《Nemidos: Tales of a Summoner》 Prologue: The boy, the letter & Aurora Prologue: The boy, the letter & Aurora Night The sky is clear and the light from the stars and the two moons that illuminate the forest can¡¯t reach the ground, the treetops are dense enough to do that. Below this sea of leaves, in the darkness *Step, step* ¡°(!!)¡± ¡°(This presence¡­a black¡­ No! a Red deer!! Nice! The perfect meal for tomorrows anniversary! Not gonna let it scape)¡± A boy that was enjoying a nightwalk sensed the little presence 50 meters away from his location and changed his night stroll into a red deer hunt. With impetus but silently, the boy reached a tree that gave him coverage but when he tried to have a better look of his prey¡­ *crack* ¡°(oh shit!)¡± (boy) (!!) (Red deer) The Red deer started to escape into the darkness and his hunter¡­ ¡°Ah¡­there goes a quick catch¡­silly me...but this is certainly more fun!!!¡± The boy was grinning, his insticts were burning as a red deer was a rare encounter, and so he dashed in pursuit of his prey starting another long and night hunt. In a small cabin in the same forest The time now is sunrise ¡°Father! Happy anniversary! Look what I caught, a Red deer!! I¡¯m going to skin it and prepare a feast!!¡± The boy was happy, he wanted to present something to his parent this special day, the 13th of Chaos, the day the boy would be 18 years old, or at least that was what it should have been ¡°Strange¡­father didn¡¯t came running? Even thought the Red deer is one of his favourites¡­¡± As he waited for some response from his father, he noted some objects on the table in the small living room, so he went, sat on one of the three wooden stools around it and took them. With a little observation, the objects were two letters and a small leather pouch, when he inspected the letters one was addresed to him and the other not, so he opened the one that was for him The letter read To my son, Lean Hello there Lean, Happy anniversary!! You finally are 18 years old and it¡¯s a shame i can¡¯t spend this joyous day with you but something came up, so i went on a little journey¡­ But enough of me! The matter at hand is your anniversary!! Lean, you are 18 years old so I think it''s time you experience a little of the world outside of the forest, for that purpose I¡¯m sending you to Veritas, in that place you will have a fun experience I''m sure! If you dont like it, you can do whatever you want, you are responsible from now and onward for your actions! But I suggest to follow my advice, as you don''t have experience outside of the forest¡­you will learn a thing or two there about how society or the world works, and don''t worry! An acquaintance of mine will come to pick you up later today, she is called Aurora, a very beautiful woman (try to put your hands on her *thumps up*). To prepare for this new journey you will only need the money I left you and anything you deem indispensable of your room, so take anything that fits that criteria, and after that, burn the cabin down! Use THAT to do it, and you better do it good! IMPORTANT NOTE: You damn rascal, you have a Red deer to stuff yourself so you better enjoy it!! Let''s meet again in the future Lean and enjoy a proper feast! Take care! Dad a better hunter than you. As he finished reading a furrow appeared on his forehead ¡°What the hell¡­going out? Veritas? Picked up by an acquaintance? Aurora? AND YOU JUST WAIT I''M GONNA BE A BETTER HUNTER THAN YOU IN NO TIME!!¡± *deep breath* ¡°Okay, first thing first, let''s get my luggage and prepare to receive this new guest!¡± Lean then went to his room, took three books, a small dagger in its sheath and a small wooden box. With that and the little pouch that had some weight he had everything he needed to take off, but suddenly, Lean started to feel that the mana outside was strange, he left the cabin and as he was coming out he felt a strong disturbance growing in the mana flow not so distant from his position *spark spark* *ZAAAAAAAAS* With a loud noise a light exploded bathing everything in white, blinding Lean in the process. When he regained his eyesight what stood there to his surprise¡­a woman. ¡°Yare, yare¡­ that Reidmo I''m gonna get him for this favor, mm?¡± ¡°(Hou¡­so this is Reidmo¡¯s child...)¡± The woman started to evaluate the boy in front of her, an average height at 172 cm, his hair was messy of a fiery auburn color, his eyes were of the same mix as the hair and with his face it gave him a wild look. As he was wearing a body vest his arms were exposed showing that he packed some muscle despite his slender build. When Lean broke out of his blinded state, he started eyeing his first visitor in the 18 years that he had lived in the forest. A woman with golden and wavy hair that reached her shoulders, slightly taller than him, her face was diamond shaped and her eyes were big, round and emerald colored. Her small lips and nose give her a rather childlike look but the body refutes that as she has the body of a mature woman with rather nice curves. In short, a stunning beauty had appeared from nowhere! A short silence were the two figures were gazing eachother was broken by a sudden outburst of the boy, as he seemed to remember something ¡°OH! Incredible! What was that? How did you appear from nowhere? Are you Aurora? Father left a letter for you! Here it is!¡± To the sudden barrage of questions, the woman was caught off guard, but relaxing in the next moment smiled gently and answered him ¡°You must be Lean¡­you look like your father some years ago. Nice to meet you, as you have guessed I¡¯m Aurora Mcfiel an aquitance of him¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. While making her introduction Aurora extended her left hand so Lean extended his, and with a firm grip, they exchanged a handshake ¡°The pleasure is mine! But how did you appear from nowhere? That was amazing! Was that magic? Can i do that too?¡± Lean was amazed in a scale that knew no bounds, he had a very keen sense to perceive mana, and in the forest that he lived, daily would he sense different phenoms but none of them, if any, would catch his attention as Aurora did *giggle giggle* ¡°(Like a child) that''s right, what I did to arrive here was a magic called [Warp], butit''s a rather high tier magic so you won''t be warping anytime soon¡± ¡°Oh¡­well no biggie. Ah! thats right!! Here Aurora read this! My father wrote something to you in this letter¡± ¡°(He sure did move on fast from being unable to do Warp) Okay, lets see what Reidmo wants me to know¡± To Aurora Sorry for this sudden request (like really, this was sudden), I will leave my son in your care so please prepare him a little before the new cycle begins in Veritas, he really knows nothing outside of Cercantes. With this, consider your debt repaid greenhorn! Reidmo the cloacked hunter that saved some greenhorns. ¡°(Well..this guy sure knows how to poke where it hurts, but if its only this much it''s gonna be an easy assignment. Even so¡­greenhorn uh? This sure brings back some memories...)¡± As Aurora read the letter and wandered in thoughts Lean stared intently at Aurora, which felt his gaze as if a predator does to his prey before attacking and it made her uncomfortable ¡°I-It¡¯s something wrong?¡± ¡°No, nothing of the sorts, just that my father told me to ¡®try to put my hands on you¡¯ and I was thinking ¡®why would he ask me to do that?¡¯ but seeing that you are such a beautiful woman I can see the reason behind that¡± He was making a face of ¡®I have understood everything¡¯ ¡°(NO! YOU DON¡¯T! YOU HAVEN¡¯T UNDERSTOOD ANYTHING!! He only wanted to annoy me!)¡± Aurora felt like screaming that but against the honest eyes and serious explanation of Lean changed her toughts midway *giggle giggle* ¡°Am I such a beautiful person?? Do-you-really-mean-that??¡± When she was probing Lean, she leaned her body slighly forward while pushing with her left arm her breasts and with her right index finger touching her small pink lips in a provocative manner ¡°Well¡­I have little experience with women, but im 100% sure that you are a beautiful¡± Lean was oblivious (and inmune) to Aurora¡¯s small act and answered again with his pure toughts, Aurora realizing that her act had little to not effect, shifted the attention to Lean¡¯s comment ¡°Eh¡­so you have experience with women¡­and how did you acquire something like that in a place like this?¡± In a sense, it was a truly sounding question, since her arrival, Aurora had surveyed the surroundings but it truly was meaningless, the sea of trees combined with some hills and plateausmade one to think why would one seclude himself/herself in such an isolated place. ¡°Yes, my first partner¡­she was called Atxicosa Veridis¡­a Plantae¡­¡± ¡°(WHAAAAAT!! )¡± Aurora was perplexed, of the different races that inhabit Nemidos, the Plantae are of the most enigmatic beings. They are, in short, a shy race, proof of this is that they seclude themselves in isolated places and more than likely they will evade an encounter with another race making them difficult to approach Plantae are often called Nature envoys, Tree Fairies or such because they have a deep connection with nature and specifically with trees but these are just conjetures as there is little to almost no information of them As Aurora made her own assumptions about Lean¡¯s confession, she decided to get over the matter ¡°Okay, that is that, but we have our own agenda, Reidmo asked me to instruct you a little before the new cycle in Veritas begins, so lets not waste any more time okay?¡± ¡°Yes! Before going I have to do some preparations, is that okay?¡± ¡°Sure, let''s get over the preparations, do you want me to help with something?¡± ¡°Thank you, but I already packed my luggage, I''m gonna retrieve it from the cabin¡± Lean dashed the next second inside the cabin and shortly came out with the things he readied before Aurora arrived ¡°This is everything I''m taking with me!¡± ¡°Are you sure that''s everything? Isn''t that¡­too little?¡± ¡°Yes! Father wrote a letter for me so this is everything I deem indispensable¡± ¡°Okay, then, what about the cabin? Did Reidmo told you to lock it after you go or something?¡± ¡°AH! Thats right! I almost forgot, thanks for that Aurora! I¡¯ll be back in a second!¡± Again Lean dashed to the cabin, but this time he didnt come out early, and after 5 minutes of waiting Aurora went to the door and checked what was Lean doing. When in the door frame, Aurora watched the strange action of Lean pouring a transluscent liquid on everything in the cabin ¡°Lean..what are you doing?¡± ¡°Ah! Aurora, sorry, father asked me to burn the cabin and I need to use this, but dont worry this won''t take any longer, I have already spread everything and only this section is left¡± Aurora was taken aback by the sudden declaration of burning the cabin down, and after shifting her attention to the liquid itself she became wary ¡°(Miremira?? Why would Reidmo ask Lean to burn the cabin with that?)¡± Miremira, a rare metal that is in a liquid state at room temperature. It''s very volatile but the particularity of this metal is that when It''s lighted, the fire burns mana (along everything with it), as proof of this phenomenon is that this fire is of a sick green like colour, it burns even the ashes and it doesn¡¯t produce any smoke. Regarding the extreme care one has to have when manipulating this metal aside, the usage of this substance is rather limited, only in blacksmithing or jewelry and of high caliber at that would be in need of this troublesome material ¡°Okay, everything is ready, Aurora let''s get back a little, the fire is gonna reach us if we stay this close¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± While Aurora was lost in thoughts Lean had a rather happy expression, and when they distanced themselves 30m apart from the cabin Lean grabbed a small and of a dark red colour stone and launched it with force inside the cabin It didnt take long for the fire to start spreading, and a big flame green and sick colored that reached 5 meters of height consumed the cabin With the fire in the back, Lean rotated and facing Aurora told her ¡°Shall we go?¡± He was smiling, but the contrast that the fire produced made Aurora have a rather eerie feeling She kept that feeling deep inside her. Chapter 1: Veritas & Veritas Hello there guys, here''s chapter 1 hope you enjoy it, if you find some grammatical mistakes do point them out! i will correct them! (or die trying...not). Chapter 1: Veritas & Veritas In the middle of a road, a white flash appeared and shortly after, two shadows emerged, a pair of man and woman The boy was a little shorther than the woman next to him, but the difference was minimal, a mix of brown and red painted his hair, sharp eyes, broad shoulders and a slim yet trained body. He gave off a wild aura and the chaotic arranged hair accented it The woman was more mature age wise but nevertheless looked very young, she was very beautiful with her golden hair that reached her shoulders and her big emerald colored eyes. ¡°We have arrived Lean, Behold... Veritas! The city where you will stay for- eh? Lean? Are you okay? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Aurora started to talk but soon noticed that Lean wasn¡¯t giving any response, he even had a blue face With an inhuman willpower, Lean explained ¡°Th..the warp..urg¡­I feel very bad¡­I feel like puking¡­¡± And soon after, those words became reality, Lean went near a tree and threw up ¡°The warp? This is the first time I see someone like this after warping¡­let me see if I can soothe you¡± As Lean was kneeling, Aurora put her hands on his back and when she did she felt the phenomenon happening to Lean ¡°(DAMN!, his mana flow is currently in disarray! I need to calm it!)¡± Aurora infused her mana with Lean¡¯s and after 1 minute, finally he started to regain the color of his face *deep breath* ¡°Uff¡­th-thank you, really, I thought I was drowning then became breathless and soon after I felt my head being compressed really hard¡­¡± ¡°Dont mention it¡­(But you have quite the endurance to have sustained a mana overflow)¡± Mana overflow, a term used to describe the phenomenon where a person can''t hold control over her/his inner mana because the body of the person becomes a ¡®Receptor¡¯. Every thing organic and inorganic in the world has mana, but inorganic things are in general ¡®Mana vessels¡¯, because it interacs with the mana of the world itself in a pure and subtle level. Receptor(s) is the term used to describe when an organic being becomes a ¡®mana vessel¡¯. Becoming a ¡®mana vessel¡¯ is akin to become a ¡®part of the world¡¯ and that results in a ocean of mana suddenly assaulting the body of the ¡®Receptor¡¯. It''s not strange to suffer serious side effects if one is lucky enough; those that are not lucky¡­ ¡°Damn... (there goes the Red deer I ate before coming) it hurt like hell!! Why did that happen?¡± ¡°I can only make some vague guess¡­tell me Lean, what kind o life did you have in that place?¡± ¡°What kind of life?..nothing extraordinary, I lived with father and learned to be a hunter¡­expended time in the forest¡­trained my body¡­and learned some things about the outside from some stories that father told me, I guess that resumes everything¡­¡± ¡°Did Reidmo not give you any Summoner training at all?¡± ¡°Summoner training? What''s a Summoner?¡± ¡°(¡­.Let''s try another approach)¡± Seeing that the conversation wasn''t getting anywhere Aurora tried a more ¡®proactive¡¯ way to obtain an answer ¡°(!!)¡± When Lean was waiting for Aurora to give him some enlightment about Summoners, suddenly he made a jump backwards distancing himself from Aurora and took a stance to decide if to fight or to run. He was feeling that he was in front of a very dangerous threat, even the surroundings seemed to have drop a few grades of temperature, as if the heat of the sun bathing everything was a lie. *giggle giggle* ¡°Sorry for surprising you like this Lean, I deemed necessary another kind of approach and this was the fastest one¡­¡± Equal to how fast it came, it went alike. As if the oppression that she was emitting didn''t exist in the first place ¡°(I dont feel any enmity anymore¡­damn, that scared the hell out of me)¡± ¡°You had quite the pressence there¡­I felt that I was about to die in any moment¡± ¡°Sorry sorry, but this served me to ascertain some things, I think I know why you experienced that Mana overflow¡± ¡°Mana overflow?¡± ¡°When you were puking all your breakfast there¡± ¡°AH! So? What did you understand?¡± ¡°In simple terms, your father taught you how to feel mana right? (now that I think about it, it''s strange that he was there next to me when I warped)¡± ¡°Yeah, father told me that to become one with nature one has to feel everything (''to become a proper hunter'' rule #3: From nature we come, always be one with nature), and he later told me, that action is called mana perception¡± ¡°Good, thats right, mana perception let us feel, perceive the surroundings and beyond of what our natural senses can, it''s really difficult to train it. What I belive with the little experiment before is that, you are doing mana perception in a subconscious level¡± ¡°But why would the mana perception make me undergo a Mana overflow?¡± ¡°When we warped, what did you feel?¡± ¡°I think¡­no..I cant really recall anything, if anything I felt I was in a very big and vast place¡± ¡°While it''s not such a literal sense, it''s kind of true that you become a part of the world, the problem is the place¡± ¡°The place?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, I have told you before that warp magic is a rather high tier magic, remember?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°The truth is that after the original creator, I¡¯m the only person able to use such magic¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°What?!! amazing Aurora!!¡± ¡°Right right, but first listen. Warp magic is a fixed method to move swiftly, and when I call it fixed, it''s because one has to spend a great deal of mana, in truth, there is no person in history that held such quantity What the creator of this magic did, and I do so too is the use of Mana veins. Mana veins, in simple terms, refer to how the world fluctuates its mana so what I do is make use of those Mana Veins and ¡®entrust¡¯ myself to the world, the problem with you Lean is that when we ¡®entrusted¡¯ ourselves, you simply went over board, even if unintended¡± ¡°I see¡­amazing you could deduct so much, from such experiment¡± With the remark of Lean, Aurora smiled a little and made a little confession ¡°It¡¯s nothing so grand, nor amazing, you can even say that it was something as expected of a researcher¡± ¡°Researcher? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°(Ah¡­true, this guy never left that forest, and the little things he knows are from Reidmo¡¯s mouth¡­) A researcher is a person that is expected to study different things, to find a solution to a problem, to improve something that already exists, even for the sole purpose to grow knowlegde¡­true a very diverse job¡± ¡°Woah! That sounds incredible in its own sense!!¡± ¡°Haha thanks for the compliment (now that I think about it¡­it''s been a while since I talked with someone about my work¡­)¡± *Ah¡­..*(Aurora sighing) ¡°Something wrong?¡± ¡°Ah? No no, sorry about that, well now that we took care of that matter...Behold!! Arsebeilt¡¯s capital Veritas! your new home for the years to come!! As she re-started her introduction, she made a gesture with her left hand while doing a small reverence to let Lean advance and see what was below the hill where they were. Lean moved foward and the scenery took his breath away ¡°WOW!! Amazing! Amazing Aurora! Thats a city? So many cabins!!¡± ¡°(Huhu, I knew he would be mesmerized, but¡­he really lived in that place for 18 years isolated from the world¡­.that damn geezer, what would he accomplish secluding himself and his son in that remote place¡­)¡± ¡°Lean, cabins and wooden houses are generally built in remote places or in more rural areas, simply for the cost of the materials required for their construction and the speed in wich the structure can be built, here and other big cities, is more common to see stone structures¡­¡± Even with Aurora in ¡®lecturer mode¡¯ Lean was too mesmerized to listen to anything that she was saying at all. From the standpoint where he was gazing at the city that extended in the great plain, one could see, a big river that divided the city in two big halves, with two smaller branches that were one in each halve dividing it once more, in the north one could see a dark green spot while going south, east or west, a sea of structures displaying the might of Arsebeilt¡¯s capital After finishing the ¡®lecture¡¯ Aurora made claping sounds returning Lean to reality ¡°Okay, enough of daydreaming I wanted to show you the city to make you understand something¡± ¡°What would that be? (she seems rather serious)¡± ¡°You are literally entering a new world, everything will be a new experience and I could teach you most of the basic things that you would need to not be swallowed in this new environment, but that will be a tedious work also it will require time wich we currently lack¡­¡± ¡°We lack time?¡± ¡°The new cycle begins with the end of Chaos, the 37th that is 24 days from now, as we are in the 13th¡­BUT the registration takes place 3 days before the start of the new cycle, so that leaves us with 21 days to prepare¡± ¡°So¡­we¡¯re short on time¡­that''s rather troubling isn''t it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, so I came up with a solution! I will leave you alone for 7 days, in that time ¡®live¡¯ in Veritas, learn everything you can and in the 7th day reach the school Veritas that is located there in the north¡± ¡°(So that''s where the school is located¡­) the school is also called Veritas?¡± ¡°Yes, but don''t misunderstand, Veritas (school) was founded more than 840 cycles ago, the city that started to grow near it simply inherited the name or so the books of history say¡­I think the people of old simply didn''t want to think of an original name and took the easy route¡± ¡°How do the people differentiate between the city and the school? Isn''t it confusing?¡± *giggle giggle* ¡°That¡­ I''m sure you will find it if you ask the people while you¡¯re on this little trial¡± ¡°Okay? Then I guess I don''t really have any more questions¡± ¡°(This guy sure loves challenges¡­) then I will be on my way, don¡¯t miss me okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I will do miss you, see you in 7 days Aurora¡± ¡°(This little wanna be playboy!!) then I¡¯m off¡­¡± *ZASSSS* ¡°I better start descending, with nothing on my stomach i will soon start feeling hunger...hunger is bad (from the ''How to be a proper hunter'' rule #6: Hunger is your worst enemy, always have your stomach filled'')¡± ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When Aurora was in her bed she couldn''t calm herself at all, she felt mortified leaving Lean alone and even more for a trial that would take 7 days, she was feeling that, in a way, she betrayed what Reidmo asked from her, which she countered that Lean was too oblivious of the world outside of Cercantes, and that he needed common sense that books could not teach, also, she didn''t want to confess that she was a little angry when Lean didn''t listen to her explanation about structures. But what bugged her the most was ¡°(He is not gonna follow the first woman he sees right?)¡± Another round of discomfort started that 13th night of Chaos. Chapter 2: Auroras trial I Hello there guys, here''s chapter 2 it may be a little short (who am I kidding its hella short!!) but I felt I had to end it where it ended, if you spot any grammatical error do point them out! Thank you for the attention, now on to enjoy the chapter! Note: Foul language in this chapter! Chapter 2: Auroras''s Trial I (part 1) 13th of Chaos With Aurora gone, Lean realized something ¡°(Damn¡­I should have asked Aurora to hold on the books and the box, now its gonna be a pain to descend the hill¡­no wait¡­this could be fun in its own way)¡± With a new resolution Lean started descending to reach the road that would lead him to one of the gates of Veritas. When he finally reached level ground ¡°(Well¡­that was boring¡­maybe..no I''m sure it''s because the hills and plateaus back home were more challenging¡­ah... fun times)¡± With Lean remembering some ¡®fun recollections¡¯ he started his walk towards Veritas, it took him some time, but finally Lean had reached the final stretch that would lead to the south gate of the city, and the closer he got the crowded the road was getting, and reaching the gate it was a chaotic flow of people going in and out. If there were only people it would have been less constricted, but different kind of beasts were in the mix, some were pulling carriages, others had equipment on them, etc; people with small and big luggage were marching alone or in groups, truly something outside of the norm for the boy that grew up in the forest. ¡°(Incredible! So those are the common used ¡®beast carriers¡¯ Crioodl ox and the heavy weights, Gret lizards too!! Oh? There is a Larg worm¡­it seems rather sick¡­is it being properly taken care of??)¡± The Larg worm is a 2m tall insect. Its appearence is plain but being a pure mass of muscle and with its docile nature, is of the most prefered creatures for novice/starting merchants. But they have delicate bodies and is not strange for it to succumb to sickness if one is not careful, also they have poor stamina so they need to rest more than other creatures to maintain their health. The Larg worm that was moving with difficulty in the road had an exhausted look, also there were scratches all over its body ¡°Oy oy!! The Larg worm there needs to rest, stop and rest! OY!!¡± Lean shouted startling the people around him, but with the noise of the crowd of people shouting or chatting, beasts that were howling, the sound of carriages being moved, etc... it was futile, a small drop of water in an ocean of sound was simply ignored Rapidly Lean changed his approach and tried to catch up to the Larg worm, but it took him too much time The Larg worm was not moving anymore, it exhausted every drop of energy left in it Even more, next to it was a man that was shouting curses left and right with his body moving accordingly ¡°GODDAMNIT!! THIS FUCKING BEAST HAS DONE IT NOW!!! FUUUUUCK, DONT YOU DARE NOT MOVE YOUR DAMN ASS FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!!! MOVE DAMN IT, MOOOOOVE¡± He was tall at 1m 85cm, had dark brown, untidy short hair. Slender build with long arms, was cladded with a light coat, the clothes that could be seen under it were untidy and dirty too. Finally, when he turned to search something in the backpack that the worm had in its side, Lean caught a glimpse of his face but what took his attention ¡°(What''s with those weird eyes)¡± As on cue, the man took from the backpack a whip and with a nasty smile started whipping the Larg worm not forgetting making use of abbusive words Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°SO YOU¡¯RE NOT GONNA MOVE UH? I HAVE A LITTLE PRESENT FOR YOU... FUCKING PIECE OF GARBAGE, YOU BETTER BE READY!!!¡± *TSAAA* *TSAAA* ¡°guuuu¡­guuuu¡± The Larg worm that was exhausted made a fathomless cry and tried to move, only to do a short step and fall to the ground again ¡°MOVEEEE!! WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU RESTING AGAIN!!!¡± *TSAAA* *TSAAA* ¡°guuu¡­¡± Seeing that the Larg worm did not move, the man fell in rage and when he raised the hand that was holding the whip, Lean grabbed the shoulder of the man stoping him ¡°STOP! Can''t you see that it needs to rest!! Stop abusing it!¡± The man that was blinded by his rage was surprised by the appareance of Lean, but at the claim of the youth, he redirected his rage to him ¡°WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? THIS LITTLE SHIT OF WORM IS MINE, MINE DO YOU HEAR?!?! IF THIS THING DOES NOT MOVE I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TRADE THE GOODS IM CARRYING¡± ¡°But cant you see that if you force it anymore than this it will die!! If you let it rest-¡± ¡°DON¡¯T BE MEDDLING IN OTHERS AFFAIRS YOU STUPID PUNK! I WAS SUPPOSED TO ARRIVE 3 DAYS AGO, IF I LOSE ANYMORE TIME I WILL GO BANKRUPT AND IT WILL BE THIS LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT FAULT!!