¡°What in the world¡­¡± I agitatedly grab hold of the phone and call the security desk ¡°Jacobs what the hell is going on!?¡±, nobody answered for a couple moments then suddenly a woman¡¯s voice came through ¡°Huh? Who?...¡± followed by a voice that made my heart sink ¡°It¡¯s called a phone Risa, back away¡±. Every bone in my body began to tremble as the cracking sounds of the phone being destroyed sound before the call is dropped, ¡°Who¡­who would attack¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t believe it ¡°Humus is¡­only south of DC¡­Who¡¯s mad enough to attack so close to Olympus City¡­¡±. I glance at the monitors and remember the voice ¡°No¡­no no no¡­Kal is in Alabama¡­there is no way¡­there are no teleporters to¡­¡±, I rush over to the remote and playback the camera recordings then check the date and time setting in the menu ¡°No¡­we¡¯ve been had¡­¡±. The attack on Kal had happened yesterday ¡°I¡¯m surrounded by fools¡­¡±, I turn towards the window and slowly walk over as fear quickly took over ¡°but the walls¡­the guards¡­¡± I look out the window searching for the night watch guards but see no torch lights or even Mechas moving. I spin around and change the channel on the monitors to the school¡¯s security system ¡°Gods¡­¡± most of the cameras on the first and second floor are already gone, I fiddle with the remote looking through the cameras on my floor and the remaining second floor ones. I sigh in relief when I see nothing on the cameras out of the ordinary except for my assistant running down the staircase to the first floor¡­¡±Fuck¡­¡± she was taking them straight to the underground lab, I drop the remote and rush for the door ¡°Shit...no¡­no!¡± but the moment I step out I feel a piercing pain in the back of my neck ¡°What the¡­¡± my body quickly went numb as I fell face first into the floor and passed out. --- Matthew¡¯s POV The mission was going perfectly until Risa blew our cover by freezing to me brutally beheading a guard as another guard ran inside a room ¡°There goes our element of stealth, I¡¯ll take care of him¡± , I abandoned the halberd I was using to silently melee the guards and merged with Ember to enter snake¡¯s skin ¡°Stay cloaked¡±. As I was now merged with Ember I could call upon Wayne as a weapon, the two pistols appeared in my hands and I dashed into the room with both held up. ¡°SIR WE¡¯RE UNDER A¡± I shot the guard in the head to make sure no other words came out then shot the phone he was using, ¡°Back to the second floor, the director¡¯s office should be at the very top. Also don¡¯t lose yourself to bloodlust again like that, you¡¯re useless just standing there¡±. I rushed out of the room and took two lefts then dashed up the stairs ¡°I can¡¯t help it¡­It feels¡­Sorry¡­¡± Risa¡¯s voice along with some bloodlust comes from somewhere behind me as she followed me while staying in cloak, we quickly reached the second floor and I noticed a sign on the wall to my right ¡°This way¡±. I rushed to the security office and raised both pistols while momentarily taking in everything inside, three guards had been arming themselves but weren¡¯t close to being ready for me. I pulled the trigger three times and three guards fell to the ground with missing body parts which might have included a head or two, suddenly a voice sounded off from the desk ¡°Jacobs what the hell is going on!?¡± I silently stalked over to the phone but ¡°Huh? Who?¡± Risa spoke with a confused tone. I sighed ¡°It¡¯s called a phone, Risa back away¡± I raised my pistol at it and shot it twice, once to destroy it and a second time to relieve some frustration. ¡°Take the other floors, don¡¯t kill anybody unarmed. Paralyse them and tie them up for later¡± I turn my head to the left wall and my mouth curves into a grin ¡°Ignore the woman coming down now, go!¡±, (¡°Lucky¡­I won¡¯t have to blow a hole in the ground now¡­¡±) I sensed as the woman ran down the stairs and as Risa sneaked around her. ¡°If the alarm hasn¡¯t gone off yet¡­I might still have a chance¡± I released Ember¡¯s snakeskin and Wayne from pistol form then walked out of the room, I heard the hurried steps of the woman rushing down the stairs (¡°Is she the Academy¡¯s director? Guess I¡¯ll test a theory on her and just how terrifying it must look¡­¡±). The woman went down another floor to the ground floor, I stalked behind her by clinging to walls as she ran through to the far left wing (¡°The generator room? I guess no student would go there either but¡­still too unsecure¡­¡±) . She had gone inside the generator room so I slyly followed, the door took to a short stair case that could be seen from the whole room so I peeked around the doorway and looked downstairs. The woman was messing with a control panel at the far right of the room behind the generator itself, (¡°Perfect, she¡¯s too busy to notice yet¡±) suddenly I sensed mana flowing through the wall next to her so I took action. I went inside the room and locked the door behind me, I focused on my aura and retrieved it all (¡°Ember, Wayne, with me¡±) I began walking down the stairs making sure to take loud steps as my body started to react. ¡°Wha¡­¡± the woman turned away from the panel and looked up the stair case, the room was dimly lit by greenish lights and gave the whole thing an eerie feel. I felt as the mana in my body raged and twisted while my body itself change, my skin began to crack and white scales formed while three large scaly black spikes grew out of my elbows and shoulders each. I felt my legs grow slightly longer as my toes and fingers turned into claws, off my back I felt other limbs grow as a long white tail formed along with a pair of pitch black wyvern like wings. Unable to take the pressure my clothes faded away as my aura was completely released onto the woman, her eyes went unnaturally wide as she fell to her knees trembling, weeping, and squeaking. ¡°Puny human¡­poor¡­little¡­filthy¡­human¡± a low pitched raspy voice exited my lips, the voice of a monster, the voice of purer breed of what my spirits were, the voice of a dragon. I reached the end of the steps and began walking towards her (¡°Hopefully she won¡¯t break completely due to fear, I still need her to be capable of speech after all.¡±) she began shaking her head while continuing to cry and tremble, I reached her but she never moved. As she kneeled frozen on the ground I lowered myself to somewhat her eye level, while staring into her eyes I saw the reflection of the burning white light my eyes were emitting. ¡°You will not answer every question I will pose, if you refuse¡­¡± my tail slitters from behind me and lightly touches her chin making her squeak, ¡°And if you lie¡­¡± my tail moved lower until it reached her chest and formed a spear then I put some pressure until blood dripped from where her heart was. She weakly nodded ¡°Good girl¡­¡± I continued to pressure her with my aura ¡°Who holds the inject switch for the Cerberii collars?¡± I decreased the pressure allowing her to speak, ¡°G¡­gua¡­guards¡­b¡­.beh¡­behind¡­.do¡­door¡­¡± she pointed at the wall behind her that had been pushed back slightly from the mechanism around it. I then increased the pressure back to full ¡°Name every government official behind this¡± she stared blankly at me so I decreased the pressure but she still didn¡¯t speak, ¡°Remember now¡­¡± I moved in closer and closer until my head was right next to hers and then let my fork like black tongue snake its way up her cheek and to her eye ball. She began to cry louder as she lost control over her breathing ¡°The¡­w¡­wes¡­.west¡­wi¡­wings¡­a¡­all¡­.them¡­.a¡­.and¡­.the¡­t¡­t¡­the¡­¡± I retrieved my tongue and made my tail pierce into the floor next to us, she jumped back and hit the wall with her head ¡°Tellers! The¡­Te¡­Tellers¡­¡±. I began to chuckle (¡°Fear works wonders¡­sometimes better than torture¡­¡±) I rose to my feet and momentarily stared down at her, ¡°Thank you¡­¡± then lashed out with my tail and beheaded her but instead of being cleanly cut off most of it shattered. Blood splattered all over the floor and wall along with bone, hair, flesh and brain tissue. I looked away from the corpse and at the indentation on the wall, I cleared away a patch of hair and ran my claws on the wall then firmly laid my palm on it. Wayne¡¯s aspects left my body leaving only Ember¡¯s (¡°I still have no combat use for that form¡­¡±) reality swirled around my chest as shadows engulfed my body forming clothes followed by a denser black mist that separated into two and formed a pistol in my left hand while the second floated around my right, I pushed the wall and a mechanism clicked making the whole thing open upwards while the second mist settled in my hand and finally formed the second pistol. Before the hidden door fully opened I ducked under and rushed inside, the room was small with a second door opposite of the entrance and two guards standing to each side of it. They both fired immediately as they saw me but I had expected such, the projectiles went straight through my misty body as not a moment later I was standing right between them with a pistol pointed at each of their heads. I pulled both triggers once then proceeded to kick open the door, I stepped through and into the colossal warehouse. With my enhanced senses I counted eight armed guards, two Mechs , five non-combatants and a single above average presence. ¡°Douglas take them to the back! Kell , Jean get those Mechs u¡­¡± the guard fell to the ground headless before his subordinates knew what had happened, each guard cursed and raised their weapons to fire but another three where already dead by the time they began pulling triggers. My form became a dark mist and disappeared, I re appeared at the entrance and calmly walked back into the warehouse while firing two more shots each killing another guard. One of the Mech pilots had successfully entered the bulking machine and activated it¡¯s shields ¡°YOU SON OF A BITCH!¡±, the bi pedal cubed war machine turned towards me as it¡¯s four mana chain-guns roared alive and began spewing hundreds of magic projectiles at my location. The flurry of projectiles raised hell around me making a cloud of dust cover the whole area, ¡°Not bad, but you missed¡± I had retrieved Wayne and merged with him which empowered his abilities. I had activated shadow rebound at twice the usual speed and appeared at the Mech¡¯s legs, I raised my right arm and a fiery white pole appeared in my hands while a moment later its blades formed. ¡°The hell!?¡± the Mech took a step back and began to lower its sights but was much too slow, the halberd¡¯s axe grew to twice it¡¯s normal size while the spike and blade shrunk, I cleaved sideways with the giant axe cutting the Mech¡¯s legs clean off while running underneath it. I stopped a couple steps behind it as it fell to the ground ¡°Slow¡±, the axe quickly shrunk while the spike grew to spear size then I spun the pole around and stabbed backwards making the mana shield shatter and the spike pierce right through the metal. I began walking forward with the bloody halberd being dragged out of the Mech behind me, the blades and spike returned to normal as I spun it back around and rested it on my shoulders while holding the pole with both hands. I closed in my aura on the six survivors just as one of them tried to make a break for the second Mech, she apparently lost all feeling in her legs along with another four as they fell to the ground or in her case tripped ¡°Don¡¯t make this even more unpleasant than it already is ¡°Doctors¡±¡± I said the last word with a sarcastic tone as I glared at the only one who held their footing. The man had sleek blonde hair, blue eyes and looked to be around his thirties, ¡°What do you want monster?¡± his aura momentarily clashed with mine until he surrounded himself with it to protect his mind ¡°Ah¡­A sorcerer, I was wondering why you aren¡¯t grovelling on the floor already¡±.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Embers hovered around him as he called upon his magic ¡°You little¡­¡± annoyance showed clearly on his face as he summoned a giant blaze per arm and sent them spiralling towards me, the large balls of fire flew straight at me as they quickly shrunk when suddenly they both exploded in a blast of hot air that sent each researcher spiralling into a wall or desk. His eyes went wide with shock as he rose back to his feet ¡°H¡­how¡­¡± I began walking towards him as I chuckled ¡°The element of fire is the bending of heat, where one can increase the temperature¡­one can also¡­¡± the temperature quickly dropped till frost formed on most surfaces in the room, the man closed his eyes and began to speak incantations but I wasn¡¯t about to just stand there. My body lost its form till only a misty after image remained when I reappeared clutching his neck and holding him a foot in the air, ¡°You¡¯ll replenish me quite nicely¡± I lowered my left arm along with the halberd and placed its spike inside the ground for it to stay still then let go. ¡°Massstter¡­Let me¡­.¡± Ember¡¯s serpentine voice spoke from the halberd which only escalated the fear in everyone else¡¯s expressions ¡°Go ahead¡± I let go of his neck making him fall to the ground, he rushed to his feet and began running to the opposite direction but was much too slow. A pillar of fire blazed alive beneath him and engulfed his position in a storm of embers, he screamed in agony as the fire devoured his body until all that was left fell to the ground as a carcass of smouldering flesh. ¡°Anybody else wishes to be burned?¡± I glanced at each of their terrified expressions then walked over to the carcass, ¡°You¡¯re a resilient one, I¡¯ll give you that¡± the man was still clinging on to life as his chest weakly rose and fell. I kneeled down and raised my left arm ¡°But you¡¯re no use to me alive¡± I sunk my left hand into his chest and grabbed hold of his heart, ¡°Oh lord¡­¡± one of the researchers who was closest turned away and heaved his stomach onto the floor as I pulled the muscle out then rose up. I threw it backwards and it landed with a squelch next to the woman who tripped earlier ¡°Don¡¯t try to be a hero, this is what happens to them¡± she stared at it as tears began to stream down her cheeks. ¡°Who has the trigger for the Cerberii¡¯s kill switch? The first to answer gets to live¡± a couple seconds passed as they all processed my question, ¡°The¡­ch¡­chief¡­¡± one of the researchers pointed to his left ¡°chief¡­researcher¡­Klein¡­¡±, I glanced at the door he was pointing at then walked back to Ember and rested the halberd to my right shoulder. I breathed deep and raised my right arm towards the charred carcass then absorbed the man¡¯s remaining mana. I then glanced around the whole warehouse finally taking in everything as thin pillars of fire pierced through each of the researchers, ¡°I never said how long you¡¯d live¡± I said as the last one fell dead to the ground. I took note of each tubular bathe in the warehouse (¡°I¡¯ll destroy those too but first¡­¡±) I was looking for any other entrance or exit to the warehouse but saw no others, so I then turned to the last door and began walking towards it. I released Ember¡¯s halberd form and began to shift Wayne out then merged with Ember as Wayne took pistol forms again, I reached the door and raised my left pistol to the knob then fired. The door swung open letting me walk into the office like room ¡°It was open¡­¡±, the old woman was laid back in her chair with a gun to her head and a wristwatch like object in her left hand ¡°This is what you want right?¡± she shook the watch and her eyes drifted away to another door in the room. ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re holding that correctly, the gun not the watch¡± I took a step towards her as I activated shadow rebound ¡°As if I¡¯d let you torture me, or have t¡­¡± I appeared behind her and shot her left shoulder while grabbing the wristwatch with my now free left hand, she bent forwards and stifled a scream ¡°They aren¡¯t yours to have in the first place, secondly you may do what you wish with your own life old wench. I won¡¯t stop you¡±. A gunshot echoed through the room followed by a static blast and she fell dead to the floor, ¡°Sly¡± she had tried to bend her arm around and shoot me but I was much too quick for her. I momentarily waited but no mana was released from her corpse ¡°Manaless¡­explains why I did not sense her¡±, I relaxed and unmerged from Ember (¡°back there huh?...¡±). I glanced at the steel door (¡°I don¡¯t know what I should¡­say¡­¡±) I stood there frozen staring at the door, ¡°You won¡¯t be saying anything if you just stand there Matt¡± Saya changed from her mask form and shrunk down into a pair of goggles that fit around my hat. ¡°Yeah¡­I know¡­¡± I summoned Ember¡¯s halberd and walked up to the door, the spike grew as the other two blades shrunk ¡°Devour it¡± I stabbed the door and the metal melted instantly on touching the spear like blade. Suddenly a blazing fire grew out from the pole, the magic devoured the door along with the doorway and some of the floor. Inside was an empty space with the walls being made of glass, on the other side of the glass walls were three other rooms each having their own glass door. I looked through each glass wall, the first held a brown short haired male leaning onto the glass wall with a long sheathed sword strapped to his waist, the second held a brown short haired female who was staring at me with wide eyes while holding a snow white bow in her right hand and in the third was a blonde long haired male sitting in the corner of the room also staring at me in surprise. I raised the wristwatch for all three of them to see and their expressions darkened ¡°Come out¡±, reluctantly all three moved to the glass doors and walked through them as if they were liquid. I looked them up and down noticing they all wore the same outfit, plain white shoes, pants and shirt with a thin metallic collar around their neck. The two brunettes looked around their late teens while also having very similar facial features while the blonde one looked to be still in his early teens, ¡°Your captors are all dead or tied up, your torturers punished and your freedom assured¡± I lowered the wristwatch and walked over to the youngest ¡°What matters now is what you do with your freedom¡± he took a step back so I stopped moving. I sighed ¡°I won¡¯t hurt you, let me take off those damn things from around your neck¡± I kneeled and raised the wristwatch towards him, he momentarily stared into my eyes but then slowly moved forward until he was within reach. I raised the watch to the green pearl like sphere on the front of the collar and did what I saw guards do years ago to retrieved corpses, I pressed one of the three buttons and the collar broke into two sections then fell to the floor. ¡°You¡¯re free¡± I rose up as he reached up to his own neck and felt his skin ¡°Tha¡­than¡­¡± tears streamed down his eyes as he stumbled backwards into sitting, I turned to the girl¡¯s gasp as she also cried then walked over and did the same to her while she closed her eyes ¡°Who¡­are you?...¡± she asked but I wasn¡¯t sure how to answer if to answer at all. I turned to the last one as he stared at the roof with tears falling around his ears ¡°I¡­use to be one of you¡± I took off his collar and stepped back to see all three of them, ¡°You three have been wronged beyond compare, I do not need to recount what has been done to you. I will ask of you this though, what do you wish to do now?¡± all three lay frozen in their positions thinking my question over. ¡°Did¡­everyone know?...that we¡­were here¡­¡± with rage in his voice the male twin turned his gaze to me ¡°that we were¡­being kept here¡­even after¡­fighting¡­dyeing¡­so many¡­¡±, I shook my head ¡°No, the only ones that knew are the researchers, guards, school staff and a certain governmental party. All the researchers are dead, some of the guards may still be alive while the school staff should be mostly tied up¡±. The female twin took a deep breath ¡°What about the government, are they still just running free?... ¡± her voice gained a layer of frost as she spoke, I felt their auras lash out at the surroundings as their hatred rose ¡°Yes but with your statements the death sentence will be the last of their problems¡±. Off the corner of my eyes I saw the male twin reach for his sword ¡°Statements? You think we¡¯re going to pursue them through the system? No¡­¡± ,embers began to form around him ¡°We¡¯re going to make them feel what we have been forced to feel¡­the torture¡­the mind games¡­the constant reminder of death¡­¡± . The female twin nodded ¡°They¡¯ll pay¡­.¡± The twin¡¯s killing intent filled the room but the young one stayed quiet, I raised the halberd and stomped the ground ¡°Then what? Will revenge fulfil you?¡± I released Ember from her weapon form and began merging with her and Wayne. ¡°Trust me, vengeance¡­only¡­leaves you¡­Hollow¡±, I took a step back and opened my arms wide as I took my most bestial form ¡°This is what I have become by choosing my path without falling for hatred or the thirst for vengeance, I may no longer be human but I am also not a mindless beast which is what each of you will become if you pursue revenge. You want them dead? Then let others do the bloody work, you¡¯ve wet your hands enough with blood and death. If you pursue hatred it will eat you up from inside and leave nothing behind, you¡¯ll feel pointless, empty, like nothing matters anymore. But please, if that is truly what you wish¡­¡± I turned and stepped back ¡°The door is right there¡­¡±. Each of them had been staring at me but once I pointed out the exit they all stared at it with a longing expression ¡°You are free now, nobody will chain you down ever again, but that doesn¡¯t mean that nobody will hurt you. Life outside is not the war we are used to, things have changed and if we want to makes those changes for the better then make them last we must proceed carefully.¡±, I fully faced the exit ¡°But I do not fault your blood lust, you are still human after all. Now listen closely for I will not repeat myself, will you choose the path of freedom or that of revenge?¡±. I waited for their answer expecting one of the twins to reply first ¡°Free¡­dom¡­I want¡­to live¡­free¡­¡± but the youngest was the one to reply instead, the other two relaxed after hearing his answer ¡°Fine¡­you are right¡­¡± the male twin grudgingly agreed while the female stayed quiet. ¡°Good choice, what are your names?¡± I began unmerging from Ember and Wayne while turning around, ¡°Clyde, I¡¯m Clyde¡± the male twin responded first followed by his sister ¡°Natasha¡­we¡¯re twins¡­¡±. I glanced at the blonde one as he rose to his feet ¡°What about you? What¡¯s your name?¡± but Natasha answered instead ¡°He doesn¡¯t have one, he¡¯s the son of one of the researchers and as far as we know he doesn¡¯t have a name¡±. I walked over to the boy then rested my right arm on his head ¡°Well then what would you like to be called? You¡¯re free now, you make your own choices now and a name is as important as a choice can get¡±, he shook his head ¡°I don¡¯t¡­know¡­¡± then looked up at me ¡°Could you¡­pick one for¡­me?¡±. His answer caught me by surprise (¡°Saya?...Ember?...Wayne?...Help?...¡±) I asked the three of them for help but all I could hear in my head was the ever increasing laughter of Wayne at my current predicament, I shut Wayne off until he calmed himself down (¡°All you master¡­I don¡¯t know either¡­¡±) Ember also declined to help. The boy kept his gaze frozen on me as I thought (¡°Saya?...¡±) but she also seemed to be holding back her amusement, I inwardly sighed then began listing the names I knew of (¡°Ken, Kazuto, Kurt, Ky¡­¡±) the name I wanted to abandon, I decided I¡¯d instead pass it down. ¡°Kyle, how does that sound?¡± his eyes lit up and he nodded ¡°Yeah¡­Kyle¡­I think I like it¡­¡±. Reasons to be ¡°So? What¡¯s yours?¡± Clyde began walking towards the small crater at the doorway, ¡°Matthew, Matthew Anderson¡± I unmerged from my spirits regaining my more human form. ¡°Well where we going then? You got a hide-out or something? We heard most of the planet is still trashed so..