《Blut und Eisen: Blood and Iron》 S1 E01: Some Distance From Prussia
Disclaimer The Drawings and Audio works from this chapter and hereafter are taken without permission. All credit for the drawings should go to their creators (eg; not me) who are... Mysterious Masked Interweb People! Or the MMIP for short! Actually I haven''t the foggiest who they are but the MMIP are cool!
INTRO SONG: Kono Sekai e Moeru ********************************************************************************************* Gerhard flexed his fingers, marvelling at the realistic vitality and movement displayed before his eyes when he realised with a start that he had perfect vision, double checking to make sure he wasn''t wearing the glasses his wife had bought for him years ago. All the aches and pains, the old wounds of his long life no longer existed and for the first time in many years Gerhard started laughing, his deep rich voice riding over the ambient noise of the market square and surprising passing onlookers and shop owners alike whether they were players or NPCs. Finally noticing that he was making an embarrassing scene, Gerhard shut up immediately and began walking down the busy street promptly, blissfully ignoring his surroundings as the feeling of movement, of the impact being transferred from feet hitting pavement to the vibration his knees felt, brought such a wide happy grin on his face that if one were to look at him, the impression given off would have been that of a village idiot. However Gerhard didn''t mind, it has been 40 years since he could move freely like this, perhaps 70 years to feel like his strides were once those of a conqueror. Gerhard von Natzmer''s appearance was that of a man in his mid twenties, and you couldn¡¯t tell from his crystal clear blue eyes or almost platinum blond hair, that he was actually a man in his late 90''s, his real life emaciated body often confined him to a bed like a pseudo prisoner. But for now, all such thoughts has fled his mind as he wandered aimlessly across the Citadel of Serabourg, humming an old tune his father use to sing drunkenly with his friends until such time had passed that the sun was starting to sit low on the horizon. Finally, Gerhard noted that the area he was in looked to be a bit run down, the transition of a rich vibrant city to something like darkish unwelcomed suburbs was so smooth that even he was taken by surprise at his lack of awareness. With reawakening instincts honed decades ago, Gerhard somehow felt that something was about to happen and his expectations were not disappointed as a scream pierced the now lonely streets, follow by the sound of sobbing as a girl child ran up to him. Without even waiting for what she was about to say, Gerhard had already deduced what was happening and ran towards the direction she had came from, a condition reflex from all the decades he had served in the police force prompting him to act without thinking, ''to save what must be saved'', a creed that is chiselled upon his old failing heart. Something akin to adrenaline flowed through his limbs, his mind becoming focused allowing him to almost view the whole world through tunnel vision except for the fact he was completely aware of every single movement, from the birds gazing down upon him without any interest to the scurrying of rats disappearing into dark alleys. Gerhard immediately came upon a scene almost classical in his old line of work, 3 thugs surrounding a poor young woman who lay on the floor in a comatose fashion which caused Gerhard''s soul to ignite in fury. "Du Hurensohn!", Gerhard roared as he charged forward armed with nothing but his fists and the clothes on his back, at what were obviously higher level mobs equipped with swords and leather armour. His unforeseeable actions obviously startled the thugs who looked at him agape as Gerhard''s fist lashed out at the first of his target, connecting squarely at the throat which caused the thug to fall heavily backward upon the stone street stunned, dropping his long sword in the process. The other two immediately woke from their stupor, and without a word spoken flanked both sides of him and began their rough swordplay. For a man who was unarmed, Gerhard moved fluidly and confidently although with 2 vs 1 and the fact that Gerhard was still unused to having such a young body again; wounds were beginning to flash across his body in multiple locations. Not caring that the bar indicating his HP was dropping steadily by the strikes, Gerhard ducked and weaved, using his hands to shift the edge of the blades away from his vital points, ignoring the pain as his hands bled profusely. Suddenly, Gerhard redirected the lunge of the bigger of the two thugs towards his compatriot however instead of pulling up short, the thug accelerated and pierced the heart of his ''friend''. As the body slumped to the floor, Gerhard only looked on stunned as he whispered, "Why?" The big man shrugged his huge shoulders and replied, "Less loot to share", he chuckled as his twisted smile seemed to cast his scarred face in an even uglier light. Gerhard finally realised what was at stake and slowly bent over to pick up the sword of his first target, the thug taking this opportunity to do an overhead swing down on that blond exposed head. Without even looking, whilst bent over Gerhard tilted his head slightly to the side and avoided the fatal blow by a whisper, before stabbing into the side of the thug with his newly acquired sword. The movement was so precise and filled with such force that it seemed to knock the breath out of the large thug who grasped his side in pain as he retreated backwards promptly before realising that the action had only penetrated the armour and lightly nicked his skin. However the aura of his opponent had changed as Gerhard assumed a fencer''s stance who only briefly saluted, almost kissing the blade with the guard below his chin before he began his attack. At first, every strike and movement seemed experimental, like he was trying to remember and adjust his body to a rhythm set forth long ago, incurring almost no injuries upon his foe but as the fight dragged on the thug started to become desperate. The reason because, although Gerhard was limited in speed by his current level, the fact of the matter was that he had already recognised the few crude attack patterns of his enemy and was pre-emptively disrupting them at will whilst trying to master his body and remembering his sword forms. In a fight that seemed to have gone on for hours but was only minutes, Gerhard struck the killing blowing in an almost anti-climactic fashion, by nonchalantly tapping aside his opponent sword and lunge his blade immediately into the eye socket of the brute, killing it instantly. The other thug had already long since ran away, but Gerhard maintained a vigilant attitude as he bent over to help the woman up. "Fr?ulein" , Gerhard said gently, "Are you alright?" The young woman nodded slowly, probably due to the blood lost for which Gerhard tore strips of his now ruined white shirt to bandage the poor woman. Raising her to her unsteady feet, he noticed that the little girl had come running back with a green giant in tow to which the young woman murmured, "Instructor". The Orc''s eyes blazed at the scene be held before him and readied his sword as if in preparation to strike down Gerhard. "Nooo!", the little girl cried, "He went to help sister", as she tugged on the sleeve of the instructor to arrest his movement. The scene was so comical, that of such a giant of an orc being held in place by someone not even 7 years of age had both Gerhard and the woman bursting out in laughter. The orc known as Instructor sheepishly lowered his sword and noted the state that Gerhard was in, as well as the captured sword in his hand. "I see you are no stranger to fighting". "Yes, you could say I have had¡­ some experience in it", Gerhard answered evasively. "Well you are welcomed to my Training Hall to see your wounds tended to for helping my neighbours", the instructor grinned warmly, "And have a well deserved good meal. May I know your name?" With only a slight moment of hesitation, he responded, "My name is Gerhard von Natzmer. Pleased to make your acquaintance". As the sound effect for ''Quest Completed; Damsel in Distress'', rang out in his ear, the small group made their way off, their walking figures being swallowed into the distance. ********************************************************************************************* Max looked at the serene face of his grandfather and inwardly his heart bled at the once strong hands that held him up high in the air was now lying frail and limp in Max''s seemingly overly large own, his mother and father both outside of the room having a long discussion with the family''s doctor. It was increasingly rare for his grandfather to wake up lucid and often times he would shout out in German, "Nein! Nein!" , or in calmer moments he would stop thrashing about and his eyes transformed into a sharp gaze as he stated calmly, "Vorw?rts Kameraden" before roaring out unsuspectingly in a voice filled with strength, "Gro?deutschland!" If it wasn''t for Royal Road currently engaging his grandfather''s mind 24/7, they would have had to restrain him to prevent Gerhard from injuring himself or others. However, according to the doctor''s report after reviewing footage of his grandfather in game, he seemed to have full control of his mental faculties. Until a few weeks ago, before his grandfather''s condition worsened, Max had always thought that the old man had been a policeman in Austria all his career life. When Gerhard began shouting things that sounded alarmingly like military orders, Max then pressed his father for the truth. Both of them had taken seats outside on the porch, the warm Vienna sun beating gently upon his father''s brow as he began explaining. "Where to begin¡­. The truth is that we are not true born Austrians, my son", and for a moment the eyes of his father seemed to travel to a different time before he returned his gaze back upon Max. "My father¡­ your grandfather was born in Tirschtiegel, in Germany" "Where is that father? I don¡¯t seem to have ever heard of such a place" "Well to be precise it is now called Trzciel by the Polish¡­. from the dissolved K?nigreich Preu?en. We are Prussians my boy, and aristocratic ones at that" Max was stunned by the revelation. He had never given much thought on the history of his family, having taken it for granted that it was probably a normal mundane sort of Austrian thing. There was a further shattering of his mundane world as his father continued. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "And your grandfather¡­ fought in the 2nd world war from its very beginning to the very end in the Heer" Max rose sharply from his chair which tilted backwards and fell as he shouted, "GRANDFATHER WAS A NAZI!?" The air became deathly stilled as his father whispered, "Don''t you DARE call him THAT. Now sit down and calm your bloody head you stupid boy and let me finish." "I said he was in the Heer, but he was never a part of that political horseshit. He was NEVER a Nazi. Your grandfather joined the army because that is what all Prussians of noble birth do, it''s in our blood. And because all Prussians actively seek to join an elite guards regiment¡­ the only one that came close to mind at the time was the newly formed Gro?deutschland regiment." Max drew in a stammering breath as he realised that his grandfather wasn''t only part of history¡­ he probably helped shape it. Even Max knew of Gro?deutschland which eventually became a premier Panzer Grenadier Division from his history classes at school. Because it had earned an infamous title whilst fighting ferociously on the eastern front, ''Hitler''s Fire Brigade''. A division that was often outnumbered and rushed to every Russian breakthrough to stem the tide and more often than not, succeeding. "And the fits you are witnessing are probably¡­ the final days of Prussia", his father looked up sadly into his son''s eyes, "He watched his homeland''s destruction, Max." ********************************************************************************************* 25 December, 1937. The von Natzmer estate "¡­Like I was saying," his brother, Dieter, whispered into Gerhard''s ear, "Benedikt has managed to make Father angry once again. This time, our little brother was caught with the minister''s own daughter¡­ in one of the confessional booths to boot!" Gerhard sighed, "What is that idiot doing?", he lamented, forehead in his hand, "Why can''t he be more like Albert and focus on his books instead of girls?" Dieter shrugged, "It can''t be helped. He¡¯s missed you ever since you went to Berlin to continue your military studies in the Hauptkadettenanstalt
. And besides," he grinned, "he has to learn about girls some times." "¡­.HE IS ONLY 13!" Gerhard yelled, drawing attention to himself as a crowd of well-dressed nobles and Noveau Riche turned to look at him aghast, affronted at his breach of social etiquette. However, he was instantly forgiven by the women as he smiled apologetically, setting the hearts of many a young maiden aflutter¡­ even by those who should know better, as irritated husbands pinch the hands of their wives to prevent them from staring love-struck at someone who was obviously decades their junior. "¡­I don¡¯t know how you do it, Bruder ." "Do what?" Gerhard asked in genuine puzzlement. "¡­ Nevermind¡­" Dieter grumbled. "Anyway," Gerhard continued, "how are you finding your studies in the K?niglich Preu?ischen Kadettenkorps ?" "I am doing moderately well, although I can''t ever compare to your former scores," he sighed. "The teachers still talk about you to this day. You really should have applied for the Olympic fencing team", Dieter admonished. "Too much of a workload," Gerhard waved his hand at the idea, "I¡¯d rather focus on my studies, so that I can advance my future career in the Heer." "Still going to apply for Wachregiment Berlin?" "Of course, although I hear through the grapevine that the Guard regiment might be renamed in the future by our EXALTED F¨¹hrer." "Shhhh," Deiter cautioned, "you never know who might be listening, especially when you use that tone in regards to HIM. But still, you don''t think that he is a good leader?" "¡­He would have been a great leader¡­if he didn¡¯t blame all our problems on the poor Juden," Gerhard spat out bitterly. "You remember teacher Heinrich? The one who taught maths in the cadet corps before being promoted to the main academy? Well, he was removed from his posting two months ago because they found out his grandfather was a Jude!" Dieter looked at him in astonishment, "Eh?! But old man Heinrich fought in the Great War! He even won the Iron Cross for bravery!" "¡­They don''t care about your achievements, it seems¡­", Gerhard shook his head sadly, "only about your bloodline." Wrapping his arm around his elder brother¡¯s shoulder, "Come Bruder ," Dieter tried to cheer him up, "Let''s not talk about depressing and gloomy things on our sister''s birthday." "Yeah," Gerhard nodded his head in agreement, "It''s good to be back home, after all. A year is too long to be away." Suddenly, music started playing as the star of the evening appeared, - a young girl dressed in beautiful, white lace glided down the stairs serenely¡­ Until she saw Gerhard clapping along with everyone else in the corner with Dieter. The moment she reached the bottom of the stairs, she bolted towards Gerhard and leapt into his arms, squealing. "Happy tenth birthday, my little Engel ", Gerhard laughed, as he spun his sister around unseemly. "Geeez," she pouted, "You should have told me you were coming back today!" "There, there, Anne," Dieter tried to appease her, "Big brother just got back an hour ago." Anne looked up at Gerhard in worry, "Aren''t you tired, Brother?" Stroking her long hair affectionately, he just smiled brilliantly, "It was only a short boat ride, and," he kissed her cheek, "I wouldn''t miss your birthday for anything." Blushing, Anne went, "Hmph!", turning her head to the side, and whispered, "and that is why you are such a playboy." "Hmm? Did you say something, Anne?" Gerhard asked. The only reply he got was, "Bleeeh!", as she stuck her tongue out at him and ran towards the dining area, where food was being served to the guests. "¡­That was very unladylike," he chuckled. "Have you seen Mother and Father yet?" Dieter reminded him. "Not yet- ..." Gerhard was about to reply, until he spied a very troublesome scene unfolding out of the corner of his eye. A beautiful girl was being harassed by a group of men, one of whom was apparently the ringleader of the group. He was trying to coerce her to dance with him but obviously... failing. The brothers looked to one another, thinking, ''There are always louts at a party,'' and with a heavy sigh, Gerhard, as the eldest son, went to carry out his duty and ''rescue'' the poor girl. As he got closer though, the mood seemed to have gotten heavy, as the ringleader was no longer smiling. "¡­ What did you say?¡± The man, obviously drunk, demanded. "That I would rather dance with a REAL boar than dance with you." She turned her nose up at him, "you do smell worse than them, after all." ''Oh my god,'' Gerhard thought to himself, mentally despairing, ''What is this woman doing?'' "WHY YOU LITT-" the drunk lifted his fist... Only to have it caught in the vice-like grip of Gerhard''s hand. "I trust, SIR," Gerhard pointed out, "You were invited to celebrate MY sister''s birthday due to some ties you have to my family". To which the goons whispered in the ear of the ringleader, and he visibly paled as he straightened up and bowed awkwardly, "I am honoured to celebrate such a joyous occasion in your humble home." Leaning in, Gerhard said quietly, "Make sure it STAYS joyous, or else I may have to speak to father¡­ about this matter". Nodding repeatedly, the men left with their drunken companion elsewhere, presumably to sober him up, as Gerhard turned to the woman beside him¡­ only to receive an angry glare. "I suppose you think I should thank you now, is it?¡± She said almost haughtily. Sighing, "No, but I do suggest not escalating something that can easily be avoided with words." Gerhard eyed her critically. "I was only speaking the truth!" She tilted her head to the side, "hmmm, you look familiar". Remembering his manners, he bowed as he introduced himself, "Gerhard von Natzmer, at your service." "Oooh, so, you''re the playboy brother Anne always talks about." "Eh? W- ¡­what is this, my little sister is saying that about me?" He frowned in consternation. "Oh, nothing, nothing. I am Hannah," she curtsied, "Your sister''s tutor." "No wait! What did Anne say about me... ?" "Ah!" Hannah pointed behind him. Spinning around, Gerhard was surprised to see that the man had returned¡­ more drunk than ever. Sighing, Gerhard dodged the clumsy fist aimed at him¡­ Only to hear the sound of it connecting unmistakably. Gulping, and feeling an intense pressure from behind him, he finally returned to face Hannah¡­ only to see the middle of her forehead glowing red as she glared at the two men, one of which included Gerhard. She promptly kicked the drunk''s crotch, an audible gasp emitting from all the men watching at the direct hit to his ''manhood'' as he crumbled like a broken doll, before she turned her fury at Gerhard. Putting his hands up in the air, Gerhard stuttered ",N-now wait a second¡­ Let''s not be hasty¡­ Surely, you can see it was an accident¡­" "I will SHOW YOU an ACCIDENT!" as Hannah clenched her fist and swung. An hour later, whilst... nursing his black eye with Dieter continuing to laugh uncontrollably, Gerhard leaned with his forearms against the stone balustrade and gazed out into the darkness of the garden. "Dieter," he whispered. "Hmm?" "I think I am in love." "Eh?" "I am going to marry that girl," Gerhard announced solemnly. "EHHH?!!" ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Gentle Light S1 E02: Second Graduation through Life INTRO SONG: Kono Sekai e Moeru ********************************************************************************************* *Thunk* The hall reverberated to the clash of wood striking wood as Gerhard sat unobtrusively in a corner sipping tea, watching the people in the hall with an appraising eye. ''So this is Royal Road huh?'', he silently thought to himself. It has been a few weeks since his encounter with the thugs and the instructor on that dark evening, and consequently to the amusement of all the players, he had consequently spent his evenings sleeping out on the door step of the training hall, his sword resting against his shoulder. Although everyone was baffled as to why anyone would do that as logically he should have logged out and saved himself some embarrassment. Needless to say, for Gerhard, logging out was impossible. "My family just can''t let an old man die peacefully", he grinned wryly to himself. The act of sleeping for Gerhard was quite literally a programmed biological act that he must adhere to; basically it wasn''t done in order to avoid stat penalties for his character. Though he can avoid sleeping for days, he felt uncomfortably sluggish although with sleep come dreams that he barely remember upon waking. Nevertheless he had already come to the realisation quite early on that he was in a game when he woke up to a character creation screen, something he was quite familiar with as he often saw his grandson play such games when Max returned home from university. Using rusty information gathering skills, Gerhard had questioned friendly players and figured out what game he was in, how to access his character menu and inventory but for the life of him he couldn¡¯t'' find an option to log out. The only possession he had on him was a sword of dubious quality, shoes and pants, the remnants of his shirt having long since consigned to becoming rags wrapped around his muscled frame. He was currently living off the charity of the Instructor and Bernett, the girl whose life he saved which although made him uncomfortable, he really had no choice in the matter. If there was a character class for the extremely poor then he was for all intents and purposes a ''Pauper''. Even the tea he was drinking was heavily diluted with water and was given to him almost a week ago by Bernett. Managing to make himself feel disgruntled, Gerhard sighed as he finished the precious last of his tea before standing up and began loosening his muscles in preparation for his routine. Having found that due to some sort of restriction he couldn''t leave the city, Gerhard spent most of his time in the training hall practicing sword forms diligently unaware of the fact that he was actually raising his stats slowly by striking repeatedly at the scarecrow. For him it wasn''t a monotonous act, he did enjoy doing this. It reminded him of the times he spent with his father practicing together when he got back from primary school or when he was with friends in the K?niglich Preu?ischen Kadettenkorps in Wahlstatt before he transferred to the Hauptkadettenanstalt
in Berlin-Lichterfelde. As he was wont to do, Gerhard began humming a tune, which always made others in the hall curious because it seemed to be quite jaunty and inexplicably lifted the mood of those around him. Gerhard did this subconsciously for hours on end and finally one of the onlookers just had to ask him what song he was humming. Wiping the sweat from his brow he turned to look at the person who interrupted him, and the onlooker who looked like a young female high schooler felt her heart skip a beat as she saw Gerhard''s face up close. With high refined cheekbones, gently shaped almost almond eyes and a face that was close to elfin in its grace¡­ he can easily be described as a beautiful man. "¡­¡­..", the woman could only stared slack jawed as she tried to make words leave her mouth. "Can I help you, Fr?ulein? ", Gerhard asked politely, sheathing his sword before giving her his undivided attention. She was about to speak when she noticed¡­.THAT HIS SHIRT WAS WAAY TOO REVEALING. Through the ruins of his shirt she spied muscular abs and a wide strong chest and before she knew it her face immediately became beet red with fictional smoke rising above her head. "Madam?", Gerhard tilted his head slightly to the side, the effect sending an arrow racing through her heart and she replied with a "guurgh!" Finally regaining some control she asked him in a too high pitched voice, "I, I, I, I, I, I have been wondering, I mean WE, have been wondering what is it you have always been humming to yourself", she flailed her arms madly above her head and pointed to her friends as she became lost to her nervousness, "It really sounds like a wonderful song". Feeling a little bit embarrassed he replied whilst scratching the top of his head lightly with one hand, "Its only just an old folk song I use to sing with friends¡­ in the old days". "Ummm I don¡¯t suppose you can sing a little bit for me.. I MEAN MY FRIENDS. Right me AND my friends" Shrugging his shoulders he said, "Its fine, it would be nice to know that some people will still hear the sound of the ''old country''" Closing his eyes and gathering his breath, he started off the first verse slowly. "Wenn wir marschieren, Ziehn wir zum Deutschen Tor Hinaus, Schwarzbraunes Madel, Du bleibst zu Haus" And at the chorus he picked up the pace, lifting the tempo as if to draw everyone into the song. "Ei, darum, M?del, M?del, Wink, Wink, Wink, Unter einer grunen li-a-Lind Sitzt ein kleiner Fink, Fink, Fink, Ruft nur immer "M?del, Wink!" Sitzt ein kleiner Fink,Fink, Fink, Ruft nur immer "M?del, Wink!" All throughout he had unconsciously smiled at the upbeat song and the hearts of all the females in the hall became entranced by it whilst the guys could only look on in a mixture of jealousy and attentiveness as they unexpectedly began humming along with him. They didn¡¯t understand what he was singing but for some reason they began picturing a beautiful significant other waving goodbye to them with a smile. The illusion was so strong that no one noticed that Gerhard had finally stopped and was wondering why the training hall was suddenly so silent. After this incident, over the next few weeks the hall started getting overcrowded as word spread at first slowly by word of mouth (mainly from the females) until it finally spread throughout the whole city. Gerhard gained an audience of female admirers who would listen and watch as he dutifully sang whilst practicing on the scarecrow. Although it brought some unwanted disturbance to his daily training there have been a lot of positive changes to his daily living. For one¡­ he was daily inundated with cooking from all the female audience, and for some reason occasionally some blushing guys¡­, whilst the other was most importantly his equipment. "I think you would look gallant with this sword¡­my name is engraved near the handle so please always remember me. Heheheheheeee" "If you wear these clothes we would have matching colour schemes, isn¡¯t that wonderful!" "I will give you 90 percent of all my items so please partner with me¡­ permanently" "WAIT! NO FAIR! As president of his fan club, rule no 1004 states that no girl should¡­" "GRrrrrr you just want him for yourself!" "WHAT WHAT WHAT! I can''t possibly be with Sir Gerhard¡­" "WHY ARE YOU BLUSHING!? I KNEW IT YOU ARE INTENDING TO STEAL HIM FROM US!" ¡­¡­. Yes, for some reason Gerhard found himself inexplicably popular with the female players and would be mentally disturbed if he knew the kind of inner and outer dialogue the girls were having amongst themselves when he was presented with these gifts. However it mattered not to the fan girls which gifts he used (he finally gave up refusing them under the constant mental barrage he was receiving) because they all wanted him to look the part. And that was that of a beautiful man dressed elegantly. Gone were the rags and in its place was a silken shirt of purest white hung loosely around his frame, over which fine black padded armour protected his torso as well as boosting his stats. His pants was of dark brown in appearance where his shins were protected by a pair of highly polished silver leg guards to which also a pair of matching silver gauntlets complemented the look, gifted from a high level female mage who muttered "I happened to find these in some dungeon and thought it would suit you well". To which the other girls snickered, "It¡¯s a lie, I saw her come out of the auction house with those". By now, the time limit of not being able to leave the city had long since past and when the instructor came up to him one day, it was to announce that Gerhard had completed some sort of training. Not really understanding what was happening, Gerhard stood straight in military attention, clicking the heels of his boots together with his back ramrod straight as he was gifted with a sword from the instructor. "Herr Instructor, I cannot possibly receive this gift. I am already burdened by your kind hospitality". "Hahaha think nothing of it Gerhard! You are only the 17th to achieve this in our Hall and I am proud to have such a fine student like you. There are other training halls with better programs but at least you can say that you have come from one of the best basic''s schools on the continent" Feeling touched, Gerhard gave a sharp salute as he replied, "I will honour this sword you have given me in whatever travels I may find myself in, Herr Instructor" "Good, good, by the way you remind me of someone I used to know who also often sang in battle. And thus getting straight to the point I believe you still do not have a class as of yet do you?" Shaking his head slightly from side to side, Gerhard replied innocently, "No, I do not. Is it of vital necessity?" Looking askance at Gerhard in disbelief, the instructor roared with laughter before regaining control of himself, "You ARE a rare one, aren''t you? Yes it is important and so I want you to give some serious thought into apprenticing yourself to a friend of mine. His name is sir Ernst Rommer and as luck, whether good or bad only time will tell, would have it he is currently short handed of fighting men to patrol the borders. Are you interested?" Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. The instructor eyed Gerhard critically and thinking to himself that he had no important matters to do even if he were to leave replied, "Jawohl, mein Ausbilder" Breaking into a broad smile, the Instructor handed a rolled parchment to Gerhard. *Tring!
Item: Instructor''s personal recommendation
"Report yourself to the Royal Barracks with this. The Quartermaster there will prepare you for the journey ahead." *Tring!
Border Watch Sir Ernst Rommer is having difficulty maintaining the integrity of the borders of Rosenheim, with predations from human bandits and Orc raiders constantly striking deep into the heart of the Kingdom. There are calls for reinforcements from the Capital and a detachment is bound to leave shortly. Difficulty: E Quest Requirement: Leave with the detachment within a week. Quest Reward: Unknown.
The next day, after having said his goodbyes to the NPCs whose kindness he would never forget, he stepped out of the hall and into the early morning sunlight, Gerhard slinging a bag over his shoulders and adjusting it to become comfortable before he turned around one last time to gaze upon the place that was almost like a second home. Seeming to memorise the structure, Gerhard finally resumed his purpose filled walk down the road towards the Royal Barracks where the detachment awaits. He never once turned back. ********************************************************************************************* 12 August, 1939. The von Natzmer estate Gerhard sat on the lawn, the woman he loves lying in his embrace, as they both gazed up at the night sky. The droning of aircraft can be occasionally heard overhead, probably supplies bound for the garrisons in Prussia, as Germany inexorably spirals towards war. He held Hannah tighter, wondering if this will be the last time he could do so, his wife placing a hand on his forearm, and squeezing back in anxiety. Tomorrow, Gerhard will have to return to his regiment Gro?deutschland, which was being formed from the core of Wachregiment Berlin in preparation for a ground offensive that he is forbidden to discuss with Hannah¡­ and he dare not tell her¡­ the place that he might die. All his life, he had dreamt of being a soldier¡­ but now that the day has finally come to prove his mettle¡­ all his thoughts are instead about living a peaceful life with his wife and as yet unborn child. They had only found out last week that she was pregnant¡­ Gerhard¡­ was going to be a father. "Will you¡­" Hannah uttered softly, ".. will you be back for the birth?¡± "¡­I don''t know", Gerhard told her truthfully, "IF everything goes according to plan¡­ Then I will be back before Christmas." "¡­ Liar," he felt her smile sadly, "That¡¯s what they said about the last war, and look what it brought them¡­ millions dead," she shuddered in his arms. "Hey," he gently turned her head to face him, "hey, you know me. Do you honestly think, that I, Gerhard von Natzmer, will give you a horrible Christmas gift of a widow''s letter?" Hannah caressed his face, looking into his eyes, "You tell such sweet lies, Husband¡­ I really want to believe them so¡­" Grasping her hand that was on his cheek with his own, "If you haven''t noticed by now," he said firmly, "a von Natzmer never goes back on his word." "¡­ Then promise me now¡­ that you will live." Rubbing his chin with his hand as though thinking to himself, he said, "Hmmm¡­ I don''t know¡­" "Huh? W-what are you saying?!" "Oh¡­ It''s just that," he suddenly grinned at her evilly, "I must first receive my reward beforehand, hehehehe." He chuckled deviously. "???" *Clomp* "Ow!" Hannah cried as Gerhard bit her on the neck, "YOU JERK! W-what are you DOING?!" All she could hear was a mumbled reply as he continued to nibble on her, Hannah suppressing the urge to give a soft moan before she finally regained some willpower, turned around, and whacked him on the head with a chop of her hand. "Y-YOU! I WAS BEING SERIOUS!" she scolded in annoyance. "¡­I", he looked at her with eyes that shone with¡­ purity of purpose, "Gerhard von Natzmer, of the House of Natzmer, son of Leonhard, who is my Patriarch and Master," moving until he was on his knees in front of Hannah, "And as a knight of Prussia, in title and deed; will return to you once again, alive, to see and hold our child together, to raise him or her in happiness till the end of our days." Grasping her hands together in his own, as though in prayer, "This oath I pronounce loudly before Gott", he bent down to kiss them, then slowly lifting his head up again, to gaze devotedly at the face of the woman he would do anything for, "Thus I swear." "¡­ I still don''t forgive you¡­" she twisted her head to the side, trying not to look at him in the eye. Her cheeks were a little flushed. Gerhard chuckled, "I guess you don''t want me around then," as he gradually stood up, only to have her hand snake out and seize the sleeve of his shirt. "Hmm?" he said amused. "¡­ B-bully¡­" her head was down, not looking at him. Tenderly brushing the top of her hair, he whispered, "Still want me to leave?" She shyly shook her head before finally glancing up. Gerhard bent down and kissed her on the lips, lifting her up into his arms and walking off into the darkness, hoping that dawn would never come¡­ but it inevitably did. Garbed smartly in his full dress uniform, he stood still as Hannah straightened up his collar, the sound of a car rumbling outside and Gerhard thanked his usually impatient best friend for refraining from honking the horn. ''Heaven alone knows the amount of willpower that was required for him,'' Gerhard chuckled inwardly to himself. Hannah was¡­ taking an unusually long time, fussing over his collar repeatedly for almost 10 minutes, before he finally reached up and stopped her, feeling her body trembling against his. Drawing her into a hug, they just stood there together for a long moment; Gerhard finally ending it by parting from her reluctantly, before reaching down to grab his luggage. Hannah silently followed him out through the hallway that led to the front entrance, his entire family already waiting to wish him farewell. "You¡­ stay well, all right, Dear?" His mother struggled to withhold her tears as she smiled, "I remember when your father was in the army¡­ always coming home in bandages for one reason or another." Coughing gruffly, his father clapped him on the shoulder once, "I¡­I am proud of you, Boy. You don''t need to prove yourself to anyone out there", coming in closer to whisper so no one else could hear, "That will only get you killed. Don''t be brave Gerhard. Be smart." "I understand, Vater", he nodded. Gerhard turned to his siblings next. Anne¡­ sweet Anne was unashamedly crying, as she suddenly clung to him and buried her face in his greatcoat. "I guess, I will see you in a year then, Bruder ", Dieter grinned weakly, "after i have graduated". "Hah! We would have won the war by then and you will just be stuck with all the paperwork", Gerhard boasted with false brovado. "Ehhhh! Leave some for us!" The boys, Albert and Benedikt, exclaimed. "Hahahaha, I will try, I will try", he grinned at them, as he lifted the face of his little sister up and dried the tears streaking down her face. "And you¡­ don''t cause Mutter any problems, all right? Or..." he continued, "Break anymore boys'' hearts. Father is still sorting through the list of possible suitors, you know", he winked mischieviously. To which his father proclaimed from the side, "I am never marrying my daughter off-", unable to finish as his wife elbowed him HARD in the stomach. With a final hug from his family, Gerhard was finally able to stride out the massive double doors, his wife waiting faithfully by the stone bench, sitting with an expressionless face as she stared straight ahead. Gerhard thought he had said all he needed to say as he moved past her silent figure¡­ but walking down that long driveway¡­ something inside himself caused him to drop his bags, before he practically ran back to sit down next to Hannah. She eventually turned to face him, the tears having slid free uncontrollably at the thought that he was now going, unable to maintain her strong fa?ade any longer. He leaned in close... and placed his lips upon hers lightly. "I will keep my promise", he whispered fervently. Nodding, she replied dutifully, "I know you will" Rising up, he touched her soft lips with his fingertips before withdrawing them swiftly in regret, doing an about turn to retrieve his bags and marched stiffly to the car. His best friend was busy whistling nonchalantly at nothing, pretending not to have witnessed the scene, as Gerhard sat down in the passenger seat, bags on his lap. In the end, he never did turn around for a second time¡­ Gerhard knew that if he did¡­ he would run back into her arms and never let go. And in the blood-filled days to come, he would always wonder, ''Why didn''t I just hold her forever?'' ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Gentle Light S1 E03: Awakening from Madness INTRO SONG: Kono Sekai e Moeru ********************************************************************************************* There was severe coughing coming from the attic as Max''s father came down the ladder with a pair of browning old boxes stacked one upon the other. Max reached out to help his father while his mother ''tut tutted'' behind him due to the sheer amount of dust gently spreading downward like a cloud from the ceiling. "I will go get the vacuum", his mother declared, "And Hermann dear, you better dust yourself outside, NOW! Or else I am throwing both the clothes and you into the washing machine!" "Maaax. Your mother is bullying me!", his father complained to which Max only chuckled in reply. Grumbling, Hermann went outside to do as he was told while Max used a wet cloth to wipe the dust off the boxes. He had seen these boxes as a kid playing upstairs in the attic with his cousins but he had never known they contained the entire life story of his grandfather in them. Lifting one lid off slowly, the first thing that greeted his eyes was an old black and white photo of a group of men obviously in German military uniforms from the 2nd world war. They were lounging around a dead campfire in a rough circle next to a tank, and from the looks of it, was undergoing repairs by its crew. Flipping the photo to the back, the unmistakable handwriting of his grandfather can be seen.
Quote:''25. Juni 1943. Sommers. Russland'' <25 June 1943. Summer. Russia> ''Nahkampfspange in Gold''
Piquing his interest, he returned back to the front of the photo to look for the familiar face of his grandfather, however the only person who caught his eye was that of a beautiful smiling man wrapping one arm around one of the dusty figures while he had the other hand over his left breast pocket, fingers grasping on a long horizontal looking medal which was tugged forward from his chest. Something about the man and the way he acted, made Max blink repeatedly in disbelief. "Unbelievable, isn''t it?", His mother said over his shoulder as Max turned at her voice. "Mother¡­ surely, this can''t be¡­" "It sure is. THAT is Gerhard von Natzmer. I believe he was 22 years of age at the time", his mother smiled as she continued, "I remembered when your father first introduced me to him. Even at his advancing age, he emitted a charm that drew women to him like wild maddened bears to honey. Your poor grandmother had a hard time keeping them away from him", she laughed. "Almost exactly like your father", she stuck her tongue out at Hermann who finally returned to the study room. "Huh? What? What did I do?" "Exactly! You didn¡¯t do anything!", she harrumphed. When Hermann''s eyes alighted upon the old photograph, he suddenly grinned as he stood next to Max. "I don¡¯t suppose you know what it means to get one of those medals do you, Max?" Max could only shake his head as his father then offered him another question. "Out of the 20 million men who served in the Wehrmacht how many do you think was awarded this particular medal?" Thinking briefly, Max roughly posited, "40,000?" "Well if you were thinking of the Bronze version then you are close. This medal is awarded for exactly what it is named for. Close combat. 15+ battles for Bronze. 25+ battles for Silver. 50+ battles for Gold." Hermann smiled as he traced the medal on the photographed fondly before he continued, "Only 631 such medals were ever awarded. It was more highly prized than even a Ritterkreuz which, by the way, was also awarded to him and should be around this box somewhere. But as I was saying, YOUR grandfather had survived 73 battles of brutal hand to hand combat. " "Which means", suddenly wrapping his arms around his son''s neck, and knuckling him roughly on the head, "he is one tough bastard". ********************************************************************************************* Gerhard woke up fitfully from his sleep, the dream was as always ebbing away before he can catch hold of it only for him to see that dawn was barely rising over the cloudless horizon. The sound of snoring could be heard all around him as he quietly got up to stretch sore muscles caused from the rough cold ground, nodding once at the sentry who was freezing silently hidden up the foliage of a tree, before making his way closer to the campfire. Already the Denarion was up and about, a rank akin to Unterfeldwebel as Gerhard understood it and as such a man who was supposedly extremely capable. Stifling a yawn, he sat down opposite the Denarion and reached out for the ladle to scoop out some of the simmering soup that one of the men had prepared the night before. The unit including Gerhard consisted only of 12 men, and though he was a special case, as he was applying for apprenticeship with a knight, technically he had to follow the commands of the Denarion until they had arrived at their destination. However considering the severity of the reports they were receiving from villages they had passed as they marched their way along the road, it seemed madness that only a single squad was being sent to reinforce the rapidly deteriorating situation. But that was all the capital could spare hugely due to the fact that a sizeable portion of the military had joined a punitive force led by a temporary knight named Darius. To which every single Orc across the border was exploiting Rosenheim''s lack of manpower whilst human bandits were adding to the growing chaos in the countryside. Nevertheless, they were making good time and to Gerhard''s surprise he had also gained a new stat during the journey. In the initial few hours after they had set forth from Serabourg, Gerhard had begun humming as he usually does, which sounded so catchy that the fresh faced recruits in the unit grew interested and asked to learn the tune. Before long, he had taught them the German lyrics and they sang as they marched for hours on end and by the 7th day a message bar popped open for Gerhard. *Tring!
New Stat: Singing A talented singer that brings forth hidden depths of strength and courage from within oneself and allies. Easier to win a girl''s heart. Improves when you sing or compose a song. Different songs may yield different benefits.
This caused Gerhard to raise an eyebrow in amusement though it didn¡¯t curb his singing in the slightest. The march towards the frontier was more akin to a leisurely stroll in comparison to the pace that was demanded when he was a Soldate der deutschen Armee to which he found he could sing all he want and the men around him responded in kind. It was such a strange feeling, the sense of camaraderie he felt with these NPCs, who didn''t even speak the same mother tongue as him and yet here they were laughing, joking and insulting each other with the familiarity of old comrades as the camp started to rouse awake. But the mood became subdued as they approached the next village, with clear signs of battle damage everywhere. The roof of one house was caved in and smoke could still be seen rising from the ashes within whilst there were bodies of the villagers splayed haphazardly like broken dolls everywhere. The bodies already had flies swarming around them. The scene was so disconcertingly familiar to Gerhard that he felt bile rising in his throat, feeling almost like he was standing on the fields of the Eastern Front once again, where he passed the handiwork of German divisions that had long raced ahead towards Moscow. War was never pretty but the vile things that some of his compatriots did left a bad aftertaste in his mouth¡­ though years later he would find himself in the same position. The unit continued its march towards the centre of the village to which Gerhard felt that they should have sent scouts ahead but since he had no authority whatsoever, like a good former soldier he kept his mouth firmly shut. That didn¡¯t mean he would be any less vigilant though as he kept his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings from the rear of the unit where he was stationed. Already the extensive destruction was forcing the unit to bunch up closer than he liked, that Gerhard intuitively tugged on the armour of the man in front to slow down and keep pace with him instead. The recruit looked extremely keyed up because of the situation but Gerhard just grinned and made a rude gesture to which the lad chuckled as his tension eased. When they reached their objective a well located in a wide opened public square, the Denarion halted the column and after a cursory glance at his surroundings, signalled for the men to be at ease. However a weird smell was being emitted from the well and an alarmingly bad feeling was beginning to creep up along Gerhard''s spine, so much so that before the man in front could yelp, Gerhard grabbed the soldier and literally threw him back into the rubble filled lane and promptly joined him. The rest of the unit could only look back askance at his behaviour, before the reason for it became quite apparent: a single fire arrow arching up into the air before pitching perfectly into the well. The Denarion and the men who had crowded around the well were instantly incinerated, as a cone of fire burst upward from within the opening of the well before the shock wave knocked the others to the ground. The ground rippled outwards from the epicentre before collapsing back inwards dragging a few more unlucky souls into its fiery depth as Gerhard exhaled all the breath from his body so as to not have his eardrums burst from the pressure. When the explosion ran its course, all that could be heard were screams and cries of pain everywhere. Through the black hazy smoke a rain of arrows falling amongst the prone men of the unit could be seen. For a flickering moment, to Gerhard''s eyes the scene became superimposed with that of the Siege of Stalingrad, where an entire German Army was destroyed in 5 months of gruelling combat, before reality reasserted itself and he stood up amidst the crossfire of arrows and ran into the maelstrom. "M?nner! Get up! Move, damn it!", Gerhard cried as he sprinted from one man to the other, checking to see if they were alright. The raw recruits were either stunned or too frightened to move and Gerhard knew that they were going to be annihilated if he didn''t do something drastic quickly. Dragging one limp body back into cover, he yelled to the cowering recruit who was unhurt due to Gerhard''s actions before, "Look after him!", and then he took off into the direction of the buildings surrounding the square. Kicking a door down, Gerhard leapt in and rolled, avoiding a sword swing to his face before righting back up and stabbing the sword into the mob''s back.
Critical Hit!
A brief look showed that it was a human, probably one of the bandits plaguing the area but because of the brown clothing and armour he was wearing, Gerhard once again felt like he was transported to a different place and time, the face of a Russian boy soldier he had bayoneted trying to feebly force the blade out. Only the sound of screaming outside brought him back to his senses, and he pulled the blade out of the limp body. The reason why Gerhard could instantly kill the mob was quite simple, his gear and basic training. The gifts given to him by his fan girls were not only attractive; it also boosted up his already formidable stats. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Racing up the stairs, he found some of the archers firing down unto the street, all in the same brown colour scheme and Gerhard could already feel that he was mentally drifting away. Before it could happen he bulldozed into the centre of the group and swung his sword like a madman. He had always known that he was no longer quite the same man from before the war, that somewhere along the line he had become broken, gone a little crazy. He never went skiing with his family because the snow reminded him too much of Russia, or would always be alert out in parks during a family picnic. Maybe one cannot escape the trauma etched unto your soul, but in the here and now it was interfering with his duties. And that was to save those recruits outside, the fact that they were NPCs mattered not. For Gerhard was once a commanding officer within the Gro?deutschland division and he will be damned if he let men die pointlessly under his watch. And so, Gerhard began to sing, something he never did in reality, in battle, back in World War 2. He sang to focus his mind on the here and now, to see his enemies for who they were, not the brave Russian soldiers of his memories, but vile bandits who had slaughtered an entire village for personal gain. He sang to beat back the Terror of Death, even though in his head he knew that this is only a game, his heart and soul responded by quickening his movements, strength flowing through his limbs just as it did all those years ago, in another place, in another time. When it was over, Gerhard was the only one left standing, splattered in the blood of his enemies but multiple message bubbles began appearing one after the other. *Ding!
You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! Charisma has risen by 3 points (+3 CHR)
Class Change! You can convert to a secret class Sword Singer. If you accept it, you can learn exclusive skills for the class that are withheld from the primary classes. Do you want to convert to Sword Singer?
Gerhard just shrugged and replied, "I accept". One class is as good as any is how he truly felt, and another message bubble popped up.
You''ve levelled up! Level up: Sword Mastery[5] +50% STR +15% Agility Skill: You acquired a new skill, Sword Song
SKILLS WINDOW
Passive
Forced MarchLv.1 (0%)When singing whilst in an allied group of more than 5, movement speed is increased to all members due to your motivating song + 5%
Herald of the KingLv.1 (0%)When singing whilst in an allied group of more than 5, your leadership is increased temporarily. + 2 mins
Lord of BattlesLv.1 (0%)When singing whilst in an allied group of more than 5, attack power is increased to all members due to your motivating song. Additional effects on your sword mastery. + 5%
Sword MasteryLv.5 (78%)Increases attack power and speed for equipping a sword.
Active
Sword SongLv.1 (0%)Increases attack speed and critical chance. If leadership higher than opponents, additional effect of ''slowed'' is applied on enemies. Mana consumption: 40 per second
Instead of wasting time reading what he had gained, Gerhard closed the screen, gripped the handle of his sword tightly, before moving into the next building. He had comrades to save. ********************************************************************************************* 6 July, 1942. Crossing of the Don, Assault on Voronezh City *Fhwipp* *Fhwipp* *Fhwipp* *Fhwipp* Bullets constantly flew through the air as the men of the recently rebuilt Gro?deutschland, now an entire division of thousands, which were formed from the sixty survivors of the winter battles of 1941, were paddling desperately hard on overcrowded rubber boats towards the opposite shore, where the heavily defended riverbank suburbs of Voronezh awaits. Comprising of poor low huddled homes interspersed with a few towering stone or brick buildings; the entire area was being blanketed by bombardment by German air and artillery support units, plumes of dirt rising up constantly in a never ending stream of intervals that it looked like a fireworks display on the ground. If you can ignore the screams, flying shrapnel and debris that is. The German assault force was meant to have landed north of the city, where they could reform and attack on foot, however, due to the fast river current, vast proportions of the rubber boats were being swept downriver¡­ into the waiting guns of the Russian shore defence teams. Men were frantically ducking down as low as they could into the rubber dinghies, the occasional shout of pain followed by a gurgling blood filled gasp, or just the silence that comes when your life was ended instantly without you even knowing, was such a common scene on many boats. A few such ships would reach the far bank, leaking from numerous bullet holes¡­ only for there to be no movement, the entire occupants lying dead in a rising pool of their own blood mixing with the water of the Don river. There was only one area of relative calm on the shore, a beachhead having been established in the face of unrelenting gun and mortar fire from the entrenched Russians, German MG34 teams hosing the windows and any such openings with their machine guns to keep the Ivans heads down. Leaping from his boat that was punctured full of holes, the German soldier ran through the storm of lead, the sand from the riverbank kicking up all around him as he was spotted by the Russians, a bullet managing to score a deep rent in his metal helmet as he veered towards the side, happening to spot what he was looking for. Diving into a ditch filled with groaning wounded soldiers, he crawled towards a man calmly listening in on the radio, marking locations on his map even as the air around him whistled with flying lead, the terrain they were in not providing even a rudimentary form of cover from enemy fire. "Herr Hauptmann! ", the man called out in greeting, before ducking face first into the dirt as the ground next to him puffed up from a passing bullet, "glad to see you are alive!", spitting sand out from his mouth. "Welcome to the war, Karl", Gerhard waved vaguely in the direction of the enemy, "Feel free to win it for us" "We are really in the shit, aren''t we?!", Karl, his Sergeant laughed. "¡­. Karl, we need to move. From what I can decipher from this mess on the radio, we have only managed to land in small pockets. Grab whoever you can find and pull some of the MG teams out of the sand", Gerhard then pointed towards a distant crumbling building, "I will grab some men and see you in there" "Jawohl, Herr Hauptmann! ", Karl responded with a grin, scurrying backwards on his hands and knees before flipping over to lie on his back, "YOU! YOU! AND YOU!", pointing to several cowering soldiers, "GIVE THE HAUPTMANN A HAND! STOP CRYING YOU GIRL! LOSING A FINGER IS ONLY A FLESH WOUND!", before he then went off to locate the soldiers that his captain required. By the time he had returned, Karl almost groaned in disbelief as he spotted his Captain and impromptu squad already racing across the open ground, Gerhard''s distinctive war cry of "GRO?DEUTSCHLAND!", piercing out and cutting through the ambience of war, as he barged into the building, sounds of gunfire erupting from within. Turning to the men behind him Karl shouted out, "C''MON LADIES!! WE ARE NOT PAID BY THE HOUR! AUF GRO?DEUTSCHLAND! AUF AUF! FOLLOW THE HAUPTMANN!" With a wild yell, the men chased after the Sergeant into the maelstrom, praying that the bullets would just pass them by¡­ stumbling through into the building, Karl turned back to see a trail of dead comrades ¡­. where obviously prayers had failed them. Glancing about wildly, he found his Captain swiftly pulling out a bayonet from a Russian soldier¡­ with the face of a youth. Gerhard''s face was impassive, however, as Karl stood next to him saying, "They keep just getting younger don''t they?" "¡­That they do, Karl", Gerhard replied woodenly before asking, "You got the MG crews?" "Signed, sealed", and thumbing over his shoulders, "and delivered. Excuse the bleeding, though" "¡­ I will excuse them for ruining their uniforms. Just for today", Gerhard grinned jokingly, although the smile did not reach his eyes, as the horrors of the day did not seemed like it would end anytime soon. Turning to the machine gun crews, Gerhard called out, "Hoste! Take your gun and set it up over by that window", he pointed, the soldier doing as he was told instantly, flipping down the bipod of his weapon to allow it to sit on the windowsill, whilst his loader feeds the ammunition belt into the breech of the gun. "Dietl! Tomas! Your crews follow me from behind and set up where the Unterfeldwebel directs!", Gerhard finished. This left Gerhard with just seven men for his crazed assault¡­ but someone had to do it. Kicking down the door at the back of the building, Gerhard shouted, " GRO?DEUTSCHLAND!", and leapt through, bullet holes appearing around the doorframe from enemy fire as the men followed willingly to save their comrades, trapped along the river bank. ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Gentle Light S1 E04: First Impressions...Are Usually Correct Lydia stifled a scream as the battle raged all around her, the wooden barrel she was hiding in constantly vibrating to the aftershock of explosions, or the intermittent stamping of A LOT of feet hitting pavement as the enemy mobs moved past her location. She wondered how she got herself in this mess, when all she wanted to do was empty out her inventory at the local market so that she can go back out into the surrounding hunting grounds to level up. But, when she saw that the entire village was dead and no movement could be discerned after an hour of observation, greed won over caution in her internal struggle before she began creeping through the houses searching for loot and occasionally pilfering the bodies, though more often than not there was nothing left to steal. When Lydia saw a unit of the Kingdom''s soldiers stopping at the public square, she was about to call out to them when all hell broke loose. Knocked back and terrified by the explosion, she groggily watched the unit being rapidly cut to pieces and she did the only thing she can do as a lone mage¡­. hide. Crawling into the shattered wall of the local tavern, she found that the only safe place to hide was in an empty barrel¡­ and that¡¯s where she now remained, determined not to move until 48 hours have past for which she hoped that the enemy mobs would have moved on after annihilating the soldiers. However, for some reason she felt that the tempo of the battle had changed, her curiosity as a student of journalism in real life made her lift the lid top of her barrel slightly, to sneak a peek at the going ons outside. After all, it''s not her problem that a bunch of NPCs were being slaughtered¡­ especially when she then saw a few dozen ORCS of all things charging out from an alleyway towards the prone and cowering soldiers. The human bandits and Orc raiders must have allied together, she thought in astonishment, mentally checking off the hunting grounds in this area from her list. There was no way she can solo level now, she groaned. The reason she came here was to get away from the crowded starter areas where she was constantly harassed to join all-male parties because of her looks. Which was to say that even Lydia knew she was quite attractive than most women ¡­..in a not so boastful way¡­. probably¡­.. well that¡¯s how she reassured herself often. Dear readers, please forgive this woman''s ego¡­. Fully expecting a forecast of falling human limbs with a 100% chance of a blood red rain, Lydia offered a short prayer, "Please, leave some loot for me you stupid mobs", when out of the corner of her eye she saw a man race out of a doorway and insanely steered himself into the path of the oncoming Orcs. Lydia felt her jaw drop at the stupidity of this NPC when unexpectedly, he began to sing. And what a voice! It was so heart stoppingly good that Lydia didn''t realise she was holding her breath. The song seemed to be in a foreign language and for some reason she could sense that he was buffing himself with several positive statuses. ''Oh my god, is he a REAL human bard?'', she thought to herself in astonishment, ''he is going to die wastefully'', Lydia predicted. After all, a bard was just a support class with no close combat capability. She was more than sure that he was going to die if an Orc even brushed an axe past his face. When the man swung his sword, Lydia closed her eyes and sighed, fully expecting his head to be lopped off swiftly ¡­. Only to have her barrel shudder from an impact, causing her to open her eyes and glance down. Outside the bottom of her barrel contrary to what she was anticipating, lay the head of an Orc, its eyes opened wide in surprise like it couldn''t believe at what had happened to it. The head must have travelled a good 30 metres from where the fighting was and Lydia realised that a tremendous amount of force was needed in order to do so. Returning her eyes back to the ''fight'', a scene more akin to an action movie greeted Lydia''s sight. The man moved with¡­ savage grace, like a lion amongst lambs (albeit big muscular ugly lambs with weapons), every strike causing terrible or fatal wounds, every strike lashing out with precision and power. And then there was the singing! Like a song from a divine angel of war, the soldiers on the ground lifted their heads up, courage welling deep within their eyes as slowly one by one they soon took up the song as well, the men getting up or leaving cover pulling swords from sheath, shields faced forward and then charging to join the mad fray even though they were completely outnumbered! ''WHAT WHAT WHAT is going on here?!!'' ********************************************************************************************* INTRO SONG: Kono Sekai e Moeru ********************************************************************************************* "¡­.im sturmwind dahin!" <¡­into the storm''s wind!>, Gerhard sang as he cut, his voice rising above the din of battle and seeming to settle the men into a rhythm of methodical slaughter. Even though they were surrounded, even though they were outnumbered, none of them thought of death or defeat, the small tight circle of six humans lashed ferociously out with their swords whilst protecting one another with their shields, blocking attacks that would have wounded their neighbour in the shield wall. And all the while Gerhard kept singing. "Ob''s st¨¹rmt oder schneit, ob die Sonne uns lacht, Der Tag gl¨¹hend hei?, oder eiskalt die Nacht, Voraus den Kameraden, im Kampf steh''n wir allein" "JA, WIR ALLEIN!" , the men, now HIS men roared in reply as he continued. "SO STO?EN WIR TIEF IN DIE FEINDLICHEN REIH''N" , Gerhard raised his voice as well and practically leapt forward from the shield wall and into the dense orc formation, the rest of the men following as they kept singing. "VORAUS DEN KAMERADEN, IM KAMPF STEH''N WIR ALLEIN!" , by the end of his sentence every single orc within his reach was dead while the men made short work of those that strayed too near. "JA, WIR ALLEIN!" , came the expected, almost joyous response. "SO STO?EN WIR TIEF IN DIE FEINDLICHEN REIH''N" , he repeated followed by the same manoeuvre he did before, to which the Orcs for the first time began to show dread at this monster in human form, rushing towards them without any sign of fear or hesitation. Already, several of the weaker willed Orcs in the back had begun to slip away, and in moments as though a dam had broken, all of them turned their backs towards the soldiers and ran for their lives, sprinting back towards the alleyway they came from. With the beyond all odds decisive rout of the Orcs, more message bubbles began appearing. *Ding!