¡± ¡°Why do you blame the Larg worm?!!? If you wanted to arrive faster why do you have a Larg worm in the first place??!!¡± The man opened his eyes wide and bursted in laughter ¡°PFFTT..HAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHA¡­¡­AH...that sure was funny¡­¡± ¡°What''s so funny?¡± ¡°What you just said you idiot, look here! Cant you see the clothes I have, I¡¯m a third rate merchant! If I had money I would have better clothes and sure enough I would not have a beast carrier so shitty like this Larg worm!!¡± ¡°But that is not a re-¡± ¡°AH!!! ENOUGH, listen here you birdbrained boy! Look around you for a second, what do you see?¡± ¡°(What do you mean with look around?? you bastard! around us there are¡­!!!!!)¡± When Lean gazed the surroundings and looked at the people passing by, he realized, even after all the ¡®conmotion¡¯ that the guy had displayed NO ONE bathed an eye and simply went their ways With a smug face, the man further went on ¡°See? People don¡¯t go butting their heads in others affairs, so scram away with your ¡®righteousness¡¯ ¡± As Lean did not respond anymore the guy felt some of his frustation being cleansed away and restarted his march, the Larg worm had rested if little and resumed what seemed to be its death march Soon after, the man felt a touch in his shoulder again and when he turned Lean was there, only that his eyes were closed, the man with his smug face started to talk ¡°You sure a-¡± Lean interjected, but his voice was an octave lower in contrast to when he talked with the man before ¡°People dont go butting their heads in others affairs¡± ¡°W-what? Didn¡¯t I tell you th-¡± *BAM* The fist connected beautifully with the face of the man launching him 5 meters away with blood spraying on the floor that came from his nose and mouth, when he reached ground he did not move, the blow had knocked him out cold With the man unconscious, Lean approached the Larg worm, patted its head a little and said ¡°Rest a little, you deserve it¡± As Lean left for Veritas that was not so far apart, the Larg Worm received a well deserved rest. Chapter 3: Auroras trial I Here''s chapter 3 guys, hope you enjoy it! Chapter 3: Aurora¡¯s Trial I (Part 2) -7 years in the past- A child sitting on a stool and reading a book On the table there were two more books, but it laid closed. The books are similar, black colored leather that covers the front, the back and the joint section and with the pages that are yellowish, marks that it are fairly old. The boy is reading attentively the pages that are written with messy handwriting depicting in short sentences the drawings that appear, with every page that is turned one could think that more than a book, it is a big and long notebook. What are depicted in the drawings are beasts, and the sentences that accompany them shortly but surely transmit crucial information about said beasts. Things such as the name, where they live, size and how gender affects it, if they¡¯re of the solitary type or work in packs, how do they behave in a specific time of the year, etc. While reading, the boy shot short lived gazes to the figure that was behind him, a shape that was facing the small chimney of the room. A man with a big frame and the silhouette that resulted from the fire accented his presence in that small space ¡°Is something wrong Lean? Do you need me to tell what is written or what some word means?¡± A deep yet serene voice escaped from the man, and with his inquiry he turned his head to look at the boy that had lowered the book on the table yet his hands were holding it still ¡°Father¡­do you remember¡­a year ago when I told you that I wanted to be a hunter?¡± ¡°Of course I remember¡­but¡­ do you?¡± Lean finally closed the book and left it on the table, he then rotated in the stool to match the gaze of Reidmo. After some sounds coming from the lumber being burnt in the chimney Lean opened his mouth again ¡°Is it really no good until I¡¯m 13?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, and why do you have to wait until then?¡± ¡°¡­To have a body grown enough to start the training¡­¡± ¡°Good to know that you remember. So¡­ what it is that you want from me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lean knew that he had to wait 2 more years, if his father told him to wait then it was a reason enough to wait, still, he wanted to say more but casted his gaze upon the floor and remained like that for a while *chuckle* ¡°Come here Lean¡± At the small chuckle he raised his vision, took the stool where he was sitting and placed it next to his father¡¯s, now both were facing the small bonfire ¡°I know that you want to be out there hunting with me, but it¡¯s too early¡­wait a little more and before you know it, time will pass in a heartbeat... Is it so boring learning about the beasts in the books?¡± ¡°IT¡¯S NOT BORING! I like the books you wrote father! There are so many things to learn!! It¡¯s just¡­I want to do something more¡­exciting too¡­¡± So much for the outburst of the child, nearing the end his voice was losing all of its strength becoming a low whisper that melted in the air, however Reidmo heard it very clear, grinning he rested his left palm on Lean¡¯s head and started to rub it making a mess out of his hair ¡°Ah! What are you doing?!¡± ¡°Hahahaha, so you feel like doing something more exciting eh? Aren¡¯t you something yourself? Hahahah!¡± A little embarrassed for the small teasing of his father, Lean used the opportunity to ask something about Reidmo himself ¡°Hey dad¡­ why did you become a hunter?¡± The question made Reidmo stop his action, and shortly started to slowly caress his son¡¯s head again but now a tranquil face replaced the quizzical look he had before ¡°Well¡­there are various reasons, but what sealed the deal were the beasts I guess¡­¡± ¡°The beasts?¡± ¡°Yeah, I like beasts. What about you Lean, do you like them?¡± There was a short pause until Lean spoke ¡°Well¡­aren¡¯t they delicious?¡± *CRACK* As if feeling the danger of the words, the small bonfire made a sound not befitting its size, also a strong gust of wind shook the cabin and nearby trees, making numerous rustling sounds of leaves rubbing each other *Pfffffft¡­.buahahahahaah!!!* ¡°Eh? What¡¯s so funny?¡± ¡°Ah¡­that was a good laugh¡­ (but leaving the funny feelings aside, now I feel bad for the beasts 2 years from now on). But you know that beasts aren¡¯t only good on plates right Lean?¡± ¡°Eh? They are?¡± With the innocent yet inquiring gaze that was looking him straight, Reidmo made another outburst ¡°HAHAHAHA!! I guess the next 2 years are going to pass much faster than I originally though¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ - Back to the present, 13th of Chaos ¨C ¡°(Beasts are only good on plates uh¡­ i guess I used to think like that¡­ maybe that man thinks of them as nothing but carriers that follow his every order¡­)¡± Lean advanced through the multitude and finally entering the perimeters of the city, the mass of people and beasts lessened and permitted a more fluent movement While walking, Lean recalled two more things and stopped in his tracks holding his temple with his right hand ¡°¡­you will learn a thing or two there about how society or the world works¡­¡± ¡°¡­live in Veritas, learn everything you can¡­¡± ¡°(Father and Aurora were on mark, I won¡¯t deny that my emotions got the better off me back there, but it¡¯s true that I took action with zero prior knowledge¡­ I need to see everything for myself first and after building some experience I will know how to act¡­okay, that¡¯s it for my plan of action for the next couple of days, what I need to do right now would be¡­)¡± *gururururu* ¡°(Yep¡­finding something to eat first, after that lets search for a place and make it the base of operations, I don¡¯t want to sleep in the open¡­if it comes to that, maybe I¡¯ll be sleeping on a rooftop)¡± With new resolution and goal planned, Lean restarted his march towards the inwards of Veritas It didn¡¯t take him much time to find a food stall, the scent of meat being cooked gave it away for a starving Lean that relied on his senses to hunt in the forest be it day or night, so he rushed to the place but he encountered his first enemy, an enemy that would bring despair to those that are not prepared enough to face it It was a row of people With anguish Lean waited and when his turn came, he was riding on his last strings of reason, the vendor noticed the state in which Lean was and skillfully prepared a meat skewer right away, when he presented it to Lean it was stolen from his hands and devoured in a fast pace, Lean also ignored that he used both hands to hold the skewer, so his luggage fell to the floor ¡°Woah... calm down boy, it isn¡¯t going anywhere and it¡¯s piping hot!¡± Without listening, Lean ate the skewer greedily and asked for seconds which he devoured it again as if it was the last meat skewer on the world and he would not share anything of it. Finally calming down, Lean regained some of his humanity back and talked with the vendor ¡°Ah¡­.that was glorious¡­thank you old man! You saved me!¡± ¡°No problem kiddo, but you better pay for those with the same enthusiasm¡­also you dropped your things¡­¡± ¡°Ah! Thanks! Then¡­ how much is it?¡± Lean didn¡¯t pick the items up, but organized them near his left foot and after that he faced the man ready to pay ¡°7 eri for each skewer, that amounts to 14 eri in total boy¡± ¡°Okay, here¡¯s 1 lurji¡± ¡°Here¡¯s your change of 6 eri, thanks for your patronage young lad, now move to the side, there are others that want to eat too kid and be sure to pick your things¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Sure, I will ask for some directions although¡± ¡°Sure sure¡­¡± While the man managed his sales, Lean put the change in the pouch and now with his luggage in his left arm, decided to continue his path ¡°Do you know of a place where I can rest for some days?¡± ¡°A traveler uh... If you are tight with money go to the hostel that is at the end of this road you can¡¯t miss it¡­ and if you can spend a little, inn Bards&Beers is the best bet in this block of the city, when you reach the first intersection turn right and again reach for the end of the path, it has a grand signboard¡­¡± ¡°I see, thank you old man, now give me another skewer please!¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you full already?!¡± ¡°Yeah, but watching all of the people eat those made me hungry again¡­¡± ¡°Okay, 7 eri¡­¡± In the end Lean ate 3 more meat skewers, the man had a variety of skewers to offer, with vegetables or with fruits, others were mixed playing with sweet and salty flavours, but Lean only turned to the juicy, firm and rich seasoned meat Lean now with his stomach filled with happiness, moved forward and when he reached the first intersection, after some deliberation, decided to go to Bards&Beers. When he checked the pouch before he counted that he had some money to spare, in total he has 14 eri 16 lurji and 10 jaos In Nemidos, the different states namely: Iracundos, Rente, Arsebeilt, Gedos, Schlie, Staberdurg, MinamiYiwang and Damia Valley; covenanted a monetary system of four types of coins and two types of papers, the currency goes like eri < lurji < jaos < vane < ri < hari, and the conversion goes like 20 eri -> 1 lurji, 20 lurji -> 1 jaos, 10 jaos -> 1 vane, 100 vane -> 1 ri and 100 ri -> 1 hari. The coins are the first four mentioned leaving the last two the billets positioning. It took him a good hour to reach the place but as the stall owner said, the inn had a very catchy signboard, with a lute and a beer jar, also the building was very large compared to the houses and other shops. Entering it Lean realized why the inn was called Bards&Beers. Music, music resonated with many bards singing while playing their instruments and doing some plays with each other or inviting people of the audience, the people on the tables were merrily chatting and drinking. It was a warm atmosphere and surely it stunned Lean for some seconds until a waitress came and brought him back to reality ¡°Welcome to Bards&Beers! Dear costumer, right now there aren¡¯t any vacant seats, if you have come to have lunch you will have to wait, is that fine?¡± A fine voice came out from the mouth of the young waitress, she had light golden colored hair, and the crop hairstyle suited her. She was shorter than Lean maybe around 1m 62cm, a slender build but with a nice waist, the attire that she wore had frills all over the upper dress, it has open shoulders and a ? cut in the front showing some skin and her belly button. With short brown trousers and high white socks that go a little over the knees and brown leather shoes. Lean had been brought back to reality only to fell in other type of daze, but managed to respond ¡°Ah¡­that won¡¯t be a problem, I have come to check if there is a vacant room¡­¡± ¡°In that case, please follow me I will guide you to the check-in counter¡± When they reached it the waitress made a bow and parted to reunite with the rest of the personnel and Lean now faced the receptionist, an elegant adult woman that had long straight hair. Particularly the eyes were bewitching, it were dark purple and seemed to draw you in ¡°What¡¯s your business here boy? If you came to watch the girls here¡­ it will cost you a sum¡­¡± The woman rested her head on her left palm while talking half serious and half teasing and evaluated the potential customer, she had keen senses for possible ¡®troublesome ones¡¯ ¡°Ah, yes, I have come to rent a room, is there any available?¡± ¡°(He doesn¡¯t seem to be one of those¡­ but his presence is a little odd, maybe I should try other approach) Yes, there are some vacancies but this is not some cheap inn¡­¡± ¡°I heard something about it, but how much is it?¡± ¡°A single room will cost you 1 jaos and 10 lurji per night, but it includes two meals, breakfast and dinner and bath¡± ¡°Then I will rent the room for 5 nights, here¡¯s 7 jaos and 10 lurji¡± ¡°Okay, I have received the payment, here¡¯s the key. The simple rooms are in the second and third floors, yours is at the end of the corridor once you enter the second floor. The bath is open until 00:00 pm and is located at the end of the corridor of this entrance¡­ here¡¯s a little advice, if you want a tranquil breakfast you better wake up early, as for dinner, you better give it up , the kitchen closes at 21:00 and is crowed till the end¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem, I like this atmosphere¡­ I will take my luggage to the room and go out a little¡± ¡°Do what you will, but don¡¯t cause trouble to other customers or the personnel, okay?¡± ¡°Yes¡± Lean was about to leave but the woman called him again ¡°Ah boy!¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°This was delayed but welcome to Bards&Beers!! I¡¯m Veena this inn¡¯s owner¡± ¡°Ah, thank you. I¡¯m Lean and i¡¯ll be in your care for some days¡± After the short greeting Lean went to the second floor, the key to his room indicated the room number 9. Inside the habitation, Lean put the books and the box on the desk and left again, reaching to Veena in the first floor ¡°Do you need something Lean?¡± ¡°Yes, I want to buy a change of clothes¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°That will be 2 jaos and 3 lurji young customer¡± ¡°Okay¡± ¡°Thanks for your patronage¡± ¡°(This shop sure is a good find, 6 shirts and 3 shorts and 3 pairs of socks for only 2 jaos and 3 lurji¡­ it was a good decision to ask Veena, now I won¡¯t need to worry about the clothes. Let¡¯s go back for now, I will take it easy and rest a little, I don¡¯t know why but I¡¯m feeling a little dizzy and my head hurts a little¡­)¡± Lean did not waste time and walked back to Bards&Beers holding his temple with his right hand and massaging it but the pain did not fade or subsided at all and kept increasing little by little ¡°Welcome to Bards&Beers! Ah! It¡¯s the young customer from before, welcome b- eh?¡± Who greeted him was the young waitress from before, but Lean passed by her with unsteady footsteps ignoring her completely. ¡°Hey, at least greet back!¡± The waitress got a little annoyed and rushed past Lean to make him stop and reprimand him, but now that she was in front she could see that Lean was not in a good condition Lean could not react to the sudden blocking of the waitress and trying to go past her by going to the left, at the last moment, he tripped but the waitress held him and noticed ¡°Eh?! You¡¯re burning!! Owner! A costumer is feeling ill please come here!¡± With the shout of the girl, Veena appeared and seeing the condition of Lean she prompted some orders ¡°He is staying in Room 9, help him reach there and put him in the bed I will go shortly after¡± With difficulty the girl helped Lean reach his room and made him lay in the bed, with good timing Veena entered too ¡°Good job Angel, you can go now, your shift ends in two more hours right?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, thank you Owner but what about him?¡± ¡°Lean, Well¡­ I will take care of him for now, if anything needs of my attention call for me, okay?¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll be going now¡± With Angel leaving the room, Veena took the chair and sat close to the bed ¡°Well¡­ what to do with you boy?¡± She asked him, but knew he would not answer back so she sat there in silence. Chapter 4: The abyss of dark&white Hello guys, here¡¯s chapter 4! Enjoy the new chapter! Again, if you note any grammatical mistake or something, point it out please! Note: I have done a little research in old English because¡­ reasons, I needed it for this chapter, nearing the end I have put the translation for 3 sentences in () Chapter 4: The abyss of dark&white Warm ¡­ ¡­ Warm. Constricted. Layer ¡­ ¡­ Cold. Small. Sounds. DANGER ¡­ ¡­ Light. Hungry. Green ¡­ ¡­ Hungry. Light. Dark. Green ¡­ ¡­ Red. Fight. Hurt. Hungry. Not ¡­ Green, bad. Red better ¡­ ¡­ Danger. Danger. Wound. Escape. Rest ¡­ Danger. Again. Kill. Eat ¡­ ¡­ Red. Eat. Red. Eat ¡­ ¡­ Red¡­ DANGER. RUN. RUN ¡­ Wound. Rest. Die? ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Rest, now hungry. Red eat. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Strong. What is... red? Die. More red? Die. Die. Tasty ¡­ ¡°Stefn? Min stefn? tys¡­ sy tys¡­ m¨¦?¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°(tys manncynn?)¡± *chomp* ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Gaeolf Khe Zu ¨¢gennama?¡± ¡°Hit sy Ic, thou, beforan thy death¡­ g¨ªemen me thy ¨¢gennama¡± ¡°¨¢gennama? Mine, ne ¨¢gan¡± ¡°Nameless thou? Kukukuuk!! And doth gee disturb Ic sl?p?¡± ¡­ *chomp chomp* *chomp chomp* ¡°Hungry not, Gaeolf¡­ gebirg, rest t¨®d?g¡± ¡­ ¡­ *TONGGGGG¡­.TONGGGG¡­..TONGGGG* (Bells) ¡°NESREK¨¢!!! NESREK¨¢ SY CUMAN!!!¡± ¡°¨¢redian thou sylfum! Hit Nesrek¨¢ sy cyme for ¨²s!!¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°My death¡­ near¡­ rest in this place¡­¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ I have no name of my own The name which isn¡¯t mine¡­. I have inherited it by those that surround me Nesrek¨¢ Nesrek¨¢ they have called me¡­ for wherever I go¡­ destruction is what I bring They are right¡­ yet, they¡¯re wrong, I¡¯m not giving them destruction¡­ I am¡­ bringing salvation to myself¡­ Sentient beings, those that at least have a heart beating inside them are bound by two laws: Love & Hunger Love Because for a species to survive it will need to leave offspring. And the call from the flesh is strong Hunger Because every being that lives and wants to keep on living will need to eat. Those that don¡¯t¡­ in due time lose themselves and die I¡¯m bound by hunger At first, I remember greenery scenarios but it came fast the time when green didn¡¯t satisfy me anymore and needed something more¡­ substancious, and red took that place... I need to eat, and for that I consume, it matters not if it¡¯s an animal or a beast or a monster I will consume it and live and keep on living¡­ But that is a thing of the past, yes, time is a cruel tyrant. Nothing ever stands a chance against it and myself is not an exception to this rule, I don¡¯t know how many years I lived but I¡¯m sure, yes, my body once upon a time met its end and when I came to realize I became¡­ a spirit Spirits¡­ world¡¯s envoy, nature¡¯s manifestation¡­ many things we are¡­ Being a spirit make us lack a corporeal body, not that we don¡¯t have ¡®bodies¡¯, it just that in this state we can¡¯t interact with the ¡®outside¡¯, at least in a direct manner. As I said before, spirits are beings that interact and are part of the world in a subtle level so our interactions with the world are in itself subtle actions For example, I have seen a Greit tiger spirit helping its fellow brethren. The help in this case is something like being a guide, helping them learn and help them, if anything, to have a better life¡­ as animal and beasts can perceive spirits with ease, it¡¯s not rare to find such cases I have said that spirits can interact with the world in subtle ways, this holds true, but, there is a way for a spirit to interact with the world in a literal sense. For some reason, spirits are attracted to ¡®real¡¯ beings, and if said beings performs a specific action, spirits can manifest again in the world The action I have talked before is a ritual where the being and spirit interlace and the spirit bonds with the being¡­ I have seen some of those rituals but myself did not make one¡­ as of yet¡­ I¡¯m a solitary type and I have yet to see someone of my same species so I haven¡¯t perform the ritual¡­ not that I would help anyone if I ever meet someone¡­ but that was in the past, yes, I have found a being that I¡¯m attracted to. Being the lone wolf that am I, I found a forest where I was very comfortable so decided to settle in it for the time being. It happened later but when I took notice, there was a small human settlement so I decided to peek on them a little A small box made of lumber, and there is only a man, he is quite the keen one¡­ he keeps looking my way from time to time. I don¡¯t feel any attraction to this being, but he is the first one to have noticed me so I stayed near him for some time Nothing changed with the cycles passing by, one after the other, until one day Three humans appeared They went to the man and seemed to communicate something, they stayed like that for a while¡­ until the head of one of the taller humans flew and the other taller one was split into two. The last one fell on the ground, ah, it¡¯s a woman¡­ that high pitch belongs to human females after all I find humans as interesting beings, it¡¯s very easy to tell what is driving them to accomplish anything they set their minds into¡­ and at the same time they are such whimsical creatures, the very moment they feel danger they make a full turn around and start begging for their lives¡­ I don¡¯t know what they were after, but the only visitor remaining alive started the begging and the man silently watched the small show, in the end he seemed to resolve on something and¡­ extended his hand to her The man didn¡¯t kill her Instead he took her into the box of lumber Was it a coincidence? Or fate at hand? It doesn¡¯t matter at all because from that encounter I finally met him¡­ ¡­my attraction¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Am I dreaming? What¡¯s with this place?¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.Lean woke up and found himself in a black space, he tried to move and found resistance as if being submerged in heavy water but at the same time with free leeway to move as he wanted because strange as it could get, was that he could feel himself as a whole, but neither did he feel that he was in his body; no arms, no legs, no head nor torso¡­ yet he felt he was there, floating¡­ drifting away in that heavy atmosphere¡­ Time, how much time passed¡­ he didn¡¯t know. But in a moment he felt it ¡°Did something¡­ move?¡± *swish¡­.swish¡­.* ¡°What¡¯s with this¡­ I can¡¯t see anything but¡­ there is something there¡± Lean squinted his eyes trying to focus and adjust his vision, but with no avail and moments later ¡°Wha-what the hell?!¡± He couldn¡¯t see, but, something, something massive was there ¡°Hey! I know you¡¯re there! Show yourself!¡± ¡°Hihihihi¡± (???) ¡°I have been here the whole time, you know?¡± (???) ¡°(What. The. Hell?!)¡± The small laugh that was as if a child was playing a prank, that small sound that reverberated in that space, made Lean start sweating. It was the first time that he felt something so dreadful ¡°You¡­ what are you?¡± ¡°Hihihihi¡± ¡°Stop with that creepy laughter!¡± ¡°Hihihi, I¡¯m sorry? Sorry am i? Hihihihi I¡¯m just so happy!!!! SO HAPPY¡± ¡°(What the hell is wrong with this thing!??!? And why am I so scared of it??)¡± *Deep breaths* ¡°(Damn it¡­ calm yourself¡­) you, who or what are you?¡± ¡°Spirit am I, mmm¡­ this form of mine, can¡¯t you see me??¡± ¡°Spirit? And I can¡¯t see anything in this dark!¡± ¡°This form better??¡± When Lean opened his eyes he met dark, but the next instant that the voice asked, everything flushed in front of him, white replaced the dark and what laid there facing Lean was a black miasma fluttering ¡°W-what?!¡± ¡°This form, more little. You can see me now?¡± ¡°(This thing¡­ was occupying all this space¡­ what the hell is this¡­)¡± Now with all the dark concentrated in the black yet shapeless fog, Lean could grasp himself and the shadow and they were in an ocean of white that expanded to who knows how much and where ¡°Hihihihi my attraction¡­my attraction, finally I meet you!! MY ATTRACTION¡± ¡°(Urgh that creepy laughter¡­ and what¡¯s with this now)¡± The black fog now was flitting around Lean doing some elliptic and circular orbits ¡°Stop that! What¡¯s with you and this attraction thing!?¡± ¡°(!!!)¡± The last comment made the black mist stop in its tracks and returned to the spot in front of Lean, with a slightly annoyed tone now inquired ¡°Thou hast ne f¨¦lan thy forspenning to m¨¦??¡± (You have not feel your attraction to me??) ¡°(What did this thing just said??) I have understood nothing of what you just said¡± ¡°Hast thou ne cuman to m¨¦ be thy f¨¦lan thou forspenning to m¨¦??¡± (Have you not come to me because you felt your attraction to me??) ¡°Damnit!! I can¡¯t understand a thing you say!! Speak like before!!¡± *Sniff¡­Sniff* ¡°(Eh? It¡¯s¡­crying??)¡± ¡°M¨¦ frospenning¡­m¨¦ forsppening¡­ buuuu, t¨® s¨®na tys m¨¦tan¡­ buuuuu, m¨¦ forsppening¡± (My attraction¡­ my attraction¡­too soon this encounter¡­ my attraction) ¡°¡­.¡± (Lean) ¡°¡­.¡± (???) ¡°Have you calmed down?¡± ¡°Shame for this soon encounter my attraction¡­ we shall meet again¡­ *sniff, sniff*¡± ¡°What are y-¡± Before Lean could finish, the dark mist enveloped Lean and started to consume him ¡°ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHH!!!!!¡± ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. *Blink Blink* ¡°This¡­ is the inn¡¯s roof??¡± Lean opened his eyelids that felt like forever since he had been awake and raised his upper body from the bed *Door opening* ¡°(!!) Lean! You finally woke up!! OWNER!! COME TO ROOM 9, OUR GUEST FINALLY WOKE UP!!¡± (???) ¡°What the hell? So loud¡­ You are¡­ the waitress?¡± Finally adjusting his vision to the light he could see the person that was standing in the door, Angel, the waitress that received and guided him to the inn¡¯s reception desk, she was carrying a pail and some cloth, maybe towels, but he was feeling very heavy and his thinking slow Angel soon entered and sat on the stool near the bed and Veena entered behind her ¡°Well, well¡­ looks like someone finally decided to live again¡± (Veena) ¡°Owner! Don¡¯t be so mean!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk back to your employer! And this guy better pays for the extra days that he spent here being nursed!¡± ¡°Ah! I paid for it didn¡¯t I? and also took care of him!!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what made you take care of him but I don¡¯t like freeloaders here!¡± ¡°And I just said it! I paid for his extra days spent!!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ but I don¡¯t quite follow the conversation¡­ what happened after I passed out??¡± Lean wasn¡¯t in a good condition to begin with and Veena and Angel talking so loud next to him didn¡¯t help at all, he grasped some of what they were saying but didn¡¯t really connect anything in his head and laid his back again in the bed, catching the attention of the girls ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t you dare sleep again!