¡± Natasha began inspecting my eyes while speaking, ¡°I¡¯ll be blunt, you¡¯ll probably never see me again and you should leave now. Take the front exit and leave through the left gate, you¡¯ll see a truck there waiting for you¡± I turned and began walking away. ¡°Huh? Never see you again? Why?!¡± Kyle grabbed onto my sleeve as he asked with a confused expression, ¡°This wasn¡¯t the only facility I attacked, I have been labelled a terrorist by the government and they will soon be here to contain or kill me. The military cannot be fully trusted yet but my friend outside can help you go through the right people, I¡¯ll cover your esca¡­¡±. ¡°Never see you again? Contain? Kill? Cover our escape?¡± Clyde was inspecting the crater but suddenly stood up and stepped in front of me ¡°You aren¡¯t planning of living through this, are you?¡±, I met his gaze ¡°That is not for you to know kid, just get the hell out of here or are you having second thoughts about living a normal life?¡± apparently my argument hit hard since he grabbed my shirt¡¯s collar. ¡°You said you use to be like us, that means you were a Cerberus too¡­I don¡¯t get you, you save us and give us a way out but now you¡¯re just disappearing? What¡¯s your goal? Why are you even doing all this?¡± his argument hit home as well, ¡°Curiosity killed the cat, that¡¯s how it use to go right?¡± I fixed my gaze on him ¡°For the past three years I have been working on saving lives and eliminating any thought of war between races yet I come home to find out the project we bled for was never actually cancelled but instead re-instated as a weapon development project by some rich government officials, I only have one goal now that I¡¯ve freed the innocent and eliminated the guilty¡±. I stepped around him and walked out of the room ¡°I¡¯m going to install a fear so deep into the corrupt that it will break them, I will make an example of those who fall to greed that will never be forgotten by the races¡±. I then noticed Risa walk in although still cloaked ¡°Risa? Have they all been tied up?¡± I waited and for a couple moments she didn¡¯t answer, ¡°Princess we do¡­¡± suddenly a stinging pain coursed through my left shoulder. When I looked down a bright green dart was sticking out ¡°Risa you¡­why¡­¡± I had tried to merge with Ember but my body was quickly becoming numb and my consciousness wavered, Risa¡¯s body fazed in as she stared at me ¡°You¡¯re going to play the villain again? Is that your whole plan?...Matt¡­I won¡¯t let you¡± I fell to my knees as I fought to stay conscious ¡°Then¡­who will¡­stop them?...¡± suddenly I sensed Saya leaving her form ¡°I¡¯m sorry master, I¡­we cannot let you continue¡±. Risa raised her arm with her wristbow and shot another dart which settled inside my left leg ¡°Sorry, but knowing you this is the only way¡±, my consciousness quickly faded but before I fell ¡°You better have¡­a good reason for betraying me¡­¡± and I blacked out. I opened my eyes but I felt different, my body didn¡¯t feel like my own and I couldn¡¯t control myself. The view in front of me was a wasteland, suddenly I looked up without wanting to and saw the sky literally falling. Whole planets falling apart, pieces scattering then crashing back down from orbit and they were getting closer and closer. My eyes closed as the planet¡¯s surface was destroyed by another, when I opened my eyes again everything was different along with me being finally able to move and look around. The only light came from red orbs floating around me that had a black mist oozing out of them ¡°What you have just witnessed, mortal, is the end¡± with a serpentine accent the voice spoke from everywhere at once, ¡°You again¡­What do you mean by the end? What have you Gods done now?!¡±. The voice chuckled ¡°I have done nothing for eternity, mortal. I¡¯ll have you know I¡¯ve been here guarding this wretched place for much longer than your race even remembers, my brothers on the other hand¡­have been warring each other for even longer¡±. The darkness itself shifted in front of me as something began to form, the red orbs suddenly flew into the shadows and merged creating a single gigantic red eye with an emerald slit. When I unfocused from the eye I noticed the rest of the being¡¯s body, a colossal black serpent slithered around my position eyeing me continuously. ¡°You slowed it down but¡­Chaos is awakening, my brothers are too blind to aid me in holding it and I cannot hold for much longer¡± suddenly it¡¯s whole body shook and expanded slightly while purple cracks formed at multiple spots ¡°My body itself is its chains, this place its cage. Once I fall¡­it will only have little time before it escapes my realm, its legions await that moment with vigour and excitement. They are unable to travel through realms like your kind but once they can¡­they will lay waste to your Ley of Cathe first, the group of realms your people reside in. My children are in one of those realms, I..¡±, yet again I interrupted a God ¡°I already denied your offer, I do not know whether what you showed me is true or not and if it is I have others to protect. If you truly wish to protect your own then leave this ¡°wretched¡± place and do it yourself, I am done being the puppet to Gods¡±. The serpent shook its head ¡°This is no offer, child I plea you for your assistance. Answer this to me mortal, why do you exist? Because us gods had nothing better to do? Because us gods wished to play our games? No¡­Since the dawn of the ley lines Immortals needed Mortals to exist, A god only exist as long as there are others who believe that it does. How many gods do you think there are now? Six, there are only six of us left. From how many? Millions¡­Gods had previously existed in civilisations such as yourself but now¡­we can no longer rely on each other to exist. So we created you and many others, over the recent millennia we have changed from our previous selves. We created you to supply us with our own existence through your own, now I want nothing more than to protect my creations¡­my children with my own but here I am stuck containing the apocalypse of everything that is. Mortal, Human¡­Matthew Anderson and Kyle Heiken, your existence is unique as in you hold multiple inside that small body¡±. The god¡¯s body entered another spasm ¡°Uhh¡­I don¡¯t have much time left¡­You are my last choice, only you can withstand my raw energy and only you can find them¡­Please¡­In my final moments¡­I the God of shadows¡­Beg you¡­Help me¡­¡± I stared at the serpent¡¯s eyes as a single blood red tear streaked down it¡¯s scales, my eyes couldn¡¯t open further and my throat felt sore (¡°How can I¡­deny that?...¡±) ¡°I cannot promise you that I can find them, neither can I promise you that I will be able to protect them.¡± (¡°I¡¯m a fool¡­it is sacrificing itself for others¡­¡±) ¡°I will give you my aid on one condition, you said Gods exist as long as others believe they do correct? Then tell me your name, pass on your power to me and I will continue what you have strived for¡± (¡°What was I protecting?...¡±) the serpent¡¯s eyes closed and darkness fell as they were the only source of light. I suddenly felt its rough cold scales touch my forehead right underneath my horn ¡°My name¡­¡± the being chuckled ¡°I haven¡¯t used it since the first war, I never thought I¡¯d ever say it again. My name is Xavzotl Abus Anir, as a descendant of the first Anir I take my final breathes with you as observer. As your people say I pass down the torch to you, Matthew Anderson Anir. Continue on as a scion of Anir, farewell and thank you¡±. (¡°That¡¯s right¡­I was protecting my own ideals¡­¡±) suddenly heat like I¡¯ve never felt before scorched my forehead as the Xavzotl began to glow an ominous dark purple, its scales broke off and turned to dust being taken away by some unknown wind while its eyes sockets became completely hollow, suddenly the purple light grew brighter and a scaly dark grey arm clawed its way through the serpent¡¯s hide. My vision faltered and my consciousness quickly began to fade but not before the monstrosity fully cracked open its brother¡¯s body, through green blood and shattered black flesh the God of chaos emerged. ¡°Fhrree¡­Hafter¡­hso¡­looongg¡­.¡± the being was a dark grey colossal with large scale like sections for skin looking like armour parts, grey wings with fluorescent purple netting, five large black antlers grew out of its spiky head, while it had a humanoid form from the waist up the rest was a much larger than the top. From the waist down the giant was a spider with an armoured body and limbs along with an enormous purple cocoon pulsating on its back, it stared down at me as its brother¡¯s remains disappeared with the wind ¡°Rejoice brothers¡­The eldest is back, your creations will know no pain nor fear as my legions will trample through uncontrolled¡­Nothing¡­will¡­survive¡­my chagrin¡­As for youu¡­human¡­or should I say¡­harrower¡­I will reap you of everything you have¡­¡± everything then faded to black.When I came to one of my eyelids was already open ¡°What exactly do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±, Risa jumped and fell off her chair ¡°EEkk!¡± I sat up and glared down at her ¡°Explain, quickly¡±. Her expression darkened when she looked up ¡°Saya told me¡­what you planned to do¡­we couldn¡¯t let you play the villain¡­we asked¡­Zeaxar for his support¡­¡±, ¡°You did what!? What did he ask for!? What were his terms!?¡± I got off the bed and stood up realising I was in my room. Risa staggered trying to stand up quickly and had to hold on to the chair ¡°He¡­didn¡¯t¡­ask for anything¡­¡± suddenly the door opened ¡°Kekeke¡­Heard the turmoil from downstairs, you awake already kid? Figured you¡¯d be out for a couple more hours!¡± he flashed his amused expression and walked up to us with open arms. I un-merged from Ember (¡°It¡¯s not like my aura will affect him¡­¡±)¡°What¡¯s your game? Why even help us? You must have figured out by now that I planned to abandon the company¡± I thought he¡¯d be angered but instead he just laughed ¡°Kekekekekeke! Of course I knew! But why would I let such a useful soldier go to waste? I spoke with some other racial leaders and we came to one conclusion and a couple repercussions¡±, he took out some papers from his jacket ¡°The officials behind the continuation of the Cerberus project will face the death sentence while any and all that had ties with them will face forced military labour, as for the vigilante he is to face realm banishment¡±. His words hit me harder than a dragon would ¡°R¡­ealm¡­banishment?...YOU GOT ME KICKED OUT OF EARTH!?¡± his amusement only grew ¡°No, you did. But why would you care? You¡¯re still going to go do public murder anyway aren¡¯t you? Oh wait¡­it¡¯s too late¡­¡±, at this rate I was simply confused ¡°Too late? What does that mean?¡±. His smirk grew wider as he spoke ¡°Oh that¡¯s because they¡¯re all already dead, the executions happened on-sight due to the accused¡­resisting. As for those facing military labour¡­freak explosive accident, nobody has figured out what exactly happened yet¡­¡±, I fell back into sitting on the bed ¡°So you killed them, you effectively removed my reason to continue with my plan as well as any chances of me staying on earth¡­What the hell are you¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t angered¡­neither was I annoyed¡­no¡­I felt like I was about to lose it completely so instead¡­I just laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t go insane on me yet boy, you¡¯ve got work to do¡± he turned around to leave ¡°Why would I even follow or listen to you?¡± I unconsciously merged with Wayne while he eyed my transformation curiously ¡°Because you have nowhere else to go, nobody else to keep you and nothing else to live for. So why not just enjoy some exploration with a fair pay?¡± he chuckled as he left the room. I sat there staring at the floor for what felt like ages until Risa broke the silence ¡°I¡¯m¡­s¡­so..¡± I stood up after releasing Wayne ¡°I don¡¯t blame you, it¡¯s my fault. I should have taken everybody else into account, I was being selfish¡± I patted her head ¡°Sorry¡±, tears began falling down her cheeks and she suddenly rushed into my chest which due to the force and my surprise we both fell back onto the bed. ¡°Are we¡­interrupting something?...¡± Natasha had opened the door alongside her brother Clyde, Risa leaped up purpler than a plum ¡°N..no..u..¡± she then turned away and rushed out of the room. Me and Clyde stared with a confused expression at each other while Natasha glared at me ¡°Mmhhmm¡­Yeap dense, poor girl. Anyway since you¡¯re finally awake, Ab¡­Ma wants you to get down to the table¡­Good luck¡­¡± for a moment both of them gained a shade of blue then turned away from the doorway. (¡°Ma already? Sheesh¡­Ah right¡­I¡¯m next¡­¡±) I sighed and got off the bed again but before I exited the room (¡°Saya I know you¡¯re in there, stop hiding.¡±) the Fae had been secluding her thoughts from mine since I woke up but I could still sense her (¡°You¡¯re¡­really not mad?...¡±), I shook my head ¡°I am¡­I¡¯m mad at myself but also¡­I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± the memory of the colossus known as Chaos returned to me and I shuddered as I left my room.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. I glanced down the left corridor where Natasha and Clyde seemed to be trying to talk someone out of the bathroom, well more like Clyde picking the lock while Natasha pep talked about feelings and denseness (¡°What is all that about?...On second thought¡­I have other things to worry about¡­¡±). I could feel her aura from the top floor and I already knew she was in a sour mood, I sighed as I descended the stairs while the aggressive aura only got more ferocious with each step. I descended the last step as I effortlessly moved through the dense killing intent permeating the air, when I reached the kitchen I sensed the root of this ferociousness. ¡°Sit down¡± Abbey was sitting down by the table with her hands together and elbows resting on it, I walked over and sat down as she told me to do. ¡°Do you realise what you were about to do? I signed up for helping you with transportation, how do you think I felt when I was told what you planned to actually do!?¡± her tone lowered and with it so did her aura, ¡°How do you think Risa, Clyde, Natasha and Kyle would feel? What about your comrades that are mercenaries?! Surely even you made some!¡± she rose up from her chair and glared at me. Off the corner of my eye I could see the water in the sink floating up and lashing out randomly ¡°You think sacrificing yourself would have been a good example to everyone? You think that¡¯s what a hero is?!¡±, I spoke calmly while keeping a poker face and meeting her gaze ¡°I¡¯m not a hero, Abbey you know full well what I am. I¡¯m a killer, a murderer, an assassin and now a monster. You took me in knowing full well what I did, I don¡¯t deserve a good life and those bastards didn¡¯t deserve a quick death¡±. She slammed her fist onto the wooden table smashing most of its surface ¡°Then what about Kyle?! Natasha!? Clyde!? You¡¯re a hero to them! You saved them Matthew, you saved them and now they will look up to you. What happened to your ideals!? Sacrifice the wicked to save the many!? You think you¡¯re wicked because you were forced to kill!?¡± suddenly the water shot towards me stopping only inches away from my neck while forming a blade ¡°If you truly think you are that wicked then end yourself now red, I know you won¡¯t because you know that you truly aren¡¯t a monster!¡±. I momentarily dropped my gaze onto the liquid blade, with a sudden movement I moved myself forward and slit the side of my neck ¡°What¡­¡± which surprised Abbey enough to make her drop her magic. ¡°I was going to make a horrible mistake, I know that now. There is something else you should know of though¡± the gash on my neck quickly began to heal making Abbey stare with astonishment ¡°I¡¯m no longer human Ma, I¡¯ve lost my reason to go on, my reason to fight and all I¡¯m left with is this feeling of betrayal¡­I thought better of humanity¡­I left home trusting their word that the project was destroyed¡­I come back to this¡­¡± I clenched my fists ¡°I lost myself to rage, to hatred and in turn lost my humanity. Look at me, I don¡¯t even know what I am anymore¡±. Suddenly the memories of my meeting with the dark God began playing in my head ¡°What am I¡­supposed to do alone?...¡± the hope I had made for myself throughout that memory was devoured completely with the emergence of a monstrosity known as Chaos, Abbey then suddenly walked around the table and grabbed me by the shoulder ¡°Alone?¡± she sent me tumbling backwards ¡°Who said you¡¯re alone?¡± she stared amused at what was probably a confused expression that I had. I glanced behind me to see Kyle peeking out of the next room¡¯s door while Risa, Clyde and Natasha descended the stairs quietly ¡°You¡­you¡­not alone¡­¡± Kyle slowly walked out from behind the door ¡°Natasha said¡­we aren¡¯t alone¡­if we have¡­each other¡­¡±. The other three stood at the end of the corridor ¡°She did?...¡± Clyde spoke under his breath but I still heard him ¡°Of course I did!¡± his sister elbowed him in the gut, I turned back to see Abbey smiling at me ¡°Not convinced yet? Do I have to beat it through your thick head?!¡± but a smile had already grown and changed my expression. I stood up ¡°Yeah¡­guess I¡¯m worrying pointlessly¡­¡± Chaos¡¯s last words to me echoed in my mind ¡°Ma, I need to ask you for one last favour¡­¡±, she nodded ¡°What is it?¡± I glanced back ¡°I need you to take care of those three, they have nowhere to go and nobody else to rely on¡±. Abbey began to chuckle when she heard me ¡°I can take care of the little one but I¡¯m afraid the twins have already made up their mind, well not without some hinting from that demon¡±, suddenly Natasha and Clyde walked around me and into the kitchen ¡°We going yet boss?¡± Clyde had ducked down and began inspecting the shattered table. Natasha whistled when she saw it ¡°Yeah when we leaving boss?¡± I just stared at the both of them with a confused expression ¡°We? Going? Leaving?...Did you just call me boss?¡±, Natasha opened the fridge and began taking her pick on a snack as she spoke ¡°You didn¡¯t actually think we¡¯d just be good kids and stand around here?¡± her brother joined her ¡°We want to get as far away from Earth as soon as possible, another realm sounds just perfect¡±. I glanced at Abbey and she shrugged then stared back at them ¡°Do you even know what you¡¯re saying? Being a mercenary is no different than being an assassin! That is what he¡¯ll use you as! Is that what you want to do for the rest of your lives!?¡±, suddenly they both turned and met my gaze ¡°Killing is all we¡¯re good for, and seeing new worlds doesn¡¯t sound that bad¡­better than being somebody¡¯s hound. We¡¯ll get to decide whether we should kill or not¡± Natasha spoke as she ate a packet of chocolates. Clyde turned around with a bottle of beer ¡°Don¡¯t forget a good pay and fancy equipment, how do you open this?¡± he was trying to pop it open with his fingers, I glanced at the bottle and sighed ¡°Fine suit yourselves¡± (¡°I can¡¯t imagine them or whoever will be in charge of them lasting long¡±) I walked over and snatched the bottle from his hand and popped it open with my lower fang. They both stared curiously at me then Clyde extended his arm to take the bottle ¡°Thanks?...¡± but I flipped the cap into his hand and walked out of the kitchen with the beer, I took a sip as I walked to the exit. I walked out of the house and into the daylight then sat down by the door on the porch, I took a longer sip and stared up at the clouds in the distance. Suddenly I hear the door open behind me and glanced back to see Risa walking out ¡°Can I join you?...¡± I gestured to the floor next to me ¡°Yeah, be my guest¡± then I took another sip from the beer, she walked around and sat down ¡°What will you do now?¡±. ¡°Do now? Probably take Zeaxar on his offer, I won¡¯t survive here for long by hiding and I don¡¯t want to give Abbey anymore trouble¡± I stared down at the still mostly full bottle, ¡°What about you? You going back home now I expect? Your brother is young and every king needs a hand or two to help¡± she moved closer to where our shoulders were touching ¡°No I¡¯m not going home¡­I have reasons not to¡­¡±. I glanced up at her ¡°Then what are you going to do? I mean Abbey would probably welcome you too here if that¡¯s what you¡¯ve been worried about¡± she had been flustered and the whole time her aura felt distorted and agitated, she shook her head ¡°No¡­that¡¯s not it¡­¡± she glanced away from me and at her legs ¡°I¡¯ll go¡­.where you go¡­¡± she whispered this and it was barely audible to me ¡°Hm? Where you going?¡±. Her cheeks darkened as she straightened herself and turned to look at me ¡°I!...¡± but she froze staring at me, ¡°Damn it all to hell¡± I threw away the beer and grabbed her by the shoulders ¡°Eeeh?!¡± she squeaked as I moved in. Our eyes closed as our lips touched (¡°I¡¯m done holding back¡±) I pulled her closer with my right hand and with my left I held on to her warm face, she didn¡¯t fight back but instead aggressively went at me with her tongue and pushed me back. Before I knew it we were both on the dirt with her up top and still kissing, as our lips moved left and right our tongues collided and snaked around each other in every possible direction while each other¡¯s saliva entered the other¡¯s mouth. I had beer and dirt all over my back and hair but I didn¡¯t care, I had Saya and Wayne shouting encouragement in my head while Ember seemed to be having a mental crisis but I didn¡¯t care, all I cared about now was her even after we stopped and just laid there holding each other all I thought about was her. ¡°M¡­Matt¡­¡± she looked up into my eyes as I met her gaze ¡°What is it?¡± I had never seen her blushing as much as she was right now ¡°Are we¡­¡± but then suddenly the door opened ¡°Fuck this, if ya ain¡¯t having it I¡¯ll take it¡± Clyde walked out and down the porch then crouched down to the bottle and gulped it down ¡°Fuck that hit the spot, sorry boss but that was the last bottle¡± he threw it away and walked back in as we stared at his back in astonishment. Even with the door closed we could hear Natasha shouting at him while Abbey laughed, all that was coming from right behind the door meaning that they saw everything. ¡°Well¡­my back is getting cold¡­want to head in?¡± she glanced down at me and nodded but before she got off her lips attacked mine again, we then both walked back into the house as she held on to my right arm. Abbey was introducing a bottle of vodka to Clyde while Natasha and Kyle tried to sneak up the stairs behind us, only to give up once we separated and I entered the bathe room to take a shower as Risa went to her room. I dispelled my clothes (¡°You know, that is actually very convenient¡­haven¡¯t taken a shower in days too¡±) I stepped in and closed the shutter behind me, I turned on the cold water and let it flow down my face (¡°Anir¡­¡±) I began feeling the black crystal wedge embedded to the front of my horn (¡°I¡¯ll have to see what this power is about later¡­I¡¯ll keep my promise, I will find it¡¯s children¡­¡±). After taking a shower I walked back to the staircase and ascended to the next floor where my room was, I walked in and gazed down at the floor where my transformation had occurred. (¡°I¡¯ll have to run a DNA test too¡­I cannot go on without knowing what I have actually become¡­¡±) I sighed and walked up to my desk where several tools and equipment lay, I grabbed a piece of equipment from my drawer and set it on the desk then pulled out a wire and connected it to the computer. From another drawer I took a vial and set it on the desk, I held my left arm on top of it and then pressed my skin with my right hand¡¯s claw like nails. The nail dug into my skin letting a drop of blood streak down before closing up, (¡°Damn¡­I don¡¯t have a syringe¡­¡±) I opened drawer after drawer before I found what I was looking for. I held up a short thin metal pipe while with another tool I sharpened one end of it, when I was done I held up my arm again and pierced it with the pointy end letting the pipe enter and since my healing aspect couldn¡¯t remove matter to close a wound the blood flowed out into the vial freely. When I had collected enough blood I took out the pipe and set it aside, I grabbed the vial of fluorescent red blood and closed it with a special cap then inserted upside down into the equipment I connected to the computer. The machine was AetherTech and was made to scan substances while in this case I used it alongside it¡¯s software to compare my blood to known races. (¡°Wayne lost his mammalian race when he evolved while both him and Ember who was pure serpent gained minor dragonic¡­¡±) after a couple minutes the results lay on the monitor, ¡°I expected some mammal but¡­this is¡­Ten percent human¡­Thirty percent dragonic¡­and¡­¡± Moving forward ¡°¡­You gotta be joking, sixty percent Demon? From what!?