You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! Leadership has risen by 13 points (+13 LS) Charisma has risen by 9 points (+9 CHR) Fighting Spirit has risen by 8 points (+8 FS)
Seeing the opportunity, Gerhard shouted, "VOKW?RTS KAMERADEN! T?TET SIE ALLE!" , not realising he was giving commands in German. Though it didn¡¯t matter as the soldiers seemed to understand what was required of them as they gave chase like hunting hounds unleashed, the effect of Gerhard''s song still coursing through their system as he dragged one of them off to follow him into clearing the buildings. Already the devastating arrow fire from before was slackening as the panic seemed to have affected the human bandits as well, caught totally off guard by such determined resistance from soldiers who earlier before faced total destruction. Nevertheless this didn¡¯t mean that the bandits had given up and those that still retained some semblance of discipline began to focus their fire on the pair that was racing towards one of their occupied buildings. Gerhard¡¯s and the remaining soldiers'' HP were already precariously low, yet both of them didn¡¯t seem to care as Gerhard took a running jump without breaking stride and went shoulder first through a closed glass window with the soldier soon following close behind. Their entry into the building brought chaos to the bandits¡¯ sense of order as more than five bows turned to fire in panic at the rapidly closing warriors. Gerhard grunted as he took an arrow to the chest but the padded armour absorbed a lot of the impact and damage before he drew back his arm and hurled his sword like a javelin in reply to the closest of the mobs.
Critical Hit!
The bandit was instantly killed by pure luck as the sword cleanly penetrated its neck and as it slowly fell backwards dead, Gerhard was already beside the corpse, pulling the sword cleanly out in an unbroken stride to hack at a target to his left while the soldier advanced into position on his right to act as his shield. This tactical combination brought out the best in damage dealing and protection with Gerhard proving to be unstoppable in close combat whilst placing absolute trust in the NPC to maintain both their defences and HP from dropping any further. From an outsider''s perspective, it looked like all Gerhard was doing was grinding for exp¡­. If you did not take into account how much of a difference the levels were between him and the mob, which by all rights should have been difficult if one was not in a party of 5 well equipped players. Barely three minutes had passed before the building was cleared, but the pace that Gerhard had set was beginning to slow as the damage and fatigue over time had begun to build up, although it was unavoidable because he was actually fighting opponents well above his current level. With the situation decidedly not in the bandits favour, especially with the Orcs now having fully fled the field and the remaining soldiers rapidly rushing back to lend aid to the two that were causing havoc and exacting vengeance, the remaining mobs were beating a hasty retreat, barely a dozen remaining¡­ running into the direction of the tavern where Lydia was hiding¡­ ''"GEEH", Lydia moaned as she saw the oncoming mobs and thought to do the one thing that should be done in this situation - panic. And panic like crazy. She basically stood up from the barrel, lid still on her head, and tried to climb out only to trip forwards when her considerable dress bunched up around her hips and made her lower half trapped in the barrel. "Oh craaap!", she despaired when the mobs noticed her and decided that maybe they could salvage some pride from this situation by killing her. She closed her eyes, fully expecting to die and log back in 24 hours only to hear the screech of metal on metal. The man HAD APPEARED to her rescue! Raising up her eyes she could see the wide gallant back of this mysterious bard/warrior/system error having deflected two sword strokes away from either side of her head, one with his blade and the other with his gauntlet, the polished lustre on it now dull and scratched. " Fr?ulein , I highly suggest you cut yourself loose, this is going to be extremely¡­ difficult", he panted. Her eyes widened and then she realised he was right. Judging by the wounds all over his body and those that have penetrated his armour, by all rights he should be dead by now but instead he was probably hanging on with only a few points of HP remaining. The rest of the soldiers didn¡¯t look too good as well as they finally caught up with the bandits and brutal fighting swept out into all corners of the tavern. "I can help you", Lydia exclaimed from the floor whilst taking a knife to her dress. "What?" "I said, ¡®I can help you¡¯" " Fr?ulein , explain in ten words or less. A bit busy here" The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. "I want all loot, I save us all. Easy right?" "¡­..just do whatever you want!" "I will take that as a ¡¯yes''!", she cried triumphantly as she finally freed herself. Standing up, now with something resembling a miniskirt, she began chanting. Suddenly, Gerhard felt himself being rejuvenated with energy, his wounds fading and surely enough his HP was rapidly increasing. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that she was casting the same spell individually to the other soldiers before returning his gaze on the pair of now very frightened bandits. "Now", he smiled sweetly, "where were we again?". ¡­ a few minutes later the unit emerged victorious as they slumped down onto the floor exhausted but glad to be alive. Gerhard remained standing as he continued to scan the area, noticing the strange ''Barrel Girl'' as he had come to think of her, walking towards him with a bag of collected loot over her shoulder smiling happily. "Good haul, good haul", she giggled ¡­.totally unbecoming of a cute girl. "To be fair", Gerhard arched an eyebrow, "technically we still did all the hard work in the end". "Its fine, Its fine, after all you wouldn¡¯t had been able to if you were DEAD" "Well, that is true. And thus", Gerhard clicked his heels together as he saluted her, "Thank you for saving us madam. My name is Gerhard von Natzmer". Lydia laughed as she replied, "I am Lydia, Fire Mage. I can''t believe you choose that name for an avatar, you are probably the first role-player I have met in this game. Trying to live a childhood dream of being a noble?", she stuck her tongue out at him before abruptly ending the conversation by walking away¡­in search of more loot. In her mini skirt style dress. This girl really had no modesty. Please forgive her. "But.... I AM a noble", Gerhard muttered in discontent. Computer gamers. He will never understand his grandson''s generation. ********************************************************************************************* Date Unknown, July, 1943. German Heer westward retreat, Russia "Walking¡­ always walking", One of the German soldiers groaned, before a few of the tired men told him to shut up simultaneously. It was too hot to be complaining, especially in the summer. Fuel for their trucks and halftracks had long since been used up¡­ however, the men of Gro?deutschland can''t ever rest. For they are tasked with a dangerous and self sacrificing work that none seemed able to accomplish; slowing the advance of the Russian Army. And they were damn good at it. "Haaa", Karl sighed, as he trudged beside his Captain, "and to think this time last year we were winning". Gerhard barely gave notice to his Sergeant''s reminiscing, as he constantly scanned the terrain, watching for telltale signs of dust kicked up by Russian tanks and trucks, however, he still managed a reply, "We ARE winning though if the F¨¹hrer speeches are anything to go by. Just winning BACKWARDS" Karl chuckled, as he grinned at his commanding officer, "Don''t let a political officer hear you joke about that, Herr Hauptmann. I heard too many stories of good men disappearing¡­" "We all know those stories are true, Unterfeldwebel . It''s just that I am luckier than most, because I only say it when we are getting shot at" "¡­ but we are not under fire...?" Gerhard sighed, "We are advancing towards the Russian Army instead of retreating away from it. Of course, we are going to get shot at. Hence why there is no NAZI bootlicking officer within a hundred miles. They are probably in Berlin by now" Karl nodded sagely, "Your point is well understood Herr Hauptmann, even to a farm boy like me". "Bullshit Karl!", one of the soldiers yelled, "We all know that you are a miner''s son!" "Aye, but I like farming more than mining", Karl gave an evil grin back to the men, "Spend most of my time there not to milk four legged cows if you know what I mean". There was a roar of laughter at this, rare nowadays in their tired unit. Which is not surprising since their Panzergrenadierkompanie had started out with nearly two hundred men¡­now it was reduced to barely three half strength platoons of fifteen men each. They were more fortunate than the rest of Gro?deutschland though, many infantry companies barely having enough men to field one half strength platoon. And that is why the soldiers loved Gerhard. He tries his hardest to keep them alive. A figure waved at Gerhard from a distance, one of the platoons marching in parallel and led by his best friend, wondering what the laughter was about. Gerhard waved back but then noticed buildings in the distance, signalling to his friend to prepare for trouble. Immediately, silence reigned over the combat veterans of Gerhard''s company, the men instinctively fanning out and hugging what cover they could find as the three platoons advanced slowly towards the outlying buildings. Located in a slight dip within the vast plains of Russia, the buildings sat nestled in the middle just below the crest, wooden structures and barns indicative of the fact that it must had been a farming village. ''Had been'' because after pulling out his binoculars to survey the quaint looking village, Gerhard passed the device to his Sergeant in disgust as he rose up to his knees and signalled to his best friend to advance cautiously while telling the third platoon to remain where they are and to be on overwatch. "You have got to be kidding me", Karl uttered, after visually confirming what had riled up his Captain. "I wish it was some sort of joke", Gerhard said angrily, "But I am afraid we may need to set up some firing squads after this" Gerhard turned to face his platoon, "M?nner! Hold this position until I return!" "Jawohl, Herr Hauptmann! ", came the cry from the other Sergeants. "Ok, Karl¡­. Let''s go smash some heads". "I am with you on that one, sir!" As the two men walked down the gentle slope, they were being bare witnessed to a scene of¡­ depravity. Seven German soldiers, in the tattered remnants of their uniforms were chasing girls, Russian villagers who were screaming in terror as they tried to escape from the laughing madmen, and in front of the barn, the bodies of the menfolk of this village were all lined up face down¡­ where they were shot through the back of the head. One of the girls, not looking where she was going because of the tears in her eyes, ran into Gerhard, quickly looking up at him and began to struggle as he hugged her close and started whispering in her ears. "§´§Ú§ê§Ö, §ä§Ö§á§Ö§â§î §Ó§ã§Ö §ç§à§â§à§ê§à ", Gerhard said softly in fluent Russian to calm the poor girl down. She looked to be only thirteen years old¡­ to which fury gripped Gerhard''s heart in an unshakeable hold at what these men had done to the people here¡­ "Ah! Herr Hauptmann!", one of the leering ''soldiers'' said, as he stumbled into a halt after seeing Gerhard''s rank, "Officers first?", saluting lazily and winking at his friends behind him, causing them to laugh. However when the soldier turned back, all he received was a fist to his nose as a reply, shattering it in a bloody spray as Gerhard spat, "DRECKSAU! " "WHAT ARE YOU HOSENSCHEISSER DOING!",Karl roared, "STAND TO ATTENTION WHEN AN OFFICER ADDRESSES YOU, SCUM!" There was an immediate response as the six remaining men stood to attention whilst their friend lay on the ground, unconscious and bleeding. Gerhard didn¡¯t even spare any attention to the prone figure as he addressed the guilty looking soldiers, "Why aren''t you men¡­ retreating westward. And what is THIS?!", he pointed to the corpses at the barn, the Russian girl still clinging to Gerhard, face buried in his chest. "H-Herr Hauptmann", one of the figures dared to respond, "W-we thought there were some guerrillas in this village¡­ and we were low on food so-¡­" "THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS OUR ENEMY, YOU IDIOT! BUT DOES THAT MEAN YOU CAN RANDOMLY EXECUTE VILLAGERS?!", Gerhard was on the point of pulling his pistol out and shooting these men for looting and murder¡­ till he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Gerhard¡­ you are scaring the girl" A quick glance to the side showed that it was his best friend, who was pointing with a finger down at the girl hugging Gerhard. Breathing in and out slowly to master his anger, before Gerhard finally dropped his hand to caress the poor girl gently across her head. "Haaah", Gerhard exhaled, "You are right, I am sorry about that M-..", before he could finish, a shot cracked the air¡­ and his best friend slowly pitched backwards as blood spurted from the gaping wound that blossomed in his chest. Before Gerhard could yell in denial, the air became rife with explosions as Russian tanks appeared on the other side of the village, Russian Infantry leaping from the top of the vehicles and firing from the hip as they advanced on the German positions. Gerhard pulled the girl down and under him, a tank shell exploding right in the centre of the group of panicking murderous scum, as though divine retribution had fallen upon them. The other Russian girls had scattered and taken cover within the buildings however Gerhard had other concerns to deal with. "KARL!", Gerard yelled, "GET THIS GIRL TO SAFETY!" "WHAT ABOUT YOU HAUPTMANN!?" "I AM NOT LEAVING MY BEST FRIEND FOR IVAN! GO! GO NOW!" Cursing his officer for being a mad idiot, Karl did as he was told, grabbing the yelling scared girl over his shoulder and running back towards the platoons. Gerhard got unto his feet and ran the few metres into the storm of shrapnel and gunfire as he dropped to his knees and tried to stem the flow of blood leaking from his friend. Pressing down with both hands on the wound, ignoring the buzzing and whistling bullets all around him, Gerhard was shouting, "Hang on! The medic will be here soon Kamerad! " "Ah shit¡­I am dying", Came the weak reply. "It''s only a flesh wound! A few stitches and you will be walking both ends of Russia in one day!", Gerhard lied. "Hahaa no way¡­. I am sick of the Russian cold¡­" "OK! How about we go to Italy for a little sun, huh?! I will bring Hannah and you can finally meet your godson! Hermann, my boy!" "It''s getting colder Gerhard¡­" "NO! DON¡¯T DO THIS!", Gerhard pressing down harder on the wound, "FIGHT IT GOD DAMN IT!" "Mutter¡­¡­" "MAX! DON¡¯T DO THIS TO ME!", Gerhard yelled, "MAAAX!" "HAUPTMANN! ", Karl had come back, after depositing the girl out of the line of fire, "THE LEUTNANT IS GONE!", shaking Gerhard''s shoulder repeatedly, "WE NEED TO GO! THE MEN NEED YOU!" "¡­¡­Karl! Take command of second platoon! Go!" "Jawohl, Herr Hauptmann! ", as Karl scurried off, trying to stay below the deadly trading of lead flying through the air between the two sides. Grabbing all the ammo from his friend, Gerhard finally took out Max''s dog-tags, snapping and taking one half, placing the tiny piece of metal into one of his top pockets, "I am sorry, Max¡­ ", he whispered before eventually standing up, running back to his men whilst chased by enemy bullets. There was no time to weep and mourn. There was still a war to be fought. ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Gentle Light S1 E05: A Good Deed Does Not Goes Unpunished INTRO SONG: Kono Sekai e Moeru ********************************************************************************************* The survivors of the unit were in a half circle around 6 freshly made graves, at the head of each overturned mound was placed a roughly cut slab of wall or stone taken from the ruins of the village, each carved with the name of their fallen friends and comrades. The soldiers all stood to attention as Gerhard marched forward into the centre, before halting and doing an about turn to face the grim and sad faces of the squad. Looking to each of them in turn Gerhard then spoke; "M?nner Today¡­ today each and every one of you have changed. Right now we cannot ask ourselves why we lived and yet the others didn¡¯t. We must not ask ourselves why the hand of fate has dealt such a cruel blow against us nor why it has chosen this day, this hour, this moment to show us the face of death through our comrades". Pausing for a brief moment, as if looking into himself and struggling for some sort of answer he then continued, "We lived because it was not yet our time. We lived purely by chance, because Death''s gaze happened to pass over us as he picked the souls of the brave. And now we stand here as the brave lay there¡­." as Gerhard pointed to the mounds. "We are here because we weren''t deemed suitable enough to enter the halls of Valh?ll ¡­.so I say this. LIVE! Live long and prosper! Live the lives our friends are no longer able to have. And while we are at it, let''s spit into Death''s face together and show him that he had his chance to choose us¡­ now we shall be the harbingers of death itself and he will have to try his damn hardest to take away our right to live! And when it is our time to finally join our friends once again, let us tell them that we done right by them, that we always remembered them. Let no man here forget the faces of those gone before us" A period of long silence followed before one of the soldiers stirred and shouted, "Salute!" There was a loud cacophony of metal on metal as armoured right fists tapped the breastplates over their hearts to which it became an unspoken signal for Gerhard to sing. Lydia still didn¡¯t understand why they were actually holding a funeral for the NPCs but Gerhard was so adamant that she choose not to argue. After all, if a role-player is this serious about his character¡­ was what she thought until she saw his face. To her astonishment, an unbroken flow of tears were streaming from his eyes¡­ it seemed so genuine and heartfelt that even Lydia choked up at the sorrow he was showing. And that is when she truly listened to the song. Ich hatt'' einen Kameraden, < I had a comrade> Einen bessern findst du nit. < None better I have had.> Die Trommel schlug zum Streite, < The drum called us to fight,> Er ging an meiner Seite < He always on my right,> In gleichem Schritt und Tritt. < In step, through good and bad.> In gleichem Schritt und Tritt. < In step, through good and bad.> Eine Kugel kam geflogen: < A bullet it flew towards us,> Gilt¡¯s mir oder gilt es dir? < For him or meant for me?> Sie hat ihn weggerissen, < His life from mine it tore,> Er liegt zu meinen F¨¹?en < At my feet a piece of gore,> Als w?r''s ein St¨¹ck von mir. < As if a part of me.> Als w?r''s ein St¨¹ck von mir. < As if a part of me.> Will mir die Hand noch reichen, < His hand reached up to hold mine.> Derweil ich eben lad''. < I must re-load my gun.> "Kann dir die Hand nicht geben, < "I cannot ease your pain,> Bleib du im ew''gen Leben < In life eternal we''ll meet again,> Mein guter Kamerad!" < My good comrade!> Mein guter Kamerad!" By the end of it, as the squad and Gerhard marched away towards the direction of their mission, none of them commented on why Lydia was inexplicably sobbing. ********************************************************************************************* "Huhuhuhuhuhu" "Mum? Why are you chuckling weirdly", Max lifted his head out of the brown box and looked at his mom worriedly. "Guess what I fooound ~~~", she said excitedly as she lifted a photo up to her lips. "Geeeeh!!!", Hermann exclaimed as he saw what she was holding. "Awwwww, is that you dad? Coochie coochie cooo", Max teased. "GIVE .. GIVE IT HERE!" Max laughed as his dad grabbed the picture from his mom''s hands in a not so rough manner so he wouldn¡¯t damage the photo and Hermann''s face softened as he gazed at the scene shown in the picture. "Where did you get this photo from?", Hermann asked softly. "Hmmm? Why from his wallet of course. I think it¡¯s a wallet?", she held up a black leather wallet of some kind, cracked from age however another photo slipped from its folds and drifted down towards the floor, Max bending over to pick it up. "Wow, it seems to be faded beyond recognition, Dad would you know who these people are?" "Let me see here¡­Mein Gott! , we have to get this fixed immediately! Max run to the local camera, photography store arrgggh whatever! Get this fixed and restored!", Hermann shouted excitedly. "Wha.. what is it father?" "Yes Hermann dear, what is going on? Tell me before I call the mental asylum to come pick you up" "Well... don''t you want to see what our family in Prussia was like?", the statement shocking his wife and son before both looked to the old photograph, perhaps the last treasure of Gerhard''s old life, from an old forgotten kingdom. ********************************************************************************************* The tired squad basically stumbled into the fortified frontier village of Basterni, followed by the happily whistling Lydia pushing along a wheelbarrow full of loot. Once they passed through the wooden gate, she immediately broke off in search of a merchant but not before shouting, "Don''t leave without me, ok?! I am your healer after all! Cya soon", and then she blew a kiss towards them¡­ yup, not very shameful at all. The journey, as some may already have guessed was not an easy one, the unit having been ambushed 6 times along the way with each fight getting progressively harder as higher level mobs began making their appearance along the King''s Road, delaying the group so much so that they finally arrived after a week of avoiding the more unmanageable mobs of Orcs and human bandits whilst hiding in the mud or bushes beside the road. However it was always difficult to do so when all Lydia could do was whisper loudly, "Looooot, come on guuuys lets kill them!", with dollar signs seeming to replace the irises of her eyes. Even when the mob size was 40 or more¡­. The last fight along the road was caused when Lydia said "Whoops", before ''accidentally'' casting fireball at one of the Orcs¡­ That is how she assured Gerhard after a brutal fight that lasted nearly 20mins, smiling innocently at him while with one foot kicking loot into her opened bag. Gerhard, trying to think the best of people and not knowing how magic works in this game let it slide¡­ although he has this sinking feeling that the journey wouldn¡¯t be so bad if she didn''t follow them. For some reason she decided to tag along and when asked Lydia batted her eyelids prettily and claimed it was safer with the unit because the whole area had become far too hostile for a young, frail and BEAUTIFUL girl like her to be alone in. She emphasised the ''BEAUTIFUL'' bit¡­ thrice¡­ The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. When they finally walked to the end of the fortified village, they came upon the fort the community was built around from and stood in front of perhaps the only reinforced oak gates for a week''s travel in all directions. An elderly guardsman poked his head over the stone parapet and questioned the squad, "Is this all the reinforcements?... And where is the Denarion that went to the capital? Don¡¯t tell me they decided to take him along on that foolhardy errand of the King''s?" The recruits, now hardened veterans, looked to one another before pointedly staring at Gerhard who noticed and cleared his throat, acting as impromptu leader and stepping forward to address the guard, "We were original a full squad, Sir, however we were ambushed in one of the villages and lost half our men, the Denarion included. I don''t suppose I can meet Sir Ernst Rommer? I have a letter for him from the Instructor at Serabourg" "Ha! That ugly mongrel still alive? Well you are looking at him" "Pardon?", Gerhard replied in confusion. "I AM Sir Ernst Rommer", the old man repeated, as though it was as plain as day before yelling behind him, "COME ON YOU SLACK JAWED DAIRY COWS! COME ALIVE, LOOK SHARP AND LET THEM IN! DON''T WANT THEM TO THINK THAT YOU GUYS WERE JUST LAZING ABOUT AND PLAYING CARDS DO YOU!?", totally oblivious that the squad outside can hear him quite well. The gate groaned as it slowly opened outwards, Ernst Rommer coming down stairs in the distance within, hunched over and obviously tiring out badly. Gerhard quickly marched forward and up the stairs, offering his arm to the old man who was about to swat it away in irritation before Gerhard said, "I am honoured to help those respected and brave men who were injured in the line of duty. I take it a recent injury is slowing you down, Sir?" To which Ernst Rommer grunted in assent and gratefully leaned into the side of Gerhard who slowly led the old man down the stairs carefully. There were nods of approval from several of the NPC soldiers who were garrisoned there and he received a message bubble once again. *Tring!
Charisma has risen by 1 point (+1 CHR)
"So why did he sent you along with this bunch of arrow fodder to the worse posting in the universe?", the old man looked him up and down, "you are too good for this¡­ you feel like a man who has stared death in the face for a long time", Ernst Rommer remarked intuitively¡­ almost like a real human would. It startled Gerhard however he just reached into one of his pouches and pulled out a letter for the commander, who promptly read it and grinned lopsidedly, "Well welcome to the last days of your life, and judging from the looks the recruits are giving you I bet you led them to safety here. If that orc smelling freak liked what he saw, and I sure as hell like what I am seeing standing right here.. Do you feel up for an apprenticeship under my command?" *Tring!
You have received a job offer!
If you accept it, you will take a military position of Centurion in the Rosenheim army. You will command 100 foot soldiers. You are entitled to receive regular training, and a monthly income of 3 Gold. You will also be apprenticed to Sir Ernst Rommer as his sole Squire. Will you accept this job offer?
The question caused Gerhard to blink rapidly in confusion... until he saw the faces of the survivors looking at him expectantly... eyes that reminded him of comrades long ago. Gerhard had lived a long life... and yet somehow he felt like he was being offered a second chance to make amends to those he failed long ago... Clicking his heels and standing in military attention, Gerhard saluted the old man crisply, "I accept, mein Kommandant. Command me as you will!" "....then go send your gear for repairs and report to the quartermaster for additional armour with my heraldry". *Tring!
Quest Complete! You have arrived safely at the frontier village of Basterni and reported to the commander for your posting. You have additionally received the title of ''Squire'' and a rank within the Army of Rosenheim.
Clapping once on the shoulder of Gerhard the old man said, "Well¡­ you are now my second in command. I am sorry about this since you have just arrived ¡­ but you are ordered to locate and engage the Orc and Human leaders of this accursed alliance", Rommer''s eyes seemed to burn fiercely as he continued, "¡­ with their total annihilation as your duty. You have 5 days to organise and set forth. Requests for a transfer are denied. Leave is denied. Refusal to accept is also DENIED". A quest window promptly opened. *Tring!
The Shadow War The Orc raiders and Human bandits have forged an alliance which is devastating the region. Attempts to bring them to battle has been futile with the enemy constantly using guerrilla tactics to harass the beleaguered Rosenheim troops despatched to the region. Finding the leaders and executing them is hoped to destabilise the alliance and lead to its downfall. Difficulty Level: C Quest Requirements Acknowledged as reliable by the instructor for a constant passion for Sword Mastery Acknowledged as reliable by the commander by ensuring the survival of at least half or more of the squad and its subsequent delivery to the frontier village Warning: If you refuse to accept this quest, this will count as desertion and you will be stripped of all worldly possessions before thrown into prison for a period of 2 years followed by a dishonourable discharge.
It was some thirty minutes before Lydia waltzed into the courtyard that had Gerhard''s tired head in his hands as she called in a ''I have a happy fat wallet'' kind of voice, "So, what did I miss?" ********************************************************************************************* "Gyaaaaa!", a player shouted as he was hacked in half by a battle axe swung by a giant in red armoured plate as the well armed caravan of merchants and warriors screamed in terror as they recognised the figure. "RUN FOR IT! IT''S ERIC THE RED!", one of the warriors screamed before he leapt forward to try and give the others a chance to escape. It was a futile effort though as he was instantly cut down, the lone giant bringing death and chaos with every swing of his axe until finally only a single warrior remained, sitting down with back leaning against a tree trunk, already close to death with his HP fading rapidly, "¡­damn you player killer¡­ our guild won''t stand for your insolent behavi-..", to which he was silenced by a fall of an axe. The red armoured giant gazed around at the caravan full of goods and gears bound for the frontier region before he rested the long handle of his battleaxe on his shoulder and began his slow walk in the general direction of the village of Basterni¡­ ignoring all the items. The gaze he directed forward would bring chills racing down one spine if you were to look into them¡­ devoid of all emotion. His eyes were as dead as a corpse. ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Gentle Light S1 E05.5 Special: Into The Coming Darkness January, 1945. The dull *krump* *krump* of artillery rolled like thunder in the distant horizon as the two men silently gazed at the tombstone before them, hearts unbearably crushing in agony whilst crows soar overhead seemingly laughing at their misery as though it didn¡¯t mattered. That it was insignificant. Gerhard hated crows. "Albert¡­. Why did you have to do this to us!", the kneeling figure cried out, his voice barely containing the grief coursing through his body. "Dieter¡­. We must leave soon", Gerhard whispered softly. "But bruder ¡­.. how¡­how can I explain to mother that I let him out of my sight for only a moment¡­ and now this. One of her sons is DEAD!", Dieter wailed. Gerhard gazed up into the darkening sky which throbbed and flashed with enemy bombers being peppered by a soaring hail of flak, the orange streaks racing high into the air to explode against their hulls. Already Prussia was being bombarded in preparation for the unstoppable Russian offensive steamrolling through the German lines in the east. Thousands of men were dying at this moment all to buy time for the evacuation. "We¡­ we are probably not long for this world too. The Russians are only days away from Tirschtiegel but Vater und mutter are refusing to evacuate with the other refugees. Our little sister Anne is trying to convince them but they are being way too stubborn. Saying that this is our land and that the Russians can never evict a von Natzmer from his birthright without first paying in blood", Gerhard shook his head in disbelief. "Like the Russkies will care about rights¡­. They are here for vengeance. Soon our people will bleed for what we have done in Russia" You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. "You believe we won''t win this, Gerhard?", his brother turned his head to look at him, eyes red from weeping. "¡­ I am just a realist. Hitler is a dreamer. We are losing this war because of his madness. And now¡­ there is no place that is safe. At least Hannah and Hermann are in Berlin right now, thank gott " "So.. it''s finally the end, is it?" Gerhard glanced at his brother briefly before turning to look at the tombstone of his little brother. All that remained of the studious and serious little brother. "Albert¡­. You should have gone to university like papa wanted¡­", Gerhard muttered hoarsely. Soon it began to rain, the air smelling like iron and ash as the war slowly crept closer to German homes, acting finally as a signal for Dieter to rise shakily. Seeing this, Gerhard put his officer''s cap on before walking towards the grave and depositing an old sketchbook and pen, belongings of a once promising future now snuffed out before its time. "Dieter", Gerhard grasped his other little brother, the last one he had left and said, "I hope your division gets out of here in one piece" "What about you? What is the Gro?deutschland ordered to do this time?", Dieter demanded bitterly. Gerhard smiled sadly as he replied, "We are to hold at all cost. Come lets not talk about this and return back to our units. The men need us for the dark days to come". As they began walking away, Gerhard turned around one last time and said in parting to Albert''s grave, "Brother¡­ don¡¯t stay too comfortable, it looks like I will be seeing you again shortly. I won''t leave you alone in Himmel for too long" Only the pitter patter of rain was the reply to the disappearing backs of the two war weary men. The Shrimps Aquarium... where you can harass him. Made due to request on chat. Feel free to pester me here and i will respond somewhat promptly or not. Yea.. either way etc. Questions relating to the future of plot... shall be met with extreme shotgun blasts to the head. Other than that I am happy to have a average readership of over 100 :D As people can tell with the time stamp on my releases... I tend to have a limited time frame to write before I have to do school work. A period of basically 4 days. My goal is to write 2-4 chapters in that time and its also a form of mental training for me as I heartily believe in training both body and mind. That and I am also raising shrimp. They are soooo cuuuuute :3 This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. So if there is ever any delay I will mention it here i guess. Like the recent double release of 5 and 5.5.... 5.5 was made as sort of an apology for being one hr past my deadline i promised in my afterwords... BUT IT AINT MY FAULT! GAAAARGH the forum is ahead by one hour T___________T Anyway, feel free to ask me stuff. S1 E06: Scars of the Heart INTRO SONG: Kono Sekai e Moeru ********************************************************************************************* "Advance!", Gerhard commanded as the entire 55 strong men line of infantry straggled forward, totally out of step and spaced far too close together to effectively wield their swords. It has already been 2 hours since Gerhard decided to begin his punitive force training and was given 6 squads of a total of 66 men, basically half the garrison tasked with defending this entire region. The six survivors were promoted to Denarion due to their increased experience level to which Gerhard promptly issued them with squads of their own, the garrison having suffered crippling losses of officers since the beginning of the raiding season. As the line advanced, a squad situated behind it kept a constant rain of arrows pelting down, containing only the best marksmen who ran forwards after the line was too far ahead to be supported to which they would begin firing again. To the side, Gerhard stood resplendent in his new uniform of the Rosenheim army, a red tunic with white trim reaching down towards his knees over which a new silver breastplate contained an outline of a small rose etched in gold situated over the heart, the colour for an officer whilst bronze were for the regular troops. However, the main difference between his armour and that of other officers is that an eagle was grasping the stalk of the rose, the personal heraldry of Sir Ernst Rommer and although feeling a tad uncomfortable under the weight of the new equipment, Gerhard maintained a stoic look as he drilled the men, making mental notes on what needs to be done to correct and bring the force into fighting efficiency. Although this form of fighting wasn''t his specialty, he did take Classical Military History lessons from his time at the Hauptkadettenanstalt
seriously and understood such methods of warfare. It didn¡¯t mean however that it was translating into any practical usefulness at this moment. He wasn''t the only one taking notes as Lydia watched him from an inconspicuous distance, completely intrigued by the man that seemed to defy what it meant to be a player in Royal Road. She had never met someone who treated NPCs like real human beings and the almost archaic gentlemanly act he conveys to every person he meets¡­ felt like it was completely natural for him. Like he was born to it. If it was a real role-player there would be mistakes from time to time in the acting of such an out of fashion character, like occasionally computer slang interspersed with their speech without thought but Gerhard was the epitome of a noble gentlemen. To which it meant to Lydia only one thing. He is rich in real life. I am sorry readers but that is just the way she is¡­ please forgive her materialistic attitude. After calling a halt to the formation training, Gerhard then proceeded to have the squads practice fighting in close quarters combat in small rooms, running through doorways and judging distance in an enclosed space. Although this was not raising their levels as truthfully¡­ Gerhard didn''t even know what it meant, it was instilling in them the necessary instincts to survive in such situations, as well as providing them clear directions on what to do if they were separated from the force. He was subconsciously teaching them the initiative and adaptability soldiers were required to exhibit from the German way of war¡­ Nevertheless, he called a halt to the proceedings and after speaking to the quartermaster for a few minutes, decided to disappear into town with Lydia following close at his heels. "So what are we doing now? Going to hunt more mobs?", she asked with glee. "Hmm? No no, I am looking for some young boys" "Eh¡­EHHHHHHHHH!?? YOU YOU YOU ARE INTO SHOTA?!!" "? Shota? I never heard of that before but I need some drummers who are small enough to not present a target for the enemy" "Oooooh, phew thank goodness", Lydia exhaled in relief before she continued, "But why do you need drummers?" Gerhard didn''t seem to be listening as he was humming a strange tune to himself, tapping his leg with his finger as he walked until he reached an old run down building, grass and weeds breaking through the surface of the old footpaths. There was a young woman busy hanging the laundry around the side of the building to which Gerhard called, "Good afternoon Fr?ulein . I take it this is the orphanage?" The NPC turned towards him and nodded woodenly, to which Gerhard felt that something was wrong. And then it was when he finally noticed it¡­ there was no sound of laughter or playing normally associated with children and he strode quickly to the woman, before he asked gently, "What happened?" The poor girl turned out to be a mute but she pointed towards the forest that was outside the walls and also pointed towards her basket as she began to weep. Gerhard understood it that they went out into the forest to gather fruit or something similar to which a quest bubble appeared in front of him to confirm it. Tring!
The Lost Boys The children of the orphanage went out to gather mushrooms for dinner yesterday and have yet to return. The guards are unwilling to venture out into the forest because of continuous heavy losses patrolling that section of the woods. Find them, and bring them home. Difficulty Level: D Quest Reward: Unknown
Without a hint of hesitation, Gerhard responded, "I accept, madam. I will return them safely to you¡­ although I may need to borrow some of them", he averted his eyes slightly as he said that. "Eh? We are actually going to do it? But the quest rewards..", Lydia looked at the condition of the building and the ragged clothes of the NPC before she continued onwards, "..will probably be not worth it. You might only get a few copper coins even, if it is a level D quest" "¡­." "What? What did I say?" "You seem to be mistaken about something. I have never done what I do to be rewarded or recognised. I do them because someone must. It may be meaningless to others¡­incomprehensible even¡­ but someone is crying for help in front of me..and I will NEVER, ever be stopped from helping them... again", Gerhard said with a distant look in his eyes, as if he was mentally somewhere else. Lydia was about to say something but she saw a look of pain that briefly flickered over his face before it became the usual graceful and composed appearance that seemed to signify who he was most of the time. She decided to take note of this moment before she realised that he had already wandered ahead towards the village gate as she ran after him shouting, "WAIT FOR ME!" ********************************************************************************************* In a small clearing in the forest, at least thirty human bandits were laughing as one of their prisoners; a boy barely ten years old was being kicked in the stomach whilst trying to perform an outrageous request of not making any sound¡­ or one of his friends would lose a finger. The bandits soon escalated this by taking a knife and slowly pressing the point down into the boy''s thigh until it pierced the skin¡­ and went further in. All he could do was press his lips tightly shut together, his teeth biting down so hard on his upper lips that blood started to trickle down from it, as he tried to hold down the scream that was threatening to escape his throat. That was until he heard a commotion going on at the back of the group, before it turned into yells of alarm as the boy lifted open his eyes to see a scene of intense fighting whirling its way towards him. A tall man was hacking his way through the men like they were nothing but wheat, every chop and swing of his axe tearing a life away in wild abandon. One of the bandits ran towards the warrior from a blind spot, only to have his spear haft grasped tightly by a handgrip as strong as an iron vice and pulled towards the backhand swing of his double headed axe. Blood gush forth like a fountain from where the bandit''s head use to be, the men shouting in panic whilst the children screamed in terror. All the boy could do was watch this, tired beyond belief as he lay there with head turned to the side and he smiled thinking, ''we are saved! Finally..'' The bandits were starting to lose discipline as their numbers rapidly dwindled, another combine attack of 3 spearmen saw a single whirl of the warrior''s battleaxe cutting all the spearheads off before he picked up one of the now unarmed bandits with a single hand and swung him into the other two. As they crumpled to the ground, he then took a running leap and landed feet first on their prone bodies, a shockwave rippling out from under their now deceased corpses like an earthquake. Seeing this, the courage of the bandits failed and only 7 remained to flee in all directions, leaving behind their prisoners and all their equipment. The boy raised his head to see the giant slowly approaching him, kicking aside the dead bodies of the bandits like it was nothing but meat. The man stood before him and the boy weakly said, "Thank you for savi-¡­", the gratitude froze on his lips as the red armoured giant lifted his axe up high and began to swing it down. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The world seemed to travel in slow motion as the young child realised that he was going to die, that he will no longer be able to have fun with his friends again, play his lute, eat the muffins Sister Angelica makes every Saturday afternoon¡­ it was over. All he did was closed his eyes peacefully and accepted that death had come for him. That was until he was jolted aside and rolled around the ground in the arms of some man, causing him to open his eyes wildly in shock. Before him, with the boy''s body cradled in the man''s arms like an infant was a beautiful man who was gazing down at him with strong warm eyes. "Don¡¯t accept death so easily, little one. You are too young to act like an old man", the angel smiled. All the boy did was nodded shyly as he was brought to a woman standing by the edge of the clearing, huffing and puffing as she complained, "Gerhard, please tell me before you decide to go running off following the claims of some mad bandit we happened to run into¡­oh¡­ THERE, THERE, THERE HE IS! THE RED WARRIOR!" Gerhard ignored her as he commanded, "Lydia. Take the children away and run. NOW!", as he made sure she carefully took the boy into her arms. "BUT, BUT, don¡¯t you know who that is?!! THAT is Eric the Red! A walking natural disaster! He is known infamously for making it seem like a monsoon of blood has arrived in any region he has travelled through! A SUPER infamous player killer on the continent where thousands have died by his hand! He must be level 300 or more by now!!" "¡­It doesn¡¯t matter. I don''t think he will let us leave here without a fight", he glanced over his shoulder as the man strode almost casually towards them but in truth, Gerhard can see the giant''s movement were tensed, like a spring loaded ready to uncoil and launch at them. "So run Lydia. I will try to hold him off", turning his back to her he then strode towards his foe with determination. Lydia just looked at him in astonishment before finally taking heed of his words and ran back towards the way they came, making sure the children were trailing after her. "Will the angel be alright?", the boy asked in worry which surprised Lydia who glanced down at the NPC. An NPC worried about a human¡­ it can''t be possible however she replied anyway, "Don''t worry, if any not so sane man can pull off some sort of miracle¡­ perhaps he could", although privately she knew that the difference in levels was going to see him dead one way or another. ********************************************************************************************* Gerhard rolled his shoulders to stretch the muscles before tilting his head from side to side as though readying for a fencing match however he knew that there would be no peaceful resolution unless it ended in the peace of death. Already he knew from the aura exuding from his foe that the giant was a formidable warrior, the gaze from that full faced Sutton style helm showing no hint of emotion as he strode towards Gerhard with increasingly longer strides to shorten the distance. The air seemed to filled with blood lust and Gerhard dodged to the side, the tree behind him exploding into tinder as the axe cleaved right through it. "!!!" If it wasn''t for his instincts, he would have been dead by now. The speed of the swing, the pure unrivalled power behind it¡­ Gerhard knew just one strike could end him instantly as he danced agilely around the warrior attempting to strike at a blind spot. With a speed that belied the size of his body, the giant sidestepped Gerhard''s sword thrust before spinning around bringing his axe in an arc towards Gerhard''s midsection. Gerhard tucked his knees towards his chest and rolled forwards, the axe blade whistling perilously close past his blonde head as he righted himself up and spun to face Eric, only to have a powerful kick connecting into his abdomen. Gerhard spewed blood as his HP was shaved by a quarter, hurled backwards by the force and into some thorny bushes, almost having the stunned debuff flashing in the corner of his eye. He rolled quickly aside as the giant stomped into the ground where Gerhard used to be but he was still caught in the shockwave and flung aside rolling roughly along the clearing''s ground. Slowly he staggered to his feet with his sword held at the ready however his mind was rattled and before he knew it images of a different war began to flash all around him, the air smelt like ashes, the sky was burning, the woods was filled with screeching and terror with the distant *clank* *clank* of tank tracks crushing trees as they rumbled towards him. In the background he can see his family home burning¡­ the body of his father nailed spread eagle on their family''s large main door with bayonets whilst through a window in an upper floor he can see his mother and sister running, being chased by Russians as the women spun around and fired old hunting rifles at them. Suddenly his mother and sister pitched backwards violently as the sound of rapid firing machine guns echoed out from his home. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!", Gerhard roared as he charged towards Eric who halted almost in surprise. To Gerhard, Eric was just a Russian commissar smiling and laughing as he strode out of the von Natzmer''s home with a pipe in his mouth¡­ his father''s pipe that that bastard was smoking with. Gerhard snarled as he closed the distance to the giant in almost an instant before cracking the underside of Eric''s jaw with his forehead. It only lightly stunned him however Gerhard hadn¡¯t finished, slamming the tip of his sword through the top of Eric''s boot and rooting him to the ground. For his efforts, Gerhard was backhanded in the face with the full force of Eric''s 300+ level, knocking him sailing through the air before crashing into the bandits cooking fires, overturning the boiling stew in the process and finally crushing a tent. Lying there, HP close to nothing, Gerhard gazed up into the sky and realised what a foolish mistake he had made before chuckling bloodily to himself, the red liquid pouring from his lips. ''Haaaa, it feels like a long time coming'', Gerhard thought to himself as he reached with a trembling hand towards the sky, the image of him and his wife from happier times appearing before his eyes. "Ich komme nach Hause" , He muttered. However, Eric heard those German words and stilled, axe poised to do the finishing blow as Gerhard turned his head towards him, "Kamerad , please make it quick", he requested. But to Gerhard''s surprise the giant uttered, "Ka.. kamerad¡­", before he disappeared suddenly from his eyes like a scene from a log-out sequence. ''What happened?'', he thought as he slowly blacked out, only to see Lydia running out of the bushes towards him as darkness enveloped him. ********************************************************************************************* Eric opened his eyes as the nurse leaned over him, slowly wiping his body with a wet clothe as he was brought back into the real world for his daily sustenance. He stared coldly at the woman, the look frightening the nurse but nevertheless she persevered with her duty whilst another nurse spoon fed him. Eric could only take in the food reluctantly as he had no choice, paralysed from the neck down as he was. If one were to zoom out and take in the whole scene, it would be immediately apparent that Eric was located in a hospital, a military one at that since the doctors and nurses had uniforms under their gowns or coats. "How is he?", a doctor asked. "Stubborn as usual", the nurse commented, "but nothing we can''t handle". "Ok, tell me if he needs to be sedated again. Or you can just log him back into Royal Road", the doctor suggested as he looked through the files of his next patient. As the nurses moved on to the next patient, Eric could hear them whispering. "Its too bad that happened to him" "Yes, Afghanistan has taken a major toll on us" "But still¡­ why is he so withdrawn like that?" "¡­he is the only survivor of his squad.." Eric tried to drown their gossiping out but found that only tears of rage were racing down his cheeks, totally helpless and unable to wipe them away since he was wounded all those years ago in that dusty god forsaken place. Only his rage sustains him now¡­ but THAT man¡­ felt so similar that it struck some sort of discord in his heart. All Eric knew was that the next time he met him¡­. He would kill him. ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Gentle Light S1 E07: Banditry is not an Occupation The long caravan meandered its way along the snaky trail, the wagons constantly jolting up and down as the drivers tried to steer the horses around the many potholes that littered the road that was in a horrible state of disrepair due to the fact that the Royal Engineers safety could not be guaranteed by the region''s garrison. And now some of the holes had become as large as the openings of wells and those were the hardest to navigate around, the procession almost always grounding to a halt as the men tried to make sure the wheels didn¡¯t get disastrously caught by such hazards. The constant whinnying of horses and the curses of the men laced the air, many clearly complaining about the horrible start to their morning whilst the wagoners set to their tasks with resignation. It was then that the atmosphere changed like a rumbling before a storm, voices could be heard from the woods all around them and the wagoners tensed, suddenly becoming apprehensive before the woods exploded all around them with the giant figures of vicious Orc raiders, charging towards the narrow road with ululating battle cries. The men yelled in panic as they tried to run away towards the front of the column¡­. only to gather into a tight circle around the lead wagon and flinging their dusty grey cloaks aside to reveal the uniforms of the Rosenheim Army, the soldiers instantly pulling out their swords as one. "SHIELD WALL!", the order rang out as Gerhard stood up from the lead wagon to which a clattering of shields shuddered and locked tightly against their neighbours before the men rested their long swords on top of the metal reinforced rims of their kite shields, pointed edge ready to thrust into the faces of their enemies. The orcs were in too much of a bloodlust to care or noticed that the caravan was actually a trap before they barrelled into the shields of the soldiers, hammering rusty swords or glaives with wild abandon at the humans while some with more sense of mind tried to pull the shields forward to get to the men behind them. For their efforts, many of the orcs lost their fingers, were struck in the eye or grabbed their throats in reflex to stop the sudden gush of bleeding as the 22 soldiers responded like a well drilled machine, their hearts swelling as one as Gerhard sang above them, striding back and forth on the edge of the wagon while lashing out his sword over their heads with deadly results. " Drei Lilien, drei Lilien, < Three lilies, three lilies,> Die pflanzt'' ich auf mein Grab, < are growing on my grave,> Da kam ein stolzer Reiter < there comes a proud rider, > Und brach sie ab." < and picks them up.> To which the soldiers responded to him, voices raised in song as they felt themselves gaining courage and becoming stronger. "::Juvi valle ralle ralle ralle ra:: :: Juvi valle ralle ralle ralle ra:: Da kam ein stolzer Reiter < There comes a proud rider> Und brach sie ab. < and picks them up. >" Gerhard was smiling wide, feeling fully in his element as he nimbly stepped out of the way of a glaive chop before loping the head off the weapon and then the owner. "Ach Reitersmann, ach Reitersmann, < Oh rider, oh rider, > La? doch die Lilien stehn, < let the lilies be, > Die soll ja mein Feinsliebchen< they should my sweetheart> Noch einmal sehn". < once more see .> ":: Juvi valle ralle ralle ralle ra:: :: Juvi valle ralle ralle ralle ra:: Die soll ja mein Feinsliebchen< They should my sweetheart > Noch einmal sehn." < once more see .> As they sang the refrain, already Gerhard could see movement in the trees behind the Orcs and he smiled almost savagely as he tried to rouse his men to sing louder, to drown out the roars and cries of the orcs, to draw all attention only to them. "WAS SCHERT MICH DENN DEIN LIEBCHEN, < WHAT DOES YOUR SWEETHEART MATTER, > WAS SCHERT MICH DENN DEIN GRAB! < WHAT MATTERS YOUR GRAVE TO ME, > ICH BIN EIN STOLZER REITER < I AM A PROUD RIDER, > UND BRECH'' SIE AB. < I AM GOING TO PICK THEM UP.> The men didn¡¯t let him down, roaring the refrain into their enemies'' faces and making several of them recoil back, the sheer numbers of the fierce orcs unable to dampen the spirits of the completely outnumbered and surrounded humans. ":: JUVI VALLE RALLE RALLE RALLE RA!!:: :: JUVI VALLE RALLE RALLE RALLE RA!!:: ICH BIN EIN STOLZER REITER < I AM A PROUD RIDER, > UND BRECH'' SIE AB." < I AM GOING TO PICK THEM UP. > Gerhard kept singing, mastering his emotions and memories, singing to drown out the voices and echoes of the past, singing to reaffirm his presence in the here and now as he pointed his sword at the forest. "UND STERBE ICH NOCH HEUTE, < AND I''LL DIE THIS VERY DAY, > SO BIN ICH MORGEN TOT, < AND TOMORROW I''LL BE DEAD, > DANN BEGRABEN MICH DIE LEUTE< THEN THE PEOPLE WILL BURY ME,> UMS MORGENROT!" < IN THE MORNING-RED! > Suddenly, explosions rippled in the rear of the Orc¡¯s ranks, huge area of effect flame magic igniting the clothes of the nearby Orcs and turning several in its epicentre to cinders instantly , followed by the appearance of the remaining squads, roaring the final refrain back to their surrounded comrades in response as they charged. :: JUVI VALLE RALLE RALLE RALLE RA!!:: :: JUVI VALLE RALLE RALLE RALLE RA!!:: DANN BEGRABEN MICH DIE LEUTE < THEN THE PEOPLE WILL BURY ME, > UMS MORGENROT!< IN THE MORNING-RED! > Caught in a pincer, the orcs began to buckle under the enormous double pressure before Gerhard leapt down into their midst and began to cut his way forward to link up with the reinforcements. The shield wall suddenly shifted and formed into an arrowhead formation with Gerhard as its violent tip, carving their way step by bloody step over the corpses of the orcs, as accurate explosions rained down all around them, Lydia providing invaluable fire support. For once helping out¡­ Receiving constant devastating AoE spells, surrounded on both sides and being cut to pieces rapidly¡­ the courage of the Orcs finally fell as hundreds lay dead, the mobs attempting to break out of the encirclement in blind panic to which Gerhard shouted, "Remember your orders!" The men around him nodded and even though he couldn¡¯t see their replies, Gerhard grinned as he felt it, knowing that the men would take prisoners to be questioned later. And to this, the scene drifts slowly upwards to the sky, fading to white as a song begins to play in the background¡­ INTRO SONG: Kono Sekai e Moeru ********************************************************************************************* *Ding!
