《Origin Point》 Arc 1 - Azzarath: Prologue AN: Before you press on, I just want to take the time to explain something about this story. It''s a dark fantasy. So what does that mean to the average reader? It means there are scenes of death, blood and gore, violence, torture, and rape, all in a fantasy setting. From the prologue to chapter twelve it''s relatively clean. However, from thirteen (the first of many ''NSFW'' chapters) and onwards, is when the chapters progress into a much darker story full of the violence as described above. If this is not for you, don''t worry; I understand. If you don''t think it''ll bother you, read up to chapter thirteen, and see how you like it. Because although it has been tempered with fluff, it''s still very much a Dark Fantasy. However, if you do like it, and it is right up your alley, then come join us. For I open my arms in welcoming you to our black parade. Thank you for reading. Please enjoy your stay. Oh, and this is the cover for the first arc: http://i.imgur.com/Ra4tYdF.jpg ________________________________________________________ Deep within the Great Forest of Nu''Bai was a small, hidden village. Within this village was a variety of creatures, each supportive of one another while growing and learning of the world that is their forest. Several individuals could be seen wielding spears, as they watched over the smallest of their children. These children of various hues and characteristics played gaily with one another, even going as far as creating small scaled fights that always ended in laughter. Such is the life for these children, never wanting a thing while the others toiled in their small fields or hunted in the Great Forest. A loud thump was heard on the south end of the village, which caused the spear wielders to stand in alert. Large ears extended from several of them, whereas a pair flicked their tongues in the direction of the noise. These actions were seen by the children, who then huddled beneath their feet, and a few even went as far as to climb onto a few of their backs. "Zesschwen," one of the long eared spear holders pointed the tip towards the noise, and a very large scaled spear holder dashed off in the direction pointed. "Will uncle Zess be okay?" A small voice belonging to a smaller scaled child asked. There were tears in its eyes, as it clung to the leg of the spear holder who ordered Zesschwen to investigate the disturbance. "Child of the river," came a haunting voice that echoed throughout the village, causing all to become alert and running for their weapons or safety, "fear not, for Zesschwen is safe and among amiable company." The one who spoke with such a voice stepped out from beneath the shade of a tree, and made its way towards the center of the village. Behind it, however, was Zesschwen and a few others whom the village had never seen before. They were carrying baskets and pushing a cart laden with foodstuffs and non-perishable items. The one who spoke, along with those that carried baskets and pushed the cart wore a simple, plain brown hooded robe with a twine rope tied around their waist area. Once they were in the center of the village, however, they stood side by side as a silver mist began to gush forth from the hood and sleeves. The mist gradually swirled around them, and many with keen eyes could see them beginning to merge with one another, forming a single entity. Once formed, however, the silver mist became thick and heavy, shrouding the individual from even the keenest of eyes. Several times a few ears picked up bones snapping and grinding against each other, which was followed by a slight grunt of pain. Within moments, the being beneath the mist began to absorb it, creating a massive wind tunnel of force. Curiously, though, those gathered could not feel the force of the wind tunnel, but they could certainly hear it. As the dust settled around the being, many were surprised to see a golden kitsune standing where once an unknown being had stood and wore only a simple white tunic and trousers. What was more surprising wasn''t the fact that there were nine tails behind it, but that it was wholly a male kitsune. This being was a rarity among rarities, and many would covet such a being, even going so far as to wage war until it was within their grasp. For if one were to possess a male kitsune, all others of the same species, which were all female, will be under their thumb. Before any could think, however, a small blue kitsune dashed out from under one of the spear holder''s legs. With a cry of "Fox King!", it jumped into the air, and was caught by the golden kitsune. This kitsune laughed as he hugged the smaller, and kissed its forehead and cheeks a few times. As the other children heard the cry of "Fox King", they all made a dash towards the golden kitsune with their own cries of "Grandfather," "Grandpa," and "Fox King is back". This kitsune, who was called "Fox King", laughed and smiled before giving each either a hug or a pat upon their heads. Of course, there were many who were unsure of what to do, and so clung to the spear holders'' legs in fear. Once the children affirmed their suspicions, did the village relax, and began to distribute the foodstuffs and non-perishable items. There were many arguments, to be sure, but each was settled before a true fight could take place. A small cough drew many eyes, but shrugged and returned to the baskets and cart. The golden kitsune turned towards the cough, and smiled softly at the one before him. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. A pink, female kitsune with three tails greeted him. She wore a long, white one piece dress with a blue and green floral pattern tracing from her right shoulder, down to the left side of her waist. "Kara," he greeted her with a chuckle, "How are you this day?" There were a few tears in her eyes, as she ran into his arms, softly crying while he stroke her hair slowly. "I''m back," he said softly, while she clung to him even more. "For how long?" She asked, wiping her tears on his sleeve. "Half a season," his reply made her sigh, as she pushed herself out of his embrace. "At least it''s longer than a few days like last time," she sighed once more, and lifted the small, blue kitsune who stared at her and the "Fox King" for a time. "No cry," she said with a pout, "Sister. No cry. Fox King is back." She giggled as Kara ruffled her hair, then purred as her neck was being scratched with expert fingers. "How was the harvest this year?" He asked while petting the smaller kitsune. He then lifted her high, then placed her onto his head. She giggled, and her tail swayed happily from side to side. Another sigh exuded from Kara, "Poorly, but we have enough to last the winter. More so, now that you brought more for us. Thank you, by the way." "Do not worry too much about it," he replied with another smile, "You are all my family, and I always take care of my family." He turned around and, after asking the kitsune on his head a question, headed towards one of the smaller wooden houses. *** The day rushed by rather quickly, and as night fell, a bonfire was lit in the center of the village. Many cookfires surrounded the bonfire, and soon long tables and chairs found their way near the smaller fires. Wooden tableware sat upon each table, as scaled beings known as Lizardmen began to roast various meats and vegetables over the fires. The smell brought other races out, such as the Lamia, Naga, Kitsune, and various tribes of elf and beastmen. All were welcome in this celebration, as the one called "Fox King" had returned, even if it was for a short time. Many brought drinks of fruit and wine, while others brought small gifts and tokens for this King. He accepted each that was offered, even though he had once said he needed nothing, and ate and/or drank what was given to him to try. However, no amount of liquid would slake his thirst, and no matter how much he ate, he would never become full. Thus, he limited himself to sampling each, and thanked and refused offerings for him to have more. "Ah, to be an Ageless must truly be tiring," came the utterances of an old and tipsy wolfman. "I would have gotten bored, if I couldn''t become drunk anymore." With a grin, he replied saying, "It is tiring, but I only have much time on my hands," his hands stretched out in front of him, each with ten fingers ending in a pointed nail, "And time is what keeps me from strangling you younglings. All I have to do is sleep, and when I wake up, you''re all gone." He sighed heavily as the black cloud of depression began to form above his head. The wolfman punched his shoulder as hard as he could, but only made the kitsune sway lightly. This was enough to wake him and disperse the cloud, for which he was ever grateful. "Thank you." The wolfman nodded, slapped his back, and waddled over to where a large barrel of beer was being hoisted onto a rather thick table. A stone chair began to form under and behind him, so that when he sat down, it wouldn''t be on the ground. ''It''s the little things in life that makes it bearable,'' he thought with a chuckle. The chair rumbled softly, as it turned him towards the bonfire, and he stared into it for a time. With a small sigh, he closed his eyes, and dozed. Upon opening them, however, he noticed he was in a large room, and a gathering of expectant children were staring at him from his feet. On his lap was the small, blue kitsune, and a blonde haired, blue eyed elf boy. "And who might you be?" He asked the elf. "Sorin," he mumbled shyly. "Hello Sorin. I do not have a name to give you, but you may call me as they do." "Why don''t you have a name?" His eyes grew wide, as he stared up at the kitsune. "Have you ever heard of the Ageless, Sorin?" The elf boy began to nod, then froze and stared up at him with eyes that seemed close to popping out of his skull. "It''s good that you know, but what you may not know is one of the requirements. You have to give up something personal to you, before being acknowledge as one." "What did you give up?" A small voice at his feet asked him. "I gave up my name, and its legacy," he sighed, then smiled, "Which means, dear children, I have given up on the family before this one, and everything within it." The eyes of the children, even some of the adults, were as wide as saucers. "However, that doesn''t mean I don''t remember everything." His smile became larger than before, "Would you like to hear the story of my origin?" Chapter 1 AN: Every chapter is between 1200 and 2000 words, some have more, but all should be quite detailed. Please enjoy. -------------- This story begins over a millennia ago, many hundreds of years before I became an Ageless. Within a galaxy known simply as ''The Milky Way'' is a solar system humans had named Sol. The third planet from its star was a pale, blue dot. From the outside, it was simply beautiful, but from within... Let''s just say none of you would enjoy living in such a place. The only intelligent species, which also dominated the planet, were the Humans. These humans came in a variety of sizes, from dwarves to giants they roamed the world. However, like all humans, they warred with one another over the most trivial of ideas and wants. Even then, there were wars and rumors of wars circling the globe, but you are not wanting to hear of it. No, we are to speak of how I began. I did not grow up in wealth, nor was my family as poor as beggars. No, I was the first son of a military family. Though I cannot recall their faces, I will tell you I was, at the very least, loved by them. Unfortunately, life and the Fates tend to be harsh to everyone, myself included. I could not have a family. It wasn''t because I didn''t wish for one, only that I could not help conceive a child. The doctors, which are our equivalent of this world''s healers, had stated to my family that I was 90% sterile. Meaning, it would take a miracle for me to impregnate a woman. This was devastating news to my psyche, as I did wish for a family at that time, and yes, I did contemplate suicide several times over it. However, I was told I could adopt a child, and to look forward to that. However, like all things, the Fates and life were not done with me. Within a few years, after the doctors informed me of my sterility, my body began to fail. It first started with numbness and tingles throughout my arms and legs, then completely numbed my feet to the point where I would trip and fall every time I walked. Afterwards, my muscles began to degrade and thin. This alarmed the doctors I had seen, as they believed I had something they called ALS, which is a fatal disease. Ah, but the Fates were kind enough to stop it from progressing, and left me a cripple in which I needed several contraptions to allow me the mobility I needed for everyday tasks. You would think I would curse the heavens and Abyss for my misfortune, but my mind does not work the same as others. No, I simply found my condition hilarious, and would laugh and make fun of it every day. Even going so far as to make others laugh along with me, as I joke and poke fun at my failing body. Alas, even the jokes could not uplift my family, for the body I had continued to fail. Even both my heart and brain could not function properly without the help of medicines and machines. It was at this time I was approached by those who would save my life, and allowed me to come to you all in time. For them, I am eternally grateful, and have even invited their souls, and the souls of their family, to reincarnate upon our world until they are ready to move on, but I digress. These individuals, whose names are long forgotten through the passages of Time, wanted me to be among the first to explore a newly created world within a game. Although I say game, to you who are listening to my words, it was nothing more than a pocket dimension. This dimension is only accessible through machines they and others had created, but will allow me to roam freely and without much care. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Yes, there are dangers within, but the machines in which allowed us to travel there, would not allow us to die. Although we cannot die within the game, it doesn''t mean there aren''t any repercussions. No, for every death that occurs, we lose some of our strength, even going as far as making us forget some of our skills and spells we had painstakingly mastered. Do not worry, though, for it has always been relatively easy to gain back our masteries and spells after death. Needless to say, I was excited for such an opportunity, and would have readily, wholeheartedly agree if not for one blaringly obvious problem. ''What will happen to my body?'' To which they replied saying they will induce a coma upon me, which is, essentially, placing me into a deep sleep. This would allow my mind and essence to be transferred over to this new world, but I had to ask if any of my family would be allowed into this new world. To which they replied that they will, but on a much later date. For the first time in a very long time, I was happy, and allowed my tears to flow as I signed my life away to them. I was one of a few comatose patients which were allowed the most freedom possible within their world, so we were, essentially, stating we were giving up our lives to them. Though, of course, many in my family were against this, but I had to remind them it was a better alternative to seeing me waste away while the doctors could do nothing to cure it, only slow down the degradation. I also told them they could see me in time, and even interact with me once they are given their own machines to use to transfer themselves into this new world. They were reluctant, of course, but consented after seeing how I was being incredibly stubborn and immovable on the subject. There were a few skeptics still among them, even while I was being hoisted around and settled into a strange pod. This pod will allow me to transfer into the new world faster, is what they said, and the wires and tubes which were being attached to my numbed body would allow the doctors and scientists to study and monitor me during the process. My family would become even more shocked, when they found out I even went as far as to donate my body to them, in the event it dies. Who knows? Maybe it will while I am within the new world, and at that time, I wished to stay there even if it did. I bid farewell to my family of skeptics, as the pod''s door closed, and closed my eyes. I could hear whirls and a suction type noise, which signified the closing and sealing of the pod. My body seemed to float for a time, then began to drift, as words appeared in front of my person. <> <> "Huh, what a strange name," I mumbled, pressing the ''Yes'' button. The world became white as I did so, then darkness claimed me. Chapter 2 AN: Chapters will pop up once or twice a day, and normally it''s in the evenings, but I''ve Insomnia. JOY! Anyways, if you like what''s going on thus far, leave a comment down below. Hate something, or have a question, same thing. As always, enjoy. _______________________ There was naught, but a darkness so vast even the I now and of that time could not fathom it. Everything was darkness; I was darkness, but it all had to end, yes? I did not know how long it persisted to torment me, but it did end. When it did, the light blinded me for a time, and once I regained my sight, I noticed I was in a white space and not alone. Dozens of others were seen around me, which shocked and started everyone, but we all calmed down when she appeared before us. "Everyone, please calm yourselves," this female called to us to calm, and calm we were. For she was beautiful, and her beauty even swayed the most timid of us. She began to speak once more, but I could not hear her. No, instead, I could only marvel in wonder at the beauty before me. Her figure was not in the shape of an hourglass, nor was it a pear, but somewhere in the middle. She was not well endowed, as with some females, but it was enough, and her pale, blue dress seemed to move and flow in an invisible breeze. However, her hair and eyes are what truly caught my interest, for they continuously changed colours, but never seemed to be the same. For instance, if her hair was molten silver in colour, her eyes were an ocean blue, and each change seemed to occur every few heartbeats. Ah, forgive me for reminiscing. She is someone I hold near and dear to my still heart. Anyways, as I continued to stare, the lack of people and its silence snapped me back into my own mind and body. I could hear a chuckle, and found her staring back at me. "Well," she began, "and who might you be?" I could not remember my name in that instant, but had said, with a bowed head, "Your humble servant." Her chuckle became laughter, which in turn flushed my own face as I recalled the words I had spoken. All I could do was sigh, stand up straight, place a hand over my left breast, and bow to one such as her. "Oh my," she giggled, wiping a few stray tears from her right eye, "I didn''t know I needed that laugh. Thank you, and please, raise your head." I did so, and looked upon a smile so bright and beautiful, I was again at a loss for words. I, who was outgoing and always had a few words to interject, was speechless to this goddess before me. "Are you alright?" She asked, and reached up to wipe a few tears from the corner of my eyes with a handkerchief. I blinked a few times and responded with, "Never have I seen such radiant beauty upon this earth. Thank you for allowing me, but a glance upon your visage. I shall forever engrave all that is before me within my heart and soul, so that one day I may look upon all and proclaim to the heavens that I know what truly is beautiful." I did not bow again, but knelt before her as I proclaimed what was in my heart. She did not know what to do, except to bid me to rise, and I did so. Her face was flushed, and she tried to form coherent sentences, but stopped when a hooded robed individual appeared before us, clapping its gloved hands together. "Marvelous," it said. I call it an IT, because the voice was neither male, nor female, but it was a haunting, neutral melody to our ears. "Simply marvelous." Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "I meant every word," I said to this being in front of us, and I did. She was beautiful, and still is to this day. "I''m sure, I''m sure," it said to me, patting my shoulder a few times, "Come, we must explain what is to happen to you, and you must choose your race. Do not fret," it waved a gloved hand to the woman behind us, as it ushered me forward, "She will be around. After your little speech, she seems quite enamored towards you." As we moved along, I noticed the world around me was still bright. So much so that it looked exceedingly white, and yet it wasn''t. "Ah, you seem to have noticed it, too." The being before me chuckled, and whirled around exclaiming, "Welcome to Azzarath''s world between worlds. It is here that we welcome those who would come to our world in hopes of a better future. What you make of it, and what you do, is purely up to you and your imagination. "Now then," it brought up a globe of a world I could not recognise, and with a wave of its hand, brought into life thousands of avatars for me to choose from. "Before we get straight into the thick of character creation, I need to explain a few rules." A book appear in front of us, and the robed individual opened it, and began to leaf through its pages. "Here we are, and this is something interesting for you. There will be no annoying blue screens to appear before your eyes." It waited until it became an awkward silence between us, coughed once, and asked, "What? No shocked look? No questions?" I shrugged at him saying, "I didn''t expect such a thing in any of my other games, so why expect it in this one?" It coughed once more, "Anyways, there won''t be any bars to show you how much health, mana, or stamina you will have." Again it waited, and again the silence became awkward. "Why aren''t you surprised?! Everyone else was surprised!" It yelled at my apathy, to which I shrugged once more. "My brother and I have an odd quirk. We tend to absorb information faster, and adapt to it between a few seconds, to a few hours. I didn''t expect this, truly I did not, but after seeing the beauty from before, nothing you can say will surprise me. Oh, and before you try lying, saying she is married or some such thing, know that she is right behind you." The being whirled in place, staring at the empty void behind it, trying to see where the goddess might be. However, there was nothing to be seen. "Ah," I grinned, "Made you look." It whirled on me, spitting out half words angrily, as I laughed in its shadowed face. We could hear a few wails of laughter coming from all sides, which calmed me down considerably. "Good show," came one voice, which was followed by a "Bravo". Others commented on what transpired, or were receiving the details. It seemed to me that I was a new attraction for this pantheon of unknowns. Even now, I wonder if I should have kept my mouth shut, as my life became forever interesting once I did. Chapter 3 "Ahem," a voice came from my immediate left, and when I turned, I saw a petite girl in a floral patterned dress. Her hair was silver, her eyes as darkest night. While the rest of her was not visible to my eyes, I could tell she would break many a heart when she grew. "This one will be helping you from now on," she began, "That one will not." It tried to voice its own opinion, but was silenced with a wave of the girl''s arm. "You are angered." Her simple statement caused the robed individual to bow its hooded head once, then retreated from sight. "This one is amused," she stared into my eyes, and I could see the age behind her own was not reflected in the body she took on before me. The vast knowledge she possess must have been extraordinary, and I would have done most anything to own a fraction of a fraction of it. "You, a mortal human, have made us laugh," her eyes sparkled with mirth for a brief heartbeat, before calming herself with another cough. "For now, human, you must choose which body you desire." A snap of her, what I assumed was her, fingers caused the multitude of avatars near us to rapidly spin around us. "If you had an older body, perhaps I would desire yours." Sometimes I swear the filter between my brain and mouth refused to work, and this was one of those times. "Oh?" I couldn''t see her expression, but I could tell an eyebrow was raised. "This one admires your boldness, human. Perhaps, if this one did, this one would let you." She giggled as I became flushed with embarrassment once more. "Choose, human, which body do you truly desire... to inhabit upon our world." I sighed in response, and slapped my cheeks a few times to stop myself from thinking, or even SAYING, anything else to embarrass myself once more. "Hmm," I tapped a forefinger to my lips as I contemplated what to choose. "Ten souls say he chooses a human race like the others." I can hear the whisperings of others, as they bet unknown souls about what I would choose. ''Why would I choose a human?'' I thought with a sneer. Humans are fragile creatures, and are far too common in any game available. If I wanted to play as a human, while still being one, I''d have chosen a different game. No, I refused the fragile races of Human, Dwarf, Elf, and their variants. Instead, I glided my body towards those considered as "Monsters". One in particular was the Undead Race. This decision made a few voices grumble and become upset, but were quick to point out that I had not chosen anything. A thought appeared in my head, to which I turned towards the age-defying girl and asked, "Can an Undead race use holy magicks?" "All races can use each tier of magick, but this one has never seen an Undead race use it. This one has only seen it twist and become dark. Do you wish to be a contradiction upon our world?" "Ah, well you see," unconsciously, my fingers began to fiddle with one another as I explained my thoughts, "In every game I''ve always been a support or healer class. The idea of holding one''s life in your hands is quite invigorating. As a healer, you get to choose who lives or dies, while a supporter is just there to be the Jack-of-All-Trades. They can deal damage, help the healer, and protect the group from damage. Hell, in one particular game, my class was an Enchanter, but instead of just enchanting metals and items, I was able to enchant flesh for a time. I was even able to transform my characters'' body into various items, flora, fauna, other races, and even various elementals. It was truly enjoyable especially when, after reaching a significantly high level, I was able to transform others into what I could become." The girl''s eyes became as wide as saucers, and I could even see I had an audience before me. "Is that even possible?" One asked, which another followed with, "Imagine if others in our world could do this." One of them called out to me, asking what game it was I played. To which I replied with, "EQ." This set them off, and many had a variety of contraptions appearing in the air, each showing only numbers and unknown words to my eyes. "Found it!" One of them yelled, and was instantly crowded as the other entities swarmed the voice. "What is this?" Came several utterances, which was replied with, "I don''t know..." "Is this even possible to implement?" "Do we even dare?" "How does one carry eight backpacks?" "The human has made me curious." "Oh... So that''s how you carry them..." "Can we play it?" "Do we even dare?" "Is ''Do we even dare'' all you can say?" "No..., but..." "If you say ''Do we even dare'' one more time, I swear upon the stars I will strangle you dead!" If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "What a strange bunch," I muttered to myself, as I resumed selecting a body. I did pick one out, but was unsure as to what my class would be. The race chosen was, in fact, an Undead, but more, it is a Skeleton. "Am I allowed to customize it. If so, how much is possible?" The little-girl-who-was-not-a-little-girl peeked out from the group to stare in my direction, "This one''s interest has been piqued, human. You may customize it as you see fit. Just no dragons." I shrugged at the dragons bit. Hell, I didn''t really want to be a dragon, as too much firepower for a newbie is a bit much, even from my own standards. The skeleton in front of me was of human origin, and I had a choice between a male or female model. Going by my own standards, I chose male. Looking upon the skeleton, I chose to forgo the human model, and instead choose something stronger. There was one race that I did enjoy in my EQ days, and that was the Ogre. It had enough of a bone structure to not fracture after striking metal the first time, and I craved it. However, I was surprised when the skeleton of an adult ogre appeared before me. It was way too tall. An adult male ogre, in this world, stood at a height of eight metres, whereas the female stood at a surprising four metres. I would stand out almost immediately, especially if I was in an open field. Luckily, I was able to shrink the ogre down to a Half-Ogre, Half-Other Species. It seemed to me, ogres of this world procreated with just about everything. It reminded me of a few novels about the libido of a goblin, and how they can procreate with any species. I sighed right then and there, whilst browsing through the selections. Blinking a few times, I believed I had found something interesting about this cross species. Various characteristics can be applied to the skeleton model. For example, if the subspecies had Bear in it, then the ogre would have its claws and vitality. Whereas if it was half elf, human, or even a dwarf, then it would have three random skills, more intelligence, but would become hated even by other ogres, and its bone structure would be more frail. My skeletal body was not allowed to have any characteristics of a dragon, even though it was available, but that didn''t mean I wasn''t allowed to be a half Dragonman, Lizardman, or any other reptilian. I did choose a reptilian race, by the way, but my choice was the Basilisk. I would gain an extra pair of appendages, and a chance at a few skills from either species. One aspect from the ogre that was guaranteed, was a larger bone structure. While the basilisk''s traits would also strengthen the bones, there was a chance it would be coated in poison. It wasn''t much of a chance, a mere 8%, so I didn''t have a high hope for this to occur. There was one other trait that seemed a guarantee, and that was a tail. How long the tail was dependant on the extra appendages I gained. The extra appendages, however, were a 50/50 tossup between an extra pair of legs or extra arms. My hope was the arms, because I was none too keen on being a centaur-like creature. There were a couple of models showing me what the body will look like with four arms and two legs, as well as two arms and four legs. To be honest, the four-armed model reminded me of Goro, while the other looked too much like a centaur for my tastes, as it looked like a cross between a centaur and a lizardman. I''ve no problem with them being around, I simply do not like them. Besides, they taste funny; not quite horse, nor human, and always leaving a funny aftertaste. I sighed and rubbed my temples at the models before me. No matter what I do, I could not bring it down below six metres tall. It already sticks out enough, but whatever. I''ve coped with worse. "It''s ugly." I turned around to see the goddess from before. However, before I could bow, or even kneel, to one such as her, she stopped me with a smile. "My lady, the ogre race of your world may be ugly, and pairing it with a basilisk has indeed made it worse, but there is still beauty in it." She blinked a few times, then implored me to continue. "I am reminded of a tale within a book I read many years ago. It said that a race of ogres within that world was once the fairest of the fair. So much so that the elves, which were believed to be the fairest, grew jealous over the ogre race. Even going so far as to concoct a curse to turn them from fair folk whose melodies and arts were one of a kind, into brutish thugs liken unto your own world. They destroyed everything that made the beautiful, once the curse was cast, and this angered their creator god. So much so that the elves lost most of their longevity, and were cursed with low birth rates. "When I look upon this ogre''s race, I can''t help, but think of that tale, though they may not be the same. Yes, the ogre race of your world is ugly to look upon. Yes, having it be half basilisk only made it worse, but my lady, true beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If an artist is not fair in looks, but his artwork is beyond beautiful, is he not beautiful himself? Or a poet, whose body is stricken with pock marks, must move around with a crutch and cane, and smells worse than death is considered beautiful when he speaks of his gods and king with eloquence, respect, and kindness. "If one is beautiful of body, but poisoned in the mind, then that one is not beautiful. Not in my eyes, at least. My lady, beauty is not in what one sees. No, true beauty is in what one does." _____________________ AN: http://www.gucomics.com/20000915 The link is a joke on how characters from EQ can carry eight backpacks. It''s an old joke, but still funny. As always folks, let me know your thoughts in the comments if you like it, don''t, or have a question about what''s going on. Chapter 4 "Human," the petite girl-who-is-not-a-little-girl looked up and down at my new figure. It seems luck was on my side, as I had four arms instead of four legs. The skeletal body was rather interesting, and I could see why they are a force to be reckoned with. Just like in other games and novels, my skeleton body had unlimited stamina, did not need to eat, nor did it need to sleep. At that time, I did not even feel as tired as I would have playing other games. The body I had could probably go on indefinitely, or until its untimely demise. "Human," she began once more, "Or should this one call you Undead?" "You may call me anything you wish, but not late for dinner." I felt like grinning at the cheesy joke, if it weren''t for the fact that I was now eternally grinning at the world. "This one does not understand, but no matter. What is the name of your new body, so that this one may address you properly?" "Karastak," I said almost instantly, "It means-" "Man upon the Parapet. This one knows, Karastak, as this one''s world has such a word within it." She sighed, looking up at my head, then looked around for something. Before I could figure out what she wanted, I sat down and crossed my legs. My upper hands balled into a fist, and rested knuckles down upon the ground while my lower hands held the skeletal head. "Ah. This one is grateful." She took a deep breath, then exhaled it slowly, "Undead Karastak. For giving this one a new interest, we, the Pantheon, task you with showing this world what it truly means to be an Enchanter." I blinked, cocking my head to the side in confusion. "This one found EQ to be entertaining, most particularly its Enchanter class. Therefore, this one wishes to see what this class can truly do upon our world of Azzarath. Undead Karastak," she pointed a translucent finger at us, which began to glow bright, "give us entertainment, and this one will forever be grateful." The bright light leapt from her finger, and engulfed my skeletal body. It was far too bright, and I tried, in vain, to shield my eyes as information began to flood my mind about everything of the enchanter class from the game I played before. I felt as though my mind would explode from the torrent of information, and when I thought I could stand no more, sweet, blissful darkness claimed me and I knew no more. ***** "What is that?!" Someone exclaimed quite loudly, even as others tried to quiet them, they could not take their eyes off the creature in the center of the room. The room these people stood in was an antechamber of a ruined cathedral on the border of the human nation, Zanderfall. They were looking for treasure, as well as random artifacts that will grant them additional coin from one of their leading churches. The room they had opened into had seen better days. The red carpet was in tatters, and a nest of rats could be seen in a far corner, where many had torn it up to make most of it. There were tattered tapestries still hanging along the walls, and even one was stretched and nailed to the ceiling. The one on the ceiling, though faint, could still show a great battle depicted within its threads. However, what really caught the peoples'' eyes was the giant remains of a monster sitting upon a gilded throne. The throne seemed to be made up of solid gold, and still had many jewels embedded within. To the right of the skeleton, however, was a suit of armor that stood at attention. On its right arm was a plain, iron tower shield, but strapped around the waist was what appeared to be a diamond encrusted scabbard. Where the blade was, was anyone''s guess, and as the party shuffled slowly into the room, they took stock of what they could see and touch. "Best avoid those two for now," muttered a male in a suit of dented, iron armour, "It might be a trap of some kind." The rest of the party nodded, and moved about the room with practiced ease. Unbeknownst to them, however, they were being watched by a pair of flaming green eyes. These eyes belonged to none other than the skeletal creature in the center of the room, who simply watched the party of adventurers pick over the meager treasures and dusty artifacts. One such artifact was being held by what looked to be a small girl-child, who had taken it from the only desk in the room. This one grew curious, lifted the artifact, which turned out to be a box, and pushed up on the lid. Music, faint, but pleasing to the ear, flowed throughout the tiny room. Though it lasted only for a brief heart beat, the girl-child became startled, and snapped the lid closed. She sighed heavily, trying to calm her fast beating heart. However, she failed to notice the giant skeleton behind her. Shouts were heard, and she dove to her right just as four fists slammed down onto the desk, smashing it into dust and splinters. The suit of armour, which was standing at attention moments before, was now holding the tower shield in front of the skeleton, protecting it from the group. The group, who was currently readying themselves for a tough fight, were surprised to see the skeleton step to the armour''s immediate left. It placed its four arms across its breast bone, then said in a deep, haunting voice, "<>." The skeleton glowed a sickly green, and began to shrink in on itself. From its torso down to the tip of its bony tail, it folded in on itself, and shined with an unholy light. Though its arms and head also folded in on themselves, its two emerald eyes flowed outward, and embedded itself into the forehead and back of the skull. This happened just as the head became to shape of a standard pommel, the arms a hilt, the neck its grip, and the rest of its body into the blade of a Longsword. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. All of this happened in a span of a few heartbeats, and the sword simply floated in the air next to the suit of armour. The armour then gripped the sword, swung it around with practice ease, and charged the group. No battle cries were heard as it charged them, to which they scattered as it ran through the wall opposite it. They could see it turn around, and charge back towards them. However, instead of it holding a large tower shield, it held a smaller kite shield. Unfortunately for them, one of their party members, a female in a white robe, was slashed across her left arm. Normally a cut like this was easily patched up, except for the fact that the blade was imbued with a basilisk''s poison. It was said that a single drop, no matter how diluted, was enough to kill a thousand strong warriors, and this cut across her arm left her screaming for only a moment, before her body decayed faster than normal. She would not be resurrecting any time soon. "RUN!" Shouted the one in dented armour, who turned towards the opened wall, and dove through. He was soon followed by the remaining party, who were too scared to fight back against the armour and its poisoned weapon. Once they were gone, however, the armour dropped the sword, which floated for a time before reshaping itself into the giant skeleton it once was. "Such a pity," it muttered to no one in particular, as it stared at the remains of its first victim in the new world. ***** One Hour Prior I had awoken to find myself in a shadow filled room. Truth be told, it was filled with dust and mold that, if I had a pair of lungs, I would have suffocated right then and there. Looking down upon myself, I could see I was without an outfit to wear. It was fine, of course, being a skeleton did exactly mean I was entitled to outerwear. No, but it would have been easier to move about the open with something on. It was then that I realised something about myself. I was six meters tall, had four arms, a tail, and my bones were coated in poison. No doubt it was the basilisk''s, but it also meant any sort of clothing, unless protected well, would degrade almost immediately upon touching it. With a heavy sigh, I sat down upon the only chair that didn''t disintegrate at a touch in the room, and began to contemplate what to do. This was when another thought flashed through my skull, ''My magicks.'' Leaping to my feet, a plethora of information began to flow into me. Most of the information was the same; say its name, and visualise what you think it does. "How odd," I muttered in the silence, "You''d think there was more information than just this." I shrugged, then remembered, "Ah. It''s another game''s magick, so I guess they just want me to figure it out for them. Let''s see now..." I looked about the room, and spotted a pile of ancient armour that desperately needed repair, or a trip to the furnace to be melted down for scrap. As I approached, a spell came to mind, "<>," and watched as tendrils of silver magick flowed from my body, tiring me for a moment, and entered the pieces of armour. The silver magick began to pull the armour into the air, whereupon it began to construct itself into a venerable suit of armour. However, because it did not have any weapons, I had the option of either creating some either by hand, or summoning temporary ones to last for a day. I chose the latter, but only summoned a large tower shield. I did not feel I could stand if I made it a weapon, too. I did notice, after sitting back down into the chair, that I had the spell to actually become a weapon like a sword, axe, or spear. However, these were only in their basic form, and would need experience to have the rest available. Unfortunately, before I could do anything, I heard movement coming from outside the room. After panicking for a brief moment, I took on a pose of a dead monster lying in a chair, but forgot to give a command to my new walking suit of armour. Instead, it just stood at attention off to the side. Just as I felt as though my non-existent heart could take no more, a door opened, and I heard, "What is that?!" ______________ AN: OP MC is OP. For those wondering about what sort of spells he''ll be using, I''ll leave a link at the bottom. Just note, it won''t be everything, and the spells'' names will be changed accordingly. As always, folks, leave a comment on whether or not you like it, or have a question thus far. EQ Enchanter Spells Chapter 5 I sighed down at the fast decay of the body before us, and could do nothing, but watch and hope I would be able to find something once the poison ran its course. This would last for another ten minutes, or so, and the basilisk''s poison left almost nothing. What was available, however, were a few tarnished rings and a small sack that jingled with a few coins. Curious, I tore opened the sack, and poured a few silver and copper coins into my large, clawed hand. They were too small, even for one such as I. Squatting low to the ground, I lifted the rings one by one, but could not identify them. It seems I would need others'' help, if I needed more information. Which was true, and I would need help with understanding this world, but for now I needed to leave. However, after killing this female, I gained more knowledge in the form of spells. Two spells allowed me to become a human and half wood elf, half human, but I believed I should just stick to being a human, especially if there are others like the party from before. The other spells consisted of two damage over time spells, one that could remove minor enchantments, several buffs, and one fear spell. There was another spell among my repertoire, and that one allowed me to return to the gilded chair I was sitting in when the party walked through the doors. Moving the chair didn''t seem to bother the spell, as I would always appear right where it was at every cast of the spell. It would be useful if I needed a quick escape. There was one spell that I had since coming to this world, and was called "<>". Whatever I was holding, gripping, or touching would increase in durability, and I did so to myself and the living armour, whose name was Zabartik. Unfortunately, it seems that spells also meant the floor I tread upon, for it became increasingly harder with each cast of the spell. I only noticed this because my feet, which would always leave indents in the rotting wood, only scratched it. This made me curious, and I plied multiple layers of the spell on myself, and had Zabartik strike my open palm as hard as it could. Not only did its punch only create minute hairline fractures on my open palm, but it bent its mailed fist into a flat surface. For now, though, we went searching the rooms of the cathedral. I had to crawl to get inside a few of them, a couple I could only look into, and the rest had an opening large enough for me to squat down and enter like a gorilla. There were a few gold coins in a pile here and there, a few stray gemstones, but what made me truly giddy was armour for what looked like a large riding beast. There were spikes along its sides, and even two larger ones along its forehead. What was truly amazing, though, was that it looked to be old armour for a six-legged horse. It was strange, but I was curious. Pointing a finger at Zabartik, I said, "<>." The living armour collapsed into a heap of old armour, to which I moved over to the other one and intoned, "<>," upon it. Once more, silver mist flowed freely from my body, weakening it further, as it claimed both sets of armour. Both seemed to flow, stretch, and grow together, as the magick worked with my mind to create something new. Once finished, the creature before me was something of a replica of my skeleton form, but on a smaller scale. It peered up at me, but to my surprise, it fell over and became pieces once more. Of course I was disappointed, so I intoned the spell once more, and once more, Zabartik stood at attention next to me. "We need a cart," I muttered, looking at the pieces of discarded armour. When I turned to peer at my pet/minion, however, I noticed it was gone. Curious, I went searching for it, and found it pushing what looked to be a large two wheeled wheelbarrow, with great difficulty, into the cathedral''s main hall. Even though I wanted to question where it got the barrow, I would not received an answer. Shrugging my shoulders, I motioned it to follow, as we went about looting what we could find. Sure, there were traps and puzzles to figure out, but the traps could not pierce Zabartik''s shield, nor was I in the mood to figure out the puzzles. So, like any good undead, I would smash my way through them. Sometimes, however, I would be rewarded with singed bones, as fire and holy magicks would rain down upon us. These sorts of traps could do very little towards me, as I had already strengthened myself with several shield spells prior to doing this. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. At one point, we found a trapdoor that led us to a small tomb, and I had to slowly pry the opening larger to allow my frame enough room to enter. Inside the tomb was a lonely coffin with unknown letterings along the side. Unfortunately for me, however, was the fact that the coffin was empty. It was possible some idiot released a terrible curse, or simply looted it of all its valuables. Well, no matter. Turning my back on the coffin, I noticed a small chest to the right of the trapdoor. I did not take much stock in the trap, and was surprised there was none, when I opened the chest to reveal a faded black and gold robe. I had Zabartik lift it up, because I was afraid it would disintegrate once I touched it. Looking at it at that time, I felt a residue of some sort of spell woven into its threads. It didn''t feel vile, or even holy. No, it was more neutral, and I longed to try it on. Once I started longing for it, I remembered my illusion spell that could turn me human. I stood tall, placed my hands upon my breast bone, and said, "<>." Silver mist flowed out of my hands, wrapping my body tightly, and I could feel my second set of arms flowing into my own body. It wasn''t at all pleasant, but it didn''t hurt. No, instead it tickled a bit. Within my inner mind, the Human I shaped was that of an old, muscular male. Upon the head was a long, silver mane of hair, with a curly silver beard that stretched down to the center of its chest. The face that was not covered in hair was rugged, but had the same old lines showing him to be past his prime. The eyes, though still an emerald green despite my trying to change them to an iron grey, looked tired and unamused at the world. It was safe to say that the eyes had seen the world in its entirety, and was bored of it. The body of the human had lean muscles, depicting a more wiry tone of a body, than that of an overly muscular brute. Because I did not have much of a libido in my own world, I chose it to be of average size, and let it hang limply. Once done, my skeletal body began to shrink down so that this new body could accommodate my skeleton. Truth be told, having a new body, after somewhat getting used to the giant skeleton, was still strange. Gone was the extra pair of arms and tail, and now I was stuck with a regular, frail, human body once more. I sighed and stretched in this new form for a time, and actually felt cold for the first time since coming here. It was a strange feeling, to be sure, and I had trouble pinpointing this in the beginning. However, my purpose for doing this was so that I may try on the faded robes, and try them on I did. The fabric was soft, and I felt comfortable enough to close my eyes and just sleep for an age or three. However, I could not sleep, and began to move about carefully. There were a pair of old boots in the bottom on the chest, and I found out, after carefully applying the shielding spell to them several times over, they were quite comfortable to wear. There was also one other item in the chest, which was an old, dirty leather backpack. Upon opening the pack, however, I noticed that I could not see the bottom. It was rather strange, even for one such as myself. I who could perfectly see in the dark, could not see the bottom of the inside of the bag. Well, no matter. If the bag was what I believed it to be, then moving the treasures and artifacts would become less of a hassle. "Come, Zabartik," I called to the living armour, "Let us make haste, and leave this place. I fear more will swarm this cathedral, and I do not wish to perish after arriving so soon." With that, we left the ancient cathedral, and stepped into an unknown world. ___________________ AN: As always, folks, leave a comment on whether or not you like it, or have a question thus far. Chapter 6 AN: 2200 words, and it''s my longest yet. From here on out, I plan to have each chapter above 1500 word. Will it work? Who knows! As always, folks, be sure to comment whether or not you liked it, and voice any questions you might have to what''s going on thus far. _________________________ "Time for bed," the kitsune exclaimed, clapping his forepaws together. Many, if not all, who were in attendance blinked, and a few of them yawned sleepily. "The children must sleep, for the night has neared its zenith. Come, I will help put them to bed." The golden kitsune stood up whilst carrying the sleeping blue kitsune and blonde haired elf. A few children moved about, trying to follow him, but ultimately had to be carried. He paused for a moment, then turned to the others, said, "You may stay. My story is not over quite yet, just not for the ears of the younglings." The kitsune exited the room, and moved towards a much larger building that housed most of the families in attendance. "What aren''t you telling us?" Kara came up behind him, her arms carrying three children of the lizardmen, and entered the same building as he. "There are some things in this world that would take the purity of children away, Kara. Words are, but one of these ways, and my words could very well do so." "What do-" She became silent as he laid the blue kitsune and elven child to bed. "In a moment, Kara. Let us help the others to bed, and see about the elders if they desire sleep, or can endure a few more hours of stories." The elders he had spoken of, who showed their age well, as only their hair was white, and only desired to stay and listen to the Ageless''s story. To those who were left, he stood in front of the stone chair, beckoning them forward so that he need not repeat himself further. "To you who are in attendance, and to those who believe me good and righteous. I say unto you, you are wrong. Being an Ageless has indeed made me good and righteous, but I was not always thusly. No, if I were to speak more truthfully, my alignment would be towards those who are of the Neutral-Evil sort." The eyes of the kitsune grew colder, causing many to look upon him with surprise. "To those who may believe I speak of falsehoods, know that you are wrong. My life has been filled with darkness, and I have reveled in it with joy." His eyes grew darker still as he recalled what he did, then shook his head to clear the visions that haunt him still. "I will not apologise for my actions. Looking back, if I had a choice, I would have done so all over again. Perhaps, even more so." ***** Within an hour of leaving the cathedral, we had entered a large forest, and spied what looked like an annoyance that would have ended my existence right then and there. There was a sea of people wearing naught, but white robes or white and gold armour. I would later come to find that they are the land''s holy men and women, who try to "cleanse" the world of the Undead such as myself at the time. Yes, I would run into them on occasion, but this was not one of those cases. No, I fled with Zabartik deeper into the forest, where we sat resting upon dead trees and rotten brush. The forest near the cathedral was, for the most part, a dead place. It was said that only the unliving thrived in such an environment, and we were no exception. Though I had a pair of pseudo-lungs, my heart was did not beat even once since the illusion was cast. It seems that, unless I willed it, it would not mimick the heartbeat of a living human. Truly, it was an oversight I would correct on other occasions, but for now, I left it be. While we, or rather I, rested, I began to tinker with Zabartik''s ruined gauntlet. It was cracked, smashed, and fell apart so much so, it would be best to melt it in a forge somewhere for scrap. No, instead, I used it along with other pieces from the strange armour we found lying in one of the rooms of the cathedral. The piece in question seemed to be armour for a foreleg of the beast in question, and helped with the process of combining the two together. However, this wasn''t all that I did to it. No, I began to stretch and mold the pieces with my magicks until it resembled a combination between a katar and a shortened lance. I wasn''t done with it, however, and after exhausting and recovering my magick, I once again set about the shaping what was in my mind. In short, it still resembled a combination between a shortened lance and katar, but it now how three blades that was able to extend outward and snap back into its former position. Truth be told, it reminded me of a parrying dagger that became a trident-swordbreaker, and that was what I was going for. It would be effective against swords and spears, but greatswords and axes would still be a problem. Hopefully the need for those sorts of countermeasures would not arise soon. Once done, I leaned back against a large, dead tree to recover the rest of my depleted energy. It was exhausting, and my work was only sub-par. Maybe I should pick up skills from a blacksmith at a later day. When I was sure I regained enough energy, I tried attaching the new weapon to Zabartik, but to my surprise, it kept falling off. This frustrated me until an idea flitted through my skull. "<>," I intoned at it, and it fell into a pile of discarded armour. This allowed me to place the weapon onto the pile, and, willing it to attach to it, I said, "<>." More silver magick flowed out of my body, wrapping more securely around the armour. It rapidly pieced together what was Zabartik, but created something else. It seemed my magicks removed the armour pieces from within the backpack, and combined them with the armour that made up Zabartik. I sighed heavily, as I collapsed onto the ground. It seemed to me I had created a hollowed centaur, and I was not at all amused. Ah well. What''s done is done, and it at least had the weapon attached to its left arm, while it carried the large tower shield on its right. If worse came to worse, half of its horse-like body could detach itself. Although, that would leave a gaping hole in its back. "So much trouble," I muttered as an imaginary headache formed in the center of my skull. Closing my pseudo-eyes, I calmed myself and tried to sleep, but sleep never comes to the unliving. Thus, I simply rested while my energy recovered slowly. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. I rested for what seemed like an age, but it was a short lived age, because a scream penetrated the still air. This caused me to growl angrily at being disturbed, and I wondered whose it was, and where they were at. Unfortunately for me, it seems, the owner ran straight into me as I stood up. The creature fell onto its back, as I grunted from the impact. It felt as though the creature''s speed would have scattered my bones, if it weren''t for the fact that I had strengthened them several times over. Looking down, I could see it had human features, but was something else entirely. The only similarities it had to a human, was its body shape, and golden blonde hair. Everything else seemed to scream "MONSTER". Its skin was an alabaster white, and blood red eyes. I could see a few chipped claws it probably called fingers, and there seemed to be a twitching tail behind it. The tail itself seemed to be serpent in origin, and it ended in what looked like a heart shaped spike at the end. This creature was a female child of some sort of monster race, if its frilly black and white dress gave any indication. It was also smaller than normal, and still had some innocence left in its eyes. However, I could tell it had seen some horrors of the world, because there was a slight chill coming from those eyes. "Ow," it muttered, rubbing its, her, head slowly with a less damaged hand. It was then that she realised someone in a faded robe was standing in front of her, causing her to be frightened as she slowly looked up. She wasn''t as afraid as she was when she ran into me. Quite the contrary, I was an unknown element, and appeared to be human as well. These facts caused her to tremble, as her eyes began to spill its fluids, and she clung to the hem of my robe. "Save me," she cried up at me, willing me to save her, "They''re after me!" She pointed towards the thicket of dead trees, and my enhanced vision could pick up a few warm bodies coming towards us. "Who might you be, that would ask me to save you?" My question was cold, yes, but it was necessary because I was in an unknown territory with unknown dangers heading my way. I did not wish to be in any danger, unless the reward outweighed the risk. She opened her mouth, when someone shouted, "Princess!" A male of the same race as she appeared in a strange silvered armour with an even stranger metallic whip in his hand. However, the difference between her and him was not the genders, nor its outfit. No, it was the fact that he lacked a tail. "You must come with me. They are almost..." It was then that he noticed myself and Zabartik, and became frantic. "That''s a human, Princess. Step away from it quickly. Its kind is almost upon us." He suddenly screamed, as an arrow shot through his right arm, causing him to collapse. "Found you at last," came a cruel sneer of a rugged and dirty human. This human, along with about a dozen others, surrounded us with drawn swords and a few bows that targeted my body. I was not afraid of them, but I was curious. These humans that surrounded us all wore the same tattered, brown leather jerkins and trousers. They each had a variety of boots in various states of repair, and only a few had on what looked to be a metal cap upon their heads. The one who sneered at us had so much dirt and grime clinging to its face, all I could definitively see were its iron-blue eyes. "Please," she muttered, clinging to the back of my robe. "Will there be a reward?" "What?" "Will there be a reward for helping you?" I asked as my head turned 180 degrees around to stare at her. Her eyes grew wide, and I could see liquid flowing down her leg as she gave the smallest of nods. My head righted its position, and I sighed saying, "Looks like my illusion is just about done." I rolled my shoulders and cracked my neck, as cracks began to appear all over the skin of my human form. "<>," I intoned, and the illusion shattered. Where once was an old, wiry human, was my skeleton form in all its glory. However, much to my amazement, the old robe had stretched itself to accommodate my new size. This caused me to chuckle, just as there were screams of, "Monster" and "Hell Beast" among the humans. An arrow loosed from somewhere bounced off my skull, and only caused me to sigh at such stupidity. Zabartik, who was standing still, suddenly reared into life and charged at the direction the arrow came from. Screams of the dying could be heard in its direction, and it charged back covered in blood and gore from its victim. Several more arrows flew, but not towards myself. No, they flew at the hollowed centaur, who then reared and charged in the direction those arrows had come from. It was at this time I noticed several swordsmen were creeping up behind me, and, extending two of my arms, I roared, "<>!" My hands mimicked someone choking another as the spell was cast, giving me the appearance of a cloaked figure from a movie I once saw. Two individuals could be seen clawing at non-existent hands that began to choke the life out of them. Their suffering ended, however, when I balled my clawed hands into fists, and heard a snap coming from their necks. I kept myself rooted into the ground, as I continued to intone the same spell over and over, while Zabartik continued to chase and impale the stragglers. I found myself thoroughly enjoying the carnage I and my hollowed armour had caused, and gleefully searched for more living bodies to snuff out of existence. Unfortunately, there was only the bleeding male, and the thoroughly terrified princess of an unknown nation. This caused me to sigh unhappily, and, placing my clawed hands upon the portion of the robe that covered my breastbone, I intone the spell, "<>." Once I became a human, and Zabartik rejoined us, covered in blood and a few pieces of gore, I squatted down in front of the princess who pissed herself scared. "Now then," my hauntingly deep voice seemed to snap her awake, and she stared in fear at my visage, "Who are you, and where do I take you to collect my reward?" Chapter 7 AN: There''s a twist in the story coming up soon~. Not going to tell you what it is until the next chapter. As always, folks, tell me whether or not you liked it down below, or if you have any questions or concerns. _________________________ The little girl-princess-thing had given me quite the headache, as her kingdom was pretty much at war with each other and everyone else. It was, to be frank, a clich¨¦. She and her bodyguard are this world''s equivalent of a novel''s Demon Race, and were at a constant war for dominance. "What a bother," I muttered whilst looting the dead of anything I found to be of interest. There were a few coins here and there, but their leather garb was too far gone, and their weapons were beyond repair. "It''s too bad," my thoughts were laid bare, as I continued to rifle through their corpses. The only salvageable equipment were the metal caps, which turned into metal lumps when I crushed them and threw them into the pack. As I was making my way back, I heard what sounded like metal falling on metal. This sound was followed by a couple of screams from the pair of demons I had "rescued". When I approached the noise, I sighed as I could see Zabartik lying on the ground with only his torso, arms, and head still moving. The rest of the body was now a pile of scrap, but there were a few legs in semi-workable condition. This allowed me to rebuild the hollowed armour back up, but I would need a new set if it was going to continue to act like a proper minion. The little demon princess tried to inquire as to what I was, but was ignored while I worked on Zabartik. This led her to ask her bodyguard if he had seen anything like I did. To which he replied with, "...enchanter. I''ve seen a few people who are skilled enchanter do what IT does. Although, I''ve never seen other enchanters kill people, or command such a creature like that metal armour thing over there." He then whispered a, "...what is that thing?" I shrugged my human shoulders, as I continued to work until Zabartik stood at attention. It still held a summoned tower shield, but there were a few cracks in the katar-lance that would need repair or a replacement sometime soon. Since there were no more enemies in the area, I decided to forgo the repair. I decided this based on another idea, which was to rest for an age and discuss where to take the little demon and her guard. I did not much care for them, and would gladly disposed of their bodies somewhere, but I had no knowledge of this world. Suffice to say, they were still necessary to keep around. However, once their usefulness was used up, they would be discarded immediately. "Yes, I am cruel with my thoughts," growled the kitsune, "but if you had become an Undead creature who was generally hated by all, what would you do in my shoes? Try and help others while being hunted by those you are trying to help? Please. If it weren''t for the fact that I had my enchantments to become other races, I would not be who I am today, nor would we have met." "So," I rumbled slowly whilst leaning against a fallen tree, "where do I take you to collect a reward?" My voice seemed to have startled the pair, because they had begun to stare at my resting body with wide eyes. "Um..." The little princess was at a loss on where to begin, "I-I''m Daleia. Thi-This I-is Sevrem. W-w-w-" She broke down into tears, and clung to the guard''s non-wounded arm, of whom tried his best to calm her. "She''s been through too much already," he complained, but I was only annoyed. "You both will be through much more, if we''re to travel together." My growl was responded with a shocked glare at my response. "Typical Undead," he muttered, and began to gasp for breath. His lack of breath only lasted for half a heartbeat, but it was enough to remind him of what had happened after he fell. This demon, who was wearing some sort of silver armour, now had a long trench coat covering his form. It was unknown where he retrieved it from, but it was enough to hide his frame from prying eyes. The princess on the other hand, still had her frilly dress, but also wore a torso length leather jacket. "Watch your tongue, demon. The world may hunt me and mine into extinction, but it is you and yours that will soon follow me to the River Styx. It is there that we shall meet at the pier of the Ferryman, and where I shall enjoy tormenting your essence for all time." This statement seemed to frighten the demon, as he paled and shivered at the thoughts I placed upon his mind. The other, on the other hand, only showed a curious tear streaked expression, but pouted when the other shook his head. "Well," I growled at the pair, "where is your home?" The male pointed in the direction I assumed was north, and said, "About two days north, and four days west, is when we''ll be at the castle." "Uh-huh." I wasn''t buying it, and voiced, "Is her family still in charge, or are you the type who is going to gather a large army and take back your kingdom?" The pair looked at me with slacked jawed expression, and I felt another non-existent headache forming within my skull. I even went as far as to rub my temples at such a clich¨¦. "Whatever," I muttered at the pair, "Let''s get going, then. I do not wish to be in your company any more than you who still breathe want to be in mine." ***** Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. I will not bore you with the details of the journey. To put it in a way for you to understand, if others see a six meter tall, four armed skeleton was seen walking through a decrepit forest, you too would run and hide. Suffice to say, it was boring, and having a curious princess who tried her best to "befriend the giant" had become quite annoying. Every hour, it seemed, she tried to climb my bones, and each time would always become stuck on something. At one point, she managed to have gotten stuck in a crack on my pelvic bone. How she managed to crawl under my robes without me noticing was beyond me, and we had to spend almost half the entire day prying her out without damaging me any further. I told her, right then and there, that I would throw the pair of them as far as I could, if she continued to annoy me by climbing on my body. To make my point across, I uprooted a tree, and proceeded to hurl it through the air. Where it landed was a mystery to us, but it served to stop her efforts. Unfortunately, she seemed to have gotten into a habit of climbing Zabartik, who didn''t care about anything, and followed me without a sound. Seems she wanted to be on my shoulders, because she continued to stare at them whilst upon the hollowed armour''s. This continued on after the first day when I had to carry them for a time. It seems they had been running for a long time, and had become exhausted. For some reason, the little princess had gotten it into her head that my carrying her at the beginning of our journey, when she was tired, gave her permission to try climbing my body from that point on. However, after throwing the tree far into the distance, her focus was turned towards Zabartik, who didn''t complain at all. If you are wondering how it is they fed themselves, it seems they didn''t need to eat as others did. No, they both drank something from a small vial, which seemed to keep them satiated for a few days. I''ll be honest, I was curious about the substance, but was too stubborn and proud to ask for it. On the other hand, I will be asking for its recipe after I deliver the pair, which placed a smile upon my non-existent lips. I did not need any sort of sustenance at that time, but it wouldn''t hurt to have extra income in the long run. Between where we began our uneventful journey, and our destination, was only one village. However, that village was nothing more than ash and burnt bodies. We stayed there for about half a day, while the princess cried heavily and the male searched for survivors. Myself, on the other hand, had become an old human once more. I only had one thought at the destruction I saw before me, which was, "Sloppy." There were tracks everywhere, and even a few bodies in melted armour which depicted them to be of some country. When the male saw this, he grew infuriated, "How could they do this?" He shouted to the heavens, and cursed in an unknown dialect, but that did not matter to me. No, what mattered was a dust cloud in the distance, and was growing ever larger. "Company," I muttered loud enough for the guard to hear, and pointed in the direction of the dust cloud. "Princess," he shouted at the crying girl, who looked up and saw the approaching dust cloud. "We have to hide," she yelled out, but it was a bit too late. The dust cloud''s occupants had surrounded us. These people wore a similar leather garb as the ones I and Zabartik had previously killed, but they each had what seemed to be better weapon, and were on six-legged horse-like creatures. They were still horse shaped, but devoid of hair and skin. All I could wonder was what they tasted like. "Demons!" One of them shouted, and all drew their weapons, or tightened their grips on their spears and bows. "Please," the little princess begged. "Will there be more rewards?" I muttered back at her, to which she nodded vigorously, and I grinned. "<>," I roared, as my human form shattered into my skeletal frame. Laying two hands upon myself, one on the robe, and the last on Zabartik, I intoned the spell, <> several times, before charging at the mounted humans. I will say this, though, these humans were much more organised than the others. For they had brought out large hammers, and one of them was lucky enough to knock off one of the smaller arms, before being impaled by my hollowed armour''s katar-lance. Around this time, however, I began to intone a new spell called "<>". Translucent crimson spheres, about 25cm in diameter, appeared wherever I pointed, causing those caught to shrivel up into dried out husks. If an inanimate object was caught in the crossfire, they would either become extremely brittle, or fall into dust. I only used it on about a dozen, or so, heads before I was out of energy. Afterwards, I relied on my fists, clawed feet, and Zabartik. Unfortunately, it seems the last of the humans had proven to be too difficult, or perhaps it was because my skeletal body was coming apart too quickly, because they seemed to have the upper hand. At that time, I was down to only one upper arm, and had to crawl around to get at the humans. My hollowed armour, on the other hand, was a pile of scrap metal once more. It was here that I turned my ever grinning skull towards the princess, who was crying as a very large hammer smashed my head in, and I knew no more. Chapter 8 AN: Ya know, I could have sworn I was on chapter seven with this story. Ah well. If there''s an issue, or any confusions about this one, let me know. Will do my best to alleviate any concerns. EDIT: So I just noticed Allstarall''s review, and he brought up an interesting question. Well, a couple of them. The first is if the guy at the beginning, the kitsune, and the skeleton are one and the same. This was in the first couple of chapters, but to reiterate, the answer is yes. They''re the same person. The second question is about the personalities between the man and the skeleton, I think. Correct me if I''m wrong, though. The man was jovial, but dying, while the skeleton is uncaring. In my own mind, I see the man as depressed, but trying to put on a fake smile and persona to keep others from noticing his inner thoughts. Which is why he laughs a lot, and pokes fun at his own failing body. The skeleton, of the other hand, is supposed to be the man''s inner desires, and how apathetic he is towards others. Basically, his body has been failing for so long, what can the world do to make him care? Not really sure if I got my point across, though. The kitsune, on the other hand, is about a thousand years old. He''s much calmer and cares more about others, than his younger years. _________________ "You killed them all," came the utterance of a hooded elf within the corner of the room. Many were shocked at the brutality of the Ageless''s past self, and few were thoroughly disgusted by what they heard. In so much as to leave the others alone with him, travelling to wherever their hearts desired. "Almost," came the reply of the golden kitsune, who shrugged. "There was only a handful left, and their hammers were quite painful." "Why?" The question was on everyone''s tongue, but the elf was the one who asked first. "Why what?" "Why did you kill them?" "My dear elf, did you truly believe they would have left me alone? I was a SKELETON. An UNDEAD on a DIFFERENT WORLD. My race, of that time in my life, was being hunted down and annihilated at any given chance. What do you think they would have done, after seeing my visage? Run away? Leave me alone? No, they would have sought my destruction sooner." The kitsune was annoyed at their ignorance, for the world they lived on had rules and laws that allowed the undead to prosper without fear of the living. However, there were also rules and laws that protected them from the undead. To go against those laws subjected the offender, or offenders, to a consequence worse than death. This also serves as a warning to all other would-be offenders of such a law. Unfortunately, it would seem that their views did not take into account that where this took place was in another time, and on another world entirely. "The world we live in would not have lasted very long, if it was in another place and time," a cup appeared in his forepaws, and began to drink from it slowly. "If I were you, elf, I would not try to push my own beliefs on someone who has killed in the past, and on a different world. Yes, I have been cruel. Yes, I have killed. Yes, I have done such despicable acts, and would do so again and again if it meant the outcome would be the peace we now have to this day. "This world has not been at war in an age, elf," the Ageless sighed, as he stared into the empty cup, "It is because of those laws that kept your ancestors from slaughtering my first people, that you think with such thoughts. It is best you set them aside, because my stories are not for hipsters such as yourself. "Besides," the kitsune grinned maniacally, "killing for a reward was a great incentive for one such as I of that time." ********** Now where was I? Ah yes. Dead. The moment after the hammer fell, and after the darkness came for me, I found myself on the edge of a ghastly pale river. A sickly green mist rose up along blackened banks, and seemed to try and grab my feet every chance it had. Too my right was a small, wooden pier, to my left was the river, stretched beyond my sight for who knows how many kilometers. However, the land around me was a blackened, barren wasteland devoid of all life. After standing, and looking about, I was greeted by a small imp that began to hop around me. "Hurray! You''re up! You''re up!" I leaned forward to try and get a better look at the thing, but was surprised when it jumped and latched itself to my skull. "Gah!" I cried out, and removed the damn thing that was still very excited about something. The imp itself had a pale, copper-red complexion, and had a pair of fairly large wings which were about twice its own size when fully extended. The eyes were of gold in colour, while its iris was standard black and slitted like a cat''s. The imp was without clothing, save for a dirty brown loincloth that barely covered what it tried to hide. There was also a pair of pointed ears alongside its head, much like an elf''s, but it had a pair of small, ridged horns jutting out from its forehead. One other curious feat about it was the dagger-like spike of a tail, and its feet which were like its clawed hands. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Imp," I grumbled at it, "What are you doing?" The imp, which was trying to remove itself from my grasp, stopped for a moment before pointing at my skull. "You''re up!" "Uh-huh..." I had no more words for it, because at that time, more of its kind appeared around us. I did not enjoy their stares, but at least they moved out of my way when I began to make my way to the pier. "Where is this," I muttered half to myself, as I stared at the emptiness around us. "River Styx," said a squeaking voice, which belonged to the imp still in my grasp. "Will the ferryman come for me?" My question caused many, if not all, of the surrounding imps to shake their heads. "Then I must pay my respects." You must be wondering why I did the latter. It is because I had grown fond of the tales of the Ferryman, and longed for its boat ride as my human body waned in health. For He is Death, come to take us all to our next journey. Whether it be for torment, another life, or eternal rest, all must step upon His boat before crossing the River Styx. My actions seemed to startle the imps, and many tried to block my path in vain. I was determined, you see, to look upon the Ferryman at least once, and look upon Him I did. For as I stepped onto the pier, Him and His boat appeared, and I cupped my hands towards once such as He, saying, "Undead Karastak pays his respects to the Ferryman of the River Styx." The Ferryman Himself is, but a skeleton under a faded and tattered black robe. In His hands was naught, but a pole with which He steers His boat towards the Great Beyond. If one was to look close enough, one would see the glowing crimson eyes beneath the hood, but if only one would dare to do so. My head was bowed as I said this, and I could feel His gaze upon my shoulders. It was a terrible feeling, to be sure, but at the same time, I was at peace with myself. It was strange, but the truth. ''RAISE UP THINE HEAD,'' commanded a voice from within my skull, and I heeded it, but only saw small pinpoints of red beneath the faded hood. ''THOU ART OF THE LIVING, UNDEAD KARASTAK. THY TIME IS NOT NIGH, BUT SOON THOU WILT STEP UPON THY FINAL JOURNEY.'' Once it finished with these words, a mist carried by soft winds blew in, and the Ferryman vanished from sight. "Ahem," someone coughed behind me, and when I turned around, I saw the little-girl-who-was-not-a-little-girl standing behind me with an apologetic look upon her face. When I asked about it, she gave me a sheepish smile, "This one has come to apologise. You have not been given the full ''tutorial'', as it were, and this one has come to rectify that." She clapped her hands together once, and we were back in the weird white space where we first met. "As you have noticed, This one''s world of Azzaroth does not have blue screens like all those other world you humans have gone to. You should know, there are no status reveals either. Instead, it shall be as though you are truly living in a world much like your own. This one sees you are confused," and I was, to be honest. How can their world be like our own, but before I could voice the question, she answered with, "Just like your own world, this one''s does not have blue screens, or the like, popping up in one''s face for every major action taken. However, we cannot speak for others." Her eyes drifted off to the right as she said this. When she looked back towards us, her sheepish grin appeared once more. "You see, Undead Karastak, this one''s world is a go-between world for others. Once you have been judged worthy enough, gods of other worlds will summon you to their world in order to use you as their pawn for whatever task they deem necessary." Her head was bowed as she continued with, "This one apologises. You will be summoned to another world once you have regained your body once more." Chapter 9 "Time out," two iconic T shapes were formed with my hands, "What do you mean by ''summoned to another world''?" Even though I could adapt to almost any situation, I was still confused by what I just heard. "Ah," the little-girl-who-was-not-a-little-girl smiled with a frown, "This one will help you to understand. This world of Azzarath has had many otherworlders come to it from many various universes. This one has seen it all since it began, and it was done so to prevent kidnappings from occurring on another gods'' world. Thus, Azzarath was created as a sort of neutral ground for the gods of other worlds to come and choose a champion, or several, for the people of their own world." She shrugged and raised her arms in a helpless gesture, "It was also created to keep your humans'' people of a country called Japan from vanishing outright. This one does not know why other gods seem to enjoy those humans, and by the looks of it, neither do you." To be fair, I really didn''t understand why the Japanese had a higher tendency to vanish more so than any other country. Perhaps it was their love of the idea of adventuring into a new world for whatever reason. Who knows? "So," I spoke low and slowly, "where am I being sent, and does this god know I am a six meter tall skeleton, with four arms, a tail, and poison soaked bones?" She grinned sheepishly up at my ever grinning skull, "No. This one believes it saw you as a human who could do what you did with your Zabartik''s armour, and left to fill out the form before inquiring further. This one suspects He is a newer god, and will be surprised when you reveal yourself. This one also believes He will try to gain a refund, but all sales are final in regards to summons." "Wait, wait, wait, wait. Sales? What? Are you profiting off of us, and we don''t have a say in it?" At this point in time, I was angry at the creature before me. So much so, poisonous fumes began to escape from behind my sharpened teeth. "Ah," she blinked as she recalled her words, then became startled as I hoisted her up to eye level. "Explain. Slowly." And she did. Her world gained knowledge and minerals such as iron and zinc, which allowed her own world''s people the ability to craft better items for whatever they wished for. Most of it was probably for war, though. This was in exchange for people the other gods have chosen for their own world''s people. However, they could only take otherworlders, but were running out of them. It was because those that were summoned either stayed on that world for some reason or other, or were traded off to someone else in an illegal exchange. The last bit was confusing, even to this day I still do not understand why gods would seemingly trade off their contracted heroes for something else. Anyways, how they gained the people of earth''s trust to come here of their own volition was pretty ingenious. They created a company that dealt with virtual reality. Of course, this was nothing new, as other companies have been doing this for the last decade. However, what their company did was much, much different. They created fully immersive VRMMORPGs, just like the ones seen in shows, or read about in novels. This alone caused an uproar with our world, as many began using their products without much fear and risk of brain damage, because all of their technology was a headset of some sort. This, and this alone, is what duped the human race into trusting their company, and allowed the creation of the pods liken unto the one my frail body was placed into. However, mine, and a few others, was a special case. Because my body could not handle the stress of the transfer, it expired. Meaning, I would never again be able to set foot upon earth, unless summoned there, but that was unlikely to occur. I was lying down when the news of this truly hit, and only wanted to cry. Unfortunately, I could not, as I lacked the organs necessary for the production of tears. No, instead I slammed my fists into the ground repeatedly. "This one apologises for your lost, Undead Karastak, but this one should remind you," I turned to stare in her direction, "Your family will be coming here once you return from your quest in another world." "You had better explain to them what it means to adventure into your world, or I will wreak havoc upon the land." Yes, my threats were empty, and even she, at that time, knew they were. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. She only nodded and pointed at my body. "Undead Karastak," the hand that pointed its finger at me was as translucent as ever, and once again began to glow, "Your body has been reforged. Go now, and fare thee well." The light soon engulfed my figure, and I was once again standing in the room of the cathedral. This time, however, I could not summon Zabartik, nor would I be able to wear the robe and boots once more. The backpack with the bottomless pit was nowhere to be found, either. As I gazed about me, I noticed a strange light coming from beneath my feet. The very moment I did, however, it expanded greatly, and I could hear what sounded like a chorus of angels and bells ringing all around me. Not knowing what to do, I quickly intoned the spell, "<>," and became the poison coated longsword just as the circled sucked me into its world. ********** Within a temple hall stood the lifelike statues of various deities and fallen warriors of an age gone by. Some were in disrepair, whereas others had a few minute hairline cracks within their smooth surfaces. However, all served as eternal witnesses to the ritual performed before them. Male and female humans could be seen chanting and dancing around a very large and complicated circle. The edges of the circle held a dim quality of red light with varying degrees of unknown text and pictographs. Every so often, a stretch of text, or a pictograph, would light up just as the chants and dancing increased in tempo. Those who were dancing were young adult females, and wore naught, but mist linen which showed everything to the world. However, the males that were chanting were old, and would often glance at the females during their chants. If another male were to see this performance, they too would stare as the old men stared hungrily at these females. However, at one point the old males turned their eyes towards the center of the circle. This was because they had reached the end, and lightning arched out from the unknown texts and pictographs. The arching points latched onto the center, and tore it open. This revealed three individuals, and a bone-like sword, which sank into the floor up to its hilt. Those in attendance were shocked to find only three humans, by the look of it, and one dashed out of the temple. This lone person ran into a fairly large grey stone castle, and began shouting, "My King! My King!" This person, who served as a messenger of sorts, kneeled before a regal throne of gold and crimson, and bowed his head to the old man who sat upon it. The old man, who the messenger called ''King'', had scars running across his face and the left side of his neck. This king''s once regal self was now marred by these scars, but one could see that he is indeed still handsome beneath them. Others may not, but those who still could would see his square shaped face and cleft chin, a hawk shaped beak of a nose, iron grey eyes, and a mane of snow white hair that draped across his shoulders. His head was adorned by a crown of what looked like seven spires reaching for the heavens, but were bound to a thin circlet of gold that wrapped around his head. Each spire, however, held a small pearl-like jewel that caused each to give off an almost overwhelmingly powerful aura. The robes which were draped over the shoulders of one such as he, was one that appeared to be heavy, and coloured with rich, deep blues, violets, and reds. It was assumed that these robes alone were considered to be as valuable as almost three times its weight in gold. The king raised up an overly calloused hand, and bid the messenger to rise. "What news of the temple," he asked the messenger before him. To which was replied with, "My King, the ritual was a success." He could sense the hesitation in the one before him, "But?" "But there is a slight problem, and may need your attention." These small words alarmed the king, who stood up, and called for his guards. The messenger left quickly, as the king and his guards shuffled towards the temple, wondering what went wrong. Chapter 10 AN: Looks like this story will be getting a Mature tag in a couple of chapters. I''ve written up to chapter 13, and no, I''m not going to dump them all out there for you guys. Main reason why not is because they''re still in Draft form, and I prefer finished products. Anyways, if you like the story, hate it, or have a question, let me know. _______________________________________ Have you ever been summoned via summoning circle? It''s an experience and a half, and I had to go through it on many occasions. This one was my first, and the least enjoyable of them all. Imagine, if you will, having your body sucked into a Void realm of the Abyss. Your entire body would stretch for eons, until it popped out into another realm. This is what happened to myself, and three unlikely people that followed me. The three that followed were your typical Japanese sort. Black hair and eyes seem to be their standard trademark, and their group looked to be the start of a typical harem. The male, that seemed to be their chosen leader, had a look of naive innocence about him. More than likely, which turned out to be factual, he would become one of those heroes who only sees the good in everything, while oblivious to his female companions'' affections. He was also wearing an odd uniform of something, and had so many muted colours, it made me wonder who dressed him that morning. The only visible weapons on him was a sheathed iron sword at his waist, and a wooden buckler shield strapped to his wrist. One of the females was a mousy little girl with broad rim glasses that was well endowed for one her age, and seemed to cling to the male whilst pushing his arm between her breasts. This one was shy around strangers, and was as sharp as a dull dagger at times, but still shrewd in her dealings. She also had the standard trademark of being a Japanese citizen, and was wearing a dull green robe. There was a wooden staff strapped to her back via sling, but it wasn''t remarkable in any way. The other female was an oddity. Her hair was a vibrant crimson, and flowed down a little past her shoulders. She also had an interesting pair of emerald green eyes that complimented my own. However, she was the athletic sort, was flat as a board, and her entire demeanor screamed "TSUNDERE". Her own outerwear consisted of a miniskirt that showed off almost as much as the older womens'' mist linen and a white T-shirt. Underneath her shirt was an obvious looking black sports bra that seemed a bit too tight for her. She also had a pair of thigh high white boots that were laced along the sides, and a pair of weighted, brown gloves that covered her hands. Guess she was the fighter of the group. Just thinking of this trio of idiots gives me a headache, and we haven''t introduced ourselves to one another at this point in time. No, instead, my sword body is stuck inside a white marble floor, and the trio is currently looking around. They were speaking to themselves in an unknown dialect, while some sort of human with green hair and eyes reached down to grasp my hilt. The moment he did so, I used one of my eye-pommels to stare at his odd garb. It was white. What I mean is, the man wore a white coat over a white shirt, and had white pants and shoes. Why? Half a moment after he grasped my hilt, however, he gasped, let go, and fell onto his rear. The man was clearly frightened by something, and was shouting in an unknown language. Another one appeared next to the fallen, and they began to mutter something. This one, at least, had some sense of fashion. Unfortunately, it was the same style as the other, but wore a brick red coloured shirt. This red shirt, who had the same hair and eye colour as the other, reached down and grasped my hilt. Once he did so, however, he began to mutter something, and I felt a slight rush of energy flow inside my being. "...ou...me?" There was an odd voice in my head at that moment, and I paid it no mind while one of my eye-pommels looked about the room. "C-n... derstan...me?" There it was again, and I was becoming quite annoyed. "Can you understand me?" The voice asked, no longer broken, but still very annoying. It sounded as though a deep baritone of a voice was trying to speak over nails screeching across a chalkboard. I merely glared at the human, saying, "Your voice is annoying." There was a heavy sigh on the other end, followed by, "I know, don''t remind me." It seems whatever the human muttered had caused me to understand his language. ''Oh joy,'' I drawled in my mind at this realisation, ''This is going to be a clich¨¦. I guarantee it.'' The person who held onto my hilt, tried in vain to lift me out of my little resting place. This was, until someone much larger shoved him out of the way, grasped my hilt, and slid me out with relative ease. ''Okay, that was rude,'' I thought slowly, then intoned, "<>." My eyes on the pommel of my sword self briefly flashed a crimson colour, and the large, brute of a human was still. I had to wait almost an eternity until the man''s eyes also flashed crimson, and held me at a more polite stance. He was about to touch the blade, when I warned him her would die if he did so. This confused him for a moment, until I said, "Just hold my blade down, and pommel up so I can see around us." You may be wondering what is going on, so allow me to explain slowly. In EQ, the Enchanter class is a jack-of-all-trades sort of support class. They cannot heal, but can do everything else to some sort of degree. Charming, mesmerising, lulling, and causing fear to others are, but one of many spells unique to the Enchanter class. They are able to utilise these spells because their highest stat will always be their Charisma. However, each has a time limit within the game. Here, however, there doesn''t seem to be one. Well, not one I''ve found so far. So, for now, I have a brutish thug for a minion, and I couldn''t be happier. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The brutish thug, whose name was Brutus, was about 30 cycles old. A cycle there is about 1.5 years Earth time, by the way. With the average lifecycle being about 80 to 90 cycles, one can say 30 is still young. Anyways, the man''s entire body seemed to be chiseled from stone, as was his not so handsome face. He had large, beefy muscles, a barrel sized chest, and thick fingers. So thick were his fingers that I had to intone a different illusion called, "<>," just to allow him to have a more comfortable one-handed grip. He was grateful for this, but I digress. His facial features weren''t all that much to look at. He had a square head, with a square jaw, and cleft chin. His eyes were beady pinpoints of ocean blue, and his nose was bulbous. There wasn''t a speck of hair on his head, nor around his chin, but the rest of his body sure as any made up for that. I swear, the man must have had an ancestor that mated with a bear, his arms were so hairy. His attire seemed to be centered around what the white guy''s uniform, but was grey instead of white. At least he will not be breaking the law of wearing white after Labor Day. I allowed Brutus to swing me around for a time, and noticed everyone seemed to have their eyes glued to us. I guess my turning into a greatsword once he lifted my sword body out was caught by almost every eye in the room. Whoops. After noticing my mistake, a pair of large, opaque doors opened, and some sort of announcer in a jester''s bell-cap announced the arrival of this land''s king. Everyone from the world knelt down to the scarred man that walked into the room, but I kept Brutus from doing so. This allowed me to keep an eye on the regal being in front of me. The man wasn''t much to look at, but there seems to be a pattern in their males'' heads. They were all square shaped in some degree. Some even had a cleft chin, but only the king had a hawk-like beak of a nose. There were some noticeable scars running down his face and neck, and the mane of snow white hair and iron grey eyes were pretty interesting. Although, that spire-like crown that adorned his head was quite eye catching. Yes, I did covet it for a time, but I doubt it would have done much of anything for me. Anyways, the king took notice of Brutus not kneeling like the others, and slowly shuffled towards him. This caused the man to become nervous, but as he''s completely under my control via spell, I didn''t allow him to move as all his muscles seemingly screamed, "KNEEL". Alas, he did not, nor could not follow with what his muscles wanted to do. Even when the king was only a few dozen centimetres away, he could not follow through with it. The man stopped in front of Brutus, and noticed my greatsword body, asking, "Where did this blade come from?" All in attendance had muttered the same thing of it being summoned along with the other three, but was a sword that became this large once Brutus hefted it. The trio were, by now, being ignored as I had stolen the spotlight away from them. The three were only glanced at briefly by the regal being in front of us, then turned back to stare at my sword body. When he tried to touch the blade, however, he became alarmed as Brutus pulled it back. This action seemed to infuriate the king, even his guards, who had begun to withdraw their swords from their sheathes. One of them went as far as to rush Brutus, trying to take my sword body away from him. However, the man was foolish, and paid for his actions with the cost of his hand, once it touched my blade ever so slightly. The man screamed, as his hand liquefied in front of him, and I had my minion set me down so that he could lop off the other''s arm before the poison in my blade could spread further. It was as he was preparing to lop off the offending man''s arm, that I noticed the king had sneakily lifted my sword body up by the hilt, and I became annoyed by it. It seems this person wanted me for his own use, especially after witnessing what had happened. I could even see the greed glinting in the man''s eyes, and felt disgusted when he began licking his lips. So much so, I wanted to strike the man away from me. As soon as I felt the urge to hit him, however, we both noticed a strange, translucent mist coming from the pommel of my sword body. The mist slowly grew in shape, until a translucent copy of my towering skeletal body could be seen. However, others could not see my body, as their eyes were now glued to the screaming man and his rapidly decaying arm. The king, on the other hand, grew pale and watched as one of my pommel-eyes fly up and settle into the right socket of my translucent skeletal body. Ever had one of those out of body experiences? If you had, then you would know only half of what I feel. I could see the man in front of me from two perspectives. One was from the other pommel-eye, and the other was from my translucent body. Suffice to say, it was an adventure in and of itself. "Human," I growled from both my sword and body, "If you do not wish to die a slow and agonizing death, then I suggest you drop my sword body. Else you would end up as the screaming man there." Chapter 11 AN: Almost 2500 words for this one, folks. Every five to ten chapters, after this one, will have the kitsune popping up. Towards the end of the arc, and the beginning of the next, will be a few chapters with just him before I continue with the story. Of course, that''s the plan, but it may not work out that way. Oh, and the tag Mature has been added because the MC is starting to kill people. Just wait til Chapter 13. It''s gonna be wonderful. *evil cackle* As always, folk, if you liked it, hated it, or just have a few questions, let me know down below. _____________________________________ The sun was just beginning to crest over the tops of the trees, when the kitsune paused in his story. "<>," he whispered to those still in attendance, and made sure they were all comfortable in their sleep. Afterwards, he exited the room, and began to stretch his body. With a mighty yawn, he scratched an imaginary itch whilst walking towards one of the villages small farm fields. "Time to see why the harvest was poorer this year," he muttered as he knelt and scooped up a bit of the dirt. "Hmm, they''ve always had a bountiful harvest year after year. Could it be that the land has become tired?" The poor harvest could be attributed to an exhausted land, but in this world, there was always a chance for it to be something else. "<>," he intoned, and the silver mist that made up his energy began to swirl about him, stretching and hardening his body until he looked much like a standard oak tree. "Now then, let us see what the land could tell me." The roots at the base of his tree body shot up, almost as high as his branches, then plummeted straight down into the ground. As a tree, he was able to detect, and even absorb, the nutrients of the land, but he felt only minute traces. With a heavy sigh, he dispelled his tree form, and stared at the land for a time. With a thought, the kitsune''s right arm tore open a space between worlds and pulled out a shining black orb. "When was the last time we journeyed together, my old friends," he muttered, as he willed his energy into the orb. The orb began to shine with a baleful, sickly green light, and the earth shuttered as skeletal hands erupted from the ground. One hundred pairs of hands began to crawl out of the earth, pushing their skeletal bodies up from the ground. There were fifty human shaped skeletons in attendance, which caused the kitsune to grin for a time, before his body began to stretch and warp into his oldest form. The six metre tall, four armed, poison covered skeleton. "As the contract of old, we answer the call of HE who bears the Eye of Gol," all of the skeletons in attendance chanted, as they stared up at the large skeleton, "What is it that you wish of us?" "To those of you who wish for rest, I grant it to you freely," the giant rumbled slowly, "For I have not called you here to fight for me once more. No, those of you who stand in attendance were summoned, not for your battle prowess, but for the skills you had in a life long past." The being pointed at the upturned land, "This land has been tilled and harvested from for many generations, but the land has become exhausted. To you, who have been farmers, I implore you to share your knowledge of how to reinvigorate the land, so that many more generations may cultivate and harvest more foods." ***** The skeletons were now arguing with one another, once they were given their own wills and voices. They argued over what to put in the land, once they found out the winter cycle was coming. A handful wanted to sow the land with dead animals, and even went as far as killing a boar and bringing it to the field. Some wanted to use beans and potatoes, which has helped their land ages ago. The rest were slowly agreeing to using a special kind of bean, called a Legume, that could grow during the winter while healing the land. It had a funny name to it, too, called Hairy Vetch. The plant itself had an extensive root system. So much so, it would prevent most soil erosions, and heal the land, albeit slowly. It was decided, then, that they would use this legume, and began to sow it carefully into every field they could find. With luck, and time, the village would be able to regain their fields by the next Spring cycle. The sun of the world began to shine slightly above the trees, when the village began to awaken from last night''s revelry. They began to converse nervously when they saw skeletal humans tilling the land, and sowing unknown seeds into it. A few even saw a giant skeleton for a few heartbeats, before it vanished into mist. Where once a giant stood, was now the golden kitsune many of the children called, "Fox King". Atop his head, however, was a little blue kitsune, who was wagging its little tail in a gleeful manner. The pair were chatting about something, as they made their way towards the villagers. "Ageless," one of the tribal wolfman called out to the kitsune, who looked in their direction, "What is going on? Why are there skeletons here?" They were nervous, and he could tell a few were frightened. Perhaps they believed these undead were slighted in some way, and came to exact revenge of some sort. Their "Fox King" did his best to explain, saying that they were once conscripted farmers, and knew how to heal the land better than most. A few were still skeptical, but the general consensus was relief. When asked where they came from, however, they were given a cryptic, "Secret." His laughter echoed throughout their village, and he beckoned them all towards the larger building. "Come," he chuckled at their confused looks, "They will keep at it for a time, and you are all hungry. Besides, the new land I went to is one where the Beastman tribes had originated from." Over a dozen eyes, all from the various beastman tribes, glinted over this news. They had heard the legends and stories before, but not from the mouth of the one who saw it firsthand. "Ah, but my tale of their tribes is not for little children," to which the children whined at this. "Do not fret, younglings," he quickly spoke, "I have someone else who will tell you a better tale." Silver mist began to gather next to him, forming an exact duplicate of the kitsune, but its fur was much duller. "This is Story, and he will be telling you, children, a tale of dragons and adventure, kingdoms and their children. My words are far too dark for your ears, so Story will tell you its own tale." The kitsune sighed heavily, as he led most of the adults into a large room with many chairs. They were all facing a much larger chair next to a cold fireplace, and he did bid them to sit. Once sitting, they were each given a plate of food. Some had meat and cheeses, while others had fruits, vegetables, and beans. They all began to eat softly, as the kitsune began his tale once more. ***** Where was-, ah yes. The greedy king who could not stop touching things that weren''t his. Suffice to say, the old king had let go of my sword body, but not before one of my clawed fingers pierced his skull. He did try to "kill" me with a swipe of my sword self, but it passed harmlessly through. This was then when he shrieked loudly, and dropped it whilst clutching his head. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. At the time, I didn''t understand what had happened, but I would at a later date. See, when an incorporeal being touches a living organ of another, the organ could, essentially, shut down for an unknown period of time. My own touch, it seems, was enough to cause nerve pain in the veins within his head, as well as a stroke that soon followed. Oops. So there was the king, lying next to my sword body, which was almost immediately picked up by Brutus, and had half his face drooping to the side. The half of his body that was directly below the drooping face had ceased to function properly. So much so, he shat and urinated in his pants. It was rather unpleasant and I was glad I didn''t have any sensory organs, if I judged the general reaction correctly. Of course, after the surrounding people got over their initial shock, healers were called, and the five of us were ushered into another room. The group that was a prelude to the idiot''s harem went to one side of what appeared to be a waiting room, while I and Brutus stayed at the other. The room itself wasn''t all the grand, when you compared it to the other where we were just summoned. Here, there was a floor covered rug, that was straw-yellow in colour. I wasn''t able to say how soft it was, and couldn''t see the other threes'' reaction, but there were a few chairs situated against the walls. The chairs looked to be of whicker, but sturdier, and more polished. The ceiling and walls were bare, and had a violet tint to them. On the far side of the room were some curtains covering a large window, to which I had Brutus open it so that I may see outside. The outside world outside was naught, but a large cliff overlooking a bustling stone city below. All of the building were made of stone, and if any of the populace took after my minion, then I''d even go as far as to say the people were, too. Speaking of which, I asked him if he had a wife and children. To which he said no, because his brother believed he would kill them. Odd. "Why does he think that?" "Brother knows best," he replied in a monotone. I was not enjoying this, and asked where his brother might be. "Brother works with shadowmen," he replied diligently, but I could see him trying not to say any more. Unfortunately for Brutus, he became mine the moment he lifted my sword body. "What are these ''shadowmen''," I asked as innocently as I could, knowing full well he would be unable to resist answering. He tried to resist, but my charm spell still had a great hold over him. "They hide in the shadows, and hunt for coins." "Ah, so they''re thieves," I sighed heavily, then changed the subject with, "Does this world have Undead in it?" His head cocked to one side, as I did my best to explain what they were, but he only shook his head. I sighed once more, and had him move us towards the three. Just as we were about to try and have a chat, the doors opened, and in walks some blonde haired, blue eyed girl in a frilly dress. "Which one of you hurt papa?!" Her voice was too high and squeaky for my non-existent ears, and I mentally covered them. The three from Japan pointed towards Brutus and I, to which the little girl''s eyes widened. "Brutus! How could you hurt papa!" His eyes widened as he shook his head vehemently, and pointed at my sword body. "Sword hurt the king," he rumbled slowly. "Liar! How can a sword harm papa? Arrest Brutus!" She shouted at the guards behind her, which caused me to become quite annoyed. "<< Minor Remove Enchantment>>," I roared, and my sword body began to crack, then shatter as I transformed back into my skeletal body. A poisonous cloud could be seen behind my forever grinning teeth, as I stood in front of my new minion. "No one will touch him," I growled at the shocked and paling faces. "Is that a demon?!" The annoying girl was shrieking up at my form, to which I stared down at her. "Worse," my imaginary lips split into a feral grin. Before I tried to speak anymore, shouts of "Princess" were heard from down the hall. About a dozen, or so, guards were running this way, and I was becoming less annoyed, but more angered by the minute. These humans were annoying. So much so, they lit a fuse within my mind, that I may explode upon them. When they saw my form, however, they all drew their weapons, and charged. Unfortunately for a few of them, I breathed out my toxic breath. Most saw this, and dodged out of the way. Those that did not, however, melted into poisonous pools of flesh and metal. The ground around them dripped with poison, which began to eat away at everything it touched. I was laughing at the carnage before me, which only grew louder, more hauntingly insane. This was because more information flooded my mind in the form of new spells. Pointing at everyone, not including the harem that quivered in a corner, I intoned, "<>>." A sickly form of my silver energy oozed out, and began to wrap around those that had not fled. This included the frilly thing with the insanely high, squeaky voice. Many tried to escape once it touched them, however, but could not move as the energy wrapped around their throats, forming a tight band of silver. These bands shined once, then sank into their flesh. They screamed and whimpered at the pain, but ultimately became limp. "Rise," I commanded, and they did rise. "Kneel," and they did kneel before me. "Good. Good," I mumbled to myself like a maniac who had an experiment complete itself perfectly. This caused me to snap myself awake, but only after I giggled at a few other spells. There were three others, besides my Thrall spell. One allowed me to bestow a permanent blessing of intellect to another by about fifty points, and I did so to Brutus. He became quiet for a time, then wanted to pay a visit to his brother for a friendly "chat". The second was ''Shield of Stone'', which created a spiral of spinning stones that wrapped around the target. Well, to my mind, at least. The final one was a bit of an oddity. It created a vial of viscous mana, and when consumed, it permanently increased a person''s energy pool by about one hundred units. I kept that one to myself, as I didn''t want random hunters popping up to try and make me produce them by the thousands. It probably wouldn''t bother them even if I told them one vial cost me all of my energy. Which, by the by, must be at 100% in order to work. Anyways, I had coughed a few times to try and get over the awkwardness of the situation, then asked the frilly thing of a girl, "Who are you, where are we, and why did your ''papa'' summon us?" ______________________________ P.S. In case anyone is curious, the story was written in Times New Roman on Microsoft Word 2007, and will be forevermore. The site is set to Ariel as it''s standard, and I dislike writing in it, except when I do these Author Notes. Chapter 12 AN: 1800 words, folks. From this point on, short chapters will be between 1500 and 1800 words, while everything else will be 2000+. Well, that''s the plan anyways. Going to try and get every chapter at 2000 or more later down the line. Also, if I could ask others for a review on what they think of the story thus far, I''d very much appreciate it. Please try to keep all questions and concerns in the comments section below each chapter. Thank you. ____________________________________________ The frilly girl in front of me was called Delilah of New Wair, first princess and heir to the throne of King Shamiah. Or "Papa", as she repeatedly called him. I had to extract the details out of one of her enthralled bodyguards, which wouldn''t be so bad, if they all didn''t try to vie for my attention. Apparently, having thralls weren''t all that great. Especially when one of their prerequisites was to vie for my affection/attention at any given moment. A few even went as far as to try and get me some food and drink, but had to explain to them, as though they were a child, that I was an undead being and didn''t need any form of sustenance. Many became disheartened by this, but I told them I would be grateful if they could serve Brutus and the little starter harem instead. Yes, I did call them that, and no, I never apologised for my words. Mainly because they never did find out until a few days later. Even then, I never did. The trio were still frightened by my persona, even after food was brought. I sighed at them, and ordered my thralls to find someone that can pass their language to them. This set them all off, all except the little princess. Of whom I held up and had her wait as I changed into something to make me less of a target. "<>," I intoned, and became a mostly naked human once more. "I need clothing," I said aloud, and a few guards appeared with a spare uniform for myself. The uniform, itself, was the same as Brutus''s, but blue. It even had a patch depicting an eagle in flight. When I asked about it, one of them stated it meant the wearer was a captain of the guard. Interesting. "Where will the king stay, when he is injured?" I inquired to those who had gathered after someone was imparting knowledge of their language to the trio. "In his room," a few piped up. This was followed by several groans and words about not being fast enough. "Very well. Lead on. It''s high time we speak to him about what will happen from here on out. Oh, and bring the others, Brutus, but keep them from interfering. They will not like what is about to happen." ***** Excerpt taken from ''Life and Death of King Samiah the Greedy'': "...Thus the king was bedridden. "In his greed for power, Samiah the Greedy was struck down for laying his hands upon our Dying God. Those still loyal did try to heal and mend the illness called ''Stroke'' that afflicted their king, but was for naught. "And lo, Death did come in human guise to Samiah the Greedy. For he did proclaim a way to heal the king, but this healing art was a secret. Death wished for everyone to leave, but only a few stayed. They were wary, and did not trust Death and his unknown magicks. "And Death did ascend to the king. Whereupon they spoke words which will not be graced upon this book. No, but Death did grin and mock Samiah, who was struck with fear as Death became our Dying God. "Our Dying God did stand high above the king. Those still loyal to Samiah the Greedy did try and slay our Dying God, but were cut down by The First Queen and Her Undying. Our Dying God did laugh a great laugh, as Samiah the Greedy did beg and plead for his ungrateful life. "Our Dying God did laugh at the greedy king, as His poison began to form behind His ever grinning maw. And He did stand over Samiah the Greedy, and bathed him in His poison. "Thus ends the tale of King Samiah the Greedy. Thus begins the tale of our Dying God, and His mark upon our world called Terra." ***** You may be asking why I did such a thing, and I will tell you it is because the human would have done his best to enslave us at every step and turn. The human was as tenacious as a cockroach, if the stories were to be believed. He would do everything in his power, and I do mean everything to reign in and control those who he deemed of worth. Whether they were a rich merchant, or a prostitute''s child, he would sink so low to keep them under his thumb. However, after his death came joy. The people below the castle had begun to celebrate the passing of the king, but were worried about the mentality of their new queen. Delilah, by all pretense and purposes, was far too young to be the new queen, and many worried about who would act in her stead. There were many who believed the king''s brother, who was far too ruthless, would become the reagent until the queen became of age. Many even speculated that he may try and take the life of her, or even sink so low as to marry her. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. What they didn''t know, was that the king''s brother was locked up in the castle''s dungeon. He was awaiting trial for killing a duke''s wife and daughter, but was forgotten until the guards noticed a horrid smell coming from his cell. It turns out, the man died of starvation and thirst, and his body began to decay quite rapidly. Whoops. All in all, the ones who would help govern over the land were the first two to touch my sword body. I''m speaking of the Labor Day offender and his brother, the Red Shirt. I never did learned their real names, but they took their title well. Especially after I kept calling them LD and RS, respectively. When they asked what the titles meant, I told them, "Where I come from, Labor Day is a day of celebration in which gives time off to the working class for a full turn of the sun, and sometimes up to a week. This is only once per year, mind you, though nobody celebrates it anymore. Whereas being a Red Shirt just means," I struggle for a moment, but decided to tell the truth, "Well, it means you''re expendable. It also means many will go after you first, before going after anyone else." There really wasn''t much I could say on the matter, truth be told. A Red Shirt really does mean a person is expendable. On Earth, if there is a show, or a play, and someone walks on stage with a red shirt on, then you know they will die soon. Although, there were a few instances where the Red Shirts didn''t die until the end, or even not at all, but those were few and far between. By the way, this all took a couple of months, but I''m not at all going to explain it. As it would just take too long. Once everything was situated with the new queen, and all, we came to the heart of the matter. Which was WHY we were summoned in the first place. I stood in front of the throne''s dais, and was in my human form. There were many nobles in attendance, and I could hear them all whispering and pointing at me. My guess was they were wondering why I wasn''t kneeling to the young queen and her reagents as the trio and Brutus were. Brutus, after giving him several dozen applications of a spell that gave him fifty points to his intellect, had become something of an oddity. Gone was the simple minded brute of a guard, and in his place was an intelligent captain who had taken down his brother and most of the operations of the ''shadowmen''. The man was given his own home, a copy of the design of my greatsword body, and even had a girlfriend who was as brutish as he was. Even I was stunned when he introduced her to me. While he looked like a half-bear, SHE looked like a half-ogre. She was a bit taller than he was, but only by a head, and had pink hair that was tied in pigtails from either side of her head. Her face was homely, which was odd, because the rest of her body looked to be carved from the same stone as Brutus. Who, by now, had shrugged out of my charm spell, and didn''t hold it against me. He said it was when he was stupid, but to not try it again. The trio, on the other hand, had two new additions to their group, and of course, they were female. One was a human mind-mage, while the other was a freed bear-kin. A mind-mage, by the by, is someone who uses spells to affect the mind, or minds, of others. She was okay in her craft, until she met me, and tried everything to make me follow her commands. So much so, that I became annoyed and many of my female thralls were quick to turn her into a punching bag. Once they were done, they threatened to have the men "show her a great time", if they believed she was still trying to enslave me. I believe she took the hint afterwards, because after she saw me, she would run in the opposite direction. The bear-kin, on the other hand, was of the Black Bear Beastman Tribe, but was not a true Beastwoman. No, she was a half-human, half-beastman, thus she was called a ''Bear-Kin''. This one wasn''t annoying, but she was adorable, and was the only one of whom I allowed to sit on my shoulders as a skeleton. She would always have an amazed look in her eyes whenever she was near myself, and I was amazed the basilisk poison didn''t harm her as it would others. See now, at the time, the poison on my bones did coat my entire being, but only my secondary limbs, spine, ribs, clawed fingers, and teeth had the acidic properties. This little bear-kin would use my spine, sometimes my ribs, to climb onto my shoulders, and never seemed to complain, nor did she melt. When I tried to convince her to journey with me, however, she shook her head and looked at the male Japanese ''hero'' with passionate eyes. It seems she was in love with him, and I could do nothing about it. Yes, I could have enslaved her, but she was too adorable, and I didn''t want an adorable slave. Now an adorable companion, on the other hand, I would be happy to have, but I digress. "The reason why you were summoned," Queen Delilah began, "is to defeat the Demon Lord, and end the war between our two races." I was right. It was a clich¨¦. Chapter 13 (NSFW) AN: Will have to put this one down as NSFW. It''s not as detailed, or explicit, as a few other FFs are, but I still have to point it out. Without spoiling it, there''s a bit of violence, and a rape scene. The scene isn''t all that detailed, but it''s there, and there''ll be a few more like it in this arc. Especially after the reveal of a new ''villain''. As always, folks, thank you for reading. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know. ______________________________________________________ "We wi-," began the ''hero'', but was stopped when all eyes turned towards me. "Why not just call a cease-fire, then set up a meeting to discuss a treaty for peace?" Wars did have their place, but I was not keen on being sent to the frontlines just yet. Personally, I would have preferred to explore this world, not fight it with every step I took. The gathered nobles weren''t happy, and many were quick to voice their opinions. Some even wanted to have a "friendly duel" for this or that reason. It was probably because they wished to skewer and silence me for speaking up in the first place. Another reason was probably to get into the good graces of the young queen, but they didn''t know it would have the opposite effect. One of these dueling nobles wouldn''t take ''No'' for an answer, and forced us into a bout. This was done, despite the queen from forbidding it. However, I simply waved away her concerns, and opted for the duel. I was rather curious about it, you see, and when I asked when he wanted to stop, he said, "When you die." "Ah, in that case," I grinned as I took up the flimsy rapier, and watched as the man charged my body. When he was half a metre away, I dropped my weapon, and opened my arms wide. This action caused the man to grin in a gleeful manner, probably thinking he won. Unfortunately for him, once he pierced my chest, I wrapped my arms around his frame, locking him close to my body as I squeezed him until his bones were crushed into powder. I dropped the body of the man, who collapsed like a marionette with cut strings, and heard someone yell, "Richard!" Making my way back to my spot in front of the dais, I noticed everyone was staring at my chest with a variety of looks. Looking down myself, I noticed the rapier still in my chest. "Ah," I muttered, and tried to pull it out, but found it to be stuck. Frowning down at the blasted thing, I failed to notice Brutus''s approach, but I did see his large, callous hand grip the weapon. "Thank you," I said to him, as he ripped it from my chest. He gave a polite smile, as he crumpled the rapier under his heel, before taking up his position near the dais once more. There was no blood seen flowing from the wound, as many expected, but I did now have a gaping hole in my chest. There were also cracks forming away from it, and I knew the time on my illusion was almost up. With a sigh from my lips, and a groan from my frame, the illusion shattered to pieces. I was poking me solar plexus, trying to gauge how much damage was done to my body, when the screams first started. Most of it was coming from women, but there were a few males who had a higher pitch to them, too. A few of them tried to attack me, but were either struck down from my blows, or by a guard. The rest of them, however, ran quickly for any door that would let them leave, but found them to either be barred, or blocked by strange beings encase in metal skeletons. These skeletons, by the by, were called ''The Undying'', and believe me when I say it, I had nothing to do with their naming. It was all the queen and RS''s doing. The Undying''s armour was unique, in that it can only fit the ones it was crafted for. It was done so to prevent any sort of infiltration, but there was also an extra feature added to it. Each Undying had four arms, and their entire armour was based on my own anatomy. This was done so by my thralls, who believed themselves to be closer to myself once they did that. It was rather touching, to be honest, once you got over the creep factors. The extra arms were actually a harness that was fused to the skin, and spines, of each Undying. This allowed them to control the extra arms, albeit with some difficulty, but they could do it. The first few tries were a disaster. The test subjects either died during the operation, or went berserk afterwards. Only seven worked, but only four were put to use as the queen''s royal guard, as the other three were still trying to adjust to the extra limbs. Their breastplates were your standard steel, with the decorations of a skeletal frame. This was done so that it could protect their vital organs. The limbs, on the other hand, looked more like skeletal limbs wrapped around the flesh of the guards. Some would even speculate that those ARE the limbs of the guards. Only those of the royal guards had clawed digits on their skeletal gauntlets and boots, while the rest were normal. Even though they wished to model their helmets to my own head, I forbade them from doing so. This caused many of my thralls to become disheartened, but perked up when I said to model it after their own heads. They even went as far as to create their own faces from the decorations they placed upon their helmets. Don''t get me wrong, they were all still loyal to the queen and I. They just amused me. Anyways, there were three four-armed Undying holding up large shields and swords around the young queen, while the rest took up positions around the entrances and exits to prevent people from entering and exiting the throne room. We had much to discuss, and I wasn''t about to let a single one escape. Oh sure, a few did, but were all hunted down and executed shortly after. "What is the meaning of this, your Highness," demanded a portly old man in a stained gold and red robe. There were a few gold chains about his neck, and each of his fat fingers sported at least three rings. "Have you become an ally to the demons now?" "No, little human," my voice rumbled throughout the room, "She has allied herself with me." "So you are a demon." "No, you pathetic excuse of a human," the fat man turned purple, as I made a choking motion towards him and intone the spell for it, "I am Undead. A being trapped between life and death, and your simple minded and greedy king has summoned me. So blame it on him," I released him from the spell, and he collapsed onto the ground, "for you all will suffer my wrath." Poison began to cloud up behind my maw, and began to drip and sizzle onto the floor. "Unless..." The pause was enough to garner a few to inquire what I wanted. "Unless you swear your undying loyalty to you queen," I placed one of my claws onto my breastbone, "and to me." Many were in an uproar as soon as I said this, and tried to rush towards one of the least protected doors. Unfortunately for them, one of the four-armed Undying was there to intercept them. It held up only four iron swords, and became a whirlwind of destruction, as it sliced and chopped its way through handfuls of bodies. It would have kept going, if it weren''t for the look of slight disappointment in my stance as I looked upon it. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. With a gesture, the Undying stalked towards me, and sheathed its swords. It glared menacingly at those still living, then knelt down before my person. "Rise," I commanded, and it did rise, "Take up your position as the Queen''s guard." A mailed fist struck the left side of its breastplate, before returning to its position. Once there, it stood in front of the shield wall, unsheathed its swords, and growled at all in attendance. "These are the Undying," my voice was loud to all present, "They are the new guards of the castle, and soon, they will be this country''s army." I pointed a clawed finger at the masses, "Choose, humans. Subject yourself to us, and you will know prosperity. Or," my eyes glowed a fierce crimson as I spoke the next few words, "you can die." "I won''t let you!" A cry rang out from the other end of the room, and in came the hero with only three of the four girls. My imaginary lips parted into a grin when I saw the little bear-kin was not among them. "Looks like I shall fabricate how you died, little ''hero''," I chuckled as he became confused, "Your bear-kin is not among you. Therefore, she is free to take once you are disposed of." It would be annoying to have the "hero" and his party running about, meddling in my affairs. I already had to make him and his leave on several occasions when I, and many other enthralled Enchanters began to work on creating the Undying. I chuckled at his stupidity, raised an arm, and pointed a clawed finger at his mind-mage girlfriend. Before anyone intoned a spell, a black arrow was seen jutting from the girl''s neck. Her hands flew up to try and stop the blood, but it was too late. This was a special brew of poison made with some scrapings of my non-acidic poisoned bones. I had found out, from a new acquaintance of mine, that it had digestive properties, much like my acidic poison, but it was about 1/100th of its strength. It was still fascinating to watch it eat away at the test subjects of my new acquaintance, and we became partners, of a sort. I would supply the poison, he would brew it, and I would take only forty percent of the profits. No, I did not opt for a higher cut, because I saw no need for money. "Priscilla!" The hero shouted, holding his precious mind-mage close, as she tried to tell him something. Unfortunately for her, the poison worked quickly, and her skin became black around the wound before falling apart into dust. The rest of her body soon followed, and he began to sob while more of the black arrows began to rain heavily upon the trio. It seems their last mage had created a barrier to prevent physical objects, but it did not prevent my magicks from reaching them. "<>," I intoned, pointing three hands, palm up, at the trio. Silvery mist began to form into translucent spheres, then leapt after them. The quickly transformed into miniature howling wolves, and latched onto the three''s necks before seeping into their skin. The arrows stopped falling, as they staggered about, cupping their ears in the hopes of blocking out the wolves'' howls. "What did you do to us?" One of them, the crimson haired fighter, demanded. "I have nullified your resistance to all forms of magick. You will not resist me anymore." Raising up two of my arms, I intoned the spell, "<>," and watched as the thick, silvery magick crawled slowly towards the girls. While this happened, the "hero" launched himself at me, intending to use some sort of spell infused in his sword. Perhaps he believed whatever I had cast would end once I was dead. Well, too bad for him, because once he was almost upon me, I reached up and grasped his wrist. He tried to cast a different spell, but started screaming when I crushed the bones in his wrist, hand, and forearm. Once he fell to the floor, a pair of Undying came, lifted him up, and turned him towards where his female companions were. The scene that played out before his eyes was naught, but mind breaking. You see, I had his companions subjected to... How should I put it? Well, to various forms of entertainment for the enjoyment of the guards. Indeed, he had to watch as many others joined in. If he turned away, a bone would break, and a guard would force his head to turn towards the scene. The little hero even went as far as to shut his eyes at one point. That is, until his eyelids were removed. During the process of removing them, the rape was put on hold until the bleeding stopped, then resumed with him crying. Nearly an hour went by, by the time all of the guards were satisfied, and the little hero had still not broken mentally. If you are wondering what happened to the queen as this all occurred, do not worry. She, LD, and RS were escorted out by her royal guards, and would not return until I said so. However, the nobles, on the other hand, had to witness everything. Indeed, many of the females hid behind the males, hoping I would not subject them to enduring the same treatment as the hero''s'' companions. Although it was tempting, I refrained from doing so. The guards holding the "hero" had let him go, just as I gripped his waist and stalked towards the girls covered in fluids. Judging by their facial expressions, one would believe them to be in bliss, but they would be wrong. "<>," I intoned, passing two hands over them. My imaginary lips turned into a feral grin, as I listened to their screams of pain and torment of what they had to endure. They remembered everything that happened, and this only seemed to infuriate the "hero" further. "Poor hero," I rumbled with mirth, "Unable to do anything to comfort them. Well, no matter." My other three arms grasped part of the hero''s body, and began to slowly pull him apart. The "hero" screamed and struggled as his body was torn into four pieces, which caused his former companions to pass out. Once I confirmed the hero was dead, I dropped the pieces of flesh, and returned to my position in front of the dais. Turning around, I pointed at the pieces of bloody flesh that was once the "hero", as well as the fluid covered females, and said, "Someone clean that mess up. You may keep the female humans as pets, if you wish." As I said this, I saw a couple of the Undying carrying what looked like collared black versions of my Thrall spell, and snap it around the females'' necks. Afterwards, they began to drag the four pieces of the "hero" off to a corner, leaving a trail of blood and gore. Turning towards the group of visually shaken nobles, I laughed and asked, "Will there be any more opposition?" When most shook their paled heads, I asked, "Will you submit to your Queen and I, or do you wish to join the ''hero'' in the afterlife?" Those who were still standing, collapsed onto the ground, shaking, shitting, and urinating themselves at my blood spattered, gored visage. "Good. Good," my laughter echoed throughout the throne room. Chapter 14 AN: Short chapter today, folks, as I''m currently working on a massacre that will occur later on down the road. There will be blood, gore, mayhem, insanity, and no one will be spared. However, the general populace of humans will be ignorant of it until later. So, if you want to see something I haven''t thought of, let me know. It''s been planned out to be a long one. As always, folks, thank you for reading. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, leave it down in the comments section below. ____________________________ Each noble was subjected to a special type of collar. This one was similar to the slave choker, but was much more elegant in design. They varied in precious metals from gold to silver, each with a variety of precious stones native to the land. However, there were a few that were stubborn, and refused to wear it, but were told the alternative was death. Only a couple tried to fight, but were killed with an arrow in their necks. The arrows were the same black arrows that caused the mind-mage''s body to disintegrate slowly, and the surrounding humans watched as they screamed for help as they died. Even in the face of death, a few were still stubborn, but were soon made examples of. Instead of an instant death, they were forced to wear the collars for a few moments, then were ripped off. What happened next, however, made me curious. You see, the ones who made the collars stated that if they were ever removed, the wearer would die. One of the examples'' hearts exploded in his chest, and he could be seen clutching the area around it, as blood dripped from his lips before he fell to the ground. The other, a female, had her head implode. Something continuously sucked her entire skull into a pinpoint where her mouth used to be. Cries of "Monster" could be heard, as each of the survivors were forced to wear the collars, and all glared daggers at my body. "You should have chosen servitude," I casually rumbled down at them, "The collars were made so that none of you would be able to resist my commands. If you somehow manage to do so, they will claim your life." "Did you do this to the Queen?" A young noble glared up at me, but I only chuckled down at him, refusing to answer. My guess is he believed I did. "Have the young queen return." A few of the Undying leapt to obey, turning it into a competition to see who would reach the queen first. "Return to your positions," I commanded the nobles, who all began to moved to either side of the dais, albeit mechanically. "What is that smell?" A high pitched, and very squeaky, voice rang throughout the throne room. It was still very annoying to have to listen to her voice, but I had to endure. "The hero wanted to stop me, then kill you." Her eyes grew wide and fearful, and I could see the four four-armed Undying tense and surround her more securely. "Do not worry," I waved two of my hands to dispel any concerns, "Him, his party, and the nobles responsible have been dealt with. The others are ready to swear their undying loyalty to you, their Queen." There was a glint in my eyes, as I commanded the surviving nobles to swear their loyalty to the queen, and to make sure no harm would come to her. They also had to pledge a variety of other things, which included their silence of today''s events. They did so, but a few had to be choked when they tried to be extremely vague in their pledge. Although there were still a few, and were subsequently choked, the rest made sure to be as specific as possible. It was an annoying time, but the plans for the ceasefire and treaty were being drawn up. I was quite pleased to see a squadron of guards, led by a four-armed Undying, had left the city to initiate the ceasefire. Not many in the city were happy about it, but there wasn''t much they could do. The young queen had the full support of the nobles, and not even bribery or attempted assassination swayed them. Those that tried to assassinate a noble was killed by their own defenses, whereas those that attempted to slay the queen were captured and butchered publically. Personally, I didn''t much care for the executions, and instead, explored the city proper. I had to constantly remind the queen, and the other thralls, that I didn''t need their protections. She was persistent in protecting their ''master'', and I relented saying, "Okay, but they are not to stray too close to my person as I explore the city." Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Casting ''Illusion: Human'' in front of those who would be tailing me allowed them some comforts. This way, they would know what I looked like, in case of some sort of accident or incident I may, or may not, cause. The pair of guards that would be tailing me were actually brother and sister. They both had similar angular facial features, doe shaped eyes that drooped a bit south near the far corners, small, thin mouths, and a button nose. They both had a military cut of a hair style, but the female sibling''s hair was auburn, while the male was an iron grey. The pair were not a part of the Undying, so they only had to wear a faded, blue uniform with an iron cap, breastplate, grieves, and vambraces. The female held an iron buckler and a sword, while the male had a short pike and kite shield. Of all the humans I have met, it was these two that made an impression by name alone. The female''s name was Cassandra, and the brother''s Cain. For those in attendance, Cassandra Cain was the name of a female hero back on my first home, and is an expert martial artist. If you are wondering whether or not these two had even a fraction of her expertise, then you would be wrong to think so. They may have the passion for it, but were far too green, and stuck out like a sore thumb when tailing me. We left through a side entrance of the castle, one that led near the end on the noble''s district, and opened out to the merchant''s quarter. Even after the public execution, life below seemed to astonish me, as they moved about without much worry. Of course, there was still the odd thief running away with their spoils, but none seemed to bother me after I broke a few wrists. Having foreign hands search your person of valuables always seemed to make me feel unhappy, but their reactions afterwards was always pleasing to hear. There were, of course, a few here and there who had not gotten the point, and had their own wrists broken for it. Why anyone would want to try and steal from an old man in a faded blue robe was beyond me. I guess they figured I was easy because of my perceived age, and nothing else. These little thoughts are what kept me sighing, as I browsed each merchant''s wares. I didn''t really buy anything from them, truth be told, but the variety was still astounding. Fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, and loaves of bread seemed to be the standard staple for these people, but I could not try anything. No, I would need an actual tongue to be able to taste their flavours properly. As I was browsing the various cheeses, I heard the muffled yells of a female in trouble coming from an alleyway to my left. No, I was not the heroic type, but I was curious, and began walking towards that which had garnered my attention. The scene before me played out like so. There was a brutish thug of a male, with his pants halfway down his thighs, a badly bruised, and unconscious boy-child lying half submerged in dirtied water, and a little girl-child with a torn, frilly dress backing away from the thug. See, I have no problems with hearing tales of rape. hell, I''ve initiated it just like what happened to the "hero''s" companions on multiple occasions. Those scenarios are okay with me. However... However, I cannot STAND it when someone commits, or tries to commit, a crime that involves harming children. I do not know what happens when I see or hear about these crimes, because something in me just snaps, and the offender/s become a red smear upon the walls. This happened with the brutish thug. One moment he was there, about to harm the girl-child, the next moment his head was rolling down the alley while the rest of his body became paint for the buildings on either side. So there I was, panting heavily with two children in my arms, both unconscious, and the two guards were just staring at my person with shocked and paled faces. "I detest those that try to harm children," I growled at the world, turned on my heel, and walked out of the alley. It seems my display of disgust went unnoticed by the general public. That is, until guards started swarming the place, led by a four-armed Undying. How they heard of what had happened confused me greatly for a time. Then again, this was another world, and they had their own magicks. "<>," I intoned, and I, with the two children, vanished from sight. It was my desire to help the children, and the guards, though they mean well, would only delay their healing treatments. Chapter 15 AN: Two chapters today, folks. Just trying to get through most of the fluff. As always, thank you for reading. If there''s any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know. Thank you. ______________________________________________ Instead of rushing off to a healer, I decided to return to my temporary home near the castle. It was a small cathedral that was left in disrepair. The building was condemned for years, until I moved in, and I felt at home while in it. The place reminded me of the ruined cathedral back on Azzarath, but was missing a few things. Such as the tattered tapestries and the old, gilded throne. At the time, I wondered what ever happened to it. The cathedral, itself, only had one room available. This was the chapel, as all else had been torn down in the past couple of years. In the corner, near a rotted out pedestal, was a small bed. It was there because every now and again, I would receive a "guest" in the form of a middle man for the acquisition of poison for my "business partner", and they sometimes needed a place to sleep while I collected about a small vial of poison scrapings. Currently, the bed was empty, so I laid the unconscious children down upon it. I ensured they would be comfortable, as I went in search of a few medicinal potions that I had created. I am not saying I am the best, but I do know how to make basic healing potions and salves well enough. I placed the potions off to the side of the bed, and retrieved a small container of the salve. Whereupon, I gently took of the boy-child''s shirt to better assess the damage. It wasn''t pretty. He was covered in black, blue, and yellow bruises, and looked as though he became a punching bag for someone, who then used a cane after a time. These marks caused me to snarl, and I could feel a few cracks begin to spread out from my lips. Just as I was about to apply the salve, I noticed something odd about the two. Instead of little hands and feet, they were paws of a small canine. This was odd, and I wondered why I didn''t see it before. The pair didn''t have a tail sticking out, but that could mean anything. Such as it could be tucked into their shorts, or worse. Someone could have removed them. I quivered in anger, but became relieved as I found the boy-child''s tale, and pulled it out of his pants. The girl-child''s, on the other hand, I decided to not search for. I didn''t feel comfortable touching her, even if I acquired her permission at a later date. Although I had no issues lifting them up, petting their heads, and the like, actually touching a child made me feel ill. Children, by themselves, are innocent creatures we should all cherish and protect. However, there are exceptions to this rule, and it is only ONE. If they are mentally unstable, psychotic killing machines, then I had no issues with putting them down. Although it pains me to say it, I have killed children who were this way. Always, after they died, I wanted to shed a waterfall of tears at their passing. The boy-child''s fur, I guess you can call it, was a matted dark brown. It was matted only around the back of his skull, which was caked with clotted blood. He fell hard, probably trying to protect the girl-child. His face was dirty, and after cleaning off as much as I could, I saw he had purple bruises on the right side of his face. I wanted to kill something when I saw this, and began to ply the salve to his bruised body and face. He was adorable, in his own right, and would be again once he healed up. His eyes were large, round spheres of blue and gold, and the lower part of his face was a small muzzle of a pup. I had the desire to hug his small frame, and pet his head slowly, but refrained from doing so. Yes, I have a soft spot for small, adorable creatures. I am not a completely heartless creature, as some of you believe my past self was. One of my core tenants is to do no harm to children, unless they were the sole exception. However, the universe is a cruel, and terrible place. So much so, it doesn''t allow you to protect those you wish to protect, but I digress. The girl-child did have bruises, too, but they seemed to be centered along her arms. I still wasn''t allowing myself to remove her dress, not because of what I feared was under there, but because, as I said before, I was not comfortable in doing so. No, instead, I found a female Undying, and instructed her to remove the girl-child''s clothing, ply the salve wherever there was bruising, then let me know what was found. I had stepped out of the cathedral, and stood there fuming for a time. I was did my best to reign in my rage, but was slowly losing my grip on it. Destroying the city below would ease some of my anger, but would have to settle on destroying a few random boulders that littered the ground around the small cathedral. As I was turning the third boulder to gravel, the female Undying saluted in front of my cracking human form. "Well?" I growled down at her, who shook in fear for a moment, took a few breaths to calm herself, then began to report. I will say this much, the female Undying in front of me was thorough. She began with the boy-child, and believed he was a Beastman of the Tundra Wolf tribe. The girl-child was believed to be a Beastwoman of the Night Stalker tribe. This tribe was feline in nature, as her dark fur, hair, long ears, slitted irises, and small whiskers upon her equally small muzzle gave her away. How the two ended up together was beyond her, but she did say that the Tundra Wolf tribe were incredibly stubborn in their ways, and always stood up for any females. Especially if that female was being attacked. It was entirely possible he rushed off to her aid, not caring what happened to himself. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. "They''ll need clothing and food," I began, but was stopped when the Undying had more to say. She was quivering once she saw my visage as she said, "The girl looked to have been raped -" My own silver magicks began to crackle about my form, as the hold on my rage was gone. Violet and crimson lightning formed itself around my body, as the human illusion shattered once more. No words were said, but a silent scream could be heard from my open maw. Madness had taken over my mind, and I desired naught, but the destruction of others. I knew my thralls could feel my anger, and those close came running towards me. There was a madness in their eyes, as well, as more of my magicks leapt from my bones, destroying the ground about my body. The thralls stayed away from my erratic magicks, but calmed down once an ocean blue light began to shine from my bones. Gone was the madness that sought to claim me, and in its place was serenity. This caused my bones to shake, and I quickly applied various armor enchantments to it, before collapsing onto my hands and knees. "Master!" Came shouts, as several four-armed Undying steadied me to my feet. "The girl-child," I pointed towards the cathedral, "Have an artist create an image of her head, and search for where she came from. Once you do, gather up a squadron. We have some child rapists to hunt down." ***** The children had, since then, moved to the castle after my explosion the day before. Not because of any danger perceived by my person, but to have access to the healers present within the castle. Turns out, the boy-child had a few punctured organs and internal bleeding. It''s too bad the thug, who was most likely the culprit, died when he did. I would have enjoyed his screams for a long time. This caused me to sigh, as I mentally scrolled through the various spells in my arsenal. I wanted to not appear as a giant skeleton to the children, but something else so as to not scare them once they''ve awoken. I had a variety of illusion spells to choose from, but I did notice another that was not an illusion. This was called "Gift of the Wolf", and permanently turned a being''s race into a beastman of a random wolf tribe. I would hold off on that one for now. Probably use it on others, but who knows? Maybe I would use it on myself. "<>," I intoned, as my silvery magick began to spread out in front of my person, forming the body. The illusion I had chosen wasn''t a beastman in the least. No, these were considered to be anthromorphic hounds; distant relatives of the wolf tribes. The one my body would fit into was not all that tall, when comparing it to my skeletal frame. It stood at a height of 202 centimetres, had lean muscles, and three jointed legs. This was so that they could run faster when hunting. It had standard clawed hands and feet, like any other anthromorphs and beastmen, as well as a small, wolf-like head. The fur I chose was of the fluffier sort, which gave off a soft feel. The colour of the fur, however, was a midnight black with specks of silver throughout it. This was made to look like the stars in the dark ocean known as the night''s sky. The eyes of my new illusion were of the same colour as my fur, black with silver specks in it. Once the body was created, my own skeletal frame began to shrink in on itself, as I stepped into the Kobold shell for the first time. It was an odd feeling, to be sure, as I was used to being in a human shell for so long, and fell multiple times. It was slow going, and I struggled even as I tried to don some clothing a few Undying had gotten for me. It didn''t bothered me as they chuckled softly at my failure. No, for I would have laughed along with them, and did so several times. Eventually, and with the help those in attendance, I was able to get into the pants. Everything else I shrugged off, and walked into the room. Everyone stared at my Kobold self, but only a few went back to what they were doing. I could see the healers, who wore simple white robes, were still healing the boy-child, and that the girl-child was awake and eating a little. She looked scared, as her large, slitted eyes darted around the room. Her eyes seemed to grow even larger, once they landed on my body. What surprised me most was her next action, which was her scampering over to me, and hiding behind my legs. I was curious, truth be told, and looked down at her. She squeezed her eyes shut, shivered for a few heart beats, then raised up her arms as though she wanted a hug. I obliged her, and she clung to my fur whilst crying softly. At that point, I was stunned, and could do nothing except try to comfort her with head pets and back pats. It seems she had endured far too much in her short life, and was just glad to find something to cling to. Chapter 16 AN: And now, most of the fluff has ended. However, each chapter will have a bit here and there, but only because there''s an adorable little creature with him. If there aren''t any, then he''d be his insane self once more. As always folks, thank you for reading the story. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know. ________________________________________________ The feline girl-child kept close to me from that point on, and would shiver in fright whenever a male human was spotted by her. It seems the image of the thug was still fresh in her mind, and would need time to get over it. She would not eat anything, unless a female, or myself, gave her something to eat and drink. The squeaky queen, it seemed, enjoyed being around the little girl-child, and would often bring some sort of sweet fish for them to snack on. However, even though she enjoyed being around the squeaky queen, she still refused to leave my side. Then there was the issue of the wolf boy-child. He hadn''t awoken, but was alive. This was no thanks to the healers, however, as they seemed to sneer and whine about "wasting their talents on a dog that should be abandoned somewhere". The thralls nearest my person had picked up on my anger, and were quick to obey my words. I desired to have the boy-child healed, and if they refused, then they would die. When one continued to refuse, he was killed instantly, whilst I covered the girl-child''s eyes and ears. She did not appreciate my wanting to protect her, and covered her eyes after seeing the dead body of the defiant healer. The other healers cowered under the brutality, and one even tried to demand why they were listening to a " dog that needs a leash and a muzzle". That one died as well, while the remaining two healers were quick to join the ranks of my thralls. They, in quick succession, had healed the wolf boy-child, and told me he would have died within a few days, if I hadn''t told them when I did. These thoughts angered me, but it was also at that moment I was told of the prejudices towards non-humans. I listened to my thralls, at the tales of slaughter and slavery that all humans were taught when they were young. It is a tale that is not for children, truth be told, so I did my best to put the clingy feline cat-girl to sleep, and tucked her into the bed. I did promise her, however, that I would be here when she awoke. I never brake my promises to children, you see. Their disappointment would be too much to bear. She was given a sleep inducing tea, to which she drank and began yawning greatly. I could see her little canines showing, as well as her bristly tongue. She stared into my own eyes, as she finally drifted off into sleep. "Place female only guards on this room," I growled at those in attendance. "Any male, who is not myself, that steps in here is to be executed on the spot." There were a few salutes, as we all left the room, and it was at this time I had noticed a strange human loitering about the halls. After inquiring as to who he was, he informed me he was the artist brought up to do a sketch of the cat girl-child. He then handed the sketch to a guard, who handed it to myself, and I found it passable. There were a few details missing here and there, but it was the girl-child for the most part. Once paid, I had the guards find someone to duplicate the sketch, and to send people to find out more about the girl-child and her companion. "So troublesome," I muttered to myself, growing into my skeletal form once more. I had remembered the pants, this time, and took them off before becoming a giant. While walking down the hallway, contemplating on what to do, I became aware of various stares at my person. These stares were a mixture of nervousness, anxiety, and fear. Nervousness, because they didn''t know what to do, say, or think, anxiety because the guards didn''t so much as blink an eye at me, and fear because I was a giant monster roaming the halls. I sighed mentally, and had a few thralls explain to those who saw me that I was summoned by the late king to solve their "demon" problem, and that the new queen had accepted my presence. We let them think what they will about the various Undying and normal guards saluting as I past, as well as the few that were following my person. There was only a few bystanders who were there when I butchered the hero right after I made him watch as his companions were raped repeatedly, and they fled my sight the moment my eyes were upon them. Guess they didn''t enjoy the show. We wandered the halls, as I contemplated what to do with my time. I couldn''t very well run off to explore the world, not with the children still here, and we still haven''t found out where they belonged. I wasn''t about to drop them off at the nearest orphanage, because I didn''t know what would happen to them. These thoughts kept me in a confused state, and when I awoke from it, I found myself as a kobold with only pants. The door to the children''s new room was in front of me, so I rapped my knuckles once, then entered. ***** The feline girl-child opened up more to myself, the squeaking queen, and a few of the maids who had children of their own, over the next few days. From one of the maids, I found out the girl wasn''t touched by a man, but fell onto something hard, which would explain why the female guard found bruising around the area. This was, in and of itself, a relief, as I was loathe to try and explain why a male would do to her what I thought someone did. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The wolf boy-child, on the other hand, regained consciousness within a day, and tried to attack my kobold body as I was about to pick up the girl-child. She stared wide eyed at the pair of us, when he began floating and flailing in front of my person. It was here that they found out I could use magicks, and were scared at first, but became less wary as time went on. Well, I would say this, except for the fact that the boy-child continued to try and "protect" the girl-child from the "scary kobold who knew how to use magicks". The scene was entertaining, to say the least, for the first couple of days. However, I was becoming more annoyed by the third day. I would have snapped, if it weren''t for the fact that four beings were here for the children. These beings, two males and their female partners, claimed guardianship over the children we had. It seems the pair who were looking for the boy-child only came upon the guards by happenstance. They were searching for the whereabouts of the girl-child''s place of residence, when the frantic parents asked them of their own, and became relieved, and a tad frightened, to know he was staying in the castle with a kobold watching over them. The first pair to show up were, quite obviously, the parents of the wolf boy-child. The male was a muscular wolf-kin with dark brown hair, ears, and a bushy tail that curled towards his lower back. His skin was bronze in colour, as though he spent far too much time in the sun. However, the truth of that matter was he works in a forge, and his skin became that colour after plying his craft to various living metals. Living metals, by the by, are metals that have absorbed the energies of the world for hundreds of years. So much so, many of them have wills of their own, and beating them into shape causes many skins of blacksmiths to change in colour to match metals used. In his case, it was equal amounts of copper and tin to create bronze. The female, on the other hand, was of the Tundra Wolf tribe, but chose to live with the wolf-kin despite opposition from the tribe. She did explain her situation, even though I never asked, and decided to ignore it. Probably wasn''t the best choice on my part, but I didn''t really needed to hear someone''s life-story just for the retrieval of their child. However, what told me they were his parents was two factors. One, she had the same blue-gold eyes as the boy-child, and two, from the fact that after he saw them, he cried, "Mama! Papa," and leapt into their arms. Whereupon, they hugged, cried, scolded, and cuddled the child. The other two to claim guardianship of the feline were an odd pair. They were a pair of white cat-kins in matching red clothing. The male had a red, tailor made suit that made him look like a butler, while the female had a red maid outfit. They spoke oddly, too. Mistress this, or Mistress that, and never saying I, we, or my. However, when the feline girl-child entered the room, the male was the one to speak up with, "The Mistress will be pleased you are well. Come." He then motioned for her to follow him, but she refused, and hid behind my kobold body. The male''s eye twitched, as he retrieved something that resembled a bull whip, but much shorter. This action caused the girl to cry, but stopped when an Undying placed the tip of its sword upon the nape of his neck. "It is punishment for disobedience," he tried to explain, as the female cat-kin began pulling out what looked like needles from a hidden pocket. "The Mistress," she began, but began to choke as I used both arms to choke the air in front of them. "I do not care," I growled at the pair of them, as I plied a levitation spell to them to make them float towards my being. Gone from my eyes were the starry night''s sky, and in its place were a pair or crimson orbs that flare brightly in front of them. They began to claw at my arms, as their necks were in my grasp, and were now being dragged towards a pair of four-armed Undying. "You will spend a night with the Torturer. He has gotten lonely of late, and will be glad for the company." The pair began to struggle fiercely, but it was for naught as the Undying began to chain them up, and dragged them towards the dungeons. Looking down at my arms, I could see cracks on them, telling me the illusion was about the expire. Quickly, I reapplied the illusion, then turned around to see a quivering feline girl-child peeking out from behind and equally scared pair of maids. The maids had come with the girl-child to see her off, and to give her a few sweets when she left. "Who is this ''Mistress''," I wondered aloud, whilst looking in the direction of the girl-child. Whoever this person was, they''ve made the top of my list of people who must die. Chapter 17 AN: The bear-kin girl shows up in this one, and there''s a bit of a twist to it. Anyways, thank you for reading. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. __________________________________________ The bear-kin showed up the day after the pair of white cat-kins were gifted to the torturer. Who, by the by, was very grateful to accommodate the pair. You see, he''s been quite lonely of late, and only had rats and the odd cat to torment and tear apart. There was one fact he mentioned, when I graced him with my presence- as a human- the next day, the pair of cat-kins were of the rare variety. In that, they felt one another''s joy, sorrow, and, most importantly, each other''s pain. He demonstrated this by slamming a wooden mallet into the male cat-kin''s shin. There was an audible snap, and the pair of them screamed in pain. This was interesting to me, and I wondered what would happen to the male if the female was stimulated sexually. The torturer''s expression was positively evil, which got me grinning madly, as he began to insert two rods into the lower part of the female, who was tied to a chair with her legs splayed out. She was struggling, pleading, as the torturer began supplying the rods with a type of electrical magicks. The cat-kin screamed with pleasure, as her fluids erupted from her body, forcing the rods out like missiles from a tube. The male, who had been chained to a wall and could no longer support his body, had ejaculated into an odd container. When I questioned him about it, he said, "The cat-kins are rare specimens for magickal and alchemical users. Their flesh, blood, and semen are used in a variety of ways. From increasing a male''s libido and a woman''s fertility rate, to creating poisons and enriched fertilizers for bountiful harvests. These reasons alone are what killed most of them off. How they flew under the radar for so long is a mystery." "They kept mentioning a ''Mistress''-" "Her?" He scoffed, then looked thoughtful, "Yes, she would keep them safe, but to send them here? They must have been well guarded, or she didn''t much care for them." The female cat-kin glared up at us, opened her mouth to speak, but found it gagged by one of the torturer''s assistants. "Now, now. Can''t have you talking just yet," he giggled as another of his assistants pushed in a cart full of odd tools and devices. It was here that I realised most of them were for females. "I''ve never had a woman down here before," he giggled maniacally at me, "I''m going to have SO much fun with her." He paused for a moment when I asked him who this ''Mistress'' was. "Her?" He looked annoyed for a moment, then shrugged, "She runs a whorehouse in the Red Light District. Hard to miss, really, as it is the largest building there." His face twisted in disgust at this point, "Which reminds me. She also runs an orphanage in the back, and most of the end up becoming part of the whorehouse when they grow up." I pressed him for further details, but he only shrugged saying, "My... ''clients'' are the ones who said it, so don''t take my word on it, but about a year before you lot showed up, there was a scandal in which that whorehouse allowed children to be bedded. Of course, it was shut down, and reopened with the ''Mistress'' in charge, but a few people have claimed it''s still possible." I was fuming as I left, and could hear the torturer''s maniacal laughter echoing throughout the dungeon and halls leading to that section. This was soon followed by the screams of ecstasy and pain of both the male and female cat-kins. It was my desire to head down to this ''Red Light District'', to give into the madness that called out to me, and kill everyone and everything, but I held on. I gripped the madness that threatened to overwhelm me, and kept it at bay. Because I knew, if I let it go, then I would have to leave the country. No one would want a rampaging thing loose in their country, and, thrall or not, I would be hunted down by the queen and her army. This was a sobering thought, and I would have to be tactful. I calmed down after an hour of crushing boulders near my cathedral, when the bear-kin appeared before me. She was crying, and demanded to know if what everyone says was true. When asked what she meant, she cried, "Everyone says Priscilla, Maggi, Sakura, and Sasuke tried to kill the queen, and that you killed them!" She was bawling her eyes out, as I came up to her. She embraced my cracking human form, and I began to pet her head slowly. "Though it pains me to say this," it did not, by the way, "I did kill him, and he did try to kill the queen. You see, he had fallen into a trap of another noble who wanted the throne. I do not recall which noble it was, but they have been dealt with. You see, this noble began to put poisonous thoughts into our ''hero''s'' head, which caused him to act out and gather his companions to try and kill her. "Luckily for her, she had myself and the Undying. Do you remember them?" She nodded with wide eyes, and I continued spinning my tale for her, "This noble was against having them around, because they could not be corrupted by his words and coin. So he wanted to take over, and become the king. My guess was, he told the ''hero'' he was the rightful king, or some such nonsense, which spurred the hero into attacking her even more so. Although, why he attacked her in full view of every noble was beyond me, but it was my guess that he would have had... Pricilla, was it?, mesmerise everyone to some degree. So that they may do away with the queen quickly. Stolen story; please report. "However, I do not believe he remembered that I am who I am, and thus resistant to any forms of mental attacks. Unfortunately," my eyes grew sorrowful at this point, "I killed Pricilla so that all may know of his treachery, and the rest of them were subsequently killed afterwards." She stood there, stunned for a time with wide eyes. There was a vacant look in them, and she crumpled onto her hands and knees. She looked lost, hopeless, helpless, and I secretly smiled down at her. ''You''re mine now, little bear-kin,'' my own thoughts were maddeningly joyful, as I looked down at her fragile self, ''Too bad I cannot have loose ends,'' and I began to reach down towards her. I was fully intending to strangle her whilst laughing in her face, but she startled me sober with her next action. She hugged my cracking human body tightly, until the illusion shattered, and her small body was hugging my poisoned soaked neck. There were shredded bits of cloth about my person, but I was stunned. Not knowing what to do, I began to lightly stroke her head and back with a clawed finger. ''Well,'' I thought slowly, ''I guess she''ll live for a few more days.'' ***** The bear-kin fell asleep soon afterwards, and was placed on the only bed in the cathedral. I began hunting for a pair of usable pants soon after, and once they were on, began the long walk back to the castle with her in my arms. Truth be told, she was really adorable in my arms, but she really did have to die. If only she would have joined me when I asked, I would have enjoyed having a corrupted bear-kin for an ally. The thought of her laughing maniacally as she slaughtered countless humans caused the edges of my imaginary lips to twitch upwards. It really was a wonderful thought, but alas, it was for naught. I sighed heavily, and placed her within an unoccupied room''s bed. Tucking her into the bed, I pat her head a few times, and was rewarded with a small smile as she snuggled into the sheets. "Sasuke...," she murmured, which caused me to snarl and snatch my hand away. At this point, my thoughts turned to madness. ''He''s dead!'' Came one thought, which was quickly followed by, ''It should be ME!'' In my mind, I roared and howled at the thoughts, causing them to grow silent. ''She is NOT mine,'' I howled at them, ''I NEVER wanted her for THAT! This will not turn into a scenario of "If I cannot have her, then no one will". No, she will die because she is a loose end. Besides, the feline girl-child will fill that role.'' I grinned menacingly as I turned to leave the bear-kin alone. Sobering up, I called a few Undying over to my person. Once gathered, I had a couple stand guard in front of the bear-kin''s room. They are to inform me the moment she wakes up, but not to allow her to find me. To the rest, however, they are to find out where she lives and slaughter them down to the last infant. This was done to insure there are no others who were immune to my poisoned, acidic bones. Human or otherwise, they all had to die. However, I had to make sure they went in disguise as another faction. That way, if they''ve ties to a tribe of bear beastmen, then that tribe would go after the other. I told them it was up to them on which they chose, so long as it wasn''t the Night Stalkers. The feline girl-child was adorable, and I did not want some random assassin of an equally random bear tribe trying to kill what was under my care. If you are wondering why I did this, I would tell you it was to tie up any loose ends, and to prevent anyone from becoming a potential thorn in my side, but the truth was far simpler. I wanted to break her. It really is just that simple. You see, she just lost the person she loved, so how far over the edge would my shove be, when my Undying kill her family in the guise of another tribe? I wanted to be there when she heard the news. I wanted to see her reaction, and the reaction of the torturer when I tell him what she went through before dying. Yes, I would tell the torturer. Did you know? Madness attracts madness, and I wanted to know how his experiments with the cat-kins went before venturing off to take care of this "Mistress." Chapter 18 AN: Short chapter, but it''s a prelude to an extra long one. One that''s almost 4000 words. Took me two days to write that one up. Oh, for those who don''t know/remember/what have you, I have a bit of a buffer whenever I write something. For this one, it''s in the form of extra chapters, as I am currently on chapter 22. It''s so that if people, or myself, have anything to add, I can go back and change the story''s flow a smidge. Also, the kitsune bit won''t show up until the MC has taken care of some thorns in his side. Don''t really know how long that will take, truth be told. So if it looks like it''ll take too long, I''ll pop it in somewhere. As always, folks, thank you for reading. If you''ve any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. ____________________________________ With the Undying discussing how to take down a whole house of tribal bear beastmen and bear-kins, I made my way towards a small garden near the squeaking queen''s room. Once there, I spied the feline girl-child playing with a small human boy-child of one of the maids. She seemed curious, but happy to play with someone else for a change. Yes, I have played with the girl-child before, but I can only do so much. For you see, I am not well versed in the matters of raising small children. No, which is why the maids present are a large help in this. Indeed, they were quick to laugh at my blunders, until there were too many, and had to step in. For this, I was grateful for the assistance in caring for this child. She turned her head towards me with widened eyes, and dashed off to jump into my arms. Once there, she snuggled up to my neck, while I stroked her head slowly. Mentally, I would sigh a great sigh. For you see, I cannot feel what others feel, see what they see, smell what they smell, nor taste what they taste. I do not have emotions as others do, or, perhaps, I was not allowed to have them. This was indeed my hypothesis as an Undead, and you may be wondering about the other senses, so let me tell you. An Undead cannot feel pain. Have you heard of the stories where armies of the undead marched ceaselessly towards their goal? How they continue fighting even after losing each of their limbs until their heads are smashed? A normal, mortal being could not march ceaselessly, as they would tire and complain of sore muscles. Nor could they fight after losing a limb, for they would scream and cry once it is gone. No, they cannot feel pain, and because of this, they cannot feel emotions, nor can they feel the things they touch. I would always become enraged within my mind, when I could not feel the softness of the feline girl-child''s fur. However, if my anger persists far longer than it should, something within my being forces me to calm down. Yes, you have heard me laugh with glee, and these are true emotions, but my past self could only mimic those emotions. I could never call them mine, not until I stepped onto the path of an Ageless, but I digress once more. The boy-child saw me, just as his mother saw me, and she waved me over. She was not, herself, a thrall, but she did act like one sometimes. You may be wondering how I know this. It is because each of my thralls have a tell tale sign of always knowing who I am, despite my illusions. They also have this peculiar smile that is both amusing, and creepy, whenever I am in their presence. The maid herself was young, by human standards, at only twenty cycles old. With fair skin, eyes of gold, and hair of the same hue and shine, whoever didn''t want her must be insane. Yes, yes. My past self was insane, so stop staring at me. Anyways, the female introduced her small boy-child as Gregor, but stopped and looked at me inquisitively. "I don''t believe you ever told me your name." She was right, now that I realised it, I never did tell anyone my name. Not the new queen, Brutus, or my thralls. Shrugging, I merely told her to call me Kobold, and cringed when she said, "Gregor, this is Kobold-san-" "Stop," my left eye squinted in annoyance. "Wha-" "Don''t. Just don''t EVER use those sorts of honourifics around me," I growled a low growl, to which the girl-child mewed pitifully, and cowered a bit to my side. To which I stopped and hugged her small frame close to my own. My growl also attracted two of my Undying thralls, who stood near me, searching for an unknown enemy. When they could not find one, they turned towards me, waiting for instructions, but were waved away. "I do not like hearing them, as I''ve heard enough to last several lifetimes from the former ''hero'' and his old starter harem." "But," she began, then stopped when I raised up a clawed finger. "If you must use it, then do so when I am NOT present. Or else, you will find me very much angered, and you would not like to see me angry." Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.***** The bear-kin awoke later that day, as I was carrying the feline girl-child back to her room for her afternoon nap. As to her age, in case you were wondering, she was, at the time, around eight or nine cycles old. She is easily impressionable, and far too adorable for her age. At the time of my returning her to her room, she had a new habit of sucking on her thumb when nervous or sleepy. She was doing so now and I couldn''t help, but coo down at her. Yes, the action was fake, but it looked real to the rest of the world. A two-armed Undying saluted me just as I was about to enter her room, and informed me of the bear-kin''s awakened state. The Undying also said she was looking for my human self, and was wondering why she wasn''t allowed to leave. I sighed at the report, and dismissed the Undying. So troublesome, as I wanted to just end it all, but seeing her reaction was what kept me from doing so. Ah well. Placing the girl-child to bed was a battle in and of itself, but I had an ocean of patience by my side. She continued to cling to me, even while she was mostly asleep at this point, and it seemed to take forever, but I finally was able to tuck her into the bed. Unfortunately, she mewed pitifully until after I rubbed a pillow across my chest and back. I did this so that she could hold onto something with my sent. This is what the maids told me, but seeing how I could not smell anything, I took it at their word. The girl-child was clinging to the pillow, and even began to chew on the edges a bit, when I shut the door as I exited. A robe was handed to me as I became my human self once more. Two guards trailed behind me, as I made my way to the door of the bear-kin. It was here I could hear shouts and demands of the bear-kin, and entered quickly. She was currently screaming at one of my enthralled Undying, demanding my presence. I did not like her demanding anything, and felt only disgust for her as I cleared my throat quite loudly. The screaming stopped, and she gave an exasperated sigh of relief when she saw my form. "Finally," her body seemed to just appear before me once she said this, "Where have you been?" Her hands were on her hips when she asked her question, and I couldn''t help, but wonder what happened to the adorable bear-kin I wanted to journey with me. It seems my job is going to become much easier, if she has been like this since meeting the "hero". Indeed, I would savour her reaction when the time came. "My business is my own," I rumbled slowly down at her. I was annoyed at her, and it showed. "Thank you for your hospitality, but I have to leave. My family-" "Will die soon," I was grinning with madness etched upon my human face. "What?" She was flabbergasted, and took a step back. Her eyes widened to large saucers, as my grin became wider, and cracks began to form all over my face. "I must apologise," I chuckled as the Undying and guards unsheathed their weapons, pointing them at her body. "You see, I cannot have any loose ends. You refused to become a companion of mine of your own free will, and instead, chose the hero. I cannot have you running around, finding out the truth, and becoming a thorn in my side. No," I had become my skeletal self as I spoke, and quickly snatched her up by her arms. She struggled, and I pulled her close to my head, "No. We cannot have that." "Why are you doing this?" She screamed at me, struggling in my grip, despite it being a futile effort. "Why?" My imaginary lips grinned evilly, "Because, I am in charge, and your ''friends'' were annoying." I would not tell her anything else, even after she realised my story was a lie. "Inform the guards. They will have a new toy to ''have fun'' with." I laughed a boisterously chilling laugh, as a guard, who licked his lips with expectation, attached a blackened collar to the bear-kin''s neck. Who then became limp with dead eyes, and a slight moan of pleasure escaped her lips, when several guards began to remove her clothing. I, and many of those who did not wish to participate, left quickly just as grunts and loud moans came from the room. "Now then," I began speaking to those who were with me, "let us go and plan murder and mayhem. For soon, the nights will be filled with the blood and screams of our enemies." My eyes flared a baleful crimson, just as the Undying began to make preparations for the battle to come. It would be my first real battle upon this world, and I couldn''t wait for it. Chapter 19 AN: Really long chapter, folks, almost 4000 words. As always folks, thank you for reading. If there are any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. _____________________________________ Do you know how annoyingly frustrating it is to plan out the destruction of a small tribe? If I had hair, I would have pulled it all out from the tediousness of it all. First, were the problems. The whole lot of them were well liked by other tribes, and well loved by the populace. Then there was the fact that they were abnormally polite and all around "nice". It reminded me of a country of people, back on my first world, who were stereotypically "nice". So nice were these humans, they had become adorable, and were even talks about adopting them as a whole. Hell, I was a part of the group that wanted to own their very own adorable person, but alas, it was illegal to do so. I sighed heavily as I was read the reports, and found that this tribe was not nice to the point of adorableness, but to the point of them being creepy. If you are wondering why I didn''t just read them myself, it is because their language is too strange. It''s a mixture of Chinese characters mixed with chicken scratches of numbers. All in all, I had many imaginary headaches just trying to understand their alphabet. I was currently in my Kobold form, with the feline girl-child "attacking" my tail, as it playfully swatted her head, face, and body. I was glad she didn''t understand what was going on, as well as the distraction of her playfulness against my tail. Every now and again, I would spy a few of the female guards and Undying glancing in her direction. They looked as though they wanted to pet and cuddle her, but refrained from doing so. One issue from doing just that was the girl-child becoming scared and running off. This happened on more than one occasion, to the point where I forbade them from approaching her unless absolutely necessary. Most complained about my decision, but my word is Law amongst them, so they refrained from pressing the issue. "So? Any ideas on how to proceed with killing them all?" We had thought of inviting the lot of them for a celebration and poisoning them all at the party, but was quickly ruled out. If there were more like the bear-kin, who can resist my acidic poison, then we cannot use it. We also ruled out outright slaughter. Main reason for this was the fact that many of them were merchants and mercenaries, and were not with the tribe at the moment. Such a headache, this was. "Well," began a four-armed Undying who, by the by, was the High General and the Queen''s left hand when it came to her armies. Her right hand in the armies was the Grand General, and he was overseeing the ceasefire, which wasn''t going as planned at the moment. "Well, without outsourcing a far away tribe, or creating one ourselves-" I stood up at this, my eyes wide with realisation. This action alone caused the girl-child to mew happily, as she finally caught my tail. She was being rocked back and forth, as it swayed slowly, unhindered by her weight. "That''s it!" I cried out with a feral grin, "We can create our own." "And how would we go about doing that?" He looked incredulous as I continued to grin. I giggle maniacally, which caused the girl-child to giggle happily as she crawled on top of my head. "I have a spell," was all I said. ***** Later that evening, we were standing on a catwalk that overlooked cages of chained humans. To my left and right were armed Undying, each with either a sword and shield, short pike, or a bow with a quiver full of black arrows. "Is this everyone you could find?" I asked a four-arm Undying to my left, who nodded, which caused me to sigh heavily. "There aren''t that many," and there wasn''t. There was only about two dozen humans packed into the warehouse, but they would still suit my needs. "There aren''t that many human slaves and killers," came the High General''s reply, who looked down at the gathered humans with disgust. "Why did you want these... things?" "I have a spell that changes the race of one, into the race of a wolf beastman." This caused the General to blink and inquire more about it, but I only shrugged and said he would have to watch and see the results. After the short climb down, we heard an arrogant human demand to know why he was chained like everyone else. The General retrieved a small stack of papers from a bag at his side, leafed through them, then said, "Harold Su''lan, you were charged with killing your wife," the man denied this quite boisterously, which caused the general to yell over his protests, "and are hereby sentenced to death. However, your sentencing will be carried out by this man, here." He pointed towards my human self, which caused me to grin maniacally at the man. The man tried to step back as I approached, but only managed to trip himself. He fell backwards, as I stood over him and intoned the spell, "<>." What came out of my body was not the standard silvery magicks, but one that oozed darkness. This darkness seemed to screech and howl, even though we could not hear it, and it leapt from my body. It crawled slowly towards the one called Harold, who frantically tried to get away from it, but couldn''t because of the chains. Once the darkness touched the human''s foot, however, it grew large, and blanketed his form completely. The body struggled for a time, then became still and seemingly melted into the ground. The melted, darkened body then began to form itself into a shadowy form of a beastman of the wolf tribe. However, there was no fur for it, but shadowy wisps that mimicked its fur. The only part of its body that wasn''t made up of shadows and darkness, was its eyes which were wispy orbs of crimson. Everyone was stunned for a time, then began to scream and shout, trying to escape as it began to snarl. Curious. "It''s a Shadow''s Reaper! Run!" One of the Undying shouted, which caused the rest of them to scatter. This action caused me to blink and stare slack-jawed at their actions. "<>," I intoned on this "Shadow''s Reaper", and watched as my silvery magicks sank into its flesh, and turned it into an overgrown pup of a wolf. "What''s a Shadow''s Reaper?" I asked the chained and frightened humans, who looked at me as though I was insane. From what I was able to gather, a Shadow''s Reaper is a mutated tribe of Wolf Beastmen who can replenish their tribal numbers through infecting others through a bite. The change was quick, and can change the victim within a few minutes, to a few hours after being bitten. There wasn''t a cure for it, other than death, as all who were bit would become a copy of the one who bit it, and go insane if their bodies rejected the infection. Those whose bodies rejected it, would start killing indiscriminately, until they just fell over dead. This was fascinating, and I had the Shadow''s Reaper start biting everyone, much to the horror of those present. They screamed, cried, and begged me, as the wolf bit each and every one of them. Their last memory, before being consumed by the darkness, was of my feral, cracking grin. There was only one whose body rejected the infection, but was put down almost immediately after it went berserk. This caused all of the wolves to drool as the corpse, so I tossed it into their little group, whereupon they began to tear into it with silent barks and yapping. The only sounds which could be heard from their group, was the sounds of flesh being torn, and bones being crunched. Once finished, they turned towards "Harold", who was the first to turn, and was their alpha. He, on the other hand, looked towards myself, waiting for instructions on what to do next. Their heads swiveled to a sound behind me, and from a window I could see torches and pitchforks from a local rabble. They had surrounded the building, which I thought it odd when I saw them. Sighing once more, I intoned a shielding spell called, "<>." Small stone slabs appeared from the earth beneath us, and began floating about my person. Each had an unknown carving etched into the center, and glowed a dull pink. Once complete, I used another called, "<>," and watched as a translucent cloak of shimmering gold wrapped itself around my body, then disappear as though it was never there in the first place. I was considerably drained of energy from this, and downed a vial of a thick, blue substance. This substance allowed me to regain my energy, which allowed me to prepare a few more spells for the fight that was ahead. Once outside, however, I, and my new wolves, came face to face with an armed mob of a variety of creatures, and the Undying. At the head of the Undying was the High General, who seemed angry for some odd reason. Well, I knew what angered him when he said, "You have gone too far, sir. For trying to revive the long dead tribe of the Shadow''s Reaper, you are hereby charged with treason, and sentenced to death." I stared at him as though he was an idiot for a solid minute, before finally laughing. He seemed to bristle with anger, and probably thought I would beg for forgiveness, or some such thing as that. No, I would not beg, and they could not harm me. Especially when I said, "Do you know what I am, my dear, unfortunate human?" "A monster in sheep''s clothing," was his reply. I shook my head at his simple answer. "No, little human. I am an Enchanter, and we Enchanters are the masters of chaos." Raising my arms, I pointed my hands, palm up, at the rabble before me, grinned madly, and intoned, "<>." Moments before I cast the spell, those Undying who were recognised as my thralls had either vanished from the crowd, or were at my side just as it afflicted the minds of all before me. My grin turned feral and my eyes glinted with madness, as the rabble began to fight amongst themselves, going so far as to kill any and all that stood in their paths. "The High General has incited a rebellion," I shouted with a tinge of panic in my voice, "He means to slay our queen! To arms, good people of New Wair! Protect the queen! Kill the High General!" I did not have any means to amplify my voice, and had to rely on whatever system my thralls used to send messages throughout the city and castle proper. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. The High General, and those loyal to him, were stunned the moment I shouted out my words, and a few grew pale and fled the scene. Unfortunately for them, they would not get very far, and their heads began to roll down the streets just as several dozen of my four-armed thralls began jogging in our direction. You see, they were a contingency plan just in case something went wrong, but I never thought the High General would try to kill me. No, but I was glad for my thralls'' timely arrival, as I would have loathed to fight as a giant skeleton. Thus revealing myself to the general population. Within a few moments, the wholesale slaughter began, and I could barely hear the general shouting orders to attack, defend, or run for their lives. I had started to laugh and clap my hands with glee, when an arrow struck my arcane shield. My smile turned into a frown, and glared at the archer who was quivering at my sight. This caused me to growl, and, raising my hands once more. I began to intone a spell that would drain me to the point I would need to use another vial of the thick, blue liquid. "<>." Blackened smoke, tinged with droplets of liquid crimson danced around my form. It swirled about me at a faster rate, and, if one were to look closely, one would see frightful creatures that should only exist in legends. Mask of the Forsaken is one of a few dozen forbidden spells in my arsenal, for it has the ability to alter the bodies of the intended target/s to such a degree, that they may never return to what they were before. However, what truly makes this a forbidden spell is not the transformation of the body. No, it is a forbidden spell because it does not touch the mind of the target/s. You see, Mask of the Forsaken only warps the body of those it has been cast upon to such a degree, their friends, family, associates, everyone is forced to attack them. Even if they see themselves in a mirror, they, themselves, must attack the image until it is no more. If you are wondering if there is a spell that is like it, but still different, then I will tell you that this is so. There is another forbidden spell that is much like it, and I do have it in my arsenal. However, know this. I have never used it, not once, and I never will. Because it has the power to make others worship the one it has been cast upon. So great is this worship, that all are compelled to do so, even going as far as to worship their breath, fluids, and fecal matter. Yes, as with Mask of the Forsaken, this only affects the body, not the mind. Unfortunately, it is a far more torturous experience than the other Mask is. It''s name, you are wondering about? It is "Imago Dei", the "Mask of God". How powerful is Mask of the Forsaken? You may be wondering if it is as terrible as I make it sound, and it truly is. Right after I intone the spell for it, I collapsed, and had to fumble for the vial of thick blue substance. It was at this point I spied the effect of the spell beginning to shape the unfortunate victims with its terrible curse. Over half of the General''s men and woman, and many of the local, chaotic rabble were afflicted by its touch. These men and women began to sprout beaks from their mouths, or grew several dozen regular mouths and muzzles while their heads grew larger. A few had tentacles and tendrils of flesh and bone sprout out, while several more grew hair out of every orifice or pore. Claws, extra hands, legs, arms, everything you could imagine, and many you cannot began to appear where once their bodies had stood ready for battle. Instead, they were attacked, and slaughtered by all. I could even see the High General gleefully tearing a tentacle off a screaming creature that was once a female human who held a torch. That same torch was being used to shove down her throat, burning her from inside-out. There were tears in the general''s eyes, as he tried to fight the compulsion the spell had on them. I do believe he knew they weren''t really monsters, but had no way of fighting it. Ah, but you see, there was a special effect that comes into play after those afflicted with the mask have died. It was this effect that made it a true forbidden spell. Which was, once the being afflicted the spell was dead, their twisted bodies became their real bodies, and those that attacked them would have their memories altered. They were altered in such a way, that they would not remember fighting monsters, but instead they would remember butchering their friends, family, associates, or what have you whilst they pleaded and fought for their life. It was truly an evil spell, and at the time, I had no qualms in using it when it suited me. "The General has dared to slaughter innocents in his quest to slay the queen!" I shouted in mock horror and disgust whilst pointing at the carnage before us, "Quickly! Before more lives are lost, capture him, slay him, before more lives are lost to his greed." I grinned with madness, as I watched my thralls slaughtering their way to a dizzy, and sick High General, who was easily captured and tied up. Once this occurred, he was brought to me, I waved a hand over the confused rabble, and intoned the spell, "<>." We watched as the rest of the rabble, and those still loyal to the general, collapse onto the ground. Looking down at the general, who was tied with chains, I saw his look of horror and madness. It was truly a sight to savour, and savour it I did. "You-" He tried to say something, but a boot found its way into his gut. To which he bent over, and began to cough. I believe I even saw a few flakes of blood when he did so. I grinned down at him, as I intoned, "<>," to remove the cracks that began to form when I fell. "Inform the torturer he will be having a prestigious guest for a time. We need a confession of his crimes, you see." I stared down my nose at the general, and felt my eyes glow a bright crimson as I said this. "Ah, but first, I will need to manipulate your memories a bit." He tried to struggle as my hands reached for his head oh so slowly. Once I grasped it, I intoned another spell, "<>" and listened to him scream with a maniacal grin. ***** It has been a week since the incident with the High General, and things couldn''t be better. Well, the destruction of the bear-kin''s tribe would have made my mood much greater than it was, but that would not happen until after the party. Well, I would call it a party, but everyone else would call it an event. For you see, the general had confessed to wanting to dethrone the little, squeaky queen, and place himself in the chair. This confession was done in front of LD, RS, myself, the torturer, and the new High General. Who, by the by, was one of my thralls. As a matter of fact, I made an effort to turn all of the castle guards, Undying, everyone into a thrall. I did wish to turn the populace this way, but seeing as how they were too spread out, I didn''t see the point. No, I would stick with the people in the castle for the time being. This event/party was the execution of the former High General, and everyone was invited. We even sent a message to the Grand General, who, as it turned out, was his older brother. However, he could only send a witness to the event, as his presence was still needed on the frontlines. I had decided to alter the memories of the messenger, or perhaps turn him into a thrall, just in case he became a nuisance. No need to outright kill him, if he stuck his nose into something he shouldn''t. Even if I wanted to, I could only alter his mind. The nobles, who were collared and those who weren''t, yet, were invited to the party. A high ranking individual caught as he tried to kill the queen, was such a scandal that had many a tongue wagging. They would also come to try and get into the good graces of one another, the queen, the "hero" who foiled the human''s plans, and the new High General. Ah, but there were some who loved the former general, and had made many attempts to free him from his prison. The attempts were comical, and all of them were subsequently killed off. Well, after the torturer had his way with them, that is. The execution of the former general was set for that day, but I would not be the one to attend it. Instead, I would be one of the few that would watch from a distance. It was not because I didn''t wished to attend, but because it was tedious, and was currently occupied with playing with the young feline girl-child. I had found a ball of yarn in a basket, and was rolling it back and forth between my hands whilst sitting in front of the girl-child as a kobold. She was currently staring at it with large eyes, and would oftentimes paw at it cautiously. This was amusing to me, and kept us entertained when I heard a large bell toll a dozen times. She stood up, frightened, and jumped into my arms, shivering at the new sound. Her action caused a chuckle to ensue from my lips, as the toll of the bell was to signify the passing of the general. He died by hanging, and his body would be set aflame immediately afterwards. Apparently, it was some tradition to keep traitors from being resurrected, or some such thing. Chuckling once more, I pealed the girl-child from my chest, and asked, "Would you like to go to a party?" Her head tilted to one side in confusion. "There will be lots of food, you get to be in pretty clothing, and you can bring the big dog with us." Her eyes were wide at this, and she rushed to the other side of the room. Once there, she jumped on top of a large, black creature that seemed to be made of shadows with a pair of large, crimson orbs floating where its head should be. This creature was, in fact, a Shadow''s Reaper, but was not the alpha. No, it was a young female that had taken a liking to the girl-child. For some odd reason, the pair had formed a bond, and would whine if ever separated. Well, no matter. For now, there was a party to attend to, and I would very much like to see, and hear, the reactions of others when we walk through the doors. With this thought alone, I grinned evilly. Chapter 20 (NSFW) AN: Couple things. 1) The title was changed. It''s because the story isn''t a virtual reality experience anymore, it''s a transfer/summoning type of story. Sure, it''ll have some VRMMO elements in it, but not enough to really constitute a VR Fan Fiction. Well, that''s my opinion. 2) The chapter is NSFW, as it says above, especially towards the end. I figured I''d let people know if it is or not just in case they''re at work, or something along those lines. Anyways, thank you for reading thus far, folks, and let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns down below. Also, if you guys can let me know what you think of the title change, if it should stay as is, have the "Online" bit returned, or what have you, I''d much appreciate it. _______________________________________ The party itself was not extravagant by any means. No, it was only a gathering among nobles and other guests to celebrate the life of the High General before his turncoat nature surfaced. It was quite odd, to be sure, but each world had its own laws and celebrations, so who are we to judge? Looking out one of the many windows within the castle, I could see a procession of carriages rolling up towards the castle gate. They were in a variety of colours, but this really didn''t concern me. What truly concerned me, was whether or not whoever the bear-kin girl''s leader is will show up or not. He needed to show up for the first part of my plan to wipe out their tribe. Well, the tribe she was a part of. For you see, the beastman tribe she was a part of all had some form of resistance to poison, but she was the only one with full immunity. You are wondering how I know this. It is quite simple, she told me while under the gentle care of the torturer. Her little confession is what reaffirmed my want of seeing her entire tribal branch destroyed. This way, in the case of one or two escaping, it would take several generations for them to be an annoyance once more. Ah, but that is not all. For you see, she also has an immunity to the Shadow''s Reaper''s infection. Some of you seem confused, so let me explain. The Shadow''s Reaper''s saliva carries in it an infection that turns any and all races into a Shadow''s Reaper. They could be anything from a house cat, to a dragon, and each would eventually become a Shadow''s Reaper with the intelligence and memories of what they were before. It is quite overpowered, truth be told, and they have converted several wyrms to their side in the past. It was because of this very action that, several centuries ago, it was decided by all races great and small would rise up and exterminate the species. The world''s ancestors eventually won, after a long a gruesome battle, but it seems I had resurrected the hated tribe, and the world will soon know the terror once more. Anyways, I had been shooed out of the room where the feline girl-child slept, because they intended to dress her up like a doll for the party, and had to get to work. The young Shadow''s Reaper was to leave, too, but they relented reluctantly once they found out it was a she. So after bidding a quick farewell to the girl-child, and promising to return once they were done, I left. The moment I heard the door shut and lock behind me, my kobold self became human once more, and an Undying helped me don a blue and black striped robe. Two four-armed female Undying saluted as I past them, and quickly took up their post as guards for the room. Most of their helmets, as opposed to the males, were decorated in an odd fashion. The colours decorating them were a variety, but most, if not all of them had their helmets designed to look like feline beastwomen. When I finally asked them why they chose this design, a few of them piped up saying my new charge was adorable, and that they wanted her to feel more comfortable around them. So they, for the most part, decided to design their helmets as tribal feline beastwomen. I had seen some strange things in my life, and had caused most of them, but at that time, they were the strangest. Their actions caused me to shrug, and I gave them my blessing to do whatever they wished. As I was leaving, I heard them whispering to one another about having a tail grafted above their hind ends, and enchanted so that it could move as a real tail. To be quite honest, I didn''t want to hear it, so I left them alone. It was at this time that I started to pay more attention to my Undying thralls, and it was here that I noticed each had their own theme. For example, there were two four-armed Undying that fell in behind me as I stalked the halls, heading for the dungeon and the torturer''s area. The pair that followed me were both male, while one looked like a giant, iron bear, the other looked like a muted grey two-legged serpent. When I asked them about why they chose their animals, the Undying bear-man said that he chose the bear because it was strong, powerful, and held a lot of vitality. While the Undying serpent-man said he chose the snake because of its ability to hunt and stalk its prey without many sounds. As a matter of fact, when I listened for his steps, I found it to be barely audible. I wished him well on his hunts. Along the way, we bypassed several patrols, and a few stopped to greet us with more than a salute towards my person. Each patrol came in a small group of five individuals. Which are a four-armed Undying, a mage or healer, two regular Undying, and a Shadow''s Reaper. This was done so that everyone would become used to their presence, and so that the Shadow''s Reapers know who not to attack if the castle is infiltrated by some random person or people. At first, everyone was afraid, as they had heard the stories and legends of the long dead tribe, but had slowly gotten used to them being there throughout the week. A few cooks had even taken upon themselves to spoil a few with extra food and treats. So much so, these who were spoiled became the cooks'' personal guards. Well, as long as they continued to spoil them with extra food. There were also instances where children could be seen on the backs of a few, much to the horror of those who had seen them for the first time. These children, which included the feline girl-child, were found to enjoy being around these wolves. Even going as far as to cuddle up to them for warmth, or when it was time for them to sleep. It was here that the feline girl-child had bonded with the young female Shadow''s Reaper, and refused to be separated. Ah, but there came an issue that appeared a few days before the execution of the High General. You see, the general''s brother, who was the current Grand General, could not make it to his brother''s execution. Therefore, he sent a human male representative in his stead. This male was odd, in a creepy sort of way, and would always be staring at something or someone whilst writing on a small notebook. However, he always seemed to slip away, even when confronted about his strange behaviour. Unfortunately for the male, I was the one to confront him when I saw him staring at the children, especially the girl-child, as though he were stalking his prey. His actions alarmed me, and I pounced on the human, baring him down upon the ground. He struggled as several of my thralls rushed up to bind him in rope and chains. Once I was sure he wasn''t about to disappear, did I remove myself from his person. "What is the meaning of this?" He had demanded, glaring at my kobold body in fury, whilst struggling with his bonds. "Do you know who I am? I am-" "An insignificant human who was caught staring at children with ill intent," I finished for him. "You are making a mistake," he shouted, "The Grand General-" "Is not here, little human. He is on the frontlines doing the queen''s will of enacting a ceasefire." I looked down my nose at him, and saw something that made me pause. It was a look that said I was naive to believe such a thing. "Interesting," I muttered softly, then turned towards the Undying and commanded, "Take him to see the torturer. Tell him to extract everything he can from this human. I want him singing when next we meet." If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The man was shocked when he heard these words, and was even more so when the Undying listened to me. Once he was gone, I apologised to those in attendance, promising it would not happen again. ***** There was only a few hours left until the party began, as I and the two Undying made our way into the dungeon area. It was your standard sort of dungeon, made of shaved stone blocks pressed together with a bit or mortar, and iron bars built into the stone to serve as small cells for prisoners. We passed several cells, and noticed each had a torch hanging above it. If the torch was lit, it meant there was a prisoner within it, if not, then there wasn''t one. Each cell that had a lit torch either held a being slowly transforming into a Shadow''s Reaper, or a petty criminal. Those that are becoming one are either repeat offenders of some crime, or would not be missed. Regardless of their crime, those that had not transformed, for one reason or another, were all cowering as they saw a dark shadow flitting from one room to the next. When this shadow entered a cell, however, there were a multitude of screams coming from within, then silence. It was the silence that most were afraid of, and served as a reminder to not end up back here once again. However, there was a faint scream coming from the other end of the dungeon, which was intermixed with a few grunts. Upon reaching the source of the noise, we noticed a large, shadowy figure moving against something chained up to the wall. We couldn''t see more than the chained wrists and feet, and saw them clench in time with the shadow''s movement. After a few moments, the shadow became a blur, paused a few times, then removed itself from the chained being. That being was the bear-kin, who was covered in scratches, scars, blood, and tears. Her naked body slumped down against the chains, and her head lulled forward with lifeless eyes. There were dozens of bite marks all along her neck and shoulders, as well as her breasts, although one had scabs in the center. There was some sort of dark fluid dripping from between her legs, which, as it turned out, was not blood. No, it was the seed of the shadowy being that detached itself from her. The one that detached itself from the bear-kin was, in fact, the alpha wolf of the Shadow''s Reaper tribe. It seems he has been busy relieving his stress upon the girl in the form of mating with her. Indeed, and I could see there was the tiniest of bulges coming from her abdomen, to which I said, "Congratulations, Alpha, it looks like she might be pregnant with your first child." My statement caused the wolf, who was panting after the session, to bark happily. It also caused the bear-kin''s head to snap up, and her eyes were wide and tearful. She began to cry at this, and I couldn''t help, but grin whilst drinking in her sorrow. "Indeed, Alpha. However," I held up a finger, "You must make sure it keeps by continuously mating with her until it becomes apparent. Understand?" It bobbed its shadowy head up and down in realisation. then it turned towards the bear-kin, who stared at us both, and tried to scramble away while still chained. She cried and begged, as the wolf began raping her once more, and we left them to their business. "Ah, music to my ears," said the torturer, who was drying his hands off with a towel. "Sometimes I wonder if you are my long lost brother, you know?" I grinned at him, and we both chuckled at the joke. "How did it go with the cat-kins?" I was curious about them, as we hadn''t spoken much on the subject the past few times I was here. "Them?" A finger began tapping his lips whilst his eyes stared up at the ceiling, "They don''t know who the ''Mistress'' is, but they do know she''s a noble of some sort. Oh, and she''s a human who uses her body to get whatever she wishes for." He sighed heavily, then smiled a hauntingly joyful smile, "It seems this ''Mistress'' had the late king in her pocket, and is quite upset about his passing. From what I gathered, she was about to meet the hero, until his untimely demise. So, she might be coming after yourself." I sighed at this, saying, "If she does, did you want her?" He became thoughtful for a moment, then shook his head. "That male claimed she was a masochist, so I doubt anything I do would make much of a difference." "What of the general''s spy?" "Him? He began to sing the moment his balls were being squeezed in a vice," he growled and spat off to the side. "How he was employed by the general is beyond me. Cowards, the lot of them." It was here that I learned that the human male sent by the Grand General was to find out the truth of what caused the high General to turn traitorous. As well as, if at all possible, to save him from being executed. However, that wasn''t possible, as the spy was apprehended a few days before the execution took place. Not to mention, the former general was being guarded by almost two dozen four-armed Undying, and about a dozen archers lined the rooftops, eyeing the crowd for people who might try to rescue him. I was in the process of sighing, when we heard the bear-kin''s voice shout, "Don''t put it there! That place is-" She screamed as more grunts could be heard from her cell. I snorted quite loudly, then began to laugh as an image floated through my skull. Turning towards the Undying pair and the torturer, I noticed they were confused, so I explained to them what is most likely happening. Realisation dawned on the three once I finished my explanation, and noticed the torturer pulling out a quill, ink, and parchment. "Notes," was all he said, as he made his way towards the bear-kin''s cell. We also headed that way, too, with varying forms of curiosity. It was there that we saw a crying bear-kin being pushed forward while the alpha Shadow''s Reaper grunted from behind. We could see its right claw gripping her right breast tightly, so much so a blood droplet was beginning to form from her nipple. Its other clawed hand had gripped her left leg from behind the knee, and lifted it up to reveal everything about the front of her body to the world. There was even a steady flow of the wolf''s dark seed dripping from between her legs. Her entire face seemed to be covered in snot and tears, while she cried in pain, and I noticed trails of blood flowing down her right leg, as the wolf continued pushing up against her. At this point, the torturer was just staring at the scene, his desire to take notes was gone, and his hands looked as though they were inching towards his pants. Guess he needed to rub one out after this. Tapping his and the Undying''s shoulders lightly, caused them to snap out of their stupor, and turned towards my person slowly. "I''ve a party to attend to," I chuckled softly, "Have fun watching the show." I waved a hand as I started walking down the hall towards the castle, wondering what awaited for me when the party started. Chapter 21 AN: The "Mistress" has been revealed! Thank you, folks, for reading the story thus far. If you''ve any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. ___________________________________________ A few of you seem curious as to why I hadn''t killed off the bear-kin sooner. The reason for that was because I had a slight change of heart. You see, her terror and sorrow was like milk and honey to one such as I, and I wanted to keep on drinking it in until she could give no more. Oh, she will die, but only after she hears about her family being butchered, their meat devoured, and all of her female friends raped then slaughtered. This thought alone was what kept her alive. However, I would not hesitate to end her life quickly, if something unforeseeable were to occur. Such as an attempt to rescue her, as that would put a stop to all of my plans. Anyways, the party itself was themed, and all had to wear dark, foreboding clothing. It all reminded me of an old tradition back upon my first world. The tradition was also a holiday, in which people of all ages would dress up as creatures of both light and darkness. Those of a young age would go from house to house and receive a treat from those whose houses were occupied by willing participants. Unfortunately, there always seemed to be tricksters hidden amongst the participants, and would do their best to scare everyone who wished for a treat. Everyone was dressed oddly, but not as my first world''s. No, the males all had dark clothing, while the females seemed to wear tattered, black dresses that covered up everything, and yet not. Whoever designed their clothing was remarkable, and should be commended for it. The gathering place itself was a standard ballroom, but it was dimly lit with candles lining the area. Black and red curtains hung from wrought iron studs that blackened out the evening sun from the windows. Statues, grotesque in feature, stood in front of these curtains, as though to keep others from seeking out the dying light of the sun. A marble staircase was seen at one end of the ballroom, which led to a pair of gold laced, black ironed double doors. It was here everyone invited was pouring out, as a herald was reading off their names to the populace down below. On either side of the staircase were long tables covered in blood red linen. Upon them were silver platters of food and drink, and many were seen sampling cheeses, meats, and wines. An odd, portly male human was seen taking a samples of the foods and wines, then consuming them slowly. This human was the queen''s Food Taster, and was charged with making sure nothing edible was poisoned throughout the night. Once the queen was present, however, he would be at her side tasting everything before she, herself, would eat the offered foods or drink the wine. Although why anyone would let a child such as her drink was beyond me. However, all eyes turned towards the double doors when the herald, who was sweating profusely, announced the arrival of myself and the feline girl-child. She was given a real name around the time I had left her room, and many of you seem to be wondering what it was that I called her. I had called her as I described her to you, "Girl-Child" or "Feline Girl-Child". Yes, yes, yes. My naming sense for others has never been that great. No, but the name she was given was "Puella Dei", which literally translated to "Girl-Child of God". If my naming sense was off, then what does it say about theirs? ''What was the name you were given?'', is what some of you are probably wondering. It was "Veni Deus Venenum", which roughly translated to "Dying God of Poison". Why they called me a "Dying God" was beyond me, but I guess not giving them a name would open doors to being called something else. Ah, but the herald wasn''t allowed to call me that, seeing as I was in my kobold illusion. No, but the name I was given for this form was "Canis Dei", or "Hound of God". "Canis and Puella Dei," announced the herald near the opened double doors, and the pair of us felt the entire room full of nobles and prominent merchants turn to set their gazes upon up. ''Puella'' had become frightened by this, and hid behind my legs. This caused many to chuckle at her actions, and most turned their gazes towards each other once more. I had chosen to wear a simple scarlet vest and a pair of black trousers, while ''Puella'' was wearing a black one piece dress over a frilly white dress. It was certainly interesting to see, and her fluffy black hair, ears, and tail seemed to accentuate her adorableness. Her eyes, on the other hand, turned her from adorable to stunning, as they had somehow become an emerald green. Even now, I do not believe I had seen them this colour before. Shortly after starting our decent, a pair of female four-armed Undying followed us. They were trailed by a dark crimson-black cloud, who was, by the by, ''Puella''s'' bonded Shadow''s Reaper. This caught everyone''s attention once more, and I could even hear the mutterings and whispers of the gathered humans once we had fully descended the stairs. A few were even openly staring at us as though we were slaves being auctioned off, until they noticed our lack of collars, that is. This set off more whisperings, and a few covertly pointed at our necks. These actions were infuriating, and I was sorely tempted to have them all beaten within an inch of their life. However, they had to wait, as the herald announced someone I had been hoping would arrive. "Sir Stormhelm of Stone Bear Tribe, and company." This announcement, followed by the arrival of a black bear beastman with streaks of silver in its fur had me giggling maddeningly internally. Once the beastman began his descent, I sent off one of the Undying to inform half of the castle guard to set off towards the beastman''s tribe. The guard being sent would take most of the Shadow''s Reaper, as well as the Alpha, leaving only a handful behind. This handful would be managed by those they had bonded with, so they don''t start fighting each other for an Alpha position. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Many were curious as to why she left, and a few had became nervous once she returned saying, "It has been done, My Lord." I nodded at her words, and laughed softly at the humans who had begun to whisper of this new turn of events. "She just called it ''Lord''," came several whispering nobles nearest us. All had begun to wonder who exactly we were to command the Undying while being called a "Lord". However, many of the whisperings became a bit heated, when they realised a Kobold had a high position. Which garnered more anger when some began to speculate my position was probably higher than theirs. Especially when a few began to speak of several rumours about my being seen chatting with the young queen on more than one occasion. A few even tried to approach my person, as I was trying to feed ''Puella'' some green vegetables, but were turned away, or blocked, by the Undying. Even if they were to somehow maneuver around the Undying, a low growl within the shadows would always scare them off. If they weren''t frightened off by the growl, a shadowy muzzle would condense within the shadows, which was followed by a pair of smoky, crimson orbs that would float just a little behind the muzzle, and glare in their direction. This certainly set many off, calling for the guards to "slay the monster in the shadows", but were stunned when the guards simply looked towards where the disturbance was, shrug, then go about their business. This spoke volumes as to what this shadowy monster was to them, and many in attendance were giving off waves of fear. If I had a sensory organ at the time, it probably would have smelled heavenly. Alas, I did not, and could only wonder about it. It was at about this time I noticed a female human making her way through the crowd. She wore a thin, one piece scarlet dress that left nothing to the imagination. What I mean is, she wore nothing underneath, and every man was caught staring at her with lust. There was a slit down the side of her dress, that revealed well toned thighs and the curvature of her hind end with every movement and small gust. The face of the human was beautiful by human standards, but was heavily covered in makeup, so it made me wonder if she was an ugly crone underneath. Her hair and eyes were the same colour of freshly fallen snow, and from the distance, it looked as though her hair might have been soft to the touch. Well, it''s not like I could confirm it, anyways. What was truly odd about her was the fact that many of the males tried to call out to her with, "Mistress," and "Please notice me, Mistress." Those who uttered the last one, I wanted to strangle dead. For the words were far too close to what the Tsundere girl of the former harem continued to mutter every time she saw him from across the room. It was very annoying. However, the female ignored them, and headed straight for myself and Puella''s position near a table. I turned my head towards the girl-child, asking if the woman coming towards us was the "Mistress" the cat-kins spoke about. Her eyes were wide, and she swiveled her head in the direction of my pointed clawed finger. Her entire body began to shake with fear, as she noticed the human, and dove into the shadows where her Shadow''s Reaper resides. I could hear a few distressing mews coming from within, and wanted to comfort her. Unfortunately, the female human had already approached, but was blocked by a female Undying. "Let her through," I told her, and relented reluctantly. The female human smiled at the Undying mockingly, and almost had her head removed from her shoulders by the other Undying. I kept them calm, but they were both fuming quietly. "I am Sierra Montoya, but you may call me Mistress," she began, extending her hand in such a way as to expect me to kiss it. Unfortunately for her, I simply glanced at it, then stared into her eyes. I had done this as a form of challenge, and she took it quite quickly. "I do not care for you, human. State what you wish, then leave." From her eyes, I felt some sort of probe try to enter my skull, and latched onto it. Her left eye twitched slightly, then she tried to look away, as I sent a torrent of chaotic magicks straight into her skull. I could tell she had a headache, and released the probe. Once released, she gasped loudly, stumbled, and broke eye contact. To this, I smirked, then frowned as she wanted to try to look me in the eyes again. When I would not, she pouted saying, "I was hoping to meet the hero that stopped the High General from killing the queen. Do you know where he is?" She had leaned over towards my person, trying to push up her breasts with her arms. This action only disgusted me. "Perhaps, but he does not wish to see you just yet, little human. When he does, you will wish he did not know of your existence." She was about to speak up, when she saw someone run down the stairs, and dash straight towards the Bear beastman''s group. They had begun to whisper just as the herald announced the arrival of the queen. "Presenting her Royal Majesty, Queen Delilah of New Wair." The queen herself wore a jewel encrusted gown of flowing crimson and silver. She had a small, black velvet vest over the dress, and a smaller version of the king''s Spire Crown could be seen upon her brow. From behind her came LD and RS, who both wore a solid white and red business-like suit, then came her royal guards. Three of which carried only heavy shields, while the others all had four swords sheathed about their person. Truth be told, they were quite intimidating. However, there came a commotion from the Stone Bear party, when one of them exclaimed, "Who could have done this?!" To which I smiled behind a cup, as I laughed within my mind. Chapter 22 AN: Short chapter today, about 1500 words. Might be an extra one later. As always, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. ______________________________________ The squeaking queen bypassed everyone who tried their best to have her acknowledge their presence to some degree. A few were even so bold as to stand in her way, but were subsequently beaten down by an Undying whilst her guards tightened their formation about her. LD and RS, on the other hand, were left to fend for themselves, as they were swarmed once it became apparent that the little queen did not wish to converse with anyone. No, she instead glided over to my person and the "Mistress", who was doing her best to annoy me. It was working, by the way, and every one of my thralls felt my anger towards this female human. So much so, the queen was about to have her carted off, until I waved away her concerns. "Who is she," she squeaked towards my sitting body, to which I shrugged. "She calls herself ''Mistress'', and wants something of Dei," I replied with a shrug, "To be honest, she is becoming quite a nuisance, always trying to shove her chest in my face as though it''ll change my thoughts. Regardless, she scared away Puella, and it is high time she was gone." At that, the pair of female Undying grinned, and began to drag the "Mistress" away. The pair had even went as far as to push her out of the large double doors, and I heard on a later date that she was barred from the castle premises until further notice. Of course, she would complain, but nothing would ever change. Ah, it felt good to be in charge, and I sipped the drink in my hands. "What are you drinking?" Asked RS, who had been able to tear away from the gaggle of nobles, much to the dismay of LD. "Don''t know," I replied, "I cannot taste anything, so it might as well be poison for all I know." My shoulders shrugged as I closed my eyes for a brief moment, and shook my head slowly. He frowned at the cup, and asked if he may try to figure out what it was. When I gave my assent, he took the cup from my clawed hands, dipped a finger into the liquid, and tasted it. His face contorted into a grimace, "It''s a lemon wine of Dahmas. How did that slip through our screenings?" He growled at the cup, turned towards the table laden with wines and ales, and marched towards it like a man on a mission. "He dislikes sour foods," squeaked the queen with an apologetic grin. "Ah. You can come out now, Puella. The scary hag of a human is gone." The feline girl-child''s head appeared from beneath the shadows, which caused a squeak to ensue abruptly from the little queen, and her guards to tighten their ranks, then relax when they see who it was. "Really?" Her eyes darted around the room before the rest of her body emerged from the darkened shadows, which solidified and became the female Shadow''s Reaper. It gave a silent bark, then yawned greatly, revealing sharpened shadowed fangs. "So cute," a squeal erupted from the little queen, as she dashed towards Puella, and began to inspect her dress. Not knowing what to do, the girl-child froze with widened eyes, and looked in my direction for help. I, on the other hand, only smirked in response, and went back to watching the beastman party. It seems they were getting ready to leave, but stopped when another messenger appeared before them. This one was pale, sweating with what appeared to be a fever, and had a gash across the left side of its face. It still looked fresh, which caused many nobles to stare at the party before beginning to whisper amongst themselves. A roar of the word, "WHAT?!" stopped all tongues from wagging, all movements to come to a halt, all eyes to turn towards their party, and caused the edges of my lips to twitch upwards. I was enjoying the show, truth be told, and didn''t wished to jump to any conclusions just yet. However, in my mind I had begun to dance with glee at their presumed rage, and felt like doing just that when they started walking in the queen''s general direction. This caused the Undying to take up positions of shielding her, whilst those with sheathed swords grabbed onto the hilts, growling menacingly at the advancing beastmen. "Peace," came a rich baritone from the head of the small procession. "We''ve merely come to ask her highness for assistance in our time of need." The one who spoke was a male silver and black coloured bear beastman with brown coloured eyes. he stood just a head taller than my kobold self, with a barrel of a torso, thick arms and legs, and clawed hands and feet. The outfit worn by such a creature was a pine green tunic over what looked to be chainmail. There was an insignia stamped upon his left breast, which looked to be a hammer striking a coin of some sort. The lower garment worn by him, as well as all in his party, was that of a kilt. A kilt, by the by, is a knee length skirt-type garment with pleats in the rear. They are common within my first world, so it was amazing to see them here. Upon his shoulders, however, was a thick, silver-red fur pelt of some slain creature. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. "After so many attempts on her majesty''s life, one can never be too careful," I said, still sitting in my chair. "And you are...," he began just as someone whispered into his ear. His eyes narrowed at my person, "So you are the kobold seen with her majesty." "Yes, and?" I had a smirk upon my lips, as I pretended to be arrogant of my fame. "And you are also in the service of the remaining hero summoned by the late king." "You continue to state the obvious, sir. Pray tell me, do you know how to speak of anything of import, or is this the extent of your vocabulary?" The bear bristled as it knew it had been insulted, and a few others had become visibly upset upon realising this. A few began to express a challenge towards me, but was shot down as the squeaking queen, RS, and LD made their appearance. "That is enough, Canis," exclaimed LD, who massaged his temples as though a headache was beginning to form. He then looked over at me and sighs saying, "Leave us. You will only make matters worse." I gave him an Ironic half grin, which appeared to be a snarl from the other party''s perspective. Then, with a mocking bow, I scooped up Puella, and headed for the stairs. Once my right foot touched the first step, I heard, "You let him speak to you that way?" This statement caused me to giggle down at the girl-child, who giggled in a manner similar to my own, and we left the ballroom. ***** I was becoming quite proficient in becoming a human from my kobold self whilst keeping my clothing on, and could do so without intoning the spell for it. So once I had put Puella to bed and left, my body began to stretch itself until a human stood where once there was a kobold. This action merely caused the Undying near my person to blink and shrug, before going back to their duties. It was my desire to return to the dungeon to check up on the little bear-kin''s progress, but was stopped by LD, who came around the corner with a soured expression. When he saw my human self, he sighed saying, "Dei, the bear beastman wish for our help hunting down those that had attack their tribe. In front of everyone present, we gave our assent to their request, and they are now preparing to return to their tribe with all due haste. They are only taking a couple squads of house legions from a few nobles who have ties with the beastmen." "Interesting," I rumbled at him, "And what of those that had left before? Has there been word yet of their progress?" "They seemed to have incurred a few losses from their hunt within the nearby forest, but that was due to their own negligence over looking after those still green. They''ll end up reprimanded for it when they return." "Very well, I shall have a messenger sent to them, telling the group to join up with the bear beastmen to hunt down those that would attack the tribe." He seemed relieved by this, and left with a slight smile upon his lips. Though, of course I would do no such thing. Instead, I would have those returning finish the job of killing the bear beastman tribe. There would also be an order to bring the heads of those in charge with them, just so I could see the despair of the little bear-kin before her life ends. Well, her life would have ended the next day, if it weren''t for a minor, little detail. Chapter 23 (NSFW) AN: Oh garlic knots, how I love thee so. Another chapter today, folks. I am in a GOOD mood at the moment. So please, enjoy, and as always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. EDIT: Forgot to add an NSFW tag to it, and it''s for some detailed descriptions of blood and gore. ________________________________ "The bear-kin girl is pregnant. Abnormally pregnant," said the torturer as he ate what looked like smoked meat. "What do you mean by ''Abnormally''?" I asked, looking incredulous at hearing of her pregnancy. I had hoped to see her cry and beg as I and the torturer began mutilating her body until she died. You see, he had some new "toys" that were mainly for females, but because the cat-kin twins had been sold off for quite the pretty penny, the only one left was her. "Best you see it for yourself," he made a motion to follow him, while my thralls carried a few bulging, bloody sacks. Within the sacks were the heads of supposed leaders of the beastman tribe she was living with, and I wanted to see her reaction when they were revealed. From the human''s little office, we rounded a corner and found the naked bear-kin chained to a stone wall. She was slumped forward, and we could see a variety of scratches and scars covering her entire body. "Wake it," he commanded one of his apprentices, who plashed her body with a bucket of water. She gasped and raised her head to dart around the interior. She was afraid, and the most likely culprit was the alpha wolf. However, as much as it pleased me to see her frightened, I was here to see her bulging abdomen. It was as though she had swallowed several dozens of orbs the size of a small child''s fist, and they were packed together so much there looked to be little room for anything. What was really strange was the fact that she didn''t seem bothered by this. Well, not until the orbs started moving, that is. The orb shapes within her began churning in odd patterns, which made her gasp in pain, as a trickle of blood could be seen flowing from between her legs and at the corners of her lips. She began to cough up flakes of blood, when a face of some sort pressed up against her flesh. This intrigued me, and I inquired how long she had been like this. He replied saying it had become like this since last night, and the healers have no idea what to make of it. I had begun to sigh when we heard the tearing of flesh, and a scream that punctured the air around us. It seems something was tearing its way out of the bear-kin, and we were rapped with attention for it. It was at this point we heard the excited barking of a large Shadow''s Reaper, who was the alpha, and had sat down near the bear-kin. I could even see its tail blur at the arrival of whatever it was that was forcing its way into the world. One of the Undying had dashed off to find a healer, as blood was pouring freely from between her legs. A shadowy head had pushed its way out of her abdomen, and was trying to pull the rest of its body free of its prison of flesh, blood, and organ meat. Indeed, even the organs surrounding her womb could be seen, and a long, bumpy tube that was her large intestines was seen hanging from her paling body. Half of a chewed liver and stomach fell out of her body, just as the creature landed upon the ground. No one moved towards them, not even myself. Well, not until the little creature began to cry, that is. It was here that the alpha trotted over to it, and began to sniff at the blood and gore covered creature carefully. It scrunched its nose as though it had a bad smell about it, and decided to leave it where it was while it ate the few scraps of organ meat that littered the floor around the bear-kin. Who, by the by, was still alive as I could see her breathing, albeit in shallow gasps. She was dying, and I do believe her little brain was finally understanding what had happened, because her eyes were wide and crying at all the blood and gore that littered the ground before her. I had just scooped up the little creature, wondering what it was, when a large troop of healers appeared. Many of them took one look inside the room, and began to retch up what they had eaten earlier that day. "What happened here, Dei?" I merely lifted the bloody creature in my arms, to which the one who asked the question raised an eyebrow, shrugged, then began to instruct all to begin healing the bear-kin quickly. "Best not to heal her up completely," was my only order towards them, "She will die today, regardless of what you do. Just make sure she is coherent enough by the time you are through with her." A few stared at my body in horror and disgust, but I shrugged it off, "Her life isn''t worth it, unless you wish to take her place?" Those that showed disgust quickly became terrified at the thought of enduring whatever it was she had gone through, and were quick to change their opinions rather quickly. Their reactions caused my lips to twitch into a sneer, as I turned around and left the room with the creature in my arms. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "There''s a towel in my room," said the torturer, who dashed off to retrieve said object. Upon his return, I snatched up the towel, and began to gently remove as much of the blood and gore as I possibly could. The creature whined pitifully as I plied the cloth to its skin, and noticed it was a male. The creature''s eyes were closed, but it had a muzzle, and it was full of razor sharp baby teeth. There were even rounded, pointed nubs atop its head, and looked to be a combination between a bear''s ears and a wolf''s. It was strange, as most of his feature were a cross between wolf and bear, but its torso, arms, and legs appeared to be human in origin, albeit black in colour. However, the small feet were that of a wolf pup''s, and the hands were the paws of a bear. It was truly a strange creature, but it was now mine. A blanket appeared before me as I was marveling at the small boy-child-thing, I thanked whoever it was that handed it to me and wrapped it around the creature. "Nox," I whispered to the small creature, "Your name will be Nox." A soft smile played upon my lips, and many could say it was a warm one. Unfortunately, I was disturbed by a young healer, who tapped my shoulder. My mood soured by then, and would have taken it out on the healer, if it weren''t for the fact that he said the bear-kin was stable and coherent. The Undying, torturer, and I moved towards another room where the bear-kin was lying on a wooden bench in a white robe, drinking broth of some sort. My eyes rolled in their sockets as we witnessed this, and I knocked on the door. The girl''s eyes became wide when she saw us enter, which darted between my human self and the little creature in my arms. "This child came from you," her eyes widened even further, "His name is Nox, and he is now mine." My lips spread wide in a feral grin, and the Undying retrieved the bloody bags, then upended it upon the floor. There were several gasps, but the bear-kin was crying as she recognised each and everyone. "No," she murmured, hugged her legs, and began rocking herself back and forth, "Please. I want to wake up from this nightmare." "This is no nightmare, little bear-kin. This is reality, and it is deadly." Turning to my left, I apologised to the torturer as I pointed my hand, palm up, at her. "<>," I intoned, and watched as streaks of crimson lightning lashed out from my hand, and striking the bear-kin in the chest. She screeched and writhed and her body was wracked with pain and agony. The snapping of bones and cartilage could be heard within her screeching, while blood began flowing from every orifice on her body. So much so, she began vomiting up her own blood and organ meat while the healers gasped at the sight. A few even made a small attempt at healing her, but stopped when it only served to prolong her anguish. Eventually, though, her body did expire, and the last thing she would probably remember was my maniacal grin as I watched the light in her eyes fade away. Once the magicks stopped their rampage, everyone grew quiet until the silence became a tad awkward. It was eventually broken, however, by one of the Undying who said, "Well... that was something." He turned towards my body and asked, "Any chance of learning how to do that from you, Dei?" "I, too, wish to learn, Dei," came an unexpected voice from one of the healers, and recognised him as the one who tapped my shoulder whilst I was staring at the child. Who, by the by, had snuggled against my body for warmth and comfort. The torturer and one of his apprentices also wished to learn about the same magicks I can intone. This was strange for myself, as I had never taught anyone anything before. On top of that, I do not know if other can even learn of what I know. Because unlike them, mine comes from information that floods my mind every so often, more so if I had killed. "I do not know if you can learn from me," I rumbled slowly, and most appeared crestfallen, "However, I can only try." ________________________ Finally! She''s dead! Now to move on to the next target. :D Chapter 24 AN: Does anyone know an artist of whom I could commission a drawing from them? Won''t be able to pay them until the start of next month, but it would be nice to have a cover art for this story. As always, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. ________________________________________ A month had passed since the birth of Nox, and it was a tiring one. For starters, the boy-child, Nox, grew far too rapidly for my tastes, but it didn''t damper my mood. However, his unnatural growth spurt began after he fed on blood and meat once he was awake. Afterwards, he fell asleep, and shadows began to condense around his small frame. There was naught, but shadows where he lay. Once it reseeded, his body looked to be that of a cycle old boy child. What was truly odd was him shouting, "Papa," every time his eyes laid upon my form. No matter the illusion, he seemed to know it was me, and he wasn''t deterred when my bones were coated in a basilisk''s poison. In fact, he seemed to be immune to it. He truly was a strange one. Ah, but that was not all. He continued to age rapidly, which greatly alarmed my person, and sent the thralls on a quest to find answers. They scoured the library within the castle, even going so far as to pull out ancient manuscripts, searching for an answer. However, their search came to a halt when Nox stopped aging after the sixteenth day. Yes, he even looked to be as old as those who are sixteen cycles old. His entire physique had changed, merging wolf, bear, and human into one perfect entity. Yes, his feet and hands were still the same as when he was a child, as were his ears, but the rest of his body was a perfect blend of the three. Many, when spying his form, often times openly stared at Nox, and many were seen to have drooled at the sight. These were not just the Undying, but also random nobles that would come to visit the castle on occasion. However, there has been a few instances where someone would try to steal Nox away from the castle, to do who knows what to them. It was in these instances where the entire castle would mobilise to prevent such actions, and it was here that led me to take up teaching him my own brand of magicks. It was around a month after his birth that he would come before me to learn what I wished to impart upon him. Yes, he would learn this world''s grammar and numbers, just like his sister Puella does, and yes, the pair were introduced as brother and sister to one another. At first, Puella was ecstatic to have a baby brother, even if she didn''t know who the real parents were. On the other hand, when she saw his unnatural growth, she became scared after some idiot said that he may die within a few months, if he continues to grow at an alarming rate. This idiot should have kept his mouth shut, else he wouldn''t have found his way to the torture chamber. She had come to me in tears when he said this to her, which set the entire castle hunting for an answer, but it was for naught when he stopped growing. To this she was grateful, but still scared she might lose her new brother. So, every day, the pair could be seen together with Puella latched onto Nox in some way. It was truly an adorable sight to behold, which was quite entertaining. Especially when he would become embarrassed by her actions of protectiveness for him. For now, the pair of them were sitting on a sofa in front of my kobold self, as I hadn''t revealed my skeletal form to Puella just yet. I did not wish to see her frightened. Anyways, I was telling them how different my own magicks were to this world, even going as far as to say that I was not a part of it. They were confused by this, so I explained, "The world I am from has my own kind living upon it. However, they are being hunted down and exterminated at every turn. It is because of that world''s religion that has kept us from truly flourishing. "This world''s late king, Samiah the Greedy, summoned myself, and a few others, to this land. I do not know what they went through before they were summoned, but for myself, I had died." Puella gasped, as did a few others, while Nox simply sat forward. "Do not worry yourselves. Yes, I had died, but I was given the option of living once more, and took it. Although living once more had weakened my body somewhat, I was able to walk among the living. However, the moment I awakened, the greedy king summoned myself, and the others, to this land." "What happened to the others, Father?" Nox asked, staring up at my person. His entire body looked as though he were about to explode from wanting to ask all of the questions within his mind. "Ah," I sighed slowly, "I killed them." They were stunned by my explanation, and inquired as to why I did such a thing. "Why? Because they were too naive and trusting, believing that they would do great things against a populace who had done nothing wrong, except being born. For you see, children, the outside world is rife with chaos, death, and slavery. If you were born elsewhere, and a large group of humans came upon you and your family, you would have ended up a slave to some unknown''s whims, or dead. "However, you both have met my person," I laid a clawed hand upon my chest as I said this, "and your lives have been much better since then." Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Pausing for a time, I allowed them to digest this information, and found Nox was hugging a frightened Puella who looked to be tearing up. Sighing at this, I knelt in front of them, and held her paws in my clawed hands. "You do not have to be afraid, Puella. No one will harm you, either of you, and I swear it." She nodded at this, then asked for a hug, of which I obliged. "You two going to be okay for another confusing lesson about my magicks?" Nox nodded slowly, while Puella hesitated, then assented as well. "Very well," Standing up, I stalked towards my original position, turned around, and began my speech, "Energy is everything, and everything is energy. From simply breathing and eating, to swinging a weapon, you are creating energy and agitating that which is already there. The smallest of movements creates minute traces of kinetic energy, which, when harnessed properly, can sustain a magick caster. However," I raised up a single clawed finger, "bear in mind to that which is in your surroundings. Just because you can use the energy of the world, and that which is created by others, does not mean you are not prone to exhaustion and the like. No, you are more susceptible to it. "Ah, you may be wondering ''how can this be?''. It is quite simple, it requires energy and concentration to extract even the most minute traces of energy. Even then, there is no guarantee you will be able to extract anything at all. Yes, it is possible to do so, but it takes time to be able to attempt it. "For now, you would have to go through the basics. Which is meditations, then come the practicing of the most basic of my magicks." I sat down upon the ground, crossing my legs, and placing my palms up with my forefinger and thumb barely touching. "Just watch my body for a time. I shall show you what I intend to have each of you do." Closing my eyes, I fell in on myself, and visualised a cliff spreading out before my inner self. Once here, I stared over the ledge, and found it to be an inky darkness just waiting to swallow my entire being. It was here my inner mind began to concentrate, collecting the energy about my physical form, burning and purifying it within my inner self. For a time, nothing happened, but then my inner self began to glow brightly. From here, I launched my it over the cliff, and into the inky darkness below. ***** Father had just finished his confusing speech about energy being all around us, and in everything. How we can create, and even extract this energy to fuel our magicks was mind boggling. For now, though, Puella and I were told to watch his body, as he plans for us to do what he is about to do on a later date. I believe there might be more of his confusing words, and I fear we might not be able to understand it completely, even if he explains it. We watched his kobold body for a time, until I saw my sister become bored and start to play with my fingers. I can see why Father kept her around, as her nature and curiosity were equally adorable. However, just as she was getting to my lesser claw, a brilliant light began to emit from the still body of Father. To this, we were stunned, and could feel as though the light was scrubbing us clean. The feeling of cleanliness from the light was staggering, as I had never felt it before in my life. It was as though my body was scrubbed raw and healed in a matter of heart beats. Looking over at Puella, I could see her staring at her fur. For you see, despite taking a bath every day, she is still a very dirty child. Always, she would dance and play in the garden of the queen, becoming especially dirty. Even now, before our lesson of the day, she was playing in the dirt. Now? Now she was clean, and very confused about it. Her eyes, an ocean of emerald surrounding widened, dark slits stared into my own hazel brown orbs with confusion and bewilderment, but I did not know how to answer her. Instead, I simply pointed at our Father, whose body began to fluctuate in a myriad of colours. There seems to be a pattern, one that ever flowed into the next so perfectly, I could not wrap my head around it. The colours flowed from red, to orange, to yellow, to green, to a light shade of blue, then a darker shade of blue, and finally a royal purple. Why these colours, and not others, confused me greatly, but I believe Father will tell us when he awakens from whatever he is doing. However, there was something frightening about him. During this dance of colours from within his body, he opened his eyes wide. This action scared myself, Puella, and those who had came for a lesson in his magicks. For you see, they were a brilliantly bright pair of white orbs. Gone were the stars twinkling within, and in its place were a pair of orbs that seemed to be brighter than the star in the day-sky. We are truly blessed to have him for a Father, as I would not wish to be his enemy. Chapter 25 AN: Next chapter is going to be another extra long one. Which means it''s going to be a battle~. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. _______________________________________________ Ah, you may be wondering why I had Nox, Puella, and all others go through what I showed them in the beginning. It is quite simple, really, what I did was cleanse the pathways between my main chakra points. Chakras are normally used by martial artists, yes, but it is also beneficial for those who use the energies of the universe, such as magick users. For you see, having an active and cleansed pathway for your chakras can increase your mana pool by a significant amount. It can also increase the regeneration of your mana, as well as the healing factor within each person''s body. In short, someone with open and active chakras could, essentially, do many great things before having to rest, but I digress. It would not be until three months later that my children, as I''ve started to call them, have started to bear fruit from my teachings. However, in those three months I had a growing, imaginary headache that was threatening to explode my skull. For you see, the so called "Mistress" had become quite the pest, as she would not cease in her sendings of letters that were both threatening and begging. In one of her multiple letters, she wished for an audience with the queen. This, of course, was granted under various conditions. Unfortunately, once she was on the premise of the castle, she managed to slip past her escorts, and was found tormenting Puella. The girl-child was crying behind her bonded Shadow''s reaper, who was growling angrily up at the grinning Mistress. Who probably believed she found some sort of treasure to held over myself, once she retrieved it. However, her attempt was foiled by Nox, who wandered into the room, pounced on the "Mistress", and subsequently broke the bones in her arms until she was screaming. There seemed to be some truth to what our torturer had said, because when I saw the scene she was in, her face was a mask of ecstasy, and she seemed to have dirtied the floor with her fluids. Even Nox, who was calm and collected on most occasions, was disgusted by the display of the female human before him, refusing to even touch her afterwards. The pair exchanged some words, which increased his desire to remove himself from her presence. At this point, I had entered the scene in my human form, and began torturing her body the moment Nox left with a crying Puella in his arms. Her fluids continued to increase, dirtying the floor beneath her shaking body, as I began to ply my chaotic magicks upon her. However, even though she looked to be enjoying it immensely, her masochism ran out of steam, and she began to scream in pain. "<>," I intoned above her body, and watched as crimson-violet streaks of lightning erupted from my fingertips, electrifying and burning her flesh. She cried out in pain and anguish, begging for me to stop, and I did so for only a moment. "<>," I intoned once more, and grinned maniacally as she continued her screaming. It was at this time I felt a tug on my right arm. "Enough, Father," Nox began to beg, pulling my arm away from her, "She will die if you keep this up." My eyes grew wide, and I slowly turned my head towards my ''son''. "You wish to save this insignificant insect? One who would steal away your sister to use against us? If she were to live, she would only seek revenge against us." "But she is injured. Surely she would be incapable of-" I held up a finger to his face. "Nox, you have grown up well, but your naivety will be your downfall. Just like the hero''s and his starter harem. This retch of a human," I kicked her side, which rewarded me with a gasp, "is influential enough to become a mighty spear aimed at our hearts. If she were to leave, we would be attacked within a few turns of the sun. During this time, she would have inflicted a great amount of pain to our family. So much so, one or both of you will have perished under her and her allies'' attacks. "You are a good man, and I commend you for it," I gave him a slight pat on his shoulder, then gripped it until he gasped in pain, "but if you allow a hated enemy to live, they will only continue to resurface until either, or both, of you are dead." Nox''s eyes were downcast, and I could see him ball his paws into clenched fists until they shook. His own eyes looked a bit tearful, probably from the pain in his shoulders, "I shall tell you a small story. One that is common upon my first world." He looked up at me, and began to wipe the tears that threatened to fall, "This story is of a Dark Knight, who... Where do you think you''re going?" My eyes stared at the female human, who began crawling away from us. "<>," I intoned, and watched as vines tore through wood and tiled marble to wrap around her body, and forcefully pin her to the ground. She then gasped as thorns appeared all over the vines, cutting her body a thousand times over with superficial scratches. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! "Anyways," turning back to Nox, who looked quite angry, "this Dark Knight was the sole protector of a corrupted and violent city. He would do his best to remove the filth that cluttered it, but was unable to due to his morals. You see, Nox, he had a code to never kill." I shook my head, my lips plastered with an ironic smile, "This Knight would, every night, go out into the city in search of trouble. He would then attack these people who dared to disrupt the peace, then drag them off to a cell within a prison. No matter how much this person killed, or committed heinous crimes most foul, he would always put them into a prison cell. "However, within a few days to a month, those that killed or committed such depraved acts would always escape their cells. They would then continue their rampage until, eventually, they were caught and thrown back into their prison. "Do you see the point of what I am trying to tell you, Nox? This Knight would continue to do what you were about to do to this insect," I waved my free hand towards the "Mistress", "You would rather have her free to wreak havoc upon our family, or would it be better that she died? Choose, Nox. What will it be?" He was crying at this point, as mental images flooded his mind of the female human laughing as she killed Puella. Yes, I did supply those images into his brain, else he would not have chosen the correct path. The path I wanted him to walk. "Well, Nox? Will she live or die? It will be by your hand, by the way." He whipped his head towards my person, eyes widened in shock. Tears continued to flow, as he walked over to the struggling human, who was wide eyed as she stared up at him with pleading eyes. "She...," he was hesitant few a few heartbeats, then whispered, "will die." "Then kill her, if that is your choice." He nodded, intoning the spell, "<>." A small, black hole appeared in the center of his forehead. Inside was pitch black darkness, then came thin streaks of crimson and violet lightning. These small streaks fell onto the head of the human, who began to scream as his spell began to cook her from the inside, out. For you see, "Chaos of the Mind" is a lesser variant of my "Mana of Chaos". Instead of afflicting the whole body of the target, it cooks the brain and makes the victim experience it all until they are dead. This spell could last between a few seconds, to a full turn of the sun, and is a favourite among the torturer and his apprentices. As it was so much easier, and less messy, than using their instruments and tools while blood and gore splattered their bodies and clothes. Nox, on the other hand, only allowed the "Mistress" to experience a few brief seconds of pain, before her head was a smoldering mess of burnt flesh and liquefied brain matter. It was oozing out of her skull. "Good. Good, my son," I was grinning, as he wiped away his tears and snot on his sleeve, "You have chosen wisely." It was here that I could barely hear a creepy old human whispering about his path to the Dark Side being complete. It was odd, yes, but it was also correct, as the path I wished for Nox to travel was my own. Full of torture, pain, and chaos. "Come, my dear Nox, it is time for another lesson. Leave the body alone, as others will take care of it. We have much to do, now that she is dead, and I fear many would begin to become annoying once they realise she was last seen here." I maneuvered him out of the room, and had an Undying guide him back to the room I usually give lessons in. It was here that my eyes began to glow crimson, as I turned towards the pair of Undying closest to me. "Gather those who wish to partake in a bloodbath, and send others to scout out the establishments the ''Mistress'' was a part of. Those with strong ties are to be marked for death, all others are to be questioned. "This time," I growled a low and slow growl, "This time, I will be the one to lead them, and Nox will accompany us. I will not have a son who is morally just, alive. If he will not change, then he will die." The boy was still young and naive, and this battle, his first, should be enough to push him completely over the edge. If not, then I would have no need of a weakling who wants to save a world that should just burn. _______________________________ AN: Another one gone, and another one gone. Another one bites the dust. Chapter 26 AN: Let the battle commence! This is about 3000 words, folks, and it has a bit of the kitsune at the beginning. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. ____________________________________________________________________________ "You''re insane," muttered the hooded bright elf, who stared at the kitsune with fear and sorrow. "I was, yes, but I got better," replied the kitsune, who gave a small sigh, then drank from his cup once more. "I''ve done many things in my life. Some I regret, others I would have wished to forget, but," he stared into the eyes of those present, "where there is darkness, there is always light. For now, rest a while. We shall continue within a demi-turn." In saying this, he stood up, and left the gathering of adults, who began to discuss this new information. "Is anything he said verifiable?" Asked a small Lamia who began to stretch her limbs after sitting coiled up for so long. "There is a human city at the southern tip of this continent," came a reply from a silver-black wolf beastman, "They worship a giant skeleton with four arms, but none of their books and scriptures ever said this skeleton was coated in poison." He sighed slowly, then scratched his neck-fur quickly, "I don''t know. He''s never lied to us before, so I don''t think he''s lying now." "If he did what he said he did," said a small voice near the hooded bright elf, "Then why does he shine brighter than our day-star?" "What do you mean?" "I can see his...," the voice struggled for the right words for a time, "Essence, I guess you can say. Another word for it is aura, I think. Anyways, it''s a really bright white, brighter than anyone''s I''ve seen. This leads me to believe him to be pure, good, and just. It would have been marred with greys and blacks, if he did what he said he did. Which is why I am confused." "There is no light without darkness, no day without the night," Kara, the pink kitsune, spoke quietly, hushing everyone''s voice. "I believe he''s telling us this, so that we may learn and grow in the knowledge that our own Ageless is not the perfect being we all thought he was. No," she shook her head slowly. Then, walking towards a window, she peered outside to spy on a scene of joy and happiness. It was the golden kitsune, playing with a small blue, fluffy creature who was happily squealing as it was tossed into the air, then caught in his arms. "No," she repeated once more, turning back to the small gathering of individuals, "Within every dark heart is a spark of light. You need only grasp hold of it with both hands, and one can change for the better. This I do believe. This I do see." ***** It wouldn''t be until a week later, and during this week, we had prepared for every event that could happen during our raids upon homes and compounds who had dealings with the "Mistress". It was during this time, however, much of the populace began to grow restless, as though sensing some great event was to occur soon. The news of a secret hunt began to spread around amongst those that dwelled beneath the might of the monarchy. Many from this "underworld" had been recruited, although they were sworn to secrecy as what it might entail. As such, rumours began to appear throughout the commonfolk of an impending attack within the city. Of course, none knew if it was true or not, as it was just a rumour. However, up in the castle, I had my hands full with a curious little feline girl-child, who demanded she be taken with myself and Nox. We were, of course, about to raid the city down below, but she and he did not know this. He was told we were going on a hunt, and she wanted to journey with us. Although he did say she could come, I, on the other hand, forbade her. Puella began to pout and use her "puppy-dog eyes", but I was as immobile as a mountain, never moving from my stance on the issue. She was visually upset, as I would usually cave into her request, and began to cry. Yes, I did apologise. Yes, I did promise her I would take her on a Father-Daughter outing on a later date. For now, though, security was being tightened, as we prepared for our journey. "Where are we going, Father?" Nox asked with excitement in his voice. His disappointment will be quite entertaining to watch, once we''ve arrived at our destination. This thought caused me to grin, as I became my human self once more. "Somewhere close by," I replied slowly. "Will it be the forest?" His wolf-bear tail had begun to sway quickly. "No, but it is close, nonetheless." Nox''s eyes grew wide at this small revelation, and he whispered, "Is it a dungeon full of monsters?" My left eye twitched as I turned towards his body, "No. Such a place does not exist upon this continent. However, where we are going is much more dangerous, so be sure to bring your staff and blade attachment. You will need it before we are done." "Yes, Father," his form was gone, as he dashed away to retrieve his belongings. "You did not tell him what we were hunting," came a singsong voice above my head. "No," I replied, not looking for the owner, "I did not." "He will be so disappointed in his father when he finds out." "Perhaps, but this is to break him from the path he may try to walk. One full of sunshine, rainbows, and smiles. I would rather have him choose the paths we take, as opposed to becoming something of an annoyance later down the road." The voice giggled maniacally, and floated down to my left side. Turning towards the owner, I noticed the long, flowing hair of darkness tinged with blood flecks. The skin of such was an abstract white, that only seemed to enhance the deep, crimson ocean that was the eyes. The nose was sharp, and curved upwards, and the mouth below it was small and smiled an ironically crooked smile. The entirety of the face was sharp, with only a few rounded edges. The body below was that of a female''s, but small when it came to her chest and curves, as this one tended to wear clothing that left nothing to the imagination. "Do you like what you see?" She asked with a mocking smile. This turned into a frown when I replied with a, "No, but it gets the job done." She twirled around, intending to leave, but was stopped by my hand gripping her arm. "When the night is over, you are to see me. You need to be taken down a peg, and I know just how." Her laughter filled the room the moment I let her go. She then laid her arms around my neck, and forced a kiss upon my lips. Yes, the night with her will be quite amazing. ***** By evening, we set out on horses and carriages, but not before Nox and I received a hug from Puella. The carriage was for myself, as no beast would take me. It seems most, if not all, of them knew I was a dangerous monster. To this, I shrugged, even after people begged for forgiveness. Truly, I did not mind it, and told them so. However, many were still upset by these turn of events, and did their best to annoy my person. To which a thrall came and shoved them away. Nox, on the other hand, decided to ride with my person. if I wasn''t going to sit on a beast, then neither was he. We chatted for a time, while the carriage was moving, and I began to inform him of what we were hunting. "Nox," his eyes turned towards my person, wide and expectant, "We are hunting the most dangerous prey of all." He sat on the edge of his seat, "Criminals," and blinked. "Criminals, Father?" He was confused, and rightly so. Why would we need so many Undying and hired help if we were hunting a few criminals. "Yes, Nox, criminals. These people have evaded the law for too long, and we are heading to one of their compounds now to silence them forever." His eyes became wider than saucers, as he realised what that would entail. "But... But what about justice?" This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work."Justice?" I hid my sneer from his eyes, "These are criminals, Nox. they are to be removed from the face of Terra for defying the country''s laws. If there is any justice to be had, it is for any victims under their thumbs, or people they would have attacked for whatever reason." The carriage ride had become quiet, save for the occasional squeaking. It was a short ride, to be honest, as we made our way towards and through the Red Light District. Of course, it wasn''t devoid of life, but it was quiet as we made our way through. Then the whisperings began once we stopped our procession in front of the "Mistress''s" brothel house. Those that I had sent to investigate this place confirmed the torturer''s story. There was an orphanage behind the main brothel house, and in it were many children with dead eyes. Those who informed me said that when they tried to approach them, the ones with dead eyes started to remove their clothing, while all others ran away in fear. It was here that would begin the night of terror for the people of New Wair, it is here I shall begin breaking Nox away from his supposed path of goodness and light, and walk the path of darkness and shadows. The place itself looked as though it were more of a compound, rather than a building, and was as large as this entire village is. It even hosted what seemed to be an army to protect itself from intruders. There was a wall of wood and stone surrounding the compound, and several guards were seen nervously milling about its walls. Others had begun to gather about us, as I and Nox stepped out of our carriage. A few females glanced our way, looking past my person to stare at my son with hungry eyes. This caused him to shake with nervousness at those stares. A herald appeared before the guards of the compound, unfurled a scroll of parchment, and began to drone on and on about this and that. Most of which was false, but for the most part, it was an announcement that allowed us to disrupt their business, and shutting it down for good. This, of course, was signed by Queen Delilah of New Wair. The doors then began to shut while many of the guards began to prepare themselves for what seemed like another drawn out siege. Apparently, they had gone through with this before, and their "Mistress", of whom they did not know was dead, smoothed things out with the late king. Oh how wrong they were. "Mages," I called out to those who were employed by myself, "Tear down those walls." Large orbs of ice, fire, and stone began to batter the walls and gate, while I turned towards another group of mages that were wearing dark robes. These were, in fact, Enchanter who knew some of my own magicks. "Enchanters, call upon your shields, and protect the others with your runes." All began with the spell, "Minor Armour," then began to trace runes within the air above themselves and others. These runes then began to gather up stones from the earth, and shear them into replicas of a standard tower shield. These shields would then maneuver in front of the mages who were casting their spells, and defend their bodies against enemy projectiles. A few began to pelt towards my own body, but glanced off my arcane shield. These actions dismayed Nox, who tried to run, but was rooted by my grip. He was terrified, yes, and desired to flee with his tail between his legs. Unfortunately, he had to endure his fear, whilst standing in the open like the massive target he was. "You see, Nox?" I began slowly, "They are trying to kill us, even though the queen said we are to shut down their establishment. They seem to think they are in the right, but they are wrong. "Is everything ready?" I growled towards the shadows of a nearby alleyway. "Ready when you are," came the singsong voice from before. "Then do it. Let us begin the slaughter." The voice of the woman laughed melodiously, and I could see her lithe figure dash across the rooftops with more than a dozen others following her wake. They then pounced onto the walls, and began butchering their way to the gatehouse. This, then, alerted the guards, and began to maneuver some of their forces towards her and her group. Unfortunately for them, they were dealing with trained assassins, ones who swore allegiance to a new god of death and destruction. Me. I do not revel in being called a god, but it does have its perks. Such as having an army at your beck and call, and having a monarchy in your control. There were too many benefits to being called one, especially when you are practically immortal, and the continent did not have any way to combat the Undead. The patron god of these humans wasn''t known for his holy magicks, but that of ingenuity, beauty, and art. Though, his standards of beauty are much to be desired, seeing how most of the men have block shaped skulls with cleft chins, but that''s beside the point. Yes, there was holy magicks in the world, but only for healing, and yes, it was applied to myself, but did nothing except heal a few hairline cracks in my bones. It was odd, because normal healing magicks would cause damage to ones such as I, but I digress. The assassins, all, were insane to some degree, and had been kicked out of their respective clans for a number of reasons. So when they heard of a new god of death was born, they flocked to this city in search of it. What they found, however, was myself in my cathedral, and, unfortunately for them, I found them quite easily. I was about to execute them on the spot, when they professed their worship for myself. Yes, I was bothered by it, but they wanted to follow and obey me. As long as they get to kill, they do not mind what I did to them. Truly, they were insane, and showed this to the world by laughing as they butchered the unfortunate guards atop the walls. One even had a wickedly curved scythe, and became a whirlwind of death and destruction. So much so was their chaos, that even those around me commented with, "They''re insane." "Tear down those walls," I roared at those that still hesitated and watched the slaughter. "Now, while the guards are distracted." A few others began shouting at everyone, whilst they intoned, "<>." Varying suits of armour, and a few golems, began to move out of the other carriages, each carrying axes and hammers in one hand, and a large tower shield in the other. A few, on the other hand, had cast the spell variant, "<>," and watched as either a few regular armours shuffled out, or a four-armed suit of Undying armour burst out of a carriage. These, then, began to tear down the wall, and rush inside. Once there, they found an even greater army of almost one hundred strong humans and demi-humans blocking their way, much to the glee of some. The animated armour then began to march forwards, raising their shields high, as mages and Enchanters began to into their own spells. "Come, Nox," I began to push him towards the fighting, "We must not dally and miss your first fight." He was pale and shaking, as I pushed him towards the opening, a grin plastered upon my face. Once inside, there was gore, blood, and limbs strewn all over the ground between the wall and the first building. Screams could be heard from within, as the battle continued to wage on. We even stepped on a few organ meat, much to the dismay of my son, who seemed to jump out of his skin. I called out to a pair of Undying, who were torturing some poor human by slowly cutting off his limbs centimetre by centimetre. They weren''t happy to be singled out, but dragged their screaming victim with them. Nox, on the other hand, simply stared at the unfortunate human, by the look of it, and begged me to intercede on his behalf. We stared at him with disgust and horror as he said this, which quieted him down considerably. It was beyond belief that he would utter such nonsense, especially when he knew I wouldn''t tolerate it. "Make him participate," I instructed the Undying, who grinned evilly. "I must go and rescue a few of the unfortunate. If you need to find me, I''ll be somewhere around the orphanage. Oh," I raised up a finger, then pointed it at my son, "Make sure he participates, and doesn''t escape to ''help'' the enemy. I would very much not enjoy hearing how he did this, only to end up dead or captured." His face paled at this, and began to shake, "Be a good boy, and do what you are told, Nox. I would hate to lose you, and Puella would be very upset by this." His body stiffened at this, but didn''t hear the threat like the Undying did. What they heard was, "If he doesn''t help with the slaughter, he is to die." The pair were a bit angry, but would follow the orders given. If not, then they would be the ones who would die, instead. Turning around, I sauntered off with a light step in my pace, whistling an old tune from my first world. ____________________________________ AN: Ah yes, throw away characters with the MC''s spells and abilities. Something happens to them in a few chapters, and it is not pleasant. Chapter 27 (NSFW) AN: I did not enjoy writing this bit up, but it had to be done, as the MC was heading in this direction. Again, I am all for rape, torture, and detailed descriptions of death in all its beauty. Just not when it comes to children. It''s not detailed, but it is disturbing nonetheless. You have been warned. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. ___________________________________________________________ "All around me are familiar faces," I hummed to myself, as I swung the dead body of an unfortunate soul who had stabbed my chest. The body broke off from the leg I had grasped, spraying blood across the ground and a few people I did not recognise. The body slammed into them, toppling them over, and I pounced on them, tearing a few heads off. These heads became missiles, and I kicked them through a couple of armoured soldiers charging me with spears. They looked horrified as they collapsed with head sized holes in their chests. "Worn out places. Worn out faces," I picked up a discarded spear, and hurled it at a mage who was chanting whilst pointing in my general direction. The spear only scratched the left side of the neck, but it was enough, as blood began to spray the nearby wall. "Bright and early for the daily races." People were running away from my person now, even though a few tried their best to stop me from progressing any further. Unfortunately for them, my mood was sour, as I approached the only decrepit building within the entire compound. It was here the report said the children were kept, many of whom were dead on the inside. Well, perhaps I can help them live again. "Going nowhere... going nowhere... Where do you think you''re going?" I gave a maniacal grin at a small group of soldiers who were trying to escape with bags and pouches full of gold, silver, and jewels. "Not going to happen," my eyes became wide with madness, and intoned, "<>." Crimson and violet lightning erupted from my fingertips, whilst my human guise began to crack around the sword still sticking from my chest. Yes, I did see it, but I was having too much fun killing the humans and demi-humans to care. Those who were carrying the treasure began to scream, and a few had lightning flare out of their mouths. They became burnt and blackened rather quickly, which caused me to frown. "Too much power, me thinks," I whispered, pulling out the sword and recasting the illusion. It looked as though someone was leaving the decrepit building in a hurry, and appeared to my tying on a belt whilst grinning. This greatly angered me, and the sword flew from my grasp just as the spear did before. However, like the spear, it missed its mark, but it managed to pierce the slob''s ankle with enough force to topple him down. Slowly, I made my way towards him, who was begging for mercy, but would have none from me. "You and your kind sickens me, human," I growled, raising a fist above my head slowly. "But you''re human, though," he cried out, trying to crawl away. "Am I?" I laughed as my entire form began to stretch and grow. Thankfully, the robe I was wearing was one that could stretch to accommodate any form I wish, even if it was somewhat damaged. "Am I truly a disgusting human, insect?" I rumbled as my body became the skeletal frame it once was. Maneuvering it slowly over to the now urinating-in-fear human, I stood over him with a maw full of acidic poison. "Die," I roared, breathing it onto his legs, and slowly moving it towards his head. He shrieked in pain and anguish, as his entire began to liquefy in front of him, until he was naught, but a puddle of acid and flesh. Afterwards, I slowly reverted back to my human self, growled, and entered the building he just came out of. Inside looked to be something out of a nightmare, one I wished I never entered. Bodies of dead, naked children were seen rotting near the doorway. Many of whom looked fresh, and just waited for someone to come and dispose of them outside the compound. If I wasn''t who I was at that time, I would have wept mighty rivers at the pile of bodies. The children were innocent, and deserved to live, not butchered. My body shook with rage, as my eyes began to slowly change into crimson orbs. Back then, I wished I could have wept, but all I could do was destroy. However, I steeled myself away from the scene, and ventured further into the nightmare. The building itself only had three floors, and it appeared to have been packed with children, judging by what I could see. "<>," I intoned in a whisper, which summoned a floating, gore covered eyeball. Where it came from, I did not want to know, but it was useful for scouting, even if it was one of the few spells with an actual time limit. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The eyeball floated in front of my form, until I sent it up the stairs to scout out what was there. Down where I was, everything was dead. The bodies of the children that I found looked terrified when they died. All of them had dried blood around their mouths, between their legs, and, yes, even their rear ends had dried blood. Madness was slowly inching its way into my mind, and this time, I did not stop it. However, it left when the eyeball found movement upon the second floor, and my body leapt onto the ceiling above me, tearing a hole through it. Pulling myself through, I paused on the first floor, and stared at the dead before me. This floor seemed to house children who began to show signs of growing up, but they were all dead, for the most part. However, even though they had died much in the same way, the females died in a different manner. Many were pregnant when they died, as those who showed the most looked as though they were stabbed with a sharp object, as opposed to being raped to death. Still, it was heartbreaking for one such as I to witness it, and I fell to my knees crying within my mind. However, within a few passing moments, I came back to myself when I remembered there was movement above. Staggering to my feet, I half ran, half crawled towards the stairs. Once at the next level, I noticed there were warm bodies up here. Joy tinged with sorrow engulfed my mind, that is, until I noticed a male human entering a room with a grin on his face. Feelings of disgust engulfed my body, converting to madness, as I charged the room, and pounced on the human. This human was trying to violate a girl-child who looked to be about Puella''s age. My mind even believed her to BE Puella for a time, and I breathed my acidic poison on the struggling human''s head, watching it melt. My illusion''s lips were gone, but that didn''t bother me, and stood up slowly. My eyes were wide, and staring up at the ceiling, my lipless mouth hanging open in a silent scream of anguish. Oh how I wished I could have wept an ocean of tears. Oh how I wish whatever it was that calmed me down would rescind itself from my person so that I may feel the feelings that had threatened to overwhelm me moments ago. Unfortunately, I could not, and the madness was kept at bay once more. Intoning the human illusion once more, I turned to see a frightened girl-child trying to hide in a shadowy corner. She was naked, and my emotions were conflicted. I desired to hug her, but my stance on touching naked children prevented me from moving very far. Instead, I pulled off my ruined robe, and held it out to her. Underneath my robe was naught, but a pair of trousers. This caused her to become frightened, as though I was about to do what the melted human was going to do prior to my killing him. "Take it. Please," I whispered towards her, "I still need to search for others. Do you know if there''s anyone left?" She shook her head, staring at the robe. Most likely, it will be the first piece of clothing she was allowed to wear in a long time. I turned and left, shutting the door behind me. Once it was shut, however, I heard the scampering of feet, and a delighted sigh after it sounded like she was fumbling with the cloth. This small action place a smile upon my lips, and I began to wander throughout the second floor. However, the scene was similar to the floors beneath us, and the Minion of Zomm only found the living space of adults upon the third floor. It was empty, devoid of life and bodies, to which I was thankful for. Turning back, and knocking on the door, I entered to see a somewhat comical sight. The girl-child, of whom seemed to be a silver haired, wolf-kin girl-child with snow white eyes, was staring up at my person with "puppy-dog eyes". You see, she had tangled herself in the robe, with a bare leg sticking out of the hole that a human had stabbed through. "Do you need help?" She shook her head, and tried to scamper to the other side of the bed, hiding under it with only her tail poking out. "Do you wish to leave here?" There was a few moments of her shuffling around, until her ears popped up. "I have a daughter who is about your age," her full head sat on the edge of the bed, with large eyes staring up at my person. "She lives with me and my son, Nox, in a large castle with lots of room to run around in. We have a garden, and plenty of food. You can even take a bath, and dress up however you wish. No need to stay naked, or do things you do not wish to anymore." Her ears had flattened at the word, "bath," but perked up for everything else. "No one will come for you, so you do not need to worry anymore. Know this," I said slowly, squatting down to look her in the eyes, "Anyone who dares to harm you, or my children, will simply disappear. "So," my hand was held outstretched towards the small, wolf-kin girl-child, "would you like to come with me, daughter?" Chapter 28 AN: So, as per a suggestion a couple days back, I touched up Nox''s character just a tad to include some ferocity. I''ll be sure to keep him that way in the chapters to come, by the way. Also, if you''re of the likeminded individual who did not enjoy the fact that the MC taught others his spells and abilities, then I hope you''ll enjoy my answer for it. As always, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. ________________________________________________________________ In the end, she did take my hand, albeit with great hesitation. She was in my arms when I left the building, but I did not allow her to see the carnage below. No. Instead, I destroyed the wall with the only window within the room, and leapt towards the ground, much to the dismay of the little wolf-kin girl-child. Lupa is the name I gave her, because she did not have a name for herself. It is a goddess''s name, one whose children are the wolves. She would not understand this until much later. Outside, however, was still chaotic, and I believed it had gone on long enough. Stretching my arm above my person, fingers played wide, I intoned the spell, "<>." Blood began to flow from around us, condensing into an orb a few meters above our bodies, which then shot itself towards the moon that had barely reached the halfway point of its zenith. It was here the orb turned it from pearl white, to a shadowy crimson. Shadows began to converge on my position, as screams pierced the night. All fighting had seemingly ceased, as many began pointing at the moon. "What is that?" A few too many cried out, as shadowy beings began to form near the decrepit building where I and a frightened Lupa stood. She was standing next to me with wide, curious eyes, but when the shadows came, she climbed atop my person, shivering and hugging my head. These shadows then began to form bodies of wolf-like beastmen and women, with only crimson orbs for eyes. They, then, began a silent song, howling at the blood red moon until an even larger wolf-like beastman began to form near my person. This was Alpha, his pack of almost fifty Shadow''s Reapers, and it was here I gave them their first real order. "Slay them all," I roared, as my thralls began to run from their executioners. The lucky ones had fled the compound, while all others were mercilessly slaughtered before their onslaught. Granted, they tried to put up a token of resistance, but it was all for naught. It was here I had remembered something. Nox was among those who were going to be slaughtered. This thought caused me to grab a pair of Shadow''s Reapers by the scruff of their shadowy necks. "Find Nox," I growled at them, and they cowered under my glare, "Bring him here." They yelped and scampered off with their tails between their legs. In mere moments, he was found and was being dragged along the ground. The pair had bitten his right arm and leg, forcefully dragging him through torn flesh, organ meat, and blood, looking a little worse for wear. "You need a bath," I rumbled down at his form, and was rewarded with a growl. His eyes were as red and dark as a Shadow''s Reaper''s eyes, and his maw seemed to be covered in blood and pieces of flesh. It seems some sort of madness had taken control of his mind. Good. "Wipe yourself off with something, then greet the newest addition to our little family." The growling stopped, and his head swiveled up towards the girl-child that was staring with wide, snow-white eyes at the scene before her. No, I did not shield her as I had with Puella. For you see, although Puella is adorable, and will remain uncorrupted for a while longer, Lupa has already been introduced to the horrors of the world. Therefore, she will be the easiest to turn down the path I walk. Perhaps more so. The idea of having a family of evil beings was a warm thought for one such as I in the past, and I would do much to see it through. No matter the cost. After staring at Nox''s body for a moment more, my arms reached up, and gently removed Lupa from my head. She yelped a bit at my touch, but calmed down when I placed her upon the ground. "That one is Nox, my first son," I whispered, pointing at the wolf-bear hybrid doing his best to remove the blood, dirt, and gore from his person. He even went as far as to lap up the blood and gore that spattered across his forearms. He paused for a moment, then waved a little at the girl-child, who hid behind my legs. Her tail was between her own, and, with ears laid back, she peeked around them to stare at him with widened eyes. "It seems she doesn''t know what to think of you, Nox," I chuckled softly. She then stared up towards my eyes, and hid herself behind me once more. The wolves had, more or less, cleaned up the compound of the living, and began to gather around my and Nox''s bodies. They sniffed towards Lupa, who yelped and tried to hide between my legs. She did not like these wolves, and when one tried to get closer, its entire form disappeared under a stream of crimson lightning. "Anyone who tries to come near my children will die. Is that understood?" Most had their ears laid back, and tails tucked under their bellies, after my display of power. They would not try again. "Let us go home," I rumbled slowly, "Lupa," the wolf-kin girl-child stared up at my face, "let us go home, so you can meet your new sister." This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ***** "How many are left?" I asked an attendant who was nervously sifting through a stack of parchment in his hands. It has been a few days after the battle of the compound, and the city seemed to be up in arms about it. The official report, for the general populace, was the queen''s guard, along with the remaining "hero", went to arrest the "Mistress" and shut down her compound/brothel for good. There was a fight, and it was discovered within the compound, illegal magickal experiments most foul. There were shadowed monsters that were seen running amok, slaughtering all that got in the way. Of course, they were subjugated, but not before they killed most of those who were fighting within. The non-combatants, who perished under the monsters, was low. However, it was revealed, within a decrepit building that served as the orphanage, were hundreds of dead children. Most of whom had been raped to death, while the rest were killed around the time when the wall of the compound was breached. This piece of information sent much of this city into an uproar, as children, are innocent creatures, until the darkness corrupts them. This sort of darkness that they had endured, was one that was unforgivable in most eyes. The city guard, under the orders of the queen, with a few Undying supervising, searched all other brothels. Many had been shut down once they found out children were involved in some way. Whether it was serving customers drinks, or in the sheets, they were taken away while the owners and residents were sent to either a quarry or a mine outside of the city. They would stay there for life, or until they died. This piece of information did not please me, as I and the torturer were becoming bored with the relative peace. So, with the help of a few guards and Undying, five males, and five females were secreted into the castle''s prison, where we would have much fun with listening to their screams. However, "Of the few dozen, or so, Enchanters that participated in the events of a few days ago, only three remain able to use the spells you have taught. All others have what is known as ''Mana Burn''." The human male pulled out a few parchments, and passed them to myself. I had gotten better at understanding the local language, even though it was still a pain; enough to make out what it says. "Mana Burn", by the by, was a common enough phenomena among this world, that most do their best to avoid it. What it does was exhaust a person''s mana reserves so much, they would be unable to intone even the most simplest of spells. There wasn''t a known cure for it, beyond time. However, those recovered would never be as powerful as they once were. No, they would only have about a tenth of their magickal reserves once they do recover, if they do not suicide first. Allow me to explain further. Imagine losing a favoured limb, or become disabled enough to not be able to do what you loved anymore. Now imagine being depressed and hollow for several cycles, while waiting for your body to recover only a small portion of what was lost. If a limb was removed, but only partially grown back, would you be able to use it? If your disability had, at most, recovered by fifty percent, would you still be able to perform the actions that made you happy? This phenomena called "Mana Burn" is exactly that, and many would choose suicide over anything else. I, on the other hand, would never experience such a thing, but I have been close on many occasions. "And there is no cure for ''Mana Burn''?" I asked, turning to stare out the window. Down below was a gaggle of children being children. They had been, for the most part, rescued from brothels that either used them, or were about to use them, to pleasure their patrons. Currently, my eyes followed a small group led by Puella and Lupa, as they ran from one side of the queen''s garden, to the other. It seems they were chasing a few rabbit-like creatures that had found their way into it. A few children were seen subjecting a couple of rabbits to a "Cuddle From Hell". These were being petted, hugged, their heads kissed, and being carried around while they struggled against their arms. One child, a female wolf-kin with dark features was crying after being bitten by one of the rabbits. This action allowed the creature to escape, only to run into another group of children. This group, led by Nox and a young, brown bear beastman scooped up the rabbit and child. They were then discussing something with the girl-child, then carried the rabbit towards the kitchens, while the other was being treated by a few others. My guess was, they wanted to know if she was okay, and if she still wanted to cuddle with the rabbit. When she declined the cuddle, the rabbit was carried away to the kitchens, where they would be butchered and served up for a meal. Whose meal it was, was anyone''s guess. "No, my lord," came his reply, "Short of Divine Intervention, such an act would be impossible." He excused himself shortly afterwards, and I was left staring at my hands. "Divine Intervention..." Chapter 29 AN: It''s a mostly ''fluff'' filled chapter today, folks. There''s a bit of violence at the beginning, but the rest is pretty much just adorable fluff. Oh, the bit at the end won''t appear until about chapter 32, and next chapter is going to be another NSFW post. Except this time, it''s a detailed gore scene that happens to one poor, unfortunate idiot who got in his way. As always, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. ____________________________________________ "Divine Intervention," I whispered, watching the sun rise above the horizon once more from a window in my cathedral. There was a plan forming in my mind, yes, but it was one that would result in myself being confirmed as something more. Some may call me a god, now, but what would happen if I was able to cure "Mana Burn"? My form was human, and it was naked, as I continued to stare at the slowly rising sun. Some would say my look was one that seemed to search for answers not asked. However, a feminine and calloused hand traced its finger across my shoulders before a pair of arms wrapped themselves around my neck. A small pair of mounds pushed against my back, as a pair of lips kissed my right shoulder. "Come back to bed," said a voice in a seductive manner, "It''s far too cold out this morning." "You know I do not feel the cold," I responded with a rumble. Turning towards the voice, I spied the sing-song assassin from before, who then tried to kiss me. She failed, and pouted greatly for my action. "You do not feel anything," she pouted, and this is true. At that time, I felt nothing. Sorrow, anger, jealousy, envy, joy, hate. I felt none of those emotions, and would not for many more centuries. "Correct." My hands began to peel her from my body, as my form became that of a kobold once more. "Oh? Are we going to do it ''Doggy Style'', now?" Her eyes were twinkling as she hungered for my new body. "No." She frowned, "The children will be waking up soon, and I must be ready to greet them." I began to search for a pair of pants, but was annoyed as the woman continued to try and shove her small chest and rear end in my face. My time spent with her that night was one of experimentation, and nothing more. However, even though I had to explain it to her on more than one occasion, she would continue to pester my person at every given turn. She desired power, I found out, and what better way to gain it, than by bedding a supposed god? There''s a saying among the people of my first world. "Hindsight is twenty-twenty." This means you can see what mistakes you had made in the past much more clearly than you can in the present or future. It was a mistake to bed her, and I knew this as she continued to try to drag me back to bed. Apparently, she wanted a child from my body, and continued to try even though I had no way of producing seed. Unfortunately for her, she would have to disappear, especially when she whispered, "I''ll make those brats disappeared so I can have you all to myself." This was said as she stared at the bed we had dirtied the night before. Her back was towards me at the time, and I do believe she thought I had already gone. She found herself gasping in pain, as a skeletal clawed hand, my own, gripped and hoisted her into the air. There was no anger in my form, nor in my eyes. No, I only felt a tinge of disappointment for her, and made it known. "You disappoint me, human," I rumbled slowly, "If you hadn''t have spoken such words, you would have enjoyed a few more night with my body. However," she struggled fiercely as the bony claws began to dig into her skin, puncturing flesh, muscle, bone, and organs. "However, I cannot have one such as you disrupting everything I have worked hard for. "Such a waste," I muttered to myself, dropping her crushed and lifeless body onto our shared bed. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth open in a silent scream, as blood continued to flow out of her. Over a dozen four-armed Undying were seen crowding the doorway, as I turned around to leave. many had already entered, and could see my bloodied clawed hand. They then began to search the whole of my home, and found the crushed remains of the female assassin. "Dei," one began, kneeling in front of my skeletal body, "What happened? Was she not to your liking?" "No," I rumbled, becoming the kobold once more. There would be no other explanation from my person, as I donned a pair of plain, brown trousers after wiping most of the blood from my arm. The rest was washed off by a maid who was terrified by the body on the bed. "Take it out, and burn it to ash." They did so, and would not question as to why it had to be done, but sometimes I wish they would. Those people I would keep close, as I would find them interesting. My feet took me towards the dining hall, as I continued to formulate a plan to help those with "Mana Burn". Do you remember the spell that allowed me to summon, at the cost of all my energy, a vial of viscous mana? If you do not, then allow me to explain. The spell itself allowed me to conjure an enchanted vial full of my own energy. What is more, this energy is in a physical form, and can either be plied to various works or drunk. If it is plied, then whatever work that received it would be granted a small boon of randomised beneficial status. It could, when wielded or worn, increase a person''s performance even better than before. If drunk, however, it would permanently increase that person''s mana pool by one hundred units. However, after the battle with the brothel compound, I was granted knowledge to mass produce the vials, creating up to a dozen per spell cast. This please me greatly, but what was more, I was given the ability to use "Appraisal". Another name for it is, "Identify". One would think someone, like myself, would gain this ability earlier than that moment, and you would be correct. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you why this is, only that it is a fact amongst we who are Enchanters. The doors to the dining hall were already open, and I could see steam rising from the many food platters that were to be served to the children, queen, and everyone else. However, before I could enter, a body stood in my way. A male human with a snobbish expression stood staring down his nose at me. This one wore a red and white butler uniform, which was creased to perfection. The facial features of the human were... ordinary. There was no real way to explain it, other than if one were to see his face in a crowd, turn away, and look back, then you would not find it again. "The servant''s dining hall is down the hall and to the left," he pointed, expecting me to comply. "You must be new here," I growled a low growl, to which he took a slight step back, and summoned a pair of Undying. "Remove this... dog," he sneered at my person, "and put him out like the trash he is." The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The pair, on the other hand, were looking towards my person. "You heard him," my lips peeled away from my teeth, revealing sharpened canines, "Remove this dog from my sight." They shrugged, and began to drag away the now squawking human butler, just as the first few children began to arrive. A few, it seems, were still sleepy, and were either being carried by those who were older, or were being led whilst trying to rub the sleep from their eyes. Upon seeing my kobold self, however, many became excited, dashing towards my body with arms stretched out. I had knelt down by then, and received them with a great hug. Those who had tails were seen waiving in an excited manner, and many whined whilst having their heads pat, or their hair ruffled. Ah, I can see a few confused looks, so allow me to explain. You see, those children who were abused, were abused by humans, for the most part, and would become frightened around males. So much so, they would run and hide from my human guise. However, around my kobold self, most of the girl-children, and a few of the boy-children, would rush my person for safety. It was decided then, by myself and others, that only beastmen and myself would interact with them until they allowed themselves to be near another human. If you are wondering if they are kin and beast-children, the answer is "mostly". For you see, although many humans'' disgusting appetites were for the kin and beast-children, a few were human children. Although few in number, they were there, and were not shunned by the others because of their race. No, they were received well enough that many adults were surprised by their actions. This leads to another piece of information. The castle began hiring non-humans as staff since the rescuing of these children, much to the horror of many nobles and commonfolk. They believe them to be less than themselves, which made me wonder how they survived this long, if they hate all who are not of the same race as they. After being released from their brief hug, the children were then being seated by about a dozen rabbit-eared maids in short black and white outfits. These outfits were much too short for my taste, and when they bent over, their actions revealed their undergarments to the world. When I expressed my disdain for such an outfit, many cried foul, as it is a common outfit throughout the land. However, the females were elated when I pushed forward a motion to change their outfits to conceal their undergarments, but the first batch would not be ready until the following week. A small tribe of horse beastmen came trotting into the hall, just as the last of the children had begun to eat. Imagine an average sized human, if you would, with mottled coloured skin, and a horse''s head. Their tribe was only of about two dozen, and were actually rescued from an auction house within the city. Many Undying had come together to raise the funds necessary for their complete release, and had been living on the castle grounds for almost a full turn of the sun. The Undying had done this to please my person, and please me they did. They were rewarded with enchanted a single bar of enchanted mithril, to do with as they see fit. You seem to be confused, so allow me to explain. Enchanters, such as myself, cannot enchant items. No, they can only enchant bars of processed ore, which can then be made into enchanted items. If one were to place various precious and semi-precious stones within a finished product, then one would see an increase in a variety of status''s. For example, if one were to place a stone of Malachite within an enchanted silver ring, and wore it, that person would receive the ability to slightly resist poison by a small percentage. Another example would be if you were to pair an enchanted silver necklace with an emerald, and wore it, that person would gain the ability to resist fire by a small amount. I have yet to test out the properties of an enchanted blade infused with a precious, or semi-precious, stone, but I had heard tales of warriors with more strength after wielding such things. "Who are you?" Asked one of the horse beastmen, as they came to a halt in front of my person. Each was wearing a plain, pale yellow tunic, brown pants, and a dark brown pair of boots. Their garb was common amongst farmers, but were grateful for the clothing, nonetheless. Those who had purchased their freedom stated that most of the males wore only a loincloth, while the females, including girl-children, wore next to nothing. Yes, the auction house was raided soon afterwards, and yes, they did have naked children who were abused. The auction house was then shut down, the owners and most of the staff were sent off to the mines or quarry. All others, on the other hand, were either taken to the castle, or placed into the hands of reputable slavers. "Canis Dei," a soft growl ensued in reply, and many shook slightly in fear, but calmed down. "They said you were in charge," a small female spoke quietly, then ducked behind another when I turned my head in her direction. "I am." Many had become relieved, and I inquired as to why they were. "They said you were kind, and would help if we asked." "Asked for what?" I was confused as to who told them such a thing. Yes, I did help those who were part of my ''family'', but they were not. "Our elder has ''Mana Burn'', and they said you could help him, or your god can. Sorry, I don''t remember what they said exactly." The female''s head popped out from behind another, as she stared in my direction with tear filled eyes. Those eyes, I had seen before. They were ones that had lost hope for so long, and became desperate after regaining it. "Perhaps," I said slowly, "I came into possession of something that may help, and am in need of a guinea pig." They didn''t understand what I had meant, but were elated that I would help them. Within my mind, however, I simply laughed at my good fortune. This small tribe would become my test subjects, and would do so gladly, but only after I healed their elder. This thought caused my kobold self to grin in an evil manner, and if one were to look upon it at that time, one could see the darkness it ensued. ____________________________________ AN#2: GASP! The MC had sex, and it wasn''t rape? The world MUST be ending, right? RIGHT?! Chapter 30 (NSFW) AN: Another NSFW post, folks, and it looks like our MC is back in the dungeon for it, too. It''s a lot more detailed than others, so here''s to hoping someone out there feels disgusted for what I wrote. One other note, I do remember someone wanting the MC to be able to become various creatures, but not as an illusion. So, I figured I''d probably put in a chapter, or two, where he turns people into what he is. I mean, you can''t expect him to NOT be able to do that, too, right? Anyways, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below, and if you have a suggestion of what you''d like to see him turn people into, I''m all ears. _______________________________________________________________ You seem confused about what a ''Guinea Pig'' is, so allow me to iterate. Guinea pigs are small rodents, to be honest, but when someone needs a ''guinea pig'', they are usually referring to the need of a subject for another''s experiments. Therefore, this horse tribe''s elder will become a ''Guinea Pig''. Speaking of experiments, a few of the humans that were going to be transferred to a mine or quarry, had been settled into the dungeon area. This occurred a little after the children broke their fast of the day, and were currently being children. However, as I was to make my way to the dungeon, I found myself with a pair of kobold children who refused to leave my side. Both were male, by the by, and extremely shy around all others except for themselves and my kobold self. The first male that clung to my right leg, was called ''Igne Comas'', or ''Hair of flame''. Indeed, even its own fur looked much like that of a red-orange flame. From his clawed feet, to his waist was naught, but an earth brown. All other parts of his body was an array of reds and oranges. Even his eyes were the colour of flames, but one eye was a red flame, whilst the other was orange. The other was a dark furred kobold, with a pair of glowing, green eyes. His eyes, when one looked closely, were a solid sea of sparkling emeralds, much like Puella''s, except he didn''t have any pupils. What is more, the tips of his growing hair, tail, nose, and claws were also of the same emerald green. However, they seem to cause people a bit of lingering pain when he scratches a person''s skin. He is called ''Puer Veneni'', or ''Child of Poison''. As to why they had attached themselves to my person so strongly, was because of their pack mentality. Kobolds, in general, are a nomadic tribe of dog-men who live by the standard Alpha and Omega rules. They are also highly protective of each other, and will gravitate to helping those who are like themselves, if they are hurt, lost, hungry, etc. I say this now, because these two were used as bait to trap other Kobolds. The humans who had them would harm them in some way, which would cause them to cry out, and attract a passing tribe. The tribe would then seek out the young ones, in an effort to alleviate their pains, and walk unknowingly into an ambush. Whereupon they would be either collared and sold, or killed and skinned for their fur. Truly, it was heartbreaking what they had gone through, and once they spied my person, they began to whine and cry until I scooped them up. The pair then clung to my body, much as Puella had done in the beginning, and refused to let go. Even when I tried to lay them down to sleep, they would continue to whine and cry until I stayed near. Yes, anyone other than myself would have grown tired of them by now, but look at it from their perspective. They''ve been beaten and tortured throughout their short lives, and have finally found some semblance of peace in another kobold''s arms. They have been well fed, given a warm place to rest, and were even encouraged, albeit slowly, to form a bond of friendship with the other children of varying races. It was truly a heaven on earth, but I had worked to do, and the children, as much as I adore them, would only get in the way. "I will be within the dungeon area today," I spoke slowly and softly, as I gently pealed them from my form''s legs. Sitting upon the ground, with legs folded over one another, I watched as the pair yipped at each other whilst climbing into my lap. Once there, they settled against my thighs, and stared up at my person with hopeful expressions. Sighing slowly, the tips of my claws, ever so gently, began to scratch their chests, neck, and chin. They exude soft sighs of contented pleasure, and leaned into the gentle scratches. "Aw, that''s so adorable. Are these your pups?" A squatting rabbit-eared made appeared next to my person. She was wearing the standard short skirt maid outfit- yes, the one I detested-, and was staring at the little kobold pups with sparkling eyes. "No," I rumbled slowly, and noticed the flame haired pup was chewing on one of my clawed fingers whilst staring up at the rabbit-eared maid with large eyes. "These pair were of those who were rescued from the auction house." Her eyes grew wide as she stared at my person. "Are they alright?" She asked, a look of horror was plastered across her face. My head shook in response, "No, but in time they will be." The maid then asked if she could hold them, as she had heard I was to visit the dungeons today. I responded with, "If they will accept you, then you may. They''ve become wary of all who are not liken unto their own." She was happy with my response, and dashed off to the kitchens for something. Upon her return, however, she had in her hand a small plate of sliced, red meats. The meats were still oozing blood, and the young pair in my lap stopped their chewing of my fingers to stare towards the rabbit-eared maid''s approach. She giggled when she saw the pair staring up at her after climbing onto my person''s shoulders. "Looks like they''re still hungry," she began to smile, had placed the plate of meats upon a cart, and pushed said cart over to where I sat. Once she was near us, the pups began to whine up at the cart, and cry towards my person. They desired the meats, and wanted me to retrieve it. Taking out two smaller plates, the rabbit-eared maid set them down, and placed a couple of thinly sliced red meat onto them. This caused the pups to scamper over to it, and began devouring it as though they hadn''t eaten for days. Once finished, however, the pair stared up at the cart, and began to whine once more. This action would repeat until they accepted the thinly sliced meats from her hands. After this, though, they began to yawn, crawl over to my person, curl up, and doze softly. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Time for a nap," she said quietly, as I lifted the pair and deposited them into her arms, much to her amazement. "I have work to do," my voice was a soft rumble, and I quickly left her with the pups. At the entrance to the dungeon, I was met with a pair of four-armed Undying who, after saluting my now human self, entered behind my person. We paced slowly down the dimly lit hallway until we could hear the soft screams of pain and ecstasy from one of the female prisoners. Before reaching the room where the torture of said prisoner was held, I saw a familiar sight in the cell nearest the room. It was the new butler, looking a little worse for wear. His entire attire was torn to near shreds, as he hung by his arms that were chained to the ceiling. His head had lulled forward, and looked to be unconscious, as small streams of blood dripped onto the floor from behind him. It seems he was whipped from attempting to bar my person from the dining hall. Regardless, I am sure he had learned his lesson, and would not do it again. Then again, it would be a shame to have to let his tongue rapidly flap annoying sounds once he was released. An Undying was sent to retrieve the key necessary to open the cell, and the torturer was invited to watch what happened next. You see, after raiding all those brothels and auction houses, I had a new Conversion spell in my repertoire of spells. Which was, "<>." Both of my arms were raised, my hands pointing forward, palms up, and fingers splayed out, as I intoned this spell. Energy most foul began to condense around my feet, swirling, growing ever larger. It was smoky black in texture, and began to slither and slide up and around my person. Once it reached my chest, it began to form itself into an orb of inking darkness. My hands, on the other hand, had crackling violet energies rapidly forming in the center of both palms. This energy then leapt forward, latching onto the whipped butler, who awoke and began to scream a hauntingly painful scream. We could see his flesh beginning to char and peel away wherever the energies struck, and then it was gone. Well, not entirely. For you see, the energies had leapt into the mouth of the screaming butler, destroying and decaying his blood, flesh, and organs. The human then began to vomit up blood and bits of organ meat because of this, and we could see holes appearing all over his flesh. ''He must be dead,'' is what many of you are believing, but I tell you this: He is still very much alive, as he is tortured and tormented in flesh, mind, and soul. The human had been crying since the start of the torture, until his eyes could no longer produce any tears. No, but there were still fluids leaking from the sockets, and it wouldn''t be until later we had realised his eyes had been shrinking, draining itself down his face. This would continue until there was naught, but empty sockets staring at everything and nothing. At this time, however, the entirety of his flesh had begun to decay and fall off in great and small piles. This all started at the base of his feet, until only blood streaked bone could be seen. The flesh of his calves melted into puddles, whilst the meet and blood of his thighs fell off in great chunks that decayed into dust before it hit the ground. The skin and tendons of his hands were next to peel away, revealing rapidly decaying muscles that became bloated at first, and revealing a stench that made all, but myself, gag from the smell. The forearms and biceps followed the same route as his calves, and pools of flesh formed below them. Next was the human''s abdomen, whose skin began to decay and flake away as though a slight breeze had blown the flakes into nothingness. There was some fat around his abdomen, but were cooked off as the muscle, itself, was burning away. Right afterwards, came his external member and the organs attached to it, as they simply fell off, and into a puddle of flesh. Other organs, such as his intestines, soon detached themselves from his body, and began to pile up onto the ground. Afterwards came the stomach, liver, kidneys, and lungs. However, the man was still screaming, even as his lungs fell out one after the other. His heart, on the other hand, was still beating, albeit frantically, as chaotic energies crackled around it. It seemed the energies were keeping him alive from just this. Well, that is, until the rest of his skin fell off, and his brain became a liquefied soup. It then flowed down the spine, and once it was drained, the screaming stopped as the once beating heart fell to the floor. However, as much as people seemed to think it ends there, it does not. Do you remember the inking orb that formed upon my chest? Well, it then launched itself onto this skeleton, changing it into a monster. For you see, this darkness began to devour the essences that made up the human. Another word for it is ''Soul'', and this spell was devouring it. There was even a shriek of pain and torment emanating from the skeleton. It even began to buck and stiffen as it did so, until all was silent. "Master," came a haunting call that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once. "Master," it called out once more, and I turned towards the skeleton to find it staring at my person. Pinpoints of crimson could be seen from the center of each eye socket, and my own lips began to stretch into a feral grin. The Undying and the torturer ran away in fear, as I began to laugh a hauntingly insane laughter at this turn of events. Chapter 31 AN: There''s a Point of View break down below, folks, and if you can guess who it belongs to, then you''ve earned your cookie. Your hint is three chapters back. As always, folks, thank you for reading thus far. I know I say it ALL THE TIME, but I do mean it. So if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. ___________________________________________________ The skeleton was now accompanying me wherever I went, not including the times I am with children. No. Instead, it would follow a few of the Undying who were nervous around it, even though it was not aggressive. This ''Child'', as I began to call it, was dressed in a hooded, dark coloured robe. It''s bony fingers were covered in an equally dark pair of gloves, and standard brown boots were on its feet. It ever had a solid white mask with slits for eyes, which caused many to squawk in fear when it turned towards them. The torturer and pair of Undying that followed my person had become scarred from the torturous scenes they had witnessed of the butler. They had excused themselves the following day, stating they would be on holiday for a time. Of course, this concerned me, and had an insane assassin stalking each one. This was to insure they did not wag their tongues in wrong directions, which would only lead to disappointment on my part. Granted, the pair of Undying were the least of my concerns, as they were nothing more than loyal thralls. The torturer, on the other hand, was not a thrall. Perhaps it was a mistake, but at that time, I desired the company of a likeminded individual who did not try to please and praise my person all the time. I did, however, receive regular reports via bird from the assassin tailing the torturer, though. These reports were interesting, yet oddly disturbing. It stated the man speaking with individuals behind a bakery, and that this language was not a common one spoken among humans. No, the assassin believed it to be what other humans refer to as a "Demonic Language". Truly, it was intriguing, so I sent two others to serve as back up for the first. One of these individuals was my new favourite, after the female was removed. It was the scythe wielder, and had begun to use the name of Death, after I had explained to him of the ''Angel of Death'' legends upon my first world. However, unlike the legends, where this angel would wear a faded and tattered black robe whilst wielding a large, black scythe, he chose to wear a pristine, white hooded robe. His hands and feet were covered with a dark material, while his face was covered by a similar mask the ''Child'' wore, but was crimson instead. He truly was an odd one. The ''Child'' had been oddly staring at the scythe my new favourite human was wielding, and decided to procure one for it. Once it received it, however, its bones clicked and clacked with excitement, as it hugged the tool to its bony chest. Very strange, yes, but I did not think much of it. On the other hand, there was an incident involving the children a few days after the first reports of the torturer''s strange activities began to trickle in. One of the more pubescent children had tried to abuse a few of the more innocent children. We even found out this had been going on since they had joined the gaggle, but no one spoke up until one of them tried their advances on Puella. She ran, screaming down one of the castle''s many hallways, which alerted the female Undying, who mobilised out in force. They, in turn, alerted my person that she was found screaming in terror whilst running down the hall. I was angered by this, and began to move as a giant skeleton with the ''Child'' clicking and clacking behind me. No, I did not become my kobold self, as I normally do when involved with the children, nor did I revert to my human form. Instead, I descended upon them as the residence''s new "God", and I was in a terrible mood because of it. ***** They dared to harm Puella. They actually tried to do what they did to Sonya and Shia. Luck was with her that day, as she was able to run from the human duo when they tried to rape her. Oh how I wish Father never brought them in with acceptance. It was a mistake, and their victims now had to endure new trauma after finding someplace safe. I dare say they may never trust any males after this. Least of all me, their protector, and I would have ended it all, if it weren''t for our sisters Lupa and Puella interceding when they did. However, where Puella began to scream down the hallways, the entirety of the Undying had seemingly rushed out to protect her. I wish I could command such loyalty and respect as her adorable form does, but alas, I cannot. No, but her would-be rapists were quickly caught, and she was shivering with fear in my arms. The duo was dragged out in chains, and were subjected to the ire of the female Undying, especially those who love and care for our sister, Puella. They did ultimately stop, but only once a call was placed for all to gather in the throne room. A room we, all of us, were forbidden to enter. The only acceptance to such a rule was to be invited inside, and all were there. From the lowest of servants, to the highest of dignitaries, we appeared before an empty throne. This throne was shrouded in a magick most foul, and many swore they could see a large pair of eyes glowing from within. This shroud then lifted, once it was confirmed all were in attendance, and revealed a human-like girl sitting upon the throne, and two robed males on either side. The girl''s skin was a pasty white, with a pair of blood rubies for eyes that seemed to glare at the world, whilst retaining some semblance of innocence to them. From my position in the room, I could not see the details of her face, nor the exacts of her garb. Others would later say she wore what seemed to be a copy of Puella''s first dress, the one she wore to the ball the night before my birth. To their eyes, it seemed to accentuate her beauty to another plane of existence, especially when they said her hair had become like molten silver. Some would curse the "lucky bastard who would win her hand", from the look of things. To the girl''s left, stood a male with a haggard expression, and the same pasty, white skin as her, but wore a solid, hooded red robe. The male was holding a plain, brown staff with a glowing white orb securely placed upon the peak. It was RS, and he seemed to be as angry as LD, whose skin pallor was the same, but wore a solid white hooded robe. In his hands was a thin, red wand, with a small dark red orb secured firmly to its base. They turned their heads and bodies to the shroud of magicks behind them, and we watched as it receded in on itself. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. All in attendance gasped at the reveal of a skeleton of a giant, monstrous creature. The bones of such a creature were almost as large as the throne room''s ceiling was tall. The bones themselves ranged in thickness, from an adult male human''s thigh, to double their waist. Whatever it was when it was alive, had probably terrorised half a world, as it had four arms, blackened claws for hands, monstrously clawed feet, and a long, bony tail. The main skull of the creature looked as though it were human, but was crossed with a drake of some sort, whilst still remaining its humanity a bit more than it should. However, what was truly frightening was not the frame of the skeleton itself, but that it was still very much alive and moving. A few had passed out, as well as a couple of children, once they realised the crimson orbs within its sockets were staring in their general direction. The Undying, and much of the staff, on the other hand, were displaying a different sort of reaction. Instead of them running in fear, or attacking the creature, they, instead, knelt down and bowed their head. Who and what this creature was peaked my curiosity, but I could not speak as the orbs passed over my body for the briefest of moments. "Bring them forward," something spoke, which shook the entirety of the castle with such force. It was the creature before us, we realised in horror, and watched as four four-armed Undying dragged six males from our group. The two we knew were the ones who tried to harm Puella, but the others we did not know was a part of their scheme. They tried to fight against the chains, and one of them seemed to have almost freed himself, until something dropped from the ceiling, and on top of his body. This action killed the male, as it picked itself off the ground. This individual was the being called ''Child'', and was as much of a mystery as the giant skeleton was. Especially when it was seen roaming the halls last night with a wickedly curved scythe in its grip. The others stared at the pulp that was once their comrade, and soiled themselves as they stared at ''Child'', who stared back from behind its mask. The younger children, thankfully, did not see what had happened. A few tried to ask what happened, but those who saw were frightened, so they decided to stay quiet. There was a commotion off to the side, as a rabbit-eared maid in a long dress rushed forward to retrieve a pair of kobold pups who had begun to waddle their way over to the bloody mess that was once a rapist''s body. Perhaps they were just hungry, and had begun to whine and cry once they were retrieved before they were within a metre of the scene. She apologised profusely, once she noticed most everyone''s eyes upon her person, and could be seen hugging the pair closely, whilst burying her face in their fur. Within a few moments, everyone''s attention had turned back towards the dais, where five guards stood with whips in their hands. Others began to strip the males of their tunics, and, once turned to face the audience with the four-armed Undying keeping their bodies secured, began to whip their backsides. "For your crimes of rape against children," began RS, after he unfurled a scroll in front of him, "you are all sentenced to twenty lashes per child." He then began to list off eight names of girl-children, and two boy-children, within our group. Each began to cry once their names were spoken aloud, as they did not wish to be singled out, nor remember what had happened, but all began to comfort them. We had endured what they had gone through, and knew of the fear. We watched as blood and flesh flew from their backsides, not knowing how long it lasted. However, it finally ended, and we were able to sigh with some relief in the knowledge. "Those of you with work still to do, may return to your duties," said RS, who was about to continue, until he whirled around and stared up at the skeleton. "Children who have experienced the mating call, and those who have the urge to answer it, are to remain here," it rumbled, shaking the castle once more, "All others are to leave." We were confused by this, as a pair of Undying came to our group, and began to divide us into groups. It wasn''t until Nox was singled out, did we realise the giant meant those who were beginning to become in heat, and the males who had the urge to respond to them. A few of the younglings were upset, but were promised we would return once the giant was done speaking with them. Those who were not singled out, left, and once the doors shut behind them, a few Undying began to ply their spells to the doors and walls of the room. Once done, however, we began to tremble as the giant leapt from behind the throne, and in front of the bleeding five who harmed the younglings of our group. "You dare," it roared down upon them, its maw wide enough to swallow all five of them whole. "You dare to harm MY Chosen''s family? You dare to abuse the children saved by him and his, to satisfy your hunger for the pleasures of flesh?" The five were in a higher state of panic, and could see them all try to pass out from shock. However, a few among our group witnessed strange magicks emanating from the creature, and believed it was preventing them from doing so. "Witness," it growled at our group, and I noticed our leader, Nox, was very afraid. If he was afraid of such a being, then what are we to do if it turned on us? "Witness," it growled once more, "And know the price of such actions against my Chosen." Four clawed hands then gripped all five of them, raising them high above our heads. The thing then began to chant in an unknown language, until each was enshrouded in dark and foul magicks. Their silhouettes could be seen within, and all were writhing in twisted agonies, as crimson and emerald green coloured lightning arched around their bodies. Silent whisperings of screams could be heard from within, as the magicks coursed through their bodies. This lasted for what seemed to be an eternity, until, at last, the giant dropped them onto the ground. However, once the shroud of dark and foul magicks receded from their persons, we became horrified at what we saw. Five, bone-white skeletons had taken their place. What is more, each had pinpoints of red in the center of each socket, and all began to whisper, "Master." "Those who dare to harm my Chosen''s people, will suffer and serve them for all time. This I do decree." With that, it vanished from sight, leaving us in a room of skeletons, Undying, and soiled clothing. Chapter 32 AN: There''s a part in this chapter I am unsure how to address properly. It''s pretty much a filler with a minor explanation to allow me to use it. So I''m not entirely sure how people will take it, seeing how I do plan to use it to create Terra''s (name of the world our MC is on) first necromancer later down the line. Anyways, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. ____________________________________________ No, I did not revel in playing as a god, but I did need to scare them all into not abusing each other. Especially when they practiced the same abuse they, themselves, had endured not too long ago. It was enough, yes, but I now had a large gathering of very frightened children clustered around my kobold self. As I said before, hindsight is twenty-twenty. "There, there," I whispered to Puella, Lupa, the two kobold children, and, much to my surprise, Nox. Once everyone had relatively calmed down, and given some sort of drink to further calm their bodies and minds enough to cause them to sleep, the wolf-bear hybrid appeared before my self. He then rushed my body, clinging to it whilst wetting my form''s fur with his tears. I had forgotten of his true age, despite him performing the tasks of an adult. You see, despite his rapid aging to sixteen cycles, he is still very much a child. "There, there," I repeated, petting his head and back slowly. "I was so scared, Father," he whispered shakily, "and you weren''t there. Where were you?" I said nothing in response, and instead, continued to hold him close as he cried. It was evening by the time he was asleep in my arms, and I continued to rock his body slowly. The thoughts that passed through my head are my own, but rest assured, I was berating myself for my actions. Perhaps I should not have done what I did, but it was too late to change anything. So I simply placed Nox upon an empty bed, and left the room full of sleeping children. Upon exiting, however, I found a small group of horse beastmen staring at my person. It seems they had waited long enough, so I directed them towards the dimly lit cathedral. The cathedral, by the by, was remodeled to resemble a crypt of bones. Rather than hanging and mounting a variety of skulls and bones, artists and sculptors throughout the city were tasked with creating the artwork by stone and metal. These were then placed and hung within my new home, even going as far as to have depictions of great scenes I had never done before. One of which was my skeletal form pointing one clawed hand towards the humans'' gods. Below my form was a host of Undying and shadow-like creatures running towards an unknown army that was clearly terrified. Some of that army had dropped their weapons in fear, fleeing from the monsters the me in the artwork commanded. Another was of my kobold self, with a silhouette of my skeletal body in the background. This one depicted my kobold body as though it were teaching children and adults. Its muzzle was even opened, and one hand was pointing behind it, towards a group of starving kin and beastmen. I had asked what the significance of this was, as it was being drawn out and plied to stone. One of the artists, of whom I had enthralled, said it was my kobold self trying to teach the humans to help the kin and beastmen, not harm them. It was acceptable to myself, and had let it pass. A third had been left alone, unfinished, as the artists had gone home for the day. This one had my human self being molded onto stone and iron. From what I could see, it had a half formed human male, who seemed to have spread out his arms to bless two small children. It would be a mystery to others, but to myself, they were Lupa and Puella. Nox and I would be on a different piece of artwork. This would depict myself, in human guise, watching his own training with spears in a practice yard full of four-armed Undying. "This is where you live?" Asked one of the horse beastmen, as all had stared agape at the insides of my home. "Yes," I replied slowly, motioning for them all to enter. "Beware the scaffolding," my voice called out to a young male, who was making his way towards a wooden structure that stretched to the high ceiling. He jumped when I called out, and others hurried him over to the main group. Within the centre of the group was an old, silver-grey horse beastman with an odd nub of bone upon the centre of his forehead. He was being led towards a raised, circular stone slab, and was asked to lay down on it. "On his back, if you would," my voice rumbled, as they complied to the best of their ability. It was at this time, six robed individuals appeared from a room near the altar of the cathedral. These individuals wore a dark, hooded robe that covered their forms entirely. Upon their hands were a pair of white gloves, and their feet were inside a pair of white slippers. The faces of each were hidden by a solid, white mask with only slits where their eyes reside. One of them carried a wooden box that had been painted alabaster white, and something within clinked with the sounds of glass. Four others carried carved staves depicting symbols that were supposedly holy in nature, but in other cultures, they were curses. The last, however, wielded a white scythe with a wickedly carved blade that had silvery inlay. If you hadn''t already guessed, these individuals were ''Child'', and the transformed rapists that were whipped earlier that day. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. The one with the box knelt down to my left, holding the box high above its head. It was here that I reached in, and pulled out a vial of viscous mana. "What is that?" One of the beastmen asked, as all of them were staring at it with mixed feelings. "Your hope," was my reply. "Hold your elder down. I do not know what will happen, as he will have to drink this." They complied, albeit with great reluctance, as I opened the elder''s mouth, and poured the tincture of mana down his throat. While he was being led in, and laid down upon the stone, his eyes and form were submissive and dead. It seems his mind had given up on life, and wanted to embrace death, despite his duty to his people. Now, however, his entire body bucked under the group, as the essences within the mana solution was being absorbed into his body. The eyes, however, were what struck me as odd. When I first saw them, their colour was of fresh hay and straw, but as the essences were being absorbed, they had become solid darkness. Everything, pupil, iris, even the whites, were now the colour of blackest night. They even began to leak a shadowy, dark substance upon the floor. This was so, because the elder was now screaming in pain. For you see, the bones of the creature began to snap and pop, and I could see all of them rearranging themselves under his flesh. This caused the bucking of his body to increase, and it even thrashed and flailed around as though no one was holding him, it, down. The beastmen had let go by then, and were now huddled together in a corner, watching their elder as his body was slowly turning black, and shadows seem to flow out of his endarkened body. It was at this time I had ''Child'' and the others surround the shadowed elder, and cast their binding magicks to contain him. I see some confusion, so allow me to iterate. You see, though I can create new races from simple spells, each race of creature becomes something liken unto their caster creator, albeit with a very low chance. Alpha and Child, once turned, did not receive anything, whereas the others became something akin to my own profession, called Mage. These mages are able to utilise the energies about them to a different degree than my own. They are able to use the four basic elements, while I can only use chaotic and illusion based elements. Child stood watching with its scythed raised to kill, if necessary, whilst the others each raised a carved staff, and began chanting in an unknown dialect. Their voices were hauntingly melodious, and one would have enjoyed listening to it forever, if they didn''t know how deadly the chants could be. Once they were finished, however, their staves pointed in the direction of the bucking elder, and watched as vines of stone, iron, and wood erupted around them, binding the body of the elder to the stone table. This action caused the beastmen to cry out in terror, and a few rushed to stop the undead mages. However, each were cut in half horizontally from the waist. The action was blindingly fast, so much so, even I was barely able to follow it. Standing in the middle of the fallen horse beastmen, however, was an individual similar to Child, but wore a white, hooded robe with black gloves, boots, and mask with slits for eyes. This one''s own scythe was black, including the blade, but it had gold inlay etched along its face. The individual was my new favourite human, Death, and was now staring at the tied up elder with great curiosity. He sauntered over to my person, and knelt down before me just as it stopped screaming and writhing. After acknowledging his presence, he stood up, and took his place next to Child, and also poised his scythe ready to strike down upon the creature bound to the table. They each turned to look at one another for a brief moment, then turned back towards it just as I ordered the mages to release the creature. They did so, and we watched as the vines of stone, iron, and wood began to slide away from an odd creature. The creature then jumped to its feet, screaming and screeching towards the ceiling, as it looked around frantically. Gone from its hide were the colours of silver and grey, and in its place was shadows and flame. Its own mane and eyes were of endarkened flames, as was its tail, while the rest of its body was wreathed in the shadows of darkest night. It had once been old and frail, but now stood young, strong, and fierce. This creature then whirled to stare at my person, and I noticed an odd silver-gold horn upon its forehead. It seems most of the shadows were condensing upon the tip the moment it stared at my body. I noticed it gathering its power much faster than the others, who reacted the moment it took a breath, and breathed out a black and red flame upon my person. You may be wondering if it hurt, and my answer would be a ''No. It tickled.'' I began to laugh as my minions leapt up, intending to kill the creature before us, but were easily swatted away. They continued to dance a deadly dance that even included a few unfortunate horse beastmen. This would continue until it leapt towards my person, and I had grasped its neck as my skeletal self. "<>," I growled, as my chaotic magicks leapt into the creature''s mind and brain, forcing it to serve my will. It did its best to fight back, but to no avail. In the end, it fell victim to my spell, joining the ranks of my many, many thralls. "Capture the others," my voice rumbled, as I turned my body towards the remaining horse beastmen, "I am curious to know what will happen to them when they drink the tinctures as well." Chapter 33 AN: On the "Popular This Week" tab, this story is #136 on page 7. Don''t know what to say about this, to be honest, other than thank you for reading and following along. It may not be the best in the world, but it''s up there. :D Anyways, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. _____________________________________________ The remaining tribe had been gathered together, and forced to drink the tinctures. They were surrounded by a barrier of stone-like vines the undead mages had created as they did so. Of course, one had to be made an example of when it tried to escape, and the cries of children could be heard from within the caged group. Yes, I had subjected their own offspring to further my whims. For you see, they had refused to integrate themselves with the gaggle. Therefore, in my past self''s mind, they were free to experiment with. Yes, I should have separated them, erased their memories, or anything other than what I did, but I desired to know what would happen. We stood above the group, watching as most drank the tinctures. There were a few that refused, but it did not concern me, as the others began to show some signs of my physical magicks beginning to alter their physique in some way. There were eighteen in the remaining group, and of those eighteen, only fifteen drank from the vials. These fifteen, each, had their hide and hair transform into the same shadows as their elder, albeit without the flames. However, three of the group, two being children, had the same silver-gold horns appear in the centre of their foreheads. These three, as it would turn out, are the direct descendants of the transformed elder, and even began to exhibit the same aggressive attitude. By which, I mean they attacked the three that did not drink from the vials. They were butchered, plain and simple. Even the others, who had transformed into shadowed horse-like beastmen, participated in the slaughter of the untransformed. I witnessed this in silence, becoming my kobold self once more. No laughter came from my throat, no smile was etched upon my lips. No, I only felt cold at what I had created. This chilled my entire being, but alas, I did not care, and ordered those present to bind the shadowed horse-men. They did so, and were welcomed into the ranks of my thralls. "Now then," my voice rumbled as the horse-men were being led away to their new quarters within the castle, "Death, what news do you have of our dear torturer?" Death bowed his head towards my person, as the barrier of stone-vines began to sink back into the ground. We moved off towards the only living space in the building, which was the same room the mages came from. Once inside, he began to pull out various rolled up parchment from a hidden pouch within his robes, and placed them on the main table in the center of the room. Each was a detailed, day-by-day account of what the torturer had done since day one. Looking through them, I had noticed something odd. "The first few days he began frequenting a tavern, then a decrepit tomb on the outskirts of the city. Hmm," I mumbled to myself, as I read a report of the human knowing he was being tailed, and appeared with various other who looked similar to himself. "How odd." Looking up, I found Death and Child playing a game of dice on a smaller table near the bed. "Death. Child," the pair immediately stiffened up, and turned their heads slowly towards my person. "Now is not the time to be playing games, as I have questions for Death." The pair gave an expression of an exaggerated sigh, stood up, and walked towards my person. "Have you sent anyone to this tomb outside of the city?" Death shook his head, which caused my person to give my own version of an exaggerated sigh, "Then do so. I want to know what is going on over there. Take Child with you, as he''ll need the experience." To this, Child became elated, the bones in his skull rattled with what could only be portrayed as glee. "Go," I rumbled, pointing towards the door, "Only return with news of what it is." They left my presence, eager to prove themselves to my person. Once they left, however, I retrieved a different piece of parchment, one that infuriated my being. Do you remember the messenger of the Grand General, and how he looked upon my person as though I were some naive child? Well, it seems the general, in all his wisdom, decided to go against the queen''s order that was derived by my suggestion of a ceasefire. Instead, this "general" continued to wage war against this world''s "demons". The human believed it was a divine messenger of their god saying to kill those I sent, and continue with the war. Whoever this "divine messenger" was, they and the general had to die so that I may continue to enjoy my new home. For you see, my dear audience, once the "Demon Lord" is dead, then I will be forced to leave the world called Terra. I would leave behind everyone and everything that my person had worked hard to create. Once this lord is dead, and I have been whisked away to Azzarath, it is quite possible that all within the castle will be killed off, erasing my presence and works in their entirety. Unfortunately, whoever that may be will be denied. Because in the morning, I had heralds go about the city to see what the general consensus was for the war between humans and "demons". What I received in answer was, to be honest, surprising. The young children and young adults desired an end to it all, whilst the widowers and widows had mixed feelings. I did not bother asking the nobles, seeing as how nearly all wanted to keep throwing warm bodies upon the spears and swords of the "demons" whilst they stay safe and fat behind closed doors. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Many of the nobles'' children, on the other hand, desired a chance to fight against said "demons", while a few practically begged their parents and the recruiters to take them to the battlefields. They were denied, of course, and a few became a clich¨¦. They left and joined the armies in secret, much to the horror of their families. I did not care for any of them, even less so when a few of the collared nobles begged me to help them bring their children home. "You disgust me, human," I had said to one bothersome, and uncollared human. He came to my human form''s side just as I left the throne room with a random meeting with the queen. The noble gripped my arm, and demanded I retrieve a son that ran away to join the war. "I do not care for you and yours," I rumbled angrily, snatching my arm away from his grasp. "You are the hero," he shouted at me, "Go rescue my son!" "I am not a hero. At least, not one to humans such as yourself." He was infuriated by my response, "I will make you listen to me," he growled, "If I have to steal something precious from you to make you listen, then I will." I sighed into his ear, causing his entire being to jump. "Poor human," I grinned with eyes glowing a fierce crimson, "I cannot let you live. Too bad. I would have enjoyed using you and yours even further." He had four armed men with him, and they leapt to the aid of their lord, only to be cut down by Nox who had been walking past us. "No one will harm Father," he growled, as shadows began to condense around his entire being, hiding his entire form. His eyes were glowing a brilliant crimson, and the claws upon his pawed hands and feet seemed to double in size. What was truly curious was him howling for a few heartbeats, and silhouettes the same size and shape as he began to appear from the shadows. Although they had only a brief outline of Nox''s form, they were still quite deadly, as they began to rend and tear apart the fearful nobleman who dared to run from him and his pack. I had smirked as I witnessed this, then frowned once I noticed armed guards that were not my Undying, rushing towards the dying noble. "Nox," I called out to him, and he appeared next to my person. "You did well, son, and I am proud of you." He had an odd expression of joy upon his features, and barked happily. "However, you must leave this place before those humans are upon us." The hybrid that I called son turned his head towards the approaching guards, and growled a low and fierce growl. "No. I need you to flee. This human desired to make my person comply to his demands by stealing away something I deemed precious. Who is to say he did not order a kidnapping for one of the children?" His eyes grew wide at this, and dashed off towards the garden where nearly all of the children reside. A few of the guards had reached the scene, and began to treat the annoying nobleman. When all had gathered, I counted approximately twenty heads I did not recognise. A few of them then decided to chase after the "monster" that tried to kill the noble, but I barred them with my human body. "Sir, we are just doing our duty. So, please, step aside and allow us to slay the monster." "No," I rumbled slowly, to which a few of the guards withdrew their swords, and advanced upon my position. "Ah, that would be a mistake." Four skeletal creatures dropped from the ceiling above us, landing gracefully near my person. Another in tight fitting, dark clothing dropped behind the guards, and began slashing and stabbing them whilst the four before me began to chant in their melodiously haunting voices. Flames started to condense before them, which caused the other to retreat just as said flames leapt flew forward, burning all in their path. When the flames died down, however, there were outlines of the guards and fallen noble all over the hallway. However, there weren''t any scorch marks within the hallway, which baffled my mind to no end. "If you are curious as to why the fires did nothing to the hallway, it is because we spent a fortune to prevent such a thing from occurring," I turned around to find RS in a blood red and violet striped robe walking down the hallway with a trail of a dozen Undying behind him. He gave an exasperated sigh, then put away the wand he had been carrying into his left sleeve. "It was done so for just this sort of occasion." His eyes then drifted over towards the skeletons, and raised an eyebrow, "I thought you couldn''t have children." This caused my body to snort in response to such a reaction towards them. It went further, as I began to laugh, finding the whole situation quite humourous. Chapter 34 AN: It''s a confusing cliff at the end, folks, but next chapter reveals the race of the "demons", and it''s not what you''d think. Would also like to know what everyone would like to see/read when the MC gets knocked down a peg or two. Having a bit of difficulty coming up with it, now that it''s progressed thus far. Should he be knocked down a peg? Should he just mellow out, then go crazy at another point before finally being knocked down a peg? I would rather like to have an idea or two before writing, please. As always, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. _______________________________ Death and Child appeared within a few days, and had an odd procession behind them. As it turns out, this procession of beings were the ones taking up residence inside the tomb, and had been invited to stay within near my cathedral. I had found out, via bird, these beings were cultists, and worshiped a long dead god. Of whom was personally slain by the humans'' god and armies. This god, who went by the name of "Conquest", was one of four beings who caused death, destruction, and the end of all things good and pure, lawful and chaotic. Their main goal in life, was to find a way to resurrect their god, and bring an end to the humans'' reign once and for all. Although their passion was there, and I commended them for it, the revival of a deity was not something mere mortals could do. No, they would need the help of another god. However, many, who had clearly lost their minds, believed their god called "Conquest" was already among the living, and had been seen multiple times within the castle next to my home. They were fanatical about such things, and desired to meet and worship it. Unfortunately, their little cult was on a list of people, groups, and organisations that must be killed off as soon as they are found. Thus, they did not appear before my skeletal person until now. My skeletal form sat upon a gilded throne of enchanted iron, as I was opposed to it being of any precious metals. Even though I dislike the attention and title of "god", I did relent in a few items. Such as the throne for which my body sat upon. The enchantments laid upon it were to strengthen it as much as possible, and I had to take care not to sink my claws into the armrests, nor allow my ribs to touch it. You would ask me ''Why?'', it is because they were coated in my acidic poisons, and I desired not to go through the process of having the throne retrofitted once more. There were around thirty, or so, individuals wearing tattered and faded dark, hooded robes. Although a few had claw-like hands and feet, it did not shed light upon who they were. Well, it wasn''t until one of them tripped and fell, did those nearest see what race did the individual belong to. "Demon," shouted one of the newest Undying, who unsheathed their swords, and charged towards the fallen being. However, before that one could swing down, something fell from above, slicing the young Undying vertically in half. The two pieces of the bodies fell, as a look of horror was seen upon the corpse''s face. The one who slew the young Undying was none other than Death. However, there was something strange about his appearance. You see, the day before the procession was to come, he was given a vial of my viscous mana to drink. Once he removed his mask, and before he reverently drank from the vial, I noticed that he was naught, but a boy of maybe fourteen cycles old. How he became an assassin would have been a wondrous tale, but alas, I would not hear of it. No, but once he drank from the vial, his entire form began to shake and convulse. The boy then began to scream in pain, as the flesh of his back began to stretch and tear. This was so, because a pair of beautiful, white wings had grown from his shoulder blades. However, the magicks contained within the vial was not done, and a shroud of violet and crimson lightning enveloped his body. Once again, he screamed in pain and anguish, as the magicks began to tear apart his flesh, organs, bones, and blood. Even though all could see his body being torn asunder, not a drop of blood, a shred of flesh or organ, nor a shard of bone fell upon the earth at our feet. The magicks did consume it all, and from it all, it began to remake his body. He now stood as tall as Child, who was nearly two metres in height, and was as much a skeleton as he. What is more, Death had a boney pair of wings, and this allowed him to take flight for a time. For now, though, he stood tall, wearing only a non-hooded white robe, and clutched a now blood smeared scythe in his bone-clawed hands. Crouching down, he leapt forward, gliding to the right side of my throne, just as Child appeared to the left. He also wore a non-hooded robe, but the colour was of darkest night, as was his own scythe. "Those who are invited to my house and home," my own voice shook the cathedral, and I extended a clawed finger towards the fallen "demon", "are protected by my own hands." Above us came a melodiously haunting voice that caused the earth beneath the "demon" to shake and rise up. The being squawked in fear, as it was lifted and set down upon its own clawed feet. This was followed by a short battle among the Undying, but I do believe it could be considered as a slaughter. This was because many of those who had just joined wished to end the "demons" that had appeared within the cathedral. The rest, of whom were four-armed and my own thralls, began cutting them down before our eyes. This was a purging of the ranks, and nothing more. For you see, there had been many whispers among the newer Undying. Talks of insurrection had reached my ears, and those responsible were gathered up while placed near my person during this meeting. The group before us was already suspected to have at least one "demon", and it was my desire to know of their reactions when one, or all, were revealed. Those who showed aversion towards them were to die, while all others were to be enthralled. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. However, all had perished under the rising and falling of swords and shields of my four-armed Undying. This caused my person to sigh heavily within my mind, then turned my attention towards the thirty, or so, robed beings that came into my home. "I welcome you to my house and home," my voice, once more, shook the building to its core. Pray, tell me, where is the castle''s torturer. He was seen among your number, but is not present." "Our Brother of Blood is no longer among the living, great lord," came the reply of one among their number. This hooded individual stepped forward, and revealed himself to the world. Or perhaps I should say, herself, as she was a human female, albeit a tad old. Although she was old, her back was not bent towards the earth as many are prone to do. No, her back was straight, but her hair was of iron grey in colour, and I did believe, at that time, that her time to leave this plane of existence would be soon. You may ask how I know of this, and it is because she began to cough greatly after she spoke. Flakes of blood could be seen upon her hand, as she did try to shield it from the world. "Magister," cried out many among the group, as she fell to the ground. I, on the other hand, simply raised a foreclaw from my right hand, as it was resting upon the armrest of my throne. In mere moments, a naked skeleton was seen carrying a wooden box whose contents clinked with each step. It knelt in front of my person, and I reached into the box to pull out a vial of viscous mana. "I have heard whisperings of your group," I rumbled slowly, causing all, but the Undying and Undead to stare upon my person. "They say you worship a long dead god, and hope to bring him back to life." The vial was lifted towards my right eye, which caused the Undying to stare at it with hunger in their gazes. For you see, these Undying were given a vial each, and tasked to drink it. It was thusly because I had desired ''Guinea Pigs'' for my experiment. Each then downed the tincture, and each and every one soon fell to the ground whilst screaming in pain and anguish. Various forms of the magicks within the vial then appeared all around them, changing the entirety of their being into something monstrous. Most became iron-skinned version of the creatures they modeled their armours after, while the rest because miniature versions of my skeletal self. However, those who became liken unto my own form, were not of bone, but of iron. What is more, those few had grown an extra pair of arms, if they hadn''t already had a pair grafted onto their person already. They had stared up at my vial of viscous mana because, in their own minds, it was liken unto an addictive drug, and desired more of it. However, they would be denied more after an incident with one of their number. For you see, I did desire to know what would happen if one were to drink from another vial, and gave it to a random Undying. This Undying then drank from it with great haste and greed, only to scream a great and haunting scream. He had continued to scream, even as his entire body began to melt into a puddle of flesh, bone, and iron. Once he was a puddle, however, the magicks within the second vial began to erupt all around the pool, evaporating it until there was nothing. Thus, each would hunger for another vial, but each would be denied on pain of a torturous death. My eyes then turned away from the vial, placing it back into the box, and towards the group of robed individuals who shuddered under my gaze. "What if I told you I would destroy the humans'' gods, and all of their followers would perish along with them? What then? Would you forsake your god to follow me?" In my own mind, I grinned down at them, as many began to whisper amongst themselves. "What if I said, ''If you follow me, then you would no longer need to hide in shadows, and can walk openly in the light''? Would you still cling to your dead god of old; do you miss the days when you were not constantly running and hiding within the shadows?" A few amongst their numbers stepped forward, expressing their desire to no longer be on the run. This was said, much to the dismay of their "Magister", who began pointing and chanting some sort of spell. "<>," I intoned within my mind, as one of my clawed hands shaped itself as though it were choking someone in front of my being. This "Magister" gasped for breath, and clawed at the invisible hands that squeezed her neck. After a time, she fell to the ground, coughing and spitting out blood onto the ground. What was truly odd about the scene was not the fact that I had attacked what appeared to be their leader, but the fact that many began to strike her repeatedly with fists and feet. "How odd," I mumbled to myself, and looked down upon Death and Child. They were now staring at the scene with heads cocked to one side. It seems they, too, were as confused as I was, and we continued to watch the scene play out. It continued until a couple were breathing hard, as they had brought over a stone slab from somewhere, and dropped it upon the old woman''s head. All present began to shake at what they had done, whilst a few dropped to their knees with elated tears running down their faces. "Will you be explaining why all participated in the killing of an old woman, or will this be a test to try my patience?" Chapter 35 AN: Wow... The story dropped down to #115 on the "Popular This Week" tab. I am in awe, and humbled that you guys have kept up with the story thus far. So thank you for that! Also, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, be sure to let me know down below. ____________________________________________________________ Those that had participated in the killing of their "Magister" offered only vague explanations as to why they did as they did. What I was able to extradite from their lips was something of a clich¨¦. The woman had, at one point, come to them during a time of need. They were at their lowest point, after running and hiding for so long, just for worshiping a long dead god. This woman then took them in, gave them succor, then entrapped them with her magicks. She then forced them to do her bidding, until she was as we saw now. Old and dying. She then heard from the one called ''Brother of Blood'', who was my favourite torturer, of a new ''god'' that resided within the castle. However, after my little show of transforming the unfortunate butler into Child, he ran back to the group, claiming it was foolhardy to attempt her scheme. Which was to try and bind my person to do her bidding by any means necessary. Oh the clich¨¦s this woman exuded, and how I desired to burn the world for it all. The old woman desired power, prestige, and immortality. Thus, she sought to try and find a way to exert her will upon my person and, after learning of a forbidden spell to make her young forevermore, use it to drain everything that I was to fuel her desires. Although some may not find such things agreeable within clich¨¦s, to me it was, and the woman was now gone. There was no originality with her thought process, nothing to make me say or think, ''Wow. That''s a new one.''. No, the woman had been draining the life force out of her victims, and after enslaving this group, she began to expand her net even farther. At least now, she won''t be a bother to anyone anymore. Well, until someone said, "Her sisters are going to be angry." "Lovely," my voice shook the citadel once more, and my imaginary lips pulled themselves into a sneer. "Pray tell, do you know where her sisters might be?" The one who spoke was a young female of about seventeen cycles, and yelped as my eyes focused solely on her person. "Yes," she quivered under my gaze, then sighed in relief as it turned towards Child. He stared up towards my skull with expectation, which became elation when I spoke. "Bring out a map," I commanded towards my Undying, and watched a few leap to obey. Upon their return, they laid it out upon the alter near my person, "Mark every location of where they might be. Child," my voice became a low rumble as my eyes glared balefully in his general direction, "You are to take the mages, a contingent of Undying, and Alpha and his pack with you to exterminate everyone and everything you find. I will not have thorns appearing within my sides." My eyes then turned towards the group as Child left us, and I stretched two arms in their direction, "<>," my voice intoned. The group became fearful, as my own silvery magicks began to leap onto the necks of the group of hooded individuals. "You cannot do this," shouted one, who desperately tried to flee after witnessing the first of many within their group to fall victim to my spells. They were welcomed into the ranks of my thralls, and leapt onto those who had not been swayed. These people were then forced into servitude by way of my magicks, and the one that had shouted was captured and withheld from the spell. Once the spell took hold of the others, they removed their hoods to reveal their races, which amused me to no end. For you see, there were a few elves among the group, but they were woodland elves. Many among the Undying commented with the belief that they had all been wiped out a dozen cycles ago. I asked the elves if this was true, and a female replied saying, "Yes, My Lord, it is true to an extent. We have many cities throughout the continent, and the humans destroyed all, but one. This city is a shared city of races where no humans have ever set foot." I silenced her speech with a wave of a hand, and would address it at a later date. For now, though, I turned towards the ones who were called "demons", and found that they did not have the standard attributes of one. No, they had scales of various hues, clawed hands and feet, as well as a serpent-like, scaled tail. The heads of such "demons" was that of a small drake''s, and while the one before me had said it was common enough to look as this one did, there are a few species that had beaks instead of draconic maws. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Ah, you may be wondering what the creature is, if you hadn''t already guessed. This world''s "demons" are none other than Draconians, or Dragon-men and women. This revelation pleased my past self, as I had heard of such tales from stories, plays, and books upon my first world. I descended from my throne, my body shaping itself with every muscle movement, until I, too, had become something akin to a Draconian. The spell I used was another of my many illusion spells, but this one was called "Illusion: Vishan". The body I now wore had many features much like a Draconian''s, but with more human-like features. A Vishan, by the by, are humans with the souls and essences of dragons, and are a rarity among this world''s people. In this body, I had the appearance of my human self, but with hard scales covering my chest, arms, neck, and legs. This was so, whilst all other parts of my body, below the neck, had soft scales covering it. My head was still a human''s head, but the only differences were my eyes that had become slits, and my teeth had become sharpened points. I did not have an illusion to become a Darconian at that time, but would after a few more had died from my doings. "My Lord, Vishan," said the Draconian, whose scales were of blue and green hues, knelt down in front of my person. "Rise," my voice, once again, rumbled, and it did so. My body then began to pass through the group, becoming two other races as I did so, which were Wood Elf and Human. They all witnessed this, and turned their eyes towards a struggling individual who had been hoisted off the ground by a pair of undead four-armed Undying. This individual was shouting obscenities towards all near it, and as I drew closer, I noticed it was a female adult human. Although her body was covered in a tattered robe, her face and hair were exposed to the world. Perhaps if she did not have such a mouth on her, she would have been considered beautiful. What with her fair, peach coloured skin, long auburn hair, hazel brown eyes, and a light splattering of freckles across her cheeks and nose. Yes, her appearance did mark her as beautiful, but her mind was a venomous pit of vipers. Those sorts of people, to my past and current mind, are ugly. "You''re all just trading one collar for another," she cried out to the group as she continued to struggle against the iron-like hands that gripped her body. "You don''t know what he''ll do to you, but it won''t be better than what we had to endure under that," she nods her head towards the crushed woman''s body, "thing''s hands." The guards had let her go at this point, and she stood there, dazed for a moment before turning around to run off. However, just as she placed one foot in front of her, she was lifted into the air by way of a large, clawed skeletal hand. Mine, to be precise, and I pulled her body towards my skull. She shrieked at my visage, to which I replied with, "You are being rude." "What?" She stared with a dumbfounded expression towards my person. "Certainly, they have new collars upon their necks," my voice was lighter than usual, and one of my hands was waiving towards the group of newly enthralled beings, "but they still have their freedoms. This also allows them to walk freely amongst those that live within the castle. "However," my voice deepened and shook the cathedral once more. "You are not needed, nor are your poisonous thoughts." She shrieked as my claws sank into her flesh, crushing bone and organ. What is more, the acidic poisons within my own claws had been injected into the female''s flesh, which caused her to melt into a puddle beneath my clawed feet. I continued to watch as her body melted, and even then, stared at my clawed hand until Death perched himself upon my shoulders. With a mental sigh, my body turned towards the group, of which many had passed out from the day''s events. "Come. You must be hungry. We shall give you food, drink, and a bed. For in the morning, there is work to be done." Chapter 36 AN: Know what I''m starting to hate about RRL? The fact that you can leave a poor review, and not have to explain why it''s there. Which brings us to the fact that many seemed to be inclined to drop the rating score down to what it is, to the point I now have to beg for reviews. So here I am, asking for honest reviews once more, but with the hope of someone kind enough to bring it above a 3/5. Or as I like to call it, a "Meh" rating. Anyways, thank you all for reading along thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know down below. I do enjoy chatting and answering questions with you guys. ______________________________________________ Nearly a full sennight came and went, by the time Child, one mage, and Alpha with half his pack returned with the promise of the "Magister''s" sisters'' deaths. Of course, I sent a few to scout out the areas and "clean up" any remains. This was just in case they had missed some stragglers, and I would not enjoy having something cropping up later with a notion of vengeance. However, during the past sennight, the people down in the city below the castle seemed to be up in arms about something. When inquired as to what their problem was, an Undying said, "They are being swayed into thinking the queen, and everyone here, have allied with demons." "Well, they''re not completely wrong," mumbled LD, who was currently losing to a green and red scaled Draconian in a game of King''s Cross. An odd array of cards was being played out between them, as I watched in amused wonderment as the game progressed. "Any ideas how they found out so quickly?" I rumbled slowly, tearing my eyes away from the game to glance at the guard in question. It shrugged its metallic shoulders, while another piped in, "A coachman probably saw one of them, or a random noble, or messenger. I mean, it''s not like you''re trying to hide them, My Lord," and it was true. I did not bother to hide the Draconians from anyone within the castle, but I was from the populace below. This caused my person to sigh, as I sat down in a wicker chair. My body had become human at this point, and was seen tapping a forefinger upon the edge of the armrest. We were in one of the many office-like rooms used to writing, receiving, and drawing up reports for this and that. There was a carpeted floor beneath our feet, along with what looked like a green, phosphorus paint upon the walls and ceiling. The room in question wasn''t very large, as it would only take a few long strides to reach one end from the other. However, it did have a large window upon the wall opposite the door, which had a view of the garden where children''s laughter could be heard. A few of the children could be heard within the halls themselves, as there were no rules barring them from doing so. Instead, they were told not to bother the guards and workers, unless it was important. Of course, many were still shy and fearful around those who were still human, but only because of their past experiences. "Any idea who is leading the rabble?" I wondered aloud, staring up at the ceiling. Little images began to form within my mind, and were being projected upon the ceiling. These were of the kobold children, chewing on my fingers in an adorable manner, but vanished when I heard one of the Undying reply. "One of the humans claiming to be a messenger of a god," it replied with a shrug, then stopped just as another Undying burst through the door. She, as she was quite endowed, shouted, "There''s a riot in the streets! They''re marching this way, claiming to want to purge the demons from the castle!" "Ah," I stood up slowly, and stretched my human body. Once done, I turned to see everyone staring towards my person as though waiting for orders. "Well? Rouse the guard. Have everyone equipped for battle." Inwardly I sighed at their stupidity, as it should be common sense to arm everyone and mount them onto the walls. "Someone find Nox," I growled, as we exited the room to find chaos within the halls. Maids and servants were seen running to and fro with bundles of items in their arms. A few children were crying under a window sill, which caused me to become my kobold self, and my body stalked towards them. They then ran to my person, upon seeing myself among the chaos, clinging and shaking at the chaos before them. Nox appeared by my side in a few heartbeats, to which I pushed the scared children into his arms. "Find the other children," I growled, "and secure them within my cathedral. Have a few Undying follow you, and make certain they stay safe while we do our best to calm the situation." He tried to argue, of course, but I pushed him away. His priority was towards the children, as he was their leader. Two and four-armed Undying were seen running towards the throne room at this point. When I inquired as to why they were running there, one of them explained saying there was an attempt on the queen''s life. The would-be assassin was shouting something about a god coming to destroy them all, as he tried to stab the young queen. However, the blade of the assassin broke from a barrier that was placed around her. This led to its capture, whereupon it continued to spout obscenities of everyone''s demise, then it simply collapsed and turned to dust. This little revelation caused my person to pause and blink a few times. "How could someone turn to dust within mere moments of being caught?" "Well, sir, if you follow one of the many gods, or even a primary, then it is possible to have a body become dust or ash, if you do not wish for another faction to extract information that may deter them from their goals." I blinked once more, as my own mouth clamped shut, wondering why I spoke it aloud, but grateful for the response. "Let us head to the walls," I growled slowly, "I desire to see why this rabble wants to ''purge'' the castle of its residences." This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ***** The city was angry, more so than ever I had seen before. Not since the demons attacked our borders all those years ago, has the city not been so riled up. They demanded blood, and were marching towards the castle to extract it from those that resided within its walls. At the head of us were a contingent of priests from the many temples. They claimed the new queen had taken in demons, and had become one herself. Of course, we did not believe it at first. That is, until one of them brought out a crystal that projected several images of the queen''s new look. Instead of having skin the colour of ripened peaches, and hair of molten gold, her skin was like that of fine snow, her hair had become silver, and her eyes were of bright crimson. The crystal then flashed images of armoured beasts with four arms and metallic skin. What was worse, were the shadowy images of something monstrous, hidden behind dark and crimson shadows. However, these were overshadowed by the fact that these images had flickered to the Demons, and were seen eating from the same table, and speaking with the young queen''s advisors. This is what caused the riots to commence, and the demands of death and blood of those that resided within the castle. Of course, with every riot comes the looting and burning of shops and homes. We did do our best to put a stop to it, but this only incited more violence, and our small group became ever larger. Halfway towards the castle gates, however, those who were living within the slums had joined us. Although they were welcomed by the priests, because they were easily swayed by their words, everyone else saw them as nothing more than thieves, rapists, and murderers. We could do nothing about them, as they began to integrate themselves among our number. A few did try to steal and touch that which does not belong to them, but were subsequently beaten for their actions. It wouldn''t be until late evening when we finally approached one of the castle''s many iron gates. Above the gate, and along the walls, however, were demons with skin of iron, and most had four arms. This shocked us, and many were enraged by these ''demons''. To which the head priest began to shout, "Do you not see them, people of New Wair? The demons had infiltrated our fair city, and taken over the castle!" He would shout more, except the heavy gate began to rumble and rise up from the earth it penetrated. From behind the gate, we could see heavy, wooden doors being pulled open by something hidden within the shadows. From within the shadows, stepped forth a human male in a faded, blue robe. Within his hands was a staff, of which he leaned heavily upon it whilst walking out to stand in front of us all. "Kill the demon," came the shrilled cry of an old priest, and others began to chant and cast their magicks of fire, lightning, and holy light upon the old man. For some odd reason, I saw the old man smile just as the first of the spells struck his body. Many of us cried out in shock at the actions of the priests, and my voice was among them. However, once the energies dissipated, and the dust settle, we stared with wide eyes and slack jaws at the scene before us. We thought the old man was dead, but he was still standing. A shimmering, golden barrier had protected him, and many claimed to see him grinning in an evil manner. What is more, the old man began to cast his own spell, pointing a hand, palm up, towards one of the priests. Crimson and violet lightning leapt from the man''s palm and fingers, striking a priest who fell to the ground, shrieking in pain and agony. We, all of us, stepped back as the priest''s flesh began to blacken and char as the scream continued until there was nothing, but ash. One among our number swore the old man said, "Still too much power," afterwards. His words would confuse us at a later time, but for now, we were terrified by the death he had caused. "Kill it," cried out the other priests, and many complied with that desire. Especially after a priest in a gold and red robe shouted, "Whoever brings me his head will be gifted with their weight in gold." Many leapt to obey, as greed clouded their hearts, but before most could make it even halfway towards the old man, they were struck down by a torrent of black arrows. Wherever an arrow struck, the area around the arrows would blacken and decay rapidly. This would leave the victims screaming in pain and agony for a short time, before they were silenced as whatever poisons within the arrows ate away at their very core. Barrier magicks were soon cast upon the priests, and a few others who had decided to attack the old man. These people would then be killed by the odd coloured lightnings the old man had cast. It seems, no matter how strong they believed their barriers to be, his own magicks were stronger. "Run!" Someone near me had cried out, turning to leave the slaughter. My own body turned to go as well, but became rooted as something grasped my feet and legs. I stared down in horror, as vines of stone and iron began to wrap themselves around my lower limbs. Frantically looking about my person confirmed my worst fears, as nearly all of us were trapped by whatever had caused the vines to entrap us. "Ah, much better," rumbled a deep and foreboding voice. Slowly, we turned our heads towards the source of the voice, and wished we hadn''t. For before us was naught, but a creature derived from our worst nightmares, and beneath its great, skeletal feet were the bodies of the priests that incited the riot. "<>," it intoned, "<>," and we knew nothing more. Chapter 37 AN: Thank you for reading thus far, folks. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. ___________________________________________ Excerpt taken from, "The Fall of New Wair; The Rise of The Necropolis". XVIII- Thus Our Great God did convert the sheep of the human gods into warriors under his feet. And they did raise a great shout in worship for their new God that did awaken them from the dreams of their mortal coil. Our Great God did cast his gaze upon those that did send these awakened warriors, and sent them to do his works. "Let there be a great and mighty purge," He did bellow to those beneath his feet, and sent his new warriors'' gazes upon those who did worship the false and unholy gods. These new and awakened warriors did launch their bodies onto the swords of those who worshiped the false and unholy gods with glee. And they did so willingly, until all had been slain before them. Human, Kin, and Beast did bow their heads in worship, as Our Great God descended upon the stones of blood and bone. He sighed a great and saddeningly sigh, as he did kneel and lift a head from amongst the stones of blood and bone. "Brutus," His voice echoed throughout the heavens with great anger, as He stared upon the head of His first follower. And His voice did rumble and roar, as the First''s head was engulfed in His holy magicks. It began to construct the First''s body anew, until it did kneel before Our Great God with humble reverence at the body it was now given. "Rise," He did command, and it rose with a rattle of bones. "Lead My warriors," He commanded to the First, "and purge the city of those that worship the humans'' gods." Our Great God did watch as the First howl with a thunderous cry, as he did lead the warriors deeper into the city that once was New Wair to purge the unbelievers. "I will not suffer this world''s gods from taking what is mine," He did utter quietly, before turning His back upon the city, and vanished from sight. ***** It had been almost a sennight since the purging of the city''s temples had begun, and I had been forced to make an appearance with my skeletal body only two other times since the beginning. The first was three days after the first of many fires had been set, and a few were placed within a small dwelling where Kin and Beastmen would congregate in worship their tribal gods. I was not in that great a mood once I heard this, and forbade any more attempts upon those few dwellings that housed images of tribal deities. This was done so because I did not care enough about them to warrant a purge. No, but I would keep an eye on them, though. The second time I needed to make an appearance was around the sixth evening since it all began. There were reports about the remaining worshipers of the humans'' gods holed up in the southern part of the city''s slums. The only reason why we knew where they were was because of a defector. This defector claimed their gods had abandoned them in their time of need, and instead, focused more on the war with the demons. This human then went into greater detail, after being welcomed into the ranks of my many thralls, that the war was not currently in their favour. No, they were, in fact, losing greatly. Hence the reason for the summoning of heroes, but after I had turned away from their cries and pleas for help, they decided to summon up a new hero. However, in order to make sure the hero helps them fight the demons, they are going to enslave this newly summoned hero. Thus, preventing him, or her, from rebelling as I had. "Such a pain," I mumbled whilst reclining upon my gilded, iron throne. My current form was human, and I was wearing another faded, blue robe. Although the throne was larger than my current form, it didn''t stop me from seeking it out to relax in. "Has the city been purged of those that would worship the human gods?" I asked aloud, as many humans, and their families, began to shuffle into my cathedral. They had begun to gather because I had invited them to partake in the drinking of my "blood". Of course, it''s not my real blood, as I do not have any, but the vials of viscous mana I had been mass producing for several days. Each adult human, male and female alike, were required to drink it whether they want to, or not. The children, on the other hand, were offered a choice between taking it, or living with the other children of the castle. However, there was an exception, and one that I had enforced after an unforeseen occurrence. If a woman is nursing, pregnant, or believed to be pregnant, they are not allowed to drink from the vials. For you see, one unfortunate human female, who didn''t know she was pregnant, had to be killed after drinking from one. Her body had begun to change, as my physical energies ran rampant throughout her system, changing her blood, flesh, organ, and bone. Her frame became lithe, tall, and transparent, while the hair upon her head became as white as snow. The toes upon her feet merged and formed into two large claws, whilst a third appeared upon her heel. Sharp, bone-like claws had extended from her fingers, and stretched to about half the length of her forearm. Her own eyes merged into one, that then stretched until her entire face was just one, large eye. What is more, a small infant''s face appeared upon her belly, that grew large and round with every heartbeat, until it was a fully developed young boy-child''s head. This head''s eyes had disappeared when it grew, and instead became a large mouth that continued to wail until even I grew quite annoyed with it. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. It was here that I noticed a few humans had been rapidly aging from the constant wailing, which caused me to intone my own magicks upon it. Although my "Mana of Chaos" was ineffective to such a creature, my acidic breath was not. Once it became a pool of flesh, I had the Undying find out whether or not it had a suitor, of which it did. It was a male human, who had aged rather quickly under its terrible wailing, and claimed they were trying to have a baby. "Congratulations," I growled down at the old human, "You got your wish," and breathed another breath of poison upon him. Thus came the decree of any female who is nursing, pregnant, or is believed to be pregnant is barred from drinking until they are not. "Ah, such a pain," I muttered to myself once more, after someone assured me those who worshiped the gods of humans had been purged. The line of humans had dwindled somewhat, as I continued to stare up at the ceiling. From what I had seen, those who are pure of mind, of body, or both, physically changed into a creature of nightmares. However, those who are tainted, or had been exposed to the horrors of life in some way, only changed mentally. Those that fell into the latter category are your thieves, ruffians, and murderers. These humans'' minds seemed to have been rewritten, removing their intellect, and replacing them with something more animalistic. While their bodies seemed to have changed into a shadow-like creature much like a Shadow''s Reaper, but still not. On the other hand, those that were more pure, such as the regular merchants, farmers, and defected priests, became something akin to my Undying, albeit without the metallic skin and bones. However, each of them retained their intellect, but had more instincts than normal. This seemed to confuse them, especially when they gave into such instincts. This conversion would take another week, and by then word had reached us of another Hero Summoning that was going to take place within a fortnight. Which is fourteen days, if you do not know what that is. I was in my kobold body when this piece of information reached my ears, watching over the children who were mingling amongst the humans'' offspring. There were many tails pulled, and faces scratched, but otherwise it was peaceful. Lupa and Puella were sitting upon my lap, resting against my chest, as an Undying in the shape of an iron, four-armed bear approached where I sat. "My Lord," it knelt before my person, and was now being stared at by dozens of eyes. Perhaps it was within my own mind, but I believe I saw this iron bear shake a little under their gazes. "Rise and report," my voice rumbled low, and watched as it stood up slowly. All eyes were now turned towards it, and although many were frightened by its appearance, the rest were very curious. "My Lord," it began, "Reports from the warfront state they will be summoning another hero to aid them in their battle against the demons." My body gave a slow and heavy sigh, whilst lightly scratching Puella and Lupa''s head. The pair closed their eyes in bliss, and pushed up against my scratchings, causing my lips to twitch upwards. "Gather up half the populace, and begin preparations for a long march." A thought suddenly occurred to me, to which I asked the Undying, "How long will it take us to reach the warfront from here?" The iron-bear Undying folded its lower arms against its body, and scratched its muzzle in thought. "With little to no rest, and at a steady march, perhaps a sennight if you''re lucky." it shook its head quickly, then looked down as though it were about to be berated for speaking out. "Hmm," I hummed slowly, "Use four day-cycles to gather up enough supplies. We''ll set out upon the fifth day, and reach the front a few day-cycles before they summon their new hero." The Undying seemed relieved I didn''t retaliate against it speaking out, as I knew most of their leaders would. Instead, the iron-bear saluted once, then turned around, and left to begin spreading my orders. "Are you leaving us?" Came a small voice below my right clawed hand. It was Lupa who spoke out, and her eyes were wide and tearful as she stared up into my own. "For a time, yes, but I will return." My hand continued to scratch her head, and, even though she wanted to continue to use her "puppy-dog eyes" upon my person, couldn''t due to my head scratching technique. She sighed in bliss, as I scratched behind her large ears, and even growled happily when I focused upon the back of her neck. "Me too, me too," cried out Puella, who was pulling on my left arm, then placed its clawed hand upon her head. She, too, began to sigh happily as I continued to scratch her head slowly. Chapter 38 AN: A couple more trips to the dungeon, folks, then it''s off to the outside world! As always, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. _____________________________________ In the morning, I was standing in the centre of the marketplace within my human guise, as monstrous thralls began milling about with excitement. Half of the populace would be sent to the front, and their new instincts were telling them it would be a great hunt. Ah, but you see, there were many Kin and Beastfolk amongst their number, and they greatly desired a chance to kill the humans. Although, for the most part, these were not enthralled by my person, they were still welcome. To an extent, at least. Those that opted to join our large army, and were not a thrall, were heavily watched by all that were. For you see, there are always spies amongst every intelligent species, and I did not wish for word of our army to reach the front. I say this now, but there is always a chance the humans fighting know what has happened to their city already. In any case, the queen expressed her desire to join my person in fighting against the humans. Unfortunately for her, LD, RS, and I shot her down before she was able to take off. Although I would be leaving for a time, she was still needed in maintaining the city and protecting it from any unperceivable danger. I had become fully confident we would find the city besieged upon our return, and wished to have the remaining thralls prepare for it. "Who is that human watching us?" Came the whisperings of a small group of beastwomen. A few even went as far as to steal glances towards my person, believing I would not see them. "I know, right? That one gives me the creeps every time his eyes pass over me. Feels like he''s stripping my clothes off with his gaze." Another within their group shivered, which caused my gaze to migrate towards them. This action caused them all to shiver, until it drifted towards a large group of enthralled blacksmiths carrying barrels and crates full of hastily crafted pieces of armour. These pieces would serve to protect some parts of my thralls, as most of them had their own natural armours. The moment they placed the barrels and boxes down, however, they were swarmed by my thralls. Those that had gathered had been waiting as patiently as they could for such pieces of armour, and when it arrived, pounced upon the barrels and boxes until nothing was left. This caused many of the blacksmiths to sigh, as they dragged away the ruined remains of their barrels and boxes. Soon, there were sounds of hammers striking metals upon anvils ringing throughout the air. It will be a long day-cycle for them, and they knew it. On the other hand, there were a few brawls taking place here and there. They were contesting for pieces of armour, and although fighting amongst themselves wasn''t allowed, it was for this. These fights were to show who was more dominant, and were the ones who had the most armour upon their person. Of course, many bystanders had been pulled into these fights, but either participated, or were rescued by one of the many four-armed Undying that were patrolling the streets. As this was going on, my feet began to take me towards the sector of the city deemed "The Slums". Once entering the area near the marketplace, my body turned a sharp right towards the first alleyway I had spied. Within a few moments, I had found myself in front of a small door at the very end of the alley. Of which, I sharply rapped my knuckles upon its frame. "Alright, alright," a masculine voice from within shouted, as I continued to rap my knuckles upon the door, "I''m coming, damnit. No need to-," the door opened revealing a small male half the size of my human guise. This male had a stocky body, with many muscles bulging underneath his tunic and trousers. What is more, he had long, braided brown hair, and a beard to match. Beneath such hair was a pair of beady, black eyes that glinted with intellectual greed, and underneath the pair was a bulbous, red nose. You may be wondering as to what manner of creature this male was, and I shall tell you. It was a Dwarf. What is more, this dwarf was my associate who derived a potent toxin from the flakes of my skeletal bones. As to why I was upon his doorstep? It was a recruitment offer, and nothing more. "There is an opening for one such as yourself," I rumbled slowly. We sat on opposite ends of a long table that was used for a large family. Although he was unhappy to see me, and desired to hide himself from my gaze, he was still needed. For you see, the old torturer was gone, killed by the "Magister", and I desired the company of another likeminded individual. One who would relish the screams of tortured humans as much as I did, and the one sitting in front of my person was the next best thing. Of course, there had been others, but each of them failed, and had to be killed off. I can somewhat recall a murderer who gutted his victims with a sharpened, wooden knife. This one was found in chains within a small group of bounty hunters. These hunters were passing through the town, when one of my Undying thralls had claimed the chained human in my name. Of course, this did not sit well with the hunters, who were then butchered for going against them. These Undying had been whipped for their disobedience, as I spoke to the human about his exploits. He was a torturer by trade, and although I cannot recall his name, he was squeamish when it came to myself showing him what I would expect him to do if I employed his services. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The human refused me outright, saying, "If others believe me to be a monster, then you are far worse." He was executed shortly afterwards. No, I did not welcome him into the ranks of my thralls as many would believe. For you see, I would prefer having someone speak their mind, rather than obeying orders when it came to such things as torture. Yes, my thralls are able to speak up, but they still have the desire to please my person at any given turn. Although it is somewhat enjoyable, I still dislike the constant wants of vying for my attention and favour. "What kind of opening," he growled after taking a long draw of the tankard within his hands. There was another in front of my person, and it was filled with some sort of golden liquid. However, I would not touch it after placing it upon the table, which caused the dwarf to be a little more cautious. "The torturer is dead, and I am in need of someone to fill it." The dwarf slammed his tankard down in fury, "What," he roared, and I spied a few curious eyes peering out from behind another small door, one that served as the kitchen. "Who killed him?" "A woman who went by the name, ''Magister''." At the mentioning of such a name, the dwarf''s body stiffened. He then sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose, "That old hag was nothing more than trouble, but would he listen-" "She''s dead." His eyes widened as he stared upon my face as if searching it for answers, or perhaps to see if I spoke truly. "How?" "His entire group crushed her with a slab of marble," the edges of my lips twitched upwards in remembrance of the night she died. "It was... entertaining, to say the least," it turned into a slow grin, of which caused the dwarf to shiver. He seemed to deflate after a time, but when he tried to speak up, I said, "If you have a family within the city, they will be moved into the castle. You, and them, will have access to the finest healers, foods, clothes, a bed, and a bath," my lips stretched into a smirk at the word "bath", as I knew he probably needed one. Even though I did not have a sense of smell, I still knew what the buzzing of flies about a person means. "You will be compensated well enough that, within a full cycle, your family could afford to live within a large mansion for another cycle without much worry. Of course, that is if you decide to take up the offer." My right hand reached into the sleeve of my left arm, and withdrew a pouch of coins within it. It jingled within the sack, even more so when I placed it upon the table. Upon opening it, and revealing the contents of gold and silver coins, a female dwarf burst into the room, shouting, "Whatever you are selling, we''ll take it." My lips then stretched into a grin, as my eyes peered at the stocky, little woman. She was wearing a plain, brown tunic and trousers with a greasy and bloody apron over her clothes. Upon her feet were a pair of standard, brown boots that had seen better days. The female dwarf''s hair had streaks of grey hidden among her dark, red hair, and although she had the same beady eyes and bulbous nose of the male, she did not have a beard. Well, there was a bit of stubble upon her cheeks and chin. "Raina," he began, but stopped when her right fist landed upon his nose. The action knocked him off his chair, of which he clutched at his now bleeding nose in anger. "Don''t you ''Raina'' me, Feiran. The human has an offer that will take us all away from this piece of garbage of a home." She turned towards my person, her eyes looking a bit softer, but very hopeful. "Right?" At my nod, she whirled back around towards the male, and dragged him over to my feet. "He accepts." "Wonderful," I clapped my hands once, and the entrance to the dwelling burst open, revealing several four-armed Undying. I had stood up by then, and found the pair of dwarves to be shivering at the sight of them. "Well? Hurry up and pack your things. You are all to be escorted by the Undying to the castle, where you, Feiran, will begin work tomorrow morning." I left them there with the Undying, but stopped the last one from entering the dwelling. This one was a four-armed iron-skeleton with pinpoints of sapphire in the centre of its eye sockets. "Make sure none of them escape," my voice was a low and thunderous growl. It nodded its head once, then left to enter the home of the dwarves. Myself, on the other hand, simply left the area, returning to the market''s centre in time to see another fight breaking out between a pair of heavily armoured, monstrous thralls. "This should be entertaining," I muttered, and settled down upon a wooden crate with the intent to watch it unfold. Chapter 39 AN: Just have to point out a short torture session, folks, which is followed by adorable fluff towards the end. As always, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. __________________________ A full turn of the day star had passed, as I and the dwarf were busy listening to the screams of random humans within the dungeon proper. I reveled in their screams of pain, and drank from their constant begging for mercy. "Ah," I sighed with contempt, "Such wonderful screams these humans have." Feiran, on the other hand, had a peculiar expression upon his face, as he looked up from his notes. "You do know you''re human, too, right?" Of which, I only replied with a very large grin. This caused him to shiver, as he went back to plying his various poisons to the female human that was strapped to a chair. She, herself, was naked and covered in sores, blisters, pock marks, and had varying degrees of skin bubbles full of pus. These, of which, I popped with a red hot poker, just to see what colour the pus was, and right next to my person was the dwarf who was busy scribbling his quill full of ink upon the parchment. Every now and again, I would hear him grunt and growl, before setting down his notes to apply a few drops of poison upon the woman''s unblemished skin. Of course, at one point, a few drops of his most potent poisons had fallen onto the hand of my human guise. The dwarf had spilt it upon my person, and watched in utter amazement as the droplets simply pass through my hand as though it was air, and onto the floor. Whereupon it began to sizzle and eat away at the stone and dirt. Afterwards, however, he found himself lifted into the air, with my hand gripped tightly about his neck. "You should not try that again," I growled into his eyes, as my own flared into a baleful crimson. "What are you," he choked out, struggling to free himself from my iron grip, whilst shivering in fear. "I am what I am," my voice grew thunderous, as my entire form was wreathed in shadows until only my eyes were seen, "and what I am is ME." The shadows vanished from my person, as though they were never there in the first place, and I dropped the dwarf unceremoniously onto the ground. "Ah," I said aloud realising something, then advanced upon the dwarf who tried to run away. However, he was barred by a pair of iron-skeleton Undying, who gripped the dwarf by his limbs, lifting him towards my person. "Monster," he cried out, struggling furiously against their grip, but to no avail. "Perhaps," my form''s lips twitched into a grin, as I placed my right hand in front of his face. "Now hold still. I''m going to rewrite your memories." His eyes grew wide, and his struggling grew fierce. To which I sighed, and had the Undying pair hold him tighter until he could barely move, let alone breathe. "<>," I began with a very large grin upon my visage, "<>." He screamed as I invaded his mind, rewriting everything to include me as a long time friend and partner. ''How could your spell cause so much pain?'' is what a few of you may ask. To which my reply would be, "Because my magicks are the ones that have entered the person''s brain and mind, and as you know, they are of chaotic energies. Therefore, the energies used to alter someone''s mind and personality causes a person''s own nervous system to electrify. This, in turn, becomes intense as I continue to alter the person to suit my whims, and as such, the electricity of my energies is sent throughout the body. Which becomes more and more intense with each heartbeat." Unfortunately for my victims, they are forced to stay awake throughout the entire process, and when they do pass out, they forget what I had done, and only remember the new memories that are coursing through their little minds. If you are wondering if there are any side effects to such a spell, the answer will always be a, "Yes." For you see, no spell, incantation, or ritual is ever perfect, and if they claim otherwise, they are ignorant fools. The side effects for this alteration spell lasts for a sennight. Of which, they are constantly questioning themselves if their memories are true or not. Though, of course, the person can break free of the spell in question, but those are rare cases, and I have confidence in my own magicks. However, the dwarf will be journeying with my person, and the army, when we attack the humans on the warfront. Can''t have him breaking free and causing chaos whilst I was away, but I digress. "What sort of poison are you using now," I shouted above the woman''s screechings, as we watched her right hand begin to decay in front of our eyes. One of the Undying had to amputate her limb just as the poison began to eat away at the flesh and sinew. As we didn''t wish to kill her straight away. "It''s a concentrate of a Night Widow. A highly venomous spider that lives inside caves infested with goblins," he replied quickly, as his quill began to blur upon the parchment. Of course, the language was his native tongue, and therefore, I could not read it. "Their poison is so toxic, it can liquefy the organs of a goblin within a couple of heartbeats. Whereas it takes about ten heartbeats to liquefy the organs of a grown human." The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. "Fascinating," I replied, staring at the little vial in wonderment. "Can arrowheads be coated in this? We have a war to finish, and I desire an end to it all." Feiran paused with his note takings, and became thoughtful. "Don''t know," he muttered with a shrug, "but we can always find out." In a few moments, a four-armed Undying came down to the dungeon with a quiver of twenty arrows, and a strung up short bow. We then carefully applied the poison to five arrows, and watched as they sizzled for a time, but didn''t melt. "Can you procure more of the venom?" His head nodded once, then his body shook as I clapped his shoulder with a hand. "Good. Then do so. Others need my attention, so get back to work." One four-armed iron-skeleton was left to watch him, as my body left the dungeon, and stalked towards the queen''s garden, where the children were playing. Along the way, my form gradually changed into that of my kobold self, and upon entering the garden, was surrounded by several Kin. These Kin were children with wolf and feline ears and tails, each desiring the attention of my person by way of hugs, pets, and scratches. To which, I obliged with a slight smile. My body sat upon the only spare patch of grass that was not occupied by a variety of playful children, and it was here that many tried to sit in my lap, or lean against my person for more head pets and scratches. They each mewed, purred, and growled beneath my techniques, before leaving to resume their play, or scamper off towards the kitchens for a meal. When most left, however, I found the kobold pair snuggling against my inner thighs. Their backs were towards the ground, as their chests and bellies were exposed to my person. Of course, they wore a pair of small trousers each, but had emulated my person in removing their small tunics because I, myself, only wore a pair of trousers as a kobold. My eyes warmed slightly, as I stared down upon pair who began to bark and whine up at my person. They desired scratches, and I gave into their little demands by gently running the backs of my clawed fingers against their chests. To which they sighed in bliss, and for a time, they stayed this way, until deciding to gnaw on my fingers. The left side of my lips twitched into a slight smirk, as I continued to watch their movements. It was the little things in life that kept me from treading too far down the path of madness. Of which, I was thankful for. A small, wolf-like muzzle appeared over my left shoulder, which caused the young kobolds to stop their gnawing of my fingers, and stare with widened eyes up at the intruder. My left eye moved to see Lupa in a grass stained, white dress peering down at them, and her expression was one of adorable wonderment. "Lupa," my voice rumbled softly, "have you not met the kobold pups, yet?" "Kobold?" She moved from my shoulder to my left thigh, and peered down upon the fire-like furred pup, whose eyes continued to stare wide up at her form. The other pup, a dark furred with green tips began to whine at the lack of attention, but calmed down once I began to lightly scratch his neck. This caused the other to whine until he, too, began to enjoy the little scratching session. "Yes, kobold. My form right now is of an adult kobold male, as you know. They are your distant cousins, but are considered to be dog-men and women." "Cuh-zins?" She tried to sound out the unfamiliar word, tilting her head to the left. "These two are family," she understood that word, and I introduced them to her, "The one with flame coloured fur is Igne Comas, and the other is Puer Veneni. Be sure to not allow yourself to be scratched by Puer, as his little green claws carries a small amount of poison, which causes a lingering, stinging pain." Lupa merely nodded, not really understanding completely, "Can I hold one?" Her small paws reached out to touch Igne, who happened to be closest. However, he became aware of the intruding appendage, and began to whine and cry at it. This caused his brother, Puer, to whine and cry in response, to which her eyes became moist and threatened to release several tears. I sighed at this, and gave her small form a quick hug, then settled her in between the two pups. The pair stopped their whining and crying, and instead began to sniff her body slowly. Igne was the first to take the initiative, and began to crawl onto her lap very slowly. Not to be out done by his brother, Puer began to crawl onto her lap from the other side, albeit with more haste. Upon reaching the centre of her lap, the pair began to play-fight, but was stopped when my clawed fingers began to scratch the back of their necks slowly. "Adorable, aren''t they?" My voice rumbled softly above Lupa''s head, who tilted it back to stare up at my face. "Uh-dor-bol," she smiled, turning her attention back towards the pups. Chapter 40 AN: As of today, this story is number 105 on the "Popular This Week" tab. So excited. On another note, if anyone is upset about what happens in this chapter, don''t worry too much about it. Because chapters 42 and 43 will explain it better than I even could. In other words, I flipped a coin and lost this one, but won another. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. _____________________________________________ I spent the rest of the day with Lupa and the pups, making sure the three accepted one another. By nightfall, all three of them were sleeping in a small fur pile under the sheets of her bed. They were quite adorable together, of which had caused my person to smile slightly at their sleeping bodies. "Lupa seems to be opening up more and more, Father, as are the others," Nox whispered softly as he exited the adjacent room I came from, just as I took on my human guise. It seems he had taken a liking to his responsibilities as the children''s guardian, as he appeared before my person with a tired smile. "Then all is we-," I began, but stopped when several four-armed Undying wolves ran towards the pair of us. "My Lord," cried out one of the Undying, to which I glared with crimson eyes. "Quiet you fool," my voice was a whisper, and yet seemed to echo throughout the halls, "There are children sleeping." They quieted down considerably, but appeared to be anxious, and ushered the both of us away from the rooms that housed the children. Once we left their wing, several pairs of female Undying had slipped by us, each beginning their patrols throughout the children''s wing. When they stepped into the hallway, however, the shadows began to condense and form into large wolf-like creatures. Each creature had a pair of crimson orbs floating around in the outline of their head. These were the Shadow''s Reapers, and had split up so that each pair of Undying had at least two Reapers when they patrolled the wing. "My Lord," a male, four-armed wolf Undying whispered to my person with urgency, "The dwarf Feiran has gone insane, and has been confined to a cell within the dungeon." "Oh?" This bit of news caused my person to be curious, but noticed Nox was only confused. "Feiran? His son is my friend, but we don''t know what his new job is," his features were perplexed towards this piece of information. "Ah, he is the new torturer to replace the other after his unexpected passing," my reply was honest, but only served to cause him to become even more confused. Shrugging, I turned my attention back towards the male, "Lead us, then. You will come, too, Nox." He simply nodded, as we were escorted to the dungeon area. A pair of iron-skeleton Undying had appeared when we approached its entrance. They each had a pair of green flamed torches within their grasp, and took over escorting us the rest of the way. "I have never been here before," came the mutterings of Nox, as we journeyed deeper into the dungeon. The shouting and screaming of a deep, male voice could be heard as it echoed throughout the area. "Madness" and "Monster" could be heard in between the screams, but quieted down once the owner heard our footsteps coming ever closer to it. "You have been here before, Nox," my voice rumbled slowly, "In fact, you were birthed in one of these cells." He was stunned by my words, and even stopped in his tracks as his mind tried to wrap around this new piece of information. His body then twitched, and scampered towards my person. His eyes said he was intent on questioning myself to the fullest, but before he could voice a single syllable, the haggard face of a dwarf appeared in front of us behind several bars of cylindrical iron. "You monster," it roared, reaching for my person to no avail. The action of the dwarf startled Nox, who had yelped and leapt backwards. The Undying, on the other hand, simply struck out at the dwarf named Feiran, and caused him to hiss in pain. "What did you do to me?" His voice shouted in anger towards my person, as his beady, little eyes glared upon my person. "What do you mean?" I had become amused by everyone''s actions at this point, and even had a smirk upon my lips. "You did something to my head," the dwarf then screamed, clutching the sides of his skull, as his body collapsed to the ground. "What did you do?" "I did nothing." "Liar!" His body leapt up, launching himself onto the iron bars. His small, thick arms tried to grasp my person, but to no avail. "You did something to me; my thoughts are not my own," he screamed as his voice cracked into a higher pitch, "Every time I look upon you, my head tells me you''re my friend, but when you leave, it tells me to run from the monster that I call friend." His head swiveled towards the hybrid nearest my person, "You, boy. You need to run. That thing is not a man, but a monster sent to enslave us all." "It seems the dwarf has become a rapid dog," my voice was quiet, and I turned towards Nox who stared with confusion at the scene. "Do you know what happens when you find a rabid dog?" If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "You put it down?" "Correct," I grinned, and intoned, "<>." Emerald coloured lightning shot out from an extended finger that had pointed at the dwarf. This lightning shot through his chest, causing him to gasp as a red liquid began to pour from the new opening. "Hmm," I hummed slowly, "Missed the heart." Feiran had fallen onto his back, whilst his hands shook as they touched the edges of the hole. Tears began to well up in his eyes, and his head twitched towards Nox. "Ru-," he began, but I would not allow him to speak, and launched another Arc at his body, but this time it struck near the centre of his forehead. The body''s eyes were wide as the brains behind it splattered onto the ground, slightly cooked from my magicks. "Father?" Nox whispered with widened eyes, to which my body turned towards his person slowly. "Remember, my son," my eyes had become orbs of crimson at this point, and had even begun to shine with enough of a glow to lighten up his face somewhat, "if you ever find a rabid dog, you need to put it down immediately. Otherwise, it''ll just become a thorn in your side at a later date." Turning to one of the Undying, I ordered it to escort him out of the dungeon. It did so, and after they were gone, I turned to the remaining iron skeleton and commanded, "Burn the body, then silence the female dwarf." "And if it had a family?" A hauntingly melodious voice asked my person slowly, as the body began to burn with bright green flames. "Silence all, save for those who are children, as they are more easily swayed. I do not want that body''s loved ones to crop up later, wishing for vengeance upon my person." I paused for a moment, as a thought passed through my mind, "Have someone keep an eye on Nox; he may become a nuisance after today. If so, then I shall be eternally disappointed in him." ***** Father killed someone tonight, one whose son had become my new friend. I did not know how I would break the news to him, but he would need to be told soon. The Undying that had escorted me to my room was one of those iron-skeletons, of which really unnerved me. They reminded me too much of the giant skeleton that had appeared, and transformed the rapists into skeletons. Everyone who witnessed this event had night terrors for a sennight, but I am glad no one told the younglings, as I do not wish for them to become terrified. No, but he did say something that sparked my interest. My place of birth was within that dungeon. If so, then who was my mother, and what did she do to abandon me so? Did she hold me before disappearing? Or was she executed the moment I was born? These questions kept me awake, and I began to pace around the bedroom I shared with my closest friend and ally. He was a brown furred Bear Beastman, and was sleeping only a few metres from my person. "Nox?" Came a soft voice, from the bed he slept in, "What are you doing? It''s the middle of the night." "I''m sorry, Roja, but I cannot sleep." "Why? What happened?" He sat up from the bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes to stare upon my person. "He killed Strom''s father," I began slowly, which caused his eyes to grow wide. Before he could speak, however, I raised my right paw to silence him. "The dwarf was spouting nonsense, screaming, clutching his head, every requirement necessary to be branded as ''insane''. Yet, Father just killed him, and did so with an easy manner," my paws had balled themselves into fists at this point, and became painful until I released them slowly. "Why did he do that?" My friend was standing in front of my person at this point, shaking with anger and fear. "Couldn''t he just, I don''t know, heal him, or something?" "I don''t know, but that''s not all," I exuded a sigh at this point, and paused until he urged me to speak up, "He said I was birthed in the dungeon." My friend''s eyes were wide at this point, and were filled with the same questions that had been plaguing my mind since my return from the murder I had witnessed. "He did not speak about it afterwards, so I am as clueless as you are." "Why not ask him in the morning?" "I think I will do that, then." He smiled, then pushed me into my bed before climbing into his own. Roja then began to snore softly, as I stared up at the ceiling, wondering about the mother I never knew. Chapter 41 AN: I''ve added something new to the story, which is simply a different use of the asterisks (*). The standard five, as you all know, symbolises a point of view change. However, there will be instances where there is only one asterisk in the middle of a page. This is simply to show a minor time skip for the main character. Hopefully it''s less confusing when you see them. As always, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. ___________________________________________ Perhaps it was a mistake to speak up the night before, as Nox came to my side in the early morning, demanding to know who his mother was. Of course, I did not tell him, nor would I. How do you explain to a child you killed their mother just because she was in the way of my rise to power? What would happen once he learned the truth? Well, his incessant pestering of my person for answers did, at last, cause my person to snap at him. It was on the fourth day, the day that we were leaving, when he came to my person and demanded, once more, that I tell him where his mother is. "You wish to know where she is?" My voice rumbled thunderously. His body shook for a time, but his head did nod in ascent. "She is dead." There. I had said it, and his reaction to this statement was a common one. "Dead? How did she die? Who killed her? What happened Father?" The first question was barely audible, but the last he shouted, drawing curious faces. "She died soon after giving birth to you," which was the truth. She did die after he was born, but by my hand and magicks. Though, of course, I would not speak of such things. "What of her family, Father?" His voice was quiet now, "Do I have any grandparents? May I see them?" "No, you may not." His eyes widened at this, and tears began to trickle down his face when I continued with, "They were all killed off by an unknown enemy, and those humans, beastmen and women, and kin who went to rescue the family were slaughtered. None survived." I was human at this point, and placed a hand upon his shoulder, "I am sorry," my voice rumbled, then left towards the eastern gate of the city as he silently cried. Yes, it was heartbreaking to see him cry like that, but he would need to "man up", as the saying went, and continue on with his life. Although, I did see many rush to his side, expressing remorse over the news of which they had heard. However, "Brutus," I called out to the large creature whose flesh seemed to desperately cling to its skeleton. As you know, Brutus was my first "thrall" upon this world, and the first to ever be able to break free. Now, however, he became the first Lich upon this world, and was still trying to understand his powers. I did my best to supply him with some knowledge I had of other Liches, but he seemed to be unique. For you see, a regular one is able to summon and control the mindless undead. They can also cast a variety of spells that revolve around death, blood, and curses. This one, on the other hand, can indeed control the undead, but only spirits, ghosts, spectres, and the like. He had tried summoning and raising the dead bodies, but to no avail. Instead, he seemed to have entrapped the essences and ''souls'' of the dead and dying, forcing them to obey his every command. However, unlike when he was alive, when he was able to resist my enthrallment spells, he had become most susceptible to them. Indeed, and he had become my right hand man, a Lieutenant, once more. "Brutus, is everything ready for us to depart?" My voice echoed out of the now opened gate, revealing a horde of monstrous creatures atop equally monstrous mounts. There was a total of five thousand armed and armoured creatures just waiting for my order to depart. No, it was not half the city, but it was close enough. "Master," his voice echoed throughout my mind, and it hissed and stretched for an eternity as it did so, "We found stowaways." Behind his form was a small table with Lupa, Puella, and the kobold pups staring at the procession with widened eyes filled with curiosity and fear. I sighed as my body approached them slowly, becoming my kobold self as I did so. Four pairs of eyes locked onto my body and ran towards my person. The girl-children''s arms were stretched out and hugged my waist, whilst the pups latched themselves onto my calves. All were crying with relief, and, once more, I sighed down at their forms. "Puella, Lupa," their small heads turned up towards my own, as tears continued to flow freely, "What were you thinking? We are not going on an outing, but to war against humans." Lupa was the first to speak, whilst sniffling in between sentences, "We don''t want to be left behind," her body now began to hiccup, and I turned to a nearby Undying, ordering them to bring Nox here. They rushed off, as I began to pet their heads slowly. "Why did you bring the pups with you two? You know they are still very young; by human standards, they are called ''babies''." They did not answer me at this time, to which I sighed a third time, and sat with my back against a leg of the table. All four of them crawled into my lap almost the very moment I did this, and began to snuggle up against my person in an adorable manner. A few females were nearby to see this, exclaiming with child-like sounds. There were a few that began to ooze with envy towards my person, and even tried to approach, but were barred by the Lich. He stated something along the lines of not disturbing my person and the children, or face his ire. His magicks sparked out of his body, and summoned a small host of spirits to play as guards around the five of us. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! However, as they were settling down around us, Nox showed up with slightly puffy eyes. It seems he had just finished crying, but was still upset. "Look who it is," my voice whispered to the four in my lap. They looked up towards my eyes, then towards Nox, and scampered towards him. They, then, began to cry and whine up towards his person, as Lupa and Puella apologised over and over for sneaking out. Once they calmed down, however, and looked more closely at him, they noticed he, himself, had been crying. He only shook his head towards their inquiry, and turned towards my person. "Keep watch over them, Nox," my voice grew thunderous as my body stood tall, "I shall return once the humans are dead, and all is well." His head nodded at my words, and left with the pups in his arms, and the girl-children hugging his sides. Once it was confirmed they had left, my body turned to face the horde of creatures. "Gather up everything we are taking," I roared to the heavens, as I took on my skeletal form once more. All fell to their knees in worship, as I began moving south-east where the war between human and demon was taking place. "We march!" * It was only a day since we left the city, and already there were problems. You see, there were about a dozen, or so, villages of humans and Kin along the way. Going around said villages, and avoiding detection, would take too long. However, going through them and slaughtering everything and everyone would be too much of a hassle. For this issue alone, I conversed with everyone in the horde. It was late evening when I had gathered everyone about my skeletal form, and had to bar them all from falling down in worship of my body. "We have a problem," I rumbled slowly, "There are human villages along the-" "Kill them all," shouted a shadowed-human with tentacles growing out of its left shoulder, and those around it agreed with the statement. While others, still, began to voice their own methods of killing, a mental shout from Brutus caused everyone to fall still. "Yes, they will die," came the rumbling of my voice once more, "However, we must make haste, if we are to reach the warfront soon. I do not wish to see them summon up a band of heroes, watching as they, and those who summoned them, undo everything I have accomplished thus far. Instead, I desire haste, and killing these insignificant humans will do nothing, but slow us down considerably. "So I ask you all this," my clawed hands swept around to those who had gathered, "What is the best method to journey to the front, as well as killing all the humans who stand in our way. As I see it, everyone wants the humans to die, correct?" Angry shouts filled with bloodlust filled the air in answer. "Good," my imaginary lips began to stretch into a feral grin, "For now, I want you to think well on how best to kill all the humans as quickly as possible, as we destroy the village just over the next rise." ***** Night had fallen onto the village of Stormhollow, and all was peaceful. A few guards could be seen atop the spiked, wooden wall that served as a barrier against wild beasts and creatures. However, the guards had grown complacent due to the lack of activities one would believe commonplace upon the frontier. Indeed, and it was of their slothfulness that they failed to spot the movement of thousands of creatures until it was too late. A brass bell was frantically being rung, as the first of the large horde of monsters leapt over the wall, slaughtering the guards quickly. Five heads were rolling in the dirt, when the bell began to ring throughout the night. However, even though the bellman was silenced, its ringing still served its purpose, drawing forth many from their homes. These people, human and Kin alike, shouted in fear and anger, as wave after wave of shadow-like creatures began to pour over the walls in an unstoppable motion. However, an old man from an even older church began to pray fervently to his god. It seems his god answered his frantic prayer, but not in the form people would have believed. They thought it would be a weapon, or a spell of divine judgment that would destroy the creatures. No, instead, they received an answer in the form of a barrier placed around the old church, and it was here the survivors began to congregate. They hoped and prayed for deliverance, but it would not come to them. Instead, looking outside, many began to shout and point, as a large skeletal creature was walking towards the building they took shelter in. They watched, in horror, as emerald and sapphire coloured lightnings arched out from its four hands, ripping through the barrier with ease. These people then began to scream, as shadow-like creatures leapt through the windows, roof, and doorway. Whereupon they began to slaughter the inhabitants with glee. Chapter 42 (NSFW) AN: As you may have noticed, it''s another NSFW chapter, but it''s a different one. This one has a graphic rape scene in it, with a lot of tentacles. 43, on the other hand, will have a torture session, which will also be labeled as NSFW. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. ___________________________ Apparently, the flesh and organ meat of humans is delectable to my horde of monsters. Though, of course, I would never be able to partake in such a venture, it was still interesting to watch them pounce on and eat living humans. However, we were not without casualties on our side, as well, but those that died were quickly raised up as chained spirits by Brutus the Lich. The bodies of the monsters, on the other hand, were burned to ash. Especially when others realised their flesh was inedible. Three turns of the day-star had passed since the destruction of the first village, and in those three days, we had found, slaughtered, and devoured the flesh of four other villages. As we continue to journey forever onwards, it had come to my attention that there were less humans, and more tribes of various races. These tribes were not only Beastmen, women, and Kin, but of elf, dwarf, and something akin to a human, but not. For they had green skin, were stocky in build, and had long ears of an elf. Orc, is what Brutus called them, and they were supposedly mindless brutes that only cared about killing others. Well, needless to say, these orcs dared tried to attack us whilst we were slaughtering the humans and Kin of the fifth village. They charged whilst wielding their clubs and rusty weapons, and wore naught, but poor quality hide and cloth ware. However, something odd occurred once they came upon my skeletal body. These creatures fell forward, prostrating themselves in worship. I was speechless as I stared down upon their forms, as were most who were expecting a battle with them. When we prodded them enough, a few exclaimed, in their own broken language, that I was their new god, or something of the sort. There were a few others that had said something about a prophecy, but I did not pay much attention to this. Instead, I had a few others take over in integrating and watching over them. If they should even a hint of hindrance towards our march to the warfront, they are to be removed immediately. Too bad many had to be executed, because they tried to do just that. A few dozen orcs, and something that looked like a mage of some sort, tried to steer our horde towards one of their enemies. They explained that as their new "god", I had to destroy their foes. However, the only ones who ended up destroyed were themselves, and I made sure of it by casting my own destructive magicks upon the group. "<>," I intoned, showering the mage in a torrent of crimson and violet lightnings until there was naught, but ash and dirty glass. "Kill them," a clawed finger pointed towards the remaining, greedy orcs, and watched as their own comrades slaughtered the lot of them. From then on, the rest were welcomed into the ranks of my many thralls. It would be a full day-cycle before we found another village, but this one was already under attack. By what, I did not know, and sent a few to act as scouts. As we awaited their return, everyone from monsters, to orcs, to the Undead began to rest in some way. Whilst the first two groups had sat down, the third group began to speak to one another in low voices, before branching off to meditate or simply watch those who were living still. Upon inquiring as to what they were doing, Brutus came upon my person with the explanation of, "Many among the spirits were curious as to what the status of the world was." For some odd reason, I felt as though he was lying to my person. Of course, he was a thrall, and therefore could not do so, but the feeling was there. Perhaps it was simply paranoia that came with the territory of having succeeded in gaining power, or perhaps it was something else. In any case, the scouts had returned, and what they reported on was interesting, to say the least. They prostrated themselves before my skeletal body that was seated upon a large boulder, and rose once they were commanded to rise. "My Lord God," began one whose arms had become a mass of shadow-like tentacles that wriggled and writhed around its body, "it is an Elven village, and they are being attacked by the demons the humans are fighting against." The scouts were dismissed shortly afterwards, and I summoned a few others to relay my order to the horde. "We march on the Elf village," my voice thundered towards them, "Capture the demons, alive, and kill all others. Feast upon their flesh, if you wish, but I desire the demons. They have a purpose for my plans." ***** "Our Lord God desires the living bodies of the demons that dare attack our next target," my own voice, a hauntingly beautiful melody, stretched forth and into the minds of all that stood before my regal self, "He does not care for the elves, so you are all free to partake in whatever pleasures you desire." The ''Horde'', as our God called it, began to roar with excitement. The notion of slaughtering all would rally any mindless brute, and these were no exception. I, myself, on the other hand, would not soil my hands in something so ugly as killing. Instead, I shall let others dirty themselves with blood, gore, and other bodily fluids. The very thought of having something so foreign upon my person sickened my mind, but if our God commanded me to do so, I would willingly commit the deed. However, I still desire beauty, so killing them would become an art, in and of itself. Which reminds me, "My Lord God," my body bent forward in a bow towards the supreme being in from of my regal self. For he was a God amongst mortals, here to lead us to a more beautiful paradise. "Yes Brutus?" His voice rumbled as though it were thunder echoing across a great canyon. Ah, if only I could capture, but a snippet of his voice, I would cherish its beauty for all time. "My Lord God," I began once more, "is there not an opening for the torturer''s position within the castle?" "There is," his voice was slow, as he stared down upon my body, causing it to shiver with excitement, "Why? Are you interested in the position?" "Yes, My Lord God. I am." "Splendid," his lower hands clapped once, causing the world around us to stir for a brief moment, before righting itself. "Then prove to me you can. Go forth, and capture an adult male and female elf from the village. I desire to hear their voices singing in songs of pain and agony. I wish to drink their sorrow until they have not an ounce left. If they do sing, and I am able to drink their sweet nectar of sorrow, then I shall welcome you as our new torturer." If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Our God then glared down upon my body with baleful, crimson eyes, causing it to shiver even more, "Fail to do so, and you will be the one who will be singing for death to come for you." I left his splendid presence soon afterwards, and intoned the spell, "<>." My regal body shot into the sky with splendor, then it shivered when I realised our God was watching my person with his beautiful eyes. "I will not fail you, My Lord God," I whispered to myself, and sped off towards the chaotic village in the distance. ***** "What a pain," I muttered to myself, mentally sighing as Brutus left my side. Of all the people who did their best to vie for my affection, attention, and the like, that one seemed to try the most. How it came to be as such only began quite recently, in fact, it only started after the first village we destroyed. The Lich seems to have fallen in love with my person, right after I destroyed the barrier containing the rest of the humans. It was a troublesome shield, to be sure, but my magicks persevered. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter the Lich named Brutus began to use a sort of flowery speech towards my person. He would ramble on and on about how there wasn''t any beauty in the world, and that my body was perfect, my magicks more so. His desire was to watch the world tremble beneath my might, as I, and those under me, conquered it. A part of me desired to see him fail, so that I may be rid of his incessant pestering once and for all. With a small burst of anger, my body stood tall, turned around, and smashed the boulder into dust, before something within my being forcibly calmed my mind down. "Such a pain," I growled, before turning to see the horde beginning to trickle back towards my person. Many female, and some male, elves were seen being dragged or carried towards my position, then deposited before my feet. "Sacrifice to you," grunted an orc, who grinned as he sniffed the air. It seems many of the elves had soiled themselves, once they realised what was standing above them. "What is that?" Screamed a female elf, who had spotted my form first, and all began to cower beneath my gaze. "Is this from Brutus, or from you orcs?" I inquired, desiring to know how to proceed. If they were brought over by the orcs, then we shall proceed in one direction, but if they were gifted by the Lich, then the path would be different. "Us, God," grunted another, who deposited another living elf female into the group. More of them, including the rest of the horde, soon appeared, but with the dragon-men demons in tow. These were struggling against shadow-like bonds that kept them contained. However, they became still once they all stared upon my skeletal form, frantically chatting in a language I did not recognise. "Wonderful," my voice thundered, as both pairs of my clawed hands clapped together, "Then my desire is to feast upon their screams for tonight. Pain, ecstasy, it matters not to one such as I. For as long as they are singing in a choir of voices filled with such things, then shall give you all a blessing." All were excited, as well as curious as to what sort of blessing I would impart to them all, but most were simply wondering what I meant by my words. "Rape them," I replied, "Eat their flesh slowly, whilst the others watch. Cut their flesh a thousand times, or cut them once and allow them to bleed out slowly. Do whatever you desire, but make sure they scream." I could see their little minds processing this bit of information for a time, as the group of elves began to cry and beg once they realised what I had explained. Once the screaming began, however, a small group of monsters, whose bodies were a mass of shadow-like tentacles and tendrils, began to drag away three female elves. They, then, began ripping their clothing from their bodies, whilst their tentacles and tendrils gripped their small chests, pulled on their nipples, and binding their limbs. Two of the females had wriggling and writhing appendages stuffed inside their lower bodies, whilst others held them in the air. Blood and fluids began to fall onto the ground, as these tentacles and tendrils vibrated and thrust in and out of their bodies at a rapid pace. The third, however, was pinned to the ground, as the rest of the small monster group began forcing their members into the female''s mouth, that which is between her legs, and rear end. Her own pair of small mounds were being gripped hard during this event, and it was enough to see blood beading up upon her nipples. Turning away from the scene with a mental, feral grin, my eyes spied a different scene. There were female monsters within the horde, and they had forced five male elves against five of the females'' crotches. The sounds of coughing, gagging, and moaning was heard from that group, as they forced the males to see, smell, and lick that which is between their legs. These females, then, forced the males onto their backs, ripping off their trousers and cloths to reveal the members hidden underneath. Sounds of laughter were heard from this group, as several members of the male elves stood erect. Of which, many of the females took advantage of this, and mounted the males with grunts and moans. Their bodies began to move up and down the length of each member, spilling their fluids onto the squirming males. Whilst this was occurring, those that had limp members had tentacles squirming inside their rear ends, thrusting and vibrating quickly. These males were screaming and crying as this occurred, and a few bodies stiffened as it ejaculated onto the ground. This would then cause the tentacles to shove themselves farther into the males, and vibrate even more so, which would then erect their members. This allowed the females to mount them, moving slowly up and down their length. "Such a splendid feast," my voice roared out with great joy and laughter, causing all to join in with their own, and increased their merrymaking. It was at this time, however, the Lich named Brutus had appeared, telling my person he was ready to please my person with the choir he had procured. "Lead on," I chuckled down upon him, "My mood has improved greatly, and cannot wait for the next course of the feast to begin." Chapter 43 (NSFW) AN: A bit later than usual, but here it is, folks, another torture chapter. As per usual with these things, it''s an NSFW one, and one of my favourites is the bit with the spears. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. ________________________________________ As I had come upon our God to inform him of the choir I had prepared for him, my own eyes spied his had changed from beautiful blood droplets, to golden orbs that seemed to absorb the pain and ecstasy around his perfect being. It was truly a marvel to behold, but he had tasked me with being a conductor of this little group of elves. Young and old, they were bound to wooden chairs aligned in two neat rows with four each. Everything was to be perfect, however, "What are you doing you fool? Remove the child before He sees-" "Before I see what, Brutus?" Behind and above my regal self was our God, whose eyes were now as dark as pitch. He was angry, which was a first, as he never displayed such an emotion, and his gaze had locked onto a crying elf child whose was feebly fighting the bonds that held it. "Why is there a child amongst the choir?" His beautiful voice thundered across the heavens in fury, causing all, including my own body, to cower in terror. Behind His great maw was a cloud of sickly green miasma; a few droplets fell onto the ground, causing it to sizzle and steam. "Remove the child, and bring it here," He commanded, and those closest leapt to obey. His own body began to shrink, becoming a dark furred dog-man bespeckled with silver. It looked much liken unto the starry night''s sky above our heads, and his own eyes mirrored his fur. I was in awe at the beauty of our God''s new body, and desired nothing more than to touch it, but refrained from doing so. Perhaps there was a race of dog-men that were liken unto Him, and hoped this was so, so that I may procure one to pet and touch. The small elven child, a female, was dropped in front of the dog-man body of our God. This was done so in such an unceremonious way, He breathed His miasma onto the offender. The creature who received it, screamed in a terrible wail, as its entire body began to melt into a puddle of flesh that seeped into the ground. A terrible chill feel upon we who witnessed this event, and watched as the child was lifted into the arms of our God. "This one shall be my new child," His voice rumbled as though it heralded the coming of a great storm. Those closest heard our God''s voice murmur with the chantings of magicks, and witnessed the air about His body crackle with violet and emerald coloured lightnings. It seems He has decided to grace the now struggling elven girl-child with His blessing. "<>," He intoned, "<>," and watched and listened as the child flailed and wailed as His beautiful magicks began to delve deep into the mind of the small body in front of His great self. "No," wailed a female elf, who had burst free of the bindings that held her to the chair. She then ran towards our God with the intent of stopping Him and His work. However, before she was able to rush past my regal self, the female was tackled by several orcs who carried her away. From a few short metres, my eyes spied the group tearing the female''s clothing off her body, and begin raping her body. She cried, screamed, and tried to fight back as their members tore their way into her body, but to no avail. Disgusted by the scene, I turned back to face the remaining choir of elves, only to find many almost out of their bonds. Raising my own arms, I intoned the spell, "<>," and watched as skeletal hands erupted from the earth, clutching their ankles, and pulling their bodies into the earth. This spell was of a few that allowed one such as I to command the living dead, but I still could not control them enough to form a body. It was maddeningly frustrating, to be sure, and our God was sore disappointed in this fact. However, I was filled with joy when he would not throw my regal self away as though it were garbage. These elves, on the other hand, were now stuck with only their heads above the ground, and would stay this way until I released them. Unfortunately, I had to use a few Wraiths to guard them, as many orcs and monsters from the horde had desired to kick the living heads of the entrapped elves. "Such a pain," I muttered, turning my attention back to our God. It was just in time to see the elven girl-child clinging to His dog-man body, as she stared about with wide eyed terror. ***** "Is everything alright, Silvana?" My voice rumbled down towards the small elf child who clung to my kobold body in fear. Her hair was the colour of bark from an oak tree, while her skin was near the same colour, the eyes of the child were of spring leaves. She was adorable, especially with her button-like nose and smallish mouth, and I knew she would become a heartbreaker when she became fully grown. Her head snapped back to look upon my own, and cried out with, "Papa," and clung to my neck. She cried softly, whilst I began to rub her back slowly, whispering soothing sounds. "I was so scared. Thank you for rescuing me," she whispered, trying to hide within my neck fur. Yes, I just committed an act I had outlawed upon the world we are all living upon. Which is to never harm a child. In the past, however, I did this to protect the girl-child from more pain, and altered her mind to believe that I was her adoptive father. She also had minor memories of Nox, Puella, and Lupa implanted within her mind. They were only minor because she had not met them, and would only remember myself telling her stories of the three. If you are wondering about the story I planted within her mind, it was of I and my army of monsters were heading towards the front to fight against the humans. Along the way, we began to raid various villages for resources, and to brake and supply chains that were being routed towards the humans. In one such village was Silvana, who was being tormented by the humans to such a degree, she became attached to my person once I slew her abusers. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. However, in another raid, elves appeared and stole her away. Perhaps they were intending on using her as protection against my horde, or something else, but instead were attacked by all just to rescue her. Yes, it is ''cheesy'' and clich¨¦d, but it suited my person, and now I had a new daughter who was allowed to journey with us to the frontline. The only problem was, how best to protect her. "Hmm," I hummed, and the girl-child tilted her head to the side in a curious, but very adorable manner. "What is it, Papa?" Her eyes were large and puffy, after her crying session, but there was relief and joy in there as well. "Well, Silvana," I rumbled slowly, "I am thinking how best to protect you, to keep you from experiencing this ever again." She hugged my neck once more, then perked up when she heard the screams of pain and ecstasy flowing towards our position. "What''s that noise, Papa?" "That would be the sound of revenge for stealing you away from my person, Silvana," she shivered, then clasped her hands over her ears as the noise. "Now, now," my voice rumbled with mirth, "Their voices of pain and ecstasy is quite enjoyable, especially if there is a reason for it. Ah," I sighed, "but before we begin. <>." Her eyes drooped, and her mouth yawned greatly, before she ultimately snuggled up against my neck fur, and fell asleep. As I contemplated what to do with her, I summoned Brutus to my side. He drifted over to my person, and knelt down. "My most humblest apol-" "Silence," my own voice became a hiss, as my eyes became glowing orbs of dark crimson, "Know that I am angry at this event. So if you wish to continue to be among the living, you will conduct your choir post haste. For if you wish to stay on my ''good side''," it turned into a rumble that seemed to shake the earth around us, "you will give me the feast of sorrow, and the drink of pain you promised before." His head bobbed once, as he fled to where the heads of the elves were. Each were raised up, and bound tightly to the chairs nearest them. Although there were a few empty chairs, it did not bother my person, as the horde had, for the most part, begun to drift to where the Lich was setting up the torture station. A large bag containing a variety of knives was dropped at his feet, to which he opened it up to pull out the thinnest ones. "Now then, let us begin," and lightly sliced off a small layer of skin from the forearm of a male elf. I pushed through the throng of monsters and orcs just as this was happening, and had to break several hands that tried to touch my person or Silvana. No one will take her from me, and I made sure of it by breaking wrists, hands, and arms. Once through, I stopped to see Brutus slowly slicing off the top layer of skin of a male elf''s right arm. This scene caused my person to grin, as the elf in question begged the Lich to stop. His eyes then scanned the ever growing crowd of monsters and orcs, until his eyes found my person carrying a sleeping elf girl-child. Who then began to shout with a voice that I suspected was one that begged I flee from this place with the child. However, "Brutus. Do they need their tongues to scream?" The Lich stopped for a time to stare at the elf with hatred, then upon my person with devout worship, before rummaging through the bag to pull out an odd contraption. This thing was made of cast iron, and was used solely for the removal of tongues. Of which allowed him to promptly tear out the male''s. "Cauterise the wound quickly, Brutus, and continue with the show." His partly fleshed head nodded once, as something came to him with a hot brand. Where he promptly stuck it into the mouth of the now squirming and screaming male. The elf''s creaming was muffled over the sizzling of his flesh, as tears flowed freely down his cheeks. The Lich then moved on to a female, who begged him to stop, but screamed and cried as his own clawed hand raked at her dirtied dress, opening it down the centre. One of his many ghostly servants appeared next to him, holding up several dozens of needles of varying lengths. With the smaller ones, he simply gripped her small chest, and shoved each one through her nipples. The screams exuded from her lips were beautiful, and I drank it all into my being. The longer needles, on the other hand, were places into each and every last one of the joints in her hands. Even I was pleasantly surprised by this, and continued to watch as he commanded a few of his spirits to bring a spear and place it, point up, into the ground. As they did this, the female began to struggle as others lifted her body, and flew it above the tip of the spear. Whereupon they opened her legs to the world, and shoved her down upon it. The point pierced that which is between her legs, tearing through her flesh, but stopped at the womb. The spirits had left her body at this point, allowing the pull of the earth to do the rest, whilst she screamed in pain and anguish, begging for someone to save her. Many within the horde roared with feral glee as this occurred, desiring more and more from the Lich, whereas I simply drank and feasted upon their sorrow, their torment, and their hopelessness. All the while, Silvana, who had awoken from the screams, was staring wide eyed at the scene before her, drinking a vial of my "blood". Chapter 44 AN: After the fiasco that was the last two chapters, we are now heading onto the war. Afterwards comes the meet and greet with the Demon Lord, of whom will cause a bit of a shock if you haven''t figured that part out, then comes the short journey back to the city, and finally I will drop the bomb shell that is the epilogue. The only hints for the Demon Lord is to look at those that are called "Demons", whilst the epilogue hint is at the end of chapter eight. I do understand there is a lot to fix, and will be doing my best to appease the masses. Since yesterday''s chat, I''ve been looking over the chapters I''ve done, throwing out much of it, and sticking in more details. It''s not perfect, and I doubt it''ll please everyone, but I just want people to know that I did listen, I am trying my best to take everything to heart and placing it down for you folks to read. I seriously need an editor for this, because I doubt it''s correct. As always, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know down below. Oh, and if there''s a serious issue you''d like to discuss, you can always PM me. ______________________________________________________ "Such a marvelous feast, Brutus. You have my thanks." The Lich bowed low, almost touching the ground, as the rest of the horde began to stir from the revelry of the previous night. There were a few pockets of terrified elves, as many within began to drag them off towards a picket of long spears. Other spears were currently occupied with bodies upon their lengths, much like that of the female elf. We did not bother to bring them with us, nor would we leave them alone. For we did not wish them to report to others as to what had transpired. No, instead they would be killed, although a few began to tear away the living flesh of a few elves for sustenance. These elves awoke to such pain and cried before they were shoved down upon the spears, leaving their bodies to the elements and predators of the land. However, a few did manage to escape, much to the delight of those who were being raised onto the spears. Unfortunately for them, those that escaped only returned as heads, as the rest of their bodies were being devoured slowly by others. Did this bother my person at that time? No, it did not, as I simply laughed and drank in the sorrow, fear, and pain of those elves who would become the first of many to die such horrific deaths under my horde as though it were a cup of fine wine. This was so, purely for my amusement and curiosity, nothing more. Ah, but there was a change in Silvana, who had been given a vial of my "blood" to drink. Her entire form had aged rapidly, as did her mind, until she was an adult. Of course, she still called my person "Papa", but watching her age rapidly due to my magicks caused my mind to exude a sliver of depression. I had desired to watch her age, along with the other children, and affect their growths slowly, as opposed to watch it happen in an instant. However, although she became an adult, and had adult thoughts, she was still a child. She did not understand the urges and feelings that came from her entire being. Which is why I had the females of the horde come and mentor her as we journeyed forth to slaughter the humans. As to what she looked like... Have you ever heard of a Succubus? If not, then I shall tell you. A Succubus is a female sex demon that comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Their main abilities come from their bodies, and can make nearly every male fall under their spells of lust. Although their main source of energy comes from a male''s lust, there are situations where females have fallen under their spells, but these very rarely occur. However, many of these demons have well endowed chests, but she does not. It was probably because she was an elf at the beginning, as her chest was still only a pair of small mounds. The rest of her figure was well proportioned for an elven succubus, but she did gain a few oddities about her. For one, she grew a pair of spiral-like horns. They began from the edges of her forehead, and wrapped around her skull to end in points pointing upwards. Another was a spiked, serpent''s tail, which had a whip-like appendage attached to the tip. The third were a pair of fangs that were merely elongated canine teeth, as well as a tongue that became barbed when outside her mouth. We did not know what the last two were for, until she pounced onto a male elf that was struggling and being dragged towards the small forest of bodies stuck on long spears. The one who was dragging the elf yelped with surprise, as Silvana ripped him away from its grasp. She then opened her mouth wide, which extended her canines further, and bit down upon the now screaming elf''s neck. Loud slurping sounds reached our ears, as she drank its blood. Her barbed tongue was being used to open the wound further, and something silvery-white shrieked with a mental wail, as it flew down her throat. Whilst this was occurring, the elf''s body was slowly drying up until it became a husk of mummified flesh. Her eyes widened at the carcass of the elf, once she was finished, scampering back towards the females of the horde in fright and confusion. However, what was truly odd about her were the thick, black lines that stretched about her body in spiral and crisscross patterns. These lines spiraled across her limbs, whilst the crisscross patterns were upon her torso, abdomen, and backside. Although they covered that which is between her legs, and the small mounds upon her chest, they still revealed everything her body had to the world. Which is why, after her feast, and much protest, I ordered the females to find her clothing within the destroyed village. I would not have the males of the horde ogle and try to harm Silvana as they did to the female elves. No. Instead, I shall allow her to decide of whom she explores her body with, then subsequently destroy the male for touching her. I had become my skeletal self at this point, allowing Silvana to look upon me in all my glory, before she left with the others to find her suitable clothing. "Thank you, My Lord High God," came the grateful reply of Brutus, whose own decayed and rotten lips cracked a smile, "You honor me greatly with your words." If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "From this day forward," I rumbled, placing one of my lower clawed hands upon his head, "You are hereby given the office and title of Castle Torturer. When this is over and done with, you will begin with a variety of experiments upon our return." His entire body didn''t move for a time, but my own did, and came upon a group of tied up dragon-men who called themselves Draconian. All, save one, were staring in various direction with blank looks in their eyes. "Have their minds broken?" My voice rumbled softly, and reached for one of them, only to stop as the group began to cry out in an unknown dialect. ''You will be silent,'' came a mental shout from the Lich, who was now standing near my right leg. The group quieted down, as they stared upon my person with abstract horror and disbelief. "Do you understand my words?" My voice thundered down upon them, shaking most from whatever fantasies their mines were plaguing them with. Only one nodded its drake-like head, and was removed immediately, much to the protest and wailing of the others. "What is your name?" "Sahsshin," it replied, rubbing the areas on its arms where the bindings were placed. We had moved away from its group, and had it sitting upon a table with cooked meat in front of it. "Eat," my voice commanded, and it ate the flesh with gusto. However, it stopped when I asked, "Where is the Demon Lord?" It growled up at my being, causing all to jump to their feet, readying themselves for a fight. However, I calmed them all with my next words, "<>." A silvery mist shot out from my hands, and wrapped themselves around the neck of a now fearful dragon-man. It tried to leave my presence, but could not because it was being held in place by Brutus, who was grinning quite evilly down upon it. The lights within the creature dulled rather quickly, as the conversion spell rewrote his loyalties, and prostrated its body towards my being. "Where is the Demon Lord?" I asked once more, and it pointed in the direction we were still heading. "Good. Do you know how to get there from here, without getting caught by the humans?" Once more it nodded, as I began to explain what I desired the creature to do, which was to tell the lord that an ally was coming. One that would strike the humans from behind, and that I and my horde will be there within a turn of the day-star once the messenger delivered its message. However, it would be returning alone, as the others had become too fearful of what had happened, and would be killed off. I would have enjoyed adding their small number to my horde, but their minds were too far gone. Instead, they would be killed, their meat eaten, blood drank, and scaled flesh used as armour. Truly it was disappointing, but it didn''t seem to bother my newest addition. It even went as far as to point out how best to skin its kind more efficiently. Before it left, however, I had it, along with everyone else, gather up into rows of one hundred each, whilst Brutus and Silvana, who was wearing some sort of tight leather armour, stood next to my skeletal body. "You have all given my person a great feast of torture, terror, lust, and sorrow. For this I am grateful, and as promised, your blessings." Dark and terrible magicks began to form around my person, exuding a terrible fog of which one would see lightnings of emerald, sapphire, and ruby coloured streaks within. It billowed out of my person, slowly wrapping itself around my great horde, until it finally closed them all off. Once this was so, however, my voice thundered across the land, shaking the earth, trees, down to its very core, as I intoned another forbidden spell. This spell''s name, I cannot say without inflicting you all with a fraction of its might. However, many simply call it, "The Gift of Chaos". My clawed hands gripped the bodies of Brutus and Silvana, and my person leapt backwards from the dark fog of dangerous lightnings. Both shook with fear, as the screams of the horde began to echo around us. Shadow-like bodies from within the fog clutched at their heads and bodies, as limbs and claws erupted from their flesh. Some had sprouted additional heads, or simply liquefied before reforming and liquefying once more. Whilst others simply grew much larger than they were. The spell itself takes the body of the intending target, tears it apart, and reconstructs it whilst adding other variables to the mix. These variables are simply a form of advancing one''s evolution into a higher plane of existence. However, there is always a cost for such things, and it is normally extracted from the target''s mind, transforming them into something akin to powerful beasts with some intelligence. However, as this was taking place, a mighty roar came from the fog nearest our position. From this fog, a large figure leapt high into the air, extending its wings as it did so. It was the Draconian, you see, and its body had become that of a drake''s. The drake then swooped down upon my body, with claws extended outwards, whilst Brutus and Silvana shouted with alarm. I, on the other hand, simply laughed at this drake, launching a multitude of chaotic lightnings onto the creature. The amount of damage it took from my spells caused it to fall near my person, whereupon I pounced onto its head, forcing it to become my thrall once more. For you see, my dear audience, although a dragon and its cousin, the drake, are able to resist magicks, it cannot resist against those who are able to nullify their resistances. Thus the drake became the first of the race of dragons to become my thrall, which caused my person to roar with laughter. Even more so, when the fog began to dissipate, revealing monstrous creatures from the very worst of night terrors. All watched as the drake flew off to give its report to the Demon Lord, then began to march as I roared, "To the human encampment!" Chapter 45 AN: Bit of a perspective change for this one, and their are new side characters who will disappear in a few chapters. As per usual, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know down below. __________________________ "Is everything ready?" Asked a male human with a rugged face full of scars and a milky-white left eye. This male human was of the common sort, with a square shaped head with auburn coloured hair, cleft chin, blue eyes, and a beak-like nose. He wore a dark blue coat over a pair of red trousers and black boots, whilst at his side was a pair of iron sabers. "Yes general, we are ready to summon the new heroes," came the reply from one of the priests, who wore a simple, plain white robe. That which was visible of the priest was covered in a shower of snow white hair that cascaded over his shoulders. The face of such a person was half covered by a long beard that stretched almost to the floor. This indicated the man''s age was nearing his end, and perhaps this would be his final act. "Then proceed. We''ve reports of a monstrous army heading this way, and it is not from the demons'' lair. The faster we have the new batch of heroes, the faster we can end this war and return home." Home, by which he means the city of New Wair, was now being occupied by some sort of bizarre creature that could take the form of anyone and anything. This creature had enslaved the castle''s inhabitants, and even had the new queen under its thumb. What is more, the general''s men who tried to infiltrate the city were all caught within the first night of their arrival, and were either enslaved in some way, or simply vanished. This new army that was approaching, however, did not seem to know, or even care, it was being watched. Those that watched its progress, reported its voracious appetites, and its enjoyment of the destruction of those who lived along the path to the warfront. A few nights ago, however, the general was appalled by what the newest reports told of this army. Of how it attacked the demons who had been raiding an elven village, captured them, then attacked the elves. It then went on to tell of what transpired later on that evening, of the rape and torture of the village''s inhabitants. However, there was something odd within that army. A large skeletal creature had seemingly transformed into a dogman, whose fur was of the starry night''s sky, and took from the torturer an elven child. What is more, this creature went on to torturing the small child with its own magicks, who then became enamoured by the dogman and called it "Papa". It was truly a strange occurrence, but perhaps one the humans would try to exploit to their advantage. His orders for the group of watchers was simple, "Try to capture the girl-child, and bring her here." However, after the general had sent this message, the reports stopped coming in, and berated himself for such a stupid mistake. "General," the human''s mind snapped back to the present, his eyes glancing down upon a young acolyte in a mouse-grey robe. "It is beginning now. If you would, please?" He was led to a small outcropping of stone with a large pentagram in its centre. Etched into the ground around this pentagram were the ancient words used to summon heroes to this world. Normally, such a ceremony would take place within a temple, where they would take their time. However, time was of the essence, and the cost for such a rushed summoning would be terrible. Those of whom would perform this would lose their essences, and were willing to do so in order to destroy the demons that plagued their land. Fourteen old priests, and twenty young acolytes stood around the pentagram, and raised their heads to the skies above. From their throats came not words, but a single note raised in song. The acolytes then lowered their heads towards the centre of the pentagram, and unleashed their powerful magicks composed of a brilliant white light. This light shot out from their mouths and eyes, essentially blinding them, but only if they stopped. However, they did not, and the light from their magicks had transformed their bodies to dust that was then sucked into the newly formed vortex of the pentagram. Once all of their dust-bodies had been absorbed, a pale red portal appeared between the singing priests, whose own magicks began to shine out of their eyes and mouths. However, the colour of which their lights did shine was violet, and these lights soon became a pillar that engulfed their bodies. These pillars then began to spin around the newly formed portal until one could not see it. It was here a light from the heavens themselves did fall onto the portal, engulfing all with its brilliance, as eight red lights fell from the sky, within this light. Once they landed upon the ground, the lights vanished, revealing a female human in tight skinned, red leather armour, six tall, male humans in various clothing and armours, and a small boy-child who wore a simple tunic, trousers, and boots. However, what was truly strange about this child was the fact that it had a large, iron sword strapped to its back. This sword was easily twice the boy-child''s size, which probably weighed twice his weight, and yet the child easily bore it up. What is more, this child''s face was contorted in such an evil manner, many who looked upon it would shiver and wonder why. "Great heroes of another world," called out one of the few remaining priests, "Will you help us in our time of need, and defend our peoples from the threats that befell us?" This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "Hmm," hummed the female, who tapped a forefinger upon the child''s head, of whom swatted the offending appendage away in irritation. This elicited a chuckle from the males wearing armour. "Sure, why not," shrugged the female, who looked upon the nodding heads of those around her, "It''s why we''re here, isn''t it?" The General began to push himself forward to greet and direct the new heroes, as a messenger ran towards his person, and tripped over his own feet. He then sprang up with, "General! The demons are attacking us again!" Shortly thereafter, the soft clashing of iron on iron drifted over their heads, signaling where a distant battle was taking place. The female human laughed, as she removed a pair of daggers from her person, and gripped their hilts in such a way, the blades were pointing down. "Come along everyone. There''s a party going on, and I would like to crash it." ***** Deep within the earth, and nearest the human encampment, stooped an old dragon-man who watched the world within a pool of clear water. Within this water it spied the human armies preparing itself for another summoning of heroes, even though its last attempts had failed. "Insufferable humans," it muttered, waving a greyed clawed hand over the pool to direct its sight elsewhere. To the northwest of the humans was a cloud of dust, as a horde of monstrous creatures, led by a much greater skeletal creature, journeyed onwards towards the humans. They were about a full turn of the sun away from the humans'' encampment, where they would begin their slaughter. The drake that appeared before it, and the All Mother, sang praises of the new god that walked the land. It was here it reported saying that this god, the skeletal creature, would come to the aid of the Demon Lord who was their Mother, and remove the human scourge from the land. Of course, such an idea was preposterous, as all upon this world had a deeply seeded hatred for the dragon-men, desiring to see their end for all time. What benefit would this skeleton have for coming to their aid, their Mother''s aid? Why would they risk joining the side that will eventually lose? If the humans do not destroy them, then there will be others, until, at long last, they were removed from the world called Terra. And yet... "And yet, they spoke the truth," rumbled a deeply feminine voice, startling the old dragon-man from its thoughts. "Forgive me, Mother," the dragon-man''s voice was higher pitched, as it calmed the fast paced beat of its heart. The voice became a chuckle, then disappeared as though its attention was driven elsewhere. "It is alright, Seshiij. You would not be here, staring into the Eye of Sho, if you did not truly believe the creature''s words," the feminine voice was calm, filled with the love of a mother towards her child. "Is it alright to trust such a thing? Even going so far as to gift it with a platoon of your finest warriors?" Within the pool of water came an image of the skeletal being whose head was turned towards an emerald coloured dragon-woman perched atop its left shoulder. A male of the same coloured scales was clutching the left shoulder bones of the creature in a comical manner, as it tried to perch itself atop the shoulder. There were others flying, riding, and running with the monsters of the ''horde'', each a variety of coloured scales, and with their own expressions about their faces. "Oh? I do believe it was a fair trade, as he did gift one of his daughters to us," the voice was laughing gently at this point, as its attention was pulled elsewhere. "She is quite the handful, you know." "But, he did threaten destruction if she was harmed." "Did he now? However," a great eye of fire and blood appeared in the pool of water, staring up at the old dragon-man with a slitted pupil, "make no mistake; this being is dangerous. Within a short time it conquered a human capital, and has its royalty under its thumb. Such a being would make a powerful ally, and a dangerous enemy. We should be grateful it chose to ally with us, as we would not last under its onslaught." "But..." "But me no buts, child. The decision has already been made, and it''s about time to start the next phase of our joint plan. While you do that, I have a little ''demon'' to take care of." "As you wish, Mother," the old dragon-man whispered, as the eye of his Mother faded from the pool. It then moved towards a small, black box embedded into a nearby wall, and after pressing a square tab on the bottom of the box, spoke into it, "The All Mother commands us: Kill the humans." Chapter 46 AN: So, last night around 2115 (11:15pm) pacific, this story was rank #98 on the "Popular This Week" tab. Of course, as of right now it''s at 103, but that''s not the point. The point is I was happy, and as a reward for all of my readers, there will be an extra chapter today. A third chapter will be released, too, as soon as I finish my buffer, and edit the chapter a bit. Also, there''s a bit of the kitsune today, pushing the word count close to 3k. As always, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know down below. _______________________________________ "Did you truly have them all killed?" Whispered the hooded bright elf, who stared dumbfounded at the kitsune before it. "Not only that, but to go into so much detail of the events... Please excuse me," the body of the elf stood up, and left their small room in a hurry. From outside, the sounds of a stomach pushing its contents up and out of the elf''s mouth reached their ears, even going so far as to attract the children. Of whom scrunched their noses at the smell, and swiftly left the scene. Many near the kitsune found him to be staring into an empty cup, as it refilled itself with an unknown liquid that appeared from its base. Such was a common occurrence for those who are older, and know more about the Ageless''s gifts, but the younger generations always seemed impressed and awed by such displays. "How do you do that?" Asked a small voice, of which belonged to one of the Nekotar race. Which is a race of quadruped felines that hold enough intelligence to speak a multitude of languages, but do not end their sentences with "-Nya". "How do I do what, young Nekotar?" The Ageless''s head slowly lifted to stare upon the one who asked the question, whilst the other noticed his eyes seemed to hold a few tears that would not fall. "Why are you so sad?" It asked, not explaining its first question, and made its way over to the kitsune slowly with its tail somewhat high in the air. This one seemed to be of the common variety, which have the soft, somewhat puffy cheeks, and long whiskers extending from a slightly protruding muzzle attached to its face. There was also a pair of sapphire blue eyes with widened slits in the middle, and atop its head were a pair of iconic, pointed cat ears. The fur, on the other hand, was an orange base, ending in white tips along its body, as well as stripes running perpendicular to the single stripe along its back. It paused in front of the kitsune, staring into the tear filled eyes with curiosity, and cocked its head to listen to the explanation given, "I have made many mistakes with my past self. Ones that are unforgivable, and others that are best left forgotten. However, I still must tell all, so that you, all of you," he waved a forepaw over all present, encompassing everyone to be included, "might learn and grow from my mistakes and sins." "We must tell the High Queen," muttered the bright elf from the doorway, who was then pushed inside to allow a wizened, old feline beastman to enter. This one looked much like that of a tiger, if it were standing tall on its hind legs, but was missing half its right ear, and much of its left face held long healed burn scars across its left face. The only sort of clothing it wore was a vest and loin cloth, one that revealed far too much. "Still telling the same stories, Old One?" it grumbled, pushing itself into the small room, "Don''t you have any others to tell?" "They still need to hear it, Riorn, as did you when you were younger; as did all of your generation," replied the kitsune with a smirk upon his lips. Gone from his eyes were the tears that threatened to break free, and in their place was warmth for the old beastman. "Bah," turning to the bright elf, the old tiger glared fiercely, but calmed once he felt the Ageless''s right paw upon his shoulder. "Look here, elf. Our Ageless has been telling this tale to every generation since he took over governing our world. That means your ''Queen''," two claws hooked themselves in front of his visage, flexing twice around the word queen, "has already heard the tale. Hell, if you were as bright as your race should be, you would have known his tales are in every library across our world. "He has not hidden anything from us, elf, so just sit down, relax, and listen to someone far older than either of us." ***** "Thank you, Riorn," smiled the kitsune, "Now where was I... Ah, yes." Within a full turn of the day-star, the drake had returned to us, and brought with it a cadre of dragon-men. These creatures desired to know if what the little dragon had said was true, that I was coming to the aid of their All Mother. "Does it look like we''re humans, or their allies?" I asked in a blunt manner, waving a clawed hand at the horde of thousands of monsters. To which they replied with a shake of their scaled heads. "Are we to truly ally with the demons, My Lord God?" Brutus appeared to the right of my person, a sneer plastered upon what flesh remains of his face. "Yes, Brutus, we are." "But why, My Lord God? Why would we ally with them, when we could simply destroy what''s left of them, and rule the world?" The dragon-men began to withdraw their weapons at this point, and readied themselves for a fight, as my fist came down hard upon the Lich''s skull. It did not kill him, but it did serve its purpose of rendering him incapacitated for a moment. "God?" His voice quivered, as the pinpoints in his sockets turned towards my person with terror. "Do you know why I was summoned to this world, Brutus?" One of my lesser clawed hands gripped the Lich''s body, hoisting it up to my eye level, "The humans desired my person, and those summoned with me, to kill the Demon Lord. I rebelled, and slew the other ''heroes'' soon after," my hand released him, then watched as he floated to the ground in a graceful manner. "Those humans," another of my clawed hands waved in the direction of the humans'' armies, "have learned a terrible secret. For as long as the Demon Lord is alive, I shall remain upon this land to cause as much havoc and chaos as I please. "So to answer your question, Brutus, yes. We will ally with the dragon-men, if only to ensure my time upon this world is absolute." My skeletal head shifted towards the ''demons'' of the land, as my clawed hands gently waved them down as though trying to calm the their tension. "Peace. My desire remains the same." "It''s a trick," spouted one of the dragon-men, preparing itself to flee. "We must warn the All Mother," stated another, as the group began to agree. "You will not leave, little dragon-men," my own voice rumbled towards them, and each turned to see a multitude of sparks flying around my body. "<>," I intoned, "<>." The silvery mist that is my energy erupted from my form, and leapt towards the bodies and minds of the now squawking dragon-men. They did their best to fight off and flee from the mists, but to no avail. For you see, the mental alteration spell called "Alliance" invades a person''s mind and body almost immediately after it was cast. It then rewrites their conscious and subconscious minds to the point of them seeing my person as a great ally. No, it is not the same as the other alteration spell called "Memories". That one rewrites the brain by force, and allows my person to implant and remove the memories of my target in a painful manner. If you are wondering why I did not use it on others, instead of using the memory alterations, it is because the knowledge of this spell did not appear to me until after the night of rape and torture my being had feasted upon. There were a few other spells that came with the knowledge, but I would not use them just yet. "Forgive our impertinence," one of the dragon-men spoke up, as all began to sheathe their weapons, settling down nearest my position. "We spoke in great haste, but still desire an alliance with one such as yourself." The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. My own head bobbed once, then turned to look upon a disgusted Lich, who retreated once he realised I was staring upon himself. In his place came my newest daughter, Silvana, who was now being ogled by the dragon-men. "This is my daughter, Silvana," my voice rumbled, as my eyes became crimson as I glared down upon them. "Forgive us," spoke another, "We cannot help, but notice her beauty." This one removed its eyes from my daughter with great reluctance, to stare upon my person. It sighed once, then asked, "Are you truly coming to our aid?" "Yes," was my answer, to which caused the creature to sigh with grateful relief. "You do not know how happy this makes us. For now, we shall return to our All Mother, who will then call upon the elders. They will discuss for a time, then speak of their demands. We ask for your patience in this." One of my clawed hands was held up, causing its maw to snap shut, "I control the city of New Wair, one of the humans'' main capitals upon this country. I have no wish for land, jewels, or the like, only to see your ''All Mother'' survives the battle with the humans. If this does not suffice, then we shall enact a trade agreement between our people." "As we see it, our people would gain all the benefits, whereas you would not," voiced another dragon-man, "What would you gain from all this?" "Survival," was my reply, "For as long as your ''All Mother'' is alive, then I shall remain upon this land. Which is probably their main reason for summoning another batch of heroes-" "What?" The entire group of dragon-men erupted into demands as to how I know of such things, and if it were true. "Along with the city," I began slowly, "we had captured and converted many of the humans'' main god''s followers. They each spoke of a human general''s desire to end the war quickly, and would do so by summoning another batch of heroes to do so. After your ''All Mother'' had been slain, they would then turn their attentions upon my city, and purge it completely. "All would die under their hands," the rumbling of my voice grew into thunder, as shadows began to condense about my being, "Males, females, young, old, and yes, even those who are naught, but children. I will not stand idly by, as they take what is mine, and slaughter my children." Rage, although brief, engulfed my entirety, causing a variety of dark coloured lightnings to crackle around my body, and scorch the earth nearest my feet. I say it was brief, because something within my being forcibly calmed my person down, removing the condensed shadows and lightnings. It left my entire being feeling hollow, as I mentally sighed, then turned to spy upon a comical scene. The dragon-men, so terrified of my display of power, had all clumped together in a pile of bodies with sword and spear points sticking out. When they realised I was not about to attack their persons, they disengaged from one another, and wearily returned in front of my being. "Will this truly occur?" Asked the Lich, who became dejected at such a thought. "Yes, Brutus, it will. For I fear all humans, and their allies, would come down upon our city and people. They would do all this, and more, all because I decided to go against the grain, and become a ruler." Turning my attention back towards the dragon-men, my voice was about to begin to speak, when my eyes spied a fast moving object coming towards us. "<>," I intoned, blinked once, then focused my sight upon the object coming this way. However, what I saw was not one object, but a large group of winged and wingless dragon-men. "It seems there is a small army of your people flying towards us," my voice rumbled, as my eyes blinked once more to dispel the minour spell. "What?" Asked one of the dragon-men, who squinted towards the distance where I was now pointing. "Oh my. That looks like the Royal Guard, but why are they here? Unless..." "Unless a direct descendent of the All Mother was with them," replied a new being, whose scales shined brightly under the day-star. It''s body was covered in gold and fire-red scales, with a pair of large, white-gold wings protruding from its back. Its head was that of your standard dragon, save for a pair of small, brown antlers upon its head, and thin tendrils stretching back from the tip of its snout. It wore no real armour or clothing upon its body, but had a shimmering, transparent, and clearly magical, red-orange armour around its entire being. Within its right clawed hand, however, was a plain wooden scepter with a large golden orb upon its point, whilst the other held nothing. "Second Son," they exclaimed, "Why are you here?" Each knelt upon the ground, as the golden dragon-man floated onto the ground between them and myself. "Why?" He exclaimed, "Why not? It''s rather boring where Mother is, and this creature," he eyed my skeletal body up and down quickly, "is a rather odd one, wouldn''t you say?" "We wouldn''t know, Lord, as we just arrived," the reply came, not from those that had knelt, but from a pair of emerald scaled dragon-men. This pair, one male, and the other was clearly a female, if the mounds on her scaled chest were any indication, alighted next to the ''Second Son''. Both wore what seemed to be a light plate armour of mithril, which covered their chest, abdomen, and limbs surprisingly well. There didn''t seem to be any fault in their armour, that I could see, but their heads were bereft of any sort of outerwear. "Who is that?" Asked the golden dragon-man, pointing at Silvana who yelped and hid around my left leg. "My daughter," was my only reply. "She''s beautiful," his eyes became filled with wonderment, but there was not a hint of lust within them. Perhaps this was one of those instances of "love at first sight". It was here that my mind began to think of a way to have her leave my side, as well as a use for her once the war was finished, as I do not believe others would survive for very long once we returned to the city. However, "Yes, but the last male she attacked was drained of his blood and essence, until he became a mummified husk." This reply came not from my person, but from a female from within the horde. This female had become a very large, eight armed black bear that was well over three metres in length, and could stand just as tall when upon her hind legs. She had appeared from somewhere within the horde, and was now curled up around Silvana in a protective, and motherly, way. Of whom had vanished within the ball of fur, hiding herself from the gaze of the love stricken dragon-man. The entire demeanour of this "Second Son" was of disappointment, which was now etched upon his facial features. With a dejected sigh, he waved for the royal guard to journey to his side, whereupon he spoke, "It''s been decided that I will trust in your words, for now. You say you wish to kill off the humans plaguing this land, then we shall see once you attack the humans'' armies. However, we would like something, or someone, to ensure you keep your word." "Very well," my voice was a low rumble once more, "Then I shall gift your ''All Mother'' with one of my daughters and the she-bear." "One of your daughters?" The emerald coloured dragon-woman tilted her head toward her left shoulder. "Yes. This is Silvana, one of my many children." "How many do you have, and how can you have any?" The creature, now creatures, were perplexed as to how I, of that time, would be able to create offspring, when it appeared that my body did not have any organs to do so. "They are adopted," replied the Lich, whose expression was that of boredom at this turn of event. "Ah, then that should enough." Chapter 47 AN: As promised, second chapter for the day. Still have several hours to release the third one, but I do apologise if I cannot, for some reason, release the third one. If this occurs, then there will be a second chapter released tomorrow. This is a bit of a short chapter, so I guess it''s a good thing multiple chapters are being released. As always, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If there are any questions, comments, or concerns you might have, please let me know down below. Or, if their are any major concerns, questions, or comments you might have, and do not wish to let others see it, my PM box is open and waiting to receive them. ______________________________ "What are your orders, My Lord God?" Asked a shadowed eyeball with a swarm of tentacles about its entire being. In the middle of the eye was a slit that ran horizontally, allowing the eye to part to reveal several rows of teeth. How it digested food was a mystery in and of itself, but such an inquiry would come at a later date, as we stared down upon the humans'' armies. There were thousands of bodies and tents, whilst most were simply journeying further away from us. These humans were doing so because the dragon-men''s "All Mother" commanded her people to attack, so that we may begin to slaughter those from behind. It was an interesting plan, to be sure, but with war, and the like, every plan falls apart once implemented. Which is what is occurring before us, what with half of the armies staying at the camp, when others said most would be moved to stop their attacks. Well, no matter. "We begin," my voice rumbled, lifting one of my primary arms high above my being, and roared, "Attack!" Those within the horde roared, screeched, and howled, as they charged the camp. Monsters great and small charged the humans'' camp, who began to alarm all with their shouts and horns, as they leapt upon and flattened those wearing armour and clothing made of iron or cloth. All seemed to have been caught unawares, as thousands of monstrous creatures began their joyful slaughter. You may be wondering how we had not been detected thus far, and I shall tell you it was from a spell called "Cast of Shadows". This spell simply conceals a being''s presence, but does not conceal their foot prints, scent, or noise they make. So how could they be caught unawares? Well, the dragon-men who journeyed with us were a great help in making sure the humans in our way did not report back to their superiors. For this alone, I thanked them, much to the horror of Brutus. Turning to the Lich, my head bobbed once, who then began to call upon his own magicks. "<>," he intoned, as a pale green mist began to spread out before his person. From the mist was a host of ghostly skeletal creatures, who were made up of transparent bones and armour. Each carried with it a rusty sword and a decayed wooden shield, whilst other ghost-like apparitions slowly raised themselves above the mists. These were called Wight and Banshee, and each was terrible in their own right. For you see, a Wight was a transparent creature hidden under a decaying cloak or robe. Their entire being was skeletal, and looked to be closed to death from starvation. Although they appeared weak and brittle, they were most assuredly not, as their long clawed hands, feet, and fang-like teeth would stand as testament to such things. Banshees, on the other hand, was naught, but a floating ghost-woman who had died with a vengeful, yet broken heart. These women would use their voices to kill a living being. Although their voices are beautiful, to an extent, even I would not wish for one to sing near my person. Brutus had exhausted nearly all of his energy to summon up this small army of undead, then ordered their march to slay the humans, before collapsing onto the ground. A small vial containing a blue substance landed near its right hand. He lifted up the vial, then shifted his head towards my person with confusion. "You drink it," my voice rumbled, as the first of many fearful voices reached our position. The Lich then drank from the vial, exclaiming his joy over regaining the energies lost to his spell. "Come," one of my clawed hands motioned for him to follow, "There is a war to be fought, and I desire to see its end firsthand." ***** "They''re dragons," laughed a female human in tight fitting leather armour, as she plunged her daggers into the eye sockets of a one winged blue and gold scaled drake, "How much experience do you think we''ll get after we complete this quest?" "Less chatting, more killing, Delianna," called out a small boy-child who was busy swinging a sword twice his size, against a black and blue scaled dragon-man. The creature grunted, as it blocked the sword with an iron buckler, before swinging an axe down upon the head of the child. He rolled his small body between the creature''s leg, tearing through the left calf as he passed. This caused it to cry out in pain, as it tried to stand from such a wound. However, its head was soon caved in by a now dented iron sword. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. "Is there another weapon near you?" He asked, thoroughly disgusted by the now dented weapon in his small hands, "This one sucks." "Grab the axe," shouted Delianna, who was busy rolling around a pair of alabaster scaled dragon-men, who were the now dead drake''s riders. Both wielded a pair of lances, and continuously tried their best to impale the human female to no avail. However, the pair fell over after a couple of yellow bolts of lightning fell onto their bodies. As they fell over, a male wearing a blood stained white robe was seen pushing up a pair of cracked glasses with displeasure. In his right hand was a manuscript with unknown letterings written inside, whilst his left carried a golden orb with streaks of lightning etched along its face. "Where are the others?" He asked, as he ducked from a stray arrow that seemed to shave off a bit of his pale blue hair, to which he sent a lightning bolt to the owner. "Hey," pouted the female, "Those were my kills." "You were in trouble, as is your brother," his voice was smooth, but held much contempt, as he gestured towards the boy-child fighting a losing battle between himself and four dark scaled dragon-men. "Ugh," she exclaimed in disgust, and leapt into the fray, surprising the small group. They were easily dispatched by one such as her, much to the dismay of the child. "Why did you interfere? I had them right where I wanted them," it was now the boy-child''s turn to pout, as he struggled under the grip of the female. "No you didn''t, squirt," came a deep baritone, as a giant of a human appeared wearing an even bloodier full suit of armour. In his grip, and laid across his shoulders, was an overly large morning star. This great weapon would probably take several humans to carry, but this one seemed to carry it with ease. "Markus," shouted the female in surprise, then composed herself and asked, "Where are the others?" "Over there, somewhere," he shrugged, pointing in the direction the giant came from. Of which elicited a drawn out groan from the female. Shrugging his large shoulders, he moved his body to intercept a charging dragon-man who was swinging a very large axe about itself. The pair clashed, as sparks flew between their weapons, but ended when an arrow found its way into the back of the skull of the creature. It squawked once, stumbling forward, then fell over just as Markus''s great morning star smashed its way into the skull and brain of the creature. "That was my kill," he roared, charging the archer who simply stepped to the side, and waved at the small group. This one wore a similar tight fitting outfit as the human female, but had less curves to show off. However, it did have a cloth hood over its head, hiding much of its head and face beneath the shadows it cast. "Zero," nodded the mage, as he fired off another bolt of lightning towards a small group of fleeing dragon-man. It was about this time, however, when monstrous roars floated over their heads, causing all to pause for a time in wonderment as to what it could mean. Human bodies were flying through the air shortly thereafter, as a large creature with hide-like plates covering its body, and a large horn protruded from the end of its snout, was seen charging through the ranks of many unfortunate humans. They did their best in stopping the creature, but nothing seemed to work, as their bodies continued to fill the sky before falling to the earth below. "What''s that?" Called out the boy-child, who only heard the roar of something new, as he gripped his new found axe tighter. "More experience, boys," shouted Delianna, who dashed off towards the new creature with excitement. "Come along, people," muttered Markus, "Let''s go make sure she doesn''t kill herself again, else we''ll never hear the end of it." The others shivered at the thought, whilst running after her form as it shrank in the distance. Chapter 48 AN: I''m halfway through my buffer chapter, so I might as well post the promised third chapter for today. Was PMed by someone who wanted to know why there were other PoVs, when it''s a story being told by one person. Well, hopefully this chapter can shed some light on how it is possible. EDIT: Just realised 49 has a better explanation as to why he''s able to speak from the others'' PoV, but y''all are going to have to wait until tomorrow for that one. Sorry. As always, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know down below. ________________________________ "Why are there undead?" Shouted Delianna, as she rolled away from a pair of rusting iron swords that were chopping down towards her position. "There shouldn''t be any since this is the- shit," her body was pushed backwards by a decaying shield, and another rusted iron sword fell towards her skull. She blocked the weapon by crossing both her daggers, but was forced to bend a single knee from the strength of the creature. "These aren''t normal undead," mumbled the mage, as his lightning spells passed through the bodies of the transparent skeletons harmlessly. He raised his voice above the sounds of battle and screaming, "We need to find their source, and fast. Else the fallen will soon rise again, and I doubt we''d be able to handle them all." "<>," intoned another armoured brute, who was pointing a small warhammer at a Banshee that was currently wailing at a small group of humans. A pillar of golden light fell upon the creature''s position, causing its wail to become a screech, as the magicks vaporised its body to ash and dust. "How many more of the Judgments can you cast, Arthur?" Markus called out to the other armoured being, as it panted heavily. This armoured brute Called Arthur wore a Templar''s full plate, with a bucket styled helmet, and a tattered white surcoat with a red cross covered the armour below. "Five more," he gasped out, gripping the warhammer tightly, "Lost my shield to a Wight not too long ago." "Um, guys, what''s that?" The boy-child pointed a newly found flail at a giant skeleton watching the battle taking place. From their position, they could barely make out its features, but were able to see that it had an extra pair of arms, and its skull looked much like a cross between a dragon and a human, whilst retaining much of its human side. The head of such a creature then moved to looked down upon something in a decrepit robe, who then thrust out its arms as a pale, green mist began to form before it. From the mist came another small army of transparent skeletons, who then began to march towards their positions. Even going so far as to ignore all others, as they continued to trudge forward. "<>," Arthur roared, pointing his warhammer at the approaching skeletons. Of which were vaporised to ash and dust, but after the pillar vanished, "Where is the giant skeleton?" "Are you the new heroes these humans have summoned?" A voice shook the earth where they stood, and it seems it was coming from behind them. Turning slowly, the group openly stared up at the giant, and in one of its clawed hands was a struggling Zero, whose flesh was slowly liquefying. "I ask again," its voice became thunderous, as the archer''s body became a puddle of flesh beneath its clawed feet, "Are you the new heroes?" ***** "Zero!" The female human shouted, as the archer, who was the only one to see through my "Cast of Shadows", liquefied after my claws pierced its flesh. Just before the poison reached its head, however, I was able to glimpse at the creatures ears, and found it to be as pointed as an elf''s. Silently, I intoned the spell, "<>," upon those before my person, and found them to be human, save for the one holding an overly large morning star. This one seemed to have the blood of a giant in its veins, but it did not concern my being. "<>," began the templar, but I simply intone my own spell to counter his. "<>," I intoned, pointing towards the armoured human, and watched as a small claw made up of my silvered energies launch from my clawed finger. The energy then entered one of the slits in his bucket styled helmet, causing him to stumble over the spell, and wail at the sudden pain. This human removed his helmet just as the wailings began, throwing it onto the ground, and clutched his head whilst his golden locks of hair flowed around his hands. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Get it out of my head," he shouted, as another intoned a spell called "Mental Fortitude". The spell was enough to expunge my own, but not enough to prevent it from stealing away some of the male''s thoughts, feelings, history, and spells. Once my own spell merged with my mind, I learned all these things, which included their names, how they met, their camaraderie, and so much more. Even going so far as to letting me know I can now use the various spells of the Templar, Cleric, and Paladin class. Within my mind, I began to laugh a great and terrible laughter, of which transferred to my actual self, and laughed along with my mind. "<>," I intoned with mirth, as spheres of my silvered energies began to form upon my palms, then shot out towards the group of "heroes". They then transformed themselves into a small pack of wolves, of which caused the mage''s eyes to widen in surprise. "Don''t let that spell touch you," he shouted, creating a barrier of magick about them, protecting their bodies from the spell. My imaginary lips drew themselves into a frown, as I saw this, and sent forth several crimson streaks of lightning towards the barrier. Each and every one tore a hole into the barrier, only to watch as it repaired itself within mere moments. It was at this time, however, that the humans'' armies began to rain down their own arrows and spells upon my person. So great was this torrent, dust clouds began to form around my body, obscuring it from the rest of the world. They continued this onslaught for several minutes; until they ran out of arrows and energy. "Did we win?" Piped up a small voice from within the barrier, and I noticed it was the boy-child''s, whose name was Derek. "No," whispered the mage who called himself Merlin, "Look," and it was true. As the dust settled about my being, all could see that I was unharmed and well protected by a pair of large floating slabs of stone, along with a shimmering, golden barrier that clung to my body. My poisonous breath began to churn behind my maw, as my body turned towards those humans who were now shaking in their armour. Upon opening my maw, the poisonous breath flew towards the humans, as they turned and fled from the death that was I. Those that did not choose to escape straight away wailed in terror for a few moments, as my poisonous breath engulfed their beings, reducing them to puddles of iron and flesh. Returning my gaze towards the position of the mage and his group, however, I noted that they had fled, which caused my mind to become quite annoyed with their departure. "<>," I intoned, and my eyes came upon their fleeing backsides. They were all running towards the humans'' main camp, where the bulk of my horde was currently battling the humans. I raised four forefingers were raised towards the fleeing heroes'' backsides, intoning the spell, "<>." Four bolts of emerald and violet coloured lightning streaked from my outstretched fingers, racing towards my prey. Three struck the ground near their bodies, whereas the fourth slammed into the back of Arthur. "Arthur," cried out the group in alarm, as the templar fell onto the bloody ground. Another bolt of emerald and violet launched itself towards the fallen human, only to be blocked by the mage''s barrier. "How troublesome," my voice was naught, but a murmur above the noise, and began an onslaught of chaotic lightning upon the humans beneath the shield. ***** "Arthur, are you alright? Can you hear me?" Markus shook the other, trying to gather a response from him, but to no avail. Instead, the giant of a human roared to the heavens, and charged the skeleton while withdrawing his oversized mace. The undead being before them chuckled at the human''s response, intoning the spell, "<>." Four clawed hands raised themselves high, as crimson coloured energies crackled between its fingertips. Time seem to crawl between them, as a torrential downfall of lightning flew from the monster''s fingertips, towards a now wide eyed and stunned human. He did his best to turn around, to flee back towards the barrier where his companions called for his return. However, it was to no avail, as his body slipped and fell hard to the ground beneath his feet. Just as the first of the chaotic energies reached his body, his eyes saw Arthur shakily standing up. Chapter 49 AN: I am not getting used to the whole "Leap Forward" daylight savings thing. Anyways, here''s the next chapter with the better explanation. It also has a little twist to it, making the whole summoning/transfer thing unique for the story. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know either down below, or in my PM box. ________________________________________ "Markus," mumbled Arthur, as he tried to stand up and wobbled over to the dead body of his companion. However, I would not allow them to have their slight reunion. Instead, I simply reached down and plucked the hapless templar was trying to reach for the charred body that was Markus. "<>," my voice rumbled, pointing a clawed finger at the now screaming body of the templar. "Give me your everything, human. I desire your knowledge; your experience; your abilities; and your spells." The human became limp soon after my words were spoken, and a silvered coloured orb began to flow out of its skull. This orb then launched itself towards my own, slowly pushing its way in, and unleashing the memories, spells, and abilities that was Markus. "Where is Derrel?" Cried out Delianna, who seemed to have fallen into madness, "Where are Sean and Joseph? They should be here by now." The female''s eyes were wide, as she slumped down onto her knees, and her mind was now lost to the chaos of losing her companions, "Don''t you think Sean and Joseph make a cute couple, Markus?" She giggled maniacally, whilst a torrent of tears began to flow unceasingly down her cheeks, "Hey Arthur, when will your brother arrive? Doesn''t he know we''ve been summoned to another world?" "Oh no," Derek gaped in horror at his sister, then turned towards my person with anger in his eyes, just in time to see my breath cascading down upon the limp body that was Markus. His eyes grew wide in horror, as the flesh, muscle, sinew, and bones of the body began to stretch themselves down towards the ground, creating a puddle of flesh. "You... You...," he began, whilst his body shook, "You bastard," his small frame launched towards my person with a roar, "I''ll kill you!" "No," shouted Merlin, trying to prevent his attack, but to no avail, as the boy-child leapt high into the sky, more so than he should be able to with his small frame, and slashed down with his axe. "<>," his small frame roared, as a red glow began to form around his weapon, but broke the moment it touched my golden shield. Which in turn, caused his own skill to falter and brake, whilst his body seemingly floated in front of my being. Not missing an opportunity, one of my clawed hands balled itself into a fist, as my body turned to the side. It was then swung forward with enough momentum to catch the small body, and launch it back into the air. However, it seems I put a little too much strength into the punch, as three of his limbs were blown off his body, sending them in different directions. As this was occurring, however, the female named Delianna witnessed such a turn of events, and screamed a blood curdling scream. "DEREK," she cried out, watching the small body of her brother soar through the air in various pieces. She tried to run to the body, screaming and crying out to him, but was held back by Merlin the mage. "You KNOW he''s fine, Delianna. This is just a-" "That''s my brother," she howled in his ear, and, unsheathing her daggers, plunged them into the backside of the mage. Of whom released her, falling to the ground with a gasp. The barrier about them had vanished, allowing her body to quickly scamper over to her brother''s. Before she reached it, however, her own was pierced by half a dozen spears held by just as many dragon-men. Each sneered at the human female, as she fell to the ground, lifeless. "No," Merlin cried out weakly, as I began to make my way towards his rapidly failing body. "Little human," my voice softly rumbled, as my clawed hand gingerly lifted the mage''s body towards my skull, "You have lost." "No," he feebly struggled against my grip, "The others will surely-" "They are dead," turning his body towards the Lich called Brutus, I allowed the mage to witness the spectacle of him and his slowly tearing away at the flesh of the three other "heroes". "You see, little human? You have lost, and I have won." "Why," his body shook, as one of my clawed fingers pointed at the mage''s head. "Why, what?" "Why are there Undead upon this world? It''s a low level world with a simple plotline. So why are there undead?" "Plotline, you say? Well, no matter. I will simply learn it all before you die." His own eyes widened at my statement, and began to scream upon my words of, "<>." * An orb of silvered energy rose up from the limp body of the dying mage, to which I simply released from my grip, and subsequently ground into the dirt with my heel. Moments later, the orb entered my skull, unleashing another torrent of information. However, this was much more specific, as I desired to know what the mage meant by "plotline". My body halted its movement, as I turned inward to watch the events unfold. However, the world inside the memories of others is not always crystal clear. Therefore, I was only able to see a white mist, and its formation of bodies crowding around an odd box-like object. I could name them all, but for now, i shall focus on the three not introduced to my person of that time. They were Derrel, Sean, and Joseph. Sean and Joseph were twins, and always seemed to fight in concert with one another. The pair always seemed to wear loose fitting, and dark clothing over their bodies. It was to hide the fact that their race was not purely human, as they were a half breed of human and demon. No, they are not half dragon-men, but of the more common variety of demons. Which are human like in their stance, but with red skin, leathery wings, horns protruding from their skulls, and a serpent-like tail. A few religions have stemmed from this, marking them as destructive beings capable of luring others away from the "path of righteousness", as it were. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The pair''s class, as it were, was that of Monk. This meant they were a hybrid class between cleric and martial artist. They were proficient in hand to hand combat scenarios, yes, but they were also able to heal others whilst utilising their own internal energies. However, Sean had chosen the path of Energy Worker, whilst the other chose a more direct path to martial arts. Where they were from, they called it the Shaolin path. This path allows a person to have absolute control over their own bodies, giving them the ability to survive harsh situations through thought alone. These beings, even now, I would not wish to fight them, as they are far more dangerous than others let on. An Energy Worker, on the other hand, utilises the world''s energy to perform various tasks. Most of the time, they are used to heal others over great distances, but other times, they can inflict the greatest amount of pain to oneself from a simple touch to another''s body. Although rare, there were a few Energy Workers who were able to inflict damage and pain on others over a great distance. However, what is truly dangerous about them is their ability to drain the energies of others simply by looking at them. Anyways, Derrel, being the last of the group not introduced to my person, was an oddity in and of himself. This was another male, making them seven males and one female- I truly disliked where this was heading, but no matter. The human in question seemed to be wreathed in shadows, never allowing others even a glimpse of his true self. This was so because, from the human''s own mouth, he was famous where he came from, and did not want others to see his face. However, he did explain to the others of what his own class was, which was that of Warlock. This also happens to be a hybrid class, but of dark mage and thief. Their magicks is at a close range, and much of it utilises their sole weapon, which happens to be a dagger or long knife. Yes, there are others who''ve used a wand, but they are most assuredly more deadly with a blade, but I digress. Mists of grey and white flowed around and in front of my person, forming seven individuals devoid of colour. These seven were the group of heroes who had been summoned, and were still clustering around a strange box. They began to chat incessantly, about which world they desired to journey to. A few desired a world that needed one of its gods saved, but was shot down almost immediately when they remembered the newest addition to their little group. "Denied," Delianna crossed her arms in front of her person, forming a large ''X'' shape, "Derek is still a noob, so we need something more basic. Otherwise, he''ll end up dying the moment we are summoned." Nearly all groaned loudly, as they stared down at the boy-child, who glared at everyone present. "What of this one?" Hissed Derrel, tapping a shadowed forefinger upon a spherical image within the box. Once the finger tapped it, the image seemed to leap upwards, revealing a large, blue planet teeming with life. "Look again, Derrel," drawled the female, "It''s a Class Three world. Those types are usually involved in some losing battle between a small country and some great empire. Besides, those ones usually take years to complete," he hand fell atop the boy-child''s head, ruffling his hair slowly before it was swatted away. "I would rather we take him to a Class A wor-" "You mean another tutorial," groaned the twins in unison. The boy-child was perplexed by this, and asked why they regarded them as a "Tutorial". "You see, Derek," grumbled Markus, as Delianna brought up a different world, one that was flashing bright red, "Class A planets are usually what noobs, such as yourself, go to after completing their tutorial." "It''s pretty much the same tasks you completed in whatever tutorial you experienced," chimed in Merlin, who was now being glared at by giant human, "However, it''s usually more drawn out, and can quickly evolve into a Class B, or even a C, if you''re not careful." "What''s the difference?" "Well, my young student," came a muffled reply from a helmeted Arthur, "Class A through C planets have a simple plot, which is usually a ''kill the Demon Lord/King'' scenario. A''s mean you complete some basic tasks, then are sent off to kill the Demon Lord by yourself, or with a couple others. A Class B means one or two armies are involved, whereas C''s have multiple armies facing off against one enemy." A forefinger pointed towards the world Delianna had pulled up, which had a large C in the centre, but was bright red. "The world your sister''s pulled up is obviously a Class C, but do you see the red colouring about the letter?" Derek nodded at this, curious to know what it meant, "That means the world is desperate, and will take anyone, no questions asked. If you look close enough, you can barely make out a small plus sign around the inner curves of the C. This means there''s another army involved, one that''s hostile to the inhabitants of the world. However, it also means they''re easy, and insignificant. So you shouldn''t have any problems when it comes to killing off the enemies." "Just have to make sure it doesn''t evolve past a Class F world, else we''re really screwed," muttered Derrel, who was then pushed forward by a slap to the back of the head from the female. "No jinxing it, shadow man," her eyes became narrowed slits, as she stared down at the human for a time, before turning back to the rest of the group. "I''ve already called dibs on the world, so let''s go!" Another groan soon followed her footsteps, as she vanished into the mists that made up the memories of the human mage called Merlin. Chapter 50 AN: Someone wanted the MC to give a sliver of hope to those he tortures, before dashing it all away. Well, he does just that, but the torture is psychological, instead of the normal physical stuff. By the way, next chapter marks the 100k word count for the story. I really cannot believe it got to that point, so I''ll do my best to drop a second chapter for you guys tomorrow. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, either let me know down below, or in my PM box. ____________________________ ''How interesting,'' I murmured softly within my mind. From what I had gathered, "plotlines" are simply the quests given to each individual, or group, to complete once summoned. The "plotline" for this world is to defeat, or kill, the Demon Lord/King. Though, of course, the Demon Lord of this world wasn''t exactly a simple being, as I would find out later. "It seems I had forgotten the other world, in favour of this one," my voice rumbled softly to no one in particular. How strange it was, to be reminded of the world of Azzarath after not setting foot on that plane for a very long time. However, "I do not remember there being a box such as that." I felt, at that moment, I may be returning to a different world, once my time on this one was up. As strange as that was, I did not wish to leave this world called Terra, as I had something of a family I had dreamed of having. Though, of course, I would need a bride to stand by my side, but was lacking in candidates. My mind sighed at this thought, then subsequently shoved it into the back, as I returned to the chaos that was the war. All around my skeletal form were the bodies of the dead and dying upon red and brown earth. There were pockets of groaning humans, monsters, and dragon-men strewn about in various conditions. Such as a human trying desperately to push in his intestines, or a dragon-man hyperventilating as it clutched at the large spear in the centre of its chest. There was also a slightly comical scene of a few humans and dragon-men running from a humanoid monster dragging its torso towards them. Its other half seemed to have been pinned under a large creature with armoured leather plates about its body, and had pulled itself apart in order to free itself to continue fighting. It would have been commended for its efforts, if it didn''t expire after grabbing onto the leg of a crying human male. This male, armed with a small dagger, frantically stabbed at the already dead creature''s arm, desperate to escape. It then stopped, however, once it noticed the shadow looming over its body. Turning slowly, the human stared upon my visage for a brief moment, eliciting a scream from its lips, before I raised up a clawed foot, and flattened the male. An audible squishing sound ensued from this, one that reminded my person of squeezing an over ripened fruit within my grasp, as well as the grinding of iron on bone. "Pathetic," I grumbled sourly, as human and dragon-man alike fled from my person after such a display. "Is there no one left to challenge my person?" My voice thundered across the field of battle, and many simply stopped their warring to stare upon my being for a time. "I will fight you, monster," came a voice from within a cluster of humans. This voice came from an older human, whose face was scarred and held a milky-white left eye. There was a long and jagged scar traced over this human''s eye, causing my person to become curious as to what sort of creature attacked it. However, such a question was left unsaid, as this human stood before my person in silvered platemail armour. The design of such an armour was not of the common sort, but one that seemed to have been molded to fit the human''s body perfectly. Such a thing was only possible if, "If you''ve used one of my Enchanters to craft the armour," my voice came out in a murmur, as my eyes flickered over the male''s form. "You''ve stolen the designs of my soldiers'' armour, human," I accused, to which the human grinned sheepishly, then shrugged haplessly at my accusation. "It seems I''ve been found out, and by the monster that calls itself a ''god'', no less," the male chuckled, hoping to goad me. However, it frowned when it noticed my body was not budging from its position, "Bring me the heads," it called out, and a few humans appeared carrying a wooden crate towards the both of us. This create was then dropped in front of the scarred human, who then opened it to reveal the severed heads of the Undying messenger and its guards. "Do you like what you see, monster?" The human sneered up at my skull, "Others will soon fill it, and I''ll make sure we find a box large enough to fit yours." "Pathetic," my voice rumbled. "What?" His own was startled, as his eyes narrowed. "You are pathetic, human, if you believe me to be goaded so easily by such a display," one of my clawed hands waved dismissively at the box full of severed heads, before it pointed at the scarred human in question. "<>," I intoned, and noticed it had failed. "Surprised, monster? This armour is made of the combined metals of mithril and orchium, which cancels out all magicks." "Oh?" Mentally, I raised an eyebrow at this, then reached down upon the ground, whereupon a foreclaw and thumb-claw from one hand gingerly lifted up a small rock, just as the humans were laughing, believing my person was kneeling in defeat to their savior. However, their "savior" was now staring wide eyed at a newly formed hole near its heart. Who then turned back towards my body with a stiff motion, before collapsing upon the ground. "General," shouted the group of humans, who rushed towards the now fallen silver armoured human. This exclamation caused my mental self to raise an eyebrow at the scene. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. "So you are the former High General''s brother. A pity you both turned traitor in the end, as I would have enjoyed using the both of you to further my own." "Monster," exclaimed a few from within the Grand General''s group. who then rushed towards my person with weapons held high. However, they were all struck down by bolts of darkened lightning from the sky. Above our heads was the Lich called Brutus, whose body had been cleaned of flesh, but sported a rather large hole in his chest, along with strips of cloth hanging about his bones. The Lich floated down from his position, and seemed to be carrying a body in his arms. "A gift for you, My Lord God," his arms were raised above his own skull, showing my person the still living body of a small boy-child who appeared to be asleep. The child wore a simple yellow and brown tunic over a tanned pair of trousers and brown pants. What features were visible upon its face was similar to the male in front of us. It had a square shaped head, the formation of a cleft chin, and a beak like nose beginning to form. However, unlike the general, this child''s hair was a pale auburn, with streaks of gold and silver highlights. It truly was a sight to see, but alas, I could not claim it for my own. "Who is this, Brutus, and where did you get it?" His own pinpoints of emerald coloured lights within his skull stared briefly upon my own crimson pair, before flickering away. "That''s my son," coughed the Grand General, who struggled to stand, as a priest frantically healed his wound. "Oh?" My voice became filled with a sadistic joy at this turn of events, which caused the body of Brutus to quiver with excitement. "You have brought a grand gift, Brutus, and must be commended for it. If you have a single wish, then let us hear it, for if it is within my power, then I shall grant it." The Lich stood tall, as one of my lesser clawed hands gingerly took the living body of the unconscious general''s son. "My wish is to see what My Lord God will do with the human''s offspring," he hissed, turning to glare down upon the human who struggled against others as he tried to reach for his son. "Brutus," he turned towards my person with a bowed head, "You will see it regardless of your wish. Choose another." "Then...," his skull cocked to one side, as a boned forefinger tapped his human-like teeth in thought, "Then my wish is to stay by your side for all time." "For good or for ill, Brutus, you shall stay as my right hand until oblivion takes us all." I did not know what the impact of my words could have meant to the Lich, as his face was naught, but a skull''s, and they are forever grinning upon the world. Nor did I noticed the energies passing between us at that time, binding his person to my own. His skeletal frame, however, shook with excitement, as his eyes flared briefly with more life than was possible, before becoming the pinpoints they once were. Turning back towards the humans in question, my voice was a sneer filled rumble as it escaped my being, "Humans. Never fear, for you will have your child once more," the general stopped struggling, but was still tense as his gaze flickered before my eyes and the body of his child. "Brutus, awaken the child, if you would?" My clawed hand pushed itself forward, until it was near the Lich''s own body, who then lightly stabbed his own forefinger into the arm of the child. The child awoke to pain, and cried loudly as it struggled to grip its arm, just as Brutus retracted a now bloody forefinger to his person. "Nathan," cried out the general, who was desperately trying to reach the boy-child with an outstretched arm, "It will be alright. Father is here for you." "Father," cried out the small human, who desperately tried to struggle against my grip, but to no avail. For at most, the child simply twitched its shoulders, whilst its head shook from side to side. "Watch, human, as I release him to you." He watched as my clawed hand placed itself a little above the ground, but did not open. "Human, know that I do not harm children, and instead love them as though they were my own," my grip then released the small boy-child, who fell to the ground, and began to rise albeit shakily. "However," the clawed hand that held the child gently pushed it towards the general, who opened his arms to receive him. Unfortunately for them, there was a pair of small holes in the child''s lower back, and a trickle of blood marred my own bones. "However, human, this is not my child, nor do I love and care for him." "Father? I hur-," the boy-child''s body stiffened for a moment, before it began to melt as my own poison began to course through its small body. "No," wailed the general, hugging the boy-child''s melting body to his chest. "Kill them, Brutus," one of my clawed hands waved at the humans who were now staring at the scene in shock, "but keep the ''Grand General'' alive. I wish to gift him to this ''All Mother''." The Lich then followed my orders, summoning his own magicks to create the same sickly green mist as before. Chapter 51 AN: This chapter will mark the story with 100k words. Well, technically its 100,864 words, but you get the idea, right? Anyways, it''s the meet and greet with the Demon Lord, then we''ll get to him travelling back to the city of New Wair, and finally the epilogue. As always, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know either down below, or in my PM box. _______________________________ "Ah, but before we gift you to their ''All mother'', human," one of my lower clawed hands gripped and lifted the general''s body, who became desperate in his struggle to hold onto even a cup full of his puddle-son. "<>," I intoned once more, but was surprised by the lack of wailing from the human. Indeed, it was strange, but it did allow my person more access to his mind. From it, I simply desired its memories and leadership skills. The extra skills would allow my person an extra edge in commanding my present horde, as well as all others in the future. Whereas the memories I desired were of the present, as well as up to the point of him receiving the messages my Undying was sent to give. Once the spell was complete, and the silvered orb entered my mind, I confirmed what the enthralled priest at New Wair had told us. The humans'' main gods desired my end, and the only way to do so was to end the "Demon Lord". Thus, allowing them to take back the city without much worry. Unfortunately for them, I had succeeded in my goals, and would not allow them to remove my person from the planet. For the time being, however, I simply watched as my horde, and the dragon-men, begin cleaning up the armies of the humans. This would take some time, but because I desired none of it, I simply left them to their work, and began my slow walk towards the canyon that housed the "demons". After taking no more than a few steps, however, my body stopped once I became aware of the squirming general in my grasp. "Wha-," it began, frantically trying to assess the situation, "What the hell is going on?" Its voice was loud, commanding, and very annoying. "Silence, human. We are going to gift you to the dragon-men''s ''All Mother''," my voice rumbled low, which caused the general''s eyes to widen in fright, and its body struggled even more so. "You will cease your incessant struggles, human; you have already lost." The human was raised high to view the battle being fought around us, and gasped as dragon-men and monsters tore through the flimsy ranks of broken humans. Within many pockets of mangled flesh and bone were humans still alive, though mentally broken. These humans'' eyes simply stared at everything with widened eyes devoid of any life, and seemed to find relief once a sword, spear, axe, or claw stilled their hearts for all time. "No," wailed the disbelieving general, "How could this be? Where are the heroes the priests promised me? Where are the gods that would come down to save us in our time of need?" "Your heroes are dead, human, and your gods have fled." It was here the pathetic human realised just who was speaking, and turned towards my voice with eyes wide and filled with far more emotions than I thought possible for a human. Rage and sorrow were prevalent within his features, but a hint of pity was seen within his eyes. To this, however, I simply shrugged, and continued our short trip to the canyon''s entrance. For a human, or something of their height, the trip would have taken a day, possibly two, but for my person it simply took a decca-turn. The canyon''s entrance, however, was blocked off by a wall of iron that spanned twice as long as I was wide, and three times my body''s height. It was also being guarded by around thirty wingless dragon-men who stood in three rows of ten, and armed with large shields and long spears. Above them, and now circling around my own head, was around fifty winged dragon-men. These also had spears and shields, but their shields were naught, but bucklers, and a few even had javelins strapped to their backsides. "Halt," came the chorus of nearly eighty voices, as all weapons were raised towards my person. Those that flew about had even dawned their javelins, and aimed them towards my skull. To this I simply sighed, whilst one of my primary claws rubbed the top of my skull. "I hold a gift for your ''All Mother''," my voice released with a rumbling sigh, as many came to stare at what was in my clawed hand. "It''s a human," shouted one, and a few javelins flew towards it, only to be blocked by a small slab of stone. Of which caused the stone to break and crumble after intercepting several thrown objects. "This is the ''Grand General'' of the humans'' armies," I growled, whilst the air about us crackled and thundered from my magicks. A few bolts of lightning erupted from my shoulders, striking the ground with enough force, dirtied glass shards flew into the air. "Enough," drifted a soft, commanding and feminine voice, "Allow this one to approach and enter." "But," began one, who was instantly struck from behind by another''s clawed hand. They each began to part afterwards, and opened the gate to allow I and my "gift" to enter. Once inside, however, I became astonished by the craftsmanship these dragon-men held. For upon every centimetre of stone were depictions of scenes that had occurred throughout their lives, even upon the ground I walked upon was covered in a myriad of their history. From the gate, and stretching forth, deeper into the canyon, was a single white stoned road. Upon its surface was the depiction of the beginnings of the world, and how their race came to be. From what I gathered, after the world began, dragons seemed to appear all over the world called Terra. Next came the humans, elves, dwarves, and finally, the beasts. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. From here, the depictions began to spread upon the walls nearest the gate, branching itself to a transparent ceiling, then back onto the floor. it was here, that I spied, and would later learn, that the dragons loved each race. Going so far as to copulate with them, and produced the first Dragon-men, of which began to breed amongst themselves. These dragon-men, each, had a trait from the other races, which were the craftsmanship of the dwarves, magicks of the elves, the gift of strategy and war from the humans, and an increase in racial instincts from the beasts. Each of these traits were given to their offspring, so that they may have all the qualities from each race, as opposed to each group only having one gift. However, "However, once the world called Terra learned of this, they began to shun our people," spoke a feminine voice, of which came from a dragon-woman draped in a transparent robe about her person. However, instead of ogling at her figure, all others simply knelt, bowed, or prostrated themselves before her. The female''s body was of dark crimson scales, as were the colour of her eyes circling around the slitted pupils therein. She only came up to the middle of my femur once she came near, and touched a portion of the wall that depicted the first of many battles in which her people died from. Sadness ensued from her being, which turned to pity as she stared upon the human general, "These humans called us an abomination of their gods, all because we had more than they, and desired to teach all races great and small." "Lies," hissed the general, as he continued to try and struggle out of my grip, "Your kind desired to enslave us all." "Regardless of what happened," my voice shook the canyon, causing many to squawk in fear from the small quake, whilst the female before us simply stood still. Yes, even her entire body did not shake as the rest of the world around us did so. "the past will remain in the past, and you humans have lost your future." The human shook after my words were absorbed by his brain, and began to struggle more fiercely, but only managed to twitch his shoulders a bit more. "Cease your insufferable struggling, human. As you will never escape my grasp unless I will it so." However, my words only seemed to increase his fervor to escape, to which an idea came to mind, and released the human. The general fell to the ground, and stared about his person for a time, breathing in great gulps of air, before pushing himself to his feet. However, just as he was about to rush the female, his body was hoisted into the air once more. One of my primary clawed hands gripped his body, whilst the thumb claw of my hand was poised to strike in front of his face. "Do not try that again, human, or you will become a puddle of flesh; the same as your son." "What happened to his son?" Asked the dragon-woman, whose eyes were filled with curiosity, as her head was cocked to the side whilst staring at the still struggling human. "There is a great poison within my bones, one that, if injected into something, or someone, will reduce their entire being into a puddle. A former associate of mine, a dwarf, created a diluted concoction of this poison, and called it ''The Devil''s Kiss''. Perhaps you''ve heard of it?" I was not surprised when she nodded, as when the humans'' armies found out about such a poison, they began to use it on the dragon-men for a time. This became a great demand, for the assassin guilds across the continent became greatly interested in the poison as well, but there was only a limited supply, and only one mysterious dwarf knew of where to obtain it. None knew where to find this dwarf, who did its best to hide its presence from the world. However, all became frantic once the supply suddenly stopped, wondering what happened to it all. It was around this time that I had employed the dwarf as the new torturer, then subsequently killed him off for being a "rabid dog". You may be wondering how I know of this. Well, the general was a great help in filling the gaps when the dragon-woman could not. "What will you do now?" She asks, staring up into my eyes, as I stared down into hers. "Your war with the humans is over, and I''ve accomplished what I had set out to do. The humans'' king is dead, their generals replace, or about to die," my clawed hand shook the general as I said this, causing him to cease his struggle for a time, "So, I guess, return to the city, for I miss my children." "What of the elf you''ve gifted us?" "Silvanna?" My head tilts upwards to stare upon the transparent ceiling, as I contemplated her being for a time. "Your ''Second Son'' seems enamoured by her presence, so why not make the most of it, and have the pair betrothed? It could be seen as a symbol of an alliance between I and you, my lady Demon Lord." My own mental lips stretched into a feral grin, as the dragon-woman''s form stretched and grew into a great dragon. However, something about the area around us seemed different. "The canyon has grown larger," I muttered with amazement, watching as it stretched and elongated to accommodate the dragon''s form. "Truly amazing, my lady," and bowed with a chuckle, to which I noticed her preening at the praise. Chapter 52 AN: Thank you all for sticking around long enough for it to reach well over 100k words. As promised, here''s the second chapter of the day. As always, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If there are any questions, comments, or concerns you might have, do not hesitate to post it down below or in my PM box. ________________________________ "How did you discern I was the Demon Lord?" Her eyes held a variety of questions, but chose this one to begin with. "What did you do to my son?" Howled the general, but was ignored by the pair of us. "Really?" An imaginary eyebrow was raised, as a pair of clawed hands placed themselves upon my hips, "One, the dragon-men and women around you are practically falling over themselves in worship for one as great as you. Two, every time one of them heard ''Demon Lord'', they would always say ''All Mother''. Three, judging by the depictions etched into the stone," the clawed hand that gripped the general waved at everything surrounding us, "all points to one dragon able to give birth to everything I see. Finally, four, only a few know of Silvanna''s presence within your home, and because the others are male, there leaves only you. Besides, you did become a dragon before our very eyes." The sound of one being clapping its hands echoed throughout the canyon, as the golden scaled "Second Son" walked towards us slowly. "Very well done, my dear sir-" "Stop ignoring me, you bastard," howled the human still clutched in my grip. At the time, he was no longer struggling, as he did his best to gulp down mouthfuls of dusty air, whilst coughing every now and again. "What did you do to my son?" Shrugging my shoulders, we ignored him once more, which only seemed to infuriate him further. "How is Silvanna and the she-bear?" The golden dragon-man''s head swayed between my person and the captive human for a moment, before staring into my eyes, "She is well enough, as all things go, but misses you greatly." As though on cue, shouts of, "Papa," echoed throughout the canyon. In the distance I spied the elven succubus riding atop a six-legged she-bear, who were speeding quite rapidly towards our position. One of her arms was waving at us, of which caused one of my lesser clawed hands to respond in kind. "Hmm," my voice left my person in a hum, and the clawed hand gripping the general released him, sending the human to the floor from a great height. His body crumpled to the floor, as we heard a loud cracking sound coming from one of its legs. This, in turn, led to the human clenching its teeth, whilst it gripped and hissed at its left leg. "<>," I intoned, watching as thick vine-like tendrils wrapped around the body of the human, imobilising and anchoring it to the ground. My own body, on the other hand, had morphed itself into my old kobold self, much to the amazement of the "Second Son" and "All Mother". The latter was staring at my backside with such lust in her eyes, the other had to punch her to awaken her from the fantasy. "Papa," cried out Silvanna wearing a thin dress, leapt from the back of the she-bear, and into my arms. I swung her around a few times, much to her delight, as she hugged my being for a time, whilst snuggling her face into my neck fur. Although she did try to bite my neck a few times, I had to remind her that my body did not have any blood for her to drink, nor would there be an essences for her body to feast upon. She sighed heavily at this, then parted to stare at the human who had been bound and anchored to the ground. "What is this, Papa?" She asks with a sliver of drool escaping her lips. "That is a human. What is more, it is one of those who had instigated this war." "Ooh?" Her head swiveled towards my own with an odd light in her eyes, "Can I eat it? Please?" Her own eyes were now that of a puppy-dog''s stare, even going so far as to add a few tears that threatened to fall. It was adorable, to be sure, and I was sorely tempted to allow her to eat her fill. However, "Ask the All Mother. This human is a gift to one such as her," my voice rumbled soft, as my inner self sighed with some relief as she turned her eyes towards the female dragon. "Oh no," she rumbled, glaring toward my person, as the elven succubus''s eyes stared into her own. Which caused the dragon-man to chuckle at such a scene, but cringed in horror as the eyes turned towards his person. "You''ve unleashed a scourge upon us," his voice came out as a whisper, as his body backed up slowly away from the female he was to be paired with. "You are the one who desired her," my own was filled with mirth, as my own eyes watched the scene unfold. In the end, she did receive the human as her meal, but only after its living body was paraded through much of the canyon. This allowed much of its residents to gaze upon that which continued to erase their existence, and know it will never become a bother from that day on. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. If you are wondering if there was much celebration afterwards, then you would be answered with a "Yes". However, this celebration would not occur for many more turns of the sun. For you see, there were still many humans fleeing to other countries, and would be a grave error to allow them to flee, gather an army, and have us repeat the process forevermore. I did not desire this, nor did the All Mother and her offspring. So, it was decided by all, that our armies would combine, and continue to hunt down the humans until all had been erased. For now, though, we were now seated in a small room with only my person, the "All Mother", Silvanna, a curled up and lightly snoring she-bear, and the golden scaled "Second Son". In the centre of the room, bound and anchored to the floor once more, was the human general who had been screaming and shouting during this procession, demanding to know what has happened to his son, but was continuously ignored by all as though he spoke a different language entirely. So great was our silence towards the male, that it began to beg for an answer just as Silvanna bit into its own neck. Nothing and no one would answer, as the human''s life slowly ebbed away, even though my person was tempted to reveal what had happened. However, I persevered, content in the knowledge that the human will leave this world never knowing what had happened. Many would believe they would reunite in the next life, but this is not so. For those whose essences are devoured by a succubus, such as Silvanna, will forever be digested within their beings. Although "forever" is a tentative word, it does not mean for all time, only that those of whom are digested will feel as though it were an eternity. This, and this alone, is why many would call it "forever". Once she was finished, her body leaned back slowly, whilst her tail swayed quickly from side to side. She was content in this act, but seemed to hunger for more, as she voiced a question of, "Are there anymore, Papa?" "No, Silvanna," my voice rumbled slowly, to which caused her head to droop, and tail to cease its swaying. "However, the armies will be hunting down more humans soon. Perhaps you could sway the ''Second Son'' to allow you to accompany him on this venture." She clasped her hands together with glee as my words settled within her mind, as she exuded a sharp squeal that caused many to wince in pain. "Please, please, please, please, please," her voice was high pitched, as she stared into the golden dragon-man''s eyes. "It seems the male has fallen under her spell," my voice was naught, but a mutter above the din, as my eyes watched the pair shuffling around in a circle. The male was walking backwards, with an expression of confused bewilderment, as the elven succubus advanced on his position. Her eyes were wide and sparkled, whilst her back was bent low, her head tilted upwards slightly, and her hands clasped beneath her chin in a child-like begging pose. "What do you mean?" Asked the All Mother, who had since become a dragon-woman, and was currently moving her hands across my shoulders in a seductive manner. Unfortunately for one such as her, she would have to try harder, as they were illusions. Thus, I would not feel much of anything, but this did not turn her away. No, instead, it only caused her to try harder. "If this were any other female, what would the ''Second Son''s'' reaction be towards her?" The dragon-woman paused in her movement for a moment, then resumed, "He would ignore her advances unless he desires something, then leave once he had what he most desired." My own head bobbed once in acknowledgment, "Watching the pair for such a short time, it appears to me the female, Silvanna, desires the other for something, and will most likely leave his presence once she has it. However," I held up a foreclaw, "she will most likely stick with the male for some time." "How do you know this?" She asks, then gasps as my head turned a full one hundred and eighty degrees to stare into the dragon-woman''s eyes. "I know this, because I have been inside her mind many turns of the sun ago. She is of the adventurous sort, and will not let go of something once she has set her eyes and thoughts upon it." My own head turned back towards the scene, which caused an eyebrow to rise slowly. The male had fallen onto his back, and Silvanna had mounted him in such a way, one would know immediately that they are procreating. Indeed, and my eyes did spy her body moving up and down from her position upon, as the male''s hands were forced to cup and hold her breasts. The dragon-man''s shock was evident as this played out, but soon became feral, as he growled, pushed the elven succubus upon her back, and mounted her body with vigour. "Adventurous, indeed," came a silky whisper from my left, as the All Mother''s eyes burned with such lust that caused my mental self to shiver with fear. Never had I felt such an emotion since gaining this body of mine, but then it was gone. For that which has been placed within my own body and mind took over, causing the fear to vanish. However, "Adventurous, indeed," my voice rumbled softly in agreement, as the dragon-woman guided me to a separate room for a different sort of "adventure". Chapter 53 AN: Happy St. Patrick''s Day, everyone. Hope you''re wearing green, and all that jazz. Anyways, we''re getting closer and closer to the end of the first arc, and there''ll be something of a discussion page created right after the epilogue has been released. Where you''ll be able to ask me all sorts of things, and even make suggestions as to what you''d like to see in the second arc/book/volume/thing. For now, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the story. As always, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know either down below or in my PM box. _____________________________________ "Never," the kitsune''s paws rubbed his temples slowly, as though a headache was forming, "and I mean never, be in the same room as a succubus in heat. Especially when they''ve a victim under them, as their own bodies release a pheromone which causes all other bodies to become in heat." Laughter ensued from Riorn, who simply shook his head with a helpless shrug, "One of their more common tactics in absorbing energy is to create an orgy by which they feed upon. The larger the orgy, the greater they feed, and the longer they can last." "In more ways than one," muttered the Ageless, who excused himself from the room. "Where is he going?" Asked the Nekotar, whose eyes had widened since the pause of such a tale. "Don''t worry about that one," grumbled a black wolf beastman, "Worry about the pervert he left us with." "Oi," shouted the tiger, "Who are you calling a ''pervert''?" "No one," grinned the wolf, "but it looks like you are one to the others after your little outburst." Small bursts of laughter ensued from this, whilst the other seethed in rage just as the Nekotar left in search of the golden furred kitsune. It didn''t need to search very far, as he was easily spotted near the centre of the village, watching the children playing about himself. "Cat," cried out a small blue fox atop the Ageless''s head, and was pointing in its direction whilst its tail swayed quickly in excitement. "No, little one. That is a Nekotar," his voice was soothing, containing an ocean of patience towards the small child atop his head. Gently, slowly, he lifted the small creature from his person, and set it down near his feet. However, the small kit, in turn, decided to pounce on the nine tails of his backside. It shouted with glee, as the tails rose and gently swatted its little blue head, who had fallen onto its back, pawing happily at the tails. "Agele-," began the Nekotar, but stopped speaking once it noticed the other holding up a single forepaw. "You wish to know why I am out here, as opposed to being in the room full of adults," at a nod, he continued with a question, "Do you know why this world is as it is? Why there are so many laws forbidding violence between the various races?" "No, Ageless. I do not." "A pity you do not know," his voice was soft, but the other picked up traces of disappointment within, "This world," one of his forepaws stamped the ground, causing a small dust cloud to form for a brief moment, "This very world you live, breathe, laugh, grow, and die upon is as it is because of the children. Look around you, young Nekotar, and tell me what you see." It spun around itself slowly, taking in the world about its small form, before sitting itself closer to the kitsune, "A peaceful village with lots and lots of happy children." "Yes," he nodded towards the other''s answer, just as the small, blue creature turned its attention towards the other''s tail. It watched the appendage slowly, before pouncing upon it. Of which caused the cat-like creature to yowl with surprise, whilst its body leapt into the air, and landed atop his head. "Sorry," cried the kit, as it stared into the other''s eyes with tears in its own. Of whom received a small hug by the Ageless, before scampering off with a yip. "This world is for the children," his voice was calm, as the paws lifted the young Nekotar from his head, and placed it upon the ground, "Each and every one of them will inherit this world; but come, we must continue the story." His voice became light, as he ushered the other back inside the small room, only to become cold as he listened in on what the old tiger beastman was saying. "-and then he took out his mace, and swung it with such strength that it knocked the First Son''s head clean off. Thus, he was able to-," his mouth became sheepish, as his eyes stared upon the Ageless''s body in the dorrway. The expression upon the tiger''s visage slowly turned into an "I''ve made a horrible mistake", as his body slowly backed into a nearby corner. "How far did you skip ahead, Riorn?" Energy, the colour of crimson and violet, crackled about the body of the kitsune, whose expression was not at all amused by what he had seen and heard. He hummed slowly, as his eyes widened from the black wolf''s question, "Is it true the Demon Lord''s ''First Son'' was the world called Terra''s god, and he governed over the humans?" "You''ve skipped too far ahead, Riorn." Blacked clouds formed about the kitsune''s body, slowly transforming it into a very large wolf-like creature. His own voice had even changed, as though four others, in various pitches, had joined in as he spoke slowly, "Know that I am very disappointed in you." A pair of dark crimson eyes glared at the now terrified body of the beastman. "One full season-" "Please. No," murmured the old tiger, as his body tried to shrink and hide within the shadows. "One full season," spoke the demon with five voices, "you are not allowed to step forth within a village, town, or city. No fortress, castle, or farmhouse, will you be allowed to step foot in, either. Your only solace is with people who own a cabin, or you can live in a cave. This do I decree for my disappointment in you." If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "No," he wailed, as violet and emerald coloured chains erupted out of air, wrapping themselves about his body. From within the shadows, below and above came long, bone-like clawed hands, that gripped his body tightly. This was to keep it secured, as another clawed hand brought forth a red hot brand with an odd symbol upon it. This symbol, although unknown, was given to those who have incurred the banishment penalty, and was placed upon the forehead of the victim. It was done so to Riorn, who begged, flailed, and wailed as the brand was placed upon his forehead. The sizzling and burning of flesh was heard throughout the room, but surprisingly, none outside was able to hear it, as there was a lack of bodies crowding the doorway. No, instead, once the branding was complete, the body of the victim was hauled away into the shadows, and deposited upon the grounds outside of the village''s perimeter. Those with the mark of banishment, however, would not be able to hide this mark by any means, as it is a god-tier spell only a few are able to wield. The only way to have it removed was to beg an Ageless, or something like them, to remove it. However, as it was placed by the kitsune, none would dare do this, or incur the wrath of one such as he. Slowly, turning themselves back towards the kitsune in question, the small group of various races who lived in the village were somewhat relieved to find his body had become his original form, albeit with a few wisps of shadows hanging about his head. A few would claim, on a much later date, that it appeared as though it were the remnants of a crown about his brow. However, like that of his demonic form, it, too, vanished as he calmed down. "How much did he tell you?" Asked the Ageless in a calm and soothing voice, as though what took place never occurred. "Well?" "Umm," hummed the black wolf beastman, who shivered as a pair of fire orange eyes stared upon his person, "Just that you killed the god that governed over the world called Terra, and a few short tales about the various sexual positions you had with the Dragon." His own eyes drifted around his head, beseeching others for help, but all simply took a step back, not wishing to become involved, and possibly incurring his ire. However, a sighed ensued from him, as a cup appeared between his paws, "He jumped too far. Perhaps I should have extended Riorn''s banishment to two seasons. Well, it''s too late now." A long silence permeated throughout the room, and all about his person desired to know if what the tiger beastman had said was true, without exactly voicing the question themselves. "Yes, it is true," his own voice was soft, as all began to try and voice their own questions, but were stopped by an upraised forepaw. "No, I will not speak of such things at this time. However, know that I did what I did for the benefit of all, including the children, and I would do so again and again for all time." ***** "No, we need to continue on with the story at hand," sighed the kitsune, whose forepaws began to rub his temples from an imaginary headache, "There are several issues I need to address before we continue, though." One of which happened to be the after effects of the pheromones released by the elven succubus. This one caused the body of the dragon-woman to continuously try to copulate with my person, repeatedly. So great was her need for copulation, her mind became lost for a few turns of the sun, as my own satisfied her needs during this time. No, I shall not speak of the details, but know if you''d have seen such a spectacle, many of the females would drag you, the males, off to try a few of what we did. I am quite certain this event would have caused them to become in a heat-like state for a time, so be grateful you do not have to endure it. On the other hand, the second issue was of her wanting to create a fertilised egg between us, but had to explain to her why I could not gift her with my seed. To this, she chuckled as though I were a child who had said something amusing, before telling my person, "You do not need to have seed to create a child." "Explain. Slowly," my voice was calm, but within my own mind, chaos ensued. Imagine, if you would, never being allowed to have children, then someone tells you that you can. Yes, many would be skeptical, perhaps a tad hopeful, if all other procedures failed completely. ''Why was your mind in chaos?'' You may ask, and I shall tell you it was because of her explanation. "You do not need seed to impregnate a female," she told my being in a calm manner, as her naked, scaled body snuggled closer into my furred chest. If you''ve forgotten, my body was that of a kobold when she took me into a different room, and I have not changed since them. "Instead, if the pair are willing, as well as being of a high level, then they are able to share their energies with one another. Of course," a forefinger began to trace itself in a small pattern upon the centre of my chest, "the two would need a vessel of some sort. Because, without one, the mixture of our energies would simply fall apart; it might even explode." "I suppose you have a vessel ready to accept our combined energies?" To this, her expression became sorrowful, but brightened up considerably moments later. "Not right now, no, but if you were to return within a full moon-turn, then I will be able to create an egg large enough for us both." Her laughter soon filled the air, melodious and joyful, as my own voice gave a great roar of excitement at this. For the next full turn of the sun, did we spend together within that small room. Which did fill with many moans from the dragon-woman who would grant my greatest wish in life. "To have a child of my very own." Chapter 54 AN: Random question. Has anyone ever had any of those sugar free gummi bears the internet has been talking about? If you have, great; then you know my problems. If not, then know that the horror stories are VERY real, as I found out last night. Not much is going on in this one, except for a brief overlay of some of the world''s politicking. I dislike it, and so does the MC, so don''t expect much of it. Also, after this comes several chapters of his journey back to New Wair, then a chapter or two centred around him being in the city, and finally the epilogue of the arc. I noticed an increase in followers, so welcome everyone to our little Black Parade. Will come up with something if and when we reach 100 followers, especially if it reaches there by the Epilogue. As always, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If there are any questions, comments, or concerns you may or may not have, please do not hesitate to write down below, or in my PM box. ___________________________________________________ The third, and final issue I need to address was of her need to be chatty. From her own maw, she had told my person of how lonely she was, and grateful to have my person in her company. ''What else did you talk about?'' Some may ask, but I shall tell you this, I did not speak, except when she desired to hear my thoughts on a subject. Of course, there were many topics I cannot speak to you all; even if I were to do so, you would not know what they were about. No, but the dragon-woman did explain to my person how she was able to gain the title of "Demon Lord". "I killed the last one," her voice was dismissive, as one of her clawed hands waved away at the subject. She sighed with disappointment, as my own body slid from her grasp, and became a large skeleton once more. "Quite anti-climactic," my voice reverberated throughout the room with a deep rumble, "You have spoken in great detail on a variety of subjects, and yet you chose to avoid this one. Why?" My own eyes watched as her body became that of a crimson dragon once more, which caused the entirety of the room to shift and grow to accommodate her size. Truly it was a great skill to have, and one I desired greatly to own. Unfortunately for myself, this kind of magicks requires one to be born with, and cannot be learned. A pity, to be sure, but one I hope to be able to overcome through our supposed union and child. One of her great eyes of orange fire and crimson looked upon my person, discerning whether or not to explain her reasoning''s. Of course, in the end, did she relent to my inquiry, "I had to kill my own family to reach this position." Her own voice was of the deadpanned sort, as she watched for my reaction. However, she was sorely disappointed in the lack of shock in my body language, to which she wondered why. "I am Undead," a sigh drifted throughout my mind, as one of my primary clawed hands rubbed the top of my skull slowly, "We who are, stand between life and death forevermore. We do not feel great emotions, nor do we need sleep and sustenance to fuel our undying bodies." "But you were excited once you learned you could have a child," she added, pointing out a small flaw in my explanation, to which I simply nodded in agreement. "Yes, but as with my race, whenever I feel a surge of strong emotions, something within me removes it entirely. Thus, only allowing me a taste of what it was, before snatching it away from my grasp." "That sounds like torture," her own voice was a loud whisper, as she stared upon my skeletal form with an emotion I did not recognise. "Perhaps," my own voice was slow, as it rumbled gently throughout the room, "but those who are similar as myself, "a minor clawed hand lightly placed itself upon my solar plexus as I spoke, "do not much care about such things as emotions. Most are simply mindless dolls controlled by others, whereas we who are intelligent tend to seek to further our own goals." "Oh? And what goals do you have, pray tell?" Her body had crouched down at this point, as though she were preparing to pounce onto my person. A simple thought of, ''How odd,'' passed through my mind, as my eyes followed her movements. "You have already given my person an end result to a goal I desired to see through fruition." "Oh?" "Yes," my head bobbed once in acknowledgment, "My desire is to have a child of my very own." Her left eye narrowed once she heard my objective, "But don''t you-," she began, but stopped when I held up a clawed hand. "Yes, I do have multiple children already, but none of them are truly my own. Therefore, I still desire to have one, and you have given me a sliver of hope." My eyes flared greatly, illuminating her entire being for a brief moment, "Do not make me regret this, All Mother, as I am a force to be reckon with when disappointed." * Within another full turn of the sun, was I able to leave the canyon home of the dragon-men and women. This was because there were some minour details I shall be glossing over shortly. ''Why are you doing this?'' A few may question, but the answer is as simple as a single word. Politics. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I dislike the politics of each and every world I had grace my presence with; avoiding each as much as possible. The why is simple, as many will tell you after being subjected to it for so long. To put it mildly, on the other hand, imagine yourself alone and bereft of everything, including weapons and armour. You are then shoved into a pit full of venomous vipers that want nothing more, than to bite your body, injecting their toxins within. However, they do not, and instead, simply watch you even if you are within their reach, waiting for their chance to strike. This is how it is throughout all worlds, including our own, and yes, I avoid the ones here, too. So I shall be brief in my explanations as to what had occurred. Which was simply, who would lead our two armies to take the fight to the rest of the humans. For myself, I cared little for this venture, as I desired to return back to the city of New Wair, and the children within. Most of those within the race desired peace with all races, but these were the elders of the race, and had not set foot outside their canyon home for centuries. These voices were swiftly quashed, as those who had stepped out of their home to war with those who dared threaten their lives with fire and iron. They were the younger generations and though their numbers were small, they were the loudest. "The humans will return," one of them roared above the voices of its elders, "and they will bring more ''heroes'' to kill us with. We should be grateful for this opportunity, as we have a great army of creatures never before seen upon this world. Thus, the humans, and their allies, will not be able to plan against their attacks." "Why should we war against a race we have loved since the beginning of their infancy?" Called out a grey scaled dragon-man, one who was older than the oldest present, but still younger than their All Mother. "We should teach the humans that their ways are wrong, and help them grow down the path of peace." "No," my own interjected into the conversation, silencing all as they stared upon my skeletal body. The All Mother had become her dragon-woman self, and had sat upon a gilded throne of gold, silver, and jewels. She, herself, was dressed with a mist linen robe that revealed far too much, even if her body was covered in scales. She sat in the centre of a circular hall, as rows upon rows of stone balconies were seen high above and around us. These had been etched and formed by many countless clawed hands, which only seemed to make others believe it was endless to the eyes. However, someone with a discerning eyes would be able to see there was only about fifty layers of balconies stretching high above us. To the right of the dragon-woman was the Second Son and Silvanna, who was dressed in a similar mist linen outfit, and was curiously staring at everything about her person. To the left, however, was my own skeletal body, which was now glaring at the old dragon-man in front of us. For you see, those who desire to speak for a group, or for all, must stand in front of the All Mother, as all others must be upon the balconies. The old dragon-man wore a simple, but somewhat faded forest green robe. He also leaned heavily against a thick oak staff with worn floral patterns etched into its surface. Near him, however, was a small child-dragon. This one also wore the same sort of robe, but it was less faded. No, I do not remember the colour of the child''s scales, only that it seemed to shine quite brilliantly under the torchlight. The other, who desired to wipe out the humans'' race as a whole, was an odd coloured dragon-thing. It is called a "thing", because it had very few discernible features to tell others it is a male or female. This individual wore only a pair of leather trousers, whilst showing off a variety of brightly coloured scales. What was truly astonishing was the fact that each and every single one of its scales was a different colour, and that no two colours were ever alike. This was because, as I later found out, this being was of the third gender called "Neutral", and were the only ones who did not have any organs for male or female. Which begged the question as to how this gender would defecate, if they did not have any of the primary genders'' organs. To which someone replied saying that they absorbed the ambient energies within the world itself for sustenance, and released excess energies from their bodies as a way of defecation. Truly, the world was such a strange place, but I digress once more. "No," my voice reverberated throughout the hall, calling all attention to my person once more, "The humans will return, once they have gathered their armies and allies'' armies. If these humans are of the same mind as those from my first world, then they will not stop until they either succeed in destroying you all, or are all dead. "The most common quality of a standard human is war, and you should do well to remember this, little dragons. They will continue until something causes them to stop, just as I had stopped the city of New Wair from continuing their warrings against you. In other words, little dragons," my eyes glowed a fierce crimson, bathing the pair in front of my being with a blood-like light, "destroy them now, whilst you still have a chance. Else you will all disappear from this world called Terra." Chapter 55 AN: Finally out of the canyon, but the MC is not about to journey back towards New Wair just yet. By the way, folks, under the "Popular This Week" tab, the story has gotten to #76 on the fourth page. So thank you all for getting it this far. However, under the "Active Top 50" tab, it''s #249. Not exactly sure how that one is rated, seeing how most of the stories under that tab have been inactive for quite some time. Well, no matter. As always, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If there are any questions, comments, or concerns you may or may not have, do not hesitate to leave it either down below, or in my PM box. _________________________________ The day ended with them still arguing about who should do what, as I and the All Mother arrived at the canyon''s gate. She did not wish for me to go, and had to promise a hasty return in time for our union. "Promise to return?" Her eyes were hopeful, as though she were wishing her loved one a swift return. It was... an odd feeling, to be sure. "Of course," was my reply, as my skeletal body left the canyon, making the short trek to the surface and just in time to see the sun beginning to rise above the horizon. The hues of reds, golds, oranges, and purples scattered themselves across the morning sky to greet the residences of the world. It was beautiful, and my person moved quickly to leave the canyon so that I may enjoy this beautiful scene in all its glory. There was a slope in front of the entrance to the canyon, one that was not there when I had first journeyed down, and once I climbed it, I was met with the drying blood and gore of the battlefield. Gone was my want of witnessing the sunrise once more, and in its place was disappointment. Mentally, I sighed, as my body stalked forward, pushing my way through the decaying bodies. Predators small and large fled from my presence for a short time, only to return to the bodies that littered the ground, as I continued forth until something wreathed in shadows rushed towards my person. "I will kill you," it howled, launching its body into the air. A mental eyebrow was raised, as it fell towards my person with something long and sharp barely hidden within itself. It might have been a blade of some sort, but I would not find out, as one of my primary clawed hands reached out and formed itself as though it were choking another. Whatever was in its hands had fallen away once I intoned the spell, "<>," which did halt the body of this shadowy creature in the air. By applying another called, "<>," I was able to bring this creature into one of my lesser clawed hands. This allowed me to firmly grasp its body, and examine it freely. "These shadows of yours are annoying," my voice came out in a rumble, shaking the earth beneath my feet, "No matter. <>," I intoned, <>," and watched as the shadows melted away from a squirming, naked, and wailing human male. This human was shrieking with such volume, it attracted many of those within my horde to my presence. Needless to say, they were elated I had returned to them, but remained silent as I tried to understand the human in my grasp. This thing called a "human" was devoid of skin in its entirety. So much so, that it was bleeding whilst its flesh sizzled and smoke for having been in contact with the diluted poisons upon my bones. If you are wondering why the poison upon my bones did not affect others, it is because their skin gives them some resistance to it. However, if one is without skin, such as the human here, then they are without said resistance and are very much susceptible to its dissolving properties. Although it did not have any skin, it did have something odd upon its face. This was some sort of solid mask without any sort of discernible features beyond the slits where the eyes should be. However, upon touching it, let alone trying to remove such an object, the human creature would elicit such a wailing as I have never before heard since more torturing escapades began. I would have enjoyed more, yes, but the creatures body was decaying in my grip. So, acting quickly, I intoned the spell, "<>," and targeted the creatures short term memories, as well as its abilities and skills. Of course, there were more wailings and screamings emitted from the thing, and yes, they were pleasing to listen to, but I was not there to enjoy such songs. No, I desired to know who and what the thing was. Just before the silvery orb left the skull of the creature, and journeyed to my own, my eyes did spy something of a small procession heading towards my body. There was a total of five grotesque orcs carrying a box between them, and did set it down in front of my person with something akin to reverence. Inside it, however, was the head of Brutus the Lich, who began to apologise for losing his ''perfect'' body. He stopped his apologies and begging for forgiveness once I held a foreclaw over what remained of his body. There was an audible snap, as the silvery orb entered my mind, giving me a glimpse as to who and what the creature in my grasp was. * As per usual, my body stilled itself as my eyes did gaze deep into my own mind. The world itself was full of white and grey shadows, as it flitted past my own inner being. It began to play upon the battlefield between my horde and the dragon-men began to slaughter the humans left and right with a pincer attack. This creature of shadows began to speak between two identical, bald humans wearing some sort of loose fitting clothing. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "Sean. Joseph," hissed the shadowed creature, who could only be Derrel, as they vaulted over something with many teeth and tentacles. Orbs of blue fire launched themselves from one of the twins, torching the mass of tentacles as it shrieked in pain and fury. Dark flame erupted all over the mass, causing it to become a pile of ash within moments. "We need to find their leader, and fast." The other two nodded in agreement, just as a howl of something that should not exist upon this world charged towards the shadowed human. Of whom exclaimed with a loud yelp, and leapt backwards whilst holding a long bladed knife in front of it. "Undead," shouted the twins in unison, as each struck out against the ghostly skeletons in a futile attempt to break their skulls. "Something else?" Their heads cocked to one side, then rolled out of the way at rusted iron swords slammed into the ground. "It''s a Lich," Derrel called out, pointing towards a partly fleshed individual with a sickly green mist flowing about its person. However, the Lich, whose name was Brutus, turned his partly fleshed head towards the three. He then pointed a long, bony finger towards their position which caused many of the dead and damned to surge towards them. "Shit," cried out the twins, who began rolling away from very real, and very deadly, rusted iron swords and spears which hungered for their blood. "How do we hit something that cannot be hit?" "You kill the Lich," responded Derrel, whose magicks were doing very little damage toward the undead. A bolt of shadowed lightning then fell upon the body of Sean, who shrieked with pain as the dark magicks scorched his flesh within mere moments. This allowed a few of the undead, who were near his person, to repeatedly pierce and chop his body into large chunks of flesh. Whereas Joseph, on the other hand, screamed his brother''s name as he watched him die. Then, with anger and rage in his voice he did launch his body high into the air, leaping over the undead ghostly skeletons, and near Brutus. The pair began to exchange blows with one another, whilst Derrel simply ran away from the battlefield. Yes, the human was a coward, and repeatedly had to hide amongst the dead to avoid detection from all three armies, but stopped once he noticed the fleeing forms of the rest of his comrades. However, they were running away from a giant skeleton who had survived an onslaught of spells, and a torrent of arrows upon its body. This skeleton was my self, and if you can recall, I breathed my poisoned breath upon the humans in retaliation of their annoyances. The shadowed human had fallen to its knees at this point, and witnessed the deaths of his comrades, one by one. He then watched, with a numb mind, as the humans'' general appeared, fell, and lost everything as his own son became a puddle of flesh within his arms. The rest of what happened to the human creature? Ramblings of madness, as it stalked the battlefield in search of my person until it found Brutus. The pair battled for a time, until the Lich''s own head flew from the body, of which was torched to ash, before the creature vanished. It was lying in wait, as it watched my body enter the canyon, and for nearly a sennight, it waited until, at last, I had emerged. Thus we come to the present. * "My Lord God?" Called Brutus''s head, as my mind returned to reality once more. It seems my return had called much of what remained of the horde to my person, and many had "presents". They each stared upon my person with hopeful gazes, to which I mentally sighed, and gave my ascent for them to do what they will with their captives. This sparked grateful and gleeful howls, as the rending of flesh, the breaking of bone, and the screams of humans filled the air about us. No, I did not partake in listening, nor watching what was happening, as my own attention was towards the dead body of what used to be Derrel. After watching the memories flit past my mind, I had come to the conclusion that this human had become maddened by the deaths of his companions, and desired revenge. However, all was for naught in the end, and to make sure it was final, my clawed hand dropped the ruined body, as my maw opened to spew forth a torrent of poisoned breath upon it. "M-my Lord God?" Stammered the head of the Lich, whose emerald pinpoints became enlarged for a brief moment as he watched my actions. "Brutus," my voice rumbled with mirth, "the heroes are all dead. Now and forever, they are all dead." Chapter 56 AN: Well, someone left me a nasty comment on one of my chapters. What they said was completely uncalled for, and their accusations were unfounded. No, I will not say who it was, where it''s at, or ask for others to voice their own opinions. Just know that I do not appreciate comments such as those. Besides, I did write a disclaimer above the prologue, so it''s not exactly my fault if they disliked it, right? Anyways, I have some news about the story. It''s almost at the epilogue stage on my buffer side. "What does that mean, OWL?" Well, it means once I''ve written it up, there''ll be two chapters a day until it''s out there for everyone to read. Afterwards comes an AMA type post, where you folks get to ask me all sorts of questions, and can supply me with ideas on what you''d like to see in the next arc. Just note that I do have the final say on what''ll be in there, but I would like to hear your ideas. One other bit about the story, then you''ll have the next chapter. I will be taking a short hiatus to brainstorm and write up a few chapters for the second arc. Please note: The Hiatus will occur AFTER the AMA post. Not going to disappear on you all right now, because we''re almost there. As always, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don''t hesitate to let me know. _______________________________ "That is wonderful news, My Lord God, and would be happy to join in celebration, but I seem to be missing a body at the moment." The skull that was Brutus gave a soft sigh, as it was hoisted into the air by one of my lesser clawed hands. "Your sarcasm is noted, Brutus; we will have to rectify this," my voice rumbled slowly, whilst my gaze swiftly glanced over the ruined field around us. A soft, melodious drifted about my person, as my clawed hands began tearing armour and weapons from the dead. It did not matter which race they belonged to, as I simply piled them all near the box that held the head of the Lich. A few within my horde, who did not participate in the rampant revelry of the others, had noted what I was about, and supplied the pile with their own meager offerings. Though of course, I did have to command them to cease their depositing of arms and armour, as the pile had become as tall as my own chest bone. Although they were thanked for their efforts, their expressions did say they were disheartened. With a mental sigh, one that was echoed by Brutus, they were allowed to continue to deposit the items into the pile. Many were elated by this, and continued to scour the field of blood and death in sear of more to offer my being. "They seemed to be much like children, My Lord God," spoke the Lich, who watched the others scamper off in search of "offerings". "In a way, they still are," I affirmed, resuming the melodious tune as my three free clawed hands began to mold and shape the discarded arms and armour. Each item melted into a spherical orb, as I plied it with my energies. They were then set off to the side, as I contemplated on what to create. For you see, although my artistic skills were considerably lacking, Brutus still needed a body with which to function. Perhaps about ten percent of the pile was used up, when I first began to mold a pair of skeletal feet. This pair was modeled after my own, albeit scaled down, and from there, I moved upwards. Creating a skeleton from within one''s mind doesn''t always come out perfect, not unless they have been trained to do so. Which is why I created a metallic body fashioned after my own, without the head of course. Ah, many of you seem confused as to how I was able to do this. Well, do you remember the beginning of the tale? Where I was transported to the second world called Azzarath? The Enchanters of that world is able to create arms and armour simply by using their own energies and imaginations. Although my own ''class'', as it were, was very much a unique one, I still received some knowledge about the original. It was a strange class, to be sure. What is more, that world does not have blacksmithing, nor even the notion of the word. Why bother with such a thing, if the Enchanters of that world are able to bypass the flame, anvil, and hammer to shape various metals. Yes, even the silver and gold smiths did not exist there, for much of the same reason. If you are curious about the Dwarven race, who are usually every world''s best smiths, then you must know that they are not upon that world. Instead, they happen to be Runesmiths, whilst the Elven races are prevalent in Enchnatments. Much like the bright elves within this room, who have the most talented Enchanters upon our world, so too were the elves of Azzarath. Ah, but I have gotten off track once more. For this, I apologise. The body I had crafted was an iron replica of my own body, but with some mistakes here and there. Though, once the body has been claimed by the Lich, the mistakes would seemingly disappear. To you who do not understand what I mean, simply listen to my words, for all will be revealed shortly. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "M-m-m-y Lor-d G-god?" Stammered the Lich, as his own eyes stared upon the metallic body that was being supported by a few bestial creatures of my horde. It stood well above three metres in height, and mirrored much the same of my own body. Such as the primary and minor clawed hands, the enlarged clawed feet, and yes, it even had a tail. However, much like my own, that own did not move beyond keeping the body balanced. "The body is yours, Brutus," my voice was a soft rumble, but still managed to shake the earth beneath our feet, as I settled his skull upon the neck. However, I needed to fasten his head upon it, and molded a sort of head piece that wrapped itself securely around his skull. "Now, repeat after me, Brutus, as this is very important for you to claim this body for your own." The words I spoke to him are not ones to be repeated, as they are a trade secret amongst we who are Enchanters. Although the ones upon this world could do nothing to stop myself from repeating the words, I will not do so. Thus, you will remain forever curious. However, I will tell you it was a spell of great magnitude, and could potentially, if abused, lead to an immortal life. For this spell is called, "Mors corporis animique". This roughly translates to "The living death of the body and mind." Yes, these words are ominous, but I assure you all, it is anything but. No, this is a ritual to combine the body and mind to an inanimate object, which allows them to move the extra appendage, or items, as though it were their own since the beginning of their birth. As to the why of its name, well, this sort of spell binds the object, or limb/s, to a person''s body. Looking into your eyes, I see you are confused, so allow me to try and explain it slowly. Let''s say you had lost a limb, be it an arm or leg. This would keep you from working, earning a living to provide for your family. Well, if one were to spend a small amount, they would be able to regain that lost limb by grafting an inanimate arm to their socket. The same applies to any sort of lost digits upon your hands and feet. Yes, it is exciting, but as with all things across all worlds, everything must have a price. Most of the time, that price is paid through the Enchanter''s own magicks, but in other cases it is through pain. Unlike all other bodily pains, this one is mainly mental. There have been many cases where the recipient of a limb would claim their own minds were aflame during this process, burning even a whisper of a thought. Even after the procedure, does this pain continue to linger, stealing away all thoughts benign or otherwise, and has even caused many to seek out their own deaths. For you see, this is the living death of the body and mind, as many have called it. As such, it would be wise to think long and hard before you perform an action that could, essentially, cause a limb to become misplaced. Brutus, on the other hand, had lost his body, and as such, had to endure far more than any others. In a word, yes, his voice did fill the air with his own screams. No, I did not warn him, and how could I? I of the past did not know what this ritualistic spell could do to someone who had lost everything below the neck. However, he was of the Undead, and I was confident in his recovery. Yes, he did recover, but a dozen within the horde had served as a sacrifice to placate the raging body that was the Lich. This was so, because of the berserk nature the ritual had cast over his mind in payment for gaining a new body, and because I needed him immobile so that my own magicks could shock his mind back to reality. Once he returned, however, he spent much of his time begging for forgiveness, as I called the horde to my person so that I may explain to them what will happen. Once all had gathered, or what I assumed was everyone still alive, my own being rounded on the Lich''s, and forced him to his feet. "Stand and be proud, Brutus," my voice became a growl as I spoke these words, "For you are the first of many to receive such blessings." His own head merely nodded as I spoke, "You are Undead. Act like it." Turning to the others, I did not see his reaction, but many others would tell my person it was of sorrow and hatred. Perhaps these emotions were directed towards himself, but I shall never know except for himself. "To those who have gathered before me," I began, causing my own voice to thunder across the stilled field of death and destruction, "I thank you all for journeying thus far. Most of you, here, will continue on with the dragon-men and women, as they will be attacking the humans on their own land. However, the rest will be journeying with myself and Brutus towards our home of New Wair. For I have promised a swift return to many, and I always keep my promises. Chapter 57 AN: So, I finished up to the Epilogue stage on my end, which means everyone''ll be able to read two chapters a day until we get to the end. Not much else to say, other than the arc will end on Wednesday, and there''ll be a separate AMA (Ask Me Anything) type post soon afterwards. Oh, and I''m trying to brainstorm the next plot, prologue, yadda, yadda, yadda. As always, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, don''t hesitate to speak up. I''m not going anywhere anytime soon. ________________________________ Myself, Brutus, and about a dozen, or so, orcs and monsters left the horde to journey onwards towards New Wair. The journey would not take as long as it did towards the battlefield, so we would be able to make it home in little time. The one I had left in charge of the horde, however, was the she-bear who had been watching Silvanna since she became as she was then. My person wished them all the luck in the world upon their ventures, which caused them to become joyous over my words. No, I did not understand it back then, but would in the future. The journey itself would last for a few turns of the sun, and in those days, I had gotten to know my subordinates better. Although I do not recall all of those that traveled with my person, those that I do, I cherish. For instance, one of the orcs, a grizzled and muscled bound fool, would always desire to fight over the smallest of items and ideas. Such as if he did not receive a portion of food that was equal to, or greater than others about him, he would lash out against all. Though, of course, if he tried that towards myself or Brutus, he would have been laid out flat on his back. No, I do not recall his name, but he was one who eased my mind when it became still and hollow. You are all confused by my words, I see, so allow me to explain something about the race known as Undead. We who have been, or currently are, among the unliving have a hollowed out mind. What I mean is, our minds do not hold the same chaotic thoughts as many others do. If we did, then something within each of us would come and steal it away. Thus, we are all often seen as cold and uncaring, while the truth of the matter is far different than what you may perceive. Another example would be myself. For you see, although my race is Ageless, and my form is of a male Kitsune, I still retain the same mental state that has claimed the Undead for so long, albeit in a lesser form. I dislike the quiet and stillness this causes within my mind, hence the reason why I am often seen around children. They are quite chaotic, as many well know, and always seem to fill my mind with something akin to peace. Yes, I still feel emotions, but since I''ve stepped onto the path of an Ageless, they will never be as strong as others feel. Thus, I, too, am often seen as cold and uncaring at times when pure emotion reigns supreme over the hearts of many. I do hope you understand this, as my mental state will never change, even if I were to journey down a separate path. Ah, but you are not here to listen to my ramblings. So let us continue, as this part of the story will end soon enough. There was another orc I had grown fond of, and can still remember something of her name, which was Simara. Yes, this one was a female, and was far more ruthless than the rest of them. As to why she was journeying with my person, well... She heard me speak on about my children, and desired to meet them. For you see, as I would learn fairly early one, female orcs are not able to produce offspring. No. Instead, the males of each clan and hold must journey out to procure other races'' females for mating. As to what these female orcs do in each clan and hold, they are often used as fodder for their arena games. Many become gladiators, and the like, because of this, or are used as something akin to a sex slave. Those who are born female, you see, oftentimes grow up to be beautiful, as this one had become. Yes, she still had the same green skin and bulging muscles as the male counterparts, but there seemed to be a softness about their faces. Although, many do sport a pair of lower fangs that jut out from their lips, and are sometimes called "tusks", but they still retain some beauty. Ah, but there is one issue about the females of the orcs. They do not have breasts, even though their lower parts are that of a female. In its stead are a pair of hardened, leather plates that seem to grow once they reach adulthood. These plates are not mounds, mind you, but flat, and once they enter something they call "Agu Ra''aten", which occurs around double their adulthood age, the leather plates duplicate themselves to cover their entire bodies from the neck, down. Hence the reason why many become gladiators, or are part of a great army of some sort. As to their lower, feminine parts, these tend to disappear after aging past this stage. In some cases, many females lose their ability to urinate and defecate. When this occurs, they become a time bomb, and in most cases, it is meant to be literal. For you see, their leather plates continue to spread, even after it covers their entire body. They would then start covering their organs, veins, muscles, sinew, bone, and arteries. However, once it settles on everything below the neck, their bodies can no longer move, as these plates begin to journey to the head and brain. Once the brain is covered, they either die, or something else occurs. Energies of the chaotic nature begins to seep into their bodies, transforming their everything into something akin to a virulent bomb. Where, if one were to become punctured by something, it would explode with enough force and magnitude that all of New Wair would be wiped from the face of Terra. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "Which is why many races tend to war against any and all groups of orcs they can find," added Brutus, whose own voice was a deathly chill around a bonfire, which looked similar to a large house, our little group began. The orcs about us nodded in unison, as they snacked on the remains of the farm we had raided early. Our journey to this point was rather uneventful, to be honest. Sure, there were a few odd farmhouses full of now dead humans, kin, or elves, and way stations that had been hidden and well stocked with dried rations and supplies, but as I said, it was uneventful. Now, the large, burning house in front of us was an odd occurrence. Mainly because it was right in the middle of the road we passed through on our way to the battlefield, and no one remembers there being a house there. Carefully, we approached the building. Well, I would have called it "carefully", if it weren''t for the fact that the orcs were being overly loud with their movements and voices. Even to this day, their race doesn''t understand the word "tact". Anyways, as we approached, the door suddenly burst open to reveal an old, drunk human with more hair than skin shown about its body. The body of the human swayed with a green, glass bottle in one hand, and swung an odd blue handled sword in the other. It was ranting and raving about demons stealing him and his sword away, claiming to be ready to die fighting. Though, of course, it died rather quickly, but not in the way many of you believe. Instead of our magicks, or iron weapons slaying the human, it simply stumbled forward, dropped the sword, which spun and pointed its blade towards the human just as it fell atop it. This caused the blade itself to pierce through the human''s left eye socket, and exited out the back of its skull. What was more, once the human was truly dead, the sword simply vanished into a cloud of golden particles. "What a strange blade," my voice rumbled softly, as nearly all within the group began their looting of the interior of the house, claiming what they could, before one of them accidentally set fire to it all. "Any idea what it could have been, my Lord God?" Asked Brutus, whose skull had cocked to the right. "I''m not sure, Brutus, but it felt familiar somehow." * "Why do you desire to see the children, Simara?" My voice awoke the female orc, who was currently staring at the fire with a blank gaze. Her own eyes, a pair of dark orbs, flickered between my own skull and the fire before her for a time, before turning towards my person with a great sigh. "I want children," her own voice was a guttural bark, which suited her race quite well, "Can''t have them. They run when I am near." The orc''s eyes were downcast as she spoke the last bit, and kicked at a small rock in frustration. "Do all females of your race desire children?" My skull cocked itself towards my left shoulder, as I stared at her form with great curiosity. "No," Simara''s head shook quickly, "They fight. I fight, too, but want children more." To this statement, a male laughed at her fantasy, calling her pathetic, and much harsher words. Within moments, the male was lying flat on his back, as the female continuously bludgeoned his head with her fists. Blood, the colour of an expansive ocean, spattered the ground around them, which became a small river once she crushed the other''s head in with a large, human head sized rock someone had rolled near their bodies. I will not say who pushed this rock near the pair, but I was curious as to why she killed him. She shook her blood spattered head slowly, refusing to answer, to which I simply shrugged and tossed her a small shirt. As the female orc used the shirt to remove the excess blood about her face, one of my clawed forefingers tapped against my fanged teeth. "You know," my voice rumbled slowly, shaking the earth beneath everyone''s feet, "I do have many unruly children within the castle. If one or two suit your fancy, I am sure they can be persuaded to become your children." The small shirt fell from her fingertips, as my words sank in, and Simara''s eyes grew wide with hope and tears. "Yes, and they will love you, too." Her arms were stretched out, as she ran towards my body, and hugged my left leg. However, she hissed with pain, as the poison that coated my bones found their way into her body. "Ah, we cannot have you melting before you are given a child," a deep throated chuckle permeated the air, as I intoned a very different spell, "<>." Chapter 58 AN: Have to point out something to you guys. There''s going to be another NSFW chapter coming up. It''ll for tomorrow, but it''s the last one for the arc. Anyways, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don''t hesitate to let me know. ______________________________________ "Will you stop that?" My voice thundered across the heavens, causing the earth about my person to shake under it. My small group had been falling down upon their hands and knees, openly worshiping my self ever since my display of healing the female orc the night before. It was rather annoying, as one can only imagine, and though many find it pleasurable or amusing, I did not. This sort of worship was, for lack of a better word, degrading. For instance, several wanted to bathe my skeletal frame, which, in and of itself, was a very bad idea. The idea was struck from their minds the moment a bit of cloth touched my bones, and began to disintegrate, but they weren''t deterred. No, and if I still needed food and drink, I fear they all may try to feed me at once. For you see, though they proclaimed me a god, they now actively believed I was after my display of healing. I could not understand it at the time, but the group followed the orcs'' logic when it came to ascending to godhood. Meaning, one had to be immortal, be destructive in nature, have some sort of theme about their being- mine was Chaos, by the way-, and be able to heal others. It was an odd logic, to be sure, and from this, the female orc who desired a child did not wish to have ownership over one of my own. "Nonsense," I rumbled down upon Simara, causing her body to quake under its force, "You desired a child, and this is what you''ll receive." From this statement alone, I had to order her to stand, as she began reciting something akin to mantras in her native tongue. Another orc had to translate their meanings for me, to which I wasn''t at all surprised to find out they were all, each and every one, used for the worship of their gods. Speaking of gods, these orcs seemed to have a god for everything. When I say everything, I mean everything. They even had gods for the act of urinating, defecating, the removal of the placenta from a female''s body after child birth AND eating it, as well as many others that will churn your stomach. Then there were those that were foolishly named gods. Such as the god of walking, kicking stones in frustration, and revenge copulation. An imaginary headache was forming, by the time I called a stop to the explanation of their gods. It was rather ridiculous, and I desired not to hear any more of it, of which Brutus was in complete agreement. One god was enough for him, which was myself, and did not wish to spend his time in worship with others. Especially when it would mean less time spent with my person. Once he said this, however, I was, as they say upon my first world, "weirded out". Which simply means you are greatly uncomfortable by the situation at hand, and I was. For he was projecting something akin to love for my entire being. Not that I mind, mind you, but his actions were becoming dangerously close to my being disgusted. Which became more apparent after I questioned those who wished to wash my bones, and found out the idea was first proposed by the Lich, himself. In any case, the journey towards New Wair was "entertaining", in some ways, whereas others were annoyingly awkward. However, our little group had to stop once one of the monsters, a large, floating eyeball with a mass of tentacles surrounding its body, told us all there was a large army of about two hundred dwarves in between us and New Wair. "Oh?" An imaginary eyebrow was raised as I listened to its report, and had a few others confirm it. Though, of course, upon their return they needed to be healed by my person, as each sported several arrows upon their backsides and rumps. A few of the dwarves had even climbed over the rise, chasing after the creatures of my group, only to find a mass of ghostly skeletons surrounding them. Of course, they attacked the skeletons, but their weapons passed through their bodies harmlessly. I had Brutus kill all, but one among their number, as I desired its knowledge to better understand the situation at hand. He did so, but the one he singled out seemed to know it wasn''t going to be harmed, and ran about defending its comrades to the best of its tiny abilities. Of which, resulted in the dwarf appearing before me in a bloody mess, and barely alive. No, I did not heal the tiny creature, but instead, simply lifted its body towards my skull and stole a few of its memories, whilst the rest of its body began to melt from the acidic nature of my poison. Upon accepting the silvered orb into my mind, the grey and white mists began to form about my mind, revealing to me what I desired most out of the creature. However, all is not what I had imagined, and became greatly disappointed upon the scene. * "Ye positive Feiran died from ye father, lad? Not from uh explosion from ''is lab?" Asked one of several dozen dwarves near a farmhouse I did not recognise. Each was wearing what looked to be mailed or full plate armour beneath standard tunics and trousers. "Yes," the reply came from Nox, whose body was cloaked in a long cape-like outfit. "One of my spies has reported saying he will return within a few turns of the sun from the war front. They also say he has made peace with the demons, and gave up most of his army to them so that they may ''wipe out'' the rest of the human ''infestation'' that plagues the land." If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "What?!" Many, if not all, of the voices of the dwarves roared in unison at this revelation. For the demons were a threat to all races, but it was left to the humans due to them desiring all the glory, and their fast reproductive cycles gave them more numbers. "There are even a few of the demons within the castle proper, and have already been befriended by the queen and her helpers," he sneered as he spoke the word "helpers", of whom could only be RS and LD. However, he spoke of something else at that moment and posed a question to the dwarves at hand, "Do you know of the Shadow''s Reapers?" Several dwarves shivered at the name, even going as far as to make several hand gestures to ward off the evil of it. "Aye lad," came another''s reply, "that we do." "My father has resurrected the race through his foul mag-" "Boy, now yer treading on hot coals. How could yer pappy resurrect the accursed race, when no one upon Terra knows of how to resurrect anyone?" Something else entered the mists, and stood by Nox with a wooden box in its paws. It seems, to my mind at least, that his dear friend the bear beastman was also in on this scheme. Of whom opened the box, and dumped out the severed head of the alpha of the Shadow''s Reaper''s pack. All of the dwarves'' eyes stared wide upon the head, whose eyes had been torn out of its socket, as black ichor stained the ground about it. "That''s a Shadow''s Reaper''s head," whispered another dwarf, "Me poppa ahways described them to me." "Boy, what''s in the other box near the beast?" Yet another demanded, pointing towards a large wooden crate behind the bear beastman. "Are they liken that head there?" "Some are, while the others are the severed heads of the twisted horse beastman tribe he experimented upon." "What?!" A few shouted at this, rushing towards the box whilst shoving the pair out of the way. Once the lid of the crate was forcibly removed, all stared at the severed heads of over a dozen Shadow''s Reapers, as well as the heads and horns of the nightmarish horse beastman tribe. "Ye gods of me poppa, what mad fiend is yer poppa, boy?" "One of the worst," his reply was soft, and had to repeat it on a much greater volume. Tears flowed down from his eyes, as he related a tale of woe of how I had killed the male "hero" with my own clawed hands, and subjected the females to a life of enslaved sexual servitude for the rest of their days. "We found them eventually," there was disgust within his voice as he spoke to a hushed crowd of dwarves, "but they were too far gone, and had become pregnant from their constant abuse. I-I had to kill them, to end their suffering once and for all." The beastman placed its paw upon the hybrid''s shoulder, who continued with, "He''s enslaved the castle. Not only that, but he''s transformed the entire city of New Wair into his servants and slaves, by transforming their bodies into hideous creations of your worst night terrors. Not only that... He had my mother killed after my birth. Only because she did not choose to stay by his side, but the hero''s." "Lad, don''t worry. We''ll put him down like the monster he is. Right boys?" All around Nox and the beastman, were the bobbing heads of the dwarves, who were making plans, or running about the farm and disappearing from sight. "Are you sure you want to do this, Nox?" Asked the beastman, worry etched about its muzzle and eyes. "Yes," he replied, with as much venom dripping from his voice as he could manage to bear, "Father, no. That monster has to die, as there will be no peace upon the world so long as he is around. * The mists about my person slowly receded, returning me to the present. "I am disappointed in you, Nox," my voice rumbled softly, as my head turned towards the group who had prostrated themselves towards my still body. Whereas the Lich named Brutus simply watched it all with amusement flitting within the emerald coloured pinpoints that were his eyes. "My Lord God?" His voice was full of questions, as his gaze came upon my own. "Nox has betrayed me, Brutus," my own, hollowed and dejected by what I had witnessed, "I am very disappointed in him, but," a forefinger of my right primary claw was raised, "a rapid dog is still a rabid dog. Do you know what to do when you find one?" To this, I asked the entirety of the group. However, it wasn''t Brutus who had spoken up, but Simara, "Rabid dogs are to be killed, their bodies burned, and their ash spread out upon the wind." "Correct," my voice was filled with mirth, as my own body slowly transformed itself into my kobold self. Chapter 59 AN: The song the MC sings is called Mad World by Gary Jules. Love it to death, and it somewhat fits the entire scene. Anyways, folks, thank your for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, don''t hesitate to voice them. __________________________ "Hello father," Nox''s voice was hollow, devoid of emotion, as he stared upon my kobold body with such hate. This simple reaction caused the lips of the left side of my muzzle to twitch slightly. "Such a foolish child, you are, but you''ve brought along dolls playing dress-up," my gaze briefly stretched itself over the large cadre of well armed and armoured dwarves surrounding the rebellious hybrid. Of whom seemed to be smiling in content over what should be my demise, but frowned as monsters, orcs, and ghostly undead began to form up around my person. Those within my group simply laughed or grinned at the fight to come. Well, that is, until the dwarves started parting to reveal the hybrid with chained captives. "Papa!" Puella cried out, as tears fell much like a waterfall from her cheeks that were stained with blood. Near her person were the kobold pups, who were crying piercingly loud the moment they saw my kobold self. "Nox, really? You expect me to what, surrender, or you''ll harm the children?" Truly a clich¨¦d situation as I''ve ever seen, and one of which was believed will happen. "My dear, boy, you have much to learn if you believe this will sway my thoughts." My right foreclaw pointed towards the children, as a shadow flitted past us, charging towards the now closing ranks of shield bearing dwarves. This shadowed creature leapt high into the air, becoming a dozen, two dozen, three, four, five, six, before landing amongst the startled dwarves who were now frantically fighting that which had no form. Nox, on the other hand, had tightened his grip on the chains that bound the children, shaking it with rage building up in his body. "You''ve been a bad, bad boy," whispered a silky voice, who laughed with great humour, as the hybrid search about his person for the voice. The hybrid then fell to his knees, as a shadowed fist collided with his abdomen, and relinquished the chains that held onto the children. Of whom were staring at a large, buxom female creature who simply laughed as she lifted the children, and ran back towards my position. The moment she arrived, however, the shadowed like entities that plagued the dwarves seemingly vanished, leaving many with only dented arms and armour, along with a few streams of blood here and there. "What was that?" Cried out several shaken, but angered dwarves. The boy''s jaw moved up and down in response to the ruckus these dwarves were creating, as I removed the chains that bound the children. Once free, the trio clung to my body, shaking, whining, and crying as I did my best to soothe their small hearts. "He hurt Lupa, papa," whispered Puella, whose face was buried in my neck fur, "Red stuff came out of her, when he left her room. She didn''t wake up, papa. She didn''t wake up..." Her voice became soft, as Simara appeared with tears in her eyes. The female orc''s eyes stared upon the scene, and it appeared as though she desired to hold the trio close, but dared not. Her eyes sparked an idea within my own mind, as I lifted the three to stare into their small faces. "Puella, Igne, Puer," their eyes were wide and red from the constant crying, and turned their attention towards the orc as I continued, "This is Simara, and she wants to be a mommy." "Mah-mee?" the girl-child whispered the unfamiliar word slowly, then looked towards the kobold pups, whose arms were stretched out towards the orc. "Take care of them, Simara," she squawked loudly, as I dumped the children into her arms. Puella, on the other hand, cried even louder the moment she realised I was no longer holder her. This sparked the pups'' cries to begin once more, of which only calmed down the moment they had the fingers of my right, clawed hand within their small mouths. My left, on the other hand, was busy stroking the girl-child''s head slowly. "I will return," my voice was soft, and did not rumble as it normally does. Instead, it was filled with warmth that startled the orc who held the children. Who then shivered as my starry gaze turned towards her own. "Watch over them Simara. Do this, and your wish will come true. Don''t, and your carcass will feed many hungry mouths this night." ***** "Damnit all," I cried out, pounding the ground with my fist, as I watched fa-, no, the monster steal back his children from my grasp. It was perfect, too, and his death would be assured once he realised I would carry out my threat of killing them. However, "Where did that thing come from?" I asked the air around my person, as chaos ensued about it. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Soon after the shadowed thing left, other monsters from peoples'' worst night terrors began to appear throughout the dwarven army. A large eyeball was seen swimming above the head of several dozen crossbowmen, of which was deflecting their bolts with relative ease. This was from the mass of wriggling tentacles about its body, and had several frantic dwarves within its tangled mass. Most of the monsters my eyes could not follow, as they were too quick, and landed atop a very tall, and slender creature devoid of a face. This creature stood tall at nearly three metres in height, with thin limbs that were as long as each other. It wore something akin to a merchant''s suit worn for business ventures and meetings, whilst its entire head was simply white and featureless. From its back, however, was the same mass of tentacles the floating eyeball had, albeit with less chaos. This thing did nothing, except vanish and appeared in front of random dwarves, or group of dwarves, gripped their small bodies, hoisted them towards its head, and dropped them. Each and every one of its victims had a look of horror etched into their faces, and most of their bodies seemingly had contorted in ways that should not be possible. My body shivered with fright, as it turned its attention towards my own, and vanished from my sight. However, it did not appear in front of me, but in front of several of those who decided to follow my lead. Those that followed me were of the older children, and some younglings, the monster and his slaves had rescued. However, after seeing demons, monsters, and that frightening skeletal giant, desired to run from this place. Each began to beg my person, expressing their desire to leave, but I persuaded them all to stay. That is, until I learned the truth of what the monster who called himself "Father" truly was. "Do you not enjoy the fruits of your labour, Nox?" Rumbled a familiar voice, one I desired to rush towards, and cling to until this nightmare was over, but steeled myself from this urge. Instead, I stood upon my own two feet, and drew out the blue hilted sword an old man had gifted me last night. Even now, his words still ring true, ''It''s dangerous to go alone, young one. Take this, but know that this sword is a terrible burden to wield. For it not only can be used to save lives, but take them as well. And that, in and of itself, is a burden all must bear when wielding a sword such as this.'' The sword itself was odd, but was used to kill someone that didn''t deserve to die, but would now be used to kill someone that deserved it. I grinned menacingly as the monster''s eyes fell upon it, "That''s an interesting weapon you have there, boy. Do you know how to use it?" "You had the guards teach me, if you remember?" The old man stated it came with a shield, but was being loaned out to an elven boy-child at the moment, so I had to use a wooden buckler in its stead. "You do not have enough experience to wield it in any case," the monster chuckled towards my person, which only seemed to infuriate me. To this, I simply slashed the air and watched, as a wave of condensed white light dashed towards the grinning creature who I used to call "Father". However, it was simply absorbed by a shimmering, golden aura that coated his small frame. "That was strangely familiar," he became thoughtful, as his eyes tried to bore a hole into the blade, "Tell, me, does it have three triangular shapes upon its hilt?" My eyes widened greatly, more so when he began to laugh greatly, clutching his sides as he doubled over. More of the dwarves died once he did this, as his voice shook the earth around us, causing them to fall over whilst heavy claws and blades fell onto their body. "What''s so funny?" I called out to him, as he forcibly calmed down. "A relic of my first world has found its way here. Truly this is quite amazing," the creature''s voice held traces of humour within it, as its eyes became devoid of emotions once more. "Well, no matter." He vanished, then, and reappeared behind my self. Turning quickly, the blade arched itself towards his body, but was stopped by a single digit. "Tell me, Nox, did an old man give you this after saying, ''It''s dangerous to go alone, take this.''?" Once my head bobbed once, the sword was plucked from my grasp as though I was a child once more. This caused my body to pounce towards his own, but was stopped by his grip upon my neck. Rather, one of his clawed hands had gripped my neck, as his entire body slowly morphed into the skeletal creature that frightened us so long ago. "Y-you," I gasped out, scratching at the bones that held me, but to no avail, as its grasp slowly encased my entire being. "Yes," it whispered slowly, "Me." Chapter 60 (NSFW) AN: Last NSFW chapter of the arc, because tomorrow will be part one and two of the Epilogue, followed by a Q&A with yours truly. It''s not as bad as the others, but I still have to point it out. There''s also a major cliff hanger ahead, too, which may cause some people to be a bit upset with me, especially after the bomb shell I drop tomorrow~. As per usual, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have ANY questions, comments, or concerns, let me know either down below, or in my PM box. Or you could always tell my tomorrow. ______________________ "Y-you a-a-a-are...," Nox continually stuttered as I regained my skeletal body once more, which caused my imaginary lips to grin a feral grin. "Yes," my voice hissed out as sickly green fumes. All around us were the screams of the dying and the damned, along with many dwarves who cried out in surprise at my appearance change. "I am." Laughter, melodiously hideous echoed throughout the crowded air full of screams, as my acidic breath fell upon a small squad of dwarves rushing towards my position. These dwarves, like all others who fell victim to my breath, screeched and yowled as the poison ate away at their everything, and reduced them to puddles of flesh and metal. "Witness, little Nox," his body was held high above the battlefield, showing him everything around us, "Witness the fruits of your laborious treachery, and know that it has failed." All around us was a song like no other; of claw and metal rending flesh and each other; of screams and yells from both the living and the dying. The damned had their own song, but it was more haunting, than melodious. "Brutus, capture those that are not of the Dwarven race. Bind them tightly, and bring them to me." The Lich, who had been summoning up a large host of ghostly skeletons paused in his summonings, and commanded a few to do as I had commanded. As this was progressing, my voice thundered across the battlefield, causing the earth to quake beneath our feet, and the air to ripple with strain, "All around me are familiar faces. Worn out places; worn out faces." Several dwarven heads, including an odd tiger-kin''s, flew into the air. The Kin''s head smacked itself against the clawed hand that held Nox''s body, causing him to stare at it in horror. "Bright and early for the daily races. Going nowhere... <>." Three bolts of crimson lightning flew forward, striking two dwarves who tried to sneak up on a preoccupied, large male orc who was beating a dwarf to death with its own shield. He whipped his body around with surprise, as his ears picked up the sudden peal of thunder following the deadly streak of lightning. The male''s body shook with relief, and gave his thanks many times towards my person, to which I waved away so that he may return to the battle at hand. Though, moments later, he was dead from several bolts pincushioning his brain. "Their tears are filling up their glasses. No expression; no expression." From what I was able to see, and from what my group boasted about, many of the dwarves, in their final moments and towards the end, were found to be crying. For what reason was still a mystery to us; even to this day, no answer has been found. They were scared, yes, but the dwarven races are usually very mysterious about their emotions regarding fear, as they usually put on a strong front to word it all off. "Hide my head, I want to drown in sorrow. No tomorrow; no tomorrow." The non-dwarven races were now chained together nearest my clawed feet, each wailing for someone, anyone to save them from their predicament. A few were still young children, which was odd, but did not bother my past self. They will all be punished, yes, but those still a child will have their memories extracted and altered to suit my desire. "You''re insane," whispered the hybrid, who simply stared with a blank expression, then gasped as my gripped tightened for a moment around his body. "That is quite impossible, Nox, as I am Undead." "What does that even mean?" His voice was filled with such hatred and loathing, I was actually starting to enjoy this side of him. Unfortunately, I could not afford to keep him, which was a pity. "We who are Undead can never feel emotions. If we did, then something steals it away, leaving us hollow, cold, uncaring. Many even go so far they desire the rest of the world to feel what they feel, or simply desire to remove all living creatures from the face of their world." My shoulders lifted themselves up for a brief moment, then dropped quickly as I shook my skull slowly, "Regardless of what I feel, the matter at hand is your own predicament." The eyes within my skull flared brilliantly, illuminating his body in its glow, "You have disappointed me, Nox, and must be punished severely. For now, though, you will answer my questions as to why you instigated a riot towards my person." "I will do no such thing, you monster," his body did its best to twist and turn from my grasp, but to no avail. "Oh, but you will, as have all the others, dearest Nox," my right primary foreclaw pointed itself towards his mind, causing him to wail from the pain of my spell of, "<>." Unbeknownst to my past self at the time, the hybrid had retained his memories, unlike the others, as the silvery orb was extracted from his mind. Once it entered my own, the white and grey mists began to form, transporting my mind into the past for a brief time. * The white and grey mists churned about my mental body, forming up an image like no other. It was hazy, and continued to swirl around, but still expanded to that of a mountainous range full of dead and dying trees. My eyes did not recognise the scenery, and none knew of it when questioned as to its origins. However, Nox''s body was quickly formed, and was running from something large and bestial. The shape of it was my skeletal form, but full of shadows that I did not have, but did strike the ground around his body with dark gold coloured lightning. For some odd reason, every time the creature would enclose upon the hybrid''s position, something would force it to teleport away, whereupon they would continue the game of cat and mouse once more. This strange behaviour continued, until a silvered armoured figure descended from the heavens, and through a glowing, white spear towards the creature of his nightmares. This caused the end of the creature''s life, of which roared with anger at the pair as its body became ash. "Are you alright, Nox?" Asked the silvered figure, who strode towards the other slowly, the moment his armoured feet touched the ground. "Thank you for saving me," he replied, brushing himself off, "but who are you?" "My name is-," no words were heard, but it was clear this armoured being had spoken, and only the hybrid heard it. "Do you remember how you got here? This forest, though it no longer has a name, is quite dangerous." The other shook his head, "A pity, but come. We shall journey together." The pair left the mist filled area, as did the range of mountains and forest of trees, and was replaced with the interior of a small cabin. There was a single bed off to the side, and under the sole window of the home, along with a wood burning stove on the opposite side. The only other piece of furniture was a plain, wooden chair, and the mists created Nox, who was sitting down upon it, drinking from a wooden cup and laughing with the armoured individual. "-I was caught soon afterwards, with the piece of meat hanging from my jaws," he finished speaking, then raised the cup high, "Is this your home, by the way?" "Yes it is," replied the other, whose voice still held traces of joy, "It''s small, but this is where I call home. What of you? Where do you reside?" "The castle of New Wair," he replied almost immediately, "We live with Father and the new queen of the humans." "I detect unrest within you, young one. Speak. There is only we within the cabin, and no others reside without." Nox simply nodded, and began to speak of what he witnessed within the throne room, the day the rapists among the older children were brought in for punishment. He spoke of the fears he felt when the giant skeletal creature appeared, and transformed them into skeletal creatures that were able to wield great magicks of the earth, water, wind, and fire. "What did the queen do when all of this was said and done?" "She bowed her head low, and would have kissed its feet if permitted." The armoured creature simply hummed, as the mists faded away once more, then revealed the forest once more, but this time with Nox angrily shouting at the other. He was hugging a tree, as my various exploits upon this world was revealed to his eyes in the form of floating windows. "Liar," he roared, turning on the armoured creature with a pair of glowing red eyes, "Father said she died at birth, and came for me soon after." "No, young one, your father took you from her, then killed her himself for simply choosing another." These words caused the hybrid''s body to leap onto the other, and began clawing and punching its body. "My words speak the truth, Nox, and these images are my proof towards you." This seemed to placate him, who slid to the ground, staring up at the armoured being before him. "Then," but the mists claimed the scene, erasing their presence from my eyes. However, they did return, but inside something akin to the young queen''s throne room. Instead of Deliah sitting upon the gilded throne, sat the armoured creature, whose head was turned towards the kneeling body of Nox. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. "I accept your fealty, young child. Go, and convert the others to our cause. For the evil that was your father must be stopped at all cost. Use whatever method you desire to do this, but you must stop it." "Yes, my Lord High God." After such words were spoken, the mists, too, claimed the scene and people, revealing several dozen scenes of Nox trying to recruit others within the castle of New Wair to bring me down. However, those that did not wish to join him met with accidents that either crippled their bodies, or outright killed them. Most seemed to have fallen from a great height, whereas the rest were simply found with stab wounds around their chests. The Undying and guards below were on alert after three of the bodies were found, making it difficult for him to kill them. However, the day he was caught, was after the night Puella desired to cuddle with Lupa for a reason only she knew. The scene played out, revealing the feline girl-child walking down the halls towards the wolf-kin''s room, dragging a long, thin blanket behind her small body. However, she stopped when she heard muffled arguing coming from the kin''s room and a small scream, followed by silence. The doors then burst forth, revealing the rushing body of Nox who pushed past the other girl-child without a glance towards her body. Once his presence was gone, however, Puella entered the room, and started screaming at the mangled body that was once Lupa. If my past self had a heart, it would have shattered at the scene before him, as a surge of female Undying charged the room, only to find the dead body of the wolf-kin girl-child being shaken by the other, trying to wake her up. * "Oh Lupa," my voice was barely a whisper, as it hissed between my fanged teeth, "Puella. Forgive me for not being there." A great tide of emotion welled up within my body, to which my left clawed foot lifted itself high, then stamped the ground in front of my person. This allowed me to arch my back fully; my skull tilted back, and my arms flew to the sides, as I released a primal howl infused with rage, loss, and sorrow. Those within my group, each howled or roared alongside my voice, adding to the pain I felt for a brief moment, before that which was within my being stole it all away. Once I had calmed down, and my body was straight once more, did my eyes glare balefully towards the hybrid within my clawed grasp. "You have stolen from me something precious, boy. Therefore, I will steal from you something of equal value." Turning towards the group of overly soiled beast and kin, my eyes spied a bound bear beastman. A lesser clawed hand gingerly lifted its body towards my skull, as a clawed forefinger pointed at its skull. "<>," I intoned, as my acidic breath leaked from the edges of my maw, "Give me your everything, for I desire it greatly." The creature in my grasp howled with pain, as my magicks poured unceasingly into its mind, stealing all of its secrets. "No," cried out Nox, who could do nothing, but watch as his close companion''s mind was slowly turning him into a drooling, empty shell. Within moments after his outburst, the body of the bear beastman was thrown far away from our position, and I forced the hybrid to watch as the body soared towards a range of mountains in the distance. "We are not done, yet, boy," his eyes were full of tears, begging me to stop. "You have stolen a child''s life, one that was worth more to me than you realise. Therefore, I shall steal the lives of your followers. You will watch as their bodies are torn asunder, their minds destroyed by my magicks, and you will listen to their screams for your help as they die. All of this will happen, and in the end, you will know it was your own fault, and can do nothing, but watch." The first of many victims was a female feline-kin who was well endowed. She screamed and begged my person not to proceed with what I planned to do, but I would not listen. Instead, my lesser claws gripped tightly to her torso and waist, then began to twist and pull her body in different directions. Blood, shreds of meat, bone, and organs fell upon the ground, spattering my legs and clawed feet as her body fell to the ground. The retching of stomach contents soon filled the air about us, before the screams continued as another feline-kin was hoisted into the air. This one was also a female, but with a flat chest, and instead of being twisted apart, one of my clawed hands held her as the chains were being removed from her person. She was then released onto the ground, and ignored, as I reached for another of the bound creatures. Not missing the chance presented before her, she turned and ran from us. However, her legs only carried her for a few metres, before a large gaping hole appeared within her abdomen. No scream ensued from this, beyond Nox who was calling out to her, begging her to rise from her position, and run from the madness of this apparent nightmare. When she did not move, the hybrid began to let out a mournful wail, but was stopped when I shook him quickly. From the memories of the bear beastman, the female I had just killed was the hybrid''s chosen mate. One who had been found in his bed on many a night, which caused my imaginary lips to twitch into a sneer. "No more," came a whisper from my clawed hand, "Please Father. No more." "I do not have a son," was my reply, as I continued on with the execution of his followers. My eyes did not see his reaction, but Brutus did, and spoke of how broken the hybrid looked when I spoke my words. The next to be lifted towards my skull was an elven female, but instead of dying, she was given over to the surviving male orcs who were simply watching with fascination. They whooped and hollered as the female was given to them, and tore off her bindings and clothing. Without missing a beat, the orcs removed what remained of their trousers, and shoved their hardened members into the female. Of whom was now crying and silently screaming with pain and horror as blood began to pour onto the ground between her legs. There were a few remaining orcs who had to wait a turn, of which were gifted a second female. This one was of an avian tribe, and though she had a beak for a mouth, it did not stop them from shoving their own throbbing members into it, whilst the others went for her lower body. The remaining monsters of my group, an eye with a mass of tentacles, and a creature that stood tall with elongated limbs, a business-like outfit, and a featureless white skull, were also gifted with females. However, the elongated limbed creature desired one of the males instead, and traded its female for it. I will never know what had happened to the both of them, as the creature and captive vanished from sight for a time, and only the former returned. Whereas the one with a mass of tentacles had stuffed the orfices of the female with many of its tentacles, rubbing its insides whilst fluids, blood, and unidentifiable substances fell to the ground below them. Returning to the task at hand, another intended victim, a male bear-kin was gripped and lifted enough to allow Nox to watch what I did next. "It''ll be okay, Rex. Just trust me, okay? Everything will be okay," he would continue saying this over and over, even as his friend and follower melted into a puddle of flesh and fur beneath my clawed feet. This would continue, this breaking of the hybrid''s mind, until, at last, we came to the only children of the group. "Please," he whispered, "They''re just children. They didn''t do anything." "Lupa was a child, Nox," my voice was only a soft hiss, as my acidic breath slowly escaped my maw, "She didn''t do anything either." There were only three children within the group, and all were not beastial in any way. No. Instead, they looked elven, and two of them had seemingly passed out. Within my own mind, a small part of my being of grateful for this, while the rest did not care. The third child, on the other hand, stared into my eyes with defiance, even though its small body shook violently. However, even if I was impressed, their death sentence was still carried out. My great maw opened slowly, which allowed my acidic breath to baptise their small bodies, reducing them, and the ground, to nothing. "NO," wailed Nox, who had witnessed it all. His eyes had gone blank at this moment; shattered after witnessing such a gruesome scene. "Brutus," I called out to the Lich, who appeared by my side within moments, "Do you have a two sided coin?" "Yes, My Lord God," who held up a gold coin in his metallic, clawed hands. On one side was a dwarven face, whereas the other held a picture of an anvil and hammer. "Good. I want you to flip the coin high into the air, then tell me on which side it lands." "For what reason, My Lord God?" "If it lands upon the anvil and hammer, with the dwarf head facing up, then this creature in my clawed hand will live whilst the scene of today forever plays in its mind. If it''s the other, then it will join the others in whatever awaits them in the next life." At my explanation, the Lich flicked the coin high, and watched as it landed upon the ground... Chapter 61 - Epilogue Pt. 1 AN: My heart goes out to the people of Brussels, and those families to grieve. I''m not the praying type, but will keep ''em in my thoughts. I''ve never had to experience such a loss before, and yes, I can write about it in my stories, but to actually have lived through it all? I''d rather not, if it''s all the same. Although it''s a tad too early for a drink, here''s to their smooth recovery from the attacks. Thank you all for reading thus far. If you have a question, comment, or concern, please either let me know down below, or post it in the Q&A post after the epilogues. _______________________________ "It''s been almost a fortnight since the incident outside the walls of New Wair, and-" "Forgive me for interrupting, Ageless," spoke out a dark furred feline beastwoman, whose right clawed hand was raised as it stood up. All eyes turned towards herself, a few noting the large pair of mounds jiggling upon her bare chest, "But what happened to Nox? Did he live or die?" "Indeed," agreed another of the same tribe as she, "What did happen to the hybrid you called ''Son''?" The kitsune sighed, whilst leaning his back against a nearby wall, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling above. "It is true, I did have a son named Nox at one point in my life, but he died the moment he slew little Lupa. As to the broken shell in the story," he shrugged his shoulders slowly, "Think what you will on the subject at hand. Did he live, or did he die? Use your imagination." "You killed children," accused the same bright elf who complained before. "Yes," he replied slowly, "and I''ve explained why in the beginning. My past self will also continue to do this, until I became an Ageless, and governed this world called Terra." "But... but why?" Asked another elf, whose skin was as dark as night, and hair of freshly fallen snow. "Compared to the me of today, my past self was still a child. He was given an immense amount of power, and was told to venture forth as he willed it. The actions caused by himself will continue onwards, even after what happened upon the world called Terra." His voice became quiet, whilst the cup between his paws cracked then shattered into multiple pieces. "What happened?" All minds and voices hushed after seeing such a display from their otherwise calm and patient Ageless. "They stole everything from me," the Ageless''s own voice, cold and filled with rage, echoed throughout the small room in a hiss. Whereas his eyes glared a baleful crimson, illuminating the whole of the ceiling above their heads. ***** As I was saying, nearly a fortnight had passed since the incident occurred outside the city of New Wair, or as the people of that time had called it, Necropolis. It was at about this time news of the war between demons, monster, and humans began to trickle in. Our people were winning, as a few of the humans'' major fortresses had fallen under our control. Of course, many within the city had been given an explanation as to why this was so, causing several groups to become quite troublesome. These groups desired an end to the war between all races, but after spending some time with myself, they quickly changed their minds. However, there were still casualties to our side of fighters, and many mourned for their loss. Of which was only added onto our own brand of mourning, as I''ve come to realise many of the children, not just Lupa, were slain due to Nox and his band of merry creatures. Gone from the halls of the castle were the sounds of children''s laughter, as were their merry and frightful squeals, and the pitter patter of their feet. In its place was silence, and the mourning of all. For you see, my dear audience, the only children remaining were Puella, the kobold pups, and a few of the maids'' children. All else were either removed by Nox and his group, or by my hands for siding with himself. This, and this alone, filled me with a madness so great, I had very little control over it and began to rampage throughout the city. When I came to, I found myself releasing yet another mournful howl upon the heavens. The area about my person was the ruins of the brothel I and many others had raided so many turns of the sun ago. Slowly, my mind calmed down, as my own form became that of a large, black wolf, and trotted through the streets of the city. Later, someone would speak of how their god came down from his throne on high, and rampaged throughout the city below. Of how he destroyed properties, but not lives, and would linger, staring mournfully upon the children before releasing a pain filled wail and returning to his rampage. Many below believed they, themselves, had wronged their god somehow, and became frantic. However, others from the castle broke the news to them via heralds'' proclamation. "Our Lord High God," they began, reading from a scroll of parchment, "Protector of Necropolis, Creator Lord of the Undying, and worshiped by all He sees, has lost many of His children to Nox the Betrayer. For this, and this alone, was the reason for His rampage, and desires to extend His apologies to those who lost their homes due to His wrath. His mages will be arriving soon, to fix what He had destroyed, and declares a month of mourning for all lives, great and small." Within moments of such a proclamation, they were replaced by dozens of elemental mages. of which began to create great structures that would be used to house many individuals for all time. However, for the complex that was the brothel of "The Mistress", a grand temple of darkened stone stood in its place. This was dedicated towards the worship of my past self, and a mausoleum was hollowed out beneath such a place. The area below the temple held magically sealed coffins that held the bodies and bones of the deceased children. Towards the end of the mausoleum was a single, small open coffin. In it contained Lupa, of whom I had placed within. My form was that of a kobold, and wore only a crimson vest and trousers upon my body. No tears fell from my eyes, as the coffin''s lid was closed, and a portrait of her smiling face was placed in front of it. Indeed, all other coffins had the smiling faces of their occupants in front of them, and each was visited by my person before the seal was set in place. This was so, for I desired to look upon the faces once more, committing them to memory. Each and every one, to this very day, I have not forgotten, and mourn them all. Many of the female Undying had gone through a transformation, of sorts, during this funeral. They had become a four armed skeletal version of their feline selves, and were now commanded to stand guard over the temple and mausoleum, barring even gods from entering such a place. In order for them to do this, they each carried a single sword infused with the metals of the blue hilted sword I had taken from the hybrid I called "Son". This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.Yes, I had the sword melted down, and my reason for it was because I had no use for it. So, I had taken it upon myself to melt it down, which caused quite the explosion within a nearby smithy. However, the damage was minimal, and from the liquid metal, seven swords were created for seven of the female Undying to wield in defense of the temple proper. Each sword, by the by, did not have any extra markings, nor were they gilded to stand out. Instead, they were crafted to look as plain as a standard iron long sword, but with one major difference. Every blade, from the hilt to the tip, had the names of the deceased children etched into the fuller. So that if time ever eroded their names from the temple''s records, they would remain in remembrance upon each sword. Others from the castle had arrived, but none wept more openly, or greatly, than the little queen and Puella. For they were the very best of friends with each other, and the survivors mourned the loss of their wolf-kin friend. The feline girl-child was accompanied by Simara the she-orc, who was now being called "Mommy" by the girl-child. Yes, she was ecstatic at being a mother, but upset because of her new daughter''s depression over the loss of the wolf-kin. "Is there nothing you can do, My Lord God?" She asked the following morning upon her hands and knees, as I stared out from the door of my cathedral, watching the world''s day-star rise slowly above the horizon. "No," my reply was hollow, and did not rumble or shake the earth as it normally did, "The magicks I hold can only bring back those who have fallen upon Death''s door within a single turn of the sun. It cannot grant life to those that have been invited into the home of Death, Herself, for She will not speak of where She has taken their essences for the next part of their journey." "Then, is there nothing we can do?" "Mourn the dead, Simara. Mourn for the loss of life, but continue to press forward knowing you are still alive." "That''s not-," she began, to which I turned to her, becoming my kobold self so that she may see the sorrow etched upon my facial features. "No, it''s not enough, and never will be. I mourn them all, Simara, as only a father can. Truly I do, but I must push forward, as should you all." However, the moment I said this, the world had become black, white, and grey. It was a strange sight to see, but what is more, the she-orc''s body was now frozen in time. "Simara?" My voice rumbled with curiosity and concern. Tentatively, I touched her body, and watched as her entire form became dust. "NO," I roared at the scene, trying to keep the rest of her body from become a pile, but to no avail. "The children," my head snapped towards the direction of the little queen''s garden, where she, the pups, and Puella were last seen playing with Brutus guarding them all. Not caring about the cathedral I called home since the beginning, my body transformed back into its skeletal form, and broke through the small opening into it. My person then charged into the castle, passing by several frozen bodies that were slowly becoming a pile of dust. Each and every one, I flitted past, not caring for their persons, until I reached the small garden. However, I came upon a strange sight of the young queen, Puella, and the pups huddling together under a small dome of magick that was being maintained by the Lich. "My Lord God," he called out the moment his eyes found my person, "I cannot hold this barrier up for much longer," and it was true. The small barrier was being condensed into the small group, as the black, white, and grey colours continued to claim everything within the world. However, the moment my body reached the midway point between us, the barrier failed, claiming their bodies just as Puella and the pups shouted, "Papa!" A primal howl escaped my being, one that shook the earth in its entirety, and caused much of the castle to break and fall apart. I had lost the remainder of my children, whose bodies were slowly becoming piles of dust. No, I did not count Silvanna among them, as she was safely tucked away with the dragon-men. I was hollowed out from this experience, and it would be some time before my hearing returned to me, as the words of, "My Lord God," continued to repeat itself within my mind. "My Lord God?" The voice asked, as my body rocked slowly, whilst my eyes continued to stare upon the piles of dust that were my children. "My Lord God," it spoke again, laced with panic and concern. Slowly, my skull twitched towards the sound that called out for my person, and found the metallic, four-armed skeleton that was Brutus the Lich. "Brutus?" My voice was a hushed whisper, as my eyes slowly focus upon his body, "Are you truly here?" "Yes, My Lord God," his own was filled with relief, and sighed at the dust piles that were once the children and queen. "Forgive me, My Lord God. I could not save them." His own head was bowed low, and was about to kneel before my body, but was stopped. "No. You did what you could, Brutus. Whoever did this to us will die for their actions, but first, we need to-." At that moment, the world''s light was gone, and in its place was only darkness. "My Lord God? What happened to the light of the day-star?" His question would be answered soon enough, but first came the odd, bright red letterings that etched itself before us. << GAME OVER>> <> <> <> <> <> The letterings then snuffed themselves out, leaving the both of us unsure as to what was happening. Whatever this "Tribunal" was, I would make it pay for its crimes again my person, and for stealing away that which was precious to me. ________________________________ AN2: Don''t be mad. Your hint was at the end of chapter eight. Not my fault if you didn''t pay heed. Chapter 62 - Epilogue Pt. 2 AN: Pretty sure someone got mad at me~. Well, no matter. We''ve come to the end of the first arc!!! Hope y''all enjoyed the ride thus far, and thank you for getting it to #75 under the "Popular This Week" tab. The Q&A/AMA post will be up as soon as I''ve typed out a few thoughts on it. So if you have any questions comments, or concerns, either let me know down below, or on the next post. _________________________________________ Seven red, hooded robed individuals slowly faded into view before the pair of us. Brutus had already summoned up a small host of ghostly undead, and was readying himself with a variety of spells. I, on the other hand, was simply angered by what I had to endure, and these seven were going to be my newest targets. "Let''s see, now," muttered one, as it leafed through a stack of papers that had materialised into its gloved hands. "Ah yes, here it is." The hood of the robe stopped upon Brutus with his small army, and sighed. With a wave of its hand, the army vanished into mist, but not the Lich, nor myself. "Odd," muttered a feminine voice, as another hooded head turned towards the pair of us with curiosity. "Indeed," a deep voice rumbled softly nearest the feminine, "It is not a hero, and yet it still remains. Why?" "Which one is Karastak?" Whispered another, to which the first pointed a gloved forefinger towards my person, "Then who is the other? From what I''ve read, all other heroes are dead." "It''ll be taken care of soon enough," the first one waved its gloved hands dismissively, "For now, Undead Karastak," the pinpoints of my eyes glared upon the whole of the tribunal, not caring for the lot of them, as it continued, "You have killed off the human royalty, as well as caused one queen to become a minion of some sort." "I believe he called it a ''thrall''," hissed the fourth. "Yes, yes. A ''thrall''. Regardless, you''re the first to have achieved such a feat, as well as being the first to take so long within that world. Quite an amazing achievement, I might add. Well, anyways," the papers vanished, and the creature leaned forwards towards our position, "You''ve earned yourself a wish. So, whatever you desire will be granted, within reason." "Whatever I desire, yes?" A few of the hooded individuals nodded slowly as I raised a clawed forefinger towards them all, "I desire your heads for stealing what was mine. <>." A crimson and violet streak of lightning shot out of my digit, and struck an invisible wall in front of their personages. However, much to their amazement, a hairline crack had formed from the force of my spell. "Ah. Another one, huh? Suun, if you would, please?" "With pleasure," rumbled a deep voice, as its holder tore off its robe, revealing itself to all. The creature itself was nothing more than a standard Minotaur, but with black fur instead of brown. Above its head were a pair of curved metallic horns, while below it were a pair of beady, red eyes. Smoke trailed itself out of the nostrils of the beast, and a gout of flame erupted from its maw in a huff. The weapon it held was a large, flame coated battle axe with a strange vine-like design upon the face of each side. "Brutus," the Lich turned towards my person slowly, and I could see a glint of expectation within his emerald eyes, "bring me the creatures head." "Yes, My Lord God," his body bowed low for a moment, the straightened it, and began to summon a great host around us. I, on the other hand, simply raised my primary clawed hands high above us, gathering my great energies for a spell I had recently acquired from the torture of Nox and his people. ***** "Ugh," groaned the first robed individual to speak out for the Tribunal, as it watched Suun running away from a great host of undead, ghostly skeletons. "Suun, what are you doing? They''re UNDEAD. Use your fire breath, if you have to." "I''ve been doing that since the beginning, Roj," called out the minotaur, whose breath of orange flames bathed the creatures before it, but to no avail. "See?" The former sighed heavily, and began to stand, when a small, robed creature gripped its sleeve, and pointed a forefinger upon the giant skeleton before them. "We need to leave," it whispered softly, but with great urgency in its hushed voice. "Why? It''s not like Karastak over there is able to penetrate the barrier in place." However, the creature still would not remove its grip, which caused the former to actually stare at the undead giant more closely. "What is that thing behind him?" Shouted a frantic, feminine voice, whose own digit was pointing to something behind the giant''s body. Something, composed of crimson, emerald, and violet lightnings slowly formed itself behind him, and spanned well over eighteen metres in height. What is more, the thing made up of lightnings stood in the exact same pose as himself, but was gathering far more energy than the one before it. "We need to leave! NOW," but it was too late. For the creature of lightning, and that which was called Karastak, both intoned the spell whilst pointing their smaller clawed hands towards those within the Tribunal, "<>." ***** The spell I used, called "Rage Over The Chaotic Storm of Mana", is another of my forbidden spells, and was only accessible whenever the madness within me broke free of that which kept it at bay for so long. In other words, it is one that is seldom used, for its demands of energy is greater than what I could bear, and always caused my body to crash to the ground after each and every cast. "What does it do?" Some may ask, and the answer is not as simple as I would like it. For you see, the spell itself takes over my own body, causing my energies to become wild and more chaotic than normal. Indeed, and it even goes so far as to create a mirror image of myself with said energies. Once the spell is intoned, and a target is found, the amount of force it releases is so great, it has the power to break a small moon, or planet, in half. Which is why it is seldom used. However, despite my weakened state, I was still able to stand, albeit shakily. Once I steadied myself, and felt my energy slowly trickle into my body, my eyes turned to gaze upon that which called itself a "Tribunal". Of the seven, three had perished, but one of those three had been slain due to the mass amount of undead, whereas the other two were vapourised due to the onslaught of my spell. "A pity you all did not die," my voice rumbled with great anger, as my body slowly stalked forward until I stood near a small, furred creature in a scorched, red robe. Its small body was hyperventilating when it noticed my person standing before it, but was ignored as my eyes searched for another. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "My Lord God," Brutus called out, waving the severed head of Suun the Minotaur for my eyes to see, "I have completed my task, but what of them?" A metallic, clawed finger pointed towards a small group of hooded individuals who had huddled together a fair distance away. "Bring them to me, Brutus, for I desire answers." "Yes, My Lord God," one of his clawed hands balled into a fist, and slammed itself upon his solar plexus, before rushing off to bring what remained of the "Tribunal" to my person. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn''t kill you," my voice rumbled dangerously low, as one of my lesser clawed hands brought up the small, furred creature I had previously ignored. The forefinger of said clawed hand was poised ready to pierce the flesh of the creature, and inject my acidic poison within it. "Please," it whispered, as tears flowed greatly down its small cheeks, but the madness still had its hold over my mind, and did not allow me to see this. Instead, I simply listened to its screams and wails, as my acidic poison was injected into its small body, which slowly melted into a puddle upon the darkened ground below. "Shauna," cried out a male''s voice, who was currently being pushed towards my being. Without thinking, the male''s body was lifted into the air by way of my right primary clawed hand, to which it struggled greatly in my grasp as another finger was poised to strike at its flesh. "Give me one reason why I should not kill you," my voice repeated, whilst my captive simply shot out a large fireball towards my skull. However, it was simply absorbed by a golden, shimmering shield about my person. Instead of injecting the struggling body with my poison, I simply intone the spell, "<>," and listened to its screams of pain and anguish. "Give me your spells and abilities, thing, for I desire them greatly." However, the creature''s head exploded into a shower of bone, blood, and brain matter from another in their group. This one was a female, and its facial features were smug, until my gaze turned upon it. Of whom became frightened, whilst destroying the heads of the remaining Tribunal members before turning on herself. "<>," I intoned, causing her body to stiffen, her eyes wide as she witnessed something only she was privy to. Slowly, gingerly, both of my lesser clawed hands gripped her body, then shook her awake. "Wha-?" She began, then screamed as my spell began to infest her mind, pulling out all of her spells and abilities for my own personal use. Once finished, and the silvered orb entered my mind, both I and the Lich turned towards a sound of feet slapping upon marbled flooring. Of which was becoming closer, and before it arrived, the last of the Tribunal was naught, but a puddle of flesh upon the ground. "Hello once more, Undead Karastak," spoke a voice that was familiar to my person, but one I had not heard of for a long time. The owner of the voice soon appeared before us, of which caused Brutus to stand between the both of us, blocking its advance with a great host of ghostly undead surrounding us all. "I know you," my voice was barely a whisper, as my eyes slowly focused on the small figure before us. It was a small girl-child, with a floral patterned dress, silvered hair, and eyes as darkest night. "You have been busy, Undead Karastak," her voice was soothing, and began to slowly push the madness that gripped me back into its place beyond my mind. "Why is the Tribunal dead?" "They''ve stolen everything from me." "And this warranted their deaths?" "They deserved more than just death, but I am not capable of doing something as great as that. Yet." Her head simply nodded, seemingly accepting my answer, and stared upon my form before asking, "What is your wish, Undead Karastak?" "My wish?" A chuckle full of sorrow escaped my maw, as I shook my skull slowly, "I desire the world called Terra to be returned to my person." "Ah," the girl-who-is-not-a-girl shook her head quickly, causing her hair to fluff up a small bit, "I cannot do this, as that world will simply restart itself once you leave this place." The pinpoints that were my eyes shrank slowly, as I glared down upon her, "What do you mean?" "The world called Terra was one of the Tutorial worlds governed by a lesser god, or group of gods. They simply tend to it, and once the hero, or group of heroes have either died or completed it, and left this space, it is reverted back to before you appeared. This causes everyone, and everything, to repeat forevermore." "That is torture," whispered Brutus, whose entire host had readied themselves to strike down the being in front of them. "Yes, but come, this one will give you a choice to pick. You, Undead Karastak, will be granted the ability to create a host of undead far greater than Brutus the Lich, or one where you may summon up to twenty of your Undying." "Will the Undying be of the world called Terra?" My voice was soft, as I simply stared at the girl-child. "This one will make sure of it, yes." "Then I choose my Undying." "Excellent," she clapped her hands with excitement, "Come, we must leave now, as there are many worlds for you to discover." ***** "That''s it?" Asked the bright elf dejectedly, once the Ageless finished his tale. "Did you expect more, young one?" At the nod of the elf, the kitsune sighed and rubbed his temples slowly. "There is more to the story, yes, but you will have to wait for another day to hear it." Many groaned at his words, to which he smirked at the group. "I do have other tales I may part with." "We''d rather hear more of your origin, Ageless," came the small voice of the Nekotar, which was followed up by many others who desired to hear more, too. "Ah, but I had promised the children I would spend more time with them, my dear audience. Would you prefer I break their little hearts by telling you more of my past, or will you allow my person to join them in play? If it is the former, then you are heartless and greedy, but if it is the latter, then I shall strive to tell you all more of my origins. "When next we meet." Q&A Session for Arc 1 - Azzarath EDIT: Book one is up on Amazon''s Kindle for 3.99USD, or FREE if you have Kindle Unlimited. https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B01IJ47KB0 Again, thank you all for following, reading, commenting, rating, and yes, even complaining. Except for that one person''s nasty comment, I enjoyed reading each and every one of them. That being said, I have some thoughts to share. For starters, no, this is not the end, nor will I abandon the entire thing. This is my project, and I''m damn well going to finish it. However, I will be taking a few days off to write up a few chapters for the next one. So if you have anything you''d like me to put down, please let me know. I''m serious. I''ve practically nothing thought out beyond the prologue and first few chapters. * So, the first arc was the game''s "tutorial". Yes, it was a game, even though it was a separate world. If the MC had a functioning body that lived through the initial start of it all, I would have written in bits about how he''d fall asleep in another world, and awaken in a pod of some sort. However, it did not, so neither did I write anything about it. * This next arc will be featuring the MC traipsing across various worlds, breezing through some, so that he may appear before the "Tribunal" once more. Whereupon he will then kill them over and over, again and again, until he either becomes bored, or finds something else to vent upon. * No, there will not be anymore adopting of random children. Yes, he may save some, but that is ALL. He just lost everything upon the tutorial world called Terra, so why should he want to try having a family again, when it''ll all disappear in the end? Which is why he''ll act more like an overpowered and intelligent skeleton, than a family man. In other words, the last shreds of his humanity is gone, and in its place is something much darker, more vengeful. So expect more brutality, and less fluff. Will do my best to moderate it, though. * One more bit, then I have to address some issues within the story. It''s about the kitsune and his audience. It''s not going to be the same as before, as he will be relocating to a castle where everyone is introduced to an older version of Brutus the Lich. It''s another party setting, but instead of it celebrating his arrival, the party is for someone in the teenage range. Still haven''t figured it all out, but will get there soon enough. Now for the issues. * Someone wants me to put in more details, especially with the gruesome scenes. They also want more variety when it comes to the tortures the MC, and others, inflict upon their victims. I will do my best, which doesn''t sound promising to some. However, it''s all I can say about the matter, and because he''s so full of hatred and anger, I REALLY need to step up my game. * Then there are the issues with flow, story and sentence structures, and the like. All I can say about it is with an excuse. Well, a few excuses, really. Which are my writing style is Archaic, This is my first REAL story, and I''m someone who is better at short stories and long poems than what I just accomplished today. What is an Archaic Writing Style? Well, it''s something similar to Shakespeare''s writing and the KJV (King James Version) of the Christian Bible. It''s the Thee''s and Thou''s sort of writing, and I have been doing my best to modernise it for you all. If you can recall the little excerpts I put out, that''s a less modernised version of my actual style. Hence the issues. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. * There are other issues within the story, as other people within RRL''s community have told me. Which is why I am seeking the professional help of an editorial company. It''s a slow process, as many already have a lot on their plate, but once they help address the issues within the story, I will then re-upload a more complete version for you all to enjoy. I do not know how long it''ll take, so if someone out there wishes to volunteer their time to run through it all with a stack of red pens, you''re more than welcome to do so. Just let me know, okay? Now comes the part where I beg for a review, yet again, and would like your honest opinions about it all. Also, if you''re an artist or know someone who is, and are willing to draw up a cover art for the story, I will be eternally grateful, and will even purchase it from you/them. What I had in mind for it was of the golden kitsune posed as though he is telling a story on the bottom part of the picture, with a shadow cast behind him in the form of his four armed, skeletal self. With a pair of red, glowing eyes staring down upon all before it. Well, that''s what I keep imagining. So if you have better ideas, I''m all ears. If there are multiple artists, I may end up holding a poll for everyone to decide on which one should be best used. ------------------------------------- Alright. Now that we''ve gotten that out of the way, you''re all welcome to ask me anything you''d like to know. Barring anything really personal, of course. Just be advised, I''m running on fumes here due to Insomnia. So I may duck out of here for a few hours to rest up before chatting with you folks again. I do have some questions for you all, too, by the by. Such as: * Who is/was your favourite character, and why? * Who is/was your least favourite? * Which chapter did you enjoy/disliked? * Which seemed the most controversial to you? * Do you have any ideas on the plot of the next arc? (I have nothing yet) * What would you like to see the MC do in the next segment of the story? (It''s going to be less fluffy than the last one) Again, thank you all for reading thus far. Please let me hear your thoughts about everything done up so far. I really do enjoy the conversations with my readers, regardless of what they have to say. Oh, and there''ll be a few days of nothing after today. Still have to brainstorm and write up a few chapters before we get back into the swing of things. The earliest should be about Sunday, whilst the latest will be around Monday. Arc 2 - Terra: Prologue AN: Hello everyone, and Happy Easter! Welcome back to another round of Origin Point. In this arc, it''s going to remain a dark one with minimal fluff. Well, the first part will be of his anger as he traipse through a world called Nova, and I am trying my best to portray that anger. Which means there will be vague instances such as missing descriptions of random characters. Mind you, this''ll only be the first five through ten chapters where he''s angry, then it''ll go back to being as descriptive as possible. One other note, there will be more of the kitsune in this arc, until he''s at the castle of Brutus the Lich King. Thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below. EDIT: http://i.imgur.com/95R2yTc.jpg The link is the second arc''s cover, by the way. _____________________________________ Seasons come and seasons go with the changing of leaves from vibrant green, to a deathly brown before littering the earth in great piles. These piles were what allowed small creatures to hide from their predators, as well as being used to frolic through with joy and elation. However, it also marked the coming of the winter months, and the migration, or hibernation, of various races upon the world called Terra. Such was a common occurrence for those living within the Great Forest of Nu''Bai, as many of its tree had shed their leafy coverings in hibernation for the coming months. Those that did not, on the other hand, surrounded a small hidden village from the prying eyes of the world. This small village had no name, as it did not need one. For within such a place lived multiple races of all walks of life, and many outsiders were rare amongst their numbers. Once they left, something would take hold of their minds, removing all memories of how they came upon such a place, whilst many had simply forgotten the events that took place within such a village. This village, by word of mouth, was often sought after, but rarely ever found. For this village was a place a being much greater than all of this world called Terra often visits, and some even call it the place of his birth. Yet, not all may enter such a place, especially when he was there. No, but we are not here to speak of such things. Instead, we shall focus once more upon the Ageless, golden kitsune. Many had been gathered around their main exit point of the village proper, and it is here the golden furred kistune is being seen off, as he is needed elsewhere upon this world called Terra. "No," wailed a small, blue furred kitsune, as it clung to the hind leg of the Ageless, "Don''t leave Fox King." It''s eyes were large and tear filled, as it stared into the other''s eyes. "Now, now," spoke a pink furred kitsune, who gently pealed the little one off, "You know he has to leave, but he will return, right?" Her own eyes were equally large as the little one in her arms, as they stared upon him. "I always return, Kara. You know this," his reply was full of warmth, as his paws began to pet their heads slowly. "But for how long will you be gone?" Her head was bent to allow her eyes to become upturned in an adorable manner. To this, the Ageless sighed whilst scratching his head, as the little blue kitsune mirrored the older. "I will return near the end of the mating season. It is the earliest I am able to promise, but in reality it may be a sennight before the summer solstice." The kit in her arms cocked its head to the left, its ears twitching with confusion and curiosity, as the older sighed heavily. "You had better return at the earliest, then," and sighed once more as he nodded his head slowly. His body slowly became transparent after such words were spoken, causing many to gasp and cry out, to which he simply waved their concerns away until he had disappeared entirely. In his place, however, was a small, white furred wolf pup with red eyes. It yawned greatly, then stretched its body as other canines would, before standing to stare upon them all with eyes full of curiosity. "Master said this was my new home," its voice squeaked high, as it looked upon each face, "Who''s my new mommy?" ***** "You gave them an offspring of Fafnir," accused a voice from within the shadows of hibernating trees. This voice was accompanied by a body in the shape of a four armed, metallic skeleton. What is more, the skeleton had the lower half of a great serpent, whilst the upper half was reptilian. When such a creature was alive, many would call it a Naga; a creature who lived within the waters of great rivers, lakes, and swamps, but in fact it was called a Nai''uum. "Yes," replied a cold voice, as an endarkened form of the nine-tailed kitsune materialised from beneath the bare branches of a great oak tree. Gone from his eyes were the warmth and patience he had shown towards those within the hidden village, and in its place was contempt for all things living. "Why?" Demanded the creature, of whom was now being crushed under a great force broadcasted from the body of the other. "Do not question me, slave," the endarkened Ageless hissed, "I do what I do because I desire it done, and will not suffer your incessant demands for answers of my actions." The creature growled with vehemence, as its tailed twitched to lash out against the being before it. Unfortunately for it, he took notice of the small expression, and increased the pressure one hundred fold. This action flattened much of its lower half, causing it to hiss with pain and anger, even as the other released it from its coils. "You will do remember this day, slave, as your next demands upon my person will result in... No," he shook his head slowly, "You will die now, as I will not have any who will cause insurrection amongst that which is mine." The pinpoints of red within the skeletal creature''s skull flared briefly, as it turned to slither deeper into the forest, but did not traverse the uneven plain for long. "Release them," he commanded to an unknown source, pointing at the fleeing back of his latest target, "Let us see how well they fight against a foe much greater than they." This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Chains rattling against iron echoed all around the still forest of sleeping trees, which was followed by the mournful wails of the dead and the damned. Streaks of white flitted past his body, streaking towards the slowed body of the metallic skeleton of a Naga. "Is this wise, My Lord High God?" Asked a hushed voice of an equally endarkened being kneeling to the immediate left of his person. "Speak your mind Roshaan. You have earned this right time and time again." The Ageless did not bother to turn around, as he knew who it was that kneeled next to his person. This endarkened creatures called Roshaan also had four arms like that of the Naga, and was equally as metallic. However, it was not a skeleton, but that of an overly large wolf beastman. Although its fur was the colour of iron, a few streaks of red and gold was present upon its barrel-like chest and thick limbs full of muscle. Of whom wore naught, but a pair of earth brown trousers made of thin linen, as all who are liken unto itself do not need fear the elements after their transformation. "Yes, My Lord High God. Thank you for allowing your humble servant to speak his mind," at the slight nod of the kitsune, whose eyes followed the movements of the white blurs tearing apart the body of the metallic Naga, spoke slowly, "They are still children. Is it wise to allow them to face off against something as powerful as the Nai''uum?" The children the beastman spoke of were the white streaks that had flitted past their bodies moments ago. These creatures did not have a name one would mutter, and were often times considered as Wights. For their skin, hair, and eyes were of varying shades of white. Those before them were smaller than a normal Wight, standing under a metre tall, wore nothing in terms of clothing, whilst their heads were naught, but a large mouth full of jagged teeth. "If they cannot handle such a creature, then they are not worth keeping," the kitsune flexed his right paw slowly, extending his clawed points at various intervals. "It seems they are," came a hiss of a forgotten voice, which was followed shortly by a dark cloud of obsidian, "The Nai''uum has perished. What of the body?" "Do what you will of it, as I have no use for weaklings," his voice was, but a sigh upon the winds, then turned to stalk away from the small group of metallic creatures. More than a few metres away, however, was a large mass of creatures born from the inhabitants of the world called Terra''s night terrors. Each more monstrous than the last, in a variety of ways; such as a giant made up of living stone, or an orb of fire with a face of rage. "Master," many cried out, as their eyes focused upon the endarkened fur of the kitsune, whereas the rest called him, "Lord High God". "Is everything prepared for our departure," his voice rumbled slowly, shaking the earth beneath their feet. "Yes, My Lord High God," hissed a metallic Naga, "Where is-?" "The other has failed." "Ah," it nodded its head slowly, "A pity." "Indeed," agreed the other, who then began calling others towards his person, "Gather everything together, for we march towards the Necropolis. We have been invited to a feast." "A feat, My Lord High God?" Blinked the metallic beastman called Roshaan, "What is the celebration about?" "Oh? Don''t you know?" The Naga chuckled slightly at the curiosity of the wolf, "Our Lord High God''s first servant, the Lich King, is celebrating the coming of age for one of his own. You could say it is his daughter," a gleam of gold flashed through its eyes for a brief moment, as its teeth were bare for all to see. "Yes," the earth beneath their feet shook once more, as their Ageless watched them all from his mount. T''was a great wyrm he sat upon, one whose scales resembled the various flakes of newborn snow upon crags of rocks and earth. This beast did not have limbs, nor wings, but of something else which allowed it to move and glide through the air, land, and sea. This something was made up of translucent, ethereal energies which coated its entirety, and created its own draconic limbs, tail, and head. "The Lich King desired an offspring in order to experiment with any paternal instinct he might have," he continued, "Therefore, I have gifted him one, and it has now come of age." "What does this mean for you, My Lord High God?" The wolf beastman bowed his low as curiosity coated his entire being. "It means we shall soon see what the offspring is capable of. If it proves useful, then it will be used until it can give nothing. If not..." He left these words unsaid, as all within hearing distance knew that those who are not useful are killed off almost immediately. "But come, the journey will take more than a sennight to reach the edge of the forest proper. In this time, I shall tell you all a tale of my past." All within thanked their Ageless for thinking of them whilst they travelled, but were waved away as he continued with, "I desire to speak of it. Therefore, you shall all hear of it, but before I begin... Sol''ahn," his voice echoed throughout the forest, calling upon a creature whose form was nothing more than a mass of tentacles and floated over the heads of all within such a large gathering. "Yes, my master," came a hauntingly, sickly-sweet melody that caused many a body to shiver and shy away from the words. "Touch all minds in concert to my own. For I have need of your skills once more, Mindflayer, and all must know of my words as I tell a tale from my past." "Yes, my master. Your will be done." Nearly all bodies within the gathering shivered at the touch of the Mindflayer, whilst some screeched at its invasion of their minds. This was done solely because their Ageless willed it so, and could not retaliate, even as his voice began with a tale of the past once again. A2 Chapter 1 AN: Releasing a second chapter today because I noticed we have more than one hundred followers watching the story progress. Thank you for joining us in our little Black Parade, and reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know down below. One more note, next chapter will be the first of many NSFW chapters to come. __________________________________________ I had lost everything, as this "Tribunal" had willed it, and became the object of my scorn and rage. They would all come to realise I am not one to take lightly, especially when others have stolen what was mine by all rights. No, but what is more, this "Tribunal" was given the ability to regenerate and revive themselves in an unforeseen occurrence, such as myself and my anger. Every world I would visit would be the same. "Please save us," they would cry out towards my person, "You are our world''s heroes, please use your powers to kill those who are our enemies." In the end, I would help them, but only because I desired to watch as this group of red robed creatures quiver with fright as I kill them time and time again. Of course, many would come to my person, and cry in their place, begging for mercy, but to no avail. For I am a vengeful god, and those who have taken from me, my everything, must die forevermore. Ah, but instead of glossing over my tales of my journey to where I am to this day, I shall tell you all of a particularly odd world. In this world, called Nova, had an interesting request. Most requests for heroes desires them to venture out to kill one creature, or save them from an army. Instead, this one desired myself, and those others who came without permission, to save a princess from a cult who desired her blood. Perhaps you''ve read this tale, or have heard it elsewhere, as upon this world the humans would always whisper, "We have summoned a god, and it is angry." * "Come on, come on," whispered the frantic voice of a small female, whose entire form bounced upon the balls of her feet. Of which caused her own dress, something far too frilly and pink for any female to wear, to bounce in time with her own movements. This female was standing in front of a machine called an "Elevator", which allows individuals to travels to various floors of a building within seconds, instead of taking the stairs. She wore such a frills upon her dress because it was required of her to do so by her teacher. Of whom also wore them, even though it was a male. Yes, even the I of the past would question why this was so, to which I was answered with a shrug. As to why I speak of her, it is because she will become a forced companion of mine upon the world called Nova. To where I was at this time, my person was slowly stalking towards this elevator as my kobold self with Brutus the metallic, four armed Lich, and a female Undying. We had stopped in front of the elevator, just as the female gasped towards the three of us with questions in her eyes. However, even though she would pester us, everything would be for naught. As the I of the past jealously guarded his tongue, and the tongues of his servants, protecting them from others. For you see, my dear audience, unless I deem it necessary, all would never learn of our origins upon the various worlds of might and magick. For the time being, however, "Which world is next upon our list, master?" Asked the female Undying just as we stepped upon the platform towards our next destination. This elevator, much like the rest of the structure we were within, was made up of something called Titanium. This is a metallic substance far stronger than out own iron, but it uses iron as a base for the creation of this metal. Unfortunately, I do not have the recipe for such a metal. If I did, then taking over this world would have been as simple as a stroll through a park. Now, this platform with which our feet stood upon rose slowly towards our destination, which was five floors from where we began. Once the platform stopped upon the floor, we would step through something akin to a barrier, and enter a small, dark room with various inscriptions glowing upon the walls, floor, and ceiling. There was about a dozen white robed individuals who looked much like those of the tribunal I took my revenge upon, but with one key difference besides the colour. They were each missing their heads. "Nova," my voice rumbled, lightly reverberating off of the walls around us, "The next world is Nova, and they desire help in finding one of their royalty." "Wouldn''t it be more prudent to journey to a world with which we may stretch our legs more so than upon these?" Asked Brutus, who was exceedingly bored of the multitude of easy quests, for he desired to bring death upon a great host of creatures, than face off against weaker foes. "If this one proves to be annoyingly simple, Brutus, then we shall find a numbered world for us to conquer," at my words, my eyes did see elation upon his own, as we did find ourselves within the centre of such a room. However, we were not alone, to which I was not at all amused. There was four others with us, each with their own vices, arms, and armaments. Many sneered towards our persons, believing we were weak, especially the pink frilled female who had appeared next to us. "Just made it," she gasped, as sweat trickled down her forehead. The short trek between the elevator and the barrier was not a long one, but to those who are not used to such things as the barrier, it would feel as though it were an eternity. It was about this time I deigned to grace her with my eyes, as they flowed over her entirety. She was not a human, as many would believe, but one of the Kin. What is more, she was of the Mouse-Kin, which was a rare breed in and of itself. For you see, the flesh of the mouse beastman tribe is delectable to those who know how to prepare it, the Kin version even more so. Well, it is such upon our world called Terra, but many others simply abhor such acts, which is why much of their species is being protected by the humans of our world. Three pairs of eyes turned towards her form the moment we realised what she was, which caused her mouse-brown hair to stand up, whilst her tail erected in a similar manner. "Wh-what?" She stammered, slowly backing away from our persons. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "You are a mouse-kin," although it was an accusation more than a question, the female took it as the latter. "Ye-yes?" "Master?" There was an audible gulp, as the Undying swallowed a mouthful of saliva as she stared upon the other with hungry eyes. "Not yet," was my reply, "There are laws in place to keep us from attacking one another. It is best to hold off your hunger until we have safely arrived upon the surface of Nova. Once there, we shall assess the situation, before proceeding." She bowed low, before taking up her position near my left. "If she''s hungry, I may have a granola bar in my purse," the mouse-kin squeaked, rummaging through a small, black bag that had appeared out of nowhere. "That is not necessary," I replied, glaring at the naivety of the creature before us. Even those who were off to the side knew of whom we were speaking of, and were now looking towards it with pity. However, just before she was able to fish out a granola bar, the inscriptions upon the walls, floor, and ceiling began to glow a brilliant white. "Nova calls to you, brave heroes," came a monotone voice that was neither male, nor female, "Go forth, and may whatever god you pray to keep you well from the dangers of such a place." Circles began to appear beneath our feet, which banished the Undying from whence she came, as my own body became that of a long sword with a sharp bone for a blade. This was so, as it was my default summoning position, and would be forevermore. However, about this time was when Brutus would normally grasp onto my hilt, allowing us both to travel together, but something curious happened. He had his own circle, and faded into it just as I faded into my own. * The journey through the portal was not as wonderful as the words upon the pages of my stories make it out to be. Yes, it is entertaining, but if one has been summoned time and time again, the marvel of such things is lost forever. However, this one was more noted than the others, as the eyes of my hilt and pommel did spy a human staring at my sword body with great greed in its eyes, as we journeyed towards the world called Nova. This great greed would become evident the moment we arrived within a white marbled temple, and the blade of my sword body slid into the stone much like that of a hot knife through butter. The human quickly jumped to its feet, and before Brutus reached to grasp my hilt, the human did so, swinging my body around with practiced strokes. "Well balanced," it muttered, rubbing my pommel slowly. However, as it turned towards the Lich, it stopped and noticed the ethereal body of my skeletal self glaring down upon the insignificant human who dared to touch my person. The creature screamed towards my ethereal self, and tried to strike me down with the blade, but to no avail. As my own blade was not able to harm that which was mine, even if others did not know of this. In retaliation for touching my person, one of my primary hand did grasp his body, raising it high into the air, and causing all to stare at the creature''s body with amazement. Well, that is to say, except for Brutus who stared with disgust at not being able to come to my person before the other had reached my sword body. All around us were the whisperings of white robed humans, of whom had summoned us to save their princess from something. Many of their words had reached my body, of which caused my imaginary lips to grin a feral grin, "We have summoned a god, and it is angry." Yes, they had summoned a god, and my first act was to punish this lowly human who dared to lay a hand upon my person. Although I could not use my acidic poisons within my ethereal form, I could, however, still inflict death by way of touching an organ with my claws. Instead of a mere touch, I decided to vent a little and slowly pushed a clawed finger through the left side of its chest, where the heart resides. "Carl," shouted the other humans, who could do nothing, but watch as their companion screamed with great rivers of blood flowing down from its chest. "We have summoned a god, and it is angry," the whispers came again, as the humans in white fell upon their hands and knees. My blade self fell to the ground from loosened fingers, and once it sank into the ground, so too did the body of the human who dared to touch my own. From here, Brutus had retrieved it, holding it aloft to allow my form to take the shape of a naked male human with long, molten silver-like hair. My eyes were like that of the twinkling stars above our heads, but far sharper than any great eagle, as were the rest of my facial features. All eyes were turned towards my person, including the naive female mouse-kin, whose face was bright red as she stared at that which hung limply betwixt my legs. Just as she turned from my body, three female Undying appeared with a dark crimson robe and a gnarled, oak wood staff for my person to wear and wield. "We have summoned a god, and it is angry," they whispered once more, as my eyes became bright, crimson orbs that stared balefully upon all who were in front of my person. They have summoned a god, and I am angry. A2 Chapter 2 (NSFW) AN: As I said yesterday, it''s the first NSFW chapter of the arc. Yes, there will be others, and will probably end up being more detailed than this one is. However, they might not be as torture based as the ones from the first arc, but as I''ve said before, nothing is set in stone. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know down below. _______________________________________ "You killed Carl," wailed one of the humans, "I''ll kill you!" Before their weapons were drawn, and their magicks cast, the heads of the humans who drew their vengeful eyes upon my person rolled from their bodies. The mouse-kin''s scream punctured the silence that oozed from the room about us, as another Undying emerged from the shadows, flicking its blades to remove any residue of blood, before sheathing it behind its back. "We shall protect our Lord High God from all who dare oppose His will," the words hissed from this being in front of my person, whose metallic body was serpentine in nature and form. "We have work to do," my voice was low, deep, as it shook the interior of the temple we now congregated within. Turning towards a group of huddled, robed humans, I demanded, "Where is your leader? Where is the one who dared to summon I?" The staff I wielded struck the ground with its base, emphasising the words I spoke with a great force that made these robed individuals fall to their knees in fear. "We did not mean to summon you, O God of another realm," one of their number proclaimed. "We desired heroes, My Lord God," whimpered another. "You summoned my person to your world, and yet you do not desire my presence in your time of great need? Have you no shame?" The two who had spoken were beaten by their compatriots, and apologised over and over for their words. "Be grateful I am in a mood to help, humans." "Thank you, My Lord God," they bowed their heads repeatedly towards my person over and over again, as they hurriedly ushered us towards an anti-chamber which would then lead to the throne room of the human''s king. However, "Wait!" squeaked a small voice, of whom belonged to the mouse-kin female. As I turned my body towards her voice, one of my many shields deflected a projectile fired upon my person. This came from the female herself, which only caused my eyes to glow a fierce emerald colour. "You dare," growled Brutus, who prepared to cast a death spell towards her, but was stopped as I laid a hand upon his shoulder. "My Lord God?" "<>," I intoned, pointing the gnarled, oak staff towards the female. Great chains of gold and jewels erupted from the earth, binding her wrists and ankles, before hoisting her into the air. "I will not suffer insurrection," my voice shook the temple to its very core, as I waved my left hand before my person, summoning a score of Undying. They knelt before my body in rows of five, before turning their attention towards the bound female who began to scream for someone to save her from the monster that was I. "You have all done well in serving my person thus far," their attention turned back towards myself, and a few had a gleam of a great hunger in their eyes, "As a reward, this creature will be gifted to you. However, I desire to know if any of you are able to prepare the flesh of a mouse-kin." All eyes turned back towards the female, but this time, there was a great hunger within them. It was as though the female suddenly found herself surrounded by a pack of half starved wolves. Or, in this case, felines. "No," she cried out, doing her best to fight against the gold and jeweled chains that held her aloft. "I know of how to prepare such a delicacy, My Lord God," came the response from a male bear Undying, who had raised one of his primary claws in volunteering, "but I need to know if it is a male, or a female before we proceed." In response to his query, I had one of the chains begin stripping the female of her clothing, bearing in mind to limit the amount of damage sustained to her grey and pink flesh. "Ah," his eyes brightened with realisation, "It''s a female." The bear Undying rubbed his paws together, as he made his way towards the bound mouse-kin who was now crying great streams down her reddened cheeks. As her ripped clothing revealed a pair of small mounds upon her chest, and almost no hair around that which is between her legs. "Hmm," he hummed slowly, then bent down to peel open the folds betwixt her legs, "It appears her hymen is intact, My Lord God." "What does this have to do with anything, Rojaahn? Other than the obvious of her being a virgin, of course," I sighed a great sigh, as one of my eyes spied the open and hungry gaze of the priests who desired the female before them. However, their hunger would never be satiated, as she was destined for my servants, not their loins. "It means we will be able to craft an Elixir of Extended Mortality," he spoke matter-of-factly, "This elixir would greatly extend a mortal''s life by double its span." The priests eyes bulged at this piece of information, and all turned towards my person with hopeful eyes that did nothing, but disgust me. "We do not owe you a thing, humans, nor are you one of my followers. Therefore, you will gain nothing in your hopes for a longer life," my voice was a low growl of anger and hatred, as I turned away to find the female pleading for help, whilst the Undying bear began to lick that which is betwixt her legs with the flat of his tongue. Within mere moments, her entire body was flushed, then stiffened as fluids erupted from between her legs and into the mouth of the other. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "Very sweet," he muttered, nodding his head slowly, then spoke up, "My Lord God, I shall be able to prepare a great feast using her flesh, blood, and sweet fluids." "Good," my voice rumbled once more, causing the temple to quake, "Then do so, whilst I speak to this humans'' king." * "Well?" My voice was dangerously low, as I stared upon the male human who would be king. There were others about us, in what was supposed to be a "throne room", but the I of that time would simply call it an anti-chamber. In other words, it was far too small by anyone''s standard, save maybe a dwarven wretch. "You have summoned my person to your world. What is it that you desire of me? Speak quickly, human, for I am far too busy to listen to the prattlings of inferior creatures." "We have summoned a god," whispered the king of humans, whose face flushed with sickly heat as the echoing screams of the mouse-kin entered the whole of his castle, "and he is angry." "Yes, human. I am," my eyes glowed a fierce and baleful crimson, as the human continued to sweat profusely. "Please," his voice trembled under my terrible gaze, "My daughter. She was abducted barely a moon turn ago by cultists to a dark god. They plan to sacrifice her to raise their dark god from the Abyss. Please," he fell to his hands and knees, bowing his head full of iron and silvered hair upon the ground. "She is all I have. Please. Save my daughter." "If that is your desire," my voice boomed over the cries and screams of the Kin, causing a small quake to shake the earth into violence, "then so shall it be." The gnarled oak staff struck the ground to emphasise my acceptance of such a request, and though you may look upon me as though I were a stranger, know this. I did what I did in order to continue my vengeance upon the "tribunal". Everything else was naught, but a means to that end. "Where are these cultists?" My eyes flared briefly, as they turned towards the shadows behind the king where I spied another human who was ignoring my person to sneer at the begging king. "<>," I intoned once more, pointing at the shadowed human. Of whom squawked at the gilded chains that bound it, and brought it forth into the light of the anti-chamber. "What is the meaning of this?" Cried out a small human in a jester''s costume, complete with bells jingling about its person. The face, on the other hand, was painted white and red, depicting a forever laughing smile upon its features. "M-my Lord God?" Stammered the human king, whose eyes glanced back and forth between my person and the thing bound with gilded and jeweled chains. "This one knows of something about your missing daughter," the room we were in shook under the rumble that was my voice, "It has been sneering towards your person with contempt. More so when you begged for my assistance in your time of need. If it was worried, it would have rushed to your side with all haste, but did nothing. Therefore, it is guilty of hiding something important about these events." "My lord," it squawked loudly, "Do not listen to this creature. I have stood by your side all these years in loyalty. I beg of you, do not throw away our time together upon the whims of another." "Look closely, little thing, for your king no longer hears your pleas," and it was true, for the king''s eyes have gone blank with rage, as it stared upon the wretched jester held bound by gilded and jeweled chains. For you see, my dear audience, one who has become close to the madness from grief needs only a single push to fall over the edge, and this "jester" was that push. "Where is she?" The human''s king roared, shaking the small creature by the throat. Of whom was now turning purple from the lack of oxygen to its brain, "Where is my daughter?" However, it released the other and crumpled to the floor just as I placed a hand upon its brow as I intoned, "<>." "My Lord," came the cries of other humans, who rushed to their king''s aid, but stopped as my form to shape into that of a giant, four-armed skeleton coated in an acidic poison. "Monster," they cried as one, and rushed to attack my person, as it broke through the ceiling proper, revealing the darkness of the night sky. However, they were stopped not by my breath, but by Brutus and a score of ghostly skeletons. To these, I did not care, as my body turned back towards the bound jester, only to find it dead from fright. "A pity," my voice shook the chamber greatly, as I pointed a lesser clawed hand towards the body, intoning the spell, "<>." A2 Chapter 3 AN: Looks like this little portion of the story will end during the first half of chapter six. Afterwards comes a little surprise, and a bit more brutality from the kitsune. Should be entertaining, right? By the way, I got hold of of a local editorial service called ''Monique Happy Editorial Services'', but because it was the Easter Weekend when they decided to answer back, I have to wait a few more days before I can receive an exact quote on the cost. Pretty much, it''s expensive. So what does this mean to you guys? Well, either I''m going to blow through my vacation savings to put out this book, or you''ll be seeing a donation box down below. Anyways folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know down below. __________________________________________ "Did you know, human," the earth about us shook slightly, as my eyes did spy movement coming from the small jester. It was still bound in the gilded and jeweled chains, but floated towards my skull so that I may look upon it more closely. "there are approximately two hundred bones in an adult human body?" The creature stirred from its short rest, then gasped as it found its body still tied to the chains. "Wh-," it began before screaming as its eyes fell upon my bare skull. "Monster! Someone! Save Me," but none would come to its aid. "You have summoned a god," I began. "-and it is angry," whispered the creature before my person, which caused my imaginary lips to peel back in revealing a feral grin. Its body was limp soon afterwards, of which leaked fluids from its eyes and lower body. "Look about you, thing, for there are none of your kind here to save you from my wrath." The chains swung him to and fro, allowing its eyes to view the rubble filled "throne room" full of my Undying feasting upon the flesh of the mouse-kin. Her own skull was seen within the hands of Brutus the Lich, as he drank deep of the blood within. This was before he cracked open the skull in its entirety, and fished out the brain. Whereupon his four hands did tear it into four large, bloodied chunks, and handed three of the pieces to three of my female Undying, before tearing into his own piece. The sight of such actions paled the face of the small human, who shivered against the chains that bound it. "Look upon them well, little thing called ''human'', for these are my chosen, and they still hunger for flesh." A roar echoed my statement, but for a different reason. Those down below fell upon the bones of the Kin, cracking them open to drink the marrow within. However, the chained human fell into the belief of my Undying desired the flesh, bone, and blood of itself. "Please," it whispered softly, "Anything..." "What was that, thing?" "I''ll tell you anything," it screamed, "Please don''t let them eat me!" "Where. Is. The. Little. Princess. Thing?" The jaw of my skull opened wide, causing the creature to squeal as it did its best to back away from my opened maw. "She''s at the ruins of the Blood King''s Castle," its voice was high pitched, as the words flew from its throat quickly, "I swear it. They are going to sacrifice her in two days'' time." "Where is this castle?" My voice shook the whole of the castle, causing more of the ceiling to fall onto the ground below. "A sennight''s ride north by way of horse," its voice was now a sneer, as the creature''s face contorted into a hideous visage. "You will never reach us in time," it cackled maniacally, as another voice overlapped its own, "Soon our god will rise ag-" "<>," I intoned, and watched as a spark of emerald and violet light shot into the mind of the jester, before launching itself towards a large mountain range. My eyes did watch this spark, whilst the chains released the now lifeless body of the small human, allowing it to crash onto the ruined floor below. "My Lord God?" Brutus called out to my person, as all others began to gather close by. "Find out where this ''Blood King''s Castle'' resides, Brutus. We must make haste, if we are to make it in time for the party." * "You are certain it is at the old castle?" Asked an old human wearing what appeared to be scraps of discoloured clothing sewn into its skin. It was... odd. "Our Lord God heard it from the little cretin before it fell to the ground," growled an Undying, who brandished a fairly large battle axe. The old human raised its hands high, waving them quickly in front of it, "I mean no disrespect. Just that the castle is located within the Degro territories, and-" The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. "We do not care for your disputes between nations, human," growled Brutus, whose emerald eyes flared enough to illuminate the human standing over a large map upon a blood soaked table, "Give us the location so that we may recover your lost princess." "Of course, of course," it nodded quickly, then turned to stare at my person from the corner of its eye. This earned the human a display of power, as a bolt of chaotic lightning struck close to its tattered feet. It leapt back with a yelp, as I turned to point my gnarled staff towards its body. "Where. Is. The. Castle. Located?" I growled slowly, emerald and violet coloured energies crackling about my person. With a yelp, it pointed a bony finger upon the map, indicating where we are currently located, "We''re here, and the castle is northwest of-," its body was lifted high, as a large bear Undying dragged it towards a large hole in the wall. "Which direction is your ''northwest'', human," my voice was barely an audible hiss, as my eyes flared a brilliant crimson. My mental state was enraged at the thought of not completing our assigned task. Of which would mean we would not be allowed to see the tribunal, and the world would reset itself to repeat the process over again. This was unacceptable to my person, for we had already failed in another task, thus barring our persons from venting upon the "tribunal" once more. "That way," its finger pointed towards the mountain range, to which earned it a toss to the floor, as my score of Undying gathered about my person. Each knelt down, pressing their foreheads to the ground, whilst their primary clawed hands rose up towards my being. My own body flared with a sickly coloured light, which bathed them all in its glow, as I intoned, "<>." As one they stood, and as one we left the ruined castle of the human''s king, dashing towards the mountain range ahead of us. * As all who follow my person in worship know, an Ageless is able to grant others an eternal blessing. Each blessing given is able to increase each recipient''s strength close to the one who granted such things. However, the only difference between the I of today, and the I of yesterday is not of added strength, but of time. For you see, the I of the past was unable to grant a permanent blessing, which caused our group to become slow halfway to the mountain range. Of course, this also tired most of my Undying, as many of the twenty were not skeletal. In other words, my dear audience, they did not have the stamina to keep up with myself. "In more ways than one," the kitsune chuckled to himself. "Rest," I commanded, as we slowed near a copse of trees which heralded a great forest beneath the mountains, "We have plenty of time, and the day star has not even begun its trek across the sky just yet." Which was true, for the most part, as the colours of violet and red flew across the night''s sky as though an artist had spilt paint upon a masterpiece. "Thank you, My Lord God," panted several bestial and serpentine Undying, who stretched and relaxed their bodies against various trees. My own form had become a kobold once more, as I stood under a large oak tree, watching as the day star slowly inched its way into the sky above. "How long has it been, My Lord God?" Asked Brutus, who stood by my side as his own emerald eyes watched the same beautiful scene as I. "Far too long," my voice was a slow whisper, as my eyes beheld the majesty of the gold and... blue? "Do my eyes deceive me, Brutus, or is the day star as blue as our great waters upon Terra?" "They," his voice hesitated, as his own eyes flared brilliantly for a moment, "They do not, My Lord God. It is indeed a blue day star." The metallic skull upon his shoulders turned this way and that, as though searching for something lost upon the ground. "My Lord God, the grass and leaves are of royal purple," he exclaimed loudly, inviting all others to glance upon the ground and trees. Indeed, they were of a rich purple colour. The sort of colour one of royal majesty might wearing upon their clothing. "Find the seeds," I muttered softly to myself, then turned towards all who stared upon my person with curiosity, "Gather the seeds of the grasses and trees." "My Lord God?" The Lich had questions within his eyes, as the Undying set to work in collecting the seeds I desired. "These plants have intrigued me, Brutus, and when we''ve taken back our home of Terra, I desire to see if these seeds may flourish under its golden day star." A2 Chapter 4 AN: I have news. Going to be receiving a contract by the editor in the next couple of days, then will start paying them quite a bit to edit it all out whilst keeping my "voice" (writing style) prevalent. After this comes the process of publishing it, and I don''t know how long THAT will take. Hopefully it won''t be as painful as this one felt like, but hey, still cost me an arm and a leg. Which begs the question: Would you purchase the book/s if presented one? Would love to know your thoughts as to why you would, or would not, purchase a copy. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know either down below or in my PM box. _______________________________________ Sounds of branches straining under a great weight punctured the silence of the great host of monsters that was the kitsune''s small army. Many heads turned towards such a sound, only to realise it was their Ageless''s ethereal wyrm resting upon a great and bare tree. Beneath such a beast was their leader, whose warmth within his eyes startled many, as they''ve come to know him as only cold and cruel. "You may believe what you will," his voice drifted into their minds by way of the Mindflayer''s touch, "but know that I am a just being in my own right. I still feel the warmth within my beatless heart when I look upon those of whom had earned such affections." His right paw flowed over the tail of his wyrm''s tail, which shivered under such a caress, "Those of whom had earned the right to be graced by my warmth and affections will know no fear of Death and Her eternal kiss. For I shall keep you from such an embrace forever more." Upon the words of their Ageless, the host of monsters became excited, as each would strive towards the day their leader would gaze upon them with such eyes as he did upon the wyrm. For now, though, his right paw waved them all over as a large cauldron filled to the brim with an unknown soup appeared in front of his person. Other platters full of meats, cheeses, vegetables, and fruits did appear around them upon long tables. "Eat," he commanded them as three large kegs full of a golden brew thumped upon the ground before him, "Drink," wooden plates, utensils, and mugs fell upon the edges of the tables with a clatter, "Be merry. For tomorrow we leave the Great Forest of Nu''Bai, and must trek upon the Plains of Nu''Ohn. From there, we shall journey south towards the Necropolis, where we shall all feast once more." "How long do you estimate this journey towards the home of the Lich King will take, my Master?" Asked a large, dark furred Nekotar, as a wooden plate full of meats was placed in front of it. "The celebration will not start until mid-winter," hummed the Ageless, of whom was now lying against a trunk of a great oak tree, "The trek will not last long, perhaps a full moon turn. As long as we do not come across any great armies who wish for my head, of course." Many voices raised themselves in laughter, as the denizens continue to fight his rightful claim of ownership of the world called Terra. "Well, no matter," he mumbled, twirling a foreclaw from his left paw in the air. Lines of emerald, sapphire, and ruby danced gaily about his claws, as he simply gazed upon them with joy about his eyes. For a time he was like this, as the host of monsters did drink and eat merrily, before a question appeared within their minds, "Do you, all of you, know of another Great Forest called Sai''uun?" The great host silenced their merry making, and as one turned towards their leader. Many eyes were full of questions, but a bare few nodded upon these words. "The Great Forest called Sai''uun," began a decrepit skeleton, whose bones cracked even as it fought to stand tall. Another skeleton appeared beside it, gently bracing the former against its own body, and was awarded a small whispering of, "Thank you." "The Great Forest called Sai''uun," it began once more, "once held the ruby trees called ''The Eyes of Gahn'', before they were all torched by the elves of Terra. For their terrible crime against our god, most of their race was executed by way of fire and iron. This led to the second Great War between our god and the world, of which lasted until three cycles ago." "Yes, yes, Old One," grumbled a large, green skinned orc, who was busy chewing upon a bloody haunch of meat, "but what does that have to do with anything our Leader has asked?" "Sai''uun''s origins began upon the world called Nova," spoke their Ageless, whose eyes were now of crimson, as they stared down upon the orc who spoke out of turn. The other shrank in on itself, desiring naught, but to hide under something heavy to avoid the ire of his eyes. "It was planted upon our world simply as an experiment, before it grew into the majesty of its name. Sai''uun, the Eyes of Gahn, of whom was one of many treasured servants, resided within the forest proper before his untimely demise at the hands of those elves. "The world called Nova held the seeds of Sai''uun, and with it, Gahn." Stolen novel; please report. ***** Nuts, acorns, and grass seeds were laid out in front of my person atop the crimson robe I had shed, much to the dismay of a few female Undying. For they had labourously sewed the garment for my person to wear, and was now being used as a package for the small seeds. Many did beg my person to reconsider such action, but to no avail, as I did not need such clothing whilst my body became that of my skeletal form. "Where will they be placed, My Lord God?" Asked the Lich, of whom was not the only curious being amongst our small party. "Do you remember Soja of the desert world of Suul?" All nodded at my query, "The burnt human was kind enough to impart his knowledge to my mind before his... departure," several chuckled at the memory, and for those who do not know, or remember, Soja of the world called Suul was a desperate human who desired to live forevermore. In doing so, he concocted a ritual to grant him immortality. However, instead of granting him his wish, it ended up summoning my person and Brutus to his location just as my Undying broke through the last of his defenses. Within moments, I drained him of all thought and ability, making it my own. Thus, our time upon the world was done, as we had to deliver his body, alive, to complete their quest. However, they did not specify if his mind needed to be intact or not. As to why it was important at the time, well, "Soja of Suul had a most peculiar ability. He could, essentially, create a small pocket dimension to store anything and anyone for all time." "Can you mirror such an ability, My lord God?" Many wondered if this was possible, and if it could be learned, too. "I do not know if it could be taught," my voice shook the earth greatly, calling all attention upon my person, "but I have been able to creature small pocket dimensions here and there." To demonstrate, a minor foreclaw was lifted high, and slowly raked the air in from of my body. As a result, the air shimmered for a moment, then tore a great hole for all to see. Normally, when one performs such a task, there is a great sound of flesh being torn asunder. In this case, on the other hand, it was noiseless, even as my lesser clawed hand reached in to pull out a severed head of a random human. However, upon entering the open air, the head turned to dust and scattered itself upon the winds. "My Lord God, was that-?" "Indeed, Brutus. That head was the king of Aruuma, who declared I and we to perish the moment it found out our true identities." Ah yes, the human king of Aruuma. It was one of the humans I would not have minded if they became a pet of mine. However, it seemed this one was of a mind where if you were not of his race, and like-minded, you were fair game to its whims. Which included torture, enslavement, and even death. This one, unlike all others, was present upon our summoning, but once it noticed Brutus wielding my sword body, it desired it greatly. Especially after noticing the acidic poisons which ate away at the flesh and metals of the soldiers it sent to claim my body for its own. Unfortunately for it, my sword body became my skeletal form, and I did claim the human''s life for my own in retaliation. Which, in turn, allowed us to visit the "tribunal" much sooner than expected, but I digress. "How long-?" He mused aloud, as each of us began to count how many cycles it has been since we were summoned upon that world. "Almost three cycles, My Lord God," spoke the bear Undying who had the honour of taking apart and preparing the female mouse-kin for them to feast upon. "There about, yes," I agreed with a nod of my skull, as the seed were safely stowed away, "Come. We''ve tarried for too long, as the sun is nearing its zenith, and I desire to find these ruins before nightfall." All knelt before my person once more, and unbeknownst to us at the time, a small stone-like creature had appeared among their number as I intoned, "<>." A2 Chapter 5 AN: The votes are in from yesterday''s poll, and most are undecided. Well, can''t say I blame them, really. Anyways, tomorrow is April Fool''s Day, and I''ve nothing really planned for it. Which means I''m not going to prank people beyond that glitter bomb I sent someone. So blame Admin if something happens to the site. Anyways, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don''t hesitate to post them below or in my PM box. Even if it''s just a "Thanks for the chapter", I''d love to read it. You guys are way too quiet, ya know? _______________________________________________ "How long did it take for us to realise the creature was amongst us?" Is what you are all asking within your hearts. The answer to such a question is, though it pains me to say it, "Not until after we had reached the base of the mountains." For you see, the small stone-like creature had latched itself onto one of my leg bones, and did not seem too bothered by the poison it was coated in. In fact, it seemed to revel in such a thing. Of which earned its place amongst our number, for I was intrigued by such a creature. "My Lord God?" Asked Brutus, whose emerald eyes were upon the creature as it embraced the foreclaw upon my right primary clawed hand. "Such an intriguing creature, wouldn''t you agree, Brutus?" My own crimson orbs reduced themselves to pinpoints, as I continued to watch the creature dance upon my clawed hand. "It appears to be resistant to my acidic poisons. I have not seen such a creature since our time upon Terra." "Of which you had the entire tribe wiped from the face of the world in the off chance another of their number proved to be resistant to your poisons as the female was," spoke up a skeletal Undying, whose eyes of sapphire continued to watch the creature which had the tip of my clawed forefinger inside its head. Rather, what I assumed was its head, as it did not have any eyes to indicate where it might be located. No, instead, its body seemed to open and close all over its small frame, absorbing its nutrients in such a manner. "Regardless of what had happened within the past, we must strive forwards with heads aloft towards the future," my voice dropped lower, as it grew much colder, "We shall retake our world of Terra soon enough, and when we do, nothing will take it from us again. This I swear to you all." Iron striking iron flowed around us, as all struck their chests in salute to my continuing vow towards them all. They then turned towards the mountain, scattering to search for the ruins about it in quick succession, whereas I turned my attention towards the small stone-like creature who was busy trying to suck out the poisons within my clawed hand. However, instead of allowing this to continue, my left clawed hand gingerly raked a claw full of stone from the side of the mountain. Much of it was coated in my poisons, which caused the small creature to turn towards the hissing and popping sounds coming from the pile as it appeared near it. With great elation, a small squeak erupted from its body, and it leapt onto the now small pool of acidic stones. It then rolled its body around the substance, absorbing it much like a rag would with spilt liquid upon a hard surface. "Gahn," my voice was quiet, as I stared upon the small creature rolling around upon the palm of my clawed hand, "Your name will be Gahn, and you shall journey with me until we claim our world of Terra once more." From my statement, curious energies flowed from my person in the form of silver mists, and wrapped themselves about the small creature now known as Gahn. From there, the energies flowed into my chest, binding the creature to my person forevermore. Though, of course, I did not know this at the time, and would only come to realise the meaning of such words at a much later date. Soon after this binding took place, my Undying returned with news of the ruins. "We have found them, Master," claimed one of the female Undying, whose body was of a serpent, "It is not as guarded as one would believe." "Perhaps they believe themselves safe because of the mountains surrounding it," chimed in a male wolf Undying. "Regardless of the why of such actions," muttered Brutus who had conjured up a host of ghostly skeletons, "When do we attack, My Lord God?" "We strike now," my voice shook the earth as my body stood tall, and turned towards the mountains themselves, "Now, while we hold the element of surprise." ***** "Is everything prepared for tomorrow night''s ritual?" Asked a nasally and high pitched voice belonging to a mutated and hunchbacked human, whose face looked as though it was tenderised by several small hatchets before sewn onto its misshapen skull. Indeed, the skull was deformed enough to make its mother cry, as horns and feelers had sprout forth from the left side of its face, marking it even more hideous than the bulbous hump upon its back. What was more startling were the creature''s eyes, as its right was far larger than its left, and took up one fourth of its skull. Perhaps if such a creature was not my enemy, it would have become a tool for my own needs, but such a thing was not possible at this point in time. No, but on a later date... "Yes, Lord," whispered a normal sized human male, whose entire body was covered in scar tissue and pus filled welts. This male, like all others within a cavernous hall beneath the ruined castle of the Blood King, wore only a loincloth whilst showing off their scars and welts to the world. It seems the more scars and welts a human has, the higher standing it gains as a result. Which means the hunchback was their leader, whereas the one it spoke to was the next in line. No. If I had more time upon the world called Nova, I would have poisoned their minds enough into joining my side. However, as things stood, I had only a single turn of the sun to complete our mission and return the princess to her father. Else, we would not be able to visit the "tribunal" once more. "Everything is prepared. All that is left is the full moon''s zenith upon the morrow, and your presence," it sneered in secrecy at the back of the creature, believing it was doing so in secret. Unbeknownst to it, the hunchback was viewing its reaction upon its person by way of a small mirror. "Good," it hissed slowly, stowing away the mirror with its own version of a sneer. It turned around to glare at the human before it, whose expression had become neutral, and caused the other to question whether or not its eyes had seen what it saw within the mirror. "Very go-," the creature''s words were cut off, as the whole of the cavern shook under a great weight. "What was that?" Its voice grew in pitch, as its eyes moved in search of the disturbance that caused the shaking. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The sound of feet slapping against stone alerted the pair, who turned in time to see a dark robed human shouting, "We''re under attack," as it ran past them. However, its head soon rolled back towards the two, and spied the facial expression full of shock and pain, as something metallic scraped itself upon the stone floor. "Hurry, Lord," hissed the scarred human whose arms flailed in motioning the smaller towards its position upon the opposite wall, "We must leave before-" "Ah," hissed a voice, as a sickly green smoke filled the whole of the chamber, "Found you at last." A pair of glowing crimson orbs floated above them, as they noticed the ceiling being eaten away by something acidic in nature. "Gather them all," its voice shook the earth, causing the pair to fall onto their hind ends as they stared upon a great, four-armed skeletal being before them, "We shall complete this in time to greet the tribunal, Brutus." "Indeed, My Lord God," spoke another voice, whose body was still shrouded within the smoke. ***** "Well?" I had sat upon the crumbling rampart of the old castle as all of the near naked humans were paraded before my person. Each was mutated in some way, and had a variety of scars and pustules about their bodies. The lot of them were curious in my eyes, but none of them seem to be female in the least. "The king''s daughter is not amongst them, Master," reported a female Undying, whose body was in the form of a small wolf, "They do not seem to know where she was kept, and most did not know what we were speaking of when questioned." By ''questioned'', the female Undying was speaking of the torture session Brutus the Lich put them under in order to ferret out any and all knowledge of what we desired. "What of that one?" My right, lesser clawed hand pointed towards the bound hunchback, whilst my left was currently within the maw of Gahn who had sat upon my left femur. No emotion was seen upon its features, as it continued to try its best to sap my poisons from my body. She shrugged her shoulders slowly, primary arms raised as her head shook from side to side, "Then bring them here, and I shall take from it, everything." The female did so, not caring for the thing as she shoved its small form close enough for my right primary clawed hand to reach forth, grasp its body, and lift it close to my skull. "I shall ask only once, thing," my voice was barely a hiss, which turned into a great roar as I asked, "Where. Is. The. Princess?" The earth about my person shook greatly, causing much of the mountain to create several avalanches of rock and earth. Its eyes had been glaring towards my skull, but after my question, they had rolled backwards as he fainted from the stress of my voice. This reaction caused my mental state to become angered, to which I growled, "If you will not speak, then I shall take everything within your mind. So give it to me, for I desire it greatly. <>." The thing in my grasp screeched a high pitch screeched, as my magicks tore their way into his mind. Within the shadows, a robed creature emerged with a scream of, "NO," as it revealed itself to be a female with soft facial features and golden blonde hair. There was even a small, silver tiara upon her head which accented her sapphire and gold eyes. "Stop," she rushed my person, only to be apprehended by Brutus, whose eyes glared down upon her self, then tore off the robe about her person to reveal a mist linen dress. Mist linen, by the by, is a transparent fabric which allows the world to see everything, and many females have found it comfortable to wear underneath their clothing. The hunchback within my grip had fallen to the ground at this point, as my attention was now upon the female who had fallen upon her hands and knees. Yes, the silvered orb had formed outside of the creature upon the ground, and yes, it did flow into my skull, but I did not pay heed to the images flitting through my mind. "You are the princess?" My voice shook the earth, as I looked more closely upon her figure. By Terra''s standards, the female before us would have just barely come of age, as she had the figure and form of one who had just become an adult. However, upon Nova, their standard for females becoming of age is around twelve cycles old. Far too young, if one had asked me, and yes, their laws would change once we returned upon a later date. "Cornelius," she whispered frantically, cradling the misshapen head within her arms. It seems she had snuck closer to the thing nearest my clawed feet, as I had not noticed her movements. "Are you okay?" "P-prince-," it began. One of its hands slowly touched her cheeks, just as streams of tears flowed freely upon the creatures own face. "That is enough," I commanded, forcing the both of them to focus upon my person with heated expressions, "Are you, or are you not, the princess who was kidnapped?" "What? What lies and slan-" "Answer the question, thing," Brutus hissed, a broken sword pointing towards the creature upon the ground. Her eyes widened at such an action, and shielded it with her body, "No, I won''t let you hurt my beloved." The pair was separated shortly thereafter, which elicited a scream from their mouths. Reaching down, I once more scooped up the creature, and intoned the spell, "<>." This time, however, I took everything from his mind, which gave me the information I needed most. Which was yes, that was the kidnapped princess before us, and she was crying as I dropped the lifeless body of the hunchback upon the ground. A2 Chapter 6 AN: Again, no jokes, just the end of the short story within the main story during the first part of the chapter. From here on out, you folks will be seeing a whole lot more of the kitsune, and how much of an evil prick he can be to others. For those of whom are confused as to the sudden shift in personality between the gold and dark furred kitsune, you have to realise something. The village inside the Great Forest of Nu''Bai is there to keep him sane and calm, just like the children from the first arc kept him sane and calm with their adorableness. I do apologise if it''s still confusing for some of you, but if you can recall the personality of the skeletal MC of the last arc, just increase his acceptance of all things dark by about tenfold, spice it up with apathy and boredom for it all, and you now have the dark furred kitsune. Anyways folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know down below. Oh, try not to do anything rash with your pranks today, and always remember to have fun. _____________________________________________ Within a full turn of the blue day star, we found ourselves within the ruined anti-chamber/throne room with the king of humans sitting upon a ruined, gilded throne. The expression upon its face was haggard, but jovial, as we had brought back its daughter within such a short time. "Lock her up in the tower next to her mother," he growled low and dangerous, "Should have done this in the beginning, as I''ve done to her other sisters." "Father, please," she begged, clutching at the hem of his tunic, but was struck away with the back of his ringed right hand. This left trails of torn flesh and blood upon her cheek, as she fell and gripped the wound whilst crying heavily. Guards had appeared at this point, wearing heavy leathers under an iron laced surcoat with a black dragon dancing upon a white background. These humans dragged the crying princess away, who was kicking and screaming to let her go. "I cannot thank you enough, My Lord God," its voice was gruff, but humbled, as its body fell to its hands and knees in worship towards my person. "The next time you have an offspring, human," my own voice shook the whole of the castle, as circles of white light appeared beneath our feet. This signified we had only a few short moments before we leave this world called Nova, and its blue sun, "Make sure it is locked away so that this never happens again." With this statement did we vanish, and in our place was a single vial filled with a silvery substance. Next to it was a note with the words of, "Drink this; for it is my blood. Know that it will give you the strength necessary to protect those you care for, and enough to kill all others who stand in your way." * For the return trip back towards the world called Azzarath, my form was not of a sword as it had been through the journey to other world. No. Instead, it was of my skeletal form, and would be thus no matter which form I had become upon other worlds. Most of you are curious as to why this is, so allow me to explain what I had learned upon Azzarath. There are two major portals within such a place, one for summoning, the other for returning. It is nothing new, to be sure, but each has its own laws etched into their entirety. When one uses a summoning portal for the first time, the laws of such a portal is imprinted within the person in such a way that it essentially creates a template by which the user must follow. In essence, I had become a sword in order to pass through the first summoning portal. Because of this act, each portal forces my body to become the same sword over and over, time and time again until it is changed. As to why I chose to become a sword, it is because I did not know what the world I was being summoned to was like. So, I became a sword to allow my person time to analyze the situation at hand to better understand which path would allow my person to progress smoothly. As to the return portals, much of its laws are the same, yet still different. For instance, if one returned the first time as a whole of mind and body, but the second time you were missing a leg, an eye, or something internal, then it would regenerate what was lost. However, the same can be said if you were returned the first time with something missing. Then you would lose it again and again every time you returned to Azzarath. Of which would cause many to lose their minds, when all is said and done, but I would never fear such things. In any case, we had returned to an endarkened room, and had been there for some time. I was not amused by such actions of the "tribunal" not facing us, and had sent the others to search for them. For you see, my dear audience, they had tried this on several occasions, and had always been found within mere moments. Such was the case, but we were met with something more. "They have an army of human paladins, My Lord God," spoke Brutus, who had summoned up a great host of ghostly skeletons, banshees, and a few wendigos who were eager for a chance to kill said paladins. "Bring me five slain paladins, Brutus," my voice was thoughtful, as I recalled a spell from my earlier days. This spell, as many would recognise, is an animation spell which allows my person to create living dolls, of a sort. These sorts of creatures held no feelings of remorse, anger, or joy, but were of killing machines who would complete their tasks until they were either completely destroyed, or the other was. "Yes, My Lord God," his primary right clawed hand struck his solar plexus with a resounding bang, and left to direct his troops as any good general within my armies would. "Forward," he cried out to his host, "Leave nothing in your wake of destruction. For our god has spoken, and He declares their lives forfeit." His host grew larger at the end of his speech, making their number far too great for even the "holy paladins" under the "tribunal". Though, I will commend them for trying their best, by turning five of their number into semi-living dolls. "<>," I intoned, as my primary clawed hands waved over five mangled corpses of five different paladins, "<>." Golden daggers appeared above the five bodies, and were absorbed therein. These daggers would contain their souls to fuel their everlasting hatred for all things living, as they continued to walk upon the world in search of prey, and if I did not command them, they would wander to and fro in search of such things. For you see, my dear audience, these "dolls" are what many would call Zombies and they have an insatiable appetite for living flesh. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Upon my first world, a world without mysticism and magicks, these creatures were greatly feared. For they had an ability to infect the living, transforming them into one of their number within moments of biting their flesh. Of course, these "dolls" of mine were capable of such a thing, but could not unless I willed it so. As to their daggers, they replaced their primary hands. Of which allowed them to infect others more rapidly than a bite ever could, and each was proficient in their use. This was their greatest strength, as well as their greatest weakness. For their souls were entrapped within such blades, and once they were broken, would they be released from the torment of endlessly watching their bodies massacre the living. "How many do I have?" Mused the kitsune, as others around his person nodded with great curiosity, "I have conquered three worlds the size of our Terra with them in tow. In other words, I have three worlds full in number of these ''dolls''." Nearly all paled at the thought of such a host, whilst their Ageless simply chuckled at their fear. Ah, but once I released such creatures upon their brethren, my eyes did spy a few of my Undying bringing forth two of the seven "tribunal" members. One I did not care about, and injected its body with my acidic poisons. Its scream was heavenly upon my person, and became curious once I noticed little Gahn rolling around in the pool that was the body of a "tribunal" member. However, the other was of great importance to my person, which was, "Roj, so good to see you once more." The creature named Roj was the leader of the group, and as such, wore a scarlet, hooded robe to cover its features. Or rather, lack thereof. For you see, this creature did not have a corporeal head, nor did it have any limbs. Instead, it had a torso and abdomen with an ethereal head and limbs, much like Vegas the wyrm I ride. "Undead Karastak," it growled towards my person, hate dripping venomously as it struggled against the grip of two Undying, "Why are you doing this to us? Haven''t we suffered enough? You''ve stolen everything from us, yet you still demand more." "Ah, but that is where you are wrong, little godling," my voice shook the space we occupied, and many bodies fell because of the quake, "For you see, you have stolen what was mine by rights, and until it is given back to me and mine, we shall continue this song and dance forevermore." After such words were spoken, I began to drain it of everything it deemed personal. From spells and abilities, to knowledge of every world other "heroes" have come across. Everything was taken into my mind, so that I may do what I see fit. ***** "What did you take?" Asked a black furred Nekotar, whose sapphire-like eyes were wide with curiosity. Each of the small host of monsters had gathered themselves about their Ageless, who was preparing to open a way out of the barrier which surrounded the forest''s edge. The barrier was set in place in retaliation to those who would seek to plunder its secrets and attack those of whom had claimed such a place as their own. Namely, the small village near the heart of the forest proper. "Everything," replied the dark furred kitsune, who had raised his right paw in order to create a small opening for which they may pass through with relative ease. "Although the memories of the one called Roj was insignificant compared to the mortal insects whose lives are as long as a lit match, it was still enough to garner my curiosity." "What do you mean, My Lord High God?" This question was voiced by the Naga, as it made its way through the barrier. "What I mean is those upon the ''tribunal'' were naught, but newborns given a task by an older generation. They had no true memories to call their own, only of what was given to them, and what extracted by those of whom had traversed the multitude of worlds outside of their little space," many nodded to his words with understanding, but there were still a few who did not. For this he sighed greatly, just as the ethereal wyrm and himself passed through the barrier''s small hole, then closed it off. "In layman''s terms, my dear audience, that which was called the ''tribunal'' did not have a true life. In other words, they''ve only known each other, and not the world outside their space. For now, though, we shall continue this tale another time. For I believe we shall soon fight another army upon the outskirts of the Great Forest of Nu''bai." Indeed, there was such another army before them, and were of humans, dwarves, and Kin, but were not large in number. No, they numbered in the hundreds with a few odd humans standing in front wearing some sort of flashy arms and armour about their persons. "Ah," sighed the kitsune, whose face split into a wide and feral grin, "It seems the pathetic alliance has found a way to summon heroes to this world. Well, no matter." His right paw was raised high into the air once his voice concluded its thoughts, then lowered it until it was pointing straight towards the large host in front of them. "Leave none alive," he commanded, as a bolt of shadowed crimson leapt from his outstretched clawed fingers, striking dead a male human in golden armour through its chest. "For they have broken the laws set upon this world by the will of I." A2 Chapter 7 AN: Chapter seven through nine will have the kitsune being much of a prick as he was in the last arc, but he''s more OP and bored. However, in chapter nine he has a wardrobe change, and chapter eight is another NSFW chapter full of "fun". As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don''t hesitate to post them either down below or in my PM box. __________________________________________ "What is going on?" Shouted a male elf in leaf patterned iron armour, whose long, golden hair flowed around his shoulders in an elegant manner. His head peaked out of a large tent in the rear of the army, as the earth beneath his feet shook from a continuous bombardment of chaotic energies out in the distance. Voices of the dying and the damned flowed around his ears, whilst the energies of chaos painted the distant skies with their hues of madness. "Something came out of the barrier, my Lord," replied another elf, but wore plain brown leathers about its person, "and is attacking the summoned humans as we speak." "What? Who ordered them to the front line, and who is attacking them?" "Monsters, my Lord," the other shivered visibly, "Led by something with black fur riding atop an ethereal wyrm." The elf who was called "lord" paled at the description, as his mind came to only one conclusion as to who it was that led the attack. "Have a Farseer confirm it," he ordered, his hands shaking as they drew out the swords by his waist, "If it is who I think it is, then we need to retreat quickly." "Who do you think it is, my Lord?" Asked a different elf, one who wore an iron breastplate over a long, vibrant green robe. This marked the elf as a druid, one of the few healers within the elven portion of the army. "If my thoughts are correct, then we''ve all signed our death sentences. For the one riding upon an ethereal worm can only be the newly appointed god of our world called Terra, and he is an angry and jealous god." Those around this elf called "lord" paled at the thought of provoking such a being, as all eyes turned towards the front of the army, whereupon they did spy a dark being riding upon an ethereal wyrm. * "Isn''t it wonderful?" Crowed the kitsune with joy, as his small army began their slaughter upon the armies of human, elf, and dwarf. Whereas the wyrm of which he sat upon did turn its head to look into his own eyes with a gaze of longing desire. "Oh very well," he sighed upon noticing such a gaze, "Let me off first, then go and join the others in their revelry." With its own joyous cry, the wyrm bounced away from the Ageless who had sat upon it, whilst the other simply smirked at the antics of such a creature. "Ah, to be young and full of energy," he sighed with content, then turned towards a pair of unconscious females lying next to the dead body of the human in golden armour. "Let''s awaken the pair of you, shall we?" At his words, did his paws rise above the bodies of the females. Which then flexed shut for a brief moment, then opened as a torrent of endarkened lightnings fell upon their bodies. These females, who were of human origin, awoke to excruciating pain coursing through their bodies. Their backs arched themselves from such a treatment, as their mouths opened wide with a silent scream echoing throughout the world called Terra. Just as suddenly as the torrent of lightnings began, did they recede from the bodies of the females. Of whom had begun to cry quite loudly and vocally after such a treatment. "Now that I have your attention," growled the kitsune, whose entire form seemed to grow much larger than was thought possible, as he loomed over the fallen females, "You will give me exactly what I desire." From this statement, his paws shot out, gripping the pair by the crown of their heads. Once they were lifted into the air, however, they began to scream a much higher pitch, as his chaotic energies forced their way into the minds of those he held onto. These energies then began the slow process of extracting all of the information stored within their brains. "Hmm," the kitsune hummed as orbs of silver entered his own mind, revealing a scene he was familiar with, but felt great disappointment because of the images he is witnessing. Mists of white and grey flooded his mind, halting time itself in order to allow his person to view the events of the past without worry of harm and stress. These mists flitted past his mind, stretching backwards to nearly a full season until it slowed to a crawl. Within a small anti-chamber, which felt familiar to the kitsune somehow, was a score of humans ranging in all shapes and sizes. Each held an eager look, as a pair of numbers floated above their heads, and counted down from ten to double zero. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Upon reaching the double zero, however, a brilliant white light engulfed the large group of humans, transporting them all to an odd throne room. This throne room seemed to have been carved out of a very large tree, as everything within such a place seemed to flow from floor to ceiling as though by magic. Of course, the area was familiar to the Ageless who watched such a scene, and even shook his head with great disappointment as his eyes spied an elderly elven female walking towards the gathered humans, welcoming them to the world called Terra. "Ah, Reinianna," his sigh signaled the end of such a memory, allowing time to continue to flow once more, "You have truly become such a disappointment in your old age. Well, no matter." With a wave of its right forepaw, four golems made of earth appeared before him. Each knelt, as their bodies molded themselves into the shapes of elven males wearing black leathers about their persons. "Go," he commanded, "The elven queen of the wood elves has been marked for death. Make it known to all that I shall not tolerate such insurrections towards my person. Ah, but before you go, make sure you bring me her head. I fear I will be needing a new cup for the party we are about to attend." "My Lord High God?" Called out a dark furred Nekotar, of whom had a dozen humans in tow behind it. Each one was chained about their necks, wrists, and waists, creating a column of slaves to the minds of others. "Yes, Nekotar? What is this?" His left eyebrow lifted with abjected disdain for such creatures, "You do know the laws forbid humans upon our world of Terra, yes?" The creature before him nodded slowly, its tail and ears lowered as though predicting a scolding. To this, the Ageless sighed whilst the rest of his small army was returning from the carnage of the battlefield. "They''ve run off the moment they saw us, Lord," hissed the Naga, who then screeched with anger at the sight of the chained humans. Of which began to shiver, cry, and defecate within their trousers. "Yes," whispered the kitsune, whose anger had oozed out of his maw, along with the venomous saliva which accompanied it, "I know." Slowly, he breathed in and out to calm himself, as his anger was not one to trifle with. "Give the females to the males of our small army," he commanded, much to the joy of those within his group, and the horror of the female humans. "What of the males, Lord?" Asked the Naga, who was staring at one of the more muscular humans as though it were a large piece of meat to be bought and eaten. "Leave five of them be," he muttered, waving them away, "They will be a gift to the Lich King. I do believe he has not had time to experiment on humans after the last one died out nearly four centuries ago." "You lied to us, you damn cat," roared one of the human males, as the females were torn away from their group and ravished before their very eyes, "You promised we''d be spared if we came quietly." All eyes turned towards the large feline, whose shoulders shook rapidly. However, it soon became apparent to all that it was giggling maniacally at the scene, "Stupid humans. Our God''s word is law. To think you''d be foolish enough to believe that I, Aran Purringdale, a proud Nekotar in the service of Terra''s Lord would betray his desires to see you all dead. What a fool you all are," it shook its head slowly, then turned away with its tail stretching towards the heavens above, and walked away. However, the kitsune did not miss the few tears that fell upon the ground as it passed him by, nor the words of, "Please forgive me, Reinianna." "Oh?" Mused the kitsune, whose lips peeled back to revealed pearl-white teeth with a sickly green fog flowing between his teeth. "Naga," he commanded, summoning the other to his side just before it was able to bite the human it had picked out in half. "Yes, My Lord High God," it hissed with disdain at the interruption, but came anyways, "What is your will?" "We seem to have a spy within our midst," the flesh of their Ageless had peeled away from its skull revealing bleach-white bone beneath, as it stared after the large feline''s retreating backside. "I detest spies." "Ah, My Lord High God? Your face, its-" "My anger is reaching for freedom, Naga," the other shrank away, desiring to hide beneath something large and heavy after hearing this statement. For he knows the anger of one such as their Ageless will always be a great and terrible curse when unleashed upon the world of Terra. "Have the cat watched until the moon reaches its zenith tonight." "Then...?" "It will die. For I will not suffer its words reaching those who would become a thorn in my side once more." A2 Chapter 8 (NSFW) AN: Bit of news for you guys; I''ve become sick. "But OWL, we already know you''re sick. Look at what you''ve posted so far." Not THAT kind of "sick", as I already know about that one. No, I''ve caught a bad cold which has put a damper on my ability to think properly. "What does that mean?" It means I wasn''t able to create a buffer chapter yesterday, and I''m hoping I''ll have one done later today. I only have up to chapter nine completed, so here''s to hoping it goes away soon. Anyways, as I said yesterday, this is an NSFW chapter. It has rape and torture within it, with a cliff at the end. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don''t hesitate to voice them. _____________________________________ Of the twelve humans present, five were confirmed to be females, and had been given to the small army of monstrous creatures to do what they will with them. Whereas a pair of male humans were chosen for sustenance, whilst the remaining five humans were made to watch the gruesome scenes unfold throughout the day, and well into the night. All had tried to shut their eyes to the screams of their compatriots sometime in the beginning, but had their eyelids removed and were forced to continue their watch of such a scene. "You monster," they cried out, as a female''s head was torn from her body by a mantis-like creature, of whom had gripped its body whilst the lower half of his own penetrated that which was betwixt her legs repeatedly. After realising his mistake of killing the female, he came to his Lord High God and begged for the female human to be revived so that they may continue with such revelry. "Until the moon reaches its zenith," spoke the Ageless who sat upon a throne of stone behind five blood soaked humans tied to large poles, "The humans will continue to live through everything that is happening to them this night." In accordance to his words, the dead and dying humans were revived, their flesh mending, and those under him cheered with great elation, whereas the humans despaired greatly. "Bastard," howled one of the bound humans, as its eyes did watch as a female tried to reach out towards its body. An ogre of eight metres in height had gripped the female in question, and forced its overly large member, which was about the size of the human''s body, into her body. It screeched as the magicks of the black furred kitsune worked hard in keeping it alive to experience the torture of such creature''s throbbing member tearing through the entirety of its being. With each thrust, the females blood splattered the now stained earth below, but still its heart continued to beat. Upon the ogre''s member being pulled out and readied itself for another thrust, did the human''s organs fall upon the earth. However, the chaotic energies of the god caused them to flow back inside it, reattaching themselves to her insides. Thus, the torture of violating the laws of Terra continued for one such as the female, whilst other females were experiencing similar tortures as this one was to the ogre. The males, on the other hand, were being eaten alive whilst the chaotic energies of their Ageless continued to regenerate the blood, flesh, bone, and organ meat lost to the consumption of the army. Each time a piece of their flesh was cut away, did they scream a terrible scream full of pain and anguish. Yet, still they remained alive, and awake. For the energies of the black furred kitsune made it so that they may never collapse and embrace the darkness of relief. Those who were spared from such gruesome scenes had been tied to large poles, yes, and had their eyelids removed so that they may continue to witness such displays. Whereas the kitsune simply sat upon his throne of stone, as the tips of his paws touched each other and his right hind leg had crossed itself over the left. The eyes of one such as him simply watched the scenes of rape and torture without feeling, even as the humans begged him for the kiss of Death to bring them from this horrid site. That is, until a large, dark furred feline appeared to its right, struggling against the grip of a metallic clawed hand. This hand belonged to a four-armed, skeletal Undying, of whom had not been seen upon Terra for quite a long time. "M-my Lord H-h-high G-god?" Choked the Nekotar, "Wh-w-what i-i-is-," the grip tightened to keep the creature from speaking. "Ah, little Nekotar," sighed the Ageless, whose features had the look of extreme disappointment for the creature before it, "I had drained two of the humans after the short incursion had taken place. Tell me, do you know what it was I saw?" The creature before him simply shook in response to his words, as its eyes widened whilst the irises became thin slits. "Yes," he nodded slowly, "I had seen them all summoned, and do you know who I saw on the receiving end of such a summoning?" It began to scratch at the metallic bones binding its neck at this point, desperate to escape from the now smiling god before it. Of whom had begun to slowly glide forward with madness creeping into its eyes, "The queen of the wood elves will die, and her head will be used as a cup to toast the good fortune of my Lich King. Ah, but do you know who else I saw there, little Nekotar?" The feline yowled greatly, as its neck was gripped by the kitsune before it, hoisting its body high above his own, "I saw you there," his voice thundered across the heavens, as his entire form began to grow and stretch into a shadowed shape of a four-armed, skeletal giant, "I saw you there at the feet of the elven queen." Energies of violet, emerald, and crimson raced across his forearms, electrifying the body of the Nekotar. However, as he had stated before, none will die this night, and the feline creature in his clawed hand continued to be revived over and over, again and again as the energies continued to kill it repeatedly. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. "Know that I am greatly disappointed in you, Nekotar," his voice was now a soft thunder, and released the body of the still breathing, but greatly weakened feline from his great height. Its body fell, twisting and turning, as it tried to aim for the stained ground below to flee from this madness. However, luck was not on its side, as its body fell atop several dozen spears three orcs had held aloft to skewer the body. Many growls and elated roars were heard from the three, as gold coins passed through their hands. The body of their god, on the other hand, had shrunk itself back into the guise of his kitsune self. Of whom now had a bored expression about his features, as he continued to watch the revelry caused by his subordinates below. "You may return to Her side," he whispered to the skeletal Undying, who simply bowed at its waist and vanished into the darkness. "Who was that, Lord?" Asked the Naga, who slithered to Ageless''s side, but was not answered. Instead, a haunch of human leg was offered upon an iron shield, to which he did take up said leg and noticed it was very raw, and heavily bloodied. Shrugging slowly, his maw opened wide, and bit down upon the meat. Red blood oozed down the kitsune''s neck in slow trickles, but never actually touched his fur. It was as though some unknown force was preventing such things from staining his own. "Needs more salt," his voice shook the earth once more. Of which caused the Naga near him to chuckle lightly. "Forgive us, Lord, but we do not have any more salt." "A pity," he muttered, then took another bite out of the leg, whilst the owner screeched as a leg of the same shape and size was torn off the body, and another took its place. * The mental states of the humans had broken long before the day star began its slow trek across the heavens above, and below, the small army of the kitsune awoke slowly from the previous night''s revelry. A few of the human females could be seen, still clutched by their captors as they awoke with large teeth filled grins about their faces. These females, along with many males, wept openly and heavily as they realised the night prior was not a dream, but reality. "NO," wailed one of the females, whose naked body bore the many scars of a tentacle monster''s touch. It fell to the ground, slipping on drying blood under the mists of dawn, as it tried to escape its sluggish tendrils. However, it was captured by Roshaan, whose metallic, throbbing member caused the human to become even more terrified. Especially when it was used to tear apart that which was betwixt her legs. The sreechings and wailing of the dying human woke nearly all from their slumber, and began to search for its location. Upon noticing who it was that caused the female to utter such wonderful songs, the crowd jeered, whooped, and hollered as the body of the female was split apart from his vigourous thrusting. Blood, torn meat, and organs fell splattering the blood soaked grass and dirt below, as the beastman''s member released its own fluids high into the air. The crowd of monsters roared with their cheers from such a scene, and congratulated him for achieving such a release, whilst the body of the torn female human was forgotten under the many feet of the joyous creatures. "Forty-five metres," crowed a large eyeball surrounded by a mass of tentacles from high above their position, "A new record!" It gently floated towards the crowd below, and began chatting with others about such a feat. "My Lord High God?" Called out the Naga, of whom was among several other monstrous creatures who did not understand what had taken place, "Why are they excited about the release of fluids?" The dark furred kistune, on the other hand, was covered in a shroud of shadowed mists as he contemplated on which form is best to travel with. Upon hearing the Naga''s query, however, a pair of large, bulbous crimson orbs focused themselves upon the small group of confused creatures. "Among the metallic beastmen and women, they have a long standing tradition of reaching the height of ecstasy, and releasing their fluids as high into the air as possible. This only happens after they have conquered a portion of land, or triumphed over a hated enemy. "No, I do not know of the origins to such a festivity, but it does not bother me in the least. So just let it be for now, but if you are curious as to why they do this, you may ask Roshaan." Upon saying these words, he witnessed how great the Naga''s curiosity was, as it slithered away to ask its questions upon the metallic beastman. "Now then," he hummed softly, looking upon a screen full of bodies for him to wear as though they were clothing, "Which form shall I take?" In so saying, his right paw began to swipe the images from right to left, until he came upon a form which caused his lips to curve into a smile. "Perfect." A2 Chapter 9 AN: Good news everyone! The first arc will be fully edited and ready for the press between July and August. I also found someone willing and eager to produce a cover art for the first arc. Perhaps when the second arc halfway/completely finished, they''ll have the second one done up for everyone to look at. No, I don''t have anything planned like a "halfway point", or some such thing. The first arc was originally going to have fifty (50) chapters, and now look at it. Maybe when the group spends a bit of time in the Necropolis, I''ll ask for a second cover art. Anyways, I noticed the increase in followers for our little story. Welcome everyone, to our little Black Parade, and as always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________________________ "My Lord High God," called out a monster who was naught, but a large eyeball in the midst of a sea of tentacles and tendrils, "We are ready to depart, as are the prisoners." The humans in question, with their minds thoroughly broken, had collars of silver wrapped about their necks, and a short chain of the same silver attached to the next collared human in front of the last. The collars had been made of silver due to their magickal imbuement''s set to dampen their strengths and resistances to all forms, and to keep them bound securely to a large stone cart made specifically for them. "There will more than likely be a raid to save these humans," muttered the Naga with disgust, and spat a glob of mucus upon the chest of one of the males. "Indeed," spoke a voice that shook the earth beneath their feet, as the shroud of shadowed mists began to stretch itself greatly, forming a great torso, long armour-plated limbs, and square shaped skull. These mists then began their sculpting process, allowing the world to view the creatures well toned metallic muscles of iron laced with gold. This great creature stood tall at a height of nearly twenty metres, and its form looked much like that of a human male''s, save for the featureless face with only four pairs of oval shaped eyes running down the sides, horns which spiraled towards the heavens from the temples of its head, the long tail upon its backside, and the great expanse of wings from its shoulder blades. Before the mists receded to reveal the new body of their god, however, the mists began to shape itself around the torso and legs, creating a breastplate and greaves of iron and bronze. Once finished, the mists evaporated under the day-star in the heavens above, which revealed a mighty creature for them to gawk. "M-master?" Stammered many amongst small army, as they have not seen such a form in the entirety of their lives. However, they did bow their heads in worship of the majesty of his new body. ''Come to me,'' whispered the echo of a voice long forgotten by history, and the Mindflayer of the group slowly drifted towards the great head of such a creature. One of its tendrils hesitantly touched it, shivered for a moment, then began to broadcast the thoughts of their Lord High God. ''Ah,'' sighed a contented voice, which caused many a nose to bleed under the stress, ''I have not used this body in such a long time.'' In so saying, the iron-like colossus began to stretch its limbs, whilst the body creaked and groaned from the movements. "M-m-my Lord High God?" Called out the Naga, whose body had coiled in on itself in order to try and protect him from the heavy voice of the Ageless''s mind, "What is-?" ''Ah,'' the mental voice became that of a soft whisper rustling through the stained grasses beneath their feet, ''I had forgotten how much pressure my mind can strain upon the minds of others. Hmm,'' the metallic head turned itself towards the remnants of the day''s prior battle, then towards the chained humans being placed into harnesses to pull the stone cart which held nothing. ''I do believe you are correct in your assumptions, Naga. We must prepare for their arrival, but for now, we march towards Necropolis, home of the Lich King.'' In so saying, the whole of the army turned south upon the Plains of Nu''Ohn, and towards the old city of New Wair, now called Necropolis. * It wouldn''t be until the day-star reached its zenith, when the Ageless called for a short break from their walking. Of course, being under the God of Terra meant a being would not grow tired after such a short jaunt through the plains, but it was done so merely because he willed it so. Of course, this also meant one of the humans would go through the tortuous process of having their body torn apart, whilst it continued to regenerate the lost parts almost instantly. This was simply so that it would feed the whole of the small army, as there weren''t anything substantial for one to eat upon the Plains of Nu''Ohn. Granted, there was grass aplenty, but even herbivores avoided the plains as though it were a great plague of sickness, and they would only be half right. For these plains hold a great and terrible curse within itself, and the cause of such a curse was done so by none other than Brutus the Lich King, and the Ageless who walked with them. As for what occurs, when one disturbs a small patch of discoloured grass, spores erupt into the air in the form of a pale yellow cloud. If one was to inhale such spores, then the body is afflicted with a combination of a plague and a curse. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The plague portion is rather gruesome, as no one upon Terra, save the Ageless himself, knows of the cure. This plague is common upon his world, which is called the Bubonic Plague, but has been tweaked with his own chaotic magicks. Once caught, the plague quickly sets itself to weaken the body''s natural defenses to infection, which allows a second plague to appear. This one is called the Septicemic Plague, and causes parts of the body to turn black and fall off. It can also cause bleeding under the skin and inside the organs from the lightest of touches. Now, if the infected has not passed on from this, the two plagues invite a third, of which guarantees death. This is called the Pneumonic Plague, which fills the lungs of the individual with a pus-like fluid, and drowns the poor soul. Of course, once they have died, their essences are trapped inside the earth, and rise from it every night to hunt down the living for all time. However, many can protect themselves by simply being a servant of the god of Terra, or wearing an amulet imbued with an enchantment designed to push the air about the individual every few heartbeats. Unfortunately, they are never reliable, causing many to succumb to the plagues and curse placed upon the Plains of Nu''Ohn. As to the reason why this was so designed, ''There is a portal somewhere upon the plains that leads to our moon orbiting Terra,'' whispered the mind of their Ageless after many had become curious to know why the plains were uninhabited, ''I do not recommend searching for such a portal, as it leads to one of my homes. Of which is without oxygen, which is necessary for a mortal to live.'' "What is ''ox-i-gin'', Master?" Asked Roshaan, whose ears twitched with great curiosity. ''Oxygen is a gas upon a suitable planet full of life. This allows the water to be water and those who breathe the air above such liquids to continue to live and thrive upon the lands,'' he held up a long forefinger and continued with, ''However, this gas is odourless, colourless, and tasteless. It can also kill a being if forced to inhale it in its purest form. For although you are all breathing it in right now, it is not enough to kill you. Instead, you are all breathing in a combination of nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. All of which could kill a being if they inhaled its purest form, but with a combination such as these gases, one may continue to live and thrive upon our world of Terra.'' "How is ''ox-i-gin'' produced, My Lord High God?" Asked a green skinned orc. ''Ask the trees, and the dryads who tend to them, So''uun,'' the Agelss''s tone became that of a teacher with infinite patience towards his students, ''For they hold the answer to all your queries concerning how it is produced.'' The eyes of their god blinked once, then stared out into the distance as though he had spied something. Indeed there was, as the lone figure of a battered she-elf riddled with bulbous pus sacks about her body was evident she had stepped onto a discoloured patch of grass. It seemed to him that she would die within moments, if he did not rush to her aid. However, he simply turned his attention back towards the small army clustered about his feet when an ogre asked, "How you get big, god?" ''Ah, it was quite simple, really. You needed to become a god before a "patch" in Azzarath was put into place.'' "What is a ''patch'', Master?" Asked Roshaan, whose ears twitched as the soft screams of the dying she-elf drifted above his head. ''A patch upon the game world of Azzarath was nothing more than the added bonus of something beneficial to one''s self, or the reduction in benefits for whatever the target was. In this case, there were many others upon that world of Azzarath who had become gods. These others, along with myself, greatly desired to retain our god rights and claims to the worlds who, essentially, ascended our person to godhood. ''However, because I could not have our world of Terra at that time, the pantheon of gods upon that world could not grant everyone the rights to rule over their respective world. Instead, they simply unlocked a forbidden zone among the collection of worlds which benefitted from Azzarath. This zone, by the by, is the Abyss.'' Their Ageless grew silent for a time, as though contemplating some great mystery of the universe, before continuing with, ''I must ask you this, would you care to hear of my adventures into the Abyss?'' A2 Chapter 10 AN: A bit of an info dump in the next couple of chapters, folks. Along with him not enjoying the company he will be in. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don''t hesitate to voice them. ________________________________ Before we begin, I must inform you all of the "gift" I received from the pantheon of Azzarath. This "gift", by the by, was a choice between Absolute Power, All Knowledge, and The Spark of Purity. However, it is not we who choose which gift we receive, but the power itself. Now, Absolute Power means exactly that; one would gain the strength to rival the gods of creation. Unfortunately, if you did not have the gift of All Knowledge, you would not be able to use your power at all. For without the knowledge, nothing would be possible. It is much like that of a child, who can see a jar of sweets, and yet cannot reach it because it is too far away. Of course, even if you have the knowledge to use the powers given, you will still need the Spark of Purity in order to use it effectively. For you see, my dear audience, without this "Spark", one would not know the difference between right and wrong. Thus, the gods of Azzarath has gathered together myself and two others who would journey onwards towards the worlds within the Abyss. We were each told we must conquer each world to bring them out of the darkness that surrounds them, and bring them back to the fold. However, I being who I was and am today, would not follow their directions as blindly as the others. For this, and this alone, did the pantheon''s head, Azazel, the girl-who-was-not-a-girl, did nothing to stop what I was about to do. As she was entirely bemused by what I did to their "Tribunal", and the methods I used therein. "Undead Karastak," she spoke with a slight grin upon her lips, as her silvered mane of hair was tied back behind her head by her own hands, "Human Shojo, and Golem Aruuma. You three have been chosen to be the first gods to venture forth into the Abyss, and to reconquer each world you come upon. This must be done so in whatever manner you see fit, but they must be brought out of the Abyss." A bright pink bow was tied into her hair as she said this, then spun around in a dazzling flash, which ended with her wearing some sort of floral patterned robe with a large sash tied around her tiny waist. I do believe she called such an outfit a "Kimono", but I am not sure. "There will be other gods and goddesses who will follow in your footsteps, but only after you have reconquered the first world you three will set down upon. For now, come, as you three will be granted a power given only to those who are recognised as gods." Upon this statement, the girl-who-was-not-a-girl turned on her heel, and exited the space we were currently in. The other two "gods" hurried themselves to catch up to the head god, whereas I seethed with silent rage. For you see, my dear audience, although I detest the race called "humanity", what I absolutely loathe are those humans who are considered as "Harem Heroes". This human called Shojo was one of them, and had a cadre of eight female humans following after his golden armoured self. Oh yes, I would make him suffer whilst he watched his little "harem" was raped and killed before his very eyes. For I will not suffer a harem in my presence, and Brutus knew well of my thoughts, as he echoed them in silence. "My Lord God," his metallic bones shook against themselves, and created a sound of chains rattling in the air, "the humans-" "Will die," I finished for him, as our eyes did flare with a baleful glare of crimson and emerald upon the backs of the retreating human females. "Come, we mustn''t tarry here for too long." We left the small space which was to receive us, and entered another with bright colours of flowers growing beneath our feet. Even if my clawed feet were to trample upon a patch of these flowers, they would simply stand tall as though they were undamaged once I left them. Such a strange place it was, which confused us to no end. Ahead of our persons were the others, as well as one other I had not seen for some time. Of whom you will all remember, as I have taken her to be my wife upon our world of Terra. It is she, the goddess called Sarah, whose hair and eyes continue to change forevermore. Her blue dress swirled about her lithe body, never revealing much about her figure, and we did see her blush when she looked upon us with soft eyes. Though, I did not recognise them at the time, as I was busy making plans to kill the human "god" who glared upon our persons with disdain. "Why must there be an undead amongst your garden, my lady god?" Asked the human with a pompous air, as his own long, raven coloured hair was pushed back and out of his dark coloured eyes, "Surely you could have brought someone else with more class." His little harem giggled at his remarks, as they fond over his person with expressed desires. Oh yes, I would enjoy killing this one and taking all of his power, too. For now, though, "Undead Karastak is the first god amongst you," hissed Sarah with enough venom to kill a world. Never had I seen someone so angry for my behalf, and I was deeply touched by the effort. Nevertheless, "Sarah," spoke the girl-who-was-not-a-girl, whilst the other simply bowed her head, and retreated towards a plain, brown box. Of which was placed in front ofAzazel, who then opened it to reveal three objects nestled in amongst white silk cloth. The first was a translucent orb as bright as our own day-star, and was given to the human "god". The second was an old book, and given to the golem who had remained silent throughout the entire ordeal. The third, and final item was that of a wickedly carved dagger, and was given to my person. However, this dagger was much too small for my hands, but I kept it nonetheless. For soon afterwards raw energies did flood into my being, dark and hungry, scorching my entire being as it continuously filled the void that had suddenly opened up within my being. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. The entire process felt like an eternity, but it was only a few mere heart beats. However, in this time, I felt as though I were dying over and over again, so great was the pain, and I could see the others reeling back from their own ordeals. Whilst I had Brutus with me to help my body to stand, and the "harem hero" had his followers, the golem was alone, and would remain thusly. "I know everything," it whispered with a soft, maniacal laugh, "Everything is open to me! I-," it paused for a moment, as it stared upon its own limbs as though contemplating something incredible, "I can''t use anything." "Ah. Golem Aruuma, you were given the gift of All Knowledge," spoke the head of the pantheon, who was sipping from a clay mug filled with an unknown liquid, "Undead Karastak was given the gift of Absolute Power, and Human Shojo has the Spark of Purity." "What?!" Roared an angered human, who glared upon my person as its body stalked towards my own, reaching for its sheathed sword strapped to its back, "I wanted the power," it whined, pulling out a large white and gold sword, pointing it towards my person, "You will-" A sudden force blew the body of the human "god" backwards, as a knight in luminous, gold armour with four white wings appeared in front of my person. Of whom then flew towards the fallen human, pointing a lance that had appeared within its right grip towards it. "You will not fight," spoke an echo of a melodious song that was neither masculine nor feminine, "It is forbidden. Understand?" The cowardly human nodded once, and watched as the creature vanished into a shower of golden sparks. "Ah, such good tea," muttered one of the hero''s females, who were all sitting upon a large blanket, drinking tea and eating some sort of cake. How they had done this was beyond my understanding, but did not bother me in the least. As to the "harem god", it simply glared at their persons, whilst they avoided his gaze. The females were intriguing, yes, but my mind was already made up towards their fates. However, "Perhaps they would better serve as my own slaves," my voice was barely a whisper, which garnered the attention of a now grinning Azazel, and a curious Lich. "My Lord God?" He asked upon my person, his head cocked to the side with great curiosity and confusion. "Perhaps the females would prefer to serve us instead of the human," once more, it was barely a whisper, but my eyes did spy the ever grinning sharp-toothed maw of the girl-who-was-not-a-girl, as she continued to stare upon my person with great elation. To those who do not know, or do not recall, the girl-who-was-not-a-girl was the one who desired my person to entertain her and her pantheon when we first met one another upon the world of Azzarath. She was the one who gave me the ability to be who I am to this very day, and she will forever have my eternal thanks for it. However, her sharp-toothed grin is still unnerving, and I have told her thusly every time she is near my person. In this case, I did just that, and she simply shrugged her small shoulders before climbing atop my right shoulder blade. Whereupon she snacked upon a candied circle attached to a white stick. I do believe it is called a "Lollipop". To this action, I gave a mental sigh and did not allow it to become bothersome, even if Brutus disapproved of such an action. "My Lord God?" He called out to my person as the head of the pantheon continued to snack atop my shoulders, whilst the others were coming to terms with their own gifts, "Why do you allow her to sit atop your regal person as though you were a common chair?" "Pay her no mind, Brutus," my voice shook the space, causing the others to stare about themselves in search of the source. Of which caused the little god upon my person to snicker in a manner unbefitting a little girl-child. "But My Lord God-" "Brutus," my eyes turned to stare into his own for a few moments, before he turned his away and towards the flower packed earth below, "She has earned her rights to sit atop my person. In essence, she is my creator, and I owe her my everything for allowing me to be who I am to this day. So allow her to do as she desires, and pay her no mind." This resulted in the pair looking upon each other with a mixture of smug satisfaction and annoyance towards one another. However, it was punctured by her desire to push the Lich further, by sticking out her small, pink tongue towards his person. Upon such an action, I simply heaved an exaggerated sigh, and turned my attention back towards the other "gods". "It seems they have just been told they cannot utilise their abilities to their fullest without one another, Undead Karastak," whispered the little-girl-who-was-not-a-little-girl. "Indeed," my reply was low, and shook the world about us greatly. Once again, they stared about themselves in wonder as to what caused the quake, never knowing it was caused by my own voice. "However, they said we can only use our gifts to the fullest if everyone was together, but they did not say what would happen if one being held each gift." Slowly, my skull turned towards the head of the pantheon of gods upon Azzarath, "What happens if all gifts are carried by one individual, My Lady Goddess?" To my query, the girl-who-was-not-a-girl giggled as though she were naught, but a twisted child with a demented secret. A2 Chapter 11 AN: Have to put in a disclaimer for this one, as there''s a slight NSFW scene within this info dump, but not enough to warrant a bracketed version of the link to this chapter. After this chapter comes the world conquering saga of our MC. We''ll most likely be seeing him go through two worlds (no promises, but it is planned out) before reaching the Necropolis, where you''ll be in for a real treat. Here''s a hint: He''s received one of his greatest wishes, and you''ve all already been introduced to them. Anyways, bit of a sappy end to the chapter, with a bit of an explanation at the beginning of the next one. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _____________________________________ ''Before we continue, I must inform you of what these two gods were,'' whispered the mental voice of their Ageless, as all continued their journey towards the Necropolis, ''The human god was indeed a God of Harems, but it was only self-styled. Which means this was what it considered itself as, but it was not the truth. No. Instead, it was a simple God of Humans, and was of the Neutral Good alignment upon the morality scale. ''You see,'' a mental image of their own god appeared within the minds of all of those touched by the Mindflayer, in the form of a patient elder teaching everyone as though they were mere children, ''When various humans perish completing a great deed of some sort, they are given a slim chance to become a god. This cretin killed a Lord of Chaos, and became a god after being killed by a final attack.'' Each mind saw their own Ageless flex his right clawed hand with controlled anger, before he continued with, ''Ah, the Lords of Chaos is an order of gods and goddesses of which I belong to. My sub category, of which I have sole ownership over all who associate within it, is of Chaotic Mana and Illusions. All upon our world of Terra are well aware of this, but some choose to not remember or mind it. ''In any case, killing a Lord of Chaos is a great sin upon my mind, which led to this pathetic excuse of a god to die in the most brutal way possible. As to what methods were used, we shall come to that soon enough.'' Many minds expressed their disappointment with not being told what methods were used, but all strived to be patient as their own god continued with the explanation of the other god. ''Now the other god, this golem, was of the Pure Neutral alignment upon the morality scale. It was also a God of Numbers, and seemed to be able to use such numbers in the prediction of various events surrounding it.'' To this thought, each turned to spy their own ageless pointing a clawed finger towards each of the orcs within their small army, ''To those who do not know, much of the orc race upon our world of Terra have gods for nearly every action, item, idea, and so on. They were correct, in a sense, as there are such gods out there,'' one of his great hands raised itself to wave across the heavens above his person, ''Yes, there is a god and goddess for everything. However, there is not a god for gods within our universe. No, we are simply the highest power out there, and will continue to be thusly until someone comes along to take up such a mantle. We shall see if it is even possible to do so. ''In any case, this golem is one of the stone race, and its body is shaped into that of a naked, male human, but without anything betwixt its legs.'' He paused in his thoughts to allow many to laugh at such a mental image, and continued with, ''The golem race does not reproduce through copulation as many others would. Instead, the race is magickally created through the shared energies of two or more golems who share in the desire to create offspring. These creatures, no matter what aspect of gender they took, would combine their energies with flawless perfection, creating a perfect rendition of all their combined strengths and weaknesses into the creature, or creatures, between them. ''It is,'' the Ageless paused for a moment, searching for the correct word to describe such an event, ''simply beautiful to view such a being created.'' A silence was cast over all, as the mind of their god stopped speaking into their own for a time. The only sounds heard was the rumbling of the stone cart, and their own bodies moving forwards through the soft packed earth of the Plains of Nu''Ohn. What was truly curious was not only their silence, but the lack of the earth quaking upon each footstep their Ageless took every time he strode forward. To such an odd spectacle, many voiced their concerns as to why this is so, to which he responded with a question, ''What do you see when you look upon my person? Do you see what I am, or another?'' Nearly all voiced either mentally or vocally that he was a giant creature standing high above the clouds in the sky above. Yet one, a bear beastman who had not earned its metallic fur and flesh, spoke of him being a dark furred kitsune. To this response, all spaced themselves away from the beastman, as the towering giant''s clawed forefinger pointed itself towards its body, and spoke in a language unheard of throughout the world. A tower of endarkened light fell from the heavens, slamming its body into the earth as the energies coursed throughout the creature''s being and essence. So great was the pressure of this tower, many felt a pull towards it, but their bodies were instead pushed away by some unknown force, as the light continued to pour itself upon the unfortunate victim. However, in mere moments the tower of endarkened light ended, and what remained was the grisly scene of a tortured and skinned body of the bear beastman. Of whom had been laid face down upon a wooden table, as its back had been torn open, and its rib cage torn out in such a way to resemble the wings of some great bird. What is more, its lungs, still attached to its insides, were now draped around its neck, as it slowly suffocated from the lack of oxygen within its body. "It''s still alive," exclaimed the Naga, who moved farther away from the tortured body of the dying bear beastman. However, upon turning towards the Ageless, they spied a small group of unknown beings floating about his head, and seemed to be conversing about what had taken place within the tower of endarkened light. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Within mere heartbeats of noticing these unknown beings, they seemingly winked out of existence, journeying elsewhere to fulfill an unknown desire of their god. "M-my L-l-lord God?" Stuttered the Naga, whose body shook with terror as its mind slowly understood what had happened to the beastman lying down upon the wooden table. ''Do not worry; all is well,'' soothed the mental whisper of their Ageless as the terror within its, and others'' bodies fled from themselves, ''Allow me to explain what has happened. The body with which I currently wear is real, however, there is another body upon my person, but has been cast into an illusion that is only seen by those who are not do not consider themselves as "mine" upon this world of Terra. ''This secondary body is of my dark furred kitsune self, which is used in preventing the earth from quaking each time I stride forwards. You all may see me moving with a slow step, but those who are not my followers, my servants, or simply under my protections, only see my kitsune self floating above you all. Those of whom see my kitsune self are to be questioned thoroughly, especially when there are others conspiring to remove my rights of godhood over our world of Terra. ''Even more so when it turns out they are spies or saboteurs dedicated to infiltrating and disrupting our work upon our world of Terra. These are not only questioned thoroughly, but made examples of in order to frighten others from tempting my people away from my person.'' The eyes of their Ageless''s giant self glared a baleful crimson, bathing all and much of the land with its blood filled colour of hatred and anger. For a moment, none dared to move, as though they were afraid to incur his wrath upon themselves, but that moment did not last. As the light of his great eyes receded in on themselves, and he directed them to move once more. ''Come,'' whispered his soothing mind once more, ''we have tarried too long as it is, as there is much ground to cover, and the story has yet to be completed. Know that those who follow my words, dedicate their lives in servitude towards my being, or are simply under my protections will know no fear, no wants, hunger, or thirst, so long as I am governing over our world of Terra. For all who are thusly are my family, and I take good care of my family.'' ***** As to the other two "gods" within the garden world created by Azazel, they were still upset about not being able to utilise their own abilities to the fullest. My own mind, on the other hand, was forming a plan to kill the other two and steal their gifts for my own. To this end, I allowed Brutus to hear my thoughts, which allowed him to voice several concerns. One of which was, "We do not know their abilities, My Lord God, nor do we know how greatly they will affect us once released upon our great persons." "You are correct in your assumptions, Brutus," my reply was barely a whisper, as we stood side by side with the little-girl-who-was-not-a-little-girl rocking back and forth upon her heels in front of a large, translucent sphere about the size of my current clawed hand. This sphere, once it began to glow, would signal our acceptance into the Abyss, and the first world for us to conquer. Myself, in particular, would simply kill anyone who stood in my way, no matter their standing, if they will not bow to my will. Once the world is conquered, however, we are to simply enact a simple spell given to us. This spell would serve as a beacon, and notify the pantheon of gods that the world was now ready to leave the Abyss, returning to its original position in the universe. As to where its original position was, that really depends on the former gods, or their descendants, if they desire to take up the world they lost. If, however, they do not desire it, or if the ones who had conquered it do desire the world, then it will be up to the pantheon of Azzarath to decide who obtains the rights to said world. No, I will not spoil the ending by telling everyone who ended up with the possession of this first world. Just know that I enjoyed myself upon such a world immensely. "Perhaps we should use the Undying in this venture, My Lord God," spoke up the Lich, who, if he had a face, would be sneering towards the humans and their petty squabbles. "Indeed we shall," I replied, as the sphere near Azazel began to spin, radiating all colours and of none. This signaled all to gather, as my body slowly transformed itself into a sword for Brutus to handle. He did so by grasping my hilt, and gently gripping my sword blade whilst keeping it close to his chest. "Good luck," was all the head of the pantheon said to us, as each began to enter the sphere with some form of great hesitation. Brutus and I were the last to step through the annoyingly bright portal, but before that we were stopped by Sarah, the goddess of whom I would take for a wife in the cycles to come. She desired to see my person before I journeyed onwards, to which I obliged by standing tall in my Kobold form. To this she sighed an exasperated sigh, then kissed my lips for, but a moment which felt as though eternity sped past us by without a second glance. Truly, it was a wondrous feeling. Upon being released, however, I nearly missed her words of, "Asara Amaak a'' A''Nuhl." "Be safe, my Wings of Dreams." A2 Chapter 12 AN: The kitsune won''t be popping up as much after yesterday''s chapter, so you don''t have to worry about that as much. Ah, but I do have to warn you about tomorrow''s. Yep, it''s going to be another NSFW chapter. Except this time, it''s a bit different than what you''ve all been exposed to thus far. Not going to say much more about that, so you all need to be patient. Haha. One more bit, then I''ll let you all continue reading. There will be children in this little story, BUT our MC will not be adopting any of them. He still remembers what had happened upon his world of Terra, and does not wish for another repeat. So if any of them start to call him "Papa", "Father", or what have you, you''ll be seeing his irritation/confusion levels rise. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________________________ "How could one such as I tempt a goddess of caliber to my side?" Many have asked this upon my person how the goddess called Sarah would stay by my side despite knowing of whom and what I am. It is quite simple, really. I merely tempted her with darkness, showing her the beauty within, and she fell. She became mine the moment I laid my eyes upon her, and I became hers when she was far too deep inside the darkness we all call home. For now, though, Brutus held onto my sword body, never allowing it far from his person, as he stepped into the sphere of rotating colours. The moment he did this, the object shot us outward towards a collection of twinkling stars in the darkness of the void surrounding each world. In this very moment, we realised how small we truly were in the great expanse of the entire void. It was truly a humbling experience, especially when one is on the outside looking in. Truly, the I of today is great in many things, but the universe is vast, and I desired only a small speck of it. To this day I have that small speck, our world of Terra, and guard it from all. For I will not relinquish it, not even upon my untimely demise. No, but the I of then was full of pride and desire, and would not allow himself to be humbled. For he desired our world of Terra, and would perform any task to bring him one step closer to obtaining his goal. In the end, yes, I did take Terra for my own, but that is not the story we are currently speaking of. This first world we were heading towards, many of you may know of it. For it is Azara, home world to the dragons of Terra, and the first world of which I would conquer and make my own. In this place, power means everything, and if you are considered weak, then you are either turned into a slave or simply killed off for the amusement of others. As to the why of this world being a part of the Abyss, it is an interesting explanation. For you see, the ancestors of this world killed the gods who watched over it, and used the last of their magicks to secret their world amongst the void within the Abyss. Unfortunately for them, this was our first step, and the world would crack underneath our might of conquest. * Brutus, still clutching my sword body to his body, landed within the middle of an unknown forest full of silence and destruction. For you see, the power which allowed us to travel a long distance caused such destruction within and around us in the form of a tower of iridescent light. This destruction did not create a crater, as many would assume, but simply removed everything within five hundred metres around us. All that was beneath our feet was naught, but fresh dirt. "Curious," my voice shook the world beneath us, as I flowed into my skeletal form. Around our persons came my Undying servants, of whom were tasked to spread out and search for the other gods. However, it seems they had already started the "party" without us, as there was a small battle taking place between the golem Aruuma, and some unknown wolf-like creatures with chitinous plates segmented about their bodies. My Undying had gathered about my person at this point, desiring to know my thoughts upon the matter at hand. "Kill all, but one of those creatures, and bring me that golem. It has something I greatly desire." As one, they charged towards the strange wolf creatures, butchering many as they made their way towards the golem. Of whom appeared to be relieved at the sudden help, but became despaired when one of the wolves tore off its right stone arm. A dark ichor-like substance flowed out of what remained, whilst it began to regenerate the lost arm slowly. It looked rather painful, and I only gave a mental smirk to the scene at hand. However, the moment passed quickly as my Undying continued their slaughter until they came upon the regenerating golem. Once the first arrived at its position, they simply grabbed its body, and began the slow trek back towards my person. Whereupon they did drop the golem and a living female wolf with chitinous armoured plates about its body in an unceremonious manner. To this, my form quickly flowed into my Kobold self, and gently placed my clawed hands upon the head of the wolf-like creature, staring into its eyes. "<>," I intoned, as a stream of my silvered energies flew into the mind of the now struggling creature. It seemed to my person this female did not wish to become link to my mind, as many who have always end up as slaves. These slaves would then unwillingly kill their own pack for the amusement of the one in control, but I was much different than those who would desire such a thing. "Bring me the creature''s fallen pack," I commanded unto my Undying, who leapt to obey my words with all due haste. Within mere moments, the carcasses of the fallen chitinous wolves was laid in front of us, and the mental link I now shared with the female was full of sorrow and anger. "Watch, little creature," I commanded, stretching out a clawed hand towards the dead, "<>." Tendrils of inking darkness erupted from my palm, stretching forth to pierce the bodies of the dead pack. This pack, by the by, was of twenty and three in number. Each was pierced by my tendrils, and writhed as gold and silver energies were slowly pushed into their bodies through said tendrils. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Now, as many well know, the resurrection spells are used mainly by those of whom have their alignment upon the "good" of the morality scale. This is truth, but I am able to take anything I desire from the minds of my enemies. Which includes spells, abilities, skills, and knowledge. No one and nothing is safe from my desire for such things. Especially if the creatures in question hold a gift or ability I have never seen before. Of course, I being of the Neutral Evil faction upon the Morality Scale should not be able to use such abilities, correct? I see many heads nodding in ascent of this, but I am here to tell you this is not so. For I am able to utilise all spells, no matter their position upon the Scale. However, they become perverted greatly whenever I use them, especially if it is one of the "Good" spells. In this case, the resurrection spell which was used to revive the wolf''s pack. The creature cried out within my mind, begging my person to stop in the form of a girl-child begging her father not to kill her friends. From this link, I simply told her to be patient, and just watch as I heal them all. Outside of said link, she continued to whine greatly, and looked upon my person with large, tear filled eyes. It was the famous "Puppy-Dog Eyes", and many here know it is a weakness to all upon our world of Terra. "Watch," I commanded, pointing a forefinger towards the now mending bodies of her pack, "They are almost whole." Which was the truth, as all slowly stood upon the upturned and bloodied earth beneath their paws by way of magickal energies. However, their eyes were still dull and lifeless, as their essences had not returned to them all. That is, until our eyes turned towards an unearthly howl, as transparent and chitinous wolves appeared from the ground beneath the bodies, flew high into the air, and fell into the bodies of themselves. Each body with dull and lifeless eyes buckled under the weight of their respective essence entering the lifeless shells. As they did so, their eyes shone with a mixture of unknown emotions, but one was prevalent amongst them all. Elation. From their own throats, did they howl with such elation as they were now alive once more. However, this elation turned to confusion, as they did not know how this had happened. "<>," each wolf turned towards my person as I began to intone a spell, "<>." Within the eyes of the revived chitinous wolves was fear, as my silvered energies surged towards them all. Each and every one of them did turn away from the spell, desperate to flee back into the forests before them. However, as many know upon our world of Terra, once you have been resurrected, you remain incredibly weak for almost a sennight. Unless, of course, someone is able to remove such a weakness from your person. Unfortunately for these wolves, they did not know of such things, and fell to the earth with high pitched yelps and yips, as my energies engulfed them all. Twenty more minds were linked to my own, and each came in the form of a child. Some even appeared as naught, but a babe a few turns of the sun old. It was truly an odd occurrence, and one I would not find out about for many centuries to come. For you see, my dear audience, this link was not a mental link as many would surmise, but an essence link. A "Soul Link", binding themselves to my own for whatever reason I desire. If it was my desire to have them killed, I merely had to sever the link to do so, and their essence would fly off towards whatever it was that awaited them. Or if I desired their presence, I merely needed to focus upon their image within my mind, and they would appear before my person within an instant. Truly, it is an interesting spell. However, the I of that time did not know of what extent the spell could do, and was quite confused by the sudden appearances of children within his mind. This is the truth, and it concerned my person greatly at these turn of events. So much so, I had forgotten about the golem who was, at that time, still being guarded by several female Undying wielding magickal swords made by the blue hilted blade with three triangular shapes in its centre. The combined might of these few females was enough to detain the regenerating golem, by simply inserting their swords into its chest whilst they retained their grips upon such weapons. This was incredibly uncomfortable for one such as it, and continued to try and grab my attention in regards of an explanation as to why this was so. Unfortunately for it, its answers would remain unanswered, as I was trying to consul the creatures within my mind. For they were wolves, and yet they were depicted as children within my own mind. It was strange, yes, but I strived to quiet them, whilst a few chewed upon my clawed fingers in a manner that was adorable. Ah, but you see my dear audience, my past self still desired children, yes. However, after the events which took place upon our world of Terra, I was not at all ready for more. To this, I gave a mental sigh and moved my attention towards the golem. "Ah, Aruuma," the earth beneath our clawed feet shook from the rumblings of my voice, "You have something I desire greatly." "Release me, fell demon," its voice was much like that of a pair of large boulders grinding against each other, as its eyes of amethyst glared upon my kobold self with growing hatred. "I cannot do that. For you see, I dislike having my abilities reduced to a child''s strength from these ''gifts'' they have given us," my body became that of my skeletal form, and gripped the writhing body of the golem with all four of my clawed hands, the moment my Undying retrieved their swords from its body. "Give me your gift of ''All Knowledge'', golem, for I desire it greatly." Upon my words, the golem screeched as though its entire being was being torn apart. This was so, as my chaotic energies had leapt from my person and entered the mind and body of a god, extracting everything I desired. A2 Chapter 13 (NSFW) AN: As I said yesterday, folks, It''s an NSFW chapter and it''s much different from all the torture and rape I usually throw at your eyes. There will probably be more like this, as I would love to switch it around every now and again. Don''t get me wrong, I still enjoy writing it all for you, but I can only do so much with rapes and tortures before it becomes repetitive. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________ It would take naught, but three full turns of the sun to extract everything from the mind of the golem. Which meant three full turns of torture for one such as it, and many times it begged me to stop or release it from such a torment to its mind, body, and essence. Know this, my dear audience, I was more thorough in my desire to extract knowledge from another than I have ever been. For you see, these sorts of abilities required everything to work properly, which included the most minute of details, and I would strive to have it all. Ah, but even though it would take three full turns of torture and agony for my magicks to relieve the golem of its gift, it would take a full sennight to incorporate said gift into my own mind. Within this sennight, however, I had taken on my sword body somehow, and would later be told it was suggested by Brutus as we were within an open area. There was also another problem, I was unresponsive during this process, and would remain so even as they trekked towards the den of the Scarabs. Of which was the name of these wolf-like creatures given by those of whom are stronger than they. It was here that they learned of the single law throughout this world of Azara. Only the strong may rule, and the weak must serve the strong. Thus, a hierarchy was formed without my knowledge, nor ascent. However, Brutus was placed as the head until I returned from my mental seclusion, and no, I shall not tell you what I had to endure. Yes, I understand many are disappointed, but I will not divulge in its many secrets. Instead, I shall be brief, but only when the time comes to interject them into the story. Now, many of you may be wondering how it was my Lich and Undying servants knew of such things without my telling them. It is quite simple, really. Many of the inhabitants upon this world came in search of the Scarabs, and desired a culling of them. For they had become too great a menace, and was tasked to kill all, but one female and two males. This also included any pups, unless they find a pregnant female. In which case, they are to leave them be in addition to the other three. For you see, these inhabitants knew very well of the dangers this forest will produce, if one of their main predators is killed off. As many of its herbivores will seek outside of its natural habitat, and wreak havoc upon the crops of these beings the moment their food sources are depleted. Thus, they rely on such predators as the Scarabs to continue to keep the population of said herbivores down. However, they had grown too much, as the pack had become forty and two, and many had branched out to attack their livestock and people. To this end, they called upon those who were of the profession of "Adventurers" to deal with such a menace. However, they were stopped by my thralls and servant. Many of which were bound tight in the hopes to garner my favour upon them. Which, of course, was given to them, but that is beside the point. When I emerged from my mental seclusion, Brutus was there to allow everyone in on the knowledge of my awakening, and to come to my side with all due haste. This included the Scarab pack, as its own alphas had to serve Brutus and my Undying to the fullest of their abilities. What is more, they appeared to be confused whenever they did not eat, but would only be told by my person soon enough. ''What is "Undead"?'' Mentally asked one of the male Scarab wolves still attached to my mind. This male, along with three others and one female, were the only handful of wolves who were excited to see my body up and about. Whilst the others simply despaired from the fact that I had not died during my seclusion. Of course, they were mentally berated by the five mental children, of whom were the eldest amongst them all and desired greatly to travel with us. For you see, they also desire strength, and believe that by travelling with someone much stronger than they, do they hope in gathering more strength to them. ''An Undead is what I and my servants are. We are the living dead, forever trapped between life and death, never to move onto the next portion of our journeys.'' Physically, the wolves sat in front of my skeletal body, whereas within my mind, these five sat upon my mental lap as though I were, but a favourite uncle telling them a story. The others, on the other hand, were within sight of my mental self, but stayed as far away as they possibly could whilst still being able to hear my words. These then transferred such words to the rest of the pack, of whom bristled with anger and much curiosity towards my person. This anger stemmed from some sort of basics for a religion amongst these creatures, and it was of this belief in a circle of life, that we should be allowed to move on when we perish. However, they would soon learn of the perversion of their ways, when they are told of half their pack was raised from the dead more than a sennight ago. Of course, this angered them greatly, but could do nothing about it, save to shun those of whom had died from the rest of their group. This angered the others, and begged to return to the fold, but were denied repeatedly until I spoke out against such shunning. Thus, they were begrudgingly allowed to return, but were still hated and ousted until I had to personally beat it into their little minds to allow them to stay and be a part of them once more. Yes, I did sever our connection to one another, save for the five who desired to stay. However, that would not be until later, and I still need to explain why they were curious about my person. Now, as to their curiosity, they desired greatly as to why and how we became Undead. For this, I simply told them, ''I chose to become as I am today. For my living body was weak, and I desired the strength to do as I see fit, not bind myself to the whims and desires of others. As to my servants? My Undying chose this path, whereas my Lich did not. Instead, I raised him from the grave to continue his service towards my person forevermore.'' Stolen novel; please report. We watched as my mental words spread throughout the rest of the pack, whilst I spoke aloud my words to my servants. I did this solely to watch their reactions, which was only a nod from each, and a flash of gratefulness to be allowed to listen to what was being transmitted throughout the minds of each Scarab. Of course, this was also transferred to the captive "adventurers" by way of a translator amongst their group. During such proceedings, my ever grinning skull had turned towards the bound group on multiple occasions. Each time was to simply look upon them all for no apparent reason, other than to watch their fears strangle them incoherent. However, when I noticed one of them speaking, my skull slowly turned towards the one who spoke, and my eyes did flare with annoyance towards this being. Of whom wore a particularly odd costume. This one wore a simple and plain black, one-piece dress. Draped across the creature''s shoulders was a dull, blue cape with star-like patterns stitched into it in a spiral pattern. What is more, it wore torn, white gloves upon its small hands, scuffed, black pointed shoes upon its feet, and a black, pointed cap upon its crown. "Curious," my voice shook the earth beneath us, which caused man a wolf to yelp at the sudden shaking, and glance around with a desperate attempt to find the source. To this, I simply chuckled, and moved towards the captive creature with the odd costume about its person. Of course, one of the others, a male of some sort, stood in my way whilst still bound. This action caused it to die, as multiple swords wielded by my Undying pierced its body, just as a rusty blade from a ghostly skeleton slit its throat. The other captives despaired greatly over the loss of one of their own. Even more so, when the body was removed of anything substantial, and its meat given to the pack to feast upon. To this, they rejoiced over my generosity, and thanked my person many times over. However, I simply did not care about them, as I stood tall over the odd creature with a pointed hat. "You can understand my words," I accused, as the earth beneath our bodies shook greatly enough to warrant the falling of many leaves from the tree branches high above our heads. By force of will, the creature was lifted towards my person in such a manner which caused the other to conjure up its pathetic magicks to stop my person. However, what came from it was naught, but a small spark of lightning upon my person. From its small show of magicks, I laughed uproariously at such a palour trick upon my self. Of which caused the creature to despair, as a tail peaked out from beneath its dress. "Oh? What is this?" The tail was lifted, just as the creature''s clothing was torn from its body to reveal the small mounds of breasts, and that which is betwixt a female''s legs. From this, the female screamed as it tried to cover itself from my curious eyes. However, the force exerted from my will prevented such actions, as its legs and folds were easily spread apart for my discerning eye. "Bah," I cursed, noticing a missing hymen within the creature, as several streams of its body''s juices flowed from the stimulation of my will upon her person. "My Lord God?" Called out Brutus, of whom had summoned a cadre of ghosts to surround the seething "adventurers". "Rojaahn," my voice thundered with annoyance at the lack of a hymen within such a creature. For you see, my dear audience, that which was spread out before my eyes was none other than a Mouse-kin, but it was not a virgin. Of which angered my person greatly, for the taste of such a creature would become hampered if it its hymen was removed by a male''s appendage. Ah, many of you seem confused, so allow my mind to reiterate for you. As many upon our world of Terra know, the flesh of a mouse-kin is delectable to the point of becoming an addiction. However, that is only if it is a virgin, and goes for both males and females. For you see, the tube within the female that receives a male phallus is the portion of which many have sought after. When prepared correctly, this small piece of meat will cause a being to experience such pleasure which is indescribable. It is commonly referred to as "Sex of the Gods". It is not an aphrodisiac, as it causes one to release fluids almost immediately upon ingestion. Whereas such things causes a burning desire for copulation until they are satisfied. Whereas the male version of such Kin have their own foreskin and milky orbs sought after by those of whom know how to prepare it. These meats cause the same amount of elation as the female''s do, but not many seek them out. As they have grown wise and remove the foreskin upon their birth. As to why the hymen is important within a female? Not only is it necessary in the creation of the Elixir of Extended Mortality, but without the presence of such a thin piece of flesh, it means the tube has become used to the phalluses of males. Of which will ruin the taste, texture, and dampen the effects of euphoria contained within it. "Rojaahn," I directed the male bear Undying''s eyes towards the female''s opened folds. Of whom was weeping greatly as it was forced to endure such treatment. "Its hymen is missing, Master. Did you-?" He did not complete his thought, as my eyes flared greatly to bathe his body in its crimson glow. "I know it is missing, Rojaahn. I am merely curious if it is still viable for consumption." Once my words settled in within the mind of the mouse-kin, did it wail for someone to save it, whilst it repeatedly begged for its life. Unfortunately for the screaming creature before us, its cries and pleas fell upon deaf ears. "I won''t know until I reach in there, Master." Of which caused the female to gasp, as the Undying retracted its claws from two fingers, and shoved them deep inside her body. This action caused the female''s body to stiffen and release a torrent of its juices upon his arm. To which caused him to lap it up with a contemplated look about his facial features. More shouts erupted from behind us, and as I turned towards them, I gave an order which caused the mouse-kin to wail, "I only need one of them alive to drain the language from their person. Kill the rest, remove their items, and feed the pack." A2 Chapter 14 AN: As many would have seen by now, the story now has a second synopsis. Granted, it still needs a touch up here and there, so if you guys have any ideas, I''m all ears. Why does it have a second synopsis? Because it''s been bothering me for the last couple of days. Anyways, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________ In the end, Rojaahn would come to my side with unfortunate news, just as I was draining all of the knowledge and language of this world from a male which appeared to be human, but had a horn growing from the back of its skull. In actuality it was a Dragonock, a mortal subspecies of the great Dragons we know upon our world of Terra. These creatures are without wings, and are half the height and length of Shoriin, my basilisk servant. Of whom would also be upon this world of Azara, by the by. What is more, the race of lesser dragons have a unique gift per faction. One of which is to shape-shift their bodies into a variety of forms. Yes, I did steal this ability from it as well, for the creature was a curiosity to one such as I, and this shape-shifting would allow my person to flow more smoothly into my other selves. "Ah, Rojaahn," my voice sighed with satisfaction, as the creature fell from my grip to the ground below. Of which was stripped of its clothing and armour, placed into piles, and its body tossed to the Scarab wolves nearby. Their yipping and yapping at one another drifted over us, and the bear Undying had a look of displeasure about his facial features. "Master, the female''s tubes cannot be salvaged." His entire form tensed as though he were waiting for my strike, but that would never come. No. Unless he, or the others, did something completely idiotic, I would not strike them where they stood. "I see," my voice was only a mutter, but all who know of my mind would know of how displeased I was at that time. To this, they tensed as though I were about to rage, but relaxed as I asked, "Is the meat still tender?" "Yes, Master," bowed the Undying, who appeared to be relieved, "The female is still young enough to-" "Then prepare it as you see fit," I spoke aloud, interrupting his explanation, "and enjoy yourselves as you dine upon its living flesh." "Yes, Master. Thank you, Master," he bowed repeatedly, then hurried to perform his task whereas I simply sat upon the ground in silent anger at the thought of the female''s tubes not being viable for consumption. No, I was not an addict, nor could I consume such things in my current state. For you see, my dear audience, I enjoy watching my servants devouring such items. As the energy they release is quite delectable to one such as I, and it could be described as my own euphoria. Ah, for those of whom are confused as to what I speak of, my path to godhood stemmed from taking the energies brought on by the lust, pain, and torment of others. This was so upon my first time within the lands of Terra, and is the explanation as to why many great cities hold such events upon my arrival to them. Yes. For the energies released are quite heavenly to one such as I, and though many are confused as to why I allow such things, just know this is what allowed me to become a god in the first place. Whilst the screams of a tortured mouse-kin hovered upon the air around my person, I had begun to craft a creature out of the metals of these "adventurers''" arms and armour. Indeed, what I sought to create was none other than a Doll, of which all upon our world of Terra is familiar with. This one, on the other hand, was made into the likeness of your standard goblin, as the various arms and armour was too little to make a full sized Doll. As many of you know, each of my Dolls has a unique ability about themselves. This one had an emphasis on stealth an protection towards I and mine, and was given the ability to blend itself within its surroundings by way of my two gifts. Yes, these abilities are what allow my person to grant others their gifts of power. The goblin-Doll, of which was given the name of Suun, was told to stay about my person, and strike against those I deemed an enemy. For now, it secreted itself amongst the inner cavities of my chest, which garnered the attention of Brutus, of whom was feasting upon the brains of the Mouse-kin. "My Lord God? What is that creature doing within your regal body? Do you need assistance in its removal?" At these questions, the Lich strode forward with a great flaring of his emerald eyes towards the metallic goblin who was now glaring at him with empty eye sockets. "You will halt in your advances, Brutus," my words caused the earth beneath us to quake slightly, and stop the Lich whose head was cocked to the side in confusion, "This creature is one of my Dolls, and will be journeying with us." "Yes, My Lord God," spoke Brutus, who was not at all pleased with these turn of events, as he desired greatly to put his clawed hands upon my person. For those who do not know, the Lich of the past worshiped my everything, and believed only He can touch my person. However, I had become aware of this many cycles ago, and although it can be bothersome at times, I simply overlook such actions. For they do not bother me in the least. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. My right, primary clawed hand slowly waved through the air in front of my person. Of which caused it to ripple, then tear asunder as Gahn appeared before us. Once through, the tear vanished, and he stood tall. His height was about my own, as was his shape and structure, for he was a simple creature with a simple mind, and mirrored my own body in many way. In fact, he was even able to shape-shift into a variety of creature, but only after consuming them. However, he would not consume any of those I deemed unnecessary, as too many creatures within him has caused his mind to overload on many occasions. "Gahn," my left primary clawed hand fell upon his body, of which was absorbed up to my wrist. As many do not know, the creature called Gahn preferred my acidic poisons as sustenance more than any other. Why this is so is being my mind, even to this day. "Gahn," I spoke once more, retrieving my hand from his body, "We are upon a new world once more. What do you think of it?" Upon retracting my hand from his body, did he turn the stone-like skull to stare about his person slowly. Once he completed a full turn about himself, fell forward with arms outstretch, and sunk them halfway into the soft earth below. This allowed him to perform one of his own innate magicks, which was, "<>." Vibrant emerald lines flowed from the center of his stone-like spine, down each of his four arms, and into the earth. These lines then began to spread out much like that of a large tree''s root system for a time. During this time, however, golden specks of light was flowing from each of these lines, and into his own body. Of which will allow Gahn a better understanding of world around us within a ten kilometre radius. Yes, his "Earth Sense" is indeed powerful, and has grown enough to allow him to create a complete scale model of everything within this radius. Of which he did so, and this allowed us to view where we are, and where the first point of civilisation currently resides. "My Lord God," spoke Brutus, of whom was the first to glance over the model which had form in front of Gahn, "There is a small village north and east of here. It does not appear to be heavily guarded, but it does have much in the way of farms and cattle." "Indeed, Master," spoke a light and melodious voice from behind Brutus. This was Sia, one of my most loyal Undying, whose body is in the form of a skeletal wolf beastwoman. Although her bone are of iron, there is also slivers of sapphire strewn about each and every bone. Of which was mirrored only by the sapphire pinpoints within each of her eye sockets. "But it appears to be far too easy for one such as we to overtake in our conquest of this world." "Azara." "Pardon, Master?" Her and Brutus''s heads cocked to one side with confusion and curiosity. "This world is called Azara, and it is governed only by the strong. It is also home to great dragons, but none have seen such things in a millennia," a fore claw of my left primary clawed hand tapped slowly against my pointed teeth, as I contemplated upon a thought deep within the recesses of my mind. Of which garnered the attentions of the five Scarab wolves, who were now watching the scale model with great fascination. Whereas within my mind, they simply stared upon my person with wide eyed curiosity full of questions. However, they would not voice them until after I had stopped my contemplation. My attention, on the other hand, upon the sea of great vine covered trees which surrounded us, and of the small wolves playing about their large, brown bodies with the bones of those they had feasted upon. T''was entertaining to watch them move about, but none strayed towards my person. If they did so, another of their pack would quickly usher them away, sometimes by lifting them by the scruff of their necks. However, it slowly receded into my mind, and turned to look upon the five "children" before my mental self. ''Do you wish to journey with us?'' I asked, to which they nodded with great earnest, ''I assume you five desire power?'' Again, they gave their ascent, as their physical bodies sat across from my own, and their tails scraped across the ground quickly with excitement, ''Good. Good. Then hold still, for I shall bestow upon you a great and terrible gift, but know that this shall make you five indeed more powerful than any other upon this world, save for myself. It shall give you far more strength than that of your former pack''s combined might, within each of your bodies.'' My explanation instilled a hunger within each of the five, as their bodies shook with much excitement, their eyes filled with a mindless desire for power. Whereas their mental selves simply whined and begged and pawed at my mental self, as I turned towards their physical bodies with an upraised clawed hand. "<>," I intoned, as energies of emerald and crimson flowed down my arm, gathering within its centre, "<>." A2 Chapter 15 AN: Have to put in a disclaimer about this one, folks. Again, it has some NSFW elements within it, but is not full blown. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________________________ "My Lord God?" Called out Brutus, as we watched the day star paint the skies with golds, violets, and blood as it set beneath the horizon to what we assumed was the west. We were upon the forest edge at this time, watching the small village known as Tokah closed its gates of large, dead trees for the evening. There was no sign of any humans within and without, of which was only full of Kin and beasts. This small village was what sent the adventurers to hunt the Scarab wolves, and many of them seemed nervous as they have not returned from what should have been an easy job. "We are ready, My Lord God," spoke up the Lich, of whom was surrounding us with a small army of two hundred ghostly skeletons and wraiths. Amongst these numbers, however, were the five wolves who had undergone the transformations of becoming an Undead. If they proved themselves to be of great use this night, then they would be transformed into the first Quadruped Undying. Two of the males had become skeletal with glowing crimson eyes. Yes, this may not seem like much, but they were able to us a lesser form of my acidic breath, and had a venomous bite. Of course, Gahn tried his best to turn them into a snack for his own, but was ultimately stopped after I breathed my own breath upon his person. This action kept him close to my self, as I did not wish to lose two prospective servants to his desires for sustenance. The last two males had become something akin to shades, but are able to pass through solid objects and take something from within. These two had proven to be exceptionally useful, as they were able to steal organs from the living bodies of their kin. Thus, killing them within mere moments. The final wolf, the female, became much like that of Brutus, which is another Lich. However, unlike the other, this female was only able to conjure up and control dead animals, but only if she had killed them herself. For example, if she killed another Scarab wolf, which she has, she is able to conjure up a physical copy of what that wolf was when it was alive, albeit with glowing emerald eyes. Afterwards, she would then be able to copy such a wolf up to a dozen times, but their relative strengths would be lessened by one-twelfth. Ah, but there''s another point to this, if one of the twelve ceases to live, then those still moving about will gain the strength of the one that has died. Now, as to why we were watching this small village in the evening. Well, it was to simply conduct an experiment. For you see, I desired to test the defenses of this world. In order to do so, I would need to understand what the weakest of them can do in a desperate situation, such as an attack from an unknown entity. "Very good, Brutus," my voice softly whispered as I extracted my right, primary clawed hand from the body of Gahn. Of whom had become a large boulder with which to receive my poisons, before transforming his self back into a stone-like copy of my person. "You may begin when ready." To this, he simply bowed low and retreated back into the trees where his little army resided. Once there, the trees themselves came alive, as the army began its trek towards the open, and onwards to battle against the Kin behind its walls of large, dead trees. I, on the other hand, simply had Gahn use his "Earth Sense" once more, but this time to pull up a larger map of the battle which would soon take place. "Hmm," I hummed softly, as earthen dolls of a variety of Kin were running about as a silent bell was being rung in the centre of its village. If I listened closely, the sound of a brass bell flowed about my person, but I was busy paying attention to the small representation of the battle before my person. "It seems they have noticed the army far too soon. Well, no matter." Of which was true, as the first skeleton stepped out of the shadows and moved towards the village, did their silent bell begin to ring. However, what was truly astonishing was that there didn''t seem to be any panicking about, as the children were secreted into the largest building, and the adults armed themselves, and were hurried to its walls and gates. "It seems they are used to such events, Master," hissed one of two Draconian Undying of whom had been chosen to stay behind and guard my person from any attacks. These two, both metalised to my service many moon turns ago, have yet to be fully trusted by the others. They each wore no clothing about their persons, save for a leather loincloth upon their wastes, but wielded two pairs of long knives expertly. These two were among eight others who had joined the ranks, but have yet to fully prove themselves useful in the eyes of the rest. For you see, although I may have the final say in much, they still needed to be accepted by all to truly join them. "Indeed, Sal''ruum," hissed the other, of whom was called Val''ruum, "but how will they fare against Lord Brutus, and his army of the Undead?" "From what I had gathered from the mind of that creature," my voice gently shook the earth beneath us, as I contemplated the proceedings of the battle below us, "they do not have Undead upon this world. Then again, it is a world with three known continents, so there is bound to be a few pockets scattered somewhere." From below us, the skeletal wolves had snuck their way to a side of the wall, and breathed their acidic breaths upon the wood. This formed something like that of a hole, but still had poison dripping down from above and the sides. This, however, did not deter the ghostly skeletons, as they began to pour into the breach. This was just at the right moment, as the other portion of the army had begun to batter the gates whilst arrows pierced through their spectral forms without harm. Of course, there was confusion atop the walls, which turned into alarm as another Kin ran towards them with great shouting. "Ah, they''ve just now noticed the other portion of the army," Val''ruum muttered, watching the battle with growing fascination as nearly three dozen wolves appeared, seemingly from the shadows, and tore into the throats of those caught unawares. "What of the non-combatants, Master?" "They are largely left alone, unless they do something completely idiotic. Such as running towards one of the enemy with a long knife," one of my lesser clawed hands pointed itself towards a Kin wearing something akin to a dress that was running towards a skeletal Undying as it tore a body into pieces. It then twirled in time to catch the wrist of the creature, and proceeded to tear its throat out before pulling apart its small body. Others had appeared from the only large building within the village, and began a desperate charge, whilst a small group of children and elderly attempted to escape the chaos out the back. "Sal''ruum. Val''ruum," the pair stood at attention, as my own turned towards the small group heading into the forest not three hundred metres from us, "Make sure there are no survivors." A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "Yes, Master," the pair struck the centre of their chest in a salute towards my person, then left as I continued to watch the slaughter of Kin continue below. "Good. Good." * Only a few screams floated above the air, as I made my way towards the small, ruined village of Tokah. The world seemed to be without a moon, as the night was of pure darkness which suffocated the land quite thoroughly. Of course, the land was now bathed in the glow of our eyes of emeralds, sapphire, and crimson, as each began to search throughout the wreckage for survivors. Those that had survived, however, were now being watched by a variety of Undead, of which they shivered and cried out for their loved ones who had perished. That is, until I appeared with a large, glowing crimson and gold orb floating above my skull. There were only eight survivors... Well, seven, as one had died from the shock of viewing my visage under the glow of the orb above. "Is this everyone?" My voice rumbled, shaking the earth beneath us all, as my own crimson orbs turned to glare upon those still living. "Two more still live, and are being chased as we speak. They will not run far," spoke Val''ruum, as he appeared to my left. "Good. I despise loose ends, especially ones who would become a thorn as we continue our march of conquest. Hmm," my left primary clawed forefinger was brought up to tap against my teeth, as I contemplated our next course of action. Though, of course, I could simply kill them. However, I did desire test subjects for several spells I had yet to utilise properly. Around this time, Gahn appeared as a copy of my body, of which frightened a second until death. This, of course, sparked another idea as I splashed the corpses with my acidic poisons. Of which caused the stone creature to reach out and begin to devour one of the nearby bodies. The other was being shielded by a living Kin, of whom was screaming in a language I had never heard of. "Intriguing," I muttered, and pointed towards the living creature with a lesser clawed hand, "Bring that one to me. It has a language I do not know." This order was carried out by Sia, of whom had to break the other''s arms to the point of nearly tearing them off in order to detach it from the dead body. It was then placed into my left, minor clawed hand, as I began the process of draining the language and knowledge hidden within its mind. As the silvered orb pressed itself within my mind, I could hear the strange babblings of words coming from the Kin still living in fear. "Please," begged a male bear-kin, whose right side was bleeding slowly, "You''ve gotten what you want, right? Just let us go." "Ah, but you see, that''s where you''re wrong," my voice and command of their language surprised them all, as my form flowed into a variety of creatures until it stopped upon a bear-kin boy-child. This, of course, caused those coherent to gasp and cry as I continued to flow and change into a variety of Kin found within this village. Some may ask how this is possible, and I shall give you the simple answer. I am able to do this because I am a god which has been given a great gift from the Dragonock. For you see, these species of lesser dragons which can transform their bodies may do so simply by looking upon anyone. Of course, this method is not perfect, but it is enough for myself to do as I desire. Which was to cause chaos within the minds and hearts of my victims. "You... You...," muttered the bear-kin, as I chuckled at its quivering body. However, just as it glared upon my person with tears flowing down its reddened and puffy cheeks, my form became that of my skeletal self, and pointed a lesser clawed forefinger towards its chest. "<>," I intoned, as the muffled sound of a wet bag popped. This "wet bag" was none other than the male''s heart, who was now staring with wide eyes as it clutched its chest, and fell to the ground. Three others were lifted by my will, and were floating in front of my person. Whereas the fifth and final survivor was held up by one of my skeletal Undying. The three who were floating each suffered, as I plied the spell of "Burst" upon each of their organs, whilst committing their bodies'' reactions to parchment and memory. "Destroying the heart will kill them within mere moments," I muttered, writing my thoughts down with my lesser clawed hands. My primaries were busy rending the flesh of the living, subjecting them to immense torture and pain, as I plied the spell over and over, again and again. All to simply watch how their bodies reacted to the sudden destruction of several key organs. Of course, each was kept alive throughout the whole ordeal, screaming and begging for my person to release them all, but fell upon deaf ears. They even went as far as to beg my servants in their own language to save them. However, "They cannot understand you, you know?" I muttered whilst watching a female''s uterus explode slowly from a small scaled spell of "Burst". "Wh-w-w-what?" They stammered as I continued with my experiments. "They do not command your language as I do," to the same female whose uterus had exploded, I tapped her intestines intoning a different spell, "<>," and watched as the whole of her intestinal tract became that of a fleshy snake coated in an acidic film of mucus. "Odd." The others'' eyes widened as the serpent slithered out of the female''s back, pulling with it its bladder, kidneys, and liver. Of which I simply tossed into the gaping maw of Gahn, and the snake into a void space where I house a variety of items and creatures. "You Monster," howled a male wolf-kin, whose lower appendage had transformed itself into a red serpent which spat a white, acidic substance towards my person. "Perhaps," I muttered, and continued on with my experiments. A2 Chapter 16 AN: This chapter has my attempt at being humourous with the MC. I think it''s okay, but I doubt it''ll come up often. Anyways, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comment, or concerns, please don''t hesitate to voice them. ____________________________________________ "You... You... Monster," howled the last remaining survivor of the group, as the rest were liquefied over the gaping maw of Gahn. The experiments, in retrospect, were quite successful in attaining some results I desired. In others, not so much, as I had to lessen each spell significantly in order to achieve the intended results. As to what the point was to the experiments? I was compiling a manuscript of sorts, along with a variety of spells, for future torturers upon our world of Terra. To what I can recall, many upon our world consider it a holy text, and follow it to a ''T''. Even if I do tell them they can deviate from what I had written down so long ago. In any case, this survivor would not suffer alone, as Sal''ruum appeared with a boy-child wolf-kin struggling in his grasp. "No. Agar," moaned the other, as I flowed into my kobold self to receive the struggling child. It calmed down well enough when it was in my arms, as it stared upon my tinkling fur and eyes with its own widened earth-browns. "Hello, little one," my voice rumbled, quaking the earth around us as my servants darted to and fro throughout the shadows, "Is your name Agar?" It nodded quickly, whilst staring between myself and the only sole survivor of their little village, before shivering as it caught sight of the glowing, ghostly skeletons roaming around Brutus. "Do you know who that is?" I asked, pointing at the other. To which it nodded once more, "What is their name?" "Agar, please d-" "Shawna," it squeaked softly, then paled as my lips pulled back to reveal a feral grin, "No," it wailed, as my acidic breath leaked from my maw and onto its legs. Of which caused Gahn to stir next to my person. Chuckling softly, my body flowed upwards and into my skeletal form. Of which I held the small, struggling child in a lesser clawed hand. "What are you-," began the other, who then screamed as I injected the small body with my poisons, and watched as it liquefied into the stone creature by my side. "Burn down the village," my voice thundered around us, as the remaining villager was lifted into the air by my will alone, "I desire to see the night bathed in the glow of our rage. Let this world know of our declaration of war upon its world. For tonight, we begin our might of conquest upon this world called Azara." All around us were the silent glow of magickal fire sprouting forth from the hands of those who know of the spell. These fire, hot and emerald green in colour, absorbed the sounds around it, whilst it raged and ate the fuel of wood and flesh. Of course, there were a few pockets of screams, as those few survivors believed we would abandon such a place after killing off those we had found. However, these screams ended abruptly the moment our fires found them. As all know upon our world of Terra, these fires are called "The Emerald Glow of Gluttony", and would continue to last until the last source of fuel was devoured. In this case it was only the village, as I had a desire to keep the forest nearby whole. As to the other, well, it was given to those who desired sustenance, for I did not have any reason to keep it near my person any longer. * "<>," I intoned as my clawed hands were upon my skeletal frame. Slowly, leaf patterned scales sprouted all about my body, whilst Brutus was held back by Sia. This was because he did not enjoy the idea of my experimenting with my "perfect" body, but I needed to do this in order to know if I am able to reverse such a process. However, it seems such Gifts do not last for long on my person, as I tend to revert back within mere moments of becoming a different creature. "Hmm," I hummed softly to myself, as the day star slowly crept its way above the horizon, and upon the smoking remains of the village around us. "<>," I intoned, pointing at my left primary arm, and watched as it slowly morphed into-, "Well, this is unfortunate," my voice rumbled softly. For you see, my left arm became that of a small wolf pup''s, and came with odd sensations for a time before finally reverting back. To these little experiments, I wrote down upon a separate sheet of parchment. Of which would become a separate manuscript about the various effects Alteration magicks cause upon the body of the living, the dead, and the damned. "Master?" Called out Sal''ruum, who carried within his arms a ruined chest of melted gold and silver coins, "What is the point of what you are trying to accomplish?" Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "This is simply to assuage my curiosity, and nothing more, Sal''ruum," the earth shook once more, as each of my Undying gathered about my person within a circle formation. "Relax yourselves, and open your mind to my magicks. <>." Words, written in an unknown language flowed out of my person within streams of silvered energies. Each of these streams attached themselves to the skulls and heads of my Undying servants, pouring into them the language and knowledge of this world called Azara. Yes. I shared with them everything I had taken from the inhabitants, and have done so upon other worlds. What is more, I shall continue to do this even to this day, as I choose to share with my people everything. Yes, many have called this a grave mistake on my part, as they jealously guard their knowledge from their own followers. However, I have made my decision, which is to help each and every one of my followers to grow in strength so that they may all reach my level. Perhaps one day someone amongst you will grow in strength and step onto the path of godhood, and from there, Ageless. For now, though, the knowledge of what I had taken from others had been successfully transferred into the minds of my servants. Those who were not skeletal had collapsed whilst those who had not helped them to their feet. As to why this had happened? If one is subjected to a massive influx of information being poured into one''s mind without pause, then one''s mind will simply become overloaded from the strain. Thus, they may find themselves disoriented until such information is processed thoroughly. To my servants, this time was not long, as they were up and about within mere moments. "You should all have copies of the knowledge taken from those I had drained. What are your thoughts? Speak, for I desire to listen to them." Each and every one of my Undying servants muttered about themselves, or within small groups, as a large, stone throne rose up behind my person. Sitting down upon it, I noticed Sia walking towards my person. "There is a small city to the north with which these Kin have dealt business with upon several occasions. Perhaps this shall be our next stop?" "No," muttered another female Undying called Shauu, of whom had the body of a skeletal bear beastwoman, "This small city is a... port?" Her head cocked towards her right shoulder, as the word was unfamiliar to one such as her, "In any case, it will be well defended as it is vital in trade operations for the country." "Perhaps the one to the south, then?" Called out one of the newer Undying. This one was of the race called Orangutan, of which is an orange-haired species of Ape. Which are distant relatives of the human species, but are incredibly hairy and have hands for feet. Yes. These creatures were truly a curiosity, but their brutal strengths were unrivaled. That is, until we came to their world. In any case, this one was a male, and had metalised itself in service to my person. Of which caused his eyes to become glowing orange orbs, as opposed to sapphire, crimson, or emerald coloured eyes. He was truly a marvel to behold, but I digress. "No, Auua," spoke up Sia, who shook her head slowly, "That one is their capital city, and is the most guarded against armies. They will have better armaments to throw against us than these did." My skull was resting within the palm of my right clawed hand, as I continued to listen to their arguments. Many desired either or both of these places to be ground into dust by our might, but they were not the path I would take with my servants. No. For I desired a base of operations, not mindless slaughter as they seemed to demand, and Brutus seemed to be in agreement. "We should be consolidating our strength, not showing it off to the world," he growled at the bickering Undying, of whom had turned away from the flaring of his emerald coloured eyes, "The world does not know of us, but will soon enough. Isn''t that right, My Lord God?" "Indeed," my voice shook the earth once more, as I stood tall whilst the throne of stone fell back into the earth, "However, if we are to accomplish such tasks, we shall need a base of operations. This task we shall not make light of, as we have with all others. For the completion of this will come to us when we have caused all to submit." My primary and lesser clawed hands were raised as I spoke my words, then clenched into a fist to emphasise my final word. "For now, we shall need a place to construct our primary stronghold. Only when it is completed must we consolidate our powers, then release it upon the unsuspecting populace around us. Come," I beckoned my servants to follow behind my person, as I made my way into the forest once more, "We shall take the myths this world has cast upon the land before us, and transform it into a reality." A2 Chapter 17 AN: Okay, so we got a new lay out and everything is really weird. Not sure if I like it or anything. Well, not my say in any case. Next chapter will reveal something of a point to the whole conquest bit he''s angling, and not just because he wants it done, either. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _______________________________________________ "Your Majesty," cried out a feline courier, as it burst through a pair of gilded doors leading to an equally gilded and brilliant throne room where a brawny lion beastman sat upon his throne of gold. His fur was of an orange glow, whilst his mane held the colours of blood and shadows. Surrounding his body, however, were clothing and robes of rich, deep purples and blues, whereas what appeared to be a crown of golden thorns wrapped themselves around his brow. To the right of such a regal figure was another male lion, an exact copy of himself, but much smaller. This was the lion''s son, of whom was in the process of showing his father a new toy one of their crafters had made for the child, when the feline burst through the doors. The action of such a creature startled him enough to bring a few tears to his small eyes, of which caused the other to grow increasingly angry. "What is the meaning of this?" The king''s voice boomed throughout the room, causing several guards nearest them to raise up their spears in defense of their leader. "Your majesty," cried out the feline before them. Of whom shivered under such an intense gaze, as the child stuck its small tongue at the offender before scurrying off to play elsewhere, "The Dragonock have revolted once more!" "What?" This time, his voice caused a tremor throughout the whole of the castle, as a dark cloud fell over his eyes of crimson, "Who is leading them this time?" His growl was low, as his body slumped against the throne with impatience. "They claim a dragon has-," began the other, until a different voice interjected with a laugh. "A dragon? You can''t be serious." This voice was melodious and haughty, as a lion beastwoman approached the king with a sway of her hips. The creature wore a simple, red velvet dress which revealed much more than many believe possible, and many more have openly lusted after such a creature. What with her fur appearing to be as soft as silk, along with the vibrant hues of reds and violets strewn throughout her body. Of which complimented the emerald glow of her eyes quite brilliantly. "It is most likely some conjurer who summoned up a minor basilisk, and called it a ''dragon''," she continued with another laugh. "No, My Lady Queen, it is not a conjurer this time," whispered another voice, but one full of age and wisdom, as an old Dragonock strode forward whilst leaning heavily upon the arm of a bear beastman. This creature, whose form was that of a peeling, grey-scaled Draconian, pointed a clawed forefinger towards the east, "An old god has risen from the depths of His great slumber, and He is angry at what has happened to His children. Even now, His armies prepare for war against you, King Ramses," the clawed finger pointed itself towards the couple upon the throne. Of whom were now showing great anger towards the old fool. "Veni Deus Venenum is coming for you, Great King Ramses," the old Dragonock began to cough a retched cough into his right clawed hand. When he pulled it away, however, his body fell to the floor with a stain of blood within the palm of his clawed hand. "Ah," he sighed softly, "Have I done as you ordered, My Lord High God?" "You have," a voice unheard of shook the entirety of the castle and land surrounding it, as a Draconic figure wearing endarkened leathers about his person appeared next to the fallen body of the elder. This action startled all within the room, as the other had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. However, before any would react to such actions, a golden barrier pushed all away from himself and the one upon the ground. "This will keep them from interrupting us, San''yuu." This figure then knelt down next to the fallen, lifted him to his breast, and held a vial of a viscous and clear liquid to the elder''s lip, "Drink, San''yuu. Drink the Elixir of Extended Mortality. Drink, and be welcome amongst my chosen, as we cleanse the world of those who had oppressed my children." The elder, San''yuu, grasped the slim vial with a shaking, clawed hand and drank the liquid quickly. Once all of it had been consumed, did his eyes widen and his body arch as golden energies swirl around his figure. These energies would go further, rejuvenating and revitalising his body enough to make him look far younger than he originally was. This process took, but moments to accomplish its task. of which caused the eyes of all within the room to pop with amazement at the results. "My Lord High God?" Spoke a deep, rich voice coming from the now younger body of a well toned San''yuu. Gone from his scales were the peeling and grey hues, and in their place were vibrant hues of sapphire and ruby. Even his own eyes, though they once appeared lifeless and greying, now contained that spark of youth nearly all who are young still have, as they shone with a brilliant colour of crimson and gold. "Hello, San''yuu," spoke the other called "god", of whom chuckled as the young Dragonock knelt before his person with worship in his eyes, "I have delivered my promise, and now you are free to tell the others that I deliver what I say." A rift appeared behind them, revealing a hazy world of vibrant greens, greying stones, and a multitude of creatures prancing and dancing gaily about themselves. "You need not fear Death any longer, San''yuu, as my Elixirs will grant you enough of a life that you may even see your children''s children ten generations from now; so great my gift is to you," this being smiled slightly, then pushed the tear filled other through the portal, before shutting it behind him. Then, he turned towards those in attendance with a loud, booming laugh as his entire form slowing stretched itself into a great and terrible dragon of shadows and emerald flames. ***** This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The Ageless, in the guise of a giant creature, stood silent for a time whilst he watched the day-star fall beneath the horizon slowly. Of which painted the failing lighted heavens with blood and fire, as though some great being''s blood had splashed itself upon their world of Terra. Whereas those beneath his great self mingled together in silent eating, as their bellies were filled with the meat of their regenerating human captives. "My Lord High God?" Called out Naga, of whom had grown restless from the ever growing silence which permeated the air about them, "Is everything alright?" To these simple queries, the giant turned his head slowly to stare upon them all with unblinking eyes, ''Everything is well,'' whispered the mental thoughts of this being called "god", ''Allow my person to pose a query to you who hear my thoughts. Why do you suppose I skip ahead in time within my stories?'' Below, monsters great and small milled about as they pondered such words within themselves and with all others. For a time they stayed this way, unsure of how to respond, until a metallic orc asked aloud his thoughts, "Because you do so, Master?" Slowly, the multi-eyed head shook from side to side in answer towards such a small query. ''No,'' whispered the giant''s thoughts, and gave a small mental sigh, ''Many generations ago, your ancestors grew bored of many of my stories. For they believed that which is boring should not be permitted within such texts. Thus, they were written out with only the major tales of my exploits throughout the various worlds.'' Various creatures below stirred with anger upon such an explanation, but were held silent by the mental imagery of their Ageless shaking his head and calling for silence. ''Peace,'' his voice whispered, calming all within his small army, ''They were allowed to do this, whereas all of my words can still be found within many old texts strewn about our world of Terra. These children desired to hear less of my frivolous tasks and accomplishments, and more action, adventure, and the like. Hence the time skips. ''However, for those of whom are curious, I shall speak of what I had accomplished up to the point of my gifting an elder Dragonock with an Elixir of Extended Mortality.'' ***** Now, upon entering the forest once more, we trekked towards what we assumed were mountains in the far distance. However, they were actually calcified fossils of a great dragon. Indeed, my surprise was evident as we came upon the remnants of a massive skull deep inside the earth. Of course, thoughts ran rampant throughout my mind, as my clawed hands gently caressed the bones buried inside the rock. "Such a beautiful creature this one must have been," my voice was naught, but a hushed whisper full of excitement as we delved deeper into the earth and found more skeletons of ancient dragons. "Why do you suppose no one has come journeyed this far into the land, My Lord God?" Asked Brutus, who appeared by my side with a fossilised egg of some sort of creature between his four clawed hands. "I may have the answer to that one, Lord Brutus," called out Sal''ruum, of whom was now backed into a corner by several large basilisks which stared upon his person with great hunger. "Hmm," I hummed aloud, tapping my pointed teeth with my right primary foreclaw, "Capture them, but have the female Scarab slay a couple to add to her ranks." They then followed my orders, as I turned back towards the bones embedded into the walls. "Gahn," my voice thundered about my person, causing a few stones to fall with a crash from the ceiling high above. For you see, my dear audience, this area beneath the earth was nothing more than a cavern. One of many, I might add, but this was the largest of them all. Of which would serve as our primary base of operations until such a time as we would no longer have need of it. The stone creature appeared by my side within mere moments of my call, and opened his body to receive my poisons once more. "Gahn," my voice gently shook the air about us as I placed a primary clawed hand upon the stone wall which housed the bones of the dragon before us, "Retrieve the bones of this great creature, for I desire to know if my abilities as a god would allow its resurrection." Upon my words, the creature, my servant, pulled away from my touch to fuse himself with the stones of the wall. Of which allowed my person to easily withdraw the bones slowly. However, all that was extracted was the fractured head of naught, but a wyvern. "I feel... disappointed," my voice came out as a whisper, as my clawed hand slowly ground the bones to powder. For you see, the bones within the wall appeared to my person as though they were of a dragon, but instead came out as a wyvern. Now, the difference between a wyvern and dragon are vast when you look upon them, but when you are only given the head of such a creature, the similarities are striking. Although they both have similar facial features, wyverns are built much the same as a bat. What with their wings and forearms are one and the same, whilst a dragon''s wings are situated along their spine. Looking closely upon the rest of the bones which appeared to be draconic, every last one of them had the similar features of being a wyvern. Whereas the rest were more of a basilisk, and the smaller ones were of animal. Yes, I was disappointed in my hopes of finding those of actual dragons, but would not be deterred as I turned back towards what my Undying servants had brought me. A2 Chapter 18 AN: Just to warn you guys, next chapter is another NSFW one. So you may need to bring out your torches just so you can see what''s going on. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ________________________________________ Fourteen basilisk of varying shapes and sizes floated about my person as they glared upon my body with heated and hated gazes. If looks could indeed kill, I would have died many a time. However, these fourteen were not of their whole group. No. These were naught, but the survivors of their little clan, as my Undying servants had spread themselves out to find and capture the whole of them whilst the female Scarab was allowed to slay a couple in order to grow her little pack of undead. Unfortunately, only these fourteen were easily caught, as they chose to hide amongst the dead and boulders instead of fighting as the others did. It seems they had chosen self preservation over joining in on a losing battle. However, we did find a cache of eggs guarded by a now dead broodmother, as well as a small treasure of gold, jewels, and other precious items. These would indeed serve a purpose in the cycles to come, as my own servants would soon gain servants of their own, but in the form of basilisks. For now, though, my attention was now upon the floating creatures before my person, as they did their best to struggle and lash out in the hopes of striking my body. However, their small acts of defiance was for naught, whereas only one seemed to have some spark of intellect as it stared not with anger, but admiration. "Curious," I muttered turning towards this basilisk, of whom was of the smaller sort. Perhaps it was newly hatched or had a deformity about its person, as it seemed to have several scars and cuts not caused by the weapons of my Undying. "Can you understand my words?" My voice was gentle, which caused the other to twist its head as though it came upon an interestingly new snack, "Hmm, you indeed can understand my words, it seems, but are unable to voice anything." The lesser arms near the centre of my body folded in on themselves, as I contemplated on what to do with the one before my person. It would be shameful if I did not utilise it to the fullest, whereas the others simply appeared to be mindless beasts. "Brutus," my voice shook the earth around us, which loosened the rocks high above enough to fall around our bodies. Once he approached my person, however, my right primary clawed hand waved at the creatures now weakly struggling against the invisible grip surrounding their bodies, "Have each of the Undying choose a basilisk to form a bond with." "My Lord God?" The Lich''s own head had cocked towards his right shoulder with great curiosity. "This will be one of the many rewards they shall be given for their service to my person," was my answer, as I turned back towards the little creature which was being pulled closer towards my being. "This one shall be bonded to my self, as I find it rather curious." Again, the small creature twisted its head once more, as I sent a line of silvered energy into its mind, and formed a bond to my own. ''Hi,'' shouted the mental version of the small basilisk before my person, of whom waved in my direction the moment our minds became linked to one another. It seemed to my past self, at the time, that this small creature only had the voice and thoughts of a child not more than a few cycles old. Indeed, and I grew more curious as it was allowed to sit upon the ground before my being. Of which caused it to stretch in the same manner as a small mammal world, before deciding to crawl up my own body until it came to my right shoulder. Once at this point, it simply stared into my own eyes with an intelligence many would find astonishing in a creature known for its brutality and animalistic instincts. ''Shoriin,'' my mental voice reverberated about our selves, which garnered the other to release an adorable questioning squeak which seemed to calm my mind somewhat, ''That will be your name, and what I shall forever call you as we continue with our plans for world conquest.'' ''Okay,'' it squeaked towards my person, as its tail swayed quickly with excitement at the prospect of a name. Of which was mirrored to its physical self, and I had to steady its small frame many times as it continued to slip from my poison coated bones. No, it did not seemed to be bothered by the poison, and even lapped it up whilst it was upon my body. This action seemed to stir Gahn from his position, and distort his facial features into something akin to jealousy. To this end, I found it humourous such a creature would feel jealous over my person being "eaten" by such a small creature as the basilisk. Well, no matter. As to the others? Well, many of the females had chosen the smaller creatures to bond with, as they believed them to be "cute" and "adorable". Whereas those remaining went to the males, although one of the females had taken upon the largest of them all. The one was Shauu, of whom believed the basilisk to be a "challenge" for her to overcome. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Of course, those of whom did not receive a creature to bond with would have a chance to do so once an egg hatched, or another group of creatures made themselves known. For now, all they could do was watch as the bonding process took place, then gathered before my person once more. "Let us discuss once more of what we are to proceed with next," my voice shook the space around us, loosening up more earth and rocks which fell to the ground. Whereas the basilisk Shoriin had met Suun, the metallic goblin, and had to be forced apart when the pair began to fight within my rib cage. The pair were now held within my lesser clawed hands, and were berated for their actions for a time, before releasing them and turning my attention once more upon my servants. "We shall be needing knowledge of what we may face, and to do this, infiltration will be necessary. For this, I shall personally trek towards this ''port city'' a few turns away from our position, and-" "My Lord God," interrupted Brutus, "Let one of us go in your stead. It is better to have one of your own sacrifice themselves for the knowledge you crave." Many skeletal and metalised skulls nodded with their ascent, but were quelled by the uplifting of my right clawed hand. "I understand your concerns, but would rather see what opposition we may run into with my own two eyes, as opposed to hearing the words of my own treasured servants. Besides, based on the memories shared between us, it would seem this world has some prejudices towards those of whom are draconic in nature." My eyes turned towards the twin Draconians as they seemed perplexed by everyone''s eyes upon them. "Us?" Asked Val''ruum, whilst the other looked about himself rather quickly. "Yes, you two," my voice came out in a whisper, before increasing in volume, "In any case, I shall be taking the twins, along with Shoriin and Suun, to the port city. Once there, we shall assess the situation at hand, and begin to make our plans for conquest once more." * It wouldn''t be until almost a sennight later, when myself and the twins arrived upon a large queue of varying races in front of the gate to the port city. Of which was called Freeport, which was a bit odd considering the fact that it was not free in any way. For the time being, though, we had to proceed through a heavily guarded entrance, of which our persons and baggage were to be search quite extensively. As to why this was so? They called it a "tax", and would take up to ten percent of all items or coin, depending upon what they brought with them. Upon entering such a place, however, a voice from within told us to halt in our steps. This voice belonged to a heavily armoured individual, of whom had a look of greed and enamoured arrogance about its eyes. "What do we have here?" Its voice boomed throughout the enclosed space, of which caused many to step away from our persons. By the by, my form was that of my kobold self, and was wearing an endarkened, crimson hooded robe which hid all, but the tip of my dark nose. The twins, on the other hand, wore matching hooded robes, but their colours were more of the darkness within the shadows. Our sleeves, though long and opened, allowed us to keep our clawed hands hidden as we fold our arms over one another. Whilst I kept my mind calm, the pair had shifted their own clawed hands to grasp their long knives attached to their arms. They were nervous, you see, yet stayed in a relaxed position once they noticed my own. "And what are you hiding beneath your hoods, hmm?" This armoured brute leaned down to touch the hood hiding my own facial features, but before it could even come close, my own energies flared to life. For you see, a spell of protection was embedded into the fabric of our robes. If they detect any hostilities from without, then a golden and translucent barrier quickly takes the shape of our bodies, protecting it from harm. "Conjurers," cried out the brute, of whom had raised its voice in volume and pitch, whereas the rest of those about us ran as though their lives depended upon such a thing. For you see, my dear audience, those of whom who practice what many call "magick" are called as such; as they are a rare breed and are allowed various amenities. One of such things is a free passage throughout the continent, whilst another is the rest of the populace fearing them and their unknown abilities. A2 Chapter 19 (NSFW) AN: As I said folks, it''s another NSFW chapter. Whereas tomorrow''s will contain some fluff. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _________________________________________________ Needless to say, we were allowed through without much hassle after the little display of might from our robes. Which was strange, to be honest, as we could have been carrying a plague of some sort to infect the entire populace of the port city, and yet they would still allow us passage into it. Well, even though we were given way to enter, we still had to pass through some sort of inspection. This time, a conjurers''. For you see, the one we passed through was for commoners and merchants, whereas this other was on another side of the wall which protected such a place from those with which would come from the land. We did not know of such a place, but it did not seem to matter, as they were quite pleased with the show of might upon those of whom were frightened by such things. "That was amazing what you did back there," squeaked a small, mouse-kin girl-child of whom was charged with retrieving us. It wore a simple robe with dark blue hues, and the same odd pointed hat the other mouse-kin had a few turns ago. Indeed, and I felt the eyes of hunger fall upon the creature from behind my person. This, of course, led to my own hooded head to shake slowly until they quelled their hunger. "We''re almost there," it squeaked once more, as it led us through the dirtied streets of the city and towards the eastern section where the docks resided. However, instead of turning towards the water, we were simply directed towards a small building nearest the gate. Of which was guarded by a pair of pink robed individuals with the features of lion beastwomen about their selves. These individuals seemed relax, until we came upon them. Once they noticed the three of us walking behind the squeaking girl-child, they retrieved their hoods and a pair of swords were within their hands pointing at us. This action did not seem to bother the little mouse-kin, who seemed to have moved off to the side with a smirk upon its lips. "Master," whispered the twins with a twinge of urgency within their throats. However, I simply raised a clawed hand to quell their fears as I approached the pair. "Move aside," my voice rumbled, shaking the earth beneath their feet. Of which caused their eyes to express confusion, before righting themselves and advance upon my position with care. "Very well," I gave an exasperated sigh, as their bodies were crushed into the ground of which they stood. The pair weren''t even allowed to release a sound, as their bodies were ground into paste by my will alone. As this was occurring, the mouse-kin had found itself between the twins'' blades, as their metallic clawed hands gripped their knives, and pricked the female''s flesh with their tips. Of course, this caused it to become fearful, until a voice as clear as a silver bell rang out with, "Stop." This other which called for us to cease in our ventures was another mouse-kin female, but was an adult and had the same garb as the smaller who was being held up by Val''ruum with the knives of Sal''ruum pressing against its throat and chest. "Release her," it growled towards my servants, of whom had been revealed as Draconians. This was, of course, brought on by their movements of haste to capture the girl-child. Of which blew back their hoods to expose their features to the world. Unfortunately, they also seemed to have brought unwanted attention upon themselves, as beastial creatures wearing iron armour seemingly appeared out of nowhere to surround the pair. "Master," they hissed with anger, as their translucent gold barriers activated in this event of hostility. "You will let them be," I growled as my own voice shook the earth around this ring of creatures. Of which caused them to glance upon my person with a mixture of indignation and fear. "These are my servants, and those who wish to take them from my person will die." To emphasise my point, the paste which was the pair of lion beastwomen flowed out of their small craters, and splashed those of whom would take from me that which is mine by rights. This action caused many to flee, as they noted the misshapen skeleton of the beastwomen of which were once the guards placed in front of the small building. Later, I would come to know this pair were once the strongest of the conjurers within the city, and that they were well respected amongst various circles. However, this did not concern my person, as all would soon come to know that I was here not for anything beyond conquest. "You..." The female mouse-kin near the building next to the gate quivered with fright as it watched with a horrified gaze upon what I had done. "You... monster," liquid had flowed down its legs, creating a small puddle upon the ground before collapsing into such filth. "Disgusting," my voice came out as another growl, as I called over my servants, and told them to release the mouse-kin. Of which rushed to the fallen other, and glared upon my person with a heated stare. "Master?" Whispered Val''ruum, as the twins hid themselves beneath their hoods once more. "We know where they are, and shall return soon enough," I replied in the language of their home world, which caused all others to become curious as to what I had just spoke of, "Come, let us resume our mission. Once it is completed, we shall return for them." * There is something oddly satisfying in watching that which is supposed to be the embodiment of strength, law, and order flee from my person upon our approach. Even though word has spread to not stand before us, a few still tried. Of which caused their bodies to crumpled into small orbs of metal and flesh, as we passed them by. "It seems they are still trying, Master," hissed Val''ruum as an arrow ricocheted off of the barrier still glowing about his person. "Such tiresome acts need only be ignored," was my reply, as a line of five armoured individuals stood in our way. These five had blocked off the street leading towards the city''s slave markets and underworld. Of which had garnered my interest as we passed a long line of chained Dragonocks being led towards such an area. "Move," I commanded the being to the far right of the line. Of whom I would have commended for its fearful valour in opposing my demands any other day, but it was irritating that they continued to do so. "Y-y-you ar-e t-t-to c-c-o-come w-with u-u-u-us-s," it stammered as it raised its kite shield and short sword towards my body. In response to such demands, the body of such a creature was crumpled into another orb of iron and flesh. To which I turned to the next individual down the line, and commanded that they move. Unfortunately for this group, all of them were crumpled into such orbs, of which allowed us to resume our trek towards the slave pits. Whereupon we did witness many stands with which hawkers began to spout their words of sale to a growing crowd of jeering, bestial creatures. From within such a place, I and mine secreted ourselves amongst the shadows to avoid any more delays, and simply watched the proceedings in silent. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. "Master," hissed Sal''ruum with great anger, as an enlarged pig of a beastman brought forth a long line of Draconian and Dragonock children. What is more, all of them were female and bore scars about their bodies. To this end, my anger peaked enough that I unconsciously summoned several of my Undying about my person. Of whom were all of my own females, each with the charge of safeguarding the tomb full of children before the Tribunal destroyed it all. They shared my silent anger, even more so, as the bulbous creature had its hired hands forcibly removed the children''s thin clothing from their chained bodies. Of which caused all within the crowd to jeer, whoop and holler as they called out if they were without the touch of a male. These queries caused the large beastman to order its hands to lift a young, screaming female and display that which is betwixt its legs for all to see. "It still has a hymen," roared one of the closer beings, of which caused the world''s time to cease its flow. For you see, my dear audience, I detest having others harm children. Especially when others lust after their small bodies, which causes something within my mind to snap. Hence, our laws upon our world of Terra. Which state to never harm another child in such a way. I, on the other hand, was infuriated. The shadows about our persons responded to such fury by binding themselves to my person, whilst my voice chanted a spell in a language even I did not know of at the time. This spell, by the by, was a transformation spell. Of which caused my entire being to warp itself into a shadow creature with draconic features spread about. This went further, as wings of great length erupted from my back, bringing for three pairs of varying sizes whilst the middle was much larger than the rest. These wings allotted my person to disappear for, but a moment, then reappear high above the port city the naked girl-child in my arms. Whereas the arms of the one which held onto it only a moment before, fell to the earth just as time resumed itself. "Wha-?" Began one of the enlarged creature''s handlers, before it screamed from the pain of losing its arms. "What is going on?" Shouted the slaver, who was looking for the child that was no longer there, whilst the others huddled amongst themselves in fear of the other. Especially when it brought out a long whip and glared about the audience. It wasn''t until others began to point at the heavens above, did the other turn to find the child in the arms of my person. "That is my property," it howled as the shadows about my person slowly receded to the point of revealing my body. This body of mine had sprouted leaf shaped scales all about its skin, which were much harder than iron despite being so thin. Yes. My scales were thin, and if one were to consume such a thing, they would soon grow these scales as well. What is more were my clawed hands, which were able to rend through iron as though it were naught, but parchment left to soak in the rains. My wings, on the other hand, were metallic in nature, as were my clawed feet which had become much like the talons of a great bird. Then there was my scaled tail which was longer than the previous, and can be moved with a single thought. Truly, it was strange to be in such a body. However, I still did not have a beating heart, for which I am grateful as I would not wish to live once more. Now, the girl-child that was in my arms had been staring upon my person with eyes as wide as saucers, as my own gaze of emerald orbs stared upon its form for a brief moment. She was of the Dragonocks, having only her face, neck, and limbs covered in scales. There were no claws upon the tips of her small hands and feet, only bloody tips which caused my mind to flare once more with anger and a twinge of madness. The rest of her body, however, did not have any scales about it and appeared to be the same type of skin a normal human would have. However, she was still naked. To this, from my own will, did I summon up the shadows which receded themselves from my person to coat our bodies fully. Upon their removal, endarkened leathers had appeared upon both of our forms, covering everything which needed to be covered from the eyes of the world. "Are you alright?" My voice startled my mind for a moment, as it came out as though a chorus of devils echoed my words amongst themselves somewhere close by. This, too, startled the child, of whom looked about before clinging to my neck once it realised how high up we truly were. To this action, I merely chuckled as I supported her body with one arm whilst my free hand rubbed her upper back slowly. "You bastard," howled a familiar voice, as I turned my own head to stare upon the enlarged creature of whom pointed a limp whip towards my person, "Don''t you dare ignore me!" Of course, I ignored him once more and lifted my free clawed hand high above my head. "Flare: Mark: Draconian; Dragonock; Undying; Mouse-kin," I did not intone such a spell for these words, and yet the spell of "Flare" simply came to my person. For those who do not know, this simple spell will mark a target for up to a single turn of the sun by simply having a wisp of cold fire hovering above their heads. No, there is no way to put it out, nor hide it, unless your strength was equal to or greater than the one who cast such a spell upon you. For this one, my spell of "Flare" would split itself innumerably, until it marked all of those who are of the races I had called out, within an area I designate. In this case, those of whom are within the city and around the docks would become marked for my next spell. However, this one was not a simple incantation, but of that which is contained within an object. This object was none other than the Eye of Gol, which was a palm sized orb that glowed with a baleful, sickly green light upon the world around my person. "Come to me," my voice cried out unto the heavens, as storm clouds rose around my person casting the world below into a darkness so perfect, it would appear to others the Abyss had come to swallow them whole. "Come to me, for I have summoned thee," my voice rumbled greatly, shaking the earth below as it echoed with the chorus of devils about my person. This caused the child in my arms to cry out in fear, to which I sent to sleep with a single thought from my will. Far below, the earth continued to shake, as something far beneath the earth sought for the freedom of above. Within mere moments, the earth erupted in a shower of stone and dirt, as skeletal bodies of those who were long dead rose up and glared at those still living. Of course, this sparked mass panic, as a multitude of bodies did their best to swarm past the skeletal creatures which had appeared all around them. "Here me, O creatures of Gol," my voice boomed high above, and I watched as nearly all eyes moved towards my person as the world lit up from torches, spells, and violet lightnings from within the clouds near my body. "Ye who are of Gol, obey my command. For I hold the Eye," and I held it up high, showing the creatures below who had the right to command them, "Do not harm those with cold fire atop their heads." The rest, however, grew into a panic upon my next words. "Kill the rest." A2 Chapter 20 AN: This chapter has a bit of fluff towards the end. There will be other fluff filled chapter to come, but again there won''t be as many as there was in the last arc. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. Still confused as to why you guys are so quiet after reading each chapter. _____________________________________ "Suun," my voice came out in a growl, as a small orb of iron flowed around my person. More iron, in liquid form, flowed from the ground below and into the orb. This caused it to grow in size until it had absorbed all that was available to it. Once completely absorbed, my free clawed hand swirled about the object, creating a creature from my own mind. This creature was none other than a dragon, perhaps the first this world''s generation would ever come to know, as all others have not been seen since the time of their world''s journey into the Abyss. Energies of crimson, violet, and emerald erupted from beneath my clawed hand, as it blurred to reshape the creature over and over, again and again. From the tip of its snout, to the end of its tail, this dragon was covered in carefully sculpted leaf shaped scales all about its body. The skull of which was shaped into a regular dragon''s, but with nearly a dozen horns curving backwards and up from upon its top. This, in essence, created something akin to a crown, as it would be such a creature once completed. The neck itself was long and thick, as was its chest, forearms, and claws. Then came its lower body, of which was still thick, but less so. Perhaps if one were to look closely they would spot the subtle differences, but who would wish to come close to such a dangerous creature willingly? The tail itself, though thick at the base, became thinner the closer it came to the tip. Of which folded out to create a sort of fan for it to turn in the air above. Yes. This metallic dragon would indeed fly, as more iron flowed up from the ground below. Although it was red from the blood of the slaughtered, it did not bother me in the least, as it was used to craft three pairs of wings for the creature before my person. A pair of large, scaled wings were grafted upon its shoulders, whereas the latter two pairs were placed upon the center of its spine, and towards the base of its tail. Such a creature is indeed odd, but it was what I desired in the first dragon upon the world of Azara. Thus, it would remain so. The next course of action would be to give it a way to use a breath attack of some sort. Not knowing which to decide upon, I chose them all. Of which were flame, ice, steam, poison, lightning, healing, and death. Yes, it was a bit of an overkill, but deciding upon just one was far too tiresome at the time. Following this were its eyes, of which became fire emeralds. Which as a special type of emerald stones found upon another world called Suumana. This world had all manner of crystals and precious stones, of which would be raided and mined in the days to come. For now, these emeralds were placed within its eye sockets, of which gave me a different idea for Suun. In this instance, I decided to remove its ironed claws, and exchanged them for eramose. Of which is a special type of diamond which is much denser than the common form. These stones were easily crafted into its great claws, but for others it would take perhaps several seasons in order to do what I had done. Once completed, I placed my freed clawed hand upon the centre of the creature''s skull, and poured my own strength into it. "<>," I intoned with a voice like thunder across the entirety of the world of Azara, "<< Animation of The Gods>>." It was at this time that I realised the small girl-child was still against my chest, and quickly cast my shields upon the small body just as the first of many crimson and golden lightnings fell upon the body of the dragon. For you see, my dear audience, although I was incapable of creating true life at that time, I was still capable of creating a pseudo lifeform through the use of my Animation magicks. This would allow such creations to live as though it were of true life, but would never be able to reproduce, nor have a heartbeat. However, the process for this to take place is dangerous, as it calls upon the world''s own energies to create such a creature. Thus, those of whom are not capable of protecting themselves, such as my and mine, will vapourise within mere moments of witnessing such a spectacle up close. Yes. I was concerned for the small creature, as it was still very much a child. Although I may have allowed it to die, it would have been such a waste after I took the time to rescue it from such a jeer filled crowd. This process would take time, of course, which caused my attention to fall to the world below. Whereupon I did see a mindless slaughter occur between the undead, my servants, and those of whom are not illuminated by a mote of cold fire. The very moment I turned away from my creation slowly becoming alive, did I hear the chorus of song of those being killed simply for angering my mind from the display of "slaves". "Poor, despicable creatures," my voice thundered much more greatly than the sounds of lightning striking iron multiple times, "You who have lived for such a long time do not deserve to live. As you have caused another great race to fall from such heights. Perhaps you are justified in what they have done to you in ages long past, but now?" My head shook from side to side, as a great cry erupted throughout the darkness below. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Lightnings of various colours erupted all around my person, as the metallic dragon howled with a voice which was filled with such elation to be alive. "I live," its voice boomed throughout the world. Of which ceased the slaughter below, as all eyes turned towards the dragon which began to circle the city from high above. Myself, on the other hand, flew towards the head of such a creature, halting its movements for a time. "Hello, Suun," my own voice thundered, but much more so than the other. Of which caused its eyes to become slits of concealed anger towards my person. "Although you may have created my self, I do not recognise you as my master," it grumbled, turning away to fly elsewhere. However, it could not move, which caused its mind to become clouded with rage. "Release me, fell creature, or I shall destroy you." These words did nothing, but cause my voice to boom with laughter, "Destroy me? Your god?" My laughter continued, which caused the other to struggle greatly against its unseen bonds. "No, little Suun. You shall serve me even until the end of turns to come. For I am your god, and only I am able to give you true life." These words ceased its desire to be free from my side, as its eyes remained as slits of anger, but also contained a hint of curiosity. "What do you mean?" "Search yourself, Suun," I pointed towards its chest where a heart should reside, "You do not have a heart, nor are you capable of reproduction. For you are alone upon this world of Azara, until such a time as I deem it necessary to create more of your kind." "What?" It roared towards my person, before growing silent as it delved deep within itself, "That''s not possible," it muttered slowly, then snapped its head in my direction, "You will fix this!" This response caused my lips to smirk towards such a being, "Perhaps. For now, though," my free clawed hand gently laid itself upon the dragon''s head with care, "<>," I intoned, grinning as it struggled further against its unseen bonds. "You will not contain me," it howled as I continued with my casting of magicks, "I will free myself, and kill you!" "<>," my voice thundered with a chorus of devils singing along with my voice. The other howled with rage, as endarkened tendrils filled with a silver light pierced the metallic flesh of the dragon, and pumped it full of the light. Whereas the creature before my person continued with its howling until it grew silent. For a time, the only sounds around my being were those who fought down below, and the occasional peal of thunder caused by a multitude of crimson and violet lightnings tracing themselves across the shrouded heavens. The eyes of the dragon called Suun had dimmed once it grew silent, then sparked itself back into life. These eyes then turned towards my person with reverance, as it whispered the simple word of, "Master." To this, I chuckled in quite the evil manner, as it twisted its head to the right in curiosity. Of which I waved it away, and directed its gaze towards the fighting below. "Locate those with a mote of cold fire, transport them out of the city below, and towards the forest''s edge closest to the area. Once you have done this, then you are permitted to enjoy yourself upon those without such a mote about their person." "Yes Master," it replied slowly, "Thy will be done," and turned to swoop down upon the unsuspecting populace below. Whereas I turned my attention towards the small girl-child in my arms, of whom had stirred awake from everything that had occurred thus far. "Hello, little one," I spoke softly, quelling the chorus of devils in order to keep her calm. "Are you really a god?" She asked with a small voice, along with widened eyes full of curiosity and a twinge of fear. "Yes, and I am here to keep you all safe from those who would try to harm you." "Really?" Her eyes closed as she leaned into my free clawed hand which was gently petting her head slowly. "Yes, little one, but tell me, what is your name?" "Siuun," she muttered with what sounded much like a purr coming from her throat, as she continued to enjoy my petting her. "Hello, Siuun. I am Veni Deus Venenum." A2 Chapter 21 AN: The beginning of this one may confuse a few people, so allow me to explain. Anytime there is a strange word with a ''V'' in it, it makes a ''W'' sound. Only reason for this is because it''s Latin, and I like it. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _______________________________________ "Wendy?" She asked, tilting her head towards her right shoulder. "No, little one," my own voice was calm and filled with a bemusement at such a name for myself, "Weh-nee. Can you perhaps say this?" "Weh-ndee," her small voice rolled the unfamiliar word within her small maw of blunted teeth. From my own perspective, it seems they were purposefully ground down for some odd reason. Perhaps it was to keep her from tearing into the flesh of those who would come near such an adorable, scaled creature. To this end, I sighed with a small smile and pat her head softly. To which she giggled, then stared with widened eyes at something upon my left shoulder. A noise ensued close to my non-existent ear, which sounded in combination of a small growl and an annoyed groan. "Shoriin," my voice rumbled softly, as my own tail gently wrapped itself around the small basilisk, and placed it into my free clawed hand. Whereupon it glared into my own eyes with a pout about its features. Within my own mind, however, it sulked with a look of, "you forgot about me". Of which I simply pat its small head, then introduced the pair to one another. This, in turn, caused the girl-child to squeal with delight, and hug the other close to her chest. My voice erupted into a chuckle, as the basilisk tried to escape, but could not. When it finally acknowledged its futile attempt to escape, its voice filled the air about us with a pitiful moan of resignation. My eyes then tore away from such a scene, and towards the screams of the dying far below. Blood ran through the streets, as males and females of varying ages ran from the large horde of skeletons with glowing eyes of various colours. Each of these creatures were coated in the blood of the fallen, whilst some had decorated their bones with the heads and entrails of those they had slain. Why they did such a thing was beyond my person, but they continued to advance towards a fairly sizable building which had been boarded up to slow their advance. However, all of those of whom had a mote of cold fire about their persons were ignored, which seemed to frighten them even more so. Perhaps they believed such creatures would return for them once all had been slain. On the other hand, they seemed elated when the large, metallic dragons called Suun swooped down in rescuing of their persons from such a place. Many had cried out with voices of relief and joy, as its body landed next to their own and commanded them to climb upon his person, or cling to his own with all their might. These creature would then do so as it launched itself high into the heavens, before depositing them upon the outskirts of the nearby forest. Whereupon these individuals would be met with my servants to either usher them to a larger group, slay them on the spot, or detain them until I came to judge their persons for whatever may be the reason. The pair within my arms were startled as my body shifted itself towards the forest, whereupon it sped off with such a great speed as we arrived within mere heartbeats from my original position. "Too fast," I muttered, as the Dragonock and basilisk appeared to be dizzy from the sudden movements. "Siuun?" Cried out a tall female Draconian with patterned scales of gold and pink scattered about her body. This one had appeared before my person quite suddenly, and with a fearful expression about her eyes. Of which allowed my own to see that she had indeed suffered greatly in her time of captivity. Yes, nearly all of the Draconians and Dragonocks taken from the city once called Freeport were indeed slaves or servants of some sort. Most, if not all, of the females were abused in some great way. For you see, these two species cannot reproduce with anyone, except for their own races. In other words, they were used primarily to satisfy the males who had such great carnal desires, but did not wish for any sort of bastard children. Thus, they were highly sought after by many, especially those of whom belong to the "nobleman" category. As to the males, no, they cannot impregnate a female not of their race. Therefore, much like the females, they were highly sought after by those who desired relief, but without the dangers of becoming pregnant. Which is one of the main reasons why their race had become enslaved in the first place. Whereas the second was because of a war nearly a full century ago, of which caused them to serve nearly all races upon this world of Azara. No. I did not learn of this at this time, but of the time when I had drained the Dragonock of its memories and abilities in the beginning days of our desire for conquest of this world. However, I did not believe such memories at the time, until I came upon these wretched creatures before me. Yes, I was enraged, but did not allow others to see such emotions. Not yet, anyways. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "Mama," cried out Siuun, who squirmed out of my arms and rushed into the female''s who had called out to her. Of course, the scene was touching, but my attention was diverted elsewhere, as my Undying directed my person towards those of whom were not draconic in any way. Most of whom were of the mouse-kin and beastman race, whilst the rest seemed to be conjurers who had taken advantage of what had occurred to ensure their own survival. Each of whom were tied up and gagged, whereas a few had been slain due to their unwillingness to cooperate. "Hmm," I hummed, scanning the small crowd of nearly twenty tied up individuals before my person, "Are there any of interest?" I asked my servants who had saluted and knelt before my self as I came upon them. "There are two which are able to paralyse another with a simple glance," spoke up Val''ruum, "They were difficult to subdue, as they continued to perform such acts in concert with one another." "Interesting," my lips stretched themselves into a small smile, as I ordered them to bring these two before my person. At once, the twins and a female Undying did so, dragging a pair of struggling, small creatures who were bound, gagged, and blindfolded. "What are you?" My voice rumbled, as the pair was lifted by my will alone. These two were of great interest, it seemed, as their forms seemed to be a cross between some sort of brown furred bear, and a basilisk. However, the pair wore the robes of a conjurer, and seemed to be able to create words. As their muffled voices beneath their gags gave way to such a suggestion. It was truly strange, and I had the desire of making them part of my collection of servants. In which case, both of my clawed hands gripped their small heads, as I intoned my Enthrallment spells. Before the casting of such spells, the pair of unknown creatures before my person had struggled greatly against their physical and ethereal bonds. Now, however, they had ceased in their movements, becoming docile as I removed their physical bindings. What greeted my eyes caused my person to become curious, as their features appeared to be human in origin, yet their eyes appeared to mimic the eyes of a basilisk. Truly, they were strange creatures, but now they were mine to do with as I saw fit. Of course, a few within the group before us screamed out muffled noises from beneath their gags, and turned their hateful gazes upon my person once they noticed the pair of unknown creatures calling my self "Master". However, they did not concern my mind in the least, as I turned to face them all and pose a simple statement, "Serve me, or die. You have only those two choices, and nothing more." To be fair, one of the conjurers had released themselves from their bindings, and cast an unknown spell towards my person before anyone was able to react. This led to my voice echoing with laughter throughout the land, as I appeared next to this individual, gripped the back of its neck with one claw, whilst the other was upon its left shoulder. Whereupon I did pull with a great force, causing its head and spine to separate from its body. Of which had fallen upon a few others, spurting a great river of crimson upon those of whom had not escaped in time. Whereas the head of my victim moved its jaw up and down for a time, before growing still as its essence fled from its dead body. This scene caused many to fall over unconscious, whilst a few Draconians and Dragonocks who had witnessed such a spectacle tried to flee from the area. They were eventually brought back by the twins, as I did not wish to have them spreading my tales of brutality throughout the land just yet. However, my magicks then took effect, swirling about the spine and head within my grasp. These magicks were of shadows and emerald energies, as they cleaned and reshaped the bones into a solid staff with a pair of glowing, emerald orbs within the sockets of the skull. This skull was then pointed towards the body of the fallen conjurer, whereupon it opened its maw and breathed out a gust of acidic breath. This caused the body to melt slowly until it was naught, but a puddle upon the ground. Of which then seeped into the earth, boring small holes until all of the acid vanished completely. However, even though the acid was gone, the ravaged earth which held the puddle still remained, as did the memories of such a scene. "So?" I called out to those still bound and gagged, "What will it be? Will you serve my person until the end of days, or will you die as the other had?" A2 Chapter 22 AN: Three words: Factorio. Is. Addicting. I have an army of logistics bots. I am happy. Anyways, have to point out that this one has cruelty towards a single race. Pretty sure you folks have already figured out which race it is. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________________ "I would rather die," squeaked a female mouse-kin, of whom was floating in front of my person by my will alone. The clothing it wore was the same as the first mouse-kin we had come across near the den of the Scarabs, what with its robe and pointed hat. "You and your kind will soon die anyways, little Mouse-kin, as you are destined for greater prospects than a simple death. For you see, your kind is greatly needed in various alchemical product. Of which will be conducted by one of my servants. Though, he will be needing to sample your body first, to make sure you are viable for such a thing." My explanation seemed to instill a fear so great, that its body shivered and released a golden stream of liquid from betwixt its legs. To this, I chuckled, as one of my Undying females were ordered to venture forth and bring news of our guests to the rest of my servants. She was also to explain to Roshaan of the large collection of mouse-kin and beastfolk which will be needing an examination to see if they will be viable for a variety of tinctures. Such as the Elixir of Extended Mortality, of which I will be needing to conduct a few experiments with. This Kin, along those of whom are of her race, were all floating about my person, struggling, screaming, and begging to be released. However, no one would come to their aid, even though a few Dragonock children did beg for their release. "I cannot do that," the chorus of devils echoed my words around my person, as I continued with, "For they are necessary in the creation of several great tinctures. One of which will give others a long life for many generations." Hearing these words, a few conjurers who had not voiced their decision upon their servitude towards my person, voice multiple questions about what my words meant about giving others a longer life. I ignored their queries about such things, and instead continued to ask them if they will serve my person, or die. Those of whom had expressed a desire to know more about the tinctures, opted to become my servants. Only to gain such knowledge for themselves, however they did not know what it meant to become an enthralled slave. For you see, my dear audience, those of whom were before my person at that time were not the same as those of whom were my servants. These creatures would be the same as my dolls, of which are simply mindless servants who dance to my whims. These ones did not seem to know, or even care, as they willingly through themselves into such servitude. Even as their fellow conjurers did so, those of whom had still not decided were horrified by the change my spells had over their mind. "No," screamed a male bear-kin, who tried to flee from such a sight, only to have a hole gaping in the centre of its chest by one of its former comrades. This would continue for a time, until there were ten mindless servants standing before my person, whilst the rest were either dead, or bound up because of their race. Whereas those of the draconic races simply watched in horror as I turned towards their group with a sadistic grin upon my features. "I thought you said you were going to protect us," cried out Siuun''s mother, who hid the child behind her thin frame. "I am, but I still need to ensure your loyalty towards my person," my grin became wider, as I raised my bone staff towards their group, and intoned a lighter version of my Enthrallment spell. This one was simply made for others to recognise my self as the master, and nothing more. No. They would not become as mindless as the others, but this sort of spell was indeed something of than experiment. For you see, I desire to know what would happen to those born from my thralls. Would they be as passionate in serving my whims, or would they deviate later on down the road? Only time would tell. * Nearly a sennight had passed since the time of I and mine saving those of the draconic races from the city once called Freeport. Within such a time, I had to retrieve Suun and the denizens within the Eye of Gol, as they had begun to branch out in the direction of various villages situated within a few kilometres of the city proper. Yes. Eventually they would be released upon such places eventually, but at that time, I desired secrecy. My only reason for doing such things was to discuss the point of our conquest. As we could not conquer and wipe out much of the world without at least a single race left to repopulate such a place. No. If I had the ability to create my own race, then I would not have needed to save these Dragonocks and Draconians as I''ve done so already. For the time being, the entryway into the earth within the fossilised bones of a great dragon had been expanded since my time away. This was so, as my servants had been quite busy whilst I was away. For you see, they had begun to strip the area around such an entrance of its resources in order to make the area below more accommodating towards themselves. For example, a few remaining females, those who had not been summoned by my person, had created something akin to a nursery for the eggs and basilisks. This was then copied into a much larger space once they realised there were actual children coming to them. Of course, they were excited and delighted to receive them, even though many were terrified by their visages in the beginning. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Many of the males, on the other hand, had taken upon themselves to create a large space with which to practice their forms of combat. Although it was in their best interest to do such a thing, I did not much see a point to it, but did not allow it to bother my mind. However, those of whom were of my inner circle of servants- mainly Sia, Rojaahn, and Brutus- had created a small space in order to conduct various experiments on the flora and fauna of the land. Yes. Many always seemed rather shocked these three of my servants enjoyed themselves upon such research, and I have even taken a liking towards it as many know well. As I seem to find it causes my mind to calm down, but not as much as it would when around the children of various races. As to what happened to those of whom we had brought? Well, those of the draconic races, including Suun, had homes constructed from my own magicks. These buildings were large and spacious, which caused many to become fearful as though they had stepped into a noble''s home on accident. Of which I had to dispel their fears, however they still felt fearful even after repeatedly telling them the rooms and homes were for their own use. The mindless servants, on the other hand, were given over to my more magickally acquainted servants. These were then forced to perform a variety of tasks under their watchful gazes, as they desired to know what each was capable of doing under various amounts of stress. To say the least, they weren''t at all impressed. Then again, these did not have much in the way of being able to think, and only spoke the truth when questioned. However, they could not feel pain, nor any other emotion, as they strived to perform each and every task set before their persons. Whereas those of whom are of the mouse-kin and beastfolk were sent to Rojaahn. Of whom had torn the clothing from those of whom were not children. They were then subjected to what many would call "embarrassing" tests and examinations to see if their lower parts would be viable for consumption or to be used in the creation of tinctures and elixirs. Those of whom were not viable for such things, were set aside as varying degrees of magicks were placed upon their bodies, forcing them to breed with one another. Ah, but you see there were other magicks placed upon themselves to ensure the females would indeed become pregnant. What is more, these magicks would then cause their pregnancies to accelerate to a single sennight, before producing an offspring which will then be used for other experiments. As to those of such a race who were too young for these experiments, they were given over to the female Undying who would then decide their fate. In this decision, most, if not all, would be declared unfit to join the ranks of what is known as "Puer Daemonium Habes". When translated to a more common tongue, it roughly comes out as "Demon Children". For you see, these children would then undergo a training in order to transform their beings into living weapons. Those of whom are declared as unfit for such tasks would then be placed into a sort of suspended animation. Whereupon they would remain whilst their bodies were rapidly aged until such time as they are useful for other experiments. Yes. My past self was beyond cruel, and I would not change a thing. No matter what was offered to my person. For you see, even if another were to offer up our world of Terra in order to placate my person from continuing such experiments, I would not relent. As I would continue to strive to know what would happen if several varying factors were to occur under various circumstances. For now, though, my past self was watching the female Undying put the children of the Kin and beastfolk through grueling tasks, whilst noticing Brutus walking towards the right of my person. "You changed, My Lord God," his voice seemed to hold a twinge of sorrow, before it vanished to leave it as more of a hollow monotone once more. "Physically, perhaps," my right eye turned towards the Lich, whilst my left continued to watch as a few of the children cried out for their parents. Yes. I did feel a small pull to rush out and comfort the children being tormented by my servants, but I ignored such a thing. "I am still the same, Brutus. Speak your mind, for I will listen to your words." "When will we take back our world of Terra?" His words were blunt, and quite audible, as many of my other Undying turned to listen to such a conversation. Of which caused my full attention to turn towards my first servant. "Everything that we have accomplished means nothing to us, My Lord God. We simply desire our world of Terra, and yet we continue to follow you as we trek across the universe for this or that reason." Mentally, I sighed with enough force to wake Shoriin from his nap atop a small ledge overlooking the female Undying''s nursery. This caused him to stretch for a time, then make his way towards my body. Whereupon he crawled up to my neck, and curled around it with a soft hiss. To this action, I absentmindedly pet he small, scaled head until the little basilisk fell asleep once more. "I understand your desire to reclaim our world of Terra forthwith, but it is not that simple. For you see, the only one who knows of where it has been secreted to is Azazel, the head god of Azzarath. Do you recall the world of Sho''uun?" At my query, many heads and skulls bobbed in ascent, "Once we had successfully killed off the rampaging terro-god, she gave my person another wish. Of course, I desired for our world of Terra, as I have always asked for when presented with such a gift. "However, she would always sigh and shake her small head of silvered hair, exclaiming that it was not possible. So, after all this time, she finally relented in providing my person with information. Unfortunately, it came with a price. We must conquer five worlds in order for this information to become available. Only once these five worlds have fallen, will we be given the direction we so desperately desire. "As she will give us the location of our world of Terra, and with it will our war for our world truly begin." A2 Chapter 23 AN: Thank you everyone for joining our little black parade and for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________________ "Just five worlds, My Lord God?" Asked Brutus once more, as he cracked open the skull of a living, screaming mouse-kin in order to devour its brain. Whereas I simply watched him whilst he did this, jotting down a variety of notes towards the reactions given by the Kin. T''was simply amazing to see its eyes roll back, its body twitch and spasm, as well as its bodily functions excreted the waste within its small body. All of this was made possible by the Lich, as he slowly removed portions of its pink-grey organ, devouring each morsel until it was completely gone. "Yes, Brutus," mentally I sighed once more upon such a query. For you see, he would continue to repeat such a question after hearing my speech of such a thing. Perhaps he was curious to know if my explanation would change enough for him to call my person out on the words spoken. "It is as I had said many time before. Once five worlds are conquered, then we will begin our final journey towards our world of Terra. Afterwards, we may do whatever we wish to, never needing to step foot outside it ever again." "No more traipsing across the known universe for this or that, My Lord God?" Asked Sia, of whom was wearing an odd, white garment of some sort. She called it a "Lab Coat", of which confused my mind and brought back a hint of nostalgia for such a thing. However, it did not last for very long, as my attention was turned towards more current events. "We shall hold a vote for those of whom would wish to continue onwards for adventure, or to simply stay upon our world of Terra. Those of whom wish to continue onwards, or simply stay may do so with my blessing. As I shall need to stay in order to manage such a world for many cycles before branching out for new heights." "Why must you manage such a world for so long, Master?" Asked Val''ruum, as he and his twin dragged away the corpse of one of the conjurers to my person. This then led to my using the twisted magicks within my arsenal of spells in order to resurrect the fallen creature. Once completed, however, I needed to cast my enthrallments upon its mind, as it always appeared without such tethers attached. "It must be done to ensure their loyalties to my person after being under the thumb of another for so long." Those of whom were not of our original world simply voiced their confusion, asking my person to explain further, "Every world we have been to, with the exception of this one, has a god or collection of deities which run their respective worlds. If one were to usurp the control of another, then that being must then work hard to ensure such a place does not fall into the arms of the Abyss or another god. "Those of whom gain control of such a place must then place themselves within their new world, warding off all who come to claim or reclaim it in the name of the fallen deity. It is unknown how long it would take for my person to defend our world, but once completed will I be able to venture out with the assurance of it being safe forevermore." "How do you know all this, Master?" Asked Rojaahn, of whom had turned away from a delicate operation in order to listen to my words. He then cursed himself for a fool, as the creature being operated on gave its last breath with a contented sigh. Of course, it then screeched and howled as metallic bear Undying revived it with his own magicks. "Do you all remember the golem I had drained upon reaching this world of Azara?" Nearly all heads bobbed in their ascent of remembrance, "This golem god had within it the ''Gift of All Knowledge''. Within such a gift is, as it is called, all knowledge. However, the knowledge contained is only as great as the ones who placed such things within it. Meaning, if one were to withhold a portion of their knowledge whilst adding the rest, then those of whom are able to tap into said knowledge is only allotted that which is available." Nodding heads appeared around my person, as they returned to their work of either training or simple experiments. However, there were still a few which desired a better explanation, and from you as well, my audience. "Imagine if you will, a library full of hundreds upon thousands, upon millions of manuscripts and books. Each full of the knowledge another being had attained upon their adventures throughout the known and unknown universes. "Now, each of these books and manuscripts were donated by those of whom desired to share their knowledge with others. However, there will always be those who desire to give out falsehoods or withhold much of their knowledge from others. This is simply to ensure those who decide to read such things will not know much of anything. Therefore, they would keep such things to themselves. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "As to the how of such things are given to this great library. Well, it really is quite simple, as each being merely needs to speak of what they know to the Tribunal, of whom we have all come to know quite intimately over the last few cycles." Chuckles and laughter scattered throughout those of whom had opted to stay near my person in order to listen to the rest of my more detailed explanation. "Do you remember the small creature which stays near the one called Roj?" Nearly all nodded their heads slowly, "Well, this creature is one of the many librarians tasked with obtaining such knowledge from those who appear before them. Once they are whisked away to continue their adventures, it then transports itself to the main hub. Of which it them simply copies what it heard onto a great machine, which then creates a book or manuscript to place amongst the rest within such a place." Once my explanation was completed, the rest of my servants scattered to complete whatever it was they had set aside in order to listen to my speech. Whereas I stepped out and into the world above our little hole in the earth. Whereupon I was almost immediately surrounded by a variety of draconic races who wished to express their gratitude and begged for my intervention of their families within distant villages and cities. "Please, My Lord," begged an old male Draconian, whose scales had greyed and were peeling in various places about his body, "There is a slaver who comes through the city of Freeport, and brings in our kind from the east. This creature is scheduled to arrive by caravan in nearly a fortnight away, and we desire the rest of our people freed from its grasp." "To the east, you say?" My query was answered with a bob of his scaled head, as it watched with widened eyes as a small Dragonock boy-child poked my tail, then scurried away. He then stared upon my features with a flinch, as though I were about to lash out, and opened his maw to utter apologies for such an action. However, much to his surprise, I simply raised up a clawed hand to stop his actions and words. "Peace," my voice caused the earth about us to shiver from its force, "The child has done nothing to harm or bother my person. He was merely curious, or perhaps was dared by others his age to do as he had just done." "You are not angry?" His eyes widened with shock, as I simply waved his small concerns away. "Children will be children no matter their race. Who are we to stop them from exploring their curiosities, or halt them from their play? In any case, I desire to hear more of this ''slaver''. So tell me, what does it look like, if I were to go in search of such a being right now?" "Well," the old Draconian sighed and rubbed the back of its neck with a clawed hand, "It''s an orc." There was a pause which seemed to stretch for much too long, as I continued to watch him until he squirmed under the silent gaze of my emerald orbs. "Yes? What kind of orc?" I asked, breaking the silence which stretched out between us, "Is it a short, green-skin with terrible strength, or a pink-skinned and pig-faced one with tusks growing from its jowl?" "Th-the latter, Lord," he stammered, then seemed relieved as I simply sighed with my non-existent lungs, and pat his shoulder. "Very well. Gather up those of whom hold a desire to rescue their fellow Draconian and Dragonocks from the clutches of this slaver. These will each become a proud warrior, no matter their age, as I will gift them with this ability." "How will you do this?" Asked a female Draconian, of who had been listening since the beginning of the conversation between myself and the elder. Of whom whirled about his person with enough force as to topple over. Before he fell to the ground, however, my tail had wrapped itself around his waist, and set him upon his feet once more. "I am still very much a god, young one, and I have my own ways which will soon be revealed. As to yourself, elder, I have a different task in mind for one such as you." A2 Chapter 24 AN: Thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _______________________________ It seems I had underestimated the resolve of such creatures, especially when it came to the rescuing of their kin from the clutches of those of whom held them in tight bonds. For you see, the entirety of the populace, which neared close to three hundred, turned out in order to receive my gifts. However, I had to explain to them, "Not everyone will be able to receive such gifts, as they are chosen by my abilities, not my person." "What do you mean, Lord?" Asked a male Dragonock whose head was draconic, whilst the rest of his body was covered in thin, translucent scales. "This is a spell to conjure up the long fallen beings who were once heralded as the greatest in the time. These beings, once summoned and released, will choose who will take up their mantle and continue their legacy forevermore." As I spoke these words, my body flowed above their heads, as my staff shot out from its resting place within the earth, and into my clawed hands. Gripping it with both, I raised the staff high until the skull attached to it was a head higher than my own. Once done, the orbs within its sockets changed from emerald colour to scarlet, as I intoned the spell, "<>." This spell conjured up my own lightnings of crimson, which then latched themselves onto my arms, and struck the skull upon my staff of bone. This then caused the skull''s jaw to open, as a river of scarlet mist fell from such heights and onto the forest floor below. The torrent of mists would continue, whilst silhouettes with outlines of the mist formed below. These forms took the shape of a variety of warriors, some with weapon and shields, great swords upon their back, and other weapons. The armour situated about their person came in their own sort of variety, from heavy iron armours to leather and cloth. Each of these beings then roared a silent battlecry, charging towards the startled crowd. Of whom seemed to be in a panic, whereas a small percentage''s eyes glowed with a fierce crimson and opened their arms to receive the impalement of these silhouette''s weapons. Those who were "chosen" this way did not cry out, even as their bodies staggered and blood flood freely from their maws and mouths. No. They said nothing, but stepped forward to embrace these warriors as though in a trance. Of which caused the area around their wounds to widen greatly until they finally held the warriors in their arms. This then caused the forms of the warriors to flow into their bodies, healing them enough to only have a scar of where they had been pierced. Afterwards, those of whom had been "chosen" collapsed upon the ground with contented smiles. The screams began soon afterwards, as these warriors had chosen to impale and flow into a little over one third of the populace. However, many of those thirds died under such a ritual, of which caused their bodies to disintegrate into ash. Unfortunately for them, I had only begun. "<>," I intoned, causing those still not chosen to widen their eyes with fear. Many desired to flee from such a place, but noticed my own servants surrounding them with glowing eyes of emerald and sapphire. "<>," this time, emerald energies cackled about my person before striking the skull upon my staff of bone. Of which caused a river of jade coloured mists to flow out unceasingly. Once it pooled upon the ground, however, the silhouettes which flowed out of such a pool came in the guise of a dozen elves with varying degrees of chainmail and leather armours. These then held out their right arms, of which the mists condensed into their hands large bows, and upon their backs were a quiver with about twenty and five arrows within it. However, they did not expend all of them. No, but these elves would then point their bows into the crowd, and let loose their torrent of arrows into the hysteric populace before them. Just like those of whom were chosen by the warriors before, many within the large mass of Draconians and Dragonocks held out their arms with eyes glowing of jade. As they did so, each were struck in the chest where their hearts resided, then pushed the arrows deeper into their flesh. One would note, however, the lack of an arrow point jutting out of their backside. Well, a few bore such a wound, of which killed their bodies whilst reducing them to ash. Unlike the warriors before, of whom had chosen those who are of adult age, the "Wild Hunters" had chosen a few children to carry on their legacy. Why this was so, however, was beyond my person at the time, as well as of today. Therefore, you would need to ask those of whom were there. In any case, the next to be summoned up was, "<>." Violet energies crackled about the crown of my head, before latching onto the skull as the others have. Just like the others, a torrent of mists fell from its gaping maw. However, unlike the others, this one seemed thicker, as it continuously flowed into a puddle. This puddle flowed upwards into a single, hooded being with a great beard flowing down to the ground, a thick robe made up of my own violet energies, and a plain staff. Of which it raised to point out towards the crowd. Much like before, there were those within such a crowd whose eyes glowed a fierce violet, as a torrent of energies launched itself from the old mage and struck the heads of those of whom had such eyes. However, unlike the others who were silent during this incursion, those of whom were chosen released a howl of pain and anguish, as the energies sank deeply into their beings. Later, many would profess they had come to endure such torments, as an old being seemingly beat each and every one of them with its staff until they learned the necessary basics to its magicks. However, there weren''t any casualties, as they would also profess that the old mage took care of those it had chosen, protecting them from failing as the others had not. Truly, such a creature was amazing, but I would never greet it. This was so, as I did not have a desire to learn slowly, and instead preferred to simply take what I desire. Yes. Such methods were frowned upon by others, but it was effective nonetheless. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "<>," I intoned. Instead of energies crackling about my person, shadows condensed upon my arms and clawed hands. Of which were sucked into the skull atop my staff of bone, before pouring out of its maw, and onto the forest floor below. This then created a puddle of shadows, of which became a large collection of wickedly carved daggers. Those of whom had not been chosen, and had eyes of inking darkness, surged forward to take up such weapons. Once they had done this, however, they then took it upon themselves to slit their own throats. Yes. There were children amongst their numbers, and many of them perished from the ritual which took place beneath my still floating body above. Those of whom had done so, and did not move on from this life, had scars about their necks from the cutting of their necks. Whereas those of whom had failed became ash as their fronts were coated in the crimson liquid of their blood. Just like the others before them, those of whom had survived fell to the ground with contented smiles about their features. "<>." This time, I had to shield my eyes, as a brilliant light engulfed my being as it fell to the earth. Once it receded, there stood an unearthly beauty which held a wand of some sort, and pointed it into the crowd. More of the brilliant light flowed out of such a tool, striking the chests of those it had decided to give its mantle to. However, there were only ten who were chosen for such a thing. This creature then vanished almost immediately after it had blessed its chosen, as my own chorus of devils grew unceasingly restless and whispered into my ear to kill it and devour its flesh. Of course, I ignored such whisperings, even though it was very tempting to do so, and continued with my final spell. However, instead of simply conjuring up the knowledge of ages past, I simply flowed towards the earth to look upon those of whom had yet to be chosen. In essence, there were forty and three confirmed dead, whilst the remaining populace who were not chosen by any means were twenty and nine. Which means, the number of chosen were two hundred twenty and eight. Quite the sizable force, in my own opinion. Of which would only grow as more of their respectable races were added on in the coming sennights. For now, though, I merely walked amongst the fallen which were being helped by the ten of whom were chosen to become priests. Each of them still had retained the glow or inking darkness about their eyes, of which would dissipate with time until only their irises held the colour. Even as they tended to the fallen, the first to recover were the warriors. Many of whom had shrugged off the touch of the priests with a stubborn pride fit only for fools. To this, I merely chuckled as I continued on with my search for those who would become something more with my final spell of the turn. For you see, the spell I was about to cast is called "Apprenticeship". Of which would mark those I had chosen to become followers of my own twisted path. They would then stay by my side, even after death, in order to become whatever I desired them to become. One of these beings was Siuun, of whom had not been chosen by the others, whereas her own mother had become a priest. The second was an adolescent male, Draconian by the name of Umok. This one seemed slow in the head, whilst the rest of its body was full of muscle. Later on, another will inform my person of this one''s fate. Of which was destined to the Arena within the city. He would then go on to continuously fight until his own demise. The final apprentice chosen to follow down my own path was an old Dragonock by the name of San''yuu. As to my reasoning why I had chosen such a being? Well, there was something about his eyes I had taken to enjoy. For you see, this one seemed to have given up all hope, as each of these gifts had passed him by without a second glance. Whereas they sparkled greatly, as his body fell to the floor in worship the moment I chose him as my third apprentice. However, "My Lord High God," he exclaimed as I began to conjure up my magicks in order to bless the three I had chosen before my person, "I thank you for choosing my old body for such a gift, but I must ask why you desire my failing, old body." "It is in your eyes, that I desire you to follow in my footsteps, San''yuu," my reply was calm, even as the chorus of devils echoed my words about our persons maniacally, "Your eyes were what drew me to you in the first place. However, I have with me something which will grant you a youthful body once more." My own hand reached out and sank into the air in front of my person. This action boggled their minds, and desired to speak a multitude of questions as to what I had just accomplished. However, they were quelled as I pulled out a thin vial of a clear and viscous fluid trapped within. "This tincture is called the ''Elixir of Extended Mortality''. Once drunk by someone as old as you, San''yuu, will that being gain a body of youth once more. Whereas if a youth or adolescent were to drink such a tincture, then that one would retain their body of youth. However," I raised up a single foreclaw to halt their advances, "each of these vials are to be earned before they are freely given." My foreclaw then pointed itself towards the old Dragonock, whose eyes widened greatly upon my next words, "You, San''yuu, are to journey to this land''s main city. Whereby you will leave a message for their rulers of my coming to claim everything they hold. Once you have done this, you will be given a vial to drink and regain your youth once more. However, this will have to wait. As we still have to attack this caravan full of your people." Upon these words, I stepped back and intoned my spell of apprenticeship upon their persons. With this, they would gain a lesser form of my own abilities over time, and even my own mannerisms. A2 Chapter 25 AN: I''m not at all pleased with the new layout. Sure, I''m glad they finally expanded the box for posting chapters, but everything else is too stressful. Oh, and the preview button is gone. Lovely. -_- Anyways, the lull period for the arc ends next chapter. Which means y''all will be able to read about him being a prick to the rest of the world once more in a couple of days. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ___________________________________________ My apprentices, Siuun, Umok, and San''yuu, each wore endarkened leathers about their persons whilst wielding a staff of wood. These staves were imbued with a variety of enchantments which should allow them to enhance and amplify their spells to various degrees. As to why I decided to make them my "apprentices"? Well, it was simply because I was curious as to what it would entail. As I''ve not had one before, and desired the experience before taking on more. Yes. I would have more later in the cycles to come, but they are not part of this storyline just yet. As to the three before, I made each of them progress through the stages of brutality and torture. No. I did not have them endure such things, but instead made each of them perform such tasks upon the living flesh of three mouse beastmen who were deemed unfit for the various experiments my other servants were performing. Yes. Each was forced to perform such methods, and were not allowed to leave until after their intended target was confirmed to be dead. What was surprising to my person was Siuun, of whom seemed to enjoy taking apart her intended victim with an innocent grin about her features. However, before all of this occurred, the victim had begged my person for its release of its chains, and when she approached, it begged her to flee from this place it called "Hell". "Quiet," she squeaked as her clawed hand took up a small knife lying upon a tattered quilt near the chained beastman. Once her clawed hands held such a tool, the girl-child plunged it into its upper thigh, and pulled it downwards. The screams the chained creature ensued were drowned out by the maniacal laughter of the wide-eyed Dragonock. Of whom pulled out the knife in order to plunge it back into the creature''s bleeding leg many times until I approached and lifted her small body. Once she noticed it was my person who held her up, Siuun cried out and hugged my torso whilst her small form shook with a great torrent of liquid erupting from the corners of her eyes. Later, she would exclaim to my person how her eyes did witness the abuse her own kind endured under the hands of others. No. She did not speak of what had occurred, only that they came back with scars and scabs about their persons. As to how she was able to speak of such things, despite her being only a child? This girl-child can be quite talkative when it suits her. In any case, my free clawed hand pat her head, whilst my voice murmured soothing sounds into her ear until, at last, she calmed down enough to be allowed to place her clawed feet back onto the ground below. Once there, she hugged my side before returning to the now healed mouse beastman. Of whom stared with widened eyes between our persons, before weeping as she held up the knife once more. Now, as this was occurring, San''yuu had become enamoured by the alchemical stations situated near the torture room close by. What is more, Rojaahn did not seem to mind his presence, and was told of a few potions known by his own people. "This odd leaf," spoke the old Dragonock slowly, gently lifting a red leaf from off a nearby table, "with the colour of darkened blood, when combined with the water of a certain mountain spring-." "Don''t speak of such a word," hissed the metallic beastman, of whom had placed a clawed hand over the muzzle of the other, "The Master does not enjoy hearing the word called "certain", and claims it has been overly used by others for far too long. "Use words such as ''various'' or ''particular''," he continued, releasing the others as his eyes darted towards my back and noticed my head was angled towards their conversation, "If you cannot, then do not speak of such things within earshot of our Lord. For he is not as forgiving when others speak such a word." "Why? What happens?" Asked San''yuu, of whom did not notice as I had appeared behind his body with a stern face about my features. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. "Those of whom do not heed my word," the pair jumped as I spoke, then noticed the baleful glow within my now crimson eyes and shivered as I uttered a single word, "disappear." After speaking such words, my body vanished and reappeared with my back towards the pair as I continued to watch Siuun laughing as she repeatedly stabbed the leg of the mouse beastman repeatedly. As to what occurred with Umok, he was currently being experimented upon by Auua and Sia. Of whom were plying various enchantments upon his scaled skin, as well as forcing him to drink a few tinctures of my "blood". Of which was nothing more than vials of viscous mana created through the sacrifice of nearly the whole of my energies. Whilst this was occurring, the Draconian neither spoke a word, nor retaliated against the various applications of enchantments. It seemed to my person, at that time, he seemed to have given up on life as a whole. Whereas with time, he would soon come out of wherever his mind had be sent. For the time being, my Undying servants continued their experiments for a time, until I called for a halt, as the day-star was finally dipping its golden head towards the horizon once more. "Eat," muttered Sia into the ear of Umok. Of whom did respond by eating what was presented in front of his large maw. The items placed inside his maw filled with razor-like teeth was none other than the leg the beastman was tortured upon by little Siuun. Of whom was now upon my right shoulder, whilst Shoriin was forced to endure a "cuddle from hell", as many of my ervants have called such a thing. For the small creature was being hugged and cuddled with by the small girl-child after being forced to attack another living being. As for San''yuu, it seemed to my person he had taken the advice to heart, as he had refrained from spouting such words from that point onwards. Nearly all of my servants, and potential servants, have refrained from incurring my ire over such words as "certain". However, there always seemed to be a few which decided to call upon my bluff. Unfortunately for them, they had indeed disappeared, whilst leaving only an echo of their scream behind. Though I may have an eternal patience for the antics of those around my person, it is best to never try such a thing. As my temper is a dangerous weapon, and many know of this quite intimately. In any case, once night had come to pass once more, much of the small army of a little over two hundred individuals had gathered outside the hole in the ground where my true servants conducted their training and experiments. Once all had gathered, they were immediately split into two equal groups. One of which would stay as the guard for the small village which would soon crop up when more had been added to the buildings scattered about near the entrance. Whereas the other, along with a third of my Undying, will traverse the outskirts of the destroyed city with my person. This was simply to find and attack the caravan of slaves, and perhaps a few villages if we had time. Yes. Many complained about not being able to leave, but such words were quashed as they will be enduring several dozen training sessions in order to hone their newly acquired skills and abilities. However, there was also the twenty and six non-combatants, of whom had become depressed over not being chosen to wield the same skills and abilities as the others have. No. They would not gain something similar, instead it would be something much more dangerous. "You who have not been chosen by my person or the shades of long ago, stand before us now." My voice echoed throughout the forest, calling upon those of whom are without a path to take. When they finally came upon my person, my eyes did see their dejected gazes full of depression, and smirked upon witnessing such sorrow. "Do not believe you are unworthy of such gifts, for I will now bestow upon you something for more important, and equally dangerous. For you twenty and six shall become ''Messengers'', and must scatter upon the winds in order to find and secure those of whom are your brothers and sisters. Once you have completed such a task, they must then be brought here, where we shall begin a war this world of Azara has never seen before. "For you see, my dear Draconians and Dragonocks, I have come to free you all from the chains that bind you, and raise you all to new heights."
Finally! I can edit the damn thing. A2 Chapter 26 AN: So, still without a preview button, but at least I can now edit the thing. If the format changes back into a standard poem''s, like it did yesterday, then just give me a few minutes to fix it. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _______________________________________________ "My Lord God, is there a point to any of this?" Asked Brutus after watching those of whom were chosen as my "Messengers" depart, each wearing a garment with which to protect their bodies and minds from most spells and physical blows. Of course, my own abilities were still able to pierce through such barriers, but I did not see a point to even try. "Couldn''t we just go out and slaughter the masses with ease?" "We could, yes, but without proper knowledge of the surrounding kingdoms, we could end up defeated and possibly killed. As to the why of the need for these ''messengers'', it is simply to sow the seeds of discontent into the hearts of others. Whereas those of the draconic races will come to us with time, once our performances reaches the ears of those higher than the more common of people." Yes. My explanation was a tad confusing, but it would have to serve its purpose for the time being. However, "Killed, Master?" Asked Rojaahn, of whom had an oil soaked rag within his left clawed hand, and proceeded to wipe his arms and torso with it, "Such a thing is not possible for we who are stronger than most. Even for you, who exceeds such heights in power which has been used to topple those of whom claimed to be at their peak." To this flattery towards my person, a chuckle ensued from my lips. "Yes, but within these worlds secreted amongst the Abyss? We have no way of knowing if their strengths equal or are greater than our own. For now, I suggest we use caution. As to do without would only spell doom for us all." My servants were not pleased with my words, and why should they? We, who are the pinnacle of brutal strength are reduced to sulking around upon this world. Why shouldn''t they be upset, when we had breezed through the lesser worlds with ease? Well, in a place where dragons once roamed without fear, surely there are a few which could trouble us down the road? In any case, we have not seen hide nor hair of the human "god", which could have a variety of meanings. One of which is that it and its little "harem" could have been transported to another part of the continent we were now upon. Or, they could be upon another where they are consolidating their strengths in order to branch out towards the other two. Yes. It was a rather disconcerting thought, but I had to shove it aside in preparation of the task at hand. Which was to rescue much of their people from this "slaver". "San''yuu," I called out to the old Dragonock, of whom was chatting with a young female before his head snapped towards my direction. He then toddled over to my person, whereby asked how he may serve my being. "Do you know of this ''slaver'' which comes through the now destroyed city of Freeport?" At his nod, I continued with, "Good, then do you know of the number of guards it keeps about its person and your kind?" "Forgive me, Lord, but I do not." "A pity," I muttered, then raised my voice in volume in order to summon those of whom would be journeying with my person towards the city. "Gather up what you are willing to take. For we leave once the day-star has fallen below the horizon. * This journey towards the ruined city of Freeport would take around a sennight, of which we had taken half of those of whom were chosen to be warriors, as well as the whole of the hunters and assassins. Whereas the priests and mages were left with the rest of them to be subjected to a training session brought on by my servants which were left behind. As they would need to learn how to utilise their abilities before being unleashed to cause whatever havoc they were capable of outside of the forest. As to the rest, many of my servants had to journey with us, as the rest of these draconic creatures did not understand how to utilise their strengths to the fullest. Yes. It was probably best to have left them with the rest of their folk. However, I desired to witness what they are capable of under the stress of seeing their kind being kept behind small cages with eyes full of despair. In the meantime, those of my Undying who were journeying with us were tasked with training them whilst on the move. Of which meant many of them would gain multiple bruises about their bodies due to their constant beatings and berating. No. I would not help them during this torment, and even took part in the beratings myself. As for my "apprentices", only Siuun and Umok were brought along with us, whilst San-yuu was kept back because of his age. The girl-child, dressed in a tight fitting garment of leather and silk sat atop my right shoulder whilst Shoriin curled himself about my left wrist in order to keep his body away from the other and her "cuddles from hell". To this, I simply smirked at the pair''s antics, whereas Umok lumbered close to my person whilst wearing a draconic armour which seemed to be a second skin of himself. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Yes. As many would have undoubtedly figured out by such a description, the armour he wore was the same as an Undying''s before it transformed into their actual skin. As to why it was given to him? Well, I did not have any other Undying who was unable to form a coherent thought about themselves, and desired to know what would happened during such a process. For you see, the path of an Undying will change a being completely, not just physically. This also pertains to the mental health of the chosen Undying, as their minds are altered in such a way to only serve my whims. Yes. Most of my Undying have their own thoughts about them, but only because I desire the company of those of whom are able to form opinions upon matters at hand. There are many other beings and deities who have such followers, but prefer the mindless over the mindful. Why they desire such servants is beyond my own mind, as those have a much shorter lifespan than my own. In other words, I prefer quality over quantity. Now, even though I partook in the beratings of the warriors, I did not pay much attention to them and their daily regiment. Instead, I simply spoke to my apprentices about what I desired of them, whilst plying a mental enchantment of increased intelligence to Umok. This helped him to somewhat form a cohesive thought, but he was still far too dull even by our Ogre''s standards. "Any better?" Asked Siuun, as she pat the Draconian''s head a few times from the perch of my shoulder. In response to such a query, he blinked a few times in her general direction before allowing it to wander aimlessly towards a small copse of trees. Whereby his entire body shifted, as he sprinted towards something only he noticed at the time. Upon his return and within his grasp was a struggling creature with a brown hide-like skin and branch-like horns sprouting from its skull. "Food," was all he said, before ripping of the creature''s head and tearing into its flesh. "Ew," squealed the girl-child, of whom appeared to have a few of her scales change to the colour of a sickly green. It was rather interesting, to be sure. Here was a girl-child of whom took to stabbing the body of a Kin with ease, and yet she was disgusted by Umok''s eating habits. In any case, I simply had him finish his meal before returning to my side, as the rest of the "army" was resuming their march onwards towards the general area of Freeport. "Do you understand what it is I expect of you both?" My voice shook the ground beneath our clawed feet, of which caused many to stare about as though searching for an enemy, before being told to stop searching and resume whatever it was they were told to do beforehand. This question was voiced to my apprentices once the Draconian approached us after finishing his meal. To which he simply stayed quiet whilst the girl-child shook her scaled head slowly. "Then allow my person to repeat once more. You both, as well as San''yuu, will be traversing the same paths as I have taken. Which means you will be needing to subject others to torture, and instigate others in the violation and abuse of the various races whilst bearing in mind of your own person." Siuun''s eyes widened until they were much larger than they should be, whereas the other simply glanced towards my general direction. Within his eyes, I believed I saw a spark of something within them. We shall see if he takes to this torture as well as I did, whereas the smaller of the two will be forced until she breaks and is able to be molded into whatever I desired. Yes. She was still a child at that time, and yes, I did have my rules and morals when it came to children. However, she was simply a means to an end, and if her use had dried up, then I would simply toss her aside as though she were a dried out wineskin. As I finished my small speech, we were approached by one of my Undying. Of whom was of a skeletal human with four arms, who bore a message written within a scroll of parchment. Once I unfurled it and read it several times, a snarl appeared upon my lips which quickly vanished into a brooding glower. "It seems there will be more trouble than a mere slaver''s caravan," my voice was a soft thunder, but was still strong enough to shake the earth once more. Upon my words, my bone staff appeared within my grasp, and was used to slam its base into the ground just as Umok took hold of Siuun. This action startled the girl-child, of whom opened her small maw to ask a question, until she noticed a large portal opening before their very eyes. From the portal came the stone creature called Gahn, as well as Brutus with a great host of ghostly skeletons. Both of which simply fell in step next to my person. With my right clawed hand, I forced it to become skeletal, as I plunged it deep within the body of Gahn. Of whom appeared to receive it with glee, as my acidic poisons filled his entirety. "Show me," my voice thundered around us as my eyes glowed a fierce crimson, of which startled the draconic folk, "Show me this land and the problems we will face." "<>." A2 Chapter 27 AN: So, we''ve now rolled back to the original site, but now it''s as slow as old balls. I don''t even know how bad it is on the mobile phone, yet. In any case, bit of an info dump for this one and next chapter and always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. Oh look! The preview button is back! :D _______________________________________________ With my arm retrieved from the willing body of Gahn, I glared down upon what looked to be a great host of armoured individuals milling about the plains separating the forest we now occupied, and the city of Freeport. It seemed this land mobilised their forces in order to investigate what had happened to the city, however it appears to be far too many of them. "Perhaps they are scavengers, My Lord God," spoke Brutus, of whom had witnessed my contemplated look about my facial features. "Adventurers," chimed an emerald eyed Dragonock, of whom was now pointing towards a large tent near the centre of the plains, "I recognise that one, Lord. It''s the Iron Claw Clan. They''re a mercenary company which only employs adventurers and their slaves." "This one is ''Howl At The Moon''," whispered one of the dark-eyed assassins, as its clawed forefinger pointed toward a small cluster of wolf beastfolk which milled about near a large copse of trees. "Scavenger indeed," my voice rumbled softly, as I continued to watch the earth covered dolls mill about with their own tasks and work. "These are not the land''s guardians?" Upon my query, many of the draconic folk simply shook their heads slowly, of which caused my person to delve deep within my mind for a time. During this time, Brutus seemed to have taken the initiative in setting up a perimeter around us, as well as tasking his own servants in the creation of wooden stakes upon its outskirts. When asked why he did this, his only response was, "We are soon to march towards war." This caused nearly all to shiver with varying degrees of excitement, even as they witnessed the rest of my Undying being directed to help in the preparations. Whereas, within my own mind, I simply searched for answers pertaining to one of my own questions. Which was, ''Are they ready for a war?'' The answer to this was a decisive "NO", as they are far too green for this sort of venture, and I would need them to further my own goals in the turns to come. ''What to do, then? As these "Adventurers" will become a thorn in my side no matter my decision.'' Next to my mental self was Shoriin, of whom stared upon my person with great curiosity. No. I did not realise it was there until it chirped once, of which caused my self to absentmindedly lift its small body into my arms and stroke its backside slowly. ''To kill or not to kill. That is the question. What do you think, Shoriin?'' The basilisk turned towards my eyes, and I noticed a small pang of hunger within its own. To which I simply chuckled, which was echoed by my physical self as I returned to the natural world. "Ah," I sighed, watching as my Lich continued to order the Undying in preparation of the battle to come. It seemed to my person that he knew what was going to occur before I had even come to a conclusion. To this end, I simply continued with my chuckling, as more portals erupted around my person, summoning the bulk of my servants and Dolls which had been created in the worlds we had left behind. "Let us begin this song and dance once more," my voice rumbled throughout the forest, causing it to quake as a choir of devils echoed my words. All around my person, gleaming weapons of various shapes and sizes flashed with a deadly shine, as their wielders grinned and laughed at the prospect of another fight. Whereas those of draconic features stared with open fear as these beings brushed passed them without a glance. "When do we begin, Lord?" Asked a small, brown furred creature with a phosphorus horn glowing from the centre of its forehead. This creature was once known as a ''Horned Rabbit'', if you needed a picture of such a creature, until it found its way into my clawed hands. Through various experiments, and multiple generations later, it gained the ability to speak and said its race was now an ''Irradiated Horned Rabbit''. "Once the day-star has fallen below the horizon," I replied to the creature, as they gathered around the ever changing map Gahn had created moments before, "Each of you will pick out which targets you desire. As for myself, I care nothing beyond whomever the main leader of this ''army'' is. They have disrupted my plans for this world, and I shall be needing to look over them after this is over and done with." Upon my speech, those of whom were not Dolls began to disperse and speak amongst themselves whilst glancing at the map below. ***** "What do you mean ''dead''?" Shouted a burly black-furred wolf beastman who wore plain, brown leather armour with a sash of purple dyed silk attached to his left shoulder and right hip. This marked the creature as someone of great import within the capitol, and one who had the authority to do much. However, only the reigning monarch was able to supersede his authority, but this rarely happened these days. For you see, the reigning monarch, a lion beastman, had grown complacent in the last few decca-cycles. What with the air of peace and mild tranquility which floated about their heads since the last war ended when he was, but a babe still suckling on his mother''s milk. Now, however, came the news of their city of Freeport which had been attacked, its residents slaughtered, and the perpetrators nowhere to be found. This sent the capitol, and its people, into a frenzy. Of which marshaled its only source of fighters, the "Adventurers". Of whom continue to fight against those of the populaces'' worst nightmares. This was simply to keep them safe, as the dangers outside their walls were simply too great for the common folk to handle. Those of whom have gained the title of "Adventurer" were able to stem the tide of monsters most foul. With it came prestige and wealth beyond measure, but it always came at the cost of their own lives. However, although the chance of death was high, many simply did not fear such a fate, or did not care. For the idea of obtaining great wealth clouded their thoughts from such things. Thus, the ruling class of the country have come to rely on these individuals, as opposed to hiring their own for this or that. Yes. Instead of having to set a minimal wage for their hired hands, as it was set into law, they could simply pay whatever they wish to these so called "Adventurers" to complete the tasks set for others. Of which could be just about anything, and everything. From the most menial tasks of cleaning the sludge out of a clogged pipe, to the task of guarding a person or treasure from would be thieves or assassins. These people were hired for them all, and were paid with whatever they desired to give them. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. This was so since the beginning of the first who claimed such a title. Now? Now there are guilds set apart to monitor those of whom claim to be as such. These places monitor their charges well through the use of coloured cards made up of various materials. They do this by enchanting each card to show the condition and whereabouts of the holder. This way, they are able to send out rescue parties in the case of them being in trouble. As well as protecting their charges, they have also begun to set about fair wage ranges for each of them. Such as restricting the holders of those who desire employees from giving out less coin for great works, and vice versa. They''ve also begun to implement a ranking system, but not everyone is pleased by such a thing. However, if one desires protection and the possibility of a rescue when going about their various tasks, then they had to go through a ranking system of some sort. However, those of whom deviated from such "guilds" have formed what are known as "Clans". These clans contain like-minded people and adventurers who set their own wages, what they are allowed to accomplish, and will not deviate from such rules. Those of whom desire to join such clans must go through whatever their initiation tests must be in order to become a member. Whereas the guilds simply have a written and practical test to decide where they will fit amongst their number. Now, it was these clans which were hired on to protect this individual with the purple sash, as well as to investigate the city of Freeport. Even though they each had to sign a contract for such a venture, and to not loot the city, there were still many of whom had done so regardless. If these individuals were caught doing such a thing, then their punishment would be death. However, much like the average "Adventurer", these clansmen and women did not seem at all bothered by such a prospect, as the lure of riches was too much for their minds to handle. "It is as I said, Lord, no one is alive within the port city. Beyond the odd animal and scavenger, of course." This reply came from a female tiger-kin, of whom had the ears, tail, and eyes of such a creature. As well as orange shading to black stripes seemingly painted upon her tanned flesh and a mane of golden-orange hair which was fell to the small of her back. The garment she wore was simple, and yet provocative, but did not seem to bother her. For you see, upon her chest were tightly bound strips of white cloth which pushed her breasts down against her skin. There was also an odd, tattered leather cape hanging about her shoulders, with a leather strap which was tied to her right shoulder, and stretched itself across her torso to attach itself to the left side of her hip. She did not wear any sort of pants or trousers, but instead something far stranger than what a normal female would wear. This odd garment is called a "thong", but seemed thicker than what is normal. For you see, the off scrap of cloth was nothing more than several scraps of tanned hide and cloth rolled and stretched out to wraps around her waist. Whilst another was tied to her front, running over that which was betwixt her legs, tightly between the cheeks of her rear, and tied off in the back. What is more, she seemed to have a thin scrap of tanned hide wrapped around her waist to barely conceal such an oddity. Many could not understand why she would wear such a get-up, as it seemed to appear not at all comfortable, but still she persevered and did not seem bothered by it. As to her footwear, she wore none. With the rest of her outfit, I should not have been at all surprised by this. What is more, she was not alone in her desire to wear the bare minimum, as the whole of her clan, which contained only females and feminine males, wore exactly the same. They called themselves the "Amazons", whereas all others simply called them "Barbarians" for wearing such things. "How is this even possible?" Raged the male, of whom secretly lusted after the female before him. The pair of them, by the by, were situated within a large tent near the east gate of the ruined city. In between the pair was a large, wooden table with a map of the area, whereas around them were large piles of pillows. Upon one of these piles was the beastman, of whom had been smoking from a long pipe of some sort. Whereas the other simply stood near the entrance where she could breath the clean air of the outside world. "We do not know," responded the female, of whom took a breath of the outside air before continuing, "What we do know, however, is that whatever and whomever went through the city was a large army that seemed to only spare the Draconians and Dragonocks. As only a few of their bodies were found amongst the dead." "What?!" Cried out the wolf beastman, which alerted the guards nearby enough to storm into the tent before being dismissed with an angry wave. He coughed a bit before brooding over a thought which passed through his mind. Before he could voice such a thought, however, the day-star had begun its decent away from the world, and with it came many voices crying out in terror and pain. As beings of great terror erupted from the forests near the city, of which began to rampage through several unsuspecting clans and groups of adventurers before being confronted. Quickly, the pair of them rushed outside just in time to witness such a spectacle as not seen upon their world of Azara. As the sky above which was clear, but a moment ago, darken almost instantaneously upon the first of the creatures appearing from the forest before them. There were many voices raised in terror, pain, and anger from this event, whereas many others pointed towards the clouded skies above. For high above them was an endarkened figure riding upon a silvered dragon. Of whom wielded a staff of bone, and shouted something in an unknown language. Before anyone could respond to such unknown words, however, the forests erupted into life, as a great host of monstrous creatures from a person''s worst nightmares descended upon them all.
YAY! No more block paragraphs with the sentences cut in half!! :happy dance: A2 Chapter 28 AN: As of right now, I do not have any buffer chapters. This is merely due to my being ill and my roommates dragging me out of the house for much of yesterday. They meant well, but it disrupted my flow of thought. What does this mean for you guys? Nothing really, only that if it continues I probably won''t have a chapter ready for tomorrow. Anyways, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concers, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________________ Before such precedence''s occurred, I had decided to call upon my Undying servants and those of whom still resided within the area of our new found base of operations. Replacing them to keep an eye on the prisoners, however, were several dozen of my Dolls which were in the shape of large birds of metal and bone. These Dolls were tasked with keeping an eye on the mouse-kin and beastfolk, and were allowed to attack them if they tried to escape. They were not, on the other hand, allowed to kill them unless various circumstances occurred. Such as them using greater force than necessary to escape. As to why I summoned up my Undying, it was because I did not wish for them to be left out of that night''s festivities. This excited them in various ways, whilst the Scarab-wolves simply milled about everyone with their tails swaying from side to side. Yes. I still ordered them to be cautious when attacking these being of whom foiled my plans with their presence, but this did not mean they could not enjoy themselves as well. "What do you mean by them ''foiling your plans''?" Many of you wonder about this as I speak of such things. To be fair, I had planned to watch the slaver, and whatever guards it had, to be slaughtered by the draconic folk following under my person. This was to push them towards the darkness which I reveled in, and to bind their fates to my own whims. Yes. I did desire to watch their features as they witnessed such atrocities before they began their slaughter, but upon realising such a thing was no longer applicable, I switched to a "back-up" plan we''ve always had in store if something went completely awry. Of which was to summon up my servants of worlds past, whilst plying a berserk state upon the minds of my new servants. This would allow them to attack with abandon, but also force them into serving my person forevermore. For you see, my dear audience, this brand of berserk mental state allows them to witness every atrocity they afflict upon others. Of which can be quite... mind breaking. Yes. I''ve used such tactics before, and would continue to employ such a thing when there were few options left. However, my "apprentices" would not need to endure such a thing, as they already have their fates wound tightly around my clawed fists. Ah, but this is not without some freedom on their part. Unlike those of whom were forced into become my servants, these would be allowed to roam freely, but must return to my side once called upon. If you are wondering if I had any other apprentices throughout my journeys, the answer to such a query is a "Yes". I''ve had many, and each proved worthy to inherit some form of my strength, but ultimately failed when such a time arose to utilise it completely. These were then killed off, their abilities and skills absorbed into my person, then forgotten. As such failures were intolerable, and must be destroyed to insure they do not come back to haunt my person and other servants. No. I did not allow one or more to live, as such a thing would contradict my nature. These three I had selected would either perish under their failures, or move onto greater heights as none others have seen before. Only time will tell. * Now, returning to the task at hand. Once the sun dipped towards the horizon, my servants grew too impatient and erupted from the forest in order to attack a small group of silver-furred wolf beastmen. This led to my right clawed hand slapping my face with disgust, as I slowly dragged it down and off my muzzle. "Lovely," I grumbled, mounting Suun''s back with Siuun in front, and San''yuu clinging to my back as the iron-dragon soared high into the clear sky above. Yes. Shoriin was with us as well, but was currently being held onto by the girl-child. Whereas Umok was left with Sia, and would be guarding him in the event of him not participating in the event before us. It was a rather tedious venture, to be sure, and she expressed her disgust quite vehemently, but grumbled with acceptance once she noticed my being stubborn about such a thing. Upon reaching the heavens above, I held aloft my staff of bone, and summoned up the storm clouds as I did during the attack of Freeport. However, instead of causing the land to become shrouded in absolute darkness, I opted for something more dramatic. Such as howling winds accompanied by various colours of lightnings and peals of thunder echoing across the land. As this was happening, Siuun and Shan''yuu stared upon the world below, as three half giants roared whilst they charged with large clubs swinging about their heads. These three were brothers, and wore only a loincloth which barely contained that which was betwixt their legs. As to what the other half of their race was, well, it seemed to be some sort of rock-like creature. For their skin was covered in crystalline flesh, of which caused my person to gravitate towards them in the first place. These three creatures, upon reaching the first of their many victims, slammed down their clubs upon the silver furred wolf beastmen with enough force to practically vapourise their bodies into a spray of red mist. Yes, and I did see the trio grin with a may full of diamond-like teeth, as they charged the next group of their intended victims. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Whilst this was occurring, I was alerted by San''yuu towards a great spark of energy being emitted from the centre of the plains. This was a large barrier being erected in order to shield the individuals within it from a pair of vampires. Of whom had been flitting across the battlefield in order to feast upon the blood within their victims'' necks. Afterwards, they allowed a few to rise up in order to attack those of whom are deemed an enemy, whilst most of their victims'' head were crushed beneath their clawed hands. This was so, as they did not wish to compete with the lesser vampires for sustenance. I had turned Suun towards the barrier, and raised up my staff to strike down the barrier. However, it was at this time I noticed a line of energy streaking towards our persons. To this, I raised up my free clawed hand in order to erect my golden, translucent barrier in order to intercept such an attack. This streak of energy was powerful, yes, but was not enough to do much beyond scuffing my shield. Once the energy dissipated, my eyes turned about my person in order to find the source of such an attack, when a second beam erupted from beneath the dragon. To this, my staff of bone was raised with both clawed hands, of which caused my barrier to coat our entire beings. This caused the energy splash outwards upon impact with my dragon servant, as well as cursing to erupt from beneath us. "Defend them Suun," I growled, standing atop his back before hunching my own as three pairs of endarkened wings erupted from my back. Once completed, these wings of mine launched my being into the air, just as the other flew directly into the storm clouds above their position. This allowed my eyes to spy a small group of robed individuals with plain staves and pointed hats pointing towards my form whilst a few summoned up their own energies to strike at my shielded body. "Foolish mortals," my voice thundered across the land, as I intoned a spell of my own, "<>." Crimson and violet lightnings crackled about the skull atop my staff of bone. Of which I held onto with both of my clawed hands, and twisted my body backwards before swinging in the direction of this group. This allowed the built of energy to release into an arc, as it sped quickly towards the now fleeing group of unknown creatures. Although this spell had no way of chasing the fleeing group, a few of them stayed behind in order to conjure up a blue barrier of some sort. This seemed to calm a few enough to return and help maintain the shield spell, but it did no good. As my own magicks were far more powerful than their own, of which sliced through such a thing with ease. Now, many of you may believe such a spell would cleave their bodies in twain, but this is not so. For once the arc touched their bodies, they began to wail in pain and anguish, as my energies assaulted their brains with enough strength that it caused their skulls to expand then explode. Those of whom were unlucky enough to have been splashed with the blood and gore of their fellow robed companions also wailed before their own heads were destroyed in a similar manner. This would continue until there weren''t any more victims, of whom had grown wise upon the second group of victims occurred. To this, I merely chuckled before intoning one of my first spells upon our world of Terra. "<>." Bolts of violet and crimson lightnings struck the chests of the remaining survivors, killing them almost instantaneously. Of which allowed my person to turn back towards the rest of the battle. However, "Fell beast! Come down here and fight me!" Far below my person was an odd creature wearing platemail which covered it completely. The theme of this armour was of a great and angered bear beastman, of which wielded a large sword and toward shield. This allowed it to protect a few of its fallen comrades whilst they fled into the ever growing shield in the centre of the plains. Around such an odd display of magick were my Undying servants and Brutus, of whom were having more success at disrupting one side of the barrier than my other servants upon the other. The former were using the Lich''s own servants, along with the skeletal and shade Scarab wolves, to hammer onto the side of such a spell. This allowed several cracks to form, as they attacked one localised area. Whereas the latter seemed to be attack in an irregular pattern, whilst chasing the various survivors down before they were able to enter such a thing. Turning back towards the odd creature in a full suit of armour, I merely pointed my staff towards it and summoned up a several portals containing the maddened and foam flecked forms of the Draconians and Dragonocks. This caused the individual to halt in its attack upon a ghostly skeleton, and turned in time to raise its shield. As several of the Draconians howled with madness, whilst they attacked the creature without care for themselves. This then allowed the others to echo such a maddening howl, and surged towards the stunned creature. Of whom recovered rather quickly, and began to fight a desperate battle. Well, that is until it blade pierced the chest of a small boy-child. Of which caused the other to gasp at what it had just done. This allowed the others to pile on top of it, stabbing, slashing, and clawing at its body until it was still with a river of blood flowing out of the cracks in its armour. My voice thundered with laughter as I watched such an occurrence. This was echoed by the draconic folk below, as they surged forward in search of prey. A2 Chapter 29 AN: As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________________ "The barrier seems to be rather annoying, My Lord God," spoke up Brutus, as I crossed my scaled legs over one another upon sitting against a tree trunk, "When will you be taking it down so that our army may wipe them out completely?" "Why should I do this, Brutus? Let them believe their barriers will keep us out, as their despair will be oh so sweet once they realise the futility of such a thing." I asked as lines were etched into the ground around my body. These lines were carved by my will, whilst the pair of vampires stood nearby with their heads bowed low. Both of them had the standard looks of a vampire. What with their pale skin, eyes of blood, and ruby red lips coupled with high cheekbones and a sharp nose and chin. The hairs upon their heads were as dark as pitch, and flowed gracefully towards the small of their backsides. As to their genders, they were both husband and wife. The male wore a suit of dark silk over a frilly, red shirt he called a blouse. The cuffs of the suit also held a frilly fabric, whereas his pants were creased well enough to show off his regal looks. Yes. He word a pair of shoes upon his feet, as opposed to the rest of my servants wearing very little in terms of footwear. The female, on the other hand, had her own frilly garment about her person, but in the form of a dress. No. Such a thing was not overly large, as it revealed almost too much of her slender figure. Nevertheless, it was still a rather odd spectacle to see her dance and move across the battlefield. Almost mesmerising, in fact. The reason why they were with my person at that time was to simply explain a spell I had acquired upon their world, but have never touched it until now. "Possession is dangerous, Lord," spoke up the male, of whom is called Alucard, "Once you leave your body, any number of spirits may try to take possession of it." To this, I simply chuckled and waved such concerns away. "The spirits of your world could not find purchase within my body, Alucard, I doubt there is one here who could trouble my person. However," I held up a single foreclaw to stall anymore of his complaints, "I shall be taking precautions to avoid such an occurrence. No need to fear, as Brutus will be guarding my body from any and all who may try to take such a thing away from us." "Me, My Lord God?" The Lich cocked his head towards his right shoulder with curiosity. "Yes, you. For you are the only one amongst my servants that could stop a spirit before it even set its sights upon my empty shell of a body. In this instance, you shall be the one to guard it from the world until my return. No one is allowed near it, unless they have your instruction to do so. Understand?" My eyes flared crimson, bathing his metallic skeletal self in its glow upon my question. Of which he merely nodded to, as his lesser clawed hands rubbed together slowly. "May I touch your person, My Lord God?" His voice quivered with anticipation at such a prospect, which caused my mental self to sigh with exasperation. For you see, my Lich''s past self was... not quite in love with my body, but very close to such an emotion. If he were perhaps a female with a living body, he would perhaps throw himself upon me at every given chance. At the time, he could do nothing beyond pining for my person. Yes. many have found it to be a tad disconcerting, but I did not allow my person to be bothered by such antics as this. No. I did not sharing the same hollowed emotions as he, but I did not dissuade him. Perhaps I should have, but one cannot change the past. No matter who may claim otherwise. Returning to the matter at hand, I gave my permission for him to do so. Of which caused the other to become quite pleased, and reach for my person before remembering the audience of the two vampires. To this, he stepped back without a word, and summoned up a great host of his ghostly servants to stand guard over my person. Embarrassment does not come often to we who are Undead, but when it does, it is quite comical. This caused the vampire pair to chuckle and smile beneath their own hands, whilst the other''s eyes flared with anger for a brief moment before that which was within us stole such an emotion away. "Everything is prepared, Lord," spoke a high and melodious tone coming from the female, of whom was called Morticia. "Very well," my voice rumbled softly, as my back hunched forward whilst my clawed fingers lightly touched each other in a cup shape. "<>," I intoned, sending out my essences towards those of whom believed themselves safe from my, and my army''s, reach. * High above the battlefield soaked with the blood of my servants and those of whom they believed were enemies, I felt free. Free of the chains that bound me to this struggle for our world of Terra, and believed that if I so choose, I could leave them all to journey elsewhere without worry. However, they were mine, and I had a duty to see this through to the end. For you see, though I could end it all, and remove their memories of our world, I chose to continue to strive forward until we stand where we are to this day. Yes. I''ve had such thoughts of abandonment, and have been tempted many a time. At this point, however, the allure of freedom was far stronger than before, but still I resisted such an urge. Though you look upon my person with disgust and horror, know that such thoughts purveyed through my servants on many occasions. As many grew tired from the constant fightings through the countless worlds we traversed. They desired a home to call their own, just as I desired a family, and would have taken any number of them if I merely said, "This is Terra. Welcome home." No. I did not say such words, but have been sorely tempted due to the fact that a handful of such worlds reminded us of our world of Terra many a time. Ah, but this is not part of the story at hand. As I was merely essence at the time, the world around my formless self was filled with brilliant colours which only become dull once one gains a body. Certainly, there are times when the world is beautiful, but I was simply in awe of the majesty before my being. Every colour and hue imaginable, and not, danced before my self, as I surged towards what I assumed was the barrier. For you see, such a thing was an ugly, ever expanding blot upon the world of beauty. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Once I penetrated such a thing, I did find muted colours scattered about the darkness, along with a multitude of flickering yellow lights running to and fro. I came to the conclusion that such lights were the populace with which we attacked, and flowed towards one in particular. Of which seemed to flicker quickly as though it were about to fade beneath a great storm wind. This allowed my person to flow within such a light, which then seemed to scream as my own essences devoured the light within. The first sensation to come into being was pain. Yes. I felt pain, which was odd because I have never felt such a thing in all of my days. Yet, this is what others will tell me, as my new mind faded in and out as fire flared through it quite rapidly. It was as though someone had taken a red hot poker, and shoved it into the base of my new skull. It was debilitating, yes, which caused the body''s limbs to spasm with enough force to alert others within the body''s location. "Someone grab a cleric," I heard an individual yell amongst the cacophony of roars, howls, and the dull beatings of a bell, "Regoth," this voice then grabbed onto my new body, doing its best to try and still the flailings whilst I was slowly integrating my being into such a small body. No. Such a process was not instantaneous, as the vessel I had chosen was far too small to contain the whole of my might. Imagine, if you will, trying to force a river into a skin for water or wine. Such a thing is not possible, correct? Yes, and the body showed this by slowly disintegrating before the horrifying eyes of the one who called this new body "Regoth", and an elderly bear-kin who wore a crimson and dirt stained white robe. "What is happening to him?" The former demanded, as a crowd of flickering lights gathered about us. This voice, was feminine, and I was able to make such a distinction once my essences connected to the body''s hearing sensors within its brain. "Is it a spell? A curse? Can''t you do anything?" The elder shook his head quickly, and placed his old, clawed hands upon the body''s chest and head. Slowly, it closed its eyes and forced its will into the body. It was here that I realised the old creature held a much larger container for my essence. Upon such a realisation, I surged through the connection it forcibly applied upon the body, and devoured that which was its own. Luck was on my side, it seems, as this old body did not spasm nor flail upon my entering it. Instead, it simply stayed still, as I resumed the process of taking control as I had with the other. As to the body upon the ground, once I left it, its disintegration increased until it became naught, but ash and dust. This action caused the female to scream, as my new and old body collapsed upon the ground. More sensations assaulted my being as this occurred. The feel of the hard ground, the soft texture of the robe it wore, and the sticky feeling associated with too much blood upon one''s skin. Even the air about my person, as I could smell the scent of urine, feces, the tang of blood. All of it, and it was disorienting for one such as I. For if you can recall, I am an Undead, and we do not have any other these sensations. What is more, a torrent of emotions flooded my mind, causing the body''s eyes to widen from shock, whilst its mouth hung open. Yes. Emotion. That which is foreign to my kind assaulted my new brain, as I struggled to quell each and every one that cropped up. The most prevalent of these emotions was fear. I felt it as I have never done so before. Fear. A yellow and sickly cloud hung about this mind, slowly seeping into the weary bones which were slowly disintegrating due to the strength of my might and will. It was disgusting, and I desired to forgo such a feeling by silently plying a spell of fortitude upon this new mind. Almost instantly, this feeling vanished from my presence, which allowed my person to sigh with relief. Of course, I also had to remember to breathe, as this body had an actual pair of lungs. Whereas my own body had only a pseudo pair. This was so merely to allow my true self to use my acidic breath more accurately. As opposed to my skeletal self, which is able to use such a thing until the whole of my energy has been depleted. "Elder, are you okay?" Asked a small voice coming from before my person. It seems that while I was being assaulted within my new mind, someone had lifted my person to my feet, and was now walking us with my new left arm draped across the shoulders of a burly bear beastman. Of which wore a simple and crimson stained white tunic and trousers. The voice, however, came from a female tiger-kin wearing a very odd outfit about her person. Such a thing made my new eyes blink a few times, before the head shook slightly. "I am just tired," it whispered in reply, "This old body is not what it used to be, you know?" A wry smile stretched itself upon the face, of which was echoed by the other. "You need to rest." She turned towards the one who helped this old body, and directed it to take my self towards one of the smaller tents about the large one so that the old body may rest. As this was occurring, I failed to spy the Kin''s eyes, of which were filled with suspicion as the body walked away. The journey to an unoccupied tent did not take very long, as the barrier surrounding such a place was not very large, even if it was slowly expanding. Upon entering such a place, the beastman bid the new body of mine to rest upon the shabby cot in the corner. Of which was the only piece of furniture within the entirety of the small space. Once it situated itself upon such a thing, and the eyes closed, did the other leave whilst securing the tent shut. Afterwards, I sat up and pointed towards the centre of the small space with an open palm. "Come to me," I growled, "O Lords of Darkness," and watched as my vampire servants slowly rise up from the ground below with a grimace about their features. A2 Chapter 30 AN: Just a heads up, tomorrow''s chapter is another NSFW one. The one after that will probably be one, too. No, it''s not going to be like the pair from the last arc. As the first will probably be a tad confusing, and the second will be an explanation chapter leading up to what happened to the first. Will be getting to the scene with him becoming a dragon soon enough. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _______________________________ "You are quite the hypocrite, Lord," spoke up Morticia, of whom stood over the body I now inhabited as I placed its hands over the ears, "Going so far as to attract the attention you cautioned everyone to avoid." "Yes, yes," I whispered, not enjoying the noises which assaulted my mind, "How these mortal creatures are able to endure such atrocities upon the senses are mind boggling." I have seen many of you drunk upon ales, beers, and wines many a time. This feeling is much the same after one had drunk too much and awoke to the head throbbing. It was, in a word, debilitating. "They are born with this ability, Lord, surely you know of this?" Asked Alucard, whose right eyebrow climbed high upon his forehead. "Perhaps that is so, Alucard, but I was born Undead and do not remember my time alive." No. This was not true, as I did have fleeting memories of my life before this one at that time, but they are all gone now. For you see, a great sacrifice is necessary when one treads upon the path of an Ageless, and as most know, I had given up my name and legacy which was associated with it. To this end, I cannot assuredly speak of what my time before this one was, only that I had one. However, they did not know of this. "A pity, Lord, as I am sure you must have had a magnificent life before this one," smirked Morticia, of whom held up the right arm that was once attached to the body I still inhabited. "Ah," a stump was all that was left below the shoulder, of which I moved in a comical fashion. This allotted the pair to chuckle discretely, as she passed over the arm so that I may ply my magicks upon it. The spell I used was of regeneration, which allowed the body to rapidly attach the arm without much pain. Though, of course, this shell was disintegrating in a manner which would leave it in a pile of dust quite soon. "If you can recall, my true form is of a great skeletal being," the pair nodded as I continued to ply my magicks in order to keep the body functioning long enough for my essences to attach itself onto another body. "Try imagining what it was like alive, and how much of a terror it instilled upon the world it inhabited." The female''s features twisted in disgust as her mind played out a scene before her, whereas the male simply glanced in my general direction as though contemplating something. "If we had met whilst you were alive," he began, but I held up a hand to stall his next words. For outside the tent came the muted noises of others. "Go," I pointed towards the back of the tent, "Find out who or what is causing this barrier to form. If it is a what, you are to take it back to Rojaahn, in pieces if you must. However, if it is a who, then you are to secure it for my person to examine." "What of you, Lord?" Asked Morticia , just as her other half became a pool of shadows and fled into the space between the ground and the wall. "I am about to receive some guests. Now go," I gently pushed her towards the fading shadows, "You both have my permission to use any means to accomplish your goal. Just be sure to use caution when doing so." "You''re still a hypocrite. You know that, yes?" To this, I simply grinned as the female vampire liquefied into a pool of shadows much similar to the other, and watched as she fled from my presence. Whereas I simply sat upon the cot, waiting for the arrival of those of whom were coming. "To cause havoc, or not to cause havoc? That is the question." * It wasn''t a long wait, but the moments felt almost like an eternity until, at last, a large variable of beastfolk and Kin stormed into the tent. This action caused the body I inhabited to jump and shake from the appearance of so many armed and armoured individuals of varying degrees. Of whom seemed not at all pleased to find only the old body present. "Elder Schan," squeaked a small mouse-kin female, of whom had to squeeze past the burly individuals who had stormed into the small space only a moment ago. "There was a disturbance coming from here. Are you alright? Did you see anything?" A gasp ensued near my person, and all within turned towards it. It was here that I realised it came from the body, and that I had forgotten it needed to breathe the air in order to survive. ''I need to remember to breathe,'' my mental self spoke slowly, as the right arm waved towards the other whilst the body called "Elder Schan" hunched over in a coughing fit. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "Elder Schan," squeaked the Kin once more, as it rushed over with a packet of something in its grasp. "I''m alright," whispered an old and tired voice. If anything, this voice was the exact opposite of my own. Whilst mine was thunderous, earth shaking, and very commanding, this one seemed more humbled and subdued. However, once the creature came near, I noticed it had a much larger container within it. Although it was unrefined, it seemed to be large enough to contain much of my essences until such a time as I do not need it any longer, but how to get it alone... "All of you leave," the Kin commanded, forcibly pushing at the individuals which seemed to desire being the heroes of this small section of the story. Unfortunately, their "victim" seemed to be unharmed, and many grumbled about such a thing. Until there was a cry for help about monsters inside the barrier, that is. Of which caused a stampede, as each desired to slay such beasts. Upon the last to exit, the mouse-kin turned back towards its elder with a smile. To which it sighed and unconsciously pat its small head before whispering, "Good job." This caused the female to blush and preen at such a praise. It then gasped as the arm which was patting its head fell off, and the other gripped the creature''s neck, hoisting it towards the body''s eye level. "Good job," my own voice spoke out, shaking the earth about our persons ever so slightly, as my essences flowed into the other. It tried to scream, but could not as the body''s hand gripped its neck tighter. The whole of my essences was relatively untouched, whilst only a small percentage filled the small Kin. However, it seemed to my person that it was still not enough, as the rate of the body''s disintegration was the same as all the others. "Damnit," the creature''s voice squeaked, as the other''s body crumpled into dust and ash, whilst this one''s fingers cracked and split from simply flexing them. This led my mental self to growl at such a frail body, of which was echoed from within it. "A creature with a larger container is still not enough. Perhaps it is best to construct a vessel rather than try to inhabit one." I had the body pace from one side of the tent, to the other, as I continued my contemplation. However, due to the senses not being up to par with my own, I failed to note a figure still lingering within the shadows of the tent. Upon realising it was there, I quickly stretched out my hand to into a spell just as the thing in the darkness flung itself towards the body I currently controlled. "<>," I intoned, just as the other landed upon it. Unlike before, where I could intone a spell beyond perfection, this one seemed incapable of handling my energies, and lost its arm as the unknown fell to the earth with ice crystals all about its legs. "I''ve seen you before," my own voice echoed beneath the Kin''s own, as the one before my person was the female tiger-kin with the strange outfit. "That''s-s-s re-really cr-cre-creepy, y-y-y-you know-oh?" Her voice stuttered from the cold attached to her legs, whilst the rest of her body struggled to crawl towards the other in an effort to stab it with a knife in her right clawed hand. "You mean the voice?" The body''s head cocked towards its right shoulder as I listened to a few words spoken. "I agree. However," the eyes of the one I inhabited cracked apart and fell to dust, as my own crimson orbs replaced it, "you''ve seen too much as is, and I cannot allow you to live." The entirety of the mouse-kin cracked as I pointed a forefinger towards the fallen tiger-kin, of whom continued to reach for my person. "W-wait," she shouted, just as a roar thundered through the air around us of which caused my spell to falter and fizzle out, "I-I c-ca-can he-help you-ou." "I highly doubt that." Gone from our presence were the half squeaks of the Kin''s voice, and in its place was my own thunder. From within my own mind, I had summoned up my draconic body, of which was slowly pushing out from the skin of the one I inhabited. "My servants have already completed their tasks, and the barrier of yours has fallen, if the roar was any indication." Sounds of skin and flesh being torn apart echoed about the pair of us, as my endarkened scales came into view. Organ meat, bones, blood, and the remnants of fecal matter splattered the ground as my own body stood in the epicenter. "Ah," I sighed aloud, stretching my body slowly, "Possession truly is a wonderful ability, but I shall not touch it if it means I must endure a variety of senses assaulting my mind. "Hmm," I hummed aloud, staring down at the odd tiger-kin. Of whom shivered from sheer terror as she gazed upon my body. ''Could this one be of use?'' My mental voice echoed throughout the whole of my mind, as I contemplated what course of action to take. "Bah. <>," my voice shook the earth as I pointed towards the female. This spell shot out in a bright beam of amber, striking and freezing the body of the Kin in a small time bubble. This bubble will keep her from harm, yes, but will also make it easier for my person to transfer her to wherever I please. "To cause havoc or not to cause havoc? That is the question." A2 Chapter 31 (NSFW) AN: As I''ve said yesterday, it''s another NSFW chapter. However, tomorrow''s will not be one, but the day after. My reason for this is because I wrote enough to create enough for two separate chapters. So tomorrow will be a regular one, and the next day''s the extra NSFW chapter. A bit confusing, but there you go. Oh, and we have different perspectives for this one. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________________ "Why has the barrier fallen?" Cried out a male serpent-kin, as it used its broken spear to swat away a crazed Draconian boy-child. Of which had already bitten the other''s leg and arm repeatedly, whilst its broken claws scratched and smeared his blood upon the other''s chest and forearms. The Kin before him wore only a loincloth to hide that which was betwixt its legs, as it had emerged from a pleasure tent just as it heard a great roar resounding around it. "We were told the barrier would keep these creatures out, and yet it has fallen!" Its voice was raised in anger, then became filled with horror as it witnessed an endarkened Draconian carried with it a frozen Tiger-kin within its arms. "Boss," it cried out, then shrieked as something bit into the back of its neck, draining the life force from its entirety. "Why," was all it croaked as its heart ceased to function. "Why?" A feminine voice chuckled behind it, "Because our Lord detests those of whom disrupt his plans of conquest." This female, the vampire called Morticia, threw aside the body of the dead Kin, as she launched herself high into the air, and crashed through the body of a towering Bear beastman. Of whom was pushing back a tide of green and yellow skinned goblins which had been summoned from one of the Monster Tamers sent to disrupt and harass the beastfolk and Kin. "Well?" She called out, using her hand to shoo the little creature who were now staring up at her in awe and worship, "Go back to work. The Lord does not desire slackers amongst his presence." "You have such a way with words," grunted a male voice, which came from behind her as the goblins surged as one towards what appeared to be a frightened girl-child of the wolf beastfolk. However, they realised too late that it was not only terrified, but a conjurer. Of which sent the group of them tumbling past Morticia who slapped her forehead, then shook her head slowly. "Perhaps your words will now be used to revive them to... Oh, nevermind." As the male spoke these words, the bodies of the goblins faded away into a large cloud of sickly green energy, then dissipated into nothing. This was so, as the energy used to summon each of them had run out, and sent them back to whence they came. "Well, no matter," he grumbled, shifting his weight as though something heavy was in his arms. To be fair, there was, but its form was that of a small creature which slept soundly within his arms. The form of such a creature was that of a large, dark crimson furred wolf with three heads and nine tails. Such an odd creature, to be sure, as it was kept within a great pentagram full of strange sigils and unknown characters. Within the centre of such a place was this creature, of which whined greatly as arcs of white energy struck its body as it tried to shield such attacks with a smaller version of the shield around the camp. This led to another group of pentagrams, sigils, and unknown inscription high above it to rain down more of the same white energy. However, instead of striking the strange wolf, it seemed to have stolen its abilities in order to funnel them into a strange contraption floating high above. This is what allowed the barrier to appear around the encampment, defending and deflecting all blows which came upon it. "They weren''t at all happy when we took him, right Alucard?" Asked Morticia, as the pair flitted across the plains and towards the forest nearby. "Correct. Now if you could take this beast, I could rest and change my attire. As it has leaked itself all over my chest." The male, a vampire called Alucard grimaced as he spoke such words to his counterpart. Of whom chuckled politely behind her right hand, whilst the other''s eyes drooped and his ruby red lips frowned with a slight pout about itself. "This is not a laughing matter. Here," he growled, thrusting the creature into the other''s arms, "Take him to our Lord; he''ll want to examine such a creature. As for myself, a bath and a new wardrobe of clothing." After speaking such words, his entire form vanished, leaving the female to only sigh and stroke the odd wolf''s furred back slowly. ***** "The strong thrive, while the weak must find a way to survive." These are the words mom has drilled into my head since I was small. Along with another phrase of, "If you ever find yourself in the presence of one with monstrous strength about themselves, then either run or submit your will to their own." Mom, you''ve always been one to give up great advice, but the thing is... "Ugh, my head," I groaned as the darkness surrounded my senses, dulling them completely as the muted sounds of linked chains struck each other. "Ow." It felt as though something was banging large drums inside my head, as my senses slowly came back to myself. "Whe-," I began, then noticed how cold it was and shivered. It was here I noticed I was without my clothes, and screamed loudly because of it. "<>," something within the darkness commanded, and I could no longer hear my voice. This caused my eyes to widen, as I stared about in search of the source. "So much better." Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. This something then gripped the back of my neck, lifting me high into the air. Of course, I struggled against this, but found my arms to be bound by chains of some sort. It then spoke in another language, and afterwards, my eyesight returned to me. What I saw, however, was something I wished to never see again. A skeleton with large, green coloured eyes stared at me without any emotions. Of which led to me trying to escape such a sight. ''NO!'' I mentally shrieked, doing my best to run from such a creature. "Brutus," spoke another creature, whose voice shook the world around us. This calmed me down a bit, and found myself flying towards a Draconian sitting upon a throne of stone and bones. It looked bored and a little tired, as it held up a staff of some sort, whirling it in a circle above its head. Upon its lap, however, was a Barrier Wolf, of which caused my eyes to widen greatly. As they are very rare, and to even have one as small as it was what many would consider a symbol of great strength. Even more so was the fact that it seemed to try and get its attention for head and neck scratches. Of which it did so with a look of boredom about its eyes, as the other sighed three times from each of its heads. For a while, I stood there next to him, in the air, while his attention was turned towards the monsters which had attacked us upon the planes. I noticed several jeering at my naked body, and a few even reached for me, only to become frightened as they noticed the creature on the throne glaring in their direction. ''It''s stronger than them,'' my eyes widened at this realisation, as those that tried to take me away seemed to be much stronger than this one seemed to be. ''but why am I still naked?'' "You''re naked because I found you to be a curious Kin amongst these others," it spoke aloud as though it could read my thoughts. This creature''s voice startled me, as I found it to be beautiful to listen to. however, I noticed his left hand pointing towards what appeared to be a stone wall of some sort. Of which caused me to gasp aloud, as my eyes came upon the bound and tortured faces of many women being raped by such monstrous males. Nearly all of them were my sworn-sisters, as the members of each male continuously thrusted themselves in and out of their orifices. Many of whom moaned loudly from such treatment, while the rest screamed and clawed at the offenders, desperate to escape. Whereas the effeminate males'' bodies were thrown about another wall. They were mutilated beyond recognition, as many others were still in the process of being tortured. At this time I heard their screams for mercy, as their organs were ripped out one by one. Each was either tossed to the side, or eaten while still attached to their bodies. Whereas their lower parts were gripped tightly, and slowly pulled off while a few others piled on to make sure there was enough leverage for the one performing this brand of torture to continue such a thing smoothly. As this was happening, I noticed two males chained to the ground. both of them were naked and sweating a whole lot. These two had erect members, and were forced to endure as females continuously mounted them or forced their own lower parts into the faces of these males. Of course, I was upset, and felt very sick as I was forced to watch it all. I was not allowed to turn away or even close my eyes, because something was keeping them open. Very slowly, my body turned towards the bored Draconian upon his throne. It was here that I noticed something slithering about his body, of which caused the wolf to bark with all three of its heads. This something then latched itself onto my body, binding my arms behind my back, and stretching my legs outwards in a painful manner. Mentally, I cried out, as more of this something wrapped themselves around my breasts, squeezing them as smaller things shoved themselves inside my nipples. My lower parts, on the other hand, were slowly being caressed, causing my liquids to flow unceasingly. I begged and pleaded with the creature before me, silently asking it to not go through with this. Of which seemed to have caused this something to stop, as it formed a very large member in front of my eyes. "You could stop it all," the voice rumbled throughout the entirety of the place, "by simply giving me a good enough reason why you think you can help me. Fail to do so will result in this." The something''s member lowered slowly between my legs, then shoved its way inside my body. ''It hurts!'' I screamed mentally, as tears fell in a torrent down my face and my teeth were bare in a grimace against such a thing. However, it did not move, and I was glad it didn''t. "If I do not enjoy your answer, you will be raped repeatedly and forced to bear the children of my servants for the rest of your days." It growled towards me, as it waved one of its hands in my direction. "Now speak. Why should I allow you to help me?" "Because I know where a dragon is!" _____________________________ AN2: And remember folks, the MC does not participate in the raping of others, but he does facilitate such things for others. A2 Chapter 32 AN: Just to remind everyone, tomorrow''s chapter will be the extra NSFW one instead of today. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ___________________________ "To cause havoc, or not to cause havoc. That is the question," I muttered once more to myself, as the world around my person delved into fearful chaos brought on by my gleefully cheering servants. Of whom charged through the encampment full of the unaware and ill equipped. "Hmm," my eyes turned towards the female tiger-kin, as her body was frozen in a state of suspended animation before my self. "Perhaps I should-" "Monster! What have you done to our boss?!" Cried out several female Kin who wore the same strange outfit as the one before my being. Each of them wielded either an iron sword or battle axe, then charged towards my position. However, each were repelled away after striking an intangible barrier about the area in front of my eyes. "It''s a conjurer," growled another of their group, as they continued to fling themselves at my person to no avail, "Attack its sides and back to weaken its magicks!" They did so, as I simply rolled my eyes at such paltry antics of these females before my person. "It''s not working," cried out a third, of whom dashed to the side just as a ball of orange flame flew out from behind its body, striking my barrier with a great roar. However, such tricks would not work upon my person, of which caused a spark of despair to ignite within their hearts. Mentally, I sighed at each of them, and raised up a clawed forefinger to point towards the conjurer who was currently intoning another spell. Unfortunately for it, a beam of silver energy rushed from my position, striking it in the chest and disintegrating its body to ash and dust. "Wha-?" Began another, as I opened my maw wide and breathed a gout of emerald flames towards the larger portion of the group. Many of whom scattered from such a sight, whilst the rest screamed in pain as the flames from my person held onto my acidic properties. Which, of course, caused their bodies to melt as well as burn from such an application. After such an event, I simply ignored them as I lifted the frozen body of the tiger-kin and strode forward towards the nearest line of trees. During this time, many of these Kin and Beastfolk continually attacked my person, but all were ignored as my barrier repelled each and every one of them. Though, there were still a few females in their odd clothing which were very persistent in acquiring my attention in order to try and ambush my person with their childish antics. Of which caused something within my person to snap, as I called upon many of my Dolls. To these I ordered them to capture those of whom wore such strange garments as the Kin in my arms, and bring them to my person. These females and odd males would soon learn the price of annoying my person, whilst the rest of my servants continued to attack the rest. Later, there will be a time in which they will mourn, but as my personal servants, each have been granted a total of five lives in order to "respawn". Once these lives have been expended, then they will be left to rot wherever they had fallen. Many of you seem confuse, so allow my mind to explain slowly. The world we live in, as with all other worlds, are under the category of "Game Worlds". Each of them, including this world of ours, has a variety of rules and guidelines it must follow in order to achieve such a status. For instance, if one were to focus upon their inner selves, you would be able to see words and numbers of what each of your strengths and weaknesses are. However, this is an archaic system which has never been fully eradicated. Certainly, one may call upon such a thing, and the only reason why it had not been removed is due to laziness. In any case, those of whom perished alongside those of whom they attacked merely appeared within a void world where they will rest and sleep until I call upon their aid once more. This void world, as many well know, is merely a world devoid of life and light. It is mostly associated with such abilities called "Inventory" and "Magic Bag", where everything placed within such a space is kept as perfect and pristine as the day it was found. This also included living beings, and those of whom were close to death. Yes. Those of whom were near Death''s door, or who were within her grasp could escape such a fate by being placed within this void space. Though, of course, if one does not have a way to return, then they are forever stuck within such a place for all time. No. A god, even one such as myself, cannot access such a place if the one who created the space escaped within it. There are rules within the realm of gods that must be followed, and this is one such rule. Ah, but I digress. As I made it to the tree line, I was approached by Morticia. Of whom stopped to stare at the odd Kin in my arms, whilst I looked upon the red-furred beast within hers. "And this is?" We both asked at the same time. She smirked for a time, until she noticed my emotionless response and sighed. "The female in your arms must be of some import for you to bring it here. Whereas this thing was what kept their barrier aloft. No," she shook her head slowly, "we do not know what it is, as those of whom were near it perished after trying to attack us." "A pity," my voice lightly shook the earth around us, "No matter. Take these two back to our base of operations," the Kin was deposited into her arms, of whom protested greatly and whined about being a mule of some sort. Whilst I ignored her protest and called out, "Suun. Return to my side." The silvered dragon shot down from its position within the clouds, bringing with it three shivering and soaked creatures upon its back. These three were, of course, Siuun, San''yuu, and Shoriin. Shoriin, the basilisk, growled with disdain at being left behind and cried out with hunger from its mental self, whilst the others shivered and sneezed as though ill. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. With a sigh and a roll of my eyes, I waved a clawed hand over their bodies. An arc of silvered energy washed over their bodies, warming and revitalising them after being subjected to the cold for so long. Mentally sighing, I reached into my void space in order to pull out a cooked thigh of what was once a deer. This caused all four to stare at it with great hunger. The fourth being Suun, of whom had pseudo organs in place just in case it ever became a living dragon. Once more, I mentally sighed at their antics, and withdrew more haunches of meat. These were then tossed in their general directions, whilst the thigh of roasted deer meat was held up for the small basilisk to tear into. Of course, it tried to pull the meat away from my person, but could not due to our strength difference. As I watched it, my mind became calm as though I was watching a child. Yes. Such a thing will relax my person, but only to a point. In this instance, I was calm as a wave of peace washed over my body. ''I believe I missed this feeling,'' mentally I spoke to nothing, but the world within my mind. However, the small creature heard my thoughts, and cocked its head toward its right foreleg. It then exuded a curious shrill towards my thoughts, of which caused my own lips to smirk in response. Slowly, I reached out to stroke the head of Shorrin, only to stop as a sharp cry pierced through the forest. This caused the four to stiffen, whereas I growled from the shattering of my calmed mind. Straightening my back, I turned towards the general direction of such a noise, and strode forward with the intent of inflicting quite the reckoning upon those of whom would disturb my desire for peace. For a time, I continued forward at a set pace in order to ease my mind from the madness setting in slowly, until I finally came upon those of whom would create such a disturbance upon our senses. This came in the form of several bear and wolf beastmen tearing at the clothing, and pawing at the exposed skin, of one of my rare female servants. Now, when I say "rare female servants", I mean just that, as nearly all are male. No. It is not a preference for such creatures, only that many of them are not at all comfortable around those of whom would rape and torture those of the opposite sex. This seemed to cause their minds to seek work and servitude elsewhere. Whereas those of whom were willing to venture forth in my services will find my males to be less receptive towards themselves. Yes. My female servants have more protections than my males, but not in the way many would believe. No. As these females are ruthless in their work, and the protections placed upon them are for those around them. However, "Let me go," came the panicked cry of she who was far too young to be within my employ. This one was a Succubus, but one of youth rather than maturity. Her skin was as white-pink as any Kin or human''s would be, but she had a pair of leather wings as long as her arms attached to her waist, and a tail half the length of her height of one hundred and thirty centimetres. Yes. She was small, as she was still a child. On the other hand, her hair was the colour of bright blood, whilst her eyes were orbs of bright amber full of tears from the actions of those around her body. The clothing of which she wore, though heavily torn, was of a tight fitting garment beneath a large tunic. The tearing of her clothing was enough to reveal her small chest and rear end, as those around her grinned with an odd expression about themselves and discussed a variety of ideas as I came upon them. "How much do you think she''ll sell with the slavers?" A dark-furred wolf beastman asked those around it. "Don''t know," replied a brown-furred bear beastman, of whom reached out to touch the tail of the young Succubus, "Never seen anything like it." "My Lord God," the girl-child cried out upon noticing my visage striding forwards with great anger upon seeing this event, "Please save me!" The others turned slowly, as though their bodies were in a vat of tree sap. However, I was in a rage state, and my arms snapped forwards with my clawed fingers splayed and hooked forwards. This caused several of their bodies to stiffen, as their maws opened to wail a great wail of pain and anguish. For the front half of their bodies slowly twisted in time to my own clawed hands, of which rotated in opposite directions of themselves. These actions continued until the front halves of their bodies were upside down in congruent with their back halves. This then caused the whole of their organs to spill out onto the ground below. However, I being who I am, did not allow them to die. No. I simply left them in that state of eternal torment, and moved onto the others with eyes wide from the madness in which had thoroughly invaded my mind. For you see, my dear audience, those of whom would dare harm or abuse a child deserves a fate worse than death, and this is what I inflicted upon each of them. As to its name, perhaps you would recognise it: "Rotation of The Clockwork Master". Ah, a few of you have shivered. That is good, and for those of whom who have not heard of such a thing know this. This punishment is reserved for child abusers and those of whom had conducted traitorous acts, as this will keep them in a bubble of time which has slowed to a snail''s pace. This is simply to allow the offending party to suffer for up to a full cycle before ultimately dying. However, during this time, they will feel everything. As the madness receded from my mind, I noted nearly a dozen beastmen suspended within the trees with their bodies half turned from my will. Of course, I was shocked by such a display, but brushed it off as I turned towards the child. Of whom was currently crying from relief as I had come to personally save her from such a frightful occurrence. This allotted her to run into my arms, and grip my chest as I turned my back from the stench of blood and gore, and towards the general direction of my base of operations. A2 Chapter 33 (NSFW) AN: And here''s the next NSFW chapter which is similar to A2 Chapter 31. On another note, the story will be having a cover art soon. Just need to stress over the final touches with the artist, then you folks will be able to critique it yourself. As usual folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________________ The trek towards such a place was not long, but the silence of the world was deafening, as my anger had yet to dissipate from the events moments ago. To this end, my apprentices did not speak a word, whilst Shoriin was being carried by Siuun, and Suun with San''yuu. Everything was silent, save for the sniffling caused by the young Succubus, of whom was called Lilith. However, I simply ignored such minour disruptions, and continued onwards in silence. For a time, this was so, until such hostile tranquility was shattered by the muted wails of females and males being dragged and beaten near the village of the dragonfolk. Upon reaching such a place, all eyes turned towards my person, and by proxy, Lilith. This caused her to shiver, as my silvered energies slowly crept over her body, leaving her with a gown of said colour about her small shoulders. Of course, slits were made for her wings to stretch through, as I would not have those under my being to be uncomfortable with the clothing I crafted for them. My actions caused many to gasp at such a sight, and among them was the girl-child in my arms. Of which caused her to hug my scaled neck with as much force as she could, before kissing the edge of my lips, and rushing off towards a small group of more mature Succubi. I stood there for a time, my right clawed hand touching the area of the small kiss delicately, until Brutus came upon my person. He was reverently carrying my staff of bone, and presented it towards my person by holding it above his head as he knelt before my being. This action brought my mind back to reality, as I unconsciously took up my staff once more. "Thank you, Brutus," my voice shook the earth once more, causing many to search for the source, "What news do you have for me?" The Lich held up his palm towards toward the large group of dragonfolk which was slowly entrapping our bodies in the centre. "The desire retribution, My Lord God," his voice was hushed as the group buzzed about us, each glaring towards my person vehemently, "Shall I take care of it?" "No, Brutus," I spoke slowly, patting his left shoulder, "I shall take care of these creatures." "Well?" I called out to them as I strode a short distance away from my servant. Of whom was now summoning up my Undying in order to provide some sort of assistance if needed. "Murderer," cried and shrill cry, as a female Draconian appeared before my person with a body of a boy-child with a hole in his chest. I felt a twinge within my own, as my eyes stared down at the small form with a well contained spout of anger. "Look at what you did!" "I? I did nothing. It was you all who have done what you did." "Liar," called out another. "You killed Shaan," roared a third. "Did I now? Do you have any evidence for such an occurrence?" I pointed towards the boy-child, whose mother, I suppose, clutched the still body to her chest, "That is a spear wound. If I had caused a body to die, there would be nothing left. For my power will completely and utterly destroy the body of my enemy." The crowd, or mob, growled and grumbled as I spoke my words. To which I simply sighed and called out to Brutus to bring me one prisoner. Within moments, he appeared with a naked lion beastman who struggled within the chains which bound its limbs to its body. "Watch, dear Draconians and Dragonocks. Watch, as this is what happens to all of my enemies." The body of this male was pinned to the ground by my will alone, as I stood over it with eyes wide open. Slowly, I opened my maw wide, and breathed a gout of emerald coloured flames upon my newest victim. This caused it to scream, as its body was simultaneously burnt and melted in front of all eyes filled with horror and disdain. This fire would continue until the body was reduced to a smoldering pile of spread out ash and dust. Gasps of horror and disgust soon assaulted my ears, as I turned towards those in front of my person. "This is what happens to those of whom are my enemies, as I do not leave behind bodies after a display of my might. Besides, you are all considered as my servants after this day''s events. As such, you are each given the ability to ''respawn''. Which means that by this time tomorrow, those of whom desire it will return to life within this village." "What?!" Many cried out in unison, as handfuls of others surged forward, begging my person for it to be true. "Of course it is true, and you may ask any of my servants present if it is thus. Though, those of whom are of my Undying will never fear death so long as I will it so." Once spoken, I turned towards the entrance within the earth, and entered such a place with Brutus and a few of my Undying keeping pace behind my person. "Was this truly wise, My Lord God?" Asked Brutus, which caused my person to halt and turn towards his being. "Speak your mind, Brutus, for you have earned such a right to do so." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He bowed his head low upon such words, then asked, "Why did you employ such weak creatures, when we should have instead subjected those our forces fought instead?" "They are each a dragon, Brutus. As such, they are capable of doing much more than the world believes possible. Think of it as a way to secure this world''s powerhouses, for once they awaken, the world of Azara will shake to its very core." Once spoken, we continued onwards until we reached a large area decorated with the heads of those slain along with their respected flags and emblems. Each of these heads were of Kin and Beastfolk of whom my servants had fought earlier that turn. These were then turned into candle holders, of which caused my person to chuckle slightly as the Lich directed my person to a throne of stone and bone. It was here that I sat down, just as a red-furred creature came yapping towards my person and launched itself into my lap. This action startled my mind, as I turned to stare at the odd creature with three heads and nine tails. It appeared to my mind to be something called a "Cerberus". However, such creatures were dog shaped and had dark, course fur with only a single tail. This one was covered in fluff, and held the general shape of a wolf. What is more, it was sitting upon my lap and staring towards my head with three pairs of watery eyes. ''Oh no,'' I thought to myself, ''It''s the "Puppy-Dog Eyes" times three.'' Yes. You may call it a weakness, as my right clawed hand slowly inched forwards to stroke the centre head slowly. Of which caused the other two to become envious of such treatment, and whine pitifully about the lack of treatment. Of which were slowly stroked in response until it had curled up within my lap and fallen asleep. "He seems quite taken by you, Lord," chuckled Morticia, who appeared from behind my throne of stone and bone. "Morticia," I growled, which was echoed by the three heads of the wolf upon my lap, "This is not the time for games, but no matter." I pointed towards the entrance, as my servants were dragging multiple screaming females in odd garments that my Dolls had brought to them, "This place will be filled with lust and torture. If you do not desire to be caught up in such, I suggest finding your other half and sticking to him for the duration of the turn." These words caused the others'' eyes to widen, as she hastily left my presence. Of which caused many to laugh and jeer at her retreating form, before turning towards my general direction with hopeful glances. "Brutus, where is the female I had left with Morticia? Bring it here, as I''ve a question to impose upon it." Within mere moments of my query, he returned with the frozen body of a naked, female tiger-kin. "<>," I intoned, just as my gathered servants stripped the clothing of nearly all of the captors, and either raped or tortured their bodies in order to relieve the stress of battle upon them. The victims'' screams seemed to have been drowned out by a new voice, of which belonged to the Kin near Brutus who was in the process of bringing her body towards my person. "<>," he growled, intoning the spell in order to quiet the voice of the female. "Brutus," I spoke slowly, slowly causing the female to float near my position, as her clothing was slowly removed from her paralysed body. It was at this point I noticed a few males who did not have a victim stride forwards and reach for the Kin near my person. However, they shrunk under my gaze, and scampered away as I caught sight of the female who appeared to be wondering why she was naked. "You are naked because I found you to be a curious Kin amongst these others," I spoke aloud, pointing towards the group farthest from my position, where the rape and tortures of the prisoners were taking place. All the while keeping the female floating in front of my person from closing her eyes or turning her head from such a sight. It was here that I noticed a clear viscous fluid running down her right leg, which caused my head to cock towards my right shoulder. ''Is she excited from all of this?'' I asked myself and slowly turned her body towards my own once more. From behind my throne, another portal opened up in order to allow a Shadow-Slime to appear. However, I mentally told it to not appear before my person, but to use its tentacles to slowly grope and reveal its member in front of the Kin. It was confused at first, but complied as it used its smaller eyes in order to see the tiger-kin''s body. Of which allowed it to bind it in various degrees, as another rubbed that which was betwixt its legs slowly whilst its large and long member slowly in front of her widened and begging eyes. "You could stop it all," my voice shook the entirety of the room as I stared into the eyes of the frightened Kin, "by simply giving me a good enough reason why you think you can help me. Fail to do so will result in this." Upon my words, the Shadow-Slime was allotted the freedom to ram its member into the female, but it was not given permission to ravage her body just yet. "If I do not enjoy your answer, you will be raped repeatedly and forced to bear the children of my servants for the rest of your days." My voice was a low growl, as I waved a clawed hand over its body in order to dispel the ''Silence'' cast upon it moments before, "Now speak. Why should I allow you to help me?" "Because I know where a dragon is!" A2 Chapter 34 (NSFW) AN: Will have to chalk this one up as NSFW, too, but only for the beginning. Thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________________________ "Oh?" I felt a spark of interest pass through my eyes, as I looked upon her penetrated body. However, it past rather quickly, as I''ve long held a spell which would allow my body to become a dragon. "Now why would I care for such a thing, when I am already one?" With the flick of my wrist, the Shadow-Slime''s member slowly pulled itself out of the Kin''s body. Of which released a large amount of viscous fluids and blood upon the ground below. "Y-you-you''re a Dr-dra-draconian," she panted as lesser tendrils and tentacles invaded her rear in order to release a variety of aphrodisiacs into her system. These would make it unbearable and mind breaking within a few moments, but for the time being, my magicks held them in check. "No, little Kin," my scaled head shook slowly from side to side, then cocked itself towards my right shoulder, "I am a god, and I have long since desired my world. This place," my left clawed hand, which held onto the staff of bone, waved slowly in an arc to encompass everything before my eyes, "This place is merely a stepping stone to accomplish my desire, and I have already passed the plateau of becoming a dragon long ago. Of which, by the by, is considered to be the epitome of raw strength, and yet I passed it by after witnessing such a thing. For you see, they are not the strongest, nor do I desire such weak creatures amongst my servants. "So I shall ask you once more, little Kin of the tigers, why should I allow you to help me if I do not need a dragon to be powerful?" Tears flowed unceasingly down her cheeks, whilst her eyes looked upon my person with sorrow, hopelessness, and a twinge of pity. Why she had the last emotion was beyond my person, as I did not care for such things. "I-I can take you there," she replied with a weakened voice, as though the last shreds of her hope were being torched in front of her person. "Perhaps, or I can simply remove such memories from your mind. If you have nothing more to give me, then I shall leave you to your fate. Shadow-Slime." The giant creature flowed above my person, glaring at the floating body of the female. Of whom was now weeping silently, as its tentacles shot forward, and wrapped themselves tightly around her bare flesh. It was here that I released the aphrodisiacs into her system, and watched as panted greatly from the barest of touches against her skin. The Kin then moaned greatly, as the creature''s large member rammed its way into that which was betwixt her legs, and rampantly pumped itself in and out of her body. Of course, I watched this with a look of boredom about my eyes, whilst my free hand idly stroked the back of the strange wolf upon my lap. ''I will need more information about this one,'' I mentally wrote down this note, then simply stopped as I remembered a simple spell which would allow my person to know more about such a creature. "<>," I intoned, holding my free clawed hand above its heads. This allowed my mind to flood with all manner of knowledge about the one upon my lap. Of which was odd, as the information about such a strange wolf was limited to only its race''s name and ability. These were "Barrier Wolf" and "Creates barriers to protect itself and allies". "What an odd creature," I muttered to myself, as I resumed stroking its back fur slowly. "Papa!" Someone cried out near my person, causing my body to tense as I searched for its location. Only to realise it was to the left of my throne. This individual who cried out such a word was holding the still beating heart of a beastman, of which was still coated in blood and strands of muscle fibres. What is more, the hand which gripped such a thing was small and scaled, as was the arm which was attached to an endarkened torso of leather. Slowly, my eyes traversed its body up past its neck, and to the head of my apprentice called Siuun. Her eyes were wide as she stared upon my form with a widened maw full of sharpened teeth. What is more, the pupils within such eyes had become very thin slits, as though they were non-existent. It was here that I realised the child had lost her mind to the scenes around her. Certainly, a few males tried to drag her towards the rape pit they had created, but were destroyed completely after finding out she was still a child. These would not be allowed to return to life, no matter how many "respawns" they had left, as I would not tolerate those of whom would prey upon children. Yes. They could argue that it was the heat of the moment which clouded their minds, but it is still not an excuse. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. This scenario occurred during my time with the Kin and the Shadow-Slime, of whom were still in their rampant love making. Though, of course, this "love making" was purely artificial as it was merely induces by the aphrodisiacs injected into the Tiger-kin''s insides which caused it to beg for more of its treatment. Such a thing was strange, yes, but was not something I cared for upon this world of Azara. In any case, within the few moments of such close treatment and near rape of her body, Siuun''s mind seemed to have snapped. This reverted her to a much younger state of mind, and caused her to become quite ruthless to those of whom were not my servants. Case in point was the heart which was now being crushed between her fingers as she noticed the three headed wolf cowering behind my throne. "Puppy," she cooed and giggled towards it, slowly inching her way closer until I wrapped my tail around her waist, and lifted her in front of my person. "Siuun," my voice lightly shook the world about us, "What are you doing?" "Look, Papa," she held up the remnants of the heart in her small, clawed hand, "Sia said it was okay to have it when Umok tried to rescue those things they''re hurting." My expression became hollow upon her words, as they were slowly absorbed into my mind. "Umok tried to help who, Siuun?" I had lain my staff upon the seat of my throne in order to lift the girl-child into my arms as I spoke these words. This caused her to giggle sweetly as she hugged my neck in response. "Umok wanted to help those fur people, but Sia said no. They fought, and now he''s dead, and I have his thingy." She stared at the ruined organ in her clawed hand for a time, then asked, "What is this thingy?" "That is a heart, Siuun. It is an organ which allows mortal creatures, such as yourself, to stay alive." She cocked her scaled head towards her left shoulder, then shrugged and bit into the mass. Of which caused my own head to twist in a curious manner. "Mine," she cried out, stuffing much of it into her maw whilst she turned her small frame away from my prying eyes. "As you say," I muttered, then held up one clawed hand in front of my person, "Sia." Within mere moments of speaking her name, a portal formed in front of my person, and the skeletal wolf beastwoman of my Undying females stepped forward. She then knelt down, her sword, still sheathed, was placed in front of her and upon the ground. This action caused the girl-child in my arms to squirm and reach for such a item, but was held back from touching it. "Where is Umok?" My Undying, instead of speaking, simply pointed towards the area where most of the males had been tortured, healed, and tortured again in order to relieve the stress of others after experiencing the battle earlier that turn. "And he had done everything is child has said he''s done?" "That and more, My Lord High God," she spoke slowly and with great, controlled anger within her voice, "Upon witnessing the Feast laid out for your person, the beastman dared to raise his clawed hands against myself and others. Even going so far as to rip apart one of the skeletal Undying, in order to reach for a group of female Kin who was destined for such a feast." Ah, before I continue, I must inform you of the "Feast" in which my Undying spoke of. For although many know of this, this sort of event is full of torture and death used to appease my mind and person. Such a thing first started within a few months of my being on our world of Terra, of which began upon a night where I and mine attacked and subjugated an elven village. Whereby the populace of said village were then put to the knife of Brutus. Of whom had proven himself to my person that he is a capable and ample torturer. To disrupt such an event would set back the Lich by several moons, of whom was very particular when it came to such things. More importantly, "Why didn''t I hear any of this from my position?" I asked, staring down upon my Undying servant. "Lord Brutus had placed a barrier of sound around the entryway into this room. As there is yet to be a doorway, he found it prudent to not disturb you in your witnessing of the rape and minour torturings happening before your eyes." "How thoughtful," I growled, commanding her to stand and retake her weapon. Of which she was glad to do so, whilst I simply held up the small girl-child who giggled happily. "Why did you call me Papa?" A2 Chapter 35 AN: Thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. EDIT: Found out how to scale it down, just wasn''t using my brain. So there''s now a picture for the first arc placed onto the fiction page. Please let me know what you think of it. _________________________ A heavy sigh filled with sorrow flowed unceasingly throughout the whole of the giant god''s army near his feet. Each were startled by such a strong emotion, as their own god was not one to reveal such a thing to those of whom are considered unworthy of such things. Many halted in their progress across the Plains of Nu''Ohn in order to express their desire of comfort towards the being above them. This action caused all to simply halt in their movements and stare upon the giant, whose eyes turned slowly to look upon them all. ''Ah,'' the mental voice sighed once more, but without the strong emotion. Instead, it was filled with a calm which was used to quell those of whom had become excited over this turn of events. When one of his servants asked if everything was alright, the great head upon his shoulders nodded once before turning forward towards the great city of Necropolis in the far distance. Yes. He could indeed cause everyone to appear in front of such a city, but chose not to simply because he prefers to walk. ''As many well know, I lost my first children to those of whom were placed upon the "Tribunal". These children were to keep my mind at ease, whilst they grew up following the paths I set out before them.'' Those nearest his feet nodded and gave their ascent of such a dark portion within the history of their god, then remained silent as he continued, ''Certainly, I''ve regained them all once we retook our world of Terra, but they weren''t the same. Yes, they were each Puella, Lupa, Nox, Puer, and Igne, but they were not the same as I remembered them. Instead, they were simply different, but I took care of them nonetheless. ''Now, imagine if you were taken away from such a place, and all of your children were simply gone. Gone, removed, erased, everything disappeared. Such a thing would be devastating to you of whom are not Undead, as we each have something which removes such emotions to allow us to continue striving forwards. ''After not being without children, even those of whom are not of your loins, and suddenly being called, "Papa", how would you react?'' Those nearest his feet voiced a simple, "I don''t know," or a shrug at such a query. To which he simply nodded at their answers whilst supplying his own, ''You would be confused, unable to fully react to such a title given by those who view you as such. From within my mind, I had such thoughts full of confusion, as I did not know how to react. ''Certainly, there was some elation for such a thing, but I being who I am was merely confused and not at all happy about such things. For the time being, however, I would allow this to occur as I would need to remember such emotions when the time came for us to finally claim our world of Terra. Even if it meant enduring the torture that was the past.'' ***** "Siuun," I called to the attention of the girl-child in my arms. Of whom seemed to be delighted about something which had crossed her mind, "Why did you call me ''Papa''?" Her head cocked itself towards her right shoulder, as her throat released a noise similar to a small creature who was curious about that which was near it. not knowing how to properly answer, she simply giggled with, "Papa is Papa." "That is not an answer," I sighed with exasperation. Of which caused Sia to approach my person from her former to whisper, "She''s been like this since the males mistook her for another prisoner, My Lord God." "Yes, but this happened only moments ago, correct?" At her nod, I continued, "Then how is this possible?" "If you can recall, she was to be sold off as a slave for work or copulation with a male. This caused some trauma within her mind, coupled with your imposition of torture..." Her head shifted towards the left side of the throne, as my own became slits of displeasure, "Perhaps it was inevitable she would become this way." "Perhaps this is so," I spoke slowly, as my eyes flashed with a thought, "Check on the other children. Especially those of whom had been slain and respawned after this turn''s events." "My sisters are already watching the group in case such an occurrence repeats itself as with Siuun." The child tilted her head towards the Undying as though she was called out to, but simply shrugged and began to gnaw upon my right clawed fingers whilst humming an unknown tune. "Good," my voice rumbled softly, retaking my seat upon my throne of stone and bone, "Fetch San''yuu. It is time he fulfill his requirements in order to become young and whole once more." My Undying leapt to obey with all due haste, as I simply turned my attention towards the small girl-child upon my lap. Of whom had taken up my clawed fingers, and were playing with them in whatever world her mind had created. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Yes. My mind was calm as I continued to watch her play, but it was interrupted by the Barrier Wolf. Of whom constantly whine, but not from the lack of attention. Instead, it was because of the small pack of Scarab wolves circling its small body which called out to my person for assistance. It was here that I noticed a translucent barrier form around the creature, as its form shivered with all nine of its tails tucked beneath its body. Or rather, trying to tuck, as they were rather fluffy and its body was quite small. However, I did not wish to lose such a valuable creature, and ordered the wolves to refrain from attacking it. Unfortunately, the female refused to obey my orders. That is, until it found herself to be floating high above the ground. Whereupon it flailed and yipped with a spark of fear from the unknown grip which was situated around its body. "As I said," my voice rumbled, shaking the air around it, "you are to refrain from attacking such a creature. Understand? If you do not, I am sure Rojaahn and his experiments upon your body will." Once she was placed upon the ground, the female crawled towards my position with a low and flattened body. Her tail swayed slowly from side to side, as her ears were laid back, and a low whine erupted from her throat. Such a display was humiliating for any other, but seemed to be common for the others of her kind, as they each recognised her as their alpha. However, to her, I was the alpha and what I say is law. "Integrate it into your pack, but do not kill it simply because you desire it amongst your cadre of puppets. If I find out you had done such a thing, then you will not long be able to walk amongst the living anymore." Noting the skeletal and shade-like wolves, I repeated such a statement towards them as well. This was done so in order to assure the new wolf a place of safety and one it could call home. However, the cleverness within the alpha was concerting towards my person, one that needed to be taken into account, as she would strive to kill and convert any and all animals she finds of interest. This barrier wolf was one of them, but with my eye upon it, such a task was daunting and hardly obtainable, but was not completely impossible. To this end, I summoned up one of my smaller Dolls, a raven, and ordered it to follow and guard the Barrier Wolf without making its presence known. As I had the inclination this alpha would strive to have the other killed when I was not present. Why she would desire such a thing was simply because after her becoming an Undead Lich, she developed an intelligence many would not believe there. However, I was able to perceive such a thing from our linkage to one another, even if she did her best to hide it. Yes. She was amongst the more intelligent of my servants, and was probably the most ambitious. As her feral dreams were full of her conquering my person and taking up my mantle as a god. No. I did not have her killed, as she was still unique, useful, and very interesting to my person at that time. And why should I? If one of you had such an ambition, would I have you killed? No. Instead, I would watch over you more closely in order to see what you were capable of. There are very few who can challenge my person at this point in time, more so with my past self. As the I of such a time was not as powerful as the I of today. Therefore, I needed to watch out for such potential in order to convert them to my side, or kill them off immediately. One such being was this female, of whom was now leading her small pack and the Barrier Wolf away from my presence. As this occurred, a small cough flowed over my person, bringing back my mind to the real world. Of which still consisted of the rape and torture of others, albeit less so than before, as many had already satiated themselves long ago. Whereas those still left were amongst the lesser variants of my servants. However, the one who coughed was San''yuu, who simply bowed his scaled head in my direction. He was accompanied by Sia, of whom allowed his person to lean against her own. She did not appear at all comfortable with such an action, but endured for my sake. "You desire to see me, Lord?" "Yes, San''yuu, I did. It is high time you were sent off to the land''s main capitol in order to warn them of my presence." My body leaned back against the throne, whilst Siuun copied my actions upon my lap. "If I may?" Began Sia, of whom was given permission to speak, "Why would you do such a thing, My Lord God? Why not simply obliterate them and be done with it?" "And ruin the chance of having the draconic races rule over this land?" A sliver of mockery entered my voice, and was only missed out by my apprentices, "Once we are through with our conquest, and I have claimed this world for my own, there will need to be a populace to be dominant over others. They will also follow my creed and laws, as I shall be the only god for them. "Besides," my eyes flared a brilliantly emerald as I chuckled with great mirth, "this will make a great experiment as opposed to what we have always done in the past. Not to mention there is still that human ''god'' running around upon this land of Azara. Of whom will become a thorn in our sides soon enough." A2 Chapter 36 AN: Last chapter before the MC and company heads off towards the city, then comes a bit of an info dump (of which you can simply skip if you so choose), followed by a short annoyance, and finally the city. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. No, but seriously, y''all are far too quiet and I do not understand why. ______________________________ "But My Lord," spoke San''yuu, of whom appeared nervous as his body shook somewhat, "Our kind are hated and enslaved. If I were to step through such gates, they would surely do their best to abduct me." "Why would they do that, when I shall be travelling with you?" I simply chuckled at their reactions upon my words. "What? Did you simply believe I would send off one of my own on such a dangerous expedition with little hope of completion?" "But, you''re a Draconian, Lord," complained the other, whose body was sat down onto a seat of stone in order to not fall over. "Am I now?" Setting a confused Siuun down and off to the side, I willed the shadows to condense around my person, as my body contorted into various directions. This was so in order for it to be remolded into my kobold self. For you see, after such a transformation my illusions became tangible to a point. Which meant that I needed to no longer enact a spell, but simply think of what I desired to be and become it. Yes. It was a strange ability in which I had gathered, and it was entirely possible due to the "Gift of All Knowledge" I had obtained from the body of the golem. Without such a gift, I would be forced to continue in my usage of illusions. With such spells, I ran the risk of another being able to destroy such a thing in order to divine my true form. Yes. Such a thing has happened many times before, but we are not speaking of such things. In any case, my kobold self was of dark fur with many strands of silver scattered about my body. This was so in order to mimic the night''s sky above our word of Terra, and many of my servants have begged my person in order to view such a thing. For they are each susceptible to that which is called "Home Sickness". Of which is simply a desire to return home, and even I and Brutus have been afflicted by such a disease many a time throughout our perceived exile. With this, the whole of my servants from Terra had been summoned once Sia noticed the body I had chosen to wear. Yes, and they did rush forward in order to gaze upon the nightly heavens which was etched into my fur. Whereas my eyes held a constellation of stars which represented "Family" and "Home". The "Family" constellation held a small collection of lights which appeared to be in the shape of two large figures with a smaller in between them. Whereas "Home" had its own collection in the shape of a house drawn up by a child. As to my reasons for using such symbols? Well, it is a simple answer of which can be found within the annuls of our history. For though I am a god of evil, as many others profess, I am still a god of families. Yes. Many of you look upon me with such confusion, it is true. My chosen path of godhood is of Families and Children, and though it will never be written down as the truth for the next generation to come, know that what I say is. Yes. I am a Lord of Chaos, and my subcategory is of Chaotic Mana, but this is simply for the fact that my alignment is of Neutral Evil. Having my person down as something reserved for those under the "Good" category would be rather vexing, not to mention contradictory. So, to combat such a thing, my wife and your Lady Goddess has become such a symbol. Ah, but I digress once more. Once the shadows receded from my person, my draconic apprentices gasped, whilst my servants form our world of Terra sighed with joy. Whereby I did descend from my position in order to walk amongst their number. This was simply so that they may glimpse once more upon the nightly heavens of our world, and gaze upon the symbols of constellations I had chosen for us all. For within my right eye was the constellation of "Family", whilst the left held "Home". "Why did you choose such thing?" Many of you are wondering, and I shall tell you. These were chosen as I view my servants as my "Family", whilst "Home" is there as our desire to return to such a place. Yes. It was also there as a promise to each of them, of which says, "As long as I am here, we shall return home. For you are my family, and I take care of my family." The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Ah, but as I walked amongst their number, they were allotted the ability to touch my furred body for however long they desire it. Though many of them could not shed tears, they looked on as those who could did so. "We will return home," I whispered amongst their number, "We have a way, and simply need to conquer these last five worlds in order to do so." "Truly?" Asked one of my more skeletal Undying, of whom was of the rare four-armed, humans. "Yes," I replied with a nod, "Azazel has promised my person to give us a way home. However, such a thing will beget war." "Everything does, My Lord God," chuckled Brutus, of whom had been uncomfortably fawning over my backside and was now stroking my tail as though it was his small pet, "Everywhere we go, conflict arises around us. Most of the time it was from simply our presence or intervention." "Yes, or when a male fell in love with Sia or her sisters." Laughter erupted around my person, as I smirked whilst the one who spoke crashed into the nearby wall from a punch to the skull. This did not cause it harm, but was enough to allow everyone to relieve some stress. "Lord?" Called out San''yuu, of whom held a shaking Siuun who was searching about our group for my person. "Yes, San''yuu?" I asked, tearing my person away from my servants, of whom expressed their displeasure about the lack of presence of my body. Yes. They desired to reminisce some more, but there was work to be done, and I had a journey to prepare for. Of which caused many of them to stress over, and desire to accompany my person. "No," I shook my head after the shadows condensed around my body in order to create a vest and trousers to shield my body. Afterwards, I lifted and carried the girl-child who stared with curious eyes upon the sparkling fur which coated my body. This seemed to calm her mind somewhat, as the slits of her pupils had returned to normal, vertical egg shapes. However, they reverted back whenever her attention was directed towards others, of which caused my person to grow increasingly more curious about such a thing. "You cannot all join my person in such a venture." "Why not, My Lord God?" Asked Brutus, of whom seemed the most prepared to leave. As he had a "Magic Bag" containing various armaments for nearly every occasion he had perceived. "You especially cannot join us in this, Brutus." Upon my words, did his bag drop to the ground, but before he could release his pent up outburst, I held up a clawed hand to quell such words. "Peace. The reason why you cannot come is merely from the fact that beyond my person, only you are the most trustworthy amongst all others. You were the first to be chosen to stand by my side once our world of Terra was taken from us. From this alone, I shall be needing you to stand here and be in charge of the rest whilst we are away. "You are my second," I spoke as I approached his person in order to lay my right, clawed hand upon his left shoulder, "I need you here in case there is an emergency." "You are such a hypocrite, My Lord God," whispered the other, whose eyes flared brilliantly. "I know, but I have the means to protect myself from those of whom would seek dominion over others. Whereas-" "Whereas we do not have such absolution," one of the Lich''s clawed hands rubbed the back of his skull slowly in irritation, "We simply desire your safety, My Lord God, as without you, we would not have a way home. Or perhaps, we would be forced to endure whatever it was these "Tribunal" members are forcing upon our world of Terra." "Not to mention the one who stands above them," I growled, to which Siuun echoed, "It held the reigns of Nox, and sent him after my person, if you can recall?" The others nod at my words, to which I echo and turn towards San''yuu with a grin upon my features. "Shall we depart, then?" A2 Chapter 37 AN: As usual folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________ I shall not bore you with the details of our journey, as it took us nearly a fortnight to reach the city. During this time, there was only one notable diversion upon this route, and I shall address it shortly. For now, I must inform you of who was journeying with my person. Those amongst my Undying chosen for such an incursion were the twins Val''ruum and Sal''ruum, Auua the metallic orangutan, and Shauu with her basilisk Brood Mother. Granted, Shauu was in fact a skeletal bear beastwoman, but was told to wear an amulet which would all her to have the same metallic skin as Rojaahn. Of whom was also of the bear tribe, and was first chosen to accompany my person. However, he opted to stay behind, as he claimed to be nearing a breakthrough in regards to his research on true immortality as opposed to the simple elixirs which only extend one''s life. Thus, Shauu was chosen to accompany my person, and with her came the Brood Mother who was still without a name, but followed her commands. The others which were chosen were, of course, my apprentices and Shoriin. The little basilisk seemed to enjoy riding atop my furred head for some odd reason, and Siuun had attached herself to any one of my limbs which were closest to her at the time. Though of course, she giggle constantly at this or that, and had the look of a crazed individual who had their mind broken not too long ago. Yes, I''ve seen such eyes before, but they are usually broken either in my presence, or by my touch alone. To see such a thing happen to a child was nothing new, but it still pulled upon the strings within my non-existent heart. I desired to heal her, you see, but chose not to, as I wished to see how far her madness will take her. Will it end with her life fizzling out, or will it give birth to something new? Time will only tell, and I desired to see it come into fruition. As to the others, we had decided to bring the Sons of Hephaestus. The others chosen for such a venture were the Daughters of Freyja or the Children of Fenrir. This was only so, as we had thought of a sort of cover in which the group travelling with my person could use once we reach the main capitol. Which was myself being lord''s son sent in exile to find new roads of wonder. Yes, such a tale would have to do, as my claiming to be a conqueror would not help my person in the least. Now, the Daughters of Freyja were, and still are, a small army of warrior females. However, not to be mistaken for the Amazons, these females are beyond beautiful. In other words, to simply glance their way, breathe in their scent, or even to hear their voices would stir the primal urges within one''s being. These urges are what the Daughters prey upon in order to have their way done. Unfortunately for them, we who are Undead are immune to such affects upon the mind and senses. Thus, they have been subdued and have been placed under my thumb. Yes. I would have chosen them if I simply desired to take control of the capitol quickly, but decided to be more ruthless. The Children of Fenrir would have been the choice for such ruthlessness, but these are simply vessels for war. These beings are the same as the Chosen of Anubis, as they are made for war and nothing else. However, instead of jackals wielding golden sickles, these are wolves and wolf beastmen who become berserk at the first sight or smell of blood. They would attack any and all who are not liken unto themselves, until they''ve either calmed down, or perished. Yes. These would appear throughout many of the great wars in which I had chosen to appear in, but for now I chose a different route. This route was one, not of war against others, but of the economies situated within this capitol of beastfolk and Kin. It was here that I would flood their markets with coin and new product in order to tip the scales in my favour. Such a thing would not be possible without the Sons of Hephaestus, of whom were greedy dwarves who chose to follow my person merely for the promises I had placed within each of their minds. To be short, the promises made were simply to allow them access to a network of worlds I would establish once our world of Terra was within my grasp once more. This would give them the ability to explore new realms in order to use whatever materials, minerals, and precious ores and stones for anything they desire. This network of worlds would also extend to our world of Terra, but with many more restrictions as it is our home. As for the other worlds, if you were all to cast your eyes to the heavens above, you will see our five moons in perfect rotation. These moons, in fact, are the worlds conquered by my person and servants within the abyss. Indeed, whereas all other worlds are simply in orbit around our day-star with the protection of my person and others from those of whom desire them for other motives. Now, as to what products we were bringing into this market? Why, everything of course. From edible items between the tastes of salt and savory, to sweet and spicy. These would become the prime weapons in this war, as San''yuu has expressed with great vehemence on the lack of proper foods the more common individual is allowed to consume. As for the rest, an assortment of arms and armour, leathers, cloth and silk, ore and jewels will be the main focus. For there will be many within such a place which will desire the best of the best, and we shall prove ours are the greatest. The final pieces to be sold upon the market are the magicks I shall be deploying as an Enchanter. Yes. As many know, my first "class" after gaining my body was that of an Enchanter. Of which allowed my person in the creation of my Undying as well as the illusions I was able to deploy. Though, of course, I had a myriad of other spells which resulted in my being able to take control of our world''s former authority, but this is not relevant at the moment. No. Instead, I shall be focusing on enchanting the clothes, weapons, and armour of others. As my apprentice has stated he has never seen such a thing before. These will also be the first of many such lectures I shall be imparting upon the pair. As to how each of these wares are being transported? Well, they all reside within my Void Space in order to keep their freshness, and to avoid the greed of others. However, this does not mean we did not have any decoys deployed. In fact, we had a full caravan of empty boxes with a simple pentagram etched inside the containers. These pentagrams are all connected to my Void Space, and will allow us to access the weapons and ammunition needed to win our war over their economy. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Ah, but enough about this. For I shall tell you of the only interest upon our journey from our small base of operations to the capitol of the beastfolk and Kin. This occurred within ten turns after our departure, and the night had come upon us. It was here that we set up camp, as there was not a single light in the heavens to guide us. For you see, there is nothing within the Abyss; no other worlds or stars, only darkness. As I said, we had set up our little camp with the caravan circling around each other in order to protect those still living, and to allow us some protection if we needed to fight against the unknown. No. Nothing ever came after us, but it was necessary nonetheless. Now, what occurred upon this night, as we set up our torches of emerald and sapphire flames, was of a female Avian which flew towards us with a squawk. However, instead of gracefully landing, it crashed into a wheel of one of the carts in our caravan. This destroyed the wheel, which caused many of the dwarves to curse and shout, as they went about fixing it. Whereas the Avian was brought to my person in the centre of the ring where a large tent had been erected. This tent was to be used as sleeping quarters for those of whom needed to rest, whilst I and my Undying did not. Within the tent was a multitude of cots situated in rows of ten by three, if this gives any inclination as to how many of my servants needed to sleep. However, this was only the first half of the space. The latter was separated by enchanted cloth which dulled the noises which would come from the former, and looked much like that of a general''s space. What with a multitude of chairs surrounding a rectangular table of wood and stone. Upon such a thing were a few goblets filled with wine and beer, and scattered about the centre were parchment and maps of the surrounding area and the capitol. The space itself was lit by a dim orb of light, which was casting a myriad of horrific shadows upon the walls. These unknowns caused San''yuu no end of grief, whereas Siuun and Shoriin simply attacked them until they appeared elsewhere. In a way, such antics calmed my mind enough to instill the same peace I had when the kobold pups were upon my lap so long ago. However, this was interrupted by the presence of a new face. One of which I had never seen before until that point. "Oh?" I raised my left brow at the tattered appearance of the female in front of our persons. Sitting around my person were the chosen few sent to accompany my self in this endeavour, as well as a few black haired dwarves in leather and platemail. Each of these dwarves stood up with their axes and great swords, ready to attack such a creature if it posed a threat, but I waved away their concerns until they sat down with a grumble. "And what, pray tell, is this?" "An Avian, Lord, and looks to be female," whispered San''yuu in awe of such a creature, "They are considered very rare, and are usually enslaved whenever found." "Oh? And what are they used for when enslaved?" "I do not know," he shook his scaled head with a sigh, as my own nodded towards one of the dwarves who desired to speak. "Mayhaps it''s a songbird like from home?" "Bah," grumbled another as he belched from too much beer, "Prob''ly taste good with its fea''rs plucked and skin crisped." "You always have food on the brain, Flint." "Shaddup." The others around the pair groaned and pounced on their bodies to silence their argument, whilst I simply chuckled before turning towards the odd creature. "How do you know it''s a female, San''yuu?" I asked the old Dragonock, of whom shifted uncomfortably for a time. "I''ve bedded one," he sighed as the back of his head was rubbed by his right clawed hand, whilst his left pointed towards its off head, "It''s the eyes. You can see they are much larger than normal, which denotes its femininity. Also, they''re much shorter than the males, of whom are quite beautiful whilst the others have dull features." Indeed, this one did have dull colours about its features, and as to its shape... Have you ever seen a stork? They are a type of bird which is found in a variety of books, as well as towards the southern part of this continent. In any case, think of a standard bird within your mind and add long legs to it. Now stretch its body by half a metre, and fluff its body up with the bottom half full of dark coloured feathers, and the top half with white. This creature''s wingspan is about twice its body length, and has a long neck and beak. Quite the odd creature, a stork is, and this one was much like it. Save for the fact that it had the height of an adult female kitsune, and about the same build as one, but with feathers, a beak, and wings instead of fur. "It looks to be coming back around," muttered Sal''ruum, of whom pointed towards the avian who had been seated into a chair in front of our persons. This caused the commotion from the dwarves to halt, as they turned with curious and glinting eyes full of greed towards such a creature. "Wha-?" It squawked softly, then gasped, "The children!" Of which caused my Undying to groan audibly, as my eyes narrowed with anger. "What children?" A2 Chapter 38 AN: Thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _________________________ "Why did you all groan from her statement about children?" Asked San''yuu who was perplexed about such a thing. Whereas Siuun and Shoriin were busy staring at the Avian female as though deciding whether or not is was edible. "The Master will move heaven and earth for a child," replied Sal''ruum with a groan as he rubbed his right shoulder slowly whilst rotating the arm. "He''s already done that, Sal''ruum," piped in Val''ruum, "Three times for the same child, then simply destroyed the whole of the world in order to rescue it from some more unsavory characters." The elder Dragonock''s eyes widened at such a revelation, "He destroyed a world? What of the other children, not to mention the rest of the populace?" "They died after I destroyed the world they lived upon," my voice punctured their conversation as they slowly turned to witness my eyes flaring a baleful crimson upon their bodies, "For one child, I destroyed a world. This I would do so again and again if necessary. Now, sit and attend to my thoughts whilst we listen to the creature''s speech. "Well?" I called out to the odd stork-like creature before us. My question seemed to have startled it, as it leapt from the seat it was provided. "Please," it chirped towards my person, "They have my children." "This is suspicious, Lord," whispered San''yuu, of whom I turned to slightly as though my attention was diverted completely. This was simply to allow the other to believe I was not paying heed to it, of which seemed to be searching the area for something. This was indeed suspicious, as many who were frantic would only glance around before settling back upon the one in charge. "The Avian who not be flying around at night, nor would any other creature for that matter. Certainly, they could make use of a torch, but that would only make it a target for the denizens of the darkness." "Hmm," I hummed softly before circling around the table to grip the creature by its neck. Of whom squawked loudly and tried its best to attack my person with its beak and talon-like feet, but to no avail. For I simply did not care, and dragged the creature out into the night where a large group of dwarves were drinking. Upon my appearance, however, they did stop to stare at the creature within my grasp. "Gahn," my voice thundered throughout the night, as a portal which seemed to absorb the darkness around us. From here, my stone servant appeared, but in the form of my skeletal self. However, once it turned to spy my smaller form, its body did condense and shrink in on itself in order to become a mirrored kobold with silver specks scattered about its person. Quite an amazing feat, if one ever saw it transform its body to mirror my own. Unfortunately, it could never smooth out the rough features, nor create a pair of eyes, but everything else was exact. "Show me Gahn," I commanded, as my free clawed hand was stripped of flesh, blood, and tendon, "Show me the world around us." Soon afterwards, I plunged my skeletal, clawed hand into the stone body which received it willingly. Once inside, the poisons within my bones were swiftly pumped into itself in order to fuel the spell which it had used quite often in my presence. "<>." The stone creature''s arms stretched forth and sank into the ground, as lines of emerald spread out all around our persons. In front of my person came a detailed and up to date map of everything within the light of our torches, and a kilometre around us. These were in the form of dirt and stone collected within such a map, and many of the dwarves were amazed by the replicas of themselves. Even going so far as to dance, whilst the others watched the little avatar of himself dance in time. However, what caught my attention was not the dwarves and their curiosity, but of the world outside our enclosed space. For within the darkness beyond were creatures both large and small circling us. Each of these such creatures were strange, as though Gahn''s ability could not fully form them upon his map. Of which had me enthralled by such a thing, and I desired a few for myself. Unfortunately, such a desire would not be fulfilled. For once the Avian''s eyes fell upon the living map, it shrieked loudly with a single word, "Kill." Once it spoke such a thing, its neck was crushed by my grip. Of which seemed to shock the other, as the essences within fled from this world and into whatever fate awaited it in the next. "Stand up, O ye Sons of Hephaestus," my voice thundered once more, "Let the anvils ring high and the drums of battle begin. Tonight, O Sons of the Blacksmith God, let us bathe in the blood of our enemies, for tonight we march to war." A great and boisterous howl echoed my thunder, as golden lights and flames of orange engulfed the dwarves. Once the light and flame receded, the dwarves were coated in golden armour with flame-like weapons of various sizes in their grips. "You heard ''im, lads, kill the beasties!" Howled one of their number, as the first of the strange creatures leapt over the carts towards my immediate left. Of which seemed to be a cross between a multitude of creatures from furred and scaled creatures, to those with wings and can swim in the sea. "Chimera," howled another dwarf, as it struck the flank of one of the creatures with his gold and flame coated whip. A Chimera, by the by, is a creature born of an alchemical experiment in order to create the perfect creature. Such a thing is normally banned upon various worlds, and yes, I''ve banned such a thing on a few worlds I govern beyond our own. For you see, my dear audience, although such a thing can lead to great fame and wealth, it can also disrupt the balance of the world proper. As such a thing is nearly always much more intelligent than the one it created, and can perform acts which could lead to the destruction of an area, or the entirety of the world it lives on. For these such reasons do we ban the creatures from our worlds, and condemn such practitioners for doing so. However, this being the Abyss, the worlds do not have such laws and are allowed much freedom. A pair of voices erupted into a howl, as two short bodies in gold and flame leapt from the back of Gahn, and onto a chimera with the maw of a cobra, and the body which seemed to be a cross between a bear, lion, and eagle. These three rolled around onto the ground, as the flame coated weapons and armour found purchase into the creature. Whereas the other screamed into the night as it could not find the soft flesh of the pair attacking it. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. To my immediate right was Shauu and her Brood Mother, as they growled low and dangerously towards a pair of creatures with the heads of a tiger, and the body of a mixture of serpents and fish. These two leapt upon my Undying and her pet, tackling them to the ground as another leapt high, aiming for my person. However, Auua screeched through the air, intercepting this other whilst striking its flesh with five metallic fists. "Protect the Master," cried out the twins, as I removed my clawed hand from Gahn. This allowed it to grow in size to mirror my skeletal self, and plunged into the mass of abominable creatures which tore through one of carts of our caravan. Such a thing would become a pain to deal with later, but for now I simply sighed heavily as my eyes did spy Siuun and Shoriin clinging to a smaller chimera as they struck at its neck with tooth and claw. "I can protect myself," my voice was full of frustration, as the twins struck at anything which tried to come close, "You two should just-" A belch resounded greatly behind my person, as a gout of orange flame accompanied it. This came from the dwarf called Flint, of whom wielded a golden tankard and a leg of roasted meat. Whenever he drank from the tankard, he would belch greatly as a burst of flame erupted from his throat. This would always result in him laughing greatly at such a thing, as he simply walked around drinking or eating before releasing another gout of flame upon the creatures before him. "You always did have food on the brain, Flint," I chuckled at his form. Whereas he growled a simple, "Shaddap." * The fight would continue well into the morning, of which caused my mind a few slivers of frustration. As I would normally watch the day-star rise to greet the world beneath it, and could not due to the fact that there were countless chimera corpses lying about the area. Not to mention the destruction caused to our caravan would, by no means, take time to repair. Of course, I could simply use my magicks to fix it all, but conceded to the dwarves who desired to fix everything. They seemed to hold a lot of pride when it comes to menial tasks which could be fixed within mere moments. "Yah, ye could do tha'', lad, but ye would nah know wha'' broke in the firs'' place," commented an old dwarf who wore a peculiar helmet full of gadgets I''ve never before seen, "If ye did nah know wha'' broke, then how will ye know wha'' ta look fer when i'' brakes again?" "The wood and iron axel broke due to the rending of claws across the surface," I pointed towards the claw marks, then sighed as he glared towards my person. Afterwards, I simply pulled out several tools and anvils for the dwarves to beat away at. of which caused many of their eyes to sparkle and clamour to touch the objects. "Where did ya get these, boy?" Asked several of the dark bearded dwarves, of whom seemed to be rather agitated about something. To this end, I simply chuckled and waved at the objects, "You are not the only ones who can be overly greedy, good dwarf. Consider them a gift for your continuing services towards my person." They became rather noisy soon afterwards, but this lasted merely a few moments, as the sounds of rhythmic iron beating on iron resounded around the ruined campsite. It was, for lack of a proper word, melodious. For the hammer ringing against the anvil caused many to become trapped inside a trance of some sort, calling upon all who are able to help with the project at hand. No. I and my Undying were not under its spell, but the others were, and they crowded around my person as I was the only one with access to fresh iron ore. Of which I relented with a smirk, as we watched those charmed by the anvil''s song. By the by, this anvil is called the Heart of Hephaestus, and is capable of many things when one begins to hammer away at it. This did not result in them singing, but instead creating new carts and carriages for our little caravan. It was desired by the one who first rang it, of whom was the old dwarf with the strange helmet. Ah, the caravan did not rely on horses, or some other beast of burden to pull it. Instead, they were each tethered together and pulled by my magicks. What the dwarves had built was something similar, but instead of a multitude of carts and carriages, they built a single line of them with a main cabin at the front in order to lead the whole of it. Of course, whilst this occurred, I was busy with my apprentices in showing them how to draw inscriptions upon the wood''s surface in order to draw out items and good from my Void Space. It was a rather dull and tedious explanation, but necessary if they had even a sliver of hope of surviving the trials I would set for the pair. These trials will be long and arduous, as I shall be sending them far from my person in order to complete such tasks. For now, though, they would need to pay heed to my lectures, no matter how boring it may appear. "We''re ready lad," called out one of the dark haired dwarves, of whom was covered in grease and soot whilst holding a leg of roasted meat close to his maw. "Wow," cooed Siuun, as Shoriin echoed her amazement at the sight of such a caravan. For in front of our persons was a prototype which would soon become what is known as a "Locomotion", or a "Train" as many of the summoned Travelers would call it. This contraption looked much like an eight cart caravan, but instead of each being pulled by a team of beasts or simply tied together with rope or cord, they were each hooked together by iron hooks which seemed to be weak at first glance. The carts themselves had something akin to long shields welded into the sides, as well as iron bands to hold down the boxes which were being loaded onto each. All in all, they were box shaped themselves, and had thicker wheels which seemed to be needing constantly greasing whilst upon the move. Else we would be subjected to a constant squeak which would drive even myself to seek out and injure something greatly. "Lad, we''re ready if your magicks are ready to move this behemoth of metal forward." This came from the same dwarf who had provoked Flint into a minour scuffle the night prior to this creation. "Does it have a name yet?" I asked, as I closed my eyes to send forth my energies into the whole of the caravan. This would allow a more complete control over it, and seemed to come to life as it was filled with my might. "No," came his reply, of which I simply nodded. "Then it shall be called ''Nocte in Spica'', or ''Night''s Spike''." A2 Chapter 39 AN: Thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________________ Far from the chaos of the battle between the servants of a lone god, stood a great wall of stone and magick. Behind such a wall was the bustling city of Leonis Superbia, or Lion''s Pride. This city was called as such due to the monarchy''s favoured race of Lion. It was considered the last bastion of the wilderness, as they were situated within the second continent of O''laan where much of the land is left untamed by the hands of the industrialists. It was here that many relied on the items and consumables brought in from the port city of Freeport, but with it gone, many resulted in venturing out into the forests to scrounge for foods and products necessary to keep the city alive and thriving. However, the death toll has climbed since its destruction, as many simply refused to step out of the city after the remnants of the mercenary companies and adventurers returned with news of great monsters erupting from the forests to attack them whilst many of their number approached the ruined port city. The official report omitted many important information, but it soon cycled through the city regardless. Such as the leader of these monsters rode in on a dragon of silver, and that its race was draconic in nature. This seemed to spur many of the monarch''s guards to seek out and quell the slaves, of whom were Dragonock and Draconian. Of which cause many to rile up in a minour revolt against their "masters", but were quashed almost as soon as it began. "Veni Deus Venenum is coming for you," many of them cackled as they were hanged until death took them. This seemed to cause many to panic, and send out their seers'' eyes in order to find this being who claimed such a title. Unfortunately, none could detect even a trace of it, which seemed to placate many of the populace''s worries. Save for those few who had witnessed the blind fanaticism of those who were sentenced to death. They truly believed in such a being, of which caused the monarchy in general to cast out their own seers'' eyes into the darkness in order to divine the whereabouts of it. However, they would not receive an answer until a sennight had past, but it was not one they desired to hear. "A monster is fast approaching," whispered a group of five hooded individuals within a dark room near the throne room of the reigning monarch. Of whom was called Ramses, "You must bar the gates and do not allow such a creature within the walls." "What do you mean?" Asked a deep, robust voice which echoed throughout the room of the seers. "This creature, no, this Demon has destroyed innumerable lives, and has set its sights upon your city." As one, the hooded individuals turned towards the voice and screamed as their bodies erupted into emerald and sapphire flames. All the while, a slow and thunderous laughter echoed throughout the room. This caused the monarch, Nero, to flee from such a room as though his life depended upon it, whilst shouting for the guards to ring the bell and close the gates. * The day-star began to set upon the horizon of the seventh turn after the destruction caused against the mercenaries and adventurers, when the bells of brass within the city were stuck with high and low notes. This signified that danger was approaching the city, and to either hide within or find someplace safe. These bells continued to ring, even when the day-star was no longer visible, as many who could wield a bow were ushered to the walls. "Something is coming in fast from the north," cried out a seer atop the walls, pointing in the direction it spoke of. All eyes near it squinted within the darkness and held their breath with anticipation, as soft echoes of a great and terrible howl reached their ears. Many hairs stood on end, as others brought out contraptions simply known as "Telescopes" for those of whom had a much greater rank than the rest of the populace atop the walls. These items would allow them to perceive everything within a great distance, and many gasped as they spoke of a silver beast charging straight towards their wall without any inclinations of stopping. Few had taken the liberty of explaining what they see, whilst the rest simply shook for the sight of such a creature. From what those atop the walls could piece together, this creature was long and bulky. It had four green, glowing eyes on either side of its head, and seemed to move freely whilst lighting the area in front of it. They did not see its maw, and could only surmise it contained many jagged rows of teeth. However, there was, in fact, streams of smoke coming from such a maw, and howled an ungodly howl which all within the city could hear as it continued its approach. These small descriptions, coupled with the fact that it will arrive shortly, caused many an imagination to soar towards new heights, as the howls continued to grow ever louder. However, there were many who remained calm, even when their own bodies quaked in fear. These individuals held up there bows and spears, or began their incantations to fire upon the creature when it approached. This seemed to calm many around them, as they also took up their weapons and prepared themselves for a great battle ahead. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.Unfortunately for them, this would never come to pass. For as soon as the beast was within visual range, it slowed and arched away from the wall they stood upon. All who witnessed such a sight were perplexed, but soon shook it off as the arching of its body caused it to circle around and away from their city as though searching for something. "What''s it doing?" Whispered many, as they stared at the creature''s strange behaviour. "Don''t know," was the reply to such a question, as many have never before seen such a thing in the whole of their lifetime. "Seems ta be searching fer sumfing," whispered a male in rags with a bow and few arrows in its grasp. Indeed it was, as the creature before them twisted and turned its body whilst traversing the outskirts of the wall for a time. That is, until it found the north gate and coiled in on itself near it. This action seemed to alarm many of whom were considered to be the monarchy''s best strategists, and ordered everyone to kill the creature quickly. However, a voice flew upon the air around their ears, "Ah, ah, ah," it chuckled lightly, "You should not try such a thing, as we''ve come for trade and you would be denying the sustenances and items your city desperately needs. Especially when your port city has been claimed by the monsters of this land." "What?!" Cried out many from the castle situated in the centre of the city, as they pushed others out of the way in order to view a peculiar sight. For far below was an unknown beastman surrounded by the emerald lightings many had whispered about in fear. Of whom waved once at those above him, then began to bark several orders towards those of whom had yet to be seen. These unknowns grunted and grumbled, as the coiled beast''s flesh opened up to reveal crates and boxes of various sizes. "I''m sure you have something which will allow you to view our goods," called out the male far below them. of whom held up a torch of orange flame over several boxes and crates as their lids were removed. This action caused those with telescopes to stare in shock at the amount of items within such containers. many of which seemed to be new to nearly all. However, there seemed to be a rush for the gate when they removed the lids and coverings of the containers holding produce and meats. Along with such consumables were spices of unknown qualities, of which flowed towards their noses as though by magick. This action caused many to sneeze, as it tickled their noses in such a way. "You must not allow it inside the city," shouted a new voice. This individual was shrouded in a stained, white hooded robe and was being led forward by a pair of thin Draconians with flaking scales. These two seemed malnourished, and drooled as the spices and scents of the consumables from below wafted into their nostrils. Their eyes even watered a bit, as they stared about with faces of longing hunger and desired such things. However, they were each chained with a choker around their necks, of which were tightened by the now angered robed creature. "It will only bring destruction to us all." "Says the fat oaf who would rather starve out the city whilst you and yours eat what is left within it," growled another which seemed familiar to the whole of the crowd. Indeed, as it was the odd beastman who voiced such an opinion, as he stood glaring down upon the robed creature with bored anger. "I have it on good authority that you and your kind," a strange, white staff seemed to have grown out of his right clawed hand, and pointed it at the other just as a skull emerged from the tip, "have been eating your way through the emergency rations this city will be imposing upon its citizens soon enough." The one being accused sputtered with rage at such an accusation, whilst the odd being before them shrugged and produced a couple of strips of meat. These were then presented to the Draconians, of whom devoured such treats quickly before their owner could contradict their actions. "I have more," he said, stroking their heads slowly, "but if you eat too much too quickly, you will both fall dangerously ill." These words seemed to calm their anxiety, but not their hunger as they continued to stare at his clawed hands as though there was more food within them. "What are you?" Whispered a female within the crowd of beastfolk and Kin, as they slowly enclosed around his body. Of whom seemed to vanish and reappear far below the wall. "What am I?" Whispered his voice above the now shocked crowd, "I am, but a simple merchant come to sell my wares." A2 Chapter 40 AN: Found a DnD group last night, and would recommend such an experience to anyone willing to try it out. Anyways, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _____________________________ The day-star had flown towards its zenith, when the gates of the city before us opened slowly to release a wide variety of beastfolk and Kin in varying degrees of armour. They appeared to be quite hesitant in approaching our mode of transportation, even when spying the various items being sold for barely much of anything to those of whom could not enter the city the night prior. Indeed, and many of them came away with large armfuls of foodstuffs, clothing, and even a few weapons or tools for farming. This seemed to cause the surrounding populace, of whom were mostly farmers or adventurous hunters, to flock and browse the wares I and mine had come to sell. Yes. We had decided to play as merchants and guards, as opposed to simple conquerors. You may find it strange, but after repeating the same actions for so long will end up boring. There is only so much death and carnage one could stand, before searching for other outlets to relieve one''s desire of conquest. My Undying were the first to note the armoured and fearful individuals approaching, as I was busy giving sweets to a pair of red Fox-kins who seemed to enjoy head pets more than the sweets given. Of course, they were disappointed by the lack of pets after we were called away, but became delighted when they realised we would be in the area for a time. "Yay," they celebrated happily in their higher pitched and adorable voices, scampering away towards what I assumed was their mother. Of whom had a basket strapped to her back filled with fruits and vegetables, with a basket of a variety of meats. These three then waved towards my person before disappearing into the copse of trees nearby. Standing tall, I stretched for a moment then turned to greet the newly arrived creatures. Of which seemed to scatter to peruse the items within each of my crates and boxes, even daring to try a few of the samples laid out in front of Flint. He was not at all pleased with being in charge of such a thing, as he would rather eat them than share with the "talking beasties". "Did you find anything of interest?" I asked the one who appeared to be in charge. This individual was of the Tiger beastfolk, but had a different set of colours about her person. Instead of coloured fur which shaded from red-orange to white with black stripes about the body, this one had violet fur shading to black with gold and white stripes. Not to mention her eyes, which were crimson orbs with black slits, as opposed to the normal gold of regular tigers. However, her armour seemed to have been hastily donned and needed to be scrapped. The armour itself was of plain iron with many dents and holes, not to mention the amount of rust would cause anyone to believe it would fall apart at the first tap of a sword against it. Certainly, she had a chest size about her, but it was not a large one as many seemed to expect. Instead, it was of a modest size, and yet the armour seemed to be rather tight against her body. "No," she spoke in a deep voice, but even I can see that it was forced whilst her eyes seemed to sparkle at the sight of so many foodstuffs. Her eyes then widened at another section where a large number of the dwarves were putting together a variety of armour and weapon stands for the coming customers. They had been making the most noise during the entirety of the turn, and had been made a mockery of by the various groups of children which came from who knows where. The one who was most aggrieved by such antics of the children was Flint, of whom had decided to forgo the sharing of the food in order to feed the pit he called a stomach. This would lead him to run from drooling children who desired to eat his food, and had even dared to raise a weapon against them. However, this had caught my attention, and I being who I was came down like a hammer upon his body. Thus, he was left in such a predicament where he had to watch the free samples being eaten by others, and not to touch them himself. Now, the Tiger beastwoman had dashed off to stare at the armour set in front of her, whilst a small group of dwarves were in the process of stripping her damaged and rusted wear off her body. They were disgusted by what they saw, and wanted it destroyed. When she raised an objection about such a suggestion, she became small and meek from the multitude of dwarven eyes which glared at her body. This led to her being lectured in front of those who were supposedly the underlings, and many had decided to snicker and point at the other in mockery. This led to the rest of the dwarves seemingly coming out of nowhere to drag those in armour over to be lectured on the importance of maintaining their equipment. They also had a sales pitch thrown at their captive audience in order to sell their wares. many of which were being crafted before their very eyes, and many of which brought out their measly savings in order to purchase such items. However, what truly astonished them was the low price of it all, and many walked away with new armour for a handful of copper coins. This led to the eyes of those considered as "Noble" to cast their gaze in our general direction. Of which led to a few trying to purchase our wares in bulk, but were vehemently denied. "My master is willing to pay you in gold," spouted a nasal-voiced Mouse beastman, of whom seemed to sweat profusely under the gaze of my star-filled eyes and the hungered stares of the twins, "He wants to purchase everything for this." A large bag of clinking coins was held out in front of its person, as Sal''ruum stalked forward to snatch such the container away and opened it in front of the male. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. "Gold on top," he grumbled, using one clawed finger to sift through the rest, "but mostly copper." The bag was tossed over the beastman''s head, causing the coins to spill onto the road and in front of several rag torn individuals. Of whom dashed out to collect as many of the coins before being chased away by the male''s accompanied guards. "You," it began, shaking with barely controlled anger, "You wi-" "If you say something along the lines of, ''You will pay for this,'' then you best be able to back such a claim," I growled as Shauu appeared with her Brood Mother and I with my staff of bone, "Many have claimed I shall pay for this or that, but none had the gall to bring about my demise. So no, I shall not be paying for anything, and your ''lord'' will have to bring much more if he, or she, desires our wares." The male left with a huff, promising some sort of retribution upon our heads. Of which caused my person to shrug and shake my head as Siuun and Shoriin nudged right leg. "Papa," she whined greatly, "I''m hungry." This statement, coupled with a whine from the small basilisk caused my person to chuckle as I bent over to lift their small forms before carrying them off towards the stall governed by Flint. ***** "So what do you think?" Grumbled King Ramses, of whom glared down upon a large tent which had sprung up earlier that turn from his perch atop the wall. From his eyes alone, he had witnessed several altercations of blatant theft being handled not with force, but with words. This, coupled with the fact that the odd beastman seemed to handle himself well when under pressure brought on by the nobles of his court, caused his mind to darken considerably. This was only so, as the one before him was what seemed to be a new and unknown player in their game of "Court Intrigue". "Do we invite this odd one, or continue to watch?" "I shall vote for an invite, Great King Ramses," belched a white robed, old Bear-kin. Whose round body and greasy face only showed how much of a glutton it was. For this one was in charge of their "religion" which instilled a type of tithe which tells others to give up much of their wealth in order to be allowed into the gates of their "heaven". This led to many of those with great authority to abuse the good will of their followers by spending the wealth gained from them on whores, good food, and as much wine and beer as they could stomach. "Do you not see all of their food and wealth? Just imagine if we had it. We could... I don''t know, but we could live well for many seasons to come." "Not to mention with the destruction of Freeport," grumbled a second voice, of which belonged to a female Avian whose shape was that of a raven, "we will have to rely on Lothal for goods until a force from the mainland could come and take care of the monsters roaming around our port city." "Which is nearly a full month away, as opposed to a sennight of hard travel from Freeport," growled the king, "This is too suspicious. What with the destruction of the port and his arrival? It''s like he planned this out." "Yes," agreed the Avian, but held up her right wing immediately afterwards, "Or he could have come from Lothal, or even from another port city we do not know about. Just look at him," her beak motioned towards the odd beastman, of whom was currently entertaining a small crowd of children and adults with his display of magicks, "If he was upon the mainland, they''d probably have placed him in a slave collar due to his exotic looks." The old Kin snorted as it drank deeply from a large tankard filled with a frothy brew, "Most of your kind would probably try to breed with the bloody guy." "And why not?" She shot back, "With his looks and talent, there would not be a female out there who would not try to drag him into bed." "Peace," whispered the Lion beastman, who shivered as the starry gaze of the dark furred other looked into his eyes from the far ground below. This led to him tearing his gaze away like many of the weak-willed creatures had done so to him when his gaze fell into their own. Closing his eyes, he sighed and rubbed his muzzle slowly, "He''s probably from the third continent, as many of that region have just started popping up all over the place." "True," chirped the female, who seemed to drool as she watched the male far below remove his vest in order to soak his body in a large bucket of water. "What''s he doing now?" "Bathing," whispered a haunting voice which had drifted around their ears. This caused the trio to jump, or would have if the Kin had not fallen onto the ground beneath it. Laughter echoed around their forms, growing ever distant as they shivered from the unknown voice which had seemingly come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. A2 Chapter 41 AN: And now the hints as to what is happening elsewhere. Next chapter, though... :D Thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ___________________________ "Denied," I growled at the large group of soldiers wearing a more expensive attire of garments and armour. They had come to the communal tent shared between my person, the apprentices, Undying, and the dwarves. The dwarves were placed near the entrance of our tent, as they are the loudest even when they sleep. Which led to Brutus claiming they could even wake the restless dead before he had a chance to revive them into his services. This led to them alerting all others when this group of beings appeared in front of the shared tent when the day-star had just started its trek across the world of Azara. It seemed to us they were willing to invite us in, save for the twins and my appointed apprentices. Of the latter, they appeared insistent upon executing Siuun as she was considered a "Crazed Child". This led to my growling towards those before us, as I lifted the girl-child in endarkened leathers onto my right shoulder, and Shoriin crawling up my body to perch atop my head. "You will not harm them, and if one tries, then the entirety of this city will suffer for your sins against my person." "She is crazed and needs to be destroyed before she has a chance to afflict us with its madness," stated one of the few clothed beings, of whom were of the Lion beastman race. These signaled a few of those in armour to unsheathe their swords and advance slowly upon my position. However, "You will not touch them," my voice thundered as my eyes glowed with a fierce crimson. The air about us grew heavy, as the skies darkened with shadowed clouds full of violet and emerald lightnings. This led to several streaks of such lightnings to strike down upon those who drew their swords in an attempt to slay the child who was mostly curious about these turns of events, and giggled with the clapping of her clawed hands at the strength of my rage reduced the offenders to piles of dust and ash. Once they were reduced to such piles, did my eyes return to their normal colours and depictions of our constellations, as well as the skies clearing themselves free of the clouds. Those still living had fallen to the ground and many had soiled themselves, if only from Siuun''s observation of, "Ew," gave any inclination. "You desire to have my person within your walls, and yet you dared to strike against I and mine? What is to stop us from attacking your city and destroying all that you hold near and dear to your hearts?" A leakage of energy slowly fell from my body, as I enacted an intimidation spell which made my appearances grow until those in front of my person stared upon the heavens with great fear. However, I was still of my average height, and this spell was only an illusion which made my targets believe I had become much larger than previous. This led to many creating a rush back towards the gate with which they had first come out of, as they screamed as though each were being murdered by my person. Eventually, they would return to whomever had sent them. For now, though, the turn had just begun, and there were many hungry mouths which had only now appeared with so few coins with which to purchase a large variety of foods from my wares. ***** "You stupid fools," rampaged Ramses, of whom had thrown a large vase towards the lions who were sent with an invitation for the odd beastman. They were to invite all of them, which included those he believed were the other''s slaves, despite their appearances. At this point in time, the king was upon his throne with a haste filled dressing about his shoulders. This was so that he may accept those before him and hear their words, else he would still be asleep at this time. However, if he had been half asleep when the lions first appeared, their words awoke him with much anger. "You were supposed to invite him and his into the city, not start a war by trying to kill one of his slaves," he growled towards the others of his kind, "Guards, throw them into the pit for their disobedience." "No," they wailed as one of their number rushed out of the room, only to find its chest pierced by several long spears of the guards outside. It was not killed immediately, as the eyes of such a creature frantically moved about in their sockets, whilst the body continued to move down the length of the spears in a desperate attempt to flee from its king''s decree. Whereas the others were aptly detained and shackled in irons, the one impaled had reached the hands of those holding the spears with a smile upon its features as the lights within its eyes finally faded away. "Clean up the mess," growled the lion upon his throne of gold and satin, as more guards and a wide variety of servants with buckets and mops appeared within the room. Once the servants sloshed the stone floor in an effort to scrub the blood away, did he leave the room with great anger. This anger led him away from the now active castle, and down into the depths of a secret chamber beneath his bed. Within such a chamber, though dimly lit from candles, was a large orb of a dark stone. This stone, though it did not have a name for it, was used with communication with the mainland. More importantly, to his father King Nero the first. "Well?" Grumbled a very old Lion who was more skeletal than alive and wore more gold and jewels than necessary. "I haven''t got all day, boy. What do you want?" "There''s an odd beastman here who brought food and other items, but we''ve now pissed him off." "Is that all?" Grumbled the other with a thoroughly annoyed look. "Is that really all you came to tell me about?" "No," Ramses shook his mane filled head, "This one was able to call down lightning to kill without any incantations, or what have you." "Oh?" Nero''s eyes sparkled as a large tongue licked the right side of his muzzle with anticipation. "Yes, but he''s threatening to destroy the city because an idiot tried to kill a Crazed Child under his care." This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Did they succeed?" "If they did, I would be upon the walls with him and his attacking us." Ramses''s right clawed hand absentmindedly scratched behind his right ear slowly, "Bah. Enough about this; it''ll be dealt with by the eve. What of the ''dragon problem''?" A resounding chuckle flooded the chamber the younger king was occupying, "Hah. The idiot has killed the bastard after being a thorn in our side for so long," the older''s eyes glinted in the candlelight, "Him and his have been sent off to the third continent to kill that one. What of your end?" "The idiot you sent us went off and disappeared, and the tracker vanished the moment those monsters attacked Freeport," came an anger filled answer as a candle holder flew across the chamber to clatter against the distant wall. "Such a waste." ***** The day-star had reached its zenith when another invitation came for us to venture into the city. This time, it came with the promise that none of my servants would be harmed, no matter how crazed they appeared. Instead of the lions and their guards, we were approached by several wolf beastwomen who were sent as a "gift" to appease my person after the threat of harm towards Siuun. These females seemed eager to please, but were terrified of my presence and strange eyes. Thus, they were given over to Shauu for evaluation, as I would not bed anyone beyond my beloved Sarah. Yes. Many would be shocked to note I had such thoughts, as many, including yourselves, would jump at the chance of having a "harem". Myself, in particular, was not at all thrilled with the thought of sharing my body with more than one, and still do not understand why others find enjoyment of such antics. Perhaps it is a desire to spread one''s seed throughout the land to ensure one''s line is secured. Who knows? In any case, I deigned to not accept parts of their invitation, as several merchants from within their city brought with them a contract of sorts after the breaking of my servants'' fast. They did their best to have my person''s mark upon such a contract in order to reap in the "profits" I had been making. This, along with the rights to sell my products would cause their coffers to swell, but I chose not to. Of course, this caused their mind to boil with barely concealed anger, as I had come to sell, they willing to buy, but still chose to do nothing. They had come before my person with all their cards laid bare, believing I could not read nor understand their quick speech patterns. However, even a child of the Ogre race would understand it was being cheated, especially when they used smaller words despite my person showing I had more intelligence than they. "Perhaps they themselves are the idiots, Master," spoke up Val''ruum, of whom had a bored look about his features and even went as far as to yawn in their faces on many occasions. "Silence your pets, good sir," growled one of their number, "or we shall silence them for you." A glint of iron was revealed from within the clothing of this one, and yelped loudly when it found itself floating in the air. "What is the meaning of this," it growled as my own silvered energies invaded its mind. Of which caused its body to spasm and convulse greatly as it extracted everything within its mind. This led to an orb of silvered energies slowly forming out of its skull within mere moments of attacking the mind, and entered my own. "I see," my voice was barely a murmur, as the images spread out before me in the form of conspiring individuals bent on taking everything that I hold and giving back only a few pennies from the gold they would be making. The knowledge gained was soon spread to my gathered servants by way of a duplication spell I use constantly amongst them, and they each glared at the merchants who were exuding faces full of confusion. "You are to leave, or you will die." My voice was slow and calm, whereas those around us were slowly drawing upon their weapons and abilities. These actions, coupled with the rapidly decaying body of their compatriot, was enough of an incentive to make them scarce. Upon the day-star reaching its zenith, as I had spoken of before, did the gates open with another courtier surrounded by guards approach our communal tent in order to ask of our presence within. There was even an invitation for all, including the Draconians and Dragonocks, to attend to a party within the moon-turn. It was a long ways away, and I did not need to answer at this time. However, I was not going to bring my wares into the city. Instead, they would sit outside to be sold to those who desire them, whereas those of whom wished to venture inwards could, but with an escort. Except for the dwarves, who were tasked with one very important mission. "Buy everything that suits your fancy," my voice shook the earth around those gathered, as I handed each a purse filled with one hundred gold coins. Each was twice as thick as the minted coins these beastfolk and Kin used, and will be enough to begin the next battle of attrition. "Everything, lad?" Asked one of their number, as each had the glint of madness within them from staring at the coins for too long. "Everything and anything. From wine and whores, to food and whatever blacksmithing sites they have. I care not, but you are each required to spend it all before returning here. Which means, good dwarves, every day you enter that city, you are to spend one hundred of my gold coins in order to flood their market." "Boy, do you even have that much gold?" Nearly all grumbled loudly at the paltry sum in their grasp, as I motioned them inside the tent and towards the far back where my personal servants slept. It was here that I opened a large portal into my Void Space, in order to reveal mountains upon mountains of gold, jewels, ores, cloth, and food. Everything. Anything. It was all here within my Void Space, and I revealed it all before their very eyes. "Do I have enough gold?" A2 Chapter 42 AN: Thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. Also, thank you to our newest readers for joining in on our little black parade, and for the blitz readers. Glad to have you on board as we push on through the darkness. ________________________ "Now watch, Siuun," I murmured softly towards the girl-child, of whom had been staring at my open palm with great fascination. As a variety of inscriptions and geometrical patterns flowed outwards from the centre. These were my most basic spells, and I was to impart such knowledge to the child before my person, as well as San''yuu who watched from my left side. It was difficult to attract the attention of one such as her, especially with her mind the way it was. This led to many altercations with the guards within the city, as they were each conflicted with their orders. As it turned out, a "Crazed Child", no matter whose house it belonged to, was to be executed immediately before it became a terror upon the land. Apparently, the main land had its fair share of Crazed Children running around destroying their works with whatever was on hand. If they learned any magick, as I was about to give to her, then the havoc caused by their rampages would increase until they simply explode from too much energy built up within their small bodies. Even the after effects of the explosions caused by their bodies left the land in ruins for multiple generations, and the capitol, of which this little king journeyed from, was at the epicentre of one particular blast. This blast took out half of the capitol, and spoiled the land with the lingering magicks in the land. This even spread to the survivors, but in a form far worse than any were able to perceive. For their children were born into the world with great mutations, and if any survived the initial stages of childhood, then they grew up into the greatest of monsters and were often hunted down for various reasons. Yes, I would continue with her training, despite these warnings. Regardless of what they may believe, the guards were not allowed to touch Siuun. Thus, they were conflicted and would often complain to their superiors, who would in turn beg my person to rescind my desires of keeping her alive and so close to everything still living. "No," I would tell them with an annoyed look about my features, "It was your kind which made her thusly. Therefore, she will stay alive until I deem it necessary for her to perish." Returning to what I had begun with, the inscriptions and patterns continued to grow until it was the length of her head, when a small tendril shot out of the centre and struck the top of her cranium. This led to her giving out a minour yelp of pain, but quieted down as a variety of lights danced in front of her eyes. These were tasked with confusing and entertaining her mind, whilst the basic tendril fed her brain with the basic philosophies of my magicks. Of course, she would not be able to utilise it fully after it was completed. As such a thing would be far too powerful for one such as her, and she would most likely explode from its usage. Instead, she was given only the basic necessities in order for her to grow accustomed to this new found gift bestowed upon her. Yes. There will come a time when she will most likely absorb too much energy, or use an exceeding amount, but that time was towards the far future. Once the basic tendril completed its task, did Siuun fall into my arms and into whatever dreams awaited her. Yes. Too much information flooding one''s mind would cause anyone to fall over from the shock of it all. More so if that being was a child, of whom would sleep for a few turns whilst under the care of Shauu and her Brood Mother. As for San''yuu, the same treatment was given to his mind, but only left him with a migraine to which he left my presence in order to rest. This left my mind empty, as I had nothing better to do beyond exploring the city. However, I was constantly bothered by their guards, as they were tasked to watch my person wherever I went. Most likely, they reported my movements with great detail, as I perused the markets of their wares. No. I did not purchase anything, as I had no need. For the dwarves had "cleaned out" most of the stores'' items during the first turn after giving them each a small purse of one hundred gold coins. Such things had little value, by the by, when one holds enough wealth to cause even the gods to grow envious. Yes, and many would try to claim such a wealth, but none have even come close. Ah, but when I said I did not purchase anything, I had merely meant I did not purchase that which is not alive. For although the dwarves were allowed to purchase anything to their heart''s content, I had forbidden the purchase of slaves. This would be what I would do, and made a few of the guards escort my person towards their slave market in order to purchase them in bulk. This led to many arguments between themselves about whether or not I was allowed to view such a thing, but put their minds at ease when I handed each a single gold coin. Apparently, my coins were worth ten times as much as their standard gold, as one of their number commented upon such a thing before it was subsequently beaten for revealing a secret. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Oh?" I breathed slowly with bored amazement, as the left side of my lips stretched upwards into a smirk, "That is good to know," and gifted the one who spoke up with another coin. The others glared at the extra wealth given to the guard they had beaten, and became jealous for such a thing. Perhaps they would conspire an accident to befall upon one of their own, but I cared nothing for their petty minds as I was escorted towards a more decrepit part of the city. "The slums," grumbled one of the guards, as their number had doubled to twelve since noticing I was venturing into more hostile territory. "Most of the slaves are sent through here," growled another, as many gripped their weapons as they scanned the area around their persons. No. I did not understand why they were so "jumpy", as my own strengths and magicks would keep anyone at bay. However, I came to understand why they were such a way as several of their numbers fell to arrows jutting from their necks, and their bodies disappearing into the shadows. This happened right as we turned down the street, out of sight of the nearest guardpost. Quite an amazing feat, if one had asked for my opinion, but it was rather troublesome as a multitude of unknowns appeared around us with bows drawn and swords unsheathed. It was... rather clich¨¦d, to be honest, especially when one of their number strode forward to demand we drop our coin, weapons, and everything we wore to the ground for them to take. "And what, pray tell, are you going to use them for?" I asked aloud, rubbing the temples of my head slowly from the imaginary headache forming. "That''s none of your business," cried out a female from amongst the archers. My ears perked and swiveled towards the sound, as it was rather familiar to my person at the time. To this, I merely smirked as I waved my right clawed hand in an arc in order to allow a multitude of endarkened portals to erupt around us. "Come, O Sons of Hephaestus. Let the anvils ring high, and the drums beat once more. Rise up, ye Sons of the Blacksmith God, for we march to war." Dwarves spilt out of my portals, running, howling, and using their golden weapons to strike out against this multitude of thieves. Of whom were now running away from the golden terrors I had unleashed upon them all. Even my supposed guards had fled from my side from the sight of these battle crazed dwarves. Who had then grouped around my person with weapons drawn as we moved away from the slums and towards the guardhouse. My only reason was from the lack of knowledge of the city proper, and the fact that I was quite annoyed from the organisation of such an ambush. Someone had designed such a thing, and I desired to know by whose authority it came from. ***** Far from the scene, and towards the western wall was a small shack with a pair of muscle bound bear-kins. Of whom were tasked with screening everyone who deigned to pass through the door with a book full of images of those allowed within. Within such a place was a dimly lit room with a hatch in the centre, whilst surrounded by boxes, crates, and barrels. If one were to delve into such a hatch, one would come across a long hall of hard-packed earth supported by beams of wood and iron. This tunnel would then branch off around three hundred metres, sending the unwary into either empty rooms full of cobwebs, or chambers filled with relics. However, those of whom know of where to step will find themselves within a ruined throne room far beneath the earth above. It was here that many of the thieves which were supposed to conduct a flawless ambush met and argued amongst one another as to what went wrong. Whereas in a far corner, sharpening a long sword which seemed to glow a dull crimson was a female human with dark hair and fake wolf ears grafted to the top of her skull. These ears were placed atop her head by the one god she believed she loved with all her heart, and thought he loved her as well. Unfortunately, such love was only one direction, as she was cast aside and sent to this forsaken continent in order to find a dragon and kill it so that they may all return home and start the process over once more. However, after the series of events which led to the failure of their perfect ambush, a fire was lit within her, as she had found the one being which could give her the ability to enact her revenge against the god which had tossed her aside. "Hello once more, Canis Dei." A2 Chapter 43 AN: Tomorrow''s chapter is another NSFW one, just to warn you folks ahead of time. As always, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ________________________________ "So? What happened this time?" Asked a bored and tired female black haired Rabbit-kin who wore a black suit with a red tie, as she sat down upon a very old throne in the centre of the ruined hall. Gone from it was the luster and shine, and in its place was rust and rot. Yes. It had been many, many cycles since it was last used to greet noble personages, but was now used to seat whomever desired it. This Kin was yawning as the first of many explained what had happened earlier that turn, "Everything was perfect," grunted a Bear-kin male, whose left arm was heavily bandaged due to the fact that a dwarf had belched a gout of flame towards it the moment it stepped out of the portal, "but instead of a noble wandering towards the slave pits before the auction begins, we get-" "We get the new wolf beastman whose been selling his wares outside of the north gate," finished a small rat beastwoman, whose tail had been singed by the same fire which had been belched at the former. "And I keep telling you," growled a white wolf beastman, of whom sauntered forward with a growl, "That ain''t a wolf. We wolves have larger proportions than that... thing." "That''s because he''s a Kobold," laughed a melodic voice who stalked forwards as she sheathed her odd glowing sword into the scabbard behind her slender back. This female, by the by, was named Persephone, and was one of the human gods'' harem women. Her form was lithe with taut muscles wrapped around her frail human bones. Yes. She was a human, as the god she followed would not allow any other to follow him. Which is rather strange, as all other "Harem Heroes" desired Kin and beastfolk over their own kind. No matter, as she had the same dark hair and eyes as many who claim to be of Japanese origin were. However, the ears atop her head were blue, and did not function as well as one might think. Instead, they were simple a child''s doll ears which had been grafted onto the top of her skull, and given a bit of animation magick so that they would swivel, flatten, and perk up high as a normal wolf''s would. On the other hand, she still had her human ears, but kept them hidden under her shoulder length hair. Her garment, at that time, was one of a white linen blouse and skin tight trousers under hard, brown leather armour. No. She was not one of those with a large chest, but of those who were considered to be "Flat as a Board". This did not stop her in joining up with the human god, though, as he took in all females for himself. What he did with them does not concern us, nor this story. "What is a ''Kobold''?" Asked the Rabbit-kin, whose ears perked up at the unfamiliar word. "A kobold is a descendant of the wolf tribe, but has less qualities of their ancestors. To make up for this, they''ve become more adept in procreation and pack handling. Such as they all tend to allow one another to breed, as opposed to the strongest male and female of one tribe to breed with each other." To this small explanation, the wolf beastman scoffed loudly, "So he''s a weakling." "Let her continue," growled the Kin, as a black shoe sailed across the room to strike the male''s head. "As I was saying," replied the fake Kin, "Yes. This one is a kobold, but that''s only one part of his actual race." She shivered from the memories which flooded her mind as she hugged herself, "That one has the ability to destroy whole civilisations merely on a whim, and even destroyed an empire for the sake of one person." "Does he have any weaknesses?" Asked the other, as her shoe was handed over by way of a rat beastman. "He will go out of his way to save a child, but only if it''s in his best interest," Persephone quickly added the last, as she noticed the one upon the throne was about to order someone to perform an undesirable task. "What do you mean?" The Kin''s eyes lowered into slits, as her hands gripped the arms of the old throne tightly. "He has been known to kill children simply because of his twisted logics," she shivered as more images assaulted her mind, "In one instance, he killed a boy simply because he was about to be sacrificed to some dark god. In another, a girl''s head was blown off before another group of cultists were about the carve out her heart for some other creature of the void. "The list goes on and on, but there''s always one simple fact. He''s very calm around children, and does not think or speak when they are simply upon his lap." "Hmm," hummed the other, as a forefinger tapped her lips in thought, "We shall come up with something, then." "May I ask why you desire him removed, when it''s better to just ask him or leave him be? I mean, sure he''s a terror, but he can also be gentle when he so chooses." "Oh? Do you have feelings for him, or something?" Chuckled the Kin, and many others joined in on the laughing. Whereas the other simply glared at the group in front of her. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "You still haven''t answered my question. He''s not one who would be interested in this war against the nobles." "No, but after the failed attempt to relieve him of anything valuable, he will be soon enough. Which is why we must strike out now, before he sides with the nobles and their greed." Many within the ruined hall cheered at the speech, whilst the fake Kin simply shook her head slowly. "You are making a mistake; one which will cost the lives of everyone here. He is not someone you want as an enemy," but her words were not heard, as all others simply gathered around the throne in the centre, discussing their next plan of action against this new player. Whilst the other simply lifted her hands to the ceiling, and walked out. This action, though missed by all others in the centre, was not by a pair of golden orbs in another corner of the ruined hall. The owner of such eyes bared a feral grin of amusement, and left through another exit to inform its masters of what it had witnessed moments ago. ***** An imaginary headache had formed behind my eyes, as I closed the lids to rub them slowly. This was so, as it had taken the whole of the turn for someone to approach my person and explain the situation at hand. As it turned out, the headache was justifiable. For you see, my dear audience, with the mainland being so far away from this continent, combined with the destruction of Freeport, caused a separate faction within the city to rise up and begin to aggressively attack every noble within their sights. Their reason for doing so was simple. The taxes were outrageous, the food nonexistent or rotting, and the populace was angered whilst the nobles only grew fatter. Such was a common tale amongst the worlds we traversed, one that always led to my person becoming involved in their scuffles. A sigh was released from my pseudo lungs, as my body reclined against a heavily cushioned chair within a gilded room of violets, reds, and gold. Upon the wall to my left was a tapestry of a tree with names sewn above each branch. They called it a genealogy tree, which stretches back to the founding of their empire. This tree belong to our host, of whom was a portly old bear beastman wearing a heavily stained white robe. The stains came from the various foods it consumed on regular intervals, and would disgust Flint who also enjoys foods, but not to this extent. This beastman was eating in front of my person, and was exceedingly loud in his consumption of the roasted bird in front of him. The disgust I felt for one such as it was mirrored by the twins who had accompanied my person after realising my person was attacked by an unknown force. Even though I had to repeat my words of wellbeing, they took it upon themselves to accompany my person wherever I went. Of which led to this outcome of witnessing a pig eat everything in front of it. "Master," whispered Sal''ruum in the language of his people, "Why must we be hear and listen to the filth in front of us eat itself to death?" "Indeed, Master," chimed in Val''ruum, whose silvered scaled flesh took on a green complexion as his clawed hands inched towards the long handled daggers upon his back, "This grotesque piece of flesh must be dealt with immediately." "Peace," I held up my left clawed hand to ward off anymore thoughts of killing, "You will have your chance in due time. For now, though, we must be patient and watch how all of this plays out." The moment I spoke out this strange language, the voracious devouring of flesh had ceased, and the pig of a beastman was now glaring towards my person. Whereas I simply cross my right leg over my left, as the twins growled whilst reaching slowly for the weapons which were strapped above their backsides. "Are you going to help us?" It asked with a burp. "Help you with what?" I spoke slowly, refusing to give into the impulse of destroying the failed flesh of a bear before us. "I asked if you are interested in helping us with the thorns which plagues us," it waved a piece of greased meat at my person, sending many droplets towards us, but were deflected by a translucent shield about our persons. This caused the other''s eyes to narrow into slits, as the barrier flickered invisible once more. "I will not, as it is none of my concern for your well being." My teeth, sharper and far more venomous than a basilisk''s, were laid bare in a mocking grin, as my starry eyes expressed boredom towards the words of the pig. "We can make you richer than what you already have, there will be plenty of females who will throw themselves at your feet, and be glad for you to choose them as a partner. Not to mention the food-." His face became purple once he looked towards my person and found only mockery. As my voice was lifted towards laughter at the fool''s offerings. "Is that all you can offer?" I mocked with my query, "If so, then you have nothing of import, as I have everything I desire. Come, Val''ruum, Sal''ruum," the twins stood at my sides as I stood tall in front of the slob before us, "We''re leaving," and vanished from the room with a single wave of my right clawed hand. A2 Chapter 44 (NSFW) AN: Here it is folks, another NSFW chapter. So read on at your own risk, blah, blah, blah. Really don''t need this warning if you''ve made it this far, but it''s required by the admin. Anyways, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _________________________________ A sennight passed from this "meeting" with the slab of flesh that was a bear beastman, and during this time Shauu had been collecting children. The reason for this? Every time I would venture inwards of the city, a child would either fall from a great height or was placed in a perilous position. In the beginning, I would rescue each and every one of them, but upon hearing such a tale, the only female Undying of my group leapt at the chance of saving these children, as she and the others had failed those upon our world of Terra. No. She did not fail them in my eyes, but in her own, as I was personally seeing the end of the humans'' so called "war". To make up for this grave error, she took it upon herself to rescue each which was presented before her. However, my Undying was also adopting them left and right, as I had once done. What is more, she was even called "Mama" by several of those with bear-like qualities. It was... Confusing, to say the least, as I was both envious and full of sorrow each time I heard such a word spoken by the lips of such small children. For the time being, though, I willed that which was within my mind to feast upon these emotions before they allowed the madness within to stretch forth and take hold of my body and mind once more. Such a thing would not bold well, as I was still content with the petty dealings of these so called "nobles". Yes. Such a thing need not occur, but I was tired of simply "steamrolling" through each world in order to fuel my hatred with the "Tribunal". Indeed, my hate for them is timeless, as I shall never forgive them for playing the part of stealing away my children, my world. For this alone, they shall forever face my wrath. Even to this day, they are forever living with the fear of my ire, as they are simple gods and are able to resurrect innumerable times due to the enjoyment of Azazel. For she hold their reigns, and is the only one who is capable of outright killing them. Ah, I have strayed too far off topic once more. In any case, many of these children were sent off through various portals and into the arms of the other female Undying. Of whom expressed a great desire to have children of their own, even if they were in capable of producing offspring. Ah, for those who do not know, or remember, those who are of my Undying are incapable of reproduction. Thus is the price one must pay in order to live and serve my person for all time. Anyways, Shauu and Auua, the Orangutan Undying, had found an interesting individual which had instigated such atrocities towards the children. In my presence, I allowed my Undying servants to extract everything from its lips, as opposed to my simply extracting such knowledge. For they wished to ply the craft of Torture upon the flesh of this creature who appeared to be a cross between a wolf and a lion beastman. Yes. Such a thing was an oddity, and I would have strived to bring it into my servitude, if it only did not fall into the sights of my servants. "What a waste," I muttered to myself once a sound barrier was placed around the communal tent. This was to insure no one came running towards it once the screaming began, of which would last for a single turn within the last of the sennight. Once the task was completed, however, I was quite bemused by the scenery. As it intestines of the creature were stretched high above the creature, in an attempt at hanging its body. If one does not know, such a thing is not possible without support, as the organ meat will simply tear if too much pressure is applied to it. Thus, thin wires were used to not only cut into the flesh, but as a means of support. What is more, the body''s limbs had been stretched out by these wires, and the flesh, muscle, and fur had been flayed from the bones. However, these bones were only exposed from wrist to elbow and ankle to kneecap, all else was relatively untouched. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Its sexual organs had been removed, which revealed it to be a female, and was pregnant. These unborn pups of it were upon hooks which were placed above its eyes. By the by, these unborn had the hooks drilled into the backs of their skulls, and made even I quite upset by what I had witnessed. In which case I simply waved my right clawed hand over their tiny bodies, causing them to burn to ash and dust. This caused the body, which I was not finished exploring, to moan with relief and sorrow. Such a sound alerted the Undying pair, whose backs were turned as I entered the space, and merely bowed in my direction before resuming their work whilst I continued my examination. Now, the body''s upper organs had been removed, but only those below the lungs and heart, above the intestines. Which meant the liver, gall bladder, stomach, and kidneys were gone. When I asked where they were, Auua offhandedly commented about them being fried and eaten by the hungry children. To this end, I simply nodded as I pulled upon the loosened flesh of the creature in order to peer into the chest cavity where the lungs and heart resided. It was here that I became amazed, as sapphire coloured energies flooded its organs in order to keep it alive, whilst the tube called "Esophagus" leaked a viscous fluid into the area where its stomach once resided. Whereas when it took a breath, the tube whistled softly as it continued to breathe in a raspy tone. Moving upwards, I found more wires attached to its breasts and nipples. It appears one of them had shoved such things into these mounds of fat and flesh completely. Quite odd, from my past self''s point of view, as they were normally ripped off completely when Brutus had such victims. Then again, he wasn''t known for prolonging the lives of his victims, but more for producing the purest of screams before they died a horrid death. Yes. This is what awaits our human captives upon reaching the Necropolis, where they will wish they never signed up to come to our world of Terra. In any case, I moved forward to the base of its throat. Of which was splayed open and appeared to my eyes of a knife butchering the area in a search for something elusive. When asked what they were searching, both replied with, "To silence its voice after what we needed." Ah, within one''s throat is something which causes the air to vibrate and produce sound with which is used in the production of our voice. If it is damaged, then such sounds will be much like that of a hoarse whisper. As I''ve no idea where it is located exactly, from the lack of need for such a thing. Indeed, and because of this lack of necessity, they butchered and healed its throat many a time before giving up on such a task. Of which caused my past self to study more upon the anatomy of others, but for now, I came upon the head. The head of this creature was probably quite beautiful in its own right, but was now simply a mass of bloodied fur with exposed muscle, bone, and brain matter. Yes. The brain of the creature was exposed, but relatively untouched, save for the smear of dirt across the top and a large hole in its centre. Why such a thing did not perish was simply remarkable, as no amount of magick is capable of keeping one alive if the brain is damaged or destroyed. Instead, a resurrection would be necessary for such a thing, but most of my Undying were incapable of performing a task such as that without intervention. As I was not needed during this incursion, it left me quite baffled as to what I was seeing. Of which caused my person to open up a Mirror Portal between my person and Brutus. By the by, a "Mirror Portal" is a two way communication between beings which allowed them to view one another for a set amount of time. Such a spell is rather simple to use, but requires a tremendous amount of energy to keep active. As such, in my current state, I was only able to keep it open up to half a turn. This time limit was more than enough for my person to ask the question of, "Brutus, will you be able to reproduce this work of art?" A2 Chapter 45 AN: Latin is a dead language, as dead as dead can be. It killed off all the Romans, but now it''s killing ME! It''s a fun little quip. Anyways, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _____________________________ I manipulated the Mirror Portal to allow him a viewing of the still living, dissected body of the wolf-bear hybrid before my person. This, of course, garnered the attentions of my Undying pair in the space, who simply watched with a sliver of nervousness between them. This was so, as they believed I or Brutus would punish them for such a thing. However, this notion was far from my mind, as I had naught, but praise and high pride for them. Even going as far as to openly voice my thoughts did not sway their nervousness. Instead, it seemed to increase it as my Lich had not spoken a word this entire time. When he did, however, it was simply a query of whether or not he was allowed to stand by my side to view the body with his own eyes. In the end, he was allowed over, but with a great many restrictions. For one, he was not allowed to leave the space without my explicit permission, as the world outside would view him as a monster meant to be destroyed. This would hasten my plans for the city''s destruction, yes, but I did not desire it so just yet. Instead, he would have unfettered access to anything and everything that walks through the tent''s entrance. Whether it be a curious animal, or that which held much intellect. For the time being, however, he would explore the body before us, and find out if it was possible to duplicate such a feat. "Make sure you record it all down," my voice shook the space around us, as I began my short trek towards the entrance, "as I will want to recreate it as well." Upon my exiting the tent, and making my way towards our small market, I was surrounded almost immediately by farmers, clothiers, blacksmiths, and the like. All with varying degrees of hostility or begging. Those who were hostile demanded I leave so that they may provide for their families, as my wares were far too cheap for them to match with the prices of ore being so high. To this, I merely raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why are you complaining so, when I have ores and fabrics waiting to be sold to those of whom know of how to utilise them to the fullest?" This query caused many to fall into silence, as I ushered them towards a stall with a pair of very bored dwarves. Once they came upon them, they perked up and began chatting quite rapidly. This seemed to confuse those of whom expressed hostility moments ago, as they were ushered towards several boxes which were opened to reveal a wide variety of silks, cloth, linen, and hemp. Whereas another dwarf opened up several iron crates to reveal the various ores and bars used mainly in the making of art, arms, and armour. This then led to a bidding war, as they all desired the contents, but would not allow their rivals to take it. However, I intervened, of which caused the greedy dwarves to moan towards my person. "Every item has a set price of four copper pennies per item and chunk. When buy in bulk, their prices are a silver coin per kilogram, or one gold coin of your currency for fifty kilograms. If one has a gold Disc, which is this," I held up one of the large gold coins I gave to those of whom desire to venture into the city, "Then this person will receive two hundred kilograms for turning one of those coins." These words of mine sparked the fires within their eyes, more so for the clothiers, as these prices extended to their needed materials as well. Of which caused many to leave in order to bring back their hand carts and wagons to begin the process of purchasing of my product. However, many expressed a desire to know if I have enough for all of them. To which I replied with, "My crates and boxes are imbued with spells to hold more than what is seen." This short explanation seemed to quell their curious and anxious minds, as they rushed from my sight in order to bring back their own carts and wagons. After addressing such an issue, I turned towards those of whom came to beg. Of which I expressed a query as to why they would deign to stoop so low as to beg others for necessities. These then spoke of how their taxes were much higher than the cycle before, so there was less food and coin left over. This caused them to become full of despair, until they heard rumours of my person, and how my prices were set low to almost free. Thus, they came in droves in order to take advantage of such a thing, but many appeared to have lost much of their coin to robbers, bandits, and thieves. Of course, many could be lying in order to receive a free meal from what they assumed was a gentle soul. However, I was far from gentle, and would only give handouts to children or their starving families. These before my person appeared, for the most part, to be somewhat well fed. Many even had a wide variety of muscles hidden beneath their dirtied clothing. Of which caused my person to grow bother curious and annoyed. Those of whom were spotted as well fit were placed off to the side for work amongst my servants, and were to be heavily watched by my Dolls. Of whom were each in the shape of a raven or crow. Certainly, many would not believe they were capable of doing much, but each of my dolls were made up of iron and stone, and were each capable of causing great harm to those that were considered as "enemies". As to the others, who were much more bare of muscle and fat, these were centered off to another part of my small market. Here, each was to tell me of their families, if they had any. This included their number, how much land they had, and if there were any livestock that were under their care. Yes. I took care of their needs, and even gave away a few of my gold Discs to each of them. All were in tears when hand carts ladened with food and other items, such as cloths for clothing and diapers for small children, appeared before their eyes. Each one came with its own protector in the form of a Doll in shaped armour. Every one of these armours came in a variety of shapes and sizes, from quadruped animals, to bipedal beastfolk. "These are my mindless servants, and will keep you safe until you are home once more," my voice rumbled gently throughout the air about them. To which many called my person "Lord" or "Great Lord" afterwards, although many did inquire as to what my name was. To which I merely replied with, "I am Canis Dei." The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.***** Between the north gate and the houses of stone which the nobles call home lies the marketplace where everyone may sell and buy their goods. Although the area had seen better days, it still held a few scatterings of stalls which still sold smaller items to those still willing to buy. Those not willing left by way of the gate in order to venture into the small market run by the odd beastman. Of whom was the current talk of the town, and not just about his looks and wares. Instead, many merchants had gathered within a large warehouse in order to discuss the decline in their profits. The main cause of which was the being outside their walls. A large, ''U'' shaped table was set up to accommodate those who desired to express their displeasure about such things, although many had opted out due to the fact that such a being killed one of their own in front of witnesses. Not only that, the crown decided to go against bringing such a being up on charges of murder. Of which would have sentenced the beastman to death, and would have caused many to become elated at such an event. Now, however? Many were fuming, as the one outside had eluded such a thing. Not to mention the riots which would have ensued, had the reigning monarch gone through with wanting to execute him. For the populace was grateful for the low prices which he sold his wares. "This is a blatant attack upon our standings," growled an old male Rat-kin, of whom wore the most expensive outfit of purple and gold about his frail, white and black spotted body, "This thing came here to sell, but now he''s gone and flooded the market with his cheap wares and expensive coin." "Not to mention the fact that he charges outrages prices for us, but practically gives his products away to everyone else," agreed a stork-like Avian female, who wore a simple gown of vibrant, green silk which barely concealed anything. "Yes, but what are we to do?" Spoke up one who was much younger than the former pair. This being was a lion beastwoman, of whom was barely an adult by their standards, but inherited her position from the one the odd beastman slew when it threatened his servants. The female who spoke, by the by, also wore a simple gown of silk, but was the colour of freshly fallen snow laced with strands of gold, and also revealed far too much. "Those thugs this council sent to disrupt his market were found out almost as soon as they spoke up. Instead of being turned away, killed, or given to the guards, they were given a job, food, and pay of one of their large gold coins a day." "Speaking of his gold," whispered a soft voice, as a squeaking cart was pushed forward into the centre of the ''U'' shaped table. The one who held such a soft voice was a male of the Ol''ruu, of which are a type of lesser beastfolk whose forms are much like the shrews of our world of Terra. However, they are much larger, and are far more intelligent given their size. They wear nothing about themselves, and instead rely on their coarse, black hair and fur in order to cover their sensitive parts. This one came from the city''s bank, and was head of a department which is in charge of minting the coins needed for every day purchasing of goods. Upon the cart, however, was a large collection of weights and scales. Sitting atop one of the more larger scales was a gold Disc, but without a counter balance. "This right here," he spoke softly, gently lifting the Disc for everyone to see, "is what is called a gold Disc. This Disc, by the way, is ninety-nine point nine, nine, nine percent pure gold." Voices erupted into disbelief, as all heard such words spoken. This would go on for several moments more, before a large tiger beastman roared a great roar which silenced all of them. "Thank you, A''lan," muttered the Rat-kin, who massaged its ears slowly, "Now then, continue please." The Ol''ruu nodded slowly as his clawed hands placed the Disc in front of those of whom sat at the head of such a strange table. "If I may direct you to this small scroll," reaching within his thick fur, the odd shrew pulled out a small scroll and unfurled it to reveal an incantation for an identification spell. "This is a minour spell anyone can use, and it is often used in our department to find out the purities of coins, and to note the fakes. "However," he held up a single foreclaw, stalling anymore thoughts, "However, upon using this spell we''ve noted something odd." "What was odd?" Asked the lion beastwoman, whose held cocked to one side with eyes full of curiosity. "Watch." This was all he said, as the his next words flowed outwards in the form of a spell. Of which targeted the gold Disc atop the table. Once it was complete, a cackling of crimson energies lashed out of the disk and into the form of a clawed hand. This hand then formed itself as though it were holding a tool for writing, and etched a series of strange words along the edge of the coin''s face. These words read, "Et Vocabunt Nomen Eius In Nos, Deus Venenum Nostra Mortali". "What do these odd letterings mean?" Asked the Rat-kin, of whom had leaned over just as the strange hand vanished into the coin. It was not the only one, as those nearest it leaned forwards, whilst the rest had gathered round the coin. "It roughly translates into, ''Upon his name do we invoke, our Dying God of Poison." Once spoken aloud, however, the centre of the coin, though devoid of any characters or faces, now held an imprint of a dragon''s skull. Upon the other side were a pair of words stamped into the face, "Ego Sum. I am... Come," whispered the Ol''ruu. Of whom fled the building with great fear, as a voice unheard of boomed with great laughter, which caused the entirety of the warehouse to shake and collapse. A2 Chapter 46 AN: Thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _____________________________ A great tremour shook the earth, casting great clouds of dust and stone into the air within the city. I, on the other hand, was outside such a place and had a slight smirk upon my lips as many near my person witnessed such a cloud floating high into the air. Yes. I found great enjoyment in such a spectacle, if the soft echoes of my booming laughter gave any indication. For you see, my dear audience, each of my gold Discs are enchanted with a small spell. This spell reveals a series of words etched along the edge, and when spoken aloud, or translated, it reveals a dragon''s skull. Upon the other side, however, are a pair of words that have become a favourite saying of mine, "Ego Sum." I am come. Once the pair of words have been spoken aloud, but only after the first series, will it trigger a miracle or curse. It truly depends upon the heart and mind of the individual. For instance, if they are weak of mind and heart, then a great curse will be bestowed upon the area around them. This could be anything, from a tremour of the earth to the attraction of wild beasts. However, if the being is strong of heart and mind, then a miracle occurs. Of which could be anything, just like that of the curses. From a few piles of coins appearing around them, or the ability to heal for a set amount of time. In one instance, a small child was able to speak such words and bring back its dead family and friends after witnessing such destruction and slaughter. Though, of course, such a miracle has a great price, and inflicted a curse upon such a child for desiring such a grand miracle. This curse, by the by, transformed it into a Lich, its family and friends into its undead slaves forevermore. Those around my person were startled by the cloud of dust and stone, rushing off towards the city for curiosity or to simply help. I, on the other hand, trekked back towards our communal tent, and upon entering was immediately surrounded by my Undying and Lich. Shauu and Auua were the first to speak, desiring to enter the city''s slums in order to search for the tortured body''s base of operations. Such a thing would take far too long, and I was opposed to such an operation, but did not voice such an opinion. Instead, I simply crossed my arms and stared upon the cloth high above our heads whilst weighing the pros and cons of the whole situation. "If I may, My Lord God?" Began my Lich, as my eyes turned towards his general direction, whilst my head lowered slowly. At my nod, he continued with, "Their base of operations seem to be located far beneath this city, and the leader is a dark haired Rabbit-kin of some sort." "This Kin," spoke Shauu, "is always dressed in some grand attire, whereas the others under it are always wearing shabby clothing. It is possible the creature is either a servant, or a noble, and if we were to find such a thing-" "Then we could find the base rather quickly," finished Auua, whose mouth clamped shut in order to not finish his sentence with "-uuk". Ah, allow my mind to remind many of you as to why he refuses to speak such a sound after each sentence. It is in order to not incur my ire for such a thing, as I''ve enough of it after traversing through the worlds surrounding Azzarath. Such as the feline beastfolk and Kin ending each sentence with "Nya", or even replacing words with such a noise in front of them; canines using "Nanodesu", or some such thing has been quite grating on the senses. Thus, I''ve forbidden such words to be spoken, but not from children. Imagine, if you will, of a feline, female Kin voicing the word "Nya" all day long. Certainly, such a thing would be considered rather adorable, but only for a time. Now imagine this Kin replacing words such as "That" and "Actually" with "Nyat" and "Nyactually". Again, it would be considered cute or adorable, but if an entire world was populated by such beings who try their best to avoid speaking the actual words, or simply end each and every sentence with this noise, would end up driving anyone mad with rage. Thus is my reason for being against such a thing, and why only children are allowed to speak such a thing. As they are the most likely to grow out of it. In any case, I made mention of the invitation we had for a party up at the castle. One where all of us, including the dragonfolk were allotted to attend. "This would be an excellent time to search for this Kin, My Lord God," Brutus spoke slowly, inching towards my tail. To which I simply sighed and presented my backside to allow his hands to grip and stroke such a thing. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. No. I could not feel anything during such sessions, but he claimed he could and seemed to enjoy himself. The others simply paid little heed to such an odd behaviour, whereas Siuun, who was climbing around the body of Shauu''s Brood Mother, noted such an occurrence and decided to join in on the petting of my tail. "Very well," my voice released a sigh as the pair behind my person continued with their antics, "Then prepare for such a party. I, on the other hand, will be attending this auction house later this evening. As I desire their slaves for my own, and will be bringing with my person a few of the dwarves and the twins." * As the day-star slowly dipped towards the horizon, a fanciful carriage without a cover road through my small market. This caused many of the nearby dwarves to grumble and groan at such a thing, as its hinges and springs squeaked unceasingly as its driver spotted my person entertaining the few children who deigned to stay whilst their family perused my wares. Upon turning to gaze at such a thing, my mind darkened as I noticed a team of eight Draconians being forced to pull it. These eight had chest harnesses of leather and an iron collar which held a strap inside in order to tighten around their necks. This was attached to a long, leather rope which was held by the driver, of which was a somewhat bored, blue and silver furred wolf beastman. This beastman wore a simple attire of a black suit with a crimson tie around its neck, of which seemed to be rather dirty, even if it was a short ride to my position. Upon turning the carriage''s side to my person, eight voices full of anger were choked from the collar about their necks, but halted in their movements nonetheless. "Are ye the uhn who ordered this ''ere carriage?" It asked in a broken language. When I gave my ascent, it simply nodded and opened the small, half door upon its side. Once I began to make my way forwards, calling out to the twins, Flint, and another pair of dwarves, the children cried loudly and approached my person with eyes full of tears. A few even went as far as to produce their own version of the "Puppy Dog Eyes", of which was a known weakness. However, I steeled myself against such a thing, and stooped low to produce a handful of sweets for these children. This action seemed to placate their minds, as I promised to return and resume the entertainment upon the morrow. "Our driver seems to be annoyed, Master," whispered Sal''ruum, as his left clawed hand inched towards the long knife hidden beneath his robes. "Indeed," I replied, not caring at all for the mind of the beastman, as I bid farewell to the last of the children, of whom were a pair of Fox-kins and demanded a hug from my person before departing my side. This action seemed to agitate the other, as it grumbled something about the pay being too good, but I was a right bastard for making it wait. Shrugging at the muttered comment, I turned to spy my servants'' attire. The twins each wore a dark coloured fabric in the shape of a hooded robe. They were each cautioned to make sure to stay covered, so as not to attract far too much attention. As it would cause my person far too much pain if I needed to rescue their persons once more. However, I did manage to have several enchantments of protection etched into the seams of their outerwear. Of which will give them the same translucent barrier which surrounded their bodies during our time in Freeport. As to the dwarves, they wore a simple attire of dark coloured leathers about their persons with a weapon strapped to their backs. Whereas Flint seemed to have a few tankards about his waist, and a large keg of some sort strapped to his back. When asked why he was bringing such a thing, he replied with, "In case Ah get thirsty." "Let ''im be, boy," grumbled one of the other dwarves as they climbed in after my person, "''e''s one of those ''foody'' types." "Shaddap." A2 Chapter 47 AN: Will say there''s roughly ten more chapters before the reveal of our MC''s dragon form. This comes with a few surprises here and there, a few chapters explaining how that world was conquered, followed up by several more with him and his monster army within the Necropolis. So yeah, we''re slowly coming to the end of this one, folks, and afterwards comes WAR! As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________________________ If one were expecting the auction house to be a grand structure with gold letterings and pristine architecture, then you will forever be disappointed. For you see, this house of auction was nothing more than the largest warehouse within the city. It''s location was on the southern side, nearest to the slums where the slave pits resided, and was heavily guarded by its own force of mercenaries and merchants. What is more, you needed to be invited into such a place or have enough coin in order to sway the owner. I, on the other hand, merely needed to hand over a medium size chest full of gold bars, and we were allowed to enter. Yes. It was astonishing what a little gold could do upon the lands which tend to use it quite heavily. In any case, the exterior of the building was nothing remarkable, beyond its size, whereas the interior was quite interesting. The entirety of the place seemed to have been scrubbed until the wood and stone shone brilliantly in the torch and mage light, and seemed to have been painted with white and gold lacquer. Ah, but before moving inwards, I and my servants were bade to wear a mask about our features. There was a shelf full of such things, but I being who I was simply gathered my Undying and dwarves, pressed my clawed hands to each of their faces, and willed a mask into existence. For the twins, their faces were covered in a white mask with the depictions of the day-star and a moon upon the right and left half of their faces. The dwarves were given plain masks of gold with a depiction of the hammer and anvil. Whereas mine was a monstrous mask which covered the top of my head and upper muzzle in shadows and fire. This mask of mine was in the shape of a dragon''s, and even had a pair of long whiskers flowing backwards from below the snout. It was rather entertaining, as the beings within the building parted much like seafoam when one is upon a boat of some sort when they noted my person. However, it did not stop their tongues from wagging as we passed each by. For you see, I desired to view the slaves before they were to be auctioned off, as I had plans which required their assistances for an upcoming event. As to what these plans were, well, we shall speak of them momentarily. For now, I had one of the owner''s more trusted employees take us into the back, and away from the curious eyes of the others. Although I do not mind the attention, it can become quite stifling after being in the shadows for far too long. Yes. Even I can become overwhelmed by such a thing, even to this day. "Right this way, Mr. Dei," a small Mouse-kin spoke quickly, as we were ushered into the back. It had tried many times to separate my being from my servants, but once such a thing failed the first time, I made sure they surrounded my person. As to why they desired my being alone, who is to say? Perhaps they wish to slap a slave collar about my neck, or upon the others. In any case, once we were away from the prying eyes of others, and into a room which connected between the main floor and the back, I reached down and lifted the small creature by its neck. "Why do you persist in separating my person from my servants? You''ve tempted the dwarves with food and drink, of which would not have bothered us, if our dear Flint did not note the poison placed within. What is it that you hope to gain?" Gone from my eyes were the constellations, and in their place were my baleful, crimson eyes. These pair seemed to cause the creature to leak its fluids from betwixt its legs, as it struggled violently in my grasp. When it did not try to voice a word, I snarled, "I will have the <>." The moment I spoke this small spell, my eyes changed from crimson orbs to a soft ocean blue, then back again. This action caused the other to grow limp, as I set it upon the ground whilst it stared above my head. "Well?" "My master covets your fur, and those of your companions," it spoke in a monotone, as the spell continued to course through its entire being. For you see, once a Truth spell has found purchase in its intended target, then it becomes unable to speak even the smallest of lies. Such a thing was necessary upon the dwarves'' home world, as they are far too greedy, and tend to lie about everything in order for them to retain their ill gotten goods. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "The master desires you and yours to become his. Therefore, he has gathered a small army beyond these doors. It is his desire to have you placed within shackles so that all of your gold and merchandise will become his to do as he pleases." "Oh?" I hummed softly, whilst my servants extracted their weapons from their backsides. Whereas Flint simply set down his keg in order to pour out enough for himself. All eyes, including the spell struck Mouse-kin turned towards his person. To which he simply gave a sheepish grin, and drank deep from the golden liquid in his tankard. "How many lie beyond that door?" I growled, refocusing my eyes upon the Kin. "Enough to subjugate you and yours," it grinned, calling my attention to the fact that the spell was ending." "I see," my voice was only a murmur, as the whole of my form was wrapped by the shadows about our person. From without, the twins had grabbed hold of the small Kin, lifting it high whilst plying their long knives upon its neck. They simply desired silence, and forced it to watch as my body within twisted and turned. Bones popped and cracked, flesh tore itself free as great wings erupted from my back. This, coupled with a long tail jutting from my lower back, was enough to cause the small creature to become distressed from the noise alone. It seemed the one they held was also of the same mind as its master, as it also desired my furred body and these tearing noises was enough to grant its imagination with the horrors of its mind. Yes. It desired my fur, but my transformation was to my draconic self. Of which did away with my fur by tearing through it. Once completed with the transformation, the shadows receded enough to wrap themselves around my person to form the endarkened leathers I had been seen wearing once before. This, coupled with the staff of bone which materialised before my person was enough to cause a panic in the small creature before my eyes. To which I simply sneered upon and opened a portal behind its body. This portal revealed a cavern with a multitude of tortured Mouse-kin and beastfolk within, as well as Rojaahn, whose body perked up to see his Lord and Master beyond with the twins holding another of the Kin. This led to it being tossed through, and landing upon its back. Of which then sprang to its feet, and tried, in vain, to reach for the portal as it closed slowly. This action was to give it a sliver of hope, however it became a vain attempt, as my Undying on the other side leapt onto the creature''s back. This pinned it to the ground, as it let out an ear piercing wail of, "NO!" Of course, such a wail did not go unnoticed. As such, the door opposite to ourselves opened to reveal a curious and bewildered bear beastman in full plate armour staring with a comical expression towards our position. "Wha-?" It began, as a cloud of my venomous acid flowed over its body. The beastman screamed as it engulfed its entirety, of which called the others to attention as it fell from a railing behind it. "To arms!" Cried out one of its companions, as my Undying and the dwarves were ushered through. "Oi!" Growled Flint, as an arrow ripped through his keg. Of which was being carried out so that he would be able to watch the brawl. Instead, he seemed to have grown thrice his size along with his clothing. "Which uhn o'' you id''ots sho'' a'' me?" Several individuals pointed their fingers at one of their number, of which seemed not at all amused by the betrayal. It was about to voice an opinion about the situation, when it noticed a shadow over its body growing ever larger. This was so, as Flint had hurled himself over the railing in order to squash the one who destroyed his drink. "Only caring about your drink?" My voice boomed with a mocking laughter, as he swung the half torn body of the archer as though it were a club, "Have you no shame?" "Shaddap!" A2 Chapter 48 AN: There''s a bit of a history lesson below this chapter. You don''t have to read it if you do not wish to. Thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ________________________________________ "Master," whined Sal''ruum, as he effortlessly tore through the last of the mercenaries, "The Chimeras were much more entertaining than this rabble." "I agree, Master," voiced Val''ruum, who slammed his clawed feet into the screaming body of a short Wolf-kin, "The short battle with those mercenaries near the sea was by far the most exercising for us." "Hmm," my voice hummed softly, as the skull atop my staff of bone opened its maw wide to spew forth a great cloud of my acidic poison. Of which caused all who came near to melt into puddles of iron and flesh, before sinking deep into the earth. "It does rather seem to be too easy." Upon these words I did stop in order to raise my staff as high as possible, "<>," my voice thundered throughout the room, shaking its entirety as a gold, translucent sphere erupted from the tip of my staff. It then spread outwards, marking all within with a small coloured orb above their person. Those deemed friendly were given a blue orb, hostiles had a red orb, and those unknown were given a green one. Of course, such a spell extended beyond the walls of the room we were in, but stopped a few metres outside the warehouse. This then led my person to see where the orbs were, even if they were hidden behind wood, stone, or iron. It did not matter, as I could see the orb, but it would not allow my eyes to spy the distance from my person. Instead, it simply told my mind which direction. A plethora of green orbs appeared before my eyes when I glanced the floor below, as well as a few with red. This was rather intriguing for my person, as I had believed them to be the slaves I would be purchasing. What is more, those with red orbs seemed to be rushing off towards another part of the space they occupied, and towards a group of unknown greens with a single blue orb amongst their number. "Oh?" My voice hummed once more, as I turned towards my servants and ordered, "Find a way to the lower levels. It seems their slaves may be beneath us, and are in need of rescuing." The twins grinned, whilst the dwarves were quite confused, as I do not rescue others I have no need of. However, they still complied whilst I continued to watch the scene unfold. More importantly, I simply watched the blue orb, and willed such a thing to form a silhouette of whomever it floated above. The being it made out was of someone I thought was elsewhere, as it was none other than something which was not a human. However, it had been a part of the human gods'' "harem", but why was she here? ***** "Sophie," called out a white scarred wolf beastman in dark leathers, "More guards are on the way!" The thumping of something hard atop the floorboards from above the jailhouse gave an indication that a lot of "something" were making its way down, as the group of leather wearing Kin and beastfolk continued to strike out against the iron armoured guards. This group was of a few who had decided to use the commotion of the Merchant Guild Hall to steal away much of their slaves. They would then be released into the slums with food and clothing bought from the "Kobold" outside the north gate. However, many had become nervous when one of their number, Dorla, had disappeared. This beastwoman was of the few who decided to ambush the kobold after saving a few children, but vanished the moment it was reported that a silver coloured bear beastwoman rescued those that were intended for the male. This led to her disappearance, and many prayed to their silent gods that she was alright and merely hiding. Now, however, they were fighting for their lives, as they had thought the slaves would mostly be unguarded. In fact, it was the exact opposite, even if much of their number ran topside in order to attack something up there. The ones within the jailhouse had barricaded themselves behind the second jail cell, of which was blocked off by several scorched tables and chairs. The being responsible for such marks was in fact a Fire Conjurer, who was unfortunately shot through its left eye from a lucky bolt from a crossbow. Now, however, the guards had pinned them near the entrance of the first cell. Of which held nearly a dozen, naked Draconian and Dragonock children who were going to be the first upon the block. These small bodies hovered around a small, orange block called a "Fire Stone". Of which generated the heat needed to keep such cold blooded creatures alive, but had been cracked during the fighting, and was now barely giving off any heat. Thus, they huddled and shivered around their failing source of heat. "Where''s a miracle when you need one?" Muttered the dark haired, dark eyed female Wolf-kin, as she drew back her bow to fire an arrow at the barricade. Of which awarded her with a gurgling scream due to a lucky shot within the gaps. The bow, though plain as the dwindling quiver upon her hip, was allowing her to score lucky kills all throughout the battle. Many within her group believed she was blessed by some church, or even a cult, but what she truly was, was skilled beyond measure. As she held the title of "Huntress" amongst her original people, even though she was something else entirely. "Indeed, and when we first met, I thought she was too fragile for such as this, but have been proven wrong time and time again. Of which amused my person to no end." As she drew back her arm to unleash another arrow, there came a great roar from behind the barricade which caused her to release it prematurely. However, such a sound did cause her to grow rather curious, as there seemed to be a small battle ensuing beyond the tables. Which proved to be truthful, as the mangled body of a fear stricken guard flew through the barricade it had help put up a short time ago. The facial features of this guard made discerning its race impossible, as the whole of its body was slowly melting into the floor below. "Don''t touch it," she practically screamed at her comrades, as a few reached out for the guard to do who knows what, "It''s been covered in acid." These words caused the others to retract, as they witnessed the body sinking into the ground as it continued to melt before their very eyes. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "Wha-?" Began another, as a gout of emerald flames scorched the hallway, causing this one to scream loudly. This was so, as it had begun to slowly make its way out of the cell just as the odd flames poured forth from whence it came. Of which caused this creature''s body to melt as it burned completely. Unlike the other body, however, this one simply became a puddle of bubbling flesh upon the ground. After such a flame came a loud silence, which was interrupted by something rending the iron of the cells, and the chatterings of the draconic people thanking something they could not see. It would not be long, as the creature slowly made its way towards their cell where the children, though still shivering, now quaked with fear of the unknown. Those amongst "Sophie''s" group slowly poked their heads out of the cell, only to find a sea of draconic beings slowly giving way to another of themselves, but still not like themselves. This being which strode forwards slowly, was nothing like anyone had ever seen before. As its body was of dark coloured scales which seemed to glow an eerie florescent green. Many within her group gasped as their eyes bore witness to such a creature, especially to that which was jutting from its back. Wings, three pairs to be exact, were lined across its spine, and many witnessed nearly all of the Draconians and Dragonocks'' clawed hands brushing against it and exclaiming them to be real. What is more, many of them began to whisper a name she had not heard of in many cycles. "Veni Deus Venenum." Of which, when translated, meant, "The Dying God of Poison," whispered Sophie, as the Draconian stood in front of their persons with a mad grin upon its facial features whilst its eyes flared a brilliant emerald green. Of which illuminated the whole of the cell, and caused the being before them to frown. "Come," it spoke softly, whilst kneeling down to extend its left clawed hand towards the frightened children, "It is time to go home." An emerald flame with a dark center erupted in the palm of its hand, of which flowed forward and danced about the heads of the children whilst bathing them in its warmth. A few of them giggled and gasped as they touched the flame. Sophie, fearing the worst, turned towards the small group in order to help, but found it unneeded, as the flame simply caused the one to gasp, to giggle as it tickled its chin and neck. "I don''t know who you think you are," growled a wounded bear beastman, of whom clutched its bleeding side with its right clawed hand, "but you are not taking these children until you-." It was not able to voice anything else, as a circle rapidly formed beneath its feet. Of which released a torrent of emerald flames which illuminated the space with its unnatural light. Once it faded, however, the lone survivors watched as the children ran into the being''s arms. Who then held them close in a great embrace, lifting them high into the air. Many then giggled at such a gesture, whilst their small fingers explored the being''s head with great curiosity. If one were to believe there would be consequences for such actions, they would be very wrong. As it simply stood there whilst tilting and turning its head in order to accommodate their curiosity. Once finished, they turned their attention towards the nearest wing, which then tucked itself forward to allow their small clawed hands the ability to explore the texture of its wing. This lasted for what seemed like an eternity, but in the end, the children were satisfied and given into the arms of those behind it. Afterwards, an opaque staff with a skull of an unknown creature set atop was reverently given to the being in front of them. Of which seemed to hold an eerie light within its sockets, as its gaze fell upon them. "Greetings once more, Persephone," rumbled a deep and bemused voice around Sophie''s small group of survivors, "It is so good to see you; unfortunately, we cannot stay." In so saying, a portal revealing a great village within a forest of some sort opened up behind the winged Draconian''s back. The whole of the draconic folk were then ushered into such a portal by persons unknown, and once they were through, did the being before them turn its back towards their persons and exit the same way. However, just before the portal closed, an orb of some sort fell to the ground and cracked itself in half. When they approached such a thing, they saw it was naught, but a scarlet fruit with ruby jeweled seeds scattered about the insides. "A pomegranate," grumbled Sophie, not at all pleased with the fruit in front of her, "I hate pomegranates." _________________________________ AN2: Time for a short history lesson about the pomegranate and Persephone. Persephone was the goddess of seasons and caused the world to have only ONE season. She was also the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, who was the goddess of the harvest. Anyways, Hades abducts her for this or that reason, probably because he wanted a wife, and no one was willing to jump at the chance. So, once she''s down there, she''s placed in front of a large banquet table, and told to eat something. Now, if anyone eats anything down in the underworld, then they will be forever trapped regardless of who you were. She knows this, and refuses to eat anything. However, it becomes increasingly more difficult as time rolls on by, as Hades comes down to tempt her time and time again as she grows more and more ravenous. About a week goes by, she is rescued, and placed back wherever she belongs, but in comes Hades demanding she be returned to his place in the underworld. Why? She ate something while she was there. Of course she denies it, until Hades pulls out half a pomegranate with three of its jeweled seeds missing. Thus, she was caught in a lie, and was forced to go back. However, when she was gone, the cold set in upon the land, and the people below did not understand why. One of the gods (can''t remember who) made the correlation that this cold was due to Persephone''s absence, and she needed to be returned post haste so it would not be so cold. Therefore, there was a compromise between the gods and Hades. Persephone was to stay with Hades for three months out of each year, as she had an obligation to do so for her eating of the seeds. Of which allowed the world to have four seasons, instead of just one. Homer''s take on this was weird, but still entertaining. No. I''m not talking about the Simpsons, as this Homer was Greek. A2 Chapter 49 AN: Tomorrow''s chapter will be a dual post, with one of them being extra special. Torture, but not what I''ve written about so far. I enjoyed writing it, which is really weird when said. In any case, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ___________________________ "The Lord," shouted an unknown from within the forest village near our main base of operation, "The Lord has returned to us!" This being, coupled with the whole of the village rushed out in order to surround my person and the now frightened rescued dragonfolk. These clung to one another, as I strode forward with staff in hand to greet each and every one of them. "Thank you Lord," whispered many females, "My child was returned to me just as you said." Yes. As I have said before, those of whom are considered as my servants are allotted various guarantees. Such as the respawn, of which grants them an additional chance at living the same life over before their untimely demise. "Master," Sia appeared before my person, and knelt down with her arms crossed over one another in an eternal salute, "We did not expect your return so soon. Is everything alright?" These words seem to spark a mass of mutterings as they noted only a few short creatures and the twins. Of whom were keeping close to my person whilst staring about themselves. "Peace," I held up my right clawed hand, calling all attention upon my person and silencing their words, "I am merely here to give the newcomers a new place of rest. They were scheduled for the block, and are in need of food, clothing, baths, and much rest." The "Block", by the by, is nothing more than a platform in which a slave, or group of slaves, stand to be sold to the highest bidder. It is a common term amongst the worlds which have slavery. Upon my words, a sea of golden eyes turned towards the others which were now shivering with fright, whilst a few did their best to stand between them so as to act as some sort of protector. "Be at ease," I stepped towards this group with a slow and steady pace, "You are safe. You are home. You do not need fear the outside world anymore." "Re-really?" Asked a small voice from within, as a pair of hopeful, sparkling emerald eyes fell upon my person. "Really, really," my lips cracked into a soft smirk, "You will all be fed, bathed, clothed, and given rest. However," a few had sighed at these words, before catching their breath when I raised a single, clawed forefinger, "However, you will be given work later on, and I will be needing your assistance for what is to come." "Wh-what is to come?" Asked another voice within the group, as the sea of dragonfolk surged forward from behind my person to absorb the newcomers into their number. "Revolution." ***** "What do you mean all gone?" Howled King Ramses, as his large, clawed hands gripped the messengers'' shredded black suit. His own attire was of a regal purple velvet which was crafted into the shape of a tight fitting robe. Upon his head was a thing circlet with a multi facetted ruby in the centre. Yes. He could have worn his crown, but with so many of the poor and middle class out for his blood, he could not risk losing such a symbol gifted to him by the main land''s king. As to where they were, it was inside a box shaped room high above and to the right of the main stage in which the auction was to take place. Within such a room was many rich and beautiful coloured fabrics all leading to several piled of cushions for himself and three other guests. One of which was to his son, Ramses the second, and one of his many wives. They both wore a matching attire to the king, as well as the same circlet, but it was of silver with a blue gem in the centre. Along the edges of the room were nine lion beastmen in full plate armour. Each held a long kite shield with a standard spear, of which was planted upon the ground, whilst a few gripped their weapons tightly. They assumed there would be a fight of some sort, as their lord and master was now hoisting the poor messenger high and throwing it into the wall opposite him. This created a dent in the wall, as the one thrown fell into a heap of broken bones and blood pouring out of its head. "One of you find Re''ohn," he growled, as his eyes became thin slits, "and have him meet me down in the pits beneath this shit hole." "Shit hole!" Repeated his son, who was then shushed by his biological mother as the feral eyes of the king fell upon them. "We''ll be fine, dear," she shivered at the other, hugging her now squirming child close. After such words were spoken, only one of his guards were left to watch the pair as he made his way down a flight of stairs with the rest. His decent did not go unnoticed, as many were still in the halls below. These dashed to the sides to kneel, salute, or bow to one such as he. Only after he passed did they gossip about what they saw or felt. Of course, the words muttered only increased when others came to them with news of the king entering the pits for some odd reason. This, coupled with a muffled roar caused those gathered to wonder why. For within the room which led to the slave pits were signs of a great battle. This sight was what caused the king to roar with frustration over such a thing, as he and his descended into the chaos of what had taken place just a short time ago. Of which was made apparent, as many of the bodies had yet to grow stiff do to the lack of blood flow. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. "What happened here?" He growled slowly, as a body with the features of a bear beastman slowly melted into a puddle of flesh. What is more, the muffle sounds of footsteps below alerted his person to survivors. "To the pits!" The journey to such a place was short, but had left an imprint of madness upon each of their minds. As they approached the iron door leading into the cells of where the slaves were kept, the king and his guards noted the long scars upon the door. This, along with the fact that it was torn into two pieces, alarmed the guards. Of which led to them holding up their shields and spears, as many of their number entered the quiet area before them. "What happened here?" King Ramses repeated slowly, as they noted the bars of iron had been twisted and bent, their contents missing. "Who''s there?" Shouted one of the guards at the front of the group. This led to the rest standing closer to their lord, so as to protect him from harm. "Please," came a pained whisper, as something waved at them from further down the hall. At a nod from the king, three of the guards peeled away in order to investigate the unknown voice. Of which belonged to another lion beastman, but was heavily injured and would not last for much longer. For you see, the one before them had its breastbone ripped from its body, along with any protective armour, and exposed the insides. "Please," he whispered, as his heart continued to beat and blood flowed around the gaping wound. What is more, the horrors inflicted upon such a being did not come into their minds, until a torch was lit the moment their liege lord came into view. The ribs and solar plexus were indeed missing from the beastman, of which should have killed him almost instantly. However, he was being kept alive from the magicks which coursed through its body. Of which were the colour of crimson and sapphire, and crackled around the heart and lungs. "Who did this to you?" Whispered one of the guards, as the rest of the group came forward to view such a spectacle, only to have several, including Ramses, turn away to release the contents of their stomachs upon the ground. "Please," it whispered once more, then coughed up a mouthful of clotted blood. Of which splattered upon the floor. Whereas the visible organs shuttered as it continued to draw breath. "The Dragon..." "What dragon?" The king''s head whipped towards the tortured beastman, as he stooped closer, "Which one did you-?" "The Dragon... It is coming... For you... King Ramses..." At these words, the magicks keeping it alive cease to function. Of which caused its innards to slowly fall out of the body, whereby it began to decay rapidly as the rest of the body melted into a pool of bubbling flesh. "My Lord," shouted the guards as one, ushering him away from the mass of liquefied flesh and bones, "It is not safe here. We must hurry and be away." "Of course," he spoke absentmindedly, as his mind raced as the thought of a dragon coming specifically for him caused his entirety to shiver with great fear. * "A dragon is coming for you?" Whispered King Nero, as the other sat across him within the large crystal, "Did you find anything else out?" "Only that it stole away the entire stock of slaves," Growled Ramses, whose features had grown pale after the ordeal of earlier that evening, "Not to mention we found a few of those rebel corpses lying about. Probably killed one another." "We can only hope," the growl was echoed with his own, as he had problems with his own brand of rebels who did not understand that he was in charge and nothing they say or do will ever cause him to give that up. Which is why he appealed to the "Idiot" and his band of females to help him destroy much of the rebel bases who were disrupting everything, and to kill the dragons which plagued their world. Of course, the journey to accomplish both of these tasks were long and arduous, as they had appeared nearly a full century ago before the issues with the continent Ramses was on cropped up. ''Yes. The humans were upon this world in the Abyss far longer than I was, and had performed many deeds both good and ill for King Nero the First. However, this is a tale for another time.'' "In any case, this is good news for us," muttered the elder of the pair. "How so?" The younger perked up at the hidden musings of the one before him. "If a dragon is coming for you, then it would be easier to slay." The other groaned as such words were spoken, as he opened his maw to whine, "But we do not have a dragon slayer." "No. Not yet you do not." A2 Chapter 50 (NSFW) AN: Have to point out, there''s a bit of a "scene" in this one, but not enough to be marked as "NSFW". No. That honour goes to the next chapter, which will be posted soon. Edit: Going to mark this as NSFW, anyways, as there is another scene which denotes abuse to children. As always, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________ A full turn of the day-star had passed since the time they had been rescued, and though most were still afraid of stepping out of place, a few had taken the steps towards being themselves. Nearly all were children, as they had been dragged away by the original group''s offspring in order to play with one another. This led to many simply crying, as they had been kept as slaves during the entire recourse of their young lives. During such times, they would normally be lifted into the air by one of the many adults running about, or by Suun. Of whom had become something of a guardian for these dragonfolk. Yes, the Suun of today is the same as that time, albeit not as strict. It is, quite entertaining watching it allow the small creatures the ability to crawl about its large body as it sunned itself atop a flat rock. I, on the other hand, sat atop of one of the few great trees within the forest overlooking the village. This allowed my person to view the daily chores being completed, as Sia and Rojaahn sat themselves nearby whilst they spoke of what had occurred whilst I was away. "The new Kin you sent through has been evaluated and given over to the Skeleton Crew, Master. It was not compatible with any of our tests, nor was its lower extremities useful for the Elixirs." "I see," my voice was only a mutter, as I watched the whole of the village go about their daily routines, "Tell me, is this ''Skeleton Crew'' of Brutus''s design?" "It is, Master. They are your human skeletal Undying who have been placed under the guidance of Lord Brutus, and help him conduct experiments upon the bodies of those given over." "I see," I repeated once more, nodding softly as my gaze turned upon their now shivering bodies. No. They do not feel the elements, and shivered purely because of my star filled gaze. This was so, as my body had become my kobold self in order to placate the minds of my followers. "And what of the children pushed into the battle against beastfolk and Kin?" This time, it was Sia who spoke up, "They are, for the most part, well and sane. They each believed it was a shared dream of some sort, and were confused by the actions of the adults. Of whom have been indoctrinated already." "What of the conjurers and the small pack of Scarab wolves?" "The conjurers have killed themselves," Rojaahn''s voice was soft, as though expecting an outcry, but was surprised by my shrug. I did not care much for the enslaved conjurers, and would have thrown them to their deaths sooner or later. "Whereas the wolves have been seen fighting against a large bird which had been seen defending the three headed wolf many times." "Hmm," my voice hummed softly, as I nodded at these words, "Very well." In so saying, I leapt from my position and onto the forest floor below. Whereupon a multitude of Draconian and Dragonock adolescents had gathered in order to bother my person with their questions. "Is it true tha-?" Began one of the smaller females, only to be knocked down by a much larger Draconian male. The female had scales in the colour of vermillion, whereas the male was azure shading to a soft jade green. The male''s expression was foreboding, and had taken a deep breath to begin its long rambling speech, only to find my eyes glaring a baleful crimson into its own. Its own body slowly began to struggle, as I had gripped it by the neck, pulling it closer to my own eyes. "Apologise to the female," my voice was a soft growl, but seemed to thunder around our persons with enough force to shake the trees. "Why should I?" It coughed out as my grip tightened around its throat, "She''s nothing more than a breeding whore who would open her legs to anyone with a willing dick." If the being in my grasp could sneer, it would do so. Whereas the female, once hearing such words spoken, tried to make herself as small as possible. "I have no need of those who will not follow orders." The entirety of my body cracked as it was slowly stretched. Within each of those cracks came a torrent of lights in the colours of crimson, emerald, and sapphire, as lightnings of the same colour arched out with rage. "This female is still very much a child," my voice was now a hollowed echo, as it reverberated throughout the forest behind my person. This summoned my closest Undying, of whom were of the human skeletons. Each holding up a torch with an emerald flame, as they surrounded the group whilst watching my person. "Have you touched her?" I growled, lifting the male higher than my position. Even though it was being choked, there was still enough room for it to speak. Of which caused my person to continue to growl, "I will have the <> from you. Did. You. Touch. Her?" "Yes," came its gasping breath. "Who else?" I had raised up my other clawed hand, which caused my Undying to snap to attention. "Du''Vahn. Lo''kuu. A''na. Suus. Vistol,," its voice was a monotone, as it spoke the names of those it knew, "We''ve bred with many of the girls, and enjoyed each and every one of them." This time, the male sneered at my person, signifying the end of the spell. To which I howled with rage, as my body tore free of the flesh binding it. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. All around my person came the screams of children and adults, as my skeletal self grew larger in place of my kobold self. This frightened them further, as I gripped male with all four of my clawed hands, slowly tearing the body apart as it screamed for someone to save it. Whereas its blood flood and squirted across the ground, completely missing those below, as its organs fell freely upon the now stained grass and dirt. Upon making sure the body ceased to function, did I toss it to the sides in order to allow whatever scavengers desired such a feast. "Find them," my voice boomed throughout the village, the forest, and the nearby plains, "Find the child abusers. Bring them to me!" Louder and louder, did my voice thunder throughout the world, of which caused all of my Undying to react. These words of mine; this anger; hatred; rage, found its way into the minds of each of them. It transformed their eyes from whatever colours they were, to a similar, baleful crimson, as they whooped and hollered in their searchings and captures of those who had incurred my great and terrible ire. What is more, many of the dragonfolk were considered my servants, and had joined in on the short hunt. Of which caused those nearest and not of my servants to panic as their minds became mad with rage. Many were seen running towards the forest, only to flee back inside the homes constructed for them. For I had emerged in all my glory, and dragging behind my person were two of the main culprits, Lo''kuu and A''na. As they had accompanied the male in order to provide support for whatever its demands were. Now? Now they were being dragged towards the centre of the village, and tied together against several logs of various sizes. Of course they struggled, but it was for naught, as I stood tall in front of their persons. "You have been accused of abuse towards children and adolescents. Know that this is a serious crime punishable by a tortuous death. The male before was lucky, as I would have had the pleasure of hearing his screams for much longer than now." These words to those tied before my person squirmed, demanded release, and proclaimed their innocence. Whereas those around them, those who were my servants, had their minds returned to them. They were not at all amused by what they had seen and heard, as one of those tied was caught raping a Dragonock boy-child whilst keeping its mouth gagged during the proceedings. Another of their group had been dragged away, just as it was about to attack a lone, adolescent female who desired water from the nearby river. "We, no. I do not tolerate such acts against those far too young to understand or even fight back against others during such a heinous crime. Therefore," my right, primary clawed hand stretched out towards my side, "Come to me, Brutus. Come, and show the world your craft as my Torturer." A grand portal of darkness and violet energies erupted in front of my person, and the iron skeletal body of my Lich stepped forwards with a staff of bone he, himself had created for such an occasion. Upon his body, however, was a plain robe of alabaster silk. of which he claimed revealed how much blood he had removed from the victims as they laid screaming under his gentle touch. "I have come as you directed, My Lord High God," his body bowed low as he gripped the staff tighter, "Shall I prepare the Feast?" "Do so, Brutus, my Lich, and know that these five are child abusers in the strictest of senses." "Oh?" His voice hummed jovially, as his unoccupied clawed hands tore into the air about his person to retrieve several bags full of his bloodied and caked instruments used to create the perfect sounds. "We have not had such guests since our time upon Lavara." "Do not remind my person of such a place, Brutus. It is gone, and we do not need it brought up ever again." "Of course, My Lord God. You have my apologies," he bowed low once more, before returning to glare down upon those tied up, "Please stay alive. My Lord God desires a grand feast, and I would hate to disappoint one such as He." The Lich then cackled madly, as five large and heavy tables appeared around his person. Whereas the skeletal human servants, each still carrying a torch with and emerald flame, slowly stalked forward to assist him in shackling each to the tables as they struggled greatly. "Oh yes," his cackling was filled with madness at this time, "Struggle. Scream. Fight back. Oh, you''re going to give such a wonderful chorus for My Lord God." Brutus''s body danced gaily amongst the five, as he marked each with a number upon their foreheads. These numbers, by the by, were carved into their heads by way of a dull and rusted butter knife. "No knife is ever dull," he quipped, as four of the five screamed from the pain. The other, which had a number four upon its brow, was stared upon by him for a time. Afterwards, the knife came down and slashed through the number, of which awarded our ears with a grunt of pain. "Oh? I''m going to enjoy breaking you," he reached down and gripped its muzzle whilst speaking these words, and was rewarded with a head shake to dislodge his grip. This was followed up by a glare which coupled as a challenge of "Do your worst". To which the Lich merely cackled greatly in response. "Shall we begin?" He asked, cocking his head to the left, as his emerald coloured eyes flared with great anticipation. A2 Chapter 51 (NSFW) AN: Get out your torches, folks, because you cannot see otherwise. Yes. I did have fun writing this one out, and it''s still weird to say it aloud. Anyways, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ________________________________ "Oh, My Lord God has given me such wondrous ingredients for the Feast," I giggled elegantly as I laid out my keys for the piano before my eyes, "Oh yes. For you see, he forbade me from touching one of your kind, even if they become destructive." The one before my eyes was naught, but one of those "silent types" many of the females had proclaimed were "cool" and "their type". Rather odd, really, as they were each one of My Lord God''s Undying, and could not breed. "Well, no matter." Quickly, I had the Skeleton Crew remove their clothing, but instead of simply taking them off via a pair of scissors, they decided to rip the clothing off. "Brutes," I muttered, holding a small knife towards the lower extremities. Only to find, "Nothing?" Oh this is bad. So, so bad. If this is a female, My Lord God will not at all be amused. For between the creature''s legs was naught, but a slit of flesh. "Are you a female?" My voice was full of anger, as I glared into the eyes of Number Four. Of which rewarded my person with an, "Are you stupid?" look. This led to my slicing its right cheek in anger. "Whoops. Mustn''t get too carried away." "Hmm," my voice hummed as I stared at the slit, and gently stimulated it. This action resulted in something pink poking through, before quickly receding. "Ah hah!" My voice was filled with triumph, as I shoved my left primary clawed hand into the slit in order to grasp the slippery appendage. To which I was rewarded with a gasp from Four, as he squirmed against my grip. "Now then." Pulling the appendage forward, one of the Crew stepped forwards to hand my regal self a handful of small clamps. These were placed upon the pink thing as tightly as possible, as a section of the table was raised in order to attach it to the wires hanging from the top. Once attached, did I begin slicing into the offending appendage which caused its ill use to be the focal point of this session. Of course Number Four was in pain, but did not cry out in the least. This was disconcerting, as I prided myself in creating the perfect sounds from each of my victims. "Hmm. What about this, then?" Taking up another, much sharper knife, I held it to the slit''s opening nearest its abdomen. In one quick stroke, sliced into the scaled flesh, pulling it gently until I came upon the solar plexus. "There it is," I crowed with joy, as Number Four screamed mightily from the pain in his abdomen. This would continue, as I slowly skinned the scales from its body, peeling and nailing it down near its sides. "I found your weakness," my voice sang softly, as my body twirled in a light circle, before resuming the peeling of its flesh until I found the organs. "Oh? Well, this is rather interesting. It seems your organs are pretty much the same as anyone else''s, except for this one." Gingerly, I pulled out an odd, black and brown egg-shaped stone. It was located above the stomach, set to the right of the esophagus. "Here," I handed the odd egg to one of the Undying, "Give it to our Lord God. Perhaps He will know what to do with it. Now then, time to crack open your bones." Sometimes I wished I still retained some lips to convey my true feelings, as I held a dull saw to Number Four''s breastbone. ***** "What is this?" I asked one of my silent Undying, as it held up its torch in one clawed hand, and an odd egg in another. The skull atop this one simply clicked and clacked, as it turned away to return to the Lich''s side. "Have any of you seen such a thing?" The egg was handed to each of the dragonfolk nearest my person, as they had been forced to watch the torture of one of their kind, and were glad for the reprieve. "No, Lord," was the general reply, before being forced to witness the first victim''s longer intestines placed upon a turntable of some sort, then slowly pulled from its body as it rotated. This type of torture was quite common upon one of the human infested worlds, which was also one of the few places I enjoyed. "Hmm. San''yuu," I called out to the air, as a portal of shadows and violet energies opened in front of my person, revealing the old Dragonock carrying a tired Siuun and Shoriin. "You called for me, Lord?" He asks, setting down the girl-child and basilisk. Of whom widened their gaze and dashed over to "Uncle Bones" as he worked on the first victim. Of which caused my mental self to smirk just as he twitched at the high pitched wail of her voice. This then led to him scrambling and muttering about how dangerous that was, before turning to glare and scold the child for startling his person, then order her to help him pull out the eyes. This was done so, as his own chaotic energies coursed through the body in order to keep it alive and screaming. "What do you make of this?" I asked, handing him the odd stone. Of which caused the other''s eyes to widen, as he began to ask where I had gotten such an item, before motioning him towards the screaming creature upon the rack. "Ah. Yes. May I ask his crime?" "Child abuse, and was caught raping a boy-child whilst it was gagged." The elder shivered along with those in ear shot of my voice, which was nearly all in attendance. "Well, to be honest, this is called a ''Dragon Stone'', and when given enough magick, can allow a person to use its power for pretty much anything. It truly does depend upon the elemental type," his speech was slow, as he contemplated some great mystery within his mind, and handed the item back towards my person. "Do all dragonfolk have such a stone?" I asked, curious. Unfortunately, I was led to disappointment, as he shook his greyed scaled head slowly, "No, Lord, only the Draconians have this. Although some of us Dragonocks have them, too, but they are far too rare." "A pity, but are you able to tell if you have one?" "Something is there, yes," he spoke quietly, as Brutus, Siuun, and Shoriin fell onto the second victim with great gusto. Of whom screamed more so than the first, and frightened the small basilisk enough to run towards my person and hide behind my right clawed foot. "However, it will take some time to fully understand what it does. "In any case, Lord, is it necessary for everyone to bear witness to such a spectacle?" Turning towards his person, I asked him what he meant by such words. To which he replied with, "It is understandable that such crimes against children are punishable by death, under your ruling, but is it truly necessary for everyone to watch it take place?" "Yes," I replied with a booming voice, as I stooped down to lift Shoriin into my lesser arms. To which it wiggled its tail quickly, as it yapped down at the world from its perch, "For all must know the price for such actions against my laws, and all must gather and bear witness to the Feast of Screams. Or as many within my servants like to call it, ''Il Concerto dei Dannati''. The Concert of the Damned." * "The Concert of the Damned" was aptly named not for the torture done up by an expert torturer, but of what proceeded soon afterwards. As each of the bodies, cut open and revealing missing organs and blood dying the ground scarlet, were stretched taut by the chains which bound them to the tables. Once the Lich made sure each of their limbs were tightly bound, did he have ten silvered, human skeletal Undying stand next to the still living bodies with their clawed hands outstretched in order to receive other lit torches. Each of these flames came in the colours of Azure, Scarlet, and Violet, as well as their own emerald flames. Of which caused their bodies to stand out. "My Lord God," called out Brutus, whose alabaster silk robe was almost completely dyed with the blood of these child abusers. Whereas Siuun, who seemed to giggle at the thought of removing organs from the five, was snacking on her third liver whilst Shoriin helped itself to its second. "We are ready to begin." "Very well," I stood tall, stalked forwards until I stood in the approximate centre of this event, and turned to address the thoroughly frightened audience. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. "I have two rules," my voice shook the air about their persons, "Follow orders given during times of crisis and battle, and Never. Abuse. Children. It''s just that simple, and I know you who are new amongst us were told, as I was the one who spoke such words. Yet, what happened? Five, no six, males decided to rebuke my laws and attack several children and adolescents. "Why? Why would they do such a thing, when we have slaves to satisfy your needs of sexual exertion?" There were a few chuckles amongst the crowd before my person, but were quelled almost as immediately as it began. However, there were still a good number who cringed at such a word. "Yes. I have slaves, but they are not you, the People of the Dragon. They are Kin, beastfolk, and other species you have yet to come across. If you look closely, you will note I have a pair of Draconian servants. They are not slaves, but have chosen to forgo their lives to serve my person," at these words, I placed my right primary clawed hand upon my solar plexus for a short moment, then allowed it to drift to my side once more. Whereas my left and right lesser clawed hands arced to encompass the whole of everyone present. "You, all of you, have been given a choice. Serve my person willingly, and you will never be called a slave again. All of my servants will tell you the truth: They are given much freedom, but still follow orders. And now you have that chance. "However," my primary left clawed hand held up its forefinger, whilst the rest were lightly balled against my palm, "However, should you choose not to serve, then you shall be released back into the world which tried to enslave you. None of you will remember what you have seen here, nor how to reach such a place. Instead, it will all just be a simple dream to you, or a story you heard your mother speak about around the fire. Perhaps even by one of your elders. Who knows?" Many were angry, of course, and those who felt brave enough were on their feet whilst ranting and raving about my offer being another shackle upon their person. "Yes. Many will see it that way, but tell me. What have you seen in this short turn? This village, is it not peaceful? Do they not seem to be at all at ease amongst my Undying? Beyond the bowing, and sometimes scraping, they have performed towards them, have you seen any of them treat the dragonfolk as anything less than they deserve?" "No," muttered one of the newcomers, who then shrank down onto the ground, as others patted its shoulders lightly. "No," I repeated, my voice no longer shaking the air around their bodies, "No. They are treated with kindness and the utmost dignity. They have been given good food, clean water, a bed to lie upon, and a roof over their heads. Yes. They have chores to maintain the village, but that is all. "Whilst the adults work, the children are given the opportunity to be children. Outside of here, who knows what would have happened? Whereas those who are adolescents are given over to my Undying in order to train as warriors and understand their new lives. "However," thunder returned to my voice, which seemed to cause clouds to gather high above our heads. For I was angered beyond anything up to this point, "However, those who break my laws are given a punishment befitting their crimes. If you do not follow orders without giving an explicit reason why, you may end up paddled or whipped for your insolence. Abuse a child?" Lightnings crackled across the clouds gathered in the colours of crimson and violet, "You deserve a fate worse than death." Turning towards Brutus, who held up a torch with emerald flames, I nodded towards his person to begin. Of whom cackled loudly, as the skeletal Undying each raised up their emerald flames, and thrust them into the cavity of the still living dragonfolk who dared to challenge my laws. These flames coated the bodies, but did not burn it. Instead, they burned away the essences within the vessel; the soul or spirit many would call it. Of which caused each to wail and shriek in voices unheard of amongst the living. It even went as far as causing the physical bodies to buck and twist as though desiring to run away from the flames. "Azure," called out the Lich, which caused them to remove their torches and thrust the blue flames into the area around the heart. Once again, it did not harm the physical body, but caused the essences within to wail considerably more. However, these flames had a special property about them, and displayed such a gift by revealing the essences of the five captives in various forms. Such as one being slowly torn apart, only to reform to begin the process over and over again. A second had its form slowly diced into thousands of pieces, reformed, and diced again. The third and forth held similar experiences, where they were being slowly burnt alive whilst forced to stay awake through the entire ordeal. The fifth and final offender had something never before seen. It was simply forced to become a female Draconian, much like the female who was pushed down in front of my person, and repeatedly raped by a variety of Shades with exposed members. Yes. They each appeared to be the normal members of humans, but upon entering the body, reveal a variety of wicked implants. Such as barbed wire running around one as it was shoved into that which was betwixt its legs, or another which became a wavy short sword. Yet another simply grew much larger than possible, as it was shoved into the female''s maw whilst it repeatedly thrusted. "Violet," called out Brutus, as the Undying pulled away their azure coloured torches. It was at this time the victims were given a minute reprieve, before beginning to wail as more pain was inflicted upon their persons. This time, however, the torches were shoved into their slits where their own members were located, as chaotic energies flooded their entire beings with new pains. The images of the essences were given more form, and showed a more detailed scene. Such as three of the five being electrified to dead and revived whilst they endured the other torments the azure flame inflicted. The fourth, of whom was one of the pair who was burnt alive, had to watch as a violet coloured shade ripped out its genitals and forced it to eat them. Once they were swallowed, however, they immediately grew back and the process repeated. The fifth, the one who was forced to become a female, was now being raped by a giant, violet Shade''s member. Of which entered and exited the body quickly until it became a blur. When I say that it was a giant''s member, I mean just that. No. The female did not rip apart as the human did so many turns ago with Roshaan, but was forced to watch as its body stretched to accommodate the size and shape whilst retaining its small form. Yes. It was quite entertaining to watch, but unfortunately, all things must come to an end. "Scarlet," howled the Lich, as the wailing had become outrageously, deliciously loud. As one, the Undying retrieved the violet flamed torch from betwixt their legs, and shoved the scarlet torch directly into their hearts. Yes. This killed their bodies, effectively ending their right to live whilst they burned. However, their essences were now bound to our plane of existence, and therefore can be obliterated. Which means, if I so choose, I can disperse that which gave them a chance to live upon the world called Azara to the winds. They would never be allowed to reincarnate, or move onto any other heaven or hell which awaited them. Instead, I chose to do something... different. Striding forwards, I reached out and grasped the five''s essences with my clawed hands, and held them up high. "This is what awaits you if you choose to abuse the children and adolescents under my protection." In so saying, my maw opened wide, revealing the darkness within, and swallowed their screaming selves in a single gulp. "Choose," my voice thundered throughout the forest, causing the earth to quake and many a tree to fall over, "Choose to follow my person forevermore, or leave without the knowledge you had gained here. These are your choices, as there are no others available. For if you choose to stay, and live under my rule, then I shall grant you one desire. A chance to kill those who would enslave you, and take hold of this land you call home. "Now. Choose." A2 Chapter 52 AN: Thank you all for reading thus far, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them ________________________ By the following morning, those of whom desired to leave were approximately one hundred and four. All of whom were adults without children, as they desired to find a colony elsewhere. Upon witnessing the process of how such memories are removed, the number dwindled down to sixty and eight dragonfolk. Perhaps those who had changed their minds were weak, or gave into the herd mentality. Who knows? In any case, those who left were given over to Suun, who would then take them to a very different location with food, water, and knowledge of building temporary shelters. Yes. Many were upset to see them leave, but it did not bother my mind in the least. As those of whom remained, and did not have a class imparted into their minds, gathered around my skeletal self as I conjured up my magicks. "<>," my voice was released into a growl, as I held up my right, primary clawed hand, "<>." My silvered energies gathered into a large orb, then released itself into strands of energy of which attached themselves to the struggling minds of those gathered about my person. Yes. They struggled, as my way of teaching always seemed to do more harm than good. In the end, however, the knowledge would still be there, whilst it twisted and warped the minds and bodies of those touched. Of course, such a thing will not happen right away, but over time. As to my reasons for imparting such knowledge? Well, if what San''yuu had spoken of was true, then we would see more elemental breathing creatures soon enough. Rather, this is what I believed at the time, as Rojaahn was given the egg shaped stone in order to experiment upon. This, along with two others from the bodies, would allow him to find a use for it in the long run. Though, of course, he had many other experiments along with creating the Elixirs, but what harm is it to add just one more project? "What was the point of this, My Lord God?" Asked Brutus as he appeared with his own staff of bone within his clawed hands. Of which mirrored my own, save for the eyes with were of sapphire pinpoints instead of emeralds. "I simply desire to know what will happen if these dragonfolk have one of those egg-shaped stones within their bodies and stoked it with their magicks," my reply was slow, as Siuun and Shoriin trotted over to my person in order for the girl-child to show me her "pretty flame" she made by thinking of the torches she saw the night before. My body flowed into my kobold self soon afterwards, so that I may watch the small flame of gold with a sickly green centre flicker greatly between her hands. "Very pretty, Siuun," she giggled as I pat her scaled head a few times, and caught Brutus just before he reached for my tail once more. Of which caused his person to falter and stare between my star-filled gaze and the appendage multiple times. This led to my sighing greatly, and hand it over whilst I switched over to stroking the child''s head slowly, whilst the basilisk lightly chewed on the digits of my free clawed hand. For a time we stayed like this, as I felt my mind relax until San''yuu appeared and coughed loud enough to garner my attention. "We are ready to return, Lord," he spoke softly, then coughed out a smattering whilst a Dragonock female held him steady. To which caused my person to stand in front of his, and ply my healing energies upon his old body. "Thank you, Lord." "Just hold for a sennight, San''yuu. Then you will be given your new, young body." "Yes, Lord," his voice was steady, as his eyes sparkled at the prospect of such a great reward. My right clawed hand gently pat his shoulder thrice before turning away to view the small amount of robed individuals holding a leather bag filled with essentials in one hand, and a plain wood staff in the other. These numbered twenty and five, and would be returning with me to the small market I had left Shauu and Auua to guard. The dwarves who had journeyed with my person to this point had been sent back before the start of last night''s Feast, so that I may not worry about their persons the following turn. "Come. Let us return to the city''s walls," my voice thundered, as a great portal of shadows and crimson crackled into existence behind my person. To which I ushered the individuals, my apprentices, and Shoriin into before stepping in myself. * "The Master has only just returned and requires rest," I heard one of the new hires shout, as I was staring at a map within the back of the communal tent. Of which was a near perfect representation of the city nearby. No. I had no intention of ever learning its name, as it would soon become the site of a battle. Therefore, I did not desire to learn that which will cease to exist within a few turns. As to how I was able to obtain such an item? Well, I had to thank a few of the hires along with Gahn. Of whom created a perfect representation within the earth, and those few hires had a greater talent in art than I. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. In any case, I and mine had returned to the small market''s outskirts in time to see a large collection of guards from the city doing their best to stick their noses in places it did not belong, whilst doing their best to appear inconspicuous. What is more, I and mine were followed once it became apparent my person was in charge. I shall give them a small amount of credit, as a few had managed to enter the communal tent after my person. Unfortunately for them, my eyes fell upon them almost immediately, and were killed for their insolence. This then led to my servants taking it upon themselves to "ask" these interlopers to leave. Immediately. Of course, they would not, as they had a piece of parchment stating they were allowed to do as they please. However, as I was not part of their country, nor recognised any of its laws, it was invalidated after I took up my staff. Of which was then pointed at the carrier''s chest, as my maw opened to spew forth a spell which transformed most of them into chickens. "Polymorph", is the spell which was used, and causes a curse with a short duration to fly out and afflict the targets within eyesight. This only lasted for a few heartbeats, but made the needed impression of my not caring for their laws. Of which caused all of these guards to rush back into the city, proclaiming they will see my person in irons for such insolence. To which I simply snarled as such a thing would only push my plans forward if such a thing were to pass. For I desired to walk amongst the halls of the castle during the party which should come to pass in a tenday. This was so, as it would allow my person to ply a craft I had been sorely lacking in. Flattery. Yes. I was not as adapt at it as I am to this day, and was more of an old hatchet than a fine rapier when speaking to others. All of this occurred within a span of a quarter turn after my arrival, and desired a quiet space to contemplate the next course of action. To which I entered the tent''s back room, sealing it from all, but my Undying and apprentices. However, this solitude was interrupted by shouting outside the tent, and I desired to know the reason. So, gathering up my staff, and donning an endarkened robe, I exited the tent only to find a great annoyance before my eyes. For you see, my dear audience, one of the king''s "wives" had appeared at the head of a long column of spear wielding beastmen, and a few rings of such beastmen surrounding my servants and hirelings. "And the meaning of this is?" I drawled in a displeased tone, waving my staff in a slow arc to encompass the scene before my person. "Master," growled Shauu, of whom simply shrugged off a few who tried to detain her person, and strode forward to stand by my side, "They desire to place your person in a cage for some odd reason." "Not ''some odd reason''," growled a lion beastwoman in a gold, translucent dress which showed the world everything. The fur and hair colour upon her body was a vermillion red shading to orange towards her chest and abdomen. Her eyes were of a crystalline blue, and the hair atop her scalp was of darkest shadows cascading in a waterfall down her backside. "You have slain many of our citizens, conspired to overthrow our right to rule, stolen properties, and disrupted our economy with your ''market''. "You will come with us for your trial before the crown, where you will be judged guilty and executed-" She did not continue, as a ball of golden flame with a sickly green centre flew towards her. However, it was absorbed by a bright red shield which seemed to have been hastily brought up. "You will not hurt papa," screamed Siuun, who rushed over to stand in front of my person, whilst Shoriin hopped into position to her right and hissed. Of which caused my person to laugh uproariously at what occurred, for my mind had just finished absorbing the whole of this scenario. Which included the odd pose the girl-child had in front of my person. Of which was her arms stretched outwards in order to protect my body with her own, as she took in a deep breath, held it, then released a short gout of the same coloured flame as before. Unfortunately, this seemed to have tired her, as she fell sideways and was caught by my freed clawed hand. "Sorry, papa," she muttered with half closed eyes, yawned, then fell asleep. "Are you finished?" I heard a growl ensue from within the column of beastmen. To which I simply sighed and handed the girl-child''s small body off to Shauu, telling her to watch over her for a moment. "You know," I merely glanced over my right shoulder to look upon those of whom came to arrest my person, "this is quite bothersome." "What did you just say?" Growled the female, as many spear wielding beastman advanced upon my position. "Your ears must be decoration, if you did not catch my words," my voice grew thunderous, as endarkened clouds quickly converged on our persons in order to shroud us in its darkness. Of which caused many within their ranks to call upon their magicks in order to create a multitude of bright orbs. However, all that was seen was simply a dirt road heading north, and nothing more. A2 Chapter 53 AN: Ever wondered why the MC doesn''t have any followers who worship his every step? Well, that explanation will be up by tomorrow. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________________________ "You stupid bitch, how dare you disrupt everything with your stupid pride!" Within a small room nearest the lion king''s throne room was both the king and the female who tried to arrest the strange beastman. It was here that the king had order his guards to take hold of the other''s limbs, whilst he repeatedly beat her with closed fists. "He is from the second continent, and is not beholden to our laws. With him gone, the people are in uproar; there is violence in the streets and many of our own guards, mercenaries, and the adventurers have left the city in search of him and his. "Not only that, but the farmers are refusing to pay their taxes, and whose. Fault. Is. That?!" With each word, the beatings grew more severe, up to the point of drawing blood from her muzzle and abdomen. Whereas the guards holding her form simply looked away and flinched at every impact. "Throw her into the dungeon," his growl echoed throughout the room, "Let her rot while the city burns around us, as I try to salvage the situation at hand." Yes. During such a time the female had tried to explain the situation from her point of view, but failed completely within a couple of turns after the whole of the city realised the market outside the walls was gone. Once word had spread, a guard from the castle drunkenly bragged how his mistress "saved" the city by running the odd beastman out of its lands. This one, along with the other spearmen, were part of a taskforce sent to accompany the female on her way back to the capitol and back. Which means they were not here when it all began, and upon returning found a large group of ignored complainants. Of which caused her to become horrified once everything reached her ears, and set out to arrest this individual who would dare upset the delicate balance they had upon this continent. However, if she had instead consulted her husband, King Ramses the First, none of this would have come to pass. Therefore, she had to endure the beatings, ranting and ravings, as she was tossed into a cell to be forgotten. "What to do? What. To. Do?" grumbled the king, as he poured himself a glass of strong liquor from a crystalline decanter upon a nearby shelf. "What a mess they''ve made." "In that, we have an agreement," spoke an unknown voice which startled the king so much he dropped the glass cup in his hands. Of which caused the speaker to laugh at the display before it. "Who-?" "Come, come now, my dear ''King''," sneered the person as they walked into the torchlight. Thus revealing themselves to be a large breasted female with an hourglass figure in a tight fitting leather outfit which appeared to be a size too small. This person did not have any ears atop its head, nor a tail upon the backside, but instead had a pair of stretched out ears upon the sides of its head. Whilst the raven black hair was tied into a bun so as to reveal such a sight to the world. Indeed, but the face of such a creature was standard amongst those of Japanese origin, and had a pair of crack glasses upon the bridge of its button-like nose. Perhaps one would view such a creature to be "cute" or "adorable", if they did not take into account the giant meat cleaver attached to the female''s backside. Yes. It deigned to wield such a weapon, and has done so with expertise, as it twirled the weapon around as though it weighed nothing at all. "Great," drawled the king, "Nero had to send the ''Scourge''. Does he have so little faith in me after all these years?" "Actually he has none, and will probably have your head after he hears of the mess you caused." The "Scourge", as it was called, laughed greatly as though it spoke of a joke. As to how it achieved such a name? She earned it after singlehandedly wiping out several bases which held those who were called "rebels". Sending everyone within, females, males, children, to an early grave. "Damnit," he growled, slamming a balled fist against the nearby wall just as a great explosion occurred to the west of the castle. "What was that?" "Probably your warehouse district, and no, I''m not going to help," the human laughed loudly once more, before taking up the decanter full of liquor, and downing it in a few gulps. Of which caused the king to growl a dangerously low growl. ***** "I thank you for the use of your land, good sir," I bowed slightly to the white and silver furred Fox-kin. Of whom rubbed the tips of his whiskers as he leaned against his staff of wood and stared upon my person from beneath a pair of bushy eyebrows. Yes. I bowed to one such as he, but only just enough to nod slowly. Else my servants would cry foul for portraying my person in such a manner. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Indeed, I had done so many a time, as they had deserved such recognition for performing a great assistance to I and mine. In this instance, the male allowed us to set up the market upon a small section of his farmland far to the north of the city. Here, was many more farmlands such as this, of which converged to a single point. Whereby a small village was set up so that all may share in the bounty of the farmland. However, such a place was taken over by the lion king some fifty cycles ago, and the populace was forced to pay a heavy tax for living so close to the city they had erected. Now? Now the city was in chaos due to my absence, and it was the royal''s fault for chasing I and my market away. Though I do not revel in these facts, as it pushes my plans farther ahead of schedule, it was enough to know that the king desired my person to return in order to quell the uprising. For the time being, we would stay within the boundary of the village''s walls, as the dwarves and hired hands continue to sell the high quality materials, foodstuffs, and sweets at extremely low prices. "Bah," the Fox-kin shook his staff as though removing such words from the air around our persons, "Think nothing of it. You helped my daughter and grandchildren. This is the least I could do to help." If you can recall, there was a pair of red furred Fox-kin children who begged for sweets and head pets during the first turn of the market opening near the city. These two, coupled with an equally red furred, female Fox-kin had appeared many times throughout each turn. Each carried with them only a single copper penny, but were allowed to carry back with them as much food, clothing, toys, tools, and sweets as they could carry. All for a single penny. This caused those with more coin than they to try and purchase such things with a single penny, but were turned away saying that they need to spend more in order to have as much as they. Yes. This caused many to rant and rave, but I would not budge. If they had coin, then they were to spend all they had in order to purchase as much as those who held out their life savings to I and mine. "You have helped us, good sir, and such a deed needs to be rewarded," I spoke softly, tearing my right clawed hand into the air between our bodies, and pulled out a sack full of something special. "I could not accept this," he waved his free hand towards the sack as I held it out to him, just as his daughter and grandchildren appeared beside him. "What are you not accepting this time?" spoke the red furred adult, as she placed her hands upon her slim waist and leaned over to glare at the elder. This turn, she wore a simple, blue silk dress with a linen shawl wrapped around her head and neck whilst her ears stood straight up. Around her throat, however, was a necklace of milky-white orbs strung together by a thin, gold wire. By the by, these orbs were called "Pearls", and have never been seen before upon this world of Azara. "He''s helped us enough as is, Lenore," the elder spoke hastily, shrinking from the glare of the other as though he were naught, but a child being scolded by a parent. "We need his help, like it or not. So stop being so prideful and just accept his rewards." The male grumbled something about the situation being stupid, but was grateful no one else was near as his daughter scolded him. "Want me to fetch Aunt Chloe? She''s within hearing distance," she pointed in the direction of the village, where a pair of elderly Wolf-kins were slowly making their way out and towards our general direction. "Aunt Chloe! Aunt Chloe!" The children shouted, dancing about our persons before dashing off with their little tails wagging quickly behind them. "No," grumbled the other, who accepted the sack and opened it carefully. Of which caused him to drop it, but before it could crash into the ground and spill its contents, my magicks enacted and safely cradled it in the air between us. "Wha-?" Began the female, as my magicks caused the sack to drift towards her, "Seeds!" Her voice was raised in awe at the multitude of seeds within individual, translucent bags. "Yes," my voice was full of bemusement, as a curious elderly couple carrying a pair of Fox-kin children whose tails were wagging themselves into a blur approached our persons. "Aunt Chloe! Look!" Her eyes were brimming with tears, as she revealed the contents of the sack within her hands, "With this, we don''t need to rely on the city for seeds." A2 Chapter 54 AN: The second book cover is up, so please tell me what you think. The artist who made this, as well as Azzarath''s is one Christian Bentulan, and owns a little business called ''Covers By Christian''. https://www.facebook.com/coversbychristian/ http://coversbychristian.com/ As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _____________________________ It had been two turns since the small, nameless village had accepted our presences, and in that time, I and Gahn had been erecting earthen walls around their farmland. This was so, as they had expressed a desire to secede from the city and its monarchy. Of course, I obliged them, giving them the knowledge necessary to complete this task. Unfortunately, it was sorely lacking, as I have no need of a government when the hierarchy we had was enough. Yes. We had such a structure, with my person at the top, Brutus at my right, Sia my left, and everyone else trickling down until it reached the hirelings and the dragonfolk. The lowest of the low would be anyone who desired to join, and would have to climb the ladder in order to find their place within our group. However, the populace had discovered my person to be a god, and after much explanations of what it means, as well as various demonstrations, caused the populace of the farming community to grow excited. Of which caused many instances where they would bow and scrape and worship my every footstep. "Do not perform such actions," I growled as Gahn continued his task of summoning up great mounds of dirt to surround the farmlands, "I do not need your worship, only a simple acknowledgement would suffice." Yes. I am of the rare group of gods who do not need worshipers. Instead, I simply desire all to note my comings and goings, nothing more. Of which caused them all to believe I was far too humble to accept such a praise, when these thoughts couldn''t be further from the truth. To be fair, I didn''t see a point to the worshiping. It was just that simple. I. Saw. No. Point. In any case, I grew annoyed by the consistency of it all, and outright barred anyone from doing so in my presence. Of which caused them to perform such annoyances within their homes, and even "prayers". Again, no point in performing such an action, as I would not hear it. Even to this day, I do not hear a prayer. This is so, as I do not have a temple, church, or what have you, dedicated to my person. Instead, they were dedicated to the vast majority of those upon their separate worlds, and only acknowledged my presence. For now, I continued to create their walls with Gahn. Of which were five metres tall and half a metre thick of solid earth. This would continue until the whole of their supposed territories were surrounded by earth and stone. Once completed, I gathered everyone about my person in the centre of the community, and simply willed the earth about us to grow high until we had reached a height of twenty metres. "Witness my power," I spoke with a slight grin upon my features, as I held aloft my staff of bone for a time, then slammed its point into the ground. Lines of violet, crimson, and emerald lowly spread out from beneath my staff, causing small geometrical fractures within the earth around our persons, as they raced down the large mound of earth we stood upon. Many had become startled from the lifting of their persons into the air by way of this mound, and became surprised by the lines which appeared upon the ground. Even more so was the fact that these lines had spread out innumerably once they touched the earth below. Whereby they did race once more, but towards the walls. Upon reaching the walls, a light show of crackling energies erupted as the walls of earth took shape into that which was called "Marble". This stone, normally reserved for those of whom held the coin, was of the pure, snow white sort and seemed to cause many to look on with a mixture of awe and fear. It was an awe inspiring scene below, and they were grateful for such a thing. However, they were fearful as such a thing was expensive, and made to look as though some great noble had claimed the land. "I am not finished," I called out to them, as the earth beneath their feet shifted and shook as it flowed back into the ground below. Once finished, I reached into the air in front of my person to pull out several horse-hair brushes, and handed each one to the children who stared at it with great curiosity. "Each of these brushes hold an enchantment about themselves," I spoke slowly so that they may understand, "They are magickal brushes, and are able to bring forth your dreams upon the stone walls. So go. Paint. All you must do is simply hold the brush to the surfaces of that wall, think about your dreams, and it shall come forth." Most were skeptical, along with many of the adults and elders not understanding why I had gifted the children with such a wondrous gift. Of which were soon voiced, as the pair of red Fox-kins dashed off towards the walls. "The children are children, and have multiple dreams and nightmares from various circumstances. It is a good chance for you, the adults, to know and understand what it going on within their minds. As opposed to sitting down and speaking with them to understand what is within their minds. "Go. Enjoy the stories each of their dreams will share," I pointed towards the distance, where the Fox-kin children were simply staring at a detailed work of art. Of which consisted of them atop a mountain of sweets, snacking on such things with great happiness in their features. * By the evening of this turn, I was busy brooding over the map of the nearby city within a small, stone structure near the village proper. The walls within and without were bare, as I did not see the need for decorations and would not be bothered with such a thing. For they had desired it to be regal, and desired my person to dictate their everyday lives as the monarchy had done so for so long. "Why?" I had asked them with greatly concealed annoyance, "Why should I direct your lives?" "Because you''re the Lord, and a god," spoke out one of their number, of whom was the old Fox-kin I had thanked two turns ago. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "A god I might be, but I do not care what you do with your lives. There is no need for micro-managements, as you are given the freedom of choice so long as you follow my two rules. Which are to follow orders during times of crisis and battle, and to never abuse children. If you can follow these two rules, what have I to say what you do with your lives?" These words of mine left many of the community distraught or confused, as I refused to order them about as the officials in the city had. This seemed, to my mind at least, that they had been forced to obey for so long, they did not know what true freedom felt like. Much of them reminded my person of the dragonfolk, as they had similar reactions after the initial giddiness of freedom was over and done with. Of which led to my person summoning up a few of my female Undying, who were directed to teach these farmers what it was like to live freely under my rule. Though of course, such a thing would take time, which we did not have as I desired the city to fall within the next few turns. One way was to simply have the dragonfolk armed and armoured as they struck out against those within the city. The other was to employ Persephone, of whom was currently making her way towards my person with a cup of water. Her clothing was of a simple, brown leather jerkin with a pair of linen trousers. There was a pair of odd, leather boots upon her feet, of which turned out to be a simple wrapping of leather and fleece about her feet. Yes. She was within arm''s reach of my person whilst I brooded over the detailed map of the city. For she came riding up on a strange, ox-horse hybrid along with a large group of craftsmen. They had appeared as the day-star reached its zenith, and desired to stay close by as the city had a large variety of riots happening within. Of which were being quelled with much violence from the palace guards, the nobles, and their private armies. "There was a literal river of blood flowing from the marketplace," she shivered as she recounted such a scene, whilst sipping from the cup of water, "So we left and now we''re here, but were surprised to find the marble wall. I take it that was your doing?" "You should know my handicraft, Persephone," my voice whispered softly, as I placed small figurines of the dragonfolk within my village about the map''s face, "You and that ''harem god'' have been with my person for many cycles. So you, of all people, should know what I am capable of. "By the by, where is the ''human god''? It has something I greatly desire," I asked this query, and moved my head up to find the female gripping the cup with great tension. "Oh? And what has caused you to nearly break the small cup?" "He''s betrayed us all for the sake of one woman," she growled with enough venom to poison a world, "And has tossed me aside once he grafted these ears to my head," her free hand reached up to grip her left ear, tugging on it sharply before wincing and letting it go. "He said I wasn''t human anymore, and slapped a collar around my neck. "It was humiliating, Dei," there were tears in her eyes, but I did not feel a thing within my body as I watched her, "The collar was a slave''s, and he made me run around as though I were a dog. I even had to eat from a dog''s bowl for his amusement. Then he sent me off to this forsaken shithole, and told me I had to find a dragon with another girl. Who took pity on me and freed me from the collar. "Wish I knew where she was, so I could thank her." "And what did this female look like?" I asked, wondering if it was the Tiger-kin who claimed to know where a dragon currently resided. "Um," she mumbled, thinking of what it appeared as, "Well, she''s one of those ''Kin'' you call it, and was a cat with stripes. She also wore straps, ropes, and a loincloth over her waist. Why? Do you know where she is?" Her eyes were hopeful, as she leaned forward with expectation. To which I intoned, "<>." Of which revealed a mass orgy of monsters and females of varying races. However, I desired one in particular, and moved the portal around the room until I found the odd Kin, who was in the process of being used by a large Draconian to relieve his built up stress. This was in the form of having her small mouth sucking on the male''s appendage as two others were using that which was betwixt her legs and rear. The scene developing before my person was amusing, as she had taken to her role more so than the others. For to her right was a rabbit eared Kin who was crying and looked to be fighting back, as several Dragonocks were shoving their appendages into that which was between her legs at the same time. This caused my person to grin a feral grin, which disappeared upon remembering my audience and centered in on the Tiger-kin whose mouth was over the male''s. "If this is her, then we already met," my voice was a soft chuckle as the Mirror Portal I held stretched itself to allow Persephone full view of the scene beforehand. "That''s her," she spoke slowly, her right hand covering her lips as she gasped in horror, "Why is she-? What did-?" "Do you remember the battle which took place after the destruction of the port city?" At her nod, I continued, "Do you recall our time upon the last world we ventured into within this Abyss?"Again, another nod as her eyes grew wide upon remembering something, "Yes. That which occurred upon that realm has been transferred over to this and will continue so long as I have mortal followers with needs and desires which cannot be met by their hands alone. "And no, she will not be released." "Why not?" Her voice was small, as she fell upon the ground due to her legs giving out. "Because she has become pregnant," I chuckled as my eyes flashed an emerald colour. Of which caused the images within the Portal to drift towards the naked abdomen of the female in question. This revealed a large hump which had grew into being some time ago. "She will be the first to give birth to a new creature. One of Slime and Kin." A2 Chapter 55 (NSFW) AN: It''s another NSFW chapter, folks, and this time it''s a rape scene. Pretty sure you all know who''s going to be targeted this time, and as usual, our MC is not going to give two bits about it at all. Thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________ "Put your bow away, Persephone," I growled low, as I turned my attention back towards the task at hand. Which was figuring out the best strategy for taking out the fragile city. However, my human "guest" was being quite rude as she was pointing an arrow at my muzzle. "You will only harm yourself if you release the projectile." Of which was true, as my shields, though invisible, is capable of absorbing or deflecting kinetic energies such as the force from one of her arrows. Unfortunately for her, Siuun had appeared before us, "You will not hurt Papa," she cried out, as a gout of golden flame with a sickly green centre flared into life from her small maw. Of which struck the human female''s back, causing her to let loose the arrow. This caused it to strafe to the right and ricochet off of the edge of my shield, sending it into a wooden poll behind my person. Sighing greatly, my body flowed through the table in order to grip Persephone''s neck, dragging her behind my person as I strode out into the open air, whilst the young Dragonock followed close behind. "Per-seph-one," my words were slow, Val''ruum and Sal''ruum rushed over after hearing the girl-child''s voice raised in anger, "You should not have tried to threaten my person with a measly arrow." She struggled greatly against my grip, cursing and demanding I release her friend, "I have told you before, she will not be released. So give up on your desires of rescues, as she will forever be my slave." "Master," Val''ruum called out before saluting my person with a clasped fist over the vicinity of his heart, of which caused his brother to perform the same action. Once they relaxed, he glared down upon the human with fake wolf ears atop her head, asking, "What shall we do with this thing?" "Hmm, there is still a need for her, as she has knowledge of the city. Otherwise she would have ended up within the breeding pits alongside her-." I paused in my thoughts, glaring down into her body before tossing her into the twins'' arms. Another thought crossed my mind, of which was of the human rescuing everyone in the slave pits and leading a revolt against my servants. This was not a pleasant thought, but I did have something which could be used against such a rebellious human, "Hold her still. For I have something which will keep her in line." In so saying, my Undying gripped her limbs between their persons with facial features full of curiosity. Whereas I simply shoved my right clawed hand into the air by my side, and retrieved an azure, crystalline collar with a golden orb in its centre. "What''s that?" Asked the human, as her eyes widened in horror whilst her body struggled against the iron-like grip of the twins. "This?" My voice was full of amusement, as I slipped the item over her head, and around her neck. Whereupon it did tighten for a time before melting, painfully, into her flesh. Of course, she screamed greatly, attracting many farmers, hirelings, and dwarves to our side. "This is a simple collar I had designed with Rojaahn. One which can never be removed, except by decapitation of the wearer. This collar will force you to obey my every command, and do so with great joy. "Once you have completed the task, however, you will revert back to your original personality until given another order. Quite the annoyance, as it would allow you to remember everything. However, if you cannot obey such an order, your body will become very hot which can only be relieved until you finish the given command. Unfortunately, such heat is not as simple as it sounds. For it is the heat of a female desiring copulation, and the release of fluids. "Unfortunately for yourself, such a thing will never come to pass unless I will it so, and it will only continue to build up until either your mind breaks from such a desire, or when it is finally completed. Now, Val''ruum, Sal''ruum," the twins stood at attention, awaiting my next command, "Keep hold of her as I give the female her first command." Leaning forward, I gripped her hair, pulling it back in order to sneer in her face, "Sit." This caused her expression, which was of hatred and rage, to slowly flow into one of joy and confusion. Joy, as she desired to complete the task, but was confused as she could not move. "Master," she whined greatly, as her face slowly became red, whilst her lips parted into a pant, "I can''t. They won''t let me." Her lower self twitched as she continued to struggle, whilst her body continued to heat up and the panting continuously grew heavier. Of which caused my person to release a roaring laughter, as I bade the twins to release her body so that it would sit down. However, as I had said before, her body heat and panting stayed and her eyes grew misty as she squirmed with a desire for release. "Enter the structure behind my person, and wait for my return." Stolen story; please report. "Yes, master," she panted, running into that which I dragged her from with all due haste as I continued to grin. "Master?" Called out Sal''ruum, whose head had cocked towards his left shoulder, "What just happened?" "Ah," my grin faded away as I realised I had an audience, "Do not worry much about it, as our human "guest" has just joined our cause willingly. For now, return to your duties." Once they all began to disperse, did I stalk inside where the human female awaited my person whilst squirming for a release. "Remove your clothing," and she did so with all due haste, of which included a pair of torn, pink panties from around her waist. Her chest was as flat as can be, and the body was thin. Had I not known any better, I would have passed her off as a girl-child, and have explained slowly as to why she should not have pointed her weapons in my general direction. "Get down on all fours with your rear in the air." Once again, she complied with haste, as I summoned up one of my Dolls which was in the shape of a large wolf, but devoid of any colour or features. "Mount the female human," I commanded the doll, and watched as it did so, then noted the absence of an appendage. For which I simply applied a small amount of energy to its back, allowing it to grow one which was used to slide not so gently into her body. This is where I noted several trickles of blood flowing down her inner thighs, and led my person to ask, "Is this your first time?" She nodded, panting heavily as her non-existent breasts showed her nipples to be quite erect from the angle in which I glanced down upon her body. "Very well. You are not allowed to utter a word, as the Doll causes you to release repeatedly until I tell it to stop." Her eyes widened greatly at my words, as the Wolf-Doll began to violently thrust in and out of her body. Of course, she was given the order to not speak, and could only scream internally as more of her blood with a mixture of her fluids continued to flow down her inner thighs. She stared upon my person with pleading eyes, begging me to allow her to scream, moan, anything. However, I simply shrugged and walked back into the area with the map, completely ignoring the human and her struggles. * Later that turn, I removed the Doll and summoned Shauu to my side just as the female upon the ground collapsed, breathing heavily from the torment she endure. However, within her eyes was a dim light, as the collar beneath her flesh had full control over her mind. "Shauu, make the human more presentable, as she still has a purpose to fulfill." "And after, My Lord God?" "Whoever has performed exceptionally well during this next part in the war will receive her to do as they wish," was my reply, as I waved her away and contemplated who to send with San''yuu. ''They would need to be expendable, as he is important to my plans,'' my mind spoke slowly, as I turned to find Shauu pulling the naked female outside, and into the tent nearby. Curious, and having little else to do, I followed until I noticed the strange Armoire the pair were approaching. This led to my Undying shoving the human in front of it, where something strnge occurred. Once close to it, the large, main doors opened wide, as strands of cloth, linen and silk wrapped themselves about her body and pulled her inside. It was always entertaining to witness such a spectacle, as the eyes of the victims would always seem ready to pop out of their sockets when the strands attached themselves to their body. Of course, such a thing only lasted for a few moments, and only on those without a strip of clothing about their bodies. When the doors opened once more, the human fell forwards and into the arms of Shauu. Where she was lifted towards my own eyes for a viewing. The wardrobe of the human, which used to be just leather and linen, was now decorated with a floral patterned dress of whites and reds. Underneath was a simple hose of thin, black fabric, as her feet were covered in red floral slippers. "She looks ready for a grand ball, Shauu, not for war," I gave my Undying a deadpan look, whereas she replied with a sheepish grin. "A ball is also a place for battle, My Lord God," she replied quickly, then sighed with relief as I shrugged and did not push the issue. "No matter. Summon the others, for we now plan for the morrow. Of which will end with our taking over this city, then the rest of the world will fall neatly into our clawed hands." A2 Chapter 56 AN: Thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________ Those gathered about the table with the large map of the city were the dwarves, my Undying, our "guest" who was currently glaring daggered into my skull, my apprentices, and a few of the elders of the village. Yes, I included the farmers, for they had as much of a stake in this as I. However, there''s was for absolute freedom, whilst I simply desire it for our world conquest. For now, we simply contemplated on how to tackle this city before moving on to the main continent and the wilderness of the third. "Well, Persephone?" I called out to the human, causing all eyes to turn in her general direction, "Where would you place my servants and Undying, if we desired to removed the key positions of the guard and strike fast and hard at the monarchy within?" "Yes," her eyes, which was full of hatred only moments before speaking, was now without light as the collar embedded in her skin took control of her mind, "I would have them attack the towers all across the walls." She spoke quickly, reaching over to grab a few of the Undying figurines, and placing each one upon the drawn out parapet atop the walls, "Each of these holds a large brass bell, which, once rung, will cause the whole of the city to respond with their own alarm bells. "Now, if you''re wanting to attack the castle, you may want to try the hidden passage within the well to the right of the main church''s door. It''s the only one I know of that still leads to a series of catacombs which will then lead you to the main courtyard of the castle." "Very well," I spoke slowly, watching her expression return to one full of hatred, as she recalled what she had just said, "How well trained are the city guards, as opposed to those within the castle?" This query was voiced to all, as the human would not hold all of the answers to such a thing. "My Lord God?" Called out one of the elders from the village. Of whom had shrank into his chair, as all eyes turned in his direction, "I was a stable boy when I was young, and would always dream about being one of the guard. However, I''ve soon found out they were nothing more than lazy brutes who did nothing beyond drinking, gambling, and whoring. The only ones you need to look out for are those under the king''s wives, as they are well trained and not at all lazy." "Hmm," my voice hummed softly as my gaze fell upon the dwarves, "Would you and yours care to have a bit of exercise, my dear dwarves?" They turned towards my person, and grinned an evil grin as they reached for their hidden weapons to caress lovingly. "Aye, lad," spoke one of their number, of whom was of the darker haired and skin colour, "we would like that very much." "Then it is settled. You and yours will accompany San''yuu and his escort into the castle. Once you are there, do whatever you wish, for I care nothing about them. However, no one is to go near the king, as he is to receive a message from my apprentice before meeting his demise. "Understand?" "Aye lad. Everyone but the king is fair game." They grinned and rushed off to speak to their own kind, as I turned back towards those still gathered. "Auua, Shauu, you both are to be in charge of the dragonfolk who are to be joining us in this venture. Whereas Sal''ruum and Val''ruum," I turned towards the twins, narrowing my eyes for the briefest of moments, "you two will be in charge of the Undying destined to attack the towers. Perform the task without a flaw, and you will have earned your extra arms." The twins became excited at the prospect of moving up the ladder of my Undying''s hierarchy. For the prospect of having four arms, instead of two, means they would not only be able to perform their duties better, but have earned the trust of their Lord. "Thank you, My Lord God," they spoke quickly, slamming their fists against their chests with a resounding boom, "We will not fail you." "Pray that you do not," growled Auua, who had long ago earned his extra arms, "For Lord Brutus will tear you apart if he finds out about your failure." The pair grew solemn once they heard these words, whilst Shauu used the flat of her primary clawed hand to smack the back of the Orangutan''s head. Whereas I simply rubbed my temples from the imaginary headache forming behind my eyes. "Yes," I spoke slowly, staring in their general direction for a time before casting my gaze into their own. The pair turned away almost as soon as I had done so, to which I sighed slowly, "Brutus has a habit of rampaging when something goes awry, but calms down as soon as everything is put to right. So complete your duty, and do it well. Else he will be taking it out of your hide. "San''yuu," I called out to the older Dragonock, who simply glanced in my general direction for a time before returning to gaze upon Siuun. Of whom was in the process of exploring his clawed fingers with her own, and did not wish to cast his attention elsewhere in case she decides to remove them so that she may do whatever she so desires. Yes. Such a thing has happened many times before, and will continue until her demise. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it."San''yuu, you will be given a company of five of the hirelings. These will accompany your person into the throne room, whereupon you will deliver the message that Veni Deus Venenum is coming for him. Once completed, I shall given you your elixir as you return to the dragonfolk village. Understand?" "Why the village?" He asks and winces as the girl-child places the fingers into her small maw. Whereupon she looks upon with large, crimson orbs devoid of pupils and irises. Many of the elders gasped and muttered something about a "Crazed Child", as they slowly moved away from the pair. "Why?" I mused with a small grin upon my features, "You are going to be their leader, of course." ***** The day-star sank below the horizon once more, casting the world of Azara into perpetual darkness for which none dared enter without a great many light sources. For the darkness throughout the world caused many of its monsters and beast to emerge from their dens and lairs in order to seek out and devour those caught unawares. However, this night would soon be filled with more light than naught, as the being known only as Veni Deus Venenum sat atop his iron scaled dragon called Suun. High above the city, did his eyes flare into life, allowing him and those around him to see within the darkness a little better than most. Of which was only given to himself, the dragon, Shoriin, and the young Dragonock called Siuun. They each stared down below, whilst being strapped to the being atop the dragon, and spotted several blurred forms slowly climbing the walls. Of which were hugging the walls as the beastfolk patrolling such a thing passed them by with a large orb of magelight illuminating the world about them. Yes. Such a thing was dangerous, as it marked them as great targets by those who would seek to harm them. However, the only fear they had was of the denizens of the darkness, which were far below their high walls of stone, wood, and magick. They believed themselves safe from the darkness, and had grown complacent because of such things. However, this night will truly be their undoing, as the unknown creatures which hugged the walls quickly climbed to the towers where their bells hung in a dusty silence. For they have not been used for many cycles, and have been neglected even to that very night. Unfortunately for these bell ringers, they were the first to fall, as these silent unknowns each leapt through the open windows, splattering the insides with their blood as they raced along the walls to silence all others before they managed to alert the sleeping world below. Once completing their tasks, these creatures then raced over towards the gatehouse nearest the north gate, whereupon they did remove anyone and everyone before slowly opening the great doors to allow those waiting below to enter. These creatures who were to enter were of the dragon race of creatures used as slaves by the rest of the world called Azara, and were given the tools of war. Each of them were given a single task. "Kill. Kill those who have wronged your person. Kill their families, as they had slaughtered or abused your own. Kill the world they so desired and accomplished through the blood, sweat, and tears of you and your kin, for they deserve that and more. So kill them, and become free from your burdens of slavery forevermore." Yes. They would kill, slaughter, maim, dismember everyone and everything these dragonfolk latched onto, but for now, they had to enter the city. Of which they did so, but not as silently as one would expect. No. Instead, the great gates of the northern part of the city squealed and groaned as they swung open. This noise woke many a citizen, and more than a few grew curious as to why the gates were opening. Or perhaps, they were simply curious to know where the noise had come from. Those who were far too curious for their own good, stepped out of their homes nearest the gate and, lighting a coal lantern in their grip, shined the light upon a sea of crimson eyed monsters wielding the tools or war. Many of these did not realise what was happening, and raised their lanterns higher in order to see more of these creatures. Of whom also contained those with emerald and sapphire coloured eyes, as they stared upon those with such instruments of light. This then led to one of the lightbearers to scream loudly, awakening much of the nearby houses as the sea of monsters howled, roared, and charged into the city with their tools raised high, before falling down upon their intended victims. Upon the walls, however, was another group of monsters, but these held bows or staves, and conjured great orbs of red flames with a dark centre before sending them into the city below. This blatant destruction was what caused the screams to intensify, as the city''s inner bells rang fiercely in a call to arms against those of whom would dare attack them. Although this attracted the mercenaries, guards, and adventurers to the battle at hand, it also attracted a large horde of monsters waiting outside the southern gate. Once they heard the bells ringing loudly, did they howl and roar with such strength to make these walls of stone, wood, and magicks quake. For it was not just their voices which struck the gates so fiercely, but also their weapons, claws, and fists. A2 Chapter 57 AN: And now the return of the MC singing Mad World by Gary Jules. Except this time, it''s now spread to others. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _________________________ "All around me are familiar faces," chanted the dragonfolk, as they surged into the city. Many of them broke through walls and doors as they found those of whom had slighted them. This led to nearly all being slaughtered, as the children were normally spared whilst those still lying in their cribs were teleported elsewhere. As to the reason why this was so? Well, perhaps these creatures will end up as slaves, or targets later on in their lives. Who is to say? "Worn out places; worn out faces," they continued on with their chantings, whilst I spoke the verses high above the city with Suun, Siuun, and Shoriin. Yes. Such verses had become my personal battle song, and had been instilled into those fighting down below. "Bright and early for the daily races," many of them found those not willing to fight, but to run and hide. In which case they happily gave chase, whooping and hollering as they did so. This, of course, led to them being ambushed by several unknowns until they, themselves perished under such onslaught. However, "Going nowhere; going nowhere," their bodies chanted, as they stood tall once more. One of these, a Draconian, had cuts and scorch marks all across its muzzle, revealing to those under the magelight a terrible, grinning visage of bare teeth and bone. Whereas the others simply had arrows jutting out of their bodies, or had their necks snapped at an odd angle. One of these, by the by, had their head twisted around, and was in the process of righting it, whilst those who believed themselves the victor stood in a horrified stupor. This, of course, was due to my own magicks, as I had imbued each of their bodies with a regenerative enchantment which would only activate after their hearts stopped beating for a few ticks. Of which would cause their bodies to revert back to their undamaged selves, but the process was gruesome, and they would feel everything. If I were a true cleric, this would not be as painful. Yet I was not, and my energies always twisted each spell and ability I used when I called upon them. "Where do you think you''re going?" Growled the Draconian who righted its head and glared at those before it. This then led to their group pouncing atop those that had just murdered their bodies, rending, tearing their own apart as their fellows slowly turned to flee. Unfortunately for them, they did not make it very far, as large spears skewered their bodies. Some were even pinned up against nearby walls and could not remove the objects due to it being embedded deep inside the wood or stone structure. "Their tears are filling up their glasses," they continued, as children screamed for their parents whilst watching them perish under the might of my Undying. Many of these, though still very young, tried to stand up to them, only to be swatted away as they danced with their swords, axes, and long knives. Those few who still chose to stand and attack only found themselves impaled along with the adults, as they did not hold the patience I had when it came to such small creatures. Of course, they cried out more because of the pain, but it was brief and they drifted away soon afterwards. "No expression; no expression," I muttered softly, watching as those children who chose to fight slip away into Death''s embrace. Many did not have an expression about their faces, whereas the majority held anger or surprise as their bodies fell upon the river of blood which trickled down the stone pavement below. Yes. Such a sight would have been intolerable to this day, and I would have leapt from my perch in order to stop such acts from continuing. However, the I of that time was a much colder being that many of you would never recognise. Which is, I guess, a "good thing". "Hide my head I want to drown in sorrow." Many of those considered to be adults were wailing and weeping greatly, as the southern gate blew apart to reveal Brutus leading a large contingent of monsters against an equally large army of guards, mercenaries, and adventurers. It appeared to my person the dragonfolk were less of a threat than those under my Lich''s command, within the eyes of those fighting down below. To which I simply grinned, as I felt Suun squirm under my person. "You desire a fight," this was a simple statement, as I already knew the answer when the pseudo dragon turned its neck to stare into my person with great longing. "Very well, but first." A portal erupted to my right, which opened into a large, cavernous space where many of the sex slaves were in the process of fighting against so few of my Undying servants. "Oh? What''s this?" My voice boomed throughout the cavern, as a multitude of portals erupted all around the space. From within came a large series of human and elf-shaped Dolls bereft of detail, which stood at attention upon the fringes of the fighting. "Such insolences cannot be tolerated," my voice was a low growl, as I expected them to be locked up whilst Siuun and Shoriin were given over to Rojaahn and Sia to watch over as Suun was allowed to join in the battle far below. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Instead, I find a large uprising occurring within my primary base of operations. As nearly all of the female slaves were loose and had taken up a weapon of some sort to attack those left to watch over their persons. Of which led my self to leap through the portal, dragging the girl-child and small basilisk as I tell Suun, "Go enjoy yourself," before closing the portal behind. Though my form was of my kobold self, cracks and fractures of glowing crimson was seen scattered about my body, whilst my eyes glowed a baleful crimson. This glow enveloped those in front of my person, of whom were desperately struggling against my unrelenting servants. Each of my Undying, by the by, are an Undead creature. Thus, they had an infinite amount of stamina, and in some cases, an infinite reserve of magickal energy. However, those were far and few between, as only my person at the time, Brutus, and Sia, were capable of holding such reserves. I was a god, and was given such a blessing when I became an officially recongised being. Whereas the latter were my favourite servants, as well as being my right and left hand when our hierarchy was involved. In any case, "No tomorrow; no tomorrow," my voice, though soft, reverberated throughout the cavernous area. My form quickly grew taller, wider, as a great tearing of flesh followed my voice. This was so, as my kobold form stretched until it finally gave way to my skeletal self. Of which caused many females to shout in great fear, whilst Siuun simply giggled at the sight of my form. "Kill them all," so great was my voice, that much of the stone ceiling cracked whilst large chunks of stone fell onto the ground below. Yes. Some struck my person, and came close to the young pair nearby, but were saved due to the fact that I still had my arcane shields active to prevent us from any sort of harm which might occur. "Leave none alive," I continued, sending my silver coloured energies into the Dolls, awakening them as they grew out large blades where their hands resided. Leaping with gaping mouths, they screamed a silent scream as their blades ran through the backs and fronts of the unsuspecting females. Of which allowed my servants to end their lives with a simply stroke of their weapons. For they did not desire to have them slain, as I had not given them the order to do so. Instead, they simply tried to capture and detain their persons until I, Sia, or Brutus told them otherwise. "I find it kind of funny," I growled, striding forward to grip one of the remaining, albeit dying, females who had risen up to challenge my rule. It struggled greatly, as the acid coating my bones slowly ate away at its body. However, instead of simply allowing it to waste away, crimson and emerald lightnings crackled to life around my skull. This was then sent into the head of the creature I held, of which caused it to scream an unearthly scream as my energies tore through her mind so that I may know why such a thing occurred. Once completed, a tiny orb of silvered mist slowly left her mind, and shot into my own. Of which allowed my person to view fleeting images of a Tiger-kin speaking to a large group naked females whilst rubbing her abdomen slowly. The flesh around her abdomen had distended, as a mound containing her offspring resided within. From the looks of things within such images, she was not at all pleased with it, but could do nothing about such an event. In any case, it appeared to my person that she was making plans for something, as the guards about their cage lessened due to the fact that she witnessed them entering a large portal with the city on the other side. There, she spoke of how great and terrible was this army, but it called for many of those within the cavern to join them in the fun. Thus, leaving only a token resistance left to guard their persons until they returned. Hence, the reason why many of them had escaped and were now fighting against my servants, desiring an escape from such a place. Unfortunately for them, I had found out about such a thing prematurely, and was now going to put an end to it all. "I find it kind of sad," my voice chuckled as the images left my person, "They desired an escape, and yet, will now die for it. Hmm." Raising my right, primary clawed hand, I summoned up a red orb of bright, heatless fire. "<>." The orb of cold fire erupted into a large swarm of lesser orbs, and flew in all directions in order to mark those whose race I had called out. Of which led to an order towards my Dolls, "Find the Tiger-kin. Bring her before my person, and kill any of those who had been free and are not marked by the orbs of cold fire." Each of them left soon afterwards, whilst I simply sighed mentally as Siuun and Shoriin gingerly opened up one of the bodies in order to snack upon the liver and kidneys within. Such a scene would have led to my mind calming down considerably, if I did not hear the words, "Have I done as you ordered, My Lord High God?" To which I simply grinned as my body flowed into my Draconian self in order to enter into the final phase of my plan for conquering this continent. A2 Chapter 58 AN: Chapter 17 is where it all began, if anyone is curious. Will leave a link to the chapter, as there are many who are lazy. In any case, this is where things become more vague, as the Ageless with his army and captive humans are almost at the Necropolis. He wants to rush things along, for he has an appointment to keep, and people to meet. http://royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=64269 As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _______________________ ''Thus do we come full circle,'' spoke the mind of the giant Ageless, as he opened his great arms wide in order to encompass his words around the small army below, ''It is here that I had become a dragon once more, laughing at the sight of those who dared to thwart my will upon their land. However, not everyone was fearful of my draconic body, as there was one within the shadows who-'' The being above their heads stopped his mental story in order to turn towards a pair of well worn and cracking earth golems in the shape of elven males. These had appeared before everyone without their knowing, and slipped through the rank and file in order to reach the right great foot of their Lord. Many, of course, sought to stop them in order to divine what their purpose was, but were halted by the mental whisper of, ''Peace.'' Of which led to the golems to hobble forward before one of the pair fell over and became dust. Whilst the other held up a blood caked sack with something round inside. This caused each of those within the army to visualise their god grinning greatly, as he flowed downwards and became an endarkened, furred Kitsune once more. The bag was handed over to him almost immediately, as the remaining golem''s form cracked and crumbled from the motion. It was as though its life was ending, and desired to fulfill its purpose before Death came for it. No. No angels or undead came for such a being, as it simply became dust once the Ageless took the sack and opened it gingerly. "Well, hello once more Reinianna. You appear to have lost your body on the way to meet my person. How long has it been, anyways?" His voice was full of amusement, as he hefted the head of a shocked, old elven female by its hair. "I''d say too long, wouldn''t you agree?" In so asking such a query, energy of crimson and shadows coursed down his arm and into the head whose hair he gripped. Such great energy caused it to flash and flare upon contact with the head, and many nearest his person shielded their eyes in order to avoid such brightness. Gratefully, such a thing only lasted for, but a few heartbeats. Of which led to the head of the female to become animate as it stared aghast at the sight of the humans upon the stone cart. "Do you enjoy what you see, my dear Reina?" Chuckled the kitsune, as he slowly turned the animate head towards his own, "Know that I am so very disappointed in you. You used to be such a wonderful child, and look at you now. The leader of a band of human heroes sent to do what? Overthrow my person for some whim? Or is there something else going on I have not been made aware of in my absence?" "You abandoned us," shrieked the head, as it bobbed around within his grasp, "You left us for so long. What else were we supposed to do?" "Poor Reina, she believed I abandoned her," chuckles and laughter spread throughout the small army about his person, before being halted by an upraised hand, "You would have known I depart from our world of Terra if you had studied the history texts. They would have shown you, and everyone around you, that I have many other duties to fulfill. Which is why we have a Pantheon of gods with I and her at the head. If you had any real thought, and not some childish fallacies, you would have asked your peoples'' deity where I was. "Each of them know I leave the pantheon to govern those below in my absence for nearly a century before my return for a millennia. Of which the cycle for such a thing begins anew. Now? Now you''ve gone an instigated many travesties upon our world, one of which being the death of Gahn. He was one of my favourites, you know?" "Gahn?" Asked the head, as its face slowly pinched inwards as it tried to think of the name. However, due to the lack of sustainable oxygen and blood flow, it was almost impossible for its mind to work properly. "Yes. Gahn. My golem servant which resided within the great forest called Sai''uun. The same forest which held the trees called ''The Eyes of Gahn''. Surely you know of it?" He asked slowly, as his eyes grew dark and terrible at the memory of him howling with rage and anguish after desiring to find his golem servant once he returned to the world called Terra. Only to find the forest burnt to the ground, and his servant a pile of ruined earth. Yes. He did try to resurrect it, but could not due to it being an elemental and not beholden to the laws of such gods as he. "My Gahn is dead, and will not be returning any time soon," his voice shook with great malice, as the skies above grew dark in response to such hatred and rage, "Do you know who had done such a thing, my dear Reina?" The head of the old, elven queen widened its eyes as it remembered the siege against the forest of Sai''uun. "The Huntress desired him removed, though," it spoke slowly, and noted the Ageless nodding his head slowly. "Yes. I know, and she has been removed, stripped of her status, and is no longer a problem." Once more, the eyes of the head widened, but in realisation to the words it heard, "No. This does not mean you will be forgiven for going against my person, as you all have in the past. For this do I decree," his voice became a deathly whisper as lightnings of dark energy flooded the shadowed sky above, "The Huntress and her followers are fair game to all who desire them." "You can''t do that," it shrieked as a peel of thunder boomed across the land. "I have; I did; and thus it will remain. Know that going against I, a Lord of Chaos, has great consequences. Especially when he is the head of a pantheon of gods and goddesses." In so saying, the hand which gripped the hair of the elven head was lifted high so that an endarkened bolt of lightning could strike it. Of which caused the female''s essence to shriek and wail with a voice unheard of by mortal ears. This would last for many heartbeats, but all would later believed it lasted for an eternity or more, before finally ending with a pile of ash at the foot of their god. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "Come," he called out to the small army of monsters, who shivered and shook at the sight they just witnessed, "Come. We are nearly at our destination, and the story is not yet completed. So come, and let us resume with the telling of my time upon Azara." ***** Now, where was I? Ah yes, the dragon bit, but first, a bit of information. For you see, those within the portal leading to the draconic village were those not allowed to participate with the others within the city. Among those were much of the children, as Sia and those under her desired them to stay and be children. Another reason was they had already exhausted one "respawn", and would not be eligible for another until the following cycle. of which meant if they died, then there was no return without my intervention. Which led to them remaining along with many of the adults who had died during the short battle against the mercenaries and adventurers. They were then given permission to relax, and enjoy themselves. For their brothers, sisters, friends, and family were fighting for their independence. Once they returned, they would not have the need to fear a passing slaver any longer, as I would make sure they were allowed to remain free soon afterwards. Of course, many were skeptical, but the rest seemed elated as they had longed to be free from the yoke of others. However, in order for this to come to pass, more battles need to be fought, and the one for the city would be their last. As I and mine would strike out for the rest of the world soon after. As for what was occurring within the castle in the heart of the city? I had become a dark scaled dragon with three pairs of shadow-like wings along my spine. My tail had spike ridges within a few centimetres of the centre, tracing down to the tip, where four large spikes, two on top, two on the bottom, were seen by those who stared upon them. Yes. I was much like those the humans call a "Western Dragon", as my head was in such a shape. However, instead of slitted pupils for eyes, they were naught, but orbs of sickly green. Much like that of my poisonous breath. Ah, but for some strange reason, they seemed to be ready for such an occasion, as a multitude of conjurers and warriors wielding strange armaments appeared before my eyes as the king was ushered away. In response to this, I breathed out a gout of emerald flames towards the retreating backside of the lion beastman, only to find it blocked, albeit only just. For the barrier which was placed being him was weak against the acidic properties within my breath, and fell apart quite quickly. Many of these individuals thought nothing of it, as they readied their contraptions quickly, then shot a few towards my body. Only to find a translucent barrier protecting it. This caused many to openly stare, whilst the rest demanded their focus to return and try again. Thus, they tried thrice more before I grew bored and called upon my chaotic energies. of which came and launched themselves in bolts of crimson, violet, and emerald energies. Each of these struck every last one of the individuals before my person, but only slew a small handful. In essence, I slew perhaps only three or four. My reason for this? I desired to know how much energy each bolt would need in order to kill a beastman outright without going overboard as I always have. "Too little," I mumbled, summoning up a battered notebook from my Void Space in order to jot down a few notes before replacing it back inside. If I had more time, perhaps I would have perfected this craft, but alas. Such things could not be done at the time. In any case, I launched another series of bolts towards those staggering to their feet. Of which caused another, who had been hiding in the shadows to appear before my person. This one, another human female, held a large cleaver the size of her body in front of her person in order to shield those behind her from my magicks. "Retreat," she yelled at them, waving their person''s away towards the door to her right. Of which caused my person to note and destroy it with several more bolts of energy. She clicked her tongue in annoyance as this occurred, to which I simply chuckled at her frustration. "I will be your opponent, dragon," she howled, launching her body forward as she brought her cleaver high above her head in order to strike downwards. "I think not," my voice boomed throughout the room, causing it to quake greatly. This occurred just as she shouted some sort of technique, but was surprised as I simply blocked it with a lesser clawed finger of my left foreclaw. Again, she clicked her tongue, then gasped as I swatted her body into the far wall. "Pathetic," I growled, unleashing a greater torrent of energy bolts upon those she tried to rescue. This time, I held nothing back, and simply grinned as she shouted a, "NO," as they each perished under my onslaught. "You will pay for that," her voice was full of venom, as she charged at my person from the other side of the room, howling greatly as she swung her cleaver in a wild arc. Once more, such a petty attack was blocked by a lesser clawed finger, but of the other foreclaw. "Oh, I think not, little human," these words caused her to falter and collapse upon her hind end. "How do you know I am a human?" She asked, mouth agape as I simply chuckled down upon her form. "I know many things, little human," my head flowed forwards until it was level with her body, then turned it until my right eye stared into her pair, "Especially your name. Luna." Upon these words, my eyes flared with a violet colour, of which caused the entirety of the world to grow as dark as the Abyss itself. A2 Chapter 59 AN: I''m not a medical practitioner, so I pretty much bullshitted this one. If there''s something wrong, let me know please. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, of concerns, please let me know. _________________________ "Come on, Luna," shouted a voice which seemed too distant, and yet still close by, "Oi! Are you in there?" Pain, sharp and precise, was felt upon the female''s forehead. Confused, the human called Luna opened her eyes to find a scene of beauty laid out before her. For she was atop a large hill, and all about her were flowers of all shapes, sizes, and hues. Yes. It was a very beautiful seen, and yet is was marred by a scowling face within inches of her own. The face, so full of youth and vigour, grinned wildly as its eyes noted her own were opened. "Come on," the one before her whined in a high tenor voice, as the body''s owner did its best to pull her up, "You promised to take me hunting, remember?" "Who?" She began, not at all sure what was happening, "Wha-?" "Did you hit your head in your dreams, or something?" Luna turned towards the voice, and found a small boy-child glaring up at her with his hands on his hips. This child, of whom had bright, yellow hair which flowed around his small shoulders, as well as a childish face with a straight nose, sharp cheekbones which caused the chin to almost end in a point. His own eyes were the same colour as the sky above, a soft blue. What he wore, however, were plain clothes of slightly tanned hemp in the shape of trousers and a tunic, whilst upon his feet were a pair of battered leather, boots. "You said you''d meet me here, and help me with some quests. You also said you''d power level me. Don''t you remember?" Those eyes of his were brimming with tears, now, and looked about ready to spill over. "Uh- Of course I do," she spoke quickly, as information slowly trickled into her mind. Which consisted of the male in front of her called Sol, and that he was her neighbour who always called her "Onee-san", even though he already had an older sister. However, his biological sister was never around much, and when she was, she was drunk or was bedding some guy or two as soon as she came home. Therefore, he was always stay over at her apartment, and loved her for being his "sister". In any case, she had won a contest of some sort for a pair of headsets to play a new virtual reality game called Origin Point Online. Unfortunately for the boy-child, he had been placed into a local hospital due to an "accident" caused by one of his sister''s new boyfriends giving him some "candy". This candy was nothing more than a new product of heroin which could be ingested through the intestinal tract. Of course, giving such a powerful drug to a child such as he was nearly fatal, and placed him into intensive care as they did their best to keep him alive. Whilst the sister and her boyfriend were arrested and sent to prison for Child Endangerment. This incident happened nearly a year ago, and the boy-child was just released. Why did it take so long for him to be discharged? Well, it turned out the child had a rare reaction to a combination of medicines within his system whilst the heroin was still present. Thus, he was forced to stay, as he had slipped into a coma due to the entire ordeal. Which is why, after so many hoops to jump through, and a mountain of paperwork, Luna was able to give the headset to Sol so that they may play the game together. However, during all of this, she had been busy leveling up, going through the standard fetch quests, and had even completed the tutorial world called Terra. She didn''t mind the summoning aspect of the game, but always felt something was off whenever she was summoned. In any case, once Sol was given the chance to come play within this world of Azzarath, she told him to head to the small farming community of Lom. Here, she would meet him atop a large hill of flowers which always bloom at noon. Of which had caused her to drift off into a short slumber whilst she awaited his arrival. Now that he was here, she could "show him the ropes", as it were. To which she shook her head quickly, clearing her mind somewhat, "I had a weird dream," the female mumbled slowly, only somewhat confused. "Oh yeah?" Sol asked, stopping in his tracks in order to look up at her with a curious expression plastered on his face, "What was it about?" "I was facing off with a dragon, and it had killed my teammates. For some odd reason, it knew I was a human and my name." "Well, you are obviously a human," he beamed a smile up at her face, then resumed pulling her along as they journeyed towards the small community of farms. "That''s not it," she shook her head quickly, "The place I was in did not have any humans, and they did not know about my race, but this dragon knew..." Luna soon gave up on such thoughts, as she was dragged towards a small market nearest to the hill. However, one could not call it such, as it was simply nothing more than a few colourful booths full of candies and roasting foods as many others had come to walk around and upon the hill full of flowers. Many had even come with their significant other, as such a place seemed to increase the romance between such people. Unfortunately for her, she had no one beyond her little brother who was staring hungrily at a vender who was busy making some skewers full of vegetables and meats. "Hey, Luna," he whined softly, his eyes becoming as large as saucers, as his hands clasped together in a begging motion. To which she sighed and ordered a couple of the skewers for the both of them to eat as they continued onward, past the small market and into the woods nearby. Whereupon they did finish their food and tossed the sticks away as she pulled out her weapon. Of which was naught, but a worn scimitar with flecks of rust around the hilt. "Ooh," Sol''s eyes widened as he spied the weapon, but frowned as soon as he noted he was without one. "Here," she called out softly, tossing him a long knife which was still sheathed inside a thin, leather scabbard. Of which caused him to squeal softly, as he wrapped the scabbard around his waist, whilst pulling out the blade. "Thank you," his voice was too high, which caused her to wince, then gasp as a large wolf with dark brown fur growled at the pair before its eyes. Once it spied the boy-child, however, it did leap towards him with a maw opened wide in order to bite his neck. This caused the other to freeze up in shock, as the wolf found purchase on his shoulder and practically ripped it off. "No!" Cried out Luna, as she charged and effectively lopped off the head of the creature, splashing their bodies with its blood whilst Sol''s flowed onto the ground below. "Sol!" Once more, the female cried out as she noted he was fading away from the world, and towards the embrace of Death herself. "No, no, no, no," she mumbled as tears from her eyes effectively blinded her. A bag had appeared next to her side, to which she dove into it in order to pull out a small, thin vial of a viscous fluid the colour of blood. This was then poured over the wounds the wolf had inflicted, and sealed it shut. However, the damage had already been done, and there was not much she could do about it. Unfortunately for her, she was effectively booted from the game, and awoke to find herself inside a small, white room with colourful imprints of dinosaurs running around the room. What is more, a blue light was flaring within the room, as a door opened and in came a mass of adults in white. They wheeled in a pair of carts which held an odd contraption which was used to restart a failed heart. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. This slowly donned on her, as the child''s chest was exposed, and a pair of paddles were placed atop his chest. "Clear," spoke one of the males in white, as a high pitched sound echoed throughout the room, followed by his small body lifting up and another odd machine beeping once before it gave a long, droning sound. "Again," spoke the male, and they tried again and again, but to no avail. * "I''m sorry," the doctors had told her, as an urn was placed into her hands. This container, which had several etchings of an unknown boy-child plating with a variety of toys every time you turn it, contained the ashes and bone dust of the one called Sol. Of which even had his name chiseled into one side near the lid. "I''m sorry," or "My condolences," was all they said as it was handed over to Luna. She had worn her darkest clothing, as she watched the small body being loaded atop a large pile of wood, and burnt to ash as a priest of some sort chanted a long prayer to whatever go it served. Of course, the next of kin was notified, but due to his sister being the only actual family, and incarcerated, such a thing befell onto the shoulders of Luna. Of whom felt numb and hollow through the whole ordeal. The doctors had told her he was in a coma due to the negative effects of their drugs and this new breed of heroin, but this wasn''t the whole of the story. No. He was already dying due to the illegal drug, which had caused many of his non-vital organs to shut down. So, in an effort to keep his vitals active, they placed him inside a chemically induced coma in order to slow the progression down before it found its way into something more life threatening. Unfortunately for them, they did not count on the shock the new game would have on the child''s body. In which case, as soon as it was attacked by the wolf in the game, his actual body was flooded with adrenaline. This caused something in his system to become necrotic, and had latched onto the child''s heart, killing him within a few minutes. No, she did not understand these words spoken to her, as she had completely shut herself out of the world. For the child called Sol was dead, and she did not know what to do. In any case, sleep did not come easy for one such as her, as dreams of the boy-child continued to haunt her. All the while, he continued to scream, "YOU KILLED ME!" "No," she replied, shaking her head weakly as her dream-self backed away from the bloodied apparition within her mind. "YOU KILLED ME!" It screamed once more, running at her with the same knife she gave to him so long ago. Of which caused her to flee, as it continued to chase her. "No, please," she cried weakly as the child grew steadily closer, "I didn''t know. Please. I- I-. Someone, please. I didn''t do anything wrong!" "Oh, but you did," spoke an unknown voice that was neither male nor female from within the darkness of her dream. Of which caused the boy-child to freeze, whilst his blood continued to flow, "You allowed Sol to enter the game, knowing full well about the doctors not wanting you to do this. Which is why there was so many hurdles and paperwork for you to complete." "Who-?" She began, then found a sheet of paper floating in front of her eyes, "What is-?" Luna reached out to take the item, but it flickered into nothing within moments. "That, was a piece of paper you signed. That was telling you, you understand the risks and would waive them away just so you could play with your precious Sol. These, on the other hand," a multitude of white paper with letters, numbers, and words fell from high above, "These are the risks you had to know in order to allow him to play. One of which was the adverse effects the game had upon the body when exposed to stress. "This, my dear," a packet of paper floated in front of her eyes, and allowed her to take hold of in order to read the first page it opened to, "spoke of how the body might die due to the flooding of endorphins or adrenaline when exposed to stress or excitement of some sort. "Do you remember the wolf you both faced off?" She nodded her head slowly, as realisation dawned on her. Of which caused her legs to give out, "Yes. the adrenaline which flooded his system caused whatever issues were within his system to become far more active. Thus killing his body, and whose fault is that?" "Mine." Her voice was small and soft, but the entity within her dreams heard it. "Yes. Yours." "But- but..." "But me no buts, little girl. You knew the risks, and chose not to care. Therefore, you killed Sol." "No," she wept mightily at these words, "I didn''t know. Please. I''ll do anything, just..." "Just what?" "Just... Just no more. Please." "Do you want me to remove this? Do you want these memories gone from your mind so that you may move on with your life?" The voice was full of bemusement as it spoke these words, to which the female human called Luna held a wild glint within her eyes. "Please," she spoke fervently, "I didn''t do anything wrong. Please." "Serve me, and I shall make it as though none of this ever happened. Or, I can make it as though you never were in the wrong. All you have to do, is serve my person forevermore. Is this what you truly desire? Do you wish for Sol to be alive, happy, and healthy?" "Yes," she spoke softly, as the glint in her eyes grew larger, and more wild. "Then serve me, and I shall give you everything you desire." "Please. I''ll do anything you want, I promise. Just-" "Just give back Sol?" At her nod, the voice chuckled softly, "Very well. Simply close your eyes, and relax." "Thank you," she whispered, allowing whatever it was within her dream to take full control of her mind and body. Of which caused her inner self to struggle greatly as it noticed the sickly darkness was very familiar. "NO," she screeched, as a thunderous voice boomed with great laughter. Of which was the last voice she would ever hear. ____________________ AN2: The MC is the Lord of Chaotic Mana and Illusions, by the way. A2 Chapter 60 AN: This chapter, and half of the next will be the last of the Abyss story. Afterwards comes the third person format which follows around the Kitsune and what he does in Necropolis. Which means, folks, we''re almost done. As always, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ________________________ "Now then," my voice was a growl as I glared down upon the fully enthralled Luna who was simply standing in the same spot as though stuck in a daze, "Where is-" This was as far as I had gotten in my query, as something heavy collided itself with my body, sending it into the stone ground below. No. I did not hear anything, as I was too focused on the enthrallment process for the human before my person. To which caused my mind to growl and kick at my person for such a childish mistake, and my head to swerve around to stare up at something I hadn''t factored in. A dragon. However, unlike my own self, this one held a more "Chinese" form about it. Think of a large snake with iron hard scales. We have those here upon our world of Terra, and although those are mostly docile, this one was not. Now, stretch the head a bit so that it resembles something akin to our dragons, but with a scrunched up muzzle with a pair of flaring nostrils. In between such nostrils and its lips were a pair of long tendrils which seemed to constantly flow backwards no matter which direction its head turned. As for the rest of the head, well, it had a short pair of pointed ears, and reminded my person of a goblin child''s ears. What is more, the creature had a pair of short antlers in between such ears, and a red halo floating atop them. As for the colour of its scales, it was rather strange. For they continued to shimmer and blend into the surroundings, making it so that it was completely camouflaged into the background. Save, of course, for the antlers and halo, which made it stand out far too much. Did it have any limbs? Many of you would ask, and the answer to this is, "Yes, but not what you''re used to." In the short of it, the dragon only had a pair of foreclaws. Of which were currently being used to pin my draconic body into the ground, whilst its features switched from glaring into my eyes, and looking apologetic towards my thrall. "Are you okay?" Asked a high soprano, to which could only come from the dragon atop my person, "He didn''t hurt you, did he?" These queries were directed towards Luna, who simply stared up at the she-dragon with empty eyes. "What-?" the one above my person, before my tail snaked around her thin body and flung her towards a nearby wall. Of which allowed my body to stand in order to glare at this interloper. "Do you mind?" My voice shook the earth around us, "We were having a conversation, and you just barged in here for what? Just to see if she is alright?" "But, there''s a battle going on," she whined up at my person, "and she''s my friend so I came to help." "And how is she your friend? Did she promise you something?" The other nodded, "She promised to take me to Papa and Sa''ahn." "Uh-huh," I did not enjoy what I was hearing, and asked the human directly, "And where are these other two the she-dragon spoke of?" To which she stared into my eyes with her vacant ones in order to reply with a single word, "Dead." "What?" Asked a small voice, who simply could not understand what she heard. When prodded to explain, the human called Luna went on with, "In order to conquer this world, we opted to kill the dragons who were supposedly the old Gods of this world. This led us to King Nero, who directed us towards the dragon''s layer upon a high mountainous cliff overlooking the city below. In the end, we killed the first dragon after a few days, and set our sights towards the second continent which was supposedly ruled by a Primordial dragon." "Papa," muttered the small voice again, to which I simply ignored. "We didn''t know how long it would take, and lost track of time. Days turned into weeks, weeks to months, and months into three years before we finally found the dragon hiding in his volcanic layer. The battle took nearly a full week, before Shojo took it upon himself to sacrifice nearly everything in order to kill it. Unfortunately, he died soon after-" The female stopped in her words, as I had gripped her body tightly and held her close to my left eye. "You lie," I growled a thunderous growl which caused something within the castle to break away and tumble to the ground. This then led to a series of cries reverberating back towards my person, but paid it little heed. "Where is your God, Luna? Where is the human called Shojo?" My grip tightened around her body, which caused the other dragon to cry out and rush towards our persons, only to crash into the ground as my tail swatted her body away. "Well?" Endarkened lightning erupted from my person, striking and charring the stones around us, but not actively striking our bodies. Yes. I was full of rage and hatred, of which caused the madness within to leak out and change my eye colour to a baleful crimson. "Our Lord God has been dead for nearly a year. We saw the damage the dragon had inflicted, and watched his body wither away to ash." These words... These words fell into my mind and unleashed the madness within. For I knew them to be the truth, as the female I held would only speak thusly so long as her mind was enthralled by my will. Yes. The same madness which afflicts much of the living dead was also contained within my mind through an iron will. However, its cage is always weakened when a surge of emotions flows past it, and allows it to enter my mind. Sometimes it is willingly let through, but otherwise it is unintentional. For the madness within my person is enough to shatter worlds and dimensions. Yes. This is how I destroyed the first world within the abyss, but at this time, I was simply throwing a temper tantrum due to the loss of a prey I so desperately desired. For you see, my dear audience, the gifts given to us by Azazel took the whole of our combined strength, power, and magicks, pooled them into one and distributed such a thing into three equal parts. Once completed, it then placed a sort of curse over the access of such a thing, reducing us to mortal standards. This curse, by the by, forces us to work together in order for it to weaken until it finally breaks and allows us full access. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. However, this is still not our full strength, to which comes with a small secret. "Only by absorbing the other gifts, will the bearer be allowed access to their full strength." This then continues with another, "Once a bearer holds all three gifts, then a path opens before them to attain true power." Yes. Only by having all three gifts, will one be able to obtain the title and race called Ageless. This I do hold, and will continue to hold it until I deem it necessary to release it back into the ether. No. I did not come to this world of Azara with the humans, as I was currently busy upon the second world called Forge. It was here that I had desired for many things, one of which being my own tower-like dungeon full of monsters and mysteries. If only I had not done this, then I, the human Shojo, and the Golem Aruuma would have all been within a single space where I would have ended their miserable existences. Thus, taking full control of the magicks within them, and have an ease of time in conquering the rest of the worlds. Instead, I opted to stay upon Forge, the second world, whilst the humans had a head start. As to why the golem was with us, well, it desired more of the riches within such a greed filled world. For it was a merchant at heart, and was thusly before it became a God of Numbers. This led it to travelling the whole of the world, before returning to my side in order to venture forth into the next. No. I did not find any camaraderie with the creature, only great annoyances. For it would not cease in its incessant prattling of its adventures. Of which caused my person, and my servants, to target it first. For now, Madness and the tantrum I threw after being denied for so long. * The destruction I caused during this tantrum was less than the destruction upon Lavara, but more so than my first encounter with the "Tribunal". In essence, I used my emerald flames to destroy much of the castle. Which, in turn, set off a few nearby houses as I searched for more to destroy, which would lead many of my Undying to rush from their duties in order to subdue my person until I calmed down. "How?" Many of you would ask, "How would they be able to perform such a feat?" Or perhaps the better questions should be, "Why?" Why should they stop my person from rampaging throughout a world I cared so little about? The answer for this is not as simple as one might believe, as they each did not have a stake in the worlds we visit, but to my person. For you see, every time I allowed the Madness to come forth and bring destruction upon all before my eyes, I become that much closer to being nothing more than a mindless Undead. Of course, such a prospect is a long ways away, but it has happened many times before with others. To which we were given the opportunity to watch, as an unknown Lich gave in to the madness of his mind, and became a feral behemoth of rage, death, and destruction. So much so, many within the pantheon of Azzarath''s Gods did come down and subjugate the monster. For its might was far greater than normal means, and was able to control even my own Undying. And yet, it was obliterated without even another thought, but soon afterwards we were given the explanation of the lingering madness within each of the Undead. "Do not let it out," spoke one of the Gods, "For if it does, then pray we do not come for you." Instead, I told my Undying, and they their personal servants, to stop my person by any means necessary in order to calm my mental self enough until I could rest the control away from that which controlled our madness. Thus, they did so, by sending wave upon wave of ghostly undead to swarm my body, and even sent a few down my gullet as I did try to eat them. In the end, much of the city was destroyed, many of my draconic servants had perished and would be "respawning" upon the morrow, as well as the odd dragon and Luna had disappeared. The good news out of all that had occurred, was that they had found the lion beastman hiding within a small cottage near the city''s forest. How they achieved such a thing was beyond my person, but they did bring him forth once I had calmed down and had coughed up many of the undead which flew into my gaping maw. However, even though I spoke of how calm I had become, they would continue to keep close as I still held an odd crimson light within my emerald gaze. "Thank you, Brutus, and to everyone involved in my subjugation," my voice was slow and steady, as I sat upon the ruined throne in my Draconian form. To my right stood the Lich who would not stop staring upon my body with such an empty gaze, whilst to my left was Sia. Of whom also had the same gaze as the other, to which I simply sighed. "Yes, what is it this time?" "You destroyed the city, My Lord God," spoke the skeletal wolf beastwoman, "and killed most of the people and servants within." "I am well aware of this, Sia. Though I lose control due to the madness, I am not completely blind during the process. Besides, the dragonfolk will simply respawn upon the morrow, as had many of the children and adults so long ago." "Yes, but what of your dragon self? They will note it and report back to their families and friends." "Sia," my eyes, now of solid emerald orbs, stared into her own pair of emerald points within the sockets, "Do they know it was I who had become a dragon?" At the shake of her head, I reached out to pat her right shoulder, "Then what use does your worrying have?" "My Lord God," Brutus spoke up, causing my person to turn towards his, "She is merely worried about your well being, and decided to simply place your mind elsewhere." "Brutus. Sia. I. Am. Fine," my clawed hands reached up to rub my temples as an imaginary headache afflicted my person, "The Madness is locked away as it should be. So can we just continue with the interrogation?" With my right clawed hand, I pointed over to a bound and gagged lion beastman in torn clothing. To which I simply used my own magicks to lift his body, dragging it over until it was within arm''s reach. "Now then, my dear King Ramses. You will give me exactly what I desire, which entails... Everything." A2 Chapter 61 AN: Now comes the third person format, and in a couple of chapters will be some much needed fluff after all that darkness. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ___________________________ Yes. I did drain his mind of everything, and witnessed something new. For you see, the last couple of worlds, Forge and Lavara, we''ve all been together and had always teleported into the outskirts of a nearby city or settlement. Yes. Our coming is usually heralded by a pillar of light, and yet, the humans appeared during some sort of summoning ceremony. Quite strange, to be honest, as the worlds within the Abyss have been cut off from such mechanics. Indeed, and the human God with his company of females were quite astonished, judging by their reactions within the king''s mind. However, this all occurred nearly fifty cycles ago, of which caused many to gasp in wonderment as the God and his followers had yet to age. This led to something of a pseudo religion to crop up, but one mainly of females who desire a forever youthful form. To which some were granted, but those who were gifted such a thing were always the Kin, never a beastwoman. Which isn''t as strange as one might believe, as this "harem" God only desired human females over the likes of any other race. Yes. Such racism was prevalent in those days, less so now, as the past tended to enslave one particular race over all others. Then again, there are some races which would strive to enslave all others simply for being different. In any case, the memories of the past within the lion king were only snippets here and there, but what I was able to take from it all was a single desire. To kill the dragons. For within that one''s past held a very different story of what we had seen thus far. One where the dragonfolk were in charge, and the humans came in like a hurricane, destroying the balance and placing the lions on top. Then again, the humans were always quick to jump into any given situation, and not give it another thought until after they returned from completing the "quest". Of which caused an unceasing headache forming between my person and the golem, Aruuma. Yes. We cooperated in the beginning, but after such stunts as these? It was little wonder why are supposed "truce" fell apart so easily. As to what had occurred when they first appeared? Why, the subjugation of the first dragon and its chosen people, of course. This then led to several rebel groups appearing once the king, whose name was Nero, appeared upon the throne with the God to his right. Of which came another battle with Luna earning the title of "Scurge", and Persephone''s disappearance and reappearance with something which was perceived as the truth. This was nothing more than evidences pertaining towards the new king''s desire to conquer the whole of Azara, and using them to achieve such a thing. Of course, a few of the females stood with her, whilst the rest, plus their God, sided with the king. Which ended with a bloody battle of the king''s side winning and enslaving those females who desired the truth to be exposed. Do you remember the story Persephone told my person? How ear wolf ears were grafted to her scalp as she was treated as a pet? Well, such a thing was only half correct. She was treated as a pet, yes, but not from some female picked up along the way. Instead, she, and the others, were placed into such a position for their part in the perceived rebellion against the newly established monarchy. This then led to these few being used as spies and trackers for Nero and whatever he deemed necessary, which led them to seeking out the other dragons and the demise of the hero God. Yes. Luna was not lying when she spoke of him falling before the might of a Primordial Dragon. Of which was of all elements, and was considered as a God by those that worshiped it. Upon their return, however, those left simply branched off to seek out their own paths, whilst Luna simply stayed near Nero as his private assassin and concubine. After such events, the prospects of branching out towards newer lands became more apparent with the demise of the second dragon, and many desired the third to perish. For which they sent Persephone to track the beast, along with a local whose name was never told. In truth, those around the female simply called her "Boss", and performed any task set by the contract at hand. However, after witnessing the abuse the female human had to endure, a mutiny arose which tarnished the tracker''s company''s reputation, but saved the human. All of this occurred whilst the new city upon the third continent had been completed for approximately five or so cycles. Which meant that the human called Persephone had been missing for only around a quarter of a cycle. That is, until we found her within the slave pits fighting off against jailors. However, she was now being used as a toy by a few of those within Brutus''s contingent of monstrous creatures. For they had destroyed the most after my person, and were rewarded for such a thing. No. I did not give them her, but to my Lich who then gave her over to those he deemed were exceptional. Yes. They would have killed her with their methods and appendages, but you must understand, she was not completely human. After being chosen as a follower of a God, especially one who was of the "harem" variety, those sorts tended to be immortal even after the demise of their chosen God. What is more, they can never be impregnated by, or impregnate, others. Yes. Such a thing was possible, but only by those who deemed it necessary. As to why I spoke of "impregnating others"? Well, there is such a thing as a "reverse harem" Which consists of one female, and many males. These ones are rare even to this day, as the males are considered beautiful, but could only impregnate the Goddess they followed. Thus, they are forever cursed with sterility when it came to bedding another female. And no, I do not have an issue with them. For it is as I had said, they are rare, and it is always a joy to watch the males struggle with their own sterility. Now, if the female was truly a sadist, then those males who decided to try and bed another female would find their shafts as limp as though they were never aroused. Yes. I''ve met one who was like this, and have even befriended her for doing just that. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. In any case, I was enraged when I came out of the memories of the late king, and noticed my Undying gripping their sheathed weapons. To which I waved them away, "It seems the human God called ''Shojo'' truly is dead." "My Lord God?" Called out Brutus, who strode forward to stand to the right of my person, "Does this mean-?" "Yes, Brutus. It means I cannot ascend, but no matter," my body stood tall, and turned towards the north, "Come. We mustn''t tarry, for there are two more continents to conquer." ***** "I will not bore you with many details," spoke the Ageless, as they broke away from a rest atop a large hill overlooking the main capitol of Terra called Necropolis, "You desire to know how I became so big, correct?" His query was directed towards an Ogre who nodded quickly as it munched upon the left leg of one of the human females, "It is quite simple, really. I allowed my person to sink within the hell storm that was my ''Madness''. Of which only occurred once we came to the mainland, and I noticed the abuse many of the dragonfolk''s children had to endure. "Whips; chains; forced to go without food and water; exposed to the elements with only a thin and torn tunic. Oh yes. I had never seen a place more in need of destruction than those upon the first world called Lavara. In this instance alone, my Undying were in complete agreement. Thus, we raged and wallowed in our world of madness. "Come. We are almost home." The trek towards Necropolis was rather short, as all seemingly rushed for the gates as one great surge of bodies could with a stone cart in tow. Yes, such a place as this would be considered a heaven, or a haven, to those who were not of the "Human" races. As the land around the main city of alabaster was occupied by similar cities with stone walls and a large tower near the entrances. Each of these cities were simply illusions, which gave way to a great portal in its centre. Of which would teleport a being to one of the five worlds in orbit around their own, or to another within the solar system it shared with the primary planet. Yes. Other worlds contained such portals, but only connected to Terra. Of which then allowed those desiring to enter another world with minimal difficulties. However, as they passed by the first of these illusionary cities, the Ageless found it rather odd and called the army to stop. For he spied something which should not be, as there were checkpoints set up near the great gates which led into the city. This checkpoint was being managed by a pig-orc, and was busy snacking upon a haunch of meat as its hired help, which were in the form of collared and thin wolf beastmen, searched a large wagon whilst a family of three red Fox-kin shivered off to the side. For the beastmen were tossing many items out of the wagon, searching for something whilst this family cowered against one another. "What is this?" The Ageless called out, approaching the pig-orc who was not at all amused to be interrupted from its meal, "By whose authority gives you the right to halt these Kin in their journey forward?" The Kin, who noted the figure was a dark furred Kitsune, rushed forward in order to plead for help. In their own words, they spoke of how they desired to live elsewhere, and came to Terra for a new life, as their own had become overcrowded during the last decade. However, upon reaching his world, they were stopped by the pig-orc and told to hand over a fifth of their coin and wares for a tax of some sort. "Tax?" The being before them scrunched his facial features in confusion, "There are no taxes to be paid upon our world of Terra." "Shows what you know," burped the pig-orc, whose pink skin and round, shirtless body jiggled as it strode forward. Grease and meat juices had been smeared across its face, whilst some had dripped upon the exposed chest and belly. "The lady queen demanded-" "Who?" The creature before him seethed with controlled rage, as he questioned the pink skinned orc with a simple question. "Queen Denna of-" "Never heard of her," an endarkened, clawed hand waved away such a name, as he turned his attention towards the Kins who stared with wide eyes and slacked jaws. "Hey! I''m talking to you," it placed a greasy palm upon his right shoulder, and wished it hadn''t. As the shadows condensed upon its appendage, absorbing and devouring it in its entirety. "Eh?" It muttered, blinking as it pulled the offending appendage away and found only a stump. This then led it to release a blood curdling scream, which caused a large host of other pig-orcs to appear and point their crude spears towards his person. "You who do not recognise my person," his body stood in front of the Kins as the Ageless raised his right clawed hand above his left shoulder, then quickly swiped it down towards his right hip, "Begone from my sight." Dark portals of shadows and violets erupted behind their bodies, as thin, clawed hands swiftly reached out to take hold of a part of the pig-orcs. Of whom screamed as these claws merely tore away a part of their bodies, whilst more claws appeared in order to repeat the process until all that was left were small pools of blood, a terrified family of Fox-kins, and a very angry God. A2 Chapter 62 AN: Tomorrow''s chapter will be a pure Slice of Life type of chapter, or "Fluff" as I like to call it. Whereas today''s only has half the Fluff. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concers, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________________ "What?!" Cried out a feminine voice, which belonged to a childish vampire in a gothic and frilly, black dress. This vampire stood at a height of nearly one hundred and forty centimetres, had a head of violet, long hair which cascaded over her small shoulders like two miniature waterfalls. Her facial features, though considered to be "cute" and "adorable, what with her soft cheeks, round face, button nose, and slitted eyes of rubies, was marred by the fact that it was pinched with anger. "What do you mean my guards are now replaced? What about the taxes needed to fund my plans?" Her eyes darted around the room, of which was naught, but a small office without any sort of decoration. The walls, floor, and ceiling were bereft of colour, as only a single table and wooden chair was present in the room. This was, of course, occupied by the vampire who was glaring at a pair of apparitions in front of her through a small mountain of paperwork. "Ugh," she groaned, resting her head on a small pile. This was then interrupted by a bemused chuckle, of which belonged to the only metallic, four armed skeleton in the room. This skeleton, though marred with scars and scratches across its body, was clothed in a crimson coloured, velvet robe with only golden threads scattered about in a pattern of lightning. The body itself was in the shape of a human''s, but with a more square shaped head than a round one, as it was a Terran human an age ago before becoming as it is today. "So he has return, huh? Well," the voice was melodic in nature, but held a twinge of disappointment for the child in front of its eyes, "I did warn you about your orders for taxes and slavery. He does not enjoy such things upon His world, but you would not listen." The skeleton shook its head slowly, as pinpoints of sapphire coloured lights flared in its eye sockets, "Now you must feel the wrath of one such as He." "Who, Papa?" Growled the vampire, who slammed her small hands atop the desk as she leaned forward to glare at the other, whilst the apparitions ran from the room, "Who is it that dares to defy my will?" She wished she hadn''t opened her mouth, as a large portal of shadows and lightnings with the colours of rage and chaos erupted in front of her desk. This sent the mountain of paperwork into the portal, whereby it became torn apart as something grew in the centre of such an opening. This then led the child to cower as her "Papa" laughed uproariously. For within the portal was naught, but an endarkened creature full of darkness and hate. This creature''s shape was that of a nine-tailed Kitsune with pools of perfect darkness for eyes which seemed to draw in the light around it. The clothing it wore was nothing more than a pair of crimson trousers, but this was not the most interesting. For the shadowed fur about the creature held thick lines of crimson, emerald, and violet coloured energies spiraling about its body in strange and unfamiliar patterns. "Who dares exert their will over my Terra?" Thundered a great and terrible voice which shook the very foundations of the world they both stood upon. "Who dares extort taxes and enslave those who did nothing more than live?" This being stood in front of the pair was nothing more than a male Kitsune, and was thoroughly unamused by what he had witnessed upon his journey to Necropolis. Turning towards the skeleton who bowed and saluted the being before it as he entered asked, "Was this your doing, Brutus? If so, know that I am very disappointed in you." "No, My Lord High God," spoke the skeleton known as Brutus, of whom was called the Lich King of Necropolis, "I cannot take credit for this blunder. Instead, blame lies upon the shoulders of my daughter, Denna." "Traitor," screamed the vampire, who flung an ink well at her Papa''s head, but found it obliterated before it reached the halfway point. Soon afterwards, she found herself pinned to the ceiling as the Kitsune turned towards the other. "You allowed her to do this?" Brutus shook his skeletal head slowly, raising his primary arms in a motion of surrender, "She was given the title of regent nearly a cycle ago, My Lord High God, in order to prove her worth whilst I took a short vacation. I did not know what she was planning until my return, to which I performed damage control over the various major sectors of our world of Terra." "Explain. Slowly." "Yes, My Lord High God," the Lich slammed his clawed fists against his metallic ribs, then conjured up a small globe detailing their world. Pinpoints of red dotted various points throughout the various continents, to which he pointed out, "Each of these red points show the slavery she allowed, even though it has been outlawed since you had taken over. We''ve been doing our best to quell such a thing." "We?" The Kitsune raised his left eyebrow, desiring to know who else was involved. "Ah, yes. ''We'' as in myself, your Chosen, and many communities throughout Necropolis have banded together in order to stomp out any residual slavers which might have cropped up. However, My Lord," Brutus lifted one foreclaw of his right, primary clawed hand, "they continue to show up regardless of how many times we quashed them and theirs. It seemed to us that every time one was destroyed, five more would appear. What is more, most of them come from the surrounding worlds to try and enslave our people, or to bring their own to sell within the cities." "Are these pinpoints accurate?" Asked the other, who was not at all enjoying these turns of events. Of whom then strode forwards to grip the conjured globes with both paws the moment the Lich King nodded once. "My Lord?" The room was soon enveloped in darkness, as the Kitsune''s energy lashed out greatly, striking everything and nothing at the same time. Of which was then directed upon the globe, but more specifically, the pinpoints marring the world. All of this occurred within a few moments, and upon its release, all three of them noted the absence of red upon the globe. "What happened?" Asked the pin vampire, whose eyes widened greatly at the sight. "I have purged your mistake upon my world of Terra, and have reclaimed it for my own," the Kitsune God glared upon the small vampire, who appeared to want to flee from his gaze, "Know that I am very, very disappointed in you, child of Brutus." Upon these words the God vanished from their sight, which caused the female to crash into the ground. "I told you it was a mistake, Denna." "Shut up, Papa." ***** "Master?" Called out Roshaan, of whom had grown curious due to the God''s reappearance near the cart, "Is everything alright?" The wolf strode forward, just as the other stood up straight. "Send these humans to Brutus," came the order to all about his person, "Let no one stop you. If they do, then add the body count towards the Lich King''s tab." "Yes, Master," the wolf beastman grinned slightly, then turned towards the rest of the army, "Alright, you head him. Let''s get a move on." In so saying, the army of monsters left their Lord and Master alone in his thoughts upon the dirt road. ''I should do something about this road,'' whispered the mind of the Kitsune. Of whom stretched out his arms towards the alabaster city, and slowly dragged them back behind his person. In so doing, his mind relayed what he desired from this movement into the world around him. Which was nothing more than a brick filled road which began from the gates of Necropolis, and spiraled outwards to the illusory cities nearby. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Of course, those upon such roads squawked loudly at the disruption under their feet, and openly stared as brick and mortar spread themselves outward. Thus giving them ease of access for their carts and wagons. To which the Kitsune merely smiled as he made his way inwards and towards the open gates of the alabaster city before him. * Upon his arrival, he noted a few oddities about those who allowed others into the city. One of which was they were each very much alive, whereas the other was the same as those near the portals to other worlds. They were trying to extort a "tax" upon those desiring entry. Needless to say, the Ageless was not at all amused, and conjured up a few of his Dolls in the shape of four-armed skeletons. These were then used to put an end to such extortions, which were met with joy from those who desired entry, and dismay from those who were try to do so. Afterwards, the Dolls were instructed to scan for individuals with nefarious purposes, and to detain them until someone from the castle came to collect the individuals, whilst the rest were to be allowed through. "Terra does not have a tax system," growled the Kitsune towards those who tried to impose such a notion upon others, "It has the ability to generate its own income through various ways. One of which is to have others spend their coin upon our products, but because of your thievery, there will most likely be a lack thereof." In so saying, he raised his arm high into the air, extending his paw outwards in order to call upon his will. Of which called into being a multitude of small sacks, which then spread outwards towards those who are within the walls of the Necropolis. Yes. Such an event caused an uproar of joy and elation, as many fell to their knees in gratitude for such a thing. Be it openly, in their homes, or in place of business, did they become filled with such joy for the gift which had appeared out of nowhere. It would not be until much later, when all are given a reason as to why such a gift had been given to them. For their Ageless had returned, and was not at all amused by the display of unwarranted behaviour set by the regent''s daughter. For the time being, he wandered the streets of the Necropolis, enjoying the unmarred, white stone which gave it the name of ''Alabaster City''. Yes. Such a city was indeed as white as its name, however, many have taken upon themselves to paint their place of residencies. Although it was allowed, they were given permission to pain the insides, and leave the outside bare. Of course, they were allowed to decorate the building as they saw fit, just without the use of paint, hammers, or nails. Thus, the creativity of artists came into being in an explosion of colour and masterful works of art. For instance, an inn which was located nearest the primary gate held brightly coloured ribbons and banners in order to catch the eyes of those weary from travel. Whilst across the main street was a smaller building with an open pit with a grill covering the fire. This did not have any signs, banners, or the like, but merely relied on others'' senses of smell to attract them. Of course, there was an exception to these rules. Such as the hospitals and orphanages within. These were the only buildings given permission to apply the paints to the outside. However, the hospitals needed to have the colours red and white, along with a plus sign on top in red for those of whom are being transported by air. This would be seen, even in the night, for the red symbol was painted with a florescent coat in order to give off an odd shine in the darkness. Whereas those of whom were in the orphanages had paint and brushes given over to the children who resided within its walls. Each were instructed to paint their dreams upon the outer walls, and all seem to have the same thought. For the outside walls were decorated in depictions of them with a family of some sort. Though, there were always a few who desired sweets, food, or something else entirely. This is where the Ageless went, not towards the hospitals, but towards the first of four major orphanages throughout the city. It was here that he spied a curious scene of a young Devourer Matriarch leading her small children around a small garden near the eastern wall of the building. Curious, he decided to watch the procession, as the little creatures, twenty in total, had lined up in two rows. One row hopped forwards, whilst the other scuttled a short distance before hopping as the other scuttled as well. This was adorable to his mind, and calmed it considerably. However, many would probably not be so inclined to view them as such. For the Matriarch, though having the appearance of a small, human girl-child was anything but. Her appearance was a small child of about eight cycles old, with snow white skin and a silver mane of hair. Her form was thin, almost stick-like, whilst she wore a thin dress the same colour of her hair, but it was not transparent in the least. Upon her face, however, were a pair of eyes which were always closed. Of course, many do not know of this, and believe her to be blind; this is not true, as they are only open if she is hunting or scavenging for food. She did not have a nose, however, and relied quite heavily on a pair of pointed ears hidden beneath her mane of hair, when not using her eyes. Of which could be any number of colours, shapes, and sizes. Whereas her mouth was small when she is calm, but can stretch and appear twice as wide as she is tall. For the Matriarch is naught, but a demon in every sense possible, and can never be satisfied due to the bottomless pit that is her stomach. The children, on the other hand, were in the shape of small fox-bats. Of whom were just as adorable as their counterparts, but unlike those who eat mainly fruit, these, when feasting, cause the whole of their being to become nothing more than teeth with wings. Now, one of these children broke away from the hopping session around the garden to investigate the newcomer. This led to it hopping towards his person, then stared up at his muzzle with large eyes full of hunger and longing. To which the Ageless chuckled and sat across from it with his legs crossed over one another. "Do you hunger, little one?" He asked, as the creature twisted its head towards the right whilst its ears flicked at the sounds emitted from him. Another chuckle ensued from his throat, as he held up a small slice of ham over the small creature''s body. To which it squeaked in an adorable manner, whilst it''s eyes widened greatly as it was placed upon the ground gently. This then led it to squeak a few more times, as it sniffed the small offering before nibbling on the edge of the meat, changing forms to its teeth with wings, and devouring the morsel before switching back and staring up at the Kitsune as though saying, "More?" Laughter erupted from the Ageless''s throat, frightening the other and drawing attention from the Matriarch who appeared to be frantic over the missing child. Who then sighed with relief as she rushed over and lifted the small creature, hugging it to her thin chest before scolding it for running off. "Now, now, little Matriarch," spoke the endarkened Kitsune, who slowly stood up and brushed the front of his crimson coloured traousers slowly, "Your child was merely hungry. By the looks of it, so are you." "Who-?" She began, then gasped as a large haunch of roasted meat appeared before her and her children atop a wooden table. "I know the hunger of one such as you, young one, so I shall leave this gift to you with a small blessing. As long as you keep a bone within this meat, you will never go without sustenance again. For the bones will continue to grow meat until it is as you see here." In so saying, he turned on his heel and entered the small building whilst the Devourers gorged themselves upon the feast laid out in front of their persons. A2 Chapter 63 AN: So, here''s the fluff chapter. Next chapter will have a bit more before we return to the darkness you folks are so fond of. Which includes me having to introduce some characters you already know, and a few others you do not. I know I said we''re almost done, and we are, just have to get through these introductions before another Q&A session. One you folks will have more questions about, as I divulge more about the upcoming projects for Origin Point. As always, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________ Upon entering the building, a small bell chimed throughout the whole of the structure just as his fur changed from darkness and shadows to a soft, golden tint. Whereas his eyes, which were once full of hatred and violence, became softer with a more azure hue in the orbs. Of course, this led to a tired, feminine voice to call out with, "Just a moment," as hurried feet, claws, and paws scurried all around his person in the adjoining rooms. The area he had stepped into was nothing more than a foyer to greet guests and potential parents who desired somewhat grown children for this or that reason. This was nothing more than a spacious waiting room with a few chairs and worn sofas decorating the nearby white walls. Although the outside was covered in the dreams of wishes of the children within, the inside was surprisingly bare of anything. Of which caused the Kitsune to become confused at such a thing, for he desired the entirety of the building to be coated in the dreams and wishes of those bereft of a family. What is more, it appeared to his eyes that the insides were not as well maintained as he would have like, and set about placing his right paw upon the nearby wall. This allowed his senses to take a much closer look at the structure, to which caused his lips to turn towards a snarl. For the entire building seemed close to being condemned. Patched holes in the roof, broken tiles scattered throughout their meager kitchen, rotting floorboards. The list went on, which was not at all what he desired for the children to live in. "There are laws pertaining to this, why hasn''t anyone taken a closer look and fixed the building?" The query was directed towards a Wolfwoman who stood staring at his backside with widened eyes. Of which became more apparent as he turned to face her as his right paw flexed itself as though being awakened from a tingling numbness. The female before him had the appearance of an old and tired grandmother who had her grandchildren dumped into her lap as the parents ran off for some reason, never to return. This one was portly, but not outrageously so, and to his eyes it appeared as though she had gained some pains in her joints. This was probably due to the fact that she had been bending down to lift various children throughout her lifetime. Her fur, though silver and grey, still contained a few strands of red to denote the beauty she commanded whilst younger. The eyes of one such as her, however, was of a sharp black with golden pupils. These seem to hold a fierce will which caused the other to give a mental laugh. Whereas her outer ware was nothing more than a stained, tanned linen dress which came down to her ankles. In her right hand was a simple cane to lean on, whilst her left held a sleeping child with a violet-pink skin tone and a small horn barely protruding from its forehead. "Well?" His tone was soft, but slightly impatient as his gaze fell upon the elder, "Is there a reason why no one has come by to renovate your establishment?" "Ah, um," she stuttered, shifting the small child whilst it mewed softly in its sleep, "They stopped coming here nearly twenty-two cycles ago." "Did they ever give a reason?" "Lack of money, I think was the chief reason," she winced as her gaze fell upon the golden Kitsune whose face was marred with a torrent of emotions. Each raging from general surprise, to a black rage which seemed to cause the ceiling above to blacken from the gathering of clouds. However, within an instant the scene vanished, leaving her to wonder if what she saw was real. "I see," voiced the other, "Then do you mind if I renovate the premise?" The female before him could not understand, and tried to stop him as he walked over to the opposite wall to lie his left paw upon its surface. For a time, nothing happened. Then, suddenly, the whole of the building shuddered as a silver mist rolled out from the palm of the being before her. Slowly, it crawled its way across the surfaces whilst the area around the mist trembled and groaned. There had been a few cracks in the wall before he had appeared, but once the mist rolled past it, the marks were gone and replaced as though it had never been cracked in the first place. Of course, the Wolfwoman was astonished by such simple magicks, which became more apparent as the mist swarmed the entirety of the room in an instant the moment it touched the ceiling and floor. This then led to it vanishing as though it was never there in the first place. However, shouts and screams soon filled the building, whilst the Kitsune simply stayed glued to his position, controlling the mist so that it fixed and repaired every issue he came across. From the repairs needed to make the building safe for the children to live and play in, to new beds which were obviously over used and worn out. All the way to cleaning and repairing their meager kitchen whilst stocking the pantry full of needed foodstuffs for the growing children. All of this and more occurred, but more so for the children. For they, at first, feared the mist as one would normally react, but came to enjoy it after such a thing released their bedding with a small gift of sweets atop their new pillows. Yes. They did not eat any of it due to a few believing it to be poison, until one of the less fearful bit into something akin to a "Lollipop" and continued to snack upon it after swallowing a mouthful of saliva flavoured with the sugars. Many others who were more adventurous, or simply curious, decided to explore their home. Whilst others chased after the now receding mist in order to retrieve more sweets. All of this occurred whilst the old Wolfwoman stared upon a now moving, golden Kitsune who flexed his paw with a slight annoyed look about his eyes. "Every tenday from this day, hence, someone will come to evaluate the orphanage. They will make sure it is structurally sound, that each child is not abused, your supplies stocked full, and your pantry filled to the brim." Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Who-?" Began the female, but was stopped by the other''s upraised right paw. "I''ve been gone for too long, and have just returned to set things right after my long absence. How bad are the other three orphanages?" "This is the last one," spoke a melodic voice from a doorway leading further into the building. This one was another Kitsune, but one of red fur shading to orange, had only one tail behind its person, and was a female. Of whom wore only a thin tunic of faded red which served as a makeshift dress, for she was only a few cycles shy of being considered as an adult. All of this was observed by the Ageless, whose eyes darkened considerably when he heard this new piece of information. "How long ago, and what was their reason for doing so?" "Before my birth, I think, and their caretakers simply died from old age without anyone to take over," spoke the younger female, which was echoed by the Wolfwoman who now struggled with the child in her arms. This one''s eyes had widened greatly upon seeing the anthromorphic, golden fox in front of its eyes, and reached out with its small arms for him. This caused his lips to turn upwards as his eyes grew softer than ever. "May I?" He asks, gently lifting the horned creature who giggled greatly from being lifted high into the air. Of which was then settled into the crook of his left arm, where he cooed softly at it whilst the other responded with its own sounds as the tiny hands explored his furred muzzle. It even went as far as to shove two stubby fingers into his nostrils, before pulling them out with widened eyes. Whereas the pair simply stared at the scene before their eyes, unsure of how to proceed. That is, until the door behind the young Kitsune opened up, and in walked a few more children who stared upon the golden furred male before their eyes. Those who were smaller than most, ran past the Fox and Wolfwoman who failed to catch their small bodies, whilst the older ones seemed to be hesitating on how to proceed. This did not last long, as shouts of, "Fox King! Fox King!" soon echoed the air as more and more children flooded the foyer. So much so, not everyone was able to do so, and whined greatly until they were ushered to the small grassy patch of land behind the orphanage. It was here that the older pair gaped openly at the sight of the nine-tailed, golden Kitsune dancing amongst the children in a manner many would describe as pure joy. For his fur gave off quite the shine, as little sparks of energy exploded about his body harmlessly whilst he danced and played with those nearest his person. These little sparks are what allowed the children to hold back little to no reservation as they continued to be just as they were. Children. For a time it worked, as the world around them simply disappeared until all that was left was their Fox King and their little selves. Unfortunately, all things must end, which included their playfulness and dancing. For each belly had become empty, save for the little dragon known solely as "Hunger" afflicted their small bodies. This in turn sent them mewing and demanding to be fed, but caused the older pair''s faces to scrunch with sorrow as they began to speak on how empty their cupboards were. However, they were stopped when the back door to their small patch of grass opened, and out came the delicious scent of something being cooked. Of which caused even their own bellies to growl dangerously. To this end, they each surged into their meager kitchen to find the golden furred Kitsune making some sort of stew in a large copper pot. This led to him shooing most of them away, whilst his form continued to zip around the room, his body a blur as he performed the various tasks necessary to prepare such a great meal. "Ah, ah, ah," he held up a single claw from his right paw, wagging it from side to side as the Wolfwoman tried to enter the small, cramped space, "Not even you are allowed in here, my dear." "But," she began, not at all enjoying being treated as one of her charges, as she was gently led away from the space. "You deserve a short rest for your continued effort, young lady. Now it''s my turn. Besides, I''ll be coming by often in any case." "But," she began once more, but was interrupted by the other Kitsune who had returned from sitting the children at a long table which was not there until he came to their establishment. "Just who are you?" She demanded. Of course, she was grateful for the help, but was as flustered as the Wolfwoman ever since his appearance earlier that turn. This question caused the male to pause in his stirring of the pot, and slowly stared into the pairs'' eyes. "Who am I? Well, I have many names," he slowly stirred the pot full of broth, chopped vegetables, and small chunks of meats, "Many titles, too, but most simply call my person ''Master'', ''Lord'', ''Lord High God''." The Wolfwoman gasped, as her cane clattered to the ground whilst she clung to a wall for support. All the while the male simply smiled in her general direction before turn to look upon a thoroughly confused Foxwoman. "To you, my dear, I am simply called whatever you desire, but to those children, I am their Fox King," his shoulders shrugged slowly, as his attention turned back towards the stew, "I do not have a name, per se, but history will tell you what I truly am. "For I am Ageless, the Lord of Chaotic Mana and Illusions, God King of the Second Pantheon of Gods and Goddesses, God of Children and Families, and the rightful ruler of our world called Terra." A2 Chapter 64 AN: Last bit of the fluff, folks. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _____________________________ The Foxwoman stuttered, not knowing how to proceed, as she and the Wolfwoman were led into the area with the long table and told to sit. For as they sat, wooden bowls with intricate designs of children attached to the tails of a joyful, nine-tailed fox appeared before each who sat upon the chairs surrounding the table. Wooden spoons also appeared to the right of such bowls, as the Kitsune appeared wheeling a large pot of the stew upon a cart of some sort. Whereby he did ladle out large portions for each of them, and a special mixture of smashed vegetables and meats for those who are far too young to eat as the rest. These were hand few by the male who smiled softly as all others gorged themselves upon the food before their persons. "Ah, before I forget," his arm waved at the table before his person, and small, steaming rolls of golden brown bread appeared to the left of each bowl. Many were confused as to why this was there, but he was not done, as wooden cups filled to the brim with some sort of fruity liquid appeared a little to the right of each bowl. "The liquid in the cups will never run out. So eat, drink, and enjoy yourselves." The older children took a sip at the liquid, whilst a few drank the entire mixture only to watch with widened eyes as the drink slowly refilling itself. Others clambered over one another in order to watch such an occurrence, but were told to sit down by the elderly Wolfwoman. This would continue as he spoon fed mash to those too young for solids, but old enough to no longer need the bottle. Whereas those who do need the bottle were simply nestled into each of his nine tails as they drank until they were full. Soon afterwards, the bottles would vanish and their tiny bodies grew sleepy until finally falling into the arms of their dreams as they snuggled into his soft fur. The other children who had finished their meal had also felt the effects of sleep wash over them, but it was not because of something added to their food. No. This was simply a reaction to having full bellies of warm, good food. To which each who noted the sleeping young soon waddled or crawled over to his person with the intent of desiring a hug or to sleep against his body. Of course, he obliged their selfish demands with a warm smile as he sat upon the ground to receive each and every one of them. To which many did mew and whimper as they nestled into his fur with a yawn before falling asleep. This led to him humming a soft tune as he stroked the heads of two Kobolds females who were the first to crawl into his lap. Of whom held smiles upon their lips as they softly snored, whereas the Wolf and Foxwoman simply stared and conversed amongst themselves as to what had happened. "Mara," began the Kitsune, of whom was the least accepting of the two, "who is he, and why is he doing that?" She did not understand at all of what has happened. First the male appeared, used some sort of magick upon their home, and now the children seemed bewitched by something he did. Although the food he gave them was delicious, she still could not accept his presence. "Ayanna," began the other called Mara, "Do you remember the priest who came here so long ago in order to bless and heal one of the littles?" At her nod, she continued with, "Do you also remember the gods he called upon?" "Yes," the Foxwoman replied, "It was Anoyra, the Goddess of Medicine, and Anuk, the God of Holy Light. Why?" The other shook her head slowly, "No, child. That is not all who he called upon." "Then who-?" Their eyes trailed towards the golden Kitsune, who was still humming a strange tune whilst the energy about his person shimmered softly around the sleeping children. "Him?" She seemed appalled at the notion of him being a god. "Yes, him. If you were to recall the old stories told to you as a child, and the dreams you had, you would know it to be true. For each child who begins to dream is given one with him in it. Which is why each of the children knew instinctively to call him ''Fox King''. "That one right there is the one called the Wandering God of Terra, as he chooses to simply walk amongst us instead of watching upon high as all others do. Because of this, he doesn''t need a church, shrine, or temple dedicated to himself as all will simply know who he is as soon as they acknowledge his presence. Which you have not done, Ayanna. Once you do this, then you will know my words to be true." In so saying, the elder stood up slowly in order to hobble closer to the male. Whereby she did try to kneel before him before being halted. "Peace, young lady," the Ageless''s eyes sparkled with amusement at such a gesture, "If you know as much as you do, then you should know I detest the worshipping of others towards my person." "But My Lord God," she began, but was responded with a light chuckle as his right paw reached into the air to pull out a small vial of a golden, viscous fluid. To which her eyes grew wide, her mouth agape as the vial was placed into her quivering hands. "For your dedicated service towards those who are my charges," he began as his voice was echoed by a multitude of angelic voices, "I gift unto thee the Elixir of Extended Life, and offer you a chance of being a part of my Chosen few." Tears welled up in the Elder''s eyes, as she hugged the vial to her chest, slumped to her knees, and openly cried before one such as he. This led to a few of the children to waking up and crying just as much as she once they found the source, which then led to nearly all others to awaken and begin to shed their own tears. Of course, none of this affected the Kitsune, as he gave a soft smile whilst resuming his humming which calmed the children considerably before they each fell back asleep. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. "I have looked into their hearts and minds, young one," his words continued, as the other Kitsune rushed over to hug the Elder and glare at the other, "They love and care for you as though you were their own mother and grandmother. Hence the reason why you were gifted with the Elixir. So drink, young lady. Drink and continue your service with little fear of Lady Death coming for you." "Thank you, My Lord High God," she began, fumbling with the vial, "Thank you so very, very much." However, upon placing it to her lips, it was snatched away by the other female who glared at it and his person. Whereas he looked towards her with a sorrowful gaze. "Return her property, child," his voice was tired, whilst the Elder stared at the younger as though she were mad. "No. This is poison," growled Ayanna, who then lifted it high and threw it as hard as she could upon the ground. "No!" screached Maya, as the vial sped towards the floor, then gasped as the vial merely clinked softly against the stone. "What?" The Ageless sighed heavily, as a duplicate of himself flowed from his sitting position in order to retrieve the vial and place it back into the paws of the Wolfwoman. Of whom clutched the vial tightly to her chest, and was bade to drink from it before the other tried to snatch it away. "That was a very foolish idea, child," spoke the duplicate, as the original watched the Elder slowly swallow the small mouthful of the golden liquid. Whereupon the second golden Kitsune did meld with the original, as the Elder''s body was filled with a golden light almost as bright as Terra''s day-star. "This is not a poison, child," spoke the original the moment the duplicate''s essence flew into his body, "It is simply a potion which extends the life of those who drink its contents one hundred fold. In other words, she will live for a very long time. "But... But..." she began slowly, backing away as a multitude of eyes appeared around his person to stare at the light show before them. "But me no buts, Ayanna," spoke a younger voice from within the light. One which was full of the strength and vigour of youth. Of whom was revealed shortly afterwards, and in the form of a younger, red furred Wolfwoman. This one, instead of wearing the stained, linen dress, was now wearing a robe of white wool with intricate designs made from golden strands in the garment. Each of these designs were an enchantment of some sort, and the male noted one which guarded the fabric against stains and dirt. To which he smiled softly upon her. "This is our Lord High God, and He has returned to us." ***** "Must you leave, My Lord High God?" The red furred Wolfwoman was holding a pair of curious female Kobolds who tugged on her robe and poked her muzzle. She stood within the foyer as the male Kitsune smile upon the children of whom demanded hugs and head pets as he made his way out the door. "Unfortunately so," he gave an apologetic grin, "I have other duties to attend to, which includes a cleanup of the mess Brutus and his offspring had left when I was away." After saying his words, he bade farewell to the others with a promise to return as soon as possible. Once he was out of their sight, the shadows surrounding the buildings leapt from their positions, and swarmed his body with glee. For which he slowly began to transform his person into a terrible visage of a monstrous skeleton. This was done so as he walked steadily onwards, first revealing a draconic head with a mixture of an Ogre''s head. This led to a pair of large arms attached to a massive pair of shoulders. Of which came a barrel shaped ribcage, followed by a smaller pair of shoulder blades attached where the final two lower ribs were supposed to be. From here came his lesser arms and two pairs of clawed hands which flexed slowly. Afterwards came the short, immovable tail which was used as a counterbalance so he may remain upright as he journeyed forward towards the alabaster castle which was nestled upon a large cliff overlooking the city below. The last to appear from the shadows were his skeletal legs and clawed feet, which left imprints in the cobblestone streets. However, soon after he walked past such imprints, a silver mist seeped from the ground in order to repair the damage before disappearing the same way it came. Those who looked upon such a creature did little beyond gawking and scrambling to remove their persons and items from his path. If a much larger object was in his way, such as a wagon which blocked the path, he simply teleported to the other side and continued forward. Yes. Many of those gawkers did follow his monstrous self, as he made his way up the long slope towards the castle. What is more, they seemed to be even more surprise when its gates opened wide to receive his person. A2 Chapter 65 AN: How close to being done are we? Well, I''m working on the Epilogue right now, if this gives you any ideas. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ___________________________ "She has come of age, My Lord High God," spoke Brutus, as he and the Ageless in the form of his skeletal self stalked the silent halls. His garb chosen that turn was of a white, silk robe in order to allow the blood of others to stand out. For he had been tasked with creating another rare feast for his god. However, they did not know who would be coming for this event, even though the invitations had been sent to all adjoining worlds as well as their own. Yes. The god could simply divine who would be appearing before them, but he chose not to in order to simply watch their reactions when he is in their midst. For although he is able to do much, divining who may come would alert those who believe he is still far from Terra, and does not wish to give away the surprise so early. "Yes, but she has failed in her task as Regent. What of the other tasks?" The giant''s voice was neutral during the conversation, as he does not wish to convey his thoughts at that time. This query caused the smaller skeleton to sigh greatly, both mentally and physically, "She''s failed at cooking, and has even managed to burn everything in the kitchen when nothing was lit. This was all under the supervision of a minour god, mind you, and he actually stormed out after she tried to cook a pate, which is normally served cold." "So her culinary skills are nil. Anything else?" "No for sewing, broidering, or anything to do with threads; those even caught fire somehow. So we placed her into the smithy, then promptly removed her due to the fact she tried to melt the Dwarf''s anvil." The Lich''s right, clawed hand rubbed the top of his skull with embarrassment, "We took her to see a Fire Mage afterwards, then came back later that turn to find the teacher half frozen due to the fact that she had managed to freeze the entirety of it all. "I don''t know, My Lord. She seems to excel at doing the opposite of everything we put her through. Destruction instead of creations; creation instead of des-truc-tion..." A thought came to him just as he spoke these words, which caused his person to halt in his walk, "My Lord? Do you require another apprentice?" This query caused the Ageless to pause in his step, and turn slowly to stare down upon his servant, "Why do you ask this?" "She is chaotic in nature, My Lord, and would need more training if she is proficient in such a thing. Also, because if I ask Siuun, she would just drag Denna off to cause havoc with who knows what just because she finds them funny. Then there''s the issue with all of the other Lords of Chaos who simply desire more power, and would try to use her for some other scheme involving your person." The lights in the God''s sockets dimmed for a time, then flared back into life as he contemplated the words of his servant for a moment, "Very well, Brutus. She will become another apprentice of mine. However," a single digit was raised from his lesser right, clawed hand in order to waylay any more words, "if she fails in the trials I have set for her, then her fate will be mine to command. Understand?" "Perfectly, My Lord High God," Brutus saluted the other, and bowed slightly, "I wouldn''t dream of going against your person." "Too bad," the other''s voice rumbled with slight amusement, "It would have made an interesting story if you had such ambitions." ***** As the day-star slowly sank below the horizon of the world called Terra, the city known solely as Necropolis became alive with the sounds of merrymaking. As many skeletal heralds wearing the ancient livery of an opaque, skeletal dragon one a red background came before them all in order to spread the message of their Lord High God''s return and the abolishment of all taxes and slavery upon their world. This was met with a mixture of emotions, for many were delighted such things were removed, whereas those who profited greatly from such ventures were not at all amused. For their stock of persons had been removed by those called "Dolls", and many of their associates either slain or captured where they would be publically executed within the next sennight. "How is this possible?" Growled an unknown being hidden beneath a thick, dark robe of crimson. The voice of this one was grating upon the senses, and sounded much like that of sharpened nails upon a chalk board. Of which caused four other equally robed creatures to visibly wince at the words. These five had situated themselves within a small cottage a few kilomteres south of the capitol city of Terra, and were discussing various topics about their enterprise of slavery when reports began to flood in about their product being freed, and their underlings killed or captured. These reports, though accurate, did not bode well for the five, as another came through with the return of Terra''s God called Ageless. Two of these individuals desired to quit the business altogether, as they remembered the history sessions where this God would spare nothing in order to squash all who dare impose their will upon His world. Yes. Such tales shook the other three, but one of these individuals still refused to back down, even as all of their associates simply vanished along with any new prospects of continuing such an enterprise upon Terra. "That girl was supposed to be in charge for another fifteen cycles, what changed?" "Perhaps I can help with that," spoke a new voice, but was muffled as it was coming from outside the cottage. This cause the group to jump as they frantically called upon their energy in order to prepare various magicks for the perceived fight ahead. "I wouldn''t do that if I were you," it continued, "We have the building surrounded, and will remove you by force if necessary. So come on out, if you would be so kind." If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Outside, however, was a male Dragonock atop a silver and blue hued Wyvern which growled at the wooden building before them. This male, though coated in endarkened scales, had the features of a Human, but with golden, serpentine eyes. His garb, however, was of leather and chain, and in the dying light it looked to be coated in blood and viscera. However, this was merely an illusion to unsettle those perceived as an enemy. To his right was another Dragonock, but a female who simply sat upon the grass, pulling up several chunks as she stared blankly at the world. Every now and again, she would giggle at something within her mind, which tended to upset and unnerve others, but not the one atop the Wyvern. Instead, he simply ignored the female, of whom wore a simple stained and torn linen tunic and trousers. Although she was indeed a female, her chest was nonexistent, even if the tears in her tunic revealed it slightly. Resting within arm''s reach, however, was a large scythe with a serrated edge. This was given to her as a gift from the pair''s Lord and Master, just as the Wyvern was gifted to the male. Now, however, the pair were tasked with hunting down all remaining cells of the slavers which plagued the land. Both of them were given a large contingent of Dolls in the shape of Arachne, half female human, half spider. These were great hunters, and could function in both darkness and light. Of which were of great use, as they held both abilities of a giant spider and Human, but without their many weaknesses. At this time, they had surrounded the cottage by coating much of the structure with a more flammable thread. Of which only a few of the more resilient of the Dolls held torches of emerald hues. These were given the task of burning the threads should those within desire a fight to the death as opposed to simply giving up. "Hey, hey," called out the female in a melancholic and melodious tone, "Please stay and let me kill you. I haven''t had blood in a while, so please let me kill you." She giggled unceasingly at her comment, which caused her to clutch her stomach as she rolled around onto the ground. Whereas the other simply sighed along with the wyvern as they turned their attention back towards the cottage before them. It was here that they felt the onrush of energy flowing within the building, as though the residents tried to teleport themselves out of their predicament, only to find it had failed. Cursing soon erupted from within, as muffled voices tried a second and third time. "This has gone on long enough," grumbled the male, of whom had grown weary of such attempts to escape, "Burn it down." After such words were spoken, the Wyvern gave a howl which signaled the Dolls to torch the threads. Of which they responded with haste, and soon the entirety of the structure was burning a beautiful glow of emeralds and shadows. This caused those inside to make an exit for which to escape, but only found a Dragonock female with insane features within her eyes. "Blood!" she cried out, raising her scythe high as she charged towards the group who were now frantically trying their best to escape. Unfortunately for them, before they could use whatever means they had to teleport far from their position, the female was upon them and swung her scythe horizontally. This action caused two of their number to freeze, as they believed the other had missed. However, their facial features soon turned to horror, as their lower half fell one way, their upper the other whilst their organs flowed freely outwards upon the now stained grass. These pair screamed greatly, reaching for their companions to save them, whilst they desperately tried to stuff their organs back inside their bodies. However, those they had considered colleagues turned and flew into the nearby forest, as the female stood above the fallen with an open maw containing several rows of sharpened teeth. "Blood!" she cried out, launching herself onto the bodies of those she had sliced in half. * High above the forest, flying above the sparse clouds was another creature which appeared to be draconic in nature, but was something more. For although its body was that of a small drake''s, as were its large wings upon its shoulder blades, and the tail which extended far past its legs, that which was between the shoulders of such a creature was not one, but two long necked heads. Both of which appeared to be similar, but were wholly not when closely scrutinised. As one was of a Wyvern''s shape, whilst the other was of a Dragonock''s. Indeed, this creature is the combined form of the male Dragonock and his Wyvern mount. For long ago the pair had been part of a ritual which fused their essences and bodies together. Why such a deed was done, however, only the God of Terra and the male knew, as it was stricken from the history books long ago. At that time, however, the dual creature had folded its arms as both heads watched the fleeing trio, only glancing at the female and her feast for, but a moment. ''What should we do?'' hissed the Wyvern''s mind to the other. "Our Lord demands only one of them to be given to His person," spoke the Dragonock''s head, "Therefore, we are given leave to do as we wish to the others. Which is why Siuun," the right clawed hand of the creature waved in the direction of the female, before returning to its folded position, "is allowed to do as she wishes this time. "So let us go and do what we must in order to please our Lord High God. For He has returned to us after so long, and I desire to bask in His glory once more." In so saying, the pair of heads howled with a mixture of joy and hunger, before diving towards the trio who had frozen in fear from the noise above their heads. A2 Chapter 66 AN: It is official, I''m done writing the second arc. Which means, my dear ladies and gentlemen, y''all will receive two chapters a day until it''s all out there. I''ve even come up with a new summary, but can''t use it until after the Epilogues are up. :( Oh, and there''s a major twist in the next chapter. As always folks, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _________________________________________ "...So you see, there are two measurements of time upon our world of Terra," chuckled the male Dragonock as he grinned down upon the remaining two slavers. Of the pair, the third was in the gullet of the wyvern who was in the process of digesting its feast of the night prior to this. One way it digested was through sleep, whilst another was through exercise. The latter is what it did, as it was simply trudging along next to a wooden cart whilst the male rode its back. As for the female called Siuun, she was busy humming an off key tune she once heard somewhere. Whilst her eyes were seemingly staring at nothing, her hands were busy cleaning and polishing the blade of the scythe. This action seemed to unnerve the remaining pair, who was told in great detail by the other what had happened after they fled into the forest. "As I was saying, in terms of time, there are two measurement you need to be away of. One is Cycles, the other is Years. Of course, all of the surrounding worlds within our system uses the measurement of Cycles, but this does not mean they have forgotten what ''Years'' means. By the by, one year is usually broken into twelve months containing three tendays, and each of those days last from our version of dawn to about midday. Quite odd, to be honest. "In any case, one Cycle equates to about one point five Years, or eighteen months. Really depends on your preference. Now, our Lord High God spoke of how He would be leaving our world of Terra in the hands of the Lich King, Lord Brutus, for a century. This is what you all know, but what you didn''t know was which century He meant. For you see, one century of our measurement is about one hundred and fifty years, whilst one century of Years is sixty and seven cycles. "Which means, my dear sirs," the male leaned over to grin maniacally at the captives, of whom shrank further into the opposite corner, "Our Lord High God has been upon our world of Terra for eighteen cycles, and only now has deigned to reclaim His throne." ***** Within a small room filled with papers and scrolls of parchment sat an endarkened furred Kitsune who was called Ageless. This being sat in front of a large, wooden desk covered in such sheets, as he read through and scribbled some notes before tossing them into another large pile dedicated to being sent out towards its recipients. Normally he would be alone as he did this, for he desired to dive back into the routine of work which included signing documents and permits for various projects many have. Yes. Many would see it amiss, as a normal ruler would do his or her best to avoid such a task and leave it for others. However, he was not a ruler, but a god who loved his world more so than any others, and would strive to be the perfect ruler. Of which entails the meticulous task of sorting through the piles of paperwork and scrolls of parchment. In this he found some enjoyment, as he seemed to live through the peoples'' lives as they desired permission for some unknown idea, or through a report of what had happened before they wrote such a tale. This, and more, always left him with a smile upon his lips, whilst he continued to live through his people before scribbling a few notes or signing such pieces in order to bring about their ideas. Of course, there will always be the more foolish ideas which needed to be discarded, as he abhorred their wants which would lead to the destruction of lives as a cost to their greed. These individuals were then promptly visited by an Undying in training with a few Dolls, as they gave their Gods'' decree of not following through with their wants, desires, or demands. This, of course, usually tended to their persons being watched heavily for a cycle, or had their lives turned upside down if their greed warranted such a degree. For if they did, then something would usually turn up, as a Minflayer was normally called in to discern the truth from the male, or female, who proposed such wanton destruction for the sake of increasing their greed. Then again, these were very rare occurrences, less so now that the world knows of the return of their God. Of whom would always take a personal interest in the lives of those who walked upon the soil of His world. This meant the residents would never need fear of going hungry, of not having a roof over their head, or be in danger of that which was within the wilderness. As since the beginning of his rule, all manner of creatures which were considered dangerous, such as "Demonic Beasts", were placed upon the various other worlds he controlled in order to lead this world into an age of prosperity and peace. However, this did not mean the residents of Terra would grow fat and lazy. No. Each who came of age, and those with a desire, were allowed to enter the other worlds in order to train against the dangers of those worlds. For although his world of Terra was a paradise, the other worlds did not have such luck, even if they were protected by the Ageless. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Instead, minour Gods and Goddesses were given the reigns of governing such worlds, so long as they intended to stay within the Pantheon he had created. Thus, those worlds had such chaotic elements within, as their own patrons could not contain all of the dangers. Of which led to them relying on each other and their God King for assistances such as allowing their people to come and help clear away some of the dangers. Of which led to many desiring the help of those summoned from Azzarath''s domain. This would lead to more desiring the same, but the Ageless, even though he relented to such desires, had only one rule. No Humans. His reasoning as to why this race was not allowed was simple, as their own histories had told the tales many times. They were more greedy and destructive than most other races, which also led to much of the race to desire the enslavement of others, or their complete extinction just for their differences. Yes. Many of these humans had even gone a step further, and wiped out the rest of their worlds'' races simply for the thought of "I am better than you". This was what many of the minour gods and goddesses had witnessed before their secession from Azzarath''s Pantheon, and the joining of Terra''s. However, they still had ties to the former, and did not wish to burn such bridges. Of which ended with the God King''s acceptance of their desires, and spoke with Azazel at great length for the right to allow others to come to their system of worlds. So long as they adhere to his rule of "No Humans", he did not care who was sent over. Now? Now there was humans upon his world of Terra, and one of the ways to deal with them was to send them back to Azzarath with the hope they will be punished for breaking the only law for transference to his system. However, he was loathe to proceed down such an avenue, and had invited Azazel to meet with him at the party which would be held that turn. This party, by the by, was to celebrate the coming of age for the child of Brutus called Denna. However, he was still disappointed in the child, as she had tried to impose laws which did not sit well with one such as he. Such as the taxes and slavery upon those who desired to live within his world. A door had opened slowly at this time, to which the Kitsune''s ears twitched slightly, then once more as it shut with the occupant slowly moving forward towards his desk. This led to him setting down the writing tool in his right paw, then cradled his head as he rubbed his temples slowly. "You have made quite the mess, child of Brutus." His voice was quite, but was enough to cause the other''s movements to halt, then shuffle around in the same spot. This then led to his gaze pinning the vampire in her spot, to which she remained stiff as his gaze grew heavier with displeasure. This time, she wore an endarkened, crimson frilly dress with a light pink undershirt poking out from around her collar. Many would call its style "Gothic", for it suited her person well enough. The skin of one such as she was the same colour as the stone of the castle, which made her red lips and eyes stand out. Her hair, however, was of shadows so dark it seemed to drink in the surrounding light so that she was able to brighten the room considerably more. However, he was not at all amused at her desire to stand out, of which was apparent in his eyes and demeanour towards her person. "I-," she began, but was stalled from speaking out due to him raising his right paw. Which was then used to pinch the area between his eyes in a manner which denotes the staving off a perceived headache. "Brutus has told me of your failures, Denna. Of how your culinary and embroidery skills are nil, of how you tried to melt a Dwarven anvil, and encased a fire mage in ice." A breath of air was released soon after these words were spoken, "Do you know what your purpose in life is?" At a shake of her head, he continued with, "You are to provide value for my person. Hence the reason why I allotted my Lich King the chance at raising a child in order to experiment upon any of his remaining paternal instincts. "He has done much for you, Denna, and still tries to protect your person knowing full well the price of failure." At this point, she tried to open her small mouth in order to voice a query, but was quieted once more, "The price of failure, little Vampire, is death." This caused her to gasp, as she took a step backwards, away from the being in front of her, then turned to flee only to find him standing in front of the doorway. "Where do you think you are going, child of Brutus?" Asked the Ageless, whose tone was very dangerous at this point, "Do you think to run for your ''Papa'', and warn him of my coming? He knows full well that he has failed, but still tries to expend one more favour." "Which is?" asked the other in a small voice. "You are to be my apprentice, little Vampire, which will begin within a moon. For now though, you are to be readying yourself for the party, as I have already invited my own guests to discuss your blunder upon my world of Terra." In so saying, he waved a paw in her general direction, and she found herself right next to a pile of manure which assaulted her nose enough to make her scream. A2 Chapter 67 AN: And now for the twist in our lovely arc. I found it rather amusing, to be honest, as it opens up a whole mess of possibilities. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. Also, there will be a Q&A session tomorrow where I reveal a whole mess of my plans. Such as almost 15 other books revolving around Origin Point. :D ____________________________ Within the Alabaster Castle''s centre was a great hall which was used for the party which was being set up at this time. A host of Undead, overseen by Brutus, flew and trudged about in order to make sure everything was just right for his child and guests. Those within this host of creatures were the Banshees, Wights, and ghostly Skeletons. Each took part in the decorations, as well as to set up the long tables with which the guests will be placed. These tables each held a placeholder with the various names of guests who had responded to their invitations, but the structure of the placement of names was random, save for the table at the back. This was where the Ageless, his wife, Azazel, Brutus, and Denna would reside once everything was under way. It was here that the Ageless sat, reviewing the last of the documents necessary to push the duties of the slavers upon the shoulders of others, whilst the rest of such documents had already been sent off. These last few were within a category he detested greatly, as they were child slavers, and had been selling such persons after kidnapping them from their immediate families. Once discovering such a notion, he had sent out a system wide message to return all children bought from Terra, or suffer the consequences. Many, of course, ignored such warnings, as they did not recognise the being who claimed to be Terra''s God. Of which led to those individuals to face his wrath as he sent out his Chosen to fetch the children and slay those of whom chose to purchase them. The Chosen, by the by, are his female Undying with adopted children of their own. Each of them, along with the other Undying, resided within his home dimension which is accessible within the plains near the capitol. Where all were charged with guarding such a place from those who wish to enter the home he had built for himself, his Undying, and his new family. Yes. Terra''s god now had a family of his own, and would be revealed soon enough. For now, he had leaned back against the high back chair, finished with the documents. Of which were sent elsewhere with a wave of his right paw. However, he noted the odd weight shift of his head, and slowly reached up to grasp a small body, which was then set upon the seat to his left. "I do wish you would cease in your efforts to sit upon my person, Azazel," sighed the Ageless, whose eyes turned to look upon the girl-child-who-was-not-a-girl-child with a look of slight displeasure. "Hello to you, too, Ageless," spoke the small female whose mane of silver hair had been let down around her shoulders. Her own eyes, a pair of molten silver, stared upon his person with great amusement at his displeasure, whilst he noted the strange garb of a white robe with an emerald floral pattern decorating the front, spiraling towards the back, and ending atop her shoulders. This robe, by the by, was not a sold piece of material. Instead, it was split down the front, but folded one side over the other. To keep it from revealing her front, a large sash, the colour of spring leaves, wrapped around her front, and was tied into a large bow in the back. This garb was considered to be a modified version of a Japanese Kimono, and always caused the male to frown at such a thing when a tunic and trousers was less complicated. In any case, Azazel had turned her back towards him in order to fluff her hair backwards in a teasing manner, whilst he merely sighed and went about braiding it into a pattern she enjoyed. Of which was then swirled into a circular pattern at the back of her head, where a pair of long pins were placed within such a pattern in order to hold it in place. "Don''t you have servants for this?" asked the Kitsune, who eyed her small form in a reproaching manner. "Yes," her small head bobbed once, "but the servants are afraid of this one for some reason." Her voice trailed off as the delicate hands of hers fiddled about themselves. "Gee," drawled the other, whose eyelids had drooped to stare at her small form with a bored accusation, "I wonder if it had anything to do with you decapitating one of their number for brushing too hard." "Where did you hear such nonsense?" Her eyes grew wide as she turned to stare into his eyes; there were a few tears budding at the corners. "Azazel. Your tricks will not work upon my person, as I have already seen your true self after becoming the same race as you." To these words, she pouted and hung her head in defeat, "Besides, after joining the family, I''ve been privy to such happenings due to Sarah informing my ears upon all of the latest gossip." The Ageless grinned greatly, whilst the other pouted before grinning as well. "Well, now that we''ve the pleasantries taken care of," she began slowly, "Why did you summon this one-" "Azazel." She sighed with great exaggeration, "Fine. Why did you summon me?" Her hands had balled into fists as she planted them upon her waist, whilst she leaned over to glare upon his person. "Humans were summoned to my world, Azazel. The Huntress was involved and is in the process of being taken care of, as is her followers. However, that still leaves your side, as you know my worlds do not contain that race." "Oh?" Her expression softened, then became harder as the thought of someone from her side breaking the only rule set between their Pantheons infuriated her small person. "That is a lot to take in, Ageless. Do you have evi-?" At a wave of the Kitsune''s right paw which encompassed the whole of the great hall, eleven humans appeared lining the high walls whilst their bodies were crucified upon thick planks of Ironwood. Each one squirmed to some degree, their mouths open to scream a wail which never came forth. For upon their necks were chokers of silver and electrum, each enchanted to amplify their pain whilst silencing their voices. Each of these humans had been stripped of their garments, as red hot nails were hammered into the centre of their palms, their wrists, shoulders, hips, ankles, and feet. This left only their torso and head unaffected, that is until Brutus got around to torturing their persons even further. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "Does this answer your query, Azazel?" growled the other, whose disdain for such creatures became even more apparent, as they vanished to whence they came, "No Humans. That was my only rule, and now it has been broken. So until you have found your culprit, none of your mortals will be allowed to enter my system, just as mine will not go to yours." Upon such utterances, a system wide notification rang out. This statement gave a detailed account of the how there were now humans upon their world of Terra. As well as a suspension of all activities regarding the teleportation of mortals traversing between the two systems under the control of the first and second Pantheons. However, another notification soon followed after the first, telling those of whom had reach the stage of Immortal will be heavily watched by the Ageless''s Dolls and gods under his person. Especially if they decide to traverse the two systems to do whatever they wish. This did not come as a shock to one such as the silver haired girl-child-who-was-not-a-child, as she enacted her own system wide message which basically echoed the former''s. However, she added the fact that the Huntress and her followers were now free game upon her own system, as they were upon the worlds surrounding Terra. Which would then spark a few small scaled wars upon Azzarath, as the Goddess had quite the following upon that world, but we shall not speak of such things. Instead, once the messages were completed, the pair sat down to discuss their own adventures and plans for the future. For the pair had grown close after the union between he and Sarah, as Azazel was the mother of one such as she, and was only all the more happier to be invited to a party which she had not been technically given leave to be a part of. However, after an invitation was sent by the Ageless, did she leave her pantheon with all due haste, as they had become boring to her eyes over the last millennia. Especially after the Kitsune before her had decided to not try and conquer the rest of the worlds after claiming Terra for his own. "Why did you never try to take more worlds, Ageless?" she asked as the topic switched to the past. In her hands was a small, wooden cup full of a light fruit wine which would only cause those unused to alcohol to become drunk, "You''ve conquered, what? Five, seven worlds from the Abyss? Why not more?" She then took a small sip of the wine, and smiled with closed eyes as the liquid tumbled down her throat, causing warmth to spread throughout her small body. "Why should I desire more when I have what I desire here?" One of his tails flicked itself towards the great hall with slight irritation, "Terra is all that I strived for, Azazel, and you should know this, as I''ve pestered your person for the details of its whereabouts for so long." "Yes," drawled the other, before taking another sip of the drink in her cup, "but all the others seem to desire more and more. So why not you?" "Are you not listening, Mother-In-Law? I do not desire more, for I have everything I wish. This world," he stood up from his seat to stand in the centre of the room where a bonfire was being laid out for the festivities which was fast approaching. Where his body did twirl in a slow circle before standing in front of the silver haired girl-child-who-was-not-a-child, "This world of Terra. My Terra, is all I desired after it was snatched from my paws so long ago. Now that I have it, why should I desire more? "Certainly, there are more worlds out there just like this one, but they are not mine to covet. Instead, I am content in this one, and desire nothing more." "Well, you certainly are a strange one, dear Husband." This voice appeared from behind his person, which caused him to whirl about with a great grin about his features. For standing before him was his wife called Sarah, the Goddess of Iridescent Colours. Her form, which used to resemble that of a female human, was now of a Wolfwoman whose fur, hair, and eyes changed colours with every movement. What is more, even her clothing, which consisted of a long, silk dress with a floral pattern resembling Azazel''s Kimono. This fell to just above her ankles, and was comfortable enough to allow her the freedom of movement so many other females did not when wearing such an outfit. Upon her neck was a pendant of silver with a leather chord running through the top. This was the only piece of outerwear which was visible, and did not change colours. Instead, it was a locket which opened up to reveal two images. One of her husband, the other of a male, nine tailed wolf hybrid which was in her arms. This hybrid, by the by, was indeed of Wolf and Fox, and wore a pair of crimson trousers. Whereas its fur was as dark as the shadows around their persons, but held a gold tint. This was mirrored in his eyes, with a golden pupil swimming in darkness. Yes. This creature was indeed a biological child of the Ageless before them. What is more, the child was only two cycles old and was already speaking and hobbling around. Of which was demonstrated as it shouted out the word, "Papa," as soon as Sarah placed him gently upon the stone pavement. He then stood shakily upon the ground, gripping his mother''s dress as he righted himself in order to slowly walk towards the Kitsune. Of whom had his arms out within a metre of the child''s position. "Papa!" he shouted, slowly hobbling forwards with arms outreached towards the other. The Ageless had a look of infinite patience, as he waited for the small boy-child to come within a few centimetres of his outstretched paws. This then led to him taking the other into his arms, where they hugged quietly for a time. Of which made his unbeating heart to soar as the child was lifted high into the air, spun around slowly, before being hugged once more. "I''m so proud of you, Nox," whispered the Kitsune into his son''s right ear, which caused the boy-child to giggle and cling to his father even more. __________________________ AN2: What a twist, right? XD A2 Epilogue Part 1 AN: If you haven''t already noticed, there''s a summary for the third arc in the series on the Fiction/Main Page, along with it''s name. Abyss. As always folks, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________ "So, the day has come at last has it?" asked Brutus, as a pair of blind and naked Tiger-kins helped dress his daughter from within a small space which was blocked by a large curtain. Although it blocked the eyes from discerning any real marks or features of the trio, the light within still cast its shadows upon the cloth. Of which revealed a small, lithe figure of the Vampire called Denna, with a small pair of mounds upon her chest. "I''m sorry, Papa," her voice was small, as the Kins helped her with the white frilly dress she was to wear for the party which was already under way. "Do not be, Denna. You are chaotic in nature, and will better serve our Lord in this than you could have elsewhere." His own garb, by the by, was a simple and thick, white robe without any designs or enchantments. In his right, primary clawed hand was a gilded staff of gold with the depictions of a great battle between Humans and Undead swirling from the bottom towards the top. In his left, however, was an Ankh. Of which was used in the resurrection of the dead, but in this case, was a symbol of rebirth and was a present for the Vampire. "Still," she began, as the curtains revealed her form to her Father, "I''m sorry I failed." Her head was bowed low, as the servants helped her feet into a pair of thin socks, before slipping them into the slippers laid out in front of her person. "Um, Papa?" Denna''s head cocked to one side, as the Ankh was placed over her head. Which ended up being fiddled with until the four-armed skeleton lightly patted her hand away. "None of that, child," his tone was light, as he held out his left, primary clawed hand for her to take, "Shall we?" ***** Far below the pair, however, was a large stretch of red velvet stretch forth from a pair of large doors which led to a much greater courtyard. Lining the velvet were those chosen to become the next generation of Undying, as they stood at attention as a multitude of Immortals, Gods, and Goddesses made their way inwards. Each wore a different design with a single colour in mind. Blood. For the one who was to set out and prove herself was a Vampire, and required blood as sustenance. Certainly, this one could absorb the energies of the world for such a thing, but it is difficult for others to promote a single colour for the Universe. In any case, this was what each had decided upon, and the one to greet their persons was none other than Terra''s own God, along with his wife and child. Sarah had chosen to don a crimson dress with dark spider webs stitched into the fabric, whereas the Ageless and Nox wore matching outfits of crimson trousers and vests. Though the boy-child was frightened by many of the appearances of these beings who gasped and gaped at his father''s return, he did not stray far from his parents'' legs. Even when these beings brought their own children, or summoned them for such an event, he did not move. Though there were many children who desired to play with Nox, once they noted who his father was, they were loathe to step near save for a few. These few were a trio of interesting children, as a pair of them were twin Kitsunes with brightly coloured fur of yellows, blues, and pinks. These two were, of course, female, and wore matching dresses in the same colours as their fur. Whereas the third was a male Devourer Demon, a rarity amongst his kind, and had a pair of small Watcher Demons to keep an eye on his small person. This Demon, whose name was Anasi, had the form of a spider with a small, dark skilled male elf attached atop the head of such a creature. Yes. This one had a form of the Archne, but unlike the race, he was a male with Elven features about his person. For his father was Ayanno, the Elven King within the Great Forest of Nu''bai, and his mother was the first Matriarch of the Devourer Demon race, but that story is for a different day. The four were introduced to one another whilst they were still in swaddling clothes, as their mothers were great friends with one another, and decided to have their children grow up in each other''s presence. These children then piled on top of Nox once they noticed his presence, which then ensued a small tussle full of yips and barks as they reacquainted themselves with each other''s scent. Yes. The four still held their more primal instincts in this regard, and would not outgrow such a thing until they reached adulthood. This then led to the Ageless gently excusing himself in order to conjure up a small pen for the children to continue their play. One of which held a small pit full of malleable balls which could be chewed on and swallowed without any detriment to their health. Of which led to the little Devourer to chew on these items, whilst the twins pounced on Nox, pushing him into the ball pit before once again pouncing on his person. "I believe the twins will come to love your child, Ageless, if they haven''t already done so now," spoke a silky voice from behind the God of Terra. Turning slowly, he noted a pair of large mounds pushing up against a tight fitting dress of crimson and violet lightnings. Of which led to his person to frown at such a sight, which grew increasingly apparent as he noted the female''s twinkling eyes full of amusement. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The female before him was one known solely as Mother, but to those who do not fret over such a title, she is known as Sakura, the Goddess of Fertility and Consummation. She was, of course, a Kitsune and mother of the twins who were fussing over a now tired and dizzy Nox. Of whom were named Mia and Maya. "Retract your chest from my husband''s face, or you will lose them permanently," growled Sarah, whose hair and fur now held the colours of Rage and Hatred for one such as the Kitsune. Whereas the other simply pouted at the former, as her chest slowly became more like that of the rest of her race. Small. "Why must you ruin my fun, Sarah?" "You know very well why, Sakura. He''s mine, and does not want a harem of any sort." Upon these words, she clutched the Ageless''s right arm which sank in between her own pair. No. These were not as large as the other female''s, as he detests large chests and saw no reason why they needed to be that large. That is, unless they are full of milk for an exceptionally large child, to which Nox was not. Therefore, they were only of an average size, which suited his person quite nicely. "Aw," her pout grew, as other females had seemingly gathered behind her, "Why not?" This time, it was the male Kitsune who spoke up, after giving his wife a gentle hug as a thank you for the rescue, "In essence, I do not understand why a male needs more than one female, beyond spreading their seed," his right paw waved in front of his person, as though dropping seeds into the earth, "As I do not crave the spreading of my own Seed; I do not pine for more than one female. Thus, I am content with sharing my person with only Sarah, of whom I love with every fibre of my being. If my heart was able to beat, it would be for joy, as she has given me my desire of starting a family of my own. Of which has caused my own to be far more indebted to her than ever, as it has been a dream of mine to have a child such as Nox. "This, and this alone is what I crave, which could never have been attained if I had more than one female to care for. As their own bickerings would drive my mind to madness, and such a thing must never come to pass." "Why can''t you just say what you mean?" This query was voice from a small female, hidden amongst a growing crowd. Of which sounded frustrated from the long winded speech of the Ageless, as he explained his reasonings behind his disdain for not wanting a harem. This led to Sarah speaking up, and the dispersal of most of the crowd as she spoke aloud, "My husband hates harems because he doesn''t understand why someone should have more than one significant other in their life. On top of that, they are quite annoying in his eyes. Isn''t that right, honey?" She had turned towards her other half with a beaming grin, to which he sighed, rolled his eyes, and nodded once. Of course, there were a few who still desired his person, and the seed he carried, but each had been flung out the door and into a pile of manure for their troubles. Of which caused them to scream as the smell assaulted their very senses. This led to Sarah grinning wildly as the Ageless chuckled at their despair before planting a kiss upon his wife''s lips and turning back towards the great hall. Whereupon a troop of trumpeters came into focus, and lined up in front of a large door in front of a long staircase which had appeared behind a gilded throne of gold and precious gems, leading towards a large balcony. This was then followed by several large blasts of notes which heralded a tall skeleton in regal livery with a crest of a staff of bone with an ominous gem in the centre, one a background of shadows. Which then unfurled a scroll of parchment and read aloud over a thoroughly hushed crowd, "Presenting His royal majesty, Lich King Brutus, Regent of our world of Terra, and ruler of Necropolis. As well as his Daughter, Princess Ala''Dennesia of Amun Ba''ahn, Apprentice to our Lord High God of our world of Terra." After such words were spoken, the skeleton bowed before the crowd, before hastily making its way back towards the door. Whereupon it, and another in matching livery, slowly pulled on a pair of iron rings which slowly opened to reveal the Lich King Brutus in a snow white robe, along with his daughter, Denna, in a frilly dress of the same color. What is more, her own hair had become a molten river of silver and gold, which flowed around her shoulders with the grace and enchantment of only a Lich was capable of creating for his daughter. This led to Brutus to gently lead his daughter down the steps, and sit down to the right of the throne. No. This did not have any significance, other than a prearranged seating chart which he and the Ageless had come up with. However, before he sat down upon his own seat, a tankard of wood and iron appeared in his right, primary clawed hand, whilst his staff leaned up against the long table he was to sit near. "Let the feast," his voice rang out to the hushed crowd, as they scramble to sit at their places, "commence." A2 Epilogue Part 2 There will be a Q&A session after this one, and hopefully you folks will have more questions that one person had during the last one. There will also be a poll attached to the session. One of which will stay up until the end of the third arc. Of course, I''ll be explaining many things, so it may answer your questions anyways, but regardless, y''all are too quiet. As always folks, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________________ "Just made it," panted a voice near the great hall''s doors, which belonged to a male Dragonock whose attire was now a ruffled, black and white tuxedo complete with a bow tie. Next to his person was a female in an equally ruffled tuxedo, as she was loathe to touch the dress which had been presented to her. This female, whose name was Siuun, giggled at the other as he brushed the front of his outerwear, and bade the other to do the same to her own. Of which she complied, copying his actions upon her body, as her maddening gaze took in the world in front of her. These two, along with a few other stragglers, were then ushered into the hall as a pair of large skeletal behemoths slowly closed the door behind them. "Siuun. San''yuu. You both are late." A voice spoke behind their persons, of which sounded a little disappointed in their tardiness to the party. However, it was also very familiar to their ears, as it was apparent to the female who whirled around and pounced on the figure with a cry of, "Papa!" This then led to the reveal of an endarkened Kitsune, as he chuckled lightly and stroked the female''s scaled head slowly. "I missed you, Papa." "I missed you too, Siuun," cooed the other, whilst she giggled and buried her face into his chest fur. "San''yuu?" "Yes, My Lord High God." The male snapped to attention, and gave a detailed report of their actions, as well as the reveal of a pair of captured slavers which have been tossed into the dungeon and were awaiting his person. "You both did well," his voice was slow, as his eyes spied the waddling body of Nox. Of whom stared with widened eyes at his father and a clinging Siuun. "Ah, yes. Siuun," the female Dragonock looked up into his eyes, then turned towards the small figure waddling towards their position, "this is Nox. He is my son, and your brother." "Bruh-ther?" Her head cocked to one side, not understanding the word spoken to her. "Yes. He is family, and is not food. Understand?" At his query, she nodded, still not understanding the word of "brother". However, he was not at all finished, as his eyes glowed a baleful crimson, which locked onto her own. "He is very precious to my person, so it is your job to guard him from harm. For if he end up with any serious injuries, you ''Papa'' will be very, very displeased with you. Understand?" Her head quickly bobbed up and down, knowing full well that the ire of her "Papa" was not one she would want to incur. Which then led to her releasing the grip of his person in order to squat down and crawl towards the now terrified hybrid, boy-child who looked about ready to cry aloud. However, he was lifted into the air by one of his father''s tails, and deposited into the Kitsune''s arms. "Nox," the boy-child''s attention turned towards the other, and away from a now frantic Siuun. Of whom relaxed once she noticed who had picked him up, "This is Siuun, your elder sister, and now your guardian. Understand?" His son''s head tilted to one side, as his ears twisted and twitched with curiosity. "She''s family." "Fam-lee?" Nox''s tongue rolled the unfamiliar word around in his small maw, unsure of its contents, as his father slowly took him towards the long table with which he was deposited into the arms of his mother, Sarah. Whereas San''yuu slowly dragged the female Dragonock over towards the leftmost table, and sat their persons down nearest the table which held their Master, his family, friends, and servants. Foods of meats, cheeses, fruits, and vegetables piled high upon platters of silver and gold made their way towards the tables. Each was held by a Skeleton, as Brutus was loathe to trust a decrepit mummy or zombie with bits of flesh falling into every nook and cranny where they walked. Instead, these Skeletons were used in place of such beings, as long as their bodies were picked clean of every foreign substances. For although these were immortals and gods of every walk of life, there was still a chance one or more could become ill from a piece of diseased flesh. Hence the reason for Skeletons. In any case, the Ageless watched as food was placed upon two separate plates of crystal in front of his wife and child, and helped Sarah feed Nox a small bit of the foods given to them. This action, coupled with the loud chewings of his son, quieted the madness of his mind as a slow smile crept into his lips. Of which led to Azazel, whose expression was a mixture of a pout and desire, as she wished to feed the hybrid child herself. In this, the Ageless relented in her desire to feed him tidbits, as she was family after all. However, it was interesting to watch as his offspring''s eyes widened when he was placed into the girl-child-who-was-not-a-child''s arms as she attempted to feed him. After a short while of constantly trying to feed Nox, he relented in accepting the small morsels of food. Of which led to his acceptance of her presence, whilst the parents smiled and clasped their hands together in a joyful silence. * Some time passes by, and the feast crawls towards a close. However, this is not the end of the turn, as now comes the Ball portion of the party, whilst the rest of the foods were placed upon a long table nearest the doors leading to the kitchens. It was her that the Kitsune found himself sitting upon a high-back chair with an audience of small children, as he regaled them with a story of his past. Albeit with less darkness, of course. "...The human in question was now surrounded by my person and Brutus''s Undead horde, and bowed and scraped towards us in an effort to curry favour. For you see, children, it desired to live, and would even sell its own mother in order to continue to do so. "Of which led to my Lich to utter the words of..." "For whom doth the bell tolls?" cried out one of the children, as the Ageless nodded with a joyful grin. "It tolls for thee," of which ended in laughter, as his paws tickled the belly of his son, Nox. This then sparked more laughter which came from the surrounding children, as the God leapt from his chair in order to playfully stalk the rest of the younglings. For once he began, the rest leapt away from their positions as he gave chase. All the while, Siuun noticed the small bodies running about the hall, and desired to give chase, but was held back due to the choker about her neck which tightened when she was too far from San''yuu. This was so, as she held more instincts than intelligence in her mind, and always seemed to chase after anything that moves. However, those that were caught in her clawed hands would always die, as she would see them as nothing more than food. Thus, she was collared every time she was out in public, and the male Dragonock was her assigned keeper. On the other side of the great hall, however, stood a couple of groups of beings. One of which congratulated Denna on her becoming of age, whilst a few pitied her openly for becoming the apprentice of one such as their God King. This caused her to cock her head towards her right shoulder, and question as to why they would pity her person for such a venture. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "Because he''s a Lord of Chaos," whispered one of their number. Of whom was a young, male Minotaur whose horns were only half grown, "Those people are always insane." Of which led to his large eyes to drift over towards the Ageless, who was now running away from the children. For a few of their number had found out how soft his tail-fur was, and desired to snuggle into it. What is more, those that had already latched onto the appendages had fallen asleep, and would not wake up no matter how much movement he caused. This is not to say they had died, as their small bodies snored softly whilst their heads snuggled into the fur. Instead, they were simply far too comfortable and had found a great place to nap. Of which led to the rest of the children to desire such a restful place, and began to chase the Kitsune because of this small revelation. "Look at him. That ain''t natural, you know?" Continued the young minotaur, but stopped as a large hand smacked the back of his skull. Of which led to him sprawling out onto the ground, whilst the offender, a half-Ogre, half-Orc, rubbed her hand slowly. Yes. This being was indeed a female, if only by the tiny bows in her hair and the strange, red and white polka-dotted dress about her. The rest of her body, however, was covered in muscles, and not an ounce of fat could be seen. Of which meant her chest, which should be a pair of mounds full of fat was now removed to make way for a large pair of pectoral muscles. The skin of this creature was somewhere in between the colour of spoilt milk, and poisonous green, as her parents held such coloured pigments in their own flesh. While her body was that of an emphasis of her Ogre heritage, her face held the tusks and beady eyes of the Orcs. Many would believe her to be nothing more than a brute, as she just demonstrated, but she was far more intelligent than that. For she was a Shaman, which tended to be far more intelligent than the rest of her people "Idiot," she grumbled whilst nearly all stepped away from her, "What? You all should know our Lord High God is rarely, if ever, insane." This then led to her to gain a particularly confused look about her features, as all gawked at her person with open mouths. "What?" The female growled at them all, not at all pleased to be the object of interest. "You can talk," mumbled one of their number, then wished it hadn''t. For this female exploded with rage, "What? You think just because I''m half an Ogre and half an Orc means I should be an idiot? Gods, what the hell is wrong with you lot?" With these rhetorical queries, she stormed off whilst another male peeled away in order to run after her person. Whereas the other group, which was not congratulating the Vampire, was merely a gaggle of older females. Of whom were each a mother to one of the children which were now nestled into the Kitsune''s tails. Many of them, which included both Azazel and Sarah, simply talked amongst the others over the gossips of their respected Pantheons. All the while, glancing towards the Ageless as he slowly made his way towards the high-back chair he had been sitting upon before the children had fallen asleep. * Sometime later, when most of the children had awoken, did the music for the Ball began. Of which was led by Brutus with a slow dance with his daughter, before parting with her so that others may try their luck with dancing with the Vampire. However, many of these beings did not stand much of a chance, as she had a particular taste in her partners, and desired the company of females more so than males. No. Such a thing was not disallowed, as the world of Terra was more open-minded about such things. Even if many others did not much care for such actions, they could do very little. Unfortunately, many others would go out of their way to promote their ways of male and female only, but were always quashed almost as immediately as they began. The only time they were not quashed was if they were the last heir to some legacy, and their family desired a child to pass it onto, in the case of their immediate offspring failing to produce a suitable heir in their young life. However, in the case of Brutus and his daughter, he did not care in the least as to who she shared her bedroom with. For he is Undead, and they live for as long as they desire to. Especially now that they had a god who was among their number. At that time, Denna was dancing with a Elven maiden of a prestigious House. For they were long time friends, and suspected bedfellows. Unlike many other Elven Houses, this one had multiple children, and were okay with their relationship. Especially after the fact that this Elf had multiple siblings, and was not at all the first born child. Of course, this came as quite a shock to many of the males who desired her person, as she cupped the other''s head and kissed her in full view of everyone. To which the Kitsune laughed uproariously at the sight of the mix of emotions drifting within the air above their heads. "I win the bet, Brutus," he called out to his servant. Of whom grumbled and held up a gold Disc, which was then given over to his daughter with a sigh. "Papa? What did he mean by ''bet''?" She glared dangerously at the four-armed skeleton before her. Of whom rubbed the back of his neck with his left primary, clawed hand slowly. "We betted whether or not you would break out of your shell by the end of the party, little Vampire," grinned the Ageless, as he held a sleepy Nox in his arms, "And now you''ve gained a gold Disc for allowing my person to win." "And what would you have given me if I didn''t?" "Less of a hellish training," he grinned as the female shivered, "Come. There is still much to do, and I desire to spin a tale of my past to you all." Upon these words, nearly everyone stopped what they were doing in order to pull out seats from anywhere they could. For the stories of their God King were entertaining for those of a young age, but rewritten so many times, many didn''t know which one was the truth. Hence the reason for excitement, as his words were the supposed truth of his history. Once he noted such actions, his mind groaned which caused his wife, Sarah, to grin at his mistake. "You dug your own grave in this one, hon." "I know, I know," his left paw waved at her person, whilst a gilded throne was placed in front of the fire. For all others were placed around such an area in order to gain the most experience out of the tale. "Me and my big mouth, huh?" his voice was light, as he sat down upon the throne. Whereby many of the smaller children noted this, and either climbed into his lap or nestled into the tail-fur which poked out from the back. "But what to speak of?" His head tilted backwards until the top rested against the back of the chair. "Oh! I know," the Kitsune''s head snapped forwards, as he grinned into the fire before him, "How about...?" ________________ AN2: How''s that for a cliffhanger? XD Q&A Session for Arc 2 - Terra + Poll First and foremost, I want to thank each and every one of you folks who have read both arcs. I know I say it at the beginning of each chapter I put out, but I really do mean it. ''Cause without you guys reading my shpeal, I''d probably be going bonkers trying to pass my time with boring MMO games whilst dreaming of a better life. Now? Well, thanks to you guys, I''ve found a great way to pass the time by leading y''all down the path of my inner mind, and boy is it a dark one. So thank you for joining in on our Black Parade, and I do hope you''ll stay around for a long time yet. ''Cause I have a whole lot of projects I want to put out in the years to come. :D Anyways, let me ask a simple query: What does Origin Point mean in this story? Well, to put it simply, I''ll have to ask more questions. Such as, what was the origin point of the MC being on Terra in the first arc? The origin of that is Azzarath, hence the first arc being called as such. Whilst for the second arc, why was he in the Abyss? Where did the origin of that one begin? The answer is, of course, Terra. Therefore, this next one, which is called Abyss, is the fight for Terra. So where did this one begin? It should be rather easy, right? Well, that''s how it all started in any case. Now, I won''t be going into too many details about the next arc, but I do require some assistance with it. As this one will have a sort of Groundhog''s Day vibe attached to it. Which means he''ll be going through the world multiple times, all the while trying to draw out the "false god" of Terra, and have to go through the Tribunal at the end. This is where I would like to request your assistances. How would you like the MC and company to kill them? What kind of torture methods would you like him to use, and the like? He''s going to be very frustrated, and downright angry, so he''ll need to vent it upon something. So this is y''all''s chance to really let your darkness shine, and I will listen to them. Of course, I''ll also leave a little annotation as to who came up with what, if you so choose, or it could be anonymous. Just have to let me know. Anyways, now that that is over with, on to the future projects! One of which being the fourth installment. This one will have its own separate page, as it is about children and adolescents being introduced to the darkness by the MC. Of course, it won''t be as dark as these ones, and it''s a promise I made to someone wanting a story revolving around them. So no, you don''t have to read it, but it''ll be a couple of months before I jump onto another project. Which leads to the poll I''ll have above (or below). After the fourth arc comes two more storylines. Both of which happens in between the three arcs, such as what happens between one and two, and what occurs between two and three. Between the first and second arc is a storyline called ''The Family''. It''s pretty much our MC, a Necromancer, a Templar, and a Cleric traipsing through various worlds whilst their own creeds and ideals clash. Such as the Templar and Cleric wanting to take a captured enemy in for questioning, whilst the other two wanting to get it over and done with to complete their quest. After much bickering, our MC grows impatient, and simply extracts the information from the captive and moves forward with the other three behind him. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Now, normally such beings would never come together. Which leads to why the story is called as such. For they were all a family outside of the game, with the Templar being the father, and the other two being the MC''s siblings. No. He does not remember their actual names, only their character names, as he had given up his own and everything surrounding it when he became an Ageless. So yeah, there''s that one, and then there''s what happened between the second and third arc. Of which will have two additional stories added onto it. This storyline is called ''The Sins of The Abyss''. These are the seven worlds our MC has conquered and brought out of the Abyss. Well~, he brought out six, and destroyed the first one due to his want of saving one child. This series contains nine books in it. Seven of them are the Christian''s "Seven Deadly Sins", whilst two are the ''Apprentice Chronicles'' of San''yuu and Siuun. Of which will begin with Lust, Greed, and Pride. However, Pride is the second arc of Origin Point, so it''ll be retold from different perspectives with the MC only being mentioned towards the end. Afterwards comes the first of the ''Apprentice Chronicles'', which is San''yuu''s story. This is where he is tasked with showing our MC what is more important than the Dragonock''s life, and he goes about trying to find what is more important. This one won''t be revealed any time soon, so don''t get your hopes up. Right after this comes the book of Wrath and Gluttony, followed up by Siuun''s story. Where she''s given the same task as San''yuu, "What is more important than your life?" To which she must find out alone. It''ll be a maddening tale full of chaos, violence, and blood. As she is very chaotic in nature, whereas the other apprentice is more caring. Which then leads to the last two worlds of Envy and Sloth. So yeah, after the fourth arc, which storyline would you guys like to read first? ''The Family'', or ''The Sins of The Abyss''? The first one will probably be a trilogy, by the way, maybe even four books. Well, that''s all I''d like to reveal. So, if you have any questions about anything that either happened or will happen, please let me know, yeah? I really do enjoy answering you guys'' queries. Quick Edit: I''ll have the prologue out by either Thursday or Friday. So please be patient until then. :D Arc 3 - Abyss: Prologue (NSFW) AN: I said either Thursday or Friday, and here it is. For I have three buffer chapters and am ready to continue with the darkness. Right off the bat, it''s an NSFW one, which is mostly used to scare away those with "sensitive ears" within the story. In any case, folks, I''m expecting this one to be a long one; perhaps even three months long (100 chapters, or so), as my writing style will extend it to be that way instead of typing out what I want to say. XD As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________________________ "How about... war?" asked the Ageless to those around his person. Of whom came in all shapes and sizes, from all walks of life, save for one. There were no humans amongst their number, as the God of Terra forbade and sentenced such creatures to death. For he detested such a race for their greed and hatred of others, as well as their desires to be the best, even if they are the weakest of all other races. "War?" spoke a small voice upon his lap. Of which belonged to one of a pair of Kitsune twins whose furs held the bright colours of blue, yellow, and pink. The pair even wore matching dresses with similar colours, but of different designs. Perhaps this was to not confuse the parents of such creatures, or perhaps the two held different ideas. "What''s that?" "Well Maya, war is something grownups participate in when two sides have opposing ideas and cannot come to an agreement." The small Fox-girl''s head tilted towards her right shoulder, still confused, but dismissed it when the God''s right paw ruffled her hair. Of which caused her sister, Mia, and a nine-tailed Fox-Wolf hybrid to whine at the lack of attention. To which they only quieted down when he ruffled their hair as well. "In any case, many of you know of which war I speak of, as it played a pivotal role in my being the ruler over our world of Terra, and afterwards, the second God King." There were many amongst the crowd who chatted excitedly amongst themselves, whilst a hand shot up from the crowd. This action seemed to amuse the Ageless, who nodded in the person''s direction. This being was a small, red imp who needed the assistance of another. Of whom had raised their own hand in order to garner the attention of the one upon a gilded throne of gold and jewels. "Yez," began the one who held the Imp in a thick accent. Of whom was one of the Shadow Elves, beings who lived in perpetual darkness, and had been invited to the Coming of Age party for a Vampire Princess named Denna, but stayed long enough for the God to begin his tale. "Zee Fire Imp dezirez zuu know if ziz zory iz of you and zee ''Zecohnd Zun''?" After speaking their piece, they sat back down into the crowd whilst all others turned back towards the other upon the throne. "Ah, no," he shook his head slowly, "The ''Second Son'' is the one who stood by his mother, Terra''s own Demon Lord, whilst the Humans fought to slay her. Instead, this is of the ''First Son'', who became the God of Terra, and died as he was in my way. Though, of course, such a tale is long and not at all suitable to little children." His eyes turned towards those upon his lap, then towards their parents which included Sarah, "If you believe the tale has taken a darker road than one you''d wish for your children to hear, then take them from me. For I shall only continue to stride forwards with my torch held high as all others walk behind in our little. Black. Parade." ***** Where to begin in this tale of mine? Where should I start this tale of war and woe, as I and mine begin our journey to reclaim what is rightfully our world? These two queries always plague my mind when writing, or even speaking. For this is one which has been told since the First Children were born upon our world. Therefore, I shall begin with the beginning, and end at the end. I am sure many, if not most, of you are acquainted with our time in the Abyss, correct? Yes. Then you must know of my dealings with Azazel, the Lady Goddess and Queen of the first Pantheon? No? Well then, I shall speak of this before moving on to our war of attrition, but first, Roj and his petty Tribunal of fools. For they had grown weary of my presence, and desired an end to it all. So, when Brutus, my self, and my Chosen appeared before them, they simply killed one another quickly before I had taken it upon my person to slay them. As you well know, they played an intricate part in detaining my person from our world of Terra, and my enmity for them even stretches to this day. However, upon trying to kill themselves, we noticed that they regenerated far too quickly, and were struck with horror as they noted we were still present. Yes. Many of these beings believe that by killing themselves they would be spared the horrors I and mine would inflict upon their persons throughout the many cycles we had been a part of their world. This was so, as Azazel had taken a liking to their repeated deaths in the hopes they would take heed and be a little nicer to the travelers and adventurers who came their way. For they had always held such people with contempt, but the others never complained as much as I, to the point of their deaths. Instead, they simply thanked them for their work, gave them a few trinkets, and sent them on their way. On the other hand, when I and mine appear, they became fearful and would give my person everything, if it meant staying my hand. However, such a thing never stopped my person, for I would continue to slay them until I had finally controlled our world of Terra. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. In this instance, however, I chose to beguile Roj, as he is their leader, and have him slaughter the lot of them whilst he watched and could do nothing about it. It was... quite entertaining to watch him work, and I would have added his person to my collection of servants, if Azazel hadn''t stayed my hand. For example, there was amongst this group a single female, a Halfling whose name I have long forgotten. Or perhaps, was never told to begin with. Well, after killing off the last of their members, a Minotaur, he pinned the female with his magicks and tore off her clothing with a ravenous hunger. All the while, his eyes leaked out a great river of tears, and his mind pleaded with my person in silent anguish. It was here that the female had been screaming and begging Roj to stop, whilst a hand pinned her arms above her head, and the other fumbled with his own clothing. Yes. As many of you have already guessed, he raped her, and the details are many. So take your children from my person if you so choose, for I will not spare the rod and spoil them in this instance. As I was saying, Roj was fumbling with his clothing whilst the female pleaded for him and my person to stop. However, I would not, as it was very entertaining to our persons, and they even gave some ideas for the Tribunal member. One of which was to suck on the left nipple of the female as hard as he could before he began. Of which he did so, and with great relish, for between suctions the female''s body actually bled. That is, it began to bleed only a few droplets, until he forcibly grabbed her small thighs with both hands, and plunged his freed member deep into that which was betwixt her legs. Whereupon he began to grunt and growl as his body thrusted in a rapid fashion, whilst the other screamed with pain as a large stream of her crimson blood splashed the shadowed ground where she had been pinned. Yes. I did sneer as I witnessed such actions, for I was within the Tribunal''s mind, and noticed the desire to mate with this female, but never seemed to act upon it. Well, now he had that chance, and this side of him became more apparent as a light of crimson flowed into his eyes. This stopped the flow of tears, and a primal urge took over. One of which caused his lower appendage to thicken and grow longer to the point of it only being able to enter about half way. It was here that I gave the command of taking her rear end, and allowing his member to bend and flow to match the insides of the one pinned upon the ground. For although many females enjoy such prospects, a male''s shaft is stiff with much blood, and does not bend. In other words, ladies, it is quite painful if it journeys past the rectum. At this point, Roj had impaled the female enough so that she now sat halfway down the tip, and was still very much alive. After the command, however, he pulled himself out, which allowed the other to gasp and cry from the pain and slight pleasure she had to endure, believing it to be over and done. Instead, she found her naked self pinned to the ground once more, except this time she was on her front. Much to her horror, she found the creature that was once Roj to be spreading her rear end, and before she could try and get away, began to scream once more as its member tore through her insides. This appendage forced her rectum to extend to the point of tearing apart, and even began to stretch her intestines as she continued with her beggings and pleadings for help and desired it to all end. It would not, and the Halfling was forced to watch as her intestines bulged within her abdomen all the way to her stomach. Yes. If you''ve access to any of the stories involving tentacles and their victims, then you know what happens next. For this appendage made its way into the stomach, up the esophagus, and a little out her mouth. Of course, she did try to bite down on such a thing, but found it to be too hard for her teeth to penetrate, and only caused the male to moan after such an action. Many of you would believe this female to die after having such a thing blocking her airways, but you would be wrong. For my magicks kept her alive and conscious throughout the entirety of the ordeal. Especially when the thrusting began. Of which caused her to gurgle and choke as the male''s member rubbed up and down her throat, in and out of her lower organs. Though, at this time, I noted the absence of attention towards that which was betwixt her legs, as well as her breasts. Of which caused Roj''s body to undergo another change, one that grew a second appendage next to his own. However, this one was twice as thick as the first, but only a quarter of its length, and was forced deep inside her body. This then caused another flow of blood, mixed well with her own juices, to flow onto the shadowed ground. Soon afterwards, he had gripped her chest tightly to the point of the flesh turning violet. This was just as a door opened up behind our leering persons, and in walked Azazel. Of whom stopped and stared at the scene as though never before witnessing such a spectacle. However, instead of ordering my person, or even asking, to stop, she simple told us, "Leave them. As this one will let them continue to enjoy themselves for a time." In so saying, she bade us to exit, whilst the remaining Tribunal members continued to endure the magicks which I had cast upon their persons. ____________ AN2: Should have the cover art up for this arc in a couple of weeks. :) A3 Chapter 1 AN: Before we begin, I just want to inform everyone that Life has finally decided to throw its curve ball at me, and it''s landed on the left side of my gut. So, I''ll be heading off to get that checked out later today. No. I am not saying this to get out of writing for all you lovely people, or anything of the sort. I have many issues, and this one decided to bite me in the ass at the most inopportune time. Will let you guys know how it went, if it was all in my head (as most things are these days) or if it''s actually serious. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________________ "But... That''s just... What?" One of the many and confused Immortals, Gods, and Goddesses stammered incoherently at the beginning of the Ageless''s tale. For they had never heard of this side before, and was rewarded with a sneer from the God of Terra, whose lap had become empty of children the moment he began to describe the scenes of rape. Indeed, and many others had left, not at all desiring to hear the words of their God King. For he was there to tell the truth, and the truth of his past was far darker than anyone could have imagined. "That''s not," began another, as such words caused it to grip its head and scream at the wrongness it felt. "That''s not what?" asked the Kitsune, of whom chuckled once the screaming stopped, "Not the tale you''ve heard before? Not what you''ve read or were told about? No, it''s not." The God''s eyes glowed a fierce crimson, as a large, bound tome appeared in the air between them. "This is the history book which can be found throughout our world, and allow my person to read an excerpt of one of the passages about the Tribunal. "''...Thus our God King fell upon the Tribunal members of Azzarath, and did wage a swift, but terrible war. For He bore the greatest of grudges against their person, as they chose to play a pivotal role in barring our God from his desire of ruling Terra...''" This ended with a snap of the book, which vanished from sight to be deposited from whence it came. "This is, but one of many flowered passages about my hatred for such beings. However, they never once mentioned my exploits, and when asked, do you know what they told my person? ''It was too dark for the coming generations.'' Too dark? My dear audience, they believed it was ''too dark''," two claws from both paws were held up and bent downwards twice in order to express the quotations around the two words. Of which led to a laughter erupting from his throat, and was echoed by both Brutus and Azazel, whose facial features were full of a joyous madness over such a tale. "Too dark, they said, and yet they still tried to remove my words to focus more on the light. Which you all know of, as it is taught in your primary schools'' history classes. However, my dears, this darkness pales in comparison to our journey into the Abyss. Especially towards the first world. The one I destroyed in order to save a single child. "In any case," his body slumped against the back of the throne, as the crimson glow faded into darkness, and his tone grew less crazed over the wanton destruction of his words in the past, "this tale is still full of shadows many of you will come to know if you decide to stay nearby. If you do not wish to hear the truth of my words, then leave." Lazily, he waved his right paw towards the Great Hall''s doors. Which opened slowly to reveal a cloudless night''s sky full of twinkling lights and five great moons. Upon his words, a score of beings stood up and hurriedly left their God King''s presence. Of which he paid little heed to, as his head was laid gently upon the knuckles of his open, right paw. When the last of these beings left, his eyes focused on the remaining individuals who shifted in their chairs, unsure of what to do. "I assume the rest of you had decided to stay and listen to my words?" Nearly all nodded their heads, which caused the Kitsune''s lips to stretch into a feral grin. "Very well," he then raised up his paws high above his head, and clapped them together. This caused a great peel of thunder to resound throughout the room. Of which caused the entirety of the plane they sat within to fall apart piece by piece until they were left in perpetual darkness. Or rather, they would have if the bonfire sitting between their persons and the Ageless''s had fallen away as well. For you see they were now within a pocket dimension situated between their plane of existence and that which is called The Void. The Void, by the by, is nothing more than pockets of chaotic space situated within the Ethereal Plane and the Abyss. Each of these have the power to transport another into a different world, or simply tear their bodies apart atom by painful atom. However, pocket dimensions, such as the one they were now in, could be created to situate themselves outside of Time itself. Of which he explained with, "As my tale is a long one, it would have taken nearly a full moon to tell it all. Therefore, we have been transferred here in order for you to hear the whole of it. "Ah, but do not worry," his right paw waved towards a few of the Immortals who stared about their persons with great distress, "time has merely stopped outside of this dimension, and will return once I have returned to it. "In other words, my dear audience, you will stay until I have finished with my tale. So welcome," his endarkened arms spread outwards and up towards the infinite darkness above their heads, "welcome to our Black Parade!" This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ***** "That was," Azazel struggled for the correct word in order to describe the scene she walked in on, but could not and simply shrugged as we walked down a long stretch of a hallway filled with a bright light the colour of freshly fallen snow. "I''ve allowed my servants to voice their own suggestions for what is to be done to these Tribunal members. As oppose to just outright killing them, they will be deciding on their fates, and I shall be accommodating their desires. That is, if we have not already taken over our world of Terra." My own voice was slow, but reverberated around our persons, whilst my form slowed into my endarkened, Kitsune self as you have all come to know. In this form, I swirled around to her front, stopping her progression towards the other end of the hallways where the Hub World of Azzarath began. It was here that I used my tails to entrap her small body, subjecting her body to a slight torture of immense softness. For although she was very much a Goddess, she was still a female and not at all immune to my tails; including to this day. "Do you have what I, what we desire most, Azazel? Where is it?" My muzzle grew ever closer as she struggled slightly to escape the torment my tails afflicted upon her body, "Where is Terra? Where is our home?" At this time, my servants which were only my Undying Chosen and Brutus, surrounded our persons with their eyes glowing brilliant colours of violets and emeralds. Each were told to bear in mind the madness within their own selves, and to not release it until I relented. For the Madness of the Undead is a terrible curse, one that I must struggle with even after becoming an Ageless. In any case, we had done what was asked of us. We''ve conquered the final world in our quest, and desired Terra immediately, not knowing how difficult such a venture will become. Indeed, and I had to release a now panting and flustered Goddess who struggled to stand after doing her best to endure such a torment as my soft tails rubbed against her body and expressed their fluffy exteriors upon her own. "You," she shook her head, doing her best to clear her mind of the joy she felt in being embraced by my shadowed fur, "You-" "Do you wish to be subjected to more of this torment?" Her eyes grew wide as she stepped back, and would have run from my person, escaping into the Hub World, if not for my Chosen blocking the exit with their bodies and drawn weapons which could kill Gods. "Then," I took a step forwards, with her taking a step back with widened eyes, "Where," her body was clutched by Sia and a few of her sisters, hoisting her high for my own eyes to stare into hers, "Is. My. Terra!" Endarkened flames erupted around my person, scorching the hallway, as the Madness within leaked out enough to change my eye colour to crimson. Even my Undying gave in a little to their own madness, allowing their eyes to change colour to crimson as the flames raged around and in their bodies. However, such flames are only meant to frighten those witnessing such a spectacle, and only harm those with a "Good" alignment upon the Morality Scale. Whereas with those considered not alive, such as inanimate objects, or the hallway we were in, the flames ate away at them. This, coupled with my eternal hatred for being torn away from our world of Terra for so long, caused the flames to continue to rage for several more heartbeats. What caused it to cease were the simple words of, "I know where Terra is!" Yes. These five words snuffed out the flames and quelled our madness, but did not calm us in the least. For we were impatient, and desired nothing more than to travel to our world, and purge those who did not belong. Such as the humans and their False God who was once called the ''First Son of Terra'', and desired a purge of his mother, his sibling, and the rest of his clan. Why he did this is anyone''s guess, but I believe this was simply to punish them for some past crime he never got over. In any case, we pestered Azazel for details about when we could proceed towards our home, and begin the campaign in order to reclaim it all. However, what we received in answer was not at all what we desired to her. For although she had the coordinates of our home world, we could not simply charge down there with all of our might. Instead, we needed to be cautious, as the allies of the current God of Terra were many and would come to his aid if he was in the smallest of troubles. Instead, we would need to amass a great army across the Pantheon of worlds in order to distract these allies of his whilst I and a few others journeyed to Terra in order to find a way to draw out this ''First Son''. Of which I was not at all amused in doing. For I was to cast a grand illusion about my person which would even fool a god, but that was considerably easier than what she told my person next. A3 Chapter 2 AN: http://i.imgur.com/Avt7z8e.jpg There''s my hairy arm with an IV thing in it, for anyone who doubted me, but didn''t voice it. Anyways, putting this up now ''cause I''ll probably be asleep for a good long while. Very annoying, but not much to do about it. As always, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________ "You want our Lord to do what?" growled Brutus, of whom slammed his four fists upon a table. We had found ourselves inside a more private room after exiting the hallway, where the only individuals present were my person, Azazel, my Lich, and Sia. All others went elsewhere to do as they wished until I called for their aid. As to why he was angry enough to almost ruin a table placed before us, well, "Now, now, Lich Brutus," grumbled the little-girl-child-who-was-not-a-child, as she took a sip of mulled wine from a wooden cup in her hands, "It is as this one had explained before. Undead Karastak needs to mask his godhood to keep the other from noticing him as he treads upon Terra. One way to do this is to put a seal upon his magicks in order for him to begin his tasks of world domination." She took another sip of her wine, closing her eyes and smiling greatly as the warmth of the alcohol spread throughout her small body. "But that will reduce our Lord''s strength to, but a babe''s," called out the Lich, who was not at all amused at the prospect of my losing nearly all of my magicks in order to walk upon our world, "Can we not simply have the rights to enter our Home and lay waste to that which should not be a part of it?" "No," I muttered softly, "If what I gathered from her words, Brutus, she does not want a major war to afflict her Pantheon. Is this not so?" At her nod, I continued with, "Then I shall have an item forged which will mask my strength, and take care to not over extend my person as I search for this ''False God''." In so saying, a grand portal appeared behind my person, and in walked an old dwarf with snow-white hair which seemed to cover his entire body as he walked slowly with slow steps. Gripped in his right, gnarled hand was a thick, oak staff which was well worn with use. This dwarf, by the by, is a Son of Hephaestus, and one of my closest allies. As for his name, he did not have one, but those children my Chosen had taken in have called him, "Grandpa Time". For he is able to manipulate Time itself, as well as being the best to work the golden anvil known as the "Heart of Hephaestus". "Yes, My Lord God?" His voice was like the rubbings of two boulders against one another with a bit of sand to cause more friction, as his body bent low until I steadied him with my magicks. "You most of all should know how much I detest the bowings and grovelings towards my person, Grandfather of Time," this led to some chuckling on his part, as he hobbled closer, "I shall be needing an item from you once more. This time, it needs to be small enough for my person to wear whilst being unnoticed. However," I held up a claw from my right paw, "it needs to be strong enough for my own magicks. As it will be used to mask my strength as I venture towards another world. "Can this be done?" The dwarf paused for a time, as his left hand appeared from underneath all of his hair to stroke the beard covering his front, "If it were by any other tools, then it cannot, but as we have the Heart, then it shall be done so, My Lord God." In so saying, he turned back towards the portal in order to venture through, but paused for a moment to ask, "When did you need such an item?" "As soon as possible," were my words, as he simply nodded and entered the portal just as it shut behind him. "No sealings needed, Azazel," my voice rumbled softly, causing small tremors within our shared room, "For I place more trust in my servants than I do anyone else at this moment." She seemed quite upset at something I had said, and tried to hide her displeasure in the cup of mulled wine. No. I never did ask why she was upset, only that I noted such a thing, and did not allow it to bother my person. In any case, she went on to explain more about her desires of my person amassing an army in order to distract the other gods. However, I expressed my thoughts on such a venture, as I had only a handful of dwarves and a multitude of Demons. Along with my Undying, they would not be able to distract more than one, perhaps two, gods at a time. To this, the other grinned in quite the evil manner, "Don''t worry Undead Karastak. For this one knows where to find your army." "Very well," my voice came out in a sigh, as I rubbed my temples in order to stave off another imaginary headache, "but no Humans." "No humans," she agreed, sipping her tea once more. ***** "Now, I must ask if any of you had gone on to become Adventurers throughout the various worlds within my Pantheon." There were a few bobbing heads from the Gods and Goddesses present, but the majority came from those who had achieved immortality or just came of age. Whereas those others simply looked on with confusion at why the Ageless brought this up. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "Yes. Then you know of the Adventurers'' Board within each Guild Hall, correct?" Those who gave their ascent became more confused, but nodded once more, "Very well. The reason why I inquired towards such a thing is to speak on about how Azazel amassed an army for my person. This was by placing a message upon a special board directed towards a world full of nothing, but Humans. "For you see, these Humans have dominated their world, which had grown to such a degree as to allowed a safe travel for mortals to stretch across the inhabitable worlds near their own. As such, because of their domination, they had destroyed much of the surface, causing them to spread out in search of a better home. However," he held up one claw of his right paw, "before these creatures had done all these things, they were quite dependent upon one system which allowed them to take part in various events surrounding Azzarath and the various worlds. "In this, the Humans had various boards and forums which were similar to the Adventurers'' own Board to post various activities, reports, and requests. Of which is where she placed a ''Call to Arms'' post for war. Now, unlike our own system of using this board, theirs was automatic. Meaning, everyone had access to it in the same instance it was put up." Those of whom were used to the rambling speech of their God King nodded and explained to those still unsure as to what he just spoke of. One of such was a Goddess of the Spring, and her form was of a naked, moss covered Dryad with flowers atop her head. "You know when a request is put up, it''s on a sheet of parchment, correct?" The others nodded at her words, "When there is a great battle which will take place in some nearby country, and a call to arms is issued, do you know how long it would take?" "Forever," muttered a Gorgon, whose eyes had been blindfolded in order to not use her gift of turning the living into stone, "I remember a war up on Forge about three cycles back, where a city of elves almost lost to a bunch of goblins. All because they could not request the assistances of us Adventurers fast enough." "Yes," nodded the Kistune, who leaned back and crossed his right leg over his left, whilst placed his elbows upon the arm rests, and gently placed the pads of his paws against one another, "However, these Humans had a system which allowed near instant travel between their own Boards, and had all access it soon afterwards. "As to why I had a need to speak of such pathetic creatures? Well, many of them had chosen to forsake their race in order to become others. Most of which seemed to be Elves, as they had an odd fascination with such a race within their cultures. Whereas another would be the Vampires and Werewolves, as there were many plays surrounding these two races. No. I do not know why they loved these three races so much, but no matter. In the end, those who came were of these races, whilst the rest were a combination of all other races. "However, there were still some very annoying Humans who tried to infiltrate this gathering. What they did not know, on the other hand, was that I had placed a Sear Enchantment spell upon the entryway. Of which was used to simply strip away any enchantments which were used for disguise, whilst they still believed it was still active. For the spell I had placed was subtle in this instance-" "Um, Ageless," an Elven maiden raised her hand slowly, interrupting the other whose eyes were full of infinite patience for their persons. "Yes, Annara?" he asked slowly, tilting his head towards his right shoulder whilst his ears twitched forward. "Um," she began once more, not at all enjoying the attention of everyone else as they stared upon his person. For a time she hesitated, whilst the other sat silently as she gathered up the courage to speak her query, "Is there a chamber pot or latrine anywhere? I really need to go." With these words, her face was flushed scarlet as her legs squirmed where she sat. "Ah," he blinked, finally understanding why she was like this, "Forgive my person, as I had merely assumed you knew how this pocket dimension works," the God''s voice was full of soft amusement for those who were still mortal, "For you see, this world which surrounds us has a particular function to it. You do not need food nor drink, unless you desire it; you do not need sleep, as it will give you rest; you do not need a chamber pot, or latrine, for all you need to do is simply will that which is within you to be gone. "In other words, my dear, simply imagine yourself using a pot or latrine if you need to go, and the substance within your body will be as though it never existed at all." After such words were spoken, those who had the need to release what was in their bodies blinked a few times, then slowly relaxed their facial features as their eyes grew in wonderment at the absence of need. "Ah, speaking of which, this only occurs in here. So once you leave, you''ll need to retrain your person to use the latrine or pot. Unless, of course, you want to walk around with soiled clothing for a time?" A3 Chapter 3 AN: There will be a whole lot more interruptions and info dumps in this one, folks, as the MC has little control over his audience. For there are barely any actual adults in this one, and the rest are 17 and 18 years/cycles old. Towards the end of the story, I''ll be giving you guys an explanation as to why he has so little control. Such as why the Elves rebelled as they did, when they did not in the past. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________________ "Now, as I was say-," the Ageless paused in his words to stare at the Elf once more. Of whom had her arms raised in a timid fashion, "Yes Annara?" "Um, why did you have Roj and the Halfling," her voice trailed off as she slumped into her chair. "You should know why, as I''ve already explained it once before. I detest their very existence, for they were instrumental in my person being removed from our world of Terra." Once more, the Kitsune spoke in a tone which held a vast amount of patience for those before him, "May I resume the story, or do you have any more queries?" This time, a Shade raised its left hand, and stood up slowly, "If we do not wish to hear anymore, can we leave?" "Of course," the other nodded, flicking one of his many tails in the creature''s direction, of which opened up a portal revealing an image of the Great Hall in perfect stillness, "However, once you leave, you cannot return. So make your choice." This revelation caused the other to change its mind, and quickly sat down. "Anymore queries, or may I continue?" After a moment of searching the facial features of others, the Ageless leaned farther back into the throne, and nodded slowly, "Very well." ***** Now, let my person begin with something else. Yes. I had placed a ''Sear Enchantment'' spell upon the entryway leading into a large gathering hall, but this was simply to remove any enchantments one might have upon their person to disguise themselves as they made their way inwards. One such being, a human, had decided upon themselves to forgo the rule of "No Humans", and cloaked themselves with a spell that made their appearance look much like a Dragonock. Ah, but you must understand why I chose to begin with this Human. For you see, this one was of those who believe themselves to be above everyone else, and felt entitled to everything placed in front of them. Yes. I see a few of you nodding, and believe you''ve met many of those beings. This always seemed to intrigue my person, as they always spout such nonsense before they are torn apart. This one, however, would be under the category of "Pretty Boy". As it had the golden blonde hair, baby blue eyes, rugged, yet handsome face, and a "rock hard body" that was chiseled from stone. However, it was still barred from entering the area, as a pair of Undead Behemoths were tasked with guarding the place from those who did not meet the criteria. Thus, it was given a robe, mask, and minour enchantment. As to who had given this one such items? Well, I may have had a hand in doing so. Yes. I am quite aware of the contradiction in attitude of my person, but I had grown bored with not being allowed to visit Roj and his Tribunal of fools, and desired some form of entertainment to pass the time. For you see, even after having the item forged which would mask my abilities from even the Gods themselves, I had found my person quite impatient due to the slow trickle of those who desired to be a part of this "Call to Arms" Azazel had posted upon their own Adventurer''s Board. The Human would serve best as a distraction for what is to come. For I watched its masked figure stride forwards under the enchanted doorway, removing everything from his person until it became apparent to many others it was simply a Human in a Draconic mask. However, instead of calling out to the creature, they simply snickered and placed bets on how long this one would last. As there had been a few others who tried to infiltrate the area full of Monsters to do who knows what, but all were either captured or killed before they could do any sort of damage. This one, on the other hand, lasted for quite a while. For it swerved through the area as though on a mission, and did not tarry for long between the multitude of groups. Instead, this one seemed to be searching for something in particular, and had latched its eyes onto Brutus. Of whom was speaking with a few Undead who had attained the desirable rank of Lich. "Are you in charge here?" growled the Human, who glared down upon Brutus as though he were nothing more than a stepping stone upon its path to greatness. Brutus, who wore a white robe and lightly held a cracked staff of bloodstained bone, slowly twisted his metallic skull to look upon the poorly disguised human and snickered at it. This caused the other Lich''s to also join in, for although my Lich was very different than the others, what with his bones being of iron and sporting four arms, he was very much not in charge. "No," his voice held a twinge of annoyed amusement, as the emerald pinpoints in his eye sockets drifted across the creature behind him. Finding nothing of interest, his skull slowly righted itself as he returned to the conversation with the others. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Not at all enjoying being ignored, the Human gripped the other''s right shoulder with the intent to turn him around. However, before it could utter a word, I had appeared behind it and lifted its body high into the air with my right, lesser clawed hand. For I had decided to reveal my skeletal self to those in the room, and many of whom gasped at my appearance. Unfortunately for them, and this Human, they each had the same thought and believed my person was a creature of Brutus. However, the Lich trio before him knew differently, for they had already met my person beforehand. In any case, the being struggled in my grip, demanding Brutus to release his person from the grip of his monster. "You''re on your own, Human," his left clawed hand waved at the other, "For My Lord God has you now, and you will not be leaving anytime soon." "What?!" the Human screeched aloud, struggling desperately as I held him close to my skull. "Human," my voice shook the entirety of the room, causing all to stare upon my person with a mixture of emotions, "you have come at the most opportune time. For I desire another to complete my experiment. Brutus, if you would?" "Of course, My Lord God," his body turned towards my person once I called out his name, and saluted towards my person as I finished. He then slowly walked off towards a shadowed corner of then room, and brought back an ornate tub full of liquefied remains of over a dozen humans. There was even a few eyes floating within the mixture, and seemed to stare up in horror at my latest victim. To which the other increase its struggles, even though it was futile to continue. "Resign in your fate, Human, for you will not escape," my tone became light and mocking, as its body was transferred into my right, primary clawed hand. Whereupon I did sink my foreclaw into its flesh, injecting my venom which began to eat away at the creature''s insides. All the while, it continued to struggle, though feebly, as I used my magicks to prolong its sufferings. Before long, it began to scream, desiring someone from the audience to save its person from my own, as it watched with growing horror as its legs slowly liquefied into the tub. Yes. A few within my growing audience had crept forward to view such a spectacle, as well as others to try and halt such torture upon the Human. However, others from within held them back, speaking to their persons in low tones in order to keep them from halting the process. That is, until a lone female, feline Kin spoke up. "...But I know him. He may be an idiot, but he doesn''t deserve this fate," to which she shook off the other who had gripped her arm, and strode forwards with the intent to help somehow. Unfortunately for her, I had taken note of her words. So that when she approached my person with the intent to attack with something attached to her back, my right, lesser clawed hand pointed its foreclaw towards her chest, and released a bolt of chaotic mana. This bolt thundered throughout the room, striking the female''s chest with enough strength to pin her body into the opposite wall. Whereby all could view the lifeless eyes with a trickle of blood flowing from the corners of her mouth, and the massive hole in the centre of her chest. "Will there be any more interruptions?" My voice was hollow, as the screaming intensified. For the Human was now losing every organ and strand of flesh below its lungs and heart, whilst I held it up by wrapping the whole of my left, lesser clawed hand around its spine at the base of its skull. "No? How unfortunate." Growing weary of the lack of response from this audience, my primary, clawed hands gripped the Human''s upper torso, and slowly tore it into two separate pieces. Whereby I did deposit the rest of the body into the tub of liquefied flesh whilst excreting more of my acidic poisons into the mixture. Soon afterwards, I summoned up one of my favourite servants. A golem named Gahn, who had taken a liking to my person so much so, it had decided to emulate my physical form. In this case, the creature was a mirrored image of my skeletal self, but paused mid transformation when it noted the tub full of my poison and the remains of my victims. "Gahn," I called out for its attention, which then turned towards my person with a body language full of longing. This caused a chuckle to rumble from deep within, as I lightly pat the top of its malformed skull, and pointed towards the remains, "Enjoy yourself. For it was specially prepared for one such as you." Of which caused the other to hobble slowly towards the small pool of liquefied flesh, bone, and organ meat, where it slowly flowed inward, devouring everything including the tub. Chuckling once more, I turned back towards the now thoroughly hushed crowd, and opened my arms to their persons with the words of, "Welcome. Welcome all of you, to the beginning of the end. I am here to invite your persons to the greatest event in the history of Azzarath; in the history of your ''Origin Point Online''." A3 Chapter 4 AN: So yesterday I spoke of a few things with one of the readers. One of which was the topic of when the MC will be going back to Terra. Don''t know if they noticed the edit or not, but it''ll be towards the end of chapter six when he''ll be summoned to there once more. One other note, it''ll have a bit of a Ground Hog''s day vibe, as he''ll have to go through the world called Terra multiple times before finally drawing out the God in charge. Which is why I would like to know if you folks have any ideas on how I should have our MC kill the Tribunal. As always, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _____________________________ "War," my voice shook the entirety of the room, as the last of those who were curious trickled into the room. The room itself wasn''t much to look upon, to be honest. What with its four walls around two hundred and fifty metres across from one another. Each of the walls, including the floor and ceiling were of bare, dark stone which gave off its own glow which seemed to drink in the shadows until all that was left was an odd and unexplained light. Of which brightened up the space considerably, and caused my person no end of confusion, but did not allow it to bother my person in the end. In any case, those before my person scoffed at the notion of war, as they are each intimately aware of how terrible it is. However, "War?" clicked an skeletal human in torn cloth as it leaned up against a silver tipped spear, "If that''s all you want to offer us, then I''m leaving." In so saying, the creature righted its body, spun around, and made way for the exit with almost fifty others. To this end, I merely shrugged my shoulders and continued with, "You may leave, but those who stay will be granted a strength far surpassing their own current state. Not to mention the prize for winning this war will grant those of whom complete a set amount of tasks will be elevated to the position of God. As well as be granted the right to rule over a Godless world." Once spoken of, six images erupted from my person in the shape of worlds of varying landmasses and oceans. These flowed from my chest to orbit around my body in a sluggish manner so as to allow those who desired to attend could witness them in their splendor. However, there was one world I had desired to remove from my collection for various reasons. One of which was the fact that it held the most amount of humans, whilst the other was that it was wholly undeveloped at that time. Which meant there were only a few settlements, with the rest being untamed forests, tundras, plains, and the like. Each with its own dangers and unknown creatures just waiting to be discovered. This is what I reveled to those before my person, whilst the other five worlds retreated back inside my body. To which I allowed its image to grow and set it within the centre of the room. "Behold," my four arms opened wide as though to receive something grand, "the untamed world of Amak Duul. For it is this world that I shall gift to the one being, or multiple beings, who ascend to the rank of God or Goddess once this war is won." Yes. I dangled that which many within this world of Azzarath had coveted, a world they could rule over and do as they wish. Thus many surged forward with greed glinting in their eyes, whilst many seemed to drool at the prospect of being the only one to own and operate their own world. Especially when Azazel and her pantheon had removed the ability for others to become Gods and Goddesses, implementing a system which only allowed others to achieve Immortality. However, "What do we have to do?" asked one of their number, a Kobold male who wore only a loincloth about his lower person, and tribal beads upon his chest and arms. This one, though he held the glint of greed and coveted the world for his own, was still skeptical as to what the details were. "It is quite simple, really, you are to kill, or put for an instrument which will lead to the death of millions." Yes. Many did gasp at such an ambition, and there were many more who collapsed at such an "impossible feat". "That''s impossible," cried out a Lamia, of whom deflated into a heap containing her and her lower snake half. "Perhaps," my voice was full of amusement, "but there are other requirements to this quest of yours." "Such as?" questioned another Kobold with the same clothing as the one before. "Such as the slaying of a god." Yes. This caused an uproar like no other, and many desired to leave the room, but found themselves barred as the pair of skeletal Behemoths stood in their way, "No one is to leave until I finished revealing my words to you." Unfortunately, a few had decided to forgo listening to my voice, and opted to attack both the Behemoths and my person. To which ended with their persons being ripped apart by the creatures at the entrance, or simply being fed to Gahn as their bodies were liquefied in my grasp. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! "Will there be any more interruptions?" I called out to the now fearful mass of beings, to which many shook their heads quickly, "Very well, then." After nodding to the crowd, my skull tilted towards the ceiling where I did intone a very different spell, "<>." [AWAITING COMMAND] These words came as blue flame being etched into the very fabric of our reality, to which many gaped in awe and wonderment at such a marvel. For this spell is only available to those of whom have earned the right to be called a God or Goddess, and must rule over a single world for nearly ten cycles. "<>." [GUILD CREATION SET. AWAITING INPUT OF FUNDS] "<>," I began once more, as all eyes seemed to strafe between my person and these words, "< >." After such words were spoken, five small portals of shadowed crimson erupted around my person, whilst a much larger hole opened up below the words which hung in the air. From these portals of mine came the sound of coins clinking together, and from these sounds came a large mass of gold coins and Discs which flew out of the Void Space where they were situated, and into the gaping maw of the other. No. It did not take everything, but did leave a considerable dent in my bank. As such, I would receive quite the angry rant of one of my Greed Demons I had employed as an Accountant of sorts. Of which would detailed how angry it had become at the loss of a large amount of funds. However, as I do not need to use much, and have deigned to take what I desire, I had amassed quite the fortune. Enough to make hundreds of worlds full of greedy monarchies send out their armies to try and claim it for themselves. If one would ask my person how much I actually had, I would tell them, "I do not know, but it is enough." In any case, it was enough to make all within the room to grow quite as they stared upon my person in shock at the large torrent of riches which vanished into the other portal. Even to this day, I still remember the faces of those beings who decided to follow my person in order to complete the quest I had put out before them. Of which caused many to worship the very air I stirred as I walked past their bodies. Indeed, but that is for another time, perhaps. For you should know I detest such antics towards my person, and would rather a simple acknowledgement of my passing. Nothing more. Continuing on with the story, after I had completed in the creation of this in Guild, Clan, or what have you, I enacted the next portion of this venture. Which was, "<>." This then prompted my person of the fact that many had already joined other factions, guilds, or clans. Of course, I had something just in case something like this occurred. For I used a bit more of my funds to, "<>." For those who do not know, once such a Command is given, a prompt is handed over to the leaders of such areas. This entails that one of their members has been invited into a prestigious Guild which also extends to their persons and their associates. They then have the option of joining such a venture, or discarding it altogether. However, as I am who I am, I have the ability to reveal what benefits I so choose to these individuals if they decide to follow my person. In this case, I revealed everything, which was quite a lot, to be fair. For with this absorption into the Guild called "Black Parade", every member will be given a free pass into the realm of Lesser Immortal. Of which means they will be able to come back as many times as they so choose without many adverse effects to their persons. Even upon our world of Terra, every being born is a Lesser Immortal. For I do not believe they would survive for very long after coming of age and venturing into one of the many Dungeon Towers of Forge. Or even into the lairs of the Dungeon Masters of O''tuul, especially when those of whom are not in such a realm as my people only have one life to live. In any case, all except for one guild decided to become a part of my own, to which I watched as those who were once the leaders of such groups of individuals were allotted the ability to appear by my side to view the one who would now lead them into further glory... A3 Chapter 5 AN: Bit of an info dump today, and tomorrow''s will be a major one along with some information about what races our MC will run into within the ''Sins of The Abyss'' arc. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _______________________ "... or perhaps to ruin," grinned the Kitsune who then nodded towards a male Bright Elf in a robe of greens and reds. "Yes Solannus?" Of whom then stood in order to ask aloud, "Two questions, Ageless," when the other nodded once more, he continued with, "How do you know my name if we''ve never met, and why isn''t anything you say in the history books?" The God of Terra chuckled as one of his nine tails twitched in the Elf''s direction, "To the first query, we have already met, but it was a long time ago when you were a child. For you see, there are two instances where someone will meet my person. The first is through your very first dreams, the second is in person, and I remember my interactions with each child I visit." "But I don''t remember you," complained the other. "You are not meant to, unless you see my person often," he explained slowly, "When you all are children, you are expected to be just that. Children. Especially in my presence, regardless of what others want or demand of you. "Those dreams I send to your child self is to welcome your person into our world of Terra. Afterwards comes the regular, childish dreams any other would have, but with my presence simply being there in case such dreams become nightmares. To which I would manifest within and help you to overcome the obstacle that has become one of your greater fears. Thus, allowing each of you to continue to be happy without any fears to waylay you as you age." "But..." "My dear, young Elf I remember you quite well. Didn''t you have a dream of fighting monsters to rescue princesses?" At the other''s nod, the Kitsune chuckled softly, "I distinctly recall you and a you she-Orc playing such a game, and also making a vow to one another whilst I simply watched from the ground. For I played the ''Mean Monster'' who ''kidnapped'' your princess. Do you remember your vow, and did you ever follow through with it?" "I... I...," the male''s eyes widened as silent tears flowed down his cheeks as he recalled the vow he made with the young she-Orc. Of how he promised to always be by her side, and to one day ask for her hand. "I need to find her," was all he spoke of, as his body scrambled over disgruntled bodies and chairs in order to reach a portal to the outside world which opened up as soon as he reached out into the darkness surrounding their persons. "Once you leave, you cannot come back," was what the Ageless voiced to the fleeing Bright Elf, but such words fell on deaf ears as his attention turned back towards the rest of the gathered creatures. "As to the other query of our departed Elf," spoke the Kitsune, as his form settled back against the throne once more, "All of what I say can be found in the libraries across our world of Terra. As to why it''s not in your primary schools'' history books? Well, if you had known of my darkness as children, many of you would become far too frightened to even consider being in my presence. "Now," he chuckled softly as his words were absorbed by a now somewhat confused group, "Will there be any more queries, or may I return to the story at hand?" ***** Glory or ruin, this is what I promised those who became a part of my Parade, as the whole of them filled a now expansive room to accommodate their persons equally. In so much as to have the space tear away from the Hub World within Azzarath in order to become a Guild Hall dedicated for us within. Yes. This became a small place of refuge for those who would undergo the plans I had in mind for each of their group, but only after I elevated their persons into that which was called Lesser Immortal. For you see, though being one is relatively painless, the process from mortal to immortal is not as they tend to lose something of value. Such as the right to bear children, to learn effectively, or even lose their body to the point of needing to remake it. Yes. Such things, and more, occurred within this Hall, but all were quite pleased after the transfer. Even going as far as to brag about it to others, of whom they believed did not join them in such a venture. Well, that is, until I spoke aloud. "Each of you have been elevated to the rank of Lesser Immortal," my voice boomed within our Hall, calling out to those of whom did not even glance in my direction until now, "Each of you seemed to have endured something dreadful through the process, but I shall not apologise for such a thing. For I have need of you immortals for the next portion of my plans." "War," growled one of the more tribal Kobolds, of whom now sported a pair of crimson orbs due to the change, "What sort of war are you going to create?" You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. "One that will distract all of the gods as I take on another in order to reclaim the world which has been snatched from my claws," all four of my clawed hands clenched themselves as I spoke of this, and only relaxed when the subject changed. "Oh yeah?" called out one of the few Ghouls in the room, "And what''s to stop us from leaving?" "Death," was my only answer to this, whilst the creature, and those like it, scoffed at such a notion. This then led them to leave the Hall, to which I was not at all pleased, and appeared before their very eyes. This startled their minds, but their bodies quickly recovered and moved to go around my body. However, "Let go," they cried out, as I clutched the whole of their bodies in my primary clawed hands, and teleported to my original spot. Where I did hold them aloft as a pair of luminous, white orbs flowed from under my shoulder blades, and atop my skull. These orbs were part of a body, which slowly revealed itself to be a small, white spider with only a pair of eyes. "This is what awaits your person if you dare to revolt, leave, or disobey my person." In so saying, the small spider leapt into the air, changing its form into a white snake with those same orb-like eyes, and burrowed deep into the first Ghoul. Whereupon it did scream as the snake tore into its body, devouring everything before leaping into the next, then the third, the fourth, and back to the first where the process continued. For you see, Lesser Immortals, such as these, were granted something called "An Immortal''s Curse". Which was they could never die no matter what afflicted their bodies. Thus they were tortured in front of my person for their insolence, and once I turned my attention back towards the others, I noted the look of fear within their eyes. They even went as far as to retreat further, but staying away from anything which could be perceived as an exit. In any case, I was not at all pleased with such a sight, and enacted a spell which should have been cast since the beginning to prevent such insurrection from ever incurring. This spell, by the by, was "Mass Spell: Thrall", and will never be placed into the spell books for you to read, only its effect. Yes. I can see many of you are familiar with such a thing, and for those who aren''t, well... Let us put it in another light. This spell has the ability to make any being or creature follow the caster''s orders to the letter. However, my version actually allows them to retain their intellect, whilst still obeying my orders. Which means, my dear audience, I prefer them to think whilst still obeying. For I was not at all as well versed with strategies and tactics at that time. Instead, I preferred to simply know where my enemies are, and call upon them a great torrent of my wrath to destroy their persons quickly. Whereas with this, I shall be needing others to conduct their strategies and tactics in order to achieve what I desire most. A distraction from my true goal. Yes. This is the purpose of the guild called Black Parade, and will be thusly until I had taken full control over our world of Terra. For now, though, Azazel had made her appearance and only glanced at the tortured Ghouls, as she made her way towards my person. Once at my side, did she climb my skeletal self in order to perch atop my right shoulder and summon up a wide variety of worlds that are in need of being used as a distraction. "You are to each go to every one of these worlds, and stir up strife on a massive scale," I began slowly, my voice shaking the entirety of the room in order to garner the attentions of all before our eyes, "Each of you will be given a task in order to advance yourselves to the next stage in your evolution as Immortals, but do not worry. For though you may die as quickly as any other mortal, you are not adherent to their Laws of Death." "In other words," piped in the little, silver haired girl-who-was-not-a-girl, "You will not be penalised for dying, and will retain your abilities, skills, levels, and knowledge." From these words, I noted many held relief within their eyes, as they seemed to chat excitedly about such a revelation. "In any case," my voice cut through their excitement quickly, calling their attention towards my person once more, "you will each be given a stipend of one thousand gold coins to fund your work. Which means you must spend it on appropriate tasks which will end in creating mass destruction upon the worlds under your jurisdiction. "Once the Gods and Goddesses of each world begins to send out a mass call for anyone to help them, will I begin to move towards the main goal in this plan. However, this does not mean you are to shirk in your duties. Instead, you are to see it through until the end. Whether it be that world''s demise, or your own. You. Must. See. It. Through." A3 Chapter 6 AN: Info dump time, plus he''s finally ported away. There''s also a few hints as to what to expect within the "Sins of The Abyss" story arc. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________ Upon my words did a notification ring out for all to see, as it was simply the goals of the new guild I invested in, and nothing more. Which were to appear in the various worlds, whose names were apparent below, and create as much strife and destruction as possible to turn the residential Gods and Goddesses attentions away from the Leader''s private war. There was even a time to start, which was at that time, as I did not wish for others to know about it just yet. In any case, nearly all held the desire to leave in order to prepare for such a venture, and a few made it towards the exit only to find it barred by the Behemoths. Of which they turned around in order to demand, or ask, to leave, but found a multitude of portals opening in order to allow others to appear before their persons. These were the Sons of Hephaestus of Forge, the Draconians and Dragonocks of Azara, the Avatars of the Giants of Al''nuul, the Devourer Demons of Konaku, and the Kitsunes of Sol''anon. Yes. Many of you know of these races, but to those who do not, I shall explain. The Sons of Hephaestus are a race of Dwarves that are purely and utterly male. Why this is so is anyone''s guess, but the process of creating others of their kind is rather interesting. For example, let''s say there is a need for another Forgemaster, which is a term meaning Blacksmith upon their world. Well, if there are none available, then the Dwarf is simply created. Yes. Created, but not in the sense as many would believe. For these Dwarves are merely molded and beaten into shape upon the various enchanted anvils within their homes. Soon after they are crafted, but before they are given life, they are given over to a High Council of old Dwarves who then evaluate the needs and wants of those that desire to give it life. If such inspections pass, then they are placed within a large kiln where the fires within breathe life into the creature where it''ll go on to perform its assigned task. If not, then it is destroyed. Now, the Draconians and Dragonocks of Azara are exactly what you believe them to be. Draconians are dragons who have been given a bipedal form, whilst the Dragonocks are a byproduct of the consummation between a Draconian and another race. Most of the time it''s with a Human, but there are a those who are of Elven decent, and I''ve met a few with Goblin blood in them. Then there are the Avatars of the Giants of Al''nuul. Of whom were, in fact, the true masters of their world whilst a few even believed themselves to be Gods and Goddesses. However, they had an infestation of Humans who worshipped these creatures until one of their number killed a young Giant of the Forest. Of which then sparked an outright war which caused nearly all of the Giants to become extinct. In order for these creatures to survive, they had beseeched their world in order to allow themselves to become much smaller and less noticeable. Thus, the Avatars were born. These creatures were mirrored images of their Giant selves, and held only a small fraction of their strengths which were easily passed onto their children after mating with the Humans. Ah, but I do not remember much of my time there, as I chose to rest after witnessing the enslavement and abuse of children upon Azara. Thus, chose to rest and enter a somewhat wakeful sleep inside my sword body. This lasted for many cycles, until a lone and frightened female found my person and did lift my sword body high in order to smite those of whom had tormented hers. Alas, this tale is for another time. Where was I? Ah yes, the Devourer Demons of Konaku. As you all should know, these creatures each follow around a Matriarch whose shape could be of a variety of forms. Such as a large snake, a spider, or even a small bat. However, unlike the other creatures, these Matriarchs have always been snow white in colour. It is unknown why this is so, but many speculate that it has something to do with their magicks, or their incessant need to devour everything and anything. Who knows? What is known, however, was that their offspring mirrored the other, but have the various colours of the creatures she took the moment they were birthed. Ah, but that was then, as many in this era have evolved into bipedal creatures, but their children each still become the various small creatures upon being born into the world. Finally, we come to the Kitsunes of Sol''anon. Never have I met a more lazy group of females in all my life. For these beings had everything catered to their persons, from food and being hand bathed by naked males, to being carried off to bed with their bedfellows in tow or simply just to sleep. The whole lot of them were like this, until I came into their lives and took on my male Kitsune form. For once they bore witness to my person, did they forgo their laziness in order to wage war upon one another and those they once spread their legs open to. Truly, it was quite the scene to behold, but once more, that tale is for another time. As to why they were brought forth? Well, these were going to be integrated into the Guild, and join in on the fun of distracting the other Gods and Goddesses as I waged a quiet war with the unsuspecting God of Terra. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. * "You each have your orders," I growled at those before my person, as the beings from the conquered worlds intermingled with those of Azzarath. All the while, the other Devourers gorged themselves upon the now whimpering Ghouls who had been begging for my person for release. Of course, I did not, and would allow them to continue to suffer until after I left them alone with Brutus, who would then decide their fates whilst I journeyed back to Terra. Yes. I would have to leave him and the others behind, but gave my word I would summon their persons when I felt I was alone within our world. For they miss our world of Terra just as much as my past self did. "So go. Distract those other worlds'' caretakers so that I may complete my own mission. For once I have what I desire, so too will one or a few of you gain the right to be truly called a ''God''." Upon my words did the entryway into our Hall open wide, becoming as grand and as large as a throne room''s double doors should be. Whereas the Behemoths which guarded such an entrance stood at the sides and were as still as stone. I, on the other hand, had just received a small, ornate gold locket from Grandfather of Time, who then chuckled as my form slowly became like that of a Wolf-kin with silver hair and stood at an average height of one hundred and eighty centimetres. However, my furred tail and ears were as bright as fresh blood upon a pane of glass, whilst my own eyes were of pine green in colour. As for my garment, I chose to don a simple, tanned tunic and trousers with a pair of hard leather boots. These, of course, were given to those of whom were just beginning upon their journey within Azzarath. Which included a small bag containing a few copper coins, a hard biscuit, a brick of yellow cheese, and three small strips of dried jerky. This was accompanied by a small flask of water, and combined was enough to stave off hunger for the first turn upon the world. Yes. Such things were far different than what many believed were normal for such scenarios. For I have heard tell of other worlds granting only a small water skin and a few pieces of rye or barley bread when they first appear. In any case, a plain, wooden quarterstaff was handed to my person by Azazel, as she explained what I should and should not do upon Terra. Such as not show off my strength when I appeared within the world. For I would be ejected almost immediately if such a thing were to occur. However, I was, in fact, allowed to kill, maim, and cause chaos if I so choose, as the world would be wiped clean and restarted once we had left. When I asked if I was given leave to summon my Undying to the world later on, she paused and cocked her small head towards her right shoulder whilst staring upon my Kin self for a time. "Perhaps," she muttered slowly, "This one believes it is possible, but only when you''ve placed enough time into the world, will you be able to do so." What she meant by this was that I needed to stay within the world for a set amount of time before summoning my servants so that they may become joyous at the return home. However, "Unfortunately, Karastak," she began once more, "this one does not believe you will be able kill the reigning God after one such visit." "I understand this, Azazel, but I grow impatient at the prospect of setting foot upon my world once more. May we continue forward, so that I may return home?" Yes. I, who held an endless ocean of patience, showed my impatience to another. For I desired to return home, and my servants desired my person to summon their own. Thus, I did not wish to tarry any longer, and this caused the other to sigh an exaggerated sigh. She then chuckled as something appeared before her eyes, but was removed just as fast, "Prepare yourself, Karastak, for this one has allowed your person to be upon the next teleportation circle which will allow you to venture forth into Terra once more." "When-," I began, as a large circle appeared beneath my feet. Of which caused the silver haired girl-who-was-not-a-girl to appear upon the edge as she waved towards my person. However, before I could respond with anything, a white light erupted from below, engulfing my body for a time. When it finally faded away, I found my person in a large, white stoned building that was commons amongst the various worlds surround Azzarath''s Hub World. Especially when many of those who received their "heroes" were Human in origin. Of course, these were indeed of the Human race, and I would have sneered and plotted their deaths the moment I laid eyes on their bodies. Unfortunately, I was too busy drinking in the energy which surrounded my person, and cracked a wide grin. "I am home," my voice was, but a whisper, as imaginary tears filled my eyes. Of which was enough for my person to rub them slowly as I took in the scenery whilst doing my best to not summon my servants in order for them to enjoy the air and energies of our world once more. A2 Chapter 7 AN: It''s up early because of Insomnia. It''s annoying. -_- As always, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _____________________________ As I was taking in the scenery, I noted the area in which I was summoned to was of a white stone building which was common upon human worlds. This building, by the by, was a temple which was normally situated nearest a large, grey stone structure called a Castle. It is here that the reigning monarch lived, and would be receiving the summoned "Heroes" to do its bidding. Whereas I, on the other hand, merely wished to explore the land and find a suitable area to which I would safely summon my original Undying. For now, though, I believed I should at least humour these humans in their wants of my person, as I was told to remain invisible towards the God of this world. Which then led to my eyes wandering over those of whom were also summoned. These, of course, were mostly adult Humans with a few child-like creatures mingled amongst their number. For they numbered as a score; which was rather odd seeing as these sorts of summons normally only allotted a small handful of up to five beings. Yes. At the time, I did wonder what changed, as an old human in a blood stained white robe hobbled towards our persons with great haste. "Come," it spoke in a hurriedly hushed tone, calling to all of us to quickly fall behind and keep quiet as each of us entered a courtyard of sorts. Of which was full of shadows, as the day-star had fallen below its horizon, but it was still light out due to the city nearest our position being on fire. "We must hurry, for the King and Queen have been slain, and the Usurper is about to send for you all. What he will do is beyond me, but we must have you leave before he has a chance to bring you to his side." Ah yes, for those who do not know, this scenario was called an "Event". Of which meant we had to complete various goals in order to survive. In this case, we needed to escape the city called O''sho, as a great army was currently ransacking the area, slaughtering hundreds, and raping many of its females. I did not enjoy this little tidbit of information, as the raping of females and the slaughtering of others almost always included children. To which I always did my best to prevent such occurrences from happening. However, at that time I was conflicted; do I help these insignificant Humans to flee, or help those down below? Of course, I knew they would return after we left the world, but at that time I desired greatly to help those down below. So much so, I did not notice a large shadow towering over my Wolf-kin body until its hand gripped my right shoulder and shoved my body forward. Or at least, it tried to. For I was in no mood to play the role of a weak Kin. Instead, I gripped the arm behind my person, and pulled the creature over my back and onto the ground in front. Whereupon I gripped my quarter staff and rested a point upon the centre of its neck as my eyes glared down upon its body. Of which revealed it to be a male Human wearing chainmail and a sheathed sword. There was also a plain, Targe Shield, but it skittered across the overgrown, cobblestone pathway we were currently moving across. This sound, coupled with a large thudding of a body striking the stone, caused the old Human to turn around and gasp, "That''s one of the Usurper''s men. Quickly, we must flee!" Upon these words, did the Human below my person begin to gurgle and choke, as I shoved my staff deep into its throat and out the back with a force so great, it cracked the ground and nearly severed its head from the body. This, unfortunately, did not kill the creature instantly, as it tried to move its hands towards my person until, at last, it finally stopped moving. Of course, those others had decided to run from the scene, no longer concerned about stealth. Whereas I left the staff in its neck, and tapped my right forefinger upon my lips as I thought of something. For I had a spell which had gone unused for many cycles, and decided to enact it in this instance. "<>," I intoned softly, as my own silvered energies poured out of my body, stripping the corpse of its chainmail so that they may be used for a minion of mine. Ah, but perhaps you do not know or remember this, but my past self''s class was that of an Enchanter. As you well know, there are two types of sub-classes for this one, the Terran and Azzarathian. Mine was the Terran, and I was the very first to wield such strength. Of which led to a mass migration of other Enchanters desiring to learn of my skills and abilities. For they desired to not have to rely on others for protections, if they knew how to summon up arcane minions from loose armours and weapons. To which I had created, and its body was made up of tight fitting chainmail covering leather armour beneath it. Upon its right hip was the sheathed sword of the fallen Human, as was its dropped Targe, which was strapped to where the right wrist and triceps would be located. However, what made it truly stand out was the fact that not only did it not have a body, but it did not have a cap of some sort to make it appear more human. In other words, any one person may see that it is merely a hollowed out suit of walking chainmail and leather armour. Of which, by the by, was called Zabartik, and was a common minion name amongst these Animated Armours. In any case, I ordered my new minion to follow my lead, as I used another spell called "Sight Within Sight". Of which allowed my person to see the area around us with full clarity. Be in behind, above, below, or upon my sides, everything was pierced by my gaze to allow it to view the world in its entirety. Which means, my dear audience, I had the vision of a Slime. In that I was able to perceive the world in crystal clarity in all three hundred and sixty degrees. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Of course, such a spell came with a couple of drawbacks. Such as the reduced senses of smell, taste, and hearing. It was well worth it, if one was able to become used to the more debilitating effects of being able to see everything around you. Well, I found it enjoyable, as I was able to view that which the other group did not. Such as an ambush in place where the old fool of a Human was leading this group. Now, I had a choice. Do I forgo their persons in favour of turning back towards the city nearest us, or do I prevent the ambush? Yes. It was quite the dilemma. Then again, I did not know how long they''ve been fighting down below, which could hinder my person further. Especially if I were to view that which has made my past self become berserk with rage, sorrow, and madness. This thought alone caused my person to send Zabartik towards the ambush with the orders of killing everyone who held the same coloured armours as it currently wore. By the by, it wore the colours of violets, oranges, and yellows in a diagonal striped pattern with some sort of dancing lion with its mouth open wide. Quite strange to be honest, but no matter, as the sight of the animated armour rushing past the group before my eyes caused their persons to stop. For the screams and shouts of the enemy nearest a small portcullis startled the old Human enough to cause all others to pause as they watched my minion strike out against what should be friendly targets. "Wha-?" it began, not at all sure as to how to proceed. For my Animated Armour was able to surprise the other group enough to immediately slaughter two of their number. However, they easily recovered, and struck out against Zabartik, only to find that it did not bleed when they stabbed with their swords, daggers, and spears. Instead, they stood still with shock about their features, as the other raised its battered sword high, then crashed down upon the right shoulder of one of their compatriots. This caused the other to scream, as my minion''s sword tore through the leathers it wore, and into its flesh, muscle, and bone. Of which caused the sword to become stuck, as it had embedded itself into the solar plexus of the human. For although the magicks contained within the Armour was strong, it was still only a beginner''s summons, and not a God''s. Therefore, it tended to lose its weapons when striking something such as wood, bone, or even rock. I, on the other hand, had made it back into the group, and asked, "Are there any other exits?" These words of mine caused the Elder to awaken from its stupor, and shakes its white head quickly to remove all other traces of shock from its mind. "No," came a whisper from its small maw, "that''s the only way out." To which I sighed as I slowly recalled my beginner spells which I had used so long ago. Yes. I still remember them to this day, but my past self tended to forgo such paltry magicks in favour of more useful ones. Such as the "Arc of Mana" and "Chaos Storm" spells which call upon the energies of Chaos and Madness themselves in order to slay my targets. However, the beginner spells of an Enchanter, though deadly, were few in number and did not have a lot of leeway when cast. Such as the spells "Void Sphere" and "Choke". For the former, one needs only hold up their palms towards the target in order to summon such spheres. Which would then drain the life out of everything within them, leaving only a dried husk or dust in its wake. Whereas with the latter, one must make a hand gesture as though gripping another''s throat with your clawed hands, before finally enacting the spell. So believe my person when I say there are no other ways in order to cast such things, for I have tried to do so many a time. Each ending in failure as they are quite precise in their methods. Hence, the lack of leeway. For now, though, I enacted both spells towards the remainder, which were only three in number. For they believed such a small group of armed and amoured humans were enough to capture those who were summoned to this world. No. I did not know how they knew where we''d end up if we managed to leave the temple, as I did not ask those I slew so that others may escape. In any case, what you must know is that we escaped from such a scene, and entered a forest of some sort. One that seemed to open as the old Human led our persons further inward. No. Zabartik was not with us, as a large Human with an equally large axe was able to slice it in half before I manage to kill the hulk by plying his body with multiple, small Void Spheres. Yes. I was quite displeased at having lost my minion so soon after summoning it, but allowed such thoughts to pass. For I noted the trees behind our persons slowly closing behind us, erasing all tracks made until we reached a small clearing of grass, a few large stones, and a large basket filled with foodstuffs which made all of the other summoned beings drool as the smell wafted past their noses. "Sit," the Elder commanded, ushering us all towards the patch of grass nearest the basket, "We shall break our fast here, then you may rest until dawn. Afterwards, we must journey north in order to meet up with Prince Edward. He will have need of your strengths before the week is up." ''Great,'' my mind drawled softly, ''It''s going to be one of those quests.'' A3 Chapter 8 AN: Bit of an "Oops" on the MC''s part today. ;) As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _________________________________ "Hi, I''m Jenny," piped a voice coming from my right. It had been barely a decca-turn since the score of humans and creatures had settled down to eat from what appeared to be a never ending supply of foodstuffs. Indeed, and I would have summoned one of my Undying to send it back to our research team for further study, if I wasn''t supposed to reveal what I was able to do. During this instance, those gathered around the object had released such elation as many exclaimed the foods were exactly how they remembered some friend or relative had made it for them. Whereas I had decided to peel away from the crowd, and settled against a large oak-like tree. For upon Sol''anon, I had found some semblance to a peace of mind, but only when my person was against a tree of some sort. This was so, as a secluded tribe of Kitsunes within that world were willing to help tame that which afflicted all Undead creatures. Of course, there was a price, but you will need to read it in order to understand what it was, and why I gave in so willingly. Now, at that time, I had closed my eyes in order to spread my energies into the tree I leaned up against, fueling its body in order to rest easily. For the trials of being an Undead were many, and overcoming the Madness which afflicted us all was a constant, ongoing experience. This is something I have taught to all who became an Undead, and desired to have some semblance of life about their person. The journey to peace of mind is short, but rather dangerous for we who are trapped between life and death. For we must accept the Madness which afflicts our very core; embrace it, become one, all of these things and more. Only then will peace come to us, but there are always those who become fearful of such a curse, and lose themselves in the sea of Madness to the point that others must put them down like rabid dogs. However, one way of accepting yourself is by finding a conduit of sorts. For my person, it''s is an Oak Tree, and I have many near and within my home. Even within our world of Terra, the dominant species of Tree is the Oak and its variants. For I find them the most sturdy when it comes to using a conduit. Not to mention the fact that they gain nutrients from my own energies, but that is besides the point. In any case, I had been meditating against the nearest Oak, and felt its wooden embrace slowly begin to wrap around my person when a female approached and declared her name to my right. This caused my energies to stop their constant flow into the tree, of which seemed to have become aware, and expressed disappointment at the interruption. To which I smiled lightly, and patted its trunk to my left. Unfortunately, it seemed the small female mistook it for an invitation, and sat down next to my person. To which I asked, "What are you doing?" "Sitting," replied the female as she grinned whilst eating something soft and white atop a sugar cone, "Want some?" she asked, pointing the odd confection towards my person. Not know what it was, I leaned back and shook my head slowly whilst my ears and tail twitched with annoyance. "Too bad," she continued, "It really is good," and licked the white something whilst staring up at my ears. "No," I growled, noting her small maw opening as her free hand twitched towards them, "You may not touch them." Upon these words, did I leave from my spot, and gently brushed the palm of my hand across the bark of the tree my magicks gave awareness to. In which it responded with a ruffle of its leaves high above as though the gesture was pleasurable. Of course, this brought various others'' eyes towards my direction, but were ignored as I circled around the back. It was here that I reached into my Void Space, or as many would call it, my "Inventory". Whereupon I did retrieve a small pearl of soft silver, and pressed it into the bark of the Oak. "To you I give the gift of ''Gate Home'', whereupon you shall appear within a grove of trees. In this grove, you will find others like you guarded by the Dryads there. They will help you on your path of awareness, as I cannot stay for too long. Or else I would stick near and help one such as you." Upon these words, did I hear within my mind, ''<>.'' This spell was intoned by the awareness, yes, but I did not realise how well versed it was, nor how awake it had become within the decca-turn of absorbing my magicks. Well, what happened next left my person, and all others stunned, for the effects of the spell was never witnessed by my eyes, nor did I know of how flashy the spell truly was. For a large spell circle erupted around the tree, which was far greater than one my know, as it encompassed the area in which contained its extensive root system. Once covered, small lines of bright, silvered lights erupted from the ground, giving off a glow far brighter than the glow of the moon which slowly traversed across the star filled sky above. This glow then spread itself across the bark of the tree, changing it from an earthen brown, to a brilliant silver which then spread itself throughout its branches and leaves. Of course, there were some odd rodents living in a hollowed out portion nearest the first large branch above my head, but were forcibly ejected as an even larger spell circle erupted high above. Following this came the sounds of a large, ancient wooden door opening, of which caused the ground to tremble with enough force to cause those of whom were staring at such a spectacle to run farther back. Yes. I did join them as well, for I still needed to play the part of a lowly creature. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. In any case, as the sounds of a great door was opening, one amongst the group of humans shouted, pointing towards the large spell circle above. When all of us turned our gazes towards the sky, we noticed the circle opening its centre wide in order to reveal another world within. It was here that I noticed something odd, as a white light was building up behind the circle, something was doing its best to block it from coming through. However, that something was not strong enough in the end, and the light fell from the heavens, engulfing the tree which slowly stretched its body towards the other world. Once completely through, did the circle close itself and slowly fade into the darkness. Thus leaving only my person below, surrounded by a score of frightened humans and small creatures as we stared at the night''s sky, or the area in which the tree was last seen. ***** Now, I must redirect your attention elsewhere, as this next being introduced will play an important role. For within a small space within the Ethereal Plane, sat a lone individual who appeared to be Human wearing silvered plate mail that was missing its helmet. This being sat upon an equally silvered throne with a few steps leading up to it, but what was curious about this was the lack of anything else present. Just these simple steps, the being, and the throne. Now, for those of you who do not know, The Ethereal Plane is not something to be trifled with. For as the Abyss is one of Madness and Chaos, the other is of Peace and Serenity. However, if you believe this is heavenly, then I shall strike your person until you wake up from such a delusion. Yes. It is peaceful, but that peace is a lie. For once a person steps into such a space, will you lose all sense of awareness and self. In other words, you simply cease to exist, and if you desire to leave such a place, then you must fight whilst the lull of peace embeds itself deep inside your core until you cease to be anything. Though, of course, there are way to protect yourself from such a pull, but that is equally more difficult than the Plane itself. For you see, you would need to find a Void Pocket, but unlike the Abyss''s, these ones roam around in an unknown pattern that is far more chaotic than the Abyss. Indeed, as they tend to merge into one another with far more violence than any of the Voids within the other ever could. It is here where this being could be found, as it watched over those who were allotted to appear within Terra, and where it was currently fuming over the loss of a single. Oak. Tree. "How could this have happened?" screamed the being as it watched the tree escape to another world. Such a thing had never happened before, well, not since I was able to take Brutus with my person after my time upon the land. "This is not possible," the being in silvered armours murmured to itself, placing its head atop the palm of its right, gloved hands. Whereas the left, serpentine eye shook in its socket as the scene played out over and over again, "How? How did this happen?" It continued to stare at the scene before its eye, searching for an answer, but missing it by a hair''s breadth. For the creature failed to note my Wolf-kin body walking around the tree and placing a silvered pearl into the body. Of which was then able to cast the spell called "Gate Home", and leave the torturous world called Terra. In any case, I would need to tread carefully after such a showy display, for I could not afford to reveal the rest of my hand so soon. ***** "Hurry," called out the Elder, "Whatever that was has attracted unwanted eyes to our positions. Quickly now," the Human would continue its ramblings, as it ushered our persons towards what was perceived as North in its mind. However, it was not, but that was only so, as the spell used by the awareness within the tree had spooked their minds. Therefore, the Human merely had us move as fast as it could hobble, which was not enough. That is, until one of the larger brutes of its kind lifted its frail body, and had us all run faster until each of them collapsed against the various trees inside a different, but overgrown, clearing. No. This one did not hold the odd basket, but one of the creatures amongst this score of beings was smart enough to bring it along. To which it ended up being used to pass around various wooden cups filled with water or juice. No alcohol was to be served, as the Elder desired our persons to continue moving, even if nearly all of the more adult Humans desired a bottle or two. "I understand your desire, because I wouldn''t mind a glass or two," grumbled the old one, "but we must have a clear mind for what is to come." "What just happened back there?" called out Jenny, who held an odd light in her eyes. One that could be considered curiosity, if it wasn''t so submerged in terror and anxiety. "Yeah, what was that light?" asked another female, but was unable to locate it, as it was hidden within a small sea of large males. "I do not know," the Elder shook its head slowly, "but we must continue onwards. So come, we must leave the forest soon." Upon these words, it did lean against the large Human who had carried its body, of whom lifted the other so that they could continue to run abated. A3 Chapter 9 AN: Thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. Decca = one tenth. In this case, about two and a half hours. ____________________________________ For another decca-turn we continued onwards to the point of many without stamina were lifted by those who still had some. I being an Undead held an infinite amount, but would not let on about this. Instead, my past self merely pretended to have a little less than those who were told to carry those of whom had barely any. Thus, it kept my person from touching any of those creatures or Humans, especially the one who called herself "Jenny". She seemed to have grown attached to my person, like a parasite who found an unwilling host. However, I would not allow her near as we journeyed onwards, especially when she grew too tired and needed to be carried. This was left to an odd male Human with a strange brimmed hat, was chewing on a stalk of wheat, and wore an odd collection of leather and chainmail. When asked why he wore such a thing, he responded with, "It''s my Cowboy outfit." "A what now?" I asked, as we each sat upon the ground just as our party had escaped the forest. We had been given leave to rest until the day-star broke through the horizon, to which many were grateful for. However, I was still curious about such an outfit, as well as what a "Cow Boy" was. To which the other was quite deterred as though I should know of such a concept, but as he watched, I simply sat upon my knees in order to enact something I had seen others perform when listening to what I say. In this, I sat upon my knees, placed my hands upon my thighs, widened my eyes, twitched my ears forwards, and allowed my tail to sway back and forth as though excited at the prospect of learning something new. Of course, it was all an act in order to gain some semblance of trust, or something like it. However, it was here that I noticed the small creature called Jenny, of whom was in fact an adult Halfling, glaring at my body as though very suspicious. Which then caused my mind to dedicate some of itself to forming a plan to kill her, whilst the odd Human male began his explanation. By the by, this human was not a brute of a Human. Instead, he was lean built with wiry muscles coating his form. This allowed his person to travel greater distances far longer than many others. As to what this one wore? Well, it was rather odd, as I''ve never seen the design before, and desired to know more about it. For instance, the leather boots he wore ended in a blunt point, and were only a few centimetres farther up than the toes. Of which he explained they were used to enter the stirrups of a horse''s saddle. This led to him removing one of the boots and handing it over to my person for further inspection. To which he seemed rather embarrassed, as his right hand rubbed his neck as he spoke, "Sorry for the smell; been running a lot today." "It''s fine," I replied, running my fingers over the boot and noting the odd characteristics of the item. For example, the entrance where one is to place their foot into such a thing was much longer on the front and back, whilst it had an odd dip along the sides. When questioned as I handed the footwear back, he shrugged and said it was merely a design of the shoemaker. This then led to a showing of his "breeches" as he called them. Of which consisted of hard, brown leather, over fine chainmail, over a pair of linen trousers. He claimed it made riding a horse easier, but I noted that the leather trousers which covered the chainmail to only be covering his front, with only a few straps keeping it against his body. Quite odd, to be sure. As to what was on his torso? Well, he wore the same which was on his legs. A linen tunic under a mesh of fine chainmail, but instead of a leather tunic, he wore a simple vest made of the same brown, hard leather as that which covered the front of his legs. This then led to a kerchief around his face, revealing only a pair of sky-blue eyes which seemed to be filled with pain of some sort. When asked why he hid his face, those eyes grew hard as he explained, "It''s tuh hide my scars. Affor I came ''ere, I fought a Grizzly, and it tore my face. Our healer did what she could, but before we could get misself to a doc, I was ported ''ere." "Well, if you''d like," I began, standing tall as I stretched my body with enough force to cause my back to pop its spine in a few places, "I can take a look at your scars and help with the process of healing it." "You''re a healer?" He asked, his eyes widening enough to cause the male''s right foot to inch forwards a few centimetres. "Of a sort, yes," my eyes sparkled a little with amusement at the eagerness of the other. Of which increased when the others around us muttered excitedly about the prospect of having a healer amongst their number. "Though, it may hurt, as I am not well proficient in it." If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "Doesn''t matter," spoke the "Cowboy", "If you ken help me regain my face, don''t matter to me how much pain I''ll be in. I''m Robby, by the way." A hand was extended towards my person, to which I shook with my own, but not before sneering at the prospect within my mind. Upon my outer appearance, though, I gave a small smile as I spoke of my own name with a simple flick of my tail, "Siirak." "Seer-ack?" Questioned the other, then shrugged as I motioned for him to remove the kerchief, but away from the now curious eyes of the others. Of which included the Human Elder, who had crept forward in order to watch. "No peeking," I growled, as my voice muttered a small incantation. Of which caused a slight, shimmering golden barrier to form around my and the Human male''s body. "There, now they won''t be able to see." "What-?" he began, just as the kerchief was removed to reveal the exposed muscle and bone of everything on the right side of Robby''s face. The damage seemed to have been contained between his lower jaw and the eye socket, but also extended towards his upper lip and nose. To which half of such a thing was missing, revealing a large hole which was normally covered up. "Quite gruesome," I muttered, as I gripped the Human''s head between my own hands, "This is going to hurt." My lips stretched themselves into a feral grin, which caused the other to squirm as it noted the change in my eye colour, as a shadow of my skeletal self stretched itself to the roof of my minour barrier. This caused the other to gasp, then scream as my energies, the colours of crimson and emerald, erupted from the centre of my forehead, and raced along my skin towards the Human''s own. Once it reached his flesh, did he cease in his screaming, and simply stood there with mouth agape and eyes wide as my energies sparked the regeneration of his body. This allowed it to regrow the missing pieces of flesh, but that was not all it did. No. For I had need of more minions if I were to continue with the war for Terra, and this one would be, but the first of many. * The barrier soon fell away to reveal a now whole Human with the "face of an angel" as he had called it. Gone were the missing pieces of flesh and cartilage, and in its place was one many females would simply fall in love with. What with the perfection of rugged features coupled with a cleft chin and sky-blue eyes. Not to mention the fact that this Human, Robby, had a "strawberry-blonde" hair colour, as he called it, who wouldn''t want to try and bed such a male? Well, I wouldn''t. In any case, he seemed to be genuinely happy, and helped my person over to a nearby large boulder for my person to sit upon. Whereas he was now surrounded by many others, each with their own questions, whilst I was now being pestered by a very suspicious Jenny. "You did something to him," she accused. "Of course I did," I stated matter-of-factly, "Robby'' scars are gone, his flesh returned, and he no longer needs to hide this from anyone." "I don''t know what it is, but you did it," she growled towards my person whilst ignoring my statement. To which I simply shrugged, leaned back against the stone, and ignored her. This caused her to growl once more, and storm off towards the group, whilst I simply watched her leave with a slight glare towards her small form. ''It looks like she will be quite the hassle later,'' I mused mentally, as I noted the Elder approaching my person with an eagerness about its step. It was here that I found this Human to be female, and she seemed to be quite enjoying the fact that I was some sort of healer. "We do not have many," she began, as her hands rung one another out as though removing any traces of liquid, "but those who are have always been well taken care of. Such as gold, jewels... women." There was a light within this one''s eyes, one that spoke of greed for such a discovery. For she had believed her person would be well rewarded, if she were to present my own to whomever controls her leash. However, I was not so easily swayed, as I had little need of more females than the one I had set my gaze upon already, nor was material wealth necessary for one such as I. In any case, I did not allow this through to the other, and simply spoke, "We shall see what we shall see." A3 Chapter 10 AN: As long as my insomnia persists, these chapters will be showing up far earlier than normal. Bit of a long one today, too. Almost 2500 words. Once again, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ___________________________________ This was how we stayed. I atop the boulder, the Human Elder close by chatting non-stop about how much prestige I would make if I were to ply my talents amongst this unknown Prince''s compatriots, and the like. As well as Robby, my newest, unwilling servant, becoming the object of many stares as nearly all eyes and ears turned towards his now restored face with a tale of heroism as to how he received the scars in the first place. Yes. Many were skeptical about such exploits, but the healing the Human received was genuine, as the male showed off an old picture of what his face used to be through some sort of sharing magicks I''ve seen many times before. However, these interactions did not last for very long, as many expressed a wish to try and find some semblance of rest after running away from the scene within the first clearing. This led to a few seeking some sort of comfort against the trees nearest the group, as well as near my own boulder in the hopes I would gift them with something. Well, I would not unless they held something of interest for my person to use or explore. However, they were hopeful, whilst I simply waited for the day-star to rise above its horizon. Though, at this hour, I was the only one awake to admire such a splendor and yes, it is the same rising we have upon our world. You may believe I was wasting my time in this, but you must understand. I had been away from Terra for so long, I would not miss the rising of the day-star for anything. For in this instance, I simply felt at peace, and was a hair''s breadth away from summoning my Undying so that they may witness it all. In the end, though, I did not and settled in to continuously record it all within my mind so that they may see what I have seen, and feel the echoes of what I had felt as the colours of crimson, orange fire, and violets were splashed across the paled blue sky above my head. To which I sighed happily, and grinned a small grin which would have led to my person shouting with elation over being home once more, but was interrupted by the Elder once more. "Wha-?" she began, then jolted her body to standing from her position to my right, "Oh dear, the sun is up. Come, come, we must leave this place and continue onwards to meet the Prince." These words were repeated as the Human made her rounds to wake up everyone, who were not at all pleased with the interruption of their restless sleep. In any case, they each huddled around the odd basket someone was thoughtful to bring with them, as they pulled out item after item in order to gorge themselves upon the contents. Of which reminded my person of the Devourer Matriarch I had picked up so long ago, and found her to be quite amusing when she and her children gorged themselves upon each body we had desired to remove after no longer needing them. However, this was not amusing, as they were each greedy in their ways. Not to mention, most of them were Humans, and I detest that race the most. Though, of course, Robby moved towards my person with a few strips of meat he called "bacon" to give to my person. There was also another object he called a "potato", and seemed to be quite hot in his hands, as these two were passed into my hands. Although I did not have a stomach, per se, I was able to store such ground up foods inside a pseudo stomach which would then be converted into raw energies to fuel my magicks. Of which was used to keep others from finding out a bit more of what I truly am, as I slowly "ate" the items given to my person. This then caused the male to beam with happiness as I accepted the foods, even more when I ate them all, but seemed rather down when I refused anymore. "Perhaps later," my voice rumbled softly, as my right hand patted his left shoulder whilst my body slid off from the boulder I had stood upon. The small action towards his person caused his body to shake with excitement, even going so far as to allow my mind imagine a tail sprouting up from his backside to blur from the shaking. Yes. Such a display was rather uncomfortable, but I chose to ignore it as it appeared we were about to leave. "Come along everyone," waved the Elder, of whom waved her arms in order to gather everyone''s attention, "We must follow the edge of the forest here in order to hide if we come upon any search parties who may wish us harm." "What happened back there?" cried out one of the female Humans, "Why was the city on fire? I thought this place didn''t have these kinds of events." These words seemed to caused the older Human some confusion, and would have piped up if I had not spoken first. "This world usually has only has a ''Kill the Demon Lord'' sort of event to it, which is what you''d normally have to complete when starting on your journey. However," I held up the forefinger of my right hand to waylay any others from voicing their own thoughts, "such things had changed several cycles ago when the Gods believed this to be far too boring. What with many humans giving away details and secrets on how to defeat such foes, when it should not have been so easily accomplished. "Of which led to what we have today. Think of it as a way to ''spice things up'', as they say. So, if you believe that this world, and all others like it, hold onto the norm of just slaying a Demon Lord of some sort, then forget such notions. For it has changed." "Actually," called out the old female Human, "We do have a Demon Lord here, but they''re not a threat to us currently. Because we''re on the other side of the continent where most people are fighting him and his legions and hordes." Visually, I shrugged, whereas on the inside I held a great desire to journey towards the Demons of Terra. For they are none other than Dragons, Drakes, and winged Draconians, of which I held in high regard. This was so, as the Demon Lord of our world was a female Dragon of Fire, and she had once promised to grant me one of my greatest wishes. Which was to have a child, but such a thing never came to pass, as the false God of our world removed my person the moment my monstrous Horde killed off the last of the Human royalties. Thus, leaving my person with nothing, but contempt for such actions, and a desire to exact revenge upon that which denied my person of what I had craved for so long. * Within half a turn, we had made a few kilometres of travel, which caused the Elder to call a halt to our little group. Many within expressed gratitude towards a few random gods, whereas I and Robby stood off to the side and merely conversed with one another as I supplied his body with my own energies. As to my reasons for doing thusly? I had questioned him whether or not he truly desired to remain a Human. To which he answered, "I dunno. I did hope to become a Werewolf, but they didn''t have it available." The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Hmm?" my head cocked towards my right shoulder as I stared at his person, whilst my ears flicked forwards, "Why would you wish to be that?" "''Cause I thought it''d be cool to be a wolf in one instance, then a Human in another. Besides, they''re real scary when I was little, and wanted to be one for so long. Then Origin Point Online appeared and I thought,''This is my chance'', but lo and behold, they wouldn''t let me be one," a heavy sigh exuded from his open maw, as his body slumped forwards in a dejected manner, "All ''cause they didn''t think I could handle the transformations. I''m a man, ya know?" His eyes was full of anger and righteous indignation at being denied, whereas I simply smiled softly as my tail flicked from my mental thoughts. "What if I told you I could grant you your wish of becoming a Werewolf, Robby?" This caused his eyes to light up, as he gripped my hands with great expectation, "Really? That would be so cool if you did." Of which led to him hesitating and releasing his grip, "What''s the catch?" he asked, leaning backwards as though to dampen my next words somehow. "There isn''t any, as you''ve already paid for such a thing after I healed you," my voice was light as I closed my eyes and smiled softly. All the while, my mentally self was roaring with laughter at the thought of corrupting yet another Human in order to have them join my cause. "Great! When can we-" "What''s going on here?" called out a voice behind my person. Of which belonged to Jenny, who was accompanied by two Human brutes who sneered down upon my Kin self. These three had branched away from the main group, of whom were staring towards our persons, not knowing what to do. Even the Elder was helpless in this situation, and simply sighed and turned away from it all. This was so, as she was only told to lead them away from the capitol city. Anything that happened along the way was simply a way to cull the weak from the strong. Of which led her to allow many others to take advantage of the situation and form groups and parties with one another, but without any semblance of order except when it came to taking food and drink from the basket. However, even that was slowly degrading into a chaotic state when it was found out that the basket held liquor. During this little journey through the night prior, and well into that day, the little Halfling called Jenny had tried to worm her way next to my person. More so after the spectacle of healing Robby. However, I had chosen to ignore her person the entire time, which seemed to have caused her mind to snap at some point. Which led to her pretending she was a child due to her small form, and running up to the biggest pair of idiots she could find. Of whom were half Ogres, half Humans, by the look of it, and not at all intelligent. She then plied some wit into her words, and no, I did not find out what they were. What I did find out, however, was that she now had these two creatures under her thumb since mid-morning that day. Which were then used to allow the three more time with the basket, and even to her being in charge of it somehow. Even at that time, she twirled it around her person as though to mock my own by saying, "Follow me if you want more food." Unfortunately for her, I did not crave sustenance, as I am Undead, but that was not so for all others. Which caused Robby to frown and glare at her small body, but before he could speak, I simply laid my left hand upon his right shoulder, and lightly pulled him behind my body. "To what do we owe the pleasure of the Brat and her Idiots?" I called out, mocking her and her antics. Predictably, she stopped swinging the basket in order to glare in my direction, whilst I smirked down at her. Yes. I was playing the arrogant fool who held a death wish, but I was quite confident in my paltry skills to handle such foolish tactics of intimidation. For the pair of half Humans stood tall above my person, whereas I gave a lopsided grin towards Robby, "Do you still wish to become a Werewolf?" His eyes widened greatly beneath his odd hat, and nodded once, "Then watch closely, for this is the strength of the Wolf." Upon these words, did I intone a spell with words long forgotten by many races. To which a golden spell circle bloomed outwards from beneath my feet, encircling the whole of my body as I squatted my legs and tucked my arms closer to my body whilst the spell raged within the circle. This caused the others to leap back with shocked expressions, as a multitude of eyes focused upon the light show. This light, which erupted from around my body, was of silver and crimson, as it struck my person in the form of lightnings. Wherever it struck, patches of thick, crimson fur appeared and slowly covered the area around the strikes. This would continue until the whole of my body was covered in such fur, and from there came the elongation of my face which transformed itself into the muzzle of an adult wolf. All the while, the linen clothing I wore was being torn to shreds by the energies within the circle, but I paid it little heed. From this point, however, came the sounds of bones breaking and rearranging themselves in order for my appearance to be liken unto a Wolfman''s form, but far more feral. For this spell was not just a regular incantation, but a curse that only those of whom were considered lesser gods, or greater, could remove. Which was called "The Gift of The Blood Moon", and has been known to kill those afflicted with such a thing. However, I was at least fortunate others upon the worlds surrounding Azzarath did not have such a Curse. For it was only discovered within the past decade, and upon the world called Forge. Of which was not allowed to join the collective worlds, for I had decided to not join them. In any case, such a display was sure to attract the False God of Terra, which caused my person to grin malevolently. To the point where I decided to push the boundary of what I could and could not do, and howled into the air around us. From this howl, I used it to distract all others, including the "God" to summon up one of my Undying Chosen, Sia, who would leap to such a venture as to come back to our world of Terra. Thus, she was given leave to enter the nearby forest until I had come to collect her. Whilst all others continued to stare upon my person with a large mixture of emotions, and soiled trousers. A3 Chapter 11 AN: Tomorrow is another NSFW chapter, folks, ''cause someone needs to die before they turn into a huge pain. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________________ Well, that was the plan, anyways. "No, no, no, no. NO! I will not allow an unauthorised entity entrance into my world," howled the False God of Terra, as a multitude of translucent screens appeared around the throne. Each revealed a detailed script of what was happening down below. Be it through numbers, randomised letters, or even simple images of a shadowed portal within a forest, he saw it all and was actively sending his energy into the system governing the world below. Of which allowed his person to manipulate the energies enough to halt the allowance of another to enter Terra. This was so, and he grinned as a howl of rage permeated the air around his ears. To which the False God did laugh uproariously at the battle he had won. However, this was short lived when his eyes fell upon the body of a large, red furred Wolfman who had appeared during this incursion. "What?" his scream echoed throughout the room, "How is this possible? Where did you come from?" From here, the being did try to manipulate the energies of the world once more, to open a portal beneath the creatures feet, and send it out into the Void. Unfortunately, the system was unable to comply, and revealed that the creature below was one of the summoned Kin who had been summoned for this event upon Terra. "Dammit," his gauntleted hand became a fist, as he slammed it down upon the arm of the throne. This action caused the space about his person the flicker for a time before normalising itself, "What. Are. You?" the False God growled, gripping one of the translucent screens, and causing it to enlarge as the scenes below slowly played out. ***** "What are you?" screamed Jenny, as I hoisted her body high into the air, and gingerly took the basket from her somewhat limp grip. To this, the lips upon my muzzle stretched themselves into a feral grin, and a rumbling chuckled erupted from my throat. "What am I?" My eyes flared to scarlet as the ears atop my head twitched as I heard Sia''s frustrated howl at being denied entry back into Terra. No. I did not bar her way, as explained by the actions of the one who controls Terra, but many believe my person capable of such an action. However, what many do not realise, or perhaps remember, was that since the beginning of our banishment, each of them are all my family. Yes. Family. For we are all one in our desire to reclaim our world of Terra, and would do much if it meant we would reclaim it once more. In other words, I wound never bar my servants entry into a world. Especially one where we were all from. In any case, the two brutes the female Halfling had tricked into following her around had acted just as I was about to answer the question of "What are you?" In this, the pair simply charged with one of them shouting, "Jenny," in a rumbling manner which sounded much like two boulders rubbing against one another. However, as they approached, and before I could enact a spell, Robby appeared between my person and the others. In this instance, he had raised up his left arm, palm outstretched towards the pair, and howled out a short incantation called, "<>!" Three spell circles, the colour of orange flames, appeared one after the next in front of his opened palm. Each of these rotated clockwise, counter-clock, and clockwise respectively as an orb of flame quickly formed within the centre. Within mere moments of its formation, it shot from its position and struck one of the half-Ogres in the chest. Of course, there was a setback to this. Well, two to be precise. You see, the spell "Fire Bolt" is a compact ability which derives from "Fireball". The energy necessary for creating one such as this is far too great for one such as the young Robby, of who falls over whilst panting greatly. The second setback is one many young Magick Casters go through, which is the kickback of using such a spell. For example, if one is not mentally prepared, then it will knock said caster unconscious due to the fact that they did not have the mental fortitude to cast such a spell. Of course, many things would arise from this, such as your party members not knowing what to do during a fight and their mage keel over from such mental exertion. Then again, there have been spells which were far too great for them, and drained their persons of all things emotional for a few turns of the day-star. Another example, and this one applied to Robby for being only prepared mentally, was the physical kickbacks of such a spell. This one sent his body backwards a few metres where he fell down panting heavily from the exertion. For you see, my dear audience, if one is one prepared for one exertion, then the other will reach around to bite you in the arse. This is merely to let you understand that you need to be prepared both mentally and physically if you ever want to use a spell you know you are not ready to cast just yet. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Now, if a person decides to cast a spell far above what they could afford, then they would most certainly be shaving off their life force. Ah, be sure to stop them if they do, as the Abyss tends to reach in from that point in order to cause more chaos, but I digress. As to how much damage the spell had caused? Well, one of the Ogres had fallen over with a Human sized hole in the middle of their chest. Of which spoke volumes as to how strong the spell was against something as strong as a half-Ogre; what with their tough muscles and strong-as-iron bones. "Bruh-der," cried out the remaining half-Ogre, whose eyes were quickly transforming into pools of bright crimson. It would rage soon, and although I did not mind it, I still hadn''t decided what to do with the rest of these insignificant creatures I had been paired off with. Certainly, I could allow them to die, but what if they were to prove far more useful than what I saw. This was quite the dilemma, as I watched the half-Ogre begin its rampage by lashing out towards the nearest group who were far too curious for their own good. Which then started the screams, as the creature reached down, and tore apart the first victim. Of whom was a male, and screamed as it was dropped onto the now bloody ground, as it desperately tried to push its organs back inside whilst its legs rested nearby. Its next victim was a lone female Human in a white robe, and was desperately trying to cast some sort of spell when the creature gripped her waist. It then squeezed with such force that her small intestines shot out of her small maw, whilst she choked on the blood that slowly filled up her lungs. After such a gruesome scene unfolded, did the creature release the female, and subsequently stepped on her head before moving charging bowling through a much larger group full of males who had unsheathed their weapons to defend what seemed to be the remaining females and a few magick casters. After witnessing such a spectacle, did I decide to act and tossed the female Halfling called Jenny off to the side, the basket to the other. "What am I, you ask?" My voice was full of bemused apathy, as I crouched low in order to prepare my body for a charge towards the half-Ogre, "I am what I am, and what I am is... Me." Upon finishing my little quip, did my body rocket off towards the creature. Of whom had been tearing off several heads as it struck out against those who would use their weapons and spells upon its body. Yes. Those of whom still standing had taken upon themselves to lash out at the enraged creature who had lost its "brother". Once I came near, did I leap onto its back, slashing and tearing into the skin. For which it howled, dropping the bodies of its victims and intended victims, whilst it tried to dislodge my person. Yes. It did hit my body, and I had to pretend to fly off it. This was so, as I do not wish for others to know that I was far stronger than what I appeared as. Though, of course, I had to pay heed to the golden locket still hanging around my neck, and make sure it is still there throughout the battle. No. I could not afford to hide it within my body, as it will not perform its job of hiding my true self from those eyes of the False God above. In any case, the force from the creature''s hand was enough to cause my body to slide approximately three metres whilst I held onto the side it brushed its hand against. Whereupon I did growl and charged its once more, leaping high with my foreclaws stretched out. If anyone was paying attention, they would have noted the odd discolouration of my claws. For in the beginning they were the colour of darkness, but now? Now they were a sickly green, as I plied my acidic poison into them in order to win this "impossible fight". Yes. Many within the group believed it was indeed an impossible fight, as my body was lithe and full of wiry muscles whilst the other held the physique of a young Ogre. However, I still had many tricks I could employ, and one of them was my acidic poisons. Of which was plied to the creature before my person through shallow scratches which slowly liquefied its body. This would continue with my person scratching its body, and it sending my own flying with a backhand or simply punch. That is, until it noted the lack of my person flying away, and its own falling onto the ground. This was so, as its own right arm had fallen off after multiple applications of my acidic poisons. To which its own berserk status faded away, and it did cry out as the poisons ran rampant throughout its large body. "Bru-der," it howled as the left hand tried to clutch at its liquefied stump, whilst that appendage was dripping onto the ground in small pools of blood, flesh, and sinew. To which I slowly walked towards the downed creature with a glint of madness within my eyes. "In other words, my dear Halfling," my voice rumbled quite loud as I noted the creature trying to stand as much of its left leg had fallen apart, and its right foot had become a puddle, "I am simply me." Upon these simple words, did I slowly transform my body back into a Wolf-kin with a pair of small clothes to hide that which was betwixt my legs from the prying eyes of all around my person. Whereas the creature I had been "fighting" with groaned and fell over whilst revealing its skull. A3 Chapter 12 (NSFW) AN: Well, someone had to die, and even though it''s a day late, here''s to the folks down in Orlando. Hopefully they can get back on their feet after such a mess, and leave the death bit to the Dark Fantasy novelists like myself. :D As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________ "Um, Ageless?" spoke up a Lamia who had coiled up on herself in order to relax better during the story. Now, however, she had stretched herself higher above the others, with her right, pink scaled arm raised higher. Indeed, and these scales traced themselves lightly across her forearms, spine, and sides. Along with a few stripes leading up her neck and across her cheeks, have caused many a male to desire after her. "Yes, Lilly?" inquired the God upon the golden throne, "Is there something you wished to ask of my person?" These caused all other eyes to turn towards the Lamia, who then shrank in on herself until such courage could bubble forth in order to speak her mind. This would take, but a few moments before she straightened and asked, "I don''t mean to be rude, but why is your story... boring?" The tip of her tail snaked upwards, where she did grasp hold of the appendage to lightly brush and play with it. All the while, her eyes had strayed away from the other, whose ears had flicked themselves forward. "Hmm," he hummed softly, "So, you are of those who prefer simple action, adventure, or romance, yes?" At her small nod, his own head bobbed in an echo of such a gesture, "Yes, and I believe you would prefer to simply listen to what my Undying and non-Human servants had performed upon the various worlds. As opposed to the ''boring'' events I had taken part in upon Terra?" "No," she returned, "I just...," and simply fell into her coils, believing she had angered the other somehow. "Peace," spoke the calm voice of the Ageless, as a light mist of silver enveloped her body, "Peace. I am not angry with you, for you are with the younglings who are of likened minds. In that you and they prefer to read and listen to just the actions, adventures, and romances of simple stories. Whereas my own tends to be lost or dumb down to the point that my messages become non-existent. For you see, I am with the philosophers of our world. In that we prefer to expand upon our vocabulary, and not simply say, ''I like that''. "Instead, I would prefer to begin with, ''I find this enjoyable'', then go on to explain why it is thusly. Whereas all others would repeat the same three words over and over, again and again. Hence the reason why many find my works to be boring, save for the darkness, the romance, and a few snippets of comedy. Although, with a few exceptions, others preferred the added fluff. Such as the instances where I am calmed around little bundles of joy, also known as children." "Oh," muttered the Lamia, whose face was now a bright scarlet after such an explanation. "Do not worry, as I shall be giving you more instances of those which you have come to enjoy within each story," this caused the snake-woman to light up somewhat, which turned to a slight frown as he continued with, "However, in return for such a scenario, you must endure my long words as I continue with the story at hand. For I have much to say in this regard." ***** Now where was- ah yes. The aftermath of "fighting" with the half-Ogre. "Ah," I sighed openly, as my silvered hair fell over my own eyes whilst my red furred ears laid themselves against the top of my head, "I''ve used too much." Light trails of steam soon arose around my shoulders, giving off the illusion that my body was far hotter than usual as I calmed down from my wolf state. "What are you?" asked the Elder, of whom I gave a single glance towards. "I believe I''ve already answered that question. For I am what I am, and what I am is me. Therefore, I simply am." "Simply am what?" "Exactly," my voice chuckled softly as my body turned towards Jenny, who was backing away from my person whilst Robby slowly stood up and looked around for his odd hat. By the by, at this point in time, my eyes held the colours of violet and crimson, as I slowly stalked towards the Halfling who dared to rise above my person. "Jenny," I sang softly, "You should not have done that." "I didn''t do anything, though," her eyes scanned behind my person, viewing the aftermath of the destruction caused by her supposed underlings, "You''re the ones who-" It was at this point that I had clamped my right hand over her small maw, gripping tightly to the joints in her jaw, and hoisting her body aloft. "You are right when you said you did nothing, for it appeared to my own eyes that you could have stopped the pair of idiots before they advanced upon my person. Of which would have stalled their bodies with enough time for us to simply discuss what it is that you desired of us. Instead, you simply stayed quiet, which gave way to the aftermath seen here." If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. These words were spoken aloud, so as to fuel the hatred and anger many were feeling at this time. As well as to shift the blame away from my person and Robby, and onto the Halfling female named Jenny. Of whom struggled greatly against my grip, but could do nothing beyond watching with a glance of horror and tears. For those of whom were still able to stand were slowly making their way towards our persons, with a few of them reaching for their weapons to do one of us harm. Yes. They could have been moving against my person, but as I had displayed a unique skill that many have never seen before, they became wary of my person. In any case, I continued to speak aloud to the growing crowd, "You have all seen what her supposed underlings were. Had she spoken aloud, little Jenny here could have helped to prevent the deaths of your friends. However, she simply stood there with a smile as the brute rampaged throughout our group. Therefore," before anyone was able to voice a contradiction, or anything of a sort, I raised the body of the Halfling female, and sank two fingers into her jaw. Whereupon I did release a few droplets of my acidic poisons into her body, which caused many to cry out in alarm as she struggled greatly, and cried out into my hand. For the poisons quickly devoured her backside, slowly stripping away fat, flesh, and muscle whilst her eyes pleaded with my own to stop. However, I would not, and all others were too horrified to do anything beyond watching, which allowed my magicks to slow the poison so that she would endure far longer than necessary. For I did not enjoy the thought of having someone as suspicious as she snooping around behind my person as I continued on with my journey. As to what occurred? Well, those before my person witnessed various pieces of flesh falling off in chunks, and rapidly pooling beneath her body above. This then led to a reveal of her insides, for I had removed her clothing with a few, expert swipes of her front. For although her chest and that which was betwixt her legs was visible to my eyes, her backside was slowly peeling away to reveal bone and organ meat. No. Her organs had yet to become infected, as my magicks held the poison at bay whilst it ravaged her backside in anger at the denial. In any case, many of those before my person heaved their stomach contents, as the poisons continued to liquefy her skin and muscles. All the while, Jenny was kept alive and awake as the process continued unabated. "My dear, little Jenny," my voice was barely a whisper, as her legs slowly fell to the ground, splashing into the puddle which had formed from the flesh of her back, "I cannot have you interfering with my person any longer. Therefore, you shall die a painful death. Perhaps next time you will refrain from sticking your nose in that which it did not belong." No. She did not bother my person up to this point, however, who was I to say if she would not later on? In my own mind, it was best to do away with her presence now, than later down the line when I had to reveal much of my strength to quell those of whom would have proven useful. This was not paranoia, by the by, as I had little issues with dealing with others in my way, but of preparation for that which was to come. As I would prefer to have a straight path without disparities along the way. In any case, this one would serve as a warning to all others, and the rumours which would give birth after today would cause others to either come seeking my person for this or that, or they would stray far from my sight so that they would not become my next victim. For now, though, the female in my grasp now gasped as her right hand slowly exposed the bone and sinew, as the poisons found purchase within her small digits. Of which led to them falling off bit by bit, as the sinew stretched towards the ground below. Yes. This would continue until she was nothing more than a torso and head with an exposed front, along with a window into her organs from her backside. Once this was so, did I toss her body towards those who were still standing. Of which caused their persons to retreat so as to not catch whatever disease caused her body to become as she was currently. However, this did not stop Jenny from screaming bloody murder, as my grip was no longer muffling her voice. Unfortunately for her, all others were slowly backing away, for I was approaching the Halfling who was begging for someone to save her, then grew silent as she noted my person simply glaring down upon her body with ill contempt. "This is what happens to those who disrupt the fragile order of the group with a desire to be on top, Jenny." These words were spoken aloud so as to serve as a greater warning for those all around us, "You should not have placed your own welfare above all others, especially when we do not have a safe refuge. "In any case," her screaming entered new heights, as I released my magicks from her body. Of which allowed the poisons to rampage throughout her body with abandon, "we should get moving. If there was anyone around the area, I believe they may be coming our way soon enough." A3 Chapter 13 AN: Had complaints of a lack of character development. So, here you go. Even though it''s way later than ever, and one or all are going to die int the end. Except maybe Robby. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _____________________________ "Hah?" The Elder blinked a few times, then shook her head to dislodge any more thoughts about what had occurred, "Oh, right. Yes, of course. Come along everyone, we must hurry away from here before that attracts unwanted attention." In so saying, did she begin to usher everyone still able to move into a large group, as she reached into her stained robe to pull out a scroll. "What''s that?" asked a Human male, who was carrying a silently crying female, of whom was hissing as she clutched her right arm which was a bright scarlet with various blotches of purple. "Something I was told to use in an emergency once we were away from the city," the old Human sighed, grumbling something else along the lines of it not being very accurate, and hoped it still worked. "Well, I think this constitutes as an emergency, don''t you?" To this she nodded and unfurled the scroll, reading aloud the words which caused an azure spell circle to erupt underneath her and the crowd''s feet. "Hey, don''t leave without us," called out Robby, as thin strips of light slowly danced in the air around the gathered Humans and creatures. Of whom then tried to scramble for the group, but was halted by my person, "But," he began, as I shook my head whilst the light engulfed the group, causing their persons to vanish completely. "It is better like this, Robby," my voice shook the air around us, as I stalked forward towards the bodies of the fallen, and noted many still held life in them, "They are still alive." "What?" called out the other, of whom had found the enchanted basket full of vast quantities of food and drink. Upon walking to my position, he noted a few of the mangled bodies were groaning, as well as my body making its way towards them. "What are-?" "Peace, Robby," I spoke slowly, as my person knelt before one of the more whole Humans who survived the "fight". This one was a male who seemed to be one of the better equipped individuals, as he wore tattered chainmail with an odd, red lion painted upon the front. As to his features? Well, this one appeared to be of Japanese descent, what with his head being rough with a short crop of dark hair, and eyes of pure darkness. "Please," the Human begged, "Please save..." The individual''s eyes drifted towards a female human in a faded, albeit heavily stained, pink dress. However, this one was missing their head, but hid this fact underneath another body. To which I shook my head saying, "She''s dead, and cannot come back." "No," he moaned, as I laid my right hand upon his chest, and poured my magicks into his body after intoning a simple healing spell called "Regrowth". Of which I used upon three other individuals, along with the spell "Conversion: Thrall" so as to keep them from straying too far from my person. These individuals, by the by, were Human, Halfling, and Kin. The Humans were only two males, which included the chainmail wearing human who had begged the saving of a female, and both were of Japanese descent. Whereas the Halflings were female, and both with similar designs and features. They each claimed to be a twin of the other, and held the softer features of those of whom claimed to be royalty and somehow slipped away to carry out their dreams. Indeed, for these two had done exactly that, and held up a signet ring showing themselves to be nobles of Azzarath, but meant very little as we were not upon that world. They knew this fact, and came prepared by wearing hard leather armour about their persons, and held a pair of broken daggers which they claimed fell apart when one of the half-Ogre''s feet slammed into their sides. This action seemed to also break one of their bows, and a quiver of arrows, but I paid little heed to this tidbit of information. As to their features? Well, as I said, they held the softer tones of royalty. Meaning they had faced little to no hardships since growing up, but were still allotted the ability to train with their bows and daggers. Of which led to a few formations of calluses upon their hands and digits. However, if you believe this pair to have long hair, you would be mistaken. For these two had cut it short to emulate a male''s style, as well as dyed it brown so as to hide their fire-red hair from the world. For they claimed the colour of their hair was only granted to royalty, and that having such a thing within their society marked them as such. So, to hide this fact, they dyed it with more muddier colours until it became as it is now. "Interesting," I muttered, as each of them sat upon the ground, eating their fill, "What of you?" This query was directed to the third female, another Wolf-kin, but one with violet hair and silvered fur. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Of whom was of a large height of nearly two metres with many muscles rippling across her frame. To say she, herself, was a mindless brute would be far from the truth. For her voice was melodic and full of a deep hatred for what had occurred, as she was the first to fall beneath the rampage of the half-Ogre. "Not much to tell, really," she began with a shrug, and tore into a large haunch of deer meat. Of which caused the Halflings to gain the features of disgust as they backed away from her, "I ain''t a royal who grew bored, or anything, but I did leave my people in order to make a name for myself. As well as to avoid being married off, even though I am far stronger than any male." Upon these words did she stand tall in order to show off her muscles, of which were exposed to the world as she wore only a breast wrap to quash a large pair of mounds, and a loincloth of hide and rabbit fur so as to not expose that which was betwixt her legs. Yes. She was indeed tanned, which only seemed to augment her large, violet eyes. "And to you Humans?" I called out to the pair, who were speaking in low tones with Robby. "Ah, sorry Boss," called out the Human, who then laughed as he waved at the other two, "They''re just wondering about you, is all. I couldn''t tell them much, other than your promise of making me a Werewolf. Is that still going to happen?" His eyes shined as I motioned for him to stand before my person. "Of course, Robby, for I always keep my promises, but at this time, I desire to know more about those two," I paused for a moment, then glanced at the females, "Which reminds me, you three never did speak of your names." My words seemed to have cause their persons to grow embarrassed for some unknown reason. To which the Halflings voiced they were Shanna and Anna, whilst the Kin was called Shadow Stalker. Which was odd for a name, but was of no concern of mine. "I am Gonzo Shadowbane," called out the human with tattered chainmail about his person, and glared slightly towards an oblivious Kin, as she continued to eat her deer meat, "a Templar-in-training for Lord Harrows, Duke of-" "Pass," my voice was of a bored growl, as my eyes drifted to the other Human. Of whom wore a stained, dark robe and a pair of cracked glasses upon the bridge of his nose. "And you are?" These words caused him to jerk awake, as though his mind was elsewhere at the moment. "Ah? Ah, yes," a piece of cloth appeared in his hands, which was then transferred to the left, as the right held onto the glasses which were then cleaned slowly, "My name is Shiro, and I don''t know what I want to be just yet." "But you''re wearing a robe," commented Robby, of whom pointed at the garment, "Ain''t you a mage, or something?" To which the other shook his head in response, "I don''t have the mana pool for being one." "I might be able to help with that," my voice rumbled softly, as a vial of viscous, silvered liquid appeared in my left hand, "This is called ''A Vial of God''s Blood'', which is simply just mana given a physical form. When consumed, it increases one''s capacity by one hundred points. However," I held up a finger to forestall any comments, "if you drink more than a few of these within a full moon turn, you will lose your right to be called a Human." "What do you mean?" asked Shanna, of whom stared at the vial with great hunger in her eyes. "To put it mildly, you will become a monster with great capabilities," these words caused the one called Gonzo to take a step back and reached for the sword which was no longer at his hip. To which I simply sneered in his general direction, as I continued with, "A single vial of this Blood is worth a fortune; more so than any King''s treasure could afford. Of which I am offering to you, Shiro, along with a scroll containing a few minour spells to place you onto the path of a magick caster." "Why are you giving the Human this great gift?" asked Anna, who inched closer towards the vial as Shiro hesitated to take the offered item, "If you were to sell such an item, you would be rich beyond your wildest dreams." "Perhaps," my head bobbed once, whilst I deposited the vial into the Human''s hands. Of whom then quickly unstoppered it to swallow its contents. To which he gagged slightly, commenting on how disgusting it tasted. "However, I have no need of vast riches, as I already have what I desire." "Which is?" asked Robby, who became curious as Shiro''s eyes widened at something only his eyes were privy to. Whilst I passed a scroll containing several minour spells for the Shaman class which was not available upon Azzarath at that time. "Ah, but that would be telling," my voice chuckled maliciously, whilst a silvered spell circle erupted around the Human, engulfing his body as it transformed him into something new. A3 Chapter 14 AN: It''s up early due to insomnia, and my want of sleeping in today. By the way, after running through my thoughts and ideas about this arc, it seems it''s going to be much longer than the second one. For I''ve much to talk about, and will simply drag it out more so than necessary. Which is the norm if you''ve read up to this point. One last bit, the artist named Christian Bentulan, who did all of the art thus far, is going to be working on it later today. So it''ll be up for your viewing pleasure in the next couple of days. So as always, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________ "Are you sure we''re going the right way, Boss?" asked Robby, as we stopped for the night close to the edge of the forest. We had been trekking along its edge and towards where the city lie. It was here that I desired to be, as opposed to whoever this "Prince" currently resided. No doubt he was being used by whomever was supplying his army, and would only become a puppet when placed upon the throne. For now, the one who currently resided upon it was perhaps the lesser of two evils, and was the closest, as I held the desire to corrupt one of their minds so that they followed my every whim. Well, it''s what I''ve been doing with each Human a ran across, save for those who''ve fallen under my enthrallments. For they are merely given the want to serve my person, whilst retaining their minds completely. Before moving out, I had them strip the dead of anything of use. Though, of course, nearly all complained about such a venture, but I had to remind them it was their own minds which was set on coming to this world. Therefore, they had to partake in the more gruesome tasks, such as looting the dead. Afterwards came a short wash of their hands, arms, and faces through a few orbs of water I had conjured up. Though, the twins did desire to wash their hair, but were denied due to Shadow commenting on how the bodies will attract beasts and monsters if we tarry for long. This caused them to seize up and desire to leave as soon as possible. Now, as to the silvered spell circle which appeared last, this was for Shiro and his "Class Change". For he spoke of how he was given the ability to become the first Shaman of Azzarath, and that it came with a large variety of benefits. Such as being the first to have a Patron God who was not of Azzarath''s Pantheon. Yes. I was his patron, but that was not mentioned. What was, however, was the fact that he had to become a different race in order to retain all of the spells and abilities allotted to his person. Of which he chose to be a Wolf-kin after witness my person''s change during the "fight" with the half-Ogre. In this, he gained a pair of silver-furred ears and a tail which poked its tip out from beneath his robe. There was also a featureless, wooden mask which he now wore, as well as a totemic club with the depictions of a wolf dancing around a burning forest. This was never far from his person, claimed it augmented his spells by five percent, and was Soul Bound to him. Which meant the item would always come back to his person no matter where he and it might be. As for Robby and the promise I made to him? Well, suffice to say I fulfilled it, but he complained it was a "Curse" rather than anything else. "What did you expect?" I asked him as he appeared crestfallen after attaining such a gift, "Becoming a Werewolf is a curse, as you are forced to become one every other sennight to every other moon turn. Whereupon you will keep that form during the following seven to thirty turns, then become a Human once more and repeat the process until your death. Not to mention attaining such a curse will grant you immortality once a full cycle has passed. In that you will never die until your heart and brain are removed from your body, then burnt to ash." "Yeah, but...," he began slowly, but was interrupted by my up raised right hand. "You reap what you sow, Robby. Just be sure to not allow a Priest or Cleric bless you until your transformation." "Why?" His eyes widened at this revelation, which only grew as I continued. "You will lose your ability to ever become one. Which means you will need to die and reincarnate in another body before you can become a Werewolf once more," my shoulders shrugged as I spoke, "At least, that''s how it is amongst the worlds within Azzarath''s Pantheon." "What do you mean?" "There are worlds outside of Azzarath''s jurisdiction, Robby, surely you''ve heard the rumours floating around the Hub before you entered this one?" Yes. There were rumours of such a thing occurring within the Hub of Azazel''s world, as it was my own liberated worlds which were allowing such a thing to come to pass. For although they were never given control over such worlds, they fell upon my own shoulders to run. Which led to my person setting up a sort of gateway for those within the Hub to teleport into, run amok for a time, then appear back inside the original world with new items, spells, abilities, and the like. Of which was never seen before being transported into those which I control. No. Such places were not kept secret from Azazel, for she was a part of it all, but kept such a thing secret from the other Gods and Goddesses. Of whom would whine and cry about not receiving any sort of benefits from such a venture. Well, the little-girl-who-was-not-a-girl was not receiving anything beyond amusement. So why should the others be privy to such a viewing in which she was the only one who had access to it? In any case, such conversations were kept at a minimum until we came to a halt that evening. For they did not have the unlimited stamina as I did, and grew tired far quicker as we did not have an enemy to run away from. Of which allowed all others to express their gratitude as they slumped to the ground, or against a tree trunk. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. This then led to Robby''s inquiry, as I had spoken of a desire to return to the city earlier that turn, and it was his desire to know if the direction we were heading in was correct. Of which led to Shadow speaking out, "Robby, didn''t you see the smoke? We''re heading in the right direction." "Besides," growled Gonzo, who was not at all pleased with his swords. Of which had been liberated from a dead Human male whose head was crushed by the half-Ogre''s fist, "Who''s to say they''ll want us, if we were supposed to go to the other side?" "Oh, they will," my voice rumbled softly in the air between us, as the Halflings and Shiro ate a few small sandwiches, "For I shall make them desire it." "By the way, Boss, what class do you have?" This query from Robby caused all others to cease their activities in order to listen to my words. "Oh? Have I not already told you?" To which I chuckled lightly when each shook their heads, "I am an Enchanter." "You mean you''re one of those faux Blacksmiths on Azzarath?" sneered the Templar-to-be. "No. I am so much more than they." "Yeah, right." Upon these words, he did stand and begin to trek in the opposite direction. "And where do you think you''re going, little Human?" I called out towards his person, standing tall as my tail flicked with perceived irritation. "You''re not in charge of me, so I''m going back the way we came," grumbled the other as though he were, but a child pretending to be an adult. In which case, I vanished from my spot only to appear in front of his eyes. To this, he yelped loudly, as my eyes flashed with a baleful crimson, before alighting back towards a somber silvered hue. "H-how di-did y-you-," the Human stammered, falling upon his rear as I reached and gripped his collar securely, then dragged him back towards the group who was quite fearful. "I may be an Enchanter, dear little human," my voice shook the earth beneath each of their persons, to which the Halflings and Kin looked about in order to discern the source, "but my abilities and spells were gifted to me by one of a few beings I admire most." As I spoke, the Human called Gonzo was tossed against a nearby tree, where he gasped as the air in his lungs rushed out from the sudden pressure. Whereupon he did struggle for a time to regain a proper air flow, whilst I continued with, "A regular Enchanter is only able to take hold of the metals and items, reshaping them into other forms." Of which I demonstrated by removing the Templar-to-be''s chainmail whilst it was still being worn by his person. This was done so by using only my force of will, as all eyes popped as the metal flowed into a ball of chains in front of my body. This was then contained further, as my hands stretched forth, splaying my fingers as I molded the collective object into a shape within my mind. "I am able to do as much, if not more so, than any other Enchanter. For I have travelled much before coming here, and my imaginations have soared along with my abilities. "For example, many have been able to recreate the imaginings of others from a simple drawing or words. Such as a mixture between a Katar and a Lance," to which the others watched, as the chainmail liquefied and stretched until it was the length and size of a lance, but had the shape of a katar. "There are some who are able to make perfect replicas of people, and sell them to those who desire them for this or that reason." The lance then shrank in on itself, becoming a sphere of liquid metal, which then slowly broke apart until there were six individual orbs. Of which then molded themselves into perfect replicas of the six who watched with saucer-like eyes as the replicas waved at their respective selves, before liquefying into the large sphere which they had come from. "All of this I can do, but what I cannot do is enchant a final product. As to the why, it is to simply handicap my person in order for my abilities to not grow so powerful. Instead, I am simply able to pour my energies into ingots and ores, which must then be used by others to create something new. As well as to ply more enchantments onto the finished product, for my enchanted ingots and ores will grant any competent Enchanter the ability to enchant the finish product with more than what they would normally be able to. "However, this sort of Enchanter class is also an Illusionist, and can call upon the chaotic energies of the world to create much destruction. This is the sort of class I hold," in so finishing my words, did the sphere of liquid metal stretch itself into the shape of chainmail. Of which was then tossed towards the one called Gonzo, who scrambled to clutch at the object as though it were his last lifeline. "But boss," called out Robby, "What about you healing me and giving me that curse thing?" "Hmm?" I hummed lightly, settling my person against a trunk of a large Oak, then glanced over at the other, "You remember the scrolls I handed over to Shiro?" He nodded towards my person, as did the Human whose name I spoke of, "Yes. Those spells are the most simplest of any class, and the healing spell I used upon your flesh could be learned by anyone. "As to the Werewolf bit? Well, that curse has been with my person for nearly a full cycle. I was just glad I could pass it on to another." A3 Chapter 15 AN: Next chapter is an NSFW one, and this one gets a warning. By the way, the Abyss cover is up if anyone wants to look at it on the main page. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________________ By morning the next turn, I stood atop a nearby, tall tree in order to watch the day-star slowly wake from its restful sleep and once again, begin its trek across the sky above. I have always watched each day-star rise from its horizon upon the worlds I set foot upon, as they reminded my person of Terra''s. Of which also fueled my desire to return and reclaim what was mine by right. Here, I kept a detail record within my mind, so that I may share it with my Undying the joys of our world in the hopes that they may join my person soon. As soon as the day-star rose enough, I gently tapped the others to stir wakefulness in them. To which the Templar-in-training jerked awake as though being attacked, but relaxed upon noticing my person. "Why didn''t you wake me earlier?" he asks, as the others rubbed the sleep from their eyes whilst wooden bowls full of porridge laced with honey was passed around, "I told you I wanted a watch." I placed wooden spoon was placed inside each of the bowls so that they may eat without the need of using their fingers, and was passing around small mugs of warm cider before I deigned a reply, "It is the job of the leader to look after his underlings, Gonzo. Therefore, I shall be taking the watches from here on." "I ain''t an underling," grumbled Shadow, but quieted as I reached over and pat her head slowly. This caused her tail to sway in happiness, as though she were, but a child once more, and dug into her meal. "We''re royal, so you all should be our underlings," declared Anna, whilst her sister nodded with a mouthful of porridge. "Oh? If you were as such, then where are your servants?" I inquired, raising my left eyebrow. Whereas the pair shrank towards the ground after a cursory glance about their persons, "It seems, to my eyes at least, that you have none. So you must be mine until such times as I release your person. Understand?" The pair nodded once, then turned back to their bowls and cider. All the while, Gonzo clearly wasn''t pleased with having been made my servant, whilst Shiro and Robby chatted softly amongst themselves. It appeared, to my eyes, that the former was showing off his class and skills to the latter. Of whom stared slack-jawed as they went through each and every one of them together. However, as with all things, even this had to come to an end. Of which began with the simple cleaning up our little site, and just as the last of the empty dishes were placed within the basket, did Shadow''s and my own ears stand straight up. They flicked themselves towards the east, where we were heading, as we heard the rumbling of many feet thundering ever closer. "Quickly," I began, ushering them into the thicket, "A lot of individuals are coming, and we must not be here when they arrive." "Why?" asked Shanna, whose sister appeared to be terrified of something. "They may not be friendly," replied Gonzo, who held onto a sword in his left grip, "If they are not, then they may try to take advantage of you two. Maybe even Shadow." "Wha-?" began Anna, as each of them entered the forest proper. They were then told to hide amongst several thorn bushes which contained a few unpicked berries the wildlife had yet to claim. Whereas my person climbed high into a large Oak and cast a spell of invisibility so that I may witness this troop in order to discern whether or not they could be trusted or not. ***** "Hold," called out a soldier in odd armour. For it appeared to be one that had been molded against large muscles and strapped onto their bodies. Everything, from their torso and back, biceps, triceps, and down to their ankles, leaving their feet to have only hard chainmail to cover them, whilst their hands were only wrapped in tattered straps. However, the one who called the halt wore a large, crimson cape which wrapped around their neck and draped off of the left shoulder. This one had the iconic features of a squared head and rugged features of the male Humans of Terra, as did those behind him. Amongst the troop behind this one were three rows of ten spear wielders and a single row of archers. It was here that one of the archers had peeled away from the rest of the group in order to examine the leftover site of several individuals which had left in haste only a short time ago. Whereupon this individual did rush to the front of the column in order to report their findings. Of which caused the whole of the troop to stop, reverse direction, and spread out in order to discern who and what had made camp here. "We are being watched," commented one of the archers, of whom wore only a simple leather jerkin, linen trousers, and hard leather boots. This was the common clothing of an archer within any country, but what differentiated them from the others were the colours and livery placed upon their right breast. Of which there was none, which meant just about anything, as they could either be a bunch of mercenaries, or a new player in this game of thrones. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. "I''ve noticed it too, but don''t know where it''s coming from." This came from another archer, who placed his hand upon the ground where Shiro had been sleeping, "It''s been about an hour, maybe two, since they had left." "Any ideas if it was one of theirs?" called out the one with the red cape, who slowly made his way towards the cluster of leather wearing Humans, "Can you track them?" "Yes, we can track them," began one of the others with more grey in his hair than the rest. Of whom then noted the excitement in the other''s eyes, and held up a gloved hand to forestall anymore comments, "The question to ask is, ''Should we?''. Because there is something watching us and is not pleased with our presence." "Will this thing pose a threat?" "Perhaps, perhaps not," shrugged the older Human, of whom turned back towards the thicket in order to scan for signs of life, "We don''t know what it is, so we don''t know what it can do." "Bah," grumbled the other, "If you can track the ones who were here an hour or two ago, then we''re going in to bring them to the King," turning to the rest of the Humans, he began to order their attention and begin to enter the forest proper. Of which was a mistake, as something large with scarlet fur jumped from upon high, and onto the one with the red cape. ***** ''It seems these Humans will be venturing inwards,'' my mind whispered, as I watched the forty and one Humans enter the forest below my person. Of which they seemed to be straying too close to where my new servants lied beneath the thorn bushes. ''If these archers are competent trackers, then they will undoubtedly cause chaos with them.'' However, a thought ran through my mind. One which left my person grinning quite menacingly, as my body slowly drew upon the curse called, "Gift of The Blood Moon". In that, I slowly grew scarlet coloured fur, as my body flowed from my Kin shape and into that of a Wolfman. This led to my person being revealed amongst the green foliage high above, but none seemed to have been made aware of my presence. Which was what I took hold of as I noted the odd Human in the red cape, and once he came near, did I leap downwards upon his head, tearing into the whole of him whilst all others stared with slack jaws and saucer-like eyes. No. They did not attack my person until after I threw their supposed leader''s head into another''s. Of which caused its own to fly off, splashing others nearby with their blood. This caused one of two responses to occur. One which was to flee out of the forest, of which I allowed them to do so in order to protect my new underlings. Whereas the other was to take up arms against my person. This led to my body to blur and become invisible as I charged towards their bodies. Which led to these few Humans to become rather afraid, for I would vanish before their eyes, only to reappear next to one of their own, rake my claws past the armour which was supposed to keep them safe, and into the flesh below. Yes. I did enjoy tearing into their bodies, and would have feasted upon their remains if I could. However, as I did not have any way to taste their innards, blood, and flesh, but that did not mean I would not indulge in tearing into them with my teeth. For I had pounced upon a few, bearing them down upon their backs as they howled with pain and anguish, pleading to the others for help as I tore out their throats in large, stringy chunks before launching my body onto the next victim. Whereupon I did shove my right, clawed hand into their groin, and tore away the appendage with which a male needed to urinate and procreate, before shoving it down the throat of another. It was here that a few snapped out of their fear, and began to order a retreat out of the forest. Whereas I simply vanished, reappeared behind the one give the order, and sank my left claw into the Humans'' back where the spine was located. Whereupon I did grip it securely, and tore the bone out of the person''s back. However, it broke at the base of the skull, which caused him to fall dead, whilst I launched the bloodied bone into the chest of one who charged my person whilst wearing only chainmail and wielding a sword. This action caused my person to calm down, as I noted who it was that charged my person. As it was Gonzo, who glared into my own eyes as his life fled his body. "Such a pity for one so young," my voice rumbled throughout the forest, causing the earth to shake whilst the rest of the Humans within the troop fled from my presence with great haste. A3 Chapter 16 (NSFW) AN: I DESIRE SLEEP! Stupid Insomnia. Anyways, this chapter is another NSFW one, but has a particular twist to it. For it is not a torture-fest, nor is it anything normal. However, it does leave our MC rather perplexed, which will be addressed at a later date when they''re not traipsing through the world. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _________________________ "Now," I began as the rest of my underlings appeared before my person, "why did Gonzo leave your side in order to attack my person?" This query was directed towards each of them, as they slowly moved around and over the bodies of the fallen. However, Shadow had procured a spear from one of the fallen Humans. Of which was less than pristine, and marred with streaks of blood across the wooden shaft, but did not seem to bother one such as her. For she simply used a less than blood stained cloth of one of the fallen in order to wipe away much of the blood, whilst only spreading the rest which dyed the shaft a dirty crimson. As this was occurring, Shiro and Robby were helping the two royals cross the sea of death I had caused. For they seemed to have feinted from all the carnage, as well as witnessing my terrible visage of blood which stained my chin, chest, and limbs. No. I did not wipe it off, even when one of them pointed it out. Instead, it would stay as a reminder of what the worlds are truly capable of producing. Monsters. Once they all assembled, I pointed towards the body of the Templar-to-be, and repeated my query once more. To which Robby replied with, "He called you a monster, and us cowards for not fighting against you, Boss." "He also said something about breaking through a spell, and that the only way to free us was by killing you," chimed in Shadow, who had discarded the spear for a pair of axes with large blades attached to the handles. "Hmm," my voiced hummed softly as I remembered only a few instances where an individual was able to break through my enthrallment spells, but shrugged as they were in the past, and I cared nothing about it. "Shouldn''t we get away from here?" asked Shiro, who appeared to be rather nervous about the whole scene. What with a multitude of bodies with scattered parts flung about the area, "Won''t this attract monsters, or something?" "You have nothing to fear of monsters," groaned Anna, who poked her head out from behind his right shoulder, "We have a big one right there." Upon saying these words, did she turn her head towards the right in order to vomit up the porridge she had eaten earlier. Though, there was more bile than actual substance amongst the vomit. To these words I simply shrugged and called Shadow over in order to ask if she would like some armour in order to better protect herself. "Why?" she voiced her query, as I stood in the supposed centre of the mess I had made. Her head was cocked towards her left shoulder, the ears flicked forwards in order to listen to my next words, "I have never needed them before, so why start now? Besides, I''m far faster and stronger than any other male, so there''s no-" The Kin''s words fell away, as she noted the blade at her throat. For I was in front of her person, wielding a broken sword which was held below her chin, "You are too slow. Therefor," the weapon was retracted as I retreated towards the centre once more, "you shall be gaining a new set of armour until you can prove to my person you are much faster than I." She never will be, by the by, but was never told as such. In any case, the moment I stood in the centre, my right arm was raised high with fingers splayed in order to use my magicks for an idea I had. Which was to summon all pieces of metal which were upon the ground, and into a liquefied orb above my person. This was so, as I desired to give Shadow a set of armour which would be much like a second skin for her. Yes. This was the same process for each of my Undying, as it was simply far easier than crafting such pieces one at a time. During such a process, my energies had spread themselves out of my body in the form of silvered mists, which then flowed over the ground, startling the five who witnessed such a spectacle. However, the moment the mists touched something which was metallic, the item slowly stretched itself into thin streams towards the area above my person. This action caused the others'' eyes to widen greatly, as an orb of liquefied metal slowly grew in size above them. Such a task would only last for a few heartbeats, as I was greatly familiar with this sort of Enchanter''s skill. "Shadow, stand before my person," I began, as the other slowly walked forwards mechanically, then stood close by, "Raise your arms to your sides, if you would, and do not move until the process is complete." She had opened her maw just as I was about to begin the process, but snapped it shut when she noted that my eyes were glaring into her own. "You may inquire as to why I have done this later. For now, you must drop the axes in your hands, or else they will truly become a part of your person." Still curious about what I was doing, but not wanting to risk my ire, Shadow dropped her axes just as the silvered mists flowed back into my body. Of which did not add its metal to the large orb, half the size of my person, above. However, what came next surprised her greatly, as my left hand reached forth and stripped her body of the breast strap and loincloth. Thus, revealing that which was betwixt her legs, and a large pair of breasts. What was more interesting than this, was the fact that she had a male appendage above the area which was clearly made for a female. To this, I simply raised an eyebrow towards her person, and mouthed the words, "We will speak of this later," as the orb of liquid metal streamed towards her body, engulfing her entirely. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. As to the process of binding metal to one''s skin? Well, it truly is quite simple, really. Then again, many would not call it as such when I say it must become one''s skin, and replace the organ in its entirety. Yes. Such a thing must occur, or else the process will never work, and the subject may perish in the event. In this case, I had long ago perfected the craft, and it begins with the metal flowing over the individual''s body in great streams and ribbons. Each of these are individual, and to themselves, as they slowly wrap around the torso, whilst still leaving the details prevalent to the body alone. Such as a few scars from a long ago battle, or a pair of large mounds upon a female''s chest. Next comes the arms and hands, which are given their own, separate coat of the metal, followed up by the legs and feet. By the by, that which is betwixt one''s legs are given a thinner coating, and as she held both male and female part, I made sure to apply it by hand. For I was rather curious to know if she felt pleasure from both, and she was, as I noted the male appendage standing at attention as the metal coated it in a spiral pattern. The female portion made her gasp aloud, as a thin rod of metal was inserted into the lips, before flowing outwards to coat them in its entirety. Yes. The others bore witness to this event, but were not privy to the front, as only her bare, backside was in their view. For I would not suffer the fools, if they witnessed the male appendage upon her female body. As such, I made sure they did not come forward, even as her backside was coated in the same metal as the front. During the entirety of this, her teeth had been clenched whilst bare, as it is quite the painful process. For this point is where the metal attaches itself to the outer layer of the skin, and the nerves which are used to feel everything. Thus, it heightens such senses as it slowly eats away at the organ itself. Ah, but are you not wondering why it has not attached itself to her head just yet? It is so, as the process for such a venture can be quite deadly, as the metals must flood into her body. Which means the subjects will begin to suffocate until it is finished completely. However, this will not occur until much later. For now, she was subjected to the skin portion of everything below her neck, as it is all of the metal at hand. Of which was not enough to coat her tail completely, and only seemed to give it a light coat metal bristles. These were still soft, by the by, but gave off the illusion of it being a deadly weapon. As to the rest of her body, it needed to be lifted above the ground, as it shook from the next process. Which was the metal slowly becoming her skin, whilst her arteries were slowly becoming full of liquid metal in place of her blood. This was, of course, very dangerous. As such could kill her once the replacement blood entered her heart. To which I had to use my magicks in order to prevent until her skin was replaced in its entirety. Yes. This also meant I needed more metal, and had to draw upon my Void Space in order to do so, but how? Well, you may be quite surprised, or perhaps not at all, that I had opened a small portal in the remainder of the orb of liquid metal to allow more iron into the streams which were still flowing into Shadow''s body. However, I could not allow the others to know of this, nor the False God above, so I kept the orb the same size as the streams thinned out. For I desired such surprises kept to a minimum, as well as to hide the fact that such an ability is only available to those who survive through the Tutorial World known as Terra. Now, with the added metal to the orb, I was able to continue without much worry, as a full helmet of her exact facial features was made behind Shadow''s head. In which it slowly flowed over her as she was bade to take a deep breath just as it engulfed her nose and mouth. Thus, we entered the more dangerous phase, as I took a more direct approach in controlling the metals which were now flooding into her lungs, heart, and other organs. For you see, my dear audience, this will kill even a god, if one does not micromanage everything down to the most minute detail. As the body must be transformed into one of living metal, if one is to become part of my Undying force. In this case, I needed to make sure the metals within her veins and arteries took on the function of blood. Which meant they needed to be bound to each and every blood''s cellular''s structure in order to achieve this. It also meant that her organs, which were fed such liquid in order to function properly, needed to be able to receive the new mixture. In that they needed to be changed completely in order to do so. Of which it became thusly, as I caused the area around that which was betwixt her legs, as well as her chest, to mold around such things to keep the world from viewing them in their entirety. However, she would need to rest, as the process is quite draining, but when she awakens, the world will welcome something completely new. Even if I have to force them to embrace her transformation. ___________________________ AN2: Next month, I''ll be done with my editing payments on the third. Afterwards comes the process of figuring out how to transfer it all to Amazon, and everything in between. So yeah, expect it to be up between mid July, or around the first week of August. Maybe even sooner. Oh, and the second arc will probably be split into two parts due to how expensive it is, and its length. This one might end up being split into thirds, just depends on how long it takes. A3 Chapter 17 AN: Thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________________ "Boss, what-?" Robby could not finish his query, as each of them stared at Shadow''s new body. For she now had the body like many of my young Undying, as they had to go through this exact process once before. However, even though this process is perfect, it is also not. For you see, my dear audience, this form tends to kill those who are still living, as the mind does not understand how any of this is possible, and tends to over extend its body through various situations. Such as standing in front of a charging Rhino, and believing your added strength will help to stop it, but all it does is slow the creature down whilst its horn is in your abdomen. It also deadens your sensitivity to pain and pleasure. Therefore, you would need to try much harder to obtain such feelings, and this usually ends poorly for any of your partners. On the other hand, dueling with live weapons instead of wooden ones is always entertaining to watch. Especially for the new recruits, as their minds still believe their flesh will easily break and tear when struck with a sword. It is always a joy when they realise they are allowed to break loose and not worry about their sparring partner for such things. That is, until they reach for great axes and warhammers. In any case, I was grinning like a mad man and shouting such nonsense as, "I did it," and "It worked". As to why I continued to spew such nonsense when I knew what to do after many cycles of practice, was to hide the fact that I knew of such a method. "Boss?" called out Robby, who pointed towards Shadow''s metallic form. Of whom was stirring from her spot upon the ground, and gasped awake as a pair of violet orbs danced within the eye sockets. "Wha-?" she began, then stopped as she noted the strange, metallic hand coming towards her face. Only she did not realise it was her own hand, now a clawed hand, and scrambled to flee. "Sit down, Shadow," my voice was full of bemused patience, as my right hand''s middle finger flicked her forehead with a resounding clang of a fingernail striking metal. This action caused her eyes to widen, as they stared down upon her body. "You''ve undergone a transformation where you no longer needed armour. For I''ve taken it under consideration whilst crafting a new set for you to wear. Thus, you''ve become an Iron Wolf Kin, and do not need to fear weapons made of such any longer. "Besides, I think I did a splendid job. Though," my right forefinger drifted between the large lumps on her chest, and the one betwixt her legs, "you''ll be needing to cover those up when they revert back. Don''t want to show off your secret to the world so soon, right Shadow?" My lips parted into a malicious grin as I spoke these words, which only grew when she scrambled for something to wear from the bodies of the dead. "Now then," turning back towards the others, I noted a mixture of emotions ranging from fear to general intrigue, but waved it away, "once Shadow finds something to wear, we''re leaving for the city." "But Boss," spoke up Robby, who was making sure the twins were alright after being under the thorn bush for so long, "Won''t they know what you look like?" "No Robby, as they''ve only seen my Wolfman form, I doubt they''ll look for a Kin with the same coloured fur. However, if it''ll ease your mind, I shall change." Upon speaking these words, the air about my person shimmered as a spell circle with various inscriptions of golden light erupted from beneath my person. This light enveloped my person, causing the whole of my body, save for my face, to brighten with a radiant, whiteness which devoid my body of any features. All the while, my newest underlings bore witness to something slowly drifting up from the earth below. This was a simple garb of a pale, blue robe which seemingly molded itself over my body as though made of liquid. As this occurred, strips of leathers were wrapping themselves about my feet, molding themselves into a pair of non-descript hard leather boots. From here came a gnarled, oak staff which I took up in my right hand just as the white and golden light faded from existence. "B-boss. Y-yo-you''re uh-." "Yes and no, Robby," my voice was old and tired to their ears, but still held the vigor and arrogance of my other form. For I had become an old Human male with long, silvered hair which fell in a great waterfall down to the middle of my backside. Of which was coupled with an equally long, but pointed, beard which drifted to just below my solar plexus. This, coupled with the robe and staff would cause others to see only an old, Human Sage who was in the company of others as he ventured out into the world. "Yes and no," I repeated, "The Enchanter class that I hold is an Illusionist''s greatest dream. For these magicks are able to cause one to be anyone, and any... thing." * It would not be until evening the next turn when we reached the outskirts of a large camp heralding the visage of a ruined city. Whereupon we were bade, quite rudely, to step aside to allow a large column of Humans atop large beasts of burden to gallop past our persons as the journeyed down the road with which we had journeyed upon. To my eyes, at least, it appeared these individuals would be serving as reinforcements to those of whom had escaped after the carnage I had brought upon their troop. Well, it would serve us no good if we were to dawdle upon such thoughts, as I noted an oddly dressed individual approaching our position with the air of someone who had just been made to clean out a week old latrine pit. Yes. This was how this one saw us as in the beginning, but would change his tune soon enough. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. In any case, this one wore something akin to a violet, iron kilt about his waist, and nothing else. For upon the male''s skin was an odd assortment of arcane runes and geometrical shapes and patterns which glowed with an eerie light as my eyes did wash over them. However, only Shiro was able to view such an oddity, for he would bring it up often after such a past us. For now, the male, whose head was covered in these odd runes and shapes, whilst devoid of any form of hair, held up his left hand and ordered us to halt. "Where in the Nine Hells do you think you''re going?" This was spoken in a sneer, whilst his auburn coloured eyes grew lewd as he noticed the Halfling females standing close to my Human body. It appeared to everyone''s eyes that the Human was undressing them with his gaze, to which the twins responded by hiding themselves behind my robed body. This caused the other to narrow his eyes at such a denial of his perceived rights to do as he wished. Of which allowed his right hand to rise up and give a signal to several others with the same outfit and designs upon their skin to approach our location, forming a ring to deny us an escape. "We are going to the city," my voice held a twinge of annoyance, as the Humans made their way to tighten the circle around us. "Not until you hand over everything of value and the two girl-children," grinned a burly male from my immediate right. Of which he then licked his lips as his eyes also undressed the twins. "Ah, and what are you going to do to them?" I knew the answer, but desired to hear it so that their deaths may be justified. For my time upon the first and third worlds we had come across had left my past self with an even greater desire to slaughter those of whom would dare to harm children. However, if I did not have any evidence that they would do, or had done, so would cause quite a ruckus when the local authorities came into play. "Why, we''re going to show them a good time," cackled another to my left, of which was the first to die. For I had grown tired of such a presence, and intoned one of my oldest spells called "Choke". Of which came with a condition when casting such a spell. Such as needing to mimick the act of choking someone with one or all hands available whilst the intoning process began. The action of mine gave way to these strange Humans'' eyes becoming as large as saucers, as the staff in my right hand pointed towards the first to speak, and released a bolt of emerald and crimson coloured lightning. Of which struck through his torso, where the heart resided, killing him instantly as I crushed the neck of the other to my left. The deaths of their companions spurred the others to action, but were cut down almost immediately as Shadow tore into one of the others, staining her new garment of leather and scarlet cloth. Just as she tore into the third victim, kill them almost instantly, did the other kilt wearing Humans begin to shout in alarm. Of which was raised by those nearby, as they rushed to aid them in their need. However, just as these others had appeared in order to assist the odd Humans, they noted only the dead and the living, but not my person and Underlings. For I had cast upon ourselves a simple spell called "Chase the Shadows", of which transports us to the largest item which casts the greatest shadow in perspective of ourselves. In this case, it was a large and ruined farmhouse to the south of the burnt city''s wall. Whereupon I did note the absence of life due to the destruction of the land around us. For it appeared as though someone, or a large group of someone''s, had raided the area before setting ablaze all others so that no one may come to claim it for their own. "Quite the tactic," my voice was barely a mutter, whilst the others did their best to calm the twins, Anna and Shanna, who had to endure such stares. "That was so scary," commented Anna, of whom shivered at the recollection. "I know, right?" piped in Shanna, who hugged her sister and was rewarded with the same gesture as they leaked a few tears from their shut eyes. "Why did they think we were children? Isn''t it obvious we are not?" "If I recall correctly," all eyes, including my own, turned towards Shiro who flinched at the attention, "the only races upon Terra are Demons, Humans, Demi-Humans, and Beastfolk. There might be some elves running around, but everyone believes them to be a rarity. Which is probably why they thought you were children." "Who is ''they''?" I inquired, generally curious about who and what this group was. "Ah, um... Do you know of a place called Earth?" asked Robby, who scratched his neck slowly, as a meat filled sandwich appeared in his right hand. Of whom then tore off a piece to eat, whilst I simply shook my head at both the query and the basket. Swallowing his mouthful, he continued with, "It''s where a lot of us come from, before beginning to live out our lives upon Azzarath or any other world. This is where we get a lot of our stuff from, like knowledge, and other ideas." "It''s also where most of the Humans and new monsters running around the Hub are from, too," chimed in Shiro, who then took a sip of a hot drink from a wooden mug in his hands, "Where are you from?" His eyes, and the eyes of all others held this query within them, but I could not reveal that I was from Terra. For all other worlds did not hold such a name, and I could not let on to the False God that I have come for it once more. Instead, I simply responded with, "I am not from this ''Earth'', if that is what you are asking of my person. However," a small spark of crimson flashed across my eyes, "I would be very interested in learning more about your world." A3 Chapter 18 AN: Tomorrow''s chapter is another NSFW chapter, by the way, and it''s one of abuse that I do NOT condone. I just happen to write about it. In any case, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _____________________________ The Kitsune sighed as if recalling an old thought from his past, as his eyes gazed upon those before his person, "For those of whom do not know, or do not remember, I was originally from the world called Earth." This statement caused many to murmur, in which he held up his left paw in order to forestall any more words, "Yes. I was from this place, but I do not recall it as much as my past self could. This is so, as I do not much care for it. However, there are still a few bits and pieces I can recall even to this day. "One being the world was dying due to over hunting and fishing, as well as the over sapping of recourses. At this time, I''ve heard tell of how the world is no longer inhabitable, and yet the Humans still try to do so. Of course, I had offered to take over the management of such a place, but have been denied solely for the second reason. "Of which is the crime and abuse of others. Yes. Even to this day, they still hold thieves, bandits, and corrupt officials which have all, but been eradicated upon our worlds. For I will not suffer the fools who place their own greed and well being over the masses in which they are to serve. As to the abusers? Yes. There are child abusers there, and they are allowed to do as they please due to a flawed system. "Yes. I would indeed remove such individuals, if I had become the god of that world, and sentence them to a fate far worse than death. Whereas those who are thoroughly corrupted would be forced to work inside one of the Dungeons of Forge for a single lifespan." Upon these words, he sighed once more whilst placing the top of his head upon the back of the throne, "However, there was still beauty within such a place. Such as the few trees which still thrive within such a harsh environment, the art that these Humans come up with, as well as the new tactics for war. "This is all they are capable of doing. War. For they have found a way to enter the void between worlds, and have set their sights upon several worlds which are inhabitable for their species. These Humans," chuckled the Ageless, as his eyes flared a brilliant crimson, "I shall be looking forward to, if they can find our world of Terra." ***** Robby and Shiro were the only ones from the world called "Earth", and spoke of many ideas. From the rampant corruption within their political systems, to the sharing of little joys through confectionary treats. Of which was strange, as I could not taste anything at that time, but held the desire to try after listening to their descriptions. However, when one of them pulled out a small bowl with an odd, thick white substances with berries and oats mixed in, I was perplexed. "What is this white substance?" I asked whilst taking a wooden spoon in order to lift a small portion of it away from the whole. "Ah, that''s yogurt, Boss," called out Robby, who passed the confectionary to the Halflings and Shadow, "It''s made from goat''s milk." "Goat?" my voice was barely a murmur, as I placed a spoonful into my maw, and swirled it around. Of which led to my immediate disappointment, as I could not taste anything. However, I could not let this on, and devoured everything within the bowl, whilst telling the others that I enjoyed it. Sighing mentally, I stood up from my place and paced slowly around our little group. Of which caused the others to simply watched as my Human features furrowed into concentration. For I was wondering how I could taste an item without actually reverting back to life. No. I have never reverted back to a mortal''s depiction of Life, not after speaking with the Ferryman at such length. Ah, which reminds me. The Ferryman of whom I speak of, is the same one which drives the boat upon the River Styx. It is He who leads others to where they will be judged so that they may either suffer an eternity for their collective sins throughout their reincarnated lives. Or, perhaps, they will enjoy a much needed rest before venturing forth to continue onwards throughout the system known as Reincarnation. In any case, one of the conversations we had was of Life, Undeath, and Death. Having Life meant you were subjected to the system known as Death. Of which will lead you to the pier in which he shall take your essences to the place where it will be judged. However, for those of whom had chosen to be an Undead being, such as my past self had, then it will lead to a very different outcome. For example, if one is forced into Undeath, and perishes through the means of others, then the essences will be transported to an area dedicated to the resting of such essences. This was so, as the Ferryman believed such individuals are tortured throughout their time as an Undead creature. Therefore, they are allotted such pleasantries, but must still be judged at the end of the turn. Now, if one were to become an Undead by choice, then that individual will be forced to endure an eternity of Hell for a set amount of time. Of which will add on depending upon the atrocities inflicted by the individual in question. Yes. This also includes the dealings of the being when the achieve godhood. However, it actually increase one hundred fold per act. Which means, my dear audience, that if I were to perish, I would never be allowed to leave the depths of Hell. For I am quite evil in my ways in the eyes of others, even if they are not within my own. In any case, it was time to move on from our position of the burnt farmhouse, and towards the city proper where we would begin towards whomever this new "King" was. Of which was difficult, as the Humans with strange markings whilst wearing an iron kilt were at the entrance searching for someone or something. This meant that they knew our features, which meant we needed to change them. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. For the time being, they each wore a cloak to hide their features, as my magicks flowed over each of them, transforming their persons into male Human-like creatures with bandages wrapped around their heads and limbs. This was to give them the illusion of being badly injured or ill to the point of their needing such wrappings to keep their skin from falling off. "It itches," murmured Shanna, of whom her and her sister was bade to only whisper, as the illusions caused them to be of the height of an average, Human of fifteen cycles old. "Bear with it," my own voice murmured in response, as a collar of leather was placed around each of their necks, along with a silk rope leading to my hand. Of which was used to guide their persons, whilst I carried the basket, towards the queue in front of a large, but badly damaged portcullis where a cadre of Human guards similar to the ones I had killed some time ago. Yes. There was a kilt wearing Human there within the cadre, of whom stared at each individual who passed through the inspection. This inspection, by the by, was one where the guards stole much from those entering, and harassed each female who passed through. Even going so far as to laugh, as their fronts were exposed to the world, whilst many licked their lips in response as a few of their underlings tailed their victims so that they may "visit" them later. Yes. Such things would need to be addressed at a later time, and this illusion cast upon the group was used to keep the twins and Shadow from having to endure such torments. Our turn soon came upon us, to which the kilt wearing Human growled something about my person being the one who killed his companions. Of which caused the others to unsheathe their weapons as they advanced upon my position. "Remove your hood," commanded one of the males who wore a red cape over his right shoulder whilst pointing his sword at my chest. "Of course," I spoke slowly, my voice quivering from a perceived old age with a twinge of fear. My left hand, which also held the basket, slowly pushed back the hood atop my head in order to reveal a pair of twitching, round nubs atop my head. These were none other than a bear''s ears, which led to my person needing to revel the side of my head where a pair of Humans'' ears might be. To which they found none, and caused the one wearing the kilt to grow agitated. Especially when it was revealed that those with my person were each a heavily bandaged male. "You really shouldn''t touch them," my voice, old and haggard, called out to a pair of armoured individuals, "They have Leprosy, you see, and-" "Lepers?" cried out several voices, including the one with the odd markings upon his exposed skin. This revelation caused them to leap back, whilst I pulled on the leash leading to Shadow, as she desired to lash out against those who moved so suddenly. "Calm down, my dears," my voice became soothing, as I lightly pat each of their heads, "The Humans meant nothing by their actions. They were just surprised, right?" My own eyes drifted over each of them, to which they responded with quick nods as they rubbed their hands against the sides of their iron or leathers. "Be sure to burn those leathers, alright? Don''t want you to catch their illness and have your own limbs start falling off. "Though," my eyes glimmered with an eerie light as a thought passed through my mind, "the first to come off is something you always touch often." The gaze from my sight drifted slowly downwards, to briefly pause upon that which was betwixt their legs, before snapping back into their own. Whereupon I did grin quite evilly as nearly all took heart to my words, as their eyes widened greatly, whilst a runner was sent off to find a healer to detoxify their bodies of any chance the disease might be upon their persons. Of course, such a thing was not possible, but it was enjoyable to witness such an occurrence. For I smirked lightly, whilst another approached my person with great disdain, "We-we can-not ha-have the-them in h-h-here," he began, shaking greatly at having pulled the short straw in order to tell my person such words. "Oh?" My right eyebrow was raised as I slowly turned towards the male, "My boy, I am an Apothecary, and require servants to handle very dangerous ingredients. Many of which can cause great burns and even death. This requires those who are willing to undergo such risks, and who better than Lepers? They do not have much to lose, and everything to gain. For I am very close to coming up with a cure for their disease." My upper body leaned closer towards the very uncomfortable male, who slowly backed away with his hands raised high as though to ward off my body, "Are you going to deny me the right to pursue my goal, when my equipment is in the city? What if you gain such a disease, and know the cure was close to being completed, but you barred the only person who had all the research for such a thing from completing it?" "Okay, okay," cried out the Human, who pleaded towards his commanding officers for a release from being near our persons. Of whom relented, and would have sent someone to escort our persons, if it weren''t for the lack of volunteers. "Don''t worry," I waved my left hand, still holding the basket, "Our home is close by, but away from everyone else. So no need to worry about an epidemic, or anything." With that, we left the area, and entered one of the city''s alleyways. Whereupon I did cast a spell of invisibility upon our persons whilst I removed the illusion spells which caused them to appear as though they were Lepers. _________________________ AN2: Anyone catch the foreshadowing bit in the chapter? It''s around the bit with the Kitsune, but won''t pop up until the end of the ''Children of Terra'' arc, and THAT one won''t pop up until after the ''Sins of The Abyss'' and ''The Family'' arcs are completed. I like making plans for the future. :D A3 Chapter 19 (NSFW) AN: Another NSFW chapter for you guys, and one I definitely do NOT condone under ANY circumstance. For I dislike it immensely, but won''t avoid it entirely when writing. In any case, I''m almost done writing this segment of the story, and will be soon writing about our MC''s meeting with Roj and the Tribunal. So, if you have any suggestions on how they are to die, let me know, and do not hold anything back. I revel in the darkness of my mind, and as long as we do not act upon it outside this story, I don''t see why you all shouldn''t either. ___________________________ "Leprosy, Boss?" inquired Robby, of whom was not alone as the illusions faded away. My own, as an elder also melted off my body, revealing my Wolf-kin self. However, I wore a pair of crimson trousers, which stood out considerably. "Do not fret about such things," my voice rumbled soothingly, as they removed the leather collars. Though, the twins kept it on as they giggled and barked at one another. It was, for lack of a better word, odd, "Someone has already cured the disease, so I took a ''stab in the dark'', as many Humans would say. It is a pity they still have it here." Yes. Leprosy, Scarlet Fever, and so many other diseases have been cured by my servants. These were then given over to Azazel who was to spread such knowledge throughout all of her Pantheon''s worlds. It truly was a pity that this world still had many who were fearful of such a thing, as it was nary a decade since the cures were spread. In any case, I would be given one more chore to Rojaahn once we''ve reestablished our control over the world. "Come along," my left arm waved towards the others, grabbing their attentions as I continued to hold onto the basket, "We must not tarry for long, as I expect someone will be searching for our presence soon enough." Yes. We would need to find shelter, and I believed I knew where to look. Of which happened to be an orphanage for children, but the trick was traversing the area, and finding such a place. For the city was a burnt husk full of rotting bodies and dried, congealed blood upon the stone walkways. Every now and again, my mind would be forcibly calmed down, as the silvered orbs in my head flared a brilliant scarlet. This was so, as we passed by several piles of bodies, each containing at least one visible child''s within or on top. For you see, I had attained the right to become a God of something after my time upon Al''nuul, and chose to be of Children and Families. Thus, I needed to steel myself against the deaths of such beings, as I would reveal much if I were to begin the task of resurrecting them. Or, more importantly, if I were to begin my rampage whilst my mind fell into the pits of Madness. We left the streets soon after it became apparent that there would be more bodies down the way, and entered the back alleys which were a little more pleasant. In that there weren''t any bodies, but we did have to be wary of any falling structures, as the path held burnt buildings on either side. Many of which appeared to be nearing collapse, and a few had walls which fell apart upon a single touch. After a time of traipsing through the alleyways, we came upon a scene which caused my non-existent blood to boil. For there was a male Human atop a small female who was crying as the other grunted from betwixt her legs. It appeared to my eyes that the male had enclosed much of her face in order to keep her from screaming. Of which came upon her own, who stared back with a plea for help. It was at this moment that I gave in a little to the Madness which plagues all Undead, as a mass of inking, black tendrils erupted from my backside in order to lash out at the world. Of which caused my new servants to jump back so as to not become a victim to such a thing. For whatever these tendrils touched, that item seemed to disintegrate to dust within mere moments. However, instead of allowing said Madness to completely take over, my mind grasped hold of the added strength to my energies, and sent it towards the oblivious male. Whereupon he did howl with pain as the tendrils pierced his back, and wrapped around his spine and ribs whilst being hoisted high into the air. "Shiro," my voice was soft, but full of a rage which was barely contained, "Take the child. Heal her, whilst I take care of the trash." No. I did not witness such happenings between Shiro, the child, and the others, as they took her a ways away from my person. What I did witness, however, was the fact that my new captive was a bulbous male with more fat and skin than anything else. Plus, he was quite nude, and had a stiff member which was coated in fluid and blood. Of which meant that this was rape, and he would suffer for his actions against a child. "Death is too good for one such as you," my voice became ominous, as my magicks took hold of the other''s mind, giving him a glimpse as to what I truly was. A Monster. Yes. I had embraced such a title after being called one for so long. Which was the truth, of course, even though I did not have any qualms with killing for the sake of advancing my personal goals, others seemed more inclined to believe my person to be a monster for doing so. In any case, this male that I had hold of bore witness to my true self, my skeletal self, of whom then roared a silent roar towards the other. Who then leaked from his now limp member quite pitifully, before screaming from a terrible pain. For several tendrils had each wrapped themselves around the member''s length, and slowly pulled it towards the ground. Whereupon an illusion of a great maw with many dozens of teeth opened wide in order to receive such an offering. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. "Please," blubbered the male, "Please don''t." "You have made your bed, Human, now lay in it and suffer." My eyes flared a baleful crimson, as the other''s member was torn off with a sickening sound of flesh being torn as though it were nothing more than wet papyrus. This was then dropped into the illusory maw, of which gave off the sounds of sharpened teeth tearing into a haunch of meat. The individual''s blood was pouring forth from such a wound and into said maw, whereupon it gave off many sounds of slurping and lapping up a liquid. All the while the tendrils within his back slowly pushed themselves inwards, corrupting and eating its way until it shoved its way out of the chest and abdomen. This caused him to scream as though he were naught, but a child too frightened by a hungry predator stalking towards them. "Death is too good for you, Human. So suffer for eternity," my voice howled as the other''s rose in octave, as a thin tendril struck the centre of his forehead, causing all noises to cease as his eyes became blank. Of which the whole scene before us seemed to blink, leaving the male to slump over his position where he was performing the act of violating a young female. Whereas all others simply gawked at both the scene and my person as I turned around with a, "Harrumph." "B-boss?" began Robby, whose legs quivered in fright. "Wha-?" "As I told you all before, I am an Enchanter, and we are the masters of Illusion. Therefore, all of this," my right arm waved at the naked Human, "was simply an illusion. If your mind is stronger than my own, then you''ll have some resistance to it. "But tell me, what of the child?" My attention drifted towards the child, of whom was also in the nude, but was squirming as Shiro plied his Shamanic magicks upon her body whilst not touching her. He even appeared quite uncomfortable through the whole ordeal, as though the touching of a child was disgusting, or something like it. Yes. It was a child, and a Kin for that matter, as the evidence of a little cotton ball above her rear was evidence of such a thing, even if it was scorched and scarred from recent events. What is more, there was several trails of drying blood along the insides of her thighs, whilst that which was betwixt her legs was inflamed due to such an event between her body and the now unresponsive male. Such a thing would need to be addressed, but I have always left it to my female Undying. For I was loathe to be near such a thing as a female''s crotch, especially when they are of a young age. No. It was not as though such a thing frightened my person, on the contrary, I simply found it uncomfortable to be around. To be honest, such a topic is one I could not, and cannot explain correctly. So let us say I immensely dislike being around naked children. In any case, the child would need clothing, and there was none to be had. Not to mention my underlings, though a couple offered to share their own, had dirtied clothing. Which left my person to provide such a thing, and decided to use my illusory magicks to cause the child to have a simple dress with a floral design around the edges and sides. This action caused her eyes to widen, as she spun around whilst I took a closer look at her features. For it appeared to my person that she was a Rabbit-kin, and yet she was missing the ears which was supposed to be atop her head. Instead, she had the two buck-teeth of a rabbit, the tail, nose, and whiskers. What is more, she had the ears of a Human, as her short-cropped hair of dirtied blonde was evident. As to the rest of her facial features, they were small and adorable as any child''s would be. Of which included a pair of large, though swollen, eyes of silver which was hued with several varieties of blues. Quite strange, to be sure. "Where is your family, young one?" My voice was soothing, as I plied my energies to the words. For I desired to keep her calm, which would not be so, after what she bore witness to and being subjected to such a torment. However, it appeared to my eyes that she held a much stronger will than others I have met. In that she calmed down from messing with the dress I cast upon her body, and stared into my own silvered orbs, "Dead." This simple statement would cause other children to cry over such a thing, but her mind appeared to be quite resilient. That, or after witnessing and experiencing such horrors, her mind was now dead due to the trauma. Well, no matter. For I simply pat her head, asking, "Do you know where the nearest orphanage is?" To this, she nodded, and looked about ready to point in an unknown direction, when she remembered where we were. "Um," she began, not sure where to begin. "Come along," my right hand was held out towards her person, as my and Shadow''s ears twitched towards the sounds of running feet, "We must leave this place before the others come." A3 Chapter 20 AN: Now for a different perspective in the story. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _________________________________ A little east and north of the city proper stood a castle of scorched stone and broken ramparts. All about the walls and courtyard was a celebration like none other. For a new King had been crowned to replace the old one, where he gave many promises and speeches of what is to come. Therefore, they had followed his person and struck down the other and his ilk. However, the war was not over, as the old King still had a Prince that needed to be killed off before this new one was allowed to sit more comfortably upon the ruined and bloodied throne in which he now sat upon. This new King had dark, brown hair with golden eyes that glittered as though they were a pair of coins in the torchlight. His facial features were as sharp as his mind, and came with a beak-like nose and a pointed chin. Perhaps some ancestor of his was part Avian, as he resembled a bird many a time. As to his clothing, they were of a common soldier''s wear. What with the standard leathers and chainmail tunic worn over such a thing would make anyone believe it was a simple recruit too drunk from the liquor and revelry of the party who sat upon such a thing. However, this one wore an iron circlet with a single large spike running from the centre of his forehead, stretching itself over the top of his head, and connecting to the back of said circlet. This was actually the crown the old King had worn, as he believed to be more of a civil servant rather than a monarch. Therefore, he made sure to live humbly, even if the rest of the castle was with lavish decorum. In any case, this person who sat upon the throne was named Salazar Hadim, and was a first cousin to the late family. As to why he desired the throne? He believed the family to be far too weak, as they had abstained from joining with the other Human kingdoms in their fight against the Demon Lord and their armies. Of which had been amassing to the west for some time now, and after giving several instances of evidences towards this growing army, the old family had the gall to suggest a peace treaty with the Demons. Of which had already been scheduled in secret, but was found out by the new King. Which then led to this war with many of the family dead, and a prince rallying together an army of sorts. However, he and his spies had little to go on when it came to the location of such a place. Thus, the moment after he was crowned his first order was to find out where the last of the family had gone. Of which led to several stragglers being caught and executed, their heads offered to Salazar before he had them placed upon pikes to adorn the main gate''s portcullis. At this time, however, he was lazily sitting upon the throne with a leg over the right arm rest, as he leafed through a stack of parchment detailing the expenditure of the army he had led. Of which was a simple thing, as there was a mass of treasure sitting in the vaults below, which was able to pay for the expenses of the army and the rebuilding of the city thrice over. However, this task was given over to the Magister, of whom was deemed missing at this time. "He''s probably performing one of his sickening rituals somewhere in the city below," grumbled a voice before the new monarch. Of whom was a Bear Beastman with shadowed-grey fur, and wore a simple, bronze breastplate which covered the whole of his chest and back, "He''ll be found soon enough, just follow the screams of a child or three." Yes. They knew of this Magister''s sickening habits towards children, especially girl-children. It was unfortunate for them, as he was the only one capable of handling the mathematics of such a large scale as this. If they found someone equally competent, then this one would be placed in the other''s position, whereas the former would be charged for such crimes against a multitude of children. Then he would tried, found guilty, and executed by having his body strapped naked to a tree where his crotch would be exposed to the world as honey and cream were forced down his throat and upon the body. This would then attract flies, bears, and other hungry scavengers that would be glad to have such a sweet treat. "In any case," spoke Salazar, who sighed as he set the parchment off to the left, where a table full of other stacks were found, "once he is found, place him in a small room until he is finished with-" "My Lord," cried out a new voice, of whom was of a common soldier in the same leathers and chainmail as he, but was wearing a leather cap and carrying a short pike and shield. This one then approached and fell to one knee with the weapons and shield lying down upon the ground, "We''ve found him, my Lord, we''ve found the Magister." "Well, there you go, Salazar," grumbled the Beastman once more, "They''ve probably found him due to a child''s screaming. Right?" The next action left them stunned, as the soldier shook his head quickly, almost losing the cap entirely, "No, my Lord Biron, the Magister''s screaming is what caused us to find him." "What?" roared the new King, of whom jumped to his feet with a glare towards the other, "Explain." "It''s best to show you, Lord Salazar," spoke yet another new voice, of whom was a young female with dark hair and luminous, green eyes. She wore a snow-white, silk robe and carried a staff of jet-black wood which was just as tall as she was, "Magister Hadu is in the infirmary, and we of the Medic Corps request the presence of our newly appointed King." Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. "Show me," growled the other, "Show me what happened to our Magister." "Then, if you would?" she directed the King and his Beastman towards a room a floor above their persons, and towards the guard barracks. Once they arrived, they noted the room was heavily scented with expensive perfumes and incense to ward off the smells of the outside world, as well as the patients under the care of this "Medic Corps". This area was once for the servants of the castle, which many are still residences of, but had been dwindled down to a skeleton crew, as the fighting a few turns earlier had killed off most of their number. The rest, on the other hand, were heavily watched from the rest of the army. This was so, as a few had already tried to poison many of the higher ups, which caused more than half to be executed whilst the rest were too scared to do much of anything. The room they entered was common within the castle; bare stone with nary a decoration about the walls and floor. There was, however, a few drawings near the doorway, which gave rise to the belief that this area once had children bored enough to draw upon the stone. Though, there was evidence of its removal, the drawing was still there, which depicted of a few individuals with a house inside a forest. Near the house was a large rock which looked to be in the shape of a sword. Yes. Many would believe the rock was a simple sword, but to those of whom had ventured into the forest behind the castle would know that there is a cabin with a large boulder near it. Upon the northern face of said boulder, carved into its surface, was a common short sword. Of course, Salazar knew of such a place, as he and the eldest daughter of the later monarch once journeyed to such a place with a few others. Where they used the location as a hunting lodge, as they ventured forth to hunt game and the like. What is more, this was the first place he and Lord Biron went to after the destruction of the city, and found the daughter he had hunted with. Whereupon he did rape her repeatedly throughout the night, even letting his close companion have a turn or three. Once the dawn came, however, they did slit her throat and hung her body against a low hanging branch for scavengers to come and feast upon her body. Now, however, the new King was bade to come forward towards a bed in the centre of the room so that he may witness what had occurred with his Magister. Of which he noted that the Human was naked, and that his limp member was coated in a thin layer of dried blood. What is more, even though he was breathing, he was rather unresponsive. This led to the female who had bade him to follow her person to direct Salazar''s gaze towards the Magister''s eyes. Whereupon his own grew wide with shock, as the one before him had the face and eyes of fear after witnessing something horrific. "How is this possible?" he asked, not at all sure what was occurring at this time. To which the female shrugged, "We do not know, King Salazar, but by all rights he should be dead." "What do you mean?" inquired the now curious Beastman called Lord Biron. "When you are this frightened," she pointed towards the Magister''s eyes, "your body tends to seize up to the point where every muscle in your body is frozen. Not to mention the amount of stress within your body would lead to your heart''s speed to increase. This would then lead to palpitations, if you''ve not calmed down by then, then hyperventilation, and finally death. "This?" she points towards the large body atop the bed, "This I do not know. For it is something I''ve never heard of." "What do you mean, woman?" growled the new monarch, of whom was not at all amused by the avoidance of the question. To which she sighed and gestured once more towards the other, "Someone laid a heavy curse upon your Magister, sirs. One that, even if dispelled, would lead to his death. However, the curse is keeping him alive, and is doing something to his mind to keep him in a constant terror." "Is there a way to remove it?" Her head shook from side to side slowly, "No, as we''ve tried everything within our power to do so" she paused after this, as though an odd thought danced teasingly in front of her person, "It is as though God had come down and given such a curse to one such as he. For it contains something divine within its structure. Which is quite odd, as the Church was reported to have fled from the city a day before the attack commenced." "So you''re telling us someone from the Church cursed our Magister?" Both Lord Biron and Salazar growled at this revelation, as they turned away from the female in order to stare down upon the body of the magister with anger and pity. Of which caused the other to speak up once more, "No, King Salazar, that is not what I am saying." The pair then turned back towards her, their eyes glimmering with confusion as she continued with, "I believe whoever did this to him had some sort of divine help, and whoever it is, is very dangerous. In that he, or she, could either be a wondrous ally, or a terrible enemy which will make you wish you were never born." A3 Chapter 21 AN: Looks like I''ll be making this one a whole lot longer, and there might even be a separate book to come out from this one. Such as a large collection of short stories from the perspectives of the armies branched off from the Black Parade, as well as the inhabitants of the worlds. Well, there''ll be some perspective changes in that regard, anyways. If there is a book to come from it, then it''ll be after ''The Family'' and ''The Sins of The Abyss'' arcs are out, but before ''The Children of Terra''. Should be fun. :D As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________________ "What the hell?" howled the False God of Terra, who stared at one of the screens as a biscuit fell from his fingertips to the ground below, "I leave for only a few minutes, and come back to find the Magister in a coma? This is not part of the script! He''s supposed to die!" Ah, for those of whom do not remember, or have never learned, our world of Terra used to be a Tutorial World for those upon Azzarath to become used to the dealings of being transported to various worlds. In this world, everyone is given the freedom of choice, save for those who live upon the world. The only exception is when one accepts a quest of some sort, and are hence forth compelled to complete it so that they may leave the world for others. Those of whom were a part of our world had to follow a script, of sorts. In that, the False God had inputted a design into the system for everyone to follow. If one was to die, then they would die, live to live, run to run, etc. However, there are exceptions to the rule. Such as a summoned being who had not accepted a quest who altered the system for this or that. In this instance, the Magister was supposed to die by the party who comes upon him. For the Human was to become so full of lust and desire, he would try to attack everyone until he satisfied himself upon the child in question. Of whom was also destined to die due to her injuries. However, she was saved by my person and kept alive through my various magicks whilst the other was sent into a hellish nightmare from the curse I had cast upon his body. Thus, defying the system in its entirety, which then caused something to go wrong, and accept the new changes. "Why is this happening?" the False God whined over the ruination of his script, "What''s going on?" The fingers of his right, gauntleted hand swiped to the right of the screen, which caused his brows to furrow with concentration. For something was denying him from doing such a thing, of which would allow his eyes to view what had happened to cause such a scenario. "Why the hell aren''t you letting me view any of this? I am your God, and you are to listen to me!" Of course, the screen still denied him his right to view such a thing, whilst unbeknownst to him, a small girl-child giggled within the outskirts of his little realm. One of whom grinned in a demented manner, as a smaller screen appeared in her hands. This gave her unrestricted access to the movements and dealings of an odd Wolf-kin and his companions as they entered a ruined building which was occupied by a scarred, old Human caring for a score of various children of multiple ages. These were huddled around each other for warmth, whilst the new group slowly pulled out small foods and drinks for all present. This then led to the score of children to crowd around their persons, as they stared up with hungry eyes and maws as though they were baby birds about to be fed by their mother who had found a large, fat worm. To this, the girl-child giggled once more, whispering, "Good. Good." ***** "I thank you for allow us to stay under your roof," my hands were cupped as I bowed to this old Human, of who was considerably flustered as I did so. For I had done much over the last turn, and it was he who was indebted towards our persons. In this, he would hobble around whilst watching Shadow help remove large beams and fallen debris from their home, to the Halfling twins playing with a few more adventurous or trusting children. As well as to Robby and Shiro who passed out foods and treats from the basket which I had carried with us since the incident with Jenny. Yes. All of this was observed by the old Human, of whom was distrusting after stories of someone called a "Magister" had appeared and was abducting children left and right. These children would later appear somewhere in the city''s back alleys, dead or near death with much blood drying upon their legs. Of course, such a thing was given over to the new guards for their newly crowned King to address, but it never was. In fact, those who came to the gates to complain about such a thing were turned away with a sneer or with sorrow, for they could do nothing about it. Now? Now the old Human was told of someone large and bulbous who had attacked the girl-child they had rescued, of whom was called Sherry, was now in a state worse than death. "Good," grumbled a tired voice from the Human before my person, "I hope to God they suffer for their actions in the next life." "My dear Human," I began, as I directed himself to a seat near an empty fireplace, "When I spoke of how this one was in a state worse than death, I meant that he is still alive, whilst wishing otherwise." "What do you mean?" he asked with a groan as his legs popped from the bending motions needed to sit in the chair. Whereas I simply called out to Shadow to bring over a few beams of fallen wood she was not using. Once brought over, I used my strength to rip a few of the broken ends off and tossed them into the fireplace. Whereupon I did ignite them with a single intonement of, "<>." This caused the elder to jump with a squawk, which the others heard and rushed over to witness the fire burning brightly. "What I mean is, my dear sir, is that this ''Magister'', or whatever he may be, is suffering whilst still alive. I made sure of that." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.* Another turn had passed, and during this time, I had grown fond of a few children. Not in the sense of desiring abuse towards their person, but of general enjoyment. For these few, which numbered in three, were Kobold children and had decided that my lap was more comfortable than their own bed. Yes. Such individuals had caused my mind to calm, as I simply watched their small forms sleep with nary a nightmare which the others had claimed to have been afflicted with. For you see, my dear audience, I had once adopted a pair of Kobold Children so long ago. Of whom were called Igne Comas and Puer Veneni. This pair were quite demanding of my person, to which I gave into their demands many a time, which was transferred over to these ones quite readily. In that they used my lap as their bed, or gnawed and suckled on my fingers until a bottle of milk was prepared for their persons by the basket. Of which was going to stay with the old Human and the children, as their need was far greater than our own. To this, only Robby and Shiro complained, whereas the females of our group were in full favour of leaving such a gift with them. This was so, as they believed their motherly instincts called out to these children in their time of need. "Just look at them," spoke Anna, whose sister nodded to each of her words whilst the former shook the basket at them, "They''re starving children who need this more than us." "Besides," chimed in Shadow, whose metallic skin gleamed in the firelight, "We can always find more food in the forest nearby if necessary, or purchase it from the broken marketplace the old one took Anna and Shanna to yesterday." "Yeah, but," whined Robby, "where else are we gonna get yogurt or a parfait from?" "Isn''t there one in Azza-" began Shiro, but stopped when he noted the glare from Robby''s eyes. "There, you see?" pointed Shanna, "You can get your snacks and stuff when we get back home. For now, the children will be taking the basket. So stop complaining." "Boss," he turned towards my person whilst two of the Kobold pups were suckling on a strange, soft cap over a bottle of milk that they were drinking from. The third, on the other hand, had already finished its bottle, and was happily playing with my tail as it danced around its own body. "I will not be helping you in this, Robby," my voice gently shook the air between us, "These children have a greater need than us, and I will not suffer those who are foolish enough to say otherwise." Thus came the end of the debate, for I had spoken against the males who desired to keep the item which had given these children the joys of such a thing as good food. Ah, but during this debate, someone new had entered the scene, of which held a regal livery over chainmail. This individual was a standard guard from the castle, and came to purchase a child to see if having one of them naked near someone who was ill would help cure them of said illness. No. This one did not choose to hide such a thing from the elder, of whom had stood between this person and a few cowering children who were now mewing pitifully in fright. This caused my ears to stand up straight and my eyes to widen, as I ordered Shadow to protect the children near us whilst the Kobolds were handed over to Shanna and Anna. Of whom quickly handled the three with awkwardness, and I would have admonished their persons for such actions. However, I had a strange feeling in my gut, as the saying went, and slowly moved my way towards the area with the elder and this other. Of whom I noted was indeed a guard of some sort, and was staring upon a few of the young males with eyes of a hungry predator. This caused my left eyelid to twitch with anger, as such beings were to be killed upon noticed, but I held back. For I did not want others to take notice of my strength so soon. "Oh?" called out a few voices from the entryway, of whom also wore the same livery as the one before the old Human, "It seems there is already a warm meal just waiting to be eaten." This statement confused my mind, and desired to know what they meant by this. To which the group simply laughed uproariously at my naivety until one spoke up, "Come with us, and we''ll show you a grand ol'' time, my dear boy." However, I would not, and simply stood next to the old Human. Of whom placed his left hand atop my shoulder to steady himself, as a cane was in the hands of the one before him. This one did not seem at all amused, and ordered the others to enter and simply take the children behind our persons to give to the Magister. "Oh? Did he recover already?" My words were full of bemusement at the thought of the bulbous Human somehow managing to free himself from the illusory curse I had placed upon his mind. One of which, if not taken care of properly, will leave the victim in either a vegetable-like state, or dead. Upon these words, the one holding the wooden cane paused for a moment to stare upon my now grinning features, and began ordering all of them to arrest my person. "He''s the one who did that to our Magister! Get him!" Of course, the scene was of foolishness, for they did not know my strength. However, one of them had thrown a knife at my person, to which I stepped to the side, but stopped as my eyes widened when I remembered what was behind my person. Yes. I made a mistake, and a child died because of it. To which I noted as I slowly turned around to witness a boy-child of the Human race falling over with the blade securely in his right eye socket. Of which caused an audible cracking noise to resound throughout the world in its entirety. For upon my body was a lightning shaped line running down its centre. This then pulsed with a baleful crimson light, as the Madness within all Undead took root once more. A3 Chapter 22 AN: For the next one and a half chapters, it''ll be in a third person format with only one of them realising where they are. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________________________ "What''s going on?" cried out the False God, whose screens had become black the moment the strange Wolf-kin''s form began to glow a dangerous red. Of which also cracked many of the screens which were used to watch the world below. "Why can''t I see anything?" He was frustrated beyond belief, as the scene which he so desired to view was denied. For he had rewritten his little "script" so that there would be a confrontation between a few guards and the group inside the rundown orphanage. One which would lead to nearly half of the children either taken away, or killed off, and this God desired to witness their reactions to it. Now? Now the screens were black, with a few of them cracked, and nothing could be done to restore the images. "By the Abyss," he grumbled softly, slouching against his throne, "What the hell is going on down there?" Meanwhile, upon the edge of his domain sat a silver-haired girl-child who held onto a small screen which held the image of the Wolf-kin. Of whom was howling at the death of the Human boy-child. This caused the others, Shiro, Anna, Shanna, Robby, and Shadow to mimic this howl of great sorrow and anguish. Which was then echoed by those of whom were of the canine race. Whereupon they continued as their leader, boss, and master grew as lines of crimson ran throughout his Wolf-kin self. Until, at last, his flesh was torn away to reveal a great and terrible being. This being was monstrous, and broke through the roof of the orphanage, causing debris to fall all around his person. Although those with the livery ran away from the scene in fear as the building fell about their persons, the children and elder were protected by a luminous shield of gold. This, not the monster, nor the fact that the building was falling around their persons, frightened them immensely. ''What could this thing want of us?'' Those of whom who held greater intelligence wondered, ''Why did it save us?'' These questions, and more, were left unanswered, as the skeletal creature swiftly grew larger, whilst a bone-like tail erupted from its backside, and an extra pair of arms appeared beneath its primary pair. Whereas is own skull slowly grow horns atop itself in the shape of a crown, as its facial features resembled the culmination between a dragon and a Human. After such a transformation, the silver-haired girl grinned maniacally, revealing a pair of sharpened teeth as she watched this monster howl with an unearthly voice. To which summoned up a multitude of portals full of shadows and lightnings of crimson hues. "Come to me," it roared with an ominous voice that shook the world in its entirety, "Come. To. Me." Slowly, figures both great and small stepped through the portals which stood open to their persons. These were of iron skeletons of every race imaginable, of Dwarves in golden armour, of Demons full of shadowed mists, and female Kitsunes, fully clothed in leather armours, wielding both spears and whips. "Stand up, O ye Sons of Hephaestus," its voice thundered throughout the land, "Let the anvils ring high and the drums of battle begin. Tonight, O Sons of the Blacksmith God, let us bathe in the blood of our enemies, for tonight we march to war." These words caused the Dwarves to howl with glee, as their golden armours radiated greatly as though miniature suns, whereas the others simply looked on towards this being that had summoned them, as the iron skeletal shapes quickly ushered the elder and his charges through the portals. Whereupon other beings would bring them to those of whom would take care of their persons henceforth. "Awaken. Awaken," its voice rumbled greatly, causing many within the city to finally take note of the giant creature in their midst, as those within the castle dashed towards the broken ramparts to stare upon that which had appeared so suddenly, "Ye who art of Shadows and Darkness. Ye who art descendants of Beelzebub, High God of Gluttony. Ready now thine plates of gilded silver, for the Feast of Souls is upon thee." The little girl-child fell over upon her back, giggling incessantly as her feet kicked the air before her person. "So good," she crowed happily as the Demons gathered before the hulking skeleton raised up their spears and pikes in a joyous resounding cry. "What of the Foxes?" To this query, the creature turned his gaze upon those of whom were Kitsunes decked out in leathers and held whips and spears. "To you, I give my greetings to the daughters of Hua-yang, of Tamamo-no-mae," it spoke slowly, pressing its primary, right foreclaw to where its maw would have been located, then rested it upon the left side of its ribs, before bowing slightly. "You are here upon my selfish request," it continued, standing tall once more, "to do battle against those of whom had slighted my person. For this, I thank thee, and call upon Her name once more. O Hua-yang, Tamamo-no-mae, the Golden Fox of Nine Tails. I beseech thee now to grace your daughters with thy presence, and grant unto them the wisdom of thine own heart and mind. So that they may fight as thy true daughters once more." Upon these words, a golden light fell from the heavens above, showering the bodies of these Kitsunes, and transforming their bodies into three tailed, golden Foxwomen. Of whom cried out with glee, as they ran around each other to observe their own transformations. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. "Come, ye who have answered my call. Come, and do battle once more. For these are Humans, Beastmen, and Kin, and they are each child abusers or enablers of such abuse. Therefore," the creature''s voice thundered around them, shaking the world as clouds of complete darkness rolled in from all directions. Whereas that which stood higher above them all, had its eyes flare with rage and sorrow, as the Madness in which afflicts all Undead took hold of its mind. This caused the flaring of its eyes to bathe the world before it with the colour of blood, which many who were not cowering inside their homes believed to be thusly. For this coloured light stayed upon their person and clothing even as it drifted elsewhere. "Therefore," the world, once more, shook around their persons, "they must all be purged." ***** "What the hell is that thing?" cried out one of the soldiers in standard leather and chainmail, of who pointed towards a monstrous, skeletal creature as it roared and spoke in several languages they''ve never heard of. "Get to your positions," called out Lord Biron, whose body was decked out in full iron platemail, and stalked along the broken ramparts which were sorely in need of repair, "Whatever that thing is, it''ll be upon us shortly. Therefore, you must be ready to fight, else it''ll tear us all apart." No. His words were not encouraging, but they were the truth. For just as he finished speaking, did the hulking mass of a giant turned towards their persons, bathing their bodies in a light of crimson which would never leave their persons. This was so, as its attention turned away from them and towards the camp outside. Of which had flung a few boulders at it in the hopes of distracting the creature long enough for everyone else to either mount a rescue for themselves, or flee. These ones did not have any hope of winning, no, but they had been ordered by those sober enough, and loyal to King Salazar, to amount something of a distraction for their King to flee. Thus, many came up with the catapults and trebuchets which had not been torn apart just yet. Of course, moving such large ammunitions was a daunting task, but they managed enough to fling a few smaller missiles towards the creature. "Hah," cried out the Bear Beastman, who slapped the battlements with his right, clawed hand with joy, as the skeleton lumbered towards the camp, "See, everyone? This means the creature is an idiot, and will only attack those who attack-" "Who''s an idiot?" asked an iron-skeletal Humanoid, of who was floating before their person with a robe of white about its body. Whilst in its right primary, clawed hand was a staff of bone with a Human skull adorning the top, and in its left was a large sword which glowed with an eerie, blue light. "I believe the rug called our Lord High God an idiot, My Lord Brutus," chimed in another iron skeleton, of whom had the appearance of a Wolfman, but was in fact a female. However, this one was not wearing anything, and simply stretched her skeletal arms towards the endarkened sky above. As to her position? Well, she was currently standing atop the ruined bodies of four soldiers to the immediate right of the Beastman. "I kind of figured that, Lady Sia, as it was a rhetorical query," spoke the one called Brutus, who then pointed his staff of bone towards the one called Lord Biron, "Our Lord God does not wish for any survivors. You understand, right?" To which he cackled madly, as the skull atop his staff unhinged its jaw. Which then released a spray of violet liquid upon their persons, whilst those afflicted with such shielded their faces against such a spray. "You sure that''ll do the trick?" asked the one called Sia, as she jumped down towards the courtyard, eager to begin her own rampage. "Of course it will," called out Brutus, who waved a clawed hand over those of whom were doused, and watched as they lit up in emerald flames. All the while, the victims screamed an unearthly scream, as the flames ignored their flesh, and delved deep inside their bodies to eat away at that which was called a "Soul", "After all, Rojaahn and our Lord God were the ones who developed such a substance after the third or fourth Concerto dei Dannati was performed." Within moments of their words, did these victims of the robed skeleton fall over as the flames winked out, causing their bodies to be devoid of all life. Whereas he did call upon his own magicks, which summoned a small horde of ghostly skeletons. Of which then rushed into the bodies with joy, and, within a few moments of these bodies spasming, they stood up with eyes of glowing embers whilst their maws drooled with hunger. _________________________________ AN2: By the way, if you haven''t already figured it out, each of the creatures summoned are from a particular place within our world. For those of whom are still confuse, let me break it down for you. Hephaestus: Greece/Rome Beelzebub: Israel/Jerusalem Hua-yang/Tamamo-no-mae: China/Japan These books will be within those regions with various mentions of architecture, politics, the people, and the like. HOWEVER, it''ll be my own spin on the world, as there are some things I do not like or will not mention. A3 Chapter 23 AN: Well look who''s up early... Not really. Haven''t gone to bed yet. As always, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _________________________ A sigh was exuded from the area around the portals in which the Dwarves had entered from. This was followed by a metallic, four-armed Bear Beastman who wore a simple robe whose colour was of freshly fallen snow. Upon stepping away from this portal came a cadre of four-arm iron skeletons with the shape of Humans; each holding a torch of emerald flame high above their heads. These individuals watched as the small army of Kitsunes, Dwarves, and Demons rushed away from the area to begin the slaughter of the remnants of the city. Whereas they simply moved slowly throughout the area, treating those of whom were caught up mistakenly during such a purge. For their task was to take care of the injured, innocent children and their families, before resuming whatever it was they were to do before all of this occurred. "Ah," sighed the Beastman once more, as he bade a child to drink from a flask containing a blood red potion used for healing, "Even though we should be enjoying the fact that we''ve returned home, we cannot." This led to him sighing a third time, and hung his head downwards just as the world shook from the monstrous skeleton''s rampage. Of whom had doubled in size and was unleashing a barrage of dark spears upon the camp outside the city''s gates. Whereas those who were deemed an enemy continued to pelt the creature with stones coated in alchemical or magickal flames. Which then latched onto the bones of the creature who would simply brush it away before returning fire with those dark spears it had conjured. These spears, by the by, was a spell called "Lance of Darkness", and was one of many first level spells in which a Death Knight would use to strike out against their foes. This was what the giant used, instead of any other spell. For it was simply a distraction, as the true aim for this was to keep their attention upon it, whilst a squad consisting of Demons and Kitsunes rushed inwards and towards those of whom were deemed the commanders and generals. They were not difficult to find, by the by, which had caused the Kitsunes to pout at the lack of a challenge. Even more so when they died rather easily from a well placed explosive, which landed atop a table containing a detailed map of the surrounding area. This, along with detailed reports of the positions of every squad within their command, as well as the giant''s position, was what kept most of the army from running. Now? Now there was a large explosion from within the tent, as an alchemical bomb was tossed upon their table. To which many would claim these commanders and generals stared at it with interest, before one of them decided to touch the object just as it exploded into shards of deadly metal. This caused their bodies to fly several metres in every direction, as said shards tore into their bodies. Nearly all were confirmed dead, as their limbs and heads had been sent off in different directions of their torsos. This left much of the army in disarray, as their main command was killed off, and were left without any active orders. To which many took this chance to run... straight into the axes of the Dwarves who were waiting for them upon the outskirts of their camp. Of which led to a more desperate battle between them, as well as to more casualties. Whereas the Dwarves only suffered from a few minour aches and pains due to negligence or over achievements. In any case, once it became apparent that the army was dissolving into chaos, did the creature stop its assault and prepared its breath attack. Of which consisted of its upper torso to slowly bend backwards as though inhaling a great breath of air, whilst those who were not part of the herd mentality of Fear bore witness to a great collection of noxious fumes steadily rising towards the sky above. This action then caused the Dwarves, Kitsunes, and Demons to flee from the scene, leaving the remnants of the army bewildered as a great roar from the giant shook the world around their persons. This was so, as the creature leaned forwards slowly, releasing its breath in a great arc before it. Whereupon all who were near such a breath liquefied instantaneously. So great and terrible was this weapon that it left nary a survivor, and even went as far as to create pustules and boils upon the earth itself. To which the giant slowly shrank in on itself, until it was the size of an overbearing Human of two metres. This then shrank further, as muscle, sinew, organs, and flesh quickly rippled across the bones until it gave off the appearance of a Wolf-kin male with red furred ears and tail, as well as a mane of silvered hair. What is more, a pair of scarlet trousers wrapped itself around the waist and legs of the Kin, who then simply stared upon the scene with apathy, just as the world around them was leached of all colour. What followed after was a large group of red letters the colour of bright blood, which read: <> <> <> ***** The world had faded to white soon afterwards, and transported our persons into darkness. Whereupon we stood in front of a long desk with thirteen scarlet robed individuals with hoods covering their facial features. Of course, they could not discern my person from the mass, as there was a multitude of disgruntled Humans, Halflings, and Kin. Of which had an assortment of armaments about themselves, and was not at all amused by the transportation of their persons to this endarkened room. "What happened?" cried out a few voices, which was echoed as they turned towards the robed creatures. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Yeah, what happened? I was about to nail a hot babe." This came from a muscular blonde male wearing only small clothes. "Dude," muttered another, "That was a dude, not a babe." "No it wasn''t," the other''s face was covered in sweat at this point, as many others simply turned towards his person with affirmation that he was about to perform intercourse with another male. "Oh God, oh God," he murmured to himself, crouching low with widened eyes as his hands laced together and were placed atop his head. "Pitiful," muttered Brutus, who would sneer at such a sight if he had skin about his skull. Instead, the Lich continued to watch, whereas I simply wondered about the elderly Human and the children who had escaped through the portals I had opened to allow the Dwarves, Kitsune, and Demons entry into our world of Terra. All the while, the gathering had turned their attention towards Roj and his, as he spoke of their deeds and thank them for their efforts. This led to his wondering who among us was fortunate to kill the Usurper King without accepting the quest to do so. To this, many simply stared about themselves, not at all sure how such a thing came about. "Truly?" called out Roj, of whom was not at all sure how to proceed, as he had received information about one of these summoned individuals performing the deed of slaying the Usurper. This led to my person striding forwards, as my body slowly warped itself, stretching, distending, growing larger. All these things and more, until a resounding pop called all eyes to turn in my general direction. Of which caused the whole of them to scream with surprise, as their own bodies scrambled away from my presence. For I had become my skeletal self, which allowed my servants and Undying to situate themselves about my person with grins and sneers as the Tribunal visibly shook. "No," they whispered, desperately pleading to the gathered others for help, "Please. Not this." "You should rejoice in your demise," spoke Sia, whose skeletal body held up the head of a minotaur. Of which caused the whole of the Tribunal to turn towards the end of the row to their left, where their companion''s body had now fallen upon the ground with a muffled thump. "For you now stand in the presence of our Lord High God," this statement was brought on by Brutus, who held up the struggling body of the only female amongst their number. Yes. The Halfling, as it is she who contains all of the knowledge obtained by those who stand before her and the rest of the Tribunal. To which she was given over to my person so that I may drain her of everything learned since the last time we had visited them. The female, of course, screamed greatly whilst my servants whooped and hollered, whereas all others simply desired to know where the nearest exit was. However, such a thing was currently blocked off by the servants I had summoned to Terra, so that all may witness the ire of a God. "Roj," my voice was full of mocking joy, whilst the female screamed for help with my right, primary claw, "You seem well. How have you been?" This query of mine was punctured by the fact that the Halfling''s voice rose to a higher pitch. For my chaotic magicks electrified her body, whilst they tore into her mind to rip away everything which was hidden away within. This then led to complete silence, as her screams simply stopped, whilst an orb of silvery mist congealed above her forehead before slowly drifting towards my own. Whereupon it did enter my skull, filling my mind with new information pertaining to the worlds already visited and explored, ideas for weapons, armour, and so much more. "Ah," my voice was a pleasant sigh, as my grip around the catatonic Halfling slowly enclosed itself upon her body. To which there was another audible pop, as the body''s head flew towards Roj and his Tribunal of Fools. This landed against a translucent, golden shield with a wet slap of bloodied flesh. "Brutus," my Lich turned towards my person with great curiosity, "We should make this a sport." "Make what a sport, My Lord God?" "The squeezing of small bodies until their heads fly off. We should see about making it a sport, and perhaps have the Demons of Gluttony participate. For they would enjoy the small feast we provide as we enjoy ourselves." "Consider it done, My Lord God," to which he pulled out a sheet of parchment and writing utensil from his own Void Space, before hastily writing my idea. "Now then, Roj," the Tribunal member snapped to attention as the bloodied remains of the Halfling fell to the ground, "You have not answered my query. How have you been?" The other, whose head was hidden amongst the shadows of his cowl, opened his small maw slowly to respond. However, instead of a voice to answer my person, what greeted our eyes was half a metre of iron. This led to him gagging as his eyes widened from the blade''s protrusion from the back of his neck, and out of his maw. Of which knocked quite a few teeth loose, as blood with violet hues streaked out of the shadows of said cowl, and onto the chest of one such as he. "Not fast enough, Roj," my voice switched from pleasant to apathetic. For the Tribunal members were now being slaughtered by a large group of desperate Humans, Halflings, and Kin. Of whom were told by Sia and a few Kitsune that if they did not kill the Tribunal members, they would be allowed to live after I was finished speaking with them. This group, of course, believed their words. For they were frightened beyond words, and so desperately craved a release from my presence. Which led to the muscular Human with blonde hair to strike out at Roj first. Yes. This was the same one who was about to perform intercourse with another male, as he was promised that such a thing will be removed from the minds of others afterwards. As these individuals set about to slaughtering the Tribunal members, an echoing laughter of a small child filled the air around us. Which was then followed by the words of, "Good. Good." A3 Chapter 24 AN: I have news about the series. Nothing bad, really, just adding another story. Of which will take place between this one and what was supposed to be book number four. Don''t get me wrong, the cutesy-adorable book will be coming out. Just need to get this one out first, as it ties into what is going on with Nox number two. This one will be called "The Bully Prince", by the by, and centres around the fact that Karma is a bitch. Afterwards comes the slice-of-life book, followed up by whatever you folks chose to follow it. Speaking of which, ''The Family'' arc will be two books instead of three or four. The first one will be about the MC''s Earth family traipsing through one or two worlds, whilst the second is about his Undying family. Which will be called "Of Life and Light" and "Of Death and Darkness" respectfully. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________ "What of our little Black Parade?" I asked Brutus as we left the scene full of weeping Humans, Kin, Halflings, and dead Tribunal members. Whereas I and mine simply left the scene with nary a word the moment the others collapsed, and found ourselves in a somewhat crowded area. This area, by the by, was called the Hub of Azzarath, and for those of whom have never been here, I shall explain what was there during my time. Think of a large, circular room made up of polished, white marble of about a kilometre in diametre. Lining the outside of the room were solid pillars of Grey Ironwood with their bark still attached. These numbered as a score, and held up a large platform of the same white marble as below. Which had ten Grey Ironwood pillars, this led to another platform of white marble of two hundred and fifty metres in diametre. The process continues until there is only one pillar left, but this one held a portal which led to a separate reality in which only Gods and Goddesses were allowed to venture in. Yes. There were other portals and rooms dedicated to such things, of which led to the various worlds controlled by the Pantheon of Azzarath. However, they were each graded from A to Zed, with A being the weakest realm in which those of whom were mortal could venture into. Of course, much like our own, there were restrictions of who could enter which portal. Such as someone who just finished a Tutorial world could not enter a world labeled with a C+ or higher rating. Though, such a world could easily evolve into such a ranking, but those of whom are of low rankings are allowed to retreat if they so choose to when the event appears. However, the world will not reject and eject their persons until it enters a D ranking. Afterwards, more experienced beings, such as Minour Immortals are called into place. For these worlds are considered "Death Traps" to those of whom are not experienced enough. Which leads to them receiving a warning in the case of the world being ranked a G or G+, and are ejected once it reaches an I+ or J ranking. These worlds are subjected to those of whom are considered as Higher Immortals. Unlike their lesser selves, who can still experience death, these ones cannot die even if their bodies are obliterated. They simple regenerate their bodies over a set amount of time, and continue onwards as though nothing ever occurred. Though, they do lose their equipment in the process. Now, once the ranking enters an M classification, that is when the gods are called upon to deal with the problem. However, these are the Minours, as the regular and Higher Gods and Goddesses are still bound by some silly law which keeps them from interfering upon their world. On the other hand, once the problem reaches an X classification, then the respective caretakers of the world may intervene. That is, until it reaches Zed, in which the God King or Queen must appear to put a stop to such actions. In which case, the world may already be doomed for destruction at this point. "The general ranking for each respective world have been increased to a rank of G, my Lord God," replied Brutus, as he held up several documents of parchment in front of his person. Whilst I nodded to myself, we journeyed forwards through the Hub and towards a part of the area marked as "GUILD HALL". This area was dedicated to those of whom had managed to successfully create a Guild, Clan, Tribe, or Company. Where they may discuss future plans, mingle with one another, or simply to relax before venturing forth once more. The entrance into such a place was a single archway of silver with the words stamped upon the top. The interior, however, flickered into a variety of scenes that was never the same. Such as one flicker would show a tree atop a large hill overlooking a bustling city, whilst another would be the interior of a barracks of some sort, and another would be a desolate farmyard full of dead and decaying animals littering its fields. Yes. Such scenes were used to deter many a person from entering. However, these scenes were naught, but illusions showing the outside world what other Guilds, Clans, and the like have chosen as their main area for which their group began. Whereas the interior could have grown to be something vastly different than what is shown. To the right of the archway, however, was a large box with a screen within its centre. Below said box was a board made up of a flimsy material with a multitude of letterings and numbers. I was told, around this time, that these items were used to look up the various groups within so that others may apply to join this group for whatever reason. Of course, these applicants had to adhere to the laws or rules of each group, which also opened up the possibility of spies and sabotage. Of which did not concern my person in the least. "Very good," I commented, as we entered the archway which rippled into a vague shape of a large castle, under the light of a large moon, and atop a large cliff overlooking an empty void below. Of which led to a large dining hall with a multitude of monsters, Elves, and Dwarves each laughing gaily as food was piled high in front of their persons. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. This then came to a halt, as someone near the entryway of the dining hall noted our persons, and shouted, "The Guild Master has returned." These words called all forms of celebration to halt, as they each stood tall from their perspective points, and bowed low towards my persons. "Brutus," the Lich turned towards my person with his skull cocked towards his left shoulder as he stared upon my person, "Why are they bowing? You know I detest such a thing." "Ah, yes. Well," he began, searching for the correct worlds to use, "a few of their number believed such a thing was called for. Seeing as how their leader was a God of six worlds, after all." Mentally, I sighed heavily at such a notion, for I truly detested the bowing, scraping, and overall worship of my person. Thus, preferring a simple acknowledgement of my presence whenever I enter a room, area, or world. Yes. Such a concept is considerably daunting for many to bare, but this is what I desire, and will not compromise. In any case, I bade each to rise, with a warning to never bow to my person again. When one voiced their concerns, I simply spoke aloud with, "I detest the worship or bowing towards my person, and simply desire an acknowledgement of my presence or passing." "But, why?" asked a lone Lamia, of whom held the colours of sapphire and rubies within her scales, as well as the hair of golden strands, and eyes of seafoam. To this, Brutus answered with, "My Lord God is of the rare and eccentric type of God. In that he prefers to not be an idol or symbol for many to rally around. Thus, allowing his person to simply work in peace and away from the limelight." "Well spoken, Brutus," to which the other''s eyes flared with joy, before that which was within all of us Undead devoured the emotion, "It is as he has said, for I simply detest it when everyone''s focus is upon my dealings. Therefore, I have barred all from the creation of churches, temples, and the like in regards to the worship of my person." "But," this came from a Vampire male, who wore an odd suit of scarlet and endarkened silks in the form of one about to participate within a party some Lord has thrown together, "don''t all gods need some sort of fuel for their powers? All the other ones need worshippers, so what about you, if you don''t mind me asking?" "I do not mind," my left, lesser claw waved at the question, as my Lich turned back to stare upon my person. To which I turned to stare into his own eyes until he glanced away, "My abilities come from those I have drained. Be they Gods and Goddesses, Immortals, or Mortals, if they have something I desire, I simply take it. Otherwise, I''d be a simple Magus still struggling for ends meet." "Then-?" "This means, my dear Vampire," my voice chuckled malevolently, "I do not need worshippers to fuel my abilities. For I have already taken what I desired a long time ago. Be it a larger mana pool, spells, abilities, regenerative powers? It matters not, for I have taken it all for my own a long time ago." Upon these words, I did leave the dining hall with Brutus to my immediate right, and strode towards the shrouded garden within the castle''s courtyard just as the rest of my servants filed into the dining hall. Of which glowed a beautiful silver, as the light of the moon above radiated its cold warmth upon the world below. It was here that I stopped, and accessed Command, whereupon I did summon up a variety of Gnomes to work as the new gardeners for the area. Of which were bade to plant everything which thrived under the moonlight, not the sunlight, as a large variety of seeds, plants, and fertilisers appeared next to their persons. "My Lord God?" called out Brutus, who appeared to be quite worrisome about something. "Speak your mind, Brutus. For you have long ago earned such a right," my voice replied, as I continued to use Command to summon up more items for the new gardeners. Such as tools and wheelbarrows, to which they used with great earnest. "Forgive my person, but why did you tell them one of your greatest secrets?" "A secret, Brutus?" To this, I turned towards his person with the light of my eyes twinkling with amusement, "Whatever do you mean?" "My Lord God?" "Brutus, my dear Lich, it was obvious to my person that the Vampire was trying to gauge a weakness of some sort. Such as the one which afflicts all regular and Higher Gods and Goddesses. Worshippers. "I do not have any, as you well know, but that does not mean I am without power. Once more, you know this. Therefore, I simply spoke the truth in that I have taken everything I so desired to increase my strengths, and have no need for anyone to worship the very air I do not breathe, nor the earth I tread upon. Instead, I simply take what I desire to fuel my strengths and void any and all weaknesses a common Undead may incur." "Then, should the Vampire die, My Lord God?" he asked slowly, unsure of how to proceed. "Of course he should, Brutus. Can''t have a spy in our midst, now can we?" My eyes flashed a baleful crimson, which the Lich''s own flared in response as we shared a mirth filled chuckle with one another. A3 Chapter 25 AN: Tomorrow is the start of a few chapters worth of perspective changes, plus the introduction of another character who will NOT be dying. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________ "What of the armies brought together by those of whom had been sent out by our Parade?" my voice rumbled softly, shaking the air between my person and Brutus, as we stalked the silent halls of the castle we had claimed as our Guild''s domain. We had left the Gnomes tend to the garden, to which many tried to pester my person for an idea of what I desired the structure and design of said garden should be. This led to my person stating that I would not mind whichever they had chosen. For now, though, Brutus led my person towards a door nearest our dungeon, which would become my own private quarters. However, upon opening it we were greeted by many children, as well as my newest servants who brightened considerably upon noticing my skeletal self. "Boss," cried out Robby, whose body had undergone a considerable change. For he had grown the fur, bushy tail, muzzle, and ears of a Wolfman whose colour was scarlet. The clothing he had worn, which were to be believed as a "Cowboy''s" outfit was in shreds. For only his vest and small clothes had withstood the change, whilst all others hung about his body in strips. "Look, Boss," his voice was a soft howl, as his left, clawed hand held up the tail from his backside, "I''ve a tail now!" "You didn''t tell us you were a God," whispered Shanna, whose eyes had widened considerably, whilst her sister, Anna, nibbled on a chocolate biscuit. "You never asked, Shanna," was my reply, as my body flowed towards the ground, and became my Kobold self with a pair of scarlet, linen trousers. Of which seemed to awe the various children present, as the fur of my body was as dark as the night''s heavens above and filled with silver strands which gave off the illusion of twinkling stars. Whereas my shadow-like orbs for eyes held the constellations for Family and Home within. This led to the Kobold trio, of whom I had felt at peace with, yap happily as their small bodies waddled quickly towards my person. Whereupon I did sit down and crossed my legs to allow them the freedom to climb into my lap. Once they did so, each of them snuggled up close to my body, yawned, and dozed off to sleep. "So cute," cooed Anna, who stared over my right shoulder upon the sleeping children. "Agreed," my own voice was soft so as to not wake them, but was not necessary, as these Kobolds were sound asleep. Even as the other children had become quite rowdy as the room they were in slowly morphed itself to accommodate the extra bodies. For the space we were in had enough room for a single desk and chair in the centre, with enough space to move around the object. With the children and servants present, it was close to bursting; after my self and Brutus entered, the space shifted and warped, as though the area over exceeded its maximum occupancy. Now, everyone was transfixed as the world around them stretched and distended in order to increase its size until those of whom were upon and around the desk were approximately one hundred metres away from the door, whilst the area in which I sat upon flowed halfway towards the ceiling above, then lengthened itself by ten metres towards the door and desk. This was accompanied by a second, which stood opposite my position, and between them was a small table of wood. Whilst the pair of lengthened somethings had shaped themselves into standard, endarkened sofas. Of which were quite comfortable by those who could feel for such a thing. The floor below, which was simple tiles of white marble, was now coated in a white, velvet carpet. This reminded my person of freshly fallen snow, by the by, and appeared to be as soft as such. Of course, this stretched itself throughout the entire room, which led to the edges of the walls which were trimmed with gold furnishings, leading to a dark, crimson paint upon the walls and ceiling. Along such walls, leading from the door to behind the desk, were rounded pillars of onyx every ten metres, and were approximately half a metre thick. These seemed to shine with an otherworldly brilliance, as the light of emerald fires were lit within each. Whereas the light above the sofas gave off a soft violet, as a crystalline chandelier slowly formed itself into being. "Pretty," cooed the twins, who were then echoed by the children themselves, as my own mind grew dark from an errant thought. "<>," I called out to the world around us, and was answered almost immediately. [AWAITING COMMAND] All eyes turned towards my person as I continued with, "<>." [SCANNING] [...] [SCAN COMPLETE. THERE ARE THIRTEEN HUMANS WITHIN THE ROOM] "<>." If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "B-boss?" called out Robby, who was holding a small, Human girl-child who was rubbing his ears between her fingers, "Wh-what are you doing?" "No Humans are allowed in the presence of our Master," came the melodic voice of Sia, as she stepped into the room. Her own form of a skeletal Wolfwoman was covered by a white robe, as she held out a small, clear rectangle of glass to my person. "Lord Brutus sent a message saying you wanted to look upon your armies, Master." "Ah, yes. Thank you, Sia. If there is nothing else, then you may return to your post, or you may stay." My own voice held a twinge of confusion in it, as I took the object, not knowing what to do with it. "Ah, you hold it horizontal, Master, and simply envision what you wish to see," she explained with a hint of amusement at my fumbling. No. I did not reprimand her, for if I or another were to not understand something, then it is up to those who do to teach them. This was to keep everyone "on the same page", as the Humans say. "Thank you once more, Sia, but for now," I placed the item to my right, as my eyes drifted over to those of whom were Human, "you who are Human must choose which race you will become." "But why?" called out Shiro, who was the only Human amongst my servants. "Humans are a detestable race," growled Brutus, "They are far too greedy for their own good, and are never satisfied even when they own that which they strived for." "If you have been to, or read the reports about, such worlds with an overpopulation of such a race," chimed in Sia, "then you will note how they have spread into lands that are not their own. Of which they will then devour every resource in their wake and strike out against the natives. Many will then either cease to be, or enslaved forevermore." "True," I held up my right, clawed hand to cease the pair''s words, "There are a few worlds with Humans who live in harmony with the other races, I will grant them that. However, we have only found two worlds which do not repeat the actions of the others. In the first, the Humans are the oppressed slaves, whilst the other simply lived as a Wood Elf would. "In any case, you each need to choose which race you will become." "And if we don''t want to be anything besides Human?" asked Shiro, who then quivered where he stood, as the old Human had chosen to become a Vampire. Of whom was quite hungry, and stared upon the other as though he were nothing more than a juicy steak. "You do not have a choice in the matter, Shiro," I called out to him, as translucent screens appeared before the children and himself, as the Elder continued to slowly advance towards my servant, "Either change, or die." "Can I be fuzzy?" asked the girl-child in Robby''s arms, who helped her choose to be a Wolfgirl. Whereas all others were either helped in picking their new race, or were simply chosen for them, whilst I simply smirked as the room shined from the transformations of others. * After such transformations had occurred, the children and Elder were escorted from the room by Sia, who had summoned Shauu, a skeletal Bear Beastwoman, to help her. Yes. Shiro was drained of his blood from a bite to the neck, and would be revived as a servant to the Elder, but that is a tale for another time. In any case, Brutus and I were left alone in the room, to which I held up the rectangular piece of glass and envisioned the world in which Azazel had spoken of around a sennight ago. These worlds, by the by, numbered a score, and were one of three types. Such as a volcanic desert wasteland, a large archipelago with no true continent, and a forested continent with mountains, rivers, and streams. Each of them flew out of the rectangle I held, and floated about the room whilst giving off its own light to show off its lands within. This, in turn, caused my person to dim the fires in the room so that only the light of the worlds were shining, as one of their number grew larger before our eyes. Of which then focused our attention towards the mountainous regions where a great war was being fought. "It appears to be Undead versus Elves and Dwarves, My Lord God," spoke Brutus, who tapped her teeth in thought, "They seem to be doing well." "Yes," I replied, as the images focused more upon the scenes, "However, the Elves are using Holy and Nature magicks to combat their persons." My right clawed hand pointed towards a cadre of brown robed individuals pointing their staves towards the western flank of the Undead army, as it slowly trudged towards the summit of the mountain. In which case a large spell circle appeared before these robed beings, one full of white and yellow light. This then called down a large torrent of energy upon the Undead, scorching their bones and essences until nothing remained. "Quite annoying, and painful. "So, let us see how they deal with the problem." A3 Chapter 26 AN: Adding it extra early ''cause I haven''t gone to bed yet, and want to sleep in. Oh, and this chapter introduces a character that will never be killed off. However, how they came about to being entwined as they are will be told in the second book, ''Of Death and Darkness'', within ''The Family'' storyline. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _______________________________ "Come on, you louts," howled a Human skeleton in faded grey rags, as it hopped up and down several times atop a large boulder. Below its form was a mass of slow Undead making their way up a large slope of about forty degrees. Each of these beings, both skeletal or with flesh, dragged with them varying degrees of weaponry. From either pristine to rusty and warped, they carried them forward or from behind. Whereas the skeletal being on top of the boulder simply continued to shout orders, trying to harry them onwards towards the prize just over the next ridge. A city. The city beyond them was one that housed many Dwarves and Elves which were the God of this world''s chosen people. Now, however, they were slowly being run over by the Undead army which had appeared out of nowhere. Of which started by slaughtering three cities before setting their sights upon the area they now fought. Of course, the residence of the world called upon their God for aid, who then gave his people the ability to call upon those of a different world to fight these Undead creatures. Unfortunately, that was three turns ago, and their so called "Heroes" had perished after fighting the first day. This left the Elves and Dwarves with nary an option, as they continued to hole up in their city beyond. However, their stores of food was slowly receding, as were their potions of health and mana. For the Undead were relentless, never tiring, never showing emotions as they continued to march forwards. This seemed to unnerve the populace, for they have never faced a foe such as the Undead before. Instead, it was always the Demons who came upon them, only to become routed after a few days of guerilla warfare. Up against these? They did not have any needs, therefore there was no one to care if a cart or ten went up in flames, or the spoiling of water and foods. Nothing they did caused the slowing of the armies, nor a full routing of its members. To make matters worse, if any of their numbers fell, they would stand up almost immediately. Of course, in the beginning, this caused themselves to become elated about such a thing. For within their minds, they believed their friends, loved ones, and comrades had recovered enough to rejoin them in their plight. However, they were quite wrong, as their own began to slaughter one another. Which then led to a sudden growth in the Undead armies'' strength, whilst their own was sorely weakened in both physical prowess, and mental stability. "Come on, come on," cried out the robed skeletal being, who then howled with rage, as a pillar of white and gold fell from the heavens. This was aimed at the Undead to its immediate left, and could do nothing beyond watching as the pillar of light caused its troops to evaporate from existence. "No," it howled, reaching for its energies in order to call upon that which was within all Undead. The Madness. Of which was quite infectious towards those like it. As the robed creature''s eyes flared a brilliant crimson, those nearest its body responded with a flaring or flashing of their own eyes. This then trickled down throughout the army as a whole, to which they gave into such a sickness quite readily. From this point, the Undead army which did not cry, nor howl at the world before this instant, did so. This then led them to raising up their arms as they each turned as one to stare upon the nearest living creature. The Elves atop a large ridge, and the Dwarves who back away slowly with their axes and shields at the ready. Giving one last howl to curse the lands of the living, this Undead horde rushed as quickly as they could towards the Dwarves, as the Madness contained within each of their minds and bodies grew rampant. ***** "Hmm," my voice hummed softly as Brutus and I stared upon the scene with our own eyes. For never before this have I witnessed such a spectacle of the Madness taking full control over another Undead. Yes. I''ve given into its sweet calling many a time before, but have always regained some semblance of sanity soon afterwards. Now? Now I could see why it was imperative that I do not give in completely. For the destructive powers I wield would, no doubt, cause the whole of this collection of worlds to crumble into dust. "I can see why our disease needs to be in a constant check," my voice was barely a murmur, but as Brutus was the only one within the room, he picked up on such words and turned towards my person. "My Lord God?" "Brutus," I began, turning my head slowly towards his own, "Do you know of the Madness which afflicts us all, and the destructive powers it wields through our bodies?" "Of course, My Lord God," spoke my Lich with earnest, "If anything, our time upon Azara and the destruction of their first continent was a stark reminder that we needed to keep it in check." "Indeed," was my answer, as we turned back towards the screen. For upon Azara, the birthplace of the Dragons of Terra is a ragged scar upon its surface. This was a testament to the prowess of an Undead God when such a disease has free reign within. One that knew how to trigger such an event within my own mind. For all it needed was to show my eyes the abuse and slavery of children, as I was the God of Children and Families, and would not tolerate such things towards those of whom are supposed to be my charges. Once the abuse was shown, however, it took hold of my person once more, causing my body to grow into a sorrow filled Shadow Giant with eight eyes. Of which called upon the chaotic energies within my person to release from said eyes upon the land. Even now, one may walk upon such a land, and if one has enough strength and aptitude towards a more spiritual path, they may witness the wrongs I and mine had witnessed. As well as to feel my rage and hatred as I and mine slew everything and everything upon that world. Which eventually left my person as it was upon Al''nuul, but that is a different tale entirely. Ah, but if you are wondering how it was that I escaped the clutches of the Madness, then you must look to my beloved wife. For she is the only one who may answer you if she so wishes to. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ***** In the meantime, the images flickered from the Undead army rushing forever onwards towards the panicking Dwarves and Elves, and towards another part of the world where the Humans faced off against the Avatars of Giants and a sea of Ents with their Dryad counterparts. As a matter of fact, there was only a pair of Giants, of whom were each considered as Elder Ents. For their bodies were nothing more than a large collection of living trees, as they made their way towards one of the greater civilsations full of Humans. This sea of trees was actually a part of a spell called "Gaia''s Wrath", in which the Elder Ents call upon their Mother to bless the trees around their persons in order to bring about the end of the closest civilisation. In this case, it was the Humans, as they were deemed the closest and the most destructive towards the forest nearby. What with their wants and needs of taking from the area without giving anything in return. Be it lumber for projects, meat from the creatures who live within, or nutrients from the soil, "Gaia''s Wrath" had chosen their city as its first contact. Ah, but the Humans were not at all concerned, as they believed themselves to be superior to the living trees. Even going as much as to boast in an arrogant manner, "What can a few measly trees do to our stone walls and weapons of iron and flame?" Apparently much, as they soon found out. For as soon as one of the Elder Ents stepped upon the land in which grew many staple grains for the city, all of the crops shriveled up and turned to dust. This alarmed many of the officials, whilst the nobles simply scoffed and stated, "There are more farmlands under our control. What will one do to us?" However, many seemed to have sensed the dangers of these creatures, and made a quick escape out the back-way of the city. For they did not know why these creatures had appeared for, but they were coming straight for the city in which they lived in. Thus, they decided to leave the area until all had been deemed well. On the other hand, as the first of the Elders left behind destroyed crops, the second one left behind samplings of various trees. Be they fruit, nut, or acorn, each one grew as it passed through the desolate farmlands and towards the city. Of course, those Humans who tilled the land for their crops and way of life despaired, as it appeared to their persons that the forest had come to life in order to reclaim that which was theirs by right. This would continue until, at last, they came upon the first wall protecting a great expanse of Human civilisation. Whereupon the first groaned as its arms, which looked much like the trunks of trees, flew forwards and upon the surface of the stone. In which it gave a great howl of thunder, as the roots of these arms tore into the surface of the stone, and pulled it apart slowly. Whereas the Humans watching grew quite concerned, as they believed that these tree-like creatures would not be able to tear into the walls so easily. Unfortunately for themselves, their arrogance would lead to their downfall. For just as an opening was made into their wall, did the Lesser Ents and their Dryad counterparts fly into their lands and towards those of whom were lying in wait with their many catapults and ballistae full of fire and tar. ***** "Quite arrogant these Humans are," grumbled Brutus, who watched as the Humans let loosed their missiles of stone, iron, and fire upon the Ents, Giants, and Dryads. "We know this first hand, Brutus, as we have journeyed through the various worlds which held such infestations," was my reply, as my right eyebrow twitched reproachfully, "These Humans are all the same. Therefore, they must be purged." My Lich, on the other hand, was about to speak further when a knock came from the door to our left. "Enter," I called out, as my left eye swiveled towards it whilst my right continued to watch the images being played out before us. The one who entered the room was Sia in her white robe, and behind her was Sarah. Of whom had chosen the form of a Wolfwoman whose fur and eyes continued to change every few moments, but never faded to the same colour twice. Whereas the garment she wore was also the same as Sia''s, in that it was as white as freshly fallen snow. Her hair, however, fell away from her head, and cascaded into that of a waterfall of blue hued locks down to the small of her back. "Ah, Sarah," my voice sighed softly, as I stood up to receive her person in my arms. To which we embraced as a couple would, nuzzling one another as she breathed in my scent. "It is so good to see you once more. Come, sit next to my person, as we watch my plans unfold." Which led to us parting a little, as I slowly guided her person towards the sofa in which she sat to my immediate right. Of course, after we sat down, she did cling to my left arm as though it were her last remaining lifeline in the world. "Hello Brutus," she spoke softly, which was both sweet and melodic to my ears. Whilst the other stood up slowly to give a low bow to the Goddess of Iridescent Colours, then returned to his spot upon the sofa, "My Lady Goddess Sarah." "What are we watching this time?" she asked, alive with curiosity as the Elder Ents tore through an army of Humans and their siege weapons. "My Guild, Black Parade, has been charged with keeping a score of Gods and Goddesses occupied whilst I continue to traipse throughout our world of Terra," my voice was full of amusement, as I watched her expression grow from curious, to horrified, and back to being curious once more, "You are the Goddess of Iridescent Colours, correct?" Once she nodded, I pointed towards the images which held the most graphic of scenes, "Have you ever tried to use the colours of war and violence before?" To this she leaned back in order to think for a moment, before shaking her head. To which I grinned greatly, as my left arm snaked around her waist in order to pull her ever closer to my person, "Then sit with us for a time, and watch as they paint the canvas laid out for them with the blood of the fallen, and the colours of war." A3 Chapter 27 AN: I''m up early, I''ve things to do, and I don''t know what to call the cutesy/adorable book. Of which was supposed to be book number four, but was pushed back for another one which ties into Nox number two''s mannerisms and the like. Honestly, if you folks have any ideas as to what the title should be, let me know. It''s a stress I really want gone. Really, though, that one is about children being children, and not much else. No super powers, automatic understanding of everything, or the like. Just children having fun with imaginary adventures in a fantasy setting. Anyways, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________________ "Come on, come on," grumbled an old male Bear-kin, who wore an outdated, iron armour in the image of a horned bear. Of whom laid flat atop an outcropping overlooking a mountain pass below. Along the ridges of the pass were a multitude of Kin and Beastman, each with bows and spears whilst they huddled against the loose boulders which will be used to block their quarry. Of which was a large contingent of an army meant to fight off against the Demon Lord''s armies which had amassed to the north of said pass. These individuals, each a Human, wore bright and shining armour as they rode through the pass atop fresh horses with their own colours and armour. This was merely the vanguard, by the by, and had been told by their commanding officers that they must secure the mountain pass before the rest of the army was to come. This meant that these Humans were to guard the pass from all others, and were not going to receive very much support if they run into any trouble. Yes. They did run into such trouble within the first hour upon reaching the mountain pass. For just as the last of the vanguard entered the area, did the loose boulders fall, sealing their only exit as a mass of Kin and Beastmen howled and roared with joy as they bombarded their victims with stones, arrows, and spears. "Why didn''t the scouts report anything?" cried out a Human with a plume of red dyed feathers atop his helmet. Of whom drew back the reigns of his horse as it reared backwards from witnessing a large spear landing just centimetres from its nose. Which then cried out in pain and fear, as a pair of arrows landed upon its rump, and bolted forward, throwing off its rider. Unfortunately for the beast, a trap was waiting for it approximately one hundred metres in the direction it headed. This trap, by the by, was a "Spike Wall Trap". Which was laid flat upon the ground as two individuals with great strength sat in wait for anyone not of their group to pass near. When they noted the horse rushing towards it, they did not know if it had a rider or not, but still took action. In this case, they each pulled on a rope which triggered said trap, then tied it off against an anchor in the stones behind them. This insured that it would stay upright through some of the weight throne against it. The moment the horse, who was blind with fear and pain, struck the trap, both ropes had a few of its threads snap under the strain whilst the rest held it steady from the impact. Of which led to the now screaming horse, as each of the spikes were barbed and coated with a stinging poison which drove anyone mad with pain. However, the whole of the beast was stuck to the trap, rendering it useless against others if they approached it. On the other hand, this was not the only trap available, as a multitude of weighted nets were tossed down upon the cowering Humans below. Of whom so desperately tried to shield themselves from the perceivably never ending barrage of stones, arrows, and spears. Since many of the comrades and companions had fallen to such an onslaught, the living had decided to use their heavy bodies as shields, as they slowly made their way towards the only exit of the mountain pass. Right into the waiting arms of the old Bear-kin. Of whom roared a great roar as he, and many others, charged the remainder of the vanguard with bloodlust in his aged eyes. ***** Sarah had moved her body from my left, and sat upon my lap with her legs draped over my own. Her back was against my chest, as well, and had snuggled up against my body whilst my own Kobold head rested atop her wolfish one. Our arms, at this point, had entwined with one another, whilst our fingers were laced together with the top of her clawed hand rested against the palms of my own. Truly, if one were to witness such a spectacle, they would simply see two Beastfolk enjoying themselves as they watched the slaughter upon various worlds unfold. However, the Lady Goddess was not at all enjoying herself with the spectacle before her ever changing eyes. Instead, she was simply relaxing against my person whilst she droned out the horrors of the worlds before her eyes. To this, I simply smiled as she was still quite pure in her ways, whilst slowly accepting the corruption of my energies as they slowly seeped into her being. Yes. My energies and aura was quite corrupted, and caused others to follow suit. For I was simply an Undead God, which meant everything that came close would soon become a twisted version of what it should have been. In this case, my darling wife-to-be was slowly accepting the colours of death and violence, instead of solely using bright colours to paint the world around her. Which would, in turn, allow her to grow and become more mature than she already was. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. To put it another way, she was a child in the body of an adult by the time she truly met my person. When she stuck by my side, however, did she truly become the woman I so dearly love with my unbeating heart. No. She did not show this much affection for one such as I until a few cycles before this. This was around the time I and mine had grown quite excited at the prospect of returning to our home, and only had two worlds left to conquer. In any case, the images had shifted in on themselves, as the world changed to another. This time, it was of a desert planet, and one Sarah knew quite well. For she brightened up considerably, as her eyes widened and ears pricked forwards, "That''s Nira''s world," she exclaimed, with her tail twitching against my abdomen, "Why are you able to see it like she can?" With this inquiry, she had turned her body towards my person, whilst her eyes stared with a sparkling beauty into my own. "This Nira, was it?" my voice began, as she nodded her head slowly, "She is one of the Gods who are in a supposed alliance with the False God of my world. Hence, she and others must be distracted whilst we wage our wars in order to draw him out and take back the world which is rightfully ours." "But," she began slowly, not at all understanding why this was necessary, "why, though? Why not just make your claim to the Pantheon?" To this, my eyes grew dark as I recalled my past. Of which alerted Brutus who had kept quiet, and spoke aloud with, "Our Lord God has already tried this method, Lady Goddess Sarah. Which led to us being denied our right to our world. Thus, we must turn towards this war of attrition in order to draw out the False God and reclaim our home by force." "But," Sarah softly barked, still confused as to what she had just heard, but quieted as my arms snaked around her body, drawing her close. This action did quell her thoughts, as my energies slowly overwhelmed her being with soothing strokes against her mind and body. Of which caused her to close her eyes with a soft smile as she snuggled closer to my own. "This is necessary, Sarah," my voice murmured softly as she nuzzled the left side of my neck, "For without this, then the False God would simply call on others who will then try their best to obliterate my person. Which would then leave you all alone." Yes. These words of mine were used to stir her heart and mind in defense of my person. Which had succeeded, as I was quite manipulative when I chose to be. However, she was, at this point, mine and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Whereas, Brutus''s eyes flared briefly with crimson, as they echoed my own whilst my lips stretched into a grin full of determined excitement for the future to come. ***** "You," a Bright Elf sat within the centre of the crowd which listened to the Ageless''s story shook with barely controlled rage, "You manipulated our Lady Goddess''s heart, didn''t you? Have you no shame?" This Elf, of whom was a male, was pointing at the other''s body with an accusing finger. To which he simply raised his right eyebrow at such a thing. "Yes, and?" he asked, as his eyes sparkled with great amusement. Whereas the other simply shook as the rage within his body desired to be released in a violent burst, but only came out as an unintelligible cry. "Are you done yet?" "Why did you do that?" whispered another Bright Elf, who rose to apologise towards the Ageless, and console the other who had sat back down. "I believe he was simply angered by the fact that I am not a perfect being, and was willing to do much in order to have everything fall my way," the God King called out, amusement filling his words, "Yes. I did all of this and more. Why? Why not? "Sarah was there, and was willing to stand by my side regardless of what I did. Why shouldn''t I take advantage of the situation and bring her farther to my side? If each of you were in my position, had done what I did, thought my thoughts, and so on, you would have done the same. "So no, I will not apologise for it, and will continue to do as my past has done. For I am simply within my rights to do so." Whereas the Elf simply glared at his person, not at all enjoying the words he heard spoken from the other upon the golden throne, "Then we''ll tell her what you did to her past-" "Please," chuckled the Ageless, of whom found all of this quite amusing, "As I have said before, everything that I have accomplished can be found within the libraries scattered across our world of Terra. Don''t you think it would be odd if she hadn''t read any of my and mine''s escapades by now? "Besides," his eyes flared a brilliant emerald as he continued, "since she has become wholly and unequivocally mine, I have not barred her from anything she desires. Be it simply painting as she is known for to chatting with her friends. Or, as many others know her for, if she desires to understand the Darkness of death and violence. None of these have been barred from one such as she." A3 Chapter 28 AN: So bloody hot outside recently; just make sure everyone drinks a whole lot of water if you''re walking around under the sun, and stay away from sparkling beverages ''cause they''ll dry you out faster. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you''ve any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________________ "What the hell is going on?" cursed a Human with strips of tanned cloth wrapped around its face and head. Only the eyes, which were a dull green, were visible as the rest of its body was covered in a mixture of loose linens and strips of cloth. This was so, as the world was a desert paradise of nothing, but sand, rock, and its ever burning day-star. This Human, by the by, was standing atop a wind worn wall of the common stone situated about the world, and was looking out towards a large expanse of sand dunes where a convoy was supposed to appear. However, it was three turns late, and anyone it had sent out to locate the convoy had vanished without a trace. Thus, the frustration and cursing being ensued from this one. "Sergeant," called out another Human, but was upon the sanded ground which was blocked from much of the wind by the wall. This one, however, was a portly male with bright coloured silks laid about his flesh. Rings adorned each of his fat fingers, with a different coloured bauble attached to them. Around the neck of this one was a heavy chain of gold with odd markings engraved into its surface, of which meant it held a high office, and was considered a minour Nobleman. Now, the facial features of this one was covered, as much as the one atop the wall was, but it failed to hide the fact that this Human had enough flesh about his neck to give off the illusion of have three or four chins. Whilst within his right hand were three, fine gold chains. Each led to one of three females wearing only enough to cover their nipples and that which was between their legs. No. They were not children, nor were they of a different race. For this world only had Humans upon its surface at this time. Of which meant that these females were also Humans, and appeared to be very dehydrated in the eyes of the one the one called Sergeant. Who desired to give them a mouthful of water from his own canteen, but stopped as soon as his eyes fell upon the one leading them around. "Magister," he growled with a low and dangerous breath, "to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" "Now, now Sergeant," waved the portly male, who watched as the other slowly made their way down the worn steps, "We know who has your leash, so simmer down." The other grimaced whilst this one grinned greatly under the strips of cloth. "Good man. Now, where is the convoy?" "I. Don''t. Know," he spoke slowly, not at all enjoying the fact that he had to stand in the presence of one such as he, "We''ve sent scouts out, and they''ve yet to-" "I don''t want to hear your excuses, Sergeant. Just find the convoy swiftly. I''m expecting a very importan-" The other''s eyes widened greatly, as a pool of blood slowly soaked through the portly Human''s silks. This was so, as one of the females had found herself with a knife, and was repeatedly stabbing his shoulder and chest with a look of desperation in her eyes. Of which caused the victim to gurgle something as his eyes rolled back into his head, before falling backwards and atop the woman who was killing him. "What the-?" began the Sergeant, who slowly made his way forward towards the fallen Magister. However, the moment he leaned over the body, he noted a large shadow above his own was growing larger. Of which was the last thing he saw, as a being in endarkened silks fell upon his body with a wickedly curved spear pushing into his chest. This was only the beginning. For as the Sergeant fell from the weapon, others in dark silks leapt over the walls, silently screeching as emerald flames scorched the city hidden behind the walls the Sergeant was meant to protect. ***** At this point in time, Sarah was aghast at the scenes playing out before our eyes. Whereas Brutus and I were simply taking notes to implement at a later date. For we had grown curious about the desert world, as we had not visited one. No. The Plains of Desolation do not count, as they are magickally created, not naturally formed. "How could you let something like this happen?" she demanded, turning towards our persons with an accusation in her eyes, "They''re taking innocent lives, Karastak." "Yes, I know," was my own reply, as I briefly glanced at the scene before turning back to my notes. "Why aren''t you doing something about it?" Her own clawed hands were upon min, as she stared into the constellations that were my eyes with a plea that would have been ignored if it were someone else. To which I sighed and pulled her form upon the sofa, hugging her close to my body. "Sarah, this world that you see is the canvas in which my and mine have prepared. Those that were sent to the desert world, with their tools of war, hold the paintbrushes with which they will use to create a masterpiece. Now," slowly, I pushed her at arm''s length in order to stare into her eyes, of which seemed to be on the verge of tears, "this is what it means to paint with the colours of war, my dear. Unfortunately, others will call it an ugly venture, for it only destroys life. "However," a single digit was held up in front of her muzzle, which was parting so that she may speak, but snapped shut almost immediately, "wars such as these always gives way to life in the end." Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "What do you mean?" Sarah''s eyes widened at my statement, not at all sure what I meant. "Do you know why people go to war?" At the shake of her head, I continued with, "There are many reasons for war. Such as greed, the want of your neighbor''s more fertile lands, a damaged pride, the lust for another that they cannot have. Or even desiring more and more even though you have enough, the wrath of a nation scorned, perhaps simply just being lazy, as diplomacy takes too long and war is quicker. All of these things, and more, are why people go to war. "On the other hand, if one nation wars with another, there are always casualties on either side. Which means there are fewer mouths to feed when it is done and over with, as well as the hope to bring in more life after much of the Elders have passed on." Upon these words, however, she became confused even though I had explained my thoughts. To which Brutus spoke up after pausing with his own note taking, "What My Lord God is speaking of, is the fact that there is more room to grow after the wars are over and done with. Whereas without such a thing, the nations and worlds will grow stagnate with overpopulations. Hence the need to cull the many beasts and monsters out in the various worlds. "For if you allow one type of beast, or group of monsters, to grow, then they can be quite the problem later on. It''s the same with these wars." "Oh," she mumbled slowly, still not at all sure what she had heard. "Enough of this," my voice boomed throughout the room, which called the pair to stare in my direction with confusion mixed with curiosity, "Come, my Lady Sarah. Let us leave the room and take a walk through the garden. I am sure the Gnomes have planted much of what I desired, and wish to show it off to you." To which I held out my right, clawed hand in an offering towards one such as her. Of course, she took it with a smile upon her features, as I slowly pulled her close to my person. Whereupon she did grip my right arm whilst leaning her head upon my shoulder, as we made our way to the door. Thus leaving Brutus in charge of the observations of the score of worlds my Guild had been tasked with occupying. The walk to the garden was a slow one, as she had preferred to continue clinging to my arm as we stalked down the muffled hallway leading to the area. No. It was no long as silent as it was in the beginning, as the sounds of children being children wafted through the air around our persons. Of which came from the entryway in which we were heading. "Hmm?" Sarah hummed softly, her ears twitching towards the sounds as we rounded a corner. To which we came upon a sight of three Kobold pups yipping and yapping at Robby who was in the process of passing out flavoured cream to the rest of the children. Of whom were of a variety of fluffy Beastfolk as their chosen race. Whereas the Elder who had become a Vampire, and his servant named Shiro, were nowhere to be seen at present. "Boss," called out the Wolfman, whose facial features brightened considerably as he noted my Kobold self striding towards his position. Which then grew curious as his eyes drifted over towards Sarah''s form, before snapping back towards my own. This, of course, caused the trio of pups to turn and yip excitedly as they each spied my person. Though, they did not move from their spot, as they had been promised a sweet treat. Instead, the left corner of my lips twitched in a smirk at the scene before us, whilst Sarah simply stared with curiosity. "This is Robby," I held out my left, clawed hand towards the Wolfman, whose fur had become a bright orange in colour as his transformation settled in completely, "He is one of my newest servants, and has yet to be fully integrated with the rest. Robby," my attention turned towards the other, of whom had caused the whole of the children to stare at our persons, "this is the Lady Sarah. My betrothed." This announcement caused his eyes to blink with surprise. To which he leaned in closer to ask in a hoarse whisper, "But Boss, how do you get ''it'' up if you''re... You know?" Of course, Sarah heard such a question, and giggled quite audibly as she knelt to one of the girl-children who had tugged on her dress. Who then desired to be lifted into the air, which was then given whilst they giggled together. "I know what I am, Robby, and so does she," I deadpanned, "This conversation will not go anywhere, so I suggest you drop it." Of which he did so, as I moved on to taking Sarah''s hand and gently pulling her towards the garden. Yes. We took the child with us, but the garden was not completed. For much of the area was still in the process of being developed so that the Gnomes would be able to use their magicks to cause the plants to grow faster. However, as they are small and could only perform such deeds slowly, I was called to mitigate such a thing. To which I called out to Command once more, and summoned in more help. This time in the form of a large, white tree with golden leaves. To those of whom do not know what this tree is, it is a White Oak which takes in the light given off from the moon to continue its life cycle. As opposed to its daylight cousins who desire the day-star''s rays in order to continue with their own cycles. The only significance this one held, was the fact that it had a Dryad Matriarch, and was able to help in the process of growing the garden before our persons. A3 Chapter 29 AN: It''s too bloody hot outside, and it''s messing with my sleep. It just needs to go away. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________________ "Must you leave?" whined Sarah, as I prepared my person for the next part in the journey forward. For I had spent too much time within the castle, and desired to venture forth into Terra once more. "Yes, my dear," came my reply, as a screen appeared in front of my person, detailing what form I could take at my level, "It has been too long since my last trip to Terra, and I desire to see it once more." Slowly, I turned towards her person, who was standing by my side under the moonlight in the garden, "Do not worry, for I shall return safely, and we shall enjoy one another''s company for a time more. Then I must return to my world so that I may continue to wither down the control of the False God." Yes. She was not at all pleased with my desire to leave, but had brightened when it was not from my want of leaving her side. Instead, she simply clung to my Kobold self as I tapped the screen in front of my person. This then led to my form slowly shaping itself into a large, barrel-shaped Human full of muscles with a golden locket around my neck. The face of my new Human form was well worn and torn from many perceived fights and battles. Of which would cause many to believe I was a battle hardened warrior who was allowed to traverse through Terra. Whereas, upon the crown of this one had a circlet of iron with a small ruby in its centre. However, this was hidden by a mass of thick curls of auburn hair which spilled over the whole of the head and upon the shoulders. The clothing of this one was a simple, leather based loincloth with a cup to hide that which was betwixt a male''s legs, along with a thick strap nestled in between the rear''s cheeks. This was then tied off against the loincloth''s strap which hugged the body''s waistline. No. There was no other form of clothing upon the body, but there was a weapon that was strapped to its back. Of which was a large, broad sword of two metres, which was only six centimetres shorter than the Human form I took on, but considerably dwarfed Sarah''s form of one and a half metres in height. To which she stared upon with open interest, as her clawed hands gently ran across the surface of my new body. "You will have to teach me how you can do this, Karastak," her voice was soft, but husky, as her left clawed hand was placed upon her chest in an effort to calm the heart within. "Perhaps another time, my dear Sarah," came my reply, as my large arms wrapped themselves around her body in order to hoist her upwards so that we may share a kiss with one another. Of which lasted for what felt like an eternity, until, at last, we parted. However, this did not mean I set her down. Instead, she sat upon my right arm whilst her body rested against my new form''s chest. "My Lord God?" called out Brutus, who stood off to the side of the archway with a silver-haired girl-who-was-not-a-girl, "Lady Azazel is here to send you off once more." "Hello once more, Undead Karastak," spoke the now grinning Goddess, of whom was wearing a floral, one piece dress about her person, "Terra is ready to accept more people now, but after your little ''escapade'', he had grown worrisome. So try not to cause too much damage this time, alright?" To this, I simply grinned as I placed Sarah upon the ground below. Of whom then sauntered over to the little Goddess, as a large circle encompassed my entire being. Whereas I simply tapped the ruby upon the circlet and grinned as a few spectators gasped. This was so, as the circlet itself was an artifact of sorts, in that its sole purpose was to mask the wearer''s face behind a nondescript sheet of white metal. There was nothing upon this mask. Not eye holes, a mouth guard, or even a place for you to breathe. Instead, it simply covered the entirety of your face with only the small ruby in the centre of your forehead. For this was called "The Faceless", and gives the wearer many abilities, but also kills them. This is so, as it blocks all airways and suffocates them, whilst allowing their persons to project their voice upon others'' minds, but does not allow the ability of reading of others. Ah, but it also blocks the use of your mouth, so that even if you do not require a frontal nose or mouth to breath, you cannot eat or drink so long as it is in place. Which would then kill you unless you ate as a Slime would, or were an Undead. In any case, just as the circle gave off a bright, white light which engulfed my entirety, I made the motion of "blowing a kiss" to Sarah. Of whom seemed rather pleased with herself, as the world around my person became nothing more than light. ***** "Ugh," groaned the False God, of whom slouched in his throne as several screens appeared before his eyes. Of which there were only five, as the damage to the system which allowed his person to view the world below was still undergoing repairs. This meant that if there were more than these five individuals, then it would more than likely not pick them up. Which could lead to their persons being read as natives to Terra, and cause another headache for one such as he. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "By the Abyss, what the hell happened down there?" This query was spoken aloud to no one in particular, and was centred around what had happened the moment I noted my mistake of allowing a child to die from my arrogance. Of which led to the rampage and the calling of my servants to help with such a venture. In any case, five individuals with statuses ranging from weak to strong appeared before his person. Of course, they weren''t the real beings, only simple visuals which flickered and fluctuated as though the system was still trying to fix itself. This led to the False God to sigh heavily, and smack the sides of the screens in an effort to try and help with the situation somehow. "Let''s see now," came a mutterance from his throat, "what do we have here? A brute of a mostly nude Human with a strange mask, a pair of Elves with bows, another Halfling in a leather outfit, and a Dwarven Cleric. "Well," he mused with a small smile, "this should be rather entertaining. So let''s have them go after some cultists, shall we?" ***** The light which had engulfed my person faded away to reveal an endarkened cavernous space full of broken, aged bones scattered about an open space in the centre. Of which contained a white marble altar with the image of a familiar creature upon it which seemed to glow with a radiance that brightened only the space around it. ''Curious,'' my mind muttered softly, as I strode carefully towards the altar in order to look upon the creature. However, before I could bend over to view it, a wooden arrow came streaking from behind my person and struck the large sword strapped to my back. Of which caused my person to stand and turn around whilst unsheathing and holding the large blade in front of my person. "What the hell," someone began towards my right. These words signaled that there might be more than the archer which shot at my person, as the soft, creaking sounds of a bow string being pulled back was an indication of this thought. Which led to my person to use an ability I had stolen so long ago, but had never before used it till now. ''<>,'' I intoned, as the spectral image of an auburn bear rose up behind my person in order to meld with my current form. This led to the muscles about my body to grow by half a centimetre in diametre, which caused the archer to loose several arrows in my direction. A loud and mighty roar echoed throughout the space, loosening much of the ceiling to shift and dislodge many of its dirt and stones. Of which also caused the arrows to shatter under the reverberations of the noise generated, and stunning the pair who were targeting my person. This was long enough for my person to act, in which I dashed towards my right and away from the glowing altar, only to find a female Elf with a short sword by her feet whilst her hands covered the sensitive ears. ''Why are you trying to slay my person?'' came my mental demand, as my large, right hand gathered up the females'' arms in order to hoist her body into the air. Whereas my left was used to grip the broadsword''s grip, as the archer growled something obscene. This led to the female to struggle, as she noted my presence, and her small arms gripped in my large hand. "Let go of her you brute," howled the archer, who, instead of loosing more arrows from the sanctity of the darkness, decided it was better to rush out and towards my person with a pair of short swords. To which caused my person to roll my eyes at such a venture, and quickly sweep the flat of my blade into its left side. "Tanis," cried out the female, who had wrapped her legs around my arm in an effort to free herself. However, it only made it more awkward for the female, as my grip tightened enough to make her howl out with pain. ''You both will cease in your desires for death, or I shall grant it to you.'' Upon these words, I did toss the female towards the other. Of whom was slowly standing up, and fell over in an effort to catch her person. Yes. They stayed this way, and did glare in my general direction whilst I hoisted my sword and rested the flat of the blade upon my right shoulder. Afterwards, I did stalk back towards the altar to have a better look at the image resting upon the top. This caused my mental voice to laugh aloud at my discovery, which in turn echoed throughout the space. For upon the altar was an image everyone upon Terra had come to know about so long ago, as it was the head of my skeletal self. A3 Chapter 30 AN: Before you move onto the new chapter, I need to inform everyone present that I may be taking a couple days off to write. This is so, as the heat in my little corner of the world has become unbearable to the point that it''s shut off the AC unit for a full day. Not so bad right? Well... it wouldn''t be if not for the fact that I tend to become irritable, manic, and my insomnia kicks itself up a notch until my brain and body refuse to function properly. "What does this mean?" It means that I haven''t been able to write anything concrete for the past couple of days, and my buffer chapters are running dangerously low. So if it continues by tomorrow, then I''ll be taking a couple days to a week off in order to try and get my thoughts straight enough to continue writing. So yeah. Life threw its curve ball at my face, and I failed to catch it. As always, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________________ "What the hell is that thing?" muttered the male Elf called Tanis, of whom was your typical sort. Blonde hair, large sky-blue eyes, thin build, and leather armour, of which was mirrored with his female counter part who was busy trying to restore some semblance of movement in her bruised arms. "It''s probably a Human, but I''ve never seen one with almost no clothing, nor that strange mask. Did you hear it speak? It felt like it was right in my ear." The female shivered whilst her fingers twitched from the sudden movement, "How do we go about removing it?" "Removing what? The mask?" The other appeared surprised, but contemplated the idea slowly, "Well, we''d have to kill the Human, but how would we-?" He paused for a time to glance in my supposed direction, and found my person gone. This startled the pair, who believed their Elven heritage was superior to that of a Human. So how did I vanish from their sight so quickly and effortlessly? Well, being a God does have its perks. For example, one is allotted the ability of teleportation, but it can alert the residential Gods and Goddesses to such a movement. Which was not what I desired to do. Instead, I simply found a hidden switch along the right side of the altar, which opened up the space in front of it. Therefore, I simply entered the space due to my curiosity, and left the Elves to their own devices. Down below the altar, I found myself within a long hall of dirt and grime. Which appeared to go on for quite some time, and was cramped due to my large size and sword. Yes. I had to remove it from my back as I slouched forwards enough to allow my person enough room to walk. Of course, I could simply move the earth away from my person, but with the False God watching closely, I decided against that venture. In any case, my person would trek through the hall for approximately one decca-turn before I was able to glimpse a line of light coming from ahead. Though, if any others were with my person at that time, they would be excited about reaching the end. However, as I was who I was, my pace slowed as I softly intoned the spell, ''<>.'' Of which conjured up a large, spectral image of a Lizardman behind my person. This then merged with my body, allowing my person to blend with the environment until I was almost completely invisible. Yes. There was the normal spell for such a thing, but as I was pretending to be a Human Warrior, of sorts, I did not wish to alert others that I was something more. This then led to my person utilising the various spells and abilities for such a Class. However, I was, and still am, very much a hypocrite. As I grew ever closer to the light at the end of the tunnel, the sounds of cries soon pierced my ears with terrible screaming. This was followed by an indistinguishable battlecry, along with a peal of thunder as the light grew even brighter. Curiosity gripped my person like a vice at this point, which led to my masked head to peer out of the tunnel. Which then allowed my eyes to behold a sight which many of you have already seen before. A male Dwarf, wielding a large hammer, fighting against endarkened robed cultists. Of course, the one you have all viewed was one of Forge''s Dwarves fighting to get to a great treasure in the next room. Whereas this one was of the Azarathian race of Mountain Dwarves, and was protecting what appeared to be a girl-child without clothing. What was truly strange about this scene was from the fact that this child had strange, geometrical shapes painted upon the body, and was chained to the wall behind the male. There was no reason for such a venture, which really irked my person, but was not enough to desire the destruction of these cultists. Ah, but before I forget, every cycle one of the Dwarven clans upon Forge produces a play, of sorts. In that the actors have to experience what it was like for others of their kind to journey through the dungeon called "The Tower of Babel". Of which was my own creation, and one that was used in order to conquer their world, but that tale is for another day. Now, this Dwarf held a few distinct features which made him out to be of the Mountain race. In that his skin was stone based, whilst the eyes and liquids within the body were molten rock. Yes. They are quite strange, but effective miners when it comes to excavating metals and jewels. Whereas the armour it wore was of wood, of which was a strange occurrence to those of whom have never met their race. As to their reason why they chose wooden armour over all others? Well, it''s a religious notion which they abide by quite fanatically. In that it is from the fact that no armour made of metals or animal skins may be worn about their persons. Once again, it is a strange race. Even more so are the customs and religion, which led to the wooden armours they are able to create. Yes. I have my own set, but will never wear as it is simply decoration. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Which leads to the weapon he wielded. For although the race was not allowed to wear metals or leathers, their religious texts said nothing about wielding them as weapons or tools. Therefore, they were given the freedom to use them as any other of their race was allotted. In any case, the male appeared to be wearing down considerably, as the cultists seemed to continue to appear. For they desired the child, of which was unresponsive, and would be willing to sacrifice a great many of their number to obtain it. However, I was in quite the pickle, as many Humans have said before. Do I save the Dwarf and slaughter the cultists, or do I help the cultists and kill the Dwarf. For you see, my dear audience, if these beings worshipped what appeared to be my skeletal self upon the altar, then I would have a few choice words with whomever was in charge. Whereas if I were to save their only obstacle, then I would be bereft of my answers. Though, by this thought alone, I decided to kill the one protecting the girl-child. Which began as a bellowing roar from my position within the tunnel. This caused all actions to halt momentarily, as I emerged with an intonement of, ''<>.'' Once again, a spectral bear appeared behind my person, reared up upon its hind legs, and melded with my person. Of which caused those nearest my person to tremble, as they believed I had come for their lives. Instead, they became relieved, as I hefted my broadsword in order to charge at the Dwarf. Of whom quickly raised his warhammer just in time to parry the blow which would have surely cleaved his body in two. The others on the other hand, not know what was occurring exactly, moved away as I continued to hammer at my opponent with stronger blows. It was at this time I felt a little fear coming from the other, whose molten eyes had widened as they noted my masked face. Of which held no eye holes, nor anything for a mouth and nose. All that was available for him to view was the white coloured metal, and small ruby which shined a baleful colour beneath the mass of auburn curls. Whereas I simply grinned mentally at the surprise he was showing my person, and continued to rain heavier blows upon his person. To which he side-stepped quick enough which caused my blade to crash through the stone floor. However, the other did not take advantage of this, and leapt back in order to inquire, "Why are you helping these cretins? Do you not see that they mean to sacrifice the child?" The male''s voice was much like gravel being ground into sand by a pair of large boulders, as its gauntleted, left hand pointed towards the girl-child. ''So what if they do?'' came my mental reply, which startled all others. For the words seem to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time, ''These cretins as you called them, have answers to the questions I hold. Who am I to say if they can or cannot sacrifice a child or two to whomever they worship?'' Of course, my words shocked the Dwarf, who looked upon my person incredulously as I pulled the large and battered broadsword out of the ground below. This was then held up in front of my person at the ready, with the pommel resting in front of my groin, and the blade angled towards the ceiling high above. "Aren''t you a Human, though?" he called out, shaking his rocky head slowly. ''I stopped being Human a long time ago, Dwarf,'' came my reply, as I called upon the abilities of a Warrior once more. ''<>,'' my mental voice began slowly, as an endarkened fire slowly erupted from the hilt of the blade. Of which slowly spiraled along the length in two trails, whilst it ate the whole of the metal as though it were an offering to the spell. This caused the other to widen his molten eyes, and slowly step back whilst searching for an escape of some sort. Of which there was none, as the robed cultists seemed to have caught on that I was there to kill the Dwarf, and not themselves. These individuals seemed all the more ready to allow my person to complete my task, and blocked the other from reaching any escape routes whilst the spell upon my weapon slowly consumed its entirety. Of which appeared to others that the sword in which I held had become nothing more than a great, shadowed flame which did not burn my person. In actuality, however, I still held onto the blade itself, whilst the spell simply took over its shape until I released it with the last intonement. Whereby my mental self did speak it, but only after I did leap high into the air, gripping the blade''s handle, ''<>!'' Landing in front of the Dwarf, I did swing the blade in an arc which slashed from his right shoulder down to the left hip. However, the moment the spell touched his body, it did snuff out and returned the appearance of the blade to itself. This confused all onlookers, as they believed it would have caused a great explosion, or something to that effect. Instead there was nothing, save for my person who slowly stood tall before the other. Of whom slowly twitched his head in my direction as motes of pure darkness slowly oozed from the cut across his armour. These then quickly dripped upon the ground, where it did pool in a puddle beneath his body. Afterwards, tendrils and tentacles shot themselves out of the darkness, wrapping themselves around a stunned Mountain Dwarf, and swiftly pulled him into the pool. Whereupon he did vanish, leaving behind nothing beyond shadows. "Well," muttered one of the perceived cultists, "that was anticlimactic." To which I could only agree, as I turned around and noted a tall, crimson robed being making their way towards my person. A3 Chapter 31 AN: So, I was able to write up a chapter yesterday, and I still need to come up with something for the event of the story reaching 200 followers. I do have an idea if I''m not able to put out a few extra chapters for you guys, but I should be able to put out at least one extra for everyone. Oh, and next chapter has a bit of a plot twist. Anyways, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________________ "Yes. Yes it was," muttered the False God, of whom held up a small screen whose images were slowly becoming distorted just as the red robed cultists slowly revealed a malformed face beneath the hood. "Oh come on," he growled whilst the screen grew too distorted for his eyes to see much of anything, and tossed the object away, "I knew this was a mistake." Another screen appeared within his gauntleted hands, one that showed a pair of Elves having their throats slit by a grinning Halfling who desired their purses more than anything. "Well, there goes that pair, but let''s have their executioner face off against a few random cultists who know magick." To which he tapped upon the screen, and watched as part of the wall nearest the leathered individual. Of whom leapt away as a trio of endarkened robed individuals shuffled out, and, upon noticing the blatant desecration of their space, howled a few obscenities before lashing out with their destructive magicks. This then led to the unfortunate Halfling to scramble and dodge as bolts of fire, lightning, and ethereal magicks flew towards its person. Of the three, however, only the ethereal magicks was able to strike it. For such a thing held within it a tracking spell, of which the other two had as well, and plied their energies into sending off towards their newest victim. "Of course they did," sighed the False God, as the one he was monitoring fell over dead, "Well, that''s four down, maybe five if the other does something stupid. Too bad the stupid system is still fried, else I''d have a more direct approach to it." ***** ''That''s an ugly scar you have there, Red Robe,'' came my mental voice, as I sheathed my weapon away. For the creature with said garment threw back its hood to reveal a malformed face which looked to be as though someone had poured an acidic tincture all over the head of the one before my eyes. No. I could not tell if it was male or female, as the creature''s entire body seemed to be one giant piece of flesh with three gaping holes in its upper portion. Two of which holding a pair of silvered orbs which seemed ready to pop out if one were to lightly tap the back of the creature''s head. Whereas the latter was a mouth which never seemed to be able to close. There wasn''t anything atop its head, save for the pock-marked and ragged skin which was wound tight around it. What was more, the voice from this being was surprisingly neutral, as it spoke, "How kind of you to notice. Most Humans tend to shirk away after the sight of me." To this, I simply shrugged, ''When you allow the Darkness to enter your being, and permeate within, you tend not to care about the horrors life can throw at your person.'' Which the other bowed, which seemed to constitute as nodding, a few times whilst its mouth stretched to reveal several jagged looking teeth spaced out unevenly within, "Too true, but now you have to die." ''Ah, but you haven''t exactly answered any of my questions.'' "No, but you haven''t asked any and I would not care. Because you will cease to be in a few moments," and upon these words, did the creature turn away just as the remaining endarkened robed cultists begin their chants and readied their weapons. Whereas I simply tilted my head back whilst my arms crossed over as I contemplated on what to do. Of course, I desired to know why my skeletal form''s head was upon their altar, but did not desire to reveal everything just yet. Well, I was and am a hypocrite after all. So what''s one more mistake, if it''ll gain my person the answers I so desire? This then led to my person stretching my right arm high above my head, as I reached into my vast wealth of knowledge in order to pull out an advanced intonement called, "Void Structure". Of which allowed my person to pull myself, and up to twenty others within a pocket dimension of my own design. To this, I simply pulled the red robed individual as well as five others with my person. It will allow us to converse without any interruptions or spies, and keep away any unwanted attention I did not wish to have upon my person. "What did you do?" growled Red Robe, who hissed several order to the five other cultists. However, it paused when it noticed my form stretching slowly whilst my flesh tore itself in order to reveal the skeletal structure within. "What are you?" My voice, mental or otherwise, was not present as I continued with my transformation until, at last, I was my eight metred, giant skeleton with four arms and a small, straight tail which was used as a counter balance. "I shall ask you a simple question, thing," my voice shook the space we occupied as the endarkened robed cultists each knelt low as they clasped their hands together in a fervent prayer, "Why is my face upon your altar?" To this query, Red Robe simply gaped openly as though it were a fish out of water, whilst the others continued with their prayers. When they continued to stay silent, my body leaned forward so that the skull atop my shoulders was only a few millimetres away from the one I was speaking to. "Well, thing? Do you insist on remaining silent, or shall I simply pluck the information from your mind? Of which is quite painful, to be sure, and I shall make you live through it all as though an eternity has passed by your senses. This will be the consequence of your actions towards my person." Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Which led to the other to widen its eyes, as the silvered orbs swiveled towards the now crimson light shining balefully upon its body. However, it stayed silent. Perhaps it was in awe, or perhaps it was simply too afraid. For now, though, I simply desired the answer within its mind, and stretched forth my right, clawed primary forefinger in order to lay the top against the centre of its being. "You will give me the knowledge I seek, thing, for I desire it so," and from these words came my own chaotic energies which rushed from the centre of my skull, down the whole of my arm, and into the body of the one before my person. Of which led to it releasing an unearthly scream as my magicks tore into its brain to steal everything of worth. Well, it wasn''t worth as much as I had thought, for the orb which came out of its head and into my own contained only the barest of memories. First was the darkness, then the desire to rid the cavernous space of intruders, such as the Dwarf who desired to take the Human child away from their persons, then the strange, masked Human who slew the other without a care. "How is this possible?" I was quite upset from this, as it did not have the answers that I sought. Even when I turned on the remaining cultists within the space, I found much the same as the former. Not a shred of memory outside this cavern was found. For it appeared to my mind that nothing existed beyond this space, which was strange to be sure. "What has the False God done to my world?" came my words, as I contemplated such a mystery, "This will not do. For I shall be needing the assistance of my servants to understand this more." Upon these words, did I open up a portal of shadows and crimson. Whilst within the space was a laboratory full of tinctures, vials, and the like upon thick, wooden tables which have long ago been stained from the mixtures and failed experiments. This was along one side of the room, whilst the other held cages and simple chains anchored into the wall. Within the cages were malnourished creatures and Humans, each with a look of Death within their eyes. Whereas the chains held a nude, male Vampire who was weakly struggling against the bond which held him in place. Yes. This was the same one which was deemed a spy amongst the ranks, and held several marks of torture upon the pale skin. Especially around the genitals, as it appeared to my person that the male had been castrated recently. "Rojaahn," my voice echoed throughout the laboratory. Of which I was rewarded with the male, Bear Beastman with metallic fur and four arms peering from around the corner. "Ah, My Lord God," he called out joyfully. Of which led to him rounding the corner which allowed my eyes to spy the white robe most of my Undying wore had been stained with fresh blood. Most likely from the Vampire who appeared to be very frightened from my visage within the portal. "To what do I owe the honour?" He had bowed low, whist I half turned towards Red Robe and the five cultists, and summoned six tendrils which wrapped around their persons. This was then proceeded with my stepping through the portal with them in tow, simply floating behind my skeletal self with a blank look about their features. No. They were not dead, merely unconscious from the torture session I had subjected themselves to. For I desired to know why they held little to no memories within their person. To which I explained to Rojaahn, of whom was our leading researcher amongst my Undying. "No memories, My Lord God?" he asked, his brows knitting together with some concern, "And they are from our world of Terra?" "Correct on both accounts, Rojaahn," came my reply, as my skeletal self slowly flowed into my Kobold self, "There are no memories within their minds of beyond the cavern in which they resided within. It is as though their world only began when my person, and anyone else, had stepped forth into the space." "What is it you desire, My Lord God?" He was concerned over this development, yes, but still did not understand why I had called upon his person for assistance. "You are to experiment with them, and find out just what exactly they know," which led to another thought, "The children that were brought over from Terra; have one of the Chosen ask them about our world. This is to see if there are any gaps within their memories, and talk to the Elder which became a Vampire recently. Make sure to discuss it with him at length, for he should have a more extensive knowledge than the children." "Do not worry, My Lord God. For it will be placed highest upon my list," his brows knit further together, as the thought of our world being tampered with further than normal. For it was rather disconcerting, as the thought of the people of our world called Terra continuing to be nothing more than playthings for the False God''s sick and twisted games. This was the thought I had, as the portal behind my person closed. A3 Chapter 32 AN: Bit of a short chapter today, folks, but it reveals quite the twist in the story whilst still saying nothing. Well, that''s my hope anyways. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _________________________________ Unbeknownst to my person, however, the system which entrapped our world called Terra in its grasp blared a bright scarlet light throughout the small space of the False God. "What is happening?" his voice howled above the din, as a wail slowly pierced his mind, "What is going on?" Quickly, the armoured body stood up, and ran towards a panel on the far side of the area. This held a few odds and ends that would make any of the engineers drool with envy. Within such a panel was a rough texture of shadowed material, and next to it was a small, vermillion coloured button. Of which he pressed frantically, dancing in place as a neutral voice permeated the air, "Yes? What is it, and why is it so noisy?" "The system is blaring due to something happening down upon the world," replied the other, "I don''t know what to do, because this has never happened before." A slow sigh passed through the material, as the sounds of light tapping entered his mind. Of which caused the light and sounds to cease, whilst the other sounds continued. "Let. Me. See... Ah, here it is. It seems one of your charges has disappeared. Any ideas what happened to it?" "No," came the reply, to which the other sighed once more. More tapping ensued, as whoever was on the other side of the contraption continued to do as they pleased. "Well, it seems... Huh? Is your system down?" "Well, yes... somewhat, but I don''t see why that has anything to-" "You idiot," screamed the unknown individual, whilst causing the False God to cringe, "Don''t you know things like this could cause problems? Such as the people down below going berserk, or the spirits surrounding the place could easily possess one of your charges and walk out into Azzarath. You do know the whole purpose of the place is to keep them in, right?" "Well, yes," mumbled the other, "Since I''ve become the ''God'' some five hundred years ago, I''ve become more intimately aware of the purpose of Terra." "That''s good to know, Warden Draxis," growled the voice which called him to flinch, "Because if any of them escape, it''ll be your head on the chopping block. So fix your system before Azazel gets wind of your failures, while I focus more on my own problems." "Oh yeah?" his voiced perked up at this new revelation, and was quite pleased that the other did not continue to berate his person, "What''s going on with your end?" "There''s a war happening down on my governed world," sighed the neutral voice, of which tried to voice a twinge of hatred within, but ultimately failed, "It''s rather strange, to be honest. There''s a host of Undead that cropped up out of nowhere, and has been terrorising the surface for some time. Yet, it seems to shirk away from every major city it comes across, and only targets the outlying villages and towns." "Is there something or someone controlling them?" "Well, that''s the thing, really; no one is directing the forces. Well, not that I''ve seen, anyways, but the thing is that when the host came upon the Humans of my world, they slaughtered them down to the babe. Of course, this brought my world up to an O ranking, but do you know what the strangest bit is? Nira''s desert world dropped down to an X." "What?!" cried out the False God, of whom couldn''t believe what he was hearing, "How is that even possible?" "No idea, but then again, she doesn''t have that many people to begin with. So having almost everyone gone would make anyone anxious. However, the others aren''t fairing so well either." "What do you mean?" "Everyone within the pantheon is experiencing something similar. To the point where only Higher Immortals are allowed within the worlds." This statement was enough to cause his person to collapse upon his knees, to which he stared blankly as the other continued with, "Azazel has no idea what''s going on, but is enjoying herself nonetheless. Which means Draxis, you had better fix your system. Because if something drastic were to occur upon your world, then none of us will be able to come to your aid. The same goes for us as well, as only I was able to rush to Nira''s aid when her world became an X. "However, that ended when my own became an R, which was when you called me. Now, if you''ll excuse me, I''ve a mess I need to clean up." Upon these words, whoever it was upon the other side left, leaving the other to ponder about what to do if something happens to his world when he could not call upon the others for assistance. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "I can''t just close it down," he muttered to himself, "Azazel will have my head if she finds out, and it''s not like I can just hand it off to someone else. Ugh, this is so frustrating." ***** "Am I hearing this correctly, Rojaahn?" I asked slowly as my Kobold self sat upon a blood stained, wooden chair within the laboratory. It had been a few turns since my return, of which led to my person needing to remove Robby from my presence. Permanently. For he had decided to act upon his hormones and stalked Sarah whilst trying his best to gain her attention. Of which occurred, but not in the way he had hoped, as she had struck him hard across his left side, and sent him flying through a couple of walls made of Shadowed Onyx. As many of you know, or should know, the stone called Shadowed Onyx can only be harvested from the deepest pits within the dungeon called "The Tower of Babel". This stone is only available to my person, and any of those of whom can reach for it. However, it is also far more dense than the common varieties we have, which made the feat all the more impressive within my eyes. In any case, when it became apparent that I had returned, Robby had the gall to believe I would not find the truth of the ordeal. Yes. He tried to hide this from my person, even going as far as to threaten those around his person with violence and death. Unfortunately for him, my servants and Undying were not intimidated by his whimsical threats. This then led to my person finding out about the entire ordeal. Of which led to my person showing everyone what happens to those who dared to come between my person and my beloved Sarah. Such as tossing him into the darkness far below my castle. However, not many seem to realise the significance of the darkness below. For it is a massive portal which leads directly into the Abyss. Yes, it is still there to this day, but it has been long since sealed off against any and all who desired to traverse the paths within. After such an anticlimactic ending, Sarah needed to leave. It was unfortunate, but she has her own duties to perform. Of which led to my person seeing her off and returning to the laboratory where Rojaahn gave me the news I had not desired to hear in the least, "Yes, My Lord God, you did. They do not have any knowledge beyond where they were first seen. Be it the city from which the children came from, or the strange Humans from the cavern, they do not have any knowledge of the world as a whole." "Not even any sort of religious texts? I do remember there being some religious fools within the city of New Wair." "None, My Lord God," replied the Bear Beastman, of whom shook his metallic head slowly, "It is as though such a thing never occurred in the first place." "This is troubling, Rojaahn," to which the other nodded slowly, standing off to the side whilst drinking from a mug full of a frothy beverage. No. I did not ask what it was, and had no desire to do so. For I did not have any semblance of sense when it came to the body, beyond what is known as ESP or "The Sixth Sense". That I did have, but did not appear until our time upon Sol''anon, which was quite the experience, to be sure. "In any case, we would need the others for this next venture." "My Lord God?" The metallic Beastman cocked his head towards the right, not understanding my words. To which I turned towards him and "cleared it up for him", as the saying goes, "We would need to inform the original Undying, of whom have the most to gain from our war of attrition about these new developments. As well as to question Brutus if he has any gaps in his memories of before meeting my person." "Hmm," the other hummed softly, "That may prove difficult, as he has been through much could prove to be rather irritating." "I know of this, Rojaahn, but regardless it must be done so to figure out whether or not this is a localised occurrence, or something that happens every time there is a new set of individuals who step forth upon our world." "Yes, but can''t you summon him right now?" "No," my head shook from side to side slowly, "For he had an errand to run upon a forested world. One of which had caused its entirety to be given a rank of X, if the reports he had sent were accurate." This led to the other''s eyes to widen greatly, as the thought of such a venture seemed too foreign to his mind. "My Lord God, this is a wonderful piece of information. How did he manage to accomplish such a task?" This led to my own lips grinning quite menacingly, as my own voice built up with a slow laughter, "He''s killed off most of the Humans." A3 Chapter 33 AN: Why are you guys so quiet? Well, anyways, just finished finalising the last bit of editing for book one. Which means it''ll be up on Amazon in a couple of weeks. So excited. :D As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________________________ Yes. Brutus had killed off most of the Humans of the world which was spoken of first. For it was done so in two parts. The first being a complete understanding of the Madness which has been inflected upon all Undead, as well as to alleviate some of the boredom which he had felt. Of course, he did take it a little too far, as I had desired to keep all of the words rising as a steady pace with the armies rampaging throughout each. However, it soon helped in our efforts. For the Gods of the Pantheon had decided to gather and express their disdain for this new turn of events. Thus, turning their backs on the real issues at hand. Such as the lack of attention towards my person, and even less so when it came to the multitude of servants who were slowly taking out their key prophets and "Holy Men". Though there were quite a few who still proceeded over their afflicted worlds, they were far and few between. By the by, this account is from my beloved wife, who would tell my person what had occurred at a later date, but before that, I need to speak to you about who was there and what they were. There were eight Gods and Goddesses in attendance, and were situated around a crescent shaped table of white marble. The room that they were in was nondescript, in that it was simply a white space situated within their realm. Which would normally hold anywhere between twenty or thirty, and yes, this was the number within the Pantheon at this time. Of the eight which sat within their designated chairs, only two were female, and one was a neutral gender. In that it had a combination of both anatomies, but did not hold the genitals. This one was simply an "It", and what is more, this was what it called itself. Now, this one was the first to speak, and wore only a brown robe to cover its body, whilst the head was bald, the skin an alabaster white. "Something has happened upon my world," It spoke slowly, the voice a neutral tone, but twinge with frustration, "I assume whatever they are has spread to yours as well?" The query was directed towards everyone present, who nodded slowly. "Has Lady Azazel been notified?" asked a small voice. Of whom belonged to a child-like creature with large, brown eyes full of age and wisdom. This one, a female, is one you should know. For she is Libra, The Keeper of The Scales, Goddess of Law, and her body was in the form of a Gryphon''s chick. "Yes Libra," spoke It, who sighed slowly whilst slouching in the chair, "She''s been notified since the beginning. I wouldn''t be surprised if this was her own doing." "What do you mean?" croaked another, of whom was a large, azure and gelatinous creature known as a Slime. However, this one did not have any perceivable cores floating around inside its body, but it was in the shape of a male Human. This one, by the by, was called Oceanum, of whom was a God of large bodies of water. Sighing once more and rubbing the bald head, It slowly iterated matter-of-factly, "She''s a Lord of Chaos," unfortunately, everyone else seemed to not understand the implications, "Oh come on. Have you all not seen her grin, or heard her laughter? It''s maniacal, creepy, and when I asked Ho''tuul, he said it''s because she''s a Lord of Chaos. Matter of fact, she''s the first Lord of Chaos among the lot of them." "Yeah, but she is the King, after all." This one came from an odd figure, one of whom had the body of a voluptuous female Human, but with a feline head. Many of you do not know this, but her name was A''tan, the Goddess of Four Corners. Once again, there is a God or Goddess of everything and anything between our two Pantheons, and yes, there is one for fecal matter. In any case, this one had one of the strangest worlds I have ever seen, as it was in the shape of a cube, instead of a sphere which is the norm. "Therefore, she is entitled to her maniacal laughter, and you cannot say otherwise." "Whatever," growled the other, "I just want to know why this is happening. I mean, yeah, it happens every hundred years or so, but never to this extent." "Not to mention the fact that we always have a hand in it," muttered a muscular brute of a male Human. Of whom wore a barbaric outfit of dried skins and pelts strewn across his torso, back, and thighs, "Mostly just to keep our populaces'' numbers under control." The male who spoke this time was Anna''tan, God of Rage and Sorrow, and was a brother of A''tan''s. "That''s true, Anna''tan," his sister bobbed her head once, "but that was only eighty-three years ago." "It was also postpone, if you can recall," It chimed in, "There were less souls being recycled around that time, and I believe the God King''s own daughter made the trip down to the River Styx in order to make a deal of some sort. Do you remember what it was about?" The others shook their heads slowly, which caused It to sigh and shrug, "Well, in any case, we need to figure out our next course of action. Because my own world is having its own set of troubles." "You have a Demon Lord type of world, yes?" asked another small voice, but one that sounded very child-like. For it was a child, and only a few are much like this one. However, its stature changed every turn, and ranged from child, toddler, juvenile, a male in their prime, and an Elder. Whereas its race also differed every turn as well, but this time it was of a male Fox-kin with midnight blue fur and an endarkened hair colour which seemed to absorb the light in the room, making it seem much brighter around his person. This one is named Solannus, was the God of The Journey Through Life, and wore a simple tunic and trousers at the time. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. To this inquiry, the other nodded as a hand rubbed the bald head in frustration, "Yep, and I assume the others with a similar world are also going through with the fact that their Demon King, Lord, or what have you has grown in strength at an exponential rate?" Nearly all nodded at this, which caused It to sigh once more, "I''m not even sure how I can stop them without directly interfering. Which is against the laws Azazel had placed upon us." "The only way we can actively intervene is if the rating hits an X," growled a large Kodiak. Of whom was exactly that, and not a Beastman of any sort. For it was simply a beast which had gained enough intelligence and strength to ascend into the heavens, becoming a God. As to what the name of this one was and its category? Well, the name was Bear, and he was the God of Plentiful Fish. "Did you hear about what happened to Nira''s world?" The other seven Gods and Goddesses'' eyes widened, as they had not heard what had happened just yet, "Well, her world dropped down to an X just as a massive horde of Undead wiped out... I want to say about ninety percent of the Human population. Well, they were almost all killed, before she was allowed to step in." This news shocked everyone in attendance, as an X rating had never occurred since their time amongst the Pantheon began. Instead, the farthest the rating had ever gotten to was a T, but that was around fifteen hundred years ago. "To make matters worse," those who were muttering to themselves and with one another ceased to speak, which led to Bear slowly moving his head back and forth between the lot of them, "it''s been upgraded to a Y, because the creatures are a lot stronger than what others had originally thought." "What do you mean?" asked A''tan, who stared at the other with widened eyes. "Nira''s sister, Amiil''amesh, could not subjugate the horde''s leader." "How is that even possible?!" howled the God of Rage and Sorrows, "Amiil''amesh is at least ten times stronger than her sister is." Bear nodded slowly at this, for he had dealings with the one they spoke of on many occasions, "Yes, but this one was proclaimed a Lich King who bolstered the fact that it served a ''Lord High God''." Those who could, paled at the mere mention of a Lich King. For upon their worlds, the Undead were a race which was meant to be erased every time they appeared. However, if one amongst their number was proclaimed a Lich, then the whole of the world it resided upon were to band together in order to quash the creature and its armies before it was crowned a King. Once such an occurrence passes, then the world it resided upon is branded with a Z or number ranking. For such a creature can rival the gods themselves, and only the nearby God Kings, or a mass collective of Gods and Goddesses, were needed to subjugate such a being. Especially one who dealt with the essences which were within every last one of us as Brutus does. For those types of Lich Kings have the ability to not only enslave the restless spirits of the dead, but also those who still have living bodies. Which leads to another point, they can also target the Gods and Goddesses themselves, forcing them to become the King''s servants until its complete destruction. "Wh-wh-what k-k-kind o-of L-L-lich King is-s it?" quavered the remaining God amongst the group. Of whom was an old male Human in dirty rags, and was called A''sniiz, God of Street Urchins. Slowly, the Kodiak God shook his head, coughed once, and held a distressed look within the eyes, "It is a Lich King of the Wailing Damned, and has enslaved the rest of the Humans upon Nira''s world." Only three amongst their number inhaled slowly upon the revelation of such a situation, whilst the others were not sure about what they just heard, "It''s one of the most feared Lich Kings," mumbled It, whose back had straightened against the chair. "It needs to be destroyed quickly to ensure our survival," quivered Libra, whose body shimmered as various magick filled lights slowly shined about her body. "The creature can manipulate souls," growled the God of Plentiful Fish, "and if a minour God or Goddess is within its range, then it can enslave their bodies and minds, forcing them to do as it so desires," The Kodiak shivered greatly upon the thought of such a being existing. "But," called out Oceanum, who had raised his right, gelatinous arm to garner everyone''s attention, "didn''t you say it proclaimed to serve a God? Can''t we find out who it is, and have them put an end to everything?" "Don''t you think we''re already trying to figure that out?" snapped the other, "Since this revelation, we''ve been trying to find this unknown God, whoever he, she, or it may be, but without any luck. Even the God of such a thing cannot help the Goddess of Future-Sight." "In any case," called out It, who had removed itself from the chair and was walking towards the only exit within the space, of which was in the centre of the area, "we need to call upon the others, as this is not enough for just our persons alone. So, come along, and let us leave for some refreshments before calling upon everyone to help deal with this mess." Upon so saying, the group of eight grumbled loudly, but stood up to leave. However, as the last of these beings left, they did not notice Sarah. Of whom had been sitting in the far back of the area, and had been listening with a look of dread upon her facial features. "Karastak, what did you do?" A3 Chapter 34 AN: As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ________________________________________ Yes. Brutus had indeed been proclaimed a Lich King without my person being there to witness such an event, and no, I did not berate his person for reaching such a height. Instead, I congratulated his person for obtaining the title and evolution. Of which came with the promise of granting a section of land upon our world in order to allow him to rule. "I thank you, My Lord God," he spoke reverently, bowing slightly towards my person, but was stopped when I laid my left, lesser clawed hand upon his right shoulder. "No, my Lich King," my voice was full of amusement at the new title of his, "I still detest such actions towards my person, as you well know. So come, we shall have you flex your authority upon the next venture into our world of Terra." "You mean-?" "Yes, Brutus, you shall be accompanying my person when the next summoning is to take place. This time, however, we must have you done a skin, of sorts, in order to blend in with the rest of the crowd." "My Lord God?" his head cocked towards the right shoulder, showing a twinge of curiosity within the pinpoint, emerald coloured eyes before that which was within all Undead stole it away. "I shall be applying one of my Grand Illusions upon you, Brutus. Of which will help you to stay hidden beneath the gaze of the False God of Terra. So come, and let us prepare our departure." Before any of you ask, Brutus, my newly formed Lich King and a few others were transported from the desert world governed by the Goddess Nira, and into the Laboratory which was Rojaahn''s domain. This was done so the moment his reports grew sparse, and news of a mass of Gods and Goddesses appeared upon such a world to do battle with him and his. This collection was worrisome for my person, as the thought of losing one of my most loyal subordinates would damage my strength considerably. Especially one who I had invested much of my time and energy to create and use. Yes. The I of yester-year considered them all to be merely pawns to be used and thrown away, but that was before we had grown into a family, of sorts. Now? Now they are my closest and most dearest friends and allies. Ones that I can count on in any instance, just as they are allowed to call on my own for whatever issues they may have. In any case, these Gods and Goddesses had dared to rise up against one of my own, going as far as to destroy his own subordinates until it was only himself, a few others, and a massive host of spirits under his direct control. Of which were thrown at these beings in a wondrous battle full of violence, blood, and death. However, that is for another time and another place. For now, I led him to the garden area, whereupon we were met by Azazel who was sipping tea upon a large quite of some sort. Next to her was an elegant, snow white Dryad who was smiling down at the little-girl-who-was-not-a-little-girl, as she chatted up a storm with her. However, it came to an end when the pair spied my skeletal self and Brutus. This led to the Dryad bowing towards my person before leaving the area, whilst the other stood up slowly and brushed off her pale, blue one-piece dress. "Ah, Undead Karastak, so good of you to come," her face grew into a maniacal grin as she noted who was with my person, "To you as well, Lich King Brutus." Her emphasis on the title he had just gained caused my mental self to frown, as such a thing usually did not bode well from one or both parties. To which caused his pin-point sized, emerald eyes to flare with annoyance, as he simply ignored her person. However, this action led to her grin widening further, if that was at all possible, as the lips seemed to stretch passed her eyes before reverting back. "The other has readied himself to allow ten new charges to impart to the world of Terra," her eyes were laughing at this point, whilst she continued with, "Does this one take it you will be sending Lich King Brutus in your stead?" "No," my skull shook itself slowly, to which the girl-who-was-not-a-girl frowned slightly, "Both he and I shall be journeying to our world. However," my right, lesser clawed hand landed upon Brutus''s right shoulder, whilst the primary clawed hand was held up to forestall her person from speaking, "However, I shall be within my sword body, whilst he shall take on a form befitting royalty." "My Lord God?" his own metallic skull turned towards my own with the formation of another query dancing in his eyes. "<>," I intoned, just as a great spell circle the colour of bright blood formed around his person, whilst another, much smaller spell circle found its way around the pair of us, "<>!" A cacophony of roars, howls, and screeches filled the air around our persons, as a chorus of angels and devils joined in on the God Tiered spell which would transform my Lich King into a form more befitting his position as my Right Hand. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ***** The False God sighed into his throne, as a myriad of screens floated before his person. Several dictated the statuses of the world, of which much was still in repair. However, there were a few pockets of space necessary to keep the God King Azazel pleased with the amount of charges sent to the world called Terra. Of which would lead to another adventure with those of whom were allotted to journey within the various worlds of the Azarathian Pantheon. However, these beings travelling to Terra are ones who have already traversed the world. "Why?" he had asked Azazel, of whom stood before his person with the new order to allow them to do so, "Why should they be allowed to do so? Isn''t Terra supposed to only allow someone to enter it once in their entire lives?" "Yes," she replied, staring into his eyes which were inside a head that was floating a few centimetres above the body, "However, this one has noted the lack of allowances towards those who are not Immortals of any rank. Henceforth, you shall allow these beings to traverse the world below until such a time as they are allowed to visit the other worlds." "But, why? I have nothing prepared for experienced people." "Have these ones thrown at the Demon Lord, this one cares not," she waved her small, right hand dismissively, "You will comply with this, Warden Draxis, or you will find yourself bereft of your position as a God." Upon these words, she did vanish, leaving his person to slump against the throne where he did sigh and summon up the various screens. Two of which held the commands for the various scenarios and "maps" designed to allow the various charges to traverse through. One of which held the "Demon Lord" scenario which always pleased himself. This was so, as the "Demon Lord" was a female, red dragon who was his mother. Of whom had passed over his person long ago in favour of his brother, called "Second Son". This had infuriated his person to no end, and had somehow trapped them into the world of Terra. No. I shall not speak of it just yet, but will only be brief when we come to such a crossroad. For that tail is a long one, and we do not have the time for such a thing. In any case, this one was suggested by the God King Azazel, and he would at least enjoy such a venture as his next charges, of which would be ten in total, slaughter his family. Yes. He did find such a thing quite amusing, even going so far as to become giddy and drunk upon such images. Whereas all others seem to bore his mind, for they are simply part of the job he was tasked with, as a few strokes across a rectangular device full of numbers and letterings were pressed to allow such a thing to occur. "Hmm," he hummed softly, as the world below shifted in order to allow the undamaged terrain to form the city of New Wair, a large expanse of forests surrounding the area, and the cavernous area which held the Draconians and Demon Lord, "Well, let''s just have the regular scenario of the King and Princess desiring heroes to kill the Demon Lord." Of which caused his gauntleted fingers to strike swiftly against the rectangular device for a time, then stopped. For he had realised he was about to make a mistake, as the entire thing was being made as though new charges were to be traversing through this scripted scenario, "Damnit, almost forgot. Well, let''s up the ante a bit, and let the world sort itself out afterwards." Just as the False God spoke such words, did an iron dial appear upon the right armrest of the throne. This contained the numbers from one to ten, and played a pivotal role in the difficulty of each scenario. At that time, it was set to a two, which was easy enough for new people, but far too much so for those of whom are already experienced. However, he did not know of how far to take such a thing. "What to do? What. To. Do?" he spoke softly, tapping a forefinger against the top of the dial, "Well, no matter. We shall let them sort it all out in the long run." Shrugging his shoulders, the False God cranked the dial to its maximum, and waved it away as the scene before his person played out in revealing the terrain below to becoming much harsher than the flat lands below. "It also means a lot less villages, but no matter. "Well, let''s have a look at who will be coming to my world." Upon such words, ten images slowly floated towards his person. Each of them showing a variety of characters from the normal Elves, Humans, and Dwarves, to the abnormal red-skinned Demons and a couple of Hobgoblins. However, the last image which flowed towards his person caught his eyes. For upon the image held strange symbols which did not denote the creature''s race, as it was wreathed in shadow-like armour, wielded a jagged greatsword in the shape of a large canine of some great behemoth, and whose blade was as long as the being''s body. What is more, there was a pair of glowing eyes barely visible beneath the helm, whereas upon the face of the sword, and towards the hilt, was a large, golden slitted eye which he swears was staring right at his person. A3: Chapter 35 AN: So~, last night I got an offer to be a DM (Dungeon Master) next week for my group. Of course I said yes, and it''s going to be pulled from this story. Now I''m going to be writing up something for that, as well as for this. Trouble is, I LOVE being a dick in my stories, and the last campaign I ran was a second edition dungeon crawler. Course, after it was done, my group back then said to NEVER do another campaign again. Why? ''Cause I was a dick, and only the mage survived with an arm cut off. Then he died of blood loss after killing the last boss with a critical fireball to the face. Should be fun, right? As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or cocnerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ___________________________________________ Yes. The slaying of a Demon King is one of the most common quests given out to those who would be the worlds'' heroes. More so upon the worlds of Azzarath''s Pantheon than our own. For the mantle of a Demon Lord falls upon a random minour god of our realm, of whom is allotted various powers to wield against those who desire to end the reign of one such as they. We have even made an event out of it, as you all know well. In any case, Brutus and I had become quite annoyed by such requests to the point that we turned to helping said Lords with their problems. This would be no different, as we do not care much for the Humans who summoned us to attack the other. However, it was probably be best to not speak of such thoughts whilst the others begrudgingly accepted the quest. When the greedy King came to Brutus, he stopped for a time as the beady eyes within the Human''s skull ran over the armour of my Lich King. These pair only paused upon the crown atop his head, as well as upon my sword body. Once he did this last one, my own slitted, golden eye swiveled in place for a time before becoming fixated upon the other. This caused the Human to shake, as my own silvered energies slowly leaked from my pommel and onto the floor. This was so, as I desired to conjure up a small illusion of my skeletal self''s visage which then flew into the King''s face. Of which caused him to stagger backwards until his body fell to the floor. "My Lord," cried out a few of the guards standing by. They then rushed to their liege, as Brutus''s right, taloned hand pointed towards the group and barked a single word, "<>!" Five bolts of endarkened energy rushed out of the Lich King''s extended talons, striking King Samiah, LD, RS, and two other guards in the torso or abdomen. Of which was followed by a snap of his talons. This was so, as the energies of each bolt was used to not only kill the body, but the essences within as well. Whereas the snapping of his taloned fingers was to enact the second portion of the spell. In that five spirits, two wendigos and three banshees, rose out of his body and leapt into the five before us. These bodies then convulsed greatly as the spirits devoured the internal organs, blood, and bone until only the skin remained. Of which they each wore, and if one were to give only a cursory glance, then they would not find anything amiss. That is, until they looked closer. For upon the bodies were marks of skin stretched taught over unfamiliar bone structure. Such as a Wendigo, which is bestial, or a Banshee, which is feminine. "What is going on?" cried out the only Elf in the space, as he drew out his daggers whilst searching for an exit. Of whom held the appearance of the standard High Elf, with long, platinum blonde hair and crystalline blue eyes. This one wore a hooded outfit of leather and chain in the pattern of oak leaves, and held a few belt pouches along the waist. "Why''d you kill the Human?" asked a female, red-skinned demon. Of whom had a pair of horns growing from a few centimetres above her forehead, and back behind her skull. What is more, her facial features were of a soft noblewoman''s, but was marred by a long cars which ran across the bridge of her nose. The female''s chest, however, was much like the other pair''s, non-existent. To say that they were flat would be a misinterpretation. For she had nothing upon her chest; nothing to indicate she was feminine, unless you took the time to understand their race as a whole. One way to tell them apart was their horns, as the male''s were thicker around the base than the female''s, and pointed up at the end. Below the waist, however, was that of a goat''s hind legs. Yes. It was furred, and included a pair of hooves for feet. Not to mention the fact that each had a serpent-like tail that ended in a myriad of spiked shapes, and each wielded a three pronged trident wherever they went. In any case, the female had made her way towards the Lich King with a slow pace until she was standing in front of his person. Who then repeated the question once more, whilst the male stood back as the rest of the group looked on with a myriad of expressions upon their features. "The Humans are a detestable race," growled Brutus, whose voice was slightly muffled by the face plate, "They do not deserve anything beyond death." "Perhaps, but why kill their King? Aren''t you worried about the repercussions?" Her voice was soothing, seductive, as I noted that the words were coated in a sickly sweet energy. This was probably used to allow the female to control any and all she set her sights upon. However, as a true Undead, Brutus had a near full immunity of such magicks, which was further increased the moment he became a King. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "No," his voice growled as my golden eye flared with anger once I noted the energies being used upon my servant. This was then portrayed to his mental self, who growled and raised up my sword body. Of course, the female noted such happenings, and leapt back to avoid any sort of strikes directed towards her body. "Defend the Mistress," cried out the male pair, who leapt in front of her person and intoned their spells of fire. Unfortunately for them, they had forgotten that there was a pair of Wendigos and a trio of Banshees. Of whom charged the pair with hunger-laced howls and screams. The pair took note of this at the last moment, and launched their magicks towards LD and RS, of whom were Wendigos in disguise. Whereas the Banshees, in the guise of the King and two random guards, attacked the female Demon. Which then led to the false King''s head to roll off just as the temples'' doors opened up to reveal a small squad of Human guards. To which I shared a mental grin with Brutus. For this little scuffle was making quite a bit of noise, and as the King of the country was within the area, these others had to rush in. Thus, they saw their liege lord, of whom was already dead, fall to the ground without its head. Of course, they did not see the beginning, in which Brutus had already killed him, but that would not matter in the least. As they had now, essentially, turned on those who would have been our allies in this event. As to what had happened? Well, the guards themselves were stunned as they watched the headless corpse of King Samiah the Greedy fall upon the ground. No blood spurted from the wound, as it had already been eaten by the Banshee which had possessed the body moments before. Which was then followed by a gout of flame from a grinning male Demon who appeared to be enjoying his work. Of course, the other Undead servants'' bodies weren''t fairing well either, as each were torched after the bodies had been skewered in varying degrees. This was followed up by great wails from the Banshees, as they each were destroyed by the fires of the creatures they fought. Whereas the Wendigos fled back into the body of Brutus in order to lick their wounds until such a time that they are needed once more. "They killed your king," cried out Brutus, who was directed by my person, and pointed towards the now confused red-skinned Demons, "They had conspired together in order to help the Demon Lord, as they are Demons themselves." "What?" cried out the female, as the guards quickly entered the room, but were still stunned as to what they had witnessed. However, more was being summoned, as the news of the death of King Samiah traveled quickly, and each desired to slay the ones who committed such a deed. "We''re not Demons." "Yes they are," called out one of the Hobgoblins, of whom had a mischievous grin upon its features, "Sure, they''re not your demons, but these ones are the same on another world." "Not to mention they serve their own Demon Lord who has run amok and killed off many Humans. So it''s no wonder they would kill your leader, because they might get a promotion for doing so." This came from the other violet skinned Hobgoblin, who also grinned in the same manner as the former. Of course, this pair were simply there to "stir the pot" as the saying goes. This means to cause more trouble, which would allow us to progress further without needing to turn to a more violent action. This then led to the gathered Humans to surge forward, as the trio prepared their spells of fire in order to escape from the area. This meant, to the minds of the Humans, at least, that they were guilty of what they had been accused of. As such, they each howled out the name of their fallen King, and charged towards the trident wielding Demons. Of whom widened their eyes as the blades rose high above their heads, and fell with enough force to paint the nearby wall with their crimson blood. Whereas Brutus and I simply watched with bemusement within our eyes until that which was within all Undead stole it away. Which then caused my person to recall something, and addressed my Lich King with, ''Do you remember RS and LD, Brutus?'' "Yes I do, My Lord God," he spoke softly as one of the Demons'' heads flew over the guards'' bodies. Of which then skidded across the floor and rested near his person, who then used an insignificant amount of energy to disintegrate it. "Why?" ''RS always wore red, whilst LD wore only white.'' "Yes, but what does that-?" he paused for a time as his mind recalled who it was that entered the space they shared with the rest of the summoned beings. Within moment the Lich King remembered who they were, and groaned from his mistake, "Forgive me, My Lord God. I did not realise who they were at the time." ''Do not worry too much about it, Brutus, as this is your turn upon Terra and not my own. Which means, my dear Lich King, you do not have to worry about small mistakes as this. So do as you will, whilst I simply watch from the sidelines.'' A3 Chapter 36 AN: So, we''ve reached 200 followers and I''ve nothing to show for it right now. Will try to get an extra chapter done today, and put it out for you either by tonight, or it''ll be a dual chapter release tomorrow. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ________________________________ "I shall be leaving this portion of the story to Brutus," spoke the Ageless, of whom waved his left paw in the space nearest his person. Of which caused the shadowed air to shimmer as the Lich King appeared before their persons. Who then bowed towards the other, as they switched places. "Brutus, do you recall your efforts upon our world of Terra after I gave you leave to follow my person there?" "Yes, My Lord High God," he responded slowly, as his body, cloaked in a pure white robe of satin and silk, nestled into the throne, "Do you wish for my person to impart the knowledge of such an event upon they who are your audience?" "Of course, my dear sir, and you should not be so formal, even when we have an audience," the Kitsune chuckled softly as the right paw pat the Lich King''s shoulder lightly, "Do not hold back in your telling of this portion in your life." Upon so saying, the God King moved away from the space the audience shared, and once more waved a paw into the space before his person. Afterwards came two more beings, one was Sarah, the Goddess of Iridescent Colours, and their son, Nox. Of whom cried out, "Papa," and leapt into the arms of the other, who twirled their persons in a circle whilst laughing joyously. This would continue for some time, whilst the Lich King clapped both pairs of his metallic, clawed hands to garner the attentions of the others. Once each pair of eyes rested upon his person, did he begin with, "Our Lord High God desires my glorious self to speak of our adventures through Terra. Therefore, I shall begin at the beginning, and end when it has ended." ***** Now, from what I can tell is that you''ve just been told about my mistake of killing RS and LD. Yes. I killed them without realising who they actually were, and lamented my course of action. However, being an Undead has several perks, such as the removal of one''s emotions due to some force within us all eating it all away. Though, it only affects those of us who are True Undead, and not someone like a vampire. In any case, after the butchering of the three red-skinned Demons, we were escorted out of the temple and into the nearby courtyard. Of which was near the run down cathedral our Lord High God had resided within so long ago. Yes. I remembered it, though it was vague, and expressed a desire to enter it once more. However, "I''m sorry sir, but you and the others are not allowed to leave our sight until we have someone to take your statement after the death of our King." "Regardless," came my displeasure, "I am going to the cathedral. If you dare to stop me, then I shall use the blade my God had gifted my wondrous self to slay you all." This statement caused those within earshot to reach for their swords, or tighten their grips on the spears, pikes, and halberds. Whereas I simply moved towards the structure which had once housed our Lord High God nearly a century beforehand. For although I desired to reach the interior, it was the God who bade me to do so, as He wished to relive the events. No. None of the pathetic Humans dared to stand in our way, as I gently held my God''s sword body pointing blade first in front of my person. Thus, we entered the building which had much of its west section removed so that the stone may be harvested for other projects around the castle. Of course, some of it has been changed, from what our Lord believed from his memories, but the rest was pretty much the same. For instance, the bed which was within the room behind the altar was missing, as was the large, stone throne which sat in place of said altar. There was also the missing portraits and paintings which hung around the place, but otherwise it was the same. ''Such nostalgia, Brutus,'' His mental voice, so deep and rich which filled my entire being with excitement, entered my mind with a great sigh of joy, ''Truly, it is a wonder.'' "What is, My Lord God?" My own voice was quiet, as we made our way forward, past the rotting benches and chairs which once held large amounts of people at one time, and to the altar. Of which was twice my length, but half my height and was made of some sort of grey stone. Yes. Much like the castle''s walls and itself. ''How the False God is able to recreate the world as I remember it, Brutus.'' Once more, I shivered from His voice, as I noted His mental self twirling in a slow circle to take in the scenery around us. Of which was construed by the silver mists which leaked from the pommel and formed a silhouette of his Kobold self before my person. "Perhaps it knew of your return, and sought your favour?" If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ''I highly doubt this is the truth, Brutus, as it would only do their best to hinder our movements more so than naught,'' He mentally sighed, retreating back into the sword just as the clambering of several dozen metal feet charged towards the cathedral. Of which caused my person to turn slowly to find many of them slowly making their way into the space containing the rotting benches. "Yes?" I called out to them, finding the situation quite amusing as they were the same Humans as before when they tried to bar my perfect self from entering, "Is there something the matter?" "You are to come with us," spoke one of their number, "You are to hand over your weapons, too." "And why should I do this?" Within my own mind, I was laughing alongside our Lord God, who also found the scenario amusing. "We have testimony of you killing King Samiah. Therefore, you will cooperate until we bring in a Truth Master to-" "How about no?" I called out, as my wondrously metallic self leapt into the air, over their heads, and landed in front of the one who I believed would dare to stand up to us. Upon so saying, the blade of my Lord God''s sword body was raised high, then brought low quickly. The eyes of the Human widen greatly at this point, which led to its mouth parting slowly as a crimson line flew down the body from the corner of its right eye, to the left hip. This was followed by the body falling apart in two pieces as a fountain of blood splashed the world around us. "So good," I released an unintentional squeal, as I noticed the beauty of so much blood whilst my lower body wiggled slightly from the scene. "What the-?" began another, then screamed a feminine scream as I turned towards the noise it made with my God''s sword body raised high above my person. "Yes," a muffled moan hissed out of the face plate, "Scream. Shout. Call for your mothers. Do all this and more, as I paint the cathedral with your blood." This statement caused the whole of the group of guards to seek an exit, as I continued to raise and lower My Lord God''s body in a repeated fashion. Which then created more fountains of blood that painted the floor, walls, and parts of the ceiling crimson. "More. MORE!" My own laughter filled the whole of the ruined cathedral, and had even found its way outside. This summoned more guards, as well as the old mages from wherever they had been hiding to come towards my person with spells of fire, lightning, and ice. Yes. They fired off such spells, but because I held My Lord High God''s sword body, each was deflected by his aura. Many of which flew into the castle walls, or simply splashed into the cathedral. "Ah, I haven''t had this much fun in quite some time." ''Not even upon the desert world?'' asked His mental voice. To which I shook my head slowly, "No, My Lord God. Because that world was work, as I needed to direct the forces under your person. I could not let loose as much as I could here." My shoulders shrugged quickly, whilst my glorious body ran towards the closest Human. However, a Dwarf blocked my path with a great axe swinging towards my midsection. Of which was blocked by the sword body of my God. "Oh?" My voice grew an octave as I stared upon the odd creature who grimaced up at my person, "I haven''t used the blood of a Dwarf in quite some time. I wonder, what colour is your blood?" Yes. I realised I was crazed at this point, but I was simply enjoying myself and desired a release of my non-existent built up stress. Which also meant the Madness had a grip upon my regal self, as I launched a series of blows upon the small creature who desperately tried to block everything thrown at it. However, it was slowly pushed back, which was not difficult and left several nicks and scratches all over its body. Unfortunately for it, there was an acidic poison within the blade of my God''s sword body. Of which caused the Dwarf to howl with pain, as its skin slowly melted of the body. This allowed my crazed self to witness the beauty of the fat and muscles below until it, too, slowly melted away. No. The organs did not fall away, as I had decided to exert my will and energies onto the body. Of which caused the poison to slow to a crawl, whilst I reached down and lifted the small body of the Dwarf high into the air. "Yes," my voice, beautiful and crazed, flew through the air as my gaze fell upon another Dwarf who was held back by a pair of Hobgoblins, an Elf, and a Human, "This is what awaits all who dare to stand before me and my God." Which led to the dying Dwarf''s body to be tossed high into the air, whilst I readied the blade by resting it in my grip to the left of my body. Once it was parallel to my eyes, did I swing my God''s sword body high, slicing the body in half. Which then released the spell keeping the poison from consuming more of the body, and the organs from falling away. A3 Chapter 37 AN: Two chapters today. Something for the 200 followers. Will need to do something else, too. I don''t know, I''m really tired. Oh, and there''s a little mindfuck in this and the next couple of chapters. It showed up in the first book, so it''s okay to not remember. Anyways, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ___________________________________________ "Let go of me," cried out the remaining Dwarf, who appeared to desire combat with my perfect self, "He killed Borrik! Let me avenge my brother!" "Oh? You wish to avenge the puddle of flesh? Why?" My voice called out in a teasing fashion as I stalked forwards towards those who still stood in my and my God''s way. This led to the rest of them, the Hobgoblins, Elf, Dwarf, and Human to stare about themselves in an effort to find an escape. "Oh, no, no, no, no. There is no escape." In so saying, I called upon my magicks and summoned a horde of ghostly Undead. Though, of course, it was still daylight, and their strength was somewhat diminished, but they were still impressive nonetheless. What really surprised me, though, was a silvered image of my God standing amongst the crowd. My guess was that He became rather bored, and desired some form of entertainment to pass the time. Well, no matter, for a large mass of Humans were slowly making their way towards us. These, of course, were the elite of the guards, and had a few knights amongst their number. At that time, I held the desire to continue the fight, but my God did not, ''Although it would be prudent to annihilate the lot of them, Brutus, we must continue with our goals.'' "Goals, My Lord God?" ''Yes. Goals. You have a choice, my Lich King, on whether or not you desire to stay and watch history repeat itself, or head to the lair of the Demon King. Or you may simply do as you wish, but bear in mind the consequences.'' This was what He had told me, which left me with a choice. Do I stay here and repeat the life of our God? Or do I strike out on my own and march towards the Demon Lord. ''Quite the conundrum, isn''t it?'' His mental voice chuckled softly into my ear, which caused my body to shiver uncontrollably for a moment. Yes. His voice did cause my being to shiver, but it was a pleasant one. In any case, I had to decide quickly, as the knights and elite guard had already surrounded my being with their raised swords, spears, and lances pointing in my direction. "He killed your King," howled the only Human amongst the group who were unsuccessfully holding back the Dwarf, "He killed him just as he was giving out the quest to save your people from the Demon Lord." "What?" called out an old brute of a Human atop a large, grey warhorse. This one was familiar to my mind somehow, which was then supplemented by my God whispering that it was the General''s brother. "What did you say about the King? Where is he now?" "He''s dead," cried out one of the Hobgoblins, "That one," a finger pointed in my direction, "kill him with dark magicks." This seemed to enrage the old Human, who then ordered my immediate surrender, "How about no?" I called out, a twinge of frustration had found its way into my voice. For I desired to do away with all of this nonsense, and continue onwards towards the Demon Lord. Of course, my words weren''t well received, and the group of elites, which numbered close to fifty, slowly drew closer. That is, until I pointed one of my beautifully crafted talons towards the closest Human, "<>!" I howled out, as bolts of shadowed energy launched itself from my fingertips, striking a Human with a polished shield in front of its person. This bolt bore through the shield of the creature, then into its helmeted head. Afterwards, this bolt leapt from person to person, killing ten of them in an instant. The brute, however, was clearly not thinking, and ordered the rest of his troops to charge my position. If he was, then he would have noted the mass of Undead nearby. For just as the rest of them let out their own battlecry, it was joined in by my own servants. Of whom howled, whooped, hollered, and screeched through the remainder of the elites. No. This was not some "epic battle", but an "epic waste of my time". For what took place was a massacre, and nothing more, as they did not wield any sort of magickal items or weapons which could kill my servants. Instead, they were simple iron weapons and shields, and as you should know, iron does nothing against ghosts, spirits, Wraiths, Banshees, and Wendigos. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. What I can tell you is about what my spirits did. Such as the Banshees, with their beautiful, melodious voices sang their haunting calls into the ears of a small group of Humans. Which also contained a Dwarf, by the way, of whom were so enraptured by such songs, that they could not contain themselves and fell over dead. The Wraiths, with their newly manicured claws and talons desired to show them off to their new audience. So much so, they went a little too far and sank each of them into their audience''s faces and chest. Thus, causing permanent damage or outright killing their bodies, whilst tearing away their essences and devouring them on the spot. Then there''s the Wendigos. They just had a bath, and dirtied themselves yet again by opening the mouths situated within their chests to devour their prey. Many a time I had told them to be careful with how they ate their food, and would need to remind them once again. What is more, these ones were naught, but children when considering everything. For they tossed away the mangled corpses of the Humans, which contained a pair of Hobgoblin corpses, and simply sat on their rears with pleasant expressions about their features. For such beings only ate the essences of their prey, and there was more for them to eat, but decided what they had was enough. Quite strange, actually, as they are from Konaku, the Planet of Greed. Of which they have a pit within their stomachs that could never be filled. Which led me to realise that these were probably the experimentals of our God and Rojaahn, who were commissioned by Beelzebub Himself to find a way to end their cursed hunger. They were well made, if I do say so myself, and no longer hunted everything and everything as though they were just a poacher looking for their next big score. Instead, they hunted for a meal which would satisfy their small hungers that were no longer an empty pit without end. At that time, I congratulated My Lord God on His accomplishment, who simply responded with a nod of His large skull whilst the silvered image of His person slammed the right, clawed foot into the old brute of a Human. Which then sent him flying high into the air and towards the mountain range towards the east. ''Hmm,'' He hummed softly in my mind, which caused my armoured self to wiggle from the sensation, ''still too much strength.'' At about this time, however, I noted an arrow had lodged itself inside my face plate''s nose. Of course, it didn''t bother my person at the time, but the image was rather disconcerting. As I reached to try and remove the object, another arced itself into the left eye of the bird-like helmet. "Ow," I muttered, not at all amused as two more found their way into the neck area of the chainmail mesh. Which a third would have followed it, had I not noticed the object in time and swiped the object away with my God''s sword body. For it was very annoying, and quite rude, as I desired to enjoy the slaughtering of Humans by my servants from a distance. Instead, someone had the gall to direct my attention away from the massacre that was brought upon their shoulders by the brute of a Human. Now? Now I had noticed a lithe figure standing about twenty metres away. It was holding a large bow in its left hand, and was slowly pulling back the drawstring with its right. What is more, it appeared to my eyes that once the drawstring had been pulled taught, an arrow would appear wherever the right hand rested. Another strange occurrence, to be sure, and one that I desired for myself, as I stalked towards the other. Once it noted my advancement, its movements became frantic, as multiple arrows soon flew in the space between us. Well, not that it mattered one way or another, as I simply blocked every arrow loosed in my direction. So imagine, my person in the peacock armour, already having three or four arrows in the armour, and was slowly advancing upon the archer. Of whom was a male Elf with blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. Which would have made me ask him out on a "date"- I believe that''s the correct term, yes?- if he wasn''t so intent on killing me, but, well... In any case, the battle between us was so anticlimactic, I won''t go into much detail. For I simply slashed the male''s body from right shoulder to left hip, and watched as both halves fell away from one another. Unfortunately for myself, the bow was damaged during this event, which caused my voice to tsk at this, as I turned my back on the scene and stalked towards the blood soaked massacre my servants and God had incurred upon the castle grounds. _________________________________ AN2: Yes. He''s gay. He''s been that way since book one, which will become more apparent in the first book of "The Family" arc, and even more so during ''Lust'', which is the first book in "The Sins of The Abyss" arc. A3: Chapter 38 AN: Second release of the day. There might be a third one out later, or it''ll be another dual post tomorrow. We''ll see when I wake up later today. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________________ Rather, I would have if the entirety of the world did not become as white as snow. There was also a few bold, red letters floating above our heads, but I paid little attention to it. For now, I tsked once more, and waited for the darkness to roll in where I would meet Roj and his petty tribunal of fools. Unfortunately, I would not be able to do so, for as soon as the darkness rolled in it receded, leaving me in the middle of the Hub world of Azzarath. Of which left me not at all amused by the current situation. ''We are being watched,'' came the mental voice of my God, ''It is best not to return to the castle just yet.'' "Then where should we go, My Lord God?" came my response, "If we cannot return, where should our next step be?" For a time, He stayed quiet whilst I noted the many stares we were incurring for standing in the centre of the Hub. Even though they were many, and I was not bothered by them, it was still rather annoying to be gawked at. In one instance, a Halfling female in something of a solid, ocean blue dressed approached tentatively. She appeared to be nervous, but then screamed and ran off towards a large gaggle of her kind. Whereupon they did admonish her person for not touching the armour I wore, of which caused my head to lean more towards my right shoulder. "What a strange bunch," came my response to this, "Well no matter." Shrugging my shoulders, I stayed in my position whilst the Hub world continued to fill up with more races of every size, shape, and hue. All the while not caring for their stares, nor noting the many hateful glares which fell upon my body. ***** Unbeknownst to our persons, the False God of Terra was one of those beings who glared upon my body. For I had taken upon my person to not only disrupt his "script", but killed off three important players. All of which would not return, as I had actually manage to destroy the essences which made them, them. "What are you?" he asked the emptiness between us, "How did you kill them so quickly and so utterly?" Of course, I heard none of this as he fled back into the space where he resided, and began to search the screens for his answers. One of which being a complete scan of my body, energy, and the like when I first teleported in. Which then caused his person to jump in great startlement, before the his face was split in half by something akin to an evil grin. "Oh, you actually belong on Terra. Which means you are mine to do as I so please." In so saying, this False God performed some sort of button mashing upon a translucent keyboard which then brought up a screen with the face of Azazel. "Yes?" she asked, with the look of displeased boredom etched across her facial features, "What do you want, Draxis? Can''t you tell I''m busy with work?" Which led to the image of her watching a few half naked male Humans slowly thrusting their hips in her direction whilst a few mangled bodies of the same race lay in a nearby corner. ''I''m sure you are,'' he mused mentally. "This one can read your mind, Draxis," her eyes narrowed at this point, startling the other enough to make his body jump, "The distance does not matter, so watch yourself." "Will make a note of it," he muttered, "What I wanted to tell- show you was the energy readings from one of the summoned beings to Terra." With a few strokes across the keyboard, the images and reports about my person vanished from his side, and reappeared upon hers. Whereupon they were subsequently tossed away with a sigh, which startled his person once more. "And?" "And that one is one of my prisoners that had found a way to escape." "And?" She held a look of annoyance, whilst her eyes were directed away from him and towards the nearby crotch of a male Human. "And I want it back under my control." To this, she sighed and swatted the Human males to the side, splattering their bodies upon the nearby walls. Where they did slide down slowly, falling into a pile of blood, bone, organ meat, and flesh. "You will be denied." "What?!" he cried out, not at all pleased to hear that his request has been denied so quickly, "Why?" "Why?" Slowly, her small hands rubbed her temples, "Because that one is soul bound to a God that is much higher up the food chain. If this one were to play favouritism to you, after they''ve been together for many a year, then that one, and everything it controls, will cause the whole of our Pantheon to become unstable. Which would then cause the other Gods and Goddesses outside to take advantage of the destabilisation to attack. "All because you desire one little soul?" Her eyes, normally a molten silver in colour, became a dark crimson at the notion of disrupting the tiny balance within her Pantheon. Which led to her small, blunt teeth to elongate to the point of them sticking out. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Azazel''s hair grew much longer, more wild, whilst her nails stretched themselves and curved slightly inward. This visage, one he was most intimate with, frightened the False God immensely, as one of the foreclaws poked through the screen to point directly at his person, "You will be forever denied. Consider this your final warning, Warden Draxis. Do not try to gain that soul as this will lead to your, and possibly our, destruction. Understand?" Slowly, the armoured being nodded his head, whilst the girl-who-was-not-a-girl quickly reverted back to her child-like self, "Good. Now, don''t bother this one unless you are dying, or your system is on a meltdown. That will be the only time I shall answer you." In so saying, she waved to something off screen, which allowed a trio of Wolfmen with very little clothing to walk in, take one look at the pile of Human flesh, blood, and bone, then began some sort of sexual dance which would have made even I giddy with suppressed joy. Which then led to the other to switch off the feed, and slump against the throne within the space. "She said not to, but it''s still one of my prisoners. I just need to figure out which God it''s been bound to, and go from there." ***** "Which leads us back to where our God needs to continue the story, or else I''ll be missing several key features. Such as the meeting with the False God before killing him, and the like. Of course, I could tell it to you," the Lick King placed his right primary, clawed hand upon his chest, "but I wasn''t there." "Um... Lord Brutus?" called out a pink scaled Lamia with fiery orange hair and eyes. "Yes?" His own gaze turned towards her, who shrank a little in her seat. "Um... Do you like males more than females?" Loud, uproarious laughter echoed throughout the endarkened space they were in, as the Ageless walked out from behind the throne. In his arms was Nox, who was staring at everyone with large eyes filled with wonder, as his nine tails swayed from side to side slowly. This caused many a female to squeal with delight at the small creature, and appeared to desire holding him, but refrained from doing so. For they saw the little hybrid as a pet to be coddled, whereas he was in fact a minour God of Darkness. "You should know the answer to that, young one," called out the God King, who pat the metallic skeleton''s head slowly. Of which was then followed by Nox who repeated the action, albeit softly, "As a matter of fact, he was quite in love with my person in the beginning, then mellowed out after about a decade. Not to mention he was the most disappointed when I became betrothed to my adoring wife, Sarah." "My Lord God," whined Brutus, "you embarrass me." "Perhaps, old friend, but it is the truth." Upon such confirmation, those before their persons conversed with one another for a time. Whereupon a lone male Tigerman slowly stood up and turned towards the Lich King. They then noted the many muscles which coated his body, as a pair of large, golden orbs stared in their direction. "Then, is he single?" A soft voice flowed out of the being, which startled many around him. For the male was nearly three metres in height, and one quarter of that in width. Which caused many to believe that this one might have a deep, rich, and commanding voice, instead of the soft, flower-like tone which burst forth in a waterfall of sunshine and rainbows. "Well there you go, Brutus," the Ageless lifted the other onto his feet, and shoved him in the direction of the Tigerman, "You now have someone to play with. Have fun." Of course, the Lich King was somewhat annoyed by being pushed towards the male who spoke, and tumbled straight into his awaiting arms. Who then hugged the other until that which was within all Undead calmed his mind and body down. "Oh my, you really are made of metal, aren''t you?" This led to the Ageless laughing once more, causing the space to shake slightly, whilst he was joined in by a higher pitched laughter. Of which belonged to his son, who giggled greatly after he noted his father had stopped. Those who were female sighed happily when they heard the child''s voice, and restrained themselves from surging forwards in order to coddle and cuddle with his person. It was difficult for themselves, which led to them inching closer. Morse so when they realised his mother wasn''t nearby to take the hybrid away. "Is your son going to be listening with us, Ageless?" asked one of the females, who then gasped once they heard his ascent, "Isn''t he much too young?" "My son, believe it or not, has been introduced to the Darkness a long time ago," spoke the Kitsune, who smiled down at the hybrid as he settled into the throne with the other upon his lap, "The only one who disapproves is his mother, Sarah, who would rather spoil him with treats, good food, and live a peaceful life away from everyone else." "But not you?" "No, not I. Instead, I had introduced his person to the Darkness which lies within everyone, and had him participate in a variety of experiments which he seemed rather okay with. However, that is a tale which you will never know." _____________________________________ AN2: Pretty sure Brutus''s Vampire daughter is gay, too... A3 Chapter 39 AN: So, today is going to be another dual post as a thank you for 200 followers, and afterwards is the same schedule of one per day. Now, for the next few chapters, the MC and Brutus will be upon a world called Forge. This one is going to be hinting at what you will expect within the second book of "The Sins of The Abyss" arc. However, some of points will be glossed over, as the audience our MC is speaking to already know about his adventures within the world. So I''ll be apologising in advance if any of you are confused. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ________________________________________ Now then, I believe Brutus had left off with him standing within the centre of the Hub World, correct? Yes. Well, soon after I had noticed the presence move away, my mental self guided him towards a very different part of the area we were currently within. This one was one of many portal rooms upon the first floor. One of which held a golden archway which led to the world called Forge, and the dungeons situated within. However, not everyone was allowed to enter, and as such had to be "screened". I believe that is the word, which is to say that they are to understand that death is not really an absolution upon the worlds. On the other hand, they had to bind their essences, or souls, to a large crystal within each town they journey to. Or else will either have to wait until a passing priest resurrects their persons, or stay dead and enter the reincarnation system situated within that world. Now, many, if not most, of you know all this. For those who do not, each town upon Forge holds a crystal called Vitae. It''s a Life Crystal, and within it are the general energies of everyone who binds themselves to it. Every year it needs to be done in order to keep it running, else it will grow dark and die or attract the various monsters upon the world. Once you have bound yourself to it, you gain a chance at life after dying. Unfortunately, it doesn''t work if you die of old age. Which includes death by Time Magicks, as the system within the crystals will still believe you died from old age. We''re still working on it even after all these centuries. In any case, once you perish, you and others will be resurrected next to the crystal with only peasant clothing to wear and a short sword to defend yourself with. There''s also a small bag containing a hunk of hard bread, some dried meats, cheese, and a canteen of water. It''s enough to allow a person to survive for a few days, at the very least, but if you die before reclaiming your body, you enter the reincarnation system of the world you died in. Thus, allowing others and monsters to loot your body of anything valuable. Then again, with most of the worlds within my Pantheon holding the most Minour and Higher Immortals, the crystals are rarely, if ever, used, but no matter. As we entered the area which housed the portal to Forge, all of the guards for Forge paused in their assigned tasks to stand and either salute or bow in our general direction. Whereas my sword body slowly became a silver coloured mist which then collected itself to form my endarkened, Kitsune self. Of which I only had a pair of crimson trousers and simply stretched before waving at everyone present. This action caused many to chuckle as they returned to their tasks, which caused those who desired to enter the world to wonder who we are to be able to cause such a scene. To this, I simply ignored, and looked about for someone in particular. "Ah, there he is," I sighed softly, and slowly moved my person towards a long table piled high with all manner of foods and drinks. This was where I found Flint, an experimental Dwarf I had created out of food. Yes, the race is created by magicks after being sculpted, as they do not have any females, nor genitals. "Flint," my voice boomed throughout the room, causing many to jump which included Flint. Of whom then turned around to glare at my person as he Stuffed his face with a leg of cooked venison. "Wadda ya want, Boss?" he grumbled, nodding towards my and Brutus''s person. "Always charming to see you, too, Flint." My lips peeled away to reveal a few of my fangs, which caused the other to show a small, begrudging smile which turned into a frown as he returned to the food. "Why do you allow this one to address you so, My Lord God?" asked Brutus, who was rather perturbed towards Flint. "Dwarves are Dwarves, Brutus," was my response which was accompanied by a shrug, "Besides, this one is one of those ''Foody'' types." To which the other growled a, "Shaddap," before turning away with a huff. I, on the other hand, simply chuckled whilst turning around and motioning Brutus to follow close behind. For I desired to enter Forge in order to plan our next steps, as the False God had grown wary of our presence. Of which would hinder anymore advancements upon "his" world from our side. One of these hindrances would be him deciding to band my person from ever stepping foot upon Terra forevermore. Whilst another would be him coming down from his high horse and doing battle with my person. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Which is ideal for us, don''t get me wrong, but at the same time it also means he can pull more strength from the world. As many of you know, pulling the energy of a world will equate in its quick destruction. Especially if the one doing the pulling is a God, Goddess, or simple caretaker of the world. This is not ideal, especially when I held the reigns of six worlds at that time, and would need to rely on them to counter the assault of said God and his might from Terra. Before I forget, the room which we were in was cylindrical in shape, and covered in gold. From the trimmings to the paint, light fixtures to the furniture; everything was made from gold. Of which was perfect, as the world all of this came from was Forge, the World of Avarice; of Greed. In that world, before my arrival, it was run by the Dwarves you see all throughout the Pantheon, and they were the greediest of the greedy. Which included a tax on everything from simple cloth, to food, to passes to enter the dungeons, and to whatever you brought out, but when I brought out the Tower of Babel, everything destabilised. Ah, but I digress, and if you desire to read such an event, then you would best do so from the libraries. Now, as we made our way towards the portal, there was a line of about a dozen or so Humans and creatures who desired to enter the world. These ones had been waiting almost a full turn of the sun to do so, which was how long the screening process was. When I stepped ahead of the line, however, a large brut of a Human stepped out in front of my person. It was glowering down on my Kitsune self, whilst I wondered why there was a meaty wall in front of my eyes. "Get back in line," it growled, "You can wait yer turn like the rest of us. Ain''t no way yer goin'' first before me." A large and thick forefinger tried to jab at my chest, but went missing almost as quickly. This led to it staring at the missing appendage just as the first spurt of blood erupted from the stump. Which then screamed with both pain and rage as its large sword was unsheathed and about to slam down upon my person. Unfortunately for it, the guards of Forge acted upon such an advancement. Whilst Brutus wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me back, I watched as the Human brute was pincushioned by hundreds of bolts fired from only ten crossbows. Each of these weapons was called an "Automatic Crossbow" which was able to fire up to ten bolts per minute. This was quite astonishing to my mind, but it was terribly inaccurate. In that each bolt only flew up to one hundred metres before losing much of its strength, but in every direction except for straight ahead. It was still impressive, don''t get me wrong, but the thing was better against large groups than it was against one or a few others. On the other hand, it was also loud. Imagine, if you would, an army of Elves strumming their bow strings thousands of times per second, right in your ear. Now couple that with the sounds of wood sliding across wood, as well as an incessant clicking sound between each. That''s what it sounds like, which can become rather annoying after being near them for too long. However, it was rather effective up close, which the Human had felt as it fell forwards dead. Strangest thing, though, not a drop of blood fell upon the golden floor, of which I brought it up as soon as I noticed it. "Ah, yes Boss," began one of the guards who also happened to be a Dwarf with dark coloured hair atop his head and upon his face, "See, the bolts are coated with Lathix Poison. Which is a type of poison that effects the blood, causing it to become like puddin''." "Huh," I was impressed by this, yes, "Can you have some sent to Rojaahn?" "Tha''s the thing," began another Dwarven guard, of whom had golden hair upon his body, "Your Ro''aahn ma''e ''em fo'' us to''ay." As he spoke, a vial of clear liquid with a tint of violet was held up to my person. Of which caused my held to tilt towards my right shoulder. This was then offered to my person, which I declined saying, "No, you keep it. You will be needing it more than I, in any case." By the by, the rest of the line was quite taken aback from what had occurred, and a few seemed to have feinted from the stress. Or perhaps from holding their breath for too long. In any case, when no one offered up to stop my person, Brutus and I entered a small room which was the portal to Forge. After a few moments, another Dwarf, but with alabaster coloured hair and skin, appeared before our persons, bowed once, and opened the portal into Forge. A3 Chapter 40 AN: Second chapter of the day, and once more, thank you all for getting this one to 200 followers! :D Bit of an info dump today, by the way. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _____________________________________ The portals as you know them are situated within Grand Illusions scattered around the city of Necropolis. Within them, your simply have to trudge forwards to the centre, and come out of the other side of the world you wish to be in. In the past, however, everything was done more mechanically than naught. For instance, there were more incantations and spell circles; many of which needed chants instead of simply imagination and a key word. Yes. This also included my person, who had to intone every little spell in order to cast it out, and yes, it was very annoying. As to the portals? Those took far too much time, and usually required a full turn of the sun in order to activate such a thing. Less so if something filled with much energy was fueling the portal, such as my person. Yes. I fueled this one, as I did not wish to share the same space as the weaklings who were in the room before this one, which sent us to the surface proper outside of a small village with a large Vitae. Whereupon we were greeted by a few of the residents, such as the Leo''lan and a few Dwarves who came to see who it was that came far too early than what had been scheduled. Now, as many of you know, a Leo''lan is anyone born on Forge who is of a Feline race. However, in the past they were all Lionmen and women. There were no panthers, tigers, or any others, as the name "Leo" stood for "Lion", not "Cat" as it is today. In any case, there were five of these creatures, each golden furred with manes around their necks and tops of heads. This signified that they were male, and each wore similar outfits of chest beads in various colours, and loincloths with a painted crescent moon upon the front. Of which caused them to be of the Low Moon Tribe, who were vastly more friendly than their counterparts of the High Moon Tribe. Yes. They had been eradicated, but that story is within the books of my adventures upon the world. With these Leo''lans were two Dwarves, both with the standard wear of heavy platemail, large shields, and heavy axes. These were simple guards of their race, and were the only two sent to protect the village. Why? Well, my dear audience, the race of the past only needed to send up to five in order to demolish an army of thousands. This was so, as the might of a single Dwarven guard was enough to cause half a mountain to fall from one strike against its base. Of course, this was an exaggeration, as it would need around five or six punches from one of the guards. Nevertheless, they were considerably stronger than what you know of today. Which means if there was ever a grand monster subjugation, they''d send one or two in order to cull them all, instead of sending off a few hundred to a thousand each time. Anyways, after the portal room within the Hub opened, a bright light had filled our entirety with a brightness which rivaled our world of Terra''s day-star. Once it faded away, however, Brutus and I found ourselves in the company of the Leo''lan and Dwarves. Of whom gasped and demanded to know who we were, as well as to why the portal opened up far ahead of schedule. "Come, come now," my voice thundered around their persons, as my form slowly grew into my skeletal self, "Surely you know only the Gods of your world is capable of coming here much earlier than all others." Amusement filled my eyes for a time, as we watched the mighty Dwarves fall upon their knees to grovel towards my person. Whereas the Leo''lan simply bowed their heads upon noticing my true self of that time. "We apologise, Lord," called out one of their number, "We did not know it was you." "No need to apologise, young ones, simply raise your head and move forwards to the new dawn." Of which caused each to raise their heads whilst the Dwarves were hoisted to their feet by way of my energies. This caused them to marvel at such a thing, as each of these beings were quite heavy. For they were made of Orichaclum, a very dense metal which weighs several kilograms in the size of a standard silver coin. Of which weighs only a couple hundred grams, if any of you need a comparison. Hence the reason why they only need to send out a few in order to subjugate large amounts of monsters, or deal with an army vastly greater than themselves. In any case, once they were placed back upon their feet, my body had flowed into my Kobold self whilst Brutus came up to stand next to my person as we strode forwards towards the village. Whereupon we did witness the Vitae in the centre, hovering above a small pool of water which shined just as brightly as the crystal. By the by, these crystals have many facets upon their surface, were in the shape of a rhombus, held a width of two metres, and a length of eight. Quite large, to be sure, which made it very difficult to steal. What is more, these sorts can only be transferred by way of magickally treated waters. Which means that if it is away from said waters for more than a decca-turn, they start generating a miasma which slowly corrupts the land around them. If they contain enough life force for people binding their souls to it, it could generate an intelligence, of a sort, and create its own dungeon. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. This is how the Dungeon World known as Forge gained its name, for it is the only world with such crystals. Yes. We''ve tried to replicate and transfer them to others, but to no avail. For they simply stopped working once they left, and became nothing more than simple, corrupted Mana Crystals. Of which has been known to kill others for trying to learn the use of such things, as each of these crystals still held the imprints of each soul bound to it. It was like trying to extract the essences out of a Demon of Wrath, which is poison to the living. "Ah, this world brings back so many memories, Brutus," my voice grew somber, as memories of the past flew through my mind. "Indeed, My Lord God," replied my Lich King, who walked slowly beside my person with his taloned hands behind his back, "The Dwarves did not much care for us back then. Not until you made that wager of yours." "Indeed." We shared a chuckle before walking through the village and out the other side. Our journey would take us to the Tower of Babel, and its city of the same name. This was where I would call the others in order to formulate a new plan to tackle the False God. Perhaps this time we would draw him out of his hiding hole, or simply wear him down even further by corrupting his system enough to warrant a visit to the surface. Now, let me explain a few things. Judging by many of your faces, you desire to know what this "wager" was about. This one was between my person and the reigning King of the Dwarves, who desired my Tower of Babel for himself, as well as the riches within. As you well know, the Tower contains within it many, many veins of precious ores, but are guarded by horrendously strong monsters. Thus, making it very difficult for anyone to mine such a thing. This led to the makings of the wager. The King was to create a team of hardened adventurers to tackle my tower, and conquer it completely. If such a thing ever occurred, then the Tower was to be transferred over to the control of the Dwarves. However, if he failed, and had three attempts, then he was to hand over the rulership of their race to my person. Of which would allow us to conquer the world in its entirety, and move on to Azara. Of course, the King had to deliberate such a thing with the whole of his council, who were far too greedy for their own good, and agreed to the terms. For they believed themselves to be far more superior than we who are Gods. Ah, which reminds me, with my person was a pair of Gods. These were to be my travelling companions, until I learned a secret about what they held, and ended up slaying one of them in order to gain what they had. This one was the God of Numbers, and held the Gift of All Knowledge, which I took for my own. The other, of whom perished under the might of a Primordial Dragon and was a Harem God of Humans, held the Spark of Purity. This was what I desired most, and flew into a rage when I found out it was no longer where I thought it was. Anyways, The Dwarves turned to their elite guards, and sent only a few of them to traverse my Tower of Babel, which held over five hundred floors. Yes. The tower now holds well over a thousand, but that was before I gained control of the world. In this instance, their progress was placed upon large, magickal screens which were floating at an angle downwards for all below to witness. There was also a numbered counter upon the top right of these screens, which denoted the floor the Dwarves were upon, as well as the number of floors left to conquer. Yes. The King was quite upset at the number of floors my Tower held, which surprised all others. Of whom desired to traverse the insides, but were blocked by a few Dwarven guards at the entrance. That is, until I sent them flying over many a head, and placed my Undying at the entrance. To which allowed the rest of the world to enter my dungeon. What is more, there wasn''t a tax as the others had placed upon most of such places. This led to a mass migration of beings to my Tower once word got out. For they had to pay a hefty fine in the form of taxes to live upon the land surrounding each dungeon, as well as to pay nearly sixty percent of whatever they found. Whereas with my own, they did not need to. Thus, they came in droves, and even to watch as the King''s elite guards fail miserably upon the tenth floor. Of which held Gahn, who simply devoured each and every one of the Dwarves. Their failure infuriated the race, and even went on to wage a war. One that they lost, especially when it came out that their opponent was a wandering God and a Lord of Chaos. Ah, but the rest of that story can be read within the library. A3 Chapter 41 AN: Tomorrow''s chapter is an NSFW chapter. Just a heads up, seeing how it''s been a while since the last one was out. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _____________________________ The journey towards the city of Babel took us nearly a quarter of a turn to reach. Yes. We could have been there sooner, but I simply chose to take in the scenery. One of which was beautiful to my own eyes, whereas Brutus just sighed whilst watching my person dance about the trees off to our left, and splashing through the river on our right. "My Lord God," he called out, clearly embarrassed by my antics, "why must you be so childish?" To this, I simply flowed out of the river where he did pause to watch, with a horrified realisation as I shook my furred body. This caused his armour to become wet, as I laughed at his expense. "You need to lighten up, Brutus. You are far too uptight for your own good, so try to be more relaxed." I waved an arm at his person, which wiped away the water from his armoured self. This caused it to become dry, which he appeared to be grateful for, but was still upset. "Now, now," my right clawed hand pat his left shoulder a few times, "we are almost there. So it''d be best to not show off your grumpy side. Yes?" "Yes," was his reply, as he shoved my person back into the river. To which he chuckled whilst I laughed and pulled his armoured self in. For a time, we stayed like this. With him shoving my person under the water, as well as his own being dragged. It was, for lack of a better word, fun. However, all things had to end, which led us to the City''s gates of iron and stone. Whereupon we were stopped along with everyone else who desired entry inside. Standing outside one of the portcullis was a Dwarf in mithril armour, a few male Leo''lan, and a pair of Vampires. The last two were, of course, underneath some shade to protect their hypersensitivity to the world''s day-star, as well as wore a thick, hooded cloth robe, a white mask to hide their face, and a pair of gloves. In the past, these were employed for their truth seeking abilities, until we started using the Mindflayers for that exact purpose. However, they often allowed those of ill repute into the city, forgoing their oaths and pledges to make the city safe. Well, those that repeat this offence tend to become crucified and on display upon each parapet nearest the gates. Which was to deter offenders and dissuade others from trying to disrupt the peace the city claimed to have. Yes. There were a few Vampires and smugglers atop the parapets, and most of them were either dead or passed out due to their overly sensitive bodies, but we paid little heed to them. Instead, we simply waited in the short queue whilst the Lich King frowned, fidgeted, and muttered something along the lines of this being too degrading for ones of our stature. "Perhaps, but would it be better to announce to the world right off the bat that we''ve returned?" To this, he paused for a moment and became confused, "Don''t worry too much about it, then. They''ll soon figure it out once our turn comes up." Once I turned my attention towards the front, which was about five people ahead, my lips turned to a frown. Of which was caught by the other, who did not understand what was happening. You see, the guards at the front had imposed a tax, and one that I did not sanctify. For those of whom do not know, every world I conquered, I abolished a couple of laws almost immediately. Slavery and taxes. Slavery should be obvious, but is allowed for a few reasons. Such as an incurred debt, or something along those lines. Taxes, on the other hand, are practically non-existent upon all of my worlds. The only ones that are placed upon the populace, and is heavily enforced, are if there was a sanctioned war that left many a family and child bereft of clothing, daily necessities, and shelter. Thus, all within the areas of up to fifty kilometres must come together with their taxes to help. No. Not in coin, but in supplies and other necessities in order to create a new place for the people to live, laugh, and grow once more. This was a concept that needed much in the way of revenue. Which was granted to others by way of mines, fertile grounds which will last for centuries, and a blessing upon the animals that others need in order to obtain their meats and skins. This would allow such creatures the ability to grow quickly and breed faster. Though, it is still being tinkered with today, the spell is in effect and many have flourished from such a thing. Now, having a tax is still allowed, but only if there is a reason. What we saw, however, was not called for, as the guards would harass those that had a look of humble beginnings for more, whilst those with more simply gave a few coins to the guards. Of whom appeared to be far too arrogant and greedy for their own good. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. "Hmpf," huffed the Dwarf, who peered at my and Brutus''s person with intent, "An'' wha'' ah you gon'' do in ar city?" he asked, clearly bored of what he had seen, "Gon'' ta''e on uh Tow''r, or sumfin?" At our nod, he retrieved a ledger from behind his person which clearly had the look of it being stuffed under a belt far too many times. Whereupon he did search for something within the letterings that would allow him to proceed quickly. "Tha''d be fi''e ''old fer uh bo''h uh ya." His right hand shot out after he found whatever it was his eyes had been searching for, and stuffed the ledger behind him once more. However, I was quite unamused by the proceedings, and made a choking motion towards the other whilst intone the spell, "<>." This caused my target to reach for the invisible hand which was slowly squeezing his windpipe shut. Whereas the other guards surged forth in order to stop my person, but fell back as a pair of Wendigos howled at their persons. Each desiring to devour the essences of the living, who watched as their prey scattered whilst their master held onto their reigns to keep them from attacking. "<>," I intoned once more, and watched as ghostly chains erupted from the stone pavement to wrap around the Dwarf and bind his body. This allowed him to breathe once more, as I released the "Choke" spell from his person. To which he did gasp and gulped down several dozens of breaths before glaring at my person. "Release me," the Dwarf ordered, "I am a guard of His Royal Highness, Prince Akmen Stormhowler." "Ever heard of that one, Brutus?" I called out to my Lich King, who turned his armoured head to the side and shrugged in response. "No, My Lord God, I have not. Then again, we haven''t stepped foot upon the land in quite some time. So it is possible some reigning monarchy has tried to move in to steal the city," was his reply, as a thunderous noise of heavy armour marching on stone echoed throughout the area was heading our way. Of which caused my captive to grin as a dozen mithril armoured Dwarves made their way slowly towards our position. "Then I guess it is high time we remind them of who is the rightful ruler of the Tower of Babel, and the world called Forge." In so saying, my form stretched itself as the sounds of flesh tearing caused those who were closest to our person to halt approximately a dozen metres away from our position. To which they did gasp in horror, as my skeletal self, and the haunting visage of my skull became apparent to their persons. Even so, for there were several dozens of individuals who had stuck their heads out of windows and from behind doors in order to watch who it was that incurred the ire of the Dwarves enough to call over a dozen of the Mithril Guard to their position. However, upon noticing my own visage, and Brutus''s Undead minions, many screamed and screeched whilst slamming said doors and windows in the hopes that I and him would leave them be. "Have you already forgotten my person, my presence?" My voice boomed throughout the city, causing all activities to halt in their productions, as all turned to listen, "Have you forgotten who it was that reigned over each and every one of you? Who gave you your freedoms to live without care, without hunger? Who was it that gave you the ability to grow wealthy from a single Dungeon? It wasn''t a Monarch, nor any others. "For it was I who had done these things. It was I who gave this world a better future, and not under the thumbs of those too full of avarice to care about the rest of the world." "Who are you?" asked the chained Dwarf, whose eyes stared with widened eyes full of confusion and horror. "I. Am. Your. God," came my reply, as the skies above darkened from my energies. Lightning, the colours of crimson, violets, and sapphire ran across the endarkened skies and clouds, which created several thundering crashes to echo throughout the land, "And I have returned to set things right. "No more taxes. No more slavery. No. More. Kings. All of these things, and more, have I decreed upon the land, and yet one who claims to be a ''Prince'' has appeared when there should be none. Which means someone has broken my laws, and they are very strict in this regard. For those who dare to break such things, only one option is available to them. One which will deny them their right to enter the reincarnation system once more." "No," muttered those of whom were within the city, and remembered or were taught the laws of the God who had long ago taken over their world. "Yes," was my booming reply which then shook the city to its foundations, "They are to return to the Abyss, never again to enter the cycle of reincarnation outside of its reaches." A3 Chapter 42 (NSFW) AN: And here''s today''s NSFW chapter, which is long overdue in my opinion. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ___________________________ The Ageless sat back upon the throne, with his digits touching one another as he watched with grim amusement at his audience''s reaction to such news. Suffice to say, they were not pleased, as nearly a tenth were actually yelling at his person for creating such laws. Whereas his son, Nox, had tightened himself into a ball to hide from such loud and angered beings. "How could you threaten a populace with that law, Ageless?" called out an auburn haired Elf in green coloured leathers, "Don''t you know the ramifications of such actions?" "Yeah," chimed in a blue-scaled Lamia, "That''s, like, really wrong of you to do that. Don''t you, like, want people to stay in your reincar-thingy?" Many more were of the same opinion as they, whilst he simply sighed mentally and stroked the back fur of his son slowly, doing his best to calm his person. This would continue for a time, which he stayed silent until, at long last, they were all quieted from their outbursts. To which he replied with, "Are you all done?" The reaction to such a query caused more outbursts, but this, too, quieted down enough for him to continue with, "You may think my person, my past self, a monster compared to the I of today, and you would be correct. Each of you know the consequences of those who are tossed into the Abyss. Where it''ll tear the body apart, the essences eaten, the mind shattered. However, that law is still in effect to this day." Gasps of horror and outrage soon filled the space they occupied, and rightly so. For the Abyss, once it has hold of someone or something, it does not let it go unless a few circumstances are achieved. One such way is to conquer that being, planet, or what have you so completely that it can only follow you out of its imprisonment. Whereas another way is to deal with the greater power that has claimed over that which you so desire to take from the area. "Why?" called out a Bright Elf, of whom desired to know the reason for such a law to still be in place, "Why keep it if you are the God King?" "Why?" he asks in a mocking tone, "There are many whose crimes are so upsetting to the delicate balance of this Pantheon, that such a law needs to exist in order to combat such disruption. One of which is the Huntress, who dared to kill my Gahn." The name, once spoken aloud, caused the Kitsune''s eyes to flare with a baleful crimson, which coated everyone before his person. Even going so far as to change the glow of the fire between them to the colour of burning, bright blood. "Thus, once she is captured, along with all others who continue to follow her person, will they be tossed into the Abyss for their crimes against my person, my world." This revelation caused the audience to murmur amongst their persons, whilst the Elf with auburn hair tried to hide its glower towards the God upon the throne. Unfortunately for it, he caught the expression which was mentally transferred to Brutus who simply nodded. This was then continued with, "All followers of the Huntress have been stripped of their rights and citizenship of Terra for participating in the destruction of Gahn and his forest." Of which caused another uproar from the audience, whilst his son mewed with fright. This action raised his voice further until it boomed over the cacophony of anger, hatred, and outrage, "She has been found guilty of destroying part of my Terra for foolish reasons. What is more, she allowed Humans upon my world." In so saying, a dozen Human bodies, each crucified upon metal crosses slowly flowed out of the darkness for the viewing of everyone within the space. Of course, many amongst their number believed they were merely illusions. That is, until their God King removed the closest female from her cross with just his will, and allowed many to touch her flesh. This action caused the Human to awaken from the magicks that held her docile and in a stupor, for she screamed greatly in their faces whilst fighting the invisible bonds. "Let me go," she wailed, "I didn''t do anything. Why are you keeping us against our will?" "Why indeed," growled the Ageless, of whom she found glaring at her person with widened eyes full of malice and an insatiable desire to kill. Of which was granted to his person, as the energies which bound the female slowly peeled away the skin atop her head. This, of course, led her to scream in pain and anguish, as the skin was slowly flayed off her skull along with her hair. Which revealed a blood soaked skull as even the muscle tissue came away with the skin. Afterwards, lines slowly appeared around the sides of the bone, which were deep enough to cause the fluid surrounding the brain to spill out as the top was removed. Thus, revealing the pinkish-grey and wrinkled matter which was the brain to the who of the audience. Once more, the screams of the Human female grew louder, as the eyes of the individual were slowly scooped out by the invisible energies of the God, until there was some resistance from the chords anchoring it to the back of the sockets. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. However, instead of outright removing them, the left eye was stretched towards the roof of the skull, where it witnessed its brain. Whilst the right was directed towards its chest. Whereupon the clothing was removed to reveal a large pair of mounds with hardened tips. From here, a pair of red hot, iron clamps appeared in front of her person, and were attached to the whole of the chest. This caused steam and smoke to arise from the area, even more so when the clamps tightened, digging into the flesh until the left mound was severed from the body. This caused the female''s voice to rise higher than before, as it watched from the vantage point of the right eye. For the left breast had been severed in such a way that it revealed not only torn and seared flesh, but a small window into the chest cavity of her body. Though, there was no blood due to the hot metal of said clamps, that which was within the mound upon her chest still bled out upon the floor. Whereas the right was still firmly gripped, but only half of it was attached to her body. "Ah," blinked the Kitsune, who turned away from the Human to look upon the audience he had been telling his tales to for the longest time, "Forgive my person. I had forgotten there was an audience in my presence." What had brought him out of his tortuous revelry was not from someone within the audience, of whom had several fall upon the ground in feint, but of Nox. Who pawed at his father and stared with large, accusing eyes. For he desired to hear more of the tales the other had, and not sit through another lesson about the anatomy the victims that were within the dungeon proper. Yes. Even at this young an age, the hybrid was introduced to the Darkness of his father''s life and all that it entailed. For the Ageless held the desire to nurture the path his offspring would take, and not allow the world to decide which direction it will flow. Which caused his mother, Sarah, to snatch him away at every chance she could in order to try and give him some semblance of a childhood before the influence of her husband could fully imprint upon their child''s mind. "Papa bad," mewed Nox, who continued his accusing glare towards his father. Of whom then waddled over to the other, who had drifted towards the Human captive near the fire, and lightly smacked his hind paws. This action was to admonish and punish the other for starting a torture session after promising lots and lots of stories. "Sorry Nox," the God King replied, bending down to lift his son, who continued to strike against his person. "Bad. Bad. Bad," barked the other, whose anger quickly turned to joy, as he was tickled by his father''s right paw for a few short heartbeats, "Nyo!" Within moments after the tickling session, the pair had calmed down enough which allowed others to do the same, whilst the body of the tortured Human, though crying from the session, slowly receded into the darkness. This allowed many to breathe better, as a torture session caused others to feel a variety of emotions. Such as disgust and horror, which are prevalent, or intrigue and excitement, which is rare. For those of whom feel the latter, they are usually whisked away to begin their lessons on anatomy of various creatures. Afterwards comes the more practical lessons of torture, and the like. Many of which has become controversial, as the idea of such a thing disgusts many of whom desired to stay "safe" within their homes, towns, and cities. However, those of whom have the desire to start "adventuring" need to succeed in their studies of such methods so as to survive against the mindless hordes of a variety of creatures. This is simply so that they may come away from each encounter safely, as many of the primary lessons are to point out the weaknesses of the creatures'' bodies. Thus, allowing their persons to end each encounter swiftly and with less harm to themselves. "Ah, let us take a short rest," called out the Ageless, of whom clapped his paws together once, which caused the space, which was full of darkness, to brighten. This was so, as a long table full of a wide variety of foods and drinks appeared behind the audience before him. One which was centred within a small portion of a lit dining room of tanned marble. Whose walls had been painted with a bright red colour, which contained many a portrait of a far away land never before seen upon their world. The ceiling above, though painted with the same colour as the walls, held three large crystalline chandeliers over the table. Within such items was a small orb of white light, which brightened the whole of the area it was within, but never seemed to touch the darkness which surrounded the firelight. This was simply to denote the fact that both spaces were attached, but not one and the same. "Go," he commanded the lot of them, "Eat. Drink. Do all these things first, then we shall continue with the story at hand." A3 Chapter 43 AN: You''re all getting another NSFW chapter in a couple of days, as well as the introduction of a few new characters who will NOT be killed off. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ________________________________ As each of you eat and drink, I shall continue to speak of our time upon Forge. Now, as each of you had found out, the populace''s own reigning monarch had been threatened with being forced to return to the Abyss, which was an easy feat for one such as I. However, the so called "Prince" believed it was impossible, and even managed to quiet down the metallic and crystalline hearts within his Council of Fools. A total of five Dwarves in various wear were huddled within a small, nondescript room of a large mansion closest to the Tower of Babel and held many Mithril Guards patrolling around the grounds and within the home. Even though they had so much in the way of strength, they were still fearful about the message they each had heard a short time ago. Whose laws had been known for some time, and disregarded once the "Prince" was created in order to regain some semblance of control for the race. "Opening a path to the Abyss takes time," began the Dwarf, of whom was created from various jewels and gold ore, "The many scholars and caster within our employ have assured us that such a thing will take years to create." "But my Lord," called out a silver-haired dwarf, of whom was an artificer for the Jeweler''s Guild, "Did you not hear the message?" "The one with someone claiming to be a God?" At their nod, the Prince simply sighed, "From the history books that we have, the God had left to continue a journey in order to reclaim its primary world. However, that was nearly a century ago, not to mention a few months prior to my birth strange beings started showing up. "Yes. Even though they claimed to tackle the Tower, and were given permission from our world''s new God, it is still too farfetched to believe that it has returned." After speaking such words, the door to their room slowly creaked open. Which caused their heads to slowly turn towards it, and widened their eyes as the mangled body of a Mithril Guard flew into the wall opposite the door. The Mithril Guard, Dwarves that have been birthed from the Kiln of Life who were each sculpted from large blocks of such a material. These were one of the strongest beings in the whole of Forge, with only Adamantium and Orichalcum surpassing them in strength, durability, and resistance to magickal attacks. Now? Now one of their number was lying dead inside the wall opposite to the door with half its skull crushed by an unknown force. "Who-?" began the Prince, just as a bellowing cry of several more of the Guard charged from somewhere outside. However, each of those came crashing through the wall nearest the door, with only a pair''s heads poking through said wall. Each of these, just like the first, were lifeless. "What the hell is going on out there?" cried out the so called Monarch of Forge. To which a voice, low and guttural, replied with, "What indeed?" as an endarkened mist slowly entered the room. A pair of luminous, emerald orbs were seen in the centre of the mass, which slowly condensed into the body of a tall, nine-tailed dark furred Kitsune. Of whom glared down upon their persons as the world beneath their feet slowly opened up. Within the centre of the ground, was a single white coloured eye which stared at everyone and everything. However, the Kitsune simply ignored the eye, whereas the Dwarves did not. This was a mistake, for those who stare upon the Eye of the Abyss, just as it stares upon your person, will find themselves pulled into its grasp. Too late did they realise their mistake, as shadowed hands attached to abnormally long and spine-like limbs slowly snaked around their persons. This led to them howling as the limbs dragged them to the centre of the eye, of which opened up to reveal a multitude of jagged teeth. This, of course, meant they were to be devoured, and struggled in order to avoid such a fate. Whereas the Kitsune continued to stare at the space where they first occupied, never to watch what was occurring, but knowing what it entailed. For it was a death sentence for any being who openly stared into the Eye, which means holding such an event in public would spell doom for the whole of civilisation. Perhaps, even, the entirety of the world. In any case, these Dwarves screamed, bellowed, and hollered as the shadowed and spiny limbs shoved their persons into the perceived mouth of the Eye. Which then clamped shut over the Dwarves just as a slimed, pink tongue snaked out and licked its invisible lips as though it had enjoyed its meal. "Ah, delicious meat," it purred, as the whole of the Eye slowly receded into nothing. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Which caused the Kitsune to sigh softly, and make a hasty exit. For just as the presence of the Eye had vanished, a cleansing flame of light and shadows sparked in its place. This was so, as a mere sliver of its energies could upset the balance of the world in visited. In that, the world could, and would, devolve into anarchy if such energies stayed without being cleansed of it entirely. Of course, this meant that the reigning Gods and Goddesses of the land had to take part in the cleansing. For no others were able to produce the necessary flames which can remove that which will cause the world to fall apart. ***** "It is done, Brutus," was my only reply as I left the mansion just as the flames of shadows and light engulfed the entirety of it all. Of course, such flames do not harm the physical nature of items, objects, and beings, but of their energies. This was simply to remove the presence of the Abyss from the world, and nothing more. Though, it will leave a void of energy within the afflicted area, but that will be filled in soon enough. "Yes, My Lord God," bowed my Lich King, but stopped himself once he noted what it was he was doing. All around him were the mangled bodies of the Mithril Guard who dared to stand against our persons, and beyond that were the many residents of Babel. Of whom grew curious as to who we were, and what we were doing. Once it became apparent that our path was to the mansion nearest the Tower, and to the Prince, many grew bored and left. However, they soon returned the moment many of the Guard''s bodies flew through the air, or were torn apart by our persons. This, too, caught the eyes of nearly everyone within the city, as they all gathered around the mansion''s gates in an effort to watch our progress. When it became apparent that I had intended to "remove" the reigning Monarch, many grew angry and hurled a multitude of items and objects in an attempt to hinder our movements. Unfortunately for them, we both had a translucent, golden shield which was capable of deflecting even a God''s own wrath filled magicks. What was a few stones and iron weapons thrown at us? Now, after I entered the mansion itself, I had left my Lich King to stand in front of the main doors. Of which he did summon a cadre of ghostly horrors to guard the other entrances, but a few of the Mithril Guard had managed to worm their way into the building before he was able to staunch the flow. This, in turn, caused a large ruckus to incur within the building itself. Mainly the crashes, and a pair were even tossed out of the second story windows, until there was only a calm which descended upon the area. That is, until a dome of endarkened energy fell upon the whole of the building. Of which startled the populace who believed a wide variety of speculations, but before their imaginations fully took off into the skies, the dome had vanished. In its place, on the other hand, were the cleansing fires that were necessary in order to remove all traces of the Abyss and its Eye. However, upon leaving the premise littered with the mangled bodies of the Mithril Guard, we were surrounded by the angered populace who demanded I tell them what happened to their Prince. To which I replied with, "He is dead." This, of course, shocked their persons who then demanded to know why. "Why?" my body stopped to turn slowly in order to view each citizen of Babel who surrounded our persons, "Your so called ''Prince'' disregarded one of the laws I had set upon this world so long ago. Perhaps those who have studied your world''s histories know of the Wager between the King and God of the Tower, yes?" At this inquiry, many who were older than most of the crowd nodded, "Yes. Then you will know that such a wager was lost by the King of the Dwarves to this God. Of whom then rewrote the laws so that all taxes and slaveries were abolished, as well as to keep the old monarchies from ever cropping up. To do this, the God simply had them killed off, and the Kiln of Life tampered with to prevent another from assuming the role of a Prince, King, or what have you. "So tell me," my body distended greatly until my Kitsune body fell away into endarkened mists to reveal my skeletal giant self. Of which caused the whole of the populace to gasp, whilst a few screams echoed throughout the city, "how did a ''Prince'' arise from all of this, when it was deemed an impossibility?" A3 Chapter 44 AN: Have a bit of news for y''all. My editor has released to me the final document, and has changed it into an E-book format. So it should be up and ready for sale in the next couple of days; just need to figure out what to put in the Acknowledgement''s section, and we''ll be good to go. :D As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _____________________________________ To become a Prince of the Dwarves of Forge, one needs to have the base body of a precious jewel or metal. Such as emeralds, rubies, sapphire, or gold, silver, platinum. Afterwards comes a more "touch-and-go" process of adding equal parts mithril, adamantium, and orichalcum to the body. However, that process is very dangerous, and requires experts in sculpting as well as blacksmithing in order to create the Dwarf in question before rekindling its life force within the Kiln. This is so, as without such experts present, then the one being upgraded will need to be melted down in order to start over from scratch. Unfortunately, the runes and magicks surrounding the Kiln of Life had been tampered with to not allow such Dwarves to be created. Thus, keeping the populace from having a leader which could lead them back down the path of taking over the world once more. Once a Prince has been crowned a King, then they will be able to assume control over the whole of their race, and bring all others to their knees. Hence the reason for the wager, and the tampering of their Kiln. For I would not suffer another monarchy to rise up and challenge my person for the world. In any case, after my absence upon the world, many of the Dwarven scholars and Runesmiths came together in order to undo the damage I and mine had caused to the Kiln. This led to many cycles of study and tampering until, at long last, they had found a way to create another King. Unfortunately for their persons, their tamperings caused many a problem to arise within the object. In that many of the Dwarves who had need of repair were not able to recover much, nor could they create more of their race. Which meant creating a King would be very dangerous, hence the Prince. For although a King meant the need of so many rare and volatile ingredients, the latter only needed a few precious materials to complete. This led to a few failed experiments which resulted in the deaths of their newly formed kin, but were rewarded for their patients a few moon turns after the first of many Azarathians arrived upon their world in order to tackle the unbeatable Tower of Babel. However, within a sennight of their Prince''s birth, Brutus and I arrived. Thus, putting an end to the hopes of many a Dwarf. As to how we learned all of this? Well, as many would know from their lessons in history, I hold many a gift which allows my person to extract the truth out of my targets. One of which is a spell called "Mental Theft". In that the energies of the spell forcibly removes all of the information I so desire. Yes. I''ve used it on many a being both great and small. However, one of my more recent abilities came from a Justicar I had come across upon in my travels. Of which allowed my person to use an ability called "Truth". This one, instead of simply taking everything from the target and leaving them in a comatose state, forces them into speaking everything in a truthful manner until I released their persons. Yes. This ability has been given over to the Mindflayers, of which have become the Judges of our world. Now, my targets of the spells were the various Dwarves within the crowd which had gathered to watch my person enter and exit the mansion of the former Prince. Which led to them explaining and echoing what had happened in the cycles since I had left. This caused many among them to become upset, for these Elders still remembered the past, and desired its return. Whereas the current state of affairs had been working splendidly. Such as the villages in charge of themselves, whilst still connected to the city of Babel by way of their Vitae. Which allowed many of the city''s soldiers and elites to rush out towards those who were in need any time they noticed the crystals had changed colour. Yes. This has become what all of you know when traversing through the world of Forge, whereas this was still a system in its infancy. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. At this point, I simply sighed over the stupidity of the Dwarven race as a whole, as well as to those of whom dared to back out of my rightful winnings. As such, "The Kiln we''ll be left as is until I have gained the world I so desired since the beginning of my existence." No. This was not well received by the race that relied heavily upon the artifact of their long ago God. Of whom was Hephaestus, the Blacksmith God. Yes. Many had grown angry, as they believed I would "perform my duty" and fix their artifact. Unfortunately for them, they had disregarded one of my laws, and from this the many would suffer the actions of the few. Which would lead to their being ostracised for such actions, whilst being much more careful with their own bodies. This meant that many of those who are of the various Guards would only be deployed with the need is far greater than most. Such as if a mass of monsters appeared and threatened one or more parts of the populace. "What will we do?" complained a female Leo''lan, of whom wore a simple linen dress whilst carrying a small bundle against her chest, "If the Mithril Guard cannot help the outlying villages, then who should we turn to?" "Ask those of whom are from the world of Azzarath to help you," came my reply with a slow shrug, "They''re the best of the best upon their world, so why not try to make them more accommodating? Each and every one of them desire quests and tasks to complete, not just a run through the Tower. So offer them a large stipend or compensation for what should have been a task for your Guards." In so saying, Brutus and I turned and left the crowd, leaving them to their own devices as we turned down the path towards the Tower of Babel. Within a few short moments, we came upon something new. A wall of iron surrounding the Tower. Of which held only a single portcullis which was quite the eyesore, as it blocked the view of my structure. This then led us to approaching the structure just as a pair of Orichalcum Dwarves stood in our way. "Halt," the one on the right called out, pulling out a large pair of cone shaped lances from the shadows of the iron door which led into the first floor of the Tower, "You will go no further until-" "Burn it down, Brutus," my voice drawled as I waved my left, primary clawed hand towards the entirety of it all, "It is such an eyesore and needs to be gone." "Yes, My Lord High God," bowed the Lich King slightly, as he called upon the energies within his person in order to cast a spell of Soul Fire. Yes. As many of you know well, Soul Fire is a type of flame which can erase everything it touches. Not only will such items, objects, and being not exist from that point onwards, but everything that may have occurred later down the road will cease to be as well. For example, let us say that there is one amongst you who has a revolutionary idea which could change the world of Terra. Or, if it came into my hands, can be implemented quickly in order to better the citizens'' daily lives one hundred fold. Now, if another were to use Soul Fire upon your idea, or even your person, then it will simply disappear along with every sort of variation which could arise in the near future. There are a few who still seem confused, so let us have another example. Let''s say there is a world out there where slavery is running rampant. One among their numbers has the idea of creating a nation of freed slaves, where everyone didn''t need fear of slavers, and the soldiers actively hunt down those who chose that as their profession. Well, someone else who dislikes that idea comes along and uses Soul Fire upon their person. Thus, making sure that one and their ideas are gone from existence. Which means, my dear audience, that although one person held the idea of freeing slaves and starting a nation, no others upon that world will ever hold the idea of ending slavery, or even starting up a new nation. Hence the reason why it should never be used, but Brutus performed this action upon the iron wall. This did slam into the structure, slowly eating away its existence, and removing the idea of an iron wall from the thoughts and minds of everyone living upon the world of Forge. A3 Chapter 45 (NSFW) AN: Ah, another NSFW chapter. Course, it ain''t much, but I will caution you to read the scene very carefully. In other news, I''ve finished writing up the Dedication and Acknowledgement''s section of the E-Book, and now just have to upload it to Amazon. Shouldn''t be difficult, right? If only that were true... As always, folks, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _____________________________________ "What? What happened?" cried out the left Orichalcum Guard, of whom stared about his person whilst searching for a weapon of some sort whilst the right Guard sat upon the ground in a daze. For the wall they had been standing in front of was erased, never to be seen again upon this world. That is, unless someone from another comes and creates such a thing. Ah, some of you seem confused, so allow my person to iterate my thoughts. Yes. Soul Fire erases everything it touches, and removes the idea from the hearts and minds of all beings both present and future forevermore. However, if someone comes from another world, then they are not under the effects of the flames. Therefore, they can reintroduce the concept of an iron wall to the people of Forge once more. Yes. That is the only loophole within the secret of Soul Fire. Once another from a different world comes, then they are able to implement the plans which have been lost for all time. Before all of that, though, the world will be trapped in a cycle of never being able to progress down the road of that which had been erased. Sure, you can walk around it by building walls of stone, wood, or a combination of those two mixed with iron, but there will never be another Iron Wall upon the world. That is, unless someone else comes along and makes it so. Anyways, with the wall gone from our presence, we moved forwards towards the entrance of my Tower, whilst the Dwarven guards slowly moved in order to try and halt our progress. That is, until an Iron Dwarf ran over to their persons in order to explain what was happening. To which their eyes widened as Brutus and I stepped upon the platform to the right of the entrance, and vanished into mist. This then transported us into the space above the Tower, which served as the final boss room. The area was simply an empty, white space with metallic tiles for the floor which spanned infinitely in every direction. Whilst upon the tiles was a silvered mist which revitalised anyone who breathed it in, but there was a catch to it. One that will not be mentioned until someone of your generation, or another, reaches that area. Certainly, you can asked those of the generation before your own, but they have been barred from speaking of such things to those who have not reached the end and experienced such a thing. All that is allowed to be discussed is the fact that they made it, know what the final battle is, and the centre which was a simple array of chairs around a large, endarkened marble table. Of which is where we came upon, and once I sat upon the golden throne at its head, did a vast amount of portals both great and small erupt behind the chairs. Those of whom stepped out from within the portals were a few of my Undying, and the allies we had made in our time upon the worlds of the Abyss. The Undying who joined us were, of course, Sia and Rojaahn, of whom held great positions among my servants. This of course included Brutus, who was my right hand in all things. Whereas the rest were either representatives of the allies, or their persons. The first to step through after my Undying was Beelzebub of Konaku. Of whom chose the form of a regal Elf in long robes of endarkened coloured silks which covered his body completely. The hair colour he had chosen for this occasion was silver, to match the colour of my energies, whilst a crown of shadowed horns slowly pulled themselves up along the sides of his head. What is more, a pair of leathered wings which spread themselves out upon entering the space, expanded to twice his length in either direction. Whilst within his hands was a sceptre which was of gold with a faceted, Human fist sized ruby at the end. After his person came a Fire Golem with two heads atop its shoulders. This one''s body was made up of blackened iron wrapped around the glass-like stone called Obsidian. Within such a stone was its molten core of reds, ambers, and gold colours as it slowly swirled throughout the body of the creature. The right head, however, was made up of the same stone, as the rest of its body, whilst the other, though of the same material, had bands of iron wrapped around the head and was anchored into the shoulders. The third to follow was actually twins of the Kitsune race. What is more, their sub-race was of the Desert, in that they were small and child-like in appearance, voice, and mind. However, although they had such visuals, they were both adults amongst their peers, but that doesn''t mean they were any less awkward. For instance, one of the two had dark fur with large ears and twinkling, grass coloured eyes. This one wore only a thin, white dress which revealed three pairs of small mounds underneath, and the curves of that which was betwixt her legs. Whereas the other wore... strings. No. You did not hear wrong. The other twin, whose fur was snow white in colour with eyes that matched the sunset of their home world, only had a single strand of dark coloured strings wrapped around her three pairs of breast. Which also included that which was betwixt her legs. The latter was accentuated in such a way that the eyes of those around her person would naturally fall towards that area. As to her rear? Although the pair had three tails each, the one in the dress would cover her own, whilst this one allowed it to be revealed to the rest of the world. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Their names? The one in the dress was called Yin, whilst the other was Yang. The final individual to reveal themselves was a hunchback old Human male. Who wore only an old, stained leather apron which covered his front and hid most of his fire-red beard which had been tucked into a belt off to his left side. The only other article of clothing upon his person were a pair of tired, leather trousers which had been stained beyond repair from the soot and grease of working at a forge for much of his life. Yes. This one is the elusive Hephaestus, of whom had long ago retired from a life of ruling over others, and instead journeyed throughout his world called Forge in order to pursue his dreams of crafting that which none had ever seen before. No. He has yet to create such a wonderment, as he is quite the perfectionist when it comes to the art of Blacksmithing. In any case, when no one else was going to appear, the whole of the opened portals slowly faded away from sight. To which I simply bade them to take a seat in order to begin the first of many meetings regarding the world called Terra, but first came a few pleasantries to be exchanged. As well as to bar the twins from asking Beelzebub a question. "No," my voice boomed over their words, which caused their ears to droop. "But you don''t even know what we were gonna ask," Yin whined, whilst the other pouted and tugged on the strings covering her upper mounds. "You both had been pointing at his sceptre since you noticed it upon your arrival. I already know what it is you are going to ask of him." At this point, I had an imaginary headache forming behind my eyes, which led to my primary claws rubbing my temples slowly. "And what is it that they will ask of me?" called out Beelzebub, whose voice was full of amusement over the whole ordeal. "More than likely? They''ll want to use your sceptre to see if it''ll fit inside their bodies. Perhaps they haven''t been pleasured for a long time, and wished to find some semblance of release." This explanation caused the Elven features of the God of Gluttony to frown, as a snake like tail appeared from underneath his robe. Which then slowly wrapped itself around the object in question, and dragged it back under. Of which caused the twins to pout, whilst another pair of such tails appeared and slowly invited their persons closer to his own. This caused the two some elation, as they hopped from their seats in order to sit upon either side of the God whilst staring up into his eyes with a great need as they whined softly. What came after was confusion for my person, and another headache. For although the pair had the appearances of children, they were, in actuality, adults. The reason why Beelzebub desired such a thing to occur? "I''ve never had Fox before." That is all he said, as his tails snaked into the folds betwixt their legs until it could go no further, and vibrated themselves into a blur. Of which caused the twins to gasp as their own liquids flew out of their bodies, whilst they clung to the robe of his person. Each of them mewed loudly as their mouths opened wide in order to pant greatly, which then became tight as their bodies jerked upwards from a great release from betwixt their legs. Such liquid was devoured by the gluttonous God, who desired more. This caused a variety of tendrils and tentacles to billow outwards from beneath his robe, and tear away the clothing and strings the pair wore. To which they screamed with delight as the tendrils wrapped around their small mounds and suction-like tentacles appeared and latched onto them, doing their best to drain any semblance of milk from within. Whereas the rest of the tendrils and tentacles bound the twins'' arms behind their backs, the legs splayed wide open, as a pair of thick tentacles shoved their way into the rear and folds of their bodies. Yes. It appeared to our eyes to be painful, but the pair seemed to be "in heaven" as the saying went. Of those within our group, only the banded head atop the Fire Golem was interested of what was happening. Whereas the rest of us, save for Hephaestus, did not know what to do as we sighed and groaned as they continued. The Blacksmith God, at that time, had been jotting notes since the beginning, which then swiftly became a schematic for something he didn''t have a name for. "It''s just to help the women who want a release, but don''t want to turn to a tentacle monster or run the risk of pregnancy," is what he mumbled, as the schematics continued to become more elaborate as time went on. However, such a thing did not last forever. For as soon as the twins passed out, they fell to the ground next to Beelzebub, who then turned to stare at my person with a smirk upon his Elven features. His elbows were found resting upon the marble table, as his hands laced over one another to allow the pointed chin to rest upon them. "So? Why did you call us here?" _______________________________ AN2: YIN AND YANG ARE NOT CHILDREN! A3 Chapter 46 (GOOD NEWS EVERYONE!!!) AN: Origin Point: Azzarath is up on Amazon''s Kindle store, where you can purchase it for 3.99 USD OR if you have Kindle Unlimited, you get it for free. :D https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B01IJ47KB0 I said I''d get it done, and I did. So today, I''ll be putting up two chapters, and starting next Wednesday, and every Wednesday after that, I''ll be putting up two chapters for you guys. So excited! :D As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________________ "My Lord God?" Sia turned towards my person as I gave an exaggerated sigh. "They''re not children, Sia." "But, My Lord God..." "Sia," my left eye bathed her body in the light of emeralds, "They may appear to be children, yes, but they are merely the Desert Clan. You would know this if you stop and think about such beings." "I," she began slowly, then bowed her head low, "Forgive me, My Lord God." "You may address their persons with the necessities if you so wish, whilst we begin the meeting of Gods." This did I speak as I waved her away in order to focus my attention upon those who did not come for a show. Of whom were not at all amused by what the God of Gluttony had done to the small Kitsunes, save for the iron banded head atop the Flame Golem. This one was rather curious about what had occurred, and would have spoken about such things, if the other had not quieted it down. "I have called you all here, for we have found our world of Terra, and have begun the necessary steps in order to reclaim it," my voice rumbled gently over the gathered beings who sat before my person. Each then congratulated our persons for finally completing part of our dream, but were waved away rather quickly. "I thank you for your congratulations, but it has come to my attention that the False God who reigns over the world has grown wise with our presence and will be looking out for us. Therefore, I now come to you for help." After speaking such words, I did bow my great head which flustered my servants greatly. For I rarely, if ever, bow towards another being, or even ask for assistance. In truth, I was quite nervous, as I have been quite prideful in the many cycles since my creation and did not know how well it would be received. However, "Raise your head, Lord Karastak," spoke the Obsidian head of the Flame Golem, of which sounded much like glass being ground to dust between two boulders, "Our great master, Titan Kronos, knows well of your desire for Terra. If you have need of our service, then speak your words." "I agree," chimed in Beelzebub, whose eyes have faded into inking orbs of pure darkness, "If this ''False God'' is hindering in your plans for control, then look no further than we who are able to assist." Of course, his eyes turned towards Brutus''s, which flared in response. After the pair''s short speech, they each turned to Hephaestus, who was hastily drawing up blueprints for another project which had been sparked within his mind. To this, the Golem spat upon the Smith''s shoulder to garner his attention to what was occurring. Of which sizzled upon the leathered skin, as the glob of saliva was nothing more than a few drops of lava, and caused the God to jump in surprise, scattering everything he was working on. "What? Who?" he began, then calmed down as the situation was explained to his person, "Oh. Yes, yes, yes," his arms flailed about as they brought the large pieces of parchment back towards him, "I''ll help you. Whatever you need. Just let me get back to this..." Once more, we were ignored by one such as he. "There you have it, everyone, except the idiots on the ground, will be willing to help you out," spoke the God of Gluttony, who clapped his hands together once to signify the union between our persons, "So, how do you want to proceed? Do we full on attack the stronghold? Forcibly take the world away? How would you like it handled?" "As delicately as possible," came my reply, which caused his lips to frown, "Rojaahn, if you will?" "Yes, Master," the metallic, four-armed Bear Beastman in a snow-white robe stood up and slowly walked around the table in order to pass around large, rectangular shaped crystals to each of their persons. To which only Hephaestus ignored until it was shoved into his face, whereupon he did marvel at the item just as a swirl of colours stole his attention away from his "project" completely. Whereas he held up a slightly larger version, and pressed his forefinger upon the centre. Of which caused each of the crystals in their possession to light up and push forth an image above them containing details about the cultists he was allowed to experiment on, "These images you are seeing are of a few Humans our Lord had brought with him from Terra. Now, there''s nothing much to look at, physically, but mentally," his forefinger tapped the upper part of the item a few times, which then revealed a detailed document of what each of them remembered, "they are blank." Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "What does this have to do with your request for our assistance?" called out the Golem, of whom was the most confused. "In a moment," spoke up the Beastman, who continued to tap upon his screen. This conjured up a wide variety of images from the Undying to those who were recently taken away from Terra, as well as an image of Brutus. "Now, each of these beings all have something in common. None of them remember having a life before they met anyone. Which only means that the False God has tampered with their minds to such a degree that they are practically marionettes dancing to the strings of his will. Which even extends to after the fact that they''ve been taken away. "Not to mention the fact that the world outside the supposed scenario generated by this one is probably blank." "What do you mean, Rojaahn?" I was surprised by this small bit of news, as I had not heard of it until now. "I''ve questioned those who are under your employ, the Black Parade, and those who are the most adventurous went out of their way to roam around the scenario placed by the False God. What they found was whiteness." "You mean snow?" asked Beelzebub, who was rather perplexed by what he was hearing. "No," my Undying shook his metallic head slowly, "Just whiteness; that which was without substance and colour." He grew silent for a time, which allowed us to think about what he had spoken of, but were soon removed from our thoughts as he resumed with, "Think of a map, if you would, of the surrounding area wherever you live. It could be heavily detailed, or perhaps just vaguely drawn, but it''s there and you can see it. Now, view the outskirts of your map. It''s blank, correct?" At our ascent, he nodded a few times before continuing, "Yes. It''s blank; there''s nothing visible. This is what they had witnessed, an emptiness which stretched onwards. Of course, they complained about it, and even had some stills of the area. Which is why I believe that outside the supposed scenarios the False God creates there is nothing. "Though, of course the world itself is real, but everything beyond what they have seen is unfinished like a painter''s sketched artwork before he adds his paints." "Huh," my body sat back against the throne as I took some time to process what was revealed to my person, whilst the others did the same. This then caused something in the back of my mind to surge forwards, to which was shared with the rest, "This reminds me of what Azazel has told my person after my first run through of our world." "Who?" asked Hephaestus, who finally deigned us with his attention. "The God King of the Azzarathean Pantheon," spoke up Brutus, who then apologised to my person for speaking out of turn. This caused my person to shrug as I continued with, "Our world of Terra is a tutorial world which resets itself to its previous state after we leave Roj and his tribunal of fools... Why didn''t I think of this further?" Quickly, I stood up and slowly paced back and forth in front of everyone. "My Lord God?" called out Brutus, of whom appeared to be concerned with my person. "The Tribunal, Brutus. They must be connected with Terra somehow..." Slowly, my mind was formulating a plan, one that may or may not work, but will need the cooperation of this alliance to work. "But My Lord God, Roj and his cohorts are there regardless of which world we''ve completed a task for. The only ones which did not allow their persons to appear are those that we brought out of the Abyss." "Of which we are eternally grateful for," chimed in Beelzebub, who smiled in a sly fashion as his orb-like eyes drifted over the Golem and Hephaestus, each nodding as he did so. "Yes, and every time we see them, they are killed off quickly, who then regenerate after we leave," came the voice of Sia, who had wrapped the twin Kitsunes up in a large quilt. "Yes, but now that we have finally put two and two together, we can move onto the next phase in our plan. One which will require our dear friends from the Abyss." To which those of whom were paying attention to my words grinned in a manner befitting evil overlords, and not Gods. A3 Chapter 47 AN: Ever wondered why Azazel was called the "little-girl-who-was-not-a-little-girl"? That''ll be revealed in a few of chapters. :D As always, thank you you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________________ "Brutus, you will need to stay here," I commanded my Lich King, who pouted for a time before standing tall once more, "My reason comes from your latest outburst. Not only that, but the False God will more than likely be looking out for your person." "Why is that, Karastak?" asked a flame-haired Human child who appeared to be of eight cycles, was clothed in flame coloured leathers, and cocked his head towards his left shoulder. This one, by the by, was the Flame Golem in a more Human guise. For although he is a giant, his body is still relatively new, hence the child-like body. My own chosen body, at that time, was also a Human, but of an armoured knight with a large sword strapped to my back, whilst holding a glaive in my right hand and a tower shield strapped to my left arm. "For appearance sake, please refer to my person as Lord Karastak," to this, the other nodded slowly whilst I continued with, "To answer your query, Brutus is one of the original Undying who came from Terra. As a matter of fact, he was among the first to be chosen for such a venture, but the only one whose body was crafted by my person. "Therefore, I would not wish for the False God of Terra to try and steal away anymore of what is mine." "Ah, okay," was all he replied, as his eyes drifted over the area in which we had come to. For it was the garden of my Guild''s castle, which held only a few of my Undying, Brutus, my person, and Azazel. Of whom had a confused look about her person, as she had never seen the child before. However, before she was able to speak her mind, another hurried over to our position. This one was an Elf with silvered hair and dark orbs for eyes. Of whom wore only endarkened robes, and held a staff of gold under his right arm. "Didn''t think I''d make it in time," he spoke with a light, melodic voice as he panted slightly from the run. "You sleep too much, Be''el," spoke the child, of whom was called Ignis, "We told you Lady Azazel was going to be here within a few hours." "No," the other shook his head quickly, then straightened his hair as many a lock fell in front of his face, "Karastak said at dawn, but it''s still perpetual night." "That is how this space is, Be''el," my voice was full of amusement at their words, "Besides, we do have items which are being used to tell the approximate time outside of here." "You mean those strange, cylindrical objects made of metal?" At my nod, he continued with a sheepish grin, "You may need a new one for my room, then. I kind of, maybe, broke it from the noise it made." To this, I sighed and turned to the silvered haired Azazel who was truly confused at the entirety of the situation and asked, "Is the portal ready?" "Um... Yes?" she scratched her head as a white-silver spell circle wrapped itself around our positions, and we teleported away. * "We need to find a way to distract Azazel," my voice rumbled over the heads of those in attendance, "as she will undoubtedly ask who you all are if you were to show up out of nowhere and request a spot to teleport into Terra along with my person." "Why should the little God King need to be distracted?" asked Beelzebub, who was just as confused as the rest of them. Save for the twins who were still sleeping off their release, and Hephaestus whose area had become a mess of blueprints and schematics. "She will more than likely deny you all entry, if she realises you are all not my servants, but Gods. For she will only allow my person to traverse the world, as I am a God in my own right." "Then how?" "Oh, it is quite simple, really," called out Sia, of whom slowly approached my position, then twirled to address the others, "Just keep talking. It''s really easy to keep her off balance if there are multiple parties talking all at once." "And how do you know this, Sia?" my attention turned towards her person, which caused her right, primary clawed hand to scratch at the space which used to have an ear. "Well, the Lady Sarah can be quite talkative to us Chosen when you''re not around, My Lord God. I don''t think she even realised she gave up quite the weakness towards someone who is supposed to be their ruler." "Very well, then we shall come up with something for such an occasion. Which begs the query," my gaze slowly swept over the table as I took in everyone in attendance, "who will be joining my person in the next venture?" * Where we ended up this time, was not in a cave, nor within a temple of some sort. Instead, it was in the middle of a small village with only a few dozen clay based shacks surrounding our persons. Of course, we were not alone, as there was three others within our party. Each of them was Human, and held large bows in their left hands, with a pair of quivers at either hip. Their own clothing was shadowed leathers that covered their entire bodies, save for the eyes, which were each Hazel Brown, Steel Blue, and Forest Green. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! These beings stared about their persons, and only gave a short salute to us, as they slowly milled about the area in search of life. However, they paused for a moment and, as one, fired of a single arrow towards the huts. Within half a heartbeat, three goblins wielding rusted weapons rushed their position, but were taken out by the archers and their Greatbows. "Let us begin," my voice rumbled, as I slammed the butt of the glaive deep into the hard packed earth at our feet. Afterwards, I sat down next to it, whilst Be''el and Ignis channeled their energies into my body. This allowed my person to perform the next step in my plan to control our world of Terra. For it was simply to corrupt the land around us, so that it would only answer to my call and no one else. * "Once we are upon your world, what is it you wish for us to do?" asked Beelzebub, of whom had opted to join my person along with the Fire Golem. "We shall perform a rite I have stolen from one of your many Demons," was my reply, as a spell circle erupted in front of my person. One which would grant the pair safe travel into my castle, which was upon an Azzarathean Plane. This was necessary, as the Gods and Goddesses of the Pantheon expressed their concerns, and barred their persons from ever stepping upon what is theirs. Especially when these refused to join their group, and instead chose to stay by my side along with the promises I intended to keep. Such as the creation of my own Pantheon which would allow their persons to no longer hide, as well as grant them their own Divinities which will give them the right to be called a "God". Yes. I promised and granted their persons Divinity when others would not. For I always keep my promises, and they were the first to join my Pantheon. Of which has only grown since its creation, as I do not discriminate so long as they adhere to my laws. "Which is?" he asks slowly, not sure which rite I meant to perform. For there were many amongst his kin, and many of them would grant what I desired. However, the one I chose was, "The Rite of Control," which caused him to double over with laughter. Whereas the Golem and I simply stared at his person with unamused glares. "Forgive me," the God of Gluttony''s voice was still full of mirth, as he wiped a false tear from his eyes, "but I don''t think I heard you correctly. Did you say ''The Rite of Control''?" At my ascent, he laughed once more before straightening himself and his robe. "What is so funny?" demanded the Golem, who was just as confused as I was. "It''s just that that rite is only used on lesser creatures than one''s self. How do you expect to use it on a world much greater than you?" "You underestimate my power, Beelzebub," my own voice was full of mirth, as I directed each of their persons to stand in the centre of the spell circle. Of which engulfed their entire being, and transformed their bodies into an Elf and child which will deflect any pryings of their person. * Yes. "The Rite of Control", one which has been used many a time to control the lesser minds of others to do as they wish. Be it for simple slaveries, or only for a time in order to gather information about their next target. I, on the other hand, was to use it by pooling the energies of three great beings in order to extend my control over our world of Terra. However, this will be needing several dozen trips to accomplish, perhaps even more. This is so, as I do not know how large our world was, at the time. Which meant that we would be using the Rite even after we are caught, just to make the process much easier for the next step. Of which can only be performed after we meet up with Roj and his Tribunal of Fools. As to what occurred? Well, the first thing we did was allow my person to sit between Be''el and Ignis. All the while, I simply meditated and gathered up my strength as a barrier of endarkened energies formed around our persons. This was simply to keep out the prying eyes of the False God, who was undoubtedly watching our persons. Ah, but it also had another ability, not just shielding us away. For it erased our presence almost completely, and no, I did not realise this at the time. In any case, after gathering up my energies, the pair slowly gathered up their own, and sent it directly into my body whilst I performed the Rite. A large spell circle full of darkness and chaos, erupted around our persons. This energy was so wreathe in shadows, it appeared as though we were floating in the emptiness of the void which surrounds each of our worlds. Of which then allowed my person to push my collected energies deep into the ground. Whereupon it did slowly corrupt the earth and everything below, as it slowly spread itself outwards. This allowed my person to see the whole of the area, as it continued to spread until it struck something akin to a barrier. Casting my gaze to such an area, I found the images to be quite shocking. Enough so, that I shared my vision to the others. Which caused Ignis to widen his eyes and stare at Be''el, who simply shook his head whilst continuing to pour the energies within himself into my own body. A3 Chapter 48 AN: Another day, another chapter... Why are you guys so quiet all the time? As per usual, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comment, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ________________________________________________ "What?!" cried out the False God, of whom was in the middle of his space simply watching the world down below, when alarms began to ring incessantly loud, "What''s going on?" The system continued to blare wildly, as multiple screens alighted with an enlarged symbol of some sort with a language I had not come across at that time. The language, by the by, was called English, and was widely spoken within a world called Earth. In any case, this led to the world down below to fizzle into haze, as the False God''s charges were sent into the area with the Tribunal, whilst he called upon the unknown person at the other end of a strange box nearest his throne. "You blundering fool!" howled the female voice at the other end, "The whole system got corrupted. How did you let that happen? No, don''t tell me. ''It wasn''t my fault'', or ''I don''t know'' is what you were about to say. "Whatever; reset the whole system. This will cause a backlog with the others, but you, Draxis, are in so much shit not even I can help you dig out of this one." "What do you mean?" his voice quavered at the thought of a reset. Of which also meant that he, himself, will also have to go through a reset. This means that the False God of that time will be erased and brought back from a "Save Point". In that he will still be who he is, but will not remember anything from that point to now. "Your whole system is corrupted, you ass," the female voice on the other side rose to a much higher pitch, as she screamed into whatever device allowed her person to communicate with him, "If it is not restored soon, everything in your little system will be gone forever. Do you know what that means?!" It means, my dear audience, that we had inadvertently caused a chance to occur. One that would not only harm Terra''s well being, but erase the False God from existence. However, we did not know this, and would continue to do so regardless. "Yes," whispered Draxis, who could do nothing beyond accepting his fate. Of which he watched as everything within the space, as well as his person, became nothing more than whiteness. ***** "What?" called out one of the Humans in full leathers, "What happened? One minute we were killing Goblins, the next... this." What the Humans spoke of was the fact that whilst they were busy killing the Goblins that appeared and desired to kill them, the entirety of the world seemed to fizzle and become darkness. It was as though the Void of the Abyss rose up and devoured our persons, so great was the emptiness of the space. However, it did not last for long, as the familiar robes of dried crimson slowly came upon us in the forms of Roj and his "Tribunal". "Well," he spoke slowly, "this is something we must apologise for. The system governing Terra became... unmanageable. Therefore, we shall be gifting you with the cores necessary for you to traverse the worlds within the Azzarathean Pantheon." To which he nodded as six violet crystals appeared before out persons, of which I shook my helmeted head at when Ignis and Be''el reached for theirs. For just as the three Humans took hold of their own, they vanished from the place, leaving us alone with the Tribunal. "Um, Roj," one of the robed creatures pointed in our direction, "They haven''t left yet." "Hmm?" Turning to face us, their leader was about to speak when I vanished and reappeared not five centimetres in front of his person. "Hello Roj," my voice thundered around their persons, as each shook in complete and utter terror as my body slowly became my skeletal self, "How have you been?" "Why are you here?" squeaked the Halfling female, whose hood fell back to reveal her terrified features. "I am allowed to visit old friends, am I not?" My right, lesser clawed hand swiftly gripped her body, and squeezed until her head flew off into the distant darkness. To which I released the body as it fell upon what was assumed to be the ground with a wet slap. "Be''el, Ignis. The one we wish for is this one," the primary claw of my left side gripped Roj''s body swiftly, hoisting his struggling body high into the air, "all others are of no concern." "Then?" asked the Fire Golem in child form. "Do as you will, for I care nothing for them." This caused the pair to explode, as they regained their previous forms from the meeting. Of which caused a few of the members to scream as a swarm of Devourer Demons and orbs of molten lava flew towards their persons. Yes. They did enjoy themselves immensely, especially Beelzebub, who found pleasure in the eating of cooked Minotaur flesh. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Wh-what do you want?" cried out Roj, of who was forced to bear witness to the slaughtering of his companions, "We''ve given you everything already. What more do you want?" "I want my world of Terra, Roj." "But, but you were denied the right to rule. Why are you so bent on taking it?" "Why?" My eyes did flare greatly at the recollection of the world I had called home so long ago, "That world gave me everything. A home. A family. Children. EVERYTHING! When I came to your council to demand my Terra to be returned to my person, I was met with laughter and scorn. Now?" The voice within my being boomed throughout the space, creating lightning and fissures of endarkened crimson, "Now I have found a way to take it all for myself, Roj, and you will be the key to helping my person do so. "So give it to me, foolish Tribunal Leader Roj. Give to me your connection to Terra. Give to me the path that will set us home. Give it all to me, for I desire it so!" Endarkened silver energies crackled down my arm, and latching onto the body of the one in my grip. Of whom convulsed and did his best to scream as my chaotic magicks tore their way into his entire being. This was so, as what I desired was what made up his person, for he was nothing more than a living puppet moving to the tune of his master, Azazel. The body of the being I held was torn apart down to his foundation, as a multitude of small orbs that mirrored the worlds within the Pantheon floated around my person. Yes. I was sorely tempted to absorb them all, but instead focused my mind on what was most important to my person, and those of my Undying few. For a time, these worlds continued to drift, floating farther and farther away from us, until, at long last, the orb of our world called Terra flowed towards my person. Of which my energies latched onto, and was placed in my great maw to devour in its entirety. No. Nothing dramatic occurred. Instead, all that had happened was a great slew of knowledge flowing through my mind. This would have downed a lesser being, but as I was quite used to such occurrences, it only left my person dizzy for a few short moments. Afterwards, I called out to my companions who then sauntered over to my person with grins upon each of their features. "Come, let us return to the Tower so that we may plan our next steps." Upon such words, we did vanish, leaving behind the destruction of the Tribunal for whatever system that controlled their persons to clean up. ***** Unbeknownst to my person, the system within the Tribunal sent alarms into the area which was controlled by Azazel as her own, personal space. Here, she was trying to enjoy the few comforts of being a God King. Fine wine, good food, and a naked, Wolfman thrusting his awakened member in front of her face. Of course, she did reach up to grip the appendage to do with as she saw fit, but as soon as this occurred, the alarms within her space rang out. This caused her person to jump, which led to her right hand tearing out the male''s appendage with such a force, that it caused a spillage of its lower organs to fall upon her snow-white dress. Yes. This killed the Wolfman, of whom was not aware his death at the time. However, this made the little-girl-who-was-not-a-little-girl''s energy to flare up. Of which ate away everything inside her controlled space. Yes. Even her dress was destroyed, revealing her naked body to the world. Of which was quickly clothed in another snow-white dress, as she turned off the alarms which had interrupted her "alone time". "What now?" she growled, pulling out a tablet made up of crystal from the air. This led to her tapping the surface a few times until it revealed the dead Tribunal members. "Just this? I''ve already told the system not to-" Azazel''s voice was cut off as her eyes widened from the aftermath of what happened to Roj. For around the tattered remains were the various, miniature worlds which were the worlds within the Pantheon. Each one was slowly floating towards the body, forming together, then coming apart and trying once more. "What?" This led to the system narrowing in on a small space which was used to house one of the worlds. One that was for the world called Terra. _________________________________ AN2: DEATH TO ROJ AND HIS TRIBUNAL OF FOOLS!!! A3 Chapter 49 AN: This one, and the following chapter will be the worst mistake a character in the story will ever make, when considering our MC and his goals. As always folks, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _________________________________________ "Do you have it, My Lord High God?" begged Brutus, of whom had gathered the original twenty Undying who came from our world. Of which I nodded my skull slowly and pulled out the small orb which served as the connection point between the Tribunal and the False God. This was then stretched further until the object was the size of one of my primary clawed hands, and passed between my servants. Each and every one of them held the item as though it was the greatest, holiest item that they were allowed to handle. "It''s beautiful," sniffed Shauu, who wiped an imaginary tear from her right eye socket, as she passed it over to the other females. Of whom also repeated the sentiment, action, and allowed everyone else to hold the orb that was their... our connection home. "Let us begin the absorption process which will allow us all to return home at a whim, and take the fight to the False God whilst we reclaim what is ours by right." My voice boomed around each of their persons, as they handed the object back to my person. Of which was then held up by my energies that slowly absorbed it all into my being. For a time, nothing occurred. Then suddenly, as though I were shoved into an ice filled lake, everything that was Terra filled my entire being. The people; the environment; the energies contained within. All of it was there; within reach, but at the same time was too far away. "Hmm," my voice hummed softly as I contemplated what had occurred. For although I had access to everything, there was still something missing. Something necessary for us to transport ourselves into Terra without the aid of Azazel and her magicks, but what? "Is something the matter?" asked Yin, of whom appeared to have awoken from her rest after the absorption process was complete. However, she wasn''t full of a lustful desire as she had been when she and her sister had first appeared. Of whom was in the middle of making sure the strings that hugged her body was in place. "Hello Yin," my skeletal self turned to regard her person coolly, "I take it you both are no longer going to seek out another release session with one of the other males?" To this, she appeared rather hurt that I would suggest such a thing, but gave a sheepish grin when nothing happened. "Yeah," the Kitsune drawled out slowly, whilst scratching the back of her head slowly, "So? Whatcha working on this time?" "Hmm, I am contemplating a mystery at this time." "Mystery?" chimed in Yang, who scurried over with her three tails wagging quickly, "What kind?" "One that would allow us to return to Terra without the need of a third party to mitigate our arrival." "Oh?" The Foxwomen stared at my person with their ears swiveling forwards to depict their interest. Of which they then turned their heads towards one another to discuss several ideas, but remembered that I hadn''t explained everything to their persons. Now, I must explained something to you all. For you see, this pair were quite intelligent, but only showed it only after they had achieved a release of some sort. Afterwards, they are able to function like miniature detectives whilst making inquisitive notations of whatever it was that had caught their interest. In this case, it was my dilemma for obtaining our world of Terra. Of which led to them desiring what it is that I was speaking of, and, after giving them a brief explanation of what we had accomplished, they turned to one another in order to discuss the problem in depth. Ah, but as they were discussing such a thing, something occurred which I was not fully prepared for. One which could be construed as an invasion, or perhaps a declaration of war, if you would. For Azazel had deigned to grace us with her presence, but outside the Tower which was being used as a temporary headquarters for my person. No. I did not deem the castle as such, which was simply a Guild Hall. Instead, I opted for someplace more secure. Such as the world of Forge, so that I may plan in peace and without the prying eyes of others looking over my shoulder with the intent of ruining such things. With the silver-haired God King showing up, however, it truly put a "damper" upon my plans. Of which included her interfering, but at a later date. For now, though, she appeared before my Tower and swiftly struck its exterior with such force that it caused a crack to spread towards the tenth story. This was enough to cause some damage to occur upon the first four flours, which quickly ejected all invading forces of those levels. No. I did not wish for their deaths to be caused by such antics, but by their mistakes within my Tower of Babel. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. In any case, after striking the structure, it quickly restored itself as it released a great host of monsters in the form of Giant Wasps. These then flew straight towards her person, stingers extended, and were swiftly destroyed from a burst of her energy. This then called upon my own servants, who were under the command of Brutus, and exited via teleportation. A total of five had vanished from my side, and appeared surrounding her person. They then dropped their torches, and reached for weapons which were present, but at the same time not. It is difficult to explain in a few short words, so all I can say is that they each are holding raw energy in the form of two pairs of scimitars. This was one of the few times I had seen her person... afraid. For she knows of the destructive powers of these Undying, whose leashes are held by Brutus. These hold enough destructive force to kill a God all on their own, and have turned upon Azazel who dared to attack my Tower, upon one of my own worlds. Quite the mistake, to be sure, for they quickly subdued her person with ungodly speed and precision. Of which led to her body being pinned to the ground with five metallic, skeletal feet upon her back. As well as the destructive energies contained within the weapons each held being pointed towards her body, along with a pair resting only centimetres above her neck. This scene caused my person to sigh with great exaggeration, as I teleported in front of her with my Kobold body. "Azazel," my voice was low and slow, as my body squatted down to stare into her eyes full of fury, "You know very well you are not allowed upon the world called Forge. For the other amongst your Pantheon will take it as an invitation to invade and try to take it over. Why must you do this to my world, when all they desire is to not have a war with your people?" I shall be brief, for the whole of that which I spoke of can be found within Forge''s of history. You see, my dear audience, once the world of Forge was brought out of the Abyss, many a God and Goddess believed it was to be a present to their persons. Thus, they each came in order to "scope out" the world''s populace. This terrified the residence, who turned towards Hephaestus and the Tower of Babel''s owner for help. Yes. I was and still am its owner, but they did not know of this at the time, only the Dwarves. Although the Blacksmith God did not wish to intervene, he did see the importance of the others leaving the world be. Of which he turned to my person for help, and I did so. Do not look so surprised, my dear audience, for although my past self was quite selfish, it was not beneath my person to respond to their pleas. Of which came in the form of Gahn and my Undying with Brutus at the lead demanding that they remove themselves from my conquered world. This caused the others to scoff or laugh at my servants, who were then given the authorisation to use lethal force. Yes. It came in the form of the raw energy which was used to still Azazel''s movements at that time. However, when my servants wielded such strength, it was the first time Lesser and Higher Immortals were able to maim and kill the Gods and Goddesses of the Pantheon. Of whom only held the desire to take the world of Forge for their own. Yes. The-little-girl-who-was-not-a-little-girl was there at that time, and bore witness to the destruction of her Pantheon by my servants.To which she ordered all to evacuate whilst she try to mitigate with my person. Therefore, seeing such weapons directed towards her person was a frightful experience. Especially when it was used to actually kill several Gods and Goddesses under her employ. In the end, however, we came to an agreement where I would not seek out their destruction, whilst they keep clear of any and all worlds I and those around my person bring back. Though, if she were to return once more, it may be seen as an invitation for others to appear. For they may believe I was joining their Pantheon, and have a look at what I had accomplished upon the various worlds under my control. Hence, my disdain for her being upon a world under my control. "Well, Azazel? Why are you here?" My voice rumbled softly, probing her person for an answer. To which she replied with much venom, "You know exactly why this one is here, Undead Karastak. You''ve stolen one of the Keys which was inside Roj." A3 Chapter 50 AN: So, here''s the next chapter to explain what he does with Azazel, as well as what she reveals once it''s all over. After this, he won''t be needing her any longer, so don''t expect to see her popping up too often. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ___________________________________ "That is quite the accusation," my brows rose to exaggerate my surprise, "Do you have any evidence to back this up?" Of course she would not have any, as the God King had long ago turned off such systems when it became apparent that I would continue to slaughter Roj and the Tribunal of Fools. "This one does not have to have any to know you stole it," she growled, then winced as one of the scimitars sliced a little into her right shoulder. This caused her skin to become exposed, as at knitted itself back into perfection after the blade was removed. However, the clothing was still torn, and would need to be removed if she desired to have it repaired. "But without evidence, how will you gather the necessary support?" As many of you know, there are multiple Tribunals for all levels of concerns. One such section is for the disputes between Gods and Goddesses, which relied more upon factual evidence than anything else. No hearsay would reach their court, nor would any tampered evidences. For each and every shred is sent through both magickal and anti-magickal devices which remove any such tamperings upon them. To this, she simply growled and tried her best to reach for my person. However, unlike her Pantheon, and the worlds it controls, the world of Forge does not adhere to the wills of others beyond my and mine. Therefore, she is simply a foreign entity with only her divinity and abilities upon the world. Of which weren''t as spectacular as some would think, and no, I will not tell you what they are. In any case, this event gave my person a way to take what I had desired for so long, and one which will not slip away from us. "Raise her up," I commanded my Undying servants, which caused only a pair to sheathe their weapons and raise her to my eye level as I stood tall once more. Whereas the remaining three continued to hold their energy blades to her body. Even though all of this occurred, Azazel struggled violently against the grip that held her. However, it was all for naught, as she was far from home at this point in time. To which she growled, "Release this one, Undead Karastak, and we shall not have any more conflict with one another." "How about no?" I commented, tapping my right forefinger against the side of my muzzle, "For you see, my dear little God King, you''ve given me quite the opportunity to take my world of Terra. So I cannot comply just yet." "So you did take his link," her eyes narrowed, then winced as my skeletal servants squeezed down upon her limbs with enough force to break the bones within. "I never said that, my dear; you only assumed it to be the truth. However," the claw upon my right forefinger pricked the centre of her forehead. Of which caused her eyes to widen as she knew of what I planned to do, and struggled more. This then caused my person to grin voraciously, as I began the spell which would give my person everything. "Ah, Azazel, you will give to me-" "No," she moaned, her eyes full of dread. For she knew what it was I was about to do, and had bore witness to it on many occasions. "-what I desire. The link to Terra, my home world; our home world." "You won''t get away with this," she shouted as the energies of silver crackled around my right arm. To which I simply grinned and continued with, "All of it, Azazel. You shall give unto me the whole of the link to our world of Terra," my voice paused for a moment so that I may stare into her eyes as they grew wide with horror, "For. I. Desire. It. So." The moment I spoke this phrase, the energies within my arm ran straight into her body, taking everything that I desired whilst her body bucked, and voice screeched throughout the whole of the world of Forge. Yes. Everyone heard it, but took shelter amongst their homes, and embraced their families. Whilst the voice of the God King Azazel continued to rise and fall in pitch from the constant stream of chaotic energies invading her mind and body. ***** "You... You..." One of the many Elves shook with disgust at what they just heard the Ageless speak of. For such a thing, even if it was within the history books, was still an atrocity. "You stole from God King Azazel." This came from a rather tall and slender female Elf with waist length, platinum blonde hair. What was truly strange about this one, however, was the fact that her eyes were shining brightly with interlaced fingers held together under her chin. "How did you manage to do that, Ageless?" she asked with a hint of awe in her voice. "I have already told you all, youngling," he replied with a tinge of tiredness in his voice, "She made the mistake of coming to a world I controlled; one that was outside of her own. I believe she was there to accuse, and find some evidence of my person''s involvement with the extraction of the link within Roj, then present it to whatever council she can. Unfortunately for her, my past self was not a part of her Pantheon, nor are we right now. Therefore, she could do nothing beyond barring my person from the worlds within." Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! "But, isn''t she stronger than you are?" asked an unknown, small voice from within the crowd full of mixed emotions. "In the past, yes, but you have to understand what it means to be a God King. All of your strength comes from the Pantheon under your control, and without it, you are left with only your divinity and the strengths surrounding it." "Which means?" This came from the Elf which was currently being watched by Brutus, of whom was suspected to be a follower of the Huntress. "Which means that if a God King strays too far from his or her pantheon for too long, then they are weakened considerably. That is, until they are within the boundaries of that which is under their control." "That''s good to know," he smiled to himself, which was caught by both of the Kings. Of whom shared a look with one another before turning away to resume what they''ve done since the beginning. They would not act at that time, as there were many witnesses around, but would do so after the story is finished. ***** It would take two moon turns for the extraction to become complete. For although I desired the link to our world of Terra, I had not realised how extensive it would be. This was so, as what came with it was everything regarding it; from the history, to how it began; why it was chosen to be a "Tutorial World", to what was hidden within it. Yes. There was a secret within such a place, and one that will become evident soon enough. Once more, yes, my extraction process for such a thing is quite painful. Which has only increased as time went by. However, the only solace given to those subjected to the process was this: They would not remember anything that occurred. No. They would not remember such an occurrence, but would gain quite the headache that cannot be healed by conventional magicks. Which just means that they will be needing time to heal. In any case, after the process was complete, and I had absorbed the information about our world, the little God King slumped in the grip of my servants. Of whom had to endure the screaming first hand, whilst the rest of the world cringed in fear over the noise which flew throughout the air. No. No one came for Azazel from her own Pantheon, as we were quite a ways away from there, drifting lazily around a random day-star that did not have anything to sustain. Of course, the energies containing it were rather pleased to have us there, but that tale is not part of this one. So, once it was complete, she did slump forwards which revealed something new. For you see, her form did change from a little, Human girl-child, and into a more adult version. What is more, the small dress that was around her person had fallen away as she stretched, and revealed to the world a naked body. Upon her chest was a voluptuous pair of mounds, whilst the rest of her body, besides the waterfall of molten silver upon her head, was devoid of hair. Which means, yes, I did have my servants lift her lower body to reveal that which was betwixt her legs to my eyes. This also included the rest of her body, which was studied for nearly a decca-turn before my Chosen were summoned. Each staring with surprised expressions as it was explained that the being before them was God King Azazel. "It is more than likely to be her true form," my shoulders shrugged as I directed Shauu to lift her body, "Take care you do not wake her too soon, as she will be experiencing a headache like no other upon awakening. Therefore, take her to the castle, and post a watch until she awakens." "And when she does?" asked a small, metallic Foxwoman with four arms and three tails. Her name was Amira, and was one of my seven Chosen. "Notify my person, as well as Sarah. If she asks, tell her that the God King was found asleep within the chamber. Or make something else up." This was spoken with another shrug, as I led the fived skeletal Undying back into the Tower. Whereupon did find the Kitsune twins once again being used by Beelzebub''s tentacles, as well as his person. Which meant he held Yin within his grasp whilst copulating with her person, whereas Yang was subjected to the tentacles and tendrils which billowed out from under his robe. This, of course, caused my person to sigh, as I walked away from the scene, and had one of my servants to tell my person when they are finished so that we may continue with our plans to take back Terra. _______________________________ AN2: So there you go, folks, the reason why Azazel was called the "girl-who-was-not-a-girl" was partly because of this. Also, there''s going to be another part to this story. Of which will extend it past my normal 60ish chapters. A3 Chapter 51 AN: Today is Wednesday, which means it''s a double post and every Wednesday after this will continue in the same suit. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _______________________________ "I will not speak of your involvement with one another, but if you require a room, simply say the word and one will be created for you three." These words came from my own being, as the Kitsunes were laid upon a set of quilts left by Sia and the other Chosen. Whereas I simply sighed heavily as such words were spoken to a sheepish Beelzebub. "Didn''t know it would take so long," he spoke softly, as his person was directed to sit before my person whilst two portals opened up in order to summon Hephaestus and Kronos. However, only the Titan stepped through the portal, whilst a Dwarven representative stepped through the other. "Hephaestus apologises for not appearing," this Dwarf spoke in a gruff voice, and appeared before us as an Adamantine. Of whom wore only a thin, hemp robe the colour of seafoam, as the skin of one such as this could withstand the might of a Primordial creature. This then bowed low, and was offered up the seat in which the Blacksmith God normally sat upon. As for the Titan? He was in the form of a Primordial Demon of Fire, even though he is of Time itself. Of which seemed to be the norm with his person, as it always unbalanced anyone that was considered to be an enemy. No. We were not enemies, but allies, which did not draw from the fact that he still chose to "mess with people", as the saying went. For those of whom are confused as to what it means to be a Primordial creature, it is simply a state of being which is purely made up of one element. No. His body is not an Elemental''s, as those are made up of traces of other substances holding everything together. This one was made up of nothing beyond pure fire, and was held together by a dominating will. Of which was Kronos, who had taken control over an elemental when his own children rose up against his person, and slew the Titan''s original body. Yes. I did lend my assistance to one such as he when we discovered his cage, as it were, within the depths of Al''nuul. After speaking with him at such length, it was decided that I and mine assist his person in striking down his own children. Of whom held their own Pantheon, but was crumbling quickly with his firstborn''s incestuous deeds. Ah, but that one can also be read within any library upon our world of Terra, as well as within Al''nuul. "Ah, Karastak," he sighed slowly, sinking into a seat offered to his person. One of which did not burn or melt upon contact with his person, so that he may relax fully, "So good to see you once more." "To you as well, Titan Kronos," came my reply, as I gave a short salute to one such as he. Of which would have caused my servants some distress, as they believed all others should salute or bow to my person. However, I chose to do this due to the fact that he had long ago earned my respect. "Hmm," his voice hissed softly as it hummed, "Have I missed anything since your first summons?" My own head slowly shook from side to side, "Other than the fact that I now have a way to take back our world of Terra without the need of a third party? No." Of which caused his own to nod a few times before stopping. For his mind had finished processing what I had said, and the eyes within the flame''s form widened comically as it took up half of his body. "You mean we are close to finally completing your promise to us?" "Yes, Titan Kronos, and I shall be keep said promise once I have the world under my absolute control." To which he did laugh uproariously, and did cause his flames to soar into the space above our person. For he was greatly elated at the thought of regaining his lost divinity after so long. "When shall we begin with the final preparations?" His enthusiasm did not last, however, for my own head shook itself slowly once more. "Apologies. For although I''ve gained the ability to traverse my world at a whim, I do not know if it''ll fully work. Therefore..." "You need a test subject in order to gain the necessary data, correct?" chimed in the Dwarf, of whom had been listening in intently, whilst Beelzebub had somehow acquired the Kitsune twins'' persons within his arms. "Correct, good Dwarf." "Hmm," his own humming sounded much like that of iron vibrating in the air, "We do have some Homunculi in stock, and are in need of testing. Will this work? We can have them here within a mark or two." "Do so, and I shall begin preparations to transport their persons. Will you be able to add a recording device to them?" "Of course, Lord Karastak. How else will we proceed with such things?" * The Homunculi, a pair of Humanoids devoid of any features beyond a hauntingly endarkened pair of eyes and a waterfall of fire-red hair stood before my person. These were both indistinguishable with my own pair of eyes, as the Dwarf in question revealed that the eyes and hair were interchangeable with a variety of others. Of which was then shown to my person until it fell upon the colours before my eyes. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. This also included their bodies, which can be exchanged for a wide variety of limbs, torsos, and heads to be used as they saw fit. However, for this experiment I simply desired two Humans in leather armour and wielding a pair of short swords. These were going to be simple scouts for my experiments, in order to discern whether or not the way to our world of Terra was safe to traverse. For I would not send my person, nor my servants to such a place if there was a high chance of losing them forevermore. "If you would, Lord Karastak," called out the Adamantine Dwarf, of whom had a few too many metallic instruments in the shape of squares and rectangles lined up outside the area in which I had called upon my new knowledge to create a white spell circle. Of which was the exact same as Azazel''s, as it was taken directly from her mind. These instruments, by the by, were used to measure the stress of the creatures'' bodies, as well as to record everything they have seen whilst upon our world. Of which would allow our persons to view the degree of safety within, as well as to allow us to proceed from that point onwards. "Of course," I muttered, as my energies did pour into the spell circle. This then created an endarkened portal full of violet and crimson lightnings which crackled from the centre, outwards. Yes. The portal was of my own design, as the Dwarf desired a swift exit for his tools in the event of some unforeseen accidents occurring. "Now then, let us see what can be seen." ***** "Ah, what a nap," stretched the False God, of whom had awakened from his "reboot", and slowly walked towards his throne. Once upon it, he called up the system in order to take stock, only to find it in disarray. "What?!" his voice echoed throughout the space he was currently in, and swiftly ran over to the panel upon the wall nearest the throne. Whereupon he did press a red square and danced a little whilst waiting, "Come on, come on. Pick up, pick up, pick-" "Yes, Draxis? What do you want?" replied an irritated voice, one that sounded exhausted. "What happened to my system? Everything is a mess! What happened?" The False God''s voice howled into the panel, which was where the voice came from. "What do you mean ''what happened''? Your whole system became corrupted to the point of you and it needing a res- What do you remember, Draxis?" "I remember taking a quick nap after the Tribunal ruled in my favour of governing Terra over that slime of a minour God, Karastak. Why?" "Oh... dear..." The female on the other end grew quiet as the sound of fingers tapping against something akin to glass flowed outward, "I didn''t think it''d be that corrupted..." "What became corrupted?" His body shook slightly at the thought of a system becoming corrupted, as it would also spread to the one in charge of such a thing, and both would be reset back to a "save point" that was not as corrupt. "You, you ass," growled the other, "You and your system became corrupt due to your own negligence, and no, I don''t know what caused it. If I did, we might have been able to salvage the system somewhat, but right now we have other issues." "Which is?" "Well, for starters, it''s been almost a full century for you. Which tells us how badly the whole thing is. For another, you still need to set up a scenario for your... What the hell?" More tapping ensued on the other end, of which was of a quicker pace than the last. "What''s happened?" asked the False God, of whom was very nervous, as the tapping continued to escalate until an exasperated shout erupted from the panel. "Dammit all to fucking hell!" the female screamed, as the sounds of parchment and heavy machinery was thrown to the floor and walls echoed throughout his space. "What-?" he began, but was interrupted by the other. "Someone''s hacked the system, and locked me out. Which means, stupid Draxis, that whoever corrupted your system is so very close to controlling the world of Terra. If this occurs, then the prisoners of that world will be released. I do not have to tell you what that means if they get out." ___________________________ AN2: And once again, just a friendly reminder that this IS a game world. It just doesn''t have the pop-up blue screens all over the place, else people might be kind of angry with the MC''s stats. A3 Chapter 52 AN: And here is the second post for all you lovely people. :D As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________________ "Hmm," hummed the Dwarf. "Indeed," came my reply, as we stared at a crystalline screen whose images came from the eyes of the Homunculi. For before us was an expanse of whiteness which stretched from all sides. What is more, there were... bodies. Each within a cage of some sort, and all held a gaze of hollowness within them. It was rather strange, to be honest, as these ones looked as though they were simply awaiting their turn in the queue to be reaped by Death Herself. Whilst at the same time, still clung to the hope of life. As to their appearance? Each one was the same, and yet different. Think of a painter''s canvas, if you would. Where he would sketch a drawing of a figure with a piece of charcoal, then have it erased whilst leaving a faint etching of the previous sketch. Of which would continue on and on until there is only dark and faint lines of what the artist desired before throwing it away. This is what we saw from the point of view of the scouts we sent through. "Have you ever come across such beings, Lord Karastak?" asked the Dwarf, who was truly perplexed as to what he was seeing before his person. "No," I shook my head slowly, "This is entirely new to one such as I." Turning to my right, I waved the Titan, Beelzebub, and the twins over to my side. Once they appeared, I pointed towards the screen and asked if they had ever come across such a thing in their long cycles of life. To which only the Titan contemplated, as the others shook their heads and returned to whatever it was they were doing. "Titan Kronos?" called out the Adamantine Dwarf, "You have the look of one who has experienced what we are witnessing." This was spoken aloud just as the scouts came upon the first "cage". Of which was a small cell of transparent glass with multiple runes shining brightly upon the surface. Yes. We knew of what such runes were used for, as they were transportation and illusion spells, but we didn''t know why the body continued to change. For you see, the first body would began as a burly, but naked, Bear Beastman. This form stayed active for a few heartbeats before it shifted quickly to a small, Fox-kin girl-child, and yes, it was nude. Afterwards, it would continue to shift into a variety of forms which included flora, fauna, and inanimate objects such as gold. "We should try to remove them," I muttered softly, but was halted by the Titan. Of whom shook his head slowly as he pointed one of his clawed fingers towards the structure itself, "I recognise those markings, as my own cage held a few of its remnants. The ones atop and on the bottom of the cage are merely for teleportation. Whereas the rest is to make the body become whatever the one holding the controls wishes them to be." "How do you know-" my eyes grew wide as it dawned upon my mind, as I recalled what Kronos had to endure before my and mine own intervention. For you see, my dear audience, after his children slew his body, they kept the essences which made up his will. Afterwards, for their own enjoyment, they forced his person to become anything and everything. Such as a slave which would be whipped, or a virgin female to be raped repeatedly. Everything; anything; all of it and more. He had to endure it for many a millennia until I and mine appeared with a great army to attack his captors'' stronghold. Though, at that time, we did not know the Titan was there, nor even of his existence. So imagine his and our surprise when we found one another. In any case, this visual of another cage of the same mark and design as his own caused his person to seethe in anger. Of which was then quashed as such a thing did not imprison any of his charges, or my own. However, it only calmed him somewhat down to a rage which caused his body to erupt high into the nothingness above us. "Hmm, how much force would it take to remove the cage, Kronos?" This query was directed from my person to his own as he quieted down. "I do not know," was his reply, and held up a burning hand to forestall anymore interjections, "When you and yours came upon the stronghold which held my essence at that time, I was not even aware of my surroundings. For I would have needed a body for such a thing, but once it was destroyed, I was free to do as I wished. This gave me the desire to burn everything to the ground, thus allowing me to become a Primordial." To clear up any confusion, if any of you have read up on the histories and stories of Al''nuul, you will have come across many a passage and chapter containing the rise of Titan Kronos, and the fall of what was known as "Second Rome". This is what I am speaking of in the telling of this part of the tale. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. "Is it possible to move the cage out of the space?" This was directed towards the Dwarf, of whom directed the Homunculi towards the transparent structure. Once they came upon it, one of the pair quickly moved to the opposite side. Of which they then lifted their leathered arms around it, as energy flowed from the machine, through the portal, and into their person. This then caused their arms to stretch and wrap around its sides whilst a white spell circle erupted from the bottom of the cage, which expanded around the bodies of the scouts. It then caused everything within to vanish, and appearing next to the machine. Of which caused the entity within to shriek in great agony just as the portal into what was supposed to be Terra closed. ***** "What the hell is going on?!" howled the False God, as multiple alarms blared in his space. Each called up several screens with image of unknown entities dressed in leathered equipment which hid everything except the eyes and strange hair. Of which then moved about a white space filled with crystalline cages full of the strange beings within. They then targeted the closest structure, stared at it for a time, then teleported themselves, and it, out of the space. Where they went is still a mystery to his system, but it was enough to cause the multiple alarms to blare. "What the hell did you do, Draxis?" shouted a female voice above, as a small figure appeared in the distance, and was growing closer upon each step. Of whom was soon revealed to be a female Dwarf of Azzarath, wearing something akin to scalemail, but it glowed with an unearthly red. This one then approached the other, who backed away quickly just as she reached up and dragged his person to her level. Whereupon she did swing her right fist directly into his head and torso thrice, before tossing him against the throne, knocking it over. "You stupid fool," she screamed, "I have had it up to here with your lack of attention to your world." "But, I haven''t done anything," cried out the False God, of whom protected his head as several spears of gold were thrown at his person. "That''s the problem, Draxis. You. Did. Nothing, and now look at your system. Everything has gone to shit, and there is nothing we can do about it." "What about God King Azazel? Surely she would do something about it," he peered out from under his arms, then ducked back under as another pair of golden spears struck at his body. "This is none of her concern, you stupid Dulahan," her screaming rose in pitch, as she called upon her energies and strength to summon a great hammer above her head. This then swung towards his side, catapulting his body away, and leaving only the head to the mercy of the Dwarf. Of whom left lifted it up and shoved it into one of the screens showing the unknown perpetrators within. "See that?" Her voice was barely a whisper above the noise, as his head was pointed to the pair just as the images switched to showing the scene in which they summoned up a white spell circle, and vanished from sight. "What am I supposed to see?" he whined softly, none too sure as to what he''s supposed to say from witnessing such a thing. "We have an inkling of what they are, Draxis," grinned the other, "We just have to..." The Dwarf frowned greatly as her left hand tapped at a floating screen in front of them. This continued to grow, even after tossing the head of the False God away towards his body. Whereupon it did catch the thrown appendage, and was held up to view the tappings of the other. "What-?" he began, but was silenced as she screamed and called upon her golden hammer to smash the object before her. "Stupid machines!" "What happened?" His own body slowly backed away so as to not incur her ire once more. "They can''t find a mana signature on their bodies, nor can they detect where that portal transported them," she spoke this in a huff, as her arms folded over one another, "There''s nothing there, and the system keeps saying the signature is similar to Azazel''s, but she''s been found to be sleeping." "Has she ever slept before?" "Yeah, but you''re too young to remember that." _________________________________ AN2: If you''re confused as to what a Dulahan is, or just too lazy, think of the Headless Horseman. That''s what Warden Draxis, aka the "False God", is. A3 Chapter 53 AN: And now we come to something interesting for the next three or four chapters. This one was actually planned out by myself and one other, because he can and someone else wanted to see what will happen. As always folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________________________ "The screaming has ceased, Karastak," called out the Titan Kronos, of whom pointed at the cage now containing a quivering mass of flesh and bone. For it appeared to our persons that the creature within had become a Flesh Slime. Of which was a creature of your worst nightmares, as it can become anyone it devours, retaining their speech and knowledge perfectly. As to how this all occurred? Well, the creature was in the process of becoming a dragon of some sort when the energy of the space it was in was cut off. Thus, causing it to melt into a puddle which then flowed into the Slime before us. Of course, the process created much distress for it, and I was quite sure the pain equated to a drop of my own acidic poisons ravaging the insides of a body. "Indeed," came my comment, as I squatted in front of the cage to stare upon the Flesh Slime before my eyes, "Though I do not understand why it became something as this." This was spoken just as the creature before my person lashed out to devour my body, but ran up against the wall containing itself. "This Flesh Slime appears to be similar to the ones upon the one hundredth floor of the Tower, but those are grey in colour, whilst this is more pink. "Quite strange." "Yes, but then again," spoke the Dwarf, who appeared unfazed by the development, "it was in the middle of becoming a dragon. Perhaps this is the default stage when outside the whiteness''s influence." "Ah, but it appeared to my own eyes that the creature can become anything, including gold and weapons. Which hints at maybe the world is one of these creatures as well." "That is an awful thought, Karastak," chimed in the Titan, of whom visibly shivered at the thought of my world was made up of these creatures. Or, perhaps it was simply his person moving as he spoke. "Yes, as it would mean my plans would have to change," was my reply, as the thought of it left a "sour taste in my mouth", as the saying went, "Well, good Dwarf, do you happen to have anything to communicate with the creature?" To which the other simply shook his head, "No, but if you will permit me, I would like to take this creature, and the cage, back to the Workshop in order to run multiple experiments." "Only if you will allow Rojaahn to accompany you, as he is my lead researcher in all things." Of which the other assented to, as a spark of light flared up within his eyes at the prospect of learning something new. Yes. This was shared by my Undying, too, as he had never before seen an intact cage such as this. Within mere moments, another spell circle erupted from the base of the cage, and encompassed the bodies of the Homunculi, Dwarf, and Rojaahn, whisking their persons away towards Hephaestus''s hidden Workshop. ***** "Stupid Draxis, making me do all the work when he''s supposed to know more about his system than me," grumbled the female Dwarf as she worked tirelessly in order to bring more control to the False God. Of whom could only pace behind the other as he stared on worriedly over the possibility of losing the world to some unknown entity. "What can I do?" he muttered to himself, as the smaller of the pair continued to tap away at the screens and "keyboards" under them. "Don''t bother me is what you can do," snapped the female, of whom was not at all amused by this new turn of events, "I''m rerouting your system through a back-up server in order to mitigate some of the damage your intruders had caused. After I''m done, you''d best create a new scenario as soon as possible to keep whoever it is from controlling it completely. "Also, be sure to keep making your scenarios one after another." "Why?" "Why?" Her head slowly turned one hundred and eighty degrees to stare at his person whilst her body continued to type away at the contraptions, "Because this is how you deal with beings like this one. Keep them occupied until you can figure out who they are, and block them out completely." Upon so saying, her head quickly swiveled around to the front. Of which squinted her eyes as the pace quickened immensely, until, at long last, she was done. "Finally," the Dwarf gave out an exasperated sigh and flopped onto her back, "You should have most of your control back, so hop to it. If you do not wish for the other to regain your world, then start creating your stupid scenarios, and send some new players into it." "R-right away," he stammered quickly, righting the throne, and sitting upon it. Whereupon he did call upon several screens which he tapped his gauntleted fingers against to pull up the creation of his scenarios. The first to be brought up was the Demon Lord, of which he did sneer greatly at as it was processed through. This then pulled up another screen which held our world within, and as the scenario was implemented, it caused the land mass to shift and change into New Wair with the cavern for the Demons of the world to live in many kilometres away. Of which caused his mind to conjure up images of him turning against his family as he bartered with God King Azazel in order to give up the world to her. In exchange, he was to be in charge, and would wreak havoc upon the family that overlooked his prowess as the next Head. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Yes. The reason why the False God, the "First Son", was in charge of the world was from the fact that his own mother, the Demon Lord, was going to ascend his younger brother to the rank of Leader of their race. This did not sit well with his person, and plotted against them all in the form of bartering with Azazel in order to bring the world into her Pantheon. However, this came with an attached string that said he must be the one in charge of its being, and no other. Now, at that time, the God King was young and desired more worlds and beings under her control. Thus, she took the world into her system, and set him up as a minour God for it. Though he complained greatly, the False God could do nothing, but accept his position and even called himself "Warden Draxis" in order to sound more important. Of course, it only made him sound more of a pretentious ass than anything else, to be honest. In any case, after such thoughts drifted away from his person, did he sit back and reopened the portal within the Hub of Azzarath in order to invite new "players" into his world. "And now we wait." ***** Now, the moment the False God opened the portal into his world, did I receive a notification within my own mind about such a thing. Of which caused my eyes to widen for a moment, then narrowed as I contemplated this new information. "What is on your mind, Karastak?" asked the Titan, as he peered towards my Kobold self intently. Whereas I simply glanced towards his person with a shrug. "It seemed the ''Key'' I took from the little God King gave my mind a notification about the False God reopening the world to others." "Isn''t that a good thing, though?" called out Beelzebub, of whom held the Kitsune twins, who were awake, upon his lap. "Yes, but he has most likely grown wise to my antics, and will be on the lookout for such things," I spoke this unknowingly, as the truth of the matter was that the other did not know my antics at that time. For he had to go through a "reset", which took away much of his memories, "Which means I can either let him believe he has won by not advancing through the world. Or perform something outside my normal routine. Though, I''ll be needing the Twins'' help for that venture." "Oh?" spoke Yin, of whom stared at my person with great curiosity, "What is it that you need? from us?" With a sigh, I stood tall and stalked away from the table with which they all sat near, and called upon my own energies. Of which created a greater spell circle, almost the same size as the Oak tree which was sent elsewhere from the beginning of this story. This, of course, was centered around my person as the light within shifted and latched onto my person, changing its shape into something more lithe. Whilst this occurred, my body structure became more curvy, as a pair of small mounds grew upon my chest, and that which was betwixt my legs disappeared. In its place, however, was a small slit of flesh, but nothing was added to it. For although it was necessary for appearance sake, I was still very much an Undead creature, and had no desire for its use. In short, yes, I became a female. No. This was not my first time using one, but was for this size. For I was in the size and shape of a girl-child of twelve years, but unlike all other females, I did not have any nipples. Instead, they were simply mounds of illusory flesh, as was that which was betwixt my legs. Yes. This form held the curves of one at that age, and held many muscles about its body. Of which included a "six pack of abs", whilst everything else was well defined. The facial features of this one held the image of round softness, which also gave off the appearance of one who has seen how harsh reality can be. Whereas the eyes were of bright red orbs with shadowed slits in the centre, its skin was as white as snow, and the hair was a waistline river of crimson blood. What is more, it had a button nose and small lips with a pair of glinting fangs point out upon the bottom lip. These were small, but quite prominent, and would help with frightening other in the long run. Which mean, my dear audience, that I was in the form of an abomination amongst true Vampires. For I was an "Immortal Child", and one that would become hunted by all races, including the multiple Vampire clans throughout the various worlds. On the other hand, not many people know about this fact. Of which was a closely guarded secret, until Morticia and Alucard spoke about them upon Forge. "So you can be a female, Karastak?" asked Beelzebub, who stared upon my body with great hunger. "I can be anything I wish to be, Beelzebub," was my reply, as the Twins struck at his head with great force in order to drag his gaze away from my person. This lasted for some time, until Yang turned towards my person in order to ask, "What do you need us for?" "I don''t know what to wear." A3 Chapter 54 AN: I''m tired, and want to sleep in due to a binge watch of Stranger Things on Netflix. Fun show with first edition D&D quips, will recommend it to anyone who likes that stuff. Anyways, here''s a new chapter! As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________________________ Needless to say, the twins did laugh as they pulled my body away from Beelzebub''s gaze whilst I summoned up the extensive wardrobe many had become envious of within the last century. This led to the pair''s delight, as they scrambled into a section marked with triple X''s, but were dragged out by my person. Of course, they each pouted and whined. Even more so when I caused that one to vanish from their eyes to when it came. "Nyo," they wailed, begging my person to return it. This led to my person dragging them off and towards the female section which was full of undergarments, dresses, and "Adventurer" gear. Of which equated to some revealing leathered and plate armours that I wanted nothing to do with. Unfortunately, the other two decided to strip and try on anything and everything that was their size. "Yin, Yang," my voice, deep and cold, stopped them in their tracks as they slowly glanced at my person. For my own eyes flared with great displeasure at their antics, whilst my own hair waved about my person in a maddening dance. "You both are here to help my person to dress in clothing which will help mitigate some damage against my person. I require something none too revealing, but still comfortable and no, I do not care what kind it is." "Okay," they cried out as one, and scurried away from my position whilst I sighed heavily from their antics. They were acting very much like children, of which they were not. "It would be so much easier if I had Sia, but then again..." My facial features scrunched as memories flowed throughout my mind. One where my Chosen had found out that I can become a female, but did not wish to do so unless absolutely necessary. However, after much begging and pleading, I reluctantly gave in. This in turn became something I regret, as I chose a small child much like this one, of which they tormented my person with dresses, face paints, and brushes. No. I did not berate their persons for performing such things against my desires. Instead, I simply endured it all in silence as they continued. For it was their promised reward, and I always keep my promises. In any case, once I returned from my revelry, I noted the pair wagging their many tails as they held up what was simply called "Skimpy Outfits". "Yin, that outfit is far too revealing. Yang, those are leather strings. I will not wear either, so do my person a favour, and search for practical garments." Ah, if any of your are wondering if my voice changed along with my body, then do not worry. For it did, and was of a higher pitch than normal, much like that of a child of eight cycles. Of which equates to twelve years. After speaking such words to the Kitsunes, they left my presence once more in order to search for something different. However, there came a crash from within the plate and mail section of the wardrobe. This caused my person to set out in order to see what I may see. For those who do not know, within fifty or so cycles after our ejection from Terra, I had amassed a wealth of gold, jewels, weapons, armour, and cloth of all variations. Yes. I am boasting, as no others within our two Pantheons have created one to rival my own. Now, the reason why I am speaking of this now is from the fact that it is quite extensive, and requires much walking. Even though I could simply flit amongst the many sections, I simply chose not to. This was so, as I desired to have them suffer for a time until my person reached them. Especially if they were stuck under something heavy. No. I was not worried for their persons, as they are able to become small, desert foxes in order to lessen the damage against their bodies. Of which they did so, or rather, Yin did so. For she mewed pitifully underneath a large helmet which was used to fit the skull of my skeletal self. Of which accentuated my visage one hundred times in order to frighten the hearts and minds of all who look upon it. Sighing once again, I used my energies to lift up the helmet and tossed it aside. Of which allowed her to scamper towards my person as a small, dark furred fox with three tails. She then attached herself to my right leg, just as her sister latched onto my left as a white furred fox with the same amount of tails. To this, I leaned down and pat their heads softly, which caused them to emit an unfamiliar sound that I took as pleasure. However, upon their returning to their Kitsune selves, both were strung up by my energies and had their rears swatted by my hands until they were sore. Yes. They enjoyed it somewhat, until I trickled some salt water over the reddened areas. This caused them to yelp loudly as some of it entered a few cracks in their skin. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings."Do. Not. Touch. My. Armour," my voice was once more low and deep, "That one over there," my right forefinger pointed towards the helmet, "will kill you if you stare at it for too long. Just as many others will do the same." "B-but, we didn''t know," mewed Yang, of whom had tears in her eyes. "Yes. You did." Soon after speaking these words, my hands gripped their ears as I dragged them over to the entryway of the ''Plate Armour'' section, and pointed towards the left. Whereupon I did spy a ruined sign with a missing seal upon it. "That one right there was active, which means you went in there and disrupted the magicks until it fizzled out. The section you were in was meant to keep idiots like you away from there. For that one holds many secrets and curses which must never be wielded, or even held, by the immature. "Do. Not. Touch. My. Armour," I repeated once more, glaring into their eyes as they were released and refused to look in my direction, "For this offense, you will not be allowed into the area you whined about." This explanation caused their eyes to widen, whilst Yang smack her sister upside the head. Of which caused both of their persons to glare at one another before they became small foxes once more, and attacked each other. To which I sighed yet again, and summoned up my energies to search out and pull a few garments which would be used for my person within the next visit to Terra; of which consisted of a full suit of leather-mail. Leather-mail, by the by, was simply chainmail mixed with simple and hard leather armours. Of which, when treated correctly, was almost as hard as iron. In this case, it was magickally treated by one of the few Magick Core Dwarves of Forge. These ones, as you well know, are amongst the rarest type of Dwarves upon that world. Amongst the entirety of that race, they are the only ones capable of wielding the energies of the elements. Although a few have been created as war machines, the majority are Artificers. Which means they simply create magickal equipment, tools, and weapons for whomever and whatever has hired them. Which was what I wore, but only as an undergarment. For an over-garment, I chose a long sleeved, black and white frilly dress with a red ribbon tied around my throat. No. It was not tied in a bow, just simply tied around my neck. My hair, however, did have a bow, but it was made of endarkened shadows which caused uneasiness and instilled a small amount of fear into the hearts and minds of all who see it. Now, normally such an image would be ruined by the fact that I wore leathers under the dress, but had it hidden away with something called "stockings" and "high heels". The latter of the two, I do not understand how it is that so many females could where them. For although I could feel nothing, they were still quite troublesome to walk around in. Which led my person to simply do away with them for some slippers that had been enchanted with the ability to keep dust, dirt, grime, and blood off of them and the wearer. Which meant, so long as I continued to wear them, my clothing and armour will stay clean. Upon my completion, I swirled around in order to enjoy the billowing of the dress for a time, before sending out my energies in order to bring forth a suit of plate armour the size of a Human. "<>," I intoned, pointing with palms outwards towards the suit of armour, "<>." What flowed out of my person was a multitude of silver strands, each slowly entering the armour before my person. This then caused it to jerk and shake as several dozens of Human fist size spell circles, the colour of bright pink, appeared over each of the joints as well as upon the head and torso. Of which was necessary for this sort of spell, as a Divine Animation would give an inanimate object... life. No. This was not true life, but a pseudo one, as a true life would require the use of all three Gifts by one person. These were, by the by, the Spark of Purity, the Gift of All Knowledge, and the Gift of Absolute Power. Yes. I hold all three of these, but at that time I did not and could only grant them an faux life. "Come," I spoke to the creature which was called "Living Armour", "Your name will be Sir Geralt, Knight of the Sword, and you are sworn to serve my person until I release you. Understand?" "Yes," spoke a hollow voice which echoed within the armour. "Good. Upon my person, if you do well, then I shall grant you true life." Upon so saying, a white spell circle erupted around our persons just as a large tower shield and glaive was handed to the Living Armour. Of which then engulfed our being, whisking us away and into Terra. _______________________________ AN2: This Living Armour will be popping up more in the book with Nox number two than it will be here. Along with a few others that I''ve glossed over and continue to forget about their existences... A3 Chapter 55 AN: As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________________ The area in which we teleported into was one with familiar, white stone with cylindrical pillars along the walls which held up the large roof high above our heads. What is more, the old Humans stood about our persons, panting heavily as females in mist linen tended to their persons with jars full of wine and beer. Of course, someone was sent to fetch the king, whose name was Samiah, as the "heroes" they had summoned have just arrived. This left my child self and Sir Geralt alone with a group of four males and two other females. The latter were staring at my person as though I was the most adorable creature, whereas the former held a mixture of emotions from boredom to outright staring at my body. The one who stared, however, was a large and portly Human who licked his lips as his eyes slowly undressed my illusory body. What is more, this one wore an outfit befitting a merchant nobleman. Of which was of a dark coloured suit of loose silks and linens. However, the twitching of his lower body was ever present as he gazed in my direction. Yes. I did notice the blob of Human flesh, and glared into his eyes. However, instead of looking away, he stared back with a wolfish grin. One which would have continued, if not for another of the males to step between us in order to introduce himself to my person. "I am Arnold of Riverie. May I have your name, young lady?" This Human, of whom looked to be a squire of some sort, wore only chainmail and knelt in front of my person. He then gently took up my hand in order to kiss it, but found Sir Geralt''s sword tip gently pressing into his left shoulder. "You will leave my Master be, Human," growled the hollowed voice within the Living Armour, "or you will die." "How rude," the other spoke rather hurtful, as he stood upon his own two feet and backed away from our persons, "I only wish to get to know the young lady, as she seems to hold herself quite high." "Hmm, yes," burped the blob and removed a stained kerchief from one of his many folds in order to pat it against his forehead and lips, "Perhaps she would like to be in the company of someone more, shall we say, noble company." This was spoken as a smaller version of his wolfish grin appeared upon his face, and would have extended further, if Sir Geralt had not spoken his own thoughts. "Your heads will roll, and your bodies will be given to the dogs before you try anything towards my Master," growled the Living Armour, of whom slammed his tower shield in front of my person whilst it was held in place as the glaive was held ready to be swept horizontally. "Now, now, Sir Geralt," my voice rose and fell in a melodic fashion as I stuck my head around the shield, "think of the poor dogs who would have to eat that jiggling flesh of a Slime. They would die of poison or indigestion if they took so much as a single nibble of one of those fat rolls. Not to mention the smell," my left two digits pinch my button nose whilst my right hand waved in front of it, "His flesh wreaks of someone who hasn''t bathed in a lifetime, and has to use heavy perfumes in order to mask the stench." Nearby, the females were "taking a crack" at the banter towards the mound of Human flesh with, "His mother had to give birth to that monster, too." "I feel sorry for her; she must have swelled up like a balloon during the whole process." "Probably died from him eating his way out." "Oh gross. Can you imagine being forced to sleep with him?" "I know, right? I''d rather kill myself before letting him near me, let alone touch me. Not to mention that thing between his legs. Probably really small." "I doubt there''s anything there, to be honest; the fat is hiding it all." On and on they continued their banter whilst the blob fumed in silence as his facial colours slowly became red, then purple. "Ew," I did my best to squeal, hiding behind the shield once more, "He''s trying to make himself even uglier and more disgusting than a pile of shit crapped out by a horse." After such a thing was spoken, the females mimicked my person in hiding behind the shield just as the other erupted and charged my person with arms and hands in front of his person. However, I simply stepped out from behind the shield, pointed my outstretched palm towards him, and intoned, "<>." A spell circle of shadowed energy formed a few centimetres from my hand when I began the spell, and released a small bolt of violet and emerald coloured energy towards that which was barreling down upon my position. This bolt then flew forwards, striking the centre of the mass of flesh. Of which caused it to stop mid stride, and slowly ripped away chunks as a miniature hole, the colour of perpetual night, formed. Of which caused the other to scream like a skewered pig, as his entire being was sucked into the void that I had created, leaving nothing beyond. Not ever a drop of blood. "Hmm," I hummed slowly, "A bit too strong against regular Humans," and would have turned around if not for some unknown force doing its best to hold me in place. Upon tilting my head downwards, I noticed a pair of hands groping around my chest area as though it were searching for the illusory mounds I had created for this body. "Are you alright?" spoke the voice of Arnold above my head. Of whom, when I turned to stare upwards, found him with closed eyes and a foolish grin upon his lips. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Yes. I was quite peeved by what he just did, and was justified in my next action. For I will not suffer to be in the presence of child molesters. What I did was simple, as I simply strode forward half a dozen steps and turned around. This caused the chainmail wearing squire to pause with a peculiar look about his person. Of which quickly became shock as he noted his arms were still wrapped around my person, then tossed to the sides leaving large patched of blood as they skittered into the walls. After noting such a thing, his mind slowly process what was happening, and turned to look at either side just as large spurts of blood erupted from the areas which once held his arms and hands he used to grope my illusory chest as he held my body in place. This led to his screaming whilst all others gasped in horror and shook with fear as Sir Geralt strode forwards with the glaive in one hand, and a sword in the others. Of which, by the by, was a part of the armour to begin with. He then lifted his sword arm, and brought the blade down in an arc just as the doors to the area opened to reveal King Samiah, LD, RS, and approximately half a dozen guards who watched as the squire called Arnold was cut down after having lost his arms. "Ah, King Samiah," my melodic voice purred softly, "So good of you to join us." This was spoken just as they all stepped in with the guards rushing forwards to surround our persons with swords drawn and shields placed in front of the king. Of which then led to my person chuckling in quite the demented fashion, as I lifted my right arm high in order to call upon my energies once more. For although I desired caution, I threw it all away once I was subjected to molestation by a Human male. Yes. I am well aware that the guise was an illusion, but that does not change the fact that such a feat was performed upon my person. "<>," I intone in a hauntingly beautiful voice, just as a spell circle of gold and white erupted high above my person. Of which then spread itself in order to encompass the entirety of the temple''s interior, "<>." Within the centre of the circle, a glowing orb as bright as our world''s day-star shot out and through the roof where it hovered a few metres above. This then slowly stretched out until it was around twice the height and width of the building, and slowly drifted downwards in order to coat it in its entirety. This led to us having some privacy from the eyes of the False God, as I turned towards the greedy king and his cadre of Humans which were not entirely Human. No. For within the whitespace we had seen within the portal to Terra, I noted one of the cages holding the image of the ones before my person. Of which led to my belief that these are not what they appear to be. To which I pointed my outstretch palm towards their persons, intoning the spell, "<>." No spell circles of any sort appeared before my person upon speaking the words which were needed for this one. Instead, my own silver energies erupted from my hand in the form of thousands upon thousands of slivered ropes. Of which launched themselves upon the group, lifting them high into the air where they struggled greatly, and were slowly being torn apart. No. No flesh, blood, bone, or organ meat was torn away from their persons, but illusory flesh which clung to their forms like parasites intent on devouring the last few drops of the blood of their hosts. This would continue for a time, in which the sounds of metal tapping upon metal were heard within the space we occupied. Of which came from those who were summoned, as they were able to produce stills from such tapping noises. Yes. These will more than likely be shared with those from their own world, but for now, I continued watching as my energies tore through that which kept their bodies as is for too long. However, what was truly curious about all of this was not the fact that they did not scream in pain, but that they were laughing with great elation. This was so, and even a few, which included the one called "Samiah", were crying whilst shouting, "Yes! Yes!" just as the that which held them in the form which we witnessed fell away in order to reveal silvered essences within a small cube no larger than the palm of my child-like hand. "Please... please...," moaned the voice of Samiah from within his own cube, "Release... us..." However, upon reaching out and lifting the cube away with my energy, did the world around us slowly become as white as freshly fallen snow. Of which caused a few other cubes to scream as they were whisked away. Whereas the rest were quickly pulled to my person, and a shadowed portal full of chaotic energies erupted behind my person. Yes. I had summoned up such a thing, and directed Sir Geralt and the others summoned to run through it. Although the Living Armour ran through, the others were hesitant for a time. That is, until a great rending of claws appeared before their persons, and they did witness such a thing try to pierce the dome I had created, whereas I simply ran into my portal, shutting it behind my person just as the last of those who were summoned along with my person followed suit. A3 Chapter 56 AN: Tomorrow''s chapter will be another NSFW one, folks. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ___________________________________ A primal howl echoed throughout the space within the False God''s white realm, of which came from himself as his gauntleted fists drove through several screens which were floating in front of his person. Each one had shown the female Vampire just before she had cast her shield magick. Of which caused the screens to become distorted to the point of becoming blank. This, of course, caused him to become frustrated enough to find some way around the barrier which hid his sight. However, the system within his space once again blared loudly as several other screens appeared showing the images of LD, RS, King Samiah, and a few other Humans being torn apart until they revealed their contained essences. Once this came to light, he immediately released a "fail safe", as the phrase went, which caused the entirety of the world below to fade away. It also absorbed everything and anything into the whiteness, sending those who were summoned into a sort of holding place until he or another comes down to render judgment upon their persons. Unfortunately for himself, his adversary had slipped away and stole half a dozen containers full of the essences he had been in charge of since the beginning. "Damnit," he cried out, lifting up the throne and tossing it against the wall. What followed afterwards was nothing more than a tantrum which destroyed much of what he had created within the space. This would continue until everything was broken and scattered across the space, but righted itself once he snapped his right, gauntleted fingers. "Ugh," his voice came out as a moan, as his body settled back into the throne, "What am I going to do?" "You can always curl up into a ball and hope for a visit from Death Herself," chimed in a voice, of which belonged to the female Dwarf who appeared before his person, "You really are as stupid as I though, Draxis." "What do you mean?" he growled, narrowing his eyes as they shifted towards her small stature. "You. Let. Some. Souls. Escape. Do you know how bad that is? None of the other Tutorial Worlds have let theirs escape, and yet you allowed multiple ones go." Her body stalked forwards, as she glared into the eyes of the other whilst he appeared nervous at the approach, "When God King Azazel wakes up, she''s going to kill you and give ownership of the world to someone more capable than you." "Someone like you?" His voice was small and weak at this point, whilst the Dwarf climbed atop his body to stare at the head which rested upon his lap. "Yes," her eyes glowed with an unearthly hue, "Someone like me." ***** Once we left that world through a portal of my own design, we appeared within the top of the tower of Forge. However, there was still the Human, and were choking on the silver-coloured air within the space. For you see, my dear audience, the air is saturated with my own energy, as such it is full of chaos and Madness. This, in turn, is poison to anyone who is still mortal, and will kill them within a few heartbeats. Yes. I knew they were there, and flung a barrier around the collective space which shielded them from the poisons. Unfortunately for themselves, they will not leave that space until I deem it necessary. Stalking towards their persons, I found all of them glaring down at my child-like self. Of which they each demanded their release, to which I replied with, "The air you were breathing before being place within this barrier is deadly to you. Therefore, I can release you from here, but you will die soon afterwards." This new development caused each of them to fall silent whilst I continued with, "Are any of you from the world called Earth?" To this, only one nodded whilst the rest shook their heads with confused looks, "If you have a recording device, I suggest you use it and spread it throughout your world." "Why?" This query came from one of the females, "And why are you doing this? Such a cute little girl shouldn-" "A ''girl'' am I?" My voice chuckled as a vortex of silvered mists swirled about my person, of which removed my clothing. One of the females gasped, whilst the pair moved to block out my body as it distended and grew into my skeletal self. "I have never been a ''girl'' since the time of my creation, little Human." My voice, robust and deep, echoed throughout the space which caused one of the two remaining males to collapse in a dead faint. Whereas the remaining three simply shivered as they stared upon my visage, whilst I pulled up the small cube containing the essences of some unknown individuals. "Hmm," my voice hummed throughout the air after making sure the one from Earth, who was one of the females, was recording my dealings with the cube. As to why I desired this to be so? Well, I had learned a disturbing truth from the history of our world, and one I desired evidence to contradict it. However, in the back of my mind I knew it was true. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "What are you?" My voice rumbled softly, "Who are you? Speak now. For I desire it so." Just as this was spoken, another of my portals opened up to reveal Brutus and a small cadre of skeletal Undying stepping through. "Ah, Brutus, just who I desire to see." "Yes, My Lord High God?" His own voice, which began as cheerful as possible for an Undead, grew sour once his eyes fell upon the Humans behind a barrier. "Are these for me, My Lord God?" Turning slightly to regard the Humans, my shoulders shrugged slowly and held up the cubes, "Perhaps, but right now I desire your expertise." "Oh? And what shall I do with them?" he asked as the cubes were given to his person. "Make them talk so that we may here why they are within that state. For although their essences have been contained, they cannot lie to a Lich King of the Spirit." Mentally, I grinned, for the Humans behind the barrier gasped in surprise at hearing such an entity existing, as they are often times hunted down before they had a chance to become crowned. "Of course, My Lord God," gingerly, he held them all together, feeding the cube his energy in order to bind them to himself, of which would then cause it to obey his every whim. No. I will not tell you the process in which I saw, but know that it took quite some time for his person to bypass the structure. Of which caused him to ask for my own assistance in penetrating it. When it was finished, however, he bade the first to speak its name, "I... do... not... remember," it began slowly, but picked up its pace after a few moments, "but I am... not of Terra. My world... is... I do not... remember..." "What do you remember?" I asked slowly, dreading the answer whilst hoping it was false. "I... died upon... Terra from a... sword. I... desired... to go to... Paradise, but... was pulled into... here. There were voices, so many voices. Each said it was a... prison? When someone... dies... they are trapped upon... Terra. We... serve them, become anything they... desire. "They hope for more... We hope for release... I wish to die. I wish to die. I wish to die... Please... Just let me... die..." "My Lord God?" called out Brutus, whose metallic skull was cocked towards his right shoulder. Whereupon he did glance towards my person just as the cube grew silent, and my body shook with barely contained rage. "I had learned a horrifying truth, Brutus, from gaining the memories of Azazel. It spoke of how that world, our world, became a prison planet for undesirables, those who transgress within the hierarchy of the Azzarathean Pantheon, and those who die upon Terra. I had hoped, Brutus, that this was all false. That our world used to be this way, but no longer. Unfortunately, reality is a harsh mistress. "Therefore, Brutus, my Lich King of the Spirit," my voice echoed throughout the space, becoming hauntingly sorrowful as a great multitude of portals erupted around my person. Of which summoned my Undying, my servants, and the alliances I had forged within our time in the Abyss. "Therefore, we shall begin a true war with the False God. So begin the preparations, my allies, my servants... my family. For tomorrow, we march to war." This statement was met with cheers and raised weapons, as I summoned up a multitude of spaces and structures for each of them to prepare. Each of them designed specifically for wars and battles, whereas the Humans stared as creatures both great and small stampeded in all direction, never giving them a second glance. However, I did, and transformed my body into my Kobold self, which caused them all to shake nervously as a silver coloured spell circle erupted around their persons. "Did you record all of that?" This was directed towards the group, as I did not care who it was that recorded such a thing. In which case, each of them nodded which led to my person mimicking them. "Very well, then know this. Those who choose to fight for the Azzarathean Pantheon will die by tomorrow, but those who choose to come to my side will live. "Once we have our world of Terra, I shall invite all who chose my side of this war to my world. Whereupon they shall gain residence and freedoms, so long as they abide by rules. One such freedom is to traverse the worlds under my control, such as the Dungeon Planet known as Forge. You should know this one from the stills and recordings many had created, as well as the intense screenings required. "Those who are under my person will have unmitigated access to such worlds, but now I shall send you away with a single note: All Humans will die by tomorrow. So if you wish to survive, then do not stay as one, and join my side." A3 Chapter 57 (NSFW) AN: Another NSFW chapter for y''all, and one that confused the MC greatly. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________________ They had all gathered together. The Gods, Demons, Giants, Undying, and those who are within my Guild, the Black Parade. Each desiring war. Each desiring blood. Each desiring a way to kill a God. However, at that time I desired to share what we had found upon doing so, which shocked and caused several the desire to slay the Azzarathean Pantheon, but were held off from doing so. "I understand your concerns; your desire for bloodshed, for I wish it so as well. However, we must proceed with some caution as these are olden Gods and Goddesses. Though they''ve become complacent in their positions, they are each powerful enough to slay you with a thought." These words were directed towards a few of my more enthusiastic members of the Black Parade, and would have been released upon the Gods if not for one blinding fact. They were only Lesser Immortals. Yes. Their immortalities needed to be upgraded in order to wield the strength necessary to be able to even harm one such as they. Which meant they would need to go through a variety of processes in order to assure they do not break free from my control. Once more, as a reminder, they had each been enthralled, the after becoming a Higher Immortal, that enthrallment can be broken. Of which meant they needed to be monitored for up to a sennight before being released back into the fold, but that occurred later. "Then what would you have us do, My Lord?" called out a female Half-Orc, of whom appeared to have some elf running through her blood. This one was Sienna, and I see all of you recognise the name. Good. To this, I turned towards her person and spoke, "You and the others that I had summoned from the Black Parade will be given the rank of Higher Immortal." These words caused their persons to become elated at the prospect, whilst a few believed that they should have had it sooner. "However," I held up my right, clawed hand in order to forestall any more of their excited words, "you and however many Lesser Immortals you wish to take with your persons, will be thrown at the Gods and Goddesses themselves. Which means, you will be tasked with their extermination, or simply forcing them to retreat and leave their worlds open for conquest." For a time, the air around us was still as they each absorbed my words. This, in turn, caused more than a few eyes to widen as they began to question my motives for sending them to their doom. However, my voice simply came out as a chuckle once this was spoken. "Your ''doom''? No. For although you will be granted with a higher status, with more benefits, you will each be given the necessary strength in order the accomplish the goals set out against your persons." "Which means?" asked Sienna, of whom desired more. "Which means, my dear, that each of your will be given your own specialised arms and armour which will be enough to bring down a minour God, or would a regular." To this, she sat down in order to contemplate my words, but before she was anywhere near in inquiring more from my person, she was directed by a few of my Undying towards another section of the space. Whereupon they will receive the gifts I had spoken of a moment ago. After watching their persons leave, Titan Kronos leaned over to garner my attention. Upon receiving it, he did ask, "And what shall we be doing, Karastak." "You, yourself, Beelzebub, and Hephaestus will be joining my person in an effort to search out and combat the False God. If what I have is correct from God King Azazel, then he should be only a minour God. However, I will require his head when all things are said and done." "And why is that?" "The method I have will firmly wrest control of Terra away from his person, of which will begin the plan of giving your persons true Divinity. Yes," my head bobbed several times as my allies grinned amongst one another, "I shall keep my promises to you, but only after I have taken my world of Terra back." This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Then? How shall we proceed?" called out Yin, of whom also desired Divinity, but was only promised to become a minour Goddess as was her sister. This was so, as they would be far too annoying if they became regular Goddesses, and I would not allow such terrors to be released upon my Pantheon. "Without caution," came my reply as I noted the grins forming upon the God of Gluttony and the Titan, "Though I would rather we not perform this feat, I fear it is a must if we wish to end the life of the False God. Of whom is called ''Warden Draxis''." * "When do we begin?" asked Beelzebub, of whom had decided to wear full plate over his Elven body. Of which caused his person to appear much like that of a demented Elf than anything else. For his armour was entirely twisted in such a way that it made him seem more like something from your worst nightmares than anything else. "We shall begin when I gain a notification from the system that he has opened the world up for more beings to come. That is when we shall leave and begin to tear its reality apart." Yes. I desired to rend and tear the world in two just to find the False God, and yes, I was well aware of the ramifications for doing such a thing. Of which I was none too thrilled to perform, but found it necessary as the other party was within a space near our world. "As long as Terra survives, and I have the head of the False God in my grasp, I do not care what you do." "Does that mean we can have some ''fun'', too?" Yin and Yang stared into my eyes with great longing, and I knew what it was that they had desired. For it was the copulation with as many males as they could find, and no, they had not grown tired of Beelzebub. "Do as you wish," was my reply. Of which caused their persons to squeal with delight as they hugged my sides before running off to prepare. However, by "prepare" it meant that they simply removed their clothing, fluffed up their fur, and retrieved a pair of whips. However, Yang had found a way to pin her sister''s front to the ground. Whereupon she was tied up expertly whilst the other used the handles to pleasure her sister''s lower body. Once Yin began to moan and squirm greatly, the other sat upon her face so that she may use her tongue to penetrate that which was upon her small muzzle. Soon after the dark furred Kitsune had released her fluids a total of three times, did the other untie her body. This then led to the white one to gasp as her twin kissed her person as their tongues entwined with one another. Of which led to Yin pushing the other onto her back as they continued their kissing session, whereas her fingers quickly found their way inside Yang''s body. Whereupon she did blur her fingers with a vigorous pumping until the other released her own fluids a total of three times as well. As to why I have chosen to speak of this? Well, they claimed it was a ritual to prepare their bodies for battle. This was to simply purify their minds and bodies of all sexual desires. Which is nothing more than a "load of crap", as the saying goes. For it was simply another way to allow their persons an instance to fornicate amongst themselves incestually. Not to mention they desired an audience to "make sure" it was done properly. Honestly? I will never understand them, and have no desire to even try. After they had finished, both grinned sheepishly at our persons as they trudged towards us with a slow pace. No. They had not donned their "clothing", if you can call it that, and preferred to remain nude. To which I simply sighed just as the notification system allowed my person to prepare a spell circle for the next step in our plan. "Come," I spoke aloud, ignoring the pair of Kitsunes as they stood next to Beelzebub with great grins upon their features, "It is time to war with the False God on a more... direct approach." A3 Chapter 58 AN: Another morning chapter brought to you in part by INSOMNIA! Yay! *waves pom-poms* As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ___________________________________ The spell circle, white in colour, spread out around our persons with my self at the epicentre. Of which then engulfed everyone, transporting us into the world of Terra once more. This time, however, we had returned to another temple. One which was within the vicinity where I had met the one called "Jenny", and yes, the scenario was still the same. Except there was one blaringly obvious difference. I was in the company of my allies, and each simply stared about whilst destroying everything they touched. However, we did note that there were others here with us, and each were quickly tossed through a portal into Forge itself where a few Iron Dwarves were awaiting their arrival. This was simply to keep them from becoming slaves to the Tutorial World''s system, as well as to keep their persons from interfering with the plan to take over the world. Of which was quite the feat in the past. In this instance, after all had been removed, we did come together in a circle around my Kobold self, and poured our energies into my being. Of which I then used to release a great beam of endarkened light into the ceiling and sky high above. This was to serve as an anchor, of sorts, as we moved onto the next part of this. Which was to simply use our remaining strength and energy to try and disrupt the flow of the world''s System. No. It was not difficult, as we simply slashed through the fabrics of this reality in order to search for what we may. Unfortunately, although we were easily able to slice through everything, it did try to remove our persons with something called a "Ban Hammer". Of which was simply a large, wooden mallet the size of my skeletal self''s ribcage, and did try to either squash our persons, or swat us aside. Ah, but luckily for us, we were a group of Gods and Demons, of which had our own brand of shields and weapons to deflect such a hammer. "This is becoming ridiculous," grumbled Beelzebub as he swung a large sword at the mallet just as it came back around for its tenth stroke against us. In the beginning he not only incinerated the weapon to ash, but had broken it many, many times afterwards. However, it continued to come back flying at our persons somehow. "I understand your concerns," my own voice boomed throughout the space as I used my silvered energies to tear open a great rending in the fabric of the world that Kronos had created, but it was slow going with the object doing its best to try and disrupt our work. "However, we still need to inflict more harm to the system''s controls with enough force so that I may wrest control from the False God." "Yes, but you didn''t tell us about this," his sword passed through the wood of the weapon once more, of which caused its entirety to shimmer and vanish as though it was nothing more than an illusion, "annoyance." This led to him glaring at my person before returning to fending off against it once more, as it had become whole and lashed out. "I did not know of its existence," my shoulders shrugged as I threw out a spell circle behind my Kobold self. Of which I then directed everyone to leave this place, for we needed to find a way to combat the unrelenting weapon. ***** The False God, on the other hand, simply stared agape as the unknown intruders escaped just as the Ban Hammer slammed into the spot where they had just been a moment ago. This led to his person to wonder who they were, as they did not show up on any part of the screens, nor was his system able to trace their magickal energies. Whereas those others who were to journey onwards had been tossed into another world, of that he was certain of, but where? "If I knew where those others were tossed into, maybe I can find out who this person is," he mumbled softly as his body paced back and forth. Unbeknownst to his person, however, the female Dwarf had witnessed everything from the edge of his space with a crystalline. From the time of his excited shouts full of frustration and horror, to the releasing of the Ban Hammer and its failure to remove those of whom did not belong. All the while, she did grin in quite the demented manner as though the screw up of the other was enough to grant her the position of "Warden" and Caretaker over our world of Terra. "Draxis," she called out in a slowed speech which caused the other to shiver unconsciously, "I saw that you used the Ban Hammer. So tell me, did it work?" Her eyes were wide with feigned curiosity as she approached the screen which replayed everything. "Aw," she mock-pouted, then spoke as one would to a babe who does not understand the words of others, "Poor wittle Draxis. He couldn''t get the mean ol'' intruders." Upon saying so, the Dwarf reached over and pat his head mockingly. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Enough," he growled, gripping the other''s body and shoving her away, "State your reason for bothering me, or leave. I''ve work to do." "I can see that you have nothing to do, Draxis," she grew smug as her words caused the other to growl low and dangerous, "I''m here because the system notified me that it''s been hacked by persons unknown." "And why would it do that?" His armoured body folded its arms across its chest whilst the head''s eyes glared at her person. "Because I''m the one who programmed it to do so," the Dwarf sighed with exasperation as though it was simply logical that one would do such a thing, "Besides, it appears to me that you allowed the system to become more corrupted. So instead of wasting everyone''s time, just shut up and let me work to try and save some of it so your don''t have to fall back on a previously saved point." "Fine," was his answer as the other sat upon his throne and began to tap away at a few of the screens which floated about her person. Of which lasted for an unknown amount of time, as the space with which they were in was outside the boundaries of Time itself. In other words, it could have happened between a few moments, or a few turns. Upon completion, the female sighed once more and gripped the screens so that they would not float away. This then led her to reach over and grip his head in order to toss it through one of his own screens. "Why did you do that?" he screamed as his body lifted the head off of the ground. "Because you''re an idiot, Draxis. You had to go and screw up while everyone else is trying to fight off millions upon millions and of Lesser Immortals. I could be out there helping, should be out there helping, but instead I''m to help your ass seeing how you conveniently ''forgot''," she held up two fingers from both hands and scrunched them as she spoke the word "forgot", "Out there is a warzone; in here is a childish Warden who is not fit to be called a ''God''. "And now the system is telling me that you allowed Gods and Higher Immortals into what was supposed to be a safe zone for new players. Do you have any idea what this means, Draxis?" his head was shaken from side to side as it grew pale, "It means we need Azazel''s help in order to combat this new threat." "Then where is she? I''ve sent her many urgent requests for assistance, but not a one appears to have been read or responded to." "The system only shows she is sleeping, but not where," the Dwarf spoke softly as her own screens pulled up several dozen notes about the subject at hand, "See?" One in particular was shoved into the face of the False God, who then grumbled as he took the screen and read whilst his eyes grew ever larger. What it said upon there was simply a document of something searching for the mana signature of the God King Azazel, However, it could not pinpoint the exact location, only that it was in the Hub World somewhere. At that time I did not know of such a thing, and would have rectify my actions if one were ever brought to light. For there was something of a bounty posted upon my Guild''s location, as each member had committed many atrocities across the various worlds within the Hub. This was so, as many would rise up in order to slay the Guild Master, of whom was thought to be able to stop such things if they each ganged up on his or her person and continued to kill them until they agreed to halt the attacks. Trouble was, there were many amongst the members who became traitors from the bounty posted, but failed to actually pinpoint where it was located. For there was not a location upon the worlds, that they knew of, where perpetual night reigns supreme over the land. Ah, and for those of whom are confused, once a Guild has been created, the Master must choose a location where they would house such a Guild. Be it within a castle, or around a small cottage, but what you may not know is that that sort of Guild must be upon Azzarath. Of which this one was, but within its own dimension as well. Hence, their lack of knowledge as to where it is located. In any case, upon the bottom of the screen in which the False God read this information, he noted that the final notes were about the approximate location of her whereabouts. Of which simply said, "Hub World". "Have you sent an investigation team to search where exactly within the Hub World she is?" he asked, not at all sure what it all meant. "Yeah," nodded the Dwarf, who sighed and scratched the back of her head, "but no one will like it." "Why?" "The trail ends at the Guild Portal, and we all know what that means." "It means she''s on Azzarath, right?" After her nod, he sighed with frustration just as another scenario upon our world was forming. A3 Chapter 59 AN: It''s Wednesday! Which means it''s time for a double chapter! As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________________ "What in the nine hells was that, Karastak?" Beelzebub slammed his gauntleted fists upon the table within the space atop the Tower of Babel, and glared towards my person with great frustration. "I do not know, Beelzebub, as I do not have a memory of that weapon, nor has any of my servants encountered such a thing." This caused his person to become more frustrated, and vented by exuding a gout of Dark Fire from his throat, high into the air. "In any case, we must find some way to combat this new threat before proceeding further." "Can you not experiment with the weapon?" asked Yin, of whom had donned her dress whilst her sister slowly wrapped the string around her body, "You still have those ''Dolls'' right?" "Yes," my head bobbed once as I contemplated this, and for those of whom do not know, I have constructs of white metals called "Dolls". These are simply creations of which were used to pass the time, or for that which required stealth and subversion. For these were able to mingle amongst the populace due to their malleable surfaces, and can be as silent as the wind itself when it is desired of their person. At that time, they were simply tools for I and mine to use, whereas today they are the race of Ana''shuul. Or, as you may know them by the name of "Ghost Walkers". As this was being contemplated, my right, clawed hand raked the air to my side. Of which caused a small cadre of Dolls in the shape of Ogres and Goblins to appear before us. These then simply awaited my commands whilst the Kitsune Twins hurried over to examine their persons. "Why don''t they have anything between their legs?" grumbled Yang, who tugged on the strings nearest her left inner thigh, whilst her sister pouted up towards my person. "They are Dolls, as you well know, and only dance to the tune of my voice," came my reply as a notification appeared within my own mind about Terra having another scenario waiting for others. This time, however, I would be sending the Dolls through, but would be needing the recording devices the Adamantine Dwarf had used for the Homunculi. Of which I did turn to Hephaestus to find that he was staring at my creations with great intent. "Hephaestus," my voice boomed in front of his person, causing him to jump as his eyes drifted towards my own, "we shall be requiring any and all of your recording devices for this venture. Preferably those that are not as important." "Why?" His eyes narrowed as I further explained. "They will more than likely be destroyed in what I have planned for my Dolls," my voice rumbled softly, as my lips peeled back to reveal a feral grin. * The Adamantine Dwarf was called once more to our space, and was told to set up a recording program which will then be attached the my Dolls. Of whom would then pour into our world of Terra and destroy as much as possible in order to draw out the "Ban Hammer". After such a thing appears, a few of the Dolls are to rush the weapons in an effort to fight such a creation. Whereas the rest were to simply await their fate as it strikes their bodies. Once these Dolls had been struck, we would then know of where they are being sent, and act accordingly. However, I was of a mind to capture the Hammer, and make it my own. To this, I voiced to my allies and was met with a mixture of responses. "No," the God of Gluttony shook his helmeted head quickly, "It needs to be destroyed so that we may all gain our Divine Rights more swiftly." This was echoed by the Kitsune twins, but it was not as though they had fallen for his person. Instead, it was from the fact that they were the true daughters of a Kitsune Goddess that had lost her own Divinity through betrayal so long ago, and desired to regain it for their Mother. On the other hand, Kronos was indifferent to the entire situation, and only wished to regain his lost Rights after his so called "children" stripped him of his so long ago. Whereas Hephaestus was of a like mind, but only wished to study it and create his own. To all of this, I simply heaved a sigh and had the preparations resume as the portal into Terra was opened to accommodate my servants. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Upon completion, we each crowded around the screen in order to witness what unfolded before our eyes. To say it was entertaining was an understatement, as it appeared to our eyes that the False God had grown somewhat wise to our tricks, and transported my Dolls into a war camp of some sort. This, in turn, caused the whole of the army to lash out against my creations to the point that my servants had to retreat into the nearby woods to lick their wounds for a time before venturing out once more. Though this minour setback was an annoyance, I would not allow it to become a hindrance. Instead, portals erupted around the Dolls as more of their kind stepped through in order to give some assistance to their persons. Of which they then used to launch an attack upon the army with greater ferocity. This of course, led to the formation of the "Ban Hammer" which did appear within the sky above, and was sent hurtling towards an Ogre Doll. What came next was rather odd to our eyes, as once the Hammer struck the other, it was not sent flying. Instead, it simply winked out of existence, and yes, it was one of those with a recording device attached to its person. When I say "winked out of existence", I mean exactly that. For this weapon seemed to have the ability to erase all existence, of which became evident as it continued to swat at my servants one by one until they were all removed. No. There wasn''t any footage after they were struck, only darkness. "This is troublesome," my voice rumbled when everything grew dark upon the screens, "It needs to be removed. Permanently," to which even Hephaestus agreed, as someone with the strength to remove the existences of others was too much of a power for even one such as I. This speaks volumes, for those who do not know much about my history, as my past self was considered to be slightly less than on par with the God King Azazel. "I agree," grumbled Kronos, "but using such a thing more than once must put a heavy strain on the fabrics which makes up the Universe, no?" Each of us turned to look upon the Titan with great confusion as he spoke this. For we each did not realise this at the time. "To put it mildly," he continued slowly, "If this held the power to remove beings from the Universe permanently, then it will cause untold harm for the future. One where, if someone who will become important later on in life is removed from the equation too soon, then the future will become bleak and desolate." "Kind of like the Butterfly effect," chimed in Yin, of whom received confused looks that were echoed even by her own sister. "What? You''ve never heard of the saying, ''If a butterfly flaps its wings on one end of the world, it causes a hurricane on the other''?" Everyone shook their heads at this, including my own, whereas Yang simply thought for a while and shrugged. Of which she was rewarded with a slap upside her head. "Hey," she grumbled, rubbing her head whilst the other glared. "Mother''s teachings were given to us long ago. How can you forget them so easily?" "Because they were long ago?" The white furred Kitsune received a second slap upside the head for this, which caused her to growl and crouched into a pounce. Of whom were halted by my energy, as strands of silver ropes hung them upside down with Yin''s dress falling over her eyes and revealed that which was between her legs. "You will cease in your desire to fight one another, and speak more of this ''Butterfly Effect'', understand?" My own voice rumbled deep and low as I dropped them onto the ground half a metre above. To which they grumbled about the treatment, but quickly climbed to their feet once they noticed my energy snaking out once more. "To put it in a way for you understand," spoke the dark furred Kitsune quickly, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Which is just what Titan Kronos spoke of, but the Butterfly Effect usually points towards something more devastating happening later down the line." "Which means?" "Which means that even the smallest and most insignificant of causes will create detrimental effects upon the Universe which can equate to its overall death. Then again, you''d have to be really stupid if you want that to happen." A3 Chapter 60 AN: And here is the second one of the day! You''re also getting some hints as to what the second book of the Sin''s arc will have, too. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ________________________________________ "Got them at last," crowed the False God happily as the last of the unknowns were quashed beneath the Ban Hammer. To which his body danced a little; that is until the female Dwarf came over and watched the screens replay the scene of destruction once more. "No you didn''t," she chimed in, breaking the joyous spell which filled his mind over the triumph of a hated enemy. "What?!" To this, the other simply pulled up a pair of screens, one holding an Elf, Kobold, a Fire Giant, and a pair of naked Fox-girls. Whereas another showed the white creatures in the shapes of Ogres and Goblins being crushed by the Hammer. "See? More than likely, you only got a few scouts or minions, and not the real culprits." What came out of the Warden was a primal howl which did echo throughout the whole of the space. Of which slowly receded as he calmed his person down, but only after breaking a few screens in the process. "Why is this happening to me?" "Well, did you piss anyone off recently?" asked the Dwarf, of whom quickly tapped away at a few screens in front of her person. To which the other simply snorted aloud, "Yeah, the slime of an Undead, Karastak," which led to his eyes widening and his body turning around so that the head could view the female, "Do you think that-?" "Undead Karastak hasn''t been around since the Forge Incident." "What do you mean?" The tapping stopped as soon as he asked his question, to which she turned to face him with a sigh, "Of course you wouldn''t remember. Well, to start, do you know of the Abyss?" To which his hands nodded the head it carried once, "Then that will make this much more simpler. "Well, to start, within the Abyss lie seven worlds. Which were filled with the Abyss''s greatest sins of Lust, Avarice, Pride, Wrath, Gluttony, Envy, and Sloth. These were desired by Azazel, and sent out three Gods and their servants to retrieve them for her. They were Shojo, a Human God of Harems; Aruuma, a Golem God of Numbers; and Undead Karastak, who was merely a Lord of Chaos at that time. "Now, what was required of them was to bring out seven worlds for Azazel and the rest of the Pantheon to lord over. However, I don''t think it was ever explained fully as to what they were supposed to do." "Why is that?" asked the False God, of whom had brought over a chair for the female, whereas he simply sat upon his throne. "Well, for one thing, the first world was obliterated due to Undead Karastak''s rage. Apparently he tapped into the chaos of his mana, as well as the Madness, to destroy the world''s core all for the sake of one child. Who was brought out from the world," she held up a small hand to stop his next words, which were about said child, "No. I do not know what happened to it. "In any case, this led onto a bit of animosity between the trio, who had received one of the three Great Gifts for us Gods." She then beamed happily whilst the other simply glared at her person with great envy. For between the pair was a solid truth, and one that he despised. The female Dwarf held a Spark of Purity, and he had nothing. Therefore, the former held the rank of Goddess, whilst the latter was only a Minour God. "Anyways, the second world they came to was Forge, the world of Avarice, and was run by Dwarves. It''s also a Dungeon Planet, and this is where things became different." "What do you mean?" "Well, the trio had a falling out at this point, and split up to do whatever it is they wanted to do. Such as Undead Karastak creating the Tower of Babel, Shojo hunting down a ''Loli'' harem member, and Aruuma simply being a merchant and travelling around the world. However, when all things were said and done, it was the Skeleton God who conquered the world. Which meant he was allowed to rake in all the glory for himself. "Unfortunately, this is where everything went to hell, as it were. Because once Forge was brought out of the Abyss, many of the others within our Pantheon took it upon themselves to walk upon that world. Even before Azazel said they could, they did so." At this point, her right side leaned in that direction slightly, as though the Dwarf was becoming incredibly uncomfortable talking about it. However, she still continued the tale, "This led to a few of them scuffling and fighting amongst one another to the point of killing many of the natives, destroying its forests, changing some plains into glass. All because they wanted to rule over the world. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "That is, until Undead Karastak rose up with his servants and an unknown ally who was crafting so many different weapons that were on par with the magicks and strength of a God of War. Well, with his own mana, he rewrote the damage caused by the Gods and Goddesses of our Pantheon while his servants dealt with those who desired to claim the world for their own. Which led to ''The Forge Incident''. "You see, Draxis," she held up her right forefinger as she spoke to make her point across, "The weapons they wielded was enough to put up a stand, and even outright kill a few of them." "What?!" His voice was raised in anger at such an idea. For within his mind, a God or Goddess cannot be slain, as they would simply get up after a few turns of the day-star. Therefore, never really dying. "That''s not possible. Gods cannot die." To which the other simply chuckled at the naivety of it all, "Oh, but they do, Draxis, and these beings reminded all of us of our mortality. However, to make matters worse, all of this was somehow broadcasted into the Hub World. ''Course, I and a few others tried to censor it all, but the damage was already done. Those within the worlds knew that Gods and Goddesses could die." "But what happened to Undead Karastak in all of this?" whined the other, of whom was somewhat enraptured by all of this. "I''m getting to that," her eyes narrowed into a glare as she continued with, "Well, after he removed the damage the others had caused, he came and... well..." Her entire body shivered for several heartbeats before she continued in a small voice, "He was angry." "So? What does this have to do with what you are saying? From what I''ve seen, he''s always angry." "No, you stupid Dulahan," growled the female, "The Undead like him do not have emotions, so showing such things can cause an infectious disease which spreads throughout all other Undead creatures. Hence why Azzarath will come together in an effort to combat such beings if they ever arise, but him?" She hugged herself to keep from shaking uncontrollably. "Never get him angry, Draxis, because the scenes which came out of that world are far more horrific than anything you can imagine." To which he snorted as though it were only a simple matter, and watched as his body was flown across the room for doing so. Whereas his head was gripped and forced to view a wide variety of stills full of shapeless shadows full of rage and great loathing standing beneath a monster thousands of metres tall pointing towards the one who took the still. This creature... there was no true way to describe it. For it held the form of Undead Karastak, but was impossibly large. Not to mention he seemed to be made up of raw chaos and shadows which did cling to his bones just as the acidic poisons he was known to have had done the same. Whereas his visage, though was the same as before, had become much more frightening the longer one stared upon it. Whilst the eyes, though pinpoints within the still, seemed to grow larger the longer Draxis stared upon it. "This is...?" he began, trying his best to tear his eyes away from the image. Of which soon vanished just as the one holding his head spoke, "That, Draxis, is the true form of Undead Karastak, Lord of Chaotic Mana and Illusions, and he is a very, very angry God." However, just as she spoke these words, did she show another still. One in which revealed a massive stream of energy which tore through several Divine Shields and removed most of the bodies within the shield of their torsos or limbs. Of which was shown upon another still just as the minions of Undead Karastak swarmed through with their blades and spears, and removed a clear crystal from them. This was then given over to a four-armed, metallic skeleton who then gave it to the shadowed monster that was their master. Of whom then devoured the crystals within a few more stills, and grew even taller. "What? What did he just eat?" asked the False God, who knew the answer, but desired to know if it were true. "He ate the souls of those Gods and Goddesses that decided to stay when they should have run, Draxis. Everything they had has become his," she spoke in a much smaller and quieter voice as the images vanished from the screen, "After this, Azazel came and bartered with him." "And?" "And we are not allowed to go anywhere near his worlds, or else he will wage a war like we have never seen before. I doubt we will survive if this occurs." A3 Chapter 61 (NSFW) AN: Another NSFW chapter for your guys, and it''s a bit different than what I''ve put out. Well, maybe not. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________ "Hmm," my voice hummed throughout the air, as I sat upon a large sofa overlooking the great hall within my castle. At this time, I had opted to retreat to this place in order to contemplate more about this "Ban Hammer", of which I extended my query to the multitude of underlings within my own guild. At first they were quite confused as I explained what it was that I and mine were facing, but when I came to the name, most everyone knew of what I spoke of. To which they explained that the item was used against people who transgressed heavily upon the world. "What happens if one is struck by it? Where do they go?" "Go, my Lord?" scoffed one of the half-Human males in endarkened leathers, "They do not ''go'' anywhere, but are destroyed entirely." "From our standing," spoke up another half-Human, but one that was female, "the use of a Ban Hammer upon the worlds can only be accomplished twice or thrice, Lord. Anymore times, and the system surrounding it will crumble." "Oh?" My Kobold ears flicked in her general direction as this was certainly news towards my person, and would be extended to my allies. Of whom were also worried the plans for regaining their Divinities would be delayed heavily. "Yes, Lord," she bobbed her head once, "It was used against us through a dozen worlds, but after the second or third time, none had tried again. When one of them did, their control over the world faltered enough to allow us many great victories." "Hmm," my voice hummed with content as a sly grin slowly stretched itself upon my lips whilst my body leaned up against the back of the sofa, "This is wonderful news." After this, the grin faded and I pointed towards the female. Within mere heartbeats, two of my skeletal Undying swiftly took hold of her arms, and dragged her towards my own. Whereupon she was bade to sit upon the far left of the sofa so that we may converse. "I thank you for the information you had brought to my attention," my voice, though quiet enough for her to hear, echoed throughout the hall, "What is it that you, yourself, desire in recompense?" "Only to serve my Lord God," she spoke as her body drifted to the floor in a kneeling manner. To which I did use my energies to raise her to her feet, "Did they not tell you that I detest such things? That all must not kneel, bow, or worship, but to simply acknowledge my person?" "And why is that?" This, I simply shrugged and said it was simply a preference of mine, which has been extended to this day. For you will not find a shrine, church, nor temple dedicated to my person hiding throughout the worlds within my Pantheon. No. I shall not tell you anymore of my reasons for doing so. In any case, I asked once more as to what she desired of my person for bringing this information forward. "I wish to be your concubine," she spoke in a meek manner as her body flushed scarlet from the realisation that everyone within the great hall heard and stared upon her. "No," came my reply, which did boom throughout the hall, "I only have room for one within my unbeating heart, and it has already been filled. Therefore, I require no others to help my person with such things." "But my Lord," cried out the female, "surely you would throw her away at some point. After all, you are an evil creature who-" She spoke no further, as a spike of perpetual darkness pierced through her abdomen with enough force to cause only pain. This was then used to toss her body onto a table to my left, which did crack and splinter as the body was loosed from the spike and into the centre of the wood. Whereupon I did vanish from my spot in a plume of shadowed smoke, and appeared standing above her wide eyed gaze. "I will never give her up," my voice was full of venom, even as my acidic poisons managed to form within my maw and drip down around her head. Whereupon they did sizzle and pop as it slowly sank into the ground, "Do you understand my words, half-Human? She is mine, and you. Will. Never. Replace. Her." At this point, my eyes flared with a bright crimson, as my clawed hands struck her person with every word of the final sentence. This, in turn, led to her body sinking to the floor and into the ground, whereby she was left a bloody mess that slowly healed itself. Once she was healed, however, my energies did lift her body out whilst my Undying entered the hall with chains that were then used to shackle her person. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "You have made a mistake, half-Human," I growled low and slow, whilst the rest of those before my eyes did cower greatly from witnessing such a spectacle, "Though, I do acknowledge your desire for copulation, and thank you for the news which you had given my person, but your words have gone a step too far. "Therefore, I shall grant you your desire, but only in part." Her eyes, now whole, brightened when I spoke of my granting her person the wish she desired, but grew terrified when I continued with, "You shall be given the opportunity of becoming the first Immortal Broodmother. You should be proud of such an honour bequeathed upon you. Strip her down," I ordered my servants, who then swiftly removed the endarkened leathers which revealed tanned flesh, large mounds of flesh upon her chest, and hair which did cover that which was betwixt her legs. "Raise her body and spread her legs." This was done so, as she did scream for help and struggle greatly against my Undying servants who held onto with their vice-like grips. Whereas I simply reached into the air, raked my claws downwards, and pulled out a small, translucent egg with some kind of pink tendril within. Of which swam around with excitement as it noted the naked female before it. Some amongst the crowd who had not left gasped at what it was. "That''s a Mindflayer''s egg," they further gasped at this, "but why is it here?" For those who do not know, within our Pantheon, the only location where you can find such creatures are upon Konaku. Yes. This is common knowledge, but what you may not know is that they require a Broodmother in order to breed and expand their people. Of which they need living females of different races for such things, where one egg needs to be planted within the womb in order to incubate and grow. After they hatch, the one who was implanted then takes over the body, transforming it into a grotesque figure which then slowly gives birth to one hundred others before its heart bursts from the constant birthing and insemination process. However, if one were an immortal female, then they would be able to spawn far more than one hundred of the species. Not to mention each and every last one of those spawned from this one would live much longer than the rest of its kind. Which led my person to take a few eggs for experimentation, and yes, I did forget a few of them. However, they were recalled once such a female desired copulation with my person as their reward. More so when she dared to believe that I would toss my beloved Sarah for another. "Spread her legs wide," I growled as they complied whilst she screamed as my right arm slowly became a mass of tendrils and tentacles. These then gently gripped the egg as they lined up with the opening that led to her womb. Of which caused her to plead, beg, and scream out profanities when no one would come to her aid, but then quieted as her eyes did the same towards my person. Unfortunately for her, I cared nothing for one who would dare to believe I would leave my beloved, and shoved my tendrils and tentacles deep into her body. Whereupon I did force many into her womb, which did spread open to allow the egg to be deposited within. Of course, she did scream greatly over the intrusion whilst her body let loose a torrent of fluids and blood upon the floor. Even more so when her abdomen bulged from the expanding egg within. This led to my tendrils and tentacles being removed whilst I watched her as my servants released their grips. For what came next caused many an immortal to vomit up their full stomachs, as the half-Human''s body distended from the egg within. Within moments of such a thing happening to her, eight flesh coloured tentacles appeared between her legs, and bent outwards to latch onto her body. Of which then sank under her skin, and slowly crawled towards her head, spine, breasts, and limbs. Upon reaching these places, we watched as her limbs slowly pressed against her sides and one another. Which then fused together as her body was stretched and became even more bloated until mounds of flesh piled upon one another. The sounds this one made was one of a being choking on tar as it was pushed from the stomach, through the esophagus, and out of the mouth. Of which only continued as the mounds of flesh upon her chest doubled and triple in size until they split into two rows of eight down to her hips. Afterwards came more tentacles which came from where that which was between her legs, but had simply became a slit of flesh. This was simply to keep her ready to accept the seed of a prominent Mindflayer, which will be taken from their world shortly. For now, the transformation was complete, and she looked much like a giant worm of Human flesh with the head of the female that it used to become one such as it. "Quite beautiful, is it not?" I asked to no one in particular, as only I and my Undying servants were left with it in the great hall of my castle. A3 Chapter 62 AN Better late than ever, right? As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _________________________________ "I heard you created a Broodmother," spoke aloud Beelzebub, who leaned over the table within the space atop the Tower of Babel. Upon his features was a great grin full of expectations, as the prospect of a Broodmother, especially one who was an immortal, was enough to excite the God. "I have," at my nod and assent, he did clap with glee which startled the Twins. "What''s so great about it?" wondered aloud Yin, of whom cocked her head towards her right shoulder, whilst her sister repeated the action, but towards her left. "Well," he began whilst leaning back against his chair, "a Broodmother has the ability to produce a mass amount of children for specific races. One such race are the Mindflayers, and I assume this was what you''ve chosen, Karastak?" Once more, I nodded, "Yes, as I only had their eggs and none others." "Good. We need more of them around. Too bad there is only enough for one hundred." His features darkened as he spoke, but brightened when I corrected his person, "Actually, I used one of the lesser immortals, and Rojaahn estimates that it will produce up to one thousand children before its heart runs into complications." "Oh? And what did the female do to anger you?" Upon asking this, I simply turned to stare into his eyes with a blank expression. Of which simply said, "Do. Not. Ask." "Alright then," he muttered slowly as Hephaestus and Kronos soon joined our persons. "Ah," sighed the Titan, whose form slowly slid into the chair made especially for one such as he, "It is good to see everyone here. So tell me, Karastak, did you find any more information about this ''Ban Hammer''?" "Yes," I responded, standing up from my seat, and directed everyone''s attention towards the centre of the table where several screens projected a wide variety of stills. Each one was taken upon the twenty or so worlds I had sent my guild to wage war, where they all encountered the "Ban Hammer" of various designs. "Each of my underlings had captured these stills of the Hammer, and all have come to tell of their prowess. However, they only last for two or three turns of the sun, and no more than that." "What do you mean?" asked Yang, of whom appeared to still be confused. "What he means is," began Hephaestus who grinned in quite the diabolical manner, "The Hammer only lasts for a few days before it disappears." "Correct, but that doesn''t mean that there aren''t any surprises left in store for us upon Terra. Which means we''ll still need to be careful," my right, clawed hand was held up to forestall any more interruptions, "I desire Terra as soon as possible, which is the truth, but at the same time, we need the location of the False God. "Therefore, we must direct our efforts in finding his person whilst we corrupt the world in our favour." "And how will we do that?" chimed in Beelzebub, whose facial features held that of his demented self in anticipation towards my next words. "It is quite simple," my body slowly stretched itself into my skeletal self, but one wreathed with my chaotic energies and shadows instead of my original poisons, "we tear the scenarios apart." Upon so saying, a white spell circle erupts around our persons, whisking us back into our world of Terra so that we may take it all back for my self. ***** Within the white void hidden near the world called Terra sat a begrudged False God upon a throne of iron. Where he was in the middle of tapping away at a floating, crystalline screen which held a half formed scenario that would be used as a trap in order to draw out the intruders who continued to torment his person. However, just as he was placing a few final touches on the main event for the show, the alarms within his space erupted all around him. Thus, causing his person to make a few mistakes due to his body jumping from the noise. "Damnit all," he growled slowly, "What now?" Quickly, he activated a few keys which brought up several more screens. Within them were moving stills containing a Fire Giant, a pair of semi-nude Kitsune children, a hunchback old Human, an Elf in full plate armour, and a shadowed, skeletal giant. "No," he felt the blood drain from his bodiless head, and quickly pulled up the command to release the Ban Hammer once more. Unfortunately for his person, someone had locked him out of the function. "What the hell? Who locked me out?" "I did, you idiot," growled the female Dwarf who tapped her leathered fingers upon a screen she held. Of which then calmed the alarms as she trudged towards his position. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. "Why did you do that? They''re right there!" His gauntleted, right forefinger pointed towards the group of unknowns with the giant skeleton in the centre. Of which was directing its own energies into the world before it, stripping away the half formed sceneries of its colours and substances. These then were tossed aside as the energies continued to ravage the very make up of that world. "Huh," her eyes widened as she stared at the screen, "Looks like it was Undead Karastak, and he even brought some interesting looking friends with him, too." "Is that all you''re going to say?" Draxis growled down upon the Dwarf, of whom simply raised her left eyebrow as she stared up at his body. "What else should I say? That you fucked up? That you''re going to be stripped of everything including your right to rule and govern Terra and its system?" At this point, his body did its best to swing both of its arms down upon the female, but found it flying through the air with a casual flick of a finger towards it. "Draxis, deary," her small body picked up the head of the other, then booted it towards his body just so that she may claim his throne, "Your time is nearly at an end, and so is my report upon your actions to this new threat." She crossed her legs over one another as multiple screens appeared before her. Whereupon they were tapped repeatedly just as the alarms rang out once more. This time, however, the female was the one surprised, and a tad frightened as she was informed of a breach within the space the pair were now in. "No, no, no, no, no," her voice became frantic even as a crimson line appeared before the throne. One which was jagged and full of fractures as eight, shadowed claws reached through and slowly pried it open. Of which allowed her to view a great crimson orb full of malice, rage, and loathing for everything it sees. "I... found... you," spoke an old voice, one the pair recognised, as multiple portals full of chaotic energies of crimson, violet, and emerald lightnings erupted within the space. What stepped out of the portals were the Undying; each one capable of handling a minour God or Goddess by themselves. Especially those of whom held up an emerald coloured torch high above their bodies, as they had proven their prowess towards the Gods and Goddesses who decided to stay and fight upon Forge when they should have run. "Undead...," began the Dwarf, whose eyes widened as the Undead God stepped through a portal he had created from a crimson line within the air. Upon his bones was not the poisons he was known for, but the shadows and chaotic energies which were known as his true form by those of whom did witness his prowess at slaughtering much of their fellows within Forge. "... Karastak," finished the False God, Warden Draxis. Of whom then scrambled to his feet just as the giant turned to stare upon his person. "You," the right, primary foreclaw pointed towards his person, "You are the False God of my world of Terra." "You''re wrong. I held the right to rule the world since the beginning." "You lie, but no matter." Slowly, the skeletal giant trudged forwards and gripped the frightened Dulahan body with his minour, clawed hands whilst his primaries gripped the draconic head. "Wh-what are you going to do to me?" "You will give to me your control over my world of Terra," he began slowly, as multiple spell circles full of the energies of chaos, the Madness, and great loathing formed all around them, "You will give unto me your everything, False God of Terra. The control; your abilities; your histories. Your... everything. For I desire it-" However, before he was able to finish the intonement of the spell, a blindingly white bolt of energy flung out and struck his spine, sending the Dulahan''s body tumbling out of the giant''s claws. This almost sent the head out as well, but he kept a firm grip on it. "You dare harm our Lord High God?" growled a four-armed, metallic skeleton who wore a robe the colour of freshly fallen snow, and wielded a staff of bone. Of whom had turned around and pointed towards a surprised Dwarven female standing atop the throne of iron. "Kill-" "Stop," called out the giant, of whom retrieved the body of Draxis from a few of his servants, and slowly turned around, "I know this energy; this strength; this... power." The next words caused the female''s colour to become as white as the robe of the skeletal creature who was about to have her killed, "You hold a Spark of Purity, don''t you?" A3 Chapter 63 AN: Thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _______________________________ "Wh-what?" began the female Dwarf as she stepped back, but found only the back of the iron throne and a cadre of four-armed, metallic skeletons surrounding her person. "Subdue her person, Brutus," I called out to my Lich King, "Keep her still and alive as you remove the limbs from her body. For after I am done securing our home once more, will I be requiring that which resides within the Dwarf." "Yes, My Lord High God," bowed the Lich King, of whom set about butchering the targeted female with quick precision whilst she screamed in horror and pain. "You won''t get away with this, Undead Karastak," growled the False God, "Just give up now, and we can forget this ever happened." To which I chuckled as the spell circles appeared all around us once more, "Ah, but Draxis, I desire your death. Not to mention my world is right here, and once I have it, I will have no need of Azzarath and its Pantheon of foolish Gods and Goddesses. "Now, you will give unto my person your rights to control Terra; the authority to change its dynamics, its climates, its terrain. Your position as ruler is at an end, and mine has only begun. For. I. Desire. It. So." The centre of each spell circle spun in a random rotation as the chaotic energies swirled around my person for a time. This was simply due to my want of making sure everything was perfect, and to not make any mistakes as I absorbed everything from within the False God of Terra, Warden Draxis. What came first were the strands of silvered energies which latched onto his body and grinning head. Next, the strands duplicated themselves in order to remain attached to the other, whilst drifting towards my skull and sinking into my being. Whereupon they did begin the next phase, one which was excruciatingly painful for the one who denied my person for so long. Yes. He did scream, but it was so silently from the mass amount of pain he felt, that all that came out was a small squeak. From this, information slowly trickled into my mind, one of the very far past which caused the mists of my energy to form shadowed stills that slowly moved. The first to appear was of a young Draxis witnessing what I can only surmise was the death of his father to a handful of Humans in odd gear. The second was of him flying off towards the canyon where he and his family resided in order to speak of what had occurred. However, he soon found out that they already knew what had occurred, and would do nothing in retaliation. Of course, he was rather hurt and shocked that they would do nothing, and carried on with their day. This led to him demanding why, to which they replied with, "He was the Demon Lord." They spoke no more, as though this was a sufficient explanation as to why they would do nothing. Though, of course, he flew into a rage and was tossed out for it. What is more, the young Draxis brought together other like-minded individuals who wished to slay those that harmed their Lord. Unfortunately, they were caught by the golden scaled Draconian known solely as "Second Son", and foiled his plans for revenge. This then led through several stills of scattered fleeing before his inevitable capture. Of which led to more stills of him standing before what was assumed to be a council of sorts, who then passed judgment over his person, banishing him from their home and territory. However, there was no more of the scene, nor any of what came afterwards. Only clouded images of slaying Humans and running away from his family. Of which caused his person to seek out a very different sort of ally, Azazel, but there was something strange about her. For instead of molten silver hair, hers was tinged with blue and amber hues. Quite strange, to be sure, as the stills showed the pair conversing silently, and even shaking each other''s hands. Which then led to him simply watching from within his white space as the other took over the world which we would soon come to know as Terra, and drag it into the clutches of her Pantheon of Gods and Goddesses. This then led to the pair conversing many a time, as she told him that the world will serve as a Tutorial World for new beings to become acquainted to the summoning system she had implemented into the Pantheon. Of course, it also meant he needed to create scenarios for those being sent to the world to overcome somehow, but was not much of a pressing matter. No. Instead, was of another being which was tied and locked within a prismatic sphere. Of whom had a head of molten silver hair, and appeared to be surprisingly similar to the other. The Azazel outside the sphere even went a step further and changed her own hair colour so that it mirrored the trapped being who appeared to be asleep. Quite odd, to be honest, as I had never before seen such an event, but paid it no mind. For afterwards came no more stills, but the rights to own our world called Terra, and with it, freedom. * "My Lord High God?" called out Brutus, who watched as the body of the False God became a pile of ash and dust upon the ground. He then moved to prod my side with his staff in order to garner my attention. To which he was granted, and became more excited as he asked, "Do you have it, my Lord High God? Can we go home now?" You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. "Yes, Brutus," my voice was soft, but joyous as the information about creating our world of Terra flooded my entire being, "we can go home. Let us all go home." Upon my words, the whole of my Undying servants let loose a mighty roar, as each wiped the imaginary tears from their eyes, slapped each other''s backs, and showed more camaraderie than ever before. "Command," my voice boomed over the voices of my servants, silencing their person as blue letterings formed above us all. [AWAITING COMMAND] "Command, I have gained the rights to ruling the world called Terra. Acknowledge this as fact." [SCANNING...] [...] [... SCAN COMPLETE. USER UNDEAD KARASTAK HAS CONTROL OVER THE TUTORIAL WORLD OF TERRA] [AWAITING COMMAND] "Command, revert Terra to original settings, and remove it from the Azzarathean Pantheon." These words of mine caused the female Dwarf, of whom was quite delirious at the time due to the removal of her limbs and cauterisation of the wounds, to gasp aloud from this. "Y-you ca-can''t d-d-do thi-s," she stuttered, and struggled to move, "T-Ter-Terra i-i-is t-t-to b-be mi-ne." "Yours?" I raised an imaginary eyebrow at her, and used my energies to raise her high into the air so that I may look her directly in the eye, "Terra was never going to be yours, Dwarf. For my rule was inevitable, just as its removal from the Azzarathean Pantheon. "Secure her person," her body flowed towards Brutus and a few skeletal Undying as I turned my attention towards the removal of Terra from the Pantheon that I no longer cared for. Afterwards came four shadowed portals which erupted around my sides, and out came my allies who were quite surprised about where they ended up in. "Where is this, Karastak?" asked the Titan, who looked about his person with great curiosity, which only grew as the entire space shook. From the centre of the area came several portrayed images upon two large, crystalline screens. One showed our world of Terra being nothing more than a white orb. From which it shook and quivered as discoloured land masses slowly came into being upon its surface. Afterwards came the colours of vibrant blues, greens, and whites, as well as dull greys, browns, and yellows. "Our world of Terra, ladies and gentleman, before it became a ''Tutorial World''," my lesser clawed hands spread themselves wide as though to encompass everything before us. Yes. I found it beautiful, even if my allies were either confused or commented saying that it was not. To which I ignored it whilst staring upon its formation of land masses, seas, and mountains. "Soon, we shall head down to its surface, but for now," my right, primary foreclaw pointed towards the second screen. One of which showed a wide collection of fifty or so worlds surrounding ten, yellow hued day-stars. Three of which were simply white orbs, whilst a fourth mirrored what was being shown upon the first screen before us. Not only this, but it was also drifting away from the others at a quickened pace, and towards a collection of six worlds surrounding its own bright yellow day-star. Of which seemed to radiate even more of its glow as this new world slowly moved to orbit its position. This led to the new world to become more substantial, as an atmosphere slowly formed like a great barrier against the more harsher rays of the star it now orbited. On the other hand, once our world of Terra reached its position, I instilled into its system a growth which increased its size to approximately five times. Of which then pulled the six worlds around it to orbit this world whilst it continued to orbit the yellow day-star. Yes. The others had concerns, but were quelled when I spoke with a shrug, "It was a plan of mine to have your worlds encompass my own. It will simply be a statement that my world is where it all begins for our Pantheon." "You mean-?" began Beelzebub, who licked his lips whilst the Kitsune twins near him wagged their three tails quickly with anticipation. "Yes, Beelzebub. Soon, I shall become a God King of the Terran Pantheon, and with it I shall extend an invitation to you all. One where, upon accepting the Laws of Terra, you will each be given the opportunity to join my side and regain your Divinities once more." "I cannot wait," grinned the Titan Kronos, of whom was joined by the rest as we witnessed the creation of our world of Terra in all its glory. A3 Chapter 64 AN: All hail Insomnia! The bane of my existence! As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________________ The area we first appeared in was familiar to we who are from the world around us. For we were within the temple near the castle, within the city of New Wair. Whereupon I did send my servants outward, as the systems governing the world had restarted its settings to the point of just before their conversion to the Azzarathean Pantheon. Though, before they scattered upon the winds, each was given an illusion which would keep the guards and armies away from trying to slay their person. What is more, a pouch containing fifty coins of gold, silver, and copper was given out to each of them so that they may enjoy a small break until I called them back. However, Brutus was held back, as I would have need of his person when it came time to create our very own Pantheon. Once everyone dispersed, my form became my Kobold self as I turned to speak with my Lich King, "How would you like to rule over a set of land upon our world, Brutus?" "My Lord God?" His illusory head tilted towards his right shoulder whilst his eyes shone with great confusion. "Brutus," my clawed hands rested upon his shoulders as I gazed into his eyes, "I am offering you a place to truly begin your own legacy, and where you will begin is here." We both moved outside where my energies teleported us to the walls of the castle, and I waved my right arm over all of New Wair. "All of this, Brutus. Our first home upon Terra, I want you to have New Wair. No. Necropolis." This left the other stunned, whilst my right hand called up a screen which was tapped several times upon its surface. Afterwards came a great rumbling as the city around us slowly changed their shapes into what we know of today. One of spires, curves, and box shape buildings formed themselves from structures below. Whereas the castle, temple, and the old cathedral slowly melded together, creating the Alabaster Castle that we all know and love. This whiteness soon spread outwards, however, and wasn''t my own doing, to be honest. No. I did not wish for the stones and wood down below us to become the same colour of the castle, but did not mind it. Instead, I simply shrugged whilst the populace, which came into being shortly before I gave the command to change their city. This startled their persons, but slowly ignored it due to the fact that that which governed over their persons caused it to be part of their own histories. Not to mention that they each slowly changed from being Human, to something else. Such as monsters or simple Beastmen and Kin. "Ah," I sighed with great content, "Beautiful, isn''t it?" "Yes, My Lord God. Yes it is," spoke my right hand in all things, "And it is for me to rule over?" "Yes, Brutus, but I believe we should make it more... official." To which he cocked his head towards his left shoulder whilst I simply chuckled, "My dear Brutus, we need to let them all know that they have a new King, should we not?" "Ah," his illusory lips stretched into a grin, "When shall we begin with that, My Lord God?" "How about right now?" * Although I said this with all seriousness, the fact of it all is that it took nearly a full sennight to prepare. Such as who was to be invited to attend, the types of foods to prepare, rooms to open up for the more influential guests. Everything and anything, truth be told. Ah. A few of you are wondering about the old King, Samiah the Greedy, LD, RS, and the annoying Princess, correct? Yes. Well, do you remember when I had taken the strange cubes containing their essences out of Terra? The bodies that they were to inhabit are no longer within the system. Therefore, they did not exist, and neither did the princess. Of whom were sent off and into the reincarnation cycle of Azzarath as per their wish. Which meant that there was no one to claim the throne when all was said and done. Hence, Brutus was set up to be its next ruler. Yes. There were others who desired it, but within the sennight, nearly sixty percent of those who would try to claim the throne were dead. Whereas the others were forced to follow I and my Lich King''s ruling from that point onwards. However, that number would soon dwindle to zero to the turn before the event, as even they were against having one who was considered to be a lowly Guard their new king. Speaking of which, the night before the coronation for Brutus, I and mine had multiple visits from would-be assassins who were either sent by relatives of the late King, or vengeful family members of those we had butchered for not following our persons. To say that the halls and bedrooms were painted well would be an understatement. For the amount of beings who attempted to slay Brutus, my self, and all others equated to a small army of nearly two hundred. Quite the feat, to be sure, but nothing we could not handle. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. This led to us laughing uproariously as we took to butchering those who dared to invade our home. Of which led to it being known simply as the "First Night of Madness", where the laughter of our persons mingled with the cries of sorrow, and the shouts of rage wafted over the city of Necropolis far below. Yes. It is in the history books, and yes, there will be six more of these "Nights" to follow. For now, though, came the day of the coronation, as well as a few more subtle attempts at taking his and our lives. No. They did not know that we were Undead, and how could they? This world never had them to begin with, which meant that their magicks had little to no affect upon our persons. Not to mention the fact that they were more equipped with swords, spears, and arrows than hammers and axes, but I digress. The Great Hall is the same as it was outside the space we are currently within, but with more white than anything else. This was simply from the fact that it was still brand new, and Brutus wasn''t set apart with the reigns of control just yet. For the time being, the Lich King knelt upon a pillow of red satin with his back to a large crowd of Humans, Beastmen and women, as well as strange creatures only found within your worst nightmares. Within the back of this crowd stood Hephaestus who wore his blacksmithing outfit, the Titan Kronos as himself, the twins wearing almost nothing as per usual, and Beelzebub who decided to wear a robe with a pair of leathered wings folded across his chest. Each of them fidgeted to some degree, as after this came the creation of the Pantheon of Terra, and with it came their divinities. Why did they wish it so vehemently? Well, it all came down to them being cast out into the Abyss for having such things. To be honest, you will have to read more within the histories of their world to understand why this was so. In any case, the outfit worn by the first servant, the Lich King of the Spirit, Brutus, was of a plain, snow-white robe. Over this was several kilograms of gold chains which, apparently, was important to the people of Necropolis. In that it gave his person the authorities that were only given to the reigning monarch. Upon his back, however, was a cape of violet and crimson silks which flowed halfway towards the first of the crowd. Even to this day, I do not know why this was necessary, but no matter. In front of his person, which was between him and the throne, was my person. To my right was Sia who held a violet coloured pillow with a spire-like crown of gold resting upon it. Upon my left was Shauu, who held a longer pillow with a golden sceptre resting upon it. These two would allow his person to be viewed as the monarch, and the ruler of Necropolis forevermore. "Do you Brutus, Lich King of the Spirit, swear to uphold the laws and edicts of your Lord High God, of which had been called ''The Laws of Terra''?" My voice boomed throughout the Hall we were within, silencing all other voices. "I do, My Lord High God," came his own voice, which did its best to boom just as loud. "Then take up this sceptre as your gift of rulership," to which was a cue for Shauu to move to his left. Whereupon she did kneel before his person, bowed her head, and held up the sceptre for him to take. This led me to continue with, "Do you Brutus, Lich King of the Spirit, pledge your entire being to the protection of Necropolis, and by extent, Terra? As well as to lead the armies of Necropolis against all of those who would dare to stand against ''The Laws of Terra''?" "I do so swear, My Lord High God." To which I beckoned Sia over with the crown, and gingerly lifted it from its resting place. This was then placed upon his own head, and was bid to rise and face those before his person. "Rise now and greet your subjects; those of whom have come to witness your rise to the throne," I then lifted my eyes from his person, and stepped to his immediate right as my voice boomed out once more, "All hail King Brutus, Lich King of the Spirit, ruler and monarch over Necropolis and all her territories. Long live the King!" "Long live the King," came one voice among many, and was repeated many times over. "Hail King Brutus," shouted another, and was also repeated. A3 Chapter 65 AN: Next couple of chapters will be of how he became an Ageless, which are mostly vague or not spoken of. All due to it being some sort of "secret" from non-Ageless beings. As always, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _________________________________ "Everything is ready for your ascension, My Lord High God," called out King Brutus, of whom stood atop a large hill overlooking the plains below. The area my past self stood upon would soon become the Plains of Nu''Ohn, of which was a death trap for those of whom were not familiar with it. Yes. What came next was a byproduct of my venture, but I believed the cost to be well worth it all. "Then, let us begin," my voice caused the world around us to shake as my body slowly stretched itself into my skeletal self. "You won''t get away with this," screamed the female Dwarf, of who I did not care for beyond that which resided within her body, "They will all come and kill you, Undead Karastak!" "If they do, then all they will find is their deaths," was my reply as I gripped her body with my left, primary clawed hand as thousands upon thousands of multicoloured spell circles erupted around my person. These were simply to ensure that the rite I was to perform would go smoothly, with Brutus and Rojaahn watching the proceedings from a safe distance. They each knew of the implications for my ascension, and would slay all who dared to stop it. For such a thing will grant each of them a boon from my person, one which I would make sure they collected. One example would be from Brutus, of whom held a secret desire to be a father. Yes. I was well aware of your wishes, and would do my best to fulfill it. However, to this day, Rojaahn has yet to wish for anything, whilst all of the others are content with their own completed wishes. For those of whom do not know, this part of the story was my person becoming an Ageless. Yes. That which is kept secret from all occurs within the story, but is it much of a secret when all know of how to become one? Well, it is when you do not know the exact process, or how it can kill oneself. "You will give unto my person your Spark of Purity, Dwarf," my voice boomed throughout the world as she wiggled within my clawed hand, "All of it, so that I may ascend into a new realm of existence. For I desire it so." Once more, my energies invaded another''s mind and body, tearing away everything that I desired, and pulling it out for my person to absorb. Of which revealed itself to be a fractal sphere full of an iridescent light which would blind those of whom do not know how to shield themselves from such a thing. This was what it was, and I ate it whilst tossing the dead body of the limbless Dwarf of to the side. Next came the process of absorbing it, which would take nearly a moon turn. For I would need to walk throughout the course of my life, feeling everything that I had done within the bodies of my victims. This was so, as the process needed my person to understand what they each felt from my experiments, the slaughters I incurred, and the invasions which they endured. All of this, and more would I have to witness and feel, as I walked down the path of becoming an Ageless. Until, at long last, I would come to the Gates of Perdition where I would be granted an audience with the All Being, and exchanged a part of my person for that which I desire greatly. Yes. As all know, I decided to give up my name, and all of its legacy. However, I gave up not only the first name of mine, but all of them. At that time, I was no longer Karastak, Veni Deus Venenum, Dei, Canis Dei, or any others. Instead, I would simply be known as Ageless. ***** Farther away, and atop the castle''s walls, stood the Titan Kronos, Hephaestus, the Kitsune twins, Yin and Yang, and Beelzebub. Of the five who were currently watching the "light show" down below, only the God of Gluttony was full of impatience. Whereas the others, especially the twins, were full of curiosity and were content to wait. Beelzebub, who chose to wear his demonic Elvin form, leaned on his left hand whilst its elbow rested atop the stone. The other hand was busy tapping away at the stone and his body slouched forwards so that he may do so. Upon his features were the etchings of impatience as he continued to watch their friend and ally embark on a different quest. One that will give them what they all wished for, but he wanted it now. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. "Why must he do this, if all he had to do was extend his hands and give us what we wanted?" His voice was full of whining which irritated the Titan and Hephaestus. Of which the former addressed with, "In his current state, you would be lucky if he can make you become a minour God, Beelzebub. Do you really want to be that, or would you rather become a fully fledged one?" A tisking sound erupted from his mouth, as he turned away in order to gaze down at the one who would grant them their desire. "I''m just tired of all this waiting, and want what was promised to me." "Which you will receive," spoke the Blacksmith God, "Just be patient and watch as Karastak finishes his task." To which the other simply grumbled aloud. "What is he doing, anyways?" wondered aloud Yin, who scratch her right ear and tugged on it slightly. "Do you know what an Ageless is?" asked the Titan, which led to the twins shaking their heads quickly as they turned towards his person with widened eyes full of curiosity and wonder, "Well, an Ageless is what he is trying to become. One that needs three components whilst you traverse your inner mind and down towards the Gates of Hell itself. Whereupon you shall meet and fight against the Gatekeeper, then meet its master." "What are the components?" Yin''s eyes widened further as Hephaestus chimed in, "The Spark of Purity, the Gift of all Knowledge, and the Gift of Absolute Power." "Which are?" "The Spark of Purity is given to someone who was arisen to the rank of God, and follows a more ''good'' path, if he," the Blacksmith God pointed towards the giant skeleton''s position, "told us correctly. This one simply grants a being the ability to heal and resurrect someone completely. The Gift of Absolute Power is exactly as it sounds, as does the last one. "However," he held up his left forefinger to forestall any more words from the Kitsune, "from what I was able to find out from the archives upon Azzarath, the Spark of Purity is a necessary component for the creation of life. In that, when combined with the other two, you are able to create your own world or worlds where life can begin. "Quite amazing, to be sure. What is more, if I had that Gift, I can create so much more than I ever could," his arms were raised high above his head as he spoke of this, as though reaching for that which was far beyond his grasp and sighed, "Ah, I wish it was mine, but no matter. I am content in awaiting for his return, where I shall be given my right to be called a God once more." "Which reminds me, Hephaestus," called out Kronos, who then turned towards one another, "You never did tell me why you were banished to that world, nor were you upset when I slaughtered the others. Why is that?" "Ah, yes... Well..." began the other, who rubbed the back of his neck slowly with embarrassment, "Well... I sort of killed Hera on accident..." "Hah? How did you manage to do that?" "Well, after the passing of Aphrodite, I became quite lonesome," his two forefingers tapped against one another as he spoke, "I desired a companion, and went about with the creation of the Kiln of Life. I''m sure you know of this, correct? I don''t want to go into details about that one." At this point, the others had all turned away from the light show, and were giving Hephaestus their undivided attention, and wished to hear more, "Well, there was a war going on around this time, and they all desired weapons and armour. So, I gave it to them, along with a few untested weapons which were designed to be thrown. "She... um... picked one of them up and did not throw it on time. She said it was very beautiful, and wanted some more to ''surprise'' her husband Zeus with them... and it, sort of, blew her head clean off..." For a time no one spoke, nor moved, as they processed these words. The Kitsune twins held the reactions of horror upon their facial features, whereas Beelzebub stared at the hunchback with a look of one who was impressed. The Titan, on the other hand, found the whole situation uproariously funny, and even bent over as one would whilst clutching their sides. "You killed Hera with a... bomb!" A3 Chapter 66 AN: This might just become more regular schedule... Lovely. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________________ There are many queries a being has when confronting an Ageless that is willing to speak of what they had to endure in order to become what they are to this day. Though I cannot speak for the others, I can, in fact, speak of what I went through. However, it will only be brief, as there are some that must never be repeated. For example, what I had to go through was what I had done to the multitude of victims, but through their eyes. In other words, I watched, listened, and felt everything I and mine had done to those of whom were punished, exterminated, or experimented on. Everything and anything, all of it, I had to endure. Imagine, if you would, an evil being performing their acts since the beginning of existence, and having been told that they must endure all of their acts if they were to obtain what they desired most. Would they continue to be evil? No. No they would not, but I did, and had to endure. My own sanity left my person half way through it all, when I killed one who was once considered family to my person. In that I simply laughed at everything, as tears streamed down my mortal eyes. Yes. I felt it all, and could not rely upon that which was within all Undead. Instead, it was forcibly removed from my person so that I may continue to observe, feel, and bear witness to the atrocities throughout my own existence. From the tortures of the innocent and guilty, to the rampant slaughterings I had ordered my servants to perform. Of which included those that were within the Black Parade, ones that I had no idea that they had performed. Such as the rapings of females by the monsters within my Guild, to the live feedings upon the flesh of prisoners. All of it, which included the death and abuse of children. When this was revealed to my person, I grew angered. More so when it was revealed that those within my own creation had performed such actions which was against "The Laws of Terra". This led to the regaining of my sanity, and filled my entire being with a white hot and righteous anger. To the point where I reached out towards these individuals who had gone unpunished, and killed them with my own ethereal clawed hands. This, in turn, caused my person to watch through their own eyes as spectral claws erupted from the space in front of their persons. These were surrounded by others who watched with widened eyes as several amongst their number died in excruciating pain. By which the claws entered both their chest and mind, sending my own mind reeling as I felt what they felt, and heard what they heard. For although their names were called out, all around their persons heard my voice as I roared, "I will not suffer the foolish who choose to be child abusers!" This, of course, caused nearly all to become fearful as those who were killed dropped to the ground with large holes in their chests and foreheads. Much later, I will have been told that after such an occurrence, the sub-leaders of my Guild invaded itself and purged those who went against the Laws I had placed upon them all. Of which then led to a small war with an undesirable kingdom that was wiped off the face of Azzarath, but this does not concern us. When all had been said and done with, my ethereal self floated within a sea of darkness. One which was absolute, but soon brightened with an unholy light as my body was pulled towards a large pair of double doors which was of old iron full of rust and grime. It was as though it were long ago forgotten by the whole of time immemorial. This then slowly swung open, but no sound ever came from it, and there within the darkness was a very large, and very old Dragon. This I knew to be one of such race, but could not view its regal form due to the darkness. Instead, only a single eye full of an even more absolute darkness blazed into being, which then forced my person to kneel. However, I fought back against such a thing, as I did not recognise it as a master, a God, nor any other being worthy of making my person kneel. Yes. I fought back, but was ultimately subdued and was forced to kneel. Even then, I continued to fight back, struggling to stand. Which, in turn, caused the creature to chuckle enough to allow my person this small boon of standing tall. "YOU AMUSE ME," rumbled an old and tired voice, "WHY MUST YOU STRUGGLE AGAINST THE BONDS OF FATE? ALL MUST KNEEL BEFORE ME." Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "I do not recognise your person as one who deserves my respect, nor will I kneel willingly," came my reply, which the other still found amusing. "I COULD BREAK YOU WITH A THOUGHT, AND STILL YOU CONTINUE TO FIGHT. WHY?" "Why not?" It waited for a time, believing I would speak more, but when I did not, the voice simply chuckled once more, "VERY WELL. KEEP YOUR PRIDE, BUT TELL ME THIS, WHY ARE YOU HERE?" "I desire that which I found within the pages of the Archive of Azzarath. I desire to be called an Ageless, and become a God amongst Gods." "DO YOU HAVE A SUSCEPTIBLE FORM OF SACRIFICE FOR SUCH A DESIRE?" "I will give you my name, it''s legacy, and everything associated with it. For I do not have need of such things, nor the memories of my life before this one. Therefore, you may take all of that as well." "A LIFE BEFORE THIS ONE? LET. ME. SEE. THIS." Something moved from within the darkness, and rushed my position. However, I was ready for it, as a large orb of silver was formed before my person which contained my life upon the world called Earth. One which this being did not have memories of, as those from such a place had never ascended as much as I had. Once the orb was fully formed, however, it was pushed away from my being and towards the Dragon. One who then used the tip of an impossibly large claw to drag it away and towards an equally impossibly large maw. Whereupon it was tossed into it, and allowed my eyes the briefest of glimpses as the space around us flashed in the colours of my energies. For the first time in an eternity, I felt a sliver of terror run a course up and down my spine. For the creature was a Dragon, but more demonic in form, and its size... It''s size was of galaxies, and looked to be one of the Elder Gods who created everything before we knew how to walk and breathe on our own. This being... This being, I would not wish to cross, and neither would you. "THIS WORLD CALLED EARTH," it rumbled slowly, as it turned its gaze back upon my person, "WHERE IS IT?" "If I knew that answer, I would have sent out my underlings in order to take it for my person already." This was the truth, as I held a longing desire to take over a world made up of just Humans, and add it to my collection. "A PITY, BUT I FIND YOUR SACRIFICE DELECTABLE. THEREFORE, I SHALL GRANT YOU YOUR WISH." More was exchanged between us, but you will never hear it from one such as I. ***** "Why not?" whined a Bright Elf amongst the crowd of enraptured beings in front of the Ageless. Many of whom also wished to know what was spoken of between the Dragon and their God. "Why not?" repeated the God King as his son, Nox, lightly suckled upon his own thumb as he snuggled into the older Kitsune''s abdomen. Of whom then stared with widened eyes between his father and the audience, "Everything that occurs between the Ageless-to-be and the All Being is not for the faint of heart. Not to mention it is a great secret kept between the two. Therefore, no one will know about such a thing." "But-" "If you truly wish to know what had occurred, then find a way to ask the All Being yourself. However," the Ageless bared his teeth with malice and ill will, "you must be ready to face the Gatekeeper. One who will take your sanity as the entry fee, and force feed your mind everything you had performed throughout your life. If you remember your past life, then that will also be added to the list for you to watch. "So, do you still wish to know of what was spoken of?" The endarkened furred Kitsune sat upon his gilded thrown with a great grin upon his features whilst all others squirmed within their seats. This was only broken by the sounds of suckling by Nox, who was still staring at everyone and everything with widened, curious eyes. A3 Chapter 67 AN: It is now Wednesday, which means it''s a double post day. Not to mention I am becoming close to finishing with this arc, but you will probably be a tad shocked to know how long the the story has progressed when it is all said and done. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________________ "What I can speak of, however, was what had occurred after my time with the All Being, which took place upon the Plains of Nu''Ohn." To begin, the spell circles about my person shone brightly for three turns straight, whilst my silver energies lashed out across the plains themselves. This slowly transformed it into what it became today, a sea of tall grass with hidden bogs full of poisonous gasses. No. The portal to my home had not been placed within such a plains just yet, and yes, everyone knows it is there, but none have been able to find it. In any case, this caused the whole of my servants to retreat back towards the city, where they did stare upon the glowing orb of rampaging energy that slowly transformed that which was in front of their eyes into what all know of today. This is where King Brutus, Rojaahn, and Sia stood upon the ramparts with my allies as they watched with baited breath as the orb of light which was created from the energies transforming my body rose high into the air. Of course, they were worried for my person, as they have only speculations as to what was happening with my person. "What''s going on with our Lord?" asked Sia, who was the most frantic of the group, and watched everything with large lights of sapphire within her eye sockets. "He''s transforming," muttered the Titan, who then grinned to reveal a maw full of lava, "He actually pulled it off." "What?" was the response everyone had once they heard this. To which he further spoke with, "There are only two other Ageless within the whole of the Universe, and more than likely they know of his birth. So seeing one being created is a marvel in and of itself." "You are not making any sense, Kronos," growled Beelzebub, "What are you trying to say?" "Karastak has given up something great in order to become an Ageless. It has to be something that he, himself, valued above all others, but seeing how Brutus and his Undying are still here, just means he had something else in a much higher regard..." The Titan slowly turned to stare down upon Brutus and asked aloud, "Didn''t he say he had a female chosen for mating?" "You mean Sarah?" Sia''s lights widened as she vanished into a shrouded portal which appeared to her immediate left. Within a few slow moments, she reappeared with good news, "She''s still there, though she was confused as to why I popped in and out so quickly. No doubt she will be bothering us soon." "Then what did he give up?" wondered aloud the Kitsune twins. "We shall find out soon enough," the Blacksmith God pointed towards the orb of white light, as visible, silvered cracks appeared all along the outer portion. Of which then broke as a great and feathered wing of silvered energy erupted from the top of the orb. One which stretched towards the height of the sky itself. Yes. I had grown wings. Or, rather, just one wing. For you see, once I had emerged from my "egg", as it were, and stood atop it for all to view my person, it was noted that my right side held flesh which was perfectly flawless, white skin. This part of my body appeared to be a Human''s, but at the same time it wasn''t. It is difficult to explain fully, but I shall do my best. For those of whom who have copulated with the opposite gender, you know of what a male should appear to be once they are nude, yes? Yes. Think of a nude, male elf with long, platinum blonde hair. Now, split him down the centre whilst removing the ears and the hair on the left side of its head. As well as remove the eye from that right side and replace it was an orb of silver with a crimson slit in the middle. The left side, however, was skeletal and did not have a wing. Instead, there was simply jagged spikes all along the backside where such a thing should have been. Each of these spikes were curved and twisted as they sought to reach for the world around it. Whereas the hand and foot of this left side were at least three times larger than the right, and far more wicked. Much like my skeletal form''s clawed hands were, but with more jagged spikes. As for the other half of the head? It was wreathed in shadows, but held the image of a skull with a crimson orb in the eye socket. The teeth, no longer broken and jagged, were sharp and clean as though they were newly formed. Of course, they had been, but that is besides the point. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "The Nameless," whispered Titan Kronos, whose jaw dropped as my servants rushed out to greet my person just as it fell to the ground. Of which then caused his own, and that of my allies, to also move towards my position. Whereupon they did stop to marvel my form, for it had appeared that I was small when my person emerged from the orb which served as an "egg". Instead, they found that I had become a giant when they approached, with my one wing still stretched towards the heavens above. "M-my Lord High God?" whispered Brutus, of whom was the first to stand before my new self as I slowly turned my great head towards him, "Ar-are you still y-you?" To which I opened my maw to speak, but instead widened my eyes with confusion. This then led to my hands clutching at my head and skull whilst my body reeled back. For you see, my dear audience, I was having some difficulties trying to remember everything before my "birth". Of which soon came to my person in a great torrent of information, and caused my mind such pain that I opened my maw to an impossible length. What came next was not as simple to put into words. However, if one were to describe such a thing, they would simply state that it was an unearthly, beastial cry of pain which echoed throughout the whole of the Universe itself. ***** Within the world of Azzarath, sat a castle atop a cliff overlooking a large portal into the Abyss itself. This castle was trapped inside a realm of perpetual night with only a lonely, but full, moon to keep it company. Inside this structure, however, were many rooms, a courtyard, garden, and a great hall that was somewhat full with multiple half-Humans and non-Humans partying within. This was so, as they had been given the word to lessen their pressures upon the worlds which they had invaded, and were soon going to be invited to live with their Guild Leader. Their God. However, somewhere within the castle itself, was an occupied room with a silver haired woman. Of whom was completely nude and was stirring beneath several sheets and quilts as one would after sleeping for so long. This was, of course, Azazel, but at the same time was not. She then awoke slowly, as her upper body bent itself upwards in order to stare about as her right hand rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Wha-?" she began slowly, unsure of what was happening. This then alerted something within the shadows of the room, and quickly approached the bedside. Of which came in the form of an Undying male, whose name was Auua. This one was an orange and silver furred, six-armed creature that was called an Orangutan. "Are you alright, Lady Azazel?" he asked slowly whilst one of his clawed hands sent a message through a small portal he was instructed to use once it became apparent that she was awake. "Wha-?" she began once more, then clutched her head with a groan as her body was gently pushed back down upon the bed. "The Master found you asleep within the castle, and kept us on guard just in case you woke up." "Huh? As-asleep? I haven''t slept in ages," her voice trailed off as her eyes grew distant for a brief moment, "Where is he now?" "He''s home, and will be calling for us shortly," spoke the Orangutan, who held a large grin upon his facial features. "Home, huh?" Her body snuggled into the pillow that she had been laying upon, then winced at the headache which was still present. ***** Far beneath the world of Terra''s land, and nearest its core, was a prison unlike anything anyone had ever seen. This held many sigils, seals, runes, and spell circles. All of it intent on keeping one creature within their centre secured. One which was within the body of a small, girl-child with a waterfall of molten silvered hair that was curled up within the centre of a crystal orb. However, the echoes of some unearthly cry penetrated that which kept the orb secured, and caused a sharp crack to form across its surface. This, in turn, caused the eyes to open wide, and were filled with great rage and hatred for the one who trapped her within. _____________________ AN2: Anyone else reminded of Sephiroth, or was it just me? This newest being at the end won''t truly be revealed until much later, sad to say. So for now, just bear with the pain of not knowing. :P A3 Chapter 68 AN: And here is post number two of today. After this one comes three or four chapters of different PoV''s during what had happened, which will lead up to... not going to reveal that just yet. :P As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _________________________________ "Do you know your name?" Asked Titan Kronos, whose body was far smaller than my own, even when I opted to sit down upon the ground, he was still too small. Though it did bother his person greatly, he chose not to show this as fact to the rest of the world, but I knew. "I do not," boomed my voice which shook the earth even as I shook my own head slowly, "but it does not matter. For I have Terra, and none will be taking it from my person anymore." After speaking such words, did my servants squawk greatly. For my body shone with a brilliance as it shrank into that of my endarkened furred, Kitsune self. Whereupon I did summon a large disc which formed itself beneath our persons, and rose us all into the heavens above. This led to my right paw to extend towards the Titan in a gesture of camaraderie and spoke, "Do you Titan Kronos swear to abide by my laws, which are the ''Laws of Terra'', as you step forward and into the life of a God of Al''nuul, leader over the Avatars of the Giants of Wrath?" The Titan, himself, was rather stunned at first, but eagerly took my hand whilst his eyes appeared ready to spill its liquid with joy, "I so swear, Ageless. I will do everything and all things with regards to your own laws." "Then stand by my side, not as an ally, but as a brother within my Pantheon," came my reply as around grips tightened over one another. What came next was a simple transference of power, as my own silvered energies trickled into a stream, then into a river, and finally into a monsoon which did engulf his person entirely. This then caused all others to step away whilst they watched as the energies shrouded the giant''s body, revealing only a silhouette. Of which appeared to their eyes that the body was being stripped away of its substance before more was added to the body. From my knowledge, such an event was incredibly painful, but they believed it was well worth such a thing if it meant regaining their divinities. However, it was only thusly for the Titan, not the others who were simply bathed in the glow of my light. No. Instead, Kronos was the only one made to suffer such a thing. This was so, as his true form was not a Fire Giant, but something else. For you see, after such a thing receded, what was revealed was not the Titan, but an odd Human. The body appeared to be frail, and leaned against a tall, but simple wooden staff just barely above his height. This form, by the by, had golden skin with a head of white, soft curls. The skin itself, however, held a golden tint to its pale whiteness, which was covered by a velvet fabric which was dyed with the colour of the Void that you see yourselves in. All of this led up to the eyes, whose irises were in the shape of hourglasses. These, he would explain at a later date, allowed his person to see the passages of Time itself, and everything within. This continued with the others, with the twins gaining a much more mature, and voluptuous body. Of which caused Yang to groan out, "I''m gonna need more string," as the strings which had bound up her body had broken due to the growth spurt. What is more, the pair gained six extra tails. This increased their number to nine, and led them to a "petting session" with one another soon afterwards. Yes. We all did sigh as they performed such actions with one another, but paid them no mind. In any case, the next to transform themselves was the Blacksmith God, Hephaestus. Of which simply granted his person a body which straightened his back whilst granting his body more muscles, longer limbs, and larger hands and feet. Everything about him simply grew until he was a head shorter than Kronos''s Fire Giant self. However, it did not stop there. For the hair atop his head, as well as his beard and eyebrows, became a living flame. Of which moved and swayed as though it were actual hair. This was quite odd to my person, but put it out of my mind as his wardrobe was simply cleaned of its grime, grease, and soot. What is more, upon a leathered loop nearest his right hip was a large, metallic hammer with the insignia of three dwarves striking a large anvil between them upon its face. The final one to transform was an impatient Beelzebub. Of whom, after speaking how he would keep to the "Laws of Terra", was not transformed as the others, but simply bathed in my light. This gave him his divinity, yes, but nothing more which confused his person greatly. "What?" he stared about himself as though believing he gained something else, "What happened? Why didn''t I gain anything from this?" "You already have everything, Beelzebub," came my reply as I turned towards the planets themselves to begin the next phase in this. "What is that supposed to mean?" his grew in pitch whilst the new God''s hands were laid upon my shoulders with an effort to turn my person around. However, he could not, as my own strength was far beyond his own. "Answer me, Karastak. What do you mean?" If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "Karastak?" my body slowly turned to look upon his person with a blank expression, "I do not recognise this. Is it a name? A title? Or something else?" Yes. I did not recognise the name as my own, and did not understand why such a being such as the God of Gluttony would use it upon my self. "That is your name," he began once more, and was to speak more, but Kronos, God of Time, stopped his person from proceeding further. "He has become the one called ''The Nameless'', Beelzebub," spoke Kronos who stood between my person and the other, "You would know that if you took the time to stop and remember what I had spoken of before." "What are you speaking of right now, Titan Kronos?" I asked with my head cocked towards my right shoulder, "And what is ''The Nameless''?" "It is simply someone who had given up their name and legacy to the All Being." "You mean the dragon that was the size of several galaxies?" My shoulders shrugged as this was spoken, whilst the others stared with large eyes as I turned around and raised the platform out of the atmosphere of Terra, and towards the day-star itself. Whereupon we were greeted by its Avatar, who was in the form of a young female Elf, and bowed low to my person. No. This one did not speak aloud, as the vacuum of the Void between worlds was prevalent, and did not allow any sounds to be made. Instead, it simply smiled as it stood upon my left as my paws spread themselves before my person. Of which caused lines of silver, crimson, and emerald to erupt from our World of Terra, and latched onto the other six. This was so, as it created pathways in between our worlds, which was necessary for the creation of a new Pantheon of Gods and Goddesses. Which led to my mental voice to speak, ''Command,'' and summoned up the blue letterings from before. [AWAITING COMMAND] ''Command. Creation: Pantheon.'' [PLEASE DESIGNATE THE FIRST WORLD YOU WISH TO USE AS THE FIRST PLATFORM FOR YOUR PANTHEON] ''Terra. The worlds surrounding it have been attached, and the day-star we are near shall become everlasting.'' This caused the Avatar of the day-star to jump and dance around my person with silent glee. Even going so far as to hug my right side until it realised what it was doing and released my person. However, instead of admonishing such a creature, my right paw was simply stretched out in order to lightly pat its head. [FIRST WORLD ACCEPTED. PLEASE WAIT AS THE TERRAN PANTHEON IS CREATED.] This led to our persons in watching as great hands pushed themselves out from an unknown space and slowly converge upon our worlds. Yes. They did become frightened, but calmed a little as they noted my quiet demeanor. Which led to voiceless questions as to what they actually were. ''These are the "Hands of God",'' came my mental reply, as such things slowly drew old and powerful sigils and runes upon our worlds, which were then to be used in the creation of our Pantheon, ''They are simply here in order to accept the creation of the Pantheon, or its rejection.'' One amongst their number mouthed the words of, "What happens if either/or occurs?" ''Well, if it is accepted, then the Hands will create many pathways around the worlds which will keep it somewhat safe from those who would try to take it. If it is rejected, however, then the Hands will simply not do such a thing. Which creates a problem for us, as it will attract unwanted persons and with it, trouble.'' "Why?" ''It is the same as though a being dropped a large steak in front of a hungry wolf. Rejection by the "Hands of God" just mean that the world is still great, but it is not ideal to create a Pantheon with. Therefore, others will be watching such a place until the "Hands" are done. If it rules against our favour, then we will be needing to fight off many others who would wish to try and integrate our worlds with their own.'' ________________________ AN2: If you don''t know, I just described Raistlin Majere from the Dragon Lance series when Kronos was transformed after becoming a God. Definition of Titan: An extremely important person; a race of Gods; someone who is god-like; powerful or influential in a specific field. A3 Chapter 69 AN: It''s only now that I realised I missed a wonderful opportunity due to the number 69. Ah well. As always folks, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _______________________________ These next few accounts are from my beloved Sarah, from the Azzarathean Library of All Knowledge, as well as from my own servants. To start, we shall backpedal when I had first removed our world of Terra. Whereupon the movement did not go unnoticed by those that I had first believed were too occupied. Once the acquisition of the world came under my control, alarms blared within the confines of Azazel''s space. Unfortunately, it was ignored due to her lack of presence and continued to blare until something of a secretary came into the space to turn everything off. This one was a tall, slender "Trap" of a male, and wore a long, frilly blue dress which stretched down past his knees. The race of this one was an Elf, and had all of the markings of one who was of the High Elven sub-race. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear," his voice was panicky, as he walked around the mess of bodies which littered the floor with his arms somewhat raised, and towards a blood stained desk which held patches of unknown white fluids. "The lady Azazel was supposed to be here, but she is not. What to do?" The Elf quickly pulled up a large screen and tapped away at it, which silenced the alarms and showed upon the large screen that one of the Tutorial worlds was pulling away from the Pantheon and drifting towards a different set of worlds. "What?!" His eyes widened greatly as he watched this, of which then became orbs of bright crimson, "Someone is stealing one of the worlds!" This then led to him summoning the images of three Gods which were not occupied with defending their worlds which were under constant attack. These were then shown the moving stills of the world being torn away from their control and into the clutches of an unknown. The first of these was a God of War, and was in the form of a Minotaur sitting upon a mountain of bones. It was this one who spoke first, but only after it leapt to its feet with a great axe held in its hands, "What?! How is this possible? Not only that, but I recognise it as a Tutorial World." "It''s Terra," muttered a Selkie which then swam around in its position under an unknown, but large, body of water, "I recognise it because Warden Draxis would not stop gloating over the fact that he still had it after the trial." "Which trial was that?" This voice came from an elder Human in Judge''s robes, and was sitting upon a high-back, wooden chair with a grand stretch of a desk before it. "I believe that was the trial between User Undead Karastak and Warden Draxis," muttered the Elf. "Ah yes, the sham of a trial which had more holes in it than a block of Swiss Cheese. No matter, what''s going on with this world?" The Human pointed a polished, wooden mallet towards the that which vanished from their sight. "It''s been removed by persons unknown, and we need to retrieve it," muttered the Elf once more as it tapped away at a smaller screen. However, within mere moments his eyes widened from the information he was receiving. "No," came a soft moan as his legs gave out to the point where his body slumped to the ground. "What''s going on?" growled the Minotaur who tried to peer over its own screen and towards the other. Of which then received several documents detailing what the Elf "trap" had received. This, in turn, was transferred to the others whose eyes widened greatly from the shock. "Is this true?" asked the Selkie, of whom did its best to hide near some colourful coral. "If it is, then we shall be needing to convey a council quickly," spoke the elder, of whom had paled after reading the missive. For upon their screens was a detailed report of one they all dreaded ever coming across since the "Forge Incident". Karastak had stolen the world called Terra, and Command had acknowledged him as its owner. ***** Within a turn, an emergency council session was created, but only held twenty in number, as the rest were busy dealing with a war which spanned across nearly half of the worlds that were within their Pantheon. Not only that, but a few of those that decided to show up held scars from the wars, whilst others came with glowers and tales of their fellow Gods or Goddesses who have died due to their underestimation of the invaders. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Amongst these beings was my beloved Sarah, of whom was curious as to why everyone was called, as well as to ask if anyone had seen God King Azazel. Yes. She did ask this aloud before her secretary even began, to which he replied with, "I will address this momentarily. Now, I''m glad everyone can come so quickly, especially those with worlds they needed to defend." "Yes, yes, yes," grumbled an old Dwarf, of whom waved the stump of his left hand towards him, "Enough with the pleasantries, and just get on with it." "Alright," the Elf then pulled up a large screen with several moving stills, as well as a document given to him by Command, "What you are viewing is the theft of Warden Draxis''s Tutorial World called Terra." At this point, many heads turned towards his person as he spoke, each with widened eyes as they witnessed the world of Terra spinning away from their pantheon and into the unknown void between worlds. "Not only this, but Command has acknowledged the one who had taken the world as the rightful one." Whisperings came from this statement, as the document was copied and passed around for all eyes to view it. These then became more heated as the image and name of one who they all disliked appeared as the new owner of the world called Terra appeared before their eyes. "Yes," nodded the Elf slowly, "It is as it appears to be. User Undead Karastak has stolen the Tutorial World of Terra. This time I fear he has gone too far, and needs to be stopped." "Good luck with trying to garner any support, Trap Elf," growled a Tiger Beastman, who crossed his arms over his barrel shaped chest, "As I recall, you lot tried to take over the world of Forge, and were expelled violently for doing so. Not only that, but God King Azazel had to intervene on your behalf in order to keep him from attacking everyone here." "How do you know all of this?" The other''s eyes narrowed whilst nearly half of the Gods and Goddesses present muttered amongst themselves. "You really don''t know, do you?" chuckled the Beastman, who then tapped away at his own personal screen. Of which then called up stills, both moving and not, which were then transferred into a much larger screen in the centre of the space they occupied. These images were then revealed as Undead Karastak in a giant form full of shadows and chaotic energies standing behind a horde of shadowed Undead both ghostly and metallic. The latter caused more than a dozen being to tremble and shake, as they knew of how destructive these creatures could be when unleashed. Whereas the rest of those in attendance were either curious, or simply glared. Even more so was towards the destructive energies released from the maw of the giant, which then tore through several dozen divine shield and through the bodies of more than a dozen Gods and Goddesses. Of whom were then hacked to pieces by the Undead servants and had their cores dragged out of their bodies. These cores, by the by, are within all Gods and Goddesses, and came in a variety of shapes. The ones the Undead servants pulled out were in the shape of rhombuses, and were then taken over to a white robed, four-armed metallic skeleton. Of whom then gave over all, but two to the giant mass of shadows and chaotic energies. The pair of them both ate their respective cores, which gave them a boost of some sort, and turned to annihilate the rest of those who were still upon the world which was there''s by right. However, just as they were to begin the slaughter once more, a flash of white light erupted in front of the giant and its horde. This was, of course, Azazel, and from here would placate the monster enough to broker a small treaty with it. One, in which, would bar all others, including herself, from ever stepping onto their worlds without explicit permission. "How did you get this?" muttered an agape Elven secretary, whose eyes became just as large as his own mouth. "How?" chuckled the Beastman, "Everyone on Azzarath has access to this. All because someone wasn''t fast enough to censor the images." A3 Chapter 70 AN: I blitzed through the last season of Longmire last night. Fun show, and cannot blame my insomnia for this one. For anyone curious as to how long this story is going to be, well, my buffer is about ten chapters ahead of you guys due to an abundance of free time. Not to mention there''s about, maybe, ten more chapters that I''ll be writing up to finish it all off. So, it should be complete by next week, and you''ll be getting two chapters a day until you''re all caught up. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ________________________________ As this was occurring, messages were being sent out to the command posts within each of the occupied worlds. Ones that told them to prepare for a retreat, as their leader has that which was sought after, and would soon be transporting their persons soon. However, their version, and their leaders'' version, of "soon" varied as they were not on par with his idea of time. In other words, it could be another cycle before they are told to leave the worlds they are campaigning upon. In this case, they were to prepare for the inevitable, but to continue onwards with their war. Or, at least, that is what Sienna desired of those under her person to do. For she was of a mind to continue whilst everyone else began their retreat, as any sane general of the Black Parade would do. Perhaps she was at that time, or perhaps not. For now, though, those under her would continue onwards whilst those of whom desired to leave were allowed to do so. The world she and hers were upon was of the mountainous world of Attakash, I believe, and it was here that she had stayed upon whilst fighting against the Elves and Gnomes within. Inside one of the great mountains was where she sat upon a bloodstained throne of gold, contemplating the missive sent to her person as those under her continued to slaughter the Dwarves she was tasked to cull. Where she was currently sitting in was a grand hall of polished, white marble with gold inlay scattered about the surfaces. This inlay was used to subtly depict the history of the Dwarven nation, their highs, lows, and wars since the beginning. However, after Sienna and her armies had appeared, their Historians depicted a much darker tale within. On the other hand, those depictions were much farther away from where she sat, and no, the half-Orc did not seem to mind their histories. In fact, before the missive arrived, she was in the process of dismantling the body of the late monarch. Of whom was named Ironhand, or something close to it. Ah, her armour? Well, at that time was of scale-mail in the design of small leaves instead of dragon or lizard scales. Perhaps this was due to her Elven heritage, or perhaps she simply preferred this over all others. In any case, the armour''s colour was a Summer Green with faded trims of gold and endarkened colours all about her chest piece. No. It was not the full plate as she wears to this day, as she was more of a front line General than anything else. Which caused the whole of her army to respect her person more. In any case, she had draped her left leg over the arm rest of the throne she was upon whilst reading the missive that was handed to her person. Upon such a thing was simply orders to prepare to fall back when the time comes, as their leader had what he desired, and will be coming for their persons soon enough. However, there was a second part to this. Which stated, as I''ve said before, that the recall could be anywhere between a few turns to a cycle. The only solace they could take from this is the fact that they will be recalled. Of which will create the event where one of the Higher Immortals will be chosen to become a Minour God of Amak Duul. Where they will reign over it, and do whatever it is that they desire to its land. Her own dream was to create a world where she would not need to worry about being persecuted just for being a half-breed. Of which caused her younger self many a day of grief and pain. That all came to an end, you see, when the Black Parade came into being and was recruiting all who were not Human. For they would not discriminate any and all who were different. This was so, and she found some comfort in this fact. Which then allowed her to let loose and slaughter those who were her enemies. After showing such prowess, she was given a position of leadership where she revealed to her seniors, the Undying, that she held the prowess of a General. Of which was given to her person, but she did something out of the norm. One where she was found to be more capable on the chaotic battlefield, than over looking everything from the back of her army. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Sienna was not like the others, as all well know, and preferred to slay her enemies on her own, with her soldiers following from behind. This gave her a title, one which you all know of to this turn. "Bellator est Sanguinis", or as it is more commonly known, "The Warrior of Blood". At this time, she was busy simply laying about with a pair of Ogres next to either side of her person when a silvered spell circle formed in front of the throne. This startled the trio enough that the half-Orc leapt to her feet whilst the pair pulled out their horns and blew a long, baritone note which echoed throughout the entirety of the mountain. This was simply to notify everyone within the army to hurry back to their General. For something was attacking her person, and they each needed to return quickly. Yes. They did hurry to her side, and came in droves whilst they surrounded the spell circle with a ring of tower shields held by Ogres and Trolls. Each holding something of a basket upon their backs, and within them were a handful of Goblins. These were each a marksman, and had several quivers of arrows near their person. This was so, as the one who carried their persons tended to have tunnel vision when attacking others. So much so, that they tend to die quickly from flanks. Hence the baskets of Goblins, which would serve as more of a distraction for those who would try to attack the backside, or blind spots, of the Ogre or Troll. For the time being, though, the spell circle finished whatever it was upon the other side, which slowly turned into a silvered, oblong shaped, portal. The insides of which crackled as lightnings the colour of emeralds shot outwards from the centre. This then allowed a being to enter the space where it found its person surrounded. Of which caused the being to simply sigh and wave its metallic clawed hands at everyone and everything. As this being was simply one of the Undying males. More specifically, it was Val''ruum, who stared about the group until his eyes came upon Sienna. "Ah, Lady Sienna," he spoke out with a slight grin upon his draconic features, "The Master has sent me to fetch you and yours." "What do you mean?" she called out, clearly confused, "Who is your master?" This query caused the metallic Draconian to blink, then chuckled as he waved at her person, "The Master, Sienna. You should know who it is. A tall, skeletal monster who can cause hearts to fail from a simple glance; has the ability to cause those who incurred his ire to melt into a puddle; can summon up chaotic energies to smite even the Gods themselves? Surely you know of Him, yes? "He sent us all to find you and yours, and to summon your persons back towards the Castle. Therefore," a pair of snapping noises erupted from his sides, which caused a great spell circle of silvered energies to erupt around everyone present, as well as those who are not. Yes. This did startle their persons greatly. What is more, once the found out that their lower limbs could not move, they squawked and cried out. This, in turn, caused his own scaled lips to peel back into a feral grin, even as blades and arrows were pointed towards his person. "Therefore, let us all return to where it all began." Upon these words, did an even greater spell circle appear above their persons. One which created the sound of an ancient door slowly opening , and the image of a castle standing atop a lonely cliff above shadowed darkness far below. High above this castle was a single and lonely full moon, whose light bathed the castle with its soft light of white and silver. Once these beings became aware of where their destination lied, many became relaxed just as the light of the spell circle grew brighter. Of which then slowly rose up towards the image in the centre of the spell circle above their heads. Soon after, the light quickly grew brighter, as it was pulled into the image, and took with it everyone. A3 Chapter 71 AN: Another day, another chapter. We''re also getting close to the end, too. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ___________________________ Word spread throughout the worlds within the Pantheon that the war was at an end, all due to the fact that the enemy armies were being summoned away. Yes. Many, if not all, rejoiced greatly over the news, especially those that were Gods or Goddesses themselves, but there was still a few who were questioning about the whole of this occurrence. Such as the timing of it all, as it all came when the Tutorial World of Terra was taken from their control. What is more, these beings voice their concerns to those of whom were still gathered for the emergency council session. "It''s just too convenient," grumbled a Wolfwoman with peach coloured fur, "The wars, its end, and the fact that someone had stolen Terra. All of it is too much of a coincidence, you know?" These words caused the whole of the council to quiet as they pondered such a thing. Of which caused more than a few to scowl as they came to the same conclusion that the one who stole Terra, Undead Karastak, was the one who incited a war against their worlds. "If this is true," growled Azazel''s secretary, as he paced back and forth in front of the others, "Then he has declared war against us all." "Yes, but he has retreated," called out another, one which belonged to Sarah. "Of course he has," snapped the Elf, "He has what he wants, but that''s left us all with destroyed lands and lives. Whereas he gets to sit back and relax. No. I say we strike out against him now. Now, while we still can." "Oh yeah? And how do you plan on doing that?" called out the Tiger Beastman, of whom appeared not at all amused, "I seem to recall everyone being banned from going near him and his after your stint on Forge." To which the other simply grinned as his left hand was lifted and pointed its forefinger towards Sarah, of whom widened her eyes as she pointed at herself, "Me? Why would I help you with anything that would harm Karastak?" "Why?" grinned the Elf as all others moved away from her person, "Because you are betrothed to him." This statement caused all who heard such words to gasp aloud and mutter under their breath, "Therefore, you will be helping us with bringing him down." "No I won''t," she stood up then, and proceeded to call a portal of iridescence into being. One which slowly formed, then spluttered out as the secretary tapped a few times upon the screen nearest his person. This led to her to glare down upon him with great anger, of which was evident upon her clothing, fur, and hair. "You will let me go, Ranna, or Azazel will kill you." "Azazel is missing," Ranna spoke with a sneer plastered upon his features, "She went to Forge in a rage for some reason, and has been gone for nearly three months. All we know is that she''s somewhere on Azzarath, but that''s it. "Seeing how she''s not here, you can''t use her name to get away with anything you want. So, you are going to help us bring Karastak to justice whether you like it or-" The Elf stopped his words, as a curious expression appeared upon his facial features. One of which quickly became of horror as something red, wet, and metallic had erupted from his chest. For it was simply an iron blade, and as his head slowly turned to look upon that which had the gall to stab his person, his eyes came to bear witness upon the metallic face of an Orangutan. "Auua," cried out Sarah, who then gasped, as did many others, as the creature gripped the head of the Elf between two of its hands, and slowly twisted it around. This was then pulled off, along with the spine, splashing its blood upon the ape and the ground below as the body tumbled away. Afterwards came many screams as they realised who and what it was that had attacked a Minour God. For it was Auua, an Undying in service of Undead Karastak, and one of his more loyal retainers within the group. "Auua," called out the Goddess of Iridescent Colours as she stalked forwards towards the other, "Why did you kill Ranna?" "Because this one," the right, middle hand waved at the body below him, "would have tried to use you against the Master. This must never come to pass, as He has already called upon the ''Hands of God'' in an effort to create his own Pantheon. Not only that, but Lady Azazel was found within the Midnight Castle asleep, and she''s just woken up. "Therefore, I am to bring you to her, seeing as how I cannot contact Him until after the ''Hands of God'' have finished with their examination of Terra and the worlds attached to it." "Wait," she blinked several times as the Orangutan spoke, then clutched her head with her right hand when he spoke of the "Hands of God", "He actually summoned them?" "Yes," nodded the ape. "Then does this mean that we''re going to have a home like we''ve talked about many times before?" "Once again, yes." If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. At this point, she grinned greatly at the thought of having a home with her beloved, and laughed greatly with tears beading upon the edges of her eyes. "This is wonderful news, Auua." "Yes, it is," he responded with a grin, which then frowned as his eyes did spy the remains of the secretary slowly dragging itself together, "but come. You need to be taken to Lady Azazel." Upon so saying, he gripped her arm and called upon his own strengths in order to summon up a shadowed portal with the image of the Castle in its centre. "Come," and stepped through whilst dragging her person through. Once they were through, the Elf upon the ground was half way through with his regeneration. Whereas all others whispered amongst themselves, and the most spoken topic was of a place called "Midnight Castle". Whereupon they would most likely find their God King residing, but none knew where to start. "Does anyone know where this place is, or caught a glimpse of the image?" called out another Elf, but was wholly female as opposed to being a "Trap-Male". "I did," spoke up a male Halfling in leathered garments and raised his right hand just as he spoke aloud, "but I don''t recognise the area all that well." There were calls of him explaining to their persons as to what he witnessed, to which he continued with, "Well, it looked like one of those Human castles with grey stone. You know, the ones common within Azzarath? Anyways, this one had spires within its walls, and was standing atop a large hill overlooking what appeared to be a black lake. "Sorry, but that''s all I could see," and sat down from where he stood. "Do not worry too much about it," spoke the Tiger Beastman just as Azazel''s secretary righted his head and stood up, "You found more about their hideaway than any of us could since the beginning of the war." "Ugh," grumbled Ranna, who then gave a small scream when he spied his blood soaked dress, "No, no, no, no, no! Lady Azazel will kill me if she sees my dress had been ruined! Who did this?" His eyes full of rage turned towards everyone within the space, which caused quite a few to take a step back, "Who ruined my dress?!" "One of the Undying came through-" "What?!" The Elf turned upon the speaker, of whom was the Wolfwoman from before, "That''s not possible." "Well, one of them did, and stole away Sarah. Not only that, but we got a glimpse of where she was taken." "Oh yeah? Where?" To which he was given a shrug in answer, and caused his person to only growl with frustration at both the loss of Sarah, as well as the unknown of where their base of operations lay. ***** Within the lands surrounding a castle atop a cliff overlooking that which was a portal into the Abyss itself, were many thousands of soldiers. Each of these were slowly entering the short grasslands as others brought over Healers, food, drinks, and so much more. All of this was freely given over to those of whom were rather confused at being summoned to a place without the need of lifting their weapons and shields with the orders to attack an enemy. Instead, these were simply told to rest, allow others to take care of their persons, and to eat their fill. For their guild leader, a being who was heralded as a God, had gained what he had wished for. Therefore, they will all soon be invited to live upon his world as long as they abided by a set of laws called "The Laws of Terra". If they were willing to follow such things, then each and every one of them will need not raise up their sword arms for battle much longer. These words did quell many of their need for battle, in that they simply collapsed with a yell of great joy. Whereas the rest simply grumbled amongst themselves until a compromise was made. One which would allow their persons to continue fighting, but upon a very different world. Yes. This was upon Amak Duul where they were sent in order to continue their lust for battle and conquest. In any case, once they were gone, all others simply turned to the revelry of their victory over the worlds of the Azzarathean Pantheon. Which also included the swapping of stories both great and small, as well as the trading of loot and slaves. However, those of whom dared to bring about the slavery of others were swiftly cut down where they stood, and their captives freed. For within the many Laws of Terra states the banning of slaves and indentured servitude upon the grounds and territories of their Lord and Master. Which meant that all who stepped forth upon that which was deemed as the Midnight Castle was a part of these territories. Yes. Many did become distressed over the loss of their "product" and "property", and did react with violence. However, these were each struck down by a pair of beings which will soon become a fixture within the histories of the Terran Pantheon. These two were, of course, Sienna and her soon to be husband, Ama''luun. A3 Chapter 72 AN: As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _____________________________ "So tell me again, how long was I out for?" grumbled Azazel who had long since shrunk herself into her childlike form with a pink, floral patterned dress about her body. Apparently, she felt disdain for her more adult self and desired all to see her more as a "cute and adorable" child than much of anything else. As to why she felt this way? Well, we shall be addressing this shortly. "Almost two full moon-turns," piped in Auua, who was serving her and Sarah an amber coloured tea within a few fanciful china cups whilst they lounged upon a couple of sofas nearest the bed the God King was sleeping upon. "Which is?" "In terms of what Karastak called it, one moon turn equates approximately one and a half months," spoke Sarah as she sipped a small mouthful of the tea offered to her person, "Or in our case, you''ve been gone for three." Turning to the Undying ape, her voice became light and full of pleasure as she asked him, "Where did you get this tea, Auua? The aroma reminds me of hot cider being drunk by a fire during a cold, winter''s night, but the taste is surprisingly subtle. You would think it was cider after breathing it in, but the taste... I cannot place it anywhere. What is it?" The Goddess''s eyes sparkled whilst the other explained, "The Master found the leaves upon Sol''anon, and infused them with the essences of several fruit and herb plants from Amak Duul in order to give it a more refined taste for the Kitsunes to try. However, we Undying who were still able to retain much of our senses are able to enjoy the teas prepared by our Master. This one," he held up a pouch containing the dried mixture which was used for their drinks, "is called ''The Flowers Which Bloomed In Winter'', which is what you both are drinking currently." "How is it prepared?" "I am not at liberty to speak of this," muttered the metallic ape as he rubbed the back of his neck slowly. "Why not?" pouted Sarah, whose eyes slowly became that of a "puppy-dog''s" eyes. It was at this point that an oblong portal of silver and sapphire coloured energies erupted in the centre of the room, startling its attendants greatly. Of course, Auua simply frowned at the intrusion whilst the Goddess of Iridescent Colours leapt behind the sofa she sat upon. Whereas Azazel mirrored the Undying''s expression just as Sia appeared with a frantic look about her features. "Auua," spoke the skeletal wolf with a frantic voice, "where is Sarah?" "I''m right here," she piped up, peaking around from the top of the seat. Of whom was them lifted by the other as she darted around the sofa in order to assist her person. Once she stood upon her own two feet, Sia hugged the other female tightly, "I''m glad you''re still here." "Why?" The other was curious, of course, but returned the hug nonetheless. "The Lord High God has become something more," the skeletal wolf''s tail swayed slowly which was echoed by the Goddess. Afterwards did they part whilst the former simply created another portal and stepped through with a quick wave with the promise of explaining herself later. Which then left the original trio alone in the room, and Azazel quite confused as to what just happened. "What did she mean by ''the Lord High God has become something more''? Who''s done what, where?" These inquiries were met with an awkward silence, as Sarah squirmed in her spot as she was gazed upon, whilst Auua simply hummed to himself once the attention was directed towards his person. "Well?" "Well, what, Lady Azazel?" asked aloud the Undying ape, of whom served the pair another cup of tea. "You know of what this one speaks of. What did Undead Karastak do?" She became slightly frustrated over the lack of response from the pair, of whom were keeping something important from her person. "He''s gained his home, Azazel, and will be coming for us soon," piped in Sarah, whose facial features were full of a smugness from both drinking the tea and from the information she had gained from the other Undying. At this point, the God King frowned whilst rubbing her temples slowly. It was as though she tried to remember something, but was met with only pain. "What did he gain?" Her query was spoken softly in order to keep the pain from becoming too great. "His world of Terra, of course." "Terra? Where is that?" Yes. She was greatly confused from this, for everything about our world was stolen from her person. Hence the reason why it took nearly two full moon-turns in order to make sure it was all removed. To this, the pair simply stared at her, wondering how it was that she could have forgotten everything so quickly. Indeed, for they were not privy to every dealing with the one they spoke of, but not for the lack of trying. "What do you mean, Azazel?" wondered aloud Sarah, of whom grew concerned over her God King, "You''re the one who was helping him gain the world since the very beginning. Why is it that you do not-" This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. She stopped speaking, her eyes widening greatly as she, herself, remembered what her betrothed was capable of. In fact, the Goddess had been privy to several events in which the skeletal God had performed an ability which then stole everything he so desired from a few simple phrases. "Do you remember what you did before you found yourself within this castle?" To which the other gripped her head just as an ice pack was given to her person by Auua. Of whom was thanked as she was bade to lie upon the sofa. "No," her voice was strained as she did her best to remember what had happened, "All this one can remember was finding Roj dead once more, becoming angry, confronting-" Her voice stopped at this whilst her eyes widened into large saucers, "This one confronted Undead Karastak." This statement left her mouth agape as she remember what the God was capable of, and soon grew grim as she realised that he had done to her person what was performed upon others. "His energy ran rampant throughout my mind, and he stole something that this one does not remember." The God King stood up quickly at this point, wincing at the headache which was striking at the portion of her brain nearest her temples. "Where is he?" she growled slowly whilst her eyes slowly became orbs of endarkened crimson, "Where is Undead Karastak?" "Probably on Terra," shrugged an indifferent Undying ape, of whom poured himself a cup of tea and slowly sipped the amber liquid, "It''s where Sia came from, anyways." This then caused the girl-child-who-was-not-a-child to growl and summon up a white, oval shaped portal in front of her person. She then stepped through such a thing, and vanished completely. Thus leaving only Sarah and Auua alone in the room to sigh once the portal closed in on itself. "Why did you tell Azazel where Karastak is at, Auua?" complained the Goddess, of whom believed her betrothed to be in great danger. "Why, Lady Sarah?" The other raised an eyebrow at such a query as his body waddled over to offer her one of his many hands to her person. To which she did take and gasped as a translucent portal erupted behind his person. This revealed the world called Terra in all its glory, as the "Hands of God" slowly retreated after giving its approval for the creation of a new Pantheon. One that will soon rival Azzarath''s, and will then outstretch it many times over as the cycles pass. "Why?" he spoke softly as his voice repeated the query once more, "Because he is home, and desires all others within his family to come and live with his person. So come, My lady Sarah, Goddess of Iridescent Colours, lets us both go home." After he spoke such words, did he slowly lead her person into the portal. Of which soon closed as he himself stepped through, and into the world of Terra where they met the new God King of whom was now called Ageless. ***** Outside of the room which the pair had occupied was of a different scene. One full of revelry as the rest of those within the Black Parade soon teleported upon the grounds of the Midnight Castle. However, within a few moments after all had appeared, a massive, white spell circle erupted from the base of the castle proper. This then encompassed the entirety of the space it occupied, and froze the lower limbs of those who had appeared upon the grounds and surrounding territory of such a place. Yes. This also included the portal into the Abyss. This then caused nearly all to panic, as another spell circle of white rose up from around their persons. One of which created a third circle to appear a few metres above their persons. It was then accompanied by yet another spell circle, but one far above their heads, and behind the lonely moon in the night''s sky. Within such circles was another world, one in which many can still recall due to their young age. For the image within was of Terra, but far different than what they remember. Nevertheless, this was what those who were still young cried out just as the energy within the circles at their feet began to pull their persons towards than which was above them. "The Guild Leader has done it," cried out one among many with great joy. "He''s calling us all home," shouted another. More was cried out, howled, and shouted just as something with an old and tired voice rumbled across the land in an intonement, "<>." Which then led to the pull of everyone and everything within the spell circles towards their final destinations. Terra. A3 Chapter 73 AN: Tomorrow. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.. Tomorrow will probably be the start of a duel post, as I may be working on the epilogue on my end today. Which means there''ll be a new story sometime in the next week or two. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________ A full cycle would come to pass before anything of consequence was to appear. During this time, however, there was the award ceremony which was needed to give out compensations for the efforts of those within the Black Parade. Not to mention those that would ascend to Godhood, of which were Sienna, her significant other Ama''luun, and Stovahn. The last was a Lord of Chaos-to-be, and would be instrumental in the creation of the world the other two were to control. These three stood atop the walls of the Necropolis, overlooking a sea of individuals from the Guild. Of which numbered as eight million, four hundred and thirty six thousand, nine hundred and fifty three guild members. Yes. They were quite the force to reckon with, and would spread throughout the core worlds of the Pantheon. Whereupon they would live, love, and grow, but not before I made sure that their allegiance to my person was absolute. In any case, I had brought them all here, and thanked them all for their service to my person. Of whom were then gifted with a medium sized bag filled to the brim with gold, jewels, and Discs. Next, those who performed outstandingly, and had become Higher Immortals, were given a small portion of land with a sizable home upon it within the worlds around Terra. For only those of whom had become Gods, have already been birthed upon the world, or those specifically chosen by my person will be allowed to live upon our world. This then led to the anointing of the new Gods and Goddess who would then rule over the world of Amak Duul as equals in all things. Some may believe that I cursed the trio, whilst only a few believed it to be a blessing. However, the truth is far more simpler. For you see, each and every world within our Universe holds a triad of Gods and Goddesses. These groups hold the perfect balance of red, white, and black which govern over the whole of their world. Yes. They are very much needed, as without one the only option for that world is complete destruction until another comes into being. This is so, as if a world is completely dominated by the Red of Neutrality, then not much will be done in the progress of the world. Which would leave only a world that was dominated by Nature and its Wildlife. There would be no good or evil, only what is the "Law of the Jungle" prevalent over all others. Which is why the world they are being sent to is full of such savagery, and will be needing to tame it. If a world has been taken over by the White Light of Purity, then everyone and everything will be persecuted for simply acting out in their own nature. For example, the Goblin Tribes. These creatures fight, steal, and in some cases, abduct females of other races in order to give birth to more of their kind. Yes. In such a world they would all be hunted down into extinction, of which would begin to upset the natural order of balance. What is more, all other races which are not of the race that claims to be the most "Righteous", "Good", and "Pure" will subjugate or eradicate all other species solely due to the fact that they are different and not of liken minds. Then there is the example of those worlds that have been dominated by the Shadows of Chaos and Death. For upon these worlds, all life has been removed from the equation. Thus leaving only a war-torn land in which very little survives. Those that do must fight greatly in order to overcome all odds, but for naught. For although they have fought greatly to the end, the world they lived upon was doomed to die, and nothing they do will make a difference. Therefore, a balance must be maintained, and if any of you are wondering if there is something keeping my person in check, then look no further. For one of the duties which had been imposed upon my wife, Sarah, is to do thusly. It is she, as well as my son Nox, who keep my person from reacting too strongly in favour of one or the other. Thus keeping my person sane in the midst of chaos. In any case, this trio of beings were then elevated to the ranks of Gods. Yes. Gods, not Minour Gods as was promised before. This is so, as they would each be given one of the three Gifts which I had received from God King Azazel so long ago. However, instead of imbuing symbols with such gifts to be absorbed into their persons, I opted for a more direct approach. One in which would cause their persons to reel back as I forced a minour copy of such things into their bodies. Yes. After accepting such things did they fall as I blessed their persons with what I had gained. No. I did not feel much of anything beyond a slight drain of a percent of a percent of my strength. Of which caused my person to wonder what would happen if I imparted a being with the full gift. Well, such a thing will never be spoken of, as my experiments are my own and not for the faint of heart. In any case, this scene caused quite a bit of commotion amongst those that were Lesser and Higher Immortals. so much so, that they grew angry until they noted that the trio had stood up and bowed in my direction. This included all other Guild members, to which I felt an unfamiliar surge in my strength, but disliked it immediately. For although having such beings bow towards my person created such a thing, it was far too easy to become addicted. hence the reason why all are forbidden to ever doing such a thing towards my person. As well as to why I only require a simple acknowledgement of my presence. Yes. I did and still do dislike such actions, but now is not the time to speak of it. For after such ceremonies were over, I gave leave for all of them to depart towards the other worlds, and to make merry as they were all home. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. This then led to a small ceremony between I and Sarah. One in which only my Undying, servants, and those who had joined my Pantheon were allowed to attend. For it was our wedding ceremony, and it was beautiful. Enough so that I had to wipe several imaginary tears which beaded up along the edges of my mental self, which was then mimicked by my physical form. The beauty and majesty in which I had beheld that turn will forever be remembered as one of the most joyous occasions within my long life. One which has been in contest when my son, Nox, was born into the world not so long ago. Yes. Nox is only a few cycles old, and I had been around to witness such a spectacle, and was even given leave to hold him within a few mere moments after his birth. He was, and still is, my adorable, little boy. Which begs the query. Does anyone know how long it takes for a Goddess who has been inseminated by an Ageless to produce an offspring? No? Then allow my person to open the doors in answering such a thing. For it takes nearly a full millennia of years to bring about the offspring which became Nox. In this time period, we became worried about such a thing. That is, until we gained ourselves a Goddess of Fertility, and it was assured to us that we will have a child, but would need a deity of Divination in order to accurately predict when he or she will come to pass. However, that is jumping too far ahead in the story. * During the rest of this cycle was one of perceived happiness and tranquility. For I had gained my world of Terra, and would not allow anyone to take it from my person. However, this did not stop the surrounding Gods and Goddesses from trying. As many others would come to my Pantheon with sweet words full of milk and honey that would be pressed into mine and others'' ears. These would then hope to try and pull us all away with great promises. Promises in which I had already given over to those within my Pantheon, and would simply show them off to these delegates as soon as they speak of such things. For example, one of these beings came in the form of an Elder Mindflayer, and desired Beelzebub''s world of Konaku. In it, the creature promised many Broodmothers for the races, as well as a way to satiate the ever present hunger that afflicted all who were of the Devourer category of Demons. However, it was soon shocked to find out that I had created a vast array of Broodmothers that were each an immortal in their own right, and could spawn thousands before their hearts combusted due to the stress of it all. Not to mention that Rojaahn had created the perfect cure for those within the category of Devourer Demons not too long ago, and had already begun in distributing the cure to all of them upon Konaku. This, of course, did upset the Elder Mindflayer. So much so that it did try to dominate the minds of those within the space, of which was within the top floor of the Tower of Babel. To which it found only my mind was present, and was given leave to view exactly who and what I am. Yes. It did become frightened, so much so that the creature frothed at the mouth due to the insanity of it all, and was expunged from our worlds, but of course, more still came. In one such instance, a being full of muscle and in the form of a muscle-bound fool of a Human appeared before us with a challenge towards my person. This creature dared to challenge my right to ruling over the Pantheon, and had even boasted that it had conquered hundreds of worlds already. Yes. It even put these worlds up as a stake in the match, and once more, yes, everyone was opposed to the match. However, it was mostly directed towards the challenger, of whom believed that fighting my person was unfair towards himself. Who, in turn, was given leave to bring others into the duel at anytime. However, this one simply scoffed at the idea of needing help to fight a, and I quote, "insignificant insect wearing fur". Do you see where I am going with this? Not to mention the fact that this being claimed to be... Hmm, I''ve forgotten the name. Well, it began with an "S", of that I am certain of, and it ended with "The Conqueror", but no matter. In any case, once it was revealed that I was an Ageless, the fight became rather one sided. In that the creature begged for forgiveness and mercy, but would not receive such a thing as I quashed its life force and allowed my beloved wife to devour the crystal core which was within the chest of the being. Of which caused its utter demise, to the point where it would no longer be allowed within the Reincarnation Cycle of the Universe. Yes. Sarah did eat the core within this being, and would continue to do so even to this day. For at that time she was rather curious about such a thing, and I would later find out that it even acted as an aphrodisiac to some degree for one such as she. In that our nightly sessions would turn into a sennight and fortnight sessions. After such a thing was taken care of, my eyes turned to the "hundreds of worlds" it had conquered, but only found disappointment as I went to collect them. For these worlds were desolate and in a state of much needed repair. Of which were then worked upon the moment I attached them to my Pantheon, and even set apart a few Minour Gods to help with the process of breathing life back into these worlds. There number, you ask? Well, they weren''t "hundreds", but in fact only three. Of which set apart a champion, of sorts, in order to find a way to bring them all back into a golden age. What they weren''t expecting was it to fail, especially when I found out that their most prominent species was... Human. A3 Chapter 74 AN: So, last night I finished the Epilogue, which means y''all are getting double posts every day until the end. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________________ The rest of the cycle was devoted to the eradication of the Humans upon the three worlds, whose names would be rewritten at a later date. As well as to the revitalisation of the land and a relocation of those within the Black Parade who wish to explore these new frontiers. These would then uncover many interesting artifacts, which are completely outdated by today''s standards. Of which they can all be viewed within the Museum of Ancient History upon Azara''s first continent. Once it came to an end, and many had transferred their persons into the new land which was being watched over by a few Minour Gods, Sarah and I decided to take a trip around Terra. Where we were "guarded" by my Chosen, of whom simply desired an excuse to allow their adopted children to roam around freely throughout our world. Of course, how was I to say no, when even my own beloved wife had decided to side with their persons. This led to many hands, both clawed and skeletal, to slap against one another''s palms as they cried out with glee. Yes. I gave them their victory, but did not mind much of it, as we set out first towards the canyon where the Demon lord and her people used to reside. Whereupon Sarah did learn of how the Red Dragon had promised a child between us in the very beginning, and grew somewhat irritated by this little tidbit of information. "When were you going to tell me this?" grumbled the Goddess, of whom glared at my Kitsune self as I prepared some tea beneath our bright day-star above. "Tell you what, my dear Sarah?" I was, at that time, feigning ignorance as to what it was she was speaking of. For I had no true answer for why I did not make mention of the actions of my past self. "You know exactly what I''m talking about, Ageless," she planted herself in front of my person with her hands on her hips, and bent forward to glower down upon my self. During this time, she had opted to wear a more open sort of dress with iridescent colours radiating throughout its entirety. One that appeared to be made from two vertical halves which only covered the pair of fist sized mounds upon her chest that revealed the centre to the world. Not to mention that the lower half was simply cut in such a way that it covered only her front and rear whilst revealing her legs. What is more, upon her wrists and ankles were half a dozen gold bangles which clinked together with every move she made. Yes. I could go on and on for decca upon decca-turns, but now is not the time for such things. Instead, I simply sighed with a great look of content for one such as she as I stood up to embrace her. Of course, she did struggle as such a reaction was what she was not expecting. Also, judging by a few of the females'' reaction, it probably wasn''t the best response I could have given. However, being a male, and one with the mind of an Undead, I was not aware that such a response was frowned upon. In any case, after releasing her from my embrace, I did lightly grip her arms whilst staring into her eyes, "I have no answer for you, Sarah. All I am able to impart is the fact that it happened so long ago that I doubt the Demon Lord will remember my person. Not to mention the fact that the False God more than likely removed such a memories from her mind after ejecting I and mine from the world. "Therefore, I did not speak of such things. Understand?" This then led her to frown, sigh, and nod her head a few times before asking for another embrace. To which I obliged her person whilst glaring at my Chosen. Of whom were watching a little too closely for my taste, and whipped their heads away once it became clear that I caught their persons. No. I did not admonish their actions, but instead simply sighed once more, as I did not know if it was in jest, or just to see what would happen between our two persons when Sarah found out about a very old promise to my person. One, in which, has never, and will never, come to pass. After a short time, did we kiss and nuzzle into each other''s fur for a few more moments, then released one another so that I may serve her some tea. Of which was, of course "The Flowers Which Bloomed In Winter", as it was one of my greatest accomplishments upon the world of Sol''anon. As well as my favourite flavour of tea, which became my wife''s, too. Once the tea was served, along with a few snacks from a basket I had taken from the kitchens within the Necropolis, we did wait for a time to enjoy the scenery around us. Of which consisted of a few scattering of trees along the right side of a small road leading towards the west end of the city. Yes. This was, technically, the Plains of Nu''Ohn, but with my person around, none need fear the patches of bogs hidden within. In any case, this area contained a small forest full of small beasts which posed little to no threat to those of my Chosen. However, their own adopted children were another matter entirely. For example, a few of the littles ran screaming with fear from the area, and into the arms of their concerned parents as a pair of monstrous foxes appeared along the forest line. This, in turn, caused nearly all of the older children to launch an attack upon the creatures whilst I simply continued to sip at my tea. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. On the other hand, Sarah was the only one who was worried about everyone. Even when blood soared through the air, and an arm of one of the boy-children landed next to her person, did she panic greatly. What was truly comical about all of this was the fact male trotted over looking for his arm, and upon finding it, lifted it high with a, "I found it," and charged back into the fight. "Ageless," whined the Goddess, who slumped upon the ground to my left and hugged my side, "why aren''t you worried about them? Aren''t you the God of Families and Children?" "Yes, Sarah, I am," came my reply as I wrapped an arm around her waste in order to pull her closer to my person. Which allowed my person to kiss her head as I continued with, "Which is exactly why they are having as much as they so wish to whilst attacking the creatures." "What?" Her body leaned back in order to stare into my eyes with a wide and shocked gaze, whereas I simply chuckled. "I am allowed to do as I wish to, you know this well, yes?" At her nod, I resumed my train of thought, "Well, the children require some form of entertainment where they could explore their own mortality without actually dying." "You don''t mean?" My lady wife''s eyes grew even more so as realisation struck her mind as though she were a metal rod in a lightning storm. "I mean exactly as you have just realised, my dear," my right paw pat her head slowly as I confirmed everything, "They''re each an immortal." * "But why?" demanded Sarah for the third time as we each slowly packed up our items in order to resume our travel. Of course, I could have whisked everything away into a dimensional pocket, but there''s no fun in ruining an important life lesson for the children. One which taught the children two ideas. That there aren''t any shortcuts in life, and to always clean up your mess. This included the bloody scene left by their antics against the fox-like creatures, but was given to the Chosen in order for them to hammer in that part of the lesson. My expression was one which spoke, "Shouldn''t it be obvious?", as I replied with, "These children will continue to learn and grow with the knowledge of what can and cannot be tackled head on, even with the immortalities I had granted to them. Therefore, they shall each be exploring every avenue possible in order to come to the best conclusion. "Not to mention the fact that nearly all of them wish to become an Undying when they''re older, but that''s beside the point." "But," she began once more, but was interrupted by Shauu who was wearing a thick, white robe as was common amongst the Undying, and carried a pair of sleeping Tiger beastman cubs in her primary arms. Both of these children were male, and wore only a pair of torn, tan coloured trousers about their person. One of them was recognisable, as the child being held close to her right, metallic breast was the same boy-child whose arm had fallen close to I and my wife''s position. "Sarah, we actually asked our Lord High God for this blessing upon our children. If you''re going to blame anyone, blame us for our selfish desires." "But," spoke my wife once more, still willing to argue even though she was losing greatly. "She''s right, Sarah," chimed in Sia, whose body was covered by seven, clinging wolf children. Of whom had each held onto her body with fear during the beginning of the fight, but were now yipping and yapping with great joy as the skeletal Wolfwoman walked around. "We desired this for our children, so don''t take it out on your husband, okay?" "Fine," sighed the Goddess, who was none too pleased with being outmaneuvered by her friends. To which the other pair simply pat her head before moving away to tend to the rest of the children. Whereupon I did summon up a large basket and asked everyone to climb on in. "Why?" came the skeptical query from my ever questioning wife. "You are all flying with style towards the cavern which holds the Demon lord and her people." Of course, she was none too amused by this gesture, as I beamed a grin in her general direction. However, the others were all to happy to allow the children to rest comfortable within, and had to drag the Goddess into it due to the fact that she was simply being stubborn. Once everyone was within the basket, however, my body slowly transformed itself into a great, shadow-scaled dragon with two pairs of wings instead of the standard. Whereupon I did flap my great wings until I gained enough lift to hover a dozen metres. This was enough for the next part in my idea, which came into being by way of tendrils of silvered energy flowing down from my four limbs, and attaching themselves to the corners of that which everyone was occupied within. From here, I mentally spoke to everyone to hold onto something. For I then did lift the basket, and everyone within it, into the sky and towards our next destination. A3 Chapter 75 AN: And here is part two of today''s posting. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________________ The journey itself was short, yes, but it was uneventful as well. Even though there were a few scares from the children desiring to peer over the sides, nothing much occurred until we came upon the airspace of the Demons. Of whom, as you well know, are only called as such by the inhabitants of Terra. They are, in fact, Terran Dragons and Draconians who were once feared by all, as well as nearly hunted into extinction on several occasions. Soon after my ascension, however, we did put a stop to all who dared to attack their persons, and had even invited many into Necropolis where they were guarded against any and all who would dare to attack their persons. Of course, the inhabitants were fiercely loyal to my person, and would not do such a thing, but there were still a few from other cities that were not under my full control. These were swiftly dealt with by the populace in its entirety, which startled the Demons who believed such beings would rend them limb from limb. So imagine their surprise when they realised that the city of Necropolis was open for them to step onto, and even live in. Yes. Only a few within that first cycle made the effort to journey to the city which was under Brutus''s control. These were even more surprised when the populace greeted their persons warmly, stood up for them, and would even speak to them without the use of a weapon pointed at their hearts. Quite amicable, the people of Necropolis were, but were also very confusing by the rest of Terra''s standards. For example, the Alabaster City held a wide variety of creatures and people going about their daily business without much in the way of caring how everyone appeared before their eyes. There was no set of clothing for fashion, no prime race of nobles, and we had dealt with the poor without resulting to violence. This last issue brought up many concerns, as the other cities had such issues and would tend more towards bloodshed than anything else. How did we deal with the problem? Well, each of the populace, save for the children, have a place to work. Even if they are disfigured, disabled physically or mentally, or an amputee; everyone has a job they can do without the need to beg for food. Which leads to the food "problem" people seem to have. If any of your have been to the Undercroft beneath the city, you would know it to be a very large farm which spans three different levels. This is what I and mine had created after what became known as the Plains of Nu''Ohn. For the area before the city was of farmlands, and would have run out of food if we had not created the second city. Yes. Brutus also controls this as well, and for those of whom are curious as to why we had done away with the taxes. Well, we have something which can generate precious metals on a whim. All it needs is energy, and no, I will not speak of what it is, nor of where you may find it. For now, we return to the story at hand. Once we entered the airspace of the Terran Dragons, did we come across a squad of red and gold Draconians who were awaiting our persons. Yes. As many of you have already realised, this was more than a simple whim of mine to journey towards their canyon home. In any case, they appeared relieved once it was determined that the large dragon carrying the basket was my person with a few others which included some non-combatants staring up at everyone with saucer-like eyes full of wonder and curiosity. Which caused more than a few to chuckle as they led my person towards a "Landing Zone". I believe that''s what people call it these days. Of which we were greeted by the Second Son in his golden armour, and a red-scaled, female Draconian wearing a long, flowing dress of endarkened crimson. This was, of course, the Demon Lord of our world, and would also become a cherished friend of the family soon enough. "We are honoured to have you here, Ageless," spoke the female, who bowed low. This was echoed by the male, who appeared to not enjoy such a thing, and was bade to rise by Sarah. "He doesn''t like that, you know," her voice was tired, as though she had to endure such a thing far longer than my person, "So don''t start with the bowing and scraping. Just wave or salute at him whenever he''s around." If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. This, of course, startled the pair, but caused the male to grin as though it was some great joke. That is until he noted my blank expression with slightly drooped eyes. Only then did he believe it wasn''t at all what he thought it would be, but gave his assent that such wishes would be done. "You said there was an issue?" My voice rumbled around their persons as my body slowly became that of my Kitsune self with crimson coloured trousers, "Will you show it to my person?" "Oh, of course," jumped the Demon Lord, of whom was called the All Mother, and motioned for my person to follower her own, "If you would please." "Um, Ageless," called out Sia who was busy lifting several of the children out of the basket, "What are we-?" "I''ll help you with the exploration, and what not, Lady Sia," piped up the Second Son, of whom grinned at the thought of being around the Chosen. To which I simply shrugged and called out to them, "Don''t break anything, especially someone," and left with the All Mother and Sarah towards the canyon proper. * This jaunt of ours would take perhaps half a decca-turn, and was rather uneventful beyond the chatter between my wife and the All Mother. Of whom appeared to be just as talkative as I remembered her to be. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, she did not remember my person once the world had returned to its original settings. For the time being, but only after they were done speaking to one another, I questioned her person as to what was happening within her home. Which led her to speak, "I don''t know exactly, but there is some sort of presence, or an energy, which has been slowly seeping into the lower canyon floors. It''s nothing really harmful, but it is worrying, because whatever this energy touches is whisked away to who knows where. After a while, the item is then found embedded into the stone walls as though the stone formed around the object which was stolen." "So you are worried that if one of your people touches this, they will be whisked away to who knows where then return trapped in the stone?" Came my inquiry as we each stopped within a bare chamber with a tendril of white mist slowly forming and stretching towards the ceiling above. It was here that I noted the eyes of the All Mother had widened greatly once she took note of this, pointing a clawed forefinger towards this unknown energy, "That''s it right there, but this is the first time it has shown up this far up." "Hmm," my voice hummed softly as I approached. Whereas the pair behind my person called for caution as I encircled it. "I will be fine," I waved behind as I reached out to grasp the tendril. Whereupon I did send my own energies into such a thing in order to discern its location. However, after I had done such a thing, I felt a weak pull as the mist tried to absorb my personal stores of energy into its entirety, but was far too weak to break through that which shielded my person against such a thing. "I will return shortly," the pair were informed as I had found the source of this mist. For it was near the central core of our world, which confused my person greatly as to how I could have missed such a thing. This, once more, caused the pair to caution my person against going alone. To which I replied with, "There are only three others in this Universe who pose a threat to my safety. The first is at its centre, the second is upon its outskirts, and the third is guarded by the Gatekeeper. Of whom is the only being capable of keeping the third one locked away for all time. "Therefore," I turned around slowly to wave at their persons with a slight smile upon my facial features, "I have nothing to worry about, and neither do you," and transported my self into that which was where the white mist originated from. A3 Chapter 76 AN: And now for a bit of some confusion along. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________________ The area which I was transported to was... odd. In that it was small and cramped, as though someone had hastily dug out a hole near the core of our world, and shoved an object into it. Of which reminded my person of how I met Beelzebub upon Konaku. In that he was also trapped inside an object and shoved into a large mountain. However, upon that world the area around his prison was full of a darkness which tried to slay your person on the spot. This one? It was simply a prison, and nothing more. To reiterate, the prison was exactly the same as the God of Gluttony''s. In that it was a spherical prison with an unknown body curled up in its centre. Not to mention the runes, sigils, and spell circles was far too exact to be a coincidence. Which garnered my desire to summon the God, as well as Rojaahn and Hephaestus''s Adamantine Dwarves. Of which appeared behind my person, through a portal of endarkened energy. Once all had stepped through, only the God narrowed his eyes with great disdain, and confirmed my suspicions that it was the same as his own prison. "Very well," my voice reverberated throughout the space as I called upon my magicks in order to transport us all to the surface. Whereupon we would be able to tackle this problem away from the core. For if anything destructive were to come in contact with it, then I would become quite annoyed in trying to keep it from exploding our world in its entirety. Upon returning to the surface, my Undying summoned up his own servants just as the Dwarves surrounded the sphere in question. One, in which, held a large crack upon its surface. Not only this, but the prisoner''s eyes, which were large and red, twitched between everyone that came close. However, if no one is within its sight, the being simply watches my person with expectant wonder. No. At that time I did not know what was going through its mind, but desired it to be free so that we may decide what to do with it. By the by, this being appeared to be female with a milk-white skin and molten silver hair. Of which was spread out all around her body, as her arms were wrapped around the tucked in legs which were towards her chest. Not only this, but she was quite nude and would be in need of clothing soon enough. As for her eyes, well, I''ve already stated their colour, but it also appeared to my person that it was full of an unknown rage which was not directed towards any of us. No. I did not have a clue at as to who it might have been at that time. In due time, though, I and everyone else would. Instead, she appeared somewhat grateful for our efforts, even if nearly all of her body was frozen still inside the prison which had been placed around her person. "My Lord High God?" called out Rojaahn, as he waved his right, primary clawed hand, "We are in need of a great force of energy to pierce the shell." Yes. If any of you have read up on the histories of Konaku, you would have no doubt read a few passages where I simply struck the prison which held Beelzebub. This caused it to shatter, allowing his person to emerge with a great roar. However, it also left him considerably weak to the point of not being able to move, breathe, or speak for over a fortnight without assistance. Seeing as how I had become an Ageless, I believed such a process would not be necessary for this one. "Very well, Rojaahn," I replied as my form took on my skeletal self which was made up of my chaotic and endarkened energies whilst the skies overhead darkened from this event, "Then if you would, be ready to catch any and all shards which may scatter after the initial strike. We would not wish for another repeat of what occurred upon Konaku." No. I will not repeat what had occurred, as such a thing would require my person to deviate further from the story at hand for a time. Instead, I came upon the prison which held the small female, and sneered mentally as I noted that the eyes had grown fearful of my presence, and would have like to run from where she was firmly fixed in place. However, such a thing was not possible, for even if she was able to do so, the barriers which had now been erected around the pair of us were set so that nothing would escape until I chose to allow it to do so. Within half a step, I was in front of the prison, which was in the shape of a sphere. Yes. The same exact shape that I had found the God of Gluttony within. However, the only difference between them, was the fact that this one held nothing in terms of a defense. One in which I believe to have been a mistake on their other, unknown party''s part. Once there, my right primary, clawed hand was raised into a fist as it gathered up a percentage of a percentage of my strength within the limb. Of which was then slammed down upon the surface, causing it to create a myriad of hairline fractures. "Not enough," my voice was released in a grumble, as I increased the energies gathered, and struck the surface once more. Again, there was only a myriad of hairline fractures upon the surface, and once more, I increased the output of my strikes. This would continue for a time, and I would come to notice the multiple lights pouring out of the prison every time this was done so. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ***** However, unbeknownst to my person, such strikes were causing another to become notified that the prison which held the female was being broken into. This was, of course, Azazel of Azzarath, and she had grown quite frantic once she realised that the world which this being was imprisoned within was the same one that had been stolen. Not only this, but any and all portals which were within the Hub World of Azzarath had grown dark and unusable within moments after the armies which had plagued their Pantheon vanished without a trace. "Damnit all," screened the God King within her small space with many dead and rotting bodies against the walls to either side of her, "Damn you, Undead Karastak!" Her fist shook against the air as though the one she curse was in front of her person. It was at this point that the first of many alarms rang throughout her space, giving way to the fact that the prison she had placed someone within was being broken into. "No, no, no, no, no," repeated the little-girl-who-was-not-a-girl as she grew frantic over the fact that someone was further disrupting her plans. Not only this, but soon after the removal of Terra, other unknown Gods and Goddesses had decided to show up and strike out against her Pantheon. Each of them held the hopes that their targeted worlds would have weakened caretakers so that they may take the worlds away and to do as they wished. Of course, a few in the beginning were snatched away from a few Gods and Goddesses that were too exhausted and weak to even bring about a token of their strength in retaliation. This then caused Azazel to lash out against these beings, striking many of them down within a few moments, but only regaining approximately one third of those worlds that which had been stolen away. Once again, she cursed the Undead God who had opened this door in allowing the other random beings entry into the worlds of her Pantheon. And now? Now she had a new worry. One which would spell doom for her and her Pantheon of Gods and Goddesses if the others found out her greatest secret. ***** "I am Azazel, sister to Azrael," spoke the crimson eyed female in a soft, hoarse voice. Of whom was currently bundled up within a thick blanket Sarah and the All Mother had brought over just as she was being spoon fed refined mana in order to increase her recovery. "I thank you for-" "Hush," whispered my wife, who decided to pull the small form of the one who called herself "Azazel" upon her lap in order to stroke her hair. Whereas the spoon feeding duty was given over to the female Draconian who fumbled a few times in the beginning. "Just rest and drink the mana." No. The small female was not amused by this, but endured solely due to the fact that she was very weak. I, on the other hand, had transformed my person back into my Kitsune self at this point, and strode over to Rojaahn and the Dwarves who were sifting through the broken prison with great care. No. Beelzebub was not amongst this small crowd, but had chosen to depart. He did not wish to be reminded of his own imprisonment anymore than was necessary. For this, I can understand his reasoning, and no, I will not elaborate. In any case, I had called the attention of my Undying Researcher, who then informed my person that it was the same make, model, and design as the God of Gluttony''s prison. "So whoever created such a thing also trapped Azazel number two, My Lord High God. I have a theory as to who it might be, and if so, then it become troublesome soon enough." "Why do you believe so?" I inquired, not at all certain I was willing to listen to his answer, but still curious nonetheless. "If I am correct, then it would appear that Azazel, God King of the Azzarathean Pantheon is the one who created such a thing. If she did, then I fear Lord Beelzebub will desire some sort of retribution for such an action against his person." "Hmm," my voice hummed softly as a few sparks of pure energy erupted from a small shard an Adamantine Dwarf handled. Of which caused him to drop the item and shake his hands as though they stung. "Then we keep this information from his person until we know it to be true. Afterwards, I shall be the one to break the news to him. Understand?" "Yes, My Lord high God." A3 Chapter 77 AN: Once again, MORE confusion. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _________________________ Within a full sennight Rojaahn was able to confirm his suspicions about the structure of the prison. Which also meant that there was a strong possibility that it was constructed by God King Azazel, and it fell to my person that I was the one who would need to break such news. However, I chose to forgo such a thing, as this other one who came from such a prison called herself "Azazel". It was believed, at that time, that the God of Gluttony would lash out at her person. Therefore, we would forgo making mention of such speculations towards the other. For now, though, the little girl-child was frowning as she stood before my person. We were within the Midnight Castle''s greathall, whereupon I sat on a throne of endarkened marble which appeared to have been molded upwards from the floor by way of magick. Of course, this was so, as I did not much care for the gilded objects many other kings had created for their person to sit upon. To my right was another marble throne, but one which held the colour of freshly fallen snow, and upon it sat my wife, Sarah. Whereas to my left, and a little behind my person sat Sia and Shauu. Of whom were substitutes for Brutus, as he had the duties of subjugating those who would not conform to the Laws of Terra willingly. As well as to outright slay all who opposed our rights to ruling over the world. No. I did not just demand or conform all living beings to such ideas. Instead, I had others demand that for my person in the form of fire and the sword. If so, then they would live, but if not? Well, I believe all know of the answer to this. In any case, Azazel number two had sat down upon a small, sofa-like chair which was brought over by one of my Undying skeletons, and fussed about the plain, one-piece dress my Chosen had picked out for her. Of course, Sarah had joined in on the fun, as one would in her position. As to why we had gathered together? It was to decide the fate of the one before us, as I was loathe to just send her person away due to her appearance as a child. "So," my voice drawled slowly as I brought all attention upon the present, "Where are you from, Azazel number two?" "Why do you call me ''number two''?" She spoke in a sweet voice, one which created the imagery of flowers and singing birds before their ultimate demise fell upon their heads. "There is another we know of who calls herself thusly," came my reply, whilst my eyes bore into her entire being, causing her small body to squirm under the glare. This led to Sarah reaching over to grip my right paw gently, whilst giving it a small squeeze in order to release her person from my gaze. In turn, it allowed the other to sigh with relief, and beam a smile towards my wife. Whereupon she did flinch once my glare returned. "Where are you from?" I repeated once more, not wishing to stall any longer. "Um... Azzarath?" "Was that a query, or a claim?" "Yes?" To which I sighed with great exasperation whilst Sarah leaned over in order to voice her own opinion. "Ageless," she spoke softly, but not soft enough for the other. For she heard such words, and did flinch greatly before my eyes. Which led to my person holding up my paw towards her person in order to address the other. "You flinched at my name of Ageless, why?" Once more, she repeated such an action and squirmed greatly upon the chair her body had rested upon. Again, Sarah sought to intervene on the other''s behalf, but was held back by Sia and Shauu as I stalked forward whilst calling upon my magicks. This was so, as I intoned the spell called, "<>," and watched as several dozen silvered spell circles erupted around Azazel number two''s position, compelling her mind to only speak truthfully until I release her person. "Where. Are. You. From?" came my words of frustration as my form grew larger and full of shadowed energies which crackled about my form. From this, the Azazel before us spoke with widened eyes full of tears, "I am from Azzarath." This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.This led to my person calming down as I returned to my throne. Whereupon I did ask, "Why did you hesitate, and why did you flinch at the name of Ageless?" Once more, she did flinch and tried to forgo speaking such things. Unfortunately for her, the spell circles were built up to not only force her to speak the truth, but to compel the target, too. "My... father," she spoke hesitantly, trying to fight against the compulsion, but ultimately lost as her eyes glazed over from the strength of the spell, "My father was a God King many a year ago, and chose to walk down the path of the Ageless. Not only did he succeed, but had to leave after what my sister did to me, as well as his retaliation for responding so negatively for such an action." "Hmm," my voice hummed softly, whilst my mind contemplated upon what next to ask. However, instead of my person speaking the next query, it came from my beloved wife, "What did he become when he ascended to the level of Ageless?" "He became the one known as The Outcast for his part in retaliation against my sister''s choices." * From what we were able to piece together, during the process of The Outcast''s ascension, the sister of the Azazel before us was against the entirety of it all. For it involved him needing to absorb the essences of two other beings in order to gain their gifts as I had gained my own. Of whom were close friends of their family. Yes. All three desired to ascend, but could not due to the fact that there were only a small handful of beings who held the Spark of Purity. For all others desired Absolute Power or All Knowledge, as opposed to gaining that which was necessary for life itself. Instead, these beings would simply search out an already constructed world with life, and take over its management. What is more, such places would soon fall to ruin due to an imbalance of gifts running rampant throughout those that governed such worlds. As the Spark of Purity was needed for nearly everything. From birth to the creation of crops, as well as the creation of the elements. All this and more came from the Sparks, but none desired to take the time necessary to use it. Instead, they chose an easier route, and slew all life upon the worlds they tried to govern. Ah, for those of whom are confused, all of this occurred many a millennia ago. Which means that this Azazel was quite old, and perhaps the other as well. In any case, the one she claimed to be her father held a Spark of Purity. One of which only those of whom could be counted upon one clawed hand were within the Universe. Yes. He also desired to ascend after gaining such a thing. Of which led to a sort of competition between himself and the other two who held the Gift of All Knowledge, as well as the Gift of Absolute Power. Yes. This competition was to the death, and yes, her supposed father was victorious. However, once he journeyed towards the All being, her sister had gathered together a force of Gods and Goddesses who were to be used in subjugating their father. This, in turn, caused her own person to become quite upset and brought about a few defenders to fight against this army. Here is where she was unclear about some things, as she was not exactly present for much of the battle due to her and one other guarding the ascension process. For there were many who dared to try and sneak their way into wherever it was they were at. I believe she called it a "Sanctum", of some sort. Whereas the outside of such a place was bloody and full of strife as the army grew closer and closer. Once they had reached this place, and opened the doors, did their father awaken into something more. The way this Azazel described the creature was very much like my own form, but less solidified. Yes. They did attack the creature, and yes, they were driven back. However, they were outright killed once it became known that they were here to slay his person. What is more, the one before us could not speak of what happened next. Why? It was not within her memory to recall such a thing. Instead, the being that was their father became The Outcast, and fled from their persons. This led to a conflict between the sisters. One in which caused this one to lose as she was bound and tossed into the sphere in which I had discovered her person within. A3 Chapter 78 AN: And now for a bit of fluff. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ______________________________ "Well?" inquired Sarah as she reclined within my lap, "What do you think?" We were both within a small room, a closet really, nearest our bedchamber. Our own eyes watched as the one who called herself Azazel was pulled along with a few other children in order to play within the garden many a gnome had created for our viewing pleasure. Not only this, but it was, and still is, full of deadly and poisonous plants which could slay thousands with only a few drops of their distilled oils. Yes. I have such a thing, which were there for the sole purpose of viewing their beauty beneath the lonely, full moon within the heavens above. No. None of the children, or those of whom could not endure such a place due to their own mortality, were allowed to be within a few metres of this part of the garden. Instead, they played within the personal garden created beneath the window of our bedchamber. It is here that we witnessed the children, Azazel number two, and my Chosen as they frolicked, play-fought, and dozed within the grass and against the many oak trees planted about. For those of whom are not aware, my gardens span the length of a small village. Everything that grows there are immune to the various diseases and damages done by the many pests. Hence the reason why there are many within the Pantheon, and the worlds themselves, who desire such a thing. As even the smallest of seedlings carries within it the ability to expand its immunities of the all other plants within a set parametre. Yes. Such a thing does exist, and I own their monopoly. "Hmm," my voice hummed softly as I scratched the back of her neck slowly. Of which caused her body to lean into my strokes, whilst she released something akin to a purr as her eyes closed to convey pleasure for such a gesture. "She was not allowed to lie, but that does not mean she could be hiding something." "Such as?" Her body turned enough so that it was now straddling my person as we stared into each other''s eyes at this point, and nuzzled into my neck fur. "Even though the Truth spell compels a person to speak the truth, that doesn''t mean the target could not locked a portion of it somewhere in their mind. Without truly digging through that which they call the ''Mind'', I cannot say whether or not I believe her." "But what about her being ''Azazel'', and Mother is called Azrael?" Yes. The God King of the Azzarathean Pantheon is Sarah''s own mother. Of which has been established as a fact long ago, even more so with the one we know of today. Therefore, I am her son-in-law, and Nox is her grandson. "Does no one remember that time period?" Her head shakes quickly, causing the wolfish fur around her neck to fluff up somewhat from the gesture, "No. Most of them became Gods and Goddesses a few cycles after I was born. So I doubt she allowed any of the originals to survive." "Hmm," once again, my voice hummed softly, but was interrupted by the fact that she had decided to kiss my lips. Of which I responded with my own, and upon our release, we found ourselves within the bed itself. Enjoying ourselves together for quite some time. * This event would last for nearly a full turn, and by that time she was well spent from the... Well, many, if not all, should know of what I speak upon. What was the most interesting piece I had gained from all of this, was her beautiful smile as her mind journeyed to a blissful slumber in order to recuperate from the lasting effects of our copulation. Yes. Such an innocent gesture was enough to make my stilled heart flutter as I bore witness to such a thing, and caused it to grow by leaning over to kiss the right side of her muzzle. Of which was exposed from beneath several torn layers of sheets and bed-fluff. For our enjoyment held the use of claws and teeth, and with such an application, it did not stand much of a chance against us. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. In any case, my simple gesture caused her lips to stretched larger, and snuggled more into the fragmented pillows and bedding as I stood up slowly. This led to my person vanishing from the room, and into the grey-stone hallway, whereupon I did startle a pair of my Chosen. Of which were a metallic, four-armed Fox-kin female and a Bearwoman with the same skin and extra arms. These two had been giggling when I had appeared, pointing towards the bedchamber I shared with Sarah, but then snapped to a salute upon noticing my person. To which I simply waved at them, and spoke of how they must notify my person in the event that my wife wakes up. This led to some confusion, in which I chuckled due to the fact that they could not understand how it is that she was still asleep when I was still up and about. "My dear Chosen," my voice was full of a slight merriment as I began my explanation, "whilst the stamina and endurance of the Undead, as we all are, is infinite, the bodies of those who are to be infallible Gods and Goddesses are not. Understand?" This led to my left eye winking quickly in order to drive the hint home into their minds. Which led to their slow realisation and another giggling session. What was strange about this was the fact that they gave their condolences to my person. It was rather odd for one such as I, even when the Fox-kin, whose name was Annasha, explained further, "Because she can''t keep up with you, Master." "Ah, but that is where you are wrong, Annasha. For upon devouring and absorbing the energies within a God''s magick core, will she become more in heat. Therefore, she will be able to keep up for far longer. It is quite the aphrodisiac for one such as she, but I do not know if it''ll work on you Chosen." "Why not?" asked the Bearwoman, whose name was Kana. "This is due to the fact that we have not tested such a thing just yet. Ah, but fret not," my right paw sank into the air between us when I noted their downcast eyes, and pulled out several cores from a few of the Minour Gods and Goddesses we had gathered from within the Abyss and upon Forge, "I shall be giving these to Rojaahn and his people so that they may see what may occur when an Undying such as yourselves consumes them. "Will you be able to gain more strength like Brutus has, or will you become in a great heat like Sarah had succumbed to? Only time will tell." Upon so saying, the cores vanished from my palm, and would appear within Rojaahn''s possession soon to find out if there was any aphrodisiac properties for the Chosen. As well as to be as thorough as possible with each core. For they were necessary to Sarah if she wished to proceed with such nightly activities at an extended length. Afterwards I did leave the pair whose eyes shone greatly as they watched my person leave and head off towards our more personal garden. Whereupon I did come upon a sight which was as adorable and confusing as one could come up with for children. For you see, the multitude of children were tasked with "slaying the monsters" who were played by Shauu and Sia. Of whom were guarding the kidnapped "Princess Azazel". The two chosen were performing this guard duty close to an oak tree with the girl-child within, as it was her "prison". What came next was a large amount of yipping and yapping filling the air as each of them pounced upon, clawed at, and nipped at the bodies of my Chosen. These two then pretended to be "slain" by their combined efforts, and successfully "rescued the princess". After such a thing was completed, the children then rushed over to the adoptive parents and guardians with many apologies towards their persons. To which they gathered each within their four arms to respond with a great hug, and much cooing to soothe their persons as they spoke of how much fun they had playing the "monsters". Though, of course, the pair had been considered as actual monsters since the beginning of our venture into the worlds of the Azzarathean Pantheon once upon a time. However, that tale will not be mentioned any time soon, and if you wish to read up upon it, then I would suggest journeying to a nearby library. Whereupon you, and all others, will be able to read the many adventures and misadventures we each had throughout our long life. A3 Chapter 79 AN: Next chapter is an NSFW one. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _________________________________ "I have come to a decision as to what we shall do with you, Azazel number two," my voice boomed throughout the greathall of our Midnight Castle. It had been another full turn by the time Sarah had awoken from her recovered sleep, and during that time I had contemplated on what to do. "We shall be using your person to take over the Azzarathean Pantheon." Upon so saying, my body leaned back against the high back of the throne, with elbows upon the arm rests, and paw pads touching one another as the room erupted with some opposition. Those of whom decided to oppose such a thing came mainly from Sia and Shauu, but only due to the fact that the children really loved having her around. Whereas Sarah simply stared at my person with a mixture of confusion and a blank expression. Quite odd, to be sure, but it mattered little to my person. "My reasons for this are quite clear," these calmed many within, as the eyes of this Azazel widened greatly when I continued, "The God King will have no doubt found out about our involvement with the armies that attacked their worlds. Not only this, but many of their worlds are being fought over by outside forces. Thus, weakening her further." "How do you know of this, Ageless?" inquired Sarah, who was currently showing concern for those she had known all her life. "I have many sources within the Pantheon, my dear, of whom will not be named," which was the truth, and they''re still there. No. Their names will not be spoken of, for if I do speak their names, you will all have to disappear or have your minds tampered with. "You think this is a jest?" The Ageless''s eyes drooped as his facial features became blank. It was here that his audience realised he was completely and utterly serious, and shivered where they sat. "Well, did these sources say anything important?" "Such as your mother becoming mad, cursing my name, actively trying to curse my person, and fighting off those who are viewed as Scavenger Gods and Goddesses? No." My shoulders shrugged slowly as her own eyes widened greatly. Yes. She did gasp at my words, and slumped into her own throne. "In any case, we shall be placing you, Azazel number two, upon the throne as God King of the Azzarathean Pantheon, as she will also know that you have escaped. That is, if she had half a mind to place alarms around your prison. If she knows of your removal from the prison, then she will be looking for your person once everything has been settled within her Pantheon. Therefore, we shall strike soon. "So go and prepare," my body did stand tall as all of my Undying stood at attention, "for this will be our last campaign." "Which means?" inquired Sia slowly. Turning towards her person, my features revealed a slight smirk, "Which means, my dear Sia, that after this, there will only be peace amongst our people," her skeletal tail swayed quickly as she grew excited, which quickly fade when I continued with, "Unless someone else grows foolish enough to strike out against our world of Terra, of course." * Whilst my Undying left to gather up their own minions, as well as to figure out who will be staying as a guard against any and all who would dare to attack the newly fledged Pantheon, I summoned Beelzebub before my person. One who deserved to know what it was that we had found out about the prison which contained Azazel number two. Yes. He was quite angered by all of this, and yes, he desired to join us. To which I gave my assent to, as have him would be far more dangerous than having his person by my side. You all appear to be confused, so allow my person to reiterate. Imagine, if you will, a volatile cocktail full of unknown chemicals which can, and will explode if left alone for a time. Now, it still is dangerous, even if you take it with your person, but you will be able to direct the damage wherever you will. However, if left alone, say, in a laboratory full of other dangerous chemicals, mixtures, and tinctures then it will no doubt create a far greater explosion which will cause your person to rush back to try and salvage the situation. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. This was so with Beelzebub. For if I had left his person alone within the Pantheon, even after speaking to his person about what we had learned with Azazel number one, then he will no doubt have resented such a decision. What is more, if we succeeded with our campaign, and he wasn''t there to witness such an event, nor was a part of it, then there is no doubt he would have plotted some sort of revenge against I and mine. Which would have led to his untimely demise, and we couldn''t have this occur. Therefore, he would come with us whilst bringing an army of five hundred Greater Devourer Demons. Yes. He was quite angry, and would unleash these beings upon those who would dare to stand in his way. However, this would occur soon enough. ***** On the other side of things, and within the Azzarathean Pantheon, sat a tired God King called Azazel atop a mound of blood, flesh, and bone within a white space where the battles of Gods and Goddesses would take place. This is so, as the destructive powers wielded by such being upon the various worlds, or within the void space between them, would cause untold destruction to those who are desiring to live in peace. Therefore, it was decided long ago that those with incredible power and strength would fight within an Ethereal Void Space so as to minimise any and all damage which would occur elsewhere. Yes. This was where I fought those Gods and Goddesses who dared to venture forth upon my conquered world of Forge. Of which was then transferred into the physical plane as a beam of chaotic energies upon their persons when I won. In any case, the God King had just triumphed over those who dared to challenge her person for ownership of her pantheon, when the many screens within her command grew large in front of her person in order to reveal the images of her most hated enemy. Of which caused her person to grin greatly as she noted that he, and his entourage were journeying towards her and her Pantheon. "Good. Good," she muttered with a feral grin and eyes full of maddening hatred, which then faltered as she noted another being amongst their numbers. One in which she wished it were not possible, as the images came upon a mirror image of herself. Of whom was flying within the centre of a great host of Gods, Goddesses, and demonic creatures. Each journeying onwards towards her Pantheon. To which she growled and released her pent up anger upon the space around her person, obliterating every trace of the battle beforehand. Well, I''d say "battle", but it was more of a one sided massacre on her part. For a God King''s strength comes from the many worlds within their control, and although she had lost nearly thirty and four worlds, there was still nearly seventy other worlds within her Pantheon. This group gave her the strength to overcome all challenges and their challengers. However, she was still quite overconfident when it came to the fighting, as she would take on all odds on her own, never relying on others. Perhaps if she wasn''t so stubborn, I probably would not be standing here. After her explosive tantrum, the God King calmed herself whilst pacing around a small area within the Ethereal Void Space, muttering inconsequential musings which do not bear repeating. One of such mutterings was to figure out why they were coming back if they have what they wanted. Whereas another was of her wishing she had slew her sister instead of imprisoning her person long ago. Whilst a third was to simply wonder what she should eat as she waited for their arrival. Yes. Inconsequential mutterings to be sure. ***** As such things were occurring, those upon the various worlds within the Pantheon of Azzarath were quite upset, and even angered by what was happening within. Many blamed the armies of an unknown God striking out against them and those that they worshipped. Whereas the rest blamed the Gods and Goddesses that promised protection. These people who believed that their trusts were betrayed by their own deities rose up all over the various worlds. Which then led to many more wars against the Gods and Goddesses who made such promises, and slowly became a crusade. One that worshipped a new deity who was also called Azazel, but was kinder and had the back of another Pantheon of Gods and Goddesses. One in which desired to see her upon the throne which governed them all, and gave the promise of protection to those who desired such a thing, and a gruesome death to those that oppose such a thing. A3 Chapter 80 (NSFW) AN: Here it is, folks, the last NSFW chapter of the trilogy. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ____________________________ The moment we entered the space that was the Azzarathean Pantheon''s territory, myself, Sarah, Azazel number two, and Beelzebub entered the Ethereal Void Space. These were used primarily as a way for diplomats of other systems and deities to come and discuss alliances or treaties of some sort. However, at that time, it was being used as a battleground for the varying scavengers who desired the weakened worlds. In that there was a line with beings desiring to challenge for this or that, and we were the last. Or, rather, we were. For I had taken it upon my person to stride forward with everyone behind my person. Though there were a few who dared to stand in our way, they soon perished under my strength or knocked farther away than where they so desired to be. However, there were three who grew bold, and tried to manhandle my wife and the girl-child Azazel. These beings who dared to try were those with more muscles than sense, not to mention they were Human. Of course, they simply grinned down upon my Kitsune self as though it was their right to do so, and would ravage that which I held dear. Not to mention the child next to us would be targeted, and I could not allow such a thing. "You dare," my voice thundered throughout the entirety of the space as my body stretched and distended until I became my skeletal self full of endarkened shadows and the colours of chaos, "You dare to target what is mine? <>!" A bolt of energy with the colours of the Madness erupted from my primary, right clawed hand and struck the first of the trio. This then pierced its body, and lanced through a pair within a crowd that had gathered. No. This did not slay their persons, but it was enough to knock them down upon their backs whilst they struggled to not cry out. For within my energies was an enmity for all that was not part of my family. One, in which, grew into a more tangible form, and caused the targets a great amount of pain whilst it ate away at their energies, mana, and strength. "You bastard," growled one of the remaining Humans, and lifted up a great maul in order to strike it against my side, but was unable to do so due to the fact that something was keeping it in place within the air. No. It was not moveable, which caused this Human great despair as I turned my attention towards his person, and enacted something which you will never be able to achieve. "<>," I intoned, which roughly translates to "Dawn of The Fallen God". Yes. This is one of the many plethora of forbidden spells which are deemed too chaotic, impossible, or simply world ending for those of whom would care to try and cast such spells. This one, however, became a favourite of mine long ago, and was used to crack open the core of the world of Lavara which allowed my person to destroy it utterly. This one creates a myriad of beautiful lights which cascade out of my person and into the surrounding. Of course, Beelzebub noticed the spell for what it truly was, and summoned up a greatly endarkened dome which erupted around his person, and those that journeyed with us. For he had long ago witnessed why it was that I enjoyed this forbidden spell the most. In that its destructive nature is an absolution for one who holds the Gift of Absolute Power. All eyes had turned towards the myriad of lights at this point, as did my own. However, as I was its original caster, I would become immune to the effects of what next came. For you see, my dear audience, this spell forces everyone trapped within its gaze to experience all manner of emotions whist gathering up that which made it into a forbidden spell in the first place. The first emotion they experienced was a joy so great, that all were laughing uproariously. To the point that they all had tears, of some sort of liquid, streaming down their faces. All to the point that their own blood replaced said tears. Which soon transferred into a sorrow so great that only a few died on the spot due to a broken heart. You may ask how this is possible, and I shall only tell you all that this spell focuses on emotions. Causing the viewing parties to experience such a thing to a far greater degree until something within them either snaps, or they die. Sorrow is one such emotion which can kill those who are forced to endure such a great amount of the emotion, and yes, you can die from a broken heart. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. In this case, however, those that did not die immediately, had to endure the pains from the images that assaulted their minds. Such as a loved one perishing to a foe that cannot be beaten; their world burning all around their persons and are helpless to stop it; everything that they cherished simply removed from their lives. All of this, and so much more did they endure to the point that they each wept rivers of their own blood. Yes. The next emotion which came was wrath, in that they turned upon each other with great ferocity. Weapons rose and fell as screechings, battle cries, and all manner of whoops and hollers rose up into the air around us whilst the multitude of creatures around my person fought against their brother, sister, father, mother, loved one, and neighbour as though they were a much hated enemy. What is more, many of them had taken it upon themselves to perform sexual abuse with one another as their victims slit their attackers'' throats or plunged their own weapons into the chests in order to remove the beating hearts. All of this and more was witnessed by my eyes, as they did stare upon the scene whilst my mental self did grin a feral grin. This was then transferred into a great laughter as the blood of all around my person flowed greatly beneath my clawed feet. Though, of course, I made sure that Beelzebub''s shield did not have any holes in it, as the next portion of the spell has been known to pierce even a God''s Divine Shield. For it was grief that came next, along with it was the memories of what the survivors had performed during the last session. Yes. There were many who howled and screamed as they noted that everything around their person was real, and not some form of a nightmare. More of this came from those that were a family of some sort, as they were even foolish enough to bring their own children. One of these groups had a small, boy-child that appeared to be part snake, part Orc, had been swallowed whole, but ate his own way out of the abdomen of the one who swallowed his person. Unfortunately, another being had shove a spear through the being''s gut just as the child''s head erupted in the space. Another was of what appeared to be a father-type figure, and had used his own member to slay the rest of his family by piercing that which was betwixt their legs, or their rear ends, and pull their bodies apart during such a session. That one, once the grief set in, took out his own weapon, a curved dagger which appeared to be more like a claw from a raptor than anything else, and slit his own throat. It perplexed my person at the time, but it was quite understandable that one would desire to end one''s own life after everything that had occurred. Well, after grief came a black depression so great, that those which remained were forced to end their own lives even if they did not wish to do so. Yes. All were made to perish by the spell of beautiful lights. In that it simply dominated their minds in such a manner that they believed every little lie it spoke of. Such as the deaths of those around their persons was somehow their own fault, they''re not loved enough, or even simply driving them to madness by taking their own memories of their loved ones in order to have them die. No matter what the spell did to their persons, they all died in the end. Which brought about the second portion of the spell. One that wove binding runes, spell circles, and sigils all across the surfaces of their magickal cores. All of this was then transferred over to my person, whereupon I gained control over their everything, and can do as I so wish with them. At this point, you may be wondering how this is at all possible, if everyone around my person, who was not heavily shielded by Beelzebub, was dead. Well, that''s the beauty of it all. For you see, my title of being a Lord of Chaos is not just for show. For I am the Lord of Chaotic Mana and Illusions. Therefore, everything was simply an illusion which allowed my person to dominate everyone''s entire being by breaking them all. Yes. Once the spell was dissipated, all became as it once was with one exception. The being that was struck by my Arc of Mana was still quite dead. A3 Chapter 81 AN: Tomorrow will be the epilogue along with some final words, and a few about what will be going on with the next series. As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. ___________________ "Next," called out a rather bored Elven female in a flowery, pink dress. Of whom had created a portal into the next area of the space at the head of the line, and only sighed when all others did not move. For they were currently staring at my person as I knocked on the endarkened dome in order to inform everyone within that I was in control of the challengers, and that everything was okay. Which caused the dome to vanish, revealing the group as my wife rushed to my side just as my body slowly took on the form of my Kitsune self. Whereupon he did cling to my person, whispering, "Don''t do that again, okay? It was too scary in there." "No promises, my dear," came my reply as we held one another close for a time. Upon our release, did we lace our digits around one another as we passed all others who were not a part of our groups, and towards the Elf who grimaced at our persons. "Undead Karastak," she growled with haughtiness that was immediately smacked out by Sarah''s back hand. This led to the creature flying back towards the portal, of which flickered as she landed next to it. "You do not get to speak that name," growled the Wolfwoman who then stalked towards the slowly standing being before her. Of whom did raise her arms high as a clawed hand raked across bare flesh, creating great gashes which then exposed the very bones of her target''s arms. Yes. The other did gasp and cry out from the pain, of which only just began. For my wife then did tear of the Elf''s right arm and proceed to beat the other with such a thing. Yes. We were all quite stunned by the display, as she had never expressed such anger, nor performed the violence that we each bore witness that turn. It was... quite entertaining to my eyes, and one that I will always treasure. In any case, the female under her person had fallen soon after the beating began, and appeared to be ready to expire. Which led to my beloved to toss the limb away, grip the other''s shoulders, and lift her body high. Whereupon she did stretch her maw as wide as possible, and promptly tore out her target''s neck. Oh yes. She did thusly, and was painted a bright red for performing such a deed. Of which she did grin and lap at the blood upon her fur as the body fell to the ground. However, she was not quite finished with it, for she pounced upon the body, tearing into its chest in order to retrieve the core nearest its heart. This was then swallowed whole to be absorbed at a much slower pace than one which was ground to powder and mixed with some sort of liquid would. "Ah," Sarah sighed as her body twirled around in order to stare upon our persons with a feral grin that became sheepish when she realised the audience was not just my person, and did rub the back of her neck with her right, clawed hand, "Sorry about that. I always wanted to kill Siiro, and did not want to pass up the opportunity." "Why?" called out Beelzebub, who was far more curious than anything at that point, "What did she do to you?" "She?" Sarah did blink a few times, blinked down towards the mangle body, then turned to look upon the other with great confusion as her left, clawed hand waved at the mess, "That isn''t a ''she'', but a ''Trap''." "A ''Trap''?" Now it was my turn to become confused. To which she nodded in a manner like a sage with folded arms, "Yes. A ''Trap'' is someone of a specific gender dressing up in the opposite''s clothes, taking on their mannerisms and make-up in order to confuse and entrap others into believing they''re what they appear to be, not what they actually are. Make sense?" "Hmm," my voice hummed softly as a tendril of my energy did lift the hem of the dress, and remove part of the undergarments. Which led to the reveal of a limp, male appendage beneath such a thing. "It appears to be a male," came my mutterance as the dress was released, and turned around to spy my wife slowly scrubbing off the blood as Azazel number two did try her best to hide behind Beelzebub. Of whom was none too amused by this, and moved aside every time she performed such an action. Yes. It was be quite the amusing viewing, but we had a job to do. One in which required the demise of a God King, and would not go down quietly. * If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.In the end, a full decca-turn would pass before Sarah gave us the okay that she had removed all of the blood from her body, and was ready to face her own mother in what could be viewed as the "Final Boss Battle". Yes. Such a thing could be viewed thusly, but for one such as I, it was just another turn and reminded my person of facing off against beings who were far more frightening than she. No. Such things will not be spoken of any time soon. In any case, once we stepped through the portal, we came upon another white Void Space. In the centre of it all, however, was the little-girl-who-was-not-a-girl. "God King Azazel," growled Beelzebub as he started to walk towards her person. However, he was held back by my outstretched arm as I was able to see the multitude of trap-like spell circles hidden within the whiteness. Of which led my person to point such things out. Though, the moment after I finished, a light and delicate form of laughter echoed throughout the space''s entirety. One in which was full of humourless mirth as the little God King turned to stare upon our persons with maddening eyes which appeared more along the lines of who who has lost their sanity quite recently. Not only this, but she was devoid of any clothing that we could see, which caused Sarah to twitch as though she made to move towards her person. However, she was soon stopped from proceeding by my person and her own will. Ah, but Azazel number one was coated in various forms of entrails and drying blood from those that came to claim the worlds under her control. This was not enough to cover that which needed covering, but held enough to cause others to believe she was wearing some sort of disgusting garment upon her person. Yes. This was what we each believed at first glance, but came to realise the truth of it all. "Ah," sighed the ruler of the Azzarathean Pantheon, "Undead Karastak, so good of you to join this one, but now you must die." Upon so saying, her form vanished from her position, and reappeared before my person. Whereupon she did lash out with a staff made up of pure, chaotic mana, and batting my body away from the rest of my group. Oh yes. I was quite unamused by all of this, and desired to rend her to pieces. Especially when she decided to turn her attention upon my beloved wife with the staff that became a spear. However, it was bashed aside by Beelzebub, as he formed a shield out of his endarkened magicks upon his left arm. Within his right hand was a spear of his own design, and also one which was created by the same substance as the shield. This was then used to push his quarry away from those of whom were deemed to be the non-combatants of the group. "You''re the one who imprisoned me," he raged as his spear became a flurry of blows which were all directed towards her person. Though, of course, she easily parried and dodged each and every one of these blows with a great grin plastered upon her lips. I, on the other hand, had become my skeletal, chaotic self as my body slowly stood tall. "Brutus. Gahn," my voice boomed throughout the space whilst portals full of my own energies erupted upon my left and right side. Of which allowed the Lich King, and Greater Golem to step through. This led to the summoning of a small host of Wendigos and Banshees, and were sent off to join Beelzebub in his fight against the God King. "Brutus," his form turned towards my person with the look of expectancy upon his metallic, skeletal features, "You will be running support in this subjugation, understand?" "Perfectly, My Lord High God," came his reply with a slight bow that quickly became a salute as he remembered my disdain for such things. "Summon up as many as you so desire to, Brutus, my Lich King, and have them target God King Azazel. Gahn," my skeletal head turned towards his own, stone-like image of my person, "you are to be the protector of Brutus, Sarah, and the girl-child near her. Understand?" This led to his great head to bob once as his form slowly sauntered off towards my wife and Azazel number two. "What of yourself, My Lord God?" asked my Right Hand in all things. "I shall be attacking as well." ____________ AN2: By the way, my first book, which is on Amazon right now, will be given away for free for one week after tomorrow. So if you want to download it onto your Kindle, but not wanting to pay the four/five dollars for it, tomorrow will be your chance. For anyone curious who has not already seen it, here''s my first book all edited, and what not: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B01IJ47KB0 A3 Epilogue Part One AN: I''m not one for writing "epic battles", as y''all should know by now, but here''s this one. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. __________________________ "<>," I intoned, releasing four chaotic bolts of energy towards Azazel number one, and watched as she danced amongst the destructive forces hell bent on destroying her body. Instead, the Wendigos Brutus had summoned had somehow gotten in the way of my energy, and were blown away, which caused the pair of us to growl as he began an intonement to summon up one of his greater summons. Whereas I simply released more bolts down upon her form, and yes, she did dodge them as well. "Really now, Undead Karastak, this one believed you had more tricks than a light show," she taunted towards my person as her grin filled up three-fourths of her features. After such tauntings, the little-girl-who-was-not-a-little-girl lashed out with her spear, piercing one of the remaining Wendigos in the chest with her spear, and launching it in my direction. Of which was the batted off to one side by a lesser clawed hand, whilst I intoned, "<>!" From this, hundreds of fist sized spheres made up of pure darkness which sucked in the light of everything around it formed up in front of my person. These were then released one by one in rapid succession towards her person whilst Beelzebub danced behind my position with a grim look about his features. For you see, my dear audience, such orbs have the tendency to remove everything they touch from existence. Therefore, you would not wish to be within their path. Yes. She knew of this spell, as she was the one to develop such a thing, and taught it to my person through the form of an ancient scroll found upon her world. To which her eyes widened greatly as her body scrambled to weave and dodge out of their way. When it appeared to be at an end, did she breathe a half sigh of relief. Yes. I did say "half sigh of relief". For just as she began to sigh, did the barrage of orbs start up again, devouring all of reality around their persons as they continued onwards and into the Void Space around our persons. "This one is unamused, Undead Karastak," Azazel howled as a third barrage began to launch itself towards her person, "Why do you risk oblivion?" No. I did not answer her person, and instead continued the intonement of such spells whilst she danced about the chaotic mass of orbs. Even as a fourth, fifth, and sixth barrage of spheres were unleashed upon her person, did I not speak. This would continue until the ninth barrage was unleashed did I speak. For her foot was barely struck by one of the orbs, and she did cry out in great pain as a child would when something sharp lashes at their person. "Go," I commanded Beelzebub, just as Brutus had finished his summons, "She has been poisoned by the Orbs, and will be weakening greatly soon enough. So go quickly if you wish for revenge." Of which caused the other to grin as his body flared with endarkened flames, and once they faded did we spy his form had become his Elven self with great wings like that of a bat. Whereupon he did launch his body towards the God King of Azzarath with his spear raised high in order to skewer her person. Yes. She did roll away from his weapon, and begun to exchange blows with his person just as I turned my own attention to that of Brutus and the others. "<>," Brutus intoned, summoning up a large cadre of the fallen souls of the warriors he had absorbed during our time upon Azzarath. Of which contained many a Nomad from the deserts nearest the city of Crossroads, a few Elven archers, and a company of Human soldiers. Each of these had the visage of a Ghoul, in that their expressions were dull and lifeless, their features sunken and hollow. "Stand tall and wait for my signal to attack," commanded the Lich King as the group leapt to obey with the company of Humans in a square formation with the spearmen in the front, swordsmen in the centre, and archers in the rear. These were then joined by the Nomads along the flanks, and the Elven archers behind the Human ones. Each of these, though hollowed eyed, were desiring a fight with the unknown. For they each needed to slay at least one thousand foes in order to escape the clutches of the one who summoned them, or else remain a slave forevermore. After such a thing occurred, my attention turned towards Azazel number two. Whereupon I did notice she was... anxious, and pointed towards her own sister who was battling the God of Gluttony with great ferocity. However, she then stopped upon noticing my stare, released a small, "Eep," and hid behind Sarah. Of whom glanced under her arms to stare at the child-like Goddess, then towards my person. "I think she''s scared of you, Ageless," she commented as the other was pulled out from behind her person. "Good," came my reply as I turned away from their persons and towards the fight at hand. No. It was not going well for Beelzebub, of whom became more defensive the moment Azazel number one became somewhat feverish due to the fact that the Orb which had scraped her exposed foot was filled with a toxin that threatened her very existence. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. One of you has just asked if it was another of the Forbidden Spells in my arsenal, and that answer would be a yes, and a no. Yes, if you mean, "Can I learn it?" No, if you mean, "Can I cast it?" For you see, if one can learn such a thing when it is unlearnable by the standard methods, then there is no harm in casting such a thing. That is, only if you are able to pay the price for such magicks, as there is a chance you will perish along with your target. Hence the reason why Azazel number one inquired if I had a death wish when casting the Orbs. In any case, it was at this point that I sent out a tendril towards Beelzebub, wrapped it around his waist, and hauled his person towards my own. This was done so just as the other had already knocked his weapons away and was about to land a grievous wound upon his person. Of course, she was none too amused by any of this, growling and gritting her teeth whilst preparing for a charge towards my position. However, this soon changed as dozens of spectral arrows rained down upon her position. Whereupon she did twirl her own weapon in front of her person in order to deflect and block the arrows. Now, if she held a more physical weapon, then the God King of Azzarath would have been at a greater risk of being stuck than she would with her energy-spear. Of which continued even as the spearmen under Brutus''s control charged her person, and only once they were within a few metres did the arrow-rain stop in order to allow their ghostly comrades a chance to fight their newest foe. Though, of course, each was blown away with a single sweep of her spear, it did not seem to bother the spectres. Unless they were completely obliterated by her attacks, they each simply stood up and resumed their chargings. However, such things soon came to an end, as she did shout, "Enough," and scorched the entirety of the spectres that attacked her person. "This has gone on long enough," Azazel number one had growled vehemently as sweat continued to bead upon the whole of her body, leaving trails in the dried blood which coated her small body. "Azrael, stop this," cried out her own sister, and poked her head out from behind Sarah, "You''ve had your fun, now stand down." "Ah, little sister," sneered the other, "You were always such a bore. This one knew you should have been killed instead of imprisoned. Perhaps it was a weakness of youth, or something else. Who knows?" In so saying, she shrugged her shoulders and prepared to attack one again, but this time, called upon the strength in which had been collected from the worlds under her command. This was in the form of a great orb which slowly grew upon the tip of her spear, as it was drawn back behind her person. It was as though she intended to fling it towards our person the moment it was finished. Now, many of you would believe that a "Villain" would allow the "Hero" to collect their strength unopposed. However, that has resulted in the downfall of many an evil being over the last few centuries. One that was rectified almost immediately after it came to light, as each of the surviving "Villains" were given a sound beating as the lesson of them continuing their attacks so as to disrupt their opponent''s "Final Move". Oh yes, such a thing was quite annoying, and one that is no longer an issue within my own Pantheon, but I digress once more. As she began to condense her own energies, I and mine threw our own energies down upon her person. Whilst Azazel number one held a look of indignation as we did so, and even complained about it not being at all fair, or us "cheating". For she believed we would have created a barrier of some sort to absorb or deflect her strength, instead of trying to disrupt it. "Such naivety will have you slain, Azazel," my voice shook the entirety of the space we were occupied, as the last of her energies dissipated and she had begun to pant quite heavily. "You will not get away with this, Undead Karastak," came her growl as she clung to her spear whilst kneeling upon the ground. Whereas I simply stalked forward with the others behind my person as I became my kitsune self. "I already have, little God King," came my reply as my right paw wrapped itself around the back of her neck, and hoisted her high into the air. This caused her to struggle somewhat, and lashed out feebly with her spear. Of which was then swatted away by my person just as the other Azazel rushed to my side with pleading eyes. "Please don''t kill her." "And what reason do you have that I should not, hmm?" came my own inquiry, "Should we simply toss her person into another prison? Banish her to the Abyss? Or force her to endure a punishment worse than death for all eternity?" These queries left her stunned for a time, whereas the other spoke a string of profanities as she continued to struggle. "No," I continued, "I have another idea in mind, and one in which you will help me achieve. Whether you like it, or not." A3 Epilogue Part Two AN: And now to leave off with a bit of a sour note, where the end of the last chapter won''t be addressed until around the "Children of Terra" series. For the next ones will be about Nox and the Ageless traipsing through Azzarath and the Abyss. As per usual, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them. _____________________________ After speaking such words, did the Ageless simply glance down upon his son, Nox. Of whom had snuggled into the crook of his father''s left arm with a great yawn, which then led to a light dozing of his person. Whereas the endarkened furred Kitsune hummed an old song that was called "Mad World" whilst gently rocking the young hybrid slowly. "Sleepy," mumbled the boy-child who turned away from all others in order to sleep. Many females then did release a great sigh of joy as they witnessed such a sight, which led to more than a few desiring to hold his person, but would not dare to try with his father present. No. None would dare to rise up and take the boy-child, not unless they were willing to risk the full wrath of hundreds of females and his father bearing down upon their persons. For such is the gift, or perhaps the curse, of Nox as he oozes with "cutesy-adorableness". In any case, many did try to garner his attention, to which he then turned a blank gaze in their direction. This led to many desiring a continuation of the story at hand, but instead of this, he simply spoke with a chuckle, "Continue? No. I have finished my tale, young ones. Therefore, you are free to leave." "B-but... what?" Nearly all present were stunned by this dismissal, whereas the God King of Terra simply continued with his humming towards his son. "My Lord God?" called out Brutus, and once the other gave him his attention, did he continue, "I believe these of the current generation desires an explanation." "Ah," blinked the Ageless, "Well then, the reason why I''ve decided to end things here is quite simple." Nearly all leaned forward, straining their ears and senses in order to catch the next few words, "What came afterwards is a secret kept by those of whom were present," which led to a few falling out of their chairs from the preposterous statement. This led to the Lich King placing his skeletal, clawed hand upon the front of his metallic skull. The he shook it slowly whilst all others growled and grumbled their displeasure at not being allowed to listen to what had occurred after such words were spoken. Afterwards came a few portals which erupted in the space behind their persons. Whereupon they did pick themselves up from where they sat, and slowly walked out whilst chatting amongst themselves about what they had learned from their God King. That is, all save for the Elf who was suspected as a follower of the Huntress, Brutus and his new companion, as well as the Kitsune with his son. The Elf, by the by, was fully rooted in his position, and screamed and howled at everyone for help. However, they could not see, nor hear, his person as they continued to chat amongst themselves whilst passing by his position. Once most had left, Brutus turned towards the Tigerman who desired the company of his person, and bade him to leave as well. The reason being was to speak with his Lord High god alone, and would speak with him shortly thereafter. Within a short time afterwards, the younger generation of the world of Terra had left, leaving only the trio alone with the Elf, of whom was slowly spinning in the air of the Void Space whilst they simply stared at his person. "I think you should just extract the information, My Lord High God," spoke up the Lich King as his left, primary foreclaw tapped against his cheekbone in contemplation. For they were deciding on what to do with their newfound captive. "You can''t do this," cried out the other, whose eyes held beads of tears along the corners of the sockets, "There are laws against Gods, like yourself, from abusing your powers. When I get out of here-" "You''ll what?" chuckled the Ageless, "Tattle on my person? Who is going to believe a mortal such as yourself, and who would even dare oppose my person when I am one of three of the strongest existences within our Universe." "Four, My Lord High God?" spoke Brutus, of whom had retrieved a large cart full of torturing instruments that were used in the extractions of information. Which caused the Elf to gulp quite audibly once they became known to his person. "What?" paused the God King, and waved his right paw at the other, "Technically, it''s five, but no matter. You, Elf," his paw then moved to point its digits towards their captive, "You will be telling our persons everything you know, and then you will die." The other''s eyes widened at this, whilst his body twitched and jerked as it floated towards their persons slowly. Of which then caused Nox to awaken from his short nap within the crook of his father''s left arm. "Papa?" he mewed softly, rubbing his eyes then looking up at the Elf in question, "What''s going on?" "Hmm," hummed the Kitsune, of whom lightly pat the top of his son''s head, "I believe it''s time for another lesson, Nox." Of which caused the younger''s ears to perk up whilst his head tilted towards the right shoulder. "What kind of lesson, Papa?" "Do you see the Elf?" to which the boy-child nodded a couple of times, "That one has a very dangerous secret. One where, if released, will harm everyone we care about. Such as my person, you, your mother, and your friends." This caused the little hybrid''s eyes to widen as their colour changed to an endarkened crimson. Whilst this occurred, his hackles rose up, but instead of appearing menacingly, it served to fluff up his fur until his visage was of an adorable, but angered, dark cloud made of a soft material. "No one hurts Papa and Mama," hissed Nox, of whom then crawled atop his father''s head, and tried to claw at the offending Elf with his right paw with as much menace as he could muster. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. The action led to the Ageless grinning in quite the proud and demented manner as his eyes turned upwards to spy a portion of his son''s antics. "It is nigh impossible to harm one such as I, Nox," rumbled his voice as he lifted the boy-child from his head in order to hold him within his own arms, "However, it is possible to damage one''s own reputation with slanderous half-truths. Then again, when one is a Lord of Chaos, it is impossible to do such a thing." "What''s a ''Lord of Chaos''?" asked the hybrid who turned to stare up at the muzzle of the Kitsune. Of whom then turned to glance down at the younger, just as Brutus strapped the floating Elf to a long table and remove all articles of clothing. This was done so with practiced ease, and quickly pealed back the skin of his chest and abdomen to reveal the skeleton and organs within. All of this was done so before he had a chance to understand what had occurred, as well as before the brain could register that the body had been harmed. To which he then released a pain filled screech that echoed throughout the entirety of the space. No. The screaming did not frighten the young hybrid, but instead caused his ears to twitch several times, and shake his own head for a few moments. This was so, as he had long ago been introduced to such Darkness, and had grown quite used to such things. "A Lord of Chaos belongs to a group of beings who are upon the ''Evil'' spectrum of the Morality Scale. In that, we tend to do more harm than good in the eyes of others. Now, I gained the rights to be called one during my time upon Azzarath for reasons I''m none too sure about at this time," shrugged the Ageless as they watched the Lich King slowly pull out the Elf''s organs one by one. Of which were still attached to the body by way of magickal energies that ensured the continuous life for the victim. Yes. Such things were a favourite for the God King''s Right Hand, and would utilise everything and anything in order to carry out the most beautiful of tortures. "Is this evil?" wondered aloud Nox, of whom pointed at the pained expression the Elf was feeling as Brutus rummaged around in his hollowed out body. "No, Nox. In the eyes of others, it perhaps is, but in my own?" the endarkened furred Kitsune closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. Upon opening them, he continued with, "I see this as a way to better our persons for the future. Therefore, I shall continue to do thusly, and desire for you to take up this mantle one day. Do you think you can handle this, my son?" To which the other thought about such things as much as he could, then nodded, saying, "I think so, Papa," and beamed his best smile. * In the end, the Elf did beg for a release on his life, and spoke of many things about the Huntress. Such as where she currently resides, as of four turns ago; where many of their secret bases of operations lie, many of which were upon Terra, and a few within Necropolis; and how many followers she currently has, which was also as of four turns ago. To which the Ageless glowered down upon the still living body of the Elf, whose organs were shoved back inside in no particular order, and sealed completely with a special "surprise" hidden within. Of which would, when a specific amount of mana entered the area, detonate. Thus leaving a crater with the diametre of four kilometres of wherever it resided within. As to how this would be achieved? Well, the Elf was to report back to one of the more "secretive" hideouts upon a distant world called Heraan, and yes, this was where the Huntress supposedly resided upon. Whereupon he would receive some healing before making his way to report to whomever was in charge. Now, to make sure everything was to occur without much trouble, Brutus was to escort the Elf to such a place with a legion of his best fighters. Of whom would lie in wait as the other made his way to the base, and once it was detonated, they would all rush in to slaughter any and all who still lived. Whereas his own job was to bring back the head of the Huntress so that the Ageless may mount it upon a wall of trophies, of which will cause the essences of the Goddess to be entrapped inside for all eternity. "That''s quite the plan, My lord High God," spoke the Lich King with great reverence as the other dominated the mind of their tortured captive. So that it would fully comply with any and all orders given to it by the Ageless. "All plans fall apart once the battle has begun, Brutus," muttered the Kitsune as he completed his task and scooped up his son just as the younger was about to touch a few of the more deadlier instruments used for torturing beings of immense strength. "All too true, My Lord High God," bowed the metallic skeleton, "Now, if you''ll excuse me, I shall begin the necessary requirements with conducting a war against a lesser known Goddess." Upon so saying, he did vanish, taking with him the instruments of his primary craft, and the dull eyed and barely living body of the Elf. This left the God King alone with his son, of whom was then tossed into the air a few times. Which caused Nox to giggle and squeal with great joy as his body floundered in the air, before being caught by the other''s gentle paws. Of whom then hugged one another as the father whispered, "Let''s go home, Nox," and vanished from the space in its entirety. Which then led it to collapse due to the absence of its creator. _______________________ AN2: My final thoughts will be up in a bit, along with the plans for everything in the future. Final Thoughts Just want to everyone know, first and foremost, that the first edited book of the trilogy is out for free on Amazon. However, it doesn''t seem to want to let me run it for a week, only five days tops. So if you want to grab it, now''s the chance to do so. (I''ve placed it at the bottom due to some complications of it turning the entire post into one giant link to the page) Anyways, I want to thank you all for taking the time to read through my three books, despite them being so bloody dark and full of the ideas which are being frowned upon in this day and age. Especially the abuse and tortures towards those within my own creation. Not only this, but in the six months since I started, I''ve written exactly 411,077 words. That''s 122,195 words for Azzarath, 137,497 words for Terra, and 151,385 words for Abyss. Quite the accomplishment, don''t you think? In any case, if you''ve been reading along the Author''s Note (AN), then you''d know of my plans for the next book. Well, I''m actually pushing that one off to the side to keep the original fourth book. For those confused, I had been wanting to put out a historical fiction called "The Bully Prince" before the original fourth book. However, that one is going to be released before the "Children of Terra" arc in order to show why he is as he is, and what I''ll be throwing his way during such a time. Which simply means that it''ll be the "cutesy-adorable" book which will be coming out next, and that''ll have its own segment within RRL, and not placed within this one. Yes. I''ll let everyone know when that comes out, so don''t worry too much. Just be sure to stay attached to this one, ''cause it''ll be mentioned under a "new chapter". Also, this next one will not, and I repeat WILL NOT, be a Dark Fantasy story. For it will be focusing on Nox number two, and his little friends as they go on "adventures" which are simply devised from their own imaginations. Such as climbing a mountain, which will become a pile of pillows; running from a "monster", but it''s just a Nanny who wants to give them a bath; or finding a way to grab some treats that are far too high up for either of them to reach. Something along those lines will be within this next one. Not only this, but I have to warn you that this Nox is a reincarnated being from Earth. However, he''s actually from 1950''s America, so there''s zero chance he''ll follow the same template as everyone else. Such as, "Oh this is a fantasy world and I can use magick! Let''s increase our mana pool!" or, "I''ve read about this/saw it on TV that I can cultivate in order to become stronger, so let''s try doing that!" No. Nox will not be following this template, maybe one of his friends, but not him. Which simply means yes, he''ll show off what he can do, but that''s it. This''ll be shown in the beginning, but that''s about it, as they are simply children being children and nothing more. As to when this''ll be out? I''ll be needing at least a week in order to get everything in order. This is all due to the fact that I''ll be rewiring my brain to avoid moving this book into a more Dark Fantasy style of writing. Ah, one other bit. Here''s the titles/series I''ve thought up thus far, in case anyone wants to know what to look out for in the future: Origin Point: Azzarath Terra Abyss Prelude to a series (thus far): Child of Terra (for The Children of Terra arc) The Bully Prince (origin for Nox number two; before The Children of Terra arc) The Family: Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Of Life and Light Of Death and Darkness The Sins of The Abyss: Lust Avarice Pride Wrath Gluttony Envy Sloth The Apprentice Chronicles (which will appear within the Sins arc): San''yuu (after Pride) Siuun (after Gluttony/during Wrath) These two will be under a diary/RE: format with only Siuun''s being told by a caretaker/babysitter for her. One shot books: Disc (a collection of stories involving twisted wishes from Avarice to Sloth) The Black Parade (a collection of stories about what occurred during the occupation of the worlds within the Azzarathean Pantheon) Journey Through The Universe (a collection of stories involving the Ageless as he makes his way to a meeting point where the other two of his kind will meet with him) The Children of Terra: School Life Terran Pantheon (may change) A War of Worlds: Conquest of Earth Defense of Earth War For Earth Please note, everything may or may not change in the future, but this is what I''ve thought up thus far. Quite ambitious, if I may say so. So, questions? Comments? Concerns? I''m all ears for anything and everything you want to ask/rant at me about what went on through this trilogy, as well as for my future plans. Link to the Amazon page for a free download of the edited book Azzarath: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B01IJ47KB0 New Book: Child of Terra Just a heads up for those who haven''t noticed it yet, but I''ve a new book out called Child of Terra. It''s not a dark one, and follows a more Slice-of-Life vibe to it, which is what I''m trying to stick to for this one. Then I''ll be heading back to the darkness within a month or two. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. http://royalroadl.com/fiction/7993 New book- The Family: Of Life and Light Just letting people know, if they haven''t already seen it, the next branch of the story is up for you guys.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. http://royalroadl.com/fiction/8788