¡± ¡°Ah! Lean are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m okay, I¡¯m feeling very heavy though¡­ hey Veena, how much time passed?¡± *sigh* ¡°Well boy, you have been in bed for 10 days¡± ¡°10 days uh¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­wait¡­¡­¡­.10 days¡­10¡­¡­.10!!!! WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!¡± ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In one of the gardens of Veritas A beautiful woman was enjoying a reading with a tea set, she sipped a little of the tea cup and closed the book she was holding ¡°Kukukukuku!!! Lean¡­ you sure have some nerve making me wait¡­ and even worse not carrying out my task¡­. Kukukukuku!!!¡± ¡°(YOU DAMN BRAT I¡¯M COMING FOR YOU!!)¡± Chapter 5: Red star Hello guys! Here''s chapter 5! Enjoy it! Grammatical mistakes and what not, point them out and I will correct them, thank you! Chapter 5: Red star 23rd of Chaos *yawnnnnn¡­.* ¡°So sleepy¡­ I wish I had my shift in the afternoon, so early in the morning takes its toll on me¡­mmm? Someone is coming from the building¡­¡± The guard that was in his post noticed the figure of a person, but with the fog he couldn¡¯t make of who might be, until he/she was close enough ¡°(M-Miss Aurora!!)¡± The guard finally recognizing the subject adjusted his stance in a proper manner and prepared to greet his visitor. It has been 3 days since Aurora started to reach to the three different entrances that would guide someone to Veritas, and she did so three times a day matching the morning, the afternoon and the night shifts Finally reaching the lookout post, that was a simple building with the bare minimum necessities, Aurora greeted the guard ¡°Morning Marton, having trouble in the morning?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ you saw me? *sigh¡­* Please don¡¯t tell Tita about it, she is gonna give me a beating and a lecture¡­ just thinking about it makes me shiver and lose all my motivation¡­¡± *giggle giggle* ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m also not a morning person and Tita would reproach me too for not telling her¡­ so this is a little secret, okay?¡± *wink* ¡°(Ah¡­ I feel lucky¡­)¡± ¡°Ah! That¡¯s right! *claps hands* Have there been any news about my request?¡± ¡°(Ah¡­ true¡­ she is coming here only to check about this acquaintance of hers¡­) *dejection* Nothing new so far Miss Aurora, if I may, is there really any need to concern so much about this acquaintance? New students generally start coming by the 25th to prepare for the inscriptions don¡¯t them?¡± ¡°You are right, generally speaking, most new students would be arriving to the city 7 to 10 days before the official aperture of the inscriptions, but, Lean¡¯s a special case¡­¡± ¡°(Lean, a man¡¯s name¡­) Special case? Aren¡¯t all the new students ¡®special cases¡¯?¡± Aurora¡¯s response made Marton doubt her, after all, the people that come to Veritas are all ¡®special¡¯ *giggle giggle* ¡°Ah, I phrased it wrong, yes, new students are all special but Lean is a case all on its own¡­¡± ¡°(Don¡¯t tell me¡­ could it be¡­he picked her interest?!) A case of its own¡­ how¡¯s that??¡± ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s just say that I¡¯m repaying a debt I took some time ago¡± ¡°A¡­ debt? I can¡¯t believe that Miss Aurora¡­¡± Marton now was on denial, he did not know that much about Aurora but he saw her as a calculative and meticulous type of person, one that would think first with a cool head before taking action. Also, his superior regarded Aurora rather highly as a co-worker and those evaluations were passed down to her subordinates too ¡°*giggle giggle* you can¡¯t? I may not look like it now, but in the past I was a hot blooded one¡­ well¡­ it was precisely because of that, that in the end I got my ass saved when things turned diresome... ah¡­ fun memories *giggle*¡± ¡°(Is it really so fun remembering how you almost lost your life??)¡± ¡°Aww c¡¯mon Marton don¡¯t be so troubled, I¡¯m here am I not?¡± ¡°Maybe you really lost something back there¡­in your head that is¡­¡± ¡°Marton¡­ you¡¯re thinking out loud¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°So you were thinking that I¡¯m some crazy moffo uh¡­ maybe Tita is going to have a fun morning don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°(Holy mother!!) I¡¯m sorry! I swear I¡¯m sorry, please don¡¯t--¡± ¡°*hahahaha!!* Don¡¯t be so scared, it was a joke, a J-O-K-E. Okay?¡± ¡°*sigh¡­¡­.* Please don¡¯t scare me like this¡­.¡± ¡°(But if you think that I¡¯m crazy for only this, what would you think about that man then¡­)¡± ¡°(Miss Aurora??)¡± Marton regaining the colour of his face and straightening himself, found the lack of response from Aurora in that she was looking to the side with a reminiscent gaze ¡°Miss Aurora! Miss Aurora! Miss Aurora!¡± ¡°Eh? Yes? What?¡± ¡°Are you okay? Would you like to drink Mir tea?¡± ¡°Haa¡­ thank you Marton, but I only dazed off a little, dont worry about it ¡± ¡°(Maybe she remembered a bad one¡­ it will be better not to pry so much, she doesn¡¯t seem to be in any mood to continue talking anyway) Okay if you say so. Well¡­ that¡¯s that. For now I¡¯m going to keep watching so if your acquaintance comes, I¡¯ll be sure to report it¡± ¡°Oh! How dependable! Then I¡¯ll be going, thank you Marton!¡± ¡°Sure, have a nice day Miss Aurora!¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ *PLOMP* ¡°Ah¡­ now, this is heaven¡­¡± Aurora jumped and laid herself in a big sofa, it was her favorite furniture of the room, with darkwood as the frame and soft cushions, it was not strange to find Aurora sleeping there instead of her bed. Also, whenever she wanted to think/ponder about something, she would do it on the sofa when the situation allowed it ¡°(Should I go and try again with the Orbstone?? It¡¯s strange that Lean¡¯s mana disappeared like that¡­ but to go to the Old owl¡¯s den again¡­ ugh¡­ don¡¯t want to¡­.)¡± ¡°*Sigh.......* One last try, and if that doesn¡¯t work¡­ you better prepare yourself Lean....¡± ¡­ ¡­ Standing in front of a wooden door, that had steel patterns of stars and the moons and the sun imprinted in it, Aurora readied herself *knock knock* ¡°Come in¡± A worn out voice came from behind the door, almost inaudible, however to Aurora, that voice sounded like the devil¡¯s whisper ¡°Please, let this be the last time¡± With that small prayer to no one, Aurora entered ¡°Oh! Aurora! Small child of the stars! What a lovely sight for this old man, have you finally decided to seek the path of the stars? I can guide you thoroughly if it¡¯s you *hihihihi*¡± ¡°How about I turn you into stardust perverted owl?¡± ¡°*sigh* Ah¡­ how fearsome, such treats coming from a small mouth like yours¡­ what a shame *nods*¡± ¡°Enough with the chitchat perverted owl, lend me the Orbstone for a while¡± ¡°Again? *tsk tsk* Aurora, impatience is one of the many bad companies we can have, why don¡¯t you take it easy and while you¡¯re at it keep me company!!¡± ¡°Yeah yeah, whatever¡­ *searching*¡± ¡°Hou, what a disrespectful child, searching at your own discretion¡­ ah! Careful with that tool it¡¯s very expensive!! *Ahem* what does the future holds for the new generation¡­ *fake sob*" ¡°And... isn¡¯t that what your ¡®reading of the stars¡¯ stands for Owl? *searching*¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s true! *fists one hand onto the other palm* let¡¯s see, mmm¡­.this is?!?!?!?!¡± ¡°Oh? Did you see something for once?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not far off the time where I will get a kiss from miss researcher¡± ¡°*vein popping in temple* Let me tell you that those stars are guiding you to a quick death Old owl¡± ¡°*grin* But I would get a kiss from you to trade it for, not such a big loss if I say so¡­ NO! Wait! Isn¡¯t it even profitable for me? I get a beauty kissing me and death gets an old decrepit *approving nod*¡± ¡°Suuuuure¡­. Whatever you say Sabur, Ah! Here is it! Now shut up for a while, I¡¯m gonna immerse¡± ¡°*sigh* How cold¡­ take care and don¡¯t lose yourself in the current Aurora my dear¡± ¡°*grin* Finally something that came from your mouth in the past 3 days that is useful, well¡­ here I go! *Infuses mana to the Orbstone*¡± Orbstone, this particular object found many years ago is said to be the world¡¯s eye, and with reason. It isn¡¯t known how the Orbstone comes to be, but what is known is that it is Solid mana, pure concentration of mana personified in the form of a sphere. What can an Orbstone do? Alone, little if anything as to be a decorative piece of stone, its lightblue colour is pleasant to the eye and it even glows a little in the dark; but in the hands of a person that dwells in the studies of mana, it''s a very powerful tool. The importance of the Orbstone lies in that it serves to ¡®project or concentrate mana, and analyze it¡¯, right now Aurora is using it with the intention to project mana, the outer eye function as it¡¯s called by those in the field, permits a person to search/explore the surrounding mana ¡°(Where are you Lean?)¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°(?!?!...this, YES, FINALLY! Uh? It¡¯s pretty far, did he even try to reach Veritas at all?)¡± ¡°*Wakes from Immersion* Hey Sabur, I have fo- WHAT ARE YOU TRYING NOW??¡± Aurora snapped back to reality only to find Sabur very close to her, with his hands moving in the direction of her bust and waist ¡°(Tch, already done?) Ah! I was going to motivate you, you know that a massage is good for the body right?¡± ¡°Sabur¡­.¡± ¡°Aurora!¡± ¡°YOU ARE DAMN DEAD OLD LECHEROUS BASTARD!!!¡± ¡°Please be kind to this old sack of bones!! *resigned*¡± *Bamn! Pow! Crack!* ¡°*Whistle* Ah¡­ that was refreshing, thanks for the guidance Sabur¡± For the reader¡¯s discretion we have put a censorship in Sabur¡¯s remainings Aurora headed to the door with new spirits, but before she could leave This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Hey, Aurora¡± The voice turned serious and transmitted a whole new presence in contrast to the tired voice from before ¡°Is it a new prediction?¡± Aurora stopped in front of the door and responded in kind, but didn¡¯t turn back ¡°It¡¯s not a prediction but¡­ the stars are making strange movements¡­¡± ¡°Strange movements? Explain¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure, but, since the start of Chaos, the stars have been¡­ restless? And the more days pass by, the more disorderly they become¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­ well, I hope you can decipher whatever that means then¡± ¡°Yeah, I want that too¡­ also, there is a red star shining on you my dear¡± ¡°(Red star¡­) When?¡± ¡°Tonight, be careful¡± ¡°Okay, thanks Sabur. You too, keep yourself healthy¡± *Door opening* *Clank* Sabur now directed his vision to the window in direction to the sky where the sun would set later ¡°May the trial we undertake in the future¡­ be a benign one¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°WHAAAAAAT!!!¡± Lean jumped from the bed in an impossible kind of way, startling the two beside the bed, and stood near the door ready to leave ¡°Oi! Don¡¯t scream like that!! You¡¯re gonna bother other customers!! And where are you going with that getup??¡± ¡°AH!! PLEASE STOP!! DON¡¯T GO LIKE THAT!!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Uh? Why¡­ am I naked? no wait, first, you said that 10 days have passed? Are you sure? What day are we now?¡± ¡°(What a shameless fellow) Are you deaf or something? Yes, 10 days have passed and today is the 23rd of Chaos! And put on some clothes, what do you want to accomplish showing your manhood to the world¡­¡± ¡°Owner don¡¯t mind the details hehehehe¡­.¡± ¡°(This girl¡­ When did she start to be so comfortable around men?) *sigh*¡± ¡°*Done changing* Okay! Now I¡¯m off! I¡¯ll be back and repay this favor!¡± ¡°You better do so, I have received the extra payment, but your care was done by this Angel, so you better keep your word¡­¡± ¡°Ah, yes! Thank you Angel! I¡¯ll be sure to repay you!¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll be waiting for it!¡± Lean rushed after picking his belongings, the new clothes he bought, the books, the small box and the dagger with its sheath, put it all in the bag and run all the way back to the entrance, ignoring all the ruckus characteristic of the inn. Now outside, before he could start his rush ¡°(Eh? This feeling¡­ aww man, busted?)¡± *ZAAAAAAS* Remembering the sensation, Lean closed his eyes and waited a little before opening them and confirmed his prior sensation, wavy and golden hair that reached a little down her shoulders, her carefully sculpted diamond shaped face and the good attributes of her woman figure, it couldn¡¯t be anyone but Aurora. But in contrast to the smile plastered in her face, her eyes were emitting a dreadful light ¡°Aurora! Sorry for-¡± ¡°Yes, yes, you have some explaining to do, but here¡¯s not the place¡± *ZAAAAAAS* Cutting Lean¡¯s dialog, Aurora wasted no time in returning to Veritas leaving again in a flash and burning some poor fellow¡¯s eyes. This little incident would come to turn into ¡®the light that lit Bards&Beers¡¯ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°This is my headquarter, not the biggest room in here but it¡¯s very comfortable, so let¡¯s relax a little and after that, I will show you a little of the building and your room¡­ okay?¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± Lean was impressed by the room, it was a mix of two parts. The first, where they were standing, was of a circular shape and was the first level of the two, as what Lean could see that there were two stairs glued to the walls that lead to the upper part. In the base, there was a big and rectangular carpet that had on it six luxurious chairs circling a low table, all of them where directed to the chimney. In the walls there were many bookcases filled with books and papers, some sections were well-arranged and others looked about to fall off ¡°Wow, this is your room Aurora? There are many, MANY books uh?¡± ¡°*giggle* More like my work place, I have my own bedroom but most of the time I spend it here¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­ have you read all of the books here?¡± ¡°Pretty much, yes, as a researcher I have to read them, you know?¡± ¡°Incredible¡± ¡°Yes, yes, now go sit there, I will prepare something to drink, and-¡± *growl* ¡°*giggle* How about having a meal first?¡± ¡°Yes please¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°(Just how much space does this guys has in his stomach??) Okay, now¡­ tell me my dear¡­ what happened to you in the past days??¡± ¡°Aurora¡­ you¡¯re giving a menacing aura¡­¡± ¡°It must be your imagination isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°No, like really, y-¡± ¡°Oh damn it Lean! I¡¯m pretty angry, so enough chit-chat and more serious talk¡­ what happened?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I was sleeping the whole time¡± ¡°*Eyelid twitching* so you were not only late by 3 days, you don¡¯t know what happened¡­ and you were... sleeping?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± *Awkward silence* ¡°AS IF I WOULD BELIEVE THAT!!! Tell me what happened and don¡¯t try to hide anything!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hiding anything! The last thing I remember was getting a horrible headache and by the time I returned to the inn I lost consciousness, just today I woke up you know!!¡± ¡°You¡­ lost consciousness for 10 days straight??¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you!¡± ¡°(Could it be¡­ no, it must be related to the impossibility of finding him with the Orbstone the other day¡­) Mmmm¡­ we will look into it later then¡­ but this carries out another problem, you didn¡¯t learn anything in the end right?¡± ¡°I guess¡­ well, there was one thing¡­¡± ¡°One thing? What did you learn?¡± ¡°¡¯People don¡¯t go butting their heads into others affairs¡¯ something like that¡­''¡± ¡°Mmm, is it my impression or did you learn that from someone with a bad attitude?¡± ¡°Haha¡­ was it so easy to figure it out?¡± ¡°*grin* Too easy, still, it¡¯s not such a bad knowing, but you will have to see where it¡¯s valid and where not¡­ so, what happened to that guy?¡± ¡°Punched his face and broke his nose and some teeth¡­¡± ¡°Ouch, well if it was in the outskirts of the city it¡¯s not gonna escalate into anything¡­¡± ¡°If I did that inside the city¡­¡± ¡°Probably, who knows, you could be reported by someone or be caught by a patrol guard¡­ anyway, what¡¯s done is done so don¡¯t think too hard about it, what you need to focus on is that finally you are in Veritas, your new home for the times to come! Follow me, i''m gonna show you around¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. *scribble scribble* ¡°*stretching arms upwards* Hnnng¡­ ah, that¡¯s better¡­ uh? 4:00 am¡­ *sigh* how does time fly so fast?¡± Aurora in her workroom was putting in order what she learned of Lean''s case and finally reaching some point decided to take a break and continue tomorrow. After brewing tea, she now held a cup and rested in one of the chairs in the base ¡°*sipping* Ah¡­ that¡¯s better¡­¡± *swish swiiiishhhh* *CLANK* ¡°Mmm? The window?¡± She looked in the direction of the upper part, then went and saw the window open ¡°*Closes window* yare yare¡­ autumn is closing uh¡­ eh?¡± When she closed the window, there in the big panel of it was reflected a figure ¡°My¡­ who could it be at this hour?¡± Aurora turned and faced the figure, her voice was childish but her eyes were not friendly at all ¡°Oi oi, is this how you treat your acquaintances, you sure are still a greenhorn¡± ¡°Eh, that voice, can it be¡­ Reidmo?!¡± ¡°Took you long enough to notice¡± The person cladded in a long and dark coat raised his hand and removed the hood, revealing a face that Aurora was familiarized with, yet, Aurora did not make a happy face and sure did not show it in her voice that followed after ¡°I¡¯m guessing, but I don¡¯t think you came to accept my feelings right?¡± ¡°*sigh¡­.* That¡¯s right, besides, I already told you didn¡¯t I? That-¡± ¡°¡¯I love Aggia¡¯ right?¡± ¡°If you know then, please, spare me from this never ending-¡± ¡°And you still went and had a child with who knows in an isolated forest, I didn¡¯t know you had such fetishes¡­ do you really dislike me so much? Am I really so unworthy of your ¡®love¡¯?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°So? Why are you here then? You can at least tell me that right?¡± ¡°*holds head with left hand* *long sigh*¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but the ¡®Tsaus Voj Voog¡¯ is close, better prepare yourself and tell that to those 6 too¡± ¡°Uh? What? Those 6, you mean-¡± ¡°I won''t tell more than this Aurora, consider this my ¡®unworthy love¡¯ to you, okay? *Opens window*¡± ¡°Eh? (When did he move?) Wait, WAIT! Reidmo!!¡± Reidmo jumped in the night and like a light that is suddenly shut, disappeared, leaving a confused Aurora gazing at the dark ¡°Tsaus Voj Voog was it?¡­ have I heard that somewhere¡­ who cares... SCREW YOU REIDMO!!¡± Chapter 6: Dream of a meeting Hello guys, I have to confess that I have been through the process better known as "procastination", so I give you my apologies, to make up for that, here''s the next chapter and it''s the longest so far! Also, it''s one packed with a little action, or at least that''s what I wanted to write.... anyway, on with the chapter! If you note any mistake or something, please point it out! Also, leave some feedback, it will help me grow as a writter! Warning: This chapter contains slight/soft gore, and a little foul language. Chapter 6: Dream of a meeting ¡°What¡¯s with this maze¡­ damn it, didn¡¯t we pass by here already?!¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so, we have been marking the walls wherever we encounter these bifurcations¡­¡± ¡°Yea, stop complaining¡­ isn¡¯t this part of the job anyway? Do it properly¡­¡± ¡°Ah! Shut up! When I signed for this expedition I didn¡¯t thought I would be doing such a boring thing like exploring caves!!¡± ¡°Yare yare¡­ you¡¯re such a child Maren¡­*giggle giggle*¡± ¡°Ah? Look who¡¯s talking, baby Aurora? Pffff¡­.¡± ¡°Maren, shut up! Aurora might be the youngest but she sure is more mature than you!¡± ¡°Yaila now uh¡­ more mature? HA! What a good joke!¡± ¡°Guys, Gelon is scouting the passage! Stop your quarrel right now!¡± ¡°Yeah yeah, whatever captain¡± ¡°Maren!!¡± ¡°Guys calm down! Captain Dayne is right, Gelon needs silence so shhhhhhh¡± ¡°Ber, stop being such a sucker¡± ¡°What did you say you-¡° *STOMP* ¡°*low voice* Shut up... all of you¡­ NOW¡­¡± ¡°Yes Leit!!!¡± ¡°*sigh* Thanks for that Leit...¡± ¡°*whispering* Now you have done it! Leit is mad!!¡± ¡°*whispering* You were at fault too!!¡± ¡°*whispering* Guys¡­ Leit is looking here¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m back captain¡± ¡°Report¡± ¡°Yes! The right way goes like what we have been traveling so far, there is another bifurcation not so far and we would need to choose between up or down there¡­¡± ¡°And the left?¡± ¡°The left path is different, at the end there is a big site but I didn¡¯t went further into it. What do we do now captain?¡± ¡°Did you hear guys? What do you think?¡± ¡°LEFT! I¡¯m sick of the tunnels¡± ¡°Maren wants to go left, so let''s go right¡± ¡°Yaila you bitch!¡± ¡°Mmm, i think left is good too¡± ¡°Well, for this one I will choose left too!¡± ¡°Really Aurora?¡± ¡°I¡¯m done with the tunnels you see¡­¡± ¡°Ha! Take that Yaila!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to the site, with enough space we can rest a little and eat something too¡± ¡°What about you Leit? You have been mute all this time¡± ¡°¡­¡­left¡± ¡°Okay, left is it then¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°*clap clap* Okay guys, that¡¯s it for the recess time, let¡¯s do another round and finish with today¡¯s assignment¡± ¡°Aww¡­ what a bummer¡­ let¡¯s rest some more¡­ yes? Please?¡± ¡°Maren stop being an eyesore!¡± ¡°Tch!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Finally¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Adventuring in the site, the group discovered a river further in, there was a natural bridge that allowed to cross it. It was big and looked solid enough to let the 7 person party stand on it, the river also boasted a significant size and the current was no joke either At the other side, the group started to notice that the solid rock was slowly changing to green grass, the air flow was growing stronger too, and after walking up a ramp they noticed light ¡°Already out of the mountain?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so, could it be¡­ a valley inside the mountain?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wait near the exit, Gelon go scout the place¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°A valley? Mmmm¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong Aurora? Thought something?¡± ¡°No, nothing of the sorts, just that¡­ since the landing we encountered many beasts out there, but here¡­ nothing that resembles them¡­ so just to be careful¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t¡¯ worry, Gelon knows what he is doing!¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a worrywart baby Aurora¡± ¡°Mmm, Aurora is right, let''s ready our weapons, Ber, Yaila in the front, Leit Aurora and me in the middle and Maren at the back¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope ¡®White Aurora¡¯ surprise us with her abilities!!¡± ¡°*giggle* Don¡¯t worry Maren, I can show you just fine without the need of any beast, you know?¡± ¡°Guh! No it¡¯s fine! Save your energy!¡± ¡°Ha! Maren got threatened by his junior, isn¡¯t that pitiful Ber?*elbows him lightly*¡± ¡°*holding laughter* He knows that Aurora can hand his ass on a silver plate if she wants¡± ¡°Tch, just because she is a Summoner¡­¡± ¡°Stop the chit chat, Gelon is coming back¡± ¡°Reporting¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°This is indeed a valley of sorts, it may be around 3-5 square kilometers¡­ also there aren¡¯t that many trees in the vicinity, there is a forest but it''s pretty far in the edge, but, in contrast, the valley looks like a savannah, the grass rounds from 50 cm to 1m and 50cm¡­ But that¡¯s just my rough estimate¡± ¡°You heard him guys, do you wanna give it a go? Take for granted that we will encounter something there¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t want to enter this place¡± ¡°Ha! Who is acting like a chicken now? No! Wait¡­ you want to go back to the tunnels so maybe you''re a mole! Go back home if you don¡¯t like it here Yaila! HAHAHAHA!¡± ¡°(This little shit!!) I bet 5 vane that Maren will be the first to get his ass handed by beasts in the valley¡± ¡°Oh! Make that 5 more!¡± ¡°Mmmm, I will go with 3¡­¡± ¡°*giggle* I will hand 1 more¡± ¡°¡­¡­20¡± ¡°Wha-what!! You guys!!! And what the hell with the last amount?!?! Leit!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­..I like gambling¡­¡­¡± ¡°*Sigh* Why does this squad is such¡­.¡± ¡°Hang in there captain *pats his shoulder*¡± ¡°Thanks Gelon. Okay! *CLAP* We will enter and explore the area, Gelon join Maren in the rear-guard, we will go with the 2-3-2, don¡¯t stray from the path the one you have in front goes, is that clear?¡± *Nod* ¡°Good, let''s go then¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°*whispering* Captain¡­¡± ¡°*whispering* How many?¡± ¡°*whispering* I don¡¯t know, 5 or 6, but I saw them, they¡¯re Maghyenas¡­ it will not be strange to run into a pack of 20 or so of them¡­¡± ¡°*cursing lowly*Damnit!¡± ¡°*low voice* Change of plans guys, let''s head out of the pastureland, we will be at a disadvantage if we engage here, let''s get to that rock formation¡± *tapata tapata* *rustling rustling* ¡°Shit! They¡¯re coming Captain!!¡± ¡±GROOOOoowl!!!¡± ¡°Watch out Ber! Help him Intercept it Yaila!¡± ¡°(!!!) SHIT!!¡± A Maghyena jumped and attacked with its jaws wide open aiming at Ber¡¯s throat, but with Dayne¡¯s quick yell, Ber could use his shield to ward off the mouth of the beast lunging at him, but the strength behind the attack was overwhelming making him stagger back a little and leaving an opening that the Maghyena used to attack again Yaila wasting no time, used her spear to intercept the beast aiming at its shoulder, the thrust hit its mark and the spear sunk a little. The Maghyena let out a howl and tried to retreat to shake off the spear ¡°I will not let you, you fucking dog!!!¡± Ber regained his posture and also launched a thrust with his short-spear, colliding with the neck of the beast. The Maghyena let another cry out and did not waste time and started to retreat ignoring the wounds and in the process it carted the two person along ¡°Shit, its muscles are too hard!!! What the hell!!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t pull the spear!!¡± Trying a futile resistance, Ber and Yaila lost their grip on their weapons, but at the same time a white sphere appeared just in front of the head of the Maghyena and a sabre came out of it impaling the right eye and farther inside its head. The beast lost all strength at once and fell, the pair rapidly took their weapons back ¡°Good assistance Aurora!¡± ¡°Thanks Aurora! That was a great hit!!¡± ¡°Stop distracting yourselves and run for it! We will get surrounded if we lose any more time¡± ¡°YES!!¡± The party went for the run, it was bad luck that the pastureland where they were immersed, was high and dense enough to be a difficult obstacle. Some plants had thorns, others had sandpaper like surface and many more with their pointy ends started to do their work on the party that run fast through the maze While racing, the group started to notice the rustling movements that followed them very close making them more uptight at the prospect of suddenly being assaulted by a Maghyena ¡°Che! Captain, The damn dogs are running along us and I''m sure they¡¯re waiting for us to exhaust ourselves!!¡± ¡°For mere dogs they sure have a brain, not like someone I know!!¡± ¡°Are you talking to me Yaila? Eh?!!!¡± ¡°(How the hell can they joke in this situation¡­.)¡± ¡°Haha! Look at Aurora¡¯s face, she is pale like a phantal!¡± ¡°¡­¡­. Plan LB captain?¡± ¡°It looks like that will be the next course of action Leit¡± ¡°Aurora, plan LB, at the count of 5!¡± ¡°Yes! Leave it to me!¡± ¡°5¡­.4¡­.3¡­.2¡­.1¡­. NOW!!! EVERYBODY PUT YOUR EYE-PROTECTORS!!!