You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! Leadership has risen by 20 points (+20 LS) Charisma has risen by 14 points (+14 CHR) Fighting Spirit has risen by 13 points (+13 FS)
The overwhelming victory rewarded Gerhard with a wealth of exp as the men clanged sword hilts against shields in a thumping rhythm, over and over again as they chanted repeatedly, "EAGLE! EAGLE! EAGLE! EAGLE!" It was a nickname given to him as he brought them victory after victory, the title stemming from the fact that the men viewed him as the successor of Ernst Rommer, the current Eagle of the East and it was only a matter of time before he inherited the rights and titles of a true knight. Over the past two weeks of brutal ambushes and expeditions into the forest, this latest plan was set in motion as Gerhard recounted his own experiences of countering guerrilla warfare¡­often with intensely bad memories that it helped resurfaced. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Orc prisoners were being tied and rounded up in a long single file, guarded by a single squad on either flanks as Denarions went up and down the line, questioning the Orcs in the hope of locating their stronghold. Gerhard left them and walked towards the edge of the road, gazing out into the wide forest below, the canopies of the trees spreading out far and wide as the eyes can see. "Do you always look so gloomy after winning?", Lydia complained as she stood next to him, "I mean, look at all the loot we got! Fufufufu, I can soon buy a new dress and staff with this collection". "As usual take my share and divide it amongst the men" "As your personal accountant, I object!" "Wait what?", Gerhard turned to look at her, "Since when did that happen?" "Since you couldn¡¯t EVEN save a copper coin let alone maintain your own gear! THAT¡¯s when!", Lydia scolded, "I still can''t believe you refused the reward from that last quest, the muffins that mute Sister Angelica bakes is made to boost your stats by 30% for an hour! Do you know how much money you could have made if you sold it at the auction house!?" "¡­but the children needed it more than I. They have few things to enjoy eating as it is". "Grrrr¡­. How many times must I tell you this! They are NPCs! THEY don''t FEEL or NEED anything like we players do. At least you got a ton of fame for doing so or else I would have gone crazy!" Gerhard shrugged as he returned his gaze back over the roof of the vast forest below him, dismissing her worries as another concern still lay across his mind: Where was Eric the Red now? ********************************************************************************************* Max surveyed his surroundings as he lugged the knapsack with all his belongings in it and sighed, wondering how he was going to get to his grandfather safely without getting jumped by every monster on the way due to how weak he was. Max had chosen the blacksmith profession due to the fact that he was a mechanical engineer student in university and wanted to try his luck with the unlimited supply of materials that can be found in the virtual world¡­ only to his horror he realised, he was overwhelmingly weak. Fragile as a glass cannon, only he wasn''t even a cannon. More like a rabbit could out DPS(Damage per second) him against another mob. So he decided to do what his grandfather did and went to train at the hall to make up for his insufficiency¡­ only to find a large crowd of women moping around and asking passing players if they had; "¡­seen a beautiful man with a voice like an angel" "¡­ who makes you want to leave your current husband and elope with him" "¡­no no he makes you want to cook meals for him..", a blushing man said. "¡­lets see if I could compare him with something, I would say perfection." "¡­if you find him please tell us¡­ but if you touch or fall in love with him we will break your fingers. Teehee", the woman smiled scarily. ''UWAAAAH! GRANDFATHER HOW CAN I BE AS POPULAR AS YOU!? TEACH ME, DAMNIT! None of the girls in my class would even look at me'', Max sobbed internally as he raged at the straw target, hitting it to vent his frustrations. Faced with that kind of situation everyday for weeks¡­ Max went berserk. When the instructor finally went to give him his new sword for completing the course, Max''s eyes were glassy and out of focused as he muttered, "Women are blind, women are blind, women are blind¡­¡­.fufufufufu grandpa you will teach me your secrets won''t you? Fufufufufuhuhuhuhu". "Haha, you are a funny one, aren¡¯t ya?", said a voice behind him. Max turned around, only to be floored by the sight of a young beautiful girl who was actually TALKING to him. He ogled at her, her petite figure covered in a red silk dress with patterns of Japanese style gold coins under a rose red segmented armour where two katanas were strapped to her hips, her long luscious pink hair tied up in a topknot under which a face of a Yamato Nadeshiko gazed at HIM with mild interest. ''¡­¡­YAHOOOOO! Mother! Father! Your son is about to become a man!'', Max celebrated in his head although he didn¡¯t show this on his face as he said, "Only because I find it strange that the gods themselves do not descend from the heavens to proclaim your beauty, my dear", he gave her his best smile. ''TAKE THAT! MY SURE ONE HIT FALL IN LOVE WITH ME LINE! LOVEME! WANTME! LOVEME! WANTME! LOVEME! WANTME! LOVEME! WANTME! LOVEME! WANTME! LOVEME! WANTME!'', he projected mentally to her with all his might. "N..nee-san , that man is making a weird face", replied a soft pitched voice from a person who was almost the spitting image of her only that this other half had glasses with black hair tied in a pony tail and whose armour was pure white under which a simple dark blue gi and hakama was worn. The way the person moved¡­ must be a boy. No way he was going to fall for a trap. All those special dating games from Japan he played secretly in the early hours of the mornings has given him a trained eye for this sort of thing. ''Must be the brother'', he thought as he promptly ignored him and returned his attention to what the girl was saying. "Maa.. maa.. isn¡¯t that ok Masumi? He''s exactly what we need", she smiled at her sibling before she turned back to Max. "My name is Mayumi and this here is my twin, Masumi. You look like you are going on a journey. Mind if we ask where?" "¡­East? Out into the frontier", Max prayed that they were going there too, to which she smiled widely, making his heart beat like crazy. "Really? Us too. Want to travel together? We are going to visit a friend" "Eh¡­ ehhhhhh, why me too! Haha, can''t leave friends alone now can we?", Max laughed robotically. Mayumi clapped her hands fast and repeatedly in joy, "Excellent! I hope we will be good friends too!", as she replied leaning in close to him, the scent of her perfume wafting up into his nostrils. ''¡­..Thank you god for this wonderful bounty¡­.'', Max thought dreamily to himself before he realised that his back was kinda heavy¡­.EXTREMELY HEAVY. Finally, he realised that there was luggage stacked almost twice the height of him tied around his body with rope as Mayumi skipped away ahead whistling happily. Masumi stood in front of him and bowed slightly. "S..sorry. My sister knew you were strong enough to carry our entire luggage since she saw you complete the basic training course, when that NPC awarded you the sword." "Eh¡­ that¡¯s ok, I am use to it". "R..really? You kinda look like you are crying?" "Oh this? Its just the sewerage flushing out along with all my hopes and dreams. Nothing to worry about" "Haaa¡­ Ok we better catch up with her. And don''t worry, we know a shortcut to get to the frontier quicker so you can go meet your friend sooner". The words jolted Max for a moment as he realised what he was really supposed to do in this world. Surprise grandpa with a gift entrusted to him by his parents. That was the reason why he didn¡¯t contact his grandfather to tell him that he was in this world, he didn¡¯t want the old man to be suspicious of his motives. In saying so, Max touched the pocket of his shirt lightly where the treasure now sits and just resolved himself to a few weeks of minor inconvenience. And thus he set forth, following the Samurai Twins into the east. ********************************************************************************************* Eric knelt in the centre of the road, analysing the recent flow of events that had befallen this place. With his keen eye, taking note the strategy that was implemented and what the force had then decided to do. For some reason he was sure that MAN was leading this group, not because of the signs of devastating efficiency marked in the terrain everywhere based on the tracking skills he had gained in the game¡­ but purely his soldier¡¯s instinct ... The force must have found what they were looking for, as only a single squad led away a long line of prisoners towards whence they came and the rest proceeded onwards, Eric traced their footprints with a finger and knew that they were travelling with an increase in burden, perhaps extra rations for the journey. Which meant speed was of the essence. One can''t help but admire the decisive and straightforward manner of this commander¡­ before Eric lightly shook his head to remove all such feelings as his face resumed the lifeless cast that had become second nature to him. He was here for only one purpose. To finish their duel. ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Gentle Light S1 E08: Regret is a Curse that Binds "Papa! Read us a story!" "Haha, ok ok, come here boys", the man smiled as he lifted the two youngsters unto his lap, his wife smiling as she passed him a book that the boys loved to listen to. "Now, where were we¡­? Ahhh, we were about to start ''The Tiny Knight'', which is our favourite, isn''t it?" "YAAAAY!", the boys both shouted together before turning to look at the pages that he flicked to. "Ahem", he coughed to clear his throat, "Once upon a time long ago, even before Germany was Germany, there lived a blacksmith who was only two feet tall. He was so short that he needed a stool to stand on to shoe the dashing steeds of the knights. This bothered him not in the slightest because, although he was tiny, he was also very courageous. It was his dream to become a knight and one day marry the princess whom he loved". "She was both kind and beautiful but taller than he, and had long silken hair, which she wore in a braid. But, alas, the tiny blacksmith could only admire the Princess from afar because she was, after all, a princess and he but a lowly blacksmith who was not even tall." "One day a terrible dragon flew into the kingdom, setting anyone who crossed its path aflame , it trampled houses and burned fields. Many knights battled the dragon but their swords could not cut its thick scales." "But you can stop it can''t you papa?", asked his son innocently,tilting his head backward to look at him. The question lightly startled the man before he started chuckling, and was about to pat his son gently on the head, when he noticed that his arms were refusing to move from his sides, slowly beginning to become anxious as the feeling of weight on his lap disappeared, his boys looking at him quizzically. Turning to his wife to call for help, he saw her weeping in the corner, her eyes full of pity and hopelessness¡­ She slowly began walking away with their sons on either side of her, leading them by their tiny hands. "Wait¡­.WAIT! AREN''T I STILL ALIVE!?" "D..DON''T LEAVE ME! DON''T LEAVE ME BEHIND!" "I AM ALIVE DAMNIT!!!!", Eric roared. ********************************************************************************************* Eric blinked rapidly as light filled his eyes, a nurse looking down at him in worry while shaking him awake. "Mister Elsker. Mister Elsker. I am sorry but you were yelling in your sleep", looking at him nervously whilst she wiped his sweaty forehead dry with clothe. "Log me in", he mumbled incoherently. "I think you should go back to slee-" "I have HAD enough of sleeping! NOW, LOG ME IN!" "¡­. Ok ok", she sighed, "just don¡¯t wake the other patients", she said as she was lifting the device towards his head and fitting it in place. As the log on screen filled his eyes, his whole perception shifted into the ''new'' world, where he can feel, touch, move again¡­. where he can kill. Rage surged through his body as only one thought raced across his mind, ''To make everyone fall as low as he. To make them bleed''. INTRO SONG: Kono Sekai e Moeru ********************************************************************************************* "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?", Max screamed as he barely dodged a strike to his head from a rusty glaive, a strand of his brown hair parting from his scalp with the orc grinning at him while gleefully chasing him across the wide dark cavern he found himself in. "Maa¡­ maa relax, they are only low level mobs", Mayumi reassured him, easily despatching them with a single strike of her katana, making it look incredibly easy. "LOW!? IF YOU HAVEN''T FORGOTTEN I AM ONLY LEVEL 5! AND THESE ARE LEVEL 80 MOBS! GYAAAAA!", Max ran harder for his life as 3 more Orcs decided that he was, perhaps easier to deal with and gave chase, especially when the samurai twins were busy discussing their journey plans and barely paying attention to the orcs who were attacking them but nevertheless still managing to brutally slaughter them in the process. In very vivid and graphic detail that the surrounding Orcs were feeling quite ill from just looking at such a surreal scene. "I THOUGHT YOU SAID THIS IS A SHORTCUT! MORE LIKE A SHORTCUT TO HELL!", almost crying, he vowed never to trust a beautiful face again as he continued to complain, "AND WHAT THE HELL IS A LEVEL 80 DUNGEON DOING NEAR A STARTER ZONE!!???" "Oh that? Me and Masumi found it aaaages ago and decided to keep the location to ourselves. It''s so travel convenient, with awesome shortcuts all over the continent" Ducking a sword strike, twisting his body weirdly like an S shape to avoid a spear thrust, he continued to shout, "¡­NO SERIOUSLY WHY IS IT LEVEL 80?!! ISNT IT LIKE SUPER HARD FOR EVERYONE ELSE?!" "Ehhhhh? We came here at level 40 and it was already too easy. Ne, Masumi?" "Un, nee-san but I think he is complaining because he is doing it at level 5?" "NO! NO! EVEN AT LEVEL 80 I WOULD STILL DIE! I AM JUST A BLACKSMITH, YOU KNOW! I ONLY FIX AND MAKE THINGS, YOU KNOW?!!" "¡­ So, isn''t there no problem at all then? If you''re going to die at level 5 or 80 anyway, might as well still go through this place. I mean, there is even an onsen down here", Mayumi squealed in delight at the thought of a nice hot bath. "Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" "N..nee-san, I think he is crying" "Really? I thought he was just so happy to be accompanied by beautiful people like us" "WILL YOU JUST SAVE ME ALREADY?!", Max demanded urgently as now half a cavern full of orcs were chasing him instead of facing the twins. The orcs around the twins weren''t even pretending to attack anymore, doing a lottery style draw from pulling out sticks to see which unlucky ones had the shortest and then they would go and get pointlessly chopped up into slabs of green meat. Orcs have some pride after all. "UWAAAAAAH! I WANT TO GO BACK TO A LAST SAVE POINT", he screamed, asking for the impossible. Yup, Max has got off to a relatively swell start to Royal Road¡­ if only it wasn''t so instantly life threatening the moment he left Serabourg. ********************************************************************************************* It''s been nearly a week since Gerhard ordered his command to proceed deeper into the forest, aware that supplies were fast running out, however, the mood of the men was still un-dampened and even though the hardships they were enduring was slowly escalating, his leadership value now was so high that they would blindly follow him into oblivion itself, if he were to order it. This would now seem to be the case as the tracks of the escaped Orcs they were following had become increasingly difficult to pursue until suddenly all traces had disappeared. There is no worse feeling for a commander than to lead your men into possible doom, just from following your orders. "¡­.what are you doing", Gerhard asked in genuine puzzlement, finally noticing Lydia standing in front of him and making a weird looking face. "I am just imitating you. Well, how do I look? Mysterious and deep in thought?" "No¡­ more like your face was flattened by a frying pan full of bacon" If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Wait! Why bacon?!! Couldn¡¯t it have been pancakes instead?!" "Sorry, but I''d rather have the children at the orphanage enjoy those" "¡­.YOU''RE meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeean" , she complained before coming closer and said softly, "Well? Have we totally lost their trail?" Gerhard could only nod as he sighed, "Just early this morning. We still haven''t been able to locate a set of tracks even though we went over the same ground three times". "I told you we should have gotten a ranger, or at least a player that can track, but noooo, you had to be all ''time is of the essence'' or ''just believe in me, I know what I am doing''. And this is why men should never decide the choice of restaurants or what movie to watch" "I resent that. I will have you know I am a fine connoisseur of restaurants and classical music", he retorted before admitting, "Although you were right. I never expected such large beings to be able to move through the forest so quickly". "You should know by now. Lydia is always right!", she stuck out her chest proudly, leaving little to the imagination as her sizable bosom was hemmed in tight by her dress. Gerhard coughed in embarrassment before turning away but not until she noticed it and said, "Ohooo, is MISTER Gerhard a cherry boy, hmmm?", she chuckled evilly. "I will have you know, I have a so-¡­ dear gods woman! Put them away!", Gerhard exclaimed, while the NPC men for some reason started to watch the scene unfolding before their eyes with deep interest. "What''s the matter, hmm?", she asked innocently as she pressed her breasts together with her hands to make a huge seductive mound whilst trying to steer herself to the front of his face. "I am only just talking to you" "You are doing more than talking, and you know it! Totally shameless this generation! I fear for Max''s future choice of girlfriends, I swear!" "Eh? Who is Max?" "Oh, he is my-¡­", Gerhard stopped suddenly as he instantly became alert, a gut feeling warning him that something was approaching with incredible killing intent, turning back to gaze at the rearguard of his troops. "Hmm? What is it?", Lydia asked only to gape in astonishment as Gerhard took off and raced towards the rear. "ALL SQUADS MOVE TO THE FRONT OF COLUMN NOW!", Gerhard roared in command, drawing his sword before halting as the last of his men streamed past him after immediately following his orders. Their drill and efficiency was astonishing since they not only obeyed, but automatically formed the standard double line formation he taught them, of warriors to the fore and with archers to the rear, already notching arrows and readying to fire. Striding forward from the trees, Gerhard tensed as he recognised the armoured figure of Eric the Red gradually materialising from the forest, his tall form splendidly bedecked in red full plate armour, which was topped off with a full faced Sutton Hoo style helm, looking like a Viking chieftain garbed for war. Without a signal from Gerhard, the entire battle group assumed their combat stances, the warriors locking shields together, while the archers raised their bows to the sky preparing to unleash an arrow storm. However, Gerhard raised his right arm over his head to signal that no action was to be taken unless by his command. Seeing this, all the men could do was watch with mounting apprehension as Eric the Red strode closer to their commander, Lydia basically readying a spell and about to ignore Gerhard''s command until, sensing it, he turned to gaze back at her. His eyes seemed to say, ''trust me'', and she groaned as she stopped chanting before waving her hands furiously in signal at him, ''I hope you know what you are doing!'' Gerhard strode forward, and when he was barely 50 metres away, placed the point of his sword into the ground and called out, "Halt, advance and be recognised", practically military lingo that only soldiers would understand. It caused the giant to halt abruptly, a long tense moment passed before there was a response from beneath his helm, "I believe I am known as ¡®Eric the Red¡¯" "What is your purpose... in coming here?" To which Eric pointed at Gerhard with his battle axe and said, "To finish our duel and kill you". At those words the air became filled with killing intent, the battle group barely restraining themselves from attacking while Eric just gazed at their commander, completely oblivious of everyone else. "I am sorry, but under military law, I am forbidden from initiating or participating in duels", Gerhard calmly refused. "¡­.You do not have a choice in the matter", a trace of anger slowly appearing in Eric''s voice. "Actually, I do. I am honour bound by soldier''s law, and therefore", Gerhard calmly threw down his sword at the giant''s feet, shocking everyone, including Eric, "You will just have to cut me down". "¡­..pick up your sword¡­", Eric whispered. "Request denied", Gerhard responded adamantly. "PICK UP YOUR SWORD!!!", Eric roared, striding forward to swing his battle axe into Gerhard''s head. The entire line of warriors, his soldiers, surged forward in outrage only to stop, baffled as their commander was still alive whilst standing unflinchingly with blood on the side of Gerhard''s temple, slowly making a blood trail down his dusty face, caused from the minor cut of the axe blade. Gerhard just gazed into Eric''s eyes for one long drawn out moment before suggesting, "However, I may be able to accommodate you. As a noble, we also have our own set of laws. Were you to honour a request of mine, I will gladly accept your challenge and finish what we started". "¡­.And that would be?" "You managed to track us. How?" "¡­.I have the skills required for it." "And can you see Orc tracks around us?" "Clear as day", Eric spat out. "Good, because we CAN''T. Lead us to where those Orcs have gone and let me fulfil my mission, and then I swear to you that we shall have our fight" "¡­ and why shouldn¡¯t I just kill you now, anyway?". "¡­..I can''t let you do that. I cannot afford to fail my men. NEVER again.." Those words struck a chord inside Eric, reverberating round and round like a broken record as the man, whom he once was, recognised the need inside of this commander, this gentleman officer standing before him. Eric was under no illusion who this man was, he knew that this was no ordinary player but a REAL soldier that is still duty bound¡­unlike what Eric has become. It was several heartbeats before the tension eased from his arm, as he finally took the axe away from Gerhard''s head, the atmosphere around them becoming calm to the relief of Lydia and the men. "¡­I shall hold you to that¡­", Eric said in a low deadly tone. "Its fine, kamerad", Gerhard gazed back at him sadly in understanding, "I know you need this. And you also know that I won''t go back on my word", stepping in close to whisper in Eric''s ear, "After all, we understand each other very well¡­. since we are both scarred by our past". As Gerhard turned away to explain the situation to the others, the armoured giant just stood there, slowly clenching and unclenching his fists, confused and unsure of what to think. Looking back up, he saw Gerhard beckoning him to come forward, and Eric automatically did without thinking. Eric knew he cannot regain what was lost¡­ and that¡¯s why he must fill up the void. And if it is done through the deaths of others then so be it. He owed the world and no one nothing anymore. ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Promise You S1 E09: Dont Get Seized by The Moment
You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! Fighting Spirit has risen by 23 points (+23 FS)
*Huff* *Huff*, Max panted whilst looking up at the cavern''s ceiling, the continuous sound of his levels increasing ringing in his ears, wishing he was anywhere but here. Although he was happy to be gaining insane amounts of experience¡­ he was also exposed to INSANE amounts of danger. More like, it was one level short of a nuclear strike into his abdomen, being hunted by everything that crawls, walks, flys, clings, slithers¡­. there were even things that just phased right through the walls like¡­ well, like ''ghosts''. Max shivered at THAT word, really hating the thought of anything related to the supernatural even though he knows intelligently that such things do not exist in reality and that the ones in Royal Road were just monsters that could be ''killed'', technically again. Max closed his green eyes, only to feel a finger prodding him repeatedly in the cheek, followed by a girlish voice that said, "Oiiiiiii, ikiteru? ". With his eyes still closed, Max declared threateningly, "Mayumi, stop that or I WILL show you a naked R18+ version of me while you are trying to eat!". "Eeeeeh, Mayumi doesn''t mind, I like a man who is daring and wild", she blew the words into his ears teasingly. Max practically leapt into the air and was on his feet in an instant, finally pointing his finger shakily in accusation at the squatting girl, "Y..YOU, YOU, YOU, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING! INDECENT GIRL! FIGHTING MANIAC! GIRL WHO WOULD LOOK GREAT IN A KIMONO!", he blustered randomly. Masumi just stood to the side and commented, "Ano¡­ it''s time to move on. I finally figured out the route that we need to go through to travel eastward". "Eh, you did?" "Of course! Because Masumi is a genius!", Mayumi said proudly as she hugged her twin and rubbed their cheeks together affectionately. ""N..nee-san, yamete yo. Hazukashi" "Eeeee, nande?" "¡­He is kinda looking at us..at ME.. like he is jealous.." "Daijyoubu, Daijyoubu. Ano hito tada pashiri desu kara" "¡­.Somehow, I felt like I was just incredibly insulted¡­", Max gazed at Mayumi steadily. She batted her eyelids innocently at him, "Ehh? Must be your imagination¡­gopher" "WAIT! I DON''T THINK I MISHEARD THAT! YOU JUST CALLED ME A GOPHER DIDN¡¯T YOU?!!" Mayumi just tilted her head to the side, like a giant question mark appearing over her head, before Masumi interjected into the conversation, "Guuuuys, can we just go? We still haven''t started our journey yet". "¡­¡­Eh?", Max replied stunned, "I¡­I was hoping we were already halfway..", he stuttered. "Eeeeee¡­ we are not yet even 0.01% into our journey, if we compare this with a normal RPG dungeon, this is more like just reaching the start of the entrance", Mayumi smiled angelically at him. ¡­That smile¡­ he is starting to truly recognise what it means as he slowly backed away, only to be yanked violently forward as Mayumi lassoed him around the neck with a piece of silk rope. "Yosh!", she declared triumphantly, turning around and began dragging the choking Max along the floor, "What''s this? You want to challenge this level 150 tunnel together with us? While carrying our luggage? Why, you are sooooo brave and gallant, Max", with one hand on her cheek and looking like she was impressed by his supposed actions. Coughing, he managed to cry out, "WAIT! NO! NO I DID NOT SAY THAT!", as he struggled with both hands on the rope that was constricting his neck. "UWAAAAH! YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! LET ME GO BACK HOME ALREADY! MASUMI SAVE MEEEEeeee", Max yelled out futilely as he was relentlessly dragged deeper into the tunnel Masumi was standing in front of, who looked away to the side and ignored that a kidnapping was just occurring. None of them were aware that a pair of eyes was watching them from above the surface of the stream that flowed alongside the footpath, before disappearing into the current, a dark shadow racing underwater to follow the trio on their journey. ********************************************************************************************* INTRO SONG: Kono Sekai e Moeru ********************************************************************************************* Gerhard peer out over the rocky overhang he was precariously perched on, looking down to see a massive fortified encampment about the size of four football fields spreading out in all directions. Judging by the cooking fires, and the amount of poorly stitched fur tents, there were perhaps several thousand Orcs and humans in the camp below, which was almost in a constant state of flux as warbands of varying sizes, ranging from several dozen to a few hundred were either returning from distant raids or setting forth to begin their task anew. Looking at the scene below brought back horrible memories he often tried to suppress, when seeing so many people gathered together, of hundreds of brave Russian soldiers protected by nothing but the brown uniforms on their backs, charging heroically but suicidally into German machinegun fire¡­ and sometimes getting through the thin grey lines, which would then erupt into nightmarish brutal hand to hand combat. Gerhard felt fingers pulling at his sleeves and he finally noticed that, without him knowing, his hands were trembling ever so slightly until he grasped them both together till the motions eventually stopped. He then turned to look behind at Lydia, the blood stink and knife stabbing terror from those distant days slowly fading from his mind as his eyes refocused into the present reality. "What is it?", Gerhard whispered. "¡­." "Well?", he asked exasperated. "¡­Are you alright?" "Why wouldn''t I be?" "¡­It''s nothing, must be my imagination. Anyway, have you decided on how not to get us all killed pointlessly?" "Currently, my plan consisted of requesting for an air strike followed by an artillery barrage for over an hour. Does that help answer your question?" "Brilliant! Where is the artillery?", she asked sarcastically. "You ARE the artillery", he grinned at her before sliding back from the overhang to much more solid ground. The men were gathered together in a rough circle, sentries hidden to keep a watchful eye out for any stray mobs wandering through, while Eric stood outside of this, standing and watching silently inwards from the perimeter. All the NPCs ignored his existence, his player killer status still prominently displayed for all to see over his head in the form of his name, ''Eric'', in blood red, but with orders not to harm him they could only still their urge for righteous vengeance, whilst for Eric''s part he pretended that no one else existed¡­ except his eyes tracking Gerhard, who finally strode into the centre of the assembly which made all rise and stood to attention as one. Turning a full circle to gain everyone''s attention, Gerhard started speaking, " I will be brief on what I must say. We have found the location of the enemy''s encampment, however", he paused for a moment to state the seriousness of their dilemma, "the enemies numbers in the thousands. We are hopelessly outnumbered and it is more than likely that most, if not all, of us will die", he concluded with that gloomy prediction. A long silence stretched out, interspersed occasionally by the chattering of the birds in the canopy¡¯s overhead or the rustling of the wind through the branches before Gerhard in due course roused himself unwillingly, like shaking off a remembered dream. His eyes were no longer looking at the men of the ''now'' before him, but at the men from that ''time'', his back becoming ramrod straight, his voice ringing out with strength and pride, "M?nner , I have asked much of you since I was first assigned command of this mission and without fail, all of you have done me proud. There is nothing more we can logically do¡­ however, we are bound to do so by the uniforms we wear, by the oaths we swore. I will not find fault with any man who would decide to leave now, I have even written the necessary orders to see that none are punished for desertion." At those words, Lydia almost squawked in complaint at the idea of even sending some of the NPCs home and thus weakening their fighting strength even further, yet somehow Eric the Red managed to catch her eye with a glare that seemed to tell her to remain silent, or suffer death by axe blade to the head. Gulping back a response, all she can do was hide behind the backs of one of the soldiers and peer around to see if he was still looking in her direction¡­. which he was. ''Uwaaaah¡­S..scary'', she thought silently to herself as Gerhard continued speaking. "All of you deserve long and happy lives¡­ and it cannot be found on this battlefield, in this brief moment in history where it is highly likely no one in the future will even remember us", Gerhard turned his gaze towards his feet for a instant before whipping his head back up to state almost vehemently, "but I WILL remember ALL of you. Your faces, your names, the name of your childhood sweethearts and the children you have borne¡­ I will remember it all. It is not only my duty as your commander¡­", the corners of his eyes glistening with unshed tears, "but also as your friend". Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Kameraden! The operation begins in the early hours of darkness. Those that wish to leave in the intervening time may do so after", pulling out a sheaf of papers and laying them on the ground by his feet, "collecting these orders to avoid execution for desertion. Those that choose to remain will be briefed 5 minutes before operation start". Gerhard then turned to Eric as though fully expecting him to call out the next set of commands like it was perfectly natural. Caught by the flow of the moment¡­Eric without thinking, reflexively stood to attention and as though he was once again in uniform, shouted out the necessary orders. "Kompanie! R¨¹hrt euch! ", the sound of feets shifting into the relaxed position could be heard, the NPCs obediently doing as told. "Wegtreten! " And as the soldiers gathered into smaller groups to discuss their commander''s proposal, Eric strode up to Gerhard and demanded angrily, "What made you think I would have acted as your sergeant?!" "¡­because in your heart you still are", Gerhard left him those cryptic words as he went to try and calm an angry Lydia, Eric with his tall form standing stock still, like an unmoving mountain in a sea of military camaraderie. It felt so disconcertingly like home. ********************************************************************************************* Max grumbled as he followed the twins along the footpath, staying as close to them as possible as he didn''t want to randomly aggro any mobs. Already today he had somehow managed to avoid death 7 times, not because he was any good at dealing with them, but by bringing a train of them into the blades of the Samurai twins, whilst screaming in blind terror. Although he may be complaining now¡­ this place was actually heaven for an aspiring blacksmith. There were ores of several kinds embedded in the walls with some he was unable to identify to which he would greedily chip away with a shovel or pick to get to. So, technically it wasn''t the twins fault¡­ they just left him while he was happily doing this and Max was so oblivious to his surroundings that he didn''t even notice that he was alone. However, after the 7th time this happened, and being chased by everything in the tunnel to catch up with them, he resigned himself to the idea that he can only grab those ores that were in easy reach and quick to dig out. He was literally crying inside at all the easy money and exp he was walking pass. "Maaaax, stop looking so depressing", Mayumi said, grabbing his arm and leaning into him, "You know, it was just carelessness that we left without you" "¡­I kinda find that hard to believe after the 7th time¡­" "It''s your fault you know. Your existence is so meaningless that we forgot you were even in our party" "WAIT WHAT?! SO NOW IT¡¯S MY FAULT FOR BEING BORN?!" "Hahaaa~ Just kidding~ After all you are the best gofer we ever had¡­that¡¯s still sane" "Uuuuuu, why do I feel that¡¯s not really a compliment?" "Maa maa, I will reward you later, if you continue to be a goooooood boy" "¡­I¡­.I can ask for anything?" "Suuure", she whispered, looking at him with seductive eyes, "I will make Masumi do anything for you~" "HOW THE HELL DOES THAT MAKE ME HAPPY?!" "NEE-SAN!", Masumi flushed red in reply. "OOOOOOOOOOIII!!!! WHY ARE YOU BLUSHING?!! DON''T TELL ME YOU SWING THAT WAY!!" "Eeeee, you are about to make Masumi cry", Mayumi pouted, "Bad boy", and promptly picking him up easily with one arm and threw Max screaming into the shallows. "GUHAAAA!", Max surfaced from the water, "HOW COME ITS MY FAULT?!!" "Yea nee-san, the words of an amoeba meant nothing to me", Masumi looked at Mayumi in surprise. "¡­..Masumi even you too now¡­uuuuuuuuu", Max complained however out of the corner of his eye, he saw something sparkling in the water. Curious he approached it, until the water was leveled to his thighs¡­ when he saw the big piece of ore that obviously screamed ''valuable'' to him. Greedily and ignoring the twins calling to him from the shore, he began digging until after several hard attempts, managed to free it and place several chunks of varying sizes inside his pouches and sack. The voices of the twins became insistent and finally he turned around and yelled out, "What!?" "Oh nothing", Mayumi said as she twirled a strand of her pink hair playfully with a finger, "just thought you should know me and Masumi sensed that there is something in the water" "Eh?", Max responded before he felt something wrapped around his leg and pulled him under the surface. With water streaming down his throat and air exhaled, Max was dragged deeper into the cold depths. ''Oh shit'', he thought to himself, ''I am drowning''. ********************************************************************************************* The Orc sentry instantly became alert as a large group of humans came towards his position, growling as he warned, "You have to use the other gates for YOUR kind!", he complained until he saw the state they were in, their clothes completely bloodied and ragged, the men looking tired and slouching. One of the figures just wearily moved forward to call out to the sentry, "We were ambushed by a large army from Rosenheim heading this way!", he waved dramatically back over his shoulders, "We managed to escape, but we don¡¯t know how long before they get here. We managed to capture one of them", and pointed at the tied figure of Eric the Red. "So, ignore this for once and let us together bring warning to our chiefs. Hopefully we will get rewarded for bringing such important news", the man tried appealing to the sentry''s greed. It was barely an instant before the Orc made up his mind and replied back gruffly, "¡­ come with me. The rest can go get some food" "Thank you! Thank you!", Gerhard replied subserviently, having passed the bluff due to his high charisma, turned to his men so he was out of view from the Orcs and gave them a sly wink. As the ''bandits'' filed through the gate, Eric was dragged roughly from the group by two massively tall Orcs standing at least 2 heads taller than him, Gerhard holding his breath as he wondered if the armoured giant was going to snap in irritation. Luckily, it didn''t occur and Gerhard heaved a sigh of relief as he was led through the Orc portion of the camp and towards the centre to which he had surmised was the hub of the alliance. This was due to the fact that a giant silk tent, probably pilfered from a local lord, was erected in that location¡­. And such luxury items were usually reserved for leaders. As he waved his men goodbye, Gerhard was incredibly proud and yet sad that none had taken his offer to leave, the conflicting emotions warring within him. Nevertheless, he had accepted it in his stride and saluted the men in gratitude before laying out his plan. They were to ambush several bands of human bandits and dress themselves in their attire to gain access to the Orc side of the compound, since they might be called into question due to their unfamiliar faces in the human quarter of the fortified camp. Now that they were in, he knew they were going to be separated and had chosen Eric, to the surprise of Lydia and the soldiers, to accompany him to the heart of the alliance. Gerhard pointed out that Eric¡­ was too unique to hide within the group and secondly¡­ he was a close combat monster. If they could strike the head from the shoulders of this alliance quickly, there is a slim possibility that they could escape annihilation whilst the Orcs and humans were leaderless. From the corner of his eye, Gerhard watched Eric stone facedly staring straight ahead, the red diamond of a player killer visible on his forehead, since he removed his helm to reveal a startlingly handsome face. Lydia explained that a person only receives a diamond on the forehead from killing another player¡­ and that Eric was so infamous not because of his red armour, but due to the fact that his name was always seen marked in red over his head. As they drew closer to the silk tent, Gerhard hoped that the others were ready for their portion of the plan, slowly loosening the sword on his scabbard. He hadn''t told Lydia but.. it was becoming increasingly harder to kill his targets. He had no idea what was going on, but it felt like he had reached a plateau, a barrier that seemed to be incredibly difficult to surmount. And that was the silent third reason he decided to bring Eric¡­ because he knew that Eric would get the job done. Finally entering the tent, Gerhard gaze about in relief at the sight of obviously leader like figures seated along a long narrow table, having gathered quickly as the news of an army quite possibly approaching, spread through the camp like wildfire. Gerhard smiled as he pulled the hood back from his head, "Greetings, gentlemen. By the orders of Sir Ernst Rommer, I am charged to protect the sanctity of the Kingdom of Rosenheim. Therefore, I will be requiring your deaths", whirling to the side as he finished speaking, he lashed out with a dagger and stabbed the tall Orc guarding Eric in the eye, who reeled back in surprise before falling dead. In that brief moment, Gerhard instantly cut Eric loose and promptly threw him his battleaxe, then spun to deal with the other guard, who was slowly recovering from the shock of the changing situation. And thus the tent erupted into chaos as Gerhard began to sing. Let death and slaughter commence. ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Promise You S1 E10: We are Never Truly Alone INTRO SONG: Kono Sekai e Moeru ********************************************************************************************* "Auf, Ansbach-Dragoner!< Up, Ansbach-Dragoons!> Auf, Ansbach-Bayreuth!< Up, Ansbach-Bayreuth!>" Gerhard sang the song of his ancestors, a song that was forged from the fires and victories of battle, a true Prussian song still remembered in Germany as a tune, but the words forgotten. Until now. Words were hammered and instilled with courage, as Gerhard remembered his father and his father''s father singing it on the remembrance day of Prussia''s unification of the German states, refining the song to match the swing and grace of his sword. "Schnall um deinen S?bel< Buckle on your sabre> und r¨¹ste dich zum Streit!< and brace yourself for battle!> Prinz Karl ist erschienen auf Friedbergs H?h''n,< on Friedberg''s heights> Sich das preu?ische Heer< to compare himself with us,> mal anzusehen.< the Prussian Army!>" Although Gerhard could easily kill the guards, the Orc clan chiefs and human bandit leaders were proving to be an entire matter altogether. The most he could do was alter the trajectory of their strikes away from his vital points and that of Eric''s. The two men, fighting back to back, moved in sync to a rhythm of war set forth by Gerhard''s song. "Drum, Kinder, seid lustig< So, boys, be jovial> und allesamt bereit:< and all ready to go.> Auf, Ansbach-Dragoner!< Up, Ansbach Dragoons!> Auf, Ansbach-Bayreuth!< Up, Ansbach-Bayreuth!>" There were perhaps 12 Orc clan chiefs, and double that for the bandits, but nevertheless Eric was proving his worth, obviously at a much higher level compared to the current bosses, as he usually took no more than 4 to 6 strikes to slay his foes before switching to another target. And yet he might had fallen already, swarmed under by the high damaging alliance leaders, were it not for Gerhard valiantly hurling himself into harm''s way to avert any critical damage on the red armoured giant. "Ein preu?''scher Dragoner< A Prussian Dragoon> tut niemals nicht flieh''n!< does not flee, never!>" Gerhard hurled those lines defiantly, and at some point during the battle he had drawn the sword given to him by the instructor in his offhand, and was using it as an impromptu shield in a reverse handed grip. He was no dual sword wielder but he sure as hell can use it to block at least, learning in the midst of combat, decreasing the margin for error until it seemed Gerhard had a whispering aura around his arm that reflected attacks back at his opponents. Und st¨¹nd''n sie auch noch< And they also still stand> so dicht auf Friedbergs H?h''n,< so close together on Friedberg''s height,> Wir reiten sie zusammen< We could ride them down> wie Fr¨¹hlingsschnee.< like spring snow.> Eric seemed spurred on by the song, not by the buffs that was flowing through him¡­ but by the words that reverberate somewhere inside him, a martial beat chipping away at his heart¡­ so much so that he felt¡­alive. Ob S?bel, ob Kanon'',< Whether sabers, whether cannons,> ob Kleingewehr uns dr?ut:< whether muskets, threaten us:> When Gerhard sang those lines, Eric stamped the ground without warning, the earth rippling outward violently and causing the enemies to falter. As boss level mobs, they weren¡¯t going to fall so easily, but Gerhard took this opportunity to land several critical strikes, aiming for the face or throat with his sword, where he knew that it would be most effective. However, Gerhard almost stumbled in surprise when Eric lifted up his voice in song. "Drum, Kinder, seid lustig< So, boys, be jovial> und allesamt bereit:< and all ready to go.> Auf, Ansbach-Dragoner!< Up, Ansbach Dragoons!> Auf, Ansbach-Bayreuth!< Up, Ansbach-Bayreuth!>" The combination of the two warriors had made the melee last barely three minutes although for them it felt unbearably long, each moment they wondered when the enemy reinforcements would arrive to slay them. However, in those three minutes , even the guards surrounding the tent hadn''t joined in the fight and when they both ran out of the tent, to fulfill their own separate missions, Gerhard finally knew why. A wall of sound returned to him the moment he stepped outside to which Gerhard intuitively surmised that the tent itself was, perhaps, sound proofed in an arcane manner to prevent spies from listening in, hence why no help came to the alliance leaders. "THE ORCS HAVE BETRAYED US!", Gerhard shouted in warning whilst running through the human quarter full pelt, acting all panicky as he kept yelling convincingly, "THEY HAVE KILLED OUR LEADERS! TO ARMS! TO ARMS!" Startled faces turned to look at him in shock but quickly hardened when they saw orcs chasing one of their ''own'', Gerhard''s words still lingering in the air as the human bandits race to engage the orcs in combat. It wasn''t long before brawls and deadly melees broke out like spot fires till it began to spread, merged and then encompassed vast sections of the encampment, the barely concealed racial tension that was simmering beneath both sides brought to the surface in a violent outpouring of mad butchery and unchecked hate. In the Orc quarter, the soldiers were rampaging about, grabbing flaming sticks from cooking fires and hurling them unto the tents, Lydia casting fireballs, her lowest mana cost spell in every direction, as two men assigned to guard her kept any Orcs away from her in order that she could better concentrate. Everything was not going their way though. Screaming could be heard as three soldiers were surrounded, disarmed and were being slowly torn limb from limb, the sound of cracking bones and flesh tearing was gratefully drowned out by the pandemonium caused by the flames and rage filled cries abounding that the humans had turned on the Orcs. The deceit that Gerhard had laid became reality as human bandits came surging in from their quarter screaming, "TRAITORS! MURDERERS! KILL THEM ALL!" This was the moment that the troops and Lydia were waiting for, the shattered remnants of the Rosenheim squads racing towards the gates to escape. However, the way ahead was teeming with Orcs blocking their path. Threatened with encirclement, they could only desperately fend off the attacks as they became bogged down¡­ until Eric arrived and cleaved a path for the soldiers to follow. The desperate troops took this chance, Lydia sheltered on all sides by the NPCs who were fighting and dying all around her to ensure that she was safe. She had never seen anything like it before¡­ that the NPCs were acting so humanlike that Lydia almost reached out a hand when one of them was speared through the stomach, the soldier falling face first, dead unto the churned and muddy ground. The air was grim with desperation until a voice raised in song was heard¡­ Gerhard appearing out of nowhere as he barrelled into the back of an Orc that was about to cleave a hapless disarmed soldier. Immediately morale rose, and strength flowed with vigour through tired limbs, giving them a final surge of fighting prowess for the now depleted group to reach the gate. Except Eric had stayed behind¡­ "¡­that IDIOT!", Gerhard cursed, turning to his men and shouting, "Come on! First squad on me! The rest HOLD this position!", before leaping back through the gateway. "¡­that makes two idiots¡­", Lydia complained, unable to do anything but watch, her mana completely drained and left with no option but to only follow Gerhard''s insane rescue with her eyes, the squad led by him slowly progressing forward. "ARE YOU TRYING TO DIE!?", Gerhard roared in fury as he reached Eric, standing shoulder to shoulder and surrounded by thousands of Orcs and Humans slaughtering each other in wild abandon, all sanity lost in this maelstrom of flashing blades and glaives. The ring of Rosenheim shields slowly shrank as one after another, a soldier fell dead and trampled by the mad crush of bodies that was filled with unbound savagery, seemingly spurred by their animal instincts to kill. "We are leaving NOW!", Gerhard yelled into Eric''s ear, and for a moment he thought that the giant was going to ignore him until he saw a minute nod given as reply, to which Gerhard yelled to the men around him, "SQUAD! WITHDRAW ON THE DOUBLE TIME! MAINTAIN FORMATION! ON MY COMMAAAND¡­¡­. WITHDRAW!" With a visible heave, the soldiers leaned behind their shields and pushed abruptly, the bodies surrounding them reeling back a step or two and allowing the tired troops to quickly retreat until they were surrounded and crushed again. However, Gerhard repeated his command and the move was done once again¡­. and again, and again, and again¡­ to them it felt like they were caught in a cycle, doing this infinitely, each time harder than the last¡­ until they finally reached the supposed safety of the gate. Without another word said, they fled for their lives into the forest, chased after by a few enemy warbands that weren''t engaged in the fatal brawls within the encampment. ********************************************************************************************* Max woke up spluttering water from his throat, rolling onto his stomach as he coughed all the fluids out of his system, his brown hair plastered all over his face. Raising himself on his elbows, Max finally noticed his surroundings, a soft blue light emitting from the damp walls as he sat up and checked his stats to see how much HP he lost. Sighing in relief, it only accounted for less than ten percent of his life as he stood up slowly, turning around in a circle to see just where he was. Becoming a little anxious, he noticed that he was in a cave of some sort with no visible exit, except the pool of water that nearly encircled the sandy ground he was on in a crescent half moon. However¡­ there appeared to be ores of various grades all around him, and the tingling sensation of easy money flowed through him as he shrugged at his predicament. ''Might as well make the most of this situation'', he thought as his pragmatic nature instilled in him by his father and grandfather took over, pulling out a pick axe and carefully chipping away at the ores. "¡­..Mister¡­ what are you doing?" "Hmm? Oh¡­ I am just collecting materials to make some stUUUUFF!?", Max yelled out as he finally realised that he wasn''t alone, gazing about wildly and tucking the pickaxe close to his chest like a pseudo weapon. He couldn''t see anyone around him, and the first thought that raced through his head was¡­ghost¡­ Yes readers, some people just have phobias that can''t be controlled¡­ "¡­.D-don''t hurt me¡­", the voice sounded as though it was about to burst into tears. To which at last, Max noticed the eyes peering out from the water, to which it belonged to¡­ the face of a beautiful girl. "Eh? EHHHHH?" Instantly, he flung the pick axe over his shoulder as he laughed robotically, "Hahaha, I wouldn''t hurt you. It''s my policy to be nice to pretty girls" "¡­You promise?¡­" "I promise", Max swore. The girl seemed to glide forward in the water, and Max became startled as he saw her figure¡­ "¡­what is it?...", she asked quizzically. "Just who are you?", Max wondered aloud. "Me? I am Lorelei", she replied hugging what appeared to be a wooden doll close to her chest, "Nice to meet you". "¡­N-nice to meet you too", Max replied stuttering. He¡­he was talking to a mermaid! ********************************************************************************************* Barely fourteen soldiers made it out alive with Gerhard, Lydia and Eric, all of which remained of Gerhard''s proud command as the survivors trudged through Basterni with backs hunched in fatigue, beyond the point of exhaustion from the flight of their perilous escape. Onlookers in the form of villagers and players looked on aghast at the state they were in, covered from head to toe in mud, blood red stains and dented or cracked armour under which their clothe was ruined beyond repair. Nevertheless, the soldiers had gain vast amounts of EXP¡­ and would be promoted to Centurion once Ernst Rommer received and rested them. The squad that returned with the prisoners appeared ashamed, however, the surviving soldiers waved back at them, gesturing and calling out to them to say that it was good to see familiar faces¡­ to which the squad then came forward and helped the wounded into the fort, broken from their indecision because of the strong camaraderie forged by Gerhard. Finally standing before the old man, Gerhard still retained enough pride to salute smartly at Ernst Rommer, who responded wearily, "The task is done?" Gerhard replied woodenly, "The mission is accomplished¡­ at great cost. I beg forgiveness for the annihilation of my command". "¡­I placed a hard assignment upon you¡­ even I wasn''t sure I would had been able to accomplish it in my heyday¡­ so, there is nothing to forgive" "I would like to recommend the men for promotion-¡­" "All in due time¡­ however, first accept your reward¡­", Sir Ernst Rommer replied solemnly, "Kneel" The crowd of villagers and the few players that followed the group gasped as they realised what was happening as Gerhard, bound by the moment, knelt on tired knees upon the stony ground, head bowed. "Gerhard von Natzmer, for your meritorious service in the Kingdom of Rosenheim''s army, for continuous valour beyond all odds, by the power invested in me by the King, I induct thee into the Royal Knightly Order of the Rose, guardians of the King and the Kingdom. Furthermore, I name thee my heir, with all the rights and titles that this entails upon my retirement, or my death." Everyone looked on stunned, including Gerhard who raised his head up in shock but the old man wasn''t finished. "Also¡­ I present to you my sword, Duty, given to me by my predecessor and his before him, for we are the first and last line against the darkness". "¡­And I pray you never know what that darkness is¡­", the old man finished cryptically.
You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! Fame has risen by 150 points Charisma has risen by 10 points (+10 CHR)
Quest Completed: The Shadow War The Orc raiders and Human bandits have fallen upon each other as their alliance collapsed leaderless, although it is far off in the distant future that peace will return in the region, already raids have fallen considerably, allowing nearly safe travel along the main roads and between villages. Difficulty Level: C Quest Reward: You have received the title of ''Knight'' and named the heir of Sir Ernst Rommer, Lord and Master of Basterni. You have also been inducted into the Royal Knightly Order of the Rose, to be finalised by trials set forth by the King. You will receive a monthly stipend of 100 gold and all items purchased within Basterni will be discounted by 60%. Additionally, the sword Duty has been gifted upon you that pulses with unknown arcane energies.
"¡­Your task is done¡­", Eric stood behind Gerhard who turned around and smiled wearily. "¡­Tomorrow then¡­ early morning I suppose?..." Eric nodded, before turning away and marching off, the crowd and soldiers parting before him, averting their eyes from the look he was giving. It was the face of the Grim Reaper himself. ********************************************************************************************* Max ogled at the creature before him¡­ which he felt he has been doing a lot lately so he mentally slapped himself and regained his composure, slowly coming forward to the shore''s edge and crouched down. "Ummm¡­ did you bring me here?", was the first and important question to be asked. She nodded shyly, the gesture so cute that his heart began beating like crazy, before he repeated to himself over and over, '' she is not human, she is not human, she is not human'', like a mantra to retain some form of cognitive process before this beautiful creature. "¡­w..why did you bring me here?" "¡­I¡­I was just lonely¡­and you seemed nicer compared to the two scary people.." "Scary people? You mean the people I was travelling with? No, no, they are not scary-¡­", Max stopped suddenly, "except for one person¡­ she is the devil herself¡­" "Uuuuu, see, I knew it¡­." "Yup, thank goodness you weren''t caught by her evil claws, who knows what she will do to you¡­", he blushed red as his imagination took control and veered his mind into¡­.unhealthy thoughts. Well healthy if you were male. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. "But", Max continued, "why are you by yourself?" "¡­Lorelei doesn''t know", she replied whimpering, "I have always been by myself" "Eh?", he felt his heart constrict at those words, "What do you mean by that?" "When I opened my eyes¡­.there was only me and ''doll''", she lifted the wooden figure over her head to show Max. "¡­.just how long have you been here?..." Looking up at him with eyes full of questions, she replied, "I¡­I think the water turned very cold 12 times, and sometimes ice would flow down into my home" To which Max drew in a breadth in shock. If what she was telling was accurate¡­ that was 12 seasons¡­ the amount of time since Royal Road first began¡­she had been alone since the game was first created! "Lorelei¡­do you¡­want to be my friend", Max asked gently. "...Friend? What is that?", she tilted her head in question whilst hugging the doll. The word seemed to resonate inside her somehow. "A friend is someone who you can always talk to, play with, and still¡­ reach out for help no matter how far apart you are" Lorelei sank deeper into the water until it was up to her lips, bubbling the words out shyly", ¡­I¡­I would like that, Max" Max smiled as he reached out his hand to her, "Then lets shake on it" "..Does it hurt?" To which he chuckled softly, "No, it''s kind of like an agreement or contract" "O¡­ok", she seemed to come to a conclusion to herself as Lorelei swam closer to the shore and slowly reached out with one hand, the other securely clutching the wooden doll. Their fingers touched and Max thought for a second that it glowed briefly, but Lorelei acted like nothing had happened so he must have imagined it. Taking her hand in his palm, he shook it up and down once, saying, "And now we are friends. I hope to be in your care" "¡­Me too", and she smiled so brightly that Max felt tempted to cross that boundary between species. "Anyway", Max stood up, "I guess it''s time for me to get back to the others", he shivered, "who knows what Mayumi will do to me since I have all their luggage¡­" "¡­Can I come too?", Lorelei looked up, seemingly on the verge of tears at the possibility of already losing her first friend. "Eh? How will you do that?", Max asked in genuine surprise. It''s not like he can carry her out of here, plus she was half fish¡­ don''t she need water? "¡­Can you hold my doll?", she lifted the figurine up to Max. "Ok¡­", as he accepted it, a soft glow surrounded Lorelei, becoming increasingly brighter until Max had to avert his eyes for fear of going blind. When the afterglow of the light faded, she was nowhere to be seen. "Lorelei? Lorelei?! Where are you?!", he asked in panic. "I am here", a voice echoed in his head. "W...what! where?", he looked wildly about. "In your hands silly", the voice replied sounding crossed. "¡­U..UWAAAH!¡­", Max shouted. "Eh? W..What is it?", she asked puzzled. "Oh¡­oooooooh..it''s nothing", Max replied shakily¡­to which he was not alright at all. He felt like he was holding a cursed doll¡­ however Max didn''t want to hurt Lorelei''s feelings so he reined in his rampaging emotions with a laborious effort. "Soooo¡­ now how are we going to get out of here?", Max asked to put his mind elsewhere as he gingerly placed the doll in one of his side pouches. "It''s ok, you will be saved soon" "Eh?" "One of your friends is coming" To which, he heard a loud shuddering as the walls around him vibrated, so much so that he fell on his backside as one portion of the wall caved inwards, the figure of Masumi striding forward with fragments of rocks falling all around. "Masumi¡­ did your eyes just glowed red?" "Eh? W..What''s wrong with you? Are you still drowning?", Masumi replied defensively. Looking closely again, Masumi''s eyes had returned to normal and Max truly wondered if he had not hit his head somewhere along the line in the water. He was seeing a lot of weird things lately¡­ "Ooooh Maaaaax", A voice said all too cheerily behind Masumi, "I hope you are reeeady~" "Eh? What for?" "For making your master chase after you¡­" "SINCE WHEN DID I BECOME YOUR SLAVE!?" A rope looped itself around his neck and forcefully dragged him forward, "Since you ran off with all our spare clothing. Dirty panty thief", she admonished him by stepping HARD on his head. "¡­.forgive me¡­.master¡­" "That¡¯s better", Mayumi smiled as she continued, "I guess I will let this slide since I have such a generous heart" ''¡­.please apologise to all the saints in the world!'', Max yelled inside his head. It looked like he wasn''t going to be able to escape from her clutches anytime soon. ********************************************************************************************* Lydia watched on in silence as the two men stood facing off against one another, wondering how she can safely stop this duel before it got out of hand. Gerhard seriously did not even have any chance at all¡­ and the new sword he was given can only be equipped at level 100, to which he only shrugged and said it didn¡¯t mattered. ''OF COURSE IT MATTERED'', she shouted inside her head, ''just what kind of player thinks that levels are inconsequential, can someone please drag that person forward to me!?'' The whole village had gathered, Sir Ernst Rommer acting as the witness to the duel, and players who were up early in the morning wondering what kind of event was going on in the village. Since the roads became safer, players once again began to return to the region and though as soon as they saw Eric, most blanched and fled as soon as possible. However, a few bravely stayed due inherently to curiosity, wondering why the giant with a fearsome reputation was standing in the middle of a village and not attacking anyone. Eric suddenly stirred and the onlookers held their breath, feeling like a momentous occasion has come. Eric planted the head of his battle axe into the ground, donning his war helm prior to announcing sombrely, "You will keep your word now?" more as a statement rather than a real question. "I will always honour it", Gerhard replied sadly, assuming a fencer stance with a slow graceful salute to Eric, kissing the flat of the blade lightly before regrettably pointing the sword towards the man who he had saved and been saved by, fought and bled beside with. "Then, it ends", Eric stated then erupted into motion, running forward with battle axe held high. There was nothing left to do but conclude their fight, Gerhard moving in without hesitation, sidestepping the axe stroke that would have beheaded him, before launching an attack of his own. To which this was deflected by the armoured plate, Gerhard''s sword no match for such high level equipment and he could only shave away piecemeal at Eric''s HP, mindful of the fact that any return stroke could be fatal for himself. As for Eric, the sword hits that do succeed in getting past his armour were only a minor irritation, he having long surpassed his endurance mastery in his quest-less journey of slaughter. To the untrained eye, it looked like a wild dance, of sweeping axe strokes and thrusting sword points, of minute dodges and blunt indifference to hits, the contrast between Gerhard''s graceful movements matched by Eric''s animal ferocity as they fought back and forth across the courtyard of silent and apprehensive observers. However, Ernst Rommer could be seen grimacing, perhaps the only person, NPC or otherwise, that knows that Gerhard is losing. And losing badly. *Clang* Gerhard once again diverted another axe stroke away before stepping in, thrusting out with his fist for Eric''s throat. It was instantly caught, and Gerhard stifled a cry of pain as his left hand was viciously crushed, before Eric pulled him and hurled the slight body of Gerhard into the air. He crashed brutally into a fruit stand, shattering it as Gerhard coughed out blood, his HP dropping to half health as Eric strode unhurriedly towards him. "Haha, brutal as ever", Gerhard chuckled grimly, rising to his feet, feeling bones shift within his body uncomfortably, "urgh, you broke my ribs... again". "Noooo!", a voice cried out and the figure of the boy whom Gerhard had saved came running forward as Eric swung down with his axe. There was a moment of slight hesitation that Gerhard noted, and suddenly the memory of his previous fight with Eric resurfaced in his mind. Lydia grabbed the boy to prevent him from getting hurt, surprised by her own actions and that of this NPC¡­ just what was happening to the both of them¡­ unable to explain her inexplicable deeds. "Eric¡­you¡­you are still a good man after all", Gerhard smiled happily after he painfully dodged the blow. "¡­¡­" "You¡­ you weren''t ever going to kill that child were you" "¡­ I don''t know what you are talking about", Eric growled as he swung his axe again, aiming for Gerhard''s now weakened left side. "I saw that axe stroke into the ground where the child lay¡­ it would have missed anyway even if I didn''t intervene". "¡­ Shut up¡­" "¡­ You are a father, aren''t you?.." "SHUT UP!", Eric roared as he increased his attack speed, going berserk at Gerhard. "WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME!?", Eric screamed, "WHAT DO YOU TRULY KNOW WHAT I HAVE BEEN THROUGH!?" "I SHOULD HAVE DIED WITH MY MEN! I SHOULD HAVE DIED LONG AGO!" "NOW¡­ I HAVE NOTHING!!", he roared, "I RETURNED HOME TO NOTHING!" To all this Gerhard was only silently listening, however he was caught unprepared by such a flurry of attacks, Gerhard receiving a blow to his right hand that held his sword where it was smashed into a wall shattering his fingers, the weapon falling from his useless hand. Eric was going out of control, madness and rage in his every movement as one such strike connected into Gerhard''s abdomen, the axe blade biting deep into his left side, Eric still bellowing. "I SHOULD HAVE NEVER SURVIVED!", Eric wailed. Gerhard grabbed the handle of the battle axe with his ruined hands to trap Eric in place, looking up to gaze into the eyes of the armoured warrior before him. Roaring out in a voice laced with iron and power, Gerhard commanded, "SOLDAT, STILLSTE-HEN!" Instantly, years of discipline took control over Eric''s body as he obeyed, unable to resist the authority of a voice that expects immediate and unflinching obedience, the voice of a true officer reaching into Eric''s soul to pull the soldier that he once was back to the fore. His arms fell to his sides, leaving the weapon still embedded in Gerhard, Eric stamping his feet together as he stood straight with chest out and in perfect textbook military stance.
