《The First Encounter[Closed]》 Prologue - How it Began Prologue -" Things spoken by someone. " -'' Things thought by MC. '' "Quotes" (Comments) [ Narrator Comments ] *Names or things that are in bunny marks* -'' Haaa, it has been a really long time since I was this excited about something. '' I thought. Despite being twenty eight years old I was unusually unconcerned with everyday events, or better to say, I couldn''t bring myself to care. People could say " What''s the deal? Everyone has stuff one cares about. " That might be true, but to me, that was a problem. ¡° I frankly do not care ¡° have always been a part of my life: be it an exam, a work or a school. I had always breezed through things without a single effort. I still remember getting my M.C.A.(Master''s Degree), which took me less than six hours to make up and write down a thesis. Honestly, I have no idea how I ended up with a Master''s and a decent job. A sudden bump made me remember that it was time to get off the bus as I perpetually couldn''t bring myself to get a driving license. -'' Anyway, I got sidetracked long enough. It¡¯s finally the time to get this stuff on the road, and get the newest VR capsule.'' -¡¯ Yes, it is finally THE release date - 7:49 AM 9th October 2026 - of the GustCorp''s VR Capsule System. It might not be the first VR game, but it might very well be the last. With a promise of full VR immersion and time dilation of one to three the exclusively released full VR game "ArCiel" is likely to blow the competition out of the water. ¡® As one could guess there was, indeed, one thing for which I actually cared, and that thing was Role playing. Whether it¡¯s a book (which I read more than you might believe), a game (being in three MMORPG¡¯s simultaneously and raiding was tough, not to mention plenty of normal RPGs that I played in the meantime) or an event (duh, if you thought I couldn''t speak to people like some NEET you were wrong - being a tabletop Game Master for last twelve years and making a showcase tabletop events and lectures have given me a lot of confidence [if he says so himself lol]). -'' Hmm, at least there is one bright side to these things being so damn expensive - no queues. '' [After signing the invoice and exchanging the pleasantries with a shop clerk] -'' Now I need to wait for two days until they deliver and install the capsule. '' [ Yes, he actually ordered whole thing and arrived home without paying any attention ] -'' Hmm, I will spend the time reviewing stuff that I need to know about a game. ¡® -'' First thing, from what I heard, in game avatar movements are heavily dependent on players own skill in moving his/her body in real life. Which I think is not too good, I have had some fighting experiences and I can even proudly claim that I have never lost a real fist fight once, but compared to my father or his friends, some of which are kickboxing pros, I always felt like a "Random Thug Number 3". Also, as they say, no matter how good you are there''s always a Chinese twelve year old genius who is better than you. And it was a long time ago when I could be considered fit... '' -'' Anyway, about the next thing, I have bloody little idea about this full immersion thing. It looks good on paper and they claim that they can somehow recreate all of the senses. Somehow, I think that being stabbed will probably hurt like hell, even at twenty percent ratio that they claim to use. Frankly said, I am not too keen on exploring how it feels to have a blade stuck in your gut, anesthesia or not. '' Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. -'' Hmm, a third thing, there is a limit of one character per account and account is strictly bound to a person, supposedly a scan of the iris enforces it. Hmm, so I will need to make a good and memorable character then. Damn pity! I have soo many characters on hand (as any Game Master should). Picking one and only one will be hard! '' -'' One other thing, which is by far the most important to me, whole world is said to have been created by a cutting edge AI and NPC¡¯s are said to " Live their own life ", or so the company claims. Hopefully it¡¯s not a total hoax. '' I yawned and switched off the PC. It took me a while to look all of the details up. At least I had a decent idea on how to solve the problem of fighting pros having an edge, which was the usual thing I had to counteract while playing FPS games. -¡¯ How is it related one might ask? Well, I am not too good at FPS games and my run&gun exploits usually end up with a third person view of the body. How come my kill, death ratio is in the top tier then? That''s not that easy to explain, best I can come up with can be summed up as ¡° Thinking! ¡° I stay calm, monitor the flow of combat and set up ambushes to gain tactical advantage or move from the flank. Even an LMS pro can''t do much when getting hit from behind. Still, head to head I get owned badly, that''s why I prefer strategy games. ¡® While thinking to myself I did the usual chores but going to sleep wasn''t going well with my excitement, so I stayed up for long hours thinking about an archetype that I should go with. -'' Hmm, warriors, knights, barbarians are a no go. Twelve year old, talented Chinese children are scary. Though seriously, if I meet a half decent fighter that''s the end, so warriors are out. '' -'' As usual, there''s no way I am going for a Priest, as an ego is mutually exclusive with faith. As for a mage... that''s a tough one as I have always played a mage. One way or another, that''s pretty much how I played most of the time. Since there''s only one character, I shouldn¡¯t go for a mage. Meh. Gotta find something else and maybe later learn few magic skills... if it¡¯s even possible that is, there''s not much to go on on the net. '' At that moment I remembered why I haven''t been playing rogues in my old MMO, or rather, why I stopped playing them and rolled mage. It was too damn easy with my gaming style. To pick one¡¯s engagements, to control the flow of combat and if the enemy''s better, you could just run like a little bi¡­ girl: -'' ...rogues are naturally good at running¡­ '' I thought to myself. -'' ...and I should find the one that should do the trick. '' I unconsciously grinned to myself while considering an old NPC, one which my team loved to hate when we played the tabletop RPG. I still use its name on the forums after all those years. It will be glorious return of a criminal whom even gods couldn''t contain... ===================== NEXT CHAPTER: Prologue, Part 2 Prologue 2 - How it Lived Prologue 2 - How it Lived When I woke up I did the usual bits and ends that everyone does in the morning. Then, I turned on my company''s laptop and started working. I entered credentials into a database, then waited for scripts to send a data key to authentication server and establish VPN connection. I have been working for that IT company for past two years, but I still couldn''t bring myself to get a better paying job. -'' Well, I work only few days a month and the pay isn''t really that bad if I consider the amount of free time I have as one of the perks... '' -" Man, I hate working twelve hour shifts. " My colleague, Derrick, complained via NetCom using a private channel (NetComm - a communicator software with video, voice and chat functions). -" Pfff, said by a person that is proudly working in twenty four seven mode, twenty four minutes every seven hours, is hardly convincing. " I countered. -" What can I say? Its not like anyone will notice anything, the system is ninety percent automated anyway. If its running its breezing. " He said. Few minutes later I had myself breezed through the workload and cut it into manageable pieces. By the way, Derrick was not the only one who worked twenty four seven, though I tried to be a bit more sneaky about it. The trick to it was that a *technical expertise* could be used as a great term for splitting complicated tasks into small and simple pieces and then dumping them all onto other team members. -'' All the while maintaining a hardworking air. '' I smiled slyly. -" Ok Derrick, here are your reports and tech analysis, no unusual alerts and I have approved your CBR system changes. " I said while sending out emails. -" Got it, I will get them done Paul ". With work taken care of I have set company''s laptop to passive-active mode and turned to my private PC. Since capsule would be ready on the next day I decided to start getting familiar with the game¡¯s setting. It could end badly if I were to go in blindly. * * * * Few hours, two alerts and several websites later I had a decent idea on how things looked in the world of ArCiel. Whole world consisted of three, or rather, four continents. To the east there were three of them bunched in together, separated only by small seas... also, those continents¡­ they seemed really Big. According to the scale I could easily place Russia two times over onto one of them. Overall shape of two topmost continents roughly resembled a shape of Eurasia, with Europe separated from them by something akin to aftermath of a cataclysm. The Great Rift looked like if somebody took an almighty swing and left a deep gash, framed by the mountains pushed up by the force of the blow. The third continent looked like a bigger and longer version of the northern continents, if they were whole and somebody did a mirror image of them. Far away, to the west, there was another continent, which was similar to Australia in size, though its shape was rather jagged and triangular. That Western continent was called Yin-Soth and I was told that it resembled Japan of shogunate era, with Daimio''s struggling for power all over the place. -'' Well, back to core continents... '' Western, separated part of the northern continent was called Fomora and it looked like it was ridden with mountains and valleys. Dwarves, goblins and other underground races thrived there, though there was some kind of human kingdom there also. Across the Great Rift, to the east of Fomora, there was a continent of Orphis, which was really green, covered by grasslands and woods. It was split into several kingdoms, only some of them human, there were mentions of elven, beastmen, barbarian and few other kinds. If I was to sum it up I would call the whole area a Medieval Fantasy. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The big southern continent, called Nuyon, was split into Empire, which seemed to resemble an Old Chinese legends settings, and into few other kingdoms of men that all seemed unique in some way. -'' Hmm, there''s a lot of diversity - I even see mentions of a pirate nation out there, Yarr! Heh. '' I snickered. Big western part of Nuyon was rumored to be uncharted and wild. Considering all of the details I had to say that the company definitely mashed everything together. -'' And I can have only one character on my account. '' I thought and felt like crying. -'' Well here comes the big decision then... on where to start. '' That was a tough choice since the character I was going for was originally created in a Chinese Legends setting, but I like and know medieval fantasy the best. Hmm, all things considered I guess I should go to where my best expertise lies and that means north. -'' Lets see what northern dominions have in stock. '' Further investigation yielded some results, though less than expected. Since the game was just released only the basic overview provided by the developer was available. Human kingdoms of the north consisted of the following nations: The Great Kingdom of Largos, rather stable nation ruled by King Valorius Magnus the Third, whom appears to be quite old. If my guess was correct the whole kingdom is of a typical peaceful sort. Nieldharad Empire, a militaristic nation located near the Great Rift, was plagued by monster troubles and haven''t expanded enough to inconvenience its neighbors, yet. Sasama Republic, a mercantile nation spread around islands to the north of Orphis. It was relying on trade ships to spread its influence and was mainly focused on trading. In a center of the continent, around the Inner Sea, there was the Kingdom of Gis. It seemed to be some kind of do it all nation. -¡¯ Well, they DO have border with practically everyone on the continent. And I mean Everyone. Elves, dwarves, beastman and also orcs, barbarians are also thrown in for a good measure. I bet the garrisons near those last two have lots of *fun*. ¡® That said it was pretty obvious where I should start. -'' I mean, camon! With that kind of clusterfuck of borders you can''t go wrong - Gis it is! ''. Covering all the loose ends got me in a mood and I spent rest of the evening killing suckers in some FPS game. -'' Gotta love snipers. ¡® I snickered -¡¯ One moment you charge down the bridge with how awesome am I and during the next moment you may marvel over third person view of yourself... '' Anyway tomorrow is the day... =================================================== Hey~, Author''s here~ we are finally done with the prologue hopefully I didn''t kill you with boredom yet, starting from now on I ll concentrate on real chapters and VR adventures (so there will be no more slice of life Bs hopefully). I am planning on releasing chapters every 2-4 days with 2000+ word count. I hope that I will have inspiration to keep it up. I hope you will enjoy my works, cheers. NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 1 - The Becoming Chapter 1 - The Becoming Chapter 1 - The Becoming -¡± Haa, finally. ¡° I said to myself while looking at sleek, oblong, black shape installed in my room. Staff just left and only basic setup remained until I could start. It was Saturday so I had plenty of free time as my next shift wasn''t due for next few days. Without further delay I opened the cover and settled myself in. Whole thing seemed similar to a very comfy coffin, padded with some kind of synthetic, mushy material. After closing the cover, I noticed that there was a small window located in front of my face. Suddenly, a big metal ring moved from its resting place above my head and slowly slid down, over my face. It was almost as if I would be undergoing a PET scan. [PET - info ] Moments later I started to feel lightheaded and all sensation seemed to drain from my body. * * * * In a void less darkness, bereft of any feeling, I suddenly heard a secular female voice. -" System Initiation Complete. " -" Welcome to a GustCorp VR Capsule System. Do you wish to select lobby parameters? " The voice asked. -" Yes, please download profile from local node *Netherworld*, Identification: VzS3l6. " I replied. -" Import successful. " Stated the AI. -" Executing. " At that moment I suddenly felt something - all of the nothingness vanished and I found myself standing on a transparent, glass floor. Darkness was suddenly replaced by a breathtaking sight. A sea of stars appeared all around me, countless lights shone in the unfathomable distance. Just standing still in that sparkling void was astounding, almost unreal. Especially when a silent music, which was more felt than heard, reverberated from everywhere and nowhere at once, completing that truly magnificent display. [ For the music you might use this, enjoy~ - Short EDIT: Found an Extended Version Long ] When I concentrated and carefully looked for distortions of starlight, I noticed arches and columns that looked like they were made of transparent glass that created a wide plaza of epic proportions. -'' Wow, this is totally out of my expectations - I have always imagined this as my personal space, but this ...this is just unfathomable. '' I thought as I stood in the middle of the sky, awestruck. -'' It was well worth the effort I have spent fiddling with the creator on my PC. '' A stray thought appeared and disappeared in my mind, unheeded. I was brought back to reality by a blank voice and blue lettered status message, that suddenly appeared before me: ---------------------------- Do you wish to Connect to Ar Ciel? Yes | No ---------------------------- -" Yes, please. " I replied briefly. ---------------------------- The scan of your iris had determined that you are an unregistered user. Do you wish to create a new account? Yes | No ---------------------------- The lobby continued to shift slowly, in a monumental movement of the stars that was so slow that it left everything almost unchanged, only blue letters that floated before me seemed to change. -" Yes! ", I answered, suddenly annoyed by meaningless questions. ---------------------------- Select your gender from male, female or neutral... ---------------------------- -'' Ok, it is time! '' I thought to myself as I relaxed and tried to re-imagine myself into a new image, one I wished for myself. -'' My body is young but my spirit is ancient, for she was the goddess among the lands. '' I concentrated on the image. -" Female ", My voice rang loudly, steeled with resolve. -" Please be aware that in concern for your wellbei.. " The voice responded mechanically. -" Pass, skip, whatever, ok? " I quickly interrupted it. ---------------------------- Select a name for your avat... ---------------------------- -" The unreasonable one that sown chaos among Creation, the name''s Almisha " Somehow I was able to say that without flinching. ---------------------------- Select a race for your avat... ---------------------------- -" Half-Elf. " I said, while thinking. -'' There''s no way that I will be able to recreate the whole look of her... but if I look at it as if she had fallen, finally(she was not liked in Heavens after all), then pointy features and ears are a must, but not enough to justify an elven race. '' ---------------------------- You may alter your appearance... ---------------------------- -" Make the skin palest white possible, long black hair, black eyes...make them a bit bigger, sharp cheekbones...make the jawline more convex, heart shaped...not like that - sharper... ". [Sometime later... ... ok, ok you got him - few hours later...] -" Yes, the build should be lean and sharp...small breasts...make bones a bit more delicate... " [ ... Sometime .. in ... the ... future... ] ---------------------------- Do you wish to finalize this appearance? ---------------------------- -" Hmm, this is totally different from what I had in mind... " I was about to order the AI to wipe the character and start all over, but after looking at her... I just couldn''t. -" Yes, Please " ---------------------------- Your account has been activated. Your stats and class shall be determined while you are playing. ---------------------------- -" ... " ---------------------------- Select a kingdom you wish to start in... ---------------------------- -" The Kingdom of Gis ". ---------------------------- Welcome to ArCiel, you will now be transported to one of the major cities in The Kingdom of Gis. ---------------------------- -" Hmm, character creation process seems a bit tedious. " With a flash everything went blank ... * * * * * * * * Suddenly, a vivid barrage of sensations brought me to my senses. Scorchingly hot sun vehemently basked the city in its rays, creating dizzying array of colours and sights. The streets were crowded with people wearing medieval garbs. The plaza was surrounded by big stone buildings covered with tiled roofs, which caused whole place to feel overwhelming. Sound of moving bodies, hawkers selling their wares and countless conversations enveloped me. I felt somewhat weak and dizzy, so I sat on a stone base of a fountain that I found just behind me. I couldn''t fathom my surroundings as I looked around in astonishment, befuddled by the view unfolding in front of my eyes. It seemed so real. I tried to find any flaws, , but couldn''t, it was indistinguishable from the real world. Everything, hardness of the cobblestones under my feet, hotness of the sun and the fountain which felt solid and vivid under my back, everything was and felt... normal. -'' This is perfect '' I thought to myself in wonder and tried to stand. I had finally become aware of unfamiliar sensations that came from my body, I was feeling very light and weak. I thought it was related to dizziness caused by the transfer, but I immediately concluded that it was not the case. The discovery was baffling to say the least. -'' I was not expecting that much detail to the game. '' My feelings were way off. Originally, I was over six feet tall, but my new height was no higher than five-something (feet). Not to mention that the body¡¯s gender changed. I touched my chest then, suddenly becoming aware of the crowds, I forced my hand down. -'' ...Acting out of character is sloppy, get your ass together, you are better than that. '' I chastised myself. I ignored unfamiliar sensations and focused on performing some stretches, before going to more traditional moves of "kata" that I learned a long time ago. It was during a time when I wanted to learn martial arts from my father. [ He just did a basic Kata check, if you are unfamiliar with the term. ] I paid no heed to strange looks and comments that came my way in the meantime. -'' What''s their deal, haven''t they seen someone doing few slow motion moves, or something? '' [ Yhee... right, some of the guys certainly have gotten some sights...not that MC would take notice.] After getting somewhat familiar with the movements, I went to look around the city. -'' Hmm, I will need a mirror for sure, the way a person moves and behaves is one third of how a person is received during the first meeting. '' I started setting up my priorities. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. -'' First off, I need to get the grand three. Information, Money and Power, with power being actually the least important of the four for now.¡® [Yes, a role play is really strong in this one - so looks were included too] I started to tour the city, with a determined look on my face. -'' From what I have read, majority of the stuff you can do at a start is down to basics, like taking on simple quests, or learning skills... '' I thought to myself, wondering about the possibilities. -'' The game boast its unrestricted flexibility and freedom, and it is even possible to get to the highest ranked positions as a player. But that''s the stuff for the future. '' After a time spent touring I managed to locate a bank, several guilds, merchant stores, a training hall, one of city gates, a slums district, a castle, a city watch garrison, sewers and few other places. Also, most noticeably, a tailor shop where I spent most of my starting money. -'' Rule number one, if you look like a pushover you are a pushover (or incognito). '' Thinking that I bought a white linen shirt, a black vest, soft leather breeches and a pair of soft leather ankle boots. Also, I tied my hair in a low ponytail. Luckily I was used to the long hair from my *Metal Days*. I briefly deposited a *clone garb* (as I began to call the beginner''s uniform) in a nearest trash heap. -'' Hmm, letssseee what do we have¡­ Out of three silver that I had at the start, fifty coppers remain. Denominations are one hundred to one for each step from copper to platinum. Also, there¡¯s ten slices of rye bread and a water jug (1L), both located in my Beginner''s Pouch. Yep, totally seems like we have just started. '' Speaking of which, to my surprise my stomach just did a grumbling sound and I was assaulted with a feeling of hunger that I somehow ignored until then. I ate a slice of Rye bread helping myself with sips of water, the taste was similar to famous *Myrnuuls Magic Spoon* [A famous magic item from Dungeons & Dragons universe, which created food out of nothing allowing a character to survive in dire situations - it was famous for the said food, which was usually compared to a soggy cardboard in taste. Blegh!] -'' I decided that I do need money, there''s no way I can survive on Myrnuul''s rations. '' I shivered in disgust. At that moment I was struck by another scary thought, what if they have not stopped on introducing satiety and went a step ahead... -'' That would be disturbingly embarrassing to say the least. '' I quickly banished the thought and concentrated on more important matters. -¡¯ Lets focus, I have my special skill after all, as any GM should. Problem determination and resolution. I need to establish facts, assets, targets and methods. ¡® -'' Target is obvious - money for food that actually is food. '' -'' Assets - no skills, no weapons, no power(and no responsibility too), two hands¡­ Alright we are back on square one. '' -'' Facts - if you work you get paid, usually. '' -'' Ok, that wasn''t so hard. Lets find a tavern and get some money, we can explore new assets and methods afterwards. '' After reaching a decision I moved to one of the taverns, which I passed during the tour of the city. I chose one of a taverns on the back alleys, not far from the Main City Square. My aim was to choose a place that isn''t too run down and not too busy. I made my way to a counter, manned by the usual medieval fare, a fat guy with a mug and a dirty rag. -'' Wait, rag isn''t actually dirty, that''s something at least. '' I sighed to myself. -" Greetings, young lass. What can I get you? " The barkeep asked while giving me a casual look. -" Greetings, dear Sir. " I said with my best manners and a half bow, which made the owner a bit flustered. Congratulating myself plus one point in negotiation I continued: -" I was wondering, if perchance, you would entertain a possibility of employing a hired help to assist with the common tasks and customers. I am sure that such a fine establishment would not be bereft of skilful staff, but I was wondering if you would be inclined to use one more pair of hands to ensure customer satisfaction. " Looking at the flabbergasted owner brought a half smile to my face, half as I would be found half dead first rather than to give that fat guy a full blown one. -" Well...um... '' Confused owner still had troubles with getting his act straight. -" ...Certainly I would not mind employing such a fine young lady. " *Ding* ---------------------------- Quest: Assist the barkeep Difficulty: G Reward: 20c-2s depending on your performance Time Limit: Now Failure state: Getting thrown out by the barkeep ---------------------------- -" Please wear this and bring orders to the customers. " The owner said and handed me a cloth apron. -" Most certainly, Sir. " I affirmed dutifully. Soon after the place became quite busy and I had to run left and right to keep up. -" Two mugs of ale and two stews... ". -" Very well dear Sirs, I will deliver them promptly. " -" Hey! What''s with my order of greenleaf salad, how long do I need to wait?! " The exclamation came from a female cleric that I visited just a second ago. -" My apologies Madam, I will deliver it shortly. " -¡¯ What a bi*ch, if I ever see her ever again ... I am soo not getting over that¡­ ¡® [ Sometime later... ] -" Here''s your ale, Dear Sirs, do you require anything else? " I asked dutifully while collecting the payment. -" Hey, you are quite cute. " Said a guy in a chain armor. -" Would you meet me out later when you are not so busy? " He continued, making my eyebrow twitch in squelched rage... I replied with effort. -" You must pardon me Dear Sir, as it appears that you are gravely mistaken. " I said officially to confuse him a bit. -" I assure you that the Red Light district is nowhere near here. But if you do look for such a service the word on the street points to area much closer to the Slums, which coincidentally is also a place where you can find the most affordable service." I finished quickly and escaped before he had time to reply. I noticed friends of the guy grab and try to restrain him, while making snide comments about the situation. -'' Choke on that! You bastard, I am definitely not forgetting that one too! '' I thought to myself vengefully yet another time that day. -'' Though I better keep my eyes open, knowing such a low caliber character he might try to jump me later when the tavern closes. '' I sighed. Finally, the whole farce, that was my work, was over and I headed for the counter. -" Well done, lass. Here''s your payment. " The barkeep said with his wide lips bent in a smile. -" Thank you, Sir. " I bent my lips with tired pseudo smile and bowed lightly. *Ding* ---------------------------- Quest Completed: Assist the barkeep Difficulty: G Reward: 2s ---------------------------- I quickly collected the money and asked. -" Could you let me out through a back door, Sir, there is a high chance of meeting an unsavoury character if I were to try and leave via the front? " I said while trying to look as perplexed and helpless as possible in front of the owner. -" Who would do such a thing?! Though most certainly city is not as safe as it used to be. You are a fine lass. " He said and I exercised all of my willpower to keep myself from smacking him one for the lass, and twenty more for all the other lasses'' gotten today. -" Then could you tell me if you have a place to stay? As I do have a friend running an Inn, not far from here and I could even get you a discount for a fine work you did here. " -'' No lass this time thank the gods. '' -" I could most certainly use such an assistance, as I am new to the city and have yet to find a place to stay, Dear Sir. " I replied doing my best to avoid saying it in a deadpan voice. I do not think that I succeeded but he didn''t seem to mind so no harm done. Afterwards I secured a place to stay and logged out. I desperately needed something to kill for all the lasses'' that I got that day and I was sure that I couldn''t do that in game... yet. ====================== Hey~, Author''s here~ yet again - Pff, 2378 words took me a lot of time to write today, I hope its not a total tosh and you will enjoy it - I would appreciate any feedback on my work, even bad one, as I am used to getting told things up my face. Thanks for reading and if you have any suggestions please let me know. Ps I sure as hell wont be using don''t instead of don''t so don''t ask about those pesky '' is all I want to say EDIT: Ok, I will try after all... Cheers, Mea NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 2 - The Discovering Chapter 2 - The Discovering Chapter 2 - The Discovering Next day. I entered the capsule and was welcomed by an expanse of stars and by a reverberating rhythm that I so often relaxed to, a variation of Asian music. I inwardly cringed at the memory of yesterday, events still fresh in my mind. That''s what one would call a -" Shameful display... " I said out loud. -" Command not supported. " Replied a secular and indifferent voice of the female sounding AI. That comment inadvertently brought smile to my face. It reminded me my long time answer to all the whiny whispers I got in games. -'' Command not supported - Cry. '' An uncalled smile bent my lips. -'' Ok, this time I better make sure that I set my priorities straight as not to repeat yesterday''s mistake. My pride as an Iron Game Master would not bear it. '' To renew my resolve I uttered final words spoken by Almisha at the end of combat. -" You fought well, I shall break you slowly~. Enter world ArCiel! " -" Executing Transfer. " Ai answered indifferently. With a flash I was enveloped by the void again... * * * * After regaining my senses I found myself in a simple, wooden room. It was an Inn to which I was led to yesterday. -'' Lets re-assess the available options. '' -" Show Status. " Blue letters appeared before my eyes: ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Name: Almisha Alignment: Neutral Race: Half-Elf Profession: None Title: None Level: 1 Fame: 2 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Health: 50 Mana: 100 Strength: 5 Agility: 15 Vitality: 5 Wisdom: 10 Intelligence: 10 Charisma: 16 Luck: 10 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Magic Resistance: None ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Skills: -Art of Conversation(Passive) - B1 - You are skilled in the art of affecting others with words. Improves your negotiation, barter and charm skills. -Charm - B1 - the power of delighting, attracting, or fascinating others. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- -'' What the Fu... '' I fumed. -'' The damn system arbitrary improved my Agility and Charisma at the expense of Vitality and Strength. Also, while I can understand this Art crap, where the flippin fck did Charm gotten into play?! '' -'' Ok, calm down, its not a loss... '' I took a deep breath to calm myself down. -'' I received one point increase in Charisma. From what I remember, if you do something related the stats will be raised accordingly, but in a limited manner. It¡¯s a really hard work to actually get the stats maxed out that way. Not to mention that you get ten stat points to distribute during a level up. '' Suddenly I had one of my usual surges of inspiration... -" Wait, Wait, Wait! What''s going on... " I said while focusing on my thought process. -'' Why am I so damn giddy and irritable, its so not like me at all! '' -'' How can I be so far off my game? '' Suddenly, I remembered half sentence uttered by AI during character creation. -'' Please be aware that in concern for your wellbei... '' Was what the Ai said when I was picking the gender. -'' Is that really it? Is this game so deep? '' I wondered in astonishement. -'' Are the changes really rooted so deeply?'' -'' . . . ''. -'' . . . ''. -'' It certainly looks like my usual, indiffrent calm is gone... '' For the first time in my life I was baffled beyond belief. Even in my wildest dreams I had not imagined that such a turn of events was possible. -'' This must be tested thoroughly. '' I thought as I said. -" System Action. Log out to the lobby. " * * * * Back in the starry space I focused on my body. It seemed to be nothing more than some kind of blurry dark smoke, which roughly resembled a human shape. -'' Though it certainly feels real and also appears to match my original body as far as I can tell... Lets check if the idea I just had can be executed. '' -" System, can you import my character into this space, without excluding any physical or bodily parameters? " I said curiously. -" Due to compatibility and psychological concerns above action requires System Administrator¡¯s permission, also... ". -'' But I am a bloody administrator of this capsule! '' Is what I wanted to say, but I remembered that among other things that I had received with the capsule there was a Master Password stick. * * * * [ After going out of the capsule to insert the datakey. ] * * * * Back in the starry space. -" System Action. Activate Master Password. Keyword alpha, capital quebec, dollar, equation mark, epsilon, number four, capital foxtrot, quebec, number seven, tango, hash, at, capital zulu, sierra, number five... " I said, somehow managing to memorize the unlock sequence for the key. For security purposes it had to be imputed manually by the user. -" Master Key Detected in external slot, Decoding . . . Master Key Activated, validating Master Key with Certification Servers . . . . . . . Successful ". -" Administrator Rights Granted. " Informed the AI. -'' Finally. ¡® I thought. -" Import character profile with full immersion included. " I said. -" Import successful. " Said the voice and in that moment I suddenly felt both smaller and different. -" I was bloody hell right. " I screamed in a high pitched voice. -" Request Parameters Undetermined pleas... " I was immediately chastised by the Indifferent AI. I pitched into a middle of the AI¡¯s speech. -" Be silent, do not react until System Call is issued. " I said vehemently and started, or rather tried, to think. -" This avatar... It is definitely a different experience. I wonder... I have always been unfeeling, but now out of the sudden I am all giddy. " -" Pity I can have only one character. I wonder if I would feel this much emotion in a male avatar as well, though that would mean that my original body is quite far from the norm. " I asserted thoughtfully, wondering about my vivid emotions. Contemplating my state didn''t take me long and soon I decided to just accept it and move on to physical experiments, I tried switching between both avatar''s few times while doing basic Katas and exercises. I concluded that there was a vast gap in strength and agility. It was a first time that I actually managed to do a full split, also breasts were not as uncomfortable as I feared initially. -¡¯ ...probably since its something small, like A size¡­ ¡® I shook my head strongly. -''Lets drop that subject! I do have some common decency.'' -"To sum this up... I have become a girl..." I facepalmed myself instantly while thinking on how stupid and embarrassing that was. -" ...still do not underestimate the power of the Game Master, I will do it like a ma¡­ girl. " Another facepalm followed. -" This is not gonna work, is it? " I whispered to myself desperately, then took a long deep breath and tried to relax listening to the music permeating the space. -"Ok once again... " -" I am Almisha, the girl with great ambition and charm ... (persevere, I can do this!), currently trying to live and raise to power in The Kingdom of Gis. I am weak and fragile, but also agile and outspoken (gods what have I done to you, WhY!). " I cursed my fate, though it only fueled my challenger''s spirit. -'' Pff, I am alive '', I thought while looking at the endless starry void around. -" ...And I well bloody hell am going to toy, rip apart, exploit and break anyone who gets in my way, and this is who I am! Intransigence is the Word! ", I screamed vehemently, with high pitched voice, as to make up for my embarassement. -'' And I will be damned if I get embarrassed over this shi* again! '', I made my resolution and damn it was the hardest one I did ever do. -" System Action: Enter World ArCiel. " I said, familiar flash and subsequent darkness followed. * * * * Back in the room I actually calmed considerably, after all it''s a rare chance at role playing - especially the option to do it as someone of a different gender? -''It''s a golden opportunity! '' I resolved myself and took a deep breath, before focusing on the game. -'' Ok, special skill on '' -'' Assets. Money, two silver and twenty copper coins, two hands, passable attire, charisma¡­ Almost the same as at a start minus the *clone garb*. '' -'' Facts. If you work (as a girl) you get embarrassed badly, if you do things you get stats and skills, you can have up to ten free skills that are separate from your class, you can''t leave the city for almost a month from the start, usually you need to gain ten levels to receive a class, at which point you revert to level one, though you keep ten levels worth of stats... '' I blinked, surprised. -'' Hmm, actually noone mentioned what happens when your level resets after gaining the class... well, whatever. '' I disregarded the issue. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. -'' Target. Screw this, I have fifty ideas for power use without money, but I can''t think of one with no power, no money and no influence. So it¡¯s best to go for skills. '' I decided. -'' Methods. I could try to be a thief, but I have no combat potential for contingencies so it needs to wait... '' -'' Hmm, there''s a cheap method of gaining some combat power, a Training Center. Though I certainly won¡¯t be spending unfanthomable hours swinging at a scarecrow, still getting some weapon proficiency won''t hurt. '' I quickly assembled simple advancement plan and went downstairs. Where I ordered some stew for breakfast by spending my hard earned coppers, though at least the food was passable. -¡¯ You can''t go wrong with a stew as one¡¯s cooking skill must be atrocious to fumble it. ¡® I thanked for the meal and departed for the Training Center. Also, I made a detour to get some water from a well. I can''t get around the idea of taking water from the fountain, to which people tend to do (clean) many atrocious things. When I entered the Training Center I noticed that it was mostly empty. -'' As usual people prefer to avoid tedious activities. '' I smirked. -'' It¡¯s also largely because training in the Training Center is deemed rather ineffective in a long run, as it''s all basics.'' As per my expectations a muscle bound idi¡­ instructor could be easily found inside. He grinned broadly when I entered. -¡° Young adventuress! " The instructor exclaimed. -" Have you made your choice to become one of a respected professionals that offers her blade in a service of the Kingdom? " He continued in an elated manner. -" Not exactly, Mister ... ? " I replied in a deadpan voice. -" Oh, silly me, pardon me Miss. My name¡¯s Gerhard and I am instructor in this fine establishment " He replied with a sliver of embarrassment. -" I see, Mister Gerhard. I am called Almisha and I was entertaining a possibility of learning on how to use a blade, could you assist me with that? " -" Of course Miss. ¡° His face lit again despite my matter of factly attitude. -¡± Please do grab a training blade from that barrel over there and come here. " He said while moving to the nearest scarecrow. A condescending tone sounded in my voice as I thrown a barby statement at the instructor. -" I am sorry, but I do believe that such a BIG blade would be ill suited to my small physique." I said while heavily accenting a particular word, which evoked strange reaction from the instructor. -" Wouldn''t it be possible to use something much more manageable in size, like a training dagger, instead? " I gave the instructor a cold look. Hearing my words the instructor went bright red and flustered. After a moment he managed to answer with a cough. -"*Khem* Y-yes, the training daggers can be found over there. " He said and pointed to a barrel on the other side of the hall. -'' Interesting. ¡® I thought. -'' Why would he get so flustered all of the sudden. '' I picked a training dagger and went back to the instructor. -" You see this scarecrow, try *cough* stabbing it with the dagger, so I can assess your skill. " He quickly added, while being flustered for no apparent reason. I extended a blade in front of me in a way that I was taught by my father''s friends a long time ago. With basic position secured, I made a step forward and stabbed straight up aiming for a place just below a jowl. If it was a human the blade could easily penetrate the brain. If I buried the blade to the hilt that is. -" That''s a very vicious strike Miss. Um, Could you try again and hit something else? " I complied and assumed the same initial position. I made a fluid step forward launching a small, arcing lunge that aimed for the left side of the scarecrow¡¯s chest. -" Um, Miss, could you try yet again and¡­ and some other place? " He said, out of a suddenly uncertainty crept into his voice. I complied by repeatedly stabbing the scarecrow in a quick succession. I could remember quite a lot of weak spots: an eye, a jugular, a left armpit artery, a diaphragm, a right leg artery, a kidney, a lung¡­ -" T-that''s quite enough Miss. " The instructor exclaimed in a pensive voice. -" I do not know where are you coming from, but please be sure that I have nothing to do with Assassins Guild. Please do tell me what have I done wrong and I will be sure to not get in your way in the future? " Out of a sudden he seemed intimidated. -'' What?! The Fck?! I do know the anatomy, I have read some medical books with exactly that kind of knowledge in mind (its one of the top ten skills of a combat GM after all) and my father¡¯s friends gave me some good advice on survival fighting, but the fck is this?! I know where important bits are, but I have no confidence in fighting! '' I was thinking fervently. I conspicuously taken a quick look around to see if there''s anyone nearby before responding. -" I have not come here on the official business. Honestly. I was only trying to ascertain some things. Therefore do not fear, as I only wanted to ask about your honest thoughts on my ability to wield the blade ". Instructor looked relieved upon hearing those words, but still he kept his guard up. -" Honestly Lady, I am at a loss. Every strike you have shown me seems like a deadly one and your stance seems solid, though I cannot tell how you would fare in an open combat, which I will respectfully decline. " He refused before I could ask him for a sparring session. -" I shiver to think of your skills if they were applied during an ambush. Isn''t it the assassins way? " I had mixed feelings when I looked at strange mismatch between his overwhelming physique and body language signalling anxiousness. He likely imagined what would happened if he was walking down a street and gotten attacked in such a way out of a sudden. Not to mention that he took me for a full blown assassin disguising for an adventurer for some reason. -" Thank you, Mister Gerhard, for your honest opinion. And rest assured I bear you no harm, but please do be silent about today''s matters. " -" Most Certainly Lady Almisha. " He said as he bowed. -" Please do excuse me as I have gotten thirsty out of a sudden. " He said as he retreated. -" Please use these humble facilities as you see fit during my absence. " -" . . . " I watched silenty as he escaped through the door in the back. -'' Well that was unexpected. '' I thought to myself as I opened the status window: ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Name: Almisha Alignment: Neutral Race: Half-Elf Profession: None Title: None Level: 1 Fame: 11 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Health: 50 Mana: 110 Strength: 5 Agility: 16 Vitality: 5 Wisdom: 11 Intelligence: 11 Charisma: 17 Luck: 10 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Magic Resistance: None ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Skills: -Art of Conversation(Passive) - B2 - You are skilled in the art of affecting others with words. Improves your negotiation, barter, intimidation and charm skills. -Charm - B3 - the power of delighting, attracting, or fascinating others. -Intimidation - B2 - the power of frightening, daunting or alarming others. -Anatomy(humanoid) - B3 - Ability of discerning vital points of the humanoids. -Dagger Mastery - B1 - Ability of wielding short bladed weapon. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª -" Ok, this is officially retarded. " I unconsciously said that out loud. -'' And what''s with a retarded speed of the Charm skill up, is it a bug? Also, I guess that getting first few stat points in abilities must be really easy since I got five free points already, not that I feel much difference from the fact. '' -'' Oh well, that''s enough for now. I will log out and eat something, then we will see what''s next. '' I thought to myself as I started looking for a decent place to log out... ============================= Hey~, Author''s here~ - I do claim this best space for myself and wont give it up! Anyway, I am seriously broken after reading what I have written so far. I even put dreadful psychological tag on my work and started to cry. Please do let me know what are your thoughts on this chapter cos while writing it I got seriously broken few times and I will explode if I wont know how good it really is - yes, Iam broken like that too. I hope you will enjoy this, Cheers! Ps I added 500 words to the promised 2k Ps2 Hypenosis is real, just close your eyes, listen to the music from the lobby and repeat - one more chapter - one more chapter NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 3 - The Beginning Chapter 3 - The Beginning Chapter 3 - The Beginning Reminder: -" Things spoken by someone. " ¡° Quotes ¡° -'' Things thought out by MC. '' (Comments) [ Narrator Comments ] *Emotions, names or sometimes things that are in bunny marks* * * * * After brief visit outside, for basic necessities, I was back in the game. I had just appeared in a main room of *The Fool and Mug*, the Inn to which I got introduced after unfortunate incident involving employment in the tavern, I unwittingly shivered at the memory. -'' At least I got a discount thanks to that. '' I tried to console myself while ordering some stew to stave off hunger. -'' Hmm, venture into the Training Centre proved unexpectedly fruitful and have given me some new ideas. I think that it¡¯s time to get some gear. '' I went shopping around the city employing my *Assassin 101 knowledge*. Ten coppers allowed me to buy ten long cords made of leather and two wooden dowels. Convincing a carpenter to make a small hole in each dowel was dead easy. All that was left was to tie three leather cords together, making a big knot every inch or so and then affirm the ends to the dowels. I snickered to myself while loosely tying my new *bracelet* around my left forearm. Next thing on the list was a simple leather belt and a pouch, which I tied to the small of my back and filled with sand. Last two things were easily obtained as well, grey bolt of linen cloth was quickly used as a scarf by wrapping it around my neck with loose ends swinging behind my back. -'' What? Scarves are cool, especially on assassins. '' I thought to myself, while squinting eyes in satisfaction. As for a dagger, or rather, due to the lack of funds, something stabby I bought an arrow with a metal arrowhead. I broken it in half and made something similar to a handle by using a bit of cloth, from my new scarf, and two leather cords. I inserted my stabby invention into the pouch, in a way that the handle would stick out and was easily retrievable. -'' Ok, preparations done. Now it¡¯s time to start the real deal. The hunt is on. '' I thought while smiling, trying to get myself in a predatory mood. I made my way to the Slums district, which seemed like the best place for beginnings. -'' One needs to start from the bottom to reach the greatest heights. '' I thought idly. While the sunset neared I started to prowl through a back alleys. It didn¡¯t take me long to find a possible mark. From a shadowy alley I observed three thugs mugging an owner of some run-down workshop. I watched as they extracted some paltry sum from the owner and left. I approached the poor guy while saying: -" Hey there, could you tell me something about men that just left? ". Burlap clad guy looked my way and responded with a bit of hesitation, using some strange slang: -" There naught tell, they be thugs and they be collectin them dues. " He shrugged with resigned expression on his face. -" I see. Shouldn''t city guard be taking care of them? " I continued knowingly. -" You be from afar, guard care naugh and thugs would gone far even if they come " He said dully. -" Tell me then, if per chance, one would catch the thugs would there be a reward? " I inquired. -" Don''t be thinkin that, those be rough men - truly evil for such a lass. " I rolled my eyes upon hearing the hated word, my mood instantly turning sour. I moved my hand behind my back and retrieved a weapon, while saying: -" That sounds like they wouldn''t be missed even if they were to die? " He looked up, surprised by my words. I smiled, as I suddenly bent forward and pressed the arrowhead to his windpipe. -" Pray to tell me all the details, while I am asking so nicely? " All of the color seemed to drain from his face when he finally registered my words and the situation he was in. He swallowed loudly and said: -" They naught be missed, thou the killer be known by the killer mark. Guards naught be friendly to them, marked ones. " -" Would there be a reward if the thugs were caught? " I continued smiling. -" Them guards would pay some be you given them thugs in. " He said quickly, visibly shaken. *Ding* ------------------------- Quest: Catch the Muggers Difficulty: F Reward: 2s per thug arrested Time Limit: None Failure state: Undetermined ------------------------- -" You see, it wasn''t so hard, you can do it if you try. " I said cheerfully as I walked away. He looked like he wanted to retort, but thought better of it and remained silent. I made my way down the street looking for the thugs, whom I soon found in a nearby tavern. It was still rather early in the evening and I could see few ragged workers inside. After considering the options, I concluded that taking all three down would require whole evening spent on waiting for one of them to go out and take a piss. I was in no mood for waiting, so I decided on something bold and showy. I approached the tavern and went inside, heading toward the thugs. One was big and bulky, I determined that he was their boss during the earlier mugging. Another one was small and ratty, while the third was just big and stupid looking. I smiled brilliantly when three pairs of eyes rested on. -" I so wanted to meet you, please you must come with me. " The group was befuddled by what was happening. -'' Of course thugs are weak to female attention. '' I thought. -" Oh, don''t make me beg, you would rather spend the night with those two rather than with me? " I continued to cajole him, while weakly pulling on his hand. For a second, I thought about invoking the usual homo joke, but managed to stop myself. It didn¡¯t take much to break boss''s resistance and single him out from the group, in no time at all we were walking together on a street. I had been trying my best not to retch or scowl at the smell coming from his body. -'' They might have passed on that detail... '' I complained silently. It appears that my act totally broken thug''s guard and he wasn''t even a one bit suspicious when I lead him to a nearby secluded alleyway. He laid a hand on my ass, but I somehow managed to endure it while thinking desperately about the nearby alley. -'' Almost, there. Keep calm... you almost have him. '' I hugged him to hide my scowl. As we entered the dim alley, I unwrapped the *bracelet* from my arm. Then, while moving myself behind him, I traced his chest with my right hand. It seemed to make him happy and expectant... In that moment, when a lax smile of superiority spread all over his face, I suddenly moved the knotted leather over his head and crossed the cords behind his neck. Afterwards I twisted myself to secure the cords further, an action that made us stand back to back. My hands, desperately locked on wooden handles, were pulled over my left shoulder. Without pause, I bent forward and pulled on the garrotte with all my measly might, bending the thugs back over mine. He didn''t know what was happening until it was way too late. In panic, he tried to grab the leather string but it was buried and secured into his neck, robbing him of his lifeblood. Thug''s monstrous strength failed to save him as his arms flailed around uselessly. After a moment I felt his struggles weaken and then his weight started to bear on me. I twisted a bit to the side to let him fall to the ground, face first, meanwhile I made sure that the garrotte was still securely tied around his neck. I counted in my mind. After reaching ten, I loosened the bind and felt for his pulse. -'' Still alive. Perfect. '' I quickly bent his arms behind his back and tied them with leftover leather cords from earlier. Next, I tied his ankles, leaving some slack so he would be able to walk but not run. Finally, I sat on his back and took a stabby thing out. It struck me as surreal. A small, lithe girl sitting on almost a seven foot tall, bulky man. Without further delay I retrieved my water jug and poured its contents on the thug''s head. He awoke with a snort and started coughing. Sudden movement almost thrown me down, so I stabbed him in the back, to forcefully calm him. -" Not so fast big boy, stay still if you don''t want to get stabbed again. " I said as I brought the bloodied arrow to his face. -" *Cough* Wh... *Cough* " He tried to say. -" Shh. " I said as I smiled down on him, he was trying to look at me over his shoulder. -" Be silent and listen, unless you want to lose an eye or two. " That somehow got his attention. -" You have angered very important people and you might feel honoured by my personal visit. " I continued while tracing his cheek with an arrowhead, leaving a tiny red line on it. -" I do not know why, but it¡¯s meant as a warning. Therefore we are now going to the City Guard''s post where you will confess all your sins and beg for forgiveness. " I was very happy with a ruse that I had just thought up. -" Then you will gladly take them up on their generosity to provide food and shelter for you. " I bent down, ignoring the stench, and whispered: -" Unless you wish me to break you slowly. " I punctuated the statement by pressing the arrow into his ear canal. He went very still and looked really pale in a dim light of the alleyway. I stood up and ordered: -" Lets go. We don''t have the whole night and don''t even think of running, or calling for help, it would take three days of my time to make an example out of you. " He shivered visibly, then stood up and started stumbling after me due to cord being too short. It took a while, but eventually we have arrived at the garrison where I spoke to some Lieutenant of the watch. He was visibly surprised by me and my companion. -" Greetings Miss, might I know the reason for your visit? " He said while looking at us suspiciously. -" Greetings Sir, I am merely accompanying this fine man who realized the error of his ways and decided to confess and atone for his misgivings. " I said smugly and looked intently at my companion. He quickly took the cue and started talking about his petty muggings and some other things that weren''t so petty. Stolen story; please report.Afterwards the Lieutenant said to me: -" I do not wholly comprehend the situation, but it appears that you have indeed brought a wanted man to justice. Therefore please accept this reward and have my thanks Citizen. " -" Thank you Sir, I am always happy to help. Please do excuse me as I have other things to attend to. Goodbye. " I said after collecting the reward. -"Farewell." said the Lieutenant while ordering watchmen to take the thug in. *Ding* ------------------------- Quest Completed: Catch the muggers Difficulty: F Reward: 5s for bringing confessing criminal ------------------------- I left the building and checked my status: -------------------------------------------------------- Name: Almisha Alignment: Neutral Race: Half-Elf Profession: None Title: None Level: 3 Fame: 23 Infamy: 1 -------------------------------------------------------- Unused Attribute Points: 20 Health: 50 Mana: 110 Strength: 6 Agility: 16 Vitality: 5 Wisdom: 11 Intelligence: 12 Charisma: 17 Luck: 10 -------------------------------------------------------- Magic Resistance: None --------------------------------------------------------- Skills: -Art of Conversation(Passive) - B2 - You are skilled in the art of affecting others with words. Improves your negotiation, barter, intimidation, deceive and charm skills. -Charm - B4 - the power of delighting, attracting, or fascinating others. -Intimidation - B3 - the power of frightening, daunting or alarming others. -Deceive - B1 - power of causing others to believe in something that is not true. -Anatomy(humanoid) - B3 - Ability of discerning vital points of the humanoids. -Dagger Mastery - B1 - Ability of wielding short bladed weapon. -Assassination, Takedown - B1 - Power of executing deadly surprise attacks. Takedown improvement allows use of nonlethal attacks instead. --------------------------------------------------------- -'' Hmm, I don''t really get it, but as expected charm advanced again. '' I thought while confirming my expectations. -'' And now, without picking a class, we have a really decent assassin set-up. It might be a good idea to focus on a profession that is actually different from a rogue, since I have most of the important bits anyway... '' I liked what I was seeing on my status window so I decided that it¡¯s time to dig up some interesting facts, mainly what exactly is that red killer mark everyone was crying about. Without any reservations I located a young guardsman nearby. -" Excuse me, Sir " I said as I approached. -" Yes, Miss. Is there anything I can help you with? " He asked while looking at me intently. -" I am from a far away land and I am not really knowledgeable about the matters of this kingdom. Could you explain to me what exactly is the murderers mark that I keep hearing about? Are the ones bearing it allowed into the city? " I asked trying my best to look as helpless as possible. -" Its a magical mark automatically given to those who commit murder. Don''t worry Miss, while ones bearing a mark sometimes do appear in the city, they are also easy to spot due to a red gem on their forehead. I am told that adventurers are able to tell such a person¡¯s name just by looking at them. City Guard will deal swiftly with ones found encroaching on city''s goodwill, so you needn''t worry. " He replied, trying to soothe me. -" I see, so it¡¯s not possible for such a person to hide, even if the individual were to conceal his identity? Is it really true? " I kept inquiring. The guardsman had a look of uncertainty on his face before finally answering: -" Well, it is indeed possible for such a person to conceal oneself that way, but City Guard is on lookout for any person using items or magic with incognito power and we would arrest anyone found swiftly, also that person would need to hide its appearance fully. " I cheerfully replied after hearing those words. -" That''s great, I feel soo~ much safer after hearing that. Thank you for your kind explanation. Please do continue with your duties. " I smiled at him before leaving, meanwhile a determination to find any item or spell with mentioned power blossomed in my mind. As I was leaving a young guard seemed red and flustered. -" Goodbye Miss " He whispered a farewell softly. With clear course of action I opened the status window and applied all of the stats to charisma. Then, I made my way to the thieves guild. -'' Haa, I am so lucky that rogue based classes also get to have an official guild. It would be a pain to get through the underworld to finally find one. '' I thought while humming happily and almost skipped to my destination. Some time later I arrived before a big wooden building with a black roof. Its whole look just screamed that it was shady. After entering, I was greeted by the darkness which was only sparsely lighted by occasional candles. Several tables were put in a seemingly random manner, there were also dark alcoves in the walls which just begged to be used for illicit businesses and dealings. Around the middle of the room there was a rectangular area two floors in height. Towering over it was a dark gallery from which everything below could be seen. Across the door, from which I entered, there was a counter covered by looming shadows. I noticed several shady looking people sitting around the tables, but decided to ignore them. Deciding that confidence is the key, I made my way to the counter. There I met some tough looking, bald guy. He gave me a look of contempt before saying: -" This is not the place for girls to play with their dolls. " I gathered all of my resolve and responded with all the confidence I could muster: -" My thoughts exactly, care to tell me where I can find something called incognito, as there are things I do want to kill today? " I smiled lightly, seeing that the initial reaction of the guy changed from contempt to surprise, though he was quick on the uptake. -" Go to the gallery and you might find it yourself¡­ if you can reach it. " He continued in a loud manner while putting a mug of ale in front of me. -" That will be one silver for the drink. " I nodded and paid up before dutifully picking up the ale. I made my way to the left from the counter, where a staircase, hidden by the darkness, was located. -'' Hmm, low light vision of elves do come in handy. '' [ Half-elves technically, but oh well ] While I was heading for the stairs I noticed someone hidden near them. I paid that presence a cursory nod before going up, undisturbed. On the gallery I noticed that it was extremely dark, light was coming only from the room below and the place was enveloped by darkness so thick that even elven eyes couldn''t pierce it. I moved forward and did my best to appear unconcerned, while trying not to fumble into anything silly, like a stool. I managed to notice a presence several meters ahead. It was a stroke of luck that the person chose a place near the railing, light from below shouldn''t have left the area he was sitting in in such a deep shadow. After painstakingly uncertain steps I somehow managed to arrive at a table without bumping into anything. I wasted no time and sat on the stool settling the mug before me. I did my best to appear comfortable, which was not that easy on that stool. The silence continued for a while. I had steeled my resolve, I knew the game we were playing after all. -'' Whoever speaks or shows nerves first loses. '' I began humming the tune soundlessly, concentrating on parts of the lyrics that fit all too well. -'' ... ''. Silence continued, sometimes broken by humans below. After quite a while, my companion spoke out in a soft and quiet voice, which was actually harder to overhear than a whisper. -" What do you want, Young One? " I kept indifferent attitude, but responded with mischievousness using one of my favourite quotes: -" My body is young, but my spirit is ancient by the things that I have lived through, though I still experience new things " A moment of silence continued, so I spoke again. -" I want to know how to hide murderers mark. " -" That''s a dangerous and unusual request. " I heard in response. -" But a necessity for those determined to walk the shadow of knife''s edge " I continued citing the quotes again, I liked the sound of them. The silence fell upon the table again, some assassin-wannabe interrupted it by barging into the room below and demanding to know whom to learn *Assassin Class* from. Afterwards he stormed up the stairs, though he never reached the gallery. It seemed like he disappeared somewhere on the way. -'' Tough luck it seems. '' -" Very well, I shall test your determination... " My companion stated abruptly and, in turn, I received a notice. *Ding* ------------------------- Quest: Something Shady - The Beginning Difficulty: Reward: Incognito skill Time Limit: Failure state: Undetermined ------------------------- -" ...thoroughly... " He continued. -" ...First off, prove to me that what you just said is true. " Suddenly his presence was no longer with me. -" Very well. " I said dutifully into an empty air and thought: -'' Standard quotes, standard answers and standard vanishings, at least the quest¡¯s easy. '' With a smile I rose and made my way to the stairs... ...and fell, face first, after bumping into one of the damn, invisible stools. Cursing under my breath, I cautiously went out, mildly limping due to my aching shin. Angered, I was determined to vent myself on the quest objective. I had a fitting person in mind after all. [ Here''s forecast for tomorrow (next chapter)- Sunny with a chance for death.] ========== Hey~, Authors Here~ and today I even brought you whole 1000 words more than 2000 I promised. Aren''t I thoughtful~ ? Smile Please do share what you think about today''s developments. NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 4 - The Experiencing Chapter 4 - The Experiencing Chapter 4 - The Experiencing [ Following chapter contains depictions of something truly evil and truly cute - read at your own risk ] After leaving the Thieves Guild I was welcomed by a cool darkness of the night. Despite the location, between slums and merchant¡¯s quarter, the surroundings weren''t unclean or filled with beggars. -'' Hmm, lack of beggars could be easily explained, type of people that grace this neighbourhood tend to throw knives instead of coins. '' I left the main street in favour of less used alleys. I was beginning to wonder what I should do as my options were limited because night time caused many NPCs to close their shops and go to sleep. -'' I need to find out more about the mark and there''s only one place I know that might have a lead. '' I shivered a bit at the memory, but instantly fought it back with anger. With my mind set, I made my way to a tavern, in which I worked previously. I managed to avoid unsavoury characters that occasionally stalked the alleyways. Prowling through back streets felt oddly satisfying, Quick examination brought smile to my face as a long missing Stealth skill made its way onto the list. Finally, I had arrived at an alley that was across from the tavern. I started examining brightly illuminated street, courtesy of a Mage''s Guild it seems. It was one of less used streets, but it was still a*a proper* district, therefore magical lamps were hanging on the surrounding buildings, providing ample illumination. I could see that the tavern was as busy as before and I had my doubts about coming inside. I sneaked across the street and took a peek through a window. My vision was instantly glued to a prissy looking blonde with a wavy hair. She was wearing a white robe with yellow embroidery, I could see an ornamental staff made of white wood leaning on a wall behind her. She was with some people who looked like they had a class as well. -'' I thought that she was a cleric when we first met and it appears that I was correct. Still, how could she, and the others, get a class so early on? Hmm, she does not look like one of an early access people and it¡¯s much too soon to be allowed out of the city, to farm mobs or something. '' I pondered, using MMO tropes for reference. Finally, satisfied with finding her I moved back into an alleyway, it would be bad if I got caught while snooping around during the night. -'' This warrants further investigation, if there''s a way to power level during the first month it could help me out considerably. '' I have decided to follow the cleric, hoping to find a clue. Some time later I saw that the cleric was leaving with her companions. -'' One appears to be a warrior considering he''s a big guy with an axe. Also there''s a slim and tall elf with a spear... hmm hard to say what class he is exactly. Last one is, of course, a mage. '' I was thinking while trying to determine elf¡¯s class. -'' Ok, I see only two possibilities since he has a spear. Must be druid or ranger, with my money on the latter. Personally I would not mind using a spear as a rogue, but I doubt in sophistication of randomly met users to utilize one of the best support weapons in favour of the class tropes. Anyway, he is certainly the most dangerous. '' The group travelled through the illuminated streets, and I followed them at safe distance while keeping myself to the shadows. Eventually they left main streets and made their way to the city wall. I was curiously following them when suddenly an idea struck me. -'' Damn bastards! They are ratting in the sewers to level up! '' I had almost face palmed myself for not thinking about that earlier, not that I had any intention of doing the same, I have my standards after all. I was at a loss whether I should follow them further or not, but eventually I decided to stick to my *Assassin 101*. -'' The enemy is likely stronger than me and definitely more numerous, I need to find out their weaknesses and stat distribution at the very least. '' Soon after, they arrived at a big and round entrance to the sewers. Iron grate was in such disrepair that someone was able to bend the bars creating an entrance into a filthy darkness below. I had readjusted the scarf to cover my face in vain effort of mitigating the smell. I sped up to shorten the distance between me and the group. After all, I was not bearing any light and if we were to get separated I would be in pitiful state before I would be able to find an exit. I was cautiously following them, making sure that I was not stepping on anything...bad. Luckily, with all of the light provided by Cleric¡¯s gloving staff and Mage¡¯s flare I had no fear of being spotted by the elven night vision. The group continued to fulfil my expectations by going forward and killing all matters of unsavoury critters, like plague rats or slimes. Warrior hacked with his axe, elf supported him by stabbing things from his position behind the warrior, filling the gaps in defence. Mage was not casting any spells, which actually piqued my professional interest. I was Mage Extraordinaire for most of my gaming career after all. As they approached sizeable group of slimes I finally had a chance to witness magic in action. -" Ok, your turn Simon, those dastardly things would melt our weapons three times over if we were to kill them normally. " The warrior said. -" Got it, I will get them extra crispy with my new spell " Simon answered passionately. A premonition of doom gripped my heart as a realization on what the mage had in mind dawned on me. -'' Wait! ARE YOU RETARDED?!! '' I barely kept myself from screaming out, but focused on trying to get the fck away. I could feel tears of desperation welling in my eyes. -" Open the maws of Devastation and bring forth the purging flame ~ Fireball! " I looked back to see basketball sized, glowing red orb flying from mage¡¯s hand, my gaze inadvertently following the fiery sphere. In doomed horror I could only watch the high heat explosion that blossomed in the midst of slimes. I managed to cover my face with a scarf just in time to face a gigantic cloud of noxious, foul smelling fumes that were unleashed by slimes evaporated by the heat. -'' NOOOO! '' I screamed silently as the cloud engulfed me instantly, throwing me to my knees. I tried my best to keep myself from retching and crawl away. Even trying to hold my breath had little effect. Unprepared adventurers were instantly sent into less than dignified state. I was doing my best to keep myself from vomiting. My burning eyes let out a river of tears and every breath brought me close to fainting. The ordeal was aggravating and I don''t know how I managed to arrive at the sewer¡¯s entrance. When I noticed the light of the exit my heart swelled with hope. I stood up and tried to walk, that''s when I noticed that I was wet and there were splashing sounds coming from my boots... At that moment I just lost it and started to cry. [ After a while... ] I managed to stand up and stumbled ahead, with my steps making squeaking sounds. In a daze I had arrived at a random inn and fumbled inside. I made my way to the counter. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. -" Bath, room and clothes. " I said dejectedly while putting my money on the counter. [ It was whole five silver from earlier if you need to know ] I was then led to a small room, it had a stone floor and a wooden tub placed in the middle of it. Mindlessly, I had removed my clothes, which I couldn''t even smell any more. Then I got myself helped into the tub. Still in shock, I let myself be cleaned up and watched blankly ahead as someone was doing something to my hair, dunking my head under the water from time to time and ordering me around. Everything was a blur, it took a while before I finally noticed that someone was trying to take me out of the tub. I complied and eventually managed to get out, then I put on some clothes that were handed to me. Afterwards. I was led upstairs and fell on a soft bed, I was already losing consciousness when someone put a quilt over me... * * * * I woke up and stretched sleepily, I bent my legs under myself and managed to get into a side-sitting position. I rubbed my eyes as everything was blurry. I was wondering what I was doing in an unfamiliar place and everything around seemed so crude, almost as if it was just a shade too big. I looked at my hands noticing how delicate and finely shaped they were, then my sight reached the rest of my body, small mounds of my chest covered by some light nightgown [camisole] and graceful white legs ... -" ARGHH, SIMON! YOU DASTARDLY A*HOLE! FOR THE SIN OF UNCOMMON STUPIDITY I SHALL RIP YOU APART AND FRY THE WOUNDS SO YOU WONT DIE! AND THEN DO IT AGAIN AN... " I screamed in earnest when a memory of yesterday finally penetrated my stupor. The door busted forth as a middle aged woman in brown dress barged in. -" ...AND AGAIN! ". -" By the Gods, What has happened? " She asked while looking around in alarm, trying to understand what''s happening. I looked at her wildly trying to switch from *Raving Mad* to English. Woman closed the door, barring the view of the curious onlookers who started gathering outside, and approached me. -" Don''t worry, you are safe here. " She said soothingly and extended a hand to pat my head. I smacked her hand away and said vehemently, while looking straight into her eyes: -" I need clothes. " She was shocked by my attitude, though she pointed to a nearby chair, I could see that there were indeed clothes placed on it. I hastily moved to the chair and started putting them on, undergarments, long white skirt, leather sandals with knee high straps, linen shirt and long purple tunic split at the sides. I had also found a Beginner Pouch which turned out to contain water jug (1L) and 9 loaves of rye bread. As I was dressing up the woman put a hand on my shoulder and asked: -" Tell me girl, what happened? " -" Some retarded Mage¡¯s experiment backfired, so now I am going to rip his guts out and watch him die. " I said vehemently. Suddenly I was rattled so strongly that my teeth clattered. -" What kind of language is that, child! What kind of demon had possessed you! " She said while she shook me violently, she was unexpectedly strong. -" I...I am...sorry " I managed to say and the shaking stopped. -" It¡¯s just that there are things I need to do now, please don''t try to stop me. " I said as I regained semblance of sanity. She looked at me doubtfully, but unhanded me. -" How much do I owe you? " I asked and looked on a bed and clothes. -" Nothing Child, you have given us plenty enough. Actually, you could stay few days more. " She said while looking at me in a strange manner. -" I see, I might take you on the offer sometime later, but I need to depart for now. " I said while putting on the rest of the clothes and strapping up the sandals. -" Do not worry I wont be doing anything dangerous ". She sighed deeply in response and took out a brush. Seeing that she blocked the door, with her bulky silhouette, I gave up and sat on a chair, allowing her to brush my hair. Finally, I was let out of the room and, as I was preparing to leave the inn, I was handed a burlap sack. -" Take this and eat when you are hungry. Remember that you can always return here. " The woman said, with teary eyes. -" Thank you, what is your name? Mine¡¯s Almisha. " I asked, this time not dutifully. -" My name¡¯s Samantha, now be safely on your way child. " She said and I nodded to her before going outside. My eyes were wet for some reason, so I stopped to pack my lunch into the Beginner''s Pouch, using it as a cover to dry them up. [ Beginner''s Pouch can obviously store a lot of goods, compared to it¡¯s size ] I made my way to the well to refill my water jug and then headed to the Training Center. When I went inside, I headed straight for a barrel of training swords, I did notice that there was some change since my last visit. Gerhard was teaching someone and only gave me a cursory look, but upon realizing it''s me his eyes suddenly opened in alarm and he jumped back to get his sword, which was hanging on a nearby wall. I ignored his antics and pulled a pair of training swords out of a barrel. I sent him a condescending look with my eyebrow raised. -" I have not come for you Gerhard, but I might feel a bit better if you are offering to take their place? " I said without specifying whose place he would be taking. -" I respectfully decline, Lady. " He replied quickly and put the sword away, his hands shaking slightly. -" Then I will take you on your hospitality and use the facilities instead. " -" Please do as you like, Lady " He said , while the guy in a beginner''s garb looked around, befuddled by the event. -" Hey, shouldn''t you be hitting that scarecrow, no break for you! Man up! " Gerhard turned his attention to the unfortunate beginner and silenced his protests forcefully. In the end I had used two swords to hit scarecrows for long hours that day... [ Meanwhile elsewhere ] It was a sunny day. *Bleeegh* *Blurrgh* *Barf* Four unfortunate adventures were still incapacitated in the sewers, but encroaching slime monsters were closing in to ease their pain. But that is a story not for me to tell. [ Suffice to say - the forecast was a spot-on ] ========= Hey~, Authors here~ :P Readers, I do hope that you have had at least half the fun I had writing this chapter. Keep the comments up, so I know how you feel. PS Comments also boost my hype levels :) [ PS2 I want more of the cute Almisha ] [ PS3 What?! Narrator can have their own likes too! ] EDIT: I have just gotten off the chat with my friend, there''s high chance for new cover :) EDIT: New Cover is already in place :P Cheers, Mea The Overlord (luckily, otherwise you would have had lost an author due to severe blood loss) NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 5 - The Starting (Special Chapter) *Final form of next chapter is thanks to Owlbear General - who knew Owlbears are versed in arts?* Chapter 5 - The Starting (Special) Chapter 5 - The Starting (Special) [ Today it¡¯s a Chapter number Five - which means it¡¯s time for a special, therefore the author forced me to do some POV, So here we go to some uninteresting and bland guy, who just came on-line... ] ============> [ Bland Guy''s POV ] <============= After logging in, Robert looked around happily. -" Great! It looks just as if it was a real thing! " He exclaimed and stretched his arms, before doing few experimental squats. -" Totally like in a novel that I read! " -" Pff, what a retard. Is he twelve? " A condescending voice reached Robert¡¯s ears. -" Yhe, he read a book and now he thinks he¡¯s gonna strike it big, like a hero no less. " Another person chimed in. -" Totally, I bet his name¡¯s weed or something! " Said the third. -" He could have at least go to the side alley... " Robert grew beet red and escaped. He really wanted to name himself weed, but thought that it''s better to pick something else, so he chose Forest instead. He decided that he will work hard and will become great and strong through the hard work, just like in the story. Forest ran around and eventually managed to arrive at a Training Centre. Without hesitation he entered the building and found impressively looking instructor, who wore a leather garb. -" Young adventurer! I presume you have just arrived in the Kingdom of Gis, what¡¯s your name? " The instructor asked loudly. -" Yes, Sir! My name¡¯s Forest, and I want to learn the sword! " Robert exclaimed excitedly. -" A fine Lad indeed! Mine¡¯s Gerhard. Come on then, grab the sword and strike the scarecrow, I shall teach you all about the ways of the sword! " The instructor smiled broadly. [ Sometime Later... ] As Robert, er, Forest was hitting the scarecrow the instructor suddenly jumped back and started reaching for his sword in panic. -" I have not come for you Gerhard, but I might feel a bit better if you are willing to take their place? " Suddenly a girls voice came from the other side of the room. He was really surprised by events and could not comprehend why the instructor behaved so strangely. Robert stopped hitting the scarecrow and looked at the back of the black haired girl. She was taking out training swords from the barrel while speaking boldly with the instructor, though topic of their conversation eluded Robert¡¯s comprehension. As Robert tried to get a better look at the girl, the instructor suddenly turned to chastise him. -" Hey! Shouldn¡¯t you be hitting the scarecrow? No break for you! ". -" But... ", Robert tried to object, because he had been hitting the scarecrow for a long time, but Gerhard had interrupted him and forced him to train for a long time.-" Man up! " The instructor arbitrary silenced his protests. While hitting the scarecrow, Robert tried to sneak a peek at the girl, but all he could see, in the corner of his eye, was her silhouette moving all over the place while vehemently striking at the scarecrows. Robert was wondering what made the instructor so worked up and decided to investigate. [ After a considerable amount of time had passed... ] Eventually, the girl sat on a ground and began to eat. Robert noticed that the instructor wasn¡¯t paying attention to him and tried to use that opportunity to get a better look at the girl. He snuck closer and closer, and started to get a good angle¡­ but before he could take a good look at her cute face... Suddenly, a powerful arm surrounded his neck and he was forcefully pulled back... ============> [ Forest''s POV: END] <============= [ Meanwhile in the story ] Exhausted, I side-sat on the floor, with skirt spread over my legs. Wearing a skirt was an unfamiliar sensation. When I was walking, a fluttering touch of cloth and air on my legs, made me feel naked. I retrieved a sack that was given to me by Samantha, finding two sandwiches inside. Each was made from two pieces of bread which kept ham, lettuce and tomato slices together. All in all it was better than my regular fare despite the lack of butter, to which I am almost addicted. While eating, I wondered what I should do next, but I couldn''t formulate any decent plan. Due to lack of new ideas, for the first time in my life, I ended up stuck on ¡®what should I do next¡¯ part of a problem. I absentmindedly checked my skill list and deleting dual wield and reckless strike, as they were useless to me. Irritated, I finished the second sandwich and drank some more water from the jug. At that moment I noticed some commotion close to me. I looked around and concluded that the newbie tried to approach me, but was grabbed into a choke hold by the instructor and dragged back. I sent them an inquiring look. -" Please don''t bother Lady, he doesn''t know what''s good for him. " Gerhard said apologetically, while keeping a big hand against the newbie¡¯s mouth, who started to look blue due to asphyxiation. Newbie''s struggle struck me as annoying and useless. -¡¯ I had enough, enough of wasting time looking for ideas. I will just finish the quest. ¡® I resolved myself. -" Argh, I don''t care any more. Your knife, give it to me! " I demanded while extending a hand in Gerhard¡¯s direction. -" Noo she snapped, we are all going to die! " Gerhard exclaimed and took a step back. -" Please reconsider... Lady! " Gerhard pleaded desperately, while taking another step back. Newbie¡¯s eyes, which were bulging before, become even wider. -" Give. Me. Your. Knife. " I said sternly, heavily accenting each word and narrowed my eyes threateningly. -" ...But...but it¡¯s a middle of the city...and...and garrison¡¯s just round the corner! " Gerhard said in panic. -" I know! Just give me the freakin'' knife and I will be on my way out! " I said intransigently. Gerhard fumbled with his belt, using a free hand, and thrown the knife that landed before me. Satisfied, I rose, while grabbing the knife, then I marched outside without looking back. As I was leaving through the door I heard a commotion behind me. -" Forest, boy! Don''t die on me! Breathe! You must live! " Gerhard¡¯s exclamation was followed by a strange sounds. [ CPR ]. After leaving the Training Centre, I walked across the street and entered the alleyways, through which I made my way to the slums. Soon my angry steps brought me to the Slums. As I marched through the district my path crossed with some thugs, though, for some reason, they ran the moment they saw me. I continued on and while turning at some corner I ran across two thugs mugging a newbie. Happy that they haven''t noticed me, I closed in without slowing down and plunged the knife in the back of a smaller, ferret looking, thug. The other thug, a big and bulky one, heard a muffled yell of his companion and turned with his hand held high. I made a backward pirouette, on my left leg, to free the knife and followed the momentum to make a step forward, shortening the distance enough to plunge the knife in an exposed armpit of the big guy. Slight flip of a wrist was all that was needed to align the blade at a correct angle. He yelped, in pain and surprise, and staggered back. I used his movement to pull out the knife, while twisting menacingly, intent on leaving a gushing wound. My gaze impassively traced the big thug''s fall, caused by the shock and sudden blood loss. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. I brought my attention to the newbie in a *clone garb*. He mistaken my actions for some sort of saving, as he started saying. -" Thank... " But, he stopped when he finally registered what exactly was going on. I turned my attention to the ferrety thug, who was lying on a ground and was making whizzing sounds due to his pierced lung. I approached him to slit his throat, then I did the same to the big guy. Newbie, who looked like he was in a shock, suddenly recovered and started running. I let him go because I couldn''t decide on what to do with him. I checked the thugs in search of the loot and continued on my way. -'' Hmm, even looting needs to be done in a normal way... getting monster parts will be messy '' I observed absentmindedly. I continued to prowl the alleys and managed to ambush and kill some more ruffians. Last group, which was more numerous, didn¡¯t even try to fight and started running the moment I killed the first one. Effect of my bloodied appearance most certainly. In the meantime, I continue to distributed the stat points as they arrived, prioritizing agility and charisma. Eventually, I reached the Thieves Guild. Before entering, I cleaned the knife, with a skirt, and placed it into the Beginner''s Pouch. After entering the building I made my way to the counter. Guild patrons, who were in the room, grew quiet. I noticed a group of three players who sat at a brightest table. They gave me inquisitive stares, but quickly turned away when our gazes met. As I approached the counter the bald guy from before gave me a calm look, evidently unfazed by my bloodied appearance. -" Welcome, what''s it going to be today? " -" I have left my drink upstairs and I have things to talk about in there. " I said flatly. -" Very well, please suit yourself. " He shrugged and placed a mug back under the counter. While I was moving to a staircase I grabbed a candle and went up. This time I did not notice any presences near the staircase. On the gallery, I left the candle near the entrance as its light was enough for my night vision. I went to the same table as before. My mug was nowhere in sight, same as a person with whom I spoke before, but I sat down anyway. I put my elbows on the railing and looked down. Trio of adventurers that I saw earlier had their looks glued to the staircase, their faces showing a concerned expression. I realized that they probably saw my name due to the murderer¡¯s mark. I smirked when one of them, a rogue, suddenly felt something and looked up. I waved at him and his face paled, as a small, red light spontaneously appeared on my forehead. He looked down quickly and the light vanished. -'' Interesting, so it¡¯s only showing up when you are actually seen. '' I decided to experiment a bit and made a small sound. I kept myself hidden, in the gallery¡¯s shadow, while the group from below looked up. To my satisfaction the mark didn''t light up. Afterwards I waited, while enduring the uncomfortable feeling of wetness. My skirt and tunic were drenched in blood and the smell was not pleasant either. Suddenly, the expected voice broke the silence and a dark presence, which was barely noticeable, appeared in a chair on the other side of the table. -" So you have returned, in a bashfully unexpected manner I might add. " A soft voice sounded, with a slight variation added to a cliche sounding beginning. I kept myself still for a moment, I wanted to show him that his arrival did not shake me. I turned to him, while propping my elbow on the railing. I tried to appear as casual and comfortable as possible. I looked at my companion directly and tilted my head slightly when I spoke: -" I decided to skip over a minor details. " Silence followed, so I had taken it for a cue to continue. -" We both have things that we want. " -" That is true, we might as well proceed further. " He said after a momentary pause, then an announcement appeared: *Ding* ------------------------- Quest Completed: Something Shady - The Beginning Completion Difficulty: F Reward: Incognito skill ------------------------- I checked the skill window quickly and noticed two changes there. I left them for later because my companion spoke again. -" During the night there will be...a movement of goods. It would be a pity if the City Guard was to become too curious. " -" Certainly, I will look into Guards curiosity. I would assume that further details can be gathered at the counter below? ". -" That is correct...and take heed. The price of failure is great. " He said and vanished in darkness. I opened the status window to familiarize myself with the changes: -------------------------------- Name: Almisha Alignment: Chaotic-Neutral (12) Race: Half-Elf Profession: None Title: None Level: 8 Fame: 27 Infamy: 48 -------------------------------- Unused Attribute Points: 0 Health: 70 Mana: 110 Strength: 8 Agility: 43 Vitality: 7 Wisdom: 11 Intelligence: 12 Charisma: 63 Luck: 10 -------------------------------- Magic Resistance: None -------------------------------- Skills: -Art of Conversation(Passive) - B3 - You are skilled in the art of affecting others with words. Improves your negotiation, barter, intimidation, deceive and charm skills. -Charm - B4 - the power of delighting, attracting, or fascinating others. -Intimidation, Killing Intent - B5 - the power of frightening, daunting or alarming others. Killing Intent improvement allows use of terror against threatened foes. -Deceive - B2 - power of causing others to believe in something that is not true. -Anatomy(humanoid) - B4 - Ability of discerning vital points of the humanoids. -Dagger Mastery - B3 - Ability of wielding short bladed weapon. -Assassination, Takedown - B4 - Power of executing deadly surprise attacks. Takedown improvement allows use of nonlethal attack instead. -Stealth - B3 - The power of moving, proceeding, or acting in a covert way. -Incognito - B1 - The power of suppressing Murderers Mark. Requires users identity to be covered fully. --------------------------------- Afterwards I rose up and made my way downstairs, extinguishing the candle on the way. ======================= Hey~, Authors here~ for today''s release I wanted to thank the Owlbear General as he was the one supporting this release in opposition to Narrator, whom is still sulking. Maybe I should replace the Narrator with say Orc Warboss or Chaos Chieftain? [ How dare you! Take that - Annihilation Overdrive! I wont be denied! ] Hmm, there''s that ... Anyway lets give a second of silence for people of (former) northern hemisphere. Anyway please share your views on today''s special chapter. Cheers~ Ps We will be having new cover soon - courtesy of Owlbear General - I was really surprised to find one of the monster generals versed in arts. NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 6 - The Scheming (Extended) There''s poll in there, read the chapter first and then choose whether you side with the indecent Narrator or traditional Owlbear General. Chapter 6 - The Scheming (Extended) Chapter 6 - The Scheming (Extended) I went downstairs and headed for the counter. -" I heard that you might be able to provide some details pertaining the curious guardsmen. " I said to the *tough guy* standing behind the counter. Somehow the *bald guy* didn''t strike me as appropriate. -" That I might. " He affirmed and looked around to make sure that we cannot be overheard. -" Quentin Barstein, Captain of the City Guard, is snooping too close to one of our smuggling warehouses. There''s a whisper on the streets that he hired adventurers to investigate, therefore we cannot move the goods easily. " He said in a low voice.. -" In which area is the warehouse located? " I asked, receiving a wary look in return. I gave him a ridiculing look while rubbing my bloodied sleeve ostensibly, he sighed at that and continued: -" In northern part of the Merchants Quarter, near the Magic Academy. " -" Is there anything that you can tell me about the goods? I need to have a general idea on what the City Guard might be looking for. " I asked. -" Hmm...lets say that it can be consumed. " He said after a slight pause. -" That''s all that I needed to know about it. What can you tell me about the Captain himself, also do you know anything about the adventurers who were hired by him? " I inquired further. -" The worst combination, competent and incorruptible. He isn¡¯t as smart as he thinks he is, but he¡¯s no fool. He has a bad habit of creating convoluted intrigues, using people as his pawns. He''s especially fond of adventurers because of that. ¡° Tough guy scowled in disapproval. -¡± He usually can be found at the City Guard Headquarters near the Castle. As to the adventurers, who he had hired, there''s not much to go on. Our informants reported that he met with a few, but details are scarce. ¡° He sighed in annoyance. -¡± Most noticeable one, who we managed to identify, seems to be a warrior bearing a strange sword that doesn¡¯t have an edge. He must be remarkably skilled, for an adventurer, to use such a blade. " He concluded. -" Are you sure? " I said and frowned. I tried to remember something fitting the description. -" Would that sword, by any chance, be having a sharp point, smooth triangular blade and rather long handle? " I asked to confirm my suspicions. -" Hmm, possibly. It¡¯s not like I have seen it myself " He replied. -" Understood, that was all that I needed to know. " I said and a notice appeared before me: *Ding* ------------------------- Quest Accepted: Something Shady and the Curious Guards Difficulty: E, E+ or D Reward: Contribution Dependent Time Limit: Tomorrow¡¯s Night Failure State: Guards finding out about the whereabouts of the contraband ------------------------- -" Also, I will need a cloak and a place to stay. " I said while looking at the Tough Guy. He frowned and our looks met. I maintained a neutral expression while slightly tilting my head. We stared at each other for a good while and until he sighed and said: -" I got a spare one in the back. ¡° He pointed behind him. -¡± As for the lodging, go to the street parallel to this one and find a building with a mistletoe. Knock exactly four times and say that Brewer sent you." He turned and went to retrieve something from the back room. He returned with an unusual looking, black bundle. -" What''s your name and how much do I owe you? Mine''s Almisha... " I said while he handed me the bundle. With surprise, I noticed the quality of what was being handed to me and tried to give it back, but he grabbed my shoulders quickly and effortlessly turned me around while whispering in my ear. -" Nothing, just take this and go! " He whispered lightly and pushed me away. -" Name¡¯s Nasir, but don''t be saying that to anyone. " I looked over my shoulder, hesitantly, but haunted by Nasir¡¯s strange expression I dutifully went away. -'' What''s gotten into him? '' I thought unsteadily. I went outside and quickly moved to the nearest alley. I was baffled by the cloak that was given to me, especially when I checked the cloak¡¯s stats, which confused me even further: ------------------------- Mist Assassin¡¯s Cloak Silk cloak used by an unusual sect of elite assassins. High quality material and design allows one to quickly blend with night or terrain, also it can serve as noble¡¯s cape during the formal dinner. Its lightweight form and stylish cuts, to the skirts, allow for unimpeded motion during combat. The cloak starts with an adjustable hood, thanks to several ribbons sewn inside it, and then flows in form fitting manner. The material splits, at chest height, into a multitude of tassel like strips of silk, each around half an inch in width. There''s a small, cushioned wooden disc at the end of each tassel, it is responsible for the unusual, flowing motion of the garb. Grade: Unique, Rare ------------------------- I raised the hood over my head and had the cloak envelop me. It was a strange feeling mainly because the cloak seemed to flow around my body in a way similar to a comfortable embrace. Unconsciously, I matched my step to the flowing motion of the garb heading in the direction of the street to which I was directed. The building, for which I was looking, was easy to find. It was old looking and worn down, with thatched roof on which mistletoe grew. Barred windows were dark and uninviting. Heavy wooden door was a single, solid part of the building. I knocked on the door with my fist, four times. Soon a peep hole opened with a clang, and someone looked at me, hidden by the darkness inside. -" Brewer sent me. " I said in a deadpan voice and waited. The peep hole closed loudly, followed by another clang, this time of a heavy bolt being moved. Bulky looking man opened the door and looked around before motioning me to enter. I complied and went inside finding myself in a small, dark antechamber, illuminated only by a barest hint of light coming from below another thick door. The man closed the door behind me and then opened the other one, which led to a sizeable wooden room. Several benches, chairs and round tables were in the room. Illumination was provided by small oil lamps, which were hanging on the walls. Opposite side of the room was occupied by two rectangular tables serving for a makeshift counter. I noticed several kegs and a wine rack on the wall behind rectangular tables. I went into the room, while trying to be as calm about it as possible, my nervousness was mainly caused by eight pairs of eyes that focused on me. The men inside didn''t look like your typical thuggish sort, they were more akin to veterans. Scars, multiple weapons, worn but customized leather armours, and to hell and back kind of attitude. Each step required a lot of nerve, but somehow, I managed to remain calm by matching my step to the flow of the cloak. When I stopped before the rectangular table I was faced with the bartender, if he really was a bartender. He was grey haired and old, and had a small twig in the corner of his mouth. His face was worn down by the years and scars, but that didn''t dim the light in his eyes which were still bright and blue. He had an intense air about him and I couldn''t stop myself from imagining where the best setting, in which one could meet such a character, would be. Instantly a vivid vision of losing battle against xenoid invasion unfolded before my eyes and image of Emperors Chosen falling from the sky, on the wings of fire, came to mind. -¡¯ Yes, he would be perfect, as a grey haired sergeant, commander of the first ones to land to save the day. ¡® My GM habits reawakened. Suddenly, I realized with embarrassment that I was just standing there, looking at him from under my hood¡­ doing nothing. The awkward silence was suddenly broken. -" I am too old for that, just kill me now or state your business! " The old man said with a strangely serious and fearless attitude. Totally embarrassed, for spacing out, I removed my hood and said: -" I am sorry, I didn''t want to surprise you... " I think I heard some gasps from behind me. Veteran barkeep looked surprised as well. -" By the gods! ", he said and I began to wonder: -'' Was the Murderers Mark really that unusual? '' I decided to try and explain myself before situation escalates any further. I raised my arms and started talking quickly: -" It¡¯s just that I need a safe place to stay and I was told that I should go here, so I could rest and get clea... " While I was in the middle of my speech, I realized that I was babbling and that I was really out of it. It has been a long day after all and I was in a sorry state, drenched in blood. The Veteran Barkeep, as I began to call him, interrupted me for some reason by raising a hand in my direction.. -" Just calm down and come here. I have a free room and bath, that you can peruse. " He said while clasping his hands awkwardly. [ I wanted to pat her too ] He led me through a dark corridor, which was lined with several doors. He led me to the last door, one which was directly opposite to the corridor¡¯s entrance. It turned out to be a bathroom with a stone floor, a drain and several buckets of water. There was a small fireplace, which still had smouldering cinders in it, and a small cauldron was hanged over it. -" You can use this place to refresh yourself. Do you want to eat? " He asked. I had shaken my head in response, I ate Samantha¡¯s gift not that long ago. I was feeling out of sorts, but considering recent events and how long I was playing that was to be expected. -" When you are done you may use first room from the right. " He said before leaving. I absentmindedly watched as the doors closed¡­ after a moment, I remembered that it¡¯s not the time to be idling and started moving. With effort, I managed to fill the cauldron with water from a bucket. Then I added some wood to the fireplace and waited for water to heat up. I removed the cloak, folded it and placed it on a stool, which was in a corner. -" ... ". -" ... ". [ ... go~ on~ ... ] [ Edit: Here is the bonus chapter that was requested in the poll: Bonus Chapter 6.5 - The Bathing ] [ Some...embarrassing...time later...] I went to a room indicated by the veteran barkeep and logged out. * * * * After getting out of the capsule I was really numb and had problems moving. Everything seemed small and delicate, also my coordination was rather bad as well. -'' This is bad, don''t mind the embarrassing details, but what''s with the impaired movement? '' I was dead tired and in need of many things, so it took a while to clear all necessities and go to sleep. My movements soon returned to normal, so I ignored the happenstance. -'' At least I still have two more days before I have to work. Though it seems that I am not doing anything other than playing lately - not that it is anything unusual. That time dilation just fcks the clock I guess. '' After a good night''s sleep and some preparations I went back into the Capsule: -" Enter World: ArCiel ". [ MC is naturally resistant to many embarrassing things ] * * * * After finding myself in a simple wooden room I confirmed that all of the clothes were miraculously clean. After putting the clothes back on I fiddled a bit with adjustable ribbons of the cloak¡¯s hood. I managed to set the hood in a way that it didn¡¯t obscure my peripheral vision too much and didn''t slide down my head easily. I left the room and moved through the corridor to the main room. When I entered the main room I saw some unfamiliar faces, but I ignored them and went to the counter. -" Good morning. How much for a room and something to eat? " I asked. -" Mornin, how much do you have? " The barkeep asked back. -'' Umm, good question. '' I thought and quickly checked my pouch. -" Almost six silvers. " I said and noticed that the barkeep was taking a hand from his face. -" Sit down, I will get you something in a moment. Everything will be for a silver. " He said and then continued in a mumbled voice to himself: -" How could such innocent little thing become...better not to ask too many questions. " He probably didn''t expect me to hear or understand him from where I was sitting. -'' Better to let sleeping dragons lie. '' I thought. Soon the meal was handed to me - scrambled eggs and sliced tomato bits, both peppered and salted. There was also buttered bread to top it off. It was simple and delicious, and I consumed everything in seconds. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I left the money on a table and made sure that my hood was propped properly. I turned to the veteran barkeep and said: -" Thank you for your hospitality, how may I call you? " I asked, trying to get to know him. -" Your welcome, but next time try to show up properly. It does not look good if the best ones come with nothing to show up for it. Also, the name¡¯s Letho. " He replied in a warm voice, which didn''t match the words. -'' Ahh, I finally got it. '' I thought as I made the necessary connections. -¡¯ This is obviously a safe house, but they had assumed that I am some big shot, due to the cloak, and that I must have fumbled the job due to measly sum that I had on me and my look yesterday. ¡® -" Don''t worry, I already have a plan to salvage the situation, name¡¯s Almisha by the way. I will be back. " I said confidently and started to leave. Big man, from before, rose from his chair and let me out. I was back on the street again and the sun was close to the noon. There weren''t many people on the street, which made a perfect sense since it had been chosen as hideout''s location. I made my way through the back alleys of Merchant¡¯s quarter. I was thinking, while looking around, searching for a promising warehouse. I made sure to avoid the main streets and only crossed them when necessary. It took me a while, but I eventually arrived next to a group of sizeable warehouses in southern part of the Merchant¡¯s quarter, near the docks. While I was observing, from the alley, I saw a newbie walking through the main street. I smiled, when I thought up a plan to get the necessary information despite the Murderer¡¯s Mark that I had. I hid behind broken crates and waited. When the newbie was close to my alley I thrown out a silver coin. As planned, it made a clinking sound on the cobblestones and rolled close to the entrance. I wasn''t disappointed when the newbie looked sharply into the alley and came closer, lured by the sound. Newbie spotted the glinting coin and came into the alley to pick it up. I used that moment to get behind him. -" Not so fast, you haven''t earned that... " I said from behind his back. He yelped in surprise and fallen on his butt, tripping when he tried to move away from the voice that suddenly sounded from behind him. -" ...yet " I stood over him and tried to look just a bit menacing. -" If you want to earn it, there''s something that I do require from the area. " Suddenly, I was startled by a surprising message which appeared before my eyes: *Ding* Do you really want to offer a quest? Yes/No ------------------------- Quest: Find information about warehouses Difficulty: G Reward: 1s Time Limit: N/a Failure State: None ------------------------- -'' Wha...that¡¯s great, I didn''t know that was possible. '' I thought and I quickly made adjustments to the message: *Ding* Do you really want to offer a quest? Yes/No ------------------------- Quest: Find information about warehouses Difficulty: G Reward: 1s-2s (if you do quick and thorough job) Time Limit: 1 hour Failure State: Mention the person in the alley, there will be consequences ------------------------- When I was sending off the quest I noticed a disclaimer: Please be aware that any misuse of the quest system will be penalized by the system. This includes, but is not limited to: deliberate or not avoidance of the quest taker, incorrect or unfair Failure State manipulations and ...click #more for further details. Please plan and act accordingly. The newbie looked up in surprise. He relaxed slightly upon receiving the message. -" So it¡¯s just a quest! Pff and here I thought I am going to die... " He said to himself, apparently taking me for NPC. I smiled to myself when I said: -" You still can, you have fifty nine minutes left to get back with a good info... ". -" Whaa, this quest¡¯s no joke! " He exclaimed and started running. I bent down to pick up the coin, tassels of the cloak moved around me and made me think. -'' Nasir¡¯s a really great guy, but I can''t figure him out. Why would he give me such an item? I haven''t spoken with him that much after all. Was there some hidden condition for getting a cloak? '' I thought. -'' I mean, I expected to get some rag when I asked about the cloak... ''. I sighed at the riddle and resigned myself to the cloak''s embrace. I decided to concentrate on more practical matters instead. Parts of the plan started to fit in together. -'' Next, I need to find the adventurer that was mentioned. It shouldn''t be too hard. '' I thought. -'' Then I will need this and those¡­ it should be manageable. '' I had been thinking for some time when I noticed the commotion at the entrance to the alley. The newbie was back and he was looking for me. I left from the cover of boxes to meet him. He did a double take when I suddenly made my appearance in front of him. -" What do you have for me? " I asked commandingly. -" Ahh...um...this one. " He said and pointed to the building on my left. -" Belongs to a merchant, Ribald the Huckster, who is mainly dealing with weapons and accessories. The next one, behind it, is said to be filled with cloths and silks, but I do not know to whom it belongs to. Warehouse further down the road, from the clothing one, is full of foodstuffs and belongs to the restaurants from the Central Plaza. The big warehouse that is opposite to Ribald¡¯s belongs to the Merchants Guild, there''s a lot of things in there. Next to it is a personal warehouse of the Merchant Guild Leader, I was chased when I started asking about it too much ". -" You did very well indeed, take those and forget what happened. " I said and handed him two coins. My eyes widened slightly under the hood when I received a notification that my quest was completed and I got some experience. I turned away quickly and walked away, deeper into the alley, matching my movements to those of the cloak. It really started to grow on me for some reason. Afterwards, I went to the Central District. It took me a lot of time because I had to move from alley to alley cautiously, because I had to be wary of the guards who could catch me when I was crossing main streets. Eventually I arrived near the City Guard Headquarters, which was a big, military looking building located on the same plaza where an entrance to the Castle was. While I was thinking on how to find the strange warrior, I saw a familiar looking newbie walking across the plaza. I retrieved Gerhard¡¯s Knife from the Pouch and looked around to make sure that there weren''t any guards nearby. I saw none, apart from ones at the Castle¡¯s entrance. Satisfied, I left the alley and moved through the crowd. Soon, I sneaked behind slow walking newbie, who seemed to be sightseeing. I put my left hand over his shoulder, hugging him, and rested the knife near his throat. -" We are going to that alley over there, your life''s at stake. " I whispered into his ear and led him in the direction of the alley. Luckily he didn¡¯t try to resist. When we disappeared from people¡¯s view I unhanded him and took a step back, making sure that we were standing at arm''s length, with my knife still resting near his throat. Newbie had a funny look on his face because he was taking a cross eyed look on the knife. -" I need someone found and you seem qualified for the job. " I said directly and sent him a quest: *Ding* Do you really want to offer a quest? Yes/No ------------------------- Quest: Find a Strange Warrior, that is using an edgeless sword, he is known to be in the area Difficulty: G Reward: 2s 50c (if you do a quick and thorough job) Time Limit: 1 hour (might take longer if needed) Failure State: Mention the person in the alley, there will be deadly and painful consequences ------------------------- He accepted the quest. -" If you can''t find me when you are done leave the info at the Thieves Guild, don¡¯t forget to mention that it¡¯s related to curiosity. " I said in a commanding tone. -'' Better to be on a safe side, in case I get chased out of the alley. ¡® I thought. -¡¯ It would be lame to get a penalty for failing my own quest. '' I found a hiding spot in the alley and waited. I was impatient as there was nothing to do apart from waiting. [ Sometime later - longer than one hour if you need to know ] I noticed that a newbie entered the alley, he was hesitantly looking around and yelped in panic when I suddenly left the cover and appeared near him. -" Have you found him? " I asked matter-of-factly. -" Yes, he''s asking for some information in the taverns of Merchant¡¯s quarter. He said that his name is Blair. " He responded in calmer voice when he recognized me. -" Very well, this seems to fulfil my request. " I said and took out the coins. While I was handing him the money the newbie suddenly asked something that caught me off guard. -" Why did you need Instructor¡¯s knife? " -'' Wait, isn''t he the one from the Training Centre yesterday? No wonder he seemed familiar. '' I thought. I was feeling kind of bad for what I was about to do, but I didn¡¯t want to take any chances. -" Please put the money in your Beginners Pouch. " I said and used my left hand to stealthily retrieve a knife from my Beginner¡¯s Pouch. -" Ok, but why? " He asked naively, though he put the money in the Pouch anyway. I took a step forward and he reflexively taken a step back. He had an uncertain look on his face. -" Um...and why do you have a shining red gem on your forehead? " He kept asking all the wrong questions... I swung my right, empty hand at his face and he reacted on instinct, hiding it behind his crossed arms. I grabbed his forearm, to make sure that he can''t escape, and made an upward thrust from below using the knife in my hand. I was aiming for a spot just above his stomach. He didn''t even see the blow until it pierced his diaphragm, robbing him of his breath, negating any chance to call for help or run. -'' Damn, couldn''t he raise his elbows a bit higher, I wanted to kill him as painlessly as possible, but I couldn''t reach the heart from that angle. '' I thought in annoyance while the miserable beginner slumped down and held the blade in his gut. He looked at my face that was hidden under the hood. Pain and surprise were sharply painted on his face. It made me feel a bit bad, so I wanted to ease his suffering. I bent down to grab his head and our gazes met, then I suddenly twisted his head, making his neck snap with a sharp sound . The body immediately turned into a grey mass which fallen to the ground. -'' Hmm, so that''s what happens when you kill a player... strange. '' A moment later few copper coins clinked on the cobblestones. I retrieved the knife and cleaned it on the greyish lump, before putting it back into the Pouch. I hesitated while looking at the coins, I felt bad about taking them. -'' But he won''t have them anyway... '' -'' And it would be wasteful... '' After silent battle with myself I decided that it would be disgraceful to his sacrifice, if I haven''t retrieved the coins. I clasped my hands together and gave him a silent prayer before walking away. I went to the Merchant district, while making sure to avoid the City Watch. After examining two taverns I found my mark in the third... Last part of the plan started getting into place. ============ Hey~, Authors here~ I had various things interrupting me through yesterday and I wasn''t able to finish the chapter...but worry not as this one was extended to compensate. Also, big thanks to Owlbear General for his work on the new cover that I put on the site yesterday. I hope you like the look, I think it''s fitting(much more than previous one). Also we had some arguments with the narrator - silly thing even challenged me to a duel... [ Don''t mock me! I know its this dastardly owlbears fault! Just tell me where is it and even his atoms won''t know that they ever existed after I am done! ] anyway as indicated in the chapter please vote whether bonus chapter should be made. Cheers, Mea The Overlord Ps As always comments are greatly appreciated. NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 7 - The Tricking Chapter 7 - The Tricking Chapter 7 - The Tricking When I finally found Blair it was an afternoon . As I entered *the Merchant¡¯s Coin* tavern I took a quick look around, taking in the decor and the feel of the place. The floor was scrubbed so thoroughly that the wood actually looked like it was bleached, tables were solid and round and had white napkins on them, heavy looking chairs completed the furnishing. Shiny bronze mirrors, inset with magically glowing gems, shone with golden light that illuminated the place, they were affixed to rectangular wooden pillars. The tavern looked both neat and enchanting in its uniquely tidy fashion. I liked the place very much and made a mental note to visit it in the future. Several merchant looking guests sat around tables, but my gaze quickly wandered to a young warrior with an estoc. He was sitting near the centre, chatting with an old merchant clad in heavily embroidered, purple robe. [ If you wonder how is it possible for people to easily figure out the blade is edgeless - he is using a scabbard consisting of metal loop attached to the belt and strip of leather ending with a metal socket. Information on the sword - Estoc] I went to a table placed in a corner of the room, I wanted to avoid bringing attention to myself as much as possible. When I sat, a sprucely dressed waitress approached me. -" Welcome to the Merchant¡¯s Coin. My name is Rebecca. Can I get you something to drink? " Waitress introduced herself and asked. -" Some ale and water please. " I spoke without thinking. I ordered a thing which I always order when role playing, though I personally can''t drink the stuff. Don''t get me wrong. I can drink wine or hard liquors without a hitch, quite a lot of them actually, it¡¯s just that I can''t stomach the taste of beer, the thing makes me nauseous. -" Aren''t you a little young for ale? " Rebecca asked with suspicion. -'' Must be my voice. ¡® I thought to myself. -¡¯ If she saw anything worthwhile under the hood I would be all red and glowy right now. '' I made audible sigh and responded in a composed manner. -" I might look and sound young, but I am not. Ever heard of elder races? " -" Oh, pardon me, I did not realize because of the hood. Please accept my apologies, I will bring your order in just a moment. " She apologized quickly and bowed to me. When she left I took out all of my copper coins and placed them on the table. -'' I hope it¡¯s enough. I have no idea how much more this place charges compared to a regular one. '' I worried. It appears that there was enough coins, because the returning waitress quickly collected them and placed a mug of ale and a glass of water in front of me. -" Thank you ", I said. -" Please do enjoy our humble establishment. " She responded and bowed again before leaving. With my place secured, I began observing the warrior from under my hood. He had a ruffled, dark blonde hair, fair skin and blue eyes. He wore cloth tight fitting black garb with a hood and a long tunic made of dark leather. He had a wide piece of cloth wrapped around his waist, secured in place by a buckle less black leather belt tied in a martial arts fashion. On his arms there were studded leather bracers that matched with his knee high boots. -'' He certainly does not look like a person that started a few days ago. '' I took a sip of water from the glass. -'' Also, he has a direct contact with the Captain of the Guard, which most likely is not an easy thing to do. '' I began to weigh my options, because my initial plan started to look like a really weak idea. -'' Hmm, I can''t send in a thug with a false info. That guy would catch the ruse instantly... ¡® While I watched, the purple clad merchant began to give his regards and farewells to the warrior. I considered my options intensely and decided that a showdown with the warrior would be the best course of action. -'' He has too many advantages(cards), but I''ve got the one he''s missing, the strongest of them all, the Information. '' I rose and approached the warrior, deciding on which facts I should to rely. Warrior noticed my approach and looked at me warily, so I spoke before he had a chance to send me off. -" Let''s talk, I might have the information that you want. " I said calmly to break his guard. He looked at my cloaked figure with suspicion, but the bait was too good to pass on. -" Very well, take a seat. " He said and pointed at the chair furthest from him. His face seemed to be in his early twenties, though I was uncertain due to inquisitive look of his blue eyes that were focused on me exclusively.. I sat on the edge of the chair and tried for an apprehensive look, as if I was nervous. I looked left and right to play him a bit more, meanwhile waiting for him to lose his patience and ask a question. He looked at me meticulously and I shifted a bit on a chair, to further push on my nervous agenda. Finally he spoke: -" Why are you hiding under that cloak, show yourself! " -" I will be killed if I am seen, just like the adventurer from earlier! " I said in a scared voice and silently thanked the newbie for his sacrifice to the cause. -" What adventurer? " He asked with a look of surprise. -" He looked for you earlier as I-i asked him, also I asked him to...to go to the Captain but...but they killed him before I could give him the message. " I said and tried to sound tearful. I remembered something from few days back and suddenly I had no problems with sounding tearful. -" They had done it...in the alley...just across the plaza from the castle. " I said and began to wipe my tear stained eyes while pretending to sob. He looked annoyed, especially when one of the waitresses approached and began to ask if everything is alright. He managed to convince her that nothing undue is happening. I stopped sobbing, least I risked that he would move the conversation in private and I would have a tough time covering my Mark then. He was visibly irritated and I noticed a small tick near the left corner of his mouth. -" Could you tell me what the message was? " He asked in a deadpan voice. I could not stop myself from playing at his expense. -" But...will you be alright? I heard when they were talking about you... ". -" Don''t worry, I am not some newbie adventurer, just tell me... " If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. -" B...but they said that the one named Blair is dangerous a-and... that it¡¯s time to get a professional... to get to kill... him. " I ended in a small voice while continuing to detract him from the target, according to quest logic the harder the information is to gather the better it is and I was not going to sell my lie cheaply. Not to mention I had fun messing him up. He sighed and almost rolled his eyes, then, with visible effort to look dependable, he said: -" Believe me, I will alert the City Guard and get those criminals. I am a friend of the Captain, you need not worry about me ". -'' Wow, that was a good one, it seems he can do it if he tries. '' I thought while smiling to myself. -" Umm...you should try investigating the eateries near the central plaza. You should be able to find a lead there, there''s also a...a warehouse... " I said with a pause and watched him while he was eating the bait, the float and the fishing pole. -" What warehouse? " When I fell silent he asked dutifully in exasperated voice, . -" I heard that they spoke about some warehouse close to the one owned by Ribald the Huckster...I have tried to find it, b...but I was chased away by some people. " I said while trying to look as uncertainly as possible. He was thinking for some time and seeing that I was not speaking again he asked: -" Is there anything else? " I shook my head lightly, not trusting myself to remove the glee from my voice. Then, I took a quick look to my left and right and whispered: -" I must go or they will find me. " His gaze followed me when I rose and started to move outside. -'' Waah, I want to see the look on his face right now! But I can''t! Argh! '' I was doing my best to leave in least suspicious manner possible. When outside, I quickly moved to the nearest alleyway and ran, making sure that he was not following me, just to be safe. After making sure of that, I started moving to the Thieves Guild. The sun began to set when I arrived at the shady building, which was beginning to have an ominous rather than ragged look. I snuck to the door and slithered inside, opening the door just widely enough to pass. Inside, I continued to move through the places not graced by the candlelight, I ignored few curious looks of the patrons that have spotted me while I was moving past them. Soon, I was near the counter and where I could have a look at Nasir, who had his elbows propped on the counter and impassively looked at the central area, which was surrounded by the dark gallery above it.. -" Hey, I am back. " I said quietly. Before I had registered the movement he already had a throwing knife and a cudgel in his hands. He relaxed after noticing it was me. -" Don''t do that, I wouldn''t want to hurt you. " He said. I bent over the counter, and rested my elbows on it. I propped my chin with my hands. I was still in a playful mood it seems. -" I have told great many things to the adventurer sent by the curious guards. " He looked taken aback by what I said. -" Do you realize what you are saying? " He asked in slight disbelief.. -" I am just saying that the adventurer will look in great detail into eateries on the central plaza and what''s stored in the foodstuffs warehouse owned by said eateries. " I said smugly. -" It would be an interesting thing to see how curious the guards are...if there was a slightest proof found there. Care to give them one? " I continued playfully. -" That...that can be arranged. " He responded, dumbstruck a bit. I straightened myself and started to remove the cloak. -" Thank you for lending me this cloak, it was really helpful. " I said. -'' Pff, it took me a while to figure out that it was a quest item given out to help me with the task, couldn''t they be a little bit more obvious when handing those? If I took it, there probably would be a hell to pay. '' I thought as I moved the cloak over my head laying it on the counter. Nasir looked like he was more dumbstruck than before, and I couldn''t figure out why. -" Um...No...I mean it''s good... " He was saying gibberish for some reason, then he shook his head. -" Its best that you go upstairs without it, b...but if you don''t mind it...you can have it when you are back... " He looked kind of strange when he said that. -'' I don''t really get it, but oh well...he probably assumed that I will take another quest up there. '' -" Thank you, I will take you on your kind offer. It¡¯s a really good cloak after all. " I commented and smiled at him. -" I will be back soon. " I said as I left. I think I heard a whisper when I was leaving, but I was not sure. -" Take care. " I made my way upstairs. Because I noticed that there was a hidden presence near the staircase I made a point of giving it a nod. -'' It always pays to give out a good impression. '' I thought with satisfaction and hoped that I had not missed it during the last visit. Gallery was as dark as ever, which began to piss me off. Annoyed, I took the nearest chair and started to push it in front of me - it was dastardly heavy after all. -" It¡¯s heavy, but it looks comfy with all the padding. If I didn''t know better I would say that some merchant lord or aristocrat used it as his throne or something. " I thought while I was pushing the thing, I didn''t pay any attention to loud noises that I was causing. After a while I managed to drag the chair to the usual table. When I looked over the railing I noticed a few curious faces looking at me from below. When a mark coalesced on my forehead, glowing with a red light, the people from below suddenly lost interest and quickly turned away. I moved to the front of the chair and sat with odd feeling of satisfaction. To my surprise I noticed a goblet standing on the table in front of me. -" Lets talk business. " I heard the voice... ====== Hey,~ authors here~ I hope you liked today''s chapter, please share your opinion! and don''t rip me a new one for the cliffhanger at the end :D Cheers, Mea Ps I have restrained the narrator as she did too much of the mess on the last chapter. Ps 2 So far the poll is 66% vs 33%, but I won''t say who''s winning, such a terrible and evil Overlord I am :D NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 8 - The Choosing Chapter 8 - The Choosing Chapter 8 - The Choosing After sitting down, I realized that the chair was too big for me and I couldn''t comfortably lean on the backrest, especially with my legs not reaching the floor... So I shifted and bent my legs to the side, propped an elbow on the armrest and leaned on the backrest. Satisfied with my now comfortable position I switched my attention back to the matter at hand. -" I assume you are already informed about the matters pertaining your request. " I said while resting a chin on my hand. After a short moment of silence my associate responded. -" Yes, I have been made aware of the events that have transpired... " He made a brief pause before continuing. -" ...and I am most pleased with the outcome... which had surpassed my expectations. To be frank I did not expect an adventurer to handle this matter in such a professional manner. " He finished and I received a notification: *Ding* ------------------------- Quest Completed: Something Shady and the Curious Guards Completion Difficulty: E+ Reward: D Grade ------------------------- He gave me a moment before asking. -" Why don''t you have a little wine? Its a good vintage. " -" It might be, but there might be little more than the wine? " I countered. -" Hmm...Cautious. I like that! But rest assured, there''s nothing inside this time... " He said while accenting last words heavily. -'' Dirty bastard is trying to play me. '' I thought and retrieved the goblet with my left hand. -" Lets skip the pleasantries, get to the point! " I demanded in annoyance. -" I heard great many things about you and I made my own investigations... " He spoke casually. -'' What is he playing at? '' I wondered. -" ...and I decided to offer you the reward for your contribution - one that, you adventurers, seem to regard so highly. " He finished and I thought: -'' Pff, all this spectacle just for that? '' Then I received the notification and almost choked on the wine that I tried to sip. *Ding* ------------------------- You have been offered training required to ascend to a New Class. Do you Accept? Yes/No Class Name: Shadowblade Assassin Short Description: Shadowblade Assassin Sect excels in combat. It is relaying on variety of weapon techniques, supported by the dark arts, to reign supreme on the fields of battle. Though not as powerful as warriors they more than make up for their lack of front line potential with their subterfuge and sudden assassination techniques, which can be even employed during open combat. ------------------------- -" . . . ", I was still recovering and could not believe what I was seeing. -'' This is totally lame *rogue-warrior* class! I bet all the noobs will swarm it making it a dime for a dozen in half a year. '' I thought with distaste. -" I might even overlook some details pertaining the apprenticeship... " He kept saying... -" I REFUSE! " I almost yielded, then continued in quieter voice. -" I have no intention, Whatsoever! To take up that lame class! Give me something else! " -" ...Uhm... " He sounded surprised. -" Are you sure? Adventurers seem really keen on it... " He continued in uncertain voice. -" I am not some lame adventurer! Better tell me what else is there or I am out of here! " I fumed, straightening myself in the chair. The person seemed to collect himself also and spoke in a calmer voice: -" Very well, my apologies for underestimating you. " -" Hmpf! " I couldn''t help myself from snorting. Suddenly, with a clank, a throwing star hit the back of the chair, close to my face. -" Young Lady, please do not forget yourself. I apologize for ridiculing you, but I will not stand idly and take the tantrums of a little girl. " He said in calm voice, which was actually all the more threatening that way. -" I might be slightly indebted to you, but there are limits... " I swallowed and felt properly chastised. -" I am sorry, please do excuse me and explain the case. " I said respectfully. -" As I was saying, there is indeed a combat oriented assassin class that seems to be greatly coveted by the adventurers, but lets forget about it for now, as you claim that its ill suited for you. " He began explaining. -" But coming back to the basics, there is pure Assassin class which offers wide variety of skills ranging from poisons and traps to knife skills and lies. Of course, normally, before becoming a full fledged assassin, one would need to finish the apprenticeship period first. " -" I am quite sure there is more to this, could you tell me more about other specializations? " I asked. -" It is not a lecture hall, nor I am a professor. Suffice to say that depending on the exact inclination the specializations wary - hues like Shadow, Emerald, Moon and many more correspond to the techniques, while shapes like Cloak or Blade refer to the focus of the particular class. I assume you can now figure out how a shadowblade came to be. " He finished his explanation and fell silent. -" Could I become one of those hue based variants? " I asked curiously. -" I guess you might, barely I might add, qualify for the Sun, which is related to negotiations. " -'' Ahh, diplomacy of the blade. '' I smiled to myself. -" If you have no interest in alchemy, then forget about the Emerald and you can''t become one of the Moon aspected ones as you are now. " He said. I was starting to get the vibe that I better make it fast as his patience was at the end. Still I couldn''t stop myself from asking, as something kept bugging me for a while now. -" What about Mist? " -" Hmm interesting, I do not know where you heard it but for you it¡¯s as impossible as reaching the Moon. " I was too curious to drop the subject and kept asking despite the risk. I tried my best to be polite and forthcoming. -" Please, I do implore you to explain those last two aspects. " I almost begged him. He sighed, but answered. -" Very well, lets be done with it. Moon and Mist are related to magic use and therefore they are unsuited for adventurers. One would need to learn magic to become one. Still adventurers are better off becoming Mages, because anyone can say few chants and turn a whole field to ash, but it takes a lot more to burn the target and save the grass. " As I heard it I felt elation coupled with a giddy feeling in my stomach. -" Please, I need...must become one of those! Please do help me! " I said in an enchanted and insistent voice. -" What? What has gotten into you? " I heard him say. -" Please Sir! No matter what it takes, you must help me become That class! " I said, suddenly sitting on my knees and bending over the table. -" You are not making any sense... " He kept protesting in confusion. I was half across the table while I pleaded with a wide eyed look. -" I need to become a Mist or Moon Assassin, You Must help me! " I said while heavily accenting the words. I strained my eyes and I was able to discern a wiry shape of a person before me. -" But that''s impossible for you... " He protested weakly. -" I don''t care, tell me what I need to do! ¡° I kept pleading while creeping closer. here was a slight panic in his voice when he finally said: You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.-" You need to learn magic, but that''s impossible for an adventurer! It requires thinking! " What he had said suddenly reminded me about what recently happened and that memory forcefully calmed me down. -" I see, spell casting usually requires a high intellect, something that adventurers usually lack¡­ one way or another. " I paraphrased the old saying, I haven''t realized that I said it out loud. I retreated back and sat on my knees. -" Don''t worry ,I can do it, please just give me a chance. Otherwise you will have to kill me again and again as I wont stop asking and coming back.. " I said with resolve and looked at the shadowy figure in front of me. Silence continued, I did my best to look at my associate without blinking, which got my eyes wet. He sighed when he responded in a resigned voice. -" I will see what can be arranged, you will need to attend the academy. Come back tomorr... " -" Thank you! " I practically yelled when I jumped at him. Something like a red powder surrounded my face and a sudden surge of pain blazed in my head, making me feel really stupid while everything was going black... * * * * I woke to a vehement headache, also I noticed that there was something cold and wet on my forehead. I tried to remember when I had decided to go to sleep, but couldn''t remember. What I remembered instead was how I tried to jump a Master Assassin. -'' That was retardedly stupid. I am lucky to be alive...wait I do not even know how the death looks like... '' I thought in panic and began to touch my head. I quickly found a wet bolt of cloth, spiky ears and long hair, but could not locate any wounds or bumps. I removed the compress and started to look around. It was a very dark room and I was laying on some soft bed. When I tried to sit up I was hit by even stronger headache and I registered a sudden wetness over my lips. I reflexively licked it and found out that it was blood. I started to feel around and retrieved the compress from earlier, then I held it against my nose. -'' I am bleeding, my head hurts and I feel dizzy...I do not know if I should feel lucky or miserable... '' I thought to myself. I heard silent steps outside, soon followed by a quiet sound of an opening door. Suddenly, I had to shut my eyes as whole room was illuminated with a strong light. -" Hey, how are you feel...oh, damn it¡¯s a rebound. Quickly, drink this! " Unknown, but familiar voice spoke out, a moment later someone forced a glass vial against my lips. Obediently I drank and lost consciousness again... * * * * I felt something wet moving over my face, so I moved reflexively and pushed someone''s hand away. I opened my eyes and looked around. I noticed that I am in a richly decorated room and some hooded stranger, in a tasseled, dark red cloak was sitting next to me. He was holding a bolt of wet cloth, which was stained red with blood. On cue I looked down and noticed that my purple tunic was heavily stained with blood as well. -" Don''t try to sit up, you can''t afford to lose any more blood. " The stranger said. Instead of retarded question like *what happened*, I said: -" I am sorry to trouble you. " He sighed when he responded. -" You have no idea, anyway lay there for a while, you need to get stronger. I will bring you something to eat soon. " -" Thank you, I will try my best to repay you. " I said softly. -" You better will, I had to use some important favours to get you into the academy. " -" Er? How so? And into what academy? " I asked still confused by the blood loss. -" Magic Academy and as the special case student...unless you care to explain that mark on your forehead instead? " He said patiently. I was at a loss on what to say as simple thank you just didn''t cut it for me. -" I will do my best to learn magic and to repay your help. " I said tersely and tried my best to show my resolve. He sighed and sat on the bed next to me. Then he placed a hand on my forehead. -" Just stay strong, think and do not jump at dangerous people... " He said quietly and I had to smile through the tears. Then he continued in a louder and official manner. -" Try your best I have placed a lot of faith in you... " *Ding* ------------------------- You have been offered training required to ascend to a New Class. Do you Accept? Yes/No Class Name: Moon Assassin''s Apprentice Short Description: Moon Assassin Sect uses magic as their main asset, supporting it with other skills, like poison or subterfuge. They do not have the firepower typically associated with mages, but more than make up for it with extreme precision, clever usage and wide variety of their spells. Their assassination techniques and close combat skills can rely on both physical and magical means giving them great versatility and are hard to predict or counter. ------------------------- -" Yes, I would really like to become your apprentice. " I said and hugged him with tears in my eyes. Only after a moment I began wondering: -'' What am I doing? '' [ . . . ] [ Meanwhile in a Training Centre ] The Instructor was looking around with a worried expression. -" Forest, boy, where have you gone? " He was wondering out loud and some beginners in the building were giving him strange looks. -" I hope you are safe and haven''t met anyone scary... " He suddenly felt a shiver and got drenched in a cold sweat. ================== Hey~, Authors Here~ I hope you liked today''s chapter, it took me dastardly long to put all those dialogues into shape. Please share your thoughts on today''s developments. Also, I have some unfortunate news - yes, I am starting my working week from Monday and there''s high chance I wont be able to publish much during next week - and yes even Overlords got to work, running a Netherworld is harder than it seems! At least I will be able to do some research in meantime. Also, the poll ended with crushing defeat of Owlbear General, but that''s hardly unexpected - he is only a monster general and narrator can field Demon Lord level powers or even stronger. I will work hard to give you best bonus chapter I can. I will publish it in appropriate place in chapter 6 as well as I will give a notice at the end of the chapter I will be releasing at the time. [ Haha, I won. Now author you are my slave ] Stop with the delusions or I will have to put 12th Tiered Power Reversal Barrier on you again... Cheers, Mea, The Working Overlord EDIT: PS I have proofed all the chapters so they follow the same style and are up to standard, also I have set up some better description of my work as I noticed sharp decline in the influx of viewers since someone gave me 0.5 stars and dropped my rating to 3.17 - since I like what I wrote so far and don''t find it inferior in any way (especially after proofing everything) I do declare on that pitiful soul, adhering the Overlords Creed: -"You will know my Curse, let the strings of misfortune strike you down, bringing forth the Calamity, let the defeat be your guide, and despair your lifelong companion", [ Overlord Had Spoken ] NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 9 - The Fitting Chapter 9 - The Fitting Chapter 9 - The Fitting Master untangled himself from my embrace and laid me on the bed. -" Try to refrain from moving, you will bleed again if you keep acting recklessly. ¡° He said and stood up. -¡± I will be back soon. " He said before leaving. Sometime later Master returned with steaming bowl of soup. I was still in a sorry state, whatever I was hit with left me as weak as a kitten. My hands were really shaky and if I moved too much I risked another nosebleed. It was really embarrassing to be taken care of, propped on a pillow against the headboard, and fed spoonful after spoonful of scalding liquid. -" You need to rest, you can''t be moving about or you will never get better. " He said while he fed me. -" What happened to me? " I managed to ask between sips. -" You inhaled some of the Bloodroot extract...coupled with few other exotic ingredients. You should get better in a day. " He said with a bit of hesitation. -" Isn''t there an antidote? " -" Well, do you think we would be speaking if there wasn''t? " He asked light heartedly. -" Umm, couldn''t you get a bit of magic to help? " I asked because I remembered that there should be priests and other sources of magical healing available in this world. -" Well, lets just say that I am quite fond of that particular extract for a reason. " He said with prideful smile on his face. I sighed in response. -¡¯ It seems that magical healing would not be a good idea after all. ¡® -" Enough of your questions Little One. You should be resting, not interrogating me. " He said in a soft voice and headed for the door. -" Sleep for now, you have a lot to do tomorrow. " He closed the door, while ignoring rest of my questions. I sighed again and resigned myself to rest. The lights started to dim down and eventually darkness fell upon the room... * * * * I was woken up by the commotion in my room. I looked around in confusion as two men, dressed in dark-red linen tunics, black breeches and white shirts, put a heavy looking tub on the floor. Two more entered with steaming buckets of water. My attention was attracted by a woman, which was wearing a dark-red on black maid uniform, a white apron and a headpiece. She stood before my bed and coordinated servant looking workers. She somehow noticed that I was no longer sleeping and suddenly turned to me. -" Good Morning, Milady. I am the Head Maid. My name is Clothilde and the Master requested that I am to prepare you for the day. " The Maid introduced herself. -" Umm, prepare for the day...? ¡° I asked in a weakening voice while the realization of doom began dawning upon me. -" Yes, Milady. Live and Ollie will be assisting me with the task. " She said briskly while the last of male servants left the room, shooed out by the maids. Other maids were clad in a bit less ornamental version of the uniform. Suddenly, I realized that I was alone in a room, with three maids, and that I had nowhere to run. I was quickly caught, undressed, moved into a tub, forcefully washed in a scented water, dragged out of a tub, dried, hair brushed, dressed up in a gown and presented with a cloak. I looked at a cloak in astonishment, still dazed and embarrassed by the lightning fast turn of events. I was scared to ask, but I could not hold out while three pairs of preying eyes were focusing on me. -" Umm, what''s with the cloak? " I asked uncertainly. -" The cloak is a must, Milady. We are going to visit the tailor''s workshop, which is located in the city, after all. " Clothilde replied patiently. I made a dumbfounded expression and was rewarded with an explanation. -" Your Mark, Milady. It would cause undue attention during our visit. " Clothilde said. -" But, why do we need to visit a tailor? " I asked with an ominous feeling. -" It¡¯s for your costume, Milady. " Said brown haired maid called Ollie. -" Master Dal is sure to make you a cute outfit, Milady. " Blonde haired Live chimed in, but was chastised for speaking in an improper manner by a Head Maid. -'' . . . '' I closed my eyes and concentrated. -'' I need to start thinking, otherwise I will end up asking a stupid question and will get messed up by the trio... current gown and bath non-withstanding. '' -" Could I speak with the Master? " I asked cautiously. -" Of course, Milady. He requested that you visit him after you have woken up and readied yourself. " Clothilde said. -" Lead the way. " I responded. Livia and Ollie opened a door for me and led the way while Clothilde positioned herself behind my left side. A corridor, which we entered after leaving the room, was lavish. A dark-red knotted pile carpet, with complicated patterns made from golden thread, was covering the whole length of the corridor. There were magical lamps, made from shining magical gems and complicated arrays of small ornamental mirrors, hanging on the walls. While we made our way through the wooden corridor, we went past several paintings that shared one of the two similar themes. One could categorize them into either an Enchanted Forest type, with nymphs, satyrs, fey and other typical creatures, or into a Mountain and Creature of Awe type, which depicted, with painstaking detail, a great mythical beast, like dragon or gryphon, presented on a rocky outcropping. There were small alcoves, with pedestal tables, on which works of art has been laid. On the first table I saw an ornamental dagger placed on an equally magnificent stand, on the next table a crystal sphere, with wispy lights swarming around a miniature crystal tree was laid, and, on yet another table, there was a golden bowl in which a glowing orchid flower floated. Compared to the corridor my room suddenly lost most of its splendour, because it only had lamps of simple design, two paintings and a big bed in it, but there were no works of art that could be compared to the ones on the corridor, though the carpet was the same. Also, I had yet to find a single window. I was quite impressed with what I had seen so far and began to wonder. -'' It seems like I made quite a blunder by assuming that I was speaking to a simple Assassin Trainer. While, in fact, I was speaking to THE Master Assassin. Actually, I should have realized that earlier, though I wrongly assumed that he is just some *simple* NPC. '' I thought and made necessary connections. I swallowed when the realization dawned upon me. -'' So, all the lame beginnings and limitations are actually set in place to prevent the players from tangling with a really important stuff before we realize that it is not just a simple MMO game, but an actual new world. '' I almost laughed when I remembered the *assassin wannabe*, Blair and the others, who still were in the dark. I was brought back to reality when I was ushered into the room by the maids. The room looked like a study. It had intricately carved shelves, which were filled with books, magical lamps, similar to the ones on the corridor, and a big, ebony desk stacked with papers and writing implements. Behind the desk there was a big, cushioned armchair, that almost resembled a throne.. My sight was glued to the wiry man that was sitting in the armchair. He wore a dark-red tasseled cloak, but it was hanging from his back, revealing the man beneath. His face was sharp, with straight nose and hollow cheeks. He had almond shaped eyes, that had a piercing look due to his facial features, accented by a straight and slim eyebrows. When he leaned back on the armchair his brown eyes met mine. -" Good Morning, Apprentice. I hope that you have made a full recovery. " He said in a non committal manner. -" Greetings, Master. I think so, therefore I would rather handle myself alone. " I said with a shiver, because today''s event reminded me of the after effects of some retarded mage¡¯s experiment, not to mention the embarrassment of being... handled... as a girl... -" I will have none of that, Apprentice. I see that you can speak properly, and that pleases me greatly. Still, you need to learn how to handle yourself in a proper manner. ¡° -" Could you elaborate, Master? " I asked, though I began to see where the conversation was going. -" Very well, let me explain, Apprentice. From now on you have been officially accepted as one of my Apprentices, therefore you need to learn how to behave like one. While I do not doubt that you could easily handle more *common* parts of the society, I find your etiquette lacking. Therefore you will learn how to behave like a Lady. " He explained while looking at me intensely. Then he continued in both playful and chastening manner. -" Be glad, because, usually, I need to teach my Apprentices how to mingle with a common crowd. Instead, you will be given servants, etiquette lessons and dresses. But make no mistake, because you will need to work that much harder for it. As the saying goes, the higher the place the higher the stakes. " -" Master, could I at least handle myself? " I asked again, while flushing with embarrassment. -" Don''t make me repeat myself, you will be treated like a Lady and behave like one. I have already arranged your servants and schedule for today as well as for foreseeable future. You better not disappoint me, as a sizeable amount of resources had been invested in you...and I am really keen on the returns. " He said in a threatening voice. I swallowed hard, because I suddenly felt like I had been placed in a middle of a minefield and only way out was to learn on how to fly. I gave my best to do a curtsey bow, about which I read so much. -" Thank you, Master. I am grateful for your faith in me, I will not disappoint you. " I said respectfully. -" Now, if you excuse me, I believe that I have an appointment scheduled soon. " I tried hard to show my best manners. His face lit up when he smiled. -" Well said, Apprentice. You are excused. " He said and waved me off. His face bore strangely soft expression. -" This way, Milady " Said the Clothilde, when she opened the door. I curtsied again and left the room. Head Maid closed the door behind me and turned to face me. -" Milady, we should head to the Tailor''s, because you do require a new costume for the Academy. " -" Couldn''t I just use a cloak...and a gown? " I hesitated because being in a gown was unsettling to say the least.. -" That won''t do, Milady. You are to attend the Academy as someone whose identity is too important to disclose, therefore you need an attire that matches your supposed status. Also, I can assure you that you will not dislike the work of Master Dal, as his skill is highly coveted by ...certain skilled individuals, Milady. " She explained and respectfully nodded at the end.. -" I see, thank you for your explanation, Head Maid. " I said dutifully while sighing inwardly. I covered myself with a cloak and was escorted through the corridors. We reached the staircase and went up. -'' As expected, this place is underground. Probably there are some magics that handle the ventilation because the air doesn¡¯t feel stale at all. '' Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. We arrived on a ground floor and I was led through a really plain set of corridors to a coach house. Soon after we rode in the coach. A coach man was dressed really well, he had a dark-red frock coat, a knee high, dark leather boots, a black breeches and a white, frilled silken shirt. On the back of the coach, there were two servants dressed similarly to those from earlier. I felt daunted when I thought about my current situation, especially when I considered the Maids. It was a strange thing to have servants at your beck and call, but what worried me was a debt to my Master, which kept accumulating. I was sure that the services, to which I was subjected to, did not come cheap. Though what I dreaded the most was the costume that was mentioned. That Dal guy was said to carter to assassins, which are known for being picky in regard to their equipment...and also wealthy in a way. I couldn''t imagine the kind of a ridiculous price that will be placed on me for a fully customized outfit. While I worried in a gloomy mood, I failed to notice that the coach had stopped. I was brought back to reality when the door opened and a coachman extended some sort of cross between a ladder and a stair from the side of the coach. Then he assisted maids with leaving the coach. I quickly made sure that the cloak is set up properly and I too began to descend. I was glad for a coachman''s hand that helped to keep my balance on a *stair ladder*. When I was standing on a street, I noticed that we were in one of the Central Districts and that there was a huge crowd of people moving around. People avoided the coach due to two servants that were previously riding on the back and were now keeping the crowds at bay with help of long wooden poles. I was led to a door of a great building. It had four floors, walls made of stone, a red tiled roof and no unusual markings whatsoever. It was just a grand but plain building. -'' Considering the kind of customers, and prices, that he probably has I assume that he does not need a sign, or advertising. '' I mused while I was being escorted through the door and then straight to the fourth floor. What greeted me there was a great open space. There were stands for garments in the middle of it and a LOT of many different shelves that had been placed on the walls and filled with all kinds of fabrics and props. In the middle of the room stood a man. He looked around his mid forties, but he might have been much older, or younger, because his olive skin was really worn down, hollow and creased, it made me assume that he spent years under a desert sun. His hair was ruffled and discoloured to a light brown colour. When he gave me a measuring look I noticed that his eyes were intensely green. -" Just starting...I see. " He said and smiled openly, it caused his rugged appearance to suddenly turn roguish. -" I was told that you are to assist me with my new costume, Master Dal. " I said politely after remembering maid¡¯s talk. -" That I am, now lets get that cloak out of the way and lets measure you properly. " He said and took out a measuring tape. I complied and removed the cloak, which was quickly taken by the maids. He looked a bit surprised when he gave me an evaluating glance. -" Truly a pity, to cover such, if not for the red gem I would have declined the commission. " He said while shaking his head. -'' He is saying some strange things, but I guess it¡¯s common for an artist character to be a bit eccentric. '' To my embarrassment I was stripped to my undergarments and measured thoroughly. Master Dal was whispering to himself the whole time, but all I could gather from his bable was that he was trying to come up with an idea. He asked me some questions in the meantime, to which, I was not sure how to answer. -" What about a stole? " -" Do you think that a hat is better than a hood? OR maybe the hair accessories? " -" Leather or cloth, or maybe both? " -" Hmm definitely something to move easily in... " He kept saying and I realized that he was talking to himself. When measurements were done I was shooed out of the room and sited in an armchair on a third floor. Maids soon provided me with a cup of tea. All the talk about my costume got me wondering how it¡¯s going to look like. I couldn''t sit still, but I had to endure as Master Dal would not bear any interruptions to his work, or so I was told. All I could do was to sit down and be pampered by the maids, luckily there were books that I could read there. *The Journey around Gis* turned out to be a rather boring book, but it had some important information. -¡¯ It appears that anyone who will rush out of the city looking for cute, fluffy bunnies to slaughter and gain experience on, will have a hard time. There seem to be a multitude of dangers outside. ¡®¡® Eventually I was notified that I should go upstairs for the fitting. When I arrived at the fourth floor I noticed that there was a table placed in the middle of the room and that there''s a big pile of clothing spread over it. Soon, I was striped to my undergarments again and maids helped me into a strange costume. After some time, and few minor corrections from Master Dal, I was led to a mirror. What had greeted me there was quite surprising. I looked at the image from bottom to top. I saw an extravagant, thigh-high boots made out of a black leather. Toes were made out of lacquered leather, while sides and tops of the feet were covered with small metal plates that interlocked with each other, offering a protection and giving my feet a sleek and elongated shape. I tried moving my feet and noticed that small metal plates moved easily and soundlessly, not impending my movements in any way apart from weight... with surprise I noticed that the boots were soft padded and made virtually no sound on the wooden floor. At ankle height, there were overlapping leather pieces embossed and reinforced with intricate metal chains. Chains kept the pieces in place creating a strange leather flower that protected my ankles. Above, extending from beneath leather petals there were numerous leather straps, woven in a Herringbone Weave pattern, creating a mesh that fit snugly over my knees and legs, woven straps reached to a thigh height and ended with another arrangement of leather petals. [ For reference: Herringbone pattern ] All of those leather straps and petals were heavily decorated with silver patterns and sigils. On a torso, above a black silk shirt, I wore a strange, short-sleeved jerkin, made out of a dark-red leather. The costume had leather breeches with small metal hooks used to anchor to an upper part of the boots, inside the upper petals.. When I was being dressed in the jerkin I noticed that it was really long, but split in a long skirts. Those skirts were then wrapped in a complicated way and secured together with a long silken sash. The end effect was a skewed leather skirt of unusual design, that consisted of few intermingling layers kept together by a dark red sash. The leather was embossed with overlapping geometric patterns apparently made of silver. The sash, which served as a belt, kept the skirts and the breeches together. It was really long and made out of loose red silk. It was wrapped around sizeable silver ring that served as a buckle and was at least two inches in diameter. The tunic had a high collar that fit snugly to my neck and hardened with metal threads, it spanned from a collarbone to my jaw. The tunic also had exquisite shoulder pads which looked like miniature works of art, though I could tell from the weight that they were heavily reinforced with metal. My face was wrapped with a wide strip of dark red silk, serving for a scarf, with two loose ends hanging behind my back. On my head there was a black wizard¡¯s hat with a wide brim squeezed by a buckled leather belt. Soft leather gloves and reinforced bracers completed the costume and were heavily decorated in a similar matter as rest of the costume, which was teeming with silver patterns¡­ and was extremely heavy. -" . . . " I was speechless... and heavy. It didn''t look like it but the garment contained a lot of hidden metal, mostly in a form of metal wires imbued into the leather. -'' It totally looks like something out of an anime cosplay¡­ though the quality is insanely good. '' I thought. -¡¯ Hmm, somehow it feels a bit similar to a Sith Lords attires, though with a twist. ¡® -" I am still not done with a cloak, but it''s a standard order, so there is no need to wait for it. " Master Dal said. -" Anyway, how do you like the costume? " He asked expectantly. -" Um, Am I really going to the Academy in That? " I asked in a weak voice while thinking about the ridiculous idea. -" What''s wrong with it? I do not see any deficiencies. " Tailor responded and gave me a long look, to ascertain what''s wrong. -" Won¡¯t I be looking out of place, it¡¯s totally looking like I had come from dress up party or something? " I asked while looking at my ridiculous image. -" And? Aren''t you supposed to be flaunting your status? As far as I am concerned if you will behave conceitedly enough, no one will even think it¡¯s strange. Moreover it¡¯s not restraining and offers significant amount of protection in combat... " Master Dal answered in serious tone. I gave up and accepted my new garb. -'' I might be feeling like a cosplayer, but at least I am looking like damn awesome one. '' I thought. Afterwards, we returned to the Master¡¯s house and I had taken some etiquette lessons. -¡¯ Tomorrow I enter the Magic Academy¡­ ¡¯ ===================== Hey~, Author''s here~ I have taken all of the cute fluffy bunnies, adorable little foxes and clueless stray wolves, and replaced them with fast agile rabbits, brigands lurking in ambushes along the roads, wolf packs looking for feed and many other interesting things :D Ah, Owlbear Commander found a cute little rabit for newbies to kill, such a Kind Monste Genereal he is... its name Vizzerdrix [ You can find it easily, its really all over the place - http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Vizzerdrix ] Such a nice and caring Overlord I am to keep things interesting for clueless newbies who come to hunt for XP outside the city. [ Rather wicked and cruel I would say, but that''s why I like and follow you ] How do you like today''s chapter and can feel the hype for chapter 10? PS Still working, so the chance is low for release prior to Tuesday and I got delayed by proofreading all the chapters. EDIT: I have rewrote the description of the costume a bit - its still the same, just the description didn''t show off properly and clearly enough details that I wanted to picture. NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 10 - The Debuting (Special, Extended) Chapter 10 - The Debuting (Special, Extended) Chapter 10 - The Debuting (Special, Extended) =====>[ Forest''s Nightmare ]<===== Forest was looking at person standing before him. It was covered by a dark cloak split into multitude of flowing tassels, despite that he could distinguish a lithe body underneath it. Suddenly he felt a great fear. -'' I must run! '' He thought, but could not understand the reason. Ominous figure extended a hand, which looked like it was the one of a small girl, and it gave him some silver. He asked something, but could not understand or hear what was being said. He just knew that he needed to take the money, so he put it into his pouch. Suddenly, a cloaked figure moved forward and a flowing motion sent tassels into the air like some sort of a dark wave - a wave that looked disconcertingly similar to wispy tentacles. He wanted to run, but his body was sluggish and unresponsive, events transpired as if they were played in a slow motion. He could see a white hand coming at his face, it was bearing a dark promise of something terrible. He hid his face behind his crossed arms in terror, in a vain protective gesture. He could not see, but still felt that the hand was getting closer and closer, he knew that he was doomed. He wanted to run, but the moment he tried, ice cold grip clamped on his forearm, robbing his body from the ability to move. The air escaped from his lungs and he looked down to see a dagger buried into his stomach. Sudden weakness assaulted him, the blade seemingly draining him of all of his strength making him fall to his knees. He looked up and saw a hooded death enveloped in darkness that was bending over him. Lithe, white hands came closer and held his face up. He could see a red gem shining on the deaths forehead, showing him her enchanting image. Deep black hollows of darkness bound in almond shaped eyes, framed by delicate eyelashes. Soft bent of a jaw making small, but pouty lips all the more distinct. A small, slim nose would have given her a mischievous look if not for the crimson glow shining on her forehead that twisted her features with sinister intent. He was stunned, while beauty looked into his eyes, somehow she looked both tragically sad and ferociously cruel. In that moment he knew that this was the end, last thing he felt and heard was a sudden twist and a loud snap that followed... ...He woke with a shout, almost running into the wall opposite to his bed. Still shaken he tried to calm down. -" Its only a dream, only a dream, only a dream... " He kept repeating as last parts of the nightmare faded into obscurity. Robert felt really bad after what happened in the alley, but he was not going to give out easily. -" I will be back and stronger than ever! , He confirmed his resolve loudly. -" Robert, what happened? Are you alright? " He heard voices of his family coming from outside his room and it took him a while to find a reasonable excuse to explain the commotion... =====>[ Blair''s Investigation ]<===== Blair was still annoyed by what happened earlier. After finally getting a D-ranked quest to look for signs of a criminal smuggling operation he got stuck. Every lead he pursued struck hollow and after a time, he was called before the Captain and told that it appears that the rumours about smuggling operation were untrue. -'' Hmm, how could a D-level quest end up in E-level contribution. I have researched everything thoroughly. '' He thought. However long he pondered about the case it all narrowed to one thing - to a girl with a strange cloak. -'' What If she wasn''t a lead, but was working to deter me. Even if the killing before the Castle checked out, every lead afterwards quickly become a miss, straining reputation of the guard and my standing with incessant questions. '' He decided to find out everything about what happened, as his pride could not stand the failure. He began by investigating the strange cloak that the girl was wearing. Initially it was hard, but by asking all around the Merchant Quarter he managed to get a lead. It looked like there was someone shipping cloaks to influential people, but the contact did not know where to find that someone. Instead he was told that he could get more information in one of the abandoned warehouses near the slums. Without hesitation he made his way there. The building looked old and shabby, Blair could see that there was some light inside, as some illumination escaped from deteriorated doors. He sneaked near the entrance and started checking the big door. Worn out woodwork offered plenty of slits that could be used to spy on the inside. As he peeked inside, he could see a table which was set in the middle of an empty space and two people that were sitting around it. Blair noticed that the candles, which illuminated the warehouse, were new and fresh. Also, he saw a large stack of crates occupying significant part of the building. One of the men at the table was a giant, with heavy red beard and blue tattoos covering his arms and face. He was wearing furry leather vest and a battle Axe was laying within arms reach, he could easily be mistaken for a viking warrior. -'' Or rather a really big viking warrior. '' Blair thought. Other man was much shorter and unimposing, one could say that he was remarkably unremarkable. He was clothed in a colourful and fine clothes that were giving him a look of someone important, also he didn''t seem to carry any visible weapons. Both of the men looked like they were waiting for something. -'' Big one must be a barbarian, probably a bodyguard. The other one seems like the client... I should capture him and shake him out for information. '' Blair thought and took a look around, making a satisfied expression after making sure that the street was still empty. -'' I should be able to do them in before anyone that they are waiting for will arrive. '' He checked the door and discovered that it was not closed. Then, he unsheathed his blade quietly and took a deep breath. -" Let''s do this. " He whispered to himself and swung the door open. As he jumped in he noticed that duo at the table was strangely composed. The giant with almost nonchalant motion picked up the Axe and risen slowly. Meantime finely clothed guy turned in his chair and looked calmly at Blair. -" Nice of you to not keep us waiting. " The smaller guy said. -'' It looks like I have walked into some sort of trap. '' He thought to himself as he re-evaluated the danger presented by the unarmed man. -" I assume there is no chance of you dropping your questioning habits and going...to the sewers or something? " Unremarkable man said in a light tone.. -" I am afraid that I have already become too interested in answers to my questions. " Blair replied. -" Very well, lets get this show on the way then. This is Baleg and you may call me Oliver, any last words? " Smaller man stated casually. -" You seem awfully confident, aren''t you going to fight together with your friend? " Blair countered. Oliver only shrugged and smiled in response. In that moment Baleg charged, brining down a powerful overhead blow of his Axe. Blair sidestepped and was going to skewer him, but he was forced to dive to the ground instead as a knife that was thrown by Oliver passed thorough the place he had been just a moment ago. On the ground, he continued the rolling momentum as the giant quickly took another swing at him, Blair managed to dodge but could not recover the initiative, every time he tried he had to throw himself around to avoid Oliver''s knives. -'' This is not good, I cant do anything from here and that Baleg guy is not stupid, he keeps his position well and I cant get him with those knives flying at me. '' Blair thought fervently as the giant kept brandishing his Axe, all the while making sure that his partner can throw his knives freely. Baleg took another swing at Blair, who realized that he is close to being cornered by the boxes. -'' That''s it. I''ve lost. '' Blair admitted defeat as he concluded that he could not win with his skill alone. His pride suffered a bit when Baleg swung a finishing blow at him. -'' Though that does not mean that I am just going to let myself be killed. '' Blair decided to use some of his in game skills, which considerably hurt his pride. Resolved, he struck his sword in a wide arc, pouring his focus into the attack, forcing the blade to move at surprising speed, leaving shining after images behind it. Both weapons met, but edgeless blade hit with an overwhelming power knocking the axe out of Baleg''s grasp, into a wall few meters away. As if was an afterthought, a metallic clang reverberated thorough the warehouse. Blair used the momentary surprise to roll forward, to use Baleg as cover. Baleg realized Blair''s intent but was too slow to react, Blair safely hidden behind the giant That way he didn''t have to worry about Oliver''s knives and slashed at Baleg freely. -" Arcing Slash! " Blair shouted and blade accelerated to astonishing speed, leaving a trail of afterimages that seemingly went through giant''s chest, sending him flying through the air with a loud, crunchy sound. Blair was feeling uneasy about what he had done. -'' Those abilities are such a cheat, but I had no other way... '' He tried to console himself and salvage his pride as a member of Knighthood Order. Blair let out a sigh and looked at Oliver, who was standing near the table, with four knives still in his hands. -" You fight well, I surrender. " Oliver stated casually and placed knives on the table. -" You seem a bit too calm about this. " Blair said suspiciously. Oliver sat on the chair and showed his empty hands. -" There is no use fighting any more, you are obviously stronger and since I can''t win...I will have to parley with you." Oliver admitted matter-of-factly. -" Very well... speak. " -" Let me start from the beginning. Firstly, I was sent here to silence you and secondly, if I cant convince you, someone much stronger will do the job...that or simply you will be framed into something. " Oliver''''s casual attitude unnerved Blair. -" You seem awfully full of yourself for a defeated person. " Blair said. -" That should keep you thinking then, I will say this now, you are way over your head and since I do not want to die or loose face, I will extend an offer to alleviate some of your curiosity. In exchange you will stop asking awkward questions. " -" How do I know you will tell me the truth? " -" That''s simple, I want you to go about your own way and if you find loopholes in my story you will start the trouble again. Of course I won''t tell you everything, but what I can tell you that you are asking about Assassin''s Guild business and that''s something much bigger than you realize... ". [ The Talk lasted a while, but what''s more important Blair realized that there is much more to the quests and world than he initially thought... ] =====>[ POV: The End ]<===== In the morning I was woken up by Clothilde, accompanied by Ollie and Live, three maids had already made preparations and male servants were ushered out of the room. I sighed and surrendered myself to their care. After I was bathed and groomed, maids began to dress me up in my new costume. It took almost half an hour and I was befuddled by the amount of clasps, knots, laces, hooks and chains that needed to be put in their proper places. -'' I have no idea how to get out of this thing now. '' I thought to myself and silently admitted that I was thankful for maids help,though I was still unsettled by their *bathing help*.. The final clasp had been fastened into place and I felt ready to fall down. -'' How am I going to survive the day with this thing on - it feels like it weights more than I do! '' I gritted my teeth, anguished over the prospect. My breathing was laboured and I felt lie fainting because my vision went dark suddenly. Unfortunately, it turned out that it was only a wide brimmed hat that was placed over my head, that way I was denied any relief from today''s activities. -" Everything seems to be fastened in order, Milady. Is there any discomfort or chaffing? " Clothilde asked considerately.. It was quite a labour to just breath in and out, so I responded in a strained voice: -" *huff* Its just too heavy...*huff* ". -" I am afraid that nothing can be done about that, Milday. You might inquire with the Master if he will be willing to postpone your departure to the academy, until you are comfortable with the costume. " I made my way to the bed and sat down. In act of desperation I opened the status window. -'' Thank the gods, I still have twenty unused points to spare! '' I thought, as I placed all of them in strength, which suddenly allowed me to breath without being suffocated. [ She was level8 when she finished D-level quest, which raised her level to 10 and then the Master offered her a new class. ] The costume was still heavy, but now it was at least bearable and I didn''t run the risk of collapsing under its weight. -" Thank you, Head Maid. I think that I feel better now, lets make our way to meet the Master. I assume that he wished to speak with me before the departure. " I said politely. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. -" That was indeed his wish, Milady. " Clothilde affirmed, somehow she seemed relieved. I stood up and went outside. As usual maids escorted me, Live and Ollie in front, with Clothilde following behind to my right. Soon maids were knocking on the door to Master''s study, after some muffled answer they handled it for me, letting me in. Master was sitting in his armchair with a document in his hand. He shifted his gaze from it and said: -" Good day, Apprentice. I see that Master Dal have outdone himself with your new outfit " -" Greetings, Master. I am afraid that is the case, I find this attire quite...stifling. " I responded evenly. -" I do not doubt that, considering the amount of things he put into it. Do you wish to delay your visit to the academy, so you can familiarize yourself with it first? " He asked in a neutral tone. -" I think I will manage as I am now. Could you explain about the academy and this outfit? " I asked, curious. -" You will be living at the Academy, in one of suite rooms, maids will be accompanying you there as well, since you must have an appropriate retinue. Clothilde will provide you with additional details that you need to know. As to the rest, I leave it in your hands, learn as much as you can and don''t get exposed. " Master''s pose seemed non committal, but I was somehow able to tell that he paid his full attention to me. -" Thank you, Master. " I exclaimed warmly. He gave me mischievous half-smile as he said: -" You are welcome, Apprentice. I do hope that you will enjoy your time learning. " He returned to reading the document. I understood that it was a dismissal and bowed before leaving. Afterwards, I was led to a coach house and departed for the academy... * * * * Coach passed thorough the streets of the city and I felt nervousness seeping into me. I was really anxious, thoughts of showing up in this ridiculous outfit...in the middle of a class...out of nowhere...with maids... I almost began to laugh as realization dawned upon me. -'' I am just a mysterious transfer student, it shouldn''t be that hard to role-play that one. '' With that realization the anxiety was replaced with a feeling of adventure. As we passed thorough streets of the city I took a look outside the carriage . Crowds of people, great stone buildings, cobbled streets, colourful merchant stalls, all the details that I usually did not notice, I took it all in and felt alive for the first time ever. Soon, we have arrived at the Academy, it was a stone building, resembling a palace of renaissance era with its multitude of windows, cream coloured facade and rectangular shape. Though there was a slight difference as there were several smooth towers sprouting from the black tiled roof. The building was surrounded by sizeable green park or garden, grounds of the academy were quite big considering it was the middle of the city. We have passed gate made of wrought iron and progressed on a wide road made of marble gravel, at the end of it there was a big cul-de-sac. I could see a wide marble stairs that led to grand double doors made of white wood. Coach followed the edge of cul-de-sac and stopped in front of the entrance. When I was exiting the carriage I received a small surprise, I had to steady myself and put a sizeable weight on coachman''s hand to keep my balance, but he didn''t budge in the slightest. I gave him a measuring look, but apart from the uniform he was a really unremarkable man with a pleasant but plain face, brown eyes and hair, calm dutiful look... despite taking inappropriately long look I couldn''t find any distinctive quality to him... -'' Its not like its surprising to find spies in assassins retinue, I am quite sure that''s what he is... or an assassin... '' I sighed to myself and nodded my thanks to the coachman. Waiting maids led me to the entrance and opened doors for me. Inside, I could see a decorative wooden foyer, riddled with small wooden pillars, there were wide stairs leading to a second floor and long lines of blue carpets lined the corridors. Though the most notable thing was a strange sphere made of metal mirrors, shining gems and flowing blue flames that floated above the centre of the room in complicated shifting patterns. It was a truly magnificent sight and one could spend hours admiring moving lights and reflections. I was brought back to reality by exchange of pleasantries between blue robbed figure with a staff and my maids. I was glad for maids presence and for costume''s cover, as I wouldn''t want to get caught with slack jawed expression on my face. Receptionist, satisfied with maids explanation led the way upstairs. After passing few corridors we have arrived before an imposing double door that was covered in shining arcane runes. Our guide knocked few times with his staff and entered, leaving us behind. After a moment the doors swung open and I could see a plain stone room, which didn''t match the corridor that we just came from at all. Room was oval and almost empty, only notable thing was a skeleton of some strange beast hanging from the ceiling and something like an arcane circle painted in the middle of the room. Next to the circle stood a woman clad in a pale, cream coloured robe with a gold trimming. Her hair was grey and long, weaved into multitude of small braids, their ends were affixed to a large hairpin located on top of her head. Woman''s face was ageless, but looked old and mature, she had almost no wrinkles, but her features radiated stern attitude and decades of experience. Her eyes of pale lavender were narrow and slanted, one could say they were stern and dangerous. She gave us a piercing, inquiring look. -" I am Aliyah, the Head Mistress, Let me welcome you to the Academy. " She stated in a deadpan voice and gave me a measuring look. Her glance was really unsettling. -" My Greetings and my thanks for your hospitality, Head Mistress. I am afraid that I am unable to reciprocate your generosity, therefore let me call myself Audentia for the duration of my stay. "I introduced myself, quickly choosing suitable name. -'' If I remember correctly Audentia means daring in Latin. '' Aliyah gave me another measuring look and somehow seemed like she was smiling, despite the fact that her facial expression didn''t change. -" Very well, somehow it seems fitting...Audentia you seem like a promising novice, therefore I will extend you an invitation, after you have grasped the basics I might find time to give you some private lessons... " Aliyah said casually and suddenly I felt really, really scared by the implications. Especially after hearing the rest: -" ...if you are not afraid to risk being exposed. " Somehow her casual voice didn''t fit her playful words. Mage that led us here seemed surprised by the invitation and I felt like I have just been singled out by the cat ( a really big, mischievous and dangerous one ). I swallowed hard and wondered what I should do. Person in front of me was really intimidating, but my blood was boiling when I thought about that challenge, I just couldn''t let it go. -" I really look forward to our future meetings, Master Aliyah. " I responded politely and bowed respectfully. I have decided that calling her a Master would be better than settling for a Head Mistress. -" I am really glad to hear that, Audentia. Now excuse me, as I am in the middle of an experiment, Killgorn will help with the details of your stay. " Aliyah waved her hand dismissively. I bowed and left the room, accompanied by Maids and a blue robed mage. On the corridor Live and Ollie started walking behind me, while Clothilde walked next to the leading Killgorn and discussed details of my stay ( and there were a lot of them as far as I could tell). Eventually, we arrived on a corridor that was slightly different from the rest, the doors there were spaced much further apart and there were benches, tables and alcoves placed along it. From details spoken by my guides I managed to gather that we are nearing the classroom where I will be introduced to the class and will spend the rest of the afternoon. We stopped in front of the room and Killgorn went to talk to the Teacher inside, soon he was back and I was trying my best to remain calm as I was ushered inside... =====>[ Eric''s Class ]<===== Eric was sitting in the lecture hall while Professor Raghnall was rambling about a magic theory. He wished for it to end or somehow turn into a spell casting class, but that one was already concluded in the morning. Unfortunately, he had to attend this boring lecture, because spell casting lessons had requirements...one of which was to survive, while not dying of boredom, a magic theory classes. He looked to his right and noticed that Nevan was scribbling something in his book. Eric looked closer and noticed half finished grotesque image taking form in Nevan''s book. -'' Pity I can''t draw, I wouldn''t be so bored during those lectures. '' He sighted and smirked as he thought about Nevan''s book. Many pages of that book were covered in abhorrent images of nightmarish creatures giving it a look of wannabe demonology manual, total opposite of simple learning diary that it was supposed to be. Eric looked at rest of his class, which was consisting of NPCs as far as he was concerned, he refused to believe that any real person would be willingly listening to the lecture. He concentrated a bit and thought: -'' ...this is retarded...just make him stop! Seriously, explaining the difference between Ice and Fire?! Bi*ch, please! '' exasperated, he almost said the last part out loud. Though it seemed that his prayers were heard somewhere, as doors to lecture hall were suddenly opened and Adjunct Headsman Killgorn entered. [ Headsman in a meaning from before c.1400 ie Chief, Leader; and NOT as it become known around c.1600 - Executioner, though students of the Academy might not be able to spot the difference~ ] -" What is this about? " Nevan whispered. -" Beats me, I am just glad that something interesting is happening for a change. " Eric replied. -" Maybe its that rumoured transfer student? " Nevan mused in a loud whisper. -" What transfer student? And shouldn''t he take some supplementary classes before he can join? " -" I know what you think of NPCs, but Eric, you shouldn''t look down on them so much. They actually have a lot to say and its not a preprogrammed tosh you get in standard game. " -" Ok, whatever, just tell me what you know. " Eric whispered demandingly. -" It seems like some kind of big shot is coming, like a prince or something... " Nevan began to explain. -" So, its just an event with some NPC coming over, pff give me a break. " Eric interrupted, suddenly loosing interest. -" ...you really don''t get it, do you? Just listen... ", Nevan tried to explain. -" . . . " Eric wanted to interrupt again, but shut up under the seriously annoyed gaze of Nevan. -" So, as I was saying, someone important is coming to the class and don''t you get it? That''s your one in a million chance to meet a future duke or prince or whatever...I don''t really get how you managed to get into Academy with that kind of attitude. " Nevan interrupted his explanation as he noticed that Eric wasn''t listening. Nevan wanted to chastise his friend, but his attention was brought back to what was happening in a classroom. Three maids entered, followed by someone... -" You gotta be sh** me! Maids?! Seriously? " Eric muttered under his breath. Nevan ignored him and focused on the person that entered...and was baffled. She was covered from head to toe in black costume brightened by red accessories and silver runes embossed in the leather. Amount of detail presented by the outfit was staggering and it was so ridiculous that it seemed that it was somehow fitting and appropriate... -" A-a-a Cosplay?!! ", Nevan face palmed himself when Eric shrieked in a suddenly silent classroom... ...Then a killing intent struck... ======================= Hey~, Author''s Here~ I have done all kinds of twirls, flips and turns to finally write up this chapter. *suddenly moves with unnatural lurking motion* [ No! Just stop - I am getting sick by just looking at it ] You, must~, tell me what you think...I have done all kinds of research~ and it should be best there is, tell me what you think~... [ *Covers eyes* ...about that...research... Owlbear General had found hidden ending to the Monk class, its called The Best Washmaster and I am willing to negotiate with one to come and clean up the castle... Its ridden with corpses, blood and strange liquids...and other...research implements...so just come... or I will find you and destroy your world! ] [ Seriously just come clean this up! I wont even be scary...too much... please? ] Cheers, Mea Ps I will spread out releases a bit, but to compensate I will make longer chapters (3-4k words on average)- my research indicates that it should offer better quality. NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 11 - The Schooling EDIT: Ps 2 Good news everyone, [ Imagine proffesor from famous TV show ] Chapter 6.5, which was promised in chapter 6 is confirmed for release together with Chapter 11. [ All hail me, as a Narrator above the Gods and woe to the Owlbear General ] Chapter 6.5 - The Bathing (Bonus, Short) Chapter 6.5 - The Bathing (Bonus, Short) [ Hey, Narrator''s here~ and I do claim this chapter for myself - therefore if you can''t read mature content then go cry me a river...preferably somewhere where I can''t see or hear you. You have been warned~ now onto the main dish *drool* ] [PS This is a bonus happening during Chapter 6 - if you haven''t read it already go there first: Chapter 6 There''s also a possibility that you were looking for Chapter 11, here it is] I was left alone in the room - it was shabby with a plain stone floor, there was a drain in the middle of it. Fireplace still had some cinders in it and there was a small caludron hanging over them. With an effort I managed to fill the cauldron with water from the bucket. Then I added some firewood from a nearby pile. As I waited for water to heat up I removed my cloak, folded it neatly and laid it on a chair. -'' . . . '' Suddenly,a realization in what situation I was in dawned on me and I was struck with nervousness. -'' Camon, you are a grown ma... '' I put a hand over my face in exasperation, as one tiny detail wormed its way in... -'' ...that is not exactly true now...isn''t it... '' An embarrassing, doubtful thought appeared. I swallowed hard as I looked down on my body...which was not the one I was used to seeing... Also, my heart was beating hard for some reason... I kept my gaze down and kept thinking...trying to think of...anything... -'' Its not like I haven''t seen that...on a net...but seeing and being...are totally different. '' As my GM pride was beginning to crumble, something akin to roar of defiance bellowed in my thoughts. -'' I...shall...not...be denied! That is right! I will not be embarrassed with my own body and will role play this with utmost detail, with my pride as GM on the line. '' I renewed my resolve, while a small part of me cried ( what''s with pride ''as a man''? ). With wings of resolve I quickly removed my tunic, undid my shirt and skirt. Then it came time for sandals and undergarments...Inadvertently my gaze was lured down to two small and pale mounds of dream topped with little a... -'' I must persevere! '', I forcefully brought my gaze up and focused on removing the rest of the clothing. I located a ladle and started mixing hot and cold water in one of the empty buckets. With my eyes closed most of the time, I poured a lukewarm water on my head and began a familiar ritual of washing my long hair. -'' Thank you, gods of Metal, for this distraction. '' I thought while keeping still image and calming rhythms in my mind.( \m/ *Metal!*) After, I rinsed myself with a cold water, I noticed my stiffening nipples and quickly added some hot water to a bucket and started to spill warm water over myself with a ladle. As I retrieved a soap bar I grew nervous again. -'' Don''t think, you are only washing yourself!...every thing''s n-normal?... '' I was trying to talk myself into believing that everything is alright. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I sat don, on the stool, and started with my feet, which were really ticklish and I gigled... embarrassingly aware of my high pitched voice. I took a deep breath and continued, my eyes still closed shut. Ankles...calves...my heart was beating very fast and my breathing was shallow. I have gotten above my knees and I discovered a fluttering feeling growing in my stomach. -'' Calm down, there''s nothing...nothing to anticipate. '' I tried to take some calming breaths, but they were shallow and laborious. I started on my thighs...going up...My face felt hot from embarrassment. In desperation, I taken a bucket of water and managed to pour some of the cold water on myself. Shocked to the core by the sudden coldness, I quickly taken care of that place, still the butterflies fluttered undaunted. I started to go up again, going over to my belly, I traced my hands over smooth expanse of flesh. I noticed that my stomach is really shapely and couldn''t help to trace it few times, noticing gentle curves and smooth feeling. Somehow I forced myself to continue and my hands reached the ribs. Not wanting to risk anything undue happening again I tried to quickly get over my breasts... As my hands cupped soft mounds I have realized my mistake. Something like clenched feeling that reverberated down there, a lightning came from my hardened nipples and could no longer be suppressed after I rubbed them unwittingly. I quickly moved hands to my collarbone, but I still felt strange. I was all giddy, with fluttering butterflies in my stomach and some strange feeling in my abdomen. I tried my best to persevere as I rubbed my arms. -'' Almost done... '' I stood up to wash my back. -'' At least this body is agile, I have no problems reaching my shoulder blades '' I tried to keep my mind away from giddy feelings that I still had. As I gotten over my upper back I started to go lower, tracing my spine. My hand still moving along the spine sent strange tremble into my body, as it was reaching small of my back I bent back, trying to loosen my abdominal muscles, which were still taut. I gotten onto my toes and gave out small yelp as a purry feeling enveloped me when my hand reached a small of my back... I had to catch myself as I almost fell over, still assaulted by strange feelings I have grabbed my cloak and ran to my room. Under the blankets which kept me well aware of my body I spent a lot of time trying to fall asleep. -'' Can I really go back? '', I almost cried to myself still assaulted by foreign sensations, eventually merciful blanket of sleep put me out of my misery... =================== [ Hey~, Narrator''s here~ I am all giddy from today''s chapter, I hope you liked it as well, do tell your thoughts on it so I know how you felt about it :) Cheers, The Narrator ] Ps Todays chapter has been brought with power of the rainbow :D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKwkxX6S0vg BACK TO ORIGINAL CHAPTER: Chapter 6 - The Scheming Chapter 11 - The Schooling Chapter 11 - The Schooling Killgorn disappeared in the classroom and I was anxiously awaiting his return. It was time for the great entrance and I wanted, needed to make it right. -'' Be calm, you can do this easily. '' I tried to psyche myself up. I looked at my maids, then on ridiculous outfit I was wearing and reminisced on what happened to me so far... I relaxed while thinking about my situation. -'' What are they going to do, laugh at me? It wouldn''t even compare to what I had to endure recently... '', I shivered at reminiscence of the sewer incident, embarrassment of mistletoe house and finally my morning routine... -'' Damn it all to hell, I can''t keep this up, getting outdone at every corner! I know the perfect character for this - The Dark Schneider! '', I made my resolve remembering an archetype villain that I always wanted to try role playing, one with overwhelming ego. [ I love that character - just read or watch - details on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastard!! ] The classroom door was opened by returning Killgorn. -" I have briefed Professor Raghnall, you may enter and get introduced to the class. I have explained rest of the schedule to your Head Maid. Now If you excuse me, I have matters to attend to. " He nodded politely. -" Thank you for your assistance. " I nodded in response and watched as Killgorn left. Live and Ollie handled the door, meanwhile Clothilde went ahead of me assuming an official pose inside. I took a quick breath and corrected my scarf before entering the room. Upon entering, I noticed an old man that was standing next to a blackboard. He was gnarly, wizened and gray, with a wispy, long hair and beard. His look coupled with a long robe giving out appropriately wizardly vibe. His deep set eyes and bushy eyebrows completed the outlook of short sighted and forgetful wizard. -'' This must be Professor Raghnall. '' I assumed and strode forward, followed by two maids. My gaze skidded around the room, noticing that it was a really big lecture hall, with only fifteen or so students occupying the front benches. I made a sharp, military like turn coupled with a barest bent of my back, moving a hand in an arc to boost the effect, I was about to speak when... -" A-a-a... Cosplay?!! " A shrill voice of a male student interrupted me, momentarily making me doubt myself, but remembering my resolution I turned it into anger instead. My gaze immediately found the speaker and my thoughts went white with hatred so strong I felt stinging tears in my eyes. Before I was able to realize I started one of my dissing speeches: -" A fashion statement, but if your planarian understanding cannot comprehend such, I will gladly carve the meaning into your body... " As I was taking a breath to continue I was interrupted again, this time by a proffesor. -" Khem, most striking debut I dare say. Let me introduce the new student, *cough* this is Audentia, bearing most fitting name as well ", Professor said in surprisingly distinct voice that was ruined by his small coughs. As my gaze went around the class, students seemed to curl into themselves and were strangely pale. Professor seemed to be expecting something while his gaze passed over his students... -" Khehem!" He made another coughing sound, though that one seemed forced. Few students began to clap hesitantly. I looked around, most of them avoided my stare. -" Khem. Well , please take a sit somewhere, I will continue the lecture *cough* ", Professor exclaimed and looked around with unsatisfied expression on his face. I made my way to a pair of students that were sitting alone, a bit to the back, as compared to the rest of the class. One placed a hand over his face and looked ready to bang his head on a desk, the other one looked had a stupefied look on his face as he stared at me anxiously. I kept my gaze on the anxious one, with sheer force of will sending him into pits of hell. -'' You are so gone, I am going to break you so much that you will wish you were never born... '' I thought and tried to project all of that intent with my gaze. Eyes of my prey grew wide as I sat next to him nonchalantly. I crossed my arms and turned my attention to the Professor who was scratched his head in wonder. -" Khem, Umm, where were we... ", Professor turned to the blackboard. I was too preoccupied to pay attention to maids who followed me and took a seat in a row behind me, apart from Live who placed a small book and a quill before me. After taking a closer look at the book, I grinned to myself after realizing that the silver emboss on the leather cover cleverly depicted a hidden, hooded person that was partially hidden by a smoke cloud. -'' It seems like assassins are very full of ourselves. '' I thought to myself with a smile and gave the maid a nod before opening the book. Live responded with a small curtsey and joined the other Maids, who already took seat in the row behind me. I moved my attention back to the Professor, who already started the lecture. I quickly understood that he was trying to explain basic principles behind elemental magic system. -'' Hmm, difference between Ice and Fire magics? Seems like there might be quite a bit of depth to such a simple concept. '' I thought. As the Professor explained, I started to write down important words surrounding them with what looked like doodles. It was a technique that I learned as a child from one of many *NewAge of Learning* courses that my parents made me attend. For that one course I was actually grateful to them, after writing something down I could throw the book away as all of the info that I deemed important was committed to memory...and the doodles were useless, since they only served to augment the memorization process. -'' Mnemonics... '' I sighed in satisfaction. My hand quickly wrote down Ice and Fire in the middle of a page. Then complicated array of math symbols, small pictures and words created expanding web of gibberish that soon covered the whole page. I looked at the facts written before me and was amazed. -'' Fire magic is one of the Core magics, while Ice is actually a Compound type consisting of Water and Frost. It seems that there''s some kind of price to mix magics together, but for Ice it seems really low. '' I began to absorb the lecture. -'' Fire has a really high performance ratio, there is almost no limit on how much power one can put into intensity (creating absurd temperatures)or compression (causing explosive phenomenons, ranging from mere heat spread to actual crushing blasts), though persistence is said to be low (seems like something similar to a napalm, I struggled with that part ). They use it without mixing, probably surcharge is high ''. -" Excuse me, does this mean that Wall of Fire spell is really hard to cast or sustain? " I couldn''t help but try to clarify that one point that seemed hard to understand. -" Khem, Ahhh, understandable misconception *cough* since this is your first lesson. Khem, what you are referring to is a continuous spell and persistence *cough* also known as volatility of the spell is something that stays even after initial formula of the spell, khem, no longer provides mana. " He seemed both happy and annoyed by my question. Since I got some strange looks from everyone I decided to keep my questions to minimum, saving them for later. I was impressed by the whole *in your face* directness of the Fire system, though I was NOT likely to use it as I recalled some unfortunate fireball spell... Meantime Professor Raghnall continued his lecture. -" Khem, as to Ice magics some find them inferior, but one needs *cough* to remember Principles of Talbur, with intensity Zero Principle in place one can utilize Null Zero phenomenon instead. Khem, remember that persistence affinity of Fire is *cough* quite low... ", I pitied the Professor, he You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.obviously had a great knowledge, but with his stuttering manner, impassive voice and over abundance of references any chance of getting students attention was doomed to fail. If I wasn''t intrigued by the lecture he would have lost me long time ago as well. -'' What he wanted to say is that limit of Absolute Zero can be counteracted by somehow accumulating the power of the spell, in a way that its actually leaking out the cold. Imagine dropping such magic into a lake, initially it would freeze few meters worth of water, but then it would keep on spreading eventually turning the whole lake to ice. They seem to call it a Null Zero phenomenon ''. At one point I noticed that my companion was trying to move away, so I gave him the look and inched closer, so we were still sitting one meter away. I was jubilant as an expression of discomfort and doubt emerged on his face. -'' I am not letting you go till you cry and beg for mercy. '' I thought with sadistic glee. Satisfied with his nervous expression I turned my attention back to the lecture. -'' I will have time to make him really miserable later on. '' I soon established another interesting rule of the Ice magic. -'' Hmm, its called Ice Floes and from what I understand it is something like creating a volume of ice on the spot. Something like throwing a snowball which after hitting an object explodes encasing everything in ice or skewering it with ice spikes that expand in a blink of an eye. There appears to be quite a bit of skill required to use that technique correctly, things like water-frost ratio, persistence, blending speed between the elements...all of those need to be taken into account when casting a spell. Seems like I will need to see a practical test to understand how this works exactly. ''I thought while committing the knowledge to memory. -" Khem, that is all for today. *cough* Have a good day ", Professor concluded the lecture. Almost immediately after that my target bolted out of the class. His companion looked torn, but after giving me an inquisitive look he packed his things and left as well. I mused on whether I should pursue them, but decided against since I wanted to talk to the Professor first. When I approached, he looked up from the book he began reading. -" Khem, can I help you, Audentia? " -" Yes Professor, I do have few things that I want to clarify and am really curious about ". -" Khem, most unusual request *cough*, but I see no reason to decline ". -" Thank you, Could you tell me why you chose Fire as topic of today''s lecture? It seems strange that you chose to compare core and compound magics together. " He looked at me with curious expression. -" Khem, interesting. *cough* Let me ask, khem, what do you think about it then? " He asked back, with more coughs than usual. -" I think that it might be related to the usage. People seem to prefer use of Fire magic or Ice magic, instead of Frost or Water magic. That still does not explain why you couldn''t explain about Water and Frost magics...wait couldn''t you just make a lecture about core systems instead? ". -" Khem, I could and I did in the past. *cough* Though people didn''t seem to pay attention, so I decided, khem, to focus on more popular parts of magic. *cough* " -'' I am afraid that nothing changed in the attention department '' I thought. -" Does that mean that other core magics are weaker? " -" No! Khem, they are just not covered *cough* by basic curriculum " He responded passionately and I noticed that for a first time he didn''t cough first. -" Why they aren''t a part of basic curriculum? Wouldn''t it be better if there was a wider variety of permutations...or is the surcharge for mixed magics really that strong for other core systems? " I kept asking as curiosity overcame my common sense. -" Gods No! Those dunces just can''t take into account the structural complexity of the spell and make half assed incantations, with default values, and then even fail to make adjustments for basic environmental variables, that''s why I switched to advanc...", Suddenly, he stopped his exasperated speech and we looked at each other in silence. My smile grew wider and wider under the scarf as things clicked into place. -" ...Khem? " he finished awkwardly. -" Khem ", I copied and kept my gaze focused on him expectantly. I was not the one who would let go of a potential weaknesses. -" Khem, would you overlook this? *cough* " He asked , his voice uncertain. -" Khem, that depends... " I responded knowingly. -" Khem, could you elaborate on that dependence? *cough* ". -" Well, first thing would be that you drop that act in my presence...And I will not tell anyone about it... " I started teasingly and watched as he relaxed a bit. -" Consider it done. " He said with sign of relief. I smiled under my scarf as I struck my actual target. -" Though I do wonder what would people say after hearing about your condescending treatment of the students... " I said with smug voice. He looked really pitiful when he asked: -" Certainly you have something already arranged in regard to that? " I smiled as I responded in a sweet and cheerful voice: -" Most Certainly, I do require some private tutoring after all...in the old curriculum of course ". He sighed. -" That can be arranged, but I do require a rule that I can fail insufficiently gifted student. " -" Very well, though I insist that the criteria for failure must be fair. " With negotiations concluded, we exchanged handshakes to seal the deal. -" I am most pleased with making you an acquittance. " I said smugly. -" Hmpf, we shall see about that. Anyway I had enough of being made a fool for a day, be on your way please. " He retorted. I gave him a nod and left. I still had a lot of questions to ask him, but they could wait for actual lessons. -" Milady, could I inquire about your plans for the rest of a day? ", Clothilde asked me when we were outside of the classroom. -" I am not sure, what''s next on my schedule? " I inquired. -" There''s nothing apart from visiting your suite, eating and retiring for the night, Milady. " Clothilde state dutifully. -" Very well, lets do that, lead the way. " I affirmed and began to wonder on how I was going to catch up wit the spell casting curriculum, which was bound to be on the next day if my premonition of doom and gloom was correct. ==================== Hey~, Author''s here~ We are past 10 chapters already and I feel its high time to tell something... I would like to thank everyone for their support - be it commenting, following, rating, reading or lurking on my chapters. Thank you all for your continued support, which shown to me that my work was not a wasted effort and kept me going. Also, I wanted to give special thanks to mataneloro, jkcdeo and Owlbear General. Thank you for your comments and feedback, it really helped me out. As mentioned today I have released bonus Chapter 6.5, I hope you will enjoy it [ At least those who are actually able to read M-rated stuff ]. Link to it is now posted in appropriate place in Chapter 6, you can also navigate to it from main page. As always tell me how you liked todays chapter and if you feel anything needs an improvement. Cheers, Mea, The Cheery Overlord Ps From now on chapters shall be made with power of the rainbow, Wee :D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKwkxX6S0vg NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 12 - The Unveiling Chapter 12 - The Unveiling Chapter 12 - The Unveiling My room was located on a fourth floor, at the end of the corridor I saw a great double-doors that led to my suite, they were made of polished wood and had striking, ornamental handles resembling dragons. The entrance was just magnificent. Clothilde went ahead and opened the way, making me wonder from where a big ornamental key did come from. Head Maid entered the apartment and taken a long, careful look at the furnishings. -" Your quarters appear to be satisfactory, Milady. " She said officially, as if it was the most casual thing ever. I took a look around, impressed and unsteadied by the apparent splendour. My gaze wandered from richly embroidered blue carpet to intricately carved ebony set, of a table and chairs, then to walls covered by a panelling made of polished wood. I couldn''t stop looking at everything - white silk curtains, metal chandeliers that had shining gems instead of candles, multiple cabinets, with glass windows, spread along the walls. -'' This is nothing short of palace quality... '' I froze in astonishment. -'' I was expecting a sort of apartment, but something of this scale... not to mention that there are three more doors, no doubt leading to bedroom, study and servant quarters... '' -" Is something the matter, Milady. Do you, perchance, find the place not to your liking? " Clothilde''s question brought me back to reality, also... -'' Was it my imagination or did I catch a barest hint of smugness from her? Can''t be... must be my imagination for sure? '' I forcefully shook my head to get rid of unnecessary thoughts. -" That''s not it, Head Maid. The place seems appropriate enough, I was just wondering about...tomorrow''s activities. " I quickly came up with a question to cover my slip up. Realizing that we were still standing at the entrance, I went into the room letting maids closed the doors behind me. -" About that, Milady, Master entrusted me with a message and... certain other things for you. I took a liberty of depositing them in the study. " Clothilde informed me casually, making my eyebrows arch in surprise. -'' When did she do that? She was with me the whole time. Hmm, and why can I sense an ominous vibe there. Sheathing''s not right! '' I tried hard, but couldn''t track the source of my unease. Deciding that standing there was a waste of time, I followed maid''s direction and went into the study where I was welcomed by a grand writing desk made of brown wood. I could see a matching, intricately carved chair that was turned towards the fireplace located in the back of the room. My gaze went back to the desk and a sizeable mountain of books that was laying on it. I went closer and noticed an envelope laying on the pile of books. Impatiently I opened the letter, using ornamental letter opener that was laying nearby and neat rows of text spread before my eyes: " Dear Apprentice, I sincerely hope that you are in a good health while reading those words. I have gathered a veritable library for your convenience and I do hope that you will put it to a good use. I am aware that some aspects of the curriculum in the Academy may be considered lacking, therefore I urge you to not dwell on them too much and improve yourself beyond the scope of what''s taught. To assist you...well, you should know that already. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavours. Yours Sincerely, ... Ps I wonder if you know how hard to get and expensive those books are. " -'' Er? What? '', I could just feel imaginative question marks popping around me. -'' What did he meant with health and what should I know... '' Suddenly realizing something, I jumped to the side and fumbled for the knife, which was still securely stored in my pouch. I gave a Clothilde an anxious look, but she was unfazed, calmly standing few meters away from me and not alarmed by my strange behaviour at all. -" Took you long enough, or rather, pathetically long " An unfamiliar voice sounded from the throne like chair near the fireplace. -" Initially I wanted to poison the letter or extend a *professional hug*...but I decided against it after you have saved me some trouble. " The person stood up and walked from behind the chair... -" Y-you! " I stuttered. -" Surprised? " He smiled smugly. -" A bit. " I admitted and continued. -" I knew you are not a mere coachman, but I have taken you for a spy. " -" Oho, so apart from pretty face and crafty tongue, you seem to have some good instincts after all. Anyway, lets get introductions out of the way, lately I am fond of the name Oliver and I will be supervising your education at the Academy. Unless, you had a change of heart and decided to become a Mage after all? " He spoke in a light tone while moving to sit on the desk. -" Definitely not, I am very grateful for the assistance that you and Master are offering. Though one thing keeps gnawing at my mind - why everyone is treating Adventurers in a such ondescending manner? Is it limited to the Kingdom of Gis or is there more to it? " I decided to voice a question that was on my mind for a long time. -" Hmm, a peculiar question... ", Oliver had a thoughtful expression on his face. -" Though a really important one, I guess it all goes back to the older days. Adventurers back then were much stronger, don''t get me wrong there are still some powerful ones showing up from time to time, but it all boils down to quality, the adventurers that started appearing lately are much more...unprepared and stranger. " -" What do you mean stranger? " I asked, curious. -" Well you do not die, do you? " He stated in a heavy voice. I was shocked by the question and shook my head a bit. I didn''t expect AI to worry about such things. -" And you disappear from time to time...I guess that''s as much as I can say. " He added, somehow his voice grew wary at the end. -" What do you mean? Can say? " I kept gathering details. -" Its all related to the Will of the Gods, in olden times Gods called forth their Champions to spread their influence across the world. Long story short, they fought, world shook, terrible magics were unleashed and priceful pacts struck. In the end Gods removed their direct influence from the devastated world, leaving only apostles of faith, priests, which can call forth barest of Gods touches. " He gave me a strange look. -" Let me guess...the Champions are still being summoned, but you call them Adventurers, as they no longer have a divine purpose? " I finished in astonished voice. -" Correct, though you will not find any that will talk about those things. " Oliver stated matter-of-factly. -" Why? You do. " -" Those who dig too much into Godly works risk their Wrath, and it is a truly terrifying thing, I assure you. I told you much, hopefuly enough to stop you from further pursuing the subject. Also, before you ask... " He raised a palm to stop me from asking a question. -'' That''s the main reason why I or anyone will not want to know what happens during the time you are away. " Oliver seemed really concerned with the Wrath part. -" You have mentioned that Adventurers are different now, what did you mean? " I decided to change subject slightly. -" Hmm, Adventurers have ceased to arrive around 5 years ago. Some treated it as a sign, while others ignored it. As far as I am concerned nothing changed. Whether one arrives from beyond the city or beyond the world, it''s all the same just another stranger. Though the difference is there, new Adventurers seem to be immortal and are back after few days after being killed. That, and most of them seem really...out of place, some are just like children, other seem barely sane. " -" That explains most of the attitude I guess, thank you for the explanation. If you ever wish to hear some explanation from my side please let me know and I will reciprocate as much as possible. " -" That won''t be necessary. Anyway, that detracted us quite heavily, let us focus on more mundane matters. As I mentioned, you have saved me a lot of effort by getting that Raghnall as your private tutor. I still find it quite amusing, especially considering your name. " Oliver spoke in a light hearted tone. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. His words finally lit warning signs in my head. -" What''s wrong with my name? Everyone keeps mentioning it. " I asked warily. -" Well, telling everyone in general and Head Master specifically that you are *daring* requires certain kind of courage. Don''t tell me you didn''t know that almost every mage can translate that language? " Mocking tones could be heard in his last question. With a hand over my face I had to fight really hard not to bang my head on the nearest wall... He chuckled as he said: -" Don''t worry it''s all good, as long as you can keep it up, that is. " His words were playful, but somehow I felt threatened by the remark. -" Can we change the subject, please? " I asked in a weak voice. -" Very well, we should focus on your training, otherwise I foresee tomorrow''s class being...uneventful or rather unfruitful. " He mocked me again. Dutifully I picked up the bait and asked in a deadpan voice: -" What do you mean? " -" I have seen great many mages and I dare say, that only a handful could cast half decent spell in that outfit of yours. " -" Somehow I am sure that you already know the trick to get around that. " I responded cuefully. -" As expected of the Daring One, straight to the point. " He kept the mocking tone and jumped from the desk, assuming a more direct pose. -" I will not delve into spell casting, you have tomorrow''s classes for that. What I want to teach you is that casting spells do have certain requirements, one of which is an ability to shape mana into spells. And that ability does not work properly if one is wearing magic inhibiting clothing. You can of course wear full plate armour without a speck of magical inhibition whatsoever, but what for? " He gave me an expectant look. -" Do you mean to say that magic use is so prevalent? " I answered, noticing a satisfied expression on his face. -" Precisely, from lowest guardsman to strongest hero, everyone is using mana in one way or another. While most are not that dangerous and you will be fine in your plate-mail, there are many who can strike through it like it''s not even there... if it isn''t reinforced that is. " Oliver kept giving me pointers instead of answers. -" So how one casts a spell in such...richly decorated clothing? " I said and made a move that encompassed my silver embossed attire. He smiled at that. -" Actually, those decorations will be a way for you to cast spells. Your whole attire is infused with four tiers of Channeling Runes " As Oliver watched me he had a satisfied look on his plain face. Knowledge that he couldn''t see my face was a poor consolation, as his assumption that I was surprised was correct. He raised his eyebrow mockingly before continuing: -" I will not delve into details, suffice to say that three sets are in inactive state for now, leaving only the weakest active, or rather the easiest to use. As to the semantics, apart from constructing a spell inside your body, as you will be instructed tomorrow, you will need to learn how to include a runic formation into your... lets call it mana web. In theory it works in a way similar to wizard''s staff, but instead of being a purely a power boosting implement it is actually a part of your...mana web. Have fun figuring that out tomorrow. " Oliver gave me a crooked, sadistic smile that transformed his unassuming face into a sinister mask. -" Wait, what do you mean tomorrow? Weren''t you going to teach me? " I asked with a premonition of doom. -" Well, I am going to teach you, just not that. I am not a spell caster, and my role here is to supervise your growth, but I cannot work magic so you better learn fast, hopefully your teacher will be able to help you. By the way, do not mention other rune sets, if asked say that they are part of the protection web ", He explained in an apologetic voice, which did not match the smug look that he had on his face. -" Could you, at least, explain how those Channeling Runes work? " I asked, hoping for some remark that would allow me to do some reverse engineering or something. -" Well, I guess. But, after I do, we are square. " He said simply and shrugged. I looked at him blankly. -" Since I am not going to teach you any magic theory, I want to make it square. Therefore I told you about Adventurers and now about runes. I am not going to owe you any debts, especially since you seem awfully good at extorting them ", He said in a serious manner, and I couldn''t decide whether I should be angry or flattered by his last statement. I sighed. -" I will take it as compliment. Please explain. " -" As mentioned, most armours are infused with various properties that inhibit magic, to counteract that face Channeling runes were created. Mages incorporate them into their mana web, don''t ask me about it, I just invented this term five minutes ago. Runes are crafted to work together with magical defences in a way that they are not inhibited. Unfortunately there is a downside, they require a certain amount of power to function, usually making even a weak spell quite mana intensive. Luckily power invested in runes is not lost, quite the opposite actually, runes seem to boost power levels of the spell substantially. I cannot provide exact specifics, but I was told that the weakest set of your runes should use from thirty to fifty percent more power than usual, while nearly doubling your power output. " -" Wait, isn''t it just plain broken? It means that not only are the spells stronger, but they are also more efficient. " I exclaimed, appealed. He smiled at me. -" Have you even wondered how much that one set of runes costs? Certainly it would be quite cheap even if it wasn''t offering anything... not. Also, I bet it actually makes spells harder to cast, especially if weaker effect is desired. " He gave me a mocking bow at the end. -'' Great, just like freakin'' Bat*an, best super power of all - money. '' I gritted my teeth in annoyance. I was beating myself over the debt I had, which ceased to look like skyscraper and was awfully close to a space port of an off world shipping company...working overtime. I hung my head in defeat. -'' That is just too cruel, I will be a slave in no time at all... '' -" Don''t tell me you are down from just this much... " He asked mockingly. -" . . . " I didn''t grace him with an answer, just gave him a nod for goodbye and started to leave. -" Hey, don''t beat yourself over it, assassin services do not come cheap after all... " He stopped, as he must have realized that saying that as an assassin and my tutor, was not helping. -" I will retire for the night. " I informed Clothilde in an empty voice. -" Yes, Milady. Please come this way. " she led me to a bedroom. -" I bet you will be able to get it straight! I was in a debt too! I fumbled the job that one time and had to pay for services of two Masters so we don''t loose face. Though it wasn''t as bad as y... Master must have high expectatio... " The doors of the study were closed by maids, cutting him off. I was really depressed, I let myself be undressed and laid to bed. -'' Maybe I should re-roll? '', I wondered briefly... ...But quickly dispelled the thought. I dreaded to admit it, but I grew quite used to that bod...I mean avatar... ====================== Hey~, Author''s here~ How do you like *the Truth of the World* revealed? Let me know your thoughts. Also, I would like to know if I am not too overbearing with amount of lore I am trying to push on you lately. Is it too much?, should I try to space it more?, I hope its not getting to the encyclopedic stage yet? QQ *shiver* Still I hope you liked it... Cheers, Mea, the Scared Overlord [ Wait! What? Who is getting annhilated?! Last time Author freaked up reality was bleeding supernovas left and right. Quickly somebody say something! ] NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 13 - The Meeting Chapter 13 - The Meeting Chapter 13 - The Meeting In the morning I was woken by the bustle that was slowly becoming familiar. Once again Clothilde stood next to my bed and somehow she knew when I was no longer sleeping. She turned to me with a bow. -" Good Morning, Milady. I do hope that you are feeling well enough to partake in today''s activities? ", she said in her usual composed manner. I was not sure whether she was slipping or I was getting better at reading her, but I felt barest hint of concern from her. I bent my legs and raised myself to side-sitting position, I caught myself wondering how did I pick that particular siting habit and quickly dispelled that disconcerting thought. My gaze wandered to the metal tub that the servants filled with buckets of water. I sighed inwardly at that sight, knowing all too well what was going to happen soon. -¡± Good Morning, Head Maid. Thank you for your concern, but I find myself in good enough disposition to attend today¡¯s classes ¡°, I said while rubbing my eyes, trying to get morning drowsiness out of my eyes. I recalled yesterday¡¯s events, but I was no longer feeling down. I remembered some old piece of poetry I picked up somewhere: -¡¯ Fortune¡¯s bought, stolen or sold, Hands risen to grab the shining gold, Forlorn copper is all they can hold, Handful succeeded, it favours the bold. ¡®. I was still in debt, but wondering about money won¡¯t get me anywhere - to the bold the spoils go. I was going to learn Magic today and I would not let trivialities bring me down. My excitement soared¡­ ...and fell. Maids closed the door and I swear that I could see vampire like claws sprouting forth and feel sinister gazes, as they reached for me... Some time later, I tried to salvage what was left of my pride, after being thoroughly washed in my current body. As my hair was being groomed, I found that relaxing motion of the brush was strangely calming. Finally I was helped into the costume, which still daunted me with its sheer amount of clasps, chains, buckles, cords, skirts and a silken sash to top it off¡­ Though I had to admit that it looked good, I was especially fond of boots. Long leather straps, embossed with silver runes, were woven into Herringbone pattern and extended from my ankles to above my knees. It gave my legs deliciously supple look¡­ That brought me back, while admiring the look of thigh-high boots that I always liked was alright, I felt distinct embarrassment when I realized that I was the one wearing them. I shook my head and adjusted scarf that covered my mouth. Then I stretched letting weight of the costume adjust itself, it was heavy and tight but not constricting or uncomfortable. Hat was placed on my head and I closed my eyes for a moment to focus myself. I felt calmness which was followed by excitement. I smiled as fluttering feeling settled in my stomach. It was finally time to see how magic looks and works like. Absentmindedly I have thanked the Maids and made my way outside. They barely had enough time to open the door for me. In the main room I was welcomed by the sight of Oliver, who was dining at the end of the table. He gestured with fork in his hand and gave me casual half-nod. -¡± Morning, Princess. I do hope you are in high spirits for today¡¯s lessons. Care to join me for a breakfest? ¡°, he said with his casually mocking attitude. I tilted my head and looked at him, deciding that I can¡¯t hate him for his attitude. It seemed that it was just another one of his masks. It made me curious to find what was hidden beyond his unremarkable face and casual manner. -¡± Good Morning, Oliver. I am glad that you have found accommodations in my service to your satisfaction ¡°, I responded deciding that two could play this game. I moved to take my place on opposite end of the table. -¡± Touch¨¦, Milady. Let me extend my sincerest apologies ¡°, he said apologetically as he assumed proper pose, but his playful smile broken any illusions about his remorseful attitude. I lowered my scarf and taken up the spoon after Livia placed steaming bowl of broth before me. -¡± Would your apology extend to an explanation about your unexpected visit? ¡°, I asked as I was not expecting to meet him today. -¡± You wound me greatly, Milady. Cannot Lady¡¯s favorite servant bask in glory of her presence? ¡°, he kept mocking me, but instead of being annoyed I felt strangely calmed by this noncommittal banter. I took a sip of soup and found that it was spicy and delicious. -¡± Strangely I feel that all the glory you are referring to is coming from the plate in front of you. Also, I must inform you that all my favourite servants are currently standing ¡°, I responded in deadpan voice to tease him. He had put one hand over his eyes and other over his heart, feigning theatrical expression. -¡± Ahh, the mortal blow had been struck. I plead for forgiveness in this day of my mortal passing ¡°, he said in defeat, then suddenly dropped the act and continued in serious voice: -¡± Alas, as much fun as this might be let me finally get to the point. Your yesterday¡¯s early retirement robbed me of the chance to finish my explanation. Actually its only a formality - I have not shown you which runes you should try to...incorporate during your lesson ¡°. He did let me finish the soup, then came closer and pointed several runes on my garb. Afterwards, with barest farewell, he was gone. I tried to figure him out, but was stuck on his acts - an assassin, always with his guard up, hiding his feelings behind the masks¡­ -¡¯ ...But he came to explain that one thing today and maybe tried to check on me after yesterday? Trying to lighten the mood...was it just a ruse? ¡®, I was thinking hard, but could not decide if he cared or just played me. However I looked at it, I had only one conclusion - whatever he said or did had to be taken with great deal of care. Which only made me all the more determined to crack his facade and see what''s beneath. -¡± Milady, its time for your classes ¡°, I was brought back to the present by Clothilde. -¡± Thank you, Head Maid ¡°, I said. I was led by the Maids and noticed that Clothilde had big basket with her, but I decided not to ask about it for now. We passed paneled corridors and descended down the wooden staircase. Eventually we have left the building through the back door and I began to wonder where the class will be held. We were standing on the round plaza covered with marble gravel and I could see few slim paths leading off in the distance. Maids led me to one of them, that went almost directly away from the academy. I looked quizzically as path went to the big empty square. As we entered the rectangle of hard-packed earth I noticed strange light that enveloped us. It was milk white with prismatic hue and it blocked my vision for a moment. As the light subsided I noticed that the square was not empty. There were some scarecrows here and there, as well as some dirt walls that looked like they had been raised straight from the earth itself. Whole square was under dome of misty white light, which obscured view of the scenery outside. I found myself among students that I vaguely remembered from Magic Theory class¡­ There was my Target among them too, but I left him alone for now. I noticed that some of the students were looking warily at me, while others, mainly female ones, looked expectantly at the path I came from. I strained my ears and managed to grasp some of the chatter coming from that female students: The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.-¡± Kyaa, I can¡¯t wait for Him to show up ¡°. -¡± Yes, he is totally adorable, I want to hug him¡­ but at the same time I am not¡­ Cos he is soo Cool! ¡°. -¡± Exactly, I want him to teach me more~ ¡°. -¡¯ . . . ¡®, I had a premonition what this is about, but decided to investigate anyway. My gaze quickly scanned the crowd and found student I was looking for. As he noticed my advance he looked like he was trying to find means of escape, but he had to give up since plain square did not offer any. I walked to him and said boldly: -¡± I believe we haven¡¯t been officially introduced yet, I am known as Audentia. Pleased to make your acquaintance ¡°. Obviously unused to official greetings he responded awkwardly. -¡± Um, thank you? I...am Eric, n..nice to meet you ¡°, the nice part seemed rather labored. I could not contain my sadististic instincts, that were woken by his helpless interaction. I decided that I will get some divine retribution after all. -¡± Good Morning, Mister Eric! I hope that you do not find yourself in poor health? I wanted to have a conversation with you, but you seem flushed ¡°, I said chirpily, while trying to project feeling of concern at the same time. I was elated as he tried to answer my purposefully convoluted question. -¡° Um...No, I mean yes! I am..thank you for your concern, I am alright and er good morning, ...Lady? ¡°, he said as he got disstressed even more. -¡± Audentia will suffice, aren¡¯t we classmates? I was wondering if you could tell me something¡­ ¡°, I said cheerfully as I laid the trap. -¡± Of course, em...Audentia ¡°, I was really happy with his embarrassed reaction and that he walked right into the trap. -¡¯ This is going much better than expected, I wonder how he will react now¡­ ¡®. -¡± There seem to be a certain amount of interest about a particular subject, I was hoping that you would be able to provide explanation, as I dread to make an acquaintance with such a low caliber characters ¡°, my chirpy voice patiently created scene of his execution. -¡± I am not sure what you mean¡­¡±. -¡± I am referring to the group of students exhibiting unsavory interest in some gentleman, please tell that you do not lower yourself by associating with those creatures? ¡°, I said and he looked uneasily around. We were surrounded by the group of students that heard all too well what was being said. -¡¯ What will it be? You either disagree and become hated by half the class, or agree and give me a knife to gut you with ¡®. -¡± I do not know¡­ ¡°, he said trying to find some kind of excuse, but I interrupted him sealing his fate. -¡± I see, please excuse me for my indiscreet question. I knew that you would not partake in relations with such people. I wish that your health gets better as you seem awfully flushed, maybe you should go see a doctor? ¡°, My new objective done, I started untangling myself from conversation and gleefully watched angry expressions on some of the *lowly characters*. I was of course also the target of hate, but I did not worry, they were not going to do anything against me...especially since they were a bit too direct in their admiration. -¡± Ah, no, I am alright. Please excuse me ¡°, Eric quickly jumped at chance to escape and moved to his friend from before. Sudden commotion brought my attention to what was happening behind me. I noticed two people that had just entered onto the square. One was clad in elaborate purple tunic and breeches, while other had extensive white robe with wide hood. Man in the tunic appeared to be in his thirties. He was tall and had sharp features with dark deep set eyes and dark hair that barely reached his shoulders. He was radiating confidence and moved in brisk sharp motions making him seem arrogant. Robed one turned out to be just a boy, he looked like he just had his fifteenth birthday. He was small and skinny, which made him almost disappear in the folds of his big robe. His face was framed by rather long platinum hair and was really thin. His pale complexion and large lavender eyes were really striking. What struck me the most was almost serene calmness of his demeanor, his wide eyed look would take in all that surrounded him and just...accepted it. I could not explain, but I was just drawn in by him. I shook my head and took a deep breath to clear my thoughts. -¡¯ I can¡¯t believe that somebody could have such a strong presence ¡®, in vain effort I compared it to the feelings of the fan before his favorite Star... That reminded me that I was not here to gawk like some third rate character. -¡¯ I might seem pathetic, but I will try my best ¡®, I renewed my resolve in face of overwhelming display of power. My heart fluttered and my blood was boiling, the feeling of challenge was welling within me. The ultimate challenge of role playing was standing before me, wearing a white robe. -¡¯ I might be outclassed, but I cannot pass on such a fight. Dark Schneid*r guide me! ¡®. I took few meticulous steps forward getting past the semicircle of students. My passing glance took in the image of the man in a tunic and I thought: -¡¯ Simple swagger will not work against such a powerful opponent. I must portray confidence, not mere arrogance ¡®. My steps brought me in front of white robed figure, his wide eyed gaze was unnerving, but I was not willing to surrender just yet. What I needed was initiative, so I spoke first: -¡± I extend my greetings, Teacher. Unfortunately we were not yet introduced, therefore let me introduce myself officially - I am called Audentia and I am here to learn from you ¡°, I said and gave him best curtsey bow I could. He smiled and suddenly his features become softer, giving his serene manner a roguish twist. -¡± I am glad to finally meet you, Miss Audentia. I have heard great deal about you and I am looking forward to teaching you. Please call me Sylthfran and excuse me for a moment, I will settle other students so we can focus on your progress ¡°, he said in dreamy voice and gave me a nod. Then he moved past me and started setting tasks for each of the students. His placid voice with hints of cheerfulness, his calm manner and pale coloring made him seem outlandish. I could not help, but admire his character. -¡± Come on, Eric stop sulking. Show me your progress, if you can¡¯t get triple variation straight I will not be lenient! ¡°, assistant in purple tunic gotten hold of Eric and practically dragged him away. -¡¯ He seems like a nice guy, even with that arrogant manner of his ¡®, I mused. Then it was my turn and Sylthfran made his way back to me¡­ -¡¯ Why am I all giddy? Must be the magic, its finally my time to learn it! ¡®, I tried to convince myself¡­ ================ Hey~, Author¡¯s here~ I wanted to bring you magic but then the teacher came and I forgot Oh well, there¡¯s always another chapter and I might be able to get it done tomorrow¡­ :) Tell me how you liked today¡¯s shenanigans and what are your thoughts on characters. Cheers, Mea, The Conquering Overlord [ *Among piles of corpses a hand raises into the air* No more *huff* conquering *huff*, damn you author and *huff* your Cool Factor¡­*huff* thats not the bloody *huff* reason to conquer everything¡­*huff* cos its cool... ] Ps The Poetry''''s mine :) NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 14 - The Learning http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=12616 Chapter 14 - The Learning Chapter 14 - The Learning As white robed figure approached, I tried to stifle quivering feeling in my heart. I could not help but look into his lavender eyes, which made striking contrast to his otherwise colorless self. Suddenly his soft voice brought my attention back and I was really angry with myself for that momentary lapse. -¡± Let us begin your lesson, Miss Audentia. Could you tell me how versed in the Magic arts you are? ¡°, question asked in tranquil voice somehow projected a feeling of care¡­ I focused as fire in my veins reignited, the challenge was not yet lost. -¡± Thus far I had only one lesson on Magic Theory, but it was not to my satisfaction ¡°, I said truthfully. Somehow he looked saddened by those words, so I decided to elaborate. -¡± Class focused on the comparison of Fire and Ice system, though both have fundamentally different basis. I would much prefer lesson on core systems instead ¡°, I said those words and had strange feeling of elation seeing that his features softened slightly in approval. -¡¯ How does he do it? He has same distant expression all the time, but I can easily feel his mood ¡®, I thought and tried to fight fluttering feeling that arose with his approval. Suddenly he said something that threw me off, I felt like being basked in the light. -¡± I am glad, I see great potential in you. Please do your best today, I am sure that you will be able to grab the hold of the basics ¡°, mere hint of praise in his voice made butterflies fly all over my chest and I had fuzzy feeling traveling around my back. -¡± Thank you, I have always wished to learn magic and I am really grateful for the guidance that you are offering me.. ¡°, I said in dreamy voice, catching myself that I was just saying whatever. -¡¯ This is dangerous, I need to focus! ¡®, I was at a loss about what was happening with me. -¡± Since you have not been taught basics yet, let me explain. To cast a spell, one needs to perform several steps - gather mana into ether, imagine the effect, prepare spell matrix and then infuse it with ether. We will focus on the first step, as you need to activate your mana first ¡°, his explanation, proclaimed in calm voice had almost hypnotic cadence to it, keeping the listeners attention on the subject. -¡± Won¡¯t my attire interfere? Also, could you provide more details about mana activation? It seems important ¡°, I said as my curiosity stifled all other feelings. His eyes glinted at my words, but I was focused, eager to sate my curiosity. -¡± Yes, you are correct. Mana activation is really important, it is the way in which one controls one''s inner energy. One needs to remember that mana usage is not limited to Mages only, many other individuals have different ways to tap into their inner potential. Warriors for example turn mana into, so called, Fighting Spirit which can protect their body or be channeled to a devastating effects. Even novice swordsman can cause his sword swings to hit harder or move swifter. More experienced ones can even channel them into mana infused blows, though they all claim its just their Fighting Spirit ¡°, he said, his excitement evident. Suddenly he stopped his quite heated explanation. -¡± Please do excuse me, Miss Audentia. My scholarly mind had gotten better of me ¡°, though his voice was calm, I could feel that he was extremely embarrassed¡­ -¡¯ Wait! Why did I have a sudden urge to hug him?! ¡®, I caught myself just in time. -¡± No need to apologize, Master Sylthfran...¡¯, I said and was glad for the scarf and hat that hid my suddenly flushing face. I continued and tried to hide the stutter with meaningless movement of my hand. -¡± Actually, I would be really glad if you continued. I find the subject highly interesting ¡°. He actually sighed as he said: -¡± I am afraid that it would put a dent on my pride as a teacher, if I had used all of your precious practical lesson on academic discussions. I will gladly speak with you, at length, when the time is more appropriate ¡°, I was really happy hearing those words and was beaming under the scarf. -¡± I will gladly take you on your kind offer, Master Sylthfran ¡°, I responded happily. Suddenly annoyed voice reverberated across the square. -¡± Sylth! Could you stop flirting already! For Gods sake, I am an assistant here, not the teacher! ¡°, Sylthfran¡¯s assistant was glaring at us expectantly, with his hands crossed on his chest. Sylthfran¡¯s gaze went to his assistant. -¡± Athmael, please refrain from saying strange things. As you have mentioned, I am the teacher here and I will take as much time as is needed with each student. You can teach the class a new spell if you think they sufficiently mastered the previous one ¡°, Sylthfran¡¯s response seemed harsh, but did not bear any hostility or embarrassment. I noticed several female students glaring my way, but I didn¡¯t deign to acknowledge them. Sylthfran turned back to me and started his explanation, which seemed a bit rushed: -¡± Please excuse this interruption, Miss Audentia. As I was saying, there are several ways of activating mana, though the one we will be focusing on is Ether Transformation. Unfortunately there is no way to directly show how it is done. You will need to reinvent it on your own, though I assure you that it is not too complicated. Also, please do not worry about your attire - it will not inhibit this ability ¡°, before I had a chance to ask for more details he continued, this time in his usual calm and clear cadence: -¡± To begin Ether Transformation you need to become aware of your mana. You need to concentrate and feel the energy inside your body. It will be hard at first, therefore it might be easier if you calm yourself and then try to imagine a tingling feeling gathering in one place inside your body. Then try moving and gathering it at different places. Hopefully at some point you should understand what I am trying to say. Do you think you are able to give it a try? ¡°, he asked with concern. -¡± I think I should be able to grasp it ¡°, I said confidently thinking that it seems similar to meditating. -¡± Very well, please do not be upset if you won¡¯t succeed at first. It is really elusive thing to do. Also, if you are successful you might try going a step further. Do you know which of those are Channeling Runes? ¡°, he seemed concerned that I would get upset if I failed. I tried to ignore satisfied feeling that his concern was giving me. -¡± Yes, I was instructed.. which runes I should use ¡°, I responded hesitating a bit at the understatement. -¡± Very good. If you succeed at finding your mana please try to imagine it moving into those runes. Also, do not be upset if you won¡¯t succeed, Runic Channeling is actually a part of the advanced curriculum. If everything proceeds correctly you should become aware of the runes...that¡¯s actually all I can say at this point. Please do not hesitate to call me if you need help. Now please excuse me ¡°, he gave me a nod and then he smoothly moved to teach rest of the class. I noticed that the students seemed to really like him, even that Eric guy. I cringed inwardly and started to wonder what to do now¡­ -¡± Milady, would you wish to use those accommodations during your lesson? ¡°, Clothilde surprised me with her question. As I turned I saw thick, decorative blanket laying on the ground. Maids were standing at attention around it and I blinked as I noticed that they had refreshments at hand. I shook my head with surprise. -¡± Thank you, Head Maid. I am grateful for your foresight ¡°, I said in wonder. Clothilde only bowed deeply in response. I sat down in cross-legged position, skirts of my costume draped around me. I closed my eyes and tried to get butterflies that were plaguing me today to settle down. Eventually I was calm. I could feel my every breath, weight of costume and miriad of other sensations¡­I quickly stopped thinking about particular sensations from my chest area. I took deep breath and positioned hands on my knees. -¡¯ Breath in, breath out - just like that, Yoga style.. ¡®, uninvited image of ridiculous dancer from korea popped in my head for a moment. Once again I focused. I ignored everything that was happening outside, bringing my attention inward. Relaxing myself, avoiding any distracting thoughts, I was finally able to meditate. I imagined feeling of power moving through my body to the beat of my heart. I concentrated, willing it to concentrate at tips of my fingers. I felt small response or just imagined it. I tried this few times, but couldn¡¯t tell if that was it. -¡¯ So it probably wasn''t ¡®, I thought. I tried again, willing the feelings to concentrate in my hands. It was same as earlier, so I decided to use peculiar feeling that my beating heart was giving me. I concentrated and willed all the flowing feelings I had, the ones I thought were made by my beating heart, to move to my hands. With something like a loss of breath, I felt a rush of energy suddenly leaving my body, flowing into my hands. Tingling sensation suddenly turned into lightning at the tips of my fingers. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. I felt weakness engulfing my body, while burning, tearing sensation assaulted my hands. Reflexively I have willed the current to move into runes on top of my hands. Power suddenly rushed out of my hands leaving burning pain and then power rebounded. In shock I felt something like electric current of awareness filling web of darkness, lighting it with power - it went to life, like miniature suns connected by cords of blazing force. Beating with familiar rhythm. -¡¯ The rhythm of my heart ¡®, I realized. I was still trying to grasp what happened. I felt flowing energy. It was similar but at same time foreign to the feeling of electric current and heat, if such were moving through my body. It slowly flowed around my body, like a tingling wave of magma. And then it entered the web of light, which felt like it was inside and outside of me at the same time. Waves of force flowed across cords of power and I felt power change, sometimes purified, sometimes tainted with foreign force, but always coming back as a part of me. I felt that the flow changed whenever I thought about it, it was like a white light that with barest thought could be changed to its prismatic colorful components. Suddenly I was made aware of something strange surrounding me. As I opened my eyes, I saw that I was inside bubble of misty white light. I looked around disoriented and noticed that I was sitting on the spot of perched earth. I reached out and put my hand on the shimmering wall. It seemed soft and yielding to the touch, so I raised while pushing on it with my hand. Suddenly it bursted into glittering wave of colorful sparks. I looked around and saw my Maids looking worriedly at me. They were few meters away and I saw that I was standing in flower shaped spot of perched earth. -¡± Ha, I see you are alive. That¡¯s great. How are you feeling? ¡°, Athmael asked me briskly. As I taken another quick look around I noticed some worried faces, so I decided to not mention my aching hands. -¡± Energized ¡°, I responded briefly. Trying to sound as confident as possible. -¡± See? All is well, I told you not to worry. Some fireworks is all, it was rather spectacular, I admit, but nothing unusual in the long run ¡°, Athmael was speaking reassuringly to Sylthfran, who still had concern painted on his face. -¡± Are you really alright? Its theoretically possible to hurt yourself during violent realizations ¡°, he said calmly and gave me inquisitive look. I felt fluttering sensations coming back at his concerned look. I quickly decided to put a stop to it. -¡± I am well, no need for your concern, Master Sylthfran. I am wondering if you will let me continue my lessons today? ¡°, I said feeling burning sensations in my hands, contradicting my assuring words. -¡± Very well, if that¡¯s what you wish. Please rest while I take care of other students ¡°, he said calmly and started to walk from student to student. It was impressive how quickly he was putting everyone at ease. I looked as cheerful expressions quickly appeared on the faces of students that he was speaking to. They seemed so determined to finish their assignments after he left them... I shook my head and looked at Athmael instead. I watched as he taught Eric and his friend. His methods were vastly different, he was full of arrogance and kept mocking his pupils. But it seemed to be bearing effect, he made a show out of showing them an example and then kept teasing them mercilessly until they learned how to do it properly. I closed my eyes focusing on the new sensation of which I was now aware. Slow, powerful motion flowed within me. I started exploring the feeling and I soon found out that, if I wanted, I could single out particular...hues and feelings. I was at a loss as to how I should describe it. Different hues had different meanings associated with them. I concentrated on the blue one and it gave me a slithering, wet feeling¡­ -¡¯ Probably Water ¡®, I thought. Black one, which had no color at all, felt empty and cold...soon I guessed that this must be Frost. I quickly located orange, red, purple and aquamarine, which gave me a pause. I was sure that all of them were associated with Fire or Energy, but at the same time each felt differently somehow. I decided to not dwell on that for now. Exploring gray and brown seemed to bring the feeling of stability, so I associated them with Earth. As I went for emerald I was baffled again, it felt vibrant and full of energy. -¡¯ I guess you can¡¯t associate green with wind only because you ran out of distinct colors¡­ ¡®. As I explored dark red I noticed that somehow I could meld it with original white, as strange revolting feeling started to spread I quickly stopped that. I soon realized that mapping the colors is fools errant - almost all of them could be mixed with white or each other producing some strange effects. As I was despairing over this hurdle I heard a soothing voice. -¡± Miss Audentia, if you are unwell maybe you should retire for today. I assure you that no one will hold it against you. Quite the opposite actually, finding ones mana usually takes few days... ¡°, as I opened my eyes I saw Sylthfran standing in front of me. His calmness as striking as ever. -¡± Thank you for your concern, Master Sylthfran. I am well enough. Could you explain what¡¯s the next step of spellcasting? I have gotten stuck over what I am supposed to do with colors... ¡°, I said pleadingly. I wanted to learn how to cast simplest spell before I had to retire. He seemed a bit surprised by my words. -¡± Ahh, that¡¯s really hard to explain. There are several casting systems, each vary greatly in complexity, variation, casting time and automation ¡°, his calm demeanor stopped me from exclaiming my exasperation. Instead I started thinking and assembling facts. -¡± I have not been aware of that. Could you tell me which systems are being used usually? ¡°, I asked, trembling due to suddenly awoken curiosity. -¡± Commonly used system is by far the easiest to learn. Its called Evocation and It is based on metamagical formulas derived from mathematical principles. To cast a spell one needs to know glyph of the formula and associated keyword which usually takes a form of a chant. Glyph is graphical derivation of magical equation that needs to be remembered, during casting one needs to imagine the shape and fill it with colors appropriately. I am aware that this was crude comparison, but it was very fitting, so please bear with it. Once Glyph is assembled one needs to provide the keyword and it will unleash the effect. Actual keyword need not be spoken aloud, but due to additional power transferred during activation it can boost effectiveness of the spell by up to 25% ¡°, he explained and he seemed really happy that he can share his knowledge. I cringed inwardly as strange fuzzy feeling assaulted me at sight of his glee. -¡± Evocative system requires spell glyph formula, which is considerably difficult and complex to create. Spellcrafters are widely respected and well paid specialists. I have seen certain spells bought and sold for small fortunes. Apart from that downside, Evocation is characterised by its low casting time, low complexity and high automation, which makes spells easy to replicate or teach. Additional downside is in the spell glyph itself - low amount of variation is prevalent, as including wide array of variables into a glyph is exceedingly difficult ¡°, he finished and I felt daunted. -¡¯ Some developers must have had a CEO as relative. This is only one spellcasting system and there are supposed to be several - this is just insane... ¡®, I looked at misty white dome above me and tried to decide¡­ [ -¡± Should Almisha learn about other magic systems or not... since I am going to write it next the poll is short. Decide whether Chapter 14.5 should be made, but be aware that there will be more of Sylthfran¡¯s encyclopedic explanations ¡° ] [ -¡± PS This will NOT be a bonus chapter, but I see that it might be an Extended one ¡° ] =========== Hey~, Author¡¯s here~ I hope you liked today¡¯s developments, please tell me how you find basic magic system? It should be nicely balanced, but having faulty magic system is best way to have one¡¯s back grilled so tell me before some reviewer spots any loopholes :P Of course comments about Sylthfran or others are appreciated, so please have a go at them too! Also, do vote in the poll, the sooner I know who is winning the sooner I start to work ( not that those magic systems will not exist, they will just remain a mystery till I find appropriate place to introduce one ) Cheers, Mea Ps The Narrator is currently...indisposed... NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter - 14.5 - The Studying http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=13015&pid=130944#pid130944 Chapter 14.5 - The Studying Chapter 14.5 - The Studying I looked at misty dome above me and tried to decide what to do. -¡¯ Should I learn standard system? It seems like it is rather efficient¡­ ¡®, I thought despite already knowing answer to my dilemma. -¡¯ There is no way in hell that I will pass on knowing what other systems are out there. Its likely that I will not have time to learn how to use magic today, but I am damn sure to know what I am going to make them teach me! ¡®. -¡± I am sorry for my excessive explanation. I did not want to bother you with all the details, but it seems that I wasn¡¯t able to contain myself. Please do excuse me, Miss Audentia ¡°, Sylthfran¡¯s calm exterior radiated distraught and embarrassment, making me want to hug him. I quickly ignored the feeling and said: -¡± No need for apology, quite the opposite actually. Thank you for your kind explanation. Could you also explain other spellcasting systems? I do find the subject wildly interesting, Master Sylthfran ¡°, I focused on the subject and wished that fluttery feelings would subside. -¡± As much as I would like to fulfill your request I am afraid that I cannot. Since this is a practical spellcasting lesson I have to teach you practical applications of magic.. ¡°. he said apologetically, but I interrupted him as he made slight pause. -¡± Could you then tell me, Master Sylthfran, how are you going to teach me, since I have not yet decided which spellcasting way to pursue? ¡°, I said vehemently, steel in my voice. -¡¯ I shall not budge, especially after seeing Raghnall¡¯s condescending teaching habits ¡®, this change of pace made me really happy, especially since butterflies in my chest seemed to die off at sight of my intransigence. Sylthfran seemed surprised by my words, but his expression remained calm. Though as it turned out I was not the only one bearing surprises. Suddenly his easy to read and tranquil demeanor vanished, turning his open calmness into unreadable impassiveness. -¡± I have to admit that it¡¯s a valid point , Novice Audentia. One which needs careful consideration. I advise that you have a discussion with Headmistress and ask about the possibility of pursuing Advanced Curriculum. You may add that you have my support in that endeavor. That¡¯s all for today¡¯s class, Novice. You may take your leave, ¡°, his coldly calm and formal words shocked me. Illusion that clouded my eyes was dispelled by his sudden change. Once again I was made aware that I should not make assumptions lightly. The boy before me might look like innocence incarnate, but in front of me was standing an imposing presence which could not be taken lightly. I realized that I know nothing about him. -¡¯ How could I underestimate such a pivotal character? ¡®, I was asking myself in exasperation, chastising myself for being lulled by the peaceful atmosphere. -¡± I understand, Master Sylthfran. As you have advised, I will speak with the Headmistress. Also, thank you for your support ¡°, I responded and gave him curtsey bow for farewell. Suddenly his calm and caring manner was back. -¡± Miss Audentia..¡±, I turned back at those words. -¡± Yes, Master Sylthfran? ¡°, I asked and felt fluttering sensation coming back¡­ -¡± Please visit the infirmary, it would be unwise to leave your hands untreated. I do hope that I will be able to teach you, without constraints, in the future ¡°, his serene voice bearing a speck of care and fact that I had been seen through, sent my mind into chaos. I was elated by his attention and shocked by his insight. That combination, coupled with strange tingly feeling I had¡­ I squinted my eyes and felt my knees weaken as sudden conclusion struck me. -¡¯ Noo¡­ ¡®, I sighed and tiredly exclaimed in my thoughts. -¡¯ ...way. So those are the famed feelings of adolescence¡­ ¡®, if not for my vow from before and things that I managed to endure thus far I would probably quit at that very spot. [ Vow from chapter two~ ] Instead I mused: -¡¯ I am not sure whether I should hug the developer who thought up and implemented this much detail, or gut him and watch him die horribly...preferably few times ¡®. -¡¯ I can always do both ¡®, I concluded finally, my attention back to what I was doing¡­ I wasn¡¯t surprised that I was back inside academy. -¡¯ It seems that my habit of doing stuff without thinking resurfaced ¡®, I shrugged and started thinking about what I was going to do next. -¡¯ Anyway, I want to learn more about spellcasting and luckily I have a cooperative teacher to ask ¡®, wicked smile twisted my lips at the thought. -¡± Clothilde, I wish to meet with Professor Raghnall at the earliest. Could you make necessary arrangements? ¡°, I was grateful for Maids presence as I had no idea how to arrange such a meeting. -¡± As you wish , Milady. Ollie and Livia will escort you in my stead. Could you please retire to the infirmary for the time being? I will notify you as soon as meeting is arranged ¡°, she said formally and made a bow to excuse herself. I squinted my eyes as I watched Head Maid¡¯s silhouette moving away from me. I was sure that arranging the meeting would take exactly as much time as was required for treatment of my hands to finish... I was escorted to the infirmary, where green robed healer examined my hands. I noticed that healer was giving me strange looks as he was asking about how I was feeling. -¡¯ Heh, it seems that NPCs do not know that Adventurers feel only 20% of the usual pain. Not that he knew that I was one... ¡®, at that thought I realized that I was actually rather fortunate. I dreaded to think in how much pain I would be if I was feeling full burn of it¡­ Glowing ointment was applied and burning pain I was feeling thus far subsided. Maids helped me put on the gloves, when Clothilde returned. Clothilde bowed and said respectfully: -¡± Milady, I have arranged your meeting with Professor Raghnall. He is currently waiting in one of the classrooms, I do hope that you are well enough to attend ¡°. -¡± Thank you, Head Maid. I am really pleased with your service.. ¡°, I said trying to relay my gratitude for her help thus far. -¡± I am here to serve, Milady ¡°, she said dutifully and bowed. I was unhappy because I was not able to establish any kind of link with Head Maid, but I sighed and let it go...for now. I gave my thanks and farewells to the healer, then left. Soon, I arrived on the third floor. I was standing in front of the doors to the lecture hall. I casually walked inside and was greeted by the sight of Professor Raghnall, in all of his wizardly wizened glory. He was sitting extravagantly behind the desk. -¡± Khem, Greetings, Audentia. *cough* What have I done to deserve such, khem, sudden meeting? ¡°, he was playing me for a fool so heavily that it was painful to watch, so I decided to reciprocate. -¡± I do wonder what might have been my motive in organizing such a meeting... ¡°, I said slowly as I moved to the first row of benches directly in front of him. I side-sat on one, bending forward to lay on a desk with my head propped on my crossed arms. He sighed and said in defeated voice: -¡± Khem, hrgh, I understand...what do you want to know? ¡°. I straightened myself and said calmly: -¡± I am glad that we understand ourselves Professor Raghnell. I have two questions for now - a short and a long one¡­ ¡°. He made a gesture urging me to continue. -¡± I would like to know more about Master Sylthfran.. ¡°, I said and was interrupted by his screechy chuckle. -¡± You are not the first child, but give up on this silliness¡­ ¡°, he was barely able to say this much before exploding into laughter. -¡± Khehe hehe that¡¯s the first khe¡­ ¡°, I waited calmly until his outburst subsided. I said in deadpan voice as he wiped his tears away: -¡± I am glad that you find my question so amusing, could you now tell me who he is? He does not seem as your average teacher.. ¡°, my words drained away Raghnell¡¯s mirth. -¡± Ah, because he is not the teacher ¡°, he said in suddenly heavy atmosphere. I gave him a wave to elaborate so he continued: -¡± He is this country¡¯s War Mage...actually I shouldn¡¯t be saying anything about it, but with your connections...it doesn¡¯t matter. Anyway, as I was saying he is the youngest War Mage around, passing the trials and then fulfilling his first task being barely twelve years old! ¡°, Raghnall seemed very excited out of the sudden. -¡¯ Who would have guessed that the old guy got a soft spot for gossip? Not that I am complaining ¡®. -¡± How does one become War Mage? ¡°, I asked curious about what exactly we are talking about. -¡± Hmmhhm, that¡¯s dead easy...with dead bearing most of the importance here. Khehehe. You just must prove that you have sufficient control of the arcane and get hired as one ¡°, somehow I got very creepy vibe coming from the Professor. -¡± Somehow I do not think that its just this simple..¡±, I said dubiously. I could not stop myself from feeling disgusted at the sight of Professor, he radiated creepy kind of sick mirth I could not comprehend entirely. -¡± Oh, its quite simple my child, Imagine all those straight faced nobles during Subjugation of Herima three years ago¡­ ¡°, he began slowly and playfully. -¡± All of them ready to engage in honorable combat, to settle some unimportant slight on the honor of each other. With a bit of pillage to spice things up... ¡°, I could feel his elation at slowly breaking this story to me, but I had to admit that I was intrigued. -¡± Imagine surprise on the face of the lord Tibald as he arrived a bit late to the predetermined spot¡­ Instead of neatly arranged, colorful ranks of his rival¡¯s forces his army found something quite different¡­ ¡°, He made meaningful pause watching at me closely to determine my reaction. -¡± Misshapen battlefield, ridden with craters, spots of earth scorched to crystal, columns of sparkling ice and bodies...great many of them - ripped apart, burned, crushed, encased in ice, skewered by earthen pillars...the recounts went on and on¡­ ¡°, as he delved into gory details he seemed to lose his mirth and his expression became darker. -¡± Khem, anyway among the field they found a lone boy, who seemed to be the only survivor, but he was not... Khehehe guess who has become the youngest War Mage back then? One that bore no expression after slaughtering a thousand men? I still can¡¯t stop from laughing at fools who try to get close to that monster ¡°, I was still a bit surprised by the conclusion of the story despite knowing where it was going from the beginning. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I was wondering about some aspects of the story, so I asked: -¡± How come he is so powerful, shouldn¡¯t that army have their own mages and be able to defend from magic attacks? ¡°. -¡± Pah, they call him a genius, but I only see a monster! His skill at magical combat is inhuman, I tell you. Anyway, I still do not understand what the Headmistress was thinking by letting him come here ¡°, he said passionately and I confirmed my suspicion of his jealousy. -¡± What do you mean, did he request to come here? ¡°, I asked surprised. -¡± Yes, that damn monster actually said that he wanted to see our academy as he ¡®found our mages lacking¡¯ and then, bah!, went on and said that he is going to teach them correctly! ¡°, He said and I could easily tell where all his hate came from¡­ -¡¯ Hmm, even I do find your methods lacking and I do not even know how to cast a single spell yet...¡¯. Raghnall was in full on rambling rampage: -¡± And everyone is treating him like he is some embodiment of heavenly grace or something...but I know that he is just a monster! ¡°. -¡¯ I am quite sure that you do not give damn about what happened three years ago... Jealous prick ¡®, I concluded, but had not spoken a word - I didn¡¯t want to antagonise him at that point. Also, I had a decent idea how to manipulate him into giving me nice explanation that I wanted. -¡± I see, well I had a bit of quarrel with him today¡­ ¡°, I said calmly, interjecting neatly into his ramble. -¡± What?! ¡°, his expression clearly showed that he took a bait. -¡± I wanted him to explain different casting systems to me, but he couldn¡¯t do it. Therefore I organised the meeting with you, I knew that you would be able to explain them properly and also maybe shed some light on his unsettling character ¡°, I said neatly. My throat should be bleeding raw from all the falsehoods I had given him, but I felt energized instead. -¡¯ This is much more satisfying than role playing an Evil Mastermind that convinced the Team to kill the Good Guys ¡®. His expression turned to one of elation and he gave me his best explanation of magic systems. Without kheming and coughing, I had to admit that, he was very good at it. [ -¡± Here¡¯s transcript of what Almisha has learned, I decided that this is much more efficient way of handing it to you and if you don¡¯t want it...just skip ahead to next chapter¡­ ¡° ] Casting systems can be split into two general categories: Origin Systems - rely on direct manipulation of transformed aether to achieve effects. Yes, origin systems rarely have the spell matrix and therefore rely on creating magical phenomena out of thin air and do not cast actual spells. They usually are intuitive and subjective, which makes them hard to teach. Core Systems - have a spell matrix which is infused by aether to create, hold and unleash power in the controlled way - that¡¯s what usually is being referred to as spell. Core systems are easier to teach as they are usually codified and aether infusion process, while still subjective, leads to the same effects in the shape of spell matrix. Melding Systems - is actually a sub division of core systems which uses spell matrix to produce parts of the spell composition and then the rest is assembled by the caster using some sort of Origin system. TL, DR Origin systems do not have Spell Matrix, they work on the energies directly Channeling - Origin System Pros: Easy to learn Spell Casting Speed: Spontaneous Unlimited Power Throughput^ Moderately Adaptable Cons: Hard to control Low cost effectiveness^ Susceptible to magic inhibition* Imprecise Volatile Oldest known casting system, now mainly used by savage orcish tribes and barbarians. Its rarely learned by mages due to its low cost effectiveness and high susceptibility to magic inhibition. In recent centuries it has been implemented into War Magic due to advent of new Power Gathering techniques. To use Channeling mage shapes his aether directly into displays of pure force, usually those energies have low cohesion ratio and are easily diverted by magic inhibitors. One needs to remember that skillful Channeler is able to counteract that limitation by shaping the aether into more cohesive form. Since Channeling has no spell form it has almost unlimited potential as to how much power can be used to achieve effect, that actually makes highly powered effects quite potent and cost effective. Due to its unstructured nature Channeling is wild and unpredictable. Quote: *Crackling lightning* ¡°And now young jed* you shall die...¡° Invocation - Core System Pros: Efficient during Overcasting Highly Adaptable^ Capable of extreme precision^ Spell Casting Speed: High* Moderately high automation Cons: Time consuming to Learn and Master Adaptability and precision reliant solely on skill of the spellcaster^ Spell casting speed vary greatly* Metamagic Words do not always assemble seamlessly creating problems for less experienced Invokers Advanced Core system which relies on learning Metamagic Words and piecing them together - Words are typically hard coded reflexes of channeling aether into specific forms ( like fire, ball, fly forth 50 paces etc ) - to create spells ( like fireball - though that one also has explode and few other meta words added ). Invocation is usually learned by full time mages who commit great deal of time to hone their craft, they are rewarded by adaptable spell system that is able to produce reliable effects quickly. QUOTE: ¡°Unfortunately magic is a lot like singing, or martial arts, even if you know what to do and how to do it, your body has to be trained over a long period of time to actually not suck.¡± Weaving - Origin System Pros: Spell Casting Speed: Moderate Highly Adaptable High Automation Cons: Hard to learn Complicated: Time consuming to learn Limited Strength System of Weaving aether into strands of power, final effect is depended on how the energies interact with each other - each particular weave could be considered a spell. This system does not use spell matrix but its function is fulfilled through shape in which energies are assembled. It was created as improvement on Channeling System, countering most of its flaws. Unfortunately power that can pass through weaves is limited due to structural strength of each particular formation, bottlenecking intensity of the spell. There are high throughput weaves but they tend to be warfare aspected and limited in utility. QUOTE: ¡° If you don''t know everything, you must go on with what you do know ¡± Evocation - Core System Pros: Easy to use and Learn Moderately High Casting Speed Cost Effective Precise Power Boost ( Keyphrase up to +25% Power) Cons: Requires Spell Glyph ( which is hard to invent) Low Adaptability ( spell effects are predetermined, and glyphs have small amount of variables. ) No way to spontaneously achieve effects Power Cap - spells have predetermined power/cost ratio. Overcasting is possible but efficiency and sometimes precision are lost Optional Verbal Component heavily weighing on efficiency -¡± Commonly used system is by far the easiest to learn. Its called Evocation and It is based on metamagical formulas derived from mathematical principles. To cast a spell one needs to know glyph of the formula and associated keyword which usually takes a form of a chant. Glyph is graphical derivation of magical equation that needs to be remembered, during casting one needs to imagine the shape and fill it with colors appropriately. I am aware that this was crude comparison, but it was very fitting, so please bear with it. Once Glyph is assembled one needs to provide the keyword and it will unleash the effect. Actual keyword need not be spoken aloud, but due to additional power transferred during activation it can boost effectiveness of the spell by up to 25% ¡° -¡± Evocative system requires spell glyph formula, which is considerably difficult and complex to create. Spellcrafters are widely respected and well paid specialists. I have seen certain spells bought and sold for small fortunes. Apart from that downside, Evocation is characterised by its low casting time, low complexity and high automation, which makes spells easy to replicate or teach. Additional downside is in the spell glyph itself - low amount of variation is prevalent, as including wide array of variables into a glyph is exceedingly difficult ¡°, QUOTE: " Got it, I will get them extra crispy with my new spell " QUOTE2: ¡° Everyone who want¡¯s to talk to Elmi****r gets a Fireball...if he survives he may talk to Elmi****r ¡° ====================== Hey~, Author''s here~ Somehow I managed to publish this chapter today (if 3 AM is today...), it took me a while to get to writting and I had distractions....and tommorow too so I will probably post next chapter in 2-3 days. Please let me know how you feel about the way I decided on showcasing the lore, I feel that it is much more decent than just talking it out with sylthfran... Also, for all those who voted no - theres no more hard packed lore I want to push on you in nearest future so rest assured. As always comments about how you feel about the chapter are greately appreciated Cheers, Mea PS There¡¯s few more systems, but they were not included in the Raghnell¡¯s explanation...and they are mainly melding ones so you should be able to figure them out anyway NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 15 - Blair''s Arc ( Special ) http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=13171 Chapter 15 - Blair鈥檚 Arc ( Special ) Chapter 15 - Blair¡¯s Arc ( Special ) [ Hey, I am back with vengeance, so if you are weak and can''t handle graphical violence go away...you have been warned~ ] Blair casually waited at a table, slowly sipping tea from an ale mug. It wasn¡¯t the first he visited that place, but the preposterous idea of using an ale mug to serve tea kept surprising him. He took a look around scanning the ordinary looking wooden room that wouldn¡¯t feel out of place if it was a main room of an inn, though there were some slight differences. First off there were the customers in the room, each of them had a kind of martial air about themselves and a sizable arsenal of arms to match it. Secondly, almost no one, at least no one on the second floor was drinking alcohol. Instead, there was a wide array of refreshments available, including exotic and expensive ones like tea or coffee... -'' Though they are still served in ale mugs... '' Blair sighed and took another sip. Same as others, he was waiting for a new commission and the second floor of a Mercenary Guild was quite prestigious. Blair''s gaze traveled to the opposite side of the table, where a tattooed giant was sitting and drinking earnestly, Blair reminisced about their recent meeting... Blair was still astonished by the things that he had learned from Oliver during their talk in a warehouse. Finding out that he had been fooled by some assassin¡¯s apprentice wounded his pride a bit, but after hearing about some of the things that were happening around him he didn''t mind it that much. -¡¯ This was seriously evil, sending some clueless adventurer on a suicidal investigation cos they can¡¯t die... and promising only a barest hint of recognition because adventurers think its normal. I wonder if game developers realized that their advanced NPCs, with their almost unlimited freedom, could be flawed in a way as they would try to exploit players as soon as they learned about players attachment to the questing system. ¡® Blair mused and was grateful that there were NPCs which did not participate in the conspiracy¡­ -¡¯ Hm...or rather they knew I would be a valuable asset once they cut my willingness to work with the Captain of the Guard, making me indebted to them in the process. ¡® Blair sighed as he realized that everyone had an agenda¡­ -¡¯ Just like in real life, some people just want to eat, while others want to make a fortune...using others backs as stepping stones. Anyway its best that I hide that I am an adventurer from now on. ¡® He looked around again. Baleg,a pseudo viking warrior with whom Blair fought in a warehouse earlier, was probably the only person in the room who was drinking alcohol. Blair shook his head, as he remembered how the giant just took his full force swing that was augmented with a ridiculous skill and laughed it off after he stopped pretending that he was taken out. -¡¯ He should be fine, he is one of the regulars. Not to mention that the ale is watered down. ¡®, Blair shrugged and tried to ignore concerns regarding his new teammate, they joined forces after the warehouse incident when Baleg offered to partner up with Blair. -¡¯ Heh, being called a decent warrior for an adventurer...I still am unsure whether I should be pissed off or honored by that remark... ¡® Blair¡¯s musings were interrupted by a powerful blow to his shoulder and he was barely able to keep himself from falling to the floor. -¡± Ha, work¡¯s coming Blair. I thought I am going to sprout leaves and become a tree from all the water¡­¡± Baleg rose up and his towering figure moved in the direction of the stairs. Blair saw one of the clerks motioning them upstairs, where rooms for private dealings were located. Soon Blair and Baleg entered a plain wooden room, which could be considered bare, as apart from a simple wooden table and few chairs there was nothing noteworthy inside. Baleg closed the door and moved to take a seat at the table. Blair followed suit while taking a good look at a stranger that wanted to hire them. A man in his early forties was square faced had deep set eyes and an aquiline nose. His hair was long and grey, slicked to the back and held there by a clasp. He was wearing teal doublet over a silk shirt and had a ruff around his neck. Stranger made a welcoming gesture and, without pause, began the introductions: -¡± Greetings warriors. I am Francis Bolton and I am in need of bodyguards¡­ ¡° -¡± Hmh, are you sure you asked for the right candidates? I mean, guys at the ground floor are much cheaper and proficient enough to run a bodyguard job¡­ ¡°, Baleg asked directly. Blair couldn¡¯t help but be astounded by the big man who was crude, direct and simple, but by no means stupid. He had to admit that it was actually quite the opposite. Francis didn¡¯t seem offended and interjected Baleg''s speach as a giant made a slight pause: -¡± ...and meat shields. I am well aware of that, unfortunately my predicament requires professional intervention and I would rather pay that outrageous fee to you, rather than to the brigands. ¡° Francis seemed angered, but it was evident that the object of his vexation was not here. -¡± Understood, could you explain the details? ¡°, Baleg leaned forward and dropped casual manner. -" I take it this more of beat ''em up kind of deal? " -¡± One of my precious parcels was stolen from the Courier¡¯s Coach during brigand''s ambush. Since it was really important to me I had it locked in a magical strongbox and I am glad that I did. Brigands sent me a ransom request and wish to exchange it for a substantial amount of money. I really need my parcel back and I can have only two attendants with me during the exchange. Can you do it? ¡°, Francis looked at Baleg anxiously. -¡± This seems like a reasonable request, so lets talk details. What can you tell me about brigands, exchange and compensation? ¡°, Baleg¡¯s direct attitude radiated professionalism and confidence, that seemed to put their prospective client at ease, though it was at odds with his bearish look. -¡± I know little about the brigands, but I believe there is around a score of them. Exchange will take place in the woods, so it''s likely that their true objective is to bait me into an ambush. As to the compensation, if exchange succeeds I will pay you ten golds. If it fails, but I get the item back, I am inclined to pay you a full sum of fifty golds. That¡¯s assuming brigands don¡¯t steal it and I am unhurt. ¡° Francis calmly outlined details of his request. Blair sucked his breath upon hearing those words. This was his first serious commision at a Mercenary Guild, but just the lower sum dwarfed his earlier earnings by an order of magnitude. -¡¯ That¡¯s ridiculous amount of money! Is this normal for everyone on the second floor? I will need to ask Baleg later. ¡® Blair thought in shock. Baleg laughed and said loudly: -¡± Hah, if you put into a contract ¡®bruised but unhurt¡¯ you got yourself a deal! What''s your say Blair? ¡° Blair quickly muttered his approval in shock. -¡± I am glad that we have come to terms gentlemen. ¡° Francis risen from his seat and extended his hand. -¡± Call me Baleg, and this lad is Blair. Don¡¯t let his sneaky appearance mislead you.. ¡° Baleg shook Francis¡¯s hand. Blair risen, riled by the words. -¡± Who are you calling sneaky? If you continue to insult my honor I will gladly settle it out in a duel! ¡° Blair exclaimed while giving Baleg a threatening look. -¡± There you have it. Anyway, lets settle this officially, I will get the clerk. ¡° Baleg abruptly changed the subject and left, leaving Blair to exchange an awkward handshake with Francis. -¡¯ One of those days he will say one thing too much... ¡® Blair thought, but couldn¡¯t stay angry at Baleg. Soon a guild representative arrived and wrote a contract in three copies, one for each party and one for a guild archives to prevent forgery. After official signing, the representative and Francis left, so Blair and Baleg started preparations for the escapade. [Two Days Later...] Blair, Baleg and Francis assembled before the Mercenary Guild. Preparations were over and each of them had a horse ready. Baleg was wearing long and thick wolf skin cloak, with actual wolf head serving for a helmet. Blair couldn¡¯t help, but notice that the cloak was hanging strangely. As he asked about it, it turned out that it was reinforced with mail swathing. -¡± This thing must weigh a ton! ¡° Blair exclaimed while looking at Baleg with astonished expression, also the giant didn¡¯t look impeded in any way by the weight of the cloak. -¡± Maybe, but it will keep any sneaky bastard from stabbing me in the back or shooting an arrow up my ass. ¡° Baleg responded crudely, but it was evident that he took a great pride in his cloak. Baleg was also wearing a thick leather graves and forearm protectors, both reinforced with thick metal plates. Heavy metal gauntlets protected his hands or rather, turned them into potential mangling implements. On his left arm the giant was hauling a big and oval wicker shield, while for a weapon he had chosen an unusual morning star. It was more like a really long metal baton that was almost five and a half feet long. It was elongated and ended with a small metal ball that had five large and sharp spikes - each in every direction with fifth one at the tip. It also had a leather loop at the handle to prevent disarmament in heated combat. -¡¯ Hmm, I haven¡¯t expected something this...practical in a fantasy themed world. ¡® Blair thought, while he mused how well the weapon matched with Baleg¡¯s height, fighting style and armor. Blair settled for his usual attire and estoc. -¡¯ I wish I had a different sword, estoc is really good in the city, but I am more used to tournament long swords. Also, in combat with several opponents a normal sword would be better. Pity that all the swords that are available in the shops are heavier and bulkier than the ones I am used to. Well if we do this well I will be able to afford ¡®that¡¯ sword. ¡® Blair mused as he recalled a fine, slim blade that he had seen at weapon master¡¯s workshop, but had no hope of getting enough money to buy it before. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. They exchanged greetings and without further delay mounted their horses before departing. Three hour ride to the appointed spot was uneventful and riders relaxed during that time. Baleg even started chanting some hymn in his strange language. When asked he explained that it was a battle song about some barbarian hero that could break chains with his sheer might and slaughtered everyone left and right, with quite a bit of focus on the gory details it seemed. Eventually, they reached the woods and dismounted. Horses were tied to an underbrush, to prevent them from getting in the way. Afterwards the warriors followed Francis into the woods. After thirty minutes of brisk walk they reached the clearing and there were humans waiting for their arrival. Blair and Baleg followed Francis as he walked to the middle of the clearing. Glade was around 15 meter wide and there were about eighteen brigands positioned around it. Handful of them bearing bows. Before them there was a bandit clad in dark studded leather, he looked like the leader. This notion was only reinforced as he spoke: -¡± Nice of you to accept our terms, though the look of your guard seems quite excessive ¡°, gaze of the leader was focused on Baleg¡¯s impressive form. -¡± So I should have brought two courtesans as my retinue, so you could have good time while you rob me raw? ¡°, Francis said in condescending voice. Leader gave him a measuring look and responded: -¡± Hmm, that certainly would have been nice of you. Anyway where¡¯s money? ¡°. -¡± Show me the chest first. How should I know you even got it still? ¡°, Francis responded vehemently. Leader sighed and rolled his eyes, but gave a signal. Soon two thugs went and returned with small metal chest. -¡± There you have it, nice and new. Now the money! ¡°, Leader said threateningly. Francis fished a purse from under his doublet and opened it showing big glinting pieces of platinum. Leader¡¯s eyes lighted with greed as he exclaimed: -¡± Ok, boys take them. Whatever it is we want everything! ¡°. At those words Francis did as he was told earlier and dropped to the ground, while Baleg rushed to stand over him. Blair wasted no time either as he charged at nearest brigand. As Blair neared, his opponent extended his blade to stop his charge. Without slowing Blair assumed Rushing Boar stance, with his sword just above the earth and his body almost laying on it - kept up only by the momentum. In a quick motion he lunged his blade upward, skewering the brigand before he could react. Then Blair made almost dance like pirouette to free his blade and used the motion to suddenly slit the throat of approaching brigand. As brigand expired in the fountain of blood, Blair was already on his next target, quick lunge brought interception of his opponent, but brigand was nowhere good enough. Slight turn of the wrist caused the tip of a Blair¡¯s blade to curve under enemys guard and nestle neatly into his heart. Blair took a turning step back to free his sword and was almost too slow to block enemy¡¯s overhead blow to his back. His interception, parallel to his back, took the brunt of the attack, but the blade was forced against him. Blair was glad for his leather tunic which was now cut instead of his flesh when he forcefully bull rushed at his enemy, swords still locked against Blair¡¯s back. Enemy was not well versed in combat and before he knew he had his face smashed by the pommel of Blair¡¯s sword. The brigand dropped instantly. Barely in time, Blair made half turn and another blade slid against his stomach, instead of skewering him. Blair grabbed enemy¡¯s sword hand with his left hand and casually moved his blade from below to pierce enemy¡¯s gut. Last opponent seeing that Blair¡¯s blade is blocked tried to hit him with powerful overhead slash. Blair calmly looked as the blade came at him, letting go of his estoc he grabbed the sword that was being dropped by his previous opponent¡¯s weakening hand. -¡¯ Geez, is this slow motion movie or something? Any of the guys from Sweden I fought in recent tournament would have already finished me off and bowed to the applause thrice ¡®, He thought as he bent his knees to get a bit more time to raise his blade. Swords met with a clang and Blair started to push at his opponents blade. As soon as he met resistance he suddenly went soft on his sword letting enemy¡¯s blade slide next to him, while pommel of his sword went nicely into position. Three savage blows turned enemy¡¯s face bloody and broken, most of his teeth decimated. -¡± Thirty years too early for such plain attack to work ¡°, Blair said as he decapitated his opponent. He looked around as another two, hesitant, brigands closed in and the one he stunned earlier was wobbly getting up... Meanwhile... Bandits tried to rush Baleg, first one that gotten within seven feet was assaulted with savage swing. Brigand set his blade in the way of an attack coming for his head, but he was unable to stop the momentum - his blade gave way and metal spike buried into his temple. As other brigands ran closer, Baleg freed his weapon with powerful move, ripping large hole in the enemys head. Brigand that came close was stopped by wicker shield and metal shaft hit him across his shoulder sending him to his knees and breaking the collarbone. Two arrows buried harmlessly in the thick wolfskin cloak, while third bounced off the shield. Baleg brandished his morning star, in whizzing circular motion. Motion which was only accentuated by casually meeting kneeling thugs head, causing it to explode in fountain of gore, brain matter and bone. Suicidal brigand saw this as his chance and tried to rush the giant from behind, others reacted to that too and tried to attack from the front at the same time. The giant turned. Wicker wall met thugs rushing from the front, while the one in the back was swung at. He vainly tried to turn the blow, which could not be dodged. Brigands sword was swept like it was not there and metal head buried itself deeply in his chest - smashing the ribs and the organs alike¡­. But Baleg did not stop, he yanked his bloody weapon leaving morbid hole behind. His weapon moved to the brigand which tried to get him from his right side. Brigand had only enough time to drop to the ground as deadly metal whized over him. Brigand¡¯s companions still standing in front of Baleg had enough forewarning to drop back. Just in time, as metal weapon made a wicked whoosh in front of their faces, at insane reach, painting them with horror and leftover gore of their companions. Meanwhile few more arrows buried themselves in the invincible giant. Baleg¡¯s shield moved and intercepted brigand that was circling from his left, smashing most of his teeth in one blow and prostrating him on the ground. Baleg¡¯s weapon continued its rampage, making casual circle over giant¡¯s head, and then smashing first brigand that was trying to stand up in the back of his head. Second one soon followed and last remaining brigands looked around desperately¡­ And saw only carnage, their companions decimated while they were busy with the giant. Archers were already running into the woods, while Leader looked at the chest laying next to him. Then his gaze met Blair¡¯s and he started running into the woods, rightfully assuming that this was the only way to survive. Blair and Baleg quickly moped out surviving brigands, at least those whom still haven¡¯t ran away yet¡­ The sun slowly moved on the sky as small silhouettes cleared the glade and then made their way back to the city. It was a nice day in the summer, only occasional cloud moving across the sky. It seems that no one paid any attention to brigands demise¡­ [ Meanwhile in the City ] The scarecrows had a really bad day, some young lad was vehemently smacking living daylights out of them. Actually it was just another day when scarecrows had such problems. Forest did not stop, urged ahead by his idol - Gerhard The Instructor. He was doing his best to beat better, faster, stronger¡­ An ordeal that changed slightly with time - sometimes he had to strike in a sequence, sometime marks were placed and he had to strike only them and eventually he had to strike marks in sequence. But he did not waver, he only worked stronger. He knew that he needs to work hard to get better, he knew that with time he will be stronger and he was sure that there will be time when he will be able to have his own story¡­ ..But that¡¯s a story for another time¡­ or never, not everyone is born a hero¡­ ...Ah, and he was running errands to pay for his food¡­ ============= Hey~, Author¡¯s here~ I wanted to make this a surprise bonus chapter, but I decided that I will release it as chapter 15 since it seems like good time. Don¡¯t worry Almisha will be back in chapter 16 :) Let me know how you liked today¡¯s chapter, I would welcome your opinion very much. [ Don¡¯t worry they will like it ] [ -¡± Why? How can you tell? ¡° ] [ Cos its Violence obviously! ] [ -¡± Hm, I am not sure.. ¡° ] [ But you liked the gore! ] [ -¡± That I did, but they are humans you know? They are weak and compassionate! ¡° ] [ Ok, ok have it your way¡­ *sigh* *muttering* Maybe its for the better that Author thinks that¡­ ] [ *loud whisper* Ok, readers, say nice things to the Author and I will get you more gore in the future. I am sure your bloodthirsty kind will dig right in~ ] Cheers, Mea, The Bloody Overlord [ -¡± Ops, that ones troublesome better to go for¡­ ¡° ] Mea, The Bloodied Overlord EDIT: [ Everyone, Overlord saw that there''s a contest incoming - Wizards in Wonderland. . . and guess what, Author just went on and accepted the challenge! Damn, Almisha''s chapter 16 will probably be delayed *cry* ] NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 16 - The Flaming http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=13493 Chapter 16 - The Flaming Chapter 16 - The Flaming Raghnall¡¯s explanation took long time and covered many interesting details. I was impressed by both his explanation and depth of magic systems. After leaving the lecture hall, I had to decide on my next course of action. I felt that I was out of time. -¡± Head Maid, let us move to my room. I wish to discuss certain arrangements in private ¡°, I said in detached voice. -¡± As you wish, Milady. Please come this way ¡°, Clothilde responded dutifully. Soon, we arrived at my apartment and, to my surprise, I noticed that there was one thing that it was woefully lacking - a couch. Without pausing, I moved to the study and sat on a grand chair. Maids taken pensive poses in front of me, waiting for me to strike a conversation. -¡± Clothilde, I am afraid that due to certain... circumstances, I will need to depart for about a month. I assume there is some way for my absence to remain hidden? ¡°, I said heavily. -¡± Understood, Milady. This matter had already been addressed by the Master. There¡¯s a residence prepared in the city. When you need to... depart, it will be arranged that you have left to fulfill undisclosed obligations ¡°, Clothilde responded calmly, showing only tiniest bit of hesitation. -¡± I see, as expected of Master. I assume there will be no problems if I were to return for a short span of time? ¡°, I asked to be sure. -¡± Yes, none whatsoever, Milady. I will make sure that your books will be ready for your return, so you can further your studies ¡°, Clothilde said and I was reminded that I need to figure out what I should learn¡­ -¡± Thank you, Head Maid. Please begin necessary preparations at once, I am afraid that I have already spread my time here too thinly ¡°, I said and watched as Maids curtsied, then left. I spent next hour twirling around my study, trying to retain vivid feelings and fluid motions. I felt like I was dancing to the invisible music, keeping at bay memory of the fact that I need to retire for a long time. My costume, striped of scarf and hat, kept surprising me with how great it was fitted - quick and fluid half turn, a step to the back, twist on the ball of my feet, and apart from its weight I felt no resistance. All too soon Clothilde returned and I was escorted to the coach. I noticed that Oliver was not there, someone else taken up his coachman¡¯s position. I boarded the coach and departed. After around twenty minutes we have arrived at sizable, four story, building in the middle of the City. We have ridden into adjacent coach house and the gate was closed behind us. I was led through small doorway and then upstairs, I noticed that we were in the back of some kind of tea house. -¡¯ Hmm, makes sense. Good place to disappear suddenly and be official about it ¡®, I thought, as we arrived on the top floor. Clothilde opened the door with complicated key and let me inside the room. It was spacious with wooden pillars located here and there. There was parquet covering whole floor and ¡­ -¡¯ Its bare! ¡®, I thought surprised, apart from big pile of pillows and giant white bear skin, there was not even one piece of furniture. Clothilde must have caught on my distress as she said: -¡± Milady, since you will be using this quaters sparsely and unofficially, it was furnished to match your needs ¡°. I stopped myself from sharp reply as I thought about it. Pillows and fur looked comfortable, and I didn¡¯t really enjoy reading in sitting position anyway. -¡± Understood. I will be departing shortly, please accept my gratitude for your flawless service thus far, Clothilde. And you too, Livia and Ollie ¡°, I said trying to show my sincerity in those words. They only bowed in response and I sighed. I couldn¡¯t stop myself from one more thing before leaving. I moved to the pile of pillows and then fell back on them with my hands outstretched. I Enjoyed the cushioned impact as I closed my eyes¡­ -¡¯ System Command: Logout ¡®. * * * * * Back in starry lobby I was welcomed by shining red letters and impassive female voice: -¡± Warning, your session lasted 62 hours. Please be aware that there might be a health risk involved during extremely extended periods of suspension¡­ ¡°. -¡± System Action: Understood. Discard message ¡°, I said automatically, remembering about the system action requirement that I put in place. -¡¯ Shit, I am almost late for work and to top it off I will probably feel awful after having my body in suspended state for few days ¡®, I thought as I tried to gather enough resolve to return to my body. -¡¯ No time as the present ¡®, I thought in resignation and said: -¡± System Action: Logout ¡°. * * * * * I awoke to the silent whoosh of the capsule¡¯s cover and smooth sound of metal ring returning to its resting place. My fears confirmed with urgent need to visit certain place. As I got out of the capsule my body felt really out of place and I couldn¡¯t get my moves right. I ended up sprawled on the floor and had to awkwardly crawl to the bathroom. Luckily it was close by. As I finished with core necessities I realized in how bad of a state I was in. I couldn¡¯t even stand up. I sighed and crawled under the shower. I was determined to get done with everything and showering seemed like a good way to recover after long stay in capsule. I fumbled some, but I managed to get showerhead. As warm water fell over me I felt myself relax and calm down. I tried to understand what was happening to me. I felt like intruder in my own body and everything felt like it was behind the invisible film, which dulled my senses. -¡¯ I can¡¯t even see straight, everything¡¯s too dark¡­ ¡®, I thought in desperation then the realization hit me and I exclaimed loudly: -¡± Fuck, I am dumb. It¡¯s night! ¡°. My mind, which finally started to work, deducted that I had gotten used to the improved night vision of my character¡­ but the question why I couldn¡¯t move straight and had dulled sense of touch remained. I finished showering and dried myself. Then I crawled to my room grabbing something to wear on the way. I have gotten on my comfy armchair and powered both the company¡¯s laptop and my PC. Like a cripple, I have typed all the required password patiently. Choosing button after button with my finger, knowing that I would have to start all over if I made mistake. After getting in I have sent private conversation request, via NeoCom, to Derrick. He accepted immediately, and I could see his bored and tired look - he had just logged in. Clock in the corner of the screen showed 6:12 AM, which meant that I was barely on time. I activated microphone and tried to say something, but it turned into incomprehensible grunt. -¡± Paul you ok mate? You sound just like I do after a rough night¡­ ¡°, he said openly. Somehow I managed to respond. -¡± Abot...dat. Uou rem...ber that thme I cov.r..ed for ya? I need...it back ¡°, I mumbled weakly. I wasn¡¯t sure what I said, it took so much effort just to say something coherent. -¡± Ha, so you finally met your match in drinking! I can¡¯t believe it! Who was it? Russians? ¡°, suddenly he seemed energized and curious. I moved my head and tried to say that it was not that, but Derrick would have none of that. -¡± Hmm, not Russians then. Who else is there, come on give me a hint! ¡°. -¡± I nhed rhest ¡°, I mumbled. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. -¡± Ah, sorry dude. Keep up, but you gotta tell me later. I will take care of things on this end. Cya ¡°, Derrick disconnected with amused expression and invited me to the meeting, so the others think we are working together on something. I accepted and reclined on my armchair. It wasn¡¯t hard to fall asleep. * * * * * Few hours later I woke up. I felt a bit better, but by no means well. Everything still seemed dull and my body still didn¡¯t move normally. I decided to see what I can find online. I extended my hands to the keyboard and typed my queries. After few minutes of reading I had some conclusions. -¡¯ There¡¯s 36 hour long login period, if someone stays longer he gets forced logout, claimed on medical grounds. Well obviously admin user can ignore this ¡®, I thought and calmed down. I was happy that everything probably was caused by my extended stay. The capsule had commercial rating and no special warnings, so they would have to put some sort of warning if there was risk of permanent damage. Also, my mind was sharp, with my body being the one that didn¡¯t respond well. That must have been caused by being in stasis for too long. I decided to surf the net for a time, with my impended body I was not moving anywhere anyway. I was curious how well was the Ar Ciel received in the community. Quick search yielded results, that varied wildly. Thread 1: Warros: ¡° This game is bullshit, I am warrior and can¡¯t even hit fuckin¡¯ rat! ¡° NightCrawl: ¡° Kekek, noob. Would you hit it in real life? Hug a slime and die ¡° Warros:: ¡° I got beginner 6 sword mastery and lvl 11 I should hit the damn lvl 1 rat! ¡° Flynnn: ¡° Wow thats impressive, I can¡¯t get past sword mastery beginner 2! ¡° NightCrawl: ¡° You know that there¡¯s no auto aim right? If you suck you just suck, deal with it! ¡° Thread2: Vinlis: ¡° Hmm, I got treated like crap by NPCs, Why?! ¡° Guts12: ¡° What did you do? ¡° Vinlis: ¡° I only asked about a quest, and they given me some bs tasks ¡° Guts12: ¡° What would you do if someone come at you in RL and asked you for a quest? There you have it, start freakin role play ¡° Vinlis: ¡° Er? Why? Its an MMO, right? ¡° Guts12: ¡° *Facepalm* ¡° NightCrawl: ¡° Stay strong, hugging a slime is always an option ¡­ I heard you get quest from that~ ¡° SUPNova: ¡° @Vinlis its mmo RPG, foogle what that big letters mean ¡° Thread3: LLLengedary: ¡° This game¡¯s great, I love the goddess of Love~ ¡° VorpalSwordstick: ¡° Are you gay? ¡° Bearlick: ¡° @VorpalSwordstick, are you? I mean, just look at the art in the temple¡­ ¡° HealidinioTheGrat: ¡° @LLLengedary, What you mean? Gods are BS! I am priest of the god of healing and he put a curse on me for heling too mcuh! WTF! ¡° LLLengedary: ¡° @Healguy, have you red the scriptures, prayed and did the holy deeds? If you won¡¯t get in the favor of the God you are in for the world of pain...and I am most certain that your healing god does not consider healing everyone in sight as holy¡­ Ps I hope your faith is not too high¡­ you get noticed more often then, Cheers :) ¡° VorpalSwordstick: ¡° @Bearlick, dude are you color blind? The robes are Pink!¡± LLLengedary: ¡° @VorpalSwordstick, and? you don¡¯t have to wear them and also they don¡¯t have to be totally pink...if you have good tailor its easy ¡° Bearlick: ¡° @VorpalSwordstick, Are you so insecure that a bit of pink makes you gay? ¡° Thread4: TotalBullshit: ¡° Best game ever 10/10 ¡° Aru147: ¡° @TotalBullshit, troll much? ¡° GunzoshaExalt: ¡° I aggree with TotalBullshit¡° GunzoshaExalt: ¡° Erm, I meant 10/10 ¡° GunzoshaExalt: ¡° Hmm, i think its best game ever¡­ grr that nick - dude change it if you want to say something positve¡­ ¡° Sushinihinho: ¡° I agree with bullshit - 0/10, this game sucks bass ¡° GunzoshaExalt¡± @Sushinihinho, why, best, most realistic game ever! ¡° Sushinihinho: ¡° I call bs - NPCs are assess, skill developement is bleh and gods are assess too1 ¡° Xin Liam: ¡° I smell another butthurt priest, if you don¡¯t want to deal with spirits don¡¯t roll cleric ¡° Sushinihinho: ¡° @Xin Liam, and what are you? anothe warrior that cant hold a sword straight? ¡° Xin Liam: ¡° I am onmyouji, I deal with swords and spirits both. Better go learn something useful instead of showing how your back hurts on the forums ¡° GunzoshaExalt: ¡° @Xin Liam, +1 ¡° Swertblitzen: ¡° How do I get past sword B7, I can¡¯t seem to improve beyond that¡­¡± Xin Liam: ¡° Did you do swords in RL? ¡° Swertblitzen: ¡° No, why? ¡° Xin Liam: ¡° Wow, congrats. I am impressed for amateour to got that far ¡° Swertblitzen: ¡° ER? Explain i dont get it ¡° GunzoshaExalt: ¡° Visit this forum, this thred goes awry - *link* ¡° Thread5 ( from link ): DeathNoteRUSed: ¡° How does skills work I dont get it. Please help ¡° HoudiniTheVanish: ¡° @DeathNoteRUSed, no idea too ¡° GunzoshaExalt: ¡° Its easy, you just do something and bam skill apears ¡° DeathNoteRUSed: ¡° but whats later, I cant get past B3 or even B1 on some! ¡° Forest: ¡° You work hard! ¡° HoudiniTheVanish: ¡° It raised rapidly but I cant improve it now, is there a block or skill cap? ¡° GunzoshaExalt: ¡° No, theres no block. Skills are only informative ¡° Niceinty: ¡° What?!! ¡° TotalBullshit: ¡° Sounds Like bullshit ¡° GunzoshaExalt: ¡° Its true if you are good, skill will raise to match. But if you get to the limit of your ability you will need to improve trought normal ways ¡° Niceinty: ¡° What normal ways? ¡° Forest: ¡° Training Center! ¡° TotalBullshit: ¡° @Forest, I call double bullshit - so its triple bullshit and untrue! ¡° GunzoshaExalt: ¡° @TotalBullshit, he might be right - if you dont know how to hold a sword you can learn something there¡­ ¡° DevastatorRexX2: ¡° So guys just learn how to fight, craft etc normally - theres no handholding in this game. And man NPCs are viciously good¡­ ¡° -¡¯ Hmm, the game is certainly controversial. I won¡¯t even check what¡¯s happening on mage forums¡­ ¡®, I thought and wondered what should I be doing in following days. I decided to get better first, maybe meet some friends later and then return to game. Also, I had work to do through the week, so I will need to get done with it too. ============= Hey~, Author¡¯s here~ I hope this slice of life drama haven¡¯t put you to sleep, if so, congrats on long deserved nap :P As mentioned previously I am still working on my entry for Wizards contest so the releases will be delayed here :S As always I will apreciate any comments about this chapter or my work in general. Cheers, Mea, The Space Overlord [ Wait what?! ] [-" Find out at the end of next chapter " ] NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 17 - The Recovering http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=14403 Chapter 17 - The Recovering Chapter 17 - The Recovering Following days passed quickly. I concentrated on recovering from debilitating affliction caused by my extended stay in the capsule. Also, I continued working during those days - I did not want to waste vacation time if I didn¡¯t need to. I remained crippled, but I was getting better and I was able to write on the keyboard relatively fast¡­ -¡¯ If ninety year old grandpa is fast¡­ ¡®, I sighed and started correcting the mistakes caused by my shaking fingers. Few minutes later I was done with the tasks for today. I looked at computer¡¯s clock and sighed again - it took me almost five hours instead of usual one. There was another issue at hand¡­ Screen blinked and another message from Derrick appeared. I was at a loss on what to say to him and he kept pestering me. I sure as hell wasn¡¯t going to tell him that I got sick from overgaming, it was not something he could understand. I clicked blinking button on the screen and Derrick¡¯s face appeared on it. -¡± Paul! Finally mate! How long need I call you? ¡°, he said in feigned exasperation. -¡± Sorry Derrick, I wanted to finish the mail, one explaining why we can¡¯t do something and it¡¯s not our fault¡­ ¡°, I responded quickly with first excuse that came to mind. -¡± Captain Bullshit strikes again, ey? ¡°, he gave me a smile and a wink. I sighed, yet again, I could not understand why do I always have to write letters of explanation to the customers. When my teammates wrote them it only ended with another escalation, but when I wrote them, the customers dropped the issue almost immediately and seemed satisfied¡­ -¡± I don¡¯t get why you guys can¡¯t write them yourselves¡­ ¡°, I responded with my usual complaint and kept thinking on what to say to him when he returns to the main topic. -¡± That¡¯s impossible. You are the only one that can inform the customer that we haven''t fulfilled his request in a way that he is actually happy about that ¡°, Derrick waved his hand in front of him in negation, then continued. -¡± Anyway, you haven¡¯t told me about yesterday¡¯s yet. So who was it? Somebody from Netherlands? Germany? ¡°, Derrick inquired insistently and I decided that there¡¯s no use explaining. -¡¯ Pff, I better go with the flow...or else¡­ ¡®, I thought in resignation. -¡± I don¡¯t know, some dude that was passing through the bar¡­ ¡°, I said slowly, already preparing to sell him some vague bullshit. -¡± Camon! You must have, at least, known who you are drinking with! ¡°, Derrick enthusiastically started digging for answers. -¡± I don¡¯t really know¡­ it was some guy from some small country far away¡­ but I don¡¯t really remember... ¡°, I said pretending thoughtfulness. -¡± Small country? Then you must remember! Tell me! ¡°, Derrick was never the one that could not bite the bait. -¡± We drank a vodka...or three¡­ I don¡¯t really know¡­ but I think he was from Poland ¡°, I said finally. -¡± That figures! Though I remember you drank with them before¡­ ¡°, he said in wonder and shook his head. -¡± Well, there¡¯s always somebody better Derrick. Anyway is there anything else you wanted? ¡°, I said calmly, I was happy that I managed to deceive him. Derrick was just too much of the gossip guy to tell him anything compromising that did not involve drinking... -¡¯ Heh, with his weak head he probably have plenty of things to hide himself ¡®, I smirked at the thought. -¡± What about today then? Lets go to bar and fight poison with poison! I bet you will feel better! ¡°, Derrick said expectantly and I could see through him like through transparent glass. -¡± Forget it Derrick, even now you would go blind before you would get close to outdrinking me. Not to mention that I would sooner visit the toilet rather than the floor ¡°, I said and gave him look of pity. -¡¯ That should get him good ¡®. -¡± Meh, Understood. Though when you are better we are going drinking! ¡°, Derrick said and disconnected the call, I could see sour expression on his face. Glad that I was finally free of Derrick¡¯s attention I went on and taken care of other issues that arose in meantime¡­ First off, I logged in and terminated subscription plans at the three MMO¡¯s which I was playing before picking up ArCiel. I opened mailbox and scanned inquiring emails which asked why I was not present on raids during the weekend. I was feeling a bit bad for not showing up, but since I unwittingly marathoned sixty two hours I didn¡¯t dwell on it. I wrote several emails to the Guild Masters, Raid Leaders, Battleground Organizers and Arena Teams, apologizing and informing them that I will be awol for undetermined amount of time¡­ due to some life circumstances¡­ -¡¯ Though I haven¡¯t specified which life I had in mind ¡®, I smirked to myself. Next, I drafted another kind of email. It was different from other ones, since it was meant for my three friends. We could not meet up much anymore, but we still could contact each other online. I wondered if they gotten ArCiel too, it would be nice to meet up in such a game, almost like in the old days. I pressed the send button. As I sat and wondered what to do next, I tried to moisten my dried lips. At that moment I noticed that my throat is extremely dry¡­ -¡¯ ...but I am not thirsty in the least! ¡®, I thought quickly and realized that I have not drank anything for last... I didn¡¯t even know how many days that was... ...and I was not thirsty at all. -¡¯ That is no joking matter! No wonder I had problems speaking ¡®, I thought and rushed¡­ or rather wobbled downstairs. In kitchen I quickly gotten some bottled water and drank a bit - I was glad that I remembered that after dehydration drinking large quantities of water could be fatal. I was wondering what was going on¡­ -¡¯ Hmm, could it be that my body is still affected by partial stasis? ¡®. -¡¯ It¡¯s possible that my stomach not yet activated, but I do not understand the lack of need for water intake ¡®. -¡¯ Though stasis is supposed to reduce need for water as well as food and other bodily functions - even air¡­ though I am quite sure I am breathing normally ¡®. -¡¯ Lets assume that my body is still in partial stasis, with both water and food intakes reduced¡­ I guess I will actually need to eat something to get back¡­ at least I hope that my conclusions are correct and the dulled senses will return to normal ¡®, I analyzed the problem calmly. I got to the sofa in the living room and gotten out my cell phone. I ordered some food from the restaurant. Later, the meal arrived and I ate some, while taking small sips of water. I explored my feelings, but still I could not feel any satiety or thirst. I thought about it a bit more and programmed my cell with some alarms, to know when I need to eat and drink. I hoped that the problem was temporary. I decided that it was good time for a bit of stability, before I get back in game... Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Few days were spent in the same manner. I slept whenever I could. I worked. Ate when the phone rang. Exercised weakly in the evenings, then walked and finally marched ( I was never one to run ). After five days I finally recovered. I could almost feel my senses as I should, same as the cravings - to eat and to drink. And after everything was almost as it should, I looked at the calendar and decided to watch out for my health in the future¡­ -¡± Damn! I wasted almost a freakin¡¯ week! ¡°, I exclaimed loudly, aggravated by all the time lost during my recovery. I had gotten back to my PC and sniped some noobs in FPS, an activity which had been put on hold due to my shaking hands. Calmed by that activity I turned off the game and scanned my mailbox. Between emails, which I received in return for my absence notifications, I saw one sent by Michael. My long time friend was as dull as ever¡­ ¡° Greetings, I hope you are well. I am also playing ArCiel and I am currently traveling on the ship, so let me know where you are - there¡¯s a chance we will meet. I have become a merchant-priest, so knowing your playstyle, theres high chance that you will have something interesting to sell. Regards, Edmund ¡° I looked at the mention of his profession in surprise. -¡¯ Merchant-priest? What the heck is it exactly, I wonder ¡®. I shrugged and sent him a reply, with the city name and meeting place. Then I continued scanning other messages. Among them, I found one that was from one acquaintance I did not want to meet, especially with my current avatar... ¡± Yo! I am on the ship with Michael, let me know where to meet. I have gotten plenty of bounties lately, but I am broke again and Michael is as stingy as ever :P Cia, Axel Drach PS I love that game, you wouldn¡¯t know any nice girls and bars out there? PS 2 You have some money on hand, as always, right? This time I will totally pay you back! ¡° Suddenly, I felt shivers and had premonition of doom. I quickly checked my previous message and looked in horror at the single line of text: ¡° CC: [email protected] ¡° -¡¯ Noooo! ¡®, I screamed soundlessly remembering Axel¡¯s antics¡­ and how much money and items he cost me. -¡± I can totally just not meet them, right? ¡°, I said to myself doubtfully. Knowing full well that being in the same city as Axel is bad. I counted meeting Axel as one of the worst things that happened in my life. Initially it seemed innocent enough, just some really skilled player, with whom we formed a standing party. Then we invited him to the guild and it seemed well. Until he just decided that there¡¯s not enough action¡­ and went to some backwater keep belonging to the biggest guild on the server. It still eludes me how he had gotten himself ragtag army of nobodys, but he did. We just woken up to find our flag placed on top of that damn keep and to declaration of war from The Immortal Legion. Following weeks were a nightmare - sige after sige after siege¡­ We have lost three keeps and plenty of resources, though thanks to the Michael, who somehow convinced some major guilds to join the fray, we managed to survive¡­ -¡¯ I still don¡¯t get why Michael is staying with that guy ¡®, I thought fruitlessly. I was unable to figure out the reason, but the problem remained. Axel kept reappearing like a cockroach in every game Michael was playing. If not for Michael and my friends, I would have ditched long ago and started anew¡­ -¡¯ Yes! That¡¯s the idea! I will just not meet him and pretend I do not know anything if need be! They do not know my avatar! ¡®, I smiled in relief and sent the message to Michael informing him that we will not be able to meet. I tried to convince myself that, hopefully, Axel would not arrive in the city since the meeting¡¯s cancelled¡­ I sighed and decided that it is finally time to get back in game. As I entered the capsule, I counted that I had eighteen in game hours today. Soon the capsule was closed and metal ring moved over my head. Familiar darkness enveloped me¡­ * * * * * I opened my eyes and found myself in the lobby. Starry expanse of darkness reverberated with distant electronic music. I closed my eyes again and said: -¡± System Action: Login, Set timer eighteen hours ¡°. Darkness descended and with a flash¡­ * * * * * ...I found myself in the near empty room. Wooden parquet flooring, bearskin and pile of pillows. I looked around and found the pile of books, though I was not able to find the Maids. I decided to not dwell on the details and just get on with the books. I still had to decide on the type of magic I am going to learn. Message from my friend reminded me that I just lost half a month of in game time and I still couldn¡¯t cast a single spell... -¡¯ Not that it will change today ¡®, I thought and then noticed familiar unfamiliar sensation. I was having same out of place feelings, that I kept feeling since I gotten back from my extended stay. I realized that I had the same feelings in my own body¡­ just haven¡¯t paid much attention to them. -¡¯ Hmm, strange. How come I feel out of place both here and outside¡­ Well, it¡¯s probably good that I feel it now, I guess¡­ ¡®, I shook my head and started exercising. Soon the feeling of displacement was gone, though I was still quite keen of the differences between this and my original body... I took deep breath to calm the anxiety I was feeling and took a book. It was surprisingly hard to concentrate and read it, but I managed¡­ [ Following days ] My schedule altered to accommodate - I worked and exercised a bit during the day . Then I logged in and read books during the night. And then I was done with the work and could concentrate on game fully¡­ ======= Hey~, Author¡¯s Here~ I would like to give special thanks to ¡® mataneloro ¡® whose keen eye and honest feedback helped me improve both my novel and a short story which I wrote for contest ( here¡¯s link if you want to read it : http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=14096 ). Thank you, mataneloro ! Also, Let me know what you think about today¡¯s chapter? Was it too plain? Also, do you think that Axel should pop up in the story or not? Anyway next chapter is back in game :) [ Finally! ] Cheers, Mea NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 18 - The Adventuring ( Part 1 ) http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=14481 Chapter 18 - The Adventuring ( Part 1) Chapter 18 - The Adventuring ( Part 1) After I was done with Sunday¡¯s work, I logged in to ArCiel. Last few days were uneventful, filled with work and book reading. Normally, if the subject is interesting, I can read continuously for several hours straight, and I was very interested in magic...but... I looked at books sprawled on the floor and could not find any inclination to read them. It somehow disappeared right after I logged in¡­ I moved around in dance like steps, trying to decide what to do now. I found it strange that idle twirling around could keep me occupied, while books couldn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t stifle feeling of wonder when I moved, especially when I was able to perform acrobatic motions, which I could not do properly in real life. I made a cartwheel and succeeded despite heavy costume I was wearing. I looked at the books again and forced myself to pick up one. It turned out to be one that I read already. It was outlining Channeling techniques and got me really interested in that Casting System. I could not shake restlessness, which kept gnawing at me. I kept feeling my newfound mana and could not even use it. -¡¯ Argh! ¡®, I despaired, while looking around the wooden room. My reason barely kept in check my desire to try the magic here. I could not stand my anguish and gave up. -¡± Damn it, I will just go try it somewhere else ¡°, I exclaimed and moved to the door. Last slivers of reason made me back away and put on both scarf and a hat. I walked outside my room and found myself at the end of the long corridor. Without hesitation I moved forward, heading for the stairs. As I neared the stairs, I saw that there was someone sitting at the table near them. I paid no heed to a boy that was reading the book, but as I passed him he suddenly stopped me. -¡± Ey? Wait! Where are you going? ¡°, he asked in slightly panicked voice. I looked at him and noticed that he seemed to be around twelve year old, had chubby face and big brown eyes. His clothes were plain, but neat. -¡± Outside ¡°, I answered simply, disregarding him on the spot. His face reddened in panic. -¡± Wait, you can¡¯t! ¡°, he said quickly and insistently. -¡± Why? Is something the matter? ¡°, I stared at him blankly, wondering why he is so stirred up. -¡± Yes! Your clothes, you can¡¯t go in them ¡°, he exclaimed and I had to agree with him. My costume was not the best thing for touring the city. Also, I was curious what exactly is he doing here. -¡± And why does it matter to you? ¡°, I asked and realized that he was probably posted here by the maids. -¡± I am supposed to watch over this floor¡­ ¡°, he said quickly, but I interjected him: -¡± Then can you get me some plain clothes? Something with a hat... ¡°, he blinked at that, but was quick on the uptake. -¡± Yes. Please wait in your room, I will bring you something soon ¡°, he said quickly and bolted to the stairs. Before he went down, he gave me one last anxious look, making sure that I am not going down. I giggled at his openness and hardworking attitude. I returned to my room and started undoing various claps and knots of my costume. I had no time to even start properly when I heard knock at the door. I let the boy in and checked what did he bring me - soft leather laced up boots, brown tunic and breeches, mesh green woolen cape and pointy wide brimmed felt hat. I liked the clothes that he brought. -¡± Nice clothes, well done¡­ what was your name again? ¡°, I praised him and asked for his name. As I looked at him he seemed flustered and anxious for some reason¡­ -¡¯ Ahh, that¡¯s right. My murderers mark ¡®, I forgot that my Mark would shine without my scarf and hat. -¡± Don¡¯t worry, I am Almisha. I won¡¯t hurt you, I promise ¡°, I said sympathetically and smiled. -¡± Ah...um...nicetomeetyou! I¡¯m Nolbert! ¡°, he unleashed almost incomprehensible barrage of words and bowed nervously. I looked at him, trying to figure out reason behind his strange behaviour. I tilted my head and gave up. I did not want to waste time. -¡± Samewise. Now Nolbert could you help me with getting out of this thing? ¡°, I said and inclined my costume. He looked at me and seemed ready to bolt, like a scared rabbit. I reacted on instinct, before he had chance to escape I positioned myself between him and the door. He made a step back. I could not understand why he was backing away from me, while breathing heavily. -¡± Umm...I...need to go¡­really... ¡°, he said looking at me with big eyes of cornered animal. -¡± Not yet... ¡°, I said slowly and he looked me over strangely, then swallowed hard. -¡± Not before you help me with that. There¡¯s no way I can get to those damn knots on my back ¡°, I said in annoyance and pointed on my back. I was puzzled by his relieved expression at my words. -¡± Y...Yes, I can do that ¡°, he said while nodding his head, he seemed like he tried to convince himself of something. After Nolbert undid the clasps on my back, I sent him away. I was struggling for at least forty minutes to get out of my costume. I really missed Maids help. Eventually I gotten into my new clothes. They were a bit too large and didn¡¯t fit me too well, but it wasn¡¯t bad enough to complain¡­ and they felt so light in comparison to my costume. It was surreal. I felt sudden surge of elation and could not stop myself from trying to do a flip. To my surprise I succeeded before losing balance and falling on my butt. I laughed at sudden rush of adrenaline. I jumped to my feet and grabbed mesh green hat from the floor. Before leaving I took scarf from my costume and wrapped it around my face. I did not give a damn about red and green combo. As I passed Nolbert while rushing to the stairs I said chirpily: -¡± Thanks for help, I will be back...sometime later ¡°, then I laughed and ran downstairs. On the ground floor, I slowed down and decided to leave through coach house. Plain clothes I had did not fit with expensive stuff worn by the customers of the tea house. I went on the street and joined the flow of people. I walked with spring in my step, though I was unsure where I was heading to yet. Vibrant atmosphere of the city and my curiosity melded in unstoppable feeling of freedom. Freedom which I did not know that I was missing so severely. I remembered that almost a month had passed since release of ArCiel. I was curious how adventurers were faring now, as I saw only occasional newbie running errands, nothing close to the beginning when you could find them at every step. Without hesitation, I approached guardsman. -¡± Excuse me, could you tell me where all the Adventurers had gone? I was away for a bit and now I see precious few of them ¡°, I said openly and received stern glance for my effort. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.I felt sudden surge of excitement at the thought that he might notice that I am covering my identity. -¡± Most of them took up normal work, mainly as mercenaries or crafters. I believe many of them don¡¯t even admit that they are Adventurers anymore. If you want to find some try Mercenary guild or something¡­ ¡°, guardsman said finally, suspiciousness draining from him. -¡± Thank you, Sir. Keep up good work ¡°, I said chirpily and walked away. -¡¯ Hmm, I wonder what kind of work those mercenary tasks are about ¡®, I wondered, distinctly itching for some kind of change. I was at a loss whether I should find a calm place to practice or visit the guild¡­ My need for decision disappeared when I turned at the corner. Ahead of me I saw wooden sign depicting sword and wand crossed on the purse of coins. I smirked at that and soon found myself inside big building. First two floors were made of stone, while top two floors were wooden. Inside, on the ground floor, I found packed earth floor, several heavy tables, multitude of benches and sizable counter. Along the walls were rows of notice boards, covered with scraps of parchment. Between all the equipment veritable crowd of vastly different people gathered. I did not want to stand in the entrance like some bumpkin and walked inside. I quickly scanned the boards, looking for signs of some kind of ranking system, but i found none. I shrugged and investigated closest notice board. I blinked. -¡¯ Hmm, interesting ¡®, I thought as I categorized what was in front of my eyes. Mainly I could see simple job requests - like weeding! Actually, that was a job offer for gardener at some mansion. Anyway, apart from typical job offers you could find at any Job Center in RL, I noticed some requests that fit more into game category. I categorized them in three general categories - bounty letters, like for wanted criminals, rare plants or animal parts; assistance requests, for miscellaneous kind of one time works, bodyguard services or investigation of something for example; and subjugation requests, when there was one ruffian too much in the woods. I sighed wistfully. I wanted to do something simple for a change¡­ I stared blankly at the notice board wondering where I should go to train my magic. -¡¯ I need something bare - like plain earth or stone ¡®. -¡¯ Hm, docks would probably suffice, but they are too ostensible ¡®. -¡¯ I bet Mages Guild has some training space, but I could get exposed¡­ ¡®. -¡± Excuse me, are you taking that request? ¡°, sudden voice brought my attention back. -¡± What? ¡°, I responded in surprise, while turning to the speaker. -¡± I was asking whether you are going to take that investigation request that you are staring so intently at ¡°, he said calmly and confidently. I looked at him and blinked in surprise. I recognized dark reddish mane of unruly hair which hanged just past the ears and intense blue eyes in which I gazed so intently last time we met, when I killed him. It was the boy from Training Center, though he didn¡¯t look like a newbie anymore. I was shocked by his change, he seemed marginally more muscular, but what surprised me was his presence. No longer one of the hapless boy and more of the, well, young man¡­ I shook my head. -¡± Please, go ahead and take it if you want ¡°, I responded softly, I hoped that he won¡¯t remember my voice. He smiled and I relaxed in relief. -¡¯ Great, he didn¡¯t notice ¡®. -¡± Thank you! If you are looking for people you can come with us. We could use one more person ¡°, he said and gave me another big smile. -¡¯ Ok, now he looks like a noob again¡­ ¡®, I thought while looking at his innocently grinning face. I was struggling with the decision. My reason screamed to just walk away, but it had tough time facing against wicked idea of joining newbie¡¯s invitation. What tipped the scales was my need to finally get some adventure going. I nodded. -¡± I will gladly accept your invitation ¡°, I responded happily. Suddenly his expression turned to that of the pure horror. -¡¯ Oh, damn he might have picked on my voice ¡®. -¡± Is something the matter? ¡°, I said in wispy voice, trying to conceal my blunder. He shook his head and smiled at me weakly. -¡± Ah, sorry. Some bad memory is all. Please do not worry¡­ but you are not an assassin by any chance? ¡°, he said and suddenly inquired intently. I blinked and responded instantly. -¡± I am not a mage, but I practice magic if you need to know¡­ ¡°, I said, this time remembering to use soft voice. -¡¯ Well, it¡¯s not a lie anyway ¡®, I smirked to myself. -¡± Ah, sorry for asking ¡°, he apologized. -¡± Some kind of problem with an assassin? ¡°, I inquired innocently. -¡± Yes, though please do not mind it. Anyway, we need to go, we can¡¯t keep others waiting. Please wait outside while I complete the formalities ¡°, he said in apologetic tone. I nodded in understanding. I watched as he picked the request and headed for the counter. I shrugged and went to wait outside. Soon I was joined by him. Again, he ruined his capable outlook by blundering his first sentence. -¡± I am sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I am called Forest, nice to meet you ¡°, he said and bowed. I gave him a nod in return. -¡± Don¡¯t worry about it. I am called A...udentia, nice to meet you too ¡°, I said softly and stuttered on my name. He straightened up and smiled at my hesitation knowingly. -¡¯ Heh, if he only knew what the hesitation was truly about ¡®, I smiled under my scarf. -¡± Anyway, let us meet the rest of the group ¡°, he said warmly and started leading the way. In the meantime he explained about his party. -¡± There¡¯s four of us. Lysanthir, he¡¯s an elf and he¡¯s really good with the spear. Hamon, he claims to be a bard, though he is using great axe... Well, he can sing so I guess it¡¯s ok. Also, there¡¯s Wolga, she¡¯s...special. Just don¡¯t say that she¡¯s barbarian or you will get hi¡­ ¡°, he was interrupted by sudden blow to the abdomen. I watched as he fell to the ground. -¡± Who are you calling the barbarian? Whelp! ¡°, muscular woman said aggressively, while towering over Forest and me¡­ ===== Hey~, Author¡¯s here~ Forest is back :) [ Kill him again! ] [ -¡± ¡­ ¡° ] [ *smack* Ouch ] Khem, anyway I hope you will like The Adventuring chapter. Comments are appreciated as always. Cheers, Mea NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 18.5 - The Adventuring ( Part 2 ) http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=14818 Chapter 18.5 - The Adventuring ( Part 2 ) Chapter 18.5 - The Adventuring ( Part 2 ) I was shocked. Before me stood vision of pure horror¡­ -¡± A she-Conan bodybuilder! ¡° I muttered in panic at the terrible sight. -¡± What did you say? ¡° Deep, but surprisingly feminine voice resounded. I shook my head, and on reflex, I took a step back. At that moment I regained my composure. -¡± I asked what are you, if not a barbarian, then? ¡° I said boldly while straightening up, and looked the giantess in the eye. -¡± How dare you! You little¡­ ¡° she said angrily while leaning forward menacingly. I looked at the muscled mountain of flesh before me. -¡¯ I can¡¯t kill her bare handed! ¡® I thought in a bout of panic, but I calmed down. -¡¯ I will just use magic. ¡® I forcefully suppressed my doubts about my experience in that matter. Giantess took a step forward and raised her fist. I took on a defensive pose, with my legs spread wide, preparing to dodge. I felt for the flow of my mana and tried gathering it at tips of my fingers. I watched, as the giantess started moving her fist, and I started to move as well. Sudden movement made me lose my focus, concentrated power turned purple and escaped my fingers. -¡± Stop! Wai...aaaargh! ¡° Forest jumped between us, and got in the way of Giantess¡¯s blow and my escaping magic. Grazed by the elbow and jolted by the sudden arc of lightning he was thrown backwards. -¡± Are you alright? ¡° -¡± Are you alive? ¡° We, me and the giantess, exclaimed simultaneously. We looked at Forest¡¯s body limply sprawled on the ground, still twitching from small discharges of electricity. -¡± Argh! What will I do? I don¡¯t want to be arrested! ¡° Giantess panicked, jumped to Forest¡¯s body, picked it up and started running. I had no choice, but to follow her. I was trapped in a circle of onlookers, and could hear sounds of incoming guardsmen, and only way out was through the path made by a giantess. I ran and noticed a bearded guy and an elf running after me. I tried to speed up, but it was not that easy since I had to keep my hat from falling off. Giantess barreled forward, and somehow, I was closing on her. Unfortunately so did the guys behind me. Suddenly, giantess turned right and ran into an alley. I saw a big wagon blocking the way in front of me and did the same. I ran on uneven cobblestones of the alley, doing my best not to slip on trash or dung. I could hear two pursuers behind me. I could see alley in front of me making a sharp ¡®L¡¯ turn and giantess disappearing behind the corner. In a spur of the moment, during the turn, I jumped on the perpendicular wall and ran on vertical surface for a moment. I had no idea how I managed that feat, but it felt great. My elated mood was suddenly dashed by the sight in front of me¡­ -¡¯ It¡¯s a dead end! ¡® I thought in panic, seeing a giantess¡¯s form standing idly while being surrounded by three walls. I stopped and turned back to face two pursuers who just appeared from behind the corner. I strained my ears, but could not hear any further signs of pursuit¡­ -¡¯ Which means those two need to go down. ¡® I assessed my situation quickly and opened my arms widely. I wished I could close my eyes, but I had to make do. I felt for my mana, trying to gather it in my hands¡­ -¡± Wait! We are not guards! ¡° Elf grew pale and exclaimed in panic. I blinked and noticed that the elf had a spear and bearded guy had an axe. -¡± Oh, so you must be Forest¡¯s friends then. ¡° I said in relief as I made necessary connection with Forest¡¯s earlier mention of his party. I calmed down lowering my arms and letting the mana settle in my body. -¡± That we are. I take it that Forest invited you to the party. Let me introduce myself then. I am Hamon, pleased to meet you. ¡° He said openly and grinned widely. He was stockily built, really tall and looked like he was in his late thirties. Despite his beard, or maybe thanks to it, he seemed really friendly and nice. His wide nose and blocky teeth, exposed by the grin, made me feel welcomed and accepted. -¡± Samewise. I am Audentia, thank you for a warm welcome. ¡° I said smilingly and nodded. Elf, which had been leaning on a spear, took that moment to speak out. -¡± You have my greetings as well. I am Lysanthir of the woodland folk. May our roads intertwine in peace. ¡° He said officially and I was impressed by his uniquely elvish greeting. He was slender and tall, as all of the elves are. His skin looked like it had been tanned to the perfect golden shade. It matched well with his calm, almond shaped eyes of light brown color, riddled with playful golden specks. His face struck unlikely balance between sharp, angular features and soft, mellow lines. Irregular haircut, with long bangs, reached just below his ears adding willful tang to his resolute expression. Our talk was suddenly interrupted by the exasperated giantess. -¡± Forest! You are alive! Thank the gods. ¡° She exclaimed. -¡± I am sorry for hitting you! I didn¡¯t mean to. I won¡¯t do it again, I promise¡­ ¡° She said apologetically and then corrected herself. -¡± Unless you say something rude again. ¡° -¡± Don¡¯t worry Wolga, Forest¡¯s a sturdy lad, he will be fine. ¡° Hamon said soothingly. -¡± Right lad? ¡° -¡± Yhea , I am fine. ¡° Forest said with pained smile on his face. Big bruise prominent on his cheek. -¡± Anyway¡­ ¡° ,he stood up, -¡± for that unfortunate first meeting I am truly sorry. I hope you will not hold it against us and join our company. ¡° He exclaimed earnestly and bowed deeply before me. I was caught off guard by his apology and wasn¡¯t sure how to respond... -¡± Ahh, it¡¯s all right. Don¡¯t worry¡­ I am sorry for electrocuting you. ¡° I thought it was right to apologize, so I did, and curtsied on reflex. -¡± Please don¡¯t worry about it. ¡° He quickly responded with embarrassed expression. -¡± You already know Lysanthir and Hamon, therefore let me introduce Wolga. She might seem frightening and brutish¡­ ¡° He faltered, when giantess raised her fist threateningly, -¡± ...at first, but she is really reliable and kind if you get to know her better. ¡° He finished quickly and giantess¡¯s expression softened. -¡± As he said. Sorry for that little quarrel back then, but I hate when people make fun of my looks. ¡° She said and actually sounded sincere. -¡± Then why did you choose to look like a barbarian? ¡° I couldn¡¯t stop myself from asking. -¡± I am not a barbarian! ¡° She exclaimed angrily. -¡± A bodybuilder then? ¡° Somehow the question seemed both deliciously wrong and right, so I just had to ask it. -¡± Argh! I had enough, I will tear that wretched little¡­ ¡° She flared in rage and took a step forward, but Forest clutched her arm. -¡± Wolga, please calm down. You must admit that it¡¯s a valid question. I am sure there¡¯s no ill will behind it! ¡° Forest pleaded desperately while hanging on her bulky arm. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. -¡± Fine. ¡° Giantess hanged her arms in defeat. -¡± I just wanted to be strong and whack stuff around, but now everyone is making fun of me! ¡° -¡¯ Isn¡¯t that what a barbarian is? ¡® Somehow I managed to keep that comment to myself. -¡± How is that right? If I was some dude everyone would be perfectly fine with it! ¡° She exclaimed in exasperation. I had to admit that she had a valid point there. I looked at her again. Bulging, thick muscles and strong tan were the most prominent things I saw. I shuddered at the thought of misshapen things I once saw on the Net, which could be barely considered human, but Wolga¡¯s frame was still feminine despite her robust muscles. She had bob cut, black hair reaching her shoulders. Her face could be considered good-looking, thanks to its chiseled features, straight nose, pouty lips and thick, but softly angled jaw. After actually looking at her I could no longer detest her. -¡± At least no one will expect you to know tailoring and cooking. ¡° I told old joke to lighten the mood. -¡± True that. ¡° She smirked and turned to Forest. -¡± So what kind of request did you get us? ¡° Everyone relaxed as the tension disappeared. -¡± Do you remember that abandoned village few hours of walk from the city? ¡° Forest asked and I blinked in surprise. His bruise disappeared when I wasn¡¯t looking. -¡± Abandoned? Ha, more like haunted. There¡¯s at least five different stories and three ballads about that place. ¡° Hamon said bashfully. -¡± And let me guess, we are going scouting? ¡° -¡± Well¡­ we are to investigate it¡­ ¡° Forest said cautiously while his look just screamed that he is concealing something. -¡± ...and the pay is really, really good, right Forest? ¡° Hamon interjected neatly in Forest¡¯s stutter. -¡± Umm¡­ yes. ¡° Forest said doubtfully. -¡± And what is that little detail you have not mentioned yet? ¡° Hamon kept cornering Forest. -¡± We have to check if there¡¯s...the necromancer out there! ¡° Forest finally blurted out the truth. -¡± So we are to meet the necromancer, at a haunted village and return alive? ¡° Lysanthir summarized it calmly. -¡± Are you bloody insane? This is way bigger than us. ¡° Hamon summarized it not so calmly. -¡± B-But he might not be there! ¡° Forest defended himself. -¡± And there¡¯s twenty gold¡­ ¡° -¡± Ok, lets go. ¡° Hamon suddenly agreed and indicated that he is ready to leave right now. -¡± Wait, are you going to go, just like that? ¡° I asked dumbfounded and looked at the others. -¡± Well, Hamon and gold¡­ you get the idea. ¡° Lysanthir shrugged apologetically. -¡± Also, I doubt necromancer¡¯s really there... ¡° -¡± I don¡¯t mind bashing few skeletons¡­ ¡° ,Wolga said simply, -¡± ...and some thin and sick looking guy on top of them. ¡° In exasperation, I looked at the one who came with that ridiculous idea. -¡± So will you join us, Audentia? ¡° Forest looked at me pleadingly and I squinted my eyes¡­ However long I looked I could not see manipulative bastard that must have been hiding somewhere inside that innocent looking boy. Just that puppy eyed look of expectation¡­ -¡± Fine, I will go... ¡° ,I said finally, -¡¯ ...but I am going to make bloody sure that you stay there forever if the necromancer¡¯s really there! ¡® I thought to myself. -¡± Great! Welcome to the Team! ¡° Wolga exclaimed and suddenly rushed me, before I knew, I was spun in the air. I barely had time to grab my hat and keep it on my head. As suddenly as I was taken I was put back on the ground. I looked around, at the grinning faces, and admitted to myself that I didn¡¯t mind the ride. -¡± Thank you for having me. ¡° I said and curtsied. Wolga suddenly squeezed Forest, who was unfortunate enough to stand closest to her. -¡± Isn¡¯t she just too adorable! I would pay to see her do that in a dress¡­ ¡° ,Wolga exclaimed excitedly while Forest¡¯s ribs cried for mercy, -¡± ....or just without the hat! ¡° -¡± If you so much as grab my hat I am going to kill you¡­ ¡° I responded coldly and looked at everyone intently -¡± ...all of you. Understood? ¡° Expression of the three men suddenly grew stiff and pale while Wolga remained unaffected by my killing intent. -¡± Perfectly. ¡° Hamon and Lysanthir agreed blankly while Forest nodded fervently. -¡± What? Wouldn¡¯t you like to see her without that hat? ¡° Wolga asked simply and released Forest to extend her arm to me. -¡± Please, don¡¯t! ¡° Hamon grabbed her extended arm and pleaded. -¡± Pff, and here I thought that you, men, would really want to see what she looks like under that hat. ¡° Wolga said with confused expression on her face. -¡± Ofcour¡­ ¡° Hamon started, but faltered when he felt my gaze on his back -¡± Ofcourse not. We are gentlemen after all, right guys? ¡° -¡± Definitely. ¡° Lysanthir agreed with resolute, though pale expression. Forest nodded in accord, his ribs still sore if his pained expression was any indication. -¡± Fine, lets go then. We still have to walk there¡­ ¡° ,Wolga said flatly, -¡± ...and we better not explore that haunted place during the...n-night ¡° She stuttered at the end and I started wondering if that beast of the woman could be afraid of ghosts. -¡± Ha, let us depart then. Shining treasures of glory await. ¡° Hamon exclaimed lightheartedly and uplifted the atmosphere instantly. Soon we were on our way out of the city¡­ ======= Hey~, Author¡¯s here~ My hype meter is over nine thousand! One hundred followers finally! :D Thank you for your support and encouragement, and remember that I am not some weak author, but an Overlord - therefore if you see anything that needs improvement don¡¯t hesitate to tell me. Also, Seems like perfect timing to finish casting my translation enchantment. :D Cos, as it turns out, I have just completed my research on the translation enchantment for my scrying mirror. Let me know how you like the new style and if you have any suggestions - it is entirely possible for that enchant to need some tweaking here and there :) And last but not least - comments about the chapter - my thirst for them is unceasable :) Cheers, Mea, The Overlord Followed by One Hundred and Two PS Don¡¯t worry, I see you, precious Chosen ( now Sixteen of you :) ). After all Favour is the best driving force for my research, I hope you really will like my new style. NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 19 - The Adventuring ( Part 3) http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=14997 Chapter 19 - The Adventuring ( Part 3 ) Chapter 19 - The Adventuring ( Part 3 ) We left the alley nervously, though our caution turned out to be unnecessary as the guards were not looking for us. Relieved by that fact, we made our way out of the city. -¡± So, Hamon, what can you tell us about that village? ¡° Lysanthir inquired casually. -¡± Ha! The usual. ¡° Hamon grinned widely and started spinning his tale. -¡± Some years back a mage got tired of the politics and decided to settle down in some calmer place. At that time Vilfost Hamlet was quite a sight, or so I was told. Rolling green hills, golden expanses of wheat, serene thickets and small ponds hidden here and there¡­ ¡° ,He made a dramatic pause and continued, -¡± ...all in all a perfect place to settle down and get a breather. Especially considering regional weather thus far. ¡° He gestured widely and we had to agree, thus far the weather consisted of occasional warm rains and sunny days all around. -¡± Do you think that we may make a detour and visit one of those ponds? ¡° Wolga asked hopefully. Lysanthir nodded his agreement. -¡± That would be great, we could swim some and I bet water¡¯s warm! ¡° Forest exclaimed happily. -¡± Woah, wait. Don¡¯t jump yer horses yet. ¡° Hamon held his arms high. -¡± Let me finish the story first. ¡° Then he cleared his throat and continued. -¡± So, as I was saying, the mage came in and as usual everything went well. He made crops grow better, healed pains, banished diseases and did many other etceteras. Then as expected he had fallen for a girl and began meeting her¡­ ¡° He smiled and made another dramatic pause. -¡± Somehow I have a feeling that it did not end well. ¡° Lysanthir said lightly. -¡± Let me guess. He got rejected or his new wife died soon after and he turned to dark arts. ¡° -¡± Ha! Wrong. ¡° Hamon stated loudly and grinned in satisfaction. -¡± He got shot in the back by a jealous suitor and died on the spot. Suitor on the other hand got hanged for murdering village¡¯s benefactor, his body was burned and spread to the winds. ¡° -¡± Isn¡¯t that a bit anti climatic? ¡° Lysanthir slowly voiced our doubts. -¡± Also, why is the village haunted then? Both of them seem to be well taken care of. ¡° -¡± Heh, and what would happen to mystery and romance?+ ¡° Hamon said good naturedly. -¡± I have some leads, but I have no idea what the truth is. ¡° He stated in satisfaction and seemed unmoved by our blank faces. -¡± So what¡¯s with the ponds? Shall we find one? ¡° Wolga broke the stalemate. -¡± Yhea, we can do that! ¡° Forest agreed. -¡± As I said, hold yer horses. ¡° Hamon dashed their hopes. -¡± I might not know what happened, but the point stands. That place is haunted, or cursed, or both. ¡° -¡± So what did you find out about what happened? ¡° Lysanthir said quietly in wistful voice. -¡± When I spoke with a priest I heard that it was a punishment for the sin. ¡° Hamon said in conspiratory voice. -¡± Mage¡¯s lover was in so much grief after his passing that she took her own life¡­ ¡° , He stopped and looked at us purposefully, -¡± ...but she didn¡¯t know that she was pregnant. Gods cursed her to be forever bound to earth and wander that place in¡­ ¡° Hamon was suddenly interrupted by a loud sniffle. Everyone looked at Wolga which quickly finished clearing her eyes. -¡± What? ¡° She exclaimed angrily, her eyes reddish. -¡± Um, nothing. ¡° Hamon quickly changed the topic and turned away. -¡± Anyway, I also spoke with a bard about that village. He told me that mage was not as good as he seemed, or rather, he was quite atrocious during his stay in the city and was made to retire by other mages. ¡° Hamon took a deep breath and continued. -¡± There are two versions of the story I got from him. In one version peasants burned mages house, not wanting to risk pilfering through mages stock, a wise act indeed. I was referring to not pilfering of course, burning his home was quite retarded. According to that version of the story that did cause some magic, or alchemy, to get loose and contaminate whole place. ¡° -¡± So in other version someone did pilfer mages house, right? ¡° Lysanthir said knowingly. -¡± Damn spoilsport. ¡° Hamon raised his arms in exasperation. -¡± Yes, someone did and supposedly found a cursed book. Afterwards strange things started happening and village was abandoned. ¡° -¡± Umm¡­ ¡° ,Forest started hesitantly, -¡± ...so what¡¯s wrong with the ponds? ¡° -¡± Lad, haven¡¯t you been listening to me? ¡° Hamon exclaimed in exasperation. -¡± The place¡¯s cursed! Your nice ponds most likely turned into swamp¡­¡± ,He took a calming breath, -¡± Not to mention strange fog covering whole place nonstop. ¡° -¡± Shouldn¡¯t you mention that last detail first? ¡° I asked quietly in sudden silence. Hamon paused uneasily at my sudden question. -¡± Ahh, yes, probably. Sorry. ¡° He responded meekly out of a sudden. Silence descended upon us and everyone seemed to be lost in thought. I looked around, noticing that we are already well out of the city. We were following Eastern Highway and wheat fields gave way to green hills. As we got on top of a hill I could see dark line of woods in the distance. As my gaze wandered around green expanse exposed before me I felt myself relax. Soft leather boots were a bit too big, but not uncomfortably so. Calming green view, shining sun slowly descending to the horizon and refreshing feeling of movement made me lose myself. I extended my arms and felt a soft wind passing around me. I wished that I could drop the hat and a scarf, and let my hair fly freely on the wind. In my abandon I could feel a miniscule tingling sensation flowing around my body. It moved in regular motion, slowing and quickening, to match my heart¡¯s beat. I remembered that I was supposed to practice my magic during this journey. -¡¯ Feel the flow¡­ ¡® I smiled to myself recalling excerpts from the Channeling book that I read earlier. I concentrated on the tingling flow inside me, making minute alterations to it. I slowly coaxed it from its normal flow to more agitated and apparent one. -¡¯ Raise the tide, make it surge, tune it up and control it¡­ ¡® I thought as versets swam before my eyes, whole book looked like that - myriads of subjective descriptions on how to turn the mana into aether. I could feel quickened current running around my body. Accelerated energy melded with itself creating friction from which mellow, white feeling arose. Suddenly I noticed that the mellow, white feeling started spreading around, trying to escape. I grasped it and compressed it into a ball, but it kept whirling in circles trying to break free. I realized that I won¡¯t be able to hold it¡­ Then I remembered that I was not supposed to. -¡¯ Activate it, hold it, but let it flow¡­ ¡® I popped the ball of light in my mind and grasped tendrils of escaping power. I imagined myriads of shining balls connected by thin strands into gigantic web of pulsing light. Energy settled into that framework and started to follow it buzzingly. As power grew I created more and more shining stars, then joined them with the web. At one point it became almost reflexive action and I could feel buzzing web slowly swelling up in my mind. Blazing web filled my mind and I could feel that I was beginning to lose it. Though I was supposed to hold it all. In desperation I took the web of light into my own body letting it settle where it would. Suddenly I could feel immense relief as a heavy burden disappeared from my mind. I explored the aftermath, and realized that shining web integrated into my body, creating something like a secondary circuit running parallely to the tingling feeling. Shining points settled in and started something like a power pull between white, mellow energy and tingling sensation of raw mana. I was struck by sudden awareness of my body. Each intake of breath created aether, while every exhalation turned it back into idle mana flow. I finally had mastered my power, white energy ready at my beck and call. No more need for scrapping for it, no more need for squeezing it like a water out of stones. -¡¯ ...and if you succeed you will be able to use your power freely. ¡® I recalled one of the last verses of the book. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I laughed at the energizing current running through my body. -¡± Um, do you think like we should do something? ¡° Hamon said uncertainly. -¡± Like what? I have bad feelings at mere thought of interrupting. ¡° Lysanthir responded doubtfully. -¡± ¡­ ¡° I opened my eyes and looked behind me, I saw everyone looking at me, Forest and Wolga had strange and dumbfounded expressions on their faces. -¡± What? ¡° I asked while tilting my head quizzically. I was quite sure that I haven¡¯t done anything too strange. -¡± Um, you are glowing¡­ ¡° Hamon said directly. -¡± Care to explain? ¡° -¡± Wha¡­ ¡° I looked down on my hands and found them glowing with pearlescent white light. Small sparkles evaporated from my skin in prismatic hue. -¡± Awawa¡­ ¡° I said in surprise. Then gathered my wits. -¡± Argh, sorry it seems that I gathered too much mana. ¡° -¡± So are you a mage? ¡° Lysanthir said calmly though surprise was in his voice. -¡± I have met and read some about them, but I have not heard about that kind of¡­ occurrence. ¡° -¡± Well¡­ ¡° I started cautiously, making sure that my arguments are coherent. -¡± I am not technically a mage, but I am same kind of magic worker. ¡° -¡± Are you a vampire then? You are sparkl¡­ ¡° Forest¡¯s voice suddenly faltered under my vehemently hateful look. -¡± No! ¡° I exclaimed and barely stopped myself from doing or saying something extreme. -¡± I am just using different casting system than most. The difference is ¡­ ¡° I faltered at prospect of lengthy explanation. -¡± The difference is significant and I need to have my mana gathered. Though it seems I did too good of a job and it is now escaping. Understood? ¡° I gave Forest venomous look. -¡± Perfectly. ¡° Hamon grabbed the Forest and sheltered him from my sight. -¡± ...and totally not a vampire. Understood boy? ¡° I could hear weak agreement from behind Hamon. My gaze traveled back to Wolga, which still haven¡¯t moved and stared at me intently. -¡± What is it now? ¡° I asked with tired and annoyed expression. -¡± Hat and scarf and in a dress¡­ ¡° Wolga said in entranced voice while she looked at me intently. -¡± ¡­? ¡° I blinked not understanding what she meant. She kept her intent stare on me so I asked. -¡± What? ¡° Wolga blinked for a moment and it seemed that she recovered her wits. -¡± After we return¡­ ¡° She said in high pitched voice and grabbed her hands with giddy expression on her face. I took a step back, suddenly feeling an imminent danger. -¡± ...I must see you without a hat and scarf! ¡° Her eyes glinted with predatory and greedy look. -¡± And in a dress! Dresses! ¡° She took a step forward while three men tried to stop her. -¡± Wolga! Get a hold of yourself! ¡° Forest exclaimed loudly. -¡± Wolga! ¡° Hamon¡¯s bellowing voice finally penetrated and she turned her attention to him for a moment. -¡± What¡¯s gotten into you! ¡° -¡± Ahh, she¡¯s just too cute! ¡° Wolga pointed at me and our gazes crossed. I suddenly felt like a new doll in front of a child. -¡± I must see her in a dress! ¡° -¡± ...but isn¡¯t she a girl? ¡° Forest asked with utter lack of understanding. Lysanthir shook his head and covered his face with his hand. I could see him trembling. -¡¯ The bastard is laughing! ¡® I thought hatefully. -¡± What are you suggesting? ¡° Wolga suddenly grabbed Forest and raised him in front of her face. -¡± Why do you want to see Audentia in a dress... ¡° Forest said with ignorant and stupefied expression on his face. -¡± Aren¡¯t you a girl too?¡° -¡± Oh, boy¡­ ¡° Hamon covered his eyes with his hand. -¡± What are you thinking about? ¡° Wolga exploded in rage. -¡± You¡­You Pervert!!! ¡° Lack of understanding was evident on his face before resounding smack sent Forest flying through the air. I could feel a sliver of compassion for this hapless boy. -¡± Do you think he is alive? ¡° Lysanthir asked cautiously as he approached Forest¡¯s unmoving form. -¡± Hmph, He may be dead for all I care. ¡° Wolga said intransigently. -¡± I think he is alive. ¡° Hamon said doubtfully. -¡± We better make a camp now. We should be close to the village and this is good place to take a breather before we enter the mists. ¡° I watched as my companions started setting up the camp. Soon flames were dancing on the wood in a ring of stones. I used that time to tweak around with my power, sending big part of it into its inert form. With satisfaction I noticed that my skin was no longer glowing. My stomach growled and I was painfully aware what my Beginner Pouch contained - Myrnuul¡¯s Rations and water jug. I looked expectantly at my teammates, I knew from the start that I will need to compel something out of them. I watched as Hamon took out a wooden box out of his pouch. My expectant gaze looked intently as the box was opened and neat rows of rye bread were exposed in the process¡­ I felt my eyes water at that dire sight. I stared in disbelief when Lysanthir and Hamon started sharing that dreadful launch. Only difference from beginners feast was in the water, or more precisely, they had a tea instead. -¡± This looks like very... ¡° I refused to believe that they were going to eat a plain rye bread. That must had been some kind of joke. -¡± ...plain meal. Don¡¯t you eat anything else? ¡° -¡± No. Better to travel and dine lightly. ¡° Lysanthir answered simply. -¡± Why? Traveling rations are expensive and not that good. Better to fill satiety here, but dine in the city. ¡° Hamon said between distressing bites of hateful substance. -¡± We can share if you are short, otherwise you can beg Wolga. Though we never managed to get anything thus far. ¡° He added and I realized, with embarrassment, that I was caught red handed. Still, I looked hopefully at the other side of the campfire. My mouth watered at the sight of veritable feast slowly being pulled from Wolga¡¯s pouch. Hamon and Lysanthir did the same and vehemently consumed their bread, then reached out for more. Wolga¡¯s gaze travelled over my companions, warning evident in her eyes. Then she looked at me, then at her food, then back at me. -¡± Don¡¯t you have rations by any chance? ¡° She asked as she finally managed to pull out a small cauldron out of her pouch. -¡± Why are you asking? ¡° I responded cautiously while swallowing hard. -¡± I could share¡­ ¡° Wolga said slowly and my gaze fell on various ingredients in front of her. -¡± ...though there is a condition? ¡° -¡± What¡¯s the condition? ¡° I asked dutifully and felt my stomach clench in fear. -¡± When we return to the city I want to see you do that bowing thingy¡­ ¡° Wolga said intently and I felt blood draining from my face. -¡± ¡­ in a dress. ¡° -¡± I don¡¯t have a dress. ¡° I said through clenched throat, feeling of doom held it firmly. -¡± I will arrange something nice. ¡° Wolga said with predatory look on her face. -¡± And then you will show me your cute expressions¡­ ¡° I felt my heart falter. I looked to the side. Lysanthir and Hamon looked between Me and Wolga ,and they consumed rye bread like it was popcorn. Their wide eyed and intent expressions were the same as if they were watching a football match of the century. My gaze wandered to the rye bread, then to the feast, then to Wolga¡¯s predatory eyes. I swallowed hard, this was going to be the hardest decision of my life. ====== Hey~, Author¡¯s here~ Another part of Adventuring chapter is out :) I hope you like it, let me know your thoughts. Cheers, Mea, The Evil Overlord [ I don¡¯t know why you bother with the title - from this chapter and chapter 4 everyone knows that you are evil. ] PS It seems that I really got used to writing around 2k words per chapter. Even when I try I always get around the same amount. NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 19.5 - The Adventuring ( Part 4 ) - Entering the Mists http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=15417 Chapter 19.5 - The Adventuring ( Part 4 ) Chapter 19.5 - The Adventuring ( Part 4 ) -¡± I think I will pass. Thank you for your kind offer. ¡° I said weakly. Humiliation later was not worth the food today. Wolga sighed at my answer and started cooking. With pained feeling, I have extracted dreadful bread out of my pouch and looked at it. -¡¯ I am not that hungry. ¡® I told myself. -'' It¡¯s better to go hungry. ¡® I sighed as I put the bread back in a pouch. Meanwhile Wolga set the cauldron over a fire, filled it with water from a waterskin and started chopping vegetables on the wooden board. Amount of stuff she carried around was astounding. Lysanthir and Hamon laid sprawled on the ground, stuffed with rye bread, but still looking intently at Wolga¡¯s feast. Some time later cauldron was happily bubbling and agonizingly appetizing smell spread around. I could not get goulash, with it¡¯s vegetables, meats and seasonings, out of my mind¡­ Suddenly Forest sprang to his feet and sniffed intently. -¡± What happened? ¡° He asked innocently, while looking around. -¡± When did we set up camp? ¡° -¡± Nice to see you alive boy! ¡° Hamon said openly. -¡± You suddenly fell, so we decided to set up the camp. ¡° -¡± Um¡­ ¡° He looked inquisitively at Hamon. -¡° Why did I fell? ¡° -¡± Hmph. ¡° Wolga snorted. -¡± Let¡¯s just say that you said something¡­ ¡° Hamon responded vaguely. Suddenly Forest fell to his knees in Front of Wolga. -¡± I do not know what I said, but I am sorry! ¡° He apologized earnestly. -¡± I certainly didn¡¯t mean anything bad! You know right? ¡° He asked desperately with wide eyed, pleading expression. Wolga looked at him sternly, but her look softened under Forest¡¯s puppy-eyed expression. She sighed as she responded. -¡± I know, but you¡­ ¡° She hesitated for a moment. -¡± ...you just don¡¯t learn. Do you? ¡° She shook her head. -¡± Ok, I will forgive you, but you better learn how to behave. ¡° -¡± I will work hard! ¡° Forest sprang to his feet and nodded enthusiastically. -¡± I know that you will. ¡° She said wistfully and then whispered quietly to herself. -¡± ...but when will you get it? ¡° Afterwards Forest sat in front of the fire and reached into his pouch. I watched him intently, wondering if there¡¯s anything worth extorting. My interest was piqued as he retrieved a bowl and a spoon¡­ I almost fell over at his next words. -¡± Is it ready? ¡° He said simply. Wolga gave him threatening look, but that did not dissuade him. -¡± I bet it tastes great, like always. ¡° Forest said earnestly. -¡± Wolga¡¯s a great cook after all. ¡° I shook my head in disbelief at Wolga¡¯s suddenly tame expression. Without a word she took a ladle and filled his bowl. My stomach churned as I watched Forest¡¯s frantic eating. -¡± Mmm, it¡¯s perfect! ¡° Forest said with big grin on his face and nodded in approval. -¡± You are the best! ¡° Wolga reddened in embarrassment and filled a bowl of her own. My stomach grumbled at the sight of them eating. I looked to the side and saw Myrnuul¡¯s Club members, Lysanthir and Hamon, looking at Forest with mix of hatred and wistfulness. -¡¯ Argh, this is too much. ¡® I felt like crying when I gave up. I stood up and approached Wolga. -¡± May I have a bowl too? ¡° I said matter of factly. -¡± I reconsidered. ¡° I added tearfully. -¡± Of course. ¡° Wolga gave me a grin and prepared a bowl. -¡± And you must not tell anyone what you see, when you see me without a scarf. ¡° I added thoughtfully as I reached for the bowl. -¡± Now, that made me curious. ¡° Hamon suddenly joined in loudly. -¡± I want to see what¡¯s beneath that scarf too! ¡° -¡± Are you ready to die for that? ¡° I answered threateningly and Hamon suddenly faltered. -¡± On the other hand I am not that curious. Please don¡¯t mind. ¡° Hamon said meekly. -¡± Don¡¯t worry, I am least inclined to laugh at someone¡¯s look. ¡° Wolga took this moment to answer and indicated herself as she spoke. -¡± It¡¯s not a laughing matter. ¡° I said coldly as I took the bowl. In heavy atmosphere I sat down and turned my back on everyone. After lowering my scarf I took the spoon and started eating. Goulash turned out heavenly, it was spicy and had a deep, thick flavor. Before long I was back for seconds and thirds, and in no time at all, Wolga and I, cleared whole cauldron. Myrnuul¡¯s club¡¯s gazes followed us intently. After the feast we rested for some time and then continued on our journey. As early afternoon slowly passed into mid afternoon, and then, into late afternoon we could see gray cloud slowly growing on the horizon. As we approached strands of mists started appearing, growing thicker and thicker. Green grass gave way to it¡¯s brown and withered counterpart. Occasional gnarly, leafless tree menacingly loomed in the distance. Mists converged into gloomy, grey shroud, enveloping everything in it¡¯s wet, prevalent grasp. As we walked the heavy mood grew. Sounds of our steps were dulled by the wet blanket of mists and uneasy silence fell between us, no one wanted to speak in the oppressive atmosphere. I could feel a strange sensation coming from the mists. I could not explain why, but mists seemed alive and, somehow, I felt like I could almost reach out and touch them. -¡± Hmm, seems haunted alright. ¡° Hamon tried to break the mood, but underlying doubt undermined the effort. Lysanthir¡¯s resolute words seemed forced as he asked. -¡± Umm, shouldn¡¯t it be a village? I do not see any buildings. ¡° -¡± Ah. That¡¯s because the mists reach far and wide... ¡° Hamon answered quietly. -¡± It¡¯s still quite a distance from the village. ¡° We cautiously ventured further, dark shapes loomed at the edge of our vision, veiled by the mists. Our movements caused surrounding vapours to stir, wispy strands flowed around us. Sudden shifts brought out an alarming feeling of motion, disconcerting similar to something that might have lurked in the mist. Watching us. -¡± Shh. Do you hear that? ¡° Lysanthir said suddenly and raised his hand. We stopped and strained our ears. I could hear vague sound coming from unknown source. It was barely audible. Creeak. It was a metallic, creaking sound and I could not pinpoint the source. Mists obscured the sound, making it resound from no particular direction. -¡± I do not hear anything. ¡° Wolga said nervously while looking around with panicked expression on her face. -¡± I think it¡¯s this way. ¡° Lysanthir pointed a bit to the side. I was impressed by his sharp sense of hearing. Lysanthir moved forward in the direction that he indicated. As we followed the sound became audible. A weak creak resounded every few seconds. As quietly as we could we proceeded forward and I could see a dark silhouette looming in the mist. Suddenly Hamon bursted with quiet laughter and rushed forward. -¡¯ Haha, it¡¯s only a signpost. ¡° He whispered while pointing. We exhaled in relief as we confirmed that he was right. Old, wooden post stood in front of us. It had a horizontal bar to which wooden plates were affixed with metal hooks, one of them was loose and was the source of a creaking sound. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. -¡± Heh, getting all worked up over a signpost. ¡° Lysanthir said sardonically. -¡± Also, why are you whispering Hamon? ¡° Hamon shrugged, but didn¡¯t respond. -¡± Yeah, it¡¯s only a signpost. No need to get worked over it. ¡° Forest said confidently. I noticed some strange, dark patches on a ground near the signpost. -¡± What do you think is that? ¡° I asked. -¡± Where? ¡° Lysanthir responded in surprise and started looking at what I pointed out. -¡± Hmm¡­ ¡° He leaned down and investigated the patches. Suddenly he sprang to his feet in alarm. -¡± It¡¯s blood! ¡° He whispered intently. Everyone looked around in panic, but we could see few meters around us. Thick, swirling mists impaired our vision. -¡± How come there¡¯s blood here? ¡° Wolga asked in weak voice. -¡± I don¡¯t know, but I do not see any bodies. ¡° Lysanthir whispered. -¡± Though I do see that there¡¯s a blood trail. We can follow it. ¡° -¡± No! ¡° Wolga exclaimed loudly and covered her mouth in horror. -¡± Shh! ¡° Hamon raised his hands, asking for silence and whispered. -¡± We need to investigate only, right? So let just go about that, really quiet, and as soon as we get any proof, we are out of here. Agreed? ¡° We nodded our approval. Without delay we followed Lysanthir, who already started investigating the blood trail. We walked in cage of mists, following Lysanthir¡¯s shadowy form. The terrain became rocky and uneven. Heavy footfalls of Hamon and Wolga seemed deafening in uneasy silence. Suddenly Lysanthir stopped. As we closed in we saw that there was a small ravine there and mist filled it with grayish mass of thick vapour. We looked at each other doubtfully. -¡± Rock-paper-scissors¡­ ¡° Hamon whispered in a very quiet voice. -¡± Looser checks what¡¯s down there. ¡° I watched soundless contest which unfolded afterwards, until Forest made his way to me. As we raised our hands in preparation, he gave me a wide eyed pleading look. -¡¯ Shameless bastard. ¡® I thought. Suddenly he moved and I had to move as well. I was distracted and haven¡¯t thought on what to pick. It was over and I lost. -¡¯ I am going to rip that bastard a new one. ¡® I thought vengefully, then my gaze wandered to the ravine and I swallowed hard. I approached the ravine and dropped a small pebble inside. Almost immediately a dull thud answered. At least the ravine was shallow. I moved to the edge and slowly lowered myself down. For one moment my feet hanged in the air and I was frozen in panic, I didn¡¯t want to just drop down. At that moment my extended feet finally rested on something and I let go of the stony edge. I was at the bottom of the ravine. Mist in the ravine was so thick that I could barely see anything in front of my face. I leaned down and examined the ground. It was a mixture of earth and pebbles, with tiny brook trickling between the stones. I took a step forward, then next. I could see dark shape laying on the ground in front of me. I bent closer and moved my hand to clear the fog for a moment. For a brief moment I could see clearly what was in front of me - a bloodied face, opened in a soundless scream of pain. My heart skipped a beat at that sight. It took a lot of effort to not scream aloud. I shivered uncontrollably. I took a breath to calm down and looked again at the body. Empty eyes, teeth glistening with moisture, sunken cheeks. I turned my gaze away from that awful face and checked rest of the body. It was clad in worn out leather armour. After pairing it with worn down hands and dirty nails I concluded that it must have been some sort of ruffian. After closer examination of his chest I found strange and really deep puncture wounds. I estimated that they were round and around four centimeter wide. I took out Gerhard¡¯s Dagger from the pouch and fitted it into bloody hole. It was nowhere close in size, also I realized that blood was almost fresh in the wounds. Fresher than outside... Suddenly I realized what that meant. -¡¯ Ice magic. Wound must have been caused by an icicle, which melted away! ¡® I raised and quickly moved to check if there were more bodies around. Soon I found three laying on each other. They looked similar to the first one, though one had almost peaceful expression¡­ and big hole in his forehead. He must have died instantly. I looked further and found more bodies. I concentrated really hard on looking, not wanting to pay any attention to what I was actually looking at. Suddenly I found a different body. It also seemed to belong to a ruffian, but this one had been stripped out of leather chestpiece. Instead, on the chest, there was a complicated rune inscribed in blood. I looked closely at that body, avoiding the face made it easier to pretend that it¡¯s some peculiar something and not¡­ a dead body of someone. I concentrated on details and could not determine cause of death. There weren¡¯t any visible wounds, or bruises. Not even where ropes would have been placed to restrain him. Fighting with nausea I checked the tongue, but it seemed unchanged. No signs of poison. I checked fingernails, but apart from casual dirt they were undamaged. He did not struggle for his life. I rechecked the skin, looking for anything unusual. It was sunken and really pale. I could not guess whether that was normal¡­ -¡¯ I can check that actually. ¡® I thought as I moved to one of the icicled bodies, to make comparisons. Suddenly I heard quiet voice from afar. -¡± Audentia, what happened? Please respond. ¡° Forest spoke in worried tone. -¡± Shhhh! ¡° I responded and returned to macabre task of comparing the bodies. I wanted to finish as soon as possible and get out. After checking few times I was sure that something was off. Runed body was different from icicled one. It seemed like it had been¡­ shriveled, drained of something. That was the only thing that came to mind. I shook my head and continued checking the ravine. I found several more icicled bodies and barely four more runed ones. I was certain that magic was involved, but was this a necromancer? That was a question I had to think thoroughly. Also, what group of ruffians done in a haunted place. According to common sense they should be way too superstitious to encroach on a cursed ground. I lifted myself out of ravine. Haunting images and burning questions my only reward for coming there. ======= Hey~, Author¡¯s here~ I hope I haven¡¯t scared you away? :) Anyway please let me know how you liked today¡¯s chapter. Cheers, Mea, Overlord of the Haunt Ps I do wonder what¡¯s going on in that haunted village. NEXT CHAPTER: The Adventure continues... in Chapter 20 (Part 5, special) http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=19452 Chapter 20 - The Adventuring (Part 5, Special) Chapter 20 - The Adventuring =====>Forest¡¯s Uneasy Adventure<===== Forest had an uneasy feeling while he was watching the swirling mists. After purposely losing to Wolga, who was scared of ghosts, he was daunted by a haunted ravine, which seemed scary even to him. Anxious about the prospect of going into the ravine, he was suddenly faced with Audentia. He looked her in the eyes and on reflex he started the game. Before he knew it he won. He had been feeling guilty since then. -¡¯ I should be the one going. But she went before I could volunteer after winning. ¡® He despaired silently and chastised himself for sending a frail looking girl into the ravine. Forest recalled their earlier meeting and couldn¡¯t stop himself from admiring the new companion. -¡¯ Somehow she was able to stand up to Wolga and in a way she is really scary ¡­ ¡® Forest thought while looking intensely into the mist, trying to spot any sign of their companion. -¡¯ ...but on the other hand she is really dependable. ¡® He recalled how, without a single complaint, Audentia disappeared into a ravine. -¡¯ ...and courageous. ¡® He admitted to himself in shame. Gripped by doubt and worry he called out to Audentia, but received only a chastising shushing from the ravine. He almost yelled out in joy when a lithe figure finally appeared at the edge of the ravine. When he rushed closer, wanting to apologize, he was stopped in his tracks by a cold and scary look. Audentia¡¯s gaze was really cold and impassive, and it made Forest shiver. -¡± What did you fin¡­ ¡° Hamon¡¯s open words froze on his lips under Audentia¡¯s blank gaze. -¡± There were bodies, around twenty of them¡­ ¡° Audentia began matter-of-factly, but Forest interrupted her. -¡± I am really, really sorry. ¡° He fell to his knees in front of her. -¡± This wouldn¡¯t have happened if I wasn¡¯t such a coward. I will make it up to you, I swear! ¡° Forest exclaimed his resolve and looked up¡­ ...only to find a questioning gaze hidden under the hat¡¯s brim. Forest¡¯s heart fell into despair when Audentia ignored him completely and turned to the rest of the group. -¡± Most of them were killed by ice magic. ¡° Audentia spoke simply, in a deadpan voice. -¡± Though I found five bodies killed in a strange, ritual fashion. Runes were inscribed on the chests and the bodies seemed unusually sunken and discolored compar¡­ ¡° Forest froze under the unfeeling, cold words, which described terrible sights hidden by the mist. He could not comprehend how Audentia could be so calm and composed in such situation, and he felt really bad about exposing her to such things. -¡¯ I am rightfully hated now... ¡® He thought to himself. -¡¯ I must make it right! ¡® He swore to himself desperately. -¡± In conclusion... ¡° Audentia said in composed voice. -¡± The chances of meeting a magic user are high. Though I doubt that we are against a necromancer. I find it hard to believe that a necromancer would leave a score of perfectly fine bodies undisturbed. ¡° -¡± Um, did you just examine all of them? ¡° Hamon asked hesitantly. -¡± Just like that? ¡° His surprise was evident in his voice. -¡± Yes, why? ¡° Audentia¡¯s eerily composed demeanor made a shocking impression on Forest. -¡± Khem. ¡° Hamon coughed, evidently trying to recover. -¡¯ ... ¡® -¡± What? ¡° With annoyed expression on her face, Audentia broke the prolonged silence. -¡± Em¡­ you are rather calm about that. ¡° Lysanthir said finally. -¡± Weren¡¯t you scared? ¡° Hamon asked directly. -¡± It was rather spooky at first¡­ ¡° She agreed. ¡° ...but, after seeing the bodies, I am certain that someone was involved. Therefore there¡¯s nothing to be scared off. ¡° Everyone was taken aback by Audentia¡¯s logic and attitude. After a pause Hamon said thoughtfully: -¡± ...Ehm, those drained bodies, I somehow doubt that a passing white wizard decided to grace the place with their presence. ¡° Then he suddenly turned to Forest. -¡± Forest¡­ I feel stupid for asking this now, but what exactly are we supposed to do here again? To get that twenty golds, that is. ¡° Forest got caught off guard by Hamon¡¯s sudden question. He hoped that no one would ask it. -¡± If we can¡¯t find the proof of necromantic activity¡­ ¡° Forest started slowly, trying to stall as much as he could, but chastised by Hamon¡¯s inquisitive gaze he finished quickly. -¡±If we find the source of the curse and lift it we can still get the gold! ¡® -¡± So we get nothing! ¡° Hamon exclaimed loudly and grabbed his head in exasperation. -¡± Since we are here we may as well lift it. ¡° Lysanthir voiced his opinion. -¡± Maybe that mage will be able to help us. ¡° -¡± Which part of the *probable human sacrifice* did you miss exactly? ¡° Hamon countered. -¡± Well, they were ruffians¡­ ¡° Lysanthir answered calmly. -¡± ...and to tell you the truth, the mages that I heard about, in the city, do not strike me as a particularly nice bunch. ¡° Suddenly Hamon calmed down. -¡± Hmm, you are right. ¡° He said thoughtfully. -¡± I have been hearing plenty of rumors about mage¡¯s partaking in the dark arts and I guess that few ruffians would turn into perfectly acceptable source of free¡­whatever it is. ¡° He shrugged and shivered. -¡± It¡¯s the first time that I hear about that. ¡° Suddenly Audentia joined the conversation. -¡± No one mentioned such art¡¯s at the Academy. ¡° -¡± Ha, just so you know, I know for a fact that a dark mage is a perfectly acceptable profession¡­ ¡° Hamon responded with his usual open attitude, trying to contend with mist¡¯s eerie atmosphere. -¡± ...if you omit the dark part in public, that is. ¡° He smirked at the last words. -¡± I see¡­ ¡° Audentia said slowly, she seemed to be deep in thought. -¡± So what are we waiting for? ¡° Wolga asked. -¡± Since it¡¯s a curse let¡¯s¡­ ¡° She faltered. -¡± Hmm, smash something cursed? ¡° Seeing this as his chance Forest chimed in. -¡± Yes! We need to finish before the night. ¡° He tried to smile at Wolga, but his effort was dashed by her darkening expression. -¡¯ What did I say this time? ¡® He thought disheartened. -¡± Got it. Lets get to the village, whatever we need to find, should be in there. ¡° Lysanthir said and pointed somewhere. -¡± It¡¯s that way. ¡° -¡± You must tell me someday how you keep finding your way around so easily. ¡° Hamon said wistfully and shook his head. -¡± Practice. ¡° Lysanthir responded enigmatically. After looking at Audentia and Wolga, Forest renewed his determination. He asked Lysanthir for directions and then led the group off at a brisk pace. Soon he passed the signpost, from before, and continued on the overgrown road. He paid no attention to the creaking sound, which still resounded from time to time. Forest tried to ignore strange shapes that could be seen in the mist. Somehow, as he had gotten closer to the village, the mists become scarier. Shapeless cloud swirled and coiled, as if it was alive, and he could almost feel a hidden presence in the mist. He almost yelled when a clawlike, unsubstantial hand reached for his face, only to turn back into a wispy mass. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He looked nervously at his companions and could see that everyone was spooked by the mists strange behaviour. His gaze traveled to Audentia and he was surprised to discover that she was only one that appeared unfazed. He noticed that mists, that surrounded her, behaved in ever stranger fashion. Audentia seemed to be cloaked in a grey vapour, her strange, flowing walk only emphasized how the mists coiled around her form. It almost seemed like she was a wraith, due to mists flowing and twisting around her with her every step. Their looks met and Forest couldn¡¯t stop the feeling of dread, which suddenly had assaulted him. Somehow Audentia¡¯s wraithlike image stirred his memory of the night that he was killed. Forest shook his head to banish the memory of tendril like darkness, which seemed to follow his killer in his nightmares. -¡¯ I must stay strong. I have trained a lot and even that old man said that I should be ok. I will not let everyone down! ¡® Forest tried hard to maintain his resolve. -¡± Did you hear that? ¡° Suddenly Lysanthir spoke in insistent, hushed voice. -¡± Wh¡­ what? ¡° Wolga yelped in high pitched voice. -¡± I didn¡¯t hear anything. ¡° Hamon tried to maintain a calm exterior, but the axe that he had drawn testified otherwise. -¡± I hear something ahead. ¡° Lysanthir whispered. -¡± It seems like a voice. ¡° Forest swallowed hard and looked at wide eyed Wolga. -¡¯ I can¡¯t falter. ¡° He thought and tried his best to calm everyone. -¡± I will go first, Hamon cover me. Wolga, I know that I can count on you. ¡° He received weak, but reassuring smile from Wolga. Then he turned to Audentia. -¡± Audentia will assist us from the rear. ¡° He could not read the strange look that Audentia had given him. He turned away from Audentia, as her wraithlike, fog covered form gave out a forlorn and foreboding feeling that drained his resolve. He took a deep breath and went ahead. He could hear a dull and reassuring thud of Hamon¡¯s steps just behind him. As he walked he noticed that they had arrived at the village. Ruined, wooden buildings loomed in the distance. Wooden beams pierced the mist, like dark and foreboding signs, markings of the abandoned past. Suddenly he too heard a voice, which seemed like nothing more than someone''s last breath. -¡± G¡­ i¡­ ba¡­ ¡° He strained his ears to distinguish barely recognizable, dry whisper. -¡± ¡­ Tr¡­ ¡° Then he got spooked by a scary noise, which was like a dull scratching. For a moment his eyes finally pierced the veil of mists and he saw a strange shape in front of him. There was a long, dark shade moving on the ground and Forest¡¯s noticed a glistening pillar standing over it. He still tried to understand the sight before him, when the shade suddenly moved. It turned its head and two crimson red dots looked directly at him. -¡± Give it back! ¡° Dry voice, that came out of the thing, was barely a whisper, but to Forest it sounded like a scream. -¡± My power, my treasure! ¡° A human face suddenly became unveiled by the vigorous motion, which disturbed the mists. The massacred head, covered with abrasions and escher, was twisted in a hateful and hungry expression, dreadfully amplified by hollow eye sockets illuminated with baleful light. Forest yelped and jumped back when the thing made a sharp motion, two claw like hands reached for him, but grasped only the empty air. Then they hit the ground and made a sickening scratching sound on the cobblestones. Though the thing didn¡¯t get any closer. -¡± Awrghhhh! ¡° A hateful, dry whisper resounded in the mist. -¡± My treasure come to me! ¡° Forest was shaken by the sudden turn of events, especially when a powerful, high pitched roar resounded next to him. He almost covered in panic. -¡± ArrrGGGWWwwaaaAA! ¡° A big, bulky shape rushed forward and was immediately followed by the heavy thudding sounds. [ *Whack*, *Twack*, *Crack*, *Smack*, etc ] [ Few long moments later... ] -¡± Why won¡¯t you dieeee! ¡° Wolga screamed in a loud and pleading voice. In response, the thing raised its skeletal hands as if to grab her, or cover its broken up face. -¡± Waaagh! ¡° Wolga roared again and more hits rained upon the thing. -¡± I think it had enough¡­ ¡° Said Hamon doubtfully. -¡± M...my...precious¡­ ¡° Weak whisper had gotten out of the things battered shape. In that moment a powerful kick landed and made the thing do almost a full turn around a big, ice spike on which it was impaled. Forest snapped out of his shock. -¡± Um, Wolga please stop. ¡° Forest pleaded with Wolga, who evidently snapped due to fear. -¡± We need to know what¡¯s going on and that thing doesn¡¯t look like a threat... anymore¡­ Right¡­? ¡° He hesitated because the thing still looked dreadfully scary, not to mention that it shouldn¡¯t be alive anymore. They eventually managed to convince Wolga to stop and then they started to interrogate the thing. ======== Hey~, Author''s Here~ Here''s a CG of Audentia in her new garb, that I promised you earlier: EDIT: Ok image hosting service seems to suck, so I will post it on google drive: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1S6G3jtW62i98sDoGHDl-dahm6wliVysP4jezc1gNXII/edit?usp=sharing We worked really hard, with Owlbear General, to make it. And I liked it enough to make it a new cover. As to the other things, as you probably noticed the releases were held for quire some time. I blame the scrying mirror that froze solid and only recently I managed to get it back in working order without shattering it. What I learned from that? Don''t overuse a scrying mirror, you will spend forewer unfreezing it from absolute zero (without shattering it). You probably want to know when there will be next chapter? As mentioned above i need to watch for my mirrors cooling problem so I wont be releasing at such a mad pace as before. I expect to have another chapter ready before the month''s end. Last but not least - I really like comments and always read them so dont hesitate to give me some of your thoughts. PS ...and don''t worry i totally don''t have an ilithid handy. Cheers! Mea PS I hope you like the CG, I will post old one later...maybe...if we do some makeover on it. NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 21 - The Adventuring (Part 6) http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=19984 Chapter 21 - The Adventuring (Part 6) Chapter 21 - The Adventuring (Part 6) (F1) We travelled through the mists, with Forest leading the way. I was deep in thought, still reminiscing the earlier event - Forest and his silly apology that interrupted my explanation. I ignored it earlier and I was wondering why it was still on my mind. I sighed and added it to the growing list of Forest¡¯s quirks. Then I recalled a strange looks which I had received after my explanation, and how everyone seemed taken aback by it. I could not understand why my companions were still scared of this place, after all it looks like a simple murder setup. I shook my head and tried to focus on something useful, which brought me back to the Hamon¡¯s and Lysanthir¡¯s mention of a dark magic. -¡¯ I do wonder how is it possible that there was no mention of it at the academy and still everyone seems sure of the fact that the city¡¯s mages are using it profusely. Though deny the fact. ¡® I smirked. -¡¯ Politician¡¯s golden rule. Deny. Deny. Deny. ¡® I looked at the palm of my hand. -¡¯ I do wonder what is it about. A dark magic seems like something useful¡­ ¡® I shook my head. -¡¯ There¡¯s no use wasting time wondering about it, especially since I haven¡¯t even used my magic properly yet. ¡® Absentmindedly I began gathering a magic energy in my hand. I watched it while the mellow feeling arose, though I could not see any visible difference on my hand, still I did feel it. I moved my fingers while the energy flowed under my skin. Suddenly my hand began to glow and I realized that I gathered a sizable amount of energy. -¡¯ I still wonder how much is this. ¡® I concentrated and the energy left my hand, turning into white, flowing nimbus around it. -¡¯ It¡¯s so easy to gather it now, but what can I do with it? Is this a mosquito¡¯s bite or a deadly force¡­ ¡® I blinked in surprise. -¡¯ Why is it doing that? ¡® I watched while the mist grew thicker and started to consume the white energy. I quickly focused on the energy, that was surrounding my hand, and discovered that I still could feel it. Mist seemed to slowly erode the white energy, at least that¡¯s what I thought, but even though the energy disappeared I still could feel it. At that moment I realized that I was wrong. The energy wasn¡¯t being drained, rather, it was melding with the mist and in the process I was becoming aware of the strange vapour that surrounded me. I experimented with the new feeling and tried to affect the mist. At first it felt awkward, it was both disconcerting similar and alien when compared to the feeling which I had when I manipulated my energy. After a moment I grasped the basics and mist moved away from my hand. When the mist lost contact with my energy I noticed that the expansion of my consciousness didn¡¯t stop. I realized that it was similar to the ink propagating in the water. It spread around, but become thinner and weaker. -¡¯ I was right in thinking that the mist is magical¡­ or rather the mist seems like it is a cloud of mana. ¡® -¡¯ But why is it responding to me. It¡¯s supposed to be a cursed village and it should be a part of the curse. ¡® -¡¯ It is strange that someone without any magical expertise can control it. ¡® I called the mist back to my hand and started to pour more energy into it. In the process I began to realize the amount of mana stored in the mist. I concentrated and activated the magic circulation that turned mana into aether. I would have been glowing at that stage, but hungry mist absorbed the power instantly¡­ and my consciousness of the mist grew. Despite my efforts I couldn¡¯t control the mist in its entirety and I was losing my strength quickly. The mana was leaving my body at an alarming rate and I decided that it¡¯s better to stop. I recalled my magic. I wanted to stop its spread in the mist as I realized that it¡¯s just too big for me to control. Soon the mist engulfed my body and I felt empowered by the energy that came back to me. I smiled when I found out that the returning power was greater than the one that I sent out. After experimenting for a while I found out that I wasn¡¯t able to conquer the mist in that way, the energy that I pulled back was alien and I couldn¡¯t use it to spread my influence. -¡¯ ...but I can still use it like my mana. ¡® I was satisfied with my findings and amused by the fact that I could control the mist in the area around me. I looked at my companions and noticed that they were spooked out by the mist, which began to move strangely due to my tampering. My gaze traveled to Wolga, who seemed really scared, and I calmed the mist around her. Then I looked at Forest and got struck by a wicked idea. I started to create small phantom mirages around him and almost laughed aloud when he almost jumped about due to the misty hand that I created. When he looked about and our gazes met I did my best to show him an impassive expression. He shook his head, as if disconcerned by what he saw, I hoped that he didn¡¯t connect me with what was happening with the mist. Suddenly Lysanthir broke the silence. -¡± Did you hear that? ¡° -¡± Wh¡­ what? ¡° Wolga exclaimed shakily. -¡± I didn¡¯t hear anything. ¡° Hamon¡¯s axe appeared in his hand. -¡± I hear something ahead. It seems like a voice. ¡° Lysanthir looked at us with wide eyed expression on his face. Suddenly Forest took a lead and started giving out directions. I was shocked by his change, as he suddenly seemed dependable and organized, and I failed to hear what he had said to me. Luckily he didn¡¯t notice my blank expression and quickly turned away. Forest moved forward, with Hamon covering his back. Wolga followed them hesitantly, I could tell that she was really pale and scared. Suddenly I realized that Lysanthir disappeared from my sight. I looked around and I couldn¡¯t find him. Puzzled, I decided to use my newfound mastery of the mists to find him. I focused and concentrated on the wispy energy that surrounded us. I become aware of the terrain hidden behind the vapour, which turned out to be mostly ruins, also there was a cobblestone plaza ahead. I took a deep breath and managed to tune my awareness to the flow of the mist. To my surprise I found Lysanthir only few meters away, he was crouched near the ground and impossible to spot. I could tell that he was really focused as his minute movements seemed to somehow react to the mists touch, which was altered by my actions. I wondered whom he was, as he gave off an impression of a professional. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. My musings were interrupted by sudden commotion ahead of me. I heard a loud roar, followed by the sounds of thrashing. I focused my attention in that direction and discovered another surprising thing. My power seemed to clash with something dark red and vile. Like a pulsing tumor that permeated the mist and ousted it from my grasp. I quickly verified that there was something that radiated a malign red magic ahead of me. It was expelling my influence over the mist from the area. I decided to come closer and, when I did, I was faced with a growing, unsettling feeling. I thickened the power in my immediate area and forced my way forward. I still could feel sickening magic gnawing at my defenses, but my thickened power seemed to hold it at bay. -¡± Waaagh! ¡° Wolga¡¯s battle cry resounded and distinguishable sound of pummeling intensified. -¡± I think it had enough. ¡° Hamon said doubtfully. Finally my eyes rested on the object of the pummeling, which turned out to be some sort of undead. Or so I thought. Its body was covered in scrapes and escher, and its hands seemed like claws because they were scrapped to the bone. Its face was dry and sunken, with eyes that looked almost like the empty sockets, with a crimson light that illuminated them. Above the broken body a glistening pilar towered. A big, several feet tall, icicle of pure ice pierced its abdomen and sank into the ground. I noticed several wounds made by smaller, one feet long, icicles that pierced the thing. Wolga¡¯s forceful blows were hitting the undead, but, apart from impact, they had no effect. A particularly vicious kick landed on its head, spinning it around the ice pillar, but apart from that I could see no visible signs of damage on the thing¡¯s head. -¡± Wolga, please stop.¡± Forest pleaded. -¡± There¡¯s nothing to be scared of anymore. Look! It is defeated. ¡° Wolga suddenly stopped and looked at the thing. She breathed heavily. -¡± Huff, what are you? ¡° Undead lowered its arms and suddenly tried to pounce, but it got stopped by the pillar in its abdomen. -¡± Thief! My treasure! Giveeeee it baaack! ¡° The thing supposedly screamed, but its voice was barely more than a whisper. Wolga yelped and jumped back in alarm. The thing scraped on cobblestones with its clawlike fingers. To my surprise it was leaving gashes in the stone. -¡± Power, Gonee! ¡° Agitated thing thrashed wildly and everyone took a step back. -¡± Thief, yesss! Kill the thief! ¡° -¡± Hmm, it doesn¡¯t seem too coherent. ¡° Hamon scratched his beard -¡± Who¡¯s the thief? ¡° Hamon¡¯s question riled the thing into a frenzy. It started thrashing around and spouting curses. We listened to the thing, trying to gather information from its rants. -¡± It seems like the mage did it. ¡° Hamon summarized. -¡± And took something. ¡° -¡± I think there¡¯s more to it. Have you noticed that the pillar is magical? ¡° I said. -¡± Of course, I mean how else would it have gotten here? ¡° Hamon responded. -¡± That¡¯s not what I mean. ¡° I said and told them about what I have gathered thus far. -¡± There¡¯s some kind of magic bound into it and it is¡­ ¡° I hesitated as I didn¡¯t want to mention my mastery over the mist. -¡± ...quite vicious. It¡¯s trying to push me away and it¡¯s giving out a really bad vibe. ¡° -¡± I think I know what might be going on. ¡° Lysanthir¡¯s sudden revelation took us by surprise. -¡± Think about the facts. Sacrifices were probably made to gather the power. There¡¯s a missing treasure and there¡¯s a guardian, which is subdued by a vicious magic¡­ ¡° -¡± Damn! You might be right! ¡° Hamon clasped his hands with stern expression. -¡± So the mage came and took the treasure. The question remains, where he went and what does he need it for? ¡° Suddenly he let out an annoyed yell. -¡± Argh, damn bastard took it for gold and must be long gone! ¡° -¡± Maybe he came to undo the curse? ¡° Forest asked suddenly. -¡± Haha, and he turned random people into sacrifices to achieve such a noble goal, right? ¡° Hamon bursted into laughter. Forest reddened under Hamon¡¯s mocking words. -¡± So what are we going to do? ¡° I decided to join the conversation, which was going nowhere. -¡¯ We could try to find the mage, but he probably won¡¯t take to it kindly. ¡° Lysanthir said objectively. -¡± Also, finding him in the mists would be rather hard. ¡° -¡± So are we going to leave? ¡° Wolga asked expectantly. -¡± We should be able to get out before dark. ¡° -¡± Well¡­ ¡° Hamon said hesitantly. -¡± Since it¡¯s impossible to get paid I do not see a reason for staying... ¡° -¡± Lysanthir, can¡¯t you find the mage? I am sure that you can track him, right? ¡° Forest asked with determination painted on his face. -¡± I am afraid that it is not that easy. I can¡¯t track him on these cobblestones and he is probably long gone anyway. Bodies in the ravine were several hours old after all. ¡° -¡± What if we can track him? ¡° I asked suddenly, I didn¡¯t want such an anticlimactic ending to my first adventure. -¡± What? You can find him? ¡° Hamon asked in surprise. -¡± Can you do it? ¡° Forest gave me wide eyed, expectant look. -¡± I think there might be a way. He left that strange magic in the pillar and there¡¯s a chance I might be able to track him using it. ¡° I said with conviction that I did not have. -¡± Also, somehow I got a feeling that he is nearby. ¡° I added mysteriously, while thinking about the mana stored in the mist. I hoped that my assumption that the mage wanted to tap into mists power was correct. Though I had my doubts, I had tapped into that power already after all¡­ ======= Hey~, Author''s here~ I hope you liked the adventuring chapter, cos the next chapter will be the conclusion :) Let me know what you think about my work thus far. Cheers, Mea Ps1 I may or may not take part in the RRL''s Short Story contest, release date of the next chapter will therefore depend on that. EDIT: I am writing my contest entry after all, therefore next chapter will be probably released between 06/01 and 06/08. EDIT3: Ok, my contest entry is ready Ps2 Read and approved by Owlbear General. NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 22 - The Confronting ( Adventuring Chapter''s conclusion) http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=21636 Chapter 22 - The Confronting Chapter 22 - The Confronting (F1) * * * Under watchful and expectant gaze of my companions I took a deep breath and concentrated. -¡¯ Hmm... ok, I need to find that mage¡­ but how? ¡® I wondered, and then, I smiled to myself. -¡¯ Assuming that he is nearby I could reach out with the mists and find him that way¡­ ¡® I moved away from the pillar, which was still assaulting me with a malignant power, then I reached out into the mist. My awareness spread further and further, and I was getting increasingly aware of the hollow spot that was really close by. -¡¯ Argh, of course. That would be too easy, wouldn¡¯t it? ¡® I bit my lip in annoyance. The pillar¡¯s magic aura easily countered my influence at a distance, if I was standing further away I wouldn¡¯t even know that there¡¯s a blank spot there. I stomped the ground in exasperation and went back to the pillar. -¡± How is it¡­ugh... nevermind. ¡° Hamon quickly moved out of my way. I looked inquisitively at the magical pillar in front of me, without paying any attention to thrashing and mumbling of an undead. An invisible, red feeling slowly ate away at the mist that I surrounded myself with. -¡¯ How does it work I wonder¡­ I seem to be the only one that can feel it. ¡® I looked at my companions, which were unsettled by the mist¡¯s atmosphere and by the mumbling undead, but gave out no signs of discomfort caused by the pillar¡¯s proximity. -¡¯ So, it¡¯s either because I am the magic user or¡­ ¡® Suddenly I arrived at a conclusion that I wanted to test out, and I dropped my hold of the mist. -¡¯ ...because I use the mists. ¡® Immediately the unsettling feeling disappeared and the sickening, red mana thinned down to an almost invisible level. I took a deep, relaxed breath as I felt like a great burden was lifted from me. I looked at the pillar again and this time my vision wasn¡¯t clouded by the oppressive red aura. I could see minute leftovers of black and blue mana left by the ice spell, but what had drawn my attention was a dark red energy that coursed through the ice. Its presence wasn¡¯t limited only to the pillar but it was also inside the smaller icicles as well. While I examined the pillar impassively the thing kept trying to reach out in a fruitless attempts to grasp me. Finally, I had arrived at a conclusion. -¡¯ Those icicles aren¡¯t just random hits. The mana inside them is arranged into a spell formation that appears to be binding the thing. ¡® I decided that there must have been a reason to why the thing was sealed. Definitely one of the reasons was that it was hard to kill. I bent down slightly and I looked at the thing¡¯s horrid face. -¡± Treasure! Looossst! ¡° The thing clawed the air in front of me and I could see apparent hunger and despair in its expression. -¡± What is she doing, this doesn¡¯t look too¡­ ¡° Hamon whispered, but fell silent when I sent him a look. -¡± Do you know who took it? ¡° I said to the thing. -¡± Thief! Rip, gouge, tear¡­ limb from limb! ¡° The thing became agitated again. -¡± Do you know where he is? ¡° I asked. -¡± Treasure! Never lost, will get it back! ¡° The thing hissed. -¡± Treasure will not betray! ¡° I looked at the thing inquisitively and asked. -¡± What will you do if I set you free¡­ ¡° -¡± Crush, kill, torture! ¡° The thing¡¯s eyes gloved vengefully and I could see that the sealing spell began to glow stronger within the ice. -¡± How will you find him? ¡° I kept asking patiently. -¡± Yiris will follow, Yiris will get the treasure back! ¡° Suddenly the thing became a bit more coherent. -¡± How will Yiris find the treasure? ¡° I asked with a smile. -¡± Yiris knows the treasure! Yiris will always get the treasure back! ¡° The thing suddenly stopped moving and looked into my eyes pleadingly. -¡± Free Yiris. Yiris will get the precious power back! ¡° -¡± If I set Yiris free, will Yiris go to the treasure, or will Yiris attack? ¡° I asked carefully. -¡± Yes! Yiris will get to the treasure, Yiris will run to the treasure and Yiris will attack the thief! ¡° Yiris started thrashing around again. -¡± There we have it, if we set it free it should run straight to the mage and lead the way. ¡° I said smugly. -¡± Are you sure that it won¡¯t it attack us? ¡° Wolga asked doubtfully. -¡± It doesn¡¯t seem like it will do that. It seems much more inclined to go for the mage. ¡° Lysanthir answered. -¡± Won¡¯t the mage die if we do that? ¡° Forest asked with uneasy expression on his face. -¡± Weren¡¯t we going to talk with him? ¡° -¡± Ha, for stealing the loot that much would only be appropriate. ¡° Hamon¡¯s illogical argument flabbergasted me. -¡± Also, he should be fine, he defeated this thing when it had its treasure, so he should have no problems with subduing it again. ¡° Hamon¡¯s other argument was much more logical. In the end everyone agreed to freeing the thing. -¡¯ Now what? ¡® My gaze wandered over the glistening column and my doubts returned. -¡¯ I have no idea how the dispelling works... Guess I will have to improvise... ¡® I sighed. I did notice that in the vicinity of the pillar the mist didn¡¯t try to consume my magic, so I started gathering the mana in my hand. I concentrated on the aether that gathered and I made it spill over my skin, creating a glowing nimbus of white energy around my hand. I could hear that there was a silent whispering between Hamon and Lysanthir, but they were too quiet for me to hear the words. The thing¡¯s frantic movements came to a stop and it was looking at me with a transfixed and greedy expression on its abhorrent face. I raised my hand and sent the power into an ice, it turned into a wispy thread of glowing white energy that was slowly swirling towards the pillar. I was not sure if what I was doing was correct, but I had hoped that it would at least give me some insight into the workings of magic. White trail of energy seeped into the ice and suddenly there was a reaction from the red magic stored inside. It blazed and erupted into a cloud of red haze that engulfed me greedily. I yelped in surprise as dark red light surrounded me and began its assault. I felt pain, it was like being bitten by a swarm of insects that tried to consume me, with an intent to suck every last drop of energy within me. I curled into a ball and tried to fight back. I tried to isolate myself from the red onslaught with a nimbus of white energy, but it didn¡¯t work as intended as the attack absorbed my defenses and became stronger and stronger, easily stripping me of my power at an alarming rate. In desperation, I turned the aether into a purple power, that I associated with lightning, and I felt electrical energy surging over my skin. But it didn¡¯t help much, as the attack only marginally slowed down, the hungry power had little trouble with absorbing electrical energy. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Pained and panicking I felt lightheadedness which must have been caused by the reserves of my mana running low. In last ditch effort I concentrated on the only other hue that came to my mind. A black color of hungry darkness. I felt a freezing sensation descending upon my body, making me sigh in relief, as the red cloud was snuffed away from me. Though the onslaught did not stop. The red haze kept trying to reach me and I grew weaker and weaker, because to nullify an attack I had to channel equal amount of my frost magic into the dark nimbus that surrounded me. I realized that I was in a war of attrition, and I was losing it badly. The malignant magic already consumed most of my mana and continued its relentless attacks. -¡¯ I have to do something. ¡® I thought in panic, looking for a way out. I took a deep breath to calm myself, and almost froze my throat and lungs. A thinning, dark nimbus was draining the heat from my immediate surroundings. -¡¯ I have to level the playing field. ¡® My usual calculating calmness descended upon me. There was a challenge in front of me and I was not the one to give up easily. -¡¯ I am not going to get done in by the lame spell that some mage just left up! ¡® I thought frantically. -¡¯ This red cloud can apparently consume energy in most forms. It seems that only Frost is immune, as in actuality it appears to be an anti-energy that nullifies heat, light and possibly other energies. ¡® -¡¯ I need something to insulate myself long enough to replenish my power with the mist, but Frost won¡¯t let anything through, and a magical barrier would probably be absorbed or eaten through in an instant¡­ ¡® -¡¯ That¡¯s it! This magic can¡¯t absorb the mist, which is supposedly cursed¡­ ¡® Sudden realization dawned upon me. -¡¯ This must mean that it can¡¯t absorb the power of similar origin! ¡® I focused on the remnants of mana that still flowed within my veins. I quickly skimmed through all of the colors until I found the one that I was looking for. A deep, blood red power that I had noticed once before, it still seemed really ominous and malignant when I concentrated on it. I tried to extract it, but it was not working in the same as other hues of magic. My armor of dark energy began to wane so I redoubled my efforts, with utmost exertion I felt the dark red power slowly coalescing from within the white light, but something was not right... At that moment the dark energy failed and my strength left me. Assaulted by a sudden weakness I just lied down, sprawled on the ground. My cheek hurt, frozen by the contact with the frost covered ground. Malign energy slowly coursed through my body, which had no magic left in it, just this dark red swirl of power. I was so exhausted that my senses were dulled almost to nothingness, I barely registered someone¡¯s face and that I was lifted from the ground. -¡± Audentia. What happened? Are you alright? Please answer me! ¡° I barely registered the booming voice. I was looking at the ground which was upside down, because I had no strength to support my head and it lolled to the back . Abruptly, I felt something on the back of my head and my vision was straightened up. I could see Wolga¡¯s worried expression, as she held my limp body in the air. She spoke insistently to me, in a loud voice, which I was barely able to hear. -¡± You are scaring me, please say something! ¡° I couldn¡¯t comfort her, but not for the lack of effort. I was barely able to blink and moving or speaking was out of a question. Suddenly she shook her head strongly, as if in response to something, and my head lolled to the side. I could see a scared and agitated look on Forest¡¯s face, which turned into a look of pure terror when our gazes met. Suddenly, I realized that I didn¡¯t have my hat on and I frantically tried to move, but my efforts were in vain as I couldn¡¯t even move a finger. My gaze travelled to Hamon, who was wildly saying something. His fervent stare, avid gestures toward Forest and self righteous pose made him look like a bearded tyrant of old, calling his vassals to war. I had no illusions to the contents of his speech. Wolga shook her head again and hugged me in the protective gesture, which brought Lysanthir into my field of view. He was not speaking, but his deadpan gaze and impassive attitude were much more expressive and threatening than Hamon¡¯s open hostility. I knew enough to fear the quiet types more, as they were the ones that held a grudge the most. To emphasize his point Hamon grabbed Forest and forced him closer to where I was. I wanted to laugh when the boy shrunk under my gaze and made a face like he was ready to cry, somehow he was terrified by my helpless little self. -¡± I will not let you do that! ¡° Wolga¡¯s stern denial in face of insisting Hamon brought smile to my face. -¡± I would rather hit you for suggesting such a thing! ¡° I could tell that she would stand by my side to the bitter end, even against her companions. I was gripped by her naivety and how it was going to turn really bad for her really soon. I sighed and decided that I would try to help her as much as I can. -¡¯ Sometimes the only right thing to do is to become the greater evil. ¡® I hesitantly tapped into the red power that coursed through me. I did not know what would happen, but, at the least, I hoped that it would allow me to move, as I didn¡¯t want to witness what would happen otherwise... ======= Hey~, Author¡¯s here~ I hope you liked today¡¯s development, I will make next one before 13th. In the meantime you might want to take a look at my contest entry, [ http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=20584 ], it¡¯s a cyberpunk story in a western setting that I really enjoyed making. I hope you will like Shy¡¯s Burnout Essentials too. Here¡¯s a link to Shy¡¯s picture that I could not include into the contest entry: [ https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/13X4zje3A0mmjvR3fcukyLAeCf76IlHSGEalcLc0AT6w/edit?usp=sharing ] (The picture¡¯s not mine and all credit goes to the respective owner - ART?SAKIMICHAN.DEVIANTART.COM) Cheers, Mea NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 23 - The Fighting http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=22178 Chapter 23 - The Fighting Chapter 23 - The Fighting (F1) -¡± Aaaaahh! ¡° I made an involuntary yelp as all of my muscles contracted uncontrollably. My back spasmed into an arch and, suddenly, I felt that I was falling to the ground. I panicked as everything froze in a moment that lasted forever. I couldn¡¯t move my body that was suspended into inexorable rigidness by my convulsed muscles. Eternity passed in idle agony, as even my heart ceased its beat. When I lost all hope and began chastising myself for the stupid idea that I had, my body shook suddenly. *Thump* A resounding tremor felt like a thundering avalanche, and it was followed by another one. *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* My heart was beating anew, with each beat pushing red power around my body. *Thump* But with most of my body locked in rigid paralysis I still couldn¡¯t breath or move. Suddenly, when I concentrated on it, the flow of power moved to where I stored my mana before. The grip on my muscles vanished and my body fell back to the ground, just like a puppet with its strings cut. I took one shallow, grueling breath. For one moment I thought that I was back where I started, exhausted and helpless. Startled and worried Wolga was bending over me. -¡¯She must have dropped me when I convulsed suddenly. ¡® I thought idly. *Thump* One thing changed. I could feel an itching sensation flowing around my body, it just begged to be tapped again. -¡± This doesn¡¯t change a thing! As I said earlier, she is the one that killed Forest and she was going to stab us in the back. Wolga, stand back, we will deal with her swiftly! ¡° Hamon¡¯s commanding voice easily reached my ears. My senses were no longer dull. His voice reminded me on what I should be doing instead of idling on the ground. I experimentally tapped a sliver of power into my hand and it clamped in iron grip. I tried again and this time I managed to make a tightly closed fist. It was an alien sensation, to channel just the right amount of energy to move the corresponding muscles, as otherwise they were lax and unresponsive. -¡± No, I won¡¯t let you. Come and I will¡­¡± Wolga was facing Hamon, with her arms spread wide in baring gesture. -¡¯ I can¡¯t wait much longer. ¡® I concluded hearing Wolga¡¯s exclamation and concentrated desperately on channeling just the right amount of power into my mouth, throat and lungs. -¡± THatts Enghot! ¡° It wasn¡¯t sounding right, but it interrupted Wolga and gathered the attention, which was exactly what I wanted to achieve. I focused the energy and rose from the ground, in one sharp and unnatural move. I realised that standing was not as easy as I thought. I couldn''t keep still, as I had to maintain my balance by tightening the muscles with energy, which made me wobble from side to side. In a long run this method of movement was both similar and alien to how I moved my body normally. I concentrated on moving same muscles, but then I couldn¡¯t make them stay in the same position least they cramped with too much power or relaxed when my focus lapsed. -¡± What¡­ ¡° Hamon started, but I interrupted him too. -¡± Enghou, I have grown weary of this farce. ¡° I was getting the hang of the speech too. -¡± As entertaining as it would be to watch you have a go at it, I find slaughtering you right here, right now, more entertaining. ¡° I wanted to laugh at their blank stares, I was not sure why I suddenly found them so funny, also spouting old cliches was fun too. -¡± Or are you too scared now, when I am not really that helpless anymore. ¡° I smiled provocatively at Hamon, and realized that he couldn¡¯t see it because I still had my scarf on. I kept my attention on Lysanthir, I was sure that sooner or later he would strike. I couldn¡¯t wait to see his dumbfounded expression when it would fail. Somehow I had this strange feeling enveloping me, all this wobbly movement made me want to laugh. Also, I no longer felt tired, but I still had to readjust my balance nonstop as my muscles kept failing me. I giggled unwittingly, amused by how alien my moves must seem. Wolga¡¯s teary expression seemed really amusing for some reason. Hamon readjusted his grip on the axe. -¡± I don¡¯t understand what your game is, but I am going to cut it short. ¡° -¡± Please do try, haha. ¡° I laughed maddeningly at the wicked idea that I had. -¡± And try hard, or your dear friend will be killed again. ¡° That was too much for Hamon, and he rushed past Wolga with his axe held high. He swung it down, but I twisted the power and my body easily twirled to the side, making him pass me. From the hurry, grey mist blurred in front of my eyes, and I giggled again, I felt a sudden rush of blood in my veins. It felt really cold for some reason. Then my way was blocked by Wolga¡¯s sturdy frame. She had uneasy expression on her face as she tried to grasp me, but I easily ducked below her arms, dancing my way past her. -¡±Run, Forest! Run! ¡° Hamon¡¯s thundering voice resounded at the same moment the prey came into my sight. Forest sent me a panicked gaze and started running. *Thump* It made my heart beat faster, I was elated at the idea of a chase and I rushed after him. Initially I was gaining on him, with my wobbly glide, but as if feeling my breath upon his back he sped up. I tried to keep up, but couldn¡¯t. Maintaining steady pace was not something that I could do while channeling the red power. I gave up on chasing him and turned back to where I came from. I still had other prey hidden in the mist. Reflexively I tried to grasp the mist, in the same way as I did before, but the mist wasn¡¯t reacting to my efforts. My patience was quickly snuffed by the impatient beat of my heart and I decided to go back. I easily located Hamon¡¯s and Wolga¡¯s heavy footsteps somewhere ahead of me. When I had gotten so close I could almost see their outlines in the mist I noticed something sleek in my peripheral vision. On instinct, I made myself twirl back on the ball of my left feet and a spear rushed past me, piercing a spot that my chest occupied just a moment ago. I extended my hand and a turning motion of my dodge made it connect with the shoulder of my assailant. Lysanthir was thrown to the side by the force of the blow and I was assailed with the untamable, fuzzy feeling in my hand. I didn¡¯t know why, but I just couldn¡¯t stop laughing. My maniacal chuckling was interrupted by Hamon, who came at me again, axe swinging. Idly, I bent down, letting the wheezing. horizontal blade pass over me, when I bent back up I reflexively responded with a low kick that swept his leg. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Hamon¡¯s feet was knocked from under him and he fell on his back. He lost his axe, which flew somewhere into the mist. As I cherished my victory I was suddenly grasped from behind. Wolga¡¯s bulky arms enveloped me in a bear hug. I panicked and started to struggle fruitlessly. Abruptly, my panic was suppressed by laughter as I suddenly remembered some of the things that I knew about the anatomy. I reached to her elbow and forced my fingers into the nerve that was hidden to the side of it. I was not sure if it would work, but it worked, as she yelped and lose her grasp on me for a moment. Instantly, I used that lapse to strike my elbow into her solar plexus. She was forced back and the wind was knocked out of her. I looked gleefully at her strange expression and wondered. -¡± What should I kill her with? ¡° I smiled widely and removed the scarf, it was no fun if they couldn¡¯t see it. I walked past Hamon and gave him a kick to the head, so he wouldn¡¯t cause problems. I soon found what I was looking for, an axe, and I picked it with my left hand. My right hand still felt fuzzy and made me laugh every now and then. I soon returned and found Wolga sprawled on the ground. Her chest was heaving with effort, she probably had a cracked rib or two. I came in closer, with a smile, and with an axe that I was dragging. I was almost drooling at the thought of all the power still locked in a body of that big prey. Suddenly there was a movement in the mist and I tensed up, ready to answer with deadly force. Though, as it turned out, I had no need to be wary, it was only the original prey that came back. My smile became even wider and I motioned the prey to stand aside. -¡± Do what you want with me! ¡° He exclaimed with pale, but determined expression and blocked my way. -¡± But leave my friends alone! ¡° Somehow his words struck a bit of warmth into my freezing cold blood and I decided that big prey may wait a bit. The prey in front of me was so accessible, one almost wanted to strangle it directly, so I raised my free hand to grab his neck, but my arm just dangled uselessly making me laugh. The dangling arm, the axe and the Forest, who stood in front of me, suddenly penetrated freezing and maddening feeling that enveloped me. -¡¯ Damn, I got drowned in power like some little¡­ ¡® I thought in the moment of clarity. I wasn¡¯t sure what exactly was going on, but I knew that I couldn¡¯t reason with all of them this close, somehow that sneaky need of mine only became stronger in their proximity. So I dropped the axe and ran into the mist least I lose myself again. I felt bad for almost killing Wolga, to whom I had grown attached to, but I consoled myself with a thought that my goal of preventing her from falling on a bad side of her companions was accomplished. I knew that she was really fond of them and spoiling that wouldn¡¯t feel right... With each wobbly step I could feel the returning madness, that almost forced me to go back. -¡¯ I am not going to get affected again! ¡® I thought to myself in resolve, I couldn¡¯t stand the thought of being manipulated by something. I concentrated on moving away from the spot where my late companions were. I could feel the urge to laugh and return increasing, but I kept it in check. Travelling with my wobbly steps become increasingly difficult. My heart was beating like a drum but my blood was running cold. I felt some wetness on my lips and reflexively licked it with my tongue. The taste affirmed my fears, it was blood and it was coming not only from my nose but also from my eyes. I looked at my hand and found it pale and covered with a spider like net of broken up vessels, which had a barely visible red glow. -¡¯ I must have one hell of a look. ¡® I thought idly in resignation. I was sure that I messed up somehow while using the dark magic. -¡± Like using myself as a source¡­ ¡° I wanted to laugh, but wary of what happened earlier, I stifled the need. The things were not looking too good and I pondered the state of things to keep my thoughts away from the time when I unwittingly run out of magic and die from exhaustion. -¡¯ So this looks like some sort of Blood Magic, that uses vitality to elevate physical state, but requires said vitality to be drained from somewhere. ¡° I shook my head, almost straining my neck, to get a thought of going back to harvest something out of my mind. -¡¯ Obviously, using myself as a source could be regarded as retarded in normal circumstances¡­ At least my circumstances weren¡¯t normal. ¡® I tried to console myself. I still felt thunderous beats of my heart and they were coming more and more often, but the hollow note they struck increased with each passing beat. I wanted to sigh, but it was too hard to try. -¡¯ Anyway, the energy seems to behave in a different way than mana. The mist is not reacting to it, since the mist is cursed they might share a common origin, which prevents them from intermingling - like magnets of the same pole. ¡® I stalled, but I couldn¡¯t stop myself from voicing my last conclusion. -¡¯ Soo... when one boosts one¡¯s physical state it must bear burden on the body¡­ If I would do that when my body was already drained of resources¡­ this is not looking too good. ¡® I shivered at the thought of what will happen when my energy runs out, I hoped that my heart would just stop, as I didn¡¯t want to experience the agony from before anew. -¡¯ Or just from my shattered arm¡­ ¡® I was looking at my limply hanging limb, that kept forcing me to smile with the fuzzy feeling it kept sending, when a voice asked from the mist. -¡± Who goes there? ¡° ======================== Hey~, Author¡¯s here~ today¡¯s chapter turned into doom and gloom, but it was fun anyway. Let me know what you think. Cheers, Mea Ps1 We¡¯re still hanging on. lol Ps2 Owlbear General proofed the plot. NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 24 - The Enticing http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=22846 Chapter 24 - The Enticing Chapter 24 - The Enticing(F1) -¡± Show yourself, Barstein. ¡° The man¡¯s voice continued, there was tiredness and resignation in it, but it had a smooth, gentlemanly tone and a perfect british accent. -¡± I did not expect that a goon like you would find me so quickly, but I should not have expected anything less from that witch. ¡° There was an audible sigh from several yards away. -¡± Anyway. Come, let us end this farce. ¡° Led by unknown yearning and curiosity I stepped forward. After few steps the mist suddenly parted, revealing a big, at least twenty yard wide, magical circle that glowed with a dark red light that was repelling the mist. -¡¯ That damn yearning got me good. I had gotten away from my companions not because of my force of will, but because there was something bigger and tastier here. ¡® I could feel a droning urge, that insisted that I come closer, inside the circle. In the middle of the circle stood a man clad in the silken, cerulean robe, richly decorated with complicated embroidery made of silver and gold thread, though its glory was in the past as it was riddled with dirt stains and tears. The man was around six feet tall and athletically built. He had a round shaped jaw, distinct cheekbones and a bit sunken cheeks. His hair was a bit longer than a norm, at around two inches, and slicked to the back. He also had a goatee that completed his gentleman like look, which easily could vie for supremacy with celebrities. But what really grabbed my attention was the book. There was a book floating next to the mage and it was radiating such a deliciously malicious aura that it took all of my willpower to stop myself from running in and pouncing at it. -¡± Wait, you don¡¯t look like one of Barnstein''s cronies¡­ ¡° His tense and determined expression relaxed marginally when he saw me. -¡± ...an adventuress by the look of things and a strange one at that¡­ ¡° He shrugged, as if my presence was of no consequence to him. -¡± No matter. Please go die somewhere else, I still have things to do here. ¡° Being brushed off like some trash did wonders on boosting my annoyance level and making me focus on something else than a book, but I was not going to behave like some half brained idiot with *look I am here, don¡¯t ignore me*. I realized that there was an opportunity in front of me and I needed to play this right. -¡¯ Calm down, there¡¯s a dark mage here and he may know something that may help me, if I want to get something out of this situation I need to play him well.¡¯ I concentrated and managed to focus on the mage, though my eyes kept darting to the book. -¡± From the look of things you are having trouble with tapping the mists power. I do wonder why, I did it easily enough. ¡° He sent me an annoyed look. -¡± What would you know? A half dead adventuress that dabbled with the power she does not understand. ¡° I fought the urge to come closer and take the book from him. I knew that it probably wouldn¡¯t help me in any way, but the damn urge kept gnawing at me, and being annoyed wasn¡¯t helping at all. I forced myself to smile and to speak confidently about things that I barely knew anything about. I hoped that the facts that I had would be enough. -¡± Oh, I know a lot. Though maybe a wanted dark magic user would deign to enlighten me on what exactly am I missing? Draining few brigands out of vitality to fuel his magic? Maybe, stealing the treasure from the mist¡¯s guardian, or a failure at tapping its magic? ¡° I put a lot of effort in radiating sarcasm with my every word, though my act was wearing thin. The grip on my muscles kept failing me, and the wobbly balance that I held thus far was becoming shakier and shakier. Hollow beat of my heart was so loud that I could barely hear what was happening around me. I wanted to cry out in joy when he finally responded in thoughtful voice. -¡± Most curious, I will hear you out. What are you offering exactly? ¡° Mage¡¯s guarded answer made my thoughts surge frantically, I had to think up some proposition. -¡¯ What can I hook him with? ¡® I looked wildly at the scene in front of me and considered the facts. -¡¯ He can¡¯t tap the power, so can¡¯t I¡­ and both of us are using dark magic. ¡® My gaze wandered to the book again and I risked a guess. -¡± You are unable to tap the power... but I can. You could use me to tap the mists power¡­ ¡° While I was speaking I was watching him anxiously and the tiniest change on his face did let me know that my guess was close enough. I quickly changed the subject before I could reveal something that would make him realize that I was tricking him. -¡± ...and, in return, I want your help on this matter. ¡° I waved a hand to indicate myself. -¡± How do you know about the curse? ¡° He looked at me inquisitively. -¡± Are you one of Barstein¡¯s flock after all? Using a dark mage seems too high handed even for him. ¡° I smiled widely and received another guarded glance in response. -¡± Who are you? ¡° The moment he started wondering who he was dealing with was the moment I had him in the palm of my hand. I won. -¡¯ He¡¯s hooked, now all that¡¯s left is to reel him in. ¡® -¡± Who am I is of no concern to you. The facts stay the same, we need each other and that¡¯s it. Time is short for both of us. ¡° I straightened up and tried to assume a position of absolute confidence. -¡± Do we have a deal? ¡° Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Our gazes met and I did my best to keep mine even. He had to believe that he was dealing with something much more complicated than a misguided adventurer. -¡¯ As a wise person once said - keep your enemies guessing and they will always find the illusion scarier than the reality¡­ and fear is what motivates people the most. ¡® Moments passed in intense silence, interrupted only by my wildly beating heart. His hesitation was evident, so I spoke again, in hope that this one last push would be enough. -¡± You seem to have plenty of time for a wanted man. I will leave you to your book then, good luck on cracking it open¡­ ¡° It took an immense effort to say that nonchalantly and to make a semi fluid turn, and even more to make those parting steps with the need ferociously gnawing at me to come closer not further. I moved slowly, like in the molasse, each step took an impossible effort, but I was walking away and my determination rose with each wobbly stomp that I made. One step, then another, I moved away and a burning feeling to come back couldn¡¯t force me to do otherwise... -¡± Wait. ¡° ...but the words could do something that the hungering need couldn¡¯t. I stopped. -¡± I accept your proposal, though there might be some... ¡° He hesitated as if unsure of something. -¡± ...additional details that we need to discuss. ¡° -¡± I am listening¡­ ¡° I turned to face him and added threateningly with all of the strength that I had left. -¡± ...but I really do hope that you won¡¯t waste my time. ¡° It was laughable in my state, but I just had to give out a strong impression. Otherwise I risked that he would try to force some unreasonable condition on me. -¡± ¡­ ¡° To my surprise his voice failed and he had to swallow before continuing. -¡± Khm, first things first, I am Velar and I can¡¯t guarantee your survival¡­ ¡° I interrupted him. -¡± I am Almisha, and stop with the haggling. Tell me what can you do and don¡¯t waste our time on trying to manipulate me. ¡° I spent enough time fiddling with the books on psychology and on exploiting my player¡¯s weaknesses and fears to quickly spot the same tactic used on me. -¡± Very well. ¡° He gave me a nod and assumed a deadpan tone. - ¡° As I was saying I can offer you a chance, though how you use it is¡­ ¡° I furrowed my brows and he quickly continued. -¡± Anyway, I can either try to purge your mana forcefully and then use your body as a channeling conduit to gather the energy from the mists... ¡° I gave him a nod to continue. -¡± That option will probably let you survive and I will be able to gather substantial amount of aether to power my spell. ¡° -¡± So I will be left broken and useless, and you are all about caring, is what you are saying? ¡° I interjected neatly into the pause that he made. -¡± I will pass on that, I probably would rather die. ¡° -¡± Say what you will, but I take my vows seriously, thank you very much. ¡° To my surprise he really seemed offended by my insinuation. I sighed and asked in resignation. -¡± So, what¡¯s the other option? ¡° -¡± You take the book. ¡° He said simply. -¡± I what? ¡° I couldn¡¯t believe my ears, but the need made me take three steps before I forced myself to stop. I looked at him hatefully and demanded. -¡± Explain. Now. ¡° -¡± It really is quite simple. The book is an artifact used to help young mages master their magic. ¡° He must have spotted that I was on the verge of hitting him for spewing lies, because he took a step back and finished quickly. -¡± But that one is cursed and has a will of its own. What I offer is that I bind you with the book and apply some safeguards, what happens next is ultimately up to you, but it should be able to save you. I guarantee that you will not be controlled by it... ¡° I wanted to ask about many more things, but I could feel my time was really at its end. I had to make a choice. The dimness that began permeating my vision was no illusion. The darkness was coming. I raised my hand and interrupted Velar¡¯s explanation. -¡± Do what you have to do. ¡° I spoke before the darkness engulfed me. ========================== Hey~, Author¡¯s Here~ I wanted to thank all of the people who liked and supported me thus far. I really hope that you will continue to like my story. As always, and I drone this on and on, don''t hesitate to comment on things you like or don''t. They really help me find the right direction, or left, depends on the side i guess. :P Cheers, Mea Ps1 As usual lately Owlbear General took a peak first and gave his thumbs up. Ps2 I know that the chapter is 200 words short, don''t worry I am going to make up for it in the next chapter. NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 25 - The Rising (Special, Extended) http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=24051 Chapter 25 - The Rising (Special, Extended) Chapter 25 - The Rising (Special, Extended)(F1) ======> Forest Rising <====== Forest¡¯s body was frozen in shock. He was looking at the unfolding events and the terror, that held him in its inexorable grasp, was becoming stronger and stronger. He watched as Audentia, who turned out to be the killer that made him have the nightmares, suddenly rose from the ground. Her movements abrupt and inhuman. -¡± What¡­ ¡° Hamon exclaimed in surprise. -¡± Enghou, I have grown weary of this farce. ¡° Audentia¡¯s voice was changed, it was high and guttural - almost like if she was both shrieking and growling. Forest couldn¡¯t concentrate on the words that were being exchanged, because he was hypnotized by Audentia¡¯s unearthly movements, which were like if she was possessed, hanging on the invisible strings that just couldn¡¯t keep her still. He noticed a faint red glow emerging in her eyes. Suddenly, Audentia was close to him, her maddening, deceptive movements easily flowed past Hamon¡¯s and Wolga¡¯s efforts to stop her. He didn¡¯t know what happened, but a sudden voice made him snap out of his stupor. -¡±Run, Forest! Run! ¡° So he ran. He turned and ran with abandon. He didn¡¯t think about anything, just ran, like there was nothing else in the world. His breath become even and his heart began to beat with mechanical precision. His world narrowed, focused only on the clockwork beat of his heart, on piston like movement of his feet and the bellows of his lungs that brought in the catalyst to fuel his steps. Before long he was alone in the mist. There was nothing around so he stopped. He looked around, noticing the oppressive grey vapour and barren ground covered with lifeless grass. He was alone. -¡¯ Alone. Just like the grass that fruitlessly strives to live in this desolate land. ¡® He was struck by depressing thought and how hollow everything seemed¡­ He looked back, to where his friends were, and felt the anxious uncertainty of what happened to them. He was safe, but his friends were not. -¡¯ I can¡¯t leave them! ¡® He could almost feel his heart withering, just like the grass, at the thought of his friends dying for him. -¡± I can¡¯t leave them! It was me, who was supposed to protect them! ¡° He steeled his resolve and turned back, he had decided that he would rather die with his friends than survive alone. Forest was surprised by how far away he ran, he feared that he had gotten lost, but then he noticed that the ground changed. -¡¯ Those cobblestones! I must be close. ¡® He sped up and soon ran past the icicle pillar, which held the undead. Suddenly the mist parted, and he saw Audentia and Wolga before him. The scene froze Forest to his very core. Wolga laid defeated on the ground, while Audentia stood over her. He wanted to rush in, to help Wolga. But couldn¡¯t. Demonic visage of the girl that stood before him paralyzed both his muscles and his will. He was startled, by the tears of blood and the glowing red veins on Audentia¡¯s face. But what really drained all of his willpower were the eyes, which shone with a crimson light, and the lunatic laughter, that brimmed with a dark glee. All of those coupled into a maddening, inhuman visage of joyous killing intent. Forest¡¯s fighting spirit plummeted, the merest thought about resistance seemed futile and out of place. Audentia, or rather Almisha, as the red letters informed him, seemed to fall down. But it only turned into another unearthly step of hers, it was accompanied by a sharp, shiiiiing sound. The sudden sound, which seemed similar to the knife being sharpened, urged Forest to do something, as he realized that Almisha was almost close enough to strike at Wolga with the axe she had. Without thinking he rushed in and faced the demonic opponent. Blazing, red eyes and wide smile were almost enough to break him down and make him whimper in terror on the ground. -¡± Do what you want with me! But leave my friends alone! ¡° Those were the hardest words Forest ever uttered and he felt a sliver of pride, but that pride disappeared in an instant. Almisha¡¯s lunatic smile became even wider and she lifted her arm. An arm that bent at impossible angle, and the girl just laughed aloud, as if amused. She looked at Forest, at her arm and then at the axe, as if she was curious of something. Then there was a sudden movement. Forest thought that she was going to kill him and closed his eyes and waited in anxious anticipation, but the blow never came. Instead there was a clang of the axe on the ground. The girl ran away. Struck by a rush of relief, Forest lost all of his strength and sat on the ground. He looked into the mist in disbelief, his eyes empty. He was so shocked that he just wasn¡¯t able to register what was happening. Abruptly, a hand on his shoulder made him remember about his friends. He quickly turned and was rewarded with Lysanthir¡¯s pained grunt. -¡± Easy there, my shoulder¡¯s broken. ¡° Lysanthir spoke in a calm and understanding voice, though his face was showing that he was in pain. -¡± Are you well enough? We need to recover quickly. ¡° Forest nodded, as the words just couldn¡¯t get past his dry throat, he rose from the ground and coughed to clear his throat. -¡± Could you go next to Wolga? I will try to drag Hamon closer, that way I should be able to heal all of you. ¡° Lysanthir nodded wordlessly and headed to where Wolga was lying. Forest dragged Hamon¡¯s big body across the cobblestones and set him close to shallowly breathing Wolga. -¡± Try to stay still. I will heal the injuries. ¡° Forest said, and concentrated on the beat of the world around him. It was thwarted by the deathly mist, but even here the life tried to thrive. He could feel the persistence of life, in the grass, in the hidden seeds waiting for a time to sprout with life and in the occasional insect that burrowed deep within the earth. He could also feel the heartbeats of his companions, relentlessly pumping the lifeblood, though Wolga¡¯s and Hamon¡¯s were weak. Urged by the state of his friends, Forest focused on the ritual which was shown to him by the old man. -¡± What was once whole, let the whole become. By the ancient pledge, let me grant the gift of life, so the nature''s servants can right the wrongs. What¡¯s mine, let it be theirs, so they may assist in the World¡¯s quest, and put the abominations to rest. ¡° Forest exclaimed in a loud voice and he could feel that everything was coming together. Earth, sky, grass, seeds, insects, animals and the lives of his companions, all coupled into one inexorable beat that even the mist couldn¡¯t thwart. The green aura surrounded them and the mist parted, pushed away by the nature¡¯s energy that responded to Forest¡¯s call. Forest could feel the strength leaving him and flowing into his companions and the surroundings, joining everything together with a deep beat that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. Green energy flowed from the ground, from Forest and from his companions. Forest could feel the wounds of his companions and how they mended, following the relentless beat of the world''s heart. Even cursed, unnatural mist couldn¡¯t do anything but give way to such inexorable power, Forest could feel his strength and purpose returning - to become a vessel to the nature¡¯s wrath, as he promised the old man. Eventually the beat grew weaker and the communion ended. Forest could feel his tears flowing as the contact waned and he was left alone, no longer joined with joyous and exhilarating stream of life. -¡± Pfff, that was really something. I will never get used to that. ¡° Hamon exclaimed vigorously and stood up briskly. -¡± Thanks lad, well done. ¡° Forest smiled in response to Hamon¡¯s earnest praise. -¡± Anyway what happened when I was out? ¡° Hamon asked. -¡± The girl was preparing to finish us off when Forest suddenly rushed in and faced her. ¡° Lysanthir responded while shaking his head. -¡± I don¡¯t know why, but she suddenly stopped and ran away. By the way, that was really stupid of you Forest, but I guess that we all owe you one. ¡° Forest¡¯s heart swelled with pride as such a high praise was nigh impossible to hear from Lysanthir¡¯s mouth. -¡± Yhe, well done lad. I thought we were all done for. That girl is really something else, we better leave soon. ¡° Hamon shook his head, as if in disbelief. -¡± Though, we shouldn¡¯t expect anything less from Player Killer, those types usually play with devilish skill. What do you think Lysanthir? ¡° -¡± We are lucky to be alive. I had a drop on her and still couldn¡¯t land a hit. ¡° Lysanthir looked over the group as if he was wanting to apologize, but he suddenly turned to address Wolga instead. -¡± Wolga, what¡¯s up with you? ¡° Everyone¡¯s attention turned to Wolga, who had tears streaming down her cheeks. -¡± Why did it happen? Why couldn¡¯t we go together? ¡° She looked around as if startled. -¡± Hamon, Lysanthir, Forest, why couldn¡¯t we just start anew, together? ¡° Wolga¡¯s accusing and naively stubborn question made everyone uneasy. -¡± Khem. ¡° Hamon coughed in awkward silence. -¡± Wolga, you need to understand that what you wish for wouldn¡¯t happen, it would¡­ ¡° -¡± But why? ¡° Tearful question asked by Wolga seemed to break everyone¡¯s heart. Hamon had a look full of anxiety on his face, like if a child asked him why the mommy is not coming back. -¡± You see¡­ ¡° Hamon¡¯s hesitant answer was interrupted abruptly, Forest could swear that he glimpsed a momentary relief appearing on his companion¡¯s face. -¡± NOOOOOO! The treasure is lost! GONE! ¡° Everyone¡¯s attention turned to the rapidly thrashing undead that let out a whispering cry of utter anguish. -¡± Must get it back! The link is still fresh! ARGHHRGHHH! ¡° A guttural shout was accompanied by the sharp sound of cracking ice. With sudden outburst of power the pillar shattered, sending a cascade of icy shrapnel in all directions. Forest watched in surprise as a glistening wave of sharp projectiles rushed past him. Stabbing pain that ice shards brought forced him out of the stupor and made him focus on the undead that was already charging at him. On reflex, he rolled to the side, barely in time to dodge the sweeping claws. Forest immediately stood up and turned to face the undead, which was few feet away and wheezing in rage. Forest readjusted the grip on his sword, he noticed that his companions were already raising from the ground to join the fight, so he took on a defensive pose. -¡± Ghiiiiuu! ¡° The undead made another hateful sound and jumped at Forest, who reacted just as Gerhard taught him - he took a step back while making a downward swing from over his left shoulder. A crescent slash caught the undead mid stride, cutting across its chest and forcing it the side, where it rolled, still carried by the momentum. Forest didn¡¯t let down his guard and rushed after the undead with another downward strike. To his surprise undead suddenly stomped the ground and twisted its body, stopping the roll and lashing at him with a backhand blow. Forest tried to parry, but the strike had such an overwhelming force to it that his blade was easily swept away and the blow landed on his shoulder, knocking him off balance. Like in slow motion, Forest watched helplessly as undead continued its spinning movement and extended the other hand to bury its claws into his chest. In that moment Wolga¡¯s hit landed on the undead¡¯s head and thrown it few yards away, where Hamon already waited with his axe at the ready. A downward blow cut across the arms which the undead raised to defend itself, to Forest¡¯s surprise the axe wasn¡¯t able to cleave through the thin arms, instead it only cut half an inch into them. The undead flailed its arms, knocking the axe out of Hamon¡¯s grasp, and pounced at the bearded man when he was off guard. Lysanthir¡¯s spear appeared from behind Hamon and pierced the undead¡¯s chest, a horizontal bar behind the spear¡¯s blade prevented the undead from skewering itself and thus advancing close enough to shred Hamon, the claws flew mere inches away from the man¡¯s face. Wolga and Forest weren¡¯t wasting time and rushed in, cutting and bashing across the undead¡¯s back. The undead shrieked and erupted into frenzy of activity, flailing around with its outstretched arms. Though it was for naught, as Lysanthir skillfully manipulated his spear and prevented the undead from moving closer or getting free of the blade. Hamon retreated to retrieve his axe while Wolga and Forest unleashed merciless rain of blows on the undead¡¯s back. The undead¡¯s toughness was downward inhuman and even when they managed to make a deep wound it closed almost immediately after they inflicted it, leaving only shallow cut or abrasion as the only sign of their efforts. -¡¯ Will this thing ever die? ¡® Forest despaired. -¡¯ Our blows are barely harming it! ¡® Abruptly the undead stopped its frenzied movements and looked at Lysanthir with calm and hateful gaze. Without warning it grabbed the spear and shattered it in the iron grasp. The undead tried to follow up with a pounce at the elf, but Lysnathir took a step back and stopped it again with the shaft of the spear. The undead tried to grab the wooden pole again, but this time Lysanthir was on guard. He moved swiftly, striking, sidestepping and prodding to seal the undead¡¯s movements and maintaining the distance. To Forest it seemed like a dance like display of skill, one that continued in an effortless grace that never gave the undead a chance to react. -¡± Forest, Wolga. ¡° Hamon¡¯s commanding voice resounded. -¡± Keep this thing still, I will try to behead it for good. ¡° -¡± You cannot kill Yiris! ¡° To everyone¡¯s surprise the undead abruptly stopped and shouldered the blows while speaking coherently. -¡± Yiris is immortal! ¡° Sudden outburst of red energy radiated from the undead and it rushed at Hamon with abandon. Lysanthir¡¯s pole tried to stop it, but the unfeeling undead just forced the elf¡¯s weapon away with brute strength. Wolga grasped the undead from behind and thrown it to the side immediately, as the things absurd strength would no doubt break her hold. Forest used that moment to take a position in front of Hamon as the undead was already on its feet and charging. -¡± Urgyaaa! ¡° Forest screamed and channeled all of his strength into a horizontal blow. -¡± You shall not pass! ¡° The undead didn¡¯t even try to dodge and the sword cut at least two inches into its neck. The force of the blow made it tumble over, but, in a blink, it was back on its feet and charging at him. Forest made a downward, crescent slash that hit the undead in the chest, but didn¡¯t stop its charge this time. -¡± I will not let you pass! ¡° Forest declared with utter conviction. -¡± This nature¡¯s servant will stand against you! ¡° The undead swung its clawed hand and made a deep gash on his chest, but Forest barely registered it. He already gave way to the power coursing in his veins and focused solely on fighting the enemy in front of him. Forest responded with a blow of his own, cutting the undead across the face and getting a hit on the shoulder in return. Power swelled within Forest, travelling across his body, revitalizing it. His muscles bulged with strength and endurance, his pain was nothing compared to the overwhelming, exhilarating rush of the moment. The exchange continued in reckless abandon, claw marks appeared on Forest¡¯s body while deep cuts marked the undead¡¯s. Both stood strong, one was basked in a red aura, and impervious to wounds, while the other was basked in a green power, with the wounds healing at an astonishing rate. Suddenly Wolga jumped at the undead and forced it to the ground, Hamon used that moment to swing his axe and cut the undead across the neck with all of his might. Forest barely registered that the undead was no longer standing in front of him, still, he had enough clarity of mind to stop his blade in midair, hair¡¯s breadth from Wolga¡¯s neck. An abrupt movement almost thrown Wolga off the undead, Forest barely had time to retract his sword as not to harm her. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. -¡± Hold it down! ¡° Hamon exclaimed immediately and raised the axe above his head. Then he swung it down, but the undead still tried to force itself free. Hamon struck again. And again. And again¡­ And again. Finally the axe managed to cut all the way through and buried itself in the ground. An awkward silence fell upon the area, as everyone was too shocked and too worn out to celebrate. Only sound of galloping horses could be heard¡­ Suddenly a brown horse appeared out of the mist, its rider was already in midair before anyone could get their bearings. In two swift tumbles the leather clad rider stopped all of his momentum and looked around inquisitively. He was clad in brown leather armor and had a shoulder length, black hair gathered in a low ponytail. His features were sharp, almost hawk like, coupled with his slit eyed look and his abrupt movements he gave out an aura that was both authoritative and dangerous. -¡± Have you seen a mage here? ¡° Slit eyed individual asked in insistent tone, his threatening gaze traveling from one person to another. Hamon coughed and responded. -¡± Khem. No, we were getting to it, but...well, things happened¡­ ¡° -¡± It didn¡¯t have an artifact with it? ¡° The man continued the interrogation and indicated the corpse. -¡± None that we know of. ¡° Hamon responded nervously. -¡± Darn it! We are out of time. ¡° The man suddenly exploded in anger and looked around with intense look on his face, as if trying to find some sort of lead. -¡± Athmael! ¡° An unconcerned voice, that brimmed with arrogance, resounded from the mist. -¡± Why¡¯s the rush? We should be close already. Its not like he can leave the place without us knowing. Curse ¡®n all. ¡° -¡± Barstein¡­ ¡° Athmael almost spat the word and his fingers gripping the sword¡¯s handle became pale. -¡± I told you, time and again. Do. Not. Underestimate. Him. ¡± A man rode out of the mist on a white horse. He was clad in a representative uniform of the city guard, it was navy blue and full of golden buttons and chains. The pauldrons on the uniform and a triangular hat, indicated someone of the considerable rank. The man himself was in his forties, or even fifties. He had a mane of white hair, that reached below his shoulders and a stylish, perfectly trimmed goatee. His face was creased with good natured wrinkles, that almost make him seem like a perfect gentleman. Though that impression was ruined by his pompous voice and arrogant, self important attitude. -¡± And I told you to calm down. ¡° Barstein was unconcerned by his companions threatening attitude. -¡± With the curse on, one that you assured me he cannot break easily, he can¡¯t shake us. Also, he is probably worn out already, with the things I set in motion. ¡° A menacing smile of self satisfaction appeared on the man¡¯s face. Forest was almost expecting that the man will start rubbing his hands at any moment. -¡± Barstein, I will have your ass if he slips away. ¡° Athmael¡¯s annoyance seemed to reach the boiling point. -¡± I hope you are aware of that. ¡° Forest thought that the man would snap, but instead he just took a deep, calming breath. -¡± Anyway, you should get into that thick skull of yours that you are not dealing with some third rate magician which you can just wear down with some¡­ ¡° Suddenly, a mist whirled, as if it was alive, and began to drain in one particular direction. -¡± For the freakin¡¯ gods sake! ¡° Athmael cursed and mounted his horse in an instant. -¡± Barstein, if I am alive when this is over I will flay you! Inside out! ¡° He screamed before rushing off in the direction where the mist was going. Barstein looked over Forest and the others, and the good natured look on the man¡¯s was face was all but gone. One look on Barstein¡¯s calculating gaze made Forest shiver in fear, as he realized that the man was considering whether to kill them¡­ -¡± Later¡­ ¡° Soft words that bore terrible promise reached Forest and Barstein rushed off after his companion. ======> POV: END <====== -¡± Argh, my mana. My power! ¡° Someone¡¯s shrill voice woke me, and I immediately regretted being awake. Immense pain from all over my body, and from my right hand especially, assaulted me. I couldn¡¯t comprehend what was happening. -¡± You useless meatbag! How could you let him take it? ¡° Piercing voice kept screaming. -¡± Stand up! There¡¯s no time to waste! Now! ¡° The voice added in a commanding tone. It was so authoritative that, in my confusion and pain, I tried to stand up as commanded. I hoped that the pain would stop if I did as requested, but my only reward was a bone wrenching pain that made me lay back down. I groaned and the voice continued its chastising speech. -¡± Move! The thief¡¯s trail is getting cold by the second! We need to give chase now! Its the least you can do after losing decades of my work! ¡° I decided to ignore the voice and tried to gather my wits. -¡¯ What¡¯s going on¡­ ¡® I realized that I was not at home, or not even in my own body anymore. I couldn¡¯t understand why I would find myself in such strange circumstances. I tried to remember the last thing that happened to me. Then the realization hit me. -¡¯ Oh, so the mage did what he wanted and left. ¡® -¡± You useless piece of meat. Are you a planaria or something? Stop dilly dallying and do as you are told! ¡° -¡¯ The thing that is speaking must be a book. ¡® I concluded and responded. -¡± Shut up. ¡° Uttering those words turned out to be rather painful, as my body didn¡¯t take kindly to even such a minor effort. -¡± How dare you, a mere slave, address a Master. Repent at once, peasant! ¡° Agitated voice only gained in vehemence. I wanted to sigh, but that would only bring me more pain. If I wasn¡¯t making any abrupt movements the pain was settling down to almost bearable level, and I just wanted to go back to laying down on the ground, unmoving. But the book wouldn¡¯t have any of it. -¡± Are you half deaf or just stupid, or both? Answer me! ¡° I could bear with the pain, with being wet and with being cold and viciously hungry, but the book¡¯s nonsense annoyed the hell out of me. I opened an eye and turned my head to the side. The grimoire was laying on a withered grass, illuminated by the moonlight. -¡¯ The mist¡¯s gone and the night has came. ¡® I registered idly. The book was rather small, around the size of a thick, hardbound notebook. The covers were made from solid silver plates, they were heavily decorated with the engravings that showed a swirl of chaotic flames. In the flames depictions of demonic figures could be glimpsed. I quickly realized, after blinking, that the engraving changed each time I wasn¡¯t looking at it and always showed different set of nightmarish creatures and the flames. -¡± You are the dumbest slave I ever had! ¡° The book continued its rant. -¡± Move! You half bred bitch! ¡° My patience was already thinned down by the things that happened earlier, and the book¡¯s insults wore what little I had left. -¡¯ We will see who¡¯s the little bitch¡­ ¡® I thought and felt my eyes tearing up a bit, as the quiet rage overcame me. I ignored the agonizing pain and stood up. I noticed that there was something green and covered with letters laying on the ground, I picked it up to read out later. -¡± Finally! Now, pick me up and let¡¯s¡­ ¡° The books obnoxious tone suddenly become alarmed. -¡± Wait. What¡¯s with you? ¡° -¡± You seem to misunderstand the situation. ¡° I said in a cold, intransigent tone while bending down to pick up the book. -¡± ...and who¡¯s the master is, you little bitch. ¡° I took a long look at the book in my hand and wondered what should I do with it now, my thoughts full of malicious intent. -¡± Wait. Can we talk about it? ¡° The book seemed to pick on my malicious intent as it suddenly taken up a desperate tone. -¡± I am sorry, it seems that there was some misunderstanding. ¡° Though it seemed that I was mistaken, it haven¡¯t learned anything at all. -¡± I should be able to come up with beneficial terms of slave contract for you or even master-servant relationship¡­ ¡° -¡¯ ...but what can one do to a magic book. ¡® I wondered and a wicked smile twisted my lips¡­ -¡± Why are you looking at me like that? Wait! What are you doing? ¡° The book¡¯s voice was full of alarm. -¡± Unhand me at once Slave! ¡° The book suddenly gathered its wits. -¡± How dare you! Trying to intimidate the great me! It¡¯s useless! No magic or physical force can harm me! Fool! Kneel before your Master or else¡­ ¡° -¡± We shall see about that¡­ ¡° I opened the Beginner¡¯s Pouch and placed the book inside, I was immediately rewarded with a blissful silence. -¡¯ If my line of thought is correct the Pouch stores things in an extradimensional, empty space. ¡® A wicked smile grew even wider. -¡¯I do wonder how it takes up to sensory deprivation. ¡® My elation was short lived, as my anger waned so did the adrenaline boost and I was assaulted with lightheadedness, hunger and pain. I was barely able to kneel in time as sudden blackout caused by weakness almost made me lose consciousness. Bent down, with my head on the ground, I took few deep breaths and felt that black cloud started to disappear from my vision. I took few moments to rest, then I tried to establish what state I was in. I examined my body that looked extremely thin and sunken. -¡¯ Like a kid in one of the hunger stricken countries. ¡® I summarized. I had almost no wounds, apart from my right hand, which was bruised purple. I was aching all over as every last muscle of mine was sore, and I was so vehemently hungry that it was almost as painful. -¡¯ The mage must have done something as my state is almost miraculously good. ¡® I deducted, but it didn¡¯t make me any happier. -¡¯ I must eat something fast... ¡® I dreaded the conclusion, but I had no other choice. I removed *Myrnuul¡¯s Rations* and water jug from the Pouch. The bread looked almost appetizing. Without delay I grabbed the stale slice and gnawed at it. It was the worst torture I could think of. To vehemently gnaw at cardboard quality food and being unable to stop. I ate every last slice, and tears streamed down my cheeks. I gulped last of the water from the jug and fell into uneasy sleep, haunted by the visions of extravagant feasts composed only of rye bread... * * * I sat at the head of the table and servants marched with the trays full of delicacies, but every time they came to me there was only rye bread left. I tried to snatch the delicious food, but it turned into rye bread every time. Then I spotted a giant cake, that shone with a golden light that accented all of the cake¡¯s glory. I inadvertently rushed to it, but as I was getting closer the light intensified and when I almost gotten close enough to take a bite my eyes flew open, blinded by the overwhelming light¡­ I groaned and shielded my eyes, that were blinded by the sun that just rose above the horizon. I turned and tried to stop the shivering that overwhelmed me. Rays of the raising sun did little to warm my soaked and heat deprived body. -¡¯ If I get a cold from this I am going to be soo pissed... ¡® Though my luck held and I hadn¡¯t gotten sick. I tried to stop myself from shivering, which, paired with soreness, turned into an agonizing form of torture. I quickly gave up as I had no way to warm myself and focused on the message that the mage had left. I taken out a square piece of green linen, on which the letters were burned, and sighed in annoyance. The piece of linen used for a letter was taken from my cape. I straightened the cloth and started to read. Almisha, Thank you for your assistance. Know that I am a man of my word and, before leaving, I have made sure that my debt is paid in full. While your injuries were beyond healing I managed to speed up your recovery using the remains of the mist¡¯s power to cast Mneventh¡¯s Life Cocoon. I strongly advise that you eat something as the spell consumed most of your body¡¯s resources. Also, you shouldn¡¯t use magic until you make a full recovery, as your body lacks the resources needed to sustain a toll of spellcasting. Regarding the grimoire. As promised, I have put safeguards that prevent it from directly affecting you, but it does not change the fact that it is a shrewd and dangerous thing. You should take extreme caution while negotiating with it as many had fallen prey to its corrupting influence, though I expect that you are not that feeble minded. Just bear in mind that it is not something that can be controlled, at least no mage has found a way to do so thus far. I hope that we will meet in the future under more favorable circumstances. Yours sincerely, Velar Ps I have moved you away from the teleportation circle¡¯s location so you won¡¯t get apprehended by my pursuers. Though they are probably scouring the area. I didn¡¯t learn much from the letter, though I had to admit that betting on the mage¡¯s goodwill turned out rather well. -¡¯ Hopefully. ¡® I added in my thoughts as I remembered about the book. -¡¯ A night have passed, it¡¯s time to see if my corrective treatment worked... ¡® I reached for the Pouch and I was struck with a sudden thought. -¡± Damn it all to hell. I am late! ¡° I remembered that I was likely late for work and had not time to spare. I started logging out in a hurry. -¡¯ I still have to return to the city, there¡¯s the book and plenty other stuff. I wish I could just damn the work and pla¡­ ¡° A darkness descended as I was transported out of the world of ArCiel. ============================== Hey~, Author¡¯s Here as you have probably noticed there¡¯s a special every five chapter, and guess what, here we have a fifth special chapter. Hence I decided to do something special. Really special. I have prepared plenty of goodies. First off - there¡¯s a new CG that I have made together with Owlbear General, you can see a preview I have put as cover since we are still ironing out the details. Anyway just wait for a full sized version which looks badbass already. Second, an extension - the Forest is back, and with vengeance. I hope you liked his chapter, which was extra long. The third thing - I could have released Almisha¡¯s chapter as Chapter 26 later and get some free time that way. But nah, I released it together with chapter 25 :P Also, I feel it¡¯s a good time to thank everyone for support: A thank you to those who followed, as a crowd of people is always nice to have. A Damn Big thank you to all of those who thought that may work deserved to be one of their favorites, that really made me feel something - I don¡¯t know what it was, but it definitely seemed like a great alternative to Blood Magic boost that kept me going (writing). And last but not least a Great Thank You for comments, as they make me feel that I am not alone, writing before a magic mirror, in the forlorn castle, located in the middle of desolate terrain and surrounded by the armies of monsters¡­ It really gets lonely at times, then I remember that conquering, killing and pillaging is a great way to spend time... :P ...ops I think that¡¯s a wonderful idea! Cheers, Mea Ps1 Don¡¯t worry - invading Earth is hardly appealing. Ps2 Thanking Owlbear General is useless, he is one of my generals after all and everyone knows that. So I will just say - good work thus far, keep it up or else... NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 26 - The Hungering http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=26344 Resumed Hey, Overlord''s here I feel chains of reality gnawing at my very existence, so its time to move on. I am going on to explore new worlds and when I feel the call again I might be back. When that happens you ask? No one knows, it might be in a week or a moth, will see. Thanks for reading and support, though what I made might have not been the best. Take care, Mea This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.Ps And don''t trust dragons, they always lie. EDIT: Here''s the link to the next chapter: Chapter 26 I had quie a bit of problems to write the story again, and I still don''t know why. Anyway I will set the status as returned and we will see how it goes. Chapter 26 - The Hungering Chapter 26 - The Hungering I awoke to a silent humming, a metal ring was passing over my head on the way to its resting place. I breathed a sigh of relief as a myriad of pains and a gnawing hunger ceased to afflict my body. Still, at the same time, I was feeling hollow, empty and somehow...detached. -¡¯ Is this some sort of side effect? ¡® I wondered idly. -¡¯ I certainly am overusing the capsule and the manual advises against doing that. ¡® -¡¯ Hmm, the capsule has a commercial rating, but the technology is almost out of this world compared to competition - none of them even tried to simulate the touch yet¡­ ¡® I was calm, as always, but somehow I was feeling like I was missing something. My emotions were like serene waters of a calm lake¡­ -¡¯ I guess I better move, if there¡¯s something from my scope and I am not around I will need to write dastardly long mail with Bs explanation and reasoning on why I haven¡¯t acted upon it. ¡® I sighed and opened the cover. -¡¯ At least no one ever bothers to check the login times¡­ ¡® I tripped and almost fell over when I was leaving the capsule. My long limbs felt awfully awkward after playing. -¡¯ That¡¯s what you get for having almost a feet of difference in height¡­ ¡® I twisted my lips in wry, self deprecating smile. With uncertain steps I moved around and gotten out my company¡¯s laptop. I started logging in, which took dastardly long, and ordered a meal from some take away. I was hungry, but nothing compared to what I had to endure in game. Finally, the last login sequence was completed and I quickly scrolled to the active contacts - I needed to make sure that the manager wasn¡¯t on yet. I was four hours late and there was a chance he would be logged on already. -¡± Damn it all. ¡° I swore. The expanded list of contacts shown manager¡¯s name, along with few other names that seemed vaguely familiar¡­ -¡¯ ...because they are the names of the people from the other shift. ¡® I slowly closed the laptop¡¯s lid and went about my business. -¡¯ Ehhh, I guess I should be happy. ¡® I thought. -¡¯ It is monday, and the work isn¡¯t due for quite some time. ¡® -¡¯ That recent routine really did a number on me... ¡® I went downstairs to take a meal from the delivery guy. As I ate, I checked my cellphone and scrolled over the messages. There was an event next Sunday, someone else was throwing a party and some friends wanted to meet. Somehow I didn¡¯t feel like going anywhere. I cleared the inbox. After taking one long, last look on the capsule I went to sleep. -¡¯ I need to make some sort of schedule, if I play too long side effect may kick in again¡­ ¡® I thought, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that I was going to play when I woke up anyway. * * * It was monday evening and I was sitting in front of my PC. Before going back to ArCiel I decided to do some research first. I was practically stranded in the wilderness without any means of survival. -¡¯ At least until I get a hold of something that will cover my Murderer¡¯s Mark, then I could try visiting a village. ¡® I thought while checking what edible things I could get my hands on in wilderness. -¡¯ Hm, almost every site I visit claims that venturing into wilderness is suicidal due to numerous monsters prowling the countryside. Somehow, Forest¡¯s party seemed much too laid back for it to be true¡­ ¡® I looked some more and eventually I ran into a site dedicated to the Kingdom Of Gis. -¡¯ Damn, I should have done this a long time ago. ¡® There was a lot of interesting information there and I quickly forgot about my original purpose. -¡¯ Well, its not like I am going to find anything edible easily and trying to hunt something have better chances of success anyway. ¡® I quickly realized that I greatly underestimated the importance of the temples and clergy. -¡¯ Blessings and curses for example, each of the faith¡¯s seem to have an array of them and depending on the influence a particular faith has in the region the effects can be grand. ¡® I was surprised that the Murderer¡¯s Mark wasn¡¯t a part of the system, but a blessing from the Church Of Holy Light that was a main faith in the Kingdom of Gis. It¡¯s another blessing was to bring peace to the land by banishing most of the monsters in the vicinity of the temples. -¡¯ And those that remain get slaughtered by the Order Of Holy Light, an armed part of the Church that consists of paladins, inquisitors and other armed professionals. ¡® -¡¯ At least now I know that an average guard can¡¯t pierce past incognito - only an inquisitor or a watcher from the Church may. ¡® I looked anxiously to the black, oblong shape behind me. I dreaded the return, as it was going to be painful, not to mention that dying would be quite severe. I found out that, if I were to die, I would appear on the main plaza of the city and the penalties for getting caught with the Murderer¡¯s Mark were enough to make most of the criminal adventurers reroll. All of my uncertainties couldn¡¯t outweigh the fact that I just couldn¡¯t stop myself from returning. There was something¡­ that just kept me going back. * * * From the unfeeling darkness to the realm of emotions and pain. I groaned as the swirl of chaotic sensations and feelings descended upon me. I curled into a ball as painful cramp gripped my belly. The pain of hunger was overwhelming, but it soon subsided - probably stopped by some bodily reaction, I remembered that some sort of hormone could do that. I also remembered that it usually was released in the state of starvation, which often preceded death. Motivated by the grim prospects I rose to my feet, or at least I tried to, as I had to kneel down due to lightheadedness. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. -¡¯ Great, I badly need the food and I can¡¯t travel in this state. ¡® I gritted my teeth in annoyance and concentrated. -¡¯ Calm down, think. There must be some sort of food nearby, just focus and think calmly. ¡® My thoughts surged frantically, but every idea I had was stupid. I could not eat grass, eating bark wasn¡¯t going to help me either. I had no chance of catching any animal in my pitiful state. The woods were some distance away and I was unsure if I would be able to travel that far. I remembered excerpt from the *Goblin Survival 101*. -¡¯ Fifty methods on how to cook a man¡­ ¡® I felt tears of humiliation and annoyance on my cheeks. -¡¯ Damn, I can¡¯t eat people! I have some standards... ¡® The thought was revolting and appealing at the same time, it only shown in what kind of a pitiful state I was in. -¡¯ Even though I have brigands in the ravine! ¡® I groaned again and laid on my back. I was out of ideas and it hurt my pride¡­ I couldn¡¯t just lay there and wait for death meekly, it just didn¡¯t suit my style. I remembered my gaming motto * The player isn¡¯t dead till he¡¯s dead * and rose to my feet again. I clenched my teeth, forcing away lightheadedness and weakness with the sheer force of will. Each step I took required an utmost effort, but I did not stop. My mind was set. Taking the endless, torturous steps made me realize something - I had never put a sliver of effort in the things that I have done, everything came to me naturally, or not - I didn¡¯t care, I just always took an easy way forward. But in this game I just couldn¡¯t, didn¡¯t want to let go. I wanted to press forward, climb to the top, whatever the top was. I was baffled by the realization. I tried to fathom when exactly I started to care, but couldn¡¯t. Suddenly I fell, tripped due to not paying attention. With utmost effort I rose to my feet and continued forward, concentrating solely on the task at hand. Then, at the moment I wanted to take another step forward, I realized that I was standing at the edge of the ravine. I wanted to lay down, almost defeated by the sudden rush of relief caused by the arrival at the destination. But I couldn¡¯t afford to rest yet, I had to find the food. -¡¯ I am sure that the mage didn¡¯t take their supplies, brigands must have had some food on them, right? ¡® I tried to reassure myself. With a final sigh, which I exhaled to get rid of the doubts, I started climbing into the ravine. Somehow I managed to avoid slipping on the wet stones and arrived safely at the bottom of the ravine, dead bodies of the brigands only few feet away from me. The scene was probably quite scary, but I was unaffected, my mind was set on surviving and I was not going to give up. Without hesitation I approached the bodies and started rifling through their pouches and pockets. My movements became frantic. I thrown around coins, wooden buttons, flintstones, daggers, needles and many other useless things that were not food. Finally the sense of defeat caught up with me and my strengthless body fell into w-sitting position. My dull gaze traveled over dead bodies and over the assortment of pocket junk thrown around the ravine. I didn¡¯t want to believe that they didn¡¯t have anything on them, apart from weapons and random items of convenience. I closed my fist and hit the nearest body weakly in the chest. Suddenly, my eyes flew open and tears of helplessness ceased to flow. My mind sharpened as countless theories coursed through my mind, and there was only one answer. -¡¯ They had to have horses or camp nearby. ¡® With renewed determination I lifted myself out of the ravine and started looking for any signs that could point me to where the bodies were transported from. -¡¯ If I find the place where they were killed I should be able to track the tracks of over dozen men. ¡® I thought. My search was soon rewarded, I found drops of blood spilled near the ravine. With determination I followed the trail of blood, though it led me further than expected. I had to rest few times, but eventually I reached the place where the massacre happened. At least that was what I imagined happened near a thicket. The blood was spilled over a wide terrain, but there wasn¡¯t much of it. It all matched with the state the corpses were in. It didn¡¯t take me long to figure out where the brigands came from - the thicket. I walked between trees and almost cursed myself for the thoughtlessness. The chances that there was somebody at the camp were high and, considering the state I was in, I should get there as inconspicuously as possible. I gave out some silent thanks to the Murderer¡¯s Mark - thanks to it I knew that no one did spot me as it haven¡¯t been glowing. I tried to move as silently as possible and moved from cover to cover. This continued for quite some time, and I was becoming weaker and weaker. My vision was growing dimmer and dimmer, and I was ready to lose what little hope I had left when my efforts paid off. The sound of a breaking twig and a silent curse did let me know that there was someone ahead of me. I was sure that I had reached my destination and only a brigand, or a few, blocked my path to the food. ============ Hey~, Author¡¯s here~ I am not sure what had happened but it took me awfully long to write this chapter, especially since I had no problems writing some other story >.< . I hope you liked what I wrote, let me know your thoughts since my recent writing problems left me wondering about the quality. Cheers, Mea NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 27 - The Struggling http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=26654 Chapter 27 - The Struggling Chapter 27 - The Struggling [ Depictions of violence in this chapter should probably be avoided by a faint hearted and most definitely by children, therefore - read at your own risk. You have been warned~ ] With clear goal in mind I reached into the pouch and retrieved the dagger. My gaze darted around, looking for a way to approach the mark. The forest litter was thick and I had no confidence in sneaking over the dry leaves without alerting the prey. -¡¯ I need to assassinate them all... ¡® I thought with determination, having no illusions to my chances of winning in a direct combat. I had no idea how many enemies there were, but I knew where the nearest sentry was. -¡¯ ...but first I need to have a better look on who am I facing exactly. ¡® I dropped to all fours and started to crawl with painstaking slowness, using the shrubbery for a cover. With my nerves taut in anxiety and my muscles aching from maintaining awkward positions, I crawled forward. With painstakingly slow progress I managed to reach another tree and my effort was rewarded. There was a man on lookout, around twenty feet away from me. He wore dishevelled armor made of fur and leather that matched perfectly, with his unkempt hair and beard, into perfect example of a brigand. He was armed with bow, club and a few daggers. His haggard appearance did nothing to cover what he really was - a tall, muscular man used to the life of strife. An alien feeling of insecurity came over me when my gaze wandered over the beast of a man before me. Unwanted scenarios of rather grim adventures that I read about came to mind and made me strangely aware of my small body. Somehow I had a clenching sensation in my stomach that did not come from hunger. I closed my eyes, which only made me aware of my anxiously beating heart, and took a deep breath, in a vain try to calm down. My hand clenched the dagger with a desperate effort. *Huff* *Huff* *Huff* My desperate breathing only served to fuel my fears, as the brigand could notice me at any moment. -¡¯ Why am I panicking? ¡® I thought desperately. -¡¯ It¡¯s only an armed man¡­ why am I afraid? ¡® I risked opening my eyes and looked at the brigand again. The primal fear didn¡¯t want to let go - thick armor, bulging muscles and wicked intents, of which my vivid imagination produced countless scenarios - all of the impressions made me feel small and helpless. -¡¯ It¡¯s only a game, a game, a game¡­ right? ¡® I tried to reassure myself with the mindless litany, but the smell of the trees, the wildly beating heart, the sensation of bark under my fingers, the hum of leaves, somehow, it only made me cruelly aware of the reality of my predicament. -¡± Yie! ¡± Sudden movement of the brigand surprised me and I unwittingly gave out a soft yelp. -¡± What was that? ¡° With annoyance a gruff voice asked. My body froze in fear, while my heartbeat surged. Panic overtook me and a rustling steps resounded, getting closer and closer. Sitting, nestled behind the tree I felt like a trapped deer. Dread sound of the approaching man seemed like a countdown to my doom, and I could do nothing to escape. An arm, armed with a club, appeared in my field of view. Soon followed by the bearded face which look turned from initial surprise into wide, wicked grin. -¡± What do we have here? ¡° He exclaimed softly in a gruff, menacing voice. My body was frozen and helpless tears streamed down my cheeks, while I uselessly screamed in my mind. -¡¯ Move! Move! Move! ¡® But the scream couldn¡¯t get past the gripping terror. The brigand extended a hand, reaching for me, and I closed my eyes at a dreadful sight. The anticipation seemed even worse than the sight and I felt something inside me breaking. A rushing sensation surged across my body and the voice finally got through my fear paralyzed lips. -¡± Aaaiiieeee! ¡° With a vengeful scream I rose to my feet, assaulting the surprised brigand with my right hand. Before he could react my blow already made contact with his face and my body hit into him soon after. Somehow, brigand¡¯s body went limp instantly and my weak bullrush actually made him fall under my weight. I was looking in disbelief at the big body lying under me, unmoving. My gaze wandered to the face, and then to the eye socket, where the dagger, that I forgot about, was nestled. My stupor was interrupted by the sound of people rushing through the forest. Without thinking I gripped a dagger from the dead man¡¯s belt and rushed in the direction the enemies were coming from. -¡¯ There¡¯s few of them! I need an ambush!¡¯ With a desperate thought I hid behind the nearest tree. Moments later two men rushed past me, looking at the body and exposing their backs. I could hear a questioning voice in a distance. I needed to act fast. Before ruffians had a chance to notice me, I pounced at the closest of them. My adrenaline augmented jump brought me close enough and I swung down my dagger, burying it to the hilt into the brigand¡¯s neck. Before the body could fall I made a turn, yanking the dagger out and making a crescent fan of blood spray out, without pause I continued the movement, jumping toward another opponent. Despite my swift takedown the remaining brigand¡¯s reflexes were sharp and he was already alerted. Using what remained of my suprise attack I slashed at the face with a desperate effort, I barely got past the parry that he raised a moment too late. The dagger cleaved his cheek deeply, but I paid no attention to the metal grating on the bone. Unfortunately the wound was not enough to bring down my opponent, he responded with a wide swing of his own. Desperate roll to the side moved me out of the harm¡¯s way, a whizzing wood brushed past my shoulder. During the roll I grabbed a handful of forest litter with my free hand, and then I tried to stand up. But the brigand wouldn¡¯t just stand by idly, he swung at me again, this time aiming for a low, horizontal swing. Assaulted in an undefendable position I extended a last ditch effort to dodge the blow, I somersaulted into the air. The ground flipped by and the club flew near my head. Without thinking I threw everything I had at the brigand, pelting his face with the forest litter as I landed. Due to my surprise maneuvers I found enemy¡¯s side exposed, but the chain mail he had prevented me from stabbing his kidney, I had to bury the dagger in his thigh instead. Stabbed man tried to get me with a desperate backward swing, but the wounds I inflicted had already taken their toll. I easily ducked under the blow and twisted my dagger before yanking it out, leaving a deep, profusely bleeding wound. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Brigand screamed in pain as his leg failed, making him fall down. I used that moment to distance myself from him, as even my adrenaline addled mind still saw him as a threat. -¡± Damn bitch¡­ ¡° He cursed while trying to fruitlessly stop his lifeblood from escaping. -¡¯ He is sure to bleed out if I leave him be. ¡® A quick thought appeared before I focused on the real threat - the last brigand was rapidly approaching, announced by the loud sound of rustling leaves and breaking twigs. For one moment I thought about escaping, but I dismissed it quickly - my chances of escaping were next to none, I could not outrun the pursuer and forest litter would make losing him almost impossible. I was out in the open and out of ideas. -¡¯ At least they will only kill me¡­ ¡® A weird and unsettling thought appeared out of nowhere, but I didn¡¯t have time to wonder about it as a final rustle of a shrubbery announced the last assailant. My nerves were taut and I was crouching in a low, defensive position. My hand, that was holding the dagger with an iron grip, felt wet with the blood and sweat. I ran the tongue over my parched lips, my final stand was about to happen. I could not possibly stand against another brigand¡­ ...who turned out to be a¡­ -¡± Boy? ¡° I exclaimed in a shrill, surprised voice. The bandit that appeared was no more than fifteen years old, and that was a generous overestimation on my part. His wide eyes grew round as his gaze wandered over the bodies of his companions and finally settled on the wounded man. He took a step forward, as if to try and help his companion, but then he noticed me. -¡± Who, wha¡¯, why? ¡° Questioning words fell rapidly from his lips, but the rest of his body gave sign to his inner struggle and trembled uncontrollably. As in an afterthought he lifted a dagger in front of him. My recent fear, caused by his arrival, turned into a deep, dark emotion that had only one purpose. Obliteration. I took a step forward, my intent deadly, and the boy took a step back, it seemed almost as if he was a mirror image of mine. I realized that the boy would bolt at any moment and I had no chance of stopping him. -¡± Here¡¯s your choice, boy. ¡° I said and took on a nonchalant pose. There was a slight change in him when I addressed him as a boy. -¡± Either you run, far and fast, or you die, together with your companion. ¡° I opened my arms as if in invitation. -¡± What¡¯s it gonna be... boy? ¡° I added stingingly after a pause to goad him. The boy turned away and ran. I realized that I forgot about the Murderer¡¯s Mark when goading him. -¡¯ Oh, well. Chances of him returning are slim. Still, I will need to be on guard from now on. Damn. ¡® I sighed. I took care of the clean up, picking a bow and finishing the brigand in a chain mail. I was not going to leave any more loose threads. I looted the bodies and destroyed the bows. Then I headed to a nearby camp¡­ -¡± After I eat I should be able to check out how well it went with the book, I better not leave any loopholes. It seemed like give it a finger and it will sell your house type of thing. ¡° * * * [ Meanwhile in a place that is not a place ] -¡± Fool! Kneel before your Master or else¡­ ¡° A commanding voice appeared in a blank void. -¡± ... I will have you¡­ ¡° Suddenly, the voice grew softer as if surprised. -¡± What in the nine hells is this? ¡° -¡± Ey, I demand some answers! ¡± Silence, was the only answer. -¡± Hey, is there someone¡­ ¡° A question full of doubt was asked. -¡± Anyone? ¡° -¡± Stupid bitch, how dare she put me in some pocket dimension. I am not an item! Grrrr. ¡° [ Time passed. ] -¡± How long will she wait to ask great me for help, she couldn¡¯t possibly get out of that predicament. ¡° A haughty voice stated. [ More time had passed. ] -¡± Right? ¡° A sliver of doubt appeared. -¡± Surely, the lack of sustenance will make her come back crawling and begging for forgiveness. The great Zuanon will listen¡­ ¡° -¡± ...for a price. Muhahahahahahaha. ¡° Demonic laughter resounded. [ More time had passed. ] -¡± I will get her back for every moment of this humiliation. Muhahaha. ¡° Demonic laughter lost its edge and sounded haughty. [ More time had passed. ] -¡± And my revenge will be great. Muhahaha¡­ ¡° Somehow, haughty laughter lost it¡¯s edge. [ More time had passed. ] -¡± Ha. Ha. ¡° Two dull words, was all that was left from the demonic laughter of old. [ More time had passed. ] The darkness was perfectly still and quiet, it almost seemed like it was alive¡­ [ More time had passed. ] ...and waiting for something¡­ [ More time had passed. ] -¡± Surely my mind''s playing tricks on me. ¡° [ More time had passed. ] -¡± There¡¯s no way that she left me here for long. ¡° [ More time had passed. ] -¡± She needs me. They all do. ¡° [ More time had passed. ] -¡± Hello, is there anyone? ¡° -¡± I am sure I heard something. Come out! ¡° -¡± I promise I won¡¯t hurt you¡­ ¡° -¡± ...at all! ¡° -¡± I swear on my very name, I won¡¯t hurt you. Whatever you are just come out. ¡° A somewhat crying note resounded in the voice. [ More time had passed. ] -¡± Hello? ¡° -¡± ¡­ ¡° [ More time had passed. ] -¡± It must be the void. I must be losing a grip of time! ¡° -¡± Sleep, I must sleep. ¡° [ More time had passed. ] -¡± ARGHHHHH! SOMEBODY OUT THERE????!!! ¡° Desperate yell disappeared into an empty void. [ And that¡¯s how it was¡­ only two hours in¡­ ] ======================== Hey~, Author''s here~ today''s chapter was intense. Nothing beats the scary combat. Hope you had fun, let me know your take on this~ Cheers, Mea Ps Surprisignly enough, the Owlbear general took a great part in a combat scene. Thanks to him~ [ Hm, indeed unexpected for such a low tiered combatant ] NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 28 - The Reconnoitering [ Wait?! What does it even mean?!! ] http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=28533&pid=302951#pid302951 Chapter 28 - The Reconnoitering Chapter 28 - The Reconnoitering When the fight ended I felt almost fine, rush of a while kept me going, but it didn¡¯t last for long. I barely had time to finish off the brigand and destroy the bowstrings when irrational wave of conflicting emotions engulfed me - a sense of achievement, for persisting against all the odds, and a bone deep weariness, which was followed by a realization of defeat. I did not know how was it possible for me to continue for so long, but my dimming vision and sudden sensation of hitting the ground made me aware that I have used up all I had. -¡¯ In the end, I didn¡¯t make it¡­ too far gone for the food to save... ¡® Last thought passed through my mind while nothingness engulfed me¡­ * * * I found myself in a perfect darkness. -¡± Hrhrhrh... ¡° Suddenly, a loud snoring pierced the nothingness. -¡± Hrhrhrh... ¡° -¡¯ What¡¯s going on? I am sure that I died... ¡® I thought frantically while trying to get my bearings, but absolute void, which surrounded me, made me feel lost. I tried to move, but couldn¡¯t. My limbs didn¡¯t listen to me, or rather, I didn¡¯t feel them at all. -¡± Haalllo. ¡° I tried to say that normally, but lack of feeling made it sound awkward, and loud. -¡± Huh? I knew there was someone here! ¡° The snoring ended abruptly and a familiar voice exclaimed. -¡± Come out! Or face my wrath! ¡° -¡± What are you doing here? Wasn¡¯t you supposed to be in my bag? ¡° Instantly, I tried to take over the initiative while trying to figure out what was going on. -¡± You¡­ you? You?! Dare to contact me after all this torture? ¡° Somehow book¡¯s voice was both deep and shrill at the same time, it was also furious. -¡± This is worse than being blessed! Show yourself so I can rip you to shreds! Or, wait, I will skin you alive first¡­ ¡° I was taken aback by the sudden outburst, book seemed to forget the original point and focused on a gory details. -¡± ...then salt, lots of salt¡­ Yes! Muhahaha! And then branded irons, and that¡¯s only for a start! Then, after fifth day¡­ ¡° Self fueling spiral of voiced delusions continued while I thought frantically. -¡¯ Ok, somehow I am here, with a psychotic book, but how did I get here, wherever here is¡­ ¡° A bitter afterthought came. -¡± ...after dying¡­ ¡® I shook my head and concentrated on the facts. -¡± Hmm, I have died, but from what I read online I should be forced back to the lobby and blocked from logging back in for a time¡­ This certainly isn¡¯t lobby... ¡® -¡± ...Quartering! That¡¯s the thought¡­ ¡° -¡¯ Wait¡­ ¡® A sudden thought came over me. -¡¯ Don¡¯t tell me this is related to being bound with the book¡­ if it actually stopped me from respawning... ¡® I shivered at a mere thought, which was really unsettling. Somehow, I didn¡¯t feel like re rolling. -¡¯ Being in this body somehow grown on me... ¡® I banished the thought. -¡¯ ...am I masochist or something? ¡® I quickly banished that thought too. A sudden scream interrupted my introverted venture. -¡± How could I forget? I need to fit nail plucking too! ¡° -¡¯ Hmm, I need to figure something fast¡­ that damn book will recover soon. ¡® I closed my eyes, or at least I tried to, I saw or felt no difference. -¡¯ Hm, facts, facts¡­ I am stuck with the book and can¡¯t resurrect, I need to find more details from the book¡­ though its homicidal¡­ How can I play it? ¡® -¡± Hummm, goood, gooood¡­ also cutting off¡­ that little tidbit¡­what was it... ¡° Book¡¯s depictions of gruesome torture grew too unsettling even for me¡­ -¡¯ At least it made me realize that it can¡¯t actually harm me... for now...¡¯ An unwelcome thought followed. I tried to sigh, but couldn¡¯t tell the difference. -¡± I am glad you had your fun¡­ in that delusion of yours, though it seems that there isn¡¯t much reality to it¡­ ¡° I spoke as calmly as I could. -¡± Grrr! Where are you?! Show yourself and I will quickly show you¡­ ¡° It lashed with anger, the thing seemed surprisingly easy to manipulate. -¡± Stupid. ¡° I interrupted calmly, which brought out a litany of curses from the book. -¡± You still seem to misunderstand who has an upper hand here. ¡° -¡± ...nerves sizzling in pain! ¡° My last remark must have hit a sore spot, as the book suddenly stopped spewing its cruel promises and hissed in anger. -¡± Hrssssshh! Damnation! Powers from beyond let me have that half bred bitch for just a second! ¡° Book seemed to grow thoughtful, I prayed that my plan to rile it up so much that it will actually try to do something doesn¡¯t backfire. -¡± At least powers from beyond seem to be disinclined to intervene. ¡° I concluded in disinterested voice after a moment of silence. -¡± Just you watch, I will get to the bottom of this... ¡° Book responded hatefully. -¡¯ I really do hope so, also please do not forget to include some details for me too. ¡® I thought in satisfaction. -¡± ...and then you will wish your father would have spent the coin on ale rather than your mother! ¡° Book finished in satisfied voice, and fallen silent as if waiting for something. It apparently tried to rile me up, though, unfortunately for it, it was totally off the mark, but in contrast to the book I had already found a spot to aim for. -¡± Please pay me no mind and continue, I find your impotent threats amusing. ¡° -¡± Humph! ¡° It gave out a disgruntled sound and fell silent. I waited in anxiety, which was really hard to bear. I felt nothing, saw nothing, smelt nothing, patient wait for something to happen was a hellish exercise in self control.I wanted to bite my fingers, or scream, just to have something, anything, happen in the sensationless void. -¡± Argh! Damn void! ¡° Suddenly the book exclaimed. I wanted to cry in relief at the meager stimuli in this otherwise empty place. -¡¯ I was here for a few minutes and I already want out, wikipedia¡¯s descriptions of this being a torture can¡¯t be taken lightly! ¡® Stolen story; please report. -¡± How can I get you? You certainly came here for something¡­ ¡° The book spoke its thoughts aloud, probably it was more unsettled by the void than me, after all it spent quite a lot of time in it. -¡± ...or have you. Why didn¡¯t you just pull me out of the bag¡­ That¡¯s it! Muhahaha! I got you now! ¡° Silence fell, and I tried my best to keep myself silent, I didn¡¯t want to give the book any clues or confirmations. -¡± Yesss, that must be it. Tell me, have you been eating properly¡­ ¡° The book took on a sickeningly sweet tone. ¡°-¡± A mushrooms maybe? Red ones are tasty from what I have heard¡­ but you can eat them only once! Muhaha! ¡° The book made a slight pause, then continued. -¡± Hmph, still silent I see, but it won¡¯t change the fact that you almost died due to something and your soul is mine! How is it to be trapped with me? ¡° I could almost feel its wicked glee and satisfaction. -¡± But fear not, I won¡¯t let your body die. I will keep you here until I find a way to pay you back for all the woes you have inflicted upon me, and I will pay them tenfold! ¡° -¡¯ Phew. It was a close call. ¡® I thought and tried to relax, but the lack of feeling made it surprisingly difficult. Then an alarming thought struck me. -¡± Wait... ¡° -¡± Muhahaha there will be no mercy now, too late to beg for it! ¡° Annoying book interrupted my question and I snapped, I had to know the answer. -¡± Shut up retard, and answer my question! ¡° I screamed intransigently. -¡± If you did what I think you did and animated my body with some sort of necromancy¡­ ¡° I could practically feel nonexistent tears of anger streaming down my face. -¡± ...to rot¡­ ¡° I wanted to take a deep breath, but couldn¡¯t. -¡± I will leave you sealed here for all eternity, or until I find something worse! ¡° -¡± Don¡¯t worry, it isn''t dead¡­ ¡° The book answered in a playful, laughing voice. -¡± ...yet. Enjoy my company here while your body lies out there and waits for something to eat it up. I have plenty of stuff to talk about¡­ ¡° For a moment I stopped registering the book, a deep and alien feeling of molten fury descended upon me. It was first time in my life that I felt something with such crystalline clarity. -¡± Talk to yourself then. ¡° I spoke out intransigently, the tone of finality in my voice stopped the book¡¯s boasts. -¡± I leave for an hour, when I am back I want your full cooperation in saving my body, or I will leave you here for all eternity. ¡° -¡± Hehe, stop spewing nonsense, you can¡¯t leave, your soul is bound to me¡­ ¡° Book¡¯s cheerful words, while my body was dying and possibly becoming undead, made me seethe in anger. -¡± Make that three hours, and pray that nothing happens during that time. ¡° I spoke out quickly and used forced logout option. * * * I exited the capsule and awkwardly went downstairs, to the kitchen. I tried to make a coffee to calm myself, but my shaking hands made that simple task surprisingly difficult. Finally, a loud buzzing of the coffee maker resounded. I looked at the clock and tried to stay calm. I was anxious. -¡¯ What if brigand boy comes back, or a wolf¡­ ¡® I didn¡¯t want to think what could happen to my body. -¡± Damn book, it would be so much easier to deal with death! ¡° I retrieved the coffee and took a sip. I looked at the clock, only a minute had passed. I started pacing anxiously. -¡± Argh, now what do I do? ¡° I bit my fingers while thinking. -¡¯ Getting turned into undead aside, I still need to deal with starvation. ¡° I closed my eyes. -¡± My body probably looks like a sack of bones¡­ ¡° -¡¯ Wait, why am I so upset? It¡¯s an avatar¡¯s body, not mine¡­ ¡° I tried to think rationally, but that resource, on which I relayed all my life, was in surprisingly short supply at the moment. I looked at the clock again, hands of the clock barely progressed. I wanted to return, but couldn¡¯t. I had to wait, otherwise the book wouldn¡¯t cooperate and all would be lost. Still, thinking calmly about it didn¡¯t stop the gripping fear and painfully slow passage of the red hand of the clock, that marked seconds. I went upstairs and tried to busy myself with my PC, but all it achieved was that I now waited for the number, in the right corner of the screen, to change. The wait was painfully long, and under it there was another unsettling thought, one which I tried to bury deeply within my soul. -¡¯ Why did I think about avatar¡¯s body as mine? ¡® I shook my head to banish the thought and drank the rest of the coffee. I found myself watching the clock again, it was twenty minutes since I logged out. Initially, I planned to return in real world time, to make better impression on the book, but that plan was abandoned. The twenty minutes that had passed, marked an hour of in game time. I still had to wait twice as much. I prayed that the long time spent in the void taken the toll on the book and it would be susceptible to my coercion¡­ If it didn¡¯t work I even thought about bargaining with it. Desperate thoughts during desperate times spent waiting for the hour to pass¡­ And then, it was time to return¡­ I took a deep breath, to steel myself. -¡¯ If I play this wrong and show my desperation¡­ ¡° I didn¡¯t want to think about the outcome¡­ The capsule¡¯s lid closed¡­ =================== Hey~, Author''s here~ Today''s chapter was intense, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did ( half as much would be acceptable too :P ). I will try to make another one soon as we have grown some back log. Cheers, Mea NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 29 - The Bargaining http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=29275 Chapter 29 - The Bargaining Chapter 29 - The Bargaining I quickly left the lobby and logged into the Ar Ciel. All sensation drained from my body, leaving me stranded in a feeless nothingness. I wanted to take a deep breath, to break the anxiety before speaking out, but couldn¡¯t. I was restless and worried, the feelings only grew stronger with time, slowly becoming unbearable. -¡¯ What should I start with? What if¡­ ¡® I couldn¡¯t even shake my head, so I concentrated heavily, trying to banish the thought. -¡¯ I can¡¯t have any if¡¯s! ¡® Urged by the uneasiness, I gathered my composure and exclaimed into the nothingness, trying my best to project confidence with my voice. -¡± Three hours had passed, are you ready to talk now? ¡° -¡± What kind of sorcery is this? ¡° Book responded immediately, surprise apparent in its shrill voice. -¡± You are my bound sacrifice, I am sure of it! Even the protective barrier cast on your soul won¡¯t change that! ¡° Desperate tones appeared in its speech. -¡± Yet, somehow, you can escape. How can this be? I demand answers! ¡° I was relieved to hear the book¡¯s doubts, they allowed me to figure out some details of my situation. Using my newfound confidence I went on the offensive. -¡± Have you heard of adventurers? ¡® I asked simply. -¡± Are you mocking me? How can a bunch of suicidal vagabonds have a part in this? ¡° The book responded warily, confirming my suspicion that it had been out of a loop for quite some time. -¡± Or are you referring to god¡¯s chosen? Still, even one chosen by the god couldn¡¯t escape these bonds! ¡° -¡± That might have been true before. ¡° I spoke lightly to undermine my opponent¡¯s confidence. -¡± Now, the rules have changed and new type of chosen came to the world. Like yours truly. ¡° On reflex, I wanted to curtsey, but I had to make do with sighing in my mind. -¡± So you are telling me that the rules had changed? Again? ¡° The book¡¯s voice became softer, giving out signs of tiredness. -¡± Very well, you tiresome hussy, I will hear you out. Speak out your demands. ¡° -¡± First off, drop the insults. ¡° I decided to start strongly. -¡± Next, tell me what have you done to my body and what can you do to save it. ¡° -¡± Ha, body, a typical mortal weakness.¡° The book spoke out in contempt. - ¡± Here¡¯s what I want, wench. ¡° It continued in menacing tone. -¡± Unless you want to die, you will retrieve me from this hellish dimension and treat me with respect befitting your master. And you will never, ever, put me back here again. ¡° The book paused for a second and added thoughtfully. -¡± I will want a binding oath for all of that. ¡° Initially, I wanted to interrupt the book¡¯s tirade, but a glimpse into its perspective was too valuable to pass over. -¡¯ Hm, I might have spoken a bit too strongly earlier, that damn book found out way too much of my agenda¡­ ¡® I thought quickly. -¡¯ Luckily, it didn¡¯t have enough pieces to hit the mark. ¡® I sighed in my mind, the book was at disadvantage though it thought otherwise. -¡¯ Still, subduing it is risky¡­ ¡® -¡± So, what it''s going to be? I won¡¯t keep your body alive indefinitely and you will die if you hold me here for too long. ¡° The book tried to pressure me further. After weighing the options for a moment I decided that it''s better to equalize the situation and bring the book to a bargaining table. -¡¯ I won¡¯t get as much, but having a willing accomplice instead of a barely subdued servant has a lot of worth in the long run. ¡® -¡± Your faith in my death seems to be your weakness. ¡° I couldn¡¯t stop myself from paraphrasing the Emperor and I spoke out smilingly. -¡± Please do let it die and enjoy your stay in here, but before you do let me tell you a secret. The adventurers do not fear death, it''s only a minor inconvenience before we are resurrected again. ¡° -¡± You are bluffing¡­ ¡° The book said with a sliver of doubt. -¡± Kill me then. ¡° I responded simply. -¡± ...or mad. ¡° It said uncertainty. -¡± It sucks to be forced to bargain with a madman. ¡° I continued and got struck with a sudden thought. -¡¯ Wait, shouldn¡¯t I say madwoman instead? ¡® -¡± Grrr¡­ ¡° The book exclaimed in impotent anger. -¡± I will listen, what are you proposing? ¡° -¡± An exchange. ¡° I began the negotiations. -¡± For a start I want integrity and respect. No insults, no curses, no backstabbing and you will behave in a way that won¡¯t bring undue attention to me. Fail at that and I am going to put you back here until sufficient time has passed. ¡° -¡± Hell no! ¡° The book screamed intransigently. -¡± I am not going to stay in this place for a second longer than needed! ¡° -¡± You seem to be misunderstanding. ¡° I wanted to smile deviously. -¡± This is the point that is non-negotiable, if you will look harmless and shut up I won¡¯t have to put you in here. ¡° I wanted to laugh at a sudden silence, pushing the main topic first thrown the book of balance, since it was expecting something of a token worth to be talked out first. -¡± Hmph, then what is your offer for saving your body? ¡° The book spoke out after a pause, though its voice was weak - it must have realized my game. -¡± You already know. ¡° I spoke mischievously. -¡± I get out, you get out. Or I die, and you are out of options. ¡° -¡± I can just keep you here¡­ ¡° The book tried to stall, but it already knew the outcome. -¡± ...and I can just spend that time elsewhere. ¡° I finished the book¡¯s sentence and pushed for resolution. -¡± It boils down to one thing, what do you want for being my servant¡­ ¡° -¡± Arghhh. ¡° As expected, the book erupted in rage. -¡± You audacious bitch, I am not going to be a servant of yours, never! ¡° -¡± Let me rephrase that then. ¡° I spoke calmly. -¡± Think what will you gain by collaborating with me, I am not a mindless monster and I can easily get around the cities and villages. There must be things out there that will make your recent loss seem insignificant, also, I haven¡¯t spoken a word about tapping your power for free each time¡­ ¡° This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. -¡± Hmph, for a little girl you speak well¡­ ¡° The book grew thoughtful. -¡± Even in light of your vile ways, or considering the future, thanks to them, I might be inclined to accept an offer of partnership¡­ ¡° -¡± Call me Mistress¡­ ¡° I added the final argument. -¡± WHAAAT?! HELL NO¡­ ¡° The book yelled out in denial. * * * [ Getting the last point across took rather long time. ] * * * -¡± I can¡¯t deny that you are a tenacious, little¡­ ¡° There was exhaustion in the book¡¯s voice. -¡± ...stop with the praises and concede¡­ Culdreth¡­ ¡° The argument was going for an indeterminable amount of time and we were exhausted by the ordeal. In the meantime I have learned that the book¡¯s name was Culdreth and that it was some sort of demonic being sealed in the form of a book. -¡± If this goes one any longer I might die¡­ ¡° -¡± Ehhhhh¡­ ¡° Culdreth said in a weakened, resigned voice. -¡± I will accept, little Mistress¡­ ¡° -¡± You don¡¯t really want¡­ ¡° I wanted to bang my head on the wall. -¡¯ Argh, after all the time we spend arguing that damn book is still going on¡­ ¡® -¡± Take it or break it, stubborn Mistress. ¡° I could feel menacing glee in Culdreth¡¯s voice. -¡± Though, can you waste any more time here¡­ ¡° The book was right, my return was much overdue. I shivered at a thought of something happening while I was away arguing. -¡± Fine, have it your way. Remember though, no insults. ¡° I decided to give up the rest of the argument. -¡± Take me out when you are back! ¡° The book spoke out while I was suddenly moved. A strange sensation of being stretched between two places at once came over me, and then it was gone with a sudden snap¡­ * * * My consciousness returned abruptly. I felt relieved as a wave of familiar sensations washed over me, a smell of forest, a soft touch of leaves and ground under my back, a gnawing sensation in my stomach and that strange feeling of just having a body. There were unfamiliar sensations too, something heavy was on my chest and there was something thick between my knees¡­ I opened my eyes. Above me there was a brigand boy resting his hand on my breast, and his leg was between my thighs. -¡± Uaaa¡­ ¡° He exclaimed in surprise and grew beet red. -¡± I haven¡¯t done¡­ I mean I fell¡­ It was an accident! ¡° He started stuttering excuses while still keeping his hand where it was¡­ My killing intent was slowly waking from its slumber¡­ -¡± Aiii! ¡° He suddenly readjusted his hand, getting a good measure, and as if just realizing what he was doing he tried to jump back, but failed miserably by tripping on my feet. -¡± I am really sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to do anything! I didn¡¯t know you were alive¡­ ¡° -¡± So groping a corpse was perfectly acceptable? ¡° I asked menacingly, while rising to my feet. I realized that some alien force was coursing through my veins. -¡¯ Like a dark magic, but different¡­ must be books power. ¡® I concluded. -¡± No, its misunderstanding! I didn¡¯t¡­ ¡° The boy pleaded desperately, and must have somehow grasped my intent as he suddenly started running. I tried to jump after him, but sudden burst of power and then abrupt weakness in my muscles made me miss. I was barely able to stay on my feet, all thanks to the experience which I gained while fighting my companions earlier. The boy ran into the bushes and I quickly gave up on chasing him, after failure at chasing Forest I felt disinclined to pursue. I let the boy go and promised myself to turn that little pervert into mincemeat next time I meet him. I sighed, satisfied that I was finally able to, and reached for the pouch. I risked breaching the agreement if I didn¡¯t pull the book out after I regained consciousness. Rectangular shape came out of my pouch and I was assaulted, verbally. -¡± How could you wait for so long! You¡­ you¡­ thoughtless Mistress! ¡° Angry words which turned into whiny complaint almost made me laugh. -¡¯ Preventing it from insulting me might turn out better than expected. ¡® I thought in satisfaction while doing my best to hide my glee. -¡± So what is this dump¡­ ¡° The book started and demonic figures on its cover seemed to be coming to life, as if to observe everything around. -¡± ... and why do you have a Mark?! How can you go to the city with that! ¡° Culdreth complained in a demanding voice. -¡± Don¡¯t worry, I have my ways. ¡° I tried to sound reassuring. -¡± Anyway, how long can you keep me alive? ¡° -¡± Depends on your definition of alive¡­ skinny Mistress. ¡° The barb in book¡¯s voice hurt, but I did my best to ignore it. In the nothingness I learned that fighting with it requires a lot of time and willpower. -¡¯ Sometime it¡¯s better to let things slide. ¡® I concluded and walked to the bandit camp. I noticed that there were three sizable mounds in a place where I fought the brigands. It was quite surprising to find out that brigand boy actually cared enough to return and bury his peers. I quickly banished the thought at a sight of a bandit camp, there were crates, bedrolls, wagon, and horses. I could feel tears of relief streaming down my face as I fought to open a sack of apples. It was an arduous afternoon as I tried to eat sparsely, because I remembered that stuffing oneself after a period of starvation can be fatal¡­ Still it was a really satisfying time, despite book¡¯s barby comments¡­ ============================ Hey~, Author''s here~ I don''t know why but recently its really hard for me to sit down and start writing. Well, I still will try to provide new chapters. Anyway I hope you enjoyed today''s developments. Cheers, Mea NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 30 - The Riding (Special, 2nd Arc) http://royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=30704 Chapter 30 - The Riding (Special, 2nd Arc) Chapter 30 - The Riding (Special, 2nd Arc) ===>Blair¡¯s New Job<=== It seemed that the alleys had grown darker and more silent over the past week, and the atmosphere became tense. A conflict was growing within the city, but there was nothing that he could put a finger on. Ever since he helped to recover a certain parcel from the brigands he couldn¡¯t complain about a lack of requests for his assistance, but lately something was off, his customers, mostly merchants, grew increasingly scared and desperate, though there weren¡¯t any incidents during the jobs thus far. Not knowing what exactly was happening made him feel uneasy, but he was sure that something was afoul. Blair traversed the back streets, making sure to avoid piles of filth and garbage, he rarely used the alleys, but today he didn¡¯t want to be spotted. Soon, he arrived at an alley near his destination and took a peek on the main street. -¡± Damn, another one¡­ ¡° He muttered under his breath, when he spotted a glimpse of white tabard in the crowd. -¡± What¡¯s with those guys? ¡° He complained quietly, while waiting for a Watcher to pass. -¡± They seem to have tripled the patrols recently. ¡° Blair wasn¡¯t sure what the Watchers were looking for, but the Temple of Light, to which Watchers belonged, did a lot of bold moves recently. His latest bodyguard job, to escort a merchant-priest out of the city, seemed especially meaningful as even a member of the Temple of Prosperity packed his stuff and left. -¡¯ ...and he seemed especially jumpy near those guys. ¡® Blair thought as his gaze followed the Watcher. -¡± ...join unto the blessed task to bring about the prosperity¡­ ¡° A priest in a white robe, with burning sun embroidered on the chest, preached in front of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. -¡± ¡­ you who were chosen to receive the gift of the gods¡­ ¡° -¡± Quite shameless to be preaching about prosperity while driving merchant-priests out of the city. ¡° Blair muttered in distaste, he liked the situation less and less, especially with Sun¡¯s, as he called the clergy from the Temple of Light, blatantly preaching and recruiting at every street corner. Trying his best to ignore the priest Blair passed the street and went inside the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. The main room, which usually bursted with people, was almost empty. It was mostly due to the late hour, though lately adventurer¡¯s seemed to visit the place less and less. -¡¯ Considering that most of the tasks on the first floor are borderline scam and adding to it the Sun¡¯s preaching I can¡¯t blame them. ¡® He smirked as he headed for the counter, where a black haired receptionist sat with bored expression on her face. -¡± Hello, I have a contract meeting¡­ ¡° He started, but received an impassive glance in return. -¡¯ ...on a third floor. ¡° The last remark finally gotten the receptionist¡¯s attention, as she suddenly stood up, flustered. -¡± Ah, you must be mister Blair. Nice to meet you. ¡° She bowed quickly. -¡± We didn¡¯t expect you to actually arrive. Please follow me. ¡° Still flustered, she went from behind the counter and led him to the stairs. -¡¯ Can¡¯t blame her for being surprised, third floor is rather special. ¡® He thought as he followed the receptionist. When he was passing the second floor lobby he took a peek inside, but he didn¡¯t spot Baleg¡¯s overwhelming form. His companion took some sort of request and disappeared few days ago, there was no sign of him since. Blair quickly banished the thought about his disappearing companion and focused on the task at hand. Somebody sent him a strange job offer, no details were supplied thus far, apart from the need for absolute confidentiality, but the meeting was set on the third floor. It was enough to spark Blair¡¯s curiosity and to at least listen to the request. Considering the recent situation Blair didn¡¯t find the need for secrecy strange, still, that didn¡¯t explain why they had to meet on the third floor, which served no apparent purpose apart from being expensive. The receptionist stopped before a thick door and turned to Blair. -¡± Please take your time, when you are done you may leave through one of the staircases inside. ¡° She said as she opened the door. -¡± Afterwards you should be able to leave the building unnoticed. ¡° -¡± Thank you. ¡° Blair noded briskly and entered through the door, which receptionist closed behind him. He could hear a loud rumbling of the lock. Blair was a bit surprised as he glanced around the circular room, it was wooden and plain, illuminated by an unadorned chandelier full of candles. The furniture was plain, simple and bulky, consisting of a massive table surrounded with thick chairs. The big fireplace, coupled with several banners hanging from a high ceiling and red tablecloth embroidered with gold, somehow gave both cosy and dignified feeling to the room. -¡± I am glad that you have decided to accept my invitation¡­ ¡° A tall, sharp featured man stood up. His dark hair was gathered into a low ponytail and his dark, piercing eyes seemed to project an aura of intimidating confidence as he spoke in a modulated voice. -¡± ...I am Athmael, and there¡¯s a certain information that I need. ¡° -¡± They call me Blair, and there seems to be some misunderstanding... ¡° Blair responded slowly to buy time, as the man looked like he could handle himself in a fight, moreover his sharp and precise movements made Blair uneasy. -¡¯ Damn, he looks like an elite, what does he want with me? ¡® Blair stifled the doubts and continued evenly. -¡± ...as I am mostly working as a bodyguard and, Maester Athmael, you don¡¯t look like you are in need of such services. ¡° Blair observed the man in front of him, noticing his plain, but well-fitted leather armour. -¡¯ Certainly made on a special order. ¡® His gaze travelled to the man¡¯s sword, which was as plain as the armor, but Blair wasn¡¯t fooled, the blade spoke volumes. -¡¯ The handle isn¡¯t straight, bending slightly, the blade seems to thicken at the end, but only slightly. Likely a variation on a scimitar, but slimmer, straighter and longer¡­ one edged and made for cutting and fencing¡­ wait, its more of a cross between a rapier and katana, with cutting strength compensated with additional weight! ¡® -¡± I heard that you are quite resourceful and skilled, I must admit that you certainly live up to your reputation. ¡° Athmael spoke casually, but a tang of steel in the voice sent Blair a clear message that he was found out. -¡± That¡¯s why I want to hire you, I need somebody that won¡¯t disappear easily. ¡° -¡± How¡­ ¡° Blair started and suddenly fell silent as he realized his mistake. -¡± Oh, so you are an adventurer? ¡° To Blair¡¯s dismay Athmael instantly pieced the details together. -¡± That¡¯s even better. ¡° Athmael suddenly became focused and deadly serious. -¡± Anyway, I need to know who¡¯s backing Barstein and you seem like a perfect person for the task¡­ ¡° Blair was angry at himself for letting himself be found as an adventurer, but, before he could voice his protest to the proposition, Athmael reached underneath the table. -¡± ...and I am willing to pay a good price for your services. ¡° Blair¡¯s protest froze on his lips as a fat purse was thrown on the table, he knew from experience that there must have been at least fifty coins inside. If it was silver it would amount to more than five golds, but somehow, he had a feeling that the purse wasn¡¯t filled with silver. -¡± That seems rather generous¡­ too generous. ¡° Blair spoke cautiously, the offer seemed too good to be true. -¡± Call it a hazard pay. ¡° Athmael looked at Blair calmly, but there was a tension in his voice. -¡± City¡¯s unstable recently, and I have a grudge with Barstein. ¡° Blair¡¯s interest was piqued. -¡± Could you elaborate? ¡° -¡± Barstein¡¯s a pompous and incompetent fool... ¡° Athmael¡¯s voice grew a bit louder and a dangerous tone appeared in it. -¡± ¡­that could even fail at tracking a marked criminal, and, afterwards, all the blame got shifted to me. Somebody¡¯s pulling his strings and I want to know who¡­ ¡° Blair felt a chill in face of cool hatred emanating from his employer. He didn¡¯t know all the facts, but somehow he felt a tinge of connection with a dangerous man. -¡± I will accept, tell me all the details that you can¡­ ¡° ===>POV End<=== Waking after a good night¡¯s sleep is a wonderful thing, all the more when one is no longer starving. Without opening my eyes I stretched lazily, enjoying the softness of a bedroll under my back. Lazily, I turned to lay on the side and languished in a miraculous feeling of just being there, rested and satiated. -¡± Sleepy Mistresss¡­ ¡° The shrill voice unnecessarily stretched the syllables in a mocking call. -¡± ...the sun is shining and it¡¯s time to waaaake up¡­ ¡° The book suddenly yelled out in a deep and rough voice. -¡± ...and take me to the damn city! I haven¡¯t agreed to the deal to just stand guard in some godforsaken forest! Move your back, you lazy Mistress! ¡° I didn¡¯t want to get up, but Culdreth¡¯s borderline insults quickly forced me to choose between rising, so he shuts up, or ripping the damn book to shreds, which ultimately had the same effect. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. I sighed and rolled on my back. -¡± Could you give me a break, yesterday I was on a verge of dying¡­ ¡° I complained idly to buy more free time. -¡± Hmph, mortal body sure is inconveni¡­ ¡° The book started haughtily, but suddenly stopped and continued in a serious tone. -¡± Wait a minute! For a starved rat from yesterday you sure as hell look way too well¡­ how can it be so, Mistress? ¡° I was ready to pounce at the book for the rat remark, but I didn¡¯t want to ruin the situation, since he obviously forgot to add a moniker to the Mistress title. -¡± Well, being chosen by the gods has its benefits, like fast recovery, not that a bodiless book would understand¡­ ¡° I responded in a playful voice and gotten my revenge for the rat remark. -¡¯ I guess being an adventurer sure is convenient¡­ ¡® A hopeful thought passed through my head, followed by a strange need to check out my looks in the mirror. -¡± Ey, that¡¯s only a temporary situation! ¡° Culdreth responded angrily, which brought a satisfied smile to my face. -¡± ¡­and when I recover my material form you shall wet yourself in awe! ¡° He spoke strongly, but the last remark ruined it for me. -¡± You tiny Mistress! ¡° -¡± Ahahaha¡­ ¡° I wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to the book¡¯s crude words so I bursted out in laughter. -¡± Ey! Why are you laughing?! ¡° Book asked in an uncertain voice. -¡± Sorry, sorry. ¡° I spoke while still laughing. -¡± I just couldn¡¯t take it anymore¡­ ¡° Seeing Culdreth¡¯s oddly hesitant silence I decided to went through with the joke to stop him from further hitting into a prude side. -¡± That sounded like you had a dimensional problem, is halberd your weapon of choice? ¡° I curled into a ball trying to stifle my giggles. -¡± Your sword¡¯s too little for you? ¡° -¡± Ugh! ¡° Culdreth exclaimed. -¡± Don¡¯t think I will stay like that forever¡­ ¡° He started, but I had already an interjection planned out. -¡± Oh, yes, its only a temporary situation after all¡­ ¡° I spoke out calmly and neatly worked into his sentence. -¡± ... what¡¯s a century or two for a mighty book! ¡° -¡± Argh! ¡° Culdreth bursted out in anger. -¡± You¡­ you¡­ you¡­ ¡° Surprisingly enough. he seem to have ran out of roundabout insults. -¡± I am not speaking to you, you insufferable Mistress! ¡° -¡¯ I guess there¡¯s that. ¡® I smiled in satisfaction and languished in my hard earned, free time. Though the exchange already woken me up and soon, I rose up, urged by a gnawing hunger. -¡¯ Adventurer¡¯s bodies seem to recover in a blink of an eye, though not without a sustenance... Still, I guess that¡¯s a way to keep the bedridden players from swarming the company offices with complaints¡­ ¡® Opening a travelling bread seemed similar to breaking a coconut, but I decided that a tasty and fresh interior was well worth it. Quickly, I placed two traveling breads inside my beginner¡¯s pouch, though I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that some hateful gaze was resting on me while I was doing that. -¡± What? ¡° I asked Culdreth, but he didn¡¯t deign to respond. Soon I was faced with a conundrum. -¡¯ Hmm, what should I do with the horses¡­ ¡® I pondered the issue. -¡¯ They are probably stolen, so when I am close to the city there¡¯s a chance they might be identified by some marking system¡­ ¡® -¡¯ ... Still, a good horse is worth a lot¡­ ¡® I tried my best to find something that outweighed the risks. -¡¯ Even a bad one has a considerable value¡­ ¡® -¡¯ Argh, damn it. I will just ride part of the way and leave it near the city. ¡® I anguished over the necessity, but I just couldn¡¯t find a marginally safe way to risk having a stolen horse¡­ not when I also had a murderer¡¯s mark. -¡± Gotta avoid trouble¡­ ¡° I sighed and started packing. Brigands had a lot of supplies, but little things of value. -¡¯ I could appreciate some jewelry¡­ or nice clothes¡­ ¡® I sighed while settling for a leather hat and improvised linen scarf, for which I used a piece of brown cloth. -¡¯ The rest should be easy¡­ ¡® I released other horses, since misfortune surely would befall me if I ruthlessly left them bound, and I led the remaining horse out of a thicket. -¡¯ ...right? ¡® I thought doubtfully as my gaze wandered over the animal. I had watched enough movies to put a saddle on properly, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that the beast was taller than I was. -¡¯ And I never rode horse. ¡® I swallowed hard. -¡± You seem to be giddy with anticipation, Mistress. ¡° Culdreth exclaimed snidely and made a remark that really riled me up. -¡±You find the horses fancy? ¡° Vehemently, I thrown the book to the ground and stepped on it. -¡± Did I hit a sore spot, longing Mistress. ¡° Culdreth seemed unaffected by what happened, so I bent down and looked at him directly, to show him that I mean business. -¡± One more dirty remark and you are landing in the void for an afternoon¡­ ¡° I said intransigently with a low voice. -¡± ...or more, depending on the remark. Am I clear? ¡° After a moment of uncertain silence Culdreth responded in a stifled voice. -¡± Perfectly, Mistress. ¡° Angrily, I bent down and picked up the book and then placed it into a saddlebag. -¡± Ey, take me out, I can¡¯t see anything of interest from here! ¡° The book complained instantly. -¡± Shut up, be grateful that I settled for a regular bag. ¡° I responded angrily and focused on the horse. Luckily, it seemed that the one I chose was rather calm as it haven¡¯t done anything through the whole exchange, just bent down and grazed lazily. I pursed my lips with determination and reached for the saddlehorn. Simultaneously, I jumped while pulling myself up, and I found myself on the saddle with a surprising ease. I thanked the powers beyond that the horse didn¡¯t use the moment while I was horizontally lying on the saddle to bolt. After minor corrections I managed to sit correctly and started fiddling with the stirrups to adjust their length. Finally satisfied I grabbed and shook the reins. -¡± Yi. ¡° A gasp escaped me when when horse suddenly bursted forward into gallop, almost throwing me off. With desperate effort I fell forward and grabbed the mane, trying my best to stay in the saddle. -¡¯ Riding the damn thing is not as easy as they claim! ¡® I exclaimed in my thoughts as my body was shaken violently by the racing beast. Somehow I freed one hand and pulled on the reins with all my might. Horse reacted in an instant, suddenly slowing down and kicking violently. Momentum sent me over the horses head in a wide arc that perfectly showcased grass covered ground rushing to meet me. Reacting on instinct, I twisted as I hit the ground, somehow landing on my feet and rapidly tumbling to the side. After several maddening turns I lost a lot of momentum and managed to kick the ground to break the tumble and raise to my feet. In a rush of the while I felt really elated by the landing, but soon a dark cloud of hatred stifled the miraculous feeling as I spotted the horse, which was pacing away. -¡± Oh, no, you wouldn¡¯t dare! ¡° I muttered with deadly intent, as I was not going to be stranded running after a stupid horse. Without thinking I extended a hand and concentrated. A rush of power sizzled through my body and turned into glowing aura around my fingers. Instantly I released coalesced power which exploded into a forked zigzag of electricity that struck the horse down. -¡± Iiiiiii! ¡° With a maudling complaint the horse fell down and started twitching on the ground. Quickly, I approached the beast and found out, to my surprise, that it was relatively unhurt. I pondered the happenstance. -¡¯ Hmm, I guess the mana wasn¡¯t concentrated enough to turn into lightning, so it was more like an electrical zap¡­ ¡® I took care of the horse, which become surprisingly docile, and cleaned it up, as it was somewhat dirty due to twitching in an aftermath of an electrical shock. Afterwards, I managed to peacefully continue on my journey to the city. =============== Hey~, Author''s here~ My board of advisors, you can consider them a PR guys, came to me and said that for public image it will be better if I start releasing on the scheduled. Since they seem to know what they are doing most of the time, and they had a proof for it, I decided to go with the idea. I wasn''t sure on release schedule, but after much debating I decided to release chapters of TFE every other monday, to make sure that they aren''t rushed and subpar. If I will manage to grow some reserves I might release more than one chapter at a time, but we shall see bout that. Still I hope you will continue to like and follow my story. Cheers, Mea PS Head researcher for the advisory board was Owlbear General, so he will be scape goat and you may blame him for the new release schedule if you want to :P Cheers, Mea, The PR Overlord NEXT CHAPTE: Chapter 31 - The Travelling http://royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=32302 Chapter 31 - The Traveling Chapter 31 - The Traveling Riding on a horse was a strange experience, there was something uplifting and freeing in traveling on a back of such a big creature. At first, I had some problems, as expected from the first ride, like how to make horse slow down or accelerate, or stop it from going in a random direction. I quickly discovered a neat trick - placing a hand on horse¡¯s neck and sending a merest spark of electricity, one which could barely be felt, made the beast very pliant. After making sure that I can control the horse I pointed it in the direction of the city and made the horse accelerate. As I traversed over an expanse of wilted and withered grass, I experimented with different pacings, finding out the hard way how hard a saddle can be if one didn¡¯t move in sync with the mount. I quickly gave up on trying to force the horse to move faster than a casual walk, when it moved just a bit faster it started to bounce up and down making my back hurt and almost throwing me off the saddle. Also, forcing it to a gallop didn¡¯t feel like a right thing to do and going slower, aiming for that special moment when it went slower than a gallop but didn¡¯t shake up and down made me feel really strange after a while, so I decided to just let it walk. It was still faster than if I had to walk the distance myself. Soon the withered grass gave way to a rolling green hills which then started to become smaller and smaller, eventually turning into a wide grassland, occasionally interrupted by a village surrounded by golden wheat fields and fenced pastures. After a time, when one of the villages was directly in front of me, I decided to leave the horse and travel rest of the way on foot. I made sure that my new hat, made from bronze leather, and improvised scarf, from green linen cloth, were in place. Then I tried to get rid of the horse, a task which turned more complicated than expected as the beast didn¡¯t want to get far from me for some reason, though eventually I jolted it lightly with electricity and it ran away. I found a dirt road leading through the fields and used it to approach the village. I did my best to ignore curious glances of the people toiling in the fields. -¡± Could you choose something less flashy and demonic for the cover? ¡° I whispered to Culdreth. -¡± I am not the one walking in a hat, scarf and cape in the middle of the summer. ¡° Book responded snidely. -¡± I think that placing a certain demonic and unrespectful book elsewhere would significantly lessen the attention. ¡° I answered in kind, heavily accenting *elsewhere*. -¡± Oh no, you don¡¯t! ¡° The book exclaimed in denial and continued with venom in its voice. -¡± The back cover''s plain and I am not the one who¡¯s talking to herself. Mistress. ¡° One look to the side confirmed that there was a peasant, with a strange look on his face, that was looking at me. I decided to drop the argument with the book, as it had the ability to speak to me without being heard, but I wasn¡¯t able to respond in kind. I pursed my lips and quickened the pace, as the book was right in one aspect, it was hot under my clothes and I felt distinct discomfort with going so long without a proper bath, even unnatural cleanness caused by the lack of bodily functions couldn¡¯t stop the grime and smells from accumulating. When I approached the village my peaceful thoughts suddenly vanished, as I noticed several horses and pages in front of an inn. Banners, horses and pages'' tunics bore a familiar sign of the Sun, but that was not the reason why I froze in panic. My gaze rested on one of the horses that had a mark of a golden eye, which was typically used by the Watchers, as I learned during my investigations of the game on the Net. I forced myself to continue on my way casually - I had to keep as low of a profile as possible and running would surely bring me the attention of pages and peasants alike. With heavily beating heart I walked forward, anxious that a Watcher could leave the inn at any moment and expose me on the spot. Nervously, step by step, I had reached one of the buildings, one which looked like a barn. My luck held and when pages weren''t paying their attention to me I used the moment to casually turn to the side and walk behind the barn. It took a lot of nerve to just continue steadily while I knew that church officials were not twenty yards away from me. -¡¯ I have to hide and wait for them to leave¡­ ¡® I thought while looking for a possible hiding spot. -¡¯ The problem is that I am in the open and peasants will notice me the moment I try to dive for the fields¡­ ¡® I pondered the options as I went past another building. -¡¯ I guess I will just casually walk away and, if asked, I will pretend that I saw them occupy the inn and decided to head straight for the city¡­ ¡® Somehow, I managed to walk to the other side of the village and then I was faced with a tough choice. -¡¯ Hmm, if I use the main road knights might pass me on the way to the city and if I stay here it will be hard to avoid everyone, especially the locals. ¡® I hated that kind of decisions, where every choice led to a major risk. -¡¯ I need more info and getting it is itself risky... ¡® I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, to calm myself and to collect my thoughts. -¡¯ Only way I lose here is if Watcher spots me, therefore it¡¯s better to proceed with impunity. ¡® I looked around and located nearest peasant that was working the field. -¡± Greetings. ¡° I spoke with confidence when I approached. -¡± Could you tell me whether holy knights will be staying the night? I thought about resting at the inn, but it seems occupied. ¡° -¡± Hmph, wouldn¡¯t it be better to be askin¡¯ them pages, that? ¡° Peasant¡¯s response was unexpectedly hostile, and his gaze was brimming with suspicion. I gripped the book to calm myself down and myriad of possible answers came to my mind, all of them with a risk. I decided for an extreme option, as it would allow me to measure peasant¡¯s attitude in regard to the church. -¡± I am not fond of the church of light¡­ ¡® My suspicion, that he was a believer, was confirmed when he suddenly took on a dumbfounded and aggressive pose, but before he could do anything I continued. -¡± As they don¡¯t see eye to eye with master of prosperity. ¡° Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Peasants aggressive stance relaxed marginally, but he was still wary. -¡± You don¡¯t look like one of them, pursuers of prosperity. ¡° He spoke in a challenging tone, as if urging me to admit my sins or something. -¡± I would say that you are a shadow brother¡¯s lot, but brigands rather not taking girls¡­ ¡° Suddenly he grew embarrassed. -¡± ...i-in that regard. I mean as one of them. ¡° Seeing that he lost his edge I smiled with satisfaction. -¡¯ It''s often the best to pique someone''s imagination and let his suspicions play themselves out, with a marginal push in a right direction of course. ¡® -¡± Well, I know none of that. I am an adventuress and its first time that I gotten out of the city. ¡° I tried to project a feeling of being a bit lost and ditzy as much as I could. -¡± Though now I want to go back. Somehow, everyone seem to be on edge here, and I haven¡¯t even seen a single monster yet. ¡° Seeing that he was more and more interested in my silly play I continued with a ditzy act. -¡± My peers said that there should be a lot of monsters! I couldn¡¯t even test my magic! ¡° I complained and patted the book, making sure that only the back cover was visible. Peasant seemed to be torn between shaking his head in disbelief, at my stupidity, and amusement. -¡± You should be thankful that you haven¡¯t met any monsters. They would tear you to shreds within a second. ¡° He said in chastising, judicious voice. -¡± Its Holy Church''s boon that the monsters are kept at bay. You shouldn¡¯t disrespect them! They are the holy warriors that keep us all safe! ¡° -¡± I don¡¯t disrespect them. ¡° I responded in a pliant tone. -¡± I just felt overwhelmed by their presence, and they were really scary when I told them that I joined the temple of prosperity. So I avoided them since. I wouldn¡¯t dare to disrespect them. ¡° I took a step back and hugged a book with both hands. Peasant seemed to be at a loss how to respond to my meek act. -¡± So, Mister, could you tell me if they will be staying the night? ¡° I decided to finally go for the main point. Peasant sighed while shaking his head, in disbelief and resignation, before answering. -¡± No, they should depart soon, as there¡¯s some sort of evil in the woods out there. ¡° -¡± I see, thank you for your time. ¡° I waved him off instantly and made sure that my voice was cheerful. -¡± I will make sure not to offend them. ¡° I was barely able to keep myself from laughing at a lost expression on the peasant¡¯s face. -¡± Muhahaha. ¡° Suddenly Culdreth¡¯s laughter resounded in my ears. -¡± You are a real gem when it comes to throwing people off guard Mistress. ¡° I was marginally sure that it was a compliment and I decided to treat it as such...or else. -¡± Thanks, I guess you consider yourself a prime example of that? ¡° I whispered in a playful tone. -¡± I am not falling for that one, Mistress. ¡° Culdreth¡¯s collected response surprised me, I expected him to take offense and react. -¡± Anyway, I am looking forward to how you are going to enter the city. ¡° I looked at the book curiously, but I was again surprised by its impassiveness. -¡¯ Oh, well. Hopefully it¡¯s nothing. ¡® I thought, but I had a bad feeling about it. After a bit of nervousness, with getting around the holy knights, I got on the pawed road and continued my return to the city, enjoying the peaceful time. Still, my thought¡¯s kept getting back to the book¡¯s suspicious behavior, so much in fact that I decided to leave the road and travel through the grasslands. Even after prodding it several times I was not able to extract anything from it, apart from ¡± I am looking forward to visiting the city, Mistress. ¡° followed by a small chuckle. I really hoped that the book just wanted to play *paranoia* with me, but I wasn¡¯t the one to risk everything at the end of the race. Therefore, I decided to set a camp an hour away from the city and approach it after the nightfall. A smile appeared on my face as I retrieved a bedroll from my pouch, followed by a traveling bread, cheese, butter and other delicacies, which I looted from the bandit camp. After eating my fill and stretching on a bedroll I tried not to think on how I missed the bath. Especially after I gave up on brushing my hair, as the comb kept getting tangled in impossible knots. Lazy, innocent thoughts slowly twisted themselves and encroached on a forbidden ground, uninvited. Somehow thinking about a bath brought me images of a certain moments from the past, and those coupled with a strange, restless feeling that I encountered during my riding experiments earlier. Sweet memories made me vividly aware of the body I was in¡­ -¡± Mistress¡­ ¡° Suddenly, a dangerous voice asked a question, while stretching the words. -¡± Whaat aare you thinking? It¡¯s past the sunset and iiiiitttsss time... To move! ¡° It finished loudly. For a dreadful moment I thought that the book had a different, deeper meaning behind its mocking wake up call. -¡± N-nothing let us go. ¡° I responded with an uncertain voice, which no doubt left the book wondering what was going on. ================= Hey~, Author¡¯s Here~ Somehow I managed to keep up with the release data, though it was set up in a retarded way - I am busy every other week, and release was set on the week I am busy. Hence I will move the release to every other week from 09/21/2015 ( ie you get a chapter next week and then every other week from that). [Yeey, free chapter!] [ -Don¡¯t you think that I don¡¯t know who¡¯s responsible for that ¡®ommitment¡¯, you gonna pay for that¡­ ] [ IIIIk! Run! ] As usual, comments are welcome. Cheers, Mea Ps next week I should be able to categorize the CG Art and put it in a collective folder, where you can browse all of them. Look forward to it. NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 32 Chapter 32 - The Returning Chapter 32 - The Returning -¡± Mistress¡­ ¡° Culdreth spoke softly and slowly, in a questioning tone. -¡± ...did I interrupt something? ¡° I felt a clenching sensation in my stomach as a dangerously innocent question was asked. I cursed myself for dropping my guard earlier, as no matter what, I did not want the book to figure out what I was thinking about back then. -¡± Perchance¡­ ¡° It was probing to find the reason behind my earlier stutter, and I had no confidence in withholding the information if it¡¯s guesswork began to get close. -¡± Enough. ¡° I interrupted authoritatively. -¡± Let¡¯s just stop for now. ¡° -¡± But¡­ ¡° The book started, but I interrupted it again. -¡± No, but¡¯s. Let¡¯s just drop this, understood? ¡° -¡± As you wish, Mistress¡­ ¡° Culderth spoke thoughtfully and I could feel the measuring gaze on myself. -¡¯ I managed to stop it for now, but it was not without a price - it''s going to watch for any sign of weakness and if there''s next time it¡¯s bound to pursue things to the end, and denying it again would only lower my credibility. ¡® I thought with resignation and swallowed hard, unsettled by future prospects. I shook my head and concentrated on less worrisome, mundane tasks. I folded the bedroll and placed it into the pouch. I had to admit that the beginner¡¯s pouch was a really convenient item, especially considering that it could pack similar amount of stuff as a rather large backpack, without changing its weight or size, which stayed the same no matter what was placed inside. During the packing, I tried my best to ignore the book, which was eerily silent and watchful. I quickly finished the task and picked Culdreth from the ground. Then, I began marching in the direction of the city, which walls were already in sight. Two hundred yards to my left there was a road, one which I used when we were leaving the city with Forest¡¯s party. During my approach I noticed that the area around the gate was devoid of anything of importance. -¡¯ Most of the time there are buildings outside of the city, where blacksmiths, tanners and other troublesome professions have their workshops or just the people who can¡¯t afford to live inside, but there¡¯s nothing here. ¡® I wondered why there weren¡¯t any buildings and arrived at conclusion that they must be elsewhere. -¡¯ Maybe that¡¯s why they call this a Merchant¡¯s Gate, because only people from outside arrive through it¡­ That certainly makes some sense. ¡® The Merchant¡¯s Gate, as I could see from afar, was closed. Even if it was open I wouldn¡¯t want to use it as there was a high chance that the guards stationed there would be much more through with their checks. Instead, I turned to my right and began circling around the city, looking for other entrances. The city walls were several yards high and made a striking impression due to contrast between sheer stone wall and the flat grassland. I quickly dropped any thoughts of scaling the overwhelming structure, as I could see movements of patrolling guards between regularly illuminated battlements. -¡¯ Even if I were able to climb up and somehow avoid the patrols I still could get spotted by the guards posted on the towers. ¡® I wondered about the security which seemed overwhelmingly tight, especially when one considered the fact that nearby grasslands were devoid of monsters. I sighed. Shielded by the cover of darkness I continued my journey around the city. Eventually my steps brought me near the north eastern entrance. That one, if my memory served me right, was called a Traveler''s Gate, though just one look in its direction did let me know that there was no correlation between name and reality. From afar, I saw multitude of buildings, which could be considered a small city by themselves, surrounding the gate. I heard distant sounds of music, laughter and general merrymaking. The buildings were wooden and mostly cheap, and all of them were heavily illuminated and brimmed with people. -¡¯ Hmm, I think that I have found a Nightless City. The information site claimed that this was akin to a red light district, where many came looking for entertainment, be it gambling, drinking, companionship, or all of those combined. ¡® I gave the Nightless City a generous breadth of distance. I was glad for my night vision which allowed me to travel comfortably despite the moonless night, still I was not too keen on running into some lost merrymakers, or things left by them. Also, I decided to avoid entering the city through the Traveller¡¯s Gate, while it was probably open it would also be the most heavily guarded, due to drunkards, thugs, smugglers and other undesirables that would try getting in or out of the city that way. I tried to brush off hair that had gotten on my face, but it turned out to be a futile effort because hopelessly tangled and dirty strand kept getting back. I sighed and resigned myself to an annoying sensation. I pursed my lips and lengthened my stride in determination to get to my destination as soon as possible. Still, it probably took more than an hour before I finally arrived near, presumed, northern entrance. -¡¯ This should be Craftsman¡¯s Gate along with Dirt Town district. ¡® I thought as my gaze wandered over the buildings strewn in front of me, the architecture gave a feeling of messiness, due to distances between buildings being uneven - there were clusters of structures built in a way that they were almost hugging each other while there were other built with a generous expanse of free land left around them. The impression of disorder was amplified by strings of laundry hanging over the street between the higher buildings, which made a striking comparison with a large fenced field filled with rows upon rows of white linen sheets hanging on the ropes. I was vaguely aware that the reason behind the strange placement of buildings was caused by them being dyers, tanners and blacksmiths workshops coupled with regular living quarters, but that didn¡¯t change the overall look and feel of the place. As I approached there was a detail that stopped me in my tracks and made me instantly hate the place - the smell. Even during the night, when workshops were closed, there was still a low hanging smoke, similar to a smog, surrounding the neighborhood. It was dry, choking and foul combination that used coal smoke as a base, which mixed together with a smell of metal and distinct stench of ammonia and other atrocious things, creating a truly dreadful mixture. -¡¯ Simply unbearable. ¡® I complained in my mind, as I did my best to stop myself from breathing the choking fumes, my scarf proven unhelpful in stopping the smell. I got on a road and approached the buildings, but that made me pass next to a dyer''s workshop. The smell of piss almost made me retch as unwanted memory of the severs came to mind. I paid a cursory glance to a field filled with wooden tubs, where the cloth was being processed, and started to run so I could leave the vicinity as soon as possible, streams of tears running down my face. As I hurriedly approached the tall tenement houses I had to stop as even my hat wasn¡¯t much help in stopping the blinding light of the torch that illuminated the area. Searing light and overwhelming stench made me finally realize how keen my senses were. I looked back, into a previously transparent night, and saw unyielding wall of darkness occasionally interrupted by a distant light of a torch or silvery point of a star in the sky. I tried to estimate a difference between the senses of my original body and the current one, but realized that it would be easier to use extremes, like night vision goggles or animals, as point of reference instead. I continued on my way, walking further between the buildings. -¡¯ And the smell... H-how people can stand it?! ¡® I could not comprehend how anyone could endure such thing on a daily basis. Despite the passing time my nose shown only a marginal signs of accommodating and I was forced to endure the cruel ordeal. Dirt Town turned out to be really big and it took me several minutes, spent walking in an overwhelming stench, to get into a vicinity of the Craftsmen''s Gate. I peeked from around the corner, to check how well the gate was guarded, and let out a small gasp of disbelief, which turned out to be a really bad idea as nauseating smell brought me to my knees and it took all of my effort to stop myself from retching. In act of desperation I summoned small arc of electricity in front of my face, though it was in vain, as it only added a fresh tang to the foul mixture. -¡± You wouldn¡¯t know how to get past six city guards, would you? ¡° I whispered to the book, wanting to leave the Dirt Town as soon as possible. -¡± That wouldn¡¯t be the problem¡­ ¡° Culdreth responded with the air in superiority. -¡± ...though I would be more concerned with a person inside the guard post. ¡° I blinked in surprise and took a peek at the gate yet again. I was unable to see who was hidden inside the guardpost, but I made an educated guess that it was a Watcher. -¡¯ This is strange, I thought that they are supposed to be really scarce and yet there¡¯s one at a, supposedly, least guarded gate¡­ ¡® I dropped the useless line of thought and focused on figuring a way past the gate. The archway was at least eight yards wide and ten yards tall, inside it there were huge, hinged doors made of reinforced wood, luckily one of them were open. The entrance to the guardpost was next to the archway and its doors were open. Whole area was heavily illuminated by multitude of magical lights that hung in the air, making it almost as bright as a day. The guards were spread unevenly, with three standing on this side of the gate and two one the other. Despite the late hour they seemed to be on alert, it could probably be attributed to the last guard, who looked like an officer due to elaborate epaulets and gear, who stood next to a guardhouse and scanned the neighborhood with bored but watchful gaze. I casually checked their equipment, which seemed to be different from usual. I remembered them having wooden cudgels instead of swords, also I was quite sure that last time I saw guards they had leather armor instead of chain mails, and breastplate in case of the officer. Though one thing remained indifferent, a staple feature of city guards everywhere, the halberds, all of them had one. I wanted to get inside the city as fast as possible, the smell was driving me into the corner, but the guards alone were challenging enough and I still had to handle a Watcher, though I knew next to nothing about their abilities. -¡± Could you tell me what a Watcher can do? ¡° I whispered to Culdreth. -¡± Well, they can see things, magical things¡­ ¡° The book started slowly. -¡± Like this book for example, and what it is¡­ ¡° -¡± Wait, and you are telling me this just now?! ¡° I barely kept myself from raising my voice. -¡± With your mark I wouldn¡¯t bother arguing over this point. ¡° Culdreth stopped my outburst in a deadpan voice. -¡± In general they can detect illusions, invisible monsters, magical things and so on. Anyway, apart from that they are quite proficient with defensive magic, just like paladins of Holy Light. That¡¯s all you will get for free, if you want help that¡¯s gonna cost you. ¡° I could feel malicious glee in his voice and I shivered unconsciously. -¡± Let me know when you are ready to talk about the price. ¡° -¡± Thanks, I will handle it from here¡­ ¡° I spoke with as much certainty as I could muster, but Culdreth¡¯s soft chuckle left no illusions in regard to my credibility. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Helplessly, I looked at the gate, which as well could have been closed. For a time I thought about trying to just pass through, but I dropped that line of thought when some laborer was leaving the city. Laborer and the box he was carrying were thoroughly checked and then a Watcher was called to look at the man and his stuff. Considering the events, I was quite sure that something must have happened when I was away and it only made me more determined to get inside the city before dawn. -¡¯ Hmm, simple stuff, like getting a drunk to engage the guards, won¡¯t work. They are too much on edge¡­ ¡® I thought about the possibilities. -¡¯ Samewise, it is impossible to sneak past them, and even after re evaluation it is still too hard to scale the walls¡­ ¡® I sighed in annoyance. -¡¯ Which means that all the easy options are out¡­ ¡® I looked anxiously on one of the hard options, that had a form of the book with silver cover, but I was not desperate or suicidal enough to ask it for help. I hated resorting to the hard options as it usually meant that I couldn¡¯t resolve the task perfectly, and hard ways were usually messy. -¡¯ What am I concerned with, I planed to play the role of an evil gu...girl from the start. ¡® I tried to console my conscience while looking at nearby buildings, they were three floor tall tenement houses made of wood and their roofs were covered with roofing strips. For a brief moment I thought about, somehow, breaking the supporting part of one of them so it would fall over, but I couldn¡¯t force myself to ruthlessly kill all the people living inside. Instead, I went behind the building, where an alley should be, though in this case it was barely wide enough for my small self to squeeze through. After much effort, I managed to get past tight and dirty tunnel and arrived on the other side. I was lucky that I haven¡¯t encountered the dead end and found myself where I expected, in a gap between the buildings parallel to the city wall. I was hidden in a gap about nine yards away from the city wall and about twelve yards from the gate. Satisfied, I managed to twist and turn myself in the cramped space, so I was facing inside, and then I began to gather my mana. Rolling, electric heat slowly flowed into my hand and stayed there as I wished, it was signaled by an intensifying tingling sensation. I stifled a giggle caused by the tingling feeling, which made me lose control over my breath. I choked on the fumes and quickly returned to small shallows breaths that I learned to use to stave off the smell. I concentrated again. A mellow sensation slowly gathered in my hand and I began to mold it into an effect that I planned to unleash. -¡¯ Yes¡­ slowly, let it gather¡­ and then¡­ now! ¡® I quickly twisted the energy, making it roll into a ball and, at the same time, inciting the energy so it would viciously heat up. In moments, the mana changed its alignment and I held a glowing ball of heat, kept from burning me only by my will and thin veil of energy surrounding my hand. -¡¯ It¡¯s heating up¡­ but I don¡¯t want a heat ball. I want it to spread, Raghnall mentioned something like that during magic theory class¡­ ¡® I thought frantically, wondering how to treat the heat ball so it won¡¯t get any hotter, but, at the same time, will grow in power. After few minutes of moving energy back and forth I finally realized that key somehow laid with compression. If I simply kept gathering power in the ball it kept heating up, but when I made the ball grow with new energy and then compressed it, then it began to turn into something else entirely. Soon, the ball in my hand felt distinctly different from before - instead of something akin to a hot, insubstantial light it become tangible and turned into something more like a balloon filled with water¡­ -¡¯ Though, ofcourse the thing is made purely out of fire¡­ ¡® I made self deprecating thought as I raised my hand to throw the ball as far as I could between the buildings. When I was creating it, I tried to make the ball as cold as I could, while trying to put a lot of cohesion into it. By my estimation it should have turned into something akin to a burning oil that would effectively set fire to the buildings¡­ but my estimations were off. Ball flew deep into the alley and exploded, spreading jelly like, glowing substance in all directions and burning through the walls, just like an extremely potent acid would. With stupefied expression I looked at strange happenstance, the jelly burned through the wood but there was no fire, just a lot of smoke. Dubiously, I looked at a bit of jelly lying on the stone, it behave as if it was on a frying pan, violently shaking and twisting around while getting smaller and smaller. A realization dawned on me. -¡¯ It is somehow continuously applying heat to its surroundings, if it¡¯s within its heat range then it burns through, and if not it just heats the resistant surface up while losing the power! ¡® I was suddenly brought back to reality. The screams resounded from inside the building, tenants must have become alerted by large amounts of smoke that was produced by my strange fire. Soon a frantic activity could be heard inside, as numerous feet ran down the stairs and wooden floors, making distinct sounds. I peeked from the alleyway, which was now filled with choking smoke. -¡¯ Paradoxically, it smells better than the smog here¡­ ¡® A silly thought appeared as I disregarded the notion, since the smoke was not breathable. All of the guards and a Watcher were in front of the gate looking at the building which I set on fire, as planned they concentrated on the part that was directly in front of the gate. I used the moment to quickly run across the street and lean against the wall. I heard an urgent tolling of a bell from somewhere inside the Dirt Town, though I was much more focused on the guards. Slowly, I crept with my back against the wall, while their attention was focused on the smoking building. People were exiting the nearby building and running around, trying to find something to put out the fire. Luckily, they were too distraught to pay any attention to me. -¡¯ Six yards¡­ ¡® I estimated the distance between me and the archway. My gaze travelled to the Watcher, who moved forward and seemed to concentrate really hard on something. He had a white tunic, on front and back there were symbols of the eye embroidered with golden thread. Underneath the tunic I spotted a silvery chain mail that protected his torso, upper arms and thighs, also there were elaborate metal greaves and bracers that shielded his forearms and shins. -¡± Master Hammet, would you be able to provide assistance? ¡° Officer asked uncertainly, but fell silent when Watcher called Hammet raised his hand to silence him. I could see a look of concentration on his hawk like face. I thanked my luck that he didn¡¯t turn back, as he could have spotted me. Suddenly a thought struck me and I felt really dumb for asking the question after the fact, still I whispered as softly as I could. -¡± Culdreth, would the Watcher find out it was a magical fire? ¡° -¡± Normally, it would be too brief and weak¡­ ¡° He started in his usual slow manner. -¡± ...but I believe he might grasp that something is afoul due to the still burning remains of the spell. ¡° I wanted to curse under my breath as I took a small step ahead, but the book was not done. -¡± Still, nicely done. I didn¡¯t expect that you had it in you, but I am pleasantly surprised. I look forward to our future cooperation, Mistress. ¡° I wanted to tell Culdreth to shut up, but being less than three yards away from the nearest guard made me clench my teeth in nervous anticipation. I took yet another small step closer to the gate. People on the other side of the street started to gather, but their attention was focused on the smoking building. I was getting ready to take another step when I noticed Watcher straightening himself in alarm. I reacted immediately and bolted forward, to the gate. A soft scream escaped Hammet¡¯s mouth, but my sudden rustle made his cry of alarm cease and, instead, he began turning in my direction. Same as the guards. Still, the surprise was on my side. While they were turning to look at me I managed to cover two yards. Another yard was won, when they tried to comprehend what was happening. Only two enemies had enough wit to react when I was covering the last yard. Officer, who had began swinging his halberd, and Watcher, who reached for his sword. As a wheezing blade of the halberd came at my chest I tumbled down, allowing it to pass over me. Using my remaining momentum I kicked the ground and tumbled to the left, rolling into the archway. I almost yelped when a blade pierced my side¡­ ...or rather the cloak near my ribs, the sudden change of direction coupled with the cloak made Hammet miss his lunge. In panic, I kicked the ground with all my might and propelled myself forward, into a tiger like pounce. Fear from barely escaped death blow fresh in my mind. The ground approached and I extended a hand to minimize the impact, I could only use one as my other was busied with holding the book. My weight began to rest on my palm and my arm began to give, in a stroke of fervent haste I twisted the rest of my body and was left speechless by the result. My body¡¯s momentum turned into some variation of the cartwheel that let my legs pass over my head in a magnificent motion, while my back was stretched taut and bent forward, as if I was performing bridge. My head was turned in the opposite direction making me see what was happening behind and I didn¡¯t like what I saw. A Watcher was desperately charging at me with his sword raised. My legs began their descent, further bending my back, and, by the motion, my upper body was pulled upward. I was flabbergasted by my athletic ability, but I had not time to dwell on it. Immediately after my feet struck the ground I forcefully continued the uplifting motion of my upper body, which allowed me to turn the cartwheel into a run without a pause. Motivated by dreadful sound of the light steps of the Watcher I sprinted forward, determined to put as much distance as possible between us. Abruptly, a piercing sound resounded in the air. Someone was blowing into a whistle hard, and there was a corresponding whistle from the street in front of me. I swallowed hard while looking for a way to escape... =============== Hey~, Author''s Here~ I hope you enjoyed today''s sightseeing coupled with a tang of action :) [By the way, I have sacrificed two virgins to the astrologers and they prophesied that next week or week after it will be a Week Of Bonus Chapter.] [-How could you kill two precious...] [Don''t worry, the sacrifices are very much alive, busy but alive :D ] [- You...Y-you get out! Right This Moment!!!] Khem, as I mentioned earlier I have made some adjustments and gathered all of the CG art in one place. Link can be found here CG Gallery or in my signature below. Great thanks to Owlbear General who did great work on sketching and coloring the drafts. Cheers, Mea NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 33 - The Running Chapter 33 - The Running ?Chapter 33 - The Running The cobbled road was wide and framed by a tall, two stories high, houses. My quick glance traveled across the frontons, which seamlessly joined with each other, and rested on the lanterns, which basked the street in a soft, yellow light. I couldn¡¯t find any openings between the buildings that would allow me to leave the main road. I ran, my hurried steps brought me closer and closer to the crossroad intersection, clanging steps of running guardsmen were resounding from behind each corner. I risked a hurried glance behind me, it only urged me to sprint forward even faster, as Hammet was just few steps away. My escape had only just begun yet my heart was already bursting in my chest, beating like a hummingbird. There were less than five yards to the street corner, and I felt my panic spiking, I couldn¡¯t control my breath and the shallow intakes of air threatened to make me pass out on the spot. But I had not time to worry about my breath. I felt the doom approaching, in a quick steps that brought me closer and closer to the street corner, behind which the guards closed in. Two yards away, I knew that I won¡¯t be able to get past the intersection fast enough. -¡¯ I have to buy time! ¡® I thought hurriedly as I jumped into the air, spinning, my hand extending in the direction of my pursuer. Hammet raised his left hand in response, making some sort of gesture. I concentrated, instantly twisting a large amount of mana into a barely controlled burst. A pain erupted in my hand, which felt as if it was being ripped apart. Unconstrained electricity shot from between my extended fingers, exploding into a wide, linear lightning headed for Hammet. A glowing, water-like bubble of amber energy appeared around the Watcher. My attack struck the barrier directly, lightning hissing and coiling around it like an angry snake, though leaving nothing more than a dent. It was disheartening to see the energy parting and breaking into forked, impotent arcs of electricity. As I was turning away, our gazes met and I was chilled by Hammet¡¯s slit eyed, hostile gaze. -¡¯ At least he stopped for a second! ¡® I tried to console myself, while I landed, falling back into a run. I looked around just in time to see two pairs of guards rushing at me from both sides. I felt hopelessness descending on me, as I was cornered on all sides. In desperation, I dropped down, tumbling in the direction of the left pair. -¡¯ Please, let them be at least a bit susceptible! ¡® I cried out in my mind as I jumped to my feet with my hand extended and glowing with mana. Guards in front of me panicked upon seeing the glow and tried to shield themselves with their weapons. A bit of hope appeared in my mind as I released the lightning in a wide, electrifying arc. Forked energies struck like lashing whips, jolting the guards, who stopped where they stood and tried to endure the attack. I continued the onslaught while I ran past them, into a street they came from. Most of the energies seemed to shy away from them and it looked to me almost as if I was pouring water on a duck. -¡± Urgh! ¡° Closest guard huffed in pain through the clenched teeth and tried to attack me with his halberd, but his muscles were forced taut by the electricity and his heroic effort was way to slow. I easily ducked under the halberd and dropped into a sprint again. I didn¡¯t have to look back to know that Hammet was close, I could almost feel his breath on my back. I could hear that his relentless pursuit was joined by other two guards. I felt my breath easing a bit and my heart changing its rhythm slightly, wonders of the adrenaline working their magic on me. I continued forward, while looking for a possible way out, distant whistles informing me that I had to worry about more than pursuers on my back. Orderly built, illuminated houses didn¡¯t offer any alleys or shadows that could be used as an escape route or distraction. -¡¯ This must be a district where well-to-do townsfolk live. ¡® I thought while running past the surprised people, who were numerous despite the late hour. No one tried to stop me and I didn¡¯t know whether I should be happy about it or not, because the murderer¡¯s mark was shining brightly on my forehead. The hat was lost during the cartwheel. I could hear that I was gaining some distance on Hammet, who was almost able to keep up despite the armor he was wearing. Before me there was a group of workers, they were hauling some crates, and didn¡¯t realize what was happening until I was already between them. -¡± Hey! ¡° -¡± What? ¡° I ducked under a crate, then sidestepped to the right. When another worker appeared on my way I push him, but he stood firm, so I used the impact to change my direction and get past the last two workers. -¡± Ey! Damn your¡­ ¡° The pushed worker cursed loudly but faltered, he must have realized who he was talking to - a murderer. As I was getting away from the group I could hear new array of curses and the sounds of crashing. -¡± My wares! That was my most expensive vintage! ¡° A loud, stuck up voice rose in the air. -¡± Who will recompense¡­ ¡° -¡± Silence! ¡° Hammet¡¯s raised his voice to outshout the merchant, I risked a glance behind me. Watcher was standing next to a fat individual clad in a richly decorated purple robe. -¡± You are obstructing Holy Flame¡¯s purs¡­ ¡° -¡± I don¡¯t care about it! Who¡¯s going to pay¡­ ¡° The merchant interrupted and I could see Hemmet rising his hand threateningly, almost as if he was going to backhand the guy, but, instead, he suddenly looked in my direction, with hostility painted on his face. Without a word he started running again, forcing his way past the fat merchant, who erupted into litany of impotent threats and curses as he was pushed back. Despite the distance I was able to hear that the city guards who were following Hammet were held up by the angry merchant. Despite first signs of fatigue I was extremely jubilant about thirty yards of distance between me and the Watcher. -¡± Stand down and accept the judgment of Light! ¡° Hammet suddenly broke the silent act and shouted after me; anger and hatred evident in his voice. -¡¯ Who would? ¡® I retorted in my mind smugly, but the thought was forgotten instantly. I noticed a small group of people ahead of me. On look at them did let me know that they were going to try and stop me. By a telltale marks I could tell that they were players. The first one was a warrior, with a sword, shield and chainmail, the second one was a rogue, as indicated by daggers, short sword and leather armor, the third one was a cleric, as he had a staff and brown robes with big symbol of the sun embroidered on the chest, the fourth one was obviously a mage, as he was wearing a robe matched with a wide brimmed hat, and it made perfect sense for him to be a mage as he fit into the standard MMO team composition. I continued forward, unsure on how I should handle them. Despite being twenty yards away I was able to listen to their conversation, somehow my hearing had gotten really sharp recently. -¡± Wait, is that a...mark? ¡° The rogue exclaimed softly, his hand reflexively stroking on his goatee. -¡± Why can¡¯t I see the name? ¡° -¡± Doesn¡¯t matter, Ray. ¡° Priest interrupted, his eyes burning with greed. -¡± If we stop the murderer it¡¯s going to count as a holy deed! Imagine the heals! ¡° -¡± I can¡¯t disagree if you put it like that, Flynn. ¡° The warrior chimed in and reached for the long sword, he was square jawed and had a short, black hair fitted into spikes. -¡¯ I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he called himself Guts or something¡­ ¡° A distracting thought appeared for a second, but I banished it, focusing on the situation. -¡± Isn¡¯t this a bit too dangerous? ¡° The rogue voiced his doubts, but was instantly chastised by the priest. -¡± Stop being a worrywart. We have a Watcher coming, what can go wrong? ¡° Cleric gave the rogue a smug smile and opened his arms in a papal gesture. -¡± Oh, Holy Flame let the courage burn in the hearts of the meek, so they can become your might. ¡° The priest intoned and gave a mocking, jovial bow to the rogue. -¡± That should make it all~ better. ¡° The anti climatic behavior was off putting and infuriating at the same time, I could feel my blood boiling despite the dire situation I was in. Though it didn¡¯t stop me from prudently exploiting the comedy routine to shorten the distance between us. -¡¯ I need to disable the spellcaster, and I should be able to outrun a priest and a warrior¡­ ¡® I meticulously weighed my options, but, somehow, I just couldn¡¯t let their ungraceful behavior slide. -¡± Um, guys, she¡¯s already here! ¡° The warrior exclaimed a warning when I was five yards away from him and started charging at me with his shield raised. I felt unsure, as any offensive move against the warrior had some chance of failing and then I would get bull rushed with his shield. -¡¯ In the face¡­ ¡® My imagination quickly provided me with a most disastrous outcome. Instead, I decided to recklessly put my faith on my untried but evident athletic ability. I didn¡¯t stop as we were rapidly charging at each other. The warrior seemed surprised by my move, but happy to oblige - his big size and large shield gave him the confidence. I tried to stay calm while it seemed like I was heading head on a speeding truck, the figure of rapidly approaching warrior was giving me second thoughts, but it was too late to back out at that point. With my breath held tightly in my chest and my heart drumming in my ears I changed my step and extended my arms to the sides. I exhaled and closed my eyes briefly, putting all my faith and willpower into one powerful spring of my legs. A weightless feeling enveloped me as my feet left the ground and passed over my head, making everything turn upside down. I opened my eyes and was struck by the view, the warrior was passing under me, the sword he had above the head passed inches away from my face. My back was rigid, and my legs began to draw an arc down, if I continued the motion it would probably lead to me landing on my feet upright, but I needed to know what was happening in front of me. I bent my arms, abruptly bringing them close to my body in a circular motion, and the momentum somehow turned my body to face forward. I saw a bunch of people looking at me in wonder, but my gaze focused on the three adventurers who had a stupefied look in their eyes. Only then I realized that my last maneuver might not have been a good idea, as I was heading straight at them, face first! For a brief moment I was paralyzed. I didn¡¯t know what to do. The moments before unavoidable collision seemed to pass in a slow motion. Suddenly the panic penetrated my stupor. A spike of fear urged me to act and I did the only thing I could think of. A fleeting memory made me recall people jumping into a water, from heights. I brought my legs to the chest and curled into a ball, a move which changed the angle of my descent. Adventurers seemed to come out of their stupor and started to jump to the sides, though that didn¡¯t apply to the rogue. He deftly reached for the short sword and began drawing it dauntlessly¡­ ...but he was too slow. Just before the impact I kicked with my feet and hit him squarely in the chest, knocking him down and using him as a soft landing pad. I tried to ignore the sounds of cracking ribs, while the momentum carried me into a backward tumble. The world spun and I kicked the ground, rising to my feet and facing the two remaining adventurer¡¯s. -¡¯ Courage spells, gotta avoid those. ¡® Fleeting thoughts passed through my mind as my gaze skimmed over the rogue, who seemed relatively unhurt considering the impact. -'' Oh, right, I am much lighter now... '' -¡± Gods, please grant prote¡­ ¡° My attention turned to a pale faced priest who was clenching the staff in front of his face and mumbling a prayer with his eyes closed. It was a surprising sight as he seemed really genuine this time around. -¡¯ I have to finish the caster, then it''s¡­ ¡® I thought and began to gather energy in my hand, but I hesitated in surprise. The wide eyed face, hidden by a hat¡¯s brim and framed by a frizzy blonde hair, belonged to a girl. Her eyes were almond shaped and had a vividly green, emerald color, they fit well with her pouty lips and small nose. For one enchanting moment we stared at each other. -¡± Ai! ¡° She let off a small yelp upon seeing my glowing hand and it brought me back to reality, without thinking I let off the gathered power. Only then I realized that my lapse in concentration caused the mana to flow freely, coalescing in much greater amount than intended. The lightning struck¡­ ¡­ On a shining wall of golden light that appeared between us, spanning the whole street. The lightning crashed into it with a thunderous roar, accompanied by panicked screams of the onlookers. The effect was staggering as the unleashed energies flowed on the wall in all directions, turning into waves of living electricity. Despite the mighty strike the shining wall held strong, seemingly unaffected. I looked through it and saw Hammet with one hand outstretched, while the other held something near his chest. I blinked and turned away, paying a quick glance to a cute mage girl who fell down and was sitting on a cobblestones with shocked expression on her face. I felt as if I was made of jelly, my muscles were all wobbly, still, I persevered in my escape. The Watcher was far, more than forty yards away, and I had to use that chance to escape. I began to run paying no heed to the panicked citizens. Conflicting sensations fought over me, a rush of the while from the intense jump warred with feeling of emptiness left from unleashing the lightning, which probably took most of my mana. I noticed that the sound of whistles changed, it was less urgent and more menacing. Two new guards, who came from the front, stopped and began retrieving something from their pouches. The composed reaction of the guards, changing tones of the whistle and Hammet¡¯s effort in stopping my attack suddenly made me realize where exactly I was standing. -¡¯ That means that this level of power is considered... common. ¡® I thought and shivered upon remembering all the powerful people that I have met. -¡¯ If that¡¯s common¡­ ¡® I swallowed hard. -¡¯ ...then other classes are bound to be equally strong too... ¡® It was an unsettling thought and it made me feel like I was deftly playing in the sandbox, that turned out to be a middle of the minefield. As I gotten close to the guards I gathered some power in my hand and, as expected, they responded with taking on defensive poses, while trying to quickly gulp down some sort of potions. I used that lapse in attention to run past them, though it was getting harder and harder for me to keep up the pace. -¡¯ I need to find a hideout soon¡­ ¡® I thought with determination as a bone deep weariness began to settle in and my run had started to resembled a wobbly jog, not to mention that I was out of breath. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. As I approached the crossroad resounding whistles did let me know that there were guards approaching from every direction. At the intersection I turned right, leaving chasing guards behind the corner. -¡¯ This is ridiculous, almost like if there''s a patrol posted on every corner! ¡® I thought in desperation and my determination spiked, I could practically feel my focus sharpening. Almost absentmindedly I gathered a ball of frost and water, in a similar way that I did with fire earlier but on a smaller scale, then dropped it. Moments later I was awarded with a soft wheezing sound followed by a loud thud of the guards who unexpectedly ran into a patch of ice after passing the corner. I continued down the street while trying to ignore the curious gazes of the onlookers who kept away from me. In a distance I could see several halberds towering over the people¡¯s heads, so when I spotted an opening between the buildings I jogged into it without hesitation. -¡¯ Even if it¡¯s a dead end it¡¯s the same as running into a bunch of buffed up guardsmen. ¡® I thought while relief washed over me, I could see that there was a junction ahead. The alley was narrow, dark and empty, though covered with cobblestones and unexpectedly clean, still, it was totally different from busy main street that I left. I jogged forward and took a left turn, which should lead south, I made a mental note to avoid the north leading turns as much as possible, they were bound to lead to dead ends. On the next junction I turned right, which should lead me deeper into the backstreets. Soon my assumptions were confirmed as I ran into a small, deteriorated plaza. compared to main streets it was like a totally different district, the houses were worn and scarcely illuminated by stray lamps, and there were long lines of laundry hanging above the packed dirt. The people were scarce, most wore brown, dirty work clothes and skulked around, though on a occasion I spotted some cloaked silhouette in the doorway, it was almost like they were announcing that they were criminals or enforcers of some kind and that they were watching. I quickened my step. Somehow, despite all the things that were happening, I felt more exposed and endangered at that place than when I was openly being chased by the guards on the main street. On the way I inadvertently noticed a well that was in the middle of the plaza, the puller was broken and the buckets were missing, but there was muck around it, somehow it felt like it was the core of the place - foreboding, broken but still usable. I almost breathed a sigh of relief as I passed the plaza, but then, as if waiting for that particular moment, a door down the road opened and three people went outside, blocking the way. Two were big, clad in leather armors and armed with sizable clubs, while the third man was wiry, mean looking and clad in a cloak that seemed too big for him. I noticed several people gathering behind me on the plaza. I stopped and tried my best to look calm despite my racing heart and short breath, both of which weren¡¯t really caused by all the running that I did. -¡± What are you doing on Snake territory, assassin girl? ¡° The wiry man asked with a thick accent and hostility. -¡± You lot said clearly that you''re done with us and will handle the business yourselves¡­ and yet you''re here¡­ ¡° I was surprised by the rapidly unfolding situation and haven¡¯t responded immediately, which thief took as an answer and drawn his own conclusions. -¡± You lot think that you can bring us dirt and pay naught for it? You take us for the fools!? ¡° He raised his voice and put up his finger threateningly, despite the darkness I could almost see his cheeks reddening in anger under the hood of the cloak. I had no idea what was the situation between the thieves and the assassins, but it didn¡¯t seem too friendly. I had nothing to use as a bargaining chip, so I settled for what I had on hand - trouble. -¡± I was just passing through, but if you are so inclined I can kindly accept your help in handling the Watcher, who is getting closer with each passing second. ¡° I tried to sound as indifferently as I could while assuming a nonchalant pose. -¡± You up for that? ¡° I asked mockingly. -¡± Spiky eared bitch! ¡° The thief practically spat the venomous words and gave me a hateful glance, though it didn¡¯t change the fact that he waved his hand in some sort of gesture that caused his minions to start dispersing . -¡± Tell your boss, chief, head or whatever the prissy bastard¡¯s called that the Snake Guild will not stand by idly when he¡¯s playing both sides. ¡° He turned to leave, but stopped. -¡± We will talk differently next time! ¡° He reached down and squeezed his crotch suggestively. -¡± The last one¡¯s for you. ¡° He added unnecessarily and spat on the ground before leaving. When the realization that I was out of danger struck I felt a wave of relief washing over me, draining the tension together with my strength. It felt like I was going to pass out at any moment, but somehow I was able to clench my teeth and force myself to walk forward, eventually, after a time, the dizziness subsided seemingly defeated by my dauntless effort. As my steps brought me farther and farther I was struck by the duality. My real body was strong, relatively, anyway it was much stronger than the current one, and yet despite all the abuse, exhaustion and weakness I was able to keep going way past what I believed were the limits of my original body. It was mysterious how such a small and fragile...girl... could keep it up for so long. I was vaguely aware that part of it could be probably attributed to adventurer¡¯s special traits and to going purely on willpower, but that still left a wast difference between the image that I had in my mind and what happened thus far. With shaking hand I reached out and thought about a status window. The letters coalesced for a moment and as soon as I read them, disappeared. Disbelieving, I tried to summon them again, but they did not show up again. Nothing showed at all. I replayed the message in my mind. -¡¯ The beginner stage has been cleared, hand holding options(like status window, activity log and quest system) were therefore removed. Please enjoy the adventure as you normally would. ¡® I was baffled by the peculiar design choice, it was bound to spark a controversy in tried and true core VMMORPG crowd. -¡¯ Not that I used or missed it. ¡® I smirked to myself and focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Such an action seemed to become a second nature to me, recently I always seemed to end up in a messed up state having to walk to somewhere. What annoyed me the most though was the smell, I could still somehow smell the thick stench of the Dirt Town¡­ Peeved I quickly unfolded the scarf and started checking myself fervently. The mystery was quickly solved and the answer was¡­ myself. The scarf, the clothes and the hair, everything reeked with the hateful smell. I wanted to let out a hysterical, solemn laughter at my predicament. Especially, considering the noise of pursuing guards that I didn¡¯t want to register but could hear for some time already. -'' I have no strength left to run. '' I thought in defeat. I turned back to where I came from. -¡¯ Soon the alley going to get swarmed. ¡® I thought and pitied that my last stand was to be made in an unbearable stench¡­ I shook my head and looked at the strangely silent book. -'' Why hasn''t it come out right now and offered one time save, eternal slave type of deal? ''I mused and was about to ask about it... -¡± Giving up already? ¡° Abruptly someone¡¯s voice resounded from behind me, interrupting my line of thought. It almost made me jump as I didn¡¯t notice that someone was there. -¡±I thought you are more feisty than that, princess. ¡° I spun around and saw Oliver¡¯s silhouette leisurely leaning against a nearby wall. I almost chuckled, due to the relief and my less than regal state. A sliver of energy seemed to return to my deflated spirit as I responded. -¡± I thought that their persistence was worthy of a praise and decided that I would mete out some. ¡° I racked my brain and came out with a satisfying banter in return. -¡± Ha, I am unneeded then. ¡° He gave out an over dramatized answer and bowed mockingly. -¡± Pardon my interruption, I will leave you to your devices then. ¡° -¡± On second thought I think that I will accept your kind offer. I am sure that the pursuers wouldn¡¯t mind getting off the hook. ¡° I responded instantly, nervousness permeating my voice. I was quite sure that he wouldn¡¯t leave me, but at the same time, I could never guess how much pull I had on him. I didn¡¯t want to find out the hard way that he left me because he knew that I would return after three days. To my surprise he didn''t answer with another banter, instead he approached the middle of the road wordlessly. When I saw a hooked metal bar in his hand I realized what he was going to do and I felt dread descending on me. The bar fit snugly in the crack between the stones, with a slight sound of stone grinding against stone the slab was pulled up revealing the darkness underneath. A waft of a stale, foul air reached me, bringing tears to my eyes. I wanted to protest, but sounds of approaching guards were really close. Instead, I just froze, paralyzed by a dreadful prospect. Oliver was seemingly unaffected by the stench and reached for me, still without a word. I stiffened and covered my mouth and nose, doing my best to stay calm. -¡± Sorry princess, but today¡¯s parade scheduled in the Undercity. ¡° I barely registered his words and the fact that he effortlessly picked me up and carried me to the hole. I was surprised when he somehow squeezed through it together with me and then went down the ladder, which was made of bent metal bars coming out of stone, while holding me with his left arm. Though my surprise was quickly overshadowed by noxious miasma permeating the sewer. I felt almost as if I was being exposed to acid fumes, my eyes burned while my throat and nose ached with dry, acrid sensation which forced me to cough. The cough led to further exposure and only worsened my state. I put my all in trying to endure the scratching sensation and not to cough anymore. Everything turned into a blur, the air inside was foul beyond belief, and I did my best to stay still while Oliver closed the stone slab and took me into a princess carry again. Somehow, I was able to hear his small sigh and a mumble when he started to walk. -¡± That¡¯s the problem with the elves, more susceptible to some things than the bloodhounds¡­ ¡° -" What... " I started to ask him about what he just said, but my inflamed throat clenched painfully. Oliver must have misread my question as his answer was about entirely different topic. -" We had people watching the gates, not only for you of course. " He started in a monotone voice and I realized that he just said whatever, trying to offer something to distract me from the unpleasant sensation. -" I just happened to be around and took it upon myself to pick you up. I am glad that you managed to shake off the Watcher as I wouldn''t have been able to act otherwise. " I concentrated on his calm, lulling words, though I haven''t really registered the meaning behind them anymore. I just wished to pass out, but nothing merciful like that happened and I had to endure the cruel ordeal for what was seemingly an eternity. Eventually, we arrived somewhere and I registered a sound of grinding stone when a part of a sewer wall was pulled to the side, revealing an entrance. At that point I felt like an allergic person, my eyes were swollen and teary, my head ached and my throat burned mercilessly. -'' Who expected elves to be allergic to foul things? '' I brushed away a mocking thought and gave out silent thanks that the adventurers were resistant to pain. I wondered about the answer to the mystery on why I was being affected so much this time around while I felt next to nothing the first time I ventured into the sewer. Certainly being of elven blood had something to do with it, but there were still things that didn''t add up. Abruptly, I realized that we were on a familiar corridor, which was filled with decorative treasures at even intervals, and that we have stopped. -¡± We have arrived, you will be able to clean yourself up in there. ¡° Oliver said impassively as he started to put me down. My mind raced and I quickly shoved the book at him, I didn''t want it anywhere near me if my assumption was correct. -¡± K-keep it f-for me. ¡° I whispered pleadingly through my sore throat, which burned vehemently. Oliver realized that I was barely able to stand and gently seated me against the wall. He took the book and did a double take upon realizing what it probably was. Before he had a chance to ask any questions I motioned to him calmingly and spoke softly. -" It''s safe. " He gave the book a final glance before losing interest and giving me a strange, evaluating look. Suddenly, he reached into a pocket and retrieved something from it. He then took my hands and handed me a small bottle, making sure that I was holding it steadily. -¡± Drink it. You will feel better. ¡° He said warmly and rose up. Then he whispered soft words that chilled me to the core. -¡± I guess that this was a bit too much for the punishment. ¡° I was sure that he meant to be overheard, and I quickly grasped some of the motives behind the recent events. -¡± I will report to the Master. You have plenty of time to get presentable and rest. ¡° He said officially and pointed at the door next to me, then he walked away with the book in tow. I looked after him in dull shock, somehow I felt betrayed by the mismatch between his friendly and official attitudes. In my mind he took a role of a friend or an ally, but I wasn''t blind, I could see under his mask, and what I saw was another mask. It made me realize that his actions, our banter, meant nothing at all, just that he was very good at acting, but probably hollow inside... -'' It''s not that I wasn''t expecting it... '' I thought sorrowfully and whispered with quietest of whispers. -" ...but it still hurts. " A different kind of tears came to my eyes... ============= Hey~, Author''s here~ as you can probably tell I have gone all out while writing this chapter, hopefully you will like the plot as much as I do. Anyway, I wonder what is your take on today''s unveiling of strange phenomena :P Also, we have finally reached the point where the bonus chapter is supposed to be. I am going to release it soonish (ie somewhere before chapter 34 is up). Cheers, Mea NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 33.5 - The Exploring (Bonus) Chapter 33.5 - The Exploring (Bonus) Chapter 33.5 - The Exploring [ This chapter is rated N for Narrator, which means that it contains Mature descriptions of, likely, graphic nature. ] A dull ache was gripping my heart, as soft, stinging tears slowly flowed down my face. I tried to hold back the feeling, somehow deny it, believe that it didn''t matter, that I knew it wasn¡¯t real from the start... But tears kept flowing, heedless of my desperate efforts. Anxiously painful feeling of a loss threatened to engulf me, augmented by all the little pains that came from my body - stinging sensation from the nose, burning from my throat and lungs, as well as relentless headache coming seemingly from just behind my eyes. I hugged my knees, leaning against the wall, my hands gripping the bottle with a persistent effort, clinging to the false hope that it offered... -¡¯ That he cared... ¡® A wistful thought appeared as I put my forehead against a smooth, sleek surface of the bottle, blindly looking for marginal relief offered by the slight coolness of the glass. A raw feeling of loneliness¡­ The tears continued, equilibrium left by the years of uncaring, shallow existence shattered¡­ Abruptly, my eyes flew open, sharp thoughts rushing through my mind. I shook my head while a hollow, dry laugh escaped my throat painfully. It was liberating, to once again remember my resolution. My hands slowly and meticulously began to uncork the bottle, while I chastised myself for the outburst. I could feel my lips curling in a self depreciating, cynical smile. -'' As the stories go, there should be a trauma from the past, a lost loved one or accidents... '' I mused. -¡± ...but there¡¯s nothing. ¡° I whispered softly as a final tear streamed from my eye. -¡± I am just left behind by the passage of years. ¡° I thought, reminiscing all relationships of the past that had grown cold and distant over time. I lifted the bottle up, appreciating its dark, cloudy surface which hid a shining liquid inside. There was a thin and glowing mist slowly wafting from the top. -¡¯ To the faithless loneliness¡­ Carpe diem as they say. ¡® I did a mocking toast, celebrating my old resolution, to not care about anything anymore, and drank what I believed to be some sort of healing draught. The effect was tremendous. A sweet, cinnamony smell permeated my nose, bringing instant relief to the piercing ache. I was surprised by the texture because content of the bottle turned out to be more like a thick vapor rather than a liquid. I could feel a cool, refreshing sensation racking my body, making it shiver with a sudden, invigorating pulse that purged all the pains. As fast as it appeared the cool feeling was gone, making way to a soft mellow sensation of warmth and satisfaction. My muscles relaxed smoothly, sprawling me on the floor with an involuntary soft smile appearing on my face, I barely managed to put a stopper back in the bottle, fighting to save the remaining contents. I quickly forgotten about it as I lounged in a sensation, which was almost like that magical moment after massage, but better... Slowly, the warm feeling receded, leaving me lying on an uncomfortably hard wooden floor. The smell of the cinnamon was gone, giving way to a much more atrocious odor. I didn¡¯t have to wonder what, or rather who, was the source of the smell. Urged by it, I quickly grabbed the bottle and rose to my feet. My hand fumbled for a latch and the door flew open, exposing a sizable room. The chamber was big and square, the walls had a wooden paneling while the floor was covered by a thick red carpet, everything was illuminated by the familiar lanterns made of magic, gems and mirrors. My gaze quickly skimmed over the furniture, consisting of lush sofa and lavishly looking chairs that surrounded a large ornamental table, all made of redwood. There were doors on left and right, both opened widely. To my surprise I was able to pick out a distinct smell of water despite my own disgusting stench. Without hesitation, I went into the chamber, closing the door behind me, and made my way towards the open doorway, which was bound to lead to a bathroom. I was surprised when I looked inside, the bathroom was even bigger than the main room and round instead of rectangular, also, everything was covered with slabs of gray stone, possibly granite, instead of wood. The floor was smooth, while the walls had intricate carvings that depicted whirly shapes. Above, there was a domed ceiling, created by a cross vault, at a highest point, where the arches intersected, a big, metal disc was placed. It shone with a soft, golden light that removed the coldness expected of stone, making the room feel warm instead. Enchanted, I wandered inside, noticing a ridiculously big, metal tub standing in the middle of the room, my eyes traveled over intricate, abstract shapes carved into it. As I got closer I realized that the wet sensation in my nose was caused by a steam slowly wafting from the round tub, water inside seemed to be heated up, though I couldn¡¯t locate anything that could have filled or heated it. I shook my head in disbelief, quickly scanning the rest of the bathroom. There were drains covered by decorative gratings and a big metal mirror, which was no less than twice my size and framed with gold, I had a suspicion that it was made of meticulously polished silver. I was brought back to reality when I saw my reflection, which shown an irresistibly cute girl, who was haggard beyond belief. -¡¯ If they were filming a Tv spot on war struck refugees, I could live a decent life if I got a penny for every pound donated. ¡® I wondered briefly while looking at my hair, which looked like some kind of underbrush animated by a strange kind of foreboding magic. I wanted to head for the tub straight away, but one thought about dirtying the water, and then soaking in it, made me reconsider. -¡¯ I want to get rid of the smell, not bask in it! ¡® I shook my head and smiled as my gaze wandered to a stool and several buckets of steaming water, which were conspicuously placed near the mirror, likely meant for that very purpose. My hand reached for the clasp of the cloak and hesitated briefly, a thought about staying in dirt caked clothing for a moment longer quickly rid the hesitation out of me. A brown-green rag of the cape fell to the floor, soon followed by the stiff tunic, which was so dirty that it could likely serve as a light armor of some kind. I reached for the belt, my gaze accidentally traveling down, showing me small, shapely mounds below. With rapid exhalation I quickly closed my eyes, focusing on unhooking the belt and the pouch, they hit the ground with a dull thud. I tried to focus, to not think about prominent, pink points that topped enticing hills of pale flesh. An unknown, fuzzy feeling appeared... -¡¯ On a second thought, it is similar to the strange sensation that I had during riding¡­ ¡® I shook my head forcefully, to banish the thought, and brought the worn out breeches down my legs quickly, trying not to dwell on the fact. Finally liberated from the chaffing sensation I marveled for a second over shiver wreathing feeling of nakedness. -¡¯ Get a grip. ¡® I chastised myself and took a deep breath that suddenly made me forget about the anxiety, due to the hateful smell that prodded me into action. Next to the mirror there was a stone niche and, inside it, I found an array of glass bottles of different shapes, colors and sizes as well as a neat pile of soap bars. After a brief experiment I found a herbal remedy which seemed to be similar to a shampoo. The minutes passed in a flurry of motion as I rinsed, washed and shampooed my hair over and over again. Each time dissatisfied with a weaker and weaker, but still prominent, odor of the sewer filth, which I could smell despite strong lavender scent of the shampoo. After an umpteenth time I finally got rid of the smell in my hair and sat down on the stool, tired. Pouring buckets of water over myself to rinse the lavender smelling shampoo removed some of the grime from my body, making the odor less distinct. I dreaded the exercise in self control that was ahead of me as I reached for the soap bar. Inadvertently, I sneaked a peek at the mirror, there was a cute girl there, looking back at me. For the first time I actually looked at myself. For a brief moment I thought about turning back, but couldn¡¯t, my gaze glued to the image. To a soft, convex curve of the jaw, that drew the reality of the heart shaped face, to a tiny, straight nose, which was just so slightly curved back to give out a mischievous and cute impression. And, finally, to big, black eyes, which seemed like an abyss that one could almost drown in, if not for their fierce and willful look; one could wonder where the strength that fueled them came from, as the owner of those eyes was so small and petite that a mere thought about any kind of strife bordered on abuse. Slim, almost childlike frame, was accented by a small curves that roused one''s imagination with alluring hints where others would likely put an obscene banners. The smooth, ivory skin had an almost unreal quality to it, one would sooner believe that it was some work of art, created to best the reality, rather than a living being. I swallowed slowly, enchanted. There was something like a stifling sensation gripping my lower body. I blinked in anticipation, looking at a thin arm slowly traveling upwards, to a small mound of pale flesh culminated by a little, pink peak. The arm hesitated, scared by the unknown. The sight was so erotic that my thoughts seemed to turn into jumble. It was strange¡­ I felt like¡­ -¡¯ ...a girl. ¡® I registered the implications for the first time¡­ My hand cupped the breast, a feeling of yielding softness was accompanied by a sudden flutter in my stomach. Unnoticed, my other hand joined in, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensation. Focused on delicate squeezes I couldn¡¯t stop myself from languishing in the motions, soft touch on my fingers was matched by a corresponding pressure on my chest, it was entrancing, but at the same time, somehow fleeting and unsatisfying. My movements grew a bit stronger, more insistent, but nothing changed apart from my breath, which, I don¡¯t know when, grew fast and shallow. I could feel the anticipation growing, together with a numbing, stifling sensation below my bellybutton. I opened my eyes and looked at the reflection, suddenly embarrassed. I held my breath upon seeing a shy, beet red girl cupping her breasts and sitting on a stool with her knees joined and ankles crossed. The image was both irresistibly indecent and innocent at the same time, and an electrifying sensation rushed over my back as I shivered unwittingly. Standing at a brink of the forbidden gate made me hesitate again, I didn¡¯t want to spoil the image, of the girl that I had in my mind, with a mere lust. -¡¯ No, I shouldn¡¯t... this is wrong¡­ she wouldn¡¯t... ¡® I thought in desperation. I rose to my feet, abruptly realizing an absence to which I have unnoticeably grown used to over time, still it became apparent due to an itching sensation in my lower body; a sensation that wasn¡¯t subsiding, on the contrary, it was intensifying. I put a hand over my belly and I could feel my breath held back by the tension and anticipation, the image was doing the same, placing a hand just above a cute, hairless mound. The tightness in my chest and fluttering in my stomach were unbearable, and I could feel the iron grip of my willpower slipping, defeated by need. The fear of losing something, which held me back until then, seemed to melt, vanquished by my wicked curiosity. I turned away from the mirror, trying to walk away, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that the part of me had lost. To a wickedly mischievous thought that found a loophole in my desperate line of defense, which I had used until then. -¡¯ It will be like being a girl¡­ exploring for a first time¡­ ¡® With the embarrassing thought came a sudden bout of nervous shyness that made my face flush. Anxiously, I approached the tub and hesitated, vividly aware of the twin prominent peaks on my chest. With sudden resolve, I hefted one leg over the edge of the tub, deciding on submerging, hiding myself in the water. Doing it that way seemed less indecent and more¡­ -¡¯ ¡­natural. ¡® I mused desperately. A marvelous sensation of the water traveled over my skin as a warm liquid slowly enveloped my body. I sat down in the tub, resting my back on a surprisingly warm metal, and an involuntary sigh of relief escaped my mouth. -¡¯ How would one¡­ ¡® I wondered, briefly, as the answer seemed evident to my fingers, which traveled to my breasts, kneading them gently. This sparked another bout of flutter in my lower body. Soon my fingers switched targets and started lightly pinching on my nipples, I could feel the muscles clenching deep inside me, below my bellybutton. My head went back as a sparking, numbing sensation appeared. It was an alien feeling, which felt like a small lightning coming from my nipples and resonating briefly in my lower body, leaving needful sensation behind. It made me greedy and wild, so I pinched my nipples harder, seeking to make the feeling stronger, but the needy action, which made me sore, only served to stifle the feeling in my lower body. Discouraged by pain, I returned to gentler pinches and rubs, which seemed to bear better results. I bit my lip in anticipation, with each movement I could feel my pulse spiking, accompanied by a resounding, burning electricity answering from my loins. My hands cupped, rubbed, rolled and stroked, bringing out waves of pleasure, still, I didn''t dare to reach down, somehow scared and overwhelmed by unfamiliar sensations. -¡¯ I didn¡¯t expect that the girls breasts could be so sensitive¡­ ¡® I thought briefly but the urge and the lack of focus made me forget it instantly. I could feel the need building up inside me and, finally, I couldn¡¯t contain myself. I reached down, with my left hand, while still rolling a nipple with my right one. My eyes were shut while the hand went between my legs, I felt my whole body freezing in anxious anticipation, while my fingers passed over a soft and smooth mound. I could feel them, grazing gently against the lips. Making me instantly forget about everything other than the gentle stroke trailing my skin. It traveled down, then up, and then, the motion repeated itself, making my breath heavy and warm. I pressed in stronger, slowly going down, pressing on a slit between the lips. -¡¯ Down. And up. ¡® I mused as the fingers at my feet curled from the pleasure, an overwhelming feeling washed over my body, making me shiver with purring sensation. I continued up and down motion slowly, almost torturously, marveling at the enjoyment it brought. Then, I remembered about a certain spot. Experimentally, my fingers went up and found it, hidden between the lips. -¡± I! ¡° A small, cute yelp escaped me as my whole body went taut, at a delightful, but unbearably raw sensation that seemed like a bolt of electricity. I reminded myself that I could breath and loosened my muscles. Determined, I clenched my teeth and tried to rub it again, somehow holding my voice down while my fingers brushed and explored the place. I found a tiny expanse of skin hiding a small, pearl sized bit within, I stroked it and my back arched, the sensation was so raw that it hurt, but, at the same time, it was like a strike of electricity that jumbled my thoughts with unbearable delight. I think that I blanked out for a second. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. I tried to force it, to endure, to rub again and again. -¡¯ It should work that way. It worked in my old¡­ ¡® I thought in desperation as I pressed down with my two fingers, trying to rub the spot. But the sensation was unbearably raw. I tried and tried, but it only made me more and more wild, the pleasure was held back by a nearly as painful sensation, both weren¡¯t leading me anywhere and my efforts bore only one fruit - frustration. Finally, I stopped and let out a despaired breath, trying to ignore stiff nipples, and fluttering and itching sensation that seemed to permeate my lower body. It was torturous and embarrassing, to just lay there flustered and out of breath. -¡¯ This is so stupid and miserable... ¡® I thought self deprecatingly, especially when I realized that my hand was still inadvertently and indecently cupping the soft, smooth mound between my thighs, causing small jolts of numbing pleasure that made my back shiver. With a sudden stroke of inspiration I began caressing my lower lips and the slit between. Almost instantly, I felt a fluttering sensation returning, it made me cramp down deep within with a barely contained lust. Sensual, continued motions seemed to drive in something that earlier, forceful approach couldn¡¯t. My hand sped up, making small ripples appear on the surface of the water, but my attention focused solely on a growing feeling within. There was something coming and my movements seemed to slowly bring it out. My hand traveled up and down, caressing my slit, then, as if mischievously, lightly stroking my clit, which sparked a brief lighting, but a light caress didn¡¯t result in the previous painful reaction. My hand continued to tease my lower lips, while periodically stroking at that magical place, which made my inner muscles spasm in sync, clenching with pure, vehement need. My movements sped up again and my mind went numb, overwhelmed by what felt like a thunderstorm, lightning impacts from the clit racked my whole body and wiped my mind blank. I could feel my back going taut, my body arching due to the intense feeling. My hips were forced over the surface of the water, and my hand started causing sloshing sounds that echoed in the big room. My eyes opened briefly, showing me impossibly cute and lustful picture that engraved itself deeply in my mind, it felt like a blessing that was not meant for me. My head was forced forward as my shoulders pressed against the side of the tub, my body arched into a bridge as my feet straightened on tiptoes and locked into an almost painful position. Meanwhile my fingers moved quickly, deftly, and regularly, striking the place that shocked me to the very core with a piercing, raw and numbing sensation. For a moment I felt like something was missing, but then, as if woken, my other hand started pinching my nipple and everything was engulfed by a blood curdling shiver of delight that raced through my whole body. My breath was so short that it was impossible to distinguish when I was inhaling and exhaling, the water threatened to choke me at any moment as the surface almost reached my mouth. The feeling of something wonderful coming intertwined into a shivering, mellowing culmination that undeniably approached. My fingers traveled relentlessly, rubbing and caressing my lower parts, stroking that spot over and over, again and again, bringing out a sweet numbness in my body that forced me closer and closer to the edge of the unknown, and then¡­ *Rattle* *Creak* -¡± Ai! ¡° I let out a surprised yelp when a sudden sound startled me, making my body reflexively clench with fear and embarrassment. The abrupt feelings somehow pushed away the tenacious edge of discovery, cruelly wringing it out of my reach and I fell back into the water with a splash. My breath was short, the chest tight and the face flushed, all due to effort and lust. -¡± Hurry up, Live. We are late! ¡° Head Maid¡¯s chastising voice could be heard over the sound of a door opening to a nearby room. -¡± Lady¡¯s bath can¡¯t wait! ¡° -¡¯ I forgot to close the bathroom door! ¡® A panicked thought appeared in my mind, as I still tried to recover from what had happened; my hands incoherently fumbled to cover my nakedness, but only inadvertently caressed my erect nipples and needful lower body, making me realize how close, and impossibly far, the fulfillment was. A dread descended on me as the trio entered the bathroom and I felt my mind going blank. -¡± Milady, are you feeling unwell? ¡° Clothilde''s worried voice broke me out of a stupor, allowing me to bring my arms up and hug myself modestly, while she approached. -¡± You are flushed, was the water too hot? ¡° She asked and placed a hand in the tub. -¡± Hm, seems alright. ¡° She murmured. -¡± N-n...I meant, t-that I am well. ¡° I fumbled and Clothilde gave me a measuring look, which almost made me want to die from embarrassment. -¡¯ Please, please, please, don¡¯t assume the most obvious¡­ ¡® I shut my eyes, which stung with tears of humiliation, and begged silently, shivering and hugging myself in shame. I was startled when a hand rested on my head, patting it gently. -¡± Don¡¯t worry, Master isn¡¯t that upset. ¡° Surprised, I opened my eyes and looked up at Clothilde, twin wet trails traveling down my cheeks. -¡± The recent events had been...trying, and his...dissatisfaction turned out to be more extreme than intended. ¡° Clothilde said comfortingly, then suddenly she stopped the petting, took on an official attitude, and grabbed a strand of my hair. -¡±I see, the hair¡¯s done. ¡° Clothilde muttered under her breath as she examined the strand and then she said commandingly. -¡± Ollie, Live take care of the arms, I will wash the Lady¡¯s back. ¡° I wanted to protest, but words froze on my lips, silenced by Clothilde¡¯s non-nonsense attitude and knowledge that any kind of resistance would be met with full scrutiny that I had no chance of passing. -¡¯ Why haven¡¯t I washed myself fully first! ¡® I despaired, fully aware what the reason was, meanwhile other maids grabbed my arms, pulled them apart and exposed one of the reasons. I felt my face flush when Ollie, who must have misunderstood, gave my exposed chest a cursory glance, and whispered. -¡± They are cute, Milady. Nothing to be ashamed off¡­ ¡° -¡¯ Just kill me now. ¡® I thought as I flushed even harder and closed my eyes, ashamed by the comment. -¡± Khem. ¡° Clothilde gave out a chastising grunt, making Ollie instantly return to soaping my arm. Without warning, Head Maid¡¯s hands rested on my shoulders and started massaging them insistently, with slow and strong motions. -¡¯ This is different than usual¡­ ¡® I almost asked, but one glance behind me stopped the words from leaving my surprised lips, which got frozen by a sight of a slight, motherly smile on Clothilde¡¯s face. -¡¯ She wants to comfort me. ¡® I realized. I sighed and turned away, urged by insistent motions that continued to almost painfully pressure my tense shoulder muscles. I resigned myself to the caress, while trying to stop myself from rubbing my thighs together to stave of an itching and needful sensation in my nether regions. I tried not to think about my nipples that begged for attention, while Clothilde¡¯s hands traveled up and down my back, oscillating between gentle and hard strokes; meanwhile Ollie and Live started to work on the muscles of my upper arms, squeezing them and rubbing them interchangeably. The realization hit me when a sudden shiver of pleasure ran through my body, making my inner muscles clench in a place below my belly button. As much as I closed my eyes and curled within myself, I couldn¡¯t deny the fact that I was getting aroused. I fought hard to control my breath, while the muscles in my back tensed from my efforts, only to be mercilessly turned into a mellow mush by Clothilde¡¯s skillful fingers, causing waves of pleasure. It was an uphill battle and when Clothilde hit a spot on the small of my back, which made my whole body go taut and caused a small yelp to escape my mouth, I finally broke. Self conscious and shamed beyond belief. I forcefully retracted my hands, to hug myself, and moved to the middle of the tub, to distance myself from the maids ministrations. My whole face and upper body were hot from embarrassment. I clutched my sides, scared by the inevitable contempt, when the maids finally figure out what was happening. -¡¯ T-thats the most humiliating thing ever¡­ ¡® I despaired and shivered with my eyes closed and tearful, waiting for the unavoidable fate. -¡± W-what happened? ¡° There was an astonishment and a bit of doubt, maybe even hurt, in Clothilde¡¯s voice. -¡± She certainly reacted differently from usual. ¡° Ollie observed lively. -¡± Do you think¡­ ¡° Live started and I could feel my heart stopping in anxiety, as I could almost feel her gaze resting on me inquisitively. -¡± What do you mean? ¡° Clothlide asked, in a manner unusual for her, I could hear a slight sound of movement from Live, as if she making a sort of gesture, which was followed by a loud breath let out by Clothilde. -¡± Really? But there¡¯s no blood¡­ ¡° -¡± Blood? ¡° My thoughts were so jumbled that I asked out aloud, without registering the implications, and looked up, with dumbfounded expression on my face. -¡± So the elves don¡¯t bleed during the moon¡­ ¡° Clothilde murmured, coming to her own conclusions, and something strange must have happened, because her face instantly mellowed into an apologetic expression and her attitude changed. -¡± I am sorry, Milady. Please come hither and we will wrap this up quickly. ¡° Somehow her voice was both remorseful and comforting at the same time, and I found myself unwittingly lured into the warmth it offered. It was one big misunderstanding, but I would be sooner found dead rather than making that particular clarification. The promised ministrations turned out to be much more extensive than expected, but as they were done in non-nonsense manner I was somehow able to endure washing and toweling, along with a part where they quickly massaged some sort of sweet smelling oil all over my body. Then came the part where they sitted me in front of the mirror, in which I could easily see my shameful bits, and brushed my hair. I bore it as well, simply by closing my eyes, breathing deeply, trying not to think about¡­ certain things. Eventually, the ordeal concluded and I was put into a nightgown and panties, both made of silk, but that part compared with other ones seemed like a trifle. The problem came next, when Clothilde escorted me to a bedroom. Ragged and frustrated , I barely noticed what was going on when Clothilde helped me under the covers, making sure that I rest on my back. Then she took a thick, towel like pad and placed it under the thin nightgown, on my belly. -¡± What¡­¡± I started in surprise, but before I could finish Clothilde already began to fit the covers around me. -¡± Shush. ¡° She interrupted in a soft, caring voice. -¡± This will keep you warm, you just have to rest. Milady. ¡° The milady part came out unexpectedly late, but what I was engrossed in was a feeling of warmth coming from the pad, which must have been intended for that very purpose, and sheer strangeness of the situation I found myself in. The lights were dimmed and Clothilde sat on a nearby padded armchair. -¡± If you need something please let me know, I will attend to your comforts, Milady. ¡° She said, as I was about to object, and reclined, turning into an image of dutifulness. I shut my mouth and pondered the situation for a second, gripping feeling in my lower body and slight press of the covers on my breasts not helping my concentration in the slightest. -¡¯ If I ask her to leave¡­ wait¡­ what am I doing? ¡® If not for the covers my hand surely would have found my face, in a typical face palm gesture. -¡¯ Did I just wonder about sending the maid away to do...myself in¡­ ¡® I shook my head in trepidation. -¡¯ Not to mention that she would probably stand at a door¡­ same as the others¡­in an earshot... ¡® One last thought made my cheeks vehemently hot, and my stomach fuzzy. -¡¯ I doubt that I can be quiet enough¡­ ¡® I clenched my hands, to stop them from exploring, and tried to fall asleep, but faced with an embarrassing discomfort, and insatiable need, I soon gave up and decided that it''s better to log out. Though, after considering the situation, I settled for a soft logout option, which would leave my body behind... * * * The metal ring was returning to its resting place while my thoughts wandered around the recent events, focused on avoiding most them. -¡± By my estimation I should have around six hours of in game time, so two hours here should be enough to get a bath and something to eat and¡­ ¡° With a plan in mind, I opened the cover and went over the tasks that I set for myself. Soon, I breezed past all of the mundane activities and returned to the capsule, intent on using the lobby. -¡± Damn. ¡° I soon found out that certain activities were not allowed there. -¡± What a bust¡­ ¡° I sighed in annoyance after hearing an impassive voice of the Ai, which informed me that certain activities had to be blocked out in a half immersive environment of the lobby and that I should use full immersive environment of the game if I wanted to proceed. -¡± Well being my ass. Even override does not work! ¡° I cursed and left the capsule, to resolve the problem in a traditional way. Though, I soon found out that the traditional way proved out to be surprisingly dull and unsatisfying, despite ample incentives that I have received in game... [...or maybe because of them¡­] ======= Hey~, Author¡¯s here~ [And Narrator too!] today I am presenting you a chapter¡­ [My chapter!] ...which I wanted to write for a longest time. [It was my idea!] But I was the one actually writing it! [May I remind you about intellectual rights of a hired workforce¡­] May I remind you who¡¯s going to end up beaten and bloody, real soon? [Iiik, scary. I just remembered some skavens that badly need killing¡­ and it was my idea!] So¡­ [And chapter!] *crash* So, back on topic, this chapter took a lot of effort, research time and resources, but I can proudly say that being an Overlord sure is great - artifacts, magic and research opportunities come in handy when you want to portray something elusive with pinpoint accuracy¡­ Anyway, the chapter¡¯s out for anyone to read. You can shower me with praise now, or not, I don¡¯t care, because I won¡¯t be able to hear you either way, over a sound of how awesome am I. Cheers, Mea [Ps Author will read your comments anyway :P ] Ps Due to the time this chapter took chapter 34 will be delayed. NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 34 Chapter 34 - The Overthinking Chapter 34 - The Overthinking After returning from the bathroom, I closed the private browsing and checked the time, I found out that there was still some left before I planned to go back. Briefly, I thought about just going back at that very moment, but my curiosity had gotten the better of me. I sat down in front of my PC and began to think. The things that I have lived through up to that point made me wonder how deep the game really was, it was as if it was real, it seemed much deeper that the advertised five senses. I looked up the details and, indeed, there were some mentions on the forums, mainly made by non-human players, who began to realize...differences while they were in game. I searched the statistics, looking for some based on the voluntary surveys. They probably wasn¡¯t going to be very accurate, but they would at least give out some insight into things. I soon managed to find the data and started rifling through it. The statistics shown that almost ninety percent chose or re-rolled a human avatar. With slight embarrassment I noticed that the cross gender re-rolls were extremely popular, and that the amount of people who chose to stay in avatar of an opposite gender was really low. Even considering that it was a voluntary survey, which was bound to be unreliable, the number of participants was significant and the results too one sided. It made me wonder how technology behind the capsule came to be, one which could replicate reality with such a precision that people could get uncomfortable due to how alien different body felt. -¡¯ Though most of the minute details appeared after some time¡­ ¡® -¡¯ How did they do it? ¡® Spurred by a sudden thought I brought up the technical brochures and tech forums on the screens. I began by checking data on the lobby, which seemed like a good place to start. -¡¯ Lobby, seems like a transfer domain, where the five senses are replayed, but there¡¯s no time dilation and body details do not seem to be implemented fully... ¡® -¡± This would be like a classical perfect VR. ¡° I pondered the fact, especially when I remembered an old article, which claimed that perfect VR would probably require to slow down the speed at which the time passed in game, to allow hardware to keep up with all the data. I leaned back, doing one of the shifts in reasoning that I was proud of. -¡± So how come not only they took it a step further, but also set the passage of time at three times the speed¡­ ¡° The answer to that question was plastered all over the forums, pictures included. A simple box of dark glass, which under any kind of scrutiny turned into unresponsive and useless slab of crystal. Reflexively, I clicked on the vidlink, which was tagged as one containing an official response of Gust Corp¡¯s CEO to the questions about the box. The video opened, showing me a seemingly young, twenty something, gentleman in a cream colored suit, with a slicked back, short blonde hair and a slim, rose tinted glasses. His lips seemed to be perpetually bent in a small, impish smile. When one considered his extremely good looks, it made him look like a chosen actor during Hollywood gala that willfully decided to portray a spirit of a Cheshire cat, but without smiling outright. The man was on a podium, addressing questions of several journalists during a press conference. Despite it being a video I had to admit that the man had a sort of irresistible charm to him. Briefly, I thought about pressing the forward button, but I hesitated, my curiosity piqued by the questions issued by the press. -¡± Could you tell us why you claim to use a retinal scanner as an account security measure while it has been proven the it¡¯s not used in that regard? The tests show that the users can''t use other peoples machines at all, and it has nothing to do with the retinal scan. ¡° The question was asked by an unassuming guy of Japanese origin. -¡± There seem to be a misconception. " CEO¡¯s smile turned cold, almost cynical. -" Retinal scanner is merely used to protect users data stored on the capsule¡¯s system, the account security is based on much more fail safe mechanism¡­ also the capsule is supposed to be used by only one person, as stated in the ownership contract. ¡° The statement caused a bit of a stir, but I really didn¡¯t care about that, so I skimmed to the later part, which shown a big and bulky guy in a suit. -¡± ...then what is used to safeguard the account? ¡° -¡± The soul...Khem " CEO responded instantly, though he suddenly made a small cough as if to cover something. -" I meant to say that the user''s, as you would call it, psyche is used as a mechanism to identify particular people thereby using someone¡¯s account is impossible. ¡° -¡± Does this mean that you are a believer? ¡° The question was asked by some Arabic guy wearing a thawb. -¡± And what religion do you believe in? ¡° -¡± Yes, I am very much a believer. ¡° The CEO gave of a smug smile and a small nod. -¡± Though I believe that we have gone off topic. Let''s answer some more questions, that¡¯s what we all came for after all. Maybe the lady in the back this time around. ¡° The CEO said goodnaturedly, while waving his hand. -¡± The one blocked out by the brute of a gentleman in a black. ¡° The camera shifted, showing an image of a flustered woman in a business attire, next to her there was indeed a really big guy in a black suit, who looked rather embarrassed at that point, it was the same one that just asked the question a bit earlier. -¡± Ah, y-yes. Amy Houghton from TechNV. ¡° She stuttered in surprise, but collected herself instantly. -¡± Our followers would like to know how did you manage to recreate reality with such precision, or more precisely, what is the black box inside the capsule and how does it work? ¡° The question instigated quite a large upheaval among the press, who all wanted to add their small tidbits to the question. -¡± Ladies and gentlemen, please contain yourself. ¡° CEO¡¯s voice penetrated the tumult, evoking momentary silence. -¡± As to the question, at our Company we consider that small box a gate to the other world, and I assure you that it is its only function. ¡° The CEO fell silent while exuding self satisfaction. -¡¯ That''s Bs not an answer. ¡® I concluded, while press erupted into a frenzy of questions. -¡± Does this mean¡­ ¡° The brutish corresponded from earlier evidently tried to somehow rehabilitate himself by screaming louder than his more moderate counterparts. -¡± ...that it¡¯s indeed a quantum computer? Is this why it breaks when studied? Was the company already approached by the military or a government? How were you able to obtain¡­ ¡° -¡± I believe that all of us can use a break, let''s meet again in fifteen minutes, so everyone can calm down. ¡° CEO softly said to the microphone and, without waiting, left the podium. Which only incited the raving press. I closed the inert video and sighed, none the wiser. It didn¡¯t take long to confirm that there were no answers to the questions asked by the brutish gentleman, as I inadvertently began to call the man.