¡± I began looking over the data again and decided to retake the test in case something went wrong but the same results were presented to me, ¡°Ember was serpent and gained Draconic, Wayne lost his mammalian, gained Draconic and already had serpent¡­did they have demonic traits?¡­well at the very least it explains the horn¡­¡± I pondered over the possibilities that I gained so much Demonic from Ember and Wayne but it simply didn¡¯t add up. ¡°Why so much more than Draconic though? Why no serpent?¡± then it dawned on me ¡°No¡­I shouldn¡¯t be worrying about why it is¡­but that it is¡­Draconic and Demonic¡­that in itself is very dangerous¡­Just a hobgoblin who is Fae, Orc and Demonic with very little Draconic can¡­¡± I began staring at my hands as if expecting them to explode. ¡°You¡¯re not going to explode Matt¡­Hobgoblins do that due to their Fae nature alongside Draconic and Demonic.¡± Saya took her goggles form,¡± Think of it like this, Fae is the spark while Draconic is the fuse and Demonic with Fae is the explosive. Thankfully I didn¡¯t merge with you or else we would have a whole lot to worry about!¡±. I was impressed ¡°How do you know all this?¡± she made a strange noise which sounded like a prideful sigh ¡°My mother and grandmother before her were Dungeon Fairies, we are monster experts! You humans are most probably a sub race of Demons and never made the connection, that is the only explanation as I didn¡¯t sense any Demonic blood from Ember and Wayne and spirit evolution can only go two ways. One is losing a trait to gain another like Wayne did, the other is gaining a trait but is weaker than the previous choice. Spirits can only gain one and they both gained Draconic, meaning that even though I wasn¡¯t conscious to sense the change they couldn¡¯t have possible gained two. If they did then serpent would have been completely lost and they¡¯d be full dragons, as for why you even gained Demonic in the first place I¡¯m wondering if it had anything to do with Chaos? The closer we got to it the¡­more pungent it¡¯s affinity became¡±, now I was thoroughly impressed and although her logic made sense there was one flaw I wasn¡¯t so sure of. I sighed and stood up ¡°Alright but there is something wrong with your logic there, Demons and Humans aren¡¯t opposites but they sure are close to being. The difference in DNA is enormous, Dwarves and Elves have more similarities with us than Demons¡±, she then somehow made a snapping sound with her non-existing fingers ¡°Ah and that is where my main theory drops in!¡± she was having way too much fun with this ¡°Think of Goblins, they are the breed of Fae and Orcs while Hobgoblins earned Demonic through bloodline and Draconic through magical manipulation. Let¡¯s actually just stay on Goblins¡­Yeah Fae and Orc are so far from each other they might as well be opposites but one trait will overcome the other and in this case Orc overcame Fae making goblin, if it was the other way around we¡¯d have a completely different race! In the case of Humans I suspect something was powerful enough to overcome the Demonic bloodline!¡± I hadn¡¯t completely understood her Goblin analysis but mostly understood her theory. I stared down at my hands again ¡°But what bloodline runs so deep that it can overcome Demon? All known Demon hybrids have Demonic as their prime bloodline¡­Even Draconic has never been found to describe a hybrid with Demonic blood¡­and the Etyrians have had a long time to research that fact¡­¡± I sighed again, ¡°Don¡¯t know¡­whatever it is¡­you¡¯re only ten percent human now¡­that is all you have left of it¡± Saya also seemed stumped. Suddenly I heard a vehicle turning into our street ¡°They¡¯re here¡­¡± I sensed three Humans inside along with a single Wood Elf, the vehicle stopped at our front gate so I peeked out of the window ¡°That¡¯s a government release vehicle¡­¡± four figures exited the black car. ¡°Two soldiers, one high ranking officer and¡­¡± I glared at the cloaked figure ¡°Zeaxar¡¯s bitch¡±, I turned away from the window and walked out into the corridor where I found Risa waiting for me ¡°Who are they?¡± she must have sensed them too. I shook my head ¡°They¡¯re here for me, we separate here. Go with Natasha and Clyde, they¡¯ll keep you s¡­¡± my words were cut off when she leaped into my chest and embraced my lips with hers, when she let go the door had already rung multiple times and Abbey was answering it ¡°I¡¯ll see you on the other side, don¡¯t worry¡±. I separated from her and began descending the stairs where at the end I found Natasha, Clyde and Kyle peeking at the door from around the corner, ¡°They¡¯re not here for you, It¡¯s for me¡± I walked over to Kyle and patted his head ¡°Be good to Abbey, she¡¯ll take care of you from now on alright?¡± he nodded so I tapped his shoulder and walked down the corridor to the exit where two armed soldiers were expecting me. They stood right beside Abbey which made them look average height compared to her monstrous size, ¡°Exile Matthew Anderson, The Grey Reaper Vigilante. We will accompany you out, please follow us¡± all seemed within regulations, the greeting and all but that was until they turned off their compulsory mics within their helmets and took them off half way down the path. Behind the gate an aged man with an officer¡¯s military outfit stood by a cloaked Wood Elf, the two soldiers stopped on each side of them and turned to face me. ¡°Mr. Anderson it is my pleasure to finally meet you, I am General Josef Decker and I believe you already know this lady¡± He forwarded his hand which I shook but did not glance at Leya who seemed uninterested in the conversation anyway, ¡°It has been recorded that you¡¯ll be going through the normal procedure of leaving through the public Tunnels but¡­I wish to save you the humiliation. You will instead be heading to the Edge Alpha HQ in Olympus where you will take the private tunnel there instead, might you have any questions?¡±. ¡°I have a few but I¡¯ll satisfy myself with these two, I want you to be realistic with me General, has all the material of the Cerberus project been destroyed?¡± my gaze stayed frozen even after he met it with his own, he sighed ¡°Probably not, I will promise you that no human experimentation will ever take place as long as my men are in charge but as for the documents themselves¡­I do not have the clearance for that information¡±. My expression didn¡¯t change as I asked my second question ¡°You¡¯ve mentioned the route without mentioning yourself, will you not be accompanying us?¡±, he shook his head ¡°I will not, I have other business here other than you my boy¡±. ¡°Hmm, very well then¡± I stepped around him and began walking over to the car along with the two soldiers and Leya but stopped by it ¡°General, I want you to convey a message for me¡± my form changed as I merged with Wayne ¡°Banishment is only a punishment on paper, if the act of human experimentation is ever taken up again¡­I will know, I will come, nothing will stop me and nobody will ever see me coming. Don¡¯t make me show why I am called the Grey reaper, such a distasteful colour only knows death¡±. I could sense the fear running down everyone¡¯s spine as I unmerged and entered the car¡¯s back seats, Leya cleared her throat to get the soldiers¡¯ attention and they entered the car¡¯s front seats while she sat next to me. The soldier who sat in the driver¡¯s seat fidgeted with the keys momentarily then finally turned the ignition, I simply stayed silent the whole ride while looking out my window. When we arrived at Olympus¡¯s gates the driver had to get out and show the guard post some papers along with others passed down from underneath, glancing over I noticed Leya seemed annoyed at how easily the guards were corrupt. She noticed my amusement ¡°What¡¯s so amusing?¡± she glanced away from me, ¡°Not much, just that the underling of the most underhanded being seems to dislike underhanded methods¡± the driver came back into the car as the large metal gate descended into the ground opening up the path for us. We drove into the city which was large enough to be called a state, we drove quickly through the long straight roads taking only a couple turns as the empty streets posed no problem. Suddenly multiple signatures of mana came into range making me sigh ¡°Stop the car¡± three Aether Mechs began tailing us at high speed and caught up to us within seconds, the Mechs surrounded the car as it slowed down to a stop ¡°What is this?!¡± Leya was eyeing the machines angrily. I got out of the car ¡°A show of strength¡± as I said so multiple hover crafts filled the sky above us with soldiers handling large weapons connected to the side of the crafts, ¡°Exile Matthew Anderson, due to changes to your sentence you have now been raised to terrorist¡± a male voice spoke on a loudspeaker from one of the square looking black crafts ¡°Because of this, Execution is to commence immediately¡±. ¡°Seems like Zeaxar pissed off someone very high up with his tempering¡­¡± I whispered to Leya ¡°Get out of here, you¡¯re in my way¡± she grimaced as she nodded and melted into the shadows, I shouted the next words ¡°You¡¯ve made your homework, true this much would have been enough to kill me before¡­¡± for the first time ever since gaining it I tapped into the power of Anir while merging with Wayne. Along with the change in my eyes and the black spikes growing out of my joints more changes took effect on my body, my horn grew longer and divided into two ends while a piercing pain momentarily filled my back as if two spears had been trying to cut their way out. (¡°This is¡­not what I expected¡­¡±) the power wasn¡¯t anything separate like Ember and Wayne are to each other but actually seemed to enhance them, I could feel my whole body pulsating with mana as it rushed in from the crystal on my horn while the ground beneath me crumbled under the pressure I was emanating. (¡°Shall we kill them all master?¡±) I could feel Wayne¡¯s bloodlust reaching out to all three Mechs, (¡°No¡­I want to tear up the whole area myself but¡­they are just soldiers. We¡¯ll go around them, only if necessary through them as well¡±) I lowered my posture as the three Mechs raised their shields forming a triangular barrier around me while one of the crafts hovered over and raised its own barrier to make the roof. I waited as the Mechs¡¯s weapons rotated and charged up while each soldier on the craft held on to the side with belts and aimed down towards me, the other five crafts encircled the sky covering any roof I could leap to while also having sight on both sides of the road. In every sense of the word I was surrounded and outgunned. The moment the barrier was dropped I activated shadow rebound and appeared behind the Mech facing the front of the vehicle, I glanced back momentarily to see the empty vehicle torn to shreds and explode but then quickly faced forward and sprinted. The Mechs turned and began giving chase, two of them drove side by side to me and turned slightly as their weapons began to fire. I had summoned Ember and charged the Mech to my left as off the corner of my eyes I could see three of the aircrafts also giving chase while the others and the third Mech held their position in case I rebound back. The Mech spun at the last second making me miss its legs so I stomped the ground hard and leaped upwards, I grabbed onto the side of one of the aircrafts and threw myself higher up. Ember¡¯s form changed as it¡¯s spike grew to twice it¡¯s normal size along with the other blades shrinking, I threw the weapon with all my might as it pierced right through the aircraft¡¯s front where I supposed the cockpit was. I used shadow rebound again and appeared behind Ember as it pierced through the ground while the aircraft I struck lost control and hit the ground behind me, I quickly grabbed Ember and continued running while the two Mechs continued chasing. (¡°Now that the road is blocked the other aircrafts will give chase too while the third Mech will probably take a different route around to cut me off¡±) The two Mechs drive by me again this time firing before I was fully in their sights so even if I stopped they would hit me while if I continued running they would also eventually hit me due to their speed, the hail of projectiles had almost reached my legs when I noticed four aircrafts angling themselves above to also shoot at me. I locked my sights on the furthest aircraft of the four that flew right behind me, I stomped the ground again and leaped upwards towards it while flipping back. I hit its bottom surface and leaped off it towards the Mech to the right as Ember¡¯s scythe grew longer while the spike and axe shrunk, I spun mid-air as I flew right between its legs and sliced them off. When I hit the ground I rebalanced myself and continued to run which was when the aircrafts began to fire at me while the other Mech stopped to assist it¡¯s wingman who had fallen, I used the shadow step part of shadow rebound to evade multiple times without rebounding back which used up more mana and required me to have eye contact with the surface I wished to appear at. After evading a couple times, I rebounded back and leaped onto the side of a building which I used to leap up even higher ¡°I am tired of this¡± darkness engulfed my whole body as Ember¡¯s axe grew which I then used to slice off one of the craft¡¯s cockpits.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. I momentarily held onto the same craft (¡°Saya, wings!¡±) I leaped off the craft towards another (¡°I can¡¯t! Something is blocking me from summoning them!¡±) I grimaced as the craft turned away from me letting the four soldiers armed automatic Aether-rifles take aim on me. ¡°Too bad¡± I unsummoned Ember as I crashed through two of the soldiers making the two behind them fall off the craft while still being held by their belts, ¡°But you leave me no choice¡± I merged in with Ember taking my most Draconic form as the soldiers went for their side-arms. The scales that usually replaces my skin this time were larger and grew out like small blades all over my body, three of the soldiers turned to me with pistols and pulled their triggers multiple times but the mana infused projectiles simply ricocheted off me. I stomped my foot and the whole craft shook as my aura disrupted its flow of mana, (¡°I guess this form¡¯s supreme aura control has some uses for combat¡­¡±) I walked over to the craft¡¯s side as it fell to the ground and leaped off making it turn slightly due to the force I created. I hit the wall and began running while using my aura to keep myself from falling sideways, I sensed the remaining crafts pursuing me and leaped off the wall when they began to fire. I unmerged from Wayne mid-air and quickly summoned two pistols into my already raised arms, using Ember¡¯s heat manipulation magic I spun mid-air and fired multiple times with my left pistol as I charged up my right. Three shots hit per three crafts as the first two broke through the barrier the last damaged the pilot¡¯s control, two of the crafts hit lost control and crashed into the ground while the third held on it¡¯s pursuit. I raised my right arm as I fell towards the ground while making sure I got the angle correct, I pulled the trigger and a wide blast of mana shot forth towards the last craft destroying its roof. I landed and quickly turned while raising both pistols, I had sensed the third Mech moving towards me from the other side of the street with four others behind it (¡°Ember, set it ablaze¡±) I switched form into Wayne and summoned Ember into my hands again. The Mechs were almost within firing range when multiple blazing red runic circles appeared in the air around me ¡°With pleasssure¡­massster¡± as Ember spoke thin lines of embers sparked alive from each circle and shot towards the Mechs, the embers snaked around each Mech and suddenly exploded with a strong blast. (¡°Three down¡±) I turned and rushed to the side of a building then focused mana underneath me before stomping down creating a strong blast that propelled me upwards, I landed at the edge of the building¡¯s roof and immediately continued running towards the same direction while propelling myself forward with blasts of mana underneath each step to increase my already abnormal speed. (¡°Seriously?!...¡±) behind me I sensed the Mechs climbing up the building¡¯s walls and onto the roof, (¡°Ember, leave your form but let it retain some mana. Understand?¡±) I felt Ember leaving the halberd as it¡¯s glow died out but the weapon itself didn¡¯t disappear. I dropped the halberd mid leap and continued running for a couple moments (¡°Now!¡±) a large explosion occurred behind me throwing one of the Mechs off the roof while the other was sent flying backwards, a barrier shimmered throughout the buildings as it took the brunt of the blast. I kept running when I suddenly sensed multiple non-human signatures heading towards me, seven cloaked figures appeared around me ¡°You¡¯re almost there, they can¡¯t touch you inside the HQ¡± the elites disappeared as quickly as they appeared. I sighed ¡°What?...Not gonna help?¡± I continued running till I reached the end of the block, across the street was my goal, the E.A Earth HQ but there was a big problem¡­one that flies. Above me a large military transport craft made a fly by to drop multiple oval metallic objects ¡°Fuck me¡­¡±,the objects dive-bombed straight into the street as I leaped off the roof heading towards the entrance and when they hit the ground they began to rotate and change form. These were automated Aether battle soldiers, robotic machines made specifically to take out dangerous targets normal soldiers wouldn¡¯t be able to and I was there current target. I rushed forward as the oval machines opened up into spider like robots with four legs and four arms with an Aether cannon on each one, they rushed to cut me off at insane speed while I activated another of Wayne¡¯s abilities. A black mist exploded from where I stood and expanded to cover the whole street, blasts of energy shot from every angle towards me as I evaded and shadow stepped within the thick mist. When I finally saw a window in-between shots I stopped moving and leaped upwards and out of the mist, ¡°Boom¡± the mist momentarily gained a red hue before turning into a hellfire of explosions which in turn blasted me higher up. I glanced at one of the windows of the large skyscraper and shadow stepped onto the glass, I grabbed hold of the window¡¯s edge and smashed it open before jumping inside. I took a peek outside to see the AABS staring up at the window but doing nothing about it, I sighed in relief ¡°For once¡­the system helps¡­¡± I then glanced around the room. The office had basalt black floor tiles with blood red walls and golden trimming around the corners and edges ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± before I even finished my thought the door opened, ¡°You broke my window¡­¡± Zeaxar walked in with a mug in his hand and a smug expression. My annoyance must have clearly showed on my face as his amusement showed on his, ¡°You were late so I thought I¡¯d have a coffee¡­Oh well, this way then¡± he turned around and walked out of the office so I followed him out with my clothes still smoking from the earlier flames. ¡°I must say, I didn¡¯t expect them to retaliate like that!¡± he chuckled before taking a sip of his coffee, ¡°Sure you didn¡¯t, it was a show of strength. They probably didn¡¯t want the populace to think them unorganized and weak, also they must have not liked your way of doing things Zeaxar¡± I continued to follow him through the corridor until we arrived to a console. ¡°Why must you distrust me so, boy? We are kin now, family should trust each other!¡±, his comment had taken me aback and I wasn¡¯t able to process it all before the teleportation initiated ¡°Family? Kin? What do you¡­¡± so my words were cut off. When we next appeared we stood inside the building¡¯s private tunnel room, he glanced back at me ¡°You honestly thought I wouldn¡¯t find out? I smell the demon in you, let alone see the damn horn. Hell all you¡¯re missing is the wings since you already got the eyes¡­well eye, I have no clue what the other is about¡±. ¡°Tch, no point hiding it now I guess¡± I glanced around the room, the only other person here was the clerk who must have ranked around squad leader due to his position. ¡°Speak up then, all eyes and ears within my establishments are mine to control¡± he turned around with a mocking expression, ¡°I merged with my spirits after they evolved due to the mass amount of mana I gained from being Chaos¡¯s champion, due to the physical change the connection to my soul was shredded and with it my connection to Chaos as my mana¡¯s affinity took a hit to it¡¯s efficiency. Along with my mana now being pure my DNA was also altered due to me merging with my spirit¡¯s physical bodies not their soul, from the data I collected¡­I am only ten percent human, sixty percent demon and¡­thirty percent dragon¡± he dropped his mug and as it shattered his eyes widened. ¡°Anderson¡­Do you even comprehend what you just told me?...You hold two of the most powerful bloodlines known to the races¡­A Draconic Demon¡­Kekekekeke¡­¡± he began chuckling madly ¡°The only other known Draconic Demon known to have been born without going completely insane and slayed hours later was my grandfather, Kekekeke!¡± he grabbed my shoulders and stared down at me with amazement ¡°It seems like I¡¯ve made a great choice for our ranks! Boy¡­No¡­Matthew , you¡¯re destined for power!¡±. He turned around and practically guided me to the tunnel, reality swirled and before I knew it we were on Etyria again. ¡°Ah, cylia! Have my guests moved to my office, I¡¯ll be there shortly!¡± he barely glanced at the clerk ¡°My name is Kelly¡­¡± even after she corrected him he continued to ignore her, ¡°Come now , we must keep the squads waiting¡± he walked over to the console and I followed shortly after (¡°You keep everyone waiting¡­Hell I bet they got here before us¡­¡±) . He selected his office at the very top of the fortress and went through a series of verifications before the teleportation activated ¡°I swear when I told those humans that I wanted top of the line security they must have had runic code all over their mind¡± he mumbled to himself as the ring formed and activated, we teleported straight into the middle of his¡­¡±office¡±. The room was similarly decorated as the one on earth with some¡­other¡­¡±decorations¡±, to the front corners of the room one could notice two metal poles along with a locked chest next to them while in another corner was a king sized black bed. Zeaxar walked over to his desk and sat down on the dark crystal throne behind it (¡°I sometimes forget he¡¯s an actual king¡±) he pressed a crystal on his desk and spoke into it ¡°Let them in kelly¡± I internally cringed knowing that was probably not her name, he then crossed his legs and lay back in the throne as I stood casually in front of the desk. The large dark wooden doors behind me opened and the whole elite squad entered followed by multiple others, some that I was expecting and others that I wasn¡¯t. The elite squad stood at attention to my left as Risa, Clyde, Natasha, Anabel, Ell and Alexus entered behind them, all of them stood to my right except for Alexus who went to stand by the throne. ¡°Well now that everyone is here let me explain why, as you all know the Elite squad was founded to act as my personal guard and to take on high tier contracts. Currently there is only one squad and the tasks at home have them quiet busy, so I decided to found a new Elite squad to work directly under me while on expeditions to other realms¡± this was when I remembered what he had asked of me before I had left for earth (¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­¡±) he glanced at me with an amused smile ¡°Matthew Anderson, you will be the leader of said squad¡± (¡°Just kill me now¡­¡±) , he then glanced at each of the others ¡°You five are the first candidates to join said squad under said leader, but first some of you still have to pass the ranking test, Xioqu and the twins are those. Now since I already know you are stronger than the average member, what is that saying humans have? Killing what with one stone? Whatever¡­anyway, since the ceremony for joining the Elite squad entails surviving combat with the squad leader for ten minutes you will be ranked within that time period¡±. ¡°Any questions? ¡°Anabel, Clyde and me moved to talk at the same time ¡± No? Good, now get out of my sight I have papers to fill¡± he didn¡¯t even give us time to ask a question as he flicked his fingers and an instant teleportation ring underneath us activated, we appeared in the cafeteria along with Leya who did not seem pleased about it. ¡°I don¡¯t think that was an accident¡­¡± Natasha pointed it out which made Leya sigh, ¡°No¡­it probably wasn¡¯t¡­You will be sent a notification of when and where¡­I¡¯ll¡­be going¡­¡± she quickly dissolved into shadows. ¡°Matt?...That really you?...