New Skill: Words of Iron A natural born leader of men, your commands are expected to be obeyed without question, followed without doubt, trust given when asked. Enemies are affected as well, though only temporarily. Duration and Skill chance increases by Skill level. Improves when you successfully turn an enemy or convince allies to do the unreasonable. You may not distribute bonus stat points to Words of Iron
To which, dying, Gerhard reached out with bloody hands to grasps either side of Eric''s face, ignoring the agonizing pain and blood threatening to escape from his lips, he spoke softly, " Soldat¡­Kamerad¡­ ¡­ your war is over now. You have fought well for the Vaterland¡­ because you LIVED. You are alive and nothing else matters. With life you can still hope, rebuild¡­ be with the ones you love the most" Pulling their heads together till they touched forehead to forehead, Gerhard declared, "You are NOT dead Eric. You are still a soldier, a father, a husband, a son to someone. You are ALIVE! SO LIVE! Live for the others who never returned. Live on and don''t soil their memories DAMNIT! I COMMAND YOU TO LIVE!" "¡­.It''s ok for me to be alive¡­?", Eric whispered. Gerhard chuckled, "Just what have I been saying dummkopf . Of course it is ok" "But¡­ I am crippled..", Eric voice becoming hoarse with emotion. "You are crippled in body, but not in mind, Eric" "¡­ So¡­ I can live?" "It''s great to be alive, isn''t it?" "But the others...?" "They STILL live, as long as you do in here", Gerhard tapped Eric''s temple, "and in here¡±, Gerhard said as he tapped Eric¡¯s heart. "¡­.I am not allowed to die..?" "Request denied", Gerhard smiled beatifically. "Herlizh willkommen, Soldat. Thank you for your service", Gerhard saluted weakly before finally his strength failed, his legs buckling out from under him as he collapsed forward into Eric''s chest. With silent tears streaming down his face, Eric laid Gerhard gently down upon the ground, trying to stem the flow of blood as Lydia finally ran over and urgently began casting her low level healing spell, worry deep in her eyes. She didn''t want to witness that scene from when Gerhard was near death ever again¡­ the memory still haunting her due to how bizarre it was¡­ Author''s Note: There is more after the Song. ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Promise You "Countless knights went to battle, and many were hurt, as the dragon moved closer and closer to the palace. The King declared whosoever killed the dragon would be granted half his kingdom. On hearing this, knights came from across the sea. They were the fiercest, the bravest and the largest knights anyone had ever seen. Thousands gathered to attack the dragon. But for all their effort, they couldn''t defeat the dragon and the countryside became strewn with ruins. They were left with a riddle after every battle. ''My defeat will be an empty cup filled''. Only the little blacksmith''s heart was full of hope, fashioning a suit of armour and a sword out of old tin cups, mounting his pony, and then rode to court. Bowing before the King, he said, ''I wish to defeat the dragon''. There was a moment of silence, then everyone but the Princess began to laugh. The King said, ''You are no match for this dragon. It takes might to fight. You are just too small.'' The tiny blacksmith responded with pride, ''I may be slight, but I can fight.'' He travelled far and wide until he found the dragon''s cave and entered it without hesitation. There he found the dragon lying in misery with its eyes swollen shut and its forked tongue lying on the ground. It hissed at his approach, for it could smell him, but the tiny knight wasn''t afraid. With his chivalrous heart all he could feel now was mercy. He wanted to help the beast and so returning outside, he climbed down the cliff to the stream below. At the bottom there was plenty of water, but nothing with which to carry it. Then he spied a chipped cup, carefully picking it from the sand, he filled it as best as he could and climbed back up. But when he got back to the dragon, he discovered that not only had the cup been chipped but it had a crack he had not noticed. What little water there was had leaked out while he was climbing. He moved toward the dragon and said, ''I''m sorry. I meant to help you, I really did. But the cup is empty.'' To his surprise the dragon rose up with a roar of delight. ''Thank you, oh thank you, tiny knight, You have saved me, all right! An empty cup it may be, But it was filled with kindness, you see. And an empty cup filled, sets me free! I''ll guard you forever, I tell no lies. I''ll be your wings, if you''ll be my eyes.'' The tiny knight was shocked before becoming delighted. The evil dragon wasn''t evil at all, only bewitched, and now that the riddle was solved it showed that it was kind as well. Then the tiny knight, astride his flying dragon, flew home. The tiny knight then married the Princess and received half the kingdom. The dragon got back his eyesight and, true to his word, guarded the kingdom faithfully." "Hehe", the two young boys laughed happily to the conclusion of the story. "Come on boys, visiting time is over", the woman closed the book she had been flipping the pages¡­ for Eric to read. "Awww mamaaa. We want papa to tell us more stories", they exclaimed. "Now, listen to your mother, boys", Eric scolded as his wife affectionately stroked the hair from his eyes, "if you misbehave, I won''t let you visit me again". "Noooooooo!", they yelped before quieting down, as their mother placed a finger on each of their lips. "Shhhh, don¡¯t disturb the other patients", she reminded them. "Its fine dear, they are all too busy being jealous of me to care", Eric joked. "Screw you, Eric! My wife was prettier¡­ ten years ago", someone yelled, and the hospital ward broke out in laughter. As she took the boys by the hands and packed their belongings, readying to leave, she turned back around and kissed Eric deeply, to which the boys said, "ewwwwww". "I am so glad you are alive", she whispered. "I am too", he smiled, "And I won''t regret it ever again." S1 E11: Its Whats On The Inside That Counts "Hmmmmm, quite peaceful isn''t it?", Lydia stated. "Yeah, it sure is", Gerhard agreed whilst lying down on a straw mat, hands under the back of his head with a grass stalk between his lips, twirling back and forth. The boy from the orphanage, William, was watching this with rapt attention, chin on his hands and squatting a respectful distance away from the ''angel''. He seemed to have grown quite attached to Gerhard. "¡­ really very peaceful". "Yeah, it sure is", he agreed again, still with his eyes closed and not really paying much attention to her words. In the background, the little boy William went, "Ooooooh!", as Gerhard completed a series of loops and counter swings more akin to a circus gymnast¡­ with just the straw stalk. "¡­ why are we relaxing so peacefully?" "Hmm? Isn''t it because it is relaxing and peaceful?" "¡­ don''t you think this scene is kind of strange?" "Hmm? What is?", Gerhard almost yawned un-gentlemanlike, as he stretched his arms over his head, turning to the side to give William a wink. To which having been noticed, the boy scurried off to hide shyly behind the dress of Lydia. "¡­ seriously, why are we relaxing when we are in a pinch?", becoming agitated, and without realising it had reached down to gently stroke the top of William''s head. Gerhard look at her in surprise as he asked, "Can you define ''pinch'' for me?" "¡­ we are LOCKED up in a cell" "Eh?" "Don¡¯t ''EH'' me! WHY DID WE ALLOW OURSELVES TO GET CAPTURED?!", Lydia yelled in exasperation. "Are you sure? I thought we were invited for dinner?" "There is something SERIOUSLY wrong with that statement, because¡­", she turned abruptly and bowled little William over in surprise, "WE ARE THE DINNER!", she exclaimed, pointing her arm out of the cell door towards a pair of Forest Giants stirring a relatively massive iron pot. Hearing the commotion, the pair looked up from their work and cheerfully waved back at them, while the boy looked up at her in disappointment, wishing she would continue patting his head. "Lydia¡­ why are you judging people based upon their appearance? I mean, look at Eric here", Gerhard flicked his thumb over to the silent brooding figure, leaning against the stone wall, who only glared back at Lydia, "he is actually a kind hearted man". "¡­ WHAT TYPE OF KIND HEARTED MAN SENDS DEATH BEAMS FROM HIS EYES?! And speaking of which", Lydia inhaled her breath deeply and slowly, "WHY IS HE STILL FOLLOWING US?!!" "It''s only until that Player Killer status you keep mentioning fades away. That''s no problem, right?" "... no, no, I mean, WHY with US?!" To which Eric growled low, still unable to shake the persona he had acquired whilst playing Royal Road for so long, "Where he goes, I go". "Gerhard¡­ does that sound like someone intending to leave eventually?", Lydia pointed out¡­ from behind the back of William. Gerhard turned to Eric and said crossly, "Eric, please don''t frighten Lydia. We already had a hard time convincing the boy that you are not scary" Having been spoken to, Eric clicked his heels together and stood to rigid attention, replying, "Jawohl, mein Kommandant!" "¡­ please don''t", Gerhard waved a hand in irritation, "We all know that I am unfit for that title..." "I beg to differ", the giant countered, "you achieved a great victory against impossible odds". "Yes, but at what cost? The total destruction of my command¡­" "They were willing to die for you, that is all that matters" Lydia looked at the pair of them in bafflement, "¡­ weren''t the two of you killing each other weeks ago¡­ HOW CAN YOU GUYS PULL THAT ''UNDERSTANDING EACH OTHER THROUGH BLOWS'' CRAP ON ME?!" The two men looked at each other and chuckled, Eric showing a rare smile as Gerhard spoke for the both of them, "It''s¡­ how do you say it¡­ we both also came from the same line of work. Kind of like a bond that comes from being in the same company" "¡­ Are you sure you are not a Japanese company employee...?", she sighed, "... the only thing missing is you volunteering to work over time. Oh wait", she placed a fist on the top of her palm, "you ARE working overtime!" "Well, I was asked by the local villagers to locate the whereabouts of their missing cattle", Gerhard explained slowly to her, "after all, I was also a former detective". "¡­ it doesn¡¯t take a detective to realise that", Lydia pointed to the giants again, "THEY ARE THE ONES EATING THEM!" "Again with judging a book by its cover", Gerhard tsk tsk at her. "Uuuuu if only my spells worked, I would have so incinerated them by now¡­ and singe you a little bit", she chuckled evilly at the barely heard last words. Except William did and began to back away fearfully, step by step as he realised that maybe¡­ she was probably scarier than Eric. "Well, it can''t be helped, apparently this forest is very Tolkien-ish, what with the absence of magic. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there were Elves here too, like in The Lord of the Rings", Gerhard took the scared boy unto his lap and brushed William''s hair to calm him. "Wow. I am surprised you watched the movies, considering how much of an old geezer you act sometimes", she said in genuine surprise. "Movies? What movies? I read the books when they first came out. Perhaps the only British author worth reading at the time", he smiled as Gerhard reminisced about the first copy of the book he received from his wife as a gift. Lydia sighed to herself as she mumbled, "Stupid over enthusiastic role players..." "But!", she pointed her finger at Gerhard accusingly, "Why didn¡¯t you!", then to Eric, "Or you!", before crossing her arms under her ample chest, "At least put up a fight when they grabbed us out of nowhere!" Eric just shrugged while Gerhard took a moment to ponder on it, before replying, "They can hide surprisingly well can''t they?" "¡­ HOW CAN YOU MISS A FOUR STOREY TALL GIANT!" "¡­ didn''t you fail to notice it too?" "¡­ t.. that''s beside the point!", Lydia blushed as she yelled, "You''re suppose to notice these sort of things!" Gerhard looked to Eric and the two men somehow managed to exchange a few words with their gaze. ''¡­¡­¡­.. incomprehensible'' ''I know, right?'', Eric''s eyes managed to communicate back, ''My wife does that to me sometimes, too''. They both nodded solemnly to one another to which Lydia noticing turned even redder. "And furthermore", she continued to barrel forward to hide her embarrassment, "is it just me, or have you become even weaker recently", looking at Gerhard critically. "Hmm, now that you have pointed it out, I guess you are right", Gerhard agreed, "Foes used to be much easier to slay¡­ those ''mobs'' as a generic term for enemies of all sort as you explained¡­ it seems that they have either gotten faster, or I can''t seem to inflict substantial damage on them at all" "Herr Kommandant", Eric piped in, "Might I be able to see your Avatar Window? I have some experience in bringing out great performance in our alter bodies". Gerhard laughed, "Yes, I have kind of experienced it with your heavy fists. Alright then", he set William aside unto the mat as Gerhard stood up, "how do we do this?" Eric walked until he was side by side with Gerhard before saying, "First call out your Avatar Window" "Character info!", Gerhard did as told, "Now what?" "With purpose say, ''Share info with Eric''" "Share info with Eric!", Gerhard scratched the back of his head, "Doing this¡­ is kind of embarrassing" "It''s only for a moment... and I can see it now. Excellent, let''s see a Sword Singer? A new class...?", to which Eric stopped abruptly, his face becoming an unreadable mask that made Lydia very curious. "Sir¡­ how long have you been playing like this?", Eric enquired in a low voice. "Hmmm? Since I first came into this world, I suppose" "I see¡­" "What, what?!", Lydia, her journalistic core going into overdrive from her curiosity, as she began to hassle Eric, overcoming her natural fear of him, "Did he allocate points into something useless like Charisma or Intelligence? After all", she turned her nose up at Gerhard, "he sure needs every help he can get". "Sir¡­", Eric said with absolute respect in his voice, "Can you please share it with her, too". "? Alright", Gerhard sighed, as she came over and stood next to him, "Share info with Lydia! Damn¡­ this is way too embarrassing". "Time to laugh at your horrible build", she teased¡­ before her eyes almost bulged out of her head when his Avatar Window became visible. "Well¡­ what is it?", Gerhard asked in consternation. "You¡­¡­", Lydia began, "you, you, you IDIOT!", she grabbed the back of Gerhard''s head and almost slammed him face first into the Character Window, pointing at a figure glowing red at the bottom of the screen, "WHAT IS THIS?!" "Lydia, you are hurting me¡­" "WHAT is THIS?!", she tapped the image repeatedly. Sighing, Gerhard shifted his gaze to read what was on the screen. "It says: ¡®unused stat points¡¯" "No¡­. what is with this figure!"
CHARACTER INFO
AvatarGerhard von NatzmerAlignmentGood
Level83ClassSword Singer
TitleKnightFame280
Stats
Health3460Mana140
Strength60 +25Agility50 +25
Vitality89 +25Wisdom10 +20
Intelligence10 +20Stamina90 +20
Fighting Spirit90 +20Singing34 +80
Charisma78 +20Leadership108 +20
Luck14 +20
Offence50Defence50
Magic Resistance
Fire0%Water0%
Earth0%Air0%
Light0%Dark0%
  • All stats are added extra 20 points.
  • Singing stat is added extra 80 points.
  • When singing all stats increase by 20%.
  • Increases Attack Power for Sword Song.
  • Decreases Mana Consumption for Sword Song.
  • Enables you to learn secret skills based on your performance to the Gods.
  • Increases Fame by performing in front of an audience that''s more than 1000.
Unused Stat Points: 410
"It says 410?" "YOU HAVE ESSENTIALLY BEEN PLAYING WITHOUT ALLOCATING YOUR STATS, YOU IDIOT! PLEASE PUT IT ALL IN INTELLIGENCE!", Lydia cried out in a voice filled with despair. "Hmm", Eric said from the side as he analysed the data, "you basically got the other stats from completing basic training, the 5 extra from equipment¡­ and your class change." "Did I do something wrong?", Gerhard looked to the both of them in bafflement as Lydia went to a corner and sat down woozily. "¡­.No, Sir¡­ you have been doing something amazing¡­" ********************************************************************************************* INTRO SONG: Kono Sekai e Moeru ********************************************************************************************* As soon as Eric made sure that Gerhard spread his points out and to be doubly sure he didn¡¯t missed anything, he made Gerhard open his skills window as well. True to form, another oddity greeted Eric''s sight.
SKILLS WINDOW
Passive
Forced March (Intermediate)Lv.1 (57%)When singing whilst in an allied group of more than 5, movement speed is increased to all members due to your motivating song + 10%
Herald of the King (Intermediate)Lv.1 (57%)When singing whilst in an allied group of more than 5, your leadership is increased temporarily. + 5 mins
Lord of Battles (Intermediate)Lv.1 (57%)When singing whilst in an allied group of more than 5, attack power is increased to all members due to your motivating song. Additional effects on your sword mastery. + 10%
EnduranceLv.8 (78%)Reduces physical damage inflicted by the enemy. - 5%
Sword Mastery (Intermediate)Lv.4 (18%)Increases attack power and speed for equipping a sword.
Active
Sword SongLv.1 (0%)Increases attack speed and critical chance. If leadership higher than opponents, additional effect of ''slowed'' is applied on enemies. Mana consumption: 40 per second
Words of IronLv.1 (0%)Chance to turn enemies or convince NPCs to do the unreasonable for a limited duration. Mana consumption: 10
Rare Skills Achievement
True Warrior"To a real warrior, power perceived may be power achieved." You are a strangeness in this world, unbound by the laws that dictate the lives of its denizens. You have relied on nothing but what was given at birth, and triumphed over great foes, never tasting the sleep of death. Survived the first 50 levels without allocating Bonus Stat Points, used an Active Skill or suffered Death. Once per day, you may choose to augment any single attack for 4x extra damage. [Please choose mode of activation: Spoken or Motion]
''Rare skills achievement?'', Eric read the title to himself, ''I have never seen or heard of this before'', his eyebrows arching up as he also noticed that Gerhard had never once used his active skills. Turning to the crouching figure of Gerhard, who was busy playing rock-paper-scissors with the little boy, they were all interrupted by a scream. "Kyaaaaaaaaaaa! L¡­ let me go!!!!", Lydia squealed as she was lifted into the air in the fists of one of the Forest Giants, "I am not tasty, I swear! Look at that red armoured man over there!!!", she pointed to Eric, "Doesn¡¯t he look like a tasty lobster!!!!!? He also has a lot of muscle, so he is lean and healthy for you!" A visible vein began throbbing on the side of Eric''s head before Gerhard clapped him on the shoulder, "Well¡­ she is always like that. You will get used to it" "¡­ should we help her?" It was Gerhard''s turn to look up at Eric with an arched eyebrow, "You and I both know they are not going to harm her", before walking away, taking the hand of William in his as they both waited for their turn to be picked up by the giants. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. "True", Eric shrugged his shoulders. Lydia continued to struggle vainly, until she was deposited onto the table, before running about in a blind panic, reaching the table edge and peering over¡­ only to realised it was too high to jump down from. Sitting back on her bottom, she could only hug her knees to her chest as Lydia swayed back and forth whilst crying, "Uuuuuu, I never wanted to know what it feels like to be eaten". She felt a tug on her shoulder, Lydia continuing to ignore it, but it was so insistent that finally she lost her temper and looked up in annoyance, "WHAT?!" William took a step back, looking fearful before raising a hand to point behind her. Sighing in resignation, she turned¡­ only to be greeted by an amazing sight. Sitting down cross legged in front of a spoon as long as a car, Gerhard was leaning over it with a metal cup taken from his bag. Scooping the hot steaming liquid into the cup and blowing gently on it, he brought it to his lips before drinking it down slowly. "Fr?ulein¡­ this is delicious!", Gerhard complimented towards one of the Forest Giants, both almost distinctly unrecognisable from the other, however, one of them placed their hands on their cheeks and blushed. "T...THANK YOU", she replied, the voice so loud that the air pressure threatened to burst the puny humans'' eardrums. She promptly placed her hands over her mouth and somehow managed to look apologetic. "I see why you don''t speak often", Gerhard rubbed his ears gingerly, "Well, come here, William, I will cool some for you. You too, Eric, come try it as well", the little boy already sitting down on Gerhard''s lap happily. "¡­. why aren''t we eaten yet?", Lydia confused, walked towards Gerhard, warily keeping an eye on the giants. "Hmm? It''s because they are vegetarians". "¡­ and how do you KNOW this?" "Obviously, from their teeth, of course" Lydia switched her gaze from the giants to Gerhard as she exclaimed in surprise, "What?!" Sighing, Gerhard lifted the now cool liquid towards William''s lips and then wrapped the boy''s hands around the cup as he finally looked up at Lydia. "They are vegetarian because of their teeth", Gerhard pointed toward his own, "We are omnivores because we have different sets of teeth to eat both plants and animals. Herbivores and carnivores only have one set of teeth, due to the reason that they are specialised for their preferred food" Looking at Lydia with a gaze that seemed to say ''go back to primary school'', "Carnivores have long canines¡­ herbivores have¡­.?", Gerhard waited for her to come up with the right answer. Eventually, it clicked for her and she finally noticed that the giants had massive flat molars, which was shown as they talked to one another in low hushed tones, although it was still so loud that the humans could hear them quite well. "The reason why we never fought back was because they never had any intention to hurt us in the first place", Gerhard finished. Lydia fell to her knees as she stammered, "so¡­ so I was the only one worrying for nothing!" "Well, truthfully there was always a chance that I was wrong, however", Gerhard smiled, "neither me nor Eric felt any killing intent". "And now we come to the crux of our situation", he raised his head up to catch the attention of one of the giants, "Why exactly have we been brought here? I don¡¯t think kidnapping us just to share some dinner was your primary goal?" The two giants looked to one another, before one embarrassedly bow their head, and said in a low voice so as to not hurt the human''s ears again, "Well¡­ me and my missus rarely have guests around the home¡­ and you little people tend to run away screaming, ya see. But this time we needed some help, ya see. So, that¡¯s why we went looking for little people, and", the creature pointed towards the cell "put you''se lot inside our bird cage, so that you can fulfil our request", it finished in a rush, almost sheepishly. "Wow¡­ this game has some very big birds", Gerhard said, intrigued. "IS THAT WHAT YOU¡¯RE FOCUSED ON?!", Lydia yelled in exasperation, "More like the fact that we might be given a dangerous quest!" To which Gerhard asked the giants, "So, what is your request?". In the background, the sound of Lydia groaning could be heard¡­ which is an understatement, because she was actually screaming and Eric was forced to silence her... by placing a hand over her mouth. "Wells¡¯sar, something has been leaving dead carcasses of cows all around our home. And I managed to follow the trail but it ended in a cave", the giant looked sad, "little people always blame us for everything and we were chased out of our last home. Please, find what did it and stop it. Save the little people''s cows" *Tring!
Quest Updated: Dang Cows Gone Walkabouts You have found a clue as to the possible whereabouts of the farmers missing cows. Stumbling upon the giants, they have given you new leads that points towards a creature feeding on the livestock and leaving a blood trail towards a nearby cave. Difficulty: D Quest Reward: 20 Fame 10 Gold coins
"Well then", Gerhard stood up and turned to his friends, "shall we get going then?" ********************************************************************************************* "Hermann?" "Hmm? What is it dear?" "Do you think that Max is actually doing what he is supposed to in that game of his?" "You mean meeting papa? I am sure Max is being a good boy¡­.I hope", he furrowed his brow in worry. "I do wish he is not being naughty and chasing after girls", she said in worry, chin on her hand as she leaned over the back of the chair Hermann was sitting on. Hermann almost spluttered out his coffee as he tilted his head upwards to look at his wife, "You don''t have to worry about that dear", he chuckled. "True¡­ the girls might be chasing him instead", she looked at Hermann, annoyed. "Huh? What did I do?" "Hmph!" ********************************************************************************************* Dear Miss von Natzmer¡­. please be reassured, that such a thing will never happen. Unless he owes them a considerable amount of money¡­. BECAUSE THEY LENT IT TO HIM¡­ not those other things people are imagining¡­.AHEM *cough* *cough*, back to the adventure¡­ "Waaaaait for meeee!", Max cried, chasing after the departing backs of the Samurai twins. "Masumi, do you hear something?" "No, nee-san. Could it be the wind?" "Hmm, I don''t think so. It almost sounded like someone we used to know¡­" "Eh...?", Masumi decided to listen closely, "You could be right, nee-san" Spinning around sharply, Mayumi exclaimed, "WHY, isn''t it our AIR friend, Max?!" The words like daggers impaling his heart, he stuttered, "Wait, I can explain.." "No, no it''s fine", Mayumi said sadly, pretending to wipe away fake tears, "we had always known you were lonely¡­ but we are so happy that you have managed to make an AIR friend". "Guuuh!", another mortal blow to his fragile heart as Lorelei whispered in his mind. "Are you ok? You seem to be having heart pains", she asked in worry. "I..I''m fine¡­ just suffering from critical strikes", he replied unwittingly before freezing and returning his gaze to Mayumi. Sure enough, there was an expression of deep pity on her face. The misunderstanding happened just a few days ago, when he was caught apparently talking to himself. Max didn¡¯t know why Lorelei wanted to be kept a secret from the others, but he made a promise and, as his father and grandfather always said, ''we should always honour our words¡¯. Hence his problem at this moment as he struggled to come up with an explanation. And kind of failing. Sighing, Max gave up as he replied, "Yes, I understand. Mayumi, Masumi", he gestured vaguely to his right, "Please, meet my air friend, Jessica". The twins gave him a sad smile as they both bowed at his imaginary companion, replying, "How do you do?", in unison. Suddenly, he got a sharp throbbing headache as Lorelei said, "Who is Jessica, hmm?", sounding annoyed. Gritting his teeth, he replied in a low voice, "I will explain later". "Hmph!", before he somehow heard the sound of an imaginary door slamming inside his head, followed by another expanding wave of a headache. "So uh¡­ how did you and Jessica meet?", Masumi asked politely. ''Give me a break, Masumi!'', Max yelled inside his head as he struggled to smile, "Oh um, in High School, I suppose?" "Ahhh, I see", Mayumi nodded her head in understanding, "So, she is your childhood sweetheart, huh" Inside Max was weeping an ocean worth of salty tears, as he replied vehemently, "No, no! We are just friends right, Jessica?" "Oh my god!", Mayumi cried, "What have you done Max! There there, I understand that he is insensitive", she began stroking the air where a human''s back should be. "Eh?", Max looked at her startled. Mayumi glanced up at Max as she continued to comfort the air friend,"¡­ Jerk..". "Eh?" To which Masumi also gazed steadily at Max, "¡­ Jerk¡­" "EHHHHHHHHH?!", Max yelled out in incredulity as his mind struggled to process the situation, ''WHAT THE HELL! AM I THE CRAZY ONE?! REALLY?! IS JESSICA ACTUALLY THERE?!'', he looked wildly to his right. Even Lorelei joined in, "How can you be so mean to your friend?", sounding quite disappointed. "Oh¡­ oh my god, I am so sorry, Jessica¡­", Max began until Mayumi gave a whelp. "Eeeeeee, see what you have done!?", she cried. "Wait, what?!", he asked baffled. "GO CHASE AFTER HER YOU FOOL!", as she gave him a light push. Not knowing what is going on anymore, eyes spinning, he ran desperately after the imaginary friend who was supposedly far off in front of him now. Behind his back, Mayumi winked at her twin. ********************************************************************************************* Eric knelt down as he studied the tracks whilst Gerhard endeavoured to remember the minor forensic skills he had acquired in his time in the Austrian Police Force, trying to gauge how large the animal was by the size of the bite marks on the rotting carcass. Lydia was¡­ tying ribbons in William''s hair. She claimed it was her vital duty¡­ "¡­ you know, I did say to look after him¡­", Gerhard said slightly annoyed, "¡­ away from danger¡­" "Isn''t it fine? After all, I can''t even cast any spells in this forest, so I might as well use my hands for something" "¡­ tying ribbons?" "Looks cute, right?", she cradle the boy in her arms and spun around in a circle, as though doing a fashion show. The ribbons were¡­ actually quite impressive, tied into the shape of flowers and Gerhard sighed, "If only you used your skills for more productive things" "Oh, you mean, except for being so beautiful?" "¡­ is that a skill that I am unaware of?", rubbing the corner of his eyes tiredly. Still feels strange not having to wear his reading glasses after all these years. In hindsight, maybe it would had been better to leave the two non-combatants with the Giants¡­ then again she would had followed anyway, mentioning something about ''the world''s loot is mine!'', and the child would for some reason follow her. Gerhard sighed again, more times today than he could ever remember, ''At least they are in my sight'', he consoled to himself quietly. "Herr Kommandant ", Eric stood up, "the directions the Giants gave us are accurate. If we keep heading North-West we are bound to find the cave as well". "¡­ I guess we should end this soon then", Gerhard looked up at the darkening sky, "before we lose all light". They were to follow along a trail that only Eric could see, and it wasn¡¯t until twenty minutes later that they stumbled upon a clearing, a fairly large opening leading into the earth could be seen in the distance, vast sections of it obscured by outgrowth from the surrounding bushes. "Yaaaay! We are finally here!", Lydia cheered, the rest looking to one another unsure of what to think. "You do know we are going to be doing most of the work¡­ again", Gerhard pointed out¡­ "Ehhhh? It''s fine, ''All for One and One for All'', right? All the loot for me, and me for all the loot!" "¡­ I don¡¯t think that phrase was meant to be used like that¡­" There was a rustling from the bushes, and instantly Gerhard and Eric reached for their weapons. But to their surprise, a fury little creature tumbled out, turning its white head from side to side in apparent confusion and sniffing the air. "¡­Kyaaaaaaaaaa!", Lydia screamed as she rushed forward, "It¡¯s a baby PANDA!" "Lydia!", Gerhard yelled, "GET BACK HERE!", he and Eric having drawn their weapons already. She whirled around with hands on her hips, pouting, "Eeeeeeh, but I want to tie ribbons-", was what she wanted to say, till Lydia heard a low growl from behind her. Turning back, she saw that the ''baby'' panda was rapidly increasing in size till it towered over her, "Ooh¡­ what nice long canines you have", she gulped. To which the creature only roared, followed by Lydia screaming again only with a different undertone, "KYAAAAAAAAAA!!!", as she dashed back towards the group, her running style that of a professional sprinter. If this was the Olympics, she would have won Gold. Both Eric and Gerhard raced forward, each taking position on either flank of the monster and began initiating their attacks, as Lydia ran by in the middle. Gerhard felt¡­. incredible, almost stumbling and mistiming his strikes as his newly adjusted stat points enhance every single movement he made, forcing him to consciously make an effort and concentrate three times as hard as he would normally do. In the space of several minutes of intense fighting, of blind dodges and wild circling of the creature, Gerhard finally showed the full potential of his newly tuned body. Chasing, racing along the ground to leap high into the air and landing a strike at the forehead of the creature. The blow was so heavy that the creature reeled back, momentarily stunned. Gerhard''s body was now moving in sync with his subconscious, as he let out a yell, landing on the Death Panda''s chest and thrusting down with the tip of his sword into its soft underbelly. The creature let out a painful roar; swinging an overlarge paw to swat Gerhard off, only for him to have already disappeared, having leapt backwards with such force that he almost crashed into the trees. ''T-this is insane!'', Gerhard grinned inwardly, ''so, this is what it feels like to play a VRMMORPG. No wonder Max is addicted to this'', the world appearing in slow motion to him as he sidestepped the monster''s overhead strike with its arms, ''I feel like Tunraz!'' . To the side, Lydia could only look on stunned. Where before she thought Gerhard''s swordsmanship was a graceful gentle breeze¡­ he was now a violent storm, striking again and again and again in so many different directions that she felt dizzy even trying to keep up with his movements. Eric continued to drop the monster''s HP with his savage and higher damaging blows, hacking away at the Death Panda''s legs¡­ but for sheer amounts of what appeared to be critical strikes, Gerhard was unmatched. It was true that his damage was low, due to his equipment and level¡­ but to the untrained eye, it appeared that Gerhard was the focal point of bringing the monster staggering to its knees. Lydia shivered as she thought to herself, ''What would happen if he did have the right gear to fight...'' However, they must have hit some sort of event trigger, because once the creature had all four limbs on the ground, it suddenly began to rapidly expand larger, before turning away to crash back into the cave. The two men gave chase, as Lydia hitched up her robe and chased after them shouting, "OI! COME BACK, LOOT!" As they ran in, the creature seemed to have stopped abruptly and it soon became apparent why. A puffing man was standing in shock at this unexpected encounter, but none more so than Gerhard, as he noticed the figure on the opposite end of the cave tunnel. The brown haired man also gaped as the two recognised one another instantly. "Eh? Max?!", Gerhard exclaimed in astonishment. Max stood stunned as he replied, "Gran-..", to which he was abruptly cut off as Mayumi threw him backwards, the paw of the Death Panda narrowly missing crushing Max''s skull as he stumbled and rolled along the ground. The creature roared in frustration, the walls visibly reverberating to the extent that rocks and stalactites broke loose from the ceiling to plunge haphazardly around the two parties. Max lying groggily upon his back could only look up helpless as a section of the ceiling came crashing down towards him. "Oh, crap", Max said aloud, as the voice of his Grandfather could be heard in the background shouting out in warning. Gerhard ran towards Max, as fast as his enhanced body would allow, stretching out with his hand, powerless to stop what was happening before him. In that brief moment, Max and Gerhard''s eyes met. And then there was darkness. ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Promise You S1 E12: Void Warrior *Dokkun* "No¡­", Gerhard touched the settling wall of rocks before him, the grey dirt trickling between his fingers, dust settling around his shoulders. *DOKKUN* "Max¡­", the whispered words left Gerhard''s lips. Once more he was too late to save someone in front of him¡­ one of his own family. A flood of memories pierced his mind as the images of what was done to his father, his mother, his sister, racing, winging, lacerating his psyche, shaking him to his core. *DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN*DOKKUN* "Not again¡­", he crushed the dirt into his fist, spinning slowly to face the creature, the monster that had taken his grandson from him. All sensible thoughts that this was a game disappeared from his mind as his trauma was reawakened, and stoked, roaring into the very fibre of his being. *DOKKUN*¡­ Something inside Gerhard rose, uglier than any creature he had ever faced in this virtual world, as it consumed him inside out, drowning him, suddenly forced to feel his decades¡­and losing the will to resist. *CREEEEEAK¡­..CRACK!* The sound of chains breaking reverberated inside his soul, casting the man that was Gerhard into pitch black darkness¡­ and in his place stood a monster. A REAL monster. "ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!", the Death Panda howled, perhaps in acknowledgment to a kindred spirit or perhaps to drown out its own fear. One thing it did know for a fact though¡­ this man must be killed. Gerhard just stood there, watching its approaching charge with disinterest, the ground rumbling with each successive step it took towards him, his sword resting lifeless in his hand. Eric, noticing something was wrong, ran as hard as he could to intercept the creature, knowing he will never make it in time. He needn''t bother though as a pair of Samurai leapt to the fore, katanas gliding through the air to slash at the forearms of the massive beast, their long hair shimmering gracefully around them. The Death Panda stumbled as its ligaments were severed, crashing face first until it slid just steps away from Gerhard. "What is that IDIOT doing?!", Lydia yelled in bafflement as Gerhard still hadn''t moved an inch from his location. "Haaaa", one of the Samurai said knowingly to what looked like obviously her twin, "seems like the newbie is frozen in fear ne, Masumi?" "Mayumi Nee-san, should we help him?", the other Samurai said, as the creature rose slowly to its feet in front of Gerhard who was gazing impassively at it. "Maaa", resting the back of her katana on her shoulder, "he should experience death sometime in this game. We already tried helping", she shrugged nonchalantly. Eric however had other thoughts as he roared, "Herr Kommandant! ", swinging his battle axe into the back of the creature''s leg, causing the Death Panda to miss slightly with the thrusting paw strike towards Gerhard''s face. A thin wound blossomed on Gerhard''s right cheek, causing him for the first time to move, reaching up slowly with his hand to touch the red liquid dripping down his face. Bringing his bloodied fingertips to the front, he gazed at it curiously before licking it once, the taste of iron settling on his tongue. Seeming to have decided something for himself, Gerhard nodded once prior to lifting his head up, speaking to the creature as though it might understand him. "Blood for blood. A fair trade don''t you think?", Gerhard said tonelessly. And exploded into violent motion. ********************************************************************************************* INTRO SONG: Kono Sekai e Moeru ********************************************************************************************* The sound of voices echoed across the vast expanse, a starless night sky hanging in the ceiling of this world as Gerhard woke up in confusion, the cawing of crows growing louder in the surrounding canopies of the trees. The blood red of dawn was rising in the distant horizon, an ill omen for the start of a day, Gerhard rising shakily to his feet and shivering despite himself, for some reason the surroundings looking achingly familiar. With a start Gerhard realised he was on the outskirts of Berlin, facing East¡­ where he knew with increasing dread that the Russian Army had already engaged the beleaguered German Heer in multiple armoured penetrations all along the disintegrating frontlines and relentless fighting that was probably occurring in the streets behind him. Yet he knew without doubt why this section of the battlefront was quiet, as he turned a full circle, the burning wrecks of Russian battle tanks littering the wooded area coming into view, bodies of the dead Russian infantry lying bloodily splayed out and broken behind the ruined vehicles. The smell of blood, gunpowder and human guts ripped open finally assaulted Gerhard''s senses as he gagged and fell to his knees, trying to vomit but all he could do was dry heave empty air. Struggling, Gerhard lifted his head as he heard the distinct crunching of boots on gravel, his gaze falling on the uniformed figure striding towards a group of Russian prisoners, all bound with hands behind their backs and kneeling dejectedly. They were guarded by grizzled German combat veterans, their uniforms in various states of disrepair in comparison to the pristine condition of the man''s own, fast approaching with the self assurance of an infantry officer¡­a leader of men. "Herr Major ", one of the German men, perhaps in his mid twenties, saluted smartly, "We sure showed Ivan a thing or two about what NOT to do against an entrenched position", he chuckled. "That we did, Karl", the officer replied serenely, glancing at the prisoners like they were no more significant than insects, "that we did". "Shall I send them to the rear to be interrogated", to which Karl then whispered conspiratorially, "or release them like we usually do? It''s not like we can feed them back in HQ¡­ they will probably just get shot anyway". The officer returned his gaze to the soldier in front of him and shook his head slowly. "No, don''t¡­", Gerhard whispered, trying to grab the shoulder of the officer, only to have his hand pass through harmlessly like an apparition, the talking figures unaware of Gerhard''s existence. "Follow Hitler''s orders", the officer in front of him said, shocking the soldier, one of the few old hands'' left who survived Gro?deutschland destruction in Prussia. The soldier looked at him askance, as though not quite believing what he was hearing from a man he had served for half a decade. "Please..!", Gerhard called out desperately, "STOP!" "Kill them all" "DON''T GIVE THAT ORDER!", Gerhard screamed¡­ at the mirror image of himself, the crows taking flight into the air, their cries sounding like laughter. The Gerhard of 1945 did an about turn and walked away, cries of "Nyeht! Nyeht! ", coming from the prisoners as the German soldiers reluctantly raise their weapons at them. Gerhard sobbed as he knew what he was thinking at that time, over half a century ago¡­ what to have for breakfast. ********************************************************************************************* Max lifted his hands from his head, wondering why he wasn''t logged out for being crushed to death, only becoming aware that he was surrounded by a gentle glow reminiscent of that time he first met¡­ "Lorelei!", Max called out suddenly. "Hmmm?", was the sleepy response. "Are you doing this?" "...doing what?", Lorelei sounding baffled. "¡­never mind" Max began examining the walls around him in fascination, noting the odd peculiarity of the structure. He was basically enclosed in a perfect dome. Even the floor was a perfect circle, where the wall meets the dirt ground was joined seamlessly in an unnatural manner. At first Max thought the walls were glowing in an unbroken stream of light; however he noticed that the light itself was etched into the walls, seeming to pulse along veins of blue silver that stretched out and branched into one another, having no beginning and no end. "¡­ Max¡­ummm¡­s¡­ since we are alone now¡­can I ask you something?" "Hmmm?", he replied absentmindedly. "¡­ who is Jessica?..." "Eh?" "¡­WHO is JESSICA? Hmmm...?" Sighing, "Jessica is not real", Max explained, "I made her up so that the twins wouldn¡¯t be suspicious about you". "¡­ooooh¡­" "Yup yup", Max nodded his head happily, finally glad the misunderstanding was solved. "¡­.liar¡­" "Eh?", and coincidentally a rock the size of a golf ball fell on his head¡­ "Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar!", which was eventually followed by a, "Humph!" "Ehhhhhh", Max groaned exasperatedly, "W..Why do you think that?", as he rubbed the sore spot on his head that was for once, wasn''t caused by Lorelei¡­ well physically. Hell, you know what he means. "¡­you sure chased after her REALLY hard¡­" "T..that''s because-..", Unexpectedly, Max felt a shudder in his mind as Lorelei cried out. "Uuuuuuuuuuuu, it huuurts", she whimpered. "W..what is it?", clutching his head with his hand, trying to withstand the throbbing pain. "¡­somebody is crying¡­.crying so much¡­" "Who is?", Max gritted his teeth. "Kyaaaaaaa! ", she screamed inside his mind, as though in agony. "Guhaa!", Max grunted at the force that was unleashed and rampaging in his own head, "L...Lorelei!! What is happening?!!!" "THERE IS NOTHING! ", she wailed pitifully, "NOTHING THERE AT ALL!!!!" Max fell to his knees as he clutched his head in pain, shouting, "CALM DOWN! LORELEI!", as he fell to his side, "Y..you''re hurting me", he mumbled. And just as suddenly the pain stopped, Max wearily checking his HP¡­ and was shocked to discover that he was right¡­ he had lost some health points¡­ "He is crying so much", Lorelei continued to whimper quietly, "but there is nothing there at all". Woozily, Max shook his head slowly as he asked, "Who is?" "¡­an old man¡­" He felt a shiver at those words, slow understanding dawning upon him. "..he is breaking into pieces¡­Max.. " As though revitalised, Max stood back up and flung his backpack into the ground in front of him, searching through it hurriedly, flinging unnecessary things aside until he found what he was looking for. Grabbing the wooden handle, Max pulled out his pickaxe, spinning around in a circle and trying to figure out his bearings. "Lorelei¡­" "¡­¡­ " "Lorelei!", Max called out urgently, "I need you!" This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. "Un", she replied weakly, "what do you want me to do?" Breathing slowly, Max requested, "Can you feel where this¡­ man is?" "I..I can.. " "Please try", he begged. "B¡­but I am scared¡­", she cried. "Shhh, it''s ok", Max reassured her, "I am here with you right?" "¡­Un¡­", Max somehow feeling an imaginary nod from her. "Actually, it''s more like you''re living inside my head", he joked. "¡­uuuuu¡­you don''t want me here?...It''s Jessica isn''t it?" "Ehhhh?!! O¡­of course I do! I always wanted a beautiful girl beside me all the time!", feeling a drop of sweat slide down his forehead¡­ although he would prefer that she wasn''t inside a doll like a cursed item you find from a haunted dilapidated house¡­ on a hill surrounded by a cemetery¡­that is constantly surrounded by fog¡­.crap, he scared himself. "A-anyway!", he yelled out over loudly to squash the fears Max raised in himself, "Please do it..", he pleaded, "..for me" "O¡­ok¡­" "And", as though struck by divine intervention, "I will give you a gift later". "¡­a gift?¡­" "Something between close friends", he smiled, "a nickname". "¡­is it something special...?" "I have never given the twins or Jessica one", omitting the fact that he calls Mayumi ''demon'' behind her back and since Jessica is fictional¡­ whilst Masumi is Masumi. There was a moment of silence, as though Lorelei was thinking on it before she replied, "I..I will do IT!", with an imperceptible note of happiness. "¡­uuu you''re such a good girl", Max felt intense fulfilment¡­like a brother of course¡­, "if only Mayumi was like you". There was no reply, as though hushed and when the stillness grew into minutes, Max began to get worried¡­ until he heard a weak answer from Lorelei. "¡­turn to the right¡­", she stated almost dreamily, "more¡­more¡­back a little", Max doing as he is told as he adjusted his facing until she said, "Stop¡­ this is the way to the mister" "ALRIGHT!", lifting his pickaxe he brought it down with a resounding clang, chipping away with gusto as he sincerely thanked Lorelei, "GOOD WORK! Now leave the rest TO ME!" "Max¡­", tiredly, Lorelei begged, "please, save him" He redoubled his efforts, hammering away at the rock wall with his pickaxe, the force of the impact causing his arms to tremble in pain. ''You don¡¯t have to tell me that'', Max thought silently to himself, ''he is my grandfather after all''. Unnoticed by Max, the tip of his pickaxe glowed briefly on each reverse swing, as though urging him on¡­ ********************************************************************************************* It''s¡­ it''s so strange how one''s perception of somebody can be altered in a heartbeat, how just a single gesture or action can redefine a person, like the reforging of a ruined sword or weapon¡­ the man known as Gerhard had perceptibly changed. And to Lydia eyes, when he finally regained the ability to move again¡­ it was as though a dark blade was unsheathed. Seeping with malevolent cruelty. Without uttering a sound, Gerhard sprung forward and drew a swift overhead cut in the air, using the creature''s own force to accelerate himself when it tried to swat him into the ground. Having blocked and deflected down the blow with his sword, he was spun upwards, landing on its forearm sideways after having carved his sword deep into its bone. Arterial blood was spraying upwards unto Gerhard''s pants, the red liquid fountaining out in all directions as he stated in a monotone voice, "Hmm¡­ still not enough". The monster roared in pain, and in reply, it swung its left arm towards him to which Gerhard just aimed the point of his sword from his side and casually absorbed the blow, his body becoming unnaturally limp before his hands tightened around the grip of his sword as he was being flung off his living platform. Gerhard flipped himself unto the swinging Death Panda''s arm, using his sword as an anchor as the monster raged in futile protest at this human who seemed to be casually defying it. Even the twins let out gasps of astonishment at this total reckless way of fighting, where even a moment of misjudgement would spell catastrophic loss of HP or even death and yet¡­ Gerhard walked along that line in perfect balance¡­as though embracing it. The walls continued to vibrate at this wild struggle, the roars slowly becoming cries of pain as Gerhard twisted his weapon deep into the creature''s arm before pulling it out, crouching to race along the limb to finally kneel beside the monster''s ear. "¡­It is unseemly to make a sound over that, don''t you think?", he whispered, as though caressing the words into its ear. The sight of him talking calmly to the boss mob filled Lydia with a creeping sense of apprehension, that something was not quite right. The Gerhard she knew¡­ the only man that she had spent a long time travelling with, was unbearably kind, sometimes na?ve, but always filled with good intentions and understanding. Even towards his enemies. She¡­she did not know the man who is now, offhandedly stabbing his weapon into the Death Panda''s ear after having spoken to it, his face unchanging, unreadable. There was no joy or elation there, no battle madness or a smirk of a tyrant¡­there was just nothing. "You really are a lost cause", as the beast yelped helplessly before Gerhard kicked it in the face, the blow shattering its nose as it reeled backwards in a lumbering manner. The boy William had just finally arrive and Lydia quickly covered his eyes with the hem of her robes, not knowing why she is doing it for a child, let alone an NPC one¡­ but some things should never be seen by anyone. Eric though, felt he had stood on the sidelines long enough and hefted his weapon to rejoin the battle, bringing his axe in an arc to slam into the monster''s knee. With vital bones shattering, ligaments torn beyond use, the Death Panda splayed forward, falling ungainly unto it forearms as it gave off a pitiful mewling sound, struggling to rise up defiantly and lashing out in all directions in futility. Using the least amount of movement, Gerhard shifted and swayed his body from side to side to avoid the blows, the strikes brushing by so close that only a master of the blade or someone insane would have ignored it as if it was insignificant. Striding towards the creature''s head, he eventually presented himself before it, gazing with empty eyes at the now truly frightened fiend. "¡­it is time to collect¡­", he declared as though he was remarking on the weather¡­ and proceeded to stab the monster in the eye with a machine like efficiency.
Critical Hit!
There was only a light groan as the giant beast finally accepted its fate¡­ but its suffering didn''t end yet. Letting go of his weapon, Gerhard strode backwards a few steps before clenching his hand into a fist¡­and punched the bottom of the sword hilt, hammering the blade deeper into the boss mob''s eye and drenching himself in the backsplash of blood.
Critical Hit!
And he did it again.
Critical Hit!
And again.
Critical Hit!
And again.
Critical Hit!
And again.
Critical Hit!
Critical Hit!
Critical Hit!
Critical Hit!
Critical Hit!