¡± ¡°[Light Bomb]¡± *ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS* A sudden outburst bathed the valley with a fulminating white light, followed by the cries of numerous beasts and the joyfully chorus from the squad shortly after, seeing that their plan succeeded they kept on running towards the rock With the margin gained with the plan LB, the group could reach the formation without any mishaps. Following the tract that started to go upwards, they finally got out of the pastureland and reached a platform that looked flat and leveled ¡°Okay guys! This space will be our ground! Gelon, deploy the quills!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Captain, their tackles are no joke you know¡­. a wrong move and my arm is gonna split¡± ¡°Haha! Sucks to be you Ber then!! Ah! That¡¯s your job too isn¡¯t it Yaila? *grin*¡± ¡°*sigh* You better aim good and do something, I can¡¯t see how your little knives would do anything at all¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re coming! Ber, Yaila don''t try to clash directly, we will do a 2-1-4 formation, Gelon shoot the ones that are farther, Maren support us holding them back, Aurora will give the finishing blow if deem necessary, if not, save your mana as much as you can¡± *YES!* Gelon went to the furthest side of the platform, readied his bow and started to shoot at the Maghyenas that came running. Dayne, Leit, Ber and Yaila were circling the exit awaiting ready, Leit, like Yaila, had a long spear, and Dayne had a two-handed broadsword; but the two were light armored emphasizing movement unlike Ber and Yaila¡¯s heavy armor Maren stood beside Aurora a little further back of the 4 person semi-circle, but different from the two sabre wielder girl, he had throwing knives on his hands Shortly after Gelon started his firing, acute howls followed and promptly some Maghyenas reached the platform. But, fulfilling their objective, the quills pierced the feet of the first group making them stumble and stagger giving the waiting people the chance to attack first ¡°GET THEM NOW!!¡± Dayne shouted the order while charging at one of the Maghyenas that fell and with a rapid motion sliced its head off. Ber and Yaila passed next to the spectacle with different emotions ¡°Damn¡­ that was sick captain!¡± ¡°Amazing! That¡¯s Dayne for you!¡± The two rushed at another Maghyena trying to reaffirm its footing. When they were closing and nodding at each other as a signal, Yaila directed her full charge at the open mouth of the beast which was too late to react and got pierced through it. When the beast started showing an impossible will to move, Ber used two rapid thrusts and plucked the eyes of the creature In the left, Leit did a high jump while setting his spear pointing at the ground but instead of the rocky surface, the pointy end found bone and flesh(grey matter) as its landing point, killing another Maghyena. While trying to extract his weapon, another appeared and did a rapid charge, but as if expecting that, Leit did a flickering spin and slammed with the blunt part of the spear the side of the Maghyenas¡¯ head Gaining some distance, Leit readied himself again, but, before he could start his new attack ¡°Go from the left!!!¡± Understanding Maren¡¯s intention, Leit changed his trajectory and rushed to the left. The beast, recovering from the heavy blow dealt to it, followed Leit¡¯s movements and the moment it did so, 4 knives impacted it, two in the neck and two in the head. Of the knives that went to the head, one pierced the right ear and the other sunk in the upper-part of the eye socket. Letting a crying howl, the Maghyena rose its front paws a little and when setting foot on ground again, did a shaking motion trying to shook off the knives. With the opening, Leit jumped again, but this time he did not aim up and rolled midair, when his feet touched the ground he launched himself up again and pierced the neck of the Maghyena from below ¡°GOOD GOOD!! THAT MAKES IT 5 IN A ROW!!¡± ¡°CAPTAIN! TROUBLE! THIS HERD HAS WAY TOO MANY, I¡¯M COUNTING AT LEAST 31¡± ¡°TCH! 26 more to go, uh? Damn our luck to encounter such a big pack¡­. CHANGE OF PLANS GUYS, WE WILL KEEP THIS FORMATION AS WE GO UPWARDS!! GELON, AURORA, MAREN YOU GUYS FIRST, GO GO GO!!!¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Dayne had just killed the last Maghyena of the group that arrived first and was in high spirits, until Gelon reported the situation. Maghyenas were beasts that moved in packs, but the numbers did not go over 20, at least, that was what the information gathered until the moment. Dayne thought that they would manage facing a normal herd in the platform, with 20 or less and having already taken 5 out, were the numbers that he was using in his equation, but the abnormal quantity of this pack was simply too much. Avoiding a scenario where they would be surrounded was the safest bet and luckily the trail that went upwards circling the rock formation seemed to have some platforms like the one where they were currently If they managed to hold their own in each stop, they would avoid the worst case of being surrounded, so with that objective in mind Dayne directed the course of actions in the rally like situation they were in ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. ¡°*uff..uff* Why the hell are these creatures so damn stubborn!!??¡± ¡°*ragged breath* Damn¡­ it¡­ all!!¡± ¡°*panting heavily* I-I¡¯m dooooooooone!¡± ¡°What are you bitching about, you are rearguard Maren you bastard!!¡± ¡°COMON! Just a little more and we will be at the summit, there will not be any place left to run!! So take the fight to the Maghyenas, or we will be the ones biting the dust!!¡± ¡°Are we gonna be alright Gelon?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a certainty, trust Captain and us more Baby-Aurora¡± ¡°Are you really picking this time to tease me?!¡± ¡°Hahaha!! Sorry about that then!!¡± Reaching the summit The party that rushed until now, suddenly stopped in their tracks Bones Bones laid everywhere, scattered, piled, big or small it didn¡¯t matter The disorderly arranged mess of white left a trail that, at the end, reached the entrance of a cave. Only a few rays of light entered it, but the far end remained shadowed by darkness The group seemed at a loss on what to do next, but Dayne pulled through and directed new orders ¡°STOP DAYDREAMING! RUN AT THE ENTRANCE, WE WILL USE THAT PILE AS COVER!!¡± With haste, the group advanced and when reaching midway they noticed the rumbling of the bones the herd of Maghyenas produced behind them. The vibrations kept of increasing, and shortly after, all the bones were making creaking sounds The noisy serenade that the bones made, acted like a trigger ¡°GRUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHH¡± A loud and guttural roar escaped from the depths of the cave and resounded in all directions. Shutting every sound, even the wind seemed fearful as it stopped blowing The party and the Maghyenas, stunned, waited with their tension rising and when it reached the peak, the Maghyenas were the first to act as they turned and started to run from where they came from but as if waiting for that action, that, that lurked in the cave finally exited it and showed itself Mighty Imposing Dominant A feline of sorts, towering at more than 5 meters, a homogeneous ruby like colour permeated through all of its greatly body with the exception of the overflowing mane that was of a darkblood colour and the black mass that covered its loin. The contrast highlighted the powerful gaze of the beast, its eyes sockets were filled with a pure golden colour and a hazy light could be seen emanating from them Such creature resembled nothing known by the people in front of it Such creature, stopped and stood still just outside of the cave Standing proudly, the beast let out a small growl and opening fast and pointing to the sky, two gigantic bat like wings transformed the majestic lion like creature in a horrific sight The party was simple too overwhelmed and didn¡¯t react...no, they couldn¡¯t react to the movement of the beast. A blur passed just above them and flew downwards the small mountain, it were mere seconds but sorrowful cries of wounded creatures were heard and started resonating one after the other, and fast enough an abrupt silence shrouded the hill and environs The party members had all colour drained from their faces but oddly enough Maren showed the most composure and disrupted the silence ¡°Well¡­ we are screwed...¡± With that short statement, the group started to exchange some smiles as if coming to some resolution, foreign to this exchange, Aurora still looked white as a sheet and looked at everybody with confusion ¡°WHY ARE YOU ALL SMILING?!?!?! THAT MONSTER IS COMING BACK ANYTIME!!! WE ARE GOING TO DIE AREN¡¯T WE...UH..UH..uh...uhhhhh¡­..¡± She raised a scream and was on the verge of tears, Yaila with a soft look started to caress her head and hugged her firmly ¡°There¡­. There¡­.¡± ¡°Who was more mature than me, eh?¡± ¡°Are you really picking on her, and at this time? She is only 17...¡± ¡°I¡¯m not picking on her, I¡¯m picking on you! Duh!¡± *CLAP* They all stared at the origin of the sound and looked at Captain Dayne. After a little, he finally spoke ¡°Gelon, the reports¡± ¡°Yes! Here they are...¡± Gelon passed some documents and papers that were rolled and fastened with a cord, and retreated to where he was. Dayne then closed the distance and approaching Aurora said to her ¡°Aurora, this is an ORDER, return to the campment¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Teleport back, you were assigned to this squad because of that talent-¡± ¡°I-I CAN¡¯TDOTHAT CAP-¡± ¡°AURORA!¡± ¡°(!!!)¡± Aurora started crying, she was swamped by her surging emotions but brushing it all away, Dayne followed ¡°Our mission was to survey, and all of our observations are in here! Understand? You have to report back these documents!¡± ¡°Waa..aa,but but captain..-- ¡± ¡°No buts! Get on with it!!¡± ¡°(!!)¡± She was at a loss, Dayne was shouting with a tone she never heard before and they had been to more than 15 missions together since the expedition took place some time ago ¡°Please Aurora, you''re the only one that can do this...¡± ¡°Guys...¡± ¡°Aurora, you¡¯re a Summoner understand that...¡± ¡°Guys...¡± ¡°Aurora you are about to be 18, so for now follow what we grown up men say, okay?¡± ¡°No...¡± ¡°..... I trust you Aurora, follow Dayne¡¯s command¡± ¡°No...¡± Maren spoke last ¡°Listen here you brat, this is why you¡¯re called baby-Aurora, stop that weeping and wipe away those tears and snot, they¡¯re ruining your pretty face... okay that¡¯s better¡­ now smile! Yes, a smile suits your face better¡­.now listen well. Don¡¯t go killing us off so easily! We will manage somehow, and meet you in the basecamp! Besides, you¡¯re running out of fuel aren¡¯t you, in this condition you¡¯re of no help¡­ so scram, go and wait for us with a nice meal okay?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Did you understand?¡± ¡°*nod*¡± ¡°Good, then...GO!¡± ¡°Please promise me¡­. Promise me that you are all going to come back¡­.¡± ¡°...... I promise¡± Muttering lowly, Aurora grasped the documents and closed her eyes. While she was moving her lips, small white particles started to gather around her and in the end covered her like a coat made of snowflakes *ZAAAAAAS* With Aurora gone, the group looked at each other ¡°What¡¯s with that sweet lie Maren? That was so not like you¡­. I find it hard to believe that speech came from your mouth¡± ¡°Tch! Ha! Don¡¯t come falling for me at such a time Yaila¡­.you bitch¡­.¡± ¡°*giggle* That tone suits you better, besides, every group needs a jester don¡¯t you think¡± ¡°Well guys, i don¡¯t know about you, but after Maren spoke i feel like trying a little more¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ if we come back we can give Aurora a big shock don¡¯t you think¡± *laughter* ¡°Squad 16 Captain Dayne! I salute you companions! May we have our wildest fight!¡± With Captain¡¯s Dayne sudden formal salute, his men followed suit ¡°Squad 16 Scout, Gelon!¡± ¡°Squad 16 Vanguard Ber, Yaila!¡± ¡°Squad 16 Middle Guard, Leit!¡± ¡°Squad 16 Rear Guard, Maren!¡± ¡°GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWL¡± ¡°Heh! Finally the main actor showed up!¡± ¡°I was tired of waiting, you damn oversized cat!¡± ¡°......about time, stupid mammal¡­.¡± The beast, returning to the summit landed on the road, cutting off the only exit and glared with ill intent to the party. But they met Its glare head on without a hint of fear anymore and raised a battlecry *UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH* ¡­... ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­. *ZAAAAAAAAS* ¡°Uff, I feel a little dizzy... now to rest a little in the ca- eh? What? This place is... No, this can¡¯t be!!!¡± Aurora succeeded in her teleportation, but that was as far as her luck went. She had learned the skill, but for a perfect execution, it would take more training which she currently didn¡¯t had, in short, she took a gamble and¡­. She lost it. She deducted she was in the opposite side of her objective, Gelon¡¯s report before venturing inside stated it clear ¡°Damn it¡­.fuck¡­ FUCK IT ALL!!!!! FUCK! Fuck the Maghyenas, fuck the friggin monster!!! GODDAMNIT ALLLLLLL¡± She had reached her limits, physically, and mentally, and now with the last bit of her mana pool gone, she could not move freely, all her limbs were too heavy and her thoughts started to wander off astray. Finally, her vision slowly became blurry and together with her loss of hearing and touch, it became a surreal perspective As if some fate at hand was mocking her, she was in a position where she had vision of the small mountain of the valley, and with her senses not working properly, laid there watching in a semi dreamlike state By the time she had shifted her gaze, there was already a figure in front of her, but she stopped caring for all she knew ¡°Oy!¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°Oyyyy! Someone up there? *waving hand*¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Mmmm¡­. Uh?¡± The figure was a handsome and tall man. Trying to gain some response from the girl, the man tried to shake her but his senses acted up and turned facing the mountain ¡°A Manticore¡­ oh? An Irregular one at that¡­ well, if it knows what¡¯s better for him, he should stay away from- Coming here uh? *long sigh*¡± Matching the man¡¯s words the Manticore that was closing in, reached just a little further away from them and menacingly gazed at the third party ¡°Mmm? This girl? Your prey¡­ you say?¡± ¡°GROOOWLH¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry little kitty, she is in my territory, if you want her¡­.*waves hand* come and play with me a little?¡± ¡°GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRWWW!!!!¡± The beast fell for the man¡¯s provocation and struck a potent right paw at him. The man unamused simply raised his in a relaxed manner, and when both extremities met *CRACK* *SPRAAAAAAAAT* ¡°GRUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW¡± The right carpals of the paw broke with a thunderous sound, followed by the acute howl of the Manticore. The man in contrast had a joyful and relaxed expression ¡°I guess it¡¯s gonna be meat for tonight~~¡± The Manticore was suffering, but above that, started to be afraid of the man that was approaching it. At the start of the battle, the man had little to no presence at all, but now, with every step that he took, the relaxed expression on him was turning into one full of dread. Not just the manticore, the air itself and the plants surrounding them started trembling from the source of such disgusting deathly aura. With a sudden turn, the manticore readied its wings to take fly ¡°Oh no, you decided to fight, so do it until it finishes....okay?¡± *RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP* *GRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOOUUUUUUU* Before it could make a flutter with its wings, the man was already at the base where they formed and ripped them apart. Another cry of the beast resounded but the man didn¡¯t stop there and jumped above its head, and when landing on it, the beast fell to the ground and *CRAAAAAAAAAACK* *SPLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT* ¡°Finally some silence¡­. For goodness sake¡­.That annoying scream was getting on my nerves¡­.Ah!¡± Remembering that there was another person ¡°Hey girl, I¡¯m gonna-¡± ¡°.....¡± Reaching to the girl, the man noticed that she had an unfocused gaze yet tears were falling down across her cheeks and didn¡¯t look that it were going to stop flowing anytime soon ¡°Nice to meet you, crying princess. My name is Reidmo¡­¡± Reidmo put his hand near Aurora¡¯s face and released a gentle bluish light ¡°¡­...For now why not have some sweet dreams¡­.okay?¡± Chapter 7: The coming Hello guys, here¡¯s chapter 7, sorry for the delay¡­ it was surprisingly hard to make this chapter in particular, (and the procastination didn¡¯t help too...) Anyway, hope you can enjoy it! Please if you note errors, point them out and I will try to fix them! Chapter 7: The coming -13th of Chaos- The forest of Arcanxes Many different tree species grow here, and their differences, like the shape of the trunk or tree tops, the height, leaves¡­ fall short to the principal distinct characteristic: Colour Yes, every tree in this place holds a colour of their own, a thousand blue or a thousand yellow, violet, green or cyan, warm colours and cold colours, all shades of them, some have a mix of 2 or more, even the pattern inscribed on them vary and, try as you might, will not find two trees alike¡­. Truly a magical forest in its own league. Arranged in a circular shape, in the center of this myriad like sea forest, stands a particular tree Black and White The only tree that has those two, mixed in a perfect half from bottom to top Being the biggest for a wide margin, almost to the point that if one looks from the tree top, the trees below become small dots like ants. At the base there are 8 roots that spread in 360 degrees and are connected to pillars that emerge from the ground elevating the tree many meters upwards, as if trying to help it reach the sky. The disposition of the pillars and how the tree embraces them make for a big dome like structure, like a wooden hill, and if one enters it, one can behold a curious spectacle. Big as it may be, the inside is hollow¡­ with an exception A torrent of white light that emerges from the ground, collides with the tree¡¯s center and like a fuming substance, disappears into it. The torrent moves in a slow yet continuous motion, small particles that aren¡¯t dragged with the main flow surround it and follow its direction are witness of this fact Following the trail one can only go upwards until hitting the interlacing roots, but the instant that we pass through the base a different stage takes place A city Adjusting to the tree¡¯s frame, the city-like structures fill the insides of it and seemingly reach all the way to the top. Going up through the massive spiral stair, that looks more like roots than stairs, entering a big hallway near the summit and exiting to a balcony A relaxing spot, or to be more precise, a belvedere ¡°Atxicosa, gazing at the horizon again?¡± ¡°.....Mmm...¡± ¡°Even though you use to say that ¡®watching the same scenery is boring¡¯?¡± ¡°.....Mmm....¡± ¡°Are you still hung up with that human?¡± ¡°................¡± ¡°*Sigh* Seriously¡­ I still can¡¯t believe it you know?¡± ¡°.....Mmm¡­¡± ¡°(Back to humming uh?) Yosh! Won¡¯t you get over it? It¡¯s been 4 years now!¡± ¡°.......Yeah¡­. He turns 18 today¡­ I wonder if he caught a nice meal¡­.¡± ¡°(This little!! Really¡­ How did a human¡­..Arrrr!! Just thinking about it gives me a headache!!) When will you stop this foolishness? Did you forget? What we, the Plantae are?¡± ¡°......¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..Atxervisa¡­.¡± ¡°Finally making eye contact uh? So, Did you forget? Answer me!¡± ¡°.................We are¡­¡­.. Observers¡­...¡± ¡°What is our role?¡± ¡°.......................Spectate the events¡­¡­.. of the world¡­...¡± ¡°And for that reason?¡± ¡°...We avoid¡­¡­.contact with¡­. Outsiders¡­..¡± ¡°And what are Humans?¡± ¡°...................................................Outsiders¡­..¡± ¡°Good to know, so forget about him and-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t wanna!¡± ¡°Uh? What d-¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Bu-¡± ¡°NO!!¡± ¡°(This little!!!) Even though I came to help you!!¡± ¡°Gu- Get off me, Atxervisa!!¡± ¡°NO! I won¡¯t, until you yield on that human!¡± ¡°..............What a bothersome sister¡­.also, you''re heavy¡± ¡°W-What did you say!! I-I-I¡¯m not heavy!!!¡± ¡°.....You¡¯re right¡­..you are¡­.dense¡± ¡°Uh...uuhh¡­*sniff*¡± ¡°(Super effective! Atxicosa wins this fight!)¡± Atxicosa made a victory pose with her fist, however, she couldn¡¯t savor her win. From the entrance, a figure came and spoke to the two with a tranquil voice. ¡°What is this commotion?¡± Atxervisa turned to the figure and rushed the next second hugging her and started babbling ¡°Elder! Elder! Atxico¡­.I,help¡­ She¡­.. den call... me!!!¡± Even with the incoherent phrase, the Elder made an understanding gesture with her head ¡°I see¡­ Don¡¯t worry, I will have a word with her. Why don¡¯t you go and get some Hosyp? That is your favourite, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°*nod*¡± With Atxervisa gone, the Elder sat next to Atxicosa, who, having her freedom back again, went to the border of the balcony and gazed at the horizon returning to her original position. The sun was halfway setting, and with it, the orange and gold threads of light grew ever so stronger caressing everything that they could reach... as if trying to impede the fact that the night was approaching. The two sat there in silence... until the sun was almost completely gone and finally stars started showing themselves ¡°Did she come to ¡®help¡¯ you?¡± ¡°....................................................yes¡­..¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°.....¡± The new silence reigned for an instant, before the Elder announced in a serious tone almost as if feeling mortified by the words that would soon follow ¡°You will have the chance to meet with him again¡­..¡± ¡°(!!!)¡± Atxicosa overflown by the varied emotions raging in herself couldn¡¯t muster any expression, if she had any to show at all, and remained in her own shaken world before the Elder continued ¡°...But... If you want to meet with him again, you will do so after performing the [Sacred Pledge]¡­. Are you still willing on meeting him¡­ With that condition?¡± The chaos that had shown no signs of ending for the young Plantae¡­ like a sudden shower where there are no clouds in the sky, were suddenly brushed off by two powerful words [Sacred Pledge] When one signs a contract between two parties, there is usually a third party that will act as intermediary, or as better known, act as the witness and if one of the contractors breaches a rule or fails to uphold her/his part of the contract, it will act as a judge and give a penalisation to the aforementioned. The Plante developed the ultimate contract, the [Sacred Pledge], where the witness is no one else but the world, Nemidos, itself. Under its never ending watch, the fulfillment of the contract is but a matter of fact, because the few that did not comply to it¡­ met with this world¡¯s might. ¡°¡­.I¡­.¡± -24th of Chaos- *Knock knock* ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Aurora, it¡¯s me Lean. Are you there?¡± *Knock knock* ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Strange¡­ she told me she would be here¡­ (I can¡¯t hear anything too¡­ uh¡­ is that¡­ mumbling?)¡± ¡°...oo...o...ooo...¡± ¡°(Is she sleeping? Should I knock stronger th-)¡± ¡°NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo!!!!¡± ¡°(!!!)¡± *SLAM* *CRANCK* ¡°AURORA! ARE YOU OKAY!?¡± With Aurora¡¯s yell as a trigger, Lean kicked with all his might at the door and partially destroyed it. The door was made of a fine and robust wood, it also exhibited a great amount of work put into it that would not fall short to a piece of art, however, Lean couldn¡¯t care less for the piece of wood that obstructed his path Surveying quickly the spacious living room, Lean found a strange scenario Almost all of the bookshelves were empty, from head to toe, and their inhabitants were lying on the floor, scattered everywhere and making piles of their own.... No furniture was exempted of the paper army. Many were opened at random pages and some had theirs torn apart helping at making a messier background of what the room was, the contrast between the previous day and now would sure make someone say that a hurricane decided to stay the night ¡°(What a mess...but if Aurora is not here, then¡­. THERE!)¡± Lean jumped from the lower to the upper level of the room (mainly because the stairs were also flooded with books), meeting a similar but lesser scenario than below and a quick glance let him find Aurora, she was on the floor next to the luxurious and comfy looking sofa. Approaching her, Lean kneeled and noted that she had her eyes shut ¡°(She¡­is sleeping? Then that scream¡­..uh?)¡± Her eyes started trembling as if she was in discomfort with something, and shortly after tears started to surge and slowly trailed her white cheeks ¡°(!! She is having a nightmare! Gotta act fast!)¡± ***************************** Darkness Darkness envelopes me¡­..surrounds me¡­¡­ Where is the exit? I¡­.I don¡¯t want to be in this dark space¡­.. Someone¡­. Can someone help me?.....It¡¯s cold¡­.. I¡¯m cold! Please!!¡­¡­...someone¡­¡­¡­¡­...Reidmo¡­¡­. Light? Finally¡­.. It¡¯s¡­.. Warm¡­.. Uh? The trail¡­.. It extends? *CRASH* What? The light¡­ is crumbling? (!!!) Run¡­ Run¡­ Faster! Faster!! FASTER!! No, No. Stay back! Don¡¯t come closer! STAY BACK! NO, THAT COLD PLACE I¡­.I¡­.I DON¡¯T WANT TO GO BACK TO THAT COLD PLACE!!!! UH? A door? Run! Run Dammit!!! Finally! I can get out!! ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. Wait¡­.Are those¡­. Maren? Yaila? Ber? Gelon? Dayne? Leit? They¡¯re alive! Wait for me guys! ¡­ ¡­ Ouch¡­ what¡¯s with this place¡­ (!!!) T-T-This place¡­. It can¡¯t be!! ¡°Aurora! Finally!¡± ¡°(!!) Yaila?¡± ¡°About time, that you caught up little one!¡± ¡°Maren? You guys¡­ don¡¯t you see! This place¡­ It¡¯s the mountain!!! We have to get out!!¡± ¡°Hahahaha! Finally you¡¯re acting like your age!¡± ¡°Gelon? No! Guys, really! We have to get out of here!!! Listen to me!!!¡± ¡°What are you saying Aurora? We¡¯re here to explore the new lands¡­. Besides, this place it¡¯s perfect to set up a provisional camp to pass the night, isn¡¯t that right Captain?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right Ber, let¡¯s go, that cave will serve to take refuge from the rain¡­ it will come pouring down anytime now¡­.¡± ¡°Ber...Captain...¡± ¡°..........Don¡¯t take too much time, okay?¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°.....Leit¡­.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­.DAMN IT!!! WHY DO YOU KEEP IGNORING ME!!!! LISTEN TO ME!!!¡± ¡°I call dibs on that smooth looking surface!!¡± ¡°Not if I take it for myself first!¡± ¡°Ah! Yaila you bitch!!¡± ¡°Stop making a ruckus!¡± ¡°Hey! Properly start making the preparations! They¡¯re not listening¡­. Damn bastards, I will get them when it¡¯s time to give them their salary...¡± ¡°Hahah! That¡¯s how it usually goes captain!¡± ¡°*Sigh¡­..*I guess...¡± They¡¯re gone¡­ why, don¡¯t they listen¡­.Why¡­.. Uh¡­.uhhh *Tap*...*tap,tap*.....*taptaptaptaptaptap* ¡°Hey there! Crying princess, what are you searching on the floor?¡± ¡°Uh?.........Reidmo?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, it is me! The best hunter! Reidmo Landrer! At your service!¡± ¡°Reidmo! Please! Help my friends! Quickly!!!¡± ¡°Friends??? What friends?.....Ah! You mean these?¡± ¡°...........Uh?