¡± I glanced behind me where Anabel and Ell stood while staring at me in disbelief, their expressions made me chuckle ¡°Yeah it is , Ell. Long story but in short¡­I¡¯m no longer human and I¡¯m a wanted criminal on Earth, great home coming. How you two been?¡± somewhere in between Risa had slyly moved under my arm and was holding onto me as if I could disappear. I didn¡¯t question her why she was suddenly so clingy since¡­well it felt normal, Anabel and Ell on the other hand looked surprised more than anything while Natasha thought I didn¡¯t notice her giving Risa the thumbs up. Then there was Clyde who hadn¡¯t looked away from Ell since entering Zeaxar¡¯s office although I presumed before that as well, ¡°Huh¡­well how about we catch up and you introduce us to your new¡­friends¡± Anabel gestured to the tables and I nodded ¡°Yeah sure¡­what happened to your hair?¡± I had just noticed that she now had a short cut ¡°Huh?...N...nothing¡­¡± Anabel turned around as quickly as her cheeks went red ¡°let¡¯s¡­sit down¡­¡± we followed her over to the cafeteria. Revelations Anabel and Ell sat down on one side while me and Risa sat on the other with Clyde and Natasha on either side of us, ¡°Well let¡¯s start with the introductions first, Clyde take it away¡± he finally glanced away from Ell and looked at me with a confused expression ¡°Hm? What?¡± while his sister seemed too busy trying to hold in her laugh. ¡°We¡¯re introducing ourselves blockhead, I¡¯m Natasha Warren and that¡¯s my twin brother Clyde¡± she took a deep breath seemingly holding in her laughter, while Clyde figured himself out I continued ¡°They are Cerberii like I use to be, this here¡± I gestured at Risa who¡¯s arms had now imprisoned my right arm between her bosoms ¡°Is Risa Xioqu, she¡¯s the sister of Emperor Alexus Xioqu and well¡­¡± before I could continue Risa interjected ¡°Matt¡¯s woman, my pleasure to meet you¡± her grip tightened. They both gave her a wry smile ¡°I¡¯m Anabel Connery, nice to meet you all¡­¡± she turned to Ell who hadn¡¯t really spoken ¡°Ellaila Kellent, my pleasure as well¡±, Ell then gave me a sceptical expression ¡°And what did you mean by wanted criminal? Matt?¡±. I went through most of what happened on earth without going into too much detail, Anabel went through a series of suddenly standing up, slamming her fist on the table and staring in astonishment. When I was finally done explaining I ordered a coffee from the crystal ¡°So how¡¯s your week been?¡± they both just stared at me with complicated expressions, ¡°Nothing like yours¡­I cannot believe the academy¡­No¡­the government!¡± she slammed her fist on the table for about the fourth time ¡°The outfit leader¡¯s been keeping us busy with all the new dungeons popping up all over the place, fortunately most of them are tame and co-operative but we are still required to map them out and rank them¡­¡± Ell then joined in ¡°Not to mention the strange ones¡­Last one we scouted was a full slime dungeon! Me, Anabel and Lia had to scout it on our own because most of the slimes were corrosive and we weren¡¯t too happy with having the guys there too¡± I noticed Anabel visibly shiver at the thought of it. ¡°Dungeons? What do you mean popping up all over?¡± Natasha chimed in reminding me that they knew little about what was going on around Etyria, ¡°Since the second wave the realms have destabilized making travel between each one easier, because of that there will also be rifts that may open due to the shift. One specific realm seems to be very close to Etyria¡¯s time space compared to the others so rifts are even more common between them, that other realm is completely ruled by a sentient core race known as living dungeons. They are capable of highly detailed mana manipulation to the point of creating monsters with a single thought, the first we¡¯ve ever found was killed by Matthew over here so the alliance demanded more research to be done and therefore most squads are currently taking on that contract. Some are quiet the headache to deal with although we¡¯ve rarely had to take one out, when one does happen to be aggressive enough to call for elimination¡­the elite squad is the one that does it as dungeons tend to be very dangerous if their lives are at risk. As for how to kill a dungeon¡­¡± Anabel stopped talking and looked at me ¡°You have three options, destroy the core if it¡¯s too strong, corrupt it and take it over or¡­Absorb it like you would with other core based races. Matthew I wanted to ask, back then¡­what happened to you? From our research¡­absorbing a core means connecting your soul to it¡¯s and that means the dungeon itself might very well absorb you¡­Leya didn¡¯t tell us anything and told us to never ask but¡­why were you so desperate? Surely you knew how dangerous it was to connect with it?¡±. I suddenly remembered what I had gone through on that mission, the desperation and loss of control¡­¡± And why do you want to know that?¡± I gave her a cold expression to point out that I wasn¡¯t fond of explaining but she unexpectedly fully met it with her own ¡°You¡¯ve been chosen for leader of the second Elite squad, a position I wanted for myself. I don¡¯t mean to be disrespectful, but I cannot accept a leader who¡¯s a possible loose cannon¡±. I chuckled at her determination which made her shift awkwardly ¡°Well¡­I¡¯ve already told you of what I use to be, tell me Anabel, do you know how does one gain control over something like a Cerberus? Ask yourself, why didn¡¯t we all just fightback? Surely we could have killed hundreds of them before the poison took effect!¡± I sensed the annoyance emanating from Clyde and Natasha but continued anyway as Anabel closed and opened her mouth wordlessly ¡°Here¡¯s why, imagine you¡¯re nine years or younger and you¡¯re forced to go through days of physical torture while the only place you ever see is a five meter by five meter white room littered with your own blood. At night when you try to sleep they purposely play the same damn song while they whispered through a mic things like ¡°We¡¯re all you have, nobody cares about you anymore. Trust us, fight for us, worship us¡±, we weren¡¯t slaves because we couldn¡¯t fight back!¡± I slammed my fist on the table noticeably denting the metal ¡°When you have nothing left, nobody left¡­you¡¯ll cling to whatever keeps you sane. Everyone clung to something or someone, all I had¡­was that white room¡­for years seeing nobody at all¡­I clung to fake safety that room gave me¡±. I laid back in the chair and stared up at the roof ¡°The things they did to us¡­even knowing that I still felt safe in that¡­damn room¡­when the doors closed to the dungeon¡­the feeling of something watching me¡­toying with me¡­I lost control¡±, I lowered my head and stared at her ¡°Yes I¡¯m a loose cannon, yes I¡¯m probably not qualified for this position. You think I asked for this? You think Zeaxar will just let me walk away now?¡±. She lowered her head ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have asked¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±, ¡°Good job on ruining the mood¡± Clyde spoke as he pulled out a pair of earphones connected to a music player in his hand. ¡°What is that?¡± Ell suddenly rose up over the table to take a closer look at the device, giving Clyde a full view of her breasts trying to escape her black shirt. Clyde just stared at her wide eyed while trying to compose words ¡°It¡­ah¡­m¡­¡±, Natasha sighed and walked over behind him ¡°it¡¯s an old music player¡± she slapped the back of his head ¡°He doesn¡¯t let anybody touch it, not even me¡±. Clyde just glanced away with a slightly red face ¡°Didn¡¯t have to hit me sis¡±, Natasha just chuckled ¡°Yeah, definitely taking your attention away from those without hitting you¡± while Ell stared with an amused expression at the both of them. I inwardly sighed (¡°Well¡­they are unnaturally¡­¡±) I suddenly sensed a piercing killing intent coming from right next to me, I glanced down to see Risa glancing between me and Ell while pouting ¡°Risa?...¡± she locked her gaze on Ell as everyone else including her sensed Risa¡¯s aura so they turned to look at her. (¡°Saya¡­Ember¡­Advice on what¡­¡±) but Ember responded before I could finish (¡°Pig¡±) followed by Saya (¡°Fiend¡±), I slumped down my shoulders as Wayne¡¯s laughter filled my mind. I shut all three of them out of my mind ¡°Risa you¡­alright?...¡± she glared up at me momentarily then cloaked which surprised everyone including me, ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to teach me that one¡­¡± Natasha began poking where Risa¡¯s ear should have been. I sighed as Risa finally spoke ¡°Humans can¡¯t do dark magic¡­¡± suddenly Anabel stood up ¡°Ah! I almost forgot!¡± everyone turned to look at her which made her shyly step back ¡°I should¡­get going¡­¡±, Ell peered up at her ¡°Training room?¡± which made Anabel freeze and give her a wry smile ¡°I never said that¡­¡± suddenly Ell clapped her hands together ¡°Idea! Let¡¯s show Nat-chan and Risa-chan around! We¡¯ll pass by the training rooms too!¡±. She stood up grabbed Anabel¡¯s arm and dragged her over to Natasha who¡¯s arm was also grabbed while a vine grew out of Ell¡¯s back and grabbed onto the still cloaked Risa, she dragged all three of them away while Risa whispered ¡°What¡­monstrous¡­strength!...¡±. Clyde looked over to me and took off an earphone ¡°What just happened?¡±, I sighed ¡°We got abandoned, come on I¡¯ll show you around¡± I stood up and began walking away as he momentarily stared at me in confusion but quickly followed. --- Risa¡¯s POV The vine wrapped around my waist and pulled me away from his arm, it was so sudden and I was so surprised that I wasn¡¯t able to fight back. Natasha looked too confused to do anything and when I glanced at the loose mouthed Anabel she seemed too used to this, I trashed and tried to pull the vine off but before I knew it we were climbing the stairs. In the end I just surrendered myself ¡°Where are you taking us?...¡± I uncloaked, the woman known as Ellaila giggled ¡°Training room¡±. When we finally stopped we were standing in a long corridor of perfectly spaced doors with what I knew as numbers written in their language on each door, we stopped by the fifty second room and entered ¡°This¡­an empty room with a barrier?¡± I glanced around (¡°No tools, weapons or targets?...¡±) I sighed ¡°Hey, monster breasts¡± I glanced at the Elf and she looked at me with a confused expression ¡°Why did you take me too?¡±. She released the vine from around me and walked over ¡°So we girls get to know each other¡± she placed her hand on my head as if she was talking to a child, ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡± I pushed her arm away ¡°Do that¡­¡± she gave me a smile and shrugged ¡°I also thought you could tell us about what Matt-senpai can do now, you¡¯re the closest to him so¡­¡±. She was getting on my nerves now ¡°senpai?..wa¡­Why should I?¡± I then glanced at Anabel ¡°Mostly with her, after your tone towards him why should I?¡± (¡°Bitch is lucky I haven¡¯t killed her yet¡±), Anabel just lowered her head shyly as I glared at her ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± I walked over to her ¡°Mean to what?¡± I was too annoyed to mind my tone ¡°Everyone has problems, who are you to question his then?¡±. She suddenly straightened up and tried to meet my gaze ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I seemed too harsh, I didn¡¯t mean to make him remember his past. If we are to be comrades though I don¡¯t want something like this to divide us, please don¡¯t let it blind you. I truly am sorry ¡±, her sincere apology caught me off guard ¡°Oh¡­I¡­¡± but before I could speak monster breasts cut in ¡°Then let¡¯s make up!¡± she grabbed the both of us and pulled us into a hug while laughing.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Natasha sneaked up behind her ¡°I am curious as to what you all know about his skillset¡­¡± she grabbed Ell by the shoulder and pulled her back ¡°So¡­Miss Elf, what can you tell me?...¡±, ¡°Huh?Ah¡­ahh¡­.Don¡¯t¡­¡± Natasha had begun fondling her mounds while Ell tried to resist ¡°Oh¡­these are perfect¡­so Ellaila...what can you tell me?...¡± Ell moaned and tried to escape but Natasha had her locked down ¡°I¡­don¡¯t¡­¡±. Me and Anabel glanced at each other and looked back at them in absolute fear, after Ell had told Natasha whatever she could in between moans and cries Natasha let her go and she fell onto her knees drenched in sweat and red as tomato. Natasha glanced at us ¡°So¡­who¡¯s next?...¡± she cracked her fingers, I immediately cloaked and stepped behind Anabel ¡°Sorry!¡± I pushed her towards Natasha ¡°Oh how nice of you to actually come to me¡± she grabbed on Anabel and spun her around. ¡°N¡­nno¡­.this¡­is¡­abuse¡­¡± Anabel cried and laughed as Natasha discovered she was ticklish, ¡°It¡¯s not if you like it¡­¡± she giggled and divulged onto Anabel¡¯s breasts ¡°Oh¡­a hidden bust¡­¡±. I stood by the metal door staring in absolute fear as Anabel also fell onto her knees out of breath, Natasha turned around and faced me ¡°I sense you¡­¡± She giggled and began walking over while I took steps back. --- Matthew¡¯s POV ¡°Dude¡­what the hell is wrong with your sister¡­¡± me and Clyde stood outside training room 52 listening in on the haven inside, another moan from Risa filled our ears ¡°They locked themselves in with a predator¡­she swings that way¡­¡±. Having had enough of listening in on their torture I move in to open the door ¡°Yo you mad!?¡± Clyde whispered frantically ¡°I ain¡¯t walking in on that!¡±, I glanced at him and sighed ¡°Oh? So you don¡¯t want to save your Elven princess from the clutches of your evil sister?¡± he turned red the second I finished that sentence. I chuckled as I pressed my palm to the panel to open the door, the second it opened Risa rushed to my chest and held on for dear life ¡°Natasha, that¡¯s enough torture. Ell, Anabel, If you really were going to take the newbies on a tour you should of taken Clyde too. Made it too obvious you wanted information on me and from what I can tell¡± I chuckled when I saw their expressions ¡°You ended up giving information instead of getting¡±. ¡°Take Clyde with you and actually show them around, I need to go find someone¡± I patted Risa¡¯s head ¡°Go with them, you need to familiarize yourself with the base anyhow¡± but she shook her head ¡°I¡¯m coming with you, with who you meeting?¡± she peered up at me, I chuckled ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later, I won¡¯t be gone for long and the entry test shouldn¡¯t be long now¡± she momentarily glanced away and nibbled her lip ¡°Fine¡­¡± She let go of my shirt. I turned around ¡°Ell take care of them for me¡± and began walking away, ¡°Yes sir captain sir!¡± Ell giggled after saying that and I glanced back at them ¡°Ain¡¯t your captain just yet you fool, see if you can pass first¡±. I walked away from them and over to the console where I engaged the teleportation system and set my destination to the library, I thought that if anybody had the information I was looking for it had to be the librarian. The second I phased into the library I noticed him through a window inside the small room reading a book with a couple more stacked next to him on the desk, ¡°What can I do for captain Anderson?¡± he glanced up from his book with an amused smile ¡°Does news travel that fast around here? Or is it just you?¡± I walked over to the open window. ¡°Just me, so what might you be looking for today?¡± he closed his book without marking the page and put it ontop of the others, ¡°Firstly I came to return this¡± I had taken the gloves out of my room when I went to show Clyde where the dorms are ¡°The journal you lent me, I have many questions about it also if you do not mind¡±. Loke nodded ¡°Ask away¡± and laid back in his chair ¡°The one who edited this journal, who was it?¡±, I summoned the journal out and handed it over to him ¡°The book was edited by my daughter for the purpose it states, some information was too personal to publicize¡± he began turning through the pages. ¡°The original author, I understand it was William Smith Yesventis the human Hero of Darkglade?¡± his wry smile didn¡¯t go unnoticed by me ¡°Yes, he is indeed. I also understand that he is still alive¡­nothing can kill that man¡­¡± Loke chuckled as he turned another page, ¡°Why did you give me this journal?¡± he glanced up to meet my cold expression ¡°because I knew what you were the moment you entered, the same as him¡± he turned a couple pages and set his palm over the book. ¡°Read¡± he turned the book towards me and pointed out the very last page ¡°It¡¯s empty¡± I pointed it out but moments later I wasn¡¯t so sure anymore, words began to burn into the paper forming sentences which then formed paragraphs. I began to read the top entry of the page ¡°It speaks to me constantly in my mind now¡­I cannot keep it out for much longer, I honestly think death is a better path than what I¡¯ll have to go through if it takes over¡­It calls onto me to find it¡¯s champion¡­It calls me their priest¡­but I won¡¯t give in. My freedom is earned and I will not give it up easily, to whoever might read this beware the Gods that watch over this world. They force us to play their games, they want us to fight their war and If I survive Darkglade and am able to cast off this monster from inside my mind¡­I¡¯m such a fool¡­I wanted power so badly¡­I practically let it in¡­even now Chaos tries to shatter my defences but I will not fall¡± My eyes widened at this revelation, Loke noticed my expression ¡°Continue¡± so I began reading the second and last entry ¡°It¡¯s champion¡­but of course¡­Gods cannot effect the realms at their full power without a vessel¡­the champion¡­is it¡¯s vessel¡­If I survive this day, I will kill this unborn vessel¡±. I closed the book and pushed it towards Loke ¡°Chaos...vessel¡­He was the Priest of Chaos?...But he wanted to¡­kill me¡­Does that mean he died before he could do that?...or was he taken over?...Loke¡­explain¡­¡± I looked up and inside the room but he was nowhere to be seen ¡°When did he¡­¡±, suddenly I felt something touching my right wrist ¡°What the¡­¡± out of nowhere an Iris appeared there beeping with a notification. ¡°How¡­¡± I sighed (¡°This only gave me more questions¡­Have I really disconnected from Chaos? Has William died or taken my place? Is Loke a damn ghost?!¡±), I momentarily glared down at the Iris but then gave up and tapped it on ¡°Right¡­the elite ceremony¡­¡± I sighed again as I swiped away the notification (¡°I¡¯ll ask Zeaxar¡­actually¡­that¡¯s a horrible idea¡­¡±). I shut off the Iris and head to the console where I selected the large training floor I was being called to, I activated the teleporter and phased out while giving one last glance at the journal on the window as a hand pulled it in ¡°You sly bas¡­¡±. ¡°tard¡­¡± I phased into the training room as I finished my sentence, ¡°And tardy you are captain, last one to arrive really¡± Clyde was sitting at the very edge of the benches looking into the entry tunnel where I stood. I ignored his remark and walked over ¡°Matthew Anderson reporting in¡± I faced Leya who stood by the entrance, ¡°Step into the arena captain, his highness will rank them himself¡± I noticed Zeaxar standing on the podium on the other side of the room with the other Elites. I nodded and walked through the barrier then kept walking till I reached the very middle of the arena, Zeaxar¡¯s voice echoed through the whole arena ¡°Elite candidates, enter the arena and stand at your given position¡± they all took position at the edge of the arena with Risa to my back, Anabel to me left, Ell to my right, Natasha to my front right and Clyde to my front left. ¡°The rules are simple, you have ten minutes and if at least one of you is taken out you all fail¡± the arena¡¯s barrier went completely black as I noticed everyone except the twins tense up, Clyde and Natasha had instead entered a state of full concentration with no expression what so ever on their face. ¡°To make this just a bit fair, Matthew you are only allowed to use one spirit and no more than one¡± Zeaxar stopped talking momentarily as he scanned the others and their expressions ¡°Now then¡­¡± he laid forward onto the railing as a grin curved it¡¯s way up his mouth ¡°Let the game¡­begin¡±. Bonds; New and Old (¡°Only got to take out one?¡±) My body dissipated into mist as I shadow stepped behind my target, mid magic Wayne emerged out from my chest and took shape in my right hand as I raised it. Within a blink of an eye I had already pulled the trigger, Anabel lay on the ground shocked after being pushed out of the way by Clyde with his single edged curved sword raised in front of him. (¡°Deflected it?...Seriously?