Until it finally shuddered, for all intents and purposes, dead. There was a stunned silence from all the onlookers at the surreal sight, Lydia having long closed her eyes as she hugged the boy close to her chest, covering all his senses as they both huddled on the floor. She was shivering uncontrollably¡­ this was only a game and yet the acts Lydia had witnessed today was more terrifying than any boss fight or castle siege in other MMORPGs she had played. But the moment was broken when the Samurai known as Mayumi swung her katana towards the back of Eric''s head¡­. only to have it deflected into the ground, the crash of the impact causing a minor wound in the earth that raced in a straight path for several meters. The dirt was still settling when it revealed Gerhard, sword drawn and gazing at Mayumi steadily, unblinkingly. "What do you think you are doing to one of my subordinates?", he asked quizzically, pointing his blade towards her face. "Eeee? Didn''t you know?", she smiled sweetly, "there is a bounty on his head", and turning to face Eric who was gazing back with a stony expression, "and we took a hefty commission to retrieve him". "Ahhh", Gerhard replied, understanding her words but¡­ not really caring, "I do apologise, but I cannot allow anyone under my command to be lost needlessly". "And thus", Gerhard creaked his neck, "I shall accept his responsibility", assuming a relaxed stance in front of Mayumi. "Herr Kommandant, I¡­ brought this upon myself for my past actions¡­" "Silence, Unterfeldwebel , do not disrupt our bout" "Sir, I can fight my own battles-¡­" "Eric", Gerhard said softly, interrupting him, "You just said I am your commander, right? "I did, but-¡­" "Then OBEY me", Gerhard commanded in a cold tone ringed with an undercurrent of power. "¡­ Jawohl, Herr Kommandant!" , Eric stood to attention, words seeming to threaten to spill from his lips, but years of discipline made sure they were left unsaid. Mayumi just shrugged, "Well don''t regret this, newbie", as she entered into a fighting stance, "Masumi¡­.I don''t need your help for this". "Hai, nee-san", came the dutiful response. "Are you sure about that?" "Maaa maaa, its fine. This will be over soon anyway", she smiled, assured of victory. "¡­.Then", he fixed his indifferent eyes upon her, as though seeing deep within and beyond, "don''t ever regret the decisions you made" *********************************************************************************************
NEXT PREVIEW Title: Familie I reached out my hands to them¡­ but they are no longer here
S1 E13: Familie The two separate parties had gathered outside the cave, each on opposite ends of the clearing, standing under the radiance of the rising moon as darkness had eventually befallen upon them without anybody realising, probably due to the fact that they were battling in the depths of the earth for an extended period of time. "Nee-san , shouldn¡¯t we dig out Max?", Masumi said quietly. "Eeee, you should believe in him" "?" "The gopher is in its natural habitat after all" "¡­ Nee-san ¡­, why are you so mean to Max?" To which, Mayumi turned to face her twin, the happy go lucky attitude falling from her face as she said, "You should already know why". "¡­Gomen nasai, Nee-san. I won''t bring it up again", Masumi looked down guiltily. Mayumi caressed the cheek of her twin, "Maa maa, let''s not talk about depressing things", regaining her cheerful smile, "did you notice who THAT man is?" "¡­you mean Eric the Red?" "No, no, the white haired one" Masumi looked at Gerhard for a long moment before exclaiming, "EH! Isn¡¯t that-¡­" "Yup", Mayumi gave a big smile, "that''s Angel-sama. Fufu, imagine what the girls in Serabourg would give for information on him" "¡­ but we can''t kidnap someone uninvolved¡­" "Its fiiiine. I have an idea", Mayumi winked. "Ne~", Mayumi called out to Gerhard and his party, "I think this is a little unfair~" "¡­ how so...?", Gerhard asked indifferently, standing with the point of his sword in the earth and his hands rested on the pommel. "Well, I don''t gain anything from fighting you, and then what happens when I need to take big Red over there?", pointing with her chin, "is it your plan to weaken little old me", batting her pretty eyelids innocently, "and then he finishes me off?" "¡­ I understand your concerns. State your proposition. After all", he eyed her knowingly, "that is what you are aiming for isn''t it?" "Wow, beautiful AND smart. I like you, mister~", she said cheerily. "¡­ we both know that is a lie¡­" "Anyway~, let''s see", Mayumi put her hand under her chin and pretended to ponder before clapping her hands together excitedly, "how about the loser becomes the other''s slave? That way if I win, you can just convince Eric to come with me", giving a charming smile, "ne~~~" "¡­ I see¡­ I accept the terms. However", he pulled his sword from the ground to point it at her, "I do not need disobedient slaves. You WILL belong TOTALLY to me". "Hahaha, you sound more like a demon than an angel. Fine", Mayumi laughing hysterically, "I will even throw my twin into the bargain~ because", her eyes sharpening before a deep red glow shifted and twirled in her irises, expanding until they became shaped like those of a hunting lion, "I know I will win". "O-OH MY GOD!", Lydia yelled out in warning to Gerhard, "SHE IS A VAMPIRE!" "Tsk tsk, wrong oba-san ", Mayumi waved a finger at her, "just half vampire". "¡­Gerhard¡­please DESTROY her", Lydia having watched enough anime knows what THAT word means¡­she is not old enough to be ANYONEs auntie¡­.. Eric had his forehead in the palm of his hand as he said, sighing, "Shouldn¡¯t you explain what kind of enemy he is going to be fighting?" "Oooh, right! Right!", Lydia agreed, "SHE", pointing at Mayumi, "gains powers from the moon. Probably a 30% increase in stats and some race specific spells too from what I managed to gather in the forums". "Hmmm... I see ...", was all Gerhard said. "That means she is DANGEROUS you IDIOT!" Gerhard turned to look at Lydia, his eyes so empty that it sent a shiver down her spine, as he replied, "Does it matter?" "Don''t forget, I am level 307", Mayumi said in a cute voice. "¡­.Herr Kommandant, let me fight", Eric pleaded, "My level is close to hers-¡­" "Eric", was all Gerhard said, a tone that implied such discussions were over. "Yosh!", Mayumi exclaimed excitedly, "Don''t die now, Angel-sama", drawing both her katanas out of their sheathes, "I will try to make this quite painless". "¡­then lets begin¡­", was all Gerhard said in reply as they faced off against one another, swords held at the ready. Without a prearranged signal¡­ they charged, swinging their blades, the world focusing in on them as though they were alone, witnessed only by the moon. ********************************************************************************************* INTRO SONG: Kono Sekai e Moeru ********************************************************************************************* The constant sound of metal striking rock echoed out into the small tunnel that was being shaped by Max, his pickaxe, for reasons unexplained, had not lost its durability as he continued hammering against the wall. All he could think of was that it may be some sort of game bug¡­ but he will report it to the GMs after he had dug himself out. Being buried alive is no joke, especially when no one knows where you are¡­and he couldn¡¯t rely on the twins. It''s like asking for snow in summer¡­ never going to happen. "Max", Lorelei asked in worry, "shouldn''t you rest for a little?" Grunting he replied, "I can''t¡­ grandpa needs me", not even pausing in his work as he talked to Lorelei. "¡­ Is he¡­ very important to you...?" "Of course! We are family" "¡­ What is¡­ family...?", she asked in genuine puzzlement. Closing his eyes for a moment, Max replied without doubt, "They are an irreplaceable existence. You may fight sometimes, or disagree but¡­ they will still love you. Love makes a family", he blushed as he said those words. "¡­ Are we a family...?" "Ehhh!? W-what are you saying Lorelei! F-for that we need to get m-m-married!", he exclaimed wildly. "¡­ Should we get married...?", she asked innocently. "O-oh my god!", Max slammed his head into the wall to calm down, "S-she doesn¡¯t know¡­ but wait it would be nice¡­ NONONO¡­ don''t take advantage-¡­", he mumbled to himself, as an internal war raged within him. "Max?" "Fuuuu", Max exhaled, "L-Lorelei¡­ for now it is GOOD to be friends. YUP YUP", as though trying to convince himself instead of her. "It''s good?" "¡­ Good¡­", For some reason¡­ he was crying inside. Slapping himself in the face repeatedly, Max took up his pickaxe and was about to resume his work when Lorelei shyly called out. "C-can I help too...?¡± "Eh? What do you mean Lorelei?" "I¡­ I think I can help the old mister" Max''s mind boggled as he asked excitedly, "How?! Can you reach him?!" "UN", she said in affirmation, "I can try. I don¡¯t want to see you hurt yourself so much¡­" "Uuuuuu", Max wept tears of gratitude, "You are such a good girl!", before whispering to himself, "Damnit! Maybe I should have married her¡­ nonono¡­ she is not real¡­ calm down, Max¡­" "Ok. I am going now", she replied while he was having his¡­ ''chat'' versus his conscience. "Have a safe trip", Max finally said, and when there was only silence in reply, he turned back and lifted his pickaxe over his head. No point in wishing for the best. Always prepare for the worst, a motto his Grandfather taught him¡­ ********************************************************************************************* There was no clash of blades, no shouts of pain, no insults hurled or cries of a blow well struck. Only the hissing of swords passing harmlessly by each other, accompanied by the gentle breeze of the evening, the footsteps of the two combatants muffled by the soft grass beneath their feet. And yet the blade dance under the moonlight was¡­ hauntingly beautiful. Gerhard, if he was measured by the laws and principles of the game, should had been slower, weaker¡­ and yet he was gliding, shifting, moving in tune and rhythm with Mayumi''s blade as though they were both synchronised as one. From time to time, his sword would snake out to land minor insignificant blows¡­ which would infuriate the girl. Because she had not struck him even once. Letting Gerhard step back, supposedly out of Mayumi''s reach, she then thrust her sword point towards his throat with a single hand, over extending herself and thus effectively almost doubling her strike zone. It was blindingly fast and well executed¡­ only for Gerhard to already have his longsword angled slightly in front of his face, doing a minor deflection of Mayumi''s katana, and with his head tilted the other side, the thrust passed by his neck harmlessly. "Che", Mayumi said in disappointment, "you are one stubborn bug" "¡­ Are you sure you shouldn''t use your spells...?", Gerhard suggested. "Going all out on a newbie is embarrassing~", she smiled sweetly, stepping in to strike upwards into his chin with her katana. Tilting his head slightly backwards and punching her in the chest to propel himself away in reverse, Gerhard landed with his sword out in front of him, readying to strike, "Is that so?" "Buuuu", Mayumi complained, "Stop running and FIGHT like a man!" "¡­ I understand", Gerhard intoned emotionlessly, "Then I shall be serious", his turn to thrust his sword point¡­ towards her eye. "Eh?", Flinching backwards involuntarily, she then felt a hand grab her wrist, only to subsequently feel his knee connecting under her chin, as he launched himself upwards, whilst pulling Mayumi down at the same time. The blow itself didn''t cause much damage but the mental shock was enormous. "You see", Gerhard started reminiscing¡­ right after he kicked her in the throat for negligible damage again¡­ the force of which allowed him to land some distance away from her, "I have fought against this¡­ Kenjutsu¡­ I think it was called, many years ago". "Haa, you sound like an old man Angel -sama", Mayumi grinned weakly, as she leapt forward to engage him in combat again. "Back in the Hauptkadettenanstalt
, we often had exchange students from Japan", he said, ignoring her whilst avoiding several vengeful rapid strikes to his face. "Kuuuuu!", she yelled in exasperation, "Stop doing that!" "Although their swords were made of wood or bamboo¡­ they fought every friendly spar as though it was to the death", using footwork, he moved lightly across this battlefield, retreating backwards in an orderly manner as Mayumi chased him. "There is no point to your story!" "I do believe there is", he countered, stepping in abruptly that they both almost collided, "They were REAL warriors", casually stomping on her foot, causing her to lose her balance, Mayumi almost tumbling face first into the ground. "Nee-san! ", Masumi called out in worry. "DON''T!", Mayumi called out angrily, "I can handle this by myself!" "Your twin, however, is leaking an intense amount of killing intent", Gerhard said in observation. "Hmph! Well, my twin is a prodigy with the sword!", Mayumi boasted proudly. Gerhard just shook his head in disagreement, "Your primary problem", he instructed Mayumi like she was a failing student, "Is that you are treating our duel like it is a game", drawing so close to her that they could be mistaken for lovers¡­ before smashing his forehead into her nose. In fury, Mayumi tried to kick his shin as she reeled backwards, only to feel a cut on her leg armour, Gerhard swiping her leg away with the edge of his blade. Her armour and high level had protected her¡­ but the instantaneous response from him could only be done from a master. Something blossomed within her¡­ a feeling of uneasiness. "My duel with Eric was much harder than this child''s play", as he spun around behind her, avoiding the arching blade of her katana prior to her world visibly shaking, as Gerhard slammed the pommel of his sword into her ear. "I will show you child''s play!", Mayumi righting herself, swung her katana in a reverse handed grip behind her, towards Gerhard''s neck with inhuman velocity, shouting, "DARK BLADE!". Instantly, her katana was wreathed in darkness, the cries of ethereal beings trapped within her sword wailing, stretching out with apparition like hands to grasp their next victim¡­ Gerhard, having stepped back to avoid the swing, found that he was being pulled inexorably towards the katana''s bladed edge. But his eyes remained empty¡­ lacking anything. "But from you I feel nothing", Gerhard said calmly as he reached out with his hand¡­ and grabbed the screaming horrifying blade. All he did was walked towards the stunned Mayumi, unable to believe her eyes that a sane player would touch and¡­ caress her katana in Dark Blade form. Most, if not all, had broken down and cried in terror. There should be multiple debuffs as well! He stood next to her, leaning down, "¡­ But you are not like me", Gerhard whispered into her ear, almost tenderly. "What is it you are afraid of?", he continued softly. "¡­ Ah...!", as though making a discovery, "There is fear¡­", he blew the words like a soft caress, "Are you scared of De-¡­" "DAMARE! ", Mayumi screamed as she collapsed to her knees shivering, hugging herself as her swords fell from her hands. Gerhard, gazing down at her, as though in understanding, "¡­ The thing about life is¡­" "It must eventually end", he finished¡­ as, without hesitation, Gerhard swung his sword down towards her unguarded neck¡­ ********************************************************************************************* Gerhard was in an obscure world of darkness, weeping tears of regret and pain, the hate he feels for himself threatening to wipe his mind into oblivion as the images and words he spoke on that blood-spattered day was repeated over and over, uncontrollably until¡­ gentle hands lifted his face upwards. "You have truly forgotten, haven''t you?", Hannah said sadly, stroking Gerhard''s cheek affectionately with her hand. "¡­mein Geliebte? ¡­", Gerhard whispered hoarsely. "You really are such a silly man, aren''t you?", she smiled radiantly, "But that is why I fell in love with you". "¡­Am I dreaming?..." "Yup, you are in a dream, husband", she bent down to kiss his lips lightly, "and it is time for you to wake up". "B-but I am so tired¡­" "Pft", sounding annoyed, "Do you have ANY idea how tiring it was for ME to keep all those women away from you?", she grumbled, "And do I have to get reincarnated to deal with all these others who are now chasing you AGAIN?", throwing her hands up in exasperation. "¡­ Like I said before¡­", his tears drying up as he exclaimed in bafflement, "¡­actually for six decades¡­ I have no idea what you are talking about!" "¡­.." "¡­.." "Y-Y-YOU", she raised her hand up and brought it down in a hard chop on his head, "maybe I SHOULD strangle you now so I don¡¯t have to worry, HUH?!! HUH!! Sometimes, I wonder what would have happened if I married that baker-.." "Baker? What baker?!!" "Oooh now someone sounds jealous. Well he confessed to me before I met you. HMPH!", leaning somewhat backwards with hands over her heart, "If I had married him, then I wouldn¡¯t have to worry so much about my husband cheating on me", she cried dramatically. "¡­but you were the only woman in my life!" "TELL THAT TO YOUR LEGIONS OF ADMIRERS!" "You do not understand", rising from his knees to stand tall, gazing at her with devotion, "in MY eyes¡­ you are the only woman in the whole world to me", prior to kissing her passionately, "you still are", he whispered lovingly as their lips parted. "¡­uuuu¡­ damn it¡­ I hate it when you do that", blushing she turned her head to the side in embarrassment, "I should know better by now, being all angelic and divine", Hannah sighed. "¡­which reminds me¡­ why are you here?", Gerhard looked at her quizzically. "¡­.BECAUSE YOU ARE A BONEHEADED FORGETFUL IDIOT! THAT¡¯S WHY!", as she waved her hand to the side and suddenly the darkness shimmered, as a scene started to unfold and encapsulate the both of them in its brilliant light. And what greeted Gerhard was the sound of a gunshot cracking the air, the Gerhard of decades past and the him of the present, both turning around to see an officer¡­no it was Dieter, their brother lowering his MP40 submachine gun to gaze furiously at him. "BELAY THAT ORDER!", Dieter roared, and the German soldiers gladly lowered their weapons, relief spreading across their faces before they stood to attention in front of the officer. Because that is what Dieter was. A very pissed off infantry officer. Dieter strode towards Gerhard with barely restrained anger, stopping before him just inches from his face as Dieter whispered, "What the HELL do you think you are DOING, Bruder ?!" "Following my orders", came the stern reply, "And why are you countermanding it?", Gerhard looked at him¡­ with dead eyes. "¡­COME!", Dieter grabbed the sleeve of his brother and practically dragged him into a ruined building, the Command Headquarters for the area. Soldiers looked up startled before Dieter snarled repeatedly, "RAUS! RAUS! ", the men rapidly filing out to leave the two senior officers alone. "You¡­ what is the matter with you?!", Dieter sighed, "You have not been acting yourself¡­ ever since¡­ Prussia". "¡­ I am perfectly fine". "And since WHEN did you started acting like a NAZI!?" "Since", Gerhard showing the first sign of emotion, "Our parents and little sister were MURDERED!", he spat vehemently. "This is NOT you BRUDER! ", Dieter cried, grabbing the front of Gerhard''s uniform and slamming him into the wall, "You are a SOLDIER! Never a cold blooded killer!" "Then I was a fool", Gerhard eyes returning to its lifeless cast, "Now, unhand me so I can organize an execution". "No.." "I beg your pardon?" "I SAID NO DAMNIT!", Dieter replied stubbornly. "I see¡­ I understand..." "Thank goodness you have finally regained your senses-..", Dieter halted abruptly in mid-sentence as he felt the end of a pistol barrel under his chin, Gerhard''s finger resting lightly on the trigger of the luger. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "Dieter von Natzmer, I hereby charge you with treason to the F¨¹hrer and wilfully obstructing an officer in the Heer in the carrying out of his duties. Sentence is death. Do you have any last words?" There was a long drawn out silence, Dieter could not believe¡­REFUSING to believe that his own brother, was about to execute him. "Are you really going to kill me?", Dieter whispered as Gerhard''s finger slowly tightened on the trigger. "Bruder! ¡­Answer me!", Dieter looked deep into Gerhard''s eyes¡­.which stared blankly back at him. "ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO KILL ME?!! AREN''T WE FAMILY?!!!" , Dieter roared into his older brother''s face, Gerhard suddenly freezing as the weapon was about to discharge its deadly lead cargo. There was a flicker of emotion on Gerhard''s face, as though an internal struggle was rampaging and warring within, the moment stretching out into forever¡­ before sudden realisation seemed to have dawned in his blank expression¡­followed by regret. Horrendous soul destroying regret. Trembling, Gerhard closed his eyes as he slowly lowered the pistol, saying softly, "¡­what was I about to do¡­?", resting his forehead on Dieter''s chest, "¡­oh god¡­ what¡­what am I-¡­" "Bruder ¡­ it''s not your fault...", the words causing Gerhard to whip his head back up to stare brokenly at his little brother. "¡­ Mother¡­ Father¡­ Anne¡­", Dieter continued, "You couldn¡¯t have done anything¡­ even if you made it in time". "But I was THERE, Dieter!", Gerhard squeezed his fingers into the palm of his hands so hard that it pierced the skin, causing it to bleed profusely, "I-I was so close", he whispered distraughtly, "¡­ so close that I could hear them scream as they were-.." Dieter hugged his brother, gripping him in a tight embrace as he said with tears streaming from his eyes, "Bruder ¡­you barely made it out alive yourself. There was NOTHING you could do", emotions causing his voice to quaver, "I-I am just so glad you were never shot for deserting your post...to save them". "Bruder ¡­", Dieter sobbed, "Thank you for trying. Thank Gott you are alive!" Gerhard¡­remembered his father''s ruined body¡­ their screams¡­ his sister''s sudden cry of pain before it abruptly stopped, only the crackling of flames could then be heard slowly engulfing his home and suddenly¡­ it felt like a dam had broken loose as a tumultuous wave of emotion flooded his body, causing him to look up to the ceiling and roar, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!", as he slammed the back of his head repeatedly into the wall, wailing like a new born. "It''s not your fault¡­ you tried¡­ it''s not your fault¡­ you-", Dieter kept chanting it over and over again like a mantra as Gerhard shook uncontrollably. "MUTTER!!! MUTTER!!! VATER!!! ANNE!!! WHY?!! WHY?!! WHY?!! WHY?!! WHY?!!", Gerhard howled, "WHY DAMN ITTTTTTTTT?!!!!!!!!!" And as the Gerhard of 1945 collapsed limply into his brother''s arms, back heaving as he wept, the Gerhard of the present stood stock still, crying softly, his wife wiping the tears from his face tenderly. "You... have always felt regret for that order¡­ and also for pulling that gun on Dieter. Always dwelling on it till you forgot that YOU were SAVED", Hannah sighed, "You really are a silly man", as she hugged her husband lovingly, "So stop being an idiot and wake up". A long corridor of light appeared before Gerhard as his wife stood back and smiled, "We will eventually be together again so don''t rush things. However", her smile became scary, "if you cheat on me, you will have wished to live a little bit longer". "¡­you have always been the only woman in my life¡­", Gerhard reached out and touched her cheek with love, "¡­now and forever¡­" "¡­¡­ uuuu¡­ damn it¡­ how can you make a person who has passed on, cry!!! I AM the one who was supposed to cheer you up!" Gerhard smiled, "Just seeing you will always lift me up from the depths of despair. Thank you for saving me, mein Geliebte ". "Arrrrgh! DAMN you! You''re always so smooth when it comes to this that you''re making me want to find some way to reincarnate! I am LEAVING right NOW before I break some sort of cosmic law", and as she finished, her body began to fade, sticking her tongue out at him and causing Gerhard to chuckle. "I love you", he mouthed silently to her, and before she fully disappeared, her cheeks noticeably flushed a little red. Gerhard tilted his head upwards, breathing in her fading scent as though trying to refill a lifetime''s worth of memories before calling out, "I know you are there. You can come out now". A part of the darkness was rendered asunder, and a little girl slowly stuck her head out, shyly peeking at him from behind the parted darkness as though it was like a curtain. Gerhard moved to face her, giving a wiry smile as she shrunk further into the rent in this ''world'', before he waved at her to come out. Gingerly, she came out and stood rigidly, only to stare fixedly at his feet, unwilling to meet his eyes. "Come", Gerhard kept gesturing with his hand, "I think you are here for a reason aren¡¯t you?" The girl nodded before saying in a soft voice, "¡­M-Max sent me because he was worried about you¡­" "I see", he grinned, "You are a good girl. I am Gerhard¡­Max''s grandfather". "¡­ I-I am Lorelei¡­" "Nice to meet you, Lorelei. And I am just curious, but¡­ are you his girlfriend?" "Girlfriend?", a huge question mark appearing over her head, as she thought about it, "No, Max said we are just friends". Somewhere, across the plane of reality, crossing space and time, circling the universe twice, Max received a mortal blow to his heart, as he wondered why he was suddenly weeping for no reason. "Sigh", Gerhard squeezed the bridge of his nose with his fingers, "What is that boy doing, even with such a lovely girl right next to him. I really wanted to see some great grandchildren" "I take it¡­ it was you, who made me think of my wife?", Gerhard then questioned her lightly. Lorelei seemed to look into a point, somewhere distant behind Gerhard, before she nodded her head. He just smiled beatifically, "Thank you¡­ even if it was just a dream¡­ it was good to see her again", coming close and patting her gently on the head. "¡­ fuuuuuuuun¡­", Lorelei made a sound of pleasure, as she nestled her head into his hand. "Well¡­ I guess, I am off", Gerhard said, lifting his hand away from Lorelei, who frowned with disappointment, "Time to wake up, I suppose", as he turned towards the corridor of light, "And oh, Lorelei", he glanced over his shoulder and grinned, "Please, give some consideration into going out with Max. He is really a good boy". Max, at this moment in time, paused in his digging, felt his self esteem lowered for some reason, and he was not sure why¡­ "¡­... Is it really ok¡­?", Lorelei turned slightly to the side, as the figure of Hannah rematerialised, watching the disappearing back of Gerhard fading into the light, "¡­ that he thinks you are a dream...?" Hugging the back of the little girl and resting her chin on Lorelei''s head, Hannah smiled widely,"¡­ It¡¯s fine", as she watched her husband returned to the ''real'' world, "It seems I am always in his heart". For some reason, all Lorelei could hear was happy girlish giggling, even long after Hannah had vanished. ********************************************************************************************* Gerhard''s sword stopped abruptly at the figure suddenly sheltering Mayumi''s trembling body with his own in a tight embrace, the edge of the long blade resting on the man''s neck¡­ however, green eyes were looking up pleadingly from under a head of brown hair. "¡­.Opi", Max slowly raised a hand in greeting, "Y-yo!" "¡­.." "¡­.." "¡­.." "¡­.." "¡­ You are grounded¡­" "¡­ Huh?" Emotion was gradually returning to Gerhard¡­ and one of the first was annoyance, "¡­ What kind of IDIOT runs in the middle of a cave WITHOUT watching where he is going?! Least of all, why were you GAWKING at an obviously DANGEROUS creature! SHARP POINTY TEETH equals DANGER! Not to mention the fact that it was almost TWO STORIES TALL!" "¡­Eh... Ehhhh?..." The next was¡­ despair as Gerhard continued his tirade/lecture, "And what is with you?! You have a cute girl like Lorelei", to which Max eyes bulged that his grandfather of all people knew about her, "and you are not making her your wife?! Do I have to write a manual?! What the HELL is Hermann teaching you!? Do I have to RECITE the birds and the bees AGAIN?!" "¡­.O-Opi , can we like talk about this later¡­?" "No, DAMN IT!", as though his mind was intending to cycle through the entire range of emotions, what came next¡­ was worry, "Max¡­ I¡­ before I pass on¡­ I want to see my great-grandchildren¡­ no, more like¡­ I want to know that you actually found SOMEONE! When I was YOUR age I was already married¡­" "¡­¡­Eh? I wonder why my eyes are leaking¡­ haha¡­. ha¡­ uuuuuu¡­" Gerhard would have continued¡­ in fact, he was in the midst of another one, however, his body shuddered all of a sudden, spasms causing his body to arch backward as though unable to handle the torrent of returning emotions. Falling to his knees, the sword slipping from his hand, before Gerhard lost consciousness, the last thing he saw was Max reaching out desperately to catch him. It would be an hour later with both parties sharing a campfire that Gerhard would open his eyes, tired beyond belief, and wondering why every single one of his muscle groups was screaming in agony. "You know", Lydia said offhandedly, "¡­ it''s kind of amazing that someone can actually faint inside a game, where you can only suffer debuffs". Rolling his head to the side, Gerhard grinned tiredly at her, "That would mean something to me... if someone would explain what a ''debuff'' is". "¡­ Yeah¡­", she shifted her eyes away from his gaze, "Max kind of told us everything¡­" "Oh? Actually, I am quite curious to know why I am actually in this game", he chuckled. "Actually, it helps explain why you are a clueless newbie sometimes", she nodded knowingly, "¡­ it''s because you are just an old fart" "¡­ Has anyone told you that you are quite charming¡­", he grimaced as he slowly sat up, his surroundings threatening to spin before his eyes. "Only the whole world. Was that really a question?" Max, noticing his grandfather was awake, went to help him, crossing the fire with the twins sheepishly in tow. With an annoyed wave of his hand, Gerhard signalled that he was fine, although, for some reason, Masumi reached over and grabbed his hand and elbow, helping him upright, before sitting down next to Gerhard on the lawn¡­ arm in arm. "Masumi¡­ w-what are you doing?", Max asked worriedly, a drop of sweat sliding down his forehead. "Well, when Masumi found out about Angel-sama''s age¡­", Mayumi explained, "¡­ my twin likes older men. Especially strong ones", she just shrugged. "EHHHHH?!", Max eyes bulged, "MASUMI! DON¡¯T DO IT! D-DON¡¯T CROSS THAT LINE!" "Love conquers all", was Masumi''s reply, snuggling into Gerhard''s arm. "NONONO! A GUY SHOULDN''T SAY THAT WITHOUT FIRST EXPERIENCING THE JOYS OF A WOMAN!" "Max¡­", for some reason Gerhard had his head in his hand. "Eeee? Masumi is a hundred percent genuine beautiful girl you know?", Mayumi looked at Max like he was a blind idiot. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHH?!!!!!" "But don''t worry, I think you are handsome and strong", Mayumi suddenly clinging unto Max''s arm and twirling a finger in a circle over his chest, "especially when you came and save me in your big strong embrace". "B-but why is Masumi dressed like a boy?", Max asked bewildered and confused. His world and reality had shifted upside down apparently. "Oh thaaat~", Mayumi giggled, "Father wanted a boy heir, so me and Masumi decided on who should play the part by rock paper scissors". "¡­¡­. DON''T DECIDE ON AN IMPORTANT LIFE DECISION WITH A CHILD''S GAME!!" "Wait¡­", Max then looked at Mayumi with dread, "... Does this mean¡­" "Of course", Mayumi smiled prettily, "I am a boy". "¡­.", There was a stunned silence as Max fell to his knees, head facing the ground. "Haha, just kidding~, I am a girl too¡­Maaaaax?¡­ Gopheeeer? Hellooooo", Mayumi prodded Max cheek with a finger, as he seemed to have suffered a mental breakdown. Eric, standing unobtrusively signalled towards Gerhard, "Is your grandson always this¡­ inattentive", he indicated with his eyes. "¡­ It would explain why he hasn''t brought home a girlfriend", a notable sigh coming from Gerhard''s lips. It would be a long time before Max would recover from the trauma that Mayumi playfully instilled in him. ********************************************************************************************* A giant figure was walking away from the campsite under the fading moonlight, hours away from dawn before a voice pierced the darkness, almost startling the warrior. "So... you are leaving now, I take it?", Gerhard said quietly from the shadows, Eric scanning the area till he noticed the slight figure of the commander¡­ of his saviour, before nodding in assent. "I realised now, with the appearance of those bounty hunters¡­ that I am endangering the party¡­" To which Gerhard, appearing to stand before Eric, waved in an offhand manner, "You know that doesn¡¯t matter to me. I will never abandon a Kamerad for such reasons" Eric smiled, appearing extremely youthful as he replied, "I know that, Herr Kommandant ¡­ but it matters to me that I am such a liability". "¡­ so, what will you do now?" Scratching an imaginary beard, Eric thought for a moment, "I was thinking of, perhaps, apologizing to all those people I errr¡­ absentmindedly swatted with my battle axe" "¡­ and how many exactly did you put out of commission?", Gerhard chuckled. Eric shrugged, "I lost count after the first thousand or so". Gerhard arched an eyebrow. "¡­ok well, I am not that easy to forget. So, anyone attacking me should be one of my previous victims¡­ probably", Eric said sheepishly. Gerhard took out his hand from his pockets and held it, waiting for Eric to reciprocate and as the giant did, "Stay in touch, Eric", as they fondly shook each others hands. "I guess now is a good time to teach you how to send private messages" Tilting his head to the side in puzzlement, Gerhard replied questioningly, "Private Messaging?" For the next five minutes, Eric patiently explained a modern convenience provided in games to keep players in touch with one another, before they finally parted ways, Eric promising to return if Gerhard should ever need him. Left to finally stand alone in the forest, Gerhard called out knowingly, "You can come out now, Max", and with a rustling of some bushes, his shamefaced grandson stood up and walked somewhat guiltily towards him. "I err¡­ ", looking at his feet at it shift from side to side, Max explained, "I didn''t want to interrupt your moment, grandpa" Lifting his grandson''s head to look into his green eyes, Gerhard smiled, "Max, you never need to tiptoe around me. And¡­", kissing Max on the forehead, "You did well today". "Thank you", Gerhard hugged Max, "you make this old man a little sad to see you all grown up now, especially when you protected that girl. I really need to apologise to her". "Its ok, Grandpa. She is a very strong girl". "¡­She is weaker than you think. Look after of her¡­ although if you married her I would be even happier" "Geez, grandpa", Max turned his head to the side, embarrassed before giving a small cough as he remembered what he was here for, "Anyway, I didn''t come here just to say ¡®hi¡¯", reaching into his pouch to pull out a small rectangular wooden plaque, "I also brought you a gift" Looking at Max in confusion, he was led by his grandson to a fallen log where the both of them sat down comfortably, before Gerhard¡¯s blue eyes widened in astonishment as his gift was eventually shown to him. "Where¡­ how¡­?", Gerhard whispered brokenly, as he instantly recognised the figures carved beautifully into the wood. "We found an old photo that was almost ruined by a lot of odd particles", Max explained, "but we managed to get some experts to restore it. Then again, we couldn¡¯t show it to you here so I¡­", he took out a notebook and pencil, "¡­sketched them". Gerhard smiled fondly, "You are as good as my little brother once was", lifting his head up from the wooden plaque to pat Max''s head affectionately. "But this", Gerhard then pointed at the impressive carving, "I didn''t know you were good at woodwork" Max rubbed the back of his head as he replied shyly, "Well¡­ I didn''t want a repeat of what happened to the last photo¡­ and that¡¯s when I heard this man taking commissions to produce works of art as I walked passed in Serabourg. When I saw him produce a bouquet of wooden flowers... I just knew I had to have him carve this". Max didn¡¯t mention the amount of in-game gold he bought with real money to get it done¡­ but to him, it was worth it. "You¡­", Emotionally Gerhard said quietly with pride, "¡­are the best grandchild in existence". Standing up, Max bent down and it was his turn to kiss his grandfather on the forehead, saying, "I love you too, Opi", before leaving Gerhard alone with his memories. Stroking the masterfully embossed image of the people that Gerhard knew intimately well, their outlines raised as though floating like 3d from the grainy wood, his fingers were filled with longing and tenderness as he spoke with a weak voice, "I miss you all so much¡­ meine Familie " Only the sound of quiet sobbing can then be heard, echoing out into the darkness. ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Thank You Albert, Benedikt, Dieter, Anne, Father and Mother....Hannah Rest In Peace Weinet nicht an meinem Grab um mich; Ich bin nicht dort, ich schlafe nicht. Ich bin der Wind ¨¹ber dem See, Christallglitzer auf dem Winterschnee. Ich bin am Tag das Sonnengold, ich bin der Regen herbstlich hold. Ich bin das tiefe Himmelsblau, der sch?ne, frische Morgentau. Sucht mich und blickt im Dunkeln in die Ferne bei Nacht bin ich das Funkeln der Sterne. Steht nicht am Grab, die Augen rot. Ich bin nicht dort, ich bin nicht tot. Season 1 Afterwords and Notes
Disclaimer The Drawings and Audio works are taken without permission. All credit for the drawings should go to their creators (eg; not me) who are... Mysterious Masked Interweb People! Or the MMIP for short! Actually I haven''t the foggiest who they are but the MMIP are cool!
Minasan Ohayoo! (???)? Firstly, I would like to thank AnmesicCat for letting me post this fanfic that touches lightly on a dark period of human history. Secondly, I want to thank all the people who read my work. That people gave it a chance to grow and read past chapter 1, letting me address the glaring issues at my own pace (like a story teller should)instead of rushing and dumping everything in one chapter... I humbly thank you all. That people created accounts just to say it was good..... I am touched (I do notice these things, I tend to proof read my work even when posted). I remembered when I had a conservative estimate of 100 readers... now its like 300 O_O unless people have been refreshing pages alot hahaha. Anyway, i thank you all again. If people haven''t noticed yet, the chapters are written with a anime style format, hell the whole thing is anime inspired, and this is the first time I have ever written in such volume just for a story. I will now from time to time, update Gerhard''s stats but this tale is more about the story rather than the game. Although that doesnt mean there won''t be more mayhem and bloodshed...on the contrary, expect Gerhard to be embroiled more and more into the politics of Royal Road as he truly ''starts'' his journey in season 2. And also about the first four chapters.... when they were made, it was rushed with only hrs in between... I always felt it could be better and thats why they are all now re-released with added content at the bottom in the form of Gerhard''s life from the period of 1937-1943. As we were drawing closer to the end of the season, I realised that i never did expand on his wife, his life as a soldier, his family and thus I added the flashback scenes to chapter 1-4 because i was inspired by the chapter special of 5.5. Also it allowed me to clarify INTENSELY one thing that some not very...astute readers seemed keen to often overlook. The main character is NO nazi.... I do not support Nazism or its modern equivalent. The point is this, if you are born in a country that is spiraling towards hatred, but your entire family is tied to that nation, what would you do? That your family has a tradition of military service but the government has been taken over by extremists, what would you do? That you are bound by military law to follow orders or face execution what WOULD YOU DO? You can never understand what these people have been through, I CAN''T even begin to imagine it, trapped in a system to the death. Not all Germans were Nazis, just as not all Americans eat mc donalds, that not all Russians are communists, that not all British worship soccer....actually I may be wrong on that last count. Anyway.... Also Chapter 4 is a little departure from 1-3, in that it mirrored to some extent what happened in RR chapter 4 like the first 3 flashbacks did however I decided to end it on a darker note, to transition into the beginning of chapter 5. Because in real life, things will often never go your way. It seems my FF have gone from shounen to seinen after the 4th episode. :lol: Currently the last remaining chapters will be proofread by Vindrueelsker and then their Prefix will change to match all the other episodes. Also I was slightly embarrassed by some mistakes I did in the last chapter of the season... so I will release only after Vin has proofread my work. So if its late please blame him ahahahah. So the season 2 release date is all dependent on him...feel free to lynch him ?(??¡ä)? ?(??¡ä)? ?(??¡ä)? ?(??¡ä)? And just so everyone have a preview of the next season.....the colour is pink. This is ShrimpSamurai signing out. (?^?)? ????????????? Previous Afterwords and Notes; If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Gerhard von Natzmer is based on a real character who served in the Gro?deutschland division. A real hard ass of a character. The medals i mentioned in passing.... he really DID earn them. Background: Gerhard von Natzmer is actually Gerhard Konopke Born 27 March 1911, Tirschtiegel , in the story he was born 27 March 1920. See what i did there? lol. Making him 19 years of age when World War 2 started. And his war time decorations; ? Iron Cross (1939) ? 2nd Class (18 January 1941) ? 1st Class (1 July 1941) ? Wound Badge ? in Black ? in Silver ? in Gold ? Eastern Front Medal ? Infantry Assault Badge ? 4 Tank Destruction Badges for Individual Combatants ? Close Combat Clasp in Gold (25 June 1943) ? German Cross in Gold (9 October 1942) ? Knight''s Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 August 1943 as Oberleutnant der Reserves and commander of II. / Grenadier-Regiment "Gro?deutschland" Fought in; ? Invasion of Poland ? Battle of Belgium ? Battle of France ? Operation Barbarossa ? Battle of Smolensk (1941) ? Battle of Moscow ? Battles of Rzhev ? Battle of Voronezh (1942) ? Battle of Stalingrad ? Battle of Kursk ? Battle of Berlin And at the time of his de-enlistment....yup he survived all those years of war from beginning to end.... his final rank was Major. Personality: The character is based on two ex soldiers I have known who fought in the Vietnam and Korean war. And one of them happened to belong to a long line of Prussian military men dating past the First World War, his grandfather I believe fought against the allies in WW1, his father for the allies in WW2, his brothers in Korea and he himself in Vietnam. Now his son has fought in Iraq and last I heard was in Afghanistan. All these men were in the infantry. They have seen war up close and personal. These are not desk job warriors but in your face with bayonets kind. However both men are very humble and polite, both don''t take life too seriously and both.... have traumas from their war time past. This was explored a little deeper in chapter 3... especially the winter reference... for the Korean veteran the snow reminded him too much of blood on ice, of constant gunfire and insane charges by the enemy... for the vietnam veteran... the only true safe place for him was in buildings surrounded by walls. But, like all old men they loved telling stories and I happened to love listening to them. As for why the current character is so awesomely a chick magnet... thats based on me. :lol: Actually that came about by chance. As I was writing the fact that his clothes had become rags from battle damage in chapter 2... I thought "Heeey, wonder what happens if a girl see a gorgeous man in such a state". Instantly instead of the plain look I had planned, he transformed into super model material haha. As for the singing part... I happened to listen to German folk songs at the time of writing.... and it kinda got added to the character (-_- ;;) Originally I wanted him to be a paladin (in chapter 2 the groundwork was laid out already for it) but by chapter 3 I wanted him to have a reason to sing, and so a new class was born. Just trying to figure out the prerequisites to gain skills and stats was a major headache (2 hrs worth..) and I have to thank the guys on chat for clarifying a few things with me. And chapter 4 was basically .... hell i don''t even know why I wrote a new character in lol. Don''t worry, it will work out somehow by chapter 5....I hope.....(which it hadn''t lol.... looking back on this i cringe haha. I will solve it eventually) oh and for those who don''t know what a Sutton Hoo helm looks like since I keep mentioning it, its this. Sexy right? S2 E01: The Day after Yesterday ¡°ICHI! NI! ICHI! NI!¡±, the sound of people shouting out as they swung their practice swords from within the antiquated Dojo in the background could not drown out the girlish laughter of two children, twins who were running about and around the Sakura tree that was planted centuries ago by their ancestor. ¡°Nee-san! Matte yo! ¡±, the little girl hitching up her kimono to chase after her twin. ¡°Iiiii yaaada! ¡±, the pink haired of the two stuck out her tongue at her sister before laughing¡­and then tumbling as she tripped on a raised root of the tree, the aged cherry blossom seeming to chuckle as the spring winds rustled its vast branches. ¡°Tsukamaetta! ¡± yelled the chasing girl as she leapt ungracefully unto her twin, her long blue hair flying untamed behind her, almost the epitome of a tomboy if she wasn¡¯t so obviously a beautiful Ojou-sama . ¡°Tsukamatta! ¡±, giggling as they rolled around the grass in a wild hug, ¡°Masumi hayai ne~¡±, Lying on the grass facing the sky after their short bout, ¡°Ano, Mayumi nee-san ¡±, breathing tiredly Masumi asked, ¡°what are we going to do?¡± ¡°Hmmm? Nani o ?¡±, Mayumi replied lazily with eyes closed. ¡°Otou-sama wants one of us to be a boy¡±, Masumi frowned, ¡°but I thought boys need a bushy beard and smell bad¡± ¡°Haha Masumi¡±, her sister laughed, ¡°that¡¯s only the boys in our dojo. The boys from our school don¡¯t smell do they?¡± ¡°¡­.Ah!¡±, as though in revelation, ¡°Honto ¡± ¡°Neee ¡± ¡°Hmm, I wonder how will Otou-sama choose?¡± ¡°Eee, isn¡¯t it better if we choose for ourselves?¡± Masumi rolled her head to look at her twin in shock, ¡°D-Demo, Otou-sama-¡­ ¡± ¡°Daijyoubu Daijyoubu ¡±, Mayumi assured her, ¡°Otou-sama likes it when we decide things for ourselves. Something about the way of ¡®manliness¡¯ he always talks about¡±. ¡°Haaa, sou desu ka ¡­.¡± ¡°Jyaaa , how will we do this nee-san?¡± Looking at Masumi mischievously, ¡°By Janken , of course. Hehe¡± ********************************************************************************************* INTRO SONG: Trust Me ********************************************************************************************* Mayumi opened her eyes to find herself back in Royal Road, her twin waiting patiently with the boy, William, as they sat warming themselves by the campfire. Max and that girl, Lydia, still haven''t appeared yet although it was quite strange to find that Gerhard was missing. Walking to stand beside her sister before plopping down ungracefully, Mayumi laid her head on her sister''s shoulder as they both gazed into the fire. The little boy was nodding drowsily, Masumi gently stroking his head, silence reigning between the both as them, as though lost in thought. ¡°Nee-san ", Masumi was the first to break the stillness on the moment, "don¡¯t you have-" "Maa maa", Mayumi interrupted, "it¡¯s a few hours away so let me just play with my cute sister, hmm" "Hai, nee-san ", Masumi tilting her head down against Mayumi own, smelling the fragrance of her twin, the scent reminding her of the sakura that used to fill their kimonos as they played under their ancestor tree. "¡­so how is ojii-san ?", Mayumi asked, her voice low. "¡­He misses you¡­" "Haha, that¡¯s because he is a closet hentai ~" "N-nee-san ! There must be a good reason why that¡­respectable housewife left his home¡­in the early morning¡­", although Masumi still managed to blush. "Oi oi", Mayumi chided, "you are not really defending grandfather very well. We all know he and housewives are closer than BEST friends" "Haaa ojii-san is a respectable man¡­most of the time" "Fufu", chuckling Mayumi pointed out, "Now I know why he was in a rush to shove responsibility to father¡­so ojii-san can ''train'' at night~" "Eh? I thought it was hard to wield a sword in darkness¡­ N-NEE-SAN !", Masumi scolded as she finally realised what her twin was talking about, "You shouldn¡¯t talk about such¡­ matters in front of a child", indicating to the sleeping William with her chin. "Eeee, it''s ok, the little one is sleeping. But I still don''t know why you admire grandfather so much", Mayumi looking up at her sister, "He is just a hentai ojii " "He is not just a hentai ojii ", Masumi defended him, "he is still a master warrior and the epitome of a samurai" "¡­Masumi¡­if I ever need a lawyer¡­please don''t be mine" "???" "Ah! Angel-sama!", causing Masumi to turn suddenly in excitement only to be disappointed, as Mayumi chuckled at tricking her na?ve sister. "Mou!", Masumi puffed her cheeks in annoyance, "That''s mean, nee-san !", "Hehe", Mayumi teased, "so you really do like him. I still don''t understand your taste in men. The only good thing about Angel-sama is that at least he looks young in Royal Road". ¡°Nee-san , it''s the soul that counts. And men are like wine: the older they are, the more refine they become" "¡­There is so many things I want to say about that analogy¡­you make me worry about you¡­" "And Angel-sama reminds me of the samurai aspects of ojii-san ¡­" "¡­Your old man complex seriously needs to be looked at¡­" Masumi was about to reply, to point out that old men are much more mature, both in their physical and mental capacities¡­ when they suddenly felt a presence which caused them to glance to their right. They saw Max materialising right before them, finally logging in and yawning as he gazed about until he spotted the twins, waving at them cheerfully as he walked towards them. "Oooh!", Mayumi stood up, "It''s my Gopher-man!" "¡­Gopher-man?", Masumi looked up at her sister in query. "IT has been upgraded to half Gopher, half Man for being all heroic yesterday", Mayumi placing her hands under her cheeks going, "Kyaaaa~", ¡­in a fake sound of adoration. "Yo! Have you girls seen my grandpa", Max asked, unaware that he had a level up¡­well, a minor one in Mayumi''s eyes. Masumi just shook her head in the negative while her twin drifted steadily towards Max, before doing a short leap to cling to his arm. "Yah-hooo", she greeted him, "What has anata been doing?" For some reason Max felt a shiver race up his spine at this overly affectionate Mayumi, as she leaned in to nibble at his ear lightly. "M-Max!", Lorelei called out in worry, "Are you dying? Your heart is going crazy!" "I-I am ok", he managed to reply to both Lorelei and Mayumi, without sounding like he was talking to himself. Saaaafe¡­for now. He never wants to have the nightmare of that air friend situation repeating itself ever again, considering that it almost got him killed. "M-max!", Lorelei sounding shy, "Do you remember your promise?" ''Oh crap'', he thought to himself, ''I can''t discuss this right now with Mayumi acting so¡­unnatural'' "Ne~", Mayumi whispered in his ear, "Do you want to¡­lick my shoes?" "N-no! I mean Yes! I mean¡­.ARGGGH!", Max eyes spun as he tried to answer both girls at the same time. However he was saved when the figure of his grandfather strode out from the woods, Max escaping from Mayumi''s clutches as he raced towards his saviour. "Lorelei", Max called as he ran, "I do remember. Just give me some time to think about it" "¡­o-ok¡­", she replied obediently. "Uuuuu, you are such a good girl", Max declared with heartfelt gratitude. "The old mister has been crying all night", she then said concerned, "Is he all right?" "¡­.it''s fine", Max replying gruffly as he finally reached his grandfather, who looked at Max and smiled in greeting. "Hi Max", as Gerhard patted the head of his huffing and puffing grandson, who had somehow managed to escape from doing something ¡­obscene with Mayumi. That girl is dangerous. "Opi ", Max finally able to voice out some words, "Since papa and mama placed you here without explaining anything, I was wondering if I can help teach you about how to use your avatar" "Oh that?", Gerhard smiled innocently, "It''s ok, it''s ok, I have perfectly mastered it" ********************************************************************************************* Meanwhile, Lydia was late. Extremely late. So much so that she was running with a piece of toast in her mouth that she had bought from the university canteen she was studying at. But Lydia wasn''t late to class¡­ she was late to meet back up with everyone in Royal Road. Yup, she was skipping class, like a good modern student should¡­ and ultimately this led her to being distracted and not paying attention as she ran full pelt¡­ into a short Caucasian male dressed¡­oddly. "!!!!!! YO! HOE!",Pulling on a fake gangster rap slur, "Watch where ya'' goin BIATCH!", the man dressed in an oversized football shirt said. "¡­¡­", Lydia thought to herself, ''You have got to be kidding me'', as she dusted the rear of her skirt and looked forlornly at the bread lying on the floor. But it was more than five seconds on the floor already and thus was inedible-¡­.WAIT NO LYDIA! DON''T REACH OUT YOUR HAND TO PICK IT UP!! "YO!YO! I''m talkin'' to you!", the irate ''dude'' pointed out needlessly. Honestly, stating the obvious is kind of redundant. "Uuuuu", Lydia mourned as she examined the bread, "Maybe if I blow on it a little¡­" "ARE YOU IGNORING ME?! DR. SNOOP PAC?!!" "What seems to be the problem here?", a well dressed black gentleman asked. "Hey hey! Brother from another mother!" "¡­ I am NOT your brother. Furthermore, can you please stop it with that repulsive slang", before the gentleman gently asked Lydia, "Are you ok?" With tears in her eyes she turned to the newcomer, "I-I...*sniffs*¡­ I have lost something that can never be regained¡­" "!!!! What has this beast done to you?!", outraged, he whipped back to glare at the, ummm¡­ ''Dr. Snoop Pac''¡­ "WOOOOO! Slow down home boy! It was-" "I am NOT your HOME BOY! Just because I am BLACK doesn¡¯t mean I was RAISED in the HOOD!" "What is this commotion about", a passing police officer asked¡­ who was Hispanic. "YA! Listen hombre ! I was just minding my own -" "¡­ I AM a POLICE officer. Not a hombre, muchaho " "Officer! This man RAPED this poor young woman!" "WHAT THE! I DID NO SUCH THING!", the white Caucasian refuted, reverting back to rich upper class English. Amazing what stress can do to a person. Lydia eventually took a bite into her bread with a, "¡­*paku*¡­", before she spat the contents out, "Uweeeh. It''s too gritty!", she starting crying. She was so hungry damnit. "SEE!", The gentlemen pointed, "the poor girl is traumatised!" "I am going to have to ask you to come to the station with me¡­" "WHAT! HELL NO! DON''T MAKE ME CALL MY LAWYERS!" "I see¡­ resisting arrest¡­", the police officer grinned, "that''s why I love my job" As things escalated behind Lydia, culminating in the Caucasian man being slammed violently into the floor face first with the officer''s knee on his back handcuffing the ''villain'', a crowd of gathering onlookers applauded wildly shouting, "You show that rapist!" "Keep our streets safe from these hoodlums!" "Gangsters go to jail!" "GO TO JAIL!" "GO TO JAIL!" "GO TO JAIL!". And as for Lydia, she just shrugged as she threw the bread aside and walked away from the scene, totally unaware of the man she had bumped into was being hustled into a police car screaming as the vehicle drove away. It would take her, perhaps, fifteen minutes to get home, after stopping by a caf¨¦ to have a proper lunch on the go, a nice steak sandwich instead of just a single piece of toast, humming happily as the lift to her apartment parted and she leapt out, keys at the ready to open her door. She had only started Royal Road to kill time, but now it seemed that Lydia was quite addicted to it¡­ and she wasn''t sure why. Initially it bored her but ever since she travelled with¡­HIM, the amount of times she had a migraine grew¡­wait, is that a good cause for an addiction? Logging in, she was greeted by the sight of Gerhard showing his grandson, Max, his avatar window, which, for some reason, was made available for everyone in the area to view, although it does save time instead of repeating that embarrassing ''phrase'' to show people. Mayumi and Masumi, the ''Danger Twins'' as Lydia calls them, were gathered with Max around Gerhard''s avatar window as he assigned the new points he got from slaying that¡­Death Panda. She sighed. They start out so cute¡­and when they grow up, they become hideous.
CHARACTER INFO
AvatarGerhard von NatzmerAlignmentGood
Level85ClassSword Singer
TitleKnightFame280
Stats
Health3822Mana140
Strength240 +25Agility270 +25
Vitality99 +25Wisdom10 +20
Intelligence10 +20Stamina90 +20
Fighting Spirit90 +20Singing34 +80
Charisma78 +20Leadership108 +20
Luck14 +20
Offence177Defence50
Magic Resistance
Fire0%Water0%
Earth0%Air0%
Light0%Dark0%
    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
  • All stats are added extra 20 points.
  • Singing stat is added extra 80 points.
  • When singing all stats increase by 20%.
  • Increases Attack Power for Sword Song.
  • Decreases Mana Consumption for Sword Song.
  • Enables you to learn secret skills based on your performance to the Gods.
  • Increases Fame by performing in front of an audience that''s more than 1000.
Unused Stat Points: 0
"Wow, Opi ", Max said sounding impressed, "I didn''t know you were able to play a game like Royal Road. You even assigned all your points in the right stats for your melee class!" Gerhard nodded sagely, "Well it wasn''t that hard, if I view this as assigning reinforcements to the varying combat arms of an infantry company, it is actually quite straightforward" "Oooo!", Masumi clapped her hands in admiration, as though understanding what was just said, with Mayumi and William following along since it seemed amusing. It looks like she had recovered from her fight with Gerhard yesterday. Lydia felt a blood vessel on her forehead twitch when she heard him spoke, ''And Eric was the one who taught you how to use it¡­JUST YESTERDAY!'', she screamed internally, ''how can anyone be so oblivious?!''. Errr Lydia¡­that¡¯s kind of ironic¡­ "Hmmm, but you really need better equipment grandpa", Max said as he noted the damage output, "you are still using such low level gear" Gerhard shrugged, "Well I have a sword that I am unable to equip before level 100 apparently" "I have never seen your class before on the forums Opi " "Me neither", Lydia interrupted, everyone noting her presence¡­ all except Gerhard. He had already waved at her absentmindedly earlier. "The one thing that bugs me", Lydia continued, as she pointed to a sentence on the avatar window, "just how do you get secret skills by performing to the gods? And by performance, what kind could it be?" Max placed a hand under his chin in thought as he conjectured, "Perhaps it means doing the performance within a temple? Since we cannot actually physically meet a god I would assume that is what it would mean?" Masumi tentatively raised a hand as though she was in a classroom, "I-I think", she stuttered, "performance could mean something relating to his class? He is a Sword Singer so that means he must sing¡­with a sword?", Masumi finally turned to look at Gerhard as though realising for the first time. "Anoo , mister", Mayumi voiced the question for her twin, "just what is a Sword Singer?" Gerhard coughed embarrassingly, "I..errrr, ahem..", before he finally sighed, "it seems that I have a tendency to sing in battle..." "Oo-ooooh!", Masumi sounding intensely excited that she couldn''t even formed words properly. This was the first time Max had seen Masumi acting like this¡­and for some reason he felt depressed. The fact that Masumi was a girl is still mind boggling¡­considering she looks like an effeminate man¡­ "Ooo! Demonstrate for us oji-san !", Mayumi once again speaking for her sister, "We are so curious!" "¡­.Curious!", William parroting Mayumi. "¡­I am too Opi " "Me too!", the unheard voice of Lorelei said unexpectedly, only Max able to hear her. Scratching the back of his head, Gerhard finally nodded in acquiescent, "Fine, although I am not too sure if I can do it when I am not fighting a real enemy" "Why not try visualising one?", Lydia suggested, "An enemy that is" "Hmm", Gerhard stood thinking to himself, "it is worth a shot I suppose". Walking unto the location of last night''s battle, inside the middle of the huge clearing in front of the cave, Gerhard closed his eyes, standing stock still as everyone watched with anticipation. Lydia knew what he can do¡­ but she was always entranced when Gerhard starts fighting. Because it seemed as though his sword flowed with the words of his songs¡­ Suddenly Gerhard thrust his sword forward in attack, acting as though it was deflected as he spun to avoid an imaginary counter stroke, a single flowing motion that did not seem unnatural in any way. And for the first time, Max saw his grandfather move as though Gerhard was still in his prime; not that of an aged body trapped on a bed in Vienna, but the sight of a real master of the blade with sword, mind and body as one. And it was beautiful. And it wasn''t long before Gerhard started singing a slow and graceful tune, however the song was filled with¡­ longing, not one would normally associate with a blade dance. Vor der Kaserne, Vor dem gro?en Tor, Stand eine Laterne, Und steht sie noch davor, So woll''n wir uns da wieder seh''n, Bei der Laterne wollen wir steh''n, Wie einst, Lili Marleen. Wie einst, Lili Marleen. And with a start, Max recognised the song... a song he remembered his grandfather singing as his grandmother began to slowly slip away... before finally passing on. It''s been years since Max had heard him sing this song...and it was still poignant and striking as he remembered it. Max wondered what could have made his grandfather think of grandma at this moment... Unsere beiden Schatten, Sah''n wie einer aus, Da? wir so lieb uns hatten, Das sah man gleich daraus. Und alle Leute soll''n es seh''n, Wenn wir bei der Laterne steh''n, Wie einst, Lili Marleen. Wie einst, Lili Marleen. Unbidden, tears began to appear out of the corner of Max''s eyes and glancing unobtrusively towards the girls...he noted that they were all pretending to blink and rub theirs as though something had gotten caught in them. Except for Masumi, she was unashamedly crying, her chin on William''s head as she continued to marvel at the sight before her. Max then noticed a strange glow beginning to outwardly surround his grandfather as Gerhard continued to sing. Schon rief der Posten: Sie blasen Zapfenstreich, <¡°They¡¯re sounding curfew> Es kann drei Tage kosten! Kamerad, ich komm'' ja gleich. <¡°Comrade, I''ll be right there.¡±> Da sagten wir Aufwiederseh''n. Wie gerne wollt'' ich mit dir geh''n, Mit dir, Lili Marleen! Mit dir, Lili Marleen! The glow kept getting brighter to the amazement of all who were watching, unable to comprehend just what was happening. Wasn''t this meant to be a demonstration? Even Lydia has never seen Gerhard in this form before¡­ and she was feeling a bit miffed that everyone else was allowed to see him like this¡­glowing and radiant. William let out a giggle of delight as infinitesimal portions of this light began floating towards the ground. Deine Schritte kennt sie, Deinen zieren Gang. Alle Abend brennt sie, Doch mich verga? sie lang. Und sollte mir ein Leid gescheh''n, Wer wird bei der Laterne steh''n, Mit dir, Lili Marleen! Mit dir, Lili Marleen! The radiance seemed to intensify before it leapt from his dancing and weaving figure, his song echoing out and amplified across the clearing as an image started to appear in the ground, weird signs being traced into shimmering glowing life from the focal point that was Gerhard. It began to encompass Gerhard before another set appeared to surround the entire clearing, a clean circle forming with an outer and inner ring filled with symbols of almost alien origin, graceful but still looking like words of power, as though being re-etched into the ground. Aus dem stillen Raume, Aus der Erde Grund, Hebt mich wie im Traume Dein verliebter Mund. Wenn sich die sp?ten Nebel dreh''n, Werd'' ich bei der Laterne steh''n Mit dir, Lili Marleen < With you, Lili Marleen> Mit dir, Lili Marleen At the end of his song there was a burst of light, Gerhard finally opening his eyes to stare around himself in astonishment as the air was filled with hundreds, no thousands of tiny green globes that were glowing softly, floating serenely around him as though he was the centre of their world¡­before in a sudden rush they all flowed forcefully into him. Gazing in his hands in wonder, the glow seemed to permeate throughout his body, casting odd shadows in all directions as everyone looked on amazed, wondering what had just happened. It wasn''t long though before a message bubble appeared before Gerhard. *Ding!