¡± Turning her head to match Reidmo¡¯s gaze, Aurora watched through the veil of the never ending rain and not so far from her, 6 shadows laid scattered on the surface. With the almost black sky derived by the raging monsoon, and the continuous pouring, these shadows would be imperceptible under normal circumstances¡­. But to Aurora¡¯s bad luck, the moment she faced in their direction, ignoring the darkness or without its permission, the shadows revealed their form Six bodies Six bodies that Aurora knew Just before, they were chatting and laughing, proof of their lively demeanor ¡­.. but now those very vivid people were worthy apostles of death itself Ber was bisected from his left shoulder to his right leg, feet were broken and reversed in the opposite direction they should be facing. Hands were flattened like a squashed bug and all around his body deep cuts crossed it... Yaila had all limbs cut at their base, half her head was roughly extracted as if it was removed with brute strength. Her breasts were filleted, one vertically and the other horizontally but still were attached to her... Maren was cleaved with 5 deep cuts and his bones were protruding from their positions, excluding his head, instead of having the flesh with bones as a support, the flesh was contained in the exoskeleton like frame... Gelon was positioned in a seiza pose¡­ but had his hands and feet stolen and were embedded into his open abdomen. All his innards were just below him and he seemed to be trying to get hold of them with his handless arms... Leit had a big chunk of his body torn like he was bitten and the other half of his was impaled on the ground with his spear, like a rugged and dirty flag... Dayne had his lower half missing, only his head, spinal cord and his arms remained and were arranged in a disturbing kind of way. His beloved broadsword served as a pillar and coiling around it was his spinal cord, at the end he was holding his head with both hands and all together were skewered by the point of the sword The corpses shared the same lifeless eyes devoid of hope Flies flying everywhere with their hateful buzzing sounds Dried blood, fresh blood, human waste and putrid meat The hell incarnated in her friends... in the scene before her... left Aurora speechless, stunned beyond belief and absolutely horrified ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!¡± A heartrending cry came from the terrified girl Trying to get a hold of herself, she fell on her butt and sloppily started to retreat and soon found resistance poking her back ¡°Uh? Reidmo?¡± Reidmo was crouching and looking directly at her, soon, he rested his arm on her shoulder and said ¡°Why are you running away? Didn¡¯t you want to meet your friends?¡± ¡°Wa...it...ju..st..a se..cond...¡± ¡°¡±No no, you know what? Even if they¡¯re corpses they are still your friends, so face them properly won¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Wh...at?¡± Without a warning Reidmo lifted Aurora and held her in a princess carry and started marching towards them ¡°No..No...NOOOOO!! Please, anything but that. Stop it...PLEASE!! STOP IT!!¡± ¡°Hummm...Hummm¡­.mmmm¡± Like a deaf man, Reidmo ignored the screams and pleads of Aurora and walked humming a soft yet cheerfully tune, and when he finally stopped his march ¡°Open your eyes crying princess, time to say goodbye...¡± ¡°(NONONONONOSTOPSOPTITNOSTOPIT!!!)¡± In the midst of the crazy turnmoil of emotions that started to get the better of Aurora... ***************** ¡°Aurora...wake up! Aurora!!!¡± ¡°(Damnit, she is not waking up and she is suffering a nightmare¡­ AH! Right! Father told me what to do in these kind of cases!!)¡± ***************** ¡°Remember this Lean, How to be a proper hunter rule #16: When a companion suffers a nightmare (if they¡¯re girls even more!!), help them with this¡­. [Happy injection]!¡± ¡°[Happy injection]?¡± ¡°Yes! (Although the real name is [Mana Linkage]) Imagine and recall your warmest feeling or memory, and while having it present try to project it outside of you!¡± ¡°Just that? And how will this help my companion?¡± ¡°Hehe, that depends on the feeling or memory you¡¯re recalling in that moment¡­ so why don¡¯t you try different ones, I¡¯m sure you will get many (funny) reactions! Ah, this is just my advice, but if your companion is a girl, when you project the mana be sure to put your hands just below the navel! You will thank me later!¡± ¡°(He is smirking¡­ what is he planning?) Okay¡­. But still...¡± ¡°Mmm? What¡¯s wrong Lean?¡± ¡°You remember that we are in the middle of nowhere¡­ right?¡± ¡°Ah! That¡¯s true! HAHAHAHAHAHA!¡± ¡°*sigh*....¡± * * * * * * * * * * * ¡°Okay¡­ recall my warmest feeling¡­. what could¡­. AH! Yep, That¡¯s for sure it¡­ and now, project it outside...¡± With Lean performing the [Happy injection], a bright golden light materialized in his hands, and with haste, placed them just below Aurora¡¯s navel as he recalled ¡°(And now¡­ [Happy injection]!!)¡± Like a trail of powder catching fire, the mana rapidly spread through her body and cleansed, no, forcibly suppressed whatever source of discomfort lingered over Aurora and the effects didn¡¯t wait to show themselves ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhnnnnn!!¡± A scream that didn¡¯t resemble a scream. Soothing yet exciting, lovely and captivating shook the room with its unexpected manifestation ¡°(DAMN, that was amazing¡­..Dad, you were right!)¡± ¡°So¡­. Why is a young and healthy man looking so proud of pushing a girl down. Care to explain...L-E-A-N?¡± Chaos, the 12th month of the calendar. With the end of it begins Creation and with it, the start of Autumn... consequently, summer is riding its last days but nonetheless still hold their warmth¡­ or it should be that way With every word that Aurora said, summer seemed like a fleeting memory of the past, long forgotten and long given up the thought of it, and to match the cold intent, her clear emerald eyes were tinged in darker shades of it, not trying to mask the deadly glare directed to the young man It was a strange chill, different than the sensation one felt when a cold wind blew across the spine of Lean, and his instincts were running amok crying to take action but... ¡°Good morning?¡± ¡­ His choice of words were bad Aurora rapidly straightened herself, tackled Lean and pinned him down, but before she could mutter anything, a suspicious wind gale caressed her face, and turning to that direction¡­ the mess of the room greeted her, only that, now there laid a seemingly broken door ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. ¡°So, you came here on time¡­.¡± ¡°Yes...¡± ¡°...And when I did not answer you heard me screaming¡­.¡± ¡°...Yes...¡± ¡°....You decided to smash the door, and assault me?¡± ¡°Ye- No! Wait! I broke the door, but I thought you were in danger!!¡± ¡°AND WHY WOULD I BE IN DANGER?!?!¡± ¡°Well¡­you screamed...and the mess didn¡¯t help though¡­ Maybe a beast or those robbers or were they called vandals?¡± ¡°Yosh! Let''s just stop this¡­(Calm down Aurora, calm down...wait a minute¡­ why can¡¯t I seem to calm down at all¡­ in fact, I feel¡­ so restless¡­ what in the...)¡± ¡°I...I¡¯m sorry¡­ I thought you were in danger and rushed in¡­ and when I found you, you were having a nightmare...¡± ¡°You...did you do something?¡± ¡°I applied a [Happy injection] to you¡± ¡°.....(What?)¡± ¡°What¡¯s with that look? Really! Dad told me to do that when a companion was suffering a nightmare! Nightmares are bad!¡± ¡°What the hell is a [Happy injection]?¡± ¡°Eh? You don¡¯t know? Errr¡­ Dad told me to have a warm feeling then project it outside!¡± ¡°(????).........What?¡± ¡°Something¡­ like this!¡± ¡°(!!)¡± Actions speak louder than words, or so the saying goes by. Henceforth, Lean shared the [Happy injection] ¡°This is...¡± ¡°See!¡± ¡°([Mana linkage]¡­ this is a pretty high level skill¡­. but what¡¯s with this golden and warm mana¡­ it reminds me of something¡­.)¡± ¡°Aurora? Is this enough?¡± ¡°AH! YES! (Uh? Why did I say that so high spirited?)¡± ¡°Hehe! Dad was right!¡± ¡°*Eyelid Twitch* Reidmo uh¡­ and in what way was him right? Also¡­ tell me more about this [Happy injection] in more details...¡± ¡°Uh-oh¡­(should I make a run for it? Mmm¡­ no, she would catch me in no time¡­ damn cheater...) Well¡­ He told me that to perform a [Happy injection] I have to gather my mana, mix it with a warm feeling and project it outside...also said to put my hands just above the navel if my companion is a girl¡­.¡± ¡°(Mixing feelings with one¡¯s own mana¡­ interesting...) And why that particular order?¡± ¡°Emm¡­ he said I would get a nice reaction¡­.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°What¡­ did you¡­ mix in that [Happy injection]?? (Oh dear Nemidos¡­ I¡¯m having a bad hunch...)¡± ¡°Well, I recalled my warmest feeling¡­ so that would be the time when I had a climax¡± ¡°*blood gathering in eyes* H-H-how i-is that possible?¡± ¡°(Uh? Aurora¡¯s voice sounds kinda brittle¡­ and her eyes are like those of a dead fish...) How is that possible? I had a partner, Atxicosa... the Plantae¡­ Remember?¡± Aurora wanted to deny with all her might¡­ but Lean sealed the deal ¡°You know! That night was AMAZING! We did it for 5 hours!!¡± ¡°*Crack*¡± ¡°Uh? What was that sound? Aurora? You all right?¡± Lean, in his own ignorance, became the first man to ever hear the shattering of the heart of a young maiden that broke into millions of pieces ¡°NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!¡± But the scream that followed after¡­ all of Veritas heard it. Chapter 8: Creation and Summoners Hello guys, here''s chapter 8! If you note some grammatical mistake, if there is some wording that sounds strange or that could be arranged better, please point them out! And now, on with the chapter!! Hope you enjoy it! Chapter 8: Creation & Summoners -1st of Creation- A circular auditorium White finely polished stone and luxury wooden frames A big window on the right wall, its wave pattern made it possible for the morning sunlight to enter and bathe almost every corner in its warm embrace Rectangular desks, arranged in a stepped way, let two people sit side by side and still have enough space to build their own kingdom of papers and other supplies¡­ Five rows with five columns each, with their inhabitants, facing the figure in front of them A young woman Gold as hair and clear emeralds as eyes, looking through small rectangular lens that gave her an intellectual look With a matter of fact tone, started ¡°I welcome you all future Summoners to Arsebeilt¡¯s institute Veritas, my name is Aurora Mcfiel and I will be guiding you all through this month, Creation¡­. Through the Summon & Element aptitude course...I hope we have a profitable time¡± ¡°( And here I was thinking that it''s been awhile since we had new students... 2,5,9¡­ Oh? Is that Qi Fun¡¯s daughter? She looks so cute! I will talk with her after class!! Then¡­16.. 26 and 28¡­ quite the number this cycle¡­ Mmmm¡­strange, all seem about the same age¡­ except Nei Feng... Am I overthinking this?)¡± ¡°First of all¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­ How about this? [Shine, Svetlina]!¡± Just a little above Aurora¡¯s right shoulder, a small white dot appeared and within the next few seconds, white layers started to engulf the white nucleus until finally, an icosahedron crystal took shape or it seemed that way, as just the next moment, the polygonal thing started to deconstruct itself into smaller particles in a up to down motion¡­ And began constructing itself with the same pattern again! Silence The death of every sound, as if for that moment, the world turned mute That small transparent yet white floating object robbed the attention of the students¡­ for a short moment ¡°WHAAAAAAA!!¡± ¡°INCREDIBLE!!¡± ¡°WHAT IS THAT?!?!¡± ¡°MY FIRST TIME SEEING A SPIRIT!!!¡± ¡°LOOK HOW THAT THING DISAPPEARS!! AH IT CAME BACK!!¡± ¡°SO COOL!!¡± ¡°WOOOOO!!¡± Blatant excitement bloomed and the now ablaze crowd were with their full attention towards summoner and summoning alike ¡°*Giggle* Now that¡¯s better! As you can see, this fellow here is my spirit companion Svetlina...¡± With a gesture, Aurora remained extending her right hand upfront. Following suit, Svetlina now placed itself just above her hand ¡°...Beautiful isn¡¯t it? Spirits come in many forms... Be it animals or beasts, humanoid figures, even inanimate objects like this Svetlina, and even could have no form/shape at all!¡± ¡°...It¡¯s still a mystery in what, how and why a Spirit comes to be¡­ or why they choose Summoners at all¡­ but you all being right here means, that you all have the qualifications to be a Summoner!...¡± A small pause With the short break, Aurora looked swiftly to each girl and boy emphasizing her last statement, and with it, the auditorium like classroom became full of murmurs ¡°So¡­ Let¡¯s start with the first step...¡± Aurora proceeded to take the contents of the box that was on her desk, greyish blank papers and with a small glance at the classroom ¡°...Here you go guys!...¡± *ZAS* With a weak flash, the papers were distributed over the students¡¯ desks (and to their surprise) ¡°... What I have handed is a special paper, what you all are going to do from today and onwards is...¡± *Gulp* Expectation Like a thin string being stretched, slowly but surely, fast yet not rushed¡­ meticulously stretching every fiber of the cord, to get that perfect state which brings the full potential of the object in play... ¡°....Hope for the best!¡± ...But manipulating such fragile atmosphere requires just as much control over it *....* ¡°What did she say?¡± ¡°I think she said hope for the best...¡± ¡°Did I misheard that?¡± ¡°She must be joking...¡± ¡°What kind of bullcrap is that...¡± ¡°Hope? What kind of joke is that?!¡± Veritas The greatest institute in all of Nemidos holds its prestige because of its history of producing many, if not all, of the best Summoners that were recorded and continue to do so even today¡­ If suddenly being told to ¡°Hope for the best¡± in such renowned place¡­ They couldn¡¯t help but think of it being, but a joke ¡°Umm, excuse me teacher Aurora¡­ What¡­ What do you mean by ¡°Hope for the best¡±?¡± An androgynous black haired youth dared to ask amidst the group ¡°What indeed¡­.¡± At the sight of the pondering teacher, the majority of the students started to get restless Big introduction and an even bigger show¡­ and not forgetting the sense of encouragement received just before¡­ only to receive a big bucket of cold water and plummet the good mood she herself created! ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Imagine you¡¯re on a stage in the open wilderness...¡± For the time she spent thinking, Aurora came up with some mental exercise that, right off the bat made no sense whatsoever, and for the many that were hooked in the first place but got their expectations betrayed What first were murmurs, now were plain shouts. ¡°YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING!¡± ¡°YOU CAN¡¯T BE SERIOUS!!¡± ¡°CHE! EXPECTED TOO MUCH!¡± ¡°PLEASE, TELL US THAT YOU ARE JOKING!¡± ¡°TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!¡± ¡°I NEED TO BECOME A SUMMONER!! TEACH ME HOW TO CONTRACT NOW!!¡± ¡°STOP WITH THE BULLSHIT! AND DO YOUR JOB!!¡± Like a calm surface of a lake, once you throw a rock, ripples start to appear¡­ but as time passes so do the ripples, sometimes¡­ Forcefully too ¡°SHUT... UP¡± *!!!!* Moodkiller That word displayed the current situation with perfect accuracy Like being trapped in the open plains whereas a sudden glacial storm shows its coldblooded wrath, where the wind goes through every fiber of muscle and every bone, and where raindrops fall like stabbing knives and spears of indifferent hatred¡­ What stood before them was not a teacher, It was an enemy¡­ And very ready to take their lives¡­ Forgetting how to breath, how to move and how to think¡­ In that stagnant atmosphere Aurora spoke quietly But even if it was a careless whisper, they would have heard it anyway¡­ Because, who wouldn¡¯t, when their life depended on it? ¡°Good¡­ Now, let me continue with what I was saying before¡­ You all are staying on the stage, now¡­ What do you think is missing?¡± Having regained their freedom, no, their life... The students now pondered over the question fearing the person who demanded that ¡°What is missing? What could it be?¡± ¡°You could at least try, let¡¯s see...¡± ¡°She said we were on the wilderness, aren¡¯t those places deserted? They lack everything!!¡± ¡°Lack everything? Maybe if we are talking from the human standpoint¡­.¡± ¡°And what other standpoint would there be?!¡± ¡°You uncultured swines, the teacher said that we were on a stage, it is obvious that the theater is what is missing!¡± ¡°You sure have some nerve calling me uncultured swine, filthy dog of Gedos!¡± ¡°Oh? Did she hit a sensible nerve¡­ fake prince?¡± ¡°Watch your mouth bo- oh excuse me, I almost mistook you for a man with how well trained your arms are!¡± ¡°Wanna have a go at it, matchstick bitch?¡± ¡°Come at me noodles haired bitch!¡± ¡°Hahaha! This is getting good!!¡± ¡°Mmmm so much hate between Rente and Gedos uh? Don¡¯t you think so Asha?¡± ¡°(So noisy...I wanna take a nap¡­ When will the class be over?)¡± ¡°Aurora! Aurora! I think the thing missing is people!!¡± ¡°Oh? I was thinking the same thing...¡± Ignorance is bliss, but seemingly... youths further preached it, just some time without being under such oppressive bloodlust, and a little argument, let them make another mess of the class order, to this new spectacle, Aurora was ¡°*Sigh* I knew this would happen¡­. But to be on the 1st day¡­. Forget that, to be on the first 20 minutes since class started¡­.Give me a break¡­. ...That¡¯s enough!! I¡¯m going to give you a warning¡­ We are in Arsebeilt¡¯s territory, Veritas, and here, whatever weight your name, status, family name, etc; has in your homeland... F-O-R-G-E-T IT, Am I clear? This place is the home of all Summoners, if you come and dare to disrupt our home with your petty disputes, I will personally throw you out¡­ no questions asked, okay?¡± The previous night, Aurora had read the profiles of the students and grimaced Of the 28 youths gathered, there was a bunch that stood out... and not in a good way From the monarchy estate: Rente Carol Ifrite and Siegfrido Rentes From the republic estate: Gedos Leurea Tonne, Arian Asmith and Iris Strikta Those 5 foretold trouble and the reason behind it would be, in simple terms, because the rivalry between the estates was ingrained in their people. In the past, before the Great Unification, or known as the Obedin treaty, it was a common sight watching the before mentioned estates going at each other''s throats... and after the treaty, war was halted¡­ to an extent, skirmishes, while not so frequent, still happened in the borders and continue today¡­ The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. But Arsebeilt, being the principal perpetrator behind the Obedin treaty, holds an immense control over a specific matter.... Summoners Summoner Human capable of defying nature Not only defying, sometimes¡­ rewriting nature is possible too Mana is everywhere and part of everything, the first Summoners understood this, and at the same time, understood that if they wanted to be able to manipulate this substance, they needed something more than knowledge or understanding¡­ Many cycles and trials were carried out, until finally, the answer was found Spirits In conjunction with such entities, Summoners became able to do, what seemed but an impossible dream¡­ And yet, for that very reason, they became objects of admiration, vassals of power and source of fear for the masses which couldn¡¯t see, neither understand them... And with time they became tainted by those masses Lust If I can bond with that person... Gluttony With such skills, starvation be damned! Greed Riches shall be mine, and your hand... Will be the one to present them to me Sloth There isn¡¯t a need to do anything, after all... With just a thought... We get what we want... Wrath My wishes are your command¡­ And what I wish is WAR! Envy WHY DO THEY HAVE POWER¡­ WHY DO THEY, WHY,WHY, WHYYYYYY!!!! Pride You which was blessed, why should we entrust ourselves? We have endured like this generation after generation, tradition of father to son, mother to daughter¡­ why change now? The sweat in our backs, proof of our own might. Being subdued to those desires¡­ Summoners endured, and endured¡­ Time and again... Until a group put an end to it The first thing they created, it was, Veritas. The place where all summoners could take shelter, refuge from all the pointless struggle of the masses... A true homeland, to reunite with their kind¡­ With time, Veritas, became the point where most diplomatic affairs were addressed, but the management of the institute itself, never left the hands of the Summoners For that reason, if someone wanted to take advantage of their upbringing, status, or the like, whatever measure the school decided to take against it, the party involved would have to cope with it, with no possible reconsideration Which is why, the words Aurora said, had a big impact on them The class turned dead silent The party of students representing each Rente and Gedos¡¯ faction, glared one another, but, finally swallowing their pride, said anything anymore The spectators were divided also Those that threw lumber to the fire as like the others that tried to pour water on it Those that were just watching¡­ and others that simply did not care what was happening¡­ ...And finally, the small group that faithfully tried to solve Aurora¡¯s previous question. All turned to their teacher and waited Regaining control over the class for the third time, Aurora sat in her chair, and with a serious tone said ¡°Instead of playing fight, you should be playing with that paper...¡± The students following the instruction, perceived the paper¡¯s existence in different ways, some held it stronger, some shook it, others put the paper at backlight... ¡°*giggle* Not that kind of playing¡­ you all understand that the playing I¡¯m referring to, is Mana right? That paper... will act as a medium to help you connect with a spirit¡­ or at least try¡± A beautiful girl with silver hair posed a question ¡°It isn¡¯t guaranteed?¡± And Aurora replied ¡°I have said so before, that you should ¡®hope for the best¡¯ didn¡¯t I? Besides, if it was that easy to contract a Spirit, Veritas wouldn¡¯t be needed¡­ Isn¡¯t it kinda strange? The last census revealed that the population of Nemidos is around 10.000.000 of people, and yet, at most, there are only 500 Summoners¡­ But don¡¯t worry, what I first said still holds true! You all being here means, that with a little push, you will be able to contract with a spirit! Why the reason, you spend the month Creation with this!¡± ¡°What happens if one can¡¯t contract before Creation ends?¡± A restlessly high pitched voice escaped from the short girl that asked from the left side of the room ¡°Well¡­ Rarely, such cases happen¡­ We call those, Irregular Summoners, they make contracts outside of Creation as the school cycle goes, but since I have been appointed as the Summon & Element aptitude teacher, haven¡¯t seen one myself...¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same as saying that we can¡¯t become a Summoner at all?!?!?¡± Growing anxiety and desperation could be felt at the almost screaming girl that questioned before ¡°(What¡¯s the deal with this girl¡­ I hope this calms her a little) No, just that their contracts are not bound by Creation¡¯s timeframe¡­ You will learn more about that starting Fondation, what you need to do now, is concentrating in contracting a Spirit... I will say it as many times as it¡¯s needed, being here means, that you¡¯re about to become a Summoner, so have more faith in yourselves!¡± ¡°Yeah, right¡­.I bet you just want us to fail and laugh at it¡­ How nice, being a Summoner¡­ Having an easy life...¡± Casting her head down and murmuring to herself, the girl said no more, letting Aurora continue her lesson ¡°For the next 40 days, keep that paper close to you and play with it, when a Spirit calls¡­ You will feel it, so be sure to-¡± A small burnt essence permeated through the room, and shortly after ¡°Woooooooooooo!!¡± ¡°Look! The paper burnt!¡± ¡°He contracted already!! Impossible!!¡± ¡°Whawhawhaaaaa!!¡± ¡°Hey! How did you do it?!?! Tell me!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong over there?¡± "It seems someone already made a contract!!" ¡°You! What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Amazing, did you see that? The paper became black and then¡­. Poof! It burnt just like that!¡± ¡°Hey hey, what did you contract with?!¡± ¡°The paper burnt¡­ so a fire Spirit?¡± ¡°Hey, you okay? You look kind of pale...¡± ¡°Do you have rocks for eyes? He is white as a sheet! Hey man, what¡¯s wrong?!¡± ¡°Teacher! Teacher! A guy made a contract!!¡± ¡°Awwww he beat me to it! Damn it!¡± ¡°Wow, what the teacher said was true! Hey you, did you see what he did?¡± ¡°Nothing? Really, he just hold the paper and closed his eyes¡­ he may have been concentrating though...¡± ¡°Okay okay! Calm down a little! Let me pass! (Damn it, forgot about it¡­ we do have an Irregular Summoner here...) Lean, are y-¡± *THUD* ¡°OI! You okay man!!? OI!¡± ¡°What the? He passed out?¡± ¡°Holy, his body temperature is pretty darn high!!¡± ¡°Teacher! Teacher!¡± ¡°A contract with a Spirit makes you faint? Scary...¡± ¡°If only fainting was the consequence, didn¡¯t you hear? He is overheating there!¡± ¡°Fire Spirit, was it? Damn, but I¡¯m so jealous! He contracted something!! But I don¡¯t want to fall sick...¡± ¡°Jealous? Are you stupid or super stupid? Go to the corner and try to contract or something then!¡± ¡°Is he gonna be okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I remember that ¡®Warm embrance¡¯ is in charge of the infirmary...¡± ¡°¡®Warm embrance¡¯ THAT famous person is here!?!?!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you know? All members of the 6 Titans party are currently working here...¡± ¡°WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!! HOLY SHIT! HOW COME I DIDN¡¯T KNOW THAT!?!?!¡± ¡°Would you all, PLEASE QUIET DOWN A LITTLE!!!¡± *....* ¡°That¡¯s better, now, I will carry Lean to the infirmary, while I am at that, you guys go and play with the paper¡­Remember that we only have 40 days, stop wasting your time and get to work!¡± *YES!* ¡°Teacher, do you need help moving Lean to the infirmary?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay, your name¡­ It was Isen, right?¡± ¡°Yes, is something wrong teacher?¡± ¡°No, not that, but after class, could I ask you to give this guy a check?¡± ¡°Uh? Sure¡­ I don¡¯t think that will be a problem...¡± ¡°Good, now I will be going¡­ Ah! Close your eyes everybody!¡± Lifting Lean, Aurora exclaimed such indication. But, to those that were enthralled with the paper or were distracted, that order served only to attract their attention, an action they all regretted doing soon *ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS* A fulminating white sun manifested, and without mercy, showered the youths in the room with its deadly white embrance ¡°ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRG!!!!¡± ¡°MY EYEEEEEEEEES!¡± ¡°MY EYES MY EYES!!¡± ¡°WHAT THE FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!¡± ¡°KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA¡± ¡°SHIT, SHIT! MAKE IT STOP!!!¡± ¡°I¡¯M GOING BLIND, SOMEONE HELP ME!!!¡± The Summoning class was delayed¡­. again. Chapter 9: Irregular Summoner Hello guys, here is chapter 9! Grammatical mistakes or weird sentences, point them up, and I will fix them! Thank you! Now, onto the chapter!! Chapter 9: Irregular Summoner *ZAAAAAAAAS* ¡°Yare, yare¡­ It was my fault for not remembering your condition, but, you sure love giving me trouble Lean¡­.¡± Appearing in the infirmary, Aurora carried Lean to the bed closest to her and laid him there carefully¡­ Adjusting the firm yet soft pillow to make it more comfortable for the object to do its job better, and while doing so, she muttered ¡°*Sigh...* This is why Irregular Summoners are¡­. That Reidmo, the next time I see him¡­ I¡¯m gonna-¡± ¡°What are you gonna do?¡± Interrupting Aurora, a mature and soothingly voice, something inside those words made one feel secure, warm even, called to her from diagonally, and standing in the doorframe, resting her back and her left leg over it and standing with her arms crossed A long haired brunette, her skin, of a light brown colour, as if it were the result of a long sunbath, looked healthy and added the person an exotic touch, at least, the little that could be seen, as she wore a skin-tight kind of like suit, more tight than skin, highlighting her BIG womanly attributes ¡°Oh¡­ Eve, just in time¡­ Come here please, I got a patient that needs your skills...