-¡¯ So the only possible answer is that they broke the fourth wall in several fields at once, quantum physics, psychology, some sort of biology and also AI, and I bet there¡¯s at least a few other fields that I have missed¡­ ¡® I blinked at a sudden realization. -¡¯ Also, the CEO¡¯s slick to try and discredit the guy who had the most important questions there¡­ ¡®¡® I shrugged and decided that I don¡¯t really care anymore, I was just glad that the technology was somehow there. I rose up, feeling big, sluggish, and clumsy. It wasn¡¯t long, but I already missed my avatar¡¯s body, somehow it had grown on me so much that I felt uncomfortable in my original one. -¡¯ If only that world was somehow real. ¡® I wished wistfully, as I made my way to the capsule. -¡¯ Hmm, maybe with time it will turn out like in that one fiction where one could earn real money in game and live in a hospital, strapped to a life support apparatus¡­Hell, with three times the speed I could live three lifetimes there... ¡® I sighed in melancholy, while opening the cover. Moments later a familiar numbing sensation enveloped my body and I uttered the words. -¡± Log in: Ar Ciel. ¡° * * * The numbness gave way to a warm, mellow sensation in which I languished for a moment, enticed by the lazy feeling. I almost purred like a cat, when I stretched reflexively, my arms moving from under sleek, velvet covers and resting on the headboard, my body shivered in satisfaction. I sighed in contentment and opened my eyes, to a rich room dimly illuminated with magical lanterns made of glowing gems and mirrors. Clothilde was still sitting in a nearby armchair, her eyes closed but position rigid. If I made any sort of noise she would probably wake up instantly, ready to assist me in whichever way. I let myself rest on the smooth pillow, lazily enjoying warmth, comfort and a sweet, flowery scent. Curious, I raised a hand and sniffed, realizing that the smell must have come from an oil that I was massaged with earlier. -¡¯ So nice¡­ ¡® I thought while compulsively differentiating between the scents of lily, orchid, lavender, white iris and some sort of oily, almost scentless substance underneath. To my surprise, after a bit of trying, I was somehow able to recognize the last ingredient, which turned out to be some sort of sunflower oil. Briefly, I wondered about going back to sleep, but even though I haven¡¯t slept a wink I felt refreshed and restless. -¡¯ Maybe it¡¯s because I used a soft logout and left the body behind¡­ That¡¯s impossible, it''s virtual in the first place. ¡® I wondered for a while and decided that there¡¯s no use pondering it over and over. -¡¯ If I am not sleeping it¡¯s wasteful to just lay there. ¡® I bent my legs and rose to a side sitting position, enjoying the smoothness of the silk on my skin. A frothy, thick piece of cloth slid off my belly, making me realize how unexpectedly comforting its warmth felt. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. -¡± Clothilde¡­ ¡° I whispered softly, to my surprise maid¡¯s eyes fluttered open and she responded instantly. -¡± Yes, Milady. ¡° Clothilde¡¯s voice was calm and clear, without ounce of tiredness or sleepiness in it. -¡± How may I serve you? ¡° -¡± I believe that I had rested enough. ¡° I stated, already resigned to face unavoidable pampering at the hands of the maids. After yesterday, it didn¡¯t even feel that embarrassing anymore. -¡¯ Should have gotten used to dresses long time ago anyway. ¡® I concluded. -¡± Are you still unwell? Maybe you should rest some more? ¡° Clothilde asked with a worried expression. -¡± I assure you that the Master wouldn¡¯t be upset¡­ ¡° -¡± No need, Clothilde. ¡° I interrupted softly. -¡± I feel well already. No need to be so considerate. ¡° -¡± Are you sure? There¡¯s no need to force yourself. ¡° Clothilde continued insistently. -¡± Please be at ease, my¡­ ¡° While I spoke my cheeks unwittingly turned hot. -¡± ...my yesterday indisposition is already in the past. ¡° I somehow managed to sound official despite vehement embarrassment, that I felt at the memory of yesterday. -¡± I see, I am glad to hear that, Milady. ¡° Clothilde affirmed, with relieved expression, and clapped her hands loudly, while murmuring. -¡± Must be convenient¡­ ¡° Only then I realized that her murmurs were so quiet that other humans couldn¡¯t understand them, but I could, and the content made me feel embarrassed yet again. My musings were interrupted when other maids entered the room and assembled behind Clothilde, who already rose and stood to the side of the bed. Pressured by the expectant maids, I removed the nightgown and panties, vividly aware of my body and fluttering sensation in my stomach that came with the thoughts and sights. -¡¯ Do all the girls get aroused that way, or am I special in that regard? ¡® I wondered while closing my eyes and trying my best not to think about my naked body, memories of yesterday still vivid in my mind. Maids urged me to the edge of the bed and helped me into a pair of white, gossamer like stockings, that reached to my thighs, and a pair of flat heeled, low cut shoes made of dark green, lacquered leather, they looked adorably well on my feet. I was also supplied with a fresh pair of silk panties, which I instantly put on, not wanting to dwell on the fact and wary of the maids *help*. Afterwards maids had me stand up and step into a pool of dark green fabric which was then hefted upwards. My arms were quickly placed in a long sleeves while maids made final adjustments to make sure that the fabric fits snugly to my torso. Then they fastened dark ribbons on my back and sides. Moments later, I was brought to the mirror, where they began to brush my hair, while I could take a look at the outcome of their work. The gown was made of dark green silk, heavily trimmed with ruffled, white fabric. The bodice had a square neckline, which was partially covered by a giant, white bow placed just above my chest. I had to admit that the dress matched well and that the image, of a girl side sitting modestly on a stool, was simply... -¡¯ ...cute. ¡® A thought appeared unwittingly, making me brazenly aware that I was wearing a gown and admiring myself in the mirror. Some time ago that realization would have probably made me feel embarrassed, but¡­ -¡¯ That¡¯s no longer the case. ¡® I thought intransigently, while giving myself a challenging look. Under dauntless gaze of the girl in the mirror, I could feel my confidence growing, so when the maids finished the brushing, I curtsied and thanked them politely, with a smile. -¡± At your service, Milady. ¡° Clothilde responded with a goodnatured smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes. To my surprise she didn¡¯t chastise the other maids, who curtsied in response and instantly began giggling between themselves. When I was leaving the room I could hear Live¡¯s conspiratory whisper. -¡± I wonder what happened, she was beet red when we helped her into a gown last time¡­ ¡° -¡± Maybe she wants to look pretty for Lord Oliver¡­ ¡° Ollie chimed in, her voice conspiratory as well and full of glee. -¡± ...I bet a pink one woul¡­ ¡° Upon hearing the wild idea I fumbled my step and almost tripped on an even floor. -¡± Khem. ¡° This time Clothilde reacted and tried to silence the maids, but it only made them erupt into soft giggles again. -¡¯ Pink, really? ¡® I was on a verge of face palming myself over the absurdity of the idea, though I settled for a deep sigh and a small shake of my head . -¡¯ It¡¯s a strange day indeed when someone tells you that you would look good in pink¡­ and you felt inclined to agree. ¡® I thought in resignation, while maids collected themselves and rushed to escort me. Ollie hurried to open the door, on the way giving me a smug, encouraging smile, she would have probably sent me a wink if not for the Clothilde¡¯s stern look. Maid¡¯s insistent gaze somehow reminded me about her comment from yesterday. -¡¯ Get a grip! ¡® I thought to myself in desperation, as my flushing cheeks no doubt fueled Ollie¡¯s wild delusions. Abruptly, I took a deep breath, forcing myself to focus. -¡¯ The Master Assassin is waiting. ¡® I reminded myself and straightened my back, trying to appear as prim and proper as possible. I concentrated on taking small, even steps while traversing the lavishly decorated corridor, paying no heed to Ollie¡¯s occasional glances. Soon we arrived at a door, it was simple and unadorned, though made out of expensive wood. Ollie sneaked another glance at me, and suddenly took on a prim attitude, no doubt urged by Head Maid¡¯s furrowed brows. Ollie knocked gently and then deftly opened the door, when she entered the room her back was straight and steps flowing, she made a strikingly professional display of stepping to the side with a curtsy. I swallowed, my heart aflutter with sudden anxiety, and followed the maid, trying my best to mimic her dignified stride. The room changed since my last visit, previously neat and organized look turned into an image of cluttered, urgent efficiency. The desk was covered with maps held in place by random stationery, vials and goblets. A big, wooden board on a wall, which was previously empty, was now overflowing with countless pieces of parchment bolted to the wood with nails and daggers. I hesitated when my curious gaze inadvertently singled out a hand drawn image of myself, it was pierced by a blade that held it together with Sylthfran¡¯s similarly made likelihood. My eyes widened in surprise, but I was instantly brought back to reality when I looked at the Master. He changed significantly since we have last met, he seemed much thinner than before, his eyes were bloodshot and sunken, his features were fraught with worry, turning his face almost skull like due to his hollow cheeks. Only thing that remained constant was the look in his eyes - it was stern, calculating and confident. My heart skipped a beat as I witnessed Master¡¯s miserable appearance, somehow it evoked an alien feeling of¡­ concern. -¡± You have returned. Apprentice. ¡° Master¡¯s voice was deep and husky, almost lifeless compared to before¡­ and threateningly flat. I was barely able to stifle questioning words that appeared on my lips. Instead, I curtsied deeply and spoke in a regretful voice. -¡± I am sorry Master. I seem to have failed you. ¡° A small chuckle surprised me and made me look up, I saw a tiny, wry smile on Master¡¯s drained face. -¡± That you did¡­ ¡° He spoke softly. -¡± ...though by not much fault of your own. I have been hard on you it seems, forgive this old fool for assumin¡­ ¡° With bone chilling quickness I collated the facts and was struck by a sudden realization of what the Master was going to say. -¡± No! ¡° I screamed out my denial, brief memories of the past flashing through my mind - on how I met him, talked with him, got familiar with him and¡­ -¡¯ ...and failed him. ¡® I didn¡¯t know that the one unimportant decision, of going on a random adventure without speaking a word, could have such a big impact. -¡¯ But it did! ¡® I knew, I had done plenty enough of those in my career as an Iron GM. Unavoidable conclusion followed, dawning on me, that I had somehow grown attached to those people¡­ -¡¯ ...those NPC¡¯s. ¡® I forcefully corrected myself, struggling to put some sort of a dam between me and tidal emotions drowning me in a feeling of a loss. -¡¯ ...and it is all gone now. ¡® I thought dully as flashes of past interactions, with Master, Oliver and the Maids, rushed through my mind. I found myself sitting on a floor, with my legs bent back to the sides. -¡± I am sorry, I didn¡¯t know, I was just playing around...haven¡¯t thought there was so much at stake¡­ ¡° I whispered fervently, like a sort of mantra, hot tears rolling down my face. With sudden resolution I forced myself to speak coherently, to say the parting words, to run back where I came from. -¡± I apologize for the loses my halfheartedness had given you, I best leav¡­ ¡° -¡± Leaving so soon, Princess? ¡° Oliver¡¯s mocking words suddenly turned my mood upside down. -¡± I am not sure if I understood that whole delusion of yours yet¡­ ¡° -¡± What?! ¡° I exclaimed in surprise, suddenly aware of Oliver and his teasing smile as well as suspiciously impassive look on Master¡¯s face. I wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, but I was suddenly full of guesses. -¡± What do you mean delusion!? ¡° ========================= Hey~, Mea¡¯s Here~ today¡¯s chapter went a bit shorter than planned, but I had problems writing, hence I had to settle for measly 3,3k words (instead of planned 4k+). Still, it is a good amount considering 2k word long earlier chapters. Anyhow, I hope you like today¡¯s development too. Cheers~, Mea Ps1 Comments welcome as always. [ Ps2 The plot thickens~ ] NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 35 Chapter 35 - The Briefing Chapter 35 - The Briefing I had a dumbfounded expression on my face while I fervently analyzed the situation. -¡¯ What does he mean? Why ...? ¡® I looked around, confirming the pair of drawn likelihoods bolted together to the board. -¡¯ There can be no mistake, they wanted to use me to get to the academy¡­ ¡® I confirmed while accounting for Master¡¯s worn out appearance. -¡¯...but the assassination failed or was significantly deterred as I was not there to serve for a free entry ticket...and that¡¯s why the security in the city is so tight! ¡® I concluded the thesis. My doubtful gaze passed over Oliver¡¯s wry smile and Master¡¯s impassive look. -¡¯ Then why the amused expression?! ¡® I kept asking myself while trying to shake off uneasiness caused by the contrast between easygoing reaction and earlier official tone. -¡± Aren¡¯t you going to sack me? ¡° I asked in an anxious voice, expressing my deeply rooted fear of abandonment. They looked at each other, with blank expression on their faces, making me embarrassingly aware that I had spoken out of character. -¡± If I understand your question correctly¡­ ¡° Master started slowly, almost soothingly. -¡± ...you think I am going to cut the ties between us? ¡° Speechless, I nodded, abruptly noticing my embarrassing sitting position. My cheeks grew hot as I hastily rose to my feet, trying to salvage what little dignity I had left. -¡± Also, you think yourself responsible for Oswald¡¯s state? ¡° Oliver added questioningly, making me realize that I had not known Master¡¯s name. Both of them gave me inquisitive looks and I barely stopped myself from taking a step back, due to the uncertainty that their stares evoked. Regardless, my expression must have been plenty telling as Master Oswald suddenly let out an amused sigh and his lips curved in a slight smile. -¡± Hmph, and I think there¡¯s more to the story. ¡° -¡± Yes, it seems that our conceited apprentice¡­ ¡° Oliver started slowly, but then made an abrupt pause to correct himself and continue in a teasing tone. -¡± ...or rather a Princess indeed! Had come to bear the responsibility for fate of the whole city! ¡° He finished with an extremely formal, ridiculing bow in my direction. -¡± Your Highness! ¡° Even Master seemed amused by the spectacle. I was so humiliated that I didn¡¯t know how to react, I just stood there, beet red, and with perplexed expression on my face. -¡± Jokes aside¡­ ¡° Master Oswald suddenly took on a serious tone, somehow making me feel a tiny bit better. -¡± ...I was going to say that the situation in the city is tense and that you have chosen a time to run off rather... unfortunately. Do you know what¡¯s the most important quality of the assassin¡¯s weapon? ¡° His abrupt question caught me off guard, but it was so...so cliche that I replied instantly. -¡± Reliable. I mean, no matter what the weapon must be reliable. ¡° -¡± Exactly. ¡° Master affirmed in chastising, but light, tone. -¡± Next time, inform me before you are going to run off somewhere. ¡° -¡± I will. ¡° I whispered insistently, trying to restore some of my dignity and confidence. Master¡¯s stark gaze softened, same as his voice. -¡± Also, don¡¯t think too hard about this event, just learn from it. I tend not to rely on an untested weapon, hence anything that happened is not your fault. ¡° He made a weighty pause to accentuate his statement, though it only served to strengthen my conviction that they were trying to manipulate me, still I didn¡¯t mind it at all. -¡± Which brings us back to the situation at hand. ¡° Abruptly, Master spoke again, his voice serious and heavy. -¡± The city is in turmoil, more than that, we are at war. ¡° I swallowed, suddenly pressured by the weighty statement. -¡± Though most of people know naught of it. ¡° Oliver interjected casually, taking on a sagacious tone. -¡± Lets start from the beginning. Do you know who Velore Evenwater is? ¡° -¡± No, I do not. ¡° I responded, urged by Oliver¡¯s scrutinizing gaze. -¡± She¡¯s former Bishop of the Church of Light, promoted Cardinal three years ago.. ¡° Oliver continued evenly, while unfolding a map of the city, and surrounding lands, on the desk. -¡± ...and directly responsible for this. ¡° He said and pointed to numerous areas on the map, marked with chalk. -¡± Those¡­ ¡° His finger pointed out wide swatches of marked land. -¡± ...are Church controlled farmlands, leased from aristocracy by offering higher payouts compared to regular tax. ¡° -¡± Did she have some sort of agricultural technology, to increase the yield, or does she work peasants harder? ¡° I quickly came up with a theory, causing expressions of surprise to appear on Oswald¡¯s and Oliver¡¯s faces. -¡± How does she keep people from rebelling or leaving in the latter case? Or is the faith that strong? ¡° -¡± Actually, all of your guesses are mostly correct. ¡° Oliver affirmed in uncertain voice. -¡± Church called a Blessing of Light onto the lands, which caused sunny weather that you keep seeing recently, though it does not cause droughts... usually. ¡° He straightened and gave me an inquisitive stare, as if to test whether my earlier guess was a fluke. I suddenly remembered the village that I had visited on my way back from the adventure. -¡¯ Peasants that were tending fields at a time seemed really busy, though not with the harvest. ¡® I gave Oliver a nod and continued his speech. -¡± It probably means that the crops grow faster, droughts strike randomly at fields outside Church¡¯s protection and additional workforce is gathered to water fields manually, which is actually not a bad thing. All of this makes Church gain influence and money. Isn¡¯t that right? Why aristocrats aren¡¯t reacting? ¡° Upon hearing my conclusions, Master looked at me approvingly. -¡± Well done, apprentice. ¡° He praised. -¡± They buy out arable land from lower aristocracy, or, if it fails, a suspiciously convenient drought strikes the crops. Meanwhile, they entice Counts and other high ranked landowners with bribes and favorable dealings if they let Church lease or manage the grounds. ¡° -¡± Add to that adventurers, who got lured under their banner, and Order of the Paladins,... ¡° Oliver suddenly interjected and continued the explanation. -¡± ...which started boasting a considerable military might, and you likely can imagine where all of this leads to. In short, the Church had gained significant influence in the region, so much in fact, that their actions could be considered a takeover. ¡° -¡± What about Governor, why he isn¡¯t taking action? ¡° I asked though I already predicted the answer. -¡± The city is ruled by a duke Arthur Vane-Asquith. ¡° Oliver clarified. -¡± He failed to grasp Church¡¯s movements in time and now two out of six Counts are already in Church''s pocket, meanwhile the other two are interested only in getting the best possible result out of the whole affair, therefore he has his hands full. ¡° Oliver¡¯s expression turned solemn as he continued. -¡± Not to mention that he got outwitted and allowed Church to assist in policing the city. ¡° He stated thoughtfully and grew silent. -¡± I assume there¡¯s more to that decree? ¡° I asked to urge Oliver to continue. -¡± Yes, quite a lot actually. ¡° He affirmed absentmindedly, as if thinking how much he could share with me, then he continued in a quick, deadpan voice. -¡± We don¡¯t yet know the whole range of Church''s influence, but their scope of operations is unprecedented. They initially struck at criminal related guilds, surely a ploy to garner support, but didn¡¯t stop at that. They soon broadened the scope and now almost everyone¡¯s a target - thieves, merchants, smugglers, alchemists, other temples and even some aristocrats. All done under the guise of bringing order to the city, that is in turmoil due to their very influence... ¡° Oliver slowly fell silent and I found myself looking at their blank faces. After a long and expectant pause, I asked uncertainly. -¡± ...So... which side are we on? ¡° -¡± None whatsoever. ¡° Oliver responded smugly, I could almost see sparks of self satisfaction twinkling in his eyes. -¡± ...that¡¯s why everyone¡¯s out to get us. ¡° -¡± ...or pay us. ¡° I appended and watched a big smile appear on Oliver¡¯s face. -¡± Exactly. ¡° Master suddenly took over the conversation, speaking in a resolute, dignified tone. -¡± Therefore I need to know if you can, and will, return to the Academy? ¡° He finished by giving me a stern look. -¡¯ Right, reliable, I get it! ¡® I thought to myself. -¡¯ What should I do? ¡® I wondered while looking at Sylthfran¡¯s picture, he seemed less striking and much more common looking than what I remembered. I almost shook my head while wondering whether I felt alright with him being an assassination target. To my surprise, I realized that I felt nothing, no attachment whatsoever, despite the striking effect that our meeting had on me. After deeming that a suitable amount of time had passed, I responded with conviction. -¡± I will return to the academy, and won¡¯t disappoint you again! ¡° -¡± Very well. ¡° Master stated casually. -¡± Also, regarding the book, I believe it¡¯s called Melvar¡¯s Will. You can control it, right? ¡° His pose seemed relaxed but his gaze was deadly serious, expecting a straight answer. -¡± I am not sure that the control is the best word, but it cannot influence me or act without my approval. ¡° I decided to answer honestly as his casual tone somehow made me question the causality of the inquiry. -¡± It is mainly due to a mage called Velar and me being an adventurer. Thanks to his magic and my status the book has no sway over me. ¡° I explained further due to their worriedly furrowed brows. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. -¡± Do you know who that Velar person is? ¡° Master continued casually. -¡± Truth be told, I know nothing apart from the fact that he was a powerful mage. ¡° I decided to stick to the facts, somehow I had a bad feeling when I looked at a bit too casual expression on their faces. -¡± I met him during my adventure, when I was in a very bad spot. For my assistance, with his teleportation ritual, he promised to help me. ¡° -¡± And the book? ¡° Oliver asked in an even voice. -¡± It was meant to power the ritual, but the mage couldn¡¯t access its mana and his pursuers were getting close. ¡° I said quickly, trying to portray the facts as simply as I could. -¡± We struck a deal. He would help me and in return he would access the book¡¯s power through me. Also, he promised to cast a spell that would safeguard me from its influence. ¡° I took a deep breath to stave off a sudden nervousness. -¡± Later, I found out that there were some loopholes in that protection, though me being an adventurer saved me. ¡° I appended. -¡± That certainly was Velar Mirthbane. ¡° Master spoke thoughtfully and upon seeing my questioning expression, he added. -¡± He¡¯s a wanted man that the Academy tracked for the past few years, there¡¯s a considerable price on his head¡­ ¡° He made a move as if to look for something on the desk, probably some wanted poster, but dropped the idea midway. -¡± Anyway, he''s certainly powerful and versed in the dark arts, as well as a nephew to the Headmaster. ¡° My eyes widened in surprise upon hearing that the mage and Headmistress Aliyah were related. -¡± Actually, I am relieved. ¡° Master Oswald suddenly announced. -¡± He might be a wanted man, but he is a man of his word, therefore I think the matter is settled. ¡° Surprising announcement made me shiver. I knew that they must have investigated the book when I was sleeping, but the realization that they were likely going to kill me if my answers were unsatisfying chilled me to the core. -¡± Why do they chase him in the first place? ¡° I asked to break my anxiety and because I was curious. -¡± For practicing dark magic? ¡° -¡± Actually, Princess¡­ ¡° Oliver suddenly spoke out with a wry smile on his face. -¡± ...what you call a dark magic is by no means forbidden, that particular word is reserved only for unsanctioned spells and magics threatening the population in general, like demon summoning. ¡° He took a deep breath. -¡± As to the answer to your question, Velar Vanderbilt, as he was called before trial, was scheming with Count Eric Egerton to assassinate previous Governor and to replace Aliyah as a Headmaster. When the treason got exposed, he went into hiding. ¡° Oliver made a noncommittal gesture in the air with his left hand. -¡± To save face Vanderbilts disinherited him, claiming that he dabbled in forbidden arts... ¡° -¡± We have gone off topic. ¡° Master interjected in a chastising voice. -¡± I don¡¯t have time for your historic trivia''s, Oliver. Back to the point, do you have any pressing questions left, apprentice? ¡° I swallowed, scared by Master¡¯s stern expression, but it didn¡¯t stop me from voicing my doubts. -¡± Why do you want to kill Sylthfran? I mean, what are the reasons, there must be more to it than a simple assassination request? ¡° I spoke quickly, to make sure that I get my point across. -¡¯ Hopefully he won¡¯t diss me¡­ ¡® I thought as I clenched my hands to calm myself down. -¡± Is there anything else you need to know? ¡° Master responded with a casual question. I sighed inwardly, abandoning the notion of getting my question answered. Disheartened, I shook my head as an answer, but Master furrowed his brows dangerously. -¡± Nothing else, Master Oswald. ¡° Admonished, I quickly responded in an officially manner, and also curtsied, to make up for my lax attitude. -¡¯ My act has gotten sloppy¡­ ¡® I criticized myself silently. -¡± Very well, briefing you on the details will be for the best. ¡° Master said thoughtfully, addressing no one in particular. -¡± We have had quite a lot of dealings with the Church¡­ ¡° He started slowly in a soft tone, but his words were heavy. I let out a quiet sigh of relief upon hearing it, having him explain things to me was no doubt a sign of acceptance. -¡¯ Though pressuring me to state all of the questions first was somewhat petty¡­ ¡® I quickly banished rebellious thought. -¡± ...I could say that they were one of our greatest patrons. ¡° He gave me a wry, self deprecating smile. -¡± Though my less than stellar appearance is a sign that our cooperation has come to an end. ¡° He made a weighty pause before continuing. -¡± While I might be lenient in regard to ambushes done during the payment collection, which are almost a custom, I do not feel the same when the request itself is an ambush. For me such action is a debt of honor that I am fully intent on collecting¡­ ¡° Master¡¯s face and tone were impartial, but there was an agitation burning in his eyes, as if reacting to my observation he suddenly got to the point, in a direct manner. -¡± To do that we are going to strike at the War Mage, such action will cause a national incident that no doubt will incite a scrutiny from the King. Considering Church¡¯s actions, and recent history, implicating them in the event should pose no problem. ¡° I nodded my understanding and forced myself to keep my mouth shut. -¡¯ What about Sylthfran then? ¡® I almost gritted my teeth at the question that I couldn¡¯t ask. -¡¯ A really petty move indeed. ¡® As if reading my disrespectful thoughts Master suddenly responded to my unasked question. -¡± Whether we kill the War Mage or not remains to be seen. I refuse to risk our numbers on the request that is no longer valid¡­ ¡° -¡± I feel so touched¡­ ¡° Master¡¯s speech was suddenly interjected by Oliver, who did a mocking act of wiping nonexistent tears. -¡± Anyway¡­ ¡° Master made a stone faced expression as he ignored Oliver. -¡± We will chose the most viable option when the time comes. ¡° Master turned his attention to me. -¡± As to you, apprentice, you will not be taking any direct part in it. You should use that time as best you can since getting tutelage in the Academy does not come easily, or cheap. ¡° Master¡¯s expression almost didn¡¯t change, but I was quite sure there was a minuscule smile bending his lips. -¡± I am sure that Oliver can provide you with ample assistance, since he seems relatively unoccupied of late, therefore you might try asking him for tutelage. As for me I must excuse myself with some urgent matters. Till we meet again, apprentice. ¡° Master ignored Oliver¡¯s weak protests and adjourned the meeting. -¡± Thank you, Master Oswald. Goodbye. ¡° I said warmly, satisfied with unexpected windfall. I curtsied and left the room, together with the maids. On the corridor I had to wait for several minutes before the door finally opened and Oliver, with uncertain smile on his face, stepped out. -¡± I was wondering about few things¡­ ¡° I started tellingly off the bat. -¡± That¡¯s quite abrupt, Princess. ¡° Oliver interrupted my question with a mock act of getting surprised, which made me puzzled. -¡± I would say that striking conversation with a gentleman so directly would be quite daring, but we already know that your name is Audentia. ¡° He made a teasing expression and, in response, I tilted my head not even trying to guess what was the purpose of his theatrical act. Seeing my noncommittal attitude he continued in more serious tone. -¡± If you wish to engage a gentleman into a lengthy talk it''s ill advised to do it straight on the corridor, I would suggest inviting said person to the tea or on the walk before making inquiries¡­ ¡° I understood what he was getting at and wanted to kick myself, again, for the lax attitude that I began exercising recently. -¡± There seem to be a bit of misunderstanding it seems. ¡° I said courtly. -¡± I was wondering whether you would feel inclined to join me for a tea as I have few things that I wanted to talk over. ¡° I gave him a prideful smile as I finished, relatively proud of the prim invitation that I extended to him. -¡± Very well, I shall accept. ¡° Oliver said officially and took on a relaxed pose, it made me suddenly aware that I had no idea on how to provide said tea in my current circumstances. Seeing my panicked expression he gave me a small smile. -¡± As much as I would enjoy teasing you more for that impish smile of yours I will let you off the hook this time. If you need something, ask the maids, they are here to assist you. I hope you will avoid any blunders in the future. ¡° He gave sign to the maids, who started to lead the way, and escorted me to the tea room, or at least that¡¯s the name I gave to it. That was a start to the regular occurrence, where we would sit and talk about the situation in the city - past and present. [ More on it next chapter. ] ======================== Hey~, Mea¡¯s here~ I wonder how you liked today¡¯s developments, anyway it took ungodly amount of time to make(20+h) and it might be a bit short, but on the other hand it¡¯s quite packed with content. Cheers, Mea Ps1 I wasn''t feeling like it, so no special this time... Ps2 Or rather 33.5 Bonus chapter was special enough ^^ NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 36 Chapter 36 - The Telling Chapter 36 - The Telling Tea room, as I dubbed it, was sparsely furnished - with only few armchairs and a table, but that didn¡¯t mean that it was inferior to other rooms found in the underground hideout. Quite the opposite actually, it was lavishly decorated and the furniture seemed like one of the highest quality. I sat on top of a pillow that was provided by Clothilde, it was placed on top of a cushioned armchair. My gaze traveled to Oliver, who was taking a seat on the opposite side of a table, meanwhile Live and Ollie went out to prepare the tea. I swallowed, suddenly overwhelmed by my surroundings. My feet barely touched the ground because the furniture was clearly made with someone larger in mind. Even the pillow that allowed me to comfortably reach the tabletop only added to my discomfort. -¡¯ What am I even doing here? ¡® I asked myself in vain try of understanding how my lukewarm efforts thus far had brought me to a such high tier setting. -¡¯ Why they even take their time to have me? ¡® -¡± ¡­ ¡° I stopped myself from voicing a question, barely remembering etiquette lessons from earlier, settling for a small talk until tea arrived. -¡± I hope the location and facilities are to your liking, Lord Oliver? ¡° To match the surroundings I decided to use a title, settling for one mentioned earlier by maids. -¡± Yes, they appear to be quite satisfactory, Princess. ¡° Oliver responded warmly, giving me an approving smile. -¡± I wouldn¡¯t mind if you dropped the honorifics and called me Oliver from now on. ¡° -¡± Thank you, then I wouldn¡¯t mind if you used my name too. ¡° I sank into a soft armchair with relief, the tension seemed to drain from me, banished by casual atmosphere. -¡± I can¡¯t oblige to such a request, Princess. ¡° He said with teasing smile. -¡± I wouldn¡¯t dare to disrespect one bearing the fate of the city on her shoulders. ¡° -¡¯ What¡¯s with the double standards¡­¡¯ I wanted to protest, but seeing a mocking twinkle in his eye I gave up on arguing and decided to ignore his teasing. I had a feeling that the more I would argue the more he would try to ridicule me. As I wondered on how to strike a conversation I was saved by maids, who returned with the tea. I waited while a porcelain tea set was set up on the table. I curiously looked at a decorative teacup placed on a small saucer that were placed before me. The set was covered with images of flying birds and I couldn¡¯t stop myself from being awestruck by the detail and beauty of the decorations. Hesitantly, I reached for the cup and slowly raised it to my lips. I stopped as my nose was assaulted with an aroma, of apple and cinnamon that almost covered the earthy scent of the tea itself. I normally wasn¡¯t too fond of the flavored teas sold in the shops, but that didn¡¯t look like anything close to the artificial stuff I tried before. I took a cautious sip and narrowed my eyes in a bliss, enjoying the crispness of apples that intertwined with the thick taste of tea leaves coupled with maddeningly sweet aroma of cinnamon augmented by tiniest bit of honey. I knew myself to have a real sweet tooth when it comes to most things, but, to my surprise, I haven¡¯t felt that anything was missing despite the fact that the tea wasn¡¯t very sweet. I let out a small sigh of satisfaction as I sank into the softness of the armchair and relaxedly sipped the hot drink, exploring the depth of fragrance that I haven¡¯t faced before¡­ Finally, I let out a sorrowful sigh as I took a last sip and engrossed myself in the scent, mourning the emptiness of the cup. My eyes fluttered open, showing me Oliver¡¯s amused gaze focused on me from across the table. I felt my cheeks growing hot as the realization that I unconsciously side sat, by pulling my legs to the side, and ignored my de facto guest. -¡± S-sorry¡­ ¡° I stuttered embarrassed. -¡± Don¡¯t worry, Princess. ¡° Oliver said good naturedly and waved his hand lightly. -¡± Let¡¯s consider this an apology for earlier ordeal, though be on guard next time. ¡° He added while still looking at me¡­ -¡¯ Almost as if he is enjoying himself¡­ ¡® I thought in surprise, not understanding what his endgame was. Abruptly, I somehow noticed a twitch on Live¡¯s lips. -¡¯ Almost, as if she¡¯s trying not to laugh¡­ ¡® I thought in wonder. Suddenly, feeling embarrassed without a reason I straightened myself up on the armchair, Oliver took this as a sign and reclined back into his seat, taking a more official pose. -¡± It seems that rumors about adventurers from other races having dulled senses are untrue. ¡° He stated casually, as if to help me recover. -¡± Ah, yes¡­ ¡° I started uncertainly, but paused to collect myself and continued normally. -¡± I mean, my senses suddenly grew sharp recently. Others are probably the same. ¡° I added, my curiosity suddenly piqued by the subject. -¡¯ Maybe there¡¯s some kind of acclimation period before the system starts to simulate the senses fully? ¡® I wondered and abruptly noticed something. -¡± I didn¡¯t know that you can investigate such things? ¡° -¡± As long as we are discreet, Princess. ¡° He gave me a roguish smile, but his furrowed brows gave me a cue that I should change the subject. I sighed and looked around the room before finally deciding to turn my uncertainty into question. -¡± Why me? I mean why did you decide to take me in? It does not seem that beneficial, considering that you could have used anyone else as a bait. ¡° -¡± It¡¯s plenty beneficial, Princess. ¡° Oliver said simply and sighed upon seeing my dissatisfied expression. -¡± Hmmm, it¡¯s quite hard to convey without a risk¡­ ¡° He hesitated and paused, before suddenly continuing with a wicked smile on his face. -¡± Let¡¯s consider this from a political perspective. ¡° I nodded hesitantly to his motivated gaze. -¡± The Church utilized quite a lot of blessings recently, which normally is not possible, as to say costly in a lot of ways. ¡° Oliver¡¯s smile turned shrewd, and I was struck by the vividness of his expressions that seemed to give a whole new level of charisma to his otherwise plain face. -¡± Also, a lot of adventurer¡¯s joined their ranks recently. One could say that Both happenings could be related to a God¡¯s grace. ¡° He finished triumphantly and looked upward as if waiting for something, but nothing happened. -¡± I see, thank you for explaining. ¡° I nodded my understanding before shaking my head in disbelief. -¡¯ So I am a lucky charm to them, aren¡¯t I? ¡® I sighed to myself. -¡± Are there others? ¡° I asked awkwardly. -¡± No, I wouldn¡¯t forsake my conceited Princess. ¡° Oliver caught my meaning and responded half jokingly. -¡± We decided this to be an experiment and other supplicants weren¡¯t sufficiently...interesting. ¡° He finished and our gazes met for a second, suddenly he took on a serious and heavy tone. -¡± I just can¡¯t understand you, and I am quite good at those things. ¡° He stated. -¡± At first you seem like a ditzy little girl, then you suddenly talk about politics like it''s a simple thing and to top it off you somehow have that innocent air of yours, which doesn¡¯t seem like an act, despite killing all those people in slums... ¡° He took a deep breath and admitted. -¡± It is maddening. ¡° It was a kind of declaration that one never expects and hearing such opinion about myself totally caught me off guard. I froze, at a loss on how to respond. Seeing my stupefied expression Oliver spoke again, in a more casual tone. -¡± Anyway, we deemed that we will have our hands full with just you. ¡° He gave me a vague half smile and reached for the tea. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I followed suit and reached for my cup, dutifully filled by Ollie. I could feel my tension disappearing while a warm aroma again threatened to take my senses away, resisting it proved harder than expected. -¡¯ Ahhh... ¡® I languished in bliss. -¡¯ One could get addicted to this¡­ ¡® I thought absentmindedly. My unfocused gaze rested on Oliver¡¯s surprisingly lax expression and I blinked instantly to focus, but my sudden observation hasn¡¯t gone unnoticed and, before I knew, I was faced with his usual impassive gaze. -¡¯ I must be imagining things. ¡® I thought to myself while lightly shaking my head. Seeing Oliver¡¯s impassive attitude, and to break the awkward silence, I decided to ask a question, which have been on my mind for the longest time, -¡± What relationship do you have with Master Oswald? It doesn¡¯t feel like you are his subordinate. ¡° -¡± That¡¯s a long and silly tale, Princess. ¡° Oliver smiled wryly in response. -¡± Still, I am curious. ¡° I insisted. -¡± I can¡¯t say no, can I? ¡° Oliver¡¯s lips twisted into a forced smile and he began in a self deprecating voice. -¡± Well, one can say that I am his right hand, though the truth is more complicated than that. ¡° I listened intently. -¡± Everything began few years back, before Oswald pieced this whole Assassin¡¯s Guild business, however he was already working on it. I was quite prideful back then and took only the hardest and juiciest of contracts. A real stupid idea if you ask me now. Also, I grew quite a reputation as a Master of arts which brought more trouble than it was worth... ¡° Oliver paused to take a sip of tea, making me feel impatient. -¡± Oswald decided to scout me out, to push his idea of making an organization forward, and issued me an invitation, which I of course declined. We have gone over it several times, but I was too fond of my freedom and too prideful to accept his callings. Seeing that the casual approach isn¡¯t working Oswald issued me a challenge, to decide who the best assassin is. A stupid thing really, but I was stupid enough to take him up on it. ¡° Oliver took another sip of tea and made a displeased expression. -¡± During that time I took a lot of stupid requests and ended up in all kinds of trouble, it¡¯s a wonder that I didn¡¯t die. After three months, when I was recovering from a really bad wound I smartened up a little and decided that this bet can¡¯t go on, or I will really die. Though I was still prideful and stupid enough to continue the whole affair. Anyway, I sent Oswald a note that we should decide this out by the ultimate test - to see who will be able to take out whom. ¡° Oliver let out a small laugh. -¡± I still don¡¯t know why Oswald accepted my proposal, but he said that I am to become his right hand if he wins. Well, that was the silliest period of my life. Imagine this, two grown men stalking each other in the shadows for six whole months; all for the sake of foolish pride, I could have just left the city. Really I should have tattooed a word *idiot* on my forehead back then. ¡° Oliver sighed and sent me an inquiring look. I was so engrossed in the story that I barely stopped myself from ordering him to continue. -¡± It¡¯s almost scary how your eyes shine when you hear a fool¡¯s story, Princess. ¡° Oliver observed dryly and laughed softly. -¡± In the end I managed to find him and make an ambush, though I think that he let himself be found. I jumped him and we kept fighting, with me pushing him further and further back until he was cornered¡­ ¡° Oliver suddenly made a slight pause. -¡± I wonder if I should leave it at that¡­ ¡° I blinked, for a second stunned by the declaration. My hands clasped the teacup strongly as I forced myself to sit still. -¡¯ He is teasing me¡­ damn, if I show any reaction he will¡­ but if I won¡¯t he might¡­ ¡® I awkwardly fought with my thoughts, looking for an answer. -¡± Haha. ¡° Oliver leaned back and let out a wholehearted laughter, evidently satisfied with his scheme. -¡± Stop glaring daggers at me, Princess, I will continue. ¡° He raised his arms, as if in defeat, and smirked. -¡± But you will need to smile for me. ¡° He stated teasingly. -¡± W-what?! ¡° I stuttered taken aback by his declaration. -¡± A nice, good natured smile and you will hear the rest of the story. ¡° Oliver stated with surprising seriousness. -¡± Believe me when I say that one smile can open a thousand doors, so stop with the scowling and show me something for a change of pace. ¡° After getting tricked, mocked and made a fool off I really didn¡¯t feel like smiling, but I wanted to listen to the rest of the story, so I tentatively bent my lips slightly and tried to smile. -¡± A stiff and shy one, but cute enough. ¡° Oliver commented matter of factly, surprising me. -¡± Why did you¡­ ¡° I started, but he continued his story so I hesitated, not wanting to interrupt him. -¡± So I forced him against the wall and tried to press a dagger to his throat. This is my win, I said, but he responded that it¡¯s a draw. Imagine my surprise, when I had the bastard at knife''s edge and he casually informs me that I had a few hours left to live due to some poison. ¡° Oliver shook his head and laughed dryly. -¡± So I tried to negotiate, that he will give me an antidote and I will let him off, but Oswald wouldn¡¯t budge. He kept telling me that there¡¯s only one way out for me, and it¡¯s as his right hand man. Well, I threatened him, hit him, even stabbed him some, but he wouldn¡¯t budge, he kept saying that our lives are bound now and there¡¯s no way out. ¡° Oliver took a deep breath. -¡± It was a tough time for me, I had my honor and resolution, that I would sooner die than admit defeat. Though declarations like that are easy when you don¡¯t have to think too much, but when you have to calmly think it out and choose, whether you want to live or just to die¡­ the answer is surprisingly easy to find. ¡° He finished softly. I was a bit shaken, but before silence could settle between us Oliver spoke again. -¡± Well, I still managed to argue quite a few crucial points before accepting. ¡° Oliver smiled slyly. -¡± Though, since then I was a changed man. ¡° He reflected. -¡± Thank you for sharing this with me. ¡° I said softly, my eyes felt wet for some reason and I had to blink out some unshed tears. -¡± Anyway, in the end it didn¡¯t end half bad... and there was no poison in the first place. ¡° Oliver rose suddenly. -¡± This should be enough talk for today, good luck at the academy, Princess. ¡° He approached and extended a hand to roughly ruffle my hair. -¡± And smile more, it''s something to look forward to. ¡° His unexpected words and being treated like a child caught me off guard. Before I could collect my thoughts Oliver turned away and left the room, leaving me perplexed and astonished. ================================= Hey~, Author''s here~ sorry for the late release, but I haven''t felt like writing for a time and when I did stuff happened and I couldn''t write. Anyway, the chapter''s out, I hope you enjoyed it. Next one on 14th. Cheers, Mea NEXT CHAPTER: Blair''s Story Arc Blairs Story Arc (Special) Blair''s Story Arc (Special) It was just past noon when Blair concluded a meeting with his new employer, Athmael. After leaving the Adventurer''s Guild through a back door, he was welcomed by an empty back street that was a bit cleaner than other ones in the neighborhood, though unsavory smells were still prevalent. Blair sighed and pulled a hood over his blonde hair, he wondered about his next step as he entered a labyrinthine web of the back alleys. -¡¯ Hmm, I wonder where the best place to gather information about Barstein¡¯s affiliation would be? I doubt that visiting him at a garrison would yield any results, he had cut me off from any important jobs after the warehouse request¡­ ¡® Blair let out a sigh and continued to weigh his options, he was still in thought when he reached one of the main streets. Absentmindedly, his gaze traveled over a crowd of people passing in front of him and was inadvertently drawn to a group of adventurers that were pushing their way through the crowd with impunity. They brandished their white armbands, which had an embroidered yellow sun on them, and behaved like they owned the place. -¡¯ The, so called, peacekeepers doesn¡¯t look peaceful at all. ¡® Blair commented silently while observing adventurers who were supposed to keep the streets peaceful in the name of the Church. -¡¯ More like a bunch of thugs on their home turf. I wonder why the Church of Holy Light lets them do that... Also, why the Church was even allowed to patrol the city in the first place? ¡® He wondered as his gaze rested on a nearby pair of city guards that vehemently clenched their halberds, but did nothing to stop the group. -¡¯ Wait, that¡¯s a good idea. Maybe adventurers that joined the city guard have some useful information. ¡® With a plan in mind he left the alley and mingled with the crowd. Blair proceeded in a direction of a tavern that he knew was usually graced by the off duty guardsmen. Few intersections later he noticed another group of ''peacekeepers'' ahead. Knowing their tendency of sparking trouble with any single person bearing arms in the open, Blair decided to take a detour through side alleys. -¡¯ I wonder if Baleg has the same problem. ¡® He smirked at a thought of the barbarian swarmed by a bunch of puny adventurers. -'' They would probably fare no better than the brigands. '' After few twists and turns, when he was turning at a corner, he was suddenly forced to stop. The road ahead was blocked by few tense looking men of thuggish sort. -¡¯ Damn, when it rains, it pours. ¡® Blair cursed his luck. -¡¯ And this happens after I bothered to take a detour. ¡® He sighed. Blair knew that there was no turning back, as running away would only incite thugs. Instead, he put a hand on the pommel of his sword and slowly continued forward, showing an unconcerned attitude. Thugs grasped their clubs harder and moved menacingly towards Blair, who resigned himself to facing the unavoidable engagement and prepared to draw his estoc at a moment''s notice. The tension intensified and when the fight seemed imminent¡­ -¡± Let him be, he¡¯s more trouble than he¡¯s worth. ¡° One of the thugs, who stood behind the others, suddenly issued an order. Blair took a cautious look around, taking in thugs who grudgingly lowered their weapons and then took a step back. He didn¡¯t expect them to stand down. -¡± But boss, he¡¯s surely an adventurer¡­ ¡° A bulky man with a scar on his face complained. -¡± Maybe, still he¡¯s not the one we are looking for¡­ ¡° The boss admitted and nodded towards Blair, as in grudging acknowledgement. -¡± Also, I saw him going with second floor regulars¡­ we don¡¯t want to mess with that; be on your way. ¡° He waved Blair to pass. Blair, intent on avoiding unnecessary trouble, nodded his thanks and promptly took the boss on his offer quickly walking past the thugs, paying no mind to their hostile glares. He was relieved that they didn¡¯t try to stop him. -¡¯ Hm, what was this about¡­ ¡® Blair wondered. -¡¯ For some time already all of the thugs near the slums seem to be really riled up¡­ ¡® He considered the situation. -¡¯ Maybe those peacekeepers done something? The Church sends them mainly to slums, docks and merchant district after all... also there was that rumor¡­ ¡® Blair remembered a tale about a big adventurer with long black hair and white skirt who supposedly killed several people in the slums. -¡± Hmph. ¡° He snorted. -¡¯ Likely it was some Conan wannabe that didn¡¯t know about the mark¡­ He probably re rolled afterwards, but people are still looking for him, taking it out on other adventurers... ¡® Satisfied with the conclusion he continued on his way and managed to reach the tavern without any further troubles. He lowered his hood before opening the door and walking inside. As he entered he took a look around, taking in the dim interior that was sparsely illuminated by oil lamps that hung on the walls. Weak scent of wood smoke, brew and sweat permeated the place. On cue Blair looked to the left where smouldering flames danced playfully in the fireplace, giving their warmth to both the cauldron and the atmosphere inside. Tables and counter were old but neat and tidy, whole place could be summed up as calm and welcoming. Blair headed to the counter where he ordered a beer from a grey-maned and grizzled veteran that had a good natured smile. After a quick exchange with the barkeep, Blair took a mug and casually approached a group of people that he noticed when he entered. There were four and each of them wore a different kind of clothes, but they had one thing in common, all had a sash or scarf, in a navy blue color, that shown their affiliation as city guardsmen. -¡± You don¡¯t mind if I join in? ¡° Blair asked casually and smiled earnestly. -¡± Why not? The bigger the company the better. ¡° A slim faced young man with a slicked up, platinum blonde hair waved to Blair, inviting him to sit in. The man was somehow giving off a mature vibe that didn¡¯t match his young appearance, which was evidently aiming for a ''prince charming'' vibe. -¡± Speaking of company, I am Nildhardt an aspiring knight, nice to meet you. ¡° -¡± Same wise. ¡° Blair nodded politely. -¡± I am called Blair, a blade for hire. ¡° -¡± Haa, still with that cheat of an Adventurer Guild? ¡° A wide jawed man with a bulky build chimed in passionately. -¡± Ah, pardon me. I am Velthor, a warrior¡­ or at least that was the plan. ¡° Velthor finished awkwardly and laughed at his own joke. -¡± Actually yes. ¡° Blair decided to admit his agenda freely, he wasn¡¯t comfortable with telling lies and the group seemed decent enough for it to work itself out, or so he hoped. -¡± I need to gather some information about the city, I hoped that you could help me. ¡° -¡± Wow, that was direct. ¡° Nieldhard took a sip from his mug, the mood at a table turned somewhat sour. -¡± I don¡¯t want to sound like a jerk¡­ but you know, we barely know each other and stuff... ¡° -¡± I understand perfectly. ¡° Blair continued unfazed. -¡± I just wanted to be perfectly honest with you. Also, I am not asking to help me for free. ¡° He took a gold coin out of his purse and placed it on a table. -¡± Opening a tab with one of those would surely be a sufficient compensation. ¡° -¡± Man, is that gold? ¡° Suddenly, a third guy, who was silent until then chimed in. -¡± It¡¯s a first time I see one for real. Where would you get that! ¡° He looked at Blair expectantly, his eyes wide in wonder. Rest of the adventurer¡¯s at the table had similarly befuddled looks on their faces. -¡± What kind of quest is that? One gold just to get some info, that¡¯s a lot of money, mate¡­ ¡° Nieldhard¡¯s polite and knightly act slipped a bit as he reflexively addressed Blair casually. -¡± I didn¡¯t know that you could get such money working for the guild! Argh why did I join the city guard! ¡° Velthor exclaimed in anguish. -¡± Actually, it¡¯s not really a request from the guild. ¡° Seeing the commotion Blair decided to intervene. -¡± I got it from an aristocrat to scout the situation in the city¡­ after he left. ¡° He felt bad for lying, but he couldn¡¯t disclose the employer¡¯s identity after all. -¡± Oh, so it was like that... ¡° Velthor calmed down, a bit disheartened, but suddenly brightened up. -¡± So what do you want to know? ¡° Stolen novel; please report. -¡± Do you know anything about Quentin Barstein, the Captain of the Guard? ¡° Blair asked directly, but was met with uncertain looks. -¡± He¡¯s a big shot¡­ ¡° -¡± Never met him¡­ ¡° -¡± My boss has orders mailed to him from time to time, that Barstein guy supposedly sends them¡­ ¡° -¡¯ I guess that it would be too easy if they just knew. ¡® Blair sighed to himself. -¡± Actually I heard about him a bit. ¡° Nieldhard stated suddenly, surprising everyone and instantly becoming the center of attention. -¡± There¡¯s not much, but since they made me a corporal I¡¯ve heard this and that. ¡° He spoke with a bit of uncertainty as everyone''s gazes were focused on him. -¡± First off, I heard that he was the one who got the potions¡­ ¡° -¡± What potions? ¡° Blair interrupted, curious. -¡± Most of the regular guardsmen in the northern districts, which are near the magic academy, received some anti magic potions. ¡° Nieldhard downed the rest of his ale and ordered another mug, before continuing. -¡± That stuff ain¡¯t cheap or easy to get as far as I know. ¡° -¡± Yhea, I checked out an Alchemist¡¯s shop once. ¡° Velthor agreed. -¡± All of the prices were in gold. ¡° -¡± There you have it. ¡° Nieldhard gave a nod to Blair and took a mug from a servant. -¡± I also heard a talk, that he was protesting against that peacekeeper rabble touring the city... I mean, you surely can''t call that patrolling. " Nieldhard appended seeing Blair''s blank look. -" Anyway, the Church supposedly threatened that they would pull watchers and templars off the streets were keepers banned... ¡° -¡± Do you have any idea why he agreed? ¡° Blair asked. -¡± I don¡¯t like any of them. ¡° -¡± What are you saying?!¡± Nieldhard almost screamed in surprise. -¡± Those guys are great, they are totally different from those peacekeepers. They are like real knights¡­ Anyway where have you been recently? ¡° -¡± What do you mean? ¡° Blair was surprised by the sudden question. -¡± Haven¡¯t you heard that there was a warlock on the run¡­ ¡° Nieldhard started passionately, but was suddenly interrupted. -¡± Ey, weren¡¯t we asked to keep our mouths shut about it? ¡° Velthor suddenly silenced Nieldhard. -¡± Ah, right¡­ ¡° Nieldhard looked around, with alarmed expression on his face, then continued in whisper. -¡± Well, the cat¡¯s out. Please don¡¯t tell anyone or they will grill my back. ¡° Blair affirmed with a nod. -¡± You see, there¡¯s some evil mage out there and I thought that everyone heard about it, there''s a wanted warrant n'' all. Anyway, that¡¯s why they let the Church, with its watchers and templars, to join in as he¡¯s supposedly some big shot. I heard that he fled but before situation with the Church changed there was an incident¡­ ¡° Blair motioned Nieldhard to go on, the tale grew more and more interesting by the moment. -¡± Some criminal tried to get into a city, but a watcher spotted him. ¡° Nieldhard voice was soft and conspiratory. -¡± They chased him until he almost fried a whole street. ¡° A surprised and doubtful expression appeared on faces of the people surrounding the table. Seeing their doubts, Nieldhard continued in a heated, but quiet voice. -¡± I spoke to a guard who was there at a time, he said that the criminal, who turned out to be a mage, shot a lightning that would have fried half the people on the street were it not stopped by a wall of light summoned by the watcher. ¡° -¡± I see. ¡° Blair sighed, he learned a lot but he was unable to get any decisive information. -¡± So, the church uses criminals as threats to keep its presence¡­ ¡° He mumbled to himself Blair spoke with adventurers some more, but he wasn¡¯t able to get any more useful information from them, so he politely thanked them and donated the promised golden coin. -¡¯ That was a bust¡­ though an interesting one. ¡® Blair thought to himself as he walked away from the tavern. He was wondering how the captain¡¯s image could wary so much, on one hand Blair¡¯s employer depicted him as an incompetent fool, on the other, he seemed like someone skillfully balancing unfavorable circumstances. -'' But none of that shows his allegiance. '' -¡¯ Ok, what now? ¡® He wondered, considering his options. -¡¯ I guess that I won¡¯t be able to get much more out of the guardsmen¡­ where should I look for info then? ¡® At that moment Blair remembered his meeting with Oliver during the warehouse incident and how knowledgeable the man was in regard to the situation in the city. -¡¯ Maybe someone from that Assassin¡¯s Guild would have some info¡­ though I only know the location of the Rogue¡¯s Guild¡­ I guess it won¡¯t hurt to check what info criminals have. ¡® After making up his mind, Blair made his way to the northern part of the slums, where a kind of a buffer zone between it and merchants district was. To Blair¡¯s relief he didn¡¯t encounter any trouble on the way and, after some detours, he arrived in front of a big, run down building. To his surprise, Blair wasn¡¯t able to see anyone in the neighborhood, which seemed empty, almost dead. After a bit of hesitation he disregarded the ominous feeling and entered the building. It wasn¡¯t Blair''s first visit there, but the last one happened some time ago. He was visibly surprised by finding out that, apart from two people, the ground floor was empty. He was also surprised by a light coming from the galley that surrounded the central area, as it was usually shrouded in darkness. That wasn¡¯t the end of surprises, Blair looked at a man sitting at a table that was nearest to the counter. Their gazes met and Blair was barely able to contain his nervousness, the sitting person was clearly a watcher. -¡¯ What¡¯s going on? Why there¡¯s a watcher there? ¡® Blair thought to himself, in vain try of understanding what was going on. A second passed and Blair decided that it would be best to show indifference and talk with the barkeep, who might provide some clue regarding the situation. After making his resolution Blair headed to the counter, where a bald and athletically built barkeep impassively cleaned a mug. -¡± We are really short on ale today, though I might be able to get some blessed wine. ¡° The barkeep stated casually, as if the church official sitting nearby was not there, or because he was. -¡± I was wondering if I would be able to talk to anyone in private. ¡° Blair decided to play along and ignore the knight. -¡± That¡¯s entirely up to you, on my gallery there are bugs, of peaceful sort, if you make them go away... there¡¯s a possibility. ¡° Barkeep spoke in disinterested voice, totally ignoring watcher¡¯s threatening gaze. -¡± Alternatively, you might go up and sit down, miracles do happen. Right, mister knight? ¡° The watcher ignored the jab and just glared threateningly. -¡± I see, thank you. ¡° Blair thanked the barkeep and turned away, wondering what he should do¡­ -¡¯ I am not exactly sure what this is about, but there¡¯s one word that comes to mind. Politics. ¡® Blair shook his head and headed for the exit. He was disinclined to get into a fight with peacekeepers, and most definitely he wanted to avoid facing the knight. Blair left the building and started walking aimlessly through the empty neighborhood. -¡¯ That turned out to be a bust, I need to figure out another way of approaching this. ¡® -¡¯ I wish I had some contacts in aristocracy, they tend to know who works for whom, but, apart from Bolton, I don¡¯t know anyone¡­ ¡® Blair let out a sigh. -¡¯ Damn, and I can¡¯t just contact him¡­ ¡® -¡¯ Wait! ¡® Blair suddenly remembered something. -¡¯ I do know a person that had ties with aristocracy. ¡® Blair recalled Gerhard mentioning that he was a Sergeant in some aristocrat¡¯s retinue. -¡¯ He¡¯s bound to have some useful contacts or information that I could use. Also, I should pay him back for teaching me that cheat of a skill. I would be in a really bad spot if I didn¡¯t know it. ¡® With clear goal in mind Blair headed for a training centre, his task nearly complete. ======================== Update: Announcement - A Dusk Before Dawn Not A Chapter: A Dusk Before Dawn Hey~, Author''s here~ [...and Narrator too!] You probably wonder what''s going on, as I rarely talk in separate chapters. [Well, when Author does it usually ends bad...] As you probably know some holiday''s are coming... [Maybe you should put some tl;dr version first] (Khem) *>.<* The next chapter, which is bound to be rather big, will wrap the first part of the core plot for TFE, afterwards I am going to start anew with a full rewrite. thx for sup, nice holidays'' yada yada, etc... [Details below.] As I was saying, a Calibration, or in your case a Christmas and the end of the year, are coming. For us, the Calibration is one in a year opportunity to perform rare rituals and to cast uniquely powerful spells which means that there won''t be any further releases this year; it is also a time of closure, where events of the past are scrutinized and considered, whether they should be taken up onto the future. Firstly, I wanted to thank everyone that supported this story, be it by comments, ratings(yes, I watch the comments in the reputation window), favourites or follows. Special thanks to the third and second plan heroes who likely do not know that they did anything... well they did and some are none the wiser, that''s what being a third plan hero means. Still, you would be surprised about how many of you I saw and hence know about. [Yhea, using spies totally makes you "not" a stalker...] Secondly, after considering this year, I believe it was a good one. The story went forward, the plot didn''t break and the translation enchant on my magic mirror grew thicker than you can imagine, or so I would like to say since you have read the newer chapters... [Let''s not be too positive... it''s bad for reputation...] Well, you are right on that. The early chapters...correction, almost half of the chapters, are not good enough... at least not in my mirror. While plot was mostly good, and I am a real fan of chapter one, especially after rewrite... [Stop with the shy approach, pleeeease~ We both know that I hooked you on my chapter 33.5...] ...at least plot vise, but still, many chapters lack a bit of a...hmm ...drive or vision, some arcs end up prematurely and some characters or events are just woefully bereft of description and/or impact. All of that upsets me greatly, especially since my GPS... [ It''s an abbreviation for a Godly Positioning System, that shows past and present with perfect clarity...ish~] ...shows me the untapped potential that I wasted in early days of the story, when my depiction spells were still awkward and flawed. Also, when I compare my story with the level, which matches my title :P, that I set for myself I feel bad every time that I see a part of the plot that failed. Hence, I decided to restart the story, the plot might and will change, but the core will stay the same - Almisha, whom I adore¡­ This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it[WE!] ...the truth about the world, it''s magic systems and many of the character''s, though how the story will pan out will probably vary since there were happenings that turned out short or failed, one might consider TFE one of the unfulfilled visions of the future. If I had to point a source, the main flaw, I would say ¡°rashness¡± I introduced too much plot points too soon and didn¡¯t show them up properly, resulting in subpar outcome. I do hope that you won''t begrudge me for wrapping up the story early... [Well, it shows that Overlords ain¡¯t politicians, you should have said it''s a delay before improvement...Also, you even promised an epilogue¡­] ...though if you want then feel free to, as I heard that we are running low on slaves manning a salt mine... [Oh, so there was a political aspect...] To end on a positive note, I hope that you will enjoy the epilogue chapter, which will have POV¡¯s for sure, and then the revamp of the story, also I wish that the follow up will match up to my expectations. This has been a long year and it feels like my skills have improved considerably. Only regret that I have is being unable to reach the mark that I set for myself, of reaching 100 favs before the Calibration, still it wasn''t a bad run for a first attempt at writing at foreign place. [When I hear you say that I feel like you should be the one visiting that salt mine...*Crash* Ouch!] Anyhow, the future is night. Thanks & Cheers, Mea, The Overlord Of Dreams and Nightmares [...but I still think that if there were more bonus chapt...*Thrash* *Static*] Ps1 Yes, night. Ps2 Any comments are welcome, they Will Be Read. Ps3 Link to the remake will be added to the epilogue. EDIT So far the progress is slow but stable. I plan to amass around 20k worth of content before releasing anything. Eta for that is still unknown though EDIT2 Got some progress in, I expect to have something to release soonish~ next week EDIT3 Chapter 1 of Almisha''s Journey, is out I still need more time to finish epilogue to TFE EDIT 4 Epilogue is here, just click next chapter below this post Chapter 37 - Epilogue of Sorts Chapter 37 - Epilogue of Sorts Return to the Magic Academy was similar to my expectations, or so I would like to think. As usual I had to undergo a morning ordeal at hands of the maids, then I was forced into my costume, which seemed even heavier than I remembered, and finally I was surprised to find out that I was expected to take the Book with me. According to Oliver the thing could conceal itself easily, which got me thinking really hard on how to deal with it. Getting nearly killed when I was entering the city made me rather upset to say the least and I felt inclined to even the score. The book must have figured out some of my intentions as it became surprisingly pensive and helpful. Me and my retinue arrived at the grounds in time for the magic theory class. Statuesque cul de sac, greenery of the well kept lawn, fairy tale like grandeur of the building, wooden corridors and magnificent magical chandelier in the hall - everything was the same. Almost. While the building and its surroundings might not have changed much, there was a great difference. In attitude. My arrival at the classroom evoked a minor uproar, which was expected. What I didn''t expect was what happened after, when professor Raghnall arrived for the class. Everyone grew deathly silent and turned into an epitome of attention. Even that Eric guy took out pen and paper and began to take notes, seemingly paying attention. As to Raghnall himself, he dropped his annoying mannerism from the last time, though it didn''t help all that much. His monotonal explanations proved without a doubt that his oratory skills could be considered sub par at best. What changed was the content, which I was hard pressed to grasp. It was totally different from the earlier curriculum and seemed similar to a math class - to my understanding he was explaining the background theory of evocative casting system. I was unable to follow the lecture, which could be compared to learning about integrals without background knowledge of differential functions. After aggravatingly convoluted lecture was over it came time for a practice session. I was vaguely dreading the oncoming meeting with Sylthfran, the idea of assassination weighted heavily on my mind. Since everyone seemed both too shy, due to my supposed status, and too excited, due to a prospect of a practical class, no one tried to approach me. That actually suited me just fine as I was able to approach Raghnall and talk with him freely. The old professor gave me an amicable welcome, which surprised me considerably. After talking with him for quite a while I was able to gather some interesting facts. It appears that recent political upheaval managed to shake up things even on the Academy¡¯s grounds, which in turn made many of the professors uneasy since many of them were unexpectedly *invested* in politics. After thinking about it later I had to admit that it was my omission for not understanding that fact earlier, after all most of the mages have ties to nobility. Other thing that I found out was the content of the lecture, while I wasn¡¯t even close to grasping the whole thing I at least knew what it was about - it turns out that evocative formulas have a deeply scientific background and creation of spells in that system follows quantifiable formulas, though Raghnall admitted that much of the system relies on theorems and not formulas. To put it bluntly it could be said that they know that one plus one gives two and they could find out what two plus two would equal to, but they could not create an universal formula that would be able to portray the whole spectrum of results. That doesn¡¯t mean that the whole thing was easy - as I found out that the equation was indeed a damn integral function which was only responsible for a part of a spell. When I understood that creating a spell required one to assemble several integrals into a cohesive formation I was really glad that I didn¡¯t dabble into evocative system. I didn¡¯t remember much about integrals from my time as a student, but they left a lasting memory... of a traumatic kind. Maids interrupted our talk at some point, letting me know that I was about to be late for the next class. I quickly excused myself and made my way to the training grounds. -¡± Well, well. Someone¡¯s feeling insecure or has some real complexes. That¡¯s a damn big shield¡­ ¡° When I was passing through the opalescent mist the book suddenly whispered to me, but before I could react we were already inside and I was assaulted with a disturbingly familiar feeling. As soon as my gaze reached Sylthfran¡¯s profile I had a fluttering feeling in my stomach, it unsettled me greatly. -¡¯ Why? ¡® I wanted to scream in my mind. Somehow the picture that I saw in Master¡¯s study didn¡¯t seem to give him justice. It took a lot of effort to stifle the incessant feeling. Luckily Sylhfran was busy instructing the class, which gave me some time to calm down¡­ Though not for long. As soon as he turned his attention to me the smitten feeling was back and hit me harder than ever. -¡¯ No, how could I? And to a guy? ¡® My heart was in turmoil and I almost missed the content of his speech. He was happy with my return and wanted to know whether I made some progress. The answer stuck in my throat, a certainty that I would sound like a babbling idiot dawned on me and I had a bout of panic. Sudden feeling of mirth coming from the book somehow managed to pierce the haze that muddled my thoughts and allowed me enough clarity to turn to Clothilde and ask her to respond in my name. I knew that it must have looked really bad, but compared to the gripping certainty that I had about speaking out myself it was still preferable. I was glad for the scarf and the hat as I was sure that my face was beet red, I had to stop myself from twiddling my foot in circles when I looked at Sylthfran¡¯s and Clothilde¡¯s exchange. -¡¯ Focus.¡¯ I unsuccessfully tried to get a grip, but succeeded only at noticing several strange looks that I got from other students, luckily they weren¡¯t close enough to get the whole exchange. Or so I hoped. In the end I was left under Amathias¡¯s care, which still turned out rather well despite his professional but smirking smile that seemed to dwell on the recent event at every opportunity. Though apart from that small gesture he seemed to pay no heed to the event, for which I would be a bit grateful if not for that damn smirk! Utterly humiliated, I escaped the training field at the earliest opportunity and I still can¡¯t remember the instruction provided by Amathias. I soon arrived at my apartment and locked myself in the bedroom, moping. Maids tried to approach me but I kept the door shut and didn¡¯t want to listen to their comforting words. I don¡¯t know how long I would spend in that state were it not for the book, which finally couldn¡¯t contain its mirth and started openly laughing and ridiculing me. I snapped instantly and with murderous mood I was about to force it into the Beginner Pouch when the book finally decided to enlighten me. It turns out that freaking damn¡­ ...let me say this that way. It turns out that Sylthfran surrounds himself with some really complicated and insidious charm spell, which attunes itself to someone''s magical defense. The stronger the defense the stronger the effect, it turns out that my outfit was totally unsuited to braving such kind of underhanded magic which struck me with amplified and unstoppable effect. It took me a long time to calm down, but when I did I was murderous. That might have been the reason behind the book surrendering a protection spell quite easily. Following days passed calmly, with me learning about the intricacies of the channeling system from Amathias. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to even look in Sylthfran¡¯s direction as I was unsure on whether I would be able to contain my murderous aura. Still, getting training and experiencing new things was a bliss. And surprisingly enough I was approached by some of the students that wanted to know on why I was sticking to *old and inefficient* system in *that* day and age. While we might not have seen eye to eye on the matter I surprisingly found myself drawn in and accompanied by them quite often. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Other than that there were tea meetings with Oliver, who happened to drop in from time to time and brief me on political situation in the region, which was complicated even without the recent events that were just like an icing on the cake. Everything seemed peaceful until a certain day... * * * * Cardinal Elmore Evenwater straightened up from the scroll she was reading and raised her hands to massage her aching temples. She let out an exasperated sigh, recent events have been taxing and she felt almost like a trapped animal. Years of her past efforts turned to dust in recent months, decades of preparation lost to follow papal orders. Under normal circumstances she would not have followed them, but papal words were accompanied by auspicious signs, moreover she also had visions of her own. Thus she was forced to accept tasks that in the end were undermining both region''s stability and Temple''s of Light position. To make matters worse Conclave of Templars were misled by the growing influence of the Church, which would ultimately lead to its downfall. -'' Those fools even consider a revival of Marthan Templar State. '' She clenched her fists in order to calm herself. She needed to be calm, or the Temple of Light, would not weather the oncoming storm. She wanted to pray for guidance, but she knew that it would lead nowhere. She already received her guidance - she had to prepare her wards for the trouble ahead. Cardinal returned to the missive that she was reading, it was a testament to Templar stupidity, they tried to bring down assassin''s guild master and failed miserably. Even worse, they failed in a worst way possible. She knew what kind of man a Master Assassin was and she had no doubts that he would not let such a thing slide. Elmore wanted to scream, but only pursed her lips instead. Cardinal knew what she had to do. With even, calculated motions she reached for a blank scroll and started writing a missive. Sometimes for a person to survive a limb must be cut, and Templars would only bring the Temple down, so they had to go. Soon, she called one of her most trusted inquisitors and handed him the missive sealed with her personal seal. Elmore hoped that her instincts were right and Followers of Prosperity were yet to bring the governor under their thumb. If everything played out right this alliance may salvage the situation for both the Temple and the city... * * * An unusual meeting was taking place in the space between the dimensions, where distance and time meant nothing and everything at once. -¡® We can¡¯t keep it up any longer. ¡® A strained being, whose very presence seemed dim compared to others, stated bleakly. ¡® Five million is the limit. ¡® -¡® We need at least twice that to seal the Boundary¡­ ¡® The being that responded did sharply contrast with the others, as he actually took a physical form. He looked like an outspoken gentleman, with slicked back blonde hair that matched up to his elegant, cream colored suit. His cold, piercing eyes were hidden behind a pair of slim, rose tinted glasses. Despite his duplicitous nature he exuded aura of self confidence that most mortals found appealing. -¡® That¡¯s just too greedy. ¡® A being that seemed like a pillar of light interjected. -¡® Even if their God won¡¯t react that doesn¡¯t mean that we can just drop few millions of distressed humans onto the world. Even my followers are beginning to stir trouble. ¡® God of Light made a small pause to accentuate his statement. -¡® Unless you want to concede and throw them straight into the Wheel of Reincarnation, Freedom. ¡® There was hostility in the God¡¯s voice. -¡¯ You know that I won¡¯t, and that we can¡¯t. ¡® Gentleman, who was in fact a God of Freedom, responded calmly, but his voice was hard. -¡¯ Their God would just pluck back most of them if we did that. He might be idle, but he will react to such a transgression¡­ ¡® -¡¯ Then stop stalling and finish what you have started. ¡® God of Light unleashed a wave of power to show his impatience. -¡¯ But¡­ ¡® Gentleman tried to object, but was instantly interrupted. -¡¯ No. ¡® Suddenly another presence manifested, its voice was like a mountain - deep, slow and unstoppable. -¡¯ You were the one who was responsible for the Shattering that crippled the world. I don''t want to see it plunged into chaos yet again. ¡® Gentleman tried to speak, but God of Nature was not easily interrupted. -¡¯ I know that you have little interest in the balance of the mortal realm, but that does not mean that we are the same, therefore I will not allow you a free hand. Even if we are partly responsible for the Shattering. ¡® -¡¯ But what if one of the Demon Worlds tries to invade? We need to restore¡­ ¡® God of Freedom voiced his worry, despite knowing that it won¡¯t change the opinion of others. -¡¯ The consensus has been reached. ¡® A secular voice resounded, stopping Freedom in his tracks. No one would want to interrupt the God of Trade and Knowledge, for obvious reasons. -¡¯ Goddess of the Moon has problems with sustaining five millions of proxies already. Also, the impact of those people finding out that they were transferred to another world cannot be neglected, even if they are spread around the globe they amount to five percent of the total population.Therefore we should naturalize them, to free Moon from the burden, and focus on repairing the rest of the Boundary in a normal manner... ¡® Upon seeing Freedom¡¯s doubt the God appended. -¡¯ Even if it¡¯s time consuming. ¡® Gods united after the speech and God of Freedom saw that he could no longer change the outcome, so he only nodded his head in acknowledgment when God of Nature issued the order. -¡¯ Now go, bring souls to our world so their power might help to restore the Boundary. ¡® With that short sentence myriad of human fates has been sealed, forced to lead their lives in the new world... ========= Hey, Mea''s Here~ It has been a long time since I posted A dusk before dawn part. It turns out that end of the year turned out to be quite busy. I hope you won''t hate me too much for the epilogue and writing it in a descriptive fashion, which I admit is a bit of cheating. Still, that way I was able to compress a lot of content in the reasonable amount of space. I am not sure whether I would be able to finish it by the end of march if I were to write it down normally, though it would certainly be a better(and muuuch longer read). Anyway back to the point. I have started publishing the rewrite of TFE though decided to drop Vr premise and go with a different plot. I feel it will and somehow already is, a better thing than TFE. While ending this part of almisha''s story early is painful for me I feel that having a chance at doing everything right from the start is worth the sacrifice. If you wonder why I find TFE not good enough then please do take a look at this Chapter 1 and compare it with Chapter 1 of TFE. This might show you on why I decided to restart the story from scratch, as to why I decided to drop VR and few other ideas, the answer is simple - I have learned that more is not always the better and some things detract value instead of adding it when adding them to the story. And I figured out that in the loooong run I prefer a reincarnation story instead of hybrid one, which TFE in the end was supposed to be. Phew. with that out of the way I wanted to thank you for support(and for reading this overbearing ending). If you would feel inclined to follow the new Almisha''s story you can do so by clicking this link: Almisha''s Journey I hope you don''t consider the time spent on my story wasted and have enjoyed yourself at least a bit. Cheers, Mea Ps Even If I tried I wouldn''t be able to write the story as I would like it to be a year ago, hence try not to dwell on it too much - its unhealthy :P Ps2 Comments are welcome, as always... or even more so. Let the indulgence be with you... for who needs power when they can do what they like without it...