You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! Luck has risen by 5 points (+5 LCK) Skill: You acquired a new skill, Tree Song
"Eh?", was all Gerhard said. "W-what is it, Opi ?", Max having finally found his voice. "Well apparently I somehow gained a new skill?" "It can''t be that easy", Lydia objected, "we are not even anywhere near a temple!" "On the contrary", a voice interrupted from the woods, "you are unwittingly standing on one", the voice so melodious and smooth. It sounded¡­inhuman. Instantly Masumi and Mayumi had their guard up, katanas unsheathed however Gerhard just turned towards an area of the woods and gave a light bow. "I thank you for not interrupting my performance", Gerhard said politely. "Oh? I am amazed that a human has such acute senses as you do", a figure slowly materialising from the forest, as though walking out from a shadow. "You meant no harm so I didn¡¯t felt it was necessary to inform my friends", Gerhard arched a brow, "or should we be readying ourselves for battle? From what I can tell, there are perhaps twenty more in hiding with weapons drawn" "¡­that won''t be necessary, Sain¨¹r " "Sain¨¹r ?", everyone echoed the word in bafflement. Gerhard just shrugged at his companions, "Don''t ask me; I have never heard of that title before" "Roughly translated, it means ¡®Tree Friend¡¯ in your tongue, and you became one when you appealed towards our goddess with your ritual, Sain¨¹r ", the slender figure dressed in a clothe that seemed to combine both leaf and fabric stood just metres away from Gerhard, face hidden under a hood. "¡­May I know your name?", the cowled figure then asked. "¡­I am Gerhard von Natzmer. At your service". Smiling under the cowl, before she lifted it back to reveal the features beneath, "And I am ShadowMist of the Clan of Shadows, and I may yet take you up on that offer" ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Kore wa Koi S2 E02: Adults Never Play Fair ShadowMist gazed at the backs of the humans as her lead scouts guided them towards their village, tension laced in their every elfin movement as though they would unleash violence should the humans show any suspicious behaviour. And yet the elves managed to maintain some form of civility in the face of the almost¡­ lax attitude the human party was exhibiting. It was such a relaxed atmosphere¡­ that the boy William was playfully tugging on one of her scouts'' longbow, the somber Elf trying to maintain a composed expression while swatting the hand of the little child away from his weapon. And that wasn''t even the beginning of it. After only explaining briefly that she and her scouts were sent to track and hunt down the monster that was rampaging through the Elven domains which the Tree Friend, Gerhard, had defeated, she then asked if he would like to come to her village as thanks for his actions. To her surprise, Gerhard readily accepted ShadowMist''s request, citing curiosity and something about comparing villages with those of Tolkien''s own although the female human mage groaned for some reason. Feeling eyes on the back of his neck, Gerhard glanced over his shoulder, before slowing his stride until they were walking side by side together. "¡­You still haven¡¯t mentioned why I received that title¡­ umm ShadowMist" "It''s fine to call me Mist. The first word in our name marks our clan, while the second is earnt" "..That''s kind of confusing", Gerhard tilted his head, "Then what are you called before you earn a name?" "We are given a birth name, though it is discarded once we mature", her face now cast in a serious light, "and we must never reveal it to outsiders unless to our most dearly beloveds" Gerhard chuckled, "I had no intention of asking about anything private like that though" "¡­You have excellent manners. For a human", she smiled. "Well I was raised in a different era", he returned the smile. "But to answer your question", Mist explained, "You were performing a ritual on one of our sacred sites, something you humans would call a ''temple''. In ages past there may have been such a structure however, it is not the physical form we worship, it is the spirit that endures in such places" "But why was it located in such a place? Especially in front of a cave?" "¡­That¡­", as though deciding whether to tell him or not, she came to the conclusion that there was no harm in doing so, "is because the cave and the tunnel system was carved eons ago by the dwarves. The site you camped and fought the deadly beast was built to welcome back Elven travellers and traders from distant lands long ago, so that they may linked once again to the nature of their birth place" "Ah...so, I was right that someone was observing my battle", Gerhard reflected, "but I couldn¡¯t be sure" Mist chuckled, "I earnt my name because I am as indiscernible as the mist that lingers near the waterfalls. You won''t know I am there until you feel the wetness of your blood leaking from your throat!" Gerhard grinned, "That sounds very reassuring" "Well¡­ as long as you don''t offend me", she gave a small laugh, her voice almost sounding like music. But the mood of the party became subdued as they approached one of the first warning sign that travellers had strayed into Elven territory¡­ a human skeleton speared to a tree. Indicating the markings on the spear, Mist explained, "These symbols are those of the War Clan" "Let me guess¡­ they are warlike" Mist nodded in affirmation as she continued, "Yes, but they are also the largest of the Selvari Elven clans and hence tasked with the Guardianship of the Forest and what you humans call us, the ''Wild Elves'' as a whole. So, I would suggest that none of your party stray far from our group, lest they would like to suddenly sprout arrows from their hides" "That is good advice that¡­ you are giving to the humans", a voice called out from high above before a tall Elven man landed lightly in front of them as though like a cat, swathe in tattoos and furs, a dark stained runic war axe sheathed to his side and wielding an ornate oak longbow which hung limply from his hand. "WarWalker of the War clan", Mist closed her eyes as she recognised the figure, lowering her head slightly in a submissive gesture, "I, ShadowMist of the Shadow clan, greet you in peace". "May the branches of the World Tree always caress you in comfort and warmth", came the low reply from WarWalker before he continued, "I take it you are bringing these¡­humans to your village?" With Mist nodding respectfully, Gerhard thought he should introduced himself, but feeling her hand grasp his sleeve, he felt that he had to observe some form of unknown propriety and so remained silent. "I see", was all the taciturn Elf said before he whistled lightly, to which Elves with similar clan tattoos came, immediately falling and landing gracefully from the trees, more than two score who moved about with the grace of prowling panthers. Mayumi, Masumi, Lydia, Max and William were all caught by surprise by the sudden appearance of more Elves, although Lorelei continued to hum along in Max''s head as though nothing was wrong. Then again, she didn¡¯t have a physical body to worry about¡­ "We will follow", as though giving a command that brooked no argument. Mist just shrugged as she turned to Gerhard to shake her head apologetically. Looks like things had just gotten complicated. ********************************************************************************************* INTRO SONG: Trust Me ********************************************************************************************* Max ran to the edge of the soaring platform, hands gripping the stone railing as he marvelled at the intricate Elven architecture of this place. The structure seemingly floating high above the meandering river on columns that looked like crystallised wood. Feeling at peace in the world, Max was grinning broadly and a few curious Elven children were pulled away by concerned mothers as they whispered how strange the Amin was to one another. Although few are sane enough to cross any of the Elves here, for none travelled up and about unarmed. The surrounding streets and boulevards of the ''village'' looked like it was crowded with wandering warriors, rather than Elven families going about their business. ShadowMist was summoned by her Elders and for the moment their party were being left alone, however there were a few Elven ''caretakers'' keeping watch on them. Nevertheless, this didn''t dampened his spirit as Max was about to shout out loud before he felt a light smack on the back of his head, turning to see his grandfather looking embarrassed by Max''s actions. Nevertheless, this didn''t dampened Max¡¯s spirit as he was about to shout out loud before he felt a light smack on the back of his head, turning to see his grandfather looking embarrassed by Max''s actions. "¡­You¡­", Gerhard frowned lightly, "Just how old do you think you are?" "Twelve", Max responded immediately as he stuck his chest out proudly. "Haaa¡­ my dream of great-grandchildren is slipping further away¡­" "Eh? What do you mean by that Opi ?" Patting Max sadly on the head, Gerhard only sighed as his reply. The two men stood side by side, admiring the majestic view before Max finally asked, "So, I guess you met Lorelei...?" Gerhard just shrugged, "I wasn''t sure she was real either, until I saw your reaction when I mentioned her name" "¡­Opi ¡­ weren''t you convulsing at the time?" "Your point being...?" "J-just what kind of guy can think of such a thing when he is suffering like that?!" Looking at his grandson in bemusement, Gerhard replied, "When you have lived through¡­some of the things I have been through¡­then you will be able to do it too. Although", he smiled sadly, "I hope such a thing never happens to you". "¡­Are you talking about the ''War'', grandfather?" "¡­Enough about me", Gerhard dodged the subject, "Tell me about Lorelei" "Well", Max scratched the back of his head, "For one thing¡­she doesn''t have a physical body" "Oh?", was all his grandfather said. "And the other¡­it seems only I can hear her" "I see", Gerhard accepted it like it was the natural thing to do. "¡­You believe me?", Max asked in shock. "Why wouldn''t I believe my own grandson?", Gerhard smiled affectionately back, "I made a promise long ago¡­ to always cherish the words of my own family". "¡­I see", Max feeling a little bit guilty now as he remembered telling minor fibs to his grandfather to skip school when he was still a child, faking a fever even though when Max was checked, there was no such symptoms. He only realised now how strange it was that his grandfather let him stay in bed at home, resting for an ''illness'' Max never had. The figure of William appeared in between the two tall men, and Gerhard chuckled as he ruffled the boy''s hair playfully, a giggle coming back as a reply. "He seems to like you a lot, Opi" "Haha", Gerhard chuckled, "He kinds of remind me of your father when he was little" "Ehhhh?", Max looking at the boy and frowning, "I can''t ever imagine father being that cute before" "They all grow up in the end though", Gerhard smiled, "But the both of you are still adorable in my eyes" "Er Opi¡­that doesn''t make me happy unless it''s from a girl" "Well what about that Japanese girl?", Gerhard indicated with his eyes over his shoulders, "She seems to have taken a liking to you". "¡­only as an obedient dog to a dominatrix mistress¡­" "Max", he chuckled, "you seriously do not understand a girl''s heart, do you?" "¡­I reeeeeeally do not want to hear that from you, Opi" "?" Max sighed, "Anyway, I need to speak to Lorelei for a moment". Gerhard just gave a small wave of his hand, "Its fine, I am actually quite curious to see how you communicate" "¡­Please don''t. You''re making me feel like I am crazy" "Haha we are all a little crazy in our own ways", his grandfather winked. Max closed his eyes as he called out, "Lorelei?" "Hmm?", came a yawn as a reply, "What is it Max?" "I have finally got a nickname for you" "OOH!", immediately she sounded quite awake, "Tell me! Tell me!" "Oook", he smiled happily as he thought to himself, ''If only Mayumi was as good natured as Lorelei...ah what a shame'' Gerhard just smiled and for a second Max thought his grandfather can hear their conversation¡­it couldn''t be. Yup, it has to be his imagination as Max started to his list off the nicknames he had thought of. "Lorelore" There was a moment of silence before she replied, "Rejected" "Leilei" "Rejected" "Lol" "Rejected!" "Relolei" "Rejected!!!" "Loli Queen" "Do you want to get a headache hmm?" "Haha, just kidding", He had already decided on a proper nickname for her, "How about, Lorei?" "¡­.H-hmph!..." "Weeeell", Max teased. "Its¡­its good", she said shyly. "I am glad you like it then", he heaved a sigh of relief. "I see it all went well?", his grandfather asked. "Yes, of course", Max announced proudly, "After all I am the KING of 2D dating sims" "Dating sims?", Gerhard asked in genuine curiosity, "what is that?" "Errr", Max realising it was the one thing he never wanted his grandfather to know, laughed robotically, "I-it is nothing ha ha ha" "¡­Suspicious¡­", Gerhard wrapping his arm around Max''s neck as though trying to wring the truth from him, "Tell me, boy!" Mayumi was striding towards them however seeing such a playful and familiar scene caused her to freeze awkwardly, for once perturbed by an emotion that rosed within¡­before she brutally crushed it. Smiling once again, she tried to unobtrusively sneak from the side¡­ to jump and cling unto Max in surprise¡­ only to hug William, the little boy unashamedly used as a shield by Max after having lifted him up from the ground suddenly as a reflex action. The boy stared at her innocently while Mayumi gazed back¡­ Max hiding behind the diminutive figure. "¡­" "¡­" "Gopher", Mayumi finally said. "Eh?", Max whistled nonchalantly, "W-what is it?" "Doesn''t anata ~ want a hug?" "¡­That''s¡­", Max thought about it briefly, "Doesn''t sound too bad at all¡­" "Ok ok", Mayumi smiled sweetly as she took the boy into her arms and placed him on the ground, "Yosh! William go to my sister¡­ are you ready Max?" "? I have to get ready for a hug?" "Of course", she winked at him prettily, "It¡¯s a Mayumi special~". Feeling a premonition of something untoward about to happen, "M-maybe we can do this another time¡­", he replied nervously as Max slowly backed away from her. Gerhard only watching on curiously, wondering when his grandson had become popular with women. "Feel my burning loove~", ¡­as her fist connected into Max''s stomach, causing him to fall backwards in pain. "Isn''t that a punch?!" , Max groaned, clutching his stomach. "Noo~", she objected coyly, "in my culture that type of hug we call, ''Super Soul Grinding Love Punch for Unappreciative People''~" "THAT''S STILL A PUNCH ISN''T IT?!!!" "M-Max", Lorelei asked, "Is a hug meant to be that painful?" "¡­Only when it involves demons¡­", he muttered in reply. "Hmm?", Mayumi asked as though having heard what he said, "Did you just say you want another one?~" "Ahem", Gerhard interrupted, "I think Max said he would love to take you out for a stroll, to take in the sights of such a wondrous place" "I did?", Max said in surprised, before catching the eye of his grandfather, eventually understanding dawning as he realised Gerhard was trying to save him, "I DID!", finally agreeing, nodding his head up and down rapidly. Behind Gerhard, Mayumi could see Masumi looking at her with pleading eyes, and she realised with a sigh what her twin wanted. ''Geez'', Mayumi thought to herself, ''We are surrounded by potential enemies and you want a date?''. Err¡­didn''t you just knocked down a quarter of Max''s HP yourself...? The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. But her twin''s eyes seemed to be saying, ''PleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePlease'' "Yah-ho!", Lydia shouted cheerily, returning after selling the portions of the Death Panda she couldn¡¯t use¡­ which Gerhard and Eric had taken to pieces with knives after she had exclaimed, "Kyaaa~, do you want me to ruin all OUR efforts?". And actually¡­ the men agreed as they silently went to work on the dead beast with Lydia looking actually stung at the time. But now they had so much fur they could dress over a hundred people. "Come here onee-san", Mayumi linking her arm with Lydia''s. "Eh?", Lydia looked at her in surprise, "Since when did we become close?" "Since you captivated my heart with your skilful use of men", Mayumi stroked Lydia''s hand seductively. "EHHHHHH?!!!", Lydia blushed, "I know I am otherworldly gorgeous b-but we can''t do something¡­ or or", her imagination running rampant, "like THAT¡­between girls" Winking at her twin to say she had everything under control, Masumi took that as a signal to grab Gerhard''s arm and drag him away. He didn''t resist although Gerhard looked to all the world confused at what was happening, the little boy William tailing along behind them. Mayumi then grabbed the reluctant arm of Max saying, "Well since we are here, let''s go plaaaay~", dragging the pair on either side of her with a smile on her face. Might as well have fun. As much as time permits. ********************************************************************************************* Masumi was on one arm and William on the other side of Gerhard, both being held hand in hand as they wandered towards what appeared to be a market, although what was being sold was mainly meats and fruits of a wide variety, with the notable few clothing being mainly of practical design. All the Elves were giving them suspicious looks, Masumi thought it was because they looked like a young couple on an outing with their son¡­which caused her to cheeks to turn a little rosy. But to everyone else, no matter how you looked at it¡­it was more like a group of brothers, with Gerhard being the responsible elder and making sure that none of them would get lost. Actually¡­ that was also what Gerhard was thinking; making sure his charges don¡¯t get lost. Especially in such an obvious exotic alien village. "A-angel-sama", Masumi finally finding the courage to speak, "Are you looking for anything specific here?" "Hmmm?", Gerhard replied absentmindedly, "Not really, although", pulling out his sword which was in a notable state of disrepair, "It would be good if I got this fixed". "Isn''t that", Masumi exclaimed in amazement, "A level five sword?!!" "? Well, I guess? I have had this ever since Serabourg as well as the Instructor''s sword" "¡­the sword was the best of its kind¡­at level five, Angel-sama. It is time for you to acquire a new one" "Oh?", Gerhard shrugged, "Lydia told me to keep using this until it broke, because I already have a sword I can equip when I reach level 100" "Eh? Why is that Angel-sama?" "You can call me Gerhard, you know?", which caused Masumi to blush at their supposed increased intimacy level up (*Ding* 1%), "And to answer that, she apparently appointed herself as my accountant for some unknown reason" ''¡­That cheapskate of a woman!'', Masumi thought to herself before she noticed something worrying about that statement, ''Wait! Isn''t there a bigger problem here! C-could it be I have a love rival!'' "G-Gerhard-sama", Masumi asked nervously, "How long have you known Lydia-san?" Tilting his head up with hand under his chin in thought, "Hmm, I would suppose near the start of my travels? I have no idea why she has attached herself to me though" "¡­uuuuu¡­ the road is going to be long and difficult¡­fighto Masumi!", as she clenched her petite hands in determination. "Hmm did you say something?" "N-no! By the way Gerhard-sama", saying his actual name still causing her to blush lightly, "I have never seen you use a ''skill'' before" "Oh? But I am always using my sword skill aren''t I?" "¡­ano, more like the skills that the game provides you with" "You mean something like ''Dark Blade'' that Mayumi used?" "Hai! Exactly that Gerhard-sama!" "¡­Oooh! The skills window! One second I will bring it up and share it with you" "S-share?!", Masumi feeling all giddy and excited at the thought that they would be sharing a Skill Window¡­but wouldn''t it be more heart thumping if it was a glass of juice with two straws, Masumi¡­?
SKILLS WINDOW
Passive
Forced March (Intermediate)Lv.1 (57%)When singing whilst in an allied group of more than 5, movement speed is increased to all members due to your motivating song + 10%
Herald of the King (Intermediate)Lv.1 (57%)When singing whilst in an allied group of more than 5, your leadership is increased temporarily. + 5 mins
Lord of Battles (Intermediate)Lv.1 (57%)When singing whilst in an allied group of more than 5, attack power is increased to all members due to your motivating song. Additional effects on your sword mastery. + 10%
EnduranceLv.8 (78%)Reduces physical damage inflicted by the enemy. - 5%
Sword Mastery (Intermediate)Lv.4 (22%) Increases attack power and speed for equipping a sword.
Active
Sword SongLv.1 (0%)Increases attack speed and critical chance. If leadership higher than opponents, additional effect of ''slowed'' is applied on enemies. 15% Mana consumption: 40 per second
Tree SongLv.1 (0%)Constantly heals and increase defence of user and nearby allies within 10 feet. If activated within wooded terrain, the user and allies also gains ''cloak'', which is dispelled upon attack. Heals 5% of Base Total Hitpoints per second. Defence increase by 5% Mana consumption: 40 per second
Words of IronLv.1 (0%)Chance to turn enemies or convince NPCs to do the unreasonable for a limited duration. 10% Mana consumption: 10
Rare Skills Achievement
True Warrior"To a real warrior, power perceived may be power achieved." You are a strangeness in this world, unbound by the laws that dictate the lives of its denizens. You have relied on nothing but what was given at birth, and triumphed over great foes, never tasting the sleep of death. Survived the first 50 levels without allocating Bonus Stat Points, used an Active Skill or suffered Death. Once per day, you may choose to augment any single attack for 4x extra damage. [Please choose mode of activation: Spoken or Motion]
"What are you doing over there, Masumi? Come closer so you can see properly" "¡­Ojyamashimasu", as she stood back next to him, her eyes widening in surprise as she noticed Gerhard''s active skill usage. "Oh dear", Gerhard grinned, "that expression tells me I have done something wrong again, haven''t I?" "N-no! It''s just that, I think we should start teaching you how to use your avatar properly¡­" "Ahhh¡­So I guess I will have to rely on you as my teacher then?" "!!!!!!!!!!!", she smiled happily, "Y-Yorokonde !" ********************************************************************************************* Standing in the centre of a circle of seated Elders, the oldest and wisest chosen leaders of the Shadow clan, their faces and physical form unmarked by the passing of the ages, Mist was currently being berated for what she has done. And that was to lead humans to their homes. She stood in respectful silence, only speaking when spoken to, as was customary among her kind as each of the Elders in turn condemned her, followed by questions as to why she had acted in this manner. For Mist had broken one of the sacred laws of the Selvari, ''Never be discovered by the Amin'', with the implication that, if so, all human witnesses should be slain. And she would always reply, "Selvaria, Mother Goddess, has spoken. He is Sain¨¹r". "Are you saying", One of the Elders, his face in disbelief, "That although not one of the Selvari have been able to commune with our Mother Goddess for centuries, she has now deigned to speak to a MERE Amin?" To this, Mist looked up and stared coolly at the Elder man, "He is not a MERE Amin, my father, the human is named Gerhard and I as well as twenty others have witnessed his Ascension through ritual offering", refusing to be cowed by the combined might of thousands of years of wisdom before her, "He IS Sain¨¹r and as such, we need him". "¡­Daughter you do understand what you are saying right...?" She nodded, "I do" Another voice spoke up, "And what if you are wrong? We would alienate ourselves from the entire Selvari nation, just on the mere say-so of a young child who thought she has seen something that she understood?" Before Mist could speak up, her father retorted in her defence, "Everyone here knows the mettle of my daughter. She has ALWAYS accomplished every task set before her from the council and her judgement has been proven and tested in countless skirmishes over the century. Don''t bring in personal matters into this gathering just because she refused courtship from your son, Ellemon". "Taisei! How DARE you?!", the Elf named Ellemon stood up in anger, "Do you think", he spat, "that I would be driven by petty revenge for something as important as this?! What she is implying is that we should leave the lives of all of our clan in the hands of an Amin whose character we do not know, whose skill we do not know, and", looking at Mist with scornful eyes, "whose ascension has yet to be VERIFIED by Elves of¡­better judgement". "I still refuse to believe", Ellemon finished and a chorus of agreement rose up from the other Elders at this. Mist remained silent to this tirade before a voice interrupted from the doorway, WarWalker''s low voice cutting through the hubbub of discussion between the Elders, like an axe cleaving through wood. "He should have been given a gift¡­ from the Mother", WarWalker leaning against the doorframe of the council chambers, spoke with his sombre manner. There were no doors amongst such a community, trust is everything, entailing that there were no secrets or threats from amongst their own. "WarWalker", Taisei bowed his head slightly in respect as all the Elders stood and did the same. However, Ellemon asked, "What do you mean by that, Tel''s''v?r?" "¡­Exactly what I said¡­", casting his gaze on the Elder, undaunted by the attention given by the whole council, "In our long history¡­every known Sain¨¹r was given a noticeable gift¡­one that proves beyond all doubt that¡­ the Goddess has chosen him". All the Elders nodded to this in acknowledgment; after all, their many tales are laced with such descriptions of the varied powers wielded by the Ascended. If the Amin was truly a Sain¨¹r, then surely he must possess a similar endowment to those of such figures of the past. Picking up on the mood of the council, Taisei suggested, "Then shall we put this Amin to the test?" "¡­What do you have in mind, father?", Mist feeling slightly guilty to Gerhard. It was she who invited him without ill intent, and yet now he might be more than likely forced to face a trial. "It is simple, my child", Taisei looked at her with unreadable eyes, "He will just have to manifest his powers¡­before the entire clan assembly" ********************************************************************************************* A man sat next to a large opened window, hunched over as he filled in the day''s events from across the Kingdom of Rosenheim, rolled up parchment after parchment stacked high on a corner of his desk, important news being read and then collated into a summary to be sent as reports to his superior, Count Albrook. There was a flap of wings and looking up, the scribe saw a carrier pigeon arriving, the lithe bird flying through the window to immediately land on one of the many bird stands made available in the center of the room. With a groan and creak of his back, the man stood up, pushing his chair back and walked towards the creature, which was busily pecking away at the prepared bird feed located in a tin cup. The bird ignored him, tamed and used to such situations, and with well practiced hand, the man retrieved the tiny rolled up paper that was fitted in a metal tube tied to the pigeon''s feet. Unfurling it like a banner, what greeted his eyes were, ''The Eagle of the East has appointed a new heir'', which caused the scribe to arch his eyebrows in astonishment. That the old wily General would dare to do so¡­ quickly, he went to the doorway and pulled a rope hanging from the ceiling. The sound of bells ringing echoed throughout the long hallway, summoning a servant to pass on the news to their master, the sharp peals as though announcing a prelude to momentous occasions to come. ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Kore wa Koi S2 E03: Tree is a Crowd Sakura petals danced through the air as the two girls stood facing opposite one another, tiny hands clenched into fists in preparation for their apocalyptic battle to come. They gazed steadily at one another, all bonds of sisterhood and their unique connections as twins were severed, cast out as they raised their hands above their heads, each determined to strike down the other with all the murderous intent that comes from being raised in a Samurai family. As the wind settled down, only a lone sakura petal drifted in between the two half-sized warriors, an unspoken signal to begin their duel. "EEEEEII!", with a wild girlish shout, the twins began their attack sequence, tiny fists pumping down four times like the sword strokes of a skilled kendoka , to the words of an ancient Japanese battle cry. "Saisho wa Guu !", They chanted together. "Jan Ken PON", the twins both revealing their hands on the final syllable; Scissors. However they continued with, "Aiko deSHO !", to restart the combat cycle, unveiling their hands with Masumi scoring the first critical strike; Paper conquered Rock. "Acchi muite HOI !", Masumi commanded like a Daimyo , pointing in one direction, but nevertheless, Mayumi defied her by facing the opposite. This initiated a new sequence, "Jan Ken PON! ", With Masumi thrusting forward; Scissors slashing Paper. "Acchi muite HOI !" Masumi repeated, but once again, Mayumi proved to be sharp, her eyes registering the direction her sister was about to point to by the minute twitching of Masumi''s finger. Again Mayumi refused to bow down, tilting her head upwards in contrast to her sister''s commands. "Jan Ken PON! ", This time both forced into a stalemate by their hammer blows; Rock futilely smashing against Rock. "Aiko deSHO !", But nevertheless Masumi once again had the upper hand; Rock breaking Scissors. "Acchi muite HOI !", Mayumi continuing to show resistance¡­ But it was all part of her plan. "Jan Ken PON!", Realising now was the time to strike, Mayumi began her counterattack with a brilliant repeat of Masumi''s first victory; Paper conquering Rock. "Acchi muite HOI !", It was Mayumi''s turn to cry out her command and pointing to Masumi''s right¡­her twin did as was told, caught in the fatal rhythm that she herself had fallen into by repeatedly facing in the direction her finger bided Mayumi to. "YATTA!" Mayumi cried out in victory. "Ehhhhh", her sister complained, "You always do that to me!" "Hohoho!" Mayumi placed her hands on the side of her hips, "then you should learn from your mistakes by now" "Buuuu, nee-san hidoi !" "Maa maa", trying to placate her twin, "I will let you have a wish since you will become a nii-chan from now on" "¡­honto ?" "Un", Mayumi replied in confirmation. "¡­Then I will be a boy¡­ But you must always be by my side, nee-san ¡­" "¡­MOOOU¡­!", Mayumi squealed, "You are sooooo cuuute. Masumi, Daisuki !", hugging her twin tightly. "Ya-yameteeee !", Masumi cried as they both tumbled into the grass, the two girls laughing as they looked up into the branches of the family tree, sakura petals floating down to land upon their disheveled kimonos. When they had quietened down, Mayumi continued to gaze silently at the drifting petals before she sat up suddenly and turned to look down at her sister. Untying one of the red ribbons from her hair, Mayumi signalled to Masumi and they slowly stood up together, solemnly tying the ribbon around their pinkies. Looking into each other''s eyes as they understood what was required of each of them, the twins began reciting a ritual hundreds of years old, in a singsong voice. "Yubi kiri genman Uso tsuitara Hari sen bon nomasu Yubi kitta !" The girls smiled to one another happily. "I will always be by your side, Masumi" "Un¡­ I know, nee-san " Only the rustling of the branches, the sakura tree beared witness to this sacred oath. ********************************************************************************************* INTRO SONG: Trust Me ********************************************************************************************* Mayumi¡¯s party of unwilling retainers¡­ *cough* ¡®friends¡¯, were on the other side of the marketplace, wandering from stall to stall as the girls looked out for bargains or anything that catches their eye. Whether this will translate into an actual purchase¡­ Max just shrugged as he thought to himself, ¡®This is almost like shopping with mum¡¯, while giving an internal sigh. ¡®Actually, this is EXACTLY like shopping with mum¡¯, correcting himself. ¡°Max¡±, Lorelei asked in curiosity, ¡°What are they doing?¡± Eyeing the girls with boredom and DEFINITELY standing out of earshot, he replied, ¡°What the women species have been doing for centuries, Lori¡±, stretching his arms over his head and yawning widely, ¡°window shopping¡± ¡°¡­ But, I don¡¯t see any windows¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s metaphorically speaking, Lori¡± ¡°Ohhh¡±, Lorelei said as though in understanding, for some reason Max was able to imagine her nodding her cute head, ¡°¡­.what¡¯s metaphorically¡­?¡± ¡°¡­ I think I need to take a course in university to teach¡­¡±, He felt a drop of sweat slid down the side of his head, ¡°Lori¡­ do you want to go to school?¡± ¡°School?¡± ¡°Yup¡±, Max thought quickly, ¡°It¡¯s what all normal people do to learn about the ¡®world¡¯ before they are thrown out to fend for themselves¡± ¡°¡­uuuu¡­ I don¡¯t want to get thrown out!¡± ¡°Nonono¡±, Max tried to calm Lorelei down, ¡°You can join my ¡®Max¡¯s School for Lori Association¡¯ or MSLA for short. I will never throw you out¡±, he assured her. ¡°Max, who are you talking to?¡±, Mayumi asked from the front¡­ while squatting down and gazing up mischievously at him. ¡°¡­Y-you¡­ How long have you been there?¡±, Danger bells instantly waking, going into full alert and ringing in his head. The battleship, Max Unsinkable, began doing evasive manoeuvres with Helmsman Max struggling with the wheel. Mayumi smiled sweetly, ¡°Since¡±, batting her eyelids prettily, ¡°¡¯Lori¡­ do you want to go to school?¡¯¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Helmsman Max shouted out to Ship Captain Max, ¡°She can¡¯t make it captain! The ship is labouring in the water!¡±. ¡°Try damn it!¡±, Ship Captain Max roared, ¡°We got to evade or we are sunk!¡± Max gave a little cough as he said, ¡°Eh-Ehhh? I was merely rehearsing for a play my drama club is performing soon for university orientation¡±. The Max Unsinkable did a full 90 degree turn, and the crew watched the torpedoes painted with Mayumi¡¯s terrifyingly happy face come perilously close¡­ ¡°Ooooh. Now that makes sense¡±, Mayumi nodded. The crew of the Max Unsinkable did a wild cheer as the torpedoes missed their mark, sailing harmlessly past them. ¡°Good work, Helmsman¡±, Ship Captain Max patted the back of Helmsman Max, ¡°You have saved us all¡±. ¡°Y-yeah!¡±, Max laughed unnaturally, ¡°See, I am being a normal human being¡± ¡°Ahh¡±, Mayumi smiled, ¡°Then is the play called, ¡®Max¡¯s School for Lori Association¡¯ or MSLA for short?¡± ¡°Guuuh!¡±, Max clutched his heart from the critical strike. Unnoticed to the crew of the Max Unsinkable¡­ the torpedoes were homing underwater missiles! The ship rocked as multiple impacts were felt along the hull, water flooding in along the compartments and violently drowning the ship¡¯s despairing crew. ¡°And I thought you told me you were in the Historical Blacksmithing Club?¡±, Mayumi continuing her merciless assault. ¡°Captain!¡±, Helmsman Max cried, ¡°We have got to abandon ship!¡±. ¡°Nay¡±, Ship Captain Max sadly shook his head, ¡°A captain always goes down with his ship¡±. ¡°... then I will remain with you captain¡±. ¡°N-no! Save yourself!¡±. ¡°I can¡¯t leave without you sir¡­ It has been a pleasure serving with you¡±. ¡°¡­ And I you, Helmsman¡±. ¡°Sir¡­ I have always lo-..¡±. The ship exploded, shearing into two halves right in the middle as the ammunition magazine finally ignited, before the craft disappeared beneath the waves. The Max Unsinkable¡­ had sunk with all hands. ¡°¡­ uuuuu¡­¡±, Max wept, ¡°I am sorry for not being normal¡±, realising it was futile to pretend that what he was doing wasn¡¯t strange. ¡°Maa maa¡±, Mayumi stood gracefully back up before rising on her tiptoes to peck him on the cheek, ¡°Normal is overrated¡±, she stuck her tongue out cutely at him. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know whether to be cheered up or depressed¡­¡±, Max said as he lightly touched the spot where her lips were. ¡®They felt nice and warm¡¯, he thought dreamily. ¡°Anyway¡±, Mayumi grabbed his hand and dragged him forcefully behind her, ¡°since Masumi is not here, you can help me pick my clothes¡± ¡°Clothes?¡±, Max eyed the stalls incredulously, ¡°But all they sell are furs¡± ¡°Fufu¡±, Mayumi chuckled evilly, ¡°That¡¯s where you are wrong, oh virgin-kun¡± ¡°WHO ARE YOU CALLING A VIRGIN!¡±, before he slammed his mouth shut¡­ but it was too late¡­ all the onlookers were staring at him, the expressions on their faces were one of acute pity. One of the Elves even walked up to him and gave Max two pieces of fruit, ¡°To share¡±, the Elf man said, and another came to give him a piece of jewellery saying, ¡°Hope this brings you luck tonight¡±, patting Max on the back. ¡°See¡±, Mayumi smiled, ¡°There is nothing wrong with being a virgin, VIRGIN-kun¡± ¡°¡­ Can I be downgraded back to gopher?¡± Max asked tearfully. ¡°Only if I like what you help me to choose¡±, she promised. ¡°O-ok!¡±, Max patted his chest, ¡°My heart is ready!¡±, as Mayumi disappeared into a booth with a waiting Lydia, closing the curtains behind them. A minute later, after excessive giggling from within the curtains by the two girls, the long dark pieces of clothe parted to reveal first Lydia¡­ and Max¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Y-y-y-you!¡±, Max yelled, ¡°What are you wearing?!¡± Lydia came out in a two piece fur bikini, the white fur bra struggling against her ample chest, which was emphasized as she tucked her arms under them. ¡°Hmm, this seems kind of tight¡±, Lydia complained, picking at the edges of her bra, to which a few Elven women eyed her in envy. ¡°¡­ Thank god I was born¡­ I-I mean¡±, Max recovered his floating soul rising over his head to plump it back firmly within himself, ¡°Why are you wearing something like that?!¡± ¡°Oh this¡±, Lydia shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t have any Royal Road underwear items¡±. ¡°¡­TOO MUCH INFO!!¡± ¡°Wow¡­ I cannot imagine you as being Gerhard¡¯s grandchild. Too easily ruffled¡±. ¡°Wait¡­¡±, Max had a weird premonition, ¡°Does this mean that¡­¡± Before he could finish his sentence, Mayumi strode out¡­ and struck Max speechless. Contrary to what he was imagining, she was wearing a white fur sarong wrapped around her petite chest that reached just above her knees, her white shoulders bared which contrasted the red flower patterns that were stained unto the cloth. There was a notable increase in his heart rate. ¡°Well what do you think?¡±, Mayumi spun around, ¡°Does it suit me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Heeellooo¡±, she flicked his nose with a fingertip in annoyance, ¡°Virgin-kuuuun?¡± ¡°¡­Beautiful¡±, he uttered subconsciously, ¡°Really beautiful¡­¡± ¡°¡­H-hmph!!¡±, Mayumi turned away from him, ¡°That doesn¡¯t make me happy to hear it from a gopher. Baaaaka !¡±. ¡°Well you asked for my-..¡±, he was replying when Max noticed something strange. The market had gone quiet. The party became alert instantly, however, it was too late. Two scores of Elven archers appeared from the rooftops, with bows drawn and ready to fire, while on the ground level a large warband of Elves with hands resting on slung ornate hand axes and the pommels of sheathed long knives, skilfully surrounded them in total silence, like a pack of wolves. Mayumi''s weapons were left in the booth¡­ Which was now behind the wall of warriors ,however, Lydia had already meekly raised her hands in surrender. Nevertheless, Mayumi didn''t looked like she was going anywhere without a fight, raising her hands instinctively in the fighting forms of unarmed combat, similar to Aikido. But to her surprise, Max stood in front of her, pickaxe in hand, although his body visibly shook in fright at the odds arrayed against them. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. But his hands were steady¡­ Like those of a warrior. Mayumi smiled behind his back, for a moment touched¡­ Before she grabbed the back of his shirt and flung him carelessly into the fruit stand behind her, his yelp of surprise changing into a groan of pain on impact. "No¡­ You shouldn''t worry, anata ~", Mayumi smiled sweetly, "I will protect you instead". "Errr", Lydia scratched the side of her temple, "I think you kind of almost instant killed him¡­" One of the tall Elven warriors broke ranks to stand before them, dressed in rich wolf furs and an intricate gold torc around his neck, clearly a war leader of some sort, Lydia analysed¡­ Due to all the potential loot that could be gained, if he was to be slain¡­ This girl really should have chosen a character class that suited her personality¡­ Like ''Mugger,'' for example. "I trust you have enjoyed your tour of our village?" He spoke politely. "L-look", Lydia spoke hurriedly, "We were really intending to pay for these clothes, you know. I wasn''t EVEN contemplating sneaking a few bits and pieces here in my bag¡­" "I¡­ Er¡­ What?", the Elf replied confused. Mayumi and Max, who managed to shift himself in an upright position from under a pile of crushed fruit, a pulped orange leaking juice down his face from atop his head, both looked at Lydia, like she was some sort of criminal. "Eh?" Lydia asked in astonishment, "We are not being arrested for theft?" "Well¡­ No", The Elf looked baffled, "I was just told to escort you to the Elven Council" "Ohhhh¡­", Lydia laughed in relief, "Hahaha, you should say so in the first place" "But, about those items you mentioned¡­" "Hmm?" She looked innocently back at him, "I have no idea what you are talking about" "¡­ Just come with us", he sighed. When Mayumi and Lydia came out of the booths after changing back to their normal attire, the short samurai went up to Max, who was gingerly picking off bits of fruits from his clothing, standing in front of him¡­ And looked silently at him. Max, noticing the oddness of her behaviour, said, "W-what is it?" "¡­" Not saying a word, she removed the pulped orange from his head, coming so close that Max could smell her flowery scent flooding and overpowering his overexcited senses, before she whispered in his ear, "You¡­ Are really hopeless". "Eh?" Was all he said, before he felt a kiss on his cheek. Somehow, it felt different from all the other times she had done it¡­ Nah, must be his imagination, as she spun away to skip along beside Lydia, acting totally indifferent. ''Yeah'', Max rubbing his cheek faintly, ''Definitely my imagination''. ********************************************************************************************* The party was reunited again, Gerhard, Masumi and William, all escorted by a large amount of warriors, Masumi disgruntled and annoyed that their ''date'' was interrupted by pointless politics but who, upon seeing her twin, smiled and joining hand in hand, began telling each other their day. Even under such inauspicious circumstances, the mood was generally light hearted, if one was to ignore the fact that they were surrounded by over a hundred armed warriors that brought them to a squat unassuming white building. And to everyone¡¯s astonishment as they entered, it turned out that this barely one storey tall modest structure was the center of government for the Shadow Clan, where the Elders stood gathered to greet them. "So", Gerhard initiated politely, noting the tension in the air, "to what do we owe the pleasure of being escorted by armed guards on such a lovely day?¡± "I¡­", Mist looked to her feet guiltily before raising her head to face him, "I am sorry, Sain¨¹r , it is my fault that-¡­" "Silence, daughter", one of the Elder''s spoke up, "I am Taisei, which in your tongue would mean ¡®Great Sage¡¯. However, it would be unwise of me to not inform you right now, that you shouldn¡¯t be here¡± ¡°¡­ meaning?¡±, Max asked before his grandfather could. ¡°That unless my daughter is proven right¡±, Taisei continued gravely, ¡°we may need to slay all of you. My apologies for that¡± ¡°¡­ none takEN! YOU THINK WE WOULD SAY THAT?!¡±, Max voice rose, before Gerhard swatted him in the back of the head. ¡°Please, forgive my grandson¡±, Gerhard apologized, ¡°the young tend to get over excited over minor matters¡±. ¡°Y-you¡­ look a bit young to have a grandson¡±, Taisei rubbed the bridge of his nose in confusion, ¡°Well then again, all you humans look the same to me¡±. ¡°Haha¡±, Gerhard laughed it off, ¡°I married quite young¡±. There was a collective, ¡°Oi, oi, I think that is beside the point here¡±, Mayumi and Lydia exclaimed out loud, startling each other at their exact response¡­ While Masumi was playing with William all this time, not even paying attention to the seriousness of the atmosphere. ¡°I see¡­¡±, Taisei nodded in understanding, ¡°I will need to revise my knowledge of human physiology then¡­¡± ¡°N-no¡±, Max tried to correct him, ¡°I really think your knowledge is fine¡± ¡°Human¡±, Tasei tsked, ¡°We Elves are also a scientific race, and right now before my eyes I have discovered that an Amin can be aged 20-30 and have grandchildren. Clearly, your intellect can¡¯t possibly compare to our centuries of wisdom and applied science¡± ¡°¡­Yup¡±, Max grinned evilly, ¡°This is my GRANDfather all right¡±, placing an arm across the shoulders of Gerhard, ¡°ONLY 20 years old. We humans mature quite fast, yeah Opi ?¡± ¡°Well, of course¡±, Gerhard innocently answered, using the knowledge he had gained from Tolkien¡¯s books, ¡°In comparison to the Elves, we are a very prolific species and that is due to our ability to mature rapidly into adulthood¡±. ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡±, Taisei noting this down in a tome that he had taken out from under his robe. ¡°Ahem¡±, interrupted one of the Elders, ¡°I think we have gotten off track¡±. ¡°Oh? Oooooh¡±, Taisei finally remembered what he was supposed to do, ¡°Well, my daughter here has made some¡­ claims regarding what she saw you doing in one of our sacred sites" "¡­ And I am assuming that somehow this has been brought into discontent by your council?" Gerhard intuited. "¡­ my daughter was right. You are sharp for an Amin ". Gerhard just shrugged, "Former detective with the Vienna Police Force. If I can''t join the few clues before me, then how would I catch criminals?" "Excellent, well", Taisei coughed into his hand, "this will speed things right along", eyeing his daughter in particular, "It has been a long time since anyone was able to commune with our Lady. And when I mean long, we are talking about a few centuries, give or take a decade or two" "What does this have to do with-..", Max interrupted, however, Gerhard lifted a hand to silence him. "It means¡­" Gerhard looking at Taisei steadily, "That for a human to speak to an ELF goddess before any of her own creation¡­ Has ruffled some religious feathers", raising an eyebrow in question, "hasn''t it, Taisei?" "¡­ If you weren''t human, I would offer you an apprenticeship as one of the scholars amongst the Clan", which caused a squawk of protest from the other elders, "I said IF", Taisei continued in annoyance, "By the World Tree, you would think with superior Elven hearing, there would be less misunderstandings!" "I take it there is some way to prevent us all from being executed", Gerhard gently nudged Taisei back on topic. "Oh? Ah yes", Taisei nodded, "There is one way" "And that is¡­?" Taisei announced solemnly, "To unveil and prove that your powers are from Selvaria herself¡­ In the Shadow Clan''s rite of initiation into adulthood", the Elf smiled grimly, "where you must not only survived, but be judged by my entire Clan". ********************************************************************************************* "This", Max grumbled, "is unfair". Their party bar Gerhard, was sitting high up in the canopies of the trees, vast platforms hanging from the branches and connected to one another by elegant bridges, allowing a bird''s eye view of the entire field below them. There was a constant influx of Elves unto these structures, as word had gone around the village of what was transpiring, those patrols that are close by returning early while those further out will no doubt be unable to attend. However, there was no hiding the undercurrent of excitement as all gathered at the crystal wooded railings, leaning down to look at the lone human standing near the entryway of the Clan''s proving grounds. "Well", Lydia shrugged, "Gerhard always loves walking into trouble. A simple, ''No, I am sorry, I don¡¯t like following random strangers who appear out of the woods'', would have saved us a lot of headaches", she smacked her forehead tiredly. Max and the twins both gazed steadily at Lydia until she finally uttered, "W-what?" "Weren''t you the one who was forced to ''return'' all those goods that had mysteriously fallen in your bag?" Max pointed out. "B-but it was an accident!", Lydia cried, "Honestly!" "And the Elven necklace around your neck. Was that an accident too?", Mayumi rubbed the side of her forehead with her fingers, head in hand. "T-that!", Lydia explained hurriedly, "I already told the shop owner that it was his fault for not charging me with all the other goods I bought!" "¡­ You only bought a cheap two copper trinket from him", Masumi stated in a monotone voice, "and almost made off with a necklace valued at five hundred gold¡­" To this, Lydia just looked to the ceiling, gazing in fake wonderment at the leaves as she whistled tunelessly. The essence of innocence¡­ She was not. "¡­ I am never shopping with you again", Mayumi declared in embarrassment. "But nonetheless", Masumi bringing them back to the topic at hand, "I too agree. They are forcing Ange-¡­ Gerhard-sama", blushing as she mentioned his name, "to fight on a battlefield without any knowledge of its peculiarities or of his own choosing". "And anyway", Mayumi piped in, "why do we really need to prove that he is a Sain¨¹r anyway? Can''t he just perform the Tree Song?" Max shrugged his shoulders, "The test is probably to see how he utilizes the power and to determine whether he is worthy of it. Well that is my guess". "Hmph", Mayumi complained, "Can''t we just annihilate the village?", uttering genocide easily in a bored tone of voice... Can someone please complain to her parents about their poor teaching in ethics... Max, his elbow on the railing and resting chin on the palm of his hand, gazed out and rested his eyes on the form of his grandfather who was performing some stretches, thinking for a long moment before replying, "It''s because, if there is a way to avoid violence¡­ My grandfather would set upon that path without regret of the hardship" "Ehhh?", Mayumi exclaimed in surprise, "He sounds almost like a pacifist¡­ But we all know that he is a ferocious fighter" "That''s, well¡­ But when he must act¡­ I guess, the warrior in him will always return to the fore", Max thought with a mixture of pride and uneasiness, "and now I know where he has gotten this¡­ ''Instinct''¡­ On a real battlefield¡­ I feel that he has become someone different to me". Masumi moved to stand next to Max, speaking after collecting her thoughts, "Your grandfather has not changed, Max. He has always been who he is. It''s just that your view of him has changed", turning her head to the side to face him, "Your eyes have been opened, Max, because you now know more about your grandfather than you did before. Does knowing this make you love him less?" "¡­ No¡­ Whatever he was or did¡­ He is still my Opi ". "See", Masumi showed a rare brilliant smile, so unlike her usual deadpan expressions¡­ Well, in front of Max anyway, "You have always known the answer" "¡­ Thanks, Masumi. I think this is the first time you spoke this much to me", he grinned, "I feel much better now." "It''s no problem, Max", Masumi replied, "It''s my duty to know and comfort my future grandson after all" "¡­ I take back what I said¡­ I think it will be torture to have a fourteen year old grandmother¡­" "Oh? But I am seventeen though. Me and Mayumi just choose a younger avatar" "THAT DOESN¡¯T MAKE IT ANY BETTER YOU KNOW?!" Max yelled in exasperation. "Ooooh!", William called out excitedly, "Angel is waving at us!" "Gosh, you are so uncute", Mayumi tutted at Max while standing behind William, "you should act more like William here" "Like twelve?" He retorted. "Didn''t someone say that he was that age a few hours ago?" She prodded his chest painfully. "I, errrr¡­ Oh look! He is waving at us!" trying to forcefully change the subject. And so Gerhard was, after having been told that he will need to begin within the next five minutes, had already prepared himself as much as possible¡­ Which is not considerable due to the lack of information he was given. However, Gerhard just grinned to himself, reminded of all the times he was ordered to do insane things in the army with even less information at hand, and with no other choice but to succeed¡­ As failure would have ended in death. At a nod from one of his ¡®caretakers¡¯, Gerhard made sure his sword was secured in his sheathe before looking up to gaze determinedly ahead¡­ And began walking into the maze. ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Kore wa Koi S2 E04: Aint Nothing But a Hound Dog Taisei watched the Amin, Gerhard, entered the maze without hesitation, no sign of fear or ill ease, his calm strides betraying no sign of a man about to face trials that even young Elves are hard pressed to survive. One could simply assume that it is because of the human''s lack of understanding of the dangers he will soon face or because of the characteristics of his race with their famed inherent ignorance and arrogance once again manifesting itself as they have often shown themselves to the Elves over the millennia. And yet Taisei detected none of this from Gerhard, only¡­ an aura of one who is about to greet an old friend. Of going to war. The human that his daughter brought back did not behaved like any of the others of his kind were wont to do, only showing proper decorum and respect at all times when even Taisei admitted that the Elves of the Shadow clan are in the wrong for bringing in guests¡­ only to threaten them with death. Although it was the rogue actions of his daughter, this still affects the Clan''s reputation as a whole, however for the Amin, Gerhard¡­ there seemed to be a well of actual understanding lying behind those clear blue eyes of his. Not the false world weariness of youths often filled with unjustified cynicism, spouting lines of ''hard earnt'' wisdom¡­ no, it was the weight of Gerhard''s words, hammered and laced with experience, as though Taisei was speaking to a Wise Sage from another Elven clan, burdened by the long passage of time. And it was unnerving to feel that Taisei¡­ was forgiven. "Father?", Mist called out, "Are you alright?" "Hmm?", Taisei answered in a daze. "¡­ you have been gazing at the same spot where the Sain¨¹r last stood for the last few minutes, father" "I wonder¡­ do you think what we have done is wrong, my child?" "¡­ isn''t it too late for regrets, father?" Taisei gave an audible sigh, "I know your views on this, so I don¡¯t need a subtle reprimand from you, my daughter. Bitterness is unbecoming of your beauty" "We have just sent our first Sain¨¹r in nearly a thousand years to face a trial of almost certain death because he is unschooled in the ways of our Clan. Skills that were taught to our brethren since BIRTH in preparation for their rite to adulthood. No, I am not bitter father¡­ I am furious" "¡­ if he really is Sain¨¹r, then this is a good opportunity to test his courage, cunning, intelligence¡­ and most of all, his affinity with nature, the core of the Selvari " "But-.." "I know you feel responsible for this¡­ but listen well, my child", Taisei turned to face his daughter, "do you really think that the Amin whom you truly believe is a Sain¨¹r, would be so easily defeated in a child''s rite of passage?" "¡­ all I know is one thing father¡­ that I was forced to betray him" "This", Taisei grimaced, "is only a portion of what the humans have done to us over the long millennia. And he accepted this task willingly" "Only when there are no other options left!" "He had a choice", Taisei looked at her wearily, "he choose life". Meanwhile on the opposite side of the field, on the platform where Gerhard''s party had made it their own semi-private observation deck, Max suddenly slapped himself repeatedly on the top of his head which was followed by a low groan as though he finally realised something. Everyone looked at him, the definition of ''weirdo'' and ''creep'' clearly expressed on their faces¡­ even from his own friends. Except from William of course¡­ the young are still innocent after all. "W-what is it, Max?", Lydia asked warily... eyeing him like he was a serial stalker about to level up into kidnapping an unrequited love. "You guys¡­", Max looked to each of his supposed ''friends'' in turn, "did anyone give my grandfather any health potions¡­?" "¡­" "¡­" "¡­" "No¡­ more to the point", Max continued into the stunned silence of the girls, "Does he know what they actually do, if he even finds some?" ********************************************************************************************* INTRO SONG: Trust Me ********************************************************************************************* Past the entry way of the proving grounds, Gerhard was greeted to a view that was surreal in the heart of the Elven woodlands. The almost flat grassy field spread out before him, and as he soon discovered, patches of the plains were shrouded in an almost unbroken blanket of a variety of flowers in varying stages of bloom that were growing at just about below chest height. In the middle of all this however, stood his objective, a lone towering hill rising out in the middle of the grasslands. The field was criss-crossed with what appeared to be deep furrows and Gerhard''s first immediate instinct was to dive down into a prone position in amongst the flora, crawling on his belly until he came within finger touching distance on the lip of one of the trenches. And as it turned out, this was what the furrows were; manmade trenches. ''Interesting'', Gerhard thought as he examined the surrounding area and tried to determined why, as a rite of passage for the Elves, was such open terrain used which goes counter to all that the Selvari specialised in. And that was warfare in amongst the forest. However he had an epiphany¡­ what better way for Elven warriors to prove themselves that they are ready to face the barbaric human filled world, than by devoiding the Selvari of the one thing that gave them an overwhelming strategic edge in combat. And that was cover. Having understood this, Gerhard became quite impressed with those who came up with this particular ''exam'', as he saw this. When he was in the Heer , Gerhard devised training schemes in which his men had only a quarter of their ammunition, unknown enemy strength numbers and told that he, as their commanding officer, was ''killed in action''. This was to examine if his men had the motivation, initiative and capabilities to complete the mission¡­ as well as keeping many of themselves alive as possible, otherwise the whole exercise was moot. Thankfully Gerhard never did get to test out what would have happened if he was ''killed in action'', however there had been countless times that he or his men were cut off from one another and had to rely on their training to survive. He was very strict in instructing his men¡­ but because of this, many were able to eventually grow old and play with grandkids of their own. The trench seemed like a logical choice to travel across this open field however this didn''t mean that travelling by using the trenches was a viable option. Gerhard scanned along the inner walls and the muddy bottom cursorily, his keen eye and instinct having kept him alive and hunt down murderers from the time when both was honed by the madness of the battlefield and his subsequent career in the Austrian police force, the hard earnt skills reawakened due to him being immersed in this incredibly realistic VRMMORPG for such a prolonged period of time. Finally he noticed some peculiarities that were so unremarkable but nevertheless felt so out of place in this trench, that Gerhard almost raise an eyebrow in consternation. From what he could see, Gerhard noticed pieces of flat stones scattered in what seemed like random intervals on the bottom of this trench system, but in actual fact were grouped quite tightly together from which only the brown moist dirt separated one patch from another. What caught his eye though was the fact that some sections of the dirt patches looked slightly disturbed and, crawling along the lip of the trench carefully while gazing down, Gerhard almost whistled lowly in appreciation. ''Very clever these Elves'', he praised them internally as Gerhard noticed the ''traps'' and how each one is different from the other and yet from one trap to another they all took into account of what a potential victim would do to avoid them and their makers had planned ahead. One such trap was actually a combination of three working in tandem, where if one were to take a running leap to avoid the area of disturbed dirt, he would never detect the thin fine line that was almost invisible to the naked eye at the perceived landing point, nor if he did noticed and just landed before it on one of the flat stones¡­ Gerhard threw a small rock the size of his palm which landed on the stone. Immediately the suspicious dirt patch exploded and a dozen long spears emerged¡­ points angled and facing the imaginary back of it''s would be unsuspecting imaginary victim. Gerhard first realised that the stone was far too large in comparison to the others at the bottom, that the victim was meant to notice the dirt patch and if the thin line was avoided, the victim would have landed on the flat rock to trigger the trap anyway. But that wasn''t all¡­ Gerhard then pulled out his sword silently and slid carefully into the trench, beside the jutting spears. He then proceeded to hack one of the bottoms of the spears off to free it and sheathing his sword, he used the sharp point of the spear to lightly massage the area before the jutting spears, touching more areas of the suspicious dirt patch. And once again, spears violently pierced upwards towards the sky, almost wrenching the spear from Gerhard''s hand although it nearly broke his wrist. With a grimace, he looked at the thin almost invisible string on the other end of the trench and sighed, thinking that confirmation is better than just speculating and used his spear tip to land on top of the line. To his surprise nothing happened¡­ until he smelt gas. Like a man being chased by the entire Russian Army, (which is quite unpleasant, trust Gerhard''s experience on this), he clambered ungracefully out of the trench in a hurry, almost losing his foot as the entire section of that particular trench erupted into flames as Gerhard rolled forward and away from the inferno. However in a matter of seconds, the flames died out and Gerhard could only thank luck that there was a draft which blew the smell towards and alerted him. But now he faced another problem, the fact that the ball of flame would have alerted anyone unsavoury towards his position. Clutching his newly acquired spear close towards his chest, Gerhard knew it was only a matter of moments until he was discovered and quickly but quietly, leopard crawled himself deeper into the flora away from the trench until he felt safe and covered enough by the vegetation. The next thing he did though was to make sure he had visual coverage of the trench to identify any pursuers. What he saw next almost made him gasped in astonishment. ********************************************************************************************* The actions of Gerhard brought a low murmur of approval by many of the watching Elven audience, high above and secluded from below with magical optical illusions to appear like formless clouds in the sky, although his inexplicable actions caused the members of Gerhard''s party to they look to one another in bafflement. Before Masumi could speak out loud the unspoken questions burning in their minds, a shadowy figure seemingly materialised right next to her to provide the sought for answer. "He thinks like an elf", Mist said with a slight curve of her lip, which looked suspiciously like a smile. "K-kuh!", Masumi glared at, what her feminine instincts warned her was a supposed love ''rival'', before Mayumi asked. "What do you mean by that?" "Exactly as I meant", Mist explained, her face becoming unreadable, "all his current actions proved that he is cautious, inquisitive, suspicious and most of all, brave enough to verify a threat with his life. Traits", Mist eyed each of them in turn, "which the Selvari foster in their young warriors." "Well", Max snorted, "forcing my grandfather into this stupid game of yours will at least prevent genocide from happening here." Mist''s face became slightly confused as her emotionless mask broke, "But Gerhard doesn''t seem to be the unreasonable type?" "¡­ You are worried about the wrong person", as he tilted his head slightly towards Masumi, who had a murderous aura with what seemed to be a dragon appearing behind her back. Must be a trick of the eye¡­ must be. "Er¡­ quite", as Mist replied in bafflement. However their group soon became aware that there was a strange tension slowly filling the air and all abruptly fell silent as they turned to gaze down at what Gerhard was observing. Figures were converging on the position from where he had set those traps off, but they were moving oddly, almost in complete coordination without any form of signals to one another. They seemed to lack¡­ individuality. Lorelei whispered to Max, "Eh? Those people look kinda strange. They look like you Max¡­ but not." "I don¡¯t know what they are too", Max replied out loud as he finally noticed a disturbing thing. They had no shadows. "They are the Aerytir Guard", Mist answered solemnly, "Majority of whom are human souls enslaved by the forest when their physical forms perished here." "That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s inhumane!", Lydia for once roused into some form of empathy for these spirits even though they were NPCs. Working without being paid is a crime in her mind¡­ "If you hadn''t noticed, we are not human", Mist replied bluntly, "Besides, they were all former invaders anyway. We just use their spirits to simulate the foes that the Selvari will be forced to fight in the coming future." However the party was used to dealing with monsters of various kinds in the game, so they quickly regained their composure¡­ all except for Mayumi when she saw the oddity amongst the oddness. When she caught sight of the towering figure leading the Aerytir Guard, it''s single eye on its forehead blinking up once towards the observation deck before moving on, Mayumi paled before nearly collapsing, Masumi quickly hugging her sister from behind after noticing the figure too. "Shhh, neechan its'' ok", trying to quell Mayumi''s trembling, "its'' ok, its'' ok", she repeated tenderly. All Mayumi did was whimpered softly before her body disappeared, apparently having logged out of the game. Max and Lydia stood stunned, while William could only tug on her sleeve and asked, "Where did strong lady go?" "Eh? What was that?", Lydia stated in worried confusion. "O-oi! Masumi! What happened to her?!", Max asked anxiously, "Why did she suddenly-" "Don''t get involve in our business, Max", she bluntly interrupted. "How can I not?! I never thought that red ''Demon'' could get so terrified!" The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "Max¡­ ask one more time", Masumi whispered silently, her mere words so sharp as though a knife was cutting the air, "and you will regret it ever leaving your mouth." Max gulped reflexively, for the first time aware that probably, maybe Mayumi was the wrong person to be scared of. He could never imagine that the usually docile twin would harbour such a personality that reeks of controlled violence just waiting to be unleashed. The stance that Masumi had unconsciously assumed looked like she was ready to separate his head from his shoulders as her hand started drifting towards her sword. Finally it was William who innocently broke the tension, "I think Angel is in trouble." ********************************************************************************************* ''This is not good'', Gerhard rolled aside as his position was impossibly quickly discovered, the blade of the halberd hammering into the ground where he was before, narrowly missing cleaving him in two. Even rolling out of the way, he was in the state of mind to quickly thrust with the spear, managing to impale the Aerytir Guard in the neck in a stroke of good fortune.