¡± ¡°Not just in time, you know that this place is my territory, when someone enters, the mana flow here gets interrupted, and I use that interruption as a signal¡­ But nevermind that¡­ A patient you say? Not even a hour has passed since the beginning of classes, *sigh*, did this guy got on your nerves or something? Oh my! Isn¡¯t this one a handsome youth?¡± ¡°If it were only that, then, he wouldn¡¯t be here looking this healthy¡­¡± ¡° You call your physical punishment, only that uh, scary, scary...Mm? He is having a severe case of fever, did he attend class like this? And how did he end up like this in the first place?¡± ¡°Of course not! And hell if I know why he is like this!¡± ¡°Oh? Something our researcher girl doesn¡¯t know? Mm, his heart rate is at normal levels and so his respiratory rhythm, so only high temperature and lots of sweating¡­ This is gonna be an easy job¡­ So? I assume he is like this because?¡± ¡°He made contact with a Spirit...¡± ¡°What! Already! That¡¯s gotta to be a record!¡± Eve, ignoring for a second her patient, turned to Aurora and said so cheerfully, but, Aurora with a conflicted looking face responded ¡°If it was that, then sure, but¡­ Sadly, this is not the case...¡± ¡°What do you mean? Didn¡¯t you give the students the booster? How com- wait a minute, don¡¯t tell me¡­ Is he¡­. Already in a contract?¡± ¡°Yes...¡± ¡°And you making that kind face¡­ No margin of error?¡± ¡°It seems it happened the 13th, he had a [Mana overflow] because of the [Warp], it looks like that acted as the trigger...¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t notice that? Hey! What¡¯s with that embarrassed look!?¡± ¡°The truth is that, it happened after I left...¡± ¡°And why was the son of our benefactor abandoned the 13th I wonder?¡± ¡°But, know what! Reidmo caged the boy for 18 years! And-¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°I wanted to let him experience a little of -¡± ¡°A-N-D?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it was my mistake¡­ I was childish, vent a little of my anger on him instead of this guy¡¯s father¡­.¡± ¡°*Facepalm* (I knew we 6, or at least Tita and me should have gone to pick him up¡­ That Dante, because of his ¡°Let Aurora pick the guy, she will do the job faster than anyone...¡± shit sweet suggestion, everyone agreed to it¡­ Now look at this mess!)¡± ¡°Eve, that furrow will leave marks on your forehead, you don¡¯t want that right?¡± ¡° *Sigh¡­...* Well¡­ There isn¡¯t any reason to cry over spilled milk, but you, I¡¯m going to give you a thoroughly health check, you better be ready for that *wink*¡± ¡°Gu! Whatever but that!¡± ¡°No, you deserve some punishment, and, don¡¯t worry, I will be sure to search every nook and cranny of that tasty body of yours¡­ But first, I will take this meal!¡± Ignoring the absentminded Aurora, which looked to be in her own nightmarish little world, Eve removed with care the shirt Lean wore, revealing a slender but trained upper body. Slowly tracing her right index finger over the boy¡¯s muscles From the left Pectoralis major, describing small circles as trajectories, to its nipple and finally tracing the very end line of the muscle¡­ Going down, from the Latissimus dorsi to the Serratus anterior and finally his External oblique¡­ Softly but with enough pressure to leave a small trail line on the skin that faded the next second Leaving the side and going to the center, figurin out his Rectus abdominis and going up again¡­ And repeating the motion with her other hand¡­ Greedily using both hands to feel both Deltoids and, from there, searching and inspecting the Biceps brachii and Triceps brachii, down to the Brachioradialis¡­ ¡°Hah...Hah...Hah...¡± ¡°(Ge, again with her excitement going overboard...) Oi, get a grip on yourself...¡± ¡°Hah¡­ Mm? You jealous? Gotta admit, this Lean got a fine body¡­ Ah! Why don¡¯t you join here? I bet-¡± ¡°Just get on with it, I¡¯m going back to the class, the students will think I forgot about them or something... Ah, after you''re done here, come to my study I need to give to the [6 Titans] a job¡± With that announcement, Aurora started trailing with firm steps, Svetlina following after, and soon, left the room, seconds later, a flash illuminated the hallway and the sounds of her footsteps disappeared with it, leaving the infirmary with its mitigated daylight and the two currently inhabitants ¡°*Giggle* She is so frigid¡­ Well, let¡¯s stop playing and more getting to work...(A job for the party uh...)¡± Finishing that sentence, Eve proceed to climb over the bed, and positioning herself like a horsewoman facing Lean. Then, slowly, she grabbed his head with both hands and carefully rested her forehead on Lean¡¯s, and said ¡°[Heal, Vanje]¡± As soon as she finished chanting, Eve buried her lips with Lean¡¯s and remained like that¡­ 10 seconds¡­ 30 seconds¡­ 1 minute¡­. 2 minutes¡­. Until ¡°Puaa¡­ That should do it, but how strange¡­ Being emptied (mana drained) by your own Spirit? That¡¯s a first...¡± Breaking contact she returned to the rider position, and, with her left index finger reminiscing the sensation of her still warm lips on his, even savoring a little of his sweat in the process... ¡°Ah..Ah.. That was good¡­ But now that the anomaly is gone... Time for the main cour- WHO IS THERE?!?!?!¡± *...* Only a silent and quiet room greeted her outburst Looking left and right And behind too Nothing out of the ordinary, just the infirmary she was so used to ¡°(What the hell¡­ For a moment, something really nasty was watching me¡­ I felt it, I¡¯m sure¡­)¡± Out of her entranced state, Eve still continued to get a grasp on the surroundings ¡°Was it...just my imag--¡± *Hihihihi¡­¡­* ¡°Ah¡­¡­...¡± Shivering uncontrollably, her trembling body became an entity of its own Her thought process froze The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Her instincts running amok crying desperately to take any action at all... ...And the pair of eyes letting tears fall down endlessly in her static vibrating cage A monstrous aura A hateful aura A maddening aura A bloodlusting aura A jealous aura As if thousands and thousands of demons, voicing a chorus of Hell incarnated directing all of their devilish intents to one point DeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeEthDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathAeEhDeaEDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeTtheAeathAeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathHeTthDeThDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeDtHDeathHeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeathDeath ¡°Ahh¡­." "Ah¡­." "Ahhh.." From Lean Black miasma started to surge from his chest Without any apparent cut, the black and dense substance, resembling mercury that is boiled, with a slow pace trailed over Lean¡¯s body, and before reaching Eve, it started to float in the space around her Eve could only watch in horror how the disturbingly frightening fog came closer and closer Eating all the light, ever so slowly¡­. And coming closer¡­ Closer¡­ Imprisoning her in a cage of dark emotions Shutting off any source of light¡­ Or hope... ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!¡± ¡°Shhhhhh, you cry so much¡­ My attraction be disturbed from sleep¡­.¡± A childish voice A childish voice, sounding worse than the chorus sung by thousands of lunatic demons Creating ripples that made the air tremble around the room¡­ ...And pressuring even more the human, like a small rodent entangled in vines¡­ Which ever so slowly, start compressing the animal with a definite purpose Crushing the life of it *STAB* A solid black line detached rapidly from the main dense watery body and penetrated Eve in her left eye, just under the iris, going all the way through her head¡­ Twitching and trembling, her body started to lose all her strength, yet *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* No letting it fall, four more spear like lines held her in place, two pierced the elbow joint section and the others pierced from her armpits, but like a marionette with its strings cut, the body laid limply now¡­ ...And again *STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB**STAB* Without any shred of mercy, thousands of spikes skewered the body, engulfing it and devouring it with a sea made of stakes ¡°Hihihihi¡­.Hihihihihi... ...HihIhiHiihIHIIHhIHihIhiHiihIHIIHhHihIhiHiihIHIIHhIHihIhiHiihIHIIHhIHihIhiHiihIHIIHhIHihIhiHiihIHIIHhIHihIhiHiihIHIIHhIHihIhiHiihIHIIHhIHihIhiHiihIHIIHhIHihIhiHiihIHIIHhIHihi¡­ ...Taint not... My attraction¡­.¡± Leaving those words behind, the black miasma dissolved midair, returning to the mercury-like state and flowing back to Lean¡¯s chest Vanishing like a dream and leaving a horrid corpse behind¡­ ¡°Oh my, how scary¡­.¡± ¡­ Or not The messed corpse started radiating a yellowish light and soon after, it became a ball of energy that directed itself to the new Eve that was not that far away, sitting with legs crossed and resting her chin on her left hand, and wearing a playfully expression With her right hand extended, the ball rested on it and disappeared into her¡­ At the end of the act, Eve closed her eyes as if remembering something ¡°Using [Vanje¡¯s coat]¡± was the right call¡­ But to think that such a possessive and violent Spirit would be lurking inside him¡­ I didn¡¯t want to believe Aurora, but, seeing the facts on the table¡­ *Sigh...* an Irregular Summoner uh?¡± Irregular Summoner Since old times, Summoners came to the realization that, the timeframe where new Summoners came to be, followed cyclicals periods¡­ Which the reason, behind the name Creation for those days, however, some beings did not follow that explicit timeframe... For a Summoner, a Spirit is the proxy of their might, the core of one¡¯s potential that permits them manifestate said power into reality, BUT, before any of that can happen, a Summoner must first perform a ritual, a [Contract] Contracts are needed to bound Spirit and Summoner alike, proof of the acknowledgement of each party, a one-sided relationship between two beings of different realms won¡¯t bear any fruits When such a ritual is avoided, recognition of one subject is denied, creating an imbalanced bound¡­ Leaving unknown consequences... ...What happens to a dike when it exceeds its water capacity? Does it break? Does it let the exceeded water pass while holding the rest? Or¡­ Something, completely different? ...Irregular Summoners are existences like that Raising from her spot, Eve now closed the distance and softly caressed Lean¡¯s head ¡°So, your attraction uh? Sadly for you, that¡¯s not your choice¡± Chapter 10: Reunion Chapter 10: Reunion ¡°Here again, uh?¡± Lean looked at his surroundings He had been in this place White Everything was white All the space, stretching as far as he could see, and surely beyond that point¡­ Would be white, but, despite the immensity of the place Something corrupted it A black mist A stain in this sea of pureness, that, despite being infinitely times smaller, would make one look at it, perceive it, be aware of it¡­ ¡°And you too...¡± And Lean was not an exception ¡°Hihihih...My attraction, how well been you? Miss you since last reunion! Miss you! Miss you!!!¡± A grotesque contrast between action and words A child like laughter, pure, without restrains... Yet, so disturbing all the same. And the repeated circling around Lean, like an over-excited mascot, happily welcoming its owner back home Following its movement with his eyes, Lean opened his mouth ¡°(Fuck, that creepy laughter sends shivers down my body...) I can¡¯t say, I missed you too, but, tell me¡­ You, you are a Spirit...¡± ¡°No miss me my attraction?? Said in reunion before, has attraction forgot me? Despite you call me now?¡± ¡°My memory about last time is kind of foggy¡­ (Call? Is it referring to that paper?) Hey...¡± ¡°Attraction, what question?¡± ¡°Stop with this attraction, attraction, I have a name!¡± ¡°Name?¡± An inquiring tone, almost sounding surprised, escaped the black swirling mist who stopped in its track, at the mention of that word ¡°My attraction na-me??...N..a..Me¡­??¡± ¡°(Why is it pondering so much?) Yeah, I¡¯m Lean, Lean Landrer, so stop calling me attraction this or attraction that...¡± ¡°¡­.Lean¡­..Not¡­. attraction...Le..An...¡± ¡°Yes, what about you? You have a name right?¡± ¡°My¡­¡­..Name¡­.My¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..Agennama?¡± ¡°Could it be¡­ You don¡¯t have a name? (And what''s with that weird language)¡± At Lean¡¯s question, the spirit remained motionless or tried to, because of its foggish nature, it fluttered continuously like boiling water, despite the absence of wind, heat, or other nature phenomena that could produce such effect ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± A silent exchange, between human and spirit A silent exchange on the surface, because the black darkness underwent its own agenda ************* A blue sky Beautiful and vast, not tainted by any clouds Sunrays bathing their warm over, and in what one could call a corner of the sky, the brother and sister like moons¡¯ silhouettes could be grasped with enough focus A peaceful wind blew and like a calm serenate, its gentleness caressed every surface in its wake The humidity in the atmosphere, contributed its portion to the mix of the many parameters to create the perfect arrangement, the perfect day A world inside another if one would like, yet, this harmony could only be reserved for the heaven¡¯s domain Down on earth the world was, but the reflection between polar opposites Love and hate Peace and war Stillness and chaos Serene and curses Nature and ruin And the source behind it all¡­. Like a raging storm, coming rapidly Like an unforgiving touch, death dancing in its wake A gigantic black mass approaching from the distance, and its objective, the great stone and royal marbles arrangement, built on the prairie, and also extended its puzzle like yet artistic form into the mountain *TONG¡­...TONG¡­...TONG¡­...TONG* The sound of a bell, resonating through the city Continuously preaching its significance¡­. EVACUATE Soldiers at their posts, brimming with emotions that tasted sour, watching the imminent threat approaching ¡°¨¢redian thou sylfum! Hit Nesrek¨¢ sy cyme for us!!¡± (PREPARE YOURSELVES!! IT, NESREK¨¢ HAS COME FOR US!!) ¡°¨¢SCILDAN S¨¦ CEASTERWEALL!!! tING HIT!! tING HIT HRYCG!!! tING HIT HRYCG!!! ¡± (PROTECT THE CITY WALLS!! HOLD IT! HOLD IT BACK! HOLD IT BACK!!!) ¡°GONZOR! BEBOD S¨¦ SWICE! TAKE SW¨¢ MONEGUM SW¨¢ THOU CAN!!¡± (GONZOR! COMMAND THE ESCAPE! TAKE AS MANY AS YOU CAN!!!) ¡°AC OOMPEALDOR!!¡± (BUT CAPTAIN!!) ¡°NO ACS! ¨¢BEDECIAN S¨¦ GEBOD!! GOOOOO!!!¡± (NO BUTS! COMPLY WITH THE ORDER!! GOOOOO!!) And the population following suit, or intended to, hysteria growing by the second and the stench of fear imprinted on the air helped little to the commitment of the operation ¡°¨¢IERNAN AIERNAN!! NESREK¨¢ SY CUMAN FOR US!!!¡± (RUN!! RUN!! NESREK¨¢ IS COMING FOR US!!!) ¡°¨¢DON F?STNUNG ON S¨¦ CASTEL!!! ?FTERGN M¨¦ ¡± (TAKE SHELTER AT THE CASTLE!!! FOLLOW ME!!) ¡­ ¡­ And the living night swallowed everything A futile and unnecessary resistance that ended in the expected outcome OBLITERATION The outskirts, trampled, dug out and sucked dry The walls, culmination of human sense for protection, laid in small pieces of broken stone and emotionally cleaved The inner city, transforming into a new artistic masterpiece.... Of rubble, debris and wreckage All laid in complete shamble And continuing such melody of destruction, dancing in its own rhythm, Nesrek¨¢ entered its conclusion phase¡­ Aiming for the last remnant of the humans, their last bastion ¡­ ¡­ NO!!! NO!!! NOOOO!!!¡± ¡°¨¢WIERGIAN THOU NESREK¨¢!!! ¨¢WIERGIAN THOU!! ¨¢WIERGIAN THOU!!!¡± (CURSE YOU NESREKA!!! CURSE YOU!! CURSE YOU!!!)¡° ¡°FORHWY ¨²S?!?! FORHWY ¨²S?!?! FORHWYYYYYYYYYY???!??!!!!¡± (WHY US?!?! WHY US?!?!? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!?!?!?!??!!!!) From a high point, a person appreciated, calmly, how the black sea, sometimes slow, sometimes fast, devoured each one of the citizens that once fervently contributed to their kingdom How their history, came to an end ¡°In un¨¢feohtendlic¡­.. Tis sy... ¨²re d¨®miso¡­.¡± (Its unstoppable¡­.. This is... Our sentence....) *TONG¡­¡­¡­..¡­...¡­...* The bell sung its last twang... And they slept ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. ********* ¡°............................Nesrek¨¢¡± A soft almost inaudible whisper escaped from the spirit ¡°Uh? What did you say?¡± Not wasting any moment, yet its voice increased its volume ever so slightly ¡°..............Nesrek¨¢¡± ¡°.....Nesrek¨¢?¡± Lean couldn¡¯t help returning a question, the word had a strange ringing to it ¡°M¨ªn name¡­. My agennama¡­. Not have¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. No??...¡± ¡°Hey, wh-GU!¡± ¡°HihihihihihHIHIHIhihihih¡­. Nesrek¨¢! Min name, min agennama¡­¡± ¡°Nesrek¨¢!¡± *Suuu¡­.* ¡°Nesrek¨¢!¡± *Suuuuuuuuu¡­..* ¡°NESREK¨¢!!!!¡± *SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU¡­..* ¡°(HOLY FUCK!! What the hell is wrong with this thing!?!?! What¡¯s with the sudden change?!?!?!?!)¡± Matching its increasing volume, the shapeless black fog started expanding like a sudden inflated balloon Enlarging itself, bigger and bigger after small pauses in between, as if taking the time to inhale and compress the air breathed What first started as big as Lean, now towered over him with a size befitting a mountain, and, to the many times smaller youth, the giant body of miasma transformed the day like space, into the darkest of nights where stars and moons shine for their absence, eating the sole light away¡­ Swallowing the area itself, and the last inhabitant within ¡°(Fuck! What the hell is this thing¡­. I feel asphyxiated¡­ I feel.. So¡­. Sleepy¡­¡­¡­..)¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°What¡­ This place¡­?¡± An unknown roof ¡°Mmm? Finally, I was starting to think you were dead or something...¡± An unknown voice, a woman¡¯s This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°*Sigh...* This makes it... The second¡­.¡± A dispirited voice run from Lean ¡°Mm? The second what?¡± In contrast to Lean¡¯s voice, her¡¯s had plenty energy to spare ¡°No, don¡¯t mind it¡­ Wait¡­ Where am I?¡± ¡°You¡¯re in the infirmary, Aurora brought you here, remember? You passed out some time before¡± ¡°Ah¡­ That¡­ I guess I do...¡± ¡°Do you know why you fainted?¡± ¡°I¡­ Remember grabbing the paper Aurora handed¡­. But that¡¯s it...¡± ¡°I see¡­ How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Quite tired to be honest¡­ I feel that¡­. All my energy left my body¡­ Can¡¯t even lift a finger...¡± ¡°Yep, that¡¯s normal if you exhaust your mana pool, rest just like that, I have helped you recover a little, but until your body assimilates my mana, it will take some time...¡± ¡°I see, thank you¡­ uh? Now that I think¡­ I don¡¯t know you, I¡¯m-¡± ¡°Lean Landrer¡± ¡°Uh? Yeah, how-¡± ¡°Nice to meet you Lean, I¡¯m Eve Night, you may know me better by my alias [Warm Embrace]¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Nothing comes to mind¡­. Sorry...¡± ¡°*Giggle* Don''t be, I¡¯m an acquaintance of your father, or more like, I have a debt to that Reidmo, he saved me( and companions) big time in the past¡­ So obviously, I would remember his son¡¯s name¡± ¡°Dad did? I bet he was traveling and searching for some beast or something...¡± ¡°*Giggle* You¡¯re not his son for nothing eh? When he saved me, he also said ¡°You stupid girl, don¡¯t you dare move from here, you will scare the Utsho¡­¡± You know... It was that disgusting serpent like thing that was going to kill me in the first place¡± ¡°An Utsho uh? You were lucky¡­ ... Wait... You mean¡­Utsho?... Those Utshos?¡± ¡°?? Yeah, the ones that are like 15 meters long, 1~2 meter(s) of diameter, 6 small arms/claws near the head, split fish like tail and violet amphibian eyes if I remember correctly...¡± ¡°Yes, spot on, also they are delicious!! Or so dad said, but¡­ Those things, don¡¯t they live in the Zenji swamps?¡± ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°What were you doing there?¡± ¡°*Giggle* That¡¯s what you¡¯re curious about? And aren¡¯t you quite spirited now? Despite being so tired before?¡± ¡°Dad told me many stories about the Zenji continent but...Uh? You are right¡­ Strange, I can even sit, eh? I¡¯m naked agai- ah no, still got my pants...¡± Reliving a strange sense of Deja vu, Lean grasped his returning strength motioning his fingers and stretching out ¡°(Incredible, or should I say, as expected of that man¡¯s son? Normally, that would have required 4 hours of rest in the least¡­) Mmm, were you perhaps waiting to wake up without clothes? Quite daring if I say so...¡± ¡°Well... I may like to sleep naked, but that¡¯s more of an occurrence in summer... It¡¯s just that this happened before, at that time, I woke up without any clothes¡± ¡°Mmmm (the event when Aurora wasn¡¯t around¡­.), I see, then... Now that you are awake¡­. Do you want to--¡± ¡°Wh- AHHH!!¡± Finally turning to the person who was conversing with him, the feeble voice from before seemed but a lie at the sudden scream ¡°(!!?? Did I miss something in the treatment?) What¡¯s wrong? Does something hurt?¡± Eve was getting up from her seat, concern palpable in her words, but ¡°WHAT KIND OF AMAZING CLOTH IS THAT??!?!¡± A wild and unexpected question, that little had to do with the health condition of her patient ¡°(.... Don¡¯t startle me like that¡­.) My unitard? *Giggle* do you like it?¡± ¡°*Nod**Nod**Nod*¡± ¡°Well, this is the cloth I¡¯m most comfortable with, *Swirls* What do you think?¡± Clapping his hands as if finishing a prayer, Lean then followed with ¡°I have seen something good¡­ Thank you very much (from the How to be a proper hunter, rule #17: Whenever something good happens, always be grateful)¡± ¡°Ahahahahahahahaha!¡± ¡°Eh? Did I say something funny?¡± ¡°Ah¡­. You saying that with such a straight face is amusing...¡± ¡°But, it¡¯s the truth...¡± ¡°(How innocent, it doesn¡¯t match his looks¡­. Ah, I want to mess him for good¡­ That goddamned spirit getting in the way before¡­. Should I give it a new chance?)¡± A dangerous glint returned to the woman, coated with a longing and yearning passion, now swimming in her eyes focused in Eve¡¯s objective ¡°Uh? (What¡¯s with this feeling¡­. Such feral impulses! Could it be, a starving beast is close?!?!)¡± For his part, the little hunter¡¯s senses were working wonders, if not for his failing at recognizing the source of such intents ¡°Hey Lean¡­ Won¡¯t you help me a little?¡± ¡°Sure! What do I have to do? (Is it my impression or did her voice sound more¡­ Soft?)¡± ¡°To bring back your energy I had to use my powers, but I suffered a little recoil from doing that¡­.¡± ¡°Eh? Really!? Should I get help?¡± ¡°*Giggle* No, it¡¯s okay, come here and sit beside me, stay still, okay?¡± ¡°Okay?¡± Doing as he was told, Lean now sat next to Eve and waited further instructions, but, while looking at her Her plentiful long and glossy straight black hair that reached down to her tailbone A beautiful symmetrical face, paired with gentle olive eyes, long and thin eyelashes, a small and elegant nose and finally, adorning her small mouth were dreamy full lips Her light caramel coloured skin, healthy and exotic looking accompanied by a subtle yet rich sweet fragrance And finally, her ample womanly assets, which were accentuated furiously by her black uniform Appreciating the living artwork a breath away from him, slowly, his own primal instincts began to accumulate Leaning on him, she caressed him with her soft finger, from his cheek down to his firm neck Gliding playfully to his chest and abdominals And even further below... And Eve pulled the trigger ¡°I need you to mess me up¡± Whispering the devilish invitation in his ear, Lean did not hide his excitement All vectors converged in one direction... And everything was exposed in the dim lighted room... ... ... ... *Knock knock* ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ *Knock knock* ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Excuse me...¡± Slowly entering into the infirmary, a black haired youth, a little shorter than the average and matching with its height, a slim and slender body giving him a delicate frame. His facial features were on the smooth side, giving him an androgynous look Looking left and right, the visitor tried to locate the nurse but to no avail ¡°Hello? Is anybody here?¡± Calling for her inside the room produced better results as appearing from the corridor that was opposite of the entrance, Eve made her entry ¡°Oh, my! A cutie this time? (2 handsome boys right off the bat and it seems we have a good number of students...This year is going to be fun) What brings you here boy?¡± Scrutinizing her new visitor, Eve closed the distance ¡°Excuse me, teacher Aurora sent me to inform something...¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s hear it then, mm? Seeing something you like boy?¡± Watching him staring at her chest, Eve playfully leaned herself a little, making her already prominent breasts stand out even more in the eyes of Isen For his part, a red tinge started to form from the base of his small ears all the way to his nose, resulting in becoming as red as a ripe tomato ¡°Y-Ye- I mean, No! Sorry! Errrr¡± The growing flustered youth started to mix his thoughts and soon found himself at a loss for words, his eyes darting everywhere but the person in front of him, and his quivering lips, failing to muther an audible sound, testified accusingly to the playful nurse ¡°*Giggle* (How cute¡­ But as much as I want to tease him, Aurora and co. must be already waiting...) Don¡¯t worry about the message sweetie, I¡¯ll be going now. Why don¡¯t you come here later? I¡¯m sure I can help you alot¡­.¡± ¡°(!!!)¡± Her last words, whispered in Isen¡¯s ear such invitation and froze the subject in place *Clank* With the sound of the mechanism, the door shut close, leaving the youth staring absentminded into space, until ¡°Ah! You¡¯re the guy that sat next to me! Uh? Did Eve go out?¡± Lean also appeared from the previous corridor ¡°Ah, yes, it seems so...¡± ¡°Mm? Are you thinking about something?¡± ¡°Uh? No, no!! Ah, that¡¯s true! Aurora made me fetch you!!¡± ¡°Aurora did? Why?¡± ¡°Err, class already finished and it¡¯s time for lunch so-¡± ¡°REALLY!?!?! Finally! I was dying of hunger!! LET¡¯S GO!!¡± Storming out of the infirmary (and almost breaking his 2nd door) Lean left Isen speechless¡­ For a second ¡°AH! Wait a second!!¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Aurora¡¯s headquarters The semi-circular room, packed with bookcases filled to their brims, as walls The grand chimney, located in the southernmost part of the room, was not lit, yet, the furniture facing it had other story to tell Six luxurious chairs, with glossy, yet firm golden frames and comfy crimson coloured seats, circled a low table that had many beverages on it Corresponding to each seat, with the exception of one, men and women sat alike From the upper level, Aurora could be seen scribbling quietly something on her desk, as if she had nothing to do with the people down Finally breaking the silence ¡°So¡­ Why have you reunited us here Aurora? Isn¡¯t it time you tell us?¡± One of the men asked A slim and slender build, his black clothes further accentuating that, excluding his flashy silver boots and gloves His voice was much lower than what one could hope from his young and charismatic looks ¡°Not yet Dante, I will tell you all when Eve comes¡± Barely sparing him any attention, Aurora answered with a monotonous voice ¡°Tch...¡± Not trying to hide his displeasure, Dante changed his posture and now sat cross-legged and following suit with his hands, and stared at the door ¡°HAHAHA!! As if your staring would make Eve come faster!! HAHA!!!¡± ¡°Tch, shut up Santo¡± Santo, fairly easily, the biggest in the room, had a body similar to that of a bear more than man, and his voice, not lagging behind, made powerful echo sounds in the library like room, even some books vibrated in a corner of a shelf ¡°Please, keep your voice down Santo, I don¡¯t want to go deaf the start of the cycle...¡± ¡°OH! Sorry about that Tita! HAHA!¡± ¡°*Sigh¡­.* Please, refer to me by my full name...¡± ¡°But Titania is just TOO long! Tita suits you best! Tita!¡± ¡°*Sigh¡­..