¡±) I stepped forward at full speed as a lightning strike zooms past behind me where my head previously was, out of the corner of my eye I saw Natasha pulling her bow back again while Clyde rushed forward with a downward slash. Clyde¡¯s sword roared out like thunder as it sliced the air around it while another lightning like arrow left Natasha¡¯s bow, I leaned forward as my form faded to mist and I once again stood in the middle of the room. The instant I appeared I rushed forward at full speed towards Natasha with now both pistols in hand, I pulled both triggers as the pistols let out an automatic flurry of projectiles. Natasha turned towards me and pulled back her bow but wasn¡¯t quick enough, suddenly the ground between us exploded as hundreds of vines grew a wall and began to surround me. I stood my ground as the vines cocooned me in while a black mist oozed out of my body, the mist exploded and expanded at massive speed engulfing the vines and a vast area around the cocoon. (¡°Eight minutes¡±) The vines around me began turning to dust as the mana within them got completely drained by the mist, I raised both pistols to each side of me and began firing haphazardly while moving backwards. As I had expected another arrow struck through the mist towards me, my body faded into the mist as it continued to expand. (¡°I hate this form¡±) I could no longer feel my body but I could still sense each one of theirs, they surrounded the mist in groups of two, Clyde had joined Natasha while Anabel, Risa and Ell stood together not far from the other two. (¡°Three seconds per arrow¡±) without wasting any more time I bent the mist around me to assault their positions, the mist broke into two and rushed towards them as they broke their stances and moved out of the way. I bent the mist once more as it surrounded three of them and began draining their mana, suddenly an ear piercing sound filled the arena as Clyde slashed the air in front of him sending a wave of mana into the mist. The wave dispersed the mist forcing me to take form again, I stood there facing them both as Anabel, Ell and Risa lay on the ground between us too low on mana to do anything else. (¡°Take out¡­so low mana isn¡¯t applicable? Damn you Zeaxar¡­Six minutes¡±) I leaned forward with both pistols aimed ahead of me towards the three on the ground, an arrow zoomed towards me as I lowered myself to evade it and Clyde followed it by leaping over the three while coming down on me with his sword. Instead of stopping I continued forward abusing his mistake, I fired three shots all aimed at him and while he deflected each one I was already gone. He turned around with my mist still passing over him to see me appear behind Natasha with both guns raised, I pulled both triggers to release another flurry of projectiles. My eye lids opened wide as her body was engulfed in electricity somehow increasing her speed enough for her to evade to the left and avoid my attack, Clyde slashed another wave of mana into my attack to stop the projectiles from hitting him or the three next to him. Natasha spun around while pulling her bow string and took aim on me, Clyde leaped as thunder roared behind him sending him spiralling forward. (¡°Five¡±) I let myself fall backwards as their attacks passed over me, as I fell I shot another flurry of projectiles towards Natasha with one pistol and one at the ground beneath me with the other. Natasha evaded using the same ability again while Clyde stopped himself to turn and attack, by the time they had taken a stance I had already shadow rebound and all that stood between them was an explosion of sand. I stood over the three on the ground as Ell tried to will some vines to cover them, I pulled the trigger at both her and Anabel. Risa rushed into me pushing my arms apart to force my attack to miss as I leaped backwards to retreat, I landed a couple meters away as she fell back to her knees with less mana than she previously had. Clyde rushed forward with multiple leaps, within moments he was standing in between me and them with sword raised towards me. I took a moment to take in their expressions, Anabel was enraged, Ell was confused, Natasha was tired, Risa was grinning and Clyde was focusing. (¡°Going on the defensive? Good choice¡±) we stood there facing each other while Natasha pulled back her bowstring and stood ready to release, (¡°Four¡±) I began charging up my left pistol as I turned to aim my right towards him. I fire shot after shot as he expertly deflected them while two handing his sword, I suddenly fired a flurry of projectiles forcing him to slash another wave of mana. The moment he did I shadow stepped away, I appeared behind Natasha again with my right pistol aimed at her back. Instead of firing I charged it up while her body was engulfed with electricity and she spun around taking aim on me as well, she released her bow string and an arrow made of blue electricity formed then shot forward. I pulled the trigger and released my own projectile, the two collided creating a blast strong enough to push both of us back a couple steps. The blast also created a large smoke screen of sand cutting off their vision of me, I raised my left pistol and pulled the trigger. A black mass of mana shot out of the barrel and devoured through the sand, I heard a sudden thundering roar as Clyde took on the attack head-on with his sword. His blade sparked with electricity as it slashed downwards releasing an air wave of dense mana into my blast of dark mana, the two attacks collided as my black mass momentarily slowed down while it devoured through the larger wave of air. Clyde slashed wave after wave into my attack as Natasha positioned herself to the side while pulling back her bowstring, I shadow rebound out of the way of her arrow and appeared behind the others and Clyde as he sent one final wave clashing into my extinguishing attack. I raised both pistols as Ell rose to her knees with her left arm raised but she didn¡¯t have enough mana to cast anymore vines (¡°Two¡±), I then suddenly noticed Anabel whispering something which made me tense up and leap backwards (¡°Her mana regeneration has increased¡­¡±) she shouted the last words of her incantation as she stood up and pointed her right arm towards me ¡°lend me an Inferno¡±. Between us a blazing hellfire erupted cutting me off into the corner of the arena, I was cornered and couldn¡¯t shadow step out as I needed direct sight while I couldn¡¯t shadow rebound either as I needed to shadow step first. I waited but the inferno didn¡¯t seem to be going away any time soon (¡°Eighty¡±) I released both pistols and raised my arms ¡°Devouring mist rise, hunger through and drain over¡± I began reciting an incantation ¡°Corrode their weapons, absorb their magic¡± a thick black mist quickly grew around me ¡°rush over them with your gluttony and devour their minds¡±, the mist exploded on my last word and tripled in size and density while more and more was being created around my body. (¡°One¡±) The enormous mass of black mist filled the corner and collided with the blazing wall of fire, I bent the mist to focus in front of me as it drained Anabel¡¯s fire. Suddenly a piercing pain filled my back making me fall to my knees (¡°This¡­again¡­¡±) I forced myself up while merging with Wayne which seemed to reduce the pain, the mist broke through the fire and just then Anabel released her magic so I also released mine. The fire and the mist began to quickly dissipate as I shadow stepped the second I had line of sight, I had appeared between Clyde and Ell while both of them reacted to my sudden appearance. Ell stepped back while summoning a vine from her right arm, Clyde on the other hand spun around while his sword sparked alive with electricity as a thundering roar echoed out of it. They both stabbed towards my position as I raised both arms engulfed in black mist, I shot the mist forth and it hit them head on but they continued forward with their attacks. I grabbed Ell¡¯s fist with my left as her vine crumbled to dust then grabbed Clyde¡¯s blade with my right as it¡¯s spark died out, their expressions changed to shock as I pulled both of them closer to me. I shifted my hand to grab Clyde¡¯s arm and along with his own momentum I pulled his blade towards Ell as she also continued on with her momentum and my pull on her arm, Clyde¡¯s blade stabbed towards Ell¡¯s neck as I stepped out of the way. (¡°Ten, it¡¯s over¡±) Clyde¡¯s blade was centimetres away from her neck now, suddenly he let go of the hilt (¡°You¡­¡±) the blade sparked alive again and disappeared with a thundering howl. I finished taking my step back as they collided with each other and fell to the ground, I quickly move towards their falling state with my right arm raised back while the spikes on my elbow faced Clyde¡¯s back. The other three were either under mana exhaustion or too slow as I descended on Clyde, suddenly I felt a hand on my left shoulder pulling me back ¡°Time¡¯s up¡±. Clyde and Ell hit the ground with Clyde on top holding onto the back of Ell¡¯s head as he also got a face-full of her breasts, I turned around to see Zeaxar standing behind me. ¡°Congratulations, you all pass¡± He glanced around at the others ¡°You will find your uniforms in your dorm rooms, further information will be sent to you via notification through the Irises given to you¡± he then met my gaze ¡°Matthew come with me, we have some things to talk about¡±. He turned around and began walking towards the exit as the barrier once again became transparent, I glanced at the others, Natasha stood alone while giving her brother a jealous glare, Anabel sat on the ground next to Risa as the both of them took deep breathes, Clyde was still sunk between Ell¡¯s breasts as she rose up and suddenly noticed him making her face go red and pushing him away. Clyde was thrown off and hit the floor with his face ¡°Ow!...¡± the smack seemingly snapped him out of whatever daze he was previously in, I chuckled at this scene but then turned to follow after Zeaxar. Before I walked out of the arena I glanced back at Risa as she stared at me ¡°Go rest, I¡¯ll send you a message on the Iris when I¡¯m done¡±, she nodded so I turned around and walked over to the console where Zeaxar stood waiting for me. ¡°What is it?¡± I stopped next to him as he surfed the menu on the console, ¡°We¡¯ll talk in my office¡± he selected the teleporter on the map and activated it. We teleported into his office ¡°What happened back there?¡± he walked over to his desk ¡°I may have limited you but you still held back, I still remember your power from back on Earth. So why?¡± he sat down and calmly stared at my position, I chuckled ¡°Would you believe me if I told you it was my back? I¡¯m not completely sure myself but for some reason when I use an excess amount of mana I get a piercing pain in my back, along with the pain my ability to control my mana slows down and the flow of mana itself seems to change¡± I unmerged from Wayne while moving closer to the desk. His expression changed to one of deep thought ¡°Your back huh?...Where exactly?¡±, I began to flow my mana rapidly through my whole body and suddenly the piercing pain returned ¡°Right beneath my shoulders on both sides¡±. He nodded ¡°Well nothing I can do about that, you¡¯ll have to figure it out as I¡¯m no expert on¡­well¡­Hybrid biology¡± he tapped the monitor flat on his desk ¡°Also¡± a holographic illusion appeared as a screen between us ¡°Do you recognise this?¡±, the screen showed the sky swirling into a whirlpool of black, purple and grey as if reality was being spun around.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°It¡¯s too unstable to be a tunnel but not enough to be a rift so it must be a portal, from the colouring I¡¯m guessing¡­A void portal¡± I glared at the screen with resentment, ¡°That it is, which begs the question¡­Why so soon? Surely the void hasn¡¯t procured enough resources to invade again within so little time? What changed? What opened this portal? Those questions are your first mission as Frost squad¡± I raised an eyebrow at the name ¡°Frost?¡±. He sighed ¡°Since I now have two Elite squads I cannot simply call them by numbers, that would decrement their importance. The first Elite squad will now be name Elite Seven as its predecessor while your squad will use the acronym Frost which stands for Forward Relational Operations and Scouting Troops, I found them fitting since the Elite squad will always hold the most experienced and skilled of the company while the Frost squad¡­well¡­my dear cold blooded killers. Now one of you may not be so cold blooded¡­but I¡¯m sure she will adapt, she¡¯s been quite useful a sorceress so far and is exceptional at large scale magiks¡°, he turned off the illusional display ¡°Sir, there is also some things I wish to discuss¡± he looked up from the monitor ¡°What is it?¡±. I raised my left hand to the black gem on my horn ¡°Remember when I was contacted by Chaos through my unconscious mind? It happened again¡± his eyes widened ¡°Chaos spoke to you again? So your change didn¡¯t destroy your connection?¡± I shook my head ¡°I don¡¯t know but this wasn¡¯t just Chaos, it was also Darkness. It contacted me to warn me and ask something of me, it warned me of Chaos emerging from it¡¯s cage which Darkness itself was and about Chaos legion¡¯s capabilities. It asked me to find its children in return I was given power, this gem is that power but I am not sure how to utilise it¡±. Zeaxar tapped the monitor erratically ¡°I will inform the alliance leaders, yet another threat¡­this doesn¡¯t bode well¡­Will this Darkness be on our side then?¡± he looked back up at me ¡°No, The God of Darkness is no more. With the God¡¯s dyeing breath Chaos emerged from their body¡­We do not have long¡±. He sighed and laid back in his chair ¡°You witnessed the death of a God¡­That gem was its gift?...I am curious at what it is as well¡­You should let Heiken have a look at it after the mission, I know you don¡¯t want to be anywhere near him but he¡¯s the best scientist we¡¯ve got and your best shot at figuring yourself out¡±, he tapped the monitor as he looked back at me ¡°So figure yourself out captain¡± I began to teleport out from the office. When I appeared I was standing yet again in the cafeteria (¡°Figure myself out?...¡±) I sighed (¡°I¡¯ve been trying to do that for years¡±), ¡°Matt?¡± I heard Risa calling from behind me so I turned to find her standing there ¡°Hey, what are you doing here?¡± she walked over and grabbed onto my arm ¡°I..don¡¯t remember how to use the¡­teleporter¡­We didn¡¯t use the stairs¡­so I don¡¯t know what floor they are on¡­I thought I¡¯d wait for you here since¡­we appeared here last time too¡­¡±. She looked up at me ¡°Can we¡­talk somewhere?...somewhere else¡­¡± my whole body stiffened ¡°Yeah¡­come on I¡¯ll show you the outside¡± I already knew what she wanted to talk about, I guided her to the console and selected the map then engaged the teleporter to the outside of the base. We appeared at the top of the mountains ¡°This is DarkGlade, a place of grand history for my race and the Etyrian races¡± we stared down at the ruined fortress under the light of the descending sun, ¡°So..what did you want to talk about?¡± I asked anyway in case I was wrong but ¡°About us¡­¡± she let go of my arm ¡°You¡¯re always so collected, you keep everything to yourself and I cannot read you at all¡± she looked out at the ruins. ¡°What are we to you? What¡­am I to you?¡± she continued to stare off, I continued to stare at her ¡°We are what we want to be, you are what you want to be and to me you are the one I want by my side. You¡¯re the only being to ever affect me emotionally other than with hatred, ever since my release from slavery I had vowed to myself that I¡¯d protect the innocent and hunt the wicked yet here I stand betrayed by both¡± I moved closer and pulled her close as she turned to look up at me ¡°I had settled my mind the moment we first kissed, shutting away my emotions hasn¡¯t served me anything by loneliness and space for more hatred to boil up. You are my reason to live, you are my reason to fight and you are also my reason to come back¡± she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled up to where her mouth was by my right ear. ¡°I feel the same¡­we are both¡­the same¡­I will follow you where ever you go, I will do whatever you ask me to do, you showed me who I truly am and in return¡­¡± bright red embers began to flow out of her hair as the black was engulfed in a piercingly bright red signalling how emotional she currently was, ¡°As you are mine¡­I am yours¡­¡± she pulled back momentarily but then moved back in. We stood there holding each other with lips together moving erratically, until I suddenly fell back pulling her down on top of me. --- An unknown figure stood in the middle of a white wasteland as snow slowly fell upon him, he wore a dark blue cloak with dark grey leather straps falling behind him like a cape. Only the figure¡¯s hands and mouth were visible from under the black furred cloak, his skin held a tinge of purple as small blue characters shone brightly while lining up with what seemed to be his bone structure. The being suddenly turned to face a single direction of the snowfields that seemed exactly the same as any other, he was standing in a large opening of snow surrounded by hundreds of crystal blue trees that grew around and into each other making it seem more like a jungle and less a forest. He continued to face the direction he was alerted to as a low pitched horn sounded off in the distance, his mouth curved into a fanged grin as he raised his left arm to pull down his hood. His face was revealed to be of a young adult with the same shining blue characters running across it in a skull like pattern while so many surrounded his eye sockets that they seemed to be a single patch each, the eyes themselves on the other hand did not match each other at all with the grey left eye having the same blue characters form four circles within the white area and the right purple eye constantly pulsated dimly while an eerie purple mist flowed out only to dissipate after reaching his neck. His hair was pure white with strands of purple growing out a bit longer at random spots, he chuckled maniacally as he waited. He stared into the trees as the horn sounded off again followed by the shouts of warriors in an unknown language, the snow itself seemingly trembled at whatever was moving towards him. He stood straight as a sudden movement from the trees caught his full attention, half the jungle surrounding him was completely trampled as large humanoids larger than the trees themselves ran over them as if they were no more than bushes in their wake. The warriors wore a full set of dark red plated armour that seemed to give off enough heat to evaporate the falling snow, their helmets showed only their fierce green eyes and three long black horns that curved their way out of the top. The warriors held an assortment of weaponry including what seemed like cannons and staffs but lacked the commonplace sword and shield or even a spear, albeit axes, maces and hammers seemed to be the three most favoured among them. He stared on in glee as the army that seemed to number in the thousands rushed towards him at great speed, as the first warriors got within ten meters the army broke into two and surrounded him while continuing to trample the trees along with a couple boulders. When the army finally stopped moving he began to looked around him as the armoured giants fiercely glared at his direction, he raised his right arm to his throat as a dim blue light momentarily shone when his fingers touched the skin. ¡°You brought numbers but where is the bringer of them? Show me your leader¡± his eyes shone more brightly as he spoke with a ghastly voice, with each word he said the snow around him shifted with strange winds. Suddenly a larger warrior began moving through the army until he reached the front, it wore the same armour but had no helmet. The being had night blue skin and short snow white hair with a short beard tied up in a warrior¡¯s knot, it¡¯s eyes burned bright red as it raised a two handed war hammer twice its own size and spoke in a deep gnarly voice ¡°You come, in our lands. You side, with our prey. You kill, our hunters¡± with each word the army stomped the snowy ground as steam rose all around them ¡°You pay, for your acts. You pay, for your words. You pay, with blood¡±. He smashed down his hammer into the ground in front of him and a smokescreen of steam rose engulfing him completely, ¡°You die, tonight. FOR OUR BROTHERS!¡± with one final war cry that echoed throughout the army they followed their leader like a pack and charged the lone man. The leader was the first to reach the man as he stood there staring with an all too amused grin, he brought down his enormous hammer onto the man who till the end did not budge. The army stopped as confusion filled it¡¯s ranks while their leader raised the hammer from on top the man, they all stared in horror as there no longer lay any part of him there. The leader stepped forward and gently kicked around the snow for any sign but found nothing, he began to look around his warriors then turned his hammer and glanced at its face. Suddenly a bright purple light shone from the sky and everyone looked up, the man was now a couple hundred meters up in air looking down at the grandiose numbers of the army. A purple sphere of mana surrounded his body as blue runic characters began to appear all over it, he opened his eyes wide as his grin grew into a full smile ¡°Listen carefully for I the Demi-God of Chaos shall speak, you have ravaged this world for long enough and tonight marks the end of your existence. Tonight the bright light of a thriving race shall lose its final embers, tonight a race will be met with extinction¡± he lightly raised his right arm and aimed an open palm down at the ground. A sudden flash of blinding purple light momentarily filled the scene, when the light faded the army was completely gone, the remaining trees and snow were completely gone and in their place was a deep circular crater twice as large as the land the army had occupied. The lone man hovered down to the current elevation of the ground, he looked up at the night sky illuminated by its four moons ¡°It¡¯s nights like these that I miss her¡­¡± suddenly a dark shadowy figure appeared behind him ¡°Makes you think how everything would have gone if you had stayed by their side¡±. The man glanced at the shadow with a menacing glare ¡°I will ask when I require your life-advice Kurt, lose the form the dead do not speak¡± the shadow like humanoid bowed and suddenly took form, the wolf like man straightened up and met his gaze ¡°Where to next?¡±. The man looked away and back at the sky ¡°We shall meet with Erza and you two will move on to the next realm, I on the other hand have an asset to check on¡±, the beastman sighed ¡°Did you have to bring in a child into our plan? He¡¯s gone through enough you know¡±. The man shook his head ¡°I had no choice, he was chosen for a reason and is therefore our only hope. He is no longer a child also, he hasn¡¯t been a child since he lost it all. You don¡¯t know my kind, when we lose everything¡­that is when we reach our limits¡±, he raised his arm and looked into his palm ¡°but when we have something to save¡­to live for¡­those limits mean nothing to us¡± in his palm lay a pure white ring with two names etched on the inside. ¡°One day¡­I will return¡­Arryn¡­¡± Strange situation Matthew¡¯s POV the next morning I slowly woke up albeit still slightly tired from last night (¡°I wonder if Devils and Succubii have it in common¡­¡±), a harmless thought went through my mind as her bare skin pressed onto mine and I noticed she had woken up before me. ¡°You just thought of something perverted didn¡¯t you?¡± she gave me a mischievous smile as I stared into her eyes, I decided it wasn¡¯t harmless enough to say it out loud and played it off ¡°Hm? I was only thinking of how good it feels to wake up to you by me¡± I pulled her closer and right after she blushed to my comment and I kissed her. Last night had been my first to many¡­many things along breaking the rules to break into her room, I began to get out of the bed (¡°I dare Zeaxar or anybody to call me out for this, though it¡¯s not like it¡¯s my fault that Elites have access to almost every door in the base¡±). ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead and take a shower, or do you want to first?¡± I looked back as she stared at me, she seemed to be lost in thought ¡°Ris? Should I shower first?¡± she snapped out of her thoughts with a couple blinks and nodded. I went ahead and grabbed the extra clothes I had brought with me and went inside the shower, after closing the door behind me I sat the clothes down and stood there for a couple moments. I sighed (¡°Ember, Saya I swear I will give you form and torture the both of you if you ever mentally peek again¡±) I wasn¡¯t too angry but I¡¯d rather settle it now than when I¡¯m in the middle of it, I felt their apologetic nods through our connection and spiritual contract (¡°Good, is Wayne still¡­¡±) due to the both of them peeking Wayne also got an accidental peek (¡°I..I¡¯m¡­okay¡­I¡¯m okay¡­okay...okay¡­¡±) something told me he wasn¡¯t okay at all. I let it slide since even though he had a childish personality his spirit¡¯s actual age was beyond even my calculations, Ember¡¯s was probably much older but Saya on the other hand couldn¡¯t be judged through age since Fae change completely when they gain a physical body and from millennia old Pixies become years old Fairies. I went ahead and began to take a shower when I suddenly scolded myself for not having my senses on alert, I hear the door suddenly open ¡°Risa we came to get you!¡± I heard Natasha¡¯s voice followed by Anabel ¡°I¡¯m sorry Risa¡­I told her we should message you instead but¡­¡± followed by three gasps. ¡°Oh..S..Sorry¡­I didn¡¯t think you¡­slept naked¡­¡± Natasha for the first time sounded embarrassed, ¡°Why is sleeping naked strange?