Critical Hit!
The system message was unnerving but Gerhard had gotten use to it a long time ago as he continued to twist the spear in the struggling creature''s throat. For that is what Gerhard now viewed these ''things''¡­ a parody of what it meant to be human which for some reason seemed to anger him on the more personal level. The fact that he hadn''t started ''drifting'', as he now calls his frequent trips to a past filled madness and back, meant that he had full access to his mental faculties because the threat before him couldn''t be classed as living. Gerhard was fighting a spirit in physical form. As the creature lay dying with the spear stuck in its throat, Gerhard stood and quickly drew his sword as another one of those things appeared suddenly behind him. Swaying to the side to avoid an axe stroke Gerhard then spun around and used the momentum to have his sword edge biting deep into its neck, the head parting and falling to the ground as the body remained standing twitching for a moment as though unable to believe it was dead before it finally toppled to its knees.
Critical Hit!
''Well that is a given isn''t it'', he thought wryly at that system message when without warning, Gerhard received a notification icon on the corner of his eye that indicated that someone was trying to ''whisper'' to him. The only two people who he had listed as friends¡­ immediately Gerhard responded, "Accept." - "Opi ! I am glad I can reach you even though it looked like another form of dungeon down there. Anyway¡­ Get out of there!", came Max''s urgent voice. - "Max. Explain in ten words or less. NOW!" -"Mist right next to me explained that the one''s that attacked you are called Aerytir Guard and they are led by something called a Seeker, their leader, a Cyclops kind of thing, a relic from the beginning of time or something like that. He can hunt you down using sight and sound while coordinating the others through mental telepathy. Did I forget to mention he is an ''insane'', ''nightmarish'', ''god mode'' level of tracker?", Max finished in a rush. -"¡­That is over ten words. I get the general idea though". -"Huh? What are you going to do grandfather?" -"What else? Kill the Seeker. Direct me towards him since you have an overhead view of the situation." -"Eh?... Isn''t that cheating?", Max looked around furtively to see that no other elves were overhearing their conversation. For Mist''s part, she was just nonchalantly whistling. As far as she was concerned, Gerhard receiving such vital help will offset the guilt she feels from having to force him to endure this farce in the first place. -"¡­ Seriously? Is this somehow one of your gamer logic again?", Gerhard replied confused. He had never considered that military intelligence was cheating, only a necessity to survive. He didn¡¯t even view this as a game, but an actual life and death struggle. Masumi and Mist both elbowed Max in the stomach. All Gerhard heard on the other end of the ''chat'' was a gurgle before he heard his grandson''s strained voice. -"Opi , turn 30 degrees to your right and start running." -"Verstanden", bending over and running so that his head and upper chest were no longer visible. -"Take a sharp left for 30 metres then turn back to your original heading." Gerhard instantly did as he was told as Max continued to guide his grandfather away from the other Aerytir Guard closing in on him, slipping past the net that was being set. After a few more detours, the words that he wanted to hear were announced in his ears. -"At the current pace you are going, you will reach him in thirty seconds." Racing through the grass field, his sword in the rest position behind him, Gerhard practically sprinted, still haven¡¯t caught sight of his target but still trusting his grandson all the same. By all rights he should have seen the Seeker already however the reason soon became apparent. The long grass parted and immediately a trench yawned out horizontally across him, the one eyed creature, its lax facial features gazing upwards with no expression whatsoever. It didn¡¯t even register a shock as Gerhard, flying through the air, slammed his sword point into its single eye and his knees shattering the Cyclop''s chest with such force that they both tumbled end over end till the rough walls of the trench painfully halted their momentum. Spitting dirt from his mouth Gerhard heard Max congratulating him. -"Good work Opi! The elves around us are totally slacked jaw at your supposed ''divine'' like hunting instinct! Haha, they say it''s even beyond the level of their top trackers." For some reason, Gerhard felt that Max was doing a :3 expression on the other end of the ''chat''. -"What are the other Aerytir Guard doing?" -"The ones that were chasing you are just standing there unmoving¡­ but I think you are about to enter the range of another Seeker, because some of his Aerytir Guard are drifting closer to you." -"Verstanden, I will be going into radio silence once I head out back into the field just so that they can''t hear me", as Gerhard hurriedly tore thin strips from the clothing of the dead Cyclops he pilfered from, tucking some small glass bottles with various coloured liquids he also found into his pockets, ''Looked important'' as he continued, "just tell me where the other Seekers are in relation to that hill and their possible range." -"Yes, grandfather. But what will you do now?" -"Time to use some old tricks from the Eastern front", he sighed in melancholy as he then cut some of the surrounding grass. -"Opi! You have got to move now! The Seeker is getting closer. Mist said he will soon catch your visual life force trail, whatever that means." -"I am done. I will go into radio silence. Remember Max, just their position in relation to that hill", as he slipped ghostlike into the tall grass. Gerhard, for all intents and purposes to the watching audience, vanished. ********************************************************************************************* A wooden door opened and a tall powerfully built man was guided in by a servant, his uniformed figure settling heavily into a chair pulled by one of his following retainers as all eyes from the other seated figures that occupied the length of the table turned to the head of it where this obviously influential man was eyeing the others with disdain. "Duke Kanus", said a man opposite him from the other end of the long bench, "glad you can finally grace us with your presence", which he ended caustically. "Shut it Count Albrook", Duke Kanus replied in contempt, "a merchant like you have no right to question when and IF I choose to attend". "Now now", one of the seated gentlemen, a heavily aged man in his seventies interrupted, "let''s not bring our old enmities into this emerging problem we are facing. After all", the old man eyed cannily back and forth between the two current rival powers of the Rosenheim kingdom, "you wouldn''t want a third faction returning from obscurity whilst you both bicker blindingly". "Tch", Duke Kanus expressed his annoyance, "that bloody old codger just doesn¡¯t know when to give up, does he?" "I thought he was finally collared and left to forcefully retire out in the middle of nowhere, but it seems your old master, Ernst Rommer, has other plans", Count Albrook chuckled spitefully at the Duke. The room seemed to be filled with suffocating murderous tension as Duke Kanus nearly stood up and drew his sword in rage before one of his retainers, a cousin, grasped the Duke''s arm gently to calm his master. The blood madness disappeared from his eyes as Kanus forcefully sat down on the chair and spat out, "he is NOT my master. I OWN the army now! Not HIM!" "But he never made you the heir of Military Affairs, now did he", the Count continued, wilfully oblivious to the tension before, "You stripped him of that position and had him reassigned to a backwater region by claiming and petitioning to the King that the wily old Eagle is too aged and infirmed to continue to command the army." "Hmph", the Duke grunted, "which is only the truth." "Sure, if you weren''t also an ambitious snake." "I take that as a compliment, MERCHANT since after all", Duke Kanus pointed with a thumb towards the heraldry on his tabard which had a snake entwined around a rose, "the Serpent Clan is the true lords and guardians of the Kingdom." "I only allied with you to get rid of him because I can now use other "paths" across our now security lax borders so I can trade and avoid the King''s Customs", Albrook sniffed in annoyance as he steepled his fingers together, "and you also said that he will soon be met with an unfortunate ''accident''." "Ha! With the way the border was deteriorating in the east, and the lack of reinforcements from us at Central Command, he would have been buried alive by your hired thugs", Duke Kanus replied knowingly, "after all, only YOU could have arranged it so that the Orcs and brigands could cooperate together, armed, supplied and organised deep within our borders." "I have no idea what you are referring to", Albrook replied with a look of pretend innocence, "what''s this about invaders?" "Huh, this is why I hate you scheming snivelling cowardly merchants." "Better than the fool who claimed the majority of our army was preoccupied with the rescue expedition, when in fact only 200 men were mobilised and the rest were made up of Foreign Mercenaries to deal with that pitiful ''threat'' at Baran village." "Well it is hard to get the old man killed if he receives reinforcements, now won''t it?" Albrook sighed, "You and I know the main reason is because it would be next to impossible to get those men back", the Count eyed him accusingly, "because the majority of the army is still loyal to him. With the appointment of an heir, this one Gerhard von Natzmer", Albrook glanced briefly at the report on the table, "it can be said that the old Eagle is grooming him to eventually take command as head of the army." "SHUT UP!", Duke Kanus roared back, "THE ARMY BELONGS TO ME! ME! NOT THAT WASHED UP OLD CRIPPLED EAGLE-" "Calm yourself Lord", the old gentleman from before spoke up, "and you too Count Albrook, stop baiting the Duke. This meeting is to address the issue at hand, not to practice your verbal abuses at one another." The two Lords just glared at each other from opposite ends of the table as the old man continued, "Might I offer a suggestion?" "Speak then" "Lets hear it", they replied grudgingly. "We should just officially execute Ernst Rommer." This idea immediately piqued the interest of the Duke and Count as they both turned to look at him. "And how can this be done? Like Albrook said¡­ I cannot actually rely on the army to apprehend the Eagle let alone restrain them from preventing his execution." "Exactly, and I don¡¯t see how we can convince the King that Ernst Rommer is a viable threat to the Crown. He is practically powerless." "That is not exactly true", the old man replied mysteriously. "Well out with it, Edward. Don¡¯t keep us in suspense", Duke Kanus demanded in annoyance. "We shall declare him as a traitor." The length and breadth of the table erupted in consternation as the other lords interjected and declared this declaration as foolhardy however both Kanus and Albrook maintained a look of interest before Edward raised both his old arms to get some silence to continue. When it came, he forged ahead, "We have all the ingredients necessary to implicate him as a traitor already", Edward nearly smirked, "Ernst has been demanding time and time again for reinforcements in response to a ''threat'' emerging in the East. Towns and villages are raided, the King''s Road is dangerous and tax officials are unable to get to the east. I could¡­ put forth to the King that Ernst is actually planning a rebellion, that there really is no threat in the East. The destroyed towns and villages are only on the outlying fringes of his territory as ''evidence'' of a ''threat'' and the King''s Road is actually being raided by his own men; with his desire for reinforcements actually a ploy to gather an army to use against the crown. The king will have to deem this as true¡­ as he too knows that the army is still loyal to Ernst. Of course we can''t use the army to capture him and without their backing, we will probably be forced to rely on the Foreign Mercenaries to bring Ernst to the capital, funded by our esteemed Count naturally, and where Ernst will in all likelihood be tortured then executed", Edward cooed happily. There was a stunned silence at the table before Duke Kanus started clapping slowly, "And of course the King will believe you." "After all", Count Albrook chuckled, "the King will never suspect your patriotism is actually a deep hatred for your brother." Edward Rommer just gave a serene elderly smile. ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Kore wa Koi S2 E05: More than Words The twins were kneeling in perfect seiza, the folds of their kimonos gracefully spread out on the polished wooden floor of the main house of their clan, and in front of them their father was also sitting comfortably in seiza, his sharp gaze upon his two daughters. He looked to all the world like a traditional patriarch, his short cropped hair and highly defined face bearing no resemblance to his own children with his nearly jet black kimono barely concealing the lithe powerful figure underneath, a sharp contrast to the lively colours and slim forms of the girls whom both had their heads bowed down slightly in deferential respect. The wooden sliding doors were opened, with sakura petals drifting into the room causing the scene to seem surreal¡­ and hence the actions that would later arise from all the participating ¡®actors¡¯ would then also prove to be unexplainable. The two girls were highly disciplined and did not fidget or waver under the scrutiny of their father however, the serene-like silence seemed to have been prolonged for an almost unbearable amount of time, to the extent that it was nearly an hour before finally, Mayumi, ever braver of the two, decided to speak out first. "Chichiwei¡±, she asked respectfully, ¡°we have answered your summons¡±. There was a long pause before a gravelly voice was heard in response, ¡°That you both have. I have heard from your sword instructors that you are now capable of duelling and besting even adults now. Masumi on the other hand seems to be struggling¡­¡± ¡°That is not true father¡±, Mayumi dangerously interrupted, ¡°Masumi just find it difficult to understand the concepts of what the instructors are saying, she learns more by just doing it, father¡± ¡°Nee-san, I can answer for myself¡±, Masumi pouted in annoyance. ¡°Is this true, Masumi?¡±, her father asked as he focused his gaze solely upon her. Gingerly tweedling her thumbs, she replied, ¡°Yes and no, chichiwei. When the honourable instructors speaks, it is as though the words fly over my head, but even when it comes to sword practice, it is still hard.¡± ¡°¡­I see¡­¡± ¡°Masumi, don¡¯t be so modest. You diligently practice your sword swings an hour early before anyone even rise awake.¡± ¡°Eh?¡±, Masumi blushed in embarrassment, ¡°How do you know about that nee-san¡± ¡°Fufu, I know everything about my sister¡± There was a slight cough, and both girls immediately gave their undivided attention to their father who had rested his chin on his hand, deep in contemplation. Nodding to himself, he then settled his eyes on his daughters. ¡°It is time for me to appoint an heir¡±, the words leaving his mouth like a peal of the end. ¡°In that case chichiwei, Masumi would-¡° ¡°You will be the next head of this house, Mayumi¡±, her father declared, like a final verdict given to a prisoner facing life imprisonment. The twins looked bewildered at their father, Mayumi opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish while Masumi just looked resigned and bowed her head in acquiescent . ¡°You will officially be appointed the Head of the clan at the next family gathering where you will also defeat the other Head¡¯s of the branch families to prove your worthiness¡±, he continued bluntly, ¡°and once you have done so, I will be withdrawing you from school so that you may focus solely on swordsmanship.¡± Seeing only the stunned looks of his daughters and accepting it as acknowledgement of his will, he stood up to leave when he heard a soft voice from behind him. ¡°¡­-top. Stop chichiwei¡±, Mayumi called softly to the large back of her father. ¡°¡­What is it Mayumi? I have other business to attend to with the branch families¡± ¡°Otousan¡±, calling her father like how she used to before they were old enough to be consumed by Samurai tradition, ¡°We never heard anything about leaving school when one of us became the heir¡± ¡°¡­Of course not. I was the one who suggested it¡±, he turned to eye his daughter cooly, ¡°you are a prodigy that appears once every hundred years within the Clan. In comparison to the boredom of everyday life, you will be given the chance to hone your sword skills to perfection, the dream of every aspiring samurai. Be glad for it daughter" ¡°¡­But I am not¡­¡±, Mayumi replied almost in a whisper. ¡°¡­Did you say something, daughter?¡± ¡°I AM NOT HAPPY! BAKA TOUSAN!¡±, she yelled tearfully as she stood up suddenly to face the man that had raised her, clothed her, taught her everything she had ever knew. Masumi could only ogled at the audacity of her sister for being defiant at their father for the first time in either of their living memory, and for a moment, even he looked confused before his face assumed a coldness so severe that the twins nearly froze out of fear. ¡°What are you not happy about, Mayumi?¡±, his words edged with killing intent. ¡°This is not OUR happiness, otousan!¡± ¡°Being a samurai IS everything!¡± ¡°The days of Samurai changing the fate of the nation is over, tousan! Masumi and I only want to play, go to school and make friends! Not this eternal preparation for a life of war with no battlefield!¡± ¡°Silence! You WILL obey me!¡± ¡°Why won¡¯t you let us be normal girls¡­. otousan?¡± ¡°This discussion is over¡±, before turning to walk away, afraid that he might strike his own daughters in anger. But it wasn¡¯t to end there¡­ He heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed and turning, he saw that Mayumi had taken one of the katanas down from the wall, pointing the long blade in her small petite hands towards her father. He was so shocked, that for the first time, words failed him. ¡°The Head of the Clan is always the strongest one, isn¡¯t that right, tousan¡±, her eyes looking unnaturally sharp at him, ¡°I will be taking that position from you today¡­ and save Masumi and myself¡± ********************************************************************************************* INTRO SONG: Trust Me ********************************************************************************************* Clang! Clang! The sound of busy industry echoed throughout the stronghold village of Basterni outside his window as Ernst Rommer gave orders after orders to his subordinates tiredly from his desk, his men gazing upon him in worry since the old man hadn¡¯t been taking proper rest for the past few days. The reason was quite simple, one of his hidden ''birds'' informed him of some news about a certain family member that he didn¡¯t want to condone or believingly accept. When the agent gave a list of who attended the secret meeting with his brother and the details that were discussed, Ernst realised he can no longer afford to be na?ve nor play ignorant to the actions of his own brother¡­ however it was tearing apart his weary heart. Old words from long ago seemed to drift into his mind, he can only look back to his childhood memories in nostalgia and longing, both of them being terrible rascals to the general public, always arguing with each other but were quick to jump to one another''s aid whenever either one was in trouble. Like a movie reel inside his head: "Damnit! Father really has lost it. Looks like we are being sent to the army", Edward grinned at him, their previous mischievous prank finally caused their Lord father to blow up in exasperation, belting both boys black and blue. The reason¡­ they managed to bluff and stole an ENTIRE infantry regiment of 500 men to go monster hunting with them. And another: Edward nodded sagely to himself, "Ok, here is the plan, I will go ''harass'' that girl and be an utter moron just for you, so swoop in and rescue the damsel in distress, like the prince charming that you are". "¡­ how come the ratio of gorgeous girls in these plans when I am the villain leans towards you to an astonishing degree" Edward shrugged innocently, "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder?" And another as they grew older: "¡­So how did this happen?", Ernst sighed in annoyance. "How would I know that she was the Colonel''s daughter", Edward shrugged nonchalantly¡­ although that was quite hard considering both men were tied hanging upside down from a tree by their ankles. A grizzled and heavily muscled Centurion grinned quite pleasantly at the both of them, "So who would like their beatings first? I promise not to be gentle to either of you young strapping officers" Edward waved his hand cheerily towards the Centurion, "I volunteer! Also I will accept my brother''s share too. I forcefully dragged him into this so he didn¡¯t know what I was intending to do. Also I apologise for not visiting your whore of a mother like I promised to last week, my schedule with women was intense that time", cussing the officer in the hope that he would be beaten more so that the Centurion would be too tired to hurt his brother. "No! I volunteer! Centurion! Your mother may be an ugly whore whom I would try to bed because I wanted to say that¡­ I am your father!", Ernst realising his brother''s plan, interrupted. The Centurion could only shake his head, "Your bonds of brotherhood is just too beautiful, makes me almost want to stop the punishment¡­nah", cracking his knuckles, "just so you both know my mother IS a whore and I have quite a complex about that. So much so that I tend to tenderise ''meat'' somehow conveniently hanging upside down swaying from a tree" "Oh¡­ I am sorry your mother is a whore?" "Haaa¡­ you just can''t shut up, can you Edward", Ernst sighed in exasperation. "Like you''re the one to talk!" And finally one of them both as older veteran officers: "Huh? Don¡¯t say stupid things Ernst, we will both live through this!", Edward snarled as he stood over Ernst who was lying crippled on the ground, his leg almost severed having stepped in to take the blow meant for his dear brother. "EDWARD don''t be a fool and get out! There is too many of them! We will soon be overrun!", Ernst pleaded desperately. "SCREW OFF! THERE IS NO MAN IN THIS WORLD WHO WOULD LEAVE BEHIND HIS OWN BROTHER!", as Edward went berserk and tore the throat of one enemy with his bare teeth who was lunging a sword toward Ernst. ¡­.. ''Where did we go wrong?'', Ernst thought sadly to himself. ''I can no longer look at that resolute back that stood in front of me anymore'' ''Was it when I inherited father''s will and gained his fief?'' "Sire?", a voice interrupted his thoughts as Ernst gaze refocused to the present. "¡­ Apologies, matters of old age tend to make me distracted. What is it?" "It''s about the new training regime of Centurion Natzmer. Although I can understand that we can become more flexible with our swordsmen also training to use the bow, and our bowmen learning how to use the sword but is there a necessity for the young orphans that he brought back to do the same?", one of his subordinates questioned. "It is not only that is it? I heard they are also learning to treat wounds and playing with some homemade drums", Ernst glad for the distraction from old memories, "I have an idea as to what he is planning however that seems to involve incredible foresight". "Is that so sire?", the urge to tilt his head in confusion was overwhelming. "Well we shall see once he returns from his outing", Ernst grumbled, "has there been no words from our scouts yet about his whereabouts?" "None milord" "Haaa¡­ where are you lad?", Ernst grumbled worriedly. ********************************************************************************************* WarWalker arched his brows in appreciation as he watched Gerhard drift in and out of the few cover available within the mazelike proving grounds, seemingly avoiding the patrols of the Aerytir Guard with incredible precision before homing in on the Seeker, dispatching one of them after another and causing the patrolling Aerytir Guard to fall into complete disorder and chaos. Leaderless, they soon start to drift aimlessly and in some cases where their residual personalities were originally quite strong, they soon began to claw at one another in fury. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. What strike WarWalker in somewhat amazement, is that it appeared that Gerhard was also trying to avoid the eyes of the audience from above, something no other Selvari would even consider as necessary because all their enemies were on ground level. Therefore only a few of the more keen-eyed of the Elves could follow and trace the movements of this enigma of a human that was showing outstanding skills in tracking down and destroying the Seekers, only appearing suddenly to slay the creatures instantly before drifting back into cover. Well if WarWalker knew that Gerhard had spent several years trying to avoid getting strafed by Russian war planes with weapons that can punch holes through vehicles and tanks, anyone would develop caution from the potential eyes from the sky. A fragrant smell of a summer forest suddenly drifted close and he only nodded his head slightly in greeting to Mist as she stood next to him, a cool smile appearing on her face as she asked, "Your thoughts?" WarWalker stood there silently for a few moments, before grudgingly admitting, "He is good" - translation service offered by Mist - <"He is better than any other Selvari youth, no he would even rival myself in war skills"> "¡­Although we have been friends for a long time, this is the first time I have heard honest praise from you for anyone" "He is like a born warrior" - translation service offered by Mist - <"His skills are like those of someone born to war, no wasted movements, and extremely cautious but daring when needed to take action when necessary"> "¡­I sense a ''but'' though" "His blood thirst¡­ is strong", - translation service offered by Mist - <"He is too used to killing, I can feel an undercurrent of strong violence roiling underneath his exterior. It seems that on occasion he lets it out on his enemies but I worry that the self imposed chains he bind himself with would one day slip completely off"> Her eyes subtly took on the expression of worry as she asked, "Do you think he will succeed in this trial? I really do not want to turn my sword against him" "Of course he will fail, after all he is just a filthy Amin", a voice interrupted them. Mist just glared at Ellemon briefly before turning away and refusing to acknowledge him with words. "¡­Ellemon", - translation service offered by Mist - <"What the hell do you want asshole? Coming here to poison my air with your breathing, why don¡¯t you just die, is that too much to ask? Strutting here like a peacock when you failed the same test twice. This is what happens when arrogance doesn¡¯t match with talent, jealous of a human who can more than likely kick your own ass six ways out of the forest? Is daddy''s boy been chased away to look for friends? Buhuhuhu there there now don''t cry you friendless bitch. I am sure the rocks would appreciate your company, no wait please don¡¯t, I do not want to deal with multiple suicides from inanimate objects tired of non-living because of you. By the goddess, you better not try to disgustingly flirt with me again"¡­. Ok so more than likely this is Mist''s true thoughts> Ellemon returned a haughty look before continuing, "And not only that, he doesn¡¯t seem to be showing any signs of the power you claim that he possesses. After all Selvaria would never grant her gifts to outsiders" "You should never underestimate anybody", unable to hold her silence, Mist replied in annoyance, "He is truly the Sain¨¹r , as he is proving himself now to all eyes of the clan" "Yes, but the most important issue is whether his ''powers'' will actually manifest themselves", Ellemon grinned almost wickedly, "All he is doing is fooling around with apparitions and playing hide and seek with the Seekers". WarWalker snorted, - translation service offered by Mist - <"You have keen Elven eyes and yet you do not see. It is true then, that those without intellect, are blind to those that do have it"> "¡­Somehow I feel I was just massively insulted, Tel''s''v?r?" "¡­Your imagination, Councillor", - translation service offered by Mist - <"Talking just this much to you is draining on my soul. Mist he came here to flirt with you, please take him away before I do something commendable by throwing him over the railings"> Mist, who is perhaps his closest friend and the only one who seemed to understand this Elf of few words, had her eyes almost twinkled in anticipation, like a little girl hoping for such a goddess sent gift. As the three of them were distracted due to their ''supposed'' conversation, a low murmur spread out amongst the Elven audience which brought their attention back to the situation that was currently unfolding on the field. "Oh¡­ he is finally going to meet with the Overlord of the Seekers", Ellemon chuckled, "This trial would have required cooperation with several youths to overcome this monster of monsters" Down there, blocking the sole exit from the proving grounds, a creature sat cross-legged that bear the same semblance as a Seeker except that this monster stood head and shoulders taller and wore intricate leaf scale armour. A giant broadsword as tall as him lay across his lap as his single eye gazed forward in the distance, the monster lips seemed to curl upwards as though anticipating something. ''Will this be my ending or shall it be yours'', was the slight expression that was conveyed from its deadpan face. ********************************************************************************************* The person in question¡­ well Gerhard was currently being a ''broken character''. With the guidance from Max giving him directions from above, no matter how any player looked at it, it was like being given a walkthrough guide on how to breeze/cheat their way through the game. Masumi had long since left, seeing that Gerhard was progressing through the maze easily and told Max not to mention anything of what happened to Mayumi before she logged out. Now only Lydia and William were left to make a nuisance of themselves as she was teaching the little boy this game called "Distraction", whereby he would go to an Elf and try to keep their attention on him by being adorable and Lydia would appear unknowingly behind the victi-- I mean their playmate so that she can casually prank them by borrowing their valuable items from their purses. Permanently. If Max knew what Lydia was doing he would have a fit while Gerhard¡­ would just sigh in resignation. Finally all the eyes of every Elf and his party were focused on Gerhard as he ascended the stairs up the sole pyramid like structure without ceremony, striding with purpose and yet still keenly aware of his surroundings. ''I have no choice in the matter'', he grumbled silently to himself, ''this seemed like the sole main objective of this trial'', fully aware that he was now in the open and feeling uncomfortable that he was exposed without so much as any cover. If his hunch was wrong, then he would be trapped at the top of the pyramid and have to fight his way back down. As if to disprove his thoughts, when Gerhard crested the final step of the stairs, what appeared before him just as Max had said there would be was a flat platform whereby a single giant that appeared to be a Seeker was gazing back at him with an oddly inquisitive stare. Silence reigned between both figures, one large, one small before for some reason the giant raised up its right hand and said, "Yo" "¡­Uhh hello?" "Well don¡¯t stand for ceremony, have a seat", the giant pointed at the ground in front of him with his finger. This caused the Elven audience above to break out into commotion. This had never happened before! The Monster was supposed to be a mindless killing machine that was created from the souls trapped by the forest. Once killed, it would then be revived for the next trial in the distant future. "Don¡¯t look confused. I suppose you are wondering what is going on", its voice sounded like gravel being run over. "Well, I am the first to admit that I should never judge a book by its cover, but I was under the impression that you were supposed to be¡­you know filled with murderous intent for all living things?" There was an odd chuckle before it replied, "Oh don¡¯t get me wrong, I absolutely hate the Elves, every single last one of them however", its single eye gazed at Gerhard sadly, "I would never kill another human". "¡­ I understand. It seems that your soul has remembered who you were once before" "Well", the giant with one hand scratched its cheek in embarrassment, "All I remember was that I was once human¡­ and that I may have been a hero. Perhaps my ego refused to be a mindless slave for the sake of my masters". The creature then gazed at its outstretched hand, before clenching it into a fist, "Well for all intents and purposes I am now a mutated monster, so", with the playful air from it dissipating it turned to Gerhard, "I am here to halt you from proceeding any further". "¡­I see, that is regretful" "However", the giant showed a playful grin, "They never specifically told me how to stop you" "Hoho¡­ You have got me interested. Resolving things peacefully is how modern man should be like" "Therefore if you can answer my riddle, I will let you past!" There was a collective "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA??!!!!!", from the audience above as they all heard the unthinkable. Even Taisei had his eyes swimming as the Elders around him were trying to figure out what''s going on. Ellemon, was so shocked that he for once didn¡¯t have any snide remarks while WarWalker for the first time in Mist''s memory actually chuckled. Gerhard''s eyes seemed to shine as he said with absolute confidence, "I will have you know that I am pretty good at this". "Hurhur¡­ well don¡¯t disappoint me then. Let''s see if you can answer all three correctly, I shall let you past unopposed, how about that?" Gerhard only nodded back in reply. He preferred this method of testing, violence should never be the answer to everything, although that is a hopeless dream when you are playing a VRMMORPG which has violence as its main theme¡­ "Alright here is the first one. What runs around a city but never moves--" "A wall", Gerhard replied promptly. "¡­ I see that was perhaps too easy for you. How about this. I have rivers without water. Forests without trees. Mountains without--" "A map", Gerhard interrupted again. "Eh?... wait wait. I didn''t even finish yet" "? I was wrong?" "Well no, but at least let me finish the whole riddle!" "I apologise. Please do continue" "¡­Ahem. Alright play time is over! I have been saving this one for many years but today I shall unleash it upon you!" "¡­I am ready whenever you are" "I begin eternity, And end space, At the end of time, And in every place, Last in life, Second to death, Never alone, Found in your breath, Contained by earth, Water or flame, My grandeur so awesome, Wind dare not tame, Not in your mind, Am in your dreams, Vacant to kings, Present to queens". "The letter ''E''", the giant had just barely finished before Gerhard replied almost instantly. "¡­" "¡­was I wrong?" "Well¡­ I myself also didn¡¯t know the answer to that one, I just had a memory of being told that by a tutor of some sort and to this day couldn¡¯t solve it¡­ so it WAS the letter ''E''. Huh¡­ it does make sense¡­" "Well then", Gerhard stood up and dusted his pants, "I suppose I can go past now?" "¡­how about best out of six? ¡­ Actually it seems I must fight you", the Giant sighed as it stood up groaning as though suffering some sort of internal pain. "If I don¡¯t it seems I will never be allowed to revive again as the forest is threatening to shred my soul into oblivion" "No I quite understand, we are creatures bound by duty after all", Gerhard nodded in understanding. Swinging the giant broadsword as though it was light with only a single hand, "I don¡¯t really need a warm up. Shall we begin?", he inquired politely. After all, it felt bad for going back on its own word. Once a hero, always a hero. Nice and civil too. "Me neither", Gerhard smiled sadly as he intoned, "Schwarzwald", and a burst of song erupted around him, musical notes and symbols drawn by leaves were floating slowly gently around him as he activated a skill for the first time in this world. The active skill of Tree Song surged forth and he could feel a subtle change within him. Gerhard poised himself to attack, sword pointed forwards as he said, "Shall we?" ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Kore wa Koi S2 E06: Never Say Goodbye The tension in the room became almost suffocating as father and daughter were fast approaching a chasm where they could possibly no longer reconcile peacefully. Masumi knew this and tried to somehow reason with them though what a normally quiet spoken and shy girl could say was almost impossible to defuse the situation. ¡°¡­n-neesan! Don¡¯t do this!¡±, Masumi practically begged her sister. ¡°Masumi, this is for our freedom. We cannot let him control our lives any longer!¡± ¡°BUT he is our father!¡± ¡°¡­He doesn¡¯t love us, only that we become loyal swords of the Clan¡± ¡°¡­Do you realise what you are doing¡­ Mayumi¡±, her father demanded gravely, ¡°You are about to rebel against everything the samurai stood for. I will not hold back even if you are my daughter¡± ¡°Neesan! Please put the katana down!¡±, Masumi said hurriedly as her father also went to the wall and unsheathed a sword. "Stay out of our way, Masumi. It seems I have not been thorough in instilling proper discipline to my daughters" "¡­ It is not discipline we wanted¡­ why can''t you love us for who we are?!", Mayumi demanded as she assumed the 4th form of her family''s sword art, Lure the Viper; Be the Viper. The sheath of her katana was held horizontally in her left hand, forward of her body while her other hand angled the sword behind her body, out of sight from her Father''s eye. The wooden floor board creaked ever so slightly as her father just took the basic chudan no kamaestance, the point aimed directly for Mayumi''s throat as he coldly said, "Enough. Words are meaningless in a duel" Those words stabbed into Mayumi''s heart as she yelled in rage, launching herself forward towards her supposed father. All he did was calmly stood still, only using his sword to brush aside her flurry of attacks as Masumi looked on horrified. "PLEASE STOP!", Masumi screamed however neither of them were paying any attention to her. She thought to go grab her grandfather however he was currently on his way to another dojo to perform a lecture. Quickly grabbing her phone out, she tried to call him however each time it just rang out without an answer. Mayumi struck out with the sheath towards her father''s knee however he just took the blow with the back of his sword, and for the first time moved from his position as Mayumi spun into a circle forward, using the force from his block to propel her and sword in a blistering arc as though to bisect her father through his waist. With small steps, he back pedalled rapidly, only to still have his gi sliced cleanly in a horizontal line, by the tip of her sword. However he didn¡¯t waver as he performed a single handed thrust with his sword, the point racing towards her face like a striking snake. As the sword travelled towards Mayumi''s face, her eyes focused at the fast approaching point, fear absence from her thoughts and movements before she finally tilted her head to the side, allowing the blade to slice cleanly across her cheek as she moved forward and swung the sheath in a backhand blow. They were now too close together so that he couldn¡¯t avoid the blow that smashed across his ribs and he could feel several of them snapping, but despite the pain all he did was grunted as he brought his right knee up to strike his own daughter''s chin. As though caught in a trance, she swayed backwards as Mayumi performed the same single handed thrust with her sword, mirroring the same skill and precision her father did as the point raced towards his face. No, to be more accurate, Mayumi''s strike was a step above even that of her father''s. An uncontrolled howl of pain echoed around the room, as a spurt of blood fell upon Mayumi''s face, her cheeks twitching as the blood flowed down unto her lips. She was about to strike once again but upon seeing her father crouching down with a hand over his right eye, she froze as it dawned upon her on what she had done. It was only now did the frantically panicking Masumi''s phone call to her grandfather have gotten through but when she saw what had happened, the mobile fell from her almost lifeless hands. "Masumi? Hello? Did you already miss your ojiisan already? What is it? Hello?", the words echoed out from the fallen phone. The circumstances were far too surreal for anyone to comprehend. Her hands trembling as Mayumi finally realised the magnitude of what her instincts had made her do, the sword and sheath both fell from her hands. "It¡­it isn¡¯t my fault!", she screeched, "You!", Mayumi pointed accusingly towards her father, "YOU MADE ME THIS WAY!" "Masumi!", her sister then pleaded, "Lets run away now! Ok?! Please!!" And yet¡­ Masumi took a step back, and it was evident there was a tinge of fear in her eyes. "Masumi¡­" "I TOLD YOU TO STOP!", Masumi screamed, "Why... why didn''t you stop..." Mayumi stilled and tears threaten to spill from her eyes as she gulped back what she wanted to say before turning to leave for the entrance. She paused at the threshold of the doorway and without looking back Mayumi said, "I am leaving¡­ goodbye otousan" As Mayumi walked away, Masumi ran to her father and tore a strip of cloth from her hakama to stem the bleeding of where his eye once had been while in the background, the droning voice of her grandfather realised there was something strange happening and kept asking what was wrong. ********************************************************************************************* INTRO SONG: Trust Me ********************************************************************************************* Time slowed. The breeze that blew gently across the platform could no longer be felt as leaves stopped unnaturally in mid air. The Overlord with his massive broadsword was like a giant statue that was trapped in the motion of lunging. He didn¡¯t matter. The audience whom were rising up to their feet filled with agitation and were adding their voices to form a volume of clamour were stilled with their excited gazes upon the trial below. They didn¡¯t matter. All the tremors from Gerhard''s mind, the aches and scars that always threaten to envelope what remained of his sanity became inconsequential at this moment. They didn¡¯t matter. Only the words of Masumi entered Gerhard''s mind clearly, from that day she explained to him how his abilities and skills worked. Only that day mattered. "Gerhard-sama, as you know this world we are in is not real. Although there are many semblances of physics, we as players are given skills and abilities that can sometimes overturn or even break those laws" "Watch this Gerhard-sama", as she disappeared from his side to appear in the shadow of a tree a few metres away before walking back to him who was in state of astonishment. Few things surprises him anymore¡­ unless of course Max brings home a girlfriend sometime in the future. "That was a race specific skill of mine called Shadow Walk, which allows me to blink into any shadows within 30 metres of myself. The skills we gain as we travel this world are what we as players should utilise to the full and since we are both swordsmen", she smiled sadly as she said that last part, "then we should always search for ways to make these skills useful in combat". For the first time in the last few years of his life, Gerhard''s mind was crystal clear as he marvelled about the limits of the human body that can be unleashed just by a simple game. So that¡¯s why Max never focused well on his studies and often played games. "No Gerhard-sama, your grandson is just a dame hito. Please don¡¯t compare him to the rest of productive society". "Now looking at your stats and skills, if Gerhard-sama were ever in a duel you should combine them both and activate the skills in this order¡­" Time began to churn once again albeit at a rate that looked like it was deliberately slowed down by a video editor. As though the situation was unrelated to him, Gerhard launched himself with the full power of his agility towards the Overlord. "Gerhard-sama, first activate Tree Song. Although that 5% increase in defence is minimal, everything that can help us as warriors to close the distance and strike out at our enemies with the sword is critical" The flow of the song surged through his body as he sidestepped the lunge of the broadsword, however the wind pressure from that sword was still sharp enough to slice through the armour across his chest and draw blood. He ignored the pain but Gerhard felt his body instantly healing though it was only for a moment before he willed the song to disappear. In that second, he had already closed the distance until he was within sword striking distance of the Overlord. The giant growled as it tried to bring the broadsword back to defend itself, with the intention to crush Gerhard in its embrace however he gazed up at the Overlord and shouted, "STOP!", as he invoked Words of Iron. "Words of Iron¡­ although its activation chance is low, if it does succeed then you can stop any warrior in their tracks for a brief moment. For a swordsman of your calibre, it will prove fatal to your enemies" The creature was dumbfounded as it realised its body was frozen, its limbs splayed out ridiculously in a moment of action whilst Gerhard leapt into the air with his sword held overhead in a double handed grip. "Your Sword Song... every warrior would wish to have it Gerhard-sama. That 15% increase to attack speed and critical chance will make any opponents you face see only a flicker of your sword before realising they are already dead" "Blitzkrieg", Gerhard intoned and Sword Song erupted like an aura of killing intent, the melodies and song symbols floating around him were in the colour of oozing blood, some drifting to infuse into his body as he felt heat rushing through his limbs with something that was akin to adrenaline. "As for your True Warrior skill¡­ it seems designed for the sole purpose of making sure that you can cut down your opponent with a heavenly strike. I guess it would be like one of those last moves a hero makes in movies?" "Erschlagen!!!", Gerhard roared as the True Warrior skill activated on command, a dull white glow weakly emanating from his body as he swung down with all his might. The point of the sword landed on the Overlord''s chest¡­before slicing all the way through, ignoring armour, flesh and bone before finally touching solid earth as Gerhard landed in a crouch in front of the bewildered creature. "Gerhard-sama, although you have only enough mana in total for a second at most per skill¡­ I believe in a duel you will be undefeated", she then blushingly whispered this to herself, "After all¡­ an angel will never lose" The Overlord chuckled as blood bubbled from its lips and flowed from the ghastly wound, its entrails threatening to spill out as he said, "That was magnificent!", as it fell to its knees, "To be cut down by such a blow, I THANK YOU! I rather the experience of dying by the hands of a Hero than hounded like a dog by a party of Elves", as the light from its eyes began to fade, "Ah¡­ I wish we could continue¡­perhaps when I am¡­ revived once again¡­.." "Yes¡­ perhaps", Gerhard promised sadly. As the Overlord''s words trailed, in its dying whisper, "I see¡­ my name is¡­", before its head slumped forward on its chest, with life all but extinguished.
You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! You''ve leveled up! Fame has risen by 200 points Charisma has risen by 10 points (+10 CHR)
*Tring! Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
Quest Completed: Prove Yourself! Your relations with the Elves have improved due to your outstanding display. The Elves were treated to a spectacle of unmatched martial prowess as well as your intelligence in traversing the trial. In their many years, none of their youths or warrior could compare to the ease in which you overcome the Rites of Initiation. Difficulty Level: C Quest Reward: You have successfully completed the Shadow Clan''s Rite of initiation and therefore are now recognised as a member of the clan. Though you must answer when they require aid, they too must answer your call. Concurrently having proved your power with the activation of Tree Song, you are also recognised as Sain¨¹r and are allowed to come and go as you pleased within this forest. All Selvari will consider you as a divine instrument of the forest and all trade with the Elves will result in a 60% discount.