*¡± Diagonally from him, a stern and serene voice escaped from the girl that spoke Long and brown hair, heart shaped face and drooping eyes, as if looking bored of everything ¡°Names and nicknames aside, do something about your voice Santo, you¡¯re making the wine taste bad¡± Interjecting with a matter of fact tone, another woman spoke from one of the seats closest to the chimney Similar to Aurora, a beautiful golden mane decorated her head, but in contrast to her, possessed deep blue eyes, coupled with sharp features an imposing beauty held a cup filled with a vibrant red liquid ¡°Tranya now uh? OKAY! Will do!¡± *Shatters* ¡°OH FOR THE LOVE OF!!! LOOK WHAT YOU DID YOU BRUTE!!¡± ¡°Ah, sorry! HAHA!!¡± As if enjoying her anger, Santo laughed with a broad smile, and in contrast, Tranya tried to kill him with her eyes many times over ¡°Here, use this Tranya¡± ¡°Thank you, Qi Fun¡± Staring daggers at Santo one last time, Tranya started to clean the mess with the cloth that her neighbor handed Qi Fun seemed to be the oldest of the bunch, small vestiges of his black hair remained in his long white hair arranged in a bun. Some wrinkles could be seen on his face as well as a curved scar that went from his temple to just below his right eye Another distinct feature were the clothes he was wearing, different in the style of all the other residents, a dark blue kimono with white cloud patterns and a pair of geta as footwear Except for the moment when he lent the small piece of cloth to Tranya, Qi Fun remained mostly with his head a little downwards with his eyes closed, as if in a deep state of meditation ¡°She is here¡­.¡± ¡°Mmm? Did you said something Qi Fun?¡± *Clanck* *Clanck* ¡°Hello! Sorry for the wait!¡± ¡°About time Eve! Oi, Aurora! Can you start this meeting for once and for all?¡± ¡°*Giggle* You missed me Dante?¡± ¡°Tch, shut up Eve¡± ¡°Like always, your friendly demeanor continues to amaze me¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t yo-¡± ¡°Okay, now that everyone is here I will start this meeting, please take your seat Eve¡± Cutting the exchange between the two, Aurora raised from her spot and came down holding some papers, and distributed them all ¡°Please read the contents¡± While waiting, Aurora prepared herself a cup of Mir tea, the light blue colour and the rich flowery fragrance that it emanated, made it one of her predilected drinks Bringing herself a stool from the inner kitchen, she sat expectantly sipping the beverage while the others skimmed through the documents, not long after ¡°So, you want to make a request?¡± Dante spoke first, to which Aurora responded ¡°That¡¯s right, but I want to make this request to you all, as the [Six titans]¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You read the document, you should understand¡­ Or am I wrong?¡± ¡°Tch I guess...¡± After that short exchange, a premature silence reigned ¡°MMMMnnn, this looks like an interesting job, I ACCEPT IT!¡± ¡°You idiot! Weren¡¯t you listening? This is a request for the party as a whole!! You bear minded!¡± Santo broke it and Tranya soon retorted ¡°Isn¡¯t this a pretty premature requests?¡± ¡°Mmm, I hold the same opinion as Tita...¡± Titania questioned back at Aurora and Qi Fun assented with her, for her part, Eve seemed to be reading still ¡°I can only make conjectures at this point¡­ Does the word [Tsaus Voj Voog] ring any bells?¡± ¡°[Tsaus Voj Voog]??¡± ¡°What¡¯s that? Some kind of weird language?¡± ¡°[Tsaus Voj Voog]... [Tsaus Voj Voog]... Mmm, nothing comes to mind...¡± ¡°Tsuaj Soj Tuug? It¡¯s something to eat?¡± ¡°*Facepalm* Do you have ears at all? It¡¯s [Tsaus Voj Voog]!!¡± ¡°If you are asking us, you did your research then?¡± Finishing her task, Eve prompted Aurora and at the subtle mentioned word, the rest also looked in her direction ¡°I searched everything in Veritas¡­ But I found next to nothing about that¡± ¡°Still got something then?¡± ¡°If you can call that something then... Yes¡± ¡°What did you found?¡± Titania questioned sharply ¡°It¡¯s a pretty archaic text, whereas a few words are legible, but the language is foreign, or screw that, pretty much a dead language...¡± ¡°And because of that you want us to go search that place¡­ The Zenji continent¡­ Been a while...¡± ¡°It¡¯s the conclusion I came to, will you guys take this job?¡± *....* ¡°Just to make sure, if we take this job, we only have until Creation ends, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct, I will keep doing some research myself, but I have to make sure the new students stay in course, ah, that reminds me, how did it went with Lean''s treatment Eve?¡± ¡°Ah, everything went perfect, almost too perfect I should say, we both ended pretty happy!¡± Her over spirited voice was almost contagious, almost ¡°You...Don¡¯t tell me...¡± An ice cold aura clouded Aurora and her wrath started to take form on its own ¡°He¡¯s got pretty good moves and feeling for a youngling, for a moment he held me in a tight spot! But my experience and technique got the better off him!¡± Nonchalantly, buoyantly even, Eve reported her recent experience. Completely ignoring the demon like being that started to take shape not so far apart ¡°*FACEPALM* (This nymphomaniac...)¡± ¡°*Whistle* You sure work fast Eve! Well, not that it is something new... HAHA!¡± ¡°Eve, what the hell are you thinking?¡± ¡°Ohoh, another one bites the dust, uh?¡± ¡°Why do you say that as if he died¡­ Well, he may as well be dead after a session with [Warm Embrance]...¡± ¡°(Damnit, calm down Aurora, calm down...) Well, ignoring the fact that you sexually attacked a student, what about his condition, HEALTH condition please¡± Clearly trying to suppress her anger, Aurora continued the topic ¡°*Giggle* I was just making fun of you, well, the thing in question is pretty serious¡± ¡°*Sigh* So, what is the diagnosis?¡± ¡°His recovery was outstanding, almost unbelievable, I don¡¯t know what kind of training he underwent, but he sure has a sturdy body...¡± ¡°What about the spirit?¡± ¡°That thing is gonna be a pain in the ass, I don¡¯t know if it will harm him, but I¡¯m sure, that being is a threat for anything that doesn¡¯t start with L and ends in ean¡± ¡°Yare, yare¡­ Well, you have heard it, keep watch of him then please¡± Finally reaching a desired milestone, Aurora made a plea to the rest of the teachers ¡°So, I assume the boy has made a [Contract] already, a troublesome one to boot?¡± Dante assumed from the flow of the talk show between the two co workers ¡°It seems he is an Irregular summoner¡± Eve supplemented with haste ¡°Oh, those are pretty bad, shouldn¡¯t we get rid of him before he becomes real trouble?¡± Santo offered a dangerous deal without breaking any sweat ¡°Reidmo believes that he has the qualities to become a summoner¡­ He asked us to teach him after all¡± Far from the vessel of anger from just before, Aurora spoke with almost no force behind her words ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit about Reidmo or his son, if he becomes trouble I will get rid of him, is that clear Aurora?¡± Dante angrily revoked in a harsh tone ¡°Yes...¡± With her head cast down, and weak voice to boot Aurora seemed as if she had given up on the subject ¡°You sure talk like an ungrateful little bitch Dante, don¡¯t worry Aurora, I will make sure to observe him. You have my word on this, the same goes for you Santo, if there is trouble I will handle it, am I clear?¡± Breaking the mood with her interjection, Titania glared at Dante and Santo. The strength behind her half opened eyes and overpowering aura accepted no comeback from the subjects ¡°Tch, fuck you Titania!¡± ¡°Oh, okay!¡± ¡°(Thank you Titania)¡± Both compelled by the girl that was a head and a half shorter than Dante was a sight to behold, but Dante swearing and Santo shrugging made it clear who held the reins in the party ¡°I will take my leave here, I believe there isn¡¯t anything to discuss anymore, is that correct?¡± Qi Fun declared so, as he walked to leave ¡°Ah, yes, that should be all...¡± ¡°I will make my preparations then, what about you guys?¡± ¡°Tch¡­ So be it then...¡± ¡°HAHA! I¡¯m in!¡± ¡°Mmmm¡­ Okay, if you changed your mind Qi Fun, I will also follow suit...¡± ¡°The party needs a healer, so...¡± ¡°*Sigh* I will also go, I guess¡± Leaving one by one, Aurora soon found herself alone in her own room ¡°I guess, I will call Lisha to clean this mess...¡± ***************************************** The Zenji continent Ruins of an old human vestige, or what little of it was left The passage of time and nature elements unsparingly worked together to turn the painstaking and time consuming buildings into assimilated nature, yet, parts that were embedded in the mountain escaped such fate Venturing inside these old ruins, after many labyrinthine passages, a peculiar room came into view The stale air, and coating of dust on the stone furniture that laid in the room served as reference for how much time, the place had been closed up Despite that *Step step* *Step step* *Step step* Sounds of walking could be heard in these hallways *Step step* *Step step* *Step step* *Step step* *Step step* *Step step* Coming closer to the room, the steps finally stopped ¡°Here is it¡± A voice without emotion, directed to no one *Clank* *Rumblerumblerumble* Actioning some kind of device in the wall, loud mechanical sounds resonated through the corridor, and soon after, a door like stone, big as a mountain boulder started to descend into the floor, opening the entrance for the figures ¡°Take your seats¡± Again, emotionless, devoid of life and as if talking to the nothingness The entities took their positions around the rough hexagonal table, on throne looking chairs made of a black stone at fixed distances ¡°[Light]¡± For the 3rd time, the same being spoke, and after chanting or more like, what sounded as an order, small lightblue spheres of light appeared in the room The silhouette of people like figures came into view, they wore cloaks that covered almost all of their bodies, saving their faces, which were behind some kind of mask, in particular, each mask had a symbol of sorts engraved on it, showcasing the design, as every other feature remained covered in that material veil The table, in contrast to the chairs, made of a white porous material, but, in correlation with the masks of their wearers, shared the same designs of each one ¡°Talk, Cetiri¡± ¡°Ah, how cold of you Eden...Is this how you greet your friends? After so much time? When was the last time we reunited¡­ 120 years ago?¡± ¡°If I needed to meet you, I would find you. Talk¡± ¡°*Sigh...* You have no sense of humor Eden¡­ Oh well, I meet him¡± ¡°So you went after all¡­ And?¡± ¡°Well¡­ He can punch just fine I will admit that, BUT, will he be able to live to the expectations?¡± ¡°That only depends if he puts his fair share of work¡­¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk, oh Eden, Eden, didn¡¯t we agreed, or more like, didn¡¯t you make us agree to this plan that reunion, when was it¡­ 250 years ago? You don¡¯t want all those years to go to waste¡­ Don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I said that I already did my job¡± ¡°Ah, the cold love from a father or just your stubbornness¡­. What would Dve think about this? Or Pet, well, she isn¡¯t technically dead, but... ¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°You sure love to shut up whenever Dve is the topic of debate¡­ Well, the other subject that I wanted to discuss¡­ Last [Nemidos¡¯ wrath]...¡± ¡°I believe that I have provided enough information for that matter¡± ¡°Oh, what did you give them? Tell me! Tell me!¡± ¡°That the [Tsaus Voj Voog] is close¡± *...* ¡°PFFFFFFFHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I CAN¡¯T BELIEVE IT! SERIOUSLY??! THE [Tsaus Voj Voog] IS CLOSE HAHAHAHAAH!¡± ¡°Even after all those years, your mind didn¡¯t grow even an inch uh...¡± ¡°HAH-BUT-HAHAHA, IT¡¯S JUST SO HILARIOUS!!¡± ¡°What is?¡± ¡°Eden, Eden, Eden...you feed them a message in a language that died like¡­ 400 years ago by now? What kind of impossible game are you making them play? HAHAHAHA!!¡± ¡°I gave them the tools to cope with that, but only time will tell if they found them in time¡± ¡°Oh, how nice of you Eden...¡± ¡°If that was all Cetiri, then let¡¯s end this reunion now, so pointless...¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s have it your way (for now) *Clap Clap* It was nice seeing you guys, take care of yourselves Tri, Sest, and you too Eden! *Swirls* ¡± Rotating, the figure changed its shape, from that of a humanoid, to that of an animal Paired with four wings, a falcon like crow bird was born in a moment For the now creature, it took just a gentle flap of its wings to dart out at an incredible speed ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. Outside the mountain and ruins Passing over young forests Swimming through old forests Crossing the big dessert Ignoring the saltworks Resting at rivers and lakes, just a moment Exiting the prairies and leaving the mainland, surveying the ocean The bird maintained its never changing south course ¡°(Finally some fun times are to come since the fall of the kingdom of Anweal¡­ If we are to go, better it be with a bang, no Reidmo?)¡± Intermission: Fallen Angel Intermission: Fallen Angel -13th of Chaos- Summer still fluttering its banner strongly From 18:00 to 21:30 pm, the inn Bards&Beers would receive customers wanting to refresh themselves with a cold drink after a working day, as well as many who enjoyed a light meal while listening to the many shows that the bards displayed on the 3 stages in the extensive hall At times, a storytelling with some reflexive conclusion At times, improvised shows at the mercy of the musicians whims And the never old classical musicalization of famous literary works Whichever that took place, the ending result was the same, a jovial atmosphere. But only them, customers and bards, could appreciate the mix of those two worlds In the very same place, people that wore expressions as if the world was ending were running all over the place A fight for the greater good or relinquishing an evil monster like that depicted in tales of old seemed little in comparison to the battle fought by them ¡°Angel, take the orders of tables 3, 4, 7 and 16. And clean table 8 please¡± A tall blue haired woman prompted some orders while her gaze intensely looked over the hall. Oval shaped glasses hid sharp verdant eyes and helped accentuate her mature¡¯s looks overall. ¡°I¡¯m on it Samantha¡± ¡°Shua, tables 13 and 15¡­ Ah, sector B, tables 1, 2, 5 and 9¡± ¡°Yes, yes...¡± ¡°Mia¡­ Quit it with the puppy eyes and move your little ass, Sector C, tables 1, 4, 10, 11 and 13¡± ¡°How cruel Captain! How cruel! This delicate body of mine won¡¯t last at this pace Samantha captain! *Sob...Sob*¡± ¡°I see¡­ So your body won¡¯t last¡­ ¡± ¡°(Yes! My acting finally paid off!!) Captain!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry Mia, I¡¯ll be sure to attend to your funeral. On your gravestone I¡¯m going to label ¡°Finally, the sloth is dead¡­ We can live in peace now¡±¡± ¡°Eh? Eh? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHH?!?!?¡± ¡°Oh, something wrong Mia?¡± ¡°You¡¯re killing me off?!? And how mean! I¡¯m not some evil Phantal!!¡± ¡°Then, move your not so Phantal ass right this moment, before I cut off your pay¡­ NOW¡± ¡°I-I-I-I¡¯m on it, I¡¯m on it!!¡± ¡°Mia...¡± ¡°YES?!¡± ¡°Sector D, take care of tables 1 to 14¡± ¡°Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!¡± ¡°*Sigh* Mia never Learns...¡± ¡°*Giggle* Well, it¡¯s true, rush hours in the summer are quite hectic, I can relate to her...¡± ¡°But, that Samantha sure is merciless¡± ¡°She is not the head waiter for nothing, the owner blindly trusts her in that regard...¡± ¡°Yeah, she was the first pupil or something? She inherited her vicious thirst for money too...¡± ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t remind me of that, oh no, she is looking this way! Hurry Shua!¡± ¡°Eek!¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Gahhahaha! Samantha works them just fine!¡± ¡°Hahahah! You bet! I need someone like her in my fields! Hahahah! Ahem, Samantha, won¡¯t you marry my son? With you by his side I can be at ease¡± ¡°Freinol, you bastard! Trying to get a head start! Samantha don¡¯t listen to this old senile sack of bones, instead, marry my son!¡± ¡°You sure are a shameless one Tarde, you think Samantha would want to go to a run down shoe shop like yours? HAHAHA! It¡¯s good to dream big but have some restraint!!¡± ¡°As if your stinking farm could ever hope to match my store!! You pig breeder!!¡± ¡°What did you say?!?!¡± ¡°Wanna fight?! HUH?!¡± ¡°My, my, dear customers, I appreciate your flattery... But, you¡¯re disrupting the inn¡¯s regulations¡­ We can¡¯t have that¡­ can we?¡± *We¡¯re sorry, please forgive us* ¡°Oh my, forgiveness is it? You can have it... For a fair price¡± The hot blooded men quickly lost all vigor as well as the alcohol intoxication that riddled them previously, and laid on their respectives chairs, defeat looming over them in contrast to the laughing audience that watched everything unfold, like many other situations so far. Finally, after the rush hour was over and the last customer that did not stay in a room left the establishment. Angel, Shua and Mia, as well as others, were tidying the place, preparing it again for another day. ¡°Marriage huh...¡± ¡°Mm? Did you say something, Angel?¡± ¡°Ah! No, no! Don¡¯t mind me! Aha-hahahaha!¡± ¡°I heard it! She was brooding over marriage!¡± Popping from under a table, Mia accusingly pointed her left index finger while making a smile that distorted her childlike face ¡°EH?!? Seriously?!? Angel and marriage? No way!¡± Shua directed her gaze to the subject in question, disbelief painted her small brown eyes ¡°(Tch, damn you Mia) No no no! I was just thinking how Samantha gets so many marriage proposals, doesn¡¯t she? I was thinking if she will accept someone one of these days...¡± Shooting a fabricated answer without delay, Angel hoped to divert their attention ¡°Mmmm¡­. That¡¯s true, she even turned 28 this cycle, but, has yet to marry¡­ AH! Could it be?! She swings to the girls side?!?!?¡± ¡°Shua! That must be it!! Gehehehe, now I will treat her with her secret and she will not be able to go against me! Hehehehe, finally, avoiding the rush hour is not a dream anymore!!¡± ¡°Wow, Mia, you sure you¡¯re not a Phantal? You¡¯re oozing miasma out...¡± ¡°(So her ambitions only take her that far¡­.)¡± Watching their coworker... With an skeptical sight, Shua, and with a pitying gaze, Angel. But before they could speak again ¡°What are you girls chatting so happily here?¡± *AH! Samantha!* Reacting in synch with a weird cry, the girls repositioned themselves, from the triangle chit-chat circle, to a column befitting a well trained army ¡°(???) Comon girls, the bath is ready, stop wasting time here¡­ The others got ahead of us¡± *Yes!* Not losing their harmony, they followed behind in a well paced march ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ *Splash* *Splash* ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡­¡­ This¡­¡­ Is¡­.. Great¡­..¡± ¡°I know¡­.. Right?¡± Entering into the hot water, Angel and Shua surrendered themselves to the warm liquid. Not far from their position, they watched as Mia pestered Samantha ¡°Hehehehe, I know your secret Samantha!¡± ¡°Mmm? My secret? And stop fooling around or you won¡¯t give your body a good rest, tomorrow¡¯s work needs all of us in top condition... ¡± ¡°Hehehehe! Tsk! Tsk! I don¡¯t think so Samantha!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You can pretend all you want, but I know your secret!¡± ¡°Well¡­ Care to explain what¡¯s this supposedly secret is about?¡± ¡°Hehe! I know what your love interest are!!¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. *(Is she really going to test that?)* ¡°(My... Love interest?)¡± ¡°HA! So surprised that you can¡¯t mutter a single word? Well, don¡¯t worry, if you spare me from the rush hour starting tomorrow, I won¡¯t say a single thing!¡± *(So you will still work the rest of the time...)* ¡°...¡± ¡°Well? What do you say, deal?¡± ¡°Ha¡­. Mia, you silly girl¡­ I¡¯m already married!¡± ¡°Eh?! WHAT!?!¡± ¡°So¡­ Do you want to take care of all sectors in tomorrow¡¯s rush hour? Such diligent work spirit!¡± ¡°(Thinking for a second¡­ It¡¯s pretty improbable that Samantha would ¡°fall¡± in love with someone, after all, she...)¡± ¡°(Did she really thought that would work? With such a half-assed reason? No, wait, she bought what I said didn¡¯t she?..... Well, you reap what you sow¡­ Besides, if you think about it¡­ Samantha...)¡± *(Loves money more than anything...)* ¡°WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!¡± That night, the block surrounding the inn gave birth to the second mystery of Bards&Beers, [The screaming bath], strangely, despite the ominous name, the establishment''s popularity grew even more¡­ (And so did the screams) -14th of Chaos-, early morning Before Angel passed by the check-in counter, Veena stood from her seat and opened her mouth ¡°Ah, Angel, good morning. Can I talk with you for a second?¡± ¡°Owner! Good morning! Why, yes, of course!¡± ¡°Remember Lean?¡± ¡°Mm, ah, yes, the feverish customer, right? Is he okay?¡± ¡°Well, I examined him, and seems that his fever is still going strong, can I ask you to change the cold towels on him, while you clean rooms 4, 6 and 7 that are scheduled to vacate today?¡± ¡°I can do it, but...¡± ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°Ah, no, just that, I never thought you would go out of your way to care for a customer on your own accord, hehe! Since you always have money in your head...¡± ¡°Of course I have already deducted this from him, who do you take me for? Now go!¡± ¡°Aye aye!¡± Watching as Angel went to respect her order, Veena muttered as she reminisced last night¡¯s high suspiciously event ¡°Still, I can¡¯t picture if he is trouble or not¡­.¡± ********** *Clanck* ¡°Ah, a good bath to wash away the fatigue and keeping my skin healthy¡­ Still, I wish baths could also wash trouble away¡­ Mm? What¡¯s that?¡± An object in the night table took her attention for a second. At a glance the object was undoubtedly a squared wooden box ¡°(Did I leave this? I don¡¯t remember having this box before¡­ Well, let¡¯s see what do I have here¡­) What the?!¡± The ordinary looking object revealed its contents, and helped Veena let a cry A small paper was serving as a blanket, and underneath it, a beautiful jewel laid resting A captivating pristine azure painted the well sculpt piece of art, breathtaking was an understatement for the treasure big as a medium sized apple, the angular cuts on the diamond shaped stone were in such a way, that some ray lights remained trapped in the crystal jail, revealing a complex mixture of secondary colours that created a new rainbow concealed in the conical end of the jewel. ¡°...¡± ¡°For sure¡­ This wasn¡¯t here before¡­ Is this a prank? Eh? This paper...¡± Without realizing she was letting her thoughts out loud, Veena inspected the second and last foreign object ¡°Here¡¯s a gift. Take care of floor 2 room 9¡¯s inhabitant.¡± PD: Let the girl who received him first do it, something interesting will happen! ¡°I knew Lean had something going on, but this is beyond me¡­*Sigh*¡± Veena¡¯s sharp insight always had been spot on, calling it a 6th sense was little of an underestimate. Figuring out what kind of person entered her establishment was but a child¡¯s play, and in the field of her work, such ability was a godsend¡­ ¡°Now an unexpected situation turned into a fishy one¡­ Mmm? There is something on the reverse side¡± ¡°This gem is called [Eye of Okeanot] if you sell it, you can expect along the lines of 700.000.000.000 hari¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Well, it feels good to do a good deed once in awhile...¡± An oval mirror reflected a smile not quite true to the contents just mentioned... ********** ¡°Whew¡­ That makes it for room 4, I guess I will go and change the towels and start with room 7¡± Angel now remained at an arm''s reach from the door with a bronze 9 fixed on it ¡°I¡¯m coming in¡­¡± Closing the door, Angel quickly ventured inside and sat on the stool next to the bed. In front of her, laid Lean with towels scattered by his sides. ¡°3 towels? Ah, I see, these cover the arms, well¡­ Let¡¯s do th-Ah!¡± Before she could pull out the first piece of cloth, the seemingly sleeping person wiggled accompanied with a small and painful groan ¡°Geez¡­ Don¡¯t startle me like that...¡± Slightly contorting, the unresponsive Lean remained with a pained expression while his new caretaker took and changed the old rags with new towels. Carefully soaking the new pieces in the bucket filled with cold water and squeezing them just enough to not let the excess of liquid fall into the sheet and bed Relief soon washed away the discomfort in Lean, as his face as well as his body relaxed and gained a peaceful demeanor. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s much better isn¡¯t it? But still, such high temperature¡­ Is Veena sure that, changing towels every so often will be enough?¡± Leaving the room with a monologue, Angel retook her cleaning task¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Hahhh...¡± ¡°Oh, Angel, why the long sigh? It¡¯s said that happiness won¡¯t find you if you do that...¡± ¡°Shua¡­ I don¡¯t think happiness is a thing to care if you sigh or not¡­.¡± ¡°Mmm if you say so... Then, what¡¯s the problem? Something bothering you?¡± ¡°No, bothering no, just¡­ A little concerned about a patient...¡± ¡°A patient? Did you go to the [Religa temple]?¡± ¡°No no, a customer that arrived yesterday fell ill and the Owner made me keep an eye on him¡­ I just came back from changing the towels for the 6th time, but the fever doesn¡¯t seem to go down¡­ Frankly, it seems to be going up for every turn I take to go...¡± ¡°Is it that bad?¡± ¡°Really, the 5th time I changed it, nonchalantly touched his forehead and thought for a second that my hand was burnt¡± ¡°Uwaah that¡¯s¡­ Ah, why not use a [Koza torba]? If you put ice in it, that will last much longer than just cold soaked towels!¡± ¡°Oh! You¡¯re right! How did I not think of that? Damn, I feel stupid now¡± ¡°Hahaha, now now, instead of that, let¡¯s search for one and give that to him, okay?¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Are you sure¡­ This is okay?¡± ¡°Why not, the more the better! Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m not so sure about that¡­.¡± With a worried tone Angel said so to Shua, while looking at the sight in front of her. Many leather bags were now covering the young man and the resemblance the sight had with a burial was quite close¡­ ¡°Well, at least he stopped quivering¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, with this he will be fine!¡± ¡°I hope you are right on that...¡± ¡°But I must say, you got a nice catch here Angel¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about¡± *Clank* ¡°*Giggle* Stubborn as ever, I see¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Please, just kill me¡­ Let it end already¡­.¡± White adorned her eyes and a ghastly fog escaped from the mouth of the girl as she muttered what seemed to be her last will. ¡°Come on Mia! Today¡¯s rush hour wasn¡¯t so bad!¡± In contrast, a jovial Shua exclaimed in high spirits ¡°That¡¯s because my share of work increased 4 times!!! 4!! If you just-¡± Regaining her irises, Mia shouted back as she directed her hostility to her friend, but as soon as she did ¡°Oh my, Mia, complaining again? Should I cut today¡¯s pay around 70%?¡± Samantha showed herself as if waiting for Mia to mutter a complaint and with a voice devoid of candid emotions mercilessly said so to her ¡°My pay¡­ I¡­ 68 tables¡­ Tables¡­.Ahah-hahaha-hahahahaha!¡± ¡°Samantha, Mia lost it...¡± ¡°Mmm, maybe I went to far¡­ 65% will it be then¡­ Well Mia, stop babbling nonsense and come with me, you too Shua, don¡¯t waste too much time here and refresh yourself in the bath¡± ¡°Ah, yes...¡± ¡°....¡± Gesturing a triangular cross sign, Shua prayed for her friend¡¯s sanity sake as she followed Samantha who led Mia by the hand like a mother with a small child. ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Owner, it¡¯s rare to see you in the open bath¡­ *Ahhh* The water is just right¡­.¡± ¡°Oh, Angel, it¡¯s a change of pace, once in awhile won¡¯t hurt me, come sit beside me¡± ¡°I will take your offer then¡± ¡°How was today¡¯s work?¡± ¡°Ah, everything was allright, Samantha made Mia work plenty of Shua and mine¡¯s share, so the fearful rush hour was more tranquil than usual¡± ¡°I see¡­ What about Lean? Could you manage him?