¡± this time it was Ell who spoke making the rest momentarily stop speaking. On the other hand I was hiding my presence while flattening myself to the side of the shower (¡°WHY NOW!? WHY A BLURRY SEE THROUGH SHOWER DOOR!? GOD DAMNIT!¡±) I dared them to say anything¡­I didn¡¯t mind them knowing¡­but this situation was beyond me. ¡°Well it¡¯s not that it¡¯s strange¡­It¡¯s just¡­I don¡¯t know really¡­¡± Anabel tried to answer Ell¡¯s question with no help from Natasha, while this went on and due to my concealed aura I could fully feel the killing intent emanating from Risa. ¡°He¡­was supposed to be the only¡­one¡­to see¡­¡± her aura thickened so much I began to feel sick with nothing keeping it from pounding into my senses, ¡°You¡­¡± even with the bright lights in the room and the blurry glass I could clearly see her hair light up into a blaze. ¡°Him? Wha¡­¡± Anabel began to speak but stopped as she must have noticed the shower lights being on, (¡°Fuck safety! The switch is on the outside¡­¡±) I cursed once more as I decided I should take action before Risa does something unfixable. I quickly dried myself off with Ember¡¯s fire and put on the new uniform we found in our closet crystals, a bluish black trench coat that reached my knees with silver claw marks over a dark grey shirt with the company¡¯s crest displayed proudly in the middle, long black pants with similar claw markings to the coat and a pair of dark blue combat boots. I walked out of the shower room to the scene outside, a raging inferno of a naked Devil still on the bed covering herself with the sheets, a very confused Elf undecided on who to stare at, a bewildered blonde immediately blushing when she saw me come out and an amazed brunette switching gazes between me and Risa. ¡°Devils work fast¡­¡± Natasha clapped her hands together, I swear I could see the heat searing the sheets Risa was holding. I turned to face the three girls still by the door, I was about to speak but suddenly the low sound of music began, the almost in audible sound of some sort of dubstep got closer and closer as we stood momentarily frozen staring at each other. ¡°What you all taking so long for? Matthew wasn¡¯t in his room so¡­¡± along with the music Clyde appeared by the door way and was about look between his sister and Anabel, (¡°Why¡­¡±) with a burst of speed I rushed forward as a black mist quickly covered the entrance behind me. ¡°Must you all have such horrible timing¡­¡± I menacingly glared at each one of them, none looked back and as for Clyde he was still staring at the black wall of mist behind me completely confused. Ell seemed to be amused at the whole situation while Anabel was still staring mouth half open at me ¡°We..should leave¡­¡± she turned around pulling Natasha behind her while Ell followed, ¡°Ookay...We¡¯ll be eating breakfast while¡­well whatever the hell just happened¡­¡± Clyde gave one last glance at the mist and me then turned to follow the girls. I sighed as I closed the door behind me, ¡°What the hell?...¡± I released the mist making it quickly dissipate into nothing. I looked at Risa who had mostly calmed down as she held the sheets close while hugging her knees, ¡°It was almost perfect¡­then they ruined the morning¡­¡± she pouted obviously annoyed at what had occurred. I leaned my back to the door and simply began to laugh, I laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation, I laughed at the annoyance and urgency I felt towards such a silly situation and I laughed happily that moments like these were now a possibility even for someone like me. I ended my laugh after a couple moments and looked back at Risa who stared at me still pouting, I walked over and bent down to kiss her ¡°They ruined nothing, we¡¯ll have plenty of time to make use of and I won¡¯t allow anyone or anything to stop us from enjoying our time¡± of course I was talking about the current predicament of a possible war between Gods with no God currently on our side. She gave me a warm smile oblivious to the future danger we might have to face (¡°I won¡¯t allow it¡­This¡­will not be taken away from me¡­I will not lose anything else¡±) I moved away from the bed ¡°Take a shower and go eat some breakfast, I was going to check in medical after our mission this noon but I think it¡¯s high time I figure things about my body¡±. ¡°Alright¡­I¡¯ll teach them a lesson myself then¡± she gave me a fanged grin while her tail whipped about excitedly, I chuckled and shook my head ¡°Just don¡¯t break them too much¡± I then turned around and walked through the door. I subconsciously raised my right hand and touched the black shard embedded on the front of my now slightly larger horn (¡°The gift of anir¡­Is it really just an expansion of mana?...or is there more to it?¡±), I had previously used it back on earth to refill my mana but the feeling it gave me was something I will never forget. I again focused on it as a feeling of ancient magic freely flowed into me, again I felt a change in my eyes as well as my horn. It was too complicated a feeling to put in words but the main feeling was as if a bottomless pit of energy had suddenly opened up to me, I could no longer feel as in no emotion touched my mind while I was in this state. Slowly a coldness creeped throughout my whole body taking over my senses, it was like liquid ice slowly flowing through my veins until it reached my heart. I began walking through the corridors that is the dorm, I felt completely emotionless, no guilt, no worry and none of the happiness I had felt earlier. I stopped the flow from the shard and quickly everything returned to what I now considered normal, (¡°I can see how such a feeling could devour someone¡­to feel nothing at all¡­would I ever leave that state if I hadn¡¯t these emotions I hold dear within me now?¡±) I shook my head as I turned another corner (¡°There must be more beyond this¡­I can¡­feel it somehow¡­every time I enter that state¡­as if it¡¯s poking at my heart¡­¡±). I clutch my chest as I finally reach the console (¡°I¡¯ll figure it out¡­but first¡±) I momentarily stared at it before opening the map and setting the teleportation target. I appeared within one of the many laboratory floors within the base, this one specifically was the highest clearance possible below Zeaxar¡¯s personal floor. The room I was currently in looked like any other science lab at first glance but after taking a closer look I could see much more, strange liquids glowed and moved within hundreds of flasks that cleanly sat to the side while multiple mana signatures emanated from otherworldly looking stones and crystals that lay within large glass boxes along a long table. I glanced at the strangest occurrence within the lab where the personnel seemed to be collected around, three figures in white lab coats stood around a large white crystal surrounded by runic sealing magic and two pitch black rings hovering around it. The runes surrounded the dungeon core like a barrier would and once you looked at it from certain angles ethereal chains could be seen wrapping around the crystal and its rings, I began walking over to the researchers while they studied the core with one of them noting things down when told. They hadn¡¯t noticed me at all as I didn¡¯t even try to hide my presence, I stood behind the old Human, greying ginger Dwarf and large Fishman. I cleared my throat to get their attention making all three jump and quickly turn around, ¡°Oh..K..Matthew, I was told you¡¯d be coming but I expected you to be here a bit later?¡± Heiken had dropped his glasses from the fright I gave him and he bent down to grab them from the floor ¡°These are my assistants Flerk and Daguth¡± the dolphin man nodded at the mention of his name while the dwarf simply grunted after.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Heiken rose up and put his glasses back on only to take them off a moment later ¡°What the¡­¡± I guessed that nobody had told him, he put the glasses back on and stared at me for several seconds ¡°You going to show me to the scanners or should I try door to door and find them myself?¡± I got tired of his staring and began walking over to one of the many doors in the room. ¡°Oh..ah no that¡¯s not a good idea and yes come with me¡± he finally rushed over and grabbed my shoulder to stop me. I glanced back at his steadily paling expression as his hand slowly moved away from my shoulder ¡°S..Sorry¡­This way¡­¡± he gestured to another door and turned to walk towards it, his assistants gave him worried looks but otherwise continued their study of the dungeon core. I stepped through the now open door after him taking note of the multiple scanning machines within the new room ¡°Mana, Biological, Mechanical and Runic¡­but what are the other two for?¡± I walked over to the two scanning chambers I did not recognise; each machine was a small room with a door that could hold an above average sized Drakon. ¡°The left one is non-operational, it¡¯s supposed to be able to scan a being¡¯s soul but tests have not shown progress. The right one on the other hand is a multipurpose scanner, we use it to record certain reactions too dangerous to watch or record without enough protection in-between.¡± I eyed the larger chamber noticing that unlike the others it had no clear surfaces to look within only reinforced walls and door. ¡°We¡¯ll use this then, make things faster¡± I gave him no time to argue and turned the button that obviously opened the door since it was the only one on the machine and right next to the door, the chamber¡¯s door opened horizontally upwards and I entered. He scratched his head and walked over closing the door behind me ¡°Yes..yes¡­fine¡­¡±, I saw him walk away and towards a desk full of monitoring machinery and computers as the door closed. The inside of the machine was pearly blue with perpendicular lines of green crystals on each wall, below me instead of a floor was a larger white crystal taking the whole area while the roof was also the same. The green crystals lit up with a blueish light and I felt as if every particle in my being was being watched, I retrieved my aura to decrease the unpleasant feeling and to allow more detailed data to be taken. Suddenly the white crystal floor and roof began flashing with a bright white light in unison, after what felt like a minute or more all the lights shut off. When the lights shut off I felt a piercing pain on my back, the same pain I felt when overusing my mana or otherwise over taxing the dark shard on my horn. I leaned sideways holding onto the wall as the door began to open, (¡°Matt¡­I still cannot identify the pain¡­I feel so useless¡­¡±) I heard Saya and felt her annoyance (¡°Whatever it is it¡¯s beyond the both of us, you aren¡¯t useless Saya, the opposite really. If I didn¡¯t have you who knows how far my change would have gone.¡±) I seemed to have calmed her down for the moment. Doctor Heiken walked over to the scanning chamber with a confused expression ¡°Are you alright? Did the scanner effect you?¡±, I shook my head and walked out ¡°It¡¯s something I¡¯ve felt before after over exerting my mana, also this¡± I pointed at the shard ¡°seems to be the source of it since before gaining it I hadn¡¯t any problems¡±. I walked over to the two computer monitors on the desk with Heiken standing by me ¡°It is still processing the data, mind telling me what happened to you so I can effectively read it when it is done?¡±. I grimaced at the thought of this slug knowing anything about me again but in the end Zeaxar is right, I have no choice in this regard as I am neither a professional Aether chemist nor Biologist like this man. So I began to go over the steps I took to corrupt my soul and merge with my spirits and their Aether bodies to change myself to the core, using ambient mana to purify mana efficiency and bending it into my soul to speed up the change. His expression paled and changed from fascination to absolute horror ¡°The material Bound Aethers are made from must have had a reaction to the ambient mana and a further reaction when it came into direct contact with your soul¡­¡± he seemed deep in thought for a couple moments. He quickly took out a notepad and pen from his coat (¡°Really?...A notepad?...Paper?...and pen?...¡±) he ignored my surprised expression and began scribbling onto the paper, he then turned the notepad and showed me what he drew ¡°Bound Aethers are made from a crystalline material known as Corium, the material monster cores are made of. It is the only material known to us that can hold mana in significant amounts without loss over time but can still be drained at will by sentient beings, beings with a connection to the soul realm like us and enough intellect to know the difference between it and I¡± the drawing was of a human figure with a monster core inside and two swirls on each side of the core. He continued to explain while pointing at the drawing ¡°Let¡¯s assume you absorbed the material itself with the mana that resided within it, that should not be possible as the material would dissipate once drained unless¡­You absorbed the material without draining it of mana with the assistance of your spirits that held their mana within the material that were their bodies, still though that doesn¡¯t explain your racial change?...¡± he looked back at the drawing again deep in thought. ¡°My spirits had evolved before I merged with them, they gained adaptable bodies like a sentient being¡± I glanced at the monitors seeing the scan was complete. He began to scribble on the notepad again while taking short glances at the data on the monitors, his horrified expression intensified with each passing moment. When he was done writing he put down the illegible drawing on the desk and turned to stare at me, I glared back ¡°What?! What did you figure out!?¡± his horrified expression reached it¡¯s peek as he began to mildly tremble but it wasn¡¯t fear¡­no it was amazement and excitement. ¡°Matthew¡­You¡¯re the first sentient being with a core¡­¡± I looked at him with an annoyed expression ¡°Yes I know my body works like a monster core as well as still having pores to utilize a soul, I already knew that!¡±, he shook his head ¡°No no no! You for all accounts are growing a core! Your body reacts like a core while the actual core is still being formed!¡±. I looked at him with a confused expression as he continued ¡°The core is still stabilizing and it is doing so at a very quick rate! The more you utilize your mana the quicker it will be complete, I suspect the pain you are feeling is the core forming! Do you know what all this means!?¡± he then suddenly cleaned up the desk by throwing off a lot of the equipment off the desk and grabbed the keyboard and mouse, he opened a 3D display program and began forming shapes while opening other files. Two animations began to play on each monitor respectively, one of a human utilizing magic and another of a cored monster absorbing ambient mana. He glanced back at my now shocked expression ¡°You understand now¡­don¡¯t you? You not only have a soul that processes impure mana from the soul realm for you to use but¡­once it is done¡­ you will have a core to process ambient mana for you to also use¡­and due to what we are as sentient beings our mana control far surpasses slimes which use to be the most effective cored monsters at it before Dungeon cores!¡± I now fully comprehended what Saya had said the other time, ¡°But that...That effectively triples my mana regeneration¡­isn¡¯t that¡­unreasonable?...¡±. He suddenly rose away from the desk with arms open laughing like a maniac ¡°It is! It truly is! And not just that! With the possession of a monster core your mana manipulation abilities will increase in accuracy!¡± he held onto the back of his head with both hands while continuing to chuckle ,¡°Then there is your pure mana¡­Access to each and every known element and its sub elements¡­Dark, Light, Chaos, Corruption, Nature, Fire, Water, Earth, Wind and all their children! Thunder! Lightning! Ice! Frost! Lava! Crystal! and everything else!¡± he slowly began to take controlled breathes to calm himself. ¡°The Etyrian texts have only known of a single being with pure mana! But you are much more powerful than even it!¡± but he was unsuccessful in doing so as his excitement had obviously reached its peak, he accidentally kicked away an office chair but ignored it to continue speaking ¡°Matthew¡± he looked directly at me as I looked back still surprised by all this ¡°You¡¯re becoming something superior to mages of legend! Superior to Arch-mages! Superior to Soul mages! Only the ridiculous existence of a manamancer can compare! ¡°. It all made sense¡­it all fit in¡­but I still couldn¡¯t believe it. I sat back into a chair and stared at my hands (¡°What will I be able to do once the core is complete?...With the shard for mana supply¡­my abnormal mana regen from my soul and now core combined¡­and the increased control over my mana and surrounding mana I will have¡­¡±) I clenched them into fists while Heiken continued on with his rant about legends that I ignored (¡°Do I even have limits anymore?...I guess I do¡­I know of no magic runic, casted or enhancement that uses so much mana at once¡­even Wayne and Ember¡¯s weapon forms have limits to how much mana they can spend at once¡­¡±) as I thought of the possibilities my excitement was ruined by my own understanding of reality (¡°Everything has limits, I just removed one of them.¡±) I sighed and stood up ¡°As incredible as all this is on paper, practically it still has the same bounds I use to have except for one. I may never run out of mana but stamina is still a factor while so is body control and reflexes, calm yourself there is still things we need to check on.¡±, I walked over to the monitors while Heiken shook himself out of his rant ¡°Yes..true¡­still amazing though!¡±. I maximized the scanner¡¯s window and continued to go over the data with him ¡°Anything else out of order?¡± , he was continuously tapping his finger on the table while scrolling through ¡°I do not see anything else out of¡­¡± he suddenly took a step back from the desk and held onto the back of his head again with both hands. His horrified expression returned as his eyes lay wide open while this time his mouth stayed agape, I glanced between him and the information I did not understand on the monitor ¡°What?! What now!?¡±. I simply couldn¡¯t stand the stress anymore and grabbed him by the shirt ¡°Speak up! What¡¯s wrong!?¡± he slightly shook out of his stupor and looked at me ¡°You¡¯re¡­both draconic and demonic?...¡± he looked at me as if I would explode in his face. I unconsciously held my face with my left hand ¡°Yes¡­Yes I am¡­¡± I let go of his shirt, right after he rushed to grab some equipment from the other side of the table ¡°We must do a DNA rate test! Could you?...¡± he handed me a small glass bottle smaller than my finger. I sighed ¡°I already did one, I can just¡­nevermind I cannot get the results but I already¡­¡± he cut me off ¡°My equipment is much more accurate and I will need some blood and mana to study for further results anyway!¡± he was now going through each cabinet under the desk until he pulled out a grey crystal the size of an average fist. (¡°I guess my home-made equipment is somewhat questionable¡­¡±) I reluctantly held the bottle under my left arm while using my right thumb¡¯s claw to cut through the skin, a few drops of blood fell into the bottle which I then closed. Heiken turned to hand me the crystal while staring attentively at the quickly closing wound ¡°Pour your mana into this core, fill it up¡±. I took the crystal and examined it with my aura before pouring my mana into it, it took longer than I thought but I filled it up. ¡°Done, how long will this take? I still have to eat something and give mission details to the squad before noon¡± I looked at the time on my Iris, I woke up at eight and it was still around nine while noon was fourteen on Etyria since days are longer than on Earth. Heiken took the now blueish crystal and the vial of fluorescent blood, he momentarily looked at the vial ¡°It will be quick don¡¯t worry¡±, he walked over to some other equipment by the computer and entered the vial before storing the crystal into another machine. Preparations While he meddled with the programs he was using to scan my mana and blood I continued to wonder of what possibilities I now had available to me (¡°It¡¯s not like I can cast world breaking magic...Hell I¡¯d have to know the spell first¡­then there¡¯s the actual casting which it would approximately take hundreds of mages casting in unison¡­¡±) ,I sighed while at the same time a sort of mental slap came from Saya (¡°You have virtually unlimited mana and you¡¯re sitting there sighing!? You¡¯re a mage aren¡¯t you!? Create your own spells! It¡¯s not like you have an ex-dungeon fairy to help!¡±). She had practically screamed into my ear (¡°I¡¯m a martial artist, a gunman and a runemage but I am far from being a full-fledged sorcerer¡­I don¡¯t even know where to start¡­I can shorten a chant into a series of runes any day but¡­to make my own?...¡±), I seriously considered her advice but I wasn¡¯t sure what to do and alas she was the one to help in that regard again (¡°Well first you need a goal, what do you want to be able to do that you currently cannot? ¡±) proving just how useful she really is. I contemplated the question, what did I want to be able to do? (¡°As I said before stamina is still a problem¡­There is currently no know enhancement magic to further the time I can last moving and utilizing magic¡­Not to mention the strain on my body after such a magic ends¡­¡±) enhancement magic has always been a two-edged blade since it may enhance your body¡¯s capabilities but once it was over the whole strain your body would have normally taken without the magic¡¯s effects bombarded you all at once along with the pain, thankfully physical damage was not one of them but mental strain still was. (¡°To be able to last longer in combat¡­to be able to utilize more powerful physical enhancements¡­that might be too much of a far-fetched goal¡­I have no base for it so that makes it even more difficult¡­yeah I¡¯ll think of something else¡­¡±) I began to list my own current capabilities and utilities along with ones my own home-made tech covered, (¡°With the increased mana regen and mana manipulation Wayne¡¯s shadow step will be¡­insane, Ember¡¯s body enhancement can be taken to her limit¡¯s which would tremendously increase my speed with decreased backlash¡­what else¡­¡±) I was running out of foundation to build my new spell upon. I heard Saya sigh along with another mental slap (¡°Could you¡­not?¡±) but she ignored my complaint, (¡°Of course you wouldn¡¯t mention the most obvious choice¡­Firepower you redhead!¡±) did she just use my hair¡¯s dye as an insult? (¡°Fire power? But I already have Wayne¡¯s pistol form for continuous attacks that I can also charge up¡­yes he can only utilize dark mana but then I can switch to Ember¡¯s halbered for fire and¡­Ah¡­you¡¯re right¡­¡±) I palmed my face realising what I actually lacked. I had mastery over two elements, when I could utilize all the others. In theory mastering all the elements was impossible due to the incapability of having affinity for all of them but with my current situation that was null and void, the other problem was affinity as in if one had both fire and water mana affinity efficiency they couldn¡¯t master both as one would cancel out the other rendering them incapable of using either. I internally began to laugh to myself realising what none of these theorists considered due to the incapability of the first problem (¡°I don¡¯t need to master all the elements, I only need to master half of them¡±). It was Saya¡¯s turn to be confused now (¡°Say what?...¡±) I chuckled at her reaction, (¡°As in water cancels out fire and vice versa but fire also cancels out nature while water cancels out earth and nature cancels out water! Each element has a counter weakness and a secondary weakness, their sub-elements hold similar weaknesses as well! Well except for Chaos that is¡­ I already have Dark and Fire with which I can pierce Light, Nature, Water and Corruption so that leaves Chaos, Darkness Fire, Wind and Earth that I have no element to counter with except their respective selves.