"¡­I am no hero", as Gerhard finally looked up at the stunned audience above him. The fight only barely lasted 4-5 seconds so of course the Elves would be amazed. Every trial previously would take nearly an hour for a group of Elven youths to whittle away at the Overlord and yet Gerhard did it by himself! In what seemed to be only a brief moment in time like the difficulties of the trials meant nothing to him. While all the Elves were struggling to process this¡­ Gerhard spoke tiredly however it was as though the words were like thunder that cracked the air. "So¡­ can we leave now?" ********************************************************************************************* Serabourg. Within the walls of the Royal castle a group of nobles were being led to a minor hall where they were going to petition their case to the king. Leading them, one of the figures was the old but stoic figure of Edward Rommer, the years evidently showing itself on his tall wizen frame and yet he still was able to walk with the grace of a warrior. All the nobles were disarmed and yet that didn¡¯t stop their overseers escorting them from being less vigilant. The guards on either side of them were from the King''s own, elite in every meaning of the term, whether it be in equipment, training, or loyalty. Should the nobles plan to assassinate the king, these men would willingly move to intercept a poisoned blade with their own bodies than rather let a drop spill upon their majesty. Finally the group halted before a pair of oak timbered doors, designed more for robustness and defence in comparison to the highly wrought and decorated doors to the King''s audience chamber. Guards bearing the same uniforms as the escorts saluted and announced, "Members of the privy council would like to consult with the King" One of the Guards just nodded as he replied, "He is aware of their wishes and will allow them to meet with his august presence". There was the sound of movement behind the doors before they were unlocked from within, the doors swinging open slowly to unveil more guards surrounding a round table, standing behind the correct amount of seats as those of the nobles that had decided to come. The king himself sat on a throne that was taller than the surrounding chairs, as though to subtly remind them that he by right rules over all those assembled. King Theodarren wore an ornate crown, a ring of shimmering gold inlaid with intricate floral designs and his red mantle was edged with the furs of some proud beast. Even though he was relaxing on his throne, his eyes were sharp and had a degree of wariness that did not match with the pleased smile he gave to the assembled nobles. "Scribes", the King intoned, "You may begin recording the proceedings". The sound of quill on paper began as the 2 scribes hurried to do as commanded. "¡­and the rest of the honoured gentlemen may be seated", King Theodarren continued. ""We shall comply, your majesty"", the nobles collectively replied at the same time before dispersing to find a seat. The seating arrangement was of course by court rank, and Duke Kanus found himself seating on the right hand side of the king. This was of course to display to everyone presently his current influential position in the court. "My liege¡­", Duke Kanus began, "is it wise for the scribes to record this meeting?" Even Count Albrook piped in, "The Duke has a point my lord. What if words of these proceedings were to¡­ leak to unsavoury characters". Everyone here knew who he meant, after all that is why they had gathered here today. King Theodarren just gave an insipid smile as all he said was, "These men can be trusted", thus ending the matter. The nobles became a bit uncomfortable at that however Edward kept the meeting going by overriding their concerns, "Indeed. Who here would dare to betray the trust of the king? Are we not all patriots and loyal to the crown? The scribes have always recorded meetings but their content has always been for the perusal of royalty". "Oh, there is no need to explain for me, Earl Rommer", King Theodarren eyed him in appraisal, "I would not dare doubt the loyalty of members of the privy council, however", he continued, "there are several figures missing. Why was not Marquis Rommer, your own brother summoned?" King Theodarren was not a fool. More than half the privy council was absent, and they were basically the faction whom supported Ernst Rommer, former Marshal of the army and a staunch loyalist, even though currently everyone knew he was banished to the frontier due to a disagreement between him and the king many years ago. "This matter is entirely in concern about the actions of Marquis Rommer", Duke Kanus interjected. "Yes, as I have business dealings across the whole kingdom, I have also come across disturbing news in regards to the Marquis", Count Albrook also added. The king just sat silently on his throne, as though in contemplation before turning his eyes upon Edward and spoke, "Does this concern also affect you¡­ Earl Rommer?" Edward kept his face expressionless, unfazed by the sharp gaze of his king, "This affects me only in the matter that my loyalty would come into question if I do not present myself immediately to your majesty. I fear my brother has aspirations¡­ that would destabilize the kingdom". King Theodarren continued to stare at Edward, pondering silently to himself as he eyed each and every member of the council before returning his gaze to the Earl, "Tell me more¡­" ********************************************************************************************* In a small room that had its light blocked off by feminine looking curtains, there was only the sound of silence. The room itself was incredibly spartan, only a desk with some high school textbooks arranged neatly, a bookshelf filled with kendo magazines and manuals, and only a single bonsai plant that was artistically pruned. The figure of a young woman lay on the only single bed in the room, and next to her head was the sole indulgence in this otherwise dull and dreary room, a stuffed toy of a Pikachu from the Pokemon anime. Dressed only in a single white tank top and short pants, she was the very definition of alluring however at this moment there was currently a feeling of sadness and loneliness that her body was conveying. Masumi continued to lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling before turning her head to look at the time on her bedside drawer. "Nee-san¡­", she whispered brokenly to herself. Masumi knew. She knew what kind of trauma her sister was experiencing again at this moment. However she did not dare go meet her right now. No¡­ she didn¡¯t have the right. After all, she never chased after the back of her sister all those years ago. Sighing to herself, she knew that she had to get rid of her lethargic state or else she will drown in the memories from that time. The first thing she did was message Max in the game, telling him that they would meet up later once she go and checked up on her sister. After that Masumi rolled out of bed and gave herself a quick stretch before leaving her room. The house that she was living in can only be described as a typical Japanese home, in comparison to the traditional Japanese dwelling she had been living in all those years ago when her family once shared the same roof. Nevertheless, there were signs of luxury everywhere, although it was unnoticeable unless you had a discerning eye. After all, her grandfather had a love of things which had value only when it matched his tastes. "Oh, Masumi, what are you doing up so early?", a voice called down from on top of the stairway. "Good morning ojiisan¡­ I was thinking of practicing some sword swings before heading off to school" "Hmmm¡­ Masumi, you should know you are a hundred years too early to fool me" "¡­ ojiisan¡­ you are not even 70 years old yet" "Hohoho¡­ that is not the issue here, is it?" As everyone has now noticed¡­ this dandy gentleman of an old man is her grandfather. Although at times he may look like a rogue, right now he was dressed in a business suit and his white hair was combed back making him appear to be a suave man in his fifties. "Are you going to another meeting ojiisan?" "Hmm? Ah yeah, the local yakuza group is making a ruckus, so I was thinking of having a few words with them to tone it down a bit. After all they are disrupting my reading nights with the local housewives" "¡­ there is so many things I want to retort about in what you just said¡­ but haaa¡­ go and have a good day" "If you are going to go see your sister, don¡¯t forget to bring some souvenirs and flowers" "W-what made you think I was going to go see her?", Masumi pouted, puffing her checks. (As the author I think she is adorable¡­ omg something is wrong with me) "Masumi, I can guarantee that you will be outside while holding the sword standing in a daze every time something happens between you and your sister", he chuckled knowingly. "... something did happened..." "Oh¡­ is it serious?" Masumi nodded her head glumly, "Nee-san¡­ she was reminded of that time once again" Suddenly there was an outburst of blood thirst so strong that Masumi shivered as her grandfather asked, "Did my stupid son do something again?", he asked in a voice that could kill. "N-no! It was just a random monster in the game. Father didn¡¯t do anything", as she waved both her hands in denial. And just as suddenly the blood thirst disappeared as though nothing happened, "I see", he said, "Maybe I should play this game you all seemed to be addicted to" Masumi gulped. She was afraid that if he did, mass extinctions of whole species was possible if any creature was so much as to offend her or Mayumi. "I-its fine! T-there is nothing to worry about!", she stuttered, "Anyway, I will be going now", she spoke in a high pitched voice. "Oi!" "Yes ojiisan?" "At least go change your clothes first" "¡­" After dressing up in her school uniform, her grandfather first drop her off in his Rolls Royce at the local flower shop before he drove off to his meeting/scolding with the local yakuza. Looking amongst the flowers, she decided to pick red and white carnations when her phone rang. Seeing who called she quickly answered the phone, "Nee-san" "Masumi, I know what you are thinking so please, you don¡¯t need to come over" "¡­buuu¡­ why does everybody seem to think they know me more than myself", Masumi complained. "fufufu¡­ I know my sister very well. After all, it''s the power of love. So please¡­ there is no reason for you to come over today" "But I am bringing over your favourite daifuku from that store you like" "¡­" "Nee-san?" "See you soon!" "¡­Ok I will be there as quickly as possible" As she ended the call, Masumi whispered, "I will never leave you alone again¡­ nee-san" ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Kore wa Koi S2 E07: Relationships Require People Masumi stared at the building, the home she will be staying at with her grandfather from now on, a simple brick fence and a black iron gate surrounding the 2 storied property, looking so much as part of the neighbourhood that none would suspect that the owner was one of the richest men in Japan. A hand rested on her little shoulder and she looked up to see her grandfather smiling gently as he said, "Well, what do you think?" "It''s beautiful, ojiisan", she replied dully not even hiding the fact that she felt nothing for the place. "¡­Are you sure you don¡¯t want to stay together with Mayumi?" At the mention of her sister, Masumi''s face immediately paled and her small body slightly trembled. It seemed that was all the answer she would give as he smiled sadly. He led her by the hand and from that day forth, began her everyday monotonous life. Every morning she would wake up and practice her sword swings before going off to dutifully attend the local Middle school while her grandfather travelled all around Japan and at times overseas, leaving her access to credit cards to help support her daily expenses. And every time he returned, he would look at the bills and frowned asking her, "Are you sure you don¡¯t want to spend anything for yourself? It''s alright to spend some money on cute clothes and makeup you know. After all, you are a growing girl" "It is fine ojiisan. There is nothing that interests me", she replied in a cool voice. "¡­ You know, I am proud to boast to my friends that even though I give you Credit cards that would even allow you to buy your own house, my granddaughter is so very frugal with money and only uses it to pay the bills, but", he held her hands in his own, "sometimes it is fine to be a little selfish, waga no mago no Masumi-chan " Her eyes softened a little, "Truly ojiisan, there is nothing I want for. All I need is you, and that you at least sometimes come home for dinner". "Haaa¡­ you are such a good filial granddaughter, I don¡¯t know what goes on in my son''s head sometimes" And as such, the seasons turn as first one year, and then two years passed by until finally Masumi entered the first year of High School. And it was on the day of the entrance ceremony that her grandfather dropped a bombshell that would destroy the everyday calm of her routine. "Masumi¡­ please sit down", her grandfather said gravely. Puzzled, Masumi did as she was told and looked in expectation to her grandfather. "Your sister", he announced, "will also be attending the same school as you". "¡­Is that so?" "¡­Are you fine with that?" "Why wouldn¡¯t I be ojiisan?" "Masumi¡­ it is ok to confide in me a little more you know?" "Truly", she smiled slightly, "I am fine ojiisan" "Masumi, you should really go meet your sister", he tried persuading her, "there are things you two should talk about" A glint appeared in her eyes as she replied, "I will think about it¡­ if we meet by chance" "Masumi", he placed his hand on her cheek, "be gentle with your sister¡­ok" Leaving the house with those mysterious last words still echoing in her ears, she followed along the path that will take her to the High school that she will be studying in for the next few years. Along the way, many students, male and female were stunned by the cool beauty that seemed to be in a melancholic mood as Masumi distractedly try to think of ways to avoid her sister in school, unaware of the commotion she was causing. However her mind was thrown into turmoil because standing at the front gates waiting patiently, was Mayumi, twisting her head left and right like she was looking for someone. Mayumi had grown up into a beautiful girl, just like her sister, however there was a childish charm about her as she behaved inappropriately for her age. There is no need to mention that there was several boys love struck by her and trying to find courage with one another to be the first to talk to her. "Ah!", Mayumi''s eyes brightened in delight, "Masumi!", she waved energetically as though signalling Masumi to come over. Feeling a throbbing headache coming on, Masumi just ignored and walked past her, unwilling to even spare her a glance. But Mayumi wasn''t daunted as she chased after her sister and began talking rapidly like they were old friends while Masumi just continued on in silence. "Wow I can''t believe how beautiful you have become, Masumi!" "Your gorgeous hair is just how I remember it" "So how is ojiisan these days? Still chasing innocent housewives?" "Oh did you watch that TV show last night? I couldn¡¯t believe how that man had the nerve to say he loved her! Hmph what a jerk!" "Say, do you want to play this new game that came out? It''s called Royal Road and I hear it is amazing!" This continued on until Masumi reached her classroom before Mayumi smiled and said, "Well I will see you after class", as she disappeared down the hallway to her own homeroom. And she kept her promise, Mayumi appeared after classes ended and would keep chattering on about nothing with Masumi who just kept her silence. This sequence would be repeated the same day after day and a rumour had started going around that these two beauties knew each other but were somehow in a minor argument, considering how hard Mayumi seemed to try to make it up to Masumi. "Ne¡­ Masumi" There was something in the voice of her sister that made Masumi stop for a moment before turning back to coolly stare at her sister in silence. They were currently outside in one of the secluded gardens of the school, therefore there were few if any people taking notice of them. Mayumi was fidgeting perhaps due to nervousness before reaching her hands into her school bag and brought out a stuffed toy of a Pikachu from a Japanese anime. Sticking her hands out Mayumi proclaimed, "This is for you!" "¡­" "I¡­I know that you used to love stuffed toys, so I got you a Pikachu!" "¡­" "Hehe, did you know Masumi, Pikachus are quite hard to catch, just like you" "¡­" "So I got myself a stuffed toy of a pokeball so we can have a matching set!" "¡­" "I will throw my pokeball and catch your Pikachu anytime!" Mayumi stood there nervously for the longest time, her hands beginning to tremble before her sister finally moved towards her. Mayumi''s smile stiffened as Masumi swatted the toy out of her hands as she spoke coldly, "Stop acting like a child. Also¡­ stay the hell away from me" With that Masumi turned abruptly and began to walk back towards her own classroom. "Masumi", she whispered, "I cannot¡­ hold¡­ on", the trembling in her hands soon started to spread throughout her body as though caught in a seizure, "I¡­am¡­sorry", as Mayumi fell forward onto the ground, her teeth chattering uncontrollably. Masumi heard what her sister said and was about to keep walking when she heard a thud behind her. Turning, she saw her sister lying on the floor, in the throes of a convulsion and Masumi''s mind blanked out. Before she knew what she was doing, Masumi was hugging the body of her sister as she screamed out to the surroundings. "Dareka! Dareka! Tasukete!" "DAREKAAAAAA!" ********************************************************************************************* INTRO SONG: Trust Me ********************************************************************************************* Gerhard was brought back to the Clan hall under guard by over a hundred warriors, whilst another hundred more was summoned to secure the building, a gathering in such numbers of their vaunted elites were only ever required when high ranking dignitaries and Selvari Tel''s''v?r were to be treated to with respectful ceremony. This time all the Elders bowed their heads reverently in greeting to Gerhard as he walked past them, many of them calling out Sain¨¹r in deference to which he just nodded his head back in perplexity, startled at the about face their attitude had taken once he had passed the trial. Even Ellemon gritted his teeth and paid his respects to Gerhard, although it appeared to pain him to do so. Mist smiled pleasantly when she saw this but regained her tranquillity when Gerhard stood next to her. "I am glad that you succeeded, Sain¨¹r ", Mist bowed her head. "I am glad that your claims were vindicated", Gerhard gave a small smile back. "¡­ I believe it was fated that we met", Mist smiled, "however I would still like to apologise for how we treated you" "Aye", Taisei joined in, "forgive us for our impropriety Sain¨¹r , our kind tend to be extremely conservative and I daresay, very xenophobic". "That''s", Gerhard grimaced as he remembered what his own nation had done many years ago as he replied, "no, you are much kinder than you think you are", as he took Taisei''s hand in this world''s version of a warriors'' grip, wrist to wrist, "even when tradition and law told you that we must be exterminated, you used your own judgement with your own eyes to seek out the truth. You gave me a chance at justice and life¡­. I sincerely thank you". The surrounding elves were stunned at this display of magnanimity and their impression of Gerhard rose beyond that of him just receiving the title of Tree Friend, to inline with he is worthy to be a friend of the Elves and part of the clan. The Shadow clan can now proudly boast that not only do they have the divine instrument of Selvaria''s will, but also that the man himself has the graciousness of a noble king. There was a wealth of emotions that threaten to overwhelm Taisei however he controlled himself as he bowed his head in deep gratitude towards Gerhard. There was no other words that needed or could be said at this moment, however respect was forged, and in that forging, Taisei believe he had found hope for his people. Gerhard¡­ Taisei instinctively knew that this man was more than just a tool of the Goddess, he represented a new road that could be trodden for his race. At this moment though, there was a commotion amongst the guards which caused both Taisei and Gerhard to look in the direction of WarWalker who appeared from the group. The tall elf nodded respectfully to Taisei before turning to Gerhard. "There is¡­ an amin here for you, Sain¨¹r", WarWalker stated slowly, "a scout". "Where is he?", Gerhard asked in consternation. There is no reason a scout should be sent for him¡­ unless something troublesome was about to befall the Basterni stronghold. With a tilt of Warwalker''s head, immediately the guards parted and brought forth a frightened young man in the uniform of the Rosenheim army before Gerhard and Taisei, the man instantly regaining his composure when he finally saw his commander. Saluting, with fist over breastplate, the man announced, "Private Rorke Drift, reporting sire!" Gerhard returned the salute crisply before commanding, "State your business" "Marquis Rommer requires the Centurion to immediately return to the stronghold. There is a possibility of a threat of invasion". "Where is this particular threat coming from?" "That¡­", the scout appeared confused, "we don¡¯t know that either sire. We were only informed to prepare for war". "¡­Is that so¡­", Gerhard turned to Taisei, "It seems I will need to cut my visit short". "¡­You can summon us to battle you know", Taisei suggested heavily. Ellemon nearly strode forth and protested but seeing that the whole assembly were currently watching with bated breath, he then realised it was not wise to stand out when none of the Elders even blinked at the idea¡­ so he just stood his ground. "¡­No", Gerhard smiled gratefully, "that won''t be necessary. It is a human problem, so let us humans deal with it". Taisei just stared intently into Gerhard''s eyes, before his shoulder shook and he threw his head back roaring in laughter. Ellemon was stunned in confusion however all the elders had wide smiles on their faces as they nodded in approval. Even Mist had a vague idea of what is going on as a small smile creep across her lips. Seeing that Gerhard was looking puzzled, Taisei responded, "Say no more Sain¨¹r ! If you go into battle then so shall we!" Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The surrounding Elven warriors began to stamp their feet together in unison as they began to chant, "Awaken Iron! Cut them down! Awaken Spears! Cut them down! Awaken bows! Cut them down! Awaken Axe! Cut them down! Awaken Blades! Cut them down! Awaken Courage! Cut them down!" Taisei smiled savagely towards Gerhard, all hints of the civilised elf he was disappeared and in its place was a warrior as he yelled in promise to him, "Where Sain¨¹r leads!" "CUT THEM DOWN!" ********************************************************************************************* "I am sorry", Max feigned ignorance, "I have never met you before?" "Maaaaxx!", Lydia yelled desperately, "how can you say that to your only friend in this whole world. ONLY. FRIEND. ONLY. FRIEEEEND" A vein throbbed on Max''s forehead as he turned to the guard, "Please take her away", as he placed both hands on top of William''s shoulders, "She must have kidnapped this poor child to perform part of her thievery act but you cannot blame so young and pure a child for doing so", Max preached, "their intentions were mainly to bring happiness to their perceived benefactors. Ah, tis cruel how evil a woman could play with the heart of such an innocent child". To add to the effect, Max pretended to spit upon Lydia''s feet, as though to ward off evil. Oh¡­ Max actually felt a tingle of pleasure for doing so¡­ NOT GOOD. DON¡¯T WALK DOWN THAT PATH, MAX! YOURE AN ''M'' NOT AN ''S''! "M-max? is it ok to let them take her? What if your grandfather will get annoyed?", Lorelei asked in concern. "¡­I think opi would be more annoyed to find out that she had been pick pocketing instead of watching in rapt attention to his trial¡­" Lydia''s face paled as she quickly denied the accusation, "Like I said, my hand just FELL into that man''s purse. C''mon Max! If you help me clear the misunderstanding¡­ I can teach you how to fight back against Mayumi!" Just as Max was about to leave with William in hand, he froze as he quickly turned to Lydia and said, "You''re not saying that just so I will get you out of trouble, are you?" "Don¡¯t you want to win against her sometimes?!!", Lydia cried over her shoulder as she was being dragged away by the guards. Mulling over it deep in thought, finally the words of Lorelei helped decide the matter. "Max, are you¡­ perhaps really weak?", she asked innocently. After all, strength is meaningless to a creature that has no need for a physical body. The blow to his pride was immense as he finally made up his mind, gritting his teeth he called out to the guards, "A-actually! I do know her! She is one of the companions of the Sain¨¹r . It must be a horrible mistake that she would do something like stealing!" The guards halted suddenly as they looked to one another before gazing back at Max in suspicion. "I mean it''s true", Max continued unfazed, "you would only need to realise that she is a human, we are all humans¡­ and the only humans that came into the village today are those that accompanied the Sain¨¹r ". "Suppose you have a point", one of the guards grunted in dissatisfaction. "Huh? When did Gerhard become Sain¨¹r ?", Lydia asked in confusion. "Lydia¡­ this is the reason why you should pay more attention to your surroundings", Max scolded her. Oh dear¡­ he''s got that tingling feeling again. "There is also nothing to worry about", Max carried on, "Once the Sain¨¹r is back from the council, he can happily explain and prove to you that we are all CLOSE friends and COMPANIONS" "Guh¡­ I get it already. Well off you go amin", the elf guard released her reluctantly, "make sure there is no next time!" "Yes yes", Max nodded repeatedly in agreement as he grabbed Lydia by the arm and brought her next to him, "I will ensure that this hooligan will be kept under close scrutiny so that she won''t be a bother to the general public". "See that she doesn¡¯t", the guard just waved his hand as though the problem was no longer his to care about. "Now¡­", Max gripped both arms of Lydia like eagle claws as he demanded, "Teach me immediately". "Max¡­ you''re scaring me", Lydia shifted her eyes away from his face. "Teach! Now!" "O-ok! Ok! I will teach you! I will teach you the secret arts on how to make a maiden fall in love with you!" "¡­huh?" "Ok first, the important thing--" "No wait! Wait!", Max interrupted Lydia as she was about to lecture, "What do you mean make a maiden fall in love? Maiden¡­ as in Mayumi is THE Maiden!??" Lydia looked at Max as though he was an idiot, "Well yeah, of course she is a maiden. She is a girl after all" "¡­And why do I want her to fall in love with me?" "Of course, so that she no longer beats you after all!" "¡­MASTER!", Max fell to his knees and kowtowed towards her. "Hohohohoho!", Lydia laughed like a 2nd rate villain, "Although part of attraction has to do with your looks", she could only tsk tsk in pity as she gave Max another look over, "Well¡­ I guess we have to work around what we got" "¡­ Master, shouldn¡¯t you be building my confidence?" "Well, it''s alright", Lydia chuckled, "I can guarantee you that she feels something about you" "¡­Isn''t it the urge to bully me?" "Well¡­ that is also a possibility", she blandly admitted. "Max? Are you really going to flirt with Mayumi?", Lorelei nagged sounding peeved. "It!¡­It is only to establish a republic free from tyranny! Shout the battle cry of freedom!", Max responded incoherently. "Max¡­ I think we also need to work on your brain", Lydia gazed at him worriedly. "¡­LIKE I WANT TO HEAR THAT FROM YOU!" ********************************************************************************************* Masumi walked into the hospital with the flowers she bought in one hand, and the sweets secured in her school bag. Greeting the nurse in reception with a slight bow, she was allowed through and the elevator opened for her. Humming to herself, she took out her phone to text her sister that she had arrived. A slight smile appeared on Masumi''s face as she got a reply back of an emoticon with a huge smiling face. Exiting the lift, she quickly walked down the hallway until she approached an area that looked tastefully furnished as she wave at several men in the distance. She greeted the black suited guards politely whom bowed in return to her. "Welcome back ojousama. The Clan Head is waiting for you", one of the guards said. "Gokurosama ", Masumi smiled gently. "Is that you Masumi?!!", a voice called out in excitement from behind the door, "Hayaku come in!" The guards smiled wryly to one another as they opened the door to allow Masumi to enter. What greeted her sight was a room that was way too opulent to be normally found in a hospital while her sister was sitting cross-legged on a king sized hospital bed, Mayumi''s eyes scanning all over Masumi''s body before falling onto her bag. "It''s there, isn¡¯t it!", sounding like a detective who had just solved a difficult case, Mayumi pointed towards the bag in triumph. "¡­Nee-san, where else would I put it?", Masumi gave a minor giggle as she opened the bag to pass the box filled with daifuku over to her sister. She noticed the stuffed toy of a Pokeball next to Mayumi''s pillow and it brought back memories of when Masumi was just a stubborn brat, to which she can only helplessly smile about it now. "Ooooo¡­ heavenly", Mayumi cooed in happiness as she took a bite from the sweet, her face the very expression of life fulfilled. Masumi sat down on the bed next to her sister and took a handkerchief out to wipe a corner of Mayumi''s mouth as she complained, "Nee-san please be more aware of the fact that you are now the Clan Head", she sighed, "You are the face of our dignity after all". "But but", Mayumi whined, "Everyone is so stingy. They always say ''You can''t have this'' or ''You can''t have that''. Even I want potato chips sometimes!" "Hai hai , I understand" "OOOOh! As expected of my sister! Come! Let''s overthrow this government together and change the laws to allow us poor patients to have any food that we want!" "Nee-san, if the Prime Minister heard you say that, he would break out into cold sweat", Masumi smiled. Last time, her sister said that while there were government spies also on guard duty for her well being, it took her grandfather a lot of effort to convince the Prime minister that our family wasn''t going to rebel. Well at least not over food, he joked. "So¡­", Masumi hesitated before she asked, "where is father this time?" Mayumi paused for a moment before she replied, "Oh, I sent him off to Africa. I told him to try and sell Toyota''s there and see how that goes" "Nee-san¡­ which part of Africa?" "I dunno? The one where there is a civil war going on?" "¡­Isn''t it about time you and father have a good long talk together?" "Why? Father likes selling cars in war torn countries. Did you see the last financial report? I was shocked that you could sell that many cars to rebels and government troops. Toyotas are quite good to be converted into mobile gun platforms it seems". "Isn''t it because whoever paid father the most, he will help them win the war?", Masumi sighed, "Also... isn¡¯t it time to say the things you need to say to father and him to you as well?" "But¡­W-well I don¡¯t want to ever see him again! He even arranged my own marriage before I could even learn to walk!" "But I thought... it has already been annulled?" Mayumi jerked at those words, "Well the engagement was definitely broken off that year... when they found out about my condition", she smiled despondently. "¡­Nee-san" "And to think that my ex-fianc¨¦ used to come and visit me with flowers¡­" "Nee-san... you don''t need to-" "¡­reciting disgusting poetry and whisper sweet nothings to me for so many years". Masumi just hugged her sister who was still stuffing daifuku into her mouth as she vented huffily, "It¡¯s a good thing we never kissed... otherwise I would have lost my precious first to... a guy like him". "¡­" "...I still can''t believe he came over that year...treating me as a stranger..." "..." "Saying BECAUSE he had fallen in love with someone else¡­ haha¡­what a liar" Masumi could feel her shoulders getting wet, tear drops soaking through her clothes as she gently rubbed Mayumi''s back. "What a liar¡­ when would he ever had the time to find someone else?" "..." "He always visited me nearly every day when you were gone Masumi¡­" "..." "I thought... I would never smile again... if he wasn¡¯t there¡­" Masumi could do nothing but just hugged her sister tighter, unsure of what to say or how to atone. "Ahhhhhh! Damn it!¡­ That guy is like a curse! Even after all these years, he can still give me hiccups", Mayumi complained in annoyance. After a while the both of them just held each other in comforting silence as Mayumi lay her head on her sister''s shoulder with the half eaten daifuku still pressed firmly on her lips. "Masumi¡­" "Yes, nee-san?" "This daifuku tastes salty" "¡­I am sorry nee-san" "Haaaa¡­ I feel like teasing Max now" ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Kore wa Koi S2 E08: Wingman! Four Shadow on your tail! Darius paced back and forth within a room of the citadel provided to him by members of the Rosenheim Knights, wondering why he was summoned once again by the Kingdom. Compared to them, he is still considered a temporary holder of that title, even though he completed a quest to reclaim Baran Village which was overrun by Lizardmen¡­ his reputation amongst other players had plummeted and even his Guild Master scolded him because Darius had weakened the guild''s influence as one of the top three in Rosenheim. Although his guild had a bad reputation before that due to their players'' behaviour, it was currently undergoing a period of recruitment and expansion to compete with the other two guilds¡­ the tremendous losses at Baran due to Darius''s leadership where only less than a hundred players survived out of three hundred was because he hurled non-guild members into the enemies traps. In hindsight¡­ it was also because of the bad command decisions he made. Even when recruiting the 300 players required for the force, he had only picked those below the level of 100 so as to maximise the fame gained for himself and his fellow guild members, all of whom were at least level 140. The only positive was that the two hundred Rosenheim troops that came with Darius were mainly intact as he left their detachment behind in the village to stand guard because he didn¡¯t want to share exp with them while he chased the remaining Lizardmen forces. He had inadvertently preserved their lives which is why he believed that Duke Kanus was still interested in seeing him. Unable to take Darius''s pacing anymore, his friend called out to him, "Can you please calm down? You are starting to grate on my nerves" "¡­Sorry Parros", Darius ruffled his hair with his hand, "You know me. All this waiting is terrible", as he sat at the desk across his friend. "¡­can you please stop tapping your feet?" "Do you think¡­ it''s another quest?" Parros just shrugged his shoulder, the thief seemingly uninterested, "What will be, will be" "Since when did you get all philosophical on me?", Darius felt surprised. "¡­ I don''t know. Maybe after that Barran debacle?", he sighed in regret. Both men cringed when they thought back to that time, looking back on it forced them to reflect on themselves¡­ why were they so short sighted. Someone had definitely pilfered the place whilst the punitive force was battling with the Lizardmen so they had even raged and tried to investigate where most of the Lizardmen loot had gone from their lair after finally destroying them, antagonizing even more players. It was only after that quest did they realised how important it was to not only have a good relationship with the Kingdom¡­ but also with other players. Everywhere either their party or whether they singly went out to perform quests, no one was willing to team up with them¡­ or they were hunted down to be pked . Although minor, neither of them realised they were slowly forced to grow up and admit that what they had done was wrong. This may have been a game, but just because you log in to escape society, doesn¡¯t mean society stops functioning on this side. And though both men don¡¯t realise it yet, they were also starting to view the current actions of their guild in a negative light. "Parros¡­ it was right of us to just care for our own party wasn¡¯t it?" "Yeah¡­ it was. I just don¡¯t understand why everyone couldn¡¯t understand. They would all have done the same too¡­" "Yeah, you are probably right" The room was then enveloped in a heavy silence as they tried to figure out whether the world was wrong¡­ or were they? Suddenly there was a knock on their door to which it opened and a Knight came in to summon them, "Duke Kanus has called for your presence" Getting up, Darius and Parros walked out the door together¡­ however Darius paused for a moment before turning to the knight and said, "Thanks" Parros just looked at his friend in surprise as they both followed another knight down the hallway as he said, "Darius that was strange. Usually you would only speak with important NPCs" "¡­ I don¡¯t know. Just felt like it" "Don''t let that last quest get you down so much", Parros tried to cheer him up, "at least we are still able to see members of the Rosenheim nobility" "Parros", looking at his friend with a strange glint in his eye, "Let''s not make the same mistakes like before" "¡­Yeah, let''s not" Before they realised it, they were finally in front of the same door where they had been invited to see the Duke previously for the last quest. As the door opened, they saw Duke Kanus sitting leisurely in his chair behind a desk made out of mahogany, as he signalled for the two of them to have a seat. "Welcome back, Sir Darius", Duke Kanus began, "you completed that assignment marvellously and managed to even bring back the Rosenheim troop detachment mostly intact" "¡­Thank you my lord", was all Darius could say. "Oh? You are being quite modest today. Never mind though, I have another assignment for you" Hearing that, Darius gained a hint of liveliness as he asked, "What do you require of me, my lord?" "We have a minor rebellion that I want you to personally crush in the east. One of our villages has been occupied by a rebel officer and he has instigated the region to rebel against the crown", Duke Kanus gazed at both men seriously, "this needs to be stamped out before it infects the loyal members of the Rosenheim army".
Rebellion in the East! Ernst Rommer has been found to be guilty of treason as he had endangered the King''s road to make it all but impassable by loyalist troops while he had colluded with Orc and human bandits to raid villages all along the eastern border. King Theodarren has ordered that Ernst Rommer be brought to justice and the rebellion quelled before it can destabilise the border. Difficulty Level: C Quest Requirements Acknowledged as reliable by Duke Kanus Must form an expedition force with a Minimum of 1000 players
"I accept", Darius responded with resolve. ********************************************************************************************* INTRO SONG: Trust Me ********************************************************************************************* When Mayumi and Masumi logged back in, they weren¡¯t surprised that Gerhard''s trial was already over, considering a day had already passed. Mayumi squeezed her sister''s hand in apology but Masumi just gave back a gentle smile, her expression clearly saying ''don''t worry about it''. However there was a strange liveliness and intensity in the village that wasn¡¯t there yesterday, causing the two sisters to look to one another and wondering what was going on. "Neesan, I think we should go meet up with Gerhard-sama to find out about the current circumstances" "Ohooo, my cute sister, when did you start calling his name so intimately?", Mayumi teased. "Mooou, are you sure you still want me to bring sweets when I visit?" "Wakatta wakatta, look at you blushing, I can''t believe you would used such a highly level threat just because of that" "Hmph, If I don¡¯t scold you from time to time, you will never learn" "¡­What am I, five?" "Yes" "¡­" "I am going to see who is online right now", Masumi checked the friend''s list and was unsurprised to see that Gerhard''s name was flashing green however the others have yet to log in. "Gerhard-sama", Masumi private messaged him, "we have just come back in¡­ can we meet up?" There was a long moment of silence which made her heart thump wildly in anticipation before there was an answer, "Masumi? Sorry I am not used to this function, where are you right now?" "We are¡­ currently in the audience area, but we can go to your location if¡­if you''re not busy" "Oh, it''s ok, I will come and pick you up", Masumi deliberately hearing what she wanted to hear from Gerhard''s reply. "Hai! See you soon, Gerhard-sama", she replied happily. To the side, Mayumi was looking at her sister strangely, "I am going to say this again¡­you do realise he is older than our grandfather¡­" "He is still perfectly in my strike zone, nee-san" "¡­ Like I have been saying all this time, that strike zone is too WIDE!" "I can''t just turn off my feelings, nee-san. Love should not have any boundaries" "¡­Your feelings will get Gerhard arrested in real life if he does accept them", Mayumi sighed in exasperation. "Then I shall destroy the society that treats our love as taboo", she clenched her hands in determination. Inwardly she was thinking of abusing her power by forcing the Japanese government to change the law for the age minors can start dating by lowering it¡­ failing that she can always ask her sister to replace the ministers. "¡­Masumi, why do I have the feeling you are about to ask me to do something totally crazy?" "Do you want sweets and snacks when I visit or not?" "¡­ I thought I was the older twin here. Fiiine, I will support you in whatever you want" Masumi beamed before kissing her sister on the cheek, shocking Mayumi because she knew how her usually cool silent sister rarely showed outwards display of emotion, especially in public. Realising how far Masumi had fallen, Mayumi could only hope that Gerhard will somehow talk sense into her sister. "Oh! He is here! ...eh?", Mayumi could only look on dumbfounded as Gerhard waved care freely as approached them. The waving wasn¡¯t the problem¡­ it was the fact that all the elves who saw him, immediately bowed towards him in reverence, while he seemed to be trailed by an entourage of 40 elite guards. These warriors were amongst the ones who had escorted them to the council earlier however they were now equipped for war; full leaf shaped scale mail armour the colour of silver with polished arm and shin guards, intricate patterned half helms, and a cloak that shimmered as though it wanted to blend into the surroundings. They no longer look like ''wild'' elves but a bunch of walking mini bosses¡­ "Ahhh!", Masumi said dreamily, "a kind gentleman that is being escorted like a precious flower¡­ it is like a beautiful living portrait" "Gerhard-san¡­ ", Mayumi complained, "can you go into your settings and turn off your ''Charm'' mode¡­" "? I never saw such an option last I checked", he replied honestly in confusion. He then turned to the warriors behind him, "Frankly no harm will befall me in the village, so please return to your normal duties. I need to have a private word with my companions" "Sain¨¹r", one of the guards protested, "this is already the bare minimum of an Honour guard that is usually assigned. Although there is no danger, it would be disrespectful to have no one attend to you" Gerhard sighed, "Ok, I will accept a single guard-" "Denied. We are all coming with you-", the guard gulped abruptly as he felt a blade on his neck. Masumi had suddenly appeared, releasing such an intense killing aura as she coolly looked at the elf, "Do not interrupt Gerhard-sama while he is speaking" "¡­Masumi, there is no need to unsheathe your sword over a simple conversation", Mayumi scolded her. "Nee-san, words are a form of violence so we must respond in kind-" "Masumi, put your blade down. He is only doing his duty", as Gerhard also remonstrated her. "Hai! Gerhard-sama!", she responded immediately, meekly sheathing her sword as she looked up with puppy dog eyes towards him. "Now apologise to him", he continued. Turning back to the elf guard she had threatened, she bowed deeply from the waist, "I am sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have tried to kill you over such a simple matter" "Oh¡­", the elf could only wave off the fact that he was almost cut down as he accepted her apology, "Its fine, all of us are here to protect Sain¨¹r after all¡­ I guess uhh¡­ we will just have a meal in the tavern while we wait for you". The other Elven warriors also nodded their heads simultaneously in agreement. ''Do not get involve while the crazy female is here'', was the thinking that appeared in their minds. "¡­Masumi¡­ where did my cool beauty of a sister go¡­" "At least she is a prim and honest girl", Gerhard smiled. "Gerhard-san¡­ please have your eyes assessed. Anyway", Mayumi asked curiously looking about, "where is Max? Will he log in soon?" "Oh Max? He said he will go do a little errand for me. I am not too sure what he means though" ********************************************************************************************* Max yawned as he stretched himself in bed, blinking his eyes blearily as he scolded the sun for interrupting his dreams before trying to crawl back under the blanket. However, the room to his door opened suddenly, to which his mother walked in without a word and pulled the blanket away in a single practised motion. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. With his protective cocoon gone, Max curled himself even further into the foetal position as he mumbled, "Mom, just 5 more-" "No, out of bed NOW! You will be late for uni again!" "Mom, it¡¯s the uni holidays-" "Don¡¯t lie to me Max. I checked your calendar in your course book!", she scolded him, "move or I am going to vacuum your bed!" "Mutter, I have a fever-" Before he could even finish, she suddenly shoved a digital thermometer expertly into his mouth, took it out and said, "No, you don''t" "¡­tsk", he clicked his tongue, "You may have won this battle mum but-" "Max", his mother interrupted exasperatedly, "This war was over before it ever began. Now get out of bed!" Hearing the word ''war'' from his mother suddenly caused Max to sit bolt upright in bed as he remembered what he needed to do for his grandfather. Like a cat that had its tail stepped on, Max leapt out of bed like a professional athlete before his shocked mother as he ran into the bathroom to shower while brushing his teeth at the same time. His mother was still standing there stunned, fully having expected to waste 10 more mins to try to wake Max however not even 3 mins passed before he kissed his mother on the cheek in good morning. Fully dressed as he walked out of his room he asked, "What''s for breakfast mutter?" "¡­Max, I think I need to check your temperature again¡­", as she eyed the thermometer suspiciously, wondering if it is faulty. "??? Why mom? Hurry up, I am hungry", calling back to his mother as he walked into the dining room. His dad was reading the newspaper, only for him to raise his eyebrow shortly in surprise before returning back to reading. Max quickly scoffed down the breakfast of bacon and eggs, stealing more hash browns from his unsuspecting dad''s plate before shouting out, "Thanks mom!", as he left the table in a hurry. "¡­Honey, do you think something''s wrong with Max today?", she asked her husband worriedly. Hermann just muttered, "Maybe he is going to see a girl?" "¡­I hope he isn¡¯t being led astray", she rested her chin on the palm of her hand. Don¡¯t worry madam¡­ at this rate your son will be a wizard. Walking past his grandfather''s room, he suddenly paused for a moment and decided to enter quietly, approaching the peaceful figure of Gerhard, the gentle rise and fall of his chest coupled with the rhythmical beep of the life support system, reassured Max that his grandfather was physically still in this world. "Opi", Max held the aged hands of Gerhard, "I will try to lessen the burden for you soon", he promised, "I want you to enjoy the remainder of your time here for as long as possible¡­ so please wait. I will create a place for you". He kissed his grandfather''s hand before placing it back down gently. On the train to university, Max thought back to all the problems that his grandfather will face in the future and especially now that he was bound by duty once again. Although Max wished that his grandfather would live his remaining days peacefully¡­ he had to admit he could not even imagine his grandfather not in uniform anymore, especially now that he saw the ''younger'' version of Gerhard in battle, where he seems to¡­ come alive. Since Gerhard has joined the Rosenheim army, Max understood that the greater danger to his grandfather will not come from NPCs and Mobs, but by other PCs , human beings whose power are virtually unmatched and are bound by the greed to self-improve and be dominant. Most of them care not about their surroundings and will only seek some form of profit, seeing NPCs as disposable tools in their quests. Knowing his grandfather, Max implicitly knew that he will stand on the side of the weak¡­ but his grandfather''s heart would shatter as the normal human NPCs do not have any strength to battle or defend against PCs. If PC''s were also involved in the invasion of Basterni¡­ As Max thought and thought whilst browsing the forums, he found a topic in regards to items that can be made in Royal Road¡­ and instantly his eyes lit up. Skimming through the content, he felt it was possible, but most people only did it as a hobby and weren''t particularly interested in utilising it as it required intense effort to even make it applicable for battle. With Royal Road set within a medieval fantasy setting, there is just not enough prerequisite technology for it to be feasible. However, Max''s mind kept churning at an incredible rate as past history lessons and lectures all pointed to a common point¡­ earth somehow made such weapons during the Middle Ages¡­ a plan began to form in his mind as he excitedly called a few friends from his engineering course. If he could make these weapons for the NPCs¡­ it will provide them with a fighting chance against Player Characters. It was probably impossible to do on such short notice, however there were other uses for it that could help them defend Basterni. As Max walked into his class 20 mins early, he found the Lecturer flicking through some documents and preparing for the class, the plan that Max had conjured up with his friends seemed feasible as he called out to the professor excitedly, "Sir, I was wondering if I could discuss with you about our end of year project¡­" ********************************************************************************************* Gerhard stood in front of Taisei and shook his hand, "We will see you shortly then¡­friend" "There is no doubt about that Sain¨¹r", Taisei grinned reassuringly, "Once we have organised our village defences, our war parties will rush to Basterni within a few days". "The hundred warriors that you have lent to escort us is more than enough though", Gerhard tried to decline once again, "After all, it was said to be a threat, so nothing may eventuate in the end" " Sain¨¹r amongst our kind, it is said to plan for the best-" "-but prepare for the worst", Gerhard finished, "I understand, in that case, I must apologise for imposing on your goodwill" "Think nothing of it. My daughter shall keep me informed while she guides you back to your village", indicating to her who was pointedly ignoring Masumi''s glare. Seeing Gerhard notice her, Mist just gave a small smile in greeting which caused Masumi to become more agitated, shouting something that seemed like the word ''Temptress'' multiple times¡­ and when Mayumi noticed Max logging back in, she smiled happily as she skipped over and proceeded to welcome him back¡­ eh wait, what? She just shyly kissed him on the cheek?... Oh wait it was a feint¡­ the poor distracted Max was then flipped easily to the ground with Mayumi sitting on his back locking him into a camel clutch. "¡­Excuse me for one moment", Gerhard noticed the plight of his grandson as he sighed, "sometimes I wished that this was a different era so I can throw him into at least the K?niglich Preu?ischen Kadettenkorps "¡­ although deep down he felt glad that Max grew up during such peaceful times. While Gerhard appreciated that a girl had taken an interest in Max¡­ he just wished that Mayumi would show some restraint in her affection for his grandchild. Seriously, even his wife Hannah only ever smacked his head when she was displeased but is it normal for the current generation to perform wrestling moves on each other when they are intimate? What has happened to the world while he hasn¡¯t been paying any attention to it? (Gerhard¡­ this situation is abnormal. Please recognise that) "Maaax", Mayumi called out sweetly, "I missed you!" Chokingly he responded, "M-Mayumi! I d-don''t have time for this!" "Haaaaa?! Is that how you respond to your master?!" "N-no! I mean you are looking incredibly beautiful today!" "¡­ Aren''t I beautiful every day?" "O-Oh? I thought you did something to your hair?" "¡­No. No, I didn¡¯t" "Really? I think your clothes match your eyes¡­" There was a moment of silence before Mayumi applied more pressure of the camel clutch on Max. "W-wait! Wait! I. AM. BREAKING!", he screamed. To the side Gerhard just rubbed his temple when he heard Max and decided to just private message him, "Max! What on earth are you doing?!" "Opi!", Max replied instantly, "Save me!" "¡­ LEARN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE! And where did you come up with the courage to say such terrible lines to a woman?!!" "Eh?! Lydia was the one who taught me-" "¡­Are you trying to commit suicide?! Lydia has about as much experience with romance from the terrible movies she probably watched¡­" "What should I do Opi?! I feel something dislocating!" "Max listen and repeat what I am going to say¡­" As Max felt his consciousness beginning to fade and the confusion debuff began flashing in the corner of his eye, Max felt his mouth opening robotically as the words of his grandfather filter into his mind. "M-MAYUMIIIIIII!!!!", Max screamed with all his might, causing everyone, Elven warriors, Mist, Mayumi, Lydia, William and even a few passersby to turn and stare at him. Even Mayumi appeared shocked as she suddenly released her hold and Max''s face almost snapped back and smash into the ground¡­ however he still managed to continue. "I LIKE YOU! I LIKED YOU FROM THE FIRST MOMENT WE MET! EVEN WHEN I AM DREAMING I SEE YOU-", Max suddenly stopped as he realised what he was saying. "¡­ Opi", Max private messaged back, "What is this?" "Hmm? Keep going, you are doing quite well" "N-no, what are you making me say!" "Oh this? These were the exact same words I used when I was chasing your grandmother. Although you should have said it more gently though" "¡­I AM GOING TO GET MURDERED!" "Really? I think you underestimate yourself" Noticing the surroundings had gotten quieter, Max somehow fearfully turned his head to look back at Mayumi sitting across his back. "¡­Eh?", Max could only mutter in shock. Mayumi¡­ her face was totally flushed red. Seeing Max looking at her she immediately leapt off of him as she furiously waved her arms about in panic, "JUST WHAT ARE YOU SAYING BAKA!!", before running off to hide behind Masumi. "Max!", Lydia gave him a thumbs up, "I taught you well!" "Hmph!", there was a sound of an imaginary door slamming inside Max''s head before an onset of a massive headache slammed into his mind. The surrounding Elven warriors were grinning as one of them came forward and helped him to his feet, dusting him off as the elf said, "That was braver than facing an army of Orcs!", as he clapped his hand on Max''s shoulder in approval. Max felt heat rushing up to the tip of his ears as he didn¡¯t know where to look, too ashamed to even glance in Mayumi''s direction. However if he did¡­ he would notice that Masumi was eyeing him with a stony face. Deciding that escape was the better part of valour, Max kept his eyes to the floor as he rapidly approached his grandfather and grabbed him by the arm. "Opi, I have something I want to discuss with you", as Max dragged Gerhard away from the group, many of whom were watching his embarrassment in amusement. "Oh, what is it Max?" "¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have said those irresponsible words" "¡­so you have no feelings for her?" "I don¡¯t know what I feel Opi¡­ but I know I don¡¯t dislike her" "Haaaa¡­ you should stop being so indecisive. You are still a Von Natzmer, Max¡­" "Urgh¡­ A-anyway Opi, I need to check something with you" "Oh? What is it about Max?" Max hesitated slightly before he asked, "Do you know much about the differences between the denizens of this world and people like us?" Gerhard pondered for a moment before replying, "I do have a vague feeling that we have more of an opportunity to gain skills and power rapidly?" "It is not just your feeling Opi, we can be considered a cheat like existence in this world¡­ that was how the game was designed. Though there are of course some exceptions due to race or importances to storyline, the vast majority of human NPCs have exactly the same strength as normal humans on earth". "¡­I think I understand what you are trying to say Max" "If¡­ and I do mean if, there are people like us involved in invading Basterni in any numbers", Max concluded grimly, "then it will definitely fall" ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Kore wa Koi S2 E09: Scent of a Woman The audience chamber was massive, clear signs of wealth were arranged tastefully throughout as light shone through the stained glass windows, creating an almost picturesque scene as a majestically armoured female knight stood in front of one of her subjects, surrounded by a crowd all bearing the same crests as hers on their uniforms. However, the scene was deceiving as a tense air permeated the room. Darius rubbed the stinging pain from his cheek as his Guild master clenched her sore hand as she berated him, "Why couldn¡¯t you have wait for a decision from me before you accepted that quest? Huh?!" The others who were watching could only cringe as their Guild Master was slowly working herself up into a fury. Her temper was infamous, however as one of the strongest knights in the Rosenheim kingdom, her influence amongst the nobles and players were nearly unparallel. "Sanya, I-", before Darius could finish he was slapped once again, this time on the opposite cheek. "You do realise what our guild is currently undertaking right now, don¡¯t you?! You do realise, we are going to face off against the other two guilds soon, don¡¯t you?!", her beautiful face contorting in rage. "¡­ yes, against the Sunfire and Blood Lotus guilds, I do realise we need to be strong-" "Then.Why.Did.You.Think.It.Was.Wise.To.Accept.This.Quest", Sanya emphasis each word with a slap across his cheeks. "¡­" "Was I wrong to think that you had something in you? Was I wrong in believing that you could had been one of the vice leaders?!" "¡­No, you were not wrong" "Then why do I not see that now?!" "¡­Sanya", Darius looked at her steadily, "This is not just a subjugation quest" "And what else could it be", she replied sarcastically. "¡­This is our chance¡­ our chance to finally surpass the other guilds" "¡­Explain", she said curtly. "Do you know the quest limit for how many players can join in?" "¡­" "It is unlimited" There was a collective gasps from the surroundings as the words finally filtered into their minds. Unlimited. It meant that you can raise an expedition force that could rival the standing armies of any kingdom. "Go on¡­", as Sanya''s interest was finally piqued. "¡­We can use this event to advertise the strength of our Ica guild, showcasing our might as we conquer the east¡­ and the thousands of players that join the quest¡­ we can then recruit them easily into our guild once they are used to our commands as we fight to retake the region" "hmmm¡­" "We shall appeal to them, make ourselves seem righteous and caring, finishing this quest is like laying the foundation for our future growth¡­" "And as we fight, won''t we be weakened, won''t our hunting grounds be taken over by the other guilds?" "¡­We won''t leave too soon to do the quest¡­ we will keep recruiting and recruiting¡­ even poaching players from the other two guilds. Sanya¡­ not only will we grow stronger through this¡­ this will also weaken the influence of the other two guilds if we were to succeed". Sanya grabbed his chin in her hand as she looked into his eyes, "And do you think you can pull this off? After failing in Barran Village?" "¡­This time I won''t fail", he gazed back in resolve, "I will not disappoint myself again" "¡­see that you don''t disappoint me instead, Darius. See that you don¡¯t", as she released him. "I command you, Darius. Come back victorious¡­ or not at all!" ********************************************************************************************* INTRO SONG: Trust Me ********************************************************************************************* As Gerhard''s enlarged party drew closer to Basterni, they managed to discover one of the outlying patrols that were ranging far and wide trying to keep watch on most of the well known approaches to the village. As soon as the squad leader from the mounted patrol recognised Gerhard, he hastily dismounted and saluted before gawping in silence as he finally noticed the few Elven Warriors that choose to reveal themselves, bows semi drawn with eyes fixed upon him in wariness. "What is the situation currently in Basterni, soldier?", Gerhard immediately questioned, information of any kind at the moment was vital so that he could plan as soon as possible. "Centurion, Lord Rommer has recalled many of our garrisons stationed across the regions from their small outposts to the stronghold. The troops are currently being drilled for battle however currently several villages are now without protection¡­ there have been reports of bandit raids" "¡­Why weren¡¯t the villagers evacuated to Basterni?", Gerhard began to silently raged. Even Prussia in its dying days evacuated everybody and as much as they could. "Sire, it is due¡­ to the harvest season", the soldier replied hurriedly as he felt the silent pressure. Gerhard realised memories from ''that'' time had seeped into his emotions and were influencing his thoughts to which he could only struggle to suppress them. ''That''s right'', he regained his clarity as he thought to himself, ''This world''s technology is not the same as our own modern period¡­ each household lives and dies by what they can grow''. At this moment with Gerhard silently thinking with his head down, the soldier broke out in cold sweat as he stood still in attention. Gerhard snapped his head back up and immediately issued orders. "Soldier, you are to alert the other patrolling squads to assist in the protection of the villages. Also if need be, help them to harvest their crops and begin transporting the villagers and the supplies to Basterni" "Centurion?", the soldier hesitated before asking, "How are we to transport the harvests and villagers back to Basterni¡­ also who will keep watch for the invasion?" Gerhard smiled in appreciation at the soldier, "At least you can use your head. Don¡¯t worry about transport, I shall organise it upon my return to the stronghold. And I have extra set of eyes here to help me out", as he indicated to the Elves. With understanding, the soldier smartly saluted, "Then I shall hear and obey, Centurion", before returning back to his squad. "¡­What is your name soldier?" The young man paused before turning back around, "It is Aldrik, Centurion" "Aldrik¡­ I am giving you the temporary rank of Denarion. Make sure my orders are obeyed" There was a gleam in Aldrik''s eyes as he responded forcefully, "It shall be done, Centurion!" As the figure of the young man and his squad rode off, Gerhard turned to Mist and said apologetically, "As you heard, we are extremely short staffed in the Rosenheim Army", he grinned wryly. Mist just gave a small smile, "I understand Sain¨¹r. After all, we are here at your command" "Again though¡­ my apologies for putting your warriors straight to work" To the side, Masumi was making a ''guts'' pose as she realised that the Elves will be leaving their group, before assuming a modest expression as Gerhard turned to her. "Masumi, I need you to lead one of the Elven groups to hunt down the bandits for me. We cannot allow them to keep striking us at will¡­ Masumi?" To which she hurriedly hid her despondent expression before replying, "Hai Gerhard-sama, I will DESTROY them all!" "Uh Masumi, I only want you to impede them-" "Don¡¯t worry Gerhard-sama, I shall return to your side after I get rid of all the distractions¡­ I mean the bandits!", her eyes seemed to blaze with determination¡­ and also irritation. Hidden miles and miles away¡­ the entire bandit camp felt a horrifying shuddering chill went up their spines. "Masumi¡­", her sister said worriedly, "I will come along with you" "Actually Mayumi", Gerhard interrupted, "I need a favour from you" "??? What would that be, Gerhard-san?" "The caves you went through¡­ I need you to bring Max back to Serabourg for me. And then please escort his friends as fast as possible back to Basterni" "¡­" "OPIIIII! Why Mayumi?!!", Max''s face paled as he quickly private messaged his grandfather in panic, "Wouldn¡¯t Masumi be a better choice?!!" Gerhard stealthily replied through private message, "Masumi takes responsibilities seriously that is why I choose her to command the Elves. Also Mayumi and you should take this opportunity to work things out" "Opi, please don¡¯t play cupid!" "¡­I don¡¯t know what you are talking about. Oh¡­ please pick a good name for either a boy or girl" " OPIIIII! WHY ARE YOU SKIPPING SEVERAL PROCESSES????!!!!!" Mayumi looked at her feet for a moment, then turning to look at her sister before finally making her decision, "O-ok, so I just need to bring him back there and escort the gopher and his friends back?... Wait, what friends?", she eyed Max suspiciously as he suddenly stiffened like a rabbit caught in front of a car''s headlights. "Well", Gerhard explained, "they are his fellow engineering classmates, BROTHERS one and all who will be a great help to us in the coming days". "Oh, why didn¡¯t Max just say so", Mayumi smiled brightly as she grabbed the frozen arm of Max, "so they are just your Male friends huh, a-na-ta" Max gulped as he pleaded with his eyes to Gerhard however his grandfather pretended to not notice. "Oh! Oh!", Lydia pointed her hand up excitedly like it was class, "What about me?!" "You¡­", Gerhard coughed, "Hold on to William until we get to Basterni. Do not let go of his hand, ok?" "¡­" William just looked up at Lydia as he patted his tiny hands over hers in comfort. And so the group separated, each with a different task, as Gerhard now raced along with only a small group of a dozen elves as escort. Before long, they sighted the humble village that surrounded the stronghold of Basterni, the wooden palisade that surrounded the abodes of the villagers were repaired and strengthened in many places while work was ongoing to dig a sizable ditch along its perimeter. But with Gerhard''s well trained eyes, he noticed that not enough work was being done¡­ they were desperately short of able hands. With urgency building, Gerhard knew that all these preparations meant the threat of invasion must be definitely real enough for a person like Ernst to authorise such work. Approaching the stone fort in the centre of the village, as soon as the guards saw him, they opened the gates without ceremony to let him in. Gerhard was quickly brought to Ernst Rommer, the old man looking up in delight from all the paperwork that was piled across his desk, as he feebly stood up to greet him, his adjutant standing behind trying to convince the old warrior to sit back down. "My lord", Gerhard saluted smartly, "so it is true then?" "¡­Yes", Ernst replied sadly, "It is true" "What of the kingdom? Will they not send reinforcements?" There was a long heavy silence before Ernst broke it, "Our enemy IS the kingdom" "¡­I think an explanation is in order, Kommandant " "Yes¡­ I think you do deserve to know the truth¡­ my heir" ********************************************************************************************* Max trudged along silently behind Mayumi, from time to time words tried to spill from his lips only for him to open and shut his mouth like a goldfish. They were currently travelling under a gorgeous sky, blue in all directions while a gentle breeze caressed their skin as they caught sight of the forest for which they will need to enter once again to access the ancient Dwarven tunnels. For all intents and purposes, it was a perfect day. And yet Max and Mayumi maintained a certain distance from one another, which caused Max to reminisce and miss those days when she almost relentlessly bullied. As he watched her secretly, Mayumi paused as though checking the direction, using her hand to nonchalantly flick aside a strand of hair back to behind her ear. Every now and then, with her being quiet and demure currently, Max would have thought that she was just a beautiful oriental girl¡­ only when she is behaving though. However, it made Max realised once again that although they had been travelling together already for an extended period of time¡­ he barely knew anything about her. And Mayumi didn¡¯t ever open up about herself other than playing around with Max or being affectionate towards her sister. All he could do right now was to keep up with the pace that she had set and occasionally steal looks at her as he tried to figure out how to break the awkward silence between them. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Mayumi on the other hand had noticed Max''s furtive glances from time to time and pretended to not be aware, her face remaining impassive¡­ however internally she was fretting. ''It is definitely about ''that'' isn''t it?'', she thought to herself as she remembered the impassioned confession Max declared on that day. Travelling together from day to day, setting up camp and speaking only few words only in regards to chores and routine, for once in her life Mayumi cursed the accelerated time system of Royal Road because they had only been playing for a few hours real-time. She didn¡¯t know how to react around Max any longer, the feeling of confusion coupled by the fact that she was sure that he wanted a reply to his confession only made it more difficult for her to look him in the eye. To her, Max could be classified as a friend, well veering more towards a master servant relationship, however she couldn¡¯t deny that his words caused her heart to accelerate at that moment. Her experience with men can be said to be only limited to her own family members and that of her former fianc¨¦, and it is a fact that Max''s public confession of love was a first for her. But when Mayumi tried to gaze into her own heart¡­ the memory of her ex-fianc¨¦''s betrayal surged forth and nearly made it difficult for her to breathe. And what her father tried to do his own daughters¡­ if Mayumi didn¡¯t had the power of becoming the Clan Head, who knew what unreasonableness her father would put them through again. So¡­ who can she trust then? Which male can she ever trust again? Those words, those actions, those scars upon her heart, Mayumi knew that there is no road going forward with Max¡­ and yet why can''t she just reject his confession? Just what is she hoping for? And thus we have this current situation, where neither of them had the courage to speak to one another, one thinking he had made Mayumi misunderstand, and one unsure of how she feels about Max. In other words¡­ they were just clueless kids. And thus they finally entered the forest but at this rate, nothing is going to happen¡­sigh¡­ therefore introducing divine providence! "Gyaaaa!", Max squealed in pain as his leg was suddenly being gnawed viciously. "Max!", Mayumi called out in worry as she fought against several Iron Wolves, distracted from coming to his aid as she was unable to penetrate the hide of the wolves that was as strong as steel. "Mayumiiiiii!", Max struggled desperately as he was being dragged away along the forest floor, trying to grab a hand hold of anything to arrest his movement. "Hold on pashiri! I will save you soon!" For the first time in his life, Max''s frustration and anger finally peaked as he cursed vehemently in Austrian, German and a smattering of French as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a quill. Suddenly performing a sit up, he rammed the quill into the wolf''s eye as Max shouted, "The pen IS mightier than the sword! BITCH!" Howling, the wolf unclamped its jaw from Max''s leg and swung its head from side to side trying to dislodge the implement, to which Max found a large rock and proceeded to perform a splatter movie scene as he bashed the wolf''s head in repeatedly. Only the twitching body was all that remained and the head needed a censored mosaic for all our young audience out there. Breathing raggedly Max turned to help Mayumi¡­ only to be entranced by her sword dance. She moved like a leaf drifting in the wind and for the first time, Max saw her fighting seriously, a sheath in one hand and her katana in the other. Noticing how effective the blunt attack used by Max was, Mayumi proceeded to strike the skulls of the wolves in succession causing the creatures to have the stun debuff momentarily. But that single moment is more than enough for Mayumi as she either stabbed the wolves through their eyes or as a single wolf was about to painfully experience as it opened its maw aiming for her throat. She thrust the point of her sword through its opened jaws and directly pierced its brain when she quickly back pedalled before twirling around to dislodge her sword and striking another wolf in the head with her sheath. By the end of it, Mayumi had dealt with twelve wolves, tapping the hilt of her sword to remove the blood prior to sheathing her katana as she turned to look at Max. They both stare at one another before Mayumi''s cheeks suddenly puffed up¡­ "PU¡­PUHAHAHAHAHA!!!", Mayumi burst out laughing as she pointed to Max, "What was that?! T-the pen is mightier than the sword?! Are you a Chuunibyou!?" Max could only sheepishly grinned as he realised what he had said, "It just came out! I am always full of cool lines!!", before starting to chuckle along with her¡­ in the end both of them were laughing surrounded by the eerie scene of dead wolf corpses everywhere. Smiling to one another once they had calmed down somewhat, they quickly treated Max''s injury and walked off¡­ side by side. ********************************************************************************************* Eric wandered the streets of Serabourg in curiosity, truly the first time that he felt that he wanted to understand the inhabitants and the culture of this world. Currently, the red player killer status over his head had long since disappeared, due to a combination of it fading over time and him completing quests designed to do so. Also he had met several people along the way whom he vaguely recognised and apologised to their complete bafflement. Well it is fair to say they didn¡¯t even realised that it was the former Eric the Red himself, his demeanour having changed so much¡­ also including the fact that he had traded his armour and gear to change his appearance. After all, if sorry could fix everything, there wouldn¡¯t be a need for police and Eric realised if people did recognised him, he would just be forced to kill them again which would defeat his original purpose. However there was another reason why Eric was in Serabourg today¡­ as he finally arrived at the spawn point for beginners, next to a giant fountain. Nervously, he checked the time that was flashing from the corner of his eye, wondering if he was late before Eric at last caught sight of a familiar beautiful face that was looking about in excitement. Seeing her long wonderful blonde hair twirl and her green eyes that were usually twinkling in mischief was now searching anxiously, Eric felt his heart quickened as he walked stiffly, almost in parade ground fashion till he stood behind her and whispered. "Elsa¡­ Meine geliebte" The woman froze before turning abruptly, and became stunned at the sight of her husband standing¡­ actually standing there on his own two feet, with tears coming unbidden from her eyes as she smiled, "Eric¡­" Before she could say anything else, Elsa was quickly embraced in a bear hug, shocked into silence as she felt the loving arms of her husband after so long¡­for so many years she missed this. Slowly, afraid that it was a dream, she felt the strong arms of her husband with her hands tentatively, shocked at the realism that this game provided as she could even vaguely feel the warmth transmitted to her fingertips. Without a care, she clung back in embrace as Elsa began to sob uncontrollably, feeling her back being stroke awkwardly by her husband''s clumsy hands which caused her to laugh childishly. She then raised her tear stained eyes as she scolded him, "What do you think you are doing to a married woman in broad daylight hmmm Mr Elsker?" With his own eyes red, he responded, "Why just doing what every husband should to his wife, Mrs Elsker" The surrounding crowds were watching with mouths agape, beginners, long term players and NPCs alike, although the older generations amongst them were just grinning as they all thought the same thing, ''ahhh, young love''. "Ouch", she complained, "Is that armour you''re wearing?" "Yes, sorry dear", as Eric hastily released her, "its chain mail. It would chafe bare skin if you don¡¯t wear appropriate padding" "¡­and why do you need armour?" "It is that kind of game, Elsa", Eric grinned sheepishly, "If you leave the confines of the city and travel, armour can be said as almost a necessity" "Well before you go gallivanting in search of adventure, shouldn¡¯t you treat your wife to a date after all these years?" "With pleasure, my love", as he held her hands with his own, enjoying the feeling that came¡­ before suddenly pulling her close and kissing her deeply. "Eric!", she finally gasped when their lips parted, "since when were you so brazen?!" He just grinned as he replied, "Since you came into my life once again" Elsa didn¡¯t reply as she finally noticed that they were making a scene, trying to avoid the watching eyes of the crowd as she felt her face heating up in embarrassment. "So¡­ where are our boys now?" "¡­they are with your mother, Eric", as she gathered herself together. "And how was the installation? There wasn''t much problems with the setup was there?" "No, it was just weird as I hadn¡¯t played any games in a long time, let alone this new VRMMORPG thing" Both of them leisurely strolled together hand in hand, talking about everything and nothing, just enjoying the comfort from being in the presence of one another. Eric took her to a famous restaurant in Serabourg for lunch and as they finished and walked out of the building, he noticed a strange commotion going on. "Eric, what could possibly be happening?", his wife asked curiously. "I don¡¯t know¡­", as he gazed curiously at a table being setup and a line of dozens being formed before it. Eric stopped a passerby that seemed to want to join the queue as he asked politely, "I don¡¯t suppose you can tell me what sort of event is going on?" Although the guy seemed to be in a hurry, he still responded civilly, "Didn¡¯t you hear? There has been an outbreak of a rebellion in the east!" "¡­In the East?" Patiently the man responded, "That''s right. It seemed that the former head of the Army, Ernst Rommer has rebelled and intends to secede the entire east from the kingdom! It has been major news for the last few days!", pointing back at the queue, "There is currently a call to arms quest for players to join in the expedition to retake the region. You should join in too, they say there is no upper limit for the amount of players to join!" "¡­Thank you for the information" "No worries, maybe see ya around sometimes, big fella!", as the man left the couple and ran to the end of the line to sign up. "¡­What is wrong dear?", as Elsa noticed the strange expression on her husband''s face. "Can you give me a moment, darling? I need to check up on a friend" "Sure¡­ wait, you made a friend?", she asked in shock. Squeezing her hand to tell her that he was communicating, Eric sent out a private message to Gerhard, "Sir? Are you still in Basterni?" "¡­Eric? It has been awhile. And yes, I am still in the region" "¡­By that¡­ are you still working for Ernst Rommer?" "To answer your question¡­ yes I am. Is there something you needed, Eric?" "Sir¡­ in Serabourg, they are treating the forces in the east like they have rebelled" "Oh¡­ actually no we haven¡¯t rebelled¡­ we are however been one-sidedly labelled as traitors though" "Sir, the situation here is actually spiralling out of control. There will soon be thousands of players descending upon the east!" "Eric¡­ are you in Serabourg?" "Yes, I am¡­" "¡­I have need of your service, Eric¡­ no¡­ I mean I need your aid" Looking at his wife helplessly, Eric could only mouthed, "I am sorry", to her to which she could only glanced at him in puzzlement as he said, "What do you need me to do Herr Kommandant?" ********************************************************************************************* Ending Song: Kore wa Koi
Hi Guys, Shrimp here. Just so you know... we will definitely have some action next chapter... probably... *cough* I am a bit busy nowadays as my son is back and I have to spend time to look after him while I also need to look for work. Currently I have a few days of work this week on a construction site so please forgive the delays. I am sure you guys can almost feel the climax of this story approaching... it will be amazing... i hope... >___> Anyway, I am off: ShrimpSamurai signing off!