¡± ¡°...Yes, not a... Problem¡­ But thanks to Shua¡¯s suggestion, I placed many [Koza torbas] on him, it were more useful than cold towels...¡± ¡°Certainly, now that you mention it, those would have been the very first thing to use, good job on that¡± ¡°Haha, it was thanks to Shua, but thanks...¡± ¡°Can I assign you to continue taking care of him then?¡± ¡°I¡­ Yes...¡± ¡°I wanted to use this opportunity to help you, but if it¡¯s still too much, then I will not force you into it¡­ Why not think about it? In fact, I thought Lean was your type, was I mistaken somewhere?¡± ¡°Please stop with the jokes Owner...¡± ¡°Sharp yet refined features, and despite his wild demeanor, pure and innocent eyes¡­ Youthful and brimming with energy, a full trained body yet not a bulky mass of muscle¡­ Did you notice his wide back? Let me tell you, I had a short conversation with him, and his personality seems to lean to the positive spectrum, what¡¯s more, he even came to this inn, and paid without batting an eye, so money is not something he is lacking. Honestly, what more could you hope for?¡± ¡°Owner¡­ The change of trying to help me, to shameless promoting a customer as a potential marriage candidate¡­ Is too forced¡­ What are you planning?¡± ¡°Really? Even though Samantha mentioned something about you brooding about the future...¡± ¡°*Ahem* No comment on that¡­.¡± ¡°Ah, look at the time, I will take my leave here¡­ Well, pros and cons, jokes or not, why not take this chance as a side job? I¡¯m not making you doing this for free after all...¡± ¡°That...¡± ¡°Just think about it...Ah, Samantha will give you girls the details tomorrow, but I¡¯m planning to go and make some purchases, well, if something happens, just talk with Samantha. Good night Angel¡± ¡°Ah, good night Owner...¡± ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. 15th of Chaos ¡°In the end¡­ Here I am huh? Still, it looks like the [Koza torbas] did their work¡­ Good for you Lean¡± [Sharp yet refined features, and despite his wild demeanor, pure and innocent eyes¡­ Youthful brimming with energy, a full trained body yet not a bulky mass of muscle¡­] ¡°No no no, don¡¯t fall for it, the Owner surely has something up her sleeve¡­ Surely¡­.¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°Shua, she is the same age as me, yet, already living with her boyfriend and Mia, despite being 3 cycles less than me already got an engagement...¡± [Did you notice his wide back? Let me tell you, I had a short conversation with him, and his personality seems to lean to the positive spectrum, what¡¯s more, he even came to this inn, and paid without batting an eye, so money is not something he is lacking. Honestly, what more could you hope for?] ¡°....¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just do some work...¡± ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. 18th of Chaos ¡°Hey Shua, don¡¯t you think Angel is sighing¡­. Almost too much these days?¡± ¡°Mmm, now that you mention it Mia...¡± ¡°Hehehe, that distant look¡­. I bet it, no, it must be! She¡¯s got love problems!¡± ¡°You think? All I see is anxiety for the future...¡± ¡°Of course it is! She is concerned because there must be something with her partner! Maybe an unrequited love? Hee! Could it be?! An affair with an already married m-Gee! Ouch! Why would you do that?¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re just spouting nonsense, come, let¡¯s see what¡¯s troubling her¡± ¡°Ah, wait for me Shua!¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°*Che* Here I was thinking you were in some relationship¡­ But you are brooding over a delusion¡­. What are you? 12?¡± ¡°Mia, that¡¯s just mean, besides, you¡¯re 16 and only have flowers in your head¡­ Talking about immaturity¡­¡± ¡°Mee, so, what about this guy in room 9¡­ Was it, Lonan? Is he any good?¡± ¡°Oh, that one, Lean is his name mmmm¡­ his looks are fine, but in that state¡­ His personality remains a mystery, so I can¡¯t really judge...¡± ¡°My first impression of him¡­ A little oblivious? Or maybe too earnest?¡± ¡°So¡­ an airhead? Well, if his looks are good, that only leaves us with the last hurdle, what does the guy do for a living?¡± ¡°It¡¯s amazing how easy you make mean remarks about anything¡± ¡°Just the other day you branded me as a Phantal, so? What does he do? Farmer? Merchant? Artesan? For staying here, he must be from other state and make a decent sum, right?¡± ¡°If I had to guess¡­ He looks... Like a soldier? He''s got a dagger with him...¡± ¡°Uwah, suspicious, but if the Owner let him stay, he is not a dangerous individual¡­ Maybe he works as a guard?¡± ¡°Oh, that could be! Escort guards are quite well paid, don¡¯t them?¡± ¡°Oh my, such a leisured talk you have here girls¡­¡± *....* ¡°Oh? Why the pale faces? It¡¯s not like you are all skipping work.... Right?¡± ¡°Not at all Samantha!¡± ¡°Of course not, of course not, aha-hahaha!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Mm? Angel, something wrong?¡± ¡°(Angel¡­ You won¡¯t rat us all right? We are friends, right? RIGHT?!)¡± ¡°(Mia¡­ Your intentions are too evident if you make a face like that...)¡± ¡°Samantha, could I talk with you¡­ For a moment?¡± ¡°....Okay, Shua, Mia, go and do your jobs, we are approaching lunch hour¡± *Yes!* ¡°Well, Let¡¯s talk a little, shall we?¡± ¡°Thank you Samantha¡­ The thing is...¡± ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. ¡°Finally, the fever is gone for once and for all¡­ But, this smell, sweat?¡­ If my memory serves me right, Lean came the 13th and now is 19th¡­ That means, it¡¯s been 7 days since he took a bath?¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°I have no choice¡­. Right?¡± ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. -21st of Chaos- ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t Angel strangely happy since the other day?¡± ¡°*Sigh...*¡± ¡°Hey, why are you making that expression? I¡¯m serious here!¡± ¡°No, just had a sense of deja vu...¡± ¡°Look! That old geezer just touched her buttocks! And she just scolded him!¡± ¡°Eh? You¡¯re right¡­ She would call Samantha in such cases, even Freinol is at a loss for words...¡± ¡°See? Something happened to her!¡± ¡°While I think you¡¯re right, so is Samantha looking at us. Let¡¯s have a conversation with Angel tonight¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to forget!¡± ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. ¡°What¡­ did you just say?¡± An incredulous look formed on Shua¡¯s face ¡°Men have such amazing bodies, don¡¯t they? It¡¯s funny how I used to be so uncomfortable around them...¡± ¡°This is ridiculous!¡± ¡°Oh Mia, you¡¯re funny, even though you previously said I was immature and now I can relate to that¡­ Shua, you¡¯re so lucky, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid to ask, so please spare me...¡± ¡°Wha-wha-what happened to my friend?!?! You¡¯re not the Angel I know! Come back to your senses Angel!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait to tell the Owner, she was right, oh, so right¡­*Giggle*¡± ¡°Shua¡­ I¡¯m scared! What happened to our Angel!¡± ¡°Be brave Mia, a few more days till Veena comes back¡± ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. ¡°Ah¡­ Finally back home, damn those merchants acting all high and mighty, I¡¯ll be sure to-¡± ¡°Owner, good to see you back! How was the trip?¡± ¡°Oh, Angel, good day. Could have been better, those sheet and blankets merchants sure don¡¯t give in easily¡­ Nonetheless, could get new goods to change in the single rooms¡­ Ah that reminds me, did you take care of Lean?¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear Owner, congratulations on your successful trade. Regarding that matter, I would like you to help me a little...¡± ¡°Mm? Your expression¡­ That¡¯s not one makes if you¡¯re uncomfortable around men, I assume?¡± ¡°*Giggle* Nothing escapes you Owner. And you are right, I have been heavily considering in courting him¡± ¡°Oh my, that¡¯s¡­ A surprise for sure, so? Did he leave some contact info?¡± ¡°Huh? Why would he?¡± ¡°What? Didn¡¯t he left already? He paid for 5 days after all¡± ¡°Um, he hasn¡¯t woken up still...¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°Um Owner¡­. Veena?¡± ¡°I¡¯m so kicking that freeloader into the streets!¡± ¡°No, wait! Owner?!?! That¡¯s too sudden of a change!¡± ¡°Sudden change my ass!¡± ¡°No, Owner, hear me first! I have a solution! Owner!¡± ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. Once again, Veena¡¯s love for money crossed the boundarie called limit with the force of a million Taurine making a stampede... Chapter 11: Soup of discord Chapter 11: Soup of discord *CLANK* ¡°Lunch!!¡± Opening the double doors with force enough to almost rip them off from its hinges, Lean rushed inside and made his way to the counter. ¡°Aunt Lisha! Aunt Lisha! I want a serving of pork today!¡± ¡°NO¡± To the full of life Lean, the answer he received was as if hitting a brick wall head on. ¡°EH?! Why not?!¡± ¡°Since you started eating in the dining room, you only had meat! You¡¯re young, so you need a proper balanced diet!¡± ¡°Then I will have chicken!¡± ¡°NO!¡± ¡°How about roasted Lokens?¡± ¡°For the 3rd time... NO!¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°No, means no! Have this rich vegetable soup instead!¡± ¡°Ugh, this disgusting looking thing is soup?¡± ¡°This recipe includes a variety of 15 vegetables! All carefully cooked by me! You will receive proper nutrients for once! Now go and take a seat, if you¡¯re still hungry after eating that, I will give you some meat-¡± ¡°REALLY?!¡± ¡°That is, if you finish the plate properly¡± ¡°Gu! I will not fail!¡± Leaving the counter with reluctance Lean proceeded to search for a seat¡­ ¡°(Should I sit on the circular tables in the middle or the rectangular ones in the sides? I should search a seat with lots of people...[How to be a proper hunter rule #18: A bad meal is less painful if shared with others!])¡± Or that was the idea, as in the moment he turned he found a peculiar sight *....* People Not one, or two... Almost twenty youths surrounded him. ¡°....¡± *....* A strange tension filled the atmosphere and as if playing a game no one dared to break the silence, that is, until. ¡°Even if it tastes bad¡­ I¡¯m not giving you any of this okay?¡± Lean even turned sideways to cover the tray and his food on it ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Ugh, so creamy¡­ I don¡¯t like this texture¡­¡± Lean expressed his opinion after taking some spoonfuls of the rather hideous looking liquid meal, his half-closed eyes and tightly shut mouth also helped conveying his reluctance towards it. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s not venom?¡± ¡°Uwaah, look at the bubbling, disgusting!¡± ¡°Even if it looks like that, didn¡¯t the cook Lisha said so? That it was a food rather nutritious¡­ Sorry, forgive me, don¡¯t look at me like that¡­¡± ¡°Well, how about we also order something? Asha, are you listening?¡± ¡°Nn? What?¡± ¡°*Sigh* Why are you so prone to doze off?¡± ¡°Ehehe! Sorry about that Ceril, yeah, let¡¯s go get something, the aromas are making me hungrier than normal¡­¡± After the two left, one of the girls that already had food on her plate asked the boy that presumably was part of their group. ¡°How about you? Erm, your name was¡­¡± ¡°Tomas Doyle, better don¡¯t forget it again, you heard me?¡± ¡°Uh? What¡¯s your problem?¡± ¡°Why are you thinking about eating something now?! Didn¡¯t you see that guy?! He already contacted with a spirit!!¡± With a rather harsh tone, and increasing his volume by every word said, Tomas pointed at Lean almost as if accusing him for doing something bad ¡°Whoa, calm down a little, won¡¯t you? There is no reason to raise your voice like that, is there? See, even the guys in that other table are looking this way¡± A girl with long green hair, raised from the opposite chair and while saying so, pointed in the direction behind them. In a circular table, five people were looking back, a particularity of the group were the same black hair and eyes shared by everyone seated. ¡°Who do you think you-¡± ¡°AH! Will you shut up, or do I have to shut you up? Choose one, you bastard!¡± The one who raised a cry and threatened Tomas who was about to retort, as he was crackling his knuckles, was a boy who had small scars here and there adorning his face, his uniform was rather disheveled than tidied raising the threat a level further. As he looked more of a thug that robbed the clothes from a true student, the man directed his hostility openly until. ¡°Look at that Carol! A gathering of dogs fighting over who is more stupid is happening! And here I thought only the people from Gedos were thrash¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not good disregarding everyone that way, your majesty¡­¡± ¡°Che! You¡¯re no fun Carol¡± The two new people were passing by when they heard the commotion, and the one directing a scornful voice while, at the same time, making fun of them was the young looking man. If one were to ignore the voice filled with malice, the tall boy possessed handsome and refined features befitting a royal or straight of a work of art, and with the firm posture that did not crumble even in the slightest while the youth walked, exudered elegance. The girl who walked a few feet behind Siegfrido and offered such remark, Carol, also showcased sophisticated features, her short wavy hair displayed a dark red colour that seemed to seep the light away. At the appearance of the pair, a girl quickly shoot up from her seat and directed a piece of her mind ¡°Well, well, what do we have here? A stinky fake prince and his bitch aid! Now I have lost my appetite, good work Siegshit and Carolwhore!¡± The girl in question, like Carol, possessed wavy hair, but while Carol¡¯s was short, her¡¯s was naturally long and displayed a beautiful blonde colour. Her pristine brown eyes, while narrowing them and scrutinizing the subjects, also directed a filled with contempt voice. The girl next to her also commented ¡°Haha! You tell them Iris!¡± And the girl farther right ¡°*Sigh* I do not appreciate this conduct, you, Iris and Arian, as well as you Rente subjects, please mind your behavior at the time and place¡± Arian who agreed with Iris, seemed to be on the shorter side, even for a girl. But contrasting with her small frame like that of a small and cute animal, her arms were rather toned. The girl who acted as if mediating both sides, Leurea, showed her disapproval after sipping from the tea cup which she held in her left hand ¡°While I share your opinion, Leurea, there seems to be a noodle haired-¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Don¡¯t bother with them Carol, it is clear that even the air is wasted on these lowly Gedeians¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you say that again you -¡± ¡°Care to go and FU-¡± ¡°*Clap clap* Well well, ladies and gentleman, why don¡¯t you all go outside and spit at each other or have an orgy or whatever? You all are bothering me and can¡¯t enjoy my meal in peace, so, please, why don¡¯t you all hold hands and jump off from the astrology tower or something?¡± Interrupting the flow while also gaining their attention, a slender man spoke from a diagonal position. His well-trimmed hair kept rather short, aside from three bangs that reached and covered his right eye, was a picturesque mix between green and olive colours. His face features while on the small side, didn¡¯t fail to give the youth a vicious look. Such appearance was further increased by his food, lemon and grapefruits, as he ate them raw. In contrast with the picturesque eating lemon youngster, the man sitting beside him displayed a wholesome extreme outward appearance summarized in a sole word: White. His hair, like a blossoming flower, defied the law of gravity and mostly pointed upwards in a messy manner. His face, with the exception of his eyes and lips, laid behind bandages tied slovenly¡­ And finally, his attire. Without the black vest over the long sleeved shirt and a set of straight pants and boots that were not part of the uniform, the picture was complete. Also, the boy remained as quiet and still as a statue, the only expression on him were the wide open silver eyes of his, as if he was in a constant surprised state. The impact the two had on the quarreling side was soon put on display. ¡°You sure have guts to make such statement mongrel, identify yourself¡± ¡°Your majesty, please, don¡¯t heed his words, these people¡­ They look dangerous¡± The first to react was the Rente¡¯s pair. And responding to Siegfrido¡¯s command, the stylish yet fiendish man spoke. ¡°Freddick Fester at your service¡­ My friend here, Sedo Mata, we both come from the humble Iracundos estate your¡­. High-n-ess¡± Freddick made a frisky bow while gesturing his free hand with the palm open pointing upwards, accompanying his playful tone, he phrased the last word in an odd manner. ¡°You insolent bas-¡± ¡°Siegfrido, don¡¯t!¡± Crumbling his dignified semblance with a sharp scowl and rising his tone, Siegfrido almost jumped on Freddick. Carol too, with a shriek, lost her demeanor but managed to hold Siegfrido¡¯s arm and held him in place. ¡°Whoa there! Calm yourself a little your high-n-ess, haha! You don¡¯t want to leave vacant the throne, before you even get the chance to sit on it, don¡¯t you?¡± Freddick, not giving it a rest, still tried to rile him up. This time, he also made sure to show that Sedo was already griping his fork and knife in his right hand while glaring at him with his not changing astonishing expression. ¡°Tch! Let¡¯s go Carol¡­¡± ¡°At your will your highness¡± As both started to depart from there, Freddick raised his voice once again. ¡°Ah! I almost forgot! I love seeing the expression of serious and fierce looking women crumble in bed¡­ Don¡¯t you want to share some lovely night eve, some time?¡± ¡°(!!)¡± Carol froze for a second, but ignoring him, kept on walking straight. And Freddick, making a disgusting grin, said to no one. ¡°Ah, such a shame¡­ Oh well, they always ignore me at first¡­¡± For their part, the Gedeian trope. ¡°Uwhaa, that guy, disgusting!¡± ¡°Yeah, better keep ourselves away from scum like that, you hear me girls?¡± ¡°Eek! The white one is looking here, creepy!¡± ¡°Arian, Iris¡­ Do not involve yourselves with tenebrous individuals such as those¡­¡± The trope shared a unanimous consensus on the matter of the third party involved¡­ Back to the middle zone of the table where it all started. ¡°Oh, how nice to see our seats not taken, don¡¯t you think so, Asha?¡± ¡°Nn? Yeah, you¡¯re right Ceril¡± The pair that went to get their lunch while at the same time evading the small and big discussions, finally came back and found a strange phenom. ¡°Huh? Why is there water on the floor?¡± Ceril, who took notice of it, started following the trail until finding the source: A crying Lean Next to him, the green haired girl was making a fed up expression, next to her was another girl who seemed to be trying to soothe her as the gesture of her hands seemed to point that out. ¡°Will you quit it crying like a baby? I even tasted it, and it¡¯s surprisingly delicious! What are you complaining for?!¡± ¡°How can you like this¡­¡± Two rivers trailed the face of Lean towards the table and finally flowed in the new formed lake on the floor. If one were to ignore the endless surplus of the crystalline liquid and focused on the source of it, Lean¡¯s eyes had lost all of the light, proof of the living, and only a bottomless well of despair remained. Next to his head, which was resting on the table, laid the perpetrator and monster who brought the young hunter down. A half emptied bowl of soup. ¡°*Giggle* I have seen many strong looking men crying over the loss of a dear friend, losing an invaluable object or seeing their daughters being married off¡­ But, over a bowl of soup? This is a first! *Giggle*¡±. ¡°Sivir! Stop laughing and help me here!¡± ¡°Sure Nana, *Ahem*. Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Sivir Viento¡±. ¡°¡­.Lean Landrer¡­.¡± ¡°*Giggle* Well Lean, do you want to eat this Busho skewer?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s meat¡± ¡°REALLY?!?!¡± The vision of Sivir giving a portion of her food distorted in such a way, that before the eyes of Lean, the look of the tanned girl started to glow a dazzling golden and silver hue. Accompanying the birth of the beautiful light was the sound of a royal and mighty melody, one that wouldn¡¯t fail to create a chain of emotions one after the other¡­ ¡­But it was just the delirium of the yearning boy. In reality, the people surrounding Lean grew a sense of discomfort while watching the inhuman act of him eating the contents of the over 20 centimeters piece of wood filled with many cubes of sliced meat, in one whole mouthful motion. As if watching the end of a play, the spectators delivered their reactions. ¡°Holy shit dude! How do you do that!¡± ¡°How¡­ How is that possible?¡± ¡°Did he just¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha! Do it again!¡± ¡°Such a barbaric way of eating. Please mind the rest of the people sharing the same table¡­¡± ¡°Wow, am I witnessing the birth of the human ostrich?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha, that was interesting, wasn¡¯t it Ceril?¡± ¡°I remember a street performer who could eat a sword, is this, perhaps, the secret behind such act?¡± ¡°Eh? Aren¡¯t you reading too much into it?¡± ¡°Fanks tyong! Fanfs tyong!¡± Oblivious of the various reactions, Lean tried to mutter something, failing miserably because he was halfway eating still, which helped Nana breaking out of her stupefied trance. ¡°Damn it Lean, don¡¯t talk while eating!¡± ¡°Mufts fftsut shoftw grofft?¡± ¡°You-!¡± ¡°Now now, calm down Nana, and Lean, Nana is right. Please mind your modals on the table.¡± ¡°¡­.*Gulp* You are right, I¡¯m sorry about that. ([From the How to be a proper hunter rule #18: In the end, be it a good meal or a bad one, mind your manners!])¡± ¡°*Giggle* It¡¯s okay if you understand. Now, why don¡¯t you ask him Nana?¡± ¡°*Sigh* Okay, Lean. How did you contract with a spirit?¡± At the mention of the question, the surroundings grew ever so quiet, to the point that the only sound in the room, was that of the muffled voices of Lisha and her coworkers, in the back of the kitchen. Many students, as if coordinating the silent action, prepared themselves to get a better grasp of the conversation held in the center of the table. Even the few that were eating alone in the farther tables like islanders in their own island¡¯s solace. ¡°How? I used the paper Aurora gave us¡­¡± ¡°You fuc-!¡± ¡°Try to start a new discussion and I¡¯m slicing your throat Tomas¡± ¡°*Cough cough* Just had something stuck in my throat¡­¡± Before Tomas could end his swearing, Ceril, delivered dangerous words. The threat itself, seemed like a lie, coming from the frail looking girl. Even more, if one were to have a glimpse at her and not focus enough, one could mistake her for a human sized doll. Still, Tomas, who dared not back down from the threat of the thug looking fellow from before, now had a few droplets of sweat in his temple while awkwardly turning his head away from Ceril. ¡°*Ahem* I know that, we all have the same paper, but only you could make a contract¡­ Can you explain what you did?¡± ¡°Even if you tell me that¡­ I only poured mana in the paper¡­ The next thing I knew I was in the infirmary¡­¡± ¡°How do you pour mana into the paper? I don¡¯t understand shit of this!¡± Raising from his spot, a guy put his paper on the table and looked at Lean. ¡°You are?¡± ¡°Nat Vararder¡± ¡°Well Nat, let¡¯s slow down a little, we all are in the same boat here.¡± Interrupting the conversation between Nana and Nat, a surprised voice escaped from Lean ¡°Eh? You don¡¯t know how to pour mana into something?¡± ¡°And I¡¯m telling you, I don¡¯t understand shit of this! *BAM* I was enjoying the festival when I had this strange pulse in my heart! The next thing I knew I was being enrolled here!¡± At the exclamation of Nat, who strongly hit with both of his hands the table, others started a wave of murmurs. ¡°Oh, something similar happened to me¡­¡± ¡°Eh? You too?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have that strange beat, but I started feeling like being more conscious of the surroundings? Something like that¡­¡± ¡°Mm, some have only awakened recently then? I happen to know of my aptitude since I was 12 years old.¡± ¡°Oh myself at 14!¡± ¡°Look at the idiots babbling their mouths at the smallest of the things!¡± ¡°Your highness, you are not in any better position¡­¡± ¡°Pffft! Did you hear that Sedo? The almighty high-n-ess of that Rente estate is no better than that 3rd rate looking thug¡­ What was his name again? Cal? Tal?¡± ¡°¡­Nat¡± ¡°Eh? You remembered him? Hahaha!¡± ¡°Those lowly Iracundo¡¯s pieces of shit!!¡± *CLAAAAP* *¡­* With a powerfull applause, Nana regained control of the derailed conversation and supplemented. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s better! Now, those that are not interested in how to manipulate mana, I will kindly ask of you to not disturb our conversation! Thanks!¡± Even if the contents were clean, the hidden intentions were not so hidden¡­ But even if someone wanted to retort, a new disruption would ensue causing history to repeat again. But finally, a silent agreement was reached letting the flow continue. ¡°Now Lean, please, a hint is enough, can you tell us how to pour mana into the paper?¡± ¡°Well¡­ You have to feel the mana, then when you grasp it you can start moving it and finally project it into the paper!¡± ¡°(Too abstract¡­ Aurora explained it better¡­)¡± ¡°How do you start feeling the mana?¡± Sivir made a quick question, she even raised her hand as if she were in class. ¡°Mmm¡­ You project mana outside!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± To the confident answer Lean gave, Sivir muthered her not understanding even faster than her question. ¡°What the hell man! You use mana to feel mana? But I don¡¯t know how to use mana in the first place! What kind of bullshit is this?!¡± ¡°Whoa, calm down Nat.¡± ¡°How do you want me to calm down? I only got 40 days!¡± ¡°Not just you, we all are in the same boat!¡± ¡°Guys calm down¡­ Don¡¯t overreact to the very first answer gotten.¡± ¡°You sound all calm and what not Sivir, but just now you were also lost with the answer he gave!¡± ¡°Well, it did surprise me¡­¡± ¡°AH! *BAM* I know!¡± Hitting his right fist on his left palm, Lean exclaimed as if finding the answer. The rest, built a bridge of hope faster than the speed of the sound, and then. ¡°You see, mana is everywhere, like air, but is like water! So when you feel mana you feel being submerged in some kind of water, but you can move it at will! The mana inside of one is like a personal lake!¡± As if being proud of his exclamation Lean held his head high with eyes closed as well as his arms crossed in a confident manner. Contrary to him, the surroundings¡­ ¡°THAT DID NOT EXPLAIN SHIT YOU BASTARD!!¡± ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t flip the table! Oi! Get a grip on yourself!!¡± ¡°Damn it Nat! Calm down!¡± ¡°Ahhh! Stop him Tomas!¡± ¡°Stop him? I¡¯m helping him! This fucker act all high because he contracted but doesn¡¯t know shit!¡± ¡°Now it¡¯s our chance Carol, let¡¯s assault that lowly snake head!¡± ¡°Haha! Come here, little prince!¡± ¡°*Sigh* The food was good, but now I feel sleepy¡­ Should I go to that tree¡¯s shadow?¡± ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. ¡°Ah..Ah¡­Ah¡­ Finally, damn it, how fast is that guy? Lean was it? Is that even possible for a human? Ah¡­Damn it, I need some exercise¡­ Now I¡¯m hungrier than¡­ Normal?¡± Isen, who run after Lean back at the infirmary, reached the double doors of the hall. But, what laid in front of him was a scene of pure chaos. A long rectangular table as well as two circular tables along its chairs were flipped. Following suit many plates and food was scattered all over the area in between said furniture. His class members, for the most part, were tidying the place and all looked fearful of the maid looking woman supervising everyone, and with a reason, as standing behind the maid was a giant humanoid thing that reached the 4 or 5 meters tall dining room, with many arms and dark blue skin. If anything, the giant looked diabolic and exudered an impressive threatening aura¡­ To this spectacle, the young boy only muttered. ¡°What the hell happened here?¡±