¡±) a grin curved its way up my lips (¡°I cannot learn Water or Light as that would detriment my Dark and Fire so¡­¡±). I began going through the elemental table in my mind (¡°Wind counters Fire, Chaos equals all and counters itself. I need to create or learn a Wind spell and Chaos spell, that will leave me with four main elements to deal with all eight. No wonder the Atlantians needed us so badly¡­The ability to use Chaos magic opens up the elemental table into a simple equation of self-cancelation¡±) at this moment Saya was lost and knew I had gone off my rocker as I was silently chuckling to myself. She sighed (¡°Okay so you have the elemental foundation, next is you need to figure out how utilizing that mana feels and memorize that feeling. I¡¯m sure you already know what Chaos feels like but what about Wind?¡±), I did indeed already know how to bend Chaos mana but as for Wind (¡°No clue, suggestions?¡±) . Suddenly Heiken called out to me ¡°The scans are complete, have a look at this beauty!¡± I stood up from the chair (¡°We¡¯ll resume that train of thought later¡±) , I walked over to the desk and looked at the only monitor that was currently on. I stared at the DNA test results first although I was only able to understand what I had tested for before ¡°That¡¯s¡­not right¡­¡±, he glanced at me confused ¡°What is?...what is not right?¡±. I reread the numbers over and over ¡°Eighty¡­Eighty percent¡­Demon?...That can¡¯t be right¡­It¡­was sixty only¡­days ago¡­¡± It was my turn to be horrified, ¡°That is what I was about to talk about¡­Your DNA is very unstable, draconic and demonic are very contrary bloodlines and your demonic is overwriting your draconic, it is an amazing concept! Such drastic changes in DNA shouldn¡¯t be possible!¡±. He looked back at the monitor ¡°Unless¡­Unless you are going through a magical process only seen within spirits and monsters¡±, it clicked in my head ¡°I¡¯m¡­going through mana evolution? Wait, how do sentient races evolve in the first place!? If the core isn¡¯t even complete yet then¡­¡± he shook his head ¡°Your body is already circulating mana like a core would, the moment that began is the moment your body entered the larvae process of mana evolution. There is another thing that is very odd though, with the core still being incomplete¡­the speed of the evolution in your DNA is too fast¡±. ¡°Too fast?...Why?¡± I kept staring at him with a horrified expression, he sighed ¡°When a spirit evolves it does so quickly because of its direct connection to the spirit realm, when a monster evolves with a core it usually takes months. Your core isn¡¯t complete yet and you aren¡¯t a spirit¡­ that alone would decrease the speed of the change¡­it just doesn¡¯t fit well enough¡± He shook his head again ¡°The fact that your spirits are bound to your body directly also cancels out the possibility of this being their doing¡±. ¡°At this rate I estimate a couple days until the core is complete, then all the unstable mana forming it will converge within you only to burst forth and begin the hatching. Now I wouldn¡¯t worry since only spirits are known for having large changes in appearance, I suspect very little will¡­¡± he stopped talking and stared at me blankly, ¡°Haha¡­Hahahaha!¡± I began to laugh maniacally ¡°Me?...Evolving?...Hahahah! I really am a fucking monster now!¡± a smile curved my lips as I continued to laugh ¡°So that is why¡­the pain¡­the shard¡­it¡¯s effecting me that much?...Hahahaha!¡±. I glanced at him seeing his pale and concerned expression ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that doc, you should be proud. You created a monster that self-improved itself!¡± I had long come to terms with what I¡¯ve become but it seems he had different thoughts about it, he looked down at his hands with a sulking expression then pulled out a cigarette ¡°Do you ever miss being¡­just being normal? No magic, no insane physical abilities, just plain normal?¡± he asked with a sincere tone making my laughter falter down to a short chuckle. ¡°What do you mean? Normal?¡± I was now staring at him with a piercing gaze guessing at what he meant, ¡°Do you miss being human?¡± he looked up and stared back while lighting the cigarette between his lips with a flame created at the end of his right thumb. ¡°What is human?¡± I stepped closer to him ¡°Living short lives and in fear of what lies beyond, ever trying to expand our time in this disgusting existence. Forcing judgemental morals and rules upon ourselves to create a purpose for being alive, always bickering, always fighting, always hurting our own¡±. His expression paled as he quickly noticed he hit a bad topic ¡°Do I miss being human? Why fucking would I?...¡± I was inches away from his face, ¡°I¡¯m a Demon, a monster and also a killer but above all else no matter how much I may detest it and no matter how much I try to change. I am still human¡± I flicked the cigarette off his mouth with my left hand and stepped away towards the exit ¡°Those will slowly kill you, leave that pleasure to me¡± and I walked out of the room. I glanced at the two assistants scratching their heads while staring at a goblin head screeching at them from the floor ,(¡°What the actual hell¡­¡±) the scene momentarily made my mind freeze. I shook my head while continuing to walk towards the exit, I felt their eyes on my back as I walked over to the console and teleported out. I appeared at the cafeteria (¡°Guess I took too long¡­where¡¯d they go?¡±) I looked around the tables but only saw Clyde so I walked over while checking the time on my Iris (¡°Eleven twenty four¡­still got about three hours¡±) I began contemplating how to divide my time. ¡°Yo, where¡¯d the girls go?¡± I sat down facing him while he slowly ate his cereal and stared at something on his Iris that I couldn¡¯t see, ¡°Princess came by and challenged all three to a duel, guess this morning wasn¡¯t a simple one huh? The hell happened back there? She looked pissed when they tried to decline¡± he began doing a motion with his left hand (¡°Is he scrolling through something?¡±). I ordered some eggs and bacon ¡°Duel? ¡± I stared at him disapprovingly ¡°And you let them accept?¡± he looked up at me confused ¡°Why not? Shouldn¡¯t be a long fight anyway¡± I sighed then responded ¡°No¡­it won¡¯t be a long fight at all¡­Why do you think I disabled them and not you and your sister first?¡±. He narrowed his eyebrows ¡°Because Ell is an unknown and blondie is a sorceress?...¡± I shook my head ¡°No, because Risa is the princess of a kingdom of warriors who strive through living underground and hunt monsters more powerful than themselves to survive. She¡¯s strong and very much deadly, I can¡¯t begin to imagine what poisons she is utilizing on them at this moment¡­¡±. He momentarily stared at me while holding up a spoon full of cereal midway to his open mouth ¡°Poisons?...¡±, I slowly nodded while finishing my bacon. A beeping sound came from both our Irises ¡°Must be the mission details, still have about two hours before we leave¡± I opened the notification ¡°Well might as well go check on them, I¡¯ll fill everyone in on the details there¡­Where¡¯d they go anyway?...¡±, Clyde shrugged ¡°Dunno, pwrolly twaining awrena¡± he spoke as he ate. I tapped at the crystal making my dirty plate disappear then stood up ¡°Let¡¯s go then¡± he looked back at me after swallowing ¡°But I¡¯m still eating¡­¡± I glared down at him knowingly ¡°And how many bowls have you already had?...¡± he silently grimaced and tapped the crystal.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I checked the map on my Iris and scanned it for their location ¡°They¡¯re at the first arena, looks like it¡¯s over too¡± I showed him the map and began to walk towards the console, ¡°They¡¯re not moving so yeah looks like it is over but why are they still inside there?¡± he scratched his head ¡°I mean, they told me they¡¯d come by once they were done¡±. I had my suspicions as to why but kept quiet ¡°We¡¯ll find out I guess¡± a grin crept up my left cheek, we arrived at the console and I activated the teleportation while immediately surrounding myself with a thick aura and a solid mana barrier. I had made sure to only surround myself just to see how Clyde would react, it went just as I had expected¡­A thick green mist surrounded as when we appeared, my defences kept it away but Clyde wasn¡¯t as lucky ¡°What the hell is this cr¡­a¡­¡± he was almost immediately paralyzed. His eyes stayed wide open with his mouth, I sighed ¡°Wait here, not that you have any choice¡± I began walking through the thick mist towards the four signatures I could mostly detect. One by one they finally came into view, Ell, Anabel and Natasha stood paralyzed mid movement with ridiculous expressions of surprise while tears streaked down their faces. Risa was crouching in between them a pouting and annoyed expression on her face, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I directed the question at her making her look up at me ¡°I began to tickle them but quickly got bored of it¡­I couldn¡¯t come up with any other ideas¡­and I don¡¯t have any non-deadly poisons on hand except this one¡­¡±. I shook my head ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve had enough, release your magic¡± she sighed then nodded, after standing up the thick mist began to dissipate around us. Risa took a deep breath then exhaled, a pinkish gas flowed out of her mouth which then floated over to all four of them including Clyde who was still paralyzed by the entrance. I lowered my barrier and aura as the gas entered their mouths then into their systems, ¡°HHaaa¡­!¡± each of them took quick breaths while Ell, Anabel and Natasha fell to the floor trembling. I clapped my hands three times ¡°Alright form up, I received the mission details.¡± Clyde walked over while eyeing the three who remained sitting or lying on the floor, ¡°Looks like I was wrong, they still require further discipline Ris¡± each of them shuddered and quickly got up. ¡°No..no please¡­we¡¯re up¡­¡± Anabel wiped the tears off her cheeks, they began to form a line in front of me albeit three of them looking completely out of breath. I began to go over the mission details ¡°This will be our first mission as a squad, it¡¯s difficulty is minor but that doesn¡¯t mean you should let your guard down. It¡¯s an extermination mission along with the closure of a void portal, anything could come out from it at any point in time¡± I looked up from the notification window at all five of them, two Cerberii, the nature champion, a prodigy sorceress and a devil princess. ¡°The mission location is Deliria, the devil world¡± I glanced at Risa as her expression changed to shock ¡°It is a world mostly habited by beasts and monsters which makes sense as of why the void would target it, plenty of land to take over quickly gaining them a foothold in that realm. We¡¯re lucky our scouts could scan over the planet as quickly as they did, now it¡¯s up to us to exterminate any and all void¡± each of them now had a serious expression on, ¡°Most of you know what the consequences could be if we fail, if the void is allowed to let through an actual invading force¡±. I swiped away the window ¡°Collect your gear and rest yourselves, mission is a go in one hour. The notification you received has the timer and dock number¡±, I turned around and began to walk away ¡°Don¡¯t be late¡± I had my own preparations to make. The moment I read through the details completely I could barely resist the anger inside me (¡°They trashed our world¡­now they simply target another?¡±) I reached the console and hijacked the teleporter directly to my dorm room, I appeared and immediately reached out for my tools. I took off my clothes except for underwear just as Saya took on the shining form of a ball of light ¡°What are you doing?...¡±, I reached for a blood red crystal shaped like a marble ¡°My runes are completely messed up, I¡¯m rewriting them¡± I moved the marble over the markings making them disappear until I had gone over every one of them. I had Saya help me remove the ones on my back and neck ¡°Now to rewrite¡­¡± my previous runes where based on my Aethercraft gear as triggers, I decided that had to change, as much as I loved the art of Aethercraft I also knew too well how defective it can be. A single failure could mean the loss of an arm at best, at worst without the correct protection and training it could mean loss of the artisan¡¯s life. While in the middle of combat? No matter how good one can be all it takes is a well-aimed spell from the enemy to hit your gear in the wrong spot¡­I looked through my gear looking for something while remembering what a teleportation misfire could do to one¡¯s body¡­a memory I will never forget while glad I wasn¡¯t the one testing first. I had mostly emptied the metallic black box onto my bed when I finally found what I was looking for. A thin blue crystal shaped like a pen would be, this was a runecrafter¡¯s key tool, the inscriber. I closed my eyes while pouring mana into it then released it from my grasp, it did not fall but instead floated in front of me. Using my aura I willed it into action and began to carve the runes into my skin, I did not wince or even bat an eye as long lines were carved all over my body forming a grid, this was called a runic array which was used to hold multiple circuits. The circuits themselves where a series of circles within each other, the amount of circles depended on the complexity and length of the incantation that was to be written within them. I began going through the incantations in my mind word by word then translating them into the currently known runic language, runes weren¡¯t letters or even words but nothing more than simple shapes that when imbued with mana made said mana react in specific ways similarly to incantation where depending on the word, tone and speed gave a specific reaction of mana. Using the circles as lines on say a book I began writing small runes around each circle, I had filled both arms and my left leg when a strange signature of mana came from somewhere around the inscriber and broke my concentration. I opened my eyes and glanced down to see Saya¡¯s form changing ¡°Finally got around making yourself an actual body?¡± she fluttered up to my face and nodded in her new body, it was extremely similar to the body I had found her in but her wings had changed drastically ¡°What happened to your wings? Thought Fae where very proud of their looks¡± her wings were now pure white with black lining the edges. ¡°Spirit contracts change the appearance of the spirit, Fae specifically have their wing¡¯s changed depending on the contractor¡±. I mused at how plain the colouring was ¡°Any progress on why I can¡¯t grow wings anymore?...Saying it out loud feels strange¡­grow wings¡­Hah¡­¡±, she shook her head ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know¡­another strange occurrence I sensed during your last mock fight was the merging with Ember and the summoning of Wayne¡­both seemed slower and sluggish...¡± a thought seemed to occur to her as her wings suddenly fluttered faster for a moment and her eyes went wide open ¡°Maybe what the slug was talking about is the reason for this?¡±. I unconsciously smiled at her use of my insults ¡°Probably so, I¡¯m not too surprised but I would like to have assurance of what is being effected exactly¡­It cannot possibly be the contract itself so it must just be me¡­¡± while we spoke I had continued inscribing the runes on my body, finishing off the legs and the chest. I had Saya go through multiple checks of my connections with Ember and Wayne but nothing came out of it, finally I had her try to sense the dark shard but she said it gave her a head ache. When I was done inscribing I put my clothes back on satisfied with the wide array of spells I now had a cast away, although most would consider you mad for inscribing on your own person but with my regenerative abilities and my ¡°couldn¡¯t care less¡± attitude towards social ethics¡­I just didn¡¯t care. I checked the time and decided I should head for the dock floors where we would meet our pilot and ship, I walked out of my room with Saya following me closely. --- A couple hours later Clyde¡¯s POV Here I stood supposedly an easy job, exterminate vermin and close a portal with the gear given to us. Travel had taken a bit since teleportation wasn¡¯t allowed here yet due to the system being unable to determine obstacles ahead of time, I wasn¡¯t going to disobey those orders though, appearing inside the side of a mountain was the last thing I wanted to experience today. Where was I? Oh right¡­supposedly an easy job, except for one problem. The fucking cretins never ended, pouring out of the portal like water pouring out of a broken pipeline. They swarmed around us while leaping and lashing out with their almost suicidal attacks, small void hordelings, canine like body with chitin hide, ant like heads with a wide mouth full of sharp freakish fangs, dark green in colour with bright green eyes full of intelligence along primal hunger. The portal had opened miles away from the Devil¡¯s cave systems and gigantic cavern like kingdom, above a large mountain range touching the clouds almost invisible if it weren¡¯t for our aircrafts and drones. We had been climbing the nearest mountain side for what felt like hours, getting closer and closer to the top but feeling like we hadn¡¯t moved at all. We kept an arrow head formation with me to the left front, Matthew the middle front and Ell the right front while sis ran behind me, Risa behind Ell and Anabel in the middle of them right behind Matthew. Another wave of hordelings ran down the mountainside some even crashing into the pine like trees as they ran, screeching like maniacs with wide open jaws as if awaiting their prey to simply jump right in. There was hundreds of them while we had already killed way above that number, while they still kept falling down from the swirl of green clouds that was the portal. I readied my Aether Raijin as the fastest of the horde crashed into our steadily running party, pouring mana into Raijin the blade shone as my wind and fire mana merged with its light affinity. To each side of use spiked vines emerged impaling many of the hordelings before they even crossed our path, I unleashed a thundering slash releasing a wide blade of heated wind that slashed through several more. From the corner of my eye I saw Matthew lowering his halbered like a spear as it¡¯s tip grew long and wide like a ballista¡¯s arrow. Behind us I heard Anabel chanting as blazing flames formed around his spear feeding off his own mana to grow larger and more frenzied, a joint magic only doable by the best of sorcerers while only usable with minor elements like fire, earth, water and wind due to how chaotic it becomes. The hordelings try to turn and evade his blazing charge but not even the trees and boulders could hide them as he crashed and burned through each without slowing down, we closed in our formation turning the five or so meters between each of us into mere centimetres as Matthew led the charge forward. ¡°Stop!¡± he shouted for us to stop and we did so as he raised his spear and shoved the blade into the ground, the earth ruptured as the blazing fire magic ate through dirt and stone alike. The rupturing kept moving forward like a wave of fire and quake climbing up the mountain killing hundreds or hordelings in its wake. ¡°Left! Move!¡± we followed him around the ruptured earth and kept moving up the now cleared mountain climb, after a couple peaceful kilometres up the titanic mountain the hordelings returned in mass. The trees had greatly lessoned while the mountain¡¯s incline began to truly show, we had to grip the ground with mana while enhancing our bodies to leap up the ever sloping mountain. Three hordelings lunged down towards me as I turned midleap, swinging Raijin with both arms I cut through all three at once barely reaching a cliff side we were aiming for. I turned to help our backline up while Matthew and Ell massacred any hordeling that came by, after helping up Anabel both sis and Risa leaped up higher than I ever could and landed behind me (¡°Show offs¡­¡±) Anabel nodded and thanked me as I turned to assess our current position. We stood at the edge of a cliff that grew out of the mountain like a plateau, the mountain side a couple meters away from the edge more of a wall now than a slope. I glanced around the plateau seeing signs of carving on the wall as in the very middle a clean circular cave entrance loomed over us in its size, ¡°That cannot be natural¡­right?...¡±. As Matthew, Risa and I studied the cave entrance Natasha with her bow, Anabel with her magic and Ell with her vines kept at bay the small number of hordelings crawling around the mountain while keeping their distance from the plateau we stood on. ¡°Are they¡­afraid?¡± Risa had been glaring with a cold expression at the voidlings the whole time but now looked more puzzled than angry, I shrugged not knowing what was happening either. Matthew hadn¡¯t removed his gaze away from the cave entrance for a bit ¡°No¡­¡± he shook his head ¡°Do you not feel it?¡±, his question confused me so I forced my aura forward and into the cave although only sensing a couple meters in as that was my limit. Suddenly a dreadful sense of helplessness filled my gut as I quickly retreated my aura as I took a step back only to be stopped by the plateau¡¯s edge, ¡°What the fuck is that?¡± I asked the question quickly while my eyes locked in place staring into the cave¡¯s dark entrance. I heard a chuckle to my left and turned to see Matthew¡¯s madman smile as he spoke ¡°The perfect distraction¡± I took him for a mad man as I continued to stare into the cave, ¡°The void has been playing with us, sending weaklings to wear us out before sending their horde leaders. This will force them out to fight while we close the portal.¡± He began walking towards the cave entrance and the others followed behind him, I sighed (¡°Yeah he¡¯s gone mad¡­¡±) but still followed behind taking the rear guard. On a mission Natasha¡¯s POV We walked into the cave entrance with Matthew leading the way, he reminded me of my and Clyde¡¯s squadron leader albeit the gender difference. Back straight and eyes always looking forward while debating the next hundred steps in their plan, his aura demanding respect and obedience yet his personality friendly and sometimes shy, over all a strong individual outside but we knew better. Just like me and my brother the darkness ate away at him from the inside, we could see the hatred in his eyes clear as day when he gave us the details of the mission we were currently on. He hid his emotions well like any other Cerberus but there was something different about him, from the moment I saw him I could tell we weren¡¯t the same. We continued to walk surrounded by darkness with the only light emitted from our weapons and Matthew¡¯s strange eyes, he suddenly came to a stop and stared to our left so I followed his gaze, the large cave corridor abruptly twisted into a corner taking downwards. ¡°What beast could dig through straight up stone like this?¡± Risa crouched down as she spoke inspecting the ground, I shook my head ¡°Don¡¯t know if you don¡¯t, your world your monsters¡± whatever this beast was its domineering aura crumbled ours blocking us from sensing too far away from ourselves. I stared down the ramp like passage wondering if our enhancement magic would be enough to grip the slanted floor. ¡°There¡¯s no doubt in my mind, it¡¯s a spirit beast. Matthew why do you want to mess with one so ancient?¡± I glanced back to the speaker being Anabel who looked pale as she fidgeted with her staff, an adorable young woman with curves in all the right¡­(¡°Keep your head straight girl¡±)¡­I shook my head and glanced at our leader as he stared down the cave. A malicious grin plastered on his face as his eyes glowed menacingly red ¡°Already told you, it¡¯ll be our distraction. We only need to lure it out but that might be difficult, one with such a strong aura must be passive and will probably ignore us completely unless we steal its young or injure it¡± he wasn¡¯t even trying to hide his cold excitement right now which disturbed me. ¡°Natasha, Clyde with me. The rest watch the entrance, the hordelings won¡¯t dare come down here, the beast¡¯s aura is keeping them at bay and once unleashed they¡¯ll scatter and wait for their leader to organize but by then we¡¯ll already be closing the portal¡± he stepped forwards and began to skid down the path, ¡°You heard the boss¡­¡± Clyde sighed and we both followed him down. With my bow clenched in my left hand I kept enhancing my feet as I skid down the almost smooth slanted stone floor, the dirt and dust making it easier not to lose balance, as if skiing on snow. A bright light shone showing me the end of the fall where Matthew and Clyde already stood staring at something, I came to a stop next to them and stared into the open cavern. The cavern roof was high enough to hold a four storey home while being wide enough to house a small town, unlike the tunnel the cavern floor was full of dirt and stone rubble making it difficult to move quickly without making any noise. I walked to stand next to Clyde while Matthew stood to his right to look at what they were staring at, I almost gasped in surprise at the beasts staring back at us and glaring at the light from Clyde¡¯s blade that illuminated most of the cavern. The beasts were large furry hares the size of a mature elephant with distinct patterns on their furry backs, brown, black, white, grey and ginger seeming the most common colours of fur. What mostly caught my attention was the deadlier aspects of the creatures, two pitch black tusks grew off each end of their mouths on top of each other that swirled around each other for a couple meters then intertwined together forming a thick bent edge like a halberd¡¯s blade. From their foreheads grew a single long black horn that broke off into four each growing into a curved spike like a fork, their purple eyes reflected the light in a pinkish hue. Looking closer their fur was very thick almost gleaming like metal due to the light, then they caught my eyes¡­their front paws held the deadliest claws I¡¯ve ever seen on a beast, their toes bending wide while meter long black claws grew straight while ending in a sharp hook made for grabbing and tearing. They did not move an inch while we inspected them and neither did we, their intelligent eyes scanning us over as well. I whispered under my breath ¡°What do we do?¡±, from beside me I heard Matthew whisper an answer back ¡°On my signal, run out¡±. Before any signal could be made Clyde whispered back ¡°Those are some big ugly ass bunnies¡± I felt a shiver climb down my spine as the aura suddenly intensified. I leaped out of the way hoping for the best. --- Clyde¡¯s POV Every moment I spent cursing in my head for my shit luck as I leaped from wall, floor and roof while speeding through the rabbit tunnels like a mad man, the demonic rabbits chasing after me while screeching like the insane monsters they are. Matthew and Sis were way ahead of me while I was lacking behind even though I was going at full speed, the beasts only a couple meters behind me. I heard shouting as I turned the corner I knew was up ahead ¡°Clear the passage! Get out!¡± it was Matthew¡¯s voice, I landed on level ground and sprinted forward with all my might while Raijin enhanced my every step. I almost let a tear flow down when I saw the exit bright from the day light, I was getting close now, I could almost make out the¡­non existing figures of my squad¡­I almost tripped at the thought (¡°Did they ditch me?¡±) . I reached the plateau and scanned for them while running towards the edge (¡°They¡¯re gone?! Where¡­¡±) I clenched Raijin in both hands and steeled myself for what had to be done, (¡°This is gonna hurt¡­¡±) I leaped off the edge and stared down the cliff that would continue into a painful rubble down the mountain side if I failed. I stared wide eyed while preparing myself for the fall as I continued to glide further from the cliff edge (¡°Damnit¡­Did I put too much force in the leap?¡±), I glanced back. Suddenly it dawned on me as I stared straight at a dozen demon bunnies leaping up towards me, I wasn¡¯t falling, I wasn¡¯t even gliding down but was instead moving straight and away from the plateau. (¡°Am I?...Flying?...¡±) I froze on that thought as I continued to glide away from the crazy rabbits, two even leaped off the edge trying to grab me. I chuckled as they glared menacingly at me (¡°Raijin! You didn¡¯t tell me you could do this you bastard!¡±) I continued to stare at the monsters in glee at their predicament (¡°I have done nothing master, this magic is not of our doing¡±) his answer hit me like cold water as I turned mid-air to survey around me. Suddenly I flew straight up a couple storeys but came to an even more sudden stop, my stomach grumbled in retort but I desperately held it in. A cold sweat trickled down my neck as I noticed I was now straight above the spirit beasts, they glared at me while baring their pitch black rows of fangs. Instead of panicking I steeled myself and concentrated my aura to sense the magic that held me, I detected the mana and followed the stream as far as my aura could reach then turned around to follow it with my eyes to its source. High up to the left of the mountain was a small cloud floating much lower than the rest, on top of it I could barely make out the others, five figures looking at my direction. I sighed in relief guessing it was Anabel¡¯s magic that held me up, I waved my hand at them and imbued my voice with mana ¡°Uh..Thanks but¡­Can you get me away from these ugly bastards now?...¡± my voice reached further than it normally would and I waited momentarily for a reply. ¡°Hand it there little brother! Keep their attention on you!¡± sis¡¯s reply came through using the same method making my butt cheeks clench tight together ¡°Hang in there?...Keep th-¡± I glanced down as I spoke immediately cursing at myself for doing so, one of the giant fuckers had leaped up with mouth agape, it came so close I could almost kick its tusks away. ¡°Holy shit!...Fuck! Hell no! Let me go!¡± I began to panic and struggle with the magic holding me, suddenly I dropped a couple feet and two of them leaped up at me baring their claws upwards. Almost instantly I stopped struggling as a shiver flowed up my spine along with something else. --- Matthew¡¯s POV I reacted immediately with both pistols already raised, pulling each trigger I released the pent up mana within them. The pitch black ray of dark mana pierced through each spirit beast before the pair even reached Clyde¡¯s falling figure, ¡°Anabel!¡± I glanced back at her as she concentrated on her spell ¡°S..sorry!¡± she blurted out quickly while regaining control of her magic. Suddenly a wet belching sound filled my ears making me turn to stare at its source, I watched as Clyde showered the poor spirit beasts in spewed stomach liquid. ¡°Ugh¡­colourful ending?...¡± Natasha spoke while also staring in astonishment at her brother, the others turned to look away in disgust. Clyde suddenly fell a couple more feet ¡°ANA..UHH..BEL!¡± his voice came in louder than before, ¡°SORRY!¡± Anabel paled and screamed an apology as she concentrated again. Clyde was launched up a couple storeys before he came to an abrupt stop, not exactly the attention I wanted him to gain but from the looks of the spirits beasts it was more than enough.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Their aura turned into a frenzy of bloodlust as they glared up in unison at Clyde, a low pitched growl escaping their throats as they stared at him in pure unrestrained hatred. The person in question floated high above holding onto his stomach with his left while sheathing his blade with his right, his face turned away from us. Finally my plan¡­although different from what I had entirely imagined¡­began to bear fruit, ¡°Anabel tell your summoned fiend to fetch him¡± I glanced back as she tapped her staff onto the solid cloud three times before it began to move towards Clyde. I watched as the spirit beasts dug their claws into the ground while drooling in anger, all around them hordelings that had sneaked close had completely frozen up from their instincts screaming for them not to move. Voidlings did not feel fear but their instincts for survival acted similarly, they weren¡¯t afraid of the spirit beasts but instead decided to wait for more of their kind to group up with them so they could overwhelm them with numbers. Some of the beasts seemed to have noticed their neighbour¡¯s attention and began to bare their fangs at them as well. Spirit beasts were very emotional beings, if it wasn¡¯t for the Elves keeping track of their numbers on Etyria and their cousins the Beastmen giving them land to live upon they would have been eradicated for their wild nature. They weren¡¯t entirely monsters as they held enough intelligence to know the difference between it and I along with powerful magic still being studied till this day, unlike other races they did not utilize spells to enhance their bodies or bend mana. Instead they seemed to make us of their aura just like their cousins but with a more direct method that we could not detect or understand entirely, what we did know is that an angered spirit beast can effect another like a contagious disease. Anger one and the emotions will spread like wildfire turning a pastor of spirit beasts into a horde of suicidal monsters. I looked away from the pack of giant hares and reached out to grab Clyde as we moved in closer to him, ¡°When I said get their attention, I didn¡¯t mean shower them brother¡± Natasha helped me drag Clyde onto the cloud fiend while laughing loudly. He immediately sat down while his hands trembled on his sword¡¯s grip and sheath, a sigh of relief came from both him and Anabel behind us as she released her wind magic. None of us said anything further as they diverted their gazes while I scanned the ground below, I studied the spirit beasts as they slowly began to turn to the hordelings due to Clyde¡¯s disappearance. Muffled giggling began to sound off from behind me but I saved Clyde the humiliation by barking out some orders ¡°Clyde show your face off the edge so they can see you, Anabel get us a bit lower so they can sense us then start moving towards the portal. Natasha, Ell, Risa prepare to fight off any leapers but do not kill them unless they are hordelings¡± I glanced back ¡°Well? What you all standing around for?¡± I tried my best to snuff out the smile that began to grow on my face, Clyde laid face down on the edge of the cloud fiend, Natasha, Ell and Risa spread out evenly around the edge while Anabel began to take out the gear to close the portal from her storage crystal. As we moved up higher and closer to the portal I noticed the spirit beast hares going in a frenzy and climbing up the mountain behind us, just as planned they massacred all hordelings in their way forcing them to fight back. ¡°The fiend won¡¯t last much longer, are the voidlings distracted?¡± Anabel was putting together a runic circuit with mana crystals full of chaos mana as a source while at the same time pouring mana into her summoner¡¯s staff to keep the cloud fiend from dissipating, I nodded back at her ¡°The spirit beasts have given a lot of causalities to the void, the hordelings are starting to lash out¡±. She nodded back and looked upwards, suddenly the fiend flew up taking us inside the clouds. The freezing air chilled our bones as we ascended higher, it got more difficult to breathe the higher we flew until we finally broke through the wall of clouds. In front of us the portal stood swirling as it devoured the clouds beneath it, black, green and grey were its colours. ¡°Start the spell¡± I walked over to Anabel as she began to chant her magic, I crouched down in the middle and began separating my chaos mana from the rest then pouring it into the runic circle around me. ¡°Flow flow like a river, the currents carry you forward. Flow flow like a whirlpool, the currents swirling you around¡± the runes glowed a dark purple as the mana took ethereal form and flowed up to the portal, Anabel repeated the incantation over and over as more and more chaos mana formed around the portal as it lost its stability. The portal¡¯s swirl began to slow down as the ethereal chaos swirled in the opposite direction, I raised my arms with hands open in a claw and I began my own chant ¡°Rise, float, hover. Wind unrestrained, gravity not a factor¡± I repeated the chant as I slowly rose from my crouching position, all around me the six purple crystals rose up with me. While still repeating the chant I began to close my arms until both faced each other in front of me, with those movements all the crystals rushed to form a circle in front of me. I changed my chant ¡°Flowing river bend to my command, blowing winds stop at my order. Blazing flames shudder at my presence, steady earth shatter at my arrival!¡± ethereal lines flowed out of the crystals forming a perfect copy of the runic circle that lay under me. I slowly began to open my clawed hands and the circle moved further away from me until it was directly within the swirling portal and chaos mana, I abruptly clenched my hands into fists remembering the chant Anabel made me practice on the way here. We both spoke the next words together albeit not in perfect unison, my large storage of mana making up for the timing ¡°the moving stops, the still moves, the broken repairs, the whole breaks. Mangle thee, chaos unrestrained. Shatter and repurpose, form and destroy¡±. Suddenly the portal swallowed the crystals along with the ethereal runes, it began to distort further while spreading and losing its perfect form. The portal turned rift began to shudder as it slowly dissipated out of existence, one last voidling falling out of it as it disappeared. The clouds exploded away as the sudden release of mana burst forth from the closing rift, the sky cleared for kilometres all around us. I sighed in relief ¡°Looks like the horde leader didn¡¯t make it through, not that I¡¯m complaining¡±, even though I said that I had my reservations on killing the vile beast myself if it did make it through. ¡°Bah! How can you still stand? I¡¯m running on fumes¡­¡± I glanced back Anabel, she was on her knees and slightly pale from exhaustion. ¡°No room to rest, now we kill the remaining voidlings¡± I looked around at everyone, it seemed like Anabel and Clyde where the only ones worn out. Suddenly I felt gravity¡¯s pull as every one of us began to fall, the cloud fiend no longer holding us up. We broke through the clouds and I watched as each of us fell down towards death, I glanced around at everyone but nobody seemed fazed. Just as planned we began to slow down in our descent, Natasha and Clyde¡¯s doing. We began to slowly glide down towards the ground, as we descended I scouted the mountain for signs of the struggling hordelings hoping the spirit beasts weren¡¯t over run already. With the portal closed the hordeling¡¯s connection to the hivemind was cut and their meagre single intelligence wasn¡¯t enough for them to think of anything else but hunger, they would fight, eat or die. I scanned the mountain side but all I could see were corpses of already dead hordelings, no sign of the spirit beasts, surviving hordelings or any other voidling. Slowly and steadily we touched the ground and skied down the mountain side, after adjusting our trajectory we came to a stop on the plateau again. ¡°Did the rabbits kill all the voidlings? Don¡¯t see none around except for corpses¡± Clyde was staring down the cave¡¯s entrance as he spoke, ¡°They¡¯re hares, the reason they got so pissed off at you and no there¡¯s no way a dozen spirit beasts could take on all the hordelings that made it through while we closed the portal¡± I walked over to Anabel who was resting next to Risa and Natasha while Ell was standing by the edge scouting the area. ¡°Any of you saw where the spirit beasts ran off to?¡± I glanced at them while keeping an eye on Clyde who was moving too close to the cave for my liking, ¡°Before we went above the¡­uuh¡­¡¯Arias¡¯¡­clouds, they were fighting beneath us¡± Risa responded while stuttering over her still improving English. The other two shook her head so I turned around to face Ell ¡°See anything?¡± her Elven eyes were much better than any of ours, she clicked her tongue ¡°Nothing, just dead¡±. I massaged my forehead while thinking our predicament over (¡°How do a couple dozen blood hungry monsters disappear?¡±). ¡°B..boss¡­I think I know where¡­they went¡­¡± I had taken my eyes off Clyde and he had gone and entered the cave, I quickly walked over to see what he was talking about ¡°What is it?¡± my gaze fell upon the lit up tunnel and darted about the disassembled corpses and disembodied limbs of hordlings that now lined it up. The putrid smell hit my nostrils hard ¡°Gugh..The hell?...¡± I covered my nose and walked in, ¡°The spirit beasts must have been chased back into their cave, the hordelings followed¡° Clyde kept giving me his back as he spoke, I shook my head (¡°Damn your pride kid, it wasn¡¯t that bad¡±) remembering the sight I mentally corrected myself (¡°Okay maybe it was¡­¡±). The others walked in behind me ¡°They¡¯re cornered as long as there aren¡¯t any other entrances to the cavern, Risa, Natasha with me. Clyde and Ell stay behind and watch Anabel.¡± They all nodded and I began to walk deeper into the cave, ¡°No, I¡¯m coming with¡± Clyde was glaring at me protest of my orders. I raised a brow and glared back at him questioningly, he cleared his throat ¡°I wish to come with, Sir.¡± (¡°Progress¡±) . I sighed ¡°Natasha and Ell stay behind with Anabel, let¡¯s go¡±. We walked through the carnage while Clyde showed the way with his unsheathed Bound Aether, the further in we went the more corpses lay mangled about. All three of us held our noses shut with a hand as we moved carefully and cautiously and we finally reached the corner turn, we momentarily stood there staring down the hare tunnel. ¡°Ris stay here for message relay, Clyde with me¡± I glanced at both and both nodded, I wanted Risa to go down with me at first knowing her strength in closed out spaces but after seeing how pride hurt Clyde was I decided it¡¯s best he does this himself while I watch his back. Pride is a troublesome emotion; I¡¯ll have to teach him that later. We carefully moved down the sloped tunnel, our feet enhanced with mana to stick to the ground as we took slow steps. The closer we got to the bottom irking sounds made their way to our ears, the crunching of bones, the tearing of skin and flesh, the munching of something being eaten, the slurping of a tongue, all in all a disgusting series of sounds. (¡°Something isn¡¯t right¡­there¡¯s¡­too little sound¡­¡±) as insane as it sounds I expected the hordelings to be more frenzied with the large meals, had only one survived? When we finally reached the bottom Clyde raised his sword as it¡¯s brightness increased, the gory feast given light for our eyes to gaze upon it. Seven¡­no¡­Eight gigantic hares lay dead all about the cavern surrounded dozens over dozens of hordeling corpses along a couple other voidling variants also lying dead. (¡°No wonder the beasts¡¯ aura felt so powerful like an ancient, they were each fairly old and strong themselves. Killed so many before they fell dead¡±) I glanced around searching for the source of the munching, crunching and slurping, until my eyes fell upon a single moving figure among the dead. A ghoulish grey humanoid lay crouching next to a hare, only it¡¯s lower body visible as the rest lay within the bloody corpse. From beside me I heard Clyde gulp down his spit, from ahead of me I heard the creature gulp down it¡¯s feast and lay still and soundless. Slowly it emerged from inside the flesh, fresh blood still dripping down its torso among pieces of meat and bone. The being stood nine feet tall with sickly grey skin and elongated limbs, from its shoulders grew two arms per side while its hands held only three fingers each ending it a foot-long emerald claw. Its face was aimed towards us but it held no such thing as eyes, instead of a nose two small holes lay in the middle of its face above its terrifying mouth, a curved lipless mouth started from eye height, falling down to the chin then curving back up like an insanely stretched out smile. It sniffed the air as it lowered its body, (¡°Is it blind? Does it not know we¡¯re here?¡±) suddenly it hissed with its mouth laying forward agape, multiple rows of green blade like fangs lay moving around within as if having muscles of their own. (¡°Yeah¡­definitely knows we¡¯re here¡­¡±) Continuation - Passing of time. Matthew¡¯s POV Three weeks later. Weeks passed of me and my squad running missions on Dherki, the appearance of void on this planet only increased as time passed on. The equipment was finally set up as so portals and rifts from other worlds wouldn¡¯t open without our consent similarly to Earth and Etyria. With our jobs done here on this world we were now preparing to leave for home where our outfit was making preparations for the next expedition into the unknown. This was our last day on Dherki and I was currently inside my given room within the Sky whale aircraft, a massive beast of a ship large enough to hold a whole city within. Done with my morning stretch and shower I put my clothes on as my Fae companion inspected the runic inscriptions on my body, Saya flew around in her created body going through the little scars I gained from the more recent missions. ¡°Master I know you¡¯re strong and all but you could have been more careful with that void goliath!¡± her adorable high pitched voice shouted out as she inspected the scar on my left arm for any permanent damage on the runes. ¡°Sorry, three weeks of constant hunting those things put me on edge. I can¡¯t allow them to take another damn world.¡± I replied honestly, my feelings towards the grotesque creatures as cold and ugly as ever.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Saya sighed ¡°Ember will be able to heal the scars over time, two areas require inscription repair. Casting lightning blessing and warcall will be impossible without the chant for now.¡± she explained. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll just inscribe over the scars until they heal.¡± I replied while putting on my coat, fully dressed I was now looking into the crystal mirror. Red short hair with scattered white strands, a red right eye with a yellow slit, a black left eye with red cracks spread all over it¡¯s surface. A single white horn grew out of my forehead ending in a hook like shape, a pitch black crystal was embedded into it¡¯s front. ¡°Master you cannot!¡± Exclaimed the little fairy as she fluttered over to my face. A tiny beautiful girl with pasty white skin, short snow white hair, a green left eye and silver right eye. She wore a long black one-piece dress with silver linings giving it a flowery design. Her wings were like a butterfly¡¯s but snow white with black lining the edges and silver making a pattern of tendrils inside. ¡°You¡¯ll only damage yourself further! Let the scars heal first!¡± she ordered me with an angry pout, her arms crossed together over her non-existing chest. I sighed in defeat ¡°Fine fine, I¡¯ll refrain from re inscribing¡­¡± I turned around and walk over to the door, the room being no larger than six by six meters. (¡°Master, shall you be meeting with the woman as planned today?¡±) Asked my fire spirit Ember through our shared mind. I stopped by the door (¡°Yes I will, our relationship has been¡­awkward these past weeks. I need to set things straight and I believe she thinks the same. We¡¯ve barely been talking outside of missions¡­¡±) (¡°Need advice?¡±) Stated my dark-chaos spirit Wayne with sarcasm. (¡°Ignore the flightless bat, neither of us know the first thing to relationships. Go ahead master.¡±) Replied Ember followed by a mental jab at Wayne. ¡°Owow¡­why does miss Ember have to bully little Wayne so much?...¡± Asked Saya innocently and with worry as her form dissipated and flowed into me. With a short chuckle I opened the door